Space environmental considerations for a long-term cryogenic storage vessel

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nakanishi, Shigeo

1987-01-01

Information is given on the kind of protection that is needed against impact and perforation of a long-term cryogenic storage vessel in space by meteoroids and space debris. The long-term effects of the space environment on thermal control surfaces and coatings, and the question of whether the insulation and thermal control surfaces should be encased in a vacuum jacket shell are discussed.

Cervical cancer survivorship: Long-term quality of life and social support

PubMed Central

Pfaendler, Krista S.; Wenzel, Lari; Mechanic, Mindy B.; Penner, Kristine R.

2015-01-01

Purpose Surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy are the mainstays of cervical cancer treatment. Many patients receive multiple treatment modalities, each with its own long-term effects. Given the high 5 year survival rate for cervical cancer patients, evaluation and improvement of long-term quality of life are essential. Methods Pertinent articles were identified through searches of PubMed for literature published from 1993-2014. We summarize quality of life data from long-term follow up studies of cervical cancer patients. We additionally summarize small group interviews of Hispanic and non-Hispanic cervical cancer survivors regarding social support and coping. Findings Data is varied in terms of the long term impact of treatment on quality of life but consistent in suggesting that patients who receive radiotherapy as part of their treatment have the highest risk of increased long term dysfunction of bladder and bowel, as well as sexual dysfunction and psychosocial consequences. Rigorous investigations regarding long-term consequences of treatment modalities are lacking. Implications Continued work to improve treatment outcomes and survival should also include a focus on reducing adverse long-term side effects. Providing supportive care during treatment, and evaluating the effects of supportive care, may reduce the prevalence and magnitude of long-term sequelae of cervical cancer, which will in turn improve quality of life and quality of care. PMID:25592090

Stability of selected serum hormones and lipids after long-term storage in the Janus Serum Bank.

PubMed

Gislefoss, Randi E; Grimsrud, Tom K; Mørkrid, Lars

2015-04-01

The potential value of a biobank depends on the quality of the samples, i.e. how well they reflect the biological or biochemical state of the donors at the time of sampling. Documentation of sample quality has become a particularly important issue for researchers and users of biobank studies. The aim of this study was to investigate the long-term stability of selected components: cholesterol, high density cholesterol (HDLC), low density cholesterol (LDLC), apolipoprotein A1 (apo-A1), apolipoprotein B (apo B), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), prolactin (PRL), thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and free thyroxin (FT4). Samples, stored at -25°C, from 520 men aged 40-49 years at blood sampling distributed in equally sized groups (n=130) according to length of storage, 0, 4, 17 and 29 years, respectively, were used in a cross sectional design. The freshly collected serum samples were used as a reference group to calculate storage related changes. The differences between fresh samples and samples stored for 29 years were substantial for apo-A1 (+12%), apo-B (+22.3%), HDLC (-69.2%), LDLC (+31.3%), and PRL (-33.5%), while total cholesterol, FSH, LH, TSH and FT4 did not show any significant difference. The study showed large differences in serum level of the selected components. The lipids and apolipoproteins were all changed except for total cholesterol. Most hormones investigated (FSH, LH, TSH and FT4) proved to be stable after 29 years of storage while PRL showed sign of degradation. The observed differences are probably due to long-term storage effects and/or external factors (i.e. diet and smoking). Copyright © 2014 The Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Secondary Growth and Carbohydrate Storage Patterns Differ between Sexes in Juniperus thurifera

PubMed Central

DeSoto, Lucía; Olano, José M.; Rozas, Vicente

2016-01-01

Differences in reproductive costs between male and female plants have been shown to foster sex-related variability in growth and C-storage patterns. The extent to which differential secondary growth in dioecious trees is associated with changes in stem carbohydrate storage patterns, however, has not been fully assessed. We explored the long-term radial growth and the seasonal variation of non-structural carbohydrate (NSC) content in sapwood of 40 males and 40 females Juniperus thurifera trees at two sites. NSC content was analyzed bimonthly for 1 year, and tree-ring width was measured for the 1931–2010 period. Sex-related differences in secondary growth and carbohydrate storage were site-dependent. Under less restrictive environmental conditions females grew more and stored more non-soluble sugars than males. Our results reinforce that sex-related differences in growth and resource storage may be a consequence of local adaptation to environmental conditions. Seasonal variation in soluble sugars concentration was opposite to cambial activity, with minima seen during periods of maximal secondary growth, and did not differ between the sexes or sites. Trees with higher stem NSC levels at critical periods showed higher radial growth, suggesting a common mechanism irrespective of site or sex. Sex-related patterns of secondary growth were linked to differences in non-soluble sugars content indicating sex-specific strategies of long-term performance. PMID:27303418

Problems in the long-term storage of data obtained from scientific space experiments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zlotin, G. N.; Khovanskiy, Y. D.

1975-01-01

It is shown that long-term data storage systems can be achieved when the system which organizes and conducts the scientific space experiments is equipped with a specialized subsystem: the information filing system. Its main functions are described along with the necessity of stage-by-stage development and compatibility with the data processing systems. The requirements for long-term data storage media are discussed.

Long-term data storage in diamond

PubMed Central

Dhomkar, Siddharth; Henshaw, Jacob; Jayakumar, Harishankar; Meriles, Carlos A.

2016-01-01

The negatively charged nitrogen vacancy (NV−) center in diamond is the focus of widespread attention for applications ranging from quantum information processing to nanoscale metrology. Although most work so far has focused on the NV− optical and spin properties, control of the charge state promises complementary opportunities. One intriguing possibility is the long-term storage of information, a notion we hereby introduce using NV-rich, type 1b diamond. As a proof of principle, we use multicolor optical microscopy to read, write, and reset arbitrary data sets with two-dimensional (2D) binary bit density comparable to present digital-video-disk (DVD) technology. Leveraging on the singular dynamics of NV− ionization, we encode information on different planes of the diamond crystal with no cross-talk, hence extending the storage capacity to three dimensions. Furthermore, we correlate the center’s charge state and the nuclear spin polarization of the nitrogen host and show that the latter is robust to a cycle of NV− ionization and recharge. In combination with super-resolution microscopy techniques, these observations provide a route toward subdiffraction NV charge control, a regime where the storage capacity could exceed present technologies. PMID:27819045

Long-term data storage in diamond.

PubMed

Dhomkar, Siddharth; Henshaw, Jacob; Jayakumar, Harishankar; Meriles, Carlos A

2016-10-01

The negatively charged nitrogen vacancy (NV - ) center in diamond is the focus of widespread attention for applications ranging from quantum information processing to nanoscale metrology. Although most work so far has focused on the NV - optical and spin properties, control of the charge state promises complementary opportunities. One intriguing possibility is the long-term storage of information, a notion we hereby introduce using NV-rich, type 1b diamond. As a proof of principle, we use multicolor optical microscopy to read, write, and reset arbitrary data sets with two-dimensional (2D) binary bit density comparable to present digital-video-disk (DVD) technology. Leveraging on the singular dynamics of NV - ionization, we encode information on different planes of the diamond crystal with no cross-talk, hence extending the storage capacity to three dimensions. Furthermore, we correlate the center's charge state and the nuclear spin polarization of the nitrogen host and show that the latter is robust to a cycle of NV - ionization and recharge. In combination with super-resolution microscopy techniques, these observations provide a route toward subdiffraction NV charge control, a regime where the storage capacity could exceed present technologies.

Covalent functionalization of graphene by azobenzene with molecular hydrogen bonds for long-term solar thermal storage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feng, Yiyu; Liu, Hongpo; Luo, Wen; Liu, Enzuo; Zhao, Naiqin; Yoshino, Katsumi; Feng, Wei

2013-11-01

Reduced graphene oxide-azobenzene (RGO-AZO) hybrids were prepared via covalent functionalization for long-term solar thermal storage. Thermal barrier (ΔEa) of cis to tran reversion and thermal storage (ΔH) were improved by molecular hydrogen bonds (H-bonds) through ortho- or para-substitution of AZO. Intramolecular H-bonds thermally stabilized cis-ortho-AZO on RGO with a long-term half-life of 5400 h (ΔEa = 1.2 eV), which was much longer than that of RGO-para-AZO (116 h). RGO-para-AZO with one intermolecular H-bond showed a high density of thermal storage up to 269.8 kJ kg-1 compared with RGO-ortho-AZO (149.6 kJ kg-1) with multiple intra- and intermolecular H-bonds of AZO according to relaxed stable structures. Thermal storage in experiment was the same order magnitude to theoretical data based on ΔH calculated by density functional theory and packing density. Photoactive RGO-AZO hybrid can be developed for high-performance solar thermal storage by optimizing molecular H-bonds.

Covalent functionalization of graphene by azobenzene with molecular hydrogen bonds for long-term solar thermal storage

PubMed Central

Feng, Yiyu; Liu, Hongpo; Luo, Wen; Liu, Enzuo; Zhao, Naiqin; Yoshino, Katsumi; Feng, Wei

2013-01-01

Reduced graphene oxide-azobenzene (RGO-AZO) hybrids were prepared via covalent functionalization for long-term solar thermal storage. Thermal barrier (ΔEa) of cis to tran reversion and thermal storage (ΔH) were improved by molecular hydrogen bonds (H-bonds) through ortho- or para-substitution of AZO. Intramolecular H-bonds thermally stabilized cis-ortho-AZO on RGO with a long-term half-life of 5400 h (ΔEa = 1.2 eV), which was much longer than that of RGO-para-AZO (116 h). RGO-para-AZO with one intermolecular H-bond showed a high density of thermal storage up to 269.8 kJ kg−1 compared with RGO-ortho-AZO (149.6 kJ kg−1) with multiple intra- and intermolecular H-bonds of AZO according to relaxed stable structures. Thermal storage in experiment was the same order magnitude to theoretical data based on ΔH calculated by density functional theory and packing density. Photoactive RGO-AZO hybrid can be developed for high-performance solar thermal storage by optimizing molecular H-bonds. PMID:24247355

Covalent functionalization of graphene by azobenzene with molecular hydrogen bonds for long-term solar thermal storage.

PubMed

Feng, Yiyu; Liu, Hongpo; Luo, Wen; Liu, Enzuo; Zhao, Naiqin; Yoshino, Katsumi; Feng, Wei

2013-11-19

Reduced graphene oxide-azobenzene (RGO-AZO) hybrids were prepared via covalent functionalization for long-term solar thermal storage. Thermal barrier (ΔEa) of cis to tran reversion and thermal storage (ΔH) were improved by molecular hydrogen bonds (H-bonds) through ortho- or para-substitution of AZO. Intramolecular H-bonds thermally stabilized cis-ortho-AZO on RGO with a long-term half-life of 5400 h (ΔEa = 1.2 eV), which was much longer than that of RGO-para-AZO (116 h). RGO-para-AZO with one intermolecular H-bond showed a high density of thermal storage up to 269.8 kJ kg(-1) compared with RGO-ortho-AZO (149.6 kJ kg(-1)) with multiple intra- and intermolecular H-bonds of AZO according to relaxed stable structures. Thermal storage in experiment was the same order magnitude to theoretical data based on ΔH calculated by density functional theory and packing density. Photoactive RGO-AZO hybrid can be developed for high-performance solar thermal storage by optimizing molecular H-bonds.

Ensuring long-term reliability of the data storage on optical disc

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Ken; Pan, Longfa; Xu, Bin; Liu, Wei

2008-12-01

"Quality requirements and handling regulation of archival optical disc for electronic records filing" is released by The State Archives Administration of the People's Republic of China (SAAC) on its network in March 2007. This document established a complete operative managing process for optical disc data storage in archives departments. The quality requirements of the optical disc used in archives departments are stipulated. Quality check of the recorded disc before filing is considered to be necessary and the threshold of the parameter of the qualified filing disc is set down. The handling regulations for the staffs in the archives departments are described. Recommended environment conditions of the disc preservation, recording, accessing and testing are presented. The block error rate of the disc is selected as main monitoring parameter of the lifetime of the filing disc and three classes pre-alarm lines are created for marking of different quality check intervals. The strategy of monitoring the variation of the error rate curve of the filing discs and moving the data to a new disc or a new media when the error rate of the disc reaches the third class pre-alarm line will effectively guarantee the data migration before permanent loss. Only when every step of the procedure is strictly implemented, it is believed that long-term reliability of the data storage on optical disc for archives departments can be effectively ensured.

Long-term Effect of Pig Slurry Application on Soil Carbon Storage, Quality and Yield Sustainability in Murcia Region, Spain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Büyükkılıç Yanardaǧ, Asuman

2013-04-01

Sustainability of agriculture is now a major global concern, especially since the 1980s. Soil organic matter is very important in the proper functions of the soil, which is also a good indicator of soil quality. This is due to its influence on many of the chemical, physical, and biological processes that control the capacity of a soil to perform properly. Understanding of nutrient supply through organic matter mineralization in agricultural systems is essential for maintaining long-term quality and productivity. The composition of pig manure will have a profound impact on soil properties, quality and crop yield when used in agriculture. We studied the effects of pig slurry (PS) application as an organic fertilizer, trying to determine the optimum amount that can be added to the soil, and the effect on soil properties, quality, and productivity. We applied 3 different doses on silty loam soils: Single (D1), Double (D2), Triple (D3) and unfertilized plots (C) served as controls. Samples were collected at two different levels, surface (0-30 cm) and subsurface (30-60 cm). D1 application dose, which is the agronomic rate of N-requirement (170 kg N/ha/yr) (European Directive 91/676/CEE), is very appropriate in term of sustainable agriculture and also can improve physical, chemical and biological soil properties. Therefore that the long-term use of PS with low dose may necessarily enhance soil quality in the long term. There are many factors to be considered when attempting to assess the overall net impact of a management practice on productivity. Additions of pig manure to soils at agronomic rates (170 kg N ha-1 yr-1) to match crop nutrient requirements are expected to have a positive impact on soil productivity. Therefore, the benefits from the use of application depend on the management of PS, carbon and environmental quality. However, PS have high micronutrient contents, and for this reason the application of high doses can pollute soils and damage human, animal and

Long-term leaching tests with high ash fusion Maryland coal slag

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Browman, M.G.

The main objective of this project was to investigate the potential environmental impact of the storage or disposal of coal gasification residues. In this regard, this investigation examined the quality of leachate produced during the long-term outdoor storage slag generated at the TVA 200-t/d Texaco gasifier in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. Evaluative laboratory extraction tests were also conducted on both the coarse and fine slag. Leachate quality was tracked in both the surface water and the water at depth after it percolated through the slag pile (leachate well water) by measuring pH and conductivity on a weekly basis and toxic tracemore » elements and other chemical species quarterly or at longer intervals. The major species observed in the leachate well water were Ca and Mg cations as well as sulfate anions. The average electrical conductivity measured in the leachate well water was 2503 {mu}mhos/cm. The measured pH decreased from an initial value of 8.2 and stabilized at about 7.1 with occasional excursions to values as low as 6.3 during dry periods. Concurrently, sulfate concentrations averaged 1083 mg/l with occasional peaks as high as 2600 mg/l. Fe and Mn concentrations measured in the leachate well waters averaged 2.0 and 1.68 mg/l, respectively. Concentrations of species for which Primary Maximum Contaminant Limits (MCLs) for public drinking water supplies have been established were generally below the primary limits with the exception of Se and F which exceeded the limits occasionally. Concentrations of Fe, Mn, sulfate, and total dissolved solids were markedly above the Secondary MCLs set for these species. 35 refs., 2 figs., 21 tabs.« less

Red blood cell storage duration and long-term mortality in patients undergoing cardiac intervention: a Danish register study.

PubMed

Dencker, D; Pedersen, F; Engstrøm, T; Schroeder, T V; Lönn, L; Johansson, P I; De Backer, O

2017-08-01

To study the effect of red blood cell (RBC) storage duration on long-term mortality in patients undergoing cardiac intervention. RBCs undergo numerous structural and functional changes during storage. Observational studies have assessed the association between RBC storage duration and patient outcomes with conflicting results. Between January 2006 and December 2014, 82 408 patients underwent coronary angiography. Of these, 1856 patients received one to four RBC units within 30 days after this procedure. Patients were allocated according to length of RBC storage duration: short-term (≤11 days), intermediate (IM)-term (12-23 days) and long-term (≥24 days). The study endpoints were 30-day and long-term all-cause mortality. A total of 4168 RBC units were given to 1856 patients. The mean RBC storage duration was 8.5 ± 2.1, 17.7 ± 3.4 and 29.9 ± 3.4 days in the short-term, IM-term and long-term storage groups, respectively. There was no difference in baseline characteristics between the groups. The long-term storage group received significantly more units (2.4 ± 1.0 units) as compared to the short-term (2.0 ± 1.0 units; P < 0.001) and IM-term storage group (2.2 ± 1.0 units; P < 0.01). In the survival analysis, there was no significant difference in all-cause mortality between the groups (log-rank: 0.509 for 30-days mortality; 0.493 for 5-year mortality). Additional stratified analysis demonstrated no association between RBC storage duration and long-term mortality. This study did not find an association between RBC storage duration and 30-days or long-term mortality in patients undergoing cardiac intervention. © 2017 British Blood Transfusion Society.

Decay heat power of spent nuclear fuel of power reactors with high burnup at long-term storage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ternovykh, Mikhail; Tikhomirov, Georgy; Saldikov, Ivan; Gerasimov, Alexander

2017-09-01

Decay heat power of actinides and fission products from spent nuclear fuel of power VVER-1000 type reactors at long-term storage is calculated. Two modes of storage are considered: mode in which single portion of actinides or fission products is loaded in storage facility, and mode in which actinides or fission products from spent fuel of one VVER reactor are added every year in storage facility during 30 years and then accumulated nuclides are stored without addition new nuclides. Two values of fuel burnup 40 and 70 MW·d/kg are considered for the mode of storage of single fuel unloading. For the mode of accumulation of spent fuel with subsequent storage, one value of burnup of 70 MW·d/kg is considered. Very long time of storage 105 years accepted in calculations allows to simulate final geological disposal of radioactive wastes. Heat power of fission products decreases quickly after 50-100 years of storage. The power of actinides decreases very slow. In passing from 40 to 70 MW·d/kg, power of actinides increases due to accumulation of higher fraction of 244Cm. These data are important in the back end of fuel cycle when improved cooling system of the storage facility will be required along with stronger radiation protection during storage, transportation and processing.

Evaluation of swine fertilisation medium (SFM) efficiency in preserving spermatozoa quality during long-term storage in comparison to four commercial swine extenders.

PubMed

Fantinati, P; Zannoni, A; Bernardini, C; Forni, M; Tattini, A; Seren, E; Bacci, M L

2009-02-01

In pig production, artificial insemination is widely carried out and the use of fresh diluted semen is predominant. For this reason, there are increasing interests in developing new extenders and in establishing the optimal storage conditions for diluted spermatozoa. In the last few decades, we utilised a homemade diluent (swine fertilisation medium (SFM)) for spermatozoa manipulation and biotechnological application as the production of transgenic pigs utilising the sperm-mediated gene transfer technique. The purpose of the present study is therefore to analyse the ability of SFM, in comparison to four commercial extenders, in preserving the quality of diluted boar semen stored at 16.5°C till 15 days. We utilised some of the main predictive tests as objectively measured motility, acrosome and sperm membrane integrity, high mitochondrial membrane potential and pH. Based on our in vitro study, SFM could be declared as a good long-term extender, able to preserve spermatozoa quality as well as Androhep Enduraguard for up to 6 to 9 days and more.

High density FTA plates serve as efficient long-term sample storage for HLA genotyping.

PubMed

Lange, V; Arndt, K; Schwarzelt, C; Boehme, I; Giani, A S; Schmidt, A H; Ehninger, G; Wassmuth, R

2014-02-01

Storage of dried blood spots (DBS) on high-density FTA(®) plates could constitute an appealing alternative to frozen storage. However, it remains controversial whether DBS are suitable for high-resolution sequencing of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) alleles. Therefore, we extracted DNA from DBS that had been stored for up to 4 years, using six different methods. We identified those extraction methods that recovered sufficient high-quality DNA for reliable high-resolution HLA sequencing. Further, we confirmed that frozen whole blood samples that had been stored for several years can be transferred to filter paper without compromising HLA genotyping upon extraction. Concluding, DNA derived from high-density FTA(®) plates is suitable for high-resolution HLA sequencing, provided that appropriate extraction protocols are employed. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Long-term treatment with calcium-alpha-ketoglutarate corrects secondary hyperparathyroidism.

PubMed

Zimmermann, E; Wassmer, S; Steudle, V

1996-01-01

Calcium-alpha-ketoglutarate (Ca-ket) is known as a highly effective phosphate (P) binder in hemodialysis (HD) patients. In addition, alpha-ketoglutarate has been shown to improve metabolic alterations. We investigated the effect of long-term P-binding therapy with Ca-ket to determine whether P accumulation is the main reason of secondary hyperparathyroidism (HPT) in HD patients or not. Ca-ket was prescribed to 14 HD patients as a soluble preparation in a mean dosage of 4.5 g/day (0.975 g elemental Ca) for a period of 36 months. Serum P continuously dropped from prestudy 2.6 +/- 0.1 (mean +/- SEM) to 1.9 +/- 0.07 mmol/l (p < 0.001), whereas serum Ca increased from 2.2 +/- 0.1 to 2.47 +/- 0.08 mmol/l (p < 0.05). Thus, Ca/P ratio in serum converted significantly from 0.91 +/- 0.02 (prestudy) to 1.28 +/- 0.01 (p < 0.001). Intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) continuously normalized in all patients from 29 +/- 5 to 8 +/- 2 pmol/l (p < 0.001). The present data show that long-term treatment with Ca-ket normalizes secondary HPT by simultaneously P binding and correcting Ca/P ratio in serum without vitamin D treatment.

Optimization of conditions for long-term prefreezing storage of brown bear sperm before cryopreservation.

PubMed

López-Urueña, E; Alvarez, M; Gomes-Alves, S; Anel-López, L; Martínez-Rodríguez, C; Manrique, P; Borragan, S; Anel, L; de Paz, P

2015-10-15

hours: total, 44.1%; progressive, 17.1%; 48 hours: total, 38.4%; progressive, 16%). In experiment 3, samples were stored up to 48 hours at 5 °C with 6% of glycerol and two dilution methods were evaluated: dilution 1:1 (average: 1782 × 10(6) sperm/mL; low) or final dilution (100 × 10(6) sperm/mL; high). Both dilution rates showed similar postthawing and postincubation results within 24 hours of long-term storage. After 48 hours, high dilution supported better postthawing quality. Both dilutions showed similar resistance to cryopreservation, except after 48 hours, when the high dilution reached a higher percent recovery rate of viability (38.8% vs. 21.6%, P < 0.05). In conclusion, our results suggested that the best conditions for long-term prefreezing storage (up to 48 hours) of brown bear electroejaculates are at 5 °C, at a concentration of 100 × 10(6) sperm/mL, and with 6% glycerol. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Potential long-term storage of the predatory mite Phytoseiulus persimilis

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Increasing the ability to store mass-reared natural enemies during periods or seasons of low demand is a critical need of the biocontrol industry. We tested the hypothesis that cryoprotectant or carbohydrate molecules can enhance long-term cold storage of a predatory mite Phytoseiulus persimilis At...

Influence of long-term storage on fire hazard properties of metal nanopowders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kyrmakova, O. S.; Sechin, A. I.; Nazarenko, O. B.

2017-08-01

The production and application of nanomaterials is rapidly expanding. Therefore the problem of their properties change during long-term storage becomes essential. The properties of metal nanopowders after long-term storage under ambient conditions were studied and the results are presented in this work. The aluminum, iron, zinc, and copper nanopowders produced by the method of electrical explosion of wires were investigated in this work. The investigation was carried out by X-ray and thermal analysis. The estimation of the flame propagation velocity in the bulk layer of nanopowders was carried out. The characteristics of the nanopowders of nanometals studied are given in terms of their fire hazard. The results can be used for diagnostic of fire hazard of nanomaterials and protection of the enterprises against fire and explosion.

University of Minnesota Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES) project report on the first long-term cycle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walton, M.

1991-10-01

The technical feasibility of high-temperature (greater than 100 C) aquifer thermal energy storage (IOTAS) in a deep, confined aquifer was tested in a series of experimental cycles at the University of Minnesota's St. Paul field test facility (FTF). This report describes the additions to the FTF for the long-term cycles and the details of the first long-term cycle (LT1) that was conducted from November 1984 through May 1985. Heat recovery; operational experience; and thermal, chemical, hydrologic, and geologic aspects of LT1 are reported. The permits for long-term cycles required the addition of a monitoring well 30.5 m from the storage well for monitoring near the edge of the thermally affected area and allowed the addition of a cation-exchange water softener to enable continuous operation during the injection phase. Approximately 62 percent of the 9.47 GWh of energy added to the 9.21 x 10(exp 4) cu m of ground water stored in the aquifer LT1 was recovered. Ion-exchange water softening of the heated and stored ground water prevented scaling in the system heat exchangers and the storage well and changed the major-ion chemistry of the stored water. Temperatures at the storage horizons in site monitoring wells reached as high as 108 C during the injection phase of LT1. Following heat recovery, temperatures were less than 30 C at the same locations. Less permeable horizons underwent slow temperature changes. No thermal or chemical effects were observed at the remote monitoring site.

Long-term storage effect on chemical composition, nutritional value and quality of Greek onion landrace "Vatikiotiko".

PubMed

Petropoulos, S A; Ntatsi, G; Fernandes, Â; Barros, L; Barreira, J C M; Ferreira, I C F R; Antoniadis, V

2016-06-15

The effect of storage at two temperatures (5±1 and 25±1 °C and 60-70±5% RH for both temperatures) on marketability and quality features of dry bulbs of local landrace "Vatikiotiko", "Sivan F1", "Red Cross F1" and "Creamgold" was examined. During storage measurements for fresh and dry weight of bulbs, tunic and flesh color, bulb firmness, nutritional value and mineral composition were taken at regular intervals. Storage concluded when either bulbs lost marketable quality or sprouting occurred. "Vatikiotiko" onion can be stored for at least 7months at 25±1 °C, whereas at 5±1 °C storage could be prolonged without significant marketability and quality loss. The fact that "Vatikiotiko" landrace can be considered a "storage" onion has to be capitalized in order to increase total production and yield, since storage could cover the market needs that arise throughout the year. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Examining the Contemporaneous, Short-Term, and Long-Term Effects of Secondary Exposure to Violence on Adolescent Substance Use.

PubMed

Zimmerman, Gregory M; Kushner, Mackenzie

2017-09-01

The relationship between secondary exposure to violence-defined as witnessing violence in the home, community, or school-and adolescent substance use is well-documented. Yet, multi-wave empirical studies examining this relationship are sparse. In addition, studies have only begun to examine whether this relationship varies by the situational components of the violent event. Using data from the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods (PHDCN), this study examines the contemporaneous, short-term, and long-term effects of secondary exposure to violence on substance use, and whether witnessing violence in which a weapon is present has a different impact on adolescent substance use than does witnessing violence without a weapon. Hierarchical logistic regression models on a racially and ethnically diverse sample of 1670 youth (51.5% female) residing in 79 neighborhoods indicated that: (1) the effects of secondary exposure to violence on alcohol and marijuana use were enduring, albeit attenuated, over time; (2) the effect of secondary exposure to violence on illicit drug use was suppressed in the short-term but significant in the long-term; (3) witnessing violence without a weapon was salient for alcohol and marijuana use at all time points; and (4) witnessing violence with a weapon impacted illicit drug use in the long-term. The results suggest that addressing the consequences of secondary exposure to violence requires prolonged intervention efforts and that the study of secondary exposure to violence requires a more nuanced approach that accounts for situational aspects of the violent event.

Long-Term Cryogenic Propellant Storage for the TOPS Mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mustafi, Shuvo; Francis, John; Li, Xiaoyi; Purves, Lloyd; DeLee, Hudson; Riall, Sara; McGuinness, Dan; Willis, Dewey; Nixon, Conor; Devine Matt;

Long-term storage and safe retrieval of DNA from microorganisms for molecular analysis using FTA matrix cards.

PubMed

Rajendram, D; Ayenza, R; Holder, F M; Moran, B; Long, T; Shah, H N

2006-12-01

We assessed the potential use of Whatman FTA paper as a device for archiving and long-term storage of bacterial cell suspensions of over 400 bacterial strains representing 61 genera, the molecular applications of immobilised DNA on FTA paper, and tested its microbial inactivation properties. The FTA paper extracted bacterial DNA is of sufficiently high quality to successfully carryout the molecular detection of several key genes including 16S rRNA, esp (Enterococcus surface protein), Bft (Bacteroides fragilis enterotoxin) and por (porin protein) by PCR and for DNA fingerprinting by random amplified polymorphic DNA-PCR (RAPD-PCR). To test the long-term stability of the FTA immobilised DNA, 100 of the 400 archived bacterial samples were randomly selected following 3 years of storage at ambient temperature and PCR amplification was used to monitor its success. All of the 100 samples were successfully amplified using the 16S rDNA gene as a target and confirmed by DNA sequencing. Furthermore, the DNA was eluted into solution from the FTA cards using a new alkaline elution procedure for evaluation by real-time PCR-based assays. The viability of cells retained on the FTA cards varied among broad groups of bacteria. For the more fragile gram-negative species, no viable cells were retained even at high cell densities of between 10(7) and 10(8) colony forming units (cfu) ml(-1), and for the most robust species such as spore-formers and acid-fast bacteria, complete inactivation was achieved at cell densities ranging between 10(1) and 10(4) cfu ml(-1). The inactivation of bacterial cells on FTA cards suggest that this is a safe medium for the storage and transport of bacterial nucleic acids.

Long-Term Stream Monitoring Programs in U.S. Secondary Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Overholt, Erin; MacKenzie, Ann Haley

2005-01-01

The authors surveyed 15 secondary school teachers in 5 states about how they designed and implemented long-term stream monitoring in their classrooms and the problems and benefits they encountered. The authors surveyed students involved in the stream monitoring projects to obtain their perspective. Teachers reported that stream monitoring provided…

Long-term thermal effects on injectivity evolution during CO 2 storage

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Vilarrasa, Victor; Rinaldi, Antonio P.; Rutqvist, Jonny

Carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) is likely to reach the bottom of injection wells at a colder temperature than that of the storage formation, causing cooling of the rock. This cooling, together with overpressure, tends to open up fractures, which may enhance injectivity. Here, we investigate cooling effects on injectivity enhancement by modeling the In Salah CO 2 storage site and a theoretical, long-term injection case. We use stress-dependent permeability functions that predict an increase in permeability as the effective stress acting normal to fractures decreases. Normal effective stress can decrease either due to overpressure or cooling. We calibrate ourmore » In Salah model, which includes a fracture zone perpendicular to the well, obtaining a good fitting with the injection pressure measured at KB-502 and the rapid CO 2 breakthrough that occurred at the observation well KB-5 located 2 km away from the injection well. CO 2 preferentially advances through the fracture zone, which becomes two orders of magnitude more permeable than the rest of the reservoir. Nevertheless, the effect of cooling on the long-term injectivity enhancement is limited in pressure dominated storage sites, like at In Salah, because most of the permeability enhancement is due to overpressure. But, thermal effects enhance injectivity in cooling dominated storage sites, which may decrease the injection pressure by 20%, saving a significant amount of compression energy all over the duration of storage projects. Overall, our simulation results show that cooling has the potential to enhance injectivity in fractured reservoirs.« less

Long-term thermal effects on injectivity evolution during CO 2 storage

DOE PAGES

Vilarrasa, Victor; Rinaldi, Antonio P.; Rutqvist, Jonny

2017-08-22

Carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) is likely to reach the bottom of injection wells at a colder temperature than that of the storage formation, causing cooling of the rock. This cooling, together with overpressure, tends to open up fractures, which may enhance injectivity. Here, we investigate cooling effects on injectivity enhancement by modeling the In Salah CO 2 storage site and a theoretical, long-term injection case. We use stress-dependent permeability functions that predict an increase in permeability as the effective stress acting normal to fractures decreases. Normal effective stress can decrease either due to overpressure or cooling. We calibrate ourmore » In Salah model, which includes a fracture zone perpendicular to the well, obtaining a good fitting with the injection pressure measured at KB-502 and the rapid CO 2 breakthrough that occurred at the observation well KB-5 located 2 km away from the injection well. CO 2 preferentially advances through the fracture zone, which becomes two orders of magnitude more permeable than the rest of the reservoir. Nevertheless, the effect of cooling on the long-term injectivity enhancement is limited in pressure dominated storage sites, like at In Salah, because most of the permeability enhancement is due to overpressure. But, thermal effects enhance injectivity in cooling dominated storage sites, which may decrease the injection pressure by 20%, saving a significant amount of compression energy all over the duration of storage projects. Overall, our simulation results show that cooling has the potential to enhance injectivity in fractured reservoirs.« less

Combination of super chilling and high carbon dioxide concentration techniques most effectively to preserve freshness of shell eggs during long-term storage.

PubMed

Yanagisawa, T; Ariizumi, M; Shigematsu, Y; Kobayashi, H; Hasegawa, M; Watanabe, K

2010-01-01

This study was made to examine the combined effects of stored temperature and carbon dioxide atmosphere on shell egg quality. The shell eggs were packed into polyethylene terephthalate/polyethylene (PET/PE) pouches and stored at 0 degrees C (super chilling), 10 degrees C, and 20 degrees C, respectively for 90 d. The atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration was controlled to obtain the 3 concentration levels of high (about 2.0%), medium (about 0.5%), and low (below 0.01%). Changes in Haugh unit (HU) values, weakening of vitelline membranes, and generation of volatiles were analyzed to evaluate the freshness of shell eggs. Results showed that, compared with the other combinations, the technique of super chilling and high carbon dioxide concentration enabled shell eggs to be most effectively stored for 90 d, based on estimations of the statistical significances of differences in HU values, and on maintaining the initial HU values during storage. In addition, the storage of shell eggs using this combination technique was found to significantly prevent the weakening of the vitelline membrane based on the estimations of numbers of eggs without vitelline membrane breakage when eggs broke, and significantly lowered the incidence of hexanal in the yolk from exposure to the gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric analyses of volatiles. Thus, these results confirmed that the combination of super chilling and high carbon dioxide concentration was the most effective technique for preserving shell eggs during a long term of 90 d compared with other combination techniques.

Predicting long-term performance of engineered geologic carbon dioxide storage systems to inform decisions amidst uncertainty

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pawar, R.

2016-12-01

Risk assessment and risk management of engineered geologic CO2 storage systems is an area of active investigation. The potential geologic CO2 storage systems currently under consideration are inherently heterogeneous and have limited to no characterization data. Effective risk management decisions to ensure safe, long-term CO2 storage requires assessing and quantifying risks while taking into account the uncertainties in a storage site's characteristics. The key decisions are typically related to definition of area of review, effective monitoring strategy and monitoring duration, potential of leakage and associated impacts, etc. A quantitative methodology for predicting a sequestration site's long-term performance is critical for making key decisions necessary for successful deployment of commercial scale geologic storage projects where projects will require quantitative assessments of potential long-term liabilities. An integrated assessment modeling (IAM) paradigm which treats a geologic CO2 storage site as a system made up of various linked subsystems can be used to predict long-term performance. The subsystems include storage reservoir, seals, potential leakage pathways (such as wellbores, natural fractures/faults) and receptors (such as shallow groundwater aquifers). CO2 movement within each of the subsystems and resulting interactions are captured through reduced order models (ROMs). The ROMs capture the complex physical/chemical interactions resulting due to CO2 movement and interactions but are computationally extremely efficient. The computational efficiency allows for performing Monte Carlo simulations necessary for quantitative probabilistic risk assessment. We have used the IAM to predict long-term performance of geologic CO2 sequestration systems and to answer questions related to probability of leakage of CO2 through wellbores, impact of CO2/brine leakage into shallow aquifer, etc. Answers to such questions are critical in making key risk management

Managing aging effects on dry cask storage systems for extended long-term storage and transportation of used fuel - rev. 0

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chopra, O.K.; Diercks, D.; Fabian, R.

that could affect the safe storage of the used fuel. The information contained in the license and CoC renewal applications will require NRC review to verify that the aging effects on the SSCs in DCSSs/ ISFSIs are adequately managed for the period of extended operation. To date, all of the ISFSIs located across the United States with more than 1,500 dry casks loaded with used fuel have initial license terms of 20 years; three ISFSIs (Surry, H.B. Robinson and Oconee) have received their renewed licenses for 20 years, and two other ISFSIs (Calvert Cliffs and Prairie Island) have applied for license renewal for 40 years. This report examines issues related to managing aging effects on the SSCs in DCSSs/ISFSIs for extended long-term storage and transportation of used fuels, following an approach similar to that of the Generic Aging Lessons Learned (GALL) report, NUREG-1801, for the aging management and license renewal of nuclear power plants. The report contains five chapters and an appendix on quality assurance for aging management programs for used-fuel dry storage systems. Chapter I of the report provides an overview of the ISFSI license renewal process based on 10 CFR 72 and the guidance provided in NUREG-1927. Chapter II contains definitions and terms for structures and components in DCSSs, materials, environments, aging effects, and aging mechanisms. Chapter III and Chapter IV contain generic TLAAs and AMPs, respectively, that have been developed for managing aging effects on the SSCs important to safety in the dry cask storage system designs described in Chapter V. The summary descriptions and tabulations of evaluations of AMPs and TLAAs for the SSCs that are important to safety in Chapter V include DCSS designs (i.e., NUHOMS{reg_sign}, HI-STORM 100, Transnuclear (TN) metal cask, NAC International S/T storage cask, ventilated storage cask (VSC-24), and the Westinghouse MC-10 metal dry storage cask) that have been and continue to be used by utilities across the

The quality of feeding assistance care practices for long-term care veterans: implications for quality improvement efforts.

PubMed

Simmons, Sandra F; Sims, Nichole; Durkin, Daniel W; Shotwell, Matthew S; Erwin, Scott; Schnelle, John F

2013-09-01

The primary purpose of this study was to determine the quality of feeding assistance care and identify areas in need of improvement for a sample of long-term care veterans. A secondary purpose was to compare these findings with the results of previous studies in community facilities to determine ways in which the VA sample might differ. A repeated measures observational study was conducted in two VA facilities with 200 long-stay residents. Research staff conducted standardized observations during and between meals for 3 months. There was a trend for better feeding assistance care quality during meals in the VA sample, but there were still multiple aspects of care in need of improvement both during and between meals. Higher licensed nurse staffing levels in the VA should enable effective supervision and management, but observation-based measures of care quality are necessary for accurate information about daily feeding assistance care provision.

Post-thaw sperm characteristics following long-term storage of boar semen in liquid nitrogen.

PubMed

Fraser, L; Strzeżek, J; Kordan, W

2014-06-30

This study investigated the effect of long-term liquid nitrogen storage of semen from individual boars on post-thaw sperm characteristics. Ejaculates, collected from five Polish large white (PLW) and five Polish landrace (PLR) boars, were frozen using a standard cryopreservation protocol. Post-thaw analysis was performed within a week (Period 1) and 42-48 months (Period 2) of semen storage in liquid nitrogen. Post-thaw sperm assessments included total motility, mitochondrial function (JC-1/PI assay), plasma membrane integrity (SYBR-14/PI assay), osmotic resistance test (ORT), lipid peroxidation (LPO) status and DNA fragmentation, analysed by the neutral Comet assay. Individual boar variability within breed and cryostorage periods had significant effects on the analysed parameters of frozen-thawed spermatozoa. Prolonged semen storage in liquid nitrogen (Period 2) induced a marked reduction in post-thaw sperm motility, mitochondrial function and plasma membrane integrity in most of the boars. Post-thaw semen of eight boars exhibited a marked decrease in osmotic resistance of the sperm acrosomal membrane, whereas a significant increase in the sperm cryo-susceptibility to induced LPO and DNA fragmentation was observed only in three boars after long-term semen storage. Additionally, frozen-thawed spermatozoa of PLR boars exhibited significantly lower osmotic resistance of the acrosomal membrane than PLW boars following prolonged semen storage in liquid nitrogen. The results of this study provide evidence of ageing processes in frozen-thawed boar spermatozoa following prolonged cryostorage. It seems that, even though cryopreservation allows long-term semen storage in liquid nitrogen, spermatozoa from individual boars are more susceptible to cryo-induced damage. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Long-term management impacts on carbon storage in Lake States forests

Treesearch

Matthew Powers; Randall Kolka; Brian Palik; Rachel McDonald; Martin Jurgensen

2011-01-01

We examined carbon storage following 50+ years of forest management in two long-term silvicultural studies in red pine and northern hardwood ecosystems of North America’s Great Lakes region. The studies contrasted various thinning intensities (red pine) or selection cuttings, shelterwoods, and diameter-limit cuttings (northern hardwoods) to unmanaged controls of...

Long-term high-fat feeding induces greater fat storage in mice lacking UCP3.

PubMed

Costford, Sheila R; Chaudhry, Shehla N; Crawford, Sean A; Salkhordeh, Mahmoud; Harper, Mary-Ellen

2008-11-01

Uncoupling protein-3 (UCP3) is a mitochondrial inner-membrane protein highly expressed in skeletal muscle. While UCP3's function is still unknown, it has been hypothesized to act as a fatty acid (FA) anion exporter, protecting mitochondria against lipid peroxidation and/or facilitating FA oxidation. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of long-term feeding of a 45% fat diet on whole body indicators of muscle metabolism in congenic C57BL/6 mice that were either lacking UCP3 (Ucp3(-/-)) or had a transgenically induced approximately twofold increase in UCP3 levels (UCP3tg). Mice were fed the high-fat (HF) diet for a period of either 4 or 8 mo immediately following weaning. After long-term HF feeding, UCP3tg mice weighed an average of 15% less than wild-type mice (P < 0.05) and were 20% less metabolically efficient than both wild-type and Ucp3(-/-) mice (P < 0.01). Additionally, wild-type mice had 21% lower, whereas UCP3tg mice had 36% lower, levels of adiposity compared with Ucp3(-/-) mice (P < 0.05 and P < 0.001, respectively), indicating a protective effect of UCP3 against fat gain. No differences in whole body oxygen consumption were detected following long-term HF feeding. Glucose and insulin tolerance tests revealed that both the UCP3tg and Ucp3(-/-) mice were more glucose tolerant and insulin sensitive compared with wild-type mice after short-term HF feeding, but this protection was not maintained in the long term. Findings indicate that UCP3 is involved in protection from fat gain induced by long-term HF feeding, but not in protection from insulin resistance.

Effect of long-term forest fertilization on Scots pine xylem quality and wood borer performance.

PubMed

Heijari, Juha; Nerg, Anne-Marja; Kainulainen, Pirjo; Noldt, Uwe; Levula, Teuvo; Raitio, Hannu; Holopainen, Jarmo K

2008-01-01

We tested whether changes in long-term nutrient availability would affect the xylem quality and characteristics of Scots pine trees as a food source for the larvae of the xylophagous wood borer Hylotrupes bajulus L. (Cerambycidae). We looked for an effect of host plant growth and xylem structural traits on H. bajulus larval performance, and looked for delayed effects of long-term forest fertilization on xylem chemical quality. In general, larval performance was dependent on larval developmental stage. However, the growth of larvae also varied with host plant quality (increases in the concentration of nitrogen and carbon-based secondary compounds of xylem were correlated with a decrease in the larval growth rate). The greater annual growth of trees reduced tracheid length and correlated positively with second-instar H. bajulus growth rate. This is consistent with the hypothesis that intrinsic growth patterns of host plants influence the development of the xylophagous wood borer H. bajulus.

Medium- and long-term storage of the Pycnanthemum (Mountain mint) germplasm collection

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The US collection of mountain mint (Pycnanthemum Michx.) is held at the USDA-ARS National Clonal Germplasm Repository (NCGR) in Corvallis, OR as seed, potted plants and tissue cultures and a long-term storage collection is preserved at the USDA-ARS National Center for Genetic Resources Preservation ...

Issues of Long-Term Cryogenic Propellant Storage in Microgravity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Muratov, C. B.; Osipov, Viatcheslav V.; Smelyanskiy, Vadim N.

2011-01-01

Modern multi-layer insulation (MLI) allows to sharply reduce the heat leak into cryogenic propellant storage tanks through the tank surface and, as a consequence, significantly extend the storage duration. In this situation the MLI penetrations, such as support struts, feed lines, etc., become one of the most significant challenges of the tanks heat management. This problem is especially acute for liquid hydrogen (LH2) storage, since currently no efficient cryocoolers exist that operate at very low LH2 temperatures (20K). Even small heat leaks under microgravity conditions and over the period of many months give rise to a complex slowly-developing, large-scale spatiotemporal physical phenomena in a multi-phase liquid-vapor mixture. These phenomena are not well-understood nor can be easily controlled. They can be of a potentially hazardous nature for long-term on-orbital cryogenic torage, propellant loading, tank chilldown, engine restart, and other in-space cryogenic fluid management operations. To support the engineering design solutions that would mitigate these effects a detailed physics-based analysis of heat transfer, vapor bubble formation, growth, motion, coalescence and collapse is required in the presence of stirring jets of different configurations and passive cooling devices such as MLI, thermodynamic vent system, and vapor-cooled shield. To develop physics-based models and correlations reliable for microgravity conditions and long-time scales there is a need for new fundamental data to be collected from on-orbit cryogenic storage experiments. Our report discusses some of these physical phenomena and the design requirements and future studies necessary for their mitigation. Special attention is payed to the phenomena occurring near MLI penetrations.

Internet Interventions for Long-Term Conditions: Patient and Caregiver Quality Criteria

PubMed Central

Murray, Elizabeth; Stevenson, Fiona; Gore, Charles; Nazareth, Irwin

2006-01-01

Background Interactive health communication applications (IHCAs) that combine high-quality health information with interactive components, such as self-assessment tools, behavior change support, peer support, or decision support, are likely to benefit people with long-term conditions. IHCAs are now largely Web-based and are becoming known as "Internet interventions." Although there are numerous professionally generated criteria to assess health-related websites, to date there has been scant exploration of patient-generated assessment criteria even though patients and professionals use different criteria for assessing the quality of traditional sources of health information. Objective We aimed to determine patients' and caregivers' requirements of IHCAs for long-term conditions as well as their criteria for assessing the quality of different programs. Methods This was a qualitative study with focus groups. Patients and caregivers managing long-term conditions used three (predominantly Web-based) IHCAs relevant to their condition and subsequently discussed the strengths and weaknesses of the different IHCAs in focus groups. Participants in any one focus group all shared the same long-term condition and viewed the same three IHCAs. Patient and caregiver criteria for IHCAs emerged from the data. Results There were 40 patients and caregivers who participated in 10 focus groups. Participants welcomed the potential of Internet interventions but felt that many were not achieving their full potential. Participants generated detailed and specific quality criteria relating to information content, presentation, interactivity, and trustworthiness, which can be used by developers and purchasers of Internet interventions. Conclusions The user-generated quality criteria reported in this paper should help developers and purchasers provide Internet interventions that better meet user needs. PMID:16954123

Identification of long-term trends and seasonality in high-frequency water quality data from the Yangtze River basin, China

PubMed Central

He, Bin; Chen, Yaning; Zou, Shan; Wang, Yi; Nover, Daniel; Chen, Wen; Yang, Guishan

2018-01-01

Comprehensive understanding of the long-term trends and seasonality of water quality is important for controlling water pollution. This study focuses on spatio-temporal distributions, long-term trends, and seasonality of water quality in the Yangtze River basin using a combination of the seasonal Mann-Kendall test and time-series decomposition. The used weekly water quality data were from 17 environmental stations for the period January 2004 to December 2015. Results show gradual improvement in water quality during this period in the Yangtze River basin and greater improvement in the Uppermost Yangtze River basin. The larger cities, with high GDP and population density, experienced relatively higher pollution levels due to discharge of industrial and household wastewater. There are higher pollution levels in Xiang and Gan River basins, as indicated by higher NH4-N and CODMn concentrations measured at the stations within these basins. Significant trends in water quality were identified for the 2004–2015 period. Operations of the three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) enhanced pH fluctuations and possibly attenuated CODMn, and NH4-N transportation. Finally, seasonal cycles of varying strength were detected for time-series of pollutants in river discharge. Seasonal patterns in pH indicate that maxima appear in winter, and minima in summer, with the opposite true for CODMn. Accurate understanding of long-term trends and seasonality are necessary goals of water quality monitoring system efforts and the analysis methods described here provide essential information for effectively controlling water pollution. PMID:29466354

Identification of long-term trends and seasonality in high-frequency water quality data from the Yangtze River basin, China.

PubMed

Duan, Weili; He, Bin; Chen, Yaning; Zou, Shan; Wang, Yi; Nover, Daniel; Chen, Wen; Yang, Guishan

2018-01-01

Comprehensive understanding of the long-term trends and seasonality of water quality is important for controlling water pollution. This study focuses on spatio-temporal distributions, long-term trends, and seasonality of water quality in the Yangtze River basin using a combination of the seasonal Mann-Kendall test and time-series decomposition. The used weekly water quality data were from 17 environmental stations for the period January 2004 to December 2015. Results show gradual improvement in water quality during this period in the Yangtze River basin and greater improvement in the Uppermost Yangtze River basin. The larger cities, with high GDP and population density, experienced relatively higher pollution levels due to discharge of industrial and household wastewater. There are higher pollution levels in Xiang and Gan River basins, as indicated by higher NH4-N and CODMn concentrations measured at the stations within these basins. Significant trends in water quality were identified for the 2004-2015 period. Operations of the three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) enhanced pH fluctuations and possibly attenuated CODMn, and NH4-N transportation. Finally, seasonal cycles of varying strength were detected for time-series of pollutants in river discharge. Seasonal patterns in pH indicate that maxima appear in winter, and minima in summer, with the opposite true for CODMn. Accurate understanding of long-term trends and seasonality are necessary goals of water quality monitoring system efforts and the analysis methods described here provide essential information for effectively controlling water pollution.

MIXING IN DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM STORAGE TANKS: ITS EFFECT ON WATER QUALITY

EPA Science Inventory

Nearly all distribution systems in the US include storage tanks and reservoirs. They are the most visible components of a wate distribution system but are generally the least understood in terms of their impact on water quality. Long residence times in storage tanks can have nega...

Optimization of preservation and storage time of sponge tissues to obtain quality mRNA for next-generation sequencing.

PubMed

Riesgo, Ana; Pérez-Porro, Alicia R; Carmona, Susana; Leys, Sally P; Giribet, Gonzalo

2012-03-01

Transcriptome sequencing with next-generation sequencing technologies has the potential for addressing many long-standing questions about the biology of sponges. Transcriptome sequence quality depends on good cDNA libraries, which requires high-quality mRNA. Standard protocols for preserving and isolating mRNA often require optimization for unusual tissue types. Our aim was assessing the efficiency of two preservation modes, (i) flash freezing with liquid nitrogen (LN₂) and (ii) immersion in RNAlater, for the recovery of high-quality mRNA from sponge tissues. We also tested whether the long-term storage of samples at -80 °C affects the quantity and quality of mRNA. We extracted mRNA from nine sponge species and analysed the quantity and quality (A260/230 and A260/280 ratios) of mRNA according to preservation method, storage time, and taxonomy. The quantity and quality of mRNA depended significantly on the preservation method used (LN₂) outperforming RNAlater), the sponge species, and the interaction between them. When the preservation was analysed in combination with either storage time or species, the quantity and A260/230 ratio were both significantly higher for LN₂-preserved samples. Interestingly, individual comparisons for each preservation method over time indicated that both methods performed equally efficiently during the first month, but RNAlater lost efficiency in storage times longer than 2 months compared with flash-frozen samples. In summary, we find that for long-term preservation of samples, flash freezing is the preferred method. If LN₂ is not available, RNAlater can be used, but mRNA extraction during the first month of storage is advised. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

The national program for long term seed storage for ash germplasm preservation

Treesearch

R.P. Karrfalt

2017-01-01

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service (USDA FS) began ash (Fraxinus) germplasm preservation in 2005, through seed collections for long term seed storage. The work was coordinated with the Agricultural Research Service (ARS). Collections have been accomplished through many cooperators. Various methods of outreach were deployed to solicit cooperators. No...

Stability of selected serum proteins after long-term storage in the Janus Serum Bank.

PubMed

Gislefoss, Randi E; Grimsrud, Tom K; Mørkrid, Lars

2009-01-01

Human serum from biobanks is frequently used in prospective epidemiological studies. Long-term storage may modify its composition. A better understanding of the stability of the serum components may improve the interpretation of future studies. The concentrations of selected proteins; immunoglobulins, carrier proteins and enzymes in samples stored at -25 degrees C for 25 years and 2 years were compared with 1-month-old samples. For each length of storage time, 130 specimens were randomly selected from apparently healthy male blood donors aged 40-49 years. We examined the distribution of values, compared dispersion and localization of central tendency, and established reference intervals for each component. The study demonstrated non-significant or numerically small group differences in the concentrations of albumin, aspartate amino transferase, cystatin C, immunoglobulin E, immunoglobulin G, and sex hormone binding globulin. Mean values between fresh and 25-year-old samples suggested larger differences during storage for alanine amino transferase (-73.4%), creatinine kinase (-96.1%), insulin C-peptide (-98.7%), ferritin (-18.5%) and transferrin (+8.2%). The findings showed that long-term storage can introduce a considerable bias for vulnerable components.

Long-term meteorologically independent trend analysis of ozone air quality at an urban site in the greater Houston area.

PubMed

Botlaguduru, Venkata S V; Kommalapati, Raghava R; Huque, Ziaul

2018-04-19

The Houston-Galveston-Brazoria (HGB) area of Texas has a history of ozone exceedances and is currently classified under moderate nonattainment status for the 2008 8-hr ozone standard of 75 ppb. The HGB area is characterized by intense solar radiation, high temperature, and humidity, which influence day-to-day variations in ozone concentrations. Long-term air quality trends independent of meteorological influence need to be constructed for ascertaining the effectiveness of air quality management in this area. The Kolmogorov-Zurbenko (KZ) filter technique used to separate different scales of motion in a time series, is applied in the current study for maximum daily 8-hr (MDA8) ozone concentrations at an urban site (EPA AQS Site ID: 48-201-0024, Aldine) in the HGB area. This site located within 10 miles of downtown Houston and the George Bush Intercontinental Airport, was selected for developing long-term meteorologically independent MDA8 ozone trends for the years 1990-2016. Results from this study indicate a consistent decrease in meteorologically independent MDA8 ozone between 2000-2016. This pattern could be partially attributed to a reduction in underlying NO X emissions, particularly that of lowering nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) levels, and a decrease in the release of highly reactive volatile organic compounds (HRVOC). Results also suggest solar radiation to be most strongly correlated to ozone, with temperature being the secondary meteorological control variable. Relative humidity and wind speed have tertiary influence at this site. This study observed that meteorological variability accounts for a high of 61% variability in baseline ozone (low-frequency component, sum of long-term and seasonal components), while 64% of the change in long-term MDA8 ozone post-2000 could be attributed to NO X emissions reduction. Long-term MDA8 ozone trend component was estimated to be decreasing at a linear rate of 0.412 ± 0.007 ppb/yr for the years 2000-2016, and 0.155�

Managing high-bandwidth real-time data storage

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bigelow, David D.; Brandt, Scott A; Bent, John M

2009-09-23

There exist certain systems which generate real-time data at high bandwidth, but do not necessarily require the long-term retention of that data in normal conditions. In some cases, the data may not actually be useful, and in others, there may be too much data to permanently retain in long-term storage whether it is useful or not. However, certain portions of the data may be identified as being vitally important from time to time, and must therefore be retained for further analysis or permanent storage without interrupting the ongoing collection of new data. We have developed a system, Mahanaxar, intended tomore » address this problem. It provides quality of service guarantees for incoming real-time data streams and simultaneous access to already-recorded data on a best-effort basis utilizing any spare bandwidth. It has built in mechanisms for reliability and indexing, can scale upwards to meet increasing bandwidth requirements, and handles both small and large data elements equally well. We will show that a prototype version of this system provides better performance than a flat file (traditional filesystem) based version, particularly with regard to quality of service guarantees and hard real-time requirements.« less

Winery wastewater treatment by a combined process: long term aerated storage and Fenton's reagent.

PubMed

Lucas, Marco S; Mouta, Maria; Pirra, António; Peres, José A

2009-01-01

The degradation of the organic pollutants present in winery wastewater was carried out by the combination of two successive steps: an aerobic biological process followed by a chemical oxidation process using Fenton's reagent. The main goal of this study was to evaluate the temporal characteristics of solids and chemical oxygen demand (COD) present in winery wastewater in a long term aerated storage bioreactor. The performance of different air dosage daily supplied to the biologic reactor, in laboratory and pilot scale, were examined. The long term hydraulic retention time, 11 weeks, contributed remarkably to the reduction of COD (about 90%) and the combination with the Fenton's reagent led to a high overall COD reduction that reached 99.5% when the mass ratio (R = H(2)O(2)/COD) used was equal to 2.5, maintaining constant the molar ratio H(2)O(2)/Fe(2+)=15.

Curved Microneedle Array-Based sEMG Electrode for Robust Long-Term Measurements and High Selectivity

PubMed Central

Kim, Minjae; Kim, Taewan; Kim, Dong Sung; Chung, Wan Kyun

2015-01-01

Surface electromyography is widely used in many fields to infer human intention. However, conventional electrodes are not appropriate for long-term measurements and are easily influenced by the environment, so the range of applications of sEMG is limited. In this paper, we propose a flexible band-integrated, curved microneedle array electrode for robust long-term measurements, high selectivity, and easy applicability. Signal quality, in terms of long-term usability and sensitivity to perspiration, was investigated. Its motion-discriminating performance was also evaluated. The results show that the proposed electrode is robust to perspiration and can maintain a high-quality measuring ability for over 8 h. The proposed electrode also has high selectivity for motion compared with a commercial wet electrode and dry electrode. PMID:26153773

Long-term, high-frequency water quality monitoring in an agricultural catchment: insights from spectral analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aubert, Alice; Kirchner, James; Faucheux, Mikael; Merot, Philippe; Gascuel-Odoux, Chantal

2013-04-01

measurements. At higher frequencies, however, the spectra steepen to a slope of -2, indicating that at sub-daily time scales the concentration time series become relatively smooth. However, at time scales shorter than 2-3 hours, the spectra flatten to a slope near zero (white noise), reflecting analytical noise in the measurement probe. This result demonstrates that measuring water quality dynamics at high frequencies also requires high measurement precision, because as measurements are taken closer and closer together in time, the real-world differences that must be measured between adjacent measurements become smaller and smaller. Our results highlight the importance of quantifying the spectral properties of analytical noise in environmental measurements, to identify frequency ranges where measurements could be dominated by analytical noise instead of real-world signals. 1. Kirchner, J.W., Feng, X., Neal, C., Robson, A.J., 2004. The fine structure of water-quality dynamics: the (high-frequency) wave of the future. Hydrological Processes, 18(7): 1353-1359 2. Aubert, A.H. et al., 2012. The chemical signature of a livestock farming catchment: synthesis from a high-frequency multi-element long term monitoring. HESSD, 9(8): 9715 - 9741 3. Kirchner, J.W. and Neal, C., 2013. Universal fractal scaling in water quality dynamics across the periodic table. Manuscript in review.

Sperm quality and oxidative status as affected by homogenization of liquid-stored boar semen diluted in short- and long-term extenders.

PubMed

Menegat, Mariana B; Mellagi, Ana Paula G; Bortolin, Rafael C; Menezes, Tila A; Vargas, Amanda R; Bernardi, Mari Lourdes; Wentz, Ivo; Gelain, Daniel P; Moreira, José Cláudio F; Bortolozzo, Fernando P

2017-04-01

Homogenization of diluted boar semen during storage has for a long time been regarded as beneficial. Recent studies indicated an adverse effect of homogenization on sperm quality for yet unknown reasons. This study aimed to verify the effect of homogenization on sperm parameters and to elucidate the impact of oxidative stress. Twenty-one normospermic ejaculates (21 boars) were diluted with Androstar ® Plus (AND) and Beltsville Thawing Solution (BTS). Semen doses were submitted to no-homogenization (NoHom) or twice-a-day manual homogenization (2xHom) during storage at 17°C for 168h. NoHom and 2xHom were similar (P>0.05) for both short- and long-term extenders with respect to motility and kinematics parameters (CASA system), membrane viability (SYBR-14/PI), acrosome integrity, lipid peroxidation, protein oxidation, intracellular reactive oxygen species, sulfhydryl content, and total radical-trapping antioxidant potential. 2xHom reduced sperm motility and motion kinematics (VCL, VSL, VAP, BCF, and ALH) following the thermoresistance test and presented with a slight increase in pH along the storage (P=0.05) as compared to NoHom. Furthermore, 2xHom semen doses presented with a constant SOD and GSH-Px activity during storage whereas enzymatic activity increased for NoHom at the end of the storage. These findings confirm that homogenization of semen doses is detrimental to sperm quality. Moreover, it is shown that the effect of homogenization is unlikely to be primarily related to oxidative stress. Homogenization is not recommended for storage of liquid boar semen for up to 168h in both short- and long-term extenders. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Sleep Quality, Short-Term and Long-Term CPAP Adherence

PubMed Central

Somiah, Manya; Taxin, Zachary; Keating, Joseph; Mooney, Anne M.; Norman, Robert G.; Rapoport, David M.; Ayappa, Indu

2012-01-01

Study Objectives: Adherence to CPAP therapy is low in patients with obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS). The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the utility of measures of sleep architecture and sleep continuity on the CPAP titration study as predictors of both short- and long-term CPAP adherence. Methods: 93 patients with OSAHS (RDI 42.8 ± 34.3/h) underwent in-laboratory diagnostic polysomnography, CPAP titration, and follow-up polysomnography (NPSG) on CPAP. Adherence to CPAP was objectively monitored. Short-term (ST) CPAP adherence was averaged over 14 days immediately following the titration study. Long-term (LT) CPAP adherence was obtained in 56/93 patients after approximately 2 months of CPAP use. Patients were grouped into CPAP adherence groups for ST (< 2 h, 2-4 h, and > 4 h) and LT adherence (< 4 h, > 4 h). Sleep architecture, sleep disordered breathing (SDB) indices, and daytime outcome variables from the diagnostic and titration NPSGs were compared between CPAP adherence groups. Results: There was a significant relationship between ST and LT CPAP adherence (r = 0.81, p < 0.001). Neither ST nor LT adherence were related to demographic variables, baseline severity of untreated SDB, sleep architecture, or measures of daytime impairment. Good CPAP adherence groups had significantly lower %N2 and greater %REM on the titration NPSG. A model combining change in sleep efficiency and change in sleep continuity between the diagnostic and titration NPSGs predicted 17% of the variance in LT adherence (p = 0.006). Conclusions: These findings demonstrate that characteristics of sleep architecture, even on the titration NPSG, may predict some of the variance in CPAP adherence. Better sleep quality on the titration night was related to better CPAP adherence, suggesting that interventions to improve sleep on/prior to the CPAP titration study might be used as a therapeutic intervention to improve CPAP adherence. Citation: Somiah M; Taxin Z; Keating

Data collection and storage in long-term ecological and evolutionary studies: The Mongoose 2000 system.

PubMed

Marshall, Harry H; Griffiths, David J; Mwanguhya, Francis; Businge, Robert; Griffiths, Amber G F; Kyabulima, Solomon; Mwesige, Kenneth; Sanderson, Jennifer L; Thompson, Faye J; Vitikainen, Emma I K; Cant, Michael A

2018-01-01

Studying ecological and evolutionary processes in the natural world often requires research projects to follow multiple individuals in the wild over many years. These projects have provided significant advances but may also be hampered by needing to accurately and efficiently collect and store multiple streams of the data from multiple individuals concurrently. The increase in the availability and sophistication of portable computers (smartphones and tablets) and the applications that run on them has the potential to address many of these data collection and storage issues. In this paper we describe the challenges faced by one such long-term, individual-based research project: the Banded Mongoose Research Project in Uganda. We describe a system we have developed called Mongoose 2000 that utilises the potential of apps and portable computers to meet these challenges. We discuss the benefits and limitations of employing such a system in a long-term research project. The app and source code for the Mongoose 2000 system are freely available and we detail how it might be used to aid data collection and storage in other long-term individual-based projects.

Analysis of hematopoietic recovery after autologous transplantation as method of quality control for long-term progenitor cell cryopreservation.

PubMed

Pavlů, J; Auner, H W; Szydlo, R M; Sevillano, B; Palani, R; O'Boyle, F; Chaidos, A; Jakob, C; Kanfer, E; MacDonald, D; Milojkovic, D; Rahemtulla, A; Bradshaw, A; Olavarria, E; Apperley, J F; Pello, O M

2017-12-01

Hematopoietic precursor cells (HPC) are able to restore hematopoiesis after high-dose chemotherapy and their cryopreservation is routinely employed prior to the autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation (AHCT). Although previous studies showed feasibility of long-term HPC storage, concerns remain about possible negative effects on their potency. To study the effects of long-term cryopreservation, we compared time to neutrophil and platelet recovery in 50 patients receiving two AHCT for multiple myeloma at least 2 years apart between 2006 and 2016, using HPC obtained from one mobilization and collection attempt before the first transplant. This product was divided into equivalent fractions allowing a minimum of 2 × 10 6 CD34+ cells/kg recipient's weight. One fraction was used for the first transplant after median storage of 60 days (range, 17-165) and another fraction was used after median storage of 1448 days (range, 849-3510) at the second AHCT. Neutrophil recovery occurred at 14 days (median; range, 11-21) after the first and 13 days (10-20) after the second AHCT. Platelets recovered at a median of 16 days after both procedures. Considering other factors, such as disease status, conditioning and HPC dose, this single institution data demonstrated no reduction in the potency of HPC after long-term storage.

Survey of Postharvest Quality Characteristics During Long-Term Farmers Stock Storage

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The length of time that peanuts remain in farmers stock storage is variable. With the record harvest of the 2012 peanut crop, some peanuts remained in farmers stock storage for up to 12 months before being shelled and placed in cold storage or shipped to the manufacturer. To investigate potential ...

Effect of temperature on long-term storage of codling moth granulovirus formulations.

PubMed

Lacey, Lawrence A; Headrick, Heather L; Arthurs, Steven P

2008-04-01

Codling moth, Cydia pomonella (L.), is the major pest of apple (Malus spp.) in the western United States and many other regions of the world. The codling moth granulovirus (CpGV) provides a selective and safe means of its control. We assessed the long-term stability and storage potential of two commercial formulations of CpGV, Cyd-X, and Virosoft. All assays were performed with individual C. pomonella neonate larvae in 2-ml vials on 1 ml of artificial larval diet that was surface inoculated with 10 microl of the test virus suspension. Baseline quantitative assays for the two formulations revealed that the LC50 and LC95 values (occlusion bodies per vial) did not differ significantly between the formulations. For year-long studies on Cyd-X stability, the product was stored at -20, 2, 25, and 35 degrees C, and quantitative bioassays were conducted after 0, 3, 6, and 12 mo of storage. Cyd-X retained good larvicidal activity from -20 to 25 degrees C, and it was the least negatively affected at the lowest temperature. Storage of Cyd-X at 35 degrees C was detrimental to its larvicidal activity within 3 mo of storage. For longer term storage studies, Cyd-X and Virosoft formulations were stored at 2, 25, and 35 degrees C, and assayed for larvicidal activity over a 3-yr period. For recently produced product, a 10-microl sample of a 10(-5) dilution of both formulations resulted in 95-100% mortality in neonate larvae. Larvicidal activity for the Cyd-X formulation remained essentially unaffected for 156 wk when stored at 2 and 25 degrees C, but it began to decline significantly after 20 wk of storage at 35 degrees C. The Virosoft formulation stored at 2 degrees C also remained active throughout the 3-yr study, but it began to decline in larvicidal activity after 144 wk at 25 degrees C and 40 wk at 35 degrees C. The information reported in this study should be useful to growers and commercial suppliers for avoiding decreases in CpGV potency due to improper storage conditions.

Physical stability and resistance to peroxidation of a range of liquid-fill hard gelatin capsule products on extreme long-term storage.

PubMed

Bowtle, William; Kanyowa, Lionel; Mackenzie, Mark; Higgins, Paul

2011-06-01

The industrial take-up of liquid-fill hard capsule technology is limited in part by lack of published long-term physical and chemical stability data which demonstrate the robustness of the system. To assess the effects of extreme long-term storage on liquid-fill capsule product quality and integrity, with respect to both the capsules per se and a standard blister-pack type (foil-film blister). Fourteen sets of stored peroxidation-sensitive liquid-fill hard gelatin capsule product samples, originating ~20 years from the current study, were examined with respect to physical and selected chemical properties, together with microbiological evaluation. All sets retained physical integrity of capsules and blister-packs. Capsules were free of leaks, gelatin cross-linking, and microbiological growth. Eight samples met a limit (anisidine value, 20) commonly used as an index of peroxidation for lipid-based products with shelf lives of 2-3 years. Foil-film blister-packs using PVC or PVC-PVdC as the thermoforming film were well-suited packaging components for the liquid-fill capsule format. The study confirms the long-term physical robustness of the liquid-fill hard capsule format, together with its manufacturing and banding processes. It also indicates that various peroxidation-sensitive products using the capsule format may be maintained satisfactorily over very prolonged storage periods.

Development of a novel ultrasonic temperature probe for long-term monitoring of dry cask storage systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bakhtiari, S.; Wang, K.; Elmer, T. W.; Koehl, E.; Raptis, A. C.

2013-01-01

With the recent cancellation of the Yucca Mountain repository and the limited availability of wet storage utilities for spent nuclear fuel (SNF), more attention has been directed toward dry cask storage systems (DCSSs) for long-term storage of SNF. Consequently, more stringent guidelines have been issued for the aging management of dry storage facilities that necessitate monitoring of the conditions of DCSSs. Continuous health monitoring of DCSSs based on temperature variations is one viable method for assessing the integrity of the system. In the present work, a novel ultrasonic temperature probe (UTP) is being tested for long-term online temperature monitoring of DCSSs. Its performance was evaluated and compared with type N thermocouple (NTC) and resistance temperature detector (RTD) using a small-scale dry storage canister mockup. Our preliminary results demonstrate that the UTP system developed at Argonne is able to achieve better than 0.8 °C accuracy, tested at temperatures of up to 400 °C. The temperature resolution is limited only by the sampling rate of the current system. The flexibility of the probe allows conforming to complex geometries thus making the sensor particularly suited to measurement scenarios where access is limited.

Carbon storage in seagrass soils: long-term nutrient history exceeds the effects of near-term nutrient enrichment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Armitage, A. R.; Fourqurean, J. W.

2016-01-01

The carbon sequestration potential in coastal soils is linked to aboveground and belowground plant productivity and biomass, which in turn, is directly and indirectly influenced by nutrient input. We evaluated the influence of long-term and near-term nutrient input on aboveground and belowground carbon accumulation in seagrass beds, using a nutrient enrichment (nitrogen and phosphorus) experiment embedded within a naturally occurring, long-term gradient of phosphorus availability within Florida Bay (USA). We measured organic carbon stocks in soils and above- and belowground seagrass biomass after 17 months of experimental nutrient addition. At the nutrient-limited sites, phosphorus addition increased the carbon stock in aboveground seagrass biomass by more than 300 %; belowground seagrass carbon stock increased by 50-100 %. Soil carbon content slightly decreased ( ˜ 10 %) in response to phosphorus addition. There was a strong but non-linear relationship between soil carbon and Thalassia testudinum leaf nitrogen : phosphorus (N : P) or belowground seagrass carbon stock. When seagrass leaf N : P exceeded an approximate threshold of 75 : 1, or when belowground seagrass carbon stock was less than 100 g m-2, there was less than 3 % organic carbon in the sediment. Despite the marked difference in soil carbon between phosphorus-limited and phosphorus-replete areas of Florida Bay, all areas of the bay had relatively high soil carbon stocks near or above the global median of 1.8 % organic carbon. The relatively high carbon content in the soils indicates that seagrass beds have extremely high carbon storage potential, even in nutrient-limited areas with low biomass or productivity.

Carbon storage in seagrass soils: long-term nutrient history exceeds the effects of near-term nutrient enrichment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Armitage, A. R.; Fourqurean, J. W.

2015-10-01

The carbon sequestration potential in coastal soils is linked to aboveground and belowground plant productivity and biomass, which in turn, is directly and indirectly influenced by nutrient input. We evaluated the influence of long-term and near-term nutrient input on aboveground and belowground carbon accumulation in seagrass beds, using a nutrient enrichment (nitrogen and phosphorus) experiment embedded within a naturally occurring, long-term gradient of phosphorus availability within Florida Bay (USA). We measured organic carbon stocks in soils and above- and belowground seagrass biomass after 17 months of experimental nutrient addition. At the nutrient-limited sites, phosphorus addition increased the carbon stock in aboveground seagrass biomass by more than 300 %; belowground seagrass carbon stock increased by 50-100 %. Soil carbon content slightly decreased (~ 10 %) in response to phosphorus addition. There was a strong but non-linear relationship between soil carbon and Thalassia testudinum leaf nitrogen: phosphorus (N : P) or belowground seagrass carbon stock. When seagrass leaf N : P exceeded a threshold of 75 : 1, or when belowground seagrass carbon stock was less than 100 g m-2, there was less than 3 % organic carbon in the sediment. Despite the marked difference in soil carbon between phosphorus-limited and phosphorus-replete areas of Florida Bay, all areas of the bay had relatively high soil carbon stocks near or above the global median of 1.8 % organic carbon. The relatively high carbon content in the soils indicates that seagrass beds have extremely high carbon storage potential, even in nutrient-limited areas with low biomass or productivity.

DEMONSTRATION OF LONG-TERM STORAGE CAPABILITY FOR SPENT NUCLEAR FUEL IN L BASIN

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sindelar, R.; Deible, R.

2011-04-27

The U.S. Department of Energy decisions for the ultimate disposition of its inventory of used nuclear fuel presently in, and to be received and stored in, the L Basin at the Savannah River Site, and schedule for project execution have not been established. A logical decision timeframe for the DOE is following the review of the overall options for fuel management and disposition by the Blue Ribbon Commission on America's Nuclear Future (BRC). The focus of the BRC review is commercial fuel; however, the BRC has included the DOE fuel inventory in their review. Even though the final report bymore » the BRC to the U.S. Department of Energy is expected in January 2012, no timetable has been established for decisions by the U.S. Department of Energy on alternatives selection. Furthermore, with the imminent lay-up and potential closure of H-canyon, no ready path for fuel disposition would be available, and new technologies and/or facilities would need to be established. The fuel inventory in wet storage in the 3.375 million gallon L Basin is primarily aluminum-clad, aluminum-based fuel of the Materials Test Reactor equivalent design. An inventory of non-aluminum-clad fuel of various designs is also stored in L Basin. Safe storage of fuel in wet storage mandates several high-level 'safety functions' that would be provided by the Structures, Systems, and Components (SSCs) of the storage system. A large inventory of aluminum-clad, aluminum-based spent nuclear fuel, and other nonaluminum fuel owned by the U.S. Department of Energy is in wet storage in L Basin at the Savannah River Site. An evaluation of the present condition of the fuel, and the Structures, Systems, or Components (SSCs) necessary for its wet storage, and the present programs and storage practices for fuel management have been performed. Activities necessary to validate the technical bases for, and verify the condition of the fuel and the SSCs under long-term wet storage have also been identified. The overall

Long Term Trend Analysis and Assessment of Water Quality in the Penchala River, Malaysia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chow, M. F.; Haris, H. B.; Mohd Sidek, L. B.

2014-12-01

Rapid urban expansion produces negative impacts on the natural environment, especially river water quality. Studies assessing long term changes of water quality have been recognized as a key tool for understanding ongoing processes in watersheds and for providing an essential background for evaluation of rapid changes within industrialized and populated urban areas. Unfortunately, only limited studies are available for developing countries such as Malaysia. Thus, a long term study was conducted to evaluate water quality trends at Pencala river basin that has undergone extensive land use changes related to industrial, agricultural and urban activities. Fifteen physical and chemical variables were analysed in river water samples collected every month over a period of 13 years, between 1997 and 2009. The trend study was performed using the Mann-Kendall Seasonal test and the Sen's Slope estimator. Results revealed that most water quality parameters showed a downward trend for yearly average concentration. The water quality index (WQI) for Pencala River was improved from Class V to Class IV, according to National Water Quality Standards for Malaysia. BOD, COD, NH3-N and SS show trends toward decreasing concentrations over time. The improvements seen in water quality appear to be the result of improved wastewater treatment and other water quality improvement efforts achieved through government initiative. Continued long-term and high frequency monitoring is necessary to establish plans and policies for effective water resources management.

Data collection and storage in long-term ecological and evolutionary studies: The Mongoose 2000 system

PubMed Central

Griffiths, David J.; Mwanguhya, Francis; Businge, Robert; Griffiths, Amber G. F.; Kyabulima, Solomon; Mwesige, Kenneth; Sanderson, Jennifer L.; Thompson, Faye J.; Vitikainen, Emma I. K.; Cant, Michael A.

2018-01-01

Studying ecological and evolutionary processes in the natural world often requires research projects to follow multiple individuals in the wild over many years. These projects have provided significant advances but may also be hampered by needing to accurately and efficiently collect and store multiple streams of the data from multiple individuals concurrently. The increase in the availability and sophistication of portable computers (smartphones and tablets) and the applications that run on them has the potential to address many of these data collection and storage issues. In this paper we describe the challenges faced by one such long-term, individual-based research project: the Banded Mongoose Research Project in Uganda. We describe a system we have developed called Mongoose 2000 that utilises the potential of apps and portable computers to meet these challenges. We discuss the benefits and limitations of employing such a system in a long-term research project. The app and source code for the Mongoose 2000 system are freely available and we detail how it might be used to aid data collection and storage in other long-term individual-based projects. PMID:29315317

Long-term behavioral outcomes after attendance at a secondary prevention clinic for cardiac patients.

PubMed

Worcester, Marian Una Christine; Stojcevski, Zlatko; Murphy, Barbara; Goble, Alan James

2003-01-01

Secondary prevention interventions, including hospital clinics, can help patients improve their risk factors and lifestyles after an acute cardiac event. This study aimed to investigate the long-term behavioral outcomes of attending and nonattending patients consecutively enrolled in a trial of a family-based clinic providing screening, advice, and support 3 months after hospital admission. The study also aimed to identify predictors of long-term smoking status, dietary habit, and physical activity. Semistructured interviews were conducted an average of 30 months after the acute cardiac event with 83 of the 103 nonattending patients and a random sample of 96 patients who had attended the clinic. Behavioral outcomes were investigated, and self-reported risk factors at the time of the acute illness were documented. The patients who had attended the clinic were significantly more likely than nonattenders to report positive dietary changes and, among former smokers, successful cessation of smoking. Furthermore, they reported being more physically active than nonattenders. Using logistic regression, clinic attendance was identified as a significant and independent predictor of all three outcomes. The results of this observational study suggest that attendance at a secondary prevention clinic facilitates maintenance of improved long-term health behaviors, although this finding is based on self-report. Factors possibly responsible for favorable outcomes include strong physician advice and support from a multidisciplinary team of health professionals. Furthermore, the timing of the intervention may have been appropriate for enrollment in a secondary prevention clinic.

The Short- and Long-Term Effects of Secondary Schools upon Students' Academic Success and Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Antoniou, Panayiotis

2012-01-01

This paper presents the results of a study investigating the short- and long-term effects of secondary schools upon student academic success and development. A questionnaire was administered to a randomly selected sample of 15% of Cypriot students who graduated in June 2004 and June 2005 from secondary schools. A good response rate (i.e., 66%) was…

Long-term outcome of permanent tracheostomy in 15 dogs with severe laryngeal collapse secondary to brachycephalic airway obstructive syndrome.

PubMed

Gobbetti, Matteo; Romussi, Stefano; Buracco, Paolo; Bronzo, Valerio; Gatti, Samuele; Cantatore, Matteo

2018-06-12

To report the long-term outcome of permanent tracheostomy for the management of severe laryngeal collapse secondary to brachycephalic airway obstructive syndrome. Retrospective case series. Fifteen brachycephalic dogs with severe laryngeal collapse treated with permanent tracheostomy. Follow-up data were obtained from medical records or via telephone conversation with the owners. The Kaplan-Meier estimator was used to calculate median survival time. Death was classified as related or unrelated to tracheostomy surgery. Complications were classified as major when they were life-threatening or required revision surgery. Owners were asked to classify the postoperative quality of life as improved, unchanged, or worse and the management of the stoma as simple or demanding. The median survival time was 100 days. Major complications were diagnosed in 12 of 15 (80%) dogs, resulting in death in 8 (median survival time 15 days) and revision surgery in 4 dogs. Seven of 15 (47%) dogs died of unrelated causes or were alive at the end of the study (median survival time 1982 days). The postoperative quality of life of 9 dogs was judged as markedly improved. Stoma management was defined as simple in 8 dogs and demanding in 4. Permanent tracheostomy was associated with a high risk of complications and postoperative death in brachycephalic dogs. However, long-term survival (exceeding 5 years) with a good quality of life was documented in 5 of 15 dogs. Permanent tracheostomy is a suitable salvage option in brachycephalic dogs with severe laryngeal collapse that did not improve following more conservative surgeries. © 2018 The American College of Veterinary Surgeons.

The use of gelatine in long-term storage (up to 48 hr) at 5°C preserves the pre-freezing and post-thawing quality of brown bear sperm.

PubMed

Lopez-Urueña, E; Anel-López, L; Borragan, S; Ortega Ferrusola, C; Manrique, P; de Paz, P; Anel, L; Alvarez, M

2016-10-01

Sedimentation of spermatozoa occurs during long-term liquid storage and this may produce deleterious changes. Our aim was to apply gelatine supplementation during long-term pre-freezing storage of bear sperm, applying final dilution and 6% glycerol at room temperature and cool in straws. We tested four models of sperm storage using a 1:1 dilution in TTF-ULE-Bear extender (TesT-fructose-egg yolk-glycerol 6%): (i) second 1:1 dilution at room temperature (RT), cooling at 5°C in a tube and final dilution (100 × 10(6)  sperm ml(-1) ) (Standard); (ii) final dilution at RT and cooling in a tube (FD-Tube); (iii) final dilution at RT and cooling in 0.25 ml plastic straw (FD-Straw); and (iv) final dilution at RT in extender supplemented with 1.5% gelatine (Gelatine) and cooling in a 0.25 ml plastic straw. A Standard sample was stored at 5°C for 1 hr (Control); the rest of the samples (Standard, FD-Tube, FD-Straw, Gelatine) were stored for 24 or 48 hrs before freezing (100 × 10(6)  sperm ml(-1) , glycerol 6%). The quality of the samples was assessed for motility by CASA, and viability (SYBR-14/propidium iodide-PI-; VIAB), acrosomal status (PNA-FITC/PI; iACR) and apoptotic status (YO-PRO-1/PI; YOPRO-) by flow cytometry. At pre-freezing, after 48 hr, Gelatine showed significantly higher viability (for VIAB and YOPRO-) and progressiveness (PM, LIN and STR). At 48 hr, Gelatine showed similar YOPRO-, iACR, LIN, STR and ALH respect to Control. At both 24 and 48 h post-thawing, Gelatine sample had similar scores for YOPRO-, iACR, LIN, STR, WOB and VIAB (only 24 hr) when compared with Control, and lower for TM, PM, rapidPM, VAP and ALH. No differences were found among others experimental groups with respect to Control. In conclusion, gelatine could be a suitable alternative to preserve the viability and progressive motility of brown bear ejaculates during long-term pre-freezing storage at 5°C. © 2016 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

The dead seed coat functions as a long-term storage for active hydrolytic enzymes

PubMed Central

Raviv, Buzi; Aghajanyan, Lusine; Granot, Gila; Makover, Vardit; Frenkel, Omer; Gutterman, Yitzchak

2017-01-01

Seed development culminates in programmed cell death (PCD) and hardening of organs enclosing the embryo (e.g., pericarp, seed coat) providing essentially a physical shield for protection during storage in the soil. We examined the proposal that dead organs enclosing embryos are unique entities that store and release upon hydration active proteins that might increase seed persistence in soil, germination and seedling establishment. Proteome analyses of dead seed coats of Brassicaceae species revealed hundreds of proteins being stored in the seed coat and released upon hydration, many are stress-associated proteins such as nucleases, proteases and chitinases. Functional analysis revealed that dead seed coats function as long-term storage for multiple active hydrolytic enzymes (e.g., nucleases) that can persist in active forms for decades. Substances released from the dead seed coat of the annual desert plant Anastatica hierochuntica displayed strong antimicrobial activity. Our data highlighted a previously unrecognized feature of dead organs enclosing embryos (e.g., seed coat) functioning not only as a physical shield for embryo protection but also as a long-term storage for active proteins and other substances that are released upon hydration to the “seedsphere” and could contribute to seed persistence in the soil, germination and seedling establishment. PMID:28700755

The dead seed coat functions as a long-term storage for active hydrolytic enzymes.

PubMed

Raviv, Buzi; Aghajanyan, Lusine; Granot, Gila; Makover, Vardit; Frenkel, Omer; Gutterman, Yitzchak; Grafi, Gideon

2017-01-01

Seed development culminates in programmed cell death (PCD) and hardening of organs enclosing the embryo (e.g., pericarp, seed coat) providing essentially a physical shield for protection during storage in the soil. We examined the proposal that dead organs enclosing embryos are unique entities that store and release upon hydration active proteins that might increase seed persistence in soil, germination and seedling establishment. Proteome analyses of dead seed coats of Brassicaceae species revealed hundreds of proteins being stored in the seed coat and released upon hydration, many are stress-associated proteins such as nucleases, proteases and chitinases. Functional analysis revealed that dead seed coats function as long-term storage for multiple active hydrolytic enzymes (e.g., nucleases) that can persist in active forms for decades. Substances released from the dead seed coat of the annual desert plant Anastatica hierochuntica displayed strong antimicrobial activity. Our data highlighted a previously unrecognized feature of dead organs enclosing embryos (e.g., seed coat) functioning not only as a physical shield for embryo protection but also as a long-term storage for active proteins and other substances that are released upon hydration to the "seedsphere" and could contribute to seed persistence in the soil, germination and seedling establishment.

Measuring client experiences in long-term care in the Netherlands: a pilot study with the Consumer Quality Index Long-term Care.

PubMed

Triemstra, Mattanja; Winters, Sjenny; Kool, Rudolf B; Wiegers, Therese A

2010-04-12

This study aims to describe the development, testing and optimization of a new standard instrument, the Consumer Quality Index (CQ-index) Long-term Care, for measuring client experiences with long-term care in the Netherlands. Three versions of the CQ-index questionnaires and protocols for study sampling and data collection were developed, designed for interviews with residents of nursing or residential care homes and postal surveys among representatives of psychogeriatric residents and homecare clients. From July to November 2006 a pilot study was conducted among 2,697 clients of 68 nursing or residential care homes, 2,164 representatives of clients in 57 psychogeriatric care institutions, and 1,462 clients of 19 homecare organizations. We performed psychometric analyses and descriptive analyses, and evaluated the pilot study. The pilot study showed the feasibility and usability of the instruments, supported the multidimensionality of the questionnaires and showed first findings on client experiences and possibilities for quality improvement. Nine scales applied to all care settings: shared decision making, attitude and courtesy, information, body care, competence and safety of care, activities, autonomy, mental well-being, and availability of personnel. The pilot resulted in three optimized questionnaires and recommendations for nationwide implementation. The CQ-index Long-term Care provides a good basis to investigate the quality of nursing homes, residential care homes and homecare from the clients' perspective. This standardized instrument enables a nationwide comparison of the quality of long-term care for the purpose of transparency and quality assurance.

Soil quality assessment in long-term direct seed

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Producers in the Pacific Northwest are adopting direct seed farming to reduce soil erosion, improve soil quality and increase water infiltration. Some direct seed producers are concerned with reaching the yield and profit potential expected with long-term direct seed, and this may be due to soil st...

Effect of postharvest pretreatments on organic Early Superior Seedless "Sugraone" table grapes assigned to long term storage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Admane, Naouel; Verrastro, Vincenzo; Di Gennaro, Domenico; Genovese, Francesco; Altieri, Giuseppe; Carlo Di Renzo, Giovanni

2014-05-01

Every year a significant amount of organic table grapes is lost during postharvest mainly due to the incidence of decay, stem browning and fast alteration of the taste and aroma. The demand for this fresh product with immaculate appearance and high sensory quality in terms of flavor, is a hard challenge considering the difficulties to conserve them, with alternative safe treatments to the sulphur dioxide (SO2) which is not allowed in organic product. The aim of this experiment was to maintain the quality of organic table grapes and extend their shelf-life for medium and long term, in order to reach new distant promising markets, by using safe methods. The effectiveness of the combination of pretreatment with Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) compounds, physical means and storage under modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) were performed by using detached organic table grape berries as alternatives to usual industrial SO2 application. The detached organic Early Superior Seedless "Sugraone" berries were pretreated by: i) dipping in ethanol and potassium bicarbonate; ii) massive CO2 concentrations; iii) ozone (O3) fumigation; whereas, untreated berries were included in the trial as control. Moreover, all the samples were packed in thermo-sealed ALPAK bags with MAP of 2% O2:5% CO2:93% N2 and stored at 0°C for 45 days. Initially and after 15, 30 and 45 days of storage, weight loss, decay incidence, berry/skin firmness, pedicel detachment force, skin color parameters, SSC, pH, titratable acidity and sensory evaluation scores, were monitored. After 45 days of storage, the weight loss was higher in the sample pretreated with massive CO2 concentration at 70 - 90 % and the control. The samples pretreated with CO2 at 70% and O3 at 20 ppm maintained the strength of the berry linked to its pedicel, also the berry and skin firmness were statistically higher in samples pretreated with CO2 at 90 - 70% and O3 at 20 ppm in comparison with the control. The skin color parameters and

Geological conditions of safe long-term storage and disposal of depleted uranium hexafluoride

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laverov, N. P.; Velichkin, V. I.; Omel'Yanenko, B. I.; Yudintsev, S. V.; Tagirov, B. R.

2010-08-01

The production of enriched uranium used in nuclear weapons and fuel for atomic power plants is accompanied by the formation of depleted uranium (DU), the amount of which annually increases by 35-40 kt. To date, more than 1.6 Mt DU has accumulated in the world. The main DU mass is stored as environ-mentally hazardous uranium hexafluoride (UF6), which is highly volatile and soluble in water with the formation of hydrofluoric acid. To ensure safe UF6 storage, it is necessary to convert this compound in chemically stable phases. The industrial reprocessing of UF6 into U3O8 and HF implemented in France is highly expensive. We substantiate the expediency of long-term storage of depleted uranium hexafluoride in underground repositories localized in limestone. On the basis of geochemical data and thermodynamic calculations, we show that interaction in the steel container-UF6-limestone-groundwater system gives rise to the development of a slightly alkaline reductive medium favorable for chemical reaction with formation of uraninite (UO2) and fluorite (CaF2). The proposed engineering solution not only ensures safe DU storage but also makes it possible to produce uraninite, which can be utilized, if necessary, in fast-neutron reactors. In the course of further investigations aimed at safe maintenance of DU, it is necessary to study the kinetics of conversion of UF6 into stable phases, involving laboratory and field experiments.

The Impact of Teacher Quality Grants on Long-Term Professional Development of Physical Science Teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Urquhart, Mary L.; Bober, Kendra M.

2006-02-01

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Teacher Quality Grants, supported through No Child Left Behind, are intended to ensure that secondary teachers of specific subjects are "highly qualified". Now in their third year, these grants have done much to shape long-term professional development for teachers in the physical sciences at the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD). The grants have also created a suite of challenges and benefits for the UTD Science Education M.A.T. program. Teacher Quality Grants are based on the No Child Left Behind framework that requires teachers to be "highly qualified" as defined by the state. Recruitment is required to be targeted at teachers who are uncertified or teach one or more classes out of their content area and who work in high needs local school districts. Many of the students brought into our program through these grants have incoming content knowledge in physics similar to that typical of undergraduate non-majors, and a large percentage are uncomfortable with basic mathematics as well. How and what we teach has been dramatically impacted by the Teacher Quality Grants, as have our assessments and evaluations. An ongoing challenge has been to implement a Physics Education Research (PER)-based course design while meeting the specific requirements of the Teacher Quality Grant program. The Teacher Quality Grants have also provided a great deal of opportunity to new and existing teachers in our program. A barrier to our teachers, rising tuition costs, has been removed and as a result a mandate has become a doorway of opportunity for physical science teachers.

Ethylene-dependent regulation of an α-L-arabinofuranosidase is associated to firmness loss in 'Gala' apples under long term cold storage.

PubMed

Storch, Tatiane Timm; Finatto, Taciane; Pegoraro, Camila; Dal Cero, Joceani; Laurens, François; Rombaldi, Cesar Valmor; Quecini, Vera; Girardi, César Luís

2015-09-01

Fruit texture changes impair the quality of apples submitted to long term storage, especially under cold. The changes are due to cell wall modifications during ripening and senescence and are associated to ethylene. We have investigated the activity of α-l-arabinofuranosidase, a glycosyl hydrolase acting on the side chains of pectin in the cell wall and middle lamella. The transcription of arabinofuranosidase coding sequences 1 and 3 was investigated in plant organs and in response to ethylene, employing hormone application and 1-methylcyclopropene. The transcription of arabinofuranosidase genes is not restricted to fruits, although upregulated by ripening and ethylene. Transcripts of the genes were detected under cold storage up to 180 days. Similarly, arabinofuranosidase activity increased with rising levels of ethylene and under cold storage. Levels of arabinofuranosidase3 transcripts were higher than those of arabinofuranosidase1, suggesting that the first is an important contributor to enzyme activity and texture changes during cold storage. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Laboratory testing on the removal of the veterinary antibiotic doxycycline during long-term liquid pig manure and digestate storage.

PubMed

Widyasari-Mehta, Arum; Suwito, Hanna Resti Kartika Ayu; Kreuzig, Robert

2016-04-01

The veterinary antibiotic doxycycline (DOXY) is today frequently applied in conventional pig husbandry for the control of respiratory diseases. After the treatment, pigs excrete major amounts of DOXY as the unchanged active substance. Thus, DOXY residues were found in liquid manures and digestates of biogas plants at concentrations of mg kg(-1) dry weight. In order to assess the impact of field applications of contaminated manures and digestates on the entry of DOXY residues into arable and grassland soils, thorough information about the removal of DOXY during long-term storage of farm fertilizers is required. Since this aspect has been only less investigated for manures but not for digestates, first long-term storage simulation tests were performed at laboratory scale. Within the 170-d incubation periods under strictly anaerobic conditions, doxycycline was removed in liquid pig manure by 61% and in digestate by 76%. The calculated half-lives of 120 d and 91 d thus emphasized the persistence of doxycycline in both matrices. Due to the substance specific properties of DOXY, this removal was caused neither by mineralization, epimerization nor biotransformation. According to the high affinity of DOXY to manure and digestate solids, however, the formation of non-extractable residues has to be taken into account as the predominant concentration determining process. This was indicated by the sequential extraction procedure applied. Hence, these results confirmed that a full removal capacity for doxycycline cannot be reached through the long-term storage of farm fertilizers. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Long-Term Cryogenic Propellant Storage for the Titan Orbiter Polar Surveyor (TOPS) Mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mustafi, Shuvo; Francis, John; Li, Xiaoyi; DeLee, Hudson; Purves, Lloyd; Willis, Dewey; Nixon, Conor; Mcguinness, Dan; Riall, Sara; Devine, Matt;

Quality of life and physical activity in long-term (≥5 years post-diagnosis) colorectal cancer survivors - systematic review.

PubMed

Eyl, Ruth Elisa; Xie, Kun; Koch-Gallenkamp, Lena; Brenner, Hermann; Arndt, Volker

2018-06-01

Due to the increasing number of long-term (≥5 years post diagnosis) colorectal cancer survivors, long-term quality of life of these patients is highly relevant. Several studies have reported a positive association between physical activity and quality of life in colorectal cancer survivors, however, so far no systematic review has been published which focuses on long-term colorectal cancer survivors. A systematic review was conducted using the databases PubMed, Web of Science, PsychINFO, and CINAHL. Studies which investigated associations between physical activity and quality of life in long-term colorectal cancer survivors were included. Ten articles based on seven studies were identified. Long-term colorectal cancer survivors who were physically active reported better quality of life than long-term survivors who were not physically active. Both, moderate to vigorous physical activity and lower levels like light physical activity were associated with higher quality of life. Most studies assessed the association between physical activity and quality of life cross-sectionally but one prospective study which measured physical activity and quality of life at three different points in time also found associations between physical activity and quality of life. The association between physical activity and quality of life seemed to be stronger among women than among men. The findings of this systematic review support an association between physical activity and quality of life in long-term colorectal cancer survivors. However, the evidence is limited as most studies were based on cross-sectional and observational design.

Long-term follow-up of disease-specific quality of life after bariatric surgery.

PubMed

Biron, Simon; Biertho, Laurent; Marceau, Simon; Lacasse, Yves

2018-05-01

Substantial improvements in health-related quality of life measured by generic questionnaires (most often the Short Form-36) have been noted over the long term in patients with morbid obesity who had undergone bariatric surgery. To obtain long-term follow-up data on disease-specific quality of life in patients who underwent bariatric surgery (biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch) in 2007 to 2008. Québec Heart and Lung Institute, Québec, Canada. This study is a follow-up of the validation study, the Laval Questionnaire, an obesity-specific measure of health-related quality of life developed to be used in clinical trials. Patients who contributed to the validation study in 2007 to 2008 were administered the Laval Questionnaire again at long-term follow-up. Of 112 patients who contributed to the validation study, 90 were available for this long-term follow-up study (retention rate: 80%). Median follow-up was 8.8 years. For all 6 domains of the Laval Questionnaire, the improvements in quality-of-life scores were much larger than our best estimate of the minimal clinically important difference. In others, we observed some decline in quality-of-life scores over time after initial changes that occurred 1 to 2 years after surgery, during the so-called "honeymoon period." Improvements in quality of life were clearly related to surgery. This study confirms that bariatric surgery using biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch improves disease-specific quality of life in the short and long term. It also demonstrates that the Laval Questionnaire is responsive to treatment-induced changes. Copyright © 2018 American Society for Bariatric Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

CANE FIBERBOARD DEGRADATION WITHIN THE 9975 SHIPPING PACKAGE DURING LONG-TERM STORAGE APPLICATION

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Daugherty, W.; Dunn, K.; Hackney, B.

The 9975 shipping package is used as part of the configuration for long-term storage of special nuclear materials in the K Area Complex at the Savannah River Site. The cane fiberboard overpack in the 9975 package provides thermal insulation, impact absorption and criticality control functions relevant to this application. The Savannah River National Laboratory has conducted physical, mechanical and thermal tests on aged fiberboard samples to identify degradation rates and support the development of aging models and service life predictions in a storage environment. This paper reviews the data generated to date, and preliminary models describing degradation rates of canemore » fiberboard in elevated temperature – elevated humidity environments.« less

Quality geriatric care as perceived by nurses in long-term and acute care settings.

PubMed

Barba, Beth Ellen; Hu, Jie; Efird, Jimmy

2012-03-01

This study focused on differences in nurses' satisfaction with the quality of care of older people and with organisational characteristics and work environment in acute care and long-term care settings. Numerous studies have explored links between nurses' satisfaction with care and work environments on the one hand and a variety of physical, behavioural and psychological reactions of nurses on the other. One key to keeping nurses in the workplace is a better understanding of nurses' satisfaction with the quality of care they provide. Descriptive design. The self-selected sample included 298 registered nurses and licensed practical nurses who provide care to minority, underserved and disadvantaged older populations in 89 long-term care and <100 bed hospitals in 38 rural counties and eight metropolitan areas in a Southern state. All completed the Agency Geriatric Nursing Care survey, which consisted of a 13-item scale measuring nurses' satisfaction with the quality of geriatric care in their practice settings and an 11-item scale examining obstacles to providing quality geriatric care. Demographic variables were compared with chi-square. Independent t-tests were used to examine differences between nurses in long-term care and acute care settings. Significant differences were found in level of satisfaction and perceived obstacles to providing quality care to older adults between participants from acute and long-term care. Participants in long-term care had greater satisfaction with the quality of geriatric care than those in acute facilities. Nurses in long-term care were more satisfied that care was evidence-based; specialised to individual needs of older adults; promoted autonomy and independence of elders; and was continuous across settings. Participants in acute facilities perceived more obstacles to providing quality geriatric care than nurses in long-term care facilities. Modification of hospital geriatric practice environments and leadership commitment to

Efficacy of a long-term secondary prevention programme following inpatient cardiovascular rehabilitation on risk and health-related quality of life in a low-education cohort: a randomized controlled study.

PubMed

Mayer-Berger, Wolfgang; Simic, Dusan; Mahmoodzad, Jawad; Burtscher, Ralph; Kohlmeyer, Martin; Schwitalla, Birgitta; Redaèlli, Marcus

2014-02-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a long-term secondary prevention programme following inpatient cardiovascular rehabilitation on cardiovascular risk and health-related quality of life in a cohort of middle-aged (≤58 years) coronary artery disease (CAD) patients of low educational level compared to usual care. The study included 600 patients with CAD, with 271 in the intervention group (IG) and 329 in the control group (CG). The average age was nearly 50 years in both groups, nearly 90% were male, and 77% had less than 10 years of school education. No significant differences existed between the groups at baseline. Both groups had a 3-week comprehensive cardiovascular inpatient rehabilitation programme at the beginning, the intervention consisted of one further rehabilitation session in hospital after 6 months and regular telephone reminders over a period of 36 months. Analyses were conducted on an intention-to-treat basis. To evaluate the individual risk level, we used the PROCAM score and intima-media thickness (IMT) was measured at the common carotid artery on both sides following international standards. Health-related quality of life was assessed with the EUROQOL and HADS. Patients in the IG showed better 3-year risk profile outcomes. The PROCAM score increased by 3.0 (IG) and by 3.7 (CG) from the beginning to after 3 years (p > 0.05 intention-to-treat). The average IMT increased by 0.04 mm in the CG and was reduced by 0.03 mm in the IG (p = 0.014 for the difference). The IG had a significant improvement in health-related quality of life. Mortality, myocardial infarction, and stroke were not different although 'other cardiac events' (cardiac surgery or intervention) were significantly lower in the IG than the CG patients (p < 0.05). This long-term secondary prevention programme with inpatient rehabilitation at the beginning and telephone reminder for a 3-year period was successful. There were significant differences in

Quality professional development for secondary science teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mchazlett, Dwight Henry, Jr.

This record of study (ROS) explores the perceptions of three high school biology teachers who implemented a form of the Japanese originated Lesson Study Professional Development (LS PD) model. Additionally, this ROS reports on the perceptions of the internal stakeholders with regard to the model's viability as a potential solution to a proposed problem of practice where there was a lack of quality professional development for secondary biology teachers. The audience of internal stakeholders includes district administrators, high school teachers, and science teachers from the elementary and middle school grade levels. Participants of this study collaboratively explored the problem of practice in the fall semester of 2015, then implemented the LS PD model in the spring semester. The participants completed three cycles of LS that focused on collaboratively designing research-based lessons, teaching the lessons with peer observations, revising and re-teaching the lessons with peer observations, and reflecting on the participants' growth experiences. Four research questions were addressed: (a) What are the perceptions of the participants in regard to their own professional growth as a result of participating in the LS initiative? (b) What improvements to the LS PD model might facilitate future implementation? and (c) What are the perceptions of the LS dissemination audience toward LS as a viable solution to a lack of quality PD for secondary biology teachers? Results of the study suggested that LS PD may be a viable solution to the proposed problem of practice where there is a lack of quality professional development for secondary biology teachers. Long-term implications posit that LS PD can be adapted and scaled up to benefit all content areas and grade levels.

Perceived service quality, perceived value, overall satisfaction and happiness of outlook for long-term care institution residents.

PubMed

Lin, Jesun; Hsiao, Chih-Tung; Glen, Robert; Pai, Jar-Yuan; Zeng, Sin-Huei

2014-06-01

To investigate the psychometric properties and relationships of perceived service quality, perceived value and overall satisfaction for residents with respect to their long-term care institutions. The five-point Likert scale questionnaire administered through facetoface interviews. Fourteen long-term care institutions located in central and southern Taiwan stratified according to services and accommodation population. One hundred and eighty long-term institutional care residents. Perceived service quality (the SERVPERF model), perceived value and overall satisfaction (models based on the literature on perceived value and satisfaction). Student's t-test on institutional location shows a significant difference between overall satisfaction for central and southern institution long-term care recipients. The correlation test revealed that the higher a resident's level of education, the higher the scores for perceived value. The factor loading results of confirmation factor analysis show acceptable levels of reliability and index-of-model fits for perceived service, perceived value and overall satisfaction. In addition, the results suggest that an additional construct, a positive attitude (happiness of outlook) towards long-term care institutions, is also an important factor in residents' overall satisfaction. The primary goal of long-term institutional care policy in Taiwan, as in other countries, is to provide residents with practical, cost-effective but high-quality care. On the basis of the results of in-depth interviews with long-term institutional care residents, this study suggests long-term care institutions arrange more family visit days to increase the accessibility and interaction of family and residents and thereby increase the happiness of outlook of the residents. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Key Performance Criteria Affecting the Most the Safety of a Nuclear Waste Long Term Storage : A Case Study Commissioned by CEA

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Marvy, A.; Lioure, A; Heriard-Dubreuil, G.

2003-02-24

As part of the work scope set in the French law on high level long lived waste R&D passed in 1991, CEA is conducting a research program to establish the scientific basis and assess the feasibility of long term storage as an option for the safe management of nuclear waste for periods as long as centuries. This goal is a significant departure from the current industrial practice where storage facilities are usually built to last only a few decades. From a technical viewpoint such an extension in time seems feasible provided care and maintenance is exercised. Considering such long periodsmore » of time, the risk for Society of loosing oversight and control of such a facility is real, which triggers the question of whether and how long term storage safety can be actually achieved. Therefore CEA commissioned a study (1) in which MUTADIS Consultants (2) and CEPN (3) were both involved. The case study looks into several past and actual human enterprises conducted over significant periods o f time, one of them dating back to the end of the 18th century, and all identified out of the nuclear field. Then-prevailing societal behavior and organizational structures are screened out to show how they were or are still able to cope with similar oversight and control goals. As a result, the study group formulated a set of performance criteria relating to issues like responsibility, securing funds, legal and legislative implications, economic sustainable development, all being areas which are not traditionally considered as far as technical studies are concerned. These criteria can be most useful from the design stage onward, first in an attempt to define the facility construction and operating guiding principles, and thereafter to substantiate the safety case for long term storage and get geared to the public dialogue on that undertaking should it become a reality.« less

Verification of geomechanical integrity and prediction of long-term mineral trapping for the Ketzin CO2 storage pilot site

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kempka, Thomas; De Lucia, Marco; Kühn, Michael

2014-05-01

Static and dynamic numerical modelling generally accompany the entire CO2 storage site life cycle. Thereto, it is required to match the employed models with field observations on a regular basis in order to predict future site behaviour. We investigated the coupled processes at the Ketzin CO2 storage pilot site [1] using a model coupling concept focusing on the temporal relevance of processes involved (hydraulic, chemical and mechanical) at given time-scales (site operation, abandonment and long-term stabilization). For that purpose, long-term dynamic multi-phase flow simulations [2], [3] established the basis for all simulations discussed in the following. Hereby, pressure changes resulting in geomechanical effects are largest during site operation, whereas geochemical reactions are governed by slow kinetics resulting in a long-term stabilization. To account for mechanical integrity, which may be mainly affected during site operation, we incorporated a regional-scale coupled hydro-mechanical model. Our simulation results show maximum ground surface displacements of about 4 mm, whereas shear and tensile failure are not observed. Consequently, the CO2 storage operation at the Ketzin pilot site does not compromise reservoir, caprock and fault integrity. Chemical processes responsible for mineral trapping are expected to mainly occur during long-term stabilization at the Ketzin pilot site [4]. Hence, our previous assessment [3] was extended by integrating two long-term mineral trapping scenarios. Thereby, mineral trapping contributes to the trapping mechanisms with 11.7 % after 16,000 years of simulation in our conservative and with 30.9 % in our maximum reactivity scenarios. Dynamic flow simulations indicate that only 0.2 % of the CO2 injected (about 67,270 t CO2 in total) is in gaseous state, but structurally trapped after 16,000 years. Depending on the studied long-term scenario, CO2 dissolution is the dominating trapping mechanism with 68.9 % and 88

Visual working memory buffers information retrieved from visual long-term memory.

PubMed

Fukuda, Keisuke; Woodman, Geoffrey F

2017-05-16

Human memory is thought to consist of long-term storage and short-term storage mechanisms, the latter known as working memory. Although it has long been assumed that information retrieved from long-term memory is represented in working memory, we lack neural evidence for this and need neural measures that allow us to watch this retrieval into working memory unfold with high temporal resolution. Here, we show that human electrophysiology can be used to track information as it is brought back into working memory during retrieval from long-term memory. Specifically, we found that the retrieval of information from long-term memory was limited to just a few simple objects' worth of information at once, and elicited a pattern of neurophysiological activity similar to that observed when people encode new information into working memory. Our findings suggest that working memory is where information is buffered when being retrieved from long-term memory and reconcile current theories of memory retrieval with classic notions about the memory mechanisms involved.

Lessons Learned During the Refurbishment and Testing of an Observatory After Long-Term Storage

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hawk, John; Peabody, Sharon; Stavely, Richard

2015-01-01

Thermal Fluids Analysis Workshop (TFAWS) 2015, Silver Spring, MD NCTS 21070-15. This paper addresses the lessons learned during the refurbishment and testing of the thermal control system for a spacecraft which was placed into long-term storage. The DSCOVR (Deep Space Climate Observatory) Observatory (formerly known as Triana) was originally scheduled to launch on the Space Shuttle in 2002. With the Triana spacecraft nearly complete, the mission was canceled and the satellite was abruptly put into storage in 2001. In 2008 the observatory was removed from storage to begin refurbishment and testing. Problems arose associated with hardware that was not currently manufactured, coatings degradation, and a significant lack of documentation. Also addressed is the conversion of the thermal and geometric math models for use with updated thermal analysis software tools.

Secondary batteries with multivalent ions for energy storage

PubMed Central

Xu, Chengjun; Chen, Yanyi; Shi, Shan; Li, Jia; Kang, Feiyu; Su, Dangsheng

2015-01-01

The use of electricity generated from clean and renewable sources, such as water, wind, or sunlight, requires efficiently distributed electrical energy storage by high-power and high-energy secondary batteries using abundant, low-cost materials in sustainable processes. American Science Policy Reports state that the next-generation “beyond-lithium” battery chemistry is one feasible solution for such goals. Here we discover new “multivalent ion” battery chemistry beyond lithium battery chemistry. Through theoretic calculation and experiment confirmation, stable thermodynamics and fast kinetics are presented during the storage of multivalent ions (Ni2+, Zn2+, Mg2+, Ca2+, Ba2+, or La3+ ions) in alpha type manganese dioxide. Apart from zinc ion battery, we further use multivalent Ni2+ ion to invent another rechargeable battery, named as nickel ion battery for the first time. The nickel ion battery generally uses an alpha type manganese dioxide cathode, an electrolyte containing Ni2+ ions, and Ni anode. The nickel ion battery delivers a high energy density (340 Wh kg−1, close to lithium ion batteries), fast charge ability (1 minute), and long cycle life (over 2200 times). PMID:26365600

Related Studies in Long Term Lithium Battery Stability

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Horning, R. J.; Chua, D. L.

1984-01-01

The continuing growth of the use of lithium electrochemical systems in a wide variety of both military and industrial applications is primarily a result of the significant benefits associated with the technology such as high energy density, wide temperature operation and long term stability. The stability or long term storage capability of a battery is a function of several factors, each important to the overall storage life and, therefore, each potentially a problem area if not addressed during the design, development and evaluation phases of the product cycle. Design (e.g., reserve vs active), inherent material thermal stability, material compatibility and self-discharge characteristics are examples of factors key to the storability of a power source.

BDNF is essential to promote persistence of long-term memory storage

PubMed Central

Bekinschtein, Pedro; Cammarota, Martín; Katche, Cynthia; Slipczuk, Leandro; Rossato, Janine I.; Goldin, Andrea; Izquierdo, Ivan; Medina, Jorge H.

2008-01-01

Persistence is a characteristic attribute of long-term memories (LTMs). However, little is known about the molecular mechanisms that mediate this process. We recently showed that persistence of LTM requires a late protein synthesis- and BDNF-dependent phase in the hippocampus. Here, we show that intrahippocampal delivery of BDNF reverses the deficit in memory persistence caused by inhibition of hippocampal protein synthesis. Importantly, we demonstrate that BDNF induces memory persistence by itself, transforming a nonlasting LTM trace into a persistent one in an ERK-dependent manner. Thus, BDNF is not only necessary, but sufficient to induce a late postacquisition phase in the hippocampus essential for persistence of LTM storage. PMID:18263738

Residents' self-reported quality of life in long-term care facilities in Canada.

PubMed

Kehyayan, Vahe; Hirdes, John P; Tyas, Suzanne L; Stolee, Paul

2015-06-01

Quality of life (QoL) of long-term care (LTC) facility residents is an important outcome of care. This cross-sectional, descriptive study examined the self-reported QoL of LTC facility residents in Canada using the interRAI Self-Report Nursing Home Quality of Life Survey instrument. A secondary purpose was to test the instrument's psychometric properties. Psychometric testing of the instrument supported its reliability and its convergent and content validity for assessing the residents' QoL. Findings showed that residents rated positively several aspects of their life, such as having privacy during visits (76.9%) and staff's being honest with them (73.6%). Residents gave lower ratings to other aspects such as autonomy, staff-resident bonding, and personal relationships. The findings point to gaps between facility philosophies of care and their translation into a care environment where care is truly resident-directed. Moreover, the findings have potential implications for resident care planning, facility programming, social policy development, and future research.

Carbon storage and long-term rate of accumulation in high-altitude Andean peatlands of Bolivia

Treesearch

J.A. Hribljan; D.J. Cooper; J. Sueltenfuss; E.C. Wolf; K.A. Heckman; Erik Lilleskov; R.A. Chimner

2015-01-01

The high-altitude (4,500+ m) Andean mountain range of north-western Bolivia contains many peatlands. Despite heavy grazing pressure and potential damage from climate change, little is known about these peatlands. Our objective was to quantify carbon pools, basal ages and long-term peat accumulation rates in peatlands in two areas of the arid puna ecoregion of Bolivia:...

Oxidative and nutrient stability of a standard rodent spaceflight diet during long-term storage.

PubMed

Sun, Gwo-Shing; Tou, Janet C; Reiss-Bubenheim, Debra A; Hill, Esther L; Liittschwager, Kurt W; Girten, Beverly E; Pena-Yewkukhiw, Eugenia

2012-09-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's standard spaceflight diet for rodents is the nutrient-upgraded rodent food bar (NuRFB). The shelf life of the NuRFB needs to be determined in order to avoid malnutrition of rodents and confounding of research results resulting from nutritional deficiency. The authors compared the oxidative and nutrient stability of NuRFBs stored at either ambient temperature (26 °C) or at refrigeration temperature (4 °C) for use in long-term rodent feeding experiments. After 0, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months (mo) of storage, lipid oxidation, fatty acid composition and amounts of specific vitamins and amino acids in NuRFBs were analyzed. No oxidative rancidity developed in NuRFBs stored at 4 °C for up to 12 mo, but NuRFBs stored at 26 °C for 6 mo developed oxidative rancidity and had reduced amounts of γ-linolenic acid (18:3n-6). Despite loss of vitamin E, vitamin A and thiamin after storage at 26 °C for 12 mo, vitamin levels in NuRFBs remained at or above the levels recommended for optimal rodent health. The amino acid profile of NuRFBs was unaffected by storage at 4 °C or 26 °C for 12 mo. The results suggest that NuRFBs stored at 4 °C for up to 12 mo and NuRFBs stored at 26 °C for up to 6 mo provide suitable nutrition for rodents in long-term experiments.

The effect of mitomycin C after long-term storage on human Tenon's fibroblast proliferation.

PubMed

Hu, D; Chen, P P; Oda, D

1999-10-01

To investigate the effect of mitomycin C (MMC) after long-term storage on proliferation of human Tenon's fibroblasts in vitro. Human Tenon's fibroblasts in tissue culture were exposed for 5 minutes to MMC (0.4 mg/mL) that was either freshly prepared or had been stored for as long as 18 months at either 4 degrees C or -20 degrees C. The MTT colorimetric assay was used to determine the inhibition of proliferation as measured indirectly by mitochondrial activity. The inhibition rate was 88% using fresh MMC, and declined to a mean of 73% when using MMC that had been stored for as long as 18 months at 4 degrees C; this decrease was not statistically significant. The mean inhibition for MMC stored at -20 degrees C was 68%, and this was significantly less than inhibition with fresh MMC. Inhibition did not vary significantly with MMC after different storage times. Mitomycin C continues to have strong in vitro antiproliferative effects when stored for as long as 18 months at 4 degrees C or -20 degrees C. A significant decline in potency compared with fresh MMC occurs when MMC is stored at -20 degrees C.

Long-term outcomes of urinary tract reconstruction in patients with neurogenic urinary tract dysfunction

PubMed Central

Johnson, E. U.; Singh, Gurpreet

2013-01-01

The advent of specialized spinal units and better understanding of the pathophysiology of neurogenic urinary tract dysfunction has made long-term survival of these patients a reality. This has, in turn, led to an increase in quality and choice of management modalities offered to these patients including complex anatomic urinary tract reconstructive procedures tailored to the unique needs of each individual with variable outcomes. We performed a literature review evaluating the long-term outcomes of these reconstructive procedures. To achieve this, we conducted a world-wide electronic literature search of long-term outcomes published in English. As the premise of this review is long-term outcomes, we have focused on pathologies where evidence of long-term outcome is available such as patients with spinal injuries and spina bifida. Therapeutic success following urinary tract reconstruction is usually measured by preservation of renal function, improvement in quality-of-life, the satisfactory achievement of agreed outcomes and the prevention of serious complications. Prognostic factors include neuropathic detrusor overactivity; sphincter dyssynergia; bladder over distension; high pressure storage and high leak point pressures; vesicoureteric reflex, stone formation and urinary tract infections. Although, the past decade has witnessed a reduction in the total number of bladder reconstructive surgeries in the UK, these procedures are essentially safe and effective; but require long-term clinical and functional follow-up/monitoring. Until tissue engineering and gene therapy becomes more mainstream, we feel there is still a place for urinary tract reconstruction in patients with neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction. PMID:24235796

A Survey of Current Literature on Sampling, Sample Handling, and Long Term Storage for Environmental Materials.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maienthal, E. J.; Becker, D. A.

This report presents the results of an extensive literature survey undertaken to establish optimum sampling, sample handling and long-term storage techniques for a wide variety of environmental samples to retain sample integrity. The components of interest are trace elements, organics, pesticides, radionuclides and microbiologicals. A bibliography…

Hypogonadism associated with long-term opioid therapy: A systematic review.

PubMed

Birthi, Pravardhan; Nagar, Vittal R; Nickerson, Robert; Sloan, Paul A

2015-01-01

Sexual dysfunction and Opioid-Induced Sexual Hormone Deficiency (OPISHD) have been associated with patients on long-term opioid pain therapy. There have been few comprehensive reviews to establish a relation between hypogonadism with chronic opioid pain management. The OPISHD is often not treated and literature guiding this topic is scarce. To investigate hypogonadism associated with long-term opioid therapy based on qualitative data analysis of the available literature. Systematic review. The review included relevant literature identified through searches of PubMed, Cochrane, Clinical Trials, US National Guideline Clearinghouse, and EMBASE, for the years 1960 to September 2013. The quality assessment and clinical relevance criteria used were the Cochrane Musculoskeletal Review Group Criteria for randomized control trials and the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale Criteria for observational studies. The level of evidence was classified as good, fair, and poor, based on the quality of evidence. The primary outcome measures were clinical symptoms and laboratory markers of hypogonadism. Secondary outcome measure was management of OPISHD. Thirty-one studies were identified, of which 14 studies met inclusion criteria. There were no randomized control trials and eight of 14 studies were of moderate quality. The remaining studies were of poor quality. Four studies report most patients on long-term oral opioid therapy have associated hypogonadism and three studies of patients receiving intrathecal opioid therapy suggest that hypogonadism is common. There is lack of high-quality studies to associate chronic opioid pain management with hypogonadism. At present, there is fair evidence to associate hypogonadism with chronic opioid pain management, and only limited evidence for treatment of OPISHD.

Long-term changes in river system hydrology in Texas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yiwen; Wurbs, Ralph

2018-06-01

Climate change and human actives are recognized as a topical issue that change long-term water budget, flow-frequency, and storage-frequency characteristics of different river systems. Texas is characterized by extreme hydrologic variability both spatially and temporally. Meanwhile, population and economic growth and accompanying water resources development projects have greatly impacted river flows throughout Texas. The relative effects of climate change, water resources development, water use, and other factors on long-term changes in river flow, reservoir storage, evaporation, water use, and other components of the water budgets of different river basins of Texas have been simulated in this research using the monthly version of the Water Rights Analysis Package (WRAP) modelling system with input databases sets from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) and Texas Water Development Board (TWDB). The results show that long-term changes are minimal from analysis monthly precipitation depths. Evaporation rates vary greatly seasonally and for much of the state appear to have a gradually upward trend. River/reservoir system water budgets and river flow characteristics have changed significantly during the past 75 years in response to water resources development and use.

Quality of Life and Functional Health Status of Long-Term Meditators

PubMed Central

Manocha, Ramesh; Black, Deborah; Wilson, Leigh

2012-01-01

Background. There is very little data describing the long-term health impacts of meditation. Aim. To compare the quality of life and functional health of long-term meditators to that of the normative population in Australia. Method. Using the SF-36 questionnaire and a Meditation Lifestyle Survey, we sampled 343 long-term Australian Sahaja Yoga meditation practitioners and compared their scores to those of the normative Australian population. Results. Six SF-36 subscales (bodily pain, general health, mental health, role limitation—emotional, social functioning, and vitality) were significantly better in meditators compared to the national norms whereas two of the subscales (role limitation—physical, physical functioning) were not significantly different. A substantial correlation between frequency of mental silence experience and the vitality, general health, and especially mental health subscales (P < 0.005) was found. Conclusion. Long-term practitioners of Sahaja yoga meditation experience better functional health, especially mental health, compared to the general population. A relationship between functional health, especially mental health, and the frequency of meditative experience (mental silence) exists that may be causal. Evidence for the potential role of this definition of meditation in enhancing quality of life, functional health and wellbeing is growing. Implications for primary mental health prevention are discussed. PMID:22611427

Long-term frozen storage of urine samples: a trouble to get PCR results in Schistosoma spp. DNA detection?

PubMed

Fernández-Soto, Pedro; Velasco Tirado, Virginia; Carranza Rodríguez, Cristina; Pérez-Arellano, José Luis; Muro, Antonio

2013-01-01

Human schistosomiasis remains a serious worldwide public health problem. At present, a sensitive and specific assay for routine diagnosis of schistosome infection is not yet available. The potential for detecting schistosome-derived DNA by PCR-based methods in human clinical samples is currently being investigated as a diagnostic tool with potential application in routine schistosomiasis diagnosis. Collection of diagnostic samples such as stool or blood is usually difficult in some populations. However, urine is a biological sample that can be collected in a non-invasive method, easy to get from people of all ages and easy in management, but as a sample for PCR diagnosis is still not widely used. This could be due to the high variability in the reported efficiency of detection as a result of the high variation in urine samples' storage or conditions for handling and DNA preservation and extraction methods. We evaluate different commercial DNA extraction methods from a series of long-term frozen storage human urine samples from patients with parasitological confirmed schistosomiasis in order to assess the PCR effectiveness for Schistosoma spp. detection. Patients urine samples were frozen for 18 months up to 7 years until use. Results were compared with those obtained in PCR assays using fresh healthy human urine artificially contaminated with Schistosoma mansoni DNA and urine samples from mice experimentally infected with S. mansoni cercariae stored frozen for at least 12 months before use. PCR results in fresh human artificial urine samples using different DNA based extraction methods were much more effective than those obtained when long-term frozen human urine samples were used as the source of DNA template. Long-term frozen human urine samples are probably not a good source for DNA extraction for use as a template in PCR detection of Schistosoma spp., regardless of the DNA method of extraction used.

Investigation of the heavy-ion mode in the FAIR High Energy Storage Ring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kovalenko, O.; Dolinskii, O.; Litvinov, Yu A.; Maier, R.; Prasuhn, D.; Stöhlker, T.

2015-11-01

High energy storage ring (HESR) as a part of the future accelerator facility FAIR (Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research) will serve for a variety of internal target experiments with high-energy stored heavy ions (SPARC collaboration). Bare uranium is planned to be used as a primary beam. Since a storage time in some cases may be significant—up to half an hour—it is important to examine the high-order effects in the long-term beam dynamics. A new ion optics specifically for the heavy ion mode of the HESR is developed and is discussed in this paper. The subjects of an optics design, tune working point and a dynamic aperture are addressed. For that purpose nonlinear beam dynamics simulations are carried out. Also a flexibility of the HESR ion optical lattice is verified with regard to various experimental setups. Specifically, due to charge exchange reactions in the internal target, secondary beams, such as hydrogen-like and helium-like uranium ions, will be produced. Thus the possibility of separation of these secondary ions and the primary {{{U}}}92+ beam is presented with different internal target locations.

Long-term outcome and quality of life of patients requiring prolonged mechanical ventilation after cardiac surgery.

PubMed

Pappalardo, Federico; Franco, Annalisa; Landoni, Giovanni; Cardano, Paola; Zangrillo, Alberto; Alfieri, Ottavio

2004-04-01

To study the long-term survival and quality of life of patients with a complicated post-operative course after cardiac surgery requiring prolonged (>or=7 days) mechanical ventilation (MV), since they represent a heavy burden on hospital resources and their outcome has never been adequately evaluated. Out of 4827 consecutive cardiac surgical patients, 148 (3%) required prolonged post-operative MV: their hospital course was analysed and factors affecting prolonged MV and mortality were identified using multivariate analysis. Long-term survival was assessed using Cox proportional hazard method. Long-term (36+/-12 months) follow-up information was collected and quality of life was assessed by an ad hoc questionnaire. Overall mortality in the study group was 45.3 versus 2% in the control population (P<0.0001). Predictors of death in the prolonged MV group were age (odds ratio, OR 1.049) and diabetes (OR 3.459). Long-term survival was significantly worse in those patients who were extubated after 21 days: 88.9 versus 70.9% at 1 year (P=0.03) and 80.9 versus 64.5% at 5 years (P=0.05). Mild or no limitation in daily living was referred by 69% of the survivors. The hospital mortality of patients requiring prolonged MV is high. The long-term survival of patients who are weaned from MV after 21 days is significantly lower. The great majority of the survivors can enjoy a good quality of life.

Use of Terrestrial Laser Scanning Technology for Long Term High Precision Deformation Monitoring

PubMed Central

Vezočnik, Rok; Ambrožič, Tomaž; Sterle, Oskar; Bilban, Gregor; Pfeifer, Norbert; Stopar, Bojan

2009-01-01

The paper presents a new methodology for high precision monitoring of deformations with a long term perspective using terrestrial laser scanning technology. In order to solve the problem of a stable reference system and to assure the high quality of possible position changes of point clouds, scanning is integrated with two complementary surveying techniques, i.e., high quality static GNSS positioning and precise tacheometry. The case study object where the proposed methodology was tested is a high pressure underground pipeline situated in an area which is geologically unstable. PMID:22303152

Visual working memory buffers information retrieved from visual long-term memory

PubMed Central

Fukuda, Keisuke; Woodman, Geoffrey F.

2017-01-01

Human memory is thought to consist of long-term storage and short-term storage mechanisms, the latter known as working memory. Although it has long been assumed that information retrieved from long-term memory is represented in working memory, we lack neural evidence for this and need neural measures that allow us to watch this retrieval into working memory unfold with high temporal resolution. Here, we show that human electrophysiology can be used to track information as it is brought back into working memory during retrieval from long-term memory. Specifically, we found that the retrieval of information from long-term memory was limited to just a few simple objects’ worth of information at once, and elicited a pattern of neurophysiological activity similar to that observed when people encode new information into working memory. Our findings suggest that working memory is where information is buffered when being retrieved from long-term memory and reconcile current theories of memory retrieval with classic notions about the memory mechanisms involved. PMID:28461479

Investigation of long term storage effects on aerospace nickel-cadmium cell performance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yi, T. Y.

1986-01-01

A study on evaluation of the long term storage effects on aerospace nickel-cadmium cells currently being performed at NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) is described. A number of cells of 6 Ah and 12 Ah capacities which were stored in shorted condition for 8 to 9 years at the GSFC were selected for this study. These cells will undergo electrical acceptance testing the the GSFC, and life cycling at the NASA Battery Test Facility at the Naval Weapons Facility at the Naval Weapons Support Center (NWSC) in Crane, Indiana; in addition, some cells from the study will undergo destructive analyses.

Investigation of long term storage effects on aerospace nickel-cadmium cell performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yi, T. Y.

1986-09-01

A study on evaluation of the long term storage effects on aerospace nickel-cadmium cells currently being performed at NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) is described. A number of cells of 6 Ah and 12 Ah capacities which were stored in shorted condition for 8 to 9 years at the GSFC were selected for this study. These cells will undergo electrical acceptance testing the the GSFC, and life cycling at the NASA Battery Test Facility at the Naval Weapons Facility at the Naval Weapons Support Center (NWSC) in Crane, Indiana; in addition, some cells from the study will undergo destructive analyses.

Long-Term Effects of Primary Schools on Educational Positions of Students 2 and 4 Years after the Start of Secondary Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vanwynsberghe, Griet; Vanlaar, Gudrun; Van Damme, Jan; De Fraine, Bieke

2017-01-01

Although the importance of primary schools in the long term is of interest in educational effectiveness research, few studies have examined the long-term effects of schools over the past decades. In the present study, long-term effects of primary schools on the educational positions of students 2 and 4 years after starting secondary education are…

Long-term effects of melatonin on quality of life and sleep in haemodialysis patients (Melody study): a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Russcher, Marije; Koch, Birgit C P; Nagtegaal, J Elsbeth; van Ittersum, Frans J; Pasker-de Jong, Pieternel C M; Hagen, E Chris; van Dorp, Wim Th; Gabreëls, Bas; Wildbergh, Thierry X; van der Westerlaken, Monique M L; Gaillard, Carlo A J M; Ter Wee, Piet M

2013-11-01

The disturbed circadian rhythm in haemodialysis patients results in perturbed sleep. Short term melatonin supplementation has alleviated these sleep problems. Our aim was to investigate the effects of long-term melatonin supplementation on quality of life and sleep. In this randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial haemodialysis patients suffering from subjective sleep problems received melatonin 3 mg day(-1) vs. placebo during 12 months. The primary endpoint quality of life parameter 'vitality' was measured with Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36. Secondary outcomes were improvement of three sleep parameters measured by actigraphy and nighttime salivary melatonin concentrations. Sixty-seven patients were randomized. Forty-two patients completed the trial. With melatonin, no beneficial effect on vitality was seen. Other quality of life parameters showed both advantageous and disadvantageous effects of melatonin. Considering sleep, at 3 months sleep efficiency and actual sleep time had improved with melatonin compared with placebo on haemodialysis days (difference 7.6%, 95% CI 0.77, 14.4 and 49 min, 95% CI 2.1, 95.9, respectively). At 12 months none of the sleep parameters differed significantly from placebo. Melatonin salivary concentrations at 6 months had significantly increased in the melatonin group compared with the placebo group. The high drop-out rate limits the strength of our conclusions. However, although a previous study reported beneficial short term effects of melatonin on sleep in haemodialysis patients, in this long-term study the positive effects disappeared during follow up (6-12 months). Also the quality of life parameter, vitality, did not improve. Efforts should be made to elucidate the mechanism responsible for the loss of effect with chronic use. © 2013 The Authors. British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology © 2013 The British Pharmacological Society.

Co-modification of nitrogen-doped graphene and carbon on Li3V2(PO4)3 particles with excellent long-term and high-rate performance for lithium storage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ren, Manman; Yang, Mingzhi; Liu, Weiliang; Li, Mei; Su, Liwei; Wu, Xianbin; Wang, Yuanhao

2016-09-01

In this work, N-doped graphene and carbon co-modified Li3V2(PO4)3 composites (LVP/NGC) are successfully fabricated through a xerogel method for the first time. The obtained architecture combines two types of electronic contact with Li3V2(PO4)3 particles: the point-to-face contact of N-doped graphene and the face-to-face contact of N-doped carbon coating layers. Profiting from the favorable complex structure, graphene and carbon coating layers offer an extraordinary network for electron transfer and hence an excellent long-term and high-rate performance. Even tested at the rate of 40 C, the reversible capacity still maintains 86.9 mAh g-1 after 800 cycles without any fading. This work provides a promising route to improve the long-term and high-rate performance of cathodes for LIBs and enlightens us on exploring preferable strategies to develop advanced electrode materials for other energy storage devices.

Effect of boar ejaculate fraction, extender type and time of storage on quality of spermatozoa.

PubMed

Dziekońska, A; Świąder, K; Koziorowska-Gilun, M; Mietelska, K; Zasiadczyk, Ł; Kordan, W

2017-03-28

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect the sperm-rich fraction (F1) and the post-F1 fraction (F2) on the quality of boar spermatozoa stored in a liquid state. Ejaculates were collected from three Polish Landrace boars. Each ejaculate fraction was diluted with BTS short-term extender and Safe-Cell Plus (SCP) long-term extender and stored for seven days (D1-D7) at 17°C. Analyses included sperm motility parameters, normal apical ridge (NAR) acrosomes and plasma membrane integrity (PMI). Prior to the dilution of fractions, marked changes (p<0.05) were noted between F1 and F2 in progressive motility (PMOT), velocity average pathway (VAP) and velocity straight line (VCL). After the ejaculate was diluted, the type of fraction and type of extender significantly affected (p<0.05) PMOT, being markedly higher (p<0.05) for F1 extended in BTS. No marked changes (p<0.05) were observed between F1 and F2 extended in SCP for any of the analyzed sperm quality parameters during seven days of storage. Significantly higher (p<0.05) values of sperm quality parameters were noted in F1 compared with F2 for BTS on D7 of storage. The results of the four-way ANOVA analysis indicate that boar, fraction of ejaculate, extender type and day of storage had significant effects on the quality of boar stored spermatozoa. The F1 was characterised by higher quality of spermatozoa during storage in comparison with F2 in the short-term extender. Using the long-term extender containing the proteins allowed for a better application of F2, which could be important for the pig industry.

Cross-sectional study of the sperm quality in semen samples from spinal cord injured men after long-term cryopreservation.

PubMed

Krebs, J; Göcking, K; Kissling-Niggli, M; Pannek, J

2015-03-01

The deterioration of semen quality occurs very early after spinal cord injury (SCI). Thus, routine cryopreservation of semen early after injury has been recommended. However, there is currently a lack of data concerning the effects of long-term cryopreservation on the quality of spermatozoa from SCI men. We have therefore investigated the quality of spermatozoa from SCI men before and after long-term cryopreservation. The semen cryobank of a SCI rehabilitation center was screened for samples with a storage duration of more than 3 years, to carry out a cross-sectional study regarding the sperm quality of semen samples from SCI men. Semen quality analysis was carried out according to the WHO-Guidelines. The quality of 28 semen samples from 16 SCI men was investigated prior to and a median 11 years (95% CI 7-13 years) after cryopreservation. Prior to cryopreservation, ejaculate volume (median = 1.7 mL, 95% CI 1-3 mL) and sperm concentration (median = 106 × 10(6) /mL, 95% CI 82-132 × 10(6) /mL) were within normal limits, but total sperm motility (median = 19%, 95% CI 13-22%) and viability (median = 27%, 95% CI 19-45%) were reduced. Cryopreservation resulted in a significant (p < 0.0001) decrease in total sperm motility (median = 2.5%, 95% CI 0-4%) and viability (median = 7%, 95% CI 6-13%). There were no significant (p = 0.75) differences between the semen parameters of samples collected early (up to 3 weeks) after SCI and those collected later. Complete SCI had a significantly (p < 0.0001) negative effect on the sperm viability of the fresh semen samples, and tetraplegia had a significantly (p < 0.035) negative effect on both pre-cryopreservation sperm viability and post-cryopreservation motility. The assisted ejaculation technique had no significant (p > 0.053) effect on semen quality. Long-term cryopreservation of semen from SCI men results in essentially immotile sperm with minimal viability. Thus, routine long-term cryobanking of semen harvested early after SCI

Assessment of sperm viability, mitochondrial activity, capacitation and acrosome intactness in extended boar semen during long-term storage.

PubMed

Huo, Li-Jun; Ma, Xing-Hong; Yang, Zeng-Ming

2002-10-15

The purpose of this study was to assess sperm quality in extended boar semen during in vitro storage in order to determine which extender should be used and how long boar semen can be stored. Freshly ejaculated boar semen was diluted with equal volumes of Beltsville thaw solution (BTS), Androhep, KIEV or Zorlesco extenders and stored at 17 degrees C for up to 15 days. Sperm quality was evaluated by examining viability using SYBR-14/PI and Hoechst 33258 staining, mitochondrial activity using 5,5',6,6'-tetrachloro-1,1',3,3'-tetraethylbenzimidazolyl-carbocyanine iodide (JC-1) staining, acrosome intactness by Coomassie blue staining, and capacitation status by chlortetracycline (CTC) staining. There were over 50% viable spermatozoa in boar semen extended with Zorlesco and Androhep extenders on Day 13 of storage. The percentage of JC-1-stained spermatozoa was 53.8 +/- 2.1% for Zorlesco and 57.7 +/- 1.60% for Androhep extenders on Day 13 of storage. The percentage of acrosome-intact spermatozoa detected by Coomassie blue staining was higher than that in the SYBR-14PI-, Hoechst 33258-, and JC-1-stained samples in our study. The results from SYBR-14/PI, Hoechst 33258, JC-1, and Coomassie blue staining were highly correlated (r > or = 0.9461). There were less than 15% capacitated spermatozoa in the semen extended with BTS, Androhep and Zorlesco extenders during 9 days of storage. However, most viable boar spermatozoa became capacitated by Day 13 of storage. The rank order of four extenders for maintaining sperm viability and mitochondrial activity was as follows: Androhep, Zorlesco, BTS, KIEV.

Successful treatment of dwarfism secondary to long-term steroid therapy in steroid-dependent nephrotic syndrome.

PubMed

Sun, Linlin; Chen, Dongping; Zhao, Xuezhi; Xu, Chenggang; Mei, Changlin

2010-01-01

Prolonged steroid therapy is generally used for steroid-dependent nephrotic syndrome in pediatric patients. However, dwarfism secondary to a long-term regimen and its successful reverse is rarely reported. The underlying mechanism of dwarfism is still poorly understood, as both long-term steroid use and nephrotic syndrome may interact or independently interfere with the process of growth. Here, we present a 17-year-old patient with dwarfism and steroid-dependent nephrotic syndrome and the successful treatment by recombinant human growth factor and cyclosporine A with withdrawal of steroid. We also briefly review the current understanding and the management of dwarfism in pediatric patients with nephrotic syndrome.

Why Do Secondary School Chemistry Teachers Engage in Long-Term Outreach Partnership with a University?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Glover, S. R.; Harrison, T. G.; Shallcross, D. E.

2016-01-01

While the effects of outreach with secondary school pupils has been researched the reasons teachers engage or the impacts on the teachers engaging in long-term relationships with a university department have not. Detailed interviews with chemistry teachers associated with outreach at Bristol ChemLabS have revealed many reasons for prolonged…

Long-term urine biobanking: storage stability of clinical chemical parameters under moderate freezing conditions without use of preservatives.

PubMed

Remer, Thomas; Montenegro-Bethancourt, Gabriela; Shi, Lijie

2014-12-01

To examine the long-term stability and validity of analyte concentrations of 21 clinical biochemistry parameters in 24-h urine samples stored for 12 or 15 yr at -22°C and preservative free. Healthy children's 24-h urine samples in which the respective analytes had been measured shortly after sample collection (baseline) were reanalyzed. Second measurement was performed after 12 yr (organic acids) and 15 yr (creatinine, urea, osmolality, iodine, nitrogen, anions, cations, acid-base parameters) with the same analytical methodology. Paired comparisons and correlations between the baseline and repeated measurements were done. Recovery rates were calculated. More than half of the analytes (creatinine, urea, iodine, nitrogen, sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, ammonium, bicarbonate, citric & uric acid) showed measurement values after >10 yr of storage not significantly different from baseline. 15 of the 21 parameters were highly correlated (r=0.99) between baseline and second measurement. Poorest correlation was r=0.77 for oxalate. Recovery ranged from 73% (oxalate) to 105% (phosphate). Our results suggest high long-term stability and measurement validity for numerous clinical chemistry parameters stored at -22°C without addition of any urine preservative. Prospective storage of urine aliquots at -22°C for periods even exceeding 10 yr, appears to be an acceptable and valid tool in epidemiological settings for later quantification of several urine analytes. Copyright © 2014 The Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Long-Term Quality of Life Outcome After Proton Beam Monotherapy for Localized Prostate Cancer

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Coen, John J., E-mail: jcoen@partners.org; Paly, Jonathan J.; Niemierko, Andrzej

Objectives: High-dose external radiation for localized prostate cancer results in favorable clinical outcomes and low toxicity rates. Here, we report long-term quality of life (QOL) outcome for men treated with conformal protons. Methods: QOL questionnaires were sent at specified intervals to 95 men who received proton radiation. Of these, 87 men reported 3- and/or 12-month outcomes, whereas 73 also reported long-term outcomes (minimum 2 years). Symptom scores were calculated at baseline, 3 months, 12 months, and long-term follow-up. Generalized estimating equation models were constructed to assess longitudinal outcomes while accounting for correlation among repeated measures in an individual patient. Menmore » were stratified into functional groups from their baseline questionnaires (normal, intermediate, or poor function) for each symptom domain. Long-term QOL changes were assessed overall and within functional groups using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Results: Statistically significant changes in all four symptom scores were observed in the longitudinal analysis. For the 73 men reporting long-term outcomes, there were significant change scores for incontinence (ID), bowel (BD) and sexual dysfunction (SD), but not obstructive/irritative voiding dysfunction (OID). When stratified by baseline functional category, only men with normal function had increased scores for ID and BD. For SD, there were significant changes in men with both normal and intermediate function, but not poor function. Conclusions: Patient reported outcomes are sensitive indicators of treatment-related morbidity. These results quantitate the long-term consequences of proton monotherapy for prostate cancer. Analysis by baseline functional category provides an individualized prediction of long-term QOL scores. High dose proton radiation was associated with small increases in bowel dysfunction and incontinence, with more pronounced changes in sexual dysfunction.« less

Mean PB To Failure - Initial results from a long-term study of disk storage patterns at the RACF

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caramarcu, C.; Hollowell, C.; Rao, T.; Strecker-Kellogg, W.; Wong, A.; Zaytsev, S. A.

2015-12-01

The RACF (RHIC-ATLAS Computing Facility) has operated a large, multi-purpose dedicated computing facility since the mid-1990’s, serving a worldwide, geographically diverse scientific community that is a major contributor to various HEPN projects. A central component of the RACF is the Linux-based worker node cluster that is used for both computing and data storage purposes. It currently has nearly 50,000 computing cores and over 23 PB of storage capacity distributed over 12,000+ (non-SSD) disk drives. The majority of the 12,000+ disk drives provide a cost-effective solution for dCache/XRootD-managed storage, and a key concern is the reliability of this solution over the lifetime of the hardware, particularly as the number of disk drives and the storage capacity of individual drives grow. We report initial results of a long-term study to measure lifetime PB read/written to disk drives in the worker node cluster. We discuss the historical disk drive mortality rate, disk drive manufacturers' published MPTF (Mean PB to Failure) data and how they are correlated to our results. The results help the RACF understand the productivity and reliability of its storage solutions and have implications for other highly-available storage systems (NFS, GPFS, CVMFS, etc) with large I/O requirements.

Long-Term Visual Outcomes of Secondary Intraocular Lens Implantation in Children with Congenital Cataracts

PubMed Central

Jiang, Yongxiang; Lu, Yi

2015-01-01

Aim The aim of this study was to evaluate the long-term visual outcomes and factors affecting visual results in children undergoing secondary intraocular lens (IOL) implantation following primary congenital cataract extraction. Methods Children with congenital cataracts who underwent secondary IOL implantation for aphakia at the Eye and ENT Hospital of Fudan University between January 1, 2001, and December 31, 2007, were retrospectively reviewed. One eye was randomly selected in children with bilateral cataracts. Laterality, type of cataract (total or partial opacity), sex, age at primary and secondary surgeries, visual axis opacity (VAO), compliance with amblyopia therapy, postoperative ocular complications, refractive error, ocular alignment, and best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) at last follow-up were recorded; potential factors that might have affected the visual results were evaluated. Results Seventy-six bilateral and 34 unilateral congenital cataract cases were analyzed; the mean ages of the children were 12.70±5.06 and 12.50±2.71 years at final follow-up, the mean follow-up periods from IOL implantation were 94.93±24.22 and 109.09±18.89 months, and the mean BCVA (Log MAR) values were 0.51±0.37 and 1.05±0.46, respectively. Final BCVA after secondary IOL implantation was significantly associated with laterality, type of cataract, age at primary cataract extraction, compliance with amblyopia therapy, and refractive correction after surgery. No significant associations were found between BCVA and sex, age at secondary IOL implantation, VAO, or other ocular complications. The most common ocular complications were VAO and elevated intraocular pressure after surgery. There were no other complications, with the exception of one eye with IOL dislocation. Conclusions The results indicate that the important determinants of long-term visual outcomes in children with congenital cataracts undergoing secondary IOL implantation are laterality, cataract type, age at

Rapid Recovery of Clofazimine-Loaded Nanoparticles with Long-Term Storage Stability as Anti-Cryptosporidium Therapy.

PubMed

Feng, Jie; Zhang, Yingyue; McManus, Simon A; Ristroph, Kurt D; Lu, Hoang D; Gong, Kai; White, Claire E; Prud'homme, Robert K

2018-05-25

While the formulation of nanoparticle (NP) suspensions has been widely applied in materials and life science, the recovery of NPs from such a suspension into a solid state is practically important to confer long-term storage stability. However, solidification, while preserving the original nanoscale properties, remains a formidable challenge in the pharmaceutical and biomedical applications of NPs. Herein we combined flash nanoprecipitation (FNP) and spray-drying as a nanofabrication platform for NP formulation and recovery without compromising the dissolution kinetics of the active ingredient. Clofazimine was chosen to be the representative drug, which has been recently repurposed as a potential treatment for cryptosporidiosis. Clofazimine was encapsulated in NPs with low-cost surface coatings, hypromellose acetate succinate (HPMCAS) and lecithin, which were required by the ultimate application to global health. Spray-drying and lyophilization were utilized to produce dried powders with good long-term storage stability for application in hot and humid climatic zones. The particle morphology, yield efficiency, drug loading, and clofazimine crystallinity in the spray-dried powders were characterized. The in vitro release kinetics of spray-dried NP powders were compared to analogous dissolution profiles from standard lyophilized NP samples, crystalline clofazimine powder, and the commercially available formulation Lamprene. The spray-dried powders showed a supersaturation level of up to 60 times the equilibrium solubility and remarkably improved dissolution rates. In addition, the spray-dried powders with both surface coatings showed excellent stability during aging studies with elevated temperature and humidity, in view of the dissolution and release in vitro. Considering oral delivery for pediatric administration, the spray-dried powders show less staining effects with simulated skin than crystalline clofazimine and may be made into minitablets without additional

Long-term storage facility for reactor compartments in Sayda Bay - German support for utilization of nuclear submarines in Russia

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wolff, Dietmar; Voelzke, Holger; Weber, Wolfgang

2007-07-01

The German-Russian project that is part of the G8 initiative on Global Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction focuses on the speedy construction of a land-based interim storage facility for nuclear submarine reactor compartments at Sayda Bay near Murmansk. This project includes the required infrastructure facilities for long-term storage of about 150 reactor compartments for a period of about 70 years. The interim storage facility is a precondition for effective activities of decommissioning and dismantlement of almost all nuclear-powered submarines of the Russian Northern Fleet. The project also includes the establishment of a computer-assisted wastemore » monitoring system. In addition, the project involves clearing Sayda Bay of other shipwrecks of the Russian navy. On the German side the project is carried out by the Energiewerke Nord GmbH (EWN) on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Labour (BMWi). On the Russian side the Kurchatov Institute holds the project management of the long-term interim storage facility in Sayda Bay, whilst the Nerpa Shipyard, which is about 25 km away from the storage facility, is dismantling the submarines and preparing the reactor compartments for long-term interim storage. The technical monitoring of the German part of this project, being implemented by BMWi, is the responsibility of the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM). This paper gives an overview of the German-Russian project and a brief description of solutions for nuclear submarine disposal in other countries. At Nerpa shipyard, being refurbished with logistic and technical support from Germany, the reactor compartments are sealed by welding, provided with biological shielding, subjected to surface treatment and conservation measures. Using floating docks, a tugboat tows the reactor compartments from Nerpa shipyard to the interim storage facility at Sayda Bay where they will be left on the on

Long-term room temperature preservation of corpse soft tissue: an approach for tissue sample storage

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Disaster victim identification (DVI) represents one of the most difficult challenges in forensic sciences, and subsequent DNA typing is essential. Collected samples for DNA-based human identification are usually stored at low temperature to halt the degradation processes of human remains. We have developed a simple and reliable procedure for soft tissue storage and preservation for DNA extraction. It ensures high quality DNA suitable for PCR-based DNA typing after at least 1 year of room temperature storage. Methods Fragments of human psoas muscle were exposed to three different environmental conditions for diverse time periods at room temperature. Storage conditions included: (a) a preserving medium consisting of solid sodium chloride (salt), (b) no additional substances and (c) garden soil. DNA was extracted with proteinase K/SDS followed by organic solvent treatment and concentration by centrifugal filter devices. Quantification was carried out by real-time PCR using commercial kits. Short tandem repeat (STR) typing profiles were analysed with 'expert software'. Results DNA quantities recovered from samples stored in salt were similar up to the complete storage time and underscored the effectiveness of the preservation method. It was possible to reliably and accurately type different genetic systems including autosomal STRs and mitochondrial and Y-chromosome haplogroups. Autosomal STR typing quality was evaluated by expert software, denoting high quality profiles from DNA samples obtained from corpse tissue stored in salt for up to 365 days. Conclusions The procedure proposed herein is a cost efficient alternative for storage of human remains in challenging environmental areas, such as mass disaster locations, mass graves and exhumations. This technique should be considered as an additional method for sample storage when preservation of DNA integrity is required for PCR-based DNA typing. PMID:21846338

A high-rate and long cycle life aqueous electrolyte battery for grid-scale energy storage.

PubMed

Pasta, Mauro; Wessells, Colin D; Huggins, Robert A; Cui, Yi

2012-01-01

New types of energy storage are needed in conjunction with the deployment of solar, wind and other volatile renewable energy sources and their integration with the electric grid. No existing energy storage technology can economically provide the power, cycle life and energy efficiency needed to respond to the costly short-term transients that arise from renewables and other aspects of grid operation. Here we demonstrate a new type of safe, fast, inexpensive, long-life aqueous electrolyte battery, which relies on the insertion of potassium ions into a copper hexacyanoferrate cathode and a novel activated carbon/polypyrrole hybrid anode. The cathode reacts rapidly with very little hysteresis. The hybrid anode uses an electrochemically active additive to tune its potential. This high-rate, high-efficiency cell has a 95% round-trip energy efficiency when cycled at a 5C rate, and a 79% energy efficiency at 50C. It also has zero-capacity loss after 1,000 deep-discharge cycles.

Dispersal Limitations on Fish Community Recovery Following Long-term Water Quality Remediation

DOE PAGES

McManamay, Ryan A.; Jett, Robert T.; Ryon, Michael G.; ...

2016-02-22

Holistic restoration approaches, such as water quality remediation, are likely to meet conservation objectives because they are typically implemented at watershed scales, as opposed to individual stream reaches. However, habitat fragmentation may impose constraints on the ecological effectiveness of holistic restoration strategies by limiting colonization following remediation. We questioned the importance of dispersal limitations to fish community recovery following long-term water quality remediation and species reintroductions across the White Oak Creek (WOC) watershed near Oak Ridge, Tennessee (USA). Long-term (26 years) responses in fish species richness and biomass to water quality remediation were evaluated in light of habitat fragmentation andmore » population isolation from instream barriers, which varied in their passage potential. In addition, ordination techniques were used to determine the relative importance of habitat connectivity and water quality, in explaining variation fish communities relative to environmental fluctuations, i.e. streamflow. Ecological recovery (changes in richness) at each site was negatively related to barrier index, a measure of community isolation by barriers relative to stream distance. Following species reintroductions, dispersal by fish species was consistently in the downstream direction and upstream passage above barriers was non-existent. The importance of barrier index in explaining variation in fish communities was stronger during higher flow conditions, but decreased over time an indication of increasing community stability and loss of seasonal migrants. Compared to habitat fragmentation, existing water quality concerns (i.e., outfalls, point source discharges) were unrelated to ecological recovery, but explained relatively high variation in community dynamics. Our results suggest that habitat fragmentation limited the ecological effectiveness of intensive water quality remediation efforts and fish reintroduction

Dispersal Limitations on Fish Community Recovery Following Long-term Water Quality Remediation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

McManamay, Ryan A.; Jett, Robert T.; Ryon, Michael G.

Holistic restoration approaches, such as water quality remediation, are likely to meet conservation objectives because they are typically implemented at watershed scales, as opposed to individual stream reaches. However, habitat fragmentation may impose constraints on the ecological effectiveness of holistic restoration strategies by limiting colonization following remediation. We questioned the importance of dispersal limitations to fish community recovery following long-term water quality remediation and species reintroductions across the White Oak Creek (WOC) watershed near Oak Ridge, Tennessee (USA). Long-term (26 years) responses in fish species richness and biomass to water quality remediation were evaluated in light of habitat fragmentation andmore » population isolation from instream barriers, which varied in their passage potential. In addition, ordination techniques were used to determine the relative importance of habitat connectivity and water quality, in explaining variation fish communities relative to environmental fluctuations, i.e. streamflow. Ecological recovery (changes in richness) at each site was negatively related to barrier index, a measure of community isolation by barriers relative to stream distance. Following species reintroductions, dispersal by fish species was consistently in the downstream direction and upstream passage above barriers was non-existent. The importance of barrier index in explaining variation in fish communities was stronger during higher flow conditions, but decreased over time an indication of increasing community stability and loss of seasonal migrants. Compared to habitat fragmentation, existing water quality concerns (i.e., outfalls, point source discharges) were unrelated to ecological recovery, but explained relatively high variation in community dynamics. Our results suggest that habitat fragmentation limited the ecological effectiveness of intensive water quality remediation efforts and fish reintroduction

Quality of life and long-term survival after surgery for chronic pancreatitis.

PubMed

Sohn, T A; Campbell, K A; Pitt, H A; Sauter, P K; Coleman, J A; Lillemo, K D; Yeo, C J; Cameron, J L

2000-01-01

was decreased (41% vs. 21%, P < 0.01) and alcohol use was decreased (59% vs. 33%, P < 0.001). However, patients often became insulin-dependent diabetics (12% vs. 41%, P < 0.0001) and required pancreatic enzyme supplementation (34% vs. 55%, P < 0.01) after surgical intervention. These data suggest that surgery for patients with chronic pancreatitis can be performed safely with minimal morbidity and excellent long-term survival. Moreover, this study evaluates quality of life in a standardized analog fashion, with highly significant improvement reported in all quality-of-life measures. We conclude that surgery remains an excellent option for patients with chronic pancreatitis.

The TDR: A Repository for Long Term Storage of Geophysical Data and Metadata

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilson, A.; Baltzer, T.; Caron, J.

2006-12-01

For many years Unidata has provided easy, low cost data access to universities and research labs. Historically Unidata technology provided access to data in near real time. In recent years Unidata has additionally turned to providing middleware to serve longer term data and associated metadata via its THREDDS technology, the most recent offering being the THREDDS Data Server (TDS). The TDS provides middleware for metadata access and management, OPeNDAP data access, and integration with the Unidata Integrated Data Viewer (IDV), among other benefits. The TDS was designed to support rolling archives of data, that is, data that exist only for a relatively short, predefined time window. Now we are creating an addition to the TDS, called the THREDDS Data Repository (TDR), which allows users to store and retrieve data and other objects for an arbitrarily long time period. Data in the TDR can also be served by the TDS. The TDR performs important functions of locating storage for the data, moving the data to and from the repository, assigning unique identifiers, and generating metadata. The TDR framework supports pluggable components that allow tailoring an implementation for a particular application. The Linked Environments for Atmospheric Discovery (LEAD) project provides an excellent use case for the TDR. LEAD is a multi-institutional Large Information Technology Research project funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The goal of LEAD is to create a framework based on Grid and Web Services to support mesoscale meteorology research and education. This includes capabilities such as launching forecast models, mining data for meteorological phenomena, and dynamic workflows that are automatically reconfigurable in response to changing weather. LEAD presents unique challenges in managing and storing large data volumes from real-time observational systems as well as data that are dynamically created during the execution of adaptive workflows. For example, in order to

Age-related variation and predictors of long-term quality of life in germ cell tumor survivors.

PubMed

Hartung, Tim J; Mehnert, Anja; Friedrich, Michael; Hartmann, Michael; Vehling, Sigrun; Bokemeyer, Carsten; Oechsle, Karin

2016-02-01

To compare long-term health-related quality of life (QoL) in germ cell tumor survivors (GCTS) and age-adjusted men and to identify predictors of variation in long-term QoL in GCTS. We used the Short-Form Health Survey to measure QoL in a cross-sectional sample of 164 survivors of germ cell tumors from Hamburg, Germany. QoL was compared with age-adjusted German norm data. Sociodemographic and medical data from questionnaires and medical records were used to find predictors of QoL. On average, patients were 44.4 years old (standard deviation = 9.6 y) and average time since first germ cell tumor diagnosis was 11.6 years (standard deviation = 7.3 y). We found significantly lower mental component scores in GCTS when compared with norm data (Hedges g =-0.44, P<0.001). An exploratory analysis by age group showed the largest difference in mental QoL in survivors aged 31 to 40 years (Hedges g =-0.67). Linear regression analysis revealed age (β =-0.46, P<0.001), marital status (β = 0.20, P = 0.024), advanced secondary qualifications (β =-0.25, P = 0.001), time since diagnosis (β = 0.17, P = 0.031), and tumor stage (β = 0.17, P = 0.024) as statistically significant predictors of the physical component score, accounting for 22% of the variance. Statistically significant predictors of the mental component score were higher secondary qualifications (β = 0.17, P = 0.033) and unemployment (β =-0.21, P = 0.009), accounting for 6% of the variance. Survivors of germ cell tumors can expect an overall long-term QoL similar to that of other men of their age. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Long-Term Frozen Storage of Urine Samples: A Trouble to Get PCR Results in Schistosoma spp. DNA Detection?

PubMed Central

Fernández-Soto, Pedro; Velasco Tirado, Virginia; Carranza Rodríguez, Cristina; Pérez-Arellano, José Luis; Muro, Antonio

2013-01-01

Background Human schistosomiasis remains a serious worldwide public health problem. At present, a sensitive and specific assay for routine diagnosis of schistosome infection is not yet available. The potential for detecting schistosome-derived DNA by PCR-based methods in human clinical samples is currently being investigated as a diagnostic tool with potential application in routine schistosomiasis diagnosis. Collection of diagnostic samples such as stool or blood is usually difficult in some populations. However, urine is a biological sample that can be collected in a non-invasive method, easy to get from people of all ages and easy in management, but as a sample for PCR diagnosis is still not widely used. This could be due to the high variability in the reported efficiency of detection as a result of the high variation in urine samples’ storage or conditions for handling and DNA preservation and extraction methods. Methodology/Principal Findings We evaluate different commercial DNA extraction methods from a series of long-term frozen storage human urine samples from patients with parasitological confirmed schistosomiasis in order to assess the PCR effectiveness for Schistosoma spp. detection. Patientś urine samples were frozen for 18 months up to 7 years until use. Results were compared with those obtained in PCR assays using fresh healthy human urine artificially contaminated with Schistosoma mansoni DNA and urine samples from mice experimentally infected with S. mansoni cercariae stored frozen for at least 12 months before use. PCR results in fresh human artificial urine samples using different DNA based extraction methods were much more effective than those obtained when long-term frozen human urine samples were used as the source of DNA template. Conclusions/Significance Long-term frozen human urine samples are probably not a good source for DNA extraction for use as a template in PCR detection of Schistosoma spp., regardless of the DNA method of

The Short- and Long-Term Effects of Quality Physical Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Siegel, Donald

2005-01-01

The short- and long-term effects of quality physical education programs have been a subject of considerable debate by educational administrators and state legislators during the past decade. While physical educators have repeatedly demonstrated the importance of daily moderate and vigorous physical activity on the immediate health and wellbeing of…

Gained insights from combined high-frequency and long-term water quality monitoring in agricultural catchments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jomaa, Seifeddine; Dupas, Rémi; Musolff, Andreas; Rozemeijer, Joachim; Borchardt, Dietrich; Rode, Michael

2017-04-01

Despite extensive efforts to reduce nitrate (NO3) transfer in agricultural areas, the NO3 concentration in rivers often changes little. To investigate the reasons for this limited response, NO3 dynamics in a 100 km2 agricultural catchment in eastern Germany was analysed from decadal to infra-hourly time scales. First, Dynamic Harmonic Regression (DHR) analysis of a 32-year (1982-2014) record of NO3 and discharge revealed that i) the long-term trend in NO3 concentration was closely related to that in discharge, suggesting that large-scale weather and climate patterns were masking the effect of improved nitrogen management on NO3 trends; ii) maximum winter and minimum summer concentrations had a persistent seasonal pattern, which was interpreted as a dynamic NO3 concentration from the soil and subsoil columns; and iii) the catchment progressively changed from chemodynamic to more chemostatic behaviour over the three decades of study, which is a sign of long-term homogenisation of NO3 concentrations in the profile. Second, infra-hourly (15 min time interval) analysis of storm-event dynamics during a typical hydrological year (2005-2006) was performed to identify periods of the year with high leaching risk and to link the latter to agricultural management practices in the catchment. Also, intra-hourly data was used to improve NO3 load estimation during storm events. An Event Response Reconstruction (ERR) model was built using NO3 concentration response descriptor variables and predictor variables deduced from discharge and precipitation records. The ERR approach significantly improved NO3 load estimates compared to linear interpolation of grab-sampling data (error was reduced from 10 to 1%). Finally, this study shows that detailed physical understanding of NO3 dynamics across time scales can be obtained only through combined analysis of long-term records and high-resolution sensor data. Hence, a joint effort is advocated between environmental authorities, who usually

Nonlinearity Analysis for Efficient Modelling of Long-Term CO2 Storage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Boxiao; Benson, Sally; Tchelepi, Hamdi

2014-05-01

Numerical simulation is widely used to predict the long-term fate of the injected CO2 in a storage formation. Performing large-scale simulations is often limited by the computational speed, where convergence failure of Newton iterations is one of the main bottlenecks. In order to design better numerical schemes and faster nonlinear solvers for modelling long-term CO2 storage, the nonlinearity in the simulations has to be analysed thoroughly, and the cause of convergence failures has to be identified clearly. We focus on the transport of CO2 and water in the presence of viscous, gravity, and heterogeneous capillary forces. We investigate the nonlinearity of the discrete transport equation obtained from finite-volume discretization with single-point phase-based upstream weighting, which is the industry standard. In particular, we study the discretized flux expressed as a function of saturations at the upstream and downstream (with respect to the total velocity) of each gridblock interface. We analyse the locations and complexity of the unit-flux, zero-flux, and inflection lines on the numerical flux. The unit- and zero-flux lines, referred to as kinks, correspond to a change of the flow direction, which often occurs when strong buoyancy and capillarity are present. We observe that these kinks and inflection lines are major sources of nonlinear convergence difficulties. We find that kinks create more challenges than inflection lines, especially when their locations depend on both the upstream and downstream saturations of the total velocity. When the flow is driven by viscous and gravity forces (e.g., during CO2 injection), one kink will occur in the numerical flux and its location depends only on the upstream saturation. However, when capillarity is dominant (e.g., during the post-injection period), two kinks will occur and both are functions of the upstream and downstream saturations, causing severe convergence difficulties particularly when heterogeneity is present

The Characteristics of Long-range Transboundary Inorganic Secondary Aerosols in Northeast Asia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Y. J.; Carmichael, G. R.; Woo, J. H.; Qiang, Z.

2014-12-01

Recurrent particle matter episodes greatly influence air quality in Northeast Asia. According to many studies, a major reason is long-range transport of air pollutant. Large amount of emission of chemical compounds aggravate air pollution in the region. Emitted air pollutants mainly come from industrialized regions along the East China coast. It can be transported over downwind region by the prevailing westerlies. The long-rang transported fine particle certainly attributes to air quality in downwind region, but there are many unknowns on the quantity, transport pattern, and secondary aerosol production mechanism despite the fact with many studies have been performed. Major contributors of PM2.5 are inorganic secondary aerosols, sulfate, nitrate and ammonium, in Korea. Especially high relative contributions of inorganic secondary aerosols appear for westerly wind cases. The main pathway of production of inorganic secondary aerosols is produced by converting from SO2 and NOx during the long-range transport but the contribution varies dramatically depending on season and wind pattern. Sulfate is consistently the primary contributor of PM2.5 still now but we should more concern nitrate because that NOx emissions of China is increasing steeply since 2000 by leading powerplant, industry, and transport, despite downward trend of SO2. In order to better understand regional air quality modeling of the long-range transport, international study, MICS-Asia phase III, has been initiated with many researchers. We will present chemical characteristics of PM2.5 long-range transport during westerly wind cases focused on secondary aerosol, tracking their transport pattern, and production pathway. Results using CMAQ with the modeling domain covering Northeast and Southeast China, Korea, and Japan with 15km resolution will be discussed.

Glycogen storage disease type III in Israel: presentation and long-term outcome.

PubMed

Hershkovitz, Eli; Forschner, Itay; Mandel, Hanna; Spiegel, Ronen; Lerman-Sagie, Tally; Anikster, Yair; Zeharia, A; Moses, Shimon

2014-03-01

Glycogen storage disease type III (GSD III) was found in the past with an unusual frequency among North African Jews in Israel. The aim of this study was to review the long-term clinical course of GSD III's patients in Israel. Relevant pediatric and adult clinical units of all Israeli hospitals were approached to report on their GSD III patients. 21 (14 M/7F) live patients were located. The average age of the patients was nearly twenty years. Eleven patients were older than 18 years of age. 76% of the patients were of Jewish North African origin, 14% of Jewish European origin, and 10% were Arab Muslims. The symptoms at presentation were fasting, hypoglycemia, hepatomegaly slight hypotonia in infancy and delayed growth. Although in most of the patients their signs and symptoms ameliorated after childhood, significant complications were observed in some 20% of the patients. Consequently, a life long follow up of GSD-III patients is required.

A Flying Qualities Study of Longitudinal Long-Term Dynamics of Hypersonic Planes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cox, Timothy H.; Sachs, G.; Knoll, A.; Stich, R.

1995-01-01

The NASA Dryden Flight Research Center and the Technical University of Munich are cooperating in a research program to assess the impact of unstable long-term dynamics on the flying qualities of planes in hypersonic flight. These flying qualities issues are being investigated with a dedicated flight simulator for hypersonic vehicles located at NASA Dryden. Several NASA research pilots have flown the simulator through well defined steady-level turns with varying phugoid and height mode instabilities. The data collected include Pilot ratings and comments, performance measurements, and Pilot workload measurements. The results presented in this paper include design guidelines for height and Phugoid mode instabilities, an evaluation of the tapping method used to measure pilot workload, a discussion of techniques developed by the pilots to control large instabilities, and a discussion of how flying qualities of unstable long-term dynamics influence control Power design requirements.

A flying qualities study of longitudinal long-term dynamics of hypersonic planes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cox, T.; Sachs, G.; Knoll, A.; Stich, R.

1995-01-01

The NASA Dryden Flight Research Center and the Technical University of Munich are cooperating in a research program to assess the impact of unstable long-term dynamics on the flying qualities of planes in hypersonic flight. These flying qualities issues are being investigated with a dedicated flight simulator for hypersonic vehicles located at NASA Dryden. Several NASA research pilots have flown the simulator through well-defined steady-level turns with varying phugoid and height mode instabilities. Th data collected include pilot ratings and comments, performance measurements, and pilot workload measurements. The results presented in this paper include design guidelines for height and phugoid mode instabilities, an evaluation of the tapping method used to measure pilot workload, a discussion of techniques developed by the pilots to control large instabilities, and a discussion of how flying qualities of unstable long-term dynamics influence control power design requirements.

Woody debris along an upland chronosequence in boreal Manitoba and its impact on long-term carbon storage

USGS Publications Warehouse

Manies, K.L.; Harden, J.W.; Bond-Lamberty, B. P.; O'Neill, K. P.

2005-01-01

This study investigated the role of fire-killed woody debris as a source of soil carbon in black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) BSP) stands in Manitoba, Canada. We measured the amount of standing dead and downed woody debris along an upland chronosequence, including wood partially and completely covered by moss growth. Such woody debris is rarely included in measurement protocols and composed up to 26% of the total amount of woody debris in older stands, suggesting that it is important to measure all types of woody debris in ecosystems where burial by organic matter is possible. Based on these data and existing net primary production (NPP) values, we used a mass-balance model to assess the potential impact of fire-killed wood on long-term carbon storage at this site. The amount of carbon stored in deeper soil organic layers, which persists over millennia, was used to represent this long-term carbon. We estimate that between 10% and 60% of the deep-soil carbon is derived from wood biomass. Sensitivity analyses suggest that this estimate is most affected by the fire return interval, decay rate of wood, amount of NPP, and decay rate of the char (postfire) carbon pool. Landscape variations in these terms could account for large differences in deep-soil carbon. The model was less sensitive to fire consumption rates and to rates at which standing dead becomes woody debris. All model runs, however, suggest that woody debris plays an important role in long-term carbon storage for this area. ?? 2005 NRC Canada.

The effects of a secondary-treated bleached kraft mill effluent on aquatic organisms as assessed by short-term and long-term laboratory tests.

PubMed

Kovacs, T G; Gibbons, J S; Tremblay, L A; O'Connor, B I; Martel, P H; Voss, R H

1995-06-01

The chronic effects of secondary-treated effluent from a bleached kraft mill were assessed by means of long-term and short-term laboratory tests. In the long-term test, the effects of the effluent on the life cycle of fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) were studied. In this experiment, which began with the egg stage and continued through to sexual maturity and reproduction, the fish were exposed in the laboratory to well water (control) and five concentrations (viz., 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, or 20%) of effluent for 275 days. The effluent concentrations did not significantly affect the hatching of the eggs, the mortality of the hatched fish, the incidence of visible morphological abnormalities, the mortality and the hatchability of the first generation eggs and larvae, and the weights of minnows at various stages of development. Based on a conservative evaluation of the data, a significant finding of this work was that effluent concentrations > or = 2.5% caused lower egg production as well as changes in the gender balance (i.e., increased numbers of individuals with male secondary sexual characteristics) of the fish. Further work is required to understand the causes and ecological significance of these findings. Two short-term tests, each lasting 7 days, were also run. In one, even 100% effluent did not reduce the survival or growth of minnow larvae, correctly predicting the lack of effluent effects on similar endpoints in the long-term test. In the other short-term test, while the survival of Ceriodaphnia was also unaffected by 100% effluent, their reproductive capacity was reduced, but only at effluent concentrations an order of magnitude greater than those affecting the reproduction of minnows in the long-term test.

Long-term safety and efficacy of single-tablet combinations of solifenacin and tamsulosin oral controlled absorption system in men with storage and voiding lower urinary tract symptoms: results from the NEPTUNE Study and NEPTUNE II open-label extension.

PubMed

Drake, Marcus J; Chapple, Christopher; Sokol, Roman; Oelke, Matthias; Traudtner, Klaudia; Klaver, Monique; Drogendijk, Ted; Van Kerrebroeck, Philip

2015-02-01

Short-term trials have demonstrated the efficacy and safety of combination therapy using antimuscarinics and α-blockers in men with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). The Study of Solifenacin Succinate and Tamsulosin Hydrochloride OCAS (oral controlled absorption system) in Males with Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (NEPTUNE) II is the first long-term study using solifenacin (Soli) and the oral controlled absorption system formulation of tamsulosin (TOCAS). To evaluate long-term (up to 52 wk) safety and efficacy of flexible dosing of two fixed-dose combinations (FDC) of Soli plus TOCAS in men with moderate to severe storage symptoms and voiding symptoms. Patients with both storage and voiding LUTS, maximum urinary flow rate of 4.0-12.0 ml/s, prostate size <75 ml, and postvoid residuals ≤ 150 ml, who completed the 12-wk, double-blind NEPTUNE study could continue in the 40-wk, open-label NEPTUNE II study. FDC of Soli 6 mg plus TOCAS 0.4 mg, or Soli 9 mg plus TOCAS 0.4mg; patients could switch between doses in NEPTUNE II. Safety and efficacy data from NEPTUNE and NEPTUNE II were combined to cover a 52-wk period. Primary efficacy end points were total International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) and total urgency and frequency score (TUFS); secondary end points included IPSS storage and voiding subscores, micturition diary variables, and quality of life parameters. In all, 1066 men completed NEPTUNE and received one dose or more of study medication in NEPTUNE II. Treatment-emergent adverse events were reported in 499 (46.8%) patients who participated in NEPTUNE II; most were mild or moderate. Urinary retention occurred in 13 of 1208 (1.1%) patients receiving one or more FDCs in NEPTUNE and/or NEPTUNE II; 8 (0.7%) required catheterisation (acute urinary retention [AUR]). Reductions in total IPSS and TUFS during NEPTUNE were maintained for up to 52 wk of FDC treatment, with mean reductions of 9.0 (standard deviation [SD]: 5.7) and 10.1 (SD: 9.2), respectively, from

Long-term quality assurance of [(18)F]-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) manufacturing.

PubMed

Gaspar, Ludovit; Reich, Michal; Kassai, Zoltan; Macasek, Fedor; Rodrigo, Luis; Kruzliak, Peter; Kovac, Peter

2016-01-01

Nine years of experience with 2286 commercial synthesis allowed us to deliver comprehensive information on the quality of (18)F-FDG production. Semi-automated FDG production line using Cyclone 18/9 machine (IBA Belgium), TRACERLab MXFDG synthesiser (GE Health, USA) using alkalic hydrolysis, grade "A" isolator with dispensing robotic unit (Tema Sinergie, Italy), and automatic control system under GAMP5 (minus2, Slovakia) was assessed by TQM tools as highly reliable aseptic production line, fully compliant with Good Manufacturing Practice and just-in-time delivery of FDG radiopharmaceutical. Fluoride-18 is received in steady yield and of very high radioactive purity. Synthesis yields exhibited high variance connected probably with quality of disposable cassettes and chemicals sets. Most performance non-conformities within the manufacturing cycle occur at mechanical nodes of dispensing unit. The long-term monitoring of 2286 commercial synthesis indicated high reliability of automatic synthesizers. Shewhart chart and ANOVA analysis showed that minor non-compliances occurred were mostly caused by the declinations of less experienced staff from standard operation procedures, and also by quality of automatic cassettes. Only 15 syntheses were found unfinished and in 4 cases the product was out-of-specification of European Pharmacopoeia. Most vulnerable step of manufacturing was dispensing and filling in grade "A" isolator. Its cleanliness and sterility was fully controlled under the investigated period by applying hydrogen peroxide vapours (VHP). Our experience with quality assurance in the production of [(18)F]-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) at production facility of BIONT based on TRACERlab MXFDG production module can be used for bench-marking of the emerging manufacturing and automated manufacturing systems.

Long-term quality assurance of [18F]-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) manufacturing

PubMed Central

Gaspar, Ludovit; Reich, Michal; Kassai, Zoltan; Macasek, Fedor; Rodrigo, Luis; Kruzliak, Peter; Kovac, Peter

2016-01-01

Nine years of experience with 2286 commercial synthesis allowed us to deliver comprehensive information on the quality of 18F-FDG production. Semi-automated FDG production line using Cyclone 18/9 machine (IBA Belgium), TRACERLab MXFDG synthesiser (GE Health, USA) using alkalic hydrolysis, grade “A” isolator with dispensing robotic unit (Tema Sinergie, Italy), and automatic control system under GAMP5 (minus2, Slovakia) was assessed by TQM tools as highly reliable aseptic production line, fully compliant with Good Manufacturing Practice and just-in-time delivery of FDG radiopharmaceutical. Fluoride-18 is received in steady yield and of very high radioactive purity. Synthesis yields exhibited high variance connected probably with quality of disposable cassettes and chemicals sets. Most performance non-conformities within the manufacturing cycle occur at mechanical nodes of dispensing unit. The long-term monitoring of 2286 commercial synthesis indicated high reliability of automatic synthesizers. Shewhart chart and ANOVA analysis showed that minor non-compliances occurred were mostly caused by the declinations of less experienced staff from standard operation procedures, and also by quality of automatic cassettes. Only 15 syntheses were found unfinished and in 4 cases the product was out-of-specification of European Pharmacopoeia. Most vulnerable step of manufacturing was dispensing and filling in grade “A” isolator. Its cleanliness and sterility was fully controlled under the investigated period by applying hydrogen peroxide vapours (VHP). Our experience with quality assurance in the production of [18F]-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) at production facility of BIONT based on TRACERlab MXFDG production module can be used for bench-marking of the emerging manufacturing and automated manufacturing systems. PMID:27508102

Long-term potentiation and long-term depression: a clinical perspective

PubMed Central

Bliss, Timothy V.P.; Cooke, Sam F

2011-01-01

Long-term potentiation and long-term depression are enduring changes in synaptic strength, induced by specific patterns of synaptic activity, that have received much attention as cellular models of information storage in the central nervous system. Work in a number of brain regions, from the spinal cord to the cerebral cortex, and in many animal species, ranging from invertebrates to humans, has demonstrated a reliable capacity for chemical synapses to undergo lasting changes in efficacy in response to a variety of induction protocols. In addition to their physiological relevance, long-term potentiation and depression may have important clinical applications. A growing insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying these processes, and technological advances in non-invasive manipulation of brain activity, now puts us at the threshold of harnessing long-term potentiation and depression and other forms of synaptic, cellular and circuit plasticity to manipulate synaptic strength in the human nervous system. Drugs may be used to erase or treat pathological synaptic states and non-invasive stimulation devices may be used to artificially induce synaptic plasticity to ameliorate conditions arising from disrupted synaptic drive. These approaches hold promise for the treatment of a variety of neurological conditions, including neuropathic pain, epilepsy, depression, amblyopia, tinnitus and stroke. PMID:21779718

[Psychosocial issues of long-term cancer survivors].

PubMed

Weis, J; Faller, H

2012-04-01

Although cancer incidence rates are increasing, recent statistical studies suggest that cancer patients are showing higher cure rates as well as improved overall survival rates for most cancer locations. These advances are explained by improved strategies in early diagnoses as well as improved cancer therapies. Therefore, the number of long-term cancer survivors has also increased, but only few studies, especially within the last years, have focused on psychosocial issues of this subgroup. Some studies show that overall quality of life of long-term cancer survivors is quite high and comparable to that of the normal population. Nevertheless, a substantial percentage of former patients shows reduced quality of life and suffers from various sequelae of cancer and its treatment. This review focuses on the most common psychosocial issue of long-term survivors such as reduced psychological wellbeing, neuropsychological deficits and cancer-related fatigue syndrome. Finally, recommendations for problem-oriented interventions as well as improvement of psychosocial care of long-term survivors are given.

The medium is NOT the message or Indefinitely long-term file storage at Leeds University

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holdsworth, David

1996-01-01

Approximately 3 years ago we implemented an archive file storage system which embodies experiences gained over more than 25 years of using and writing file storage systems. It is the third in-house system that we have written, and all three systems have been adopted by other institutions. This paper discusses the requirements for long-term data storage in a university environment, and describes how our present system is designed to meet these requirements indefinitely. Particular emphasis is laid on experiences from past systems, and their influence on current system design. We also look at the influence of the IEEE-MSS standard. We currently have the system operating in five UK universities. The system operates in a multi-server environment, and is currently operational with UNIX (SunOS4, Solaris2, SGI-IRIX, HP-UX), NetWare3 and NetWare4. PCs logged on to NetWare can also archive and recover files that live on their hard disks.

Highly Survivable Avionics Systems for Long-Term Deep Space Exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Alkalai, L.; Chau, S.; Tai, A. T.

2001-01-01

The design of highly survivable avionics systems for long-term (> 10 years) exploration of space is an essential technology for all current and future missions in the Outer Planets roadmap. Long-term exposure to extreme environmental conditions such as high radiation and low-temperatures make survivability in space a major challenge. Moreover, current and future missions are increasingly using commercial technology such as deep sub-micron (0.25 microns) fabrication processes with specialized circuit designs, commercial interfaces, processors, memory, and other commercial off the shelf components that were not designed for long-term survivability in space. Therefore, the design of highly reliable, and available systems for the exploration of Europa, Pluto and other destinations in deep-space require a comprehensive and fresh approach to this problem. This paper summarizes work in progress in three different areas: a framework for the design of highly reliable and highly available space avionics systems, distributed reliable computing architecture, and Guarded Software Upgrading (GSU) techniques for software upgrading during long-term missions. Additional information is contained in the original extended abstract.

Long-term red meat preservation using chilled and frozen storage combinations: A review.

PubMed

Coombs, Cassius E O; Holman, Benjamin W B; Friend, Michael A; Hopkins, David L

2017-03-01

This paper reviews current literature relating to the effects of chilled and frozen storage on the quality characteristics of red meat (lamb and beef). These characteristics include tenderness (shear force), juiciness (fluid losses), flavour (lipid oxidation), colour and microbial loading. Research suggests that chilled storage of red meat can improve certain properties, such as shear force and species-specific flavour, to threshold levels before the effects on flavour and colour become deleterious, and key microbial species proliferate to spoilage levels. For frozen red meat, the negative effects upon quality traits are prevented when stored for shorter durations, although chilled storage conditions prior to freezing and retail display post-thawing can both positively and negatively affect these traits. Here, we review the effects of different chilled, frozen and combined chilled and frozen storage practices (particularly the chilled-then-frozen combination) on meat quality and spoilage traits, in order to contribute to superior management of these traits during product distribution. Crown Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Long-term secondary prevention of acute myocardial infarction (SEPAT) - guidelines adherence and outcome.

PubMed

Ergatoudes, Constantinos; Thunström, Erik; Rosengren, Annika; Björck, Lena; Bengtsson Boström, Kristina; Falk, Kristin; Fu, Michael

2016-11-17

A number of registry studies have reported suboptimal adherence to guidelines for cardiovascular prevention during the first year after acute myocardial infarction (AMI). However, only a few studies have addressed long-term secondary prevention after AMI. This study evaluates prevention guideline adherence and outcome of guideline-directed secondary prevention in patients surviving 2 years after AMI. Patients aged 18-85 years at the time of their index AMI were consecutively identified from hospital discharge records between July 2010 and December 2011 in Gothenburg, Sweden. All patients who agreed to participate in the study (16.2%) were invited for a structured interview, physical examinations and laboratory analysis 2 years after AMI. Guideline-directed secondary preventive goals were defined as optimally controlled blood pressure, serum cholesterol, glucose, regular physical activity, smoking cessation and pharmacological treatment. The mean age of the study cohort (n = 200) at the index AMI was 63.0 ± 9.7 years, 79% were men. Only 3.5% of the cohort achieved all six guideline-directed secondary preventive goals 2 years after infarction. LDL < 1.8 mmol/L was achieved in 18.5% of the cohort, regular exercise in 45.5% and systolic blood pressure <140 mmHg in 57.0%. Anti-platelet therapy was used by 97% of the patients, beta-blockers by 83.0%, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors/angiotensin receptor blockers by 76.5% and statins by 88.5%. During follow-up, non-fatal adverse cardiovascular events (cardiac hospitalization, recurrent acute coronary syndrome, angina pectoris, new percutaneous coronary intervention, new onset of atrial fibrillation, post-infarct heart failure, pacemaker implantation, stroke/transient ischemic attack (TIA), cardiac surgery and cardiac arrest) occurred in 47% of the cohort and readmission due to cardiac causes in 30%. Our data showed the failure of secondary prevention in our daily clinical practice and high rate

Use of information-retrieval languages in automated retrieval of experimental data from long-term storage

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Khovanskiy, Y. D.; Kremneva, N. I.

1975-01-01

Problems and methods are discussed of automating information retrieval operations in a data bank used for long term storage and retrieval of data from scientific experiments. Existing information retrieval languages are analyzed along with those being developed. The results of studies discussing the application of the descriptive 'Kristall' language used in the 'ASIOR' automated information retrieval system are presented. The development and use of a specialized language of the classification-descriptive type, using universal decimal classification indices as the main descriptors, is described.

Enhancing the quality of supportive supervisory behavior in long-term care facilities.

PubMed

McGillis Hall, Linda; McGilton, Katherine S; Krejci, Janet; Pringle, Dorothy; Johnston, Erin; Fairley, Laura; Brown, Maryanne

2005-04-01

The practices of managers and registered nurses (RNs) in long-term care facilities are frequently ineffective in assisting the licensed practical nurses (LPNs) and healthcare aides (HCAs) whom they supervise. Little research exists that examines the area of supportive relationships between nursing staff and supervisors in these settings. The purpose of this study was to gather data that could improve management practices in long-term care residential facilities and enhance the quality of the supervisory relationships between supervisors (nurse managers and RNs) and care providers (HCAs and LPNs) in these settings. The study also identified factors that influence the supervisors' ability to establish supportive relationships with care providers. The challenges and barriers to nurse managers and leaders related to enacting supportive behaviors are discussed as well as their implications for long-term care settings.

Long-term, patterns in tropical reforestation: plant community composition and aboveground biomass accumulation.

Treesearch

E. MARIN-SPIOTTA; R. OSTERTAG; SILVER W. L.

2007-01-01

Primary tropical forests are renowned for their high biodiversity and carbon storage, and considerable research has documented both species and carbon losses with deforestation and agricultural land uses. Economic drivers are now leading to the abandonment of agricultural lands, and the area in secondary forests is increasing. We know little about how long it takes for...

Long-term patterns in tropical reforestation: plant community composition and aboveground biomass accumulation.

Treesearch

E. Mar¡n-Spiotta; R. Ostertag; Silver W. L.

2007-01-01

Primary tropical forests are renowned for their high biodiversity and carbon storage, and considerable research has documented both species and carbon losses with deforestation and agricultural land uses. Economic drivers are now leading to the abandonment of agricultural lands, and the area in secondary forests is increasing. We know little about how long it takes for...

[Influence of long-term water storage on the physical and chemical properties of four different dental cements].

PubMed

Xu, Xiaodong; Meng, Xiangfeng

2014-11-01

To evaluate and compare the physical and chemical properties of four different dental cements under long-term water storage. A glass-ionomer cement (A:Fuji I), a resin reinforced glass-ionomer (B: Fuji Plus), a self-adhesive resin cement (C:G-Cem), and an etch & rinse resin cement (D: Duolink) were taken as samples. According to ISO 4049, water sorption and solubility of four resin cements under different storage times (1 week, 1, 3, 6 and 12 months) were calculated (n = 5), meanwhile their surface Knoop micro hardness values were measured. Surface cracks were detected on sample B and C after 12 months. Sample A was fragmentized after 6 months. Sample B showed significantly lower surface hardness after 12 months than it did after the first 24 hours of water storage (P < 0.05). Sample D showed significantly lower water sorption than other cements did at all exam time point. The highest water sorption values were observed in Sample D after 1 month [(40.8±2.5) µg/mm(3)], in Sample B after 3 months [(551.3±22.5) µg/mm(3)], in Sample C after 12 months [(147.5±8.3) µg/mm(3)]. The highest solubility values were detected in Sample B after 3 months [(105.3±10.5) µg/mm(3)], in Sample C after 12 months [(79.3 ± 6.2) µg/mm(3)], and in Sample D after 12 months [(23.9 ± 6.9) µg/mm(3)]. Among the four types of cements, the etch & rinse resin cement showed the best stability of physical and chemical properties under long-term water storage.

High Temperature Steam Electrolysis: Demonstration of Improved Long-Term Performance

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

J. E. O'Brien; X. Zhang; R. C. O'Brien

2011-11-01

Long-term performance is an ongoing issue for hydrogen production based on high-temperature steam electrolysis (HTSE). For commercial deployment, solid-oxide electrolysis stacks must achieve high performance with long-term degradation rates of {approx}0.5%/1000 hours or lower. Significant progress has been achieved toward this goal over the past few years. This paper will provide details of progress achieved under the Idaho National Laboratory high temperature electrolysis research program. Recent long-term stack tests have achieved high initial performance with degradation rates less than 5%/khr. These tests utilize internally manifolded stacks with electrode-supported cells. The cell material sets are optimized for the electrolysis mode ofmore » operation. Details of the cells and stacks will be provided along with details of the test apparatus, procedures, and results.« less

Biochemical Basis of CO2-Related Internal Browning Disorders in Pears (Pyrus communis L. cv. Rocha) during Long-Term Storage.

PubMed

Deuchande, Teresa; Larrigaudière, Christian; Giné-Bordonaba, Jordi; Carvalho, Susana M P; Vasconcelos, Marta W

2016-06-01

This study aimed at understanding the biochemical basis of internal browning disorders (IBDs) in 'Rocha' pear. For this purpose, the effects of storage under normal controlled atmosphere (CA) (3 kPa of O2 + 0.5 kPa of CO2) and IBD-inducing CA (1 kPa of O2 + 10 kPa of CO2) on the antioxidant and fermentative metabolisms and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity and phenolics concentration were studied. The higher IBD incidence in high CO2-stored fruits was positively correlated with fermentative metabolites and negatively with ascorbate and H2O2 concentrations, and it was linked to PPO activation. These results indicate that both the antioxidant and fermentative metabolisms are involved in the occurrence of IBD in 'Rocha' pear. From the integration of the biochemical and enzymatic data, a schematic model illustrating the effects of high CO2 and low O2 in 'Rocha' pears during long-term storage was constructed.

Co-ensiling as a new technique for long-term storage of agro-industrial waste with low sugar content prior to anaerobic digestion.

PubMed

Hillion, Marie-Lou; Moscoviz, Roman; Trably, Eric; Leblanc, Yoann; Bernet, Nicolas; Torrijos, Michel; Escudié, Renaud

2018-01-01

Biodegradable wastes produced seasonally need an upstream storage, because of the requirement for a constant feeding of anaerobic digesters. In the present article, the potential of co-ensiling biodegradable agro-industrial waste (sugar beet leaves) and lignocellulosic agricultural residue (wheat straw) to obtain a mixture with low soluble sugar content was evaluated for long-term storage prior to anaerobic digestion. The aim is to store agro-industrial waste while pretreating lignocellulosic biomass. The dynamics of co-ensiling was evaluated in vacuum-packed bags at lab-scale during 180 days. Characterization of the reaction by-products and microbial communities showed a succession of metabolic pathways. Even though the low initial sugars content was not sufficient to lower the pH under 4.5 and avoid undesirable fermentations, the methane potential was not substantially impacted all along the experiment. No lignocellulosic damages were observed during the silage process. Overall, it was shown that co-ensiling was effective to store highly fermentable fresh waste evenly with low sugar content and offers new promising possibilities for constant long-term supply of industrial anaerobic digesters. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Union Quality Comparisons between Long-Term Heterosexual Cohabitation and Legal Marriage

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Willetts, Marion C.

2006-01-01

A longitudinal analysis is conducted on the union quality of long-term cohabiting and legally married couples using data from both waves of the National Survey of Families and Households. An analysis of racially homogamous (Anglo-American and African American) couples indicates that the cohabitors and marrieds do not differ significantly with…

Short-term storage allocation in a filmless hospital

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Strickland, Nicola H.; Deshaies, Marc J.; Reynolds, R. Anthony; Turner, Jonathan E.; Allison, David J.

1997-05-01

Optimizing limited short term storage (STS) resources requires gradual, systematic changes, monitored and modified within an operational PACS environment. Optimization of the centralized storage requires a balance of exam numbers and types in STS to minimize lengthy retrievals from long term archive. Changes to STS parameters and work procedures were made while monitoring the effects on resource allocation by analyzing disk space temporally. Proportions of disk space allocated to each patient category on STS were measured to approach the desired proportions in a controlled manner. Key factors for STS management were: (1) sophisticated exam prefetching algorithms: HIS/RIS-triggered, body part-related and historically-selected, and (2) a 'storage onion' design allocating various exam categories to layers with differential deletion protection. Hospitals planning for STS space should consider the needs of radiology, wards, outpatient clinics and clinicoradiological conferences for new and historical exams; desired on-line time; and potential increase in image throughput and changing resources, such as an increase in short term storage disk space.

Long-term average spectrum in screening of voice quality in speech: untrained male university students.

PubMed

Leino, Timo

2009-11-01

Voice quality has mainly been studied in trained speakers, singers, and dysphonic patients. Few studies have concerned ordinary untrained university students' voices. In light of earlier studies of professional voice users, it was hypothesized that good, poor, and intermediate voices would be distinguishable on the basis of long-term average spectrum characteristics. In the present study, voice quality of 50 Finnish vocally untrained male university students was studied perceptually and using long-term average spectrum analysis of text reading samples of one minute duration. Equivalent sound level (Leq) of text reading was also measured. According to the results, the good and ordinary voices differed from the poor ones in their relatively higher sound level in the frequency range of 1-3 kHz and a prominent peak at 3-4 kHz. Good voices, however, did not differ from the ordinary voices in terms of the characteristics of the long-term average spectrum (LTAS). The strength of the peak at 3-4 kHz and the voice-quality scores correlated weakly but significantly. Voice quality and alpha ratio (level difference above and below 1 kHz) correlated likewise. Leq was significantly higher in the students with good and ordinary voices than in those with poor voices. The connections between Leq, voice quality, and the formation of the peak at 3-4 kHz warrant further studies.

Long term highly saturated fat diet does not induce NASH in Wistar rats

PubMed Central

Romestaing, Caroline; Piquet, Marie-Astrid; Bedu, Elodie; Rouleau, Vincent; Dautresme, Marianne; Hourmand-Ollivier, Isabelle; Filippi, Céline; Duchamp, Claude; Sibille, Brigitte

2007-01-01

Background Understanding of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is hampered by the lack of a suitable model. Our aim was to investigate whether long term high saturated-fat feeding would induce NASH in rats. Methods 21 day-old rats fed high fat diets for 14 weeks, with either coconut oil or butter, and were compared with rats feeding a standard diet or a methionine choline-deficient (MCD) diet, a non physiological model of NASH. Results MCDD fed rats rapidly lost weight and showed NASH features. Rats fed coconut (86% of saturated fatty acid) or butter (51% of saturated fatty acid) had an increased caloric intake (+143% and +30%). At the end of the study period, total lipid ingestion in term of percentage of energy intake was higher in both coconut (45%) and butter (42%) groups than in the standard (7%) diet group. No change in body mass was observed as compared with standard rats at the end of the experiment. However, high fat fed rats were fattier with enlarged white and brown adipose tissue (BAT) depots, but they showed no liver steatosis and no difference in triglyceride content in hepatocytes, as compared with standard rats. Absence of hepatic lipid accumulation with high fat diets was not related to a higher lipid oxidation by isolated hepatocytes (unchanged ketogenesis and oxygen consumption) or hepatic mitochondrial respiration but was rather associated with a rise in BAT uncoupling protein UCP1 (+25–28% vs standard). Conclusion Long term high saturated fat feeding led to increased "peripheral" fat storage and BAT thermogenesis but did not induce hepatic steatosis and NASH. PMID:17313679

Synaptic scaling enables dynamically distinct short- and long-term memory formation.

PubMed

Tetzlaff, Christian; Kolodziejski, Christoph; Timme, Marc; Tsodyks, Misha; Wörgötter, Florentin

2013-10-01

Memory storage in the brain relies on mechanisms acting on time scales from minutes, for long-term synaptic potentiation, to days, for memory consolidation. During such processes, neural circuits distinguish synapses relevant for forming a long-term storage, which are consolidated, from synapses of short-term storage, which fade. How time scale integration and synaptic differentiation is simultaneously achieved remains unclear. Here we show that synaptic scaling - a slow process usually associated with the maintenance of activity homeostasis - combined with synaptic plasticity may simultaneously achieve both, thereby providing a natural separation of short- from long-term storage. The interaction between plasticity and scaling provides also an explanation for an established paradox where memory consolidation critically depends on the exact order of learning and recall. These results indicate that scaling may be fundamental for stabilizing memories, providing a dynamic link between early and late memory formation processes.

Synaptic Scaling Enables Dynamically Distinct Short- and Long-Term Memory Formation

PubMed Central

Tetzlaff, Christian; Kolodziejski, Christoph; Timme, Marc; Tsodyks, Misha; Wörgötter, Florentin

2013-01-01

Memory storage in the brain relies on mechanisms acting on time scales from minutes, for long-term synaptic potentiation, to days, for memory consolidation. During such processes, neural circuits distinguish synapses relevant for forming a long-term storage, which are consolidated, from synapses of short-term storage, which fade. How time scale integration and synaptic differentiation is simultaneously achieved remains unclear. Here we show that synaptic scaling – a slow process usually associated with the maintenance of activity homeostasis – combined with synaptic plasticity may simultaneously achieve both, thereby providing a natural separation of short- from long-term storage. The interaction between plasticity and scaling provides also an explanation for an established paradox where memory consolidation critically depends on the exact order of learning and recall. These results indicate that scaling may be fundamental for stabilizing memories, providing a dynamic link between early and late memory formation processes. PMID:24204240

Value of semen parameters, with special reference to TNF-α, in predicting the quality of boar semen after short-term storage.

PubMed

Mrkun, Janko; Kosec, Marjan; Zrimšek, Petra

2013-06-01

The aim of this study was to address the question whether changes in boar semen quality after short-term storage could be predicted on the basis of standard semen parameters and TNF-α level determined on the day of semen collection under commercial conditions. Progressive motility showed the highest positive correlation with morphology on day 0 of collection, and progressive motility on day 3 (P < 0.05) showed a negative correlation with acrosome abnormalities (P < 0.05). According to the area under receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves (AUCs), progressive motility could also be used in predicting semen quality after 3 days of storage (AUC > 0.5; P < 0.05). TNF-α in seminal plasma is the only parameter measured on day 0 to show a significant correlation with the percentage of viable spermatozoa after 3 days of semen storage (r = 0.495, P < 0.05). ROC analysis shows that TNF-α level is helpful in discriminating viability outcome after semen storage (AUC = 0.94, P < 0.001). We can predict with 92.35% certainty that fresh semen samples with more than 150 pg/ml of TNF-α in the seminal plasma will retain more than 85% of viable spermatozoa after 3 days of storage. Thus, TNF-α can contribute to predicting the quality of short-term stored semen.

Effects of outsourced nursing on quality outcomes in long-term acute-care hospitals.

PubMed

Alvarez, M Raymond; Kerr, Bernard J; Burtner, Joan; Ledlow, Gerald; Fulton, Larry V

2011-03-01

Use of outsourced nurses is often a stop-gap measure for unplanned vacancies in smaller healthcare facilities such as long-term acute-care hospitals (LTACHs). However, the relationship of utilization levels (low, medium, or high percentages) of nonemployees covering staff schedules often is perceived to have negative relationships with quality outcomes. To assess this issue, the authors discuss the outcomes of their national study of LTACH hospitals that indicated no relationship existed between variations in percentage of staffing by contracted nurses and selected outcomes in this post-acute-care setting.

Highly Integrated Quality Assurance – An Empirical Case

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Drake Kirkham; Amy Powell; Lucas Rich

2011-02-01

Highly Integrated Quality Assurance – An Empirical Case Drake Kirkham1, Amy Powell2, Lucas Rich3 1Quality Manager, Radioisotope Power Systems (RPS) Program, Idaho National Laboratory, P.O. Box 1625 M/S 6122, Idaho Falls, ID 83415-6122 2Quality Engineer, RPS Program, Idaho National Laboratory 3Quality Engineer, RPS Program, Idaho National Laboratory Contact: Voice: (208) 533-7550 Email: Drake.Kirkham@inl.gov Abstract. The Radioisotope Power Systems Program of the Idaho National Laboratory makes an empirical case for a highly integrated Quality Assurance function pertaining to the preparation, assembly, testing, storage and transportation of 238Pu fueled radioisotope thermoelectric generators. Case data represents multiple campaigns including the Pluto/New Horizons mission,more » the Mars Science Laboratory mission in progress, and other related projects. Traditional Quality Assurance models would attempt to reduce cost by minimizing the role of dedicated Quality Assurance personnel in favor of either functional tasking or peer-based implementations. Highly integrated Quality Assurance adds value by placing trained quality inspectors on the production floor side-by-side with nuclear facility operators to enhance team dynamics, reduce inspection wait time, and provide for immediate, independent feedback. Value is also added by maintaining dedicated Quality Engineers to provide for rapid identification and resolution of corrective action, enhanced and expedited supply chain interfaces, improved bonded storage capabilities, and technical resources for requirements management including data package development and Certificates of Inspection. A broad examination of cost-benefit indicates highly integrated Quality Assurance can reduce cost through the mitigation of risk and reducing administrative burden thereby allowing engineers to be engineers, nuclear operators to be nuclear operators, and the cross-functional team to operate more efficiently. Applicability of this

Long-term Changes in Extreme Air Pollution Meteorology and the Implications for Air Quality.

PubMed

Hou, Pei; Wu, Shiliang

2016-03-31

Extreme air pollution meteorological events, such as heat waves, temperature inversions and atmospheric stagnation episodes, can significantly affect air quality. Based on observational data, we have analyzed the long-term evolution of extreme air pollution meteorology on the global scale and their potential impacts on air quality, especially the high pollution episodes. We have identified significant increasing trends for the occurrences of extreme air pollution meteorological events in the past six decades, especially over the continental regions. Statistical analysis combining air quality data and meteorological data further indicates strong sensitivities of air quality (including both average air pollutant concentrations and high pollution episodes) to extreme meteorological events. For example, we find that in the United States the probability of severe ozone pollution when there are heat waves could be up to seven times of the average probability during summertime, while temperature inversions in wintertime could enhance the probability of severe particulate matter pollution by more than a factor of two. We have also identified significant seasonal and spatial variations in the sensitivity of air quality to extreme air pollution meteorology.

Assessment of inceptisols soil quality following long-term cropping in a calcareous environment.

PubMed

Rezapour, Salar; Samadi, A

2012-03-01

The combination of morphological, clay mineralogy, physicochemical, and fertilitical properties of inceptisols were compared for monitoring soil quality response following long-term agricultural activities. For this target, fifty-nine paired surface soils belonging to five subgroups of inceptisols from the major sugar beet growing area and the adjoining virgin lands were described, sampled, and analyzed. The soils were alkaline and calcareous as characterized by high pH, ranging from 7.2 to 8, and calcium carbonate equivalent, ranging from 60 to 300 g kg(-1). Following long-term sugar beet cultivation, morphological properties modifications were reflected as weakening of structure, hardening of consistency, and brightening of soil color. Although, the quantity of clay minerals did not significantly change through long-term cropping, some modifications in the XRD pattern of illite and smectite were observed in the cultivated soils compared to the adjoining virgin lands mainly as a result of potassium depletion. Without significant variation, sand content decreased by 4-55% and silt and clay increased by 3-22% and 2-15%, respectively, in the cultivated soils than to that of the virgin lands. Both negative and positive aspects of soil quality were reflected regarding soil chemical and fertilitical properties and the role of negative effects far exceeded the role of positive effects. Typic calcixerepts was known to be more degraded through a significant decrease (P ≤ 0.001) in mean value of soil organic carbon (a drop of 24%), total N (a drop of 23%), available K (a drop of 42%), exchangeable K (a drop of 45%), potassium adsorption ratio and potassium saturation ratio (a drop of 44% and 42%, respectively) and a significant increase (P ≤ 0.001) in EC (a rise of 53%). Soil quality index, calculated based on nine soil properties [coarse fragments, pH, SOC, total N, ESP, exchangeable cations (Ca, Mg, and K), and available phosphorus], indicated that 60% of the all soil

DNA MemoChip: Long-Term and High Capacity Information Storage and Select Retrieval.

PubMed

Stefano, George B; Wang, Fuzhou; Kream, Richard M

2018-02-26

Over the course of history, human beings have never stopped seeking effective methods for information storage. From rocks to paper, and through the past several decades of using computer disks, USB sticks, and on to the thin silicon "chips" and "cloud" storage of today, it would seem that we have reached an era of efficiency for managing innumerable and ever-expanding data. Astonishingly, when tracing this technological path, one realizes that our ancient methods of informational storage far outlast paper (10,000 vs. 1,000 years, respectively), let alone the computer-based memory devices that only last, on average, 5 to 25 years. During this time of fast-paced information generation, it becomes increasingly difficult for current storage methods to retain such massive amounts of data, and to maintain appropriate speeds with which to retrieve it, especially when in demand by a large number of users. Others have proposed that DNA-based information storage provides a way forward for information retention as a result of its temporal stability. It is now evident that DNA represents a potentially economical and sustainable mechanism for storing information, as demonstrated by its decoding from a 700,000 year-old horse genome. The fact that the human genome is present in a cell, containing also the varied mitochondrial genome, indicates DNA's great potential for large data storage in a 'smaller' space.

Monitoring and predicting shrink potential and future processing quality of potato tubers

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Long-term storage of potato tubers increases risks, which are often attributed to shrink and quality loss. To minimize shrink and ensure high quality tubers, producers must closely monitor the condition of the crop during storage and make necessary adjustments to management plans. Evaluation procedu...

Inter- and intra-breed comparative study of sperm motility and viability in Iberian and Duroc boar semen during long-term storage in MR-A and XCell extenders.

PubMed

Martín-Hidalgo, D; Barón, F J; Robina, A; Bragado, M J; Llera, A Hurtado de; García-Marín, L J; Gil, M C

2013-06-01

During boar semen liquid preservation, extender is one of the factors that influence storage tolerance of spermatozoa. However, there are few studies about intra-breed variation in the preservation of semen quality during storage in different extenders. Similarly, boar breed is generally not considered a possible factor influencing variation in the semen storage tolerance in a particular extender. The aim of this study was to compare boar semen storage potential, in terms of the ability to maintain sperm viability and motility, of two currently used long-term extenders, MR-A and XCell. Extended semen from two breeds, Iberian and Duroc that had been stored at 17°C for up to 7 days was used. Intra- and inter-breed effect was studied. On Days 1, 4 and 7 (Day 0=day of semen collection), motility parameters and the percentage of total motile sperm and progressively motile sperm using a CASA system was evaluated. Viability (SYBR-14/PI) was evaluated by flow cytometry. Within each breed and for each storage day, there were differences between extenders, although semen tolerance to preservation was more influenced by the extender in the Iberian than in the Duroc breed. Neither breed nor extender influenced the percentage of viable spermatozoa during the storage time. Moreover, differences in motility parameters were observed between breeds, although the differences were greater when the XCell extender was used. In conclusion, both extender and breed influence motility characteristics of liquid-stored boar semen, so both aspects have to be considered in the design of comparative studies about stored boar semen quality from different breeds or with different extenders. Further studies are needed to corroborate these findings. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effect of aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) on recovered stormwater quality variability.

PubMed

Page, D W; Peeters, L; Vanderzalm, J; Barry, K; Gonzalez, D

2017-06-15

Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) is increasingly being considered as a means of reusing urban stormwater to supplement available urban water resources. Storage of stormwater in an aquifer has been shown to affect water quality but it has also been claimed that storage will also decrease the stormwater quality variability making for improved predictability and management. This study is the first to document the changes in stormwater quality variability as a result of subsurface storage at four full scale ASR sites using advanced statistical techniques. New methods to examine water quality are required as data is often highly left censored and so traditional measures of variability such as the coefficient of variation are inappropriate. It was observed that for some water quality parameters (most notably E. coli) there was a marked improvement of water quality and a significant decrease in variability at all sites. This means that aquifer storage prior to engineered treatment systems may be advantageous in terms of system design to avoid over engineering. For other parameters such as metal(loids)s and nutrients the trend was less clear due to the numerous processes occurring during storage leading to an increase in variability, especially for geogenic metals and metalloids such as iron and arsenic. Depending upon the specific water quality parameters and end use, use of ASR may not have a dampening effect on stormwater quality variability. Crown Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Long term prognosis of symptomatic occipital lobe epilepsy secondary to neonatal hypoglycemia.

PubMed

Montassir, Hesham; Maegaki, Yoshihiro; Ohno, Kousaku; Ogura, Kaeko

2010-02-01

To report on long-term clinical course in patients with symptomatic occipital lobe epilepsy secondary to neonatal hypoglycemia. Six patients with neonatal hypoglycemia and symptomatic occipital lobe epilepsy were studied in our hospital through reviewing their medical records retrospectively. The median onset age of epilepsy was 2 years 8 months and median follow-up period was 12 years and 4 months. Initial seizure types were generalized convulsions in 4 patients, hemiconvulsion in 1, and infantile spasms in 1. Ictal manifestations of main seizures were identical to occipital lobe seizures, such as eye deviation, eye blinking, ictal vomiting, and visual hallucination. Seizure frequency was maximum during infancy and early childhood and decreased thereafter with no seizure in 2 patients, a few seizures a year in 3, and once a month in 1. All patients had status epilepticus in the early course of epilepsy. EEGs showed parieto-occipital spikes in all patients. MRI revealed cortical atrophy and T2 prolongation parieto-occipitally in 4 patients, hippocampal atrophy in 1, and unremarkable in 1. This study indicates that epilepsy secondary to neonatal hypoglycemia is intractable during infancy and early childhood with frequent status epilepticus but tends to decrease in older age.

Dynamic controlled atmosphere and ultralow oxygen storage on 'Gala' mutants quality maintenance.

PubMed

Thewes, Fabio Rodrigo; Both, Vanderlei; Brackmann, Auri; Weber, Anderson; de Oliveira Anese, Rogerio

2015-12-01

The aim of the present work was to compare the effect of ultralow oxygen (ULO) with dynamic controlled atmosphere (DCA) and controlled atmosphere (CA) on the post storage quality of 'Royal Gala' and 'Galaxy' apples after long-term storage. Two experiments were carried out with 'Royal Gala' and 'Galaxy' apples, in the years 2012 and 2013, respectively. A higher internal ethylene concentration was observed in fruits stored under CA; intermediate concentration in fruits under ULO; and the lowest by fruits stored under DCA-CF (DCA based on chlorophyll fluorescence). Flesh firmness was higher in fruits stored under DCA-CF and ULO differing from CA, in the year 2012, but in 2013 fruits stored under ULO showed the highest flesh firmness, differing from CA fruits. DCA-CF is efficient in quality maintenance of 'Royal Gala' and 'Galaxy' apples. Both 'Gala' mutants stored under ULO show a similar quality maintenance to those stored under DCA-CF. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

DNA MemoChip: Long-Term and High Capacity Information Storage and Select Retrieval

PubMed Central

Wang, Fuzhou; Kream, Richard M.

2018-01-01

Over the course of history, human beings have never stopped seeking effective methods for information storage. From rocks to paper, and through the past several decades of using computer disks, USB sticks, and on to the thin silicon “chips” and “cloud” storage of today, it would seem that we have reached an era of efficiency for managing innumerable and ever-expanding data. Astonishingly, when tracing this technological path, one realizes that our ancient methods of informational storage far outlast paper (10,000 vs. 1,000 years, respectively), let alone the computer-based memory devices that only last, on average, 5 to 25 years. During this time of fast-paced information generation, it becomes increasingly difficult for current storage methods to retain such massive amounts of data, and to maintain appropriate speeds with which to retrieve it, especially when in demand by a large number of users. Others have proposed that DNA-based information storage provides a way forward for information retention as a result of its temporal stability. It is now evident that DNA represents a potentially economical and sustainable mechanism for storing information, as demonstrated by its decoding from a 700,000 year-old horse genome. The fact that the human genome is present in a cell, containing also the varied mitochondrial genome, indicates DNA’s great potential for large data storage in a ‘smaller’ space. PMID:29481548

Longitudinal associations of nursing staff turnover with patient outcomes in long-term care hospitals in Korea.

PubMed

Kim, Yoonseo; Han, Kihye

2018-01-10

To describe the characteristics of long-term care hospitals in 2010-2013 and to examine the longitudinal associations of nursing staff turnover with patient outcomes. The number of long-term care hospitals has exploded in Korea since the national long-term care insurance was launched in 2008. The care quality deviation across long-term care hospitals is large. This was a longitudinal secondary data analysis using the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service's data. From 2010 to 2013, the nursing staff turnover rate decreased. The number of patients per registered nurse increased while that per total nursing staff and skill mix decreased. All adverse patient outcomes decreased. Higher nursing staff turnover and lower RN proportions were associated with adverse patient outcomes. Since the launch of the long-term care insurance, total nursing staffing, turnover rate and patient outcomes have improved, while the skill mix has decreased. Systematic efforts to decrease nursing staff turnover should be implemented for better long-term care patient outcomes. In addition to maintaining high levels of nurse staffing and skill mix, supportive work environments and competitive wages and benefits could reduce turnover, and ultimately adverse patient outcomes. Health care policy should separate nursing staffing levels for registered nurses and certified nursing assistants. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Contribution of marital conflict to marital quality in short and long-term marriages: An actor-partner interdependence model

PubMed Central

Ahmadi, Khodabakhsh; Rezazade, Majid; Saadat, Hassan; Kimiaei, Seyed Ali; Zade, Nima Hoseyn

2015-01-01

Aims: In the field of family research, previous studies have made great strides toward understanding the relationship between marital conflict and quality. However, they have only studied couples in short-term marriages. Therefore, much remains to be unraveled with regard to long-term marriages. We aimed investigate the comparative contribution of aspects of marital conflict to marital quality in short-and long-term marriages in Iranian families. Materials and Methods: Using random clustered sampling, 400 dyads in intact first marriages were surveyed across eight provinces of Iran. Complete surveys for both husbands and wives were returned for 162 households (couple's response rate: 40.5%). Survey measures included demographics questionnaire, Barati and Sanai's Marital Conflict Questionnaire and Blum and Mehrabian's Comprehensive Marital Satisfaction Scale. Structural equation modeling was used to test the actor-partner interdependence model of marital conflict-marital quality. Results: Generalized additive models were incorporated to define what constitutes short-and long-term marriages. Based on the models regressed, duration ≤ 10 years was defined as short-term, whereas duration ≥ 25 years was labeled long-term. In short-term marriages (n = 44), decreased sexual relations, increased daily hassles and sidedness in relations with parents were negatively associated with marital quality in both actor and actor-to-partner paths. In long-term married couples (n = 46), only increased daily hassles (P < 0.001) and disagreement over financial affairs (P = 0.005) contributed to actor paths and only sidedness in relationships with parents showed significant negative association to marital quality in actor-to-partner paths. Conclusions: Different themes of conflict contribute to the diminished level of marital quality in early and late stages of the marriage. Conflicts over sex, relationship with extended family and daily hassles are emphasized in the early years of

Teacher Self-Efficacy as a Long-Term Predictor of Instructional Quality in the Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Künsting, Josef; Neuber, Victoria; Lipowsky, Frank

2016-01-01

In this longitudinal study, we examined teachers' self-efficacy as a long-term predictor of their mastery goal orientation and three dimensions of instructional quality: supportive classroom climate, effective classroom management, and cognitive activation. Mastery goal orientation was also analyzed as a predictor of instructional quality.…

[Long-term results after multiple trauma with ISS ≥ 25. Outcome and predictors of quality of life].

PubMed

Simmel, S; Drisch, S; Haag, S; Bühren, V

2013-09-01

The survival chances of multiple trauma patients have continually improved over the last decades; therefore, it is often not a question of whether a patient survives a severe accident but rather how the patient survives. In a retrospective study 127 patients were questioned regarding quality of life and health and possible influencing factors using the POLO chart an average of 70 months after suffering severe trauma (ISS Ø 35.6). The quality of life of severely injured patients is significantly reduced compared with the normal population even years after the trauma. In addition to four pretraumatic factors (older age, female gender, low education and previous illnesses) four posttraumatic variables (difficulties with authorities/institutions and unemployment as a consequence of the accident, long duration and subjectively inadequate treatment in hospital) were identified that have a negative impact on long-term quality of life. The self-reported quality of life after multiple trauma no longer permanently achieves the original level despite extensive rehabilitation measures. Post-traumatic factors have a greater impact on the long-term quality of life than the injury severity. A long-term care and specialized rehabilitation services are needed to improve outcome further.

Exploring the impact of austerity-driven policy reforms on the quality of the long-term care provision for older people in Belgium and the Netherlands.

PubMed

Janssen, David; Jongen, Wesley; Schröder-Bäck, Peter

2016-08-01

In this case study, European quality benchmarks were used to explore the contemporary quality of the long-term care provision for older people in the Belgian region of Flanders and the Netherlands following recent policy reforms. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with various experts on the long-term care provision. The results show that in the wake of the economic crisis and the reforms that followed, certain vulnerable groups of older people in Belgium and the Netherlands are at risk of being deprived of long-term care that is available, affordable and person-centred. Various suggestions were provided on how to improve the quality of the long-term care provision. The main conclusion drawn in this study is that while national and regional governments set the stage through regulatory frameworks and financing mechanisms, it is subsequently up to long-term care organisations, local social networks and informal caregivers to give substance to a high quality long-term care provision. An increased reliance on social networks and informal caregivers is seen as vital to ensure the sustainability of the long-term care systems in Belgium and in the Netherlands, although this simultaneously introduces new predicaments and difficulties. Structural governmental measures have to be introduced to support and protect informal caregivers and informal care networks. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Fluorescent multiple staining and CASA system to assess boar sperm viability and membranes integrity in short and long-term extenders.

PubMed

Lange-Consiglio, A; Meucci, A; Cremonesi, F

2013-01-01

The aim of this study was to assess the effect on boar spermatozoa quality of in vitro storage in short and long-term extenders by fluorescent multiple staining (FMS) and computer assisted semen analyzer (CASA). Fresh ejaculates from three healthy, sexually mature boars were diluted with equal volumes of six short-term or three long-term commercial extenders and stored at 19°C for 6 days (short-term) or 12 days (long-term). The integrity of spermatozoa membranes was analyzed by FMS using propidium iodide, 5,5',6,6'-tetrachloro-1,1',3,3' tetraethylbenzimidazolyl-carbocyanine iodide (JC-1) and fluorescein isothiocyanate-conjugated peanut agglutinin (PNA). The results obtained from this staining were compared with spermatozoa motility assessed by CASA. Our study showed that the number of viable spermatozoa with non-reacted acrosomes and intact mitochondria was positively correlated with the rate of motile spermatozoa (r(2)>0.9) irrespective of the extender used. In all extenders the number of motile spermatozoa significantly decreased as preservation period increased (P<0.05). FMS test is a potent indicator of sperm motility because it analyses mitochondrial integrity independently from observable alterations in motility. The best performing extenders were BTS for short-term storage and TRI-x-Cell for long-term storage.

Cervarix, the GSK HPV-16/HPV-18 AS04-adjuvanted cervical cancer vaccine, demonstrates stability upon long-term storage and under simulated cold chain break conditions.

PubMed

Le Tallec, David; Doucet, Diane; Elouahabi, Abdelatif; Harvengt, Pol; Deschuyteneer, Michel; Deschamps, Marguerite

2009-07-01

Cervarix is a recombinant human papillomavirus (HPV)-16 and -18 L1 virus-like-particle (VLP) AS04-adjuvanted vaccine designed to protect against cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and cervical cancer caused by the HPV types 16 and 18. Assessment of the stability of the vaccine during long-term storage and after transient exposure to temperatures out of normal storage range is an integrated part of vaccine quality evaluation. This assessment was done with vaccine samples stored at 2-8 degrees C for up to 36 months, with or without simulated cold chain break (either one week at 37 degrees C, or two or four weeks at 25 degrees C). Among the stability-indicating parameters, antigenicity and immunogenicity were evaluated along with L1 antigen integrity and adsorption to aluminum. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was used to investigate the structural stability of the VLPs before and after vaccine formulation and over time. Cervarix was stable at 2-8 degrees C for at least three years, and the occurrence of cold chain break had no impact, as shown by unchanged product characteristics during the full storage period. DSC analysis demonstrated that the structure of the HPV-16 and -18 L1 proteins and their corresponding VLPs was not affected throughout the manufacturing process. Moreover, the structure of aluminum-adsorbed HPV-16 and -18 L1 VLPs was robust over a 14-month test period. In conclusion, Cervarix was very stable upon long-term storage at 2-8 degrees C with or without transient exposure to higher temperatures (up to 37 degrees C). The observed robust structure of the L1 VLPs contributes to the excellent stability of Cervarix.

Long-term storage and safe retrieval of human papillomavirus DNA using FTA elute cards.

PubMed

Barth, Heidi; Morel, Adrien; Mougin, Christiane; Averous, Gerlinde; Legrain, Michèle; Fender, Muriel; Risch, Simone; Fafi-Kremer, Samira; Velten, Michel; Oudet, Pierre; Baldauf, Jean-Jacques; Stoll-Keller, Françoise

2016-03-01

Biobanking or collection and storage of specimens for future research purposes have become an essential tool in many fields of biomedical research and aims to provide a better understanding of disease mechanisms as well as the identification of disease-specific biomarkers that can navigate in complex diseases. In this study, we assessed the use of Flinders Technology Associates (FTA) cards as a long-term storage device for cervical specimens with suspected human papillomavirus (HPV) infections. HPV detection and genotyping results in liquid-based transport media were compared to HPV results from FTA cards. The overall agreement for the presence of any HPV infection between liquid-based medium and FTA cards stored for 1 year at ambient temperature was 100%. Reproducibility analysis of HPV detection and genotyping from FTA cards demonstrated that FTA cards are a reliable medium to store and preserve viral nucleic acids. Biobanking of cervical cells on FTA cards may provide a key resource for epidemiological and retrospective HPV studies. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

An ultra-high input impedance ECG amplifier for long-term monitoring of athletes.

PubMed

Gargiulo, Gaetano; Bifulco, Paolo; Cesarelli, Mario; Ruffo, Mariano; Romano, Maria; Calvo, Rafael A; Jin, Craig; van Schaik, André

2010-01-01

We present a new, low-power electrocardiogram (ECG) recording system with an ultra-high input impedance that enables the use of long-lasting, dry electrodes. The system incorporates a low-power Bluetooth module for wireless connectivity and is designed to be suitable for long-term monitoring during daily activities. The new system using dry electrodes was compared with a clinically approved ECG reference system using gelled Ag/AgCl electrodes and performance was found to be equivalent. In addition, the system was used to monitor an athlete during several physical tasks, and a good quality ECG was obtained in all cases, including when the athlete was totally submerged in fresh water.

Long-term intensive management increased carbon occluded in phytolith (PhytOC) in bamboo forest soils

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Zhang-Ting; Li, Yong-Fu; Jiang, Pei-Kun; Chang, Scott X.; Song, Zhao-Liang; Liu, Juan; Zhou, Guo-Mo

2014-01-01

Carbon (C) occluded in phytolith (PhytOC) is highly stable at millennium scale and its accumulation in soils can help increase long-term C sequestration. Here, we report that soil PhytOC storage significantly increased with increasing duration under intensive management (mulching and fertilization) in Lei bamboo (Phyllostachys praecox) plantations. The PhytOC storage in 0-40 cm soil layer in bamboo plantations increased by 217 Mg C ha-1, 20 years after being converted from paddy fields. The PhytOC accumulated at 79 kg C ha-1 yr-1, a rate far exceeding the global mean long-term soil C accumulation rate of 24 kg C ha-1 yr-1 reported in the literature. Approximately 86% of the increased PhytOC came from the large amount of mulch applied. Our data clearly demonstrate the decadal scale management effect on PhytOC accumulation, suggesting that heavy mulching is a potential method for increasing long-term organic C storage in soils for mitigating global climate change.

Rapid fabrication of superhydrophobic Al/Fe2O3 nanothermite film with excellent energy-release characteristics and long-term storage stability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ke, Xiang; Zhou, Xiang; Hao, Gaozi; Xiao, Lei; Liu, Jie; Jiang, Wei

2017-06-01

One of the challenges for the application of energetic materials is their energy-retaining capabilities after long-term storage. In this study, we report a facile method to fabricate superhydrophobic Al/Fe2O3 nanothermite film by combining electrophoretic deposition and surface modification technologies. Different concentrations of dispersion solvents and additives are investigated to optimize the deposition parameters. Meanwhile, the dependence of deposition rates on nanoparticle concentrations is also studied. The surface morphology and chemical composition are characterized by field-emission scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray energy-dispersive spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. A static contact angles as high as 156° shows the superhydrophobicity of the nanothermite film. Natural and accelerated aging tests are performed and the thermal behavior is analyzed. Thermal analysis shows that the surface modification contributes to significantly improved energy-release characteristics for both fresh and aged samples, which is supposed to be attributed to the preignition reaction between Al2O3 shell and FAS-17. Superhydrophobic Al/Fe2O3 nanothermite film exhibits excellent long-time storage stability with 83.4% of energy left in natural aging test and 60.5% in accelerated aging test. This study is instructive to the practical applications of nanothermites, especially in highly humid environment.

Assessment of frozen storage duration effect on quality characteristics of various horse muscles.

PubMed

Seong, Pil Nam; Seo, Hyun Woo; Kim, Jin-Hyoung; Kang, Geun Ho; Cho, Soo-Hyun; Chae, Hyun Seok; Park, Beom Young; Van Ba, Hoa

2017-12-01

The study aimed at assessing the effects of frozen storage duration on quality characteristics, lipid oxidation and sensory quality of various horse muscles. Five representative muscles: longissimus dorsi (LD), gluteus medius (GM), semimembranosus (SM), biceps femoris (BF), and triceps brachii (TB) at 24 h post-mortem obtained from 28-mo-old Jeju female breed horses (n = 8) were used in the present investigation. The muscles were vacuum-packaged and frozen at -20°C for 120, 240, and 360 days. All the samples were analyzed for thawing and cooking losses, pH, Warner-Bratzler shear forces (WBSF), color traits, total volatile basic nitrogen (TVBN), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and sensory traits. The muscle samples analyzed on day 0 of frozen storage (fresh, non-frozen) were used for comparison. Results revealed that thawing and cooking losses significantly (p<0.05) increased in all the muscles after 120 days and then remained unchanged up to 360 days of frozen storage. The TBARS and TVBN contents significantly increased as increasing frozen storage time up to 360 days (p<0.05). While, significant decreases in WBSF values were observed for all the muscles with increased frozen storage time (p<0.05). Frozen storage variously affected the color traits of the muscles for instance; the redness of LD, GM, and BF muscles showed a decreasing tendency during frozen storage while it was not changed in TB and SM muscles. Furthermore, the frozen storage did not produce detrimental effects on sensory quality as it did not cause flavor and juiciness defects whereas it partially improved the tenderness of all the muscles studied. Based on the results obtained from our work, it is concluded that frozen storage could be applied to increase the long-term shelf life of horsemeat while still retaining its sensory quality.

Long-term memory and volatility clustering in high-frequency price changes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

oh, Gabjin; Kim, Seunghwan; Eom, Cheoljun

2008-02-01

We studied the long-term memory in diverse stock market indices and foreign exchange rates using Detrended Fluctuation Analysis (DFA). For all high-frequency market data studied, no significant long-term memory property was detected in the return series, while a strong long-term memory property was found in the volatility time series. The possible causes of the long-term memory property were investigated using the return data filtered by the AR(1) model, reflecting the short-term memory property, the GARCH(1,1) model, reflecting the volatility clustering property, and the FIGARCH model, reflecting the long-term memory property of the volatility time series. The memory effect in the AR(1) filtered return and volatility time series remained unchanged, while the long-term memory property diminished significantly in the volatility series of the GARCH(1,1) filtered data. Notably, there is no long-term memory property, when we eliminate the long-term memory property of volatility by the FIGARCH model. For all data used, although the Hurst exponents of the volatility time series changed considerably over time, those of the time series with the volatility clustering effect removed diminish significantly. Our results imply that the long-term memory property of the volatility time series can be attributed to the volatility clustering observed in the financial time series.

Quality and sensory characteristics of hard red wheat after residential storage for up to 32 y.

PubMed

Rose, Devin J; Ogden, Lynn V; Dunn, Michael L; Jamison, Rachel G; Lloyd, Michelle A; Pike, Oscar A

2011-01-01

Samples of hard red wheat packaged for long-term storage, ranging in age from 0 to 32 y, were obtained from donors in residential households. All samples had been stored under nonabusive conditions (7% to 10% moisture, 13 to 27 °C). Selected quality parameters of the wheat (moisture, thiamin, free fatty acids, flour extraction rate, bread loaf volume, and bread firmness) and sensory properties of bread made from the stored wheat (aroma, appearance, texture, flavor, overall liking, acceptance for use as part of the regular diet, and acceptance for use in emergency situations) were evaluated. Free fatty acids increased significantly from 0.897 to 11.8 μmol/g, and flour extraction rate decreased significantly from 76.5% to 69.9% over time. None of the other quality parameters measured (moisture, thiamin, bread loaf volume, and bread firmness) were significantly correlated with wheat storage time. Panelists who frequently or occasionally consume whole wheat bread rated all breads made from the stored wheat with hedonic scores (9-point scale) of at least 6.4 (like slightly to moderately). Consumer ratings of bread texture, flavor, and overall acceptability were negatively correlated with storage time (P < 0.001); however, at least 70% of panelists indicated that they would consume the bread as part of their regular diet even after 32 y of wheat storage, while over 97% would do so in an emergency. These data indicate that wheat maintains nutritional quality and makes acceptable bread when stored up to 32 y at 13 to 27 °C and 7% to 10% moisture. Practical Application: Wheat stored for the purposes of disaster relief has the potential of being stored for extremely long periods of time, which may result in undesirable changes in milling and baking quality. Therefore, we tested wheat that had been stored under residential conditions for up to 32 y to determine its functional quality and consumer acceptability. Our results indicate that wheat of low moisture (7% to 10

Synaptic Transmission Optimization Predicts Expression Loci of Long-Term Plasticity.

PubMed

Costa, Rui Ponte; Padamsey, Zahid; D'Amour, James A; Emptage, Nigel J; Froemke, Robert C; Vogels, Tim P

2017-09-27

Long-term modifications of neuronal connections are critical for reliable memory storage in the brain. However, their locus of expression-pre- or postsynaptic-is highly variable. Here we introduce a theoretical framework in which long-term plasticity performs an optimization of the postsynaptic response statistics toward a given mean with minimal variance. Consequently, the state of the synapse at the time of plasticity induction determines the ratio of pre- and postsynaptic modifications. Our theory explains the experimentally observed expression loci of the hippocampal and neocortical synaptic potentiation studies we examined. Moreover, the theory predicts presynaptic expression of long-term depression, consistent with experimental observations. At inhibitory synapses, the theory suggests a statistically efficient excitatory-inhibitory balance in which changes in inhibitory postsynaptic response statistics specifically target the mean excitation. Our results provide a unifying theory for understanding the expression mechanisms and functions of long-term synaptic transmission plasticity. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Similar autobiographical memory impairment in long-term secondary progressive multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer's disease.

PubMed

Müller, S; Saur, R; Greve, B; Melms, A; Hautzinger, M; Fallgatter, A J; Leyhe, T

2013-02-01

Memory disturbance is a common symptom of multiple sclerosis (MS), but little is known about autobiographical memory deficits in the long-term course of different MS subtypes. Inflammatory activity and demyelination is pronounced in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) whereas, similar to Alzheimer's disease, neurodegeneration affecting autobiographical memory-associated areas is seen in secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS). In light of distinct disease mechanisms, we evaluated autobiographical memory in different MS subtypes and hypothesized similarities between elderly patients with SPMS and Alzheimer's disease. We used the Autobiographical Memory Interview to assess episodic and semantic autobiographical memory in 112 education- and gender-matched participants, including healthy controls and patients with RRMS, SPMS, amnesic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) and early Alzheimer's dementia (AD). Patients with SPMS, AD, and aMCI, but not with RRMS, exhibited a pattern of episodic autobiographical memory impairment that followed Ribot's Law; older memories were better preserved than more recent memories. In contrast to aMCI and AD, neither SPMS nor RRMS was associated with semantic autobiographical memory impairment. Our neuropsychological findings suggest that episodic autobiographical memory is affected in long-term patients with SPMS, possibly due to neurodegenerative processes in functional relevant brain regions.

Long-term preservation of anammox bacteria.

PubMed

Rothrock, Michael J; Vanotti, Matias B; Szögi, Ariel A; Gonzalez, Maria Cruz Garcia; Fujii, Takao

2011-10-01

Deposit of useful microorganisms in culture collections requires long-term preservation and successful reactivation techniques. The goal of this study was to develop a simple preservation protocol for the long-term storage and reactivation of the anammox biomass. To achieve this, anammox biomass was frozen or lyophilized at two different freezing temperatures (-60°C and in liquid nitrogen (-200°C)) in skim milk media (with and without glycerol), and the reactivation of anammox activity was monitored after a 4-month storage period. Of the different preservation treatments tested, only anammox biomass preserved via freezing in liquid nitrogen followed by lyophilization in skim milk media without glycerol achieved stoichiometric ratios for the anammox reaction similar to the biomass in both the parent bioreactor and in the freshly harvested control treatment. A freezing temperature of -60°C alone, or in conjunction with lyophilization, resulted in the partial recovery of the anammox bacteria, with an equal mixture of anammox and nitrifying bacteria in the reactivated biomass. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the successful reactivation of anammox biomass preserved via sub-zero freezing and/or lyophilization. The simple preservation protocol developed from this study could be beneficial to accelerate the integration of anammox-based processes into current treatment systems through a highly efficient starting anammox biomass.

Trends in Streamflow Characteristics at Long-Term Gaging Stations, Hawaii

USGS Publications Warehouse

Oki, Delwyn S.

2004-01-01

related to the seasons and to the EL Ni?o-Southern Oscillation phenomenon that may be partly modulated by the phase of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation. 6. At almost all of the long-term stream-gaging stations considered in this study, average total flow (and to a lesser extent average base flow) during the winter months of January to March tended to be low following El Ni?o periods and high following La Ni?a periods, and this tendency was accentuated during positive phases of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation. 7. The El Ni?o-Southern Oscillation phenomenon occurs at a relatively short time scale (a few to several years) and appears to be more strongly related to processes controlling rainfall and direct runoff than ground-water storage and base flow. Long-term downward trends in base flows of streams may indicate a reduction in ground-water storage and recharge. Because ground water provides about 99 percent of Hawaii's domestic drinking water, a reduction in ground-water storage and recharge has serious implications for drinking-water availability. In addition, reduction in stream base flows may reduce habitat availability for native stream fauna and water availability for irrigation purposes. Further study is needed to determine (1) whether the downward trends in base flows from 1913 to 2002 will continue or whether the observed pattern is part of a long-term cycle in which base flows may eventually return to levels measured during 1913 to the early 1940s, (2) the physical causes for the detected trends and variations in streamflow, and (3) whether regional climate indicators successfully can be used to predict streamflow trends and variations throughout the State. These needs for future study underscore the importance of maintaining a network of long-term-trend stream-gaging stations in Hawaii.

Effect of storage in short--and long-term commercial semen extenders on the motility, plasma membrane and chromatin integrity of boar spermatozoa.

PubMed

De Ambrogi, Marco; Ballester, Juan; Saravia, Fernando; Caballero, Ignacio; Johannisson, Anders; Wallgren, Margareta; Andersson, Magnus; Rodriguez-Martinez, Heriberto

2006-10-01

For artificial insemination (AI) in pigs, preservation of liquid boar semen at 16-20 degrees C is still common practice as sperm cryopreservation remains suboptimal in this species. To meet the different needs of the swine industry, several extenders have been developed to preserve semen in liquid form for short--and long-term storage. In the present study, three different commercial extenders devised for short-term (BTS+) or long-term preservation (MR-A and X-Cell), were used to test whether storage of semen from four mature, fertile boars at 17 degrees C for 96 h would affect sperm characteristics relevant for fertility, such as motility, membrane integrity and chromatin stability. Computer-assisted sperm analysis, and stainings with the acylated membrane dye SYBR-14/propidium iodide, and acridine orange in connection with flow cytometry were used to evaluate these variables. Percentages of total motile spermatozoa decreased slightly, but significantly, after 72-96 h. While membrane integrity values varied during the period of study, no significant changes in either membrane integrity or chromatin stability were, however, registered. This suggests a customary 96-day storage at 17 degrees C in these extenders was too short an interval to cause losses of integrity in nuclear DNA in the boar population studied.

Detecting Long-term Trend of Water Quality Indices of Dong-gang River, Taiwan Using Quantile Regression

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, D.; Shiau, J.

2013-12-01

ABSTRACT BODY: Abstract Surface water quality is an essential issue in water-supply for human uses and sustaining healthy ecosystem of rivers. However, water quality of rivers is easily influenced by anthropogenic activities such as urban development and wastewater disposal. Long-term monitoring of water quality can assess whether water quality of rivers deteriorates or not. Taiwan is a population-dense area and heavily depends on surface water for domestic, industrial, and agricultural uses. Dong-gang River is one of major resources in southern Taiwan for agricultural requirements. The water-quality data of four monitoring stations of the Dong-gang River for the period of 2000-2012 are selected for trend analysis. The parameters used to characterize water quality of rivers include biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), dissolved oxygen (DO), suspended solids (SS), and ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N). These four water-quality parameters are integrated into an index called river pollution index (RPI) to indicate the pollution level of rivers. Although widely used non-parametric Mann-Kendall test and linear regression exhibit computational efficiency to identify trends of water-quality indices, limitations of such approaches include sensitive to outliers and estimations of conditional mean only. Quantile regression, capable of identifying changes over time of any percentile values, is employed in this study to detect long-term trend of water-quality indices for the Dong-gang River located in southern Taiwan. The results show that Dong-gang River 4 stations from 2000 to 2012 monthly long-term trends in water quality.To analyze s Dong-gang River long-term water quality trends and pollution characteristics. The results showed that the bridge measuring ammonia Long-dong, BOD5 measure in that station on a downward trend, DO, and SS is on the rise, River Pollution Index (RPI) on a downward trend. The results form Chau-Jhou station also ahowed simialar trends .more and more near the

Water quality of the Neuse River, North Carolina - Variability, pollution loads, and long-term trends

USGS Publications Warehouse

Harned, Doughlas A.

1982-01-01

Interpretation of water-quality data collected by the U.S. Geological Survey for the Neuse River, North Carolina, has identified water-quality variations, charactrized the current condition of the river in reference to water-quality standards, estimated the degree of pollution caused by man, and evaluated long-term trends in concentrations of major dissolved constituents. Two sampling stations, Neuse River near Clayton (02087500) and Neuse River at Kinston (02089500) have more than 12 years of water-quality data collected during the period from 1955 to 1978. The Clayton station provides information on the upper fourth of the basin (1,129 mi 2) which includes several urbanized areas, including Raleigh, N.C., and part of Durham, N.C. The Kinston station provides information from the predominantly rural midsection of the basin (2,690 mi2). A network of temporary stations on small rural streams in the Neuse River and adjacent basins provide an estimate of baseline or es- sentially unpolluted water quality. Overall, the water quality of the Neuse River is satisfactory for most uses. However, dissolved-oxygen, iron, and manganese concentrations, pH, and bacterial concentrations often reach undesirable levels. Concentrations of cadmium, and lead also periodically peak at or above criterion levels for domestic water supply sources. Nutrient levels are generally high enough to allow rich algal growth. Sediment concentrations in the Neuse are high in comparison to pristine streams, however, the impacts of these high levels are difficult to quantify. Sediment and nutrient concentrations peak on the leading edge of flood discharges at Clayton. At Kinston, however, the discharge and sediment concentration peak almost simultaneously. Changes in algal dominance, from genera usually associated with organically enriched waters to genera that are less tolerant to organic enrichment, indicate improvement in water qualiy of the Neuse since 1973. These changes, along with a reduction

Change in quality of life of people with dementia recently admitted to long-term care facilities.

PubMed

Beerens, Hanneke C; Zwakhalen, Sandra M G; Verbeek, Hilde; Ruwaard, Dirk; Ambergen, Antonius W; Leino-Kilpi, Helena; Stephan, Astrid; Zabalegui, Adelaida; Soto, Maria; Saks, Kai; Bökberg, Christina; Sutcliffe, Caroline L; Hamers, Jan P H

2015-06-01

To assess which factors are associated with change in quality of life of people with dementia who have recently been admitted to long-term care facilities. Many people with dementia will be admitted to long-term care facilities at some point during their disease. It is currently unknown which factors are associated with improvement and/or deterioration of quality of life immediately following admission. An observational and longitudinal survey. Data on 343 people with dementia who have been recently admitted to long-term care facilities across eight European countries were collected between November 2010-April 2012. Quality of life was assessed by people with dementia and their proxies using the 'Quality of Life-Alzheimer's Disease scale'. Explanatory variables included cognitive status, comorbidities, activities of daily living, depressive symptoms and neuropsychiatric symptoms. Descriptive and multilevel regression analyses were performed. Better cognitive abilities at baseline were associated with a decrease in self-reported quality of life. Greater dependency and more depressive symptoms at baseline were associated with declined proxy-reported quality of life. Furthermore, an increased dependency and an increase of depressive symptoms between baseline and follow-up were associated with a decreased proxy-reported quality of life. On an individual level, three groups were identified, namely people whose quality of life: (1) decreased; (2) stayed the same; and (3) increased. Cognitive functioning, functional rehabilitation and treatment of depressive symptoms should receive special attention. However, quality of life of people with dementia does not necessarily decrease after institutionalization. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Work Stressors and the Quality of Life in Long-Term Care Units

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pekkarinen, Laura; Sinervo, Timo; Perala, Marja-Leena; Elovainio, Marko

2004-01-01

Purpose. The purpose of this work was to examine how structural factors, residents' needs for physical and psychosocial assistance, and the work stressors experienced by employees are related to the quality of life of elderly residents in long-term care. Design and Methods. Cross-sectional survey data were collected from 1,194 employees and 1,079…

A qualitative study explaining nurses' perceptions of quality care for older people in long-term care settings in Ireland.

PubMed

Murphy, Kathy

2007-03-01

The aim of this research was to explore nurses' perceptions of the attributes of quality care and the factors that facilitate or hinder high-quality nursing care in long-term care. The quality of care for older people living in long-term care has been identified as an issue of concern in many nursing research studies. While many factors have been identified, it is difficult to determine key factors from current research. The study was a qualitative exploration of nurses' perceptions of quality care for older people and the factors that facilitate or hinder quality care. It involved 20 interviews with nurses. Respondents were asked to illustrate their accounts with examples from practice. This phase of the research was guided by the principles of hermeneutic phenomenology and the analysis process by Van Manen. The findings indicated that nurses perceived quality care for older people in Ireland as holistic, individualized and focused on promoting independence and choice. The research revealed, however, that care in many practice areas was not individualized, patient choice and involvement in decision making was limited and some areas engendered dependency. While staffing was identified as a factor which had an impact on the provision of patient choice, other issues, such as the motivation of staff, the role of the ward manager and the dominance of routine were also highlighted. There is a need to review organizational approaches to care, develop patient centred approaches to care and provide educational support for managers. This research focuses on care for older people; it helps practitioners identify key factors in the provision of quality care for older people living in long-term care.

Fluorescent multiple staining and CASA system to assess boar sperm viability and membranes integrity in short and long-term extenders

PubMed Central

Lange-Consiglio, A.; Meucci, A.; Cremonesi, F.

2013-01-01

The aim of this study was to assess the effect on boar spermatozoa quality of in vitro storage in short and long-term extenders by fluorescent multiple staining (FMS) and computer assisted semen analyzer (CASA). Fresh ejaculates from three healthy, sexually mature boars were diluted with equal volumes of six short-term or three long-term commercial extenders and stored at 19°C for 6 days (short-term) or 12 days (long-term). The integrity of spermatozoa membranes was analyzed by FMS using propidium iodide, 5,5’,6,6’-tetrachloro-1,1’,3,3’ tetraethylbenzimidazolyl-carbocyanine iodide (JC-1) and fluorescein isothiocyanate-conjugated peanut agglutinin (PNA). The results obtained from this staining were compared with spermatozoa motility assessed by CASA. Our study showed that the number of viable spermatozoa with non-reacted acrosomes and intact mitochondria was positively correlated with the rate of motile spermatozoa (r2>0.9) irrespective of the extender used. In all extenders the number of motile spermatozoa significantly decreased as preservation period increased (P<0.05). FMS test is a potent indicator of sperm motility because it analyses mitochondrial integrity independently from observable alterations in motility. The best performing extenders were BTS for short-term storage and TRI-x-Cell for long-term storage. PMID:26623308

Long-term storage of nickel-hydrogen cells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vaidyanathan, Hari

1987-01-01

Representative samples of nickel hydrogen cells for the INTELSAT program were used to evaluate the effects of prolonged storage under passive conditions such as open circuit discharged at 0 C, room temperature, and -20 C, and under quasidynamic conditions such as top-off charge and trickle charge. Cell capacity declines when cells are stored open-circuit discharged at room temperature, and a second plateau occurs in the discharge curve. Capacity loss was 47 percent for a cell with hydrogen precharge and 24.5 percent for one with no hydrogen precharge. Capacity recovery was observed following top-off charge storage of cells which had exhibited faded capacity as a result of passive storage at room temperature. Cells stored either at -20 C or on trickle charge maintained their capacity. At 0 C storage, the capacity of all three cells under tests was greater than 55 Ah (which exceeds the required minimum of 44 Ah) after 7 months.

Self-concept and quality of object relations as predictors of outcome in short- and long-term psychotherapy.

PubMed

Lindfors, Olavi; Knekt, Paul; Heinonen, Erkki; Virtala, Esa

2014-01-01

Quality of object relations and self-concept reflect clinically relevant aspects of personality functioning, but their prediction as suitability factors for psychotherapies of different lengths has not been compared. This study compared their prediction on psychiatric symptoms and work ability in short- and long-term psychotherapy. Altogether 326 patients, 20-46 years of age, with mood and/or anxiety disorder, were randomized to short-term (solution-focused or short-term psychodynamic) psychotherapy and long-term psychodynamic psychotherapy. The Quality of Object Relations Scale (QORS) and the Structural Analysis of Social Behavior (SASB) self-concept questionnaire were measured at baseline, and their prediction on outcome during the 3-year follow-up was assessed by the Symptom Check List Global Severity Index and the Anxiety Scale, the Beck Depression Inventory and by the Work Ability Index, Social Adjustment Scale work subscale and the Perceived Psychological Functioning scale. Negative self-concept strongly and self-controlling characteristics modestly predicted better 3-year outcomes in long-term therapy, after faster early gains in short-term therapy. Patients with a more positive or self-emancipating self-concept, or more mature object relations, experienced more extensive benefits after long-term psychotherapy. The importance of length vs. long-term therapy technique on the differences found is not known. Patients with mild to moderate personality pathology, indicated by poor self-concept, seem to benefit more from long-term than short-term psychotherapy, in reducing risk of depression. Long-term therapy may also be indicated for patients with relatively good psychological functioning. More research is needed on the relative importance of these characteristics in comparison with other patient-related factors. © 2013 Published by Elsevier B.V.

Long-term quality of life and outcomes following robotic assisted TAPP inguinal hernia repair.

PubMed

Iraniha, Andrew; Peloquin, Joshua

2018-06-01

long-term complications. All patients completed the pain assessment survey and the median pain score, 3 days after the surgery was 3. Narcotics were used for an average of 3.1 days. The modified SF 12 survey assessing for quality of life before and 12-36 months after surgery was completed and returned by 29 patients (response rate of 35.4% and median follow-up of 32 months). Only one recurrence was reported which was repaired with open technique. The analysis of the SF 12 survey that evaluated patient's quality of life, pain score and the ability to perform activities of daily living before and after surgery revealed a significant improvement in those measures 12-36 months after the surgery compare to their baseline. Hernia recurrence, chronic pain and physical impairment are the major long-term concerns after any type of inguinal hernia repair. Our results demonstrate that robotic assisted TAPP inguinal hernia repair appears to be a technically feasible, reproducible and safe minimally invasive alternative with low recurrence, low chronic pain and high health-related quality of life in the long term.

Observer aging and long-term avian survey data quality

PubMed Central

Farmer, Robert G; Leonard, Marty L; Mills Flemming, Joanna E; Anderson, Sean C

2014-01-01

Long-term wildlife monitoring involves collecting time series data, often using the same observers over multiple years. Aging-related changes to these observers may be an important, under-recognized source of error that can bias management decisions. In this study, we used data from two large, independent bird surveys, the Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Ontario (“OBBA”) and the North American Breeding Bird Survey (“BBS”), to test for age-related observer effects in long-term time series of avian presence and abundance. We then considered the effect of such aging phenomena on current population trend estimates. We found significantly fewer detections among older versus younger observers for 13 of 43 OBBA species, and declines in detection as an observer ages for 4 of 6 vocalization groups comprising 59 of 64 BBS species. Consistent with hearing loss influencing this pattern, we also found evidence for increasingly severe detection declines with increasing call frequency among nine high-pitched bird species (OBBA); however, there were also detection declines at other frequencies, suggesting important additional effects of aging, independent of hearing loss. We lastly found subtle, significant relationships between some species' published population trend estimates and (1) their corresponding vocalization frequency (n ≥ 22 species) and (2) their estimated declines in detectability among older observers (n = 9 high-frequency, monotone species), suggesting that observer aging can negatively bias long-term monitoring data for some species in part through hearing loss effects. We recommend that survey designers and modelers account for observer age where possible. PMID:25360286

Super chilling enhances preservation of the freshness of salted egg yolk during long-term storage.

PubMed

Yanagisawa, T; Watanuki, C; Ariizumi, M; Shigematsu, Y; Kobayashi, H; Hasegawa, M; Watanabe, K

2009-03-01

Pasteurized egg yolk with 10% (w/w) salt was stored at 5, -5, -15, -20, and -30 degrees C for 1 to 6 mo, respectively. Changes in generation of volatiles of the stored samples (5 and -5 degrees C for 6 mo) were analyzed by SPME-GC-MS. Emulsifying properties of egg yolk stored at -5, -15, -20, and -30 degrees C for 1 mo, respectively, were also evaluated by measurement of emulsion particle diameters in model emulsions prepared with the yolk samples. In addition, structural changes in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) in the egg yolks dependent on storage conditions for 6 mo were evaluated by (31)P-NMR. Volatile compounds such as hexanal, 2-methylbutanal, and 3-methylbutanal increased in egg yolk during storage at 5 degrees C; however, volatile compounds hardly increased in any samples stored at -5 degrees C (super chilling). The mean emulsion particle diameter in super chilled egg yolk was significantly smaller than that in egg yolk stored at the other lower temperatures. In addition, the results of (31)P-NMR evaluation suggested that prevention of structural changes of LDL resulted in maintenance of emulsifying properties of egg yolk. Thus, these results indicate that super chilling is an effective means of preserving salted egg yolk during long-term storage.

Assessment of the long-term stability of retort pouch foods to support extended duration spaceflight.

PubMed

Catauro, Patricia M; Perchonok, Michele H

2012-01-01

To determine the suitability of retort processed foods to support long-duration spaceflight, a series of 36-mo accelerated shelf life studies were performed on 13 representative retort pouch products. Combined sensory evaluations, physical properties assessments, and nutritional analyses were employed to determine shelf life endpoints for these foods, which were either observed during the analysis or extrapolated via mathematical projection. Data obtained through analysis of these 13 products were later used to estimate the shelf life values of all retort-processed spaceflight foods. In general, the major determinants of shelf life appear to be the development of off-flavor and off-color in products over time. These changes were assumed to be the result of Maillard and oxidation reactions, which can be initiated or accelerated as a result of the retort process and product formulation. Meat products and other vegetable entrées are projected to maintain their quality the longest, between 2 and 8 y, without refrigeration. Fruit and dessert products (1.5 to 5 y), dairy products (2.5 to 3.25 y), and starches, vegetable, and soup products (1 to 4 y) follow. Aside from considerable losses in B and C vitamin content, nutritional value of most products was maintained throughout shelf life. Fortification of storage-labile vitamins was proposed as a countermeasure to ensure long-term nutritive value of these products. The use of nonthermal sterilization technologies was also recommended, as a means to improve initial quality of these products and extend their shelf life for use in long-duration missions. Data obtained also emphasize the importance of low temperature storage in maintaining product quality. Retort sterilized pouch products are garnering increased commercial acceptance, largely due to their improved convenience and quality over metal-canned products. Assessment of the long-term stability of these products with ambient storage can identify potential areas for

Long-term effects of an educational intervention on self-medication and appropriate drug use in single-sex secondary public schools, Quito, Ecuador

PubMed Central

Maldonado, Juan-Carlos; Meléndez, Sergio D; Figueras, Albert

2007-01-01

What is already known about this subject Self-medication is extensively practised in both developed and less-developed countries, sometimes inappropriately. Educational intervention in secondary schools has been proven to be useful. Most educational interventions in adolescent populations have focused on the reduction of addictive substance abuse. What this study adds Educational intervention can improve knowledge about self-medication and reduce misconceptions about diarrhoea, common cold and vitamins in an adolescent population. A specific lecture followed by small working-group seminars produces better results than a general lecture alone in terms of ‘knowledge’ and ‘attitude’. The positive effects of the intervention are detectable even 1 year later. Yearly reinforcing interventions while in secondary school would allow long-lasting effects. Aim Improving knowledge about rational drug use at an early age may be a good way to increase the population’s awareness of health, medicines and self-medication. We set out to evaluate the short- and long-term effects of an educational intervention to promote rational drug use and self-medication in secondary school students. Methods A non-randomized, controlled clinical trial. The participants were 367 female students (10–13 years old) from two secondary public schools of the metropolitan district of Quito (Ecuador). The educational campaign had two components [a specific lecture (intervention and control schools) and subsequent small working group seminars (intervention school)] providing short and clear messages of five topics related to rational drug use. The main outcome measures were an increase in ‘knowledge’ short term (1 month) and long term (up to 1 year) after intervention and the relative risk (RR) reduction in misconceptions or wrong ideas about medicine use. Results The intervention group showed a significant increase in knowledge both short and long term and in comparison with the control

Long-term effects of an educational intervention on self-medication and appropriate drug use in single-sex secondary public schools, Quito, Ecuador.

PubMed

Maldonado, Juan-Carlos; Meléndez, Sergio D; Figueras, Albert

2007-01-01

*Self-medication is extensively practised in both developed and less-developed countries, sometimes inappropriately. *Educational intervention in secondary schools has been proven to be useful. *Most educational interventions in adolescent populations have focused on the reduction of addictive substance abuse. *Educational intervention can improve knowledge about self-medication and reduce misconceptions about diarrhoea, common cold and vitamins in an adolescent population. *A specific lecture followed by small working-group seminars produces better results than a general lecture alone in terms of 'knowledge' and 'attitude'. *The positive effects of the intervention are detectable even 1 year later. Yearly reinforcing interventions while in secondary school would allow long-lasting effects. Improving knowledge about rational drug use at an early age may be a good way to increase the population's awareness of health, medicines and self-medication. We set out to evaluate the short- and long-term effects of an educational intervention to promote rational drug use and self-medication in secondary school students. A non-randomized, controlled clinical trial. The participants were 367 female students (10-13 years old) from two secondary public schools of the metropolitan district of Quito (Ecuador). The educational campaign had two components [a specific lecture (intervention and control schools) and subsequent small working group seminars (intervention school)] providing short and clear messages of five topics related to rational drug use. The main outcome measures were an increase in 'knowledge' short term (1 month) and long term (up to 1 year) after intervention and the relative risk (RR) reduction in misconceptions or wrong ideas about medicine use. The intervention group showed a significant increase in knowledge both short and long term and in comparison with the control group, mainly regarding oral rehydration salts preparation (+59.4%; P < 0.001), lack of

High-temperature solar receiver integrated with a short-term storage system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giovannelli, Ambra; Bashir, Muhammad Anser; Archilei, Erika Maria

2017-06-01

Small-Scale Concentrated Solar Power Plants could have a potential market for off-grid applications in rural contexts with limited access to the electrical grid and favorable environmental characteristics. Some Small-Scale plants have already been developed, like the 25-30 kWe Dish-Stirling engine. Other ones are under development as, for example, plants based on Parabolic Trough Collectors coupled with Organic Rankine Cycles. Furthermore, the technological progress achieved in the development of new small high-temperature solar receiver, makes possible the development of interesting systems based on Micro Gas Turbines coupled with Dish collectors. Such systems could have several advantages in terms of costs, reliability and availability if compared with Dish-Stirling plants. In addition, Dish-Micro Gas Turbine systems are expected to have higher performance than Solar Organic Rankine Cycle plants. The present work focuses the attention on some challenging aspects related to the design of small high-temperature solar receivers for Dish-Micro Gas Turbine systems. Natural fluctuations in the solar radiation can reduce system performance and damage seriously the Micro Gas Turbine. To stabilize the system operation, the solar receiver has to assure a proper thermal inertia. Therefore, a solar receiver integrated with a short-term storage system based on high-temperature phase-change materials is proposed in this paper. Steady-state and transient analyses (for thermal storage charge and discharge phases) have been carried out using the commercial CFD code Ansys-Fluent. Results are presented and discussed.

Effects of glucose metabolism pathways on sperm motility and oxidative status during long-term liquid storage of goat semen.

PubMed

Qiu, Jian-Hua; Li, You-Wei; Xie, Hong-Li; Li, Qing; Dong, Hai-Bo; Sun, Ming-Ju; Gao, Wei-Qiang; Tan, Jing-He

2016-08-01

Although great efforts were made to prolong the fertility of liquid-stored semen, limited improvements have been achieved in different species. Although it is expected that energy supply and the redox potential will play an essential role in sperm function, there are few reports on the impact of specific energy substrates on spermatozoa during liquid semen storage. Furthermore, although it is accepted that glucose metabolism through glycolysis provides energy, roles of pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) and tricarboxylic acid cycle remain to be unequivocally found in spermatozoa. We have studied the pathways by which spermatozoa metabolize glucose during long-term liquid storage of goat semen. The results indicated that among the substrates tested, glucose and pyruvate were better than lactate in maintaining goat sperm motility. Although both glycolysis and PPP were essential, PPP was more important than glycolysis to maintain sperm motility. Pentose phosphate pathway reduced oxidative stress and provided glycolysis with more intermediate products such as fructose-6-phosphate. Pyruvate entered goat spermatozoa through monocarboxylate transporters and was oxidized by the tricarboxylic acid cycle and electron transfer to sustain sperm motility. Long-term liquid semen storage can be used as a good model to study sperm glucose metabolism. The data are important for an optimal control of sperm survival during semen handling and preservation not only in the goat but also in other species. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Long-Term Preservation and Advanced Access Services to Archived Data: The Approach of a System Integrator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petitjean, Gilles; de Hauteclocque, Bertrand

2004-06-01

EADS Defence and Security Systems (EADS DS SA) have developed an expertise as integrator of archive management systems for both their commercial and defence customers (ESA, CNES, EC, EUMETSAT, French MOD, US DOD, etc.), especially in Earth Observation and in Meteorology fields.The concern of valuable data owners is both their long-term preservation but also the integration of the archive in their information system with in particular an efficient access to archived data for their user community. The system integrator answers to this requirement by a methodology combining understanding of user needs, exhaustive knowledge of the existing solutions both for hardware and software elements and development and integration ability. The system integrator completes the facility development by support activities.The long-term preservation of archived data obviously involves a pertinent selection of storage media and archive library. This selection relies on storage technology survey but the selection criteria depend on the analysis of the user needs. The system integrator will recommend the best compromise for implementing an archive management facility, thanks to its knowledge and its independence of storage market and through the analysis of the user requirements. He will provide a solution, which is able to evolve to take advantage of the storage technology progress.But preserving the data for long-term is not only a question of storage technology. Some functions are required to secure the archive management system against contingency situation: multiple data set copies using operational procedures, active quality control of the archived data, migration policy optimising the cost of ownership.

Frozen shoulder : long-term outcome following arthrographic distension.

PubMed

Clement, Rhys G E; Ray, Andrew G; Davidson, Colin; Robinson, C Mike; Perks, Fergus J

2013-08-01

Arthrographic distension of the glenohumeral joint was adopted as a mainstream treatment for frozen shoulder before any randomised controlled trials were performed. Interpretation of the effectiveness of this procedure rests mostly on data from cohort studies of which there are few of high quality. Papers reporting long-term results have either excluded diabetic patients or failed to report patient orientated outcomes. The authors present a long-term prospective cohort study of 51 patients (12 diabetics and 39 non-diabetics), with 53 frozen shoulders, who had an arthrographic distension performed by a single radiologist as a primary intervention. Oxford shoulder score (OSS), visual analogue pain score (VAS), and range of movement (ROM) were recorded pre-distension, at 2 days and 1 month post-distension. OSS and VAS were recorded again at a mean of 14 months post distension (range : 8-26 months). OSS improved from a pre-distension mean of 22.3 by 16.9 points at final follow-up (p < 0.001, 2 tailed paired samples t-test) whilst VAS improved from a mean pre-distension value of 7.1 by -3.5 (p < 0.001). ROM improved by a mean of 39.3 degrees in flexion, 55.2 degrees in abduction and 19.5 degrees in external rotation at one month (p < 0.001 for all). The outcome in diabetic patients was the same as in non-diabetic patients. Arthrographic distension is a safe and effective treatment for frozen shoulder; it is also effective in diabetic patients. It gives long-term improvement. The authors believe that the low number of patients requiring a secondary procedure makes arthrographic distension preferable to manipulation under anaesthesia.

[Cardiac surgery in octogenarian patients: evaluation of predictive factors of mortality, long-term outcome and quality of life].

PubMed

Viana-Tejedor, Ana; Domínguez, Francisco J; Moreno Yangüela, Mar; Moreno, Raúl; López de Sá, Esteban; Mesa, José M; López-Sendón, José

2008-10-04

Increasing life expectancy in Western countries in the last decades has resulted in a significant gradual increasing number of octogenarians referred for cardiac surgery. There is a need for a critical evaluation of the long-term surgical outcome and quality of life in the elderly. The aim of this study is to identify risk factors of mortality in octogenarians undergoing cardiac surgery and to assess the long term survival and quality of life. Data were reviewed on 150 patients aged over 80 years--mean age (standard deviation): 82.7 (2.5) years--who underwent cardiac surgery at our institution in the last 26 years. We analyzed clinical and epidemiological variables included in the European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation (euroSCORE), in-hospital morbidity and mortality, long term survival and quality of life after cardiac surgery. The 30-day mortality rate was 30.1%, with a mean hospital stay of 16.5 days (13-27). Emergent procedure, reparation of postinfarction ventricular ruptures, New York Heart Association functional class IV, chronic renal failure and previous myocardial infarction were independent predictors of in-hospital mortality. Mean follow up was 72.2 (9.9) months with survival rates of 87.3% and 57% at 1 and 5 years, respectively. Late postoperative quality of life in our 53 long-term survivors was significantly better than prior to surgery. New York Heart Association functional class improved from 2.52 to 1.48. Most survivors (97.7%) were satisfied with present quality of life Cardiac surgery in octogenarians is associated with increased in-hospital mortality rate and longer hospital stay. Our findings support that cardiac surgery can be performed in a selected elderly population with good long-term survival and quality of life.

Modeling framework for representing long-term effectiveness of best management practices in addressing hydrology and water quality problems: Framework development and demonstration using a Bayesian method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Yaoze; Engel, Bernard A.; Flanagan, Dennis C.; Gitau, Margaret W.; McMillan, Sara K.; Chaubey, Indrajeet; Singh, Shweta

2018-05-01

Best management practices (BMPs) are popular approaches used to improve hydrology and water quality. Uncertainties in BMP effectiveness over time may result in overestimating long-term efficiency in watershed planning strategies. To represent varying long-term BMP effectiveness in hydrologic/water quality models, a high level and forward-looking modeling framework was developed. The components in the framework consist of establishment period efficiency, starting efficiency, efficiency for each storm event, efficiency between maintenance, and efficiency over the life cycle. Combined, they represent long-term efficiency for a specific type of practice and specific environmental concern (runoff/pollutant). An approach for possible implementation of the framework was discussed. The long-term impacts of grass buffer strips (agricultural BMP) and bioretention systems (urban BMP) in reducing total phosphorus were simulated to demonstrate the framework. Data gaps were captured in estimating the long-term performance of the BMPs. A Bayesian method was used to match the simulated distribution of long-term BMP efficiencies with the observed distribution with the assumption that the observed data represented long-term BMP efficiencies. The simulated distribution matched the observed distribution well with only small total predictive uncertainties. With additional data, the same method can be used to further improve the simulation results. The modeling framework and results of this study, which can be adopted in hydrologic/water quality models to better represent long-term BMP effectiveness, can help improve decision support systems for creating long-term stormwater management strategies for watershed management projects.

Long term storage in liquid nitrogen leads to only minor phenotypic and gene expression changes in the mammary carcinoma model cell line BT474.

PubMed

Fazekas, Judit; Grunt, Thomas W; Jensen-Jarolim, Erika; Singer, Josef

2017-05-23

Cancer cell lines are indispensible surrogate models in cancer research, as they can be used off-the-shelf, expanded to the desired extent, easily modified and exchanged between research groups for affirmation, reproduction or follow-up experiments.As malignant cells are prone to genomic instability, phenotypical changes may occur after certain passages in culture. Thus, cell lines have to be regularly authenticated to ensure data quality. In between experiments these cell lines are often stored in liquid nitrogen for extended time periods.Although freezing of cells is a necessary evil, little research is performed on how long-term storage affects cancer cell lines. Therefore, this study investigated the effects of a 28-year long liquid nitrogen storage period on BT474 cells with regard to phenotypical changes, differences in cell-surface receptor expression as well as cytokine and gene expressional variations. Two batches of BT474 cells, one frozen in 1986, the other directly purchased from ATCC were investigated by light microscopy, cell growth analysis, flow cytometry and cytokine as well as whole-transcriptome expression profiling. The cell lines were morphologically indifferent and showed similar growth rates and similar cell-surface receptor expression. Transcriptome analysis revealed significant differences in only 26 of 40,716 investigated RefSeq transcripts with 4 of them being up-regulated and 22 down-regulated. This study demonstrates that even after very long periods of storage in liquid nitrogen, cancer cell lines display only minimal changes in their gene expression profiles. However, also such minor changes should be carefully assessed before continuation of experiments, especially if phenotypic alterations can be additionally observed.

Long-term intensive management increased carbon occluded in phytolith (PhytOC) in bamboo forest soils

PubMed Central

Huang, Zhang-ting; Li, Yong-fu; Jiang, Pei-kun; Chang, Scott X.; Song, Zhao-liang; Liu, Juan; Zhou, Guo-mo

2014-01-01

Carbon (C) occluded in phytolith (PhytOC) is highly stable at millennium scale and its accumulation in soils can help increase long-term C sequestration. Here, we report that soil PhytOC storage significantly increased with increasing duration under intensive management (mulching and fertilization) in Lei bamboo (Phyllostachys praecox) plantations. The PhytOC storage in 0–40 cm soil layer in bamboo plantations increased by 217 Mg C ha−1, 20 years after being converted from paddy fields. The PhytOC accumulated at 79 kg C ha−1 yr−1, a rate far exceeding the global mean long-term soil C accumulation rate of 24 kg C ha−1 yr−1 reported in the literature. Approximately 86% of the increased PhytOC came from the large amount of mulch applied. Our data clearly demonstrate the decadal scale management effect on PhytOC accumulation, suggesting that heavy mulching is a potential method for increasing long-term organic C storage in soils for mitigating global climate change. PMID:24398703

Effect of high pressure treatment on microbiological quality of Indian white prawn (Fenneropenaeus indicus) during chilled storage.

PubMed

Ginson, J; Panda, Satyen Kumar; Bindu, J; Kamalakanth, C K; Srinivasa Gopal, T K

2015-04-01

High pressure treatment of 250 MPa for 6 min at 25 °C was applied to headless Indian white prawn (Fenneropenaeus indicus) to evaluate changes in microbiological characteristics of the species during chilled storage. Changes in load of mesophilic bacteria, psychrotrophic bacteria, proteolytic bacteria, Enterobacteriaceae, Pseudomonas spp., H2S producing bacteria, lactic acid bacteria, Brochothrix thermosphacta and yeast & mold were estimated in pressurized and un-pressurized samples during chilled storage. All microbes were reduced significantly after high pressure treatment and there was significant difference in microbial quality of control and high pressure treated samples in the entire duration of chilled storage (p < 0.05). There was delay in the growth of Enterobacteriaceae and H2S producing bacteria up to 6th and 9th day of storage, respectively in high pressure treated samples. In high pressure treated sample, no lag phase (λ) was observed for psychrotrophic bacteria, H2S producing bacteria, B. thermosphacta, Pseudomonas spp. and lactic acid bacteria; however, other bacteria showed a reduced lag phase during chilled storage. Kinetic parameter such as specific growth rate (μmax) in high pressure treated samples was significantly reduced in most of the bacterial groups except for psychrotrophic bacteria, Enterobacteriaceae and lactic acid bacteria. Mesophilic bacterial count of control samples crossed the marginal limit of acceptability on 12th day and unacceptable limit on 18th day of storage, whereas high pressure treated samples never breached the acceptability limit during entire duration of chilled storage. The present study indicated that application of high pressure processing can be used to improve microbial quality of Indian white prawn and extend the chilled storage life. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Metabolic Changes during Storage of Brassica napus Seeds under Moist Conditions and the Consequences for the Sensory Quality of the Resulting Virgin Oil.

PubMed

Bonte, Anja; Schweiger, Rabea; Pons, Caroline; Wagner, Claudia; Brühl, Ludger; Matthäus, Bertrand; Müller, Caroline

2017-12-20

Virgin rapeseed (Brassica napus) oil is a valuable niche product, if delivered with a high quality. In this study, the effects of moist storage of B. napus seeds for 1 to 4 days on the seed metabolome and the chemo-sensory properties of the produced oils were determined. The concentrations of several primary metabolites, including monosaccharides and amino acids, rapidly increased in the seeds, probably indicating the breakdown of storage compounds to support seed germination. Seed concentrations of indole glucosinolates increased with a slight time offset suggesting that amino acids may be used to modify secondary metabolism. The volatile profiles of the oils were pronouncedly influenced by moist seed storage, with the sensory quality of the oils decreasing. This study provides a direct time-resolved link between seed metabolism under moist conditions and the quality of the resulting oils, thereby emphasizing the crucial role of dry seed storage in ensuring high oil quality.

An overview of potential labor-saving and quality-improving innovations in long-term care for older people.

PubMed

Thoma-Lürken, Theresa; Bleijlevens, Michel H C; Lexis, Monique A S; Hamers, Jan P H; de Witte, Luc P

2015-06-01

Increasing demands in long-term care for older people and a decrease in workforce availability can be expected in the future. These developments challenge the sustainability and quality of long-term care for older people. To address these challenges, long-term care organizations are forced to innovate. The aim of this study is to provide an overview of potential labor-saving and quality-improving innovations long-term care organizations are working on and to assess the self-reported extent of effectiveness. This is a descriptive cross-sectional study. In total, 32 long-term care organizations in the region of Limburg in The Netherlands were invited to participate in the study. The inventory was performed by means of semistructured interviews with chief executive officers, managers, and staff members of the long-term care organizations. Based on the interview data, all innovations were described in a standardized form and subsequently checked by the participants. All innovations were clustered into product, process, organizational, and marketing innovations. In total, 26 long-term care organizations delivering home and/or institutional long-term care for older people participated in the study. Overall, 228 innovations were identified; some innovations were described in a similar way by different organizations. The majority of innovations were product innovations (n = 96), followed by organizational innovations (n = 75), and process innovations (n = 42). In addition to the main types, 15 other innovations incorporating characteristics of different types of innovations were detected. Little evidence about the effectiveness of the innovations was reported by the organizations. This study shows that a large number and a broad variety of innovations have been implemented or are currently being developed in long-term care organizations for older people. However, according to the organizations, there is relatively little (scientific) evidence confirming the effectiveness

Long story short: an introduction to the short-term and long-term Six Sigma quality and its importance in the laboratory medicine for the management of extra-analytical processes.

PubMed

Ialongo, Cristiano; Bernardini, Sergio

2018-06-18

There is a compelling need for quality tools that enable effective control of the extra-analytical phase. In this regard, Six Sigma seems to offer a valid methodological and conceptual opportunity, and in recent times, the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine has adopted it for indicating the performance requirements for non-analytical laboratory processes. However, the Six Sigma implies a distinction between short-term and long-term quality that is based on the dynamics of the processes. These concepts are still not widespread and applied in the field of laboratory medicine although they are of fundamental importance to exploit the full potential of this methodology. This paper reviews the Six Sigma quality concepts and shows how they originated from Shewhart's control charts, in respect of which they are not an alternative but a completion. It also discusses the dynamic nature of process and how it arises, concerning particularly the long-term dynamic mean variation, and explains why this leads to the fundamental distinction of quality we previously mentioned.

A study to assess the long-term stability of the ionization chamber reference system in the LNMRI

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trindade Filho, O. L.; Conceição, D. A.; da Silva, C. J.; Delgado, J. U.; de Oliveira, A. E.; Iwahara, A.; Tauhata, L.

2018-03-01

Ionization chambers are used as secondary standard in order to maintain the calibration factors of radionuclides in the activity measurements in metrology laboratories. Used as radionuclide calibrator in nuclear medicine clinics to control dose in patients, its long-term performance is not evaluated systematically. A methodology for long-term evaluation for its stability is monitored and checked. Historical data produced monthly of 2012 until 2017, by an ionization chamber, electrometer and 226Ra, were analyzed via control chart, aiming to follow the long-term performance. Monitoring systematic errors were consistent within the limits of control, demonstrating the quality of measurements in compliance with ISO17025.

Short and long term improvements in quality of chronic care delivery predict program sustainability.

PubMed

Cramm, Jane Murray; Nieboer, Anna Petra

2014-01-01

Empirical evidence on sustainability of programs that improve the quality of care delivery over time is lacking. Therefore, this study aims to identify the predictive role of short and long term improvements in quality of chronic care delivery on program sustainability. In this longitudinal study, professionals [2010 (T0): n=218, 55% response rate; 2011 (T1): n=300, 68% response rate; 2012 (T2): n=265, 63% response rate] from 22 Dutch disease-management programs completed surveys assessing quality of care and program sustainability. Our study findings indicated that quality of chronic care delivery improved significantly in the first 2 years after implementation of the disease-management programs. At T1, overall quality, self-management support, delivery system design, and integration of chronic care components, as well as health care delivery and clinical information systems and decision support, had improved. At T2, overall quality again improved significantly, as did community linkages, delivery system design, clinical information systems, decision support and integration of chronic care components, and self-management support. Multilevel regression analysis revealed that quality of chronic care delivery at T0 (p<0.001) and quality changes in the first (p<0.001) and second (p<0.01) years predicted program sustainability. In conclusion this study showed that disease-management programs based on the chronic care model improved the quality of chronic care delivery over time and that short and long term changes in the quality of chronic care delivery predicted the sustainability of the projects. Copyright © 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Short-term memory and long-term memory are still different.

PubMed

Norris, Dennis

2017-09-01

A commonly expressed view is that short-term memory (STM) is nothing more than activated long-term memory. If true, this would overturn a central tenet of cognitive psychology-the idea that there are functionally and neurobiologically distinct short- and long-term stores. Here I present an updated case for a separation between short- and long-term stores, focusing on the computational demands placed on any STM system. STM must support memory for previously unencountered information, the storage of multiple tokens of the same type, and variable binding. None of these can be achieved simply by activating long-term memory. For example, even a simple sequence of digits such as "1, 3, 1" where there are 2 tokens of the digit "1" cannot be stored in the correct order simply by activating the representations of the digits "1" and "3" in LTM. I also review recent neuroimaging data that has been presented as evidence that STM is activated LTM and show that these data are exactly what one would expect to see based on a conventional 2-store view. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Short-Term Memory and Long-Term Memory are Still Different

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

A commonly expressed view is that short-term memory (STM) is nothing more than activated long-term memory. If true, this would overturn a central tenet of cognitive psychology—the idea that there are functionally and neurobiologically distinct short- and long-term stores. Here I present an updated case for a separation between short- and long-term stores, focusing on the computational demands placed on any STM system. STM must support memory for previously unencountered information, the storage of multiple tokens of the same type, and variable binding. None of these can be achieved simply by activating long-term memory. For example, even a simple sequence of digits such as “1, 3, 1” where there are 2 tokens of the digit “1” cannot be stored in the correct order simply by activating the representations of the digits “1” and “3” in LTM. I also review recent neuroimaging data that has been presented as evidence that STM is activated LTM and show that these data are exactly what one would expect to see based on a conventional 2-store view. PMID:28530428

Storms do not alter long-term watershed development influences on coastal water quality.

PubMed

Chen, Yushun; Cebrian, Just; Lehrter, John; Christiaen, Bart; Stutes, Jason; Goff, Josh

2017-09-15

A twelve year (2000-2011) study of three coastal lagoons in the Gulf of Mexico was conducted to assess the impacts of local watershed development and tropical storms on water quality. The lagoons have similar physical and hydrological characteristics, but differ substantially in the degree of watershed urban development and nutrient loading rates. In total the lagoons experienced 22 storm events during the period studied. Specifically, we examine (1) whether there are influences on water quality in the lagoons from watershed development, (2) whether there are influences on water quality in the lagoons from storm activity, and (3) whether water quality is affected to a greater degree by watershed development versus storm activity. The two urbanized lagoons typically showed higher water-column nitrate, dissolved organic nitrogen, and phosphate compared with the non-urbanized lagoon. One of the urbanized lagoons had higher water-column chlorophyll a concentrations than the other two lagoons on most sampling dates, and higher light extinction coefficients on some sampling dates. The non-urbanized lagoon had higher water-column dissolved oxygen concentrations than other lagoons on many sampling dates. Our results suggest long-term influences of watershed development on coastal water quality. We also found some evidence of significant storm effects on water quality, such as increased nitrate, phosphate, and dissolved oxygen, and decreased salinity and water temperature. However, the influences of watershed development on water quality were greater. These results suggest that changes in water quality induced by human watershed development pervade despite the storm effects. These findings may be useful for environmental management since they suggest that storms do not profoundly alter long-term changes in water quality that resulted from human development of watersheds. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Post-fire Water Quality in the Western United States: Understanding and Predicting Short and Long-term Response

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hogue, T. S.; Rust, A.

2016-12-01

Fire frequency is increasing across mid-elevation forests, especially in the Northern Rockies, Sierra Nevada, southern Cascades, as well as the coastal ranges in California and southern Oregon. Numerous studies have noted increased discharge, floods and debris flows after wildfire. More recent work also shows increased water yield during dry seasons for up to ten years post-fire. However, few studies have evaluated long-term water quality response in fire-impacted watersheds. The current presentation will overview recent development of an extensive database on post-fire water quality response across the western U.S. A range of water quality parameters were gathered from 271 burned watersheds through local, state and federal agencies. Short and long-term response was evaluated for watersheds with at least 5 years of pre-fire data. Over 30 watersheds showed significant increases in NO3-, NO2-, NH3, and total nitrogen loading in the initial five years after fire and remained elevated ten years after fire. The burn severity influenced the degree of nitrogen response, where more severely burned watersheds showed higher nitrogen loading than less severely burned watersheds. Dissolved and total phosphorous showed significant increases in 32 watersheds for the first five years after fire. Dissolved ions such as calcium, magnesium, and chloride were also exported from over 32 watersheds, primarily during the first five years after fire, with the majority of impacted watersheds returning to pre-fire water quality conditions after ten years. Ongoing work includes evaluating key determinants that drive short and long-term response and developing predictive models for post-fire water quality. Watersheds impacted by wildfire are known to pose significant risks for downstream communities. Understanding short and long-term water quality change that can impact regional water supplies is critical for establishing potential treatment priorities and alternative source planning.

Polycarbonates: a long-term highly sensitive radon monitor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pressyanov, D.; Buysse, J.; Poffijn, A.; Meesen, G.; Van Deynse, A.

2000-06-01

An approach for long-term (either retrospective or prospective) 222Rn measurements is proposed that is based on the combination of the high radon absorption ability of some polycarbonates with their alpha track-etch properties. The detection limit is projected to be <10 Bq m -3 for an exposure time of 20 yr.

Simulation of Mechanical Processes in Gas Storage Caverns for Short-Term Energy Storage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Böttcher, Norbert; Nagel, Thomas; Kolditz, Olaf

2015-04-01

In recent years, Germany's energy management has started to be transferred from fossil fuels to renewable and sustainable energy carriers. Renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power are subjected by fluctuations, thus the development and extension of energy storage capacities is a priority in German R&D programs. This work is a part of the ANGUS+ Project, funded by the federal ministry of education and research, which investigates the influence of subsurface energy storage on the underground. The utilization of subsurface salt caverns as a long-term storage reservoir for fossil fuels is a common method, since the construction of caverns in salt rock is inexpensive in comparison to solid rock formations due to solution mining. Another advantage of evaporate as host material is the self-healing behaviour of salt rock, thus the cavity can be assumed to be impermeable. In the framework of short-term energy storage (hours to days), caverns can be used as gas storage reservoirs for natural or artificial fuel gases, such as hydrogen, methane, or compressed air, where the operation pressures inside the caverns will fluctuate more frequently. This work investigates the influence of changing operation pressures at high frequencies on the stability of the host rock of gas storage caverns utilizing numerical models. Therefore, we developed a coupled Thermo-Hydro-Mechanical (THM) model based on the finite element method utilizing the open-source software platform OpenGeoSys. The salt behaviour is described by well-known constitutive material models which are capable of predicting creep, self-healing, and dilatancy processes. Our simulations include the thermodynamic behaviour of gas storage process, temperature development and distribution on the cavern boundary, the deformation of the cavern geometry, and the prediction of the dilatancy zone. Based on the numerical results, optimal operation modes can be found for individual caverns, so the risk of host rock damage

Health-related quality of life in long-term survivors of unresectable locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

PubMed

Ran, Juntao; Wang, Jingbo; Bi, Nan; Jiang, Wei; Zhou, Zongmei; Hui, Zhouguang; Liang, Jun; Feng, Qinfu; Wang, Luhua

2017-12-02

Heath-related quality of life (HRQoL) among survivors with unresectable locally-advanced non-small cell lung cancer (LA-NSCLC) treated with radiotherapy and chemotherapy still is not clear. The current study were performed to determine HRQoL for long-term survivors with unresectable LA-NSCLC and to identify risk factors for poor HRQoL. Among patients with LA-NSCLC receiving radiotherapy and chemotherapy between January 2006 and December 2010, 82 long-term survivors beyond 5 years were identified in this cross-sectional study. The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ)-C30 and the lung cancer-specific questionnaire QLQ-LC13 were employed to gather information on HRQoL. HRQoL scores were compared between different subgroups to analyze factors related to HRQoL. Fifty-five out of 82 (67%) long-term survivors completed the HRQoL survey. They reported a mild reduction in global health status and physical and emotional functioning. Fatigue, dyspnea, coughing, and financial difficulties ranked the highest scores in the symptom scales. Analysis of risk factors for HRQoL showed age, exercise, smoking status, and treatment regimen were associated with global health status and functional scores, while age, gender, radiation pneumonitis, weight loss, and exercise were associated with symptom scores. This study provides the first description of the HRQoL of long-term LA-NSCLC survivors receiving radiotherapy and chemotherapy who may experience a relatively high HRQoL. Factors related to poorer HRQoL are potential targets for intervention.

Long-term nitrogen regulation of forest carbon sequestration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Y.; Luo, Y.

2009-12-01

It is well established that nitrogen (N) limits plant production but unclear how N regulates long-term terrestrial carbon (C) sequestration in response to rising atmospheric C dioxide (CO2)(Luo et al., 2004). Most experimental evidence on C-N interactions is primarily derived from short-term CO2 manipulative studies (e.g. Oren et al., 2001; Reich et al., 2006a), which abruptly increase C inputs into ecosystems and N demand from soil while atmospheric CO2 concentration in the real world is gradually increasing over time (Luo & Reynolds, 1999). It is essential to examine long-term N regulations of C sequestration in natural ecosystems. Here we present results of a synthesis of more than 100 studies on long-term C-N interactions during secondary succession. C significantly accumulates in plant, litter and forest floor in most studies, and in mineral soil in one-third studies during stand development. Substantial increases in C stock are tightly coupled with N accretion. The C: N ratio in plant increases with stand age in most cases, but remains relatively constant in litter, forest floor and mineral soil. Our results suggest that natural ecosystems could have the intrinsic capacity to maintain long-term C sequestration through external N accrual, high N use efficiency, and efficient internal N cycling.

Self-Reported Physical Quality of Life Before Thoracic Operations Is Associated With Long-Term Survival.

PubMed

Al-Ameri, Mamdoh; Bergman, Per; Franco-Cereceda, Anders; Sartipy, Ulrik

2017-02-01

The aim was to analyze the association between baseline self-reported health-related quality of life and long-term survival after thoracic operations. In a prospective population-based cohort study, we included patients scheduled for thoracic operations and obtained information about preoperative health-related quality of life using the validated quality-of-life instrument Short Form-36. Patients were categorized according to higher or lower physical and mental component scores, compared with an age- and sex-matched reference population. The primary outcome measure was all-cause mortality and was ascertained from Swedish national registers. We used Cox regression for estimation of hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association between preoperative physical/mental quality of life and long-term survival while adjusting for differences in baseline characteristics, cancer stage, histopathologic process, and other factors. We included 249 patients between 2006 and 2008. During a median follow-up time of 8.0 years, 119 patients (48%) died. Having a physical component summary score less than reference was significantly associated with mortality (multivariable adjusted HR 2.02, 95% CI: 1.34 to 3.06, p = 0.001). A mental component summary score less than reference was not associated with mortality (adjusted HR 1.32, 95% CI: 0.84 to 3.06, p = 0.233). In patients who underwent thoracic operations, a self-reported physical quality of life lower than reference value was associated with significantly worse survival independent of histopathologic process, cancer stage, extent of operations, and other patient-related factors. The preoperative mental component of quality of life was not associated with long-term survival. Copyright © 2017 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Early Childhood Education: The Long-Term Benefits

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bakken, Linda; Brown, Nola; Downing, Barry

2017-01-01

This study was designed to substantiate the positive, long-term outcomes demonstrated by children from economically disadvantaged homes who received a high-quality, early education. Children who attended The Opportunity Project (TOP) Early Learning Centers in a midwestern city in the United States were matched with a like control sample from a…

Long-Term Care: Common Issues and Unknowns

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swartz, Katherine; Miake, Naoko; Farag, Nadine

2012-01-01

All industrialized countries are grappling with a common problem--how to provide assistance of various kinds to their rapidly aging populations. The problem for countries searching for models of efficient and high-quality long-term care (LTC) policies is that fewer than a dozen countries have government-organized, formal LTC policies. Relatively…

The impact of cancer and quality of life among long-term survivors of breast cancer in Austria.

PubMed

Bouskill, Kathryn; Kramer, Michael

2016-11-01

This study explores the relationship between the perceived impact of cancer among long-term breast cancer survivors, sociodemographic and clinical variables, and mental and physical health-related quality of life outcomes in Austria. One hundred and fifty-two long-term survivors of breast cancer (on average 13 years after initial diagnosis) completed three mailed surveys, including the Short Form-36 (SF-36), the Impact of Cancer (version 2) to assess the perceived positive and negative aspects of cancer survivorship, and a general sociodemographic and clinical questionnaire. Linear regression models were constructed to determine the effects of the perceived positive and negative impact of cancer on mental and physical health-related quality of life. Respondents reported a physical health status that centered on population norms for Austria, but scored lower on mental health status. After controlling for age, chemotherapy, exercise, and BMI, the positive impact of cancer was associated with improved physical functioning (p = 0.0014) and the negative impact of cancer was associated with poorer physical functioning (p < 0.0001). After controlling for age, marital status, the belief in emotional distress as a cause of cancer, and high stress levels, the negative impact of cancer was associated with poorer mental functioning (p < 0.0001). Higher perceived positive impact of cancer was not associated with improved mental functioning. Long-term survivors of breast cancer in Austria perceive both positive and negative impacts of breast cancer. These perceptions, in particular the negative impact of cancer, appear to influence, or are potentially influenced by, physical and mental health-related quality of life.

Pneumothorax Secondary to Septic Pulmonary Emboli in a Long-term Hemodialysis Patient with Psoas Abscess.

PubMed

Okabe, Masahiro; Kasai, Kenji; Yokoo, Takashi

2017-12-01

Pneumothorax secondary to septic pulmonary embolism (SPE) is rare but life-threatening. We herein report a long-term hemodialysis patient with psoas abscess caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, associated with other muscle and splenic abscesses and SPE. Intravenous vancomycin treatment and percutaneous drainage of the psoas abscess rapidly improved her condition. However, the SPE lesions continued to increase, and right-sided pneumothorax occurred 10 days after treatment. The pneumothorax resolved after two months and SPE and all abscesses after four months of treatment. Since late-onset pneumothorax caused by SPE can occur despite successful treatment of the primary infection, care should be taken with such patients.

Haloperidol for long-term aggression in psychosis.

PubMed

Khushu, Abha; Powney, Melanie J

2016-11-27

Psychotic disorders can lead some people to become agitated. Characterised by restlessness, excitability and irritability, this can result in verbal and physically aggressive behaviour - and both can be prolonged. Aggression within the psychiatric setting imposes a significant challenge to clinicians and risk to service users; it is a frequent cause for admission to inpatient facilities. If people continue to be aggressive it can lengthen hospitalisation. Haloperidol is used to treat people with long-term aggression. To examine whether haloperidol alone, administered orally, intramuscularly or intravenously, is an effective treatment for long-term/persistent aggression in psychosis. We searched the Cochrane Schizophrenia Group Trials Register (July 2011 and April 2015). We included randomised controlled trials (RCT) or double blind trials (implying randomisation) with useable data comparing haloperidol with another drug or placebo for people with psychosis and long-term/persistent aggression. One review author (AK) extracted data. For dichotomous data, one review author (AK) calculated risk ratios (RR) and their 95% confidence intervals (CI) on an intention-to-treat basis based on a fixed-effect model. One review author (AK) assessed risk of bias for included studies and created a 'Summary of findings' table using GRADE. We have no good-quality evidence of the absolute effectiveness of haloperidol for people with long-term aggression. One study randomising 110 chronically aggressive people to three different antipsychotic drugs met the inclusion criteria. When haloperidol was compared with olanzapine or clozapine, skewed data (n=83) at high risk of bias suggested some advantage in terms of scale scores of unclear clinical meaning for olanzapine/clozapine for 'total aggression'. Data were available for only one other outcome, leaving the study early. When compared with other antipsychotic drugs, people allocated to haloperidol were no more likely to leave the study

Educational Level and Long-term Mortality in Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction.

PubMed

Consuegra-Sánchez, Luciano; Melgarejo-Moreno, Antonio; Galcerá-Tomás, José; Alonso-Fernández, Nuria; Díaz-Pastor, Ángela; Escudero-García, Germán; Jaulent-Huertas, Leticia; Vicente-Gilabert, Marta

2015-11-01

The value of socioeconomic status as a prognostic marker in acute myocardial infarction is controversial. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of educational level, as a marker of socioeconomic status, on the prognosis of long-term survival after acute myocardial infarction. We conducted a prospective, observational study of 5797 patients admitted to hospital with acute myocardial infarction. We studied long-term all-cause mortality (median 8.5 years) using adjusted regression models. We found that 73.1% of patients had primary school education (n=4240), 14.5% had secondary school education (including high school) (n=843), 7.0% was illiterate (n=407), and 5.3% had higher education (n=307). Patients with secondary school or higher education were significantly younger, more were male, and they had fewer risk factors and comorbidity. These patients arrived sooner at hospital and had less severe heart failure. During admission they received more reperfusion therapy and their crude mortality was lower. Their drug treatment in hospital and at discharge followed guideline recommendations more closely. On multivariate analysis, secondary school or higher education was an independent predictor and protective factor for long-term mortality (hazard ratio=0.85; 95% confidence interval, 0.74-0.98). Our study shows an inverse and independent relationship between educational level and long-term mortality in patients with acute myocardial infarction. Copyright © 2014 Sociedad Española de Cardiología. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Long-term Functional Recovery and Quality of Life after Surgical Treatment of Putaminal Hemorrhages.

PubMed

Last, Jasmin; Perrech, Moritz; Denizci, Cemile; Dorn, Franziska; Kessler, Josef; Seibl-Leven, Matthias; Reiner, Michael; Ruge, Maximilian I; Goldbrunner, Roland H; Grau, Stefan

2015-05-01

To evaluate the long-term functional recovery and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in patients after surgically treated putaminal hemorrhages. Surgery for putaminal hemorrhages remains a controversial issue. Although numerous reports describe conflictive results regarding short-term outcome of surgically treated patients, very little is known about their long-term recovery and their HRQOL. In this monocentric, retrospective study we analyzed mortality, long-term functional outcome, activity of daily life status, and HRQOL undergoing craniotomy for hematoma evacuation between December 2004 and January 2011. Forty-nine consecutive patients were identified with 8 (16.3%) patients dying during acute care. Forty-one patients surviving acute phase were transferred to neurologic rehabilitation hospitals. One patient was lost to follow-up. Median follow-up was 52.9 (17-101) months. At follow-up, 24 of 40 (60%) patients still were alive with 16 of 40 (40%) patients living with major disability (modified Rankin Scale [mRS], 4 or 5). Seven patients (17.5%) showed a mRS lesser than or equal to 3 with only 3 (7.5%) of those living functionally independent (mRS, 0-2). HRQOL in survivors was reduced with a median DEMQOL/DEMQOL (a patient/caregiver reported outcome measure designed to assess health-related quality of life of people with dementia) proxy score of 92 and 93, respectively. All patients showed severe impairment in activities of daily life. This is the first long-term follow-up analysis for patients with surgically treated putaminal hemorrhages. Survivors show only marginal recovery despite intensive neurologic rehabilitation; most remain dependent with a reduced HRQOL and significantly impaired activities of daily life status. Copyright © 2015 National Stroke Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Quantitative analysis of genomic DNA degradation in whole blood under various storage conditions for molecular diagnostic testing.

PubMed

Permenter, Jessalyn; Ishwar, Arjun; Rounsavall, Angie; Smith, Maddie; Faske, Jennifer; Sailey, Charles J; Alfaro, Maria P

2015-12-01

Proper storage of whole blood is crucial for isolating nucleic acids from leukocytes and to ensure adequate performance of downstream assays in the molecular diagnostic laboratory. Short-term and long-term storage recommendations are lacking for successful isolation of genomic DNA (gDNA). Container type (EDTA or heparin), temperature (4 °C and room temperature) and time (1-130 days) were assessed as criterion for sample acceptance policies. The percentage of integrated area (%Ti) between 150 and 10,000 bp from the 2200 TapeStation electropherogram was calculated to measure gDNA degradation. Refrigerated EDTA samples yielded gDNA with low %Ti (high quality). Heparinized samples stored at room temperature yielded gDNA of worst quality. Downstream analysis demonstrated that the quality of the gDNA correlated with the quality of the data; samples with high %Ti generated significantly lower levels of high molecular weight amplicons. Recommendations from these analyses include storing blood samples intended for nucleic acid isolation in EDTA tubes at 4 °C for long term storage (>10 days). gDNA should be extracted within 3 days when blood is stored at room temperature regardless of the container. Finally, refrigerated heparinized samples should not be stored longer than 9 days if expecting high quality gDNA isolates. Laboratories should consider many factors, in addition to the results obtained herein, to update their policies for sample acceptance for gDNA extraction intended for molecular genetic testing. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Long-Term Survival, Quality of Life, and Quality-Adjusted Survival in Critically Ill Patients With Cancer.

PubMed

Normilio-Silva, Karina; de Figueiredo, Adelaide Cristina; Pedroso-de-Lima, Antonio Carlos; Tunes-da-Silva, Gisela; Nunes da Silva, Adriana; Delgado Dias Levites, Andresa; de-Simone, Ana Tereza; Lopes Safra, Patrícia; Zancani, Roberta; Tonini, Paula Camilla; Vasconcelos de Andrade E Silva, Ulysses; Buosi Silva, Thiago; Martins Giorgi, Juliana; Eluf-Neto, José; Costa, Anderson; Abrahão Hajjar, Ludhmila; Biasi Cavalcanti, Alexandre

2016-07-01

To assess the long-term survival, health-related quality of life, and quality-adjusted life years of cancer patients admitted to ICUs. Prospective cohort. Two cancer specialized ICUs in Brazil. A total of 792 participants. None. The health-related quality of life before ICU admission; at 15 days; and at 3, 6, 12, and 18 months was assessed with the EQ-5D-3L. In addition, the vital status was assessed at 24 months. The mean age of the subjects was 61.6 ± 14.3 years, 42.5% were female subjects and half were admitted after elective surgery. The mean Simplified Acute Physiology Score 3 was 47.4 ± 15.6. Survival at 12 and 18 months was 42.4% and 38.1%, respectively. The mean EQ-5D-3L utility measure before admission to the ICU was 0.47 ± 0.43, at 15 days it was 0.41 ± 0.44, at 90 days 0.56 ± 0.42, at 6 months 0.60 ± 0.41, at 12 months 0.67 ± 0.35, and at 18 months 0.67 ± 0.35. The probabilities for attaining 12 and 18 months of quality-adjusted survival were 30.1% and 19.1%, respectively. There were statistically significant differences in survival time and quality-adjusted life years according to all assessed baseline characteristics (ICU admission after elective surgery, emergency surgery, or medical admission; Simplified Acute Physiology Score 3; cancer extension; cancer status; previous surgery; previous chemotherapy; previous radiotherapy; performance status; and previous health-related quality of life). Only the previous health-related quality of life and performance status were associated with the health-related quality of life during the 18-month follow-up. Long-term survival, health-related quality of life, and quality-adjusted life year expectancy of cancer patients admitted to the ICU are limited. Nevertheless, these clinical outcomes exhibit wide variability among patients and are associated with simple characteristics present at the time of ICU admission, which may help healthcare professionals estimate patients

High-performance mass storage system for workstations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chiang, T.; Tang, Y.; Gupta, L.; Cooperman, S.

1993-01-01

media, and the tapes are used as backup media. The storage system is managed by the IEEE mass storage reference model-based UniTree software package. UniTree software will keep track of all files in the system, will automatically migrate the lesser used files to archive media, and will stage the files when needed by the system. The user can access the files without knowledge of their physical location. The high-performance mass storage system developed by Loral AeroSys will significantly boost the system I/O performance and reduce the overall data storage cost. This storage system provides a highly flexible and cost-effective architecture for a variety of applications (e.g., realtime data acquisition with a signal and image processing requirement, long-term data archiving and distribution, and image analysis and enhancement).

Development of a separate tank with an electrolysis-dependent bacteria controlling system for the long term storage of potable water.

PubMed

Ishizuka, Akinori; Tanji, Masataka; Hayashi, Nobuatsu; Wakabayashi, Akihiro; Tatsumoto, Hideki; Hotta, Kunimoto

2006-12-01

For the long term storage of tap water, we developed a separate type of tank (5 m3) equipped with an electrolysis system to control bacterial growth. The electrolysis conditions using 20A direct current and a water flow rate of 10 L/min were capable of producing available chlorine (AC) at the rate of 5-8mg/min and raising the AC level of the stored tap water by about 0.2 mg/kg within 20-30 min The electrolyzed tap water with 0.2 mg/kg AC showed a capability per ml of killing 10(5)-10(6) cfu of bacteria such as Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa within 15 sec. A 6-month trial operation of the storage system with an automatic electrolysis control to keep AC level ranging 0.2-0.4 mg/kg demonstrated that the system worked well for the stored tap water in suppressing bacterial growth as well as in keeping good potable quality with reference to the 46 parameters specified for Japanese tap water. Actually, the electrolysis treatment was administered intermittently with an interval of about two weeks. Thus we believe the developed system has good potential to secure a potable water supply not only in the occasion of emergencies but also in countries having problems in the supply of safe drinking water.

Short- and long-term memory contributions to immediate serial recognition: evidence from serial position effects.

PubMed

Purser, Harry; Jarrold, Christopher

2010-04-01

A long-standing body of research supports the existence of separable short- and long-term memory systems, relying on phonological and semantic codes, respectively. The aim of the current study was to measure the contribution of long-term knowledge to short-term memory performance by looking for evidence of phonologically and semantically coded storage within a short-term recognition task, among developmental samples. Each experimental trial presented 4-item lists. In Experiment 1 typically developing children aged 5 to 6 years old showed evidence of phonologically coded storage across all 4 serial positions, but evidence of semantically coded storage at Serial Positions 1 and 2. In a further experiment, a group of individuals with Down syndrome was investigated as a test case that might be expected to use semantic coding to support short-term storage, but these participants showed no evidence of semantically coded storage and evidenced phonologically coded storage only at Serial Position 4, suggesting that individuals with Down syndrome have a verbal short-term memory capacity of 1 item. Our results suggest that previous evidence of semantic effects on "short-term memory performance" does not reflect semantic coding in short-term memory itself, and provide an experimental method for researchers wishing to take a relatively pure measure of verbal short-term memory capacity, in cases where rehearsal is unlikely.

Long-term survivors of childhood cancer report quality of life and health status in parity with a comparison group.

PubMed

Sundberg, Kay K; Doukkali, Eva; Lampic, Claudia; Eriksson, Lars E; Arvidson, Johan; Wettergren, Lena

2010-08-01

There is a need for more knowledge about how survivors of childhood cancer perceive their lives and what influence current health status has on their quality of life. The purpose was to describe this among a group of long-term survivors and among a comparison group. Telephone interviews were performed with a cohort of 246 long-term survivors and 296 randomly selected from the general population using the Schedule for the Evaluation of Individual Quality of Life-Direct Weighting (SEIQoL-DW). The participants nominated the areas they considered to be most important in life and rated the current status of each area on a seven-point category scale. An overall individual index score was calculated as a measure of quality of life. Self-reported health status was assessed using the Short Form Health Survey (SF-36). Long-term survivors rated their overall quality of life and self-reported health status almost in parity with the comparison group. In both groups, family life, relations to other people, work and career, interests and leisure activities were the areas most frequently reported to influence quality of life. The survivors only differed from the comparison group on one of eight SF-36 scales reflecting problems with daily activities owing to physical health. Health status was not shown to have a major impact on overall quality of life, indicating that health and quality of life should be evaluated distinctively as different constructs. This should be taken in consideration in clinical care of children with childhood cancer and long-term survivors. (c) 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Long-term exercise adherence after public health training in at-risk adults.

PubMed

Saida, Trine Gro Riktrup Hansen; Juul Sørensen, Tina; Langberg, Henning

2017-07-01

Sustainment of healthy exercise behavior is essential in preventing cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Few studies have explored long-term exercise adherence after an exercise referral scheme. The objective of this study was to examine 12-month exercise adherence after an exercise intervention program. This was a pragmatic follow-up study in at-risk people performed between June 2012 and January 2014. The main outcome measure was self-reported single-item exercise adherence. Secondary outcomes were change in exercise level, quality of life rated on a visual analog scale and self-rated health. Predictors of long-term exercise adherence were assessed by logistic regression, estimating crude odds-ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) and adjusting for age, gender, education, smoking, moderate and vigorous exercise. In total, 214 adults (mean age 58.8±11.97 years, 71% women) participated in the study and received a 12-week training intervention: 62% had hypertension, 64% dyslipidemia and 15% impaired glucose tolerance. Attrition rate was 84% (n=179). During the 12-month follow-up, 48% (n=85) reported long-term exercise adherence. The main predictors of long-term exercise adherence were participation in sport activities at baseline (adjusted odds-ratio [aOR] 4.22, 95% CI 1.72-10.40), self-rated health (aOR 2.60, 1.00-6.75) and quality of life (aOR 2.39, 1.03-5.54). Long-term non-adherence was associated with low education (<10 years; aOR 3.27, 1.14-9.43) and age<50 years (aOR 3.53, 1.32-9.43). In this pragmatic study, long-term exercise adherence was associated with participation in sport activities and self-rated health at baseline. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Biometric parameters of the bream (Abramis brama) as indicators for long-term changes in fish health and environmental quality--data from the German ESB.

PubMed

Teubner, Diana; Paulus, Martin; Veith, Michael; Klein, Roland

2015-02-01

Piscifaunal health depends upon the state and quality of the aquatic environment. Variations in physical condition of fish may therefore be attributed to changes in environmental quality. Based on time series of up to 20 years of biometric data of bream from multiple sampling sites of the German environmental specimen bank (ESB), this study assessed whether changes in biometric parameters are able to indicate long-term alterations in fish health and environmental quality. Evaluated biometric parameters of fish health comprised length and weight of individuals of a defined age class, the condition factor, lipid content and hepatosomatic index (HSI). Although there are negative trends of the HSI, the overall development of health parameters can be interpreted as positive. This seems to suggest that health parameters conclusively mirror the long-term improvement of water quality in the selected rivers. However, the applicability of the condition factor as well as lipid content as indicators for fish health remained subject to restrictions. Altogether, the results from the ESB confirmed the high value of biometric parameters for monitoring of long-term changes in state and quality of aquatic ecosystems.

Effects of packaging materials on storage quality of peanut kernels

PubMed Central

Fu, Xiaoji; Xing, Shengping; Xiong, Huiwei; Min, Hua; Zhu, Xuejing; He, Jialin; Mu, Honglei

2018-01-01

In order to obtain optimum packaging materials for peanut kernels, the effects of four types of packaging materials on peanut storage quality (coat color, acid value, germination rate, relative damage, and prevention of aflatoxin contamination) were examined. The results showed that packaging materials had a major influence on peanut storage quality indexes. The color of the peanut seed coat packaged in the polyester/aluminum/polyamide/polyethylene (PET/AL/PA/PE) composite film bag did not change significantly during the storage period. Color deterioration was slower with polyamide/polyethylene (PA/PE) packaging materials than with polyethylene (PE) film bags and was slower in PE bags than in the woven bags. The use of PET/AL/PA/PE and PA/PE bags maintained peanut quality and freshness for more than one year and both package types resulted in better germination rates. There were significant differences between the four types of packaging materials in terms of controlling insect pests. The peanuts packaged in the highly permeable woven bags suffered serious invasion from insect pests, while both PET/AL/PA/PE and PA/PE bags effectively prevented insect infection. Peanuts stored in PET/AL/PA/PE and PA/PE bags were also better at preventing and controlling aflatoxin contamination. PMID:29518085

Long-Term Health Outcomes in High-Altitude Pulmonary Hypertension

PubMed Central

Abbott, Cheryl; Meadows, Christina A.; Roach, Robert C.; Honigman, Benjamin; Bull, Todd M.

2017-01-01

Abstract Robinson, Jeffrey C., Cheryl Abbott, Christina A. Meadows, Robert C. Roach, Benjamin Honigman, and Todd M. Bull. Long-term health outcomes in high-altitude pulmonary hypertension. High Alt Med Biol. 18:61–66, 2017. Background: High-altitude pulmonary hypertension (HAPH) is one of several known comorbidities that effect populations living at high altitude, but there have been no studies looking at long-term health consequences of HAPH. We aimed to determine whether HAPH during adolescence predisposes to significant pulmonary hypertension (PH) later in life, as well as identify how altitude exposure and HAPH correlate with functional class and medical comorbidities. Methods: We utilized a previously published cohort of 28 adolescents from Leadville, Colorado, that underwent right heart catheterization at 10,150 ft (3094 m) in 1962, with many demonstrating PH as defined by resting mean pulmonary arterial pressure ≥25 mmHg. We located participants of the original study and had living subjects complete demographic and health surveys to assess for the presence of PH and other medical comorbidities, along with current functional status. Results: Seventy-five percent of the individuals who participated in the original study were located. Those with HAPH in the past were more prone to have exertional limitation corresponding to WHO functional class >1. Fifty-five years following the original study, we found no significant differences in prevalence of medical comorbidities, including PH, among those with and without HAPH in their youth. Conclusions: Surveyed individuals did not report significant PH, but those with HAPH in their youth were more likely to report functional limitation. With a significant worldwide population living at moderate and high altitudes, further study of long-term health consequences is warranted. PMID:28061144

ESGF and WDCC: The Double Structure of the Digital Data Storage at DKRZ

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Toussaint, F.; Höck, H.

2016-12-01

Since a couple of years, Digital Repositories of climate science face new challenges: International projects are global collaborations. The data storage in parallel moved to federated, distributed storage systems like ESGF. For the long term archival storage (LTA) on the other hand, communities, funders, and data users make stronger demands for data and metadata quality to facilitate data use and reuse. At DKRZ, this situation led to a twofold data dissemination system - a situation which has influence on administration, workflows, and sustainability of the data. The ESGF system is focused on the needs of users as partners in global projects. It includes replication tools, detailed global project standards, and efficient search for the data to download. In contrast, DKRZ's classical CERA LTA storage aims for long term data holding and data curation as well as for data reuse requiring high metadata quality standards. In addition, for LTA data a Digital Object Identifier publication service for the direct integration of research data in scientific publications has been implemented. The editorial process at DKRZ-LTA ensures the quality of metadata and research data. The DOI and a citation code are provided and afterwards registered under DataCite's (datacite.org) regulations. In the overall data life cycle continuous reliability of the data and metadata quality is essential to allow for data handling at Petabytes level, data long term usability, and adequate publication of the results. These considerations lead to the question "What is quality" - with respect to data, to the repository itself, to the publisher, and the user? Global consensus is needed for these assessments as the phases of the end to end workflow gear into each other: For data and metadata, checks need to go hand in hand with the processes of production and storage. The results can be judged following a Quality Maturity Matrix (QMM). Repositories can be certified according to their trustworthiness

Nicotine Modulates the Long-Lasting Storage of Fear Memory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lima, Ramon H.; Radiske, Andressa; Kohler, Cristiano A.; Gonzalez, Maria Carolina; Bevilaqua, Lia R.; Rossato, Janine I.; Medina, Jorge H.; Cammarota, Martin

2013-01-01

Late post-training activation of the ventral tegmental area (VTA)-hippocampus dopaminergic loop controls the entry of information into long-term memory (LTM). Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChR) modulate VTA function, but their involvement in LTM storage is unknown. Using pharmacological and behavioral tools, we found that…

Comparison of different culture media and storage temperatures for the long-term preservation of Streptococcus pneumoniae in the tropics.

PubMed Central

Siberry, G.; Brahmadathan, K. N.; Pandian, R.; Lalitha, M. K.; Steinhoff, M. C.; John, T. J.

2001-01-01

OBJECTIVE: The preservation of Streptococcus pneumoniae by standard freezing methods for subsequent tests--such as serotyping and antibiotic susceptibility--is not possible or is difficult in many developing countries because of the high cost of equipment, inadequate equipment maintenance, and irregular power supply. We evaluated alternative low-cost methods, by comparing different culture media and storage temperatures. METHODS: Clinical isolates of five capsular types (1, 5, 7, 19, and 23) of S. pneumoniae were preserved in rabbit blood, sheep blood, skimmed milk, or glycerol-chocolate broth, and stored at -20 degrees C or -70 degrees C. The cultures were also preserved by lyophilization or sand desiccation, followed by storage at room temperature and 4 degrees C. The viability of the preserved cultures was determined by making serial colony counts on day 0 and after 1 week, 4 weeks, 4 months and 16 months. The viability of cultures preserved by sand desiccation and storage at 4 degrees C was also determined every 6 months for up to 68 months. FINDINGS: Irrespective of the media used, cultures maintained at -20 degrees C became nonviable by the fourth month, while those maintained at -70 degrees C were still viable at 16 months. Cultures preserved by lyophilization or sand desiccation lost their viability by the fourth month when maintained at local room temperature (30-42 degrees C), but remained viable when stored at 4 degrees C for up to 68 months. CONCLUSIONS: Our results confirm that freezing at -70 degrees C, or lyophilization and storage at 4 degrees C are the ideal methods for the preservation of S. pneumoniae. In laboratories where lyophilization is not feasible, sand desiccation and storage at 4 degrees C offers an alternative low-cost method for the long-term preservation of S. pneumoniae. PMID:11217666

Comparison of different culture media and storage temperatures for the long-term preservation of Streptococcus pneumoniae in the tropics.

PubMed

Siberry, G; Brahmadathan, K N; Pandian, R; Lalitha, M K; Steinhoff, M C; John, T J

2001-01-01

The preservation of Streptococcus pneumoniae by standard freezing methods for subsequent tests--such as serotyping and antibiotic susceptibility--is not possible or is difficult in many developing countries because of the high cost of equipment, inadequate equipment maintenance, and irregular power supply. We evaluated alternative low-cost methods, by comparing different culture media and storage temperatures. Clinical isolates of five capsular types (1, 5, 7, 19, and 23) of S. pneumoniae were preserved in rabbit blood, sheep blood, skimmed milk, or glycerol-chocolate broth, and stored at -20 degrees C or -70 degrees C. The cultures were also preserved by lyophilization or sand desiccation, followed by storage at room temperature and 4 degrees C. The viability of the preserved cultures was determined by making serial colony counts on day 0 and after 1 week, 4 weeks, 4 months and 16 months. The viability of cultures preserved by sand desiccation and storage at 4 degrees C was also determined every 6 months for up to 68 months. Irrespective of the media used, cultures maintained at -20 degrees C became nonviable by the fourth month, while those maintained at -70 degrees C were still viable at 16 months. Cultures preserved by lyophilization or sand desiccation lost their viability by the fourth month when maintained at local room temperature (30-42 degrees C), but remained viable when stored at 4 degrees C for up to 68 months. Our results confirm that freezing at -70 degrees C, or lyophilization and storage at 4 degrees C are the ideal methods for the preservation of S. pneumoniae. In laboratories where lyophilization is not feasible, sand desiccation and storage at 4 degrees C offers an alternative low-cost method for the long-term preservation of S. pneumoniae.

Short-term to Long-term Results of Ahmed Glaucoma Valve Implantation for Uveitic Glaucoma Secondary to Behçet Disease.

PubMed

Yakin, Mehmet; Eksioglu, Umit; Sungur, Gulten; Satana, Banu; Demirok, Gulizar; Ornek, Firdevs

2017-01-01

To evaluate short-term to long-term outcomes of Ahmed glaucoma valve (AGV) implantation in the management of uveitic glaucoma (UG) secondary to Behçet disease (BD). A retrospective chart review of 47 eyes of 35 patients with UG secondary to BD who underwent AGV implantation was conducted. Success was defined as having an intraocular pressure (IOP) between 6 and 21 mm Hg with (qualified success) or without (complete success) antiglaucomatous medications and without need for further glaucoma surgery. Mean postoperative follow-up was 57.72±26.13 months. Mean preoperative IOP was 35.40±8.33 mm Hg versus 12.28±2.90 mm Hg at the last follow-up visit (P<0.001). Mean number of preoperative topical antiglaucomatous medications was 2.96±0.29 versus 0.68±1.12 at the last follow-up visit (P<0.001). In all eyes, IOP could be maintained between 6 and 21 mm Hg with or without antiglaucomatous medications during follow-up. The cumulative probability of complete success was 46.8% at 6 months, 40.4% at 12 months, and 35.9% at 36 months, and the cumulative probability of eyes without complication was 53.2% at 6 months, 46.5% at 12 months, and 39.6% at 24 months postoperatively based on Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. No persistent or irreparable complications were observed. This study includes one of the largest series of AGV implantation in the management of UG with the longest follow-up reported. AGV implantation can be considered as a primary surgical option in the management of UG secondary to BD with 100% total success rate (with or without medications).

Developing a long-term condition's information service in collaboration with third sector organisations.

PubMed

McShane, Lesley; Greenwell, Kate; Corbett, Sally; Walker, Richard

2014-06-01

People with long-term conditions need to be signposted to high quality information and advice to understand and manage their condition. Information seeking tools combined with third sector information could help address their information needs. To describe the development and implementation of an information service for people living with long-term conditions at one NHS acute trust in the Northeast of England. An information service was trialled using bespoke information models for three long-term conditions in collaboration with third sector organisations. These guided people to relevant, timely and reliable information. Both clinician and service user questionnaires were used to evaluate satisfaction with the service. Appropriately designed information models can be used interchangeably across all services. Between 75% and 91% of users agreed that they were satisfied with various aspects of the service. Generally, users received relevant, understandable and high quality information at the right time. Nearly all health professionals (94-100%) felt the service was accessible, provided high quality information and did not significantly impact on their consultation time. The developed information service was well received by service users and health professionals. Specifically, the use of information prescriptions and menus facilitated access to information for people with long-term conditions. © 2014 The authors. Health Information and Libraries Journal © 2014 Health Libraries Group.

Technology Assessment of High Capacity Data Storage Systems: Can We Avoid a Data Survivability Crisis?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Halem, M.; Shaffer, F.; Palm, N.; Salmon, E.; Raghavan, S.; Kempster, L.

1998-01-01

This technology assessment of long-term high capacity data storage systems identifies an emerging crisis of severe proportions related to preserving important historical data in science, healthcare, manufacturing, finance and other fields. For the last 50 years, the information revolution, which has engulfed all major institutions of modem society, centered itself on data-their collection, storage, retrieval, transmission, analysis and presentation. The transformation of long term historical data records into information concepts, according to Drucker, is the next stage in this revolution towards building the new information based scientific and business foundations. For this to occur, data survivability, reliability and evolvability of long term storage media and systems pose formidable technological challenges. Unlike the Y2K problem, where the clock is ticking and a crisis is set to go off at a specific time, large capacity data storage repositories face a crisis similar to the social security system in that the seriousness of the problem emerges after a decade or two. The essence of the storage crisis is as follows: since it could take a decade to migrate a peta-byte of data to a new media for preservation, and the life expectancy of the storage media itself is only a decade, then it may not be possible to complete the transfer before an irrecoverable data loss occurs. Over the last two decades, a number of anecdotal crises have occurred where vital scientific and business data were lost or would have been lost if not for major expenditures of resources and funds to save this data, much like what is happening today to solve the Y2K problem. A pr-ime example was the joint NASA/NSF/NOAA effort to rescue eight years worth of TOVS/AVHRR data from an obsolete system, which otherwise would have not resulted in the valuable 20-year long satellite record of global warming. Current storage systems solutions to long-term data survivability rest on scalable architectures

Characteristics of high-quality Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) ejaculates and in vitro sperm quality after prolonged chilled storage and directional freezing.

PubMed

O'Brien, J K; Steinman, K J; Montano, G A; Love, C C; Saiers, R L; Robeck, T R

2013-01-01

The in vitro quality of spermatozoa from one elephant (Elephas maximus) was examined after chilled storage and directional freezing (DF). High-quality, non-contaminated ejaculates (77.6±6.0% progressive motility, 3.9±1.5 µg creatinine mL(-1) raw semen, 2.7±0.6% detached heads) were cryopreserved after 0 (0hStor), 12 (12hStor) and 24 h (24hStor) of chilled storage. At 0 h and 6h post-thawing, total motility, plasma membrane integrity, acrosome integrity, mitochondrial activity and normal morphology were similar (P>0.05) across treatments. In contrast, progressive motility, rapid velocity and several kinematic parameters were lower (P<0.05) for 24Stor compared with 0hStor at 0 h post-thaw. By 6 h post-thaw, amplitude of lateral head displacement and velocity parameters (average pathway, straight-line and curvilinear velocity) were lower (P<0.05) for 24hStor compared with 0hStor and 12hStor. DNA integrity was high and remained unchanged (P>0.05) across all groups and processing stages (1.6±0.6% of cells contained fragmented DNA). Results indicate that DF after up to 12 h of chilled storage results in a post-thaw sperm population of acceptable quality for artificial insemination. These findings have implications for the cryopreservation of sex-sorted spermatozoa, which typically undergo more than 12 h of chilled storage prior to sorting and preservation.

Long-Term Ecological Monitoring Field Sampling Plan for 2007

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

T. Haney

2007-07-31

This field sampling plan describes the field investigations planned for the Long-Term Ecological Monitoring Project at the Idaho National Laboratory Site in 2007. This plan and the Quality Assurance Project Plan for Waste Area Groups 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, and Removal Actions constitute the sampling and analysis plan supporting long-term ecological monitoring sampling in 2007. The data collected under this plan will become part of the long-term ecological monitoring data set that is being collected annually. The data will be used t determine the requirements for the subsequent long-term ecological monitoring. This plan guides the 2007more » investigations, including sampling, quality assurance, quality control, analytical procedures, and data management. As such, this plan will help to ensure that the resulting monitoring data will be scientifically valid, defensible, and of known and acceptable quality.« less

Changes in sensory quality characteristics of coffee during storage

PubMed Central

Kreuml, Michaela T L; Majchrzak, Dorota; Ploederl, Bettina; Koenig, Juergen

2013-01-01

How long can roasted coffee beans be stored, without reducing the typical coffee flavor which is mainly responsible for consumers’ enjoyment? In Austria, most coffee packages have a best-before date between 12 and 24 months, but it is not regulated by law. Therefore, there is the need to evaluate changes in sensory qualities of coffee beverages prepared from stored coffee beans. For preparation of the coffee beverages, the paper filter method was used. In the quantitative descriptive analysis (QDA) 10 trained assessors evaluated the intensity of 30 coffee attributes after roasting at the 9th and 18th month of storage, respectively. The sensory evaluation results showed reduction in the sensory qualities of coffee beverages after 9 months storage of roasted coffee beans. The positive associated odor and flavor attributes decreased in their intensity, whereas the negative associated odor and flavor attributes increased significantly (P < 0.05). After 18 months of storage, the rancid odor and flavor which indicate oxidation processes were even considerably perceivable. Consequently, we can assume that changes in sensory quality characteristics of roasted and vacuum-packed coffee beans during storage are possible. PMID:24804030

High-Level Radioactive Waste: Safe Storage and Ultimate Disposal.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dukert, Joseph M.

Described are problems and techniques for safe disposal of radioactive waste. Degrees of radioactivity, temporary storage, and long-term permanent storage are discussed. Included are diagrams of estimated waste volumes to the year 2000 and of an artist's conception of a permanent underground disposal facility. (SL)

Care Planning, Quality Assurance, and Personnel Management in Long-Term Care Facilities. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Patchner, Michael A.; Balgopal, Pallassana R.

Three studies were undertaken to examine topics of care planning, personnel management, and quality assurance in long-term care facilities. The first study examined the formulation and implementation processes of care planning for nursing home residents. The exemplary homes' care planning included the existence of strong care planning leadership,…

Short-Term and Long-Term Effects of Orthopedic Biodegradable Implants

PubMed Central

Amini, Ami R.; Wallace, James S.; Nukavarapu, Syam P.

2012-01-01

Presently, orthopedic and oral/maxillofacial implants represent a combined $2.8 billion market, a figure expected to experience significant and continued growth. Although traditional permanent implants have been proved clinically efficacious, they are also associated with several drawbacks, including secondary revision and removal surgeries. Non-permanent, biodegradable implants offer a promising alternative for patients, as they provide temporary support and degrade at a rate matching tissue formation, and thus, eliminate the need for secondary surgeries. These implants have been in clinical use for nearly 25 years, competing directly with, or maybe even exceeding, the performance of permanent implants. The initial implantation of biodegradable materials, as with permanent materials, mounts an acute host inflammatory response. Over time, the implant degradation profile and possible degradation product toxicity mediate long-term biodegradable implant-induced inflammation. However, unlike permanent implants, this inflammation is likely to cease once the material disappears. Implant-mediated inflammation is a critical determinant for implant success. Thus, for the development of a proactive biodegradable implant that has the ability to promote optimal bone regeneration and minimal detrimental inflammation, a thorough understanding of short- and long-term inflammatory events is required. Here, we discuss an array of biodegradable orthopedic implants, their associated short- and long- term inflammatory effects, and methods to mediate these inflammatory events. PMID:22043969

Mahanaxar: quality of service guarantees in high-bandwidth, real-time streaming data storage

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bigelow, David; Bent, John; Chen, Hsing-Bung

2010-04-05

Large radio telescopes, cyber-security systems monitoring real-time network traffic, and others have specialized data storage needs: guaranteed capture of an ultra-high-bandwidth data stream, retention of the data long enough to determine what is 'interesting,' retention of interesting data indefinitely, and concurrent read/write access to determine what data is interesting, without interrupting the ongoing capture of incoming data. Mahanaxar addresses this problem. Mahanaxar guarantees streaming real-time data capture at (nearly) the full rate of the raw device, allows concurrent read and write access to the device on a best-effort basis without interrupting the data capture, and retains data as long asmore » possible given the available storage. It has built in mechanisms for reliability and indexing, can scale to meet arbitrary bandwidth requirements, and handles both small and large data elements equally well. Results from our prototype implementation shows that Mahanaxar provides both better guarantees and better performance than traditional file systems.« less

A tissue retrieval and postharvest processing regimen for rodent reproductive tissues compatible with long-term storage on the international space station and postflight biospecimen sharing program.

PubMed

Gupta, Vijayalaxmi; Holets-Bondar, Lesya; Roby, Katherine F; Enders, George; Tash, Joseph S

2015-01-01

Collection and processing of tissues to preserve space flight effects from animals after return to Earth is challenging. Specimens must be harvested with minimal time after landing to minimize postflight readaptation alterations in protein expression/translation, posttranslational modifications, and expression, as well as changes in gene expression and tissue histological degradation after euthanasia. We report the development of a widely applicable strategy for determining the window of optimal species-specific and tissue-specific posteuthanasia harvest that can be utilized to integrate into multi-investigator Biospecimen Sharing Programs. We also determined methods for ISS-compatible long-term tissue storage (10 months at -80°C) that yield recovery of high quality mRNA and protein for western analysis after sample return. Our focus was reproductive tissues. The time following euthanasia where tissues could be collected and histological integrity was maintained varied with tissue and species ranging between 1 and 3 hours. RNA quality was preserved in key reproductive tissues fixed in RNAlater up to 40 min after euthanasia. Postfixation processing was also standardized for safe shipment back to our laboratory. Our strategy can be adapted for other tissues under NASA's Biospecimen Sharing Program or similar multi-investigator tissue sharing opportunities.

Low Temperature and Short-Term High-CO2 Treatment in Postharvest Storage of Table Grapes at Two Maturity Stages: Effects on Transcriptome Profiling

PubMed Central

Rosales, Raquel; Romero, Irene; Fernandez-Caballero, Carlos; Escribano, M. Isabel; Merodio, Carmen; Sanchez-Ballesta, M. Teresa

2016-01-01

Table grapes (Vitis vinifera cv. Cardinal) are highly perishable and their quality deteriorates during postharvest storage at low temperature mainly because of sensitivity to fungal decay and senescence of rachis. The application of a 3-day CO2 treatment (20 kPa CO2 + 20 kPa O2 + 60 kPa N2) at 0°C reduced total decay and retained fruit quality in early and late-harvested table grapes during postharvest storage. In order to study the transcriptional responsiveness of table grapes to low temperature and high CO2 levels in the first stage of storage and how the maturity stage affect these changes, we have performed a comparative large-scale transcriptional analysis using the custom-made GrapeGen GeneChip®. In the first stage of storage, low temperature led to a significantly intense change in grape skin transcriptome irrespective of fruit maturity, although there were different changes within each stage. In the case of CO2 treated samples, in comparison to fruit at time zero, only slight differences were observed. Functional enrichment analysis revealed that major modifications in the transcriptome profile of early- and late-harvested grapes stored at 0°C are linked to biotic and abiotic stress-responsive terms. However, in both cases there is a specific reprogramming of the transcriptome during the first stage of storage at 0°C in order to withstand the cold stress. Thus, genes involved in gluconeogenesis, photosynthesis, mRNA translation and lipid transport were up-regulated in the case of early-harvested grapes, and genes related to protein folding stability and intracellular membrane trafficking in late-harvested grapes. The beneficial effect of high CO2 treatment maintaining table grape quality seems to be an active process requiring the induction of several transcription factors and kinases in early-harvested grapes, and the activation of processes associated to the maintenance of energy in late-harvested grapes. PMID:27468290

Exterior view of north and east exterior walls of LongTerm ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

Exterior view of north and east exterior walls of Long-Term Oxidizer Silo (T-28B), looking south. Silo was designed to assess long-term environmental impacts on storage of the Titan II's oxidizer (nitrogen tetroxide). The shorter Oxidizer Conditioning Structure (T-28D) is located behind and to the immediate left of T-28B - Air Force Plant PJKS, Systems Integration Laboratory, Long-Term Oxidizer Silo, Waterton Canyon Road & Colorado Highway 121, Lakewood, Jefferson County, CO

Comparison of quality of sleep, depression, and life satisfaction between older adults in nursing homes and long-term care hospitals in Korea.

PubMed

Kim, Kon Hee; Hwang, Eun Hee

2017-01-01

The purpose of the present study was to identify the sleep quality, depression, and life satisfaction between nursing home and long-term care hospital residents. Data was collected through a structured questionnaire survey of 61 nursing home residents and 74 long-term care hospital residents. Descriptive statistics, t-test, χ 2 -test, anova, Pearson's correlation were used to analyze the data. The residents living in a nursing home showed higher subjective health status and sleep quality than long-term care hospital residents. Depression did not show a significant difference between them. However, there was a significant difference in depression score by subjective health status. Sleep quality and depression showed a significant negative correlation for both residents. In terms of depression and life satisfaction, nursing home residents showed a significant negative correlation, and long-term care hospital residents showed a significant positive correlation. These results show that environmental management is essential to enhance sleep quality, thus depression and subjective health status will be improved. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; 17: 142-149. © 2015 Japan Geriatrics Society.

[Professional communication in long term health care quality].

PubMed

Martín Padilla, E; Sarmiento Medina, P; Ramírez Jaramillo, A

2014-01-01

To Identify aspects of professional communication that affect the quality of long-term care for patients with chronic illness or disabilities and their families, in the experience of health professionals, as input for the development of an assessment tool. Descriptive qualitative.The data was processed by performing an interpretative analysis from grounded theory. The participants included 12 health professionals (three doctors, three nurses, three therapists and three psychologists), who work at the Hospital of the Universidad de La Sabana, Chia, and other institutions in Bogota, Colombia,with more than five years experience in programs treating chronic disease or disability in hospital therapeutic contexts. Semi-structured interviews and a Delphi survey were used. Validation strategies included, theoretical sampling, script evaluation by judges, triangulation of data collection techniques, and interviewers. We defined specific aspects of professional communication that could optimize the quality of health care, in information management as well as in the relationships with patients and families. From these aspects, an explanatory matrix was designed with axes, categories, and codes as a support for the construction of tools. Health communication, in order to become a therapeutic support element, requires professional training in communication skills to give information in an understandable way, with emotional support and coping possibilities. It should include and involve the family in decision making. Copyright © 2013 SECA. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

The effect of melatonin on the quality of extended boar semen after long-term storage at 17 °C.

PubMed

Martín-Hidalgo, D; Barón, F J; Bragado, M J; Carmona, P; Robina, A; García-Marín, L J; Gil, M C

2011-05-01

Melatonin (MLT) is an efficient antioxidant that protects cells and tissues and initiates a host of receptor-mediated effects. In order to enhance the life span of refrigerated boar semen, our aim was to evaluate the effects of addition of 1 μM MLT to commercially produced pig semen (33 seminal doses from 14 boars) that had been preserved at 17 °C for 7 days. Samples without MLT served as controls. On Days 1, 4 and 7, we evaluated motility parameters and the percentage of total motile and progressively motile spermatozoa by a computer-aided sperm analysis system. Viability (SYBR-14/PI), acrosomal status (FITC-PNA/PI), membrane fluidity (M-540/YoPro-1) and mitochondrial membrane potential status (JC-1) were evaluated by flow cytometry. MLT treatment significantly enhanced the percentage of static spermatozoa after 7 days of storage and significantly reduced the percentage of progressively motile spermatozoa on Day 7. The velocity characteristics (VCL, VSL and VAP) were significantly higher for MLT-treated samples on Day 1 and were their lowest on Day 7. With regard to flow cytometry results, the percentage of viable spermatozoa with an intact acrosome was higher in MLT samples throughout the entire storage period. In addition, there was a significantly higher proportion of live spermatozoa on Day 7 in the samples that had not been treated with MLT. The proportion of spermatozoa showing a high mitochondrial membrane potential remained at similar levels (P > 0.05) throughout the trial. Although the findings of the present study revealed that 1 μM MLT increased the proportion of live sperm with an intact acrosome, this treatment did not enhance the spermatic quality of refrigerated boar semen. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The impact of organizational factors on the urinary incontinence care quality in long-term care hospitals: a longitudinal correlational study.

PubMed

Yoon, Ju Young; Lee, Ji Yun; Bowers, Barbara J; Zimmerman, David R

2012-12-01

With the rapid increase in the number of long-term care hospitals in Korea, care quality has become an important issue. Urinary incontinence is an important condition affecting many residents' quality of life. Thus, it is important that urinary incontinence be amenable to improving conditions with appropriate interventions, since a change in urinary incontinence status can reflect care quality in long-term care facilities if patient level factors are adjusted. We aim to examine the impact of organizational factors on urinary incontinence care quality defined as the improvement of urinary incontinence status or maintenance of continent status post-admission to Korean long-term care hospitals. DESIGN AND DATA: This is a longitudinal correlation study. Data came from two sources: monthly patient assessment reports using the Patient Assessment Instrument and the hospital information system from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Services. The final analysis includes 5271 elderly adults without indwelling urinary catheter or urostomy who were admitted to 534 Korean long-term care hospitals in April 2008. Multi-level logistic analysis was used to explore the organizational factors that influence urinary incontinence care quality controlling for patient level factors. With respect to the organizational factors, the findings showed that location and RN/total nursing staff ratio variables were statistically significant, controlling for risk factors at the patient level. The odds of urinary incontinence improvement from admission in urban long-term care hospitals were 1.28 times higher than rural long-term care hospitals. In addition, when a long-term care hospital increased one standard deviation (0.19) in the RN ratio, the odds of urinary incontinence status improvement or maintenance of continence status from admission increased about 1.8 times. The most significant finding was that a higher RN to patient ratio and urban location were associated with better

Quality of life in long-term survivors of intensive care.

PubMed

Buckley, T A; Cheng, A Y; Gomersall, C D

2001-05-01

Traditionally, outcome from intensive care has focused on mortality. The cost of intensive care and the limited resources devoted to patients who have a poor prognosis also raises questions about the utilisation of such resources. There is increasing pressure for outcome evaluation of intensive care to incorporate assessment of long-term survival and the quality of life in survivors. The principal objectives of this article were to examine current methods of assessing quality of life measures in critically ill patients surviving intensive care and to determine the quality of life of these survivors. Direct and computerised search of published research articles. Measurement of quality of life after intensive care is not common practice. There is a lack of consensus concerning appropriate measuring instruments to be used and how best to interpret results. Despite the availability of general outcome tools and disease specific instruments, there is a paucity of studies in the literature which include assessments of quality of life following intensive care unit (ICU) care. Generic health indices suggest that the quality of life in ICU survivors is acceptable though in certain sub-groups, e.g. adult respiratory distress syndrome and sepsis, quality of life may be moderately impaired. ICU survivors appear to suffer less disability than chronic physical disease patients. Assessment of outcome after intensive care should include health related quality of life measurements. A unifying framework is required to enhance communication between clinicians, administrators and investigators of quality of life research and also to enable more rational and effective decision making at the bedside. Patients who survive intensive care appear to enjoy a reasonable standard of quality of life. While their health status may not be as good, subjectively patients find this acceptable.

Effectiveness of psychological interventions to improve quality of life in people with long-term conditions: rapid systematic review of randomised controlled trials.

PubMed

Anderson, Niall; Ozakinci, Gozde

2018-03-27

Long-term conditions may negatively impact multiple aspects of quality of life including physical functioning and mental wellbeing. The rapid systematic review aimed to examine the effectiveness of psychological interventions to improve quality of life in people with long-term conditions to inform future healthcare provision and research. EBSCOhost and OVID were used to search four databases (PsychInfo, PBSC, Medline and Embase). Relevant papers were systematically extracted by one researcher using the predefined inclusion/exclusion criteria based on titles, abstracts, and full texts. Randomized controlled trial psychological interventions conducted between 2006 and February 2016 to directly target and assess people with long-term conditions in order to improve quality of life were included. Interventions without long-term condition populations, psychological intervention and/or patient-assessed quality of life were excluded. From 2223 citations identified, 6 satisfied the inclusion/exclusion criteria. All 6 studies significantly improved at least one quality of life outcome immediately post-intervention. Significant quality of life improvements were maintained at 12-months follow-up in one out of two studies for each of the short- (0-3 months), medium- (3-12 months), and long-term (≥ 12 months) study duration categories. All 6 psychological intervention studies significantly improved at least one quality of life outcome immediately post-intervention, with three out of six studies maintaining effects up to 12-months post-intervention. Future studies should seek to assess the efficacy of tailored psychological interventions using different formats, durations and facilitators to supplement healthcare provision and practice.

Short-term herbivory has long-term consequences in warmed and ambient high Arctic tundra

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Little, Chelsea J.; Cutting, Helen; Alatalo, Juha; Cooper, Elisabeth

2017-02-01

Climate change is occurring across the world, with effects varying by ecosystem and region but already occurring quickly in high-latitude and high-altitude regions. Biotic interactions are important in determining ecosystem response to such changes, but few studies have been long-term in nature, especially in the High Arctic. Mesic tundra plots on Svalbard, Norway, were subjected to grazing at two different intensities by captive Barnacle geese from 2003-2005, in a factorial design with warming by Open Top Chambers. Warming manipulations were continued through 2014, when we measured vegetation structure and composition as well as growth and reproduction of three dominant species in the mesic meadow. Significantly more dead vascular plant material was found in warmed compared to ambient plots, regardless of grazing history, but in contrast to many short-term experiments no difference in the amount of living material was found. This has strong implications for nutrient and carbon cycling and could feed back into community productivity. Dominant species showed increased flowering in warmed plots, especially in those plots where grazing had been applied. However, this added sexual reproduction did not translate to substantial shifts in vegetative cover. Forbs and rushes increased slightly in warmed plots regardless of grazing, while the dominant shrub, Salix polaris, generally declined with effects dependent on grazing, and the evergreen shrub Dryas octopetala declined with previous intensive grazing. There were no treatment effects on community diversity or evenness. Thus despite no changes in total live abundance, a typical short-term response to environmental conditions, we found pronounced changes in dead biomass indicating that tundra ecosystem processes respond to medium- to long-term changes in conditions caused by 12 seasons of summer warming. We suggest that while high arctic tundra plant communities are fairly resistant to current levels of climate warming

Superior long term outcome associated with native vessel versus graft vessel PCI following secondary PCI in patients with prior CABG.

PubMed

Mavroudis, Chrysostomos A; Kotecha, Tushar; Chehab, Omar; Hudson, Jonathan; Rakhit, Roby D

2017-02-01

Secondary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with prior coronary artery bypass graft surgery is increasingly common. Graft vessel PCI has higher rates of adverse events compared with native coronary vessel PCI. To investigate the clinical outcomes of patients with prior CABG who underwent secondary PCI of either a graft vessel (GV), a native coronary vessel (NV) or both graft and native (NG) vessels. 220 patients (84% male) who underwent PCI in our institution to either GV (n=89), NV (n=103) or both GV and NV (NG group) (n=28) were studied. The study population underwent 378 procedures (GV group; n=126, NV group; n=164 and NG group; n=88). Median follow up was for 36months [range 2-75months]. Target vessel revascularisation (TVR) occurred in 12.5% of the GV group and 3.6% in the NV group [p=0.0004], and was predominantly due to in-stent restenosis. Patients who had PCI due to TVR were more likely to suffer from diabetes and peripheral vascular disease. History of chronic renal failure was associated with higher risk (HR 2.21, p=0.005) whereas preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) with lower risk (HR 0.17, p=0.0007) of death. The median survival (interval between CABG and end of follow-up period) was lower in the GV compared with the NV group (315 vs 372months p=0.005). This registry demonstrates inferior long term outcome for patients undergoing secondary PCI of GV versus NV. Where possible, a strategy of NV rather than GV target PCI should be considered in patients with prior CABG. Secondary PCI in patients with prior CABG surgery is increasingly common. Graft vessel PCI has inferior outcomes with high rates of restenosis and occlusion compared with native coronary vessel PCI. We studied the clinical outcomes of 220 patients with prior CABG who underwent secondary PCI to either a graft vessel (GV), a native coronary vessel (NV) or both graft and native (NG) vessels. Target vessel revascularisation was 5 times higher in the GV

[Epidural aspergillosis secondary to lung aspergilloma despite long-term itraconazole treatment].

PubMed

Jeanrot, C; Guigui, P; Groussard, O; Deburge, A

2001-10-01

A 58-year-old man developed spinal cord compression at the T2-T3 level due to an Aspergillus epidural abscess. This presumably immunocompetent patient had been treated for two years by oral itraconazole (200 mg/day) for a lung aspergilloma that occurred seven years after removal of a lung adenocarcinoma. Surgical debridement was performed via a wide posterior approach associated with high-dose amphotericin B. Five months later, the patient's neurological deficit had not improved and the patient died from respiratory failure. Despite a long-term treatment with itraconazole, the infection spread locally from a lung aspergilloma to the epidural space.

Long-Term Economic Benefits of Preschool Services and the Potential Impact of Privatization.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kendall, Earline D.

This paper addresses the importance of a high quality preschool education for children living in poverty, the long-term effects of such an educational experience, the long-term economic benefits to the children enrolled and their families, and the potential impact of privatization on preschool services. The cost-effectiveness and cost-benefits of…

Quality of Life and Gastrointestinal Symptoms in Long-Term Treated Dermatitis Herpetiformis Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study in Finland.

PubMed

Pasternack, Camilla; Kaukinen, Katri; Kurppa, Kalle; Mäki, Markku; Collin, Pekka; Reunala, Timo; Huhtala, Heini; Salmi, Teea

2015-12-01

Dermatitis herpetiformis (DH) is a cutaneous manifestation of celiac disease. Both conditions are treated with a restrictive life-long gluten-free diet (GFD). Treated celiac disease patients have been shown to have more severe gastrointestinal symptoms and inferior quality of life compared with healthy controls, but evidence regarding quality of life in DH is lacking. The aim was to evaluate whether long-term GFD-treated DH patients suffer from persistent gastrointestinal symptoms and if they experience a drawdown in quality of life. Gastrointestinal symptoms and quality of life were assessed in 78 long-term GFD-treated DH patients using the validated Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale, Psychological General Well-Being and Short Form 36 Health Survey questionnaires. The findings were compared with 110 healthy controls, population-based reference values and 371 treated celiac disease controls. The median age of the DH patients at the time of the study was 57 years, and 51 % were male. Significant differences in gastrointestinal symptoms or quality of life were not detected when treated DH patients were compared with healthy controls, but treated DH patients had less severe gastrointestinal symptoms and increased quality of life compared with celiac disease controls. Female DH patients had more severe gastrointestinal symptoms and reduced vitality compared with male DH patients. The presence of skin symptoms and the adherence to or duration of GFD did not have any influence on gastrointestinal symptoms or quality of life. We conclude that long-term GFD-treated DH patients do not suffer from the burden of dietary treatment and have a quality of life comparable to that of controls.

Long-term stability study of Prussian blue-A quality assessment of water content and cyanide release.

PubMed

Mohammad, A; Yang, Y; Khan, M A; Faustino, P J

2015-02-01

Prussian blue, ferric hexacyanoferrate is approved for (oral) treatment of internal contamination with radioisotopes of cesium or thallium. Cyanide makes up 35-40% of Prussian blue's molecular composition; thus, cyanide may be released during transit through the digestive tract under physiological pH conditions. The purpose of this study is to assess the long-term stability of Prussian blue drug products and active pharmaceutical ingredients and its impact on cyanide release. The study involves the determination and comparison of the loss in water content and cyanide released from Prussian blue under pH conditions that bracket human physiological exposure. Test samples of active pharmaceutical ingredient and drug product were stored for 10 years at ambient temperatures that mimic warehouse storage conditions. Water loss from Prussian blue was measured using thermogravimetric analysis. An in vitro physiological pH model that brackets gastric exposure and gastrointestinal transit was utilized for cyanide release. Prussian blue was incubated in situ at pH: 1.0, 5.0, and 7.0 @ 37°C for 1-24 h. Cyanide was measured using a validated colorimetric method by UV-Vis spectroscopy. Although the water content (quality attribute) of Prussian blue active pharmaceutical ingredient and drug product decreased by about 10.5% and 13.8%, respectively, since 2003, the cyanide release remained comparable. At pH of 7.0 for 24 h cyanide released from active pharmaceutical ingredient-1 was 21.33 ± 1.76 μg/g in 2004, and 28.45 ± 3.15 μg/g in 2013; cyanide released from drug product-1 was 21.89 ± 0.56 μg/g in 2004, and 27.31 ± 5.78 μg/g in 2013. At gastric pH of 1.0 and upper gastrointestinal pH of 5.0, the data for active pharmaceutical ingredients and drug products were also comparable in 2013. The cyanide release is still pH-dependent and follows the same trend as observed in 2003 with minimum release at pH of 5.0 and maximal release at pH of 1.0. In summary, this is the long-term

Long-term hydrology and water quality of a drained pine plantation in North Carolina

Treesearch

D.M. Amatya; R.W. Skaggs

2011-01-01

Long-term data provide a basis for understanding natural variability, reducing uncertainty in model inputs and parameter estimation, and developing new hypotheses. This article evaluates 21 years (1988-2008) of hydrologic data and 17 years (1988-2005) of water quality data from a drained pine plantation in eastern North Carolina. The plantation age was 14 years at the...

Long-term cost effectiveness of cardiac secondary prevention in primary care in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

PubMed

Gillespie, Paddy; Murphy, Edel; Smith, Susan M; Cupples, Margaret E; Byrne, Molly; Murphy, Andrew W

2017-04-01

While cardiac secondary prevention in primary care is established practice, little is known about its long-term cost effectiveness. This study examines the cost effectiveness of a secondary prevention intervention in primary care in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland over 6 years. An economic evaluation, based on a cluster randomised controlled trial of 903 patients with heart disease, was conducted 4.5 years after the intervention ceased to be delivered. Patients originally randomised to the control received usual practice while those randomised to the intervention received a tailored care package over the 1.5-year delivery period. Data on healthcare costs and quality adjusted life expectancy were used to undertake incremental cost utility analysis. Multilevel regression was used to estimate mean cost effectiveness and uncertainty was examined using cost effectiveness acceptability curves. At 6 years, there was a divergence in the results across jurisdictions. While the probability of the intervention being cost effective in the Republic of Ireland was 0.434, 0.232, 0.180, 0.150, 0.115 and 0.098 at selected threshold values of €5000, €15,000, €20,000, €25,000, €35,000 and €45,000, respectively, all equivalent probabilities for Northern Ireland equalled 1.000. Our findings suggest that the intervention in its current format is likely to be more cost effective than usual general practice care in Northern Ireland, but this is not the case in the Republic of Ireland.

Effects of dynamic controlled atmosphere by respiratory quotient on some quality parameters and volatile profile of 'Royal Gala' apple after long-term storage.

PubMed

Both, Vanderlei; Thewes, Fabio Rodrigo; Brackmann, Auri; de Oliveira Anese, Rogerio; de Freitas Ferreira, Daniele; Wagner, Roger

2017-01-15

The effects of dynamic controlled atmosphere (DCA) storage based on chlorophyll fluorescence (DCA-CF) and respiratory quotient (DCA-RQ) on the quality and volatile profile of 'Royal Gala' apple were evaluated. DCA storage reduces ACC (1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate) oxidase activity, ethylene production and respiration rate of apples stored for 9months at 1.0°C plus 7days at 20°C, resulting in higher flesh firmness, titratable acidity and lesser physiological disorders, and provided a higher proportion of healthy fruit. Storage in a regular controlled atmosphere gave higher levels of key volatiles (butyl acetate, 2-methylbutyl acetate and hexyl acetate), as compared to fruit stored under DCA-CF, but fruit stored under DCA-RQ 1.5 and RQ 2.0 also showed higher amounts of key volatile compounds, with increment in ethanol and ethyl acetate, but far below the odour threshold. Storage in DCA-CF reduces fruit ester production, especially 2-methylbutyl acetate, which is the most important component of 'Royal Gala' apple flavour. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Long-term monitoring of black carbon across Germany

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kutzner, Rebecca D.; von Schneidemesser, Erika; Kuik, Friderike; Quedenau, Jörn; Weatherhead, Elizabeth C.; Schmale, Julia

2018-07-01

Lately, black carbon (BC) has received significant attention due to its climate-warming properties and adverse health effects. Nevertheless, long-term observations in urban areas are scarce, most likely because BC monitoring is not required by environmental legislation. This, however, handicaps the evaluation of air quality models which can be used to assess the effectiveness of policy measures which aim to reduce BC concentrations. Here, we present a new dataset of atmospheric BC measurements from Germany constructed from over six million measurements at over 170 stations. Data covering the period between 1994 and 2014 were collected from twelve German Federal States and the Federal Environment Agency, quality checked and harmonized into a database with comprehensive metadata. The final data in original time resolution are available for download (https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.881173) Our analysis focuses on 2009, the year with the largest data coverage with one single methodology, as well as on the relative changes in long-term trends over ten years. For 2009, we find that BC concentrations at traffic sites were at least twice as high as at urban background, industrial and rural sites. Weekly cycles are most prominent at traffic stations, however, the presence of differences in concentrations during the week and on weekends at other station types suggests that traffic plays an important role throughout the full network. Generally higher concentrations and weaker weekly cycles during the winter months point towards the influence of other sources such as domestic heating. Regarding the long-term trends, advanced statistical techniques allow us to account for instrumentation changes and to separate seasonal and long-term changes in our dataset. Analysis shows a downward trend in BC at nearly all locations and in all conditions, with a high level of confidence for the period of 2005-2014. In depth analysis indicates that background BC is decreasing slowly, while the

Low- and High-Resistance Exercise: Long-Term Adherence and Motivation among Older Adults.

PubMed

Van Roie, Evelien; Bautmans, Ivan; Coudyzer, Walter; Boen, Filip; Delecluse, Christophe

2015-01-01

In terms of motivation and long-term adherence, low-resistance exercise might be more suitable for older adults than high-resistance exercise. However, more data are needed to support this claim. The objective was to investigate the effect of low- and high-resistance exercise protocols on long-term adherence and motivation. This study was designed as an exploratory 24-week follow-up of a randomized 12-week resistance training intervention in older adults. Participants were free to decide whether or not they continued resistance training at their own expense following the intervention. Fifty-six older adults were randomly assigned to HIGH [2 × 10-15 repetitions at 80% of one repetition maximum (1RM)], LOW (1 × 80-100 repetitions at 20% of 1RM), or LOW+ (1 × 60 repetitions at 20% of 1RM + 1 × 10-20 repetitions at 40% 1RM). Motivation, self-efficacy and the perceived barriers for continuing resistance exercise were measured after cessation of each supervised intervention and at follow-up, while long-term adherence was probed retrospectively at follow-up. Participants reported high levels of self-determined motivation before, during, and after the supervised intervention, with no differences between groups (p > 0.05). Nevertheless, only few participants continued strength training after the intervention: 17% in HIGH, 21% in LOW+, and 11% in LOW (p > 0.05). The most commonly reported barriers for continuing resistance exercise were perceived lack of time (46%), being more interested in other physical activities (40%), seasonal reasons (40%), and financial cost (28%). The results suggest no difference in long-term adherence after the end of a supervised exercise intervention at high or low external resistances. Long-term adherence was limited despite high levels of self-determined motivation during the interventions. These findings highlight the importance of further research on developing strategies to overcome barriers of older adults to adhere to resistance

Photosynthetic acclimation: state transitions and adjustment of photosystem stoichiometry--functional relationships between short-term and long-term light quality acclimation in plants.

PubMed

Dietzel, Lars; Bräutigam, Katharina; Pfannschmidt, Thomas

2008-03-01

In dense plant populations, individuals shade each other resulting in a low-light habitat that is enriched in far-red light. This light quality gradient decreases the efficiency of the photosynthetic light reaction as a result of imbalanced excitation of the two photosystems. Plants counteract such conditions by performing acclimation reactions. Two major mechanisms are known to assure efficient photosynthesis: state transitions, which act on a short-term timescale; and a long-term response, which enables the plant to re-adjust photosystem stoichiometry in favour of the rate-limiting photosystem. Both processes start with the perception of the imbalanced photosystem excitation via reduction/oxidation (redox) signals from the photosynthetic electron transport chain. Recent data in Arabidopsis indicate that initialization of the molecular processes in both cases involve the activity of the thylakoid membrane-associated kinase, STN7. Thus, redox-controlled phosphorylation events may not only adjust photosystem antenna structure but may also affect plastid, as well as nuclear, gene expression. Both state transitions and the long-term response have been described mainly in molecular terms, while the physiological relevance concerning plant survival and reproduction has been poorly investigated. Recent studies have shed more light on this topic. Here, we give an overview on the long-term response, its physiological effects, possible mechanisms and its relationship to state transitions as well as to nonphotochemical quenching, another important short-term mechanism that mediates high-light acclimation. Special emphasis is given to the functional roles and potential interactions between the different light acclimation strategies. A working model displays the various responses as an integrated molecular system that helps plants to acclimate to the changing light environment.

Electronic Medical Record and Quality Ratings of Long Term Care Facilities Long-Term Care Facility Characteristics and Reasons and Barriers for Adoption of Electronic Medical Record

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Daniels, Cheryl Andrea

2013-01-01

With the growing elderly population, compounded by the retirement of the babyboomers, the need for long-term care (LTC) facilities is expected to grow. An area of great concern for those that are seeking a home for their family member is the quality of care provided by the nursing home to the residents. Electronic medical records (EMR) are often…

Ozone treatment of shell eggs to preserve functional quality and enhance shelf life during storage.

PubMed

Yüceer, Muhammed; Aday, Mehmet Seçkin; Caner, Cengiz

2016-06-01

Eggs have long been recognised as a source of high-quality proteins. Many methods exist to extend shelf life of food and one of them is ozone treatment, which is an emerging technology for disinfecting surfaces in the food industry. This study aimed to extend the shelf life of fresh eggs using gaseous ozone treatments at concentrations of 2, 4 and 6 ppm with exposure times of 2 and 5 min during storage for 6 weeks at 24 °C. The effect of the treatments on interior quality and functional properties of eggs is also reported. Ozone concentration and exposure time significantly affected the Haugh unit (HU), yolk index, albumen pH, relative whipping capacity (RWC), and albumen viscosity of eggs during the storage. Control eggs had the highest albumen pH and lowest albumen viscosity. Attributes such as albumen pH and RWC of eggs exposed to ozone treatments were better than the control samples. The measurement results showed that ozone concentration at 6 ppm and exposure time of 5 min can be applied to fresh eggs and extend shelf life up to 6 weeks at 24 °C storage period. Ozone treatments helped to maintain egg quality for a longer time. Ozone concentrations at 2 and 4 ppm showed promising results in maintaining internal quality and functional properties of fresh eggs during storage. Ozone at high concentration (6 ppm) caused a detrimental effect on eggshell quality. As a result, this study demonstrated that ozone treatments of 2, and especially 4 and 6 ppm concentration maintained eggshell quality during the storage. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry.

Long-term employment among people at ultra-high risk for psychosis.

PubMed

Cotter, Jack; Lin, Ashleigh; Drake, Richard J; Thompson, Andrew; Nelson, Barnaby; McGorry, Patrick; Wood, Stephen J; Yung, Alison R

2017-06-01

Psychotic disorders are associated with high rates of sustained unemployment, however, little is known about the long-term employment outcome of people at ultra-high risk (UHR) of developing psychosis. We sought to investigate the long-term unemployment rate and baseline predictors of employment status at follow-up in a large UHR cohort. 268 UHR patients recruited from the Personal Assessment and Crisis Evaluation clinic in Melbourne, Australia were followed-up over 2-14years after initial presentation to the service. Individuals in no form of employment or education were classed as unemployed. Logistic regression analyses were used to examine predictors of employment outcome. A high rate of unemployment was present at follow-up in this UHR sample (23%). At baseline, those who were unemployed at follow-up had a longer duration of untreated illness, more severe negative symptoms, lower IQ, poorer social and occupational functioning and reported more childhood trauma than the employed group. At follow-up, unemployed individuals exhibited significantly more severe symptoms on all measures and were more likely to have been diagnosed with a mood, anxiety, psychotic or substance use disorder. Childhood trauma and the duration of untreated illness at baseline were significant independent predictors of employment status at follow-up in the multivariate analyses. Nearly a quarter of this UHR sample was unemployed at long-term follow-up. The duration of untreated illness and the effects of childhood trauma are potentially modifiable risk factors for long-term employment outcome in this group. Vocational support may be beneficial for many UHR patients presenting to services. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Impacts Of Long-Term Prescribed Fire On Decomposition And Litter Quality In Uneven-Aged Loblolly Pine Stands

Treesearch

Michele L. Renschin; Hal O. Liechty; Michael G. Shelton

2002-01-01

Abstract - Although fire has long been an important forest management tool in the southern United States, little is known concerning the effects of long-term fire use on nutrient cycling and decomposition. To better understand the effects of fire on these processes, decomposition rates, and foliage litter quality were quantified in a study...

Long-term efficacy of allergen specific immunotherapy in atopic dermatitis patients in relation to quality of life.

PubMed

Wyrzykowska, N; Czarnecka-Operacz, M; Adamski, Z

2015-01-01

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is an inflammatory, chronically relapsing and highly pruritic skin disorder that considerably effects patients' life. Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) is often applied in clinical research in order to evaluate the impact of AD on daily performance of patients. The aim of the study was to evaluate the long-term effect of allergen specific immunotherapy (ASIT) on the quality of life in AD patients. 15 patients suffering from AD, allergic to house dust mites or grass pollen allergens, who were previously treated with ASIT participated in the study. Our treatment with allergy vaccinations was performed during the time period between 1995 and 2001. DLQI questionnaires have been filled by the patients before the treatment, after termination of ASIT and after 2 - 12 years of the observational period. The statistical tests revealed a significant difference between the DLQI before ASIT was introduced and after termination of ASIT. Every answer except two (describing the influence of skin condition on preventing from working or studying and on sexual life) of these periods also disclosed statistically significant difference. As for the relation between the DLQI after ASIT and the actual one the tests revealed non significant difference, also regarding to every single answer of the questionnaire. In relation to improvement of quality of life in AD patients, this study confirms the effectiveness of ASIT and it discloses the persistence of its results in long-term aspect.

Effect of long term chilled (up to 5weeks) then frozen (up to 12months) storage at two different sub-zero holding temperatures on beef: 2. Lipid oxidation and fatty acid profiles.

PubMed

Holman, Benjamin W B; Coombs, Cassius E O; Morris, Stephen; Bailes, Kristy; Hopkins, David L

2018-02-01

Lipid oxidation and fatty acid (FA) profiles were evaluated for beef M. longissimus lumborum (LL) stored under different chilled-then-frozen storage combinations (up to 5 and 52weeks, respectively) and two frozen holding temperatures (-12°C and -18°C). FA profile variation was observed, with increasing frozen storage periods resulting in unsaturated FA levels declining as saturated FA levels increased. Polyunsaturated and health claimable FA levels also tended to decline with increasing chilled storage period, albeit insignificant within the constraints of the experimental design. Peroxidase activity, TBARS and oxidation-reduction potential analyses reflected these FA changes. These, when compared against existing consumer thresholds, suggest a perceptible detraction from LL held under long-term frozen storage durations that are less evident earlier as dependent on the preceding chilled storage period. Negligible impact of frozen storage holding temperatures was observed on measured traits. These results suggest long-term chilled-then-frozen storage can influence beef lipid stability, healthy FA profile and therefore the healthiness of beef. Crown Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Agar block smear preparation: a novel method of slide preparation for preservation of native fungal structures for microscopic examination and long-term storage.

PubMed

Woo, Patrick C Y; Ngan, Antonio H Y; Chui, Hon-Kit; Lau, Susanna K P; Yuen, Kwok-Yung

2010-09-01

We describe a novel method of fungal slide preparation named "agar block smear preparation." A total of 510 agar block smears of 25 fungal strains obtained from culture collections, 90 QC fungal strains, and 82 clinical fungal strains from our clinical microbiology laboratory, which included a total of 137 species of yeasts, molds, and thermal dimorphic fungi, were prepared and examined. In contrast to adhesive tape preparation, agar block smears preserved the native fungal structures, such as intact conidiophores of Aspergillus species and arrangements of conidia in Scopulariopsis brevicaulis. Furthermore, agar block smears allowed examination of fungal structures embedded in the agar, such as the ascomata with ascomal hairs in Chaetomium funicola; pycnidium of Phoma glomerata; the intercalary ovoidal chlamydospores arranged in chains of Fusarium dimerum; and the lateral, spherical chlamydospores arranged in pairs of Fusarium solani. After 1 year of storage, morphological integrity was found to have been maintained in 459 (90%) of the 510 agar block smears. After 3 years of storage, morphological integrity was found to have been maintained in 72 (71%) of the 102 smears prepared in 2006. Agar block smear preparation preserves the native fungal structures and allows long-term storage and examination of fungal structures embedded in the agar, hence overcoming the major drawbacks of adhesive tape preparation. The major roles of agar block smear should be diagnosis for difficult cases, accurate identification of fungal species for clinical management of patients and epidemiological studies, and long-term storage for transportation of slides and education purposes.

Nanodefects of membranes cause destruction of packed red blood cells during long-term storage

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kozlova, Elena, E-mail: waterlake@mail.ru; I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow; Chernysh, Aleksandr

Packed red blood cells (PRBC) are used for blood transfusion. PRBC were stored for 30 days under 4 °C in hermetic blood bags with CPD anticoagulant-preservative solution. Hematocrit was 50–55%. The distortions of PRBC membranes nanostructure and cells morphology during storage were studied by atomic force microscopy. Basic measurements were performed at the day 2, 6, 9, 16, 23 and 30 of storage and additionally 2–3 days after it. Topological defects occurred on RBC membranes by day 9. They appeared as domains with grain-like structures (“grains”) sized up to 200 nm. These domains were appeared in almost all cells. Latermore » these domains merged and formed large defects on cells. It was the formation of domains with the “grains” which was onset process leading eventually to destruction of PRBC. Possible mechanisms of transformation of PRBC and their membrane are related to the alterations of spectrin cytoskeleton. During this storage period potassium ions and lactat concentrations increased, pH decreased, intracellular concentration of reduced glutathione diminished in the preservative solution. Changes of PRBC morphology were detected within the entire period of PRBC storage. Discocytes predominated at the days 1 and 2. By day 30 PRBC transformed into irreversible echinocytes and spheroechinocytes. Study of defects of membranes nanostructure may form the basis of assessing the quality of the stored PRBC. This method may allow to work out the best recommendations for blood transfusion. - Highlights: • Domains with “grains” are formed on membranes surface on 9–16 days of PRBC storage. • The development of domains is the reason of irreversible changes of PRBC structure. • The origin of domains is the consequence of alterations of spectrin cytoskeleton. • Study of nanostructure may form basis of assessing the quality of the stored PRBC.« less

Development of a model system for the study of spoilage associated secondary cucumber fermentation during long-term storage.

PubMed

Franco, Wendy; Pérez-Díaz, Ilenys M

2012-10-01

Calcium chloride fermentations represent an alternative to reduce chloride concentrations in the wastewaters generated from commercial cucumber fermentations, currently performed in cover brine solutions containing 6% to 12% sodium chloride. However, preliminary attempts to commercially ferment the cucumbers in the presence of oxygen led to the development of a secondary cucumber fermentation or spoilage. The development of cucumber secondary fermentation has also been occasionally reported by processors using cover brine solutions containing sodium chloride. This study focused on the development of a model system to characterize CaCl(2) and NaCl secondary cucumber fermentations under conditions similar to those present on the commercial scale. Cucumber fruits mixed with cover brine solutions, containing 100 mM CaCl(2) or 1.03 M NaCl, and 25 mM acetic acid, were fermented in 2 L fermentation vessels subjected to air-purging at a rate of 5 mL/min. Microorganisms and selected biochemical changes detected in the experimental cucumber fermentations had been previously observed in commercial spoilage samples, suggesting the successful reproduction of the secondary fermentation in the laboratory. Experimental secondary fermentations were characterized by the rapid oxidation of the lactic acid produced during the primary fermentation, which, in turn, increased pH. Lactic acid disappearance seemed to be the result of yeast metabolism that also led to the chemical reduction of the environment to levels at which other bacteria could become established and produce butyric, propionic, and acetic acids. This model system will be applied for the identification of strategies to prevent the initiation of the cucumber secondary fermentation and reduce economic losses in the pickling industry. The study of secondary cucumber fermentation has represented a challenge for many years. The successful development of a model system for the study of this phenomenon in the laboratory is

Factors influencing the long-term sustainment of quality improvements made in addiction treatment facilities: a qualitative study.

PubMed

Stumbo, Scott P; Ford, James H; Green, Carla A

2017-11-01

A greater understanding of the factors that influence long-term sustainment of quality improvement (QI) initiatives is needed to promote organizational ability to sustain QI practices over time, help improve future interventions, and increase the value of QI investments. We approached 83 of 201 executive sponsors or change leaders at addiction treatment organizations that participated in the 2007-2009 NIATx200 QI intervention. We completed semi-structured interviews with 33 individuals between November 2015 and April 2016. NIATx200 goals were to decrease wait time, increase admissions and improve retention in treatment. Interviews sought to understand factors that either facilitated or impeded long-term sustainment of organizational QI practices made during the intervention. We used thematic analysis to organize the data and group patterns of responses. We assessed available quantitative outcome data and intervention engagement data to corroborate qualitative results. We used narrative analysis to group four important themes related to long-term sustainment of QI practices: (1) finding alignment between business- and client-centered practices; (2) staff engagement early in QI process added legitimacy which facilitated sustainment; (3) commitment to integrating data into monitoring practices and the identification of a data champion; and (4) adequate organizational human resources devoted to sustainment. We found four corollary factors among agencies which did not sustain practices: (1) lack of evidence of impact on business practices led to discontinuation; (2) disengaged staff and lack of organizational capacity during implementation period led to lack of sustainment; (3) no data integration into overall business practices and no identified data champion; and (4) high staff turnover. In addition, we found that many agencies' current use of NIATx methods and tools suggested a legacy effect that might improve quality elsewhere, even absent overall sustainment of

Long-Term Outdoor Reliability Assessment of a Wireless Unit for Air-Quality Monitoring Based on Nanostructured Films Integrated on Micromachined Platforms

PubMed Central

Leccardi, Matteo; Decarli, Massimiliano; Lorenzelli, Leandro; Milani, Paolo; Mettala, Petteri; Orava, Risto; Barborini, Emanuele

2012-01-01

We have fabricated and tested in long-term field operating conditions a wireless unit for outdoor air quality monitoring. The unit is equipped with two multiparametric sensors, one miniaturized thermo-hygrometer, front-end analogical and digital electronics, and an IEEE 802.15.4 based module for wireless data transmission. Micromachined platforms were functionalized with nanoporous metal-oxides to obtain multiparametric sensors, hosting gas-sensitive, anemometric and temperature transducers. Nanoporous metal-oxide layer was directly deposited on gas sensing regions of micromachined platform batches by hard-mask patterned supersonic cluster beam deposition. An outdoor, roadside experiment was arranged in downtown Milan (Italy), where one wireless sensing unit was continuously operated side by side with standard gas chromatographic instrumentation for air quality measurements. By means of a router PC, data from sensing unit and other instrumentation were collected, merged, and sent to a remote data storage server, through an UMTS device. The whole-system robustness as well as sensor dataset characteristics were continuously characterized over a run-time period of 18 months. PMID:22969394

Effect of long term chilled (up to 5 weeks) then frozen (up to 12 months) storage at two different sub-zero holding temperatures on beef: 3. Protein structure degradation and a marker of protein oxidation.

PubMed

Holman, Benjamin W B; Coombs, Cassius E O; Morris, Stephen; Kerr, Matthew J; Hopkins, David L

2018-05-01

Different chilled (~0.1 °C for up to 5 weeks) then frozen storage (up to 12 months) combinations and two frozen storage holding temperatures (-12 °C and -18 °C) effects on beef M. longissimus lumborum (LL) protein structure degradation and a marker of protein oxidation were tested. Particle size (PS) analysis and protein solubility results found storage combination effects on protein degradation to be significant (P < 0.05), although the influence of frozen holding temperatures was negligible. LL carbonyl, and nitrate and nitrite content responses were variable and yet broadly reflected an increased incidence of protein oxidation across increasing chilled storage and ensuing frozen storage periods - this aspect meriting future exploration. Total myoglobin content and the estimated myoglobin redox fractions (metmyoglobin, deoxymyoglobin, and oxymyoglobin) were also subject to storage treatment. These findings demonstrate the capacity for beef storage selection (chilled-then-frozen) to manage compositional protein changes and its implications on sensory quality traits across comparative 'long term' durations. Crown Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Long-term viability of carbon sequestration in deep-sea sediments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Teng, Y.; Zhang, D.

2017-12-01

Sequestration of carbon dioxide in deep-sea sediments has been proposed for the long-term storage of anthropogenic CO2, due to the negative buoyancy effect and hydrate formation under conditions of high pressure and low temperature. However, the multi-physics process of injection and post-injection fate of CO2 and the feasibility of sub-seabed disposal of CO2 under different geological and operational conditions have not been well studied. On the basis of a detailed study of the coupled processes, we investigate whether storing CO2 into deep-sea sediments is viable, efficient, and secure over the long term. Also studied are the evolution of the multiphase and multicomponent flow and the impact of hydrate formation on storage efficiency during the upward migration of the injected CO2. It is shown that low buoyancy and high viscosity slow down the ascending plume and the forming of the hydrate cap effectively reduces the permeability and finally becomes an impermeable seal, thus limiting the movement of CO2 towards the seafloor. Different flow patterns at varied time scales are identified through analyzing the mass distribution of CO2 in different phases over time. Observed is the formation of a fluid inclusion, which mainly consists of liquid CO2 and is encapsulated by an impermeable hydrate film in the diffusion-dominated stage. The trapped liquid CO2 and CO2 hydrate finally dissolve into the pore water through diffusion of the CO2 component. Sensitivity analyses are performed on storage efficiency under variable geological and operational conditions. It is found that under a deep-sea setting, CO2 sequestration in intact marine sediments is generally safe and permanent.

Quality of life in Brazilian obese adolescents: effects of a long-term multidisciplinary lifestyle therapy

PubMed Central

Lofrano-Prado, Mara Cristina; Antunes, Hanna Karen Moreira; Prado, Wagner Luiz do; de Piano, Aline; Caranti, Danielle Arisa; Tock, Lian; Carnier, June; Tufik, Sergio; de Mello, Marco Túlio; Dâmaso, Ana R

2009-01-01

Background Obesity has adverse physical, social, and economic consequences that can negatively affect quality of life (QOL). Thus the aim of this study was to verify the effects of a long-term multidisciplinary lifestyle intervention on QOL, body image, anxiety, depression and binge eating in obese adolescents. Methods Sixty-six obese adolescents (41 girls and 25 boys; BMI: 35.62 ± 4.18 kg/m2) were recruited from the Multidisciplinary Obesity Intervention Program outpatient clinic, and were submitted to a multidisciplinary lifestyle therapy (short-term = 12 weeks and long-term = 24 weeks), composed of medical, dietary, exercise and psychological programs. Validated self-report questionnaires were used to assess symptoms of anxiety Trait/State (STAI); depression (BDI); binge eating (BES), body image dissatisfaction (BSQ) and QOL (SF-36). Data were analyzed by means of scores; comparisons were made by ANOVA for repeated measures, and Tukey's test as post-hoc and Students T test. Results Long-term therapy decreased depression and binge eating symptoms, body image dissatisfaction, and improved QOL in girls, whereas, for boys, 24 weeks, were effective to reduce anxiety trait/state and symptoms of binge eating, and to improve means of dimensions of QOL (p < .05). Conclusion A long-term multidisciplinary lifestyle therapy is effective to control psychological aspects and to improve QOL in obese adolescents. PMID:19575801

DOC and nitrate export linked to dominant rainfall-runoff processes, end-members and seasonality - a long-term high frequency measurement campaign

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schwab, M. P.; Klaus, J.; Pfister, L.; Weiler, M.

2016-12-01

Over the past decades, stream sampling protocols for hydro-geochemical parameters were often limited by logistical and technological constraints. While long-term monitoring protocols were typically based on weekly sampling intervals, high frequency sampling was commonly limited to a few single events. In this contribution, we combined high frequency and long-term measurements to understand DOC and nitrate dynamics in a forest headwater for different runoff events and seasons. Our study area is the forested Weierbach catchment (0.47 km2) in Luxembourg, where the fractured schist bedrock is covered by cambisol soils. The runoff response is characterized by a double peak behaviour. The first peak occurs during or right after a rainfall event triggered by fast near surface runoff generation processes, while a second delayed peak lasts several days and is generated by subsurface flow. This second peak occurs only if a distinct storage threshold of the catchment is exceeded. Our observations were carried out with a field deployable UV-Vis spectrometer measuring DOC and nitrate concentrations in-situ at 15 min intervals for more than two years. In addition, a long-term validation was carried out with data obtained from the analysis of water collected with grab samples. The long-term, high-frequency measurements allowed us to calculate a complete and detailed balance of DOC and nitrate export over two years. Transport behaviour of the DOC and nitrate showed different dynamics between the first and second hydrograph peaks. DOC is mainly exported during the first peaks, while nitrate is mostly exported during the delayed second peaks. Biweekly end-member measurement of soil and groundwater over several years enables us to link the behaviour of DOC and nitrate export to various end-members in the catchment. Altogether, the long-term and high-frequency time series provides the opportunity to study DOC and nitrate export processes without having to just rely only on either a

Assessing the Long-Term Impacts of Water Quality Outreach and Education Efforts on Agricultural Landowners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jackson-Smith, Douglas B.; McEvoy, Jamie P.

2011-01-01

We assess the long-term effectiveness of outreach and education efforts associated with a water quality improvement project in a watershed located in northern Utah, USA. Conducted 15 years after the original project began, our research examines the lasting impacts of different extension activities on landowners' motivations to participate and…

Long-term Accretion Variations of the Magnetic Cataclysmic Variable Star QQ Vulpecula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cooper Rose, Sanaea; Kafka, Stella; Jorgenson, Regina; Carr, Derrick; Childs, Francesca; Christenson, Holly; Karim, Md. Tanveer; Konchady, Tarini; Walker, Gary E.; Honeycutt, R. K.

2017-01-01

Magnetic cataclysmic variable stars have brightness variations that repeat with each revolution of the two stars about the center of mass of the system. However, in the case of QQ Vulpecula (QQ Vul), this brightness variation pattern changes in the long term. This study makes use of two decades worth of data from the Roboscope Telescope as well as data from the American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO) database to examine the long-term evolution of QQ Vul’s phase curves. Nightly observations using the Maria Mitchell Association's Vestal and Loines Observatories supplemented this analysis by clarifying short-term brightness variation. The long-term data was divided into four commonly observed behavioral types ranging from a double peaked curve of ~15.5 magnitude to a ~15.0 magnitude curve that had a primary minimum and a slow, linear rise in brightness in place of the secondary minimum. The nightly data kept within the confines of these categories, though the secondary minimum in the nightly data never vanished. No periodicity was found in the long-term variations. The model often invoked to explain the double peaked curve consists of single pole accretion in which a partial self-eclipse causes the secondary minimum and cyclotron beaming causes the primary minimum. However, the long-term variation may indicate a changing accretion rate, which may manifest itself in changes to the shape, size, or location of the accretion spot on the white dwarf such that it lessens or removes the secondary minimum. This project was supported by the NSF REU grant AST-1358980, the Massachusetts Space Grant, and the Nantucket Maria Mitchell Association.

Effect of long term chilled (up to 5weeks) then frozen (up to 12months) storage at two different sub-zero holding temperatures on beef: 1. Meat quality and microbial loads.

PubMed

Holman, Benjamin W B; Coombs, Cassius E O; Morris, Stephen; Kerr, Matthew J; Hopkins, David L

2017-11-01

Beef loins (LL) stored under different chilled-then-frozen storage combinations (up to 5 and 52weeks, respectively) and two frozen holding temperatures were evaluated for microbial load and meat quality parameters. We found holding temperature effects to be negligible, which suggest -12°C could deliver comparable quality LL to -18°C across these same storage periods. Meat quality parameters varied significantly, but when compared to existing consumer thresholds these may not be perceptible, colour being the exception which proved unacceptable, earlier into retail display when either chilled and subsequent frozen storage periods were increased. There was insufficient detection of key spoilage microbes to allow for statistical analysis, potentially due to the hygienic and commercially representative LL source, although variation in water activity, glycogen content, pH and other moisture parameters conducive to microbial proliferation were influenced by chilled-then-frozen storage. These outcomes could be applied to defining storage thresholds that assure beef quality within export networks, leveraging market access, and improving product management. Crown Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Materials Assessment of Insulating Foam in the 9977 Shipping Package for Long-Term Storage - Annual Report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

McWilliams, A. J.

The 9977 shipping package is being evaluated for long-term storage applications in the K-Area Complex (KAC) with specific focus on the packaging foam material. A rigid closed cell polyurethane foam, LAST-A-FOAM® FR-3716, produced by General Plastics Manufacturing Company is sprayed and expands to fill the void between the inner container and the outer shell of the package. The foam is sealed in this annular space and is not accessible. During shipping and storage, the foam experiences higher than ambient temperatures from the heat generated by nuclear material within the package creating the potential for degradation of the foam. A seriesmore » of experiments is underway to determine the extent of foam degradation. Foam samples of three densities have been aging at elevated temperatures 160 °F, 160 °F + 50% relative humidity (RH), 185 °F, 215 °F, and 250 °F since 2014. Samples were periodically removed and tested. After approximately 80 weeks, samples conditioned at 160 °F, 160 °F + 50% RH, and 185 °F have retained initial property values while samples conditioned at 215 °F have reduced intumescence. Samples conditioned at 250 °F have shown the most degradation, loss of volume, mass, absorbed energy under compression, intumescence, and increased flammability. Based on the initial data, temperatures up to 185 °F have not yet shown an adverse effect on the foam properties and it is recommended that exposure of FR-3716 foam to temperatures in excess of 250 °F be avoided or minimized. Testing will continue beyond the 96 week mark. This will provide additional data to help define the long-term behavior for the lower temperature conditions. Additional testing will be pursued in an attempt to identify transition points (threshold times and temperatures) at the higher temperatures of interest, as well as possible benefits of aging within the relatively oxygen-free environment the foam experiences inside the 9977 shipping package.« less

Stability evaluation of quality parameters for palm oil products at low temperature storage.

PubMed

Ramli, Nur Aainaa Syahirah; Mohd Noor, Mohd Azmil; Musa, Hajar; Ghazali, Razmah

2018-07-01

Palm oil is one of the major oils and fats produced and traded worldwide. The value of palm oil products is mainly influenced by their quality. According to ISO 17025:2005, accredited laboratories require a quality control procedure with respect to monitoring the validity of tests for determination of quality parameters. This includes the regular use of internal quality control using secondary reference materials. Unfortunately, palm oil reference materials are not currently available. To establish internal quality control samples, the stability of quality parameters needs to be evaluated. In the present study, the stability of quality parameters for palm oil products was examined over 10 months at low temperature storage (6 ± 2 °C). The palm oil products tested included crude palm oil (CPO); refined, bleached and deodorized (RBD) palm oil (RBDPO); RBD palm olein (RBDPOo); and RBD palm stearin (RBDPS). The quality parameters of the oils [i.e. moisture content, free fatty acid content (FFA), iodine value (IV), fatty acids composition (FAC) and slip melting point (SMP)] were determined prior to and throughout the storage period. The moisture, FFA, IV, FAC and SMP for palm oil products changed significantly (P < 0.05), whereas the moisture content for CPO, IV for RBDPO and RBDPOo, stearic acid composition for CPO and linolenic acid composition for CPO, RBDPO, RBDPOo and RBDPS did not (P > 0.05). The stability study indicated that the quality of the palm oil products was stable within the specified limits throughout the storage period at low temperature. The storage conditions preserved the quality of palm oil products throughout the storage period. These findings qualify the use of the palm oil products CPO, RBDPO, RBDPOo and RBDPS as control samples in the validation of test results. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

Impact of environmental factors on PADC radon detector sensitivity during long term storage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wasikiewicz, J. M.

2018-01-01

A broad set of data on poly-allyl diglycol carbonate (PADC) exposure to various environmental conditions has been collected for a period of 1 year in order to study the aging effect on the sensitivity to radon detection. Aging is a phenomenon that occurs during long PADC storage resulting in a loss of sensitivity and/or creation of false tracks. Conditions under investigation were storages under pure nitrogen or air atmospheres, in water solutions of different pHs, in a range of temperatures, humidity and exposure to UV, gamma and neutron radiations. It was found that PADC strongly responds to some external conditions through physical changes in the polymer material; for example, etching of UV exposed detectors led to 10% loss of their thickness and the removal of the tracks layer. Performance of detectors was compared with a control that was the sensitivity of detectors from the same sheet at the time of primary calibration - within 1 month of each sheet being manufactured. Substantial difference in performance was found between storage under pure, dry nitrogen and in the presence of water. The former preserves PADC radon detection properties for the period of one year without noticeable change. The latter, on the other hand significantly reduces its performance even after 3 months' storage. It was also established that storage under low temperature is not a suitable means to preserve PADC sensitivity to radon detection due to significant loss in the detector sensitivity.

Limits, complementarity and improvement of Advanced SAR Interferometry monitoring of anthropogenic subsidence/uplift due to long term CO2 storage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Michele, M.; Raucoules, D.; Rohmer, J.; Loschetter, A.; Raffard, D.; Le Gallo, Y.

2013-12-01

A prerequisite to the large scale industrial development of CO2 Capture and geological Storage is the demonstration that the storage is both efficient and safe. In this context, precise uplift/subsidence monitoring techniques constitute a key component of any CO2 storage risk management. Space-borne Differential SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) interferometry is a promising monitoring technique. It can provide valuable information on vertical positions of a set of scatterer undergoing surface deformation induced by volumetric changes through time and space caused by CO2 injection in deep aquifers. To what extent ? To date, InSAR techniques have been successfully used in a variety of case-studies involving the measure of surface deformation caused by subsurface fluid withdrawal / injection. For instance, groundwater flow characterization in complex aquifers systems, oil / gas field characterization, verification of enhanced oil recovery efficiency, monitoring of seasonal gas storage. The successful use of InSAR is strictly related to the favourable scattering conditions in terms of spatial distribution of targets and their temporal stability. In arid regions, natural radar scatterers density can be very high, exceeding 1,000 per square km. But future onshore industrial-scale CO2 storage sites are planned in more complex land-covers such as agricultural or vegetated terrains. Those terrains are characterized by poor to moderate radar scatterers density, which decrease the detection limits of the space-borne interferometric technique. The present study discusses the limits and constraints of advanced InSAR techniques applied to deformation measurements associated with CO2 injection/storage into deep aquifers in the presence of agricultural and vegetated land-covers. We explore different options to enhance the measurement performances of InSAR techniques. As a first option, we propose to optimize the deployment of a network of 'artificial' scatterers, i.e. corner

Water quality of the Neuse River, North Carolina : variability, pollution loads, and long-term trends

USGS Publications Warehouse

Harned, Douglas A.

1980-01-01

A water-quality study of the Neuse River, N.C., based on data collected during 1956-77 at the U.S. Geological Survey stations at Clayton and Kinston, employs statistical trend analysis techniques that provide a framework for river quality assessment. Overall, water-quality of the Neuse River is satisfactory for most uses. At Clayton, fecal coliform bacteria and nutrient levels are high, but algae and total-organic-carbon data indicate water-quality improvement in recent years, due probably to a new wastewater treatment plant located downstream from Raleigh, N.C. Pollution was determined by subtracting estimated natural loads of constituents from measured total loads. Pollution makes up approximately 50% of the total dissolved material transported by the Neuse. Two different data transformation methods allowed trends to be identified in constituent concentrations. The methods recomputed the concentrations as if they were determined at a constant discharge over the period of record. Although little change since 1956 can be seen in most constituents, large changes in some constituents, such as increases in potassium and sulfate, indicate that the water quality of the Neuse River has noticeably deteriorated. Increases in sulfate are probably largely due to increased long-term inputs of sulfur compounds from airborne pollutants. (USGS)

Contemporary Reflections on the Safety of Long-Term Aspirin Treatment for the Secondary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease

PubMed Central

Fanaroff, Alexander C.; Roe, Matthew T.

2018-01-01

Aspirin has been the cornerstone of therapy for the secondary prevention treatment of patients with cardiovascular disease since landmark trials were completed in the late 1970s and early 1980s that demonstrated the efficacy of aspirin for reducing the risk of ischemic events. Notwithstanding the consistent benefits demonstrated with apirin for both acute and chronic cardiovascular disease, there are a number of toxicities associated with aspirin that have been showcased by recent long-term clinical trials that have included an aspirin monotherapy arm. As an inhibitor of cyclooxygenase, aspirin impairs gastric mucosal protective mechanisms. Prior trials have shown that up to 15–20% of patients developed gastrointestinal symptoms with aspirin monotherapy and roughly 1% of patients per year had a clinically significant bleeding event, including 1 in 1000 patients who suffered an intracranial or fatal bleed. These risks have been shown to be compounded for patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS) and those undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), who are also treated with other anti-thrombotic agents during the acute care/procedural period, as well as for an extended time period afterwards. Given observations of substantial increases in bleeding rates from many prior long-term clinical trials that have evaluated aspirin together with other oral platelet inhibitors or oral anti-coagulants, the focus of contemporary research has pivoted towards tailored anti-thrombotic regimens that attempt to either shorten the duration of exposure to aspirin or replace aspirin with an alternative anti-thrombotic agent. While these shifts are occurring, the safety profile of aspirin when used for the secondary prevention treatment of patients with established cardiovascular disease deserves further consideration. PMID:27028617

Data Storage and sharing for the long tail of science

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhang, B.; Pouchard, L.; Smith, P. M.

Research data infrastructure such as storage must now accommodate new requirements resulting from trends in research data management that require researchers to store their data for the long term and make it available to other researchers. We propose Data Depot, a system and service that provides capabilities for shared space within a group, shared applications, flexible access patterns and ease of transfer at Purdue University. We evaluate Depot as a solution for storing and sharing multiterabytes of data produced in the long tail of science with a use case in soundscape ecology studies from the Human- Environment Modeling and Analysismore » Laboratory. We observe that with the capabilities enabled by Data Depot, researchers can easily deploy fine-grained data access control, manage data transfer and sharing, as well as integrate their workflows into a High Performance Computing environment.« less

Effect of heat treatment on quality, thermal and pasting properties of sweet potato starch during yearlong storage.

PubMed

Hu, Wenzhong; Jiang, Aili; Jin, Liming; Liu, Chenghui; Tian, Mixia; Wang, Yanying

2011-06-01

Proper postharvest handling and storage of sweet potato is an important link in the chain from producer to consumer or manufacturing industry. Heat treatments have been used as a non-chemical means to modify the postharvest quality and reduce pathogen levels and disease development of a wide variety of horticultural products. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of hot water treatment (HWT) on the quality, gelatinisation enthalpy and pasting properties of sweet potato starch during long-term storage. The weight loss, sprouting, spoilage and sugar content of sweet potato were also determined. HWT significantly inhibited the sprouting and decay of sweet potato during the storage period. There were no significant differences (P < 0.05) in the pasting properties and onset (T(O)), peak (T(P)) and endset (T(E)) temperatures of gelatinisation of sweet potato starch among all treatments, especially between heat-treated and non-heat-treated samples. HWT also had no significant impact on the quality of the internal components of the roots. Less than 4% of the yearlong-stored roots were discarded owing to spoilage. HWT supplied a lethal dose of heat to surface pathogens and black spot without damaging the nutritional and processing qualities of sweet potato. HWT was an effective method to reduce root sprouting and deterioration without significant impact on the quality of the internal components of sweet potato. This novel technique will open a new avenue to extend the storage life of sweet potato with good quality and minimal waste. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry.

Quality work in long-term care: the role of first-line leaders.

PubMed

Kjøs, Bente Ødegård; Botten, Grete; Gjevjon, Edith Roth; Romøren, Tor Inge

2010-10-01

To explore the first-line leaders' role in quality work in long-term care in Norway, in order to determine how that work is related to such success characteristics as leadership, staff, patients, performance, information and information technology. Cross-sectional telephone survey. The text was analysed using content analysis. Thirty-two Norwegian municipalities stratified according to region and population size. Sixty-four first-line leaders in nursing homes and home-based care. Main outcome measure The clinical microsystem approach is used as a framework by defining and designing measureable variables. Thirty-six leaders described how they initiated and motivated employees to be active in quality work; the remaining leaders indicated that they played a passive role. The first-line leaders played a key role in implementing national quality policies and regulations. The quantity of other success characteristics was low. The municipalities delegated the responsibility of implanting national policies to the first-line leaders. Missing were key quality success criteria such as macro- and meso-perspectives for the municipality as a whole and co-operation with other leaders in the organization and fostering of relevant learning. Quality work was fragmented rather than comprehensive and systematic.

Long-term, correlated emittance decrease in intense, high-brightness induction linacs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carlsten, Bruce E.

1999-09-01

Simulations of high-brightness induction linacs often show a slow, long-term emittance decrease as the beam is matched from the electron gun into the linac. Superimposed on this long-term decrease are rapid emittance oscillations. These effects can be described in terms of correlations in the beam's radial phase space. The rapid emittance oscillations are due to transverse plasma oscillations, which stay nearly in phase for different radial positions within the beam. The initial emittance, just after the electron gun, is dominated by nonlinear focusing within the gun introduced by the anode exit hole. Due to the large space-charge force of an intense electron beam, the focusing of the beam through the matching section introduces an effective nonlinear force (from the change in the particles' potential energies) which counteracts the nonlinearities from the electron gun, leading to an average, long-term emittance decrease. Not all of the initial nonlinearity is removed by the matching procedure, and there are important consequences both for emittance measurements using solenoid focal length scans and for focusing the electron beam to a target.

Impact of bottled water storage duration and location on bacteriological quality.

PubMed

Duranceau, Steven J; Emerson, Hilary P; Wilder, Rebecca J

2012-01-01

An investigation studying the effects of storage duration and location on the persistence of heterotrophic microorganisms in oligotrophic bottled water environments has been completed. One-gallon high-density polyethylene water containers stored for up to 16 weeks at temperatures ranging from 2°C to >49°C in a refrigerator, indoor cabinet, covered porch, and car trunk were evaluated for microbiological quality. Heterotrophic plate counts (HPCs) of up to 4 × 10(3) cfu/mL were detected in containers stored on a porch and car trunk; whereas, HPCs were found not to exceed 400 cfu/mL and 100 cfu/mL for bottles stored in indoor cabinets and refrigerators, respectively. Containers stored on an enclosed porch for up to seven years contained HPC of up to 4 × 10(4) cfu/mL. Logistic and Gompertz growth models predicted microbial growth rates for bottled water stored on a protected porch environment for long (R(2) 0.99) and short-term (R(2) 0.86) durations.

1. Exterior view of LongTerm Hydrazine Silo (T28E), looking southeast. ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

1. Exterior view of Long-Term Hydrazine Silo (T-28E), looking southeast. The structure was designed to assess long-term environmental impacts on storage of the Titan's fuel (hydrazine). The low-lying building to the immediate right of the silo is the Fuel Purification Structure (T-28E), constructed during the late 1960s to purify hydrazine for long-term hardware requirements for satellites and space expedition vehicles associated with the Titan III. - Air Force Plant PJKS, Systems Integration Laboratory, Long-Term Hydrazine Silo, Waterton Canyon Road & Colorado Highway 121, Lakewood, Jefferson County, CO

Long-Term Outcomes of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Adolescent Body Dysmorphic Disorder.

PubMed

Krebs, Georgina; de la Cruz, Lorena Fernández; Monzani, Benedetta; Bowyer, Laura; Anson, Martin; Cadman, Jacinda; Heyman, Isobel; Turner, Cynthia; Veale, David; Mataix-Cols, David

2017-07-01

Emerging evidence suggests that cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is an efficacious treatment for adolescent body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) in the short term, but longer-term outcomes remain unknown. The current study aimed to follow up a group of adolescents who had originally participated in a randomized controlled trial of CBT for BDD to determine whether treatment gains were maintained. Twenty-six adolescents (mean age = 16.2, SD = 1.6) with a primary diagnosis of BDD received a course of developmentally tailored CBT and were followed up over 12 months. Participants were assessed at baseline, midtreatment, posttreatment, 2-, 6-, and 12-month follow-up. The primary outcome measure was the clinician-rated Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale Modified for BDD. Secondary outcomes included measures of insight, depression, quality of life, and global functioning. BDD symptoms decreased significantly from pre- to posttreatment and remained stable over the 12-month follow-up. At this time point, 50% of participants were classified as responders and 23% as remitters. Participants remained significantly improved on all secondary outcomes at 12-month follow-up. Neither baseline insight nor baseline depression predicted long-term outcomes. The positive effects of CBT appear to be durable up to 12-month follow-up. However, the majority of patients remained symptomatic and vulnerable to a range of risks at 12-month follow-up, indicating that longer-term monitoring is advisable in this population. Future research should focus on enhancing the efficacy of CBT in order to improve long-term outcomes. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Long-Term Hearing Results After Ossiculoplasty.

PubMed

Cox, Matthew D; Trinidade, Aaron; Russell, James Shep; Dornhoffer, John L

2017-04-01

To determine if the OOPS index is predictive of long-term hearing results after ossiculoplasty. Case series with retrospective chart review. Tertiary care otology practice. Adult and pediatric patients (3-88 years of age). Ossiculoplasty with cartilage tympanoplasty, with or without mastoidectomy. Primary outcome measures included short-term hearing results (pure-tone average air-bone gap [PTA-ABG] measured between 60 days and 1 year after surgery), long-term hearing results (PTA-ABG measured ≥5 years after surgery), and the rate of successful ABG closure to ≤20 dB. Secondary measures included the need for revision surgery, delayed tympanic membrane graft failure, worsening conductive hearing loss (after an initially satisfactory hearing result), and recurrence of cholesteatoma. There was no significant difference between adults and children for short-term hearing results (average post-op PTA-ABG was 18.9 dB vs. 19.8 dB, respectively; p = 0.544), long-term hearing results (average final PTA-ABG was 19.3 dB vs. 19.4 dB, respectively; p = 0.922), or rate of ABG closure to less than 20 dB (63.1% vs. 58.0%, p = 0.282). Spearman's rank-order correlation (ρ) identified a strong positive correlation between OOPS index score and average post-operative PTA-ABG (ρ = 0.983; p < 0.001; 2-tailed), as well as average long-term PTA-ABG (ρ = 0.950, p < 0.001; 2-tailed). The OOPS index makes it possible to accurately prognosticate hearing outcomes in adult and pediatric patients undergoing ossiculoplasty in both the short term and the long term.

How much suspended particulate matter enters long-term in-channel storage?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dietrich, Stephan; Kleisinger, Carmen; Kehl, Nora; Schubert, Birgit; Hillebrand, Gudrun

2017-04-01

The route of suspended particulate matter (SPM) downstream rivers strongly depends on discharge conditions and involves transport times and periods with resting times in deposits e.g. at areas with low-flow conditions near the channel bed. It is, however, difficult to estimate the contribution of SPM on the bed load. In this study, particle-bound polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), which were released by an incident in the Elbe river (Central Europe) in spring 2015, could be used as unique tracer for transport pathways of SPM along the whole river stretch (over 700 km length), including low mountain ranges, lowlands, and the estuary. In 2015 the Elbe River was characterized by low-discharge conditions. Thus, the export of SPM on flood plains was strongly limited. The incident was monitored by concentration measurements of seven indicator PCB congeners along the inland part of the Elbe River as well as in the Elbe estuary. Data from ten monitoring stations (settling tanks) are considered. The total PCB load is calculated for all stations on the basis of monthly contaminant concentrations and daily suspended sediment concentrations. Monte-Carlo simulations assess the uncertainties of the calculated load. It is shown that the ratio of high versus low chlorinated PCB congeners is a suitable tracer to distinguish the PCB load of the incident from the long-term background signal (hereafter PCB6 ratio). We demonstrate that both the load of PCB as well as its chemical fingerprint allows the estimation of transport durations for the transport processes involved. Only a little part of the suspension has been transported via wash load. The PCB6 ratio is used to estimate mean transport velocities of the wash load fraction. A direct transport of wash load via the mean flow velocity of the water was not observed. Shortly after the incident, the PCB6 ratio was monitored 257 km downstream of the incident site in April 2015, in May first occurrence was monitored 514 km downstream of

A new image for long-term care.

PubMed

Wager, Richard; Creelman, William

2004-04-01

To counter widely held negative images of long-term care, managers in the industry should implement quality-improvement initiatives that include six key strategies: Manage the expectations of residents and their families. Address customers' concerns early. Build long-term customer satisfaction. Allocate resources to achieve exceptional outcomes in key areas. Respond to adverse events with compassion. Reinforce the facility's credibility.

Randomized controlled trial evaluating the temporal effects of high-intensity exercise on learning, short-term and long-term memory, and prospective memory.

PubMed

Frith, Emily; Sng, Eveleen; Loprinzi, Paul D

2017-11-01

The broader purpose of this study was to examine the temporal effects of high-intensity exercise on learning, short-term and long-term retrospective memory and prospective memory. Among a sample of 88 young adult participants, 22 were randomized into one of four different groups: exercise before learning, control group, exercise during learning, and exercise after learning. The retrospective assessments (learning, short-term and long-term memory) were assessed using the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test. Long-term memory including a 20-min and 24-hr follow-up assessment. Prospective memory was assessed using a time-based procedure by having participants contact (via phone) the researchers at a follow-up time period. The exercise stimulus included a 15-min bout of progressive maximal exertion treadmill exercise. High-intensity exercise prior to memory encoding (vs. exercise during memory encoding or consolidation) was effective in enhancing long-term memory (for both 20-min and 24-h follow-up assessments). We did not observe a differential temporal effect of high-intensity exercise on short-term memory (immediate post-memory encoding), learning or prospective memory. The timing of high-intensity exercise may play an important role in facilitating long-term memory. © 2017 Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

TNF-α inhibitors do not impair sperm quality in males with ankylosing spondylitis after short-term or long-term treatment.

PubMed

Micu, Mihaela C; Micu, Romeo; Surd, Stela; Gîrlovanu, Marinela; Bolboacă, Sorana D; Ostensen, Monika

2014-07-01

The aim of this study was to study the influence of active disease status and TNF-α antagonists on sperm quality in a group of AS patients. Twenty-three active AS patients and 42 controls were recruited. Patients' sperm samples were analysed at baseline (previous to) and at 3-6 months after TNF-α therapy (adalimumab, infliximab, etanercept) administration. Baseline assessment was made for only 20 patients, 2 of them proving to have normal fertility, 2 having a pregnant stable partner and the third having a 9-month-old child. Six patients were retested after 12 months of biologic therapy. Each patient acted as his own comparator. Results were further compared with sperm samples from age-matched controls. Sperm analysis was performed according to the World Health Organization (WHO) 1999 guidelines. Patients' baseline assessment showed normozoospermia in 91% and oligozoospermia in 9% of patients. No significant differences in sperm quality were noticed at follow-up visits compared with baseline. Comparison to controls showed no statistically significant differences in semen quality, with some exceptions: the control group presented a higher percentage of non-progressive and immobile sperm cells and higher numbers of head and tail atypias. Sperm quality in patients with active AS and after receiving short- and long-term TNF-α blocker therapy is comparable to sperm quality in healthy controls. Our study confirms that the disease process of AS does not have a major impact on sperm quality and that treatment with anti-TNF has no negative impact on sperm quality even under long-term treatment. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for Rheumatology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Loch Vale Watershed Long-Term Ecological Research and Monitoring Program: Quality Assurance Report, 2003-09

USGS Publications Warehouse

Richer, Eric E.; Baron, Jill S.

2011-01-01

The Loch Vale watershed project is a long-term research and monitoring program located in Rocky Mountain National Park that addresses watershed-scale ecosystem processes, particularly as they respond to atmospheric deposition and climate variability. Measurements of precipitation depth, precipitation chemistry, discharge, and surface-water quality are made within the watershed and elsewhere in Rocky Mountain National Park. As data collected for the program are used by resource managers, scientists, policy makers, and students, it is important that all data collected in Loch Vale watershed meet high standards of quality. In this report, data quality was evaluated for precipitation, discharge, and surface-water chemistry measurements collected during 2003-09. Equipment upgrades were made at the Loch Vale National Atmospheric Deposition Program monitoring site to improve precipitation measurements and evaluate variability in precipitation depth and chemistry. Additional solar panels and batteries have been installed to improve the power supply, and data completeness, at the NADP site. As a result of equipment malfunction, discharge data for the Loch Outlet were estimated from October 18, 2005, to August 17, 2006. Quality-assurance results indicate that more than 98 percent of all surface-water chemistry measurements were accurate and precise. Records that did not meet quality criteria were removed from the database. Measurements of precipitation depth, precipitation chemistry, discharge, and surface-water quality were all sufficiently complete and consistent to support project data needs.

The Health-Related Quality of Life in Long-Term Colorectal Cancer Survivors Study: objectives, methods, and patient sample

PubMed Central

Mohler, M. Jane; Coons, Stephen Joel; Hornbrook, Mark C.; Herrinton, Lisa J.; Wendel, Christopher S.; Grant, Marcia; Krouse, Robert S.

2008-01-01

Objectives The objective of this paper is to describe the complex mixed-methods design of a study conducted to assess health-related quality of life (HRQOL) outcomes and ostomy-related obstacles and adjustments among long-term (>five years) colorectal cancer (CRC) survivors with ostomies (cases) and without ostomies (controls). In addition, details are provided regarding the study sample and the psychometric properties of the quantitative data collection measures used. Subsequent manuscripts will present the study findings. Research Design and Methods The study design involved a cross-sectional mail survey for collecting quantitative data and focus groups for collecting qualitative data. The study subjects were individuals identified as long-term CRC survivors within a community-based health maintenance organization's enrolled population. Focus groups comprised of cases and divided by gender and HRQOL high and low quartile contrasts (based on the mail survey data) were conducted. Main Outcome Measures The modified City of Hope Quality of Life (mCOH-QOL)-Ostomy and SF-36v2 questionnaires were used in the mail survey. An abridged version of the mCOH-QOL-Ostomy was used for the control subjects. Focus groups explored ostomy-related barriers to self-care, adaptation methods/skills, and advice for others with an ostomy. Results The survey response rate was 52% (679/1308) and 34 subjects participated in focus groups. The internal consistency reliability estimates for the mCOH-QOL-Ostomy and SF-36v2 questionnaires were very acceptable for group comparisons. In addition, evidence supports the construct validity of the abridged version of the mCOH-QOL-Ostomy. Study limitations include potential non-response bias and limited minority participation. Conclusions We were able to successfully recruit long-term CRC survivors into this study and the psychometric properties of the quantitative measures used were quite acceptable. Mixed-methods designs, such as the one used in this

The health-related quality of life in long-term colorectal cancer survivors study: objectives, methods and patient sample.

PubMed

Mohler, M Jane; Coons, Stephen Joel; Hornbrook, Mark C; Herrinton, Lisa J; Wendel, Christopher S; Grant, Marcia; Krouse, Robert S

2008-07-01

The objective of this paper is to describe the complex mixed-methods design of a study conducted to assess health-related quality of life (HRQOL) outcomes and ostomy-related obstacles and adjustments among long-term (>5 years) colorectal cancer (CRC) survivors with ostomies (cases) and without ostomies (controls). In addition, details are provided regarding the study sample and the psychometric properties of the quantitative data collection measures used. Subsequent manuscripts will present the study findings. The study design involved a cross-sectional mail survey for collecting quantitative data and focus groups for collecting qualitative data. The study subjects were individuals identified as long-term CRC survivors within a community-based health maintenance organization's enrolled population. Focus groups comprised of cases were conducted. The groups were divided by gender and HRQOL high and low quartile contrasts (based on the mail survey data). The modified City of Hope Quality of Life (mCOH-QOL)-Ostomy and SF-36v2 questionnaires were used in the mail survey. An abridged version of the mCOH-QOL-Ostomy was used for the control subjects. Focus groups explored ostomy-related barriers to self-care, adaptation methods/skills, and advice for others with an ostomy. The survey response rate was 52% (679/1308) and 34 subjects participated in focus groups. The internal consistency reliability estimates for the mCOH-QOL-Ostomy and SF-36v2 questionnaires were very acceptable for group comparisons. In addition, evidence supports the construct validity of the abridged version of the mCOH-QOL-Ostomy. Study limitations include potential non-response bias and limited minority participation. We were able to successfully recruit long-term CRC survivors into this study and the psychometric properties of the quantitative measures used were quite acceptable. Mixed-methods designs, such as the one used in this study, may be useful in identification and further elucidation of

Promising Long-Term Health-Related Quality of Life After High-Dose-Rate Brachytherapy Boost for Localized Prostate Cancer

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wahlgren, Thomas; Nilsson, Sten; Lennernaes, Bo

2007-11-01

Purpose: To explore the long-term general and disease-specific health-related quality of life (HRQOL) >5 years after combined radiotherapy for localized prostate cancer, including a high-dose-rate brachytherapy boost and hormonal deprivation therapy. Methods and Materials: Of 196 eligible patients with localized prostate cancer (Stage T1-T3a) consecutively treated with curative radiotherapy at our institution between June 1998 and August 2000, 182 (93%) completed the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life questionnaires QLQ-C30 and QLQ-PR25, including specific questions on fecal incontinence >5 years after treatment in September 2005. A comparison with age-matched normative data was done, as wellmore » as a longitudinal analysis using HRQOL data from a previous study. Results: The analysis included 158 nonrecurrent patients. Comparisons made with normative data showed that physical and role functioning were significantly better statistically and social functioning was significantly worse. Diarrhea and sleep disturbances were more pronounced and pain less pronounced than in a normal male population. The longitudinal analysis of disease-specific HRQOL showed that urinary urgency and erectile problems persisted 5 years after treatment, and nocturia and hormonally dependent symptoms had declined significantly, with a statistically significant difference. Fecal incontinence was recognized by 25% of patients, of whom 80% considered it a minor problem. Conclusion: More than 5 years after combined radiotherapy, irritative urinary problems and erectile dysfunction remain concerns, although severe bowel disturbance and fecal incontinence seem to be minor problems. Longitudinally, a decline mainly in hormonally dependent symptoms was seen. Minor differences in general HRQOL compared with normative data were observed, possibly including 'response shift' effects.« less

Long-term preservation of Tetraselmis indica (Chlorodendrophyceae, Chlorophyta) for flow cytometric analysis: Influence of fixative and storage temperature.

PubMed

Naik, Sangeeta Mahableshwar; Anil, Arga Chandrashekar

2017-08-01

Immediate enumeration of phytoplankton is seldom possible. Therefore, fixation and subsequent storage are required for delayed analysis. This study investigated the influence of glutaraldehyde (GA) concentrations (0.25%, 0.5%, and 1%) and storage temperatures (-80°C LN2 , -80°C, -20°C, and 5°C) on Tetraselmis indica for flow cytometric analysis. Cell recovery, granularity, and membrane permeability were independent of GA concentration whereas cell size and chlorophyll autofluorescence were concentration dependent. After an initial cell loss (16-19%), no cell loss was observed when samples were stored at 5°C. Cell recovery was not influenced by storage temperature until 4months but later samples preserved at -80°C LN2 , -80°C, and -20°C resulted in ~41% cell loss. Although maximum cell recovery with minimal effect on cell integrity was obtained at 5°C, autofluorescence was retained better at -80°C LN2 and -80°C. This suggests that in addition to fixative, the choice of storage temperature is equally important. Thus for long-term preservation, especially to retain autofluorescence, the use of lower concentration (0.25%) of GA when stored at a lower temperature (-80°C LN2 and -80°C) while a higher concentration (1%) of GA when stored at a higher temperature (5°C) is recommended. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Characterization of highly concentrated antibody solution - A toolbox for the description of protein long-term solution stability

PubMed Central

Schermeyer, Marie-Therese; Wöll, Anna K.; Eppink, Michel; Hubbuch, Jürgen

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT High protein titers are gaining importance in biopharmaceutical industry. A major challenge in the development of highly concentrated mAb solutions is their long-term stability and often incalculable viscosity. The complexity of the molecule itself, as well as the various molecular interactions, make it difficult to describe their solution behavior. To study the formulation stability, long- and short-range interactions and the formation of complex network structures have to be taken into account. For a better understanding of highly concentrated solutions, we combined established and novel analytical tools to characterize the effect of solution properties on the stability of highly concentrated mAb formulations. In this study, monoclonal antibody solutions in a concentration range of 50–200 mg/ml at pH 5–9 with and without glycine, PEG4000, and Na2SO4 were analyzed. To determine the monomer content, analytical size-exclusion chromatography runs were performed. ζ-potential measurements were conducted to analyze the electrophoretic properties in different solutions. The melting and aggregation temperatures were determined with the help of fluorescence and static light scattering measurements. Additionally, rheological measurements were conducted to study the solution viscosity and viscoelastic behavior of the mAb solutions. The so-determined analytical parameters were scored and merged in an analytical toolbox. The resulting scoring was then successfully correlated with long-term storage (40 d of incubation) experiments. Our results indicate that the sensitivity of complex rheological measurements, in combination with the applied techniques, allows reliable statements to be made with respect to the effect of solution properties, such as protein concentration, ionic strength, and pH shift, on the strength of protein-protein interaction and solution colloidal stability. PMID:28617076

Exploratory study of long-term health-related quality of life in patients with surgically treated primary parotid gland cancer.

PubMed

Stenner, Markus; Beenen, Franziska; Hahn, Moritz; Koopmann, Mario; Weiss, Daniel; Hüttenbrink, Karl-Bernd

2016-01-01

Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) has received more and more attention as an outcome in cancer therapy. In this exploratory study, we assessed the long-term HRQOL among 77 surgically treated patients with parotid gland cancer. The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 30-questions (EORTC-QLQ-C30) and European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 30 Head and Neck 35-questions (EORTC-QLQ-C30-H&N35) questionnaires were used in a cross-sectional design. The mean time-lag between initial diagnosis and completion of the questionnaire was 89.7 months. The HRQOL significantly increased with the time-lag to surgery and decreased with the patients' age. Factors with clinically significant effects in several areas of long-term HRQOL (ie, more than 4 scores) were age, type of neck dissection, preoperative facial nerve palsy, and postoperative radiation therapy. In parotid gland cancer surgery, factors, such as sex, age, type of surgery, facial nerve palsy, and radiation therapy, seem to be associated with clinically meaningful differences in long-term HRQOL scores. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

CW injection locking for long-term stability of frequency combs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Williams, Charles; Quinlan, Franklyn; Delfyett, Peter J.

2009-05-01

Harmonically mode-locked semiconductor lasers with external ring cavities offer high repetition rate pulse trains while maintaining low optical linewidth via long cavity storage times. Continuous wave (CW) injection locking further reduces linewidth and stabilizes the optical frequencies. The output can be stabilized long-term with the help of a modified Pound-Drever-Hall feedback loop. Optical sidemode suppression of 36 dB has been shown, as well as RF supermode noise suppression of 14 dB for longer than 1 hour. In addition to the injection locking of harmonically mode-locked lasers requiring an external frequency source, recent work shows the viability of the injection locking technique for regeneratively mode-locked lasers, or Coupled Opto-Electronic Oscillators (COEO).

Long-term effects of interference on short-term memory performance in the rat.

PubMed

Missaire, Mégane; Fraize, Nicolas; Joseph, Mickaël Antoine; Hamieh, Al Mahdy; Parmentier, Régis; Marighetto, Aline; Salin, Paul Antoine; Malleret, Gaël

2017-01-01

A distinction has always been made between long-term and short-term memory (also now called working memory, WM). The obvious difference between these two kinds of memory concerns the duration of information storage: information is supposedly transiently stored in WM while it is considered durably consolidated into long-term memory. It is well acknowledged that the content of WM is erased and reset after a short time, to prevent irrelevant information from proactively interfering with newly stored information. In the present study, we used typical WM radial maze tasks to question the brief lifespan of spatial WM content in rodents. Groups of rats were submitted to one of two different WM tasks in a radial maze: a WM task involving the repetitive presentation of a same pair of arms expected to induce a high level of proactive interference (PI) (HIWM task), or a task using a different pair in each trial expected to induce a low level of PI (LIWM task). Performance was effectively lower in the HIWM group than in LIWM in the final trial of each training session, indicative of a "within-session/short-term" PI effect. However, we also observed a different "between-session/long-term" PI effect between the two groups: while performance of LIWM trained rats remained stable over days, the performance of HIWM rats dropped after 10 days of training, and this impairment was visible from the very first trial of the day, hence not attributable to within-session PI. We also showed that a 24 hour-gap across training sessions known to allow consolidation processes to unfold, was a necessary and sufficient condition for the long-term PI effect to occur. These findings suggest that in the HIWM task, WM content was not entirely reset between training sessions and that, in specific conditions, WM content can outlast its purpose by being stored more permanently, generating a long-term deleterious effect of PI. The alternative explanation is that WM content could be transferred and stored

Long-term reproducibility of relative sensitivity factors obtained with CAMECA Wf

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gui, D.; Xing, Z. X.; Huang, Y. H.; Mo, Z. Q.; Hua, Y. N.; Zhao, S. P.; Cha, L. Z.

2008-12-01

As the wafer size continues to increase and the feature size of the integrated circuits (IC) continues to shrink, process control of IC manufacturing becomes ever more important to reduce the cost of failures caused by the drift of processes or equipments. Characterization tools with high precision and reproducibility are required to capture any abnormality of the process. Although Secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) has been widely used in dopant profile control, it was reported that magnetic sector SIMS, compared to quadrupole SIMS, has lower short-term repeatability and long-term reproducibility due to the high extraction field applied between sample and extraction lens. In this paper, we demonstrate that CAMECA Wf can deliver high long-term reproducibility because of its high-level automation and improved design of immersion lens. The relative standard deviation (R.S.D.) of the relative sensitivity factors (RSF) of three typical elements, i.e., boron (B), phosphorous (P) and nitrogen (N), over 3 years are 3.7%, 5.5% and 4.1%, respectively. The high reproducibility results have a practical implication that deviation can be estimated without testing the standards.

The long-term storage of blood for transfusion using an improved container for freezing the red cells in liquid nitrogen

PubMed Central

Jenkins, W. J.; Blagdon, J.

1971-01-01

Considerable experience has been gained in the operation of a bank of blood frozen in liquid nitrogen. The procedure for freezing and recovering the red cells is, in principle, that described by Krijnen, Kuivenhoven, and de Wit (1970). An improved metal freezing container offers greater freedom from liquid nitrogen leaks and hence, bacterial contamination. Over 500 units of blood have been preserved and used for transfusions without mishap, and many advantages are seen in this relatively economical method for the long-term storage of blood. Images PMID:5130533

Long-term energy and climate implications of carbon capture and storage deployment strategies in the US coal-fired electricity fleet.

PubMed

Sathre, Roger; Masanet, Eric

2012-09-04

To understand the long-term energy and climate implications of different implementation strategies for carbon capture and storage (CCS) in the US coal-fired electricity fleet, we integrate three analytical elements: scenario projection of energy supply systems, temporally explicit life cycle modeling, and time-dependent calculation of radiative forcing. Assuming continued large-scale use of coal for electricity generation, we find that aggressive implementation of CCS could reduce cumulative greenhouse gas emissions (CO(2), CH(4), and N(2)O) from the US coal-fired power fleet through 2100 by 37-58%. Cumulative radiative forcing through 2100 would be reduced by only 24-46%, due to the front-loaded time profile of the emissions and the long atmospheric residence time of CO(2). The efficiency of energy conversion and carbon capture technologies strongly affects the amount of primary energy used but has little effect on greenhouse gas emissions or radiative forcing. Delaying implementation of CCS deployment significantly increases long-term radiative forcing. This study highlights the time-dynamic nature of potential climate benefits and energy costs of different CCS deployment pathways and identifies opportunities and constraints of successful CCS implementation.

Secondary Surge Capacity: A Framework for Understanding Long-Term Access to Primary Care for Medically Vulnerable Populations in Disaster Recovery

PubMed Central

Brock-Martin, Amy; Karmaus, Wilfried; Svendsen, Erik R.

2012-01-01

Disasters create a secondary surge in casualties because of the sudden increased need for long-term health care. Surging demands for medical care after a disaster place excess strain on an overtaxed health care system operating at maximum or reduced capacity. We have applied a health services use model to identify areas of vulnerability that perpetuate health disparities for at-risk populations seeking care after a disaster. We have proposed a framework to understand the role of the medical system in modifying the health impact of the secondary surge on vulnerable populations. Baseline assessment of existing needs and the anticipation of ballooning chronic health care needs following the acute response for at-risk populations are overlooked vulnerability gaps in national surge capacity plans. PMID:23078479

Long-term cryopreservation of decellularised oesophagi for tissue engineering clinical application.

PubMed

Urbani, Luca; Maghsoudlou, Panagiotis; Milan, Anna; Menikou, Maria; Hagen, Charlotte Klara; Totonelli, Giorgia; Camilli, Carlotta; Eaton, Simon; Burns, Alan; Olivo, Alessandro; De Coppi, Paolo

2017-01-01

Oesophageal tissue engineering is a therapeutic alternative when oesophageal replacement is required. Decellularised scaffolds are ideal as they are derived from tissue-specific extracellular matrix and are non-immunogenic. However, appropriate preservation may significantly affect scaffold behaviour. Here we aim to prove that an effective method for short- and long-term preservation can be applied to tissue engineered products allowing their translation to clinical application. Rabbit oesophagi were decellularised using the detergent-enzymatic treatment (DET), a combination of deionised water, sodium deoxycholate and DNase-I. Samples were stored in phosphate-buffered saline solution at 4°C (4°C) or slow cooled in medium with 10% Me2SO at -1°C/min followed by storage in liquid nitrogen (SCM). Structural and functional analyses were performed prior to and after 2 and 4 weeks and 3 and 6 months of storage under each condition. Efficient decellularisation was achieved after 2 cycles of DET as determined with histology and DNA quantification, with preservation of the ECM. Only the SCM method, commonly used for cell storage, maintained the architecture and biomechanical properties of the scaffold up to 6 months. On the contrary, 4°C method was effective for short-term storage but led to a progressive distortion and degradation of the tissue architecture at the following time points. Efficient storage allows a timely use of decellularised oesophagi, essential for clinical translation. Here we describe that slow cooling with cryoprotectant solution in liquid nitrogen vapour leads to reliable long-term storage of decellularised oesophageal scaffolds for tissue engineering purposes.

The effects of quality of life on behavioral and psychological symptoms in elderly people with dementia residing at long-term care facilities.

PubMed

Suzuki, Mizue; Hattori, Hideyuki; Fukuda, Koji; Ooshiro, Hajime; Saruhara, Takayuki; Furuta, Yoshie; Abe, Kunihiko; Kanamori, Masao

2017-01-01

The purpose of the present study was to clarify how quality of life (QOL) affects the behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSDs) among elderly individuals with dementia within long-term care facilities (e.g., long-term healthcare facilities, sanatorium-type medical facilities, and special nursing homes for the elderly). Elderly individuals with dementia were evaluated to determine their activities of daily living (ADL; Katz), Mini-mental State Examination (MMSE), Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI), and Quality of life inventory for the elderly with dementia (QOLD) scores. The subjects were recruited from intermediate welfare facilities (n = 226, 43.7%), hospitals with supportive care (n=91, 17.6%), and intermediate care facilities (n = 200, 38.7%). The mean age of the subjects was 85.18±7.13 years. The NPI scores revealed that Agitation/Aggression was high among subjects who resided in healthcare health facilities and sanatorium-type medical facilities, while Apathy/Indifference was high in those who resided in special nursing homes. Additionally, a multiple regression analysis found that most of the NPI items, when set as independent variables, displayed a significant association with the same subscale of the QOLD. When each item of the NPI was set as a dependent variable in a multiple regression analysis, the scores were significantly related to both subscales of the QOLD. It is suggested that QOL should be maintained or improved in an effort to reduce the incidence of the associated BPSDs in long-term care facilities.

Effect of 1-methylcyclopropene treatment on green asparagus quality during cold storage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Peng; Zhang, Min; Wang, Shaojin; Wu, Zhishuang

2012-10-01

Green asparagus was treated with 1-methylcyclopropene at three concentration levels at room temperature for 24 h after harvest to evaluate the postharvest quality during cold storage at 4°C. Comparing with the controls, the loss of vitamin C, decomposition of chlorophyll, and accumulation of the malonydiadehyde under treatments of 1-methylcyclopropene were reduced during storage. The enzyme activities in asparagus including peroxidase and phenylalanine ammonia lyase were inhibited by 1-methylcyclopropene treatments, while the activity of superoxide dismutase was enhanced. Based on non-significant difference of the treated samples with 6 ìl l-1, 1-methylcyclopropene treatments at 4 ìl l-1 could be selected to maintain postharvest quality of green asparagus and provide long storage life.

Effect of different new packaging materials on biscuit quality during accelerated storage.

PubMed

Romani, Santina; Tappi, Silvia; Balestra, Federica; Rodriguez Estrada, Maria Teresa; Siracusa, Valentina; Rocculi, Pietro; Dalla Rosa, Marco

2015-06-01

The effect of innovative multilayer packaging materials versus a standard one on biscuit quality was studied during accelerated storage at 25, 35, 45 °C and 50% relative humidity for 92 days. Three different packaging materials were used: metalized orientated polypropylene (OPP)/paper (control); metalized poly-lactic acid (PLA)/paper; metalized OPP with ethylene vinyl acetate pro-oxidant additive (EVA-POA)/paper. EVA-POA additive is used to make the plastic layer biodegradable. Various quality sample parameters (moisture, water activity (aw ), texture, peroxide value (PV), hexanal) were analysed during storage. Rate constants (k) and activation energies (Ea ) of hydration reactions and hexanal formation were calculated. No remarkable differences in the evolution of primary and secondary lipid oxidation were observed among differently packed biscuits during storage. All samples maintained PV levels between 4 and 14 meq O2 kg(-1) oil. The product in flexible packaging with PLA reached the highest moisture and aw levels, but they did not significantly and adversely affect the other quality characteristics. The obtained results demonstrate that the new tested packaging materials were suitable for commercial biscuit storage, having similar performance and preservation effects on the overall product quality to those of the standard one. Furthermore, these results could make a contribution to the food industry, encouraging the use of packaging materials with a negligible environmental impact as an alternative to petroleum-based ones. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry.

Genetic and cultural management solutions to improve potato storage quality

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Potato storage quality is most easily described in terms of tuber attributes that maintain the value of the harvested crop. Among these attributes are attractive appearance, low shrink, low incidence of bruising and, for chip and fry processing varieties, specific gravity and reducing sugars appropr...

Industry funding and the reporting quality of large long-term weight loss trials

PubMed Central

Thomas, Olivia; Thabane, Lehana; Douketis, James; Chu, Rong; Westfall, Andrew O.; Allison, David B.

2009-01-01

Background Quality of reporting (QR) in industry-funded research is a concern of the scientific community. Greater scrutiny of industry-sponsored research reporting has been suggested, although differences in QR by sponsorship type have not been evaluated in weight loss interventions. Objective To evaluate the association of funding source and QR of long-term obesity randomized clinical trials. Methods We analyzed papers that reported long-term weight loss trials. Articles were obtained through searches of MEDLINE, HealthStar, and the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register between the years 1966–2003. QR scores were determined for each study based upon expanded criteria from the Consolidated Standards for Reporting Trials (CONSORT) checklist for a maximum score of 44 points. Studies were coded by category of industry support (0=no industry support, 1= industry support, 2= in kind contribution from industry and 3=duality of interest reported). Individual CONSORT reporting criteria were tabulated by funding type. An independent samples t-test compared differences in QR scores by funding source and the Wilcox-Mann-Whitney test and generalized estimating equations (GEE) were used for sensitivity analyses. Results Of the 63 RCTs evaluated, 67% were industry-supported trials. Industry funding was associated with higher QR score in long-term weight loss trials compared to non-industry funded studies (Mean QR (SD): Industry = 27.9 (4.1), Non-Industry =23.4 (4.1); p < 0.0005). The Wilcox-Mann-Whitney test confirmed this result (p<0.0005). Controlling for the year of publication and whether paper was published before the CONSORT statement was released in a GEE regression analysis, the direction and magnitude of effect was similar and statistically significant (p=0.035). Of the individual criteria that prior research has associated with biases, industry funding was associated with greater reporting of intent-to-treat analysis (p=0.0158), but was not different from non

Industry funding and the reporting quality of large long-term weight loss trials.

PubMed

Thomas, O; Thabane, L; Douketis, J; Chu, R; Westfall, A O; Allison, D B

2008-10-01

Quality of reporting (QR) in industry-funded research is a concern of the scientific community. Greater scrutiny of industry-sponsored research reporting has been suggested, although differences in QR by sponsorship type have not been evaluated in weight loss interventions. To evaluate the association of funding source and QR of long-term obesity randomized clinical trials (RCT). We analysed papers that reported long-term weight loss trials. Articles were obtained through searches of Medline, HealthStar, and the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register between the years 1966 and 2003. QR scores were determined for each study based upon expanded criteria from the Consolidated Standards for Reporting Trials (CONSORT) checklist for a maximum score of 44 points. Studies were coded by category of industry support (0=no industry support, 1=industry support, 2=in kind contribution from industry and 3=duality of interest reported). Individual CONSORT reporting criteria were tabulated by funding type. An independent samples t-test compared the differences in QR scores by funding source and the Wilcox-Mann-Whitney test and generalised estimating equations (GEE) were used for sensitivity analyses. Of the 63 RCTs evaluated, 67% were industry-supported trials. Industry funding was associated with higher QR score in long-term weight loss trials compared with nonindustry-funded studies (mean QR (s.d.): industry=27.9 (4.1), nonindustry=23.4 (4.1); P<0.0005). The Wilcox-Mann-Whitney test confirmed this result (P<0.0005). Controlling for the year of publication and whether the paper was published before the CONSORT statement was released in the GEE regression analysis, the direction and magnitude of effect were similar and statistically significant (P=0.035). Of the individual criteria that prior research has associated with biases, industry funding was associated with greater reporting of intent-to-treat analysis (P=0.0158), but was not different from nonindustry studies in reporting of

Influencers on quality of life as reported by people living with dementia in long-term care: a descriptive exploratory approach.

PubMed

Moyle, Wendy; Fetherstonhaugh, Deirdre; Greben, Melissa; Beattie, Elizabeth

2015-04-23

Over half of the residents in long-term care have a diagnosis of dementia. Maintaining quality of life is important, as there is no cure for dementia. Quality of life may be used as a benchmark for caregiving, and can help to enhance respect for the person with dementia and to improve care provision. The purpose of this study was to describe quality of life as reported by people living with dementia in long-term care in terms of the influencers of, as well as the strategies needed, to improve quality of life. A descriptive exploratory approach. A subsample of twelve residents across two Australian states from a national quantitative study on quality of life was interviewed. Data were analysed thematically from a realist perspective. The approach to the thematic analysis was inductive and data-driven. Three themes emerged in relation to influencers and strategies related to quality of life: (a) maintaining independence, (b) having something to do, and (c) the importance of social interaction. The findings highlight the importance of understanding individual resident needs and consideration of the complexity of living in large group living situations, in particular in regard to resident decision-making.

Long term stability of Oligo (dT) 25 magnetic beads for the expression analysis of Euglena gracilis for long term space projects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Becker, Ina; Strauch, Sebastian M.; Hauslage, Jens; Lebert, Michael

2017-05-01

The unicellular freshwater flagellate Euglena gracilis has a highly developed sensory system. The cells use different stimuli such as light and gravity to orient themselves in the surrounding medium to find areas for optimal growth. Due to the ability to produce oxygen and consume carbon dioxide, Euglena is a suitable candidate for life support systems. Participation in a long-term space experiment would allow for the analysis of changes and adaptations to the new environment, and this could bring new insights into the mechanism of perception of gravity and the associated signal transduction chain. For a molecular analysis of transcription patterns, an automated system is necessary, capable of performing all steps from taking a sample, processing it and generating data. One of the developmental steps is to find long-term stable reagents and materials and test them for stability at higher-than-recommended temperature conditions during extended storage time. We investigated the usability of magnetic beads in an Euglena specific lysis buffer after addition of the RNA stabilizer Dithiothreitol over 360 days and the lysis buffer with the stabilizer alone over 455 days at the expected storage temperature of 19 °C. We can claim that the stability is not impaired at all after an incubation period of over one year. This might be an interesting result for researchers who have to work under non-standard lab conditions, as in biological or medicinal fieldwork.

Spatial variability and long-term analysis of groundwater quality of Faisalabad industrial zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nasir, Muhammad Salman; Nasir, Abdul; Rashid, Haroon; Shah, Syed Hamid Hussain

2017-10-01

Water is the basic necessity of life and is essential for healthy society. In this study, groundwater quality analysis was carried out for the industrial zone of Faisalabad city. Sixty samples of groundwater were collected from the study area. The quality maps of deliberately analyzed results were prepared in GIS. The collected samples were analyzed for chemical parameters and heavy metals, such as total hardness, alkalinity, cadmium, arsenic, nickel, lead, and fluoride, and then, the results were compared with the WHO guidelines. The values of these results were represented by a mapping of quality parameters using the ArcView GIS v9.3, and IDW was used for raster interpolation. The long-term analysis of these parameters has been carried out using the `R Statistical' software. It was concluded that water is partially not fit for drinking, and direct use of this groundwater may cause health issues.

Forest fuel reduction alters fire severity and long-term carbon storage in three Pacific Northwest ecosystems.

PubMed

Mitchell, Stephen R; Harmon, Mark E; O'Connell, Kari E B

2009-04-01

Two forest management objectives being debated in the context of federally managed landscapes in the U.S. Pacific Northwest involve a perceived trade-off between fire restoration and carbon sequestration. The former strategy would reduce fuel (and therefore C) that has accumulated through a century of fire suppression and exclusion which has led to extreme fire risk in some areas. The latter strategy would manage forests for enhanced C sequestration as a method of reducing atmospheric CO2 and associated threats from global climate change. We explored the trade-off between these two strategies by employing a forest ecosystem simulation model, STANDCARB, to examine the effects of fuel reduction on fire severity and the resulting long-term C dynamics among three Pacific Northwest ecosystems: the east Cascades ponderosa pine forests, the west Cascades western hemlock-Douglas-fir forests, and the Coast Range western hemlock-Sitka spruce forests. Our simulations indicate that fuel reduction treatments in these ecosystems consistently reduced fire severity. However, reducing the fraction by which C is lost in a wildfire requires the removal of a much greater amount of C, since most of the C stored in forest biomass (stem wood, branches, coarse woody debris) remains unconsumed even by high-severity wildfires. For this reason, all of the fuel reduction treatments simulated for the west Cascades and Coast Range ecosystems as well as most of the treatments simulated for the east Cascades resulted in a reduced mean stand C storage. One suggested method of compensating for such losses in C storage is to utilize C harvested in fuel reduction treatments as biofuels. Our analysis indicates that this will not be an effective strategy in the west Cascades and Coast Range over the next 100 years. We suggest that forest management plans aimed solely at ameliorating increases in atmospheric CO2 should forgo fuel reduction treatments in these ecosystems, with the possible exception of

Long-term health implications of school quality.

PubMed

Dudovitz, Rebecca N; Nelson, Bergen B; Coker, Tumaini R; Biely, Christopher; Li, Ning; Wu, Lynne C; Chung, Paul J

2016-06-01

Individual academic achievement is a well-known predictor of adult health, and addressing education inequities may be critical to reducing health disparities. Disparities in school quality are well documented. However, we lack nationally representative studies evaluating the impact of school quality on adult health. We aim to determine whether high school quality predicts adult health outcomes after controlling for baseline health, socio-demographics and individual academic achievement. We analyzed data from 7037 adolescents who attended one of 77 high schools in the Unites States and were followed into adulthood from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health. Selected school-level quality measures-average daily attendance, school promotion rate, parental involvement, and teacher experience-were validated based on ability to predict high school graduation and college attendance. Individual adult health outcomes included self-rated health, diagnosis of depression, and having a measured BMI in the obese range. Logistic regressions controlling for socio-demographics, baseline health, health insurance, and individual academic performance demonstrated that school quality significantly predicted all health outcomes. As hypothesized, attending a school with lower average daily attendance predicted lower self-rated health (Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) 1.59, p = 0.003) and higher odds of depression diagnosis (AOR 1.35, p = 0.03); and attending a school with higher parent involvement predicted lower odds of obesity (AOR 0.69, p = 0.001). However, attending a school with higher promotion rate also predicted lower self-rated health (AOR1.20, p < 0.001). High school quality may be an important, but complex, social determinant of health. These findings highlight the potential inter-dependence of education and health policy. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Approaches for predicting long-term sickness absence. Re: Schouten et al. "Screening manual and office workers for risk of long-term sickness absence: cut-off points for the Work Ability Index".

PubMed

van Amelsvoort, Ludovic Gpm; Jansen, Nicole W H; Kant, I Jmert

2015-05-01

We read with much interest the article of Schouten et al (1) on identifying workers with a high risk for future long-term sickness absence using the Work Ability Index (WAI). The ability to identify high-risk workers might facilitate targeted interventions for such workers and, consequently, can reduce sickness absence levels and improve workers' health. Earlier studies by both Tamela et al (2), Kant et al (3), and Lexis et al (4) have demonstrated that such an approach, based on the identification of high-risk workers and a subsequent intervention, can be effectively applied in practice to reduce sickness absence significantly. The reason for our letter on Schouten et al's article is twofold. First, by including workers already on sick leave in a study predicting long-term sick leave will result in an overestimation of the predictive properties of the instrument and biased predictors, especially when also the outcome of interest is included as a factor in the prediction model. Second, we object to the use of the term "screening" when subjects with the condition screened for are included in the study. Reinforced by the inclusion of sickness absence in the prediction model, including workers already on sick leave will shift the focus of the study findings towards the prediction of (re)current sickness absence and workers with a below-average return-to-work rate, rather than the identification of workers at high risk for the onset of future long-term sickness absence. The possibilities for prevention will shift from pure secondary prevention to a mix of secondary and tertiary prevention. As a consequence, the predictors of the model presented in the Schouten et al article can be used as a basis for tailoring neither preventive measures nor interventions. Moreover, including the outcome (sickness absence) as a predictor in the model, especially in a mixed population including workers with and without the condition (on sick leave), will result in biased predictors and

Long-Term Water Quality Studies in a Eutrophic Lake Catchment: Slapton Ley, SW England

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burt, T. P.; Worrall, F.; Howden, N. J. K.

2014-12-01

Monitoring is the process by which we keep the behaviour of the environment in view, an essential way of discovering whether there are significant undesirable changes taking place. Long-term datasets reveal important patterns for scientists to explain and are essential for testing hypotheses undreamt of at the time monitoring scheme was set up. Many environmental processes take place over relatively long periods of time; very often, subtle processes are embedded within highly variable systems so that their weak signal cannot be extracted without a long record. Slapton Ley is a freshwater coastal lagoon in SW England. The Ley is part of a National Nature Reserve, wetland 116 ha in area which is divided into two basins: the Higher Ley (39 ha) is mainly reed swamp; the Lower Ley (77 ha) is open water. In the 1960s it became apparent that the Ley was becoming increasingly eutrophic. In order to gauge water, sediment and nutrient inputs into the lake, measurements began on the main catchments in late 1969. Continuous monitoring of discharge and a weekly water-sampling programme have been maintained by the Slapton Ley Field Centre ever since. The monitoring programme has been supplemented by a number of research projects which have sought to identify the salient hydrological processes operating within the Slapton catchments and to relate these to the delivery of sediment and solute to the stream system. The nitrate issue has been of particular interest at Slapton; although many longer series exist for large rivers like the Thames, the long record of nitrate data for the Slapton catchments is unique in Britain for small rural basins. Other issues to be explored will be the phosphorus legacy in lake sediments and a long-term decline in lake pH. The Slapton water quality record has confirmed that undesirable changes are taking place, revealed evidence of important patterns to be explained, allowed testing of new hypotheses (e.g. links with land-use change) and helped

Nanocomposite polymeric materials for high density optical storage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Criante, L.; Castagna, R.; Vita, F.; Lucchetta, D. E.; Simoni, F.

2009-02-01

We report the results of an extended investigation performed on composite polymeric materials with the aim of obtaining compounds suitable for holographic recording. In order to investigate the material properties a characterization of holographic reflection gratings at different writing wavelength (514.5, 457 and 405 nm) has been performed. The volume grating presents high diffraction efficiency (>60%), high sensitivity (>103 cm J-1) and refractive index modulation Δn≈0.01 even for writing wavelength in the blue range. We show that following a strategy of two basic components leading to phase separation during the photopolymerization process, most of the requirements for holographic data storage are achieved. The one that needs further improvement concerns long term mechanical stability.

The effects of short-term and long-term pulmonary rehabilitation on functional capacity, perceived dyspnea, and quality of life.

PubMed

Verrill, David; Barton, Cole; Beasley, Will; Lippard, W Michael

2005-08-01

The purposes of this study were as follows: (1) to determine whether physical performance, quality of life, and dyspnea with activities of daily living improved following both short-term and long-term pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) across multiple hospital outpatient programs; (2) to examine the differences in these parameters between men and women; and (3) to determine what relationships existed between the psychosocial parameters and the results of the 6-min walk (6MW) test performance across programs. Non-experimental, prospective, and comparative. Seven outpatient hospital PR programs from urban and rural settings across North Carolina. Three hundred nine women and 281 men who were 20 to 93 years of age (mean [+/- SD] age, 66.7 +/- 11.1 years) with chronic lung disease. All 6MW tests and health surveys were administered prior to and immediately following 12 and 24 weeks of supervised PR participation. Scores from the 6MW tests, the Ferrans and Powers quality of life index-pulmonary version III (QLI), the Medical Outcomes Study 36-item short form (SF-36), and the University of California at San Diego shortness of breath questionnaire (SOBQ) were compared at PR entry, at 12 weeks, and at 24 weeks for differences by gender with repeated-measures analysis of variance. The study entry and follow-up SF-36 physical and mental component summary scores, the QLI health/function and overall scores, and the SOBQ scores were also compared to the 6MW test scores with Pearson correlation coefficient analysis. The mean summary scores on the SF-36 and the QLI increased after 12 weeks of PR (p < 0.05), and improvements were maintained by 24 weeks of PR participation (p < 0.05). Scores on the SOBQ improved after 12 weeks (p < 0.001) among the short-term participants, but not until after 24 weeks among the long-term participants (p = 0.009). The 6MW test performance improved after 12 weeks (p < 0.001) and again from 12 to 24 weeks (p = 0.002) in the long-term participants. No

A long-term stability study of Prussian blue: A quality assessment of water content and cesium binding.

PubMed

Mohammad, Adil; Yang, Yongsheng; Khan, Mansoor A; Faustino, Patrick J

2015-01-25

Prussian blue (PB) is the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) of Radiogardase, the first approved medical countermeasure for the treatment of radiocesium poisoning in the event of a major radiological incident such as a "dirty bomb" or nuclear attack. The purpose of this study is to assess the long-term stability of Prussian blue drug products (DPs) and APIs under laboratory storage condition by monitoring the loss in water content and the in vitro cesium binding. The water content was measured by thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). The in-vitro cesium binding study was conducted using a surrogate model to mimic gastric residence and intestinal transport. Free cesium was analyzed using a validated flame atomic emission spectroscopy (AES) method. The binding equilibrium was reached at 24h. The Langmuir isotherm was plotted to calculate the maximum binding capacity (MBC). Comparison of the same PB samples with 2003 data samples, the water content of both APIs and DPs decreased on an average by approximately 12-24%. Consequently, the MBC of cesium was decreased from 358mg/g in 2003 to 265mg/g @ pH 7.5, a decrease of approximately 26%. The binding of cesium is also pH dependent with lowest binding at pH 1.0 and maximum binding at pH 7.5. At pH 7.5, the amount of cesium bound decreased by an average value of 7.9% for APIs and 8.9% for DPs (for 600ppm initial cesium concentration). These findings of water loss, pH dependence and decrease in cesium binding are consistent with our previously published data in 2003. Over last 10 years the stored DPs and APIs of PB have lost about 20% of water which has a negative impact on the PB cesium binding, however PB still meets the FDA specification of >150mg/g at equilibrium. The study is the first quantitative assessment of the long-term stability of PB and directs that proper long-term and short-term storage of PB is required to ensure that it is safe and efficacious at the time of an emergency situation. Published by Elsevier

Changes in Quality Characteristics of Pork Patties Containing Multilayered Fish Oil Emulsion during Refrigerated Storage

PubMed Central

Jo, Yeon-Ji; Kwon, Yun-Joong; Min, Sang-Gi

2015-01-01

This study was performed to determine the effect of multilayered fish oil (FO) emulsion without or with trans-cinnamaldehyde on pork patties. Multilayered FO (-primary, -secondary, -tertiary) emulsions were prepared using a layer-by-layer deposition technique with Tween 20, chitosan, and low methoxyl pectin, and were added to pork patties at the same concentration. Pork patties were then stored for 20 d in a refrigerator (5℃) to study changes in quality. The results showed that the pH value of all samples significantly decreased but cooking loss increased during storage (p<0.05). However, water-holding capacity and moisture content showed no remarkable difference between treatments and storage periods (p>0.05). All pork patties containing multilayered FO (treated samples) showed higher values for lightness and significantly lower values for yellowness compared to control pork patties (untreated sample). Lipid oxidation was higher in treated pork patties than in control pork patties during storage. In addition, lipid oxidation and total viable bacterial count in pork patties decreased as the number of coating layers increased. However, hardness, cohesiveness, and springiness of all samples showed no significant change during storage (p>0.05) as compared to fresh pork patties. Furthermore, these did not remarkable change with addition of trans-cinnamaldehyde in all pork patties. From our results, we suggest that FO emulsion did not affect the texture characteristics of fresh pork patties, indicating that it could be used to improve the quality of pork patties by contributing high-quality fat such as unsaturated fatty acids. PMID:26761802

Mode of Delivery and Long-Term Health-Related Quality-of-Life Outcomes: A Prospective Population-Based Study.

PubMed

Petrou, Stavros; Kim, Sung Wook; McParland, Penny; Boyle, Elaine M

2017-06-01

Relatively little is known about the effects of mode of delivery on long-term health-related quality-of-life outcomes. Furthermore, no previous study has expressed these outcomes in preference-based (utility) metrics. The study population comprised 2,161 mothers recruited from a prospective population-based study in the East Midlands of England encompassing live births and stillbirths between 32 +0 and 36 +6 weeks' gestation and a sample of term-born controls. Perinatal data were extracted from the mothers' maternity records. Health-related quality-of-life outcomes were assessed at 12 months postpartum, using the EuroQol Five Dimensions (EQ-5D) measure with responses to the EQ-5D descriptive system converted into health utility scores. Descriptive statistics and multivariable analyses were used to estimate the relationship between the mode of delivery and health-related quality-of-life outcomes. The overall health-related quality-of-life profile of the women in the study cohort mirrored that of the English adult population as revealed by national health surveys. A significantly higher proportion of women delivering by cesarean delivery reported some, moderate, severe, or extreme pain or discomfort at 12 months postpartum than women undergoing spontaneous vaginal delivery. Multivariable analyses, using the Ordinary Least Squares estimator revealed that, after controlling for maternal sociodemographic characteristics, cesarean delivery without maternal or fetal compromise was associated with a significant EQ-5D utility decrement in comparison to spontaneous vaginal delivery among all women (-0.026; p = 0.038) and among mothers of term-born infants (-0.062; p < 0.001). Among mothers of term-born infants, this result was replicated in models that controlled for all maternal and infant characteristics (utility decrement of -0.061; p < 0.001). The results were confirmed by sensitivity analyses that varied the categorization of the main exposure variable (mode of delivery

Microgels for long-term storage of vitamins for extended spaceflight

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schroeder, R.

2018-02-01

Biocompatible materials that can encapsulate large amounts of nutrients while protecting them from degrading environmental influences are highly desired for extended manned spaceflight. In this study, alkaline-degradable microgels based on poly(N-vinylcaprolactam) (PVCL) were prepared and analysed with their regard to stabilise retinol which acts as a model vitamin (vitamin A1). It was investigated whether the secondary crosslinking of the particles with a polyphenol can prevent the isomerisation of biologically active all-trans retinol to biologically inactive cis-trans retinol. Both loading with retinol and secondary crosslinking of the particles was performed at room temperature to prevent an early degradation of the vitamin. This study showed that PVCL microgels drastically improve the water solubility of hydrophobic retinol. Additionally, it is demonstrated that the highly crosslinked microgel particles in aqueous solution can be utilised to greatly retard the light- and temperature-induced isomerisation process of retinol by a factor of almost 100 compared to pure retinol stored in ethanol. The use of microgels offers various advantages over other drug delivery systems as they exhibit enhanced biocompatibility and superior aqueous solubility.

Long-Term Viscoelastic Response of E-glass/Bismaleimide Composite in Seawater Environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yian, Zhao; Zhiying, Wang; Keey, Seah Leong; Boay, Chai Gin

2015-12-01

The effect of seawater absorption on the long-term viscoelastic response of E-glass/BMI composite is presented in this paper. The diffusion of seawater into the composite shows a two-stage behavior, dominated by Fickian diffusion initially and followed by polymeric relaxation. The Glass transition temperature (Tg) of the composite with seawater absorption is considerably lowered due to the plasticization effect. However the effect of water absorption at 50 °C is found to be reversible after drying process. The time-temperature superposition (TTS) was performed based on the results of Dynamic Mechanical Analysis to construct the master curve of storage modulus. The shift factors exhibit Arrhenius behavior when temperature is well below Tg and Vogel-Fulcher-Tammann (VFT) like behavior when temperature gets close to glass transition region. As a result, a semi-empirical formulation is proposed to account for the seawater absorption effect in predicting long-term viscoelastic response of BMI composites based on temperature dependent storage modulus and TTS. The predicted master curves show that the degradation of storage modulus accelerates with both seawater exposure and increasing temperature. The proposed formulation can be applied to predict the long-term durability of any thermorheologically simple composite materials in seawater environment.

Long-term effects of interference on short-term memory performance in the rat

PubMed Central

Missaire, Mégane; Fraize, Nicolas; Joseph, Mickaël Antoine; Hamieh, Al Mahdy; Parmentier, Régis; Marighetto, Aline; Salin, Paul Antoine; Malleret, Gaël

2017-01-01

A distinction has always been made between long-term and short-term memory (also now called working memory, WM). The obvious difference between these two kinds of memory concerns the duration of information storage: information is supposedly transiently stored in WM while it is considered durably consolidated into long-term memory. It is well acknowledged that the content of WM is erased and reset after a short time, to prevent irrelevant information from proactively interfering with newly stored information. In the present study, we used typical WM radial maze tasks to question the brief lifespan of spatial WM content in rodents. Groups of rats were submitted to one of two different WM tasks in a radial maze: a WM task involving the repetitive presentation of a same pair of arms expected to induce a high level of proactive interference (PI) (HIWM task), or a task using a different pair in each trial expected to induce a low level of PI (LIWM task). Performance was effectively lower in the HIWM group than in LIWM in the final trial of each training session, indicative of a “within-session/short-term” PI effect. However, we also observed a different “between-session/long-term” PI effect between the two groups: while performance of LIWM trained rats remained stable over days, the performance of HIWM rats dropped after 10 days of training, and this impairment was visible from the very first trial of the day, hence not attributable to within-session PI. We also showed that a 24 hour-gap across training sessions known to allow consolidation processes to unfold, was a necessary and sufficient condition for the long-term PI effect to occur. These findings suggest that in the HIWM task, WM content was not entirely reset between training sessions and that, in specific conditions, WM content can outlast its purpose by being stored more permanently, generating a long-term deleterious effect of PI. The alternative explanation is that WM content could be transferred and

Secondary metabolite concentrations and terpene emissions of Scots pine xylem after long-term forest fertilization.

PubMed

Turtola, S; Manninen, A M; Holopainen, J K; Levula, T; Raitio, H; Kainulainen, P

2002-01-01

Secondary compounds are known to be associated with the resistance of conifer xylem against insects and fungi. The effects of long-term forest fertilization with nitrogen (N) or with N, calcium (Ca), and phosphorus (P) on secondary compounds in the xylem of 50-yr-old Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) trees were examined. Xylem samples were collected from trees growing in three locations in southern Finland: Vilppula, Padasjoki, and Punkaharju. Forests were fertilized every fifth (Vilppula and Padasjoki) or tenth (Punkaharju) year since the 1950s. We compared concentrations of individual and total monoterpenes and resin acids in the heartwood and sapwood of Scots pine. Terpene emissions were analyzed from the sapwood and total phenolics from the heartwood. Fertilization did not have any significant effect on the concentrations and emissions of xylem monoterpenes. Concentrations of several individual terpenes in sapwood were positively correlated with the corresponding terpene emission. The concentrations of individual resin acids (i.e., abietic and dehydroabietic) decreased significantly in Punkaharju, but increased in the sapwood of N-fertilized trees compared with control ones at Padasjoki and Vilppula. The concentrations of resin acids in the heartwood were not significantly affected by fertilization. Both fertilization treatments decreased the total phenolic concentrations in the heartwood of trees growing in Padasjoki. There was a significant positive correlation between the total phenolics and total resin acid concentration. Overall, resin acids and phenolics seemed be more responsive than monoterpenes to N treatment. These results suggest that forest fertilization might cause slight changes in secondary compound concentrations of xylem, and thus might have significance in the decay resistance of wood.

20 year long term air quality trends in Israel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luria, M.

2017-12-01

The Israeli air monitoring network was established in the mid 1990's with dozens of measuring sites near most populated areas. During these past 20 years the Israel economy has increased significantly. The population grew by 30%, energy consumption and power generation by more than 40% and the number of motor vehicles increased by nearly 50%. Most of the fossil energy is consumed by the electric power industry that has changed immensely during this period. Until the early 2000's the vast majority of the electricity was generated from coal and heavy oil. However, during the last ten years natural gas has gradually becomes the major source for power generation and for most of the heavy industry. In the present study we examined the impact of these economic trends on the major criteria air pollution parameters; O3, NOx, SO2 and PM10. The analyses was based on the long term trend of median value (50th percentile) and the 90th percentile. The results revealed that SO2 levels throughout the country decreased to very low levels, with the 90th percentile near the detection limit. The levels of PM10, that are relatively high compare with other global regions, did not show any trend during the 20 year period. This is consistent with the fact that most particulate matter results from long range transport of dust from the surrounding deserts. The long term trend of NOx indicates a gradual and steady increase at most measuring sites, which is consistent with the increase of fossil fuel consumption. The increase in NOx levels is most likely the cause for the significant increase in O3 levels found at most sites in a few of them to levels that are considered as an environmental hazard.

Long-term sequelae of critical illness: memories and health-related quality of life.

PubMed

Hough, Catherine Lee; Curtis, J Randall

2005-04-01

Impaired health-related quality of life after critical illness has been demonstrated in a number of studies. It is not clear exactly how or why critical illness and intensive care lead to impaired health status, but understanding this association is an important step to improving long-term outcomes of the critically ill. There is growing evidence that neuro-psychological symptoms play a significant role in this impairment and that management of patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) may influence these symptoms. This commentary examines a recent study and places this study in the context of previous studies suggesting that both amnesia and persisting nightmares of the ICU experience are associated with impaired quality of life. Further research is needed if we are effectively to understand, prevent and treat the negative sequelae of critical illness.

Sperm quality and fertility of boar seminal doses after 2 days of storage: does the type of extender really matter?

PubMed

Pinart, Elisabeth; Yeste, Marc; Prieto-Martínez, Noelia; Reixach, Josep; Bonet, Sergi

2015-06-01

The present approach was designed to evaluate the extender effects on sperm quality and fertility of short-term refrigerated seminal doses from Landrace boars lodged in husbandry-controlled conditions. For this purpose, we analyzed the sperm quality of seminal doses diluted in short-term (Beltsville Thawing Solution) and extra-long-term (Duragen) extenders from Days 0 to 2 of storage at 17 °C during an 8-month period. Pregnancy rates and litter size were evaluated from double inseminations within an interval of 12 hours (36 and 48 hours of refrigeration) of multiparous females using seminal doses diluted in each extender type. Sperm quality was assessed from the analyses of sperm motility and kinetics, sperm viability, expressed as plasma and acrosome membrane integrity, membrane lipid disorder, intracellular calcium levels, and acrosin activity. Results indicated significant differences between the extenders in the sperm quality of seminal doses. Therefore, the seminal doses diluted in Duragen had higher percentages of progressive motile spermatozoa and membrane-intact spermatozoa than those diluted in Beltsville Thawing Solution throughout all the experimental months. Nevertheless, despite these differences in preserving the sperm quality, pregnancy rates (>90%) and litter sizes (>10 piglets born per litter) were similar between the extenders. Our results had great relevance from a practical point of view because they reported lack of an extender effect on the reproductive performance of seminal doses during short-tem storage. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A role for high frequency hydrochemical sampling in long term ecosystem studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sebestyen, S. D.; Shanley, J. B.; Boyer, E. W.; Kendall, C.

2007-12-01

Monitoring of surface waters for major chemical constituents is needed to assess long-term trends and responses to ecological disturbance. However, the typical fixed-interval (weekly, monthly, or quarterly) sampling schemes of most long-term ecosystem studies may not capture the full range of stream chemical variation and do not always provide enough information to discern the landscape processes that control surface water chemistry and solute loadings. To expand upon traditional hydrochemical monitoring, we collected high frequency event-based surface water samples at an upland, forested basin of the Sleepers River Research Watershed (Vermont, USA), one of five intensively studied sites in the Water, Energy, and Biogeochemical Budgets (WEBB) program of the US Geological Survey. We present several examples that highlight the importance of linking long-term weekly data with intensive, high frequency sampling. We used end-member mixing analysis and isotopic approaches to trace sources of stream nutrients (e.g. nitrate, dissolved organic carbon) and quantified how atmospheric pollutants (e.g. nitrogen, sulfate, and mercury) affect stream chemistry. High frequency sampling generates large numbers of samples and is both labor and resource intensive but yields insights into ecosystem functions that are not readily discerned from less-frequent sampling. As the ecological community contemplates the scope and foci of environmental observatories as benchmarks for deciphering the effects of natural and anthropogenic change, incorporating high frequency hydrochemical sampling will further our understanding of ecosystem functions across a range of ecosystem types and disturbance effects.

Disparities in long-term care: building equity into market-based reforms.

PubMed

Konetzka, R Tamara; Werner, Rachel M

2009-10-01

A growing body of evidence documents pervasive racial, ethnic, and class disparities in long-term care in the United States. At the same time, major quality improvement initiatives are being implemented that rely on market-based incentives, many of which may have the unintended consequence of exacerbating disparities. We review existing evidence on disparities in the use and quality of long-term care services, analyze current market-based policy initiatives in terms of their potential to ameliorate or exacerbate these disparities, and suggest policies and policy modifications that may help decrease disparities. We find that racial disparities in the use of formal long-term care have decreased over time. Disparities in quality of care are more consistently documented and appear to be related to racial and socioeconomic segregation of long-term care facilities as opposed to within-provider discrimination. Market-based incentives policies should explicitly incorporate the goal of mitigating the potential unintended consequence of increased disparities.

Massive Memory Revisited: Limitations on Storage Capacity for Object Details in Visual Long-Term Memory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cunningham, Corbin A.; Yassa, Michael A.; Egeth, Howard E.

2015-01-01

Previous work suggests that visual long-term memory (VLTM) is highly detailed and has a massive capacity. However, memory performance is subject to the effects of the type of testing procedure used. The current study examines detail memory performance by probing the same memories within the same subjects, but using divergent probing methods. The…

Importance of Data Management in a Long-Term Biological Monitoring Program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Christensen, Sigurd W.; Brandt, Craig C.; McCracken, Mary K.

2011-06-01

The long-term Biological Monitoring and Abatement Program (BMAP) has always needed to collect and retain high-quality data on which to base its assessments of ecological status of streams and their recovery after remediation. Its formal quality assurance, data processing, and data management components all contribute to meeting this need. The Quality Assurance Program comprehensively addresses requirements from various institutions, funders, and regulators, and includes a data management component. Centralized data management began a few years into the program when an existing relational database was adapted and extended to handle biological data. The database's main data tables and several key reference tables are described. One of the most important related activities supporting long-term analyses was the establishing of standards for sampling site names, taxonomic identification, flagging, and other components. The implemented relational database supports the transmittal of data to the Oak Ridge Environmental Information System (OREIS) as the permanent repository. We also discuss some limitations to our implementation. Some types of program data were not easily accommodated in the central systems, and many possible data-sharing and integration options are not easily accessible to investigators. From our experience we offer data management advice to other biologically oriented long-term environmental sampling and analysis programs.

Long-term efficacy of biomodeled polymethyl methacrylate implants for orbitofacial defects.

PubMed

Groth, Michael J; Bhatnagar, Aparna; Clearihue, William J; Goldberg, Robert A; Douglas, Raymond S

2006-01-01

To report the long-term efficacy of custom polymethyl methacrylate implants using high-resolution computed tomographic modeling in the reconstruction of complex orbitofacial defects secondary to trauma. Nine patients with complex orbitofacial bone defects after trauma were evaluated for this retrospective, nonrandomized, noncomparative study. All the patients underwent reconstruction using custom, heat-cured polymethyl methacrylate implants. Patients were followed up postoperatively and evaluated for complications. Nine consecutive patients (5 men and 4 women) aged 28 to 63 years who underwent surgical reconstruction using prefabricated, heat-cured polymethyl methacrylate implants were included in the study. The interval between injury and presentation ranged from 1 month to 40 years. There were no significant complications, including infection, extrusion, or displacement of the implant. In all of the patients, wound healing was uneventful, with antibiotic drugs administered perioperatively. Mean follow-up was 4.3 years from the first visit (range, 6 months to 10 years). Computed tomographic biomodeled, prefabricated, heat-cured polymethyl methacrylate implants are well tolerated in the long term. Their advantages include customized design, long-term biocompatibility, and excellent aesthetic results.

USING COMPUTER MODELS TO DETERMINE THE EFFECT OF STORAGE ON WATER QUALITY

EPA Science Inventory

Studies have indicated that water quality is degraded as a result of long residence times in storage tanks, highlighting the importance of tank design, location, and operation. Computer models, developed to explain some of the mixing and distrribution issues associated with tank...

Long-term Stability of Urinary Biomarkers of Acute Kidney Injury in Children.

PubMed

Schuh, Meredith P; Nehus, Edward; Ma, Qing; Haffner, Christopher; Bennett, Michael; Krawczeski, Catherine D; Devarajan, Prasad

2016-01-01

Recent meta-analyses support the utility of urinary biomarkers for the diagnosis and prognosis of acute kidney injury. It is critical to establish optimal sample handling conditions for short-term processing and long-term urinary storage prior to widespread clinical deployment and meaningful use in prospective clinical trials. Prospective study. 80 children (median age, 1.1 [IQR, 0.5-4.2] years) undergoing cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass at our center. 50% of patients had acute kidney injury (defined as ≥50% increase in serum creatinine from baseline). We tested the effect on biomarker concentrations of short-term urine storage in ambient, refrigerator, and freezer conditions. We also tested the effects of multiple freeze-thaw cycles, as well as prolonged storage for 5 years. Urine concentrations of neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), kidney injury molecule 1 (KIM-1), and interleukin 18 (IL-18). All biomarkers were measured using commercially available kits. All 3 biomarkers were stable in urine stored at 4°C for 24 hours, but showed significant degradation (5.6%-10.1% from baseline) when stored at 25°C. All 3 biomarkers showed only a small although significant decrease in concentration (0.77%-2.9% from baseline) after 3 freeze-thaw cycles. Similarly, all 3 biomarkers displayed only a small but significant decrease in concentration (0.84%-3.2%) after storage for 5 years. Only the 3 most widely studied biomarkers were tested. Protease inhibitors were not evaluated. Short-term storage of urine samples for measurement of NGAL, KIM-1, and IL-18 may be performed at 4°C for up to 24 hours, but not at room temperature. These urinary biomarkers are stable at -80°C for up to 5 years of storage. Our results are reassuring for the deployment of these assays as biomarkers in clinical practice, as well as in prospective clinical studies requiring long-term urine storage. Copyright © 2016 National Kidney Foundation, Inc. Published by Elsevier

Quality assessment of wild Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus) semen under conditions of short-term storage

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Short-term storage trials were conducted with Atlantic sturgeon semen collected from a total of nine wild males during the 2008 and 2009 spawning seasons on the Hudson River. Semen samples were kept refrigerated (4 plus or minus 1 degree C) and stored in different gaseous atmospheres and storage ext...

Effect of Frozen Storage Temperature on the Quality of Premium Ice Cream.

PubMed

Park, Sung Hee; Jo, Yeon-Ji; Chun, Ji-Yeon; Hong, Geun-Pyo; Davaatseren, Munkhtugs; Choi, Mi-Jung

2015-01-01

The market sales of premium ice cream have paralleled the growth in consumer desire for rich flavor and taste. Storage temperature is a major consideration in preserving the quality attributes of premium ice cream products for both the manufacturer and retailers during prolonged storage. We investigated the effect of storage temperature (-18℃, -30℃, -50℃, and -70℃) and storage times, up to 52 wk, on the quality attributes of premium ice cream. Quality attributes tested included ice crystal size, air cell size, melting resistance, and color. Ice crystal size increased from 40.3 μm to 100.1 μm after 52 wk of storage at -18℃. When ice cream samples were stored at -50℃ or -70℃, ice crystal size slightly increased from 40.3 μm to 57-58 μm. Initial air cell size increased from 37.1 μm to 87.7 μm after storage at -18℃ for 52 wk. However, for storage temperatures of -50℃ and -70℃, air cell size increased only slightly from 37.1 μm to 46-47 μm. Low storage temperature (-50℃ and -70℃) resulted in better melt resistance and minimized color changes in comparison to high temperature storage (-18℃ and -30℃). In our study, quality changes in premium ice cream were gradually minimized according to decrease in storage temperature up to-50℃. No significant beneficial effect of -70℃ storage was found in quality attributes. In the scope of our experiment, we recommend a storage temperature of -50℃ to preserve the quality attributes of premium ice cream.

Long-Term Effects of Child Death on Parents' Health-Related Quality of Life: A Dyadic Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Song, Jieun; Floyd, Frank J.; Seltzer, Marsha Mailick; Greenberg, Jan S.; Hong, Jinkuk

2010-01-01

This study examines the long-term effects of child death on bereaved parents' health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Using data from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study, we compared 233 bereaved couples and 229 comparison couples (mean age = 65.11 years) and examined the life course effects of child death on parents' HRQoL. Variations in bereavement…

Impact of long-term wetting on belowground respiration and methanogenesis in Luther Bog, Ontario

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goebel, Marie; Blodau, Christian

2016-04-01

respect to the other fractions. Mixing with groundwater could have transported organic matter of high quality to the wetted site. Potential CO2 production rates were not affected by long-term water table change. Organic matter quality of the wetted site may have been also overestimated in our study as vegetation change may have changed litter and peat quality as well. This study revealed that long-term wetting probably does not change organic matter quality as decisively as expected. Potential anaerobic CO2 and CH4 production rates rather increased as long as conditions were more constantly anoxic. Long-term lowered or fluctuating water table could potentially result in smaller future emissions due to a reduced organic matter quality, but also to less carbon sequestration.

New strategies for submicron characterization the carbon binding of reactive minerals in long-term contrasting fertilized soils: implications for soil carbon storage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiao, Jian; He, Xinhua; Hao, Jialong; Zhou, Ying; Zheng, Lirong; Ran, Wei; Shen, Qirong; Yu, Guanghui

2016-06-01

Mineral binding is a major mechanism for soil carbon (C) stabilization. However, the submicron information about the in situ mechanisms of different fertilization practices affecting organo-mineral complexes and associated C preservation remains unclear. Here, we applied nano-scale secondary ion mass spectrometry (NanoSIMS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy (XAFS) to examine differentiating effects of inorganic versus organic fertilization on interactions between highly reactive minerals and soil C preservation. To examine such interactions, soils and their extracted colloids were collected during a 24-year long-term fertilization period (1990-2014) (no fertilization, control; chemical nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) fertilization, NPK; and NPK plus swine manure fertilization, NPKM). The results for different fertilization conditions showed a ranked soil organic matter concentration with NPKM > NPK > control. Meanwhile, oxalate-extracted Al (Alo), Fe (Feo), short-range ordered Al (Alxps), Fe (Fexps), and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) ranked with NPKM > control > NPK, but the ratios of DOC / Alxps and DOC / Fexps ranked with NPKM > NPK > control. Compared with the NPK treatment, the NPKM treatment enhanced the C-binding loadings of Al and Fe minerals in soil colloids at the submicron scale. Furthermore, a greater concentration of highly reactive Al and Fe minerals was presented under NPKM than under NPK. Together, these submicron-scale findings suggest that both the reactive mineral species and their associations with C are differentially affected by 24-year long-term inorganic and organic fertilization.

Effect of different bulking agents on water variation and thermal balance and their respective contribution to bio-generated heat during long-term storage sludge biodrying process.