40 CFR Table W - 1A of Subpart W of Part 98-Default Whole Gas Emission Factors for Onshore Petroleum and Natural...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... liquids greater than or equal to 20°API are considered “light crude.” 5 “Others” category includes... vents. 6 Hydrocarbon liquids less than 20°API are considered “heavy crude.” [77 FR 51494, Aug. 24, 2012] ...

40 CFR Table W - 1A of Subpart W of Part 98-Default Whole Gas Emission Factors for Onshore Petroleum and Natural...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... liquids greater than or equal to 20°API are considered “light crude.” 5 “Others” category includes... vents. 6 Hydrocarbon liquids less than 20°API are considered “heavy crude.” [77 FR 51494, Aug. 24, 2012] ...

Rapid and Simple Capillary-Rise/Vanishing Interfacial Tension Method To Determine Crude Oil Minimum Miscibility Pressure: Pure and Mixed CO 2 , Methane, and Ethane

DOE PAGES

Hawthorne, Steven B.; Miller, David J.; Jin, Lu; ...

2016-07-20

We report here a simplification of the capillary-rise/vanishing interfacial tension (IFT) method to measure minimum miscibility pressure (MMP) based on only requiring knowledge of when the interfacial tension approaches zero. Simply measuring the height of the crude oil in a capillary at several pressures from ambient to near the MMP pressure and extrapolating the oil height versus pressure plot to zero oil height yields the MMP without the need of the additional instrumentation and labor required to perform actual IFT measurements. A total of 2−4 MMP values can be determined per day with only one experimental apparatus, and the methodmore » greatly reduces the initial cost and complexity of the required instrumentation. The use of three capillaries having different inner diameters allows for triplicate determinations of MMP from each experiment. Because the actual MMP pressure need not be reached during the experiment, MMP values that exceed the pressure ratings of the equipment can be reasonably estimated (e.g., MMPs using pure nitrogen). The method was used to determine the MMP pressure for crude oil samples from a conventional Muddy Formation reservoir in the Powder River Basin [American Petroleum Institute (API) gravity of 35.8°] and an unconventional Bakken Formation reservoir in the Williston Basin (API gravity of 38.7°). The method is reproducible [typically <4% relative standard deviation (RSD)], and the method gave good agreement for a “live” Bakken oil with the results from a slim tube test of a commercial laboratory. Approximately 80 MMP values were measured using pure CO2, methane, and ethane as well as 0−100% mole ratios of methane/CO2 and methane/ethane. For both oil samples, ethane MMPs were ca. one-half those with CO2, while methane MMPs were ca. double or triple those with CO2. MMPs with mixed methane/CO2 showed a linear increase with mole percent methane for both crude oils, while both oils showed an exponential increase in MMP with mole percent methane in ethane, with a little increase in MMP until ca. 20 mol % methane in ethane.« less

Occurrence of high gravity oil in an Oligocene Vicksburg age sandstone in Jim Hogg County, Texas

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

Smith, L.W.; Hilton, N.

1980-01-01

On October 1, 1979 the Guardian Oil Co. E-1 Mestena oil and gas well was completed in an Oligocene, Vicksburg sandstone. The initial potential was 245 BOPD of 75 API gravity oil. A hydrocarbon analysis of a sample obtained from the E-1 well revealed an oil composed primarily of propane and butane with a significant portion of pentane to heptane range material which accounts for the exceptionally high gravity of the liquid hydrocarbons. This analysis further showed that the E-1 well is producing almost no methane, ethane, or other hydrocarbons of greater molecular weight than nonane. Several faults, adjacent tomore » the well, could have provided a path of migration for the hydrocarbons. A detailed analysis of the butane to heptane fluid produced by the E-1 well indicated the fluid contained a large amount of compounds characteristic of an immature crude. Coal fragments present in the cutting from a nearby well and the regional geology of the Vicksburg Formation suggest that one possible source for the hydrocarbons of the E-1 well could have been lipid rich Cannel-type coal.« less

The Spatial-Temporal Characteristics of Air Pollution in China from 2001–2014

PubMed Central

Bao, Junzhe; Yang, Xiping; Zhao, Zhiyuan; Wang, Zhenkun; Yu, Chuanhua; Li, Xudong

2015-01-01

To provide some useful information about the control of air pollution in China, we studied the spatial-temporal characteristics of air pollution in China from 2001–2014. First, we drew several line charts and histograms of the Air Pollution Index (API) and Air Quality Index (AQI) of 31 capital cities and municipalities to research the distribution across different times and cities; then, we researched the spatial clustering of API and AQI; finally, we examined the shift of the gravity center of API and AQI in different years and months. The API values had a decreasing trend: the high values had a clustering trend in some northern cities, and the low values had a clustering trend in some southern cities. The AQI values were relatively low, from 15:00–17:00 during the day. The gravity center of API had a trend of moving south from 2001–2003, then fluctuated in an unordered pattern and moved north in the winter. The AQI gravity center did not have a regular shift during different months. In conclusion, the government should take action to mitigate air pollution in some typical cities, as well as air pollution during the winter. PMID:26694427

Geochemical analysis of potash mine seep oils, collapsed breccia pipe oil shows and selected crude oils, Eddy County, New Mexico

USGS Publications Warehouse

Palacas, J.G.; Snyder, R.P.; Baysinger, J.P.; Threlkeld, C.N.

1982-01-01

Oil shows, in the form of oil stains and bleeding oil, in core samples from two breccia pipes, Hills A and C, Eddy County, New Mexico, and seepage oils in a potash mine near Hill C breccia pipe are geochemically similar. The geochemical similarities strongly suggest that they belong to the same family of oils and were derived from similar sources. The oils are relatively high in sulfur (0.89 to 1.23 percent), rich in hydrocarbons (average 82 percent), relatively high in saturated hydrocarbon/aromatic hydrocarbon ratios (average 2.9), and based on analysis of seep oils alone, have a low API gravity (average 19.4?). The oils are for the most part severely biodegraded as attested by the loss of n-paraffin molecules. Geochemical comparison of seven crude oils collected in the vicinity of the breccia pipes indicates that the Yates oils are the likely source of the above family of oils. Six barrels of crude oil that were dumped into a potash exploration borehole near Hill C breccia pipe, to release stuck casing, are considered an unlikely source of the breccia pipe and mine seep oils. Volumetric and hydrodynamic constraints make it highly improbable that such a small volume of 'dumped' oil could migrate over distances ranging from about 600 feet to 2.5 miles to the sites of the oil shows.

A comparative assessment of resource efficiency in petroleum refining

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

Han, Jeongwoo; Forman, Grant S.; Elgowainy, Amgad

Because of increasing environmental and energy security concerns, a detailed understanding of energy efficiency and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the petroleum refining industry is critical for fair and equitable energy and environmental policies. To date, this has proved challenging due in part to the complex nature and variability within refineries. In an effort to simplify energy and emissions refinery analysis, we delineated LP modeling results from 60 large refineries from the US and EU into broad categories based on crude density (API gravity) and heavy product (HP) yields. Product-specific efficiencies and process fuel shares derived from this study weremore » incorporated in Argonne National Laboratory’s GREET life-cycle model, along with regional upstream GHG intensities of crude, natural gas and electricity specific to the US and EU regions. The modeling results suggest that refineries that process relatively heavier crude inputs and have lower yields of HPs generally have lower energy efficiencies and higher GHG emissions than refineries that run lighter crudes with lower yields of HPs. The former types of refineries tend to utilize energy-intensive units which are significant consumers of utilities (heat and electricity) and hydrogen. Among the three groups of refineries studied, the major difference in the energy intensities is due to the amount of purchased natural gas for utilities and hydrogen, while the sum of refinery feed inputs are generally constant. These results highlight the GHG emissions cost a refiner pays to process deep into the barrel to produce more of the desirable fuels with low carbon to hydrogen ratio.« less

A Comparative Assessment of Resource Efficiency in Petroleum Refining

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

Han, Jeongwoo; Forman, G; Elgowainy, Amgad

2015-10-01

Because of increasing environmental and energy security concerns, a detailed understanding of energy efficiency and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the petroleum refining industry is critical for fair and equitable energy and environmental policies. To date, this has proved challenging due in part to the complex nature and variability within refineries. In an effort to simplify energy and emissions refinery analysis, we delineated LP modeling results from 60 large refineries from the US and EU into broad categories based on crude density (API gravity) and heavy product (HP) yields. Product-specific efficiencies and process fuel shares derived from this study weremore » incorporated in Argonne National Laboratory's GREET life-cycle model, along with regional upstream GHG intensities of crude, natural gas and electricity specific to the US and EU regions. The modeling results suggest that refineries that process relatively heavier crude inputs and have lower yields of HPs generally have lower energy efficiencies and higher GHG emissions than refineries that run lighter crudes with lower yields of HPs. The former types of refineries tend to utilize energy-intensive units which are significant consumers of utilities (heat and electricity) and hydrogen. Among the three groups of refineries studied, the major difference in the energy intensities is due to the amount of purchased natural gas for utilities and hydrogen, while the sum of refinery feed inputs are generally constant. These results highlight the GHG emissions cost a refiner pays to process deep into the barrel to produce more of the desirable fuels with low carbon to hydrogen ratio. (c) 2015 Argonne National Laboratory. Published by Elsevier Ltd.« less

A comparative assessment of resource efficiency in petroleum refining

DOE PAGES

Han, Jeongwoo; Forman, Grant S.; Elgowainy, Amgad; ...

2015-03-25

Because of increasing environmental and energy security concerns, a detailed understanding of energy efficiency and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the petroleum refining industry is critical for fair and equitable energy and environmental policies. To date, this has proved challenging due in part to the complex nature and variability within refineries. In an effort to simplify energy and emissions refinery analysis, we delineated LP modeling results from 60 large refineries from the US and EU into broad categories based on crude density (API gravity) and heavy product (HP) yields. Product-specific efficiencies and process fuel shares derived from this study weremore » incorporated in Argonne National Laboratory’s GREET life-cycle model, along with regional upstream GHG intensities of crude, natural gas and electricity specific to the US and EU regions. The modeling results suggest that refineries that process relatively heavier crude inputs and have lower yields of HPs generally have lower energy efficiencies and higher GHG emissions than refineries that run lighter crudes with lower yields of HPs. The former types of refineries tend to utilize energy-intensive units which are significant consumers of utilities (heat and electricity) and hydrogen. Among the three groups of refineries studied, the major difference in the energy intensities is due to the amount of purchased natural gas for utilities and hydrogen, while the sum of refinery feed inputs are generally constant. These results highlight the GHG emissions cost a refiner pays to process deep into the barrel to produce more of the desirable fuels with low carbon to hydrogen ratio.« less

Physico-chemical characterization of products from vacuum oil under delayed coking process by infrared spectroscopy and chemometrics methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meléndez, L. V.; Cabanzo, R.; Mejía-Ospino, E.; Guzmán, A.

2016-02-01

Eight vacuum residues and their delayed coking liquids products from Colombian crude were study by infrared spectroscopy with attenuated total reflectance (FTIR-ATR) and principal component analysis (PCA). For the samples the structural parameters of aromaticity factor (fa), alifaticity (A2500-3100cm-1), aromatic condensation degree (GCA), length of aliphatic chains (LCA) and aliphatic chain length associated with aromatic (LACAR) were determined through the development of a methodology, which includes the previous processing of spectroscopy data, identifying the regions in the IR spectra of greatest variance using PCA and molecules patterns. The parameters were compared with the results obtained from proton magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) and 13C-NMR. The results showed the influence and correlation of structural parameters with some physicochemical properties such as API gravity, weight percent sulphur (% S) and Conradson carbon content (% CCR)

Honey Bee Venom (Apis mellifera) Contains Anticoagulation Factors and Increases the Blood-clotting Time.

PubMed

Zolfagharian, Hossein; Mohajeri, Mohammad; Babaie, Mahdi

2015-12-01

Bee venom (BV) is a complex mixture of proteins and contains proteins such as phospholipase and melittin, which have an effect on blood clotting and blood clots. The mechanism of action of honey bee venom (HBV, Apis mellifera) on human plasma proteins and its anti-thrombotic effect were studied. The purpose of this study was to investigate the anti-coagulation effect of BV and its effects on blood coagulation and purification. Crude venom obtained from Apis mellifera was selected. The anti-coagulation factor of the crude venom from this species was purified by using gel filtration chromatography (sephadex G-50), and the molecular weights of the anti-coagulants in this venom estimated by using sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Blood samples were obtained from 10 rabbits, and the prothrombin time (PT) and the partial thromboplastin time (PTT) tests were conducted. The approximate lethal dose (LD) values of BV were determined. Crude BV increased the blood clotting time. For BV concentrations from 1 to 4 mg/mL, clotting was not observed even at more than 300 seconds, standard deviations (SDs) = ± 0.71; however, clotting was observed in the control group 13.8 s, SDs = ± 0.52. Thus, BV can be considered as containing anti-coagulation factors. Crude BV is composed 4 protein bands with molecular weights of 3, 15, 20 and 41 kilodalton (kDa), respectively. The LD50 of the crude BV was found to be 177.8 μg/mouse. BV contains anti-coagulation factors. The fraction extracted from the Iranian bees contains proteins that are similar to anti-coagulation proteins, such as phospholipase A2 (PLA2) and melittin, and that can increase the blood clotting times in vitro.

Honey Bee Venom (Apis mellifera) Contains Anticoagulation Factors and Increases the Blood-clotting Time

PubMed Central

Zolfagharian, Hossein; Mohajeri, Mohammad; Babaie, Mahdi

2015-01-01

Objectives: Bee venom (BV) is a complex mixture of proteins and contains proteins such as phospholipase and melittin, which have an effect on blood clotting and blood clots. The mechanism of action of honey bee venom (HBV, Apis mellifera) on human plasma proteins and its anti-thrombotic effect were studied. The purpose of this study was to investigate the anti-coagulation effect of BV and its effects on blood coagulation and purification. Methods: Crude venom obtained from Apis mellifera was selected. The anti-coagulation factor of the crude venom from this species was purified by using gel filtration chromatography (sephadex G-50), and the molecular weights of the anti-coagulants in this venom estimated by using sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Blood samples were obtained from 10 rabbits, and the prothrombin time (PT) and the partial thromboplastin time (PTT) tests were conducted. The approximate lethal dose (LD) values of BV were determined. Results: Crude BV increased the blood clotting time. For BV concentrations from 1 to 4 mg/mL, clotting was not observed even at more than 300 seconds, standard deviations (SDs) = ± 0.71; however, clotting was observed in the control group 13.8 s, SDs = ± 0.52. Thus, BV can be considered as containing anti-coagulation factors. Crude BV is composed 4 protein bands with molecular weights of 3, 15, 20 and 41 kilodalton (kDa), respectively. The LD50 of the crude BV was found to be 177.8 μg/mouse. Conclusion: BV contains anti-coagulation factors. The fraction extracted from the Iranian bees contains proteins that are similar to anti-coagulation proteins, such as phospholipase A2 (PLA2) and melittin, and that can increase the blood clotting times in vitro. PMID:26998384

Evaluation of heavy crude oil from a water-oil model system as starting material for the preparation of adsorbents type NaY zeolite-templated carbon.

PubMed

Elles-Pérez, Cindy J; Muñoz-Acevedo, Amner; Guzmán, Andrés; Camargo, Hernando; Henao, José

2017-07-01

In this work, NaY zeolite is explored as a possible "template" to obtain porous materials type ZTC from the adsorption of heavy crude oil in a water-oil model system (emulsion). In order to produce the adsorbents, a cationic surfactant is selected to facilitate the adsorption of the crude oil into the pores of the zeolite and to get the composite, which was activated with controlled thermal treatments (T: 700-800 °C and t: 0.5-1 h) in inert conditions (N 2 gaseous). The starting materials, composite and porous carbons were characterized using structural/surface analysis techniques (API Gravity, SARA, IR, XRD, XRF, TGA, Langmuir isotherms, BET and SEM). The results showed that four types of mesoporous carbons were produced with specific surface areas between 70 ± 1 m 2 /g and 220 ± 3 m 2 /g, average pore volumes between 0.144 cm 3 /g and 0.40 cm 3 /g and average pore widths between 4.9 nm and 8.3 nm. The activation conditions of 800 °C and 1 h allowed to make the carbonaceous material with the best surface characteristics (220 ± 3 m 2 /g, 0.27 cm 3 /g, and 4.9 nm). Therefore, it is concluded that under assay conditions employed, the heavy crude oil, as a mixed model (water-oil), from an aqueous environment is a starting material suitable for preparation of "mesoporous" carbons. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Specific gravity and API gravity of biodiesel and ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD) blends

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Biodiesel is an alternative fuel made from vegetable oils and animal fats. In 2006, the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency mandated a maximum sulfur content of 15 ppm in on-road diesel fuels. Processing to produce the new ultra-low sulfur petrodiesel (ULSD) alters specific gravity (SG) and othe...

Representative Bulk Composition of Oil Types for the 2002 U.S. Geological Survey Resource Assessment of National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lillis, Paul G.

2004-01-01

Bulk oil composition is an important economic consideration of a petroleum resource assessment. Geological and geochemical interpretations from previous North Slope studies combined with recently acquired geochemical data are used to predict representative oil gravity (?API) and sulfur content (wt.% S) of the oil types for the 2002 U.S. Geological Survey resource assessment of the National Petroleum Reserve of Alaska (NPRA). The oil types are named after their respective source rock units and include Kuna-Lisburne, Shublik-Otuk, Kingak-Blankenship, and Pebble-GRZ-Torok. The composition of the oil (24?API, 1.6 wt.% S) in the South Barrow 12 well was selected as representative of Kuna-Lisburne oil. The average gravity and sulfur values (23?API and 1.6 wt.% S, respectively) of the Kuparuk field were selected to be representative of Shublik-Otuk oil type. The composition of the oil (39?API, 0.3 wt.% S) from the Alpine field discovery well (ARCO Bergschrund 1) was selected to be representative of Kingak-Blankenship oil. The oil composition (37?API, 0.1 wt.% S) of Tarn field was considered representative of the Pebble-GRZ-Torok oil type in NPRA.

Corrosion rate of API 5L Gr. X60 multipurpose steel pipeline under combined effect of water and crude oil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miao, Jian; Wang, Qiang

2016-09-01

Multipurpose pipeline is often seriously corroded during its service life, and the phenomenon is more prominent once the transportation medium is changed. Electrochemical polarization curves and impedance spectroscopy of the API 5L Gr. X60 steel pipeline's corrosion process in sedimentary water with different ion types and their concentrations have been studied in this work. The results showed that the corrosion rates were found to be 0.00418 and 0.00232 mm/a for pure water and crude oil, respectively. However, for the mixtures of water and crude oil (with water content increased from 0.2 vol% to 10 vol%), the corrosion rate increased consistently and reached a maximum value of 0.15557 mm/a for 10 vol% water in crude oil. The effect of the concentration of various ions, namely, chloride, bicarbonate and sulfate in (oil/water) mixtures on the corrosion rate was characterized by weight-loss method. The results showed that with increasing the ions' concentrations, the corresponding exchange current density increased significantly. The results were further supported by the observations of corrosion morphology using scanning electron microscopy and are helpful in devising guidelines which would help in reducing corrosion in multipurpose transport pipelines involving a change of transported medium during their service life.

The solubility of noble gases in crude oil at 25-100°C

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kharaka, Yousif K.; Specht, Daniel J.

1988-01-01

The solubility of the noble gases He, Ne, Ar, Kr and Xe was measured in two typical crude oils at temperatures of 25–100°C. The oil samples were obtained from the Elk Hills oil field located in southern San Joaquin Valley, California. The experimental procedure consisted of placing a known amount of gas with a known volume of crude oil in a stainless steel hydrothermal pressure vessel. The vessel was housed inside an oven and the entire unit rotates providing continuous mixing. The amount of gas dissolved in oil at a measured temperature and partial pressure of gas was used to calculate the solubility constants for these gases. Results show that the solubility of He and Ne in both oils is approximately the same; solubility then increases with atomic mass, with the solubility of Xe at 25°C being two orders of magnitude higher than that of He. The gas solubilities are somewhat higher in the lower density (higher API gravity) oil. The solubility of Ar is approximately constant in the range of temperatures of this study. The solubilities of He and Ne increase, but those of Kr and Xe decrease with increasing temperatures. Solubilities of noble gases in crude oil are significantly higher than their solubilities in water. For example, the solubilities of He and Xe at 25°C in the light oil of this study are, respectively, 3 and 24 times higher than their solubilities in pure water, and they are 15 and 300 times higher than in a brine with a salinity of 350,000 mg/l dissolved solids. These large and variable differences in the solubilities of noble gases in oil and water indicate that, in sedimentary basins with oil, these gases must be partitioned between oil, water and natural gas before they are used to deduce the origin and residence time of these fluids.

Proved reserves definitions proposed for adoption by SPE, AAPG, and API

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

Not Available

1980-09-01

A joint-association committee was organized to write a unified set of definitions for proved reserves that SPE, AAPG, API, other interested organizations, industry and units of government can adopt and use. The proposed definitions appear for the purpose of soliciting member comments before their anticipated adoption by the 3 sponsoring organizations. The committee directed its carefully written proposed definitions toward all present and future applications in industry and government circles. These definitions include the terms proved reserves, crude oil, natural gas, natural gas liquids, reservoir, and enhanced recovery.

Sensitive detection of oversulfated chondroitin sulfate in heparin sodium or crude heparin with a colorimetric microplate based assay.

PubMed

Sommers, Cynthia D; Mans, Daniel J; Mecker, Laura C; Keire, David A

2011-05-01

In this work we describe a 96-well microplate assay for oversulfated chondroitin sulfate A (OSCS) in heparin, based on a water-soluble cationic polythiophene polymer (3-(2-(N-(N'-methylimidazole))ethoxy)-4-methylthiophene (LPTP)) and heparinase digestion of heparin. The assay takes advantage of several unique properties of heparin, OSCS, and LPTP, including OSCS inhibition of heparinase I and II activity, the molecular weight dependence of heparin-LPTP spectral shifts, and the distinct association of heparin fragments and OSCS to LPTP. These factors combine to enable detection of the presence of 0.003% w/w spiked OSCS in 10 μg of heparin sodium active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) using a plate reader and with visual detection to 0.1% levels. The same detection limit for OSCS was observed in the presence of 10% levels of dermatan sulfate (DS) or chondroitin sulfate A (CSA) impurities. In addition, we surveyed a selection of crude heparin samples received by the agency in 2008 and 2009 to determine average and extreme DS, CSA, and galactosamine weight percent levels. In the presence of these impurities and the variable heparin content in the crude heparin samples, spiked OSCS was reliably detected to the 0.1% w/w level using a plate reader. Finally, authentically OSCS contaminated heparin sodium API and crude samples were distinguished visually by color from control samples using the LPTP/heparinase test.

Time Course-Dependent Methanogenic Crude Oil Biodegradation: Dynamics of Fumarate Addition Metabolites, Biodegradative Genes, and Microbial Community Composition

PubMed Central

Toth, Courtney R. A.; Gieg, Lisa M.

2018-01-01

Biodegradation of crude oil in subsurface petroleum reservoirs has adversely impacted most of the world's oil, converting this resource to heavier forms that are of lower quality and more challenging to recover. Oil degradation in deep reservoir environments has been attributed to methanogenesis over geological time, yet our understanding of the processes and organisms mediating oil transformation in the absence of electron acceptors remains incomplete. Here, we sought to identify hydrocarbon activation mechanisms and reservoir-associated microorganisms that may have helped shape the formation of biodegraded oil by incubating oilfield produced water in the presence of light (°API = 32) or heavy crude oil (°API = 16). Over the course of 17 months, we conducted routine analytical (GC, GC-MS) and molecular (PCR/qPCR of assA and bssA genes, 16S rRNA gene sequencing) surveys to assess microbial community composition and activity changes over time. Over the incubation period, we detected the formation of transient hydrocarbon metabolites indicative of alkane and alkylbenzene addition to fumarate, corresponding with increases in methane production and fumarate addition gene abundance. Chemical and gene-based evidence of hydrocarbon biodegradation under methanogenic conditions was supported by the enrichment of hydrocarbon fermenters known to catalyze fumarate addition reactions (e.g., Desulfotomaculum, Smithella), along with syntrophic bacteria (Syntrophus), methanogenic archaea, and several candidate phyla (e.g., “Atribacteria”, “Cloacimonetes”). Our results reveal that fumarate addition is a possible mechanism for catalyzing the methanogenic biodegradation of susceptible saturates and aromatic hydrocarbons in crude oil, and we propose the roles of community members and candidate phyla in our cultures that may be involved in hydrocarbon transformation to methane in crude oil systems. PMID:29354103

Predominant Api m 10 sensitization as risk factor for treatment failure in honey bee venom immunotherapy.

PubMed

Frick, Marcel; Fischer, Jörg; Helbling, Arthur; Ruëff, Franziska; Wieczorek, Dorothea; Ollert, Markus; Pfützner, Wolfgang; Müller, Sabine; Huss-Marp, Johannes; Dorn, Britta; Biedermann, Tilo; Lidholm, Jonas; Ruecker, Gerta; Bantleon, Frank; Miehe, Michaela; Spillner, Edzard; Jakob, Thilo

2016-12-01

Component resolution recently identified distinct sensitization profiles in honey bee venom (HBV) allergy, some of which were dominated by specific IgE to Api m 3 and/or Api m 10, which have been reported to be underrepresented in therapeutic HBV preparations. We performed a retrospective analysis of component-resolved sensitization profiles in HBV-allergic patients and association with treatment outcome. HBV-allergic patients who had undergone controlled honey bee sting challenge after at least 6 months of HBV immunotherapy (n = 115) were included and classified as responder (n = 79) or treatment failure (n = 36) on the basis of absence or presence of systemic allergic reactions upon sting challenge. IgE reactivity to a panel of HBV allergens was analyzed in sera obtained before immunotherapy and before sting challenge. No differences were observed between responders and nonresponders regarding levels of IgE sensitization to Api m 1, Api m 2, Api m 3, and Api m 5. In contrast, Api m 10 specific IgE was moderately but significantly increased in nonresponders. Predominant Api m 10 sensitization (>50% of specific IgE to HBV) was the best discriminator (specificity, 95%; sensitivity, 25%) with an odds ratio of 8.444 (2.127-33.53; P = .0013) for treatment failure. Some but not all therapeutic HBV preparations displayed a lack of Api m 10, whereas Api m 1 and Api m 3 immunoreactivity was comparable to that of crude HBV. In line with this, significant Api m 10 sIgG 4 induction was observed only in those patients who were treated with HBV in which Api m 10 was detectable. Component-resolved sensitization profiles in HBV allergy suggest predominant IgE sensitization to Api m 10 as a risk factor for treatment failure in HBV immunotherapy. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The significance of large variations in oil properties of the Dai Hung field, Vietnam

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

Behrenbruch, P.; Du, P.Q.

1995-10-01

The Dai Hung Oil field, offshore Vietnam, is comprised of a complex subsurface structure containing stacked reservoir sequences typically found in many other Southeast Asian fields. Combined with areal fault compartmentalization, this situation has led to the observed, large variations in oil properties. Furthermore, the depositional environment in terms of burial history has created a unique overpressure situation which also had an affect, particularly on the crude saturation conditions of individual reservoirs. For commercial and technical reasons, this situation required a detailed analysis, both in terms of variation in crude assay and live oil properties. For whole crude properties: gravity,more » K factor, wax content and pour point-graphs were drawn up using a large data base of worldwide crudes against which the Dai Hung data could be validated. In case of PVT properties (bubble point and formation volume factor) existing industry correlations were examined. It could be concluded that the sweet, medium gravity and moderately waxy Dai Hung crude has whole crude properties which are comparable to other, similar crudes. The general framework of crude properties established is suitable to type other crudes, even if limited information is available. Of the existing PVT correlations tested, it was found that Standing`s correlation for the oil formation volume factor and the Kartoatmodjo-Schmidt correlation for the bubble point fitted the Dai Hung crude data the best. For the lower shrinkage Dai Hung crudes the Malaysian oil formation volume factor correlation by Omar-Todd gave the best data fit.« less

Api m 10, a genuine A. mellifera venom allergen, is clinically relevant but underrepresented in therapeutic extracts.

PubMed

Blank, S; Seismann, H; Michel, Y; McIntyre, M; Cifuentes, L; Braren, I; Grunwald, T; Darsow, U; Ring, J; Bredehorst, R; Ollert, M; Spillner, E

2011-10-01

Generalized systemic reactions to stinging hymenoptera venom constitute a potentially fatal condition in venom-allergic individuals. Hence, the identification and characterization of all allergens is imperative for improvement of diagnosis and design of effective immunotherapeutic approaches. Our aim was the immunochemical characterization of the carbohydrate-rich protein Api m 10, an Apis mellifera venom component and putative allergen, with focus on the relevance of glycosylation. Furthermore, the presence of Api m 10 in honeybee venom (HBV) and licensed venom immunotherapy preparations was addressed. Api m 10 was produced as soluble, aglycosylated protein in Escherichia coli and as differentially glycosylated protein providing a varying degree of fucosylation in insect cells. IgE reactivity and basophil activation of allergic patients were analyzed. For detection of Api m 10 in different venom preparations, a monoclonal human IgE antibody was generated. Both, the aglycosylated and the glycosylated variant of Api m 10 devoid of cross-reactive carbohydrate determinants (CCD), exhibited IgE reactivity with approximately 50% of HBV-sensitized patients. A corresponding reactivity could be documented for the activation of basophils. Although the detection of the native protein in crude HBV suggested content comparable to other relevant allergens, three therapeutical HBV extracts lacked detectable amounts of this component. Api m 10 is a genuine allergen of A. mellifera venom with IgE sensitizing potential in a significant fraction of allergic patients independent of CCD reactivity. Thus, Api m 10 could become a key element for component-resolved diagnostic tests and improved immunotherapeutic approaches in hymenoptera venom allergy. © 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

Review of oil families and their petroleum systems of the Williston Basin

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lillis, Paul G.

2013-01-01

Oil bulk properties such as API gravity, sulfur content, and pour point are much underutilized in the recent geochemical literature and are found to be useful here in differentiating oil families. The Red River petroleum system has two oil families that can be differentiated based on pour point. The oils in the Madison petroleum system can be divided into two families based on API gravity-sulfur content relationships, with one family derived from Type II-S kerogen and the other family derived from Type II kerogen with medium sulfur content. The Tyler petroleum system of the Williston Basin may be distinguished from the Heath-Tyler petroleum system in central Montana based on differences in geology and petroleum geochemistry, with Tyler petroleum system oils having a higher pour point and lower sulfur content.

Feasibility of low frequency ultrasound for water removal from crude oil emulsions.

PubMed

Antes, Fabiane G; Diehl, Liange O; Pereira, Juliana S F; Guimarães, Regina C L; Guarnieri, Ricardo A; Ferreira, Bianca M S; Dressler, Valderi L; Flores, Erico M M

2015-07-01

The feasibility of indirect application of low frequency ultrasound for demulsification of crude oil was investigated without using chemical demulsifiers. Experiments were performed in an ultrasonic bath with frequency of 35 kHz. Synthetic emulsions with water content of 12%, 35% and 50% and median of droplet size distribution (DSD), median D(0.5), of 5, 10 and 25 μm were prepared from crude oil with API density of 19 (heavy crude oil) and submitted to the proposed ultrasound-assisted demulsification procedure. Experimental conditions as temperature, time of exposition to ultrasound and ultrasonic power were evaluated. Separation of water from crude oil emulsion was observed for all emulsions investigated. Demulsification efficiency up to 65% was obtained for emulsion with 50% of water content and DSD of 10 μm. Higher efficiency of demulsification was achieved using US temperature of 45 °C and ultrasound power of 160 W by 15 min. Results obtained in this study showed that ultrasound could be considered a promising technology for industrial crude oil treatment and respective water removal. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Toxicity assessment for petroleum-contaminated soil using terrestrial invertebrates and plant bioassays.

PubMed

Hentati, Olfa; Lachhab, Radhia; Ayadi, Mariem; Ksibi, Mohamed

2013-04-01

The assessment of soil quality after a chemical or oil spill and/or remediation effort may be measured by evaluating the toxicity of soil organisms. To enhance our understanding of the soil quality resulting from laboratory and oil field spill remediation, we assessed toxicity levels by using earthworms and springtails testing and plant growth experiments. Total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH)-contaminated soil samples were collected from an oilfield in Sfax, Tunisia. Two types of bioassays were performed. The first assessed the toxicity of spiked crude oil (API gravity 32) in Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development artificial soil. The second evaluated the habitat function through the avoidance responses of earthworms and springtails and the ability of Avena sativa to grow in TPH-contaminated soils diluted with farmland soil. The EC50 of petroleum-contaminated soil for earthworms was 644 mg of TPH/kg of soil at 14 days, with 67 % of the earthworms dying after 14 days when the TPH content reached 1,000 mg/kg. The average germination rate, calculated 8 days after sowing, varied between 64 and 74 % in low contaminated soils and less than 50 % in highly contaminated soils.

Comparison of the properties of some synthetic crudes with petroleum crudes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Antoine, A. C.

1979-01-01

Physical properties and chemical compositions of six synthetic crudes were determined. The results were compared to those of typical petroleum crudes, with the interest being the feasibility of making jet fuels from oil shale and coal syncrudes. The specific gravity, viscosity, and pour point were measured, showing that these crudes would be described as heavier rather than lighter crudes. The boiling range distribution of the crudes was determined by distillation and by gas chromatography. In addition, gel permeation chromatograms were obtained, giving a unique molecular weight distribution profile for each crude. Analyses for carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and sulfur concentrations were performed, as well as for hydrocarbon group type and trace element concentrations. It was found that the range in concentration of vanadium, an element whose presence in turbine fuels is of major concern, was lower than that of petroleum crudes. Sodium and potassium, other elements of concern, were present in comparatively high concentrations.

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

Rhodes, A.K.

If plans continue as scheduled, production of Colombia`s Cusiana crude will reach nearly 200,000 b/d by year-end 1995, and 500,000 b/d by year-end 1997, following expansion of Colombia`s Central Pipeline System (OGJ, Nov. 20, P. 27). Cusiana was discovered in 1991. The field covers an area roughly 16 miles x 4 miles in the foothills of the Eastern Andes. Combined with a neighboring field, reserves of the 36{degree} API, 0.25 wt% sulfur crude are estimated to be 2 billion bbl. Cusiana`s refining characteristics include: low concentrations of sulfur, nitrogen, and metals; low acidity; and low residual yields. The crude alsomore » has excellent characteristics for producing feeds for reforming, fluid catalytic cracking, and coking, say the partners. Table 1 shows Cusiana`s true boiling point data. Table 2 lists properties of relatively narrow heavy distillate fractions.« less

33 CFR 157.08 - Applicability of subpart B.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... carries 200 cubic meters or more of crude oil or products in bulk as cargo, as well as to each oceangoing... tanker, that carries less than 1,000 cubic meters of crude oil or products in bulk as cargo and which... black feedstock, or other products with similar physical properties, such as specific gravity and...

33 CFR 157.08 - Applicability of subpart B.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... carries 200 cubic meters or more of crude oil or products in bulk as cargo, as well as to each oceangoing... tanker, that carries less than 1,000 cubic meters of crude oil or products in bulk as cargo and which... black feedstock, or other products with similar physical properties, such as specific gravity and...

33 CFR 157.08 - Applicability of subpart B.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... carries 200 cubic meters or more of crude oil or products in bulk as cargo, as well as to each oceangoing... tanker, that carries less than 1,000 cubic meters of crude oil or products in bulk as cargo and which... black feedstock, or other products with similar physical properties, such as specific gravity and...

33 CFR 157.08 - Applicability of subpart B.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... carries 200 cubic meters or more of crude oil or products in bulk as cargo, as well as to each oceangoing... tanker, that carries less than 1,000 cubic meters of crude oil or products in bulk as cargo and which... black feedstock, or other products with similar physical properties, such as specific gravity and...

33 CFR 157.08 - Applicability of subpart B.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... carries 200 cubic meters or more of crude oil or products in bulk as cargo, as well as to each oceangoing... tanker, that carries less than 1,000 cubic meters of crude oil or products in bulk as cargo and which... black feedstock, or other products with similar physical properties, such as specific gravity and...

Upgrade of Long-chain Hydrocarbons by Low Pressure Oxygen Plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Patiño, Pedro; Méndez, Bernardo; Gambús, Gloria

1998-10-01

Huge known heavy oil deposits in many countries remain largely untapped. The API gravity of crude oils has been decreasing by about 0.17% per year, this meaning that there will be an urgent need for economically viable new technologies to upgrade the heavy oil for the refineries. The same applies to the residues of several refineries processes. This work will present the results of the application of a plasma process to upgrade long-chain hydrocarbons, namely, tridecane, tetradecane, and squalane (shark oil). They are high boiling point alkanes, the latter being a C_30H_62 with six methyl groups attached to various carbon positions on the chain. An oxygen plasma, created by a high voltage glow discharge, reached the low vapor pressure surface of each liquid hydrocarbon. This (2 mL) was cooled down to temperatures close to its freezing point in a glass reactor. Applied power was 24 W for times of reaction between 30 and 60 minutes and oxygen pressures from 0.1 to 0.4 mbar. Products were analyzed by IR and NMR spectroscopies. The ^1H and ^13C NMR spectra showed that the most important products were secondary alcohols and the corresponding ketones, for tridecane and tetradecane. For squalane, tertiary alcohols were first. Total conversions are tipically 90 to 100%

Application of Multivariate Statistical Analysis to Biomarkers in Se-Turkey Crude Oils

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gürgey, K.; Canbolat, S.

2017-11-01

Twenty-four crude oil samples were collected from the 24 oil fields distributed in different districts of SE-Turkey. API and Sulphur content (%), Stable Carbon Isotope, Gas Chromatography (GC), and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) data were used to construct a geochemical data matrix. The aim of this study is to examine the genetic grouping or correlations in the crude oil samples, hence the number of source rocks present in the SE-Turkey. To achieve these aims, two of the multivariate statistical analysis techniques (Principle Component Analysis [PCA] and Cluster Analysis were applied to data matrix of 24 samples and 8 source specific biomarker variables/parameters. The results showed that there are 3 genetically different oil groups: Batman-Nusaybin Oils, Adıyaman-Kozluk Oils and Diyarbakir Oils, in addition to a one mixed group. These groupings imply that at least, three different source rocks are present in South-Eastern (SE) Turkey. Grouping of the crude oil samples appears to be consistent with the geographic locations of the oils fields, subsurface stratigraphy as well as geology of the area.

Cryogenic Liquid Experiments in Orbit. Volume 2. Bubble Mechanics, Boiling Heat Transfer, and Propellant Tank Venting in a Zero-Gravity Environment

DTIC Science & Technology

1966-12-01

26] /2 where equals b 2g Ap/y. Note that subscripts on W indicate dif- ferentiation. If one were to solve Eq [26] by finite differences , the re- sults...of f only requires about 0.5-minute machine time. Finite difference solutions are generated using dependent variables V and Q where: V - W Q = [29...of heat transfer rate and the migration of bubbles in the bulk liq- uid in low gravity. Assuming that the bubble might depart from the heating

Mineralization of a Malaysian crude oil by Pseudomonas sp. and Achromabacter sp. isolated from coastal waters

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

Ahmad, J.; Ahmad, M.F.

1995-12-31

Regarded as being a potentially effective tool to combat oil pollution, bioremediation involves mineralization, i.e., the conversion of complex hydrocarbons into harmless CO{sub 2} and water by action of microorganisms. Therefore, in achieving optimum effectiveness from the application of these products on crude oil in local environments, the capability of the bacteria to mineralize hydrocarbons was evaluated. The microbial laboratory testing of mineralization on local oil degraders involved, first, isolation of bacteria found at a port located on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Subsequently, these bacteria were identified by means of Biomereux`s API 20E and 20 NE systems andmore » later screened by their growth on a Malaysian crude oil. Selected strains of Pseudomonas sp. and Achromabacter sp. were then exposed individually to a similar crude oil in a mineralization unit and monitored for 16 days for release of CO{sub 2}. Pseudomonas paucimobilis was found to produce more CO{sub 2} than Achromobacter sp. When tested under similar conditions, mixed populations of these two taxa produced more CO{sub 2} than that produced by any individual strain. Effective bioremediation of local crude in Malaysian waters can therefore be achieved from biochemically developed Pseudomonas sp. strains.« less

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

Not Available

This paper reports on an automated metering/proving system for custody transfer of crude oil at the Phillips 66 Co. tanker unloading terminal in Freeport, Texas. It is described as one of the most sophisticated systems developed. The menu-driven, one-button automation removes the proving sequence entirely from manual control. The system also is the to be cost-effective and versatile compared to a dedicated flow computer with API calculation capabilities. Developed by Puffer-Sweiven, systems integrators, the new technology additionally is thought to be the first custody transfer system to employ a programmable logic controller (PLC). The PLC provides the automation, gathers andmore » stores all raw data, and prints alarms. Also the system uses a personal computer operator interface (OI) that runs on the Intel iRMX real time operating system. The OI is loaded with Puffer-Sweiven application software that performs API meter factor and volume correction calculations as well as present color graphics and generate reports.« less

Weyerhaeuser Export Facility at DuPont. Volume 2. Appendices A - Q

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-05-01

of carbon atoms/ molecule). Although crude oil composition can vary greatly from source to source, a typical composition is as follows: Fraction...Molecular Size % Composition in Crude Specific Gravity Gasoline C-5 to C-10 30% 0.70 Kerosene C-10 to C-12 10% 0.80 Diesel (#2 fuel oil ) C-12 to C-20 15...herring larvae to sublethal oil concentrations causes increased respiration and reductions in embryonic tissue growth .(43) Two day exposure of the

Embryotoxic effects of crude oil in mallard ducks and chicks

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hoffman, David J.

1978-01-01

Recent studies in this laboratory have revealed that surface applications of microliter amounts of some crude and fuel oils that coat less than 10% of the egg surface reduce hatching considerably in different avian species. Applications of paraffin compounds that coat equal areas of the egg surface do not reduce hatching suggesting that toxicity is due to causes other than asphyxia. In the present study, 1–10 μl of South Louisiana crude oil, an API reference oil, were applied to the surface of fertile mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) and chicken (Gallus gallus) eggs. Early embryolethality was greater in mallard embryos than in chick embryos, but later embryolethality that coincided with the time of rapid outgrowth of the chorioallantoic membrane was more prevalent in chick embryos. The overall incidence of embryolethality was similar in both species. Retardation of growth as reflected by embryonic body weight, crown-rump length, beak length, and general appearance was more pronounced in chick than mallard embryos. Teratogenic defects were more frequent in chick embryos, and incomplete or abnormal ossification of the skull was the most common. External application of equivalent amounts of a mixture of paraffin compounds present in crude oil had virtually no embryotoxic effects in either species, suggesting that other components including aromatic hydrocarbons and organometallics may cause the embryotoxicity.

Damping of short gravity-capillary waves due to oil derivatives film on the water surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sergievskaya, Irina; Ermakov, Stanislav; Lazareva, Tatyana

2016-10-01

In this paper new results of laboratory studies of damping of gravity-capillary waves on the water surface covered by kerosene are presented and compared with our previous analysis of characteristics of crude oil and diesel fuel films. Investigations of kerosene films were carried out in a wide range values of film thicknesses (from some hundreds millimetres to a few millimetres) and in a wide range of surface wave frequencies (from 10 to 27 Hz). The selected frequency range corresponds to the operating wavelengths of microwave, X- to Ka-band radars typically used for the ocean remote sensing. The studied range of film thickness covers typical thicknesses of routine spills in the ocean. It is obtained that characteristics of waves, measured in the presence of oil derivatives films differ from those for crude oil films, in particular, because the volume viscosity of oil derivatives and crude oil is strongly different. To retrieve parameters of kerosene films from the experimental data the surface wave damping was analyzed theoretically in the frame of a model of two-layer fluid. The films are assumed to be soluble, so the elasticity on the upper and lower boundaries is considered as a function of wave frequency. Physical parameters of oil derivative films were estimated when tuning the film parameters to fit theory and experiment. Comparison between wave damping due to crude oil, kerosene and diesel fuel films have shown some capabilities of distinguishing of oil films from remote sensing of short surface waves.

Method for recovery of petroleum oil from confining structures

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

Friedman, R.H.

1969-09-02

Injected ammonia spontaneously reacts with the acid content of heavy crude petroleum oil to produce ammonium soaps in situ. The soaps cause an oil-in-water emulsion to be formed in the presence of reservoir (or flood) water, reducing the effective viscosity of the crude oil. If the ammonia slug is followed by steam, an advancing emulsion barrier is created by the thermal decomposition of part of the emulsion, freeing ammonia which can then react with additional crude in advance of the emulsion. Packs of 20-30 mesh Ottawa sand were saturated with water, flooded with Tulare crude oil from North Midway fieldmore » in California (high specific gravity), and waterflooded. A slug of 5.71 percent PV of 17 N ammonium hydroxide followed by water gave a total oil recovery of about 90 percent of the original oil.« less

Mineral resource of the month: barite

USGS Publications Warehouse

Miller, M. Michael

2006-01-01

Also called barytes, barite forms in various geologic environments and is frequently found with both metallic and nonmetallic minerals. Most barite is produced by open-pit mining techniques, and most crude barite requires some upgrading to meet minimum purity or specific gravity levels.

Evidence for a palaeo-oil column and alteration of residual oil in a gas-condensate field: Integrated oil inclusion and experimental results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bourdet, Julien; Burruss, Robert C.; Chou, I.-Ming; Kempton, Richard; Liu, Keyu; Hung, Nguyen Viet

2014-10-01

In the Phuong Dong gas condensate field, Cuu Long Basin, Vietnam, hydrocarbon inclusions in quartz trapped a variety of petroleum fluids in the gas zone. Based on the attributes of the oil inclusion assemblages (fluorescence colour of the oil, bubble size, presence of bitumen), the presence of a palaeo-oil column is inferred prior to migration of gas into the reservoir. When a palaeo-oil column is displaced by gas, a residual volume fraction of oil remains in pores. If the gas does not completely mix with the oil, molecular partitioning between the residual oil and the new gas charge may change the composition and properties of the residual oil (gas stripping or gas washing). To simulate this phenomenon in the laboratory, we sealed small amounts of crude oil (42 and 30 °API) and excess pure gas (methane, ethane, or propane) in fused silica capillary capsules (FSCCs), with and without water. These mixtures were characterized with the same methods used to characterize the fluid inclusions, heating and cooling stage microscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, synchrotron FT-IR, and Raman spectroscopy. At room temperature, mixtures of ethane and propane with the 30 °API oil formed a new immiscible fluorescent liquid phase with colour that is visually more blue than the initial oil. The fluorescence of the original oil phase shifted to yellow or disappeared with formation of semi-solid residues. The blue-shift of the fluorescence of the immiscible phases and strong CH stretching bands in FT-IR spectra are consistent with stripping of hydrocarbon molecules from the oil. In experiments in FSCCs with water solid residues are common. At elevated temperature, reproducing geologic reservoir conditions, the fluorescence changes and therefore the molecular fractionation are enhanced. However, the precipitation of solid residues is responsible of more complex changes. Mixing experiments with the 42 °API oil do not form a new immiscible hydrocarbon liquid although the fluorescence displays a similar yellow shift when gas is added. Solid residues rarely form in mixtures with 42 °API oil. FT-IR spectra suggest that the decrease of fluorescence intensity of the original oil at short wavelengths to be due to the partitioning of low molecular weight aromatic molecules into the vapour phase and/or the new immiscible liquid phase. The decrease of fluorescence intensity at long wavelengths appears to be due to loss of high molecular weight aromatics during precipitation of solid residues by desorption of aromatics and resins from asphaltenes. Desorption of low molecular weight aromatics and resins from asphaltenes during precipitation can also increase the fluorescence intensity at short wavelengths of the residual oil. Water clearly affects the precipitation of semi-solid residues from the oil phase of the lowest API gravity oil. The change of hydrocarbon phase(s) in UV-visible fluorescence and FT-IR enclosed within the FSCCs were compared with the fluorescence patterns of natural fluid inclusions at Phuong Dong gas condensate field. The experimental results support the concept of gas-washing of residual oil and are consistent with the oil inclusion attributes from the current gas zone at Phuong Dong field. The hydrocarbon charge history of the fractured granite reservoir is interpreted to result from the trapping of residual oil after drainage of a palaeo-oil column by gas.

In vitro antiproliferative/cytotoxic activity on cancer cell lines of a cardanol and a cardol enriched from Thai Apis mellifera propolis.

PubMed

Teerasripreecha, Dungporn; Phuwapraisirisan, Preecha; Puthong, Songchan; Kimura, Kiyoshi; Okuyama, Masayuki; Mori, Haruhide; Kimura, Atsuo; Chanchao, Chanpen

2012-03-30

Propolis is a complex resinous honeybee product. It is reported to display diverse bioactivities, such as antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor properties, which are mainly due to phenolic compounds, and especially flavonoids. The diversity of bioactive compounds depends on the geography and climate, since these factors affect the floral diversity. Here, Apis mellifera propolis from Nan province, Thailand, was evaluated for potential anti-cancer activity. Propolis was sequentially extracted with methanol, dichloromethane and hexane and the cytotoxic activity of each crude extract was assayed for antiproliferative/cytotoxic activity in vitro against five human cell lines derived from duet carcinoma (BT474), undifferentiated lung (Chaco), liver hepatoblastoma (Hep-G(2)), gastric carcinoma (KATO-III) and colon adenocarcinoma (SW620) cancers. The human foreskin fibroblast cell line (Hs27) was used as a non-transformed control. Those crude extracts that displayed antiproliferative/cytotoxic activity were then further fractionated by column chromatography using TLC-pattern and MTT-cytotoxicity bioassay guided selection of the fractions. The chemical structure of each enriched bioactive compound was analyzed by nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectroscopy. The crude hexane and dichloromethane extracts of propolis displayed antiproliferative/cytotoxic activities with IC(50) values across the five cancer cell lines ranging from 41.3 to 52.4 μg/ml and from 43.8 to 53.5 μg/ml, respectively. Two main bioactive components were isolated, one cardanol and one cardol, with broadly similar in vitro antiproliferation/cytotoxicity IC(50) values across the five cancer cell lines and the control Hs27 cell line, ranging from 10.8 to 29.3 μg/ml for the cardanol and < 3.13 to 5.97 μg/ml (6.82 - 13.0 μM) for the cardol. Moreover, both compounds induced cytotoxicity and cell death without DNA fragmentation in the cancer cells, but only an antiproliferation response in the control Hs27 cells However, these two compounds did not account for the net antiproliferation/cytotoxic activity of the crude extracts suggesting the existence of other potent compounds or synergistic interactions in the propolis extracts. This is the first report that Thai A. mellifera propolis contains at least two potentially new compounds (a cardanol and a cardol) with potential anti-cancer bioactivity. Both could be alternative antiproliferative agents for future development as anti-cancer drugs.

California crude-pipeline plans detailed

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

Ronco, M.J.

1986-06-09

California and the U.S. West have recently become a center for crude-oil pipeline activity. That activity includes existing and proposed lines, offshore and onshore terminals, and some unusual permitting and construction requirements. Operation of existing pipelines is influenced by the varying gravities of crudes in the area. California has three distinct producing areas from which pipelines deliver crude to refineries or marines terminals: 1. The inland Los Angeles basin and coast from Orange County to Ventura County. 2. The San Joaquin Valley in central California which is between the coastal mountains and the Sierras. 3. That portion of the Outermore » Continental Shelf (OCS) located primarily in federal waters off Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties on the central coast. The Los Angeles coastal and inland basin crude-oil pipeline system consists of gathering lines to move crude from the many wells throughout Ventura, Orange, and Los Angeles counties to operating refineries in the greater Los Angeles area. Major refineries include ARCO at Carson, Chevron at El Segundo, Mobil at Torrance, and Shell, Texaco, and Unical at Wilmington. The many different crude-oil pipelines serving these refineries from Ventura County and Orange County and from the many sites around Los Angeles County are too numerous to list.« less

Conversion of high and low pollen protein diets into protein in worker honey bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae).

PubMed

Basualdo, M; Barragán, S; Vanagas, L; García, C; Solana, H; Rodríguez, E; Bedascarrasbure, E

2013-08-01

Adequate protein levels are necessary to maintain strong honey bee [Apis mellifera (L.)] colonies. The aim of this study was to quantify how pollens with different crude protein contents influence protein stores within individual honey bees. Caged bees were fed one of three diets, consisting of high-protein-content pollen, low-protein-content pollen, or protein-free diet as control; measurements were made based on protein content in hemolymph and fat body, fat body weight, and body weight. Vitellogenin in hemolymph was also measured. Bees fed with high crude protein diet had significantly higher levels of protein in hemolymph and fat bodies. Caged bees did not increase pollen consumption to compensate for the lower protein in the diet, and ingesting approximately 4 mg of protein per bee could achieve levels of 20 microg/microl protein in hemolymph. Worker bees fed with low crude protein diet took more time in reaching similar protein content of the bees that were fed with high crude protein diet. The data showed that fat bodies and body weight were not efficient methods of measuring the protein status of bees. The determination of total protein or vitellogenin concentration in the hemolymph from 13-d-old bees and protein concentration of fat bodies from 9-d-old bees could be good indicators of nutritional status of honey bees.

The relationship between mean anomaly block sizes and spherical harmonic representations. [of earth gravity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rapp, R. H.

1977-01-01

The frequently used rule specifying the relationship between a mean gravity anomaly in a block whose side length is theta degrees and a spherical harmonic representation of these data to degree l-bar is examined in light of the smoothing parameter used by Pellinen (1966). It is found that if the smoothing parameter is not considered, mean anomalies computed from potential coefficients can be in error by about 30% of the rms anomaly value. It is suggested that the above mentioned rule should be considered only a crude approximation.

Surfactant based enhanced oil recovery mediated by naturally occurring microorganisms

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

Thomas, C.P.; Bala, G.A.; Duvall, M.L.

1991-01-01

Oil recovery experiments using Bacillus licheniformis JF-2 and a sucrose based nutrient were performed using Berea sandstone cores ranging in permeability from 85 to 510 md (0.084 to 0.503 {mu}m{sup 2}). Bacillus licheniformis JF-2, a surfactant producing microorganism isolated from an oilfield environment, is nonpathogenic and will not reduce sulfate. Oil recovery efficiencies (E{sub r}) for four different crude oils ranging from 19.1 to 38.1{degrees}API (0.9396 to 0.8343 g/cm{sup 3}) varied from 2.8 to 42.6% of the waterflood residual oil. Injection of cell-free'' supernatants resulted in E{sub r} values from 7.0 to 16.4%. Microbially-mediated systems reduced interfacial tension (IFT) aboutmore » 20 mN/m for four different crude oils. Following microbial flood experimentation microorganisms were distributed throughout the core (110 md (0.109 {mu}m{sup 2}) Berea sandstone) with a predominance of cells located near the outlet end. 34 refs., 6 figs., 7 tabs.« less

Oil-source correlations between the Mississippian Heath Shales and the reservoired oils in the Pennsylvanian Tyler Sands, Montana

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

Cole, G.A.; Drozd, R.J.; Daniel, J.A.

The Mississippi Heath Formation exposed in Fergus County, central Montana, is comprised predominantly of nearshore, marine, black, calcareous shales and carbonates with minor anhydrite and coal beds. The black shales and limestones have been considered as sources for shale oil via Fischer Assay and pyrolysis analysis. These shales are potential source units for the oils reservoired in the overlying Pennsylvanian Tyler Formation sands located 50 mi (80 km) to the east of the Fergus County Heath sediment studied. Heath Formation rocks from core holes were selectively sampled in 2-ft increments and analyzed for their source rock characteristics. Analyses include percentmore » total organic carbon (%TOC), Rock-Eval pyrolysis, pyrolysis-gas chromatography, and characterization of the total soluble extracts using carbon isotopes and gas chromatography-mass Spectrometry. Results indicated that the Heath was an excellent potential source unit that contained oil-prone, organic-rich (maximum of 17.6% TOC), calcareous, black shale intervals. The Heath and Tyler formations also contained intervals dominated by gas-prone, organic-rich shales of terrestrial origin. Three oils from the Tyler Formation sands in Musselshell and Rosebud counties were characterized by similar methods as the extracts. The oils were normally mature, moderate API gravity, moderate sulfur, low asphaltene crudes. Oil to source correlations between the Heath shale extracts and the oils indicated the Heath was an excellent candidate source rock for the Tyler reservoired oils. Conclusions were based on excellent matches between the carbon isotopes of the oils and the kerogen-kerogen pyrolyzates, and from the biomarkers.« less

Microbial enhanced oil recovery and wettability research program

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

Thomas, C.P.; Bala, G.A.; Duvall, M.L.

1991-07-01

This report covers research results for the microbial enhanced oil recovery (MEOR) and wettability research program conducted by EG G Idaho, Inc. at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL). The isolation and characterization of microbial species collected from various locations including target oil field environments is underway to develop more effective oil recovery systems for specific applications. The wettability research is a multi-year collaborative effort with the New Mexico Petroleum Recovery Research Center (NMPRRC), to evaluate reservoir wettability and its effects on oil recovery. Results from the wettability research will be applied to determine if alteration of wettability is amore » significant contributing mechanism for MEOR systems. Eight facultatively anaerobic surfactant producing isolates able to function in the reservoir conditions of the Minnelusa A Sands of the Powder River Basin in Wyoming were isolated from naturally occurring oil-laden environments. Isolates were characterized according to morphology, thermostability, halotolerance, growth substrates, affinity to crude oil/brine interfaces, degradative effects on crude oils, and biochemical profiles. Research at the INEL has focused on the elucidation of microbial mechanisms by which crude oil may be recovered from a reservoir and the chemical and physical properties of the reservoir that may impact the effectiveness of MEOR. Bacillus licheniformis JF-2 (ATCC 39307) has been used as a benchmark organism to quantify MEOR of medium weight crude oils (17.5 to 38.1{degrees}API) the capacity for oil recovery of Bacillus licheniformis JF-2 utilizing a sucrose-based nutrient has been elucidated using Berea sandstone cores. Spacial distribution of cells after microbial flooding has been analyzed with scanning electron microscopy. Also the effect of microbial surfactants on the interfacial tensions (IFT) of aqueous/crude oil systems has been measured. 87 refs., 60 figs., 15 tabs.« less

Advanced Reservoir Characterization and Evaluation of CO2 Gravity Drainage in the Naturally Fractured Spraberry Trend Area, Class III

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

Knight, Bill; Schechter, David S.

The goal of this project was to assess the economic feasibility of CO2 flooding the naturally fractured Spraberry Trend Area in west Texas. This objective was accomplished through research in four areas: (1) extensive characterization of the reservoirs, (2) experimental studies of crude oil/brine/rock (COBR) interactions in the reservoirs, (3) reservoir performance analysis, and (4) experimental investigations on CO2 gravity drainage in Spraberry whole cores. This provides results of the final year of the six-year project for each of the four areas.

Chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of honeybee ( Apis mellifera ligustica) propolis from subtropical eastern Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Massaro, Carmelina Flavia; Simpson, Jack Bruce; Powell, Daniel; Brooks, Peter

2015-12-01

Propolis is a material manufactured by bees and contains beeswax, bee salivary secretions and plant resins. Propolis preparations have been used for millennia by humans in food, cosmetics and medicines due to its antibacterial effects. Within the hive, propolis plays an important role in bees' health, with much of its bioactivity largely dependent on the plant resins the bees select for its production. Few chemical studies are available on the chemistry of propolis produced by Australian honeybees ( Apis mellifera, Apidae). This study aimed to determine the chemical composition as well as in vitro antimicrobial effects of propolis harvested from honeybees in subtropical eastern Australia. Honeybee propolis was produced using plastic frames and multiple beehives in two subtropical sites in eastern Australia. Methanolic extracts of propolis were analysed by liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection and high-resolution mass spectrometry (ultra-high-pressure liquid chromatography (UHPLC)-UV-high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry (HR-MS/MS)) and by gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The resulting chemical data were dereplicated for compound characterisation. The two crude extracts in abs. ethanol were tested in vitro by the agar diffusion and broth dilution methods, using a phenol standard solution as the positive control and abs. ethanol as the negative control. Chemical constituents were identified to be pentacyclic triterpenoids and C-prenylated flavonoids, including Abyssinoflavanone VII, Propolin C and Nymphaeol C. The two propolis crude extracts showed bactericidal effects at the minimal inhibitory concentrations of 0.37-2.04 mg mL-1 against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923. However, the extracts were inactive against Klebsiella pneumoniae ATCC 13883 and Candida albicans ATCC 10231. The antistaphylococcal potential of propolis was discussed, also in relation to honeybees' health, as it warrants further investigations on the social and individual immunities of Australian honeybees.

Chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of honeybee (Apis mellifera ligustica) propolis from subtropical eastern Australia.

PubMed

Massaro, Carmelina Flavia; Simpson, Jack Bruce; Powell, Daniel; Brooks, Peter

2015-12-01

Propolis is a material manufactured by bees and contains beeswax, bee salivary secretions and plant resins. Propolis preparations have been used for millennia by humans in food, cosmetics and medicines due to its antibacterial effects. Within the hive, propolis plays an important role in bees' health, with much of its bioactivity largely dependent on the plant resins the bees select for its production. Few chemical studies are available on the chemistry of propolis produced by Australian honeybees (Apis mellifera, Apidae). This study aimed to determine the chemical composition as well as in vitro antimicrobial effects of propolis harvested from honeybees in subtropical eastern Australia. Honeybee propolis was produced using plastic frames and multiple beehives in two subtropical sites in eastern Australia. Methanolic extracts of propolis were analysed by liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection and high-resolution mass spectrometry (ultra-high-pressure liquid chromatography (UHPLC)-UV-high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry (HR-MS/MS)) and by gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The resulting chemical data were dereplicated for compound characterisation. The two crude extracts in abs. ethanol were tested in vitro by the agar diffusion and broth dilution methods, using a phenol standard solution as the positive control and abs. ethanol as the negative control. Chemical constituents were identified to be pentacyclic triterpenoids and C-prenylated flavonoids, including Abyssinoflavanone VII, Propolin C and Nymphaeol C. The two propolis crude extracts showed bactericidal effects at the minimal inhibitory concentrations of 0.37-2.04 mg mL(-1) against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923. However, the extracts were inactive against Klebsiella pneumoniae ATCC 13883 and Candida albicans ATCC 10231. The antistaphylococcal potential of propolis was discussed, also in relation to honeybees' health, as it warrants further investigations on the social and individual immunities of Australian honeybees.

Longevity extension of worker honey bees (Apis mellifera) by royal jelly: optimal dose and active ingredient

PubMed Central

Han, Mingfeng

2017-01-01

In the Western honey bee, Apis mellifera, queens and workers have different longevity although they share the same genome. Queens consume royal jelly (RJ) as the main food throughout their life, including as adults, but workers only eat worker jelly when they are larvae less than 3 days old. In order to explore the effect of RJ and the components affecting longevity of worker honey bees, we first determined the optimal dose for prolonging longevity of workers as 4% RJ in 50% sucrose solution, and developed a method of obtaining long lived workers. We then compared the effects of longevity extension by RJ 4% with bee-collected pollen from rapeseed (Brassica napus). Lastly, we determined that a water soluble RJ protein obtained by precipitation with 60% ammonium sulfate (RJP60) contained the main component for longevity extension after comparing the effects of RJ crude protein extract (RJCP), RJP30 (obtained by precipitation with 30% ammonium sulfate), and RJ ethanol extract (RJEE). Understanding what regulates worker longevity has potential to help increase colony productivity and improve crop pollination efficiency. PMID:28367370

Longevity extension of worker honey bees (Apis mellifera) by royal jelly: optimal dose and active ingredient.

PubMed

Yang, Wenchao; Tian, Yuanyuan; Han, Mingfeng; Miao, Xiaoqing

2017-01-01

In the Western honey bee, Apis mellifera , queens and workers have different longevity although they share the same genome. Queens consume royal jelly (RJ) as the main food throughout their life, including as adults, but workers only eat worker jelly when they are larvae less than 3 days old. In order to explore the effect of RJ and the components affecting longevity of worker honey bees, we first determined the optimal dose for prolonging longevity of workers as 4% RJ in 50% sucrose solution, and developed a method of obtaining long lived workers. We then compared the effects of longevity extension by RJ 4% with bee-collected pollen from rapeseed ( Brassica napus ). Lastly, we determined that a water soluble RJ protein obtained by precipitation with 60% ammonium sulfate (RJP 60 ) contained the main component for longevity extension after comparing the effects of RJ crude protein extract (RJCP), RJP 30 (obtained by precipitation with 30% ammonium sulfate), and RJ ethanol extract (RJEE). Understanding what regulates worker longevity has potential to help increase colony productivity and improve crop pollination efficiency.

In vitro antiproliferative/cytotoxic activity on cancer cell lines of a cardanol and a cardol enriched from Thai Apis mellifera propolis

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Propolis is a complex resinous honeybee product. It is reported to display diverse bioactivities, such as antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor properties, which are mainly due to phenolic compounds, and especially flavonoids. The diversity of bioactive compounds depends on the geography and climate, since these factors affect the floral diversity. Here, Apis mellifera propolis from Nan province, Thailand, was evaluated for potential anti-cancer activity. Methods Propolis was sequentially extracted with methanol, dichloromethane and hexane and the cytotoxic activity of each crude extract was assayed for antiproliferative/cytotoxic activity in vitro against five human cell lines derived from duet carcinoma (BT474), undifferentiated lung (Chaco), liver hepatoblastoma (Hep-G2), gastric carcinoma (KATO-III) and colon adenocarcinoma (SW620) cancers. The human foreskin fibroblast cell line (Hs27) was used as a non-transformed control. Those crude extracts that displayed antiproliferative/cytotoxic activity were then further fractionated by column chromatography using TLC-pattern and MTT-cytotoxicity bioassay guided selection of the fractions. The chemical structure of each enriched bioactive compound was analyzed by nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectroscopy. Results The crude hexane and dichloromethane extracts of propolis displayed antiproliferative/cytotoxic activities with IC50 values across the five cancer cell lines ranging from 41.3 to 52.4 μg/ml and from 43.8 to 53.5 μg/ml, respectively. Two main bioactive components were isolated, one cardanol and one cardol, with broadly similar in vitro antiproliferation/cytotoxicity IC50 values across the five cancer cell lines and the control Hs27 cell line, ranging from 10.8 to 29.3 μg/ml for the cardanol and < 3.13 to 5.97 μg/ml (6.82 - 13.0 μM) for the cardol. Moreover, both compounds induced cytotoxicity and cell death without DNA fragmentation in the cancer cells, but only an antiproliferation response in the control Hs27 cells However, these two compounds did not account for the net antiproliferation/cytotoxic activity of the crude extracts suggesting the existence of other potent compounds or synergistic interactions in the propolis extracts. Conclusion This is the first report that Thai A. mellifera propolis contains at least two potentially new compounds (a cardanol and a cardol) with potential anti-cancer bioactivity. Both could be alternative antiproliferative agents for future development as anti-cancer drugs. PMID:22458642

Convectively Generated Gravity Waves In The Tropical Stratosphere: Case Studies And Importance For The Circulation Of The Middle Atmosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pfister, Leonhard; Chan, Kwoklong R.; Gary, Bruce; Singh, Hanwant B. (Technical Monitor)

1995-01-01

The advent of high altitude aircraft measurements in the stratosphere over tropical convective systems has made it possible to observe the mesoscale disturbances in the temperature field that these systems excite. Such measurements show that these disturbances have horizontal scales comparable to those of the underlying anvils (about 50-100 km) with peak to peak theta surface variations of about 300-400 meters. Moreover, correlative wind measurements from the tropical phase of the Stratosphere-Troposphere Exchange Project (STEP) clearly show that these disturbances are gravity waves. We present two case studies of anvil-scale gravity waves over convective systems. Using steady and time-dependent linear models of gravity wave propagation in the stratosphere, we show: (1) that the underlying convective systems are indeed the source of the observed phenomena; and (2) that their generating mechanism can be crudely represented as flow over a time-dependent mountain. We will then discuss the effects gravity waves of the observed amplitudes have on the circulation of the middle atmosphere, particularly the quasi-biennial, and semiannual oscillations.

Surfactant-based EOR mediated by naturally occurring microorganisms

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

Thomas, C.P.; Duvall, M.L.; Robertson, E.P.

1993-11-01

Oil recovery experiments using Bacillus licheniformis JF-2 (ATCC 39307) and a sucrose-based nutrient were performed with Berea sandstone cores (permeability 0.084 to 0.503 [mu]m [85 to 510 md]). Oil recovery efficiencies for four different crude oils (0.9396 to 0.8343 g/cm[sup 3] [19.1 to 38.1 [degree] API]) varied from 2.8% to 42.6% of the waterflood residual oil. Microbial systems reduced interfacial tension (IFT) [approximately]20 mN/m [[approximately]20 dyne/cm] for all oils tested. After the microbial flood experimentation, organisms were distributed throughout the core, with most cells near the outlet.

Response to Oil Sands Products Assessment

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-09-01

volume of the spill, its duration, and the viscosity and density of the crude oil involved. The denser components of a Dilbit spill would be difficult...C-4 Figure ‎C-2. Viscosity change for the three types of diluted bitumen. ......................................................... C...specific gravity) approaching or even exceeding the density of water. As a result of their high viscosity , bitumen cannot be produced by conventional

Solubility of crude oil in methane as a function of pressure and temperature

USGS Publications Warehouse

Price, L.C.; Wenger, L.M.; Ging, T.; Blount, C.W.

1983-01-01

The solubility of a 44?? API (0.806 sp. gr.) whole crude oil has been measured in methane with water present at temperatures of 50 to 250??C and pressures of 740 to 14,852 psi, as have the solubilities of two high molecular weight petroleum distillation fractions at temperatures of 50 to 250??C and pressures of 4482 to 25,266 psi. Both increases in pressure and temperature increase the solubility of crude oil and petroleum distillation fractions in methane, the effect of pressure being greater than that of temperature. Unexpectedly high solubility levels (0.5-1.5 grams of oil per liter of methane-at laboratory temperature and pressure) were measured at moderate conditions (50-200??C and 5076-14504 psi). Similar results were found for the petroleum distillation fractions, one of which was the highest molecular weight material of petroleum (material boiling above 266??C at 6 microns pressure). Unexpectedly mild conditions (100??C and 15,200 psi; 200??C and 7513 psi) resulted in cosolubility of crude oil and methane. Under these conditions, samples of the gas-rich phase gave solubility values of 4 to 5 g/l, or greater. Qualitative analyses of the crude-oil solute samples showed that at low pressure and temperature equilibration conditions, the solute condensate would be enriched in C5-C15 range hydrocarbons and in saturated hydrocarbons in the C15+ fraction. With increases in temperature and especially pressure, these tendencies were reversed, and the solute condensate became identical to the starting crude oil. The data of this study, compared to that of previous studies, shows that methane, with water present, has a much greater carrying capacity for crude oil than in dry systems. The presence of water also drastically lowers the temperature and pressure conditions required for cosolubility. The data of this and/or previous studies demonstrate that the addition of carbon dioxide, ethane, propane, or butane to methane also has a strong positive effect on crude oil solubility, as does the presence of fine grained rocks. The n-paraffin distributions (as well as the overall composition) of the solute condensates are controlled by the temperature and pressure of solution and exsolution, as well as by the composition of the original starting material. It appears quite possible that primary migration by gaseous solution could 'strip' a source rock of crude-oil like components leaving behind a bitumen totally unlike the migrated crude oil. The data of this study demonstrate previous criticisms of primary petroleum migration by gas solution are invalid; that primary migration by gaseous solution cannot occur because methane cannot dissolve sufficient volumes of crude oil or cannot dissolve the highest molecular weight components of petroleum (tars and asphaltenes). ?? 1983.

Chemical constituents and free radical scavenging activity of corn pollen collected from Apis mellifera hives compared to floral corn pollen at Nan, Thailand.

PubMed

Chantarudee, Atip; Phuwapraisirisan, Preecha; Kimura, Kiyoshi; Okuyama, Masayuki; Mori, Haruhide; Kimura, Atsuo; Chanchao, Chanpen

2012-04-18

Bee pollen is composed of floral pollen mixed with nectar and bee secretion that is collected by foraging honey (Apis sp.) and stingless bees. It is rich in nutrients, such as sugars, proteins, lipids, vitamins and flavonoids, and has been ascribed antiproliferative, anti-allergenic, anti-angiogenic and free radical scavenging activities. This research aimed at a preliminary investigation of the chemical constituents and free radical scavenging activity in A. mellifera bee pollen. Bee pollen was directly collected from A. mellifera colonies in Nan province, Thailand, in June, 2010, whilst floral corn (Zea mays L.) pollen was collected from the nearby corn fields. The pollen was then sequentially extracted with methanol, dichloromethane (DCM) and hexane, and each crude extract was tested for free radical scavenging activity using the DPPH assay, evaluating the percentage scavenging activity and the effective concentration at 50% (EC50). The most active crude fraction from the bee pollen was then further enriched for bioactive components by silica gel 60 quick and adsorption or Sephadex LH-20 size exclusion chromatography. The purity of all fractions in each step was observed by thin layer chromatography and the bioactivity assessed by the DPPH assay. The chemical structures of the most active fractions were analyzed by nuclear magnetic resonance. The crude DCM extract of both the bee corn pollen and floral corn pollen provided the highest active free radical scavenging activity of the three solvent extracts, but it was significantly (over 28-fold) higher in the bee corn pollen (EC(50) = 7.42 ± 0.12 μg/ml), than the floral corn pollen (EC(50) = 212 ± 13.6% μg/ml). After fractionation to homogeneity, the phenolic hydroquinone and the flavone 7-O-R-apigenin were found as the minor and major bioactive compounds, respectively. Bee corn pollen contained a reasonably diverse array of nutritional components, including biotin (56.7 μg/100 g), invert sugar (19.9 g/100 g), vitamin A and β carotene (1.53 mg/100 g). Bee pollen derived from corn (Z. mays), a non-toxic or edible plant, provided a better free radical scavenging activity than floral corn pollen.

Chemical constituents and free radical scavenging activity of corn pollen collected from Apis mellifera hives compared to floral corn pollen at Nan, Thailand

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Bee pollen is composed of floral pollen mixed with nectar and bee secretion that is collected by foraging honey (Apis sp.) and stingless bees. It is rich in nutrients, such as sugars, proteins, lipids, vitamins and flavonoids, and has been ascribed antiproliferative, anti-allergenic, anti-angiogenic and free radical scavenging activities. This research aimed at a preliminary investigation of the chemical constituents and free radical scavenging activity in A. mellifera bee pollen. Methods Bee pollen was directly collected from A. mellifera colonies in Nan province, Thailand, in June, 2010, whilst floral corn (Zea mays L.) pollen was collected from the nearby corn fields. The pollen was then sequentially extracted with methanol, dichloromethane (DCM) and hexane, and each crude extract was tested for free radical scavenging activity using the DPPH assay, evaluating the percentage scavenging activity and the effective concentration at 50% (EC50). The most active crude fraction from the bee pollen was then further enriched for bioactive components by silica gel 60 quick and adsorption or Sephadex LH-20 size exclusion chromatography. The purity of all fractions in each step was observed by thin layer chromatography and the bioactivity assessed by the DPPH assay. The chemical structures of the most active fractions were analyzed by nuclear magnetic resonance. Results The crude DCM extract of both the bee corn pollen and floral corn pollen provided the highest active free radical scavenging activity of the three solvent extracts, but it was significantly (over 28-fold) higher in the bee corn pollen (EC50 = 7.42 ± 0.12 μg/ml), than the floral corn pollen (EC50 = 212 ± 13.6% μg/ml). After fractionation to homogeneity, the phenolic hydroquinone and the flavone 7-O-R-apigenin were found as the minor and major bioactive compounds, respectively. Bee corn pollen contained a reasonably diverse array of nutritional components, including biotin (56.7 μg/100 g), invert sugar (19.9 g/100 g), vitamin A and β carotene (1.53 mg/100 g). Conclusions Bee pollen derived from corn (Z. mays), a non-toxic or edible plant, provided a better free radical scavenging activity than floral corn pollen. PMID:22513008

South Belridge fields, Borderland basin, U. S. , San Joaquin Valley

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

Miller, D.D.; McPherson, J.G.

1991-03-01

South Belridge is a giant field in the west San Joaquin Valley, Kern County. Cumulative field production is approximately 700 MMBO and 220 BCFG, with remaining recoverable reserves of approximately 500 MMBO. The daily production is nearly 180 MBO from over 6100 active wells. The focus of current field development and production is the shallow Tulare reservoir. Additional probable diatomite reserves have been conservatively estimated at 550 MMBO and 550 BCFG. South Belridge field has two principal reservoir horizons; the Mio-Pliocene Belridge diatomite of the upper Monterey Formation, and the overlying Plio-Pleistocene Tulare Formation. The field lies on the crestmore » of a large southeast-plunging anticline, sub-parallel to the nearby San Andreas fault system. The reservoir trap in both the Tulare and diatomite reservoir horizons is a combination of structure, stratigraphic factors, and tar seals; the presumed source for the oil is the deeper Monterey Formation. The diatomite reservoir produces light oil (20-32{degree} API gravity) form deep-marine diatomite and diatomaceous shales with extremely high porosity (average 60%) and low permeability (average 1 md). In contrast, the shallow ({lt}1000 ft (305 m) deep) overlying Tulare reservoir produces heavy oil (13-14{degree} API gravity) from unconsolidated, arkosic, fluviodeltaic sands of high porosity (average 35%) and permeability (average 3000 md). The depositional model is that of a generally prograding fluviodeltaic system sourced in the nearby basin-margin highlands. More than 6000 closely spaced, shallow wells are the key to steamflood production from hundreds of layered and laterally discontinuous reservoir sands which create laterally and vertically discontinuous reservoir flow units.« less

Purification of Giardia muris cysts by velocity sedimentation.

PubMed Central

Sauch, J F

1984-01-01

Giardia muris cysts were separated from fecal contaminants in primary isolates by unit gravity velocity sedimentation. Crude isolates obtained by centrifugation over 1.0 M sucrose were overlaid onto a Percoll density gradient, 1.01 to 1.03 g/ml. G. muris cysts were well separated from faster-sedimenting fecal debris and slower-sedimenting Spironucleus muris and bacteria in 1.5 h. PMID:6486790

Antibacterial Activity of a Cardanol from Thai Apis mellifera Propolis

PubMed Central

Boonsai, Pattaraporn; Phuwapraisirisan, Preecha; Chanchao, Chanpen

2014-01-01

Background: Propolis is a sticky, dark brown resinous residue made by bees that is derived from plant resins. It is used to construct and repair the nest, and in addition possesses several diverse bioactivities. Here, propolis from Apis mellifera from Nan province, Thailand, was tested for antibacterial activity against Gram+ve (Staphylococcus aureus and Paenibacillus larvae) and Gram-ve (Escherichia coli) bacteria. Materials and methods: The three bacterial isolates were confirmed for species designation by Gram staining and analysis of the partial sequence of 16S rDNA. Propolis was sequentially extracted by methanol, dichloromethane and hexane. The antibacterial activity was determined by agar well diffusion and microbroth dilution assays using streptomycin as a positive control. The most active crude extract was further purified by quick column and adsorption chromatography. The apparent purity of each bioactive fraction was tested by thin layer chromatography. The chemical structure of the isolated bioactive compound was analyzed by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Results: Crude methanol extract of propolis showed the best antibacterial activity with a minimum inhibition concentration (MIC) value of 5 mg/mL for S. aureus and E. coli and 6.25 mg/mL for P. larvae. After quick column chromatography, only three active fractions were inhibitory to the growth of S. aureus and E. coli with MIC values of 6.25 and 31.3 µg/mL, respectively. Further adsorption chromatography yielded one pure bioactive fraction (A1A) with an IC50 value of 0.175 µg/mL for E. coli and 0.683 µg/mL for P. larvae, and was determined to be cardanol by NMR analysis. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy analysis revealed unusual shaped (especially in dividing cells), damaged and dead cells in cardanol-treated E. coli. Conclusion: Thai propolis contains a promising antibacterial agent. PMID:24578609

Using supercritical fluids to refine hydrocarbons

DOEpatents

Yarbro, Stephen Lee

2015-06-09

A system and method for reactively refining hydrocarbons, such as heavy oils with API gravities of less than 20 degrees and bitumen-like hydrocarbons with viscosities greater than 1000 cp at standard temperature and pressure, using a selected fluid at supercritical conditions. A reaction portion of the system and method delivers lightweight, volatile hydrocarbons to an associated contacting unit which operates in mixed subcritical/supercritical or supercritical modes. Using thermal diffusion, multiphase contact, or a momentum generating pressure gradient, the contacting unit separates the reaction products into portions that are viable for use or sale without further conventional refining and hydro-processing techniques.

Characterization of Paenibacillus sp. MBT213 Isolated from Raw Milk and Its Ability to Convert Ginsenoside Rb1 into Ginsenoside Rd from Panax ginseng

PubMed Central

Cho, Soo Hyun; Park, Young W; Song, Gyu Yong

2017-01-01

This study was conducted to isolate and characterize Paenibacillus sp. MBT213 possessing β-glucosidase activity from raw milk, and examine the enzymatic capacity on the hydrolysis of a major ginsenoside (Rb1). Strain MBT213 was found to have a high hydrolytic ability on ginsenoside Rb1 by Esculin Iron Agar test. 16S rDNA analysis revealed that MBT213 was Paenibacillu sp. Crude enzyme of MBT213 strain exhibited high conversion capacity on ginsenoside Rb1 into ginsenoside Rd proven by TLC and HPLC analyses. The API ZYM kit confirmed that Paenibacillu sp. MBT213 exerted higher β-glucosidase and β-galactosidase activity than other strains. Optimum pH and temperature for crude enzyme were found at 7.0 and 35°C in hydrolysis of ginsenoside Rb1. After 10 d of optimal reaction conditions for the crude enzyme, ginsenoside Rb1 fully converted to ginsenoside Rd. Ginseng roots (20%) were fermented for 14 d, and analyzed by HPLC showed that amount of ginsenoside Rb1 significantly decreased, while that of ginsenoside Rd was significantly increased. The study confirmed that the β-glucosidase produced by Paenibacillus sp. MBT213 can hydrolyze the major ginsenoside Rb1 and convert to Rd during fermentation of the ginseng. The β-glucosidase activity of this novel Paenibacillus sp. MBT213 strain may be utilized in development of variety of health foods, dairy foods and pharmaceutical products. PMID:29147097

Quantitative characterization of crude oils and fuels in mineral substrates using reflectance spectroscopy: Implications for remote sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scafutto, Rebecca Del'Papa Moreira; Souza Filho, Carlos Roberto de

2016-08-01

The near and shortwave infrared spectral reflectance properties of several mineral substrates impregnated with crude oils (°APIs 19.2, 27.5 and 43.2), diesel, gasoline and ethanol were measured and assembled in a spectral library. These data were examined using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Partial Least Squares (PLS) Regression. Unique and characteristic absorption features were identified in the mixtures, besides variations of the spectral signatures related to the compositional difference of the crude oils and fuels. These features were used for qualitative and quantitative determination of the contaminant impregnated in the substrates. Specific wavelengths, where key absorption bands occur, were used for the individual characterization of oils and fuels. The intensity of these features can be correlated to the abundance of the contaminant in the mixtures. Grain size and composition of the impregnated substrate directly influence the variation of the spectral signatures. PCA models applied to the spectral library proved able to differentiate the type and density of the hydrocarbons. The calibration models generated by PLS are robust, of high quality and can also be used to predict the concentration of oils and fuels in mixtures with mineral substrates. Such data and models are employable as a reference for classifying unknown samples of contaminated substrates. The results of this study have important implications for onshore exploration and environmental monitoring of oil and fuels leaks using proximal and far range multispectral, hyperspectral and ultraespectral remote sensing.

Bee Venom (Apis Mellifera) an Effective Potential Alternative to Gentamicin for Specific Bacteria Strains: Bee Venom an Effective Potential for Bacteria.

PubMed

Zolfagharian, Hossein; Mohajeri, Mohammad; Babaie, Mahdi

2016-09-01

Mellitine, a major component of bee venom (BV, Apis mellifera ), is more active against gram positive than gram negative bacteria. Moreover, BV has been reported to have multiple effects, including antibacterial, antivirus, and anti-inflammation effects, in various types of cells. In addition, wasp venom has been reported to have antibacterial properties. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antibacterial activity of BV against selected gram positive and gram negative bacterial strains of medical importance. This investigation was set up to evaluate the antibacterial activity of BV against six grams positive and gram negative bacteria, including Staphylococcus aureus ( S. aureus ), Salmonella typhimurium , Escherichia coli ( E. coli ) O157:H7, Pseudomonas aeruginosa , Burkholderia mallei and Burkholderia pseudomallei. Three concentrations of crude BV and standard antibiotic (gentamicin) disks as positive controls were tested by using the disc diffusion method. BV was found to have a significant antibacterial effect against E. coli , S. aureus , and Salmonella typhyimurium in all three concentrations tested. However, BV had no noticeable effect on other tested bacteria for any of the three doses tested. The results of the current study indicate that BV inhibits the growth and survival of bacterial strains and that BV can be used as a complementary antimicrobial agent against pathogenic bacteria. BV lacked the effective proteins necessary for it to exhibit antibacterial activity for some specific strains while being very effective against other specific strains. Thus, one may conclude, that Apis mellifera venom may have a specific mechanism that allows it to have an antibacterial effect on certain susceptible bacteria, but that mechanism is not well understood.

A terracing operator for physical property mapping with potential field data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cordell, L.; McCafferty, A.E.

1989-01-01

The terracing operator works iteratively on gravity or magnetic data, using the sense of the measured field's local curvature, to produce a field comprised of uniform domains separated by abrupt domain boundaries. The result is crudely proportional to a physical-property function defined in one (profile case) or two (map case) horizontal dimensions. This result can be extended to a physical-property model if its behavior in the third (vertical) dimension is defined, either arbitrarily or on the basis of the local geologic situation. The terracing algorithm is computationally fast and appropriate to use with very large digital data sets. The terracing operator was applied separately to aeromagnetic and gravity data from a 136km x 123km area in eastern Kansas. Results provide a reasonable good physical representation of both the gravity and the aeromagnetic data. Superposition of the results from the two data sets shows many areas of agreement that can be referenced to geologic features within the buried Precambrian crystalline basement. -from Authors

Geothermal and heavy-oil resources in Texas

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

Seni, S.J.; Walter, T.G.

1994-01-01

In a five-county area of South Texas, geopressured-geothermal reservoirs in the Paleocene-Eocene Wilcox Group lie below medium- to heavy-oil reservoirs in the Eocene Jackson Group. This fortuitous association suggests the use of geothermal fluids for thermally enhanced oil recovery (TEOR). Geothermal fairways are formed where thick deltaic sandstones are compartmentalized by growth faults. Wilcox geothermal reservoirs in South Texas are present at depths of 11,000 to 15,000 ft (3,350 to 4,570 m) in laterally continuous sandstones 100 to 200 ft (30 to 60 m) thick. Permeability is generally low (typically 1 md), porosity ranges from 12 to 24 percent, andmore » temperature exceeds 250{degrees}F (121{degrees}C). Reservoirs containing medium (20{degrees} to 25{degrees} API gravity) to heavy (10{degrees} to 20{degrees} API gravity) oil are concentrated along the Texas Coastal Plain in the Jackson-Yegua Barrier/Strandplain (Mirando Trend), Cap Rock, and Piercement Salt Dome plays and in the East Texas Basin in Woodbine Fluvial/Deltaic Strandplain and Paluxy Fault Line plays. Injection of hot, moderately fresh to saline brines will improve oil recovery by lowering viscosity and decreasing residual oil saturation. Smectite clay matrix could swell and clog pore throats if injected waters have low salinity. The high temperature of injected fluids will collapse some of the interlayer clays, thus increasing porosity and permeability. Reservoir heterogeneity resulting from facies variation and diagenesis must be considered when siting production and injection wells within the heavy-oil reservoir. The ability of abandoned gas wells to produce sufficient volumes of hot water over the long term will also affect the economics of TEOR.« less

Geographical influences on content of 10-hydroxy-trans-2-decenoic acid in royal jelly in China.

PubMed

Wei, Wen-Ting; Hu, Yuan-Qiang; Zheng, Huo-Qing; Cao, Lian-Fei; Hu, Fu-Liang; Hepburn, H Randall

2013-10-01

The content of 10-hydroxy-trans-2-decenoic acid (10-HDA), a marker compound in royal jelly (RJ), is the most important criterion in grading RJ for commercial trade and varies with its origin. To identify the effect of geographical origin on 10-HDA content in RJ, 138 samples were collected from 19 provinces of China (divided into three groups) produced by either Apis mellifera ligustica Spinola, 1806 or a hybrid of A. m. ligustica and Apis mellifera carnica Pollman, 1879 and analyzed for moisture, sugar, crude protein, ash, acid, and 10-HDA concentration. The results show that RJ from western China has a significantly higher 10-HDA level (2.01 +/- 0.05%) than those from northeastern (1.87 +/- 0.05%) and eastern (1.75 +/- 0.03%) China. RJ secreted by hybrid bees contained more 10-HDA (1.89 +/- 0.03%) than that secreted by A. m. ligustica (1.78 +/- 0.03%). The 10-HDA content of RJ produced during flowering of rape (Brassica campestris L.), lime (Tilia amurensis Ruprecht), and vitex (Vitex negundo L. variety heterophylla (Franch.) Rehder) was 1.92, 1.80, and 1.68%, respectively. The results would be helpful during the process of price determination of RJ by providing some basis of geographical, bee strain, and botanical information for commercial trade.

Imparting in situ stability to displacing fluids

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

Jones, S.C.

1970-07-14

An aqueous preslug containing electrolyte an/or isopropanol was injected before a micellar-polymer flood to inhibit the tendency of the formation to degrade the flood. Berea cores were saturated with water from Henry lease in Illinois (18,000 ppm TDS), flooded with Henry crude (7 cp viscosity at 72/sup 0/F, specific gravity 0.843), and waterflooded with Henry water. A recovery of 86.3 percent OIP was obtained with the following preslug, micellar slug, and polymer flood. The preslug contained water from the water reservoir in Palestine, Illinois (400 ppm TDS) and sodium hydroxide. Ammonium petroleum sulfonate, Henry crude, isopropanol, nonyl phenol, sodium hydroxide,more » and Palestine water were combined to form the water-external micellar slug. The polymer flood was composed of Pusher 530, Palestine water, isopropanol, and ammonium thiocyanide.« less

Advanced reservoir characterization and evaluation of CO{sub 2} gravity drainage in the naturally fractured Spraberry Trend Area, Class III

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

Heckman, Tracy; Schechter, David S.

2000-04-11

The overall goal of this project was to assess the economic feasibility of CO{sub 2} flooding the naturally fractured Spraberry Trend Area in West Texas. This objective was accomplished by conducting research in four areas: (1) extensive characterization of the reservoirs, (2) experimental studies of crude oil/brine/rock (COBR) interaction in the reservoirs, (3) analytical and numerical simulation of Spraberry reservoirs, and, (4) experimental investigations on CO{sub 2} gravity drainage in Spraberry whole cores. This report provides results of the fourth year of the five-year project for each of the four areas including a status report of field activities leading upmore » to injection of CO{sub 2}.« less

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

Ball, J.T.; Surkalo, H.

Current world oil prices have forced a reevaluation of many enhanced oil recovery processes. One very promising approach is the use of low-cost alkaline chemicals combined with surfactants and polymers. It has been determined from the testing of hundreds of oils that acid number and API gravity are simplistic screening criteria and are of very little value in many cases. Oil recovery experiments in the laboratory have resulted in residual oil saturations as low as with the micellar-polymer technology for as little as 10% of the chemical costs. Indications are that this technology has the potential for producing incremental oilmore » for less than $3 per barrel.« less

Effect of Bee Venom and Its Fractions on the Release of Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines in PMA-Differentiated U937 Cells Co-Stimulated with LPS

PubMed Central

Tusiimire, Jonans; Wallace, Jennifer; Woods, Nicola; Dufton, Mark J.; Parkinson, John A.; Abbott, Grainne; Clements, Carol J.; Young, Louise; Park, Jin Kyu; Jeon, Jong Woon; Ferro, Valerie A.; Watson, David G.

2016-01-01

The venom of Apis mellifera (honey bee) has been reported to play a role in immunotherapy, but existing evidence to support its immuno-modulatory claims is insufficient. Four fractions from whole bee venom (BV) were separated using medium pressure liquid chromatography. Their ability to induce the production of cytokines TNFα, IL-1β and IL-6 in phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA)-treated U937 cells was assessed. The levels of the three cytokines produced by stimulation with the four fractions and crude BV without LPS were not significantly different from negative control values. However, co-stimulation of the cells with LPS and Fraction 4 (F-4) induced a 1.6-fold increase in TNF-α level (p < 0.05) compared to LPS alone. Likewise, LPS-induced IL-1β production was significantly synergised in the presence of F-1 (nine-fold), F-2 (six-fold), F-3 (four-fold) and F-4 (two-fold) fractions, but was only slightly enhanced with crude BV (1.5-fold) relative to LPS. Furthermore, the LPS-stimulated production of IL-6 was not significantly increased in cells co-treated with F-2 and F-3, but the organic fraction (F-4) showed an inhibitory effect (p < 0.05) on IL-6 production. The latter was elucidated by NMR spectroscopy and found to contain(Z)-9-eicosen-1-ol. The effects observed with the purified BV fractions were more marked than those obtained with the crude sample. PMID:27104574

Direct sampling graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry - feasibility of Na and K determination in desalted crude oil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seeger, Tassia S.; Machado, Eduarda Q.; Flores, Erico M. M.; Mello, Paola A.; Duarte, Fabio A.

2018-03-01

In this study, Na and K were determined in desalted crude oil by direct sampling graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (DS-GF AAS), with the use of a Zeeman-effect background correction system with variable magnetic field. The analysis was performed in low and high sensitivity conditions. Sodium determination was performed in two low-sensitivity conditions: 1) main absorption line (589.0 nm), gas stop flow during the atomization step and 3-field dynamic mode (0.6-0.8 T); and 2) secondary absorption line (330.3 nm), gas stop flow during the atomization and 2-field mode (0.8 T). In K determination, some parameters, such as high-sensitivity mode, main absorption line (766.5 nm), gas stop flow during the atomization and 2-field mode (0.8 T), were used. Suitability of chemical modifiers, such as Pd and W-Ir was also evaluated. The heating program for Na and K was based on the pyrolysis and atomization curves. Calibration was performed by aqueous standards. Accuracy was evaluated by the analysis of Green Petroleum Coke (SRM NIST 2718) and Trace Elements in Fuel Oil (SRM NIST 1634c). Recovery tests were also performed and results were compared with those obtained by GF AAS after crude oil digestion by microwave-assisted digestion. The characteristic mass of Na was 17.1 pg and 0.46 ng in conditions 1 and 2, respectively, while the one of K was 1.4 pg. Limits of detection and quantification by DS-GF AAS were 30 and 40 ng g-1 for Na and 3.2 and 4.2 ng g-1 for K, respectively. Sodium and K were determined in three crude oil samples with API density ranging from 20.9 to 28.0. Sodium and K concentration ranged from 1.5 to 73 μg g-1 and from 23 to 522 ng g-1, respectively.

Experimental investigation of various vegetable fibers as sorbent materials for oil spills.

PubMed

Annunciado, T R; Sydenstricker, T H D; Amico, S C

2005-11-01

Oil spills are a global concern due to their environmental and economical impact. Various commercial systems have been developed to control these spills, including the use of fibers as sorbents. This research investigates the use of various vegetable fibers, namely mixed leaves residues, mixed sawdust, sisal (Agave sisalana), coir fiber (Cocos nucifera), sponge-gourd (Luffa cylindrica) and silk-floss as sorbent materials of crude oil. Sorption tests with crude oil were conducted in deionized and marine water media, with and without agitation. Water uptake by the fibers was investigated by tests in dry conditions and distillation of the impregnated sorbent. The silk-floss fiber showed a very high degree of hydrophobicity and oil sorption capacity of approximately 85goil/g sorbent (in 24hours). Specific gravity measurements and buoyancy tests were also used to evaluate the suitability of these fibers for the intended application.

Use of water-external micellar dispersions in oil recovery

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

Jones, S.C.

1970-04-14

A water-external micellar dispersion followed by a mobility buffer and a water drive were used for enhanced oil recovery. Field Berea sandstone cores (19.6 percent porosity, 387 md permeability) were saturated with brine (16,500 ppM sodium chloride), flooded with crude oil from the Henry lease in Illinois (viscosity of 5.9 cp at 72/sup 0/F, specific gravity of 0.833), and waterflooded with water from Henry lease (17,210 ppM TDS). The micellar dispersion followed by the mobility buffer produced 99.6 percent of the oil in the core. The micellar slug contained ammonium petroleum sulfonate (MW 450), Henry crude oil, isopropanol, nonyl phenol,more » sodium hydroxide, and water from the Palestine water reservoir in Palestine, Illinois (412 ppM TDS). No. 530 Pusher, ammonium thiocyanate, isopropanol, and Palestine water were in the mobility buffer.« less

The discrimination between crude-oil spills and monomolecular sea slicks by an airborne lidar

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Huehnerfuss, H.; Garrett, W. D.; Hoge, F. E.

1986-01-01

Airborne lidar measurements were performed over a deployed monomolecular oleyl alcohol surface film ('slick'), the physicochemical characteristics of which are known to be similar to biogenic organic compounds secreted by plankton and fish, and adjacent 'clean' sea surfaces in the North Sea. In the presence of the slick, the suppression of the Raman backscatter at 381 nm and of two spectral bands indicative of water column fluorescent organic material at 414 and 482 nm were observed. This effect is explained by two possible mechanisms giving rise to a modification of the transmission or coupling of the laser beam into the water column: (1) the damping of capillary and short gravity water waves by the oleyl alcohol slick, and (2) the modification of the uppermost water layer by the oleyl alcohol film. The results obtained in the presence of a slick are compared with data measured over a Murban crude-oil spill with the same lidar system off the coast of the U.S.A. The consequences of the lidar-monomolecular film experiments with regard to the remote detection of crude-oil spills and oil-thickness measurements with an airborne laser fluorosensing system will be discussed.

Fuels characterization studies. [jet fuels

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Seng, G. T.; Antoine, A. C.; Flores, F. J.

1980-01-01

Current analytical techniques used in the characterization of broadened properties fuels are briefly described. Included are liquid chromatography, gas chromatography, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. High performance liquid chromatographic ground-type methods development is being approached from several directions, including aromatic fraction standards development and the elimination of standards through removal or partial removal of the alkene and aromatic fractions or through the use of whole fuel refractive index values. More sensitive methods for alkene determinations using an ultraviolet-visible detector are also being pursued. Some of the more successful gas chromatographic physical property determinations for petroleum derived fuels are the distillation curve (simulated distillation), heat of combustion, hydrogen content, API gravity, viscosity, flash point, and (to a lesser extent) freezing point.

Estimating thermal maturity in the Eagle Ford Shale petroleum system using gas gravity data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Birdwell, Justin E.; Kinney, Scott A.

2017-01-01

Basin-wide datasets that provide information on the geochemical properties of petroleum systems, such as source rock quality, product composition, and thermal maturity, are often difficult to come by or assemble from publically available data. When published studies are available and include these kinds of properties, they generally have few sampling locations and limited numbers and types of analyses. Therefore, production-related data and engineering parameters can provide useful proxies for geochemical properties that are often widely available across a play and in some states are reported in publically available or commercial databases. Gas-oil ratios (GOR) can be calculated from instantaneous or cumulative production data and can be related to the source rock geochemical properties like kerogen type (Lewan and Henry, 1999) and thermal maturity (Tian et al., 2013; U.S. Energy Information Administration [EIA], 2014). Oil density or specific gravity (SG), often reported in American Petroleum Institute units (°API = 141.5 /SG – 131.5), can also provide information on source rock thermal maturity, particularly when combined with GOR values in unconventional petroleum systems (Nesheim, 2017).

Economic evaluation on CO₂-EOR of onshore oil fields in China

DOE PAGES

Wei, Ning; Li, Xiaochun; Dahowski, Robert T.; ...

2015-06-01

Carbon dioxide enhanced oil recovery (CO₂-EOR) and sequestration in depleted oil reservoirs is a plausible option for utilizing anthropogenic CO₂ to increase oil production while storing CO₂ underground. Evaluation of the storage resources and cost of potential CO₂-EOR projects is an essential step before the commencement of large-scale deployment of such activities. In this paper, a hybrid techno-economic evaluation method, including a performance model and cost model for onshore CO₂-EOR projects, has been developed based on previous studies. Total 296 onshore oil fields, accounting for about 70% of total mature onshore oil fields in China, were evaluated by the techno-economicmore » method. The key findings of this study are summarized as follows: (1) deterministic analysis shows there are approximately 1.1 billion tons (7.7 billion barrels) of incremental crude oil and 2.2 billion tons CO₂ storage resource for onshore CO₂-EOR at net positive revenue within the Chinese oil fields reviewed under the given operating strategy and economic assumptions. (2) Sensitivity study highlights that the cumulative oil production and cumulative CO₂ storage resource are very sensitive to crude oil price, CO₂ cost, project lifetime, discount rate and tax policy. High oil price, short project lifetime, low discount rate, low CO₂ cost, and low tax policy can greatly increase the net income of the oil enterprise, incremental oil recovery and CO₂ storage resource. (3) From this techno-economic evaluation, the major barriers to large-scale deployment of CO₂-EOR include complex geological conditions, low API of crude oil, high tax policy, and lack of incentives for the CO₂-EOR project.« less

Economic evaluation on CO₂-EOR of onshore oil fields in China

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

Wei, Ning; Li, Xiaochun; Dahowski, Robert T.

Carbon dioxide enhanced oil recovery (CO₂-EOR) and sequestration in depleted oil reservoirs is a plausible option for utilizing anthropogenic CO₂ to increase oil production while storing CO₂ underground. Evaluation of the storage resources and cost of potential CO₂-EOR projects is an essential step before the commencement of large-scale deployment of such activities. In this paper, a hybrid techno-economic evaluation method, including a performance model and cost model for onshore CO₂-EOR projects, has been developed based on previous studies. Total 296 onshore oil fields, accounting for about 70% of total mature onshore oil fields in China, were evaluated by the techno-economicmore » method. The key findings of this study are summarized as follows: (1) deterministic analysis shows there are approximately 1.1 billion tons (7.7 billion barrels) of incremental crude oil and 2.2 billion tons CO₂ storage resource for onshore CO₂-EOR at net positive revenue within the Chinese oil fields reviewed under the given operating strategy and economic assumptions. (2) Sensitivity study highlights that the cumulative oil production and cumulative CO₂ storage resource are very sensitive to crude oil price, CO₂ cost, project lifetime, discount rate and tax policy. High oil price, short project lifetime, low discount rate, low CO₂ cost, and low tax policy can greatly increase the net income of the oil enterprise, incremental oil recovery and CO₂ storage resource. (3) From this techno-economic evaluation, the major barriers to large-scale deployment of CO₂-EOR include complex geological conditions, low API of crude oil, high tax policy, and lack of incentives for the CO₂-EOR project.« less

Upper atmospheric gravity wave details revealed in nightglow satellite imagery

PubMed Central

Miller, Steven D.; Straka, William C.; Yue, Jia; Smith, Steven M.; Alexander, M. Joan; Hoffmann, Lars; Setvák, Martin; Partain, Philip T.

2015-01-01

Gravity waves (disturbances to the density structure of the atmosphere whose restoring forces are gravity and buoyancy) comprise the principal form of energy exchange between the lower and upper atmosphere. Wave breaking drives the mean upper atmospheric circulation, determining boundary conditions to stratospheric processes, which in turn influence tropospheric weather and climate patterns on various spatial and temporal scales. Despite their recognized importance, very little is known about upper-level gravity wave characteristics. The knowledge gap is mainly due to lack of global, high-resolution observations from currently available satellite observing systems. Consequently, representations of wave-related processes in global models are crude, highly parameterized, and poorly constrained, limiting the description of various processes influenced by them. Here we highlight, through a series of examples, the unanticipated ability of the Day/Night Band (DNB) on the NOAA/NASA Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership environmental satellite to resolve gravity structures near the mesopause via nightglow emissions at unprecedented subkilometric detail. On moonless nights, the Day/Night Band observations provide all-weather viewing of waves as they modulate the nightglow layer located near the mesopause (∼90 km above mean sea level). These waves are launched by a variety of physical mechanisms, ranging from orography to convection, intensifying fronts, and even seismic and volcanic events. Cross-referencing the Day/Night Band imagery with conventional thermal infrared imagery also available helps to discern nightglow structures and in some cases to attribute their sources. The capability stands to advance our basic understanding of a critical yet poorly constrained driver of the atmospheric circulation. PMID:26630004

Upper atmospheric gravity wave details revealed in nightglow satellite imagery.

PubMed

Miller, Steven D; Straka, William C; Yue, Jia; Smith, Steven M; Alexander, M Joan; Hoffmann, Lars; Setvák, Martin; Partain, Philip T

2015-12-08

Gravity waves (disturbances to the density structure of the atmosphere whose restoring forces are gravity and buoyancy) comprise the principal form of energy exchange between the lower and upper atmosphere. Wave breaking drives the mean upper atmospheric circulation, determining boundary conditions to stratospheric processes, which in turn influence tropospheric weather and climate patterns on various spatial and temporal scales. Despite their recognized importance, very little is known about upper-level gravity wave characteristics. The knowledge gap is mainly due to lack of global, high-resolution observations from currently available satellite observing systems. Consequently, representations of wave-related processes in global models are crude, highly parameterized, and poorly constrained, limiting the description of various processes influenced by them. Here we highlight, through a series of examples, the unanticipated ability of the Day/Night Band (DNB) on the NOAA/NASA Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership environmental satellite to resolve gravity structures near the mesopause via nightglow emissions at unprecedented subkilometric detail. On moonless nights, the Day/Night Band observations provide all-weather viewing of waves as they modulate the nightglow layer located near the mesopause (∼ 90 km above mean sea level). These waves are launched by a variety of physical mechanisms, ranging from orography to convection, intensifying fronts, and even seismic and volcanic events. Cross-referencing the Day/Night Band imagery with conventional thermal infrared imagery also available helps to discern nightglow structures and in some cases to attribute their sources. The capability stands to advance our basic understanding of a critical yet poorly constrained driver of the atmospheric circulation.

A novel method for the determination of chemical purity and assay of menaquinone-7. Comparison with the methods from the official USP monograph.

PubMed

Jedynak, Łukasz; Jedynak, Maria; Kossykowska, Magdalena; Zagrodzka, Joanna

2017-02-20

An HPLC method with UV detection and separation with the use of a C30 reversed phase analytical column for the determination of chemical purity and assay of menaquinone-7 (MK7) in one chromatographic run was developed. The method is superior to the methods published in the USP Monograph in terms of selectivity, sensitivity and accuracy, as well as time, solvent and sample consumption. The developed methodology was applied to MK7 samples of active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) purity, MK7 samples of lower quality and crude MK7 samples before purification. The comparison of the results revealed that the use of USP methodology could lead to serious overestimation (up to a few percent) of both purity and MK7 assay in menaquinone-7 samples. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

White-rot fungal pretreatment of wheat straw with Phanerochaete chrysosporium for biohydrogen production: simultaneous saccharification and fermentation.

PubMed

Zhi, Zelun; Wang, Hui

2014-07-01

This paper demonstrates biohydrogen production was enhanced by white-rot fungal pretreatment of wheat straw (WS) through simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF). Wheat straw was pretreated by Phanerochaete chrysosporium at 30 °C under solid state fermentation for 12 days, and lignin was removed about 28.5 ± 1.3 %. Microscopic structure observation combined thermal gravity and differential thermal gravity analysis further showed that the lignocellulose structure obviously disrupted after fungal pretreatment. Subsequently, the pretreated WS and crude cellulases prepared from Trichoderma atroviride were applied in SSF for hydrogen production using Clostridium perfringens. The maximum hydrogen yield was obtained to be 78.5 ± 3.4 ml g(-1)-pretreated WS, which was about 1.8-fold than the unpretreated group. Furthermore, the modified Gompertz model was applied study the progress of cumulative H(2) production. This work developed a novel bio-approach to improve fermentative H(2) yield from lignocellulosic biomass.

Using supercritical fluids to refine hydrocarbons

DOEpatents

Yarbro, Stephen Lee

2014-11-25

This is a method to reactively refine hydrocarbons, such as heavy oils with API gravities of less than 20.degree. and bitumen-like hydrocarbons with viscosities greater than 1000 cp at standard temperature and pressure using a selected fluid at supercritical conditions. The reaction portion of the method delivers lighter weight, more volatile hydrocarbons to an attached contacting device that operates in mixed subcritical or supercritical modes. This separates the reaction products into portions that are viable for use or sale without further conventional refining and hydro-processing techniques. This method produces valuable products with fewer processing steps, lower costs, increased worker safety due to less processing and handling, allow greater opportunity for new oil field development and subsequent positive economic impact, reduce related carbon dioxide, and wastes typical with conventional refineries.

Molecular characterization and comparison of shale oils generated by different pyrolysis methods using FT-ICR mass spectrometry

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jin, J.M.; Kim, S.; Birdwell, J.E.

2011-01-01

Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT ICR-MS) was applied in the analysis of shale oils generated using two different pyrolysis systems under laboratory conditions meant to simulate surface and in situ oil shale retorting. Significant variations were observed in the shale oils, particularly the degree of conjugation of the constituent molecules. Comparison of FT ICR-MS results to standard oil characterization methods (API gravity, SARA fractionation, gas chromatography-flame ionization detection) indicated correspondence between the average Double Bond Equivalence (DBE) and asphaltene content. The results show that, based on the average DBE values and DBE distributions of the shale oils examined, highly conjugated species are enriched in samples produced under low pressure, high temperature conditions and in the presence of water.

The E3 ubiquitin ligases β-TrCP and FBXW7 cooperatively mediates GSK3-dependent Mcl-1 degradation induced by the Akt inhibitor API-1, resulting in apoptosis.

PubMed

Ren, Hui; Koo, Junghui; Guan, Baoxiang; Yue, Ping; Deng, Xingming; Chen, Mingwei; Khuri, Fadlo R; Sun, Shi-Yong

2013-11-22

The novel Akt inhibitor, API-1, induces apoptosis through undefined mechanisms. The current study focuses on revealing the mechanisms by which API-1 induces apoptosis. API-1 rapidly and potently reduced the levels of Mcl-1 primarily in API-1-senstive lung cancer cell lines. Ectopic expression of Mcl-1 protected cells from induction of apoptosis by API-1. API-1 treatment decreased the half-life of Mcl-1, whereas inhibition of the proteasome with MG132 rescued Mcl-1 reduction induced by API-1. API-1 decreased Mcl-1 levels accompanied with a rapid increase in Mcl-1 phosphorylation (S159/T163). Moreover, inhibition of GSK3 inhibited Mcl-1 phosphorylation and reduction induced by API-1 and antagonized the effect of API-1 on induction of apoptosis. Knockdown of either FBXW7 or β-TrCP alone, both of which are E3 ubiquitin ligases involved in Mcl-1 degradation, only partially rescued Mcl-1 reduction induced by API-1. However, double knockdown of both E3 ubiquitin ligases enhanced the rescue of API-1-induced Mcl-1 reduction. API-1 induces GSK3-dependent, β-TrCP- and FBXW7-mediated Mcl-1 degradation, resulting in induction of apoptosis.

The E3 ubiquitin ligases β-TrCP and FBXW7 cooperatively mediates GSK3-dependent Mcl-1 degradation induced by the Akt inhibitor API-1, resulting in apoptosis

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background The novel Akt inhibitor, API-1, induces apoptosis through undefined mechanisms. The current study focuses on revealing the mechanisms by which API-1 induces apoptosis. Results API-1 rapidly and potently reduced the levels of Mcl-1 primarily in API-1-senstive lung cancer cell lines. Ectopic expression of Mcl-1 protected cells from induction of apoptosis by API-1. API-1 treatment decreased the half-life of Mcl-1, whereas inhibition of the proteasome with MG132 rescued Mcl-1 reduction induced by API-1. API-1 decreased Mcl-1 levels accompanied with a rapid increase in Mcl-1 phosphorylation (S159/T163). Moreover, inhibition of GSK3 inhibited Mcl-1 phosphorylation and reduction induced by API-1 and antagonized the effect of API-1 on induction of apoptosis. Knockdown of either FBXW7 or β-TrCP alone, both of which are E3 ubiquitin ligases involved in Mcl-1 degradation, only partially rescued Mcl-1 reduction induced by API-1. However, double knockdown of both E3 ubiquitin ligases enhanced the rescue of API-1-induced Mcl-1 reduction. Conclusions API-1 induces GSK3-dependent, β-TrCP- and FBXW7-mediated Mcl-1 degradation, resulting in induction of apoptosis. PMID:24261825

DyninstAPI Patches

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

LeGendre, M.

2012-04-01

We are seeking a code review of patches against DyninstAPI 8.0. DyninstAPI is an open source binary instrumentation library from the University of Wisconsin and University of Maryland. Our patches port DyninstAPI to the BlueGene/P and BlueGene/Q systems, as well as fix DyninstAPI bugs and implement minor new features in DyninstAPI.

Fusion of the C-terminal triskaidecapeptide of hirudin variant 3 to alpha1-proteinase inhibitor M358R increases the serpin-mediated rate of thrombin inhibition

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Alpha-1 proteinase inhibitor (API) is a plasma serpin superfamily member that inhibits neutrophil elastase; variant API M358R inhibits thrombin and activated protein C (APC). Fusing residues 1-75 of another serpin, heparin cofactor II (HCII), to API M358R (in HAPI M358R) was previously shown to accelerate thrombin inhibition over API M358R by conferring thrombin exosite 1 binding properties. We hypothesized that replacing HCII 1-75 region with the 13 C-terminal residues (triskaidecapeptide) of hirudin variant 3 (HV354-66) would further enhance the inhibitory potency of API M358R fusion proteins. We therefore expressed HV3API M358R (HV354-66 fused to API M358R) and HV3API RCL5 (HV354-66 fused to API F352A/L353V/E354V/A355I/I356A/I460L/M358R) API M358R) as N-terminally hexahistidine-tagged polypeptides in E. coli. Results HV3API M358R inhibited thrombin 3.3-fold more rapidly than API M358R; for HV3API RCL5 the rate enhancement was 1.9-fold versus API RCL5; neither protein inhibited thrombin as rapidly as HAPI M358R. While the thrombin/Activated Protein C rate constant ratio was 77-fold higher for HV3API RCL5 than for HV3API M358R, most of the increased specificity derived from the API F352A/L353V/E354V/A355I/I356A/I460L API RCL 5 mutations, since API RCL5 remained 3-fold more specific than HV3API RCL5. An HV3 54-66 peptide doubled the Thrombin Clotting Time (TCT) and halved the binding of thrombin to immobilized HCII 1-75 at lower concentrations than free HCII 1-75. HV3API RCL5 bound active site-inhibited FPR-chloromethyl ketone-thrombin more effectively than HAPI RCL5. Transferring the position of the fused HV3 triskaidecapeptide to the C-terminus of API M358R decreased the rate of thrombin inhibition relative to that mediated by HV3API M358R by 11-to 14-fold. Conclusions Fusing the C-terminal triskaidecapeptide of HV3 to API M358R-containing serpins significantly increased their effectiveness as thrombin inhibitors, but the enhancement was less than that seen in HCII 1-75–API M358R fusion proteins. HCII 1-75 was a superior fusion partner, in spite of the greater affinity of the HV3 triskaidecapeptide, manifested both in isolated and API-fused form, for thrombin exosite 1. Our results suggest that HCII 1-75 binds thrombin exosite 1 and orients the attached serpin scaffold for more efficient interaction with the active site of thrombin than the HV3 triskaidecapeptide. PMID:24215622

Wave Velocities in Hydrocarbons and Hydrocarbon Saturated - Applications to Eor Monitoring.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Zhijing

In order to effectively utilize many new seismic technologies and interpret the results, acoustic properties of both reservoir fluids and rocks must be well understood. It is the main purpose of this dissertation to investigate acoustic wave velocities in different hydrocarbons and hydrocarbon saturated rocks under various reservoir conditions. The investigation consists of six laboratory experiments, followed by a series of theoretical and application analyses. All the experiments involve acoustic velocity measurements in hydrocarbons and rocks with different hydrocarbons, using the ultrasonic pulse-transmission methods, at elevated temperatures and pressures. In the experiments, wave velocities are measured versus both temperature and pressure in 50 hydrocarbons. The relations among the acoustic velocity, temperature, pressure, API gravity, and the molecular weight of the hydrocarbons are studied, and empirical equations are established which allow one to calculate the acoustic velocities in hydrocarbons with known API gravities. Wave velocities in hydrocarbon mixtures are related to the composition and the velocities in the components. The experimental results are also analyzed in terms of various existing theories and models of the liquid state. Wave velocities are also measured in various rocks saturated with different hydrocarbons. The compressional wave velocities in rocks saturated with pure hydrocarbons increase with increasing the carbon number of the hydrocarbons. They decrease markedly in all the heavy hydrocarbon saturated rocks as temperature increases. Such velocity decreases set the petrophysical basis for in-situ seismic monitoring thermal enhanced oil recovery processes. The effects of carbon dioxide flooding and different pore fluids on wave velocities in rocks are also investigated. It is highly possible that there exist reflections of seismic waves at the light-heavy oil saturation interfaces in-situ. It is also possible to use seismic methods to monitor carbon dioxide flooding processes. Velocity dispersions are analyzed theoretically in rocks saturated with different pore fluids. The results are discussed in terms of the Biot theory and the "local flow" mechanism. Applications of the results and the applicability of using seismic methods to monitor various enhanced oil recovery and production processes are also discussed.

Self-Replenishable Anti-Waxing Organogel Materials.

PubMed

Yao, Xi; Wu, Shuwang; Chen, Lie; Ju, Jie; Gu, Zhandong; Liu, Mingjie; Wang, Jianjun; Jiang, Lei

2015-07-27

Solid deposition, such as the formation of ice on outdoor facilities, the deposition of scale in water reservoirs, the sedimentation of fat, oil, and grease (FOG) in sewer systems, and the precipitation of wax in petroleum pipelines, cause a serious waste of resources and irreversible environmental pollution. Inspired by fish and pitcher plants, we present a self-replenishable organogel material which shows ultra-low adhesion to solidified paraffin wax and crude oil by absorption of low-molar-mass oil from its crude-oil environment. Adhesion of wax on the organogel surface was over 500 times lower than adhesion to conventional material surfaces and the wax was found to slide off under the force of gravity. This design concept of a gel with decreased adhesion to wax and oil can be extended to deal with other solid deposition problems. © 2015 The Authors. Published by Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes.

N-Terminal Ile-Orn- and Trp-Orn-Motif Repeats Enhance Membrane Interaction and Increase the Antimicrobial Activity of Apidaecins against Pseudomonas aeruginosa

PubMed Central

Bluhm, Martina E. C.; Schneider, Viktoria A. F.; Schäfer, Ingo; Piantavigna, Stefania; Goldbach, Tina; Knappe, Daniel; Seibel, Peter; Martin, Lisandra L.; Veldhuizen, Edwin J. A.; Hoffmann, Ralf

2016-01-01

The Gram-negative bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a life-threatening nosocomial pathogen due to its generally low susceptibility toward antibiotics. Furthermore, many strains have acquired resistance mechanisms requiring new antimicrobials with novel mechanisms to enhance treatment options. Proline-rich antimicrobial peptides, such as the apidaecin analog Api137, are highly efficient against various Enterobacteriaceae infections in mice, but less active against P. aeruginosa in vitro. Here, we extended our recent work by optimizing lead peptides Api755 (gu-OIORPVYOPRPRPPHPRL-OH; gu = N,N,N′,N′-tetramethylguanidino, O = L-ornithine) and Api760 (gu-OWORPVYOPRPRPPHPRL-OH) by incorporation of Ile-Orn- and Trp-Orn-motifs, respectively. Api795 (gu-O(IO)2RPVYOPRPRPPHPRL-OH) and Api794 (gu-O(WO)3RPVYOPRPRPPHPRL-OH) were highly active against P. aeruginosa with minimal inhibitory concentrations of 8–16 and 8–32 μg/mL against Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Assessed using a quartz crystal microbalance, these peptides inserted into a membrane layer and the surface activity increased gradually from Api137, over Api795, to Api794. This mode of action was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy indicating some membrane damage only at the high peptide concentrations. Api794 and Api795 were highly stable against serum proteases (half-life times >5 h) and non-hemolytic to human erythrocytes at peptide concentrations of 0.6 g/L. At this concentration, Api795 reduced the cell viability of HeLa cells only slightly, whereas the IC50 of Api794 was 0.23 ± 0.09 g/L. Confocal fluorescence microscopy revealed no colocalization of 5(6)-carboxyfluorescein-labeled Api794 or Api795 with the mitochondria, excluding interactions with the mitochondrial membrane. Interestingly, Api795 was localized in endosomes, whereas Api794 was present in endosomes and the cytosol. This was verified using flow cytometry showing a 50% higher uptake of Api794 in HeLa cells compared with Api795. The uptake was reduced for both peptides by 50 and 80%, respectively, after inhibiting endocytotic uptake with dynasore. In summary, Api794 and Api795 were highly active against P. aeruginosa in vitro. Both peptides passed across the bacterial membrane efficiently, most likely then disturbing the ribosome assembly, and resulting in further intracellular damage. Api795 with its IOIO-motif, which was particularly active and only slightly toxic in vitro, appears to represent a promising third generation lead compound for the development of novel antibiotics against P. aeruginosa. PMID:27243004

CALIBRATION, OPTIMIZATION, AND SENSITIVITY AND UNCERTAINTY ALGORITHMS APPLICATION PROGRAMMING INTERFACE (COSU-API)

EPA Science Inventory

The Application Programming Interface (API) for Uncertainty Analysis, Sensitivity Analysis, and Parameter Estimation (UA/SA/PE API) tool development, here fore referred to as the Calibration, Optimization, and Sensitivity and Uncertainty Algorithms API (COSU-API), was initially d...

Impact of Nosema ceranae and Nosema apis on individual worker bees of the two host species (Apis cerana and Apis mellifera) and regulation of host immune response.

PubMed

Sinpoo, Chainarong; Paxton, Robert J; Disayathanoowat, Terd; Krongdang, Sasiprapa; Chantawannakul, Panuwan

Nosema apis and Nosema ceranae are obligate intracellular microsporidian parasites infecting midgut epithelial cells of host adult honey bees, originally Apis mellifera and Apis cerana respectively. Each microsporidia cross-infects the other host and both microsporidia nowadays have a worldwide distribution. In this study, cross-infection experiments using both N. apis and N. ceranae in both A. mellifera and A. cerana were carried out to compare pathogen proliferation and impact on hosts, including host immune response. Infection by N. ceranae led to higher spore loads than by N. apis in both host species, and there was greater proliferation of microsporidia in A. mellifera compared to A. cerana. Both N. apis and N. ceranae were pathogenic in both host Apis species. N. ceranae induced subtly, though not significantly, higher mortality than N. apis in both host species, yet survival of A. cerana was no different to that of A. mellifera in response to N. apis or N. ceranae. Infections of both host species with N. apis and N. ceranae caused significant up-regulation of AMP genes and cellular mediated immune genes but did not greatly alter apoptosis-related gene expression. In this study, A. cerana enlisted a higher immune response and displayed lower loads of N. apis and N. ceranae spores than A. mellifera, suggesting it may be better able to defend itself against microsporidia infection. We caution against over-interpretation of our results, though, because differences between host and parasite species in survival were insignificant and because size differences between microsporidia species and between host Apis species may alternatively explain the differential proliferation of N. ceranae in A. mellifera. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparison of plasma amino acid profile-based index and CA125 in the diagnosis of epithelial ovarian cancers and borderline malignant tumors.

PubMed

Miyagi, Etsuko; Maruyama, Yasuyo; Mogami, Tae; Numazaki, Reiko; Ikeda, Atsuko; Yamamoto, Hiroshi; Hirahara, Fumiki

2017-02-01

We previously developed a new plasma amino acid profile-based index (API) to detect ovarian, cervical, and endometrial cancers. Here, we compared API to serum cancer antigen 125 (CA125) for distinguishing epithelial ovarian malignant tumors from benign growths. API and CA125 were measured preoperatively in patients with ovarian tumors, which were later classified into 59 epithelial ovarian cancers, 21 epithelial borderline malignant tumors, and 97 benign tumors including 40 endometriotic cysts. The diagnostic accuracy and cutoff points of API were evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. The area under the ROC curves showed the equivalent performance of API and CA125 to discriminate between malignant/borderline malignant and benign tumors (both 0.77), and API was superior to CA125 for discrimination between malignant/borderline malignant lesions and endometriotic cysts (API, 0.75 vs. CA125, 0.59; p < 0.05). At the API cutoff level of 6.0, API and CA125 had equal positive rates of detecting cancers and borderline malignancies (API, 0.71 vs. CA125, 0.74; p = 0.84) or cancers alone (API, 0.73 vs. CA125, 0.85; p = 0.12). However, API had a significantly lower detection rate of benign endometriotic cysts (0.35; 95 % CI, 0.21-0.52) compared with that of CA125 (0.65; 95 % CI, 0.48-0.79) (p < 0.05). API is an effective new tumor marker to detect ovarian cancers and borderline malignancies with a low false-positive rate for endometriosis. A large-scale prospective clinical study using the cutoff value of API determined in this study is warranted to validate API for practical clinical use.

Active pharmaceutical ingredients for antiretroviral treatment in low- and middle-income countries: a survey.

PubMed

Fortunak, Joseph M; de Souza, Rodrigo O M A; Kulkarni, Amol A; King, Christopher L; Ellison, Tiffany; Miranda, Leandro S M

2014-01-01

Active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) are the molecular entities that exert the therapeutic effects of medicines. This article provides an overview of the major APIs that are entered into antiretroviral therapy (ART), outlines how APIs are manufactured, and examines the regulatory and cost frameworks of manufacturing ART APIs used in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Almost all APIs for ART are prepared by chemical synthesis. Roughly 15 APIs account for essentially all of the ARTs used in LMICs. Nearly all of the ART APIs purchased through the Global Fund for AIDS, TB and Malaria (GFATM) or the United States President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) are produced by generic companies. API costs are very important because they are the largest contribution to the overall cost of ART. Efficient API production requires substantial investment in chemical manufacturing technologies and the ready availability of raw materials and energy at competitive prices. Generic API production is practiced in only a limited number of countries; the API market for ART is dominated by Indian companies. The quality of these APIs is ensured by manufacturing under good manufacturing practice (GMP), including process validation, testing against previously established specifications and the demonstration of clinical bioequivalence. The investment and personnel costs of a quality management system for GMP contribute significantly to the cost of API production. Chinese companies are the major suppliers for many advanced intermediates in API production. Improved chemistry of manufacturing, economies of scale and optimization of procurement have enabled drastic cost reductions for many ART APIs. The available capacity for global production of quality-assured APIs is likely adequate to meet forecasted demand for 2015. The increased use of ART for paediatric treatment, for second-line and salvage therapy, and the introduction of new APIs and combinations are important factors for the future of treatment in LMICs. The introduction of new fixed-dose combinations for ART and use of new drug delivery technologies could plausibly provide robust, durable ART for all patients in need, at an overall cost that is only moderately higher than what is presently being spent.

Active pharmaceutical ingredients for antiretroviral treatment in low- and middle-income countries: a survey

PubMed Central

Fortunak, Joseph M; de Souza, Rodrigo OMA; Kulkarni, Amol A; King, Christopher L; Ellison, Tiffany; Miranda, Leandro SM

2015-01-01

Active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) are the molecular entities that exert the therapeutic effects of medicines. This article provides an overview of the major APIs that are entered into antiretroviral therapy (ART), outlines how APIs are manufactured, and examines the regulatory and cost frameworks of manufacturing ART APIs used in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Almost all APIs for ART are prepared by chemical synthesis. Roughly 15 APIs account for essentially all of the ARTs used in LMICs. Nearly all of the ART APIs purchased through the Global Fund for AIDS, TB and Malaria (GFATM) or the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) are produced by generic companies. API costs are very important because they are the largest contribution to the overall cost of ART. Efficient API production requires substantial investment in chemical manufacturing technologies and the ready availability of raw materials and energy at competitive prices. Generic API production is practiced in only a limited number of countries; the API market for ART is dominated by Indian companies. The quality of these APIs is ensured by manufacturing under good manufacturing practice (GMP), including process validation, testing against previously established specifications and the demonstration of clinical bioequivalence. The investment and personnel costs of a quality management system for GMP contribute significantly to the cost of API production. Chinese companies are the major suppliers for many advanced intermediates in API production. Improved chemistry of manufacturing, economies of scale and optimization of procurement have enabled drastic cost reductions for many ART APIs. The available capacity for global production of quality-assured APIs is likely adequate to meet forecasted demand for 2015. The increased use of ART for paediatric treatment, for second-line and salvage therapy, and the introduction of new APIs and combinations are important factors for the future of treatment in LMICs. The introduction of new fixed-dose combinations for ART and use of new drug delivery technologies could plausibly provide robust, durable ART for all patients in need, at an overall cost that is only moderately higher than what is presently being spent. PMID:25310430

Dineh Bi Keyah. may be major Arizona strike

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

Not Available

The new Dineh Bi Keyah oil field lying in the Chuska Mts. of Apache County, in the NE. corner of Arizona, looms as a major Arizona field development following testing during April of its fourth producer from the Hermosa-Molas series of the Pennsylvanian System. The field is producing more than 4,000 bbl of high-gravity oil per day ranging between 42-44$API gravity. Kerr-McGee Oil Corp., operators of the field, has filed a motion with the Arizona Oil and Gas Conservation Commission requesting 160-acre well spacing for the Lower Hermosa (Pennsylvanian) oil reservoir and a hearing has been scheduled for April 19,more » 1967. The drilling practice employed by Kerr-McGee is to set the 10-3/4-in. surface casing at 400 ft and cement with 500 sacks. Completion practices followed during field development have been to selectively perforate, using 1 shot per ft of pay zone in the Lower Hermosa section. Wells are swabbed natural, then cleaned up with MCA borehole acid treatment prior to sand oil fracturing. After load is swabbed back, the well is tubed and placed on the pump. The oil is trucked to the nearest pipeline loading point in the Shiprock area of northwestern New Mexico.« less

Working against gravity: horizontal honeybee waggle runs have greater angular scatter than vertical waggle runs

PubMed Central

Couvillon, Margaret J.; Phillipps, Hunter L. F.; Schürch, Roger; Ratnieks, Francis L. W.

2012-01-01

The presence of noise in a communication system may be adaptive or may reflect unavoidable constraints. One communication system where these alternatives are debated is the honeybee (Apis mellifera) waggle dance. Successful foragers communicate resource locations to nest-mates by a dance comprising repeated units (waggle runs), which repetitively transmit the same distance and direction vector from the nest. Intra-dance waggle run variation occurs and has been hypothesized as a colony-level adaptation to direct recruits over an area rather than a single location. Alternatively, variation may simply be due to constraints on bees' abilities to orient waggle runs. Here, we ask whether the angle at which the bee dances on vertical comb influences waggle run variation. In particular, we determine whether horizontal dances, where gravity is not aligned with the waggle run orientation, are more variable in their directional component. We analysed 198 dances from foragers visiting natural resources and found support for our prediction. More horizontal dances have greater angular variation than dances performed close to vertical. However, there is no effect of waggle run angle on variation in the duration of waggle runs, which communicates distance. Our results weaken the hypothesis that variation is adaptive and provide novel support for the constraint hypothesis. PMID:22513277

Working against gravity: horizontal honeybee waggle runs have greater angular scatter than vertical waggle runs.

PubMed

Couvillon, Margaret J; Phillipps, Hunter L F; Schürch, Roger; Ratnieks, Francis L W

2012-08-23

The presence of noise in a communication system may be adaptive or may reflect unavoidable constraints. One communication system where these alternatives are debated is the honeybee (Apis mellifera) waggle dance. Successful foragers communicate resource locations to nest-mates by a dance comprising repeated units (waggle runs), which repetitively transmit the same distance and direction vector from the nest. Intra-dance waggle run variation occurs and has been hypothesized as a colony-level adaptation to direct recruits over an area rather than a single location. Alternatively, variation may simply be due to constraints on bees' abilities to orient waggle runs. Here, we ask whether the angle at which the bee dances on vertical comb influences waggle run variation. In particular, we determine whether horizontal dances, where gravity is not aligned with the waggle run orientation, are more variable in their directional component. We analysed 198 dances from foragers visiting natural resources and found support for our prediction. More horizontal dances have greater angular variation than dances performed close to vertical. However, there is no effect of waggle run angle on variation in the duration of waggle runs, which communicates distance. Our results weaken the hypothesis that variation is adaptive and provide novel support for the constraint hypothesis.

Damping of surface waves due to oil emulsions in application to ocean remote sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sergievskaya, I.; Ermakov, S.; Lazareva, T.; Lavrova, O.

2017-10-01

Applications of different radar and optical methods for detection of oil pollutions based on the effect of damping of short wind waves by surface films have been extensively studied last decades. The main problem here is poor knowledge of physical characteristics of oil films, in particular, emulsified oil layers (EOL). The latter are ranged up to 70% of all pollutants. Physical characteristics of EOL which are responsible for wave damping and respectively for possibilities of their remote sensing depend on conditions of emulsification processes, e.g., mixing due to wave breaking, on percentage of water in the oil, etc. and are not well studied by now. In this paper results of laboratory studies of damping of gravity-capillary waves due to EOL on water are presented and compared to oil layers (OL). A laboratory method used previously for monomolecular films and OL, and based on measuring the damping coefficient and wavelength of parametrically generated standing waves has been applied for determination of EOL characteristics. Investigations of characteristics of crude oil, oil emulsions and crude OL and EOL have been carried out in a wide range of surface wave frequencies (from 10 to 25 Hz) and OL and EOL film thickness (from hundredths of millimeter to a few millimeters. The selected frequency range corresponds to Bragg waves for microwave, X- to Ka-band radars typically used for ocean remote sensing. An effect of enhanced wave damping due to EOL compared to non emulsified crude OL is revealed.

IgE-Api m 4 Is Useful for Identifying a Particular Phenotype of Bee Venom Allergy.

PubMed

Ruiz, B; Serrano, P; Moreno, C

Different clinical behaviors have been identified in patients allergic to bee venom. Compound-resolved diagnosis could be an appropriate tool for investigating these differences. The aims of this study were to analyze whether specific IgE to Api m 4 (sIgE-Api m 4) can identify a particular kind of bee venom allergy and to describe response to bee venom immunotherapy (bVIT). Prospective study of 31 patients allergic to bee venom who were assigned to phenotype group A (sIgE-Api m 4 <0.98 kU/L), treated with native aqueous (NA) extract, or phenotype group B (sIgE-Api m 4 ≥0.98 kU/L), treated with purified aqueous (PA) extract. Sex, age, cardiovascular risk, severity of preceding sting reaction, exposure to beekeeping, and immunological data (intradermal test, sIgE/sIgG4-Apis-nApi m 1, and sIgE-rApi m 2-Api m 4 were analyzed. Systemic reactions (SRs) during bVIT build-up were analyzed. Immunological and sting challenge outcomes were evaluated in each group after 1 and 2 years of bVIT. Phenotype B patients had more severe reactions (P=.049) and higher skin sensitivity (P=.011), baseline sIgE-Apis (P=.0004), sIgE-nApi m 1 (P=.0004), and sIgG4-Apis (P=.027) than phenotype A patients. Furthermore, 41% of patients in group B experienced SRs during the build-up phase with NA; the sting challenge success rate in this group was 82%. There were no significant reductions in serial intradermal test results, but an intense reduction in sIgE-nApi m 1 (P=.013) and sIgE-Api m 4 (P=.004) was observed after the first year of bVIT. Use of IgE-Api m 4 as the only discrimination criterion demonstrated differences in bee venom allergy. Further investigation with larger populations is necessary.

Chimeras of Bet v 1 and Api g 1 reveal heterogeneous IgE responses in patients with birch pollen allergy

PubMed Central

Gepp, Barbara; Lengger, Nina; Bublin, Merima; Hemmer, Wolfgang; Breiteneder, Heimo; Radauer, Christian

2014-01-01

Background Characterization of IgE-binding epitopes of allergens and determination of their patient-specific relevance is crucial for the diagnosis and treatment of allergy. Objective We sought to assess the contribution of specific surface areas of the major birch pollen allergen Bet v 1.0101 to binding IgE of individual patients. Methods Four distinct areas of Bet v 1 representing in total 81% of its surface were grafted onto the scaffold of its homolog, Api g 1.0101, to yield the chimeras Api-Bet-1 to Api-Bet-4. The chimeras were expressed in Escherichia coli and purified. IgE binding of 64 sera from Bet v 1–sensitized subjects with birch pollen allergy was determined by using direct ELISA. Specificity was assessed by means of inhibition ELISA. Results rApi g 1.0101, Api-Bet-1, Api-Bet-2, Api-Bet-3, and Api-Bet-4 bound IgE from 44%, 89%, 80%, 78%, and 48% of the patients, respectively. By comparing the amount of IgE binding to the chimeras and to rApi g 1.0101, 81%, 70%, 75%, and 45% of the patients showed significantly enhanced IgE binding to Api-Bet-1, Api-Bet-2, Api-Bet-3, and Api-Bet-4, respectively. The minority (8%) of the sera revealed enhanced IgE binding exclusively to a single chimera, whereas 31% showed increased IgE binding to all 4 chimeras compared with rApi g 1.0101. The chimeras inhibited up to 70% of IgE binding to rBet v 1.0101, confirming the specific IgE recognition of the grafted regions. Conclusion The Bet v 1–specific IgE response is polyclonal, and epitopes are spread across the entire Bet v 1 surface. Furthermore, the IgE recognition profile of Bet v 1 is highly patient specific. PMID:24529686

Chimeras of Bet v 1 and Api g 1 reveal heterogeneous IgE responses in patients with birch pollen allergy.

PubMed

Gepp, Barbara; Lengger, Nina; Bublin, Merima; Hemmer, Wolfgang; Breiteneder, Heimo; Radauer, Christian

2014-07-01

Characterization of IgE-binding epitopes of allergens and determination of their patient-specific relevance is crucial for the diagnosis and treatment of allergy. We sought to assess the contribution of specific surface areas of the major birch pollen allergen Bet v 1.0101 to binding IgE of individual patients. Four distinct areas of Bet v 1 representing in total 81% of its surface were grafted onto the scaffold of its homolog, Api g 1.0101, to yield the chimeras Api-Bet-1 to Api-Bet-4. The chimeras were expressed in Escherichia coli and purified. IgE binding of 64 sera from Bet v 1-sensitized subjects with birch pollen allergy was determined by using direct ELISA. Specificity was assessed by means of inhibition ELISA. rApi g 1.0101, Api-Bet-1, Api-Bet-2, Api-Bet-3, and Api-Bet-4 bound IgE from 44%, 89%, 80%, 78%, and 48% of the patients, respectively. By comparing the amount of IgE binding to the chimeras and to rApi g 1.0101, 81%, 70%, 75%, and 45% of the patients showed significantly enhanced IgE binding to Api-Bet-1, Api-Bet-2, Api-Bet-3, and Api-Bet-4, respectively. The minority (8%) of the sera revealed enhanced IgE binding exclusively to a single chimera, whereas 31% showed increased IgE binding to all 4 chimeras compared with rApi g 1.0101. The chimeras inhibited up to 70% of IgE binding to rBet v 1.0101, confirming the specific IgE recognition of the grafted regions. The Bet v 1-specific IgE response is polyclonal, and epitopes are spread across the entire Bet v 1 surface. Furthermore, the IgE recognition profile of Bet v 1 is highly patient specific. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Phospholipid imprinted polymers as selective endotoxin scavengers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sulc, Robert; Szekely, Gyorgy; Shinde, Sudhirkumar; Wierzbicka, Celina; Vilela, Filipe; Bauer, David; Sellergren, Börje

2017-03-01

Herein we explore phospholipid imprinting as a means to design receptors for complex glycolipids comprising the toxic lipopolysaccharide endotoxin. A series of polymerizable bis-imidazolium and urea hosts were evaluated as cationic and neutral hosts for phosphates and phosphonates, the latter used as mimics of the phospholipid head groups. The bis-imidazolium hosts interacted with the guests in a cooperative manner leading to the presence of tight and well defined 1:2 ternary complexes. Optimized monomer combinations were subsequently used for imprinting of phosphatidic acid as an endotoxin dummy template. Presence of the aforementioned ternary complexes during polymerization resulted in imprinting of lipid dimers - the latter believed to crudely mimic the endotoxin Lipid A motif. The polymers were characterized with respect to template rebinding, binding affinity, capacity and common structural properties, leading to the identification of polymers which were thereafter subjected to an industrially validated endotoxin removal test. Two of the polymers were capable of removing endotoxin down to levels well below the accepted threshold (0.005 EU/mg API) in pharmaceutical production.

"Soft"or "hard" ionisation? Investigation of metastable gas temperature effect on direct analysis in real-time analysis of Voriconazole.

PubMed

Lapthorn, Cris; Pullen, Frank

2009-01-01

The performance of the direct analysis in real-time (DART) technique was evaluated across a range of metastable gas temperatures for a pharmaceutical compound, Voriconazole, in order to investigate the effect of metastable gas temperature on molecular ion intensity and fragmentation. The DART source has been used to analyse a range of analytes and from a range of matrices including drugs in solid tablet form and preparations, active ingredients in ointment, naturally occurring plant alkaloids, flavours and fragrances, from thin layer chromatography (TLC) plates, melting point tubes and biological matrices including hair, urine and blood. The advantages of this technique include rapid analysis time (as little as 5 s), a reduction in sample preparation requirements, elimination of mobile phase requirement and analysis of samples not typically amenable to atmospheric pressure ionisation (API) techniques. This technology has therefore been proposed as an everyday tool for identification of components in crude organic reaction mixtures.

President Carter signs $227 billion excise tax measure

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

Miller, C.J.; McAfee, J.; Dibona, C.J.

1980-04-07

According to President J. Carter, who signed into law a $227 billion excise tax (windfall profits tax) on revenue from decontrolled U.S. crude oil production, the new tax program will provide the U.S. with the incentive and the means to produce and conserve domestic oil and replace more oil with alternative sources of energy. According to C. DiBona (API), the new tax will discourage the increased amount of domestic production required to compensate, by the mid-to-late 1980's, for a 1.7 million bbl/day shortfall, which will have to be made up with imports from foreign producers. According to J. McAfee ofmore » Gulf Oil Corp., only a token amount, about $34 billion of the $227 billion which will be raised by the new tax over the next decade, will be devoted to energy development and mass transit. According to C. J. Miller of the Independent Petroleum Association of America, the tax's complex and sometimes conflicting regulations will pose harsh problems for smaller producers.« less

Temporal and spatial behavior of pharmaceuticals in ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The behavior of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) in urban estuaries is not well understood. In this study, 15 high volume usage APIs were measured over a one year period throughout Narragansett Bay, RI, USA to determine factors controlling their concentration and distribution. Dissolved APIs ranged in concentration from not detected to 310 ng/L, with numerous APIs present at all sites and sampling periods. Eight APIs were present in suspended particulate material, ranging in concentration from <1 ng/g to 44 ng/g. Partitioning coefficients (Kds) were determined for APIs present in both the dissolved and particulate phases, with their range and variability remaining relatively constant during the study. Organic carbon normalization reduced the observed variability of several APIs to a small extent; however, other factors appear to play a role in controlling partitioning behavior. The continuous discharge of wastewater treatment plant effluents into upper Narragansett Bay resulted in sustained levels of APIs, resulting in a zone of “pseudo-persistence.” For most of the APIs, there was a strong relationship with salinity, indicating conservative behavior within the estuary. Short flushing times in Narragansett Bay coupled with APIs present primarily in the dissolved phase suggests that most APIs will be diluted and transported out of the estuary, with only small amounts of several compounds removed to and sequestered in sediments. This study ide

49 CFR 195.565 - How do I install cathodic protection on breakout tanks?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

...) capacity built to API Specification 12F, API Standard 620, or API Standard 650 (or its predecessor Standard 12C), you must install the system in accordance with API Recommended Practice 651. However, installation of the system need not comply with API Recommended Practice 651 on any tank for which you note in...

49 CFR 195.579 - What must I do to mitigate internal corrosion?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... API Specification 12F, API Standard 620, or API Standard 650 (or its predecessor Standard 12C), you must install the lining in accordance with API Recommended Practice 652. However, installation of the lining need not comply with API Recommended Practice 652 on any tank for which you note in the corrosion...

49 CFR 195.565 - How do I install cathodic protection on breakout tanks?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

...) capacity built to API Specification 12F, API Standard 620, or API Standard 650 (or its predecessor Standard 12C), you must install the system in accordance with API Recommended Practice 651. However, installation of the system need not comply with API Recommended Practice 651 on any tank for which you note in...

49 CFR 195.565 - How do I install cathodic protection on breakout tanks?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

...) capacity built to API Specification 12F, API Standard 620, or API Standard 650 (or its predecessor Standard 12C), you must install the system in accordance with API Recommended Practice 651. However, installation of the system need not comply with API Recommended Practice 651 on any tank for which you note in...

49 CFR 195.579 - What must I do to mitigate internal corrosion?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... API Specification 12F, API Standard 620, or API Standard 650 (or its predecessor Standard 12C), you must install the lining in accordance with API Recommended Practice 652. However, installation of the lining need not comply with API Recommended Practice 652 on any tank for which you note in the corrosion...

49 CFR 195.579 - What must I do to mitigate internal corrosion?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... API Specification 12F, API Standard 620, or API Standard 650 (or its predecessor Standard 12C), you must install the lining in accordance with API Recommended Practice 652. However, installation of the lining need not comply with API Recommended Practice 652 on any tank for which you note in the corrosion...

49 CFR 195.579 - What must I do to mitigate internal corrosion?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... API Specification 12F, API Standard 620, or API Standard 650 (or its predecessor Standard 12C), you must install the lining in accordance with API Recommended Practice 652. However, installation of the lining need not comply with API Recommended Practice 652 on any tank for which you note in the corrosion...

78 FR 48738 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; C2 Options Exchange, Incorporated; Notice of Filing and Immediate...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-08-09

... depend upon the Application Programming Interface (``API'') a Permit Holder is using.\\4\\ Currently, the Exchange offers two APIs: CBOE Market Interface (``CMi'') API and Financial Information eXchange (``FIX... available APIs, and if applicable, which version, it would like to use. \\4\\ An API is a computer interface...

49 CFR 195.565 - How do I install cathodic protection on breakout tanks?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

...) capacity built to API Specification 12F, API Standard 620, or API Standard 650 (or its predecessor Standard 12C), you must install the system in accordance with API Recommended Practice 651. However, installation of the system need not comply with API Recommended Practice 651 on any tank for which you note in...

49 CFR 195.579 - What must I do to mitigate internal corrosion?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... API Specification 12F, API Standard 620, or API Standard 650 (or its predecessor Standard 12C), you must install the lining in accordance with API Recommended Practice 652. However, installation of the lining need not comply with API Recommended Practice 652 on any tank for which you note in the corrosion...

49 CFR 195.565 - How do I install cathodic protection on breakout tanks?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

...) capacity built to API Specification 12F, API Standard 620, or API Standard 650 (or its predecessor Standard 12C), you must install the system in accordance with API Recommended Practice 651. However, installation of the system need not comply with API Recommended Practice 651 on any tank for which you note in...

49 CFR 194.105 - Worst case discharge.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

...: Prevention measure Standard Credit(percent) Secondary containment >100% NFPA 30 50 Built/repaired to API standards API STD 620/650/653 10 Overfill protection standards API RP 2350 5 Testing/cathodic protection API...

49 CFR 194.105 - Worst case discharge.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

...: Prevention measure Standard Credit(percent) Secondary containment > 100% NFPA 30 50 Built/repaired to API standards API STD 620/650/653 10 Overfill protection standards API RP 2350 5 Testing/cathodic protection API...

49 CFR 194.105 - Worst case discharge.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

...: Prevention measure Standard Credit(percent) Secondary containment >100% NFPA 30 50 Built/repaired to API standards API STD 620/650/653 10 Overfill protection standards API RP 2350 5 Testing/cathodic protection API...

49 CFR 194.105 - Worst case discharge.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

...: Prevention measure Standard Credit(percent) Secondary containment > 100% NFPA 30 50 Built/repaired to API standards API STD 620/650/653 10 Overfill protection standards API RP 2350 5 Testing/cathodic protection API...

49 CFR 194.105 - Worst case discharge.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

...: Prevention measure Standard Credit(percent) Secondary containment > 100% NFPA 30 50 Built/repaired to API standards API STD 620/650/653 10 Overfill protection standards API RP 2350 5 Testing/cathodic protection API...

The novel Akt inhibitor API-1 induces c-FLIP degradation and synergizes with TRAIL to augment apoptosis independent of Akt inhibition

PubMed Central

Li, Bo; Ren, Hui; Yue, Ping; Chen, Mingwei; Khuri, Fadlo R.; Sun, Shi-Yong

2012-01-01

API-1 is a novel small molecule inhibitor of Akt, which acts by binding to Akt and preventing its membrane translocation, and has promising preclinical antitumor activity. In this study, we reveal a novel function of API-1 in regulation of c-FLIP levels and tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL)-induced apoptosis, independent of Akt inhibition. API-1 effectively induced apoptosis in tested cancer cell lines including activation of caspase-8 and caspase-9. It reduced the levels of c-FLIP without increasing the expression of DR4 or DR5. Accordingly, it synergized with TRAIL to induce apoptosis. Enforced expression of ectopic c-FLIP did not attenuate API-1-induced apoptosis, but inhibited its ability to enhance TRAIL-induced apoptosis. These data indicate that downregulation of c-FLIP mediates enhancement of TRAIL-induced apoptosis by API-1, but is not sufficient for API-1-induced apoptosis. API-1-induced reduction of c-FLIP could be blocked by the proteasome inhibitor MG132. Moreover, API-1 increased c-FLIP ubiquitination and decreased c-FLIP stability. These data together suggest that API-1 downregulates c-FLIP by facilitating its ubiquitination and proteasome-mediated degradation. Since other Akt inhibitors including API-2 and MK2206 had minimal effects on reducing c-FLIP and enhancement of TRAIL-induced apoptosis, it is likely that API-1 reduces c-FLIP and enhances TRAIL-induced apoptosis independent of its Akt-inhibitory activity. PMID:22345097

A Ruby API to query the Ensembl database for genomic features.

PubMed

Strozzi, Francesco; Aerts, Jan

2011-04-01

The Ensembl database makes genomic features available via its Genome Browser. It is also possible to access the underlying data through a Perl API for advanced querying. We have developed a full-featured Ruby API to the Ensembl databases, providing the same functionality as the Perl interface with additional features. A single Ruby API is used to access different releases of the Ensembl databases and is also able to query multi-species databases. Most functionality of the API is provided using the ActiveRecord pattern. The library depends on introspection to make it release independent. The API is available through the Rubygem system and can be installed with the command gem install ruby-ensembl-api.

49 CFR 195.205 - Repair, alteration and reconstruction of aboveground breakout tanks that have been in service.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

...-refrigerated and tanks built to API Standard 650 or its predecessor Standard 12C, repair, alteration, and reconstruction must be in accordance with API Standard 653. (2) For tanks built to API Specification 12F or API..., examination, and material requirements of those respective standards. (3) For high pressure tanks built to API...

49 CFR 195.205 - Repair, alteration and reconstruction of aboveground breakout tanks that have been in service.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

...-refrigerated and tanks built to API Standard 650 or its predecessor Standard 12C, repair, alteration, and reconstruction must be in accordance with API Standard 653. (2) For tanks built to API Specification 12F or API..., examination, and material requirements of those respective standards. (3) For high pressure tanks built to API...

49 CFR 195.205 - Repair, alteration and reconstruction of aboveground breakout tanks that have been in service.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

...-refrigerated and tanks built to API Standard 650 or its predecessor Standard 12C, repair, alteration, and reconstruction must be in accordance with API Standard 653. (2) For tanks built to API Specification 12F or API..., examination, and material requirements of those respective standards. (3) For high pressure tanks built to API...

49 CFR 195.205 - Repair, alteration and reconstruction of aboveground breakout tanks that have been in service.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

...-refrigerated and tanks built to API Standard 650 or its predecessor Standard 12C, repair, alteration, and reconstruction must be in accordance with API Standard 653. (2) For tanks built to API Specification 12F or API..., examination, and material requirements of those respective standards. (3) For high pressure tanks built to API...

Infra-Population and -Community Dynamics of the Parasites Nosema apis and Nosema ceranae, and Consequences for Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) Hosts

PubMed Central

Williams, Geoffrey R.; Shutler, Dave; Burgher-MacLellan, Karen L.; Rogers, Richard E. L.

2014-01-01

Nosema spp. fungal gut parasites are among myriad possible explanations for contemporary increased mortality of western honey bees (Apis mellifera, hereafter honey bee) in many regions of the world. Invasive Nosema ceranae is particularly worrisome because some evidence suggests it has greater virulence than its congener N. apis. N. ceranae appears to have recently switched hosts from Asian honey bees (Apis cerana) and now has a nearly global distribution in honey bees, apparently displacing N. apis. We examined parasite reproduction and effects of N. apis, N. ceranae, and mixed Nosema infections on honey bee hosts in laboratory experiments. Both infection intensity and honey bee mortality were significantly greater for N. ceranae than for N. apis or mixed infections; mixed infection resulted in mortality similar to N. apis parasitism and reduced spore intensity, possibly due to inter-specific competition. This is the first long-term laboratory study to demonstrate lethal consequences of N. apis and N. ceranae and mixed Nosema parasitism in honey bees, and suggests that differences in reproduction and intra-host competition may explain apparent heterogeneous exclusion of the historic parasite by the invasive species. PMID:24987989

Infra-population and -community dynamics of the parasites Nosema apis and Nosema ceranae, and consequences for honey bee (Apis mellifera) hosts.

PubMed

Williams, Geoffrey R; Shutler, Dave; Burgher-MacLellan, Karen L; Rogers, Richard E L

2014-01-01

Nosema spp. fungal gut parasites are among myriad possible explanations for contemporary increased mortality of western honey bees (Apis mellifera, hereafter honey bee) in many regions of the world. Invasive Nosema ceranae is particularly worrisome because some evidence suggests it has greater virulence than its congener N. apis. N. ceranae appears to have recently switched hosts from Asian honey bees (Apis cerana) and now has a nearly global distribution in honey bees, apparently displacing N. apis. We examined parasite reproduction and effects of N. apis, N. ceranae, and mixed Nosema infections on honey bee hosts in laboratory experiments. Both infection intensity and honey bee mortality were significantly greater for N. ceranae than for N. apis or mixed infections; mixed infection resulted in mortality similar to N. apis parasitism and reduced spore intensity, possibly due to inter-specific competition. This is the first long-term laboratory study to demonstrate lethal consequences of N. apis and N. ceranae and mixed Nosema parasitism in honey bees, and suggests that differences in reproduction and intra-host competition may explain apparent heterogeneous exclusion of the historic parasite by the invasive species.

Preparation and characterization of uniform nanosized cephradine by combination of reactive precipitation and liquid anti-solvent precipitation under high gravity environment.

PubMed

Zhong, Jie; Shen, Zhigang; Yang, Yan; Chen, Jianfeng

2005-09-14

In this work, a novel direct method, which was combined with reactive precipitation and liquid anti-solvent precipitation under high gravity environment, had been developed to prepare nanosized cephradine with narrow particle size distribution. Compared with commercial crude cephradine, the prepared cephradine showed a significant decrease in particle size, a significant increase in the specific surface area and shorter dissolving time when used for injection. The characteristic particle size was between 200-400 nm. The specific surface area increased from 2.95 to 10.87 m2/g after micronization. When the amount of L-arginin decreased from 0.25 to 0.18 g, the mixture of nanosized cephradine and L-arginine could still dissolve in 1 min. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) analysis indicated that the physical characteristics and molecular states remained unchanged after the recrystallization process. This method had potential application in industrial fields because of its low cost, efficient processing and the ease of scaling-up.

Transcriptome differences in the hypopharyngeal gland between Western Honeybees (Apis mellifera) and Eastern Honeybees (Apis cerana).

PubMed

Liu, Hao; Wang, Zi-Long; Tian, Liu-Qing; Qin, Qiu-Hong; Wu, Xiao-Bo; Yan, Wei-Yu; Zeng, Zhi-Jiang

2014-08-30

Apis mellifera and Apis cerana are two sibling species of Apidae. Apis cerana is adept at collecting sporadic nectar in mountain and forest region and exhibits stiffer hardiness and acarid resistance as a result of natural selection, whereas Apis mellifera has the advantage of producing royal jelly. To identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) that affect the development of hypopharyngeal gland (HG) and/or the secretion of royal jelly between these two honeybee species, we performed a digital gene expression (DGE) analysis of the HGs of these two species at three developmental stages (newly emerged worker, nurse and forager). Twelve DGE-tag libraries were constructed and sequenced using the total RNA extracted from the HGs of newly emerged workers, nurses, and foragers of Apis mellifera and Apis cerana. Finally, a total of 1482 genes in Apis mellifera and 1313 in Apis cerana were found to exhibit an expression difference among the three developmental stages. A total of 1417 DEGs were identified between these two species. Of these, 623, 1072, and 462 genes showed an expression difference at the newly emerged worker, nurse, and forager stages, respectively. The nurse stage exhibited the highest number of DEGs between these two species and most of these were found to be up-regulated in Apis mellifera. These results suggest that the higher yield of royal jelly in Apis mellifera may be due to the higher expression level of these DEGs. In this study, we investigated the DEGs between the HGs of two sibling honeybee species (Apis mellifera and Apis cerana). Our results indicated that the gene expression difference was associated with the difference in the royal jelly yield between these two species. These results provide an important clue for clarifying the mechanisms underlying hypopharyngeal gland development and the production of royal jelly.

49 CFR 195.264 - Impoundment, protection against entry, normal/emergency venting or pressure/vacuum relief for...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... specified: (1) For tanks built to API Specification 12F, API Standard 620, and others (such as API Standard... accordance with section 4.3.2.3.1. (2) For tanks built to API 2510, the installation of impoundment must be in accordance with section 5 or 11 of API 2510 (incorporated by reference, see § 195.3). (c...

49 CFR 195.264 - Impoundment, protection against entry, normal/emergency venting or pressure/vacuum relief for...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... specified: (1) For tanks built to API Specification 12F, API Standard 620, and others (such as API Standard... accordance with section 4.3.2.3.1. (2) For tanks built to API 2510, the installation of impoundment must be in accordance with section 5 or 11 of API 2510 (incorporated by reference, see § 195.3). (c...

49 CFR 195.264 - Impoundment, protection against entry, normal/emergency venting or pressure/vacuum relief for...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... specified: (1) For tanks built to API Specification 12F, API Standard 620, and others (such as API Standard... accordance with section 4.3.2.3.1. (2) For tanks built to API 2510, the installation of impoundment must be in accordance with section 5 or 11 of API 2510 (incorporated by reference, see § 195.3). (c...

49 CFR 195.264 - Impoundment, protection against entry, normal/emergency venting or pressure/vacuum relief for...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... specified: (1) For tanks built to API Specification 12F, API Standard 620, and others (such as API Standard... accordance with section 4.3.2.3.1. (2) For tanks built to API 2510, the installation of impoundment must be in accordance with section 5 or 11 of API 2510 (incorporated by reference, see § 195.3). (c...

The novel Akt inhibitor API-1 induces c-FLIP degradation and synergizes with TRAIL to augment apoptosis independent of Akt inhibition.

PubMed

Li, Bo; Ren, Hui; Yue, Ping; Chen, Mingwei; Khuri, Fadlo R; Sun, Shi-Yong

2012-04-01

API-1 (pyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidines) is a novel small-molecule inhibitor of Akt, which acts by binding to Akt and preventing its membrane translocation and has promising preclinical antitumor activity. In this study, we reveal a novel function of API-1 in regulation of cellular FLICE-inhibitory protein (c-FLIP) levels and TRAIL-induced apoptosis, independent of Akt inhibition. API-1 effectively induced apoptosis in tested cancer cell lines including activation of caspase-8 and caspase-9. It reduced the levels of c-FLIP without increasing the expression of death receptor 4 (DR4) or DR5. Accordingly, it synergized with TRAIL to induce apoptosis. Enforced expression of ectopic c-FLIP did not attenuate API-1-induced apoptosis but inhibited its ability to enhance TRAIL-induced apoptosis. These data indicate that downregulation of c-FLIP mediates enhancement of TRAIL-induced apoptosis by API-1 but is not sufficient for API-1-induced apoptosis. API-1-induced reduction of c-FLIP could be blocked by the proteasome inhibitor MG132. Moreover, API-1 increased c-FLIP ubiquitination and decreased c-FLIP stability. These data together suggest that API-1 downregulates c-FLIP by facilitating its ubiquitination and proteasome-mediated degradation. Because other Akt inhibitors including API-2 and MK2206 had minimal effects on reducing c-FLIP and enhancement of TRAIL-induced apoptosis, it is likely that API-1 reduces c-FLIP and enhances TRAIL-induced apoptosis independent of its Akt-inhibitory activity. 2012 AACR

Mechanism of action of honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) venom on different types of muscles.

PubMed

Nabil, Z I; Hussein, A A; Zalat, S M; Rakha, M Kh

1998-03-01

1. The effect of crude honeybee (Apis mellifera) venom on the skeletal, smooth as well as cardiac muscles were studied in this investigation. 2. Perfusion of gastrocnemius-sciatic nerve preparation of frogs with 1 microgram/ml venom solution has weakened the mechanical contraction of the muscle without recovery. Blocking of nicotinic receptors with 3 micrograms/ml flaxedil before bee venom application sustained normal contraction of gastrocnemius muscle. 3. The electrical activity of duodenum rabbits was recorded before and after the application of 1 microgram/ml venom solution. The venom has depressed the amplitude of the muscle contraction after 15 min pretreatment with atropine nearly abolished the depressor effect of the venom on smooth muscle. 4. In concentrations from 0.5-2 micrograms/ml, bee venom caused decrease of heart rate of isolated perfused toad heart. This bradycardia was accompanied by elongation in the P-R interval. A gradual and progressive increase in the R-wave amplitude reflected a positive inotropism of the venom. Application of 5 micrograms/ml verapamil, a calcium channels blocking agent, abolished the noticed effect of the venom. 5. Marked electrocardiographic changes were produced within minutes of the venom application on the isolated perfused hearts, like marked injury current (elevation or depression of the S-T segment), atrioventricular conduction disturbances and sinus arrhythmias. Atropine and nicotine could decrease the toxic effect of the venom on the myocardium. 6. Results of the present work lead to the suggestion that bee venom is mediated through the peripheral cholinergic neurotransmitter system. General neurotoxicity of an inhibitory nature involving the autonomic as well as neuromuscular system are established as a result of the venom, meanwhile a direct effect on the myocardium membrane stabilization has been suggested.

Neutralization of Apis mellifera bee venom activities by suramin.

PubMed

El-Kik, Camila Z; Fernandes, Fabrício F A; Tomaz, Marcelo Amorim; Gaban, Glauco A; Fonseca, Tatiane F; Calil-Elias, Sabrina; Oliveira, Suellen D S; Silva, Claudia L M; Martinez, Ana Maria Blanco; Melo, Paulo A

2013-06-01

In this work we evaluated the ability of suramin, a polysulfonated naphthylurea derivative, to antagonize the cytotoxic and enzymatic effects of the crude venom of Apis mellifera. Suramin was efficient to decrease the lethality in a dose-dependent way. The hemoconcentration caused by lethal dose injection of bee venom was abolished by suramin (30 μg/g). The edematogenic activity of the venom (0.3 μg/g) was antagonized by suramin (10 μg/g) in all treatment protocols. The changes in the vascular permeability caused by A. mellifera (1 μg/g) venom were inhibited by suramin (30 μg/g) in the pre- and posttreatment as well as when the venom was preincubated with suramin. In addition, suramin also inhibited cultured endothelial cell lesion, as well as in vitro myotoxicity, evaluated in mouse extensor digitorum longus muscle, which was inhibited by suramin (10 and 25 μM), decreasing the rate of CK release, showing that suramin protected the sarcolemma against damage induced by components of bee venom (2.5 μg/mL). Moreover, suramin inhibited the in vivo myotoxicity induced by i.m. injection of A. mellifera venom in mice (0.5 μg/g). The analysis of the area under the plasma CK vs. time curve showed that preincubation, pre- and posttreatment with suramin (30 μg/g) inhibited bee venom myotoxic activity in mice by about 89%, 45% and 40%, respectively. Suramin markedly inhibited the PLA2 activity in a concentration-dependent way (1-30 μM). Being suramin a polyanion molecule, the effects observed may be due to the interaction of its charges with the polycation components present in A. mellifera bee venom. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

16 CFR 311.4 - Testing.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... (“API”), Publication 1509, Thirteenth Edition, January 1995. API Publication 1509, Thirteenth Edition has been updated to API Publication 1509, Fifteenth Edition, April 2002. API Publication 1509... the materials incorporated by reference may be obtained from: API, 1220 L Street, NW., Washington, DC...

16 CFR 311.4 - Testing.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... (“API”), Publication 1509, Thirteenth Edition, January 1995. API Publication 1509, Thirteenth Edition has been updated to API Publication 1509, Fifteenth Edition, April 2002. API Publication 1509... the materials incorporated by reference may be obtained from: API, 1220 L Street, NW., Washington, DC...

16 CFR 311.4 - Testing.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... (“API”), Publication 1509, Thirteenth Edition, January 1995. API Publication 1509, Thirteenth Edition has been updated to API Publication 1509, Fifteenth Edition, April 2002. API Publication 1509... the materials incorporated by reference may be obtained from: API, 1220 L Street, NW., Washington, DC...

16 CFR 311.4 - Testing.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... (“API”), Publication 1509, Thirteenth Edition, January 1995. API Publication 1509, Thirteenth Edition has been updated to API Publication 1509, Fifteenth Edition, April 2002. API Publication 1509... the materials incorporated by reference may be obtained from: API, 1220 L Street, NW., Washington, DC...

In Vitro and In Vivo Anti-tumoral Effects of the Flavonoid Apigenin in Malignant Mesothelioma

PubMed Central

Masuelli, Laura; Benvenuto, Monica; Mattera, Rosanna; Di Stefano, Enrica; Zago, Erika; Taffera, Gloria; Tresoldi, Ilaria; Giganti, Maria Gabriella; Frajese, Giovanni Vanni; Berardi, Ginevra; Modesti, Andrea; Bei, Roberto

2017-01-01

Malignant mesothelioma (MM) is a tumor arising from mesothelium. MM patients’ survival is poor. The polyphenol 4′,5,7,-trihydroxyflavone Apigenin (API) is a “multifunctional drug”. Several studies have demonstrated API anti-tumoral effects. However, little is known on the in vitro and in vivo anti-tumoral effects of API in MM. Thus, we analyzed the in vitro effects of API on cell proliferation, cell cycle regulation, pro-survival signaling pathways, apoptosis, and autophagy of human and mouse MM cells. We evaluated the in vivo anti-tumor activities of API in mice transplanted with MM #40a cells forming ascites. API inhibited in vitro MM cells survival, increased reactive oxygen species intracellular production and induced DNA damage. API activated apoptosis but not autophagy. API-induced apoptosis was sustained by the increase of Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, increase of p53 expression, activation of both caspase 9 and caspase 8, cleavage of PARP-1, and increase of the percentage of cells in subG1 phase. API treatment affected the phosphorylation of ERK1/2, JNK and p38 MAPKs in a cell-type specific manner, inhibited AKT phosphorylation, decreased c-Jun expression and phosphorylation, and inhibited NF-κB nuclear translocation. Intraperitoneal administration of API increased the median survival of C57BL/6 mice intraperitoneally transplanted with #40a cells and reduced the risk of tumor growth. Our findings may have important implications for the design of MM treatment using API. PMID:28674496

The putative serine protease inhibitor Api m 6 from Apis mellifera venom: recombinant and structural evaluation.

PubMed

Michel, Y; McIntyre, M; Ginglinger, H; Ollert, M; Cifuentes, L; Blank, S; Spillner, E

2012-01-01

Immunoglobulin (Ig) E-mediated reactions to honeybee venom can cause severe anaphylaxis, sometimes with fatal consequences. Detailed knowledge of the allergic potential of all venom components is necessary to ensure proper diagnosis and treatment of allergy and to gain a better understanding of the allergological mechanisms of insect venoms. Our objective was to undertake an immunochemical and structural evaluation of the putative low-molecular-weight serine protease inhibitor Api m 6, a component of honeybee venom. We recombinantly produced Api m 6 as a soluble protein in Escherichia coli and in Spodoptera frugiperda (Sf9) insect cells.We also assessed specific IgE reactivity of venom-sensitized patients with 2 prokaryotically produced Api m 6 variants using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Moreover, we built a structural model ofApi m 6 and compared it with other protease inhibitor structures to gain insights into the function of Api m 6. In a population of 31 honeybee venom-allergic patients, 26% showed specific IgE reactivity with prokaryotically produced Api m 6, showing it to be a minor but relevant allergen. Molecular modeling of Api m 6 revealed a typical fold of canonical protease inhibitors, supporting the putative function of this venom allergen. Although Api m 6 has a highly variant surface charge, its epitope distribution appears to be similar to that of related proteins. Api m 6 is a honeybee venom component with IgE-sensitizing potential in a fraction of venom-allergic patients. Recombinant Api m 6 can help elucidate individual component-resolved reactivity profiles and increase our understanding of immune responses to low-molecular-weight allergens

Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate in Asian or Pacific Islander chronic hepatitis B patients with high viral load (≥ 9 log10 copies/ml).

PubMed

Fung, Scott; Gordon, Stuart C; Krastev, Zahary; Horban, Andrzej; Petersen, Jörg; Sperl, Jan; Gane, Edward; Jacobson, Ira M; Yee, Leland J; Dinh, Phillip; Martins, Eduardo B; Flaherty, John F; Kitrinos, Kathryn M; Dusheiko, Geoffrey; Trinh, Huy; Flisiak, Robert; Rustgi, Vinod K; Buti, Maria; Marcellin, Patrick

2015-02-01

We evaluated the antiviral response of Asian or Pacific Islander (API) patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) who had baseline high viral load (HVL), defined as pre-treatment hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA ≥9 log10 copies/ml, following up to 288 weeks of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) treatment. A total of 205 HBeAg-negative and HBeAg-positive self-described API patients received 48 weeks of TDF 300 mg (HVL n = 18) or adefovir dipivoxil 10 mg (HVL n = 15) in a blinded fashion, followed by open-label TDF for an additional 240 weeks. The proportions of HVL vs. non-HVL patients with HBV DNA <400 copies/ml were compared. Mean declines in HBV DNA were evaluated in API vs. non-API patients. Throughout the first 72 weeks of treatment, a smaller proportion of HVL API patients reached HBV DNA <400 copies/ml than non-HVL API patients. However, after this timepoint similar proportions of HVL and non-HVL API patients achieved HBV DNA <400 copies/ml (100% vs. 97%, respectively), which was maintained through week 288, where 92% of HVL patients and 99% of non-HVL API patients on treatment had HBV DNA <400 copies/ml. During the 288 weeks of treatment, API patients had similar mean HBV DNA declines as non-API patients, regardless of whether patients were HVL or non-HVL. No API HVL patient had persistent viremia at week 288. No resistance was detected among HVL or non-HVL patients. API patients with HVL CHB achieve HBV DNA <400 copies/ml with long-term TDF treatment; however, achieving viral suppression may take longer for HVL patients relative to non-HVL API patients. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Spatial and temporal analysis of Air Pollution Index and its timescale-dependent relationship with meteorological factors in Guangzhou, China, 2001-2011.

PubMed

Li, Li; Qian, Jun; Ou, Chun-Quan; Zhou, Ying-Xue; Guo, Cui; Guo, Yuming

2014-07-01

There is an increasing interest in spatial and temporal variation of air pollution and its association with weather conditions. We presented the spatial and temporal variation of Air Pollution Index (API) and examined the associations between API and meteorological factors during 2001-2011 in Guangzhou, China. A Seasonal-Trend Decomposition Procedure Based on Loess (STL) was used to decompose API. Wavelet analyses were performed to examine the relationships between API and several meteorological factors. Air quality has improved since 2005. APIs were highly correlated among five monitoring stations, and there were substantial temporal variations. Timescale-dependent relationships were found between API and a variety of meteorological factors. Temperature, relative humidity, precipitation and wind speed were negatively correlated with API, while diurnal temperature range and atmospheric pressure were positively correlated with API in the annual cycle. Our findings should be taken into account when determining air quality forecasts and pollution control measures. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Facile and Low-cost Synthesis of Mesoporous Ti-Mo Bi-metal Oxide Catalysts for Biodiesel Production from Esterification of Free Fatty Acids in Jatropha curcas Crude Oil.

PubMed

Zhang, Qiuyun; Li, Hu; Yang, Song

2018-05-01

Mesoporous Ti-Mo bi-metal oxides with various titanium-molybdenum ratios were successfully fabricated via a facile approach by using stearic acid as a low-cost template agent. thermal gravity (TG) /differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherm, NH 3 temperature-programmed desorption (NH 3 -TPD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) measurements indicated these materials possessing mesoporous structure, sufficient pore size and high acid intensity. The catalytic performance of prepared catalysts was evaluated by esterification of free fatty acids in Jatropha curcas crude oil (JCCO) with methanol. The effects of various parameters on FFA conversion were investigated. The esterification conversion of 87.8% was achieved under the condition of 180°C, 2 h, methanol to JCCO molar ratio of 20:1 and 3.0 wt.% catalyst (relative to the weight of JCCO). The mesoporous catalysts were found to exhibit high activities toward the simultaneous esterification and transesterification of JCCO. Furthermore, the catalyst could be recovered with a good reusability.

Optimization of experimental conditions for composite biodiesel production from transesterification of mixed oils of Jatropha and Pongamia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yogish, H.; Chandrashekara, K.; Pramod Kumar, M. R.

2012-11-01

India is looking at the renewable alternative sources of energy to reduce its dependence on import of crude oil. As India imports 70 % of the crude oil, the country has been greatly affected by increasing cost and uncertainty. Biodiesel fuel derived by the two step acid transesterification of mixed non-edible oils from Jatropha curcas and Pongamia (karanja) can meet the requirements of diesel fuel in the coming years. In the present study, different proportions of Methanol, Sodium hydroxide, variation of Reaction time, Sulfuric acid and Reaction Temperature were adopted in order to optimize the experimental conditions for maximum biodiesel yield. The preliminary studies revealed that biodiesel yield varied widely in the range of 75-95 % using the laboratory scale reactor. The average yield of 95 % was obtained. The fuel and chemical properties of biodiesel, namely kinematic viscosity, specific gravity, density, flash point, fire point, calorific value, pH, acid value, iodine value, sulfur content, water content, glycerin content and sulfated ash values were found to be within the limits suggested by Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS 15607: 2005). The optimum combination of Methanol, Sodium hydroxide, Sulfuric acid, Reaction Time and Reaction Temperature are established.

Profiles of Reservoir Properties of Oil-Bearing Plays for Selected Petroleum Provinces in the United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

Freeman, P.A.; Attanasi, E.D.

2015-11-05

Each province profile figure consists of five strip charts and a boxplot. The five strip charts display for individual plays the following reservoir-fluid and reservoir properties: A, oil density (American Petroleum Institute [API] gravity in degrees); B, computed pseudo-Dykstra-Parsons coefficient; C, reservoir porosity (in percent); D, reservoir permeability (in millidarcies); and E, estimates of the original oil in place (OOIP) per unit volume of reservoir rock (in barrels per acre-foot). The OOIP per unit volume of reservoir rock is an indicator of the relative richness of the oil reservoir and is derived from estimates in the CRD of OOIP, reservoir acreage, and net pay. The net pay is the interval of productive reservoir rock. The same data for OOIP per unit volume are graphed as a strip chart (E) and a boxplot (F).

Heavy oil reservoirs recoverable by thermal technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kujawa, P.

1981-02-01

Reservoir, production, and project data for target reservoirs which contain heavy oil in the 8 to 25(0) API gravity range and are susceptible to recovery by in situ combustion and steam drive are presented. The reservoirs for steam recovery are less than 2500 feet deep to comply with state of the art technology. In cases where one reservoir would be a target for in situ combustion or steam drive, that reservoir is reported in both sections. Data were collected from three source types: hands-on, once removed, and twice removed. In all cases, data were sought depicting and characterizing individual reservoirs as opposed to data covering an entire field with more than one producing interval or reservoir. The data sources are listed at the end of each case. A complete listing of operators and projects is included as well as a bibliography of source material.

Comparative evaluation of surface and downhole steam-generation techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hart, C.

The application of heat to reservoirs containing high API gravity oils can substantially improve recovery. Although steam injection is currently the principal thermal recovery method, heat transmission losses associated with delivery of the steam from the surface generators to the oil bearing formation has limited conventional steam injection to shallow reservoirs. The objective of the Department of Energy's Project DEEP STEAM is to develop the technology required to economically produce heavy oil from deep reservoirs. The tasks included in this effort are the development and evaluation of thermally efficient delivery systems and downhole steam generation systems. The technical and economic performance of conventional surface steam drives, which are strongly influenced by heat losses are compared. The selection of a preferred technology based upon either total efficiency or cost is found to be strongly influenced by reservoir depth, steam mass flow rate, and sandface steam quality.

75 FR 58014 - Pipeline Safety: Information Collection Activity; Request for Comments

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-09-23

... detection systems must comply with the standards set out in American Petroleum Institute (API) publication API 1130. API 1130 requires operators to record and retain certain information regarding the operation and testing of CPM systems. Compliance with API 1130, including its recordkeeping requirements...

Restful API Architecture Based on Laravel Framework

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Xianjun; Ji, Zhoupeng; Fan, Yu; Zhan, Yongsong

2017-10-01

Web service has been an industry standard tech for message communication and integration between heterogeneous systems. RESTFUL API has become mainstream web service development paradigm after SOAP, how to effectively construct RESTFUL API remains a research hotspots. This paper presents a development model of RESTFUL API construction based on PHP language and LARAVEL framework. The key technical problems that need to be solved during the construction of RESTFUL API are discussed, and implementation details based on LARAVEL are given.

Ionic liquids in drug delivery.

PubMed

Shamshina, Julia L; Barber, Patrick S; Rogers, Robin D

2013-10-01

To overcome potential problems with solid-state APIs, such as polymorphism, solubility and bioavailability, pure liquid salt (ionic liquid) forms of active pharmaceutical ingredients (API-ILs) are considered here as a design strategy. After a critical review of the current literature, the recent development of the API-ILs strategy is presented, with a particular focus on the liquefaction of drugs. A variety of IL tools for control over the liquid salt state of matter are discussed including choice of counterion to produce an IL from a given API; the concept of oligomeric ions that enables liquefaction of solid ILs by changing the stoichiometry or complexity of the ions; formation of 'liquid co-crystals' where hydrogen bonding is the driving force in the liquefaction of a neutral acid-base complex; combining an IL strategy with the prodrug strategy to improve the delivery of solid APIs; using ILs as delivery agents via trapping a drug in a micelle and finally ILs designed with tunable hydrophilic-lipophilic balance that matches the structural requirements needed to solubilize poorly water-soluble APIs. The authors believe that API-IL approaches may save failed lead candidates, extend the patent life of current APIs, lead to new delivery options or even new pharmaceutical action. They encourage the pharmaceutical industry to invest more research into the API-IL platform as it could lead to fast-tracked approval based on similarities to the APIs already approved.

The Ruby UCSC API: accessing the UCSC genome database using Ruby.

PubMed

Mishima, Hiroyuki; Aerts, Jan; Katayama, Toshiaki; Bonnal, Raoul J P; Yoshiura, Koh-ichiro

2012-09-21

The University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC) genome database is among the most used sources of genomic annotation in human and other organisms. The database offers an excellent web-based graphical user interface (the UCSC genome browser) and several means for programmatic queries. A simple application programming interface (API) in a scripting language aimed at the biologist was however not yet available. Here, we present the Ruby UCSC API, a library to access the UCSC genome database using Ruby. The API is designed as a BioRuby plug-in and built on the ActiveRecord 3 framework for the object-relational mapping, making writing SQL statements unnecessary. The current version of the API supports databases of all organisms in the UCSC genome database including human, mammals, vertebrates, deuterostomes, insects, nematodes, and yeast.The API uses the bin index-if available-when querying for genomic intervals. The API also supports genomic sequence queries using locally downloaded *.2bit files that are not stored in the official MySQL database. The API is implemented in pure Ruby and is therefore available in different environments and with different Ruby interpreters (including JRuby). Assisted by the straightforward object-oriented design of Ruby and ActiveRecord, the Ruby UCSC API will facilitate biologists to query the UCSC genome database programmatically. The API is available through the RubyGem system. Source code and documentation are available at https://github.com/misshie/bioruby-ucsc-api/ under the Ruby license. Feedback and help is provided via the website at http://rubyucscapi.userecho.com/.

The Ruby UCSC API: accessing the UCSC genome database using Ruby

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background The University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC) genome database is among the most used sources of genomic annotation in human and other organisms. The database offers an excellent web-based graphical user interface (the UCSC genome browser) and several means for programmatic queries. A simple application programming interface (API) in a scripting language aimed at the biologist was however not yet available. Here, we present the Ruby UCSC API, a library to access the UCSC genome database using Ruby. Results The API is designed as a BioRuby plug-in and built on the ActiveRecord 3 framework for the object-relational mapping, making writing SQL statements unnecessary. The current version of the API supports databases of all organisms in the UCSC genome database including human, mammals, vertebrates, deuterostomes, insects, nematodes, and yeast. The API uses the bin index—if available—when querying for genomic intervals. The API also supports genomic sequence queries using locally downloaded *.2bit files that are not stored in the official MySQL database. The API is implemented in pure Ruby and is therefore available in different environments and with different Ruby interpreters (including JRuby). Conclusions Assisted by the straightforward object-oriented design of Ruby and ActiveRecord, the Ruby UCSC API will facilitate biologists to query the UCSC genome database programmatically. The API is available through the RubyGem system. Source code and documentation are available at https://github.com/misshie/bioruby-ucsc-api/ under the Ruby license. Feedback and help is provided via the website at http://rubyucscapi.userecho.com/. PMID:22994508

Detecting Runtime Anomalies in AJAX Applications through Trace Analysis

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-08-10

statements by adding the instrumentation to the GWT UI classes, leaving the user code untouched. Some content management frameworks such as Drupal [12...Google web toolkit.” http://code.google.com/webtoolkit/. [12] “Form generation – drupal api.” http://api.drupal.org/api/group/form_api/6. 9

Comparative study of the venoms from three species of bees: effects on heart activity and blood.

PubMed

Hussein, A A; Nabil, Z I; Zalat, S M; Rakha, M K

2001-11-01

Crude venoms from three highly evolved aculeate species: Apis mellifera (highly social bees), Bombus morrisoni (eusocial bees), and Anthophora pauperata (solitary bees), were used for conducting this study to compare the effects of honey bee, bumble bee, and solitary bee venom on toad cardiac muscle activity. In addition, these venoms were tested on rat whole blood in order to determine their ability to induce red blood cell haemolysis. The main toxic effects on isolated toad heart were monitored by ECG after perfusion with different concentrations of each bee venom, and are represented as a decrease in the heart rate (HR) accompanied by an elongation in the P-R interval. A gradual and progressive increase in R-wave amplitude was also noted. Several electrocardiographic changes were noted 5-30 min after envenomation with any of the bee venoms. The mechanism of action of the three bee venoms was determined by direct application of atropine, nicotine, or verapamil to the isolated toad hearts. Comparison of the three venoms revealed that Anthophora pauperata venom is the most effective venom in inducing bradycardia, and it has the strongest negative dromotropic effect. Apis mellifera venom demonstrates the most positive inotropic effect of the three venoms. The effects of bee venom on the blood indices of erythrocyte osmotic fragility (EOF) and plasma albumin levels were studied after incubation of rat blood with each venom. It was noticed that RBCs decreased while Hb content, HCT, MCV, MCH, and MCHC increased, although this change did fluctuate and was not significant. A nonsignificant decrease in EOF was noted after 60 min with any of the venoms used. Incubation of rat whole blood with 1 microg/ml of any of the bee venom solutions revealed a highly significant decrease in plasma albumin levels. It can be concluded that venoms from the three species of bees we tested have negative chronotropic and dromotropic effects on isolated toad heart, with Anthophora pauperata being the most potent. In addition, the venoms have positive inotropic effects withApis mellifera being the most potent. The nonsignificant effects of venom on blood profiles and erythrocyte osmotic fragility, combined with the significant decrease in plasma albumin level suggest a protective effect of plasma albumin against bee venom induced toxicity to erythrocytes.

Multi-Robot Systems in Military Domains (Les Systemes Multi-Robots Dans les Domaines Militaires)

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-12-01

to allow him to react quickly to improve his personal safety , it is mandatory to shorten the current very long delay needed for the human operator to...Hard RT tasks 2 OS / API Process monitoring 3 H / API Flexible communication medium 4 H / API Networking capabilities 5 H / API Safety 6 API...also be considered between high level services and legacy systems. 4) This is the one of the basic requirement for CoRoDe. 5) Safety : CRC, Timeouts

Regional framework, structural and petroleum aspects of rift basins in Niger, Chad and the Central African Republic (C.A.R.)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Genik, G. J.

1992-10-01

This paper overviews the regional framework, tectonic, structural and petroleum aspects of rifts in Niger, Chad and the C.A.R. The data base is from mainly proprietary exploration work consisting of some 50,000 kilometres of seismic profiles, 50 exploration wells, one million square kilometres of aeromagnetics coverage and extensive gravity surveys. There have been 13 oil and two oil and gas discoveries. A five phased tectonic history dating from the Pan African orogeny (750-550 MY B.P.) to the present suggests that the Western Central African Rift System (WCAS) with its component West African Rift Subsystem (WAS) and Central African Subsystem (CAS) formed mainly by the mechanical separation of African crustal blocks during the Early Cretaceous. Among the resulting rift basins in Niger, Chad and the C.A.R., seven are in the WAS—Grein, Kafra, Tenere. Tefidet, Termit, Bongor, and N'Dgel Edgi and three, Doba, Doseo, and Salamat are in the CAS. The WAS basins in Niger and Chad are all extensional and contain more than 14,000 m of continental to marine Early Cretaceous to Recent clastic sediments and minor amounts of volcanics. Medium to light oil (20° API-46° API) and gas have been discovered in the Termit basin in reservoir, source and seal beds of Late Cretaceous and Palaeogene age. The most common structural styles are extensional normal fault blocks and transtensional synthetic and antithetic normal fault blocks. The CAS Doba, Doseo and Salamat are extensional to transtensional rift basins containing up to 7500 m of terrestrial mainly Early Cretaceous clastics. Heavy to light oil (15°-39° API) and gas have been discovered in Doba and Doseo basins. Source rocks are Early Cretaceous lacustrine shales, whereas reservoirs and seals are both Early and Late Cretaceous. Dominant structural styles are extensional and transtensional fault blocks, transpressional anticlines and flower structures. The existence of a total rift basin sediment volume of more than one million cubic kilometres with structured reservoir, source and seal rocks favours the generation, migration and entrapment of additional significant volumes of hydrocarbons in many of these basins.

Diagnosis and treatment of limb fractures associated with acute peripheral ischemia.

PubMed

Popescu, G I; Lupescu, O; Nagea, M; Patru, C

2013-01-01

Acute Peripheral Ischemia (API) is the most severe acute complication after both open and closed fractures, as ischemia compromises not only the vitality of the affected limb, but also the patient's life, because metabolic anaerobic changes following ischemia have serious local and general consequences. These explain why early diagnosis of API is very important for the prognosis of the traumatized limb.The authors analyse cases when API was not diagnosed immediately after trauma, but some time after the first examination, due to either low systolic BP or to late onset of API. The patients were analysed concerning the type of the fracture, the reason for delayed diagnosis of API, the moment of API diagnosis and the arterial injury. In all those cases, surgery was performed immediately after API diagnosis, in order to identify and treat the complex injuries(bone and vascular). Celsius.

Infectivity and virulence of Nosema ceranae and Nosema apis in commercially available North American honey bees

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Nosema ceranae infection is ubiquitous in western honey bees, Apis mellifera. In the US, displacement of N. apis in bee colonies suggests that N. ceranae has competitive advantages. Our study, however, showed that N. ceranae was significantly less infective and less virulent than N. apis in commerc...

47 CFR 61.46 - Adjustments to the API.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 3 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Adjustments to the API. 61.46 Section 61.46... Rules for Dominant Carriers § 61.46 Adjustments to the API. (a) Except as provided in paragraphs (d) and... cap local exchange carrier must calculate an API for each affected basket pursuant to the following...

47 CFR 61.46 - Adjustments to the API.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 3 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Adjustments to the API. 61.46 Section 61.46... Rules for Dominant Carriers § 61.46 Adjustments to the API. (a) Except as provided in paragraphs (d) and... cap local exchange carrier must calculate an API for each affected basket pursuant to the following...

47 CFR 61.46 - Adjustments to the API.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 3 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Adjustments to the API. 61.46 Section 61.46... Rules for Dominant Carriers § 61.46 Adjustments to the API. (a) Except as provided in paragraphs (d) and... cap local exchange carrier must calculate an API for each affected basket pursuant to the following...

47 CFR 61.46 - Adjustments to the API.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 3 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Adjustments to the API. 61.46 Section 61.46... Rules for Dominant Carriers § 61.46 Adjustments to the API. (a) Except as provided in paragraphs (d) and... carrier must calculate an API for each affected basket pursuant to the following methodology: APIt = APIt...

47 CFR 61.46 - Adjustments to the API.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 3 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Adjustments to the API. 61.46 Section 61.46... Rules for Dominant Carriers § 61.46 Adjustments to the API. (a) Except as provided in paragraphs (d) and... cap local exchange carrier must calculate an API for each affected basket pursuant to the following...

Compositional mining of multiple object API protocols through state abstraction.

PubMed

Dai, Ziying; Mao, Xiaoguang; Lei, Yan; Qi, Yuhua; Wang, Rui; Gu, Bin

2013-01-01

API protocols specify correct sequences of method invocations. Despite their usefulness, API protocols are often unavailable in practice because writing them is cumbersome and error prone. Multiple object API protocols are more expressive than single object API protocols. However, the huge number of objects of typical object-oriented programs poses a major challenge to the automatic mining of multiple object API protocols: besides maintaining scalability, it is important to capture various object interactions. Current approaches utilize various heuristics to focus on small sets of methods. In this paper, we present a general, scalable, multiple object API protocols mining approach that can capture all object interactions. Our approach uses abstract field values to label object states during the mining process. We first mine single object typestates as finite state automata whose transitions are annotated with states of interacting objects before and after the execution of the corresponding method and then construct multiple object API protocols by composing these annotated single object typestates. We implement our approach for Java and evaluate it through a series of experiments.

Compositional Mining of Multiple Object API Protocols through State Abstraction

PubMed Central

Mao, Xiaoguang; Qi, Yuhua; Wang, Rui; Gu, Bin

2013-01-01

API protocols specify correct sequences of method invocations. Despite their usefulness, API protocols are often unavailable in practice because writing them is cumbersome and error prone. Multiple object API protocols are more expressive than single object API protocols. However, the huge number of objects of typical object-oriented programs poses a major challenge to the automatic mining of multiple object API protocols: besides maintaining scalability, it is important to capture various object interactions. Current approaches utilize various heuristics to focus on small sets of methods. In this paper, we present a general, scalable, multiple object API protocols mining approach that can capture all object interactions. Our approach uses abstract field values to label object states during the mining process. We first mine single object typestates as finite state automata whose transitions are annotated with states of interacting objects before and after the execution of the corresponding method and then construct multiple object API protocols by composing these annotated single object typestates. We implement our approach for Java and evaluate it through a series of experiments. PMID:23844378

Physicochemical characterisation and investigation of the bonding mechanisms of API-titanate nanotube composites as new drug carrier systems.

PubMed

Sipos, Barbara; Pintye-Hódi, Klára; Kónya, Zoltán; Kelemen, András; Regdon, Géza; Sovány, Tamás

2017-02-25

Titanate nanotube (TNT) has recently been explored as a new carrier material for active pharmaceutical ingredients (API). The aim of the present work was to reveal the physicochemical properties of API-TNT composites, focusing on the interactions between the TNTs and the incorporated APIs. Drugs belonging to different Biopharmaceutical Classification System (BCS) classes were loaded into TNTs: diltiazem hydrochloride (BCS I.), diclofenac sodium (BCS II.), atenolol (BCS III.) and hydrochlorothiazide (BCS IV.). Experimental results demonstrated that it is feasible for spiral cross-sectioned titanate nanotubes to carry drugs and maintain their bioactivity. The structural properties of the composites were characterized by a range of analytical techniques, including FT-IR, DSC, TG-MS, etc. The interactions between APIs and TNTs were identified as electrostatic attractions, mainly dominated by hydrogen bonds. Based on the results, it can be stated that the strength of the association depends on the hydrogen donor strength of the API. The drug release of incorporated APIs was evaluated from compressed tablets and compared to that of pure APIs. Differences noticed in the dissolution profiles due to incorporation showed a correlation with the strength of interactions between the APIs and the TNTs observed in the above analytical studies. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Resolution and sensitivity of the eyes of the Asian honeybees Apis florea, Apis cerana and Apis dorsata.

PubMed

Somanathan, Hema; Warrant, Eric J; Borges, Renee M; Wallén, Rita; Kelber, Almut

2009-08-01

Bees of the genus Apis are important foragers of nectar and pollen resources. Although the European honeybee, Apis mellifera, has been well studied with respect to its sensory abilities, learning behaviour and role as pollinators, much less is known about the other Apis species. We studied the anatomical spatial resolution and absolute sensitivity of the eyes of three sympatric species of Asian honeybees, Apis cerana, Apis florea and Apis dorsata and compared them with the eyes of A. mellifera. Of these four species, the giant honeybee A. dorsata (which forages during moonlit nights) has the lowest spatial resolution and the most sensitive eyes, followed by A. mellifera, A. cerana and the dwarf honeybee, A. florea (which has the smallest acceptance angles and the least sensitive eyes). Moreover, unlike the strictly diurnal A. cerana and A. florea, A. dorsata possess large ocelli, a feature that it shares with all dim-light bees. However, the eyes of the facultatively nocturnal A. dorsata are much less sensitive than those of known obligately nocturnal bees such as Megalopta genalis in Panama and Xylocopa tranquebarica in India. The differences in sensitivity between the eyes of A. dorsata and other strictly diurnal Apis species cannot alone explain why the former is able to fly, orient and forage at half-moon light levels. We assume that additional neuronal adaptations, as has been proposed for A. mellifera, M. genalis and X. tranquebarica, might exist in A. dorsata.

Improving the API dissolution rate during pharmaceutical hot-melt extrusion I: Effect of the API particle size, and the co-rotating, twin-screw extruder screw configuration on the API dissolution rate.

PubMed

Li, Meng; Gogos, Costas G; Ioannidis, Nicolas

2015-01-15

The dissolution rate of the active pharmaceutical ingredients in pharmaceutical hot-melt extrusion is the most critical elementary step during the extrusion of amorphous solid solutions - total dissolution has to be achieved within the short residence time in the extruder. Dissolution and dissolution rates are affected by process, material and equipment variables. In this work, we examine the effect of one of the material variables and one of the equipment variables, namely, the API particle size and extruder screw configuration on the API dissolution rate, in a co-rotating, twin-screw extruder. By rapidly removing the extruder screws from the barrel after achieving a steady state, we collected samples along the length of the extruder screws that were characterized by polarized optical microscopy (POM) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) to determine the amount of undissolved API. Analyses of samples indicate that reduction of particle size of the API and appropriate selection of screw design can markedly improve the dissolution rate of the API during extrusion. In addition, angle of repose measurements and light microscopy images show that the reduction of particle size of the API can improve the flowability of the physical mixture feed and the adhesiveness between its components, respectively, through dry coating of the polymer particles by the API particles. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Comparison of Vitek Matrix-assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry Versus Conventional Methods in Candida Identification.

PubMed

Keçeli, Sema Aşkın; Dündar, Devrim; Tamer, Gülden Sönmez

2016-02-01

Candida species are generally identified by conventional methods such as germ tube or morphological appearance on corn meal agar, biochemical methods using API kits and molecular biological methods. Alternative to these methods, rapid and accurate identification methods of microorganisms called matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDİ-TOF MS) has recently been described. In this study, Candida identification results by API Candida kit, API 20C AUX kit and identifications on corn meal agar (CMA) are compared with the results obtained on Vitek-MS. All results were confirmed by sequencing internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions of rDNA. Totally, 97 Candida strains were identified by germ tube test, CMA, API and Vitek-MS. Vitek-MS results were compatible with 74.2 % of API 20C AUX and 81.4 % of CMA results. The difference between the results of API Candida and API 20C AUX was detected. The ratio of discrepancy between Vitek-MS and API 20C AUX was 25.8 %. Candida species mostly identified as C. famata or C. tropicalis by and not compatible with API kits were identified as C. albicans by Vitek-MS. Sixteen Candida species having discrepant results with Vitek-MS, API or CMA were randomly chosen, and ITS sequence analysis was performed. The results of sequencing were compatible 56.2 % with API 20C AUX, 50 % with CMA and 93.7 % with Vitek-MS. When compared with conventional identification methods, MS results are more reliable and rapid for Candida identification. MS system may be used as routine identification method in clinical microbiology laboratories.

Development of an in-line Raman spectroscopic method for continuous API quantification during twin-screw wet granulation.

PubMed

Harting, Julia; Kleinebudde, Peter

2018-04-01

Raman spectroscopy was evaluated as a process analytical technology (PAT) tool for continuous API quantification during twin-screw wet granulation. Therefore, a Raman probe was implemented in front of the granulator barrel. This setup enabled the collection of Raman spectra upon a constant granule flow. To develop an in-line PLS calibration model, eight binary mixtures of the API and lactose monohydrate with API contents between 5 and 50% were pre-blended and granulated in a twin-screw granulator with a screw speed of 150 rpm and a powder feed rate of 40 g/min. Water was used as a granulation liquid with different liquid to solid ratios depending on the API content. Ibuprofen and diclofenac sodium were chosen as model drugs and separated PLS models were built for each API. The predictive performance of the developed PLS models was determined by granulating and monitoring new test samples containing different API concentrations. This evaluation showed that the models were able to predict the API concentration with an RMSEP of 0.59% for ibuprofen and 1.5% for diclofenac sodium. In a second part, the developed in-line Raman spectroscopic method was used to determine the API concentration during a split feeding process. Therefore, the API and lactose monohydrate were added by two independently adjustable feeders into the twin-screw granulator barrel. The in-line spectroscopy analysis which was verified by UV-analysis indicated that the mixing ability of the twin-screw granulator was good for the used settings and all adjusted API concentrations. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Component resolution reveals additional major allergens in patients with honeybee venom allergy.

PubMed

Köhler, Julian; Blank, Simon; Müller, Sabine; Bantleon, Frank; Frick, Marcel; Huss-Marp, Johannes; Lidholm, Jonas; Spillner, Edzard; Jakob, Thilo

2014-05-01

Detection of IgE to recombinant Hymenoptera venom allergens has been suggested to improve the diagnostic precision in Hymenoptera venom allergy. However, the frequency of sensitization to the only available recombinant honeybee venom (HBV) allergen, rApi m 1, in patients with HBV allergy is limited, suggesting that additional HBV allergens might be of relevance. We performed an analysis of sensitization profiles of patients with HBV allergy to a panel of HBV allergens. Diagnosis of HBV allergy (n = 144) was based on history, skin test results, and allergen-specific IgE levels to HBV. IgE reactivity to 6 HBV allergens devoid of cross-reactive carbohydrate determinants (CCD) was analyzed by ImmunoCAP. IgE reactivity to rApi m 1, rApi m 2, rApi m 3, nApi m 4, rApi m 5, and rApi m 10 was detected in 72.2%, 47.9%, 50.0%, 22.9%, 58.3%, and 61.8% of the patients with HBV allergy, respectively. Positive results to at least 1 HBV allergen were detected in 94.4%. IgE reactivity to Api m 3, Api m 10, or both was detected in 68.0% and represented the only HBV allergen-specific IgE in 5% of the patients. Limited inhibition of IgE binding by therapeutic HBV and limited induction of Api m 3- and Api m 10-specific IgG4 in patients obtaining immunotherapy supports recent reports on the underrepresentation of these allergens in therapeutic HBV preparations. Analysis of a panel of CCD-free HBV allergens improved diagnostic sensitivity compared with use of rApi m 1 alone, identified additional major allergens, and revealed sensitizations to allergens that have been reported to be absent or underrepresented in therapeutic HBV preparations. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Pharmaceuticals in water, fish and osprey nestlings in Delaware River and Bay

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bean, Thomas G.; Rattner, Barnett A.; Lazarus, Rebecca S.; Day, Daniel D.; Burket, S. Rebekah; Brooks, Bryan W.; Haddad, Samuel P.; Bowerman, William W.

2018-01-01

Exposure of wildlife to Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) is likely to occur but studies of risk are limited. One exposure pathway that has received attention is trophic transfer of APIs in a water-fish-osprey food chain. Samples of water, fish plasma and osprey plasma were collected from Delaware River and Bay, and analyzed for 21 APIs. Only 2 of 21 analytes exceeded method detection limits in osprey plasma (acetaminophen and diclofenac) with plasma levels typically 2–3 orders of magnitude below human therapeutic concentrations (HTC). We built upon a screening level model used to predict osprey exposure to APIs in Chesapeake Bay and evaluated whether exposure levels could have been predicted in Delaware Bay had we just measured concentrations in water or fish. Use of surface water and BCFs did not predict API concentrations in fish well, likely due to fish movement patterns, and partitioning and bioaccumulation uncertainties associated with these ionizable chemicals. Input of highest measured API concentration in fish plasma combined with pharmacokinetic data accurately predicted that diclofenac and acetaminophen would be the APIs most likely detected in osprey plasma. For the majority of APIs modeled, levels were not predicted to exceed 1 ng/mL or method detection limits in osprey plasma. Based on the target analytes examined, there is little evidence that APIs represent a significant risk to ospreys nesting in Delaware Bay. If an API is present in fish orders of magnitude below HTC, sampling of fish-eating birds is unlikely to be necessary. However, several human pharmaceuticals accumulated in fish plasma within a recommended safety factor for HTC. It is now important to expand the scope of diet-based API exposure modeling to include alternative exposure pathways (e.g., uptake from landfills, dumps and wastewater treatment plants) and geographic locations (developing countries) where API contamination of the environment may represent greater risk.

Long-Term Temporal Trends of Nosema spp. Infection Prevalence in Northeast Germany: Continuous Spread of Nosema ceranae, an Emerging Pathogen of Honey Bees (Apis mellifera), but No General Replacement of Nosema apis.

PubMed

Gisder, Sebastian; Schüler, Vivian; Horchler, Lennart L; Groth, Detlef; Genersch, Elke

2017-01-01

The Western honey bee ( Apis mellifera ) is widely used as commercial pollinator in worldwide agriculture and, therefore, plays an important role in global food security. Among the parasites and pathogens threatening health and survival of honey bees are two species of microsporidia, Nosema apis and Nosema ceranae. Nosema ceranae is considered an emerging pathogen of the Western honey bee. Reports on the spread of N. ceranae suggested that this presumably highly virulent species is replacing its more benign congener N. apis in the global A. mellifera population. We here present a 12 year longitudinal cohort study on the prevalence of N. apis and N. ceranae in Northeast Germany. Between 2005 and 2016, a cohort of about 230 honey bee colonies originating from 23 apiaries was sampled twice a year (spring and autumn) resulting in a total of 5,600 bee samples which were subjected to microscopic and molecular analysis for determining the presence of infections with N. apis or/and N. ceranae . Throughout the entire study period, both N. apis - and N. ceranae -infections could be diagnosed within the cohort. Logistic regression analysis of the prevalence data demonstrated a significant increase of N. ceranae -infections over the last 12 years, both in autumn (reflecting the development during the summer) and in spring (reflecting the development over winter) samples. Cell culture experiments confirmed that N. ceranae has a higher proliferative potential than N. apis at 27° and 33°C potentially explaining the increase in N. ceranae prevalence during summer. In autumn, characterized by generally low infection prevalence, this increase was accompanied by a significant decrease in N. apis -infection prevalence. In contrast, in spring, the season with a higher prevalence of infection, no significant decrease of N. apis infections despite a significant increase in N. ceranae infections could be observed. Therefore, our data do not support a general advantage of N. ceranae over N. apis and an overall replacement of N. apis by N. ceranae in the studied honey bee population.

Long-Term Temporal Trends of Nosema spp. Infection Prevalence in Northeast Germany: Continuous Spread of Nosema ceranae, an Emerging Pathogen of Honey Bees (Apis mellifera), but No General Replacement of Nosema apis

PubMed Central

Gisder, Sebastian; Schüler, Vivian; Horchler, Lennart L.; Groth, Detlef; Genersch, Elke

2017-01-01

The Western honey bee (Apis mellifera) is widely used as commercial pollinator in worldwide agriculture and, therefore, plays an important role in global food security. Among the parasites and pathogens threatening health and survival of honey bees are two species of microsporidia, Nosema apis and Nosema ceranae. Nosema ceranae is considered an emerging pathogen of the Western honey bee. Reports on the spread of N. ceranae suggested that this presumably highly virulent species is replacing its more benign congener N. apis in the global A. mellifera population. We here present a 12 year longitudinal cohort study on the prevalence of N. apis and N. ceranae in Northeast Germany. Between 2005 and 2016, a cohort of about 230 honey bee colonies originating from 23 apiaries was sampled twice a year (spring and autumn) resulting in a total of 5,600 bee samples which were subjected to microscopic and molecular analysis for determining the presence of infections with N. apis or/and N. ceranae. Throughout the entire study period, both N. apis- and N. ceranae-infections could be diagnosed within the cohort. Logistic regression analysis of the prevalence data demonstrated a significant increase of N. ceranae-infections over the last 12 years, both in autumn (reflecting the development during the summer) and in spring (reflecting the development over winter) samples. Cell culture experiments confirmed that N. ceranae has a higher proliferative potential than N. apis at 27° and 33°C potentially explaining the increase in N. ceranae prevalence during summer. In autumn, characterized by generally low infection prevalence, this increase was accompanied by a significant decrease in N. apis-infection prevalence. In contrast, in spring, the season with a higher prevalence of infection, no significant decrease of N. apis infections despite a significant increase in N. ceranae infections could be observed. Therefore, our data do not support a general advantage of N. ceranae over N. apis and an overall replacement of N. apis by N. ceranae in the studied honey bee population. PMID:28730143

In Vivo Efficacy and Pharmacokinetics of Optimized Apidaecin Analogs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmidt, Rico; Knappe, Daniel; Wende, Elisabeth; Ostorházi, Eszter; Hoffmann, Ralf

2017-03-01

Proline-rich antimicrobial peptides (PrAMPs) represent promising alternative therapeutic options for the treatment of multidrug-resistant bacterial infections. PrAMPs are predominantly active against Gram-negative bacteria by inhibiting protein expression via at least two different modes of action, i.e., blocking the ribosomal exit tunnel of 70S ribosomes (oncocin-type binding) or inhibiting the assembly of the 50S ribosomal subunit (apidaecin-type binding). The in vivo efficacy and favorable biodistribution of oncocins confirmed the therapeutic potential of short PrAMPs for the first time, whereas the in vivo evaluation of apidaecins is still limited despite the promising efficacy of apidaecin-analog Api88 in an intraperitoneal murine infection model. Here, the in vivo efficacy of apidaecin-analog Api137 was studied, which rescued all NMRI mice from a lethal intraperitoneal infection with E. coli ATCC 25922 when administered three times intraperitoneal at doses of 0.6 mg/kg starting one hour after infection. When Api88 and Api137 were administered intravenous or intraperitoneal at doses of 5 and 20 mg/kg, their plasma levels were similarly low (<3 µg/mL) and fourfold lower than for oncocin-analog Onc72. This contradicted earlier expectation based on the very low serum stability of Api88 with a half-life time of only 5 min compared to 6 hrs and 3 hrs for Api137 and Onc72, respectively. Pharmacokinetic data relying on a sensitive mass spectrometry method utilizing multiple reaction monitoring and isotope-labeled peptides revealed that Api88 and Api137 were present in blood, urine, and kidney, and liver homogenates at similar levels accompanied by the same major metabolites comprising residues 1-16 and 1-17. The pretended discrepancy was solved, when all peptides were incubated in peritoneal lavage. Api137 was rapidly degraded at the C-terminus, while Api88 was rather stable despite releasing the same degradation products. Onc72 was very stable explaining its higher plasma levels compared to Api88 and Api137 after intraperitoneal administration illuminating its good in vivo efficacy. The data indicate that the degradation of therapeutic peptides should be studied in serum and further body fluids. Moreover, the high efficacy in murine infection models and the fast clearance of Api88 and Api137 within 60 min after intravenous and 90 min after intraperitoneal injections indicate that

Active peptidomimetic insect kinin analogs with type VI turn motif 4-aminopyroglutamate lack native peptide bonds

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Two stereochemical variant insect kinin mimetic analogs 1796 and 1797 containing (2S,4S)-APy (APy) and (2R,4S)-APy (Apy), respectively, were synthesized and evaluated on isolated Malpighian tubules of the house cricket Acheta domesticus to determine if they could retain the fluid secretion stimulat...

Web Services--A Buzz Word with Potentials

Treesearch

János T. Füstös

2006-01-01

The simplest definition of a web service is an application that provides a web API. The web API exposes the functionality of the solution to other applications. The web API relies on other Internet-based technologies to manage communications. The resulting web services are pervasive, vendor-independent, language-neutral, and very low-cost. The main purpose of a web API...

Provenance Store Evaluation

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

Paulson, Patrick R.; Gibson, Tara D.; Schuchardt, Karen L.

2008-03-01

Requirements for the provenance store and access API are developed. Existing RDF stores and APIs are evaluated against the requirements and performance benchmarks. The team’s conclusion is to use MySQL as a database backend, with a possible move to Oracle in the near-term future. Both Jena and Sesame’s APIs will be supported, but new code will use the Jena API

PedVizApi: a Java API for the interactive, visual analysis of extended pedigrees.

PubMed

Fuchsberger, Christian; Falchi, Mario; Forer, Lukas; Pramstaller, Peter P

2008-01-15

PedVizApi is a Java API (application program interface) for the visual analysis of large and complex pedigrees. It provides all the necessary functionality for the interactive exploration of extended genealogies. While available packages are mostly focused on a static representation or cannot be added to an existing application, PedVizApi is a highly flexible open source library for the efficient construction of visual-based applications for the analysis of family data. An extensive demo application and a R interface is provided. http://www.pedvizapi.org

A Monte Carlo modeling alternative for the API Gamma Ray Calibration Facility.

PubMed

Galford, J E

2017-04-01

The gamma ray pit at the API Calibration Facility, located on the University of Houston campus, defines the API unit for natural gamma ray logs used throughout the petroleum logging industry. Future use of the facility is uncertain. An alternative method is proposed to preserve the gamma ray API unit definition as an industry standard by using Monte Carlo modeling to obtain accurate counting rate-to-API unit conversion factors for gross-counting and spectral gamma ray tool designs. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Oil Industries Fake Abundance Story: Is Distortion of the Truth Ever Appropriate?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murray, J. W.

2014-12-01

The oil industries and their cornucopian supporters (press, politicians, energy agencies) promote the story that in the oil is abundant and oil production will increase. The reality is that 1) World crude oil production has been on a plateau since 2005, in spite of new technology (fracking), record high prices (Brent Oil > 100 per barrel) and record spending on exploration and development (5.4 trillion over the past six years) and 2) The price of oil has risen steadily from 1999 to present. Typically when commodities are abundant the price tends to fall. How is this reality being distorted? 1) Resources are being equated with reserves (both are amounts), neither of which can be equated with each other or with production (a rate). 2) Crude oil (the price or which is rigorously defined by API density) has been redefined as total liquids, which includes substances (lease condensates, natural gas liquids, biofuels, refinery gains) which can not be used in the same way oil is or sold for the same price as oil. If what you are selling cannot be sold on the world market as crude oil, then it is not crude oil. 3) The demand for oil remains high, but World production is stagnant and World net-export production has been decreasing since 2005. Thus the price remains high and will only increase in the future. Growth in Global GDP is impacted by high-priced oil. How do you know unethical behavior when you see it? It has to do with intentionality and motivation. "Advocacy science" often reports data to support their cause. Is that unethical? Where is the divide between being an "Issue Advocate" and "Advocacy Science"? If data are reported poorly, is it unethical or just "bad science"? Do the same ethical standards apply to businesses (when profits are involved) and politicians (when elections are at stake)? Why would the definition of oil include NGL, condensates and refinery gains if not trying to inflate the numbers. The standards should be the same, but when there are no reliable independent sources of data, different definitions and uncertainty in the data allow a range of interpretations. Within these limits it allows some to bend the truth for their needs. What is the solution? With so much at stake, why have the uncertainties in these issues been so poorly examined by the academic community? Doing so will encourage alternative sources of energy to be developed.

Engineered particles demonstrate improved flow properties at elevated drug loadings for direct compression manufacturing.

PubMed

Trementozzi, Andrea N; Leung, Cheuk-Yui; Osei-Yeboah, Frederick; Irdam, Erwin; Lin, Yiqing; MacPhee, J Michael; Boulas, Pierre; Karki, Shyam B; Zawaneh, Peter N

2017-05-15

Optimizing powder flow and compaction properties are critical for ensuring a robust tablet manufacturing process. The impact of flow and compaction properties of the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) becomes progressively significant for higher drug load formulations, and for scaling up manufacturing processes. This study demonstrated that flow properties of a powder blend can be improved through API particle engineering, without critically impacting blend tabletability at elevated drug loadings. In studying a jet milled API (D 50 =24μm) and particle engineered wet milled API (D 50 =70μm and 90μm), flow functions of all API lots were similarly poor despite the vast difference in average particle size (ff c <4). This finding strays from the common notion that powder flow properties are directly correlated to particle size distribution. Upon adding excipients, however, clear trends in flow functions based on API particle size were observed. Wet milled API blends had a much improved flow function (ff c >10) compared with the jet milled API blends. Investigation of the compaction properties of both wet and jet milled powder blends also revealed that both jet and wet milled material produced robust tablets at the drug loadings used. The ability to practically demonstrate this uncommon observation that similarly poor flowing APIs can lead to a marked difference upon blending is important for pharmaceutical development. It is especially important in early phase development during API selection, and is advantageous particularly when material-sparing techniques are utilized. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Magnetic Material Arrangement In Apis Mellifera Abdomens

DTIC Science & Technology

2002-04-01

UNCLASSIFIED Defense Technical Information Center Compilation Part Notice ADP014406 TITLE: Magnetic Material Arrangement In Apis Mellifera Abdomens...Magnetic Material Arrangement In Apis Mellifera Abdomens Darci M. S. Esquivel, Eliane Wajnberg, Geraldo R. Cernicchiaro, Daniel Acosta-Avalos’ and B.E...transition (52 K- 91 K). Hysteresis curves of Apis mellifera abdomens organized parallel and perpendicular to the applied magnetic field were obtained

Public evaluation of an announcement of public interests communicated by an AIDS patient.

PubMed

Lau, J T; Cheung, C K

1999-01-01

Announcements of public interests (APIs) on television (TV) have been an important means of AIDS prevention. Recently in Hong Kong, the first API on TV which was communicated by a male AIDS patient, named J.J., was displayed on the screen from April to December, 1995. The objective of this study is to examine the effectiveness of this API, as compared with other APIs previously shown in Hong Kong. Collecting data from a random sample of 1,275 residential respondents in Hong Kong through a telephone survey, this study demonstrated that the public gave very favorable evaluation on J.J.'s API, when compared with other APIs. Remarkable impacts of J.J.'s API on the public included increasing concern for AIDS, condom use, and testing blood for HIV infection, and reducing the number of sex partners. The impacts tended to be more salient on male than female viewers. Some of these impacts also appeared to vary by different levels of education and family income.

GIANT API: an application programming interface for functional genomics

PubMed Central

Roberts, Andrew M.; Wong, Aaron K.; Fisk, Ian; Troyanskaya, Olga G.

2016-01-01

GIANT API provides biomedical researchers programmatic access to tissue-specific and global networks in humans and model organisms, and associated tools, which includes functional re-prioritization of existing genome-wide association study (GWAS) data. Using tissue-specific interaction networks, researchers are able to predict relationships between genes specific to a tissue or cell lineage, identify the changing roles of genes across tissues and uncover disease-gene associations. Additionally, GIANT API enables computational tools like NetWAS, which leverages tissue-specific networks for re-prioritization of GWAS results. The web services covered by the API include 144 tissue-specific functional gene networks in human, global functional networks for human and six common model organisms and the NetWAS method. GIANT API conforms to the REST architecture, which makes it stateless, cacheable and highly scalable. It can be used by a diverse range of clients including web browsers, command terminals, programming languages and standalone apps for data analysis and visualization. The API is freely available for use at http://giant-api.princeton.edu. PMID:27098035

Programmatic access to logical models in the Cell Collective modeling environment via a REST API.

PubMed

Kowal, Bryan M; Schreier, Travis R; Dauer, Joseph T; Helikar, Tomáš

2016-01-01

Cell Collective (www.cellcollective.org) is a web-based interactive environment for constructing, simulating and analyzing logical models of biological systems. Herein, we present a Web service to access models, annotations, and simulation data in the Cell Collective platform through the Representational State Transfer (REST) Application Programming Interface (API). The REST API provides a convenient method for obtaining Cell Collective data through almost any programming language. To ensure easy processing of the retrieved data, the request output from the API is available in a standard JSON format. The Cell Collective REST API is freely available at http://thecellcollective.org/tccapi. All public models in Cell Collective are available through the REST API. For users interested in creating and accessing their own models through the REST API first need to create an account in Cell Collective (http://thecellcollective.org). thelikar2@unl.edu. Technical user documentation: https://goo.gl/U52GWo. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Can the Air Pollution Index be used to communicate the health risks of air pollution?

PubMed

Li, Li; Lin, Guo-Zhen; Liu, Hua-Zhang; Guo, Yuming; Ou, Chun-Quan; Chen, Ping-Yan

2015-10-01

The validity of using the Air Pollution Index (API) to assess health impacts of air pollution and potential modification by individual characteristics on air pollution effects remain uncertain. We applied distributed lag non-linear models (DLNMs) to assess associations of daily API, specific pollution indices for PM10, SO2, NO2 and the weighted combined API (APIw) with mortality during 2003-2011 in Guangzhou, China. An increase of 10 in API was associated with a 0.88% (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.50, 1.27%) increase of non-accidental mortality at lag 0-2 days. Harvesting effects appeared after 2 days' exposure. The effect estimate of API over lag 0-15 days was statistically significant and similar with those of pollutant-specific indices and APIw. Stronger associations between API and mortality were observed in the elderly, females and residents with low educational attainment. In conclusion, the API can be used to communicate health risks of air pollution. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of API 20E strips for identification of coagulase-negative staphylococci from the urinary tract.

PubMed

Anderson, D Y; Vredeveld, G N; Brake, S R; Buchanan, T F; Lewis, J F

1983-12-01

A previous study indicated that the API 230E system can identify coagulase-negative Staphylococcus species. A study was devised to evaluate the use of the API 20E system for this purpose. Because of the current interest in Staphylococcus saprophyticus the relationship of the API 20E results to novobiocin susceptibility was also examined. One hundred forty-nine isolates of coagulase-negative staphylococci from urine cultures were tested with the API 20E system. The identification of 49 isolates was confirmed by Kloos and Schleifer method. We found that the routine API 20E system did not provide more information than novobiocin susceptibility studies alone, and that there was good but not absolute correlation between novobiocin resistance and identification of S. saprophyticus.

A Shellcode Detection Method Based on Full Native API Sequence and Support Vector Machine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, Yixuan; Fan, Wenqing; Huang, Wei; An, Jing

2017-09-01

Dynamic monitoring the behavior of a program is widely used to discriminate between benign program and malware. It is usually based on the dynamic characteristics of a program, such as API call sequence or API call frequency to judge. The key innovation of this paper is to consider the full Native API sequence and use the support vector machine to detect the shellcode. We also use the Markov chain to extract and digitize Native API sequence features. Our experimental results show that the method proposed in this paper has high accuracy and low detection rate.

Do honeybees, Apis mellifera scutellata, regulate humidity in their nest?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Human, Hannelie; Nicolson, Sue W.; Dietemann, Vincent

2006-08-01

Honeybees are highly efficient at regulating the biophysical parameters of their hive according to colony needs. Thermoregulation has been the most extensively studied aspect of nest homeostasis. In contrast, little is known about how humidity is regulated in beehives, if at all. Although high humidity is necessary for brood development, regulation of this parameter by honeybee workers has not yet been demonstrated. In the past, humidity was measured too crudely for a regulation mechanism to be identified. We reassess this issue, using miniaturised data loggers that allow humidity measurements in natural situations and at several places in the nest. We present evidence that workers influence humidity in the hive. However, there are constraints on potential regulation mechanisms because humidity optima may vary in different locations of the nest. Humidity could also depend on variable external factors, such as water availability, which further impair the regulation. Moreover, there are trade-offs with the regulation of temperature and respiratory gas exchanges that can disrupt the establishment of optimal humidity levels. As a result, we argue that workers can only adjust humidity within sub-optimal limits.

Efficient Strategies for Active Interface-Level Network Topology Discovery

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-09-01

Network Information Centre API Application Programming Interface APNIC Asia-Pacific Network Information Centre ARIN American Registry for Internet Numbers...very convenient Application Programming Interface ( API ) for easy primitive implementation. Ark’s API facilitates easy development and rapid...prototyping – important attributes as the char- acteristics of our primitives evolve. The API allows a high-level of abstraction, which in turn leads to rapid

Single-step GBLUP using APY inverse for protein yield in US Holstein with a large number of genotyped animals

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The objective of this study was to provide initial results in an application of single-step genomic BLUP with a genomic relationship matrix (G^-1APY) calculated using the Algorithm of Proven and Young (APY) to 305-day protein yield for US Holsteins. Two G^-1APY were tested; one was from 139,057 geno...

Human scFv antibodies (Afribumabs) against Africanized bee venom: Advances in melittin recognition.

PubMed

Pessenda, Gabriela; Silva, Luciano C; Campos, Lucas B; Pacello, Elenice M; Pucca, Manuela B; Martinez, Edson Z; Barbosa, José E

2016-03-15

Africanized Apis mellifera bees, also known as killer bees, have an exceptional defensive instinct, characterized by mass attacks that may cause envenomation or death. From the years 2000-2013, 77,066 bee accidents occurred in Brazil. Bee venom comprises several substances, including melittin and phospholipase A2 (PLA2). Due to the lack of antivenom for bee envenomation, this study aimed to produce human monoclonal antibody fragments (single chain fragment variable; scFv), by using phage display technology. These fragments targeted melittin and PLA2, the two major components of bee venom, to minimize their toxic effects in cases of mass envenomation. Two phage antibody selections were performed using purified melittin. As the commercial melittin is contaminated with PLA2, phages specific to PLA2 were also obtained during one of the selections. Specific clones for melittin and PLA2 were selected for the production of soluble scFvs, named here Afribumabs: prefix: afrib- (from Africanized bee); stem/suffix: -umab (fully human antibody). Afribumabs 1 and 2 were tested in in vitro and in vivo assays to assess their ability to inhibit the toxic actions of purified melittin, PLA2, and crude bee venom. Afribumabs reduced hemolysis caused by purified melittin and PLA2 and by crude venom in vitro and reduced edema formation in the paws of mice and prolonged the survival of venom-injected animals in vivo. These results demonstrate that Afribumabs may contribute to the production of the first non-heterologous antivenom treatment against bee envenomation. Such a treatment may overcome some of the difficulties associated with conventional immunotherapy techniques. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Androgenic effect of honeybee drone milk in castrated rats: roles of methyl palmitate and methyl oleate.

PubMed

Seres, A B; Ducza, E; Báthori, M; Hunyadi, A; Béni, Z; Dékány, M; Hajagos-Tóth, J; Verli, J; Gáspár, Róbert

2014-04-28

Numerous honeybee (Apis mellifera) products have been used in traditional medicine to treat infertility and to increase vitality in both men and women. Drone milk (DM) is a relatively little-known honeybee product with a putative sexual hormone effect. The oestrogenic effect of a fraction of DM has recently been reported in rats. However, no information is available on the androgenic effects of DM. The purpose of the present study was to determine the androgen-like effect of DM in male rats and to identify effective compounds. A modified Hershberger assay was used to investigate the androgenic effect of crude DM, and the plasma level of testosterone was measured. The prostatic mRNA and protein expression of Spot14-like androgen-inducible protein (SLAP) were also examined with real-time PCR and Western blot techniques. GC-MS and NMR spectroscopic investigations were performed to identify the active components gained by bioactivity-guided fractionation. The crude DM increased the relative weights of the androgen-dependent organs and the plasma testosterone level in castrated rats and these actions were flutamide-sensitive. DM increased the tissue mRNA and protein level of SLAP, providing further evidence of its androgen-like character. After bioactivity-guided fractionation, two fatty acid esters, methyl palmitate (MP) and methyl oleate (MO), were identified as active compounds. MP alone showed an androgenic effect, whereas MO increased the weight of androgen-sensitive tissues and the plasma testosterone level only in combination. The experimental data of DM and its active compounds (MO and MP) show androgenic activity confirming the traditional usage of DM. DM or MP or/and MO treatments may project a natural mode for the therapy of male infertility. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Investigation of the capacity of low glass transition temperature excipients to minimize amorphization of sulfadimidine on comilling.

PubMed

Curtin, Vincent; Amharar, Youness; Hu, Yun; Erxleben, Andrea; McArdle, Patrick; Caron, Vincent; Tajber, Lidia; Corrigan, Owen I; Healy, Anne Marie

2013-01-07

The coprocessing of active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) with an excipient which has a high glass transition temperature (T(g)) is a recognized strategy to stabilize the amorphous form of a drug. This work investigates whether coprocessing a model API, sulfadimidine (SDM) with a series of low T(g) excipients, prevents or reduces amorphization of the crystalline drug. It was hypothesized that these excipients could exert a T(g) lowering effect, resulting in composite T(g) values lower than that of the API alone and promote crystallization of the drug. Milled SDM and comilled SDM with glutaric acid (GA), adipic acid (AA), succinic acid (SA), and malic acid (MA) were characterized with respect to their thermal, X-ray diffraction, spectroscopic, and vapor sorption properties. SDM was predominantly amorphous when milled alone, with an amorphous content of 82%. No amorphous content was detected by dynamic vapor sorption (DVS) on comilling SDM with 50% w/w GA, and amorphous content of the API was reduced by almost 30%, relative to the API milled alone, on comilling with 50% w/w AA. In contrast, amorphization of SDM was promoted on comilling with 50% w/w SA and MA, as indicated by near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy. Results indicated that the API was completely amorphized in the SDM:MA comilled composite. The saturated solubility of GA and AA in the amorphous API was estimated by thermal methods. It was observed that the T(g) of the comelt quenched composites reached a minimum and leveled out at this solubility concentration. Maximum crystallinity of API on comilling was reached at excipient concentrations comparable to the saturated concentration solubility of excipient in the API. Moreover, the closer the Hildebrand solubility parameter of the excipient to the API, the greater the inhibition of API amorphization on comilling. The results reported here indicate that an excipient with a low T(g) coupled with high solubility in the API can prevent or reduce the generation of an amorphous phase on comilling.

Effects of microgravity on vestibular development and function in rats: genetics and environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ronca, A. E.; Fritzsch, B.; Alberts, J. R.; Bruce, L. L.

2000-01-01

Our anatomical and behavioral studies of embryonic rats that developed in microgravity suggest that the vestibular sensory system, like the visual system, has genetically mediated processes of development that establish crude connections between the periphery and the brain. Environmental stimuli also regulate connection formation including terminal branch formation and fine-tuning of synaptic contacts. Axons of vestibular sensory neurons from gravistatic as well as linear acceleration receptors reach their targets in both microgravity and normal gravity, suggesting that this is a genetically regulated component of development. However, microgravity exposure delays the development of terminal branches and synapses in gravistatic but not linear acceleration-sensitive neurons and also produces behavioral changes. These latter changes reflect environmentally controlled processes of development.

Comparative virulence and competition between Nosema apis and Nosema ceranae in honey bees (Apis mellifera).

PubMed

Milbrath, Meghan O; van Tran, Toan; Huang, Wei-Fong; Solter, Leellen F; Tarpy, David R; Lawrence, Frank; Huang, Zachary Y

2015-02-01

Honey bees (Apis mellifera) are infected by two species of microsporidia: Nosema apis and Nosemaceranae. Epidemiological evidence indicates that N. ceranae may be replacing N. apis globally in A. mellifera populations, suggesting a potential competitive advantage of N. ceranae. Mixed infections of the two species occur, and little is known about the interactions among the host and the two pathogens that have allowed N. ceranae to become dominant in most geographical areas. We demonstrated that mixed Nosema species infections negatively affected honey bee survival (median survival=15-17days) more than single species infections (median survival=21days and 20days for N. apis and N. ceranae, respectively), with median survival of control bees of 27days. We found similar rates of infection (percentage of bees with active infections after inoculation) for both species in mixed infections, with N. apis having a slightly higher rate (91% compared to 86% for N. ceranae). We observed slightly higher spore counts in bees infected with N. ceranae than in bees infected with N. apis in single microsporidia infections, especially at the midpoint of infection (day 10). Bees with mixed infections of both species had higher spore counts than bees with single infections, but spore counts in mixed infections were highly variable. We did not see a competitive advantage for N. ceranae in mixed infections; N. apis spore counts were either higher or counts were similar for both species and more N. apis spores were produced in 62% of bees inoculated with equal dosages of the two microsporidian species. N. ceranae does not, therefore, appear to have a strong within-host advantage for either infectivity or spore growth, suggesting that direct competition in these worker bee mid-guts is not responsible for its apparent replacement of N. apis. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

An example of how to handle amorphous fractions in API during early pharmaceutical development: SAR114137--a successful approach.

PubMed

Petzoldt, Christine; Bley, Oliver; Byard, Stephen J; Andert, Doris; Baumgartner, Bruno; Nagel, Norbert; Tappertzhofen, Christoph; Feth, Martin Philipp

2014-04-01

The so-called pharmaceutical solid chain, which encompasses drug substance micronisation to the final tablet production, at pilot plant scale is presented as a case study for a novel, highly potent, pharmaceutical compound: SAR114137. Various solid-state analytical methods, such as solid-state Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (ssNMR), Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), Dynamic Water Vapour Sorption Gravimetry (DWVSG), hot-stage Raman spectroscopy and X-ray Powder Diffraction (XRPD) were applied and evaluated to characterise and quantify amorphous content during the course of the physical treatment of crystalline active pharmaceutical ingredient (API). DSC was successfully used to monitor the changes in amorphous content during micronisation of the API, as well as during stability studies. (19)F solid-state NMR was found to be the method of choice for the detection and quantification of low levels of amorphous API, even in the final drug product (DP), since compaction during tablet manufacture was identified as a further source for the formation of amorphous API. The application of different jet milling techniques was a critical factor with respect to amorphous content formation. In the present case, the change from spiral jet milling to loop jet milling led to a decrease in amorphous API content from 20-30 w/w% to nearly 0 w/w% respectively. The use of loop jet milling also improved the processability of the API. Stability investigations on both the milled API and the DP showed a marked tendency for recrystallisation of the amorphous API content on exposure to elevated levels of relative humidity. No significant impact of amorphous API on either the chemical stability or the dissolution rate of the API in drug formulation was observed. Therefore, the presence of amorphous content in the oral formulation was of no consequence for the clinical trial phases I and II. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Systematic CRISPR-Cas9-Mediated Modifications of Plasmodium yoelii ApiAP2 Genes Reveal Functional Insights into Parasite Development

PubMed Central

Zhang, Cui; Li, Zhenkui; Cui, Huiting; Jiang, Yuanyuan; Yang, Zhenke; Wang, Xu; Gao, Han; Liu, Cong; Zhang, Shujia

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT Malaria parasites have a complex life cycle with multiple developmental stages in mosquito and vertebrate hosts, and different developmental stages express unique sets of genes. Unexpectedly, many transcription factors (TFs) commonly found in eukaryotic organisms are absent in malaria parasites; instead, a family of genes encoding proteins similar to the plant Apetala2 (ApiAP2) transcription factors is expanded in the parasites. Several malaria ApiAP2 genes have been shown to play a critical role in parasite development; however, the functions of the majority of the ApiAP2 genes remain to be elucidated. In particular, no study on the Plasmodium yoelii ApiAP2 (PyApiAP2) gene family has been reported so far. This study systematically investigated the functional roles of PyApiAP2 genes in parasite development. Twenty-four of the 26 PyApiAP2 genes were selected for disruption, and 12 were successfully knocked out using the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat–CRISPR-associated protein 9 (CRISPR-Cas9) method. The effects of gene knockout (KO) on parasite development in mouse and mosquito stages were evaluated. Ten of 12 successfully disrupted genes, including two genes that have not been functionally characterized in any Plasmodium species previously, were shown to be critical for P. yoelii development of sexual and mosquito stages. Additionally, seven of the genes were labeled for protein expression analysis, revealing important information supporting their functions. This study represents the first systematic functional characterization of the P. yoelii ApiAP2 gene family and discovers important insights on the roles of the ApiAP2 genes in parasite development. PMID:29233900

Pharmacokinetics and Abuse Potential of Benzhydrocodone, a Novel Prodrug of Hydrocodone, After Intranasal Administration in Recreational Drug Users.

PubMed

Mickle, Travis C; Guenther, Sven M; Barrett, Andrew C; Roupe, Kathryn Ann; Zhou, Jing; Dickerson, Daniel; Webster, Lynn R

2017-10-28

Developing an acetaminophen-free, immediate-release hydrocodone product remains an unmet medical need; however, new opioid analgesics should not introduce new abuse risks. Benzhydrocodone is a prodrug of hydrocodone that must be metabolized into hydrocodone by enzymes in the intestinal tract to optimally deliver its pharmacologic effects. This study evaluated the intranasal pharmacokinetics and abuse potential of benzhydrocodone active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) compared with hydrocodone bitartrate (HB) API. Single-center, randomized, double-blind, crossover study. Clinical research site. Healthy adult, nondependent, recreational opioid users. Subjects (N = 51 Completers) were randomized to receive 13.34 mg of intranasal benzhydrocodone API and 15.0 mg of intranasal HB API (molar-equivalent doses of hydrocodone). Blood samples were taken, and Drug Liking scores (assessed on a bipolar visual analog scale) were obtained throughout each dosing interval. Nasal irritation and safety were assessed. Peak hydrocodone plasma concentration (Cmax) was 36.0% lower, and total hydrocodone exposures (AUClast and AUCinf) were 20.3% and 19.5% lower, respectively, for benzhydrocodone API compared with HB API (P < 0.0001). All partial AUC values were lower for benzhydrocodone API, with a ≥ 75% reduction in hydrocodone exposure at all time intervals up to one hour postdose (P < 0.0001). Median Tmax of hydrocodone following benzhydrocodone API was delayed by more than one hour compared with HB. Drug Liking score, as assessed by maximal liking (Emax), was significantly lower for benzhydrocodone API vs HB API (P = 0.004), with 45% of subjects showing a ≥ 30% reduction in Drug Liking Emax. Reductions in hydrocodone exposure and associated decreases in Drug Liking relative to HB suggest that the prodrug benzhydrocodone may deter intranasal abuse. © 2017 American Academy of Pain Medicine.

A family of silver(I) complexes built with 2-sulfoterephthalic acid monosodium salt and different aminopyridine ligands: Syntheses, structures and properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Jie; Tan, Gai-Xiu; Liu, Bao-Lin; Dai, Yu-Bei; Xu, Na; Wen, Wei-Fen; Cao, Chong; Xiao, Hong-Ping

2017-05-01

Five Ag(I) coordination complexes, namely, [Ag6(2-stp)2(3-methyl-2-apy)3·H2O]n (1), [Ag3(2-stp)(4-methyl-2-apy)3]n (2), [Na2Ag18(2-stp)4(2-Hstp)4(5-methyl-2-apy)16 (H2O)4·11H2O]n (3), Ag3(2-stp)(6-methy-2-apy)4·H2O (4), and [Ag6(2-stp)2(6-methyl-2-apy)8(H2O)2·H2O]n (5) (2-NaH2stp = 2-sulfoterephthalic acid monosodium salt, 3-methyl-2-apy = 3-methyl-2-aminopyridine, 4-methyl-2-apy = 4-methyl-2-aminopyridine, 5-methyl-2-apy = 5-methyl-2-aminopyridine, 6-methyl-2-apy = 6-methyl-2-aminopyridine), have been synthesized and structurally characterized. Complexes 1 and 2 show two-dimensional network. In complex 3, the adjacent Ag10 units are bridged by 5-methyl-2-apy ligands to form a 2D infinite undulated sheet. Adjacent 2D sheets are linked by coordinative bonds between carboxylic oxygen atoms and Na(I) ions to form a 3D coordination polymer. Complex 4 is a 0-D discrete trinuclear molecule, and the self-complementary the Osbnd H⋯O and Nsbnd H⋯O hydrogen bonds incorporating hydrogen bond motifs extend these molecules into a 2D supramolecular framework. Compound 5 exhibits 1D-chain structure. However, complex 5 shows 3D supramolecular structure results from the linkage of neighboring layers through a rich hydrogen-bonding between uncoordinated sulfonates, amino groups and coordinated carboxylates. The thermogravimetric analyses and photoluminescence of the complexes were also investigated.

Artificial periodic irregularities in the high-latitude ionosphere excited by the HAARP facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bakhmetieva, N. V.; Grach, S. M.; Sergeev, E. N.; Shindin, A. V.; Milikh, G. M.; Siefring, C. L.; Bernhardt, P. A.; McCarrick, M.

2016-07-01

We present results of the new observations of artificial periodic irregularities (APIs) in the ionosphere using the High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP) heating facility carried out in late May and early June 2014.The objective of this work is to detect API using high-latitude facility and analyze possible differences of the temporal and spatial variations of the API echoes in the high (HAARP) and middle (Sura) latitudes. Irregularities were created by the powerful wave of X mode and were sounded using the short probing pulses signals of X mode. API echoes were observed in the D, E, and F regions of the ionosphere. Amplitudes and characteristic times of the API echoes were measured. The API growth and decay times at HAARP (high latitudes) observed were similar to those at the Sura heating facility (midlatitudes).

The geospatial data quality REST API for primary biodiversity data

PubMed Central

Otegui, Javier; Guralnick, Robert P.

2016-01-01

Summary: We present a REST web service to assess the geospatial quality of primary biodiversity data. It enables access to basic and advanced functions to detect completeness and consistency issues as well as general errors in the provided record or set of records. The API uses JSON for data interchange and efficient parallelization techniques for fast assessments of large datasets. Availability and implementation: The Geospatial Data Quality API is part of the VertNet set of APIs. It can be accessed at http://api-geospatial.vertnet-portal.appspot.com/geospatial and is already implemented in the VertNet data portal for quality reporting. Source code is freely available under GPL license from http://www.github.com/vertnet/api-geospatial. Contact: javier.otegui@gmail.com or rguralnick@flmnh.ufl.edu Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. PMID:26833340

The geospatial data quality REST API for primary biodiversity data.

PubMed

Otegui, Javier; Guralnick, Robert P

2016-06-01

We present a REST web service to assess the geospatial quality of primary biodiversity data. It enables access to basic and advanced functions to detect completeness and consistency issues as well as general errors in the provided record or set of records. The API uses JSON for data interchange and efficient parallelization techniques for fast assessments of large datasets. The Geospatial Data Quality API is part of the VertNet set of APIs. It can be accessed at http://api-geospatial.vertnet-portal.appspot.com/geospatial and is already implemented in the VertNet data portal for quality reporting. Source code is freely available under GPL license from http://www.github.com/vertnet/api-geospatial javier.otegui@gmail.com or rguralnick@flmnh.ufl.edu Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press.

HIV testing among sexually experienced Asian and Pacific Islander young women association with routine gynecologic care.

PubMed

Hahm, Hyeouk Chris; Song, In Han; Ozonoff, Al; Sassani, Jessica C

2009-01-01

To describe the proportion of HIV testing in the past 12 months among sexually experienced Asian and Pacific Islander (API) women and to investigate to what extent routine gynecologic care (RGC) increases HIV testing among API women. Data were derived from Wave III of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health). Analyses were limited to 7,576 sexually experienced women (White, n = 4,482 [68.5%]; Black, n = 1,693 [25.6%]; Hispanic, n = 923 [13.9%]; API, n = 478 [7.2%]) aged 18-27 years. Multiple logistic regression analyses were used to estimate the association between RGC and HIV testing after controlling for predisposing, need, and enabling factors. On average, 22.8% (n = 1,504) of sexually experienced women reported HIV testing in the past year. API women had the lowest proportion of testing (17.2%), and Black women had the highest (26.2%). Overall, 60.2% of API women reported receiving RGC; however, only 15.5% of API who received RGC reported HIV testing. After controlling for covariates, significantly positive associations were found for White, Black, and Hispanic women between RGC and HIV testing; however, there was no evidence that RGC was associated with HIV testing among API women. Our data suggest that RGC does not [corrected] increase HIV testing among API women. To eliminate disparities in HIV testing service utilization among API women, appropriate efforts should be directed to better understand the barriers and facilitators of HIV testing among this population.

Influence of humidity on the phase behavior of API/polymer formulations.

PubMed

Prudic, Anke; Ji, Yuanhui; Luebbert, Christian; Sadowski, Gabriele

2015-08-01

Amorphous formulations of APIs in polymers tend to absorb water from the atmosphere. This absorption of water can induce API recrystallization, leading to reduced long-term stability during storage. In this work, the phase behavior of different formulations was investigated as a function of relative humidity. Indomethacin and naproxen were chosen as model APIs and poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) and poly(vinyl pyrrolidone-co-vinyl acetate) (PVPVA64) as excipients. The formulations were prepared by spray drying. The water sorption in pure polymers and in formulations was measured at 25°C and at different values of relative humidity (RH=25%, 50% and 75%). Most water was absorbed in PVP-containing systems, and water sorption was decreasing with increasing API content. These trends could also be predicted in good agreement with the experimental data using the thermodynamic model PC-SAFT. Furthermore, the effect of absorbed water on API solubility in the polymer and on the glass-transition temperature of the formulations was predicted with PC-SAFT and the Gordon-Taylor equation, respectively. The absorbed water was found to significantly decrease the API solubility in the polymer as well as the glass-transition temperature of the formulation. Based on a quantitative modeling of the API/polymer phase diagrams as a function of relative humidity, appropriate API/polymer compositions can now be selected to ensure long-term stable amorphous formulations at given storage conditions. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Determination of sorption of seventy-five pharmaceuticals in sewage sludge.

PubMed

Hörsing, Maritha; Ledin, Anna; Grabic, Roman; Fick, Jerker; Tysklind, Mats; la Cour Jansen, Jes; Andersen, Henrik R

2011-10-01

Sorption of 75 active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) to three different types of sludge (primary sludge, secondary sludge with short and long sludge age respectively) were investigated. To obtain the sorption isotherms batch studies with the APIs mixture were performed in four nominal concentrations to water containing 1 g of sludge. The range of APIs concentrations was between ng L(-1) to μg L(-1) which are found in the wastewater effluents. Isotherms were obtained for approximately 45 of the APIs, providing distribution coefficients for linear (Kd), Freundlich (Kf) and Langmuir (KL) isotherms. Kd, Kf and KL ranging between 7.1×10(4) and 3.8×10(7), 1.1×10(-2) and 6.1×10(4) and 9.2×10(-3) and 1.1 L kg(-1), respectively. The obtained coefficients were applied to estimate the fraction of APIs in the water phase (see Abstract Graphic). For 37 of the 75 APIs, the predicted presence in the liquid phase was estimated to >80%. 24 APIs were estimated to be present in the liquid phase between 20 and 80%, and 14 APIs were found to have <20% presence in the liquid phase, i.e. high affinity towards sludge. Furthermore, the effect of pH at values 6, 7 and 8 was evaluated using one way ANOVA-test. A significant difference in Kds due to pH changes were found for 6 of the APIs (variation 10-20%). Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sorption of active pharmaceutical ingredients in untreated wastewater effluent and effect of dilution in freshwater: Implications for an "impact zone" environmental risk assessment approach.

PubMed

Bagnis, Simone; Fitzsimons, Mark; Snape, Jason; Tappin, Alan; Comber, Sean

2018-05-15

Evidence of ecotoxicological effects of active pharmaceuticals ingredients (APIs) has increased research into their environmental fate. In low and low-middle income countries (LLMICs) the main source of APIs to surface waters is from discharge of untreated wastewater. Consequently, concentrations of APIs can be relatively high in the "impact zone" downstream of a discharge point. Little is known about the fate of APIs in these impact zones. In this laboratory scale investigation, the effect of successive dilution of synthetic untreated wastewater (dilution factor 1 to 10) on the distribution of APIs was studied. The sorption was consistent with the chemical properties of each compound: charge, lipophilicity, and structure. Dilution increased desorption of the basic and neutral APIs (up to 27.7%) and correlated with their lipophilicity (R 2 >0.980); the positive charge was of secondary importance. Anions did not significantly desorb (<10% loss). Increased concentrations of dissolved organic matter at dilutions of 8 and 10 times that of untreated wastewater coincided with lower dissolved API concentrations. The data showed a clear trend in the desorption process of APIs that may lead to higher exposure risk than anticipated. Therefore, it is suggested that these aspects should be accounted for in the development of dedicated environmental risk assessment approach for APIs in riverine impact zones of LLMICs countries. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Multi-National Information Sharing -- Cross Domain Collaborative Information Environment (CDCIE) Solution. Revision 4

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-04-12

Hardware, Database, and Operating System independence using Java • Enterprise-class Architecture using Java2 Enterprise Edition 1.4 • Standards based...portal applications. Compliance with the Java Specification Request for Portlet APIs (JSR-168) (Portlet API) and Web Services for Remote Portals...authentication and authorization • Portal Standards using Java Specification Request for Portlet APIs (JSR-168) (Portlet API) and Web Services for Remote

Multicomponent Pharmaceutical Cocrystals: A Novel Approach for Combination Therapy.

PubMed

Fatima, Zeeshan; Srivastava, Dipti; Kaur, Chanchal Deep

2018-03-05

Cocrystallization is a technique for modifying the physicochemical and pharmacokinetic properties of an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) embodying the concept of supramolecular synthon. Most of the examples cited in the literature are of cocrystals formed between an API and a coformer chosen from the generally recognized as safe (GRAS) substance list, however, few examples exist where a cocrystal consists of two or more APIs. These cocrystals are commonly known as multi API, multi drug or drug- drug cocrystals. The formation of such cocrystals is feasible by virtue of non covalent interactions between the APIs, which help them in retaining their biologic activity. In addition, drug- drug cocrystals also offer the potential solution to the limitations such as solubility, stability differences and chemical interaction between the APIs which is often faced during the traditional combination therapy. Cocrystallization of two or more APIs can be employed for delivery of combination drugs for the better and efficacious management of many complex disorders where existing monotherapies do not furnish the desired therapeutic effect. This review on the existing drug-drug cocrystals is to gain insight for better designing of multi API cocrystals with improved physicochemical and pharmacokinetic profile and its application in multiple target therapy. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

Investigation into process-induced de-aggregation of cohesive micronised API particles.

PubMed

Hoffmann, Magnus; Wray, Patrick S; Gamble, John F; Tobyn, Mike

2015-09-30

The aim of this study was to assess the impact of unit processes on the de-aggregation of a cohesive micronised API within a pharmaceutical formulation using near-infrared chemical imaging. The impact on the primary API particles was also investigated using an image-based particle characterization system with integrated Raman analysis. The blended material was shown to contain large, API rich domains which were distributed in-homogeneously across the sample, suggesting that the blending process was not aggressive enough to disperse aggregates of micronised drug particles. Cone milling, routinely used to improve the homogeneity of such cohesive formulations, was observed to substantially reduce the number and size of API rich domains; however, several smaller API domains survived the milling process. Conveyance of the cone milled formulation through the Alexanderwerk WP120 powder feed system completely dispersed all remaining aggregates. Importantly, powder feed transmission of the un-milled formulation was observed to produce an equally homogeneous API distribution. The size of the micronised primary drug particles remained unchanged during powder feed transmission. These findings provide further evidence that this powder feed system does induce shear, and is in fact better able to disperse aggregates of a cohesive micronised API within a blend than the blend-mill-blend step. Crown Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Apoptosis inhibitor 5 (API-5; AAC-11; FIF) is upregulated in human carcinomas in vivo.

PubMed

Koci, Lenka; Chlebova, Katarina; Hyzdalova, Martina; Hofmanova, Jirina; Jira, Miroslav; Kysela, Petr; Kozubik, Alois; Kala, Zdenek; Krejci, Pavel

2012-04-01

Apoptosis inhibitor 5 (API-5) is a 55 kDa nuclear protein with potent anti-apoptotic signaling in tumor cells in vitro. In this study, we analyzed the expression of the API-5 protein in vivo in a broad spectrum of human carcinomas, including those of the colon, lung, liver, kidney, pancreas, stomach and esophagus using tumor tissues obtained during tumor resection. The results showed significant upregulation of API-5 expression in biopsies of lung (23%, n=13) and colorectal tumors (33%, n=27) in comparison with biopsies from the adjacent normal tissue. Colon cancer biopsies were used to study the cell populations with an upregulated level of expression of API-5 more closely. Using a magnetic bead-based selection for the epithelial cell marker EpCAM, we purified epithelial cells from the tumor and control tissues and analyzed these cells for API-5 expression by western immunoblotting. We observed that EpCAM-positive tumor cells expressed API-5 in all three colorectal cancer cases tested, in contrast to the control EpCAM-positive and EpCAM-negative cells isolated from the control or tumor tissues. These data suggest that the expression of the API-5 protein is upregulated in tumor epithelial cells and may serve as a prognostic marker in colorectal cancer.

Pipe Storage and Movement Study

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-02-01

API 5L Points Higher Price Than API 5L Grades A or B Wall Range—X Grades X42 * X46* X52 * X60 X65 X70* * All Walls...thereof may be used at Mill Option for API 5L Grades X42, X46 and X52 unless specifically prohibited. * * DSAW only. NOTES: For Intermediate Grodes, apply...A53, BW, S 80, GALV 1-1/4", STL, A53, BW, S 80, GALV 2", STL, A53, BW, S 80, GALV 8", STL, API - 5L GR X-42, ERW, STD 3-1/2"OD, STL, API - 5L GR

49 CFR 195.432 - Inspection of in-service breakout tanks.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... low-pressure steel aboveground breakout tanks according to API Standard 653 (incorporated by reference... breakout tanks built to API Standard 2510 according to section 6 of API 510. (d) The intervals of...

49 CFR 195.432 - Inspection of in-service breakout tanks.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... low-pressure steel aboveground breakout tanks according to API Standard 653 (incorporated by reference... breakout tanks built to API Standard 2510 according to section 6 of API 510. (d) The intervals of...

49 CFR 195.432 - Inspection of in-service breakout tanks.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... low-pressure steel aboveground breakout tanks according to API Standard 653 (incorporated by reference... breakout tanks built to API Standard 2510 according to section 6 of API 510. (d) The intervals of...

49 CFR 195.432 - Inspection of in-service breakout tanks.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... low-pressure steel aboveground breakout tanks according to API Standard 653 (incorporated by reference... breakout tanks built to API Standard 2510 according to section 6 of API 510. (d) The intervals of...

49 CFR 195.432 - Inspection of in-service breakout tanks.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... low-pressure steel aboveground breakout tanks according to API Standard 653 (incorporated by reference... breakout tanks built to API Standard 2510 according to section 6 of API 510. (d) The intervals of...

Infections with the Sexually Transmitted Pathogen Nosema apis Trigger an Immune Response in the Seminal Fluid of Honey Bees (Apis mellifera).

PubMed

Grassl, Julia; Peng, Yan; Baer-Imhoof, Barbara; Welch, Mat; Millar, A Harvey; Baer, Boris

2017-01-06

Honey bee (Apis mellifera) males are highly susceptible to infections with the sexually transmitted fungal pathogen Nosema apis. However, they are able to suppress this parasite in the ejaculate using immune molecules in the seminal fluid. We predicted that males respond to infections by altering the seminal fluid proteome to minimize the risk to sexually transmit the parasite to the queen and her colony. We used iTRAQ isotopic labeling to compare seminal fluid proteins from infected and noninfected males and found that N. apis infections resulted in significant abundance changes in 111 of the 260 seminal fluid proteins quantitated. The largest group of proteins with significantly changed abundances consisted of 15 proteins with well-known immune-related functions, which included two significantly more abundant chitinases in the seminal fluid of infected males. Chitinases were previously hypothesized to be involved in honey bee antifungal activity against N. apis. Here we show that infection with N. apis triggers a highly specific immune response in the seminal fluid of honey bee males.

Hot-stage microscopy for determination of API particles in a formulated tablet.

PubMed

Simek, Michal; Grünwaldová, Veronika; Kratochvíl, Bohumil

2014-01-01

Although methods exist to readily determine the particle size distribution (PSD) of an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) before its formulation into a final product, the primary challenge is to develop a method to determine the PSD of APIs in a finished tablet. To address the limitations of existing PSD methods, we used hot-stage microscopy to observe tablet disintegration during temperature change and, thus, reveal the API particles in a tablet. Both mechanical and liquid disintegration were evaluated after we had identified optimum milling time for mechanical disintegration and optimum volume of water for liquid disintegration. In each case, hot-stage micrographs, taken before and after the API melting point, were compared with image analysis software to obtain the PSDs. Then, the PSDs of the APIs from the disintegrated tablets were compared with the PSDs of raw APIs. Good agreement was obtained, thereby confirming the robustness of our methodology. The availability of such a method equips pharmaceutical scientists with an in vitro assessment method that will more reliably determine the PSD of active substances in finished tablets.

GIANT API: an application programming interface for functional genomics.

PubMed

Roberts, Andrew M; Wong, Aaron K; Fisk, Ian; Troyanskaya, Olga G

2016-07-08

GIANT API provides biomedical researchers programmatic access to tissue-specific and global networks in humans and model organisms, and associated tools, which includes functional re-prioritization of existing genome-wide association study (GWAS) data. Using tissue-specific interaction networks, researchers are able to predict relationships between genes specific to a tissue or cell lineage, identify the changing roles of genes across tissues and uncover disease-gene associations. Additionally, GIANT API enables computational tools like NetWAS, which leverages tissue-specific networks for re-prioritization of GWAS results. The web services covered by the API include 144 tissue-specific functional gene networks in human, global functional networks for human and six common model organisms and the NetWAS method. GIANT API conforms to the REST architecture, which makes it stateless, cacheable and highly scalable. It can be used by a diverse range of clients including web browsers, command terminals, programming languages and standalone apps for data analysis and visualization. The API is freely available for use at http://giant-api.princeton.edu. © The Author(s) 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

Oil geochemistry of the northern Llanos Basin, Colombia. A model for migration

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

Ramon, J.C.; Dzou, L.

1996-12-31

The chemical composition of 23 crude oils and one oil seep from Llanos Basin, Colombia were studied in detail by geochemical methods in order to understand their genetic relationship. A filling history model is proposed to explain the observed composition variations in Llanos Basin oils. Geochemical fingerprinting indicates that there are six families of crude oils. The biomarker compositions have been used to identify characteristics of the source rocks. The Llanos oils contain marine algal- derived {open_quotes}C30 steranes{close_quotes} (i.e., 24-n-propylcholestanes), which are diagnostic for oils generated from marine Cretaceous source rocks. A significant HC-contribution from a Tertiary source is alsomore » indicated by the presence of high concentration of the {open_quotes}flowering plant{close_quotes}-markers oleanane, bicadinanes and oleanoids. Low DBT/Phen, %sulfur values and high diasteranes concentration indicate that the source rock is clay-rich. Biomarker maturity parameters indicate a wide range of source-rock thermal maturities from early to late oil window. Heavy biodegradation has been particularly common among the first oils to fill reservoirs in central Llanos oil fields. The older altered heavy oils were mixed with a second pulse of oil explaining the wide range of oil gravities measured in the central Llanos Basin.« less

A 400,000 lb crude oil storage tank was moved on an 11 in. air blanket

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

Not Available

1979-03-01

The British patented-system used to move the 55,000 bbl tank at the Cushing, Okla., tank farm of Getty Oil Co. uses the same airlift principle employed by various hovercraft. Representatives from 20 pipeline and oil companies watched the move, which placed the tank 22 ft higher and 600 ft away from its former location, to improve its gravity flow rate, an improvement spurred by greater crude demands placed on Cushing Terminal. Two 425 hp air compressors were attached to the tank's shell and produced 130,000 cu ft/min of air. The airflow was directed beneath the tank through a segmented skirtmore » fixed to the circumference of the tank's base. Less than 0.5 psi air pressure across the tank floor was needed to lift the tank. Four large D-7 tractors pulled and guided the tank up the incline onto its new pad, where the vessel was rotated into alignment for piping connections. Preliminary rig-up, grading, and pad preparation took six days, but actual tank relocation required only two hours. Getty's Cushing terminal feeds to the 20 in. dia Osage pipeline that serves Getty's El Dorado, Kans., refinery as well as other carriers.« less

Prioritizing pharmaceuticals in municipal wastewater

EPA Science Inventory

Oral presentation at SETAC North America 32nd annual meeting, describing our prioritization of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), based on estimates of risks posed by API residues originating from municipal wastewater. Goals of this project include prioritization of APIs f...

Source characterization of nervous system active pharmaceutical ingredients in healthcare wastewaters

EPA Science Inventory

Nervous system active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), including anti-depressants and opioids, are important clinically administered pharmaceuticals within healthcare facilities. Concentrations and mass loadings of ten nervous system APIs and three nervous system API metaboli...

[Effect of habitat and interspecific competition on Apis cerana cerana colony distribution].

PubMed

Yu, Linsheng; Han, Shengming

2003-04-01

Habitat change and interspecific competition were the main factors affecting, Apis cerana cerana colony distribution among Wannan and Wanxi Dabie mountainous areas, Jianghuai area and Huaibei plain. Wannan and Wanxi Dabie mountainous areas were the ideal places for Apis cerana cerana' habitation and propogation, in which, there were integrated natural vegetation, fine ecological condition, abundant nectariferous plants, and Apis cerana cerana had large colony size, wide distribution, high density, no disturbances of natural mating, and was dominant interspecific competition. In Jianghuai area and Huaibei plain, there were small covering of natural vegetation, different degree of degradation of ecological balance, few kinds of nectariferous plants with almost the same blooming periods, natural mating perturbed by Apis mellifera ligustica for Apis cerana cerana, and which was inferior in interspecific competition, colony size sharply decreased, distribution area reduced, and density cut down to a great extent. In Huaibei plain, the negative factors were more conspicuous.

Infectivity and virulence of Nosema ceranae and Nosema apis in commercially available North American honey bees.

PubMed

Huang, Wei-Fone; Solter, Leellen; Aronstein, Katherine; Huang, Zachary

2015-01-01

Nosema ceranae infection is ubiquitous in western honey bees, Apis mellifera, in the United States and the pathogen has apparently replaced Nosema apis in colonies nationwide. Displacement of N. apis suggests that N. ceranae has competitive advantages but N. ceranae was significantly less infective and less virulent than N. apis in commercially available lineages of honey bees in studies conducted in Illinois and Texas. At 5 days post eclosion, the most susceptible age of adult bees tested, the mean ID50 for N. apis was 359 spores compared to 3217 N. ceranae spores, a nearly 9-fold difference. Infectivity of N. ceranae was also lower than N. apis for 24-h and 14-day worker bees. N. ceranae was less infective than reported in studies using European strains of honey bees, while N. apis infectivity, tested in the same cohort of honey bees, corresponded to results reported globally from 1972 to 2010. Mortality of worker bees was similar for both pathogens at a dosage of 50 spores and was not different from the uninfected controls, but was significantly higher for N. apis than N. ceranae at dosages ⩾500 spores. Our results provide comparisons for evaluating research using different ages of bees and pathogen dosages and clarify some controversies. In addition, comparisons among studies suggest that the mixed lineages of US honey bees may be less susceptible to N. ceranae infections than are European bees or that the US isolates of the pathogen are less infective and less virulent than European isolates. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Correlation analysis of air pollutant index levels and dengue cases across five different zones in Selangor, Malaysia.

PubMed

Thiruchelvam, Loshini; Dass, Sarat C; Zaki, Rafdzah; Yahya, Abqariyah; Asirvadam, Vijanth S

2018-05-07

This study investigated the potential relationship between dengue cases and air quality - as measured by the Air Pollution Index (API) for five zones in the state of Selangor, Malaysia. Dengue case patterns can be learned using prediction models based on feedback (lagged terms). However, the question whether air quality affects dengue cases is still not thoroughly investigated based on such feedback models. This work developed dengue prediction models using the autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) and ARIMA with an exogeneous variable (ARIMAX) time series methodologies with API as the exogeneous variable. The Box Jenkins approach based on maximum likelihood was used for analysis as it gives effective model estimates and prediction. Three stages of model comparison were carried out for each zone: first with ARIMA models without API, then ARIMAX models with API data from the API station for that zone and finally, ARIMAX models with API data from the zone and spatially neighbouring zones. Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC) gives goodness-of-fit versus parsimony comparisons between all elicited models. Our study found that ARIMA models, with the lowest BIC value, outperformed the rest in all five zones. The BIC values for the zone of Kuala Selangor were -800.66, -796.22, and -790.5229, respectively, for ARIMA only, ARIMAX with single API component and ARIMAX with API components from its zone and spatially neighbouring zones. Therefore, we concluded that API levels, either temporally for each zone or spatio- temporally based on neighbouring zones, do not have a significant effect on dengue cases.

Cloning, expression pattern, and potential role of apoptosis inhibitor 5 in the termination of embryonic diapause and early embryo development of Artemia sinica.

PubMed

Zhang, Shuang; Yao, Feng; Jing, Ting; Zhang, Mengchen; Zhao, Wei; Zou, Xiangyang; Sui, Linlin; Hou, Lin

2017-09-10

During the embryonic development of Artemia sinica, the diapause phenomenon can be induced by high salinity or low temperature conditions. The diapause embryo at the gastrula stage is maintained under the threat of apoptosis to guarantee the embryo's normal development. In this process, apoptosis inhibitor proteins play vital roles in protecting embryos against apoptosis. Apoptosis inhibitor5 (API5) plays a pivotal role in regulating the cell cycle and preventing programmed cell death after growth factor starvation. In the present study, we cloned the full-length cDNA representing the api5 gene from A. sinica (As-api5), which encodes a 372-amino acid protein. In situ hybridization experiments revealed that As-api5 expression is not tissue or organ specific. Quantitative real-time PCR analyses of the developmental expression of As-api5 showed that it reached its highest level at 10h, after which its expression decreased. High salinity and low temperature treatments increased the expression of As-api5. Western blotting was used to assess the abundance of As-API5 and related proteins (As-CyclinA, As-CyclinE, As-E2F1, As-CDK2, As-APAF1, and As-Caspase9). Downregulation of As-api5 expression using a short interfering RNA resulted in increased mortality and embryo malformation of A. sinica. Taken together, the results indicated that API5 plays a crucial role in embryonic diapause termination and early embryo development of A. sinica. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

In-line UV spectroscopy for the quantification of low-dose active ingredients during the manufacturing of pharmaceutical semi-solid and liquid formulations.

PubMed

Bostijn, N; Hellings, M; Van Der Veen, M; Vervaet, C; De Beer, T

2018-07-12

UltraViolet (UV) spectroscopy was evaluated as an innovative Process Analytical Technology (PAT) - tool for the in-line and real-time quantitative determination of low-dosed active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) in a semi-solid (gel) and a liquid (suspension) pharmaceutical formulation during their batch production process. The performance of this new PAT-tool (i.e., UV spectroscopy) was compared with an already more established PAT-method based on Raman spectroscopy. In-line UV measurements were carried out with an immersion probe while for the Raman measurements a non-contact PhAT probe was used. For both studied formulations, an in-line API quantification model was developed and validated per spectroscopic technique. The known API concentrations (Y) were correlated with the corresponding in-line collected preprocessed spectra (X) through a Partial Least Squares (PLS) regression. Each developed quantification method was validated by calculating the accuracy profile on the basis of the validation experiments. Furthermore, the measurement uncertainty was determined based on the data generated for the determination of the accuracy profiles. From the accuracy profile of the UV- and Raman-based quantification method for the gel, it was concluded that at the target API concentration of 2% (w/w), 95 out of 100 future routine measurements given by the Raman method will not deviate more than 10% (relative error) from the true API concentration, whereas for the UV method the acceptance limits of 10% were exceeded. For the liquid formulation, the Raman method was not able to quantify the API in the low-dosed suspension (0.09% (w/w) API). In contrast, the in-line UV method was able to adequately quantify the API in the suspension. This study demonstrated that UV spectroscopy can be adopted as a novel in-line PAT-technique for low-dose quantification purposes in pharmaceutical processes. Important is that none of the two spectroscopic techniques was superior to the other for both formulations: the Raman method was more accurate in quantifying the API in the gel (2% (w/w) API), while the UV method performed better for API quantification in the suspension (0.09% (w/w) API). Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Spatial-Temporal Analysis of Air Pollution, Climate Change, and Total Mortality in 120 Cities of China, 2012-2013.

PubMed

Liu, Longjian; Yang, Xuan; Liu, Hui; Wang, Mingquan; Welles, Seth; Márquez, Shannon; Frank, Arthur; Haas, Charles N

2016-01-01

China has had a rapid increase in its economy over the past three decades. However, the economic boom came at a certain cost of depleting air quality. In the study, we aimed to examine the burden of air pollution and its association with climatic factors and health outcomes using data from Chinese national and city-level air quality and public health surveillance systems. City-level daily air pollution index (API, a sum weighted index of SO2, NO2, PM10, CO, and Ozone) in 120 cities in 2012 and 2013, and its association with climate factors were analyzed using multiple linear regression analysis, spatial autocorrelation analysis, and panel fixed models. City-level ecological association between annual average API and total mortality were examined using univariate and partial correlation analysis. Sensitivity analysis was conducted by taking the consideration of time-lag effect between exposures and outcomes. The results show that among the 120 cities, annual average API significantly increased from 2012 to 2013 (65.05 vs. 75.99, p < 0.0001). The highest average API was in winter, and the lowest in summer. A significantly spatial clustering of elevated API was observed, with the highest API in northwest China in 2012 and with the highest in east China in 2013. In 2012, 5 (4%) of the 120 cities had ≥60 days with API >100 (defined as "slightly polluted"), however, it increased to 21 cities (18%) that experienced API >100 for ≥60 days in 2013. Furthermore, 16 cities (13%) in 2012 and 35 (29%) in 2013 experienced a maximum API >300 (defined as "severely polluted"). API was negatively and significantly correlated with heat index, precipitation, and sunshine hours, but positively with air pressure. Cities with higher API concentrations had significantly higher total mortality rates than those with lower API. About a 4-7% of the variation in total mortality could be explained by the difference in API across the nation. In conclusion, the study highlights an increased trend of air pollution from 2012 to 2013 in China. The magnitude of air pollution varied by seasons and regions and correlated with climatic factors and total mortality across the country.

NSLS-II HIGH LEVEL APPLICATION INFRASTRUCTURE AND CLIENT API DESIGN

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

Shen, G.; Yang; L.

2011-03-28

The beam commissioning software framework of NSLS-II project adopts a client/server based architecture to replace the more traditional monolithic high level application approach. It is an open structure platform, and we try to provide a narrow API set for client application. With this narrow API, existing applications developed in different language under different architecture could be ported to our platform with small modification. This paper describes system infrastructure design, client API and system integration, and latest progress. As a new 3rd generation synchrotron light source with ultra low emittance, there are new requirements and challenges to control and manipulate themore » beam. A use case study and a theoretical analysis have been performed to clarify requirements and challenges to the high level applications (HLA) software environment. To satisfy those requirements and challenges, adequate system architecture of the software framework is critical for beam commissioning, study and operation. The existing traditional approaches are self-consistent, and monolithic. Some of them have adopted a concept of middle layer to separate low level hardware processing from numerical algorithm computing, physics modelling, data manipulating, plotting, and error handling. However, none of the existing approaches can satisfy the requirement. A new design has been proposed by introducing service oriented architecture technology. The HLA is combination of tools for accelerator physicists and operators, which is same as traditional approach. In NSLS-II, they include monitoring applications and control routines. Scripting environment is very important for the later part of HLA and both parts are designed based on a common set of APIs. Physicists and operators are users of these APIs, while control system engineers and a few accelerator physicists are the developers of these APIs. With our Client/Server mode based approach, we leave how to retrieve information to the developers of APIs and how to use them to form a physics application to the users. For example, how the channels are related to magnet and what the current real-time setting of a magnet is in physics unit are the internals of APIs. Measuring chromaticities are the users of APIs. All the users of APIs are working with magnet and instrument names in a physics unit. The low level communications in current or voltage unit are minimized. In this paper, we discussed our recent progress of our infrastructure development, and client API.« less

Spatial–Temporal Analysis of Air Pollution, Climate Change, and Total Mortality in 120 Cities of China, 2012–2013

PubMed Central

Liu, Longjian; Yang, Xuan; Liu, Hui; Wang, Mingquan; Welles, Seth; Márquez, Shannon; Frank, Arthur; Haas, Charles N.

2016-01-01

China has had a rapid increase in its economy over the past three decades. However, the economic boom came at a certain cost of depleting air quality. In the study, we aimed to examine the burden of air pollution and its association with climatic factors and health outcomes using data from Chinese national and city-level air quality and public health surveillance systems. City-level daily air pollution index (API, a sum weighted index of SO2, NO2, PM10, CO, and Ozone) in 120 cities in 2012 and 2013, and its association with climate factors were analyzed using multiple linear regression analysis, spatial autocorrelation analysis, and panel fixed models. City-level ecological association between annual average API and total mortality were examined using univariate and partial correlation analysis. Sensitivity analysis was conducted by taking the consideration of time-lag effect between exposures and outcomes. The results show that among the 120 cities, annual average API significantly increased from 2012 to 2013 (65.05 vs. 75.99, p < 0.0001). The highest average API was in winter, and the lowest in summer. A significantly spatial clustering of elevated API was observed, with the highest API in northwest China in 2012 and with the highest in east China in 2013. In 2012, 5 (4%) of the 120 cities had ≥60 days with API >100 (defined as “slightly polluted”), however, it increased to 21 cities (18%) that experienced API >100 for ≥60 days in 2013. Furthermore, 16 cities (13%) in 2012 and 35 (29%) in 2013 experienced a maximum API >300 (defined as “severely polluted”). API was negatively and significantly correlated with heat index, precipitation, and sunshine hours, but positively with air pressure. Cities with higher API concentrations had significantly higher total mortality rates than those with lower API. About a 4–7% of the variation in total mortality could be explained by the difference in API across the nation. In conclusion, the study highlights an increased trend of air pollution from 2012 to 2013 in China. The magnitude of air pollution varied by seasons and regions and correlated with climatic factors and total mortality across the country. PMID:27486572

Apigenin enhances the antitumor effects of cetuximab in nasopharyngeal carcinoma by inhibiting EGFR signaling.

PubMed

Hu, Wen-Jian; Liu, Jing; Zhong, Lun-Kun; Wang, Jian

2018-06-01

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a type of head and neck cancers with poor prognosis. Despite that platinum-based chemotherapy concurrent with radiotherapy have made great achievements for the treatment of NPC, the therapeutic reaction and toxicity varies dramatically among individuals. Apigenin (API), a naturally occurring plant flavone, is considered to have anti-cancer effect. Cetuximab (CET), a well known epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitor, is widely used in various cancers, especially head and neck cancers. The aim of our study was to measure the combination of API and CET for the treatment of NPC in vitro and in vivo. Results demonstrated that combining API and CET could better suppress the viability of the human nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell lines (HONE1 and CNE2) and inhibit the growth of NPC than API or CET used alone. Besides, the combination of API with CET produced greater pro-apoptosis effect. Moreover, the increased G2/M phase arrest caused by CET could be remarkably enhanced by adding API in HONE1 and CNE2 cells. Although, both API and CET could decrease the expressions of p-EGFR, p-Akt, p-STAT3 and Cyclin D1. Combining them produced greater inhibition effect. These results suggested that the combination of API and CET may be a promising therapeutic approach for the treatment of NPC. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

An Application Programming Interface for Synthetic Snowflake Particle Structure and Scattering Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lammers, Matthew; Kuo, Kwo-Sen

2017-01-01

The work by Kuo and colleagues on growing synthetic snowflakes and calculating their single-scattering properties has demonstrated great potential to improve the retrievals of snowfall. To grant colleagues flexible and targeted access to their large collection of sizes and shapes at fifteen (15) microwave frequencies, we have developed a web-based Application Programming Interface (API) integrated with NASA Goddard's Precipitation Processing System (PPS) Group. It is our hope that the API will enable convenient programmatic utilization of the database. To help users better understand the API's capabilities, we have developed an interactive web interface called the OpenSSP API Query Builder, which implements an intuitive system of mechanisms for selecting shapes, sizes, and frequencies to generate queries, with which the API can then extract and return data from the database. The Query Builder also allows for the specification of normalized particle size distributions by setting pertinent parameters, with which the API can also return mean geometric and scattering properties for each size bin. Additionally, the Query Builder interface enables downloading of raw scattering and particle structure data packages. This presentation will describe some of the challenges and successes associated with developing such an API. Examples of its usage will be shown both through downloading output and pulling it into a spreadsheet, as well as querying the API programmatically and working with the output in code.

The influence of uncertainty and location-specific conditions on the environmental prioritisation of human pharmaceuticals in Europe.

PubMed

Oldenkamp, Rik; Huijbregts, Mark A J; Ragas, Ad M J

2016-05-01

The selection of priority APIs (Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients) can benefit from a spatially explicit approach, since an API might exceed the threshold of environmental concern in one location, while staying below that same threshold in another. However, such a spatially explicit approach is relatively data intensive and subject to parameter uncertainty due to limited data. This raises the question to what extent a spatially explicit approach for the environmental prioritisation of APIs remains worthwhile when accounting for uncertainty in parameter settings. We show here that the inclusion of spatially explicit information enables a more efficient environmental prioritisation of APIs in Europe, compared with a non-spatial EU-wide approach, also under uncertain conditions. In a case study with nine antibiotics, uncertainty distributions of the PAF (Potentially Affected Fraction) of aquatic species were calculated in 100∗100km(2) environmental grid cells throughout Europe, and used for the selection of priority APIs. Two APIs have median PAF values that exceed a threshold PAF of 1% in at least one environmental grid cell in Europe, i.e., oxytetracycline and erythromycin. At a tenfold lower threshold PAF (i.e., 0.1%), two additional APIs would be selected, i.e., cefuroxime and ciprofloxacin. However, in 94% of the environmental grid cells in Europe, no APIs exceed either of the thresholds. This illustrates the advantage of following a location-specific approach in the prioritisation of APIs. This added value remains when accounting for uncertainty in parameter settings, i.e., if the 95th percentile of the PAF instead of its median value is compared with the threshold. In 96% of the environmental grid cells, the location-specific approach still enables a reduction of the selection of priority APIs of at least 50%, compared with a EU-wide prioritisation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automatic sampling and analysis of organics and biomolecules by capillary action-supported contactless atmospheric pressure ionization mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Hsieh, Cheng-Huan; Meher, Anil Kumar; Chen, Yu-Chie

2013-01-01

Contactless atmospheric pressure ionization (C-API) method has been recently developed for mass spectrometric analysis. A tapered capillary is used as both the sampling tube and spray emitter in C-API. No electric contact is required on the capillary tip during C-API mass spectrometric analysis. The simple design of the ionization method enables the automation of the C-API sampling system. In this study, we propose an automatic C-API sampling system consisting of a capillary (∼1 cm), an aluminium sample holder, and a movable XY stage for the mass spectrometric analysis of organics and biomolecules. The aluminium sample holder is controlled by the movable XY stage. The outlet of the C-API capillary is placed in front of the orifice of a mass spectrometer, whereas the sample well on the sample holder is moved underneath the capillary inlet. The sample droplet on the well can be readily infused into the C-API capillary through capillary action. When the sample solution reaches the capillary outlet, the sample spray is readily formed in the proximity of the mass spectrometer applied with a high electric field. The gas phase ions generated from the spray can be readily monitored by the mass spectrometer. We demonstrate that six samples can be analyzed in sequence within 3.5 min using this automatic C-API MS setup. Furthermore, the well containing the rinsing solvent is alternately arranged between the sample wells. Therefore, the C-API capillary could be readily flushed between runs. No carryover problems are observed during the analyses. The sample volume required for the C-API MS analysis is minimal, with less than 1 nL of the sample solution being sufficient for analysis. The feasibility of using this setup for quantitative analysis is also demonstrated.

Automated chart review utilizing natural language processing algorithm for asthma predictive index.

PubMed

Kaur, Harsheen; Sohn, Sunghwan; Wi, Chung-Il; Ryu, Euijung; Park, Miguel A; Bachman, Kay; Kita, Hirohito; Croghan, Ivana; Castro-Rodriguez, Jose A; Voge, Gretchen A; Liu, Hongfang; Juhn, Young J

2018-02-13

Thus far, no algorithms have been developed to automatically extract patients who meet Asthma Predictive Index (API) criteria from the Electronic health records (EHR) yet. Our objective is to develop and validate a natural language processing (NLP) algorithm to identify patients that meet API criteria. This is a cross-sectional study nested in a birth cohort study in Olmsted County, MN. Asthma status ascertained by manual chart review based on API criteria served as gold standard. NLP-API was developed on a training cohort (n = 87) and validated on a test cohort (n = 427). Criterion validity was measured by sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of the NLP algorithm against manual chart review for asthma status. Construct validity was determined by associations of asthma status defined by NLP-API with known risk factors for asthma. Among the eligible 427 subjects of the test cohort, 48% were males and 74% were White. Median age was 5.3 years (interquartile range 3.6-6.8). 35 (8%) had a history of asthma by NLP-API vs. 36 (8%) by abstractor with 31 by both approaches. NLP-API predicted asthma status with sensitivity 86%, specificity 98%, positive predictive value 88%, negative predictive value 98%. Asthma status by both NLP and manual chart review were significantly associated with the known asthma risk factors, such as history of allergic rhinitis, eczema, family history of asthma, and maternal history of smoking during pregnancy (p value < 0.05). Maternal smoking [odds ratio: 4.4, 95% confidence interval 1.8-10.7] was associated with asthma status determined by NLP-API and abstractor, and the effect sizes were similar between the reviews with 4.4 vs 4.2 respectively. NLP-API was able to ascertain asthma status in children mining from EHR and has a potential to enhance asthma care and research through population management and large-scale studies when identifying children who meet API criteria.

Infections of Nosema ceranae in four different honeybee species.

PubMed

Chaimanee, Veeranan; Warrit, Natapot; Chantawannakul, Panuwan

2010-10-01

The microsporidium Nosema ceranae is detected in honeybees in Thailand for the first time. This endoparasite has recently been reported to infect most Apis mellifera honeybee colonies in Europe, the US, and parts of Asia, and is suspected to have displaced the endemic endoparasite species, Nosema apis, from the western A. mellifera. We collected and identified species of microsporidia from the European honeybee (A. mellifera), the cavity nesting Asian honeybee (Apis cerana), the dwarf Asian honeybee (Apis florea) and the giant Asian honeybee (Apis dorsata) from colonies in Northern Thailand. We used multiplex PCR technique with two pairs of primers to differentiate N. ceranae from N. apis. From 80 A. mellifera samples, 62 (77.5%) were positively identified for the presence of the N. ceranae. Amongst 46 feral colonies of Asian honeybees (A. cerana, A. florea and A. dorsata) examined for Nosema infections, only N. ceranae could be detected. No N. apis was found in our samples. N. ceranae is found to be the only microsporidium infesting honeybees in Thailand. Moreover, we found the frequencies of N. ceranae infection in native bees to be less than that of A. mellifera. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Consequences of Nosema apis infection for male honey bees and their fertility

PubMed Central

Peng, Yan; Baer-Imhoof, Barbara; Harvey Millar, A.; Baer, Boris

2015-01-01

The queens of eusocial bees, ants and wasps mate only during a very short period early in life and males therefore produce ejaculates consisting of large numbers of high quality sperm. Such extreme selection for high fecundity resulted in males investing minimally into their somatic survival, including their immune system. However, if susceptible males are unable to protect their reproductive tissue from infections, they compromise queen fitness if they transfer pathogens during mating. We used the honey bee Apis mellifera and investigated the course of infection of the sexually transmitted pathogen Nosema apis. We predicted that honey bee males are susceptible but protect their reproductive tissues from infections. We investigated the effects of N. apis infections on the midgut, the accessory glands and the accessory testes and quantified the consequences of infection on male survival and fecundity. We found that N. apis is able to infect males, and as infections progressed, it significantly impacted fertility and survival in older males. Even though we confirm males to be able to minimize N. apis infections of their reproductive tissues, the parasite is present in ejaculates of older males. Consequently N. apis evolved alternative routes to successfully infect ejaculates and get sexually transmitted. PMID:26123530

Consequences of Nosema apis infection for male honey bees and their fertility.

PubMed

Peng, Yan; Baer-Imhoof, Barbara; Millar, A Harvey; Baer, Boris

2015-06-30

The queens of eusocial bees, ants and wasps mate only during a very short period early in life and males therefore produce ejaculates consisting of large numbers of high quality sperm. Such extreme selection for high fecundity resulted in males investing minimally into their somatic survival, including their immune system. However, if susceptible males are unable to protect their reproductive tissue from infections, they compromise queen fitness if they transfer pathogens during mating. We used the honey bee Apis mellifera and investigated the course of infection of the sexually transmitted pathogen Nosema apis. We predicted that honey bee males are susceptible but protect their reproductive tissues from infections. We investigated the effects of N. apis infections on the midgut, the accessory glands and the accessory testes and quantified the consequences of infection on male survival and fecundity. We found that N. apis is able to infect males, and as infections progressed, it significantly impacted fertility and survival in older males. Even though we confirm males to be able to minimize N. apis infections of their reproductive tissues, the parasite is present in ejaculates of older males. Consequently N. apis evolved alternative routes to successfully infect ejaculates and get sexually transmitted.

Acculturation and perceived stress in HIV+ immigrants: depression symptomatology in Asian and Pacific Islanders.

PubMed

Chen, Wei-Ti; Guthrie, Barbara; Shiu, Cheng-Shi; Yang, Joyce P; Weng, Zhongqi; Wang, Lixuan; Kamitani, Emiko; Fukuda, Yumiko; Luu, Binh Vinh

2014-01-01

Asians and Pacific Islanders (API) are among the fastest growing minority groups within the USA, and this growth has been accompanied by an increase in HIV incidence. Between 2000 and 2010, the API HIV infection rate increased from 4.5% to 8.7%; however, there is a paucity of HIV-related research for this group, and even less is known about the prevalence and correlates of antiretroviral therapy adherence behavior, quality of life, impact of stress, and efficacious self-management among HIV+ API Americans. This paper examines how acculturation and perceived stress affect depression symptomatology and treatment seeking in the HIV+ API population. A series of cross-sectional audio computer-assisted self-interviews were conducted with a convenience sample of 50 HIV+ API (29 in San Francisco and 21 in New York City). The relationship between acculturation and perceived stress was analyzed, and the results indicate that for those HIV+ API who reported low or moderate acculturation (as compared to those who reported high acculturation), stress was significantly mediated by depression symptomology. Interventions to address acculturation and reduce perceived stress among API generally and Asians specifically are therefore needed.

Understanding API-polymer proximities in amorphous stabilized composite drug products using fluorine-carbon 2D HETCOR solid-state NMR.

PubMed

Abraham, Anuji; Crull, George

2014-10-06

A simple and robust method for obtaining fluorine-carbon proximities was established using a (19)F-(13)C heteronuclear correlation (HETCOR) two-dimensional (2D) solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (ssNMR) experiment under magic-angle spinning (MAS). The method was applied to study a crystalline active pharmaceutical ingredient (API), avagacestat, containing two types of fluorine atoms and its API-polymer composite drug product. These results provide insight into the molecular structure, aid with assigning the carbon resonances, and probe API-polymer proximities in amorphous spray dried dispersions (SDD). This method has an advantage over the commonly used (1)H-(13)C HETCOR because of the large chemical shift dispersion in the fluorine dimension. In the present study, fluorine-carbon distances up to 8 Å were probed, giving insight into the API structure, crystal packing, and assignments. Most importantly, the study demonstrates a method for probing an intimate molecular level contact between an amorphous API and a polymer in an SDD, giving insights into molecular association and understanding of the role of the polymer in API stability (such as recrystallization, degradation, etc.) in such novel composite drug products.

Towards integrated drug substance and drug product design for an active pharmaceutical ingredient using particle engineering.

PubMed

Kougoulos, Eleftherios; Smales, Ian; Verrier, Hugh M

2011-03-01

A novel experimental approach describing the integration of drug substance and drug production design using particle engineering techniques such as sonocrystallization, high shear wet milling (HSWM) and dry impact (hammer) milling were used to manufacture samples of an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) with diverse particle size and size distributions. The API instability was addressed using particle engineering and through judicious selection of excipients to reduce degradation reactions. API produced using a conventional batch cooling crystallization process resulted in content uniformity issues. Hammer milling increased fine particle formation resulting in reduced content uniformity and increased degradation compared to sonocrystallized and HSWM API in the formulation. To ensure at least a 2-year shelf life based on predictions using an Accelerated Stability Assessment Program, this API should have a D [v, 0.1] of 55 μm and a D [v, 0.5] of 140 μm. The particle size of the chief excipient in the drug product formulation needed to be close to that of the API to avoid content uniformity and stability issues but large enough to reduce lactam formation. The novel methodology described here has potential for application to other APIs. © 2011 American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists

49 CFR 195.440 - Public awareness.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... Petroleum Institute's (API) Recommended Practice (RP) 1162 (incorporated by reference, see § 195.3). (b) The operator's program must follow the general program recommendations of API RP 1162 and assess the unique... general program recommendations, including baseline and supplemental requirements of API RP 1162, unless...

49 CFR 195.440 - Public awareness.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... Petroleum Institute's (API) Recommended Practice (RP) 1162 (incorporated by reference, see § 195.3). (b) The operator's program must follow the general program recommendations of API RP 1162 and assess the unique... general program recommendations, including baseline and supplemental requirements of API RP 1162, unless...

49 CFR 195.440 - Public awareness.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... Petroleum Institute's (API) Recommended Practice (RP) 1162 (incorporated by reference, see § 195.3). (b) The operator's program must follow the general program recommendations of API RP 1162 and assess the unique... general program recommendations, including baseline and supplemental requirements of API RP 1162, unless...

Evidence for Ventilation through Collective Respiratory Movements in Giant Honeybee (Apis dorsata) Nests.

PubMed

Kastberger, Gerald; Waddoup, Dominique; Weihmann, Frank; Hoetzl, Thomas

2016-01-01

The Asian giant honeybees (Apis dorsata) build single-comb nests in the open, which makes this species particularly susceptible to environmental strains. Long-term infrared (IR) records documented cool nest regions (CNR) at the bee curtain (nCNR = 207, nnests > 20) distinguished by marked negative gradients (ΔTCNR/d < -3°C / 5 cm) at their margins. CNRs develop and recede within minutes, predominantly at higher ambient temperatures in the early afternoon. The differential size (ΔACNR) and temperature (ΔTCNR) values per time unit correlated mostly positively (RAT > 0) displaying the Venturi effect, which evidences funnel properties of CNRs. The air flows inwards through CNRs, which is verified by the negative spatial gradient ΔTCNR/d, by the positive grading of TCNR with Tamb and lastly by fanners which have directed their abdomens towards CNRs. Rare cases of RAT < 0 (< 3%) document closing processes (for ΔACNR/Δt < -0.4 cm2/s) but also suggest ventilation of the bee curtain (for ΔACNR/Δt > +0.4 cm2/s) displaying "inhalation" and "exhalation" cycling. "Inhalation" could be boosted by bees at the inner curtain layers, which stretch their extremities against the comb enlarging the inner nest lumen and thus causing a pressure fall which drives ambient air inwards through CNR funnels. The relaxing of the formerly "activated" bees could then trigger the "exhalation" process, which brings the bee curtain, passively by gravity, close to the comb again. That way, warm, CO2-enriched nest-borne air is pressed outwards through the leaking mesh of the bee curtain. This ventilation hypothesis is supported by IR imaging and laser vibrometry depicting CNRs in at least four aspects as low-resistance convection funnels for maintaining thermoregulation and restoring fresh air in the nest.

Hydrothermal dolomitization of the Bekhme formation (Upper Cretaceous), Zagros Basin, Kurdistan Region of Iraq: Record of oil migration and degradation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mansurbeg, Howri; Morad, Daniel; Othman, Rushdy; Morad, Sadoon; Ceriani, Andrea; Al-Aasm, Ihsan; Kolo, Kamal; Spirov, Pavel; Proust, Jean Noel; Preat, Alain; Koyi, Hemin

2016-07-01

The common presence of oil seepages in dolostones is widespread in Cretaceous carbonate successions of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. This integrated field, petrographic, chemical, stable C, O and Sr isotopes, and fluid inclusion study aims to link dolomitization to the origin and geochemical evolution of fluids and oil migration in the Upper Cretaceous Bekhme carbonates. Flux of hot basinal (hydrothermal) brines, which is suggested to have occurred during the Zagros Orogeny, resulted in dolomitization and cementation of vugs and fractures by coarse-crystalline saddle dolomite, equant calcite and anhydrite. The saddle dolomite and host dolostones have similar stable isotopic composition and formed prior to oil migration from hot (81-115 °C) basinal NaCl-MgCl2-H2O brines with salinities of 18-22 wt.% NaCl eq. The equant calcite cement, which surrounds and hence postdates saddle dolomite, has precipitated during oil migration from cooler (60-110 °C) NaCl-CaCl2-H2O brines (14-18 wt.% NaCl eq). The yellowish fluorescence color of oil inclusions in the equant calcite indicates that the oil had API gravity of 15-25° composition, which is lighter than present-day oil in the reservoirs (API of 10-17°). This difference in oil composition is attributed to oil degradation by the flux of meteoric water, which is evidenced by the low δ13C values (- 8.5‰ to - 3.9‰ VPDB) as well as by nil salinity and low temperature in fluid inclusions of late columnar calcite cement. This study demonstrates that linking fluid flux history and related diagenesis to the tectonic evolution of the basin provides important clues to the timing of oil migration, degradation and reservoir evolution.

A RESTful API for accessing microbial community data for MG-RAST.

PubMed

Wilke, Andreas; Bischof, Jared; Harrison, Travis; Brettin, Tom; D'Souza, Mark; Gerlach, Wolfgang; Matthews, Hunter; Paczian, Tobias; Wilkening, Jared; Glass, Elizabeth M; Desai, Narayan; Meyer, Folker

2015-01-01

Metagenomic sequencing has produced significant amounts of data in recent years. For example, as of summer 2013, MG-RAST has been used to annotate over 110,000 data sets totaling over 43 Terabases. With metagenomic sequencing finding even wider adoption in the scientific community, the existing web-based analysis tools and infrastructure in MG-RAST provide limited capability for data retrieval and analysis, such as comparative analysis between multiple data sets. Moreover, although the system provides many analysis tools, it is not comprehensive. By opening MG-RAST up via a web services API (application programmers interface) we have greatly expanded access to MG-RAST data, as well as provided a mechanism for the use of third-party analysis tools with MG-RAST data. This RESTful API makes all data and data objects created by the MG-RAST pipeline accessible as JSON objects. As part of the DOE Systems Biology Knowledgebase project (KBase, http://kbase.us) we have implemented a web services API for MG-RAST. This API complements the existing MG-RAST web interface and constitutes the basis of KBase's microbial community capabilities. In addition, the API exposes a comprehensive collection of data to programmers. This API, which uses a RESTful (Representational State Transfer) implementation, is compatible with most programming environments and should be easy to use for end users and third parties. It provides comprehensive access to sequence data, quality control results, annotations, and many other data types. Where feasible, we have used standards to expose data and metadata. Code examples are provided in a number of languages both to show the versatility of the API and to provide a starting point for users. We present an API that exposes the data in MG-RAST for consumption by our users, greatly enhancing the utility of the MG-RAST service.

Vaccinating Asian Pacific Islander children against hepatitis B: ethnic-specific influences and barriers.

PubMed

Pulido, M J; Alvarado, E A; Berger, W; Nelson, A; Todoroff, C

2001-01-01

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a known cause of liver cancer, especially among Asian and Pacific Islanders (API). Despite national recommendations and school entry requirements for vaccination, many children are not fully vaccinated with the Hepatitis B vaccine (Hep B) before entering school. The purpose of this study was to measure ethnic group-specific hepatitis B vaccination rates among school-aged API children after implementation of universal recommendations and school laws, and quantify ethnic-specific risk factors associated with late and incomplete vaccinations. A multilingual questionnaire was distributed to parents of second and fourth graders in nine Los Angeles County (LAC) elementary schools with high proportions of API students. Data on Hepatitis B vaccination dates, source of health care and health information, cultural factors, and general knowledge and attitudes about HBV and vaccination were collected and analyzed. Overall, 1,696 (77%) of 2,183 questionnaires were returned. Of these, 1,024 were from API children. The API second graders in this survey had a 72% coverage rate, ranging from 46% to 94% among the individual ethnic groups. Fifty-one percent of API fourth graders had three doses of Hep B vaccine, ranging from 38% to 69% among the individual ethnic groups. Factors influencing coverage levels among API fourth graders were speaking limited English at home, living in the United States less than five years, and not having discussed hepatitis B vaccination with a health care provider. Factors influencing low immunization levels differed among the API ethnic groups. Analysis and intervention on a non-aggregate level are necessary for designing both effective and cultural-specific outreach programs for diverse API communities such as LAC's.

Populus euphratica APYRASE2 Enhances Cold Tolerance by Modulating Vesicular Trafficking and Extracellular ATP in Arabidopsis Plants.

PubMed

Deng, Shurong; Sun, Jian; Zhao, Rui; Ding, Mingquan; Zhang, Yinan; Sun, Yuanling; Wang, Wei; Tan, Yeqing; Liu, Dandan; Ma, Xujun; Hou, Peichen; Wang, Meijuan; Lu, Cunfu; Shen, Xin; Chen, Shaoliang

2015-09-01

Apyrase and extracellular ATP play crucial roles in mediating plant growth and defense responses. In the cold-tolerant poplar, Populus euphratica, low temperatures up-regulate APYRASE2 (PeAPY2) expression in callus cells. We investigated the biochemical characteristics of PeAPY2 and its role in cold tolerance. We found that PeAPY2 predominantly localized to the plasma membrane, but punctate signals also appeared in the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus. PeAPY2 exhibited broad substrate specificity, but it most efficiently hydrolyzed purine nucleotides, particularly ATP. PeAPY2 preferred Mg(2+) as a cofactor, and it was insensitive to various, specific ATPase inhibitors. When PeAPY2 was ectopically expressed in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), cold tolerance was enhanced, based on root growth measurements and survival rates. Moreover, under cold stress, PeAPY2-transgenic plants maintained plasma membrane integrity and showed reduced cold-elicited electrolyte leakage compared with wild-type plants. These responses probably resulted from efficient plasma membrane repair via vesicular trafficking. Indeed, transgenic plants showed accelerated endocytosis and exocytosis during cold stress and recovery. We found that low doses of extracellular ATP accelerated vesicular trafficking, but high extracellular ATP inhibited trafficking and reduced cell viability. Cold stress caused significant increases in root medium extracellular ATP. However, under these conditions, PeAPY2-transgenic lines showed greater control of extracellular ATP levels than wild-type plants. We conclude that Arabidopsis plants that overexpressed PeAPY2 could increase membrane repair by accelerating vesicular trafficking and hydrolyzing extracellular ATP to avoid excessive, cold-elicited ATP accumulation in the root medium and, thus, reduced ATP-induced inhibition of vesicular trafficking. © 2015 American Society of Plant Biologists. All Rights Reserved.

Improved properties of fine active pharmaceutical ingredient powder blends and tablets at high drug loading via dry particle coating.

PubMed

Kunnath, Kuriakose; Huang, Zhonghui; Chen, Liang; Zheng, Kai; Davé, Rajesh

2018-05-30

It has been shown that dry coating cohesive active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) with nano-silica can improve packing and flow of their blends, facilitating high speed direct compression tableting. This paper examines the broader scope and generality of previous work by examining three fine APIs; micronized Acetaminophen (mAPAP), coarse Acetaminophen (cAPAP) and micronized Ibuprofen (mIBU), and considers dry coating with both hydrophobic or hydrophilic nano-silica to examine the effect not only on packing density and flow of their blends, but also dissolution and tensile strength of their tablets. The impact of the excipient size on blend and tablet properties are also investigated, indicating blend flow is most improved when matching API particle size with excipient particle size. In all cases where the API is dry coated, the blend packing and flow improve, so as to suggest such high drug loaded blends could enable direct compression. Using dry coated API along with finer excipients in blends lead to improved hardness of the corresponding tablets. Interestingly, dissolution profiles show dry coated API tablets generally have faster dissolution rates, regardless of silica hydrophilicity, suggesting API powder deagglomeration via nano-silica coating plays a crucial role. The most significant conclusion is that, although there are differences in properties of blends that depend on the API, hydrophobic or hydrophilic nano-silica coating, as well as large or fine excipients, in all cases, dry coating of APIs significantly improves the possibility of using the specific blend at high drug loading in direct compression tableting. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Post Retort, Pre Hydro-treat Upgrading of Shale Oil

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

Gordon, John

Various oil feedstocks, including oil from oil shale, bitumen from tar sands, heavy oil, and refin- ery streams were reacted with the alkali metals lithium or sodium in the presence of hydrogen or methane at elevated temperature and pressure in a reactor. The products were liquids with sub- stantially reduced metals, sulfur and nitrogen content. The API gravity typically increased. Sodi- um was found to be more effective than lithium in effectiveness. The solids formed when sodium was utilized contained sodium sulfide which could be regenerated electrochemically back to so- dium and a sulfur product using a "Nasicon", sodium ionmore » conducting membrane. In addition, the process was found to be effective reducing total acid number (TAN) to zero, dramatically reduc- ing the asphaltene content and vacuum residual fraction in the product liquid. The process has promise as a means of eliminating sulfur oxide and carbon monoxide emissions. The process al- so opens the possibility of eliminating the coking process from upgrading schemes and upgrad- ing without using hydrogen.« less

Heavy oil reservoirs recoverable by thermal technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kujawa, P.

1981-02-01

Data are presented on reservoirs that contain heavy oil in the 8 to 25(0) API gravity range, contain at least ten million barrels of oil currently in place, and are noncarbonate in lithology. The reservoirs within these constraints were analyzed in light of applicable recovery technology, either steam drive or in situ combustion, and then ranked hierarchically as candidate reservoirs. An extensive basis for heavy oil development is provided, however, it is recommended that data on carbonate reservoirs, and tar sands be compiled. It was discovered that operators, and industrial and government analysts will lump heavy oil reservoirs as poor producers, however, it was found that upon detailed analysis, a large number, so categorized, were producing very well. A big problem in producing heavy oil is that of regulation; specifically, it was found that the regulatory constraints are so fluid and changing that one cannot settle on a favorable recovery and production plan with enough confidence in the regulatory requirements to commit capital to the project.

Geology and development of Attake oil field, Indonesia

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

Schwartz, C.M.; Samsoe, B.S.; Laughbaum, G.H. Jr.

1973-04-01

Of particular significance in the Indonesia oil search was the discovery of the Attaka oil field, offshore E. Kalimantan (Borneo), in late 1970. After confirmation drilling from Sept. 1970 to Feb. 1971, field development and facility installation began in early 1971. First production was achieved in Nov. 1972. This major field is in the Tertiary Balikpapan Basin. Production occurs mainly from sublittoral to deltaic sands of the Attaka Series, of Pliocene and Miocene ages. The age of the deepest bed penetrated in the field area is middle Miocene. Well logs and paleontologic data indicate a predominately regressive sequence of deposition.more » Highly permeable pay sands, 34 in number, occur at intervals from 2,000 to 7,800 ft measured depth. The structure is a faulted anticline. Faults and stratigraphic variations in part control accumulation and affect fluid properties. The oil is very low in sulfur content, and has a range of gravity from 35 to 52/sup 0/ API. Both saturated and undersaturated reservoirs are present.« less

49 CFR 192.616 - Public awareness.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... follows the guidance provided in the American Petroleum Institute's (API) Recommended Practice (RP) 1162... recommendations of API RP 1162 and assess the unique attributes and characteristics of the operator's pipeline and... supplemental requirements of API RP 1162, unless the operator provides justification in its program or...

49 CFR 192.616 - Public awareness.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... follows the guidance provided in the American Petroleum Institute's (API) Recommended Practice (RP) 1162... recommendations of API RP 1162 and assess the unique attributes and characteristics of the operator's pipeline and... supplemental requirements of API RP 1162, unless the operator provides justification in its program or...

49 CFR 192.616 - Public awareness.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... follows the guidance provided in the American Petroleum Institute's (API) Recommended Practice (RP) 1162... recommendations of API RP 1162 and assess the unique attributes and characteristics of the operator's pipeline and... supplemental requirements of API RP 1162, unless the operator provides justification in its program or...

A knowledge discovery object model API for Java

PubMed Central

Zuyderduyn, Scott D; Jones, Steven JM

2003-01-01

Background Biological data resources have become heterogeneous and derive from multiple sources. This introduces challenges in the management and utilization of this data in software development. Although efforts are underway to create a standard format for the transmission and storage of biological data, this objective has yet to be fully realized. Results This work describes an application programming interface (API) that provides a framework for developing an effective biological knowledge ontology for Java-based software projects. The API provides a robust framework for the data acquisition and management needs of an ontology implementation. In addition, the API contains classes to assist in creating GUIs to represent this data visually. Conclusions The Knowledge Discovery Object Model (KDOM) API is particularly useful for medium to large applications, or for a number of smaller software projects with common characteristics or objectives. KDOM can be coupled effectively with other biologically relevant APIs and classes. Source code, libraries, documentation and examples are available at . PMID:14583100

Integrative Advanced Oxidation and Biofiltration for Treating Pharmaceuticals in Wastewater.

PubMed

Lester, Yaal; Aga, Diana S; Love, Nancy G; Singh, Randolph R; Morrissey, Ian; Linden, Karl G

2016-11-01

  Advanced oxidation of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) in wastewater produces transformation products (TPs) that are often more biodegradable than the parent compounds. Secondary effluent from a wastewater treatment plant was treated using UV-based advanced oxidation (LPUV/H2O2 and MPUV/NO3) followed by biological aerated filtration (BAF), and different APIs and their transformation products were monitored. The advanced oxidation processes degraded the APIs by 55-87% (LPUV/H2O2) and 58-95% (MPUV/NO3), while minor loss of APIs was achieved in the downstream BAF system. Eleven TPs were detected following oxidation of carbamazepine (5) and iopromide (6); three key TPs were biodegraded in the BAF system. The other TPs remained relatively constant in the BAF. The decrease in UV absorbance (UVA254) of the effluent in the BAF system was linearly correlated to the degradation of the APIs (for the MPUV/NO3-BAF), and can be applied to monitor the biotransformation of APIs in biological-based systems.

A Development of Lightweight Grid Interface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iwai, G.; Kawai, Y.; Sasaki, T.; Watase, Y.

2011-12-01

In order to help a rapid development of Grid/Cloud aware applications, we have developed API to abstract the distributed computing infrastructures based on SAGA (A Simple API for Grid Applications). SAGA, which is standardized in the OGF (Open Grid Forum), defines API specifications to access distributed computing infrastructures, such as Grid, Cloud and local computing resources. The Universal Grid API (UGAPI), which is a set of command line interfaces (CLI) and APIs, aims to offer simpler API to combine several SAGA interfaces with richer functionalities. These CLIs of the UGAPI offer typical functionalities required by end users for job management and file access to the different distributed computing infrastructures as well as local computing resources. We have also built a web interface for the particle therapy simulation and demonstrated the large scale calculation using the different infrastructures at the same time. In this paper, we would like to present how the web interface based on UGAPI and SAGA achieve more efficient utilization of computing resources over the different infrastructures with technical details and practical experiences.

Towards Standardized Patient Data Exchange: Integrating a FHIR Based API for the Open Medical Record System.

PubMed

Kasthurirathne, Suranga N; Mamlin, Burke; Grieve, Grahame; Biondich, Paul

2015-01-01

Interoperability is essential to address limitations caused by the ad hoc implementation of clinical information systems and the distributed nature of modern medical care. The HL7 V2 and V3 standards have played a significant role in ensuring interoperability for healthcare. FHIR is a next generation standard created to address fundamental limitations in HL7 V2 and V3. FHIR is particularly relevant to OpenMRS, an Open Source Medical Record System widely used across emerging economies. FHIR has the potential to allow OpenMRS to move away from a bespoke, application specific API to a standards based API. We describe efforts to design and implement a FHIR based API for the OpenMRS platform. Lessons learned from this effort were used to define long term plans to transition from the legacy OpenMRS API to a FHIR based API that greatly reduces the learning curve for developers and helps enhance adhernce to standards.

Building model analysis applications with the Joint Universal Parameter IdenTification and Evaluation of Reliability (JUPITER) API

USGS Publications Warehouse

Banta, E.R.; Hill, M.C.; Poeter, E.; Doherty, J.E.; Babendreier, J.

2008-01-01

The open-source, public domain JUPITER (Joint Universal Parameter IdenTification and Evaluation of Reliability) API (Application Programming Interface) provides conventions and Fortran-90 modules to develop applications (computer programs) for analyzing process models. The input and output conventions allow application users to access various applications and the analysis methods they embody with a minimum of time and effort. Process models simulate, for example, physical, chemical, and (or) biological systems of interest using phenomenological, theoretical, or heuristic approaches. The types of model analyses supported by the JUPITER API include, but are not limited to, sensitivity analysis, data needs assessment, calibration, uncertainty analysis, model discrimination, and optimization. The advantages provided by the JUPITER API for users and programmers allow for rapid programming and testing of new ideas. Application-specific coding can be in languages other than the Fortran-90 of the API. This article briefly describes the capabilities and utility of the JUPITER API, lists existing applications, and uses UCODE_2005 as an example.

[Evaluation of common commercial systems for the identification of yeast isolates in microbiology laboratories: a multicenter study].

PubMed

Karabıçak, Nilgün; Uludağ Altun, Hatice; Karatuna, Onur; Hazırolan, Gülşen; Aksu, Neriman; Adiloğlu, Ali; Akyar, Işın

2015-04-01

Accurate and rapid identification of yeast isolates have become important in recent years for not only antifungal susceptibility testing due to the species-specific clinical resistance breakpoints but also early initiation of appropriate antifungal therapy. In clinical microbiology laboratories species identification of yeasts is often performed with several commercial systems based on biochemical properties and rarely according to the physiological and morphological characteristics. The aim of this study was to compare the two common commercial systems, VITEK 2 YST ID Card (Vitek; bioMérieux, France) and API 20C AUX (API; bioMérieux, France) with conventional mycological methods. A total of 473 clinical yeast strains isolated from clinical specimens in different university and training/research hospitals and identified by Vitek system were included in the study. The isolates were re-identified with API and conventional methods including morphological identification in the Mycology Reference Laboratory of the Public Health Institute of Turkey. Candida dubliniensis MYA 583, Candida krusei ATCC 6258, Candida parapsilosis ATCC 22019, Candida albicans ATCC 10231 and Cryptococcus neoformans ATCC 32268 were used as quality control strains and those standard strains were studied consecutively 10 days with both of the methods. The results of identification by Vitek and API were compared with the results of conventional methods for those 473 yeast isolates [6 genus (Candida, Cryptococcus, Blastoshizomyces, Rhodotorula, Saccharomyces, Trichosporon), 17 species (5 common and 12 rarely isolated)]. The performances of the systems were better (Vitek: 95%; API: 96%) for the commonly detected species (C.albicans, C.parapsilosis, C.glabrata, C.tropicalis and C.krusei) than those for rarely detected species (Vitek: 78.4%; API: 71.6%) (p= 0.155). Misidentification or unidentification were mostly detected for C.parapsilosis (Vitek: 6/87; API: 7/87) and C.glabrata (Vitek: 9/104; API: 3/104) by both of the systems. For rarely detected yeast isolates, misidentification or unidentification were most frequently observed in species of C.pelliculosa (Vitek: 3/11; API: 6/11) and C.dubliniensis (API and Vitek: 2/5) isolates. Candida guilliermondii (API: 2/5) isolates had lower rate of identification with API compared to other species. Blastoschizomyces capitatus and Saccharomyces cerevisiae isolates could not be identified by both of the systems. As a result, the accurate diagnosis of Vitek and API systems were similar in terms of consistency (86.3%). Two systems performed well in correct identification of common clinical yeast species (at least 95%), while the identification of rare species was more challenging indicating that they require further morphological and physiological testing. The addition of morphological identification to commercial systems will be useful for accurate diagnosis and treatment of mixed infections.

Required ozone doses for removing pharmaceuticals from wastewater effluents.

PubMed

Antoniou, Maria G; Hey, Gerly; Rodríguez Vega, Sergio; Spiliotopoulou, Aikaterini; Fick, Jerker; Tysklind, Mats; la Cour Jansen, Jes; Andersen, Henrik Rasmus

2013-07-01

The aim of the this study was to investigate the ozone dosage required to remove active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) from biologically treated wastewater of varying quality, originated from different raw wastewater and wastewater treatment processes. Secondary effluents from six Swedish wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) were spiked with 42 APIs (nominal concentration μg/L) and treated with different O₃ doses (0.5-12.0 mg/L ozone) in bench-scale experiments. In order to compare the sensitivity of APIs in each matrix, the specific dose of ozone required to achieve reduction by one decade of each investigated API (DDO₃) was determined for each effluent by fitting a first order equation to the remaining concentration of API at each applied ozone dose. Ozone dose requirements were found to vary significantly between effluents depending on their matrix characteristics. The specific ozone dose was then normalized to the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) of each effluent. The DDO₃/DOC ratios were comparable for each API between the effluents. 15 of the 42 investigated APIs could be classified as easily degradable (DDO₃/DOC ≤ 0.7), while 19 were moderately degradable (0.7 < DDO₃/DOC ≤ 1.4), and 8 were recalcitrant towards O₃-treatment (DDO₃/DOC >1.4). Furthermore, we predict that a reasonable estimate of the ozone dose required to remove any of the investigated APIs may be attained by multiplying the experimental average DDO₃/DOC obtained with the actual DOC of any effluent. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Development of NETCONF-Based Network Management Systems in Web Services Framework

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iijima, Tomoyuki; Kimura, Hiroyasu; Kitani, Makoto; Atarashi, Yoshifumi

To develop a network management system (NMS) more easily, the authors developed an application programming interface (API) for configuring network devices. Because this API is used in a Java development environment, an NMS can be developed by utilizing the API and other commonly available Java libraries. It is thus possible to easily develop an NMS that is highly compatible with other IT systems. And operations that are generated from the API and that are exchanged between the NMS and network devices are based on NETCONF, which is standardized by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) as a next-generation network-configuration protocol. Adopting a standardized technology ensures that the NMS developed by using the API can manage network devices provided from multi-vendors in a unified manner. Furthermore, the configuration items exchanged over NETCONF are specified in an object-oriented design. They are therefore easier to manage than such items in the Management Information Base (MIB), which is defined as data to be managed by the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP). We actually developed several NMSs by using the API. Evaluation of these NMSs showed that, in terms of configuration time and development time, the NMS developed by using the API performed as well as NMSs developed by using a command line interface (CLI) and SNMP. The NMS developed by using the API showed feasibility to achieve “autonomic network management” and “high interoperability with IT systems.”

Perinatal outcomes for Asian, Native Hawaiian, and other Pacific Islander mothers of single and multiple race/ethnicity: California and Hawaii, 2003-2005.

PubMed

Schempf, Ashley H; Mendola, Pauline; Hamilton, Brady E; Hayes, Donald K; Makuc, Diane M

2010-05-01

We examined characteristics and birth outcomes of Asian/Pacific Islander (API) mothers to determine whether differences in outcomes existed between mothers of single race/ethnicity and multiple race/ethnicity. We used data from California and Hawaii birth certificates from 2003 through 2005 to describe variation in birth outcomes for API subgroups by self-reported maternal race/ethnicity (single versus multiple race or API subgroup), and we also compared these outcomes to those of non-Hispanic White women. Low birthweight (LBW) and preterm birth (PTB) varied more among API subgroups than between mothers of single versus multiple race/ethnicity. After adjustment for sociodemographic and behavioral risk factors, API mothers of multiple race/ethnicity had outcomes similar to mothers of single race/ethnicity, with exceptions for multiple-race/ethnicity Chinese (higher PTB), Filipino (lower LBW and PTB), and Thai (higher LBW) subgroups. Compared with single-race non-Hispanic Whites, adverse outcomes were elevated for most API subgroups: only single-race/ethnicity Korean mothers had lower rates of both LBW (3.4%) and PTB (5.6%); single-race/ethnicity Cambodian, Laotian, and Marshallese mothers had the highest rates of both LBW (8.8%, 9.2%, and 8.4%, respectively) and PTB (14.0%, 13.7%, and 18.8%, respectively). Strategies to improve birth outcomes for API mothers should consider variations in risk by API subgroup and multiple race/ethnicity.

Pim-2 activates API-5 to inhibit the apoptosis of hepatocellular carcinoma cells through NF-kappaB pathway.

PubMed

Ren, Ke; Zhang, Wei; Shi, Yujun; Gong, Jianping

2010-06-01

Pim-2 is proved to be relevant to the tumorigenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but the mechanism is unclear. We studied the relationship among Pim-2, NF-kappaB and API-5. In our experiment, expression level of the three factors and phosphorylation level of API-5, as well as NF-kappaB activity, were detected in HCC tissues and the nontumorous controls. Then Pim-2 gene was transfected into nontumorous liver cells L02, and Pim-2 SiRNA was transfected into hepatoblastoma cell line HepG2. Parthenolide was added as NF-kappaB inhibitor. The same detections as above were repeated in the cells, along with the apoptosis analysis. We found the levels of Pim-2, NF-kappaB and API-5, as well as NF-kappaB activity, were significantly higher in HCC tissues. Pim-2 level was increased in L02 cells after the transfection of Pim-2 gene, but decreased in HepG2 cells after the transfection of Pim-2 SiRNA. The levels of NF-kappaB and API-5, as well as NF-kappaB activity and API-5 phosphorylation level, were in accordance with Pim-2 level, but could be reversed by Parthenolide. Cell apoptosis rates were negatively correlated with API-5 phosphorylation level. Therefore, we infer that Pim-2 could activate API-5 to inhibit the apoptosis of liver cells, and NF-kappaB is the key regulator.

Performance of equipment used in high-pressure steam floods

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

Owens, M.E.; Bramley, B.G.

1966-01-01

Recovery of low-gravity, high-viscosity crude oil from relatively shallow reservoirs is becoming feasible through the application of steam flooding. Pan American Petroleum Corp. initiated a pilot steam flood with a 5.36 million btu/hr, 1,500-psi steam generator at the Winkleman Dome Field in West Central Wyoming in March, 1964. After 1 yr of operation, this steamer was replaced with a larger unit capable of 12 million-btu/hr, 2,500-psi steam generators, one at the Salt Creek Shannon Field and another at the Fourbear Field, both in Wyoming. This paper discusses the equipment used in high-pressure steam flooding and reviews some of the problemsmore » that have been encountered in the application of the equipment. Where determined, a suggested solution is presented.« less

Experience API: Flexible, Decentralized and Activity-Centric Data Collection

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kevan, Jonathan M.; Ryan, Paul R.

2016-01-01

This emerging technology report describes the Experience API (xAPI), a new e-learning specification designed to support the learning community in standardizing and collecting both formal and informal distributed learning activities. Informed by Activity Theory, a framework aligned with constructivism, data is collected in the form of activity…

wbstats

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

Piburn, Jesse

2016-04-22

Availability of accessing the World Bank Data API through the R language was limited to one existing package, which is limited in its ability. The software provides access to all of the features in World Bank API in one software package for the R language and provides functions for searching and downloading data from the World Bank API.

30 CFR 250.114 - How must I install and operate electrical equipment?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

.... (a) You must classify all areas according to API RP 500, Recommended Practice for Classification of... Division 2, or API RP 505, Recommended Practice for Classification of Locations for Electrical... and hazards of electrical equipment. (c) You must install all electrical systems according to API RP...

49 CFR 195.428 - Overpressure safety devices and overfill protection systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... API Standard 2510 after October 2, 2000, must have an overfill protection system installed according to section 5.1.2 of API Standard 2510. Other aboveground breakout tanks with 600 gallons (2271 liters... have an overfill protection system installed according to API Recommended Practice 2350. However...

30 CFR 250.1203 - Gas measurement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... follow the recommendations in API MPMS or RP and AGA as incorporated by reference in 30 CFR 250.198, including the following additional editions: (i) API RP 86 (incorporated by reference as specified in § 250.... If an electronic data recorder is used, you must follow the recommendations in API MPMS. (5) Take...

49 CFR 195.428 - Overpressure safety devices and overfill protection systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... API Standard 2510 after October 2, 2000, must have an overfill protection system installed according to section 5.1.2 of API Standard 2510. Other aboveground breakout tanks with 600 gallons (2271 liters... have an overfill protection system installed according to API Recommended Practice 2350. However...

49 CFR 195.428 - Overpressure safety devices and overfill protection systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... API Standard 2510 after October 2, 2000, must have an overfill protection system installed according to section 5.1.2 of API Standard 2510. Other aboveground breakout tanks with 600 gallons (2271 liters... have an overfill protection system installed according to API Recommended Practice 2350. However...

30 CFR 250.1203 - Gas measurement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... follow the recommendations in API MPMS or RP and AGA as incorporated by reference in 30 CFR 250.198, including the following additional editions: (i) API RP 86 (incorporated by reference as specified in § 250.... If an electronic data recorder is used, you must follow the recommendations in API MPMS. (5) Take...

30 CFR 250.1203 - Gas measurement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... follow the recommendations in API MPMS or RP and AGA as incorporated by reference in 30 CFR 250.198, including the following additional editions: (i) API RP 86 (incorporated by reference as specified in § 250.... If an electronic data recorder is used, you must follow the recommendations in API MPMS. (5) Take...

49 CFR 195.428 - Overpressure safety devices and overfill protection systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... API Standard 2510 after October 2, 2000, must have an overfill protection system installed according to section 5.1.2 of API Standard 2510. Other aboveground breakout tanks with 600 gallons (2271 liters... have an overfill protection system installed according to API Recommended Practice 2350. However...

AN OVERVIEW OF THE UNCERTAINTY ANALYSIS, SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS, AND PARAMETER ESTIMATION (UA/SA/PE) API AND HOW TO IMPLEMENT IT

EPA Science Inventory

The Application Programming Interface (API) for Uncertainty Analysis, Sensitivity Analysis, and
Parameter Estimation (UA/SA/PE API) (also known as Calibration, Optimization and Sensitivity and Uncertainty (CUSO)) was developed in a joint effort between several members of both ...

77 FR 70142 - Initialed Draft Revision to the Agreement Suspending the Antidumping Investigation on Certain Hot...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-11-23

...; API 5L Grades A & B....... Two--HSLA & HSLA-F Quality Grades: A572, A1011-HSLAS; A1018-HSLAS, A1011-HSLAS- $661.92 F; A1018-HSLAS-F; API 5L Gr. X42, X46, X52, X56, X60; API 5CT Grades J55 and K55 Three--High Grade Coils and Sheets for Pipes and Casings API 5L Gr. X65, X70, and X80 $770.24 Section III.E is...

The Matchmaker Exchange API: automating patient matching through the exchange of structured phenotypic and genotypic profiles

PubMed Central

Buske, Orion J.; Schiettecatte, François; Hutton, Benjamin; Dumitriu, Sergiu; Misyura, Andriy; Huang, Lijia; Hartley, Taila; Girdea, Marta; Sobreira, Nara; Mungall, Chris; Brudno, Michael

2016-01-01

Despite the increasing prevalence of clinical sequencing, the difficulty of identifying additional affected families is a key obstacle to solving many rare diseases. There may only be a handful of similar patients worldwide, and their data may be stored in diverse clinical and research databases. Computational methods are necessary to enable finding similar patients across the growing number of patient repositories and registries. We present the Matchmaker Exchange Application Programming Interface (MME API), a protocol and data format for exchanging phenotype and genotype profiles to enable matchmaking among patient databases, facilitate the identification of additional cohorts, and increase the rate with which rare diseases can be researched and diagnosed. We designed the API to be straightforward and flexible in order to simplify its adoption on a large number of data types and workflows. We also provide a public test data set, curated from the literature, to facilitate implementation of the API and development of new matching algorithms. The initial version of the API has been successfully implemented by three members of the Matchmaker Exchange and was immediately able to reproduce previously-identified matches and generate several new leads currently being validated. The API is available at https://github.com/ga4gh/mme-apis. PMID:26255989

Presence of active pharmaceutical ingredients in the continuum of surface and ground water used in drinking water production.

PubMed

Ahkola, Heidi; Tuominen, Sirkku; Karlsson, Sanja; Perkola, Noora; Huttula, Timo; Saraperä, Sami; Artimo, Aki; Korpiharju, Taina; Äystö, Lauri; Fjäder, Päivi; Assmuth, Timo; Rosendahl, Kirsi; Nysten, Taina

2017-12-01

Anthropogenic chemicals in surface water and groundwater cause concern especially when the water is used in drinking water production. Due to their continuous release or spill-over at waste water treatment plants, active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) are constantly present in aquatic environment and despite their low concentrations, APIs can still cause effects on the organisms. In the present study, Chemcatcher passive sampling was applied in surface water, surface water intake site, and groundwater observation wells to estimate whether the selected APIs are able to end up in drinking water supply through an artificial groundwater recharge system. The API concentrations measured in conventional wastewater, surface water, and groundwater grab samples were assessed with the results obtained with passive samplers. Out of the 25 APIs studied with passive sampling, four were observed in groundwater and 21 in surface water. This suggests that many anthropogenic APIs released to waste water proceed downstream and can be detectable in groundwater recharge. Chemcatcher passive samplers have previously been used in monitoring several harmful chemicals in surface and wastewaters, but the path of chemicals to groundwater has not been studied. This study provides novel information on the suitability of the Chemcatcher passive samplers for detecting APIs in groundwater wells.

Effects of Nosema apis, N. ceranae, and coinfections on honey bee (Apis mellifera) learning and memory

PubMed Central

Charbonneau, Lise R.; Hillier, Neil Kirk; Rogers, Richard E. L.; Williams, Geoffrey R.; Shutler, Dave

2016-01-01

Western honey bees (Apis mellifera) face an increasing number of challenges that in recent years have led to significant economic effects on apiculture, with attendant consequences for agriculture. Nosemosis is a fungal infection of honey bees caused by either Nosema apis or N. ceranae. The putative greater virulence of N. ceranae has spurred interest in understanding how it differs from N. apis. Little is known of effects of N. apis or N. ceranae on honey bee learning and memory. Following a Pavlovian model that relies on the proboscis extension reflex, we compared acquisition learning and long-term memory recall of uninfected (control) honey bees versus those inoculated with N. apis, N. ceranae, or both. We also tested whether spore intensity was associated with variation in learning and memory. Neither learning nor memory differed among treatments. There was no evidence of a relationship between spore intensity and learning, and only limited evidence of a negative effect on memory; this occurred only in the co-inoculation treatment. Our results suggest that if Nosema spp. are contributing to unusually high colony losses in recent years, the mechanism by which they may affect honey bees is probably not related to effects on learning or memory, at least as assessed by the proboscis extension reflex. PMID:26961062

Dry coating of micronized API powders for improved dissolution of directly compacted tablets with high drug loading.

PubMed

Han, Xi; Ghoroi, Chinmay; Davé, Rajesh

2013-02-14

Motivated by our recent study showing improved flow and dissolution rate of the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) powders (20 μm) produced via simultaneous micronization and surface modification through continuous fluid energy milling (FEM) process, the performance of blends and direct compacted tablets with high drug loading is examined. Performance of 50 μm API powders dry coated without micronization is also considered for comparison. Blends of micronized, non-micronized, dry coated or uncoated API powders at 30, 60 and 70% drug loading, are examined. The results show that the blends containing dry coated API powders, even micronized ones, have excellent flowability and high bulk density compared to the blends containing uncoated API, which are required for direct compaction. As the drug loading increases, the difference between dry coated and uncoated blends is more pronounced, as seen in the proposed bulk density-FFC phase map. Dry coating led to improved tablet compactibility profiles, corresponding with the improvements in blend compressibility. The most significant advantage is in tablet dissolution where for all drug loadings, the t(80) for the tablets with dry coated APIs was well under 5 min, indicating that this approach can produce nearly instant release direct compacted tablets at high drug loadings. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Alpha 1-protease inhibitor moderates human neutrophil elastase-induced emphysema and secretory cell metaplasia in hamsters.

PubMed

Stone, P J; Lucey, E C; Virca, G D; Christensen, T G; Breuer, R; Snider, G L

1990-06-01

A study was undertaken to determine whether emphysema and airway secretory cell metaplasia, induced in hamsters by intratracheal treatment with human neutrophil elastase (HNE), could be moderated by pretreatment with human alpha 1-protease inhibitor (API). API (4.9 mg) was given intratracheally to hamsters 1 h before 0.3 mg HNE. Eight weeks later, lung volumes and pressure-volume relationships were measured in the anaesthetized animals. Mean linear intercepts and secretory cell indices were measured in lung sections. API given 1 h before HNE moderated the development of bronchial secretory cell metaplasia. The severity of emphysema was reduced by 75%. Clearance studies indicated that 80% of the functional activity of instilled API could be lavaged from the lungs after 1 h, indicating a 4 h half-life in the lavageable compartment of the lungs. We calculate that for 50% protection from emphysema the molar ratio of lavageable API to HNE at the time of HNE instillation was 4.8 as compared with 0.78 for 50% inhibition of elastolytic activity in vitro, indicating that API is only 16% as efficient in vivo as compared with its in vitro HNE inhibitory effectiveness. Nevertheless, we conclude that human API given intratracheally is efficacious against HNE-induced emphysema and secretory cell metaplasia.

Higher prevalence and levels of Nosema ceranae than Nosema apis infections in Canadian honey bee colonies.

PubMed

Emsen, Berna; Guzman-Novoa, Ernesto; Hamiduzzaman, Mollah Md; Eccles, Les; Lacey, Brian; Ruiz-Pérez, Rosario A; Nasr, Medhat

2016-01-01

This study was conducted to determine the prevalence and infection levels of the microsporidia fungi Nosema apis and/or Nosema ceranae in honey bee colonies of two Canadian provinces. Three surveys were conducted in the springs of 2008, 2010 and 2012 and PCR identification of Nosema species were performed in samples from 169 and 181 Ontario colonies and from 76 Alberta colonies that tested positive to Nosema spp. Infection levels of positive colonies were determined by microscopy and analyzed by Nosema spp. Results showed that N. ceranae was the dominant species in all three surveys (prevalence range of 41-91 vs. 4-34 % for N. apis), whereas mixed infections were less frequent than single infections (5-25 %). Infection levels of colonies parasitized by N. ceranae were three to five times higher than those of colonies parasitized by N. apis in the three surveys whereas mixed infections showed the highest spore counts. This is the first field study demonstrating significantly higher infection levels in colonies parasitized with either N. ceranae only or with both, N. ceranae and N. apis, than in colonies parasitized with N. apis only. Taken together, these results suggest that N. ceranae may be more virulent and better adapted than N. apis in cold climates such as Canadian environments.

Effects of Nosema apis, N. ceranae, and coinfections on honey bee (Apis mellifera) learning and memory.

PubMed

Charbonneau, Lise R; Hillier, Neil Kirk; Rogers, Richard E L; Williams, Geoffrey R; Shutler, Dave

2016-03-10

Western honey bees (Apis mellifera) face an increasing number of challenges that in recent years have led to significant economic effects on apiculture, with attendant consequences for agriculture. Nosemosis is a fungal infection of honey bees caused by either Nosema apis or N. ceranae. The putative greater virulence of N. ceranae has spurred interest in understanding how it differs from N. apis. Little is known of effects of N. apis or N. ceranae on honey bee learning and memory. Following a Pavlovian model that relies on the proboscis extension reflex, we compared acquisition learning and long-term memory recall of uninfected (control) honey bees versus those inoculated with N. apis, N. ceranae, or both. We also tested whether spore intensity was associated with variation in learning and memory. Neither learning nor memory differed among treatments. There was no evidence of a relationship between spore intensity and learning, and only limited evidence of a negative effect on memory; this occurred only in the co-inoculation treatment. Our results suggest that if Nosema spp. are contributing to unusually high colony losses in recent years, the mechanism by which they may affect honey bees is probably not related to effects on learning or memory, at least as assessed by the proboscis extension reflex.

The Matchmaker Exchange API: automating patient matching through the exchange of structured phenotypic and genotypic profiles.

PubMed

Buske, Orion J; Schiettecatte, François; Hutton, Benjamin; Dumitriu, Sergiu; Misyura, Andriy; Huang, Lijia; Hartley, Taila; Girdea, Marta; Sobreira, Nara; Mungall, Chris; Brudno, Michael

2015-10-01

Despite the increasing prevalence of clinical sequencing, the difficulty of identifying additional affected families is a key obstacle to solving many rare diseases. There may only be a handful of similar patients worldwide, and their data may be stored in diverse clinical and research databases. Computational methods are necessary to enable finding similar patients across the growing number of patient repositories and registries. We present the Matchmaker Exchange Application Programming Interface (MME API), a protocol and data format for exchanging phenotype and genotype profiles to enable matchmaking among patient databases, facilitate the identification of additional cohorts, and increase the rate with which rare diseases can be researched and diagnosed. We designed the API to be straightforward and flexible in order to simplify its adoption on a large number of data types and workflows. We also provide a public test data set, curated from the literature, to facilitate implementation of the API and development of new matching algorithms. The initial version of the API has been successfully implemented by three members of the Matchmaker Exchange and was immediately able to reproduce previously identified matches and generate several new leads currently being validated. The API is available at https://github.com/ga4gh/mme-apis. © 2015 WILEY PERIODICALS, INC.

OSCAR API for Real-Time Low-Power Multicores and Its Performance on Multicores and SMP Servers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kimura, Keiji; Mase, Masayoshi; Mikami, Hiroki; Miyamoto, Takamichi; Shirako, Jun; Kasahara, Hironori

OSCAR (Optimally Scheduled Advanced Multiprocessor) API has been designed for real-time embedded low-power multicores to generate parallel programs for various multicores from different vendors by using the OSCAR parallelizing compiler. The OSCAR API has been developed by Waseda University in collaboration with Fujitsu Laboratory, Hitachi, NEC, Panasonic, Renesas Technology, and Toshiba in an METI/NEDO project entitled "Multicore Technology for Realtime Consumer Electronics." By using the OSCAR API as an interface between the OSCAR compiler and backend compilers, the OSCAR compiler enables hierarchical multigrain parallel processing with memory optimization under capacity restriction for cache memory, local memory, distributed shared memory, and on-chip/off-chip shared memory; data transfer using a DMA controller; and power reduction control using DVFS (Dynamic Voltage and Frequency Scaling), clock gating, and power gating for various embedded multicores. In addition, a parallelized program automatically generated by the OSCAR compiler with OSCAR API can be compiled by the ordinary OpenMP compilers since the OSCAR API is designed on a subset of the OpenMP. This paper describes the OSCAR API and its compatibility with the OSCAR compiler by showing code examples. Performance evaluations of the OSCAR compiler and the OSCAR API are carried out using an IBM Power5+ workstation, an IBM Power6 high-end SMP server, and a newly developed consumer electronics multicore chip RP2 by Renesas, Hitachi and Waseda. From the results of scalability evaluation, it is found that on an average, the OSCAR compiler with the OSCAR API can exploit 5.8 times speedup over the sequential execution on the Power5+ workstation with eight cores and 2.9 times speedup on RP2 with four cores, respectively. In addition, the OSCAR compiler can accelerate an IBM XL Fortran compiler up to 3.3 times on the Power6 SMP server. Due to low-power optimization on RP2, the OSCAR compiler with the OSCAR API achieves a maximum power reduction of 84% in the real-time execution mode.

The M358R variant of α{sub 1}-proteinase inhibitor inhibits coagulation factor VIIa

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

Sheffield, William P., E-mail: sheffiel@mcmaster.ca; Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario; Bhakta, Varsha

The naturally occurring M358R mutation of the plasma serpin α{sub 1}-proteinase inhibitor (API) changes both its cleavable reactive centre bond to Arg–Ser and the efficacy with which it inhibits different proteases, reducing the rate of inhibition of neutrophil elastase, and enhancing that of thrombin, factor XIa, and kallikrein, by several orders of magnitude. Although another plasma serpin with an Arg–Ser reactive centre, antithrombin (AT), has been shown to inhibit factor VIIa (FVIIa), no published data are available with respect to FVIIa inhibition by API M358R. Recombinant bacterially-expressed API M358R and plasma-derived AT were therefore compared using gel-based and kinetic assaysmore » of FVIIa integrity and activity. Under pseudo-first order conditions of excess serpin over protease, both AT and API M358R formed denaturation-resistant inhibitory complexes with FVIIa in reactions accelerated by TF; AT, but not API M358R, also required heparin for maximal activity. The second order rate constant for heparin-independent API M358R-mediated FVIIa inhibition was determined to be 7.8 ± 0.8 × 10{sup 2} M{sup −1}sec{sup −1}. We conclude that API M358R inhibits FVIIa by forming inhibitory complexes of the serpin type more rapidly than AT in the absence of heparin. The likely 20-fold excess of API M358R over AT in patient plasma during inflammation raises the possibility that it could contribute to the hemorrhagic tendencies manifested by rare individuals expressing this mutant serpin. - Highlights: • The inhibitory specificity of the serpin alpha-1-proteinase inhibitor (API) is sharply altered in the M358R variant. • API M358R forms denaturation-resistant complexes with coagulation factor VIIa at a rate accelerated by tissue factor but unaffected by heparin. • Complex formation was shown by gel-based assays and quantified kinetically by inhibition of FVIIa-dependent amidolysis.« less

Component-resolved evaluation of the content of major allergens in therapeutic extracts for specific immunotherapy of honeybee venom allergy

PubMed Central

Blank, Simon; Etzold, Stefanie; Darsow, Ulf; Schiener, Maximilian; Eberlein, Bernadette; Russkamp, Dennis; Wolf, Sara; Graessel, Anke; Biedermann, Tilo; Ollert, Markus; Schmidt-Weber, Carsten B.

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT Allergen-specific immunotherapy is the only curative treatment of honeybee venom (HBV) allergy, which is able to protect against further anaphylactic sting reactions. Recent analyses on a molecular level have demonstrated that HBV represents a complex allergen source that contains more relevant major allergens than formerly anticipated. Moreover, allergic patients show very diverse sensitization profiles with the different allergens. HBV-specific immunotherapy is conducted with HBV extracts which are derived from pure venom. The allergen content of these therapeutic extracts might differ due to natural variations of the source material or different down-stream processing strategies of the manufacturers. Since variations of the allergen content of therapeutic HBV extracts might be associated with therapeutic failure, we adressed the component-resolved allergen composition of different therapeutic grade HBV extracts which are approved for immunotherapy in numerous countries. The extracts were analyzed for their content of the major allergens Api m 1, Api m 2, Api m 3, Api m 5 and Api m 10. Using allergen-specific antibodies we were able to demonstrate the underrepresentation of relevant major allergens such as Api m 3, Api m 5 and Api m 10 in particular therapeutic extracts. Taken together, standardization of therapeutic extracts by determination of the total allergenic potency might imply the intrinsic pitfall of losing information about particular major allergens. Moreover, the variable allergen composition of different therapeutic HBV extracts might have an impact on therapy outcome and the clinical management of HBV-allergic patients with specific IgE to particular allergens. PMID:28494206

API2-MALT1 oncoprotein promotes lymphomagenesis via unique program of substrate ubiquitination and proteolysis

PubMed Central

Rosebeck, Shaun; Lim, Megan S; Elenitoba-Johnson, Kojo S J; McAllister-Lucas, Linda M; Lucas, Peter C

2016-01-01

Lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT lymphoma) is the most common extranodal B cell tumor and accounts for 8% of non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas. Gastric MALT lymphoma is the best-studied example and is a prototypical neoplasm that occurs in the setting of chronic inflammation brought on by persistent infection or autoimmune disease. Cytogenetic abnormalities are commonly acquired during the course of disease and the most common is chromosomal translocation t(11;18)(q21;q21), which creates the API2-MALT1 fusion oncoprotein. t(11;18)-positive lymphomas can be clinically aggressive and have a higher rate of dissemination than t(11;18)-negative tumors. Many cancers, including MALT lymphomas, characteristically exhibit deregulated over-activation of cellular survival pathways, such as the nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) pathway. Molecular characterization of API2-MALT1 has revealed it to be a potent activator of NF-κB, which is required for API2-MALT1-induced cellular transformation, however the mechanisms by which API2-MALT1 exerts these effects are only recently becoming apparent. The API2 moiety of the fusion binds tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor associated factor (TRAF) 2 and receptor interacting protein 1 (RIP1), two proteins essential for TNF receptor-induced NF-κB activation. By effectively mimicking ligand-bound TNF receptor, API2-MALT1 promotes TRAF2-dependent ubiquitination of RIP1, which then acts as a scaffold for nucleating and activating the canonical NF-κB machinery. Activation occurs, in part, through MALT1 moiety-dependent recruitment of TRAF6, which can directly modify NF-κB essential modulator, the principal downstream regulator of NF-κB. While the intrinsic MALT1 protease catalytic activity is dispensable for this canonical NF-κB signaling, it is critical for non-canonical NF-κB activation. In this regard, API2-MALT1 recognizes NF-κB inducing kinase (NIK), the essential upstream regulator of non-canonical NF-κB, and cleaves it to generate a stable, constitutively active fragment. Thus, API2-MALT1 harnesses multiple unique pathways to achieve deregulated NF-κB activation. Emerging data from our group and others have also detailed additional gain-of-function activities of API2-MALT1 that extend beyond NF-κB activation. Specifically, API2-MALT1 recruits and subverts multiple other signaling factors, including LIM domain and actin-binding protein 1 (LIMA1) and Smac/DIABLO. Like NIK, LIMA1 represents a unique substrate for API2-MALT1 protease activity, but unlike NIK, its cleavage sets in motion a major NF-κB-independent pathway for promoting oncogenesis. In this review, we highlight the most recent results characterizing these unique and diverse gain-of-function activities of API2-MALT1 and how they contribute to lymphomagenesis. PMID:26981201

Nosema ceranae, a newly identified pathogen of Apis mellifera in the U.S. and Asia

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Nosemosis (Nosema disease) is one of the most serious and prevalent adult honey bee diseases worldwide. For years, Nosema apis was thought to be the only microsporidia infecting domestic bee colonies. However, recently it was discovered that N. ceranae could jump from Asian honey bees (Apis cerana...

Targeted Information Dissemination

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-03-01

SETUP, RESULTS AND PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS .......................................... 36 APPENDIX C: TID API SPECIFICATION...are developed using FreePastry1. FreePastry provides an API for a structured P2P overlay network. Information Routing and address resolution is...the TID architecture to demonstrate its key features. TID interface API specifications are described in Appendix C. RSS feeds were used to obtain

30 CFR 250.114 - How must I install and operate electrical equipment?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... their facilities. (a) You must classify all areas according to API RP 500, Recommended Practice for... 1 and Division 2, or API RP 505, Recommended Practice for Classification of Locations for Electrical... electrical systems according to API RP 14F, Recommended Practice for Design and Installation of Electrical...

49 CFR 195.307 - Pressure testing aboveground breakout tanks.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... aboveground breakout tanks. (a) For aboveground breakout tanks built into API Specification 12F and first placed in service after October 2, 2000, pneumatic testing must be in accordance with section 5.3 of API Specification 12 F (incorporated by reference, see § 195.3). (b) For aboveground breakout tanks built to API...

49 CFR 195.405 - Protection against ignitions and safe access/egress involving floating roofs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... accordance with API Recommended Practice 2003, unless the operator notes in the procedural manual (§ 195.402(c)) why compliance with all or certain provisions of API Recommended Practice 2003 is not necessary... removed from service for cleaning) are addressed in API Publication 2026. After October 2, 2000, the...

30 CFR 250.114 - How must I install and operate electrical equipment?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... structures, and their facilities. (a) You must classify all areas according to API RP 500, Recommended... Class I, Division 1 and Division 2, or API RP 505, Recommended Practice for Classification of Locations... according to API RP 14F, Recommended Practice for Design and Installation of Electrical Systems for Fixed...

30 CFR 250.114 - How must I install and operate electrical equipment?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... their facilities. (a) You must classify all areas according to API RP 500, Recommended Practice for... 1 and Division 2, or API RP 505, Recommended Practice for Classification of Locations for Electrical... electrical systems according to API RP 14F, Recommended Practice for Design and Installation of Electrical...

49 CFR 195.405 - Protection against ignitions and safe access/egress involving floating roofs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... accordance with API Recommended Practice 2003, unless the operator notes in the procedural manual (§ 195.402(c)) why compliance with all or certain provisions of API Recommended Practice 2003 is not necessary... removed from service for cleaning) are addressed in API Publication 2026. After October 2, 2000, the...

49 CFR 195.405 - Protection against ignitions and safe access/egress involving floating roofs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... accordance with API Recommended Practice 2003, unless the operator notes in the procedural manual (§ 195.402(c)) why compliance with all or certain provisions of API Recommended Practice 2003 is not necessary... removed from service for cleaning) are addressed in API Publication 2026. After October 2, 2000, the...

49 CFR 195.405 - Protection against ignitions and safe access/egress involving floating roofs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... accordance with API Recommended Practice 2003, unless the operator notes in the procedural manual (§ 195.402(c)) why compliance with all or certain provisions of API Recommended Practice 2003 is not necessary... removed from service for cleaning) are addressed in API Publication 2026. After October 2, 2000, the...

49 CFR 195.307 - Pressure testing aboveground breakout tanks.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... aboveground breakout tanks. (a) For aboveground breakout tanks built into API Specification 12F and first placed in service after October 2, 2000, pneumatic testing must be in accordance with section 5.3 of API Specification 12 F (incorporated by reference, see § 195.3). (b) For aboveground breakout tanks built to API...

49 CFR 195.405 - Protection against ignitions and safe access/egress involving floating roofs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... accordance with API Recommended Practice 2003, unless the operator notes in the procedural manual (§ 195.402(c)) why compliance with all or certain provisions of API Recommended Practice 2003 is not necessary... removed from service for cleaning) are addressed in API Publication 2026. After October 2, 2000, the...

49 CFR 195.307 - Pressure testing aboveground breakout tanks.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... aboveground breakout tanks. (a) For aboveground breakout tanks built into API Specification 12F and first placed in service after October 2, 2000, pneumatic testing must be in accordance with section 5.3 of API Specification 12 F (incorporated by reference, see § 195.3). (b) For aboveground breakout tanks built to API...

30 CFR 250.114 - How must I install and operate electrical equipment?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... their facilities. (a) You must classify all areas according to API RP 500, Recommended Practice for... 1 and Division 2, or API RP 505, Recommended Practice for Classification of Locations for Electrical... electrical systems according to API RP 14F, Recommended Practice for Design and Installation of Electrical...

49 CFR 195.307 - Pressure testing aboveground breakout tanks.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... aboveground breakout tanks. (a) For aboveground breakout tanks built into API Specification 12F and first placed in service after October 2, 2000, pneumatic testing must be in accordance with section 5.3 of API Specification 12 F (incorporated by reference, see § 195.3). (b) For aboveground breakout tanks built to API...

Exploring HIV-testing intentions in young Asian/Pacific Islander (API) women as it relates to acculturation, theory of gender and power (TGP), and the AIDS risk reduction model (ARRM).

PubMed

Salud, Margaret C; Marshak, Helen Hopp; Natto, Zuhair S; Montgomery, Susanne

2014-01-01

While HIV rates are low for Asian/Pacific Islanders (APIs), they have been increasing, especially for API women in the USA. We conducted a cross-sectional study with 299 young API women (18-24 years old) in the Inland Empire region of Southern California to better understand their intention for HIV testing and their perceptions about HIV/AIDS. Data analyses included descriptive statistics, bivariate exploration for model building and multivariate analyses to determine variables associated with HIV-testing intentions. Results suggest that more lifetime sexual partners, greater perceived gender susceptibility, higher HIV/AIDS knowledge, sexually active, more positive attitudes about HIV testing and higher self-perceptions/experiences related to risk contribute to stronger intentions for HIV testing in young API women. Findings from this study will contribute to the limited literature on HIV/AIDS in API women and provide information that can be used for developing and implementing culturally appropriate programs that encourage HIV prevention and testing in this population.

Exploring HIV-testing intentions in young Asian/Pacific Islander (API) women as it relates to acculturation, theory of gender and power (TGP), and the AIDS risk reduction model (ARRM)

PubMed Central

Salud, Margaret C.; Marshak, Helen Hopp; Natto, Zuhair S.; Montgomery, Susanne

2015-01-01

While HIV rates are low for Asian/Pacific Islanders (APIs), they have been increasing, especially for API women in the USA. We conducted a cross-sectional study with 299 young API women (18–24 years old) in the Inland Empire region of Southern California to better understand their intention for HIV testing and their perceptions about HIV/AIDS. Data analyses included descriptive statistics, bivariate exploration for model building and multivariate analyses to determine variables associated with HIV-testing intentions. Results suggest that more lifetime sexual partners, greater perceived gender susceptibility, higher HIV/AIDS knowledge, sexually active, more positive attitudes about HIV testing and higher self-perceptions/experiences related to risk contribute to stronger intentions for HIV testing in young API women. Findings from this study will contribute to the limited literature on HIV/AIDS in API women and provide information that can be used for developing and implementing culturally appropriate programs that encourage HIV prevention and testing in this population. PMID:24111859

Thermodynamic phase behavior of API/polymer solid dispersions.

PubMed

Prudic, Anke; Ji, Yuanhui; Sadowski, Gabriele

2014-07-07

To improve the bioavailability of poorly soluble active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), these materials are often integrated into a polymer matrix that acts as a carrier. The resulting mixture is called a solid dispersion. In this work, the phase behaviors of solid dispersions were investigated as a function of the API as well as of the type and molecular weight of the carrier polymer. Specifically, the solubility of artemisinin and indomethacin was measured in different poly(ethylene glycol)s (PEG 400, PEG 6000, and PEG 35000). The measured solubility data and the solubility of sulfonamides in poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) K10 and PEG 35000 were modeled using the perturbed-chain statistical associating fluid theory (PC-SAFT). The results show that PC-SAFT predictions are in a good accordance with the experimental data, and PC-SAFT can be used to predict the whole phase diagram of an API/polymer solid dispersion as a function of the kind of API and polymer and of the polymer's molecular weight. This remarkably simplifies the screening process for suitable API/polymer combinations.

[Relationships of bee population fluctuation and distribution with natural environment in Anhui province].

PubMed

Yu, Linsheng; Zou, Yunding; Bi, Shoudong; Wu, Houzhang; Cao, Yifeng

2006-08-01

In 2002 to approximately 2004, an investigation was made on the bee population dynamics and its relationships with the ecological environment in four ecological regions of Anhui Province. The results indicated that in the mountainous areas of south and west Anhui, there were 46 and 37 species of nectariferous plants, and the distribution density of Apis cerena cerena population was 2.01 and 1.95 colony x km(-2), respectively. In Jianghuai area and Huaibei plain, there were 17 and 12 species of nectariferous plants, which had concentrated and short flowering period and fitted for Apis mellifera Ligustica oysterring and producing, and the distribution density of Apis cerena cerena population was 0. 06 and 0. 02 colony x km(-2), respectively. Bee population fluctuation and distribution was affected by wasp predation. The breeding proportion of Apis cerena cerena to local apis population was 41.5%, 36.8%, 3.1% and 1.1%, and that of Apis mellifera Ligustica was 58.5%, 63.2%, 96.9% and 98.9% in the mountainous areas of south and west Anhui, Jianghuai area, and Huaibei plain, respectively.

DARMA v. Beta 0.5

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

Hollman, David; Lifflander, Jonathon; Wilke, Jeremiah

2017-03-14

DARMA is a portability layer for asynchronous many-task (AMT) runtime systems. AMT runtime systems show promise to mitigate challenges imposed by next generation high performance computing architectures. However, current runtime system technologies are not production-ready. DARMA is a portability layer that seeks to insulate application developers from idiosyncrasies of individual runtime systems, thereby facilitating application-developer use of these technologies. DARMA comprises a frontend application programming interface (API) for application developers, a backend API for runtime system developers, and a translation that translates frontend API calls into backend API calls. Application developers use C++ abstractions to annotate both data and tasksmore » in their code. The DARMA translation layer uses C++ template metaprogramming to capture data-task dependencies, and provides this information to a potential backend runtime system via a series of backend API calls.« less

A RESTful API for accessing microbial community data for MG-RAST

DOE PAGES

Wilke, Andreas; Bischof, Jared; Harrison, Travis; ...

2015-01-08

Metagenomic sequencing has produced significant amounts of data in recent years. For example, as of summer 2013, MGRAST has been used to annotate over 110,000 data sets totaling over 43 Terabases. With metagenomic sequencing finding even wider adoption in the scientific community, the existing web-based analysis tools and infrastructure in MG-RAST provide limited capability for data retrieval and analysis, such as comparative analysis between multiple data sets. Moreover, although the system provides many analysis tools, it is not comprehensive. By opening MG-RAST up via a web services API (application programmers interface) we have greatly expanded access to MG-RAST data, asmore » well as provided a mechanism for the use of third-party analysis tools with MG-RAST data. This RESTful API makes all data and data objects created by the MG-RAST pipeline accessible as JSON objects. As part of the DOE Systems Biology Knowledgebase project (KBase, http:// kbase.us) we have implemented a web services API for MG-RAST. This API complements the existing MG-RAST web interface and constitutes the basis of KBase’s microbial community capabilities. In addition, the API exposes a comprehensive collection of data to programmers. This API, which uses a RESTful (Representational State Transfer) implementation, is compatible with most programming environments and should be easy to use for end users and third parties. It provides comprehensive access to sequence data, quality control results, annotations, and many other data types. Where feasible, we have used standards to expose data and metadata. Code examples are provided in a number of languages both to show the versatility of the API and to provide a starting point for users. We present an API that exposes the data in MG-RAST for consumption by our users, greatly enhancing the utility of the MG-RAST service.« less

The development, validity, and reliability of the Addiction Profile Index (API).

PubMed

Ögel, Kültegin; Evren, Cüneyt; Karadağ, Figen; Gürol, Defne Tamar

2012-01-01

The objective of this study was to develop a practical questionnaire for multidimensional assessment of problems associated with alcohol and substance abuse that would also be useful for treatment planning. The Addiction Profile Index (API) is a self-report questionnaire consisting of 37 items and the following 5 subscales: characteristics of substance use; dependency diagnosis; the effects of subsance use on the user; craving; motivation to quit using substances. The study included 345 alcohol and/or substance abusers from 2 addiction treatment clinics and a prison addiction service. The validity of the questionnaire was assessed using the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (MAST), Readiness to Change Questionnaire (SOCRATES), Penn Alcohol Craving Scale (PACS), Drug Craving Scale (DCS), Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders (SCID-I), and Addiction Severity Index (ASI). The Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the total API was 0.89 and for the subscales it ranged from 0.63 to 0.86. Item-total correlation coefficients ranged from 0.42 to 0.89. The Spearman Brown split-half method coefficient for the total API was 0.83. In all, 4 factors were obtained using explanatory factor analysis that represented 52.3% of the total variance. The API craving subscale was observed to be consistent with PACS and the API motivation subscale was consistent with SOCRATES. The API total score was strongly correlated with the mean MAST score, and the composite ASI medical status, substance use, legal status, and family social relations subscale scores. Based on ROC analyses, the area under curve was 0.90. With a total API cut-off score of 4, the scale's sensitivity and specificity 0.85 was 0.78, respectively. The findings show that the API is a valid and reliable questionnaire that can be used to measure the severity of different dimensions of substance dependency.

A RESTful API for Accessing Microbial Community Data for MG-RAST

PubMed Central

Wilke, Andreas; Bischof, Jared; Harrison, Travis; Brettin, Tom; D'Souza, Mark; Gerlach, Wolfgang; Matthews, Hunter; Paczian, Tobias; Wilkening, Jared; Glass, Elizabeth M.; Desai, Narayan; Meyer, Folker

2015-01-01

Metagenomic sequencing has produced significant amounts of data in recent years. For example, as of summer 2013, MG-RAST has been used to annotate over 110,000 data sets totaling over 43 Terabases. With metagenomic sequencing finding even wider adoption in the scientific community, the existing web-based analysis tools and infrastructure in MG-RAST provide limited capability for data retrieval and analysis, such as comparative analysis between multiple data sets. Moreover, although the system provides many analysis tools, it is not comprehensive. By opening MG-RAST up via a web services API (application programmers interface) we have greatly expanded access to MG-RAST data, as well as provided a mechanism for the use of third-party analysis tools with MG-RAST data. This RESTful API makes all data and data objects created by the MG-RAST pipeline accessible as JSON objects. As part of the DOE Systems Biology Knowledgebase project (KBase, http://kbase.us) we have implemented a web services API for MG-RAST. This API complements the existing MG-RAST web interface and constitutes the basis of KBase's microbial community capabilities. In addition, the API exposes a comprehensive collection of data to programmers. This API, which uses a RESTful (Representational State Transfer) implementation, is compatible with most programming environments and should be easy to use for end users and third parties. It provides comprehensive access to sequence data, quality control results, annotations, and many other data types. Where feasible, we have used standards to expose data and metadata. Code examples are provided in a number of languages both to show the versatility of the API and to provide a starting point for users. We present an API that exposes the data in MG-RAST for consumption by our users, greatly enhancing the utility of the MG-RAST service. PMID:25569221

Population Genetics of Nosema apis and Nosema ceranae: One Host (Apis mellifera) and Two Different Histories

PubMed Central

Maside, Xulio; Gómez-Moracho, Tamara; Jara, Laura; Martín-Hernández, Raquel; De la Rúa, Pilar; Higes, Mariano; Bartolomé, Carolina

2015-01-01

Two microsporidians are known to infect honey bees: Nosema apis and Nosema ceranae. Whereas population genetics data for the latter have been released in the last few years, such information is still missing for N. apis. Here we analyze the patterns of nucleotide polymorphism at three single-copy loci (PTP2, PTP3 and RPB1) in a collection of Apis mellifera isolates from all over the world, naturally infected either with N. apis (N = 22) or N. ceranae (N = 23), to provide new insights into the genetic diversity, demography and evolution of N. apis, as well as to compare them with evidence from N. ceranae. Neutral variation in N. apis and N. ceranae is of the order of 1%. This amount of diversity suggests that there is no substantial differentiation between the genetic content of the two nuclei present in these parasites, and evidence for genetic recombination provides a putative mechanism for the flow of genetic information between chromosomes. The analysis of the frequency spectrum of neutral variants reveals a significant surplus of low frequency variants, particularly in N. ceranae, and suggests that the populations of the two pathogens are not in mutation-drift equilibrium and that they have experienced a population expansion. Most of the variation in both species occurs within honey bee colonies (between 62%-90% of the total genetic variance), although in N. apis there is evidence for differentiation between parasites isolated from distinct A. mellifera lineages (20%-34% of the total variance), specifically between those collected from lineages A and C (or M). This scenario is consistent with a long-term host-parasite relationship and contrasts with the lack of differentiation observed among host-lineages in N. ceranae (< 4% of the variance), which suggests that the spread of this emergent pathogen throughout the A. mellifera worldwide population is a recent event. PMID:26720131

Population Genetics of Nosema apis and Nosema ceranae: One Host (Apis mellifera) and Two Different Histories.

PubMed

Maside, Xulio; Gómez-Moracho, Tamara; Jara, Laura; Martín-Hernández, Raquel; De la Rúa, Pilar; Higes, Mariano; Bartolomé, Carolina

2015-01-01

Two microsporidians are known to infect honey bees: Nosema apis and Nosema ceranae. Whereas population genetics data for the latter have been released in the last few years, such information is still missing for N. apis. Here we analyze the patterns of nucleotide polymorphism at three single-copy loci (PTP2, PTP3 and RPB1) in a collection of Apis mellifera isolates from all over the world, naturally infected either with N. apis (N = 22) or N. ceranae (N = 23), to provide new insights into the genetic diversity, demography and evolution of N. apis, as well as to compare them with evidence from N. ceranae. Neutral variation in N. apis and N. ceranae is of the order of 1%. This amount of diversity suggests that there is no substantial differentiation between the genetic content of the two nuclei present in these parasites, and evidence for genetic recombination provides a putative mechanism for the flow of genetic information between chromosomes. The analysis of the frequency spectrum of neutral variants reveals a significant surplus of low frequency variants, particularly in N. ceranae, and suggests that the populations of the two pathogens are not in mutation-drift equilibrium and that they have experienced a population expansion. Most of the variation in both species occurs within honey bee colonies (between 62%-90% of the total genetic variance), although in N. apis there is evidence for differentiation between parasites isolated from distinct A. mellifera lineages (20%-34% of the total variance), specifically between those collected from lineages A and C (or M). This scenario is consistent with a long-term host-parasite relationship and contrasts with the lack of differentiation observed among host-lineages in N. ceranae (< 4% of the variance), which suggests that the spread of this emergent pathogen throughout the A. mellifera worldwide population is a recent event.

Environmental footprint of pharmaceuticals: the significance of factors beyond direct excretion to sewers.

PubMed

Daughton, Christian G; Ruhoy, Ilene S

2009-12-01

The combined excretion of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) via urine and feces is considered the primary route by which APIs from human pharmaceuticals enter the environment. Disposal of unwanted, leftover medications by flushing into sewers has been considered a secondary route-one that does not contribute substantially to overall environmental loadings. The present study presents the first comprehensive examination of secondary routes of API release to the environment and for direct but unintentional human exposure. These include bathing, washing, and laundering, all of which release APIs remaining on the skin from the use of high-content dermal applications or from excretion to the skin via sweating, and disposal of unused and partially used high-content devices. Also discussed are the health hazards associated with: partially used devices, medication disposal practices of consumers, and interpersonal dermal transfer of API residues. Understanding these secondary routes is important from the perspective of pollution prevention, because actions can be designed more easily for reducing the environmental impact of APIs compared with the route of direct excretion (via urine and feces), for reducing the incidence of unintentional and purposeful poisonings of humans and pets, and for improving the quality and cost-effectiveness of health care. Overall, unintentional exposure to APIs for humans via these routes is possibly more important than exposure to trace residues recycled from the environment in drinking water or foods.

Comparison of the energetic stress associated with experimental Nosema ceranae and Nosema apis infection of honeybees (Apis mellifera).

PubMed

Martín-Hernández, Raquel; Botías, Cristina; Barrios, Laura; Martínez-Salvador, Amparo; Meana, Aránzazu; Mayack, Christopher; Higes, Mariano

2011-09-01

Nosema ceranae is a relatively new and widespread parasite of the western honeybee Apis mellifera that provokes a new form of nosemosis. In comparison to Nosema apis, which has been infecting the honeybee for much longer, N. ceranae seems to have co-evolved less with this host, causing a more virulent disease. Given that N. apis and N. ceranae are obligate intracellular microsporidian parasites, needing host energy to reproduce, energetic stress may be an important factor contributing to the increased virulence observed. Through feeding experiments on caged bees, we show that both mortality and sugar syrup consumption were higher in N. ceranae-infected bees than in N. apis-infected and control bees. The mortality and sugar syrup consumption are also higher in N. apis-infected bees than in controls, but are less than in N. ceranae-infected bees. With both microsporidia, mortality and sugar syrup consumption increased in function of the increasing spore counts administered for infection. The differences in energetic requirements between both Nosema spp. confirm that their metabolic patterns are not the same, which may depend critically on host-parasite interactions and, ultimately, on host pathology. The repercussions of this increased energetic stress may even explain the changes in host behavior due to starvation, lack of thermoregulatory capacity, or higher rates of trophallaxis, which might enhance transmission and bee death.

Medical Administration: Patient Regulating To and Within the Continental United States

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-03-30

the muscles, neuromuscular junctions, peripheral nerves, spinal cord, and brain. APY Electroencephalography See EVALUATIONS. APM Electromyography See...Oxygen Ther- apy See EVALUATIONS. SSTX Kidney Transplants See SURGERY/Urology. SSF Morbid Obesity Surgery Patients requiring surgery for morbid obesity...Scans. APG Cytogenetics Patients having, or suspected of having, genetic abnormalities, or chromosomal study is indi- cated. APY

12 CFR Appendix A to Part 230 - Annual Percentage Yield Calculation

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... following simple formula: APY=100 (Interest/Principal) Examples (1) If an institution pays $61.68 in... percentage yield is 5.39%, using the simple formula: APY=100(134.75/2,500) APY=5.39% For $15,000, interest is... Yield Calculation The annual percentage yield measures the total amount of interest paid on an account...

[Staphylococcus aureus infection in Apis mellifera L. (honeybees)].

PubMed

Keskin, N

1989-07-01

The causative agent of American foulbrood is Bacillus larvae, the causes of the European foulbrood diseases are Streptococcus pluton and Bacillus alvei and the causes of the septicemia are Pseudomonas apiseptica and Escherichia coli in honeybees (Apis mellifera). Apart from the above causative agents in this study, Staphylococcus aureus has been isolated and identified from honeybees (Apis mellifera).

A Guide to Communicating with Asian American Families. For Parents/about Parents.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schwartz, Wendy

The enrollment of Asian and Pacific Islander (API) students is increasing rapidly, so it is important for school personnel and community members to learn to communicate with API families. This guide describes how the backgrounds and cultures of the various API groups affect their attitudes and behavior. The three general ethnicities within the API…

30 CFR 250.198 - Documents incorporated by reference.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... Conditions, May 2007; incorporated by reference at § 250.901; (3) API Bulletin 2INT-EX, Interim Guidance for...; incorporated by reference at § 250.1202; (34) API MPMS, Chapter 11.1—Volume Correction Factors, Volume 1, Table...; (35) API MPMS, Chapter 11.2.2—Compressibility Factors for Hydrocarbons: 0.350-0.637 Relative Density...

30 CFR 250.198 - Documents incorporated by reference.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... Conditions, May 2007; incorporated by reference at § 250.901; (3) API Bulletin 2INT-EX, Interim Guidance for...; incorporated by reference at § 250.1202; (34) API MPMS, Chapter 11.1—Volume Correction Factors, Volume 1, Table...; (35) API MPMS, Chapter 11.2.2—Compressibility Factors for Hydrocarbons: 0.350-0.637 Relative Density...

30 CFR 250.1920 - What are the auditing requirements for my SEMS program?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... or your designated and qualified personnel according to the requirements of this subpart and API RP... subpart and API RP 75 to identify areas in which safety and environmental performance needs to be improved. (b) Your audit plan and procedures must meet or exceed all of the recommendations included in API RP...

30 CFR 250.1920 - What are the auditing requirements for my SEMS program?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... designated and qualified personnel according to the requirements of this subpart and API RP 75, Section 12... thirteen elements of your SEMS program to evaluate compliance with the requirements of this subpart and API... audit plan and procedures must meet or exceed all of the recommendations included in API RP 75 section...

Diversity within: Subgroup Differences of Youth Problem Behaviors among Asian Pacific Islander American Adolescents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Choi, Yoonsun

2008-01-01

This study compares problem behaviors across a range of adolescent Asian Pacific Islander (API) subgroups using the Add Health data, and controlling for parental education or immigrant status. The study finds that Filipino, "other" API, and multiethnic API American youth are at higher risk for poorer outcomes than Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese…

Very high gravity (VHG) ethanolic brewing and fermentation: a research update.

PubMed

Puligundla, Pradeep; Smogrovicova, Daniela; Obulam, Vijaya Sarathi Reddy; Ko, Sanghoon

2011-09-01

There have been numerous developments in ethanol fermentation technology since the beginning of the new millennium as ethanol has become an immediate viable alternative to fast-depleting crude reserves as well as increasing concerns over environmental pollution. Nowadays, although most research efforts are focused on the conversion of cheap cellulosic substrates to ethanol, methods that are cost-competitive with gasoline production are still lacking. At the same time, the ethanol industry has engaged in implementing potential energy-saving, productivity and efficiency-maximizing technologies in existing production methods to become more viable. Very high gravity (VHG) fermentation is an emerging, versatile one among such technologies offering great savings in process water and energy requirements through fermentation of higher concentrations of sugar substrate and, therefore, increased final ethanol concentration in the medium. The technology also allows increased fermentation efficiency, without major alterations to existing facilities, by efficient utilization of fermentor space and elimination of known losses. This comprehensive research update on VHG technology is presented in two main sections, namely VHG brewing, wherein the effects of nutrients supplementation, yeast pitching rate, flavour compound synthesis and foam stability under increased wort gravities are discussed; and VHG bioethanol fermentation studies. In the latter section, aspects related to the role of osmoprotectants and nutrients in yeast stress reduction, substrates utilized/tested so far, including saccharide (glucose, sucrose, molasses, etc.) and starchy materials (wheat, corn, barley, oats, etc.), and mash viscosity issues in VHG bioethanol production are detailed. Thereafter, topics common to both areas such as process optimization studies, mutants and gene level studies, immobilized yeast applications, temperature effect, reserve carbohydrates profile in yeast, and economic aspects are discussed and future prospects are summarized.

JUPITER: Joint Universal Parameter IdenTification and Evaluation of Reliability - An Application Programming Interface (API) for Model Analysis

USGS Publications Warehouse

Banta, Edward R.; Poeter, Eileen P.; Doherty, John E.; Hill, Mary C.

2006-01-01

he Joint Universal Parameter IdenTification and Evaluation of Reliability Application Programming Interface (JUPITER API) improves the computer programming resources available to those developing applications (computer programs) for model analysis.The JUPITER API consists of eleven Fortran-90 modules that provide for encapsulation of data and operations on that data. Each module contains one or more entities: data, data types, subroutines, functions, and generic interfaces. The modules do not constitute computer programs themselves; instead, they are used to construct computer programs. Such computer programs are called applications of the API. The API provides common modeling operations for use by a variety of computer applications.The models being analyzed are referred to here as process models, and may, for example, represent the physics, chemistry, and(or) biology of a field or laboratory system. Process models commonly are constructed using published models such as MODFLOW (Harbaugh et al., 2000; Harbaugh, 2005), MT3DMS (Zheng and Wang, 1996), HSPF (Bicknell et al., 1997), PRMS (Leavesley and Stannard, 1995), and many others. The process model may be accessed by a JUPITER API application as an external program, or it may be implemented as a subroutine within a JUPITER API application . In either case, execution of the model takes place in a framework designed by the application programmer. This framework can be designed to take advantage of any parallel processing capabilities possessed by the process model, as well as the parallel-processing capabilities of the JUPITER API.Model analyses for which the JUPITER API could be useful include, for example: Compare model results to observed values to determine how well the model reproduces system processes and characteristics.Use sensitivity analysis to determine the information provided by observations to parameters and predictions of interest.Determine the additional data needed to improve selected model predictions.Use calibration methods to modify parameter values and other aspects of the model.Compare predictions to regulatory limits.Quantify the uncertainty of predictions based on the results of one or many simulations using inferential or Monte Carlo methods.Determine how to manage the system to achieve stated objectives.The capabilities provided by the JUPITER API include, for example, communication with process models, parallel computations, compressed storage of matrices, and flexible input capabilities. The input capabilities use input blocks suitable for lists or arrays of data. The input blocks needed for one application can be included within one data file or distributed among many files. Data exchange between different JUPITER API applications or between applications and other programs is supported by data-exchange files.The JUPITER API has already been used to construct a number of applications. Three simple example applications are presented in this report. More complicated applications include the universal inverse code UCODE_2005 (Poeter et al., 2005), the multi-model analysis MMA (Eileen P. Poeter, Mary C. Hill, E.R. Banta, S.W. Mehl, and Steen Christensen, written commun., 2006), and a code named OPR_PPR (Matthew J. Tonkin, Claire R. Tiedeman, Mary C. Hill, and D. Matthew Ely, written communication, 2006).This report describes a set of underlying organizational concepts and complete specifics about the JUPITER API. While understanding the organizational concept presented is useful to understanding the modules, other organizational concepts can be used in applications constructed using the JUPITER API.

Prioritization of pharmaceuticals based on risks to aquatic environments in Kazakhstan.

PubMed

Aubakirova, Bakhyt; Beisenova, Raikhan; Boxall, Alistair Ba

2017-09-01

Over the last 20 years, there has been increasing interest in the occurrence, fate, effects, and risk of pharmaceuticals in the natural environment. However, we still have only limited or no data on ecotoxicological risks of many of the active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) currently in use. This is partly due to the fact that the environmental assessment of an API is an expensive, time-consuming, and complicated process. Prioritization methodologies, which aim to identify APIs of most concern in a particular situation, could therefore be invaluable in focusing experimental work on APIs that really matter. The majority of approaches for prioritizing APIs require annual pharmaceutical usage data. These methods cannot therefore be applied to countries, such as Kazakhstan, that have very limited data on API usage. The present paper therefore offers an approach for prioritizing APIs in surface waters in information-poor regions such as Kazakhstan. Initially data were collected on the number of products and active ingredients for different therapeutic classes in use in Kazakhstan and on the typical doses. These data were then used alongside simple exposure modeling approaches to estimate exposure indices for active ingredients (about 240 APIs) in surface waters in the country. Ecotoxicological effects data were obtained from the literature or predicted. Risk quotients were then calculated for each pharmaceutical based on the exposure and the substances were ranked in order of risk quotient. Highest exposure indices were obtained for benzylpenicillin, metronidazole, sulbactam, ceftriaxone, and sulfamethoxazole. The highest risk was estimated for amoxicillin, clarithromycin, azithromycin, ketoconazole, and benzylpenicillin. In the future, the approach could be employed in other regions where usage information is limited. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2017;13:832-839. © 2017 SETAC. © 2017 SETAC.

Influence of formulation and processing factors on stability of levothyroxine sodium pentahydrate.

PubMed

Collier, Jarrod W; Shah, Rakhi B; Gupta, Abhay; Sayeed, Vilayat; Habib, Muhammad J; Khan, Mansoor A

2010-06-01

Stability of formulations over shelf-life is critical for having a quality product. Choice of excipients, manufacturing process, storage conditions, and packaging can either mitigate or enhance the degradation of the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API), affecting potency and/or stability. The purpose was to investigate the influence of processing and formulation factors on stability of levothyroxine (API). The API was stored at long-term (25 degrees C/60%RH), accelerated (40 degrees C/75%RH), and low-humidity (25 degrees C/0%RH and 40 degrees C/0%RH) conditions for 28 days. Effect of moisture loss was evaluated by drying it (room temperature, N(2)) and placed at 25 degrees C/0%RH and 40 degrees C/0%RH. The API was incubated with various excipients (based on package insert of marketed tablets) in either 1:1, 1:10, or 1:100 ratios with 5% moisture at 60 degrees C. Commonly used ratios for excipients were used. The equilibrium sorption data was collected on the API and excipients. The API was stable in solid state for the study duration under all conditions for both forms (potency between 90% and 110%). Excipients effect on stability varied and crospovidone, povidone, and sodium laurel sulfate (SLS) caused significant API degradation where deiodination and deamination occurred. Moisture sorption values were different across excipients. Crospovidone and povidone were hygroscopic whereas SLS showed deliquescence at high RH. The transient formulation procedures where temperature might go up or humidity might go down would not have major impact on the API stability. Excipients influence stability and if possible, those three should either be avoided or used in minimum quantity which could provide more stable tablet formulations with minimum potency loss throughout its shelf-life.

Role for apyrases in polar auxin transport in Arabidopsis.

PubMed

Liu, Xing; Wu, Jian; Clark, Greg; Lundy, Stacey; Lim, Minhui; Arnold, David; Chan, Jing; Tang, Wenqiang; Muday, Gloria K; Gardner, Gary; Roux, Stanley J

2012-12-01

Recent evidence indicates that extracellular nucleotides regulate plant growth. Exogenous ATP has been shown to block auxin transport and gravitropic growth in primary roots of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Cells limit the concentration of extracellular ATP in part through the activity of ectoapyrases (ectonucleoside triphosphate diphosphohydrolases), and two nearly identical Arabidopsis apyrases, APY1 and APY2, appear to share this function. These findings, plus the fact that suppression of APY1 and APY2 blocks growth in Arabidopsis, suggested that the expression of these apyrases could influence auxin transport. This report tests that hypothesis. The polar movement of [(3)H]indole-3-acetic acid in both hypocotyl sections and primary roots of Arabidopsis seedlings was measured. In both tissues, polar auxin transport was significantly reduced in apy2 null mutants when they were induced by estradiol to suppress the expression of APY1 by RNA interference. In the hypocotyl assays, the basal halves of APY-suppressed hypocotyls contained considerably lower free indole-3-acetic acid levels when compared with wild-type plants, and disrupted auxin transport in the APY-suppressed roots was reflected by their significant morphological abnormalities. When a green fluorescent protein fluorescence signal encoded by a DR5:green fluorescent protein construct was measured in primary roots whose apyrase expression was suppressed either genetically or chemically, the roots showed no signal asymmetry following gravistimulation, and both their growth and gravitropic curvature were inhibited. Chemicals that suppress apyrase activity also inhibit gravitropic curvature and, to a lesser extent, growth. Taken together, these results indicate that a critical step connecting apyrase suppression to growth suppression is the inhibition of polar auxin transport.

Rheology Guided Rational Selection of Processing Temperature To Prepare Copovidone-Nifedipine Amorphous Solid Dispersions via Hot Melt Extrusion (HME).

PubMed

Yang, Fengyuan; Su, Yongchao; Zhang, Jingtao; DiNunzio, James; Leone, Anthony; Huang, Chengbin; Brown, Chad D

2016-10-03

The production of amorphous solid dispersions via hot melt extrusion (HME) relies on elevated temperature and prolonged residence time, which can result in potential degradation and decomposition of thermally sensitive components. Herein, the rheological properties of a physical mixture of polymer and an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) were utilized to guide the selection of appropriate HME processing temperature. In the currently studied copovidone-nifedipine system, a critical temperature, which is substantially lower (∼13 °C) than the melting point of crystalline API, was captured during a temperature ramp examination and regarded as the critical point at which the API could molecularly dissolve into the polymer. Based on the identification of this critical point, various solid dispersions were prepared by HME processing below, at, and above the critical temperature (both below and above the melting temperature (T m ) of crystalline API). In addition, the resultant extrudates along with two control solid dispersions prepared by physical mixing and cryogenic milling were assessed by X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, hot stage microscopy, rheology, and solid-state NMR. Physicochemical properties of resultant solid dispersions indicated that the identified critical temperature is sufficient for the polymer-API system to reach a molecular-level mixing, manifested by the transparent and smooth appearance of extrudates, the absence of API crystalline diffraction and melting peaks, dramatically decreased rheological properties, and significantly improved polymer-API miscibility. Once the critical temperature has been achieved, further raising the processing temperature only results in limited improvement of API dispersion, reflected by slightly reduced storage modulus and complex viscosity and limited improvement in miscibility.

Addressing the diversity of the honeybee gut symbiont Gilliamella: description of Gilliamella apis sp. nov., isolated from the gut of honeybees (Apis mellifera).

PubMed

Ludvigsen, Jane; Porcellato, Davide; Amdam, Gro V; Rudi, Knut

2018-05-01

The gut microbiota of honeybees (Apis) and bumblebees (Bombus) include the symbiotic bacterial genus Gilliamella. This genus shows a high degree of functional and genomic diversity and separates into distinct lineages. Gilliamella apicola wkB1 T , which was isolated from Apis, was the first species to be described. Recently four new species, isolated from Bombus, were identified. In this paper, we compare several genomes/strains from previous studies spanning this diversity, which gives insight into the phylogenetic relationship among different Gilliamella species. We show that one lineage, isolated only from Apis, is different from other gilliamellas described, based on average nucleotide identity calculation (about 80 %) and phenotypic characterizations. We propose the new species name for this lineage: Gilliamella apis sp. nov. We present the characterization of the type strain NO3 T (=DSM 105629 T =LMG 30293 T ), a strain isolated from the Western honeybee Apis mellifera, which clusters within this lineage. Cells of strain NO3 T grow best in a microaerophilic atmosphere with enhanced CO2 levels at 36 °C and pH 7.0-7.5. Cells also grow well in anaerobic conditions, but not in aerobic conditions. Cells are approximately 1 µm in length and rod-shaped, and the genomic G+C content is 34.7 mol%. Differential characteristics between strain NO3 T and the different type strains of Gilliamella were revealed based on API kit tests and genomic content comparisons. The main respiratory quinone of strain NO3 T was ubiquinone-8, and the predominant fatty acids were C18 : 1ω7c/C18 : 1ω6c, C16 : 0, consistent with the genus Gilliamella.

Characterization of solid polymer dispersions of active pharmaceutical ingredients by 19F MAS NMR and factor analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Urbanova, Martina; Brus, Jiri; Sedenkova, Ivana; Policianova, Olivia; Kobera, Libor

In this contribution the ability of 19F MAS NMR spectroscopy to probe structural variability of poorly water-soluble drugs formulated as solid dispersions in polymer matrices is discussed. The application potentiality of the proposed approach is demonstrated on a moderately sized active pharmaceutical ingredient (API, Atorvastatin) exhibiting extensive polymorphism. In this respect, a range of model systems with the API incorporated in the matrix of polvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) was prepared. The extent of mixing of both components was determined by T1(1H) and T1ρ(1H) relaxation experiments, and it was found that the API forms nanosized domains. Subsequently it was found out that the polymer matrix induces two kinds of changes in 19F MAS NMR spectra. At first, this is a high-frequency shift reaching 2-3 ppm which is independent on molecular structure of the API and which results from the long-range polarization of the electron cloud around 19F nucleus induced by electrostatic fields of the polymer matrix. At second, this is broadening of the signals and formation of shoulders reflecting changes in molecular arrangement of the API. To avoid misleading in the interpretation of the recorded 19F MAS NMR spectra, because both the contributions act simultaneously, we applied chemometric approach based on multivariate analysis. It is demonstrated that factor analysis of the recorded spectra can separate both these spectral contributions, and the subtle structural differences in the molecular arrangement of the API in the nanosized domains can be traced. In this way 19F MAS NMR spectra of both pure APIs and APIs in solid dispersions can be directly compared. The proposed strategy thus provides a powerful tool for the analysis of new formulations of fluorinated pharmaceutical substances in polymer matrices.

Serological cross-reactions between four polyomaviruses of birds using virus-like particles expressed in yeast.

PubMed

Zielonka, Anja; Gedvilaite, Alma; Reetz, Jochen; Rösler, Uwe; Müller, Hermann; Johne, Reimar

2012-12-01

Polyomaviruses are aetiological agents of fatal acute diseases in various bird species. Genomic analysis revealed that avian polyomavirus (APyV), crow polyomavirus (CPyV), finch polyomavirus (FPyV) and goose hemorrhagic polyomavirus (GHPyV) are closely related to each other, but nevertheless form separate viral species; however, their serological relationship was previously unknown. As only APyV can be grown efficiently in tissue culture, virus-like particles (VLPs) were generated by expression of the genomic regions encoding the major structural protein VP1 of these viruses in yeast; these were used to elicit type-specific antibodies in rabbits and as antigens in serological reactions. For increased VLP assembly, a nuclear-localization signal was introduced into APyV-VP1. VLPs derived from the VP1 of the monkey polyomavirus simian virus 40 served as control. APyV-, GHPyV- and CPyV-VLPs showed haemagglutinating activity with chicken and human erythrocytes. CPyV- and GHPyV-specific sera showed slight cross-reactions in immunoblotting, haemagglutination-inhibition assay and indirect ELISA. The FPyV-specific serum inhibited the haemagglutination activity of APyV-VLPs slightly and showed a weak cross-neutralizing activity against APyV in cell-culture tests. Generally, these data indicate that the four polyomaviruses of birds are serologically distinct. However, in accordance with genetic data, a relationship between CPyV and GHPyV as well as between APyV and FPyV is evident, and grouping into two different serogroups may be suggested. The haemagglutinating activity of APyV, CPyV and GHPyV may indicate similar receptor-binding mechanisms for these viruses. Our data could be useful for the development of vaccines against the polyomavirus-induced diseases in birds and for interpretation of diagnostic test results.

Manufacturing Amorphous Solid Dispersions with a Tailored Amount of Crystallized API for Biopharmaceutical Testing.

PubMed

Theil, Frank; Milsmann, Johanna; Anantharaman, Sankaran; van Lishaut, Holger

2018-05-07

The preparation of an amorphous solid dispersion (ASD) by dissolving a poorly water-soluble active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) in a polymer matrix can improve the bioavailability by orders of magnitude. Crystallization of the API in the ASD, though, is an inherent threat for bioavailability. Commonly, the impact of crystalline API on the drug release of the dosage form is studied with samples containing spiked crystallinity. These spiked samples possess implicit differences compared to native crystalline samples, regarding size and spatial distribution of the crystals as well as their molecular environment. In this study, we demonstrate that it is possible to grow defined amounts of crystalline API in solid dosage forms, which enables us to study the biopharmaceutical impact of actual crystallization. For this purpose, we studied the crystal growth in fenofibrate tablets over time under an elevated moisture using transmission Raman spectroscopy (TRS). As a nondestructive method to assess API crystallinity in ASD formulations, TRS enables the monitoring of crystal growth in individual dosage forms. Once the kinetic trace of the crystal growth for a certain environmental condition is determined, this method can be used to produce samples with defined amounts of crystallized API. To investigate the biopharmaceutical impact of crystallized API, non-QC dissolution methods were used, designed to identify differences between the various amounts of crystalline materials present. The drug release in the samples manufactured in this fashion was compared to that of samples with spiked crystallinity. In this study, we present for the first time a method for targeted crystallization of amorphous tablets to simulate crystallized ASDs. This methodology is a valuable tool to generate model systems for biopharmaceutical studies on the impact of crystallinity on the bioavailability.

Mental illness and principal physical diagnoses among Asian American and Pacific Islander users of emergency services.

PubMed

Chen, Huey Jen

2005-12-01

The stigma of mental illness is one of the factors that prevents Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders (APIs) from seeking formal mental health services. A somatic complaint is more acceptable in expressing psychiatric/emotional distress. Admission diagnoses in API emergency service users with secondary psychiatric diagnoses were identified from the 2001 National Inpatient Sample (NIS) of the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP). The sample consisted of 10,623 adult APIs. The study examined the differences in the six leading principal physical admission diagnoses between API emergency service users with psychiatric diagnoses and those without psychiatric diagnoses. Several of the study findings create concern (e.g., the higher percentage of APIs with psychiatric diagnosis who were discharged against medical advice, the high percentage admitted with medication intoxication). Further study is needed to provide guidance for clinical practice.

The indigenous honey bees of Saudi Arabia (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Apis mellifera jemenitica Ruttner): Their natural history and role in beekeeping.

PubMed

Alqarni, Abdulaziz S; Hannan, Mohammed A; Owayss, Ayman A; Engel, Michael S

2011-01-01

Apis mellifera jemenitica Ruttner (= yemenitica auctorum: videEngel 1999) has been used in apiculture throughout the Arabian Peninsula since at least 2000 BC. Existing literature demonstrates that these populations are well adapted for the harsh extremes of the region. Populations of Apis mellifera jemenitica native to Saudi Arabia are far more heat tolerant than the standard races often imported from Europe. Central Saudi Arabia has the highest summer temperatures for the Arabian Peninsula, and it is in this region where only Apis mellifera jemenitica survives, while other subspecies fail to persist. The indigenous race of Saudi Arabia differs from other subspecies in the region in some morphological, biological, and behavioral characteristics. Further taxonomic investigation, as well as molecular studies, is needed in order to confirm whether the Saudi indigenous bee populations represent a race distinct from Apis mellifera jemenitica, or merely an ecotype of this subspecies.

Coal-oil slurry preparation

DOEpatents

Tao, John C.

1983-01-01

A pumpable slurry of pulverized coal in a coal-derived hydrocarbon oil carrier which slurry is useful as a low-ash, low-sulfur clean fuel, is produced from a high sulfur-containing coal. The initial pulverized coal is separated by gravity differentiation into (1) a high density refuse fraction containing the major portion of non-coal mineral products and sulfur, (2) a lowest density fraction of low sulfur content and (3) a middlings fraction of intermediate sulfur and ash content. The refuse fraction (1) is gasified by partial combustion producing a crude gas product from which a hydrogen stream is separated for use in hydrogenative liquefaction of the middlings fraction (3). The lowest density fraction (2) is mixed with the liquefied coal product to provide the desired fuel slurry. Preferably there is also separately recovered from the coal liquefaction LPG and pipeline gas.

Removal of hexavalent chromium by biosorption process in rotating packed bed.

PubMed

Panda, M; Bhowal, A; Datta, S

2011-10-01

Removal of hexavalent chromium ions from an aqueous solution by crude tamarind (Tamarindus indica) fruit shell was examined in a rotating packed bed contactor by continuously recirculating a given volume of solution through the bed. Reduction of Cr(VI) to Cr(III) within the biosorbent appeared to be the removal mechanism. Depletion rate of Cr(VI) from, and release of reduced Cr(III) ions into the aqueous phase, was influenced by mass transfer resistance besides pH and packing depth. A mathematical model considering the reduction reaction to be irreversible and incorporating intraparticle and external phase mass transfer resistances represented the experimental data adequately. The study indicated that the limitations of fixed bed contactor operating under terrestrial gravity in intensifying mass transfer rates for this system can be overcome with rotating packed bed due to liquid flow under centrifugal acceleration.

Detection of oil spills using 13.3 GHz radar scatterometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Krishen, K.

1972-01-01

The results of an analysis of 13.3-GHz single polarized scatterometer data collected during NASA/MSC Mission 135, flown on March 16, 1970 are reported. Data were gathered over a crude oil spill on the Gulf of Mexico off the Mississippi Delta. With the aid of RC-8 camera photographs, the scattering cross section was correlated with the extent of the oil spill. The scattering cross section at higher incidence angles decreased by 5 db to 10 db in the presence of the oil spill. This was attributed to oil's damping of small gravity and capillary waves. The composite scattering theory and the scatterometer acquired data were used to obtain an expression of radar scattering over ocean surfaces with oil spills. The study demonstrates that the presence and extent of oil spills can be detected using high frequency radar systems.

Miniature Brain Decision Making in Complex Visual Environments

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-07-18

release; distribution unlimited. 13. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES 14. ABSTRACT The grantee investigated, using the honeybee ( Apis mellifera ) as a model...successful for understanding face processing in both human adults and infants. Individual honeybees ( Apis mellifera ) were trained with...for 30 bees (group 3) of the target stimuli. Bernard J, Stach S, Giurfa M (2007) Categorization of visual stimuli in the honeybee Apis mellifera

Long Term Storage of Ascosphaera aggregata and A. apis Pathogens of the Leafcutting Bee (Megachile rotundata) and the Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Survival of Ascosphaera aggregata and A. apis over the course of a year were tested using different storage treatments. For spores, the methods tested were freeze drying and ultra-low temperature storage, and for hyphae, freeze drying, agar slants covered with water, and two methods of ultra-low tem...

There-apy: The Use of Task, Imagery, and Symbolism To Connect the Inner and Outer Worlds.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eisenstein-Naveh, A. Rosa

2001-01-01

Presents a model of therapy called there-apy, which weaves together the use of task, symbolism, and imagery into an ongoing process. Concrete tasks take on symbolic meaning, and symbolism gets actualized through achieving concrete tasks. There-apy connects the individual's outside and inside worlds and often involves the partner or family in the…

47 CFR 61.49 - Supporting information to be submitted with letters of transmittal for tariffs of carriers...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... accompanied by supporting materials sufficient to calculate required adjustments to each PCI, API, and SBI... that results in an API value that is equal to or less than the applicable PCI value, must be... proposed rates. (d) Each price cap tariff filing that proposes rates that will result in an API value that...

30 CFR 250.920 - What are the BSEE requirements for assessment of fixed platforms?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

.... Assessment categories are defined in API RP 2A-WSD, Section 17.3 (as incorporated by reference in § 250.198... of API RP 2A-WSD, incorporated by reference in § 250.198, for a description of assessment initiators). (c) You must initiate mitigation actions for platforms that do not pass the assessment process of API...

30 CFR 250.806 - Safety and pollution prevention equipment quality assurance requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... Gas Operations (as incorporated by reference in § 250.198); and (ii) API Spec Q1, Specification for... in § 250.198). (3) All SSV's and USV's must meet the technical specifications of API Spec 6A and 6AV1. All SSSVs must meet the technical specifications of API Specification 14A (as incorporated by...

47 CFR 61.49 - Supporting information to be submitted with letters of transmittal for tariffs of carriers...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... accompanied by supporting materials sufficient to calculate required adjustments to each PCI, API, and SBI... that results in an API value that is equal to or less than the applicable PCI value, must be... proposed rates. (d) Each price cap tariff filing that proposes rates that will result in an API value that...

30 CFR 250.806 - Safety and pollution prevention equipment quality assurance requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... Gas Operations (as incorporated by reference in § 250.198); and (ii) API Spec Q1, Specification for... in § 250.198). (3) All SSV's and USV's must meet the technical specifications of API Spec 6A and 6AV1. All SSSVs must meet the technical specifications of API Specification 14A (as incorporated by...

30 CFR 250.806 - Safety and pollution prevention equipment quality assurance requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... Gas Operations (as incorporated by reference in § 250.198); and (ii) API Spec Q1, Specification for... in § 250.198). (3) All SSV's and USV's must meet the technical specifications of API Spec 6A and 6AV1. All SSSVs must meet the technical specifications of API Specification 14A (as incorporated by...

30 CFR 250.920 - What are the BSEE requirements for assessment of fixed platforms?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

.... Assessment categories are defined in API RP 2A-WSD, Section 17.3 (as incorporated by reference in § 250.198... of API RP 2A-WSD, incorporated by reference in § 250.198, for a description of assessment initiators). (c) You must initiate mitigation actions for platforms that do not pass the assessment process of API...

47 CFR 61.49 - Supporting information to be submitted with letters of transmittal for tariffs of carriers...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... accompanied by supporting materials sufficient to calculate required adjustments to each PCI, API, and SBI... that results in an API value that is equal to or less than the applicable PCI value, must be... proposed rates. (d) Each price cap tariff filing that proposes rates that will result in an API value that...

30 CFR 250.920 - What are the BSEE requirements for assessment of fixed platforms?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

.... Assessment categories are defined in API RP 2A-WSD, Section 17.3 (as incorporated by reference in § 250.198... of API RP 2A-WSD, incorporated by reference in § 250.198, for a description of assessment initiators). (c) You must initiate mitigation actions for platforms that do not pass the assessment process of API...

47 CFR 61.49 - Supporting information to be submitted with letters of transmittal for tariffs of carriers...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... accompanied by supporting materials sufficient to calculate required adjustments to each PCI, API, and SBI... that results in an API value that is equal to or less than the applicable PCI value, must be... proposed rates. (d) Each price cap tariff filing that proposes rates that will result in an API value that...

A multiplex PCR assay for determination of mating type in isolates of the honey bee fungal pathogen, Ascosphaera apis

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

In this study we developed a multiplex PCR for identification of mating type idiomorphs in the filamentous fungus, Ascosphaera apis, the causative agent of chalkbrood disease in the honey bee (Apis melliffera). A combination of gene-specific primers was designed to amplify Mat1-1 and Mat1-2 gene fra...

Rapid identification of antibiotic-resistant corynebacteria with the API 20S system.

PubMed Central

Kelly, M C; Smith, I D; Anstey, R J; Thornley, J H; Rennie, R P

1984-01-01

The API 20S system (Analytab Products, Plainview, N.Y.) was evaluated for the rapid identification of multiply antibiotic-resistant aerobic diphtheroids. Sixty-eight clinical isolates of multiply resistant Centers for Disease Control group JK and group D2 corynebacteria had API 20S profiles which were clearly different from those of a number of strains of other Corynebacterium species which were tested. The API 20S system allowed more rapid identification of antibiotic-resistant diphtheroids than conventional biochemical tests. Its use for corynebacteria other than group JK and group D2 is not recommended at this time. PMID:6699150

Internet SCADA Utilizing API's as Data Source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robles, Rosslin John; Kim, Haeng-Kon; Kim, Tai-Hoon

An Application programming interface or API is an interface implemented by a software program that enables it to interact with other software. Many companies provide free API services which can be utilized in Control Systems. SCADA is an example of a control system and it is a system that collects data from various sensors at a factory, plant or in other remote locations and then sends this data to a central computer which then manages and controls the data. In this paper, we designed a scheme for Weather Condition in Internet SCADA Environment utilizing data from external API services. The scheme was designed to double check the weather information in SCADA.

The JANA calibrations and conditions database API

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lawrence, David

2010-04-01

Calibrations and conditions databases can be accessed from within the JANA Event Processing framework through the API defined in its JCalibration base class. The API is designed to support everything from databases, to web services to flat files for the backend. A Web Service backend using the gSOAP toolkit has been implemented which is particularly interesting since it addresses many modern cybersecurity issues including support for SSL. The API allows constants to be retrieved through a single line of C++ code with most of the context, including the transport mechanism, being implied by the run currently being analyzed and the environment relieving developers from implementing such details.

A Knockout Screen of ApiAP2 Genes Reveals Networks of Interacting Transcriptional Regulators Controlling the Plasmodium Life Cycle.

PubMed

Modrzynska, Katarzyna; Pfander, Claudia; Chappell, Lia; Yu, Lu; Suarez, Catherine; Dundas, Kirsten; Gomes, Ana Rita; Goulding, David; Rayner, Julian C; Choudhary, Jyoti; Billker, Oliver

2017-01-11

A family of apicomplexa-specific proteins containing AP2 DNA-binding domains (ApiAP2s) was identified in malaria parasites. This family includes sequence-specific transcription factors that are key regulators of development. However, functions for the majority of ApiAP2 genes remain unknown. Here, a systematic knockout screen in Plasmodium berghei identified ten ApiAP2 genes that were essential for mosquito transmission: four were critical for the formation of infectious ookinetes, and three were required for sporogony. We describe non-essential functions for AP2-O and AP2-SP proteins in blood stages, and identify AP2-G2 as a repressor active in both asexual and sexual stages. Comparative transcriptomics across mutants and developmental stages revealed clusters of co-regulated genes with shared cis promoter elements, whose expression can be controlled positively or negatively by different ApiAP2 factors. We propose that stage-specific interactions between ApiAP2 proteins on partly overlapping sets of target genes generate the complex transcriptional network that controls the Plasmodium life cycle. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

JEnsembl: a version-aware Java API to Ensembl data systems.

PubMed

Paterson, Trevor; Law, Andy

2012-11-01

The Ensembl Project provides release-specific Perl APIs for efficient high-level programmatic access to data stored in various Ensembl database schema. Although Perl scripts are perfectly suited for processing large volumes of text-based data, Perl is not ideal for developing large-scale software applications nor embedding in graphical interfaces. The provision of a novel Java API would facilitate type-safe, modular, object-orientated development of new Bioinformatics tools with which to access, analyse and visualize Ensembl data. The JEnsembl API implementation provides basic data retrieval and manipulation functionality from the Core, Compara and Variation databases for all species in Ensembl and EnsemblGenomes and is a platform for the development of a richer API to Ensembl datasources. The JEnsembl architecture uses a text-based configuration module to provide evolving, versioned mappings from database schema to code objects. A single installation of the JEnsembl API can therefore simultaneously and transparently connect to current and previous database instances (such as those in the public archive) thus facilitating better analysis repeatability and allowing 'through time' comparative analyses to be performed. Project development, released code libraries, Maven repository and documentation are hosted at SourceForge (http://jensembl.sourceforge.net).

Improved recombinant Api m 1- and Ves v 5-based IgE testing to dissect bee and yellow jacket allergy and their correlation with the severity of the sting reaction.

PubMed

Šelb, J; Kogovšek, R; Šilar, M; Košnik, M; Korošec, P

2016-04-01

No study has assessed the diagnostic sensitivity of rApi m 1 and rVes v 5 on Immulite testing system. To compare the diagnostic sensitivity of commercially available venom recombinant allergens between the currently available immunoassays [ImmunoCAP (CAP) and Immulite (LITE)] and establish their correlation with the severity of the sting reaction. This study evaluated 95 bee venom and 110 yellow jacket venom-allergic subjects. We measured the levels of sIgE to rApi m 1, rVes v 5 (LITE and CAP), rApi m 2 (LITE), rVes v 1 (CAP) and total IgE (CAP). Forty-nine healthy subjects served as controls. The diagnostic sensitivity of rApi m 1 and rVes v 5 was significantly higher with the LITE than with the CAP system (71% vs. 88% and 82% vs. 93%). The specificity of both assays for both allergens was between 94% and 98%. Twenty-nine patients that tested negative for rApi m 1 or rVes v 5 with CAP were positive with LITE, but none of the patients that tested negative with LITE were positive with CAP. The positive values of rApi m 1 and rVes v 5 were on average 2.7 and 2.3 times higher, with the LITE than with the CAP system. The combination of rApi m 1 and rApi m 2 (LITE) and the combination of rVes v 5 (LITE) and rVes v 1 (CAP) almost matched the sensitivity of native venoms (95% and 97%, respectively), whereas the diagnostic sensitivity of the combination of rVes v 5 and rVes v 1 (CAP) did not reach the sensitivity of rVes v 5 (LITE) alone (90% vs. 93%). IgE levels to venom recombinants and total IgE did not correlate with the severity of sting reaction. The use of rApi m 1 and rVes v 5 with the LITE system significantly enhanced diagnostic utility of venom recombinants and should improve the dissection of bee and yellow jacket venom allergy. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Pollination Requirements of Almond (Prunus dulcis): Combining Laboratory and Field Experiments.

PubMed

Henselek, Yuki; Eilers, Elisabeth J; Kremen, Claire; Hendrix, Stephen D; Klein, Alexandra-Maria

2018-05-28

Almond (Prunus dulcis (Mill.) D. A. Webb; Rosales: Rosaceae) is a cash crop with an estimated global value of over seven billion U.S. dollars annually and commercial varieties are highly dependent on insect pollination. Therefore, the understanding of basic pollination requirements of the main varieties including pollination efficiency of honey bees (Apis mellifera, Linnaeus, Hymenoptera: Apidae) and wild pollinators is essential for almond production. We first conducted two lab experiments to examine the threshold number of pollen grains needed for successful pollination and to determine if varietal identity or diversity promotes fruit set and weight. Further, we examined stigma and ovules of flowers visited by Apis and non-Apis pollinators in the field to study the proportion of almond to non-almond pollen grains deposited, visitation time per flower visit, and tube set. Results indicate that the threshold for successful fertilization is around 60 pollen grains, but pollen can be from any compatible variety as neither pollen varietal identity nor diversity enhanced fruit set or weight. Andrena cerasifolii Cockerell (Hymenoptera: Andrenidae) was a more effective pollinator on a per single visit basis than Apis and syrphid flies. Nevertheless, Apis was more efficient than A. cerasifolii and syrphid flies as they spent less time on a flower during a single visit. Hence, planting with two compatible varieties and managing for both Apis and non-Apis pollinators is likely to be an optimal strategy for farmers to secure high and stable pollination success.

The effects of honey (Apis dorsata) supplements on increased bone strength in ovariectomized rat as animal model of osteoporosis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yudaniayanti, Ira Sari; Primarizky, Hardany; Nangoi, Lianny

2018-04-01

Osteoporosis is a chronic skeletal disease characterized by low bone mass and microarchitectural deterioration with a consequent increase in bone fragility and fracture risk. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effects of honey (Apis dorsata) supplements on increased bone strength in ovariectomized rat as animal models of osteoporosis. Twenty female rats at 3 months of age, weighing 150-200 g were used in the study. The rats were divided into five groups (n=4) : Sham operation group (SH); ovariectomy group no treatment(OVX); ovariectomy with treatment Apis dorsata 1g/Kg BW (AD-1); ovariectomy with treatment Apis dorsata 2g/Kg BW (AD-2); ovariectomy with treatment Apis dorsata 4g/Kg BW (AD-3). The treatment started to be given the next day after ovariectomy operation for 12 weeks. The Rats were sacrified within 12 weeks, and then the right femur were taken bone strength test. Based on the statistical analysis of the bone strength test, the greatest score belongs to the Sham operation group (SH) that have significant difference (p<0.05) with OVX group and AD-1 group, but there was no significant difference with AD-2 and AD-3 (p>0,05). In conclusion, honey (Apis dorsata) supplements has the effect of increasing bone strength in ovariectomized rat as animal models of osteoporosis, so that honey (Apis dorsata) supplements has the potential to be used as an alternative treatment for osteoporosis.

IgE recognition of chimeric isoforms of the honeybee (Apis mellifera) venom allergen Api m 10 evaluated by protein array technology.

PubMed

Van Vaerenbergh, Matthias; De Smet, Lina; Rafei-Shamsabadi, David; Blank, Simon; Spillner, Edzard; Ebo, Didier G; Devreese, Bart; Jakob, Thilo; de Graaf, Dirk C

2015-02-01

Api m 10 has recently been established as novel major allergen that is recognized by more than 60% of honeybee venom (HBV) allergic patients. Previous studies suggest Api m 10 protein heterogeneity which may have implications for diagnosis and immunotherapy of HBV allergy. In the present study, RT-PCR revealed the expression of at least nine additional Api m 10 transcript isoforms by the venom glands. Two distinct mechanisms are responsible for the generation of these isoforms: while the previously known variant 2 is produced by an alternative splicing event, novel identified isoforms are intragenic chimeric transcripts. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of the identification of chimeric transcripts generated by the honeybee. By a retrospective proteomic analysis we found evidence for the presence of several of these isoforms in the venom proteome. Additionally, we analyzed IgE reactivity to different isoforms by protein array technology using sera from HBV allergic patients, which revealed that IgE recognition of Api m 10 is both isoform- and patient-specific. While it was previously demonstrated that the majority of HBV allergic patients display IgE reactivity to variant 2, our study also shows that some patients lacking IgE antibodies for variant 2 display IgE reactivity to two of the novel identified Api m 10 variants, i.e. variants 3 and 4. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

pH and Heat Resistance of the Major Celery Allergen Api g 1.

PubMed

Rib-Schmidt, Carina; Riedl, Philipp; Meisinger, Veronika; Schwaben, Luisa; Schulenborg, Thomas; Reuter, Andreas; Schiller, Dirk; Seutter von Loetzen, Christian; Rösch, Paul

2018-05-25

The major celery allergen Api g 1 is a member of the pathogenesis-related 10 class protein family. Here we aimed to investigate the impact of heat and pH on the native protein conformation required for Immunoglobulin E (IgE) recognition. Spectroscopic methods, MS and IgE binding analyses were used to study the effects of pH and thermal treatment on Api g 1.0101. Heat processing results in a loss of the native protein fold via denaturation, oligomerisation and precipitation along with a subsequent reduction of IgE recognition. The induced effects and timescales are strongly pH depended. While Api g 1 refolds partially into an IgE-binding conformation at physiological pH, acidic pH treatment leads to the formation of structurally heat resistant, IgE-reactive oligomers. Thermal processing in the presence of a celery matrix or at pH conditions close to the isoelectric point (pI = 4.63) of Api g 1.0101 results in almost instant precipitation. Our data demonstrate that Api g 1.0101 is not intrinsically susceptible to heat treatment in vitro. However, the pH and the celery matrix strongly influence the stability of Api g 1.0101 and might be the main reasons for the observed temperature lability of this important food allergen. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Molecular characterization of Api g 2, a novel allergenic member of the lipid-transfer protein 1 family from celery stalks.

PubMed

Gadermaier, Gabriele; Egger, Matthias; Girbl, Tamara; Erler, Anja; Harrer, Andrea; Vejvar, Eva; Liso, Marina; Richter, Klaus; Zuidmeer, Laurian; Mari, Adriano; Ferreira, Fatima

2011-04-01

Celery represents a relevant cross-reactive food allergen source in the adult population. As the currently known allergens are not typical elicitors of severe symptoms, we aimed to identify and characterize a non-specific lipid transfer protein (nsLTP). MS and cDNA cloning were applied to obtain the full-length sequence of a novel allergenic nsLTP from celery stalks. The purified natural molecule consisted of a single isoallergen designated as Api g 2.0101, which was recombinantly produced in Escherichia coli Rosetta-gami. The natural and recombinant molecules displayed equivalent physicochemical and immunological properties. Circular dichroism revealed a typical α-helical fold and high thermal stability. Moreover, Api g 2 was highly resistant to simulated gastrointestinal digestion. As assessed by ELISA, thermal denaturation did not affect the IgE binding of Api g 2. Natural and recombinant Api g 2 showed similar allergenic activity in mediator release assays. Api g 2-specific IgE antibodies cross-reacted with peach and mugwort pollen nsLTPs. Based on our results, it can be anticipated that inclusion of recombinant Api g 2 in the current panel of allergens for molecule-based diagnosis will facilitate the evaluation of the clinical relevance of nsLTP sensitization in celery allergy and help clinicians in the management of food allergic patients. Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Validation results of specifications for motion control interoperability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Szabo, Sandor; Proctor, Frederick M.

1997-01-01

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is participating in the Department of Energy Technologies Enabling Agile Manufacturing (TEAM) program to establish interface standards for machine tool, robot, and coordinate measuring machine controllers. At NIST, the focus is to validate potential application programming interfaces (APIs) that make it possible to exchange machine controller components with a minimal impact on the rest of the system. This validation is taking place in the enhanced machine controller (EMC) consortium and is in cooperation with users and vendors of motion control equipment. An area of interest is motion control, including closed-loop control of individual axes and coordinated path planning. Initial tests of the motion control APIs are complete. The APIs were implemented on two commercial motion control boards that run on two different machine tools. The results for a baseline set of APIs look promising, but several issues were raised. These include resolving differing approaches in how motions are programmed and defining a standard measurement of performance for motion control. This paper starts with a summary of the process used in developing a set of specifications for motion control interoperability. Next, the EMC architecture and its classification of motion control APIs into two classes, Servo Control and Trajectory Planning, are reviewed. Selected APIs are presented to explain the basic functionality and some of the major issues involved in porting the APIs to other motion controllers. The paper concludes with a summary of the main issues and ways to continue the standards process.

Fermentation of Barley by Using Saccharomyces cerevisiae: Examination of Barley as a Feedstock for Bioethanol Production and Value-Added Products ▿

PubMed Central

Gibreel, Amera; Sandercock, James R.; Lan, Jingui; Goonewardene, Laksiri A.; Zijlstra, Ruurd T.; Curtis, Jonathan M.; Bressler, David C.

2009-01-01

The objective of this study was to examine the ethanol yield potential of three barley varieties (Xena, Bold, and Fibar) in comparison to two benchmarks, corn and wheat. Very high gravity (VHG; 30% solids) fermentations using both conventional and Stargen 001 enzymes for starch hydrolysis were carried out as simultaneous saccharification and fermentation. The grains and their corresponding dried distiller's grain with solubles (DDGS) were also analyzed for nutritional and value-added characteristics. A VHG traditional fermentation approach utilizing jet-cooking fermentation revealed that both dehulled Bold and Xena barley produced ethanol concentrations higher than that produced by wheat (12.3, 12.2, and 11.9%, respectively) but lower than that produced by corn (13.8%). VHG-modified Stargen-based fermentation of dehulled Bold barley demonstrated comparable performance (14.3% ethanol) relative to that of corn (14.5%) and wheat (13.3%). Several important components were found to survive fermentation and were concentrated in DDGS. The highest yield of phenolics was detected in the DDGS (modified Stargen 001, 20% solids) of Xena (14.6 mg of gallic acid/g) and Bold (15.0 mg of gallic acid/g) when the hull was not removed before fermentation. The highest concentration of sterols in DDGS from barley was found in Xena (3.9 mg/g) when the hull was included. The DDGS recovered from corn had the highest concentration of fatty acids (72.6 and 77.5 mg/g). The DDGS recovered from VHG jet-cooking fermentations of Fibar, dehulled Bold, and corn demonstrated similar levels of tocopherols and tocotrienols. Corn DDGS was highest in crude fat but was lowest in crude protein and in vitro energy digestibility. Wheat DDGS was highest in crude protein content, similar to previous studies. The barley DDGS was the highest in in vitro energy digestibility. PMID:19114516

A Web-Based Interactive Mapping System of State Wide School Performance: Integrating Google Maps API Technology into Educational Achievement Data

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Kening; Mulvenon, Sean W.; Stegman, Charles; Anderson, Travis

2008-01-01

Google Maps API (Application Programming Interface), released in late June 2005 by Google, is an amazing technology that allows users to embed Google Maps in their own Web pages with JavaScript. Google Maps API has accelerated the development of new Google Maps based applications. This article reports a Web-based interactive mapping system…

Alternative Fuels Compatibility with Army Equipment Testing-Effects of JP-8+100 on Military Filtration Equipment

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-02-21

Summary of Proposed Additive Packages for API /IP 1581 4th Edition ...................................... 4 Table 2. Summary of DoD Test Results...15 Table 8. ISO 4406 Cleanliness Codes for the API /IP 1581 5th Edition...Improver WSIM Water Separation Index Measure NSN National Stock Number API American Petroleum Institute DESC Defense Energy Support Center DOE Design of

49 CFR 192.8 - How are onshore gathering lines and regulated onshore gathering lines determined?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

...? (a) An operator must use API RP 80 (incorporated by reference, see § 192.7), to determine if an... section. (1) The beginning of gathering, under section 2.2(a)(1) of API RP 80, may not extend beyond the furthermost downstream point in a production operation as defined in section 2.3 of API RP 80. This...

49 CFR 192.8 - How are onshore gathering lines and regulated onshore gathering lines determined?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

...? (a) An operator must use API RP 80 (incorporated by reference, see § 192.7), to determine if an... section. (1) The beginning of gathering, under section 2.2(a)(1) of API RP 80, may not extend beyond the furthermost downstream point in a production operation as defined in section 2.3 of API RP 80. This...

49 CFR 192.8 - How are onshore gathering lines and regulated onshore gathering lines determined?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

...? (a) An operator must use API RP 80 (incorporated by reference, see § 192.7), to determine if an... section. (1) The beginning of gathering, under section 2.2(a)(1) of API RP 80, may not extend beyond the furthermost downstream point in a production operation as defined in section 2.3 of API RP 80. This...

30 CFR 250.920 - What are the MMS requirements for assessment of fixed platforms?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

.... Assessment categories are defined in API RP 2A-WSD, Section 17.3. If MMS objects to the assessment category... more restrictive level (see Sections 17.2.1 through 17.2.5 of API RP 2A-WSD for a description of... assessment process of API RP 2A-WSD. You must submit applications for your mitigation actions (e.g., repair...

49 CFR 192.8 - How are onshore gathering lines and regulated onshore gathering lines determined?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

...? (a) An operator must use API RP 80 (incorporated by reference, see § 192.7), to determine if an... section. (1) The beginning of gathering, under section 2.2(a)(1) of API RP 80, may not extend beyond the furthermost downstream point in a production operation as defined in section 2.3 of API RP 80. This...

49 CFR 192.8 - How are onshore gathering lines and regulated onshore gathering lines determined?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

...? (a) An operator must use API RP 80 (incorporated by reference, see § 192.7), to determine if an... section. (1) The beginning of gathering, under section 2.2(a)(1) of API RP 80, may not extend beyond the furthermost downstream point in a production operation as defined in section 2.3 of API RP 80. This...

MetNetAPI: A flexible method to access and manipulate biological network data from MetNet

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Convenient programmatic access to different biological databases allows automated integration of scientific knowledge. Many databases support a function to download files or data snapshots, or a webservice that offers "live" data. However, the functionality that a database offers cannot be represented in a static data download file, and webservices may consume considerable computational resources from the host server. Results MetNetAPI is a versatile Application Programming Interface (API) to the MetNetDB database. It abstracts, captures and retains operations away from a biological network repository and website. A range of database functions, previously only available online, can be immediately (and independently from the website) applied to a dataset of interest. Data is available in four layers: molecular entities, localized entities (linked to a specific organelle), interactions, and pathways. Navigation between these layers is intuitive (e.g. one can request the molecular entities in a pathway, as well as request in what pathways a specific entity participates). Data retrieval can be customized: Network objects allow the construction of new and integration of existing pathways and interactions, which can be uploaded back to our server. In contrast to webservices, the computational demand on the host server is limited to processing data-related queries only. Conclusions An API provides several advantages to a systems biology software platform. MetNetAPI illustrates an interface with a central repository of data that represents the complex interrelationships of a metabolic and regulatory network. As an alternative to data-dumps and webservices, it allows access to a current and "live" database and exposes analytical functions to application developers. Yet it only requires limited resources on the server-side (thin server/fat client setup). The API is available for Java, Microsoft.NET and R programming environments and offers flexible query and broad data- retrieval methods. Data retrieval can be customized to client needs and the API offers a framework to construct and manipulate user-defined networks. The design principles can be used as a template to build programmable interfaces for other biological databases. The API software and tutorials are available at http://www.metnetonline.org/api. PMID:21083943

POISON SPIDER FIELD CHEMICAL FLOOD PROJECT, WYOMING

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

Douglas Arnell; Malcolm Pitts; Jie Qi

2004-11-01

A reservoir engineering and geologic study concluded that approximate 7,852,000 bbls of target oil exits in Poison Spider. Field pore volume, OOIP, and initial oil saturation are defined. Potential injection water has a total dissolved solids content of 1,275 mg/L with no measurable divalent cations. If the Lakota water consistently has no measurable cations, the injection water does not require softening to dissolve alkali. Produced water total dissolved solids were 2,835 mg/L and less than 20 mg/L hardness as the sum of divalent cations. Produced water requires softening to dissolve chemicals. Softened produced water was used to dissolve chemicals inmore » these evaluations. Crude oil API gravity varies across the field from 19.7 to 22.2 degrees with a dead oil viscosity of 95 to 280 cp at 75 F. Interfacial tension reductions of up to 21,025 fold (0.001 dyne/cm) were developed with fifteen alkaline-surfactant combinations at some alkali concentration. An additional three alkaline-surfactant combinations reduced the interfacial tension greater than 5,000 fold. NaOH generally produced the lowest interfacial tension values. Interfacial tension values of less than 0.021 dyne/cm were maintained when the solutions were diluted with produced water to about 60%. Na{sub 2}CO{sub 3} when mixed with surfactants did not reduce interfacial tension values to levels at which incremental oil can be expected. NaOH without surfactant interfacial tension reduction is at a level where some additional oil might be recovered. Most of the alkaline-surfactant-polymer solutions producing ultra low interfacial tension gave type II- phase behavior. Only two solutions produced type III phase behavior. Produced water dilution resulted in maintenance of phase type for a number of solutions at produced water dilutions exceeding 80% dilution. The average loss of phase type occurred at 80% dilution. Linear corefloods were performed to determine relative permeability end points, chemical-rock compatibility, polymer injectivity, dynamic chemical retention by rock, and recommended injected polymer concentration. Average initial oil saturation was 0.796 Vp. Produced water injection recovered 53% OOIP leaving an average residual oil saturation of 0.375 Vp. Poison Spider rock was strongly water-wet with a mobility ratio for produced water displacing the 280 cp crude oil of 8.6. Core was not sensitive to either alkali or surfactant injection. Injectivity increased 60 to 80% with alkali plus surfactant injection. Low and medium molecular weight polyacrylamide polymers (Flopaam 3330S and Flopaam 3430S) dissolved in either an alkaline-surfactant solution or softened produced water injected and flowed through Poison Spider rock. Recommended injected polyacrylamide concentration is 2,100 mg/L for both polymers for a unit mobility ratio. Radial corefloods were performed to evaluate oil recovery efficiency of different chemical solutions. Waterflood oil recovery averaged 46.4 OOIP and alkaline-surfactant-polymer flood oil recovery averaged an additional 18.1% OIP for a total of 64.6% OOIP. Oil cut change due to injection of a 1.5 wt% Na{sub 2}CO{sub 3} plus 0.05 wt% Petrostep B-100 plus 0.05 wt% Stepantan AS1216 plus 2100 mg/L Flopaam 3430S was from 2% to a peak of 23.5%. Additional study might determine the impact on oil recovery of a lower polymer concentration. An alkaline-surfactant-polymer flood field implementation outline report was written.« less

Using the RxNorm web services API for quality assurance purposes.

PubMed

Peters, Lee; Bodenreider, Olivier

2008-11-06

Auditing large, rapidly evolving terminological systems is still a challenge. In the case of RxNorm, a standardized nomenclature for clinical drugs, we argue that quality assurance processes can benefit from the recently released application programming interface (API) provided by RxNav. We demonstrate the usefulness of the API by performing a systematic comparison of alternative paths in the RxNorm graph, over several thousands of drug entities. This study revealed potential errors in RxNorm, currently under review. The results also prompted us to modify the implementation of RxNav to navigate the RxNorm graph more accurately. The RxNav web services API used in this experiment is robust and fast.

Using the RxNorm Web Services API for Quality Assurance Purposes

PubMed Central

Peters, Lee; Bodenreider, Olivier

2008-01-01

Auditing large, rapidly evolving terminological systems is still a challenge. In the case of RxNorm, a standardized nomenclature for clinical drugs, we argue that quality assurance processes can benefit from the recently released application programming interface (API) provided by RxNav. We demonstrate the usefulness of the API by performing a systematic comparison of alternative paths in the RxNorm graph, over several thousands of drug entities. This study revealed potential errors in RxNorm, currently under review. The results also prompted us to modify the implementation of RxNav to navigate the RxNorm graph more accurately. The RxNorm web services API used in this experiment is robust and fast. PMID:18999038

The indigenous honey bees of Saudi Arabia (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Apis mellifera jemenitica Ruttner): Their natural history and role in beekeeping

PubMed Central

Alqarni, Abdulaziz S.; Hannan, Mohammed A.; Owayss, Ayman A.; Engel, Michael S.

2011-01-01

Abstract Apis mellifera jemenitica Ruttner (= yemenitica auctorum: vide Engel 1999) has been used in apiculture throughout the Arabian Peninsula since at least 2000 BC. Existing literature demonstrates that these populations are well adapted for the harsh extremes of the region. Populations of Apis mellifera jemenitica native to Saudi Arabia are far more heat tolerant than the standard races often imported from Europe. Central Saudi Arabia has the highest summer temperatures for the Arabian Peninsula, and it is in this region where only Apis mellifera jemenitica survives, while other subspecies fail to persist. The indigenous race of Saudi Arabia differs from other subspecies in the region in some morphological, biological, and behavioral characteristics. Further taxonomic investigation, as well as molecular studies, is needed in order to confirm whether the Saudi indigenous bee populations represent a race distinct from Apis mellifera jemenitica, or merely an ecotype of this subspecies. PMID:22140343

Genetic diversity of the Dwarf honeybee (Apis florea Fabricius, 1787) populations based on microsatellite markers.

PubMed

Asadi, N; Rahimi, A; Ghaheri, M; Kahrizi, D; Bagheri Dehbaghi, M; Khederzadeh, S; Banabazi, M H; Esmaeilkhanian, S; Veisi, B; Geravandi, M; Karim, H; Vaziri, S; Daneshgar, F; Zargooshi, J

2016-10-31

Apis florea is one of two species of small, wild honeybee. The present study was conducted to evaluate the genetic diversity of Apis florea honeybee from 48 nests (colonies) using microsatellite markers in the South of Iran. All honeybee samples were analyzed for six microsatellite loci (A88, A107, A7, B124, A113 and A35). The six loci had different numbers of alleles in the sampled colonies ranging from 7 (loci A107) to 3 (loci A7, A35). Gene diversity in Apis florea ranged from 0.491 to 0.595. This range probably reflects the spreading of nests in a large region with a varied climate. Phylogenetic tree showed two distinct clusters including a) Minab region samples and b) Bandar Abbas, Bandar Khamir and Qeshm Island regions. All of these regions are geographically rich, having varied vegetation and climate conditions. Our findings are an important contribution to the methods of studying distribution and conservation of Apis florea.

HDF-EOS 2 and HDF-EOS 5 Compatibility Library

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ullman, Richard; Bane, Bob; Yang, Jingli

2008-01-01

The HDF-EOS 2 and HDF-EOS 5 Compatibility Library contains C-language functions that provide uniform access to HDF-EOS 2 and HDF-EOS 5 files through one set of application programming interface (API) calls. ("HDFEOS 2" and "HDF-EOS 5" are defined in the immediately preceding article.) Without this library, differences between the APIs of HDF-EOS 2 and HDF-EOS 5 would necessitate writing of different programs to cover HDF-EOS 2 and HDF-EOS 5. The API associated with this library is denoted "he25." For nearly every HDF-EOS 5 API call, there is a corresponding he25 API call. If a file in question is in the HDF-EOS 5 format, the code reverts to the corresponding HDF-EOS 5 call; if the file is in the HDF-EOS 2 format, the code translates the arguments to HDF-EOS 2 equivalents (if necessary), calls the HDFEOS 2 call, and retranslates the results back to HDF-EOS 5 (if necessary).

Evaluation of the API 20 STREP system for species identification of "viridans" streptococci isolated from bacteremia.

PubMed

Teng, L J; Luh, K T; Ho, S W

1985-11-01

Species identifications of 71 strains of viridans streptococci isolated from blood and 4 reference strains were made by the API 20 STREP system (API system S. A., Montalieu-Vercien, France) and the conventional method. There are high levels of agreement between results obtained with the both methods for determining acidification from carbohydrate except inulin. The API 20 STREP system correctly identified 74.7% of the viridans streptococci with 9.3% low descrimination, 12% incorrect and 4% unidentified. All strains of S. mitis, S. mutans, S. salivarius and S. anginosus-constellatus were correctly identified. The correct identification rates for S. sanguis I, S. sanguis II and S. MG-intermedius were 88.9%, 68% and 61% respectively. The difference of inulin reaction and the taxonomy discrepancy may be the cause of different identification. The study indicates that the API 20 STREP system has a good potentiality for species identification of viridans streptococci at present time, however, further refinement in needed.

Effect of pH on the functional properties of Arthrospira (Spirulina) platensis protein isolate.

PubMed

Benelhadj, Sonda; Gharsallaoui, Adem; Degraeve, Pascal; Attia, Hamadi; Ghorbel, Dorra

2016-03-01

In the present study, a protein isolate extracted from Arthrospira platensis by isoelectric precipitation was evaluated for its functional properties. The maximum nitrogen solubility was 59.6±0.7% (w/w) at pH 10. The A. platensis protein isolate (API) showed relatively high oil (252.7±0.3g oil/100g API) and water (428.8±15.4g of water/100g of API at pH 10) absorption capacities. The protein zeta potential, the emulsifying capacity, the emulsion ageing stability, the emulsion microstructure and the emulsion opacity as well as the foaming capacity and the foam stability were shown to be greatly affected by pH. Especially, emulsifying and foaming capacities were positively correlated to the protein solubility. Moreover, the API was able to form films when sorbitol (30% (w/w)) was used as plasticizer and to form gels when the API concentration exceeded 12% (w/w). Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Measuring the impact of an API-first mentality with ScienceBase after 4.5 years

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bristol, S.; Tekell, S.

2016-12-01

ScienceBase is a research infrastructure developed and operated by the U.S. Geological Survey with users and uses across a number of other agency and organization partners. Over four years ago, we released an Application Programming Interface (API) as the foundation of the system and took on the mindset that our progress would be measured by the uptake of the API by others beyond ourselves in developing interesting applications. We now measure success more by someone finding ScienceBase, organizing their data and information, developing an innovative API-driven application and then serendipitous discovery through a science meeting. Because of the way we built the RESTful API, we can characterize what parts of the system are employed. Analysis of usage data helps us take the supposition out of what works and guides design and funding decisions. This analytics-based process facilitates regular adjustments to our thinking and allows us to test design decisions as hypotheses rather than untestable aspirations.

Characterization of nanoscale spatial distribution of small molecules in amorphous polymer matrices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ricarte, Ralm; Hillmyer, Marc; Lodge, Timothy

Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose acetate succinate (HPMCAS) can significantly enhance the efficacy of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). Yet, the interactions between species in HPMCAS-API blends are not understood. Elucidating these interactions is difficult because the spatial distributions of HPMCAS and API in the blends are ambiguous; the polymer and drug may be molecularly mixed or the species may form phase separated domains. As these phase separated domains may be less than 100 nm in size, traditional characterization techniques may not accurately evaluate the spatial distribution. To address this challenge, we explore the use of electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) for detecting the model API phenytoin in an HPMCAS-phenytoin blend. Using EELS, we directly measured with high accuracy and precision the phenytoin concentrations in several blends. We present evidence that suggests phase separation occurs in blends that have a phenytoin loading of approximately 50 wt percent. Finally, we demonstrate that this technique achieves a sub-100 nm spatial resolution and can detect several other APIs.

A qualitative exploration of the relationship between racism and unsafe sex among Asian Pacific Islander gay men.

PubMed

Han, Chong-suk

2008-10-01

Although reported cases of HIV/AIDS among gay Asian Pacific Islander (API) American men and API men who have sex with men (MSM) are still relatively low, current research findings indicate that incidences of unsafe sexual activity may be higher for this group than for any other group. Among the explanations offered to explain the levels of increasing unsafe sex among gay API men have been sexual norms found in Asian cultures, the lack of culturally relevant and/or linguistically appropriate intervention material, lack of integration into the mainstream gay community, and internalized homophobia. What are often ignored in these analyses are the contextual norms in which sexual behavior for gay API men occur. In this article, I develop the argument that racism within the gay community leads to socially and contextually prescribed sexual roles for gay API men that may also contribute to the practice of unsafe sex among this group.

JASPAR RESTful API: accessing JASPAR data from any programming language.

PubMed

Khan, Aziz; Mathelier, Anthony

2018-05-01

JASPAR is a widely used open-access database of curated, non-redundant transcription factor binding profiles. Currently, data from JASPAR can be retrieved as flat files or by using programming language-specific interfaces. Here, we present a programming language-independent application programming interface (API) to access JASPAR data using the Representational State Transfer (REST) architecture. The REST API enables programmatic access to JASPAR by most programming languages and returns data in eight widely used formats. Several endpoints are available to access the data and an endpoint is available to infer the TF binding profile(s) likely bound by a given DNA binding domain protein sequence. Additionally, it provides an interactive browsable interface for bioinformatics tool developers. This REST API is implemented in Python using the Django REST Framework. It is accessible at http://jaspar.genereg.net/api/ and the source code is freely available at https://bitbucket.org/CBGR/jaspar under GPL v3 license. aziz.khan@ncmm.uio.no or anthony.mathelier@ncmm.uio.no. Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

Finding, Weighting and Describing Venues: CSIRO at the 2012 TREC Contextual Suggestion Track

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-11-01

commercial system (namely the Google Places API ), and whether the current experimental setup encourages diversity. The remaining two submissions...baseline systems that rely on the Google Places API and the user reviews it provides, and two more complex systems that incorporate information...from the Foursquare API , and are sensitive to personal preference and time. The remainder of this paper is structured as follows. The next section

Commercial Building Energy Saver, API

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

Hong, Tianzhen; Piette, Mary; Lee, Sang Hoon

2015-08-27

The CBES API provides Application Programming Interface to a suite of functions to improve energy efficiency of buildings, including building energy benchmarking, preliminary retrofit analysis using a pre-simulation database DEEP, and detailed retrofit analysis using energy modeling with the EnergyPlus simulation engine. The CBES API is used to power the LBNL CBES Web App. It can be adopted by third party developers and vendors into their software tools and platforms.

Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assays for rapid detection and differentiation of Nosema apis and N. ceranae in honeybees.

PubMed

Ptaszyńska, Aneta A; Borsuk, Grzegorz; Woźniakowski, Grzegorz; Gnat, Sebastian; Małek, Wanda

2014-08-01

Nosemosis is a contagious disease of honeybees (Apis mellifera) manifested by increased winter mortality, poor spring build-up and even the total extinction of infected bee colonies. In this paper, loop-mediated isothermal amplifications (LAMP) were used for the first time to identify and differentiate N. apis and N. ceranae, the causative agents of nosemosis. LAMP assays were performed at a constant temperature of 60 °C using two sets of six species-specific primers, recognising eight distinct fragments of 16S rDNA gene and GspSSD polymerase with strand displacement activity. The optimal time for LAMP and its Nosema species sensitivity and specificity were assessed. LAMP only required 30 min for robust identification of the amplicons. Ten-fold serial dilutions of total DNA isolated from bees infected with microsporidia were used to determine the detection limit of N. apis and N. ceranae DNAs by LAMP and standard PCR assays. LAMP appeared to be 10(3) -fold more sensitive than a standard PCR in detecting N. apis and N. ceranae. LAMP methods developed by us are highly Nosema species specific and allow to identify and differentiate N. apis and N. ceranae. © 2014 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. All rights reserved.

In Vitro and In Vivo Characterization of Drug Nanoparticles Prepared Using PureNano™ Continuous Crystallizer to Improve the Bioavailability of Poorly Water Soluble Drugs.

PubMed

Tahara, Kohei; Nishikawa, Masahiro; Matsui, Ko; Hisazumi, Koji; Onodera, Risako; Tozuka, Yuichi; Takeuchi, Hirofumi

2016-09-01

The aim of this study was to enhance the dissolution and oral absorption of poorly water-soluble active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) using nanoparticle suspensions prepared with a PureNano™ continuous crystallizer (PCC). Nanoparticle suspensions were prepared with a PCC, which is based on microfluidics reaction technology and solvent-antisolvent crystallization. Phenytoin, bezafibrate, flurbiprofen, and miconazole were used as model APIs. These APIs were dissolved in ethanol and precipitated by the addition of water and polyvinyl alcohol. Batch crystallization (BC) using a beaker was also performed to prepare the suspensions. Both PCC and BC formulations were freeze-dried before being characterized in vitro and in vivo. The particle sizes of the nanoparticle suspensions prepared with the PCC were smaller than those prepared by BC. The dissolution rate of each API in vitro significantly increased after crystallization. Reducing the particle size of either the BC or PCC formulation led to increased API flux across Caco-2 cell monolayers. PCC preparations showed higher plasma concentrations after oral administration, demonstrating the advantages of a fast dissolution rate and increased interaction with the gastrointestinal tract owing to the smaller particle size. PCC can continuously produce nanoparticle APIs and is an efficient approach for improving their oral bioavailability.

Factor structure of the autonomy preference index in people with severe mental illness.

PubMed

Bonfils, Kelsey A; Adams, Erin L; Mueser, Kim T; Wright-Berryman, Jennifer L; Salyers, Michelle P

2015-08-30

People vary in the amount of control they want to exercise over decisions about their healthcare. Given the importance of patient-centered care, accurate measurement of these autonomy preferences is critical. This study aimed to assess the factor structure of the Autonomy Preference Index (API), used widely in general healthcare, in individuals with severe mental illness. Data came from two studies of people with severe mental illness (N=293) who were receiving mental health and/or primary care/integrated care services. Autonomy preferences were assessed with the API regarding both psychiatric and primary care services. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to evaluate fit of the hypothesized two-factor structure of the API (decision-making autonomy and information-seeking autonomy). Results indicated the hypothesized structure for the API did not adequately fit the data for either psychiatric or primary care services. Three problematic items were dropped, resulting in adequate fit for both types of treatment. These results suggest that with relatively minor modifications the API has an acceptable factor structure when asking people with severe mental illness about their preferences to be involved in decision-making. The modified API has clinical and research utility for this population in the burgeoning field of autonomy in patient-centered healthcare. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

An adaptive software defined radio design based on a standard space telecommunication radio system API

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiong, Wenhao; Tian, Xin; Chen, Genshe; Pham, Khanh; Blasch, Erik

2017-05-01

Software defined radio (SDR) has become a popular tool for the implementation and testing for communications performance. The advantage of the SDR approach includes: a re-configurable design, adaptive response to changing conditions, efficient development, and highly versatile implementation. In order to understand the benefits of SDR, the space telecommunication radio system (STRS) was proposed by NASA Glenn research center (GRC) along with the standard application program interface (API) structure. Each component of the system uses a well-defined API to communicate with other components. The benefit of standard API is to relax the platform limitation of each component for addition options. For example, the waveform generating process can support a field programmable gate array (FPGA), personal computer (PC), or an embedded system. As long as the API defines the requirements, the generated waveform selection will work with the complete system. In this paper, we demonstrate the design and development of adaptive SDR following the STRS and standard API protocol. We introduce step by step the SDR testbed system including the controlling graphic user interface (GUI), database, GNU radio hardware control, and universal software radio peripheral (USRP) tranceiving front end. In addition, a performance evaluation in shown on the effectiveness of the SDR approach for space telecommunication.

Seminal fluid of honeybees contains multiple mechanisms to combat infections of the sexually transmitted pathogen Nosema apis.

PubMed

Peng, Yan; Grassl, Julia; Millar, A Harvey; Baer, Boris

2016-01-27

The societies of ants, bees and wasps are genetically closed systems where queens only mate during a brief mating episode prior to their eusocial life and males therefore provide queens with a lifetime supply of high-quality sperm. These ejaculates also contain a number of defence proteins that have been detected in the seminal fluid but their function and efficiency have never been investigated in great detail. Here, we used the honeybee Apis mellifera and quantified whether seminal fluid is able to combat infections of the fungal pathogen Nosema apis, a widespread honeybee parasite that is also sexually transmitted. We provide the first empirical evidence that seminal fluid has a remarkable antimicrobial activity against N. apis spores and that antimicrobial seminal fluid components kill spores in multiple ways. The protein fraction of seminal fluid induces extracellular spore germination, which disrupts the life cycle of N. apis, whereas the non-protein fraction of seminal fluid induces a direct viability loss of intact spores. We conclude that males provide their ejaculates with efficient antimicrobial molecules that are able to kill N. apis spores and thereby reduce the risk of disease transmission during mating. Our findings could be of broader significance to master honeybee diseases in managed honeybee stock in the future. © 2016 The Author(s).

JEnsembl: a version-aware Java API to Ensembl data systems

PubMed Central

Paterson, Trevor; Law, Andy

2012-01-01

Motivation: The Ensembl Project provides release-specific Perl APIs for efficient high-level programmatic access to data stored in various Ensembl database schema. Although Perl scripts are perfectly suited for processing large volumes of text-based data, Perl is not ideal for developing large-scale software applications nor embedding in graphical interfaces. The provision of a novel Java API would facilitate type-safe, modular, object-orientated development of new Bioinformatics tools with which to access, analyse and visualize Ensembl data. Results: The JEnsembl API implementation provides basic data retrieval and manipulation functionality from the Core, Compara and Variation databases for all species in Ensembl and EnsemblGenomes and is a platform for the development of a richer API to Ensembl datasources. The JEnsembl architecture uses a text-based configuration module to provide evolving, versioned mappings from database schema to code objects. A single installation of the JEnsembl API can therefore simultaneously and transparently connect to current and previous database instances (such as those in the public archive) thus facilitating better analysis repeatability and allowing ‘through time’ comparative analyses to be performed. Availability: Project development, released code libraries, Maven repository and documentation are hosted at SourceForge (http://jensembl.sourceforge.net). Contact: jensembl-develop@lists.sf.net, andy.law@roslin.ed.ac.uk, trevor.paterson@roslin.ed.ac.uk PMID:22945789

A Driving Cycle Detection Approach Using Map Service API

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

Zhu, Lei; Gonder, Jeffrey D

Following advancements in smartphone and portable global positioning system (GPS) data collection, wearable GPS data have realized extensive use in transportation surveys and studies. The task of detecting driving cycles (driving or car-mode trajectory segments) from wearable GPS data has been the subject of much research. Specifically, distinguishing driving cycles from other motorized trips (such as taking a bus) is the main research problem in this paper. Many mode detection methods only focus on raw GPS speed data while some studies apply additional information, such as geographic information system (GIS) data, to obtain better detection performance. Procuring and maintaining dedicatedmore » road GIS data are costly and not trivial, whereas the technical maturity and broad use of map service application program interface (API) queries offers opportunities for mode detection tasks. The proposed driving cycle detection method takes advantage of map service APIs to obtain high-quality car-mode API route information and uses a trajectory segmentation algorithm to find the best-matched API route. The car-mode API route data combined with the actual route information, including the actual mode information, are used to train a logistic regression machine learning model, which estimates car modes and non-car modes with probability rates. The experimental results show promise for the proposed method's ability to detect vehicle mode accurately.« less

Improved blend and tablet properties of fine pharmaceutical powders via dry particle coating.

PubMed

Huang, Zhonghui; Scicolone, James V; Han, Xi; Davé, Rajesh N

2015-01-30

The improvements in the flow and packing of fine pharmaceutical powder blends due to dry coating of micronized acetaminophen (mAPAP, ∼11μm), a model poorly flowing drug, are quantified. Poor flow and packing density of fine excipients (∼20μm) allowed testing the hypothesis that dry coating of cohesive API may counteract poor flow and packing of fine pharmaceutical powder blends. Further, fine excipients could improve compaction and reduce segregation tendency. It was found that flow function coefficient (FFC) and bulk density enhancements for 10%, 30%, and 60% (w/w), API loading blends with dry coated API are significantly higher than those without coated silica. At the highest API loading, for which coarser excipients were also used as reference, the flow and packing of dry coated mAPAP blends were significantly increased regardless of the excipient particle size, exceeding those of a well compacting excipient, Avicel 102. In addition, tensile strength of tablets with fine excipients was significantly higher, indicating improved compactibility. These results show for the first time that dry coating of fine, cohesive API powder leads to significantly improved flow and packing of high API loading blends consisting of fine excipients, while achieving improved tablet compactibility, suggesting suitability for direct compaction. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Does Nosema ceranae Wipe Out Nosema apis in Turkey?

PubMed

Ivgin Tunca, Rahşan; Oskay, Devrim; Gosterit, Ayhan; Tekin, Olgay Kaan

2016-01-01

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of the Nosema ceranae and Nosema apis among apiaries using both spore counts and multiplex PCR and the replacement of N. apis by N. ceranae in some regions of Turkey. A hundred honey bee samples were collected from 99 apiaries in 11 different locations in 2011-2012 in Turkey. Nosema infection degree from collected samples was determined using light microscope and molecular detection of Nosema spp. ( N. ceranae and N. apis ) was performed using specific primers by multiplex PCR. N. ceranae was only found spores in sampling areas using molecular diagnosis. N. apis was not detected in whole sampling areas using both techniques. There are no Nosema spores detected in Konya one location using two techniques. The nucleotide sequences from amplification products of the Nosema infested honeybee samples were (98%) identical with the sequence of N. ceranae for many countries deposited in the GenBank database in this study. The present study illustrated that N. ceranae is the only spores for sampled areas in 2011-2012. The study could also indicate that N. ceranae has been replaced instead of N . apis in Turkey. In addition, the prevalence of N. ceranae and two microsporodia spores effects on honey bee colonies in Turkey were needed to determine with intensive sampling, periodically.

Physician visits and preventive care among Asian American and Pacific Islander long-term survivors of colorectal cancer, USA, 1996-2006.

PubMed

Steele, C Brooke; Townsend, Julie S; Tai, Eric; Thomas, Cheryll C

2014-03-01

Published literature on receipt of preventive healthcare services among Asian American and Pacific Islander (API) cancer survivors is scarce. We describe patterns in receipt of preventive services among API long-term colorectal cancer (CRC) survivors. Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registry-Medicare data were used to identify 9,737 API and white patients who were diagnosed with CRC during 1996-2000 and who survived 5 or more years beyond their diagnoses. We examined receipt of vaccines, mammography (females), bone densitometry (females), and cholesterol screening among the survivors and how the physician specialties they visited for follow-up care correlated to services received. APIs were less likely than whites to receive mammography (52.0 vs. 69.3 %, respectively; P < 0.0001) but more likely to receive influenza vaccine, cholesterol screening, and bone densitometry. These findings remained significant in our multivariable model, except for receipt of bone densitometry. APIs visited PCPs only and both PCPs and oncologists more frequently than whites (P < 0.0001). Women who visited both PCPs and oncologists compared with PCPs only were more likely to receive mammography (odds ratio = 1.40; 95 % confidence interval, 1.05-1.86). Visits to both PCPs and oncologists were associated with increased use of mammography. Although API survivors visited these specialties more frequently than white survivors, API women may need culturally appropriate outreach to increase their use of this test. Long-term cancer survivors need to be aware of recommended preventive healthcare services, as well as who will manage their primary care and cancer surveillance follow-up.

Investigation into the Manufacture and Properties of Inhalable High-Dose Dry Powders Produced by Comilling API and Lactose with Magnesium Stearate.

PubMed

Lau, Michael; Young, Paul M; Traini, Daniela

2017-08-01

The aim of the study was to understand the impact of different concentrations of the additive material, magnesium stearate (MGST), and the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API), respectively, on the physicochemical properties and aerosol performance of comilled formulations for high-dose delivery. Initially, blends of API/lactose with different concentrations of MGST (1-7.5% w/w) were prepared and comilled by the jet-mill apparatus. The optimal concentration of MGST in comilled formulations was investigated, specifically for agglomerate structure and strength, particle size, uniformity of content, surface coverage, and aerosol performance. Secondly, comilled formulations with different API (1-40% w/w) concentrations were prepared and similarly analyzed. Comilled 5% MGST (w/w) formulation resulted in a significant improvement in in vitro aerosol performance due to the reduction in agglomerate size and strength compared to the formulation comilled without MGST. Higher concentrations of MGST (7.5% w/w) led to reduction in aerosol performance likely due to excessive surface coverage of the micronized particles by MGST, which led to failure in uniformity of content and an increase in agglomerate strength and size. Generally, comilled formulations with higher concentrations of API increased the agglomerate strength and size, which subsequently caused a reduction in aerosol performance. High-dose delivery was achieved at API concentration of >20% (w/w). The study provided a platform for the investigation of aerosol performance and physicochemical properties of other API and additive materials in comilled formulations for the emerging field of high-dose delivery by dry powder inhalation.

Allergenic relevance of nonspecific lipid transfer proteins 2: Identification and characterization of Api g 6 from celery tuber as representative of a novel IgE-binding protein family.

PubMed

Vejvar, Eva; Himly, Martin; Briza, Peter; Eichhorn, Stephanie; Ebner, Christof; Hemmer, Wolfgang; Ferreira, Fatima; Gadermaier, Gabriele

2013-11-01

Apium graveolens represents a relevant food allergen source linked with severe systemic reactions. We sought to identify an IgE-binding nonspecific lipid transfer protein (nsLTP) in celery tuber. A low molecular weight protein exclusively present in celery tuber was purified and designated Api g 6. The entire protein sequence was obtained by MS and classified as member of the nsLTP2 family. Api g 6 is monomeric in solution with a molecular mass of 6936 Da. The alpha-helical disulfide bond-stabilized structure confers tremendous thermal stability (Tm > 90°C) and high resistance to gastrointestinal digestion. Endolysosomal degradation demonstrated low susceptibility and the presence of a dominant peptide cluster at the C-terminus. Thirty-eight percent of A. graveolens allergic patients demonstrated IgE reactivity to purified natural Api g 6 in ELISA and heat treatment did only partially reduce its allergenic activity. No correlation in IgE binding and limited cross-reactivity was observed with Api g 2 and Art v 3, nsLTP1 from celery stalks and mugwort pollen. Api g 6, a novel nsLTP2 from celery tuber represents the first well-characterized allergen in this protein family. Despite similar structural and physicochemical features as nsLTP1, immunological properties of Api g 6 are distinct which warrants its inclusion in molecule-based diagnosis of A. graveolens allergy. © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Nucleoprotein of influenza A virus negatively impacts antiapoptotic protein API5 to enhance E2F1-dependent apoptosis and virus replication.

PubMed

Mayank, A K; Sharma, S; Nailwal, H; Lal, S K

2015-12-17

Apoptosis of host cells profoundly influences virus propagation and dissemination, events that are integral to influenza A virus (IAV) pathogenesis. The trigger for activation of apoptosis is regulated by an intricate interplay between cellular and viral proteins, with a strong bearing on IAV replication. Though the knowledge of viral proteins and mechanisms employed by IAV to induce apoptosis has advanced considerably of late, we know relatively little about the repertoire of host factors targeted by viral proteins. Thus, identification of cellular proteins that are hijacked by the virus will help us not only to understand the molecular underpinnings of IAV-induced apoptosis, but also to design future antiviral therapies. Here we show that the nucleoprotein (NP) of IAV directly interacts with and suppresses the expression of API5, a host antiapoptotic protein that antagonizes E2F1-dependent apoptosis. siRNA-mediated depletion of API5, in NP-overexpressed as well as IAV-infected cells, leads to upregulation of apoptotic protease activating factor 1 (APAF1), a downstream modulator of E2F1-mediated apoptosis, and cleavage of caspases 9 and 3, although a reciprocal pattern of these events was observed on ectopic overexpression of API5. In concordance with these observations, annexin V and 7AAD staining assays exhibit downregulation of early and late apoptosis in IAV-infected or NP-transfected cells on overexpression of API5. Most significantly, while overexpression of API5 decreases viral titers, cellular NP protein as well as mRNA levels in IAV-infected A549 cells, silencing of API5 expression causes a steep rise in the same parameters. From the data reported in this manuscript, we propose a proapoptotic role for NP in IAV pathogenesis, whereby it suppresses expression of antiapoptotic factor API5, thus potentiating the E2F1-dependent apoptotic pathway and ensuring viral replication.

Raw material variability of an active pharmaceutical ingredient and its relevance for processability in secondary continuous pharmaceutical manufacturing.

PubMed

Stauffer, F; Vanhoorne, V; Pilcer, G; Chavez, P-F; Rome, S; Schubert, M A; Aerts, L; De Beer, T

2018-06-01

Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API) raw material variability is not always thoroughly considered during pharmaceutical process development, mainly due to low quantities of drug substance available. However, synthesis, crystallization routes and production sites evolve during product development and product life cycle leading to changes in physical material attributes which can potentially affect their processability. Recent literature highlights the need for a global approach to understand the link between material synthesis, material variability, process and product quality. The study described in this article aims at explaining the raw material variability of an API using extensive material characterization on a restricted number of representative batches using multivariate data analysis. It is part of a larger investigation trying to link the API drug substance manufacturing process, the resulting physical API raw material attributes and the drug product continuous manufacturing process. Eight API batches produced using different synthetic routes, crystallization, drying, delumping processes and processing equipment were characterized, extensively. Seventeen properties from seven characterization techniques were retained for further analysis using Principal Component Analysis (PCA). Three principal components (PCs) were sufficient to explain 92.9% of the API raw material variability. The first PC was related to crystal length, agglomerate size and fraction, flowability and electrostatic charging. The second PC was driven by the span of the particle size distribution and the agglomerates strength. The third PC was related to surface energy. Additionally, the PCA allowed to summarize the API batch-to-batch variability in only three PCs which can be used in future drug product development studies to quantitatively evaluate the impact of the API raw material variability upon the drug product process. The approach described in this article could be applied to any other compound which is prone to batch-to-batch variability. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The significance of different health institutions and their respective contributions of active pharmaceutical ingredients to wastewater.

PubMed

Herrmann, Manuel; Olsson, Oliver; Fiehn, Rainer; Herrel, Markus; Kümmerer, Klaus

2015-12-01

Active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) have been frequently found in the environment. It is, however, still not quite clear who is mainly responsible for API emissions. Hospitals have been considered to be the main contributing point sources for wastewater (WW) discharge of APIs. However, recent studies have shown that the contribution of hospitals to the input of APIs into the aquatic environment is quite low. Due to demographic change and the increase of psychiatric diseases, health institutions (HIs) such as psychiatric hospitals and nursing homes are likely to be important sources as well, but no data is available in this respect. This study aims to assess the impact of HIs and to provide a methodology to measure their respective contributions. Drawing on pharmaceutical consumption data for the years 2010, 2011, and 2012, this study identified API usage patterns for a psychiatric hospital (146 beds), a nursing home (286 inhabitants), and a general hospital (741 beds), the latter of which comprises three separate locations. All the HIs are located in two sub-regions of a county district with about 400,000 citizens in southwestern Germany. A selection of neurological drugs was quantified in the sewer of these facilities to evaluate the correlation between consumption and emission. The API contribution of HIs was assessed by comparing the specific consumption in the facilities with the consumption in households, expressed as the emission potential (IEP). The study shows that the usage patterns of APIs in the psychiatric hospital and the nursing home were different from the general hospital. Neurological drugs such as anticonvulsants, psycholeptics, and psychoanaleptics were mainly consumed in the psychiatric hospital and the nursing home (74% and 65%, respectively). Predicted and average measured concentrations in the effluent of the investigated HIs differed mostly by less than one order of magnitude. Therefore, the consumption-based approach is a useful method to assess usage patterns of APIs in HIs and to predict their respective contributions to WW. The national contribution of HIs on total WW discharge of APIs compared to households was very low. Only the results for the sedative clomethiazole in general hospitals as well as the antidepressant moclobemide and the antipsychotic quetiapine for the nursing homes were found to deserve some attention. The regional comparison showed that in sub-regions with a comparably higher density of HIs, the allocated facilities could be seen as point sources emitting particular APIs. However, in general, the bulk of the consumed pharmaceuticals to WW discharge has to be attributed to households. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Geology of the Attaka oil field, East Kalimantan, Indonesia

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

Schwartz, C.M.; Laughbaum, G.H. Jr.; Samsu, B.S.

1973-11-01

The Attaka field is the first commercial offshore oil field to be discovered in Kalimantan, Indonesia. After its discovery in 1970 and the drilling of confirmation wells during 1970 and 1971, a development program involving 50 wells from 6 platforms was begun. The field is 12 miles off shore from the E. Kalimantan coast in 200 ft of water. Areal and vertical closures of the Attaka structure are 26 sq miles and 600 ft, respectively, and the areal extent of oil accumulation is some 9.8 sq miles. The Attaka structure is located in the Tertiary Kutei Basin which contains earlymore » Tertiary to Quaternary sediments, and the oil in the Attaka field is in numerous deltaic sands deposited during a late Miocene advance of the ancestral Mahakam River delta. Seismic velocity and well velocity survey data indicate the presence of a low velocity region more or less coincident with the limits of oil and gas accumulation on the crest of the Attaka structure. Gravity of the Attaka oil ranges from 35' to 43' API and its sulfur content is 0.1% by wt.« less

Dynamic Policy-Driven Quality of Service in Service-Oriented Information Management Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-01-01

both DiffServ and IntServ net- work QoS mechanisms. Wang et al [48] provide middleware APIs to shield applications from directly interacting with...complex network QoS mechanism APIs . Middleware frameworks transparently converted the specified application QoS requirements into low- er-level network...QoS mechanism APIs and provided network QoS assurances. Deployment-time resource allocation. Other prior work has focused on deploying ap- plications

Open SHMEM Reference Implementation

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

Pritchard, Howard; Curtis, Anthony; Welch, Aaron

2016-05-12

OpenSHMEM is an effort to create a specification for a standardized API for parallel programming in the Partitioned Global Address Space. Along with the specification the project is also creating a reference implementation of the API. This implementation attempts to be portable, to allow it to be deployed in multiple environments, and to be a starting point for implementations targeted to particular hardware platforms. It will also serve as a springboard for future development of the API.

Detection of oil spills using a 13.3-GHz radar scatterometer.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Krishen, K.

1973-01-01

This paper describes the results of an analysis of 13.3-GHz single-polarized scatterometer data collected during NASA/MSC mission 135, flown on March 16, 1970. Data were gathered over a crude oil spill on the Gulf of Mexico (test site 128) off the Mississippi delta. With the aid of RC-8 camera photographs the scattering cross section was correlated with the extent of the oil spill. The scattering cross section at higher incidence angles (25 to 50 deg) decreased by 5-10 db in the presence of the oil spill. This was attributed to the damping by oil of small gravity and capillary waves. The composite scattering theory and the scatterometer-acquired data were used to obtain an expression of radar scattering over ocean surfaces with oil spills. The study demonstrates that the presence and extent of oil spills can be detected with high-frequency radar systems.

An overview of the CellML API and its implementation

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background CellML is an XML based language for representing mathematical models, in a machine-independent form which is suitable for their exchange between different authors, and for archival in a model repository. Allowing for the exchange and archival of models in a computer readable form is a key strategic goal in bioinformatics, because of the associated improvements in scientific record accuracy, the faster iterative process of scientific development, and the ability to combine models into large integrative models. However, for CellML models to be useful, tools which can process them correctly are needed. Due to some of the more complex features present in CellML models, such as imports, developing code ab initio to correctly process models can be an onerous task. For this reason, there is a clear and pressing need for an application programming interface (API), and a good implementation of that API, upon which tools can base their support for CellML. Results We developed an API which allows the information in CellML models to be retrieved and/or modified. We also developed a series of optional extension APIs, for tasks such as simplifying the handling of connections between variables, dealing with physical units, validating models, and translating models into different procedural languages. We have also provided a Free/Open Source implementation of this application programming interface, optimised to achieve good performance. Conclusions Tools have been developed using the API which are mature enough for widespread use. The API has the potential to accelerate the development of additional tools capable of processing CellML, and ultimately lead to an increased level of sharing of mathematical model descriptions. PMID:20377909

Determinants of quality, latency, and amount of Stack Overflow answers about recent Android APIs

PubMed Central

Filkov, Vladimir

2018-01-01

Stack Overflow is a popular crowdsourced question and answer website for programming-related issues. It is an invaluable resource for software developers; on average, questions posted there get answered in minutes to an hour. Questions about well established topics, e.g., the coercion operator in C++, or the difference between canonical and class names in Java, get asked often in one form or another, and answered very quickly. On the other hand, questions on previously unseen or niche topics take a while to get a good answer. This is particularly the case with questions about current updates to or the introduction of new application programming interfaces (APIs). In a hyper-competitive online market, getting good answers to current programming questions sooner could increase the chances of an app getting released and used. So, can developers anyhow, e.g., hasten the speed to good answers to questions about new APIs? Here, we empirically study Stack Overflow questions pertaining to new Android APIs and their associated answers. We contrast the interest in these questions, their answer quality, and timeliness of their answers to questions about old APIs. We find that Stack Overflow answerers in general prioritize with respect to currentness: questions about new APIs do get more answers, but good quality answers take longer. We also find that incentives in terms of question bounties, if used appropriately, can significantly shorten the time and increase answer quality. Interestingly, no operationalization of bounty amount shows significance in our models. In practice, our findings confirm the value of bounties in enhancing expert participation. In addition, they show that the Stack Overflow style of crowdsourcing, for all its glory in providing answers about established programming knowledge, is less effective with new API questions. PMID:29547620

Identification of (2-aminopropyl)indole positional isomers in forensic samples.

PubMed

Scott, Kenneth R; Power, John D; McDermott, Seán D; O'Brien, John E; Talbot, Brian N; Barry, Michael G; Kavanagh, Pierce V

2014-01-01

In 2012, 5-(2-aminopropyl)indole (5-API, 5-IT) was reported by Norwegian authorities to the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) via the Early Warning System (EWS). The 3- isomer, 3-(2-aminopropyl)indole (3-API, AMT, alpha-methyltryptamine), has been available on the recreational drugs market for a somewhat longer time, having first been reported to the EMCDDA by Finnish authorities in 2001. Both isomers are available from online vendors of 'legal highs'. Recently, three forensic drug cases (two tablets and one powder) were presented for routine analysis and the active constituent was tentatively identified as an API isomer. The six positional isomers (2-, 3-, 4-, 5-, 6- and 7-(2-aminopropyl)indoles) were synthesized and analyses by a combination gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) showed that these could be readily discriminated thus facilitating the identification of 3-API in the tablets and 5-API in the powder. With exception of 5- and 6-APIs, which co-eluted, it was found possible to separate the isomers by GC without derivatization. LC separation also proved to be a feasible method for the discrimination of the isomers. Although the 2- and 7- isomers were not fully resolved by LC, it was found possible to distinguish them using their product ion spectra as the 2- isomer produced the m/z 132 fragment ion formed by loss of vinylamine, whereas the 7- isomer formed m/z 158 through loss of methylamine. In the synthesis 2-API, a novel tricyclic by-product was formed in an annulation reaction where the reaction solvent, tetrahydrofuran, was incorporated into the molecule. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Similar but not the same: insights into the evolutionary history of paralogous sex-determining genes of the dwarf honey bee Apis florea.

PubMed

Biewer, M; Lechner, S; Hasselmann, M

2016-01-01

Studying the fate of duplicated genes provides informative insight into the evolutionary plasticity of biological pathways to which they belong. In the paralogous sex-determining genes complementary sex determiner (csd) and feminizer (fem) of honey bee species (genus Apis), only heterozygous csd initiates female development. Here, the full-length coding sequences of the genes csd and fem of the phylogenetically basal dwarf honey bee Apis florea are characterized. Compared with other Apis species, remarkable evolutionary changes in the formation and localization of a protein-interacting (coiled-coil) motif and in the amino acids coding for the csd characteristic hypervariable region (HVR) are observed. Furthermore, functionally different csd alleles were isolated as genomic fragments from a random population sample. In the predicted potential specifying domain (PSD), a high ratio of πN/πS=1.6 indicated positive selection, whereas signs of balancing selection, commonly found in other Apis species, are missing. Low nucleotide diversity on synonymous and genome-wide, non-coding sites as well as site frequency analyses indicated a strong impact of genetic drift in A. florea, likely linked to its biology. Along the evolutionary trajectory of ~30 million years of csd evolution, episodic diversifying selection seems to have acted differently among distinct Apis branches. Consistently low amino-acid differences within the PSD among pairs of functional heterozygous csd alleles indicate that the HVR is the most important region for determining allele specificity. We propose that in the early history of the lineage-specific fem duplication giving rise to csd in Apis, A. florea csd stands as a remarkable example for the plasticity of initial sex-determining signals.

An overview of the CellML API and its implementation.

PubMed

Miller, Andrew K; Marsh, Justin; Reeve, Adam; Garny, Alan; Britten, Randall; Halstead, Matt; Cooper, Jonathan; Nickerson, David P; Nielsen, Poul F

2010-04-08

CellML is an XML based language for representing mathematical models, in a machine-independent form which is suitable for their exchange between different authors, and for archival in a model repository. Allowing for the exchange and archival of models in a computer readable form is a key strategic goal in bioinformatics, because of the associated improvements in scientific record accuracy, the faster iterative process of scientific development, and the ability to combine models into large integrative models.However, for CellML models to be useful, tools which can process them correctly are needed. Due to some of the more complex features present in CellML models, such as imports, developing code ab initio to correctly process models can be an onerous task. For this reason, there is a clear and pressing need for an application programming interface (API), and a good implementation of that API, upon which tools can base their support for CellML. We developed an API which allows the information in CellML models to be retrieved and/or modified. We also developed a series of optional extension APIs, for tasks such as simplifying the handling of connections between variables, dealing with physical units, validating models, and translating models into different procedural languages.We have also provided a Free/Open Source implementation of this application programming interface, optimised to achieve good performance. Tools have been developed using the API which are mature enough for widespread use. The API has the potential to accelerate the development of additional tools capable of processing CellML, and ultimately lead to an increased level of sharing of mathematical model descriptions.

First detection of the larval chalkbrood disease pathogen Ascosphaera apis (Ascomycota: Eurotiomycetes: Ascosphaerales) in adult bumble bees.

PubMed

Maxfield-Taylor, Sarah A; Mujic, Alija B; Rao, Sujaya

2015-01-01

Fungi in the genus Ascosphaera (Ascomycota: Eurotiomycetes: Ascosphaerales) cause chalkbrood disease in larvae of bees. Here, we report the first-ever detection of the fungus in adult bumble bees that were raised in captivity for studies on colony development. Wild queens of Bombus griseocollis, B. nevadensis and B. vosnesenskii were collected and maintained for establishment of nests. Queens that died during rearing or that did not lay eggs within one month of capture were dissected, and tissues were examined microscopically for the presence of pathogens. Filamentous fungi that were detected were plated on artificial media containing broad spectrum antibiotics for isolation and identification. Based on morphological characters, the fungus was identified as Ascosphaera apis (Maasen ex Claussen) Olive and Spiltoir, a species that has been reported earlier only from larvae of the European honey bee, Apis mellifera, the Asian honey bee, Apis cerana, and the carpenter bee Xylocopa californica arizonensis. The identity of the fungus was confirmed using molecular markers and phylogenetic analysis. Ascosphaera apis was detected in queens of all three bumble bee species examined. Of 150 queens dissected, 12 (8%) contained vegetative and reproductive stages of the fungus. Both fungal stages were also detected in two workers collected from colonies with Ascosphaera-infected B. nevadensis queens. In this study, wild bees could have been infected prior to capture for rearing, or, the A. apis infection could have originated via contaminated European honey bee pollen fed to the bumble bees in captivity. Thus, the discovery of A. apis in adult bumble bees in the current study has important implications for commercial production of bumble bee colonies and highlights potential risks to native bees via pathogen spillover from infected bees and infected pollen.

Potential ecological footprints of active pharmaceutical ingredients: an examination of risk factors in low-, middle- and high-income countries

PubMed Central

Kookana, Rai S.; Williams, Mike; Boxall, Alistair B. A.; Larsson, D. G. Joakim; Gaw, Sally; Choi, Kyungho; Yamamoto, Hiroshi; Thatikonda, Shashidhar; Zhu, Yong-Guan; Carriquiriborde, Pedro

2014-01-01

Active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) can enter the natural environment during manufacture, use and/or disposal, and consequently public concern about their potential adverse impacts in the environment is growing. Despite the bulk of the human population living in Asia and Africa (mostly in low- or middle-income countries), limited work relating to research, development and regulations on APIs in the environment have so far been conducted in these regions. Also, the API manufacturing sector is gradually shifting to countries with lower production costs. This paper focuses mainly on APIs for human consumption and highlights key differences between the low-, middle- and high-income countries, covering factors such as population and demographics, manufacture, prescriptions, treatment, disposal and reuse of waste and wastewater. The striking differences in populations (both human and animal), urbanization, sewer connectivity and other factors have revealed that the environmental compartments receiving the bulk of API residues differ markedly between low- and high-income countries. High sewer connectivity in developed countries allows capture and treatment of the waste stream (point-source). However, in many low- or middle-income countries, sewerage connectivity is generally low and in some areas waste is collected predominantly in septic systems. Consequently, the diffuse-source impact, such as on groundwater from leaking septic systems or on land due to disposal of raw sewage or septage, may be of greater concern. A screening level assessment of potential burdens of APIs in urban and rural environments of countries representing low- and middle-income as well as high-income has been made. Implications for ecological risks of APIs used by humans in lower income countries are discussed. PMID:25405973

Determinants of quality, latency, and amount of Stack Overflow answers about recent Android APIs.

PubMed

Kavaler, David; Filkov, Vladimir

2018-01-01

Stack Overflow is a popular crowdsourced question and answer website for programming-related issues. It is an invaluable resource for software developers; on average, questions posted there get answered in minutes to an hour. Questions about well established topics, e.g., the coercion operator in C++, or the difference between canonical and class names in Java, get asked often in one form or another, and answered very quickly. On the other hand, questions on previously unseen or niche topics take a while to get a good answer. This is particularly the case with questions about current updates to or the introduction of new application programming interfaces (APIs). In a hyper-competitive online market, getting good answers to current programming questions sooner could increase the chances of an app getting released and used. So, can developers anyhow, e.g., hasten the speed to good answers to questions about new APIs? Here, we empirically study Stack Overflow questions pertaining to new Android APIs and their associated answers. We contrast the interest in these questions, their answer quality, and timeliness of their answers to questions about old APIs. We find that Stack Overflow answerers in general prioritize with respect to currentness: questions about new APIs do get more answers, but good quality answers take longer. We also find that incentives in terms of question bounties, if used appropriately, can significantly shorten the time and increase answer quality. Interestingly, no operationalization of bounty amount shows significance in our models. In practice, our findings confirm the value of bounties in enhancing expert participation. In addition, they show that the Stack Overflow style of crowdsourcing, for all its glory in providing answers about established programming knowledge, is less effective with new API questions.

Transcriptome analysis of the honey bee fungal pathogen, Ascosphaera apis: implications for host pathogenesis

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background We present a comprehensive transcriptome analysis of the fungus Ascosphaera apis, an economically important pathogen of the Western honey bee (Apis mellifera) that causes chalkbrood disease. Our goals were to further annotate the A. apis reference genome and to identify genes that are candidates for being differentially expressed during host infection versus axenic culture. Results We compared A. apis transcriptome sequence from mycelia grown on liquid or solid media with that dissected from host-infected tissue. 454 pyrosequencing provided 252 Mb of filtered sequence reads from both culture types that were assembled into 10,087 contigs. Transcript contigs, protein sequences from multiple fungal species, and ab initio gene predictions were included as evidence sources in the Maker gene prediction pipeline, resulting in 6,992 consensus gene models. A phylogeny based on 12 of these protein-coding loci further supported the taxonomic placement of Ascosphaera as sister to the core Onygenales. Several common protein domains were less abundant in A. apis compared with related ascomycete genomes, particularly cytochrome p450 and protein kinase domains. A novel gene family was identified that has expanded in some ascomycete lineages, but not others. We manually annotated genes with homologs in other fungal genomes that have known relevance to fungal virulence and life history. Functional categories of interest included genes involved in mating-type specification, intracellular signal transduction, and stress response. Computational and manual annotations have been made publicly available on the Bee Pests and Pathogens website. Conclusions This comprehensive transcriptome analysis substantially enhances our understanding of the A. apis genome and its expression during infection of honey bee larvae. It also provides resources for future molecular studies of chalkbrood disease and ultimately improved disease management. PMID:22747707

Recombinant allergen-based IgE testing to distinguish bee and wasp allergy.

PubMed

Mittermann, Irene; Zidarn, Mihaela; Silar, Mira; Markovic-Housley, Zora; Aberer, Werner; Korosec, Peter; Kosnik, Mitja; Valenta, Rudolf

2010-06-01

The identification of the disease-causing insect in venom allergy is often difficult. To establish recombinant allergen-based IgE tests to diagnose bee and yellow jacket wasp allergy. Sera from patients with bee and/or wasp allergy (n = 43) and patients with pollen allergy with false-positive IgE serology to venom extracts were tested for IgE reactivity in allergen extract-based tests or with purified allergens, including nonglycosylated Escherichia coli-expressed recombinant (r) Api m 1, rApi m 2, rVes v 5, and insect cell-expressed, glycosylated rApi m 2 as well as 2 natural plant glycoproteins (Phl p 4, bromelain). The patients with venom allergy could be diagnosed with a combination of E coli-expressed rApi m 1, rApi m 2, and rVes v 5 whereas patients with pollen allergy remained negative. For a group of 29 patients for whom the sensitizing venom could not be identified with natural allergen extracts, testing with nonglycosylated allergens allowed identification of the sensitizing venom. Recombinant nonglycosylated allergens also allowed definition of the sensitizing venom for those 14 patients who had reacted either with bee or wasp venom extracts. By IgE inhibition studies, it is shown that glycosylated Api m 2 contains carbohydrate epitopes that cross-react with natural Api m 1, Ves v 2, natural Phl p 4, and bromelain, thus identifying cross-reactive structures responsible for serologic false-positive test results or double-positivity to bee and wasp extracts. Nonglycosylated recombinant bee and wasp venom allergens allow the identification of patients with bee and wasp allergy and should facilitate accurate prescription of venom immunotherapy. Copyright (c) 2010 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

A New Perspective on Increasing Activity of Extratropical Disturbances: Spatial and Temporal Trends of Wave Activity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hsu, P. C.; Hsu, H. H.

2016-12-01

Changes in extratropical disturbance behavior could play an important role in climate dynamics and be responsible for a part of climate-related damage. However, robust observational evidence for long-term trends in the activity is still lacking, and understanding of how it is linked with climate phenomena is limited. In this study, we define an accumulated perturbation index (API) to quantify the variation in some scalar quantities of atmospheric disturbances. API measures the areas (e.g., % of total surface area of Earth) where a certain perturbation quantity exceeds the long-term mean value plus 0.5 standard deviations. This index reflects more realistically the ensemble impacts of a climate perturbation and/or trend (such as global warming and ENSO) on the extratropical disturbances, even though its impact on different regions might vary from year to year due to stochastic processes. API represents an integrated activity of extratropical disturbances at a given time relative to a long time span. API is calculated for the 5-day running mean and 10-30-day stream function fluctuations during DJF and JJA. The analysis reveals an increasing trend in API and variance of stream function, especially in the Southern Hemisphere. The findings suggest that atmospheric extratropical disturbances have strengthened in widening areas during the past six decades, even though there might not be robust trends in wave activity at regional scales. Whether the observed trends in API are associated with certain climate patterns is under investigation. Impact of global warming is likely one of the major sources for the increasing activity. The future change in API under global warming scenarios will be further studied by analyzing the projection of the CMIP5 models.

Role of the Wasp Venom Peptide Mastoparan in the Study of Mechanisms Involved in Cell Death

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-08-23

The vespid venom, unlike the honey bee ( Apis mellifera ) venom, has phospholipase B in addition to phospholipase A2 , proteases, and the peptide...Olson, F.C., D. Munjal, and A.N. Malviya. 1974. structural and respiratory effects of melittin ( apis mellifera ) on rat liver mitochondria. Toxicon...M.D. and A.R. Bridges. 1982. Catechclamines in honey bee ( Apis mellifera ) and various vespid (hymenoptera) venoms. Toxicon 20: 1075-1084. Reinert, M

Characterization of an Enantioselective Odorant Receptor in the Yellow Fever Mosquito Aedes aegypti

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-09-15

between insect pheromone receptors expressed in Xenopus oocytes and their cognate pheromone ligands [24,43]. The honey bee Apis mellifera OR11 (AmOR11...136–142. 12. Laska M, Galizia CG (2001) Enantioselectivity of odor perception in honeybees ( Apis mellifera carnica). Behav Neurosci 115: 632–639. 13...Culex quinquefasciatus. Insect Biochem Mol Biol 36: 169–176. 23. Robertson HM, Wanner KW (2006) The chemoreceptor superfamily in the honey bee, Apis

Migrating Department of Defense (DoD) Web Service Based Applications to Mobile Computing Platforms

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-03-01

World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Geolocation API to identify the device’s location and then center the map on the device. Finally, we modify the entry...THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK xii List of Acronyms and Abbreviations API Application Programming Interface CSS Cascading Style Sheets CLIMO...Java API for XML Web Services Reference Implementation JS JavaScript JSNI JavaScript Native Interface METOC Meteorological and Oceanographic MAA Mobile

ANTP Protocol Suite Software Implementation Architecture in Python

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-06-03

a popular platform of networking programming, an area in which C has traditionally dominated. 2 NetController AeroRP AeroNP AeroNP API AeroTP...visualisation of the running system. For example using the Google Maps API , the main logging web page can show all the running nodes in the system. By...communication between AeroNP and AeroRP and runs on the operating system as daemon. Furthermore, it creates an API interface to mange the communication between

Risks associated with the environmental release of pharmaceuticals on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration "flush list".

PubMed

Khan, Usman; Bloom, Raanan A; Nicell, James A; Laurenson, James P

2017-12-31

A select few prescription drugs can be especially harmful and, in some cases, fatal with just one dose when not used as prescribed. Therefore, the U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends that expired, unwanted, or otherwise unused portions of most of these drugs be disposed of quickly through a take-back program. If such an option is not readily available, FDA recommends that they be flushed down the sink or toilet. The goal of the current investigation was to evaluate the ecological and human-health risks associated with the environmental release of the 15 active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) currently on the FDA "flush list". The evaluation suggests that even when highly conservative assumptions are used-including that the entire API mass supplied for clinical use is flushed, all relevant sources in addition to clinical use of the API are considered, and no metabolic loss, environmental degradation, or dilution of wastewater effluents are used in estimating environmental concentrations-most of these APIs present a negligible eco-toxicological risk, both as individual compounds and as a mixture. For a few of these APIs, additional eco-toxicological data will need to be developed. Using similar conservative assumptions for human-health risks, all 15 APIs present negligible risk through ingestion of water and fish. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Quality investigation of hydroxyprogesterone caproate active pharmaceutical ingredient and injection

PubMed Central

Chollet, John L.; Jozwiakowski, Michael J.

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the quality of hydroxyprogesterone caproate (HPC) active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) sources that may be used by compounding pharmacies, compared to the FDA-approved source of the API; and to investigate the quality of HPC injection samples obtained from compounding pharmacies in the US, compared to the FDA-approved product (Makena®). Samples of API were obtained from every source confirmed to be an original manufacturer of the drug for human use, which were all companies in China that were not registered with FDA. Eight of the ten API samples (80%) did not meet the impurity specifications required by FDA for the API used in the approved product. One API sample was found to not be HPC at all; additional laboratory testing showed that it was glucose. Thirty samples of HPC injection obtained from com pounding pharmacies throughout the US were also tested, and eight of these samples (27%) failed to meet the potency requirement listed in the USP monograph for HPC injection and/or the HPLC assay. Sixteen of the thirty injection samples (53%) exceeded the impurity limit setforthe FDA-approved drug product. These results confirm the inconsistency of compounded HPC Injections and suggest that the risk-benefit ratio of using an unapproved compounded preparation, when an FDA-approved drug product is available, is not favorable. PMID:22329865

Using Map Service API for Driving Cycle Detection for Wearable GPS Data: Preprint

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

Zhu, Lei; Gonder, Jeffrey D

Following advancements in smartphone and portable global positioning system (GPS) data collection, wearable GPS data have realized extensive use in transportation surveys and studies. The task of detecting driving cycles (driving or car-mode trajectory segments) from wearable GPS data has been the subject of much research. Specifically, distinguishing driving cycles from other motorized trips (such as taking a bus) is the main research problem in this paper. Many mode detection methods only focus on raw GPS speed data while some studies apply additional information, such as geographic information system (GIS) data, to obtain better detection performance. Procuring and maintaining dedicatedmore » road GIS data are costly and not trivial, whereas the technical maturity and broad use of map service application program interface (API) queries offers opportunities for mode detection tasks. The proposed driving cycle detection method takes advantage of map service APIs to obtain high-quality car-mode API route information and uses a trajectory segmentation algorithm to find the best-matched API route. The car-mode API route data combined with the actual route information, including the actual mode information, are used to train a logistic regression machine learning model, which estimates car modes and non-car modes with probability rates. The experimental results show promise for the proposed method's ability to detect vehicle mode accurately.« less

Evolution of a mini-scale biphasic dissolution model: Impact of model parameters on partitioning of dissolved API and modelling of in vivo-relevant kinetics.

PubMed

Locher, Kathrin; Borghardt, Jens M; Frank, Kerstin J; Kloft, Charlotte; Wagner, Karl G

2016-08-01

Biphasic dissolution models are proposed to have good predictive power for the in vivo absorption. The aim of this study was to improve our previously introduced mini-scale dissolution model to mimic in vivo situations more realistically and to increase the robustness of the experimental model. Six dissolved APIs (BCS II) were tested applying the improved mini-scale biphasic dissolution model (miBIdi-pH-II). The influence of experimental model parameters including various excipients, API concentrations, dual paddle and its rotation speed was investigated. The kinetics in the biphasic model was described applying a one- and four-compartment pharmacokinetic (PK) model. The improved biphasic dissolution model was robust related to differing APIs and excipient concentrations. The dual paddle guaranteed homogenous mixing in both phases; the optimal rotation speed was 25 and 75rpm for the aqueous and the octanol phase, respectively. A one-compartment PK model adequately characterised the data of fully dissolved APIs. A four-compartment PK model best quantified dissolution, precipitation, and partitioning also of undissolved amounts due to realistic pH profiles. The improved dissolution model is a powerful tool for investigating the interplay between dissolution, precipitation and partitioning of various poorly soluble APIs (BCS II). In vivo-relevant PK parameters could be estimated applying respective PK models. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

On the role of API in determining porosity, pore structure and bulk modulus of the skeletal material in pharmaceutical tablets formed with MCC as sole excipient.

PubMed

Ridgway, Cathy; Bawuah, Prince; Markl, Daniel; Zeitler, J Axel; Ketolainen, Jarkko; Peiponen, Kai-Erik; Gane, Patrick

2017-06-30

The physical properties and mechanical integrity of pharmaceutical tablets are of major importance when loading with active pharmaceutical ingredient(s) (API) in order to ensure ease of processing, control of dosage and stability during transportation and handling prior to patient consumption. The interaction between API and excipient, acting as functional extender and binder, however, is little understood in this context. The API indomethacin is combined in this study with microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) at increasing loading levels. Tablets from the defined API/MCC ratios are made under conditions of controlled porosity and tablet thickness, resulting from different compression conditions, and thus compaction levels. Mercury intrusion porosimetry is used to establish the accessible pore volume, pore size distribution and, adopting the observed region of elastic intrusion-extrusion at high pressure, an elastic bulk modulus of the skeletal material is recorded. Porosity values are compared to previously published values derived from terahertz (THz) refractive index data obtained from exactly the same tablet sample sets. It is shown that the elastic bulk modulus is dependent on API wt% loading under constant tablet preparation conditions delivering equal dimensions and porosity. The findings are considered of novel value in respect to establishing consistency of tablet production and optimisation of physical properties. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Classification of the crystallization behavior of amorphous active pharmaceutical ingredients in aqueous environments.

PubMed

Van Eerdenbrugh, Bernard; Raina, Shweta; Hsieh, Yi-Ling; Augustijns, Patrick; Taylor, Lynne S

2014-04-01

To classify the crystallization behavior of amorphous active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) exposed to aqueous environments. A set of approximately 50 chemically and physically diverse active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) was selected for this study. Two experimental setups were employed to characterize the crystallization behavior of the amorphous API in an aqueous environment. For the first approach, precipitation, as evidenced by the development of turbidity, was induced using the solvent shift method, by mixing concentrated API solutions in DMSO with an aqueous buffer in a capillary. Subsequently, crystallization was monitored in situ over time using synchrotron radiation (simultaneous SAXS/WAXS beamline 12-ID-B at the Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratories, Argonne, IL). In the second approach, amorphous films were prepared by melt quenching; after adding buffer, crystallization was monitored with time using polarized light microscopy. In general, the crystallization behavior of a given compound was similar irrespective of the experimental method employed. However, the crystallization behavior among different compounds varied significantly, ranging from immediate and complete crystallization to no observable crystallization over biorelevant time scales. Comparison of the observed behavior with previous studies of crystallization tendency in non-aqueous environments revealed that the crystallization tendency of individual APIs was somewhat similar regardless of the crystallization environment. API properties, rather than the method by which amorphous materials are generated, tend to dictate crystallization behavior in aqueous media.

Expansion of Genes Encoding piRNA-Associated Argonaute Proteins in the Pea Aphid: Diversification of Expression Profiles in Different Plastic Morphs

PubMed Central

Lu, Hsiao-ling; Tanguy, Sylvie; Rispe, Claude; Gauthier, Jean-Pierre; Walsh, Tom; Gordon, Karl; Edwards, Owain; Tagu, Denis; Chang, Chun-che; Jaubert-Possamai, Stéphanie

2011-01-01

Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) are known to regulate transposon activity in germ cells of several animal models that propagate sexually. However, the role of piRNAs during asexual reproduction remains almost unknown. Aphids that can alternate sexual and asexual reproduction cycles in response to seasonal changes of photoperiod provide a unique opportunity to study piRNAs and the piRNA pathway in both reproductive modes. Taking advantage of the recently sequenced genome of the pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum, we found an unusually large lineage-specific expansion of genes encoding the Piwi sub-clade of Argonaute proteins. In situ hybridisation showed differential expressions between the duplicated piwi copies: while Api-piwi2 and Api-piwi6 are “specialised” in germ cells their most closely related copy, respectively Api-piwi5 and Api-piwi3, are expressed in the somatic cells. The differential expression was also identified in duplicated ago3: Api-ago3a in germ cells and Api-ago3b in somatic cells. Moreover, analyses of expression profiles of the expanded piwi and ago3 genes by semi-quantitative RT-PCR showed that expressions varied according to the reproductive types. These specific expression patterns suggest that expanded aphid piwi and ago3 genes have distinct roles in asexual and sexual reproduction. PMID:22162754

Evaluation of National Adaptation Planning: A Case Study in Indonesia

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

Kawanishi, Masato; Ridwan, Nadia Amelia

2016-01-01

The present study aims to evaluate national adaptation planning, using the National Action Plan for Climate Change Adaptation (RAN-API) in Indonesia as a case. In doing so, the current study applies the methodology used in Preston et al. (2011), where a set of 57 adaptation plans from three developed countries was evaluated against 19 planning processes. The same criteria and scoring system were applied to the current study to evaluate RAN-API, both as identified in its document and as viewed by the stakeholders. A desktop review and questionnaires were undertaken to this end. It was found that discrepancies exist betweenmore » the status of RAN-API as documented and the stakeholders views of some criteria, suggesting that information or knowledge gaps may still exist despite the efforts made for stakeholder engagement. In some of the other criteria, the stakeholders views match the status as identified in the document. Most notably, they both agree that the weakness of RAN-API is related to limited consideration for non-climatic factors. While the development of RAN-API is a critical step taken in the country, the current study finds that there remains room for further improvement. The criteria or indicators to be used to assess the progress of RAN-API as a whole may need to be further elaborated.« less

Interspecific utilisation of wax in comb building by honeybees

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hepburn, H. Randall; Radloff, Sarah E.; Duangphakdee, Orawan; Phaincharoen, Mananya

2009-06-01

Beeswaxes of honeybee species share some homologous neutral lipids; but species-specific differences remain. We analysed behavioural variation for wax choice in honeybees, calculated the Euclidean distances for different beeswaxes and assessed the relationship of Euclidean distances to wax choice. We tested the beeswaxes of Apis mellifera capensis, Apis florea, Apis cerana and Apis dorsata and the plant and mineral waxes Japan, candelilla, bayberry and ozokerite as sheets placed in colonies of A. m. capensis, A. florea and A. cerana. A. m. capensis accepted the four beeswaxes but removed Japan and bayberry wax and ignored candelilla and ozokerite. A. cerana colonies accepted the wax of A. cerana, A. florea and A. dorsata but rejected or ignored that of A. m. capensis, the plant and mineral waxes. A. florea colonies accepted A. cerana, A. dorsata and A. florea wax but rejected that of A. m. capensis. The Euclidean distances for the beeswaxes are consistent with currently prevailing phylogenies for Apis. Despite post-speciation chemical differences in the beeswaxes, they remain largely acceptable interspecifically while the plant and mineral waxes are not chemically close enough to beeswax for their acceptance.

Visualizing the geography of genetic variants.

PubMed

Marcus, Joseph H; Novembre, John

2017-02-15

One of the key characteristics of any genetic variant is its geographic distribution. The geographic distribution can shed light on where an allele first arose, what populations it has spread to, and in turn on how migration, genetic drift, and natural selection have acted. The geographic distribution of a genetic variant can also be of great utility for medical/clinical geneticists and collectively many genetic variants can reveal population structure. Here we develop an interactive visualization tool for rapidly displaying the geographic distribution of genetic variants. Through a REST API and dynamic front-end, the Geography of Genetic Variants (GGV) browser ( http://popgen.uchicago.edu/ggv/ ) provides maps of allele frequencies in populations distributed across the globe. GGV is implemented as a website ( http://popgen.uchicago.edu/ggv/ ) which employs an API to access frequency data ( http://popgen.uchicago.edu/freq_api/ ). Python and javascript source code for the website and the API are available at: http://github.com/NovembreLab/ggv/ and http://github.com/NovembreLab/ggv-api/ . jnovembre@uchicago.edu. Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press.

Differences in the API 20E biochemical patterns of clinical and environmental Vibrio parahaemolyticus isolates.

PubMed

Martinez-Urtaza, Jaime; Lozano-Leon, Antonio; Viña-Feas, Alejandro; de Novoa, Jacobo; Garcia-Martin, Oscar

2006-02-01

Genetic differences in clinical and environmental strains of Vibrio parahaemolyticus have been widely used as criteria in identifying pathogenic isolates. However, few studies have been carried out to assess the differences in biochemical characteristics of V. parahaemolyticus isolates from human and environmental sources. We compared the biochemical profiles obtained by the characterization of V. parahaemolyticus isolates from human infections and the marine environment using the API 20E system. Environmental and clinical isolates showed significant differences in the gelatin and arabinose tests. Additionally, clinical isolates were correctly identified according to the API 20E profile using 0.85% NaCl diluent, but they presented nonspecific profiles with 2% NaCl diluent. In contrast, use of 2% NaCl diluent facilitated correct identification of the environmental isolates. Clinical isolates showed significant differences in up to five biochemical tests with respect to the API 20E database. The API 20E system is widely used in routine identification of bacteria in clinical laboratories, and this discrepancy in an important number of biochemical tests may lead to misidentification of V. parahaemolyticus infection.

A theoretical analysis of deformation behavior of auxetic plied yarn structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeng, Jifang; Hu, Hong

2018-07-01

This paper presents a theoretical analysis of the auxetic plied yarn (APY) structure formed with two types of single yarns having different diameter and modulus. A model which can be used to predict its deformation behavior under axial extension is developed based on the theoretical analysis. The developed model is first compared with the experimental data obtained in the previous study, and then used to predict the effects of different structural and material parameters on the auxetic behavior of the APY. The calculation results show that the developed model can correctly predict the variation trend of the auxetic behavior of the APY, which first increases and then decrease with the increase of the axial strain. The calculation results also indicate that the auxetic behavior of the APY simultaneously depends on the diameter ratio of the soft yarn and stiff yarn as well as the ratio between the pitch length and stiff yarn diameter. The study provides a way to design and fabricate APYs with the same auxetic behavior by using different soft and stiff yarns as long as these two ratios are kept unchanged.

Validation of the Abdominal Pain Index Using a Revised Scoring Method

PubMed Central

Sherman, Amanda L.; Smith, Craig A.; Walker, Lynn S.

2015-01-01

Objective Evaluate the psychometric properties of child- and parent-report versions of the four-item Abdominal Pain Index (API) in children with functional abdominal pain (FAP) and healthy controls, using a revised scoring method that facilitates comparisons of scores across samples and time. Methods Pediatric patients aged 8–18 years with FAP and controls completed the API at baseline (N = 1,967); a subset of their parents (N = 290) completed the API regarding the child’s pain. Subsets of patients completed follow-up assessments at 2 weeks (N = 231), 3 months (N = 330), and 6 months (N = 107). Subsets of both patients (N = 389) and healthy controls (N = 172) completed a long-term follow-up assessment (mean age at follow-up = 20.21 years, SD = 3.75). Results The API demonstrated good concurrent, discriminant, and construct validity, as well as good internal consistency. Conclusion We conclude that the API, using the revised scoring method, is a useful, reliable, and valid measure of abdominal pain severity. PMID:25617048

Identification of clinical yeasts by Vitek MS system compared with API ID 32 C.

PubMed

Durán-Valle, M Teresa; Sanz-Rodríguez, Nuria; Muñoz-Paraíso, Carmen; Almagro-Moltó, María; Gómez-Garcés, José Luis

2014-05-01

We performed a clinical evaluation of the Vitek MS matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) system with the commercial database version 2.0 for rapid identification of medically important yeasts as compared with the conventional phenotypic method API ID 32 C. We tested 161 clinical isolates, nine isolates from culture collections and five reference strains. In case of discrepant results or no identification with one or both methods, molecular identification techniques were employed. Concordance between both methods was observed with 160/175 isolates (91.42%) and misidentifications by both systems occurred only when taxa were not included in the respective databases, i.e., one isolate of Candida etchellsii was identified as C. globosa by Vitek MS and two isolates of C. orthopsilosis were identified as C. parapsilosis by API ID 32 C. Vitek MS could not identify nine strains (5.14%) and API ID 32 C did not identify 13 (7.42%). Vitek MS was more reliable than API ID 32 C and reduced the time required for the identification of clinical isolates to only a few minutes.

PrismTech Data Distribution Service Java API Evaluation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Riggs, Cortney

2008-01-01

My internship duties with Launch Control Systems required me to start performance testing of an Object Management Group's (OMG) Data Distribution Service (DDS) specification implementation by PrismTech Limited through the Java programming language application programming interface (API). DDS is a networking middleware for Real-Time Data Distribution. The performance testing involves latency, redundant publishers, extended duration, redundant failover, and read performance. Time constraints allowed only for a data throughput test. I have designed the testing applications to perform all performance tests when time is allowed. Performance evaluation data such as megabits per second and central processing unit (CPU) time consumption were not easily attainable through the Java programming language; they required new methods and classes created in the test applications. Evaluation of this product showed the rate that data can be sent across the network. Performance rates are better on Linux platforms than AIX and Sun platforms. Compared to previous C++ programming language API, the performance evaluation also shows the language differences for the implementation. The Java API of the DDS has a lower throughput performance than the C++ API.

Petroleum geology of Cretaceous-Tertiary rift basins in Niger, Chad, and Central African Republic

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

Genik, G.J.

1993-08-01

This overview of the petroleum geology of rift basins in Niger, Chad, and Central African Republic (CAR) is based on exploration work by Exxon and partners in the years 1969-1991. The work included 50,000 km of modern reflection seismic, 53 exploration wells, 1,000,000 km[sup 2] of aeromagnetic coverage, and about 10,500 km of gravity profiles. The results outline ten Cretaceous and Tertiary rift basins, which constitute a major part of the West and Central African rift system (WCARS). The rift basins derive from a multiphased geologic history dating from the Pan-African (approximately 750-550 Ma) to the Holocene. WCARS in themore » study area is divided into the West African rift subsystem (WAS) and the Central African rift subsystem (WAS) and the Central African rift subsystem (CAS). WAS basins in Niger and Chad are chiefly extensional, and are filled by up to 13,000 m of Lower Cretaceous to Holocene continental and marine clastics. The basins contain five oil (19-43[degrees]API) and two oil and gas accumulations in Upper Cretaceous and Eocene sandstone reservoirs. The hydrocarbons are sourced and sealed by Upper Cretaceous and Eocene marine and lacustrine shales. The most common structural styles and hydrocarbon traps usually are associated with normal fault blocks. CAS rift basins in Chad and CAR are extensional and transtensional, and are filled by up to 7500 m of chiefly Lower Cretaceous continental clastics. The basins contain eight oil (15-39[degrees]API) and one oil and gas discovery in Lower and Upper Cretaceous sandstone reservoirs. The hydrocarbons are sourced by Lower Cretaceous shales and sealed by interbedded lacustrine and flood-plain shales. Structural styles range from simple fault blocks through complex flower structures. The main hydrocarbon traps are in contractional anticlines. Geological conditions favor the discovery of potentially commercial volumes of oil in WCARS basins, of Niger, Chad and CAR. 108 refs., 24 figs., 4 tabs.« less

Evidence for Ventilation through Collective Respiratory Movements in Giant Honeybee (Apis dorsata) Nests

PubMed Central

Kastberger, Gerald; Waddoup, Dominique; Weihmann, Frank; Hoetzl, Thomas

2016-01-01

The Asian giant honeybees (Apis dorsata) build single-comb nests in the open, which makes this species particularly susceptible to environmental strains. Long-term infrared (IR) records documented cool nest regions (CNR) at the bee curtain (nCNR = 207, nnests > 20) distinguished by marked negative gradients (ΔTCNR/d < -3°C / 5 cm) at their margins. CNRs develop and recede within minutes, predominantly at higher ambient temperatures in the early afternoon. The differential size (ΔACNR) and temperature (ΔTCNR) values per time unit correlated mostly positively (RAT > 0) displaying the Venturi effect, which evidences funnel properties of CNRs. The air flows inwards through CNRs, which is verified by the negative spatial gradient ΔTCNR/d, by the positive grading of TCNR with Tamb and lastly by fanners which have directed their abdomens towards CNRs. Rare cases of RAT < 0 (< 3%) document closing processes (for ΔACNR/Δt < -0.4 cm2/s) but also suggest ventilation of the bee curtain (for ΔACNR/Δt > +0.4 cm2/s) displaying “inhalation” and “exhalation” cycling. “Inhalation” could be boosted by bees at the inner curtain layers, which stretch their extremities against the comb enlarging the inner nest lumen and thus causing a pressure fall which drives ambient air inwards through CNR funnels. The relaxing of the formerly “activated” bees could then trigger the “exhalation” process, which brings the bee curtain, passively by gravity, close to the comb again. That way, warm, CO2-enriched nest-borne air is pressed outwards through the leaking mesh of the bee curtain. This ventilation hypothesis is supported by IR imaging and laser vibrometry depicting CNRs in at least four aspects as low-resistance convection funnels for maintaining thermoregulation and restoring fresh air in the nest. PMID:27487188

Chemistry and origin of Miocene and Eocene oils and tars in the onshore and offshore Santa Cruz Basins, California

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

Kornacki, A.S.; McNeil, R.I.

1996-12-31

The Santa Cruz (La Honda) Basin is a small {open_quote}slice{close_quote} of the San Joaquin Basin that has been displaced c. 300 km to the northwest by the San Andreas Fault. The poorly-explored offshore area that now lies within the Monterey Bay NMS includes portions of the Outer Santa Cruz and Bodega basins. A modest amount (c. 1.3 MM bbl) of variable-quality oil has been produced from Eocene and Pliocene pay zones in the La Honda Field. Much smaller amounts of light oil ({ge}40{degrees} API) have been produced from three other fields (Oil Creek; Moody Gulch; Half Moon Bay). Large tarmore » deposits also outcrop near the city of Santa Cruz. Proven source rocks in this basin include the Eocene Twobar Shale and three Miocene units: the Lambert Shale, Monterey Formation, and the Santa Cruz Mudstone. A high-gravity oil sample from the Oil Creek Field contains isotopically-light carbon ({delta}{sup 13}C = - 28.2 per mil) and has a relatively high pristane/phytane ratio. This oil was generated at high temperature (c. 140{degrees}C) by pre-Miocene source rocks (probably the Twobar Shale). The presence of isotopically-heavy carbon in all other oil and tar samples demonstrates they were generated by Miocene source rocks. But the C{sub 7} oil-generation temperatures, sulfur content, vanadium/nickel ratios, and biomarker chemistry of these Miocene oils are significantly different than in Monterey oils from the prolific Santa Maria Basin (SMB). The sulfur content (8.0 wt%) and V-Ni chemistry of tarry petroleum recovered in the P-036-1 well (Outer Santa Cruz Basin) resembles the chemistry of very heavy (<15{degrees}API) oils generated by phosphatic Monterey shales in the SMB.« less

Chemistry and origin of Miocene and Eocene oils and tars in the onshore and offshore Santa Cruz Basins, California

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

Kornacki, A.S.; McNeil, R.I.

1996-01-01

The Santa Cruz (La Honda) Basin is a small [open quote]slice[close quote] of the San Joaquin Basin that has been displaced c. 300 km to the northwest by the San Andreas Fault. The poorly-explored offshore area that now lies within the Monterey Bay NMS includes portions of the Outer Santa Cruz and Bodega basins. A modest amount (c. 1.3 MM bbl) of variable-quality oil has been produced from Eocene and Pliocene pay zones in the La Honda Field. Much smaller amounts of light oil ([ge]40[degrees] API) have been produced from three other fields (Oil Creek; Moody Gulch; Half Moon Bay).more » Large tar deposits also outcrop near the city of Santa Cruz. Proven source rocks in this basin include the Eocene Twobar Shale and three Miocene units: the Lambert Shale, Monterey Formation, and the Santa Cruz Mudstone. A high-gravity oil sample from the Oil Creek Field contains isotopically-light carbon ([delta][sup 13]C = - 28.2 per mil) and has a relatively high pristane/phytane ratio. This oil was generated at high temperature (c. 140[degrees]C) by pre-Miocene source rocks (probably the Twobar Shale). The presence of isotopically-heavy carbon in all other oil and tar samples demonstrates they were generated by Miocene source rocks. But the C[sub 7] oil-generation temperatures, sulfur content, vanadium/nickel ratios, and biomarker chemistry of these Miocene oils are significantly different than in Monterey oils from the prolific Santa Maria Basin (SMB). The sulfur content (8.0 wt%) and V-Ni chemistry of tarry petroleum recovered in the P-036-1 well (Outer Santa Cruz Basin) resembles the chemistry of very heavy (<15[degrees]API) oils generated by phosphatic Monterey shales in the SMB.« less

Reactome Pengine: A web-logic API to the homo sapiens reactome.

PubMed

Neaves, Samuel R; Tsoka, Sophia; Millard, Louise A C

2018-03-30

Existing ways of accessing data from the Reactome database are limited. Either a researcher is restricted to particular queries defined by a web application programming interface (API), or they have to download the whole database. Reactome Pengine is a web service providing a logic programming based API to the human reactome. This gives researchers greater flexibility in data access than existing APIs, as users can send their own small programs (alongside queries) to Reactome Pengine. The server and an example notebook can be found at https://apps.nms.kcl.ac.uk/reactome-pengine. Source code is available at https://github.com/samwalrus/reactome-pengine and a Docker image is available at https://hub.docker.com/r/samneaves/rp4/ . samuel.neaves@kcl.ac.uk. Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

Sensitivity Analysis of Fatigue Crack Growth Model for API Steels in Gaseous Hydrogen.

PubMed

Amaro, Robert L; Rustagi, Neha; Drexler, Elizabeth S; Slifka, Andrew J

2014-01-01

A model to predict fatigue crack growth of API pipeline steels in high pressure gaseous hydrogen has been developed and is presented elsewhere. The model currently has several parameters that must be calibrated for each pipeline steel of interest. This work provides a sensitivity analysis of the model parameters in order to provide (a) insight to the underlying mathematical and mechanistic aspects of the model, and (b) guidance for model calibration of other API steels.

33 CFR 127.003 - Incorporation by reference.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... Requirements, Combustible Gas Detectors, 1986 127.1203 American Petroleum Institute (API) 1220 L Street NW., Washington, DC 20005: API RP 2003, Protection Against Ignitions Arising Out of Static, Lightning and Stray...

33 CFR 127.003 - Incorporation by reference.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... Requirements, Combustible Gas Detectors, 1986 127.1203 American Petroleum Institute (API) 1220 L Street NW., Washington, DC 20005: API RP 2003, Protection Against Ignitions Arising Out of Static, Lightning and Stray...

33 CFR 127.003 - Incorporation by reference.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... Requirements, Combustible Gas Detectors, 1986 127.1203 American Petroleum Institute (API) 1220 L Street NW., Washington, DC 20005: API RP 2003, Protection Against Ignitions Arising Out of Static, Lightning and Stray...

33 CFR 127.003 - Incorporation by reference.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... Requirements, Combustible Gas Detectors, 1986 127.1203 American Petroleum Institute (API) 1220 L Street NW., Washington, DC 20005: API RP 2003, Protection Against Ignitions Arising Out of Static, Lightning and Stray...

Antibacterial activity of Lactobacillus acidophilus strains isolated from honey marketed in Malaysia against selected multiple antibiotic resistant (MAR) Gram-positive bacteria.

PubMed

Aween, Mohamed Mustafa; Hassan, Zaiton; Muhialdin, Belal J; Eljamel, Yossra A; Al-Mabrok, Asma Saleh W; Lani, Mohd Nizam

2012-07-01

A total of 32 lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were isolated from 13 honey samples commercially marketed in Malaysia, 6 strains identified as Lactobacillus acidophilus by API CHL50. The isolates had antibacterial activities against multiple antibiotic resistant's Staphylococcus aureus (25 to 32 mm), Staphylococcus epidermis (14 to 22 mm) and Bacillus subtilis (12 to 19 mm) in the agar overlay method after 24 h incubation at 30 °C. The crude supernatant was heat stable at 90 °C and 121 °C for 1 h. Treatment with proteinase K and RNase II maintained the antimicrobial activity of all the supernatants except sample H006-A and H010-G. All the supernatants showed antimicrobial activities against target bacteria at pH 3 and pH 5 but not at pH 6 within 72 h incubation at 30 °C. S. aureus was not inhibited by sample H006-A isolated from Libyan honey and sample H008-D isolated from Malaysian honey at pH 5, compared to supernatants from other L. acidophilus isolates. The presence of different strains of L. acidophilus in honey obtained from different sources may contribute to the differences in the antimicrobial properties of honey. © 2012 Institute of Food Technologists®

Uncovering the immune responses of Apis mellifera ligustica larval gut to Ascosphaera apis infection utilizing transcriptome sequencing.

PubMed

Chen, Dafu; Guo, Rui; Xu, Xijian; Xiong, Cuiling; Liang, Qin; Zheng, Yanzhen; Luo, Qun; Zhang, Zhaonan; Huang, Zhijian; Kumar, Dhiraj; Xi, Weijun; Zou, Xuan; Liu, Min

2017-07-20

Honeybees are susceptible to a variety of diseases, including chalkbrood, which is capable of causing huge losses of both the number of bees and colony productivity. This research is designed to characterize the transcriptome profiles of Ascosphaera apis-treated and un-treated larval guts of Apis mellifera ligustica in an attempt to unravel the molecular mechanism underlying the immune responses of western honeybee larval guts to mycosis. In this study, 24, 296 and 2157 genes were observed to be differentially expressed in A. apis-treated Apis mellifera (4-, 5- and 6-day-old) compared with un-treated larval guts. Moreover, the expression patterns of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were examined via trend analysis, and subsequently, gene ontology analysis and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis were conducted for DEGs involved in up- and down-regulated profiles. Immunity-related pathways were selected for further analysis, and our results demonstrated that a total of 13 and 50 DEGs were annotated in the humoral immune-related and cellular immune-related pathways, respectively. Additionally, we observed that many DEGs up-regulated in treated guts were part of cellular immune pathways, such as the lysosome, ubiquitin mediated proteolysis, and insect hormone biosynthesis pathways and were induced by A. apis invasion. However, more down-regulated DEGs were restrained. Surprisingly, a majority of DEGs within the Toll-like receptor signaling pathway, and the MAPK signaling pathway were up-regulated in treated guts, while all but two genes involved in the NF-κB signaling pathway were down-regulated, which suggested that most genes involved in humoral immune-related pathways were activated in response to the invasive fungal pathogen. This study's findings provide valuable information regarding the investigation of the molecular mechanism of immunity defenses of A. m. ligustica larval guts to infection with A. apis. Furthermore, these studies lay the groundwork for future researches on key genes controlling the susceptibility of A. m. ligustica larvae to chalkbrood. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Development and validation of an in-line NIR spectroscopic method for continuous blend potency determination in the feed frame of a tablet press.

PubMed

De Leersnyder, Fien; Peeters, Elisabeth; Djalabi, Hasna; Vanhoorne, Valérie; Van Snick, Bernd; Hong, Ke; Hammond, Stephen; Liu, Angela Yang; Ziemons, Eric; Vervaet, Chris; De Beer, Thomas

2018-03-20

A calibration model for in-line API quantification based on near infrared (NIR) spectra collection during tableting in the tablet press feed frame was developed and validated. First, the measurement set-up was optimised and the effect of filling degree of the feed frame on the NIR spectra was investigated. Secondly, a predictive API quantification model was developed and validated by calculating the accuracy profile based on the analysis results of validation experiments. Furthermore, based on the data of the accuracy profile, the measurement uncertainty was determined. Finally, the robustness of the API quantification model was evaluated. An NIR probe (SentroPAT FO) was implemented into the feed frame of a rotary tablet press (Modul™ P) to monitor physical mixtures of a model API (sodium saccharine) and excipients with two different API target concentrations: 5 and 20% (w/w). Cutting notches into the paddle wheel fingers did avoid disturbances of the NIR signal caused by the rotating paddle wheel fingers and hence allowed better and more complete feed frame monitoring. The effect of the design of the notched paddle wheel fingers was also investigated and elucidated that straight paddle wheel fingers did cause less variation in NIR signal compared to curved paddle wheel fingers. The filling degree of the feed frame was reflected in the raw NIR spectra. Several different calibration models for the prediction of the API content were developed, based on the use of single spectra or averaged spectra, and using partial least squares (PLS) regression or ratio models. These predictive models were then evaluated and validated by processing physical mixtures with different API concentrations not used in the calibration models (validation set). The β-expectation tolerance intervals were calculated for each model and for each of the validated API concentration levels (β was set at 95%). PLS models showed the best predictive performance. For each examined saccharine concentration range (i.e., between 4.5 and 6.5% and between 15 and 25%), at least 95% of future measurements will not deviate more than 15% from the true value. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

On-line near infrared spectroscopy as a Process Analytical Technology (PAT) tool to control an industrial seeded API crystallization.

PubMed

Schaefer, C; Lecomte, C; Clicq, D; Merschaert, A; Norrant, E; Fotiadu, F

2013-09-01

The final step of an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) manufacturing synthesis process consists of a crystallization during which the API and residual solvent contents have to be quantified precisely in order to reach a predefined seeding point. A feasibility study was conducted to demonstrate the suitability of on-line NIR spectroscopy to control this step in line with new version of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) guideline [1]. A quantitative method was developed at laboratory scale using statistical design of experiments (DOE) and multivariate data analysis such as principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares (PLS) regression. NIR models were built to quantify the API in the range of 9-12% (w/w) and to quantify the residual methanol in the range of 0-3% (w/w). To improve the predictive ability of the models, the development procedure encompassed: outliers elimination, optimum model rank definition, spectral range and spectral pre-treatment selection. Conventional criteria such as, number of PLS factors, R(2), root mean square errors of calibration, cross-validation and prediction (RMSEC, RMSECV, RMSEP) enabled the selection of three model candidates. These models were tested in the industrial pilot plant during three technical campaigns. Results of the most suitable models were evaluated against to the chromatographic reference methods. Maximum relative bias of 2.88% was obtained about API target content. Absolute bias of 0.01 and 0.02% (w/w) respectively were achieved at methanol content levels of 0.10 and 0.13% (w/w). The repeatability was assessed as sufficient for the on-line monitoring of the 2 analytes. The present feasibility study confirmed the possibility to use on-line NIR spectroscopy as a PAT tool to monitor in real-time both the API and the residual methanol contents, in order to control the seeding of an API crystallization at industrial scale. Furthermore, the successful scale-up of the method proved its capability to be implemented in the manufacturing plant with the launch of the new API process. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Apigenin: Selective CK2 inhibitor increases Ikaros expression and improves T cell homeostasis and function in murine pancreatic cancer

PubMed Central

Nelson, Nadine; Szekeres, Karoly; Iclozan, Cristina; Rivera, Ivannie Ortiz; McGill, Andrew; Johnson, Gbemisola; Nwogu, Onyekachi

2017-01-01

Pancreatic cancer (PC) evades immune destruction by favoring the development of regulatory T cells (Tregs) that inhibit effector T cells. The transcription factor Ikaros is critical for lymphocyte development, especially T cells. We have previously shown that downregulation of Ikaros occurs as a result of its protein degradation by the ubiquitin-proteasome system in our Panc02 tumor-bearing (TB) mouse model. Mechanistically, we observed a deregulation in the balance between Casein Kinase II (CK2) and protein phosphatase 1 (PP1), which suggested that increased CK2 activity is responsible for regulating Ikaros’ stability in our model. We also showed that this loss of Ikaros expression is associated with a significant decrease in CD4+ and CD8+ T cell percentages but increased CD4+CD25+ Tregs in TB mice. In this study, we evaluated the effects of the dietary flavonoid apigenin (API), on Ikaros expression and T cell immune responses. Treatment of splenocytes from naïve mice with (API) stabilized Ikaros expression and prevented Ikaros downregulation in the presence of murine Panc02 cells in vitro, similar to the proteasome inhibitor MG132. In vivo treatment of TB mice with apigenin (TB-API) improved survival, reduced tumor weights and prevented splenomegaly. API treatment also restored protein expression of some Ikaros isoforms, which may be attributed to its moderate inhibition of CK2 activity from splenocytes of TB-API mice. This partial restoration of Ikaros expression was accompanied by a significant increase in CD4+ and CD8+ T cell percentages and a reduction in Treg percentages in TB-API mice. In addition, CD8+ T cells from TB-API mice produced more IFN-γ and their splenocytes were better able to prime allogeneic CD8+ T cell responses compared to TB mice. These results provide further evidence that Ikaros is regulated by CK2 in our pancreatic cancer model. More importantly, our findings suggest that API may be a possible therapeutic agent for stabilizing Ikaros expression and function to maintain T cell homeostasis in murine PC. PMID:28152014

49 CFR 192.65 - Transportation of pipe.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... railroad unless: (1) The transportation is performed in accordance with API Recommended Practice 5L1... performed in accordance with API Recommended Practice 5LW (incorporated by reference, see § 192.7). [Amdt...

49 CFR 192.65 - Transportation of pipe.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... railroad unless: (1) The transportation is performed in accordance with API Recommended Practice 5L1... performed in accordance with API Recommended Practice 5LW (incorporated by reference, see § 192.7). [Amdt...

49 CFR 192.65 - Transportation of pipe.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... railroad unless: (1) The transportation is performed in accordance with API Recommended Practice 5L1... performed in accordance with API Recommended Practice 5LW (incorporated by reference, see § 192.7). [Amdt...

49 CFR 192.65 - Transportation of pipe.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... railroad unless: (1) The transportation is performed in accordance with API Recommended Practice 5L1... performed in accordance with API Recommended Practice 5LW (incorporated by reference, see § 192.7). [Amdt...

API 541 Third Edition, a revised and improved purchasing specification for form wound squirrel cage induction motors -- 250 horsepower and larger

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

Donner, G.; Subler, W.

1995-12-31

API 541 Third Edition is a standard that covers the minimum requirements for all form wound squirrel cage induction motors above NEMA 440 frame sizes (normally 250 HP and above). The standard is intended to be used to describe motors that will be used by the petroleum industry. The purpose of API 541 is to serve as a comprehensive standard which can be used by specifiers of high performance motors. Users no longer have to prepare their own purchase specifications, and manufacturers can produce a standard motor that will be widely accepted and competitively priced. The API 541 Standard ismore » revised on a 5 year cycle to insure that it is always timely and reflects the latest technology.« less

Chemical composition and antibacterial activity of propolis collected by three different races of honeybees in the same region.

PubMed

Silici, Sibel; Kutluca, Semiramis

2005-05-13

The chemical analysis and antibacterial activity of three types of propolis collected three different races of Apis mellifera bee in the same apiary were investigated. Propolis samples were investigated by GC/MS, 48 compounds were identified 32 being new for propolis. The compounds identified indicated that the main plant sources of propolis were Populus alba, Populus tremuloides and Salix alba. The antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Candida albicans was evaluated. Ethanolic extracts of propolis samples showed high antibacterial activity against Gram-positive cocci (Staphylococcus aureus), but had a weak activity against Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) and yeast (Candida albicans). Propolis sample collected by Apis mellifera caucasica showed a higher antibacterial activity than collected by Apis mellifera anatolica and Apis mellifera carnica.

Enabling Mobile Air Quality App Development with an AirNow API

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dye, T.; White, J. E.; Ludewig, S. A.; Dickerson, P.; Healy, A. N.; West, J. W.; Prince, L. A.

2013-12-01

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) AirNow program works with over 130 participating state, local, and federal air quality agencies to obtain, quality control, and store real-time air quality observations and forecasts. From these data, the AirNow system generates thousands of maps and products each hour. Each day, information from AirNow is published online and in other media to assist the public in making health-based decisions related to air quality. However, an increasing number of people use mobile devices as their primary tool for obtaining information, and AirNow has responded to this trend by publishing an easy-to-use Web API that is useful for mobile app developers. This presentation will describe the various features of the AirNow application programming interface (API), including Representational State Transfer (REST)-type web services, file outputs, and RSS feeds. In addition, a web portal for the AirNow API will be shown, including documentation on use of the system, a query tool for configuring and running web services, and general information about the air quality data and forecasts available. Data published via the AirNow API includes corresponding Air Quality Index (AQI) levels for each pollutant. We will highlight examples of mobile apps that are using the AirNow API to provide location-based, real-time air quality information. Examples will include mobile apps developed for Minnesota ('Minnesota Air') and Washington, D.C. ('Clean Air Partners Air Quality'), and an app developed by EPA ('EPA AirNow').

Melanin Protects Paracoccidioides brasiliensis from the Effects of Antimicrobial Photodynamic Inhibition and Antifungal Drugs

PubMed Central

Baltazar, Ludmila Matos; Werneck, Silvia Maria Cordeiro; Soares, Betânia Maria; Ferreira, Marcus Vinicius L.; Souza, Danielle G.; Pinotti, Marcos; Santos, Daniel Assis

2015-01-01

Paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM) is a public health concern in Latin America and South America that when not correctly treated can lead to patient death. In this study, the influence of melanin produced by Paracoccidioides spp. on the effects of treatment with antimicrobial photodynamic inhibition (aPI) and antifungal drugs was evaluated. aPI was performed using toluidine blue (TBO) as a photosensitizer and a 630-nm light-emitting diode (LED) light. The antifungals tested were itraconazole and amphotericin B. We evaluated the effects of each approach, aPI or antifungals, against nonmelanized and melanized yeast cells by performing susceptibility tests and by quantifying oxidative and nitrosative bursts during the experiments. aPI reduced nonmelanized cells by 3.0 log units and melanized cells by 1.3 log units. The results showed that melanization protects the fungal cell, probably by acting as a scavenger of nitric oxide and reactive oxygen species, but not of peroxynitrite. Melanin also increased the MICs of itraconazole and amphotericin B, and the drugs were fungicidal for nonmelanized and fungistatic for melanized yeast cells. Our study shows that melanin production by Paracoccidioides yeast cells serves a protective function during aPI and treatment with itraconazole and amphotericin B. The results suggest that melanin binds to the drugs, changing their antifungal activities, and also acts as a scavenger of reactive oxygen species and nitric oxide, but not of peroxynitrite, indicating that peroxynitrite is the main radical that is responsible for fungal death after aPI. PMID:25896704