Predicting long-term absenteeism from work in construction industry: a longitudinal study.

PubMed

Hoonakker, Peter; van Duivenbooden, Cor

2012-01-01

In this study we examine whether the Work Ability Index (WAI) has additional value in predicting long-term absenteeism in construction industry. Results of the study show that the WAI has additional value in predicting absenteeism, but that the amount of explained variance is low. This is partly due to the definition of absenteeism in The Netherlands, where this study took place.

Physical performance of biodegradable films intended for antimicrobial food packaging.

PubMed

Marcos, Begonya; Aymerich, Teresa; Monfort, Josep M; Garriga, Margarita

2010-10-01

Antimicrobial films were prepared by including enterocins to alginate, polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH), and zein films. The physical performance of the films was assessed by measuring color, microstructure (SEM), water vapor permeability (WVP), and tensile properties. All studied biopolymers showed poor WVP and limited tensile properties. PVOH showed the best performance exhibiting the lowest WVP values, higher tensile properties, and flexibility among studied biopolymers. SEM of antimicrobial films showed increased presence of voids and pores as a consequence of enterocin addition. However, changes in microstructure did not disturb WVP of films. Moreover, enterocin-containing films showed slight improvement compared to control films. Addition of enterocins to PVOH films had a plasticizing effect, by reducing its tensile strength and increasing the strain at break. The presence of enterocins had an important effect on tensile properties of zein films by significantly reducing its brittleness. Addition of enterocins, thus, proved not to disturb the physical performance of studied biopolymers. Development of new antimicrobial biodegradable packaging materials may contribute to improving food safety while reducing environmental impact derived from packaging waste. Practical Application: Development of new antimicrobial biodegradable packaging materials may contribute to improving food safety while reducing environmental impact derived from packaging waste.

[Asymmetric confusability effect in recognition memory of cats pictures].

PubMed

Ando, M; Hakoda, Y

1999-06-01

Performance superiority of the addition of features in the stimuli over the deletion on recognition (asymmetric confusability effect) has been shown in previous studies (Pezdek, Maki, Valencia-Laver, Whetstone, Stoeckert, & Dougherty, 1988; Ando & Hakoda, 1998). We investigated the same effect by using a familiar living thing (cat) as a stimulus. Ten subjects were given a recognition task using pictures of cats with feature changes (additions, deletions, or no change). Results showed that the picture with deletions were easier to recognize than those with additions, which was opposite to the previous studies. Then, we examined the possibility that performance superiority of the deletions over the additions was mediated by the factor of impression. Another group of 18 subjects was asked to rate the impression scales consisting of a "typicality-reality factor", a "stability-balance factor", and a "grotesque-disgust factor". Results showed that there was a significant difference in impression ratings for each factor between the additions and the deletions, and that impression ratings predicted recognition performance well. It was concluded that performance superiority of the deletions over the additions was mediated by the factor of impression.

Using Set Model for Learning Addition of Integers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lestari, Umi Puji; Putri, Ratu Ilma Indra; Hartono, Yusuf

2015-01-01

This study aims to investigate how set model can help students' understanding of addition of integers in fourth grade. The study has been carried out to 23 students and a teacher of IVC SD Iba Palembang in January 2015. This study is a design research that also promotes PMRI as the underlying design context and activity. Results showed that the…

Modelling the average velocity of propagation of the flame front in a gasoline engine with hydrogen additives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smolenskaya, N. M.; Smolenskii, V. V.

2018-01-01

The paper presents models for calculating the average velocity of propagation of the flame front, obtained from the results of experimental studies. Experimental studies were carried out on a single-cylinder gasoline engine UIT-85 with hydrogen additives up to 6% of the mass of fuel. The article shows the influence of hydrogen addition on the average velocity propagation of the flame front in the main combustion phase. The dependences of the turbulent propagation velocity of the flame front in the second combustion phase on the composition of the mixture and operating modes. The article shows the influence of the normal combustion rate on the average flame propagation velocity in the third combustion phase.

The Influence of Fe2O3 Addition on the Tio2 Structure and Photoactivity Properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wahyuningsih, S.; Ramelan, A. H.; Prasetyawati, L.; Saputri, L. N. M. Z.; Ichsan, S.; Kristiawan, Y. R.

2018-03-01

The influence of Fe2O3 addition on the TiO2 structure and photoactivity properties have been studied. The addition of Fe2O3 on the TiO2 done by TiO2-Fe2O3 synthesized with variation of annealing temperature. The result showed that peak of anatase TiO2 at 2θ = 25.35° and Fe2O3 at 2θ = 54.20°. The XRD of TiO2 show annealing temperature at 400°C is anatase phase and the composite with annealing at temperature 150°C, 300°C, 400°C and 500°C is crystalline anatase phase, due to the addition of Fe2O3. Photodegradation of Rhodamin B with TiO2 at 400°C annealing temperature showed optimum degradation 36.2 %, and the composite with annealing at 400°C showed optimum degradation 44.3% for 300 minutes irradiation.

In vitro properties of concentrated canine platelets stored in two additive solutions: a comparative study.

PubMed

Hlavac, N; Lasta, C S; Dalmolin, M L; Lacerda, L A; de Korte, D; Marcondes, N A; Terra, S R; Fernandes, F B; González, F H D

2017-11-15

Platelet transfusion therapy poses many challenges in veterinary clinical practice. Lack of readily available blood donors, short shelf-life, and inability to administer a sufficient number of platelets to meet a dog's transfusion need are the major difficulties encountered. Platelet additive solutions are already in use at American and European human blood banks, showing to be a realistic alternative. This study compares the in vitro platelet function in plasma, Composol, or SSP+ during storage for 13 days. Platelet rich plasma-platelet concentrate with 35% plasma and 65% platelet additive solutions (Composol or SSP+) and a control group (100% plasma) were prepared. Swirling, platelet count, blood gases, metabolic variables, platelet activation markers, and apoptosis markers were analyzed on days 1, 5, 9 and 13. Swirling was well preserved and pH was acceptable (> 6.2) during storage for all platelet additive solutions units until day 9. SSP + units showed more stable pH and metabolic variables until day 13. Platelets in plasma showed higher glucose consumption than in Composol or in SSP+. The platelet additive solutions units showed better platelet metabolism maintenance, reduced glucose consumption and lactate production. The apoptotic markers were still low for 9 days in platelet concentrates with platelet additive solutions, suggesting the possibility to extend the shelf life with the use of SSP+ or Composol. Our findings suggest that the uses of Composol and SSP+ in canine platelet concentrates are potential alternatives in veterinary blood banks.

Biodegradability of degradable plastic waste.

PubMed

Agamuthu, P; Faizura, Putri Nadzrul

2005-04-01

Plastic waste constitutes the third largest waste volume in Malaysian municipal solid waste (MSW), next to putrescible waste and paper. The plastic component in MSW from Kuala Lumpur averages 24% (by weight), whereas the national mean is about 15%. The 144 waste dumps in the country receive about 95% of the MSW, including plastic waste. The useful life of the landfills is fast diminishing as the plastic waste stays un-degraded for more than 50 years. In this study the compostability of polyethylene and pro-oxidant additive-based environmentally degradable plastics (EDP) was investigated. Linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) samples exposed hydrolytically or oxidatively at 60 degrees C showed that the abiotic degradation path was oxidative rather than hydrolytic. There was a weight loss of 8% and the plastic has been oxidized as shown by the additional carbonyl group exhibited in the Fourier transform infra red (FTIR) Spectrum. Oxidation rate seemed to be influenced by the amount of pro-oxidant additive, the chemical structure and morphology of the plastic samples, and the surface area. Composting studies during a 45-day experiment showed that the percentage elongation (reduction) was 20% for McD samples [high-density polyethylene, (HDPE) with 3% additive] and LL samples (LLDPE with 7% additive) and 18% reduction for totally degradable plastic (TDP) samples (HDPE with 3% additive). Lastly, microbial experiments using Pseudomonas aeroginosa on carbon-free media with degradable plastic samples as the sole carbon source, showed confirmatory results. A positive bacterial growth and a weight loss of 2.2% for degraded polyethylene samples were evident to show that the degradable plastic is biodegradable.

Additional road markings as an indication of speed limits: results of a field experiment and a driving simulator study.

PubMed

Daniels, Stijn; Vanrie, Jan; Dreesen, An; Brijs, Tom

2010-05-01

Although speed limits are indicated by road signs, road users are not always aware, while driving, of the actual speed limit on a given road segment. The Roads and Traffic Agency developed additional road markings in order to support driver decisions on speed on 70 km/h roads in Flanders-Belgium. In this paper the results are presented of two evaluation studies, both a field study and a simulator study, on the effects of the additional road markings on speed behaviour. The results of the field study showed no substantial effect of the markings on speed behaviour. Neither did the simulator study, with slightly different stimuli. Nevertheless an effect on lateral position was noticed in the simulator study, showing at least some effect of the markings. The role of conspicuity of design elements and expectations towards traffic environments is discussed. Both studies illustrate well some strengths and weaknesses of observational field studies compared to experimental simulator studies. Copyright (c) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The physicochemical quality and meat microstructure of post laying hen with addition of Biduri (Calotropis gigantea) latex extract

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nuhriawangsa, A. M. P.; Hertanto, B. S.; Kartikasari, L. R.; Swastike, W.; Cahyadi, M.; Rasid, S.

2018-01-01

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of extract level of Biduri latex on the meat quality of laying hens. The materials of this research were Biduri latex and thigh meat from hens strain Lohman. The latex was tapped from a young tissue stem and centrifuged for its supernatant. Meats were smeared with latex, punctured and incubated for 30 minutes. Concentrations of latex were 0, 3, 6 and 9% from the weight of meat (w/w). The variables were water, dissolved protein, crude fat content, tenderness and microstructure of meat. The statistical analysis method using ANOVA and if there was a mean difference, Duncan test was used. Descriptive analysis was used for microstructures of meat by comparing its hydrolysis conditions. The study showed that fat had significant difference (P <0.05), dissolved protein and tenderness had very significance (P <0.01). Descriptive analysis showed that there were different compositions of microstructures on meat structure. The fat content increased with addition of 3% latex. The value of dissolved protein increased but tenderness decreased by addition extract of 6% latex. The addition of Biduri latex extract showed that hydrolysis in the microstructure of meat. The addition of 6% latex was the best meat quality.

Effects of In and Ni Addition on Microstructure of Sn-58Bi Solder Joint

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mokhtari, Omid; Nishikawa, Hiroshi

2014-11-01

In this study, the effect of adding 0.5 wt.% and 1 wt.% In and Ni to Sn-58Bi solder on intermetallic compound (IMC) layers at the interface and the microstructure of the solder alloys were investigated during reflow and thermal aging by scanning electron microscopy and electron probe micro-analysis. The results showed that the addition of minor elements was not effective in suppressing the IMC growth during the reflow; however, the addition of 0.5 wt.% In and Ni was effective in suppressing the IMC layer growth during thermal aging. The thickening kinetics of the total IMC layer was analyzed by plotting the mean thickness versus the aging time on log-log coordinates, and the results showed the transition point from grain boundary diffusion control to a volume diffusion control mechanism. The results also showed that the minor addition of In can significantly suppress the coarsening of the Bi phase.

The Toxic Effects of Cigarette Additives. Philip Morris' Project Mix Reconsidered: An Analysis of Documents Released through Litigation

PubMed Central

Wertz, Marcia S.; Kyriss, Thomas; Paranjape, Suman; Glantz, Stanton A.

2011-01-01

Background In 2009, the promulgation of US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) tobacco regulation focused attention on cigarette flavor additives. The tobacco industry had prepared for this eventuality by initiating a research program focusing on additive toxicity. The objective of this study was to analyze Philip Morris' Project MIX as a case study of tobacco industry scientific research being positioned strategically to prevent anticipated tobacco control regulations. Methods and Findings We analyzed previously secret tobacco industry documents to identify internal strategies for research on cigarette additives and reanalyzed tobacco industry peer-reviewed published results of this research. We focused on the key group of studies conducted by Phillip Morris in a coordinated effort known as “Project MIX.” Documents showed that Project MIX subsumed the study of various combinations of 333 cigarette additives. In addition to multiple internal reports, this work also led to four peer-reviewed publications (published in 2001). These papers concluded that there was no evidence of substantial toxicity attributable to the cigarette additives studied. Internal documents revealed post hoc changes in analytical protocols after initial statistical findings indicated an additive-associated increase in cigarette toxicity as well as increased total particulate matter (TPM) concentrations in additive-modified cigarette smoke. By expressing the data adjusted by TPM concentration, the published papers obscured this underlying toxicity and particulate increase. The animal toxicology results were based on a small number of rats in each experiment, raising the possibility that the failure to detect statistically significant changes in the end points was due to underpowering the experiments rather than lack of a real effect. Conclusion The case study of Project MIX shows tobacco industry scientific research on the use of cigarette additives cannot be taken at face value. The results demonstrate that toxins in cigarette smoke increase substantially when additives are put in cigarettes, including the level of TPM. In particular, regulatory authorities, including the FDA and similar agencies elsewhere, could use the Project MIX data to eliminate the use of these 333 additives (including menthol) from cigarettes. Please see later in the article for the Editors' Summary PMID:22205885

High temporal resolution fluorescence measurements of a mitochondrial dye for detection of early stage apoptosis

PubMed Central

Iyer, Divya; Ray, Rachel D.; Pappas, Dimitri

2013-01-01

In the present study, early stage apoptosis is explored with high temporal resolution. In addition to monitoring early apoptosis induction in single cells by ultrasensitive confocal fluorescence microscopy (UCFM), the mitochondrial proteins release kinetics was explored. The current study shows development and optimization of a novel, rapid apoptosis assay to explore the earliest changes in cells by the intrinsic apoptosis pathway. We show that early apoptotic changes in the mitochondria begin nearly simultaneously with the addition of an apoptosis-inducing drug, such as staurosporine. With a temporal resolution of five minutes, this non-invasive analytical technique can elucidate the earliest apoptotic events in living cells. Moreover, our results show that the mitochondrial inter-membrane proteins are not involved in the extrinsic pathway of Ramos cells mediated by an anti-CD95 antibody. Additional techniques such as light microscopy and flow cytometry were employed to confirm the results obtained by ultrasensitive confocal fluorescence microscopy. The results of this study help to understand the earliest mechanisms of apoptosis induction in cells, enabling new methods of drug testing and dose-response analyses. PMID:23831722

Comparison of GWAS models to identify non-additive genetic control of flowering time in sunflower hybrids.

PubMed

Bonnafous, Fanny; Fievet, Ghislain; Blanchet, Nicolas; Boniface, Marie-Claude; Carrère, Sébastien; Gouzy, Jérôme; Legrand, Ludovic; Marage, Gwenola; Bret-Mestries, Emmanuelle; Munos, Stéphane; Pouilly, Nicolas; Vincourt, Patrick; Langlade, Nicolas; Mangin, Brigitte

2018-02-01

This study compares five models of GWAS, to show the added value of non-additive modeling of allelic effects to identify genomic regions controlling flowering time of sunflower hybrids. Genome-wide association studies are a powerful and widely used tool to decipher the genetic control of complex traits. One of the main challenges for hybrid crops, such as maize or sunflower, is to model the hybrid vigor in the linear mixed models, considering the relatedness between individuals. Here, we compared two additive and three non-additive association models for their ability to identify genomic regions associated with flowering time in sunflower hybrids. A panel of 452 sunflower hybrids, corresponding to incomplete crossing between 36 male lines and 36 female lines, was phenotyped in five environments and genotyped for 2,204,423 SNPs. Intra-locus effects were estimated in multi-locus models to detect genomic regions associated with flowering time using the different models. Thirteen quantitative trait loci were identified in total, two with both model categories and one with only non-additive models. A quantitative trait loci on LG09, detected by both the additive and non-additive models, is located near a GAI homolog and is presented in detail. Overall, this study shows the added value of non-additive modeling of allelic effects for identifying genomic regions that control traits of interest and that could participate in the heterosis observed in hybrids.

Additive Manufacturing: An Enabling Technology for the MoonBEAM 6U CubeSat Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hopkins, R. C.; Hickman, R. R.; Cavender, D. P.; Dominquez, A.; Schnell, A. R.; Baysinger, M.; Capizzo, P.; Garcia, J.; Fabisinski, L. L.

2017-01-01

The Advanced Concepts Office at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center completed a mission concept study for the Moon Burst Energetics All-sky Monitor (MoonBEAM). The goal of the concept study was to show the enabling aspects that additive manufacturing can provide to CubeSats. In addition to using the additively manufactured tanks as part of the spacecraft structure, the main propulsion system uses a green propellant, which is denser than hydrazine. Momentum unloading is achieved with electric microthrusters, eliminating much of the propellant plumbing. The science mission, requirements, and spacecraft design are described.

Friction Freeform Fabrication of Superalloy Inconel 718: Prospects and Problems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dilip, J. J. S.; Janaki Ram, G. D.

2014-01-01

Friction Freeform Fabrication is a new solid-state additive manufacturing process. The present investigation reports a detailed study on the prospects of this process for additive part fabrication in superalloy Inconel 718. Using a rotary friction welding machine and employing alloy 718 consumable rods in solution treated condition, cylindrical-shaped multi-layer friction deposits (10 mm diameter) were successfully produced. In the as-deposited condition, the deposits showed very fine grain size with no grain boundary δ phase. The deposits responded well to direct aging and showed satisfactory room-temperature tensile properties. However, their stress rupture performance was unsatisfactory because of their layered microstructure with very fine grain size and no grain boundary δ phase. The problem was overcome by heat treating the deposits first at 1353 K (1080 °C) (for increasing the grain size) and then at 1223 K (950 °C) (for precipitating the δ phase). Overall, the current study shows that Friction Freeform Fabrication is a very useful process for additive part fabrication in alloy 718.

Studies on sintering additives for hydroxyapatite, and controlled porosity structures of calcium aluminates and polypropylene-tricalcium phosphate for bone graft applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kalita, Samar Jyoti

Tissue engineering has made a significant contribution in developing new biomaterials that can restore the structural features and physiological functions of natural tissues. Various materials, such as metals, ceramics, polymers and composites have been developed for their use in hard tissue engineering applications. Part A of this thesis describes my research on HAp ceramics. HAp, a bioactive ceramic, is known for its osteoconductivity, but shows poor mechanical performance. This program aimed at improving mechanical performance of synthetic HAp by introducing small quantities of various sintering additives. A range of oxide-based sintering additives were selected and prepared. Dense compacts were prepared using a uniaxial press with an average green density of 1.6 g/cc. Results showed that some of these sintering additives improved densification, hardness and compression strength of synthetic HAp compared to the pure composition. A maximum bulk density of 3.06 g/cc was achieved for 2.5 wt% addition of MgO. A Microhardness of 4.9 GPa (505 HV) was measured for 2.5 wt% addition of BaO, and the highest compression strength (220MPa) was reported for 2.5 wt% addition of CaO. Cytotoxicity and cell proliferation studies with a modified human osteoblast (HOB) cell-line (OPC1) proved most of these materials non-toxic and biocompatible. Microscopic observation revealed that bone cells were attached and grew well on most of these ceramic matrices. Part B describes my work on development of controlled porosity polypropylene-tricalcium phosphate composite scaffolds via the fused deposition modeling (FDM) process. Hg-porosimetry was performed to determine pore size and their distribution. Uniaxial compression testing performed on samples with 36 vol% porosity and pore size of 160 mum showed the best compressive strength of 12.7 MPa. Part C includes my research on development of "3-D honeycomb" porous calcium aluminate structures via the indirect FDM process. Samples of 29% and 44% VFP (designed) with average pore size of 300 mum showed compressive strength between 2 and 24 MPa. Cell proliferation studies conducted with OPC1 cells on polymer-ceramic composite scaffolds and porous calcium aluminate structures showed good cell attachment and a steady cell growth behavior during the first three weeks of in vitro analyses.

Investigations on microstructure, electrical and magnetic properties of copper spinel ferrite with WO3 addition for applications in the humidity sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tudorache, Florin

2018-04-01

In the present study we report the structural, electrical, magnetic and humidity characteristics of copper ferrite with different percent on tungsten trioxide addition. The aim of this study was to obtain more stable and sensitive active materials for humidity sensors. In order to highlight the influence of tungsten on the structural, electrical and magnetic properties, the ferrite samples were fabricated via sol-gel self-combustion method and sintered for 30 min at 1000 °C with percent between 0 and 20% tungsten trioxide additions. The X-ray diffraction investigations showed the copper ferrite phase composition. The scanning electron microscopy revealed the influence of the substitution on characteristics of the crystallites and the profilometry showed the surface topography of samples. The investigation was focused on the variation of permittivity and electrical conductivity, in relation with tungsten trioxide addition, frequency and humidity. We have also, investigated the relevant magnetic characteristics of the copper ferrite material by highlighting the influence of tungsten trioxide addition on to Curie temperature and the permeability frequency characteristics. The data suggests that the copper ferrite with tungsten trioxide addition can be used as active material for humidity sensors.

Effect of additives on the performance and morphology of sulfonated copoly (phthalazinone biphenyl ether sulfone) composite nanofiltration membranes☆

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guan, Shanshan; Zhang, Shouhai; Liu, Peng; Zhang, Guozhen; Jian, Xigao

2014-03-01

Sulfonated copoly (phthalazinone biphenyl ether sulfone) (SPPBES) composite nanofiltration membranes were fabricated by adding low molecular weight additives into SPPBES coating solutions during a dip coating process. Three selected additives: glycol, glycerol and hydroquinone were used in this work. The effect of additives on the membrane performance was studied and discussed in terms of rejection and permeation flux. Among all the composite membranes, the membrane prepared with glycol as an additive achieved the highest Na2SO4 rejection, and the membrane fabricated with glycerol as an additive exhibited the highest flux. The salts rejection of SPPBES composite membranes increased in the following order MgCl2 < NaCl ≤ MgSO4 < Na2SO4. The morphologies of the SPPBES composite membranes were characterized by SEM, it was found that the membrane prepared with hydroquinone showed a rough membrane surface. Composite membrane fabricated with glycol or glycerol as the additive showed very good chemical stability.

Preservation Effect of Two-Stage Cinnamon Bark (Cinnamomum Burmanii) Oleoresin Microcapsules On Vacuum-Packed Ground Beef During Refrigerated Storage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Irfiana, D.; Utami, R.; Khasanah, L. U.; Manuhara, G. J.

2017-04-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of two stage cinnamon bark oleoresin microcapsules (0%, 0.5% and 1%) on the TPC (Total Plate Count), TBA (thiobarbituric acid), pH, and RGB color (Red, Green, and Blue) of vacuum-packed ground beef during refrigerated storage (at 0, 4, 8, 12, and 16 days). This study showed that the addition of two stage cinnamon bark oleoresin microcapsules affected the quality of vacuum-packed ground beef during 16 days of refrigerated storage. The results showed that the TPC value of the vacuum-packed ground beef sample with the addition 0.5% and 1% microcapsules was lower than the value of control sample. The TPC value of the control sample, sample with additional 0.5% and 1% microcapsules were 5.94; 5.46; and 5.16 log CFU/g respectively. The TBA value of vacuum-packed ground beef were 0.055; 0.041; and 0.044 mg malonaldehyde/kg, resepectively on the 16th day of storage. The addition of two-stage cinnamon bark oleoresin microcapsules could inhibit the growth of microbia and decrease the oxidation process of vacuum-packed ground beef. Moreover, the change of vacuum-packed ground beef pH and RGB color with the addition 0.5% and 1% microcapsules were less than those of the control sample. The addition of 1% microcapsules showed the best effect in preserving the vacuum-packed ground beef.

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

Hou, Zhentao; Krauss, Todd D.

Addition of dithiothreitol (DTT) to a suspension consisting of either DNA or sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) wrapped single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) caused significant photoluminescence (PL) brightening from the SWCNTs, while PL quenching to different extents was observed for other surfactant-SWCNT suspensions. PL lifetime studies with high temporal resolution show that addition of DTT mitigates non-radiative decay processes, but also surprisingly increases the radiative decay rate for DNA- and SDS-SWCNTs. There are completely opposite effects on the decay rates found for the other surfactant-SWCNTs and show PL quenching. Here, we propose that the PL brightening results from a surfactant reorganization uponmore » DTT addition. TOC« less

#13ReasonsWhy Health Professionals and Educators are Tweeting: A Systematic Analysis of Uses and Perceptions of Show Content and Learning Outcomes.

PubMed

Walker, Kimberly K; Burns, Kelli

2018-04-27

This study is a content analysis of health professionals' and educators' tweets about a popular Netflix show that depicts teen suicide: 13 Reasons Why. A content analysis of 740 tweets was conducted to determine the main themes associated with professionals' and educators' tweets about the show, as well as the valence of the tweets. Additionally, a thematic analysis of linked content in tweets (n = 178) was conducted to explore additional content shared about the show and modeling outcomes. Results indicated the largest percentage of tweets was related to social learning, particularly about outcomes that could occur from viewing the show. The valence of the tweets about outcomes was more positive than negative. However, linked materials commonly circulated in tweets signified greater concern with unintended learning outcomes. Some of the linked content included media guidelines for reporting on suicide with recommendations that entertainment producers follow the guidelines. This study emphasizes the importance of including social learning objectives in future typologies of Twitter uses and demonstrates the importance of examining linked content in Twitter studies.

Effect of flavonols on wine astringency and their interaction with human saliva.

PubMed

Ferrer-Gallego, Raúl; Brás, Natércia F; García-Estévez, Ignacio; Mateus, Nuno; Rivas-Gonzalo, Julián C; de Freitas, Victor; Escribano-Bailón, M Teresa

2016-10-15

The addition of external phenolic compounds to wines in order to improve their sensory quality is an established winemaking practice. This study was aimed at evaluating the effect of the addition of quercetin 3-O-glucoside on the astringency and bitterness of wines. Sensory results showed that the addition of this flavonol to wines results in an increase in astringency and bitterness. Additionally, flavonol-human salivary protein interactions were studied using fluorescence spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering and molecular dynamic simulations (MD). The apparent Stern-Volmer (KsvApp) and the apparent bimolecular quenching constants (kqApp) were calculated from fluorescence spectra. The KsvApp was 12620±390M(-1), and the apparent biomolecular constant was 3.94×10(12)M(-1)s(-1), which suggests that a complex was formed between the human salivary proteins and quercetin 3-O-glucoside. MD simulations showed that the quercetin 3-O-glucoside molecules have the ability to bind to the IB937 model peptide. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Invariant Type-B characteristics of drag-reducing microalgal biopolymer solutions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gasljevic, K.; Hall, K.; Chapman, D.; Matthys, E. F.

2017-05-01

The drag-reducing properties of polysaccharides from marine microalgae were investigated. They were compared to two drag-reducing additives studied extensively in the past, synthetic poly(ethylene) oxide, one of the most effective drag-reducing additives; and Xanthan Gum, another biopolymer often considered a model polymer for chemical and rheological research. Compared to Xanthan Gum, the most effective polymers from our microalgae show a higher drag-reducing efficiency in terms of necessary concentration to achieve a given level of drag reduction. In addition, they show a striking Type-B drag reduction behavior, which may be a very useful quality in most drag reduction applications, thanks to the independence of the drag reduction level on flow conditions such as velocity, shear stress, and tube diameter. With these polymers from microalgae we did not see evidence of Type-A behavior over the wide range of conditions studied (including pipe diameters up to 52 mm). Importantly, this suggests that the Drag Reduction coefficient in pipe flow for ideal drag-reducing solutions such as the polysaccharides investigated here is invariant at a given additive concentration of flow or solution parameters like ionic strength and can be used as a solution property to predict its drag reduction effectiveness over a wide range of conditions. On the contrary, Xanthan Gum showed evidence of both Type-A behavior in large diameter pipes and Type-B behavior in smaller ones. The polymers from microalgae also showed high resistance to degradation. Considering that these microalgae are very effective producers of polysaccharides (both extracellular and intracellular), they appear to be very promising additives for drag reduction applications.

Enological Tannin Effect on Red Wine Color and Pigment Composition and Relevance of the Yeast Fermentation Products.

PubMed

García-Estévez, Ignacio; Alcalde-Eon, Cristina; Puente, Víctor; Escribano-Bailón, M Teresa

2017-11-23

Enological tannins are widely used in the winemaking process either to improve different wine characteristics (color stability, among others) or to compensate for low tannin levels. In this work, the influence of the addition of two different enological tannins, mainly composed of hydrolysable (ellagitannins) and condensed tannins, on the evolution of color and pigment composition of two different types of model systems containing the five main grape anthocyanins was studied. In addition, the effect of the addition of an enological tannin on the color and pigment composition of red wines made from Vitis vinifera L. cv Tempranillo grapes was also studied by high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection coupled to mass spectrometry (HPLC-DAD-MS). Results showed that, in model systems, the addition of the enological tannin favored the formation of anthocyanin-derived pigments, such as A-type and B-type vitisins and flavanol-anthocyanin condensation products, provided that the yeast precursors were previously supplied. Moreover, model systems containing the enological tannins were darker and showed higher values of chroma at the end of the study than control ones. The higher formation of these anthocyanin-derived pigments was also observed in the red wines containing the enological tannin. Moreover, these wine also showed lower lightness (L*) values and higher chroma (C* ab ) values than control wines, indicating a higher stabilization of color.

Hazard assessment of hydraulic fracturing chemicals using an indexing method.

PubMed

Hu, Guangji; Liu, Tianyi; Hager, James; Hewage, Kasun; Sadiq, Rehan

2018-04-01

The rapid expansion of unconventional natural gas production has triggered considerable public concerns, particularly regarding environmental and human health (EHH) risks posed by various chemical additives used in hydraulic fracturing (HF) operations. There is a need to assess the potential EHH hazards of additives used in real-world HF operations. In this study, HF additive and fracturing fluid data was acquired, and EHH hazards were assessed using an indexing approach. The indexing system analyzed chemical toxicological data of different ingredients contained within additives and produced an aggregated EHH safety index for each additive, along with an indicator describing the completeness of the chemical toxicological data. The results show that commonly used additives are generally associated with medium-level EHH hazards. In each additive category, ingredients of high EHH concern were identified, and the high hazard designation was primarily attributed to ingredients' high aquatic toxicity and carcinogenic effects. Among all assessed additive categories, iron control agents were identified as the greatest EHH hazards. Lack of information, such as undisclosed ingredients and chemical toxicological data gaps, has resulted in different levels of assessment uncertainties. In particular, friction reducers show the highest data incompleteness with regards to EHH hazards. This study reveals the potential EHH hazards associated with chemicals used in current HF field operations and can provide decision makers with valuable information to facilitate sustainable and responsible unconventional gas production. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A simulations approach for meta-analysis of genetic association studies based on additive genetic model.

PubMed

John, Majnu; Lencz, Todd; Malhotra, Anil K; Correll, Christoph U; Zhang, Jian-Ping

2018-06-01

Meta-analysis of genetic association studies is being increasingly used to assess phenotypic differences between genotype groups. When the underlying genetic model is assumed to be dominant or recessive, assessing the phenotype differences based on summary statistics, reported for individual studies in a meta-analysis, is a valid strategy. However, when the genetic model is additive, a similar strategy based on summary statistics will lead to biased results. This fact about the additive model is one of the things that we establish in this paper, using simulations. The main goal of this paper is to present an alternate strategy for the additive model based on simulating data for the individual studies. We show that the alternate strategy is far superior to the strategy based on summary statistics.

Formulation and Evaluation of Mouth Dissolving Tablets of Cinnarizine

PubMed Central

Patel, B. P.; Patel, J. K.; Rajput, G. C.; Thakor, R. S.

2010-01-01

The purpose of this research was to develop mouth dissolve tablets of cinnarizine by effervescent, superdisintegrant addition and sublimation methods. All the three formulations were evaluated for disintegration time, hardness and friability, among these superdisintegrant addition method showed lowest disintegration time; hence it was selected for further studies. Further nine batches (B1-B9) were prepared by using crospovidone, croscarmellose sodium and L-HPC in different concentrations such as 5, 7.5 and 10%. All the formulations were evaluated for weight variation, hardness, friability, drug content, in vitro disintegration time, wetting time, in vitro dissolution. Formulation with 10% L-HPC showed the less disintegration time (25.3 s) and less wetting time (29.1 s). In vitro dissolution studies showed total drug release at the end of 6 min. PMID:21218071

Development of high temperature materials for solid propellant rocket nozzle applications. [tantalum carbides-tungsten fiber composites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Manning, C. R., Jr.; Honeycutt, L., III

1974-01-01

Evaluation of tantalum carbide-tungsten fiber composites has been completed as far as weight percent carbon additions and weight percent additions of tungsten fiber. Extensive studies were undertaken concerning Young's Modulus and fracture strength of this material. Also, in-depth analysis of the embrittling effects of the extra carbon additions on the tungsten fibers has been completed. The complete fabrication procedure for the tantalum carbide-tungsten fiber composites with extra carbon additions is given. Microprobe and metallographic studies showed the effect of extra carbon on the tungsten fibers, and evaluation of the thermal shock parameter fracture strength/Young's Modulus is included.

Small angle neutron scattering study on the structural variation of lysozyme in bioprotectants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koda, Shota; Takayama, Haruki; Shibata, Tomohiko; Mori, Tatsuya; Kojima, Seiji; Park, In-Sung; Shin, Tae-Gyu

2015-05-01

The thermal denaturation and subsequent structural variation of lysozyme in various bioprotectant candidate solutions such as trehalose and choline acetate have been investigated by using small angle neutron scattering and differential scanning calorimetry. The gyration radius shows little change with the addition of additives in a native state at room temperature. On heating the lysozyme solution, a remarkable increase in the gyration radius is observed at temperatures above the denaturation temperature without any bioprotectants. Such an increase is suppressed by the additives owing to the intermolecular interactions between the lysozyme molecules and the bioprotectants of trehalose and choline acetate. The fractal dimension of lysozyme varies slightly with the addition of the bioprotectant solutions, and shows a remarkable drop in the vicinity of the denaturation temperature for all the solutions.

Treatment of diesel- and kerosene-contaminated water by B. subtilis SPB1 biosurfactant-producing strain.

PubMed

Mnif, Ines; Ellouze-Chaabouni, Semia; Ayedi, Younes; Ghribi, Dhouha

2014-08-01

This study investigated the efficiency of hydrocarbon utilization by B. subtilis SPB1, a biosurfactant-producing strain. Microbial growth, biosurfactant production, and hydrocarbon biodegradation were studied in a liquid mineral medium, supplemented with 2% hydrocarbons in both the absence and in the presence of 0.1% yeast extract. Preliminary studies showed that maximum growth was registered with a 2% hydrocarbon solution. Results showed that the addition of yeast extract greatly stimulated microbial growth and thus induced biosurfactant production. Furthermore, biodegradation efficiencies were higher in the presence of yeast extract. Kerosene fuel was more recalcitrant to biodegradation than diesel oil. This study's findings suggest that the addition of an organic nitrogen source stimulates tension-active agents' production, which emulsifies hydrophobic compounds and enhances their biodegradation and microbial growth.

Genomic Model with Correlation Between Additive and Dominance Effects.

PubMed

Xiang, Tao; Christensen, Ole Fredslund; Vitezica, Zulma Gladis; Legarra, Andres

2018-05-09

Dominance genetic effects are rarely included in pedigree-based genetic evaluation. With the availability of single nucleotide polymorphism markers and the development of genomic evaluation, estimates of dominance genetic effects have become feasible using genomic best linear unbiased prediction (GBLUP). Usually, studies involving additive and dominance genetic effects ignore possible relationships between them. It has been often suggested that the magnitude of functional additive and dominance effects at the quantitative trait loci are related, but there is no existing GBLUP-like approach accounting for such correlation. Wellmann and Bennewitz showed two ways of considering directional relationships between additive and dominance effects, which they estimated in a Bayesian framework. However, these relationships cannot be fitted at the level of individuals instead of loci in a mixed model and are not compatible with standard animal or plant breeding software. This comes from a fundamental ambiguity in assigning the reference allele at a given locus. We show that, if there has been selection, assigning the most frequent as the reference allele orients the correlation between functional additive and dominance effects. As a consequence, the most frequent reference allele is expected to have a positive value. We also demonstrate that selection creates negative covariance between genotypic additive and dominance genetic values. For parameter estimation, it is possible to use a combined additive and dominance relationship matrix computed from marker genotypes, and to use standard restricted maximum likelihood (REML) algorithms based on an equivalent model. Through a simulation study, we show that such correlations can easily be estimated by mixed model software and accuracy of prediction for genetic values is slightly improved if such correlations are used in GBLUP. However, a model assuming uncorrelated effects and fitting orthogonal breeding values and dominant deviations performed similarly for prediction. Copyright © 2018, Genetics.

Impact of chemical proportions on the acute neurotoxicity of a mixture of seven carbamates in preweanling and adult rats.

PubMed

Moser, Virginia C; Padilla, Stephanie; Simmons, Jane Ellen; Haber, Lynne T; Hertzberg, Richard C

2012-09-01

Statistical design and environmental relevance are important aspects of studies of chemical mixtures, such as pesticides. We used a dose-additivity model to test experimentally the default assumptions of dose additivity for two mixtures of seven N-methylcarbamates (carbaryl, carbofuran, formetanate, methomyl, methiocarb, oxamyl, and propoxur). The best-fitting models were selected for the single-chemical dose-response data and used to develop a combined prediction model, which was then compared with the experimental mixture data. We evaluated behavioral (motor activity) and cholinesterase (ChE)-inhibitory (brain, red blood cells) outcomes at the time of peak acute effects following oral gavage in adult and preweanling (17 days old) Long-Evans male rats. The mixtures varied only in their mixing ratios. In the relative potency mixture, proportions of each carbamate were set at equitoxic component doses. A California environmental mixture was based on the 2005 sales of each carbamate in California. In adult rats, the relative potency mixture showed dose additivity for red blood cell ChE and motor activity, and brain ChE inhibition showed a modest greater-than additive (synergistic) response, but only at a middle dose. In rat pups, the relative potency mixture was either dose-additive (brain ChE inhibition, motor activity) or slightly less-than additive (red blood cell ChE inhibition). On the other hand, at both ages, the environmental mixture showed greater-than additive responses on all three endpoints, with significant deviations from predicted at most to all doses tested. Thus, we observed different interactive properties for different mixing ratios of these chemicals. These approaches for studying pesticide mixtures can improve evaluations of potential toxicity under varying experimental conditions that may mimic human exposures.

Household Chaos--Links with Parenting and Child Behaviour

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coldwell, Joanne; Pike, Alison; Dunn, Judy

2006-01-01

Background: The study aimed to confirm previous findings showing links between household chaos and parenting in addition to examining whether household chaos was predictive of children's behaviour over and above parenting. In addition, we investigated whether household chaos acts as a moderator between parenting and children's behaviour. Method:…

Quantitative Relationships Involving Additive Differences: Numerical Resilience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ramful, Ajay; Ho, Siew Yin

2014-01-01

This case study describes the ways in which problems involving additive differences with unknown starting quantities, constrain the problem solver in articulating the inherent quantitative relationship. It gives empirical evidence to show how numerical reasoning takes over as a Grade 6 student instantiates the quantitative relation by resorting to…

Distribution and Viability of Fetal and Adult Human Bone Marrow Stromal Cells in a Biaxial Rotating Vessel Bioreactor after Seeding on Polymeric 3D Additive Manufactured Scaffolds

PubMed Central

Leferink, Anne M.; Chng, Yhee-Cheng; van Blitterswijk, Clemens A.; Moroni, Lorenzo

2015-01-01

One of the conventional approaches in tissue engineering is the use of scaffolds in combination with cells to obtain mechanically stable tissue constructs in vitro prior to implantation. Additive manufacturing by fused deposition modeling is a widely used technique to produce porous scaffolds with defined pore network, geometry, and therewith defined mechanical properties. Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are promising candidates for tissue engineering-based cell therapies due to their multipotent character. One of the hurdles to overcome when combining additive manufactured scaffolds with MSCs is the resulting heterogeneous cell distribution and limited cell proliferation capacity. In this study, we show that the use of a biaxial rotating bioreactor, after static culture of human fetal MSCs (hfMSCs) seeded on synthetic polymeric scaffolds, improved the homogeneity of cell and extracellular matrix distribution and increased the total cell number. Furthermore, we show that the relative mRNA expression levels of indicators for stemness and differentiation are not significantly changed upon this bioreactor culture, whereas static culture shows variations of several indicators for stemness and differentiation. The biaxial rotating bioreactor presented here offers a homogeneous distribution of hfMSCs, enabling studies on MSCs fate in additive manufactured scaffolds without inducing undesired differentiation. PMID:26557644

Distribution and Viability of Fetal and Adult Human Bone Marrow Stromal Cells in a Biaxial Rotating Vessel Bioreactor after Seeding on Polymeric 3D Additive Manufactured Scaffolds.

PubMed

Leferink, Anne M; Chng, Yhee-Cheng; van Blitterswijk, Clemens A; Moroni, Lorenzo

2015-01-01

One of the conventional approaches in tissue engineering is the use of scaffolds in combination with cells to obtain mechanically stable tissue constructs in vitro prior to implantation. Additive manufacturing by fused deposition modeling is a widely used technique to produce porous scaffolds with defined pore network, geometry, and therewith defined mechanical properties. Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are promising candidates for tissue engineering-based cell therapies due to their multipotent character. One of the hurdles to overcome when combining additive manufactured scaffolds with MSCs is the resulting heterogeneous cell distribution and limited cell proliferation capacity. In this study, we show that the use of a biaxial rotating bioreactor, after static culture of human fetal MSCs (hfMSCs) seeded on synthetic polymeric scaffolds, improved the homogeneity of cell and extracellular matrix distribution and increased the total cell number. Furthermore, we show that the relative mRNA expression levels of indicators for stemness and differentiation are not significantly changed upon this bioreactor culture, whereas static culture shows variations of several indicators for stemness and differentiation. The biaxial rotating bioreactor presented here offers a homogeneous distribution of hfMSCs, enabling studies on MSCs fate in additive manufactured scaffolds without inducing undesired differentiation.

Study and program plan for improved heavy duty gas turbine engine ceramic component development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Helms, H. E.

1977-01-01

Fuel economy in a commercially viable gas turbine engine was demonstrated through use of ceramic materials. Study results show that increased turbine inlet and generator inlet temperatures, through the use of ceramic materials, contribute the greatest amount to achieving fuel economy goals. Improved component efficiencies show significant additional gains in fuel economy.

Risk-taking behaviors and prefrontal cortex activity of male adolescents in the presence of peer passengers during simulated driving : a functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) study.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2015-09-01

Crash statistics show that adolescent drivers are more likely to be involved in motor-vehicle crashes than adults and that the : presence of peer passengers pose an additional risk factor for crashes. Experimental and observational studies show that ...

POS-Tagging for informal language (study in Indonesian tweets)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suryawati, Endang; Munandar, Devi; Riswantini, Dianadewi; Fatchuttamam Abka, Achmad; Arisal, Andria

2018-03-01

This paper evaluates Part-of-Speech Tagging for the formal Indonesian language can be used for the tagging process of Indonesian tweets. In this study, we add five additional tags which reflect to social media attributes to the existing original tagset. Automatic POS tagging process is done by stratified training process with 1000, 1600, and 1800 of annotated tweets. It shows that the process can achieve up to 66.36% accuracy. The experiment with original tagset gives slightly better accuracy (67.39%) than the experiment with five additional tags, but will lose important informations which given by the five additional tagset.POS-Tagging for Informal Language (Study in Indonesian Tweets).

Photoluminescence Brightening of Isolated Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes

DOE PAGES

Hou, Zhentao; Krauss, Todd D.

2017-09-22

Addition of dithiothreitol (DTT) to a suspension consisting of either DNA or sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) wrapped single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) caused significant photoluminescence (PL) brightening from the SWCNTs, while PL quenching to different extents was observed for other surfactant-SWCNT suspensions. PL lifetime studies with high temporal resolution show that addition of DTT mitigates non-radiative decay processes, but also surprisingly increases the radiative decay rate for DNA- and SDS-SWCNTs. There are completely opposite effects on the decay rates found for the other surfactant-SWCNTs and show PL quenching. Here, we propose that the PL brightening results from a surfactant reorganization uponmore » DTT addition. TOC« less

[Nitrogen input altered testate amoebae community in peatland of Sanjiang Plain, Northeast China].

PubMed

Song, Li-hong; Yan, Xiu-min; Wang, Ke-hong; Zhu, Xiao-yan; Wu, Dong-hu

2015-02-01

In the present study, an in situ control experiment was carried out to explore the response of testate amoebae to exogenous nitrogen addition in peatland of Sanjiang Plain. The results showed that nitrogen addition increased the biomass of testate amoebae at lower levels (6 g N · m(-2)), while decreased it at higher levels (> 12 g N · m(-2)). At genus level, nitrogen addition significantly increased the biomass of Arcella and Phryganella, decreased the biomass of Euglypha. Only lower nitrogen addition significantly increased the biomass of Centropyxis. At species level, nitrogen addition significantly decreased the biomass of Euglypha rotunda, while the biomass of either Centropyxis cassis or Phryganella acropodia was increased by a lower nitrogen addition treatment. This study suggested that the response of peatland testate amoebae to nitrogen addition was species specific, which could potentially be used as an indicator for the environment of peatlands.

Evaluation of PCDD/Fs characterization in animal feed and feed additives.

PubMed

Kim, MeeKyung; Kim, Sooyeon; Yun, Seon Jong; Kwon, Jin-Wook; Son, Seong-Wan

2007-09-01

Safety control of feed and feed additives is necessary to have safe food of animal origin. Based on media reports, nine incidents regarding dioxins and/or PCBs contaminations occurred worldwide during the last decade. Korea is a country which imports feed and feed additives. In this study, various kinds of feed and feed additives were analyzed to monitor the contamination level of dioxins. The level of PCDD/Fs in fish oil was the highest with a concentration of 23.33ngkg(-1), which is equivalent to a toxicological concentration of 4.68ngWHO-TEQ/kg. Feed from animals origin such as chicken meal, animal fat, fish meal, fish oil, and shell powder showed relatively higher concentrations of PCDD/Fs. Feed from plants origin, minerals, and additives ranged from non-detects for bit pulp and ethoxyquin to 8.28ngkg(-1) for dl-methionine. From a toxicological point of view, the highest concentration in vitamins was 0.08ngWHO-TEQ/kg among the feed additives. 2,3,4,7,8-PeCDF was the dominant congener in samples of fish oil, fish meal, and shell powder. Animal fat showed that the pattern of PCDD/Fs depends on the sources of contamination. A sample of animal fat showed 1,2,3,4,7,8-HxCDF and the other sample showed 1,2,3,4,7,8-HxCDD as a primary congener. Generally, low levels of PCDDs were detected in feed additives. Patterns of PCDD/Fs in choline chloride were different with that in choline chloride from an incident in Europe in 2000.

Usefulness of addition of Orvus ES paste and sodium lauryl sulfate to frozen feline semen.

PubMed

Mizutani, Tatsuji; Sumigama, Shiho; Nagakubo, Keiichi; Shimizu, Noriko; Oba, Hiromichi; Hori, Tatsuya; Tsutsui, Toshihiko

2010-01-01

It has been shown that addition of the surfactant Orvus ES paste (OEP) and its main component sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) to boar or dog semen before freezing improves post-thaw sperm motility and protects acrosome caps. In this study, we investigated the usefulness of the addition of OEP (0, 1, 2 and 4%) or SLS (0, 1, 2, 3 and 4 mg/ml) to cat ejaculates before freezing and their concentrations. Among the OEP addition groups, the 1% OEP group showed higher sperm motility than the other groups. Among the SLS addition groups, the 3 mg/ml SLS group showed slightly higher sperm motility and viability than the other groups. Comparison between the 1% OEP and 3 mg/ml SLS addition groups suggested a higher percentage of sperm with an acrosome cap in the 1% OEP group. The other sperm properties did not significantly differ between the 2 groups. These results indicate that addition of 1% OEP or 3 mg/ml SLS is effective for freezing of cat ejaculated semen.

Wavepacket revivals in monolayer and bilayer graphene rings.

PubMed

García, Trinidad; Rodríguez-Bolívar, Salvador; Cordero, Nicolás A; Romera, Elvira

2013-06-12

We have studied the existence of quantum revivals in graphene quantum rings within a simplified model. The time evolution of a Gaussian-populated wavepacket shows revivals in monolayer and bilayer graphene rings. We have also studied this behavior for quantum rings in a perpendicular magnetic field. We have found that revival time is an observable that shows different values for monolayer and bilayer graphene quantum rings. In addition, the revival time shows valley degeneracy breaking.

Evaluation of Four Calcium Channel Blockers as Fluconazole Resistance Inhibitors in Candida glabrata.

PubMed

Alnajjar, Lina M; Bulatova, Nailya R; Darwish, Rula M

2018-04-14

In this study we aimed to evaluate the ability of four calcium channel blockers, verapamil, diltiazem, nicardipine and nifedipine to enhance sensitivity of Candida glabrata strains to fluconazole. The synergistic antifungal effect was examined by checkerboard method; fractional inhibitory concentration index (FIC) was determined. Time-kill curve method was used for the most promising combination to further evaluate the synergetic effects. nicardipine showed additive effect with fluconazole against fluconazole-resistant and fluconazole-susceptible-dose-dependent strains (DSY565 and CBS138) known to express efflux pumps but not against fluconazole-sensitive strains. Nifedipine exhibited additive effect with fluconazole in both checkerboard (0.5< FIC <1) and time-kill curve methods (<2 log10 colony-forming units (CFU)/ml decrease in viable count). Additionally, nifedipine had own antifungal effect consistently against most of the strains used in this study with minimum inhibitory concentration of 8μg/ml. nicardipine showed additive effect with fluconazole in fluconazole-resistant strains of Candida glabrata-most probably via efflux pump inhibition as demonstrated selectively in fluconazole-resistant strains with known efflux pumps. Nifedipine displayed promising antifungal effect alone and additive effects with fluconazole. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Physicochemical Properties of Meat Batter Added with Edible Silkworm Pupae (Bombyx mori) and Transglutaminase.

PubMed

Park, Yoo-Sun; Choi, Yun-Sang; Hwang, Ko-Eun; Kim, Tae-Kyung; Lee, Cheol-Won; Shin, Dong-Min; Han, Sung Gu

2017-01-01

This study was conducted to investigate the physicochemical properties of meat batters prepared with fresh pork meat, back fat, water, and salt and formulated with three different amounts (5%, 10%, and 15%) of silkworm pupae ( Bombyx mori ) powder and transglutaminase (TG). Meat batters formulated with silkworm pupae powder showed significantly higher contents of protein and ash than control batter. Addition of silkworm pupae to batter also showed significantly lower cooking loss than the control. Moreover, meat batter containing 15% silkworm pupae showed no significant difference in redness value compared to the control. In addition, pH, viscosity, hardness, gumminess, and chewiness were improved after the addition of silkworm pupae. Furthermore, meat batter formulated with TG and silkworm pupae showed improved hardness, gumminess, chewiness and viscosity compared to control batter. Addition of 1% TG with 15% silkworm pupae to meat batter resulted in significantly higher pH, textures, and viscosity. Our data suggest that both silkworm pupae and TG can be added to meat batter to improve its physicochemical properties. Therefore, combination of silkworm pupae and TG could be a new nutritional and functional source for meat products.

Monogamy, polygamy, and other properties of entanglement of purification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bagchi, Shrobona; Pati, Arun Kumar

2015-04-01

For bipartite pure and mixed quantum states, in addition to the quantum mutual information, there is another measure of total correlation, namely, the entanglement of purification. We study the monogamy, polygamy, and additivity properties of the entanglement of purification for pure and mixed states. In this paper, we show that, in contrast to the quantum mutual information which is strictly monogamous for any tripartite pure states, the entanglement of purification is polygamous for the same. This shows that there can be genuinely two types of total correlation across any bipartite cross in a pure tripartite state. Furthermore, we find the lower bound and actual values of the entanglement of purification for different classes of tripartite and higher-dimensional bipartite mixed states. Thereafter, we show that if entanglement of purification is not additive on tensor product states, it is actually subadditive. Using these results, we identify some states which are additive on tensor products for entanglement of purification. The implications of these findings on the quantum advantage of dense coding are briefly discussed, whereby we show that for tripartite pure states, it is strictly monogamous and if it is nonadditive, then it is superadditive on tensor product states.

Physicochemical Properties of Meat Batter Added with Edible Silkworm Pupae (Bombyx mori) and Transglutaminase

PubMed Central

Choi, Yun-Sang

2017-01-01

This study was conducted to investigate the physicochemical properties of meat batters prepared with fresh pork meat, back fat, water, and salt and formulated with three different amounts (5%, 10%, and 15%) of silkworm pupae (Bombyx mori) powder and transglutaminase (TG). Meat batters formulated with silkworm pupae powder showed significantly higher contents of protein and ash than control batter. Addition of silkworm pupae to batter also showed significantly lower cooking loss than the control. Moreover, meat batter containing 15% silkworm pupae showed no significant difference in redness value compared to the control. In addition, pH, viscosity, hardness, gumminess, and chewiness were improved after the addition of silkworm pupae. Furthermore, meat batter formulated with TG and silkworm pupae showed improved hardness, gumminess, chewiness and viscosity compared to control batter. Addition of 1% TG with 15% silkworm pupae to meat batter resulted in significantly higher pH, textures, and viscosity. Our data suggest that both silkworm pupae and TG can be added to meat batter to improve its physicochemical properties. Therefore, combination of silkworm pupae and TG could be a new nutritional and functional source for meat products. PMID:28747820

Antiplatelet Regimen for Patients With Breakthrough Strokes While on Aspirin: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

PubMed

Lee, Meng; Saver, Jeffrey L; Hong, Keun-Sik; Rao, Neal M; Wu, Yi-Ling; Ovbiagele, Bruce

2017-09-01

Optimal antiplatelet therapy after an ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack while on aspirin is uncertain. We, therefore, conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis. We searched PubMed (1966 to August 2016) and bibliographies of relevant published original studies to identify randomized trials and cohort studies reporting patients who were on aspirin at the time of an index ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack and reported hazard ratio for major adverse cardiovascular events or recurrent stroke associated with a switch to or addition of another antiplatelet agent versus maintaining aspirin monotherapy. Estimates were combined using a random effects model. Five studies with 8723 patients with ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack were identified. Clopidogrel was used in 4 cohorts, and ticagrelor was used in 1 cohort. Pooling results showed that addition of or a switch to another antiplatelet agent, versus aspirin monotherapy, was associated with reduced risks of major adverse cardiovascular events (hazard ratio, 0.68; 95% confidence interval, 0.54-0.85) and recurrent stroke (hazard ratio, 0.70; 95% confidence interval, 0.54-0.92). Each of the strategies of addition of and switching another antiplatelet agent showed benefit versus continued aspirin monotherapy, and studies with regimen initiation in the first days after index event showed more homogenous evidence of benefit. Among patients who experience an ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack while on aspirin monotherapy, the addition of or a switch to another antiplatelet agent, especially in the first days after index event, is associated with fewer future vascular events, including stroke. © 2017 American Heart Association, Inc.

The Effect of the Diesel Cetane Number on Exhaust Emissions Characteristics by Various Additives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lim, Yunsung; Seo, Choongyeol; Lee, Jongtae; Kang, Daeil; Kim, Jeong Soo; Kim, Hyung Jun

This paper described the effect of the diesel cetane number on exhaust emissions characteristics according to various additives. In addition, the emission characteristics of test fuels blended with three additives (GTL, biodiesel and additive for improving CN) were analyzed and the potential for uses of these additives were evaluated in this study. To achieve this purpose, the test diesel vehicle with a two-thousand cubic centimeter displacement was used to analyze the emission characteristics according to the CN. Also, the NEDC (New European Driving Cycle) was applied as the test mode which is widely used as the test method for environmental certification of diesel vehicles. To analyze the characteristics of HAPs, the VOCs and PAHs were analyzed from the BTEX and the particulate matter, respectively. The analysis results revealed that the CO emissions show the largest reduction rate while the NOx+THC emissions are reduced at a low as the CN got higher. In the NEDC mode, the PM emissions in the EUDC mode were found to be at a lower level than those in the UDC mode. As for the VOCs and PAHs characteristics, the VOCs of the CN 58 show the lowest amounts. Also, the PAHs of diesel blended with GTL show the highest level, followed by those of diesel blended with biodiesel and diesel blended with cetane additive.

Development of a novel electric field-assisted modified hydrodynamic cavitation system for disintegration of waste activated sludge.

PubMed

Jung, Kyung-Won; Hwang, Min-Jin; Yun, Yeo-Myeong; Cha, Min-Jung; Ahn, Kyu-Hong

2014-09-01

In this current study, we present a modified hydrodynamic cavitation device that combines an electric field to substitute for the chemical addition. A modified HC system is basically an orifice plate and crisscross pipe assembly, in which the crisscross pipe imparts some turbulence, which creates collision events. This study shows that for maximizing disintegration, combining HC system, which called electric field-assisted modified orifice plate hydrodynamic cavitation (EFM-HC) in this study, with an electric field is important. Various HC systems were compared in terms of disintegration of WAS, and, among them, the EFM-HC system exhibited the best performance with the highest disintegration efficiency of 47.0±2.0% as well as the destruction of WAS morphological characteristics. The experimental results clearly show that a conventional HC system was successfully modified. In addition, electric field has a great potential for efficient disintegration of WAS for as a additional option in a combination treatment. This study suggests continued research in this field may lead to an appropriate design for commercial use. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Implementation of Complexity Analyzing Based on Additional Effect

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Peng; Li, Na; Liang, Yanhong; Liu, Fang

According to the Complexity Theory, there is complexity in the system when the functional requirement is not be satisfied. There are several study performances for Complexity Theory based on Axiomatic Design. However, they focus on reducing the complexity in their study and no one focus on method of analyzing the complexity in the system. Therefore, this paper put forth a method of analyzing the complexity which is sought to make up the deficiency of the researches. In order to discussing the method of analyzing the complexity based on additional effect, this paper put forth two concepts which are ideal effect and additional effect. The method of analyzing complexity based on additional effect combines Complexity Theory with Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TRIZ). It is helpful for designers to analyze the complexity by using additional effect. A case study shows the application of the process.

Synthesis of Quaternary Ammonium Salts Based on Diketopyrrolopyrroles Skeletons and Their Applications in Copper Electroplating.

PubMed

Chen, Biao; Xu, Jie; Wang, Limin; Song, Longfeng; Wu, Shengying

2017-03-01

A series of DPP derivatives bearing quaternary ammonium salt centers with different lengths of carbon chains have been designed and synthesized. Their inhibition actions on copper electroplating were first investigated. A total of four diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP) derivatives showed different inhibition capabilities on copper electroplating. To investigate interactions between metal surface and additives, we used quantum chemical calculations. Static and dynamic surface tension of four DPP derivatives had been measured, and the results showed DPP-10C (1c) with a faster-decreasing rate of dynamic surface tension among the four derivatives, which indicated higher adsorption rate of additive on the cathode surface and gives rise to stronger inhibiting effect of copper electrodeposition. Then, DPP-10C (1c) as the representative additive, was selected for the systematic study of the leveling influence during microvia filling through comprehensive electroplating tests. In addition, field-emission scanning electron microscope images and X-ray diffraction results showed the surface morphology, which indicated that addition of DPP derivative (1c) could lead a fine copper deposit and cause the preferential orientations of copper deposits to change from [220] to [111], which happened in particular at higher concentrations.

Individual and combined effects of Aflatoxin B1, Deoxynivalenol and Zearalenone on HepG2 and RAW 264.7 cell lines.

PubMed

Zhou, Hongyuan; George, Saji; Hay, Crystal; Lee, Joel; Qian, He; Sun, Xiulan

2017-05-01

To understand the combinatorial toxicity of mycotoxins, we measured the effects of individual, binary and tertiary combinations of Aflatoxin B 1 (AFB 1 ), Deoxynivalenol (DON) and Zearalenone (ZEN) on the cell viability and cellular perturbations of HepG2 and RAW 264.7 cells. The nature of mycotoxins interactions was assessed using mathematical modeling (Chou-Talalay). Mechanisms of cytotoxicity were studied using high content screening (HCS) that probed cytotoxicity responses, such as changes in intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), intracellular calcium ([Ca 2+ ] i ) flux, and cell membrane damage. Our results showed that individual cytotoxicity of mycotoxins in a decreasing order was DON>AFB 1 >ZEN. Varying combinations of mycotoxins at differing concentrations showed different types of interactions. Most of the mixtures showed increasing toxic effects-synergism and/or addition while antagonistic effects were observed with combination of AFB 1 +ZEN. Generally, combination of mycotoxins showed significantly increased intracellular ROS production and [Ca 2+ ] i flux, and decreased MMP in both cell lines, showing that the synergistic and additive effects of mycotoxin combination originate from perturbations of multiple cellular functions. Additionally, this study demonstrated the applicability of HCS for gaining mechanistic understanding on the toxicity of individual as well as combinatorial mycotoxins, and also provided scientific bases for formulating regulatory policies. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Wall-collision line broadening of molecular oxygen within nanoporous materials

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

Xu, Can T.; Lewander, Maerta; Andersson-Engels, Stefan

2011-10-15

Wall-collision broadening of near-infrared absorption lines of molecular oxygen confined in nanoporous zirconia is studied by employing high-resolution diode-laser spectroscopy. The broadening is studied for pores of different sizes under a range of pressures, providing new insights on how wall collisions and intermolecular collisions influence the total spectroscopic line profile. The pressure series show that wall-collision broadening is relatively more prominent under reduced pressures, enabling sensitive means to probe pore sizes of porous materials. In addition, we show that the total wall-collision-broadened profile strongly deviates from a Voigt profile and that wall-collision broadening exhibits an additive-like behavior to the pressuremore » and Doppler broadening.« less

Role of bismuth on solidification, microstructure and mechanical properties of a near eutectic Al-Si alloys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Farahany, Saeed; Ourdjini, Ali; Bakar, Tuty Asma Abu; Idris, Mohd Hasbullah

2014-09-01

Computer aided thermal analysis and microstructural observation showed that addition of bismuth (Bi) within the range of 0.25 and 2 wt% produced a greater effect on the Al-Si eutectic phase than on primary aluminium and Al2Cu phases. Results showed that with addition of 1 wt% Bi the eutectic silicon structure was refined from flake-like morphology into lamellar. Bi refines rather than modifies the Si structure and increases the Al-Si eutectic fraction solid and more significantly there was no fading even up to 180 min of melt holding. Transmission electron microscopy study showed that the Si twin spacing decreased from 160 to 75 nm which is likely attributed to the refining effect of Bi. It was also found that addition of 1 wt% Bi increased the tensile strength, elongation and the absorbed energy for fracture due to the refined eutectic silicon structure.

National Income, Inequality and Global Patterns of Cigarette Use

PubMed Central

Pampel, Fred

2011-01-01

Declining tobacco use in high-income nations and rising tobacco use in low- and middle-income nations raises questions about the sources of worldwide patterns of smoking. Theories posit a curvilinear influence of national income based on the balance of affordability and health-cost effects. In addition, however, economic inequality, gender inequality and government policies may moderate the rise and fall in smoking prevalence with national income. This study tests these arguments using aggregate data for 145 nations and measures of smoking prevalence circa 2000. The results show nonlinear effects of national income for males that take the form of an inverted U, but show linear effects for females. They also show non-additive effects of economic inequality for males that moderate both the rise and decline of smoking with national income and non-additive effects of gender equality for females that moderate the positive effect of national income. PMID:21874072

An experimental survey of additives for improving dehydrogenation properties of magnesium hydride

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Chengshang; Fang, Zhigang Zak; Sun, Pei

2015-03-01

The use of a wide range of additives has been known as an important method for improving hydrogen storage properties of MgH2. There is a lack of a standard methodology, however, that can be used to select or compare the effectiveness of different additives. A systematic experimental survey was carried out in this study to compare a wide range of additives including transitions metals, transition metal oxides, hydrides, intermetallic compounds, and carbon materials, with respect to their effects on dehydrogenation properties of MgH2. MgH2 with various additives were prepared by using a high-energy-high-pressure planetary ball milling method and characterized by using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) techniques. The results showed that additives such as Ti and V-based metals, hydride, and certain intermetallic compounds have strong catalytic effects. Additives such as Al, In, Sn, Si showed minor effects on the kinetics of the dehydrogenation of MgH2, while exhibiting moderate thermodynamic destabilizing effects. In combination, MgH2 with both kinetic and thermodynamic additives, such as the MgH2-In-TiMn2 system, exhibited a drastically decreased dehydrogenation temperature.

Polyethersulfone - barium chloride blend ultrafiltration membranes for dye removal studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rambabu, K.; Srivatsan, N.; Gurumoorthy, Anand V. P.

2017-11-01

A series of Polyethersulfone (PES) - barium chloride (BaCl2) blend ultra filtration membrane was developed by varying the BaCl2 concentration in the dope solution. Prepared membranes were subjected to membrane characterization and their performance was studied through dye rejection tests. Morphological studies through SEM and AFM showed that the composite membranes exhibited differences in morphologies, porosities and properties due to the BaCl2 addition as compared with pristine PES membrane. Addition of the inorganic modifier enhanced the hydrophilicity and water permeability of the blend membrane system. Polymer enhanced ultrafiltration of dye solutions showed that the proposed blend system had better performance in terms of flux and rejection efficiency than the pure polymer membrane. The performance of the 2 wt% BaCl2 blend membrane was more promising for application to real time dye wastewater studies.

Methane production from acid hydrolysates of Agave tequilana bagasse: evaluation of hydrolysis conditions and methane yield.

PubMed

Arreola-Vargas, Jorge; Ojeda-Castillo, Valeria; Snell-Castro, Raúl; Corona-González, Rosa Isela; Alatriste-Mondragón, Felipe; Méndez-Acosta, Hugo O

2015-04-01

Evaluation of diluted acid hydrolysis for sugar extraction from cooked and uncooked Agave tequilana bagasse and feasibility of using the hydrolysates as substrate for methane production, with and without nutrient addition, in anaerobic sequencing batch reactors (AnSBR) were studied. Results showed that the hydrolysis over the cooked bagasse was more effective for sugar extraction at the studied conditions. Total sugars concentration in the cooked and uncooked bagasse hydrolysates were 27.9 g/L and 18.7 g/L, respectively. However, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural was detected in the cooked bagasse hydrolysate, and therefore, the uncooked bagasse hydrolysate was selected as substrate for methane production. Interestingly, results showed that the AnSBR operated without nutrient addition obtained a constant methane production (0.26 L CH4/g COD), whereas the AnSBR operated with nutrient addition presented a gradual methane suppression. Molecular analyses suggested that methane suppression in the experiment with nutrient addition was due to a negative effect over the archaeal/bacterial ratio. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Nitrogen fate and impacts in temperate forests: roles of mycorrhizae and pH

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goodale, Christine

2017-04-01

Chronic nitrogen deposition has long been expected to enhance forest carbon uptakeep and storage, although the magnitude and mechanisms of these responses have been uncertain and sometimes may vary by tree species or be confounded by other biogeochemical constraints. Recent results from a 15N tracer study in central New York State, USA, show that ectomycorrhizal tree species acquire more tracer than trees with arbuscular mycorrhizae, but that both types of trees take up only a small fraction of added N, acquired shortly after tracer addition. Most 15N remained in the soil, even five years after the addition. A recent N x pH addition experiment nearby shows that added N can slow decomposition, regardless of pH response, with greater responses in ectomycorrhizal than arbuscular dominated stands, and that some mature stands can also still increase growth. These results add to other observations from tracer and N addition studies as well as N deposition gradients and model analyses to improve estimates of the magnitude and persistence of ecosystem C storage in response to past and projected changes in atmospheric deposition.

The effect of hydrophilicity of graphene oxide as additive towards performance of polysulfone membrane

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jamalludin, Mohd Riduan; Harun, Zawati; Zakaria, M. S.; Rahim, Wan Mohd Faizal Wan Abd; Khor, C. Y.; Rosli, M. U.; Ishak, Muhammad Ikman; Nawi, M. A. M.; Shahrin, Suhaimi

2017-09-01

This study investigates the effect of hydrophilicity of graphene oxide as additive towards properties and performance on polysulfone (PSf) membrane. A polysulfone (PSf) membrane containing graphene oxide (GO) with different content was prepared via phase inversion technique. Characterization on the fabricated membrane were water contact angle measurement, porosity and mean pore size. The effects of PSf/GO were further investigated in terms of permeation test, rejection test and antifouling test. Based on the result obtained, PSf membrane incorporating with GO additive shows better capability to permeate more water compared to unfilled PSf membrane. The PSf/GO membrane were able to increase the permeate rate rapidly with the highest value is given by sample 4 (consist of 0.7 g of GO) at 571.78 J/m2h. Furthermore, water contact angle confirmed the hydrophilicity of this membrane at 62°. The transmembrane fouling activity showed that GO embedded in PSf membrane has improved tremendously. In addition, this study revealed that 0.7g of GO had the highest permeation test, rejection test and antifouling test.

Synthesis and Characterization of MAX Ceramics (MAXCERs)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nelson, Johnny Carl

This research has focused on the design and development of novel multifunctional MAX reinforced ceramics (MAXCERs). These MAXCERs were manufactured with 1-50 vol% ratios of ceramics to MAX phases. Chapter II reports on the synthesis and tribological behavior of Ti3SiC2 matrix composites by incorporating (1 and 6 vol%) Al2O3, (1 and 5 vol%) BN, and (1 and 5 vol%) B4C ceramic particulate additives in the matrix. All the composites were fabricated by pressureless sintering by using 1 wt% Ni as a sintering agent at 1550 °C for 2 hours. SEM and XRD studies showed that Al2O3 is relatively inert in the Ti3SiC 2 matrix whereas BN and B4C reacted significantly with the Ti3 SiC2 matrix to form TiB2. Detailed tribological studies showed that Ti3SiC2-1wt%Ni (baseline) samples showed dual type tribological behavior where the friction coefficient (micro) was low ( 0.2) during stage 1, thereafter micro increased sharply and transitioned into stage 2 ( 0.8). The addition of Al2O3 as an additive had little effect on the tribological behavior, but the addition of B4C and BN was able to enhance the tribological behavior by increasing the transition distance (TD). Chapter III reports on the synthesis and tribological behavior of TiB2 matrix composites by incorporating (10, 30, and 50 vol%) Ti3SiC2 ceramic particulate additives in the matrix. The fabrication parameters were similar to the Ti3SiC2 samples from Chapter II. There was minimal reaction between the TiB2 and the Ti3SiC2. Detailed tribological studies showed that TiB2 (baseline) and TiB2-10%Ti 3SiC2 samples showed an average micro of 0.29 and 0.28, respectively. TiB2-30%Ti3SiC2 and TiB 2-50%Ti3SiC2 showed dual-type tribological behavior where micro was low ( 0.25) during stage 1, thereafter micro increased gradually and transitioned into stage 2 ( 0.6). Low wear rates were seen for all samples.

Elastomeric impression materials: a comparison of accuracy of multiple pours.

PubMed

Kumar, Dheeraj; Madihalli, Anand U; Reddy, K Rajeev Kumar; Rastogi, Namrataa; Pradeep, N T

2011-07-01

The aim of the present study is to compare the various elastomeric impression materials in terms of accuracy and dimensional stability, with respect to obtaining multiple casts from a single elastomeric impression at various times of pours. Three master dies were prepared for the impression making, two of these were made of brass containing a central hole with undercuts. The third die simulated a conventionally prepared typodont maxillary central incisor. Three elastomeric impression materials were chosen for the study. Each impression was poured at various time periods. Casts thus obtained were evaluated under a traveling microscope to evaluate various dimensional changes. Addition silicones provided dies which were shorter in height and bigger in diameter. Polyethers provided dies which were shorter in both height and diameter. Condensation silicones showed insignificant changes from the master die at the immediate pour but deteriorated rapidly after that in subsequent pours. None of the impression material showed a consistent behavior up to the fourth pour. They occasionally showed deviation from the pattern, but all these values were statistically insignificant. Polyethers showed lesser ability than both the addition silicones as well as the condensation silicones to recover from induced deformation. Addition silicones as well as the condensation silicones have better ability to recover from induced deformation when compared to polyether.

Gun Shows and Gun Violence: Fatally Flawed Study Yields Misleading Results

PubMed Central

Hemenway, David; Webster, Daniel; Pierce, Glenn; Braga, Anthony A.

2010-01-01

A widely publicized but unpublished study of the relationship between gun shows and gun violence is being cited in debates about the regulation of gun shows and gun commerce. We believe the study is fatally flawed. A working paper entitled “The Effect of Gun Shows on Gun-Related Deaths: Evidence from California and Texas” outlined this study, which found no association between gun shows and gun-related deaths. We believe the study reflects a limited understanding of gun shows and gun markets and is not statistically powered to detect even an implausibly large effect of gun shows on gun violence. In addition, the research contains serious ascertainment and classification errors, produces results that are sensitive to minor specification changes in key variables and in some cases have no face validity, and is contradicted by 1 of its own authors’ prior research. The study should not be used as evidence in formulating gun policy. PMID:20724672

Gun shows and gun violence: fatally flawed study yields misleading results.

PubMed

Wintemute, Garen J; Hemenway, David; Webster, Daniel; Pierce, Glenn; Braga, Anthony A

2010-10-01

A widely publicized but unpublished study of the relationship between gun shows and gun violence is being cited in debates about the regulation of gun shows and gun commerce. We believe the study is fatally flawed. A working paper entitled "The Effect of Gun Shows on Gun-Related Deaths: Evidence from California and Texas" outlined this study, which found no association between gun shows and gun-related deaths. We believe the study reflects a limited understanding of gun shows and gun markets and is not statistically powered to detect even an implausibly large effect of gun shows on gun violence. In addition, the research contains serious ascertainment and classification errors, produces results that are sensitive to minor specification changes in key variables and in some cases have no face validity, and is contradicted by 1 of its own authors' prior research. The study should not be used as evidence in formulating gun policy.

Effect of basic and acidic additives on the separation of some basic drug enantiomers on polysaccharide-based chiral columns with acetonitrile as mobile phase.

PubMed

Gogaladze, Khatuna; Chankvetadze, Lali; Tsintsadze, Maia; Farkas, Tivadar; Chankvetadze, Bezhan

2015-03-01

The separation of enantiomers of 16 basic drugs was studied using polysaccharide-based chiral selectors and acetonitrile as mobile phase with emphasis on the role of basic and acidic additives on the separation and elution order of enantiomers. Out of the studied chiral selectors, amylose phenylcarbamate-based ones more often showed a chiral recognition ability compared to cellulose phenylcarbamate derivatives. An interesting effect was observed with formic acid as additive on enantiomer resolution and enantiomer elution order for some basic drugs. Thus, for instance, the enantioseparation of several β-blockers (atenolol, sotalol, toliprolol) improved not only by the addition of a more conventional basic additive to the mobile phase, but also by the addition of an acidic additive. Moreover, an opposite elution order of enantiomers was observed depending on the nature of the additive (basic or acidic) in the mobile phase. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Study of Interaction between Cadmium and Bovine Serum Albumin with UV-Vis Spectrocopy Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suhartono, E.; Thalib, I.; Aflanie, I.; Noor, Z.; Idroes, R.

2018-05-01

This study aims to explain the interaction of cadmium (Cd) with serum albumin through visible light (UV-Vis) spectroscopy approach. This study is an in vitro experimental study using Cd with several concentrations and Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA). Each solution was then incubated for 10 min at 37°C, and measured the absorbance at 220-300 nm. The absorbance data is then presented in graphical form. From the graph, a linear equation will appear to calculate the value of metal binding constants (K) to proteins. Also, in this present study we analsyed the ratio between A220 and A220 to identify changes in the protein region especially tyrosine and peptide bonds. The results show that the addition of Cd in different concentrations could increase the absorbance with a constant value (K) = 1.634. Based on the result, it seems the addition of Cd in different concentrations will lead the reaction to form BSA-Cd. Also, the result shows that the ration of A220/A280 were decreased with the increasing of Cd concentration. In conclusion, the addition of Cd could interact and changes the protein structure in BSA.

The effectiveness of the stabilization/solidification process on the leachability and toxicity of the tannery sludge chromium.

PubMed

Montañés, M T; Sánchez-Tovar, R; Roux, M S

2014-10-01

A stabilization/solidification (S/S) process by using cement was applied to tannery sludge in order to find a safer way of landfilling this waste. The effects of three parameters on the process effectiveness were analysed in terms of leachate toxicity and chromium retention (%). The parameters studied were the relative amount of added water (30-50 wt.%), cement (10-60 wt.% in the solid components), and the use of three different types of cement (clinker with additions of limestone, with additions of limestone and fly ashes, and with additions of pozzolans). Statistical analysis performed by variance analysis and categorical multifactorial tests reveals that all the studied parameters significantly influence the effectiveness of the process. Results showed that chromium retention decreases as the relative amount of cement and water increases, probably due to additional chromium provided by cement and increased in the porosity of the mixtures. Leachate toxicity showed the same minimum value for mixtures with 30% or 40% cement, depending on the type of cement, showing that clinker is the main material responsible for the process effectiveness, and additives (pozzolans or fly ashes) do not improve it. The volume increase is lower as less sludge is replaced by cement and the relative amount of water decreases, and for the cement without additions of fly ashes or pozzolans. Therefore, the latter seems to be the most appropriate cement in spite of being more expensive. This is due to the fact that the minimum toxicity value is achieved with a lower amount of cement; and moreover, the volume increase in the mixtures is lower, minimizing the disposal cost to a landfill. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of some polymeric additives on the cocrystallization of caffeine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chung, Jihae; Kim, Il Won

2011-11-01

Effects of polymeric additives on the model cocrystallization were examined. The model cocrystal was made from caffeine and oxalic acid, and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), poly( L-lactide) (PLLA), poly(ɛ-caprolactone) (PCL), and poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) were the additives. The cocrystals were formed as millimeter-sized crystals without additives, and they became microcrystals with PLLA and PCL, and nanocrystals with PAA. XRD and IR revealed that the cocrystal structure was unchanged despite the strong effects of the additives on the crystal morphology, although some decrease in crystallinity was observed with PAA as confirmed by DSC. The DSC study also showed that the cocrystal melted and recrystallized to form α-caffeine upon heating. The present study verified that the polymeric additives can be utilized to modulate the size and morphology of the cocrystals without interfering the intermolecular interactions essential to the integrity of the cocrystal structures.

Fatigue crack propagation in additively manufactured porous biomaterials.

PubMed

Hedayati, R; Amin Yavari, S; Zadpoor, A A

2017-07-01

Additively manufactured porous titanium implants, in addition to preserving the excellent biocompatible properties of titanium, have very small stiffness values comparable to those of natural bones. Although usually loaded in compression, biomedical implants can also be under tensional, shear, and bending loads which leads to crack initiation and propagation in their critical points. In this study, the static and fatigue crack propagation in additively manufactured porous biomaterials with porosities between 66% and 84% is investigated using compact-tension (CT) samples. The samples were made using selective laser melting from Ti-6Al-4V and were loaded in tension (in static study) and tension-tension (in fatigue study) loadings. The results showed that displacement accumulation diagram obtained for different CT samples under cyclic loading had several similarities with the corresponding diagrams obtained for cylindrical samples under compression-compression cyclic loadings (in particular, it showed a two-stage behavior). For a load level equaling 50% of the yield load, both the CT specimens studied here and the cylindrical samples we had tested under compression-compression cyclic loading elsewhere exhibited similar fatigue lives of around 10 4 cycles. The test results also showed that for the same load level of 0.5F y , the lower density porous structures demonstrate relatively longer lives than the higher-density ones. This is because the high bending stresses in high-density porous structures gives rise to local Mode-I crack opening in the rough external surface of the struts which leads to quicker formation and propagation of the cracks. Under both the static and cyclic loading, all the samples showed crack pathways which were not parallel to but made 45 ° angles with respect to the notch direction. This is due to the fact that in the rhombic dodecahedron unit cell, the weakest struts are located in 45 ° direction with respect to the notch direction. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Analysis of the internal anatomy of maxillary first molars by using different methods.

PubMed

Baratto Filho, Flares; Zaitter, Suellen; Haragushiku, Gisele Aihara; de Campos, Edson Alves; Abuabara, Allan; Correr, Gisele Maria

2009-03-01

The success of endodontic treatment depends on the identification of all root canals so that they can be cleaned, shaped, and obturated. This study investigated internal morphology of maxillary first molars by 3 different methods: ex vivo, clinical, and cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) analysis. In all these different methods, the number of additional root canals and their locations, the number of foramina, and the frequency of canals that could or could not be negotiated were recorded. In the ex vivo study, 140 extracted maxillary first molars were evaluated. After canals were accessed and detected by using an operating microscope, the teeth with significant anatomic variances were cleared. In the clinical analysis, the records of 291 patients who had undergone endodontic treatment in a dental school during a 2-year period were used. In the CBCT analysis, 54 maxillary first molars were evaluated. The ex vivo assessment results showed a fourth canal frequency in 67.14% of the teeth, besides a tooth with 7 root canals (0.72%). Additional root canals were located in the mesiobuccal root in 92.85% of the teeth (17.35% could not be negotiated), and when they were present, 65.30% exhibited 1 foramen. Clinical assessment showed that 53.26%, 0.35%, and 0.35% of the teeth exhibited 4, 5, and 6 root canals, respectively. Additional root canals were located in this assessment in mesiobuccal root in 95.63% (27.50% could not be negotiated), and when they were present, 59.38% exhibited 1 foramen. CBCT results showed 2, 4, and 5 root canals in 1.85%, 37.05%, and 1.85% of the teeth, respectively. When present, additional canals showed 1 foramen in 90.90% of the teeth studied. This study demonstrated that operating microscope and CBCT have been important for locating and identifying root canals, and CBCT can be used as a good method for initial identification of maxillary first molar internal morphology.

Effect of egg albumen protein addition on physicochemical properties and nanostructure of gelatin from fish skin.

PubMed

Cai, Luyun; Feng, Jianhui; Peng, Xichun; Regenstein, Joe M; Li, Xiuxia; Li, Jianrong; Zhao, Wei

2016-12-01

The physicochemical properties and nanostructure of mixtures of egg albumen protein (EAP) and gelatin from under-utilised grass carp ( Ctenopharyngodon idella ) skins were studied. The gelatin with 1% EAP had an acceptable gel strength. The addition of 5% EAP significantly increased the melting and gelling temperatures of gelatin gels. Additionally, the colour turned white and the crystallinity was higher in gelatin gels with gradient concentrations of EAP (1, 3, and 5%). Gelatin with 5% EAP had the highest G' values while gelatin with 1% EAP had the lowest G' values. Atomic force microscopy showed the heterogeneous nanostructure of fish gelatin, and a simple coacervate with a homogeneous distribution was only observed with the addition of 1% EAP, indicating interaction between gelatin and EAP. These results showed that EAP effect fish gelatin's physicochemical and nanostructure properties and has potential applications in foods and pharmaceuticals.

Schema building profiles among elementary school students in solving problems related to operations of addition to fractions on the basis of mathematic abilities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gembong, S.; Suwarsono, S. T.; Prabowo

2018-03-01

Schema in the current study refers to a set of action, process, object and other schemas already possessed to build an individual’s ways of thinking to solve a given problem. The current study aims to investigate the schemas built among elementary school students in solving problems related to operations of addition to fractions. The analyses of the schema building were done qualitatively on the basis of the analytical framework of the APOS theory (Action, Process, Object, and Schema). Findings show that the schemas built on students of high and middle ability indicate the following. In the action stage, students were able to add two fractions by way of drawing a picture or procedural way. In the Stage of process, they could add two and three fractions. In the stage of object, they could explain the steps of adding two fractions and change a fraction into addition of fractions. In the last stage, schema, they could add fractions by relating them to another schema they have possessed i.e. the least common multiple. Those of high and middle mathematic abilities showed that their schema building in solving problems related to operations odd addition to fractions worked in line with the framework of the APOS theory. Those of low mathematic ability, however, showed that their schema on each stage did not work properly.

The effect of hydroxyapatite addition on the mechanical properties of polyvinyl alcohol/chitosan biomaterials for bone scaffolds application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramahdita, Ghiska; Puspita, Debie Maya; Albab, Muh Fadhil; Alfata, Rowi; Sofyan, Nofrijon; Yuwono, Akhmad Herman

2018-02-01

The increasing number of bone fracture incident in Indonesia from year to year needs an urgent problem solving of the limited bone substitute which can meet the necessary criteria for that purpose. Motivated by this, therefore, the current study is focusing on the optimization of material properties used as bone scaffold. A biomaterial of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/chitosan-hydroxyapatite (HA) composite was successfully made by wet chemistry method, followed by freeze thawing and freeze drying. For comparison purposes, the percentage of HA has been varied from 0, 25 and 40 % (wt/v). The resulting composites were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope (SEM), compressive test, and swelling behavior. The results showed that the addition of HA up to 40% (wt/v) has yielded a porous structure with an average pore size of 42.39 µm. In addition, the compressive modulus was enhanced from 14 MPa for 0% HA to 143, and 191 MPa for composites with the addition of HA from 25 to 40% (wt/v). The addition of HA has also reduced the swelling ratio from 296% for the sample without HA to 85 and 78 % for sample with addition of HA from 25 to 40 (wt/v), respectively. The obtained results show that PVA/chitosan-HA in this study is potential to be used as scaffold in bone tissue engineering.

Nitrogen deposition and soil carbon sequestration: enzymes, experiments, and model estimates (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goodale, C. L.; Weiss, M.; Tonitto, C.; Stone, M.

2010-12-01

Atmospheric nitrogen has long been expected to increase forest carbon sequestration, by means of enhanced productivity and litter production. More recently, N deposition has received attention for its potential for inducing soil C sequestration by suppressing microbial decomposition. Here, we present a range of measurements and model projections of the effects of N additions on soil C dynamics in forest soils of the northeastern U.S. A review of field-scale measurements of soil C stocks suggests modest enhancements of soil C storage in long-term N addition studies. Measurements of forest floor material from six long-term N addition studies showed that N additions suppressed microbial biomass and oxidative enzyme activity across sites. Additional analyses on soils from two of these sites are exploring the interactive effects of temperature and N addition on the activity of a range of extracellular enzymes used for decomposition of a range of organic matter. Incubations of forest floor material from four of these sites showed inhibition of heterotrophic respiration by an average of 28% during the first week of incubation, although this inhibition disappeared after 2 to 11 months. Nitrogen additions had no significant effect on DOC loss or on the partitioning of soil C into light or heavy (mineral-associated) organic matter. Last, we have adapted a new model of soil organic matter decomposition for the PnET-CN model to assess the long-term impact of suppressed decomposition on C sequestration in various soil C pools.

Mental additions and verbal-domain interference in children with developmental dyscalculia.

PubMed

Mammarella, Irene C; Caviola, Sara; Cornoldi, Cesare; Lucangeli, Daniela

2013-09-01

This study examined the involvement of verbal and visuo-spatial domains in solving addition problems with carrying in a sample of children diagnosed with developmental dyscalculia (DD) divided into two groups: (i) those with DD alone and (ii) those with DD and dyslexia. Age and stage matched typically developing (TD) children were also studied. The addition problems were presented horizontally or vertically and associated with verbal or visuo-spatial information. Study results showed that DD children's performance on mental calculation tasks was more impaired when they tackled horizontally presented addition problems compared to vertically presented ones that are associated to verbal domain involvement. The performance pattern in the two DD groups was found to be similar. The theoretical, clinical and educational implications of these findings are discussed. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

FIRST GRADE CHILDREN'S CONCEPT OF ADDITION OF NATURAL NUMBERS.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

STEFFE, LESLIE; VAN ENGEN, HENRY

MIDDLE-CLASS, FIRST-GRADE STUDENTS (100) WERE TESTED INDIVIDUALLY ON 4 ITEMS OF CONCEPT OF ADDITION AND CONSERVATION OF NUMBER. THE TEST ITEMS WERE IDENTICAL EXCEPT FOR THE NUMBER OF OBJECTS INVOLVED. FOR EACH ITEM, TWO PILES OF CANDY WERE PLACED BEFORE EACH CHILD AND THEN MOVED TOGETHER. THE STUDY SHOWED NO MAJOR DIFFERENCE IN THE MEAN…

Interactions between EAL Pupils, Specialist Teachers and TAs during Withdrawal from the Mainstream in UK Primary Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wardman, Clare

2013-01-01

Many primary school children with English as an additional language in the UK receive additional educational support. This article reports on a study comparing withdrawal sessions between teaching assistants (TAs) and specialist teachers. The findings show that the specialist teachers included more personalisation than TAs' sessions, through the…

Effect of the addition of mixture of plant components on the mechanical properties of wheat bread

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wójcik, Monika; Dziki, Dariusz; Biernacka, Beata; Różyło, Renata; Miś, Antoni; Hassoon, Waleed H.

2017-10-01

Instrumental methods of measuring the mechanical properties of bread can be used to determine changes in the properties of it during storage, as well as to determine the effect of various additives on the bread texture. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the mixture of plant components on the physical properties of wheat bread. In particular, the mechanical properties of the crumb and crust were studied. A sensory evaluation of the end product was also performed. The mixture of plant components included: carob fiber, milled grain red quinoa and black oat (1:2:2) - added at 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 % - into wheat flour. The results showed that the increase of the addition of the proposed additive significantly increased the water absorption of flour mixtures. Moreover, the use of the mixture of plant components above 5% resulted in the increase of bread volume and decrease of crumb density. Furthermore, the addition of the mixture of plant components significantly affected the mechanical properties of bread crumb. The hardness of crumb also decreased as a result of the mixture of plant components addition. The highest cohesiveness was obtained for bread with 10% of additive and the lowest for bread with 25% of mixture of plant components. Most importantly, the enrichment of wheat flour with the mixture of plant components significantly reduced the crust failure force and crust failure work. The results of sensory evaluation showed that the addition of the mixture of plant components of up to 10% had little effect on bread quality.

[Investigation of sleep disorders in the vicinity of high frequency transmitters].

PubMed

Leitgeb, N; Schröttner, J; Cech, R; Kerbl, R

2004-08-01

To investigate the potential impact of RF electromagnetic fields of transmitters on the sleep quality of nearby residents, a new study design is presented. In a double-blind crossover field study the effect of on-site shielding, rather than of additional exposure, is investigated. For improved sleep quality differentiation the polysomnographic parameters are expanded by additional parameters. The feasibility study showed that checking the raw data and correcting the software-generated results by visual reading of the polysomnographic recordings is essential. Long-term RF measurement showed that exposure may vary considerably throughout the night, as well as from one night to the next. This variation may be greater than the GSM contribution itself. Mostly, the contributions of USW radio frequency fields dominated over GSM. Thus, continuous broadband RF recording is required for reliable interpretation of the results, in particular with regard to the potential role of mobile telephony emissions. Results show that simple sleep monitoring systems based on single-channel EEG analysis without acces to original biosignals are not adequate for sleep studies.

Fabrication of 3D porous silk scaffolds by particulate (salt/sucrose) leaching for bone tissue reconstruction.

PubMed

Park, Hyun Jung; Lee, Ok Joo; Lee, Min Chae; Moon, Bo Mi; Ju, Hyung Woo; Lee, Jung min; Kim, Jung-Ho; Kim, Dong Wook; Park, Chan Hum

2015-01-01

Silk fibroin is a biomaterial being actively studied in the field of bone tissue engineering. In this study, we aimed to select the best strategy for bone reconstruction on scaffolds by changing various conditions. We compared the characteristics of each scaffold via structural analysis using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), the swelling ratio, water uptake, porosity, compressive strength, cell infiltration and cell viability (CCK-8). The scaffolds had high porosity with good inter pore connectivity and showed high compressive strength and modulus. In addition, to confirm bone reconstruction, animal studies were conducted in which samples were implanted in rat calvaria and investigated by micro-CT scans. In conclusion, the presented study indicates that using sucrose produces scaffolds showing better pore interconnectivity and cell infiltration than scaffolds made by using a salt process. In addition, in vivo experiments showed that hydroxyapatite accelerates bone reconstruction on implanted scaffolds. Accordingly, our scaffold will be expected to have a useful application in bone reconstruction. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Using generalized additive (mixed) models to analyze single case designs.

PubMed

Shadish, William R; Zuur, Alain F; Sullivan, Kristynn J

2014-04-01

This article shows how to apply generalized additive models and generalized additive mixed models to single-case design data. These models excel at detecting the functional form between two variables (often called trend), that is, whether trend exists, and if it does, what its shape is (e.g., linear and nonlinear). In many respects, however, these models are also an ideal vehicle for analyzing single-case designs because they can consider level, trend, variability, overlap, immediacy of effect, and phase consistency that single-case design researchers examine when interpreting a functional relation. We show how these models can be implemented in a wide variety of ways to test whether treatment is effective, whether cases differ from each other, whether treatment effects vary over cases, and whether trend varies over cases. We illustrate diagnostic statistics and graphs, and we discuss overdispersion of data in detail, with examples of quasibinomial models for overdispersed data, including how to compute dispersion and quasi-AIC fit indices in generalized additive models. We show how generalized additive mixed models can be used to estimate autoregressive models and random effects and discuss the limitations of the mixed models compared to generalized additive models. We provide extensive annotated syntax for doing all these analyses in the free computer program R. Copyright © 2013 Society for the Study of School Psychology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Influence of various chlorine additives on the partitioning of heavy metals during low-temperature two-stage fluidized bed incineration.

PubMed

Peng, Tzu-Huan; Lin, Chiou-Liang

2014-12-15

In this study, a pilot-scale low-temperature two-stage fluidized bed incinerator was evaluated for the control of heavy metal emissions using various chlorine (Cl) additives. Artificial waste containing heavy metals was selected to simulate municipal solid waste (MSW). Operating parameters considered included the first-stage combustion temperature, gas velocity, and different kinds of Cl additives. Results showed that the low-temperature two-stage fluidized bed reactor can be an effective system for the treatment of MSW because of its low NO(x), CO, HCl, and heavy metal emissions. The NO(x) and HCl emissions could be decreased by 42% and 70%, respectively. Further, the results showed that heavy metal emissions were reduced by bed material adsorption and filtration in the second stage. Regarding the Cl addition, although the Cl addition would reduce the metal capture in the first-stage sand bed, but those emitted metals could be effectively captured by the filtration of second stage. No matter choose what kind of additive, metal emissions in the low-temperature two-stage system are still lower than in a traditional high-temperature one-stage system. The results also showed that metal emissions depend not only on the combustion temperature but also on the physicochemical properties of the different metal species. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Active mineral additives of sapropel ashes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khomich, V. A.; Danilina, E. V.; Krivonos, O. I.; Plaksin, G. V.

2015-01-01

The goal of the presented research is to establish a scientific rational for the possibility of sapropel ashes usage as an active mineral additive. The research included the study of producing active mineral additives from sapropels by their thermal treatment at 850900 °C and afterpowdering, the investigation of the properties of paste matrix with an ash additive, and the study of the ash influence on the cement bonding agent. Thermogravimetric analysis and X-ray investigations allowed us to establish that while burning, organic substances are removed, clay minerals are dehydrated and their structure is broken. Sapropel ashes chemical composition was determined. An amorphous ash constituent is mainly formed from silica of the mineral sapropel part and alumosilicagels resulted from clay minerals decomposition. Properties of PC 400 and PC 500A0 sparopel ash additives were studied. Adding ashes containing Glenium plasticizer to the cement increases paste matrix strength and considerably reduces its water absorption. X-ray phase analysis data shows changes in the phase composition of the paste matrix with an ash additive. Ash additives produce a pozzolanic effect on the cement bonding agent. Besides, an ash additive due to the alumosilicagels content causes transformation from unstable calcium aluminate forms to the stable ones.

Applicability of the DPPH assay for evaluating the antioxidant capacity of food additives - inter-laboratory evaluation study -.

PubMed

Shimamura, Tomoko; Sumikura, Yoshihiro; Yamazaki, Takeshi; Tada, Atsuko; Kashiwagi, Takehiro; Ishikawa, Hiroya; Matsui, Toshiro; Sugimoto, Naoki; Akiyama, Hiroshi; Ukeda, Hiroyuki

2014-01-01

An inter-laboratory evaluation study was conducted in order to evaluate the antioxidant capacity of food additives by using a 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay. Four antioxidants used as existing food additives (i.e., tea extract, grape seed extract, enju extract, and d-α-tocopherol) and 6-hydroxy-2,5,7,8-tetramethylchroman-2-carboxylic acid (Trolox) were used as analytical samples, and 14 laboratories participated in this study. The repeatability relative standard deviation (RSD(r)) of the IC50 of Trolox, four antioxidants, and the Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) were 1.8-2.2%, 2.2-2.9%, and 2.1-2.5%, respectively. Thus, the proposed DPPH assay showed good performance within the same laboratory. The reproducibility relative standard deviation (RSD(R)) of IC50 of Trolox, four antioxidants, and TEAC were 4.0-7.9%, 6.0-11%, and 3.7-9.3%, respectively. The RSD(R)/RSD(r) values of TEAC were lower than, or nearly equal to, those of IC50 of the four antioxidants, suggesting that the use of TEAC was effective for reducing the variance among the laboratories. These results showed that the proposed DPPH assay could be used as a standard method to evaluate the antioxidant capacity of food additives.

Structure-to-property relationships in addition cured polymers. 4: Correlations between thermo-oxidative weight losses of norbornenyl cured polyimide resins and their composites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Alston, William B.

1992-01-01

Relationships are identified between the thermo-oxidative stability (TOS) at 316 C of a wide variety of PMR (polymerization of monomeric reactants) addition cured polyimide resins and their corresponding graphite fiber composites. Weight loss results at 316 C confirmed the expected relationship of increasing aliphatic endcap content with decreasing TOS. Moreover, the resin TOS study also showed an unexpected linear correlation of decreasing weight loss to increasing ratio of benzylic diamine to aliphatic endcap in the range of the stoichiometries studied. Only after long term 316 C aging does the dianhydride used with the benzylic diamines become an additional factor in influencing the amount of PMR resin and composite weight losses. Also, the benzylic systems consistently showed much lower resin and composite weight losses at 316 C than the corresponding nonbenzylic norbornenyl resins and composites, except when the nonbenzylic diamine monomer does not contain a connecting group. Instead, this diamine resulted in a 316 C resin and composite weight loss that was only competitive with benzylic type diamines. Results show excellent correlation between TOS of all graphite fiber PMR composites and resins.

Patterns of problem-solving in children's literacy and arithmetic.

PubMed

Farrington-Flint, Lee; Vanuxem-Cotterill, Sophie; Stiller, James

2009-11-01

Patterns of problem-solving among 5-to-7 year-olds' were examined on a range of literacy (reading and spelling) and arithmetic-based (addition and subtraction) problem-solving tasks using verbal self-reports to monitor strategy choice. The results showed higher levels of variability in the children's strategy choice across Years I and 2 on the arithmetic (addition and subtraction) than literacy-based tasks (reading and spelling). However, across all four tasks, the children showed a tendency to move from less sophisticated procedural-based strategies, which included phonological strategies for reading and spelling and counting-all and finger modellingfor addition and subtraction, to more efficient retrieval methods from Years I to 2. Distinct patterns in children's problem-solving skill were identified on the literacy and arithmetic tasks using two separate cluster analyses. There was a strong association between these two profiles showing that those children with more advanced problem-solving skills on the arithmetic tasks also showed more advanced profiles on the literacy tasks. The results highlight how different-aged children show flexibility in their use of problem-solving strategies across literacy and arithmetical contexts and reinforce the importance of studying variations in children's problem-solving skill across different educational contexts.

Atmospheric pressure matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry of friction modifier additives analyzed directly from base oil solutions.

PubMed

Widder, Lukas; Brennerb, Josef; Huttera, Herbert

2014-01-01

To develop new products and to apply measures of quality control quick and simple accessibility of additive composition in automo- tive lubrication is important. The aim of this study was to investigate the possibility of analyzing organic friction modifier additives by means of atmospheric pressure matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry [AP-MALDI-MS] from lubricant solu- tions without the use of additional separation techniques. Analyses of selected friction modifier ethoxylated tallow amines and oleic acid amide were compared using two ionization methods, positive-ion electrospray ionization (ESI) and AP-MALDI, using a LTQ Orbitrap mass spectrometer. Pure additives were characterized from solvent solutions, as well as from synthetic and mineral base oil mixtures. Detected ions of pure additive samples consisted mainly of [M + H]+, but also alkaLi metal adducts [M + Na]+ and [M + K]+ could be seen. Characterizations of blends of both friction modifiers from the base oil mixtures were carried out as well and showed significant inten- sities for several additive peaks. Thus, this work shows a method to directly analyze friction modifier additives used in the automotive industry from an oil blend via the use of AP-MALDI without any further separation steps. The method presented will further simplify the acquisition of data on lubricant composition and additives. Furthermore, it allows the perspective of analyzing additive reaction products directly from formulated oil blends.

Effects of nitrogen addition on soil microbes and their implications for soil C emission in the Gurbantunggut Desert, center of the Eurasian Continent.

PubMed

Huang, Gang; Cao, Yan Feng; Wang, Bin; Li, Yan

2015-05-15

Nitrogen (N) deposition can influence carbon cycling of terrestrial ecosystems. However, a general recognition of how soil microorganisms respond to increasing N deposition is not yet reached. We explored soil microbial responses to two levels of N addition (2.5 and 5 gN m(-2) yr(-1)) in interplant soil and beneath shrubs of Haloxylon ammodendron and their consequences to soil respiration in the Gurbantunggut Desert, northwestern China from 2011 to 2013. Microbial biomass and respiration were significantly higher beneath H. ammodendron than in interplant soil. The responses of microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and microbial respiration (MR) showed opposite responses to N addition in interplant and beneath H. ammodendron. N addition slightly increased MBC and MR in interplant soil and decreased them beneath H. ammodendron, with a significant inhibition only in 2012. N addition had no impacts on the total microbial physiological activity, but N addition decreased the labile carbon substrate utilization beneath H. ammodendron when N addition level was high. Phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analysis showed that N addition did not alter the soil microbial community structure as evidenced by the similar ratios of fungal to bacterial PLFAs and gram-negative to gram-positive bacterial PLFAs. Microbial biomass and respiration showed close correlations with soil water content and dissolved carbon, and they were independent of soil inorganic nitrogen across three years. Our study suggests that N addition effects on soil microorganisms and carbon emission are dependent on the respiratory substrates and water availability in the desert ecosystem. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Semiconductor Laser Low Frequency Noise Characterization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maleki, Lute; Logan, Ronald T.

1996-01-01

This work summarizes the efforts in identifying the fundamental noise limit in semiconductor optical sources (lasers) to determine the source of 1/F noise and it's associated behavior. In addition, the study also addresses the effects of this 1/F noise on RF phased arrays. The study showed that the 1/F noise in semiconductor lasers has an ultimate physical limit based upon similar factors to fundamental noise generated in other semiconductor and solid state devices. The study also showed that both additive and multiplicative noise can be a significant detriment to the performance of RF phased arrays especially in regard to very low sidelobe performance and ultimate beam steering accuracy. The final result is that a noise power related term must be included in a complete analysis of the noise spectrum of any semiconductor device including semiconductor lasers.

Management of Preconditioned Calves and Impacts of Preconditioning.

PubMed

Hilton, W Mark

2015-07-01

When studying the practice of preconditioning (PC) calves, many factors need to be examined to determine if cow-calf producers should make this investment. Factors such as average daily gain, feed efficiency, available labor, length of the PC period, genetics, and marketing options must be analyzed. The health sales price advantage is an additional benefit in producing and selling PC calves but not the sole determinant of PC's financially feasibility. Studies show that a substantial advantage of PC is the selling of additional pounds at a cost of gain well below the marginal return of producing those additional pounds. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effects of nitrogen deposition on carbon cycle in terrestrial ecosystems of China: A meta-analysis.

PubMed

Chen, Hao; Li, Dejun; Gurmesa, Geshere A; Yu, Guirui; Li, Linghao; Zhang, Wei; Fang, Huajun; Mo, Jiangming

2015-11-01

Nitrogen (N) deposition in China has increased greatly, but the general impact of elevated N deposition on carbon (C) dynamics in Chinese terrestrial ecosystems is not well documented. In this study we used a meta-analysis method to compile 88 studies on the effects of N deposition C cycling on Chinese terrestrial ecosystems. Our results showed that N addition did not change soil C pools but increased above-ground plant C pool. A large decrease in below-ground plant C pool was observed. Our result also showed that the impacts of N addition on ecosystem C dynamics depend on ecosystem type and rate of N addition. Overall, our findings suggest that 1) decreased below-ground plant C pool may limit long-term soil C sequestration; and 2) it is better to treat N-rich and N-limited ecosystems differently in modeling effects of N deposition on ecosystem C cycle. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

High-Efficiency Small Molecule-Based Bulk-Heterojunction Solar Cells Enhanced by Additive Annealing.

PubMed

Li, Lisheng; Xiao, Liangang; Qin, Hongmei; Gao, Ke; Peng, Junbiao; Cao, Yong; Liu, Feng; Russell, Thomas P; Peng, Xiaobin

2015-09-30

Solvent additive processing is important in optimizing an active layer's morphology and thus improving the performance of organic solar cells (OSCs). In this study, we find that how 1,8-diiodooctane (DIO) additive is removed plays a critical role in determining the film morphology of the bulk heterojunction OSCs in inverted structure based on a porphyrin small molecule. Different from the cases reported for polymer-based OSCs in conventional structures, the inverted OSCs upon the quick removal of the additive either by quick vacuuming or methanol washing exhibit poorer performance. In contrast, the devices after keeping the active layers in ambient pressure with additive dwelling for about 1 h (namely, additive annealing) show an enhanced power conversion efficiency up to 7.78% with a large short circuit current of 19.25 mA/cm(2), which are among the best in small molecule-based solar cells. The detailed morphology analyses using UV-vis absorption spectroscopy, grazing incidence X-ray diffraction, resonant soft X-ray scattering, and atomic force microscopy demonstrate that the active layer shows smaller-sized phase separation but improved structure order upon additive annealing. On the contrary, the quick removal of the additive either by quick vacuuming or methanol washing keeps the active layers in an earlier stage of large scaled phase separation.

School Gardens Enhance Academic Performance and Dietary Outcomes in Children.

PubMed

Berezowitz, Claire K; Bontrager Yoder, Andrea B; Schoeller, Dale A

2015-08-01

Schools face increasing demands to provide education on healthy living and improve core academic performance. Although these appear to be competing concerns, they may interact beneficially. This article focuses on school garden programs and their effects on students' academic and dietary outcomes. Database searches in CABI, Web of Science, Web of Knowledge, PubMed, Education Full Text, Education Resources Information Center (ERIC), and PsychINFO were conducted through May 2013 for peer-reviewed literature related to school-day garden interventions with measures of dietary and/or academic outcomes. Among 12 identified garden studies with dietary measures, all showed increases/improvements in predictors of fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption. Seven of these also included self-reported FV intake with 5 showing an increase and 2 showing no change. Four additional interventions that included a garden component measured academic outcomes; of these, 2 showed improvements in science achievement and 1 measured and showed improvements in math scores. This small set of studies offers evidence that garden-based learning does not negatively impact academic performance or FV consumption and may favorably impact both. Additional studies with more robust experimental designs and outcome measures are necessary to understand the effects of experiential garden-based learning on children's academic and dietary outcomes. © 2015, American School Health Association.

A Raman Spectroscopic Study of Samples from the May 2001 FIDO Test Site

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kuebler, K.; Jolliff, B. L.; Wang, A.; Haskin, L. A.

2002-01-01

Last May, a rover field test was conducted in the Mojave desert. This study shows what mineralogy a rover-deployed Raman spectrometer might have observed. Additional information is contained in the original extended abstract.

MicroCT parameters for multimaterial elements assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Araújo, Olga M. O.; Silva Bastos, Jaqueline; Machado, Alessandra S.; dos Santos, Thaís M. P.; Ferreira, Cintia G.; Rosifini Alves Claro, Ana Paula; Lopes, Ricardo T.

2018-03-01

Microtomography is a non-destructive testing technique for quantitative and qualitative analysis. The investigation of multimaterial elements with great difference of density can result in artifacts that degrade image quality depending on combination of additional filter. The aim of this study is the selection of parameters most appropriate for analysis of bone tissue with metallic implant. The results show the simulation with MCNPX code for the distribution of energy without additional filter, with use of aluminum, copper and brass filters and their respective reconstructed images showing the importance of the choice of these parameters in image acquisition process on computed microtomography.

Antibacterial activity of kecombrang flower extract (Nicolaia speciosa) microencapsulation with food additive materials formulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Naufalin, R.; Rukmini, H. S.

2018-01-01

Kecombrang flower (Nicolaia speciosa) contains bioactive components of alkaloids, flavonoids, polyphenols, steroids, saponins, and essential oils as potential antimicrobials. The use of antibacterials in the form of essential oils has constraints; therefore microencapsulation needs to be done to prevent damage to the bioactive components. Microencapsulation can prevent degradation due to radiation or oxygen, easy-mix with foodstuffs and also slow the occurrence of evaporation. This study aimed to determine the effect of types of kecombrang extract, the concentration of microcapsules in food additives (NaCl and sucrose), and concentration of flower extract in the microcapsules. This study used Randomized Block Design (RBD) with 18 treatment combinations and two replications. Factors studied were types of kecombrang flower extract of (semi polar and polar extract), Food Additive types (sucrose and NaCl), the concentration of microcapsules in food additive (0%; 15%; 30% w /v). The results showed that polar and non-polar extract microcapsules produced antibacterial activity of 7.178 mm and 7.145 respectively of Bacillus cereus bacteria, while Escherichia coli was 7.272 mm and 7.289 mm respectively. A 30 percent microcapsule concentration provides antibacterial activity with inhibiting zone of 7, 818 mm for B. cereus and 8,045 for E.coli. Food Additive of sucrose concentrations showed that microcapsules produced tend to be more effective in inhibiting the growth of E.coli and B. cereus bacteria than that of NaCl, with each inhibition zone of 7.499 mm and 7.357 mm

Wettability, water sorption and water solubility of seven silicone elastomers used for maxillofacial prostheses.

PubMed

Hulterström, Anna Karin; Berglund, Anders; Ruyter, I Eystein

2008-01-01

The wettability, water sorption and solubility of silicone elastomers used for maxillofacial prostheses were studied. The hypothesis was, that a material that has absorbed water would show an increase in the wettability and thus also the surface free energy of the material. Seven silicone elastomers, both addition- and condensation type polymers, were included. Five specimens of each material were subjected to treatment according to ISO standards 1567:1999 and 10477: 2004 for water sorption and solubility. The volumes of the specimens were measured according to Archimedes principle. The contact angle was measured with a contact angle goniometer at various stages of the sorption/solubility test. Wettability changed over the test period, but not according to theory. The addition type silicones showed little or no sorption and solubility, but two of the condensation type polymers tested had a significant sorption and solubility. This study showed that condensation type polymers may show too large volumetric changes when exposed to fluids, and therefore should no longer be used in prosthetic devices. The results of this study also suggests that it might be of interest to test sorption and solubility of materials that are to be implanted, since most of the materials had some solubility.

A UV resonance Raman (UVRR) spectroscopic study on the extractable compounds in Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) wood. Part II. Hydrophilic compounds.

PubMed

Nuopponen, M; Willför, S; Jääskeläinen, A-S; Vuorinen, T

2004-11-01

Hydrophilic extracts of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) heartwood and sapwood and a solid Scots pine knotwood sample were studied by UV resonance Raman spectroscopy (UVRRS). In addition, UVRR spectra of two hydrophilic model compounds (pinosylvin and chrysin) were analysed. UV Raman spectra were collected using 244 and 257 nm excitation wavelengths. The chemical composition of the acetone:water (95:5 v/v) extracts were also determined by gas chromatography. The aromatic and oleophilic structures of pinosylvin and chrysin showed three intense resonance enhanced bands in the spectral region of 1649-1548 cm(-1). Pinosylvin showed also a relatively intense band in the aromatic substitution region at 996 cm(-1). The spectra of the heartwood acetone:water extract showed many bands typical of pinosylvin. In addition, the extract included bands distinctive for resin and fatty acids. The sapwood acetone:water extract showed bands due to oleophilic structures at 1655-1650 cm(-1). The extract probably also contained oligomeric lignans because the UVRR spectra were in parts similar to that of guaiacyl lignin. The characteristic band of pinosylvin (996 cm(-1)) was detected in the UVRR spectrum of the resin rich knotwood. In addition, several other bands typical for wood resin were observed, which indicated that the wood resin in the knotwood was resonance enhanced even more than lignin.

A UV resonance Raman (UVRR) spectroscopic study on the extractable compounds in Scots pine ( Pinus sylvestris) wood . Part II. Hydrophilic compounds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nuopponen, M.; Willför, S.; Jääskeläinen, A.-S.; Vuorinen, T.

2004-11-01

Hydrophilic extracts of Scots pine ( Pinus sylvestris) heartwood and sapwood and a solid Scots pine knotwood sample were studied by UV resonance Raman spectroscopy (UVRRS). In addition, UVRR spectra of two hydrophilic model compounds (pinosylvin and chrysin) were analysed. UV Raman spectra were collected using 244 and 257 nm excitation wavelengths. The chemical composition of the acetone:water (95:5 v/v) extracts were also determined by gas chromatography. The aromatic and oleophilic structures of pinosylvin and chrysin showed three intense resonance enhanced bands in the spectral region of 1649-1548 cm -1. Pinosylvin showed also a relatively intense band in the aromatic substitution region at 996 cm -1. The spectra of the heartwood acetone:water extract showed many bands typical of pinosylvin. In addition, the extract included bands distinctive for resin and fatty acids. The sapwood acetone:water extract showed bands due to oleophilic structures at 1655-1650 cm -1. The extract probably also contained oligomeric lignans because the UVRR spectra were in parts similar to that of guaiacyl lignin. The characteristic band of pinosylvin (996 cm -1) was detected in the UVRR spectrum of the resin rich knotwood. In addition, several other bands typical for wood resin were observed, which indicated that the wood resin in the knotwood was resonance enhanced even more than lignin.

Writing styles of a Korean sample by age: an exploratory study.

PubMed

Lee, Chang Hwan; Park, Jongmin; Park, Jaejin

2010-02-01

This descriptive study concerned whether language use differs across age groups of Korean participants. Language use by Koreans in their 20s, 40s, and 60s were compared using the Korean Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count. Analysis showed that Koreans in their 60s used as many phrases and morphemes per sentence as younger people, which reflects similar complexity of language. In addition, those in their 40s showed the strongest use of words related to emotion, cognition, work, and leisure. These results show interesting differences from studies conducted with Western subjects.

Scout-view Assisted Interior Micro-CT

PubMed Central

Sen Sharma, Kriti; Holzner, Christian; Vasilescu, Dragoş M.; Jin, Xin; Narayanan, Shree; Agah, Masoud; Hoffman, Eric A.; Yu, Hengyong; Wang, Ge

2013-01-01

Micro computed tomography (micro-CT) is a widely-used imaging technique. A challenge of micro-CT is to quantitatively reconstruct a sample larger than the field-of-view (FOV) of the detector. This scenario is characterized by truncated projections and associated image artifacts. However, for such truncated scans, a low resolution scout scan with an increased FOV is frequently acquired so as to position the sample properly. This study shows that the otherwise discarded scout scans can provide sufficient additional information to uniquely and stably reconstruct the interior region of interest. Two interior reconstruction methods are designed to utilize the multi-resolution data without a significant computational overhead. While most previous studies used numerically truncated global projections as interior data, this study uses truly hybrid scans where global and interior scans were carried out at different resolutions. Additionally, owing to the lack of standard interior micro-CT phantoms, we designed and fabricated novel interior micro-CT phantoms for this study to provide means of validation for our algorithms. Finally, two characteristic samples from separate studies were scanned to show the effect of our reconstructions. The presented methods show significant improvements over existing reconstruction algorithms. PMID:23732478

Shades of Emotion: What the Addition of Sunglasses or Masks to Faces Reveals about the Development of Facial Expression Processing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roberson, Debi; Kikutani, Mariko; Doge, Paula; Whitaker, Lydia; Majid, Asifa

2012-01-01

Three studies investigated developmental changes in facial expression processing, between 3 years-of-age and adulthood. For adults and older children, the addition of sunglasses to upright faces caused an equivalent decrement in performance to face inversion. However, younger children showed "better" classification of expressions of faces wearing…

Conductivity enhancement of carbon aerogel by modified gelation using self additive

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, Ashish; Kohli, D. K.; Bhartiya, Sushmita; Singh, Rashmi; Rajak, Gaurav; Singh, M. K.; Karnal, A. K.

2018-04-01

Carbon aerogels having high surface area and open pore structure are being studied for many electrochemical applications such as fuel cells and super capacitors. Moderate electrical conductivity of resorcinol - formaldehyde (R-F) derived carbon aerogel limits its utility in these applications. The current manuscript briefs about the synthesis of composite carbon aerogel using carbon aerogel itself as additive during gelation of water based carbon aerogel and study the effect on its conductivity and surface properties. The additive carbon aerogel was synthesized and pre-treated at higher temperature to achieve enhancement in conductivity. The composite carbon aerogel (CCA) samples were characterized for surface area properties, morphology, electrical conductivity and specific capacitance. The surface area properties of CCA showed improvement and specific surface area of ˜1798 m2/g with total pore volume of 1.7 cm3/g. was obtained. The electrical conductivity of the composite carbon aerogel with 5 wt % additive showed improvement over the plain carbon aerogel with respective values of 144 S/m and 128 S/m. The specific capacitance evaluated for CA and CCA are 102 and 118 F/g at scan rate of 10mV/s with improvement of ˜16%.

Process simulation and comparison of biological conversion of syngas and hydrogen in biogas plants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Awais Salman, Chaudhary; Schwede, Sebastian; Thorin, Eva; Yan, Jinyue

2017-11-01

Organic waste is a good source of clean energy. However, different fractions of waste have to be utilized efficiently. One way is to find pathways to convert waste into useful products via various available processes (gasification, pyrolysis anaerobic digestion, etc.) and integrate them to increase the combined efficiency of the process. The syngas and hydrogen produced from the thermal conversion of biomass can be upgraded to biomethane via biological methanation. The current study presents the simulation model to predict the amount of biomethane produced by injecting the hydrogen and syngas. Hydrogen injection is modelled both in-situ and ex-situ while for syngas solely the ex-situ case has been studied. The results showed that 85% of the hydrogen conversion was achieved for the ex-situ reactor while 81% conversion rate was achieved for the in-situ reactor. The syngas could be converted completely in the bio-reactor. However, the addition of syngas resulted in an increase of carbon dioxide. Simulation of biomethanation of gas addition showed a biomethane concentration of 87% while for hydrogen addition an increase of 74% and 80% for in-situ and ex-situ addition respectively.

Preliminary Study of Hyptis pectinata (L.) Poit Extract Biotransformation by Aspergillus niger

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rejeki, D. S.; Aminin, A. L. N.; Suzery, M.

2018-04-01

One alternative approach to increase the content of bioactive compounds is fermentation. Hyptis pectinata (L.) Poit is a plant that can be found in tropical area and potentially as anticancer, anti-inflammatory, insect repellant, antiviral and antioxidant. In this research, efforts have been made to increase bioactive plant capacity of Hyptis pectinata (L.) Poit through submerged fermentation using Aspergillus niger. The study was performed by adding methanol extract of Hyptis pectinata (L.) Poit on two conditions, that was added at the beginning of fermentation and while entering a phase of death. Aspergillus niger growth rate in both conditions was observed by determining the dry weight of cells every 24 hours. The transformation profil of extract was observed after 24 hours of extract addition in early death phase by the TLC method. The results show that the addition of Hyptis pectinata (L.) Poit extract at log phase triggers the cells to growth faster, whereas the addition at the early death phase precisely accelerates cell death. TLC profile shows the emergence of new compounds suspected as the products of transformation of Hyptis pectinata (L.) Poit extract on day 8 after addition of extract.

A study of vibrating nanotubes with additional adsorbed masses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adler, Joan; Adler, Omri

2017-11-01

We describe calculations of the electronic density surrounding strained nanotubes. These are then used to estimate the nanotube wall width. This width is an essential parameter for the analysis of the nanotube vibrations. By studying the effect of additional adsorbed molecules on the nanotubes’ vibrations and their frequency changes we can deduce the molecules’ mass. Our calculations show that the strain does not greatly affect the nanotube width, but the vibrations change sufficiently for the mass to be detected.

Tribological properties of coal slurries

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fusaro, Robert L.; Schrubens, Dale L.

1987-01-01

A pin-on-disk tribometer was used to study the tribological properties of methyl alcohol-coal slurries. Friction coefficients, steel pin wear rates and wear surface morphological studies were conducted on AISI 440C HT and M-50 bearing steels which were slid dry and in solutions of methyl alcohol, methyl alcohol-fine coal particles, and methyl alcohol-fine coal particles-flocking additive. The latter was an oil derived from coal and originally intended to be added to the coal slurry to improve the sedimentation and rheology properties. The results of this study indicated that the addition of the flocking additive to the coal slurry markedly improved the tribological properties, especially wear. In addition, the type of steel was found to be very important in determining the type of wear that took place. Cracks and pits were found on the M-50 steel pin wear surfaces that slid in the coal slurries while 440C HT steel pins showed none.

A case study on topology optimized design for additive manufacturing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gebisa, A. W.; Lemu, H. G.

2017-12-01

Topology optimization is an optimization method that employs mathematical tools to optimize material distribution in a part to be designed. Earlier developments of topology optimization considered conventional manufacturing techniques that have limitations in producing complex geometries. This has hindered the topology optimization efforts not to fully be realized. With the emergence of additive manufacturing (AM) technologies, the technology that builds a part layer upon a layer directly from three dimensional (3D) model data of the part, however, producing complex shape geometry is no longer an issue. Realization of topology optimization through AM provides full design freedom for the design engineers. The article focuses on topologically optimized design approach for additive manufacturing with a case study on lightweight design of jet engine bracket. The study result shows that topology optimization is a powerful design technique to reduce the weight of a product while maintaining the design requirements if additive manufacturing is considered.

Sorption of Cr(III) and Cr(VI) to High and Low Pressure Synthetic Nano-Magnetite (Fe3O4)Particles

PubMed Central

Parsons, Jason G.; Hernandez, Jeffrey; Gonzalez, Christina M.; Gardea-Torresdey, J. L.

2014-01-01

The binding of Cr(III) and Cr(VI) to synthetic nano-magnetie particles synthesized under open vessel conditions and a microwave assisted hydrothermal synthesis techniques was investigated. Batch studies showed that the binding of both the Cr(III) and Cr(VI) bound to the nano-materials in a pH dependent manner. The Cr(III) maximized at binding at pH 4 and 100% binding. Similarly, the Cr(VI) ions showed a maximum binding of 100% at pH 4. The data from the time dependency studies showed for the most part the majority of the binding occurred within the first 5 minutes of contact with the nanomaterial and remained constant thereafter. In addition, the effects of the possible interferences were investigated which showed some effects on the binding of both Cr(III) and Cr(VI). However, the interferences never completely eliminated the chromium binding. Isotherm studies conducted at room temperature showed the microwave synthesized nanomaterials had a binding capacity of 1208 ± 43.9 mg/g and 555 ± 10.5 mg/g for Cr(VI) and Cr(III), respectively. However, the microwave assisted synthesized nanomaterials had capacities of 1705 ± 14.5 and 555± 10.5 mg/g for Cr(VI) and Cr(III), respectively. XANES studies showed the Cr(VI) was reduced to Cr(III), and the Cr(III) remained as Cr(III). In addition, the XANES studies indicated that the chromium remained coordinated in an octahedral arrangement of oxygen atoms. PMID:25097452

The effects of flue gas desulfurization (FGD) system additives on solid by-products. Final report

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

Huyck, K.A.; Tatum, G.S.; DeKraker, D.P.

This study was designed to examine characteristics of by-products from flue gas desulfurization (FGD) systems that use performance-enhancing additives. The by-products were evaluated for handling, disposal, properties, and utilization potential. This study was designed to identify potential operation-limiting consequences (fatal flaws) caused by using FGD system additives. It was not intended to be an all-encompassing study of the possible process, environmental, and utilization circumstances at each plant. Seven utilities conducting additive testing agreed to provide samples for this study both before and during their testing. Solid samples were collected from FGD systems using the following additives: di-basic acid (DBA), whichmore » is a mixture of succinic, glutaric, and adipic acids; formate; sulfur; ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA); and chloride. Changes in handling properties that may alter process operations were observed at sites where DBS was used. Changes in leaching behavior, permeability and unconfined compressive strength (properties that affect by-product disposal properties) showed no clear trend for additive or system type. The intent of this study is to provide an overall assessment of potential system-limiting effects of FGD additive use. There were no overriding problems relating to disposal with the use of additives. However, properties of solids produced with and without additives should be tested at each site prior to use of an FGD system additive. This is necessary because of the variability in state disposal and permitting requirements and the influence of specific operating conditions on by-product properties.« less

Enhanced sulfidation xanthate flotation of malachite using ammonium ions as activator.

PubMed

Wu, Dandan; Ma, Wenhui; Mao, Yingbo; Deng, Jiushuai; Wen, Shuming

2017-05-18

In this study, ammonium ion was used to enhance the sulfidation flotation of malachite. The effect of ammonium ion on the sulfidation flotation of malachite was investigated using microflotation test, inductively coupled plasma (ICP) analysis, zeta potential measurements, and scanning electron microscope analysis (SEM). The results of microflotation test show that the addition of sodium sulfide and ammonium sulfate resulted in better sulfidation than the addition of sodium sulfide alone. The results of ICP analysis indicate that the dissolution of enhanced sulfurized malachite surface is significantly decreased. Zeta potential measurements indicate that a smaller isoelectric point value and a large number of copper-sulfide films formed on the malachite surface by enhancing sulfidation resulted in a large amount of sodium butyl xanthate absorbed onto the enhanced sulfurized malachite surface. EDS semi-quantitative analysis and XPS analysis show that malachite was easily sulfurized by sodium sulfide with ammonium ion. These results show that the addition of ammonium ion plays a significant role in the sulfidation of malachite and results in improved flotation performance.

Reduction of the pace polarization artefact for capture detection applications by a tri-phasic stimulation pulse.

PubMed

Sutton, R; Fröhlig, G; de Voogt, W G; Goethals, M; Hintringer, F; Kennergren, C; Scanu, P; Guilleman, D; Treese, N; Hartung, W M; Stammwitz, E; Muetstege, A

2004-11-01

This study investigated the ability to minimize pace polarization artefacts (PPA) by adjusting the post-stimulus pulse duration of a tri-phasic stimulation pulse. Adjustment of the stimulation pulse was enabled by downloading special study software into an already implanted pacemaker. Tests were performed in a total of 296 atrial leads and 311 ventricular leads. Both chronic and acute leads were included in the study. Statistically significant differences were found in the initial PPA (without any adjustment of the stimulus pulse) between atrial and ventricular leads. In addition, significant differences were observed among various lead models with respect to changes over time in the initial ventricular PPA. Successful PPA reduction was defined as a reduction of the PPA below 0.5 mV for atrial leads and below 1 mV for ventricular leads. Results show a success rate for ventricular and atrial PPA reduction of 97.8% and 98.7%, respectively. Threshold tests showed that after reduction of the PPA loss of ventricular capture can be reliably detected. However, atrial threshold tests showed many false positive evoked response detections. In addition, unexpectedly high evoked response amplitudes were observed in the atrium after reduction of the PPA. Results from additional measurements suggest that these high atrial evoked response amplitudes come from the influence of the input filter of the pacemaker.

Effect of mineral additives on structure and properties of concrete for pavements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sobol, Khrystyna; Markiv, Taras; Hunyak, Oleksii

2017-12-01

Concrete pavements is an attractive alternative to asphalt pavements because of its lower cost and higher durability. Major contribution to sustainable development can be made by partial replacement of cement in concrete pavement with supplementary cementitious materials of different nature and origin. In this paper, the effect of natural zeolite and perlite additives in complex with chemical admixtures on the structure and properties of concrete for pavement was studied. Compressive and flexural strength test was used to study the mechanical behavior of designed concrete under load. Generally, the compressive strength of both control concrete and concrete containing mineral additives levels at the later ages of hardening. The microstructure analysis of concrete with mineral additives of different nature activity showed the formation of additional amount of hydration products such as tobermorite type calcium hydrosilicate which provide self-reinforcement of hardening concrete system.

Study and modification of the reactivity of carbon fibers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Walker, P. L., Jr.; Ismail, I. M.; Mahajan, O. P.; Eapen, T. A.

1980-01-01

The reactivity to air of polyactylonitrile-based carbon fiber cloth was enhanced by the addition of metals to the cloth. The cloth was oxidized in 54 wt% nitric acid in order to increase the surface area of the cloth and to add carbonyl groups to the surface. Metal addition was then achieved by soaking the cloth in metal acetate solution to effect exchange between the metal carbon and hydrogen on the carbonyl groups. The addition of potassium, sodium, calcium and barium enhanced fiber cloth reactivity to air at 573 K. Extended studies using potassium addition showed that success in enhancing fiber cloth reactivity to air depends on: extent of cloth oxidation in nitric acid, time of exchange in potassium acetate solution and the thoroughness of removing metal acetate from the fiber pore structure following exchange. Cloth reactivity increases essentially linearly with increase in potassium addition via exchange.

Whole-genome scan reveals significant non-additive effects for sire conception rate in Holstein cattle.

PubMed

Nicolini, Paula; Amorín, Rocío; Han, Yi; Peñagaricano, Francisco

2018-02-27

Service sire has a considerable impact on reproductive success in dairy cattle. Most gene mapping studies for bull fertility have focused on additive effects, while non-additive effects have been largely ignored. The main goal of this study was to assess the relevance of non-additive effects on Sire Conception Rate (SCR) in Holstein dairy cattle. The analysis included 7.5 k Holstein bulls with both SCR records and 57.8 k single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers spanning the entire genome. The importance of non-additive effects was evaluated using an efficient two-step mixed model-based approach. Four genomic regions located on chromosomes BTA8, BTA9, BTA13 and BTA17 showed marked dominance and/or recessive effects. Most of these regions harbor genes, such as ADAM28, DNAJA1, TBC1D20, SPO11, PIWIL3 and TMEM119, that are directly implicated in testis development, male germ line maintenance, and sperm maturation. This study provides further evidence for the relevance of non-additive effects in fitness-related traits, such as male fertility. In addition, these findings may point out new strategies for improving service sire fertility in dairy cattle via marker-assisted selection.

Responses of ecosystem water use efficiency to spring snow and summer water addition with or without nitrogen addition in a temperate steppe

PubMed Central

Zhai, Penghui; Huang, Jianhui; Zhao, Xiang; Dong, Kuanhu

2018-01-01

Water use efficiency (WUE) is an important indicator of ecosystem functioning but how ecosystem WUE responds to climate change including precipitation and nitrogen (N) deposition increases is still unknown. To investigate such responses, an experiment with a randomized block design with water (spring snowfall or summer water addition) and nitrogen addition was conducted in a temperate steppe of northern China. We investigated net ecosystem CO2 production (NEP), gross ecosystem production (GEP) and evapotranspiration (ET) to calculate ecosystem WUE (WUEnep = NEP/ET or WUEgep = GEP/ET) under spring snow and summer water addition with or without N addition from 2011 to 2013. The results showed that spring snow addition only had significant effect on ecosystem WUE in 2013 and summer water addition showed positive effect on ecosystem WUE in 2011 and 2013, as their effects on NEP and GEP is stronger than ET. N addition increased ecosystem WUE in 2012 and 2013 both in spring snow addition and summer water addition for its increasing effects on NEP and GEP but no effect on ET. Summer water addition had less but N addition had greater increasing effects on ecosystem WUE as natural precipitation increase indicating that natural precipitation regulates ecosystem WUE responses to water and N addition. Moreover, WUE was tightly related with atmospheric vapor-pressure deficit (VPD), photosynthetic active radiation (PAR), precipitation and soil moisture indicating the regulation of climate drivers on ecosystem WUE. In addition, it also was affected by aboveground net primary production (ANPP). The study suggests that ecosystem WUE responses to water and N addition is determined by the change in carbon process rather than that in water process, which are regulated by climate change in the temperate steppe of northern China. PMID:29529082

Responses of ecosystem water use efficiency to spring snow and summer water addition with or without nitrogen addition in a temperate steppe.

PubMed

Zhang, Xiaolin; Zhai, Penghui; Huang, Jianhui; Zhao, Xiang; Dong, Kuanhu

2018-01-01

Water use efficiency (WUE) is an important indicator of ecosystem functioning but how ecosystem WUE responds to climate change including precipitation and nitrogen (N) deposition increases is still unknown. To investigate such responses, an experiment with a randomized block design with water (spring snowfall or summer water addition) and nitrogen addition was conducted in a temperate steppe of northern China. We investigated net ecosystem CO2 production (NEP), gross ecosystem production (GEP) and evapotranspiration (ET) to calculate ecosystem WUE (WUEnep = NEP/ET or WUEgep = GEP/ET) under spring snow and summer water addition with or without N addition from 2011 to 2013. The results showed that spring snow addition only had significant effect on ecosystem WUE in 2013 and summer water addition showed positive effect on ecosystem WUE in 2011 and 2013, as their effects on NEP and GEP is stronger than ET. N addition increased ecosystem WUE in 2012 and 2013 both in spring snow addition and summer water addition for its increasing effects on NEP and GEP but no effect on ET. Summer water addition had less but N addition had greater increasing effects on ecosystem WUE as natural precipitation increase indicating that natural precipitation regulates ecosystem WUE responses to water and N addition. Moreover, WUE was tightly related with atmospheric vapor-pressure deficit (VPD), photosynthetic active radiation (PAR), precipitation and soil moisture indicating the regulation of climate drivers on ecosystem WUE. In addition, it also was affected by aboveground net primary production (ANPP). The study suggests that ecosystem WUE responses to water and N addition is determined by the change in carbon process rather than that in water process, which are regulated by climate change in the temperate steppe of northern China.

The efficacy of hydroxychloroquine for obstetrical outcome in anti-phospholipid syndrome: Data from a European multicenter retrospective study.

PubMed

Mekinian, Arsène; Lazzaroni, Maria Grazia; Kuzenko, Anna; Alijotas-Reig, Jaume; Ruffatti, Amelia; Levy, Pierre; Canti, Valentina; Bremme, Katarina; Bezanahary, Holy; Bertero, Tiziana; Dhote, Robin; Maurier, Francois; Andreoli, Laura; Benbara, Amélie; Tigazin, Ahmed; Carbillon, Lionel; Nicaise-Roland, Pascale; Tincani, Angela; Fain, Olivier

2015-06-01

In European multicenter study, we aimed to describe the real-life hydroxychloroquine use in APS patients during pregnancy and determine its benefit in refractory obstetrical APS. We analyzed the outcome of pregnancies treated by hydroxychloroquine in patients with APS or asymptomatic antiphospholipid (aPL) antibodies carriers. Thirty patients with APS with 35 pregnancies treated by hydroxychloroquine were analyzed. Comparing the outcome of pregnancies treated by the addition of hydroxychloroquine to previous pregnancies under the conventional treatment, pregnancy losses decreased from 81% to 19% (p<0.05), without differences in the associated treatments. The univariate analysis showed that the previous intrauterine deaths and higher hydroxychloroquine amount (400mg per day) were the factors associated with pregnancy outcome. Considering 14 patients with previous refractory obstetrical APS (n=5 with obstetrical and thrombotic primary APS and n=9 with purely obstetrical APS), all with previous pregnancy losses under treatment (aspirin with LMWH in 11 cases and LMWH in 3 cases), the addition of hydroxychloroquine resulted in live born babies in 11/14 (78%) cases (p<0.05). Our study shows the benefit of hydroxychloroquine addition in patients with refractory obstetrical APS and raises the need of prospective studies to confirm our preliminary study. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effects of stacked quantitative resistances to downy mildew in lettuce do not simply add up.

PubMed

den Boer, Erik; Pelgrom, Koen T B; Zhang, Ningwen W; Visser, Richard G F; Niks, Rients E; Jeuken, Marieke J W

2014-08-01

In a stacking study of eight resistance QTLs in lettuce against downy mildew, only three out of ten double combinations showed an increased resistance effect under field conditions. Complete race nonspecific resistance to lettuce downy mildew, as observed for the nonhost wild lettuce species Lactuca saligna, is desired in lettuce cultivation. Genetic dissection of L. saligna's complete resistance has revealed several quantitative loci (QTL) for resistance with field infection reductions of 30-50 %. To test the effect of stacking these QTL, we analyzed interactions between homozygous L. saligna CGN05271 chromosome segments introgressed into the genetic background of L. sativa cv. Olof. Eight different backcross inbred lines (BILs) with single introgressions of 30-70 cM and selected predominately for quantitative resistance in field situations were intercrossed. Ten developed homozygous lines with stacked introgression segments (double combinations) were evaluated for resistance in the field. Seven double combinations showed a similar infection as the individual most resistant parental BIL, revealing epistatic interactions with 'less-than-additive' effects. Three double combinations showed an increased resistance level compared to their parental BILs and their interactions were additive, 'less-than-additive' epistatic and 'more-than-additive' epistatic, respectively. The additive interaction reduced field infection by 73 %. The double combination with a 'more-than-additive' epistatic effect, derived from a combination between a susceptible and a resistant BIL with 0 and 30 % infection reduction, respectively, showed an average field infection reduction of 52 %. For the latter line, an attempt to genetically dissect its underlying epistatic loci by substitution mapping did not result in smaller mapping intervals as none of the 22 substitution lines reached a similar high resistance level. Implications for breeding and the inheritance of L. saligna's complete resistance are discussed.

[Effects of Fulvic Acid on Absorption and Form Distribution of Heavy Metals on Sediments].

PubMed

Li, Yu-qing; He, Jiang; Lü, Chang-wei; Fan, Ming-de; Wang, Wei; Zhang, Rui-qing; Xie, Zhi- lei; Wang, Jing-hua; Yu, Bo; En, He; Ding, Tao

2016-03-15

Based on the extracted fulvic acid (FA) from Lake Wuliangsuhai sediments by sequential alkali extraction, this work studied the effects of FA on the adsorption and fraction distribution of heavy metals (HM) on sediments using original sediments and sediments treated with 30% H₂O₂ as adsorbents. The results showed both organic matter and FA had effects on the HM adsorption onto sediments; The treatments of FA-free conditions and the sediments treated by H₂O₂ showed relatively strong influence on Cu²⁺ adsorption, which decreased the Cu²⁺ adsorption by 17.85%. With the increasing FA addition, the adsorption percentage of HM on both types of sediments showed gradually decreasing trends, with the order of Cu²⁺ > Cd²⁺ > Zn²⁺ > Pb²⁺; when the FA content was more than 5% , FA became the governing factor on the decreasing adsorption percentage of HM. With increasing FA addition, forms distribution of HM showed significant changes in both types of sediments; i. e. FA additions showed significant negative and positive correlations with percentages of metals bound to carbonates and organic matter, respectively, since the FA addition increased the H⁺ concentration of the system, in which H⁺ could activate the metals bound to carbonate from the sediments. As an organophilic weak element, the fraction percentage of Cd bound to organic matter was the lowest with the minimal changes.

Influence of polymethyl acrylate additive on the formation of particulate matter and NOX emission of a biodiesel-diesel-fueled engine.

PubMed

Monirul, Islam Mohammad; Masjuki, Haji Hassan; Kalam, Mohammad Abdul; Zulkifli, Nurin Wahidah Mohd; Shancita, Islam

2017-08-01

The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of the polymethyl acrylate (PMA) additive on the formation of particulate matter (PM) and nitrogen oxide (NO X ) emission from a diesel coconut and/or Calophyllum inophyllum biodiesel-fueled engine. The physicochemical properties of 20% of coconut and/or C. inophyllum biodiesel-diesel blend (B20), 0.03 wt% of PMA with B20 (B20P), and diesel fuel were measured and compared to ASTM D6751, D7467, and EN 14214 standard. The test results showed that the addition of PMA additive with B20 significantly improves the cold-flow properties such as pour point (PP), cloud point (CP), and cold filter plugging point (CFPP). The addition of PMA additives reduced the engine's brake-specific energy consumption of all tested fuels. Engine emission results showed that the additive-added fuel reduce PM concentration than B20 and diesel, whereas the PM size and NO X emission both increased than B20 fuel and baseline diesel fuel. Also, the effect of adding PMA into B20 reduced Carbon (C), Aluminum (Al), Potassium (K), and volatile materials in the soot, whereas it increased Oxygen (O), Fluorine (F), Zinc (Zn), Barium (Ba), Chlorine (Cl), Sodium (Na), and fixed carbon. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) results for B20P showed the lower agglomeration than B20 and diesel fuel. Therefore, B20P fuel can be used as an alternative to diesel fuel in diesel engines to lower the harmful emissions without compromising the fuel quality.

Poloxamer 407/188 binary thermosensitive hydrogels as delivery systems for infiltrative local anesthesia: Physico-chemical characterization and pharmacological evaluation.

PubMed

Akkari, Alessandra C S; Papini, Juliana Z Boava; Garcia, Gabriella K; Franco, Margareth K K Dias; Cavalcanti, Leide P; Gasperini, Antonio; Alkschbirs, Melissa Inger; Yokaichyia, Fabiano; de Paula, Eneida; Tófoli, Giovana R; de Araujo, Daniele R

2016-11-01

In this study, we reported the development and the physico-chemical characterization of poloxamer 407 (PL407) and poloxamer 188 (PL188) binary systems as hydrogels for delivering ropivacaine (RVC), as drug model, and investigate their use in infiltrative local anesthesia for applications on the treatment of post-operative pain. We studied drug-micelle interaction and micellization process by light scattering and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), the sol-gel transition and hydrogel supramolecular structure by small-angle-X-ray scattering (SAXS) and morphological evaluation by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). In addition, we have presented the investigation of drug release mechanisms, in vitro/in vivo toxic and analgesic effects. Micellar dimensions evaluation showed the formation of PL407-PL188 mixed micelles and the drug incorporation, as well as the DSC studies showed increased enthalpy values for micelles formation after addition of PL 188 and RVC, indicating changes on self-assembly and the mixed micelles formation evoked by drug incorporation. SAXS studies revealed that the phase organization in hexagonal structure was not affected by RVC insertion into the hydrogels, maintaining their supramolecular structure. SEM analysis showed similar patterns after RVC addition. The RVC release followed the Higuchi model, modulated by the PL final concentration and the insertion of PL 188 into the system. Furthermore, the association PL407-PL188 induced lower in vitro cytotoxic effects, increased the duration of analgesia, in a single-dose model study, without evoking in vivo inflammation signs after local injection. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Thermal stability of oils added with avocado (Persea americana cv. Hass) or olive (Olea europaea cv. Arbequina) leaf extracts during the French potatoes frying.

PubMed

Jiménez, Paula; García, Paula; Bustamante, Andrés; Barriga, Andrés; Robert, Paz

2017-04-15

Effect of the addition of avocado (Persea americana cv. Hass) or olive (Olea europaea cv. Arbequina) hydroalcoholic leaf extracts (AHE and OHE, respectively) on thermal stability of canola oil (CO) and high oleic sunflower oil (HOSO) during French potatoes frying at 180°C was studied. The extracts were characterized by the total phenolic content, phenol chromatographic profiles and antioxidant activity. B-type trimer procyanidins were the major phenolic compounds identified in AHE. OHE showed higher phenol content, antioxidant activity regarding AHE. CO+OHE and HOSO+OHE decreased the formation of polar compounds and showed an anti-polymeric effect with respect to oils without extracts, whereas AHE extract showed a prooxidant effect on HOSO. Therefore, OHE showed an antioxidant effect on HOSO and CO under the studied conditions. In addition, all systems (CO+AHE, HOSO+AHE, CO+OHE and HOSO+OHE) increased the retention of tocopherols. These results demonstrate the potential utility of OHE as natural antioxidant for oils. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Compatibility Studies Of Blends Of PPG 4000 And PEG 4000 Using Viscosity Technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Venkatramanan, K.; Arumugam, V.

2010-06-01

Certain properties of polymers can be enhanced by mixing it with another polymer. When two or more polymers are intimately mixed in a single continuous solid product, the composition is generally referred to as a polymer blend or polyblend. Depending upon the degree of miscibility or immiscibility, such a polyblend may resemble a random copolymer or a block or graft copolymer or it may show micro or macro heterogeneous separation into a multiphase system. Viscosity method is simple and it offers very useful information about the relationship between dilute solution properties and bulk structure of the polymer blend. The basic idea of using viscosity as a parameter for compatibility determination of polymer blends lies in the fact that in solution the repulsive interaction may cause shrinkage of polymer coils resulting in a viscosity of the polymer mixture that is lower than the value calculated from viscosities of the pure components on the assumption of the additive law. In the present study, an attempt has been made to blend PPG 4000 with PEG 4000 in 1,4 -Dioxane at 303K at 1% concentration. The blend compositions were formed in the ratio 0:1, 0.2:0.8, 0.4:0.6, 0.5:0.5, 0.6:0.4, 0.8:0.2, 1:0. Relative viscosity of the blend compositions was determined and the values are nonlinear which showed incompatibility. Miscibility nature of the blends were determined further using additive law, log additive law and free volume additive law and the experimental values in all the cases showed negative deviation which is a characteristic of immiscible blend. The miscibility nature of the blend was further confirmed through density, ultrasonic velocity, refractive index and other techniques. The blend showed immiscibility.

Preparation and Characterization of Azadirachtin Alginate-Biosorbent Based Formulations: Water Release Kinetics and Photodegradation Study.

PubMed

Flores-Céspedes, Francisco; Martínez-Domínguez, Gerardo P; Villafranca-Sánchez, Matilde; Fernández-Pérez, Manuel

2015-09-30

The botanical insecticide azadirachtin was incorporated in alginate-based granules to obtain controlled release formulations (CRFs). The basic formulation [sodium alginate (1.47%) - azadirachtin (0.28%) - water] was modified by the addition of biosorbents, obtaining homogeneous hybrid hydrogels with high azadirachtin entrapment efficiency. The effect on azadirachtin release rate caused by the incorporation of biosorbents such as lignin, humic acid, and olive pomace in alginate formulation was studied by immersion of the granules in water under static conditions. The addition of the biosorbents to the basic alginate formulation reduces the rate of release because the lignin-based formulation produces a slower release. Photodegradation experiments showed the potential of the prepared formulations in protecting azadirachtin against simulated sunlight, thus improving its stability. The results showed that formulation prepared with lignin provided extended protection. Therefore, this study provides a new procedure to encapsulate the botanical insecticide azadirachtin, improving its delivery and photostability.

Structural and biocompatibility properties of dextran from Weissella cibaria JAG8 as food additive.

PubMed

Tingirikari, Jagan Mohan Rao; Kothari, Damini; Shukla, Rishikesh; Goyal, Arun

2014-09-01

Dextran produced from Weissella cibaria JAG8 was purified and characterized. The molecular mass of dextran as determined by the gel filtration and copper bicinchoninate method was approximately, 800 kDa. Monosaccharide analysis revealed that the polysaccharide comprised only glucose units. Dynamic light scattering study confirmed the mono-disperse nature of dextran with hydrodynamic radius of 900 nm. Surface morphology study of dextran by scanning electron microscopy showed the porous web like structure. Cytotoxicity studies on human cervical cancer (HeLa) cell line showed non-toxic and biocompatible nature of dextran. The relative browning for dextran from W. cibaria JAG8 was similar to commercial prebiotic Nutraflora P-95 and 3-fold lower than Raftilose P-95. Synthesis of dextran by dextransucrase treated, sucrose-supplemented skimmed milk revealed the promising potential of dextran as a food additive.

Effects of Partial Beef Fat Replacement with Gelled Emulsion on Functional and Quality Properties of Model System Meat Emulsions

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of partial beef fat replacement (0, 30, 50, 100%) with gelled emulsion (GE) prepared with olive oil on functional and quality properties of model system meat emulsion (MSME). GE consisted of inulin and gelatin as gelling agent and characteristics of gelled and model system meat emulsions were investigated. GE showed good initial stability against centrifugation forces and thermal stability at different temperatures. GE addition decreased the pH with respect to increase in GE concentration. Addition of GE increased lightness and yellowness but reduced redness compared to control samples. The results of the study showed that partial replacement of beef fat with GE could be used for improving cooking yield without negative effects on water holding capacity and emulsion stability compared to C samples when replacement level is up to 50%. The presence of GE significantly affected textural behaviors of samples (p<0.05). In conclusion, our study showed that GE have promising impacts on developing healthier meat product formulations besides improving technological characteristics. PMID:28115885

Effects of Partial Beef Fat Replacement with Gelled Emulsion on Functional and Quality Properties of Model System Meat Emulsions.

PubMed

Serdaroğlu, Meltem; Nacak, Berker; Karabıyıkoğlu, Merve; Keser, Gökçen

2016-01-01

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of partial beef fat replacement (0, 30, 50, 100%) with gelled emulsion (GE) prepared with olive oil on functional and quality properties of model system meat emulsion (MSME). GE consisted of inulin and gelatin as gelling agent and characteristics of gelled and model system meat emulsions were investigated. GE showed good initial stability against centrifugation forces and thermal stability at different temperatures. GE addition decreased the pH with respect to increase in GE concentration. Addition of GE increased lightness and yellowness but reduced redness compared to control samples. The results of the study showed that partial replacement of beef fat with GE could be used for improving cooking yield without negative effects on water holding capacity and emulsion stability compared to C samples when replacement level is up to 50%. The presence of GE significantly affected textural behaviors of samples ( p <0.05). In conclusion, our study showed that GE have promising impacts on developing healthier meat product formulations besides improving technological characteristics.

Root carbon decomposition and microbial biomass response at different soil depths

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rumpel, C.

2012-12-01

The relationship between root litter addition and soil organic matter (SOM) formation in top- versus subsoils is unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate root litter decomposition and stabilisation in relation to microbial parameters in different soil depths. Our conceptual approach included incubation of 13C-labelled wheat roots at 30, 60 and 90 cm soil depth for 36 months under field conditions. Quantitative root carbon contribution to SOM was assessed, changes of bulk root chemistry studied by solid-state 13C NMR spectroscopy and lignin content and composition was assessed after CuO oxidation. Compound-specific isotope analysis allowed to assess the role of root lignin for soil C storage in the different soil depths. Microbial biomass and community structure was determined after DNA extraction. After three years of incubation, O-alkyl C most likely assigned to polysaccharides decreased in all soil depth compared to the initial root material. The degree of root litter decomposition assessed by the alkyl/O-alkyl ratio decreased with increasing soil depth, while aryl/O-alkyl ratio was highest at 60 cm depth. Root-derived lignin showed depth specific concentrations (30 < 90 < 60 cm). Its composition was soil depth independent suggesting that microbial communities in all three soil depths had similar degradation abilities. Microbial biomass C and fungi contribution increased after root litter addition. Their community structure changed after root litter addition and showed horizon specific dynamics. Our study shows that root litter addition can contribute to C storage in subsoils but did not influence C storage in topsoil. We conclude that specific conditions of single soil horizons have to be taken into account if root C dynamics are to be fully understood.

[Comorbidity in autism spectrum disorders - II. Genetic syndromes and neurological problems].

PubMed

Noterdaeme, Michele A; Hutzelmeyer-Nickels, Anna

2010-07-01

Children with a pervasive developmental disorder show in addition to core symptoms a variety of genetic syndromes as well as neurological problems, which are relevant for the treatment and the course of the disorder. The objective of our study is to analyse the nature and the frequency of these co-morbid somatic disorders in relation to the level of intellectual functioning of the patients. The sample consists of 601 patients with a pervasive developmental disorder diagnosed at the Department of Developmental Disorders at the Heckscher-Klinikum between 1997 and 2007. In addition to genetic syndromes, we also recorded a variety of neurological disorders. 373 of the patients (62%) had at least one additional diagnosis and 121 (20%) had at least two additional diagnoses on Axis IV of the multi-axial classification scheme. Genetic syndromes were found in 6% of the patients (N = 37). Movement disorders (N = 214; 35.6%) and epilepsy (N = 98; 16.3%) were the most frequent neurological disorders. Children with mental retardation showed significantly more somatic diagnoses than children without mental retardation. Children with pervasive developmental disorders show a wide variety of co-morbid somatic problems, which are relevant for the treatment and the course of the disorder. Children with autism and mental retardation show more co-morbid conditions and are more impaired in their psychosocial adaptation than children with autism without mental retardation.

Determination of Thermal Properties and Morphology of Eucalyptus Wood Residue Filled High Density Polyethylene Composites

PubMed Central

Mengeloglu, Fatih; Kabakci, Ayse

2008-01-01

Thermal behaviors of eucalyptus wood residue (EWR) filled recycled high density polyethylene (HDPE) composites have been measured applying the thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Morphology of the materials was also studied using scanning electron microscope (SEM). Addition of the EWR into the recycled HDPE matrix reduced the starting of degradation temperature. EWR filled recycled HDPE had two main decomposition peaks, one for EWR around 350 °C and one for recycled HDPE around 460 °C. Addition of EWR did not affect the melting temperature of the recycled HDPE. Morphological study showed that addition of coupling agent improved the compatibility between wood residue and recycled HDPE. PMID:19325736

A Study of the National Library Standards Showing the Increased Emphasis on Audiovisuals and the Effect on Library Science Education and State Certification Requirements.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Franklin, Ann York

The purpose of this paper is to study the effect of the national library standards, beginning with a synopsis of the 1945 version up to the latest revision of 1969, and to show how the addition of audiovisuals, or non-print materials, has affected the connotation of the library or librarian. The definition or explanation of the library becomes…

Morphology evolution in high-performance polymer solar cells processed from nonhalogenated solvent

DOE PAGES

Cai, Wanzhu; Liu, Peng; Jin, Yaocheng; ...

2015-05-26

A new processing protocol based on non-halogenated solvent and additive is developed to produce polymer solar cells with power conversion efficiencies better than those processed from commonly used halogenated solvent-additive pair. Morphology studies show that good performance correlates with a finely distributed nanomorphology with a well-defined polymer fibril network structure, which leads to balanced charge transport in device operation.

A Delphi Study of Additive Manufacturing Applicability for United States Air Force Civil Engineer Contingency Operations

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-03-26

10 Table 2. Additive Manufacturing Categories (ASTM International , 2012) ..................... 14 Table 3. Delphi... flexibility in the design and structure of manufactured parts. It also allows for the creation of thousands of possible parts or tools from a single...machine. These benefits of 3 precision and flexibility in design and manufacturing show promising possibilities for addressing the general nature of

Observation of the Effectiveness of Drama Method in Helping to Acquire the Addition-Subtraction Skills by Children at Preschool Phase

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Soydan, Sema; Quadir, Seher Ersoy

2013-01-01

Principal aim of this study is to show the effectiveness of the program prepared by researchers in order to enable 6 year-old children attending pre-school educational institutions to effectively gain addition subtraction skills through a drama-related method. The work group in the research comprised of 80 kids who continued their education in…

Enough is enough! Patients who do not conceive on 600IU/day of gonadotropins show no improvement from an additional 150IU of LH activity

PubMed Central

Maguire, Marcy; Csokmay, John; Segars, James; Payson, Mark; Armstrong, Alicia

2010-01-01

Studies have suggested that supplemental LH improves outcomes in ART cycles. In this retrospective review, an additional 150IU of LH activity did not improve ART outcomes in women undergoing a second round of IVF/ICSI following an initial failed cycle employing 600IU of gonadotropins. PMID:20850732

Parent-training programmes for improving maternal psychosocial health.

PubMed

Barlow, J; Coren, E

2004-01-01

Mental health problems are common and there is evidence to suggest that the origins of such problems lie in infancy and childhood. In particular, there is evidence from a range of studies to suggest that maternal psychosocial health can have a significant effect on the mother-infant relationship, and that this in turn can have consequences for both the short and long-term psychological health of the child. The use of parenting programmes is increasing in the UK and elsewhere and evidence of their effectiveness in improving outcomes for children has been provided. Evidence is now required of their effectiveness in improving outcomes for mothers. The objective of this review is to address whether group-based parenting programmes are effective in improving maternal psychosocial health including anxiety, depression, and self-esteem. A range of biomedical, social science, educational and general reference electronic databases were searched including MEDLINE, EMBASE CINAHL, PsychLIT, ERIC, ASSIA, Sociofile and the Social Science Citation Index. Other sources of information included the Cochrane Library (SPECTR, CENTRAL), and the National Research Register (NRR). Only randomised controlled trials were included in which participants had been randomly allocated to an experimental and a control group, the latter being a waiting-list, no-treatment or a placebo control group. Studies had to include at least one group-based parenting programme, and one standardised instrument measuring maternal psychosocial health. A systematic critical appraisal of all included studies was undertaken using a modified version of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) published criteria. The treatment effect for each outcome in each study was standardised by dividing the mean difference in post-intervention scores for the intervention and treatment group, by the pooled standard deviation, to produce an effect size. Where appropriate the results were then combined in a meta-analysis using a fixed-effect model, and 95% confidence intervals were used to assess the significance of the findings. A total of 23 studies were included in the original review which was increased to 26 at the first udate (2003). Of these 20 provided sufficient data to calculate effect sizes. The 20 studies provided a total of 64 assessments of outcome on a range of aspects of psychosocial functioning including depression, anxiety, stress, self-esteem, social competence, social support, guilt, mood, automatic thoughts, dyadic adjustment, psychiatric morbidity, irrationality, anger and aggression, mood, attitude, personality, and beliefs. Data sufficient to combine in a meta-analysis existed for only five outcomes (depression; anxiety/stress; self-esteem; social support; and relationship with spouse/marital adjustment). The results of the meta-analyses show statistically significant results favouring the intervention group for depression; anxiety/stress; self-esteem; and relationship with spouse/marital adjustment. The meta-analysis of the social support data showed no evidence of effectiveness. Of the remaining data that it was not possible to combine in a meta-analysis, approximately 22% of the outcomes measured, showed significant differences between the intervention group and the control group. A further 40% showed non-significant differences favouring the intervention group. Approximately one-third of outcomes showed no evidence of effectiveness.A meta-analysis of the follow-up data on three outcomes was also conducted - depression, self-esteem and relationship with spouse/marital adjustment. The results show that there was a continued improvement in self-esteem, depression, and marital adjustment at follow-up, although the latter two findings were not statistically significant. This review has been updated (2003) with the addition of 3 new included studies. A number of additional excluded studies have also been added. There is one additional study awaiting 03) with the addition of 3 new included studies. A number of additional excluded studies have also been added. There is one additional study awaiting assessment and 2 ongoing studies listed for inclusion at a future update of this review. The size of effect for the main outcomes has not been substantially altered by this update. Additional sensitivity analyses to assess the impact of quasi randomised studies on the result have also been added. Where the quasi randomised studies are excluded from the analysis, the result was found to be slightly more conservative. It is suggested that parenting programmes can make a significant contribution to the short-term psychosocial health of mothers. However, there is currently a paucity of evidence concerning whether these results are maintained over time, and the limited follow-up data which are available show equivocal results. This points to the need for further evidence concerning the long-term effectiveness of parenting programmes on maternal mental health. Whilst the results of this review are positive overall, some studies showed no effect. Further research is needed to assess which factors contribute to successful outcomes in these programmes with particular attention being paid to the quality of delivery.These results suggest that parenting programmes have a potential role to play in the promotion of mental health.

Addition of granular activated carbon and trace elements to favor volatile fatty acid consumption during anaerobic digestion of food waste.

PubMed

Capson-Tojo, Gabriel; Moscoviz, Roman; Ruiz, Diane; Santa-Catalina, Gaëlle; Trably, Eric; Rouez, Maxime; Crest, Marion; Steyer, Jean-Philippe; Bernet, Nicolas; Delgenès, Jean-Philippe; Escudié, Renaud

2018-07-01

The effect of supplementing granular activated carbon and trace elements on the anaerobic digestion performance of consecutive batch reactors treating food waste was investigated. The results from the first batch suggest that addition of activated carbon favored biomass acclimation, improving acetic acid consumption and enhancing methane production. Adding trace elements allowed a faster consumption of propionic acid. A second batch proved that a synergy existed when activated carbon and trace elements were supplemented simultaneously. The degradation kinetics of propionate oxidation were particularly improved, reducing significantly the batch duration and improving the average methane productivities. Addition of activated carbon favored the growth of archaea and syntrophic bacteria, suggesting that interactions between these microorganisms were enhanced. Interestingly, microbial analyses showed that hydrogenotrophic methanogens were predominant. This study shows for the first time that addition of granular activated carbon and trace elements may be a feasible solution to stabilize food waste anaerobic digestion. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Fabricaton of brick without burning process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zultiniar; Fadli, A.; Yenti, S. R.; Drastinawati; Thariq, M. R. A.

2018-04-01

Brick is a material with many applications on building materials. The purpose of this research is to study the effect of fly ash addition and hardening time on mechanical properties of brick produced. Brick was formed by mixing cement, clay, water and fly ash with addition point was 0;0,3;0,6;0,9;1,2 kg weight. Brick was dried at room temperature for 7, 14 and 21 days. The result showed that compressive strength with addition 0,6 kg fly ash for 21 days was the the strongest where that’s value was 9,375 N/mm2. The highest porosity was get in on 21,34 % with 1,2 fly ash addition. The result of TCLP showed that for Pb, Cu, Cr content was still below the quality standards based on PP No.85 TH 1999 and still considered harmless. Leachate value for Pb of 3,10 mg/L, 1,213 mg/L for Cr and 4,374 mg/L for Cu.

Effects of gliadin addition on the rheological, microscopic and thermal characteristics of wheat gluten.

PubMed

Khatkar, B S; Barak, Sheweta; Mudgil, Deepak

2013-02-01

In the present study, micro-structural, thermal and rheological changes in the gluten network upon addition of gliadins at 5% and 10% levels were investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and dynamic rheometry. The addition of gliadins decreased the peak dough height inferring decrease in dough strength. The dough stability also decreased from 3.20 to 1.40 min upon addition of 10% gliadin to the base flour. The TGA profile and the glass transition behavior of the control gluten and gluten obtained from dough with gliadin added at 5% and 10% levels showed decrease in thermal stability. The SEM micrograph of the control gluten showed foam like protein matrix. As the gliadin percentage in the gluten was increased, the compactness of the gluten structure reduced considerably leading to the formation of a more open weak gluten network. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Enhanced performance of a submerged membrane bioreactor with powdered activated carbon addition for municipal secondary effluent treatment.

PubMed

Lin, Hongjun; Wang, Fangyuan; Ding, Linxian; Hong, Huachang; Chen, Jianrong; Lu, Xiaofeng

2011-09-15

The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of PAC-MBR process treating municipal secondary effluent. Two laboratory-scale submerged MBRs (SMBR) with and without PAC addition were continuously operated in parallel for secondary effluent treatment. Approximately 63%TOC, 95% NH(4)(+)-N and 98% turbidity in secondary effluent were removed by the PAC-MBR process. Most organics in the secondary effluent were found to be low molecular weight (MW) substances, which could be retained in the reactor and then removed to some extent by using PAC-MBR process. Parallel experiments showed that the addition of PAC significantly increased organic removal and responsible for the largest fraction of organic removal. Membrane fouling analysis showed the enhanced membrane performance in terms of sustainable operational time and filtration resistances by PAC addition. Based on these results, the PAC-MBR process was considered as an attractive option for the reduction of pollutants in secondary effluent. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Variation Analysis of DNA Methylation in Wheat Carrying Gametocidal Chromosome 3C from Aegilops triuncialis

PubMed Central

Wang, Dan; Zhao, Jieyu; Bai, Yan; Ao, You; Guo, Changhong

2017-01-01

Gametocidal (Gc) chromosomes can ensure their preferential transmission by killing the gametes without themselves through causing chromosome breakage and therefore have been exploited as an effective tool for genetic breeding. However, to date very little is known about the molecular mechanism of Gc action. In this study, we used methylation-sensitive amplified polymorphism (MSAP) technique to assess the extent and pattern of cytosine methylation alterations at the whole genome level between two lines of wheat Gc addition line and their common wheat parent. The results indicated that the overall levels of cytosine methylation of two studied Gc addition lines (CS–3C and CS–3C3C, 48.68% and 48.65%, respectively) were significantly increased when compared to common wheat CS (41.31%) and no matter fully methylated or hemimethylated rates enhanced in Gc addition lines. A set of 30 isolated fragments that showed different DNA methylation or demethylation patterns between the three lines were sequenced and the results indicated that 8 fragments showed significant homology to known sequences, of which three were homologous to MITE transposon (Miniature inverted–repeat transposable elements), LTR-retrotransposon WIS-1p and retrotransposon Gypsy, respectively. Overall, our results showed that DNA methylation could play a role in the Gc action. PMID:28796162

The Variation Analysis of DNA Methylation in Wheat Carrying Gametocidal Chromosome 3C from Aegilops triuncialis.

PubMed

Wang, Dan; Zhao, Jieyu; Bai, Yan; Ao, You; Guo, Changhong

2017-08-10

Gametocidal (Gc) chromosomes can ensure their preferential transmission by killing the gametes without themselves through causing chromosome breakage and therefore have been exploited as an effective tool for genetic breeding. However, to date very little is known about the molecular mechanism of Gc action. In this study, we used methylation-sensitive amplified polymorphism (MSAP) technique to assess the extent and pattern of cytosine methylation alterations at the whole genome level between two lines of wheat Gc addition line and their common wheat parent. The results indicated that the overall levels of cytosine methylation of two studied Gc addition lines (CS-3C and CS-3C3C, 48.68% and 48.65%, respectively) were significantly increased when compared to common wheat CS (41.31%) and no matter fully methylated or hemimethylated rates enhanced in Gc addition lines. A set of 30 isolated fragments that showed different DNA methylation or demethylation patterns between the three lines were sequenced and the results indicated that 8 fragments showed significant homology to known sequences, of which three were homologous to MITE transposon (Miniature inverted-repeat transposable elements), LTR-retrotransposon WIS-1p and retrotransposon Gypsy , respectively. Overall, our results showed that DNA methylation could play a role in the Gc action.

Mobile phase additives for enhancing the chromatographic performance of astaxanthin on nonendcapped polymeric C30-bonded stationary phases.

PubMed

Kaiser, Philipp; Surmann, Peter; Fuhrmann, Herbert

2009-01-01

Astaxanthin shows peak deformation and reduced peak area response when eluted with methanol and methyl tert-butyl ether on nonendcapped polymeric C30-bonded HPLC phases. The present study tested different column manufacturers, column batches, and ten mobile phase additives including acids, bases, buffers, complexing and antioxidant agents for improvement of peak shape and peak area response. Concerning chromatographic benefits and feasibility, ammonium acetate was found to be the best additive followed by triethylamine for all columns tested. Variation of the mobile phase pH equivalent and the column temperature showed no synergistic effects on peak shape and peak area response. Results indicate that peak tailing and variation of peak area response are due to different on-column effects. Possible mechanisms of the observed phenomenon will be discussed.

Morphological, Thermal, and Rheological Properties of Starches from Maize Mutants Deficient in Starch Synthase III.

PubMed

Zhu, Fan; Bertoft, Eric; Li, Guantian

2016-08-31

Morphological, thermal, and rheological properties of starches from maize mutants deficient in starch synthase III (SSIII) with a common genetic background (W64A) were studied and compared with the wild type. SSIII deficiency reduced granule size of the starches from 16.7 to ∼11 μm (volume-weighted mean). Thermal analysis showed that SSIII deficiency decreased the enthalpy change of starch during gelatinization. Steady shear analysis showed that SSIII deficiency decreased the consistency coefficient and yield stress during steady shearing, whereas additional deficiency in granule-bound starch synthase (GBSS) increased these values. Dynamic oscillatory analysis showed that SSIII deficiency decreased G' at 90 °C during heating and increased it when the paste was cooled to 25 °C at 40 Hz during a frequency sweep. Additional GBSS deficiency further decreased the G'. Structural and compositional bases responsible for these changes in physical properties of the starches are discussed. This study highlighted the relationship between SSIII and some physicochemical properties of maize starch.

Nanocomposites based on pH-sensitive hydrogels and chitosan decorated carbon nanotubes with antibacterial properties.

PubMed

Bellingeri, Romina; Mulko, Lucinda; Molina, Maria; Picco, Natalia; Alustiza, Fabrisio; Grosso, Carolina; Vivas, Adriana; Acevedo, Diego F; Barbero, Cesar A

2018-09-01

The present work aimed to study the properties of a novel nanocomposite with promising biomedical applications. Nanocomposites were prepared by the addition of different concentrations of chitosan decorated carbon nanotubes to acrylamide-co-acrylic acid hydrogels. The nanocomposites chemical structure was characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR). The FT-IR shows the typical bands due to the hydrogel and additionally the peaks at 1750 cm -1 and 1450 cm -1 that correspond to the carbon nanotubes incorporated into the polymer matrix. Mechanical properties and swelling measurements in different buffer solutions were also performed. The nanocomposites showed improved mechanical properties and a stronger pH-response. In order to evaluate antimicrobial activity, the growth and adhesion of Staphylococcus aureus to nanocomposites were studied. Cytocompatibility was also evaluated by MTT assay on MDCK and 3T3 cell lines. The nanocomposites were found to be cytocompatible and showed a reduced bacterial colonization. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Additives for cement compositions based on modified peat

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

Kopanitsa, Natalya, E-mail: kopanitsa@mail.ru; Sarkisov, Yurij, E-mail: sarkisov@tsuab.ru; Gorshkova, Aleksandra, E-mail: kasatkina.alexandra@gmail.com

High quality competitive dry building mixes require modifying additives for various purposes to be included in their composition. There is insufficient amount of quality additives having stable properties for controlling the properties of cement compositions produced in Russia. Using of foreign modifying additives leads to significant increasing of the final cost of the product. The cost of imported modifiers in the composition of the dry building mixes can be up to 90% of the material cost, depending on the composition complexity. Thus, the problem of import substitution becomes relevant, especially in recent years, due to difficult economic situation. The articlemore » discusses the possibility of using local raw materials as a basis for obtaining dry building mixtures components. The properties of organo-mineral additives for cement compositions based on thermally modified peat raw materials are studied. Studies of the structure and composition of the additives are carried out by physicochemical research methods: electron microscopy and X-ray analysis. Results of experimental research showed that the peat additives contribute to improving of cement-sand mortar strength and hydrophysical properties.« less

The effect of tailor-made additives on crystal growth of methyl paraben: Experiments and modelling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cai, Zhihui; Liu, Yong; Song, Yang; Guan, Guoqiang; Jiang, Yanbin

2017-03-01

In this study, methyl paraben (MP) was selected as the model component, and acetaminophen (APAP), p-methyl acetanilide (PMAA) and acetanilide (ACET), which share the similar molecular structure as MP, were selected as the three tailor-made additives to study the effect of tailor-made additives on the crystal growth of MP. HPLC results indicated that the MP crystals induced by the three additives contained MP only. Photographs of the single crystals prepared indicated that the morphology of the MP crystals was greatly changed by the additives, but PXRD and single crystal diffraction results illustrated that the MP crystals were the same polymorph only with different crystal habits, and no new crystal form was found compared with other references. To investigate the effect of the additives on the crystal growth, the interaction between additives and facets was discussed in detail using the DFT methods and MD simulations. The results showed that APAP, PMAA and ACET would be selectively adsorbed on the growth surfaces of the crystal facets, which induced the change in MP crystal habits.

Improvement of texture and sensory properties of cakes by addition of potato peel powder with high level of dietary fiber and protein.

PubMed

Ben Jeddou, Khawla; Bouaziz, Fatma; Zouari-Ellouzi, Soumaya; Chaari, Fatma; Ellouz-Chaabouni, Semia; Ellouz-Ghorbel, Raoudha; Nouri-Ellouz, Oumèma

2017-02-15

Demand for health oriented products such as low calories and high fiber product is increasing. The aim of the present work was to determine the effect of the addition of potato peel powders as protein and dietary fiber source on the quality of the dough and the cake. Powders obtained from the two types of peel flour showed interesting water binding capacity and fat absorption capacity. Potato peel flours were incorporated in wheat flours at different concentration. The results showed that peel powders additionally considerably improved the Alveograph profile of dough and the texture of the prepared cakes. In addition color measurements showed a significant difference between the control dough and the dough containing potato peels. The replacement of wheat flour with the potato powders reduced the cake hardness significantly and the L(*) and b(*) dough color values. The increased consumption of cake enriched with potato peel fiber is proposed for health reasons. The study demonstrated that protein/fiber-enriched cake with good sensory quality could be produced by the substitution of wheat flour by 5% of potato peel powder. In addition and technological point of view, the incorporation of potato peel powder at 5% increase the dough strength and elasticity-to-extensibility ratio (P/L). Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

The complicated substrates enhance the microbial diversity and zinc leaching efficiency in sphalerite bioleaching system.

PubMed

Xiao, Yunhua; Xu, YongDong; Dong, Weiling; Liang, Yili; Fan, Fenliang; Zhang, Xiaoxia; Zhang, Xian; Niu, Jiaojiao; Ma, Liyuan; She, Siyuan; He, Zhili; Liu, Xueduan; Yin, Huaqun

2015-12-01

This study used an artificial enrichment microbial consortium to examine the effects of different substrate conditions on microbial diversity, composition, and function (e.g., zinc leaching efficiency) through adding pyrite (SP group), chalcopyrite (SC group), or both (SPC group) in sphalerite bioleaching systems. 16S rRNA gene sequencing analysis showed that microbial community structures and compositions dramatically changed with additions of pyrite or chalcopyrite during the sphalerite bioleaching process. Shannon diversity index showed a significantly increase in the SP (1.460), SC (1.476), and SPC (1.341) groups compared with control (sphalerite group, 0.624) on day 30, meanwhile, zinc leaching efficiencies were enhanced by about 13.4, 2.9, and 13.2%, respectively. Also, additions of pyrite or chalcopyrite could increase electric potential (ORP) and the concentrations of Fe3+ and H+, which were the main factors shaping microbial community structures by Mantel test analysis. Linear regression analysis showed that ORP, Fe3+ concentration, and pH were significantly correlated to zinc leaching efficiency and microbial diversity. In addition, we found that leaching efficiency showed a positive and significant relationship with microbial diversity. In conclusion, our results showed that the complicated substrates could significantly enhance microbial diversity and activity of function.

The Andes hantavirus NSs protein is expressed from the viral small mRNA by a leaky scanning mechanism.

PubMed

Vera-Otarola, Jorge; Solis, Loretto; Soto-Rifo, Ricardo; Ricci, Emiliano P; Pino, Karla; Tischler, Nicole D; Ohlmann, Théophile; Darlix, Jean-Luc; López-Lastra, Marcelo

2012-02-01

The small mRNA (SmRNA) of all Bunyaviridae encodes the nucleocapsid (N) protein. In 4 out of 5 genera in the Bunyaviridae, the smRNA encodes an additional nonstructural protein denominated NSs. In this study, we show that Andes hantavirus (ANDV) SmRNA encodes an NSs protein. Data show that the NSs protein is expressed in the context of an ANDV infection. Additionally, our results suggest that translation initiation from the NSs initiation codon is mediated by ribosomal subunits that have bypassed the upstream N protein initiation codon through a leaky scanning mechanism.

The Andes Hantavirus NSs Protein Is Expressed from the Viral Small mRNA by a Leaky Scanning Mechanism

PubMed Central

Vera-Otarola, Jorge; Solis, Loretto; Soto-Rifo, Ricardo; Ricci, Emiliano P.; Pino, Karla; Tischler, Nicole D.; Ohlmann, Théophile; Darlix, Jean-Luc

2012-01-01

The small mRNA (SmRNA) of all Bunyaviridae encodes the nucleocapsid (N) protein. In 4 out of 5 genera in the Bunyaviridae, the smRNA encodes an additional nonstructural protein denominated NSs. In this study, we show that Andes hantavirus (ANDV) SmRNA encodes an NSs protein. Data show that the NSs protein is expressed in the context of an ANDV infection. Additionally, our results suggest that translation initiation from the NSs initiation codon is mediated by ribosomal subunits that have bypassed the upstream N protein initiation codon through a leaky scanning mechanism. PMID:22156529

Genetic variants of 17q21 are associated with childhood-onset asthma and related phenotypes in a northeastern Han Chinese population: a case-control study.

PubMed

Yu, X; Yu, C; Ren, Z; Deng, Y; Song, J; Zhang, H; Zhou, H

2014-05-01

A genome-wide association study (GWAS) suggested that variants on chromosome 17q21 were associated with childhood-onset asthma in white populations. Two replication studies had been conducted in southern Han Chinese population in 2009 and 2012. However, these two Chinese replication results were inconsistent. To further confirm the role of 17q21 common variants, an association study of 17q21 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with the risk of childhood-onset asthma was performed in a Han population from northeastern China. In this study, rs3894194, rs12603332 and rs11650680 were genotyped in 435 asthmatic children and 601 healthy controls by using a SNaPshot method. Our data showed that the allelic frequency of rs12603332 and rs11650680 showed significant differences between asthmatic cases and healthy controls, with an odds ratio (OR) of 1.36 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.12-1.65, P=0.002] and an OR of 1.36 (95% CI 1.07-1.74, P=0.01). Genotype distribution analysis also showed the significant associations of the above two loci with childhood asthma under dominant, recessive and additive model (dominant OR=1.57, 95% CI 1.04-2.36, P=0.032; recessive OR=1.41, 95% CI 1.09-1.83, P=0.009; additive OR=1.97, 95% CI 1.24-3.14, P=0.004; recessive OR=1.50, 95% CI 1.13-1.98, P=0.005). Besides, linear regression analysis showed that rs3894194 and rs12603332 were also significantly associated with asthma phenotypes such as log10 -transformed immunoglobulin E (IgE) level (IU/ml) and log10 -transformed eosinophil percentage (dominant, P=0.04; additive, P=0.01; recessive, P=0.04; recessive, P=0.03; additive, P=0.02). Collectively, our findings suggest that orosomucoid 1-like 3 (ORMDL3) locus on chromosome 17q21 is a risk factor for childhood-onset asthma in northeastern Han Chinese population. Further studies will be needed to elucidate the pathogenesis that ORMDL3 locus predisposes to childhood-onset asthma. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Differential receptor dependencies: expression and significance of muscarinic M1 receptors in the biology of prostate cancer.

PubMed

Mannan Baig, Abdul; Khan, Naveed A; Effendi, Vardah; Rana, Zohaib; Ahmad, H R; Abbas, Farhat

2017-01-01

Recent reports on acetylcholine muscarinic receptor subtype 3 (CHRM3) have shown its growth-promoting role in prostate cancer. Additional studies report the proliferative effect of the cholinergic agonist carbachol on prostate cancer by its agonistic action on CHRM3. This study shows that the type 1 acetylcholine muscarinic receptor (CHRM1) contributes toward the proliferation and growth of prostate cancer. We used growth and cytotoxic assays, the prostate cancer microarray database and CHRM downstream pathways' homology of CHRM subtypes to uncover multiple signals leading to the growth of prostate cancer. Growth assays showed that pilocarpine stimulates the proliferation of prostate cancer. Moreover, it shows that carbachol exerts an additional agonistic action on nicotinic cholinergic receptor of prostate cancer cells that can be blocked by tubocurarine. With the use of selective CHRM1 antagonists such as pirenzepine and dicyclomine, a considerable inhibition of proliferation of prostate cancer cell lines was observed in dose ranging from 15-60 µg/ml of dicyclomine. The microarray database of prostate cancer shows a dominant expression of CHRM1 in prostate cancer compared with other cholinergic subtypes. The bioinformatics of prostate cancer and CHRM pathways show that the downstream signalling include PIP3-AKT-CaM-mediated growth in LNCaP and PC3 cells. Our study suggests that antagonism of CHRM1 may be a potential therapeutic target against prostate cancer.

Children with SLI Can Exhibit Reduced Attention to a Talker's Mouth

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pons, Ferran; Sanz-Torrent, Monica; Ferinu, Laura; Birulés, Joan; Andreu, Llorenç

2018-01-01

It has been demonstrated that children with specific language impairment (SLI) show difficulties not only with auditory but also with audiovisual speech perception. The goal of this study was to assess whether children with SLI might show reduced attention to the talker's mouth compared to their typically developing (TD) peers. An additional aim…

Soil nitrogen dynamics and Capsicum Annuum sp. plant response to biochar amendment in silt loam soil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Horel, Agota; Gelybo, Gyorgyi; Dencso, Marton; Toth, Eszter; Farkas, Csilla; Kasa, Ilona; Pokovai, Klara

2017-04-01

The present study investigated the growth of Capsicum Annuum sp. (pepper) in small-scale experiment to observe changes in plant growth and health as reflected by leaf area, plant height, yield, root density, and nitrogen usage. Based on field conditions, part of the study aimed to examine the photosynthetic and photochemical responses of plants to treatments resulting from different plant growth rates. During the 12.5 week long study, four treatments were investigated with biochar amount of 0, 0.5%, 2.5%, and 5.0% (by weight) added to silt loam soil. The plants were placed under natural environmental conditions, such that photosynthetic activities from photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) and the plants photochemical reflectance index (PRI) could be continuously measured after exposure to sunlight. In this study we found that benefits from biochar addition to silt loam soil most distinguishable occurred in the BC2.5 treatments, where the highest plant yield, highest root density, and highest leaf areas were observed compared to other treatments. Furthermore, data showed that too low (0.5%) or too high (5.0%) biochar addition to the soil had diminishing effects on Capsicum Annuum sp. growth and yield over time. At the end of the 12th week, BC2.5 had 22.2%, while BC0.5 and BC5.0 showed 17.4% and 15.7% increase in yield dry weight respectively compared to controls. The collected data also showed that the PRI values of plants growing on biochar treated soils were generally lower compared to control treatments, which could relate to leaf nitrogen levels. Total nitrogen amount showed marginal changes over time in all treatments. The total nitrogen concentration showed 28.6% and 17.7% increase after the 6th week of the experiment for BC2.5 and BC5.0, respectively, while inorganic nutrients of NO3-N and NH4+-N showed a continuous decrease during the course of the study, with a substantial drop during the first few weeks. The present study provides evidence for impact of biochar on plant stress levels and growth function in biochar amended soils. Our findings emphasize the necessity for optimization to local parameters prior to biochar additions to soils.

Phase slip process and charge density wave dynamics in a one dimensional conductor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Habiballah, N.; Zouadi, M.; Arbaoui, A.; Qjani, M.; Dumas, J.

In this paper, we study the phase slip effect on the charge density wave (CDW) dynamics in a one-dimensional conductor in the weak pinning limit. A considerable enhancement of JCDW is observed in the presence of phase slips. In addition, a spatial dependence of the CDW current density JCDW is also studied showing that a decrease of JCDW with distance from the current contact occurs. The results are discussed in terms the relationship between additional phase slips and the mobility of phase dislocations nucleated at electrical contacts.

Structuring in Cement Systems with Introduction of Graphene Nano-Additives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yanturina, R. A.; Trofimov, B. Ya; Ahmedjanov, R. M.

2017-11-01

At present, one of the most promising areas in the field of concrete research is the study of the effect of nano-additives for the production of highly effective concretes. Many authors have already obtained primary results which testify to the very effective role of nanoadditives based on carbon in modifying concrete. In this paper, the influence of a nano-additive of graphene on the phase composition and microstructure of the cement stone was studied. It has been found that, when a nano-additive of graphene is introduced, low-basic calcium hydrosilicates are mainly formed. This leads to an increase in the compressive strength of concrete. The results of the study of the microstructure of cement stone with nano-additive graphene showed that the high compressive strength of concrete modified with nano-additive graphene is explained by the cement stone dense structure. Thus, it was found that the nanoadditive of graphene contributes to the formation of a dense structure of cement stone, composed mainly of low-basic calcium hydrosilicates, and due to this, the physical and mechanical characteristics of concrete and its resistance to frost and other forms of aggression.

Effects of aluminum and iron nanoparticle additives on composite AP/HTPB solid propellant regression rate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Styborski, Jeremy A.

This project was started in the interest of supplementing existing data on additives to composite solid propellants. The study on the addition of iron and aluminum nanoparticles to composite AP/HTPB propellants was conducted at the Combustion and Energy Systems Laboratory at RPI in the new strand-burner experiment setup. For this study, a large literature review was conducted on history of solid propellant combustion modeling and the empirical results of tests on binders, plasticizers, AP particle size, and additives. The study focused on the addition of nano-scale aluminum and iron in small concentrations to AP/HTPB solid propellants with an average AP particle size of 200 microns. Replacing 1% of the propellant's AP with 40-60 nm aluminum particles produced no change in combustive behavior. The addition of 1% 60-80 nm iron particles produced a significant increase in burn rate, although the increase was lesser at higher pressures. These results are summarized in Table 2. The increase in the burn rate at all pressures due to the addition of iron nanoparticles warranted further study on the effect of concentration of iron. Tests conducted at 10 atm showed that the mean regression rate varied with iron concentration, peaking at 1% and 3%. Regardless of the iron concentration, the regression rate was higher than the baseline AP/HTPB propellants. These results are summarized in Table 3.

Effects of L-ascorbic acid on physicochemical characteristics of wheat starch.

PubMed

Majzoobi, Mahsa; Radi, Mohsen; Farahnaky, Asgar; Tongdang, Tawee

2012-03-01

The main objective of this study was to determine the effects of l-ascorbic acid, as a permitted additive in bakery products, on characteristics of wheat starch. Suspensions of wheat starch (30%, w/w) in water containing 140 mg/kg ascorbic acid before and after gelatinization were prepared and studied using different techniques. The results of scanning electron microscopy showed that some spots appeared on the surface of the starch granules as a result of the addition of ascorbic acid. However, no changes in the starch crystalline pattern and its degree of crystallinity were observed by X-ray diffraction technique. For ungelatinized samples, no difference in the pasting properties of the samples was determined by the rapid visco analyzer, whereas for the gelatinized samples, peak and final viscosities decreased for the samples contained ascorbic acid. Determination of the intrinsic viscosities of the samples showed that addition of ascorbic acid to the gelatinized samples reduced the intrinsic viscosity. In general, it was found that ascorbic acid had some degradation effects on wheat starch molecules particularly after gelatinization. © 2012 Institute of Food Technologists®

Domestic Violence Encountered among Kurdish Women

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ali, Sirwan Kamil

2015-01-01

Background and objective; There is growing recognition that violence against women has a large public health impact, in addition to being a gross violation of women's human rights. The study's aims were: To show the types of domestic abuse encountered by Kurdish women, and study the relationship between them. Methods; The study conducted in the…

On Misconceptions about Behavior Analysis among University Students and Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arntzen, Erik; Lokke, Jon; Lokke, Gunn; Eilertsen, Dag-Erik

2010-01-01

Students frequently show misconceptions regarding scientific psychology in general and basic concepts in behavior analysis in particular. We wanted to replicate the study by Lamal (1995) and to expand the study by including some additional statements. In the current study, the focus was on misconceptions about behavior analysis held by…

Platelet-rich plasma use in anterior cruciate ligament surgery: systematic review of the literature.

PubMed

Figueroa, David; Figueroa, Francisco; Calvo, Rafael; Vaisman, Alex; Ahumada, Ximena; Arellano, Sergio

2015-05-01

To systematically review the current literature for evidence that would substantiate the use of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) in the treatment of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) ruptures. We performed a systematic search in PubMed and Embase of studies written in the English and Spanish languages that compared the use of PRP with a control group in patients with ACL injuries assessing graft-to-bone healing, graft maturation, and/or clinical outcomes and were randomized controlled trials or prospective cohort studies. Eleven studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria, comprising 516 patients (266 ACL reconstructions using PRP and 250 ACL reconstructions without PRP). Six studies reported a statistically significant difference (4 studies) or tendency toward faster graft maturation in the platelet group (2 studies). One study found no differences. Regarding tunnel healing/widening, 1 study showed faster healing in the PRP group and 5 studies showed no differences between the 2 groups. Considering clinical outcomes, 1 study showed better clinical outcomes with PRP use and 5 studies showed no benefits with the use of PRP. Concerning ACL graft maturation, there is promising evidence that the addition of PRP could be a synergic factor in acquiring maturity more quickly than grafts with no PRP, with the clinical implication of this remaining unclear. Regarding tunnel healing, it appears that there is not an improvement with the addition of PRP. There is no proof that clinical outcomes of ACL surgery are enhanced by the use of PRP. Level III, systematic review of Level I through III studies. Copyright © 2015 Arthroscopy Association of North America. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Crabtree effect caused by ketoses in isolated rat hepatocytes].

PubMed

Martínez, P; Carrascosa, J M; Núñez de Castro, I

1982-01-01

Oxygen uptake and glycolytic activity were studied in hepatocytes isolated from fed rats. The addition of fructose or tagatose resulted in a 38% and 31% inhibition of cellular respiration respectively. The addition of 10 mM D-glyceraldehyde caused a slight Crabtree effect. Glucose, L-sorbose, or glycerol failed to modify oxygen consumption. Only incubation in the presence of fructose showed a high aerobic glycolysis measured by lactate production.

Quantum coherence: Reciprocity and distribution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Asutosh

2017-03-01

Quantum coherence is the outcome of the superposition principle. Recently, it has been theorized as a quantum resource, and is the premise of quantum correlations in multipartite systems. It is therefore interesting to study the coherence content and its distribution in a multipartite quantum system. In this work, we show analytically as well as numerically the reciprocity between coherence and mixedness of a quantum state. We find that this trade-off is a general feature in the sense that it is true for large spectra of measures of coherence and of mixedness. We also study the distribution of coherence in multipartite systems by looking at monogamy-type relation-which we refer to as additivity relation-between coherences of different parts of the system. We show that for the Dicke states, while the normalized measures of coherence violate the additivity relation, the unnormalized ones satisfy the same.

When kinesthetic information is neglected in learning a Novel bimanual rhythmic coordination.

PubMed

Zhu, Qin; Mirich, Todd; Huang, Shaochen; Snapp-Childs, Winona; Bingham, Geoffrey P

2017-08-01

Many studies have shown that rhythmic interlimb coordination involves perception of the coupled limb movements, and different sensory modalities can be used. Using visual displays to inform the coupled bimanual movement, novel bimanual coordination patterns can be learned with practice. A recent study showed that similar learning occurred without vision when a coach provided manual guidance during practice. The information provided via the two different modalities may be same (amodal) or different (modality specific). If it is different, then learning with both is a dual task, and one source of information might be used in preference to the other in performing the task when both are available. In the current study, participants learned a novel 90° bimanual coordination pattern without or with visual information in addition to kinesthesis. In posttest, all participants were tested without and with visual information in addition to kinesthesis. When tested with visual information, all participants exhibited performance that was significantly improved by practice. When tested without visual information, participants who practiced using only kinesthetic information showed improvement, but those who practiced with visual information in addition showed remarkably less improvement. The results indicate that (1) the information is not amodal, (2) use of a single type of information was preferred, and (3) the preferred information was visual. We also hypothesized that older participants might be more likely to acquire dual task performance given their greater experience of the two sensory modes in combination, but results were replicated with both 20- and 50-year-olds.

Simultaneous masking additivity for short Gaussian-shaped tones: spectral effects.

PubMed

Laback, Bernhard; Necciari, Thibaud; Balazs, Peter; Savel, Sophie; Ystad, Sølvi

2013-08-01

Laback et al. [(2011). J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 129, 888-897] investigated the additivity of nonsimultaneous masking using short Gaussian-shaped tones as maskers and target. The present study involved Gaussian stimuli to measure the additivity of simultaneous masking for combinations of up to four spectrally separated maskers. According to most basilar membrane measurements, the maskers should be processed linearly at the characteristic frequency (CF) of the target. Assuming also compression of the target, all masker combinations should produce excess masking (exceeding linear additivity). The results for a pair of maskers flanking the target indeed showed excess masking. The amount of excess masking could be predicted by a model assuming summation of masker-evoked excitations in intensity units at the target CF and compression of the target, using compressive input/output functions derived from the nonsimultaneous masking study. However, the combinations of lower-frequency maskers showed much less excess masking than predicted by the model. This cannot easily be attributed to factors like off-frequency listening, combination tone perception, or between-masker suppression. It was better predicted, however, by assuming weighted intensity summation of masker excitations. The optimum weights for the lower-frequency maskers were smaller than one, consistent with partial masker compression as indicated by recent psychoacoustic data.

[Synthesis and study on the interaction of rare earth complexes of N', N-bis(2-pyridinecarboxamide)-1, 2-ethane with DNA].

PubMed

Lu, Xiao-Hong; Lin, Qiu-Yue; Hu, Rui-Ding; Liu, Wei-Dong; Feng, Jie

2007-06-01

Four rare earth complexes of N', N-bis(2-pyridinecarboxamide)-1, 2-ethane were synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, conductivity measurement, thermal studies, IR and electronic spectra. The composition of the four complexes is [Ln(H2L)(NO3)2](NO3) x 3H2O (Ln=Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb). Results of spectral measurements indicate that the oxygen of carbonyl and the nitrogen of pyridyl coordinate with Ln(III) respectively, and the NO3- shows bidentate coordination. So the four complexes are 1 : 1 chelated complexes. The interaction between [Sm(H2L) (NO3)2](NO3) x 3H2O and DNA was studied by employing UV-Visible (UV-Vis) spectra, fluorescence spectra and SERS spectra. Experimental results show that with the incremental addition of DNA, the bands at 265 nm show hypochromism accompanied by a small red shift and the binding constant Kb Obtained is 1.24 x 10(5). Meanwhile fluorescence spectra show that the addition of [Sm(H2L) (NO3)2] (NO3) x 3H2O to DNA pretreated with EB causes an appreciable reduction in fluorescence intensity, indicating that the complex competes with ethidium bromide in binding to DNA, and free ethidium bromide increases. The addition of DNA causes the SERS signals of the complex to weaken and the band at 1 282 cm(-1) to disappear, which suggests that the planar pyridine molecule of the ligand may partly be inserted into the double-stranded helix plane in DNA, making pi electronic density of aromatic rings in complex change. The above phenomena indicate that [Sm(H2L) (NO3)] (NO3) x 3H2O interacts intensively with DNA.

Perception of Paralinguistic Intonational Meaning in a Second Language

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Aoju

2009-01-01

Recent studies of paralinguistic intonational meaning show that languages differ systematically in how pitch range is used to signal meaning differences, contra previous claims. This poses an additional challenge to second language learners, who generally receive little tutoring on intonation. This study investigates learners' competence and…

Delayed addition of nitrogen-rich substrates during composting of municipal waste: Effects on nitrogen loss, greenhouse gas emissions and compost stability.

PubMed

Nigussie, Abebe; Bruun, Sander; Kuyper, Thomas W; de Neergaard, Andreas

2017-01-01

Municipal waste is usually composted with an N-rich substrate, such as manure, to increase the N content of the product. This means that a significant amount of nitrogen can be lost during composting. The objectives of this study were (i) to investigate the effect of split addition of a nitrogen-rich substrate (poultry manure) on nitrogen losses and greenhouse gas emissions during composting and to link this effect to different bulking agents (coffee husks and sawdust), and (ii) to assess the effect of split addition of a nitrogen-rich substrate on compost stability and sanitisation. The results showed that split addition of the nitrogen-rich substrate reduced nitrogen losses by 9% when sawdust was used and 20% when coffee husks were used as the bulking agent. Depending on the bulking agent used, split addition increased cumulative N 2 O emissions by 400-600% compared to single addition. In contrast, single addition increased methane emissions by up to 50% compared to split addition of the substrate. Hence, the timing of the addition of the N-rich substrate had only a marginal effect on total non-CO 2 greenhouse gas emissions. Split addition of the N-rich substrate resulted in compost that was just as stable and effective at completely eradicating weed seeds as single addition. These findings therefore show that split addition of a nitrogen-rich substrate could be an option for increasing the fertilising value of municipal waste compost without having a significant effect on total greenhouse gas emissions or compost stability. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Beneficial effects of a red wine polyphenol extract on high-fat diet-induced metabolic syndrome in rats.

PubMed

Auberval, Nathalie; Dal, Stéphanie; Maillard, Elisa; Bietiger, William; Peronet, Claude; Pinget, Michel; Schini-Kerth, Valérie; Sigrist, Séverine

2017-06-01

Individuals with metabolic syndrome (MS) show several metabolic abnormalities including insulin resistance, dyslipidaemia, and oxidative stress (OS). Diet is one of the factors influencing the development of MS, and current nutritional advice emphasises the benefits of fruit and vegetable consumption. Here, we assessed the effects of naturally occurring antioxidants, red wine polyphenols (RWPs), on MS and OS. Wistar rats (n = 20) weighing 200-220 g received a high-fat diet (HFD) for 2 months before they were divided into two groups that received either HFD only or HFD plus 50 mg/kg RWPs in their drinking water for an additional 2 months. A control group (n = 10) received a normal diet (ND) for 4 months. Rats receiving HFD increased body weight over 20 % throughout the duration of the study. They also showed increased blood levels of C-peptide, glucose, lipid peroxides, and oxidised proteins. In addition, the HFD increased OS in hepatic, pancreatic, and vascular tissues, as well as induced pancreatic islet cell hyperplasia and hepatic steatosis. Addition of RWPs to the HFD attenuated these effects on plasma and tissue OS and on islet cell hyperplasia. However, RWPs had no effect on blood glucose levels or hepatic steatosis. RWPs showed an antioxidant mechanism of action against MS. This result will inform future animal studies exploring the metabolic effects of RWPs in more detail. In addition, these findings support the use of antioxidants as adjunctive nutritional treatments for patients with diabetes.

Effect of Amidated Low-Methoxyl Pectin on Physicochemical Characteristics of Jumbo Squid (Dosidicus gigas) Mantle Muscle Gels.

PubMed

Ramirez-Suarez, Juan C; Álvarez-Armenta, Andrés; García-Sánchez, Guillermina; Pacheco-Aguilar, Ramón; Scheuren-Acevedo, Susana M; Mazorra-Manzano, Miguel A; Rascón-Chu, Agustín

2017-09-01

Jumbo squid ( Dosidicus gigas ) muscle proteins show low functionality with limited use in gel products. This work aims to assess the influence of adding the natural and commercially available fibre, amidated low-methoxyl pectin (at 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 and 3.0%), on the physicochemical and functional characteristics of jumbo squid ( Dosidicus gigas ) mantle muscle gels. The addition of 0.5% fibre showed an immediate effect on the gel texture profile analysis, improving hardness (p<0.05) from (3.4±0.7) N of the control (no added fibre) to (5.2±0.9) N, and increasing elasticity (p≥0.05). Shear force was significant only at 3.0% fibre addition. Water holding capacity also improved (p<0.05) with fibre addition (from 75% in the control to 90-95% after the treatments). Whiteness was affected (p<0.05) when 3.0% fibre was added. Differential scanning calorimetry showed two endothermic transition peaks in the gels. The second peak (actin) increased (p<0.05) by 1-2 °C with fibre addition. Therefore, the present study demonstrates that amidated low-methoxyl pectin (0.5-3.0%) is an excellent ingredient to improve jumbo squid mantle muscle protein functionality, increasing the gel texture and water retention characteristics.

Chemical and biological consequences of using carbon dioxide versus acid additions in ocean acidification experiments

USGS Publications Warehouse

Yates, Kimberly K.; DuFore, Christopher M.; Robbins, Lisa L.

2013-01-01

Use of different approaches for manipulating seawater chemistry during ocean acidification experiments has confounded comparison of results from various experimental studies. Some of these discrepancies have been attributed to whether addition of acid (such as hydrochloric acid, HCl) or carbon dioxide (CO2) gas has been used to adjust carbonate system parameters. Experimental simulations of carbonate system parameter scenarios for the years 1766, 2007, and 2100 were performed using the carbonate speciation program CO2SYS to demonstrate the variation in seawater chemistry that can result from use of these approaches. Results showed that carbonate system parameters were 3 percent and 8 percent lower than target values in closed-system acid additions, and 1 percent and 5 percent higher in closed-system CO2 additions for the 2007 and 2100 simulations, respectively. Open-system simulations showed that carbonate system parameters can deviate by up to 52 percent to 70 percent from target values in both acid addition and CO2 addition experiments. Results from simulations for the year 2100 were applied to empirically derived equations that relate biogenic calcification to carbonate system parameters for calcifying marine organisms including coccolithophores, corals, and foraminifera. Calculated calcification rates for coccolithophores, corals, and foraminifera differed from rates at target conditions by 0.5 percent to 2.5 percent in closed-system CO2 gas additions, from 0.8 percent to 15 percent in the closed-system acid additions, from 4.8 percent to 94 percent in open-system acid additions, and from 7 percent to 142 percent in open-system CO2 additions.

Effect of pig manure on the chemical composition and microbial diversity during co-composting with spent mushroom substrate and rice husks.

PubMed

Meng, Xingyao; Liu, Bin; Xi, Chen; Luo, Xiaosha; Yuan, Xufeng; Wang, Xiaofen; Zhu, Wanbin; Wang, Hongliang; Cui, Zongjun

2018-03-01

In this study, the impact of pig manure on the maturity of compost consisting of spent mushroom substrate and rice husks was accessed. The results showed that the addition of pig manure (SMS-PM) reached 50°C 5days earlier and lasted 15days longer than without pig manure (SMS). Furthermore, the addition of pig manure improved nutrition and germination index. High-throughput 16S rRNA pyrosequencing was used to evaluate the bacterial and fungal composition during the composting process of SMS-PM compared to SMS alone. The SMS treatment showed a relatively higher abundance of carbon-degrading microbes (Bacillaceae and Thermomyces) and plant pathogenic fungi (Sordariomycetes_unclassified) at the end of the compost. In contrast, the SMS-PM showed an increased bacterial diversity with anti-pathogen (Pseudomonas). The results indicated that the addition of pig manure improved the decomposition of refractory carbon from the spent mushroom substrate and promoted the maturity and nutritional content of the compost product. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

19. WINDOW DETAIL, NORTH WALL OF GARAGE ADDITION. VIEW SHOWS ...

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

19. WINDOW DETAIL, NORTH WALL OF GARAGE ADDITION. VIEW SHOWS CONCRETE BLOCK CONSTRUCTION OF ADDITION. - Chollas Heights Naval Radio Transmitting Facility, Transmitter Building, 6410 Zero Road, San Diego, San Diego County, CA

Can ligand addition to soil enhance Cd phytoextraction? A mechanistic model study.

PubMed

Lin, Zhongbing; Schneider, André; Nguyen, Christophe; Sterckeman, Thibault

2014-11-01

Phytoextraction is a potential method for cleaning Cd-polluted soils. Ligand addition to soil is expected to enhance Cd phytoextraction. However, experimental results show that this addition has contradictory effects on plant Cd uptake. A mechanistic model simulating the reaction kinetics (adsorption on solid phase, complexation in solution), transport (convection, diffusion) and root absorption (symplastic, apoplastic) of Cd and its complexes in soil was developed. This was used to calculate plant Cd uptake with and without ligand addition in a great number of combinations of soil, ligand and plant characteristics, varying the parameters within defined domains. Ligand addition generally strongly reduced hydrated Cd (Cd(2+)) concentration in soil solution through Cd complexation. Dissociation of Cd complex ([Formula: see text]) could not compensate for this reduction, which greatly lowered Cd(2+) symplastic uptake by roots. The apoplastic uptake of [Formula: see text] was not sufficient to compensate for the decrease in symplastic uptake. This explained why in the majority of the cases, ligand addition resulted in the reduction of the simulated Cd phytoextraction. A few results showed an enhanced phytoextraction in very particular conditions (strong plant transpiration with high apoplastic Cd uptake capacity), but this enhancement was very limited, making chelant-enhanced phytoextraction poorly efficient for Cd.

Vocational High School Students’ Creativity in Food Additives with Problem Based Learning Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ratnasari, D.; Supriyanti, T.; Rosbiono, M.

2017-09-01

The aim of this study is to verify the creativity of vocational students through Problem Based Learning approach in the food additives. The method which used quasi-experiment with one group posttest design. The research subjects were 32 students in grade XII of a vocational high school students courses chemical analysis in Bandung city. Instrument of creativity were essay, Student Worksheet, and observation sheets. Creativity measured include creative thinking skills and creative act skills. The results showed creative thinking skills and creative act skills are good. Research showed that the problem based learning approach can be applied to develop creativity of vocational students in the food additives well, because the students are given the opportunity to determine their own experiment procedure that will be used. It is recommended to often implement Problem Based Learning approach in other chemical concepts so that students’ creativity is sustainable.

Psychophysiological interaction between superior temporal gyrus (STG) and cerebellum: An fMRI study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yusoff, A. N.; Teng, X. L.; Ng, S. B.; Hamid, A. I. A.; Mukari, S. Z. M.

2016-03-01

This study aimed to model the psychophysiological interaction (PPI) between the bilateral STG and cerebellum (lobule VI and lobule VII) during an arithmetic addition task. Eighteen young adults participated in this study. They were instructed to solve single-digit addition tasks in quiet and noisy backgrounds during an fMRI scan. Results showed that in both hemispheres, the response in the cerebellum was found to be linearly influenced by the activity in STG (vice-versa) for both in-quiet and in-noise conditions. However, the influence of the cerebellum on STG seemed to be modulated by noise. A two-way PPI model between STG and cerebellum is suggested. The connectivity between the two regions during a simple addition task in a noisy condition is modulated by the participants’ higher attention to perceive.

The potential of remotely sensed soil moisture for operational flood forecasting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wanders, N.; Karssenberg, D.; de Roo, A.; de Jong, S.; Bierkens, M. F.

2013-12-01

Nowadays, remotely sensed soil moisture is readily available from multiple space born sensors. The high temporal resolution and global coverage make these products very suitable for large-scale land-surface applications. The potential to use these products in operational flood forecasting has thus far not been extensively studied. In this study, we evaluate the added value of assimilated remotely sensed soil moisture for the European Flood Awareness System (EFAS) and its potential to improve the timing and height of the flood peak and low flows. EFAS is used for operational flood forecasting in Europe and uses a distributed hydrological model for flood predictions for lead times up to 10 days. Satellite-derived soil moisture from ASCAT, AMSR-E and SMOS is assimilated into the EFAS system for the Upper Danube basin and results are compared to assimilation of only discharge observations. Discharge observations are available at the outlet and at six additional locations throughout the catchment. To assimilate soil moisture data into EFAS, an Ensemble Kalman Filter (EnKF) is used. Information on the spatial (cross-) correlation of the errors in the satellite products, derived from a detailed model-satellite soil moisture comparison study, is included to ensure optimal performance of the EnKF. For the validation, additional discharge observations not used in the EnKF are used as an independent validation dataset. Our results show that the accuracy of flood forecasts is increased when more discharge observations are used in that the Mean Absolute Error (MAE) of the ensemble mean is reduced by 65%. The additional inclusion of satellite data results in a further increase of the performance: forecasts of base flows are better and the uncertainty in the overall discharge is reduced, shown by a 10% reduction in the MAE. In addition, floods are predicted with a higher accuracy and the Continuous Ranked Probability Score (CRPS) shows a performance increase of 10-15% on average, compared to assimilation of discharge only. The rank histograms show that the forecast is not biased. The timing errors in the flood predictions are decreased when soil moisture data is used and imminent floods can be forecasted with skill one day earlier. In conclusion, our study shows that assimilation of satellite soil moisture increases the performance of flood forecasting systems for large catchments, like the Upper Danube. The additional gain is highest when discharge observations from both upstream and downstream areas are used in combination with the soil moisture data. These results show the potential of future soil moisture missions with a higher spatial resolution like SMAP to improve near-real time flood forecasting in large catchments.

Multifunctional wall coating combining photocatalysis, self-cleaning and latent heat storage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lucas, S. S.; Barroso de Aguiar, J. L.

2018-02-01

Mortars, one of the most common construction materials, have not received any substantial modification for many decades. This has changed in recent years; new compositions are now being developed, with new properties, using nano-additives, fibres and capsules. In this work, surfaces with new and innovative functionalities that promote energy savings and improve air quality have been developed and studied. Incorporation of phase change materials (PCM) and titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles in construction products is currently under study by different research groups. However, these studies only address their incorporation separately. Adding new additives into the mortar’s matrix can be complex—due to microstructural modifications that will influence both fresh and hardened state properties. Moving from a single additive to multiple additions, as in this study, increases the system’s complexity. Only with a good understanding of the microstructural properties, it is possible to add multiple additives (including nano and microparticles) to mortars, without damaging its final quality. This work demonstrates that a higher additive content is not always a guarantee of better results; lower additions can often provide a better compromise between performance and final mechanical properties. The results presented in this paper confirmed this and show that combining PCM microcapsules and TiO2 nanoparticles open a new path in the development of mortars with multiple functionalities. In this study, a new material with depolluting, self-cleaning and heat storage was created. For the development of new and innovative mortars, a proper balance of multiple additives, supported by the study of microstructural changes, can lead to an optimization of the compositions, ensuring that the mortar’s final properties are not affected.

The Effect of Ca Content on the Microstructure, Hardness and Tensile Properties of AZ81 Mg Cast Alloy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Allameh, S. H.; Emamy, M.

2017-05-01

The effects of various Ca contents (0.1-4 wt.%) on the microstructure and tensile properties of AZ81 magnesium alloy were investigated with the contribution of an analytical method. Ca addition (up to 1.0 wt.%) refined the alloy microstructure but further addition of Ca resulted in a coarse structure and introduced large dendrites within the grains. The changes in the microstructures revealed that Al4Ca, Al2Ca, τ-Mg32(A1,Zn)49 and ɛ-MgZn intermetallics are formed in the alloy as a result of Ca addition and Al consumption. The assessment of tensile properties of AZ81-1.0 wt.%Ca alloy showed the optimum values of yield strength and ultimate tensile strength, while AZ81-0.7 wt.%Ca alloy showed maximum elongation. The reduction in tensile properties of the cast alloy by the addition of more Ca was attributed to grain coarsening and evolution of a network of intermetallic compounds. FF study of tensile fractured surfaces indicated that Ca addition encourages brittle mode of fracture propagating through precipitated intermetallics in the structure.

Additivity vs Synergism: Investigation of the Additive Interaction of Cinnamon Bark Oil and Meropenem in Combinatory Therapy.

PubMed

Yang, Shun-Kai; Yusoff, Khatijah; Mai, Chun-Wai; Lim, Wei-Meng; Yap, Wai-Sum; Lim, Swee-Hua Erin; Lai, Kok-Song

2017-11-04

Combinatory therapies have been commonly applied in the clinical setting to tackle multi-drug resistant bacterial infections and these have frequently proven to be effective. Specifically, combinatory therapies resulting in synergistic interactions between antibiotics and adjuvant have been the main focus due to their effectiveness, sidelining the effects of additivity, which also lowers the minimal effective dosage of either antimicrobial agent. Thus, this study was undertaken to look at the effects of additivity between essential oils and antibiotic, via the use of cinnamon bark essential oil (CBO) and meropenem as a model for additivity. Comparisons between synergistic and additive interaction of CBO were performed in terms of the ability of CBO to disrupt bacterial membrane, via zeta potential measurement, outer membrane permeability assay and scanning electron microscopy. It has been found that the additivity interaction between CBO and meropenem showed similar membrane disruption ability when compared to those synergistic combinations which was previously reported. Hence, results based on our studies strongly suggest that additive interaction acts on a par with synergistic interaction. Therefore, further investigation in additive interaction between antibiotics and adjuvant should be performed for a more in depth understanding of the mechanism and the impacts of such interaction.

Resonant quantum kicked rotor with two internal levels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hernández, Guzmán; Romanelli, Alejandro

2013-04-01

We study a system consisting of a quantum kicked rotor with an additional degree of freedom. We show analytically and numerically that this model is characterized by its quantum resonances with ballistic spreading and by the entanglement between the internal and momentum degrees of freedom. We conclude that the model shows certain interesting similarities with the standard quantum walk on the line.

Effect of Additional Suji Leaves and Turmeric Extract on Physicochemical Characteristic and Antioxidant Activity of Arenga-Canna Noodle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miftakhussolikhah; Ariani, D.; Herawati, ERN; Nastiti, A.; Angwar, M.; Pranoto, Y.

2017-12-01

Canna can be used as raw material for noodle but need a substitute material such as arenga starch. Arenga-canna noodle has dark appearance. Addition coloring agents from suji leaves and turmeric extract was done to improve product appearance and its functional characteristics. In this study, noodle was made with five variations of suji leaves and turmeric extract. Physical and chemical properties of noodle were analyzed. The results showed addition suji leaves extract and turmeric extract 0.4 g suji leaf/ml water and 0.06 g turmeric/ml water respectively, produce the best arenga-canna noodle quality. The addition of natural coloring agents increased antioxidant activity.

Influence of hydrophobic surface treatment toward performance of air filter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shahfiq Zulkifli, Nazrul; Zaini Yunos, Muhamad; Ahmad, Azlinnorazia; Harun, Zawati; Akhair, Siti Hajar Mohd; Adibah Raja Ahmad, Raja; Hafeez Azhar, Faiz; Rashid, Abdul Qaiyyum Abd; Ismail, Al Emran

2017-08-01

This study investigated the performance of hydrophobic surface treatment by using silica aerogel powder via spray coating techniques. Hydrophobic properties were determined by measuring the level of the contact angle. Meanwhile, performance was evaluated in term of the hydrogen gas flow and humidity rejection. The results are shown by contact angle that the microstructure filter, especially in the upper layer and sub-layer has been changed. The results also show an increase of hydrophobicity due to the increased quantity of silica aerogel powder. Results also showed that the absorption and rejection filter performance filter has increased after the addition of silica aerogel powder. The results showed that with the addition of 5 grams of powder of silica aerogel have the highest result of wetting angle 134.11°. The highest humidity rejection found with 5 grams of powder of silica aerogel.

Experimental Study on Application of Boron Mud Secondary Resource to Oxidized Pellets Production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fu, Xiao-Jiao; Chu, Man-Sheng; Zhao, Jia-Qi; Chen, Shuang-Yin; Liu, Zheng-Gen; Wang, Si-Yuan

2017-07-01

In order to realize comprehensive and massive treatment of boron mud secondary resource, fundamental study on boron mud applied to oxidized pellets production as additive was carried out in the paper under laboratory conditions. The effects of boron mud on the performance of oxidized pellets were investigated systemically, and boron mud was combined with other boron-rich material innovatively. The results showed that, within certain limits, boron mud can improve properties of oxidized pellets. The bentonite content decreased to 0.3 % when adding 1.0 % boron mud additive and the pellets met blast furnace requirements. With the combination additive content 0.8 %, bentonite content can be further decreased to 0.2 %, and the pellets properties were better than base pellet. Therefore, it was an effective way to reduce environmental pollution and optimize blast furnace operation by developing boron mud secondary resource as pellets additive.

Indigenous microorganisms production and the effect on composting process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abu-Bakar, Nurul-Ain; Ibrahim, Nazlina

2013-11-01

In this study, production of indigenous microorganisms (IMO) and effect on addition of IMO in composting process were done. Production of IMO was done in a series of steps to allow propagation of beneficial microorganisms. Effect of IMO addition in composting process was investigated by having 4 treatments; 1) rice straw without IMO nor manure and rice bran, 2) rice straw with IMO only, 3) rice straw with manure and rice bran, 4) rice straw with IMO, manure and rice bran. Production of IMO using cooked rice yields white molds. Addition of IMO during composting did not affect temperature increment. However, there were differences in numbers of microorganisms found during each stages of composting. Initial composting stage was dominated by mesophilic bacteria and actinomycetes, followed by thermophilic bacteria and later by actinomycetes upon composting completion. In conclusion, this study showed that IMO addition in composting increased microorganisms which are responsible in organic decomposition.

Genetic interactions contribute less than additive effects to quantitative trait variation in yeast

PubMed Central

Bloom, Joshua S.; Kotenko, Iulia; Sadhu, Meru J.; Treusch, Sebastian; Albert, Frank W.; Kruglyak, Leonid

2015-01-01

Genetic mapping studies of quantitative traits typically focus on detecting loci that contribute additively to trait variation. Genetic interactions are often proposed as a contributing factor to trait variation, but the relative contribution of interactions to trait variation is a subject of debate. Here we use a very large cross between two yeast strains to accurately estimate the fraction of phenotypic variance due to pairwise QTL–QTL interactions for 20 quantitative traits. We find that this fraction is 9% on average, substantially less than the contribution of additive QTL (43%). Statistically significant QTL–QTL pairs typically have small individual effect sizes, but collectively explain 40% of the pairwise interaction variance. We show that pairwise interaction variance is largely explained by pairs of loci at least one of which has a significant additive effect. These results refine our understanding of the genetic architecture of quantitative traits and help guide future mapping studies. PMID:26537231

Development of chitosan/pluronic F108/polyethersulfone (PES) nanofiltration (NF) membrane for oily wastewater treatment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamzah, Norzakiah; Rohani, Rosiah; Hassan, Abdul Rahman; Sharifuddin, Syazrin Syima; Isa, Mohd Hafez Mohd

2018-06-01

This study discusses a new finding for nanofiltration membrane development using phase inversion technique whereby polyethersulfone (PES) polymer was added with surfactant and additive. This research focuses on the development of a membrane that is efficient in treating oily wastewater and reducing membrane's low permeation flux issues. Five PES nanofiltration membranes were synthesized with pluronic F108 surfactant and different amounts of chitosan additive for each formulation. Subsequently, the effect of adding surfactant and additive on membrane performance was studied. Results showed that the membrane with the optimal amount of chitosan gave the highest flux and the rejection of oily wastewater with up to 90%. In addition, Fourier transform-infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy technique was used to characterize and analyse the membrane's properties. Hence, the developed membranes were successfully characterized and proved to be a good treatment for oily wastewater.

Regulating DNA Self-assembly by DNA-Surface Interactions.

PubMed

Liu, Longfei; Li, Yulin; Wang, Yong; Zheng, Jianwei; Mao, Chengde

2017-12-14

DNA self-assembly provides a powerful approach for preparation of nanostructures. It is often studied in bulk solution and involves only DNA-DNA interactions. When confined to surfaces, DNA-surface interactions become an additional, important factor to DNA self-assembly. However, the way in which DNA-surface interactions influence DNA self-assembly is not well studied. In this study, we showed that weak DNA-DNA interactions could be stabilized by DNA-surface interactions to allow large DNA nanostructures to form. In addition, the assembly can be conducted isothermally at room temperature in as little as 5 seconds. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

4. SOUTH SIDE OF BUILDING 2, (HANDBALL COURT ADDITION) SHOWING ...

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

4. SOUTH SIDE OF BUILDING 2, (HANDBALL COURT ADDITION) SHOWING RELATIONSHIP WITH GARAGE ADDITION OF BUILDING 1. - Chollas Heights Naval Radio Transmitting Facility, Helix House, 6410 Zero Road, San Diego, San Diego County, CA

A Double Shot of Information Literacy Instruction at a Community College

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Henry, Jo; Glauner, Dana; Lefoe, Grant

2015-01-01

This study analyzes the effectiveness of implementing four information literacy sessions within two different English classes in a community college setting. The study found significant improvement in the comfort level of students starting, researching, and writing papers. Additionally, students showed an increased understanding in areas of…

Current research in NRMRL on the mitigation of near-road air pollution by vegetative and structural barriers

EPA Science Inventory

Numerous research studies published in scientific literature have shown that people living, working, and going to school near large roads experience increased adverse health effects. In addition, studies show that air pollution is worse in close proximity to major roadways (e.g....

Dietary Management of Attention Deficit Disorder.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dengate, Sue

1997-01-01

Claims early studies of diet and ADHD focused irrelevantly on sugar, failing to sufficiently eliminate problem-causing foods, include parental observations, and adequately rate common symptoms. Asserts that recent studies show additive-free diets alone are of little benefit, that a low-chemical elimination diet followed by challenges can identify…

Better latent heat and specific heat of stearic acid with magnetite/graphene nanocomposite addition for thermal storage application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andiarto, R.; Nuryadin, M. K.; Taufik, A.; Saleh, R.

2017-04-01

In our previous study, the addition of Magnetite (Fe3O4) into Stearic acid (Sa) as an organic phase change material (PCM) shows an enhancement in the latent heat for thermal energy storage applications. The latent heat of the PCM can also be increased by adding graphene material. Therefore, in this research, the thermal properties of Sa have been studied by the sonication method for several different concentrations of Fe3O4/Graphene nanocomposite additions. The structural properties of all of the samples were observed by X-Ray diffraction (XRD). Melting-solidifying behavior and specific heat value were measured by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The thermal degradation process of all samples was investigated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Based on the DSC results, the presence of Fe3O4/Graphene in the Sa enhances the latent heat up to 20%. The specific heat value of the mixture was also found to be increased as the concentration of Fe3O4/Graphene to Sa increased. The TGA results show a lowered thermal degradation process of the Sa by the addition of the Fe3O4/Graphene which indicates a higher thermal stability of the mixture. In conclusion, the results demonstrate that the addition of Fe3O4/Graphene to Sa improves both the sensible heat and the latent heat of the mixture which are very important for thermal energy storage applications

In vitro evaluation of bioactivity of SiO2-CaO-P2O5-Na2O-CaF2-ZnO glass-ceramics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Riaz, Madeeha; Zia, Rehana; Saleemi, Farhat; Bashir, Farooq; Hossain, Tousif; Kayani, Zohra

2014-09-01

Zinc is an essential trace element that stimulates bone formation but it is also known as an inhibitor of apatite crystal growth. In this work addition of ZnO to SiO2-CaO-P2O5-Na2O-CaF2 glass-ceramic system was made by conventional melt-quenching technique. DSC curves showed that the addition of ZnO moved the endothermic and exothermic peaks to lower temperatures. X-ray diffraction analysis did not reveal any additional phase caused by ZnO addition and showed the presence of wollastonite and hydroxyapatite crystalline phases only in all the glass-ceramic samples. As bio-implant apatite forming ability is an essential condition, the surface reactivity of the prepared glass-ceramic specimens was studied in vitro in Kokubo's simulated body fluid (SBF) [1] with ion concentration nearly equal to human blood plasma for 30 days at 37 °C under static condition. Atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) was used to study the changes in element concentrations in soaking solutions and XRD, FT-IR and SEM were used to elucidate surface properties of prepared glass-ceramics, which confirmed the formation of HCAp on the surface of all glass-ceramics. It was found that the addition of ZnO had a positive effect on bioactivity of glass-ceramics and made it a potential candidate for restoration of damaged bones.

Additive noise-induced Turing transitions in spatial systems with application to neural fields and the Swift Hohenberg equation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hutt, Axel; Longtin, Andre; Schimansky-Geier, Lutz

2008-05-01

This work studies the spatio-temporal dynamics of a generic integral-differential equation subject to additive random fluctuations. It introduces a combination of the stochastic center manifold approach for stochastic differential equations and the adiabatic elimination for Fokker-Planck equations, and studies analytically the systems’ stability near Turing bifurcations. In addition two types of fluctuation are studied, namely fluctuations uncorrelated in space and time, and global fluctuations, which are constant in space but uncorrelated in time. We show that the global fluctuations shift the Turing bifurcation threshold. This shift is proportional to the fluctuation variance. Applications to a neural field equation and the Swift-Hohenberg equation reveal the shift of the bifurcation to larger control parameters, which represents a stabilization of the system. All analytical results are confirmed by numerical simulations of the occurring mode equations and the full stochastic integral-differential equation. To gain some insight into experimental manifestations, the sum of uncorrelated and global additive fluctuations is studied numerically and the analytical results on global fluctuations are confirmed qualitatively.

Anatomically ordered tapping interferes more with one-digit addition than two-digit addition: a dual-task fMRI study.

PubMed

Soylu, Firat; Newman, Sharlene D

2016-02-01

Fingers are used as canonical representations for numbers across cultures. In previous imaging studies, it was shown that arithmetic processing activates neural resources that are known to participate in finger movements. Additionally, in one dual-task study, it was shown that anatomically ordered finger tapping disrupts addition and subtraction more than multiplication, possibly due to a long-lasting effect of early finger counting experiences on the neural correlates and organization of addition and subtraction processes. How arithmetic task difficulty and tapping complexity affect the concurrent performance is still unclear. If early finger counting experiences have bearing on the neural correlates of arithmetic in adults, then one would expect anatomically and non-anatomically ordered tapping to have different interference effects, given that finger counting is usually anatomically ordered. To unravel these issues, we studied how (1) arithmetic task difficulty and (2) the complexity of the finger tapping sequence (anatomical vs. non-anatomical ordering) affect concurrent performance and use of key neural circuits using a mixed block/event-related dual-task fMRI design with adult participants. The results suggest that complexity of the tapping sequence modulates interference on addition, and that one-digit addition (fact retrieval), compared to two-digit addition (calculation), is more affected from anatomically ordered tapping. The region-of-interest analysis showed higher left angular gyrus BOLD response for one-digit compared to two-digit addition, and in no-tapping conditions than dual tapping conditions. The results support a specific association between addition fact retrieval and anatomically ordered finger movements in adults, possibly due to finger counting strategies that deploy anatomically ordered finger movements early in the development.

Formulation and characterization of bread using coconut-pulp flour and wheat flour composite with addition of xanthan-gum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Erminawati; Sidik, W.; Listanti, R.; Zulfakar, H.

2018-01-01

Coconut-pulp flour is coconut flour made from by-product of coconut-milk based food products. The flour contains no gluten and high fibre, which can be considered as functional potential food. Bread made from composite-flour of coconut-pulp flour and wheat flour was studied for its physic-chemical and sensory characteristics. Addition of hydrocolloid, like xanthan-gum, was aimed to provide viscoelasticity for the dough which is essential for baked product. Composite-flour proportion used in this study was; 10CPF/90WF, 15CPF/85WF and 20CPF/80WF; and xanthan gum to total flour of 0,1% and 0,4%. Variable observed were; crumb-texture, crumb-colour, taste of coconut, preference and flavour; moisture, ash, fiber and soluble-protein contents. The research showed that addition of coconut-pulp flour in the composite-flour decreased specific volume value and increased the bread texture produced. It also increased the bread moisture-content, ash-content, fibre-content and soluble protein-content. Moreover, the xanthan-gum addition resulted in decreased specific-volume value and increased texture and fiber-content of the bread produced. Overall, the sensory characteristic of crumb colour, flavour and panellist preference revealed better than control bread made from wheat flour, however its crumb texture harder compare to control bread made from wheat flour. This study showed that coconut-pulp flour potential to be developed for production of functional food.

Measurement of fracture toughness of metallic materials produced by additive manufacturing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Quénard, O.; Dorival, O.; Guy, Ph.; Votié, A.; Brethome, K.

2018-04-01

This study focuses on the microstructure and mechanical properties of metallic materials produced by additive layer manufacturing (ALM), especially the laser beam melting process. The influence of the specimen orientation during the ALM process and that of two post-build thermal treatments were investigated. The identified metal powder is Ti-6Al-4V (titanium base). Metallographic analysis shows their effects on the microstructure of the metals. Mechanical experiments involving tensile tests as well as toughness tests were performed according to ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) norms. The results show that the main influence is that of the thermal treatments; however the manufacturing stacking direction may lead to some anisotropy in the mechanical properties.

Thermally induced hydrosilylation at deuterium-terminated silicon nanoparticles: an investigation of the radical chain propagation mechanism.

PubMed

Holm, Jason; Roberts, Jeffrey T

2009-06-16

Isotopic labeling techniques were employed to study alkene addition to hydrogen- and deuterium-terminated silicon nanoparticles. Deuterium-terminated silicon nanoparticle synthesis is described, as is the characterization of fresh deuterium-terminated particles by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and in situ Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Particles were refluxed in pure 1-dodecene and subsequently characterized by FTIR and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. (1)H NMR results showed features consistent with dodecyl-terminated nanoparticles. Infrared absorption spectra of refluxed particles showed strong evidence of new C-D bond formation, which is consistent with a radical chain mechanism for alkene addition by hydrosilylation.

Sex differences in functional activation patterns revealed by increased emotion processing demands.

PubMed

Hall, Geoffrey B C; Witelson, Sandra F; Szechtman, Henry; Nahmias, Claude

2004-02-09

Two [O(15)] PET studies assessed sex differences regional brain activation in the recognition of emotional stimuli. Study I revealed that the recognition of emotion in visual faces resulted in bilateral frontal activation in women, and unilateral right-sided activation in men. In study II, the complexity of the emotional face task was increased through tje addition of associated auditory emotional stimuli. Men again showed unilateral frontal activation, in this case to the left; whereas women did not show bilateral frontal activation, but showed greater limbic activity. These results suggest that when processing broader cross-modal emotional stimuli, men engage more in associative cognitive strategies while women draw more on primary emotional references.

Adsorption of trace elements from poultry litter by montmorillonite clay.

PubMed

Subramanian, Bhaskaran; Gupta, Gian

2006-01-16

Poultry litter (PL) is used as fertilizer on agricultural lands because of its high nutrient content. However, the litter also contains trace elements such as As, Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn. On land application of PL, these trace elements may be absorbed by crops, leach into groundwater, or enter the aquatic system as run-off. The objective of this research was to study the effect of the addition of montmorillonite clay-mineral (CM) in reducing the release of trace elements from PL. Cd, Cu, and Zn showed significant decreases of 29, 34, and 22%, respectively, in PL aqueous leachate (compared with the control-PL without CM) on mixing with 0.05 g CM but no change in As, Co, and Cr concentrations was observed. Lead showed a significant increase in PL aqueous leachate on mixing with 0.2 g CM but Pb concentration was two orders of magnitude less than in CM aqueous leachate alone. On washing, the settled precipitate (PL+CM) in the centrifuge tubes with water (desorption study) most of the adsorbed metals (Cd 85%, Cu 61%, and Zn 100%) were released. The results of this study show that the addition of CM resulted in significant adsorption of Cd and Cu from PL.

Effect of Micronutrient Powder Addition on Sensory Properties of Foods for Older Adults.

PubMed

Field, Katherine M; Duncan, Alison M; Keller, Heather H; Stark, Ken D; Duizer, Lisa M

2017-10-01

Micronutrient fortification can improve nutrient intake of older adults in long-term care. However, previous studies indicate that micronutrient fortification can alter food sensory attributes and, potentially, consumer liking. Others have found no effect of fortification on liking. This research investigates the effect of micronutrient powder addition on the sensory properties of selected foods commonly served in long-term care. A micronutrient powder containing 9 vitamins and 3 minerals was added to tomato soup and oatmeal at different levels. Using projective mapping, changes in sensory properties were observed with powder addition. Descriptive analysis, used to quantify these changes, showed that both the tomato soup and oatmeal had reduced flavor as the amount of added micronutrient powder increased. Oatmeal also showed changes in texture with fortification. Consumer liking scores for tomato soup showed that micronutrient addition affected liking when 100% of a daily dose was added into the soup. Addition of 50% of the daily dose did not affect liking. Oatmeal liking did not differ between fortified and unfortified samples. Results from this research can be used to decide whether a micronutrient powder of selected vitamins and minerals can be added to foods served to older adults in long-term care. Although sensory properties of the foods will be altered, fortification of both tomato soup and oatmeal with the developed powder is possible without reducing consumer liking to the point where it is disliked. © 2017 Institute of Food Technologists®.

Addition-type polyimides from solutions of monomeric reactants

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Delvigs, P.; Serafini, T. T.; Lightsey, G. R.

1972-01-01

The monomeric reactants approach was used to fabricate addition-type polyimide/graphite fiber composites with improved mechanical properties and thermal stability characteristics over those of composites derived from addition-type amide acid prepolymers. A screening study of 24 different monomer combinations was performed. The results of a more extensive investigation of a selected number of monomer combinations showed that the combination providing the best thermomechanical properties was 5-norbornene-2,3-dicarboxylic acid monomethyl ester/4,4'-methylenedianiline/3,3'4,4'-benzophenone tetracarboxylic acid dimethyl ester at a molar ratio of 2/3.09/2.09.

34 CFR 658.33 - What additional criterion does the Secretary apply to applications from organizations and...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... language at the undergraduate level. (b) The Secretary reviews each application for information that shows... studies and the study of modern foreign language at the undergraduate level. (1) The Secretary looks for... international studies or modern foreign languages at the undergraduate level; and (iv) The adequacy of the...

77 FR 65059 - Takes of Marine Mammals Incidental to Specified Activities; Taking Marine Mammals Incidental to...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-10-24

... marine mammals were detected in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas during this time, none of the studies allowed us to identify specific density estimates. In addition, many studies show that marine mammal... the issuance of an IHA to ION (NMFS 2012), which also included three specific studies concerning...

Fine mapping and association studies of a high-density lipoprotein cholesterol linkage region on chromosome 16 in French-Canadian subjects

PubMed Central

Dastani, Zari; Pajukanta, Päivi; Marcil, Michel; Rudzicz, Nicholas; Ruel, Isabelle; Bailey, Swneke D; Lee, Jenny C; Lemire, Mathieu; Faith, Janet; Platko, Jill; Rioux, John; Hudson, Thomas J; Gaudet, Daniel; Engert, James C; Genest, Jacques

2010-01-01

Low levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) are an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. To identify novel genetic variants that contribute to HDL-C, we performed genome-wide scans and quantitative association studies in two study samples: a Quebec-wide study consisting of 11 multigenerational families and a study of 61 families from the Saguenay–Lac St-Jean (SLSJ) region of Quebec. The heritability of HDL-C in these study samples was 0.73 and 0.49, respectively. Variance components linkage methods identified a LOD score of 2.61 at 98 cM near the marker D16S515 in Quebec-wide families and an LOD score of 2.96 at 86 cM near the marker D16S2624 in SLSJ families. In the Quebec-wide sample, four families showed segregation over a 25.5-cM (18 Mb) region, which was further reduced to 6.6 Mb with additional markers. The coding regions of all genes within this region were sequenced. A missense variant in CHST6 segregated in four families and, with additional families, we observed a P value of 0.015 for this variant. However, an association study of this single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in unrelated Quebec-wide samples was not significant. We also identified an SNP (rs11646677) in the same region, which was significantly associated with a low HDL-C (P=0.016) in the SLSJ study sample. In addition, RT-PCR results from cultured cells showed a significant difference in the expression of CHST6 and KIAA1576, another gene in the region. Our data constitute additional evidence for a locus on chromosome 16q23-24 that affects HDL-C levels in two independent French-Canadian studies. PMID:19844255

Research on Capacity Addition using Market Model with Transmission Congestion under Competitive Environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Katsura, Yasufumi; Attaviriyanupap, Pathom; Kataoka, Yoshihiko

In this research, the fundamental premises for deregulation of the electric power industry are reevaluated. The authors develop a simple model to represent wholesale electricity market with highly congested network. The model is developed by simplifying the power system and market in New York ISO based on available data of New York ISO in 2004 with some estimation. Based on the developed model and construction cost data from the past, the economic impact of transmission line addition on market participants and the impact of deregulation on power plant additions under market with transmission congestion are studied. Simulation results show that the market signals may fail to facilitate proper capacity additions and results in the undesirable over-construction and insufficient-construction cycle of capacity addition.

CBVT analysis of canal configuration of the mesio-buccal root of maxillary first permanent molar teeth: An in vitro study.

PubMed

Shenoi, R Pratima; Ghule, Hrishikesh M

2012-07-01

For successful endodontic treatment, it's imperative to locate and obturate all root canals. As concluded by Ingle, the major cause for failure of root canal therapy is in ability to recognize all theexisting canals and subsequent failure in their obturation. To analyze the canal configuration of the mesio-buccal root of maxillary first permanent molar teeth. A total of 30 recently extracted human permanent maxillary first molars were collected and stored in a container with 5% Sodium Chloride solution for four days. Teeth with open apices, external resorption, improperly formed roots and teeth with previous restorations were excluded. Using the dental modeling wax, teeth were arranged in a 'U' shaped arch with roots embedded inside the wax and occlusal surface remaining free. 10 teeth were arranged in each arch and three such sample plates were prepared. Flat surface of the base encasing enabled the plate to be mounted on flat plastic bite plate. With bite plate roughly centered in the focal trough area Axial, Coronal and Sagittal section Cone-Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) images were taken with Kodak 9000 Extra-oral Imaging System. Images displayed on a monitor were inspected by two endodontists using Kodak Dental Imaging Software 3D Module V2.2. When the data was observed, it was found that 24 teeth out of total 30 teeth examined showed some variation (i.e. possible additional canal) along the length of the mesio-buccal root canal. Out of these 24 teeth, 13 showed presence of additional canal at coronal third, 7 showed presence of additional canal at middle third and four showed presence of additional canal in apical third level. Percentage analysis was done as there was no group comparison to be done. Cone-Beam Volumetric Tomography (CBVT) evaluation positively identified the variations in mesio-buccal canal in 80% of samples. Out of these, 54.16% were in coronal 3(rd), 29.16% in middle 3(rd) and 16.66% were in apical 3(rd). Within the limitations of this study, it can be concluded that- (1) more than half of maxillary first molars have four canals and (2) most of the additional canals were located in the MBR and CBVT is a good diagnostic tool to help diagnose these additional canals. Further investigations using larger sample sizes would be helpful.

Additive manufacturing of three-dimensional (3D) microfluidic-based microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) for acoustofluidic applications.

PubMed

Cesewski, Ellen; Haring, Alexander P; Tong, Yuxin; Singh, Manjot; Thakur, Rajan; Laheri, Sahil; Read, Kaitlin A; Powell, Michael D; Oestreich, Kenneth J; Johnson, Blake N

2018-06-13

Three-dimensional (3D) printing now enables the fabrication of 3D structural electronics and microfluidics. Further, conventional subtractive manufacturing processes for microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) relatively limit device structure to two dimensions and require post-processing steps for interface with microfluidics. Thus, the objective of this work is to create an additive manufacturing approach for fabrication of 3D microfluidic-based MEMS devices that enables 3D configurations of electromechanical systems and simultaneous integration of microfluidics. Here, we demonstrate the ability to fabricate microfluidic-based acoustofluidic devices that contain orthogonal out-of-plane piezoelectric sensors and actuators using additive manufacturing. The devices were fabricated using a microextrusion 3D printing system that contained integrated pick-and-place functionality. Additively assembled materials and components included 3D printed epoxy, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), silver nanoparticles, and eutectic gallium-indium as well as robotically embedded piezoelectric chips (lead zirconate titanate (PZT)). Electrical impedance spectroscopy and finite element modeling studies showed the embedded PZT chips exhibited multiple resonant modes of varying mode shape over the 0-20 MHz frequency range. Flow visualization studies using neutrally buoyant particles (diameter = 0.8-70 μm) confirmed the 3D printed devices generated bulk acoustic waves (BAWs) capable of size-selective manipulation, trapping, and separation of suspended particles in droplets and microchannels. Flow visualization studies in a continuous flow format showed suspended particles could be moved toward or away from the walls of microfluidic channels based on selective actuation of in-plane or out-of-plane PZT chips. This work suggests additive manufacturing potentially provides new opportunities for the design and fabrication of acoustofluidic and microfluidic devices.

Carrot Juice Fermentations as Man-Made Microbial Ecosystems Dominated by Lactic Acid Bacteria.

PubMed

Wuyts, Sander; Van Beeck, Wannes; Oerlemans, Eline F M; Wittouck, Stijn; Claes, Ingmar J J; De Boeck, Ilke; Weckx, Stefan; Lievens, Bart; De Vuyst, Luc; Lebeer, Sarah

2018-06-15

Spontaneous vegetable fermentations, with their rich flavors and postulated health benefits, are regaining popularity. However, their microbiology is still poorly understood, therefore raising concerns about food safety. In addition, such spontaneous fermentations form interesting cases of man-made microbial ecosystems. Here, samples from 38 carrot juice fermentations were collected through a citizen science initiative, in addition to three laboratory fermentations. Culturing showed that Enterobacteriaceae were outcompeted by lactic acid bacteria (LAB) between 3 and 13 days of fermentation. Metabolite-target analysis showed that lactic acid and mannitol were highly produced, as well as the biogenic amine cadaverine. High-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing revealed that mainly species of Leuconostoc and Lactobacillus (as identified by 8 and 20 amplicon sequence variants [ASVs], respectively) mediated the fermentations in subsequent order. The analyses at the DNA level still detected a high number of Enterobacteriaceae , but their relative abundance was low when RNA-based sequencing was performed to detect presumptive metabolically active bacterial cells. In addition, this method greatly reduced host read contamination. Phylogenetic placement indicated a high LAB diversity, with ASVs from nine different phylogenetic groups of the Lactobacillus genus complex. However, fermentation experiments with isolates showed that only strains belonging to the most prevalent phylogenetic groups preserved the fermentation dynamics. The carrot juice fermentation thus forms a robust man-made microbial ecosystem suitable for studies on LAB diversity and niche specificity. IMPORTANCE The usage of fermented food products by professional chefs is steadily growing worldwide. Meanwhile, this interest has also increased at the household level. However, many of these artisanal food products remain understudied. Here, an extensive microbial analysis was performed of spontaneous fermented carrot juices which are used as nonalcoholic alternatives for wine in a Belgian Michelin star restaurant. Samples were collected through an active citizen science approach with 38 participants, in addition to three laboratory fermentations. Identification of the main microbial players revealed that mainly species of Leuconostoc and Lactobacillus mediated the fermentations in subsequent order. In addition, a high diversity of lactic acid bacteria was found; however, fermentation experiments with isolates showed that only strains belonging to the most prevalent lactic acid bacteria preserved the fermentation dynamics. Finally, this study showed that the usage of RNA-based 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing greatly reduces host read contamination. Copyright © 2018 American Society for Microbiology.

Inhibition of breast tumor growth and angiogenesis by a medicinal herb: Ocimum sanctum

PubMed Central

Nangia-Makker, Pratima; Tait, Larry; Hogan, Victor; Shekhar, Malathy P.V.; Funasaka, Tatsuyoshi; Raz, Avraham

2013-01-01

Ocimum sanctum (OS) is a traditionally used medicinal herb, which shows anti-oxidant, anti-carcinogenic, radio-protective and free radical scavenging properties. So far no detailed studies have been reported on its effects on human cancers. Thus, we analyzed its effects on human breast cancer utilizing in vitro and in vivo methodologies. Aqueous extracts were prepared from the mature leaves of Ocimum sanctum cultivated devoid of pesticides. Tumor progression and angiogenesis related processes like chemotaxis, proliferation, apoptosis, 3-dimensional growth and morphogenesis, angiogenesis, and tumor growth were studied in the presence or absence of the extract and in some experiments a comparison was made with purified commercially available eugenol, apigenin and ursolic acid. Aqueous OS leaf extract inhibits proliferation, migration, anchorage independent growth, three dimensional growth and morphogenesis, and induction of COX-2 protein in breast cancer cells. A comparative analysis with eugenol, apigenin and ursolic acid showed that the inhibitory effects on chemotaxis and three dimensional morphogenesis of breast cancer cells were specific to OS extract. In addition, OS extracts also reduced tumor size and neoangiogenesis in a MCF10 DCIS.com xenograft model of human DCIS. This is the first detailed report showing that OS leaf extract may be of value as a breast cancer preventive and therapeutic agent and might be considered as additional additive in the arsenal of components aiming at combating breast cancer progression and metastasis. PMID:17437270

Hyperactivation of Akt/mTOR and deficiency in tuberin increased the oxidative DNA damage in kidney cancer patients with diabetes

PubMed Central

Habib, Samy L.; Liang, Sitai

2014-01-01

Recent study from our laboratory showed that patients with diabetes are at a higher risk of developing kidney cancer. In the current study, we have explored one of the mechanisms by which diabetes accelerates tumorigenesis in the kidney. Kidney cancer tissue from patients with diabetes showed a higher activity of Akt and decreased in total protein of tuberin compared to kidney cancer patient without diabetes or diabetes alone. In addition, a significant increase in phospho-Akt/tuberin expression was associated with an increase in Ki67 expression and activation of mTOR in kidney tumor with or without diabetes compared to diabetes alone. In addition, decrease in tuberin expression resulted in a significant decrease in protein expression of OGG1 and increased in oxidative DNA damage, 8-oxodG in kidney tissues from patients with cancer or cancer+diabetes. Importantly, these data showed that the majority of the staining of Akt/tuberin/p70S6K phosphorylation was more prominently in the tubular cells. In addition, accumulation of oxidative DNA damage is localized only in the nucleus of tubular cells within the cortex region. These data suggest that Akt/tuberin/mTOR pathway plays an important role in the regulation DNA damage and repair pathways that may predispose diabetic kidneys to pathogenesis of renal cell carcinoma. PMID:24797175

Phytate addition to soil induces changes in the abundance and expression of Bacillus β-propeller phytase genes in the rhizosphere.

PubMed

Jorquera, Milko A; Saavedra, Nicolás; Maruyama, Fumito; Richardson, Alan E; Crowley, David E; del C Catrilaf, Rosa; Henriquez, Evelyn J; de la Luz Mora, María

2013-02-01

Phytate-mineralizing rhizobacteria (PMR) perform an essential function for the mineralization of organic phosphorus but little is known about their ecology in soils and rhizosphere. In this study, PCR-based methods were developed for detection and quantification of the Bacillus β-propeller phytase (BPP) gene. Experiments were conducted to monitor the presence and persistence of a phytate-mineralizing strain, Bacillus sp. MQH19, after inoculation of soil microcosms and within the rhizosphere. The occurrence of the BPP gene in natural pasture soils from Chilean Andisols was also examined. The results showed that the Bacillus BPP gene was readily detected in sterile and nonsterile microcosms, and that the quantitative PCR (qPCR) methods could be used to monitor changes in the abundance of the BPP gene over time. Our results also show that the addition of phytate to nonsterile soils induced the expression of the BPP gene in the rhizosphere of ryegrass and the BPP gene was detected in all pasture soils sampled. This study shows that phytate addition soils induced changes in the abundance and expression of Bacillus BPP to genes in the rhizosphere and demonstrates that Bacillus BPP gene is cosmopolitan in pasture soils from Chilean Andisols. © 2012 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by Blackwell Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of Dietary Additives and Early Feeding on Performance, Gut Development and Immune Status of Broiler Chickens Challenged with Clostridium perfringens

PubMed Central

Ao, Z.; Kocher, A.; Choct, M.

2012-01-01

The effects of dietary additives and holding time on resistance and resilience of broiler chickens to Clostridium perfringens challenge were investigated by offering four dietary treatments. These were a negative control (basal), a positive control (Zn-bacitracin) and two dietary additives, mannanoligosaccharides (MOS), and acidifier. Two holding times included (a) immediate access to feed and water post hatch (FED) and (b) access to both feed and water 48 h post hatch (HELD). Chicks fed Zn-bacitracin had no intestinal lesions attributed to necrotic enteritis (NE), whereas chicks fed both MOS or acidifier showed signs of NE related lesions. All dietary treatments were effective in reducing the numbers of C. perfringens in the ileum post challenge. The FED chicks had heavier body weight and numerically lower mortality. The FED chicks also showed stronger immune responses to NE challenge, showing enhanced (p<0.05) proliferation of T-cells. Early feeding of the MOS supplemented diet increased (p<0.05) IL-6 production. The relative bursa weight of the FED chicks was heavier at d 21 (p<0.05). All the additives increased the relative spleen weight of the HELD chicks at d 14 (p<0.05). The FED chicks had increased villus height and reduced crypt depth, and hence an increased villus/crypt ratio, especially in the jejunum at d 14 (p<0.05). The same was true for the HELD chicks given dietary additives (p<0.05). It may be concluded that the chicks with early access to dietary additives showed enhanced immune response and gut development, under C. perfringens challenge. The findings of this study shed light on managerial and nutritional strategies that could be used to prevent NE in the broiler industry without the use of in-feed antibiotics. PMID:25049595

Mechanistic comparisons of functional domains across pediatric and adult bipolar disorder highlight similarities, as well as differences, influenced by the developing brain.

PubMed

Wegbreit, Ezra; Pavuluri, Mani

2012-01-01

Recent neuroimaging studies have uncovered much about the specific neural deficits in adult bipolar disorder (ABD), but despite promising results, neuroimaging research for pediatric bipolar disorder (PBD) is still developing. The neuroimaging literature is highly heterogeneous, varying in the paradigms used and in participants' mood states and medication status. Despite this variability, several dominant patterns emerge. In response to emotional stimuli, both ABD and PBD show limbic hyperactivity coupled with hypoactivity in ventral prefrontal emotion regulation systems. This pattern occurred most robustly in response to negative incidental stimuli and was especially apparent in manic PBD. ABD showed more variability in ventral prefrontal activity, possibly due to maturational and medication factors. On numerous cognitive paradigms, PBD showed dorsal prefrontal hypoactivity linked to ventral dysfunction, whereas ABD showed compensatory frontal, parietal, and temporal activity with paradigm-specific variations. In emotion-cognition interaction paradigms, patients show dysregulation in regions interfacing between cognitive and emotional brain systems (e.g., ventral prefrontal and cingulate cortices), which expend extra effort to process emotional stimuli effectively and recruit additional posterior attention systems to cope with affective instability. In addition, novel functional connectivity techniques have uncovered connectivity deficits between frontal and limbic regions in ABD and PBD at rest and during active emotional and cognitive tasks. Finally, the neuroimaging literature currently lacks cross-sectional studies comparing PBD with ABD and longitudinal studies following children and adolescents with BD into adulthood. Such studies would provide important insights into patients' prognosis and would determine targets for early interventions in the evolving illness diathesis.

Effective weight-loss using an e-health delivered physical activity and dietary intervention: A federal credit union pilot study.

PubMed

Gregoski, Mathew J; Newton, Janis; Ling, Catherine G; Blaylock, Kathleen; Smith, Sheila A O; Paguntalan, John; Treiber, Frank A

2016-04-06

This pilot study investigated the effectiveness of a distance-based e-health program delivered across multiple rural Federal Credit Union worksites that focused on physical activity and dietary education. Program design and implementation were based on the premises of Social Impact Theory (SIT). A sample of fifty-four participants (47 white. 7 black) aged 24 to 58 across different worksite locations completed 10 weeks of e-health delivered physical activity and dietary intervention. Pre to post weight changes were examined as a primary outcome. The findings showed that regardless of worksite location, participants on average reduced their weight by 10.13 lbs if they completed both the exercise and lunch and learn components of the study compared to a decrease of 2.73 lbs for participants who chose not to engage in the exercise related activities. Participant dropout from either group was less than four percent. The results of this study show the beneficial influence of physical activity integration using SIT upon distance programs targeting weight loss. In addition, the high adherence and weight loss success show promise and demonstrates the potential for e-health delivered exercise and lifestyle interventions. Further replication of results via additional randomized controlled trials is needed.

Petrographic and geochemical characteristics of a section through the Tiva Canyon Tuff at Antler Ridge, Yucca Mountain, Nevada

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

Singer, F.R.; Widmann, B.L.; Dickerson, R.P.

1994-12-31

The Tiva Canyon Tuff of the Paintbrush Group of Miocene age caps much of Yucca Mountain, Nevada and is a compositionally zoned, compound cooling, pyroclastic flow that ranges from a dominantly high-silica rhyolitic base to a quartz-latitic caprock. Petrographic and geochemical studies have focused on rigorously defining the internal stratigraphy of this unit to support the detailed mapping of the Ghost Dance fault and other structures in the central fault block of Yucca Mountain. This study shows that devitrification textures and vapor phase mineralogy, in addition to other physical attributes such as pumice variability (flattening) and crystal content, can bemore » used as distinguishing criteria to better define lithologic zones within the Tiva Canyon Tuff. In addition, the study also shows that the petrographic textures and chemistry of the groundmass vary systematically within recognizable lithologic zones and may be used to characterize and vertically divide litho-stratigraphic zones within the Tiva Canyon Tuff.« less

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

Edwards, Joshua R.; Prozialeck, Walter C.

Recent epidemiological studies suggest a positive association between exposure to the environmental pollutant cadmium (Cd) and the incidence and severity of diabetes. In this review, we examine the literature suggesting a relationship between Cd exposure, elevated blood glucose levels, and the development of diabetes. In addition we review human and animal studies indicating that Cd potentiates or exacerbates diabetic nephropathy. We also review the various possible cellular mechanisms by which Cd may alter blood glucose levels. In addition, we present some novel findings from our own laboratories showing that Cd elevates fasting blood glucose levels in an animal model ofmore » subchronic Cd exposure before overt signs of renal dysfunction are evident. These studies also show that Cd reduces insulin levels and has direct cytotoxic effects on the pancreas. Together, these findings indicate that Cd may be a factor in the development of some types of diabetes and they raise the possibility that Cd and diabetes-related hyperglycemia may act synergistically to damage the kidney.« less

Interaction of actin filaments with the plasma membrane in Amoeba proteus: studies using a cell model and isolated plasma membrane.

PubMed

Kawakatsu, T; Kikuchi, A; Shimmen, T; Sonobe, S

2000-08-01

We prepared a cell model of Amoeba proteus by mechanical bursting to study the interaction between actin filaments (AFs) and plasma membrane (PM). The cell model prepared in the absence of Ca2+ showed remarkable contraction upon addition of ATP. When the model was prepared in the presence of Ca2+, the cytoplasmic granules formed an aggregate in the central region, having moved away from PM. Although this model showed contraction upon addition of ATP in the presence of Ca2+, less contraction was noted. Staining with rhodamine-phalloidin revealed association of AFs with PM in the former model, and a lesser amount of association in the latter model. The interaction between AFs and PM was also studied using the isolated PM. AFs were associated with PM isolated in the absence of Ca2+, but were not when Ca2+ was present. These results suggest that the interaction between AFs and PM is regulated by Ca2+.

Polymer: bioceramic composites optimization by tetracycline addition.

PubMed

Pataro, André L; Oliveira, Michele F; Teixeira, Karina I R; Turchetti-Maia, Regina M M; Lopes, Miriam T P; Wykrota, Francisco H L; Sinisterra, Rubén D; Cortés, Maria E

2007-05-04

The aim of this study was to evaluate the biocompatibility of composites of poly-lactic acid polymer (PLA) and copolymer of lactic and glycolic acid (PLGA), dispersed in a bioceramic matrix, Osteosynt (BC), to which tetracycline (TC) was added. The in vitro test used direct contact test (ASTM F-813) and elution test (USP-XXIII, ISO 10993-5), and in vivo evaluation was performed after subcutaneous implantation in outbread Swiss mice. The 0.01% (w/w) TC addition did not affect composite cytotoxicity in vitro. The macroscopic and histologic evaluation in vivo after 1, 7, 13, 21, 28 and 56 days showed an initial intense infiltrate of inflammatory cells for most of the groups. The tissue showed normal pattern after 21 days for all the groups. TC addition exhibited significantly larger reduction of inflammation signs (Mann-Whitney test, p<0.05) in the critical period of the resolution of the inflammatory process. Angiogenesis, cellular adsorption and fibrous deposit were observed on SEM evaluation. In conclusion, TC addition optimized composites polymer/bioceramic biocompatibility, contributing to anti-inflammatory response during the early phases of the wound healing process.

Effects of dendritic load on the firing frequency of oscillating neurons.

PubMed

Schwemmer, Michael A; Lewis, Timothy J

2011-03-01

We study the effects of passive dendritic properties on the dynamics of neuronal oscillators. We find that the addition of a passive dendrite can sometimes have counterintuitive effects on firing frequency. Specifically, the addition of a hyperpolarized passive dendritic load can either increase, decrease, or have negligible effects on firing frequency. We use the theory of weak coupling to derive phase equations for "ball-and-stick" model neurons and two-compartment model neurons. We then develop a framework for understanding how the addition of passive dendrites modulates the frequency of neuronal oscillators. We show that the average value of the neuronal oscillator's phase response curves measures the sensitivity of the neuron's firing rate to the dendritic load, including whether the addition of the dendrite causes an increase or decrease in firing frequency. We interpret this finding in terms of to the slope of the neuronal oscillator's frequency-applied current curve. We also show that equivalent results exist for constant and noisy point-source input to the dendrite. We note that the results are not specific to neurons but are applicable to any oscillator subject to a passive load.

Effects of short-term warming and nitrogen addition on the quantity and quality of dissolved organic matter in a subtropical Cunninghamia lanceolata plantation.

PubMed

Yuan, Xiaochun; Si, Youtao; Lin, Weisheng; Yang, Jingqing; Wang, Zheng; Zhang, Qiufang; Qian, Wei; Chen, Yuehmin; Yang, Yusheng

2018-01-01

Increasing temperature and nitrogen (N) deposition are two large-scale changes projected to occur over the coming decades. The effects of these changes on dissolved organic matter (DOM) are largely unknown. This study aimed to assess the effects of warming and N addition on the quantity and quality of DOM from a subtropical Cunninghamia lanceolata plantation. Between 2014 and 2016, soil solutions were collected from 0-15, 15-30, and 30-60 cm depths by using a negative pressure sampling method. The quantity and quality of DOM were measured under six different treatments. The spectra showed that the DOM of the forest soil solution mainly consisted of aromatic protein-like components, microbial degradation products, and negligible amounts of humic-like substances. Warming, N addition, and warming + N addition significantly inhibited the concentration of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in the surface (0-15 cm) soil solution. Our results suggested that warming reduced the amount of DOM originating from microbes. The decrease in protein and carboxylic acid contents was mostly attributed to the reduction of DOC following N addition. The warming + N addition treatment showed an interactive effect rather than an additive effect. Thus, short-term warming and warming + N addition decreased the quantity of DOM and facilitated the migration of nutrients to deeper soils. Further, N addition increased the complexity of the DOM structure. Hence, the loss of soil nutrients and the rational application of N need to be considered in order to prevent the accumulation of N compounds in soil.

Effects of short-term warming and nitrogen addition on the quantity and quality of dissolved organic matter in a subtropical Cunninghamia lanceolata plantation

PubMed Central

Yuan, Xiaochun; Si, Youtao; Lin, Weisheng; Yang, Jingqing; Wang, Zheng; Zhang, Qiufang; Qian, Wei; Yang, Yusheng

2018-01-01

Increasing temperature and nitrogen (N) deposition are two large-scale changes projected to occur over the coming decades. The effects of these changes on dissolved organic matter (DOM) are largely unknown. This study aimed to assess the effects of warming and N addition on the quantity and quality of DOM from a subtropical Cunninghamia lanceolata plantation. Between 2014 and 2016, soil solutions were collected from 0–15, 15–30, and 30–60 cm depths by using a negative pressure sampling method. The quantity and quality of DOM were measured under six different treatments. The spectra showed that the DOM of the forest soil solution mainly consisted of aromatic protein-like components, microbial degradation products, and negligible amounts of humic-like substances. Warming, N addition, and warming + N addition significantly inhibited the concentration of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in the surface (0–15 cm) soil solution. Our results suggested that warming reduced the amount of DOM originating from microbes. The decrease in protein and carboxylic acid contents was mostly attributed to the reduction of DOC following N addition. The warming + N addition treatment showed an interactive effect rather than an additive effect. Thus, short-term warming and warming + N addition decreased the quantity of DOM and facilitated the migration of nutrients to deeper soils. Further, N addition increased the complexity of the DOM structure. Hence, the loss of soil nutrients and the rational application of N need to be considered in order to prevent the accumulation of N compounds in soil. PMID:29360853

Experimental Copper Deficiency, Chromium Deficiency and Additional Molybdenum Supplementation in Goats – Pathological Findings

PubMed Central

Aupperle, H; Schoon, HA; Frank, A

2001-01-01

Secondary copper (Cu) deficiency, chromium (Cr) deficiency and molybdenosis (Mo) has been suggested to cause the "mysterious" moose disease in the southwest of Sweden. The present experiment was performed on goats to investigate the clinical, chemical, and pathological alterations after 20 months feeding of a semi-synthetic diet deficient in Cu and Cr. Four groups were included in the study: control group (n = 4), Cu-deficient group (group 1, n = 4), Cr-deficient group (group 2, n = 2) and Cu+Cr-deficient group (group 3, n = 3). Group 3 was additionally supplemented with tetrathiomolybdate during the last 2 months of the experiment. Main histopathological findings in groups 1 and 3 were the lesions in the liver, characterised by a severe active fibrosis, bile duct proliferation, haemosiderosis and mild necroses. Additionally, degenerative alterations of the exocrine pancreas were prominent in groups 1 and 3. Lesions in group 3 were more pronounced than in group 1. In group 3, the skin showed an atrophic dermatosis, while in group 2 a crusty dermatitis caused by Candida spp. was observed. This study shows that liver, pancreas and skin are mainly affected by a long term deficiency of copper and the findings are complicated by molybdenum application while chromium deficiency produced no histomorphological effects in our study. PMID:11887391

Electrical, structural, thermal and electrochemical properties of corn starch-based biopolymer electrolytes.

PubMed

Liew, Chiam-Wen; Ramesh, S

2015-06-25

Biopolymer electrolytes containing corn starch, lithium hexafluorophosphate (LiPF6) and ionic liquid, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate (BmImPF6) are prepared by solution casting technique. Temperature dependence-ionic conductivity studies reveal Vogel-Tamman-Fulcher (VTF) relationship which is associated with free volume theory. Ionic liquid-based biopolymer electrolytes show lower glass transition temperature (Tg) than ionic liquid-free biopolymer electrolyte. X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies demonstrate higher amorphous region of ionic liquid-added biopolymer electrolytes. In addition, the potential stability window of the biopolymer electrolyte becomes wider and stable up to 2.9V. Conclusively, the fabricated electric double layer capacitor (EDLC) shows improved electrochemical performance upon addition of ionic liquid into the biopolymer electrolyte. The specific capacitance of EDLC based on ionic liquid-added polymer electrolyte is relatively higher than that of ionic liquid-free polymer electrolyte as depicted in cyclic voltammogram. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Miscibility and crystallization behavior of poly (3-hydroxybutyrate) and poly (ethylene glycol) blends studied by positron annihilation spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdel-Hady, E. E.; Abdel-Hamed, M. O.; Hammam, A. M.

2011-01-01

Positron annihilation Lifetime (PAL) spectroscopy has been used to study the effect of PEG concentrations on the free volume properties of PHB. The data revealed that the ortho-positronium (o-Ps) lifetime τPs increases with 20% increase in concentration, decrease as the concentration increases to 40%, then rapid increase at 50% concentration of PEG. The o-Ps intensity, I3, shows a linear dependence as the concentration increases with a discontinuity at 20% concentration of PEG. Furthermore, the results presented and discussed in this work show that the PHB and PEG are miscible up to 40% of PEG but greater than 40%, the blend is immiscible. In addition, the mechanical properties of PHB are well improved by the addition of PEG with a low concentration up to 20%, while at higher concentration the blend becomes waxy.

Corrosion Behavior of Aluminum Alloys in Acidic Media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramli, Rosliza; Seoh, S. Y.; Nik, W. B. Wan; Senin, H. B.

2007-05-01

The corrosion inhibition of Al and its alloys are the subject of tremendous technological importance due to the increased industrial applications of these materials. This study will report the results of weight loss, polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopic (EIS) measurements on the corrosion inhibition of AA6061 and AA6063 aluminum alloys in acidic media using sodium benzoate as an inhibitor. The results showed that addition of sodium benzoate retards the rate of dissolution and hence inhibits the corrosion of the aluminum alloy in acidic media. The inhibition efficiency increases with the increase of immersion time in acetic acid however it displays a different behavior in sulfuric acid. Langmuir adsorption isotherm fits well with the experimental data. EIS studies showed that there was a significant increase in overall resistance after addition of sodium benzoate, when compared to the case without inhibitor. Langmuir adsorption isotherm fits well with the experimental data.

Polymer Thin Film Stabilization.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Costa, A. C.; Oslanec, R.; Composto, R. J.; Vlcek, P.

1998-03-01

We study the dewetting dynamics of thin polystyrene (PS) films deposited on silicon oxide surfaces using optical (OM) and atomic force (AFM) microscopes. Quantitative analysis of the hole diameter as a function of annealing time at 175^oC shows that blending poly(styrene-block-methyl-methacrylate) (PS-b-PMMA) with PS acts to dramatically slow down the dewetting rate and even stops holes growth before they impinge. AFM studies show that the hole floor is smooth for a pure PS film but contains residual polymer for the blend. At 5% vol., a PS-b-PMMA with high molar mass and low PMMA is a more effective stabilizing agent than a low molar mass/high PMMA additive. The optimum copolymer concentration is 3% vol. beyond which film stability doesn't improve. Although dewetting is slowed down relative to pure PS, PS/PS-b-PMMA bilayers dewet at a faster rate than blends having the same overall additive concentration.

Impact of early hearing screening and treatment on language development and education level: evaluation of 6 years of universal newborn hearing screening (ALGO) in Flanders, Belgium.

PubMed

Verhaert, N; Willems, M; Van Kerschaver, E; Desloovere, C

2008-05-01

Early intervention in hearing-impaired children may improve language outcomes and subsequent school and occupational performance. The objective of this study was to retrospectively analyze over 6 years the educational outcome and language development of a first cohort of children, detected by the Flemish universal newborn hearing screening (UNHS) program based on automated auditory brainstem response (AABR), with the oldest children being in primary school. We studied 229 hearing-impaired children from 1998 till 2003. The following variables were considered: the age during the school year 2005-2006, the degree of hearing loss, additional impairments including presence of intellectual disability, school placement and early intervention. Analysis showed that 85.4% of the children with moderate, severe or profound hearing loss and no additional disability, older than 5.5 years, reach mainstream education. Further detailed description was provided for the outcomes of children with uni- and bilateral cochlear implants. Overall results stress that 46% of all children with a cochlear implant obtain mainstream education. Of all cochlear implant (CI) children above 5.5 years, without additional handicaps, 78.9% of children attend primary mainstream school. Data on language development show that up to 45% of the children with unilateral cochlear implant and no additional disabilities had normal to slight delay on language development. These data are fulfilling the goals stated by the JCIH and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) in 2000. The role and impact of additional handicaps is discussed. The importance of early hearing loss identification and hearing therapy for appropriate language development is highlighted. Finally our preliminary results on children with bilateral cochlear implants without additional handicaps present an improved language development in comparison to unilateral CI-children. A vast majority of the children detected by the UNHS program, with moderate, severe or profound hearing loss and no additional disability, older than 5.5 years, reach mainstream education. Additional disabilities have a major influence.

Effect of the Cerium Oxide (CeO2) on the Structural and Electrochemical Properties of the LaNi5Ce Metal Hydride Anode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Utami Hapsari, Ade; Zulfia, Anne; Raharjo, Jarot; Agustanhakri

2017-07-01

One of negative electrode, AB5-type alloy electrodes, have been extensively studied and applied in rechargeable Ni-MH batteries due to their excellent electrochemical characteristics. Some researchers have found that addition of rare earth oxides (La, Ce, Pr, Er, Tm, Yb) to AB5-type alloy (MH) electrode improves battery performance significantly. Cerium Oxide (CeO2) is a light rare earth oxide is widely obtained from the processing of tailings in mining activities. During this time, there is still little data for research applications of cerium oxide for electrode materials. In this paper, the effects of adding CeO2 on the performance metal hydride electrode were investigated. In order to study the effects of CeO2 on the performance of anode material, 1%, 2%, and 3% of weight ratio CeO2 was mixed to LaNi5 as an negative electrode. The powder mixtures were mechanically milled at a speed of rpm 240 for 2 hours using ball mill. The powder mixtures were characterized by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). Electrochemical characteristics were measured using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The powder mixing showed the presence of Ce atom substitution into LaNi5 structures that affect the electrochemical properties of the material. The addition of cerium oxide at LaNi5 increase of the value of impedance. However, the addition of the value of impedance at 1% CeO2 is not significant when compared with the addition of 2% and 3% CeO2 that actually make the electrochemical properties of LaNi5 worst. Although the addition of 1% CeO2 also slightly increases the impedance value of LaNi5, but the addition of 1% CeO2 showed increase the corrosion resistance than without the addition of CeO2 and the addition of 2% and 3% CeO2.

High Content Analysis technology for evaluating the joint toxicity of sunset yellow and sodium sulfite in vitro.

PubMed

Qu, Daofeng; Gu, Yanpei; Feng, Lifang; Han, Jianzhong

2017-10-15

Foods contain various additives that affect our daily lives. At present, food additive safety evaluation standards are based on the toxicity of single additives, but food additives are often used in combination and may have additive, synergistic or antagonistic actions. The current study investigated the toxicity of food additives and mechanisms of damage in HepG2 cells using High Content Analysis (HCA). We used the CCK-8 assay to determine cell viability, providing an experimental basis for determining the safety of food additives. All of the food additives tested were observed to decrease the growth of HepG2 cells in a dose-dependent manner. Sunset yellow and sodium sulfite had IC50 values of 1.06, and 0.30g/L at 24h, respectively. HCA showed that both sunset yellow and sodium sulfite had synergistic effects on cell number, membrane permeability, mitochondrial membrane potential, intracellular calcium level, oxidative stress, and high dose group DNA damage. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Algal sludge from Taihu Lake can be utilized to create novel PGPR-containing bio-organic fertilizers.

PubMed

Zhang, Miao; Li, Rong; Cao, Liangliang; Shi, Juanjuan; Liu, Hongjun; Huang, Yan; Shen, Qirong

2014-01-01

Large amounts of refloated algal sludge from Taihu Lake result in secondary environmental pollution due to annual refloatation. This study investigated the possibility to produce bio-organic fertilizer (BIO) using algal sludge as a solid-state fermentation (SSF) medium. Results showed that addition of algal sludge contributed to efficient SFF by a plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) strain SQR9 and improved the nutrient contents in the novel BIO. The optimum water content and initial inoculation size were 45% and 5%, respectively. After 6 days of SSF, the biomass of strain SQR9 was increased to a cell density of more than 5 × 10(7) CFU g(-1). Microcystins were rapidly degraded, and a high germination index value was observed. Plant growth experiments showed that the produced BIO efficiently promoted plant growth. Additional testing showed that the novel SSF process was also suitable for other PGPR strains. This study provides a novel way of high-value utilization of algal sludge from Taihu Lake by producing low-cost but high-quality BIOs. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Impact of variation in the BDNF gene on social stress sensitivity and the buffering impact of positive emotions: replication and extension of a gene-environment interaction.

PubMed

van Winkel, Mark; Peeters, Frenk; van Winkel, Ruud; Kenis, Gunter; Collip, Dina; Geschwind, Nicole; Jacobs, Nele; Derom, Catherine; Thiery, Evert; van Os, Jim; Myin-Germeys, Inez; Wichers, Marieke

2014-06-01

A previous study reported that social stress sensitivity is moderated by the brain-derived-neurotrophic-factor(Val66Met) (BDNF rs6265) genotype. Additionally, positive emotions partially neutralize this moderating effect. The current study aimed to: (i) replicate in a new independent sample of subjects with residual depressive symptoms the moderating effect of BDNF(Val66Met) genotype on social stress sensitivity, (ii) replicate the neutralizing impact of positive emotions, (iii) extend these analyses to other variations in the BDNF gene in the new independent sample and the original sample of non-depressed individuals. Previous findings were replicated in an experience sampling method (ESM) study. Negative Affect (NA) responses to social stress were stronger in "Val/Met" carriers of BDNF(Val66Met) compared to "Val/Val" carriers. Positive emotions neutralized the moderating effect of BDNF(Val66Met) genotype on social stress sensitivity in a dose-response fashion. Finally, two of four additional BDNF SNPs (rs11030101, rs2049046) showed similar moderating effects on social stress-sensitivity across both samples. The neutralizing effect of positive emotions on the moderating effects of these two additional SNPs was found in one sample. In conclusion, ESM has important advantages in gene-environment (GxE) research and may attribute to more consistent findings in future GxE research. This study shows how the impact of BDNF genetic variation on depressive symptoms may be explained by its impact on subtle daily life responses to social stress. Further, it shows that the generation of positive affect (PA) can buffer social stress sensitivity and partially undo the genetic susceptibility. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. and ECNP. All rights reserved.

Development of two-step process for enhanced biorecovery of Cu-Zn-Ni from computer printed circuit boards.

PubMed

Shah, Monal B; Tipre, Devayani R; Purohit, Mamta S; Dave, Shailesh R

2015-08-01

Metal pollution due to the huge electronic waste (E-waste) accumulation is widespread across the globe. Extraction of copper, zinc and nickel from computer printed circuit boards (c-PCB) with a two-step bleaching process using ferric sulphate generated by Leptospirillum ferriphilum dominated consortium and the factors influencing the process were investigated in the present study. The studied factors with 10 g/L pulp density showed that pH 2.0 was optimum which resulted in 87.50-97.80% Cu-Zn-Ni extraction. Pre-treatment of PCB powder with acidified distilled water and NaCl solution showed 3.80-7.98% increase in metal extraction corresponding to 94.08% Cu, 99.80% Zn and 97.99% Ni extraction. Particle size of 75 μm for Cu and Zn while 1680 μm for Ni showed 2-folds increase in metal extraction, giving 97.35-99.80% Cu-Zn-Ni extraction in 2-6 days of reaction time. Whereas; 2.76-3.12 folds increase in Cu and Zn extraction was observed with the addition of 0.1% chelating agents. When the studies were carried out with high pulp density, ferric iron concentration of 16.57 g/L was found to be optimum for metal extraction from 75 g/L c-PCB and c-PCB addition in multiple installments resulted in 8.81-26.35% increase in metal extraction compared to single addition. The studied factors can be implemented for the scale-up aimed at faster recovery of multimetals from E-waste and thereby providing a secondary source of metal in an eco-friendly manner. Copyright © 2014 The Society for Biotechnology, Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Do reading additions improve reading in pre-presbyopes with low vision?

PubMed

Alabdulkader, Balsam; Leat, Susan

2012-09-01

This study compared three different methods of determining a reading addition and the possible improvement on reading performance in children and young adults with low vision. Twenty-eight participants with low vision, aged 8 to 32 years, took part in the study. Reading additions were determined with (a) a modified Nott dynamic retinoscopy, (b) a subjective method, and (c) an age-based formula. Reading performance was assessed with MNREAD-style reading charts at 12.5 cm, with and without each reading addition in random order. Outcome measures were reading speed, critical print size, MNREAD threshold, and the area under the reading speed curve. For the whole group, there was no significant improvement in reading performance with any of the additions. When participants with normal accommodation at 12.5 cm were excluded, the area under the reading speed curve was significantly greater with all reading additions compared with no addition (p = 0.031, 0.028, and 0.028, respectively). Also, the reading acuity threshold was significantly better with all reading additions compared with no addition (p = 0.014, 0.030, and 0.036, respectively). Distance and near visual acuity, age, and contrast sensitivity did not predict improvement with a reading addition. All, but one, of the participants who showed a significant improvement in reading with an addition had reduced accommodation. A reading addition may improve reading performance for young people with low vision and should be considered as part of a low vision assessment, particularly when accommodation is reduced.

The Combination of DGT Technique and Traditional Chemical Methods for Evaluation of Cadmium Bioavailability in Contaminated Soils with Organic Amendment

PubMed Central

Yao, Yu; Sun, Qin; Wang, Chao; Wang, Pei-Fang; Miao, Ling-Zhan; Ding, Shi-Ming

2016-01-01

Organic amendments have been proposed as a means of remediation for Cd-contaminated soils. However, understanding the inhibitory effects of organic materials on metal immobilization requires further research. In this study colza cake, a typical organic amendment material, was investigated in order to elucidate the ability of this material to reduce toxicity of Cd-contaminated soil. Available concentrations of Cd in soils were measured using an in situ diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) technique in combination with traditional chemical methods, such as HOAc (aqua regia), EDTA (ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid), NaOAc (sodium acetate), CaCl2, and labile Cd in pore water. These results were applied to predict the Cd bioavailability after the addition of colza cake to Cd-contaminated soil. Two commonly grown cash crops, wheat and maize, were selected for Cd accumulation studies, and were found to be sensitive to Cd bioavailability. Results showed that the addition of colza cake may inhibit the growth of wheat and maize. Furthermore, the addition of increasing colza cake doses led to decreasing shoot and root biomass accumulation. However, increasing colza cake doses did lead to the reduction of Cd accumulation in plant tissues, as indicated by the decreasing Cd concentrations in shoots and roots. The labile concentration of Cd obtained by DGT measurements and the traditional chemical extraction methods, showed the clear decrease of Cd with the addition of increasing colza cake doses. All indicators showed significant positive correlations (p < 0.01) with the accumulation of Cd in plant tissues, however, all of the methods could not reflect plant growth status. Additionally, the capability of Cd to change from solid phase to become available in a soil solution decreased with increasing colza cake doses. This was reflected by the decreases in the ratio (R) value of CDGT to Csol. Our study suggests that the sharp decrease in R values could not only reflect the extremely low capability of labile Cd to be released from its solid phase, but may also be applied to evaluate the abnormal growth of the plants. PMID:27314376

The Combination of DGT Technique and Traditional Chemical Methods for Evaluation of Cadmium Bioavailability in Contaminated Soils with Organic Amendment.

PubMed

Yao, Yu; Sun, Qin; Wang, Chao; Wang, Pei-Fang; Miao, Ling-Zhan; Ding, Shi-Ming

2016-06-15

Organic amendments have been proposed as a means of remediation for Cd-contaminated soils. However, understanding the inhibitory effects of organic materials on metal immobilization requires further research. In this study colza cake, a typical organic amendment material, was investigated in order to elucidate the ability of this material to reduce toxicity of Cd-contaminated soil. Available concentrations of Cd in soils were measured using an in situ diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) technique in combination with traditional chemical methods, such as HOAc (aqua regia), EDTA (ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid), NaOAc (sodium acetate), CaCl₂, and labile Cd in pore water. These results were applied to predict the Cd bioavailability after the addition of colza cake to Cd-contaminated soil. Two commonly grown cash crops, wheat and maize, were selected for Cd accumulation studies, and were found to be sensitive to Cd bioavailability. Results showed that the addition of colza cake may inhibit the growth of wheat and maize. Furthermore, the addition of increasing colza cake doses led to decreasing shoot and root biomass accumulation. However, increasing colza cake doses did lead to the reduction of Cd accumulation in plant tissues, as indicated by the decreasing Cd concentrations in shoots and roots. The labile concentration of Cd obtained by DGT measurements and the traditional chemical extraction methods, showed the clear decrease of Cd with the addition of increasing colza cake doses. All indicators showed significant positive correlations (p < 0.01) with the accumulation of Cd in plant tissues, however, all of the methods could not reflect plant growth status. Additionally, the capability of Cd to change from solid phase to become available in a soil solution decreased with increasing colza cake doses. This was reflected by the decreases in the ratio (R) value of CDGT to Csol. Our study suggests that the sharp decrease in R values could not only reflect the extremely low capability of labile Cd to be released from its solid phase, but may also be applied to evaluate the abnormal growth of the plants.

Opposite initialization to novel cues in dopamine signaling in ventral and posterior striatum in mice

PubMed Central

Menegas, William; Babayan, Benedicte M; Uchida, Naoshige; Watabe-Uchida, Mitsuko

2017-01-01

Dopamine neurons are thought to encode novelty in addition to reward prediction error (the discrepancy between actual and predicted values). In this study, we compared dopamine activity across the striatum using fiber fluorometry in mice. During classical conditioning, we observed opposite dynamics in dopamine axon signals in the ventral striatum (‘VS dopamine’) and the posterior tail of the striatum (‘TS dopamine’). TS dopamine showed strong excitation to novel cues, whereas VS dopamine showed no responses to novel cues until they had been paired with a reward. TS dopamine cue responses decreased over time, depending on what the cue predicted. Additionally, TS dopamine showed excitation to several types of stimuli including rewarding, aversive, and neutral stimuli whereas VS dopamine showed excitation only to reward or reward-predicting cues. Together, these results demonstrate that dopamine novelty signals are localized in TS along with general salience signals, while VS dopamine reliably encodes reward prediction error. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.21886.001 PMID:28054919

Ultra-Wide Field Imaging in Paradoxical Worsening of Tubercular Multifocal Serpiginoid Choroiditis after the Initiation of Anti-Tubercular Therapy.

PubMed

Aggarwal, Kanika; Agarwal, Aniruddha; Deokar, Ankit; Singh, Ramandeep; Bansal, Reema; Sharma, Aman; Sharma, Kusum; Dogra, Mangat R; Gupta, Vishali

2017-10-11

To evaluate role of ultra-wide field (UWF) versus conventional imaging in the follow-up and paradoxical worsening (PW) of tubercular (TB) multifocal serpiginoid choroiditis (MSC). Prospective observational study of patients with TB MSC undergoing UWF imaging, autofluorescence and fluorescein angiography was performed. A circle simulating central 75° field representing conventional imaging was drawn on UWF images. The information yielded by the two modalities, progression of choroiditis lesions and PW was compared. 44 eyes (29 patients, mean age: 30.7 ± 9 years; 23 males) were included. UWF imaging showed additional lesions in 39/44 eyes (88.6%). Overall, 16/44 eyes (36.4%) showed PW; 3/16 eyes (18.7%) showed only peripheral PW, while 10/16 eyes showed both central and peripheral PW. Management was altered in 11 patients (37.93%) based on UWF imaging. UWF is more useful than conventional imaging in identifying additional choroiditis lesions, PW and altering the course of therapy in TB MSC.

Effects of sulfur-based hemostatic agents and gingival retraction cords handled with latex gloves on the polymerization of polyvinyl siloxane impression materials

PubMed Central

MACHADO, Carlos Eduardo Palhares; GUEDES, Carlos Gramani

2011-01-01

Objectives This study investigated the possible interactions between three addition silicone materials (Express®, Aquasil Ultra® and Adsil®), three hemostatic agents (ferric sulfate, StatGel FS®; aluminum sulfate, GelCord®; and aluminum chloride, Hemostop®) and gingival retraction cords previously handled with latex gloves to determine whether direct contact with medicaments or indirect contamination by latex in conditions similar to those found in clinical practice inhibit or affect the setting of the impression materials. Material and Methods A portable device for the simultaneous test of several specimens was specifically developed for this study. Polymerization inhibition was analyzed by examination of the impressions and the molded surface. Ten trials were performed for each addition silicone material used in the study, at a total of 240 study samples. Results All the samples tested (N=240) were nonreactive regardless of the type of combination used. Conclusions Aluminum sulfate, ferric sulfate and aluminum chloride hemostatic solutions did not show any inhibitory potential on the addition silicone samples under study, and there were no changes in polymerization as a result of contact between addition silicone and retraction cords handled with latex gloves. PMID:22230998

Effects of sulfur-based hemostatic agents and gingival retraction cords handled with latex gloves on the polymerization of polyvinyl siloxane impression materials.

PubMed

Machado, Carlos Eduardo Palhares; Guedes, Carlos Gramani

2011-01-01

This study investigated the possible interactions between three addition silicone materials (Express®, Aquasil Ultra® and Adsil®), three hemostatic agents (ferric sulfate, StatGel FS®; aluminum sulfate, GelCord®; and aluminum chloride, Hemostop®) and gingival retraction cords previously handled with latex gloves to determine whether direct contact with medicaments or indirect contamination by latex in conditions similar to those found in clinical practice inhibit or affect the setting of the impression materials. A portable device for the simultaneous test of several specimens was specifically developed for this study. Polymerization inhibition was analyzed by examination of the impressions and the molded surface. Ten trials were performed for each addition silicone material used in the study, at a total of 240 study samples. All the samples tested (N=240) were nonreactive regardless of the type of combination used. Aluminum sulfate, ferric sulfate and aluminum chloride hemostatic solutions did not show any inhibitory potential on the addition silicone samples under study, and there were no changes in polymerization as a result of contact between addition silicone and retraction cords handled with latex gloves.

Phytoplankton growth response to Asian dust addition in the northwest Pacific Ocean versus the Yellow Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Chao; Gao, Huiwang; Yao, Xiaohong; Shi, Zongbo; Shi, Jinhui; Yu, Yang; Meng, Ling; Guo, Xinyu

2018-02-01

In this study, five on-board microcosm experiments were performed in the subtropical gyre, the Kuroshio Extension region of the northwest Pacific Ocean (NWPO), and the Yellow Sea (YS) in order to investigate phytoplankton growth following the addition of artificially modified mineral dust (AM dust) and various nutrients (nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), iron (Fe), N + P, and N + P + Fe). The two experiments carried out with AM-dust addition in the subtropical gyre showed a maximum chlorophyll a (Chl a) concentration increase of 1.7- and 2.8-fold, while the cell abundance of large-sized phytoplankton ( > 5 µm) showed a 1.8- and 3.9-fold increase, respectively, relative to the controls. However, in the Kuroshio Extension region and the YS, the increases in maximum Chl a and cell abundance of large-sized phytoplankton following AM-dust addition were at most 1.3-fold and 1.7-fold larger than those in the controls, respectively. A net conversion efficiency index (NCEI) newly proposed in this study, size-fractionated Chl a, and the abundance of large-sized phytoplankton were analysed to determine which nutrients contribute to supporting phytoplankton growth. Our results demonstrate that a combination of nutrients, N-P or N + P + Fe, is responsible for phytoplankton growth in the subtropical gyre following AM-dust addition. Single nutrient addition, i.e., N in the Kuroshio Extension region and P or N in the YS, controls the phytoplankton growth following AM-dust addition. In the AM-dust-addition experiments, in which the increased N-P or P was identified to determine phytoplankton growth, the dissolved inorganic P from AM dust (8.6 nmol L-1) was much lower than the theoretically estimated minimum P demand (˜ 20 nmol L-1) for phytoplankton growth. These observations suggest that additional supply augments the bioavailable P stock in incubated seawater with AM-dust addition, most likely due to an enhanced solubility of P from AM dust or the remineralization of the dissolved organic P.

Comparing the Effectiveness and Safety of the Addition of and Switching to Aripiprazole for Resolving Antipsychotic-Induced Hyperprolactinemia: A Multicenter, Open-Label, Prospective Study.

PubMed

Yoon, Hui Woo; Lee, Jung Suk; Park, Sang Jin; Lee, Seon-Koo; Choi, Won-Jung; Kim, Tae Yong; Hong, Chang Hyung; Seok, Jeong-Ho; Park, Il-Ho; Son, Sang Joon; Roh, Daeyoung; Kim, Bo-Ra; Lee, Byung Ook

Hyperprolactinemia is an important but often overlooked adverse effect of antipsychotics. Several studies have shown that switching to or adding aripiprazole normalizes antipsychotic-induced hyperprolactinemia. However, no study has directly compared the effectiveness and safety of the 2 strategies. A total of 52 patients with antipsychotic-induced hyperprolactinemia were recruited. Aripiprazole was administered to patients with mild hyperprolactinemia (serum prolactin level < 50 ng/mL). Patients with severe hyperprolactinemia (serum prolactin level > 50 ng/mL) were randomized to an aripiprazole-addition group (adding aripiprazole to previous antipsychotics) or a switching group (switching previous antipsychotics to aripiprazole). Serum prolactin level, menstrual disturbances, sexual dysfunction, psychopathologies, and quality of life were measured at weeks 0, 1, 2, 4, 6, and 8. Both the addition and switching groups showed significantly reduced serum prolactin level and menstrual disturbances and improved sexual dysfunction. In patients with severe hyperprolactinemia, the numbers of patients with hyperprolactinemia and menstrual disturbance in the switching group were significantly lower than those in the addition group at week 8. Both the addition and switching strategies were effective in resolving antipsychotic-induced hyperprolactinemia and hyperprolactinemia-related adverse events, including menstrual disturbances and sexual dysfunction. In addition, these findings suggest that switching to aripiprazole may be more effective than addition of aripiprazole for normalizing hyperprolactinemia and improving hyperprolactinemia-related adverse events in patients with schizophrenia.

Outcomes of an enhancement study with additional psychoeducational sessions for healthy siblings of a child with cancer during inpatient family-oriented rehabilitation.

PubMed

Niemitz, Mandy; Goldbeck, Lutz

2018-03-01

Chronic illness of a child puts healthy children of the family at risk of distress. Previous studies have demonstrated that healthy children's psychological symptoms can be reduced when the child knows more about the disease. So far, there is limited evidence of the effectiveness of psychoeducational interventions for healthy children. To compare the effectiveness of an inpatient family-oriented rehabilitation program with vs without additional psychoeducational sessions for healthy children of families with children with cancer. We performed a controlled study in 4 German family-oriented rehabilitation clinics. The outcomes of n = 73 healthy children (mean age: M = 9.55; SD = 3.14; range: 4-18), who participated in 5 additional psychoeducational sessions, were compared with the outcomes of n = 111 healthy children (mean age: M = 8.85; SD = 3.28; range: 4-17), who underwent the usual inpatient rehabilitation program. Primary outcomes were the healthy children's cancer-specific knowledge and their emotional symptoms. Secondary outcomes were family satisfaction and quality of life. Intention-to-treat analyses showed that both groups improved significantly from preintervention to postintervention. Improvements comprised knowledge about cancer (F(1,174) = 11.03, p < 0.001), self-reported emotional symptoms (F(1,135) = 31.68, p < 0.001), and parent-proxy-reported emotional symptoms (F(1,179) = 37.07, p < 0.001). The additional psycho-educational program did not significantly enhance the outcomes. The same pattern of significant improvement in both conditions emerged for all secondary outcomes. The immediate effects of the intervention persisted until 2 months after discharge from the rehabilitation program. Inpatient family-oriented rehabilitation is effective in improving multiple psychosocial outcomes of healthy children in families which have a child with cancer. Additional psycho-educational sessions did not show any substantial additional improvement. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Decomposing Additive Genetic Variance Revealed Novel Insights into Trait Evolution in Synthetic Hexaploid Wheat.

PubMed

Jighly, Abdulqader; Joukhadar, Reem; Singh, Sukhwinder; Ogbonnaya, Francis C

2018-01-01

Whole genome duplication (WGD) is an evolutionary phenomenon, which causes significant changes to genomic structure and trait architecture. In recent years, a number of studies decomposed the additive genetic variance explained by different sets of variants. However, they investigated diploid populations only and none of the studies examined any polyploid organism. In this research, we extended the application of this approach to polyploids, to differentiate the additive variance explained by the three subgenomes and seven sets of homoeologous chromosomes in synthetic allohexaploid wheat (SHW) to gain a better understanding of trait evolution after WGD. Our SHW population was generated by crossing improved durum parents ( Triticum turgidum; 2n = 4x = 28, AABB subgenomes) with the progenitor species Aegilops tauschii (syn Ae. squarrosa, T. tauschii ; 2n = 2x = 14, DD subgenome). The population was phenotyped for 10 fungal/nematode resistance traits as well as two abiotic stresses. We showed that the wild D subgenome dominated the additive effect and this dominance affected the A more than the B subgenome. We provide evidence that this dominance was not inflated by population structure, relatedness among individuals or by longer linkage disequilibrium blocks observed in the D subgenome within the population used for this study. The cumulative size of the three homoeologs of the seven chromosomal groups showed a weak but significant positive correlation with their cumulative explained additive variance. Furthermore, an average of 69% for each chromosomal group's cumulative additive variance came from one homoeolog that had the highest explained variance within the group across all 12 traits. We hypothesize that structural and functional changes during diploidization may explain chromosomal group relations as allopolyploids keep balanced dosage for many genes. Our results contribute to a better understanding of trait evolution mechanisms in polyploidy, which will facilitate the effective utilization of wheat wild relatives in breeding.

Decomposing Additive Genetic Variance Revealed Novel Insights into Trait Evolution in Synthetic Hexaploid Wheat

PubMed Central

Jighly, Abdulqader; Joukhadar, Reem; Singh, Sukhwinder; Ogbonnaya, Francis C.

2018-01-01

Whole genome duplication (WGD) is an evolutionary phenomenon, which causes significant changes to genomic structure and trait architecture. In recent years, a number of studies decomposed the additive genetic variance explained by different sets of variants. However, they investigated diploid populations only and none of the studies examined any polyploid organism. In this research, we extended the application of this approach to polyploids, to differentiate the additive variance explained by the three subgenomes and seven sets of homoeologous chromosomes in synthetic allohexaploid wheat (SHW) to gain a better understanding of trait evolution after WGD. Our SHW population was generated by crossing improved durum parents (Triticum turgidum; 2n = 4x = 28, AABB subgenomes) with the progenitor species Aegilops tauschii (syn Ae. squarrosa, T. tauschii; 2n = 2x = 14, DD subgenome). The population was phenotyped for 10 fungal/nematode resistance traits as well as two abiotic stresses. We showed that the wild D subgenome dominated the additive effect and this dominance affected the A more than the B subgenome. We provide evidence that this dominance was not inflated by population structure, relatedness among individuals or by longer linkage disequilibrium blocks observed in the D subgenome within the population used for this study. The cumulative size of the three homoeologs of the seven chromosomal groups showed a weak but significant positive correlation with their cumulative explained additive variance. Furthermore, an average of 69% for each chromosomal group's cumulative additive variance came from one homoeolog that had the highest explained variance within the group across all 12 traits. We hypothesize that structural and functional changes during diploidization may explain chromosomal group relations as allopolyploids keep balanced dosage for many genes. Our results contribute to a better understanding of trait evolution mechanisms in polyploidy, which will facilitate the effective utilization of wheat wild relatives in breeding. PMID:29467793

The Influence of Prefermentative Addition of Gallic Acid on the Phenolic Composition and Chromatic Characteristics of Cabernet Sauvignon Wines.

PubMed

Liu, Yue; Zhang, Bo; He, Fei; Duan, Chang-Qing; Shi, Ying

2016-07-01

In this study, the prefermentative addition of gallic acid in Cabernet Sauvignon red winemaking was performed. The influence of gallic acid addition on wine phenolic composition, the ratio of copigmentation, and the color parameters were monitored throughout the winemaking process. The results showed that the prefermentative addition of gallic acid enhanced the extraction of total anthocyanins and the copigmentation effect, producing wines with more darkness, redness, yellowness, and saturation. Moreover, the addition of gallic acid contributed to the concentration of total phenolic acids. However, it had a negative effect on the concentrations of flavonols and flavan-3-ols in the final wines. Thus, the prefermentative addition of gallic acid at appropriate levels might be a promising enological technology to obtain wines with high color quality and aging potential. © 2016 Institute of Food Technologists®

Studies on nano-additive for the substitution of hazardous chemical substances in antifouling coatings for the protection of ship hulls.

PubMed

Zhao, Xiaodong; Fan, Weijie; Duan, Jizhou; Hou, Baorong

2014-07-01

Adhesion and growth of biofouling organisms have severe influence on the reliability, service life and environmental adaptability of marine ships. Based on the bactericidal capacity of cuprous oxide and photochemical effect of nano-additive, environment-friendly and efficient marine antifouling paints were prepared in this study. The evaluation of the antifouling paints was carried out by the laboratory method using bacteria and phytoplanktonic microorganisms as target organisms, as well as measurements with panels in shallow submergence in natural seawater. Results showed good agreement of all the tests, indicating the remarkable antifouling performance of the paints. To our knowledge, this was one of the first systematic studies on effects of nano-additive for the substitution of hazardous chemical substances in antifouling coatings for the protection of ship hulls by measurements on bacterial inhibition, algal adhesion and growth of large organisms.

Studies for understanding effects of additions on the strength of cement concrete

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bucur, R. D.; Barbuta, M.; Konvalina, P.; Serbanoiu, A. A.; Bernas, J.

2017-09-01

The paper analyzes the effects of different types of additions introduced in concrete mix on the compressive strength. The current studies show that additions contribute to improve some characteristics of concrete and to reduce the cement dosage, so it can obtain concretes which are cheaper and friendlier with environment. In the experimental mixes were introduced: crushed natural aggregates, slag aggregates, silica fume, fly ash, chopped tire, polystyrene granule, glass fibers and metallic fibers. The experimental values of compressive strengths were compared for two concrete grades (C20/25 and C25/30). The study shown that near the well-known possibilities of improving mechanical strengths of cement concrete by increasing cement dosage and strength, by using crushed aggregates and by reducing the water/cement ratio, there are other methods in which less cement is used by replacing it with different wastes or by adding fiber.

Preparation and Characterization of SN-38-Encapsulated Phytantriol Cubosomes Containing α-Monoglyceride Additives.

PubMed

Ali, Md Ashraf; Noguchi, Shuji; Iwao, Yasunori; Oka, Toshihiko; Itai, Shigeru

2016-01-01

SN-38 is a potent active metabolite of irinotecan that has been considered as an anticancer candidate. However, the clinical development of this compound has been hampered by its poor aqueous solubility and chemical instability. In this study, we developed SN-38-encapsulated cubosomes to resolve these problems. Six α-monoglyceride additives, comprising monocaprylin, monocaprin, monolaurin, monomyristin, monopalmitin, and monostearin, were used to prepare phytantriol (PHYT) cubosomes by probe sonication. The mean particle size, polydispersity index, and zeta potential values of these systems were around 190-230 nm, 0.19-0.25 and -17 to -22 mV, respectively. Small-angle X-ray scattering analyses confirmed that the SN-38-encapsulated cubosomes existed in the Pn̄3m space group both with and without the additives. The monoglyceride additives led to around a two-fold increase in the solubility of SN-38 compared with the PHYT cubosome. The drug entrapment efficiency of PHYT cubosomes with additives was greater than 97%. The results of a stability study at 25°C showed no dramatic changes in the particle size or polydispersity index characteristics, with at least 85% of the SN-38 existing in its active lactone form after 10 d, demonstrating the high stability of the cubosome nanoparticles. Furthermore, approximately 55% of SN-38 was slowly released from the cubosomes with additives over 96 h in vitro under physiological conditions. Taken together, these results show that the SN-38-encapsulated PHYT cubosome particles are promising drug carriers that should be considered for further in vivo experiments, including drug delivery to tumor cells using the enhanced permeability and retention effect.

High phosphate diet increases arterial blood pressure via a parathyroid hormone mediated increase of renin.

PubMed

Bozic, Milica; Panizo, Sara; Sevilla, Maria A; Riera, Marta; Soler, Maria J; Pascual, Julio; Lopez, Ignacio; Freixenet, Montserrat; Fernandez, Elvira; Valdivielso, Jose M

2014-09-01

There is growing evidence suggesting that phosphate intake is associated with blood pressure levels. However, data from epidemiological studies show inconsistent results. The present study was designed to evaluate the effect of high circulating phosphorus on arterial blood pressure of healthy rats and to elucidate the potential mechanism that stands behind this effect. Animals fed a high phosphate diet for 4 weeks showed an increase in blood pressure, which returned to normal values after the addition of a phosphate binder (lanthanum carbonate) to the diet. The expression of renin in the kidney was higher, alongside an increase in plasma renin activity, angiotensin II (Ang II) levels and left ventricular hypertrophy. The addition of the phosphate binder blunted the increase in renin and Ang II levels. The levels of parathyroid hormone (PTH) were also higher in animals fed a high phosphate diet, and decreased when the phosphate binder was present in the diet. However, blood P levels remained elevated. A second group of rats underwent parathyroidectomy and received a continuous infusion of physiological levels of PTH through an implanted mini-osmotic pump. Animals fed a high phosphate diet with continuous infusion of PTH did not show an increase in blood pressure, although blood P levels were elevated. Finally, unlike with verapamil, the addition of losartan to the drinking water reverted the increase in blood pressure in rats fed a high phosphate diet. The results of this study suggest that a high phosphate diet increases arterial blood pressure through an increase in renin mediated by PTH.

Tribological study on rapeseed oil with nano-additives in close contact sliding situation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gupta, Rajeev Nayan; Harsha, A. P.; Singh, Sagar

2018-02-01

The present work deals with the tribological evaluation of three types of nano-additives, i.e., copper oxide (CuO; ≈ 151.2 nm), cerium oxide (CeO2; ≈ 80 nm) and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE; ≈ 90.4 nm) with rapeseed oil under steel-steel sliding contacts. The nano-additives concentrations in the base oil were 0.1, 0.25 and 0.5% w/v for the lubricant formulation. Further, the rapeseed oil was also epoxidized by a chemical method and the tribological behavior was compared with the base oil (unmodified oil) at similar nano-additives concentrations. The ASTM standards were followed for the study of wear preventive and extreme-pressure analysis of nanolubricants, and it was carried out using four-ball tester. In the antiwear test, CeO2 and PTFE nano-additives have shown the significant reduction in the wear scar diameter at the concentration of 0.1% w/v. In the extreme-pressure test, 0.5% w/v concentration was optimum for oxide nanoparticles; however, PTFE nanoparticles did not show positive effect with both the base oils. Different characterization techniques were employed to confirm the oil modification and for the study of the worn surfaces.

Lack of genotoxicity in vivo for food color additive Allura Red AC.

PubMed

Bastaki, Maria; Farrell, Thomas; Bhusari, Sachin; Pant, Kamala; Kulkarni, Rohan

2017-07-01

Allura Red AC is an approved food color additive internationally with INS number 129, in the United States as food color subject to batch certification "Food, Drug, and Cosmetic" (FD&C) Red No. 40, and in Europe as food color additive with E number 129. In their evaluation of the color (2013), the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) expressed concerns of potential genotoxicity, based primarily on one genotoxicity study that was not conducted according to Guidelines. The present in vivo genotoxicity study was conducted according to OECD Guidelines in response to EFSA's request for additional data. The animal species and strain, and the tissues examined were selected specifically to address the previously reported findings. The results show clear absence of genotoxic activity for Allura Red AC, in the bone marrow micronucleus assay and the Comet assay in the liver, stomach, and colon. These data addressed EFSA's concerns for genotoxicity. The Joint WHO/FAO Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) (2016) also reviewed the study and concluded that there is no genotoxicity concern for Allura Red AC. Negative findings in parallel genotoxicity studies on Tartrazine and Ponceau 4R (published separately) are consistent with lack of genotoxicity for azo dyes used as food colors. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Lack of genotoxicity in vivo for food color additive Tartrazine.

PubMed

Bastaki, Maria; Farrell, Thomas; Bhusari, Sachin; Pant, Kamala; Kulkarni, Rohan

2017-07-01

Tartrazine is approved as a food color additive internationally with INS number 102, in the United States as food color subject to batch certification "Food, Drug, and Cosmetic" (FD&C) Yellow No. 5, and in Europe as food color additive with E number 102. In their evaluation of the color (2013), the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) expressed concerns of potential genotoxicity, based primarily on one genotoxicity study that was not conducted according to Guidelines. The present in vivo genotoxicity study was conducted according to OECD Guidelines in response to EFSA's request for additional data. The animal species and strain, and the tissues examined were selected specifically to address the previously reported findings. The results of this study show clear absence of genotoxic activity for Tartrazine, in the bone marrow micronucleus assay and the Comet assay in the liver, stomach, and colon. These data addressed EFSA's concerns for genotoxicity. The Joint WHO/FAO Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) (2016) also reviewed these data and concluded that there is no genotoxicity concern for Tartrazine. Negative findings in parallel genotoxicity studies on Allura Red AC and Ponceau 4R (published separately) are consistent with lack of genotoxicity for azo dyes used as food colors. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Additive Partial Least Squares for efficient modelling of independent variance sources demonstrated on practical case studies.

PubMed

Luoma, Pekka; Natschläger, Thomas; Malli, Birgit; Pawliczek, Marcin; Brandstetter, Markus

2018-05-12

A model recalibration method based on additive Partial Least Squares (PLS) regression is generalized for multi-adjustment scenarios of independent variance sources (referred to as additive PLS - aPLS). aPLS allows for effortless model readjustment under changing measurement conditions and the combination of independent variance sources with the initial model by means of additive modelling. We demonstrate these distinguishing features on two NIR spectroscopic case-studies. In case study 1 aPLS was used as a readjustment method for an emerging offset. The achieved RMS error of prediction (1.91 a.u.) was of similar level as before the offset occurred (2.11 a.u.). In case-study 2 a calibration combining different variance sources was conducted. The achieved performance was of sufficient level with an absolute error being better than 0.8% of the mean concentration, therefore being able to compensate negative effects of two independent variance sources. The presented results show the applicability of the aPLS approach. The main advantages of the method are that the original model stays unadjusted and that the modelling is conducted on concrete changes in the spectra thus supporting efficient (in most cases straightforward) modelling. Additionally, the method is put into context of existing machine learning algorithms. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of additivity of binary mixtures of perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) on peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-alpha (PPARa) activation in vitro

EPA Science Inventory

Perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) are found globally in the environment and in animal tissues, and are present as mixtures of PFAA congeners. Mechanistic studies have found that in vivo effects of PFAAs are mediated by PPARL. Our previous studies showed that individual PFAAs activate ...

Electrification Futures Study: A Technical Evaluation of the Impacts of an

Science.gov Websites

Technical Evaluation of the Impacts of an Electrified U.S. Energy System Electrification Futures Study: A Technical Evaluation of the Impacts of an Electrified U.S. Energy System Illustration showing various impacts of widespread electrification in the United States. In addition to NREL, the research team

The Effects of Physical Manipulatives on Children's Numerical Strategies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Manches, Andrew; O'Malley, Claire

2016-01-01

This article focuses on how the representational properties of manipulatives affect the strategies children employ in problem solving. Two studies examined the effect of physical materials on 4-7-year-old children's problem solving strategies in a numerical (i.e., additive composition) task. The first study showed how children not only identified…

Quantum Observables and Effect Algebras

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dvurečenskij, Anatolij

2018-03-01

We study observables on monotone σ-complete effect algebras. We find conditions when a spectral resolution implies existence of the corresponding observable. We characterize sharp observables of a monotone σ-complete homogeneous effect algebra using its orthoalgebraic skeleton. In addition, we study compatibility in orthoalgebras and we show that every orthoalgebra satisfying RIP is an orthomodular poset.

Evaluating the additivity of perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) in binary combinations on peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-a(PPARa) activation

EPA Science Inventory

Perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) are found globally in the environment, detected in humans and wildlife, and are typically present as mixtures of PFAA congeners. Mechanistic studies have found that responses to PFAAs are mediated in part by PPARa. Our previous studies showed that ind...

Eating Disorder Diagnostic Scale: Additional Evidence of Reliability and Validity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stice, Eric; Fisher, Melissa; Martinez, Erin

2004-01-01

The authors conducted 4 studies investigating the reliability and validity of the Eating Disorder Diagnostic Scale (HDDS; E. Stice, C. F. Telch, & S. L. Rizvi, 2000), a brief self-report measure for diagnosing anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder. Study 1 found that the HDDS showed criterion validity with interview-based…

EAL Undergraduates Learning Mathematics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barton, B.; Chan, R.; King, C.; Neville-Barton, P.; Sneddon, J.

2005-01-01

This paper reports on a third study in a series aimed at investigating the issues surrounding the learning of mathematics at The University of Auckland by students who have English as an Additional Language (EAL students). As well as summarizing the earlier studies, it presents some new data showing that the problems experienced by EAL students…

Role stress and personal resources in nursing: a cross-sectional study of burnout and engagement.

PubMed

Garrosa, Eva; Moreno-Jiménez, Bernardo; Rodríguez-Muñoz, Alfredo; Rodríguez-Carvajal, Raquel

2011-04-01

The experience of role stress has been linked to burnout as an important job stressor, but the impact of this stressor in the context of engagement (characterized by vigor, dedication, and absorption) has not yet been sufficiently studied among nurses. Personal resources also appear to influence the process of burnout and engagement. This study examines the influence of role stress and personal resources (optimism, hardy personality and emotional competence) in nursing on burnout and engagement dimensions. Cross-sectional data from 508 nurses from general hospitals in Madrid (Spain) showed that both role stress and personal resources were related to burnout and engagement dimensions, although role stress was more closely related to nursing burnout, whereas personal resources were more closely related to nursing engagement. In addition, optimism as a personal resource, showed a moderator effect on exhaustion and the three dimensions of engagement. The study provides additional support about role stress as an important predictor of burnout and engagement in nursing, even after controlling for personal resources and socio-demographic variables. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Does Alcohol Catch the Eye? Investigating Young Adults' Attention to Alcohol Consumption.

PubMed

Vincke, Eveline; Vyncke, Patrick

2017-01-01

Many studies on young adults' motivations for drinking overlook the symbolic aspects of alcohol use. However, research indicates that young adults' alcohol consumption is also driven by signaling motivations. Although the interest of a receiver is a necessary prerequisite of a signal, no previous studies have verified whether drinking behavior indeed attracts young adults' attention. Therefore, we conducted two studies. A two-part eye-tracking study ( N1 = 135, N2 = 140) showed that both young men and young women pay special visual attention to male and female drinking behavior. Additionally, a recall experiment ( N = 321) confirmed that observed male and female drinking is better remembered than observed nonsignaling, functional behavior. Moreover, alcoholic beverages also receive special attention, as they were recalled better than other functional products, and also nonalcoholic drinks similar in color and shape. In summary, the experiments clearly showed that male and female drinking behavior can be used as a signal, as both behaviors clearly function as an attention-attracting cue. Additionally, as alcoholic beverages draw more attention than nonalcoholic drinks, this attention is clearly linked to the alcohol element of the drinking behavior.

Laser welding process in PP moulding parts: Evaluation of seam performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oliveira, N.; Pontes, A. J.

2015-12-01

The Polypropylene is one of the most versatile polymer materials used in the industry. Due to this versatility, it is possible to use it in different products. This material can also be mixed with several additives namely glass fiber, carbon nanotubes, etc. This compatibility with different additives allows also obtaining products with characteristics that goes from an impact absorber to an electricity conductor. When is necessary to join components in PP they could be welded through hot plate, ultrasonic weld and also by laser. This study had the objective of study the influence of several variables, capable of influence the final quality of the seam. In this case were studied variables of the injection molding process as mold temperature and cooling time. Was also studied laser welding variables and different materials. The results showed that the variables that have the most influence were mould temperature, laser velocity and laser diameter. The seams were analyzed using Optical Microscopy technique. The seams showed perfect contact between the materials analyzed, despite the high standard variation presented in the mechanical testes.

Background Languages, Learner Motivation and Self-Assessed Progress in Learning Zulu as an Additional Language in the UK

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marten, Lutz; Mostert, Carola

2012-01-01

The article reports results of a study of beginner-level learners of Zulu in higher education in the UK, focussing on learners' linguistic background, their motivation and reasons for studying Zulu, and their self-assessed progress at the beginning of the second term of teaching. The study shows that participants typically studied Zulu as an…

Morphological Transition in Diamond Thin-Films Induced by Boron in a Microwave Plasma Deposition Process.

PubMed

Baker, Paul A; Goodloe, David R; Vohra, Yogesh K

2017-11-14

The purpose of this study is to understand the basic mechanisms responsible for the synthesis of nanostructured diamond films in a microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition (MPCVD) process and to identify plasma chemistry suitable for controlling the morphology and electrical properties of deposited films. The nanostructured diamond films were synthesized by MPCVD on Ti-6Al-4V alloy substrates using H₂/CH₄/N₂ precursor gases and the plasma chemistry was monitored by the optical emission spectroscopy (OES). The synthesized thin-films were characterized by x -ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The addition of B₂H₆ to the feedgas during MPCVD of diamond thin-films changes the crystal grain size from nanometer to micron scale. Nanostructured diamond films grown with H₂/CH₄/N₂ gases demonstrate a broad (111) Bragg x -ray diffraction peak (Full-Width at Half-Maximum (FWHM) = 0.93° 2θ), indicating a small grain size, whereas scans show a definite sharpening of the diamond (111) peak (FWHM = 0.30° 2θ) with the addition of boron. OES showed a decrease in CN (carbon-nitrogen) radical in the plasma with B₂H₆ addition to the gas mixture. Our study indicates that CN radical plays a critical role in the synthesis of nanostructured diamond films and suppression of CN radical by boron-addition in the plasma causes a morphological transition to microcrystalline diamond.

E-mail support as an adjunct to cognitive-behavioral group therapy for social anxiety disorder: Impact on dropout and outcome.

PubMed

Delsignore, Aba; Rufer, Michael; Emmerich, Juliane; Weidt, Steffi; Brühl, Annette Beatrix; Moergeli, Hanspeter

2016-10-30

The present study evaluates the impact of semi-individualized e-mail support as an adjunct to cognitive behavioral group therapy (CBGT) for social anxiety disorder (SAD) on dropout and outcome. The effectiveness of additional semi-individualized e-mail support was evaluated for the whole sample and for a subsample of patients at risk of dropping out of therapy. A total of 91 patients with SAD were allocated either to the intervention condition (CBGT with e-mail support), or to the control condition (CBGT without e-mail support). Anxiety symptoms, depression, global symptomatology and life satisfaction were assessed at pretreatment, post-treatment and follow-up (3, 6 and 12 months). From pre-treatment to post-treatment, both groups improved significantly on all symptom measures. Therapy gains were maintained at the 1-year follow-up. Subsample analyses showed that CBGT+e-mail was more effective than CGBT alone in reducing symptom severity among patients missing at least two therapy sessions. Additionally, in this subgroup, those receiving additional e-mail support showed a tendency towards lower dropout rates. Based on the results of this study, semi-individualized e-mail support between sessions seems to enhance the effectiveness of CBGT for SAD patients at risk of dropping out of treatment and should be considered as an additional tool in clinical practice. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Interplanetary Mission Design Handbook: Earth-to-Mars Mission Opportunities 2026 to 2045

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burke, Laura M.; Falck, Robert D.; McGuire, Melissa L.

2010-01-01

The purpose of this Mission Design Handbook is to provide trajectory designers and mission planners with graphical information about Earth to Mars ballistic trajectory opportunities for the years of 2026 through 2045. The plots, displayed on a departure date/arrival date mission space, show departure energy, right ascension and declination of the launch asymptote, and target planet hyperbolic arrival excess speed, V(sub infinity), for each launch opportunity. Provided in this study are two sets of contour plots for each launch opportunity. The first set of plots shows Earth to Mars ballistic trajectories without the addition of any deep space maneuvers. The second set of plots shows Earth to Mars transfer trajectories with the addition of deep space maneuvers, which further optimize the determined trajectories. The accompanying texts explains the trajectory characteristics, transfers using deep space maneuvers, mission assumptions and a summary of the minimum departure energy for each opportunity.

Computational Fluid Dynamic Modeling of Rocket Based Combined Cycle Engine Flowfields

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Daines, Russell L.; Merkle, Charles L.

1994-01-01

Computational Fluid Dynamic techniques are used to study the flowfield of a fixed geometry Rocket Based Combined Cycle engine operating in rocket ejector mode. Heat addition resulting from the combustion of injected fuel causes the subsonic engine flow to choke and go supersonic in the slightly divergent combustor-mixer section. Reacting flow computations are undertaken to predict the characteristics of solutions where the heat addition is determined by the flowfield. Here, adaptive gridding is used to improve resolution in the shear layers. Results show that the sonic speed is reached in the unheated portions of the flow first, while the heated portions become supersonic later. Comparison with results from another code show reasonable agreement. The coupled solutions show that the character of the combustion-based thermal choking phenomenon can be controlled reasonably well such that there is opportunity to optimize the length and expansion ratio of the combustor-mixer.

Visible Light Image-Based Method for Sugar Content Classification of Citrus

PubMed Central

Wang, Xuefeng; Wu, Chunyan; Hirafuji, Masayuki

2016-01-01

Visible light imaging of citrus fruit from Mie Prefecture of Japan was performed to determine whether an algorithm could be developed to predict the sugar content. This nondestructive classification showed that the accurate segmentation of different images can be realized by a correlation analysis based on the threshold value of the coefficient of determination. There is an obvious correlation between the sugar content of citrus fruit and certain parameters of the color images. The selected image parameters were connected by addition algorithm. The sugar content of citrus fruit can be predicted by the dummy variable method. The results showed that the small but orange citrus fruits often have a high sugar content. The study shows that it is possible to predict the sugar content of citrus fruit and to perform a classification of the sugar content using light in the visible spectrum and without the need for an additional light source. PMID:26811935

The influence of cosolvent and heat on the solubility and reactivity of organophosphorous pesticide DNAPL alkaline hydrolysis.

PubMed

Muff, Jens; MacKinnon, Leah; Durant, Neal D; Bennedsen, Lars Frausing; Rügge, Kirsten; Bondgaard, Morten; Pennell, Kurt

2016-11-01

The presented research concerned the compatibility of cosolvents with in situ alkaline hydrolysis (ISAH) for treatment of organophosphorous (OPP) pesticide contaminated sites. In addition, the influence of moderate temperature heat increments was studied as a possible enhancement method. A complex dense non-aqueous phase liquid (DNAPL) of primarily parathion (~50 %) and methyl parathion (~15 %) obtained from the Danish Groyne 42 site was used as a contaminant source, and ethanol and propan-2-ol (0, 25, and 50 v/v%) was used as cosolvents in tap water and 0.34 M NaOH. Both cosolvents showed OPP solubility enhancement at 50 v/v% cosolvent content, with slightly higher OPP concentrations reached with propan-2-ol. Data on hydrolysis products did not show a clear trend with respect to alkaline hydrolysis reactivity in the presence of cosolvents. Results indicated that the hydrolysis rate of methyl-parathion (MP3) decreased with addition of cosolvent, whereas the hydrolysis rate of ethyl-parathion (EP3) remained constant, and overall indications were that the hydrolysis reactions were limited by the rate of hydrolysis rather than NAPL dissolution. In addition to cosolvents, the influence of low-temperature heating on ISAH was studied. Increasing reaction temperature from 10 to 30 °C provided an average rate of hydrolysis enhancement by a factor of 1.4-4.8 dependent on the base of calculation. When combining 50 v/v% cosolvent addition and heating to 30 °C, EP3 solubility was significantly enhanced and results for O,O-diethyl-thiophosphoric acid (EP2 acid) showed a significant enhancement of hydrolysis as well. However, this could not be supported by para-nitrophenol (PNP) data indicating the instability of this product in the presence of cosolvent.

Pharmacogenomic Characterization and Isobologram Analysis of the Combination of Ascorbic Acid and Curcumin-Two Main Metabolites of Curcuma longa-in Cancer Cells.

PubMed

Ooko, Edna; Kadioglu, Onat; Greten, Henry J; Efferth, Thomas

2017-01-01

Curcuma longa has long been used in China and India as anti-inflammatory agent to treat a wide variety of conditions and also as a spice for varied curry preparations. The chemoprofile of the Curcuma species exhibits the presence of varied phytochemicals with curcumin being present in all three species but AA only being shown in C. longa . This study explored the effect of a curcumin/AA combination on human cancer cell lines. The curcumin/AA combination was assessed by isobologram analysis using the Loewe additivity drug interaction model. The drug combination showed additive cytotoxicity toward CCRF-CEM and CEM/ADR5000 leukemia cell lines and HCT116p53 +/+ and HCT116p53 -/- colon cancer cell line, while the glioblastoma cell lines U87MG and U87MG.ΔEGFR showed additive to supra-additive cytotoxicity. Gene expression profiles predicting sensitivity and resistance of tumor cells to induction by curcumin and AA were determined by microarray-based mRNA expressions, COMPARE, and hierarchical cluster analyses. Numerous genes involved in transcription ( TFAM, TCERG1, RGS13, C11orf31 ), apoptosis-regulation ( CRADD, CDK7, CDK19, CD81, TOM1 ) signal transduction ( NR1D2, HMGN1, ABCA1, DE4ND4B, TRIM27 ) DNA repair ( TOPBP1, RPA2 ), mRNA metabolism ( RBBP4, HNRNPR, SRSF4, NR2F2, PDK1, TGM2 ), and transporter genes ( ABCA1 ) correlated with cellular responsiveness to curcumin and ascorbic acid. In conclusion, this study shows the effect of the curcumin/AA combination and identifies several candidate genes that may regulate the response of varied cancer cells to curcumin and AA.

Histological and biomechanical analysis of porous additive manufactured implants made by direct metal laser sintering: a pilot study in sheep.

PubMed

Stübinger, Stefan; Mosch, Isabel; Robotti, Pierfrancesco; Sidler, Michéle; Klein, Karina; Ferguson, Stephen J; von Rechenberg, Brigitte

2013-10-01

It was the aim of this study to analyze osseointegrative properties of porous additive manufactured titanium implants made by direct metal laser sintering in a sheep model after an implantation period of 2 and 8 weeks. Three different types of implants were placed in the pelvis of six sheep. In each sheep were placed three standard machined (M), three sandblasted and etched (SE), and three porous additive manufactured (AM) implants. Of these three implants (one per type) were examined histologically and six implants were tested biomechanically. Additionally a semiquantitative histomorphometrical and qualitative fluorescent microscopic analysis were performed. After 2 and 8 weeks bone-to-implant-contact (BIC) values of the AM surface (2w: 20.49% ± 5.18%; 8w: 43.91% ± 9.69%) revealed no statistical significant differences in comparison to the M (2w: 20.33% ± 11.50%; 8w: 25.33% ± 4.61%) and SE (2w: 43.67 ± 12.22%; 8w: 53.33 ± 8.96%) surfaces. AM surface showed the highest increase of the BIC between the two observation time points. Considering the same implantation period histomorphometry and fluorescent labelling disclosed no significant differences in the bone surrounding the three implants groups. In contrast Removal-torque-test showed a significant improve in fixation strength (P ≤ 0.001) for the AM (1891.82 ± 308, 44 Nmm) surface after eight weeks in comparison to the M (198.93±88,04 Nmm) and SE (730.08 ± 151,89 Nmm) surfaces. All three surfaces (M, SE, and AM) showed sound osseointegration. AM implants may offer a possible treatment option in clinics for patients with compromised bone situations. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., a Wiley Company.

Pharmacogenomic Characterization and Isobologram Analysis of the Combination of Ascorbic Acid and Curcumin—Two Main Metabolites of Curcuma longa—in Cancer Cells

PubMed Central

Ooko, Edna; Kadioglu, Onat; Greten, Henry J.; Efferth, Thomas

2017-01-01

Curcuma longa has long been used in China and India as anti-inflammatory agent to treat a wide variety of conditions and also as a spice for varied curry preparations. The chemoprofile of the Curcuma species exhibits the presence of varied phytochemicals with curcumin being present in all three species but AA only being shown in C. longa. This study explored the effect of a curcumin/AA combination on human cancer cell lines. The curcumin/AA combination was assessed by isobologram analysis using the Loewe additivity drug interaction model. The drug combination showed additive cytotoxicity toward CCRF-CEM and CEM/ADR5000 leukemia cell lines and HCT116p53+/+ and HCT116p53−/− colon cancer cell line, while the glioblastoma cell lines U87MG and U87MG.ΔEGFR showed additive to supra-additive cytotoxicity. Gene expression profiles predicting sensitivity and resistance of tumor cells to induction by curcumin and AA were determined by microarray-based mRNA expressions, COMPARE, and hierarchical cluster analyses. Numerous genes involved in transcription (TFAM, TCERG1, RGS13, C11orf31), apoptosis-regulation (CRADD, CDK7, CDK19, CD81, TOM1) signal transduction (NR1D2, HMGN1, ABCA1, DE4ND4B, TRIM27) DNA repair (TOPBP1, RPA2), mRNA metabolism (RBBP4, HNRNPR, SRSF4, NR2F2, PDK1, TGM2), and transporter genes (ABCA1) correlated with cellular responsiveness to curcumin and ascorbic acid. In conclusion, this study shows the effect of the curcumin/AA combination and identifies several candidate genes that may regulate the response of varied cancer cells to curcumin and AA. PMID:28210221

ON THE ANTIFEEDANT AND ANTHELLMINTIC POTENTIAL OF ANACARDIUM OCCIDENTALE L.

PubMed Central

Mathew, A.S; Chauhan, M.G.; Shah, B.K.

1998-01-01

The antifeedant and anthelmintic activities of crude extracts of the shells of Anacardium occidentale were studied by comparing it's activity with the activity of Azadirachta indica A Juss (Kernel), a commercial standard. The test extracts of A. occidentale in petroleum ether, dichloromethane: methanol showed better activities compared to A. Indica. To Study the anthelmintic activity, the addition of piperine to the formulation significantly enhances the activity. The phytochemical investigation of test extracts showed the presence of phenols namely cordol, cardanol and anacardic acid by TLC studies. The most potent extracts are non toxic to mice. PMID:22556881

The effect of Tricresyl-Phosphate (TCP) as an additive on wear of Iron (Fe)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ghose, Hiren M.; Ferrante, John; Honecy, Frank C.

1987-01-01

The effect of tricresyl phosphate (TCP) as an antiwear additive in lubricant trimethyol propane triheptanoate (TMPTH) was investigated. The objective was to examine step loading wear by use of surface analysis, wetting, and chemical bonding changes in the lubricant. The investigation consisted of steploading wear studies by a pin or disk tribometer, the effects on wear related to wetting by contact angle and surface tension measurements of various liquid systems, the chemical bonding changes between lubricant and TCP chromatographic analysis, and by determining the reaction between the TCP and metal surfaces through wear scar analysis by Auger emission spectroscopy (AES). The steploading curve for the base fluid alone shows rapid increase of wear rate with load. The steploading curve for the base fluid in presence of 4.25 percent by volume TCP under dry air purge has shown a great reduction of wear rate with all loads studied. It has also been found that the addition of 4.25 percent by volume TCP plus 0.33 percent by volume water to the base lubricant under N2 purge also greatly reduces the wear rate with all loads studied. AES surface analysis reveals a phosphate type wear resistant film, which greatly increases load-bearing capacity, formed on the iron disk. Preliminary chromatographic studies suggest that this film forms either because of ester oxidation or TCP degradation. Wetting studies show direct correlation between the spreading coefficient and the wear rate.

Effect of Sr Additive Amount and Holding Time on Microstructure of A390 Aluminum Alloy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, J. H.; Xing, S. M.; Han, Q. Y.; Guo, Q.; Wang, R. F.

2017-11-01

The microstructure of A390 alloy under different Sr additive amounts and holding times was studied by means of direct reading spectrum analysis, energy spectrum analysis, optical microscope and electron microscope. The results show that Sr has a good modification to eutectic Si, while it has a negative effect on primary silicon. The Sr addition will increase the size of primary silicon. When the addition amount of Al-10Sr alloy is 0.6%, the modification of eutectic silicon is the optimum. The Sr has a short incubation period and a fine modification at 10min, but it is more serious burning rate in small furnace smelting, and the modification effect disappears basically after 100min.

TiO2 anode materials for lithium-ion batteries with different morphology and additives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Xiang; Ng, Yip Hang; Leung, Yu Hang; Liu, Fangzhou; Djurišic, Aleksandra B.; Xie, Mao Hai; Chan, Wai Kin

2014-03-01

Electrochemical performances of different TiO2 nanostructures, TiO2/CNT composite and TiO2 with titanium isopropoxide (TTIP) treatment anode were investigated. For different TiO2 nanostructures, we investigated vertically aligned TiO2 nanotubes on Ti foil and TiO2 nanotube-powders fabricated by rapid breakdown anodization technique. The morphology of the prepared samples was characterized by scanning probe microscopy (SEM). The electrochemical lithium storage abilities were studied by galvanostatic method. In addition, carbon nanotubes (CNT) additives and solution treatment process of TiO2 anode were investigated, and the results show that the additives and treatment could enhance the cycling performance of the TiO2 anode on lithium ion batteries.

Judgments of Learning are Influenced by Multiple Cues In Addition to Memory for Past Test Accuracy.

PubMed

Hertzog, Christopher; Hines, Jarrod C; Touron, Dayna R

When people try to learn new information (e.g., in a school setting), they often have multiple opportunities to study the material. One of the most important things to know is whether people adjust their study behavior on the basis of past success so as to increase their overall level of learning (for example, by emphasizing information they have not yet learned). Monitoring their learning is a key part of being able to make those kinds of adjustments. We used a recognition memory task to replicate prior research showing that memory for past test outcomes influences later monitoring, as measured by judgments of learning (JOLs; confidence that the material has been learned), but also to show that subjective confidence in whether the test answer and the amount of time taken to restudy the items also have independent effects on JOLs. We also show that there are individual differences in the effects of test accuracy and test confidence on JOLs, showing that some but not all people use past test experiences to guide monitoring of their new learning. Monitoring learning is therefore a complex process of considering multiple cues, and some people attend to those cues more effectively than others. Improving the quality of monitoring performance and learning could lead to better study behaviors and better learning. An individual's memory of past test performance (MPT) is often cited as the primary cue for judgments of learning (JOLs) following test experience during multi-trial learning tasks (Finn & Metcalfe, 2007; 2008). We used an associative recognition task to evaluate MPT-related phenomena, because performance monitoring, as measured by recognition test confidence judgments (CJs), is fallible and varies in accuracy across persons. The current study used multilevel regression models to show the simultaneous and independent influences of multiple cues on Trial 2 JOLs, in addition to performance accuracy (the typical measure of MPT in cued-recall experiments). These cues include recognition CJs, perceived recognition fluency, and Trial 2 study time allocation (an index of reprocessing fluency). Our results expand the scope of MPT-related phenomena in recognition memory testing to show independent effects of recognition test accuracy and CJs on second-trial JOLs, while also demonstrating individual differences in the effects of these cues on JOLs (as manifested in significant random effects for those regression effects in the model). The effect of study time on second-trial JOLs controlling on other variables, including Trial 1 recognition memory accuracy, also demonstrates that second-trial encoding behavior influence JOLs in addition to MPT.

Impact of Individual Differences on Reliance Optimization

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-05-31

Research Laboratory developed methodologies and configurations of an RPA simulation to support experimental studies that were collected at partner...that influence reliance on automation. Additionally, this research extended the study of Szalma and Taylor (2011) that showed personality traits...individuals attracted to video gaming have high initial spatial ability, for example. Experimental studies have examined directly the effect of training on

Benefits of neutral electrolyzed oxidizing water as a drinking water additive for broiler chickens.

PubMed

Bügener, E; Kump, A Wilms-Schulze; Casteel, M; Klein, G

2014-09-01

In the wake of discussion about the use of drugs in food-producing farms, it seems to be more and more important to search for alternatives and supportive measures to improve health. In this field trial, the influence of electrolyzed oxidizing (EO) water on water quality, drug consumption, mortality, and performance parameters such as BW and feed conversion rate was investigated on 2 broiler farms. At each farm, 3 rearing periods were included in the study. With EO water as the water additive, the total viable cell count and the number of Escherichia coli in drinking water samples were reduced compared with the respective control group. The frequency of treatment days was represented by the number of used daily doses per population and showed lower values in EO-water-treated groups at both farms. Furthermore, the addition of EO water resulted in a lower mortality rate. In terms of analyzed performance parameters, no significant differences were determined. In this study, the use of EO water improved drinking water quality and seemed to reduce the drug use without showing negative effects on performance parameters and mortality rates. © 2014 Poultry Science Association Inc.

Effects of the incorporation of cantaloupe pulp in yogurt: Physicochemical, phytochemical and rheological properties.

PubMed

Kermiche, F; Boulekbache-Makhlouf, L; Félix, M; Harkat-Madouri, L; Remini, H; Madani, K; Romero, A

2018-01-01

The therapeutic effects of cantaloupe are of great interest for the development of functional foods such as yogurt. In this study a new dairy product has been formulated by enriching natural yogurt with fruit cantaloupe (yogurt with cantaloupe puree, yogurt with dry cantaloupe and yogurt with dry cantaloupe and cantaloupe puree). Thus, composition (moisture, ash, lipids, proteins), including amino acid contents, lactic flora as well as rheological (viscoelasticity, viscosity) property of cantaloupe yogurt and natural yogurt is assessed. In addition, pH value, water holding capacity and antioxidant activity (reducing power) are measured over refrigerated storage time. There are significant differences between natural yogurt and cantaloupe yogurt in almost all parameters. The results show that the pH decreases during the storage period and the antioxidant activity as well as the water holding capacity are more remarkable in the yogurt with dry cantaloupe at the 14th and the 28th day of storage, respectively. The addition of cantaloupe in natural yogurt ameliorates the load of lactic flora and modifies the rheological property of the new products. The results of the current study show that the addition of cantaloupe to yogurt significantly improved its quality.

Decadal Variation of Precipitation in Saudi Arabia induced by Agricultural Irrigation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lo, M. H.; Wey, H. W.; Wada, Y.; IM, E. S.; Chien, R. Y.; Wu, R. J.

2017-12-01

Decadal variation of wet-season precipitation has been found in the arid region of central Saudi Arabia. 1980s has been a rather wet decade compared with the decades before. Previous studies have mentioned that the irrigation moisture may contribute to the precipitation anomalies in Saudi Arabia. In the current study, we show from observational data that the contribution of the variation comes mostly from February to May. As the irrigation is a localized forcing, we therefore use the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model to simulate the response of the land-atmosphere interaction to the wet soil moisture resulted from additional irrigation moisture supply. Preliminary result shows in the irrigated simulation that precipitation in central Saudi Arabia is enhanced, indicating the possible link between irrigation expansion in the 1980s and the decadal precipitation variation over central Saudi Arabia. We propose it is the anomalous convergence induced by irrigation as well as additional moisture that contribute to the enhanced precipitation over heavily irrigation region in the central Saudi Arabian. In addition, analysis on the daily precipitation from the WRF outputs indicates that positive rainfall anomalies tend to happen when there is rainfall originally; that is, irrigation enhances rainfall but not creates rainfall.

Force Field for Peptides and Proteins based on the Classical Drude Oscillator

PubMed Central

Lopes, Pedro E.M.; Huang, Jing; Shim, Jihyun; Luo, Yun; Li, Hui; Roux, Benoît; MacKerell, Alexander D.

2013-01-01

Presented is a polarizable force field based on a classical Drude oscillator framework, currently implemented in the programs CHARMM and NAMD, for modeling and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation studies of peptides and proteins. Building upon parameters for model compounds representative of the functional groups in proteins, the development of the force field focused on the optimization of the parameters for the polypeptide backbone and the connectivity between the backbone and side chains. Optimization of the backbone electrostatic parameters targeted quantum mechanical conformational energies, interactions with water, molecular dipole moments and polarizabilities and experimental condensed phase data for short polypeptides such as (Ala)5. Additional optimization of the backbone φ, ψ conformational preferences included adjustments of the tabulated two-dimensional spline function through the CMAP term. Validation of the model included simulations of a collection of peptides and proteins. This 1st generation polarizable model is shown to maintain the folded state of the studied systems on the 100 ns timescale in explicit solvent MD simulations. The Drude model typically yields larger RMS differences as compared to the additive CHARMM36 force field (C36) and shows additional flexibility as compared to the additive model. Comparison with NMR chemical shift data shows a small degradation of the polarizable model with respect to the additive, though the level of agreement may be considered satisfactory, while for residues shown to have significantly underestimated S2 order parameters in the additive model, improvements are calculated with the polarizable model. Analysis of dipole moments associated with the peptide backbone and tryptophan side chains show the Drude model to have significantly larger values than those present in C36, with the dipole moments of the peptide backbone enhanced to a greater extent in sheets versus helices and the dipoles of individual moieties observed to undergo significant variations during the MD simulations. Although there are still some limitations, the presented model, termed Drude-2013, is anticipated to yield a molecular picture of peptide and protein structure and function that will be of increased physical validity and internal consistency in a computationally accessible fashion. PMID:24459460

Mechanical and Electrical Performance of Thermally Stable Au-ZnO films

DOE PAGES

Schoeppner, Rachel L.; Goeke, Ronald S.; Moody, Neville R.; ...

2015-03-28

The mechanical properties, thermal stability, and electrical performance of Au–ZnO composite thin films are determined in this work. The co-deposition of ZnO with Au via physical vapor deposition leads to grain refinement over that of pure Au; the addition of 0.1 vol.% ZnO reduces the as-grown grain size by over 30%. The hardness of the as-grown films doubles with 2% ZnO, from 1.8 to 3.6 GPa as measured by nanoindentation. Films with ZnO additions greater than 0.5% show no significant grain growth after annealing at 350 °C, while pure gold and smaller additions do exhibit grain growth and subsequent mechanicalmore » softening. Films with 1% and 2% ZnO show a decrease of approximately 50% in electrical resistivity and no change in hardness after annealing. A model accounting for both changes in the interface structure between dispersed ZnO particles and the Au matrix captures the changes in mechanical and electrical resistivity. Furthermore, the addition of 1–2% ZnO co-deposited with Au provides a method to create mechanically hard and thermally stable films with a resistivity less than 80 nΩ-m. Our results complement previous studies of other alloying systems, suggesting oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) gold shows a desirable hardness–resistivity relationship that is relatively independent of the particular ODS chemistry.« less

Effect of Amidated Low-Methoxyl Pectin on Physicochemical Characteristics of Jumbo Squid (Dosidicus gigas) Mantle Muscle Gels

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Summary Jumbo squid (Dosidicus gigas) muscle proteins show low functionality with limited use in gel products. This work aims to assess the influence of adding the natural and commercially available fibre, amidated low-methoxyl pectin (at 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 and 3.0%), on the physicochemical and functional characteristics of jumbo squid (Dosidicus gigas) mantle muscle gels. The addition of 0.5% fibre showed an immediate effect on the gel texture profile analysis, improving hardness (p<0.05) from (3.4±0.7) N of the control (no added fibre) to (5.2±0.9) N, and increasing elasticity (p≥0.05). Shear force was significant only at 3.0% fibre addition. Water holding capacity also improved (p<0.05) with fibre addition (from 75% in the control to 90–95% after the treatments). Whiteness was affected (p<0.05) when 3.0% fibre was added. Differential scanning calorimetry showed two endothermic transition peaks in the gels. The second peak (actin) increased (p<0.05) by 1–2 °C with fibre addition. Therefore, the present study demonstrates that amidated low-methoxyl pectin (0.5–3.0%) is an excellent ingredient to improve jumbo squid mantle muscle protein functionality, increasing the gel texture and water retention characteristics. PMID:29089853

The addition of celecoxib improves the antitumor effect of cetuximab in colorectal cancer: role of EGFR-RAS-FOXM1-β-catenin signaling axis

PubMed Central

Valverde, Araceli; Peñarando, Jon; Cañas, Amanda; López-Sánchez, Laura M.; Conde, Francisco; Guil-Luna, Silvia; Hernández, Vanessa; Villar, Carlos; Morales-Estévez, Cristina; de la Haba-Rodríguez, Juan; Arand o, Enrique; Rodríguez-Ariza, Antonio

2017-01-01

Here we showed that the addition of the COX-2 inhibitor celecoxib improved the antitumor efficacy in colorectal cancer (CRC) of the monoclonal anti-EGFR antibody cetuximab. The addition of celecoxib augmented the efficacy of cetuximab to inhibit cell proliferation and to induce apoptosis in CRC cells. Moreover, the combination of celecoxib and cetuximab was more effective than either treatment alone in reducing the tumor volume in a mouse xenograft model. The combined treatment enhanced the inhibition of EGFR signaling and altered the subcellular distribution of β-catenin. Moreover, knockdown of FOXM1 showed that this transcription factor participates in this enhanced antitumoral response. Besides, the combined treatment decreased β-catenin/FOXM1 interaction and reduced the cancer stem cell subpopulation in CRC cells, as indicated their diminished capacity to form colonospheres. Notably, the inmunodetection of FOXM1 in the nuclei of tumor cells in human colorectal adenocarcinomas was significantly associated with response of patients to cetuximab. In summary, our study shows that the addition of celecoxib enhances the antitumor efficacy of cetuximab in CRC due to impairment of EGFR-RAS-FOXM1-β-catenin signaling axis. Results also support that FOXM1 could be a predictive marker of response of mCRC patients to cetuximab therapy. PMID:28423516

Decreasing biotoxicity of fume particles produced in welding process.

PubMed

Yu, Kuei-Min; Topham, Nathan; Wang, Jun; Kalivoda, Mark; Tseng, Yiider; Wu, Chang-Yu; Lee, Wen-Jhy; Cho, Kuk

2011-01-30

Welding fumes contain heavy metals, such as chromium, manganese, and nickel, which cause respiratory diseases and cancer. In this study, a SiO(2) precursor was evaluated as an additive to the shielding gas in an arc welding process to reduce the biotoxicity caused by welding fume particles. Transmission electron micrographic images show that SiO(2) coats on the surface of welding fume particles and promotes particle agglomeration. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy further shows that the relative amount of silicon in these SiO(2)-coated agglomerates is higher than in baseline agglomerates. In addition, Escherichia coli (E. coli) exposed to different concentrations of pure SiO(2) particles generated from the arc welding process exhibits similar responses, suggesting that SiO(2) does not contribute to welding fume particle toxicity. The trend of E. coli growth in different concentrations of baseline welding fume particle shows the most significant inhibition occurs in higher exposure concentrations. The 50% lethal logarithmic concentrations for E. coli in arc welding particles of baseline, 2%, and 4.2% SiO(2) precursor additives were 823, 1605, and 1800 mg/L, respectively. Taken together, these results suggest that using SiO(2) precursors as an additive to arc welding shielding gas can effectively reduce the biotoxicity of welding fume. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Iron bioavailability in Wistar rats fed with fortified rice by Ultra Rice technology with or without addition of yacon flour (Smallanthus sonchifolius).

PubMed

Della Lucia, Ceres M; Vaz Tostes, Maria das Graças; Silveira, Carlos Mário M; Bordalo, Lívia A; Rodrigues, Fabiana C; Pinheiro-Sant'Ana, Helena Maria; Martino, Hércia S D; Costa, Neuza Maria B

2013-03-01

This study aimed to evaluate iron (Fe) bioavailability in Wistar rats fed with rice fortified with micronized ferric pyrophosphate (FP) by Ultra Rice (UR) technology with or without addition of yacon flour as a source of 7.5% of fructooligosaccharides (FOS). Diets were supplied with 12 mg iron/kg from the following sources: ferrous sulfate (FS - control diet), fortified rice with micronized ferric pyrophosphate (Ultra Rice) (UR diet), ferrous sulfate + yacon flour (FS + Y diet) or Ultra Rice + yacon flour (UR + Y diet). Blood samples were collected at the end of depletion and repletion stages for determination of hemoglobin concentration and calculation of the relative biological value (RBV). Also, the content of short chain fatty acids (SCFA) (acetic, propionic and butyric acids) from animals' stools and caecum weight were determined. The UR diet showed high iron bioavailability (RBV = 84.7%). However, the addition of yacon flour in the diet containing fortified rice (UR + Y diet) decreased RBV (63.1%) significantly below the other three groups (p < 0.05). Groups that received yacon flour showed higher acetic acid values compared to those who did not. In conclusion, fortified UR with micronized ferric pyrophosphate showed high iron bioavailability but the addition of yacon flour at 7.5% FOS reduced iron bioavailability despite increased caecum weight and SCFA concentration.

Omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and body weight.

PubMed

Martínez-Victoria, Emilio; Yago, María Dolores

2012-06-01

In animal studies, n-3 PUFA have been shown to influence body composition and to reduce the accumulation of body fat, thereby affecting body weight homeostasis. In addition, it has been suggested that an additional supply of n-3 PUFA during pregnancy or lactation, or both, would have a beneficial effect on birth weight and infant growth and development. The purpose of the present study was to systematically review interventional clinical trials on the effects of dietary n-3 PUFA supplementation on body weight in adult subjects and in infants whose mothers were supplemented with these fatty acids during pregnancy and/or lactation. A systematic search, focused on n-3 PUFA and body weight, and limited to controlled clinical trials, was performed in different databases. The quality of all included studies was assessed against set criteria, and results of eligible trials were compared. There were few studies targeting this topic. In adults, all of the five studies included, except for one, show no change in body weight by dietary supplementation with n-3 PUFA. Within those trials conducted in pregnant and/or lactating women in which a main outcome was birth weight or growth in infancy, two showed a modest increase in birth weight and the rest showed no effect. None of the trials showed an effect of maternal n-3 PUFA supplementation on infant's weight at the short term. However, it should be noted that a number of limitations, including a variety of experimental designs, type and doses of n-3 PUFA, and high attrition rates, among others, make impossible to draw robust conclusions from this review.

Short communication: Effect of whey protein addition and transglutaminase treatment on the physical and sensory properties of reduced-fat ice cream.

PubMed

Danesh, Erfan; Goudarzi, Mostafa; Jooyandeh, Hossein

2017-07-01

The effects of whey protein addition and transglutaminase treatment, alone and in combination, on the physical and sensory properties of reduced-fat ice cream were investigated. Adding whey protein with or without enzyme treatment decreased melting rate, overrun, and hardness of the reduced-fat ice cream; however, the enzyme-treated sample had a higher melting rate and overrun and softer texture. Whey protein-fortified samples showed higher melting resistance, but lower overrun and firmer texture compared with the enzyme-treated sample without added whey protein. Whey protein addition with or without transglutaminase treatment caused an increase in apparent viscosity and a decrease in flow index of the reduced-fat ice cream; nevertheless, the flow behavior of full-fat sample was most similar to the enzyme-treated reduced-fat sample with no added whey protein. Descriptive sensory analyses showed that neither whey protein addition nor transglutaminase treatment significantly influenced the flavor and odor of reduced-fat ice cream, but they both noticeably improved the color and texture of the final product. The results of this study suggest that whey protein addition with transglutaminase treatment improves the physical and sensory properties of reduced-fat ice cream more favorably than does whey protein addition or transglutaminase treatment alone. Copyright © 2017 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Real-Time X-ray Imaging Reveals Interfacial Growth, Suppression, and Dissolution of Zinc Dendrites Dependent on Anions of Ionic Liquid Additives for Rechargeable Battery Applications.

PubMed

Song, Yuexian; Hu, Jiugang; Tang, Jia; Gu, Wanmiao; He, Lili; Ji, Xiaobo

2016-11-23

The dynamic interfacial growth, suppression, and dissolution of zinc dendrites have been studied with the imidazolium ionic liquids (ILs) as additives on the basis of in situ synchrotron radiation X-ray imaging. The phase contrast difference of real-time images indicates that zinc dendrites are preferentially developed on the substrate surface in the ammoniacal electrolytes. After adding imidazolium ILs, both nucleation overpotential and polarization extent increase in the order of additive-free < EMI-Cl < EMI-PF 6 < EMI-TFSA < EMI-DCA. The real-time X-ray images show that the EMI-Cl can suppress zinc dendrites, but result in the formation of the loose deposits. The EMI-PF 6 and EMI-TFSA additives can smooth the deposit morphology through suppressing the initiation and growth of dendritic zinc. The addition of EMI-DCA increases the number of dendrite initiation sites, whereas it decreases the growth rate of dendrites. Furthermore, the dissolution behaviors of zinc deposits are compared. The zinc dendrites show a slow dissolution process in the additive-free electrolyte, whereas zinc deposits are easily detached from the substrate in the presence of EMI-Cl, EMI-PF 6 , or EMI-TFSA due to the formation of the loose structure. Hence, the dependence of zinc dendrites on anions of imidazolium IL additives during both electrodeposition and dissolution processes has been elucidated. These results could provide the valuable information in perfecting the performance of zinc-based rechargeable batteries.

The Effect of TiO2 Doped Photocatalytic Nano-Additives on the Hydration and Microstructure of Portland and High Alumina Cements

PubMed Central

Pérez-Nicolás, María; Alvarez, José Ignacio

2017-01-01

Mortars with two different binders (Portland cement (PC) and high alumina cement (HAC)) were modified upon the bulk incorporation of nano-structured photocatalytic additives (bare TiO2, and TiO2 doped with either iron (Fe-TiO2) or vanadium (V-TiO2)). Plastic and hardened state properties of these mortars were assessed in order to study the influence of these nano-additives. Water demand was increased, slightly by bare TiO2 and Fe-TiO2, and strongly by V-TiO2, in agreement with the reduction of the particle size and the tendency to agglomerate. Isothermal calorimetry showed that hydration of the cementitious matrices was accelerated due to additional nucleation sites offered by the nano-additives. TiO2 and doped TiO2 did not show pozzolanic reactivity in the binding systems. Changes in the pore size distribution, mainly the filler effect of the nano-additives, accounted for the increase in compressive strengths measured for HAC mortars. A complex microstructure was seen in calcium aluminate cement mortars, strongly dependent on the curing conditions. Fe-TiO2 was found to be homogeneously distributed whereas the tendency of V-TiO2 to agglomerate was evidenced by elemental distribution maps. Water absorption capacity was not affected by the nano-additive incorporation in HAC mortars, which is a favourable feature for the application of these mortars. PMID:29036917

Solar Array and Auroral Charging Studies of DMSP Spacecraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Matias, Kelwin

2013-01-01

The SSJ electrostatic analyzers and the SSIES plasma instruments on the DMSP spacecraft in low Earth polar orbit can be used to conduct case studies of auroral and solar array charging. We will use a program written in the Interactive Data Language (IDL) to evaluate questionable charging events in the SSJ records by comparing charging signatures in SSJ and SSIES data. In addition, we will assemble a number of case studies of solar array charging showing the signatures from the SSJ data and compare to the SSIES charging signatures. In addition we will use Satellite Tool Kit (STK) to propagate orbits, obtain solar intensity, and use to verify onset of charging with sunrise.

Immobilization of uranium in contaminated soil by natural apatite addition

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

Mrdakovic Popic, Jelena; Stojanovic, Mirjana; Milosevic, Sinisa

2007-07-01

Available in abstract form only. Full text of publication follows: The goal of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of Serbian natural mineral apatite as soil additive for reducing the migration of uranium from contaminated sediments. In laboratory study we investigated the sorption properties of domestic apatite upon different experimental conditions, such as pH, adsorbent mass, reaction period, concentration of P{sub 2}O{sub 5} in apatite, solid/liquid ratio. In second part of study, we did the quantification of uranium in soil samples, taken from uranium mine site 'Kalna', by sequential extraction method. The same procedure was, also, used for uraniummore » determination in contaminated soil samples after apatite addition, in order to determine the changes in U distribution in soil fraction. The obtained results showed the significant level of immobilization (96.7%) upon certain conditions. Increase of %P{sub 2}O{sub 5} in apatite and process of mechano-chemical activation led to increase of immobilization capacity from 17.50% till 91.64%. The best results for uranium binding were obtained at pH 5.5 and reaction period 60 days (98.04%) The sequential extraction showed the presence of uranium (48.2%) in potentially available soil fractions, but with the apatite addition uranium content in these fractions decreased (30.64%), what is considering environmental aspect significant fact. In situ immobilization of radionuclide using inexpensive sequestering agents, such as apatite, is very adequate for big contaminated areas of soil with low level of contamination. This investigation study on natural apatite from deposit 'Lisina' Serbia was the first one of this type in our country. Key words: apatite, uranium, immobilization, soil, contamination. (authors)« less

Development of High-Antifouling PPSU Ultrafiltration Membrane by Using Compound Additives: Preparation, Morphologies, and Filtration Resistant Properties

PubMed Central

Liu, Jie; Zhong, Zhencheng; Ma, Rui; Zhang, Weichen; Li, Jiding

2016-01-01

In this study, flat sheet asymmetric polyphenylsulfone (PPSU) ultrafiltration membranes with enhanced antifouling properties were prepared with a non-solvent induced phase separation (NIPS) method through compound additives containing a polymeric pore-forming agent, a small molecular non-solvent and a surfactant. The formation processes of the porous asymmetric membranes with different kinds of additives were studied in detail, and the microstructure controllable preparation of membrane was achieved by establishing a bridge between the membrane preparation parameters and separation performances. All prepared membranes were characterized by using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), contact angle analysis, porosity, maximum pore size, water and BSA solution permeability studies. The performance efficiency of the membrane was evaluated by using BSA as a model foulant in terms of permeability, solute rejection (R), Rm (membrane inherent resistance), Rc (cake layer resistance), and Rp (pore plugging resistance). The results showed that when the compound additives were used, the inter-connected pores were observed, maximum pore size, contact angle and membrane filtration resistance decreased, while the porosity increased. When PVP compound additives were added, the water flux increased from 80.4 to 148.1 L/(m2·h), the BSA rejection increased from 53.2% to 81.5%. A similar trend was observed for membranes with added PEG compound additives; the water flux and BSA rejection simultaneously increased. The filtration resistance decreased as a result of compound additives. The uniformity of membrane and the number of effective pores could be enhanced by adding compound additives through the cooperation of different additives. PMID:27338487

Development of High-Antifouling PPSU Ultrafiltration Membrane by Using Compound Additives: Preparation, Morphologies, and Filtration Resistant Properties.

PubMed

Liu, Jie; Zhong, Zhencheng; Ma, Rui; Zhang, Weichen; Li, Jiding

2016-06-21

In this study, flat sheet asymmetric polyphenylsulfone (PPSU) ultrafiltration membranes with enhanced antifouling properties were prepared with a non-solvent induced phase separation (NIPS) method through compound additives containing a polymeric pore-forming agent, a small molecular non-solvent and a surfactant. The formation processes of the porous asymmetric membranes with different kinds of additives were studied in detail, and the microstructure controllable preparation of membrane was achieved by establishing a bridge between the membrane preparation parameters and separation performances. All prepared membranes were characterized by using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), contact angle analysis, porosity, maximum pore size, water and BSA solution permeability studies. The performance efficiency of the membrane was evaluated by using BSA as a model foulant in terms of permeability, solute rejection (R), Rm (membrane inherent resistance), Rc (cake layer resistance), and Rp (pore plugging resistance). The results showed that when the compound additives were used, the inter-connected pores were observed, maximum pore size, contact angle and membrane filtration resistance decreased, while the porosity increased. When PVP compound additives were added, the water flux increased from 80.4 to 148.1 L/(m²·h), the BSA rejection increased from 53.2% to 81.5%. A similar trend was observed for membranes with added PEG compound additives; the water flux and BSA rejection simultaneously increased. The filtration resistance decreased as a result of compound additives. The uniformity of membrane and the number of effective pores could be enhanced by adding compound additives through the cooperation of different additives.

The Interrelationships of Mathematical Precursors in Kindergarten

PubMed Central

Cirino, Paul T.

2011-01-01

This study evaluated the interrelations among cognitive precursors across quantitative, linguistic, and spatial attention domains that have been implicated for math achievement in young children. The dimensionality of the quantity precursors was evaluated in 286 Kindergarteners via latent variable techniques, and the contribution of precursors from each domain was established for small sums addition. Results showed a five factor structure for the quantity precursors with the major distinction between nonsymbolic and symbolic tasks. The overall model demonstrated good fit, and strong predictive power (R2 = 55%) for addition number combinations. Linguistic and spatial attention domains showed indirect relationships with outcomes, with their effects mediated by symbolic quantity measures. These results have implications for the measurement of mathematical precursors, and yield promise for predicting future math performance. PMID:21194711

Comparison of oxytetracycline degradation behavior in pig manure with different antibiotic addition methods.

PubMed

Wang, Yan; Chen, Guixiu; Liang, Juanboo; Zou, Yongde; Wen, Xin; Liao, Xindi; Wu, Yinbao

2015-12-01

Using manure collected from swine fed with diet containing antibiotics and antibiotic-free swine manure spiked with antibiotics are the two common methods of studying the degradation behavior of veterinary antibiotic in manure in the environment. However, few studies had been conducted to co-compare these two different antibiotic addition methods. This study used oxytetracycline (OTC) as a model antibiotic to study antibiotic degradation behavior in manure under the above two OTC addition methods. In addition, the role of microorganisms present in the manure on degradation behavior was also examined. The results showed that degradation half-life of OTC in manure from swine fed OTC (9.04 days) was significantly shorter than that of the manure directly treated with OTC (9.65 days). Concentration of 4-epi-OTC in manure from swine fed OTC peaked earlier than that in manure spiked with OTC, and the degradation rates of 4-epi-OTC and α-apo-OTC in the manure from swine fed OTC were faster, but the peak concentrations were lower, than those in manure spiked with OTC. Bacterial diversity and relative abundance of Bacillus cereus data demonstrated that sterilization of the manure before experiment significantly decreased OTC degradation rate in both of the addition methods. Results of the present study demonstrated that the presence of the metabolites (especially 4-epi-OTC) and microorganisms had significant influence on OTC degradation.

Amino-Acid Network Clique Analysis of Protein Mutation Non-Additive Effects: A Case Study of Lysozme.

PubMed

Ming, Dengming; Chen, Rui; Huang, He

2018-05-10

Optimizing amino-acid mutations in enzyme design has been a very challenging task in modern bio-industrial applications. It is well known that many successful designs often hinge on extensive correlations among mutations at different sites within the enzyme, however, the underpinning mechanism for these correlations is far from clear. Here, we present a topology-based model to quantitively characterize non-additive effects between mutations. The method is based on the molecular dynamic simulations and the amino-acid network clique analysis. It examines if the two mutation sites of a double-site mutation fall into to a 3-clique structure, and associates such topological property of mutational site spatial distribution with mutation additivity features. We analyzed 13 dual mutations of T4 phage lysozyme and found that the clique-based model successfully distinguishes highly correlated or non-additive double-site mutations from those additive ones whose component mutations have less correlation. We also applied the model to protein Eglin c whose structural topology is significantly different from that of T4 phage lysozyme, and found that the model can, to some extension, still identify non-additive mutations from additive ones. Our calculations showed that mutation non-additive effects may heavily depend on a structural topology relationship between mutation sites, which can be quantitatively determined using amino-acid network k -cliques. We also showed that double-site mutation correlations can be significantly altered by exerting a third mutation, indicating that more detailed physicochemical interactions should be considered along with the network clique-based model for better understanding of this elusive mutation-correlation principle.

Investigation of gamma ray shielding efficiency and mechanical performances of concrete shields containing bismuth oxide as an environmentally friendly additive

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yao, Ya; Zhang, Xiaowen; Li, Mi; Yang, Rong; Jiang, Tianjiao; Lv, Junwen

2016-10-01

Concrete has a proven ability to attenuate gamma rays and neutrons without compromising structural property; therefore, it is widely used as the primary shielding material in many nuclear facilities. Recently, there is a tendency toward using various additives to enhance the shielding properties of these concrete mixtures. However, most of these additives being used either pose hygiene hazards or require special handling processes. It would be ideal if environmentally friendly additives were available for use. The bismuth oxide (Bi2O3) additive shows promise in various shielding applications due to its proven radiation attenuation ability and environmentally friendly nature. To the best of our knowledge, however, Bi2O3 has never been used in concrete mixtures. Therefore, for this research, we fabricated the Bi2O3-based concrete mixtures by adding Bi2O3 powder in the ordinary concrete mixture. Concrete mixtures with lead oxide (PbO) additives were used for comparison. Radiation shielding parameters like the linear attenuation coefficients (LAC) of all these concrete mixtures showing the effects of the Bi2O3 additions are presented. The mechanical performances of concrete mixtures incorporated with Bi2O3 additive were also investigated. It suggested that the concrete mixture containing 25% Bi2O3 powder (B5 in this study) provided the best shielding capacity and mechanical performance among other mixes. It has a significant potential for application as a structural concrete where radiological protection capability is required.

Fiber concentrate from orange (Citrus sinensis L.) bagase: characterization and application as bakery product ingredient.

PubMed

Romero-Lopez, Maria R; Osorio-Diaz, Perla; Bello-Perez, Luis A; Tovar, Juscelino; Bernardino-Nicanor, Aurea

2011-01-01

Orange is a tropical fruit used in the juice industry, yielding important quantities of by products. The objective of this work was to obtain a dietary fiber-rich orange bagasse product (DFROBP), evaluate its chemical composition and its use in the preparation of a bakery product (muffin). Muffins containing two different levels of DFROBP were studied regarding chemical composition, in vitro starch digestibility, predicted glyceamic index and acceptability in a sensory test. DFROBP showed low fat and high dietary fiber contents. The soluble and insoluble dietary fiber fractions were balanced, which is of importance for the health beneficial effects of fiber sources. DFROBP-containing muffins showed the same rapidly digestible starch content as the reference muffin, whilst the slowly digestible starch level increased with the addition of DFROBP. However, the resistant starch content decreased when DFROBP increased in the muffin. The addition of DFROBP to muffin decreased the predicted glyceamic index, but no difference was found between the muffins prepared with the two DFROBP levels. The sensory score did not show difference between control muffin and that added with 10% of DFROBP. The addition of DFROBP to bakery products can be an alternative for people requiring low glyceamic response.

A Comparative Study on the Mechanical, Thermal and Morphological Characterization of Poly(lactic acid)/Epoxidized Palm Oil Blend

PubMed Central

Giita Silverajah, V. S.; Ibrahim, Nor Azowa; Yunus, Wan Md Zin Wan; Hassan, Hazimah Abu; Woei, Chieng Buong

2012-01-01

In this work, poly(lactic acid) (PLA) a fully biodegradable thermoplastic polymer matrix was melt blended with three different epoxidized palm oil (EPO). The aim of this research was to enhance the flexibility, mechanical and thermal properties of PLA. The blends were prepared at various EPO contents of 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 wt% and characterized. The SEM analysis evidenced successful modification on the neat PLA brittle morphology. Tensile tests indicate that the addition of 1 wt% EPO is sufficient to improve the strength and flexibility compared to neat PLA. Additionally, the flexural and impact properties were also enhanced. Further, DSC analysis showed that the addition of EPO results in a decrease in Tg, which implies an increase in the PLA chain mobility. In the presence of 1 wt% EPO, TGA results revealed significant increase in the thermal stability by 27%. Among the three EPOs used, EPO(3) showed the best mechanical and thermal properties compared to the other EPO’s, with an optimum loading of 1 wt%. Conclusively, EPO showed a promising outcome to overcome the brittleness and improve the overall properties of neat PLA, thus can be considered as a potential plasticizer. PMID:22754338

A comparative study on the mechanical, thermal and morphological characterization of poly(lactic acid)/epoxidized Palm Oil blend.

PubMed

Giita Silverajah, V S; Ibrahim, Nor Azowa; Yunus, Wan Md Zin Wan; Hassan, Hazimah Abu; Woei, Chieng Buong

2012-01-01

In this work, poly(lactic acid) (PLA) a fully biodegradable thermoplastic polymer matrix was melt blended with three different epoxidized palm oil (EPO). The aim of this research was to enhance the flexibility, mechanical and thermal properties of PLA. The blends were prepared at various EPO contents of 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 wt% and characterized. The SEM analysis evidenced successful modification on the neat PLA brittle morphology. Tensile tests indicate that the addition of 1 wt% EPO is sufficient to improve the strength and flexibility compared to neat PLA. Additionally, the flexural and impact properties were also enhanced. Further, DSC analysis showed that the addition of EPO results in a decrease in T(g), which implies an increase in the PLA chain mobility. In the presence of 1 wt% EPO, TGA results revealed significant increase in the thermal stability by 27%. Among the three EPOs used, EPO(3) showed the best mechanical and thermal properties compared to the other EPO's, with an optimum loading of 1 wt%. Conclusively, EPO showed a promising outcome to overcome the brittleness and improve the overall properties of neat PLA, thus can be considered as a potential plasticizer.

Production and Isomeric Distribution of Xanthylium Cation Pigments and Their Precursors in Wine-like Conditions: Impact of Cu(II), Fe(II), Fe(III), Mn(II), Zn(II), and Al(III).

PubMed

Guo, Anque; Kontoudakis, Nikolaos; Scollary, Geoffrey R; Clark, Andrew C

2017-03-22

This study establishes the influence of Cu(II), Fe(II), Fe(III), Zn(II), Al(III), and Mn(II) on the oxidative production of xanthylium cations from (+)-catechin and either tartaric acid or glyoxylic acid in model wine systems. The reaction was studied at 25 °C using UHPLC and LC-HRMS for the analysis of phenolic products and their isomeric distribution. In addition to the expected products, a colorless product, tentatively assigned as a lactone, was detected for the first time. The results show the importance of Fe ions and a synergistic influence of Mn(II) in degrading tartaric acid to glyoxylic acid, whereas the other metal ions had minimal activity in this mechanistic step. Fe(II) and Fe(III) were shown to mediate the (+)-catechin-glyoxylic acid addition reaction, a role previously attributed to only Cu(II). Importantly, the study demonstrates that C-8 addition products of (+)-catechin are promoted by Cu(II), whereas C-6 addition products are promoted by Fe ions.

Dynamic modulus of nanosilica modified porous asphalt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arshad, A. K.; Masri, K. A.; Ahmad, J.; Samsudin, M. S.

2017-11-01

Porous asphalt (PA) is a flexible pavement layer with high interconnected air void contents and constructed using open-graded aggregates. Due to high temperature environment and increased traffic volume in Malaysia, PA may have deficiencies particularly in rutting and stiffness of the mix. A possible way to improve these deficiencies is to improve the asphalt binder used. Binder is normally modified using polymer materials to improve its properties. However, nanotechnology presently is being gradually used for asphalt modification. Nanosilica (NS), a byproduct of rice husk and palm oil fuel ash is used as additive in this study. The aim of this study is to enhance the rutting resistance and stiffness performance of PA using NS. This study focused on the performance of PA in terms of dynamic modulus with the addition of NS modified binder to produce better and more durable PA. From the result of Dynamic SPT Test, it shows that the addition of NS was capable in enhancing the stiffness and rutting resistance of PA. The addition of NS also increase the dynamic modulus value of PA by 50%.

[Study on the quantitative evaluation on the degree of TCM basic syndromes often encountered in patients with primary liver cancer].

PubMed

Li, Dong-tao; Ling, Chang-quan; Zhu, De-zeng

2007-07-01

To establish a quantitative model for evaluating the degree of the TCM basic syndromes often encountered in patients with primary liver cancer (PLC). Medical literatures concerning the clinical investigation and TCM syndrome of PLC were collected and analyzed adopting expert-composed symposium method, and the 100 millimeter scaling was applied in combining with scoring on degree of symptoms to establish a quantitative criterion for symptoms and signs degree classification in patients with PLC. Two models, i.e. the additive model and the additive-multiplicative model, were established by using comprehensive analytic hierarchy process (AHP) as the mathematical tool to estimate the weight of the criterion for evaluating basic syndromes in various layers by specialists. Then the two models were verified in clinical practice and the outcomes were compared with that fuzzy evaluated by specialists. Verification on 459 times/case of PLC showed that the coincidence rate between the outcomes derived from specialists with that from the additive model was 84.53 %, and with that from the additive-multificative model was 62.75 %, the difference between the two showed statistical significance (P<0.01). It could be decided that the additive model is the principle model suitable for quantitative evaluation on the degree of TCM basic syndromes in patients with PLC.

Effects of DMSO and glycerol additives on the property of polyamide reverse osmosis membrane.

PubMed

Wu, Fengjing; Liu, Xiaojuan; Au, Chaktong

2016-10-01

The polyamide reverse osmosis (RO) membranes were prepared through interfacial polymerization of m-phenylenediamine (MPD) and trimesoyl chloride (TMC). The use of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and glycerol as additives for the formation of thin-film composite (TFC) was investigated. We studied the effect of DMSO and glycerol addition on membrane property and RO performance. Microscopic morphology was examined by atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The surface hydrophilicity was characterized on the basis of water contact angle and surface solid-liquid interfacial free energy (-ΔG SL ). Water flux and salt rejection ability of the membranes prepared with or without the additives were evaluated by cross-flow RO tests. The results reveal that the addition of DMSO and glycerol strongly influences the property of the TFC RO membrane. Compared to the MPD/TMC membrane fabricated without DMSO and glycerol, the MPD/TMC/DMSO/glycerol membrane has a rougher surface and is more hydrophilic, showing smaller water contact angle and larger -ΔG SL value. Without decrease in salt rejection ability, the MPD/TMC/DMSO/glycerol membrane shows water flux significantly larger than that of the MPD/TMC membrane. The unique property of the MPD/TMC/DMSO/glycerol membrane is attributed to the cooperative effect of DMSO and glycerol on membrane structure during the interfacial polymerization process.

Effects of trace element addition on process stability during anaerobic co-digestion of OFMSW and slaughterhouse waste.

PubMed

Moestedt, J; Nordell, E; Shakeri Yekta, S; Lundgren, J; Martí, M; Sundberg, C; Ejlertsson, J; Svensson, B H; Björn, A

2016-01-01

This study used semi-continuous laboratory scale biogas reactors to simulate the effects of trace-element addition in different combinations, while degrading the organic fraction of municipal solid waste and slaughterhouse waste. The results show that the combined addition of Fe, Co and Ni was superior to the addition of only Fe, Fe and Co or Fe and Ni. However, the addition of only Fe resulted in a more stable process than the combined addition of Fe and Co, perhaps indicating a too efficient acidogenesis and/or homoacetogenesis in relation to a Ni-deprived methanogenic population. The results were observed in terms of higher biogas production (+9%), biogas production rates (+35%) and reduced VFA concentration for combined addition compared to only Fe and Ni. The higher stability was supported by observations of differences in viscosity, intraday VFA- and biogas kinetics as well as by the 16S rRNA gene and 16S rRNA of the methanogens. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Performance of cellulose acetate membrane with different additives for palm oil mill effluent (POME) liquid waste treatment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aprilia, N. A. S.; Fauzi; Azmi, N.; Najwan, N.; Amin, A.

2018-03-01

Performance of cellulose acetate membrane for treatment of POME liquid has studied with different additives. Cellulose acetate membranes were prepared with different additive ie formamide and polyethylene glycol and used acetone as solvent. The function of formamide and polyethylene glycol (PEG) is to increase the porosity of the membrane surface. Performance of the membrane were included SEM, FT-IR and coefficient permeability. Membrane performance has been performed for percent rejection of total suspended solid (TSS) and turbidity of POME liquid waste. Cellulose acetate with formamide shows an increased percentage of rejection in removing TSS and turbidity than cellulose acetate with PEG.

Investigation of the ignition of liquid hydrocarbon fuels with nanoadditives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bakulin, V. N.; Velikodnyi, V. Yu.; Levin, Yu. K.; Popov, V. V.

2017-12-01

During our experimental studies we showed a high efficiency of the influence of nanoparticle additives on the stability of the ignition of hydrocarbon fuels and the stabilization of their combustion in a highfrequency high-voltage discharge. We detected the effects of a jet deceleration, an increase in the volume of the combustible mixture, and a reduction in the inflammation delay time. These effects have been estimated quantitatively by digitally processing the video frames of the ignition of a bubbled kerosene jet with 0.5% graphene nanoparticle additives and without these additives. This effect has been explained by the influence of electrodynamic processes.

Grapheme-colour synaesthesia yields an ordinary rather than extraordinary memory advantage: evidence from a group study.

PubMed

Rothen, Nicolas; Meier, Beat

2010-04-01

In synaesthesia, the input of one sensory modality automatically triggers an additional experience, not normally triggered by the input of that modality. Therefore, compared to non-synaesthetes, additional experiences exist and these may be used as retrieval cues when memory is tested. Previous case studies have suggested that synaesthesia may yield even extraordinary memory abilities. However, group studies found either a task-specific memory advantage or no performance advantage at all. The aim of the present study was to test whether grapheme-colour synaesthesia gives rise to a general memory benefit using a standardised memory test (Wechsler Memory Scale). The synaesthetes showed a performance advantage in episodic memory tests, but not in short-term memory tests. However, performance was still within the ordinary range. The results support the hypothesis that synaesthesia provides for a richer world of experience and as a consequence additional retrieval cues may be available and beneficial but not to the point of extraordinary memory ability.

Effect of mineral additives (natural pozzolana and sand of dunes) by substitution of cement on the performance and durability of mortars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saidi, M.; Safi, B.

2016-04-01

The objective of our work consists of the study of the substitution effects of clinker by mineral additions such as: natural pozzolana (PZ) and the sand of dunes (SD) finely crushed on the mechanical properties and the durability of the mortars worked out according to various combinations containing these additions. The results from this research confirm that the substitution of 20% to 30% of cement APC (Artificial Portland Cement) by additions in binary cement (APC + PZ) or ternary (APC + PZ + SD) contributes positively to the mechanical strength of mortars and resistance to the chemical attacks in various corrosive conditions such as: hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid and nitric acid. The mechanical strength of the different variants is comparable to those of the APC. The test results of the weight loss and phenolphthalein shows that the chemical resistance of variants (PZ20) and (PZ20 with SD5) are larger compared to the reference mortar APC and other variants. This study shows that adding value by substituting a part of clinker. This substitution can save 20% to 30% of clinker used for the manufacture of cement; this will have a beneficial effect for cement and economically (less energy spent for the clinker burning). This study contributes to the protection of the environment as to produce one ton of clinker generates about one ton of CO2 is harmful to the atmosphere. Based on our results we will reduce from 20% to 30% CO2 gas responsible for the greenhouse effect.

Biochemical methane potential from sewage sludge: Effect of an aerobic pretreatment and fly ash addition as source of trace elements.

PubMed

Huiliñir, César; Pinto-Villegas, Paula; Castillo, Alejandra; Montalvo, Silvio; Guerrero, Lorna

2017-06-01

The effect of aerobic pretreatment and fly ash addition on the production of methane from mixed sludge is studied. Three assays with pretreated and not pretreated mixed sludge in the presence of fly ash (concentrations of 0, 10, 25, 50, 250 and 500mg/L) were run at mesophilic condition. It was found that the combined use of aerobic pretreatment and fly ash addition increases methane production up to 70% when the fly ash concentrations were lower than 50mg/L, while concentrations higher than 250mg/L cause up to 11% decrease of methane production. For the anaerobic treatment of mixed sludge without pretreatment, the fly ash improved methane generation at all the concentrations studied, with a maximum of 56%. The removal of volatile solids does not show an improvement compared to the separate use of an aerobic pre-treatment and fly ash addition. Therefore, the combined use of the aerobic pre-treatment and fly ash addition improves only the production of methane. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of Zr, Nb and Ti addition on injection molded 316L stainless steel for bio-applications: Mechanical, electrochemical and biocompatibility properties.

PubMed

Gulsoy, H Ozkan; Pazarlioglu, Serdar; Gulsoy, Nagihan; Gundede, Busra; Mutlu, Ozal

2015-11-01

The research investigated the effect of Zr, Nb and Ti additions on mechanical, electrochemical properties and biocompatibility of injection molded 316L stainless steel. Addition of elemental powder is promoted to get high performance of sintered 316L stainless steels. The amount of additive powder plays a role in determining the sintered microstructure and all properties. In this study, 316L stainless steel powders used with the elemental Zr, Nb and Ti powders. A feedstock containing 62.5 wt% powders loading was molded at different injection molded temperature. The binders were completely removed from molded components by solvent and thermal debinding at different temperatures. The debinded samples were sintered at 1350°C for 60 min. Mechanical, electrochemical property and biocompatibility of the sintered samples were performed mechanical, electrochemical, SBF immersion tests and cell culture experiments. Results of study showed that sintered 316L and 316L with additives samples exhibited high corrosion properties and biocompatibility in a physiological environment. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The fracture and fragmentation behaviour of additively manufactured stainless steel 316L

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amott, Russell; Harris, Ernest; Winter, Ron; Stirk, Stewart; Chapman, David; Eakins, Daniel

2015-06-01

Expanding cylinder experiments using a gas gun technique allow investigations into the ductility of metals and the fracture and fragmentation mechanisms that occur during rapid tensile failure. These experiments allow the radial strain-rate of the expansion to be varied in the range 102 to 104 s-1. Presented here is a comparative study of the fracture and fragmentation behaviour of rapidly expanded stainless steel 316L cylinders manufactured from either wrought bar or by additive manufacturing techniques. The results show that in the strain-rate regime studied, an additively manufactured cylinder failed at a higher strain and produced larger fragment widths compared to cylinders manufactured from wrought bar. In addition, an investigation into the role of deliberate equispaced macroscopic voids introduced into a cylinder wall has been undertaken. Using the unique properties of additive manufacture, elongated voids were introduced to the cylinder wall at an angle of 45° to the cylinder radius, and the resulting fragment patterns will be discussed. A comparison of the expanding cylinder profiles with simulations using CTH will also be presented.

The behavior of antibiotic resistance genes and arsenic influenced by biochar during different manure composting.

PubMed

Cui, Erping; Wu, Ying; Jiao, Yanan; Zuo, Yiru; Rensing, Christopher; Chen, Hong

2017-06-01

The effect of two different biochar types, rice straw biochar (RSB) and mushroom biochar (MB), on chicken manure composting was previously examined by monitoring the fate of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and arsenic. The behavior of ARGs and arsenic in other kinds of manure composting with the same biochar types had not been examined. In this study, we added either RSB or MB to pig and duck manure composts to study the behavior of ARGs (tet genes, sul genes, and chloramphenicol resistance genes) and arsenic under the same experimental condition. The results showed that the average removal values of selected ARGs were respectively 2.56 and 2.09 log units in duck and pig manure compost without the addition of biochar. The effect of biochar addition on the average removal value of ARGs depended on the type of biochar and manure. For instance, in pig manure compost, MB addition increased the average removal value of ARGs, while RSB addition decreased. And both biochar additions had a negative influence on the average removal value of ARGs in duck manure compost. Analytical results also demonstrated that MB addition reduced total arsenic and the percentage of bioavailable arsenic more than RSB.

Studies of levels of biogenic amines in meat samples in relation to the content of additives.

PubMed

Jastrzębska, Aneta; Kowalska, Sylwia; Szłyk, Edward

2016-01-01

The impact of meat additives on the concentration of biogenic amines and the quality of meat was studied. Fresh white and red meat samples were fortified with the following food additives: citric and lactic acids, disodium diphosphate, sodium nitrite, sodium metabisulphite, potassium sorbate, sodium chloride, ascorbic acid, α-tocopherol, propyl 3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoate (propyl gallate) and butylated hydroxyanisole. The content of spermine, spermidine, putrescine, cadaverine, histamine, tyramine, tryptamine and 2-phenylethylamine was determined by capillary isotachophoretic methods in meat samples (fresh and fortified) during four days of storage at 4°C. The results were applied to estimate the impact of the tested additives on the formation of biogenic amines in white and red meat. For all tested meats, sodium nitrite, sodium chloride and disodium diphosphate showed the best inhibition. However, cadaverine and putrescine were characterised by the biggest changes in concentration during the storage time of all the additives. Based on the presented data for the content of biogenic amines in meat samples analysed as a function of storage time and additives, we suggest that cadaverine and putrescine have a significant impact on meat quality.

Study of a Martian Aeolian Sand Analog with MECA Microscopy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Marshall, J.; Kuhlman, K.; Stevens, R.; Meyyappan, M.

2001-01-01

MECA microscopy (built for Mars '01) is simulated to show the potential of in situ microscopic analyses of surface materials on Mars. In particular, the value of nanotechnology is demonstrated. Additional information is contained in the original extended abstract.

[Treatment with dimethylaminoethanol (deanol) in neuroleptic induced tardive dyskinesia].

PubMed

Kocher, R; Hobi, V; Linder, M; Studer, K

1980-01-01

A double blind cross-over study of 20 patients wiht tardive dyskinesia due to chronic use of neuroleptics showed no difference between efficacity of Deanol (Deaner) and placebo. Several patients improved with Deanol (Deaner), whereas several other patients showed increasing dyskinesia. The same phenomenon could be observed in the placebo group. Tolerance of the compound was very good. Results of an additional open study however suggest that the administration of Deanol (Deaner) may be tried as long as no other means are available to define those patients who will react favorably to this medication.

EXTERIOR PERSPECTIVE OF GRANARY SHOWING ADDITION, LOOKING NORTH. (When the ...

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

EXTERIOR PERSPECTIVE OF GRANARY SHOWING ADDITION, LOOKING NORTH. (When the granary was adapted into a family home, an addition was added onto the west façade. The Gould house is visible in the distance, at the left.) - Smith Farm, Granary, 399 Ebey Road, Coupeville, Island County, WA

Complete phase diagram of DNA unzipping: eye, Y fork, and triple point.

PubMed

Kapri, Rajeev; Bhattacharjee, Somendra M; Seno, Flavio

2004-12-10

We study the unzipping of double stranded DNA by applying a pulling force at a fraction s (0< or =s < or =1) from the anchored end. From exact analytical and numerical results, the complete phase diagram is presented. The phase diagram shows a strong ensemble dependence for various values of s. In addition, we show the existence of an eye phase and a triple point.

Ageing affects event-related potentials and brain oscillations: a behavioral and electrophysiological study using a haptic recognition memory task.

PubMed

Sebastián, Manuel; Reales, José M; Ballesteros, Soledad

2011-12-01

In this electrophysiological study, we investigated the effects of ageing on recognition memory for three-dimensional (3D) familiar objects presented to touch in a continuous paradigm. To examine changes in event-related potentials (ERPs) and brain oscillations, we recorded the EEGs of healthy groups of young (n=14; mean age=32.3 years) and older adults (n=14; mean age=65.1). Both age groups exhibited similar accuracy and exploration times when making old-new judgments. Young and older participants showed a marginally significant ERP old/new effect widely distributed over the scalp between 550-750 ms. In addition, the elders showed lower amplitude than younger participants within 1200-1500 ms. There were age-related differences in brain oscillations as measured by event-related spectral perturbation (ERSP). Older adults showed greater alpha and beta power reductions than young participants, suggesting the recruitment of additional neural resources. In contrast, the two age groups showed a reliable old/new effect in the theta band that temporarily overlapped the ERP old/new effect. The present results suggest that despite similar behavioral performance, the young and older adults recruited different neural resources to perform a haptic recognition task. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Potential changes in bacterial metabolism associated with increased water temperature and nutrient inputs in tropical humic lagoons.

PubMed

Scofield, Vinicius; Jacques, Saulo M S; Guimarães, Jean R D; Farjalla, Vinicius F

2015-01-01

Temperature and nutrient concentrations regulate aquatic bacterial metabolism. However, few studies have focused on the effect of the interaction between these factors on bacterial processes, and none have been performed in tropical aquatic ecosystems. We analyzed the main and interactive effects of changes in water temperature and N and P concentrations on bacterioplankton production (BP), bacterioplankton respiration (BR) and bacterial growth efficiency (BGE) in tropical coastal lagoons. We used a factorial design with three levels of water temperature (25, 30, and 35°C) and four levels of N and/or P additions (Control, N, P, and NP additions) in five tropical humic lagoons. When data for all lagoons were pooled together, a weak interaction was observed between the increase in water temperature and the addition of nutrients. Water temperature alone had the greatest impact on bacterial metabolism by increasing BR, decreasing BP, and decreasing BGE. An increase of 1°C lead to an increase of ~4% in BR, a decrease of ~0.9% in BP, and a decrease of ~4% in BGE. When data were analyzed separately, lagoons responded differently to nutrient additions depending on Dissolved Organic Carbon (DOC) concentration. Lagoons with lowest DOC concentrations showed the strongest responses to nutrient additions: BP increased in response to N, P, and their interaction, BR increased in response to N and the interaction between N and P, and BGE was negatively affected, mainly by the interaction between N and P additions. Lagoons with the highest DOC concentrations showed almost no significant relationship with nutrient additions. Taken together, these results show that different environmental drivers impact bacterial processes at different scales. Changes of bacterial metabolism related to the increase of water temperature are consistent between lagoons, therefore their consequences can be predicted at a regional scale, while the effect of nutrient inputs is specific to different lagoons but seems to be related to the DOC concentration.

Potential changes in bacterial metabolism associated with increased water temperature and nutrient inputs in tropical humic lagoons

PubMed Central

Scofield, Vinicius; Jacques, Saulo M. S.; Guimarães, Jean R. D.; Farjalla, Vinicius F.

2015-01-01

Temperature and nutrient concentrations regulate aquatic bacterial metabolism. However, few studies have focused on the effect of the interaction between these factors on bacterial processes, and none have been performed in tropical aquatic ecosystems. We analyzed the main and interactive effects of changes in water temperature and N and P concentrations on bacterioplankton production (BP), bacterioplankton respiration (BR) and bacterial growth efficiency (BGE) in tropical coastal lagoons. We used a factorial design with three levels of water temperature (25, 30, and 35°C) and four levels of N and/or P additions (Control, N, P, and NP additions) in five tropical humic lagoons. When data for all lagoons were pooled together, a weak interaction was observed between the increase in water temperature and the addition of nutrients. Water temperature alone had the greatest impact on bacterial metabolism by increasing BR, decreasing BP, and decreasing BGE. An increase of 1°C lead to an increase of ~4% in BR, a decrease of ~0.9% in BP, and a decrease of ~4% in BGE. When data were analyzed separately, lagoons responded differently to nutrient additions depending on Dissolved Organic Carbon (DOC) concentration. Lagoons with lowest DOC concentrations showed the strongest responses to nutrient additions: BP increased in response to N, P, and their interaction, BR increased in response to N and the interaction between N and P, and BGE was negatively affected, mainly by the interaction between N and P additions. Lagoons with the highest DOC concentrations showed almost no significant relationship with nutrient additions. Taken together, these results show that different environmental drivers impact bacterial processes at different scales. Changes of bacterial metabolism related to the increase of water temperature are consistent between lagoons, therefore their consequences can be predicted at a regional scale, while the effect of nutrient inputs is specific to different lagoons but seems to be related to the DOC concentration. PMID:25926827

Structural changes in gluten protein structure after addition of emulsifier. A Raman spectroscopy study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferrer, Evelina G.; Gómez, Analía V.; Añón, María C.; Puppo, María C.

2011-06-01

Food protein product, gluten protein, was chemically modified by varying levels of sodium stearoyl lactylate (SSL); and the extent of modifications (secondary and tertiary structures) of this protein was analyzed by using Raman spectroscopy. Analysis of the Amide I band showed an increase in its intensity mainly after the addition of the 0.25% of SSL to wheat flour to produced modified gluten protein, pointing the formation of a more ordered structure. Side chain vibrations also confirmed the observed changes.

Regulation of Chloroplastic Carbonic Anhydrase 1

PubMed Central

Porter, Michael A.; Grodzinski, Bernard

1983-01-01

It was previously reported that magnesium ion inhibited carbonic anhydrase (Bamberger and Avron 1975 Plant Physiol 56: 481-485). Studies with partially purified carbonic anhydrase from spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) chloroplasts show that the effect was the result of the chloride counterion and not the magnesium ion. Enzyme activity was reduced 50% upon addition of 3 to 10 millimolar MgCl2 or KCl while all additions of MgSO4 between 0.3 and 10 millimolar were mildly stimulatory. PMID:16663052

Synthesis and antiproliferative activity of peracetylated 2-amino-1,2-dideoxy-1-nitro-d-glycero-l-manno and d-glycero-d-talo heptitols.

PubMed

Luque-Agudo, Verónica; González Gutiérrez, Ana María; Lagunes, Irene; López Galindo, Federico; Padrón, José M; Román, Emilio; Serrano, José Antonio; Gil, María Victoria

2016-12-01

Michael additions between carbohydrate derived nitroalkenes and several aliphatic and aromatic amines proceeded in a stereoselective way, leading to peracetylated 2-amino-1,2-dideoxy-1-nitro-heptitols. In addition, the antiproliferative activity of some of the new adducts has been studied. The results allowed to identify lead compounds which show GI 50 values in the range 1.7-19μM. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Addition of antioxidant from bamboo leaves as an effective way to reduce the formation of acrylamide in fried chicken wings.

PubMed

Zhang, Yu; Xu, Weizhong; Wu, Xiaoqin; Zhang, Xiaoling; Zhang, Ying

2007-03-01

The efficiency of antioxidant from bamboo leaves on the reduction of acrylamide during thermal processing and optimization of levels of addition of antioxidant from bamboo leaves applied to fried chicken wings are reported. The authors optimized the method of the addition of antioxidant from bamboo leaves to fried chicken wings and the frying processing parameters, and also compared the relationship between the content of total flavonoids in three extracts (EBL(971), EBL(972) and antioxidant from bamboo leaves) and the extent of the reduction of acrylamide. The acrylamide levels were quantified by a validated liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry detection method and the sensory evaluation was performed in a double-blind manner. The results showed that nearly 57.8 and 59.0% of acrylamide in fried chicken wings were reduced when the antioxidant from bamboo leaves addition ratios were 0.1 and 0.5% (w/w), respectively. The maximum inhibitory rate was achieved when antioxidant from bamboo leaves was chosen as the additive with a total flavonoid content of 32% compared with other two extracts and antioxidant from bamboo leaves mixed with flour was selected as the method of addition. Sensory evaluation results showed that the odour and flavour of fried chicken wings with antioxidant from bamboo leaves treatments had no significant difference compared with normal food matrixes (p > 0.05) when the antioxidant from bamboo leaves addition ratio was <0.5% (w/w). Colour acceptability in the study of sensory evaluation was in good correspondence with colour formation of fried chicken wings in each test group. These results suggest that antioxidant from bamboo leaves could significantly reduce acrylamide formation in fried chicken wings and yet still retain the original flavour and odour of the fried products. This study could be regarded as a pioneer contribution to the reduction of acrylamide in various foods by natural antioxidants.

Aggregation of gluten proteins in model dough after fibre polysaccharide addition.

PubMed

Nawrocka, Agnieszka; Szymańska-Chargot, Monika; Miś, Antoni; Wilczewska, Agnieszka Z; Markiewicz, Karolina H

2017-09-15

FT-Raman spectroscopy, thermogravimetry and differential scanning calorimetry were used to study changes in structure of gluten proteins and their thermal properties influenced by four dietary fibre polysaccharides (microcrystalline cellulose, inulin, apple pectin and citrus pectin) during development of a model dough. The flour reconstituted from wheat starch and wheat gluten was mixed with the polysaccharides in five concentrations: 3%, 6%, 9%, 12% and 18%. The obtained results showed that all polysaccharides induced similar changes in secondary structure of gluten proteins concerning formation of aggregates (1604cm -1 ), H-bonded parallel- and antiparallel-β-sheets (1690cm -1 ) and H-bonded β-turns (1664cm -1 ). These changes concerned mainly glutenins since β-structures are characteristic for them. The observed structural changes confirmed hypothesis about partial dehydration of gluten network after polysaccharides addition. The gluten aggregation and dehydration processes were also reflected in the DSC results, while the TGA ones showed that gluten network remained thermally stable after polysaccharides addition. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Utilization of Electric Arc Furnace Dust as raw material for the production of ceramic and concrete building products.

PubMed

Sikalidis, Constantine; Mitrakas, Manassis

2006-01-01

The up to 20 wt% addition of the Electric Arc Furnace Dust (EAFD) hazardous waste on the properties of extruded clay-based ceramic building products fired at various temperatures (850 to 1050 degrees C), as well as of dolomite-concrete products was investigated. Chemical, mineralogical and particle size distribution analyses were performed in order to characterize the used EAFD. The results showed that the ceramic specimens prepared had water absorption, firing shrinkage, apparent density, mechanical strength, colour and leaching behaviour within accepted limits. Addition of 7.5 to 15 wt% EAFD presented improved properties, while 20 wt% seems to be the upper limit. Dolomite-concrete specimens were prepared by vibration and press-forming of mixtures containing cement, sand, dolomite, EAFD and water. Modulus of rupture values were significantly increased by the addition of EAFD. The leaching tests showed stabilization of all toxic metals within the sintered ceramic structure, while the leaching behaviour of lead in dolomite-concrete products needs further detailed study.

Device-independent quantum key distribution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hänggi, Esther

2010-12-01

In this thesis, we study two approaches to achieve device-independent quantum key distribution: in the first approach, the adversary can distribute any system to the honest parties that cannot be used to communicate between the three of them, i.e., it must be non-signalling. In the second approach, we limit the adversary to strategies which can be implemented using quantum physics. For both approaches, we show how device-independent quantum key distribution can be achieved when imposing an additional condition. In the non-signalling case this additional requirement is that communication is impossible between all pairwise subsystems of the honest parties, while, in the quantum case, we demand that measurements on different subsystems must commute. We give a generic security proof for device-independent quantum key distribution in these cases and apply it to an existing quantum key distribution protocol, thus proving its security even in this setting. We also show that, without any additional such restriction there always exists a successful joint attack by a non-signalling adversary.

Effect of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) on the thermal and mechanical properties of polylactic acid (PLA)/curcumin blends

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharifah, I. S. S.; Adnan, M. D. A.; Nor Khairusshima, M. K.; Shaffiar, N. M.; Buys, Y. F.

2018-01-01

Polylactic acid (PLA) is known to be brittle by nature and thus limits the flexibility of the polymer. A possible solution to enhance the flexibility of PLA is to add a flexible polymeric based material such as thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). In this study, 30-50 wt% of TPU was added into PLA/curcumin blends to improve its flexibility. Thermal analysis using differential scanning calorimetry shows that further additions of TPU at the expense of PLA did not affect the glass transition temperature, crystallisation temperature and melting temperature of the blends. Fibers of PLA/curcumin/TPU were successfully drawn and Single Fiber Tensile Test (SFTT) showed vast improvement in elongation at break. The initial addition of 30 wt% of TPU to the brittle PLA/curcumin composition causes a significant increase in elongation at break by 39 times and further additions at 50 wt %, the elongation at break increases by 105 times. However, with the increase in elongation, a decrease in strength and Young’s modulus was observed.

Latency-Based and Psychophysiological Measures of Sexual Interest Show Convergent and Concurrent Validity.

PubMed

Ó Ciardha, Caoilte; Attard-Johnson, Janice; Bindemann, Markus

2018-04-01

Latency-based measures of sexual interest require additional evidence of validity, as do newer pupil dilation approaches. A total of 102 community men completed six latency-based measures of sexual interest. Pupillary responses were recorded during three of these tasks and in an additional task where no participant response was required. For adult stimuli, there was a high degree of intercorrelation between measures, suggesting that tasks may be measuring the same underlying construct (convergent validity). In addition to being correlated with one another, measures also predicted participants' self-reported sexual interest, demonstrating concurrent validity (i.e., the ability of a task to predict a more validated, simultaneously recorded, measure). Latency-based and pupillometric approaches also showed preliminary evidence of concurrent validity in predicting both self-reported interest in child molestation and viewing pornographic material containing children. Taken together, the study findings build on the evidence base for the validity of latency-based and pupillometric measures of sexual interest.

Characterization of Bacterial Cellulose by Gluconacetobacter hansenii CGMCC 3917.

PubMed

Feng, Xianchao; Ullah, Niamat; Wang, Xuejiao; Sun, Xuchun; Li, Chenyi; Bai, Yun; Chen, Lin; Li, Zhixi

2015-10-01

In this study, comprehensive characterization and drying methods on properties of bacterial cellulose were analyzed. Bacterial cellulose was prepared by Gluconacetobacter hansenii CGMCC 3917, which was mutated by high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) treatment. Bacterial cellulose is mainly comprised of cellulose Iα with high crystallinity and purity. High-water holding and absorption capacity were examined by reticulated structure. Thermogravimetric analysis showed high thermal stability. High tensile strength and Young's modulus indicated its mechanical properties. The rheological analysis showed that bacterial cellulose had good consistency and viscosity. These results indicated that bacterial cellulose is a potential food additive and also could be used for a food packaging material. The high textural stability during freeze-thaw cycles makes bacterial cellulose an effective additive for frozen food products. In addition, the properties of bacterial cellulose can be affected by drying methods. Our results suggest that the bacterial cellulose produced from HHP-mutant strain has an effective characterization, which can be used for a wide range of applications in food industry. © 2015 Institute of Food Technologists®

Preferential elimination of chromosome 1D from homoeologous group-1 alien addition lines in hexaploid wheat.

PubMed

Garg, Monika; Elamein, Hala M M; Tanaka, Hiroyuki; Tsujimoto, Hisashi

2007-10-01

Alien chromosome addition lines are useful genetic material for studying the effect of an individual chromosome in the same genetic background. However, addition lines are sometimes unstable and tend to lose the alien chromosome in subsequent generations. In this study, we report preferential removal of chromosome 1D rather than the alien chromosome from homoeologous group-1 addition lines. The Agropyron intermedium chromosome 1Agi (1E) addition line, created in the background of 'Vilmorin 27', showed loss of a part of chromosome 1D, thereby losing its HMW glutenin locus. Even in the case of Aegilops longissima and Ae. peregrina, the genomes of which are closer to the B genome than D genome, chromosome 1D was lost from chromosome 1Sl and 1Sv addition lines in cv. 'Chinese Spring' rather than chromosome 1B during transfer from one generation to another. A similar observation was also observed in the case of a chromosome 1E disomic addition line of Ag. elongatum and alloplasmic common wheat line with Ag. intermedium ssp. trichophorum cytoplasm. The reason for this strange observation is thought to lie in the history of wheat evolution, the size of chromosome 1D compared to 1A and 1B, or differing pollen competition abilities.

Comparing Two Antibacterial Treatments for Bioceramic Coatings at Short Culture Times

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Melero, H.; Madrid, C.; Fernández, J.; Guilemany, J. M.

2014-04-01

Plasma-sprayed hydroxyapatite coatings were employed industrially for decades to improve osteointegration of articular implants, but many studies have warned about the problems inherent to this procedure (mechanical properties, harmful phases). Consequently, a combination of hydroxyapatite with TiO2 sprayed by high velocity oxy-fuel spray was considered in this study. As infection after joint replacement surgery is one of the most critical concerns when considering implant performance, it is necessary to study possible ways to reduce or eliminate it. Two coating treatments were chosen for this study: addition of a percentage of ZnO and immersion in gentamicin for 24 h. Furthermore, three bacteria were considered: Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus aureus. The evolution of bacteria viability in solution was measured at 0, 2, and 4 h; and plate assays were performed to study antibacterial effects by diffusion. The results show an important antibacterial effect of the as-sprayed coating, attributed to the presence of -OH radicals on the surface. The presence of ZnO did not have any additional influence on bacteria viability, but gentamicin-treated samples showed an improvement in antibacterial behavior for Gram-negative bacteria in solution, as well as a bactericidal effect in diffusion conditions.

The global status of freshwater fish age validation studies and a prioritization framework for future research

USGS Publications Warehouse

Pope, Kevin L.; Hamel, Martin J.; Pegg, Mark A.; Spurgeon, Jonathan J.

2016-01-01

Age information derived from calcified structures is commonly used to estimate recruitment, growth, and mortality for fish populations. Validation of daily or annual marks on age structures is often assumed, presumably due to a lack of general knowledge concerning the status of age validation studies. Therefore, the current status of freshwater fish age validation studies was summarized to show where additional effort is needed, and increase the accessibility of validation studies to researchers. In total, 1351 original peer-reviewed articles were reviewed from freshwater systems that studied age in fish. Periodicity and age validation studies were found for 88 freshwater species comprising 21 fish families. The number of age validation studies has increased over the last 30 years following previous calls for more research; however, few species have validated structures spanning all life stages. In addition, few fishes of conservation concern have validated ageing structures. A prioritization framework, using a combination of eight characteristics, is offered to direct future age validation studies and close the validation information gap. Additional study, using the offered prioritization framework, and increased availability of published studies that incorporate uncertainty when presenting research results dealing with age information are needed.

Variant anatomy of renal arteries in a Kenyan population.

PubMed

Ogeng'o, Julius A; Masaki, Charles O; Sinkeet, Simeon R; Muthoka, Johnstone M; Murunga, Acleus K

2010-01-01

Variant anatomy of renal arteries is important in renal transplant, vascular reconstruction, and uroradiological procedures. The variations show ethnic and population differences. Data from Africans are scarce and altogether absent for Kenyans. To describe patterns of origin, trajectories and branching of renal arteries in a Kenyan population. Descriptive cross-sectional study conducted in the Department of Human Anatomy, University of Nairobi. Three hundred and fifty six kidneys from 178 cadavers and postmortem specimens were used in the study. Aorta, renal arteries and kidneys were exposed by dissection. Number, trajectories, level of branching, number of branches and point of entry into the kidney were recorded. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 16.0, and presented using macrographs, tables, and bar charts. Additional arteries occurred in 14.3% of the cases. In 82.4% of these, there was one additional artery. Fifty nine point five per cent of the double renal arteries were parallel and 7.1% crossed. Of the 305 single arteries, 76.4% showed hilar, 21.6% prehilar and 2% intraparenchymal branching. In the hilar branching, ladder type was present in 65% and fork type in 35%. Bifurcation and trifurcation were present in 59.6% and 33.1% respectively. Polar arteries were present in 16.9% cases. Over 14% of the Kenyan population may have additional renal arteries while more than 20% show early branching. Several trajectories and hilar branching patterns exist which renal transplant surgeons and radiologists should be aware of to avoid inadvertent vascular injury.

Temporal bone changes in patients with Goldenhar syndrome with special emphasis on inner ear abnormalities.

PubMed

Hennersdorf, Florian; Friese, Natascha; Löwenheim, Hubert; Tropitzsch, Anke; Ernemann, Ulrike; Bisdas, Sotirios

2014-06-01

Goldenhar syndrome is a developmental disorder presenting with orofacial and vertebral anomalies, which are also accompanied by abnormalities in other organs. We examined temporal bone changes with special emphasis on inner ear abnormalities in these patients. A retrospective review of 7 new cases in addition to a previously published series of 14 cases with clinically diagnosed Goldenhar syndrome was carried out to search for inner ear anomalies. In addition, temporal bone imaging studies from the literature were summarized and compared with our results. Departments of Neuroradiology and Otorhinolaryngology at a university hospital. In addition to the previous series of 14 patients, 7 new patients with Goldenhar syndrome were identified. Patients underwent otologic examination, audiometric studies, and high-resolution computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the temporal bone. Temporal bone changes and specifically inner ear malformations. Nineteen of 21 patients showed changes of the external and middle ear correlating with the literature. Seven of 21 patients showed inner ear abnormalities constituting one-third of all patients. These ranged from mild such as vestibular enlargement to severe defects such as cochlear hypoplasia and common cavity. Inner ear abnormalities were present in one-third of patients. Although in some cases, these might not be of clinical significance, some patients show severe defects of the inner ear requiring more complex hearing loss therapy. Therefore, imaging of the temporal bone structures is important in the care of these patients.

Encapsulated whey-native yeast Kluyveromyces marxianus as a feed additive for animal production.

PubMed

Díaz-Vergara, Ladislao; Pereyra, Carina Maricel; Montenegro, Mariana; Pena, Gabriela Alejandra; Aminahuel, Carla Ayelen; Cavaglieri, Lilia R

2017-05-01

Whey is the main byproduct of the cheese industry. While the composition is variable, it retains up to 55% of milk nutrients. The beneficial features of whey indicates a promising source of new potentially probiotic strains for the development of food additives destined for animal production. The aim of this study was to identify Kluyveromyces spp. isolated from whey, to study some probiotic properties and to select the best strain to be encapsulated using derivatised chitosan. Kluyveromyces marxianus strains (VM003, VM004 and VM005) were isolated from whey and identified by phenotypic and molecular techniques. These three yeast strains were able to survive under gastrointestinal conditions. Moreover, they exhibited weak auto-aggregation and co-aggregation with pathogenic bacteria (Salmonella sp., Serratia sp., Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium). In general the K. marxianus strains had a strong antimicrobial activity against pathogenic bacteria. The potential probiotic K. marxianus VM004 strain was selected for derivatised-chitosan encapsulation. Material treated with native chitosan exhibited a strong antimicrobial activity of K. marxianus, showing a total growth inhibition at 10 min exposure. However, derivatised-chitosan encapsulation showed a reduced antimicrobial activity. This is the first study to show some probiotic properties of whey-native K. marxianus, in vitro. An encapsulation strategy was applied using derivatised chitosan.

The Quantitative-MFG Test: A Linear Mixed Effect Model to Detect Maternal-Offspring Gene Interactions.

PubMed

Clark, Michelle M; Blangero, John; Dyer, Thomas D; Sobel, Eric M; Sinsheimer, Janet S

2016-01-01

Maternal-offspring gene interactions, aka maternal-fetal genotype (MFG) incompatibilities, are neglected in complex diseases and quantitative trait studies. They are implicated in birth to adult onset diseases but there are limited ways to investigate their influence on quantitative traits. We present the quantitative-MFG (QMFG) test, a linear mixed model where maternal and offspring genotypes are fixed effects and residual correlations between family members are random effects. The QMFG handles families of any size, common or general scenarios of MFG incompatibility, and additional covariates. We develop likelihood ratio tests (LRTs) and rapid score tests and show they provide correct inference. In addition, the LRT's alternative model provides unbiased parameter estimates. We show that testing the association of SNPs by fitting a standard model, which only considers the offspring genotypes, has very low power or can lead to incorrect conclusions. We also show that offspring genetic effects are missed if the MFG modeling assumptions are too restrictive. With genome-wide association study data from the San Antonio Family Heart Study, we demonstrate that the QMFG score test is an effective and rapid screening tool. The QMFG test therefore has important potential to identify pathways of complex diseases for which the genetic etiology remains to be discovered. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd/University College London.

The State of PR Graduate Curriculum as We Know It: A Longitudinal Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Briones, Rowena L.; Toth, Elizabeth L.

2013-01-01

This longitudinal content analysis study uses the Commission on Public Relations Education's 2006 report as a benchmark to determine whether master's education in public relations has evolved over the past decade. Findings show a lack of uniformity across the 75 programs studied. In addition, there is a lack of adherence to the Commission on…

Parent Explanation and Preschoolers' Exploratory Behavior and Learning in a Shadow Exhibition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Van Schijndel, Tessa J. P.; Raijmakers, Maartje E. J.

2016-01-01

The present study fills a gap in existing visitor research by focusing on the preschool age group. The study explores relationships between parent explanation, children's exploratory behavior, and their domain-specific learning in a shadow exhibition. In addition, the effect of a preceding theater show on child and parent behaviors is examined. In…

Communication Opportunities via Special Messaging Technology for Two Post-Coma Persons with Multiple Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lancioni, Giulio E.; O'Reilly, Mark F.; Singh, Nirbhay N.; Sigafoos, Jeff; Buonocunto, Francesca; Sacco, Valentina; Colonna, Fabio; Navarro, Jorge; Lanzilotti, Crocifissa; de Pace, Claudia; Megna, Marisa; Oliva, Doretta

2011-01-01

This study extended the assessment of a special messaging technology with two additional post-coma adults who had emerged from a minimally conscious state, but showed multiple disabilities including profound motor and communication impairments. For each participant, the study involved an ABAB design, in which the A represented baseline phases and…

A Multisite Study of High School Mathematics Curricula and the Impact of Taking a Developmental Mathematics Course in College

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harwell, Michael; Dupuis, Danielle; Post, Thomas R.; Medhanie, Amanuel; LeBeau, Brandon

2014-01-01

The relationship between high school mathematics curricula and the likelihood of students who enroll in a developmental (non-credit bearing) course in college taking additional mathematics courses was studied. The results showed that high school mathematics curriculum, years of high school mathematics completed, and ACT mathematics scores were…

Transdisciplinary Dimensions in the Composing Activities of Children: Transfer of Strategies and Transformation of Knowledge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roels, Johanna Maria; Van Petegem, Peter

2016-01-01

Existing studies show the value of using visual expression as a means of teaching children to understand and create music. This study aspires to point out an additional valuable aspect, namely, the influence composing via visual expression--whereby children transform their own drawings--may have on children's subsequent compositional processes.…

Brain correlates to facial motor imagery and its somatotopy in the primary motor cortex.

PubMed

Soliman, Ramy S; Lee, Sanghoon; Eun, Seulgi; Mohamed, Abdalla Z; Lee, Jeungchan; Lee, Eunyoung; Makary, Meena M; Kathy Lee, Seung Min; Lee, Hwa-Jin; Choi, Woo Suk; Park, Kyungmo

2017-03-22

Motor imagery (MI) has attracted increased interest for motor rehabilitation as many studies have shown that MI shares the same neural networks as motor execution (ME). Nevertheless, MI in terms of facial movement has not been studied extensively; thus, in the present study, we investigated shared neural networks between facial motor imagery (FMI) and facial motor execution (FME). In addition, FMI somatotopy within-face was investigated between the forehead and the mouth. Functional MRI was used to examine 34 healthy individuals with ME and MI paradigms for the forehead and the mouth. The general linear model and a paired t-test were performed to define the facial area in the primary motor cortex (M1) and this area has been used to investigate somatotopy between the forehead and mouth FMI. FMI recruited similar brain motor areas as FME, but showed less neural activity in all activated regions. The facial areas in M1 were distinguishable from other body movements such as finger movement. Further investigation of this area showed that forehead and mouth imagery tended to lack a somatotopic representation for position on M1, and yet had distinct characteristics in terms of neural activity level. FMI showed different characteristics from general MI as the former exclusively activated facial processing areas. In addition, FME and FMI showed different characteristics in terms of BOLD signal level, while sharing the same neural areas. The results imply a potential usefulness of MI training for rehabilitation of facial motor disease considering that forehead and mouth somatotopy showed no clear position difference, and yet showed a significant BOLD signal intensity variation.

Effects of furan derivatives on biohydrogen fermentation from wet steam-exploded cornstalk and its microbial community.

PubMed

Liu, Zhidan; Zhang, Chong; Wang, Linjun; He, Jianwei; Li, Baoming; Zhang, Yuanhui; Xing, Xin-Hui

2015-01-01

Understanding the role of furan derivatives, furfural (FUR) and 5-hydroxymethyl furfural (HMF), is important for biofuel production from lignocellulosic biomass. In this study, the effects of furan derivatives on hydrogen fermentation from wet steam-exploded cornstalk were investigated. The control experiments with only seed sludge indicated that HMF addition of up to 1g/L stimulated hydrogen production. Similar results were obtained using steam-exploded cornstalk as the feedstock. Hydrogen productivity was increased by up to 40% with the addition of HMF. In addition, over 90% of furan derivatives with an initial concentration below 1g/L were degraded. Pyosequencing showed that the addition of HMF and FUR resulted in different microbial communities. HMF led to a higher proportion of the genera Clostridium and Ruminococcaceae, supporting the increased hydrogen production. This study suggested that hydrogen fermentation could be a detoxifying step for steam-exploded cornstalk, and HMF and FUR exhibited different functions for hydrogen fermentation. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A synchrotron study of microstructure gradient in laser additively formed epitaxial Ni-based superalloy

DOE PAGES

Xue, Jiawei; Zhang, Anfeng; Li, Yao; ...

2015-10-08

Laser additive forming is considered to be one of the promising techniques to repair single crystal Ni-based superalloy parts to extend their life and reduce the cost. Preservation of the single crystalline nature and prevention of thermal mechanical failure are two of the most essential issues for the application of this technique. Here we employ synchrotron X-ray microdiffraction to evaluate the quality in terms of crystal orientation and defect distribution of a Ni-based superalloy DZ125L directly formed by a laser additive process rooted from a single crystalline substrate of the same material. We show that a disorientation gradient caused bymore » a high density of geometrically necessary dislocations and resultant subgrains exists in the interfacial region between the epitaxial and stray grains. This creates a potential relationship of stray grain formation and defect accumulation. In conclusion, the observation offers new directions on the study of performance control and reliability of the laser additive manufactured superalloys.« less

Influence of biochar on heavy metals and microbial community during composting of river sediment with agricultural wastes.

PubMed

Chen, Yaoning; Liu, Yao; Li, Yuanping; Wu, Yanxin; Chen, Yanrong; Zeng, Guangming; Zhang, Jiachao; Li, Hui

2017-11-01

Studies were performed to evaluate influence of biochar addition on physico-chemical process, heavy metals transformation and bacterial community diversity during composting of sediment with agricultural wastes. Simultaneously, the relationships between those parameters including heavy metals and bacterial community compositions were evaluated by redundancy analysis (RDA). The results show that the extraction efficiency of DTPA extractable heavy metals decreased in both piles, and reduced more in pile with biochar addition about 0.1-2.96%. Biochar addition dramatically influenced the bacterial community structure during the composting process. Moreover, the bacterial community composition was significantly correlated with C/N ratio, water soluble carbon (WSC), and organic matter (OM) (P<0.05) in pile with biochar addition; while significantly correlated with temperature, WSC, and C/N ratio in pile which was free of biochar. This study would provide some valuable information for improving the composting for disposal of river sediment with heavy metals contamination. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The fracture and fragmentation behaviour of additively manufactured stainless steel 316L

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amott, R.; Harris, E. J.; Winter, R. E.; Stirk, S. M.; Chapman, D. J.; Eakins, D. E.

2017-01-01

Expanding cylinder experiments using a gas gun technique allow investigations into the ductility of metals and the fracture and fragmentation mechanisms that occur during rapid tensile failure. These experiments allow the radial strain-rate of the expansion to be varied in the range 102 to 104 s-1. Presented here is a comparative study of the fracture and fragmentation behaviour of rapidly expanded stainless steel 316L cylinders manufactured from either a wrought bar or additive manufacturing techniques. The results show that in the strain-rate regime studied, an additively manufactured cylinder failed at a higher strain and produced larger fragment widths when compared to cylinders manufactured from a wrought bar. In addition, an investigation into the role of macroscopic elongated voids that were introduced into the cylinder wall, at an angle of 45° to the cylinder radius, was undertaken. A comparison between experimental and simulated results (using the Eulerian hydrocode CTH) was also completed.

Improved quality of frozen boer goat semen with the addition of sweet orange essential oil on tris yolk and gentamicin extender

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sitepu, S. A.; Zaituni, U.; Jaswandi; Hendri

2018-02-01

This research aimed to determine the extent of frozen semen quality Boer Goat by essential oils of sweet orange peel in tris yolk and gentamicin extender. Research has been conducted at the Laboratory Loka Penelitian Kambing Potong Sei Putih, Deli Serdang, North Sumatra in February 2017. This study used a completely randomized design with 4 treatments and 5 replications. Treatments are 0.25; 0.5; 0.75 and 1% essential oils as additional diluent. The parameters were measured percentage Motility, membrane integrity, acrosome integrity and viability Boer Goat frozen semen. The results showed that the addition of essential oils as diluent semen was significant (P <0.01) in the percentage motility, Viability, membrane integrity and acrosome integrity Boer Goat frozen semen. Motility, membrane integrity, acrosome integrity and viability was significantly higher in all treated groups than the control group. The best results of all treatments In the study was the addition of essential oil as much as 1%.

A synchrotron study of microstructure gradient in laser additively formed epitaxial Ni-based superalloy.

PubMed

Xue, Jiawei; Zhang, Anfeng; Li, Yao; Qian, Dan; Wan, Jingchun; Qi, Baolu; Tamura, Nobumichi; Song, Zhongxiao; Chen, Kai

2015-10-08

Laser additive forming is considered to be one of the promising techniques to repair single crystal Ni-based superalloy parts to extend their life and reduce the cost. Preservation of the single crystalline nature and prevention of thermal mechanical failure are two of the most essential issues for the application of this technique. Here we employ synchrotron X-ray microdiffraction to evaluate the quality in terms of crystal orientation and defect distribution of a Ni-based superalloy DZ125L directly formed by a laser additive process rooted from a single crystalline substrate of the same material. We show that a disorientation gradient caused by a high density of geometrically necessary dislocations and resultant subgrains exists in the interfacial region between the epitaxial and stray grains. This creates a potential relationship of stray grain formation and defect accumulation. The observation offers new directions on the study of performance control and reliability of the laser additive manufactured superalloys.

A synchrotron study of microstructure gradient in laser additively formed epitaxial Ni-based superalloy

PubMed Central

Xue, Jiawei; Zhang, Anfeng; Li, Yao; Qian, Dan; Wan, Jingchun; Qi, Baolu; Tamura, Nobumichi; Song, Zhongxiao; Chen, Kai

2015-01-01

Laser additive forming is considered to be one of the promising techniques to repair single crystal Ni-based superalloy parts to extend their life and reduce the cost. Preservation of the single crystalline nature and prevention of thermal mechanical failure are two of the most essential issues for the application of this technique. Here we employ synchrotron X-ray microdiffraction to evaluate the quality in terms of crystal orientation and defect distribution of a Ni-based superalloy DZ125L directly formed by a laser additive process rooted from a single crystalline substrate of the same material. We show that a disorientation gradient caused by a high density of geometrically necessary dislocations and resultant subgrains exists in the interfacial region between the epitaxial and stray grains. This creates a potential relationship of stray grain formation and defect accumulation. The observation offers new directions on the study of performance control and reliability of the laser additive manufactured superalloys. PMID:26446425

Estimating the Error of an Analog Quantum Simulator by Additional Measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schwenk, Iris; Zanker, Sebastian; Reiner, Jan-Michael; Leppäkangas, Juha; Marthaler, Michael

2017-12-01

We study an analog quantum simulator coupled to a reservoir with a known spectral density. The reservoir perturbs the quantum simulation by causing decoherence. The simulator is used to measure an operator average, which cannot be calculated using any classical means. Since we cannot predict the result, it is difficult to estimate the effect of the environment. Especially, it is difficult to resolve whether the perturbation is small or if the actual result of the simulation is in fact very different from the ideal system we intend to study. Here, we show that in specific systems a measurement of additional correlators can be used to verify the reliability of the quantum simulation. The procedure only requires additional measurements on the quantum simulator itself. We demonstrate the method theoretically in the case of a single spin connected to a bosonic environment.

Absence of photoemission from the Fermi level in potassium intercalated picene and coronene films: structure, polaron, or correlation physics?

PubMed

Mahns, Benjamin; Roth, Friedrich; Knupfer, Martin

2012-04-07

The electronic structure of potassium intercalated picene and coronene films has been studied using photoemission spectroscopy. Picene has additionally been intercalated using sodium. Upon alkali metal addition core level as well as valence band photoemission data signal a filling of previously unoccupied states of the two molecular materials due to charge transfer from potassium. In contrast to the observation of superconductivity in K(x)picene and K(x)coronene (x ~ 3), none of the films studied shows emission from the Fermi level, i.e., we find no indication for a metallic ground state. Several reasons for this observation are discussed.

Early intervention for relapse in schizophrenia: impact of cognitive behavioural therapy on negative beliefs about psychosis and self-esteem.

PubMed

Gumley, Andrew; Karatzias, Athanasios; Power, Kevin; Reilly, James; McNay, Lisa; O'Grady, Margaret

2006-06-01

The study aimed to test two hypotheses. Firstly, that participants who relapsed during the 12-month follow-up period of our randomized controlled trial, would show increased negative beliefs about their illness and reduced self-esteem, in comparison to the non-relapsed participants. Secondly, that cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for early signs of relapse would result in a reduction in negative beliefs about psychosis and an improvement in self-esteem at 12 months. A total of 144 participants with schizophrenia or a related disorder were randomized to receive either treatment as usual (TAU; N=72) or CBT (N=72). Participants completed the Personal Beliefs about Illness Questionnaire (PBIQ; Birchwood, Mason, MacMillan, & Healy, 1993) and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES; Rosenberg, 1965) at entry, 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months. At 12 months, relapsers showed greater increase in scores for PBIQ entrapment compared with non-relapsers. In addition, after controlling for baseline covariates (treatment group and PBIQ self versus illness), relapsers also showed greater increase in scores for PBIQ self versus illness at 12 months. Furthermore, in comparison to treatment as usual, participants who received CBT showed greater improvement in PBIQ loss and in Rosenberg self-esteem. The study provides evidence that relapse is associated with the development of negative appraisals of entrapment and self-blame (self vs. illness). In addition, this is the first study to show that CBT reduces negative appraisals of loss arising from psychosis and improvements in self-esteem. Implications for future research and treatment are discussed.

Is There a Drop in Normative Clearsightedness in Sixth Grade? Study of Internality and Normative Clearsightedness in Fourth to Seventh Graders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bigot, Johann; Pichot, Nathalie; Teste, Benoit

2004-01-01

Numerous studies have demonstrated a decrease in the expression of internality in French sixth graders as compared to fifth graders. The present study examines normative clearsightedness in addition to internality across four French school grades (fourth to seventh). The results confirmed the sixth-grade drop in internality and showed that the…

Utility of labile plasma iron and transferrin saturation in addition to serum ferritin as iron overload markers in different underlying anemias before and after deferasirox treatment.

PubMed

Porter, John B; El-Alfy, Mohsen; Viprakasit, Vip; Giraudier, Stephane; Chan, Lee Lee; Lai, Yongrong; El-Ali, Ali; Han, Jackie; Cappellini, Maria D

2016-01-01

Plasma markers in addition to serum ferritin (SF) may be useful for the assessment of iron overload; however, predictive utility may differ depending on underlying, transfusion-dependent, anemias. Data were collected before and after 1 year of deferasirox treatment (end of study; EOS) from the large, 1-year EPIC (Evaluation of Patients' Iron Chelation with Exjade(®) ) study. Trends were evaluated between liver iron concentration (LIC), transferrin saturation (TfSat), predose labile plasma iron (LPI) and their relationship to SF categories in 1530 patients: thalassemia major (TM; n = 1114), myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS, n = 336), and sickle-cell disease (SCD, n = 80). Baseline and EOS SF values showed a clear and similar relationship to LIC for all disease groups. TfSat also showed a relationship to SF, most clearly in patients with SCD, where TfSat was lowest in the lowest relative SF category. Unlike SF or LIC, TfSat did not decrease at EOS in any disease group. Baseline LPI was raised in TM and MDS, but not in patients with SCD, decreasing at EOS in both patient groups. After 1 year of chelation therapy, there was a significant trend for greater LPI reduction in patients with TM achieving LIC <7 mg Fe/g dw (P = 0.0137). Despite limitations, SF showed the clearest relationship, of the plasma markers evaluated, to LIC before and after 1 year of deferasirox in patients with TM, MDS, and SCD. In patients with TM, changes in LPI with chelation show a significant relationship to EOS LIC and may provide an additional indicator of chelation response (clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT00171821). © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Pharmacological importance, characterization and applications of gold and silver nanoparticles synthesized by Panax ginseng fresh leaves.

PubMed

Singh, Priyanka; Singh, Hina; Ahn, Sungeun; Castro-Aceituno, Verónica; Jiménez, Zuly; Simu, Shakina Yesmin; Kim, Yeon Ju; Yang, Deok Chun

2017-11-01

Previously, we showed the rapid and eco-friendly synthesis of gold and silver nanoparticles within 3 and 45 min by fresh leaves extract of herbal medicinal plant Panax ginseng. In addition, we characterized the nanoparticles in terms of shape, size, morphology and stability by FE-TEM, EDX, elemental mapping, SEAD, XRD and particles size analysis. In addition of this, we showed their antimicrobial, anti-coagulant, and biofilm inhibition activity of nanoparticles. Continuing our previous study, here we highlight the further characterization and biomedical applications of P. ginseng leaf-mediated gold and silver nanoparticles. We characterized the nanoparticles further in terms of active functional group and capping layer, surface charge, and temperature stability. Based on these factors, we explored the nanoparticles for antioxidant efficacy, biocompatibility in HaCaT cells, 3T3-L1 pre-adipocytes cells, for anticancer efficacy in A549 lung cancer and B16BL6 skin melenoma cancer cell lines and for anti-inflammation efficacy in RAW 264.7 cell lines. Based on our findings, we suggest that the P. ginseng-mediated gold nanoparticles have high antioxidant activity and highly biocompatibility in HaCaT cells, 3T3-L1 pre-adipocytes cells, RAW 264.7 cells lines and could be considered for future drug delivery carriers. The silver nanoparticles also showed high potent antioxidant efficacy, additionally it showed high anticancer effect in A549 lung cancer and B16BL6 skin melenoma cancer cell lines as compared to precursor salts. Moreover, both gold and silver nanoparticles have anti-inflammatory efficacies in RAW 264.7 cells. Thus, the study may provide useful insights of P. ginseng leaves extract-mediated biocompatible gold and silver nanoparticles and improving their applicability in designing nanoparticles carrier systems for drug delivery applications.

Serial Clustering of North Atlantic Cyclones and Wind Storms: A New Identification Base and Sensitivity to Intensity and Intra-Seasonal Variability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leckebusch, G. C.; Kirchner-Bossi, N. O.; Befort, D. J.; Ulbrich, U.

2015-12-01

Time-clustered mid-latitude winter storms are responsible for a large portion of the overall windstorm-related damage in Europe. Thus, its study entails a high meteorological interest, while its outcome can result in a crucial utility for the (re)insurance industry. In addition to existing cyclone-based studies, here we use an event identification approach based on surface near wind speeds only, to investigate windstorm clustering and compare it to cyclone clustering. Specifically, cyclone and windstorm tracks are identified for winter 1979-2013 (Oct-Mar), to perform two sensitivity analyses on event-clustering in the North Atlantic using ERA-Interim Reanalysis. First, the link between clustering and cyclone intensity is analysed and compared to windstorms. Secondly, the sensitivity of clustering on intra-seasonal time scales is investigated, for both cyclones and windstorms. The wind-based approach reveals additional regions of clustering over Western Europe, which could be related to extreme damages, showing the added value of investigating wind field derived tracks in addition to that of cyclone tracks. Previous studies indicate a higher degree of clustering for stronger cyclones. However, our results show that this assumption is not always met. Although a positive relationship is confirmed for the clustering centre located over Iceland, clustering off the coast of the Iberian Peninsula behaves opposite. Even though this region shows the highest clustering, most of its signal is due to cyclones with intensities below the 70th percentile of the Laplacian of MSLP. Results on the sensitivity of clustering to the time of the winter season (Oct-Mar) show a temporal evolution of the clustering patterns, for both windstorms and cyclones. Compared to all cyclones, clustering of windstorms and strongest cyclones culminate around February, while all cyclone clustering peak in December to January.

Bioprospecting Deep-Sea Actinobacteria for Novel Anti-infective Natural Products

PubMed Central

Xu, Dongbo; Han, Linna; Li, Chunhui; Cao, Qi; Zhu, Duolong; Barrett, Nolan H.; Harmody, Dedra; Chen, Jing; Zhu, Haining; McCarthy, Peter J.; Sun, Xingmin; Wang, Guojun

2018-01-01

The global prevalence of drug resistance has created an urgent need for the discovery of novel anti-infective drugs. The major source of antibiotics in current clinical practice is terrestrial actinobacteria; the less-exploited deep-sea actinobacteria may serve as an unprecedented source of novel natural products. In this study, we evaluated 50 actinobacteria strains derived from diverse deep water sponges and environmental niches for their anti-microbial activities against a panel of pathogens including Candida albicans, Clostridium difficile, Staphylococcus aureus, and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. More than half of the tested strains (27) were identified as active in at least one assay. The rare earth salt lanthanum chloride (LaCl3) was shown to be as an effective elicitor. Among the 27 strains, the anti-microbial activity of 15 were induced or enhanced by the addition of LaCl3. This part of study focused on one strain R818, in which potent antifungal activity was induced by the addition of LaCl3. We found that the LaCl3-activated metabolites in R818 are likely antimycin-type compounds. One of them, compound 1, has been purified. Spectroscopic analyses including HR-MS and 1D NMR indicated that this compound is urauchimycin D. The antifungal activity of compound 1 was confirmed with a minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 25 μg/mL; the purified compound also showed a moderate activity against C. difficile. Additional notable strains are: strain N217 which showed both antifungal and antibacterial (including P. aeruginosa) activities and strain M864 which showed potent activity against C. difficile with an MIC value (0.125 μg/mL) lower than those of vancomycin and metronidazole. Our preliminary studies show that deep-sea actinobacteria is a promising source of anti-infective natural products. PMID:29760684

Measuring U-series Disequilibrium in Weathering Rinds to Study the Influence of Environmental Factors to Weathering Rates in Tropical Basse-Terre Island (French Guadeloupe)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, J.; Ma, L.; Sak, P. B.; Gaillardet, J.; Chabaux, F. J.; Brantley, S. L.

2015-12-01

Chemical weathering is a critical process to global CO2 consumption, river/ocean chemistry, and nutrient import to biosphere. Weathering rinds experience minimal physical erosion and provide a well-constrained system to study the chemical weathering process. Here, we applied U-series disequilibrium dating method to study weathering advance rates on the wet side of Basse-Terre Island, French Guadeloupe, aiming to understand the role of the precipitation in controlling weathering rates and elucidate the behavior and immobilization mechanisms of U-series isotopes during rind formation. Six weathering clasts from 5 watersheds with mean annual precipitation varying from 2000 to 3000 mm/yr were measured for U-series isotope ratios and major element compositions on linear core-to-rind transects. One sample experienced complete core-to-rind transformation, while the rest clasts contain both rinds and unweathered cores. Our results show that the unweathered cores are under U-series secular equilibrium, while all the rind materials show significant U-series disequilibrium. For most rinds, linear core-to-rind increases of (230Th/232Th) activity ratios suggest a simple continuous U addition history. However, (234U/238U) and (238U/232Th) trends in several clasts show evidences of remobilization of Uranium besides the U addition, complicating the use of U-series dating method. The similarity between U/Th ratios and major elements trends like Fe, Al, P in some transects and the ongoing leaching experiments suggest that redox and organic colloids could control the mobilization of U-series isotopes in the rinds. Rind formation ages and weathering advance rate (0.07-0.29mm/kyr) were calculated for those rinds with a simple U-addition history. Our preliminary results show that local precipitation gradient significantly influenced the weathering advance rate, revealing the potential of estimating weathering advance rates at a large spatial scale using the U-series dating method.

Effect of nature based antioxidant from Zingiber officinale Rosc. on the oxidation stability, engine performance and emission characteristics with neem oil methyl ester

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karthickeyan, V.

2018-05-01

In past few years, the demand for energy increased drastically due to excess utilization of the natural reserves. Thus, it leads to extinction of non-renewable energy resources. Today, the world turning over renewable source of energy for power production (like wind energy, tidal energy, biodiesel, biomass and so on). In the present study, raw neem oil was taken and converted into biodiesel using transesterification process. Nature based antioxidant namely ginger extract (Zingiber officinale Rosc.) was used as an antioxidant instead of synthetic antioxidants. An anti-oxidants were added in various proportions like G5 (0.5% additive), G10 (1% additive) and G15 (1.5% additive) with B20 (20% neem oil methyl ester with 80% diesel). B20G15 sample showed higher induction period than other samples. Thus, it was considered as an optimum blend with oxidation stability test using Rancimat instrument. Diesel showed higher Brake Thermal Efficiency (BTE) than biodiesel samples. On the other hand, B20G15 showed higher BTE than B20. Higher CO, HC and smoke emissions were observed for B20 with an antioxidant than other fuel samples. B20 with an antioxidant showed lower NOx emissions than diesel and B20. Thus, the nature based antioxidant was considered as the most promising alternative for NOx emission reduction.

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes/polymer composites in absence and presence of acrylic elastomer (ACM).

PubMed

Kumar, S; Rath, T; Mahaling, R N; Mukherjee, M; Khatua, B B; Das, C K

2009-05-01

Polyetherimide/Multiwall carbon nanotube (MWNTs) nanocomposites containing as-received and modified (COOH-MWNT) carbon nanotubes were prepared through melt process in extruder and then compression molded. Thermal properties of the composites were characterized by thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA). Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) images showed that the MWNTs were well dispersed and formed an intimate contact with the polymer matrix without any agglomeration. However the incorporation of modified carbon nanotubes formed fascinating, highly crosslinked, and compact network structure throughout the polymer matrix. This showed the increased adhesion of PEI with modified MWNTs. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) also showed high degree of dispersion of modified MWNTs along with broken ends. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) results showed a marginal increase in storage modulus (E') and glass transition temperature (T(g)) with the addition of MWNTs. Increase in tensile strength and impact strength of composites confirmed the use the MWNTs as possible reinforcement agent. Both thermal and electrical conductivity of composites increased, but effect is more pronounced on modification due to formation of network of carbon nanotubes. Addition of acrylic elastomer to developed PEI/MWNTs (modified) nanocomposites resulted in the further increase in thermal and electrical properties due to the formation of additional bond between MWNTs and acrylic elastomers at the interface. All the results presented are well corroborated by SEM and FESEM studies.

CV 100--Still Going Strong

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abrahams, A. L.

1976-01-01

Describes results of a study that used CV 100, a fuel additive for use in oil-fired heating systems, on a trial basis in 12 Ontario schools. The test showed an average 12 percent reduction in fuel costs in the schools using CV 100. (JG)

Fourier Analysis and Structure Determination. Part II: Pulse NMR and NMR Imaging.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chesick, John P.

1989-01-01

Uses simple pulse NMR experiments to discuss Fourier transforms. Studies the generation of spin echoes used in the imaging procedure. Shows that pulse NMR experiments give signals that are additions of sinusoids of differing amplitudes, frequencies, and phases. (MVL)

54. VIEW OF ROASTER ADDITION FROM SOUTHEAST. SHOWS ELEVATOR/ORE BIN ...

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

54. VIEW OF ROASTER ADDITION FROM SOUTHEAST. SHOWS ELEVATOR/ORE BIN ADDITION ON LEFT WITH BASE OF EXHAUST STACK, PORTION OF TOPPLED STACK ON LOWER RIGHT IN VIEW, AND UPPER TAILINGS POND BEYOND. - Bald Mountain Gold Mill, Nevada Gulch at head of False Bottom Creek, Lead, Lawrence County, SD

31P NMR and AFM studies on the destabilization of cell and model membranes by the major bovine seminal plasma protein, PDC-109.

PubMed

Damai, Rajani S; Sankhala, Rajeshwer S; Anbazhagan, Veerappan; Swamy, Musti J

2010-11-01

The effect of PDC-109 binding to dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) and dipalmitoylphosphatidylglycerol (DPPG) multilamellar vesicles (MLVs) and supported membranes was investigated by (31)P NMR spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy. Additionally, the effect of cholesterol on the binding of PDC-109 to phosphatidylcholine (PC) membranes was studied. Binding of PDC-109 to MLVs of DMPC and DPPG induced the formation of an isotropic signal in their (31)P NMR spectra, which increased with increasing protein/lipid ratio and temperature, consistent with protein-induced disruption of the MLVs and the formation of small unilamellar vesicles or micelles but not inverse hexagonal or cubic phases. Incorporation of cholesterol in the DMPC MLVs afforded a partial stabilization of the lamellar structure, consistent with previous reports of membrane stabilization by cholesterol. AFM results are consistent with the above findings and show that addition of PDC-109 leads to a complete breakdown of PC membranes. The fraction of isotropic signal in (31)P NMR spectra of DPPG in the presence of PDC-109 was less than that of DMPC under similar conditions, suggesting a significantly higher affinity of the protein for PC. Confocal microscopic studies showed that addition of PDC-109 to human erythrocytes results in a disruption of the plasma membrane and release of hemoglobin into the solution, which was dependent on the protein concentration and incubation time.

Predictors of anxiety and depression among people attending diabetes screening: a prospective cohort study embedded in the ADDITION (Cambridge) randomized control trial.

PubMed

Paddison, C A M; Eborall, H C; French, D P; Kinmonth, A L; Prevost, A T; Griffin, S J; Sutton, S

2011-02-01

This study aimed to identify factors predicting anxiety and depression among people who attend primary care-based diabetes screening. A prospective cohort study embedded in the ADDITION (Cambridge) randomized control trial. Participants (N= 3,240) at risk of diabetes were identified from 10 primary care practices and invited to a stepwise screening programme as part of the ADDITION (Cambridge) trial. Main outcome measures were anxiety and depression at 12 months post-screening assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Hierarchical linear regressions showed that demographic, clinical, and psychological variables collectively accounted for 52% of the variance in HADS anxiety scores and 53% of the variance in HADS depression scores 12 months after diabetes screening. Screening outcome (positive or negative for diabetes) was not related to differences in anxiety or depression at 12 months. Higher number of self-reported (diabetes) symptoms after first attendance was associated with higher anxiety and depression at 12-month follow-up, after controlling for anxiety and depression after first attendance. Participants in a diabetes screening programme showed low scores on anxiety and depression scales after first appointment and 1 year later. Diagnosis of diabetes was shown to have a limited psychological impact and may be less important than symptom perception in determining emotional outcomes after participation in diabetes screening. ©2010 The British Psychological Society.

Precision spherical nucleic acids for delivery of anticancer drugs† †Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: DNA nanoparticle design and assembly, evaluation of BKM120 encapsulation, structural characterization, stability and shelf-life of drug-loaded structures, cellular uptake in cancer cells, in vitro cell studies, HSA binding experiments and in vivo studies. See DOI: 10.1039/c7sc01619k Click here for additional data file. Click here for additional data file. Click here for additional data file.

PubMed Central

Bousmail, Danny; Amrein, Lilian; Fakhoury, Johans J.; Fakih, Hassan H.; Hsu, John C. C.

2017-01-01

We report a spherical nucleic acid (SNA) system for the delivery of BKM120, an anticancer drug for treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). While promising for cancer treatment, this drug crosses the blood–brain barrier causing significant side-effects in patients. The DNA nanoparticle encapsulates BKM120 in high efficiency, and is unparalleled in its monodispersity, ease of synthesis and stability in different biological media and in serum. These DNA nanostructures demonstrate efficient uptake in human cervical cancer (HeLa) cells, and increased internalization of cargo. In vitro studies show that BKM120-loaded nanoparticles promote apoptosis in primary patient CLL lymphocytes, and act as sensitizers of other antitumor drugs, without causing non-specific inflammation. Evaluation of this drug delivery system in vivo shows long circulation times up to 24 hours, full body distribution, accumulation at tumor sites and minimal leakage through the blood–brain barrier. Our results demonstrate the great potential of these delivery vehicles as a general platform for chemotherapeutic drug delivery. PMID:28989655

Characterization of Sensory Differences in Mixing and Premium Rums Through the Use of Descriptive Sensory Analysis.

PubMed

Ickes, Chelsea M; Cadwallader, Keith R

2017-11-01

This study identified and quantitated perceived sensory differences between 7 premium rums and 2 mixing rums using a hybrid of the Quantitative Descriptive Analysis and Spectrum methods. In addition, the results of this study validated the previously developed rum flavor wheel created from web-based materials. Results showed that the use of the rum flavor wheel aided in sensory term generation, as 17 additional terms were generated after the wheel was provided to panelists. Thirty-eight sensory terms encompassing aroma, aroma-by-mouth, mouthfeel, taste and aftertaste modalities, were generated and evaluated by the panel. Of the finalized terms, only 5 did not exist previously on the rum flavor wheel. Twenty attributes were found to be significantly different among rums. The majority of rums showed similar aroma profiles with the exception of 2 rums, which were characterized by higher perceived intensities of brown sugar, caramel, vanilla, and chocolate aroma, caramel, maple, and vanilla aroma-by-mouth and caramel aftertaste. These results demonstrate the previously developed rum flavor wheel can be used to adequately describe the flavor profile of rum. Additionally, results of this study document the sensory differences among premium rums and may be used to correlate with analytical data to better understand how changes in chemical composition of the product affect sensory perception. © 2017 Institute of Food Technologists®.

Evidence for the use of dry needling and physiotherapy in the management of cervicogenic or tension-type headache: a systematic review.

PubMed

France, Stacey; Bown, Jenna; Nowosilskyj, Matthew; Mott, Megan; Rand, Stephanie; Walters, Julie

2014-10-01

There is good evidence in the literature supporting physiotherapy in the management of some forms of headache. Dry needling of myofascial trigger points is becoming an increasingly common approach despite a paucity of research evidence supporting its use. The purpose of this review was to determine the evidence supporting the use of dry needling in addition to conventional physiotherapy in the management of tension-type and cervicogenic headache. Ten databases were searched for evidence of the effect of dry needling on the severity and frequency of tension and cervicogenic headache based ICHD classifications. Three relevant studies were identified and all three showed statistically significant improvements following dry needling, but no significant differences between groups. Only one study reported on headache frequency or intensity, reporting a 45 mm improvement in VAS score following the addition of dry needling to conventional physiotherapy. Two studies showed significant improvements with dry needling over 4-5 weeks of treatment. No adverse events were reported. The literature suggests that while there is insufficient evidence to strongly advocate for the use of dry needling, it may be a useful addition to conventional physiotherapy in headache management. Further research with a stronger methodological design is required. © International Headache Society 2014 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav.

Effect of small proportion of butanol additive on the performance, emission, and combustion of Australian native first- and second-generation biodiesel in a diesel engine.

PubMed

Rahman, Md Mofijur; Rasul, Mohammad Golam; Hassan, Nur Md Sayeed; Azad, Abul Kalam; Uddin, Md Nasir

2017-10-01

This paper aims to investigate the effect of the addition of 5% alcohol (butanol) with biodiesel-diesel blends on the performance, emissions, and combustion of a naturally aspirated four stroke multi-cylinder diesel engine at different engine speeds (1200 to 2400 rpm) under full load conditions. Three types of local Australian biodiesel, namely macadamia biodiesel (MB), rice bran biodiesel (RB), and waste cooking oil biodiesel (WCB), were used for this study, and the data was compared with results for conventional diesel fuel (B0). Performance results showed that the addition of butanol with diesel-biodiesel blends slightly lowers the engine efficiency. The emission study revealed that the addition of butanol additive with diesel-biodiesel blends lowers the exhaust gas temperature (EGT), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxide (NOx), and particulate matter (PM) emissions whereas it increases hydrocarbon (HC) emissions compared to B0. The combustion results indicated that in-cylinder pressure (CP) for additive added fuel is higher (0.45-1.49%), while heat release rate (HRR) was lower (2.60-9.10%) than for B0. Also, additive added fuel lowers the ignition delay (ID) by 23-30% than for B0. Finally, it can be recommended that the addition of 5% butanol with Australian biodiesel-diesel blends can significantly lower the NOx and PM emissions.

Additive survival least square support vector machines: A simulation study and its application to cervical cancer prediction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khotimah, Chusnul; Purnami, Santi Wulan; Prastyo, Dedy Dwi; Chosuvivatwong, Virasakdi; Sriplung, Hutcha

2017-11-01

Support Vector Machines (SVMs) has been widely applied for prediction in many fields. Recently, SVM is also developed for survival analysis. In this study, Additive Survival Least Square SVM (A-SURLSSVM) approach is used to analyze cervical cancer dataset and its performance is compared with the Cox model as a benchmark. The comparison is evaluated based on the prognostic index produced: concordance index (c-index), log rank, and hazard ratio. The higher prognostic index represents the better performance of the corresponding methods. This work also applied feature selection to choose important features using backward elimination technique based on the c-index criterion. The cervical cancer dataset consists of 172 patients. The empirical results show that nine out of the twelve features: age at marriage, age of first getting menstruation, age, parity, type of treatment, history of family planning, stadium, long-time of menstruation, and anemia status are selected as relevant features that affect the survival time of cervical cancer patients. In addition, the performance of the proposed method is evaluated through a simulation study with the different number of features and censoring percentages. Two out of three performance measures (c-index and hazard ratio) obtained from A-SURLSSVM consistently yield better results than the ones obtained from Cox model when it is applied on both simulated and cervical cancer data. Moreover, the simulation study showed that A-SURLSSVM performs better when the percentage of censoring data is small.

Proteome Profile of Starch Granules Purified from Rice (Oryza sativa) Endosperm.

PubMed

Xing, Shihai; Meng, Xiaoxi; Zhou, Lihui; Mujahid, Hana; Zhao, Chunfang; Zhang, Yadong; Wang, Cailin; Peng, Zhaohua

2016-01-01

Starch is the most important food energy source in cereals. Many of the known enzymes involved in starch biosynthesis are partially or entirely granule-associated in the endosperm. Studying the proteome of rice starch granules is critical for us to further understand the mechanisms underlying starch biosynthesis and packaging of starch granules in rice amyloplasts, consequently for the improvement of rice grain quality. In this article, we developed a protocol to purify starch granules from mature rice endosperm and verified the quality of purified starch granules by microscopy observations, I2 staining, and Western blot analyses. In addition, we found the phenol extraction method was superior to Tris-HCl buffer extraction method with respect to the efficiency in recovery of starch granule associated proteins. LC-MS/MS analysis showed identification of already known starch granule associated proteins with high confidence. Several proteins reported to be involved in starch synthesis in prior genetic studies in plants were also shown to be enriched with starch granules, either directly or indirectly, in our studies. In addition, our results suggested that a few additional candidate proteins may also be involved in starch synthesis. Furthermore, our results indicated that some starch synthesis pathway proteins are subject to protein acetylation modification. GO analysis and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis showed that the identified proteins were mainly located in plastids and involved in carbohydrate metabolism. This study substantially advances the understanding of the starch granule associated proteome in rice and post translational regulation of some starch granule associated proteins.

Post-hoc analysis of MCI186-17, the extension study to MCI186-16, the confirmatory double-blind, parallel-group, placebo-controlled study of edaravone in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

PubMed

Takahashi, Fumihiro; Takei, Koji; Tsuda, Kikumi; Palumbo, Joseph

2017-10-01

In the 24-week double-blind study of edaravone in ALS (MCI186-16), edaravone did not show a statistically significant difference versus placebo for the primary efficacy endpoint. For post-hoc analyses, two subpopulations were identified in which edaravone might be expected to show efficacy: the efficacy-expected subpopulation (EESP), defined by scores of ≥2 points on all 12 items of the ALS Functional Rating Scale-Revised (ALSFRS-R) and a percent predicted forced vital capacity (%FVC) ≥80% at baseline; and the definite/probable EESP 2 years (dpEESP2y) subpopulation which, in addition to EESP criteria, had definite or probable ALS diagnosed by El Escorial revised criteria, and disease duration of ≤2 years. In the 36-week extension study of MCI186-16, a 24-week double-blind comparison followed by 12 weeks of open-label edaravone (MCI186-17; NCT00424463), analyses of ALSFRS-R scores of the edaravone-edaravone group and edaravone-placebo group for the full analysis set (FAS) and EESP, as prospectively defined, were reported in a previous article. Here we additionally report results in patients who met dpEESP2y criteria at the baseline of MCI186-16. In the dpEESP2y, the difference in ALSFRS-R changes from 24 to 48 weeks between the edaravone-edaravone and edaravone-placebo groups was 2.79 (p = 0.0719), which was greater than the differences previously reported for the EESP and the FAS. The pattern of adverse events in the dpEESP2y did not show any additional safety findings to those from the earlier prospective study. In conclusion, this post-hoc analysis suggests a potential effect of edaravone between 24 and 48 weeks in patients meeting dpEESP2y criteria at baseline.

Loss of LPS is involved in the virulence and resistance to colistin of colistin-resistant Acinetobacter nosocomialis mutants selected in vitro.

PubMed

Vila-Farrés, Xavier; Ferrer-Navarro, Mario; Callarisa, Anna Elena; Martí, Sara; Espinal, Paula; Gupta, Sushim; Rolain, Jean-Marc; Giralt, Ernest; Vila, Jordi

2015-11-01

Acinetobacter nosocomialis has increasingly been reported as an opportunistic pathogen causing nosocomial infections. Although it is more susceptible to all antimicrobial agents than Acinetobacter baumannii, MDR clinical isolates have also been described. In addition, several studies have shown a high percentage of resistance to colistin. Therefore, in the present study we investigated the mechanism of resistance to colistin in this microorganism. Colistin-resistant strains were selected from the original colistin-susceptible A. nosocomialis strain following multi-step mutant selection. Comparative genomic and proteomic analyses of both colistin-susceptible and colistin-resistant A. nosocomialis strains were performed. In addition, virulence was investigated using the Caenorhabditis elegans assay. The colistin-resistant mutants selected showed a lower resistance profile for other types of antibacterial agents together with a significant decrease in virulence. The LT50 (i.e. time required to kill 50% of the nematodes) for the colistin-susceptible strain (WT) was 7 days compared with 9 days for the colistin-resistant strain (256) (P < 0.0001). In the genomic studies, several mutations were observed in the lpxD genes, leading to the loss of LPS in the colistin-resistant strains. The proteomic studies showed several up- and down-regulated proteins that may be involved in colistin resistance or in a decrease in the resistance profile for several antibiotics. This study shows that the mechanism of resistance to colistin by A. nosocomialis is mainly associated with the loss of LPS due to mutations in the lpxD gene, although changes in the expression of some proteins cannot be ruled out. In addition, the acquisition of colistin resistance is related to a decrease in virulence. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Restoring fish ecological quality in estuaries: Implication of interactive and cumulative effects among anthropogenic stressors.

PubMed

Teichert, Nils; Borja, Angel; Chust, Guillem; Uriarte, Ainhize; Lepage, Mario

2016-01-15

Estuaries are subjected to multiple anthropogenic stressors, which have additive, antagonistic or synergistic effects. Current challenges include the use of large databases of biological monitoring surveys (e.g. the European Water Framework Directive) to help environmental managers prioritizing restoration measures. This study investigated the impact of nine stressor categories on the fish ecological status derived from 90 estuaries of the North East Atlantic countries. We used a random forest model to: 1) detect the dominant stressors and their non-linear effects; 2) evaluate the ecological benefits expected from reducing pressure from stressors; and 3) investigate the interactions among stressors. Results showed that largest restoration benefits were expected when mitigating water pollution and oxygen depletion. Non-additive effects represented half of pairwise interactions among stressors, and antagonisms were the most common. Dredged sediments, flow changes and oxygen depletion were predominantly implicated in non-additive interactions, whereas the remainder stressors often showed additive impacts. The prevalence of interactive impacts reflects a complex scenario for estuaries management; hence, we proposed a step-by-step restoration scheme focusing on the mitigation of stressors providing the maximum of restoration benefits under a multi-stress context. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

[Hapten selection for patch tests in the diagnosis of allergic contact dermatitis: epidemiologic data].

PubMed

Romano, C; Carosso, A; Bosio, D; Chiesa, A; Gullino, A; Turrini, A

2003-01-01

Aim of the study was to verify the reliability in clinical practice of patch testing with "standard" series and additional series of haptens for the diagnosis of occupational and non-occupational allergic contact dermatitis, evaluating positive reactions and relating those reactions to professional categories. A total of 392 out of 937 patients (41.8%) showed at least one positive reaction to "standard" series testing; the hapten most frequently noted as the cause of positive reaction was nickel sulphate. Professional categories that showed positive reactions to "standard" series most frequently were clerks, hairdressers and hospital auxiliary workers. Among 897 patients tested with nonstandard allergens, only 124 (13.8%) elicited at least one positive reaction, ammonium persulphate being the most frequently positive hapten. A dominant percentage of positive results was seen in hairdressers and cleaning personnel. No positive reactions were observed in a large number of haptens, tested more than 200 times. Haptens of "standard series" elicited a higher number of positive reaction than the additional series, even though there was a high specificity of few additional series haptens in some professional categories. Data suggest some caution in systematically testing additional series, despite a higher accuracy and diagnostic efficacy in some job categories.

Effect of γ-PGA on the formation of collagen fibrils in vitro.

PubMed

Ding, Cuicui; Zheng, Zhigong; Liu, Xinzhong; Li, Hengda; Zhang, Min

2016-07-01

The effect of γ-poly(glutamic acid) (γ-PGA) on the self-assembly of collagen was studied. Under physiological conditions, the kinetic curves for fibril formation showed that the turbidity of collagen/γ-PGA blends at 313 nm was increased with the addition of γ-PGA. Furthermore, it was shown using both field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) that fibrils with a larger diameter were obtained following the addition of γ-PGA, probably due to the electrostatic and hydrogen bond interactions between collagen and γ-PGA, which promoted the lateral association of collagen molecules. In addition, both the thermal stability and viscoelastic properties of the hybrid hydrogels, which were evaluated by differential scanning calorimetry and rheological measurements, respectively, were improved by the addition of γ-PGA.

Application of contact glow discharge electrolysis method for degradation of batik dye waste Remazol Red by the addition of Fe2+ ion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saksono, Nelson; Puspita, Indah; Sukreni, Tulus

2017-03-01

Contact Glow Discharge Electrolysis (CGDE) has been shown to degrade much weight organic compounds such as dyes because the production of hydroxil radical (•OH) is excess. This research aims to degrade batik dye waste Remazol Red, using CGDE method with the addition of Fe2+ ion. The addition of iron salt compounds has proven to increase process efficiency. Dye degradation is known by measure its absorbances with Spectrophotometer UV-Vis. The result of study showed that percentage degradation was 99.92% in 20 minutes which obtained by using Na2SO4 0.01 M, with addition FeSO4 0,1 gram, applied voltage 860 volt, and 1 wolfram anode 5 mm depth.

Implicit face prototype learning from geometric information.

PubMed

Or, Charles C-F; Wilson, Hugh R

2013-04-19

There is evidence that humans implicitly learn an average or prototype of previously studied faces, as the unseen face prototype is falsely recognized as having been learned (Solso & McCarthy, 1981). Here we investigated the extent and nature of face prototype formation where observers' memory was tested after they studied synthetic faces defined purely in geometric terms in a multidimensional face space. We found a strong prototype effect: The basic results showed that the unseen prototype averaged from the studied faces was falsely identified as learned at a rate of 86.3%, whereas individual studied faces were identified correctly 66.3% of the time and the distractors were incorrectly identified as having been learned only 32.4% of the time. This prototype learning lasted at least 1 week. Face prototype learning occurred even when the studied faces were further from the unseen prototype than the median variation in the population. Prototype memory formation was evident in addition to memory formation of studied face exemplars as demonstrated in our models. Additional studies showed that the prototype effect can be generalized across viewpoints, and head shape and internal features separately contribute to prototype formation. Thus, implicit face prototype extraction in a multidimensional space is a very general aspect of geometric face learning. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Multi-variant study of obesity risk genes in African Americans: The Jackson Heart Study.

PubMed

Liu, Shijian; Wilson, James G; Jiang, Fan; Griswold, Michael; Correa, Adolfo; Mei, Hao

2016-11-30

Genome-wide association study (GWAS) has been successful in identifying obesity risk genes by single-variant association analysis. For this study, we designed steps of analysis strategy and aimed to identify multi-variant effects on obesity risk among candidate genes. Our analyses were focused on 2137 African American participants with body mass index measured in the Jackson Heart Study and 657 common single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) genotyped at 8 GWAS-identified obesity risk genes. Single-variant association test showed that no SNPs reached significance after multiple testing adjustment. The following gene-gene interaction analysis, which was focused on SNPs with unadjusted p-value<0.10, identified 6 significant multi-variant associations. Logistic regression showed that SNPs in these associations did not have significant linear interactions; examination of genetic risk score evidenced that 4 multi-variant associations had significant additive effects of risk SNPs; and haplotype association test presented that all multi-variant associations contained one or several combinations of particular alleles or haplotypes, associated with increased obesity risk. Our study evidenced that obesity risk genes generated multi-variant effects, which can be additive or non-linear interactions, and multi-variant study is an important supplement to existing GWAS for understanding genetic effects of obesity risk genes. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Low Molecular Weight Polymethacrylates as Multi-Functional Lubricant Additives

DOE PAGES

Cosimbescu, Lelia; Vellore, Azhar; Shantini Ramasamy, Uma; ...

2018-04-24

In this study, low molecular weight, moderately polar polymethacrylate polymers are explored as potential multi-functional lubricant additives. The performance of these novel additives in base oil is evaluated in terms of their viscosity index, shear stability, and friction-and-wear. The new compounds are compared to two benchmarks, a typical polymeric viscosity modifier and a fully-formulated oil. Results show that the best performing of the new polymers exhibit viscosity index and friction comparable to that of both benchmarks, far superior shear stability to either benchmark (as much as 15x lower shear loss), and wear reduction significantly better than a typical viscosity modifiermore » (lower wear volume by a factor of 2-3). The findings also suggest that the polarity and molecular weight of the polymers affect their performance which suggests future synthetic strategies may enable this new class of additives to replace multiple additives in typical lubricant formulations.« less

A note on the uniqueness of 2D elastostatic problems formulated by different types of potential functions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guerrero, José Luis Morales; Vidal, Manuel Cánovas; Nicolás, José Andrés Moreno; López, Francisco Alhama

2018-05-01

New additional conditions required for the uniqueness of the 2D elastostatic problems formulated in terms of potential functions for the derived Papkovich-Neuber representations, are studied. Two cases are considered, each of them formulated by the scalar potential function plus one of the rectangular non-zero components of the vector potential function. For these formulations, in addition to the original (physical) boundary conditions, two new additional conditions are required. In addition, for the complete Papkovich-Neuber formulation, expressed by the scalar potential plus two components of the vector potential, the additional conditions established previously for the three-dimensional case in z-convex domain can be applied. To show the usefulness of these new conditions in a numerical scheme two applications are numerically solved by the network method for the three cases of potential formulations.

Fortification of yogurts with different antioxidant preservatives: A comparative study between natural and synthetic additives.

PubMed

Caleja, Cristina; Barros, Lillian; Antonio, Amilcar L; Carocho, Márcio; Oliveira, M Beatriz P P; Ferreira, Isabel C F R

2016-11-01

Consumers demand more and more so-called "natural" products and, therefore, the aim of this work was to compare the effects of natural versus synthetic antioxidant preservatives in yogurts. Matricaria recutita L. (chamomile) and Foeniculum vulgare Mill. (fennel) decoctions were tested as natural additives, while potassium sorbate (E202) was used as a synthetic additive. The fortification of yogurts with natural and synthetic antioxidants did not cause significant changes in the yoghurt pH and nutritional value, in comparison with control samples (yogurt without any additive). However, the fortified yogurts showed higher antioxidant activity, mainly the yogurts with natural additives (and among these, the ones with chamomile decoction). Overall, it can be concluded that plant decoctions can be used to develop novel yogurts, by replacing synthetic preservatives and improving the antioxidant properties of the final product, without changing the nutritional profile. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The role of proton shuttling mechanisms in solvent-free and catalyst-free acetalization reactions of imines.

PubMed

Lillo, Victor J; Mansilla, Javier; Saá, José M

2018-06-06

Proton transfer is central to the understanding of chemical processes. More so in addition reactions of the type NuH + E → Nu-EH taking place under solvent-free and catalyst-free conditions. Herein we show that the addition of alcohols or amines (the NuH component) to imine derivatives (the E component), in 1 : 1 ratio, under solvent-free and catalyst-free conditions, are efficient methods to access N,O and N,N-acetal derivatives. In addition, computational studies reveal that they are catalyzed reactions involving two or even three NuH molecules operating in a cooperative manner as H-bonded NuH(NuH)nNuH associates (many body effects) in the transition state through a concerted proton shuttling mechanism (addition of alcohols) or stepwise proton shuttling mechanism (addition of amines), thereby facilitating the key proton transfer step.

Low Molecular Weight Polymethacrylates as Multi-Functional Lubricant Additives

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

Cosimbescu, Lelia; Vellore, Azhar; Shantini Ramasamy, Uma

In this study, low molecular weight, moderately polar polymethacrylate polymers are explored as potential multi-functional lubricant additives. The performance of these novel additives in base oil is evaluated in terms of their viscosity index, shear stability, and friction-and-wear. The new compounds are compared to two benchmarks, a typical polymeric viscosity modifier and a fully-formulated oil. Results show that the best performing of the new polymers exhibit viscosity index and friction comparable to that of both benchmarks, far superior shear stability to either benchmark (as much as 15x lower shear loss), and wear reduction significantly better than a typical viscosity modifiermore » (lower wear volume by a factor of 2-3). The findings also suggest that the polarity and molecular weight of the polymers affect their performance which suggests future synthetic strategies may enable this new class of additives to replace multiple additives in typical lubricant formulations.« less

Functional and Anatomical Outcomes of Facial Nerve Injury With Application of Polyethylene Glycol in a Rat Model.

PubMed

Brown, Brandon L; Asante, Tony; Welch, Haley R; Sandelski, Morgan M; Drejet, Sarah M; Shah, Kishan; Runge, Elizabeth M; Shipchandler, Taha Z; Jones, Kathryn J; Walker, Chandler L

2018-05-17

Functional and anatomical outcomes after surgical repair of facial nerve injury may be improved with the addition of polyethylene glycol (PEG) to direct suture neurorrhaphy. The application of PEG has shown promise in treating spinal nerve injuries, but its efficacy has not been evaluated in treatment of cranial nerve injuries. To determine whether PEG in addition to neurorrhaphy can improve functional outcomes and synkinesis after facial nerve injury. In this animal experiment, 36 rats underwent right facial nerve transection and neurorrhaphy with addition of PEG. Weekly behavioral scoring was done for 10 rats for 6 weeks and 14 rats for 16 weeks after the operations. In the 16-week study, the buccal branches were labeled and tissue analysis was performed. In the 6-week study, the mandibular and buccal branches were labeled and tissue analysis was performed. Histologic analysis was performed for 10 rats in a 1-week study to assess the association of PEG with axonal continuity and Wallerian degeneration. Six rats served as the uninjured control group. Data were collected from February 8, 2016, through July 10, 2017. Polyethylene glycol applied to the facial nerve after neurorrhaphy. Functional recovery was assessed weekly for the 16- and 6-week studies, as well as motoneuron survival, amount of regrowth, specificity of regrowth, and aberrant branching. Short-term effects of PEG were assessed in the 1-week study. Among the 40 male rats included in the study, PEG addition to neurorrhaphy showed no functional benefit in eye blink reflex (mean [SEM], 3.57 [0.88] weeks; 95% CI, -2.8 to 1.9 weeks; P = .70) or whisking function (mean [SEM], 4.00 [0.72] weeks; 95% CI, -3.6 to 2.4 weeks; P = .69) compared with suturing alone at 16 weeks. Motoneuron survival was not changed by PEG in the 16-week (mean, 132.1 motoneurons per tissue section; 95% CI, -21.0 to 8.4; P = .13) or 6-week (mean, 131.1 motoneurons per tissue section; 95% CI, -11.0 to 10.0; P = .06) studies. Compared with controls, neither surgical group showed differences in buccal branch regrowth at 16 (36.9 motoneurons per tissue section; 95% CI, -14.5 to 22.0; P = .28) or 6 (36.7 motoneurons per tissue section; 95% CI, -7.8 to 18.5; P = .48) weeks or in the mandibular branch at 6 weeks (25.2 motoneurons per tissue section; 95% CI, -14.5 to 15.5; P = .99). Addition of PEG had no advantage in regrowth specificity compared with suturing alone at 16 weeks (15.3% buccal branch motoneurons with misguided projections; 95% CI, -7.2% to 11.0%; P = .84). After 6 weeks, the number of motoneurons with misguided projections to the mandibular branch showed no advantage of PEG treatment compared with suturing alone (12.1% buccal branch motoneurons with misguided projections; 95% CI, -8.2% to 9.2%; P = .98). In the 1-week study, improved axonal continuity and muscular innervation were not observed in PEG-treated rats. Although PEG has shown efficacy in treating other nervous system injuries, PEG in addition to neurorraphy was not beneficial in a rat model of facial nerve injury. The addition of PEG to suturing may not be warranted in the surgical repair of facial nerve injury. NA.

Controlled release of folic acid through liquid-crystalline folate nanoparticles.

PubMed

Misra, Rahul; Katyal, Henna; Mohanty, Sanat

2014-11-01

The present study explores folate nanoparticles as nano-carriers for controlled drug delivery. Cross-linked nanoparticles of liquid crystalline folates are composed of ordered stacks. This paper shows that the folate nanoparticles can be made with less than 5% loss in folate ions. In addition, this study shows that folate nanoparticles can disintegrate in a controlled fashion resulting in controlled release of the folate ions. Release can be controlled by the size of nanoparticles, the extent of cross-linking and the choice of cross-linking cation. The effect of different factors like agitation, pH, and temperature on folate release was also studied. Studies were also carried out to show the effect of release medium and role of ions in the release medium on disruption of folate assembly. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Physical properties of aqueous solutions of a thermo-responsive neutral copolymer and an anionic surfactant: turbidity and small-angle neutron scattering studies.

PubMed

Galant, Céline; Kjøniksen, Anna-Lena; Knudsen, Kenneth D; Helgesen, Geir; Lund, Reidar; Laukkanen, Antti; Tenhu, Heikki; Nyström, Bo

2005-08-16

Aqueous mixtures of the anionic sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) surfactant and thermo-responsive poly(N-vinylcaprolactam) chains grafted with omega-methoxy poly(ethylene oxide) undecyl alpha-methacrylate (PVCL-g-C11EO42) have been characterized using turbidimetry and small-angle neutron scattering (SANS). Turbidity measurements show that the addition of SDS to a dilute aqueous copolymer solution (1.0 wt %) induces an increase of the cloud point (CP) value and a decrease of the turbidity at high temperatures. In parallel, SANS results show a decrease of both the average distance between chains and the global size of the objects in solution at high temperatures as the SDS concentration is increased. Combination of these findings reveals that the presence of SDS in the PVCL-g-C11EO42 solutions (1.0 wt %) promotes the formation of smaller aggregates and, consequently, leads to a more homogeneous distribution of the chains in solution upon heating of the mixtures. Moreover, the SANS data results show that the internal structure of the formed aggregates becomes more swollen as the SDS concentration increases. On the other hand, the addition of moderate amounts of SDS (up to 4 mm) to a semidilute copolymer solution (5.0 wt %) gives rise to a more pronounced aggregation as the temperature rises; turbidity and SANS studies reveal in this case a decrease of the CP value and an increase of the scattered intensity at low q. The overall picture that emerges from this study is that the degree of aggregation can be accurately tuned by varying parameters such as the temperature, level of surfactant addition, and polymer concentration.

Highly Reproducible Label Free Quantitative Proteomic Analysis of RNA Polymerase Complexes*

PubMed Central

Mosley, Amber L.; Sardiu, Mihaela E.; Pattenden, Samantha G.; Workman, Jerry L.; Florens, Laurence; Washburn, Michael P.

2011-01-01

The use of quantitative proteomics methods to study protein complexes has the potential to provide in-depth information on the abundance of different protein components as well as their modification state in various cellular conditions. To interrogate protein complex quantitation using shotgun proteomic methods, we have focused on the analysis of protein complexes using label-free multidimensional protein identification technology and studied the reproducibility of biological replicates. For these studies, we focused on three highly related and essential multi-protein enzymes, RNA polymerase I, II, and III from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We found that label-free quantitation using spectral counting is highly reproducible at the protein and peptide level when analyzing RNA polymerase I, II, and III. In addition, we show that peptide sampling does not follow a random sampling model, and we show the need for advanced computational models to predict peptide detection probabilities. In order to address these issues, we used the APEX protocol to model the expected peptide detectability based on whole cell lysate acquired using the same multidimensional protein identification technology analysis used for the protein complexes. Neither method was able to predict the peptide sampling levels that we observed using replicate multidimensional protein identification technology analyses. In addition to the analysis of the RNA polymerase complexes, our analysis provides quantitative information about several RNAP associated proteins including the RNAPII elongation factor complexes DSIF and TFIIF. Our data shows that DSIF and TFIIF are the most highly enriched RNAP accessory factors in Rpb3-TAP purifications and demonstrate our ability to measure low level associated protein abundance across biological replicates. In addition, our quantitative data supports a model in which DSIF and TFIIF interact with RNAPII in a dynamic fashion in agreement with previously published reports. PMID:21048197

Confirming genes influencing risk to cleft lip with/without cleft palate in a case-parent trio study.

PubMed

Beaty, T H; Taub, M A; Scott, A F; Murray, J C; Marazita, M L; Schwender, H; Parker, M M; Hetmanski, J B; Balakrishnan, P; Mansilla, M A; Mangold, E; Ludwig, K U; Noethen, M M; Rubini, M; Elcioglu, N; Ruczinski, I

2013-07-01

A collection of 1,108 case-parent trios ascertained through an isolated, nonsyndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate (CL/P) was used to replicate the findings from a genome-wide association study (GWAS) conducted by Beaty et al. (Nat Genet 42:525-529, 2010), where four different genes/regions were identified as influencing risk to CL/P. Tagging SNPs for 33 different genes were genotyped (1,269 SNPs). All four of the genes originally identified as showing genome-wide significance (IRF6, ABCA4 and MAF, plus the 8q24 region) were confirmed in this independent sample of trios (who were primarily of European and Southeast Asian ancestry). In addition, eight genes classified as 'second tier' hits in the original study (PAX7, THADA, COL8A1/FILIP1L, DCAF4L2, GADD45G, NTN1, RBFOX3 and FOXE1) showed evidence of linkage and association in this replication sample. Meta-analysis between the original GWAS trios and these replication trios showed PAX7, COL8A1/FILIP1L and NTN1 achieved genome-wide significance. Tests for gene-environment interaction between these 33 genes and maternal smoking found evidence for interaction with two additional genes: GRID2 and ELAVL2 among European mothers (who had a higher rate of smoking than Asian mothers). Formal tests for gene-gene interaction (epistasis) failed to show evidence of statistical interaction in any simple fashion. This study confirms that many different genes influence risk to CL/P.

Confirming genes influencing risk to cleft lip with/without cleft palate in a case-parent trio study

PubMed Central

Beaty, TH; Taub, MA; Scott, AF; Murray, JC; Marazita, ML; Schwender, H; Parker, MM; Hetmanski, JB; Balakrishnan, P; Mansilla, MA; Mangold, E; Ludwig, KU; Noethen, MM; Rubini, M; Elcioglu, N; Ruczinski, I

2013-01-01

A collection of 1,108 case-parent trios ascertained through an isolated, non-syndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate (CL/P) was used to replicate the findings from a genome-wide association study (GWAS) conducted by Beaty et al. (2010) where four different genes/regions were identified as influencing risk to CL/P. Tagging SNPs for 33 different genes were genotyped (1,269 SNPs). All four of the genes originally identified as showing genome-wide significance (IRF6, ABCA4 and MAF, plus the 8q24 region) were confirmed in this independent sample of trios (who were primarily of European and Southeast Asian ancestry). In addition, eight genes classified as ‘second tier’ hits in the original study (PAX7, THADA, COL8A1/FILIP1L, DCAF4L2, GADD45G, NTN1, RBFOX3 and FOXE1) showed evidence of linkage and association in this replication sample. Meta-analysis between the original GWAS trios and these replication trios showed PAX7, COL8A1/FILIP1L and NTN1 achieved genome-wide significance. Tests for gene-environment interaction between these 33 genes and maternal smoking found evidence for interaction with two additional genes: GRID2 and ELAVL2 among European mothers (who had a higher rate of smoking than Asian mothers). Formal tests for gene-gene interaction (epistasis) failed to show evidence of statistical interaction in any simple fashion. This study confirms that many different genes influence risk to CL/P. PMID:23512105

Assessment of the Use of Nanofluids in Spacecraft Active Thermal Control Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ungar, Eugene K.; Erickson, Lisa R.

2011-01-01

The addition of metallic nanoparticles to a base heat transfer fluid can dramatically increase its thermal conductivity. These nanofluids have been shown to have advantages in some heat transport systems. Their enhanced properties can allow lower system volumetric flow rates and can reduce the required pumping power. Nanofluids have been suggested for use as working fluids for spacecraft Active Thermal Control Systems (ATCSs). However, there are no studies showing the end-to-end effect of nanofluids on the design and performance of spacecraft ATCSs. In the present work, a parametric study is performed to assess the use of nanofluids in a spacecraft ATCSs. The design parameters of the current Orion capsule and the tabulated thermophysical properties of nanofluids are used to assess the possible benefits of nanofluids and how their incorporation affects the overall design of a spacecraft ATCS. The study shows that the unique system and component-level design parameters of spacecraft ATCSs render them best suited for pure working fluids. The addition of nanoparticles to typical spacecraft thermal control working fluids actually results in an increase in the system mass and required pumping power.

Comparative studies on single-layer reduced graphene oxide films obtained by electrochemical reduction and hydrazine vapor reduction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Zhijuan; Wu, Shixin; Zhang, Juan; Chen, Peng; Yang, Guocheng; Zhou, Xiaozhu; Zhang, Qichun; Yan, Qingyu; Zhang, Hua

2012-02-01

The comparison between two kinds of single-layer reduced graphene oxide (rGO) sheets, obtained by reduction of graphene oxide (GO) with the electrochemical method and hydrazine vapor reduction, referred to as E-rGO and C-rGO, respectively, is systematically studied. Although there is no morphology difference between the E-rGO and C-rGO films adsorbed on solid substrates observed by AFM, the reduction process to obtain the E-rGO and C-rGO films is quite different. In the hydrazine vapor reduction, the nitrogen element is incorporated into the obtained C-rGO film, while no additional element is introduced to the E-rGO film during the electrochemical reduction. Moreover, Raman spectra show that the electrochemical method is more effective than the hydrazine vapor reduction method to reduce the GO films. In addition, E-rGO shows better electrocatalysis towards dopamine than does C-rGO. This study is helpful for researchers to understand these two different reduction methods and choose a suitable one to reduce GO based on their experimental requirements.

Synthesis, characterization, X-ray crystal structure and conductometry studying of a number of new Schiff base complexes; a new example of binuclear square pyramidal geometry of Cu(II) complex bridged with an oxo group

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Golbedaghi, Reza; Alavipour, Ehsan

2015-11-01

Three new binuclear Cu(II), Mn(II), Co(II) complexes [Cu2(L) (ClO4)](ClO4)2 (1), [Mn2(L) (ClO4)](ClO4)2 (2), and [Co2(L) (ClO4)](ClO4)2 (3), {L = 1,3-bis(2-((Z)-(2-aminopropylimino)methyl)phenoxy)propan-2-ol} have been synthesized. Single crystal X-ray structure analysis of complex 1 showed that the complex is binuclear and all nitrogen and oxygen atoms of ligand (N4O3) are coordinated to two Cu(II) center ions. In addition, the crystal structure studying shows, a perchlorate ion has been bridged to the Cu(II) metal centers. However, two distorted square pyramidal Cu(II) ions are bridged asymmetrically by a perchlorate ion and oxygen of hydroxyl group of Schiff base ligand. In addition, the conductometry behaviors of all complexes were studied in acetonitrile solution.

Protein changes in Lepidium sativum L. exposed to Hg during soil phytoremediation.

PubMed

Smolinska, Beata; Szczodrowska, Agnieszka; Leszczynska, Joanna

2017-08-03

Some investigations have been carried out in this study to find the best technique of soil reclamation in mercurypolluted soil. In this study, we examined Lepidium sativum L. as a plant useful for Hg phytoextraction. The simultaneous application of compost and thiosulfate was explored as a possible method of enhancing the process of phytoextraction. The results of the investigations of plant protein changes during assisted Hg phytoextraction were also provided. The results of the study show that combined use of compost and thiosulfate significantly increased both the total Hg accumulation and its translocation to aerial plant tissues. Plant protein analysis showed that L. sativum L. has the ability to respond to environmental stress condition by the activation of additional proteins. The additional proteins, like homocysteine methyltransferase, ribulose bisphosphate carboxylases (long and short chains), 14-3-3-like protein, and biosynthesis-related 40S ribosomal protein S15, were activated in plant shoots only in experiments carried out in Hg-polluted soil. There were no protein changes observed in plants exposed to compost and thiosulfate. It suggests that the combined use of compost and thiosulfate decreased Hg toxicity.

Integrated ecotechnology approach towards treatment of complex wastewater with simultaneous bioenergy production.

PubMed

Hemalatha, Manupati; Sravan, J Shanthi; Yeruva, Dileep Kumar; Venkata Mohan, S

2017-10-01

Sequential integration of three stage diverse biological processes was studied by exploiting the individual process advantage towards enhanced treatment of complex chemical based wastewater. A successful attempt to integrate sequence batch reactor (SBR) with bioelectrochemical treatment (BET) and finally with microalgae treatment was studied. The sequential integration has showed individual substrate degradation (COD) of 55% in SBR, 49% in BET and 56% in microalgae, accounting for a consolidated treatment efficiency of 90%. Nitrates removal efficiency of 25% was observed in SBR, 31% in BET and 44% in microalgae, with a total efficiency of 72%. The SBR treated effluents fed to BET with the electrode intervention showed TDS removal. BET exhibited relatively higher process performance than SBR. The integration approach significantly overcame the individual process limitations along with value addition as biomass (1.75g/L), carbohydrates (640mg/g), lipids (15%) and bioelectricity. The study resulted in providing a strategy of combining SBR as pretreatment step to BET process and finally polishing with microalgae cultivation achieving the benefits of enhanced wastewater treatment along with value addition. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of orientation on deformation behavior of Fe nanowires: A molecular dynamics study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sainath, G.; Srinivasan, V. S.; Choudhary, B. K.; Mathew, M. D.; Jayakumar, T.

2014-04-01

Molecular dynamics simulations have been carried out to study the effect of crystal orientation on tensile deformation behaviour of single crystal BCC Fe nanowires at 10 K. Two nanowires with an initial orientation of <100>/{100} and <110>/{111} have been chosen for this study. The simulation results show that the deformation mechanisms varied with crystal orientation. The nanowire with an initial orientation of <100>/{100} deforms predominantly by twinning mechanism, whereas the nanowire oriented in <110>/{111}, deforms by dislocation plasticity. In addition, the single crystal oriented in <110>/{111} shows higher strength and elastic modulus than <100>/{100} oriented nanowire.

Age Effects in L2 Grammar Processing as Revealed by ERPs and How (Not) to Study Them

PubMed Central

Meulman, Nienke; Wieling, Martijn; Sprenger, Simone A.; Schmid, Monika S.

2015-01-01

In this study we investigate the effect of age of acquisition (AoA) on grammatical processing in second language learners as measured by event-related brain potentials (ERPs). We compare a traditional analysis involving the calculation of averages across a certain time window of the ERP waveform, analyzed with categorical groups (early vs. late), with a generalized additive modeling analysis, which allows us to take into account the full range of variability in both AoA and time. Sixty-six Slavic advanced learners of German listened to German sentences with correct and incorrect use of non-finite verbs and grammatical gender agreement. We show that the ERP signal depends on the AoA of the learner, as well as on the regularity of the structure under investigation. For gender agreement, a gradual change in processing strategies can be shown that varies by AoA, with younger learners showing a P600 and older learners showing a posterior negativity. For verb agreement, all learners show a P600 effect, irrespective of AoA. Based on their behavioral responses in an offline grammaticality judgment task, we argue that the late learners resort to computationally less efficient processing strategies when confronted with (lexically determined) syntactic constructions different from the L1. In addition, this study highlights the insights the explicit focus on the time course of the ERP signal in our analysis framework can offer compared to the traditional analysis. PMID:26683335

A study of internal structure in components made by additive manufacturing process using 3 D X-ray tomography

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

Raguvarun, K., E-mail: prajagopal@iitm.ac.in; Balasubramaniam, Krishnan, E-mail: prajagopal@iitm.ac.in; Rajagopal, Prabhu, E-mail: prajagopal@iitm.ac.in

Additive manufacturing methods are gaining increasing popularity for rapidly and efficiently manufacturing parts and components in the industrial context, as well as for domestic applications. However, except when used for prototyping or rapid visualization of components, industries are concerned with the load carrying capacity and strength achievable by additive manufactured parts. In this paper, the wire-arc additive manufacturing (AM) process based on gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) has been examined for the internal structure and constitution of components generated by the process. High-resolution 3D X-ray tomography is used to gain cut-views through wedge-shaped parts created using this GTAW additive manufacturingmore » process with titanium alloy materials. In this work, two different control conditions for the GTAW process are considered. The studies reveal clusters of porosities, located in periodic spatial intervals along the sample cross-section. Such internal defects can have a detrimental effect on the strength of the resulting AM components, as shown in destructive testing studies. Closer examination of this phenomenon shows that defect clusters are preferentially located at GTAW traversal path intervals. These results highlight the strong need for enhanced control of process parameters in ensuring components with minimal defects and higher strength.« less

A study of internal structure in components made by additive manufacturing process using 3 D X-ray tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raguvarun, K.; Balasubramaniam, Krishnan; Rajagopal, Prabhu; Palanisamy, Suresh; Nagarajah, Romesh; Hoye, Nicholas; Curiri, Dominic; Kapoor, Ajay

2015-03-01

Additive manufacturing methods are gaining increasing popularity for rapidly and efficiently manufacturing parts and components in the industrial context, as well as for domestic applications. However, except when used for prototyping or rapid visualization of components, industries are concerned with the load carrying capacity and strength achievable by additive manufactured parts. In this paper, the wire-arc additive manufacturing (AM) process based on gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) has been examined for the internal structure and constitution of components generated by the process. High-resolution 3D X-ray tomography is used to gain cut-views through wedge-shaped parts created using this GTAW additive manufacturing process with titanium alloy materials. In this work, two different control conditions for the GTAW process are considered. The studies reveal clusters of porosities, located in periodic spatial intervals along the sample cross-section. Such internal defects can have a detrimental effect on the strength of the resulting AM components, as shown in destructive testing studies. Closer examination of this phenomenon shows that defect clusters are preferentially located at GTAW traversal path intervals. These results highlight the strong need for enhanced control of process parameters in ensuring components with minimal defects and higher strength.

Morphology studies of hydrophobic silica on filter surface prepared via spray technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shahfiq Zulkifli, Nazrul; Zaini Yunos, Muhamad; Ahmad, Azlinnorazia; Harun, Zawati; Akhair, Siti Hajar Mohd; Adibah Raja Ahmad, Raja; Hafeez Azhar, Faiz; Rashid, Abdul Qaiyyum Abd; Ismail, Al Emran

2017-08-01

This study investigated the effect of the hydrophobic surface treatment effect of air filter performance by using silica aerogel powder as an additive by using spray coating techniques. The membrane characterization tests were carried out on a filter prepared from different additive concentration. Studies on the cross-section and the distribution of particles on the membrane were carried out using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), and the surface morphology was investigated by x-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The results are shown by SEM and EDS that the microstructure filter, especially in the upper layer and sub-layer has been changed. The results also show an increase of hydrophobicity due to the increased quantity of silica aerogel powder.

Genetic and Environmental Influences on Individual Differences in Attitudes Toward Homosexuality: An Australian Twin Study

PubMed Central

Shekar, Sri N.; Zietsch, Brendan P.; Eaves, Lindon J.; Bailey, J. Michael; Boomsma, Dorret I.; Martin, Nicholas G.

2008-01-01

Previous research has shown that many heterosexuals hold negative attitudes toward homosexuals and homosexuality (homophobia). Although a great deal of research has focused on the profile of homophobic individuals, this research provides little theoretical insight into the aetiology of homophobia. To examine genetic and environmental influences on variation in attitudes toward homophobia, we analysed data from 4,688 twins who completed a questionnaire concerning sexual behaviour and attitudes, including attitudes toward homosexuality. Results show that, in accordance with literature, males have significantly more negative attitudes toward homosexuality than females and non-heterosexuals are less homophobic than heterosexuals. In contrast with some earlier findings, age had no significant effect on the homophobia scores in this study. Genetic modelling showed that variation in homophobia scores could be explained by additive genetic (36%), shared environmental (18%) and unique environmental factors (46%). However, corrections based on previous findings show that the shared environmental estimate may be almost entirely accounted for as extra additive genetic variance arising from assortative mating for homophobic attitudes. The results suggest that variation in attitudes toward homosexuality is substantially inherited, and that social environmental influences are relatively minor. PMID:18347968

Combustion performance and exhaust emissions fuelled with non-surfactant water-in-diesel emulsion fuel made from different water sources.

PubMed

Ahmad, Mohamad Azrin; Yahya, Wira Jazair; Ithnin, Ahmad Muhsin; Hasannuddin, A K; Bakar, Muhammad Aiman Abu; Fatah, Abdul Yasser Abd; Sidik, Nor Azwadi Che; Noge, Hirofumi

2018-06-14

Non-surfactant water-in-diesel emulsion fuel (NWD) is an alternative fuel that has the potential to reduce major exhaust emissions while simultaneously improving the combustion performance of a diesel engine. NWD comprises of diesel fuel and water (about 5% in volume) without any additional surfactants. This emulsion fuel is produced through an in-line mixing system that is installed very close to the diesel engine. This study focuses mainly on the performance and emission of diesel engine fuelled with NWD made from different water sources. The engine used in this study is a direct injection diesel engine with loads varying from 1 to 4 kW. The result shows that NWD made from tap water helps the engine to reduce nitrogen oxide (NO x ) by 32%. Rainwater reduced it by 29% and seawater by 19%. In addition, all NWDs show significant improvements in engine performance as compared to diesel fuel, especially in the specific fuel consumption that indicates an average reduction of 6%. It is observed that all NWDs show compelling positive effects on engine performance, which is caused by the optimum water droplet size inside NWD.

Cloning, tissue expression and polymorphisms of chicken Krüppel-like factor 7 gene.

PubMed

Zhang, Zhi-Wei; Wang, Zhi-Peng; Zhang, Kun; Wang, Ning; Li, Hui

2013-07-01

Krüppel-like factor 7 (KLF7) has been extensively studied in mammalian species, but its role in birds is still unclear. In the current study, cloning and sequencing showed that the full-length coding region of chicken KLF7 (Gallus gallus KLF7, gKLF7) was 891 bp long, encoding 296 amino acids. In addition, real-time RT-PCR analysis showed that gKLF7 was broadly expressed in all 15 chicken tissues selected, and its expression was significantly different in spleen, proventriculus, abdominal fat, brain, leg muscle, gizzard and heart between fat and lean broilers at 7 weeks of age. Additionally, one novel single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), XM_426569.3: c. A141G, was identified in the second exon of gKLF7. Association analysis showed that this locus was significantly associated with fatness traits in Arbor Acres broiler random population and the eighth generation of Northeast Agricultural University broiler lines divergently selected for abdominal fat content (NEAUHLF) population (P < 0.05). These results suggest that gKLF7 might be a candidate gene for chicken fatness traits. © 2013 Japanese Society of Animal Science.

High temperature ferromagnetism in Ni doped ZnO nanoparticles: Milling time dependence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pal, Bappaditya; Giri, P. K.; Sarkar, D.

2014-04-01

We report on the room temperature ferromagnetism (RT FM) in the Zn1-xNixO (x = 0, 0.03, and 0.05) nanoparticles (NPs) synthesized by a ball milling technique. X-ray diffraction analysis confirms the single crystalline ZnO wurtzite structure with presence of small intensity secondary phase related peak which disappear with increasing milling time for Ni doped samples. HRTEM lattice images show that the doped NPs are single crystalline with a dspacing of 2.44 Å. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analysis confirms the presence of Ni ions in the ZnO matrix. Magnetic measurement (RT) exhibits the hysteresis loop with saturation magnetization (Ms) of 1.6-2.56 (emu/g) and coercive field (Hc) of 296-322 Oe. M-T measurement shows a Curie temperature of the order of 325°C for 3% Ni doped sample. Micro -Raman studies show doping/disorder induced additional modes at ˜510, 547, 572 cm-1 in addition to 437 cm-1 peak of pure ZnO. UV-Vis absorption spectra illustrate band gap shift due to doping. Alteration of Ms value with the variation of doping concentration and milling time has been studied and discussed.

Effects of Azilsartan, Aliskiren or their Combination on High Fat Diet-induced Non-alcoholic Liver Disease Model in Rats.

PubMed

Hussain, Saad Abdulrahman; Utba, Rabab Mohammed; Assumaidaee, Ajwad Muhammad

2017-08-01

In addition to its role in regulation of blood pressure, fluid and electrolyte homeostasis, the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) components were expressed in many other tissues suggesting potential roles in their functions. The present study aims to evaluate the protective effect aliskiren, when used alone or in combination with azilsartan against high fat diet-induced liver disease in rats. Thirty-two Wistar male rats, weighing 150-200 gm were allocated evenly into four groups and treated as follow: group I, rats were fed a specially formulated high-fat diet for 8 weeks to induce non-alcoholic liver disease and considered as control group; groups II, III and IV, the rats were administered azilsartan (0.5 mg/kg), aliskiren (25 mg/kg) or their combination orally via gavage tube once daily, and maintained on high fat diet for 8 weeks. The possible treatment outcome was evaluated through measuring serum levels of glucose, insulin, lipid profile, TNF-α, IL-1β and liver enzymes. Additionally, the liver tissue contents of glycogen and lipids and histological changes were also evaluated. The results showed that azilsartan significantly improves the studied markers greater than aliskiren, and their combination o has no additive or synergistic effects on the activity of each one of them. Both azilsartan and aliskiren protects the rats against high-fat diet induced NAFLD with predominant effects for the former, and their combination showed no beneficial synergistic or additive effects.

Sintering, properties and fabrication of Si3N4 + Y2O3 based ceramics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Quackenbush, C. L.; Smith, J. T.; Neil, J. T.; French, K. W.

1983-01-01

Pure silicon nitride shows a remarkable resistance to sintering without the use of densification additives. The present investigation is concerned with results which show the effect of chemical content on sinterability, taking into account the composition, raw material impurities, and processing contaminants. Aspects of sintering are discussed along with strength characteristics, and oxidation relations. Attention is given to phase field I and II materials, phase field III and IV materials, tungsten carbide and oxidation at 600 C, and studies involving shape fabrication by injection molding. It was found that in sintering Si3N4 + Y2O3 an increase in the amount of Y2O3 and, in particular, the addition of Al2O3 enhances the fluidity of the liquid phase.

Do Holocaust survivors show increased vulnerability or resilience to post-Holocaust cumulative adversity?

PubMed

Shrira, Amit; Palgi, Yuval; Ben-Ezra, Menachem; Shmotkin, Dov

2010-06-01

Prior trauma can hinder coping with additional adversity or inoculate against the effect of recurrent adversity. The present study further addressed this issue by examining whether a subsample of Holocaust survivors and comparison groups, drawn from the Israeli component of the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe, were differentially affected by post-Holocaust cumulative adversity. Post-Holocaust cumulative adversity had a stronger effect on the lifetime depression of Holocaust survivors than on that of comparisons. However, comparisons were more negatively affected by post-Holocaust cumulative adversity when examining markers of physical and cognitive functioning. Our findings suggest that previous trauma can both sensitize and immunize, as Holocaust survivors show general resilience intertwined with specific vulnerability when confronted with additional cumulative adversity.

Highly specific and reversible fluoride sensor based on an organic semiconductor.

PubMed

Aboubakr, Hecham; Brisset, Hugues; Siri, Olivier; Raimundo, Jean-Manuel

2013-10-15

A novel sulfonamide-conjugated benzo-[2,1-b:3,4-b']bithiophene semiconductor has been designed and synthetized in order to develop a probe for specific detection of anions both in the homogeneous (solution) and heterogeneous phase. Its photophysical and electrochemical data were reported in this study. On the basis of the optical and NMR titrations analysis, the chelator was found to be highly selective for fluoride compared to others anions (Ka = 1.6 × 10(4) M(-1) in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO)). In addition, from an intricate sample, the novel chelator shows exceptional specificity toward fluoride and reveals a complete reversibility after addition of trifluoroacetic acid (TFA). Sensing films were obtained by electrochemical polymerization of the probe on an electrode surface, which clearly show effective detection of fluoride.

Exploring the Relationship Between Octane Sensitivity and Heat-of-Vaporization

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

Sluder, C. Scott; Szybist, James P.; McCormick, Robert L.

2016-04-05

The latent heat-of-vaporization (HoV) of blends of biofuel and hydrocarbon components into gasolines has recently experienced expanded interest because of the potential for increased HoV to increase fuel knock resistance in direct-injection (DI) engines. Several studies have been conducted, with some studies identifying an additional anti-knock benefit from HoV and others failing to arrive at the same conclusion. Consideration of these studies holistically shows that they can be grouped according to the level of fuel octane sensitivity variation within their fuel matrices. When comparing fuels of different octane sensitivity significant additional anti-knock benefits associated with HoV are sometimes observed. Studiesmore » that fix the octane sensitivity find that HoV does not produce additional anti-knock benefit. New studies were performed at ORNL and NREL to further investigate the relationship between HoV and octane sensitivity. Three fuels were formulated for the ORNL study with matched RON and octane sensitivity, but with differing HoV. Experiments with these fuels in a 1.6-liter GTDI engine showed that the fuels exhibited very similar combustion phasing under knock-limited spark advance (KLSA) conditions. Fuels having a range of RON, octane sensitivity, and HoV were tested at NREL in a single-cylinder GDI engine under conditions where octane sensitivity has little effect on knock resistance. KLSA was found to be well correlated with RON. These results reinforce the concept that HoV anti-knock effects can be viewed as a contributor to octane sensitivity. From this viewpoint, HoV effects manifest themselves as increases in octane sensitivity.« less

Increased gut microbiota diversity and abundance of Faecalibacterium prausnitzii and Akkermansia after fasting: a pilot study.

PubMed

Remely, Marlene; Hippe, Berit; Geretschlaeger, Isabella; Stegmayer, Sonja; Hoefinger, Ingrid; Haslberger, Alexander

2015-05-01

An impaired gut microbiota has been reported as an important factor in the pathogenesis of obesity. Weight reduction has already been mentioned to improve gut microbial subpopulations involved in inflammatory processes, though other subpopulations still need further investigation. Thus, weight reduction in the context of a fasting program together with a probiotic intervention may improve the abundance and diversity of gut microbiota. In this pilot study, overweight people underwent a fasting program with laxative treatment for 1 week followed by a 6 week intervention with a probiotic formula. Gut microbiota were analyzed on the basis of 16s rDNA with a quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction. Additionally, a food frequency questionnaire with questions about nutritional behavior, lifestyle, and physical activity was administered before and after the intervention. We observed an increase in microbial diversity over the study period. No significant changes in abundance of total bacteria, or of Bacteroidetes, Prevotella, Clostridium cluster XIVa, or Clostridium cluster IV were found, although Faecalibacterium prausnitzii showed an increase over the study period. In addition, Akkermanisa and Bifidobacteria increased in abundance due to intervention. The inflammation-associated gut microbes Enterobacteria and Lactobacilli increased during the first week and then declined by the end of the intervention. Two-thirds of the study participants harbored Archaea. No significant improvements of eating habits were reported, although physical activity improved due to the intervention. Our results show that caloric restriction affects gut microbiota by proliferating mucin-degrading microbial subpopulations. An additional intervention with a probiotic formula increased probiotic-administered gut microbial populations.

Carnivorous pitcher plant uses free radicals in the digestion of prey.

PubMed

Chia, Tet Fatt; Aung, Hnin Hnin; Osipov, Anatoly N; Goh, Ngoh Khang; Chia, Lian Sai

2004-01-01

A study of the involvement of free oxygen radicals in trapping and digestion of insects by carnivorous plants was the main goal of the present investigation. We showed that the generation of oxygen free radicals by pitcher fluid of Nepenthes is the first step of the digestion process, as seen by EPR spin trapping assay and gel-electrophoresis. The EPR spectrum of N. gracilis fluid in the presence of DMPO spin trap showed the superposition of the hydroxyl radical spin adduct signal and of the ascorbyl radical signal. Catalase addition decreased the generation of hydroxyl radicals showing that hydroxyl radicals are generated from hydrogen peroxide, which can be derived from superoxide radicals. Gel-electrophoresis data showed that myosin, an abundant protein component of insects, can be rapidly broken down by free radicals and protease inhibitors do not inhibit this process. Addition of myoglobin to the pitcher plant fluid decreased the concentration of detectable radicals. Based on these observations, we conclude that oxygen free radicals produced by the pitcher plant aid in the digestion of the insect prey.

Avoiding Failure

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McGraw, Michael

2010-01-01

Evidence continues to emerge about the effect indoor air quality has on a student's ability to learn. One study cited by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) shows moderate changes in room temperature affect children's abilities to perform mental tasks requiring concentration, such as addition, multiplication and sentence comprehension.…

Enhancing the natural folate level in wine using bioengineering and stabilization strategies.

PubMed

Liu, Yazheng; Walkey, Christopher J; Green, Timothy J; van Vuuren, Hennie J J; Kitts, David D

2016-03-01

Folate deficiency is linked to many diseases, some of which may have higher probability in individuals with alcohol-induced alterations in one-carbon metabolism. Our study shows that folate content in commercial wine is not related to white or red varieties, but associated with the yeast that is used to produce the wine. The stability of folate in these wines, once opened for consumption, did not correlate with total phenolic or sulfite content. In addition, we employed yeast bioengineering to fortify wine with folate. We confirmed by overexpression that FOL2 was the key gene encoding the rate-limiting step of folate biosynthesis in wine yeast. In this study, we also show that overexpression of other folate biosynthesis genes, including ABZ1, ABZ2, DFR1, FOL1 and FOL3, had no effect on folate levels in wine. Ensuring stability of the increased natural folate in all wines was achieved by the addition of ascorbate. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Utilization of different waste proteins to create a novel PGPR-containing bio-organic fertilizer

PubMed Central

Huang, Yan; Sun, Li; Zhao, Jianshu; Huang, Rong; Li, Rong; Shen, Qirong

2015-01-01

High-quality bio-organic fertilizers (BIOs) cannot be produced without the addition of some proteins, while many waste proteins are haphazardly disposed, causing serious environmental pollution. In this study, several waste proteins were used as additives to assist with the reproduction of the functional microbe (Bacillus amyloliquefaciens SQR9) inoculated into matured composts to produce BIOs. An optimized composition of solid-state fermentation (SSF) raw materials was predicted by response surface methodology and experimental validation. The results showed that 7.61% (w/w, DW, the same below) rapeseed meal, 8.85% expanded feather meal, 6.47% dewatered blue algal sludge and 77.07% chicken compost resulted in maximum biomass of strain SQR-9 and the maximum amount of lipopeptides 7 days after SSF. Spectroscopy experiments showed that the inner material structural changes in the novel SSF differed from the control and the novel BIO had higher dissolved organic matter. This study offers a high value-added utilization of waste proteins for producing economical but high-quality BIO. PMID:25586328

Synthesis and characterization of tetra phenoxy-substituted halogen-rich metallophthalocyanine derivatives: A study on their LCD color filter requirements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muthukumar, Palanisamy; Kim, Hak-Soo; Jeong, Jong Woo; Son, Young-A.

2016-09-01

This study addresses the synthesis and characterization of new tetra phenoxy-substituted halogen-rich metallophthalocyanine derivatives (MPcs) 4-7 (M = Co, Ni, Cu and Zn). The synthesized new compounds were characterized using UV-Vis, FT-IR, MALDI-TOF, 1H NMR and elemental analyses. In addition, the basic requirements such as aggregation behavior, thermal stability, transmittance and solubility in propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate (PGMEA) of MPcs 4-7 were investigated for their usage as a green color filter in Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs). All of the MPcs showed thermal stability and sufficient solubility in PGMEA. However, the addition of binder into PGMEA solution of MPcs 5 and 6 leads to precipitation. Among the four MPcs, zinc phthalocyanine (7) showed higher transmittance. The higher transmittance of zinc phthalocyanine (7) along with its thermal stability and sufficient solubility in PGMEA are promising for its application as a green color filter in LCDs.

Antibacterial Activity of the Alkaloid-Enriched Extract from Prosopis juliflora Pods and Its Influence on in Vitro Ruminal Digestion

PubMed Central

dos Santos, Edilene T.; Pereira, Mara Lúcia A.; da Silva, Camilla Flávia P.G.; Souza-Neta, Lourdes C.; Geris, Regina; Martins, Dirceu; Santana, Antônio Euzébio G.; Barbosa, Luiz Cláudio A.; Silva, Herymá Giovane O.; Freitas, Giovana C.; Figueiredo, Mauro P.; de Oliveira, Fernando F.; Batista, Ronan

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to assess the in vitro antimicrobial activity of alkaloid-enriched extracts from Prosopis juliflora (Fabaceae) pods in order to evaluate them as feed additives for ruminants. As only the basic chloroformic extract (BCE), whose main constituents were juliprosopine (juliflorine), prosoflorine and juliprosine, showed Gram-positive antibacterial activity against Micrococcus luteus (MIC = 25 μg/mL), Staphylococcus aureus (MIC = 50 μg/mL) and Streptococcus mutans (MIC = 50 μg/mL), its influence on ruminal digestion was evaluated using a semi-automated in vitro gas production technique, with monensin as the positive control. Results showed that BCE has decreased gas production as efficiently as monensin after 36 h of fermentation, revealing its positive influence on gas production during ruminal digestion. Since P. juliflora is a very affordable plant, this study points out this alkaloid enriched extract from the pods of Prosopis juliflora as a potential feed additive to decrease gas production during ruminal digestion. PMID:23595000

Graphene Oxide Filled Lignin/Starch Polymer Bionanocomposite: Structural, Physical, and Mechanical Studies.

PubMed

Aqlil, Meryem; Moussemba Nzenguet, Annie; Essamlali, Younes; Snik, Asmae; Larzek, Mohamed; Zahouily, Mohamed

2017-12-06

In this study, graphene oxide (GO) was investigated as a potential nanoreinforcing agent in starch/lignin (ST/L) biopolymer matrix. Bionanocomposite films based on ST/L blend matrix and GO were prepared by solution-casting technique of the corresponding film-forming solution. The structures, morphologies, and properties of bionanocomposite films were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis), SEM, and tensile tests. The experimental results showed that content of GO have a significant influence on the mechanical properties of the produced films. The results revealed that the interfacial interaction formed in the bionanocomposite films improved the compatibility between GO fillers and ST/L matrix. The addition of GO also reduced moisture uptake (Mu) and water vapor permeability of ST/L blend film. In addition, TGA showed that the thermal stability of bionanocomposite films was better than that of neat starch film. These findings confirmed the effectiveness of the proposed approach to produce biodegradable films with enhanced properties, which may be used in packaging applications.

An investigation of the effects of a nonprofit agency's investigations on quality of care in nursing homes.

PubMed

Lorentz, Madeline; Finnegan, Brittany

2013-01-01

This study examined whether an agency's investigation of complaints in 40 nursing homes is positively correlated with the quality of nursing home care. A quantitative methodology design using quantitative and qualitative data was used to assess the relationship between Agency X's investigation of consumers' nursing home complaints and the quality of nursing home care. Results showed fewer violations after the agency's interventions, indicating improvement in the nursing care. Analysis showed on average 0.14 fewer violations. This decrease is statistically significant (p = .015), indicating that this agency's intervention improved nursing home care. Additional studies are needed to further explore the quality of care given in nursing homes. Nurses may propose to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to establish a new innovative system for ensuring high quality nursing home care by requiring the establishment of outside agencies, such as Agency X, to monitor care in addition to the annual surveys conducted by the Department of Health and Human Services. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The development of synthetic biology: a patent analysis.

PubMed

van Doren, Davy; Koenigstein, Stefan; Reiss, Thomas

2013-12-01

In the past decades, synthetic biology has gained interest regarding research and development efforts within the biotechnology domain. However, it is unclear to what extent synthetic biology has matured already into being commercially exploitable. By means of a patent analysis, this study shows that there is an increasing trend regarding synthetic biology related patent applications. The majority of retrieved patents relates to innovations facilitating the realisation of synthetic biology through improved understanding of biological systems. In addition, there is increased activity concerning the development of synthetic biology based applications. When looking at potential application areas, the majority of synthetic biology patents seems most relevant for the medical, energy and industrial sector. Furthermore, the analysis shows that most activity has been carried out by the USA, with Japan and a number of European countries considerably trailing behind. In addition, both universities and companies are major patent applicant actor types. The results presented here form a starting point for follow-up studies concerning the identification of drivers explaining the observed patent application trends in synthetic biology.

Serological changes induced by blend of sunset yellow, metanil yellow and tartrazine in swiss albino rat, rattus norvegicus.

PubMed

Saxena, Beenam; Sharma, Shiv

2014-01-01

The present study was carried out to evaluate the toxic effect of blend of some food colors on Swiss albino rats. A blend (1:1:1) of sunset yellow, metanil yellow and tartrazine showed additive effects on serological parameters which indicate that addition of these dye together in food stuff may give rise to more toxic effects than are produced by each dye individually. Animals were divided into four groups (I, II, III, and IV). First group was treated as control and respective group of animals received 25, 50 and 75 mg/kg body weight blend of food colors by gavaging up to 30 days. The serological study showed a decrease in total protein and albumin and an increase in alkaline phosphatase, SGPT and total bilirubin. The results revealed that oral administration of these blend did not affect the body weight gain. The prolonged consumption of the blend may cause adverse effect on human health.

Utilization of different waste proteins to create a novel PGPR-containing bio-organic fertilizer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Yan; Sun, Li; Zhao, Jianshu; Huang, Rong; Li, Rong; Shen, Qirong

2015-01-01

High-quality bio-organic fertilizers (BIOs) cannot be produced without the addition of some proteins, while many waste proteins are haphazardly disposed, causing serious environmental pollution. In this study, several waste proteins were used as additives to assist with the reproduction of the functional microbe (Bacillus amyloliquefaciens SQR9) inoculated into matured composts to produce BIOs. An optimized composition of solid-state fermentation (SSF) raw materials was predicted by response surface methodology and experimental validation. The results showed that 7.61% (w/w, DW, the same below) rapeseed meal, 8.85% expanded feather meal, 6.47% dewatered blue algal sludge and 77.07% chicken compost resulted in maximum biomass of strain SQR-9 and the maximum amount of lipopeptides 7 days after SSF. Spectroscopy experiments showed that the inner material structural changes in the novel SSF differed from the control and the novel BIO had higher dissolved organic matter. This study offers a high value-added utilization of waste proteins for producing economical but high-quality BIO.

Effect of amylose content and nanoclay incorporation order in physicochemical properties of starch/montmorillonite composites.

PubMed

Romero-Bastida, C A; Tapia-Blácido, D R; Méndez-Montealvo, G; Bello-Pérez, L A; Velázquez, G; Alvarez-Ramirez, J

2016-11-05

The effects of the amylose content and the preparation sequence in physicochemical properties of starch/montmorillonite (MMT) composites were studied in this work. Native (30%) and high amylose Hylon VII (70%) starches were considered for assessing the effects of amylose content. Glycerol and MMT were used as additives to evaluate the effects of the former as plasticizer and the latter as reinforcer. The glycerol was incorporated before (Method M1) and after (Method M2) the addition of MMT. FTIR studies indicated that water bonding was affected by amylose content. Sorption isotherms indicated that method M2 favoured water adsorption and method M1 reduced water adsorption due to competition for active sites for interaction. TGA showed that method M1 induced a higher degradation rate than method M2. Wettability analysis by contact angle measurements showed that plasticizer promoted the hydrophilicity of the film, whereas MMT promoted a hydrophobic surface for both cases of amylose content. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Development of flexible, free-standing, thin films for additive manufacturing and localized energy generation

DOE PAGES

Clark, Billy; McCollum, Jena; Pantoya, Michelle L.; ...

2015-08-01

Film energetics are becoming increasingly popular because a variety of technologies are driving a need for localized energy generation in a stable, safe and flexible form. Aluminum (Al) and molybdenum trioxide (MoO₃) composites were mixed into a silicon binder and extruded using a blade casting technique to form flexible free-standing films ideal for localized energy generation. Since this material can be extruded onto a surface it is well suited to additive manufacturing applications. This study examines the influence of 0-35% by mass potassium perchlorate (KClO₄) additive on the combustion behavior of these energetic films. Without KClO₄ the film exhibits thermalmore » instabilities that produce unsteady energy propagation upon reaction. All films were cast at a thickness of 1 mm with constant volume percent solids to ensure consistent rheological properties. The films were ignited and flame propagation was measured. The results show that as the mass percent KClO₄ increased, the flame speed increased and peaked at 0.43 cm/s and 30 wt% KClO₄. Thermochemical equilibrium simulations show that the heat of combustion increases with increasing KClO₄ concentration up to a maximum at 20 wt% when the heat of combustion plateaus, indicating that the increased chemical energy liberated by the additional KClO₄ promotes stable energy propagation. Differential scanning calorimeter and thermogravimetric analysis show that the silicone binder participates as a fuel and reacts with KClO₄ adding energy to the reaction and promoting propagation.« less

Brain Activation during Addition and Subtraction Tasks In-Noise and In-Quiet

PubMed Central

Abd Hamid, Aini Ismafairus; Yusoff, Ahmad Nazlim; Mukari, Siti Zamratol-Mai Sarah; Mohamad, Mazlyfarina

2011-01-01

Background: In spite of extensive research conducted to study how human brain works, little is known about a special function of the brain that stores and manipulates information—the working memory—and how noise influences this special ability. In this study, Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to investigate brain responses to arithmetic problems solved in noisy and quiet backgrounds. Methods: Eighteen healthy young males performed simple arithmetic operations of addition and subtraction with in-quiet and in-noise backgrounds. The MATLAB-based Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM8) was implemented on the fMRI datasets to generate and analyse the activated brain regions. Results: Group results showed that addition and subtraction operations evoked extended activation in the left inferior parietal lobe, left precentral gyrus, left superior parietal lobe, left supramarginal gyrus, and left middle temporal gyrus. This supported the hypothesis that the human brain relatively activates its left hemisphere more compared with the right hemisphere when solving arithmetic problems. The insula, middle cingulate cortex, and middle frontal gyrus, however, showed more extended right hemispheric activation, potentially due to the involvement of attention, executive processes, and working memory. For addition operations, there was extensive left hemispheric activation in the superior temporal gyrus, inferior frontal gyrus, and thalamus. In contrast, subtraction tasks evoked a greater activation of similar brain structures in the right hemisphere. For both addition and subtraction operations, the total number of activated voxels was higher for in-noise than in-quiet conditions. Conclusion: These findings suggest that when arithmetic operations were delivered auditorily, the auditory, attention, and working memory functions were required to accomplish the executive processing of the mathematical calculation. The respective brain activation patterns appear to be modulated by the noisy background condition. PMID:22135581

Effects of Increased Nitrogen Availability on C and N Cycles in Tropical Forests: A Meta-Analysis.

PubMed

Bejarano-Castillo, Marylin; Campo, Julio; Roa-Fuentes, Lilia L

2015-01-01

Atmospheric N deposition is predicted to increase four times over its current status in tropical forests by 2030. Our ability to understand the effects of N enrichment on C and N cycles is being challenged by the large heterogeneity of the tropical forest biome. The specific response will depend on the forest's nutrient status; however, few studies of N addition appear to incorporate the nutrient status in tropical forests, possibly due to difficulties in explaining how this status is maintained. We used a meta-analysis to explore the consequences of the N enrichment on C and N cycles in tropical montane and lowland forests. We tracked changes in aboveground and belowground plant C and N and in mineral soil in response to N addition. We found an increasing trend of plant biomass in montane forests, but not in lowland forests, as well as a greater increase in NO emission in montane forest compared with lowland forest. The N2O and NO emission increase in both forest; however, the N2O increase in lowland forest was significantly even at first time N addition. The NO emission increase showed be greater at first term compared with long term N addition. Moreover, the increase in total soil N, ammonium, microbial N, and dissolved N concentration under N enrichment indicates a rich N status of lowland forests. The available evidence of N addition experiments shows that the lowland forest is richer in N than montane forests. Finally, the greater increase in N leaching and N gas emission highlights the importance of study the N deposition effect on the global climate change.

Shear bond strength of self-etch adhesives to enamel with additional phosphoric acid etching.

PubMed

Lührs, Anne-Katrin; Guhr, Silke; Schilke, Reinhard; Borchers, Lothar; Geurtsen, Werner; Günay, Hüsamettin

2008-01-01

This study evaluated the shear bond strength of self-etch adhesives to enamel and the effect of additional phosphoric acid etching. Seventy sound human molars were randomly divided into three test groups and one control group. The enamel surfaces of the control group (n=10) were treated with Syntac Classic (SC). Each test group was subdivided into two groups (each n=10). In half of each test group, ground enamel surfaces were coated with the self-etch adhesives AdheSe (ADH), Xeno III (XE) or Futurabond NR (FNR). In the remaining half of each test group, an additional phosphoric acid etching of the enamel surface was performed prior to applying the adhesives. The shear bond strength was measured with a universal testing machine at a crosshead speed of 1 mm/minute after storing the samples in distilled water at 37 degrees C for 24 hours. Fracture modes were determined by SEM examination. For statistical analysis, one-way ANOVA and the two-sided Dunnett Test were used (p>0.05). Additional phosphoric etching significantly increased the shear bond strength of all the examined self-etch adhesives (p<0.001). The highest shear bond strength was found for FNR after phosphoric acid etching. Without phosphoric acid etching, only FNR showed no significant differences compared to the control (SC). SEM evaluations showed mostly adhesive fractures. For all the self-etch adhesives, a slight increase in mixed fractures occurred after conditioning with phosphoric acid. An additional phosphoric acid etching of enamel should be considered when using self-etch adhesives. More clinical studies are needed to evaluate the long-term success of the examined adhesives.

Effects of Increased Nitrogen Availability on C and N Cycles in Tropical Forests: A Meta-Analysis

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

Atmospheric N deposition is predicted to increase four times over its current status in tropical forests by 2030. Our ability to understand the effects of N enrichment on C and N cycles is being challenged by the large heterogeneity of the tropical forest biome. The specific response will depend on the forest’s nutrient status; however, few studies of N addition appear to incorporate the nutrient status in tropical forests, possibly due to difficulties in explaining how this status is maintained. We used a meta-analysis to explore the consequences of the N enrichment on C and N cycles in tropical montane and lowland forests. We tracked changes in aboveground and belowground plant C and N and in mineral soil in response to N addition. We found an increasing trend of plant biomass in montane forests, but not in lowland forests, as well as a greater increase in NO emission in montane forest compared with lowland forest. The N2O and NO emission increase in both forest; however, the N2O increase in lowland forest was significantly even at first time N addition. The NO emission increase showed be greater at first term compared with long term N addition. Moreover, the increase in total soil N, ammonium, microbial N, and dissolved N concentration under N enrichment indicates a rich N status of lowland forests. The available evidence of N addition experiments shows that the lowland forest is richer in N than montane forests. Finally, the greater increase in N leaching and N gas emission highlights the importance of study the N deposition effect on the global climate change. PMID:26633681

Additive anticonvulsant effects of agmatine and lithium chloride on pentylenetetrazole-induced clonic seizure in mice: involvement of α₂-adrenoceptor.

PubMed

Bahremand, Arash; Ziai, Pouya; Payandemehr, Borna; Rahimian, Reza; Amouzegar, Afsaneh; Khezrian, Mina; Montaser-Kouhsari, Laleh; Meibodi, Maryam Aghaei; Ebrahimi, Ali; Ghasemi, Abbas; Ghasemi, Mehdi; Dehpour, Ahmad Reza

2011-09-01

After 60 years, lithium is still the mainstay in the treatment of mood disorders and widely used in clinic. In addition to its mood stabilizer effects, lithium also shows some anticonvulsant properties. Similar to lithium, agmatine also plays a protective role in the CNS against seizures and has been reported to enhance the effect of different antiepileptic agents. Moreover, both agmatine and lithium have modulatory effects on α(2)-adrenoceptors. So, we designed this study: 1) to investigate whether agmatine and lithium show an additive effect against clonic seizures induced by pentylenetetrazole; 2) to assess whether this additive effect is mediated through the α(2)-adrenoceptor or not. In our study, acute administration of a single effective dose of lithium chloride (30 mg/kg, i.p.) increased the seizure threshold. Pre-treatment with low and, per se, non-effective doses of agmatine (1 and 3mg/kg) potentiated a sub-effective dose of lithium (10mg/kg). Interestingly, the anticonvulsant effects of these effective combinations of lithium and agmatine were prevented by pre-treatment with low and non-effective doses of yohimbine [α(2)-adrenoceptor antagonist] (0.1 and 0.5mg/kg). On the other hand, clonidine [α(2)-adrenoceptor agonist] augmented the anticonvulsant effect of a sub-effective combination of lithium (5mg/kg i.p.) and agmatine (1mg/kg) at relatively low doses (0.1 and 0.25mg/kg). In summary, our findings demonstrate that agmatine and lithium chloride exhibit additive anticonvulsant properties which seem to be mediated through α(2)-adrenoceptor. Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Sharing the Data along with the Responsibility: Examining an Analytic Scale-Based Model for Assessing School Climate.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shindler, John; Taylor, Clint; Cadenas, Herminia; Jones, Albert

This study was a pilot effort to examine the efficacy of an analytic trait scale school climate assessment instrument and democratic change system in two urban high schools. Pilot study results indicate that the instrument shows promising soundness in that it exhibited high levels of validity and reliability. In addition, the analytic trait format…

Does the Apple Fall Far from the Tree? A Mixed Methods Study on the Intergenerational Transmission of Mathematics Attitudes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Olivares, Vidal Elizabeth

2012-01-01

Cold sweats, head shakes, and memories of hardship are the common reactions when adults are introduced to a high school mathematics teacher. Observations show that few adults enjoyed mathematics in their youth. This study aimed to investigate the ways in which students internalize the mathematics attitudes of their parents. Additionally it…

The Relationship between Cultural Identity, Intrinsic Motivation and Pronunciation Knowledge of Iranian EFL Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shabani, Somayyeh; Alipoor, Iman

2017-01-01

Gardener's (1985) socio-cultural model shows that culture is among the variables that can affect learning languages. In addition, a series of studies were prompted by Dörnyie (2005) to gauge the effect of motivation on language learning. This correlational study endeavored to find out any possible interaction between these variables, i.e.,…

Operation Brain Trauma Therapy

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-10-01

Atorvastatin had similar benefits on Rotarod but a somewhat greater reduction in neuronal death than Simvastatin. In addition, in that study... Atorvastatin was favored over Simvastatin related to its longer half life and active metabolites. Both are FDA approved and represent, thus, prime low...than Atorvastatin , although both showed benefit. A total of 14 studies were identified with Simvastatin in TBI—8 published after submission of the

Stimulation Induced Changes in Frog Neuromuscular Junctions: A Quantitative Ultrastructural Comparison of Rapid-Frozen and Chemically Fixed Nerve Terminals

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-03-06

study was conducted to determine the presynaptic morphological changes due to neural activity in rapidly stimulated neuromuscular junctions...Control preparations were unstimulated and preserved either by chemical fixation or rapid-freezing. This study provides evidence that most of the...tissue. The rapid-frozen preparations in the present study showed, in addition, that rapid stimulation produces an increase in synaptic vesicle

Islamic approach in counseling.

PubMed

Hanin Hamjah, Salasiah; Mat Akhir, Noor Shakirah

2014-02-01

A religious approach is one of the matters emphasized in counseling today. Many researchers find that there is a need to apply the religious element in counseling because religion is important in a client's life. The purpose of this research is to identify aspects of the Islamic approach applied in counseling clients by counselors at Pusat Kaunseling Majlis Agama Islam Negeri Sembilan (PKMAINS). In addition, this research also analyses the Islamic approach applied in counseling at PKMAINS with reference to al-Quran and al-Sunnah. This is a qualitative research in the form of case study at PKMAINS. The main method used in this research is interview. The research instrument used is interview protocol. The respondents in this study include 9 counselors who serve in one of the counseling centers in Malaysia. This study also uses questionnaire as an additional instrument, distributed to 36 clients who receive counseling service at the center. The findings of the study show that the Islamic approach applied in counseling at PKMAINS may be categorized into three main aspects: aqidah (faith), ibadah (worship/ultimate devotion and love for God) and akhlaq (moral conduct). Findings also show that the counseling in these aspects is in line with Islamic teachings as contained in al-Quran and al-Sunnah.

The Local Ensemble Transform Kalman Filter with the Weather Research and Forecasting Model: Experiments with Real Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miyoshi, Takemasa; Kunii, Masaru

2012-03-01

The local ensemble transform Kalman filter (LETKF) is implemented with the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model, and real observations are assimilated to assess the newly-developed WRF-LETKF system. The WRF model is a widely-used mesoscale numerical weather prediction model, and the LETKF is an ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) algorithm particularly efficient in parallel computer architecture. This study aims to provide the basis of future research on mesoscale data assimilation using the WRF-LETKF system, an additional testbed to the existing EnKF systems with the WRF model used in the previous studies. The particular LETKF system adopted in this study is based on the system initially developed in 2004 and has been continuously improved through theoretical studies and wide applications to many kinds of dynamical models including realistic geophysical models. Most recent and important improvements include an adaptive covariance inflation scheme which considers the spatial and temporal inhomogeneity of inflation parameters. Experiments show that the LETKF successfully assimilates real observations and that adaptive inflation is advantageous. Additional experiments with various ensemble sizes show that using more ensemble members improves the analyses consistently.

View of building 11050, showing metal clad addition on east ...

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

View of building 11050, showing metal clad addition on east elevation, looking southwest. - Naval Ordnance Test Station Inyokern, China Lake Pilot Plant, Machine Shop, C Street, China Lake, Kern County, CA

Interior view of addition pharmacy showing dutch door and security ...

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

Interior view of addition pharmacy showing dutch door and security ceiling grate, facing north. - Albrook Air Force Station, Dispensary, East side of Canfield Avenue, Balboa, Former Panama Canal Zone, CZ

Cathode Wetting Studies in Magnesium Electrolysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McLean, Kevin; Pettingill, James; Davis, Boyd

The effects of cathode materials and electrolyte additives on magnesium wetting were studied with the goal of improving current efficiency in a magnesium electrolysis cell. The study consisted of static wetting and electrolysis tests, both conducted in a visual cell with a molten salt electrolyte of MgCl2-CaCl2-NaCl-KCl-CaF2. The wetting conditions were tested using high resolution photography and contact angle software. The electrolysis tests were completed to qualitatively assess the effect of additives to the melt and were recorded with a digital video camcorder. Results from the static wetting tests showed a significant variation in wetting depending on the material used for the cathode. Mo and a Mo-W alloy, with contact angles of 60° and 52° respectively, demonstrated excellent wetting. The contact angle for steel was 132° and it ranged from 142°-154° for graphite depending on the type. Improvements to the cathode wetting were observed with tungsten and molybdenum oxide additives.

The Influence of NiO Addition in TiO2 Structure and Its Photoactivity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wahyuningsih, S.; Ramelan, A. H.; Purwanti, P. D.; Munawaroh, H.; Ichsan, S.; Kristiawan, Y. R.

2018-03-01

The synthesis of TiO2 together with the TiO2-NiO composite using various annealing temperatures has been studied. The synthesis of TiO2 was performed by sol gel method using Titanium Tetra Isopropoxide (TTIP) precursor, whereas the synthesis of TiO2-NiO composite was done by wet impregnation method using NiNO3.6H2O precursor. This study aims to determine the influence of NiO addition in its structure and photoactivity. The diffraction of synthesized TiO2 at 400 °C temperature shows anatase TiO2 peak at 2θ = 25.35 °. The addition of NiO dopant to the synthesis of TiO2 process is carried out by annealing at 300 °C, 400 °C, 500 °C, 600 °C, and 700 °C, respectively. The TiO2-NiO composite has been prepared and shows the diffraction peak of NiO at 2θ=43° about 33.08 to 36.68%. The optimum result of Rhodamine B photodegradation with TiO2 was 43.15%, while the optimum result of Rhodamine B degradation with TiO2-NiO composite was 92.85%.

Effects of metabolic pathway precursors and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) on poly-(gamma)-glutamic acid production by Bacillus subtilis BL53.

PubMed

de Cesaro, Alessandra; da Silva, Suse Botelho; Ayub, Marco Antônio Záchia

2014-09-01

The aims of this study were to evaluate the effects of the addition of metabolic precursors and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) as an oxygen carrier to cultures of Bacillus subtilis BL53 during the production of γ-PGA. Kinetics analyses of cultivations of different media showed that B. subtilis BL53 is an exogenous glutamic acid-dependent strain. When the metabolic pathway precursors of γ-PGA synthesis, L-glutamine and a-ketoglutaric acid, were added to the culture medium, production of the biopolymer was increased by 20 % considering the medium without these precursors. The addition of 10 % of the oxygen carrier PDMS to cultures caused a two-fold increase in the volumetric oxygen mass transfer coefficient (kLa), improving γ-PGA production and productivity. Finally, bioreactor cultures of B. subtilis BL53 adopting the combination of optimized medium E, added of glutamine, α-ketoglutaric acid, and PDMS, showed a productivity of 1 g L(-1) h(-1) of g-PGA after only 24 h of cultivation. Results of this study suggest that the use of metabolic pathway precursors glutamine and a-ketolgutaric acid, combined with the addition of PDMS as an oxygen carrier in bioreactors, can improve γ-PGA production and productivity by Bacillus strains .

Electrochemical characterization of the pyranose 2-oxidase variant N593C shows a complete loss of the oxidase function with full preservation of substrate (dehydrogenase) activity† †Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c6cp06009a Click here for additional data file.

PubMed Central

Brugger, Dagmar; Sützl, Leander; Zahma, Kawah; Haltrich, Dietmar; Peterbauer, Clemens K.

2016-01-01

This study presents the first electrochemical characterization of the pyranose oxidase (POx) variant N593C (herein called POx-C), which is considered a promising candidate for future glucose-sensing applications. The resulting cyclic voltammograms obtained in the presence of various concentrations of glucose and mediator (1,4-benzoquinone, BQ), as well as the control experiments by addition of catalase, support the conclusion of a complete suppression of the oxidase function and oxygen reactivity at POx-C. Additionally, these electrochemical experiments demonstrate, contrary to previous biochemical studies, that POx-C has a fully retained enzymatic activity towards glucose. POx-C was immobilized on a special screen-printed electrode (SPE) based on carbon ink and grafted with gold-nanoparticles (GNP). Suppression of the oxygen reactivity at N593C-POx variant is a prerequisite for utilizing POx in electrochemical applications for glucose sensing. To our knowledge, this is the first report presented in the literature showing an absolute conversion of an oxidase into a fully active equivalent dehydrogenase via a single residue exchange. PMID:27808302

Available studies fail to provide strong evidence of increased risk of diarrhea mortality due to measles in the period 4-26 weeks after measles rash onset.

PubMed

Jackson, Bianca D; Black, Robert E

2017-11-07

Measles vaccination effectiveness studies showed dramatic decreases in all-cause mortality in excess of what would be expected from the prevention of measles disease alone. This invited speculation that measles infection may increase the risk of diarrhea morbidity and mortality subsequent to the acute phase of the disease. The aim of the present systematic review is to summarize the existing evidence in the publically available literature pertaining to the putative causal link between measles and diarrhea in the period 4-26 weeks following measles rash onset. We searched the PubMed, Embase, Open Grey and Grey Literature Report databases for relevant literature using broad search terms. Prospective, retrospective and case-control studies in low- and middle-income countries involving children under five wherein relevant evidence were presented were included. Data were extracted from the articles and summarized. Fifty abstracts retrieved through the database searches met the initial screening criteria. Twelve additional documents were identified by review of the references of the documents found in the initial searches. Six documents representing five unique studies that presented evidence relevant to the research question were found. Four of the included studies took place in Bangladesh. One of the included studies took place in Sudan. Some measles vaccine effectiveness studies show lower diarrhea morbidity and mortality among the vaccinated. However, children who received vaccine may have differed in important ways from children who did not, such as health service utilization. Additionally, cohort studies following unvaccinated children showed no difference in diarrhea morbidity and mortality between cases and controls more than 4 weeks after measles rash onset. One study showed some evidence that severe measles may predispose children to gastroenteritis, but was not able to show a corresponding increase in the risk of diarrhea mortality. The available evidence suggests that the risk of measles-associated diarrhea mortality is largely limited to the 5-week period 1 week prior to and 4 weeks after measles rash onset, and that there is no increased risk of diarrhea mortality in the longer-term caused by measles.

Food packaging cues influence taste perception and increase effort provision for a recommended snack product in children.

PubMed

Enax, Laura; Weber, Bernd; Ahlers, Maren; Kaiser, Ulrike; Diethelm, Katharina; Holtkamp, Dominik; Faupel, Ulya; Holzmüller, Hartmut H; Kersting, Mathilde

2015-01-01

Food marketing research shows that child-directed marketing cues have pronounced effects on food preferences and consumption, but are most often placed on products with low nutritional quality. Effects of child-directed marketing strategies for healthy food products remain to be studied in more detail. Previous research suggests that effort provision explains additional variance in food choice. This study investigated the effects of packaging cues on explicit preferences and effort provision for healthy food items in elementary school children. Each of 179 children rated three, objectively identical, recommended yogurt-cereal-fruit snacks presented with different packaging cues. Packaging cues included a plain label, a label focusing on health aspects of the product, and a label that additionally included unknown cartoon characters. The children were asked to state the subjective taste-pleasantness of the respective food items. We also used a novel approach to measure effort provision for food items in children, namely handgrip strength. Results show that packaging cues significantly induce a taste-placebo effect in 88% of the children, i.e., differences in taste ratings for objectively identical products. Taste ratings were highest for the child-directed product that included cartoon characters. Also, applied effort to receive the child-directed product was significantly higher. Our results confirm the positive effect of child-directed marketing strategies also for healthy snack food products. Using handgrip strength as a measure to determine the amount of effort children are willing to provide for a product may explain additional variance in food choice and might prove to be a promising additional research tool for field studies and the assessment of public policy interventions.

Laser doppler imaging as additional monitoring after digital replanting: A prospective study.

PubMed

Schmid, Marc; Seyed Jafari, S Morteza; Haug, Luzian; Surke, Carsten; Hunger, Robert E; Van De Ville, Dimitri; Juon Personeni, Bettina; Shafighi, Maziar; Voegelin, Esther

2018-03-14

Despite various exisiting monitoring methods, there is still a need for new technologies to improve the quality of post-operative evaluation of digital replantation. The purpose of the study is using a laser Doppler imaging device (Easy-LDI) as an additional tool to assess perfusion. In this method, the changes in the frequency of the laser ligth provide information regarding perfusion of the monitored tissue. This study included seven patients (10 fingers; age of patients: 21-57 years) who suffered from a total (n = 6) or subtotal amputation (n = 4) due to accidents. In addition to hourly standard monitoring with clinical evaluation and skin thermometry, revascularized fingers were hourly monitored with Easy LDI for 48 h. LDI measurement values ranged between 0.8 and 223 (mean 90.62 ± 21.42) arbitrary perfusion units (APU). The mean LDI values before and after revascularization were 7.1 ± 2.85 and 65.30 ± 30.83 APU, respectively. For the successful revascularized fingers (8 of 10 fingers) values from 19 to 223 APU (mean 98.52 ± 15.48) were demonstrated. All of the replants survived, but due to venous occlusion two digits required revision 12 and 35 h after revascularization, respectively. In the two cases, Easy-LDI also showed a constant and slow decline of the perfusion values. Furthermore, Pearson normalized correlation coefficient showed a positive significant correlation between temperatures of the replants and LDI-values (P < .001, r = +0.392) and a negative significant correlation between Δtemperature and LDI-values (P < .001, r = -0.474). The LDI-device might be a promising additional monitoring technique in detection of perfusion disturbance in monitoring digital replantations. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Food packaging cues influence taste perception and increase effort provision for a recommended snack product in children

PubMed Central

Enax, Laura; Weber, Bernd; Ahlers, Maren; Kaiser, Ulrike; Diethelm, Katharina; Holtkamp, Dominik; Faupel, Ulya; Holzmüller, Hartmut H.; Kersting, Mathilde

2015-01-01

Food marketing research shows that child-directed marketing cues have pronounced effects on food preferences and consumption, but are most often placed on products with low nutritional quality. Effects of child-directed marketing strategies for healthy food products remain to be studied in more detail. Previous research suggests that effort provision explains additional variance in food choice. This study investigated the effects of packaging cues on explicit preferences and effort provision for healthy food items in elementary school children. Each of 179 children rated three, objectively identical, recommended yogurt-cereal-fruit snacks presented with different packaging cues. Packaging cues included a plain label, a label focusing on health aspects of the product, and a label that additionally included unknown cartoon characters. The children were asked to state the subjective taste-pleasantness of the respective food items. We also used a novel approach to measure effort provision for food items in children, namely handgrip strength. Results show that packaging cues significantly induce a taste-placebo effect in 88% of the children, i.e., differences in taste ratings for objectively identical products. Taste ratings were highest for the child-directed product that included cartoon characters. Also, applied effort to receive the child-directed product was significantly higher. Our results confirm the positive effect of child-directed marketing strategies also for healthy snack food products. Using handgrip strength as a measure to determine the amount of effort children are willing to provide for a product may explain additional variance in food choice and might prove to be a promising additional research tool for field studies and the assessment of public policy interventions. PMID:26191012

Genome-wide association study of kidney function decline in individuals of European descent

PubMed Central

Gorski, Mathias; Tin, Adrienne; Garnaas, Maija; McMahon, Gearoid M.; Chu, Audrey Y.; Tayo, Bamidele O.; Pattaro, Cristian; Teumer, Alexander; Chasman, Daniel I.; Chalmers, John; Hamet, Pavel; Tremblay, Johanne; Woodward, Marc; Aspelund, Thor; Eiriksdottir, Gudny; Gudnason, Vilmundur; Harris, Tammara B.; Launer, Lenore J.; Smith, Albert V.; Mitchell, Braxton D.; O'Connell, Jeffrey R.; Shuldiner, Alan R.; Coresh, Josef; Li, Man; Freudenberger, Paul; Hofer, Edith; Schmidt, Helena; Schmidt, Reinhold; Holliday, Elizabeth G.; Mitchell, Paul; Wang, Jie Jin; de Boer, Ian H.; Li, Guo; Siscovick, David S.; Kutalik, Zoltan; Corre, Tanguy; Vollenweider, Peter; Waeber, Gérard; Gupta, Jayanta; Kanetsky, Peter A.; Hwang, Shih-Jen; Olden, Matthias; Yang, Qiong; de Andrade, Mariza; Atkinson, Elizabeth J.; Kardia, Sharon L.R.; Turner, Stephen T.; Stafford, Jeanette M.; Ding, Jingzhong; Liu, Yongmei; Barlassina, Cristina; Cusi, Daniele; Salvi, Erika; Staessen, Jan A; Ridker, Paul M; Grallert, Harald; Meisinger, Christa; Müller-Nurasyid, Martina; Krämer, Bernhard K.; Kramer, Holly; Rosas, Sylvia E.; Nolte, Ilja M.; Penninx, Brenda W.; Snieder, Harold; Del Greco, Fabiola; Franke, Andre; Nöthlings, Ute; Lieb, Wolfgang; Bakker, Stephan J.L.; Gansevoort, Ron T.; van der Harst, Pim; Dehghan, Abbas; Franco, Oscar H.; Hofman, Albert; Rivadeneira, Fernando; Sedaghat, Sanaz; Uitterlinden, André G.; Coassin, Stefan; Haun, Margot; Kollerits, Barbara; Kronenberg, Florian; Paulweber, Bernhard; Aumann, Nicole; Endlich, Karlhans; Pietzner, Mike; Völker, Uwe; Rettig, Rainer; Chouraki, Vincent; Helmer, Catherine; Lambert, Jean-Charles; Metzger, Marie; Stengel, Benedicte; Lehtimäki, Terho; Lyytikäinen, Leo-Pekka; Raitakari, Olli; Johnson, Andrew; Parsa, Afshin; Bochud, Murielle; Heid, Iris M.; Goessling, Wolfram; Köttgen, Anna; Kao, H. Linda; Fox, Caroline S.; Böger, Carsten A.

2014-01-01

Genome wide association studies (GWAS) have identified multiple loci associated with cross-sectional eGFR, but a systematic genetic analysis of kidney function decline over time is missing. Here we conducted a GWAS meta-analysis among 63,558 participants of European descent, initially from 16 cohorts with serial kidney function measurements within the CKDGen Consortium, followed by independent replication among additional participants from 13 cohorts. In stage 1 GWAS meta-analysis, SNPs at MEOX2, GALNT11, IL1RAP, NPPA, HPCAL1 and CDH23 showed the strongest associations for at least one trait, in addition to the known UMOD locus which showed genome-wide significance with an annual change in eGFR. In stage 2 meta-analysis, the significant association at UMOD was replicated. Associations at GALNT11 with Rapid Decline (annual eGFRdecline of 3ml/min/1.73m2 or more), and CDH23 with eGFR change among those with CKD showed significant suggestive evidence of replication. Combined stage 1 and 2 meta-analyses showed significance for UMOD, GALNT11 and CDH23. Morpholino knockdowns of galnt11 and cdh23 in zebrafish embryos each had signs of severe edema 72 hours after gentamicin treatment compared to controls, but no gross morphological renal abnormalities before gentamicin administration. Thus, our results suggest a role in the deterioration of kidney function for the loci GALNT11 and CDH23, and show that the UMOD locus is significantly associated with kidney function decline. PMID:25493955

Recovery of nitrogen from saponification wastewater by struvite precipitation.

PubMed

Huang, Haiming; Xiao, Xianming; Yang, Liping; Yan, Bo

2010-01-01

In general, saponification wastewater produced from the separation process of rare-earth elements contains high ammonium concentration. In this study, a series of experiments were conducted to investigate the parameters to enhance the struvite precipitation potential for ammonium removal from the wastewater having an ammonium concentration of 4,100 mg/L. Experimental results showed that increasing the dose and grain size of pre-formed struvite, which was added as the seeding material in struvite reaction, could increase ammonium removal. The removal efficiency increased 7.6% when the dose of pre-formed struvite with crystal grain size range of 0.098-0.150 mm increased from 0 g/L to 60 g/L. Additionally, struvite precipitation was tested with the intermittent addition of magnesium and phosphate to utilize the struvite crystals formed during the reaction process as the seeding material for the subsequent reaction. The results revealed that intermittently adding magnesium 7 times effectively enhanced ammonium removal by around 8%, which was equivalent to that of using pre-formed struvite as the seeding material. Furthermore, the chemical composition of the struvite recovered with intermittent addition of magnesium was characterized, showing the struvite could be used as fertilizer. An economic evaluation indicated that intermittent addition of magnesium 7 times can save 13.4% cost for recovering per kg NH(4)(+) compared to that of bulk addition.

Effects of Environmental Factors on Soluble Expression of a Humanized Anti-TNF-α scFv Antibody in Escherichia coli

PubMed Central

Sina, Mohammad; Farajzadeh, Davoud; Dastmalchi, Siavoush

2015-01-01

Purpose: The bacterial cultivation conditions for obtaining anti-TNF-α single chain variable fragment (scFv) antibody as the soluble product in E. coli was investigated. Methods: To avoid the production of inclusion bodies, the effects of lactose, IPTG, incubation time, temperature, shaking protocol, medium additives (Mg+2, sucrose), pH, osmotic and heat shocks were examined. Samples from bacterial growth conditions with promising results of soluble expression of GST-hD2 scFv were affinity purified and quantified by SDS-PAGE and image processing for further evaluation. Results: The results showed that cultivation in LB medium under induction by low concentrations of lactose and incubation at 10 °C led to partial solubilization of the expressed anti-TNF-α scFv (GST-hD2). Other variables which showed promising increase in soluble expression of GST-hD2 were osmotic shock and addition of magnesium chloride. Furthermore, addition of sucrose to medium suppressed the expression of scFv completely. The other finding was that the addition of sorbitol decreased the growth rate of bacteria. Conclusion: It can be concluded that low cultivation temperature in the presence of low amount of inducer under a long incubation time or addition of magnesium chloride are the most effective environmental factors studied for obtaining the maximum solubilization of GST-hD2 recombinant protein. PMID:26819916

Effects of Environmental Factors on Soluble Expression of a Humanized Anti-TNF-α scFv Antibody in Escherichia coli.

PubMed

Sina, Mohammad; Farajzadeh, Davoud; Dastmalchi, Siavoush

2015-11-01

The bacterial cultivation conditions for obtaining anti-TNF-α single chain variable fragment (scFv) antibody as the soluble product in E. coli was investigated. To avoid the production of inclusion bodies, the effects of lactose, IPTG, incubation time, temperature, shaking protocol, medium additives (Mg+2, sucrose), pH, osmotic and heat shocks were examined. Samples from bacterial growth conditions with promising results of soluble expression of GST-hD2 scFv were affinity purified and quantified by SDS-PAGE and image processing for further evaluation. The results showed that cultivation in LB medium under induction by low concentrations of lactose and incubation at 10 °C led to partial solubilization of the expressed anti-TNF-α scFv (GST-hD2). Other variables which showed promising increase in soluble expression of GST-hD2 were osmotic shock and addition of magnesium chloride. Furthermore, addition of sucrose to medium suppressed the expression of scFv completely. The other finding was that the addition of sorbitol decreased the growth rate of bacteria. It can be concluded that low cultivation temperature in the presence of low amount of inducer under a long incubation time or addition of magnesium chloride are the most effective environmental factors studied for obtaining the maximum solubilization of GST-hD2 recombinant protein.

A study of the additional costs of dispensing workers' compensation prescriptions.

PubMed

Schafermeyer, Kenneth W

2007-03-01

Although there is a significant amount of additional work involved in dispensing workers' compensation prescriptions, these costs have not been quantified. A study of the additional costs to dispense a workers' compensation prescription is needed to measure actual costs and to help determine the reasonableness of reimbursement for prescriptions dispensed under workers' compensation programs. The purpose of this study was to determine the minimum additional time and costs required to dispense workers' compensation prescriptions in Texas. A convenience sample of 30 store-level pharmacy staff members involved in submitting and processing prescription claims for the Texas Mutual workers' compensation program were interviewed by telephone. Data collected to determine the additional costs of dispensing a workers' compensation prescription included (1) the amount of additional time and personnel costs required to dispense and process an average workers' compensation prescription claim, (2) the difference in time required for a new versus a refilled prescription, (3) overhead costs for processing workers' compensation prescription claims by experienced experts at a central processing facility, (4) carrying costs for workers' compensation accounts receivable, and (5) bad debts due to uncollectible workers' compensation claims. The median of the sample pharmacies' additional costs for dispensing a workers' compensation prescription was estimated to be at least $9.86 greater than for a cash prescription. This study shows that the estimated costs for workers' compensation prescriptions were significantly higher than for cash prescriptions. These costs are probably much more than most employers, workers' compensation payers, and pharmacy managers would expect. It is recommended that pharmacy managers should estimate their own costs and compare these costs to actual reimbursement when considering the reasonableness of workers' compensation prescriptions and whether to accept these prescriptions.

Is Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni a Non Cariogenic Sweetener? A Review.

PubMed

Ferrazzano, Gianmaria Fabrizio; Cantile, Tiziana; Alcidi, Brunella; Coda, Marco; Ingenito, Aniello; Zarrelli, Armando; Di Fabio, Giovanni; Pollio, Antonino

2015-12-26

Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni is a small perennial shrub of the Asteraceae (Compositae) family that is native to South America, particularly Brazil and Paraguay, where it is known as "stevia" or "honey leaf" for its powerful sweetness. Several studies have suggested that in addition to their sweetness, steviosides and their related compounds, including rebaudioside A and isosteviol, may offer additional therapeutic benefits. These benefits include anti-hyperglycaemic, anti-hypertensive, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, anti-diarrheal, diuretic, and immunomodulatory actions. Additionally, critical analysis of the literature supports the anti-bacterial role of steviosides on oral bacteria flora. The aim of this review is to show the emerging results regarding the anti-cariogenic properties of S. rebaudiana Bertoni. Data shown in the present paper provide evidence that stevioside extracts from S. rebaudiana are not cariogenic. Future research should be focused on in vivo studies to evaluate the effects on dental caries of regular consumption of S. rebaudiana extract-based products.

Effect of solvents on the optical and morphological properties of MEH-PPV: PC70BM nanocomposites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mhamdi, Asya; Ltaief, Adnen; Bouazizi, Abdelaziz

2017-10-01

Focused on phase separation and morphologies of polymer poly [2-methoxy-5-(2'-ethyl) hexoxy-1,4-phenylenevinylene] (MEH-PPV) and [6,6]-phenylC71-butyric acid methyl ester (PC70BM) nanocomposite, we studied the effect of organic solvent on the optical and morphological properties of these blends. The MEH-PPV: PC70BM films was prepared using three different solvent; Tetrahydrofuran (THF), Chlorobenzene (CB) and Toluene. On the other hand, the effect of 1-8 octanedithiol additives is also studied with the same different solvents. These blend films are characterized by photoluminescence spectroscopy, UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The photoluminescence results show that the THF solvent provide the better charge transfer. In a morphological view point, the phase segregation was clearly appearing by the addition of the additive on the surface of the blend films.

Affected functional networks associated with sentence production in classic galactosemia.

PubMed

Timmers, Inge; van den Hurk, Job; Hofman, Paul Am; Zimmermann, Luc Ji; Uludağ, Kâmil; Jansma, Bernadette M; Rubio-Gozalbo, M Estela

2015-08-07

Patients with the inherited metabolic disorder classic galactosemia have language production impairments in several planning stages. Here, we assessed potential deviations in recruitment and connectivity across brain areas responsible for language production that may explain these deficits. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to study neural activity and connectivity while participants carried out a language production task. This study included 13 adolescent patients and 13 age- and gender-matched healthy controls. Participants passively watched or actively described an animated visual scene using two conditions, varying in syntactic complexity (single words versus a sentence). Results showed that patients recruited additional and more extensive brain regions during sentence production. Both groups showed modulations with syntactic complexity in left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), a region associated with syntactic planning, and in right insula. In addition, patients showed a modulation with syntax in left superior temporal gyrus (STG), whereas the controls did not. Further, patients showed increased activity in right STG and right supplementary motor area (SMA). The functional connectivity data showed similar patterns, with more extensive connectivity with frontal and motor regions, and restricted and weaker connectivity with superior temporal regions. Patients also showed higher baseline cerebral blood flow (CBF) in right IFG and trends towards higher CBF in bilateral STG, SMA and the insula. Taken together, the data demonstrate that language abnormalities in classic galactosemia are associated with specific changes within the language network. These changes point towards impairments related to both syntactic planning and speech motor planning in these patients. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Reduction Behavior of Assmang and Comilog ore in the SiMn Process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Pyunghwa Peace; Holtan, Joakim; Tangstad, Merete

The reduction behavior of raw materials from Assmang and Comilog based charges were experimentally investigated with CO gas up to 1600 °C. Quartz, HC FeMn slag or limestone were added to Assmang or Comilog according to the SiMn production charge, and mass loss results were obtained by using a TGA furnace. The results showed that particle size, type of manganese ore and mixture have close relationship to the reduction behavior of raw materials during MnO and SiO2 reduction. The influence of particle size to mass loss was apparent when Assmang or Comilog was mixed with only coke (FeMn) while it became insignificant when quartz and HC FeMn slag (SiMn) were added. This implied that quartz and HC FeMn slag had favored the incipient slag formation regardless of particle size. This explained the similar mass loss tendencies of SiMn charge samples between 1200-1500 °C, contrary to FeMn charge samples where different particle sizes showed significant difference in mass loss. Also, while FeMn charge samples showed progressive mass loss, SiMn charge samples showed diminutive mass loss until 1500 °C. However, rapid mass losses were observed with SiMn charge samples in this study above 1500 °C, and they have occurred at different temperatures. This implied rapid reduction of MnO and SiO2 and the type of ore and addition of HC FeMn slag have significant influence determining these temperatures. The temperatures observed for the rapid mass loss were approximately 1503 °C (Quartz and HC FeMn slag addition in Assmang), 1543 °C (Quartz addition in Assmang) and 1580-1587 °C (Quartz and limestone addition in Comilog), respectively. These temperatures also showed indications of possible SiMn production at process temperatures lower than 1550 °C.

CO2 induced phase transitions in diamine-appended metal–organic frameworks† †Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Data for images and coordinates. See DOI: 10.1039/c5sc01828e Click here for additional data file. Click here for additional data file.

PubMed Central

Vlaisavljevich, Bess; Odoh, Samuel O.; Schnell, Sondre K.; Dzubak, Allison L.; Lee, Kyuho; Planas, Nora; Neaton, Jeffrey B.

2015-01-01

Using a combination of density functional theory and lattice models, we study the effect of CO2 adsorption in an amine functionalized metal–organic framework. These materials exhibit a step in the adsorption isotherm indicative of a phase change. The pressure at which this step occurs is not only temperature dependent but is also metal center dependent. Likewise, the heats of adsorption vary depending on the metal center. Herein we demonstrate via quantum chemical calculations that the amines should not be considered firmly anchored to the framework and we explore the mechanism for CO2 adsorption. An ammonium carbamate species is formed via the insertion of CO2 into the M–Namine bonds. Furthermore, we translate the quantum chemical results into isotherms using a coarse grained Monte Carlo simulation technique and show that this adsorption mechanism can explain the characteristic step observed in the experimental isotherm while a previously proposed mechanism cannot. Furthermore, metal analogues have been explored and the CO2 binding energies show a strong metal dependence corresponding to the M–Namine bond strength. We show that this difference can be exploited to tune the pressure at which the step in the isotherm occurs. Additionally, the mmen–Ni2(dobpdc) framework shows Langmuir like behavior, and our simulations show how this can be explained by competitive adsorption between the new model and a previously proposed model. PMID:28717499

On the shelf resonances of the Gulf of Carpentaria and the Arafura Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Webb, D. J.

2012-09-01

A numerical model is used to investigate the resonances of the Gulf of Carpentaria and the Arafura Sea, and the additional insights that come from extending the analysis into the complex angular velocity plane. When the model is forced at the shelf edge with physically realistic real values of the angular velocity, the response functions at points within the region show maxima and other behaviour which imply that resonances are involved but provide little additional information. The study is then extended to complex angular velocities, and the results then show a clear pattern of gravity wave and Rossby wave like resonances. The properties of the resonances are investigated and used to reinterpret the response at real values of angular velocity. It is found that in some regions the response is dominated by modes trapped between the shelf edge and the coast or between opposing coastlines. In other regions the resonances show cooperative behaviour, possibly indicating the importance of other physical processes.

An approach for prominent enhancement of the quality of konjac flour: dimethyl sulfoxide as medium.

PubMed

Ye, Ting; Wang, Ling; Xu, Wei; Liu, Jinjin; Wang, Yuntao; Zhu, Kunkun; Wang, Sujuan; Li, Bin; Wang, Chao

2014-01-01

In this paper, an approach to improve several konjac flour (KF) qualities by dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) addition using various concentrations at different temperature levels was proposed. Also, various properties of native and refined KF, including transparency, chemical composition and rheological properties have been investigated. The results showed that the KF refined by 75% DMSO achieved 27.7% improvement in transparency, 99.7% removal of starch, 99.4% removal of soluble sugar, and 98.2% removal of protein as well as more satisfactory viscosity stability. In addition, the morphology structure of refined KF showed a significant difference compared with the native one as observed using the SEM, which is promising for further industrial application. Furthermore, the rheological properties of both native and refined konjac sols were studied and the results showed that DMSO refinement is an effective and alternative approach to improve the qualities of KF in many aspects. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Optimization of RT-PCR reactions in studies with genes of lignin biosynthetic route in Saccharum spontaneum.

PubMed

Llerena, Juan P P; Araújo, Pedro; Mazzafera, Paulo

2018-01-01

Saccharum spontaneum has been used for the development of energy cane a crop aimed to be used for the production of second-generation ethanol, or lignocellulosic ethanol. Lignin is a main challenge in the conversion of cell wall sugars into ethanol. In our studies to isolate the genes the lignin biosynthesis in S. spontaneum we have had great difficulty in RT-PCR reactions. Thus, we evaluated the effectiveness of different additives in the amplification of these genes. While COMT and CCoAOMT genes did not need any additives for other genes there was no amplification (HCT, F5H, 4CL and CCR) or the yield was very low (CAD and C4H). The application of supplementary cDNA was enough to overcome the non-specificity and low yield for C4H and C3H, while the addition of 0.04% BSA + 2% formamide was effective to amplify 4CL, CCR, F5H and CCR. HCT was amplified only by addition of 0.04% BSA + 2% formamide + 0.1 M trehalose and amplification of PAL was possible with addition of 2% of DMSO. Besides optimization of expression assays, the results show that additives can act independently or synergistically.

Additive effects of word frequency and stimulus quality: the influence of trial history and data transformations.

PubMed

Balota, David A; Aschenbrenner, Andrew J; Yap, Melvin J

2013-09-01

A counterintuitive and theoretically important pattern of results in the visual word recognition literature is that both word frequency and stimulus quality produce large but additive effects in lexical decision performance. The additive nature of these effects has recently been called into question by Masson and Kliegl (in press), who used linear mixed effects modeling to provide evidence that the additive effects were actually being driven by previous trial history. Because Masson and Kliegl also included semantic priming as a factor in their study and recent evidence has shown that semantic priming can moderate the additivity of word frequency and stimulus quality (Scaltritti, Balota, & Peressotti, 2012), we reanalyzed data from 3 published studies to determine if previous trial history moderated the additive pattern when semantic priming was not also manipulated. The results indicated that previous trial history did not influence the joint influence of word frequency and stimulus quality. More important, and independent of Masson and Kliegl's conclusions, we also show how a common transformation used in linear mixed effects analyses to normalize the residuals can systematically alter the way in which two variables combine to influence performance. Specifically, using transformed, rather than raw reaction times, consistently produces more underadditive patterns. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved.

Exogenous addition of H2 for an in situ biogas upgrading through biological reduction of carbon dioxide into methane.

PubMed

Mulat, Daniel Girma; Mosbæk, Freya; Ward, Alastair James; Polag, Daniela; Greule, Markus; Keppler, Frank; Nielsen, Jeppe Lund; Feilberg, Anders

2017-10-01

Biological reduction of CO 2 into CH 4 by exogenous addition of H 2 is a promising technology for upgrading biogas into higher CH 4 content. The aim of this work was to study the feasibility of exogenous H 2 addition for an in situ biogas upgrading through biological conversion of the biogas CO 2 into CH 4. Moreover, this study employed systematic study with isotope analysis for providing comprehensive evidence on the underlying pathways of CH 4 production and upstream processes. Batch reactors were inoculated with digestate originating from a full-scale biogas plant and fed once with maize leaf substrate. Periodic addition of H 2 into the headspace resulted in a completely consumption of CO 2 and a concomitant increase in CH 4 content up to 89%. The microbial community and isotope analysis shows an enrichment of hydrogenotrophic Methanobacterium and the key role of hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis for biogas upgrading to higher CH 4 content. Excess H 2 was also supplied to evaluate its effect on overall process performance. The results show that excess H 2 addition resulted in accumulation of H 2 , depletion of CO 2 and inhibition of the degradation of acetate and other volatile fatty acids (VFA). A systematic isotope analysis revealed that excess H 2 supply led to an increase in dissolved H 2 to the level that thermodynamically inhibit the degradation of VFA and stimulate homo-acetogens for production of acetate from CO 2 and H 2 . The inhibition was a temporary effect and acetate degradation resumed when the excess H 2 was removed as well as in the presence of stoichiometric amount of H 2 and CO 2 . This inhibition mechanism underlines the importance of carefully regulating the H 2 addition rate and gas retention time to the CO 2 production rate, H 2 -uptake rate and growth of hydrogenotrophic methanogens in order to achieve higher CH 4 content without the accumulation of acetate and other VFA. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Analysis of the in vitro degradation and the in vivo tissue response to bi-layered 3D-printed scaffolds combining PLA and biphasic PLA/bioglass components - Guidance of the inflammatory response as basis for osteochondral regeneration.

PubMed

Barbeck, Mike; Serra, Tiziano; Booms, Patrick; Stojanovic, Sanja; Najman, Stevo; Engel, Elisabeth; Sader, Robert; Kirkpatrick, Charles James; Navarro, Melba; Ghanaati, Shahram

2017-12-01

The aim of the present study was the in vitro and in vivo analysis of a bi-layered 3D-printed scaffold combining a PLA layer and a biphasic PLA/bioglass G5 layer for regeneration of osteochondral defects in vivo Focus of the in vitro analysis was on the (molecular) weight loss and the morphological and mechanical variations after immersion in SBF. The in vivo study focused on analysis of the tissue reactions and differences in the implant bed vascularization using an established subcutaneous implantation model in CD-1 mice and established histological and histomorphometrical methods. Both scaffold parts kept their structural integrity, while changes in morphology were observed, especially for the PLA/G5 scaffold. Mechanical properties decreased with progressive degradation, while the PLA/G5 scaffolds presented higher compressive modulus than PLA scaffolds. The tissue reaction to PLA included low numbers of BMGCs and minimal vascularization of its implant beds, while the addition of G5 lead to higher numbers of BMGCs and a higher implant bed vascularization. Analysis revealed that the use of a bi-layered scaffold shows the ability to observe distinct in vivo response despite the physical proximity of PLA and PLA/G5 layers. Altogether, the results showed that the addition of G5 enables to reduce scaffold weight loss and to increase mechanical strength. Furthermore, the addition of G5 lead to a higher vascularization of the implant bed required as basis for bone tissue regeneration mediated by higher numbers of BMGCs, while within the PLA parts a significantly lower vascularization was found optimally for chondral regeneration. Thus, this data show that the analyzed bi-layered scaffold may serve as an ideal basis for the regeneration of osteochondral tissue defects. Additionally, the results show that it might be able to reduce the number of experimental animals required as it may be possible to analyze the tissue response to more than one implant in one experimental animal.

Multiple Masculinity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Il'inykh, S. A.

2012-01-01

Data from a sociological study conducted in Novosibirsk show that in this Russian population the "real man" is expected to pursue victory, risk, struggle, leadership, and success. In addition, however, there is also a natural masculinity in which there is no rigid framework of the image of the "real man." Moreover, natural…

Interrupted Visual Searches Reveal Volatile Search Memory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shen, Y. Jeremy; Jiang, Yuhong V.

2006-01-01

This study investigated memory from interrupted visual searches. Participants conducted a change detection search task on polygons overlaid on scenes. Search was interrupted by various disruptions, including unfilled delay, passive viewing of other scenes, and additional search on new displays. Results showed that performance was unaffected by…

Importance of Labor in Adoption of a Modern Farm Input.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ndiaye, Serigne; Sofranko, Andrew J.

1988-01-01

Explores relationship between farm technology and labor availability in Africa. Studies introduction of high-yielding maize variety in Zambia and resulting effects on labor availability/mobilization. Shows shift to hybrids requires additional labor, including available children. Illustrates need for adoption research taking broader farming…

Magnetostrictive performance of additively manufactured CoFe rods using the LENS (TM) system

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

Jones, Nicholas J.; Yoo, Jin-Hyeong; Ott, Ryan T.

Magnetostrictive materials exhibit a strain in the presence of a variable magnetic field. While they normally require large, highly oriented crystallographic grains for high strain values, metal additive manufacturing (3D printing) may be able to produce highly textured polycrystalline rods, with properties comparable to those manufactured using the more demanding free standing zone melting (FSZM) technique. Rods of Co 75.8Fe 24.2 and Co 63.7Fe 36.3 have been fabricated using the Laser engineered net shaping (LENS TM) system to evaluate the performance of additively manufactured magnetic and magnetostrictive materials. The 76% Co sample showed an average magnetostriction (λ) of 86 ppmmore » at a stress of 124 MPa; in contrast, the 64% Co sample showed only 27 ppm at the same stress. For direct comparison, a Co 67Fe 33 single crystal disk, also measured as part of this study, exhibited a magnetostriction value of 131 and 91 microstrain in the [100] and [111] directions, respectively, with a calculated polycrystalline value (λ s) of 107 microstrain. Electron back scattered diffraction (EBSD) has been used to qualitatively link the performance with crystallographic orientation and phase information, showing only the BCC phase in the 76% Co sample, but three different phases (BCC, FCC, and HCP) in the 64% Co sample.« less

Magnetostrictive performance of additively manufactured CoFe rods using the LENSTM system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jones, Nicholas J.; Yoo, Jin-Hyeong; Ott, Ryan T.; Lambert, Paul K.; Petculescu, Gabriela; Simsek, Emrah; Schlagel, Deborah; Lograsso, Thomas A.

2018-05-01

Magnetostrictive materials exhibit a strain in the presence of a variable magnetic field. While they normally require large, highly oriented crystallographic grains for high strain values, metal additive manufacturing (3D printing) may be able to produce highly textured polycrystalline rods, with properties comparable to those manufactured using the more demanding free standing zone melting (FSZM) technique. Rods of Co75.8Fe24.2 and Co63.7Fe36.3 have been fabricated using the Laser engineered net shaping (LENSTM) system to evaluate the performance of additively manufactured magnetic and magnetostrictive materials. The 76% Co sample showed an average magnetostriction (λ) of 86 ppm at a stress of 124 MPa; in contrast, the 64% Co sample showed only 27 ppm at the same stress. For direct comparison, a Co67Fe33 single crystal disk, also measured as part of this study, exhibited a magnetostriction value of 131 and 91 microstrain in the [100] and [111] directions, respectively, with a calculated polycrystalline value (λs) of 107 microstrain. Electron back scattered diffraction (EBSD) has been used to qualitatively link the performance with crystallographic orientation and phase information, showing only the BCC phase in the 76% Co sample, but three different phases (BCC, FCC, and HCP) in the 64% Co sample.

Fiber Concentrate from Orange (Citrus sinensis L.) Bagase: Characterization and Application as Bakery Product Ingredient

PubMed Central

Romero-Lopez, Maria R.; Osorio-Diaz, Perla; Bello-Perez, Luis A.; Tovar, Juscelino; Bernardino-Nicanor, Aurea

2011-01-01

Orange is a tropical fruit used in the juice industry, yielding important quantities of by products. The objective of this work was to obtain a dietary fiber-rich orange bagasse product (DFROBP), evaluate its chemical composition and its use in the preparation of a bakery product (muffin). Muffins containing two different levels of DFROBP were studied regarding chemical composition, in vitro starch digestibility, predicted glyceamic index and acceptability in a sensory test. DFROBP showed low fat and high dietary fiber contents. The soluble and insoluble dietary fiber fractions were balanced, which is of importance for the health beneficial effects of fiber sources. DFROBP-containing muffins showed the same rapidly digestible starch content as the reference muffin, whilst the slowly digestible starch level increased with the addition of DFROBP. However, the resistant starch content decreased when DFROBP increased in the muffin. The addition of DFROBP to muffin decreased the predicted glyceamic index, but no difference was found between the muffins prepared with the two DFROBP levels. The sensory score did not show difference between control muffin and that added with 10% of DFROBP. The addition of DFROBP to bakery products can be an alternative for people requiring low glyceamic response. PMID:21731434

Soils associated to different tree communities do not elicit predictable responses in lake bacterial community structure and function.

PubMed

Ruiz-González, Clara; Archambault, Esther; Laforest-Lapointe, Isabelle; Del Giorgio, Paul A; Kembel, Steven W; Messier, Christian; Nock, Charles A; Beisner, Beatrix E

2018-06-14

Freshwater bacterioplankton communities are influenced by the inputs of material and bacteria from the surrounding landscape, yet few studies have investigated how different terrestrial inputs affect bacterioplankton. We examined whether the addition of soils collected under various tree species combinations differentially influences lake bacterial communities. Lake water was incubated for 6 days following addition of five different soils. We assessed the taxonomic composition (16S rRNA gene sequencing) and metabolic activity (Biolog Ecoplates) of lake bacteria with and without soil addition, and compared these to initial soil communities. Soil bacterial assemblages showed a strong influence of tree composition, but such community differences were not reflected in the structure of lake communities that developed during the experiment. Bacterial taxa showing the largest abundance increases during incubation were initially present in both lake water and across most soils, and were related to Cytophagales, Burkholderiales and Rhizobiales. No clear metabolic profiles based on inoculum source were found, yet soil-amended communities used 60% more substrate than non-inoculated communities. Overall, we show that terrestrial inputs influence aquatic communities by stimulating the growth and activity of certain ubiquitous taxa distributed across the terrestrial-aquatic continuum, yet different forest soils did not cause predictable changes in lake bacterioplankton assemblages.