Numerical Optimization Using Desktop Computers

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-09-11

concentrating compound parabolic trough solar collector . Thermophysical, geophysical, optical and economic analyses were used to compute a life-cycle...third computer program, NISCO, was developed to model a nonimaging concentrating compound parabolic trough solar collector using thermophysical...concentrating compound parabolic trough Solar Collector . C. OBJECTIVE The objective of this thesis was to develop a system of interactive programs for the Hewlett

Paleocene Pacific Plate reorganization mirrored in formation of the Suvarov Trough, Manihiki Plateau

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pietsch, Ricarda; Uenzelmann-Neben, Gabriele

2016-10-01

The Suvarov Trough is a graben structure that deviates from the Danger Islands Troughs within the Manihiki Plateau, a Large Igneous Province (LIP) located in the Central Pacific. New high-resolution seismic reflection data provide evidence that the graben formed in two phases during the Paleocene (65-45 Ma). In a first phase extension occurred in southwestward direction, pulling apart the northern part of the Suvarov Trough and a parallel trending unnamed trough. In a second phase a change of extensional force direction occurred from southwest to west-northwest, forming the southern part of the Suvarov Trough that extends onto the High Plateau. The formation of the Suvarov Trough is accompanied by a series of normal fault systems that apparently formed simultaneously. Comparing the seismic results to existing Pacific paleo strain reconstructions, the timing of increased strain and local deformation direction fits well to our findings. We thus suggest that the multiple strike directions of the Suvarov Trough represent an extensional structure that was caused by the major, stepwise Pacific Plate reorganization during the Paleocene.

SHARAD Radar investigations into the initiation of spiral troughs on Planum Boreum, Mars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, I. B.; Holt, J. W.

2010-12-01

Recent evidence demonstrates that the prominent spiral troughs of the North Polar Layered Deposits (NPLD) on Mars are not young features, having persisted and evolved during accumulation of more than 500 meters of ice [Smith and Holt, Nature, 2010]. Because of the rich stratigraphy in the NPLD, determining the processes controlling trough formation and evolution is an important step in understanding the history of ice and climate on Mars. Multiple periods of trough initiation are observed in radar data collected by the Shallow Radar (SHARAD) instrument on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter; however, the mechanism behind trough initiation is still a mystery. Discrete radar reflectors can be associated with the onset of spiral troughs because of their stratigraphic relationships: below the reflectors the troughs do not exist, and above the troughs begin to take shape. To address the question of trough formation we have mapped these reflectors, which are assumed to represent isochrones, in more than 400 SHARAD observations throughout the NPLD. Taken together these represent the surfaces where troughs initiated, i.e. surfaces that lie directly below the first appearance of troughs. When observation geometries are favorable, we find that the onset of each trough rests on a change in slope usually at the base of a buried erosional scarp. The underlying layers end abruptly at the scarps rather than diminish or pinch out with distance, suggesting that the NPLD underwent cap-wide erosion predating trough formation. This surface morphology provides the initial conditions needed to form troughs from the combination of deposition and katabatic winds affected by surface slope. Radar observations indicate that the troughs initiated and evolved with approximately the same wavelength as can be measured today. Thus proposed hypotheses of small bedforms growing into larger wavelength structures is not supported. Locally, the unconformable contact between younger, trough-related material and older eroded surfaces is exposed at the surface. Neither the younger nor older exposed layers show small-scale bedforms, supporting this conclusion. At least two initiation surfaces can be observed in the radar data within the uppermost 500 m of the NPLD. Alternating periods of erosion and deposition are predicted to result from large changes in obliquity and insolation at the Martian north pole [Laskar et al., Nature, 2004], suggesting that trough initiation may be related to orbital forcing.

On purpose simulation model for molten salt CSP parabolic trough

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caranese, Carlo; Matino, Francesca; Maccari, Augusto

2017-06-01

The utilization of computer codes and simulation software is one of the fundamental aspects for the development of any kind of technology and, in particular, in CSP sector for researchers, energy institutions, EPC and others stakeholders. In that extent, several models for the simulation of CSP plant have been developed with different main objectives (dynamic simulation, productivity analysis, techno economic optimization, etc.), each of which has shown its own validity and suitability. Some of those models have been designed to study several plant configurations taking into account different CSP plant technologies (Parabolic trough, Linear Fresnel, Solar Tower or Dish) and different settings for the heat transfer fluid, the thermal storage systems and for the overall plant operating logic. Due to a lack of direct experience of Molten Salt Parabolic Trough (MSPT) commercial plant operation, most of the simulation tools do not foresee a suitable management of the thermal energy storage logic and of the solar field freeze protection system, but follow standard schemes. ASSALT, Ase Software for SALT csp plants, has been developed to improve MSPT plant's simulations, by exploiting the most correct operational strategies in order to provide more accurate technical and economical results. In particular, ASSALT applies MSPT specific control logics for the electric energy production and delivery strategy as well as the operation modes of the Solar Field in off-normal sunshine condition. With this approach, the estimated plant efficiency is increased and the electricity consumptions required for the plant operation and management is drastically reduced. Here we present a first comparative study on a real case 55 MWe Molten Salt Parabolic Trough CSP plant placed in the Tibetan highlands, using ASSALT and SAM (System Advisor Model), which is a commercially available simulation tool.

New sidescan sonar and gravity evidence that the Nova-Canton Trough is a fracture zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Joseph, Devorah; Taylor, Brian; Shor, Alexander N.

1992-05-01

A 1990 sidescan sonar survey in the eastern region of the Nova-Canton Trough mapped 138°-striking abyssal-hill fabric trending into 70°-striking trough structures. The location and angle of intersection of the abyssal hills with the eastern Nova-Canton Trough effectively disprove a spreading-center origin of this feature. Free-air gravity anomalies derived from satellite altimetry data show continuity, across the Line Islands, of the Nova-Canton Trough with the Clipperton Fracture Zone. The Canton-Clipperton trend is copolar, about a pole at 30°S, 152°W, with other coeval Pacific-Farallon fracture-zone segments, from the Pau to Marquesas fracture zones. This copolarity leads us to postulate a Pacific-Farallon spreading pattern for the magnetic quiet zone region north and east of the Manihiki Plateau, with the Nova-Canton Trough originating as a transform fault in this system.

A survey of major east coast snowstorms, 1960-1983. Part 2. Summary of surface and upperlevel characteristics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kocin, P. J.; Uccellini, L. W.

1985-01-01

Surface and upper-level characteristics of selected meteorological fields are summarized. Two major types of sea level development are described and applied to the cases at hand, with a few storm systems showing characteristics of both types. Aspects such as rapid sea level deepening, coastal frontogenesis, cold air damming, low level jet formation, the development of an S-shaped isotherm pattern, diffluence downwind of a negatively tilted upper level trough axis, upper level confluence and an increase of geopotential heights at the base of the upper level trough characterized the pre-cyclogenetic and cyclogenetic periods of many of the storm systems. Large variability was also observed, especially with regard to the spatial dimensions of the surface and upper level systems, as well as variations in trough/ridge amplification and the evolution of upper level jet streak systems. The influence of transverse circulations associated with a confluent jet streak entrance region and the diffluent exit region of a jet streak/trough system on the production of snowfall is also discussed.

Fast flow of Jakobshavn Isbræ and its subglacial drainage system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Werder, M. A.; Joughin, I. R.

2013-12-01

Jakobshavn Isbræ and many other outlet glaciers of present and past ice sheets lie in deep troughs which often have several overdeepened sections. The subglacial drainage system of such glaciers is heavily influenced by two effects caused by the pressure dependence of the melting point of water. The melting point decreases with increasing water pressure, this enhances wall-melt in downward sloping channels and diminishes wall-melt in upward sloping channels. Thus the first effect is the well known shutdown of channels on steep adverse bed slopes of overdeepenings and the associated high water pressure/low effective pressure. The second effect is a 2D effect and has not received much/any attention so far: the orientation of a channel will be deflected from the direction of the (negative) hydraulic potential gradient (which drives the water flow) towards the steepest slope of the bed. This leads to the enhanced formation of side channels dipping into the trough at about a 45° angle. This efficient connection between the margin and the trough equalizes the hydraulic potential, again leading to higher water pressure in the trough. We investigate these two effects with the 2D subglacial drainage system model GlaDS using Jakobshavn Isbræ as an example. We compare model runs with the pressure melt term disabled and enabled. With the term disabled the main channel situated in the trough is continuous and produces a large depression in the hydraulic potential and consequently high effective pressure in the trough (1-2MPa). Conversely, with the term enabled the main channel becomes discontinuous on steep adverse bed slopes and many side channels form on the margins of the trough. This leads to a hydraulic potential in the trough which is higher than in the surrounding area and consequently the effective pressure is low (0-1MPa). Low effective pressure leads to reduced basal drag and thus to more basal sliding. The modeled large decrease of effective pressure in the trough due to the pressure dependence of the melting point of water suggests that basal drag will be small and that sliding speeds are large. Thus, this may be one of the leading causes for the fast flow of Jakobshavn Isbræ and other glaciers in deep troughs.

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

Schuett, K.J.; Pawlak, J.P.; Traina, L.

No. 13 Blast Furnace at US Steel`s Gary Works is a 35 tuyere furnace with a 36.5 ft. hearth capable of producing over 9,000 tons of hot metal per day. The current casthouse design was placed in service following the second reline in the fall of 1979. This design anticipated daily production rates averaging 7,500 tons of hot metal per day and provided for removable troughs at two of the three tapholes. At the time, the troughs were rammed with a high alumina/silicon carbide granular ramming material that provided the operators with trough campaign lives between 60,000--70,000 tons of hotmore » metal produced. As refractory technology progressed, low cement/low moisture castables were introduced to the trough systems on No. 13 Blast Furnace. The immediate success of the castables was tempered by emergence of a new unexpected problem. That problem was the thermal expansion of the castable. The paper describes the problems that resulted in the need to modify the trough design, the new design of the trough, and its improvement in iron trough campaign life and reliability.« less

Designing Better Water Troughs: Does Trough Color Influence Dairy Cows' Preference?

PubMed

Lemos Teixeira, Dayane; Hötzel, Maria José; Pinheiro Machado Filho, Luiz Carlos; Cazale, José Daniel; Enríquez-Hidalgo, Daniel

2017-01-01

Eighteen lactating dairy cows were used to elucidate their preference for green, grey, or red troughs. The herd was managed under a rotational grazing system with ad-libitum access to water until 11:30 h. For 9 days, all cows were tested individually following the afternoon milking. Cows drank similar quantities, spent a similar amount of time drinking, and took a similar number of sips from the 3 trough colors (p > .05). In 75% of the tests, cows drank more than 95% of the test period from the same trough. Within this time, the percentage of choices did not differ among colors (33.3% green, 39.0% grey, and 27.7% red). When they chose the red trough, cows spent less time drinking (p ≤ .05) and tended to take fewer sips (p = .07), which could suggest a partial aversion to this color. Suboptimal water trough design may have long-term negative effects on both the production and welfare of dairy cattle; however, the results suggest that color does not play a major role in the drinking behavior of dairy cows.

Palaeogeographic implications of the Messinian surface in the Valencia trough, northwestern Mediterranean Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Escutia, C.; Maldonado, A.

1992-03-01

Sparker (3000 J and 8000 J) and multichannel seismic reflection profiles across the Valencia trough show a Messinian unconformity incised by numerous valleys. The main feature of this surface is a large valley that generally underlies the present Valencia valley and is deeply entrenched into the Miocene deposits. The size of this palaeo-valley ranges from 0.5 km wide and 15-100 m deep at its western end, to 1.6-2.8 km wide and 200-250 m deep downstream. An important tributary system is observed, with a main canyon (6-8 km wide and 150-200 m deep) draining the Ebro margin, as well as many other smaller valleys draining the Catalan and Balearic margins. Downstream, other tributaries underlie the present canyons of the Catalan margin. The location of the tributary system is controlled by the Early Miocene rift structures. The relief of the Messinian surface is affected by post-Miocene deformation that results from salt diapirism, extensional faulting and related volcanism. Late Neogene to Quaternary volcanic edifices cut the Messinian surface and coincide with large residual magnetic anomalies. Lower Pliocene to Quaternary salt diapirism in the abyssal plain north of Menorca has created a series of structural highs. Between these highs are deep interdiapiric troughs or basins that have become sediment depocentres during the Plio-Quaternary. The complex network of erosional valleys from the Valencia trough continental margin demonstrates that the valley system in the basin was not related to the refilling of the Mediterranean, but to the Iberian and Balearic margin palaeodrainage that developed during the Messinian desiccation. The presence of at least three erosional unconformities suggests that there were alternating periods of flooding and retreat of Atlantic water during Messinian time. The Messinian subaerial margin with erosional valleys contrasts sharply with the Pliocene-Quaternary marine margin with progradational turbidite systems.

Concentrating Solar Power Projects | Concentrating Solar Power | NREL

Science.gov Websites

construction, or under development. CSP technologies include parabolic trough, linear Fresnel reflector, power Technology-listing by parabolic trough, linear Fresnel reflector, power tower, or dish/engine systems Status

Origin and late quaternary tectonism of a western Canadian continental shelf trough

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moslow, Thomas F.; Luternauer, John L.; Rohr, Kristin

1991-08-01

Analyses of high resolution and multi-channel seismic profiles from the central continental shelf of western Canada ascribe a late Quaternary glacial origin to large-scale troughs. Along the margins of Moresby Trough, one of three large-scale cross-shelf bathymetric depressions in Queen Charlotte Sound, seismic profiles within Quaternary sediments show a divergence of reflectors, thickening and folding of seismic units, and concavity of reflectors suggestive of drag. Compactional subsidence, growth faulting, and compaction faulting are also observed. Fault traces commonly terminate below the seabed. Deformation of Quaternary sediments due to faulting is plastic in nature and maximum offset of reflectors is 2.5 m. The observed Quaternary deformation appears to be a product of rapid deposition, loading and subsidence of late Quaternary sediment, which is unrelated to seismic activity. In addition, Quaternary faulting was probably activated by post-glacial loading and isostatic rebound of consolidated Tertiary strata along the margins of continental shelf troughs. The presence of mass movement (slump or debris flow) deposits overlying lithified Tertiary strata along the flanks of Moresby Trough provides the only evidence of seismic activity in the study area. The lack of a mud drape over these deposits implies a late Holocene age for the timing of their emplacement. The Quaternary troughs are incised into Tertiary-aged sedimentary fill of the Queen Charlotte basin. Previous workers had interpreted seafloor escarpments paralleling the trough margins to indicate that the location of Moresby Trough was controlled by renewed or continued activity on Tertiary-aged faults. A multi-channel seismic line across Moresby Trough shows that such an escarpment on the seafloor does not correlate to faults either in the Tertiary basin fill or the underlying basement. Tertiary reflectors are continuous underneath Moresby Trough; the seafloor escarpment is an erosional feature and was not created by reactivation of Tertiary structures. Trough erosion and subsequent fill (up to 175 m thick) are entirely of Quaternary age.

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

Turchi, Craig; Kurup, Parthiv; Akar, Sertac

This study lists material composition data for two concentrating solar power (CSP) plant designs: a molten-salt power tower and a hypothetical parabolic trough plant, both of which employ a molten salt for the heat transfer fluid (HTF) and thermal storage media. The two designs have equivalent generating and thermal energy storage capacities. The material content of the saltHTF trough plant was approximately 25% lower than a comparably sized conventional oil-HTF parabolic trough plant. The significant reduction in oil, salt, metal, and insulation mass by switching to a salt-HTF design is expected to reduce the capital cost and LCOE for themore » parabolic trough system.« less

The Relationship Between Vancomycin Trough Concentrations and AUC/MIC Ratios in Pediatric Patients: A Qualitative Systematic Review.

PubMed

Tkachuk, Stacey; Collins, Kyle; Ensom, Mary H H

2018-04-01

In adults, the area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) divided by the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) is associated with better clinical and bacteriological response to vancomycin in patients with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus who achieve target AUC/MIC ≥ 400. This target is often extrapolated to pediatric patients despite the lack of similar evidence. The impracticalities of calculating the AUC in practice means vancomycin trough concentrations are used to predict the AUC/MIC. This review aimed to determine the relationship between vancomycin trough concentrations and AUC/MIC in pediatric patients. We searched the MEDLINE and Embase databases, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials using the medical subject heading (MeSH) terms vancomycin and AUC and pediatric* or paediatric*. Articles were included if they were published in English and reported a relationship between vancomycin trough concentrations and AUC/MIC. Of 122 articles retrieved, 11 met the inclusion criteria. One trial reported a relationship between vancomycin trough concentrations, AUC/MIC, and clinical outcomes but was likely underpowered. Five studies found troughs 6-10 mg/l were sufficient to attain an AUC/MIC > 400 in most general hospitalized pediatric patients. One study in patients undergoing cardiothoracic surgery found a trough of 18.4 mg/l achieved an AUC/MIC > 400. Two oncology studies reported troughs ≥ 15 mg/l likely attained an AUC/MIC ≥ 400. In critical care patients: one study found a trough of 9 mg/l did not attain the AUC/MIC target; another found 7 mg/l corresponded to an AUC/MIC of 400. Potential vancomycin targets varied based on the population studied but, for general hospitalized pediatric patients, troughs of 6-10 mg/l are likely sufficient to achieve AUC/MIC ≥ 400. For MIC ≥ 2 mg/l, higher troughs are likely necessary to achieve an AUC/MIC ≥ 400. More research is needed to determine the relationships between vancomycin trough concentrations, AUC/MIC, and clinical outcomes.

Geophysical basin structure of the Cotonou (Dahomey/Benin) basin, West African Gulf of Guinea

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

Babalola, O.O.

1990-05-01

The frontier Cotonou basin (or Dahomey/Benin embayment), situated west of the prolific Niger Delta basin, appears from seismic, gravity, and aeromagnetic interpretation, as a series of grabens and troughs confined on the west and east by the Romanche and the Chain fracture zones, respectively. The Keta trough of the western basin rim was formed by a 2700-m southeasterly downthrow of the Adina fault. This trough is separated by a north-northeasterly fault from the Lome-Anecho gravity high. Eastward, the arcuate Allada-Adjohon trough is abutted on its southern flank by the northwest-trending Nokue-Afowo trough and separated from the northwesterly Ikorodu trough bymore » the 50-km-wide aeromagnetically inferred ro-Otta ridge. The Ikorodu trough is adjoined on the northwest by the Aiyetoro trough and on the southeast by the Yemoja offshore graben trending east northeast as the Seme oil-field structural trend. North of the regional northeasterly axial, gravity positive, structural divide (the continental precursor of the Charcot fracture zone) a series of half-grabens (notably the Aplahoue, Bohicon, and Keiou troughs), normal faulted eastward and downthrown in the west, dominate the landward western rim of the Cotonou basin. Graben-bounding faults control the upper valleys of the basin drainage, converge toward the regional intrabasin structural trend and continue into the Fenyi-koe fault and the Charcot fracture zone. These faults resulted from brittle dextral shear of continental crust oblique to local, preexisting north-northeast structural trends. In the eastern basin rim, preexisting north-northwest structural trends influenced the shearing stress regime to generate small, shallow, structurally bounded, east-northeast- and north-northwest trending grabens.« less

Punctuated sediment discharge during early Pliocene birth of the Colorado River: Evidence from regional stratigraphy, sedimentology, and paleontology

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dorsey, Rebecca J.; O’Connell, Brennan; McDougall-Reid, Kristin; Homan, Mindy B.

2018-01-01

The Colorado River in the southwestern U.S. provides an excellent natural laboratory for studying the origins of a continent-scale river system, because deposits that formed prior to and during river initiation are well exposed in the lower river valley and nearby basinal sink. This paper presents a synthesis of regional stratigraphy, sedimentology, and micropaleontology from the southern Bouse Formation and similar-age deposits in the western Salton Trough, which we use to interpret processes that controlled the birth and early evolution of the Colorado River. The southern Bouse Formation is divided into three laterally persistent members: basal carbonate, siliciclastic, and upper bioclastic members. Basal carbonate accumulated in a tide-dominated marine embayment during a rise of relative sea level between ~ 6.3 and 5.4 Ma, prior to arrival of the Colorado River. The transition to green claystone records initial rapid influx of river water and its distal clay wash load into the subtidal marine embayment at ~ 5.4–5.3 Ma. This was followed by rapid southward progradation of the Colorado River delta, establishment of the earliest through-flowing river, and deposition of river-derived turbidites in the western Salton Trough (Wind Caves paleocanyon) between ~ 5.3 and 5.1 Ma. Early delta progradation was followed by regional shut-down of river sand output between ~ 5.1 and 4.8 Ma that resulted in deposition of marine clay in the Salton Trough, retreat of the delta, and re-flooding of the lower river valley by shallow marine water that deposited the Bouse upper bioclastic member. Resumption of sediment discharge at ~ 4.8 Ma drove massive progradation of fluvial-deltaic deposits back down the river valley into the northern Gulf and Salton Trough.These results provide evidence for a discontinuous, start-stop-start history of sand output during initiation of the Colorado River that is not predicted by existing models for this system. The underlying controls on punctuated sediment discharge are assessed by comparing the depositional chronology to the record of global sea-level change. The lower Colorado River Valley and Salton Trough experienced marine transgression during a gradual fall in global sea level between ~ 6.3 and 5.5 Ma, implicating tectonic subsidence as the main driver of latest Miocene relative sea-level rise. A major fall of global sea level at 5.3 Ma outpaced subsidence and drove regional delta progradation, earliest flushing of Colorado River sand into the northern Gulf of California, and erosion of Bouse basal carbonate and siliciclastic members. The lower Colorado River valley was re-flooded by shallow marine waters during smaller changes in global sea level ~ 5.1–4.8 Ma, after the river first ran through it, which requires a mechanism to stop delivery of sand to the lower river valley. We propose that tectonically controlled subsidence along the lower Colorado River, upstream of the southern Bouse study area, temporarily trapped sediment and stopped delivery of sand to the lower river valley and northern Gulf of California for ~ 200–300 kyr. Massive progradation of the fluvial-deltaic system back down the river valley into the Salton Trough starting ~ 4.8–4.5 Ma apparently was driven by a huge increase in sediment discharge that overwhelmed the sediment-storage capacity of sub-basins along the lower river corridor and established the fully integrated river channel network.

Bedrock morphology reveals drainage network in northeast Baffin Bay

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Slabon, Patricia; Dorschel, Boris; Jokat, Wilfried; Freire, Francis

2018-02-01

A subglacial drainage network underneath the paleo-ice sheet off West Greenland is revealed by a new compilation of high-resolution bathymetry data from Melville Bay, northeast Baffin Bay. This drainage network is an indicator for ice streaming and subglacial meltwater flow toward the outer shelf. Repeated ice sheet advances and retreats across the crystalline basement together with subglacial meltwater drainage had their impact in eroding overdeepened troughs along ice stream pathways. These overdeepenings indicate the location of a former ice sheet margin. The troughs inherit characteristics of glacial and subglacial meltwater erosion. Most of the troughs follow tectonic weakness zones such as faults and fractures in the crystalline bedrock. Many of these tectonic features correspond with the orientations of major fault axes in the Baffin Bay region. The troughs extend from the present (sub) glacial fjord systems at the Greenland coast and parallel modern outlet-glacier pathways. The fast flowing paleo-ice streams were likely accelerated from the meltwater flow as indicated by glacial landforms within and along the troughs. The ice streams flowed along narrow tributary troughs and merged to form large paleo-ice streams bedded in the major cross-shelf troughs of Melville Bay. Apart from the troughs, a rough seabed topography characterises the bedrock, and we see a sharp geomorphic transition where ice flowed onto sedimentary rock and deposits.

A fixed collector employing reversible vee-trough concentrator and a vacuum tube receiver for high temperature solar energy systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Selcuk, M. K.

1976-01-01

A solar heat collection system employing non-tracking reflectors integrated with a fixed vacuum tube receiver which achieves modest year-round concentration (about 2) of the sunlight at low capital costs is discussed. The axis of the vee-trough reflector lies in a east-west direction and requires reversal of the reflector surfaces only twice a year without disturbing the receiver tubes and associated plumbing. It collects most of the diffuse flux. The vacuum tube receiver with selective absorber has no convection losses while radiation and conduction losses are minimal. Significant cost reductions are offered since the vee-trough can be fabricated from inexpensive polished or plastic reflector laminated sheet metal covering 2/3 of the collection area, and only about 1/3 of the area is covered with the more expensive vacuum tube receivers. Thermal and economic performance of the vee-trough vacuum tube system, year-round variation of the concentration factor, incident flux, useful heat per unit area at various operation temperatures and energy cost estimates are presented. The electrical energy cost is estimated to be 77 mills/kWh, and the system construction cost is estimated to be $1140/kWe.

Meta-analysis of medical intervention for normal tension glaucoma.

PubMed

Cheng, Jin-Wei; Cai, Ji-Ping; Wei, Rui-Li

2009-07-01

To evaluate the intraocular pressure (IOP) reduction achieved by the most frequently prescribed antiglaucoma drugs in patients with normal tension glaucoma (NTG). Systematic review and meta-analysis. Fifteen randomized clinical trials reported 25 arms for peak IOP reduction, 16 arms for trough IOP reduction, and 13 arms for diurnal curve IOP reduction. Pertinent publications were identified through systematic searches of PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register. The patients had to be diagnosed as having NTG. Methodological quality was assessed by the Delphi list on a scale from 0 to 18. The pooled 1-month IOP-lowering effects were calculated using the 2-step DerSimonian and Laird estimate method of the random effects model. Absolute and relative reductions in IOP from baseline for peak and trough moments. Quality scores of included studies were generally high, with a mean quality score of 12.7 (range, 9-16). Relative IOP reductions were peak, 15% (12%-18%), and trough, 18% (8%-27%) for timolol; peak, 14% (8%-19%), and trough, 12% (-7% to 31%) for dorzolamide; peak, 24% (17%-31%), and trough, 11% (7%-14%) for brimonidine; peak, 20% (17%-24%), and trough, 20% (18%-23%) for latanoprost; peak, 21% (16%-25%), and trough, 18% (14%-22%) for bimatoprost. The differences in absolute IOP reductions between prostaglandin analogues and timolol varied from 0.9 to 1.0 mmHg at peak and -0.1 to 0.2 mmHg at trough. Latanoprost, bimatoprost, and timolol are the most effective IOP-lowering agents in patients with NTG.

The Ordovician Sebree Trough: An oceanic passage to the Midcontinent United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kolata, Dennis R.; Huff, W.D.; Bergstrom, Stig M.

2001-01-01

The Sebree Trough is a relatively narrow, shale-filled sedimentary feature extending for several hundred kilometers across the Middle and Late Ordovician carbonate platform of the Midcontinent United States. The dark graptolitic shales within the trough stand in contrast to the coeval bryozoan-brachiopod-echinodermrich limestones on the flanking platforms. We infer from regional stratal patterns, thickness and facies trends, and temporal relations established by biostratigraphy and K-bentonite stratigraphy that the Sebree Trough initially began to develop during late Turinian to early Chatfieldian time (Mohawkian Series) as a linear bathymetric depression situated over the failed late Precambrian-Early Cambrian Reelfoot Rift. Rising sea level and positioning of a subtropical convergence zone along the southern margin of Laurentia caused the rift depression to descend into cool, oxygen-poor, phosphate-rich oceanic waters that entered the southern reaches of the rift from the Iapetus Ocean. The trough apparently formed in a system of epicontinental estuarine circulation marked by a density-stratified water column. Trough formation was accompanied by cessation of carbonate sedimentation, deposition of graptolitic shales, development of hardground omission surfaces, substrate erosion, and local phosphogenesis. The carbonate platforms on either side of the trough are dominated by bryozoan-brachiopod-echinoderm grainstones and packstones that were deposited in zones of mixing where cool, nutrient-rich waters encountered warmer shelf waters. Concurrently, lime mudstone and wackestone were deposited shoreward (northern Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, Michigan) in warmer, more tropical shallow seas. Coeval upward growth of the flanking carbonate platforms sustained and enhanced development of the trough shale facies. Five widespread diachronous late Mohawkian and Cincinnatian omission surfaces are present in the carbonate facies of the Midcontinent. These surfaces include sub-Deicke K-bentonite, DSI; top of Black River Limestone, DS2; base and top of the Guttenberg Limestone Member of the Decorah Formation, DS3 and DS4; and top of the Trenton Limestone, DS5. Some of the surfaces correspond to previously described depositional sequence boundaries. All five surfaces, which embody deepening phases on top of high-stand-systems tracts, converge in the Sebree Trough, indicating that the trough was a long-lived feature and was the source of eutrophic waters that episodically spread across the adjacent platforms, terminating carbonate production. Late Turinian and early Chatfieldian incipient drowning episodes were followed by a final drowning event that began in the Sebree Trough during the late Chatfieldian (Climacograptus spiniferus Zone) and reached southernmost Minnesota and other regions far within the platform interior by Richmondian time (Amorphognathus ordovicicus Zone).

Two-Dimensional Automatic Measurement for Nozzle Flow Distribution Using Improved Ultrasonic Sensor

PubMed Central

Zhai, Changyuan; Zhao, Chunjiang; Wang, Xiu; Wang, Ning; Zou, Wei; Li, Wei

2015-01-01

Spray deposition and distribution are affected by many factors, one of which is nozzle flow distribution. A two-dimensional automatic measurement system, which consisted of a conveying unit, a system control unit, an ultrasonic sensor, and a deposition collecting dish, was designed and developed. The system could precisely move an ultrasonic sensor above a pesticide deposition collecting dish to measure the nozzle flow distribution. A sensor sleeve with a PVC tube was designed for the ultrasonic sensor to limit its beam angle in order to measure the liquid level in the small troughs. System performance tests were conducted to verify the designed functions and measurement accuracy. A commercial spray nozzle was also used to measure its flow distribution. The test results showed that the relative error on volume measurement was less than 7.27% when the liquid volume was 2 mL in trough, while the error was less than 4.52% when the liquid volume was 4 mL or more. The developed system was also used to evaluate the flow distribution of a commercial nozzle. It was able to provide the shape and the spraying width of the flow distribution accurately. PMID:26501288

Inner shelf morphologic controls on the dynamics of the beach and bar system, Fire Island, New York

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hapke, Cheryl J.; Schwab, William C.; Gayes, Paul T.; McCoy, Clay; Viso, Richard; Lentz, Erika E.; Rosati, Julie D.; Wang, Ping; Roberts, Tiffany M.

2011-01-01

The mechanism of sediment exchange between offshore sand ridges and the beach at Fire Island, New York is largely unknown. However, recent evidence from repeat nearshore bathymetry surveys, coupled with the complex but consistent bar morphology and patterns of shoreline change demonstrate that there is a feedback occurring between the regional geologic framework and modern processes. Analysis of bathymetric survey data provides direct confirmation that the offshore ridges are connected to the shoreface and are spatially persistent. The fixed nature of the nearshore morphology is further supported by time series camera data that indicate persistent bars with breaks that re-form in the same locations. A long-term time series of shoreline change shows distinct zones of erosion and accretion that are pervasive over time scales greater than a half-century, and their length-scales are similar to the spacing of the offshore ridge-trough system. The first-order geologic framework is responsible for the existence and locations of the ridges and troughs, which then influence the morphodynamics of the beach and bar system.

Impact of Serum Vancomycin Trough Levels in the Treatment of Central Nervous System Shunt Infections Caused by Coagulase-Negative Staphylococci.

PubMed

Gibson, Ashley; Kaplan, Sheldon L; Vallejo, Jesus G

2018-04-26

Coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) are a common cause of pediatric ventricular shunt infections. The Infectious Diseases Society of America recommends vancomycin serum troughs of 15-20 µg/mL when treating CoNS shunt infections in adult patients. We report a series of pediatric cases of CoNS shunt infections in which clinical cure was obtained with troughs < 15 µg/mL. These findings question the relevance of this recommendation in pediatric patients. © 2018 S. Karger AG, Basel.

OUT Success Stories: Solar Trough Power Plants

DOE R&D Accomplishments Database

Jones, J.

2000-08-01

The Solar Electric Generating System (SEGS) plants use parabolic-trough solar collectors to capture the sun's energy and convert it to heat. The SEGS plants range in capacity from 13.8 to 80 MW, and they were constructed to meet Southern California Edison Company's periods of peak power demand.

A vacuum tube vee-trough collector for solar heating and air conditioning applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Selcuk, M. K.

1978-01-01

An analysis is conducted of the performance of a vee-trough vacuum tube collector proposed for use in solar heating and cooling applications. The vee-trough reflector is a triangular sectioned, flat surfaced reflector, whose axis is laid in the East-West direction. A vacuum tube receiver placed at the bottom of the vee-trough collects solar heat most efficiently since convection is completely eliminated. Radiation losses are reduced by use of selective coatings on the absorber. Owing to its high temperature capabilities (300-400 F), the proposed scheme could also be used for power generation applications in combination with an organic Rankine conversion system. It is especially recommended for unattended pumping stations since the reflectors only require reversal once every six months.

Method and apparatus for automatically detecting patterns in digital point-ordered signals

DOEpatents

Brudnoy, David M.

1998-01-01

The present invention is a method and system for detecting a physical feature of a test piece by detecting a pattern in a signal representing data from inspection of the test piece. The pattern is detected by automated additive decomposition of a digital point-ordered signal which represents the data. The present invention can properly handle a non-periodic signal. A physical parameter of the test piece is measured. A digital point-ordered signal representative of the measured physical parameter is generated. The digital point-ordered signal is decomposed into a baseline signal, a background noise signal, and a peaks/troughs signal. The peaks/troughs from the peaks/troughs signal are located and peaks/troughs information indicating the physical feature of the test piece is output.

Method and apparatus for automatically detecting patterns in digital point-ordered signals

DOEpatents

Brudnoy, D.M.

1998-10-20

The present invention is a method and system for detecting a physical feature of a test piece by detecting a pattern in a signal representing data from inspection of the test piece. The pattern is detected by automated additive decomposition of a digital point-ordered signal which represents the data. The present invention can properly handle a non-periodic signal. A physical parameter of the test piece is measured. A digital point-ordered signal representative of the measured physical parameter is generated. The digital point-ordered signal is decomposed into a baseline signal, a background noise signal, and a peaks/troughs signal. The peaks/troughs from the peaks/troughs signal are located and peaks/troughs information indicating the physical feature of the test piece is output. 14 figs.

Increased water contamination and grow-out Pekin duck mortality when raised with water troughs compared to pin-metered water lines using a United States management system

PubMed Central

Schenk, A.; Porter, A. L.; Alenciks, E.; Frazier, K.; Best, A. A.; Fraley, S. M.; Fraley, G. S.

2016-01-01

Controversy has developed as to whether or not pin-metered water lines or water troughs are more appropriate for Pekin ducks. We hypothesized that water troughs would show improved duck body conditions and environmental quality compared to pin-metered water lines. To test this hypothesis, we housed ducks in 2 barns, one with water lines and one with water troughs. Water troughs were constructed to meet RSPCA guidelines for number and density of ducks and with recently described verandas. Ducks were divided into 4 pens per barn (n = 1,000 ducks/pen). The study was then repeated (n = 8 pens per water source) in a cross-over design so the barns each contained the opposite water source to the first experiment. We scored the ducks’ body condition using an established scoring rubric and analyzed using SAS Proc GLM-Mix as binomial data. Ducks housed with water troughs showed higher (thus worse condition; P < 0.001) scores for eyes, nostrils, feather quality, feather cleanliness, and foot pads. We also compared water condition, water quality, and duck mortality using a Student t test for both water sources each week. We found that the water troughs showed higher iron (P < 0.001), nitrites (P < 0.001), pH (P < 0.01), and bacterial growth (P < 0.001). The bacterial growth was shown to have higher (P < 0.001) E. coli, coliforms, and Staphylococcus in the water troughs. Water lines typically showed no bacterial growth in culture-based assays. Ducks housed with water troughs used greater (P = 0.001) volumes of water compared to ducks housed with water lines. Ducks with water troughs also showed a greater percent (P = 0.008) mortality at all ages compared to ducks with water lines. These data suggest that water troughs may not be beneficial for duck welfare and could adversely impact both environment and duck or human health. PMID:26769272

Increased water contamination and grow-out Pekin duck mortality when raised with water troughs compared to pin-metered water lines using a United States management system.

PubMed

Schenk, A; Porter, A L; Alenciks, E; Frazier, K; Best, A A; Fraley, S M; Fraley, G S

2016-04-01

Controversy has developed as to whether or not pin-metered water lines or water troughs are more appropriate for Pekin ducks. We hypothesized that water troughs would show improved duck body conditions and environmental quality compared to pin-metered water lines. To test this hypothesis, we housed ducks in 2 barns, one with water lines and one with water troughs. Water troughs were constructed to meet RSPCA guidelines for number and density of ducks and with recently described verandas. Ducks were divided into 4 pens per barn (n=1,000 ducks/pen). The study was then repeated (n=8 pens per water source) in a cross-over design so the barns each contained the opposite water source to the first experiment. We scored the ducks' body condition using an established scoring rubric and analyzed using SAS Proc GLM-Mix as binomial data. Ducks housed with water troughs showed higher (thus worse condition; P<0.001) scores for eyes, nostrils, feather quality, feather cleanliness, and foot pads. We also compared water condition, water quality, and duck mortality using a Student t test for both water sources each week. We found that the water troughs showed higher iron (P<0.001), nitrites (P<0.001), pH (P<0.01), and bacterial growth (P<0.001). The bacterial growth was shown to have higher (P<0.001)E. coli, coliforms, and Staphylococcusin the water troughs. Water lines typically showed no bacterial growth in culture-based assays. Ducks housed with water troughs used greater (P=0.001) volumes of water compared to ducks housed with water lines. Ducks with water troughs also showed a greater percent (P=0.008) mortality at all ages compared to ducks with water lines. These data suggest that water troughs may not be beneficial for duck welfare and could adversely impact both environment and duck or human health. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Poultry Science Association.

The Nova-Canton Trough and the Late Cretaceous evolution of the central Pacific

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Joseph, Devorah; Taylor, Brain; Shor, Alexander N.; Yamazaki, Toshitsugu

Free-air gravity anomalies derived from satellite altimetry data show that the major Pacific fracture zones, from the Pau to Marquesas, are co-polar about an Euler pole located at 150.5°W, 34.6°S for the period preceding chron 33 and including a large portion of the Cretaceous Normal Superchron. They also show continuity of the Clipperton Fracture Zone through the Line Islands to the Nova-Canton ridge and trough; this Canton-Clipperton trend is co-polar to the same pole. Sidescan-sonar and bathymetry data in the Nova-Canton Trough region reveal N140°E-striking abyssal hill topography south of the N70°E-striking structures of the Nova-Canton Trough and crustal fabric striking normal to the trough (N160°E) to the north. We conclude that the Nova-Canton Trough is the Middle Cretaceous extension of the Clipperton Fracture Zone. We propose that the anomalous depths (7000-8400 m) of the trough between 167°30'-168°30'W are the result of a complex plate reorganization. Conjugate magnetic anomaly lineations M1-M3 in the Phoenix lineations between the Central Pacific Fracture Zone and the Phoenix Fracture Zone and the absence of lineations younger than anomaly M3 west of the Phoenix Fracture Zone suggest that spreading may have gradually ceased along the Pacific-Phoenix system from west to east. We infer that the remaining active segment of the Pacific-Phoenix spreading system after anomaly M1 time was the easternmost section of the Phoenix lineations. At ˜M0 time, the Pacific-Phoenix spreading axis stretched from lineated bathymetric depressions lying between 180°W and the Phoenix Islands to ˜168°W and included the western deep of the Nova-Canton Trough. We hypothesize that accretion terminated on the Pacific-Phoenix spreading axis shortly after M0 time and that the absence of an M0 isochron in the region between the eastern Phoenix lineations and the Nova-Canton Trough, or along the Nova-Canton Trough itself, may be due to a decrease in spreading rate prior to termination. We concur with previous hypotheses that portions of the Phoenix plate were trapped on the Pacific plate by a ridge jump south to the nascent Manihiki Plateau; some portions were overprinted by the Aptian volcanism that formed the Manihiki Plateau and Robbie Ridge. Pacific-Farallon spreading south of the Nova-Canton Trough jumped westwards, initiating transcurrent motion along the easternmost section of the failed ˜M0 spreading axis (the western deep of the Nova-Canton Trough) which subsequently became the western end of the Clipperton (Pacific-Farallon) transform. In our reconstruction, the northeast and southeast margins of the Manihiki Plateau are rifted margins that form the western limit of Pacific-Farallon spreading between the Clipperton, Galapagos, and Marquesas fracture zones.

Operational Experience from Solar Thermal Energy Projects

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cameron, C. P.

1984-01-01

Over the past few years, Sandia National Laboratories were involved in the design, construction, and operation of a number of DOE-sponsored solar thermal energy systems. Among the systems currently in operation are several industrial process heat projects and the Modular Industrial Solar Retrofit qualification test systems, all of which use parabolic troughs, and the Shenandoah Total Energy Project, which uses parabolic dishes. Operational experience has provided insight to both desirable and undesirable features of the designs of these systems. Features of these systems which are also relevant to the design of parabolic concentrator thermal electric systems are discussed. Other design features discussed are system control functions which were found to be especially convenient or effective, such as local concentrator controls, rainwash controls, and system response to changing isolation. Drive systems are also discussed with particular emphasis of the need for reliability and the usefulness of a manual drive capability.

Last deglaciation of the Svalbard/Barents Sea Ice Sheet - a swath bathymetric and sub-bottom seismic study from the Kveithola Trough

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rebesco, Michele; Liu, Yanguang; Camerlenghi, Angelo; Winsborrow, Monica; Sverre Laberg, Jan; Caburlotto, Andrea; Diviacco, Paolo; Accettella, Daniela; Sauli, Chiara; Wardell, Nigel

2010-05-01

Kveithola Trough, an E-W trending cross-shelf glacial trough in the NW Barents Sea, was surveyed for the first time during the EGLACOM cruise between 8th July and 4th August 2008 on board R/V OGS-Explora. EGLACOM (Evolution of a GLacial Arctic COntinental Margin: the southern Svalbard ice stream-dominated sedimentary system) project is the Italian contribution to the International Polar Year (IPY) Activity 367 (Neogene ice streams and sedimentary processes on high- latitude continental margins - NICE STREAMS). Such IPY activity included as well the Spanish SVAIS 2008 cruise on board BIO Hesperides. EGLACOM data acquisition, focused on the Storfjorden Fan and Kveithola Trough, included a multi-channel seismic (MCS) reflection survey and the simultaneous collection of swath bathymetry and sub-bottom CHIRP profiles. Swath bathymetry in the Kveithola Trough shows that the seafloor is characterized by E-W trending mega-scale glacial lineations (MSGL). These include large-scale ridges about 2 km wide and 15 m high as well as smaller grooves about 100 m wide and a few metres deep. Such MSGL record the fast flow of an ice stream draining the Svalbard/Barents Sea Ice Sheet (SBSIS) during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). MSGL are overprinted by transverse sediment ridges about 15 km apart which give rise to a staircase long profile of the trough. Such transverse ridges are interpreted as grounding-zone wedges (GZW) formed by deposition of unconsolidated, saturated subglacial till during ice stream retreat. Sub-bottom (CHIRP) and multi-channel reflection seismic data show that the morphology is controlled by stacked sets of lensoidal transparent units (tills) overlain by a draping glaciomarine unit up to over 15 m thick. Formed during temporary stillstands in grounding-zone position before complete deglaciation, GZW ridges are diagnostic of episodic retreat. Our data allow the reconstruction of deglaciation in the Spitsbergen Bank area, with each stage during deglaciation recorded by deposition of a GZW. Three independent lines of reasoning suggest that an ice cap persisted on Spitsbergen Bank for some thousand years and lasted much longer than those that fed the adjacent glacial troughs: 1) the freshness of the morphology in Kveithola Trough compared to that of adjacent Storfjorden and Bear Island troughs; 2) the volume of sediment in the GZW ridges compared to the small catchment area; 3) preliminary assessment of the stratigraphic position of debris flow deposits on the continental slope. The 15 m of sedimentary drape deposited on top of GZW ridges contains a high-resolution palaeoclimatic record of the last thousand years, which accumulated at a very high average sedimentation rate. Sampling (through drilling) of the thin glaciomarine sediments between the till lenses of the successive GZW ridges may allow the dating of deglaciation phases in the Barents Sea.

Study on fault diagnosis and load feedback control system of combine harvester

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Ying; Wang, Kun

2017-01-01

In order to timely gain working status parameters of operating parts in combine harvester and improve its operating efficiency, fault diagnosis and load feedback control system is designed. In the system, rotation speed sensors were used to gather these signals of forward speed and rotation speeds of intermediate shaft, conveying trough, tangential and longitudinal flow threshing rotors, grain conveying auger. Using C8051 single chip microcomputer (SCM) as processor for main control unit, faults diagnosis and forward speed control were carried through by rotation speed ratio analysis of each channel rotation speed and intermediate shaft rotation speed by use of multi-sensor fused fuzzy control algorithm, and these processing results would be sent to touch screen and display work status of combine harvester. Field trials manifest that fault monitoring and load feedback control system has good man-machine interaction and the fault diagnosis method based on rotation speed ratios has low false alarm rate, and the system can realize automation control of forward speed for combine harvester.

Design of a Field Raised-Bed Trough System using Soilless Substrates for Strawberry Production in California

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

There are a number of approaches for producing strawberry fruit on a commercial scale without fumigants. One possible approach is to grow strawberries using raised-bed troughs filled with non soil based substrate media. Field trials were conducted using peat, perlite, coir, rice hull, and a redwoo...

Concentrating Solar Power Projects - Delingha 50MW Thermal Oil Parabolic

Science.gov Websites

Trough project | Concentrating Solar Power | NREL Delingha 50MW Thermal Oil Parabolic Trough project Status Date: April 17, 2017 Project Overview Project Name: Delingha 50MW Thermal Oil Parabolic Contractor: IDOM : Thermal energy storage system engineering Plant Configuration Solar Field # of Loops: 190

Topography of Valles Marineris: Implications for erosional and structural history

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lucchitta, B. K.; Isbell, N. K.; Howington-Kraus, A.

1994-01-01

Compilation of a simplified geologic/geomorphic map onto digital terrain models of the Valles Marineris permitted an evaluation of elevations in the vicinity of the troughs and the calculation of depth of troughs below surrounding plateaus, thickness of deposits inside the troughs, volumes of void spaces above geologic/geomorphic units, and volumes of deposits. The central troughs north Ophir, north and central Candor, and north Melas Chasmata lie as much as 11 km below the adjacent plateaus. In Ophir and Candor chasmata, interior layered deposits reach 8 km in elevation. If the deposits are lacustrine and if all troughs were interconnected, lake waters standing 8 km high would have spilled out of Coprates Chasma onto the surrounding plateaus having surface elevations of only 4-5 km. On the other hand, the troughs may not have been interconnected at the time of interior-deposit emplacement; they may have formed isolated ancestral basins. The existence of such basins is supported by independent structural and stratigraphic evidence. The ancestral basins may have eventually merged, perhaps through renewed faulting, to form northern subsidiary troughs in Ophir and Candor Chasmata and the Coprates/north Melas/Ius graben system. The peripheral troughs are only 2-5 km deep, shallower than the central troughs. Chaotic terrain is seen in the peripheral troughs near a common contour level of about 4 km on the adjacent plateaus, which supports the idea of release of water under artesian pressure from confined aquifers. The layered deposits in the peripheral troughs may have formed in isolated depressions that harbored lakes and predated the formation of the deep outflow channels. (If these layered deposits are of volcanic origin, they may have been emplaced beneath ice in the manner of table mountains.) Areal and volumetric computations show that erosion widened the troughs by about one-third and that deposits occupy one-sixth of the interior space. Even though the volume eroded is larger than the volume deposited, topographic and geologic considerations imply that material eroded from trough walls was probably part of the interior layered deposits but not their sole source. Additional material may have come from subterranean piping, from reworking of local disintegration products on the floors, such as chaotic materials, or from eolian influx. But overall it is likely that the additional material is volcanic and that it forms mostly the upper, more diversely bedded layers of the interior deposits.

Down hole transmission system

DOEpatents

Hall, David R [Provo, UT; Hall, Jr., H. Tracy

2007-07-24

A transmission system in a downhole component comprises a data transmission element in both ends of the downhole component. Each data transmission element houses an electrically conducting coil in a MCEI circular trough. The electrically conducting coil comprises at least two generally fractional loops. In the preferred embodiment, the transmission elements are connected by an electrical conductor. Preferably, the electrical conductor is a coaxial cable. Preferably, the MCEI trough comprises ferrite. In the preferred embodiment, the fractional loops are connected by a connecting cable. In one aspect of the present invention, the connecting cable is a pair of twisted wires. In one embodiment the connecting cable is a shielded pair of twisted wires. In another aspect of the present invention, the connecting cable is a coaxial cable. The connecting cable may be disposed outside of the MCEI circular trough.

Contrasting modes of rifting: The Benue Trough and Cameroon Volcanic Line, West Africa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Okereke, C. S.

1988-08-01

The Benue trough of west Africa is commonly believed to be a rift feature that originated in the Cretaceous at about the time that Africa and South America began to separate. Bouguer gravity and available geological data in the trough indicate that its formation was probably the result of regional horizontal stresses in the lithosphere, causing crustal extension and surface subsidence. By contrast, the data for the adjoining Cameroon volcanic line suggests that the associated tensional stresses relate to mantle upwarp causing thinning of the lithosphere and regional crustal uplift similar to that associated with the Kenya rift. Thus the association of passive and active rifts seen in the Afro-Arabia rift system is also a feature of the Cretaceous rift system in west Africa.

Influence of spatiotemporally distributed irradiance data input on temperature evolution in parabolic trough solar field simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bubolz, K.; Schenk, H.; Hirsch, T.

2016-05-01

Concentrating solar field operation is affected by shadowing through cloud movement. For line focusing systems the impact of varying irradiance has been studied before by several authors with simulations of relevant thermodynamics assuming spatially homogeneous irradiance or using artificial test signals. While today's simulation capabilities allow more and more a higher spatiotemporal resolution of plant processes there are only few studies on influence of spatially distributed irradiance due to lack of available data. Based on recent work on generating real irradiance maps with high spatial resolution this paper demonstrates their influence on solar field thermodynamics. For a case study an irradiance time series is chosen. One solar field section with several loops and collecting header is modeled for simulation purpose of parabolic trough collectors and oil as heat transfer medium. Assuming homogeneous mass flow distribution among all loops we observe spatially varying temperature characteristics. They are analysed without and with mass flow control and their impact on solar field control design is discussed. Finally, the potential of distributed irradiance data is outlined.

Supersonic burning in separated flow regions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zumwalt, G. W.

1982-01-01

The trough vortex phenomena is used for combustion of hydrogen in a supersonic air stream. This was done in small sizes suitable for igniters in supersonic combustion ramjets so long as the boundary layer displacement thickness is less than 25% of the trough step height. A simple electric spark, properly positioned, ignites the hydrogen in the trough corner. The resulting flame is self sustaining and reignitable. Hydrogen can be injected at the base wall or immediately upstream of the trough. The hydrogen is introduced at low velocity to permit it to be drawn into the corner vortex system and thus experience a long residence time in the combustion region. The igniters can be placed on a skewed back step for angles at least up to 30 deg. without affecting the igniter performance significantly. Certain metals (platinum, copper) act catalytically to improve ignition.

Decadal Modulation of Repeating Slow Slip Event Activity in the Southwestern Ryukyu Arc Possibly Driven by Rifting Episodes at the Okinawa Trough

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tu, Yoko; Heki, Kosuke

2017-09-01

We studied 38 slow slip events (SSEs) in 1997-2016 beneath the Iriomote Island, southwestern Ryukyu Arc, Japan, using continuous Global Navigation Satellite Systems data. These SSEs occur biannually on the same fault patch at a depth of 30 km on the subducting Philippine Sea Plate slab with average moment magnitudes (Mw) of 6.6. Here we show that the slip accumulation rate (cumulative slip/lapse time) of these SSEs fluctuated over a decadal time scale. The rate increased twice around 2002 and 2013 concurrently with earthquake swarms in the Okinawa Trough. This suggests that episodic activations of the back-arc spreading at the Okinawa Trough caused extra southward movement of the block south of the trough and accelerated convergence at the Ryukyu Trench.

Solar photochemical process engineering for production of fuels and chemicals

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Biddle, J. R.; Peterson, D. B.; Fujita, T.

1984-01-01

The engineering costs and performance of a nominal 25,000 scmd (883,000 scfd) photochemical plant to produce dihydrogen from water were studied. Two systems were considered, one based on flat-plate collector/reactors and the other on linear parabolic troughs. Engineering subsystems were specified including the collector/reactor, support hardware, field transport piping, gas compression equipment, and balance-of-plant (BOP) items. Overall plant efficiencies of 10.3 and 11.6% are estimated for the flat-plate and trough systems, respectively, based on assumed solar photochemical efficiencies of 12.9 and 14.6%. Because of the opposing effects of concentration ratio and operating temperature on efficiency, it was concluded that reactor cooling would be necessary with the trough system. Both active and passive cooling methods were considered. Capital costs and energy costs, for both concentrating and non-concentrating systems, were determined and their sensitivity to efficiency and economic parameters were analyzed. The overall plant efficiency is the single most important factor in determining the cost of the fuel.

Solar photochemical process engineering for production of fuels and chemicals

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Biddle, J. R.; Peterson, D. B.; Fujita, T.

1985-01-01

The engineering costs and performance of a nominal 25,000 scmd (883,000 scfd) photochemical plant to produce dihydrogen from water were studied. Two systems were considered, one based on flat-plate collector/reactors and the other on linear parabolic troughs. Engineering subsystems were specified including the collector/reactor, support hardware, field transport piping, gas compression equipment, and balance-of-plant (BOP) items. Overall plant efficiencies of 10.3 and 11.6 percent are estimated for the flat-plate and trough systems, respectively, based on assumed solar photochemical efficiencies of 12.9 and 14.6 percent. Because of the opposing effects of concentration ratio and operating temperature on efficiency, it was concluded that reactor cooling would be necessary with the trough system. Both active and passive cooling methods were considered. Capital costs and energy costs, for both concentrating and non-concentrating systems, were determined and their sensitivity to efficiency and economic parameters were analyzed. The overall plant efficiency is the single most important factor in determining the cost of the fuel.

The Rome trough and evolution of the Iapetean margin

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

Walker, D.; Hamilton-Smith, T.; Drahovzal, J.A.

1991-08-01

Recent structural mapping of the Rome trough suggests a complex structure very different from the symmetrical and laterally continuous graben commonly depicted. Early and Middle Cambrian extension in the Rome trough of eastern Kentucky and adjacent areas resulted in a series of alternately facing half-grabens with variable displacement. These half-grabens are bounded by southwest-northeast-trending normal faults (e.g., Kentucky River and Warfield faults), which are laterally continuous only on the order to tens of kilometers. The Rome trough is laterally segmented by north-south-trending faults (e.g., Lexington fault) commonly expressed as flexures in younger rocks (e.g., Burning Springs anticline and Floyd Countymore » channel). Many of these north-south-trending faults have significant left-lateral displacement, and probably represent reactivated thrust faults of the Grenville tectonic front. The Rome trough and the associated Mississippi Valley, Rough Creek, and Birmingham fault systems were initiated during an Early Cambrian shift in sea-floor spreading from the Blue Ridge-Pine Mountain rift to the Ouachita rift along the Alabama-Oklahoma transform fault. These fault systems have been proposed as having originated from extensional stress propagated northward from the Ouachita rift across the transform fault. In the alternate model proposed here, faulting was brittle, extensional failure resulting form subsidence and flexure of the continental margin to the east. Following initiation of sea-floor spreading at the Blue Ridge-Pine Mountain rift in the latest Proterozoic, margin subsidence in the presence of the Alabama-Oklahoma transform boundary and the inherited Grenville tectonic front resulted in this interior cratonic fault system.« less

Modulations of Driven Nonlinear Surface Waves on Water and Liquid Helium-4.

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-06-01

loop to control drive amplitude. 63 CHAPTER III. DATA AND INTERPRETATION. Section 5. Cockscombs. 25. Cockscomb in water at f/30. 67 26. Double...annular trough, sealed and then partially filled with normal or superfluid helium, is oscillated vertically and supported 6 . . ... . . . . . 41 700...44 0 .0 0 00 loudspeaker surface wave sealed trough transducer shel oo •Figure 3. Schmatic of the helium experiment. 8 r

Morphological evolution of Jinshan Trough in Hangzhou Bay (China) from 1960 to 2011

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Yifei; Xia, Xiaoming; Chen, Shenliang; Jia, Jianjun; Cai, Tinglu

2017-11-01

An extensive system of tidal channels, starting with Jinshan Trough in the east, is located along the north shore of Hangzhou Bay, China. This contribution investigates the morphological evolution of Jinshan Trough by using 17 bathymetric charts from a series covering a period of 51 years from 1960 to 2011. Three stages of evolution during this period are distinguishable based on the morphology and annual mean volume data. The first stage (1960-1987) is characterized by extension of the trough; the second stage (1987-1996) is a relatively stable period with some adjustments in the trough morphology; the third stage (1996-2011) is marked by the processes of erosion and deposition in the beginning of the period and a subsequent slow erosion process. Spatio-temporal variability of the trough was evaluated by using empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis. The first eigenfunction indicates that erosion is the main evolution process and there exists three stages similar to those distinguished from volume variations. The second eigenfunction mainly reflects erosion and deposition in the northwest part of the trough located in the flood tidal current shadow area of the artificial headland in Jinshan. The third eigenfunction mainly reflects annual fluctuations of erosion and deposition in the side slope at the artificial headland in Jinshan. A particularly intense erosion process occurred between 1996 and 1998. The major effects on morphological evolution in Jinshan Trough from 1960 to 2011 were investigated and tentative conclusions were presented. Continuous coastal reclamations in Jinshan had the most pronounced effect on the morphological evolution during the first and the second stages. The storm surge had a pronounced effect on the evolution at the beginning of the third stage.

DETAIL VIEW OF BALL MILL FEED SYSTEM, MOUTH OF CLASSIFIER, ...

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

DETAIL VIEW OF BALL MILL FEED SYSTEM, MOUTH OF CLASSIFIER, AND ORE BIN CHUTE, LOOKING EAST NORTHEAST. CRUSHED ORE FROM THE SECONDARY ORE BIN WAS INTRODUCED INTO THE FEED TROUGH VIA A CHUTE. AS THE BALL MILL TURNED, THE ROUND SCOOP ALSO TURNED IN THE TROUGH TO CHANNEL ORE INTO THE BALL MILL. SEE CA-292-14 FOR IDENTICAL B&W NEGATIVE. - Gold Hill Mill, Warm Spring Canyon Road, Death Valley Junction, Inyo County, CA

DETAIL VIEW OF BALL MILL FEED SYSTEM, MOUTH OF CLASSIFIER, ...

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

DETAIL VIEW OF BALL MILL FEED SYSTEM, MOUTH OF CLASSIFIER, AND ORE BIN CHUTE, LOOKING EAST NORTHEAST. CRUSHED ORE FROM THE SECONDARY ORE BIN WAS INTRODUCED INTO THE FEED TROUGH VIA A CHUTE. AS THE BALL MILL TURNED, THE ROUND SCOOP ALSO TURNED IN THE TROUGH TO CHANNEL ORE INTO THE BALL MILL. SEE CA-292-20 (CT) FOR IDENTICAL COLOR TRANSPARENCY. - Gold Hill Mill, Warm Spring Canyon Road, Death Valley Junction, Inyo County, CA

A fixed tilt solar collector employing reversible vee-trough reflectors and vacuum tube receivers for solar heating and cooling systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Selcuk, M. K.

1977-01-01

The usefulness of vee-trough concentrators in improving the efficiency and reducing the cost of collectors assembled from evacuated tube receivers was studied in the vee-trough/vacuum tube collector (VTVTC) project. The VTVTC was analyzed rigorously and various mathematical models were developed to calculate the optical performance of the vee-trough concentrator and the thermal performance of the evacuated tube receiver. A test bed was constructed to verify the mathematical analyses and compare reflectors made out of glass, Alzak and aluminized FEP Teflon. Tests were run at temperatures ranging from 95 to 180 C. Vee-trough collector efficiencies of 35 to 40% were observed at an operating temperature of about 175 C. Test results compared well with the calculated values. Predicted daily useful heat collection and efficiency values are presented for a year's duration of operation temperatures ranging from 65 to 230 C. Estimated collector costs and resulting thermal energy costs are presented. Analytical and experimental results are discussed along with a complete economic evaluation.

Movement of fluids in the Nankai Trough area: Insights from 129I and halogen distributions along the IODP NanTroSEIZE transect

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tomaru, Hitoshi; Fehn, Udo

2015-01-01

Halogen concentrations and 129I/I ratios were determined in pore waters from the Nankai Trough subduction system, collected during IODP Expeditions 315, 316, 322, and 333 along the NanTroSEIZE transect. The transect allowed the first direct comparison of iodine results across an active subduction system, from subducting oceanic sediments to the accretionary prism, and the overlying forearc basin. In contrast to the other halogens (Cl and Br) iodine concentrations show large variations within and among the cores at all sites landward of the trough, I concentrations increase rapidly with depth and reach values several orders of magnitude higher than those in seawater, but are only slightly higher than seawater values at the seaward sites. Methane concentrations follow a similar pattern. Host sediments of the fluids are younger than 7 Ma in all the cores, but the ages of iodine in pore waters at the landward sites reach values beyond 30 Ma. In contrast, iodine seaward of the trough is in isotopic equilibrium with the host sediments, resulting in very similar iodine and sediment ages. The distribution of iodine concentrations and ages indicates that iodine at the landward sites has been transported there in aqueous fluids, probably together with methane, from old formations in the upper plate. The specific fluid pathways potentially were influenced by features such as the megasplay fault in the prism or the décollement. The results demonstrate large-scale transport of fluids carrying iodine and other compounds such as methane from old layers in the upper plate to surface locations landward of the Nankai Trough, while separate, but only local hydrologic processes occur in the marine sediments moving toward the trough.

Exposure-response analysis of alectinib in crizotinib-resistant ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer.

PubMed

Morcos, Peter N; Nueesch, Eveline; Jaminion, Felix; Guerini, Elena; Hsu, Joy C; Bordogna, Walter; Balas, Bogdana; Mercier, Francois

2018-05-10

Alectinib is a selective and potent anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) inhibitor that is active in the central nervous system (CNS). Alectinib demonstrated robust efficacy in a pooled analysis of two single-arm, open-label phase II studies (NP28673, NCT01801111; NP28761, NCT01871805) in crizotinib-resistant ALK-positive non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC): median overall survival (OS) 29.1 months (95% confidence interval [CI]: 21.3-39.0) for alectinib 600 mg twice daily (BID). We investigated exposure-response relationships from final pooled phase II OS and safety data to assess alectinib dose selection. A semi-parametric Cox proportional hazards model analyzed relationships between individual median observed steady-state trough concentrations (C trough,ss ) for combined exposure of alectinib and its major metabolite (M4), baseline covariates (demographics and disease characteristics) and OS. Univariate logistic regression analysis analyzed relationships between C trough,ss and incidence of adverse events (AEs: serious and Grade ≥ 3). Overall, 92% of patients (n = 207/225) had C trough,ss data and were included in the analysis. No statistically significant relationship was found between C trough,ss and OS following alectinib treatment. The only baseline covariates that statistically influenced OS were baseline tumor size and prior crizotinib treatment duration. Larger baseline tumor size and shorter prior crizotinib treatment were both associated with shorter OS. Logistic regression confirmed no significant relationship between C trough,ss and AEs. Alectinib 600 mg BID provides systemic exposures at plateau of response for OS while maintaining a well-tolerated safety profile. This analysis confirms alectinib 600 mg BID as the recommended global dose for patients with crizotinib-resistant ALK-positive NSCLC.

Laser welding on trough panel: 3D body part

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shirai, Masato; Hisano, Hirohiko

2003-03-01

Laser welding for automotive bodies has been introduced mainly by European car manufacturers since more than 10 years ago. Their purposes of laser welding introduction were mainly vehicle performance improvement and lightweight. And laser welding was applied to limited portion where shapes of panels are simple and easy to fit welded flanges. Toyota also has introduced laser welding onto 3 dimensional parts named trough panel since 1999. Our purpose of the introduction was common use of equipment. Trough panel has a complex shape and different shapes in each car type. In order to realize common use of welding equipment, we introduced parts locating equipment which had unique, small & simple jigs fo each car type and NC (Numerical Controlled) locators and air-cooled small laser head developed by ourselves to the trough welding process. Laser welding replaced spot welding and was applied linearly like stitches. Length of laser welding was determined according to comparison with statistic tensile strength and fatigue strength of spot welding.

Verification of the modelling of the main ionospheric trough by the Electron Density Assimilative Model (EDAM)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parker, James; Pryse, Eleri; Jackson-Booth, Natasha

2017-04-01

The main ionospheric trough is a large-scale spatial depletion in the ionospheric electron density that commonly separates the auroral and mid-latitude regions. The feature covers several degrees in latitude and is extended in longitude. It exhibits substantial day-to-day variability in both the location of its minimum ionisation density and in its latitudinal structure. Observations from the UK have shown the trough to be a night-time feature, appearing in early evening to the north of the mainland and progressing equatorward during the course of the night. At dawn, photoionisation fills in the feature. Under increasing levels of geomagnetic activity, the trough moves progressively to lower latitudes. Steep gradients on the trough walls and their variability can cause problems for radio applications. EDAM can be used to model the ionosphere at the trough latitudes by assimilating ionospheric observations from this region into the International Reference Ionosphere (IRI). In this study troughs modelled by EDAM, assimilating data for a period from September to December 2002, are presented and are verified by comparisons with independent observations. Measurements of slant total electron content (sTEC) between GPS satellites and forty ground receivers in Europe were assimilated into EDAM to model the ionospheric electron density. The Vertical Total Electron Content (VTEC) was then calculated through the model, with the values at the longitude of 0.0E considered to obtain statistical characteristics of identified troughs parameters. Comparisons of the parameters with those obtained previously, using transmissions from the satellites of NIMS (Navy Ionospheric Monitoring System) orbiting at altitudes lower than GPS, revealed consistent results. Further support for the EDAM trough was obtained by comparisons of the model with independent GPS measurements. For this a GPS ground station not used in the assimilation was used to observe the sTEC to this "truth" station. Comparisons of these independent truth data with sTEC calculated through the model were used to determine the accuracy of EDAM in the vicinity of the trough.

Evidence for submarine landslides and continental slope erosion related to fault reactivation during the last glaciation offshore eastern Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saint-Ange, F.; Campbell, C.; MacKillop, K.; Mosher, D. C.; Piper, D. J.; Roger, J.

2012-12-01

Many studies have proposed that reactivation of dormant faults during deglaciation is a source of neotectonic activity in glaciated regions, but few have demonstrated the relationship to submarine landslides. In this study, seabed morphology and shallow geology of the outer continental margin adjacent to the Charlie Gibbs Fracture Zone off Newfoundland, Canada was investigated for evidence of this relationship. The glacial history and morphology of the margin suggest that the entire continental shelf in the area, coincident with major continental crustal lineaments, was ice-covered during the Last glacial cycle, and transverse troughs delineate the paleo-icestream drainage patterns. A recent investigation of Notre Dame Trough revealed the existence of large sediment failures on the shelf. The current study investigates complex seafloor erosion and widespread mass transport deposition (MTD) on the continental slope seaward of Notre Dame Trough, using recently-acquired high resolution seismic reflection data and piston cores. The new data reveal that a trough mouth fan (TMF) is present on the slope seaward of Notre Dame Trough. The Notre Dame TMF is characterized by a succession of stacked debris flows, but does not show a lobate shape in plan view like other classic TMFs. Instead, the Notre Dame TMF has abruptly-truncated margins suggesting post-depositional failure and erosion of the fan deposits. Seismic reflection data show that the locations of the failures along the TMF margin are coincident with a set of shallow faults; however the current dataset does not image the deeper portion of the faults. On the upper slope immediately south of the TMF, a narrow and deeply incised canyon is located along-trend with the Notre Dame Trough. The location of this canyon appears to be controlled by a fault. Downslope from this canyon, along the southern margin of the TMF, a 25 km wide, flat-floored, U-shaped valley was eroded into a succession of stacked MTD-filled channels. Seismic stratigraphic analysis shows that the valley developed around the same time as the adjacent TMF, however, the valley morphology and evidence for repeated slope failure suggests that the processes responsible for its formation were different than the processes that formed the nearby TMF. Age control provided from piston cores suggest that the last major slope failure that contributed to valley formation probably occurred at ~29 ka. Geotechnical measurements from piston cores show slightly underconsolidated sediments. The results indicate that this part of the margin is more unstable than Orphan Basin and Labrador slope regions. Given the low factor of safety and the complex fault system, low energy earthquake from the surrounding area could be enough to potentially trigger landslides.

Punctuated Sediment Discharge during Early Pliocene Birth of the Colorado River: Evidence from Regional Stratigraphy, Sedimentology, and Paleontology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dorsey, Rebecca J.; O'Connell, Brennan; McDougall, Kristin; Homan, Mindy B.

2018-01-01

The Colorado River in the southwestern U.S. provides an excellent natural laboratory for studying the origins of a continent-scale river system, because deposits that formed prior to and during river initiation are well exposed in the lower river valley and nearby basinal sink. This paper presents a synthesis of regional stratigraphy, sedimentology, and micropaleontology from the southern Bouse Formation and similar-age deposits in the western Salton Trough, which we use to interpret processes that controlled the birth and early evolution of the Colorado River. The southern Bouse Formation is divided into three laterally persistent members: basal carbonate, siliciclastic, and upper bioclastic members. Basal carbonate accumulated in a tide-dominated marine embayment during a rise of relative sea level between 6.3 and 5.4 Ma, prior to arrival of the Colorado River. The transition to green claystone records initial rapid influx of river water and its distal clay wash load into the subtidal marine embayment at 5.4-5.3 Ma. This was followed by rapid southward progradation of the Colorado River delta, establishment of the earliest through-flowing river, and deposition of river-derived turbidites in the western Salton Trough (Wind Caves paleocanyon) between 5.3 and 5.1 Ma. Early delta progradation was followed by regional shut-down of river sand output between 5.1 and 4.8 Ma that resulted in deposition of marine clay in the Salton Trough, retreat of the delta, and re-flooding of the lower river valley by shallow marine water that deposited the Bouse upper bioclastic member. Resumption of sediment discharge at 4.8 Ma drove massive progradation of fluvial-deltaic deposits back down the river valley into the northern Gulf and Salton Trough. These results provide evidence for a discontinuous, start-stop-start history of sand output during initiation of the Colorado River that is not predicted by existing models for this system. The underlying controls on punctuated sediment discharge are assessed by comparing the depositional chronology to the record of global sea-level change. The lower Colorado River Valley and Salton Trough experienced marine transgression during a gradual fall in global sea level between 6.3 and 5.5 Ma, implicating tectonic subsidence as the main driver of latest Miocene relative sea-level rise. A major fall of global sea level at 5.3 Ma outpaced subsidence and drove regional delta progradation, earliest flushing of Colorado River sand into the northern Gulf of California, and erosion of Bouse basal carbonate and siliciclastic members. The lower Colorado River valley was re-flooded by shallow marine waters during smaller changes in global sea level 5.1-4.8 Ma, after the river first ran through it, which requires a mechanism to stop delivery of sand to the lower river valley. We propose that tectonically controlled subsidence along the lower Colorado River, upstream of the southern Bouse study area, temporarily trapped sediment and stopped delivery of sand to the lower river valley and northern Gulf of California for 200-300 kyr. Massive progradation of the fluvial-deltaic system back down the river valley into the Salton Trough starting 4.8-4.5 Ma apparently was driven by a huge increase in sediment discharge that overwhelmed the sediment-storage capacity of sub-basins along the lower river corridor and established the fully integrated river channel network. Accompanies Dorsey et al. "Punctuated sediment discharge during early Pliocene birth of the Colorado River: Evidence from regional stratigraphy, sedimentology, and paleontology". Accompanies Dorsey et al. "Punctuated sediment discharge during early Pliocene birth of the Colorado River: Evidence from regional stratigraphy, sedimentology, and paleontology". Accompanies Dorsey et al. "Punctuated sediment discharge during early Pliocene birth of the Colorado River: Evidence from regional stratigraphy, sedimentology, and paleontology".

Facies analysis, palaeoenvironmental reconstruction and stratigraphic development of the Early Cretaceous sediments (Lower Bima Member) in the Yola Sub-basin, Northern Benue Trough, NE Nigeria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sarki Yandoka, Babangida M.; Abubakar, M. B.; Abdullah, Wan Hasiah; Amir Hassan, M. H.; Adamu, Bappah U.; Jitong, John S.; Aliyu, Abdulkarim H.; Adegoke, Adebanji Kayode

2014-08-01

The Benue Trough of Nigeria is a major rift basin formed from the tension generated by the separation of African and South American plates in the Early Cretaceous. It is geographically sub-divided into Southern, Central and Northern Benue portions. The Northern Benue Trough comprises two sub-basins; the N-S trending Gongola Sub-basin and the E-W trending Yola Sub-basin. The Bima Formation is the oldest lithogenetic unit occupying the base of the Cretaceous successions in the Northern Benue Trough. It is differentiated into three members; the Lower Bima (B1), the Middle Bima (B2) and the Upper Bima (B3). Facies and their stratigraphical distribution analyses were conducted on the Lower Bima Member exposed mainly at the core of the NE-SW axially trending Lamurde Anticline in the Yola Sub-basin, with an objective to interpret the paleodepositional environments, and to reconstruct the depositional model and the stratigraphical architecture. Ten (10) lithofacies were identified on the basis of lithology, grain size, sedimentary structures and paleocurrent analysis. The facies constitute three (3) major facies associations; the gravelly dominated, the sandy dominated and the fine grain dominated. These facies and facies associations were interpreted and three facies successions were recognized; the alluvial-proximal braided river, the braided river and the lacustrine-marginal lacustrine. The stratigraphic architecture indicates a rifted (?pull-apart) origin as the facies distribution shows a progradational succession from a shallow lacustrine/marginal lacustrine (at the axial part of the basin) to alluvial fan (sediment gravity flow)-proximal braided river (gravel bed braided river) and braided river (channel and overbank) depositional systems. The facies stacking patterns depict sedimentation mainly controlled by allogenic factors of climate and tectonism.

The Pianosa Contourite Depositional System (Northern Tyrrhenian Sea): drift morphology and Plio-Quaternary stratigraphic evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miramontes Garcia, Elda; Cattaneo, Antonio; Jouet, Gwenael; Thereau, Estelle; Thomas, Yannick; Rovere, Marzia; Cauquil, Eric; Trincardi, Fabio

2016-04-01

The Pianosa Contourite Depositional System (CDS) is located in the Corsica Trough (Northern Tyrrhenian Sea), a confined basin dominated by mass transport and contour currents in the eastern flank and by turbidity currents in the western flank. The morphologic and stratigraphic characterisation of the Pianosa CDS is based on multibeam bathymetry, seismic reflection data (multi-channel high resolution mini GI gun, single-channel sparker and CHIRP), sediment cores and ADCP data. The Pianosa CDS is located at shallow to intermediate water depths (170 to 850 m water depth) and is formed under the influence of the Levantine Intermediate Water (LIW). It is 120 km long, has a maximum width of 10 km and is composed of different types of muddy sediment drifts: plastered drift, separated mounded drift, sigmoid drift and multicrested drift. The reduced tectonic activity in the Corsica Trough since the early Pliocene permits to recover a sedimentary record of the contourite depositional system that is only influenced by climate fluctuations. Contourites started to develop in the Middle-Late Pliocene, but their growth was enhanced since the Middle Pleistocene Transition (0.7-0.9 Ma). Although the general circulation of the LIW, flowing northwards in the Corsica Trough, remained active all along the history of the system, contourite drift formation changed, controlled by sediment influx and bottom current velocity. During periods of sea level fall, fast bottom currents often eroded the drift crest in the middle and upper slope. At that time the proximity of the coast to the shelf edge favoured the formation of bioclastic sand deposits winnowed by bottom currents. Higher sediment accumulation of mud in the drifts occurred during periods of fast bottom currents and high sediment availability (i.e. high activity of turbidity currents), coincident with periods of sea level low-stands. Condensed sections were formed during sea level high-stands, when bottom currents were more sluggish and the turbidite system was disconnected, resulting in a lower sediment influx.

Climatology of the winter Red Sea Trough

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Awad, Adel M.; Almazroui, Mansour

2016-12-01

In this study, a new and objective method for detecting the Red Sea Trough (RST) was developed using mean sea level pressure (SLP) data from NCEP/NCAR reanalysis dataset from the winters of 1956 to 2015 to identify the Sudan Low and its trough. Approximately 96% of the winter RSTs were generated near two main sources, South Sudan and southeastern Sudan, and approximately 85% of these troughs were in four of the most outer areas surrounding the northern Red Sea. Moreover, from west to east of the Red Sea, the RST was affected by the relationships between the Siberian High and Azores High. The RST was oriented to the west when the strength of the Siberian High increased and to the east when the strength of the Azores High increased. Furthermore, the synoptic features of the upper level of the RST emphasize the impacts of subtropical anticyclones at 850 hPa on the orientation of the RST, the impacts of the northern cyclone trough and the maximum wind at a pressure level of 250 hPa. The average static stability between 1000 hPa and 500 hPa demonstrated that the RST followed the northern areas of low static stability. The results from previous studies were confirmed by a detailed case study of the RST that extended to its central outermost area. The results of a detailed case study of the short RST indicated that the trough becomes shorter with increasing static stability and that the Azores and Siberian high-pressure systems influence the northern region of the trough while the maximum upper wind shifts south of the climate position.

Climatology of atmospheric circulation patterns of Arabian dust in western Iran.

PubMed

Najafi, Mohammad Saeed; Sarraf, B S; Zarrin, A; Rasouli, A A

2017-08-28

Being in vicinity of vast deserts, the west and southwest of Iran are characterized by high levels of dust events, which have adverse consequences on human health, ecosystems, and environment. Using ground based dataset of dust events in western Iran and NCEP/NCAR reanalysis data, the atmospheric circulation patterns of dust events in the Arabian region and west of Iran are identified. The atmospheric circulation patterns which lead to dust events in the Arabian region and western Iran were classified into two main categories: the Shamal dust events that occurs in warm period of year and the frontal dust events as cold period pattern. In frontal dust events, the western trough or blocking pattern at mid-level leads to frontogenesis, instability, and air uplift at lower levels of troposphere in the southwest of Asia. Non-frontal is other pattern of dust event in the cold period and dust generation are due to the regional circulation systems at the lower level of troposphere. In Shamal wind pattern, the Saudi Arabian anticyclone, Turkmenistan anticyclone, and Zagros thermal low play the key roles in formation of this pattern. Summer and transitional patterns are two sub-categories of summer Shamal wind pattern. In summer trough pattern, the mid-tropospheric trough leads to intensify the surface thermal systems in the Middle East and causes instability and rising of wind speed in the region. In synthetic pattern of Shamal wind and summer trough, dust is created by the impact of a trough in mid-levels of troposphere as well as existing the mentioned regional systems which are contributed in formation of summer Shamal wind pattern.

Effect of azilsartan versus candesartan on morning blood pressure surges in Japanese patients with essential hypertension

PubMed Central

Kario, Kazuomi; Enya, Kazuaki; Sugiura, Kenkichi; Ikeda, Yoshinori

2014-01-01

Morning blood pressure (BP) surge is reported as a risk factor for cardiovascular events and end-organ damage independent of the 24-h BP level. Controlling morning BP surge is therefore important to help prevent onset of cardiovascular disease. We compared the efficacy of azilsartan and candesartan in controlling morning systolic BP (SBP) surges by analyzing relevant ambulatory BP monitoring data in patients with/without baseline BP surges. As part of a 16-week randomized, double-blind study of azilsartan (20–40 mg once daily) and candesartan (8–12 mg once daily) in Japanese patients with essential hypertension, an exploratory analysis was carried out using ambulatory BP monitoring at baseline and week 14. The effects of study drugs on morning BP surges, including sleep trough surge (early morning SBP minus the lowest night-time SBP) and prewaking surge (early morning SBP minus SBP before awakening), were evaluated. Patients with sleep trough surge of at least 35 mmHg were defined by the presence of a morning BP surge (the ‘surge group’). Sleep trough surge and prewaking surge data were available at both baseline and week 14 in 548 patients, 147 of whom (azilsartan 76; candesartan 71) had a baseline morning BP surge. In surge group patients, azilsartan significantly reduced both the sleep trough surge and the prewaking surge at week 14 compared with candesartan (least squares means of the between-group differences −5.8 mmHg, P=0.0395; and −5.7 mmHg, P=0.0228, respectively). Once-daily azilsartan improved sleep trough surge and prewaking surge to a greater extent than candesartan in Japanese patients with grade I–II essential hypertension. PMID:24710336

Effect of azilsartan versus candesartan on morning blood pressure surges in Japanese patients with essential hypertension.

PubMed

Rakugi, Hiromi; Kario, Kazuomi; Enya, Kazuaki; Sugiura, Kenkichi; Ikeda, Yoshinori

2014-06-01

Morning blood pressure (BP) surge is reported as a risk factor for cardiovascular events and end-organ damage independent of the 24-h BP level. Controlling morning BP surge is therefore important to help prevent onset of cardiovascular disease. We compared the efficacy of azilsartan and candesartan in controlling morning systolic BP (SBP) surges by analyzing relevant ambulatory BP monitoring data in patients with/without baseline BP surges. As part of a 16-week randomized, double-blind study of azilsartan (20-40 mg once daily) and candesartan (8-12 mg once daily) in Japanese patients with essential hypertension, an exploratory analysis was carried out using ambulatory BP monitoring at baseline and week 14. The effects of study drugs on morning BP surges, including sleep trough surge (early morning SBP minus the lowest night-time SBP) and prewaking surge (early morning SBP minus SBP before awakening), were evaluated. Patients with sleep trough surge of at least 35 mmHg were defined by the presence of a morning BP surge (the 'surge group'). Sleep trough surge and prewaking surge data were available at both baseline and week 14 in 548 patients, 147 of whom (azilsartan 76; candesartan 71) had a baseline morning BP surge. In surge group patients, azilsartan significantly reduced both the sleep trough surge and the prewaking surge at week 14 compared with candesartan (least squares means of the between-group differences -5.8 mmHg, P=0.0395; and -5.7 mmHg, P=0.0228, respectively). Once-daily azilsartan improved sleep trough surge and prewaking surge to a greater extent than candesartan in Japanese patients with grade I-II essential hypertension.

Hydrogen generation in CSP plants and maintenance of DPO/BP heat transfer fluids - A simulation approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuckelkorn, Thomas; Jung, Christian; Gnädig, Tim; Lang, Christoph; Schall, Christina

2016-05-01

The ageing of diphenyl oxide/ biphenyl (DPO/BP) Heat Transfer Fluids (HTFs) implies challenging tasks for operators of parabolic trough power plants in order to find the economic optimum between plant performance and O&M costs. Focusing on the generation of hydrogen, which is effecting from the HTF ageing process, the balance of hydrogen pressure in the HTF is simulated for different operation scenarios. Accelerated build-up of hydrogen pressure in the HTF is causing increased permeation into the annular vacuum space of the installed receivers and must be avoided in order to maintain the performance of these components. Therefore, the effective hydrogen partial pressure in the HTF has to be controlled and limited according to the specified values so that the vacuum lifetime of the receivers and the overall plant performance can be ensured. In order to simulate and visualize the hydrogen balance of a typical parabolic trough plant, initially a simple model is used to calculate the balance of hydrogen in the system and this is described. As input data for the simulation, extrapolated hydrogen generation rates have been used, which were calculated from results of lab tests performed by DLR in Cologne, Germany. Hourly weather data, surface temperatures of the tubing system calculated by using the simulation tool from NREL, and hydrogen permeation rates for stainless steel and carbon steel grades taken from literature have been added to the model. In a first step the effect of HTF ageing, build-up of hydrogen pressure in the HTF and hydrogen loss rates through piping and receiver components have been modeled. In a second step a selective hydrogen removal process has been added to the model. The simulation results are confirming the need of active monitoring and controlling the effective hydrogen partial pressure in parabolic trough solar thermal power plants with DPO/BP HTF. Following the results of the simulation, the expected plant performance can only be achieved over lifetime, if the hydrogen partial pressure is actively controlled and limited.

Rinse trough with improved flow

DOEpatents

O'Hern, Timothy J.; Grasser, Thomas W.

1998-01-01

Novel rinse troughs accomplish thorough uniform rinsing. The troughs are suitable for one or more essentially planar objects having substantially the same shape. The troughs ensure that each surface is rinsed uniformly. The new troughs provide uniform rinse fluid flow over the objects' surfaces to accomplish a more thorough rinse than prior art troughs.

Sensitivity analysis on the effect of key parameters on the performance of parabolic trough solar collectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muhlen, Luis S. W.; Najafi, Behzad; Rinaldi, Fabio; Marchesi, Renzo

2014-04-01

Solar troughs are amongst the most commonly used technologies for collecting solar thermal energy and any attempt to increase the performance of these systems is welcomed. In the present study a parabolic solar trough is simulated using a one dimensional finite element model in which the energy balances for the fluid, the absorber and the envelope in each element are performed. The developed model is then validated using the available experimental data . A sensitivity analysis is performed in the next step in order to study the effect of changing the type of the working fluid and the corresponding Reynolds number on the overall performance of the system. The potential improvement due to the addition of a shield on the upper half of the annulus and enhancing the convection coefficient of the heat transfer fluid is also studied.

Second Generation Novel High Temperature Commercial Receiver & Low Cost High Performance Mirror Collector for Parabolic Solar Trough

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

Stettenheim, Joel

Norwich Technologies (NT) is developing a disruptively superior solar field for trough concentrating solar power (CSP). Troughs are the leading CSP technology (85% of installed capacity), being highly deployable and similar to photovoltaic (PV) systems for siting. NT has developed the SunTrap receiver, a disruptive alternative to vacuum-tube concentrating solar power (CSP) receivers, a market currently dominated by the Schott PTR-70. The SunTrap receiver will (1) operate at higher temperature (T) by using an insulated, recessed radiation-collection system to overcome the energy losses that plague vacuum-tube receivers at high T, (2) decrease acquisition costs via simpler structure, and (3) dramaticallymore » increase reliability by eliminating vacuum. It offers comparable optical efficiency with thermal loss reduction from ≥ 26% (at presently standard T) to ≥ 55% (at high T), lower acquisition costs, and near-zero O&M costs.« less

Facies analysis, depositional environments and paleoclimate of the Cretaceous Bima Formation in the Gongola Sub - Basin, Northern Benue Trough, NE Nigeria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shettima, B.; Abubakar, M. B.; Kuku, A.; Haruna, A. I.

2018-01-01

Facies analysis of the Cretaceous Bima Formation in the Gongola Sub -basin of the Northern Benue Trough northeastern Nigeria indicated that the Lower Bima Member is composed of alluvial fan and braided river facies associations. The alluvial fan depositional environment dominantly consists of debris flow facies that commonly occur as matrix supported conglomerate. This facies is locally associated with grain supported conglomerate and mudstone facies, representing sieve channel and mud flow deposits respectively, and these deposits may account for the proximal alluvial fan region of the Lower Bima Member. The distal fan facies were represented by gravel-bed braided river system of probably Scot - type model. This grade into sandy braided river systems with well developed floodplains facies, forming probably at the lowermost portion of the alluvial fan depositional gradient, where it inter-fingers with basinal facies. In the Middle Bima Member, the facies architecture is dominantly suggestive of deep perennial sand-bed braided river system with thickly developed amalgamated trough crossbedded sandstone facies fining to mudstone. Couplets of shallow channels are also locally common, attesting to the varying topography of the basin. The Upper Bima Member is characterized by shallow perennial sand-bed braided river system composed of successive succession of planar and trough crossbedded sandstone facies associations, and shallower channels of the flashy ephemeral sheetflood sand - bed river systems defined by interbedded succession of small scale trough crossbedded sandstone facies and parallel laminated sandstone facies. The overall stacking pattern of the facies succession of the Bima Formation in the Gongola Sub - basin is generally thinning and fining upwards cycles, indicating scarp retreat and deposition in a relatively passive margin setting. Dominance of kaolinite in the clay mineral fraction of the Bima Formation points to predominance of humid sub - tropical to tropical climatic conditions. This favors pedogenic activities which are manifested in the several occurrences of paleosols. Pronounced periods of arid climatic conditions are also notable from the subordinate smectite mineralization. Chlorite mineralization at some localities is indicative of elevation of the provenance area, and this is synonymous with deposition of the Bima Formation, because of its syn - depositional tectonics. The absences of lacustrine shales in the syn - rift stratigraphic architecture of the Bima Formation indicates that the lower Cretaceous petroleum system that are common in the West and Central African Rift basins are generally barren in the Gongola Sub - basin of the Northern Benue Trough.

Rinse trough with improved flow

DOEpatents

O`Hern, T.J.; Grasser, T.W.

1998-08-11

Novel rinse troughs accomplish thorough uniform rinsing. The troughs are suitable for one or more essentially planar objects having substantially the same shape. The troughs ensure that each surface is rinsed uniformly. The new troughs provide uniform rinse fluid flow over the objects` surfaces to accomplish a more thorough rinse than prior art troughs. 5 figs.

Ancient geodynamics and global-scale hydrology on Mars.

PubMed

Phillips, R J; Zuber, M T; Solomon, S C; Golombek, M P; Jakosky, B M; Banerdt, W B; Smith, D E; Williams, R M; Hynek, B M; Aharonson, O; Hauck , S A

2001-03-30

Loading of the lithosphere of Mars by the Tharsis rise explains much of the global shape and long-wavelength gravity field of the planet, including a ring of negative gravity anomalies and a topographic trough around Tharsis, as well as gravity anomaly and topographic highs centered in Arabia Terra and extending northward toward Utopia. The Tharsis-induced trough and antipodal high were largely in place by the end of the Noachian Epoch and exerted control on the location and orientation of valley networks. The release of carbon dioxide and water accompanying the emplacement of approximately 3 x 10(8) cubic kilometers of Tharsis magmas may have sustained a warmer climate than at present, enabling the formation of ancient valley networks and fluvial landscape denudation in and adjacent to the large-scale trough.

Low-Contamination Vibrating Feeder for Silicon Chips

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mackintosh, B. H.

1984-01-01

Vibratory feeding is method of controlling flow of small oddly shaped particles. Technique applied to other materials that require contamination control by feeding material through vibrating troughs topped by particular material.

Crustal and upper mantle velocity structure of the Salton Trough, southeast California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Parsons, T.; McCarthy, J.

1996-01-01

This paper presents data and modelling results from a crustal and upper mantle wide-angle seismic transect across the Salton Trough region in southeast California. The Salton Trough is a unique part of the Basin and Range province where mid-ocean ridge/transform spreading in the Gulf of California has evolved northward into the continent. In 1992, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) conducted the final leg of the Pacific to Arizona Crustal Experiment (PACE). Two perpendicular models of the crust and upper mantle were fit to wide-angle reflection and refraction travel times, seismic amplitudes, and Bouguer gravity anomalies. The first profile crossed the Salton Trough from the southwest to the northeast, and the second was a strike line that paralleled the Salton Sea along its western edge. We found thin crust (???21-22 km thick) beneath the axis of the Salton Trough (Imperial Valley) and locally thicker crust (???27 km) beneath the Chocolate Mountains to the northeast. We modelled a slight thinning of the crust further to the northeast beneath the Colorado River (???24 km) and subsequent thickening beneath the metamorphic core complex belt northeast of the Colorado River. There is a deep, apparently young basin (???5-6 km unmetamorphosed sediments) beneath the Imperial Valley and a shallower (???2-3 km) basin beneath the Colorado River. A regional 6.9-km/s layer (between ???15-km depth and the Moho) underlies the Salton Trough as well as the Chocolate Mountains where it pinches out at the Moho. This lower crustal layer is spatially associated with a low-velocity (7.6-7.7 km/s) upper mantle. We found that our crustal model is locally compatible with the previously suggested notion that the crust of the Salton Trough has formed almost entirely from magmatism in the lower crust and sedimentation in the upper crust. However, we observe an apparently magmatically emplaced lower crust to the northeast, outside of the Salton Trough, and propose that this layer in part predates Salton Trough rifting. It may also in part result from migration of magmatic spreading centers associated with the southern San Andreas fault system. These spreading centers may have existed east of their current locations in the past and may have influenced the lower crust and upper mantle to the east of the current Salton Trough.

GPS/acoustic Seafloor Geodetic Observations Near the Nankai Trough Axis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tadokoro, K.; Yasuda, K.; Fujii, C.; Watanabe, T.; Nagai, S.

2013-12-01

The GPS/acoustic seafloor geodetic observation system, which uses precise acoustic ranging and kinematic GPS positioning techniques, has been developed as a useful tool for observing seafloor crustal deformations associated with plate convergence and with earthquakes that occurred in ocean area including the 2011 Tohoku-oki Earthquake of Mw 9.0. Our research group installed eight seafloor benchmarks for this observation system in source areas of anticipated major interplate earthquakes along the Nankai Trough, off southwestern Japan. We have performed campaign measurement for 4-8 years until the end of 2012. The error of displacement rate is almost 5 mm/y through the monitoring for more than four years. At the northern-most potion of the Nankai (Suruga) Trough, the observed steady horizontal displacement rate is 45 mm/y toward west. Also no significant velocity difference is observed across the trough, indicating strong interplate locking up to the shallowest segments. On the other hand, site velocities are 40 mm/y in the direction of N75W at the central region of the Nankai trough, 70-90 km landward from the trough axis. Although this result is the strong evidence for interplate locking, with coupling ratios of 60-80% on the basis of the back-slip model, it has no resolution for the interplate locking at the most-shallowest segments whose depths are 0-10 km. In other words, seaward up-dip limit of locked zone is never resolved from the present seafloor benchmark network [Tadokoro et al., 2012] . Large co-seismic slips larger than 40-50 m on the shallowest interplate segment [Ito et al., 2011; Fujii et al., 2011; Iinuma et al., 2012] are the cause of the unexpected high tsunami that has attacked the pacific coasts of the Tohoku region during the Tohoku-oki Earthquake; it is, therefore, essential to understand slip deficit or strain accumulation condition near the trench axis, also for the anticipated mega-thrust earthquake at the Nankai Trough. For this reason, we installed a new seafloor benchmark in the vicinity of the Nankai Trough axis, about 15 km landward from the trough axis, on July 16, 2013. In addition, we plan to install another new benchmark on the other side of the Nankai Trough in August of this year, to directly measure the motion of the subducting Philippine Sea Plate. The coupling ratio is calculated from slip deficit divided by convergence rate. We can directly 'measure' the coupling ratio from crustal deformation at the newly-installed station on the Philippine Sea Plate, without using global plate motion models. Acknowledgments: We are grateful to the captain and crews of R/V "Asama" of Mie Prefecture Fisheries Research Institute, Japan. This study has been partly promoted by Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japanese Government.

Inferred rheological structure and mantle conditions from postseismic deformation following the 2010 Mw 7.2 El Mayor-Cucapah Earthquake

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dickinson-Lovell, Haylee; Huang, Mong-Han; Freed, Andrew M.; Fielding, Eric; Bürgmann, Roland; Andronicos, Christopher

2018-06-01

The 2010 Mw7.2 El Mayor-Cucapah earthquake provides a unique target of postseismic study as deformation extends across several distinct geological provinces, including the cold Mesozoic arc crust of the Peninsular Ranges and newly formed, hot, extending lithosphere within the Salton Trough. We use five years of global positioning system measurements to invert for afterslip and constrain a 3-D finite-element model that simulates viscoelastic relaxation. We find that afterslip cannot readily explain far-field displacements (more than 50 km from the epicentre). These displacements are best explained by viscoelastic relaxation of a horizontally and vertically heterogeneous lower crust and upper mantle. Lower viscosities beneath the Salton Trough compared to the Peninsular Ranges and other surrounding regions are consistent with inferred differences in the respective geotherms. Our inferred viscosity structure suggests that the depth of the Lithosphere/Asthenosphere Boundary (LAB) is ˜65 km below the Peninsular Ranges and ˜32 km beneath the Salton Trough. These depths are shallower than the corresponding seismic LAB. This suggests that the onset of partial melting in peridotite may control the depth to the base of the mechanical lithosphere. In contrast, the seismic LAB may correspond to an increase in the partial melt percentage associated with the change from a conductive to an adiabatic geotherm.

In situ provision of drinking water to grazing dairy cows improves milk production.

PubMed

Miglierina, M M; Bonadeo, N; Ornstein, A M; Becú-Villalobos, D; Lacau-Mengido, I M

2018-01-01

To determine the effect of providing water within the area grazed by dairy cows on milk yield and quality, compared to requiring cows to walk to a distant water trough, on a dairy farm in the Pampa region of Argentina during summer. Holstein dairy cows were allocated to two herds with similar parity, days in milk and milk production. They were grazed in one paddock that was divided in two, with a fixed water trough at one end. Cows were moved twice daily to grazing plots within the paddock. Control cows (n=66) could only access water from the fixed trough, whereas supplemented cows (n=67) also received water from a mobile trough within the grazing plot. Milk production of each cow, and water consumption of the two herds were measured daily over 62 days. Milk composition for each herd was determined weekly from Days 18 to 60 of the study, and grazing behaviour was observed between 08:00 and 16:00 hours on Days 11-15, 19-22 and 39-43. Over the 62 days of the study, supplemented cows produced 1.39 (SE 0.11) L/cow/day more milk than Control cows (p=0.027). Estimated mean daily water intake was 50.4 (SE 2.1) L/cow/day for supplemented cows and 58.2 (SE 2.7) L/cow/day for Control cows (p=0.004). Percentage total solids in milk was higher for supplemented (12.5 (SE 0.06)%) than Control (12.4 (SE 0.04)%) cows (p=0.047). During the periods of behavioural observation, a higher percentage of cows in the water supplemented than the Control herd were observed in the grazing area (p=0.012). This preliminary study demonstrated that provision of water to dairy cows within the grazing plot was beneficial for milk production and composition, and may be associated with longer periods spent within the grazing area, during hot weather in the Pampa region of Argentina.

Corrugated pipe adhesive applicator apparatus

DOEpatents

Shirey, R.A.

1983-06-14

Apparatus for coating selected portions of the troughs of a corrugated pipe with an adhesive includes a support disposed within the pipe with a reservoir containing the adhesive disposed on the support. A pump, including a spout, is utilized for supplying the adhesive from the reservoir to a trough of the pipe. A rotatable applicator is supported on the support and contacts the trough of the pipe. The applicator itself is sized so as to fit within the trough, and contacts the adhesive in the trough and spreads the adhesive in the trough upon rotation. A trough shield, supported by the support and disposed in the path of rotation of the applicator, is utilized to prevent the applicator from contacting selected portions of the trough. A locator head is also disposed on the support and provides a way for aligning the spout, the applicator, and the trough shield with the trough. 4 figs.

Comparative analyses of the bacterial community of hydrothermal deposits and seafloor sediments across Okinawa Trough

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Long; Yu, Min; Liu, Yan; Liu, Jiwen; Wu, Yonghua; Li, Li; Liu, Jihua; Wang, Min; Zhang, Xiao-Hua

2018-04-01

As an ideal place to study back-arc basins and hydrothermal eco-system, Okinawa Trough has attracted the interests of scientists for decades. However, there are still no in-depth studies targeting the bacterial community of the seafloor sediments and hydrothermal deposits in Okinawa Trough. In the present study, we reported the bacterial community of the surface deposits of a newly found hydrothermal field in the southern Okinawa Trough, and the horizontal and vertical variation of bacterial communities in the sediments of the northern Okinawa Trough. The hydrothermal deposits had a relatively high 16S rRNA gene abundance but low bacterial richness and diversity. Epsilonproteobacteria and Bacteroidetes were predominant in hydrothermal deposits whereas Deltaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria and Chloroflexi were abundant across all samples. The bacterial distribution in the seafloor of Okinawa Trough was significantly correlated to the content of total nitrogen, and had consistent relationship with total carbon. Gradual changes of sulfur-oxidizing bacteria were found with the distance away from hydrothermal fields, while the hydrothermal activity did not influence the distribution of the major clades of sulfate-reducing bacteria. Higher abundance of the sulfur cycle related genes (aprA and dsrB), and lower abundance of the bacterial ammonia-oxidizing related gene (amoA) were quantified in hydrothermal deposits. In addition, the present study also compared the inter-field variation of Epsilonproteobacteria among multi-types of hydrothermal vents, revealing that the proportion and diversity of this clade were quite various.

Amplification of drawdown and runup over Hawaii's insular shelves by tsunami N-waves from mega Aleutian earthquakes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bai, Yefei; Yamazaki, Yoshiki; Cheung, Kwok Fai

2018-04-01

The latest tsunami evacuation maps of Hawaii include an extreme scenario triggered by an Mw 9.3 Aleutian earthquake with large near-trench rupture. The tectonic plate motion produces concentrated seafloor uplift toward the deepest part of the trench generating a tsunami with strong non-hydrostatic characters. A parametric study shows the skewed seafloor uplift produces a dispersive leading crest followed by a prominent trough in the form of an N-wave. The trough maintains its depth across the ocean in the absence of side lobes and dispersion. Shifting of the uplift toward the trench tends to deepen the trough, but has diminishing effects on the wave crest away from the source. While the attenuated leading crest produces relatively moderate runup on north-facing shores of the Hawaiian Islands, with matching of the N-wave and shelf resonance periods, the trough produces an impulsive drawdown followed by an energetic upswing with unprecedented runup for a far-field tsunami. A set of control computations without dispersion reaffirms that a non-hydrostatic model is essential to account for these complex wave processes from the source to the shore. This case study highlights the unique tsunami hazards posed by the Aleutians to Hawaii and the role of wave troughs in delineating the impacts for hazard assessment and engineering design.

Infectious waste feed system

DOEpatents

Coulthard, E. James

1994-01-01

An infectious waste feed system for comminuting infectious waste and feeding the comminuted waste to a combustor automatically without the need for human intervention. The system includes a receptacle for accepting waste materials. Preferably, the receptacle includes a first and second compartment and a means for sealing the first and second compartments from the atmosphere. A shredder is disposed to comminute waste materials accepted in the receptacle to a predetermined size. A trough is disposed to receive the comminuted waste materials from the shredder. A feeding means is disposed within the trough and is movable in a first and second direction for feeding the comminuted waste materials to a combustor.

Poultry farm hygiene: microbiological quality assessment of drinking water used in layer chickens managed under the battery cage and deep litter systems at three poultry farms in southwestern Nigeria.

PubMed

Folorunso, O R; Kayode, Sule; Onibon, V O

2014-01-01

Water troughs from deep litter and caged chicken water troughs (drinkers) fixed to each of the different 3-tier cages containing layer chickens in Farms A, B and C were subjected to a 7-day study which involved the monitoring of poultry farm hygiene. Drinkers were washed before filling with water on Day 1. For Days 3, 5 and 7 water was served without prior washing. The occurrence and characterization of the bacteria isolates were investigated and data obtained were analyzed and compared. For the bacterial count on Day 1, for layer chickens on cage system, no significant differences (p > 0.05) among the farms and between the farms tier interactions. On Day 3, no significant difference (p > 0.05) among the parameters. On Day 5, there was significant difference (p<0.05) among the farms and on Day 7, there was high significant difference (p < 0.01) among the farms. On Days 5 and 7, there were no significant differences (p>0.05) among the tiers nor between the interactions of the farms and tiers. The bacterial count in water troughs of layer chickens in deep litter system, on Day 1, had no significant differences (p > 0.05) between the farms, water troughs and their interactions. On Day 3, no significant difference (p > 0.05) among the parameters. On Days 5 and 7, there were significant difference (p<0.05) and a high significant difference (p < 0.01) between the farms respectively. On Days 5 and 7, no significant differences between the water troughs and between the interaction of the farms and the water troughs. Farm A isolates contained Staphylococcus aureus, Proteus vulgaris, Streptococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus epidermis, Klebsiella sp., Salmonella sp., Bacillus subtilis, Lactobacillus salivarius and Corynebacterium sp. Farm B had Staphylococcus aureus, S. epidermis, Bacillus subtilis, Corynebacterium sp., Escherichia coli, Streptococcus faecalis and Klebsiella sp. while for Farm C, apart from the prevalent bacteria isolates obtained in Farms A and B, additional 2 bacterial isolates, Lactobacillus salivarius and Pseudomonas aeuriginosa were found. In conclusion, water troughs when cleaned on daily basis carry minimum bacterial load. Those left for 3, 5 and 7 days uncleaned had progressively high bacterial loads, suggesting that the flock of birds and the consumers of the eggs and meat from the chickens are at risk of bacterial infection unless strict farm hygiene is ensured through regular monitoring.

Influence of climate on deep-water clastic sedimentation: application of a modern model, Peru-Chile Trough, to an ancient system, Ouachita Trough

USGS Publications Warehouse

Edgar, N. Terence; Cecil, C. Blaine

2003-01-01

Traditionally, an abrupt and massive influx of siliciclastic sediments into an area of deposition has been attributed to tectonic uplift without consideration of the influence of climate or climatic change on rates of weathering, erosion, transportation, and deposition. With few exceptions, fluvial sediment transport is minimal in both extremely arid climates and in perhumid (everwet) climates. Maximum sediment transport occurs in climates characterized by strongly seasonal rainfall, where the effect of vegetation on erosion is minimal. The Peru–Chile trench and Andes Mountain system (P–CT/AMS) of the eastern Pacific Ocean clearly illustrates the effects of climate on rates of weathering, erosion, transport, and deep-sea sedimentation. Terrigenous sediment is virtually absent in the arid belt north of lat. 30° S in the P–CT, but in the belt of seasonal rainfall south of lat. 30° S terrigenous sediment is abundant. Spatial variations in the amount and seasonality of annual precipitation are now generally accepted as the cause for this difference. The spatial variation in sediment supply to the P–CT appears to be an excellent modern analogue for the temporal variation in sediment supply to certain ancient systems, such as the Ouachita Trough in the southern United States. By comparison, during the Ordovician through the early Mississippian, sediment was deposited at very slow rates as the Ouachita Trough moved northward through the southern hemisphere dry belt (lat. 10° S to lat. 30° S). The deposystem approached the tropical humid zone during the Mississippian, coincident with increased coarse clastic sedimentation. By the Middle Pennsylvanian (Atokan), the provenance area and the deposystem moved well into the tropical humid zone, and as much as 8,500 m of mineralogically mature (but texturally immature) quartz sand was introduced and deposited. This increase in clastic sediment deposition traditionally has been attributed solely to tectonic activity. However, we contend that the principal control on the introduction of abundant terrigenous sediment was the movement of the deposystem from an arid or semiarid climate into a seasonally wetter climatic regime. The physical and mineralogical maturity of the quartz sand is the result of tropical weathering in provenance areas.

Directed flow fluid rinse trough

DOEpatents

Kempka, Steven N.; Walters, Robert N.

1996-01-01

Novel rinse troughs accomplish thorough uniform rinsing. The tanks are suitable for one or more essentially planar items having substantially the same shape. The troughs ensure that each surface is rinsed uniformly. The new troughs also require less rinse fluid to accomplish a thorough rinse than prior art troughs.

Case study of a central-station grid-intertie photovoltaic system with V-trough concentration

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

Freilich, J.; Gordon, J.M.

1991-01-01

This presentation is a cast study of an installed, central-station (no storage), utility-intertie photovoltaic (PV) system in Sede Boqer, Israel (latitude 30.9{degree}N). The nominally 12 kW peak PV system is comprised of 189 polycrystalline silicon modules mounted on inexpensive, one-axis north-south horizontal trackers with V-trough mirrors for optical boost. The power conditioning unit operates at a fixed voltage rather than at maximum power point (MPP). The primary task in analyzing the installed system was to investigate the cause of measured power output significantly below the design predictions of the installers, and to recommend system design modifications. Subsequent tasks included themore » quantitative assessment of fixed-voltage operation and of the energetic value of V-trough concentration and one-axis tracking for this system. Sample results show: (1) fixed-voltage operation at the best fixed voltage (BFV) can achieve around 96% of the yearly energy of MPP operation; (2) the sensitivity of the yearly energy delivery to the selection of fixed voltage and its marked asymmetry about the BFV; (3) the influences of inverter current constraints on yearly energy delivery and BFV; and (4) how the separate effects of tracking and optical concentration increase yearly energy delivery.« less

Optimization of woven jute/glass fibre-reinforced polyester hybrid composite solar parabolic trough collector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reddy, K. S.; Singla, Hitesh

2017-07-01

In the present work, structural analysis of 5.77m × 4m woven jute (J)/glass (G) fibre-reinforced polyester hybrid composite solar parabolic trough is carried out based on trough parameters to obtain the minimum RMS local slope deviation, termed as SDx value under gravity loading. The optimization is done by varying parameters viz. direction and size of reinforced conduits, stacking number and sequence of hybrid trough laminate at fibre orientation of Δθ=45° and Δθ=60° amongst the layers at 0° collector angle. The analysis revealed that the configuration in which the conduits are placed in both X and Y directions is preferred over other configurations to scale down the effect of wind loads. Furthermore it has been observed that laminate of the order [0°G/45°G/-45°J/90°J]s undergoes minimum surface deformation amongst all the other configurations at conduit reinforcement in both X and Y directions for a conduit thickness of 0.75 mm and radius of 10 mm and obtains the overall SDx value of 1.3492 mrad. The results shows that proposed trough model is very promising and evolves a cost effective system.

Investigating the reasons of variability in Si IV and C IV broad absorption line troughs of quasars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stathopoulos, Dimitrios; Lyratzi, Evangelia; Danezis, Emmanuel; Antoniou, Antonios; Tzimeas, Dimitrios

2017-09-01

In this paper we analyze the C IV and Si IV broad absorption troughs of two BALQSOs (J101056.69+355833.3, J114548.38+393746.6) to the individual components they consist of. By analyzing a BAL trough to its components we have the advantage to study the variations of the individual absorbing systems in the line of sight and not just the variations of the whole absorption trough or the variations of selected portions of BAL troughs exhibiting changes. We find that the velocity shifts and FWHMs (Full Width at Half Maximum) of the individual components do not vary between an interval of six years. All variable components show changes in the optical depths at line centers which are manifested as variations in the EW (Equivalent Width) of the components. In both BALQSOs, over corresponding velocities, Si IV has higher incidence of variability than C IV. From our analysis, evidence is in favour of different covering fractions between C IV and Si IV. Finally, although most of our results favour the crossing cloud scenario as the cause of variability, there is also strong piece of evidence indicating changing ionization as the source of variability. Thus, a mixed situation where both physical mechanisms contribute to BAL variability is the most possible scenario.

Directed flow fluid rinse trough

DOEpatents

Kempka, S.N.; Walters, R.N.

1996-07-02

Novel rinse troughs accomplish thorough uniform rinsing. The tanks are suitable for one or more essentially planar items having substantially the same shape. The troughs ensure that each surface is rinsed uniformly. The new troughs also require less rinse fluid to accomplish a thorough rinse than prior art troughs. 9 figs.

A giant, submarine creep zone as a precursor of large-scale slope instability offshore the Dongsha Islands (South China Sea)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Wei; Alves, Tiago M.; Wu, Shiguo; Rebesco, Michele; Zhao, Fang; Mi, Lijun; Ma, Benjun

2016-10-01

A giant submarine creep zone exceeding 800 km2 on the continental slope offshore the Dongsha Islands, South China Sea, is investigated using bathymetric and 3D seismic data tied to borehole information. The submarine creep zone is identified as a wide area of seafloor undulations with ridges and troughs. The troughs form NW- and WNW-trending elongated depressions separating distinct seafloor ridges, which are parallel or sub-parallel to the continental slope. The troughs are 0.8-4.7 km-long and 0.4 to 2.1 km-wide. The ridges have wavelengths of 1-4 km and vertical relief of 10-30 m. Slope strata are characterised by the presence of vertically stacked ridges and troughs at different stratigraphic depths, but remaining relatively stationary in their position. The interpreted ridges and troughs are associated with large-scale submarine creep, and the troughs can be divided into three types based on their different internal characters and formation processes. The large-scale listric faults trending downslope below MTD 1 and horizon T0 may be the potential glide planes for the submarine creep movement. High sedimentation rates, local fault activity and the frequent earthquakes recorded on the margin are considered as the main factors controlling the formation of this giant submarine creep zone. Our results are important to the understanding of sediment instability on continental slopes as: a) the interpreted submarine creep is young, or even active at present, and b) areas of creeping may evolve into large-scale slope instabilities, as recorded by similar large-scale events in the past.

Tectonic controls on deposition of Middle Jurassic strata in a retroarc foreland basin, Utah-Idaho trough, western interior, United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bjerrum, Christian J.; Dorsey, Rebecca J.

1995-08-01

An electronic supplement of this material may be obtained on a diskette or Anonymous FTP from KOSMOS.AGU.ORG. (LOGIN to AGU's FTP account using ANONYMOUS as the username and GUEST as the password. Go to the right directory by typing CD APEND. Type LS to see what files are available. Type GET and the name of the file to get it. Finally, type EXIT to leave the system.) (Paper 95TC01448, Tectonic controls on deposition of Middle Jurassic strata in a retroarc foreland basin, Utah-Idaho trough, western interior, United States, Christian J. Bjerrum and Rebecca J. Dorsey). Diskette may be ordered from American Geophysical Union, 2000 Florida Avenue, N. W., Washington, DC 20009; $15.00. Payment must accompany order. A thick succession of Jurassic nonmarine and marine sedimentary rocks is exposed in a large area from northern Arizona to eastern Idaho and western Wyoming. These sediments accumulated in the Utah-Idaho trough, a deep elongate cratonal basin whose origin has recently been debated. Detailed stratigraphic analysis, subsidence analysis, and first-order flexural modeling of these deposits (this study) provide new insights into the timing and mechanisms of subsidence in the Utah-Idaho trough. Lower and Middle Jurassic strata are divided into six unconformity-bounded sequences. In contrast to the overall uniform thickness of Lower Jurassic sequences (1 and 2), Middle Jurassic strata (sequences 3 through 6) consist of distinctly westward thickening sedimentary packages in which basal shallow marine deposits onlap eastward onto bounding unconformities. Basal strata of sequences 3 through 6 pass upward into widespread progradational continental deposits that are truncated progressively toward the east (cratonward) by the next unconformity. Decompacted total subsidence curves show that the rate of subsidence in most sections increased sharply at the end of sequence 2 time (J-2 unconformity; ˜170 Ma). This is interpreted to record the onset of Middle Jurassic deposition in the distal part of a retroarc foreland basin. The unconformities and distinctive stratal geometries may have formed in response to forebulge migration caused by episodic thrusting in the Cordilleran orogen to the west. First-order flexural modeling was carried out to test the hypothesis of flexural subsidence in the Utah-Idaho trough. Trial-and-error comparisons produce a close match between decompacted stratigraphic profiles and model deflection profiles. The best fit is obtained using an infinite elastic plate (D = 1 × 1024 Nm), a moderate load topography, elevated base level, and an overfilled basin. Using recently published tectonic reconstructions for Nevada and Utah, we find close spatial agreement between a large Middle Jurassic fold-thrust belt and the supracrustal load inferred from model simulations. Our integrated basin analysis thus supports the interpretation of some previous studies that the Middle Jurassic Utah-Idaho trough was a retroarc foreland basin that formed east of a belt of regional contractile deformation and crustal thickening in western and central Nevada and southeastern California. Late Jurassic extension and normal faulting in northeastern Nevada may have been related to gravitational collapse of overthickened crust in the Cordilleran orogen. This coincides with a period of slowed subsidence in the Utah-Idaho trough that began at about 157 Ma.

Mass algal culture system

DOEpatents

Raymond, Lawrence P.

1982-01-01

An apparatus and process for the culture of algae in a liquid medium is disclosed. The medium circulates through an open trough and is exposed to an atmosphere which is temperature regulated. The nutrient content of the liquid medium is regulated to control the chemical composition growth and reproduction characteristics of the cultured algae. Before it is allowed to strike the medium, sunlight is passed through a filter to remove wavelengths which are not photosynthetically active. Heat energy can be recovered from the filter.

Mass algal culture system

DOEpatents

Raymond, Lawrence P.

1981-01-01

An apparatus and process for the culture of algae in a liquid medium is disclosed. The medium circulates through an open trough and is exposed to an atmosphere which is temperature regulated. The nutrient content of the liquid medium is regulated to control the chemical composition growth and reproduction characteristics of the cultured algae. Before it is allowed to strike the medium, sunlight is passed through a filter to remove wavelengths which are not photosynthetically active. Heat energy can be recovered from the filter.

Patient-reported non-adherence and immunosuppressant trough levels are associated with rejection after renal transplantation.

PubMed

Scheel, Jennifer; Reber, Sandra; Stoessel, Lisa; Waldmann, Elisabeth; Jank, Sabine; Eckardt, Kai-Uwe; Grundmann, Franziska; Vitinius, Frank; de Zwaan, Martina; Bertram, Anna; Erim, Yesim

2017-03-29

Different measures of non-adherence to immunosuppressant (IS) medication have been found to be associated with rejection episodes after successful transplantation. The aim of the current study was to investigate whether graft rejection after renal transplantation is associated with patient-reported IS medication non-adherence and IS trough level variables (IS trough level variability and percentage of sub-therapeutic IS trough levels). Patient-reported non-adherence, IS trough level variability, percentage of sub-therapeutic IS trough levels, and acute biopsy-proven late allograft rejections were assessed in 267 adult renal transplant recipients who were ≥12 months post-transplantation. The rate of rejection was 13.5%. IS trough level variability, percentage of sub-therapeutic IS trough levels as well as patient-reported non-adherence were all significantly and positively associated with rejection, but not with each other. Logistic regression analyses revealed that only the percentage of sub-therapeutic IS trough levels and age at transplantation remained significantly associated with rejection. Particularly, the percentage of sub-therapeutic IS trough levels is associated with acute rejections after kidney transplantation whereas IS trough level variability and patient-reported non-adherence seem to be of subordinate importance. Patient-reported non-adherence and IS trough level variables were not correlated; thus, non-adherence should always be measured in a multi-methodological approach. Further research concerning the best combination of non-adherence measures is needed.

Geohydrology of the stratified-drift aquifer system in the lower Sixmile Creek and Willseyville Creek trough, Tompkins County, New York

USGS Publications Warehouse

Miller, Todd S.; Karig, Daniel E.

2010-01-01

In 2002, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Tompkins County Planning Department began a series of studies of the stratified-drift aquifers in Tompkins County to provide geohydrologic data for planners to develop a strategy to manage and protect their water resources. This aquifer study in lower Sixmile Creek and Willseyville Creek trough is the second in a series of aquifer studies in Tompkins County. The study area is within the northern area of the Appalachian Plateau and extends about 9 miles from the boundary between Tompkins County and Tioga County in the south to just south of the City of Ithaca in the north. In lower Sixmile Creek and Willseyville Creek trough, confined sand and gravel aquifers comprise the major water-bearing units while less extensive unconfined units form minor aquifers. About 600 people who live in lower Sixmile Creek and Willseyville Creek trough rely on groundwater from the stratified-drift aquifer system. In addition, water is used by non-permanent residents such as staff at commercial facilities. The estimated total groundwater withdrawn for domestic use is about 45,000 gallons per day (gal/d) or 0.07 cubic foot per second (ft3/s) based on an average water use of 75 gal/d per person for self-supplied water systems in New York. Scouring of bedrock in the preglacial lower Sixmile Creek and Willseyville Creek valleys by glaciers and subglacial meltwaters truncated hillside spurs, formed U-shaped, transverse valley profiles, smoothed valley walls, and deepened the valleys by as much as 300 feet (ft), forming a continuous trough. The unconsolidated deposits in the study area consist mostly of glacial drift, both unstratified drift (till) and stratified drift (laminated lake, deltaic, and glaciofluvial sediments), as well as some post-glacial stratified sediments (lake-bottom sediments that were deposited in reservoirs, peat and muck that were deposited in wetlands, and alluvium deposited by streams). Multiple advances and retreats of the ice in the study area resulted in several sequences of various types of glacial deposits. A large moraine (Valley Heads Moraine) dominates the southern part of the study area, a large delta dominates the central part, and ground moraine (mostly till) dominates the northern part. Glacial sediments in the center of the lower Sixmile Creek and Willseyville Creek trough typically range from 150 to 200 ft but can be greater than 300 ft in some places. Where the sediments are composed of sand and gravel they form aquifers. In most parts of the lower Sixmile Creek and Willseyville Creek trough, there is an upper and a basal confined aquifer. However, underlying the central parts of the Brooktondale delta, there are as many as four confined aquifers, whereas in the northern part of the study area, only one extensive confined aquifer is present. The major sources of recharge to these confined aquifers are (1) direct infiltration of precipitation where confined aquifers crop out at land surface (mostly along the western trough wall in the southern and central parts of the study area and, to a lesser degree, along the eastern trough wall); (2) unchanneled surface and subsurface runoff from adjacent upland areas that seeps into the aquifer along the western trough walls; (3) subsurface flow from underlying till or bedrock at the lateral contacts at trough walls; (4) adjacent fine-grained stratified drift, especially when the aquifer is pumped; and (5) discharge from bedrock at the bottom and sides of the trough. In the central part of the study area, the surficial coarse-grained sediments (sand and gravel) comprise a delta near Brooktondale and form a small unconfined aquifer (0.3 square mile). Although much of the upper part of the delta has been removed by several aggregate mining operations, sufficient amounts of sand and gravel remain in most places to form a thin unconfined aquifer. The major sources of recharge to the unconfined aquifer are (1)

Designer Troughs

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-06-11

This MOC image shows a wide, flat-floored trough flanked by several smaller, branching troughs in the Olympica Fossae region of Mars. Dark- and intermediate-toned slope streaks -- created by dry avalanches of dust -- occur on the trough walls

The origin and peculiarities of the nigerian benue trough: Another look from recent gravity data obtained from the middle benue

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ajayi, C. O.; Ajakaiye, D. E.

1981-12-01

The origin of the Benue trough has been a controversial subject. Previous workers in the area have evolved several theories ranging from a rift, with or without plate tectonic concepts (King, 1950; Wright, 1968, 1970; Burke et al., 1970; Grant, 1971; Olade, 1975) to a geosyncline (Lees, 1952) and a combination of both (Cratchley and Jones, 1965; Offodile, 1976) to explain the origin of the trough. One of the aims of the gravity survey, carried out in the middle Benue and discussed in this paper, was to attempt to resolve some of the problems associated with the origin of the trough as proposed by previous workers and in so doing to explain the geological peculiarities associated with the trough. Interpretations of the gravity data along two north—south profiles in the survey area indicated the existence of a rift, of normal width (about 40 km) buried under the Cretaceous cover and located between the central axis (ridge) of the trough and the northern boundary of the trough. The gravity minimum which occurs south of the central axis of the trough, was also ascribed to another rift. Thus the Benue trough is considered to consist of two parallel rifts separated by the axial ridge which partly explains the abnormal width of the trough. The interpreted models also indicate a low-angle thrust fault, with a small displacement, which may be related to the folding of the sediments in the trough and also to the asymmetry of the trough. Furthermore, the gravity data suggest that oceanic crust might not have reached the ground surface in the Benue trough, as in the Red Sea, before rifting ceased.

Morphodynamics of intertidal bars near a seawall on a macrotidal beach, Wissant Bay, northern France

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sedrati, M.; Anthony, E.

2009-04-01

Several studies on beaches with intertidal bar-trough (ridge-and-runnel) systems in settings with relatively large tidal ranges (> 3 m) have focused on cross-shore bar mobility; however a few recent studies have drawn attention to the potential role of longshore transport induced by a mix of wave-tide and wind-forced longshore currents in the morphodynamics of the bars and troughs. The aim of this paper is to briefly highlight the relationship between wind-forced currents on the shallow intertidal zone and rapid intertidal bar-trough morphological response on a macrotidal beach. Fieldwork was conduced on Wissant beach, Wissant Bay, northern France, from 7 to 23 March, 2006. During the experiment, the beach (oriented NE-SW) exhibited three intertidal bar-trough systems and the upper bar was directly attached to a seawall. Seven digital elevation models (DEMs) were generated from high-resolution topographic surveys. Hydrodynamic measurements were obtained from five currentmeters (2 S4 and 3 ADCP) deployed on the bars crests and on the upper beach trough. Wave characteristics were obtained from the measured time series by spectral analysis using Fast Fourier Transforms. Wind speed and direction on the beach were measured using a portable weather station. The mean wind speed and directions averaged every three hours highlight closely-spaced high-energy events during the experiment, with long phases of significant lateral wind stress (NE to ENE). The measured waves and currents showed rapid and strong response to both the changes in wind speed and direction. Longshore currents measured during the experiment on the upper intertidal bar-trough system showed a clear SW flow pattern in response to NE to ENE wind approach directions while the currents in the lower intertidal zone flowed northeastward during the flood, following the coastline, and southwestward during the ebb in response to the tidal current modulation. Strong longshore migration of the upper intertidal bar to the SW was observed during the course of this fieldwork. This longshore migration was attended by erosion of the upper beach in the northeast and accretion in the southwest. Bars in the lower intertidal zone were relatively stable. The SW migration process of the upper intertidal bar during the experiment occurred at rates that fluctuated with the intensity of the longshore current. The net beach volume over the experiment was quite stable, thus showing that morphological change, notably bar migration, simply reflected adjustments to hydrodynamic forcing without new sand inputs into the system. The findings of the present study suggest that cross-shore currents are subordinate to, and may even be mitigated by, wind-forced longshore flows on this beach. The importance of longshore transport on the upper beach is due to hydrodynamic forcing over the shallow depth, with the seawall playing a probable additional longshore canalization effect. Longshore transport should be considered as an essential element of the morphodynamics of bar-trough beaches subject to large tidal ranges and significant lateral wind stress.

Development of Download System for Waveform Data Observed at Long-Term Borehole Monitoring System installed in the Nankai Trough

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsuboi, Seiji; Horikawa, Hiroki; Takaesu, Morifumi; Sueki, Kentaro; Araki, Eiichiro; Sonoda, Akira; Takahashi, Narumi

2016-04-01

The Nankai Trough in southwest Japan is one of most active subduction zone in the world. Great mega-thrust earthquakes repeatedly occurred every 100 to 150 years in this area, it's anticipated to occur in the not distant future. For the purpose of elucidation of the history of mega-splay fault activity, the physical properties of the geological strata and the internal structure of the accretionary prism, and monitoring of diastrophism in this area, we have a plan, Nankai Trough Seismogenic Zone Experiments (NanTroSEIZE), as a part of Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP). We have a plan to install the borehole observation system in a few locations by the NanTroSEIZE. This system is called Long-Term Borehole Monitoring System, it consists of various sensors in the borehole such as a broadband seismometer, a tiltmeter, a strainmeter, geophones and accelerometer, thermometer array as well as pressure ports for pore-fluid pressure monitoring. The signal from sensors is transmitted to DONET (Dense Ocean-floor Network System for Earthquake and Tsunamis) in real time. During IODP Exp. 332 in December 2010, the first Long-Term Borehole Monitoring System was installed into the C0002 borehole site located 80 km off the Kii Peninsula, 1938 m water depth in the Nankai Trough. We have developed a web application system for data download, Long-Term Borehole Monitoring Data Site. Based on a term and sensors which user selected on this site, user can download monitoring waveform data (e.g. broadband seismometer data, accelerometer data, strainmeter data, tiltmeter data) in near real-time. This system can make the arbitrary data which user selected a term and sensors, and download it simply. Downloadable continuous data is provided in seed format, which includes sensor informations. In addition, before data download, user can check that data is abailable or not by data check function. In this presentation, we show our web application system and discuss our future plans for developments of monitoring data download system.

Monitoring of seafloor crustal deformation using GPS/Acoustic technique along the Nankai Trough, Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yasuda, K.; Tadokoro, K.; Ikuta, R.; Watanabe, T.; Fujii, C.; Matsuhiro, K.; Sayanagi, K.

2014-12-01

Seafloor crustal deformation is crucial for estimating the interplate locking at the shallow subduction zone and has been carried out at subduction margins in Japan, e.g., Japan Trench and Nankai Trough [Sato et al., 2011; Tadokoro et al., 2012]. Iinuma et al. [2012] derived slip distributions during the 2011 Tohoku-Oki earthquake using GPS/Acoustic data and on-land GPS data. The result showed that maximum slip is more than 85 m near the trench axis. The focal area along the Nankai trough extended to the trough axis affected this earthquake by cabinet office, government of Japan. 　We monitored seafloor crustal deformation along the Nankai trough, Japan. Observation regions are at the eastern end of Nankai trough (named Suruga trough) and at the central Nankai trough. We established and monitored by two sites across the trough at each region. In the Suruga trough region, we repeatedly observed from 2005 to 2013. We observed 13 and 14 times at a foot wall side (SNE) and at a hanging wall side (SNW), respectively. We estimated the displacement velocities with relative to the Amurian plate from the result of repeated observation. The estimated displacement velocity vectors at SNE and SNW are 42±8 mm/y to N94±3˚W direction and 39±11 mm/y to N84±9˚W direction, respectively. The directions are the same as those measured at the on-land GPS stations. The magnitudes of velocity vector indicate significant shortening by approximately 4 mm/y between SNW and on-land GPS stations at hanging wall side of the Suruga Trough. This result shows that the plate interface at the northernmost Suruga trough is strongly locked. In the central Nankai trough region, we established new two stations across the central Nankai trough (Both stations are about 15km distance from trough) and observed only three times, August 2013, January 2014, and June 2014. We report the results of monitoring performed in this year.

Role of CYP24A1, VDR and GC gene polymorphisms on deferasirox pharmacokinetics and clinical outcomes.

PubMed

Allegra, S; Cusato, J; De Francia, S; Arduino, A; Longo, F; Pirro, E; Massano, D; De Nicolò, A; Piga, A; D'Avolio, A

2018-05-22

β-Thalassemia patients develop deficiency in vitamin D absorption and liver hydroxylation, resulting in extremely low calcitriol levels. We explored the role of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) involved in vitamin D metabolism, transport and activity on deferasirox pharmacokinetics and outcomes (effectiveness trough levels (C trough ) and the area under the curve (AUC) cutoffs of 20 μg ml -1 and 360 μg ml -1  h -1 , respectively; nonresponse AUC limit of 250 μg ml -1  h -1 ). Ninety-nine β-thalassemic patients were enrolled. Drug plasma C trough and AUC were measured by the high-performance liquid chromatography system coupled with an ultraviolet determination method. Allelic discrimination for VDR, CYP24A1, CYP27B1 and GC gene SNPs was performed by real-time PCR. CYP24A1 22776 TT significantly influenced C min and negatively predicted it in regression analysis. CYP24A1 3999 CC was associated with C trough and C min and was a negative predictor of T max , whereas CYP24A1 8620 GG seemed to have a role in C trough , AUC, t 1/2 and C min , and was an AUC negative predictor factor. Considering treatment outcome, Cdx2 and GC 1296 were retained in regression analysis as AUC efficacy cutoff negative predictors.

Tracking small mountainous river derived terrestrial organic carbon across the active margin marine environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Childress, L. B.; Blair, N. E.; Orpin, A. R.

2015-12-01

Active margins are particularly efficient in the burial of organic carbon due to the close proximity of highland sources to marine sediment sinks and high sediment transport rates. Compared with passive margins, active margins are dominated by small mountainous river systems, and play a unique role in marine and global carbon cycles. Small mountainous rivers drain only approximately 20% of land, but deliver approximately 40% of the fluvial sediment to the global ocean. Unlike large passive margin systems where riverine organic carbon is efficiently incinerated on continental shelves, small mountainous river dominated systems are highly effective in the burial and preservation of organic carbon due to the rapid and episodic delivery of organic carbon sourced from vegetation, soil, and rock. To investigate the erosion, transport, and burial of organic carbon in active margin small mountainous river systems we use the Waipaoa River, New Zealand. The Waipaoa River, and adjacent marine depositional environment, is a system of interest due to a large sediment yield (6800 tons km-2 yr-1) and extensive characterization. Previous studies have considered the biogeochemistry of the watershed and tracked the transport of terrestrially derived sediment and organics to the continental shelf and slope by biogeochemical proxies including stable carbon isotopes, lignin phenols, n-alkanes, and n-fatty acids. In this work we expand the spatial extent of investigation to include deep sea sediments of the Hikurangi Trough. Located in approximately 3000 m water depth 120 km from the mouth of the Waipaoa River, the Hikurangi Trough is the southern extension of the Tonga-Kermadec-Hikurangi subduction system. Piston core sediments collected by the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA, NZ) in the Hikurangi Trough indicate the presence of terrestrially derived material (lignin phenols), and suggest a continuum of deposition, resuspension, and transport across the margin. Based on tephra beds identified within the sediments, this material was likely transported by a series of turbidite events, delivered to the Hikurangi Trough through Poverty Canyon.

Measuring and forecasting great tsunamis by GNSS-based vertical positioning of multiple ships

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Inazu, D.; Waseda, T.; Hibiya, T.; Ohta, Y.

2016-12-01

Vertical ship positioning by the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) was investigated for measuring and forecasting great tsunamis. We first examined existing GNSS vertical position data of a navigating vessel. The result indicated that by using the kinematic Precise Point Positioning (PPP) method, tsunamis greater than 10^-1 m can be detected from the vertical position of the ship. Based on Automatic Identification System (AIS) data, tens of cargo ships and tankers are regularly identified navigating over the Nankai Trough, southwest of Japan. We then assumed that a future Nankai Trough great earthquake tsunami will be observed by ships at locations based on AIS data. The tsunami forecast capability by these virtual offshore tsunami measurements was examined. A conventional Green's function based inversion was used to determine the initial tsunami height distribution. Tsunami forecast tests over the Nankai Trough were carried out using simulated tsunami data of the vertical positions of multiple cargo ships/tankers on a certain day, and of the currently operating observations by deep-sea pressure gauges and Global Positioning System (GPS) buoys. The forecast capability of ship-based tsunami height measurements alone was shown to be comparable to or better than that using the existing offshore observations.

Energy 101: Concentrating Solar Power

ScienceCinema

None

2018-02-07

From towers to dishes to linear mirrors to troughs, concentrating solar power (CSP) technologies reflect and collect solar heat to generate electricity. A single CSP plant can generate enough power for about 90,000 homes. This video explains what CSP is, how it works, and how systems like parabolic troughs produce renewable power. For more information on the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy's CSP research, see the Solar Energy Technology Program's Concentrating Solar Power Web page at http://www1.eere.energy.gov/solar/csp_program.html.

Are Vancomycin Trough Concentrations of 15 to 20 mg/L Associated With Increased Attainment of an AUC/MIC ≥ 400 in Patients With Presumed MRSA Infection?

PubMed

Hale, Cory M; Seabury, Robert W; Steele, Jeffrey M; Darko, William; Miller, Christopher D

2017-06-01

To determine whether there is an association between higher vancomycin trough concentrations and attainment of a calculated area under the concentration-time curve (AUC)/minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) ≥400. A retrospective analysis was conducted among vancomycin-treated adult patients with a positive methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) culture. Attainment of a calculated AUC/MIC ≥400 was compared between patients with troughs in the reference range of 15 to 20 mg/L and those with troughs in the following ranges: <10, 10 to 14.9, and >20 mg/L. Nephrotoxicity was assessed as a secondary outcome based on corrected average vancomycin troughs over 10 days of treatment. Overall, 226 patients were reviewed and 100 included. Relative to troughs ≥10, patients with vancomycin troughs <10 mg/L were 73% less likely to attain an AUC/MIC ≥400 (odds ratio [OR] 0.27, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.01-0.75). No difference was found in the attainment of an AUC/MIC ≥400 in patients with troughs of 10 to 14.9 mg/L and >20 mg/L when compared to patients with troughs of 15 to 20 mg/L. The mean corrected average vancomycin trough was higher in patients developing nephrotoxicity compared to those who did not (19.5 vs 14.5 mg/L, P < .001). Achieving vancomycin serum trough concentrations of 15 to 20 mg/L did not result in an increased attainment of the AUC/MIC target relative to troughs of 10 to 14.9 mg/L but may increase nephrotoxicity risk.

Eustatic and tectonic controls on development and demise of Waulsortian carbonate buildups, Montana

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

Precht, W.F.; Shepard, W.

1989-03-01

Deeper water Waulsortian carbonate buildups of Kinderhookian age are known from four localities in Montana. These buildups are situated within rhythmically bedded carbonate mudstones in the Paine Member of the Lodgepole formation. These buildups are mud-rich, byrozoan-crinoid mounds which contain abundant stromatactoid-like spar-filled cavities. The buildups are located along downdropped blocks on bounding faults of the Central Montana trough related to reactivation of a middle Proterozoic intracratonic rift margin (aulacogen). Sequence stratigraphic analyses of the Lodgepole throughout central Montana forms the basis for interpretation of buildup development and demise. Opening of the trough coupled with sea level rise formed threemore » distinct members of the Lodgepole, including (1) a transgressive surface marked by shallow-water deposits of the Cottonwood Canyon Member, (2) a transgressive systems tract of the Paine Member which can be separated into two distinct facies - a condensed section of deeper water carbonate mudstones to wackestones and the Waulsortian buildup facies which are encased within these rhythmically bedded deposits, and (3) a high-stand systems tract characterized by high-energy, cyclic, shoaling-upward crinoidal grainstones and oolites of the Woodhurst Member. Rapid eustatic rise and syntectonic subsidence during the transgressive systems tract outpassed buildup development and led to subsequent drowning. The lack of rapid reef building metazoans during the Mississippian is also suspect in explaining Waulsortian buildup demise.« less

Safety and tolerability of deferasirox in pediatric hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients: one facility's five years' experience of chelation treatment.

PubMed

Maximova, Natalia; Gregori, Massimo; Simeone, Roberto; Sonzogni, Aurelio; Boz, Giulia; Fucile, Carmen; Marini, Valeria; Martelli, Antonietta; Mattioli, Francesca

2017-09-08

42 pediatric patients with iron overload, who underwent liver biopsy and DFX treatment after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation were included in the study group. The patients were divided into two groups diversified according to deferasirox trough plasma concentrations (DFX C trough ) with cut-off equal to10 mcg/mL. The average dose of DFX was 25.9 mg/kg in the DFX C trough < 10 mcg/mL group versus 19.2 mg/kg in the DFX C trough > 10 mcg/mL group ( p =0,0003). The mean duration of DFX treatment was 135.7 days in the DFX C trough < 10 mcg/mL group versus 41.8 days in the DFX C trough > 10 mcg/mL group ( p <0.0001). The mean tissue iron concentration in the DFX C trough < 10 mcg/mL group was 261.9 μmol/g versus 133.4 μmol/g in the DFX C trough > 10 mcg/mL group ( p < 0.0001). 21 patients (100%) in the DFX C trough > 10 mcg/mL group had ductopenia which was complete in 47.6% of them and severe in 52.4%. All patients with particularly high C trough (> 25 mcg/mL) were found to have total ductopenia. 90.5% of all deferasirox-related adverse events and 100% of major adverse events occurred in the DFX C trough > 10 mcg/mL group. In the DFX C trough < 10 mcg/mL group only one patient interrupted chelation therapy versus 16 (84.2%) patients in the DFX C trough > 10 mcg/mL group. We would recommend a close monitoring in pediatric hematopoietic transplant recipients subjected to deferasirox-based therapy because we have observed a high incidence of adverse events and discontinuation of chelation treatment.

The Effect of Age and Weight on Vancomycin Serum Trough Concentrations in Pediatric Patients

PubMed Central

Madigan, Theresa; Sieve, Ronald M.; Graner, Kevin K.; Banerjee, Ritu

2013-01-01

Background Vancomycin treatment failure has been associated with low serum vancomycin trough concentrations, prompting recommendations to increase the daily doses in adults and children. Despite more aggressive vancomycin dosing, there continues to be significant variability in vancomycin trough concentrations in pediatric patients. Methods To determine if vancomycin trough concentrations in pediatric patients differ by age and weight, we reviewed records of hospitalized patients who received vancomycin between 2008 and 2012. Patients were divided into groups that received vancomycin 40 mg/kg/day (2008 to 2009) or 60 mg/kg/day (2010 to 2012). Vancomycin trough concentrations were compared between groups and within the 60-mg/kg/day group, stratified by patient age and weight. Results After increasing the vancomycin dose from 40 mg/kg/day to 60 mg/kg/day, initial trough concentrations increased significantly in patients younger than 2 and greater than 6 years of age, but not in patients between the ages of 2 and 5 years. In the 60-mg/kg/day group, only 16.7% of patients between 2 and 5 years of age had initial trough concentrations in the therapeutic range (10 mcg/mL to 20 mcg/mL). Initial trough concentrations were therapeutic in a greater proportion of patients ages 6 years to 12 years (38.7%) and 13 years to 18 years (63.0%). Patients between the ages of 13 and 18 had the highest proportion of supratherapeutic initial vancomycin trough concentrations (14.8%). Patients weighing > 50 kg had significantly higher trough concentrations than patients ≤ 50 kg (17.1 mcg/mL vs. 9.3 mcg/mL; p<0.001). Conclusion Although increasing the vancomycin dose from 40 mg/kg/day to 60 mg/kg/day led to a significant increase in vancomycin trough concentrations, a large proportion of patients receiving 60 mg/kg/day of vancomycin had trough concentrations outside of the therapeutic range. Specifically, patients younger than 6 years tend to have low trough concentrations, while adolescents and children > 50 kg are more likely to have elevated trough concentrations. Vancomycin dosing strategies in pediatric patients should consider age and weight as well as renal function and indication. PMID:23864541

Fuzzy logic control system to provide autonomous collision avoidance for Mars rover vehicle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Murphy, Michael G.

1990-01-01

NASA is currently involved with planning unmanned missions to Mars to investigate the terrain and process soil samples in advance of a manned mission. A key issue involved in unmanned surface exploration on Mars is that of supporting autonomous maneuvering since radio communication involves lengthy delays. It is anticipated that specific target locations will be designated for sample gathering. In maneuvering autonomously from a starting position to a target position, the rover will need to avoid a variety of obstacles such as boulders or troughs that may block the shortest path to the target. The physical integrity of the rover needs to be maintained while minimizing the time and distance required to attain the target position. Fuzzy logic lends itself well to building reliable control systems that function in the presence of uncertainty or ambiguity. The following major issues are discussed: (1) the nature of fuzzy logic control systems and software tools to implement them; (2) collision avoidance in the presence of fuzzy parameters; and (3) techniques for adaptation in fuzzy logic control systems.

Cracked Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2006-01-01

25 June 2006 This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows v-shaped troughs in the Hephaestus Fossae region of Mars. Light-toned, windblown ripples reside in the very lowest parts of the troughs, as well as on the cratered upland outside the troughs. Boulders and other types of debris, which were derived from the layered rock exposed near the top of the troughs, are seen resting on the trough floors and perched on the sloping trough walls.

Location near: 21.1oN, 236.7oW Image width: 3 km (1.9 mi) Illumination from: lower left Season: Northern Spring

Back-arc rifting at a continental margin: A case study from the Okinawa trough

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arai, R.; Kaiho, Y.; Takahashi, T.; Nakanishi, A.; Fujie, G.; Kodaira, S.; Kaneda, Y.

2014-12-01

The Okinawa trough, a back-arc basin formed behind the Ryukyu arc-trench system, southwest Japan, represents an active rifting zone associated with extension of the continental lithosphere. The basin is located at the southeastern margin of the Eurasian plate and characterized by axial rift valleys with over 1.0 km depth and ~100 km width. Previous studies suggest that the early rifting phase started late Miocene and crustal extension is currently active at a full rate of 30 to 50 mm/yr. Within the basin, numerous active hydrothermal vents are observed, suggesting that the crustal rifting enhances melt/heat transfer from the deep mantle up to the seafloor. However, internal structure beneath the back-arc basin and its relation to the rifting system are little documented. Complex regional tectonic setting, such as active collision in Taiwan to the west, oblique subduction of the Philippine Sea slab, and changing spreading rate along the rift axis, may also have significant influences on the thermal structure and flow within the mantle wedge, but their relative roles in controlling the rifting mode and magmatic supply are still poorly understood. As a step toward filling this gap in knowledge, we started a new 7-year project that consists of four two-dimensional active-source seismic experiments and extensive passive-source seismic observations along the Ryukyu arc. In 2013, active-source seismic data were collected on the first line that crosses the southernmost part of the Ryukyu arc-trench and Okinawa trough at 124-125°E. For refraction/wide-angle reflection analyses, a total of 60 ocean bottom seismographs were deployed with approximately 6 km spacing on a ~390-km-long profile. On the same line, multichannel seismic (MCS) reflection profiling was also carried out. Seismic velocity models obtained by first arrival tomography show that beneath the volcanic arc a thick layer (~10 km) of the middle crust with Vp = 6.0-6.8 km/s is developed, a typical feature in the major volcanic arc in the circum-Pacific region, but such thick layers are not observed beneath the Okinawa trough. Correspondingly, crustal thickness significantly varies: Crust thins from over 20 km beneath the volcanic arc to ~15 km beneath the back-arc basin.

Environments of Long-Lived Mesoscale Convective Systems Over the Central United States in Convection Permitting Climate Simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Qing; Houze, Robert A.; Leung, L. Ruby; Feng, Zhe

2017-12-01

Continental-scale convection-permitting simulations of the warm seasons of 2011 and 2012 using the Weather Research and Forecasting model reproduce realistic structure and frequency distribution of lifetime and event mean precipitation of mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) over the central United States. Analysis is performed to determine the environmental conditions conducive to generating long-lived MCSs. The simulations show that MCSs systematically form over the central Great Plains ahead of a trough in the westerlies in combination with an enhanced low-level moist jet from the Gulf of Mexico. These environmental properties at the time of storm initiation are most prominent for the MCSs that persist for the longest times. MCSs reaching lifetimes of 9 h or more occur closer to the approaching trough than shorter-lived MCSs. These long-lived MCSs exhibit the strongest feedback to the environment through diabatic heating in the trailing regions of the MCSs. The feedback strengthens the synoptic-scale trough associated with the MCS by producing an anomaly circulation characterized by a divergent perturbation at high levels over the MCS and a midlevel cyclonic circulation perturbation near the trough line in association with the trailing portion of the MCS. The quasi-balanced mesoscale vortex may help to maintain the MCS over a long period of time by feeding dry, cool air into the environment at the rear of the MCS region that enhances evaporative cooling and helps maintain the MCS.

Identification of large-scale meteorological patterns associated with extreme precipitation in the US northeast

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Agel, Laurie; Barlow, Mathew; Feldstein, Steven B.; Gutowski, William J.

2018-03-01

Patterns of daily large-scale circulation associated with Northeast US extreme precipitation are identified using both k-means clustering (KMC) and Self-Organizing Maps (SOM) applied to tropopause height. The tropopause height provides a compact representation of the upper-tropospheric potential vorticity, which is closely related to the overall evolution and intensity of weather systems. Extreme precipitation is defined as the top 1% of daily wet-day observations at 35 Northeast stations, 1979-2008. KMC is applied on extreme precipitation days only, while the SOM algorithm is applied to all days in order to place the extreme results into the overall context of patterns for all days. Six tropopause patterns are identified through KMC for extreme day precipitation: a summertime tropopause ridge, a summertime shallow trough/ridge, a summertime shallow eastern US trough, a deeper wintertime eastern US trough, and two versions of a deep cold-weather trough located across the east-central US. Thirty SOM patterns for all days are identified. Results for all days show that 6 SOM patterns account for almost half of the extreme days, although extreme precipitation occurs in all SOM patterns. The same SOM patterns associated with extreme precipitation also routinely produce non-extreme precipitation; however, on extreme precipitation days the troughs, on average, are deeper and the downstream ridges more pronounced. Analysis of other fields associated with the large-scale patterns show various degrees of anomalously strong moisture transport preceding, and upward motion during, extreme precipitation events.

Optimized molten salt receivers for ultimate trough solar fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Riffelmann, Klaus-J.; Richert, Timo; Kuckelkorn, Thomas

2016-05-01

Today parabolic trough collectors are the most successful concentrating solar power (CSP) technology. For the next development step new systems with increased operation temperature and new heat transfer fluids (HTF) are currently developed. Although the first power tower projects have successfully been realized, up to now there is no evidence of an all-dominant economic or technical advantage of power tower or parabolic trough. The development of parabolic trough technology towards higher performance and significant cost reduction have led to significant improvements in competitiveness. The use of molten salt instead of synthetic oil as heat transfer fluid will bring down the levelized costs of electricity (LCOE) even further while providing dispatchable energy with high capacity factors. FLABEG has developed the Ultimate TroughTM (UT) collector, jointly with sbp Sonne GmbH and supported by public funds. Due to its validated high optical accuracy, the collector is very suitable to operate efficiently at elevated temperatures up to 550 °C. SCHOTT will drive the key-innovations by introducing the 4th generation solar receiver that addresses the most significant performance and cost improvement measures. The new receivers have been completely redesigned to provide a product platform that is ready for high temperature operation up to 550 °C. Moreover distinct product features have been introduced to reduce costs and risks in solar field assembly and installation. The increased material and design challenges incurred with the high temperature operation have been reflected in sophisticated qualification and validation procedures.

Towards to Resilience Science -Research on the Nankai trough seismogenic zone-

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaneda, Yoshiyuki; Shiraki, Wataru; Fujisawa, Kazuhito; Tokozakura, Eiji

2017-04-01

For the last few decades, many destructive earthquakes and tsunamis occurred in the world. Based on lessons learnt from 2004 Sumatra Earthquake/Tsunamis, 2010 Chilean Earthquake/Tsunami and 2011 East Japan Earthquake/Tsunami, we recognized the importance of real time monitoring on Earthquakes and Tsunamis for disaster mitigation. Recently, Kumamoto Earthquake occurred in 2006. This destructive Earthquake indicated that multi strong motions including pre shock and main shock generated severe earthquake damages buildings. Furthermore, we recognize recovers/ revivals are very important and difficult. In Tohoku area damaged by large tsunamis, recovers/revivals have been under progressing after over 5 years passed after the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake. Therefore, we have to prepare the pre plan before next destructive disasters such as the Nankai trough mega thrust earthquake. As one of disaster countermeasures, we would like to propose that Disaster Mitigation Science. This disaster mitigation science is including engineering, science, medicine and social science such as sociology, informatics, law, literature, art, psychology etc. For Urgent evacuations, there are some kinds of real time monitoring system such as Dart buoy and ocean floor network. Especially, the real time monitoring system using multi kinds of sensors such as the accelerometer, broadband seismometer, pressure gauge, difference pressure gauge, hydrophone and thermometer is indispensable for Earthquakes/ Tsunamis monitoring. Furthermore, using multi kind of sensors, we can analyze and estimate broadband crustal activities around mega thrust earthquake seismogenic zones. Therefore, we deployed DONET1 and DONET2 which are dense ocean floor networks around the Nankai trough Southwestern Japan. We will explain about Resilience Science and real time monitoring systems around the Nankai trough seismogenic zone.

Cycling of sulfur in subduction zones: The geochemistry of sulfur in the Mariana Island Arc and back-arc trough

USGS Publications Warehouse

Alt, J.C.; Shanks, Wayne C.; Jackson, M.C.

1993-01-01

The sulfur contents and sulfur isotopic compositions of 24 glassy submarine volcanics from the Mariana Island Arc and back-arc Mariana Trough were determined in order to investigate the hypothesis that subducted seawater sulfur (??34S = 21???) is recycled through arc volcanism. Our results for sulfur are similar to those for subaerial arc volcanics: Mariana Arc glasses are enriched in 34S (??34S = up to 10.3???, mean = 3.8???) and depleted in S (20-290 ppm, mean = 100 ppm) relative to MORB (850 ppm S, ??34S = 0.1 ?? 0.5???). The back-arc trough basalts contain 200-930 ppm S and have ??34S values of 1.1 ?? 0.5???, which overlap those for the arc and MORB. The low sulfur contents of the arc and some of the trough glasses are attributed to (1) early loss of small amounts of sulfur through separation of immiscible sulfide and (2) later vapor-melt equilibrium control of sulfur contents and loss of sulfur in a vapor phase from sulfide-undersaturated melts near the minimum in sulfur solubility at f{hook}O2 ??? NNO (nickel-nickel oxide). Although these processes removed sulfur from the melts their effects on the sulfur isotopic compositions of the melts were minimal. Positive trends of ??34S with 87Sr 86Sr, LILE and LREE contents of the arc volcanics are consistent with a metasomatic seawater sulfur component in the depleted sub-arc mantle source. The lack of a 34S-rich slab signature in the trough lavas may be attributed to equilibration of metasomatic fluid with mantle material along the longer pathway from the slab to the source of the trough volcanics. Sulfur is likely to have been transported into the mantle wedge by metasomatic fluid derived from subducted sediments and pore fluids. Gases extracted from vesicles in arc and back-arc samples are predominantly H2O, with minor CO2 and traces of H2S and SO2. CO2 in the arc and back-arc rocks has ??13C values of -2.1 to -13.1???, similar to MORB. These data suggest that degassing of CO2 could explain the slightly lower ??13C values for some Mariana Trough volcanic glasses, and that incorporation of subduction-derived organic carbon into the Mariana Trough mantle source may not be necessary. More analyses are required to resolve this question, however. ?? 1993.

Concentrating Solar Power Projects - Gansu Akesai 50MW Molten Salt Trough

Science.gov Websites

project | Concentrating Solar Power | NREL Gansu Akesai 50MW Molten Salt Trough project Status . Technology: Parabolic trough Turbine Capacity: Net: 50.0 MW Gross: 50.0 MW Status: Under development Do you have more information, corrections, or comments? Background Technology: Parabolic trough Status: Under

Low-dose factor VIII infusion in Chinese adult haemophilia A patients: pharmacokinetics evidence that daily infusion results in higher trough level than with every-other-day infusion with similar factor VIII consumption.

PubMed

Hua, B; Lee, A; Fan, L; Li, K; Zhang, Y; Poon, M-C; Zhao, Y

2017-05-01

Pharmacokinetics (PK) modelling suggests improvement of trough levels are achieved by using more frequent infusion strategy. However, no clinical study data exists to confirm or quantify improvement in trough level, particularly for low-dose prophylaxis in patients with haemophilia A. To provide evidence that low dose daily (ED) prophylaxis can increase trough levels without increasing FVIII consumption compared to every-other-day (EOD) infusion. A cross-over study on 5 IU kg -1 FVIII daily vs. 10 IU kg -1 EOD infusions, each for 14 days was conducted at the PUMCH-HTC. On the ED schedule, trough (immediate prior to infusion), and peak FVIII:C levels (30 min after infusion) were measured on days 1-5; and trough levels alone on days 7, 9, 11 and 13. For the EOD schedule, troughs, peaks and 4-h postinfusion were measured on day 1; troughs and peaks on days 3, 5, and 7; troughs alone on days 9, 11 and 13 and 24-h postinfusion on days 2, 4 and 6. FVIII inhibitors were assessed on days 0 and 14 during both infusion schedules. Six patients were enrolled. PK evidence showed that daily prophylaxis achieved higher (~2 times) steady-state FVIII trough levels compared to EOD with the same total factor consumption. The daily prophylaxis had good acceptability among patients and reduced chronic pain in the joints in some patients. Our PK study shows low-dose factor VIII daily infusion results in higher trough level than with EOD infusion with similar factor VIII consumption in Chinese adult haemophilia A patients. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Aeolian sand transport over complex intertidal bar-trough beach topography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anthony, Edward J.; Ruz, Marie-Hélène; Vanhée, Stéphane

2009-04-01

Aeolian sand transport on macrotidal beaches with complex intertidal bar-trough topography (ridge-and-runnel beaches) was assessed from experiments in northern France that involved measurements of wind speed, saltation, surface moisture contents, and rates of sand trapping across surveyed portions of the upper beach profile. Beaches exhibiting intertidal bars and troughs are much more complex, topographically, than simple reflective or dissipative beaches. Furthermore, the intertidal bar-trough morphology commonly exhibits strong cross-shore variations in the moisture contents of the beach surface and in patterns of bedform development. The results of four 30-minute experiments, conducted along topographically surveyed portions of the upper beach-dune toe profile, show that troughs act as extremely efficient sand interceptors, because of their permanently saturated state, which also inhibits sand mobilisation. Troughs, thus, limit or segment the dry fetch during conditions of intermittent saltation. Flow lines, inferred from the wind profiles, suggest that complex interactions at the boundary layer are generated by the bar-trough topography. Troughs systematically appear to be characterised by air expansion, while bar faces generate ramp wind acceleration for onshore winds, and sometimes immediate downwind deceleration for offshore winds. These effects may also contribute to cross-shore variations in the rates of sand trapping. Finally, a simple conceptual model of effective fetch development, integrating the effects of the spring-neap tidal range and of gross bar-trough morphological variability over time, is proposed for bar-trough beaches. The model highlights the key theme of fetch segmentation induced by cross-shore differentiation in the moisture contents of the beach surface hinged on the complex topography of multiple bars and troughs.

Are Vancomycin Trough Concentrations Adequate for Optimal Dosing?

PubMed Central

Youn, Gilmer; Jones, Brenda; Jelliffe, Roger W.; Drusano, George L.; Rodvold, Keith A.; Lodise, Thomas P.

2014-01-01

The current vancomycin therapeutic guidelines recommend the use of only trough concentrations to manage the dosing of adults with Staphylococcus aureus infections. Both vancomycin efficacy and toxicity are likely to be related to the area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC). We assembled richly sampled vancomycin pharmacokinetic data from three studies comprising 47 adults with various levels of renal function. With Pmetrics, the nonparametric population modeling package for R, we compared AUCs estimated from models derived from trough-only and peak-trough depleted versions of the full data set and characterized the relationship between the vancomycin trough concentration and AUC. The trough-only and peak-trough depleted data sets underestimated the true AUCs compared to the full model by a mean (95% confidence interval) of 23% (11 to 33%; P = 0.0001) and 14% (7 to 19%; P < 0.0001), respectively. In contrast, using the full model as a Bayesian prior with trough-only data allowed 97% (93 to 102%; P = 0.23) accurate AUC estimation. On the basis of 5,000 profiles simulated from the full model, among adults with normal renal function and a therapeutic AUC of ≥400 mg · h/liter for an organism for which the vancomycin MIC is 1 mg/liter, approximately 60% are expected to have a trough concentration below the suggested minimum target of 15 mg/liter for serious infections, which could result in needlessly increased doses and a risk of toxicity. Our data indicate that adjustment of vancomycin doses on the basis of trough concentrations without a Bayesian tool results in poor achievement of maximally safe and effective drug exposures in plasma and that many adults can have an adequate vancomycin AUC with a trough concentration of <15 mg/liter. PMID:24165176

Hazard assessment of long-period ground motions for the Nankai Trough earthquakes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maeda, T.; Morikawa, N.; Aoi, S.; Fujiwara, H.

2013-12-01

We evaluate a seismic hazard for long-period ground motions associated with the Nankai Trough earthquakes (M8~9) in southwest Japan. Large interplate earthquakes occurring around the Nankai Trough have caused serious damages due to strong ground motions and tsunami; most recent events were in 1944 and 1946. Such large interplate earthquake potentially causes damages to high-rise and large-scale structures due to long-period ground motions (e.g., 1985 Michoacan earthquake in Mexico, 2003 Tokachi-oki earthquake in Japan). The long-period ground motions are amplified particularly on basins. Because major cities along the Nankai Trough have developed on alluvial plains, it is therefore important to evaluate long-period ground motions as well as strong motions and tsunami for the anticipated Nankai Trough earthquakes. The long-period ground motions are evaluated by the finite difference method (FDM) using 'characterized source models' and the 3-D underground structure model. The 'characterized source model' refers to a source model including the source parameters necessary for reproducing the strong ground motions. The parameters are determined based on a 'recipe' for predicting strong ground motion (Earthquake Research Committee (ERC), 2009). We construct various source models (~100 scenarios) giving the various case of source parameters such as source region, asperity configuration, and hypocenter location. Each source region is determined by 'the long-term evaluation of earthquakes in the Nankai Trough' published by ERC. The asperity configuration and hypocenter location control the rupture directivity effects. These parameters are important because our preliminary simulations are strongly affected by the rupture directivity. We apply the system called GMS (Ground Motion Simulator) for simulating the seismic wave propagation based on 3-D FDM scheme using discontinuous grids (Aoi and Fujiwara, 1999) to our study. The grid spacing for the shallow region is 200 m and 100 m in horizontal and vertical, respectively. The grid spacing for the deep region is three times coarser. The total number of grid points is about three billion. The 3-D underground structure model used in the FD simulation is the Japan integrated velocity structure model (ERC, 2012). Our simulation is valid for period more than two seconds due to the lowest S-wave velocity and grid spacing. However, because the characterized source model may not sufficiently support short period components, we should be interpreted the reliable period of this simulation with caution. Therefore, we consider the period more than five seconds instead of two seconds for further analysis. We evaluate the long-period ground motions using the velocity response spectra for the period range between five and 20 second. The preliminary simulation shows a large variation of response spectra at a site. This large variation implies that the ground motion is very sensitive to different scenarios. And it requires studying the large variation to understand the seismic hazard. Our further study will obtain the hazard curves for the Nankai Trough earthquake (M 8~9) by applying the probabilistic seismic hazard analysis to the simulation results.

Interseismic Coupling-Based Earthquake and Tsunami Scenarios for the Nankai Trough

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baranes, H.; Woodruff, J. D.; Loveless, J. P.; Hyodo, M.

2018-04-01

Theoretical modeling and investigations of recent subduction zone earthquakes show that geodetic estimates of interseismic coupling and the spatial distribution of coseismic rupture are correlated. However, the utility of contemporary coupling in guiding construction of rupture scenarios has not been evaluated on the world's most hazardous faults. Here we demonstrate methods for scaling coupling to slip to create rupture models for southwestern Japan's Nankai Trough. Results show that coupling-based models produce distributions of ground surface deformation and tsunami inundation that are similar to historical and geologic records of the largest known Nankai earthquake in CE 1707 and to an independent, quasi-dynamic rupture model. Notably, these models and records all support focused subsidence around western Shikoku that makes the region particularly vulnerable to flooding. Results imply that contemporary coupling mirrors the slip distribution of a full-margin, 1707-type rupture, and Global Positioning System measurements of surface motion are connected with the trough's physical characteristics.

Development and Testing of a Power Trough System Using a Structurally-Efficient, High-Performance, Large-Aperture Concentrator with Thin Glass Reflector and Focal Point Rotation

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

May, E. K.; Forristall, R.

2005-11-01

Industrial Solar Technology has assembled a team of experts to develop a large-aperture parabolic trough for the electric power market that moves beyond cost and operating limitations of 1980's designs based on sagged glass reflectors. IST's structurally efficient space frame design will require nearly 50% less material per square meter than a Solel LS-2 concentrator and the new trough will rotate around the focal point. This feature eliminates flexhoses that increase pump power, installation and maintenance costs. IST aims to deliver a concentrator module costing less than $100 per square meter that can produce temperatures up to 400 C. Themore » IST concentrator is ideally suited for application of front surface film reflectors and ensures that US corporations will manufacture major components, except for the high temperature receivers.« less

Airborne Lidar measurements of the atmospheric pressure profile with tunable Alexandrite lasers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Korb, C. L.; Schwemmer, G. K.; Dombrowski, M.; Milrod, J.; Walden, H.

1986-01-01

The first remote measurements of the atmospheric pressure profile made from an airborne platform are described. The measurements utilize a differential absorption lidar and tunable solid state Alexandrite lasers. The pressure measurement technique uses a high resolution oxygen A band where the absorption is highly pressure sensitive due to collision broadening. Absorption troughs and regions of minimum absorption were used between pairs of stongly absorption lines for these measurements. The trough technique allows the measurement to be greatly desensitized to the effects of laser frequency instabilities. The lidar system was set up to measure pressure with the on-line laser tuned to the absorption trough at 13147.3/cm and with the reference laser tuned to a nonabsorbing frequency near 13170.0/cm. The lidar signal returns were sampled with a 200 range gate (30 vertical resoltion) and averaged over 100 shots.

Adalimumab for Treatment of Noninfectious Uveitis: Immunogenicity and Clinical Relevance of Measuring Serum Drug Levels and Antidrug Antibodies.

PubMed

Cordero-Coma, Miguel; Calleja-Antolín, Sara; Garzo-García, Irene; Nuñez-Garnés, Ana M; Álvarez-Castro, Carolina; Franco-Benito, Manuel; Ruiz de Morales, Jose G

2016-12-01

To evaluate the rate of immunogenicity induced by adalimumab and its relationship with drug serum levels and clinical responses in patients with noninfectious uveitis. Prospective observational study. Consecutive patients from 1 referral center who initiated treatment with adalimumab for active noninfectious uveitis resistant to conventional therapy. All patients received 40 mg adalimumab every other week. Patients were evaluated clinically and immunologically before and after 4, 8, and 24 weeks of treatment. Clinical evaluation included assessment of changes in visual acuity, degree of inflammation in the anterior chamber and vitreous cavity, central macular thickness, and retinal angiographic leakage. Immunologic evaluation included assessment of serum trough adalimumab and antibodies against adalimumab (AAA) levels and class II HLA typing. Twenty-five patients were enrolled. Overall, 18 of 25 patients (72%) showed a favorable clinical response to adalimumab therapy. Eleven patients (44%) achieved a complete response and 7 (28%) achieved a partial response. However, 7 of 25 patients (28%) were considered nonresponders. Median trough adalimumab serum levels were higher in responders than in nonresponders (P < 0.001). We observed AAA positivity (AAA+) at least 1 time point in 8 of 25 patients (32%), including 4 with transitory AAA and 4 with permanent AAA. In all patients with permanent AAA+, trough adalimumab levels became undetectable (P < 0.001). However, in patients who demonstrated transitory AAA+, no correlation was observed between AAA titers and adalimumab trough levels (P = 0.2).Concomitant immunosuppression did not show any protective effect on adalimumab immunogenicity in our cohort. An association between the presence of AAA+ and a worse uveitis outcome was observed only in patients with permanent AAA+, which correlated with undetectable adalimumab trough levels (P = 0.014). Treatment of noninfectious uveitis with adalimumab is associated with high rates of favorable clinical response. Overall, adalimumab trough levels were higher in responder patients. Development of permanent AAA was associated with undetectable trough adalimumab levels and worse uveitis outcome. Immunogenicity was more common in patients in whom uveitis was associated with a systemic disease and was not influenced by concomitant immunosuppressors. Copyright © 2016 American Academy of Ophthalmology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A multicenter experience with generic tacrolimus conversion.

PubMed

McDevitt-Potter, Lisa M; Sadaka, Basma; Tichy, Eric M; Rogers, Christin C; Gabardi, Steven

2011-09-27

The first generic tacrolimus product gained Food and Drug Administration approval in August 2009. This prospective, observational trial sought to determine the need for dose titrations and measure drug cost savings on conversion to generic tacrolimus. Transplant recipients on stable tacrolimus doses were converted from brand to generic tacrolimus on a mg:mg basis. Data were collected at the time of generic conversion (study arm) and at a time point exactly 6 months before conversion (control arm) for all subjects. Seventy conversions from four centers are reported. Subjects were a mean of 70 months after kidney (n=37), liver (n=28), or multiorgan (n=5) transplant. In the study arm, mean tacrolimus doses were 4.4 and 4.5 mg/d and mean tacrolimus trough concentrations were 5.8 and 5.9 ng/mL before and after conversion, respectively. In the control arm, mean tacrolimus doses were 4.6 and 4.6 mg/d and mean tacrolimus trough concentrations were 6.1 and 5.9 ng/mL before and after the control time point, respectively. Dose titrations occurred in five patients (7%) in the control arm and 15 patients (21%) in the study arm (P=0.028). Mean monthly drug costs were $645 for brand, $593 for generic, and $595 for generic after dose titrations. Mean monthly patient copays were $38 for brand and $15 for generic. These cumulative data show that dose requirements and trough levels are similar between brand and generic tacrolimus and that generic substitution allows for savings. However, postconversion monitoring is prudent as patients may require dose titration.

Downhole data transmission system

DOEpatents

Hall, David R.; Hall, Jr., H. Tracy; Pixton, David S; Dahlgren, Scott; Fox, Joe

2006-06-20

A system for transmitting data through a string of downhole components. In one aspect, the system includes first and second magnetically conductive, electrically insulating elements at both ends of the component. Each element includes a first U-shaped trough with a bottom, first and second sides and an opening between the two sides. Electrically conducting coils are located in each trough. An electrical conductor connects the coils in each component. In operation, a varying current applied to a first coil in one component generates a varying magnetic field in the first magnetically conductive, electrically insulating element, which varying magnetic field is conducted to and thereby produces a varying magnetic field in the second magnetically conductive, electrically insulating element of a connected component, which magnetic field thereby generates a varying electrical current in the second coil in the connected component.

Downhole Data Transmission System

DOEpatents

Hall, David R.; Hall, Jr., H. Tracy; Pixton, David; Dahlgren, Scott; Fox, Joe

2003-12-30

A system for transmitting data through a string of downhole components. In one aspect, the system includes first and second magnetically conductive, electrically insulating elements at both ends of the component. Each element includes a first U-shaped trough with a bottom, first and second sides and an opening between the two sides. Electrically conducting coils are located in each trough. An electrical conductor connects the coils in each component. In operation, a varying current applied to a first coil in one component generates a varying magnetic field in the first magnetically conductive, electrically insulating element, which varying magnetic field is conducted to and thereby produces a varying magnetic field in the second magnetically conductive, electrically insulating element of a connected component, which magnetic field thereby generates a varying electrical current in the second coil in the connected component.

Evaluation of the trough-type rain gage

Treesearch

Irvin C. Reigner

1964-01-01

Although infrequently used, the trough-type rain gage has been described as aerodynamically the most efficient of gages (Hayes and Kittredge 1949). This applies only to the commercial semicircular eave-gutter type of trough and not to troughs rectangular in cross-section. The latter, as well as the upright cylindrical type of gage, produces greater disturbances in the...

1/32 Degree Real-Time Global Ocean Prediction and Value-Added Over 1/16 Degree Resolution

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-07-30

SSH ridge to the south of these eddies are captured by at least one of the two data narrowing the trough, both assisting in cutting off eddy...In Section 3.4, the off from a GFO track a week later (Fig. 3D). Eddy #12 Hawaiian Islands region is used to compare results where was already...Journal of Marine Systems 65 (2007) 3-26 13 The second example is the cluster of 6 small eddies week leading up to 29 Sept. This formed an SSH trough

Development of Download System for Waveform Data Observed at Long-Term Borehole Monitoring System installed in the Nankai Trough

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Horikawa, H.; Takaesu, M.; Sueki, K.; Araki, E.; Sonoda, A.; Takahashi, N.; Tsuboi, S.

2015-12-01

The Nankai Trough in southwest Japan is one of most active subduction zone in the world. Great mega-thrust earthquakes repeatedly occurred every 100 to 150 years in this area, it's anticipated to occur in the not distant future. For the purpose of elucidation of the history of mega-splay fault activity, the physical properties of the geological strata and the internal structure of the accretionary prism, and monitoring of diastrophism in this area, we have a plan, Nankai Trough Seismogenic Zone Experiments (NanTroSEIZE), as a part of Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP).We have a plan to install the borehole observation system in a few locations by the NanTroSEIZE. This system is called Long-Term Borehole Monitoring System, it consists of various sensors in the borehole such as a broadband seismometer, a tiltmeter, a strainmeter, geophones and accelerometer, thermometer array as well as pressure ports for pore-fluid pressure monitoring. The signal from sensors is transmitted to DONET (Dense Ocean-floor Network System for Earthquake and Tsunamis) in real-time. During IODP Exp. 332 in December 2010, the first Long-Term Borehole Monitoring System was installed into the C0002 borehole site located 80 km off the Kii Peninsula, 1938 m water depth in the Nankai Trough.We have developed a web application system for data download, Long-Term Borehole Monitoring Data Site　(*1). Based on a term and sensors which user selected on this site, user can download monitoring waveform data (e.g. broadband seismometer data, accelerometer data, strainmeter data, tiltmeter data) in near real-time. This system can make the arbitrary data which user selected a term and sensors, and download it simply. Downloadable continuous data is provided in seed format, which includes sensor information. In addition, before data download, user can check that data is available or not by data check function.In this presentation, we briefly introduce NanTroSEIZE and then show our web　application system. We also discuss our future plans for developments of monitoring data download system.*1 Long-Term Borehole Monitoring Data Site http://join-web.jamstec.go.jp/borehole/borehole_top_e.html

Reflector Technology Development and System Design for Concentrating Solar Power Technologies

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

Adam Schaut

2011-12-30

Alcoa began this program in March of 2008 with the goal of developing and validating an advanced CSP trough design to lower the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) as compared to existing glass based, space-frame trough technology. In addition to showing a pathway to a significant LCOE reduction, Alcoa also desired to create US jobs to support the emerging CSP industry. Alcoa's objective during Phase I: Concept Feasibility was to provide the DOE with a design approach that demonstrates significant overall system cost savings without sacrificing performance. Phase I consisted of two major tasks; reflector surface development and system conceptmore » development. Two specific reflective surface technologies were investigated, silver metallized lamination, and thin film deposition both applied on an aluminum substrate. Alcoa prepared samples; performed test validation internally; and provided samples to the NREL for full-spectrum reflectivity measurements. The final objective was to report reflectivity at t = 0 and the latest durability results as of the completion of Phase 1. The target criteria for reflectance and durability were as follows: (1) initial (t = 0), hemispherical reflectance >93%, (2) initial spectral reflectance >90% for 25-mrad reading and >87% for 7-mrad reading, and (3) predicted 20 year durability of less than 5% optical performance drop. While the results of the reflective development activities were promising, Alcoa was unable to down-select on a reflective technology that met the target criteria. Given the progress and potential of both silver film and thin film technologies, Alcoa continued reflector surface development activities in Phase II. The Phase I concept development activities began with acquiring baseline CSP system information from both CSP Services and the DOE. This information was used as the basis to develop conceptual designs through ideation sessions. The concepts were evaluated based on estimated cost and high-level structural performance. The target criteria for the concept development was to achieve a solar field cost savings of 25%-50% thereby meeting or exceeding the DOE solar field cost savings target of $350/m2. After evaluating various structural design approaches, Alcoa down-selected to a monocoque, dubbed Wing Box, design that utilizes the reflective surface as a structural, load carrying member. The cost and performance potential of the Wing Box concept was developed via initial finite element analysis (FEA) and cost modeling. The structural members were sized through material utilization modeling when subjected to representative loading conditions including wind loading. Cost modeling was utilized to refine potential manufacturing techniques that could be employed to manufacture the structural members. Alcoa concluded that an aluminum intensive collector design can achieve significant cost savings without sacrificing performance. Based on the cost saving potential of this Concept Feasibility study, Alcoa recommended further validation of this CSP approach through the execution of Phase II: Design and Prototype Development. Alcoa Phase II objective was to provide the DOE with a validated CSP trough design that demonstrates significant overall system cost savings without sacrificing performance. Phase II consisted of three major tasks; Detail System Design, Prototype Build, and System Validation. Additionally, the reflector surface development that began in Phase I was continued in Phase II. After further development work, Alcoa was unable to develop a reflective technology that demonstrated significant performance or cost benefits compared to commercially available CSP reflective products. After considering other commercially available reflective surfaces, Alcoa selected Alano's MIRO-SUN product for use on the full scale prototype. Although MIRO-SUN has a lower specular reflectivity compared to other options, its durability in terms of handling, cleaning, and long-term reflectivity was deemed the most important attribute to successfully validate Alcoa's advanced trough architecture. To validate the performance of the Wing Box trough, a 6 meter aperture by 14 meter long prototype trough was built. For ease of shipping to and assembly at NREL's test facility, the prototype was fabricated in two half modules and joined along the centerline to create the Wing Box trough. The trough components were designed to achieve high precision of the reflective surface while leveraging high volume manufacturing and assembly techniques.« less

Relationship Between FEV1 and Patient-Reported Outcomes Changes: Results of a Meta-Analysis of Randomized Trials in Stable COPD.

PubMed

de la Loge, Christine; Tugaut, Béatrice; Fofana, Fatoumata; Lambert, Jérémy; Hennig, Michael; Tschiesner, Uta; Vahdati-Bolouri, Mitra; Segun Ismaila, Afisi; Suresh Punekar, Yogesh

2016-03-15

Background: This meta-analysis assessed the relationship between change from baseline (CFB) in spirometric measurements (trough forced expiratory volume in 1 second [FEV 1 ] and FEV 1 area under the curve [AUC]) and patient-reported outcomes (St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire total score [SGRQ] CFB, Transition Dyspnea Index [TDI] and exacerbation rates) after 6-12 months' follow-up, using study treatment-group level data. Methods: A systematic literature search was performed for randomized controlled trials of ≥24 weeks duration in adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Studies reporting ≥1 spirometric measurement and ≥1 patient-reported outcome (PRO) at baseline and at study endpoint were selected. The relationships between PROs and spirometric endpoints were assessed using Pearson correlation coefficient and meta-regression. Results: Fifty-two studies (62,385 patients) were included. Primary weighted analysis conducted at the last assessment showed a large significant negative correlation (r, -0.68 [95% confidence interval (CI); -0.77, -0.57]) between trough FEV 1 and SGRQ. Improvement of 100 mL in trough FEV 1 corresponded to a 5.9 point reduction in SGRQ. Similarly, a reduction of 4 points on SGRQ corresponded to 40 mL improvement in trough FEV 1 ( p <0.001). The weighted correlation coefficients of trough FEV 1 with TDI, exacerbation rate (all) and exacerbation rate (moderate/severe) at last assessment point were 0.57, -0.69 and -0.57, respectively (all p <0.05). For the analyses excluding placebo groups, the correlations of FEV 1 with SGRQ and TDI were lower but significant. Conclusions: A strong association exists between changes in spirometric measurements and changes in PROs.

Relationship Between FEV1 and Patient-Reported Outcomes Changes: Results of a Meta-Analysis of Randomized Trials in Stable COPD

PubMed Central

de la Loge, Christine; Tugaut, Béatrice; Fofana, Fatoumata; Lambert, Jérémy; Hennig, Michael; Tschiesner, Uta; Vahdati-Bolouri, Mitra; Segun Ismaila, Afisi; Suresh Punekar, Yogesh

2016-01-01

Background: This meta-analysis assessed the relationship between change from baseline (CFB) in spirometric measurements (trough forced expiratory volume in 1 second [FEV1] and FEV1 area under the curve [AUC]) and patient-reported outcomes (St. George’s Respiratory Questionnaire total score [SGRQ] CFB, Transition Dyspnea Index [TDI] and exacerbation rates) after 6-12 months’ follow-up, using study treatment-group level data. Methods: A systematic literature search was performed for randomized controlled trials of ≥24 weeks duration in adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Studies reporting ≥1 spirometric measurement and ≥1 patient-reported outcome (PRO) at baseline and at study endpoint were selected. The relationships between PROs and spirometric endpoints were assessed using Pearson correlation coefficient and meta-regression. Results: Fifty-two studies (62,385 patients) were included. Primary weighted analysis conducted at the last assessment showed a large significant negative correlation (r, −0.68 [95% confidence interval (CI); −0.77, −0.57]) between trough FEV1 and SGRQ. Improvement of 100 mL in trough FEV1 corresponded to a 5.9 point reduction in SGRQ. Similarly, a reduction of 4 points on SGRQ corresponded to 40 mL improvement in trough FEV1 (p<0.001). The weighted correlation coefficients of trough FEV1 with TDI, exacerbation rate (all) and exacerbation rate (moderate/severe) at last assessment point were 0.57, -0.69 and -0.57, respectively (all p<0.05). For the analyses excluding placebo groups, the correlations of FEV1 with SGRQ and TDI were lower but significant. Conclusions: A strong association exists between changes in spirometric measurements and changes in PROs. PMID:28848877

Possible strain partitioning structure between the Kumano fore-arc basin and the slope of the Nankai Trough accretionary prism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martin, Kylara M.; Gulick, Sean P. S.; Bangs, Nathan L. B.; Moore, Gregory F.; Ashi, Juichiro; Park, Jin-Oh; Kuramoto, Shin'ichi; Taira, Asahiko

2010-05-01

A 12 km wide, 56 km long, three-dimensional (3-D) seismic volume acquired over the Nankai Trough offshore the Kii Peninsula, Japan, images the accretionary prism, fore-arc basin, and subducting Philippine Sea Plate. We have analyzed an unusual, trench-parallel depression (a "notch") along the seaward edge of the fore-arc Kumano Basin, just landward of the megasplay fault system. This bathymetric feature varies along strike, from a single, steep-walled, ˜3.5 km wide notch in the northeast to a broader, ˜5 km wide zone with several shallower linear depressions in the southwest. Below the notch we found both vertical faults and faults which dip toward the central axis of the depression. Dipping faults appear to have normal offset, consistent with the extension required to form a bathymetric low. Some of these dipping faults may join the central vertical fault(s) at depth, creating apparent flower structures. Offset on the vertical faults is difficult to determine, but the along-strike geometry of these faults makes predominantly normal or thrust motion unlikely. We conclude, therefore, that the notch feature is the bathymetric expression of a transtensional fault system. By considering only the along-strike variability of the megasplay fault, we could not explain a transform feature at the scale of the notch. Strike-slip faulting at the seaward edge of fore-arc basins is also observed in Sumatra and is there attributed to strain partitioning due to oblique convergence. The wedge and décollement strength variations which control the location of the fore-arc basins may therefore play a role in the position where an along-strike component of strain is localized. While the obliquity of convergence in the Nankai Trough is comparatively small (˜15°), we believe it generated the Kumano Basin Edge Fault Zone, which has implications for interpreting local measured stress orientations and suggests potential locations for strain-partitioning-related deformation in other subduction zones.

The Tectonics of Mercury: The View from Orbit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Watters, T. R.; Byrne, P. K.; Klimczak, C.; Enns, A. C.; Banks, M. E.; Walsh, L. S.; Ernst, C. M.; Robinson, M. S.; Gillis-Davis, J. J.; Solomon, S. C.; Strom, R. G.; Gwinner, K.

2011-12-01

Flybys of Mercury by the Mariner 10 and MESSENGER spacecraft revealed a broad distribution of contractional tectonic landforms, including lobate scarps, high-relief ridges, and wrinkle ridges. Among these, lobate scarps were seen as the dominant features and have been interpreted as having formed as a result of global contraction in response to interior cooling. Extensional troughs and graben, where identified, were generally confined to intermediate- to large-scale impact basins. However, the true global spatial distribution of tectonic landforms remained poorly defined because the flyby observations were limited in coverage and spatial resolution, and many flyby images were obtained under lighting geometries far from ideal for the detection and identification of morphologic features. With the successful insertion of MESSENGER into orbit in March 2011, we are exploiting the opportunity to characterize the tectonics of Mercury in unprecedented detail using images at high resolution and optimum lighting, together with topographic data obtained from Mercury Laser Altimeter (MLA) profiles and stereo imaging. We are digitizing all of Mercury's major tectonic landforms in a standard geographic information system format from controlled global monochrome mosaics (mean resolution 250 m/px), complemented by high-resolution targeted images (up to ~10 m/px), obtained by the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS) cameras. On the basis of an explicit set of diagnostic criteria, we are mapping wrinkle ridges, high-relief ridges, lobate scarps, and extensional troughs and graben in separate shapefiles and cataloguing the segment endpoint positions, length, and orientation for each landform. The versatility of digital mapping facilitates the merging of this tectonic information with other MESSENGER-derived map products, e.g., volcanic units, surface color, geochemical variations, topography, and gravity. Results of this mapping work to date include the identification of extensional features in the northern plains and elsewhere on Mercury in the form of troughs, which commonly form polygonal patterns, in some two dozen volcanically flooded impact craters and basins.

Copper sulfate controls fungus on mat-spawned largemouth bass eggs

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Copper sulfate (CuSO4) is widely used by the catfish and hybrid striped bass industries as an economical treatment to control fungus (Saprolegnia spp.) on eggs; these industries use hatching troughs and McDonald jars, respectively, in moderate alkalinity waters. This study determined the effectivene...

Method and apparatus for measuring shear modulus and viscosity of a monomolecular film

DOEpatents

Abraham, B.M.; Miyano, K.; Ketterson, J.B.

1983-10-18

Apparatus for measuring the shear modulus of a monomolecular film comprises a circular trough having inwardly sloping sides containing a liquid for supporting the monolayer on the surface thereof; a circular rotor suspended above the trough such that the lower surface of the rotor contacts the surface of the liquid, positioned such that the axis of the rotor is concentric with the axis of the trough and freely rotable about its axis; means for hydrostatically compressing the monolayer in the annular region formed between the rotor and the sides of the trough; and means for rotating the trough about its axis. Preferably, hydrostatic compression of the monolayer is achieved by removing liquid from the bottom of the trough (decreasing the surface area) while raising the trough vertically along its axis to maintain the monolayer at a constant elevation (and maintain rotor contact). In order to measure viscosity, a means for rotating the rotor about its axis is added to the apparatus.

Method and apparatus for measuring shear modulus and viscosity of a monomolecular film

DOEpatents

Abraham, Bernard M.; Miyano, Kenjiro; Ketterson, John B.

1985-01-01

Instrument for measuring the shear modulus of a monomolecular film comprises a circular trough having inwardly sloping sides containing a liquid for supporting the monolayer on the surface thereof; a circular rotor suspended above the trough such that the lower surface of the rotor contacts the surface of the liquid, positioned such that the axis of the rotor is concentric with the axis of the trough and freely rotable about its axis; apparatus for hydrostatically compressing the monolayer in the annular region formed between the rotor and the sides of the trough; and apparatus for rotating the trough about its axis. Preferably, hydrostatic compression of the monolayer is achieved by removing liquid from the bottom of the trough (decreasing the surface area) while raising the trough vertically along its axis to maintain the monolayer at a constant elevation (and maintain rotor contact). In order to measure viscosity, a apparatus for rotating the rotor about its axis is added to the apparatus.

The automated system for technological process of spacecraft's waveguide paths soldering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tynchenko, V. S.; Murygin, A. V.; Emilova, O. A.; Bocharov, A. N.; Laptenok, V. D.

2016-11-01

The paper solves the problem of automated process control of space vehicles waveguide paths soldering by means of induction heating. The peculiarities of the induction soldering process are analyzed and necessity of information-control system automation is identified. The developed automated system makes the control of the product heating process, by varying the power supplied to the inductor, on the basis of information about the soldering zone temperature, and stabilizing the temperature in a narrow range above the melting point of the solder but below the melting point of the waveguide. This allows the soldering process automating to improve the quality of the waveguides and eliminate burn-troughs. The article shows a block diagram of a software system consisting of five modules, and describes the main algorithm of its work. Also there is a description of the waveguide paths automated soldering system operation, for explaining the basic functions and limitations of the system. The developed software allows setting of the measurement equipment, setting and changing parameters of the soldering process, as well as view graphs of temperatures recorded by the system. There is shown the results of experimental studies that prove high quality of soldering process control and the system applicability to the tasks of automation.

Concentrating Solar Power Projects in China | Concentrating Solar Power |

Science.gov Websites

Delingha 50MW Thermal Oil Parabolic Trough project Gansu Akesai 50MW Molten Salt Trough project Golden Tower 100MW Molten Salt project Golmud Gulang 100MW Thermal Oil Parabolic Trough project Hami 50 MW CSP Yumen 50MW Thermal Oil Trough project Shangyi 50MW DSG Tower CSP project SunCan Dunhuang 10 MW Phase I

Vancomycin AUC/MIC and Corresponding Troughs in a Pediatric Population

PubMed Central

Lardieri, Allison B.; Heil, Emily L.; Morgan, Jill A.

2017-01-01

OBJECTIVES Adult guidelines suggest an area under the curve/minimum inhibitory concentration (AUC/MIC) > 400 corresponds to a vancomycin trough serum concentration of 15 to 20 mg/L for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections, but obtaining these troughs in children are difficult. The primary objective of this study was to assess the likelihood that 15 mg/kg of vancomycin every 6 hours in a child achieves an AUC/MIC > 400. METHODS This retrospective chart review included pediatric patients >2 months to <18 years with a positive S aureus blood culture and documented MIC who received at least two doses of vancomycin with corresponding trough. Patients were divided into two groups: group 1 initially receiving ≥15 mg/kg every 6 hours, and group 2 initially receiving any other dosing ranges or intervals. AUCs were calculated four times using three pharmacokinetic methods. RESULTS A total of 36 patients with 99 vancomycin trough serum concentrations were assessed. Baseline characteristics were similar between groups. For troughs in group 1 (n = 55), the probability of achieving an AUC/MIC > 400 ranged from 16.4% to 90.9% with a median trough concentration of 11.4 mg/L, while in group 2 (n = 44) the probability of achieving AUC/MIC > 400 ranged from 15.9% to 54.5% with mean trough concentration of 9.2 mg/L. The AUC/MICs were not similar between the different pharmacokinetic methods used; however, a trapezoidal equation (Method A) yielded the highest correlation coefficient (r2 = 0.59). When dosing every 6 hours, an AUC/MIC of 400 correlated to a trough serum concentration of 11 mg/L. CONCLUSIONS The probability of achieving an AUC/MIC > 400 using only a trough serum concentration and an MIC with patients receiving 15 mg/kg every 6 hours is variable based on the method used to calculate the AUC. An AUC/MIC of 400 in children correlated to a trough concentration of 11 mg/L using a trapezoidal Method to calculate AUC. PMID:28337080

Vancomycin AUC/MIC and Corresponding Troughs in a Pediatric Population.

PubMed

Kishk, Omayma A; Lardieri, Allison B; Heil, Emily L; Morgan, Jill A

2017-01-01

Adult guidelines suggest an area under the curve/minimum inhibitory concentration (AUC/MIC) > 400 corresponds to a vancomycin trough serum concentration of 15 to 20 mg/L for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections, but obtaining these troughs in children are difficult. The primary objective of this study was to assess the likelihood that 15 mg/kg of vancomycin every 6 hours in a child achieves an AUC/MIC > 400. This retrospective chart review included pediatric patients >2 months to <18 years with a positive S aureus blood culture and documented MIC who received at least two doses of vancomycin with corresponding trough. Patients were divided into two groups: group 1 initially receiving ≥15 mg/kg every 6 hours, and group 2 initially receiving any other dosing ranges or intervals. AUCs were calculated four times using three pharmacokinetic methods. A total of 36 patients with 99 vancomycin trough serum concentrations were assessed. Baseline characteristics were similar between groups. For troughs in group 1 (n = 55), the probability of achieving an AUC/MIC > 400 ranged from 16.4% to 90.9% with a median trough concentration of 11.4 mg/L, while in group 2 (n = 44) the probability of achieving AUC/MIC > 400 ranged from 15.9% to 54.5% with mean trough concentration of 9.2 mg/L. The AUC/MICs were not similar between the different pharmacokinetic methods used; however, a trapezoidal equation (Method A) yielded the highest correlation coefficient (r 2 = 0.59). When dosing every 6 hours, an AUC/MIC of 400 correlated to a trough serum concentration of 11 mg/L. The probability of achieving an AUC/MIC > 400 using only a trough serum concentration and an MIC with patients receiving 15 mg/kg every 6 hours is variable based on the method used to calculate the AUC. An AUC/MIC of 400 in children correlated to a trough concentration of 11 mg/L using a trapezoidal Method to calculate AUC.

Concurrent immunomodulator therapy is associated with higher adalimumab trough levels during scheduled maintenance therapy.

PubMed

Bond, Ashley; Dodd, Susanna; Fisher, Gareth; Skouras, Thomas; Subramanian, Sreedhar

2017-02-01

Combination therapy with infliximab and immunomodulators is superior to monotherapy, resulting in better outcomes and higher trough levels of infliximab. The role of concurrent immunomodulatory therapy on adalimumab trough levels has not been adequately investigated. We evaluated the impact of concomitant immunomodulation on adalimumab trough levels in patients on scheduled maintenance therapy. We conducted a prospective observational, cross-sectional study of all inflammatory bowel disease patients on maintenance therapy who had adalimumab trough levels measured between January 2013 and January 2016. Drug level and anti-drug antibody measurements were performed on sera using a solid phase assay. Pairwise comparison of means was used to compare trough levels in patients with and without concomitant immune modulator therapy. In total, 79 patients were included. Twenty-three patients (29.1%) were on weekly dosing whereas 56 (70.9%) were on alternate weeks. Median adalimumab trough levels were comparable in patients with and without clinical remission (6.8 μg/ml (IQR 5.6-8.1) versus 6.7 μg/ml (IQR 3.9-8.1), respectively. Patients with an elevated faecal calprotectin >250 μg/g had lower adalimumab trough levels (median 6.7, IQR 3.9-8) compared to patients with faecal calprotectin <250 μg/g (median 7.7, IQR 6.1-8.1) though this did not achieve statistical significance (p = .062). Median adalimumab trough levels among patients on concurrent immunomodulators was 7.2 μg/ml (IQR 5.7-8.1) compared to those not on concurrent immunomodulator, 6.1 μg/ml (IQR 2.7-7.7, p = .0297). Adalimumab trough levels were significantly higher in patients on concurrent immunomodulators during maintenance therapy. There was a trend towards a lower adalimumab trough level in patients with elevated calprotectin.

Devonian salt dissolution-collapse breccias flooring the Cretaceous Athabasca oil sands deposit and development of lower McMurray Formation sinkholes, northern Alberta Basin, Western Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Broughton, Paul L.

2013-01-01

The sub-Cretaceous paleotopography underlying giant Lower Cretaceous Athabasca oil sands, northern Alberta, has an orthogonal lattice pattern of troughs up to 50 km long and 100 m deep between pairs of cross-cutting lineaments. These structures are interpreted to have been inherited from a similar pattern of dissolution collapse-subsidence troughs in the underlying Middle Devonian salt beds. Removal of more than 100 m of halite salt fragmented the overlying Upper Devonian strata into fault blocks and collapse breccias that subsided into the underlying dissolution troughs. The unusually low 1:2 to 1:3 thickness ratios of halite salts to the overlying strata resulted in the Upper Devonian strata collapse-subsidence into underlying salt dissolution troughs being more cataclysmic during the first phase of salt removal. The second phase of slower but complete salt removal between the earlier troughs resulted in a more gradual subsidence of the overlying strata. This obliterated the earlier pattern of giant cross-cutting dissolution troughs bounded by major lineaments. The collapse breccia fabrics underlying the earlier troughs differ from those from areas between the troughs. Collapse breccias underlying the large troughs often have crushed fabrics distributed in zones that rapidly pinched out between fault blocks. Breccias between troughs developed as giant mosaics of detached carbonate blocks that formed breccia pipe complexes. Multiple sinkholes up to 100 m deep aligned along multi-km linear valley trends that dissected the sub-Cretaceous paleotopography. These sinkhole trends formed orthogonal patterns inherited from underlying lattice of NW-SE and NE-SW salt structured lineaments. These cross-cutting sinkhole trends have a smaller 5 km scale reticulate pattern similar to the giant 50 km scale pattern of collapse-subsidence troughs. Other sinkholes developed as lower McMurray strata sagged when underlying Devonian fault blocks and breccia pipes differentially subsided.

Possible Strain Partitioning Between the Kumano Forearc Basin and the Slope of the Nankai Trough Accretionary Prism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martin, K. M.; Gulick, S. P.; Bangs, N. L.; Ashi, J.; Moore, G. F.; Nakamura, Y.; Tobin, H. J.

2008-12-01

A 12 km wide, 56 km long, three-dimensional (3-D) seismic volume acquired over the Nankai Trough offshore the Kii Peninsula, Japan images the Nankai accretionary prism, forearc basin and the subducting Philippine Sea Plate. We have analyzed an unusual, trench-parallel ~1200 m deep depression (a "notch") along the seaward edge of the Kumano forearc basin, just landward of the shallowest branch of the previously- mapped splay-fault system. The shape of this feature varies along strike, from a single, steep-walled, ~3.5 km wide notch in the northeast, to a broader, ~6 km wide zone with several shallower linear bathymetric lows in the southwest. We have mapped the area below the notch and found both vertical faults and faults which dip toward the central axis of the depression. Some dipping faults appear to have normal offset, consistent with the formation of a bathymetric low. Some of these dipping faults may join the central vertical fault(s) at depth, creating apparent flower structures. Offset on the vertical faults is more difficult to determine, but the dip and along-strike geometry of these faults makes predominantly normal or thrust motion unlikely. We conclude, therefore, that the notch feature is the bathymetric expression of a transtensional fault system. Possible causes for such a system in the forearc include variations in splay fault geometry and strain partitioning. By considering only the along-strike variability of the mapped splay fault, we were unable to explain a transform feature at the scale of the notch. Strike-slip faulting at the seaward edge of forearc basins is also observed in Sumatra and is there attributed to strain partitioning due to oblique convergence. The wedge and décollment strength variations which control the location of the forearc basins may therefore play a role in the position where the along-strike component of deformation is localized. While the obliquity of convergence in the Nankai trough is comparatively small (13-30 degrees), we believe it is still significant enough to account for the formation of the observed notch.

Subinertial response of the Gulf Stream System to Hurricane Fran of 1996

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xie, Lian; Pietrafesa, Leonard J.; Zhang, Chen

The evidence of subinertial-frequency (with periods from 2 days to 2 weeks) oceanic response to Hurricane Fran of 1996 is documented. Hurricane Fran traveled northward across the Gulf Stream and then over a cool-core trough, known as the Charleston Trough, due east of Charleston, SC and in the lee of the Charleston Bump during the period 4-5 September, 1996. During the passage of the storm, the trough closed into a gyre to form an intense cool-core cyclonic eddy. This cool-core eddy had an initial size of approximately 130 km by 170 km and drifted northeastward along the Gulf Stream front at a speed of 13 to 15 km/day as a subinertial baroclinic wave. Superimposed on this subinertial-frequency wave were near-inertial frequency, internal inertia-gravity waves formed in the stratified mixed-layer base after the passage of the storm. The results from a three-dimensional numerical ocean model confirm the existence of both near-inertial and subinertial-frequency waves in the Gulf Stream system during and after the passage of Hurricane Fran. Model results also showed that hurricane-forced oceanic response can modify Gulf Stream variability at both near-inertial and subinertial frequencies.

The Whitfield Solar CPV Collector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bentley, Roger; Anstey, Ben; Callear, Jason; Chonavel, Sylvain; Clark, Ian; Collins, Ian; Ramallo, Alfonso; Scanlon, Hamilton; Weatherby, Clive

2010-10-01

Whitfield Solar is now in production with a point-focus Fresnel lens 70x PV concentrator that uses LGBC silicon cells. The design builds on initial research carried out under a number of EU-funded R&D projects. Each collector has twenty-four V-troughs 1.2 m long by 110 mm wide by 110 mm deep, and each trough carries 12 cells. Tracking is closed-loop, in a 2-axis tilt & roll system. Initial prototypes were installed in Spain in 2006, and subsequent production-version collectors have been on-sun since September 2008. In-field normalised d.c. system efficiency is 13.5%. Volume-manufactured sales price—including support frame and mark-up—is €2.40/Wp,dc, with scope for further significant cost reduction identified.

Evidence for Cambrian petroleum source rocks in the Rome trough of West Virginia and Kentucky, Appalachian basin: Chapter G.8 in Coal and petroleum resources in the Appalachian basin: distribution, geologic framework, and geochemical character

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ryder, Robert T.; Harris, David C.; Gerome, Paul; Hainsworth, Timothy J.; Burruss, Robert A.; Lillis, Paul G.; Jarvie, Daniel M.; Pawlewicz, Mark J.; Ruppert, Leslie F.; Ryder, Robert T.

2014-01-01

The bitumen extract from the Rogersville Shale compares very closely with oils or condensates from Cambrian reservoirs in the Carson Associates No. 1 Kazee well, Homer gas field, Elliott County, Ky.; the Inland No. 529 White well, Boyd County, Ky.; and the Miller No. 1 well, Wolfe County, Ky. These favorable oil-source rock correlations suggest a new petroleum system in the Appalachian basin that is characterized by a Conasauga Group source rock and Rome Formation and Conasauga Group reservoirs. This petroleum system probably extends along the Rome trough from eastern Kentucky to at least central West Virginia.

Convection and Easterly Wave Structure Observed in the Eastern Pacific Warm-Pool during EPIC-2001

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Peterson, Walter A.; Cifelli, R.; Boccippio, D.; Rutledge, S. A.; Fairall, C. W.; Arnold, James E. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

During September-October 2001, the East Pacific Investigation of Climate Processes in the Coupled Ocean-Atmosphere System (EPIC-2001) ITCZ field campaign focused on studies of deep convection in the warm-pool region of the East Pacific. In addition to the TAO mooring array, observational platforms deployed during the field phase included the NOAA ship RN Ronald H. Brown, the NSF ship RN Horizon, and the NOAA P-3 and NCAR C-130 aircraft. This study combines C-band Doppler radar, rawinsonde, and surface heat flux data collected aboard the RN Brown to describe ITCZ convective structure and rainfall statistics in the eastern Pacific as a function of 3-5 day easterly wave phase. Three distinct easterly wave passages occurred during EPIC-2001. Wind and thermodynamic data reveal that the wave trough axes exhibited positively correlated U and V winds and a slight westward phase tilt with height. A relatively strong (weak) northeasterly deep tropospheric shear followed the trough (ridge) axis. Temperature and humidity perturbations exhibited mid-to upper level cooling (warming) and drying (moistening) in the northerly (trough and southerly) phase. At low levels warming (cooling) occurred in the northerly (southerly) phase with little change in the relative humidity, though mixed layer mixing ratios were larger during the northerly phase. When composited, radar, sounding, lightning and surface heat flux observations suggest the following systematic behavior as a function of wave phase: approximately zero to one quarter wavelength ahead of (behind) the wave trough in northerly (southerly) flow, larger (smaller) CAPE, lower (higher) CIN, weaker (stronger) tropospheric shear, higher (lower) conditional mean rain rates, higher (lower) lightning flash densities, and more (less) robust convective vertical structure occurred. Latent and sensible heat fluxes reached a minimum in the northerly phase and then increased through the trough, reaching a peak during the ridge phase (leading the peak in CAPE). From a radar echo coverage perspective, larger areas of light rain and slightly larger (10%) area averaged rain rates occurred in the vicinity of, and just behind, the trough axes in southerly flow. Importantly, the transition in convective structure observed across the trough axis when considered with the relatively small change in area mean rain rates suggests the presence of a transition in the vertical structure of diabatic heating across the easterly waves examined. The inferred transition in heating structure is supported by radar diagnosed divergence profiles that exhibit convective (stratiform) characteristics ahead of (behind) the trough.

Microbial Community in the Hydrothermal System at Southern Mariana Trough

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kato, S.; Itahashi, S.; Kakegawa, T.; Utsumi, M.; Maruyama, A.; Ishibashi, J.; Marumo, K.; Urabe, T.; Yamagishi, A.

2004-12-01

There is unique ecosystem around deep-sea hydrothermal area. Living organisms are supported by chemical free energy provided by the hydrothermal water. The ecosystem is expected to be similar to those in early stage of life history on the earth, when photosynthetic organisms have not emerged. In this study, we have analyzed the microbial diversity in the hydrothermal area at southern Mariana trough. In the "Archaean Park Project" supported by special Coordination Fund, four holes were bored and cased by titanium pipes near hydrothermal vents in the southern Mariana trough in 2004. Hydrothermal fluids were collected from these cased holes and natural vents in this area. Microbial cells were collected by filtering the hydrothermal fluid in situ or in the mother sip. Filters were stored at -80C and used for DNA extraction. Chimneys at this area was also collected and stored at -80C. The filters and chimney samples were crushed and DNA was extracted. DNA samples were used for amplification of 16S rDNA fragments by PCR using archaea specific primers and universal primers. The PCR fragments were cloned and sequenced. These PCR clones of different samples will be compared. We will extend our knowledge about microbiological diversity at Southern Mariana trough to compare the results obtained at other area.

Full parabolic trough qualification from prototype to demonstration loop

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Janotte, Nicole; Lüpfert, Eckhard; Pottler, Klaus; Schmitz, Mark

2017-06-01

On the example of the HelioTrough® collector development the full accompanying and supporting qualification program for large-scale parabolic trough collectors for solar thermal power plants is described from prototype to demonstration loop scale. In the evaluation process the actual state and the optimization potential are assessed. This includes the optical and geometrical performance determined by concentrator shape, deformation, assembly quality and local intercept factor values. Furthermore, its mechanical performance in terms of tracking accuracy and torsional stiffness and its thermal system performance on the basis of the overall thermal output and heat loss are evaluated. Demonstration loop tests deliver results of collector modules statistical slope deviation of 1.9 to 2.6 mrad, intercept factor above 98%, peak optical performance of 81.6% and heat loss coefficients from field tests. The benefit of such a closely monitored development lies in prompt feedback on strengths, weaknesses and potential improvements on the new product at any development stage from first module tests until demonstration loop evaluation. The product developer takes advantage of the achieved technical maturity, already before the implementation in a commercial power plant. The well-understood performance characteristics allow the reduction of safety margins making the new HelioTrough collector competitive from the start.

Pc-5 wave power in the plasmasphere and trough: CRRES observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hartinger, M.; Moldwin, M.; Angelopoulos, V.; Takahashi, K.; Singer, H. J.; Anderson, R. R.

2009-12-01

The CRRES (Combined Release and Radiation Effects Satellite) mission provides an opportunity to study the distribution of MHD wave power in the inner magnetosphere both inside the high-density plasmasphere and in the low-density trough. We present a statistical survey of Pc-5 wave power using CRRES magnetometer and plasma wave data separated into plasmasphere and trough intervals. Using a database of plasmapause crossings, we examined differences in power spectral density between the plasmasphere and trough regions. We found significant differences between the plasmasphere and trough in the radial profiles of Pc-5 wave power. On average, wave power was higher in the trough, but the difference in power depended on magnetic local time. Our study shows that determining the plasmapause location is important for understanding and modeling the MHD wave environment in the Pc-5 frequency band.

The light ion trough.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Taylor, H. A., Jr.

1972-01-01

A distinct feature of the ion composition results from the OGO-2, 4 and 6 satellites is the light ion trough, wherein the mid-latitude concentrations of H+ and He+ decrease sharply with latitude. In contrast to the 'main trough' in electron density observed primarily as a nightside phenomenon, the light ion trough persists during both day and night. For daytime winter hemisphere conditions and for all seasons during night, the mid-latitude light ion concentration decrease is a pronounced feature. In the dayside summer and equinox hemispheres, the rate of light ion decrease with latitude is comparatively gradual, and the trough boundary is less well defined, particularly for quiet magnetic conditions. In response to magnetic storms, the light ion trough minimum moves equatorward, and deepens, consistent with earlier evidence of the contraction of the plasmasphere in response to storm time enhancements in magnetospheric plasma convection.

The Impact of AUC-Based Monitoring on Pharmacist-Directed Vancomycin Dose Adjustments in Complicated Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Infection.

PubMed

Stoessel, Andrew M; Hale, Cory M; Seabury, Robert W; Miller, Christopher D; Steele, Jeffrey M

2018-01-01

This study aimed to assess the impact of area under the curve (AUC)-based vancomycin monitoring on pharmacist-initiated dose adjustments after transitioning from a trough-only to an AUC-based monitoring method at our institution. A retrospective cohort study of patients treated with vancomycin for complicated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection between November 2013 and December 2016 was conducted. The frequency of pharmacist-initiated dose adjustments was assessed for patients monitored via trough-only and AUC-based approaches for trough ranges: 10 to 14.9 mg/L and 15 to 20 mg/L. Fifty patients were included: 36 in the trough-based monitoring and 14 in the AUC-based-monitoring group. The vancomycin dose was increased in 71.4% of patients when troughs were 10 to 14.9 mg/L when a trough-only approach was used and in only 25% of patients when using AUC estimation ( P = .048). In the AUC group, the dose was increased only when AUC/minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) <400; unchanged regimens had an estimated AUC/MIC ≥400. The AUC-based monitoring did not significantly increase the frequency of dose reductions when trough concentrations were 15 to 20 mg/L (AUC: 33.3% vs trough: 4.6%; P = .107). The AUC-based monitoring resulted in fewer patients with dose adjustments when trough levels were 10 to 14.9 mg/L. The AUC-based monitoring has the potential to reduce unnecessary vancomycin exposure and warrants further investigation.

Currently used dosage regimens of vancomycin fail to achieve therapeutic levels in approximately 40% of intensive care unit patients.

PubMed

Obara, Vitor Yuzo; Zacas, Carolina Petrus; Carrilho, Claudia Maria Dantas de Maio; Delfino, Vinicius Daher Alvares

2016-01-01

This study aimed to assess whether currently used dosages of vancomycin for treatment of serious gram-positive bacterial infections in intensive care unit patients provided initial therapeutic vancomycin trough levels and to examine possible factors associated with the presence of adequate initial vancomycin trough levels in these patients. A prospective descriptive study with convenience sampling was performed. Nursing note and medical record data were collected from September 2013 to July 2014 for patients who met inclusion criteria. Eighty-three patients were included. Initial vancomycin trough levels were obtained immediately before vancomycin fourth dose. Acute kidney injury was defined as an increase of at least 0.3mg/dL in serum creatinine within 48 hours. Considering vancomycin trough levels recommended for serious gram-positive infection treatment (15 - 20µg/mL), patients were categorized as presenting with low, adequate, and high vancomycin trough levels (35 [42.2%], 18 [21.7%], and 30 [36.1%] patients, respectively). Acute kidney injury patients had significantly greater vancomycin trough levels (p = 0.0055, with significance for a trend, p = 0.0023). Surprisingly, more than 40% of the patients did not reach an effective initial vancomycin trough level. Studies on pharmacokinetic and dosage regimens of vancomycin in intensive care unit patients are necessary to circumvent this high proportion of failures to obtain adequate initial vancomycin trough levels. Vancomycin use without trough serum level monitoring in critically ill patients should be discouraged.

Fabrication of trough-shaped solar collectors

DOEpatents

Schertz, William W.

1978-01-01

There is provided a radiant energy concentration and collection device formed of a one-piece thin-walled plastic substrate including a plurality of nonimaging troughs with certain metallized surfaces of the substrate serving as reflective side walls for each trough. The one-piece plastic substrate is provided with a seating surface at the bottom of each trough which conforms to the shape of an energy receiver to be seated therein.

A new simple technique for rearing F1 progeny from females of the Simulium damnosum Theobald complex.

PubMed

Raybould, J N; Barro, T; Sawadogo, R; Mordzifa, F

1982-06-01

Laboratory rearing of Simulium damnosum complex species enables female adults to be indirectly identified from their larval progeny. A simple, readily transportable rearing apparatus was developed for investigations by the Onchocerciasis Control programme by using unbreakable, easily packed and reassembled parts and by feeding the larvae at least partly with living green algae (Chlorophyceae) cultured in the laboratory. Although the larvae are sensitive to excess nitrogen compounds, the use of algae and a large volume of water obviated the need for a separate purification system in which water was circulated by an A/C electrical centrifugal pump between a container and an inclined trough in which most of the larvae developed. The rate of development was rapid giving rise to full size larvae (suitable for cytotaxonomic determination), pupae and adults. The adults were attracted into a collecting device by light. Developments to protect the larvae during electrical power failures included a slow-drying wooden rearing trough and an automatic switch to an alternative D/C power supply and pump. This technique has been in general use in O.C.P. laboratories in Benin, Ghana, Ivory Coast and Upper Volta and many thousands of larvae have been reared.

Small-scale lacustrine drifts in Lake Champlain, Vermont

USGS Publications Warehouse

Manley, Patricia L.; Manley, T.O.; Hayo, Kathryn; Cronin, Thomas

2012-01-01

High resolution CHIRP (Compressed High Intensity Radar Pulse) seismic profiles reveal the presence of two lacustrine sediment drifts located in Lake Champlain's Juniper Deep. Both drifts are positive features composed of highly laminated sediments. Drift B sits on a basement high while Drift A is built on a trough-filling acoustically-transparent sediment unit inferred to be a mass-transport event. These drifts are oriented approximately north–south and are parallel to a steep ridge along the eastern shore of the basin. Drift A, located at the bottom of a structural trough, is classified as a confined, elongate drift that transitions northward to become a system of upslope asymmetric mudwaves. Drift B is perched atop a structural high to the west of Drift A and is classified as a detached elongate drift. Bottom current depositional control was investigated using Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers (ADCPs) located across Drift A. Sediment cores were taken at the crest and at the edges of the Drift A and were dated. Drift source, deposition, and evolution show that these drifts are formed by a water column shear with the highest deposition occurring along its crest and western flank and began developing circa 8700–8800 year BP.

Cycling of sulfur in subduction zones: The geochemistry of sulfur in the Mariana Island Arc and back-arc trough

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alt, Jeffrey C.; Shanks, Wayne C., III; Jackson, Michael C.

1993-10-01

The sulfur contents and sulfur isotopic compositions of 24 glassy submarine volcanics from the Mariana Island Arc and back-arc Mariana Trough were determined in order to investigate the hypothesis that subducted seawater sulfur (delta S-34 = 21 parts per thousand) is recycled through arc volcanism. Our results for sulfur are similar to those for subaerial arc volcanics: Mariana Arc glasses are enriched in S-34(delta S-34 = up to 10.3 parts per thousand, mean = 3.8 parts per thousand) and depleted in S(20-290 ppm, mean = 100 ppm) relative to mid ocean ridge basalt (MORB)(850 ppm S, delta S-34 = 0.1 +/- 0.5 parts per thousand). The bac-arc trough basalts contain 200-930 ppm S and have delta S-34 values of 1.1 +/- 0.5 parts per thousand, which overlap those for the arc and MORB. The low sulfur contents of the arc and some of the trough glasses are attributed to (1) early loss of small amounts of sulfur through separation of immiscible sulfide and (2) later vapor-melt equilibrium control of sulfur contents and loss of sulfur in a vapor phase from sulfide-undersaturated melts near the minimum in sulfur solubility at fO2 is approximately equal to NNO (nickel-nickel oxide). Although these processes removed sulfur from the melts their effects on the sulfur isotopic compositions of the melts were minimal. Positive trends of delta S-34 with Sr-87/Sr-86 large ion lithophile element (LILE) and Light rare earth elements (LREE) contents of the arc volcanics are consistent with a metasomatic seawater sulfur component in the depleted sub-arc mantle source. The lack of a S-34-rich slab signature in the trough lavas may be attributed to equilibration of metasomatic fluid with mantle material along the longer pathway from the slab to the source of the trough volcanics. Sulfur is likely to have been transported into the mantle wedge by metasomatic fluid derived from subducted sediments and pore fluids. Gases extracted from vesicles in arc and back-arc samples are predominantly H2O, with minor CO2 and traces of H2S and SO2.CO2 in the arc and back-arc rocks has delta C-13 values of -2.1 to 13.1 parts per thousand, similar to MORB. These data suggest that degassing of CO2 could explain the slightly lower delta C-13 values for some Mariana Trough volcanic glasses, and that incorporation of subduction-derived organic carbon into the Mariana trough mantle source may not be necessary. More analyses are required to resolve this question, however.

Halite Brine in the Onondaga Trough near Syracuse, New York: Characterization and Simulation of Variable-Density Flow

USGS Publications Warehouse

Yager, Richard M.; Kappel, William M.; Plummer, Niel

2007-01-01

Halite brine (saturation ranging from 45 to 80 percent) lies within glacial-drift deposits that fill the Onondaga Trough, a 40-km long bedrock valley deepened by Pleistocene ice near Syracuse, N.Y. The most concentrated brine occupies the northern end of the trough, more than 15 kilometers (km) beyond the northern limit of halite beds in the Silurian Salina Group, the assumed source of salt. The chemical composition of the brine and its radiocarbon age estimated from geochemical modeling with NETPATH suggest that the brine formed through dissolution of halite by glacial melt water, and later mixed with saline bedrock water about 16,500 years ago. Transient variable-density flow simulations were conducted with SEAWAT to assess current (2005) ground-water flow conditions within the glacial drift. A transient three-dimensional (3D) model using a grid spacing of 100 meters (m) and maximum layer spacing of 30 m was used to simulate a 215-year period from 1790 to 2005. The model was calibrated to observations of water levels, chloride concentrations, and discharges of water and chloride. The model produced an acceptable match to the measured data and provided a reasonable representation of the density distribution within the brine pool. The simulated mass of chloride in storage declined steadily during the 215-year period; however, the decline was mainly due to dispersion, which is probably overestimated because of the large layer spacing. Model results suggest that saline water from waste-disposal operations associated with a chemical plant has migrated beneath the western shore of Onondaga Lake. Two-dimensional (2D) cross-sectional models of the aquifer system within the Onondaga Trough were prepared to test the plausibility of a hypothesis that the brine was derived from a relict source of halite that was dissolved by glacial melt water. The 2D models used parameter estimates obtained with the calibrated 3D model. Model results indicated the brine could have migrated from the bedded-halite subcrop area and remained in the glacial sediments at the northern end of trough for over 16,000 years, as suggested by radiocarbon dating. The 2D models also indicated that slow dissipation of brine occurs through a mixing zone formed by upward flow of freshwater over the southern end of the brine pool. The simulated depletion rate is controlled by the rate of mixing, which is limited by the specified grid resolution and the accuracy of the numerical method used to solve the advection-dispersion equation. A numerical solution obtained by using an implicit finite-difference method with upstream weighting and a 2D grid containing a column and layer spacing of 76 m and 3 m, respectively, provided an acceptable match to chloride concentration profiles measured at three locations within the Onondaga Trough.

Temporal variability of the Circumpolar Deep Water inflow onto the Ross Sea continental shelf

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Castagno, Pasquale; Falco, Pierpaolo; Dinniman, Michael S.; Spezie, Giancarlo; Budillon, Giorgio

2017-02-01

The intrusion of Circumpolar Deep Water (CDW) is the primary source of heat, salt and nutrients onto Antarctica's continental shelves and plays a major role in the shelf physical and biological processes. Different studies have analyzed the processes responsible for the transport of CDW across the Ross Sea shelf break, but until now, there are no continuous observations that investigate the timing of the intrusions. Also, few works have focused on the effect of the tides that control these intrusions. In the Ross Sea, the CDW intrudes onto the shelf in several locations, but mostly along the troughs. We use hydrographic observations and a mooring placed on the outer shelf in the middle of the Drygalski Trough in order to characterize the spatial and temporal variability of CDW inflow onto the shelf. Our data span from 2004 to the beginning of 2014. In the Drygalski Trough, the CDW enters as a 150 m thick layer between 250 and 400 m, and moves upward towards the south. At the mooring location, about 50 km from the shelf break, two main CDW cores can be observed: one on the east side of the trough spreading along the west slope of Mawson Bank from about 200 m to the bottom and the other one in the central-west side from 200 m to about 350 m depth. A signature of this lighter and relatively warm water is detected by the instruments on the mooring at bottom of the Drygalski Trough. High frequency periodic CDW intrusion at the bottom of the trough is related to the diurnal and spring/neap tidal cycles. At lower frequency, a seasonal variability of the CDW intrusion is noticed. A strong inflow of CDW is observed every year at the end of December, while the CDW inflow is at its seasonal minimum during the beginning of the austral fall. In addition an interannual variability is also evident. A change of the CDW intrusion before and after 2010 is observed.

Dense Ocean Floor Network for Earthquakes and Tsunamis; DONET/ DONET2, Part2 -Development and data application for the mega thrust earthquakes around the Nankai trough-

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaneda, Y.; Kawaguchi, K.; Araki, E.; Matsumoto, H.; Nakamura, T.; Nakano, M.; Kamiya, S.; Ariyoshi, K.; Baba, T.; Ohori, M.; Hori, T.; Takahashi, N.; Kaneko, S.; Donet Research; Development Group

2010-12-01

Yoshiyuki Kaneda Katsuyoshi Kawaguchi*, Eiichiro Araki*, Shou Kaneko*, Hiroyuki Matsumoto*, Takeshi Nakamura*, Masaru Nakano*, Shinichirou Kamiya*, Keisuke Ariyoshi*, Toshitaka Baba*, Michihiro Ohori*, Narumi Takakahashi*, and Takane Hori** * Earthquake and Tsunami Research Project for Disaster Prevention, Leading Project , Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) **Institute for Research on Earth Evolution, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) DONET (Dense Ocean Floor Network for Earthquakes and Tsunamis) is the real time monitoring system of the Tonankai seismogenic zones around the Nankai trough southwestern Japan. We were starting to develop DONET to perform real time monitoring of crustal activities over there and the advanced early warning system. DONET will provide important and useful data to understand the Nankai trough maga thrust earthquake seismogenic zones and to improve the accuracy of the earthquake recurrence cycle simulation. Details of DONET concept are as follows. 1) Redundancy, Extendable function and advanced maintenance system using the looped cable system, junction boxes and the ROV/AUV. DONET has 20 observatories and incorporated in a double land stations concept. Also, we are developed ROV for the 10km cable extensions and heavy weight operations. 2) Multi kinds of sensors to observe broad band phenomena such as long period tremors, very low frequency earthquakes and strong motions of mega thrust earthquakes over M8: Therefore, sensors such as a broadband seismometer, an accelerometer, a hydrophone, a precise pressure gauge, a differential pressure gauge and a thermometer are equipped with each observatory in DONET. 3) For speedy detections, evaluations and notifications of earthquakes and tsunamis: DONET system will be deployed around the Tonankai seismogenic zone. 4) Provide data of ocean floor crustal deformations derived from pressure sensors: Simultaneously, the development of data assimilation method using DONET data is very important to improve the recurrence cycle simulation model. 5) Understanding of the interaction between the crust and upper mantle around the Nankai trough subduction zone. We will deploy DONET not only in the Tonankai seismogenic zone but also DONET2 with high voltages in the Nankai seismogenic zone western the Nankai trough: The total system will be deployed to understand the seismic linkage between the Tonankai and Nankai earthquakes: Using DONET and DONET2 data, we will be able to observe the crustal activities and before and after slips at the Tonankai earthquake and Nankai earthquake. And we will improve the recurrence cycle simulation model by the advanced data assimilation method. Actually, we constructed one observatory in DONET and observed some earthquakes and tsunamis. We will introduce details of DONET/DONET2 and some observed data.

Use of copper sulfate to control Saprolegniasis at a commercial sunshine bass hatchery

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

An obstacle to sunshine bass (female white bass Morone chrysops × male striped bass M. saxatilis) larval production is fungal growth on eggs caused by the water-mold Saprolegnia spp. Copper sulfate (CuSO4) is commonly used for fungus control in troughs of catfish hatcheries, but the effectiveness o...

Experimental evaluation of a fixed collector employing vee-trough concentrator and vacuum tube receivers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Selcuk, M. K.

1977-01-01

A test bed for experimental evaluation of a fixed solar collector which combines an evacuated glass tube solar receiver with a flat plate/black chrome plated copper absorber and an asymmetric vee-trough concentrator was designed and constructed. Earlier predictions of thermal performance were compared with test data acquired for a bare vacuum tube receiver; and receiver tubes with Alzak aluminum, aluminized FEP Teflon film laminated sheet metal and second surface ordinary mirror reflectors. Test results and system economics as well as objectives of an ongoing program to obtain long-term performance data are discussed.

Object-oriented simulation model of a parabolic trough solar collector: Static and dynamic validation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ubieta, Eduardo; Hoyo, Itzal del; Valenzuela, Loreto; Lopez-Martín, Rafael; Peña, Víctor de la; López, Susana

2017-06-01

A simulation model of a parabolic-trough solar collector developed in Modelica® language is calibrated and validated. The calibration is performed in order to approximate the behavior of the solar collector model to a real one due to the uncertainty in some of the system parameters, i.e. measured data is used during the calibration process. Afterwards, the validation of this calibrated model is done. During the validation, the results obtained from the model are compared to the ones obtained during real operation in a collector from the Plataforma Solar de Almeria (PSA).

Clay mineral distribution along the southern and western Svalbard continental margin in association with contouritic deposition: insights for environmental and oceanographic reconstruction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Musco, Maria Elena; Caricchi, Chiara; Giulia Lucchi, Renata; Princivalle, Francesco; GIorgetti, Giovanna; Caburlotto, Andrea

2017-04-01

The Kveithola and Storfjorden troughs are two glacial depositional systems, situated South of the Svalbard Archipelago (North Western Barents Sea), that during the last glaciation (MIS-2) have hosted ice streams, which contributed to the build-up of the relative Trough Mouth Fans (TMFs) on the continental slope. The sedimentary record contained in TMFs provides several proxies that can be useful for reconstructing the ice-streams dynamics during glacial periods, the onset of deglaciation and the climatic variability during interglacials. The TMF slopes facing the two troughs have been investigated during several international oceanographic cruises: SVAIS onboard R/V BIO Hespérides; EGLACOM, onboard R/V OGS Explora; PNRA Project CORIBAR, onboard R/V Maria S. Marien; Eurofleets-2 PREPARED, onboard RV-G.O. Sars. For this study we have focused on XRD analyses on clay minerals, collected from seven cores, taken during these cruises, and XRF analyses have also been conducted on the whole length of the cores. Clay mineral assemblages are controlled by source rock composition, physical-chemical weathering, transport and depositional mechanisms. In polar areas clay mineral analysis can be used also for reconstructing sedimentary processes, associated with glacial and interglacial conditions. Moreover in the North western Barents Sea smectite is considered a good proxy for reconstructing the North Atlantic Current strength, giving thus additional indication on the palaeoceanographic conditions associated with climatic changes. Here we present a first correlation among these cores, aiming to describe the clay mineral distribution in response to the climatic variations that followed the Last Glacial Maximum and describe the changes in ice-stream dynamics and related oceanographic/environmental changes along the margin.

Rifting Process and Geomorphic Development of the Okinawa Tough, Southwest Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sato, T.; Arai, K.; Inoue, T.; Matsumoto, D.

2012-12-01

The Ryukyu Island Arc extends from Kyushu to Taiwan, a distance of 1,200 km, along the Ryukyu Trench where the Philippine Sea Plate is subducting beneath the Eurasian Plate. The Okinawa Trough, a back arc basin has formed behind the Ryukyu Island Arc in late Pliocene to early Pleistocene. The research cruises of GH11 (from 14 July to 15 August, 2011) and GH12 (from 20 to 30 July, 2012) were carried out around the Okinawa Trough. More than 3,600 miles multi channel high-resolution seismic profiles were acquired during these cruises by the GI-gun (Generator 250 cu inch and Injector 105 cu. inch) systems with 16ch digital streamer cable. As a result, two unconformities and three depositional sequence divided by the unconformities are recognized in the trough. The lower and the midlle sequence are tilted and blocked by many normal faults, on the other hand the upper one is not tilted and shows the pattern of onlap fill. From this result, the upper sequence started to deposit after start of the rifting. Additionally, internal reflection of the upper sequence shows the cyclic activities of the rifting. The position of the rifting axis was revealed based on dip of the normal faults. As a result, rifting axis shows echelon arrangement and the displacement of the faults are varied with the segment of the arrangement. The location of the segment boundaries is correlated with geometrical boundary of the adjacent slope. Steep slope with incised valley is distributed in southwestern part where the displacement of the normal fault is large, on the other hand, gentle slope without incised valley is distributed in northeastern part where the displacement is small. This difference of the displacement strongly controls the geometry of the adjacent slope.

Clinical Decision Support Improves Initial Dosing and Monitoring of Tobramycin and Amikacin

PubMed Central

Cox, Zachary L.; Nelsen, Cori L.; Waitman, Lemuel R.; McCoy, Jacob A.; Peterson, Josh F.

2010-01-01

Purpose Clinical decision support (CDS) systems could be valuable tools in reducing aminoglycoside prescribing errors. We evaluated the impact of CDS on initial dosing, interval, and pharmacokinetic outcomes of amikacin and tobramycin therapy. Methods A complex CDS advisor to provide guidance on initial dosing and monitoring, using both traditional and extended interval dosing strategies, was integrated into computerized provider order entry (CPOE) and compared to a control group which featured close pharmacy monitoring of all aminoglycoside orders. A random sample of 118 patients from an academic, tertiary care medical center prescribed amikacin and tobramycin prior to advisor implementation was compared to 98 patients admitted following advisor implementation. Primary outcome was an initial dose within 10% of a dose calculated to be adherent to published dose guidelines. Secondary outcomes were a guideline-adherent interval, trough and peak concentrations in goal range, and incidence of nephrotoxicity. Results Of 216 patients studied, 97 were prescribed amikacin and 119 were prescribed tobramycin. The primary outcome of initial dosing consistent with guideline-based care increased from 40% in the pre-advisor arm to 80% in the post-advisor arm (p<0.001), with a number needed to treat of 3 patients to prevent one incorrect dose. Correct initial interval based on renal function also increased from 63% to 87% (p<0.001). The changes in initial dosing and interval resulted in an increase of trough concentrations in the goal range from 59% pre-advisor to 89% post-advisor implementation (p=0.0004). There was no significant difference in peak concentrations in goal range or incidence of nephrotoxicity (25% vs. 17%, p=0.2). Conclusion An advisor for aminoglycoside dosing and monitoring integrated into CPOE significantly improves initial dosing, selection of interval, and trough concentrations at goal compared to unassisted physician dosing. PMID:21411805

Topographic Steering of Enhanced Ice Flow at the Bottleneck Between East and West Antarctica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Winter, Kate; Ross, Neil; Ferraccioli, Fausto; Jordan, Tom A.; Corr, Hugh F. J.; Forsberg, René; Matsuoka, Kenichi; Olesen, Arne V.; Casal, Tania G.

2018-05-01

Hypothesized drawdown of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet through the "bottleneck" zone between East and West Antarctica would have significant impacts for a large proportion of the Antarctic Ice Sheet. Earth observation satellite orbits and a sparseness of radio echo sounding data have restricted investigations of basal boundary controls on ice flow in this region until now. New airborne radio echo sounding surveys reveal complex topography of high relief beneath the southernmost Weddell/Ross ice divide, with three subglacial troughs connecting interior Antarctica to the Foundation and Patuxent Ice Streams and Siple Coast ice streams. These troughs route enhanced ice flow through the interior of Antarctica but limit potential drawdown of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet through the bottleneck zone. In a thinning or retreating scenario, these topographically controlled corridors of enhanced flow could however drive ice divide migration and increase mass discharge from interior West Antarctica to the Southern Ocean.

Distinct Subglacial Drainage Patterns Revealed in High-Resolution Mapping of Basal Radar Reflectivity across Greenland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chu, W.; Schroeder, D. M.; Seroussi, H. L.; Creyts, T. T.; Palmer, S. J.; Bell, R. E.

2016-12-01

Subglacial water beneath the Greenland Ice Sheet is linked to changes in sliding rate in both theoretical and field-based studies. These can lead to massive, widespread speed-ups or, conversely, very little response from the ice sheet. While distinct modes of subglacial drainage have been proposed to cause these different responses, the absence of Greenland-wide hydrological observations makes it difficult to examine how shifts in drainage occur and what controls them. By combining NASA IceBridge radar-sounding and ice-sheet modeling, we identified distinct subglacial drainage patterns across Greenland. Specifically, we examine Russell Glacier as a southern Greenland example and the Petermann-Humboldt glacier system as a northern example. In southern Greenland at Russell Glacier, the distribution of subglacial water varies seasonally depending on the surface melt supply and is strongly controlled by bed topography and properties. In the winter, water is stored on bedrock ridges but is absent in deep sediment-filled troughs. In the summer, water drains to the deep troughs that focus this water, flooding the bed to intensify sliding. Conversely, the subglacial drainage systems in northern Greenland are distinctly different. Beneath Petermann and Humboldt, subglacial water is present throughout the year and primarily fed by basal melt in the upstream reaches. In Petermann, this basal water is focused by the deep topography along the main ice trunk. These drainage networks are continuous up to 180 km from the glacier terminus, and likely facilitate the onset of fast flow. In contrast, in Humboldt the flat topography and the lack of water focusing produce more broadly distributed networks rather than locally focused systems. In Humboldt, onset of fast flow develops much closer to the ice edge where surface meltwater may contribute to the subglacial water budget. Our results provide insights into the relationship between surface melt, basal topography and properties over a wide range of controlling parameters. Local conditions often determine the degree to which subglacial systems focus and play an important role in determining individual catchment responses to surface melt.

Sedimentological Properties of Natural Gas Hydrates-Bearing Sands in the Nankai Trough and Mallik Areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Uchida, T.; Tsuji, T.; Waseda, A.

2009-12-01

The Nankai Trough parallels the Japanese Island, where extensive BSRs have been interpreted from seismic reflection records. High resolution seismic surveys have definitely indicated gas hydrate distributions, and drilling the MITI Nankai Trough wells in 2000 and the METI Tokai-oki to Kumano-nada wells in 2004 have revealed subsurface gas hydrate in the eastern part of Nankai Trough. In 1998 and 2002 Mallik wells were drilled at Mackenzie Delta in the Canadian Arctic that also clarified the characteristics of gas hydrate-dominant sandy layers at depths from 890 to 1110 m beneath the permafrost zone. During the field operations, the LWD and wire-line well log data were continuously obtained and plenty of gas hydrate-bearing sand cores were recovered. Subsequence sedimentological and geochemical analyses performed on those core samples revealed the crucial geologic controls on the formation and preservation of natural gas hydrate in sediments. Pore-space gas hydrates reside in sandy sediments mostly filling intergranular porosity. Pore waters chloride anomalies, core temperature depression and core observations on visible gas hydrates confirm the presence of pore-space gas hydrates within moderate to thick sandy layers, typically 10 cm to a meter thick. Sediment porosities and pore-size distributions were obtained by mercury porosimetry, which indicate that porosities of gas hydrate-bearing sandy strata are approximately 45 %. According to grain size distribution curves, gas hydrate is dominant in fine- to very fine-grained sandy strata. Gas hydrate saturations are typically up to 80 % in pore volume throughout most of the hydrate-dominant sandy layers, which are estimated by well log analyses as well as pore water chloride anomalies. It is necessary for investigating subsurface fluid flow behaviors to evaluate both porosity and permeability of gas hydrate-bearing sandy sediments, and the measurements of water permeability for them indicated that highly saturated sands should have permeability of 1 x 10-15 to 5 x 10-15 m2 (1 to 5 millidarcies). Most of gas hydrates fill the intergranular pore systems of sandy layers, which are derived from the sedimentary facies such as channels and crevasse splay/levee deposits. It is remarked that those sandy strata are usually composed of arenite sands with matrix-free intergranular pore systems. Gas hydrates are less frequently found in fine-grained sediments such as siltstone and mudstone from overbank deposits. Methane gas accumulation and original pore space large enough to occur within host sediments may be required for forming highly saturated gas hydrate in pore system. The distribution of a porous and coarser-grained host rock should be one of the important factors to control the occurrence of gas hydrate, as well as physicochemical conditions. This appears to be a similar mode for conventional oil and gas accumulations, and this knowledge is important to predicting the location of other hydrate deposits and their eventual energy resource. This study was performed as a part of the MH21 Research Consortium on methane hydrate in Japan.

Melas Materials

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-05-01

This MOC image shows dark sand dunes superposed on layered, light-toned outcrops -- interpreted to be sedimentary rocks -- in Melas Chasma. Melas Chasma is part of the enormous Valles Marineris trough system

Exploring Unconventional Hydrocarbons in the Makó Trough, Pannonian basin, Hungary: Results and Challenges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Horvath, Anita; Bada, Gabor; Szafian, Peter; Sztano, Orsolya; Law, Ben; Wallis, Rod

2010-05-01

The latest phase exploration in the Makó Trough, which commenced a few years ago, has focused on the utilization of unconventional hydrocarbons. Accumulations are regarded as "unconventional" when they cannot be produced economically except by means of some sort of stimulation, usually hydraulic fracturing. The model we have developed for the evaluation of the hydrocarbon potential indicates a significant gas accumulation in the area of the Makó Trough. The tally of the distinctive attributes of the hydrocarbon system and the combined analysis of the available geological data led to the conclusion that the Makó Trough represents an area of active basin-centered gas accumulation (BCGA), with very significant perspective reserves. In a BCGA, hydrocarbons do not accumulate conventionally, in structural or stratigraphic traps, but rather in cells. Due to the geological setting of the Makó Trough, the hydrocarbon cell here forms a relatively continuous zone marked by considerable internal lithological and petrophysical variability. The most prolific parts, called sweet spots, possess a reservoir potential higher than the average. The identification of these sweet spots constitutes one of the most important, and quite possibly the most challenging task of the entire exploration project. The hemipelagic Endrőd Formation, which acts as the source rock, contains organic-rich marls in a depth delimited by the 170-230 °C isotherms. These marls constitute the still active hydrocarbon "kitchen" of the BCGA in the Makó Trough. The top and bottom boundaries of the cell essentially coincide with the turbidites of the Szolnok Formation and the top of the pre-Neogene basement, respectively. In light of the fact that pressure, temperature, and maturity tests have produced rather similar results in a number of wells in the area, we have reason to believe that the extension of the Makó Trough's BCGA is of regional dimensions (>1000 km2). The thickness and lateral extension of the potential reservoirs yield a cell volume as great as several hundred km3 - the largest single prospective gas occurrence in Hungary to date. Due to its novelty and complexity, the exploration of this unconventional resource demands the concurrent application of a wider range of geological and geophysical methods. In this presentation, we use selected examples to give an idea of where we stand on the way toward understanding the Makó Trough, particularly in terms of the geometric and structural features of the basin, the depositional (basin-fill) processes, and of the maturation history and accumulation properties of hydrocarbons. The geophysical surveys were purpose-designed to enable the mapping of the deep sedimentary trough and the sediments deposited in it. The data acquired to date suggest that the basin-centered gas accumulation occurred in the Lower Pannonian strata (11-6? Ma). Interpreting the 3D seismic data, the structural features and sedimentology of the basin can be studied in excellent resolution, while the integration of the seismic information with the geological data obtained from the wells allows us to interpret local well information extensively to gain a deeper, three-dimensional understanding of the basin. The sedimentary sequence filling up the Makó Trough displays distinct stratigraphic units separated by unconformities. Mapping the top of the pre-Neogene basement provides valuable insight into the nature of the paleo-geomorphological elements and the sedimentary environment at the onset of rifting. Paleontological information dates the syn-rift sediments of the trough to the Late Miocene (Early Pannonian), suggesting that the most intensive phase of basin evolution here was delayed by a few million years compared to adjacent areas. For the environmental reconstruction of the post-rift sedimentary sequence, we start with the assumption that initially a starved basin existed here, where sedimentation could not keep up with the rate of subsidence (Endrőd Formation). The basin was then almost completely filled by the turbidites of a prograding delta system (Szolnok Formation), followed by the sediments from the pro-delta (Algyő Formation) and the delta plain (Újfalu Formation). During the Plio- and Pleistocene, the area continued to subside at a decreased rate, providing a limited accumulation space filled by a thick sequence of alluvial deposits similar to the paleo-environment of the Tisza River and its tributaries prior to regulation. Our modeling of basin evolution in terms of subsidence, thermal and maturation history based on the results of geochemical, petrophysical, and paleontological investigations reveals that the organic matter accumulated in the trough underwent exceptionally rapid maturation during the last 5 to 7 million years. In fact, source rocks continue to mature at present time, and the hydrocarbons they generate continue to migrate and trap. The rather young age of the Pannonian Basin and its hydrocarbon system makes it quite different from the other examples of basin-centered gas accumulation, such as the classic Rocky Mountains in the U.S., or the Karoo Basin in South Africa, the Beetaloo Basin in Australia, making up the exploration portfolio of Falcon.

Conversion from twice-daily tacrolimus to once-daily extended release tacrolimus (LCPT): the phase III randomized MELT trial.

PubMed

Bunnapradist, S; Ciechanowski, K; West-Thielke, P; Mulgaonkar, S; Rostaing, L; Vasudev, B; Budde, K

2013-03-01

Phase III noninferiority trial examining efficacy and safety of converting stable renal transplant recipients from twice-daily tacrolimus to a novel extended-release once-daily tacrolimus formulation (LCPT) with a controlled agglomeration technology. Controls maintained tacrolimus twice daily. The primary efficacy endpoint was proportion of patients with efficacy failures (death, graft failure, locally read biopsy-proven acute rejection [BPAR], or loss to follow-up) within 12 months. Starting LCPT dose was 30% lower (15% for blacks) than preconversion tacrolimus dose; target trough levels were 4-15 ng/mL. A total of 326 patients were randomized; the mITT population (n = 162 each group) was similar demographically in the two groups. Mean daily dose of LCPT was significantly (p < 0.0001) lower than preconversion tacrolimus dose at each visit; mean trough levels between groups were similar. There were four efficacy failures in each group; safety outcomes were similar between groups. Frequency of premature study drug discontinuation was LCPT: 12% versus tacrolimus twice daily: 5% (p = 0.028). LCPT demonstrated noninferiority to tacrolimus twice daily in efficacy failure rates. LCPT may offer a safe and effective alternative for converting patients to a once-daily formulation. Compared to currently available tacrolimus formulation, LCPT requires lower doses to achieve target trough levels. © Copyright 2012 The American Society of Transplantation and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons.

Anti-adalimumab antibodies in juvenile idiopathic arthritis-related uveitis.

PubMed

Leinonen, Sanna T; Aalto, Kristiina; Kotaniemi, Kaisu M; Kivelä, Tero T

2017-01-01

To evaluate the association of adalimumab trough levels and anti-adalimumab antibodies with activity of uveitis in juvenile idiopathic arthritis-related uveitis. This was a retrospective observational case series in a clinical setting at the Department of Ophthalmology, Helsinki University Hospital, Finland in 2014-2016. Thirty-one paediatric patients with chronic anterior juvenile idiopathic arthritis-related uveitis in 58 eyes and who had been on adalimumab ≥6 months were eligible for the study. Uveitis activity during adalimumab treatment, adalimumab trough levels and anti-adalimumab antibody levels were recorded. Anti-adalimumab antibody levels ≥12 AU /ml were detected in nine patients (29%). This level of anti-adalimumab antibodies was associated with a higher grade of uveitis (p<0.001), uveitis that was not in remission (p=0.001) and with lack of concomitant methotrexate therapy (p=0.043). In patients with anti-adalimumab antibody levels <12 AU/ml, higher serum trough levels did not associate with better control of uveitis (p=0.86). Adalimumab treatment might be better guided by monitoring anti-adalimumab antibody formation in treating JIA-related uveitis.

Nuclear reactor sealing system

DOEpatents

McEdwards, James A.

1983-01-01

A liquid metal-cooled nuclear reactor sealing system. The nuclear reactor includes a vessel sealed at its upper end by a closure head. The closure head comprises at least two components, one of which is rotatable; and the two components define an annulus therebetween. The sealing system includes at least a first and second inflatable seal disposed in series in an upper portion of the annulus. The system further includes a dip seal extending into a body of insulation located adjacent a bottom portion of the closure head. The dip seal comprises a trough formed by a lower portion of one of the components, and a seal blade pendently supported from the other component and extending downwardly into the trough. A body of liquid metal is contained in the trough which submerges a portion of the seal blade. The seal blade is provided with at least one aperture located above the body of liquid metal for providing fluid communication between the annulus intermediate the dip seal and the inflatable seals, and a body of cover gas located inside the vessel. There also is provided means for introducing a purge gas into the annulus intermediate the inflatable seals and the seal blade. The purge gas is introduced in an amount sufficient to substantially reduce diffusion of radioactive cover gas or sodium vapor up to the inflatable seals. The purge gas mixes with the cover gas in the reactor vessel where it can be withdrawn from the vessel for treatment and recycle to the vessel.

The Skaergaard trough layering: sedimentation in a convecting magma chamber

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vukmanovic, Z.; Holness, M. B.; Monks, K.; Andersen, J. C. Ø.

2018-05-01

The upper parts of the floor cumulates of the Skaergaard Intrusion, East Greenland, contain abundant features known as troughs. The troughs are gently plunging synformal structures comprising stacks of crescentic modally graded layers with a sharply defined mafic base that grades upward into plagioclase-rich material. The origin of the troughs and layering is contentious, attributed variously to deposition of mineral grains by magmatic currents descending from the nearby walls, or to in situ development by localised recrystallisation during gravitationally-driven compaction. They are characterised by outcrop-scale features such as mineral lineations parallel to the trough axis, evidence of erosion and layer truncation associated with migration of the trough axis, and disruption of layering by syn-magmatic slumping. A detailed microstructural study of the modal trough layers, using electron backscatter diffraction together with geochemical mapping, demonstrates that these rocks do not record evidence for deformation by either dislocation creep or dissolution-reprecipitation. Instead, the troughs are characterised by the alignment of euhedral plagioclase crystals with unmodified primary igneous compositional zoning. We argue that the lineations and foliations are, therefore, a consequence of grain alignment during magmatic flow. Post-accumulation amplification of the modal layering occurred as a result of differential migration of an unmixed immiscible interstitial liquid, with upwards migration of the Si-rich conjugate into the plagioclase-rich upper part of the layers, whereas the Fe-rich immiscible conjugate remained in the mafic base. Both field and microstructure evidence support the origin of the troughs as the sites of repeated deposition from crystal-rich currents descending from the nearby chamber walls.

Comparison of home lead dust reduction techniques on hard surfaces: the New Jersey assessment of cleaning techniques trial.

PubMed Central

Rich, David Q; Rhoads, George G; Yiin, Lih-Ming; Zhang, Junfeng; Bai, Zhipeng; Adgate, John L; Ashley, Peter J; Lioy, Paul J

2002-01-01

High efficiency particulate air filter (HEPA) vacuums, which collect particles > 0.3 micro m, and trisodium phosphate (TSP), a detergent claimed to selectively remove lead, have been included in the HUD Guidelines for the Evaluation and Control of Lead Based Paint Hazards in Housing without systematic validation of their effectiveness. At the time the study was initiated, both HEPA vacuums and TSP were relatively expensive, they were not readily found in urban retail centers, and there were environmental concerns about the use and disposal of high-phosphate detergents. A randomized, controlled trial was conducted in urban high-risk homes in northern New Jersey to determine whether a more readily available and less expensive low-phosphate, non-TSP detergent and non-HEPA vacuum could perform as well as TSP and a HEPA vacuum in a cleaning protocol. Homes were randomized to one of three cleaning methods: TSP/HEPA vacuum, TSP/non-HEPA vacuum, or non-TSP/non-HEPA vacuum. Change in log-transformed lead loading was used in mixed models to compare the efficacy of the three cleaning techniques separately for uncarpeted floors, window sills, and window troughs. After we adjusted for baseline lead loading, the non-HEPA vacuum produced larger reductions on hard floors [19%; 95% confidence interval (CI), 3-38%], but the HEPA vacuum produced larger reductions on window sills (22%; 95% CI, 11-32%) and larger reductions on window troughs (16%; 95% CI, -4 to 33%). The non-TSP produced larger reductions on window troughs (21%; 95% CI, -2 to 50%), but TSP produced larger reductions on hard floors (5%; 95% CI, -12 to 19%) and window sills (8%; 95% CI, -5 to 20%). TSP/HEPA produced larger reductions on window sills (28%; 95% CI, 18-37%) and larger reductions on window troughs (2%; 95% CI, -24 to 23%), whereas the non-TSP/non-HEPA method produced larger reductions on hard floors (13%; 95% CI, -5 to 34%). Because neither vacuum nor detergent produced consistent results across surface types, the use of low-phosphate detergents and non-HEPA vacuums in a temporary control measure is supported. PMID:12204823

Comparison of home lead dust reduction techniques on hard surfaces: the New Jersey assessment of cleaning techniques trial.

PubMed

Rich, David Q; Rhoads, George G; Yiin, Lih-Ming; Zhang, Junfeng; Bai, Zhipeng; Adgate, John L; Ashley, Peter J; Lioy, Paul J

2002-09-01

High efficiency particulate air filter (HEPA) vacuums, which collect particles > 0.3 micro m, and trisodium phosphate (TSP), a detergent claimed to selectively remove lead, have been included in the HUD Guidelines for the Evaluation and Control of Lead Based Paint Hazards in Housing without systematic validation of their effectiveness. At the time the study was initiated, both HEPA vacuums and TSP were relatively expensive, they were not readily found in urban retail centers, and there were environmental concerns about the use and disposal of high-phosphate detergents. A randomized, controlled trial was conducted in urban high-risk homes in northern New Jersey to determine whether a more readily available and less expensive low-phosphate, non-TSP detergent and non-HEPA vacuum could perform as well as TSP and a HEPA vacuum in a cleaning protocol. Homes were randomized to one of three cleaning methods: TSP/HEPA vacuum, TSP/non-HEPA vacuum, or non-TSP/non-HEPA vacuum. Change in log-transformed lead loading was used in mixed models to compare the efficacy of the three cleaning techniques separately for uncarpeted floors, window sills, and window troughs. After we adjusted for baseline lead loading, the non-HEPA vacuum produced larger reductions on hard floors [19%; 95% confidence interval (CI), 3-38%], but the HEPA vacuum produced larger reductions on window sills (22%; 95% CI, 11-32%) and larger reductions on window troughs (16%; 95% CI, -4 to 33%). The non-TSP produced larger reductions on window troughs (21%; 95% CI, -2 to 50%), but TSP produced larger reductions on hard floors (5%; 95% CI, -12 to 19%) and window sills (8%; 95% CI, -5 to 20%). TSP/HEPA produced larger reductions on window sills (28%; 95% CI, 18-37%) and larger reductions on window troughs (2%; 95% CI, -24 to 23%), whereas the non-TSP/non-HEPA method produced larger reductions on hard floors (13%; 95% CI, -5 to 34%). Because neither vacuum nor detergent produced consistent results across surface types, the use of low-phosphate detergents and non-HEPA vacuums in a temporary control measure is supported.

Performance and Simulation of a Stand-alone Parabolic Trough Solar Thermal Power Plant

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohammad, S. T.; Al-Kayiem, H. H.; Assadi, M. K.; Gilani, S. I. U. H.; Khlief, A. K.

2018-05-01

In this paper, a Simulink® Thermolib Model has been established for simulation performance evaluation of Stand-alone Parabolic Trough Solar Thermal Power Plant in Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, Malaysia. This paper proposes a design of 1.2 kW parabolic trough power plant. The model is capable to predict temperatures at any system outlet in the plant, as well as the power output produced. The conditions that are taken into account as input to the model are: local solar radiation and ambient temperatures, which have been measured during the year. Other parameters that have been input to the model are the collector’s sizes, location in terms of latitude and altitude. Lastly, the results are presented in graphical manner to describe the analysed variations of various outputs of the solar fields obtained, and help to predict the performance of the plant. The developed model allows an initial evaluation of the viability and technical feasibility of any similar solar thermal power plant.

Back-Arc Opening in the Western End of the Okinawa Trough Revealed From GNSS/Acoustic Measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Horng-Yue; Ikuta, Ryoya; Lin, Cheng-Horng; Hsu, Ya-Ju; Kohmi, Takeru; Wang, Chau-Chang; Yu, Shui-Beih; Tu, Yoko; Tsujii, Toshiaki; Ando, Masataka

2018-01-01

We measured seafloor movement using a Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS)/Acoustic technique at the south of the rifting valley in the western end of the Okinawa Trough back-arc basin, 60 km east of northeastern corner of Taiwan. The horizontal position of the seafloor benchmark, measured eight times between July 2012 and May 2016, showed a southeastward movement suggesting a back-arc opening of the Okinawa Trough. The average velocity of the seafloor benchmark shows a block motion together with Yonaguni Island. The westernmost part of the Ryukyu Arc rotates clockwise and is pulled apart from the Taiwan Island, which should cause the expansion of the Yilan Plain, Taiwan. Comparing the motion of the seafloor benchmark with adjacent seismicity, we suggest a gentle episodic opening of the rifting valley accompanying a moderate seismic activation, which differs from the case in the segment north off-Yonaguni Island where a rapid dyke intrusion occurs with a significant seismic activity.

Intersection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2006-01-01

9 June 2006 This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a small portion of a dust-covered plain directly north of Labyrinthus Noctis which is cut by three linear troughs. The two long troughs running diagonally from the lower left (southwest) to the upper right (northeast) are connected by a third, shorter trough. Boulders derived from erosion of layered rock in the trough walls are seen perched on the sloping sidewalls and resting on the trough floors among giant windblown ripples.

Location near: 0.2oN, 105.0oW Image width: 3 km (1.9 mi) Illumination from: upper left Season: Northern Spring

Unit-bar migration and bar-trough deposition: impacts on hydraulic conductivity and grain size heterogeneity in a sandy streambed

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Korus, Jesse T.; Gilmore, Troy E.; Waszgis, Michele M.; Mittelstet, Aaron R.

2018-03-01

The hydrologic function of riverbeds is greatly dependent upon the spatiotemporal distribution of hydraulic conductivity and grain size. Vertical hydraulic conductivity ( K v) is highly variable in space and time, and controls the rate of stream-aquifer interaction. Links between sedimentary processes, deposits, and K v heterogeneity have not been well established from field studies. Unit bars are building blocks of fluvial deposits and are key to understanding controls on heterogeneity. This study links unit bar migration to K v and grain size variability in a sand-dominated, low-sinuosity stream in Nebraska (USA) during a single 10-day hydrologic event. An incipient bar formed parallel to the thalweg and was highly permeable and homogenous. During high flow, this bar was submerged under 10-20 cm of water and migrated 100 m downstream and toward the channel margin, where it became markedly heterogeneous. Low- K v zones formed in the subsequent heterogeneous bar downstream of the original 15-40-cm-thick bar front and past abandoned bridge pilings. These low- K v zones correspond to a discontinuous 1-cm layer of fine sand and silt deposited in the bar trough. Findings show that K v heterogeneity relates chiefly to the deposition of suspended materials in low-velocity zones downstream of the bar and obstructions, and to their subsequent burial by migration of the bar during high flow. Deposition of the unit bar itself, although it emplaced the vast majority of the sediment volume, was secondary to bar-trough deposition as a control on the overall pattern of heterogeneity.

A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial to Promote Immunosuppressant Adherence in Adult Kidney Transplant Recipients.

PubMed

Cukor, Daniel; Ver Halen, Nisha; Pencille, Melissa; Tedla, Fasika; Salifu, Moro

2017-01-01

Nonadherence to immunosuppressant medication is a prevalent practice among kidney transplant recipients and has been associated with increased risk for graft failure and economic burden. The aim of this pilot study was to test whether a culturally sensitive cognitive-behavioral adherence promotion program could significantly improve medication adherence to tacrolimus prescription as measured by telephone pill counts among kidney transplant recipients. Thirty-three adult transplant recipients were less than 98% adherent to tacrolimus prescription based on 3 telephone pill counts and were randomized either to the 2-session cognitive-behavioral adherence promotion program or to standard care. The curriculum was developed from an iterative process with transplant recipients into a 2-session group program that provided psychoeducation, addressed barriers to adherence, fostered motivation to improve adherence behavior, and discussed cultural messages on adherence behavior. The intervention group displayed significantly higher levels of adherence when compared to the control group (t = 2.2, p = 0.04) and. similarly, when the amount of change was compared between the groups, the intervention group showed more change than the control condition (F (22,1) = 12.005, p = 0.003). Tacrolimus trough concentration levels were used as a secondary measure of adherence and, while there were no significant between-group differences for mean trough concentration levels, the variability in the trough levels did significantly decrease over time indicating more consistent pill-taking behavior in the intervention group. There is preliminary support for the pilot program as a successful intervention in helping patients with their immunosuppressant medication. © 2016 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Seasonal variation and solar activity dependence of the quiet-time ionospheric trough

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ishida, T.; Ogawa, Y.; Kadokura, A.; Hiraki, Y.; Häggström, I.

2014-08-01

We have conducted a statistical analysis of the ionospheric F region trough, focusing on its seasonal variation and solar activity dependence under geomagnetically quiet and moderate conditions, using plasma parameter data obtained via Common Program 3 observations performed by the European Incoherent Scatter (EISCAT) radar between 1982 and 2011. We have confirmed that there is a major difference in frictional heating between the high- and low-latitude sides of the EISCAT field of view (FOV) at ~73°0'N-60°5'N (geomagnetic latitude) at an altitude of 325 km, which is associated with trough formation. Our statistical results show that the high-latitude and midlatitude troughs occur on the high- and low-latitude sides of the FOV, respectively. Seasonal variations indicate that dissociative recombination accompanied by frictional heating is a main cause of trough formation in sunlit regions. During summer, therefore, the occurrence rate is maintained at 80-90% in the postmidnight high-latitude region owing to frictional heating by eastward return flow. Solar activity dependence on trough formation indicates that field-aligned currents modulate the occurrence rate of the trough during the winter and equinox seasons. In addition, the trough becomes deeper via dissociative recombination caused by an increased ion temperature with F10.7, at least in the equinox and summer seasons but not in winter.

Simulations and Visualizations of Hurricane Sandy (2012) as Revealed by the NASA CAMVis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shen, Bo-Wen

2013-01-01

Storm Sandy first appeared as a tropical storm in the southern Caribbean Sea on Oct. 22, 2012, moved northeastward, turned northwestward, and made landfall near Brigantine, New Jersey in late October. Sandy devastated surrounding areas, caused an estimated damage of $50 billion, and became the second costliest tropical cyclone (TC) in U.S. History surpassed only by Hurricane Katrina (2005). To save lives and mitigate economic damage, a central question to be addressed is to what extent the lead time of severe storm prediction such as Sandy can be extended (e.g., Emanuel 2012; Kerr 2012). In this study, we present 10 numerical experiments initialized at 00 and 1200 UTC Oct. 22-26, 2012, with the NASA coupled advanced global modeling and visualization systems (CAMVis). All of the predictions realistically capture Sandy's movement with the northwestward turn prior to its landfall. However, three experiments (initialized at 0000 UTC Oct. 22 and 24 and 1200 UTC Oct. 22) produce larger errors. Among the 10 experiments, the control run initialized at 0000 UTC Oct. 23 produces a remarkable 7-day forecast. To illustrate the impact of environmental flows on the predictability of Sandy, we produce and discuss four-dimensional (4-D) visualizations with the control run. 4-D visualizations clearly demonstrate the following multiscale processes that led to the sinuous track of Sandy: the initial steering impact of an upper-level trough (appearing over the northwestern Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico), the blocking impact of systems to the northeast of Sandy, and the binary interaction with a mid-latitude, upper-level trough that appeared at 130degrees west longitude on Oct. 23, moved to the East Coast and intensified during the period of Oct. 29-30 prior to Sandy's landfall.

Earth Observations

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-21

ISS036-E-011034 (21 June 2013) --- The Salton Trough is featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 36 crew member on the International Space Station. The Imperial and Coachella Valleys of southern California – and the corresponding Mexicali Valley and Colorado River Delta in Mexico – are part of the Salton Trough, a large geologic structure known to geologists as a graben or rift valley that extends into the Gulf of California. The trough is a geologically complex zone formed by interaction of the San Andreas transform fault system that is, broadly speaking, moving southern California towards Alaska; and the northward motion of the Gulf of California segment of the East Pacific Rise that continues to widen the Gulf of California by sea-floor spreading. According to scientists, sediments deposited by the Colorado River have been filling the northern rift valley (the Salton Trough) for the past several million years, excluding the waters of the Gulf of California and providing a fertile environment – together with irrigation—for the development of extensive agriculture in the region (visible as green and yellow-brown fields at center). The Salton Sea, a favorite landmark of astronauts in low Earth orbit, was formed by an irrigation canal rupture in 1905, and today is sustained by agricultural runoff water. A wide array of varying landforms and land uses in the Salton Trough are visible from space. In addition to the agricultural fields and Salton Sea, easily visible metropolitan areas include Yuma, AZ (lower left); Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico (center); and the San Diego-Tijuana conurbation on the Pacific Coast (right). The approximately 72-kilometer-long Algodones Dunefield is visible at lower left.

Inner-shelf circulation and sediment dynamics on a series of shoreface connected ridges offshore of Fire Island, NY

USGS Publications Warehouse

Warner, John C.; List, Jeffrey H.; Schwab, William C.; Voulgaris, George; Armstrong, Brandy N.; Marshall, N

2014-01-01

Locations along the inner-continental shelf offshore of Fire Island, NY, are characterized by a series of shoreface connected ridges (SFCRs). These sand ridges have approximate dimensions of 10 km in length, 3 km spacing, up to ~8 m ridge to trough relief, and are oriented obliquely at approximately 30 degrees clockwise from the coastline. Stability analysis from previous studies explains how sand ridges such as these could be formed and maintained by storm-driven flows directed alongshore with a key maintenance mechanism of offshore deflected flows over ridge crests and onshore in the troughs. We examine these processes both with a limited set of idealized numerical simulations and analysis of observational data. Model results confirm that along-shore flows over the SFCRs exhibit offshore veering of currents over the ridge crests and onshore-directed flows in the troughs, and demonstrate the opposite circulation pattern for a reverse wind. To further investigate these maintenance processes, oceanographic instruments were deployed at seven sites on the SFCRs offshore of Fire Island to measure water levels, ocean currents, waves, suspended-sediment concentrations, and bottom stresses from January to April 2012. Data analysis reveals that during storms with winds from the northeast the processes of offshore deflection of currents over ridge crests and onshore in the troughs were observed, and during storm events with winds from the southwest a reverse flow pattern over the ridges occurred. Computations of suspended-sediment fluxes identify periods that are consistent with SFCR maintenance mechanisms. Alongshore winds from the northeast drove fluxes offshore on the ridge crest and onshore in the trough that would tend to promote ridge maintenance. However, alongshore winds from the southwest drove opposite circulations. The wind fields are related to different storm types that occur in the region (low pressure systems, cold fronts, and warm fronts). From the limited data set we identify that low pressure systems drive sediment fluxes that tend to promote stability and maintain the SFCRs, while cold front type storms appear to drive circulations that are in the opposite sense and may not be a supporting mechanism for ridge maintenance.

Suitability of feeding and chewing time for estimation of feed intake in dairy cows.

PubMed

Pahl, C; Hartung, E; Grothmann, A; Mahlkow-Nerge, K; Haeussermann, A

2016-09-01

Monitoring of feeding and rumination behaviour can provide useful information for dairy herd management. The feeding behaviour of dairy cows can be recorded by different techniques, such as video cameras, weighing troughs or chewing sensors. Among feeding characteristics, individual feed intake of cows is of utmost interest, but as weighing troughs have high space and cost requirements they are used primarily in research studies. The objective of the present study was to evaluate whether records on feeding time or chewing activity or a combination of both contain enough information to estimate feed intake with sufficient accuracy. Feed intake and feeding time per cow were recorded by means of weighing troughs. Concurrently, chewing activity of seven cows was recorded by MSR-ART pressure sensors during five to eight measuring days per cow. Feeding and chewing behaviour were evaluated in time slots (1 min) and additionally assigned to feeding bouts for further analysis. The 1 min time slots were classified into feeding/no feeding or chewing/no chewing by the two systems, and agreement was found in 92.2% of the records. On average, cows spent 270±39 min/day at the feeding troughs and chewed 262±48 min/day. The average fresh matter intake (FMI) was 49.6±5.1 kg/day. Feed intake was divided into 9.7 bouts/day during which cows fed in average 27.8±21.7 min/bout and chewed 27.0±23.1 min/bout. The correlation between FMI and feeding time was r=0.891 and between FMI and chewing time r=0.780 overall cows. Hence, both systems delivered suitable information for estimating feed intake.

Western Ross Sea continental slope gravity currents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gordon, Arnold L.; Orsi, Alejandro H.; Muench, Robin; Huber, Bruce A.; Zambianchi, Enrico; Visbeck, Martin

2009-06-01

Antarctic Bottom Water of the world ocean is derived from dense Shelf Water that is carried downslope by gravity currents at specific sites along the Antarctic margins. Data gathered by the AnSlope and CLIMA programs reveal the presence of energetic gravity currents that are formed over the western continental slope of the Ross Sea when High Salinity Shelf Water exits the shelf through Drygalski Trough. Joides Trough, immediately to the east, offers an additional escape route for less saline Shelf Water, while the Glomar Challenger Trough still farther east is a major pathway for export of the once supercooled low-salinity Ice Shelf Water that forms under the Ross Ice Shelf. The Drygalski Trough gravity currents increase in thickness from ˜100 to ˜400 m on proceeding downslope from ˜600 m (the shelf break) to 1200 m (upper slope) sea floor depth, while turning sharply to the west in response to the Coriolis force during their descent. The mean current pathway trends ˜35° downslope from isobaths. Benthic-layer current and thickness are correlated with the bottom water salinity, which exerts the primary control over the benthic-layer density. A 1-year time series of bottom-water current and hydrographic properties obtained on the slope near the 1000 m isobath indicates episodic pulses of Shelf Water export through Drygalski Trough. These cold (<-1 °C), salty (>34.75) pulses correlate with strong downslope bottom flow. Extreme examples occurred during austral summer/fall 2003, comprising concentrated High Salinity Shelf Water (-1.9 °C; 34.79) and approaching 1.5 m s -1 at descent angles as large as ˜60° relative to the isobaths. Such events were most common during November-May, consistent with a northward shift in position of the dense Shelf Water during austral summer. The coldest, saltiest bottom water was measured from mid-April to mid-May 2003. The summer/fall export of High Salinity Shelf Water observed in 2004 was less than that seen in 2003. This difference, if real, may reflect the influence of the large iceberg C-19 over Drygalski Trough until its departure in mid-May 2003, when there was a marked decrease in the coldest, saltiest gravity current adjacent to Drygalski Trough. Northward transport of cold, saline, recently ventilated Antarctic Bottom Water observed in March 2004 off Cape Adare was ˜1.7 Sv, including ˜0.4 Sv of High Salinity Shelf Water.

The internal circadian clock increases hunger and appetite in the evening independent of food intake and other behaviors.

PubMed

Scheer, Frank A J L; Morris, Christopher J; Shea, Steven A

2013-03-01

Despite the extended overnight fast, paradoxically, people are typically not ravenous in the morning and breakfast is typically the smallest meal of the day. We assessed whether this paradox could be explained by an endogenous circadian influence on appetite with a morning trough, while controlling for sleep/wake and fasting/feeding effects. Twelve healthy non-obese adults (six males; age, 20-42 years) were studied throughout a 13-day laboratory protocol that balanced all behaviors, including eucaloric meals and sleep periods, evenly across the endogenous circadian cycle. Participants rated their appetite and food preferences by visual analog scales. There was a large endogenous circadian rhythm in hunger, with the trough in the biological morning (8 AM) and peak in the biological evening (8 PM; peak-to-trough amplitude = 17%; P = 0.004). Similarly-phased significant endogenous circadian rhythms were present in appetites for sweet, salty and starchy foods, fruits, meats/poultry, food overall, and for estimates of how much food participants could eat (amplitudes 14-25%; all P < 0.05). In people who sleep at night, the intrinsic circadian evening peak in appetite may promote larger meals before the fasting period necessitated by sleep, whereas the circadian morning trough would theoretically facilitate the extended overnight fast. Furthermore, the circadian decline in hunger across the night would theoretically counteract the fasting-induced hunger increase that could otherwise disrupt sleep. Copyright © 2013 The Obesity Society.

A V-band wafer probe using ridge-trough waveguide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Godshalk, Edward M.

1991-12-01

A V-band (50-75 GHz) wafer probe is presented. The probe features a type of waveguide developed to allow transition from rectangular waveguide to coplanar waveguide. The waveguide consists of a ridge extending from the upper waveguide wall into a trough in the lower waveguide wall, and is known as the ridge-trough waveguide. A mathematical model is presented that allows important properties of the ridge-trough waveguide, such as the cutoff frequency and characteristic impedance, to be calculated.

Geologic Mapping of Vesta

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yingst, R. A.; Mest, S. C.; Berman, D. C.; Garry, W. B.; Williams, D. A.; Buczkowski, D.; Jaumann, R.; Pieters, C. M.; De Sanctis, M. C.; Frigeri, A.;

Crustal Deformation In the Northwestern Margin of the South China Sea: Results From Wide-angle Seismic Modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, H.; Klingelhoefer, F.

2017-12-01

The South China Sea (SCS) has undergone episodic spreading during the Cenozoic Era. The long-term extension has shaped the continental margins of the SCS, leading to a progressive breakup of the lithosphere. Separated blocks and rift troughs, as controlled by tectonic stretching, contains key information about the deforming mechanism of the crust. In this work, we present a P-wave velocity model of a wide-angle seismic profile OBS2013-1 which passes through the NW margin of the SCS. Modeling of 25 ocean bottom seismometers (OBS) data revealed a detailed crustal structure and shallow complexities along the profile (Figure 1). The crust thins symmetrically across the Xisha Trough, from more than 20 km on flanks to 10 km in the central valley where the sediments thickens over 5 km; A volcano is situated on top of the centre basement high where the Moho drops slightly. At the distal margin around the Zhongsha Trough, the upper crust was detached and accordingly made the middle crust exhumed in a narrow area ( 20 km wide). Meanwhile, materials from the lower crust rises asymmetrically, increasing the crustal velocity by 0.3 km/s and may also giving rise to volcanisms along the hanging side. A 40 km wide hyper-stretched crust (with thickness of 5 km) was identified next to the Zhongsha Trough and covered by overflowing magma and post-rift sediments on the top. These observations argue for a depth-related and asymmetrically extension of the crust, including (1) detachment fault controls the deformation of the upper crust, leading to exhumation of the middle crust and asymmetrically rising of the lower crust, (2) The region adjacent to the exhumation region and with highly thinned crust can be considered as extinct OCT due to magma-starved supplying.

Egg saprolegniasis in a commercial sunshine bass hatchery: Control regime developed using copper sulfate

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

An obstacle to sunshine bass (female white bass Morone chrysops × male striped bass M. saxatilis) larval production is fungal growth on eggs caused by the water-mold Saprolegnia spp. Copper sulfate (CuSO4) is commonly used for fungus control in troughs of catfish hatcheries, but the effectiveness o...

Self-organized criticality in sandpiles - Nature of the critical phenomenon. [dynamic models in phase transition

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carlson, J. M.; Chayes, J. T.; Swindle, G. H.; Grannan, E. R.

1990-01-01

The scaling behavior of sandpile models is investigated analytically. First, it is shown that sandpile models contain a set of domain walls, referred to as troughs, which bound regions that can experience avalanches. It is further shown that the dynamics of the troughs is governed by a simple set of rules involving birth, death, and coalescence events. A simple trough model is then introduced, and it is proved that the model has a phase transition with the density of the troughs as an order parameter and that, in the thermodynamic limit, the trough density goes to zero at the transition point. Finally, it is shown that the observed scaling behavior is a consequence of finite-size effects.

The impact of the structural features of the rock mass on seismicity in Polish coal mines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Patyńska, Renata

2017-11-01

The article presents seismic activity induced in the coal mines of the Upper Silesian Coal Basin (GZW) in relation to the locations of the occurrence of rockbursts. The comparison of these measurements with the structural features of the rock mass of coal mines indicates the possibility of estimating the so-called Unitary Energy Expenditure (UEE) in a specific time. The obtained values of UEE were compared with the distribution of seismic activity in GZW mines. The level of seismic activity in the analysed period changed and depended on the intensity of mining works and diverse mining and geological conditions. Five regions, where tremors occurred (Bytom Trough, Main Saddle, Main Trough, Kazimierz Trough, and Jejkowice and Chwałowice Trough) which belong to various structural units of the Upper Silesia were analyzed. It was found out that rock bursts were recorded only in three regions: Main Saddle, Bytom Trough, and Jejkowice and Chwałowice Trough.

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

Mendelsohn, M.; Lowder, T.; Canavan, B.

Over the last several years, solar energy technologies have been, or are in the process of being, deployed at unprecedented levels. A critical recent development, resulting from the massive scale of projects in progress or recently completed, is having the power sold directly to electric utilities. Such 'utility-scale' systems offer the opportunity to deploy solar technologies far faster than the traditional 'behind-the-meter' projects designed to offset retail load. Moreover, these systems have employed significant economies of scale during construction and operation, attracting financial capital, which in turn can reduce the delivered cost of power. This report is a summary ofmore » the current U.S. utility-scale solar state-of-the-market and development pipeline. Utility-scale solar energy systems are generally categorized as one of two basic designs: concentrating solar power (CSP) and photovoltaic (PV). CSP systems can be further delineated into four commercially available technologies: parabolic trough, central receiver (CR), parabolic dish, and linear Fresnel reflector. CSP systems can also be categorized as hybrid, which combine a solar-based system (generally parabolic trough, CR, or linear Fresnel) and a fossil fuel energy system to produce electric power or steam.« less

Stress Fields Along Okinawa Trough and Ryukyu Arc Inferred From Regional Broadband Moment Tensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kubo, A.; Fukuyama, E.

2001-12-01

Most shallow earthquakes along Okinawa trough and Ryukyu arc are relatively small (M<5.5). Focal mechanism estimations for such events were difficult due to insufficient dataset. However, this situation is improved by regional broadband network (FREESIA). Lower limit of magnitude of the earthquakes determined becomes 1.5 smaller in M{}w than that of Harvard moment tensors. As a result, we could examine the stress field in more detail than Fournier et al.(2001, JGR, 106, 13751-) did based on surface geology and teleseismic moment tensors. In the NE Okinawa trough, extension axes are oblique to the trough strike, while in SW Okinawa trough, they are perpendicular to the trough. Fault type in SW is normal fault and gradually changes to mixture of normal and strike slip toward NE. In the Ryukyu arc, extension axes are parallel to the arc. Although this feature is not clear in the NW Ryukyu arc, arc parallel extension may be a major property of entire arc. Dominant fault type is normal fault and several strike slips with the same extensional component are included. The volcanic train is located at the edge of arc parallel extension field faced A simple explanation of the arc parallel extension is the response to the opening motion of the Okinawa trough. Another possible mechanism is forearc movement due to oblique subduction which is enhanced in SW. We consider that the Okinawa trough and the Ryukyu arc are independent stress provinces.

Ganges Quagmire

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-09-27

This MOC image shows dark-toned, windblown sands and ripples, surrounding a light-toned hill, interpreted to be sedimentary rock, in Ganges Chasma. Ganges Chasma is part of the giant Valles Marineris trough system on Mars

The analysis and study of fault systems in the Southernmost Part of Okinawa Trough

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Y.; Tsai, C.; Lee, C.

2004-12-01

Taiwan is located in the boundary between the Eurasian and Philippine Sea plates. Due to different subduction, two arc-trench systems in different direction were happened. One is Luzon arc-trench system in N-S direction; the other one is called Ryukyu arc-trench system in E-W direction. The Okinawa Trough is a back-arc basin which was formed by extension of Eurasian plate, and the tectonic setting in this area has a series of normal-faults and igneous bodies. According to previous studies, we know that Southernmost Part of Okinawa Trough (SPOT) have evolved at least two main tensional phases of Okinawa Trough, the first phase probably came up in early Pleistocene and struck in NE-SW direction; and the second phases occurred during late Pleistocene and Holocene changed the direction to E-W. In this study, we have used seismic data collected by R/V Chiu-Lien, Ocean Research I, and R/V L'Atalante to explain the normal-fault systems in the SPOT area. We integrate seismic profiles with corrected bathymetry to relocate these normal faults. Our results show these normal fault systems has two main strikes, respectively N60° E and N80° E. We find that most of N60° E faults are located in the northern slope of SPOT and landward to Taiwan. The N80° E faults are found in the southern slop and center area of SPOT. Compare with the faults and a new topographic map, we find there were a lot of faults around the canyon, such as North-Mienhua Canyon. We suggest that the origin of the canyon is probably due to these tectonic forces. The canyon is a weak area, and is eroded much fast than the surrounding continental shelf. Passing through a series of erosional processes, the canyon becomes what looks like today. We find a lot of graben structure located in the center of SPOT. This area is the extension axis of SPOT right now. We also find many possible igneous rocks in the seismic profiles, some of them are intrusions and the others penetrate the seabed along the weak zone and form the submarine volcanoes. We have found at least 68 volcanoes in the SPOT area. The interactions of submarine volcanoes, canyons, and fault grabens demonstrate an active tectonic episode.

Geophysical investigations of the tectonic boundary between East and West Antarctica

USGS Publications Warehouse

ten Brink, Uri S.; Bannister, S.; Beaudoin, B.C.; Stern, T.A.

1993-01-01

The Transantarctic Mountains (TAM), which separate the West Antarctic rift system from the stable shield of East Antarctica, are the largest mountains developed adjacent to a rift. The cause of uplift of mountains bordering rifts is poorly understood. One notion based on observations of troughs next to many uplifted blocks is that isostatic rebound produces a coeval uplift and subsidence. The results of an over-snow seismic experiment in Antarctica do not show evidence for a trough next to the TAM but indicate the extension of rifted mantle lithosphere under the TAM. Furthermore, stretching preceded the initiation of uplift, which suggests thermal buoyancy as the cause for uplift.

Line-focus concentrating collector program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dugan, V. L.

1980-01-01

The Line-Focus Concentrating Collector Program has emphasized the development and dissemination of concentrating solar technology in which the reflected sunlight is focused onto a linear or line receiver. Although a number of different types of line-focus concentrators were developed, the parabolic trough has gained the widest acceptance and utilization within the industrial and applications sectors. The trough is best applied for application scenarios which require temperatures between 140 and 600 F. Another concept, the bowl, is investigated for applications which may require temperatures in the range between 600 and 1200 F. Current technology emphases are upon the reduction of system installation cost and the implementation of production oriented engineering.

Initial results from the Nankai Trough shallow splay and frontal thrust (IODP Expedition 316): Implications for fluid flow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Screaton, E.; Kimura, G.; Curewitz, D.; Scientists, E.

2008-12-01

Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Expedition 316 examined the frontal thrust and the shallow portion of the megasplay fault offshore of the Kii peninsula, and was the third drilling expedition of the Nankai Trough Seismogenic Zone Experiment (NanTroSEIZE). NanTroSEIZE will integrate seafloor observations, drilling, and observatories to investigate the processes controlling slip along subduction zone plate boundary fault systems. Site C0004 examined a shallow portion of the splay fault system where it overrides slope basin sediments. Site C0008, located in the slope basin 1 km seaward of Site C0004, provided a reference site for the footwall sediments. Results of drilling indicate that the footwall sediments have dewatered significantly, suggesting permeable routes for fluid escape. These high-permeability pathways might be provided by coarse-grained layers within the slope sediments. In situ dewatering and multiple fluid escape paths will tend to obscure any geochemical signature of flow from depth. Sites C0006 and C0007 examined the frontal thrust system. Although poorly recovered, coarse-grained trench sediments were sampled within the footwall. These permeable sediments would be expected to allow rapid escape of any fluid pressures due to loading. At both sites, low porosities are observed at shallow depths, suggesting removal of overlying material. This observation is consistent with interpretations that the prism is unstable and currently in a period of collapse. Anomalously low temperatures were measured within boreholes at these sites. One possible explanation for the low temperatures is circulation of seawater along normal faults in the unstable prism.

Trough Coating Solar Cells Without Spillover

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heaps, J. D.

1986-01-01

Problem with trough coating of silicon on ceramic - spillover of molten silicon - overcome by combination of redesigned heaters and tiltable trough. Modifications make it possible to coat virtually any length of ceramic with film of solar-cell-grade silicon. Previously, maximum length coated before spillover occurred was 2 inches (5.1 cm).

Labeatis Trough

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2006-01-01

2 July 2006 This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a portion of a trough cutting across a dust-covered plain in the Labeatis Fossae region of Mars. Boulders derived from the layered exposures near the top of the trough walls are resting on the floor, and in some locations, the sloping sidewalls of the dusty trough.

Location near: 22.1oN, 94.5oW Image width: 3 km (1.9 mi) Illumination from: lower left Season: Northern Spring

Detail of new rain shed (Building No. 241). Note pipeline ...

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

Detail of new rain shed (Building No. 241). Note pipeline connection from collection trough. - Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Water Collection System, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Volcano, Hawaii County, HI

Pennsylvanian-Permian tectonism in the Great Basin: The Dry Mountain trough and related basins

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

Snyder, W.S.; Spinosa, C.; Gallegos, D.M.

1991-02-01

Pennsylvanian-Permian tectonism affected the continental margin of western North America from the Yukon to the Mojave Desert. Specific signatures of this tectonism include local angular unconformities, regional disconformities, renewed outpouring of clastic debris from a reactivated Antler and related highlands, and development of deeper water basins with anoxic sediments deposited below wave base. The basins formed include Ishbel trough (Canada), the Wood River basin (Idaho), Cassia basin, Ferguson trough, Dry Mountain trough (all Nevada), and unnamed basins in Death Valley-Mojave Desert region. The Dry Mountain trough (DMT) was initiated during early Wolfcampian and received up to 1,200 m of sedimentmore » by the late Leonardian. The lower contact is a regional unconformity with the Ely Limestone, or locally with the Diamond Peak or Vinini formations. Thus, following a period of localized regional uplift that destroyed the Ely basin, portions of the uplifted and exposed shelf subsided creating the Dry Mountain trough. Evidence suggesting a tectonic origin for the DMT includes (1) high subsidence rates (60-140 m/m.y.); (2) renewed influx of coarse clastic debris from the Antler highlands: (3) possible pre-Early Permian folding, thrusting, and tilting within the highlands; and (4) differential subsidence within the Dry Mountain trough, suggesting the existence of independent fault blocks.« less

Present-day erosion of Martian polar terrain by the seasonal CO2 jets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Portyankina, Ganna; Hansen, Candice J.; Aye, Klaus-Michael

2017-01-01

Here we report on the detection of new dendritic troughs created by the seasonal CO2 jet activity over several Martian years. According to Kieffers hypothesis (Kieffer, 2007) in Martian polar areas seasonal CO2 ice sublimation creates gas jets that deposit fans of mineral dust and sand on top of the CO2 ice. These jets and the related sub-ice gas flows are believed to carve troughs in the underlying polar deposits which, after multiple repetitions of this process throughout Martian spring seasons, create araneiform terrains. The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) detected the new troughs during its campaign for seasonal monitoring of the polar areas. The newly detected dendritic troughs are small shallow branching troughs (≈ 1.4 m wide) similar to the seasonal furrows previously detected in the northern hemisphere (Bourke, 2013). The essential difference between the new troughs and furrows lies in the fact that the troughs in the south are persistent while the northern furrows are erased each Martian year by the sand movement due to summer winds. From year to year the new southern troughs extend and develop new tributaries and their overall geometry turns from linear to dendritic, a characteristic shared with araneiform terrains. We believe that furrows have the same origin as the southern dendritic troughs but do not develop into dendritic shapes because of the high mobility of the dune material into which they are carved. Several locations where new dendritic troughs are observed lie in the vicinity of dunes. This gives us an observational indication that presence of erosive sand material is an important factor in creating (or at least starting) erosive processes that lead to the formation of dendritic troughs. By extrapolation the same mechanism should be acting to create the much larger araneiform terrains. Detection of the present day erosion working in polar areas and creating new topographical features is important for understanding of the processes that shape polar areas. Several years of HiRISE observations provide us with the information about the current rate of erosion and hence help estimate minimum ages of the araneiforms and the surface into which they are carved to be 1.3 × 103 Martian years.

Strike-slip Fault Structure in the Salton Trough and Deformation During and After the 2010 M7.2 El Mayor-Cucapah Earthquake from Geodetic and Seismic Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fielding, E. J.; Sun, J.; Gonzalez-Ortega, A.; González-Escobar, M.; Freed, A. M.; Burgmann, R.; Samsonov, S. V.; Gonzalez-Garcia, J.; Fletcher, J. M.; Hinojosa, A.

2013-12-01

The Pacific-North America plate boundary character changes southward from the strike-slip and transpressional configuration along most of California to oblique rifting in the Gulf of California, with a transitional zone of transtension beneath the Salton Trough in southernmost California and northern Mexico. The Salton Trough is characterized by extremely high heat flow and thin lithosphere with a thick fill of sedimentary material delivered by the Colorado River during the past 5-6 million years. Because of the rapid sedimentation, most of the faults in Salton Trough are buried and reveal themselves when they slip either seismically or aseismically. They can also be located by refraction and reflection of seismic waves. The 4 April 2010 El Mayor-Cucapah earthquake (Mw 7.2) in Baja California and Sonora, Mexico is probably the largest earthquake in the Salton Trough for at least 120 years, and had primarily right-lateral strike-slip motion. The earthquake ruptured a complex set of faults that lie to the west of the main plate boundary fault, the Cerro Prieto Fault, and shows that the strike-slip fault system in the southern Salton Trough has multiple sub-parallel active faults, similar to southern California. The Cerro Prieto Fault is still likely absorbing the majority of strain in the plate boundary. We study the coseismic and postseismic deformation of the 2010 earthquake with interferometric analysis of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images (InSAR) and pixel tracking by subpixel correlation of SAR and optical images. We combine sampled InSAR and subpixel correlation results with GPS (Global Positioning System) offsets at PBO (Plate Boundary Observatory) stations to estimate the likely subsurface geometry of the major faults that slipped during the earthquake and to derive a static coseismic slip model. We constrained the surface locations of the fault segments to mapped locations in the Sierra Cucapah to the northwest of the epicenter. SAR along-track offsets, especially on ALOS images, show that there is a large amount of right-lateral slip (1-3 m) on a previously unmapped system of faults extending about 60 km to the southeast of the epicenter beneath the Colorado River Delta named the Indiviso Fault system. The finite fault slip modeling shows a bilateral rupture with coseismic fault slip shallower than 10 km on the faults to the NW (dipping NE) and SE (dipping SW) of the epicenter. The southeastern end of the coseismic ruptures has complex fault geometry, including both east- and west-dipping faults revealed by recently reprocessed seismic reflection profiles. This new coseismic fault geometry will be the basis for a new finite element model of the crust and mantle for modeling of the coseismic slip with realistic 3D elastic structure and the viscoelastic postseismic relaxation. Postseismic InSAR, including new Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle SAR (UAVSAR) data, and GPS show rapid shallow afterslip on faults at the north and south ends of the main coseismic rupture and down-dip from the area of largest coseismic slip. Longer wavelength postseismic relaxation will be best measured by GPS.

Two-Phase Exhumation of the Santa Rosa Mountains: Low- and High-Angle Normal Faulting During Initiation and Evolution of the Southern San Andreas Fault System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mason, Cody C.; Spotila, James A.; Axen, Gary; Dorsey, Rebecca J.; Luther, Amy; Stockli, Daniel F.

2017-12-01

Low-angle detachment fault systems are important elements of oblique-divergent plate boundaries, yet the role detachment faulting plays in the development of such boundaries is poorly understood. The West Salton Detachment Fault (WSDF) is a major low-angle normal fault that formed coeval with localization of the Pacific-North America plate boundary in the northern Salton Trough, CA. Apatite U-Th/He thermochronometry (AHe; n = 29 samples) and thermal history modeling of samples from the Santa Rosa Mountains (SRM) reveal that initial exhumation along the WSDF began at circa 8 Ma, exhuming footwall material from depths of >2 to 3 km. An uplifted fossil (Miocene) helium partial retention zone is present in the eastern SRM, while a deeper crustal section has been exhumed along the Pleistocene high-angle Santa Rosa Fault (SFR) to much higher elevations in the southwest SRM. Detachment-related vertical exhumation rates in the SRM were 0.15-0.36 km/Myr, with maximum fault slip rates of 1.2-3.0 km/Myr. Miocene AHe isochrons across the SRM are consistent with northeast crustal tilting of the SRM block and suggest that the post-WSDF vertical exhumation rate along the SRF was 1.3 km/Myr. The timing of extension initiation in the Salton Trough suggests that clockwise rotation of relative plate motions that began at 8 Ma is associated with initiation of the southern San Andreas system. Pleistocene regional tectonic reorganization was contemporaneous with an abrupt transition from low- to high-angle faulting and indicates that local fault geometry may at times exert a fundamental control on rock uplift rates along strike-slip fault systems.

Preparing for the Future Nankai Trough Tsunami: A Data Assimilation and Inversion Analysis From Various Observational Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mulia, Iyan E.; Inazu, Daisuke; Waseda, Takuji; Gusman, Aditya Riadi

2017-10-01

The future Nankai Trough tsunami is one of the imminent threats to the Japanese coastal communities that could potentially cause a catastrophic event. As a part of the countermeasure efforts for such an occurrence, this study analyzes the efficacy of combining tsunami data assimilation (DA) and waveform inversion (WI). The DA is used to continuously refine a wavefield model whereas the WI is used to estimate the tsunami source. We consider a future scenario of the Nankai Trough tsunami recorded at various observational systems, including ocean bottom pressure (OBP) gauges, global positioning system (GPS) buoys, and ship height positioning data. Since most of the OBP gauges are located inside the source region, the recorded tsunami signals exhibit significant offsets from surface measurements due to coseismic seafloor deformation effects. Such biased data are not applicable to the standard DA, but can be taken into account in the WI. On the other hand, the use of WI for the ship data may not be practical because a considerably large precomputed tsunami database is needed to cope with the spontaneous ship locations. The DA is more suitable for such an observational system as it can be executed sequentially in time and does not require precomputed scenarios. Therefore, the combined approach of DA and WI allows us to concurrently make use of all observational resources. Additionally, we introduce a bias correction scheme for the OBP data to improve the accuracy, and an adaptive thinning of observations to determine the efficient number of observations.

4. INTERIOR OF ABANDONED SANTA ANA CANAL TUNNEL, SHOWING CEMENT ...

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

4. INTERIOR OF ABANDONED SANTA ANA CANAL TUNNEL, SHOWING CEMENT TROUGH FLOOR AND UNFINISHED GRANITE ROOF. VIEW TO SOUTHWEST. - Santa Ana River Hydroelectric System, Abandoned Tunnel, Redlands, San Bernardino County, CA

Field Characterization | Concentrating Solar Power | NREL

Science.gov Websites

receivers for performance issues. It uses an infrared (IR) camera, global positioning system (GPS each row of a parabolic trough plant, using the GPS data to automate IR imaging and analyze

Helium and carbon gas geochemistry of pore fluids from the sediment-rich hydrothermal system in Escanaba Trough

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ishibashi, J.-I.; Sato, M.; Sano, Y.; Wakita, H.; Gamo, T.; Shanks, Wayne C.

2002-01-01

Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Leg 169, which was conducted in 1996 provided an opportunity to study the gas geochemistry in the deeper part of the sediment-rich hydrothermal system in Escanaba Trough. Gas void samples obtained from the core liner were analyzed and their results were compared with analytical data of vent fluid samples collected by a submersible dive program in 1988. The gas geochemistry of the pore fluids consisted mostly of a hydrothermal component and was basically the same as that of the vent fluids. The He isotope ratios (R/RA = 5.6-6.6) indicated a significant mantle He contribution and the C isotopic compositions of the hydrocarbons [??13C(CH4) = -43???, ??13C(C2H6) = -20???] were characterized as a thermogenic origin caused by hydrothermal activity. On the other hand, the pore fluids in sedimentary layers away from the hydrothermal fields showed profiles which reflected lateral migration of the hydrothermal hydrocarbons and abundant biogenic CH4. Helium and C isotope systematics were shown to represent a hydrothermal component and useful as indicators for their distribution beneath the seafloor. Similarities in He and hydrocarbon signatures to that of the Escanaba Trough hydrothermal system were found in some terrestrial natural gases, which suggested that seafloor hydrothermal activity in sediment-rich environments would be one of the possible petroleum hydrocarbon generation scenarios in unconventional geological settings. ?? 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Tsunami Scenarios Based on Interseismic Models Along the Nankai Trough, Japan, From Seafloor and Onshore Geodesy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Watanabe, Shun-ichi; Bock, Yehuda; Melgar, Diego; Tadokoro, Keiichi

2018-03-01

The recent availability of Global Positioning System-Acoustic seafloor geodetic observations enables us to resolve the spatial distribution of the slip deficit rate near the Nankai trough, southwestern Japan. Considering a tectonic block model and the transient deformation due to the major earthquakes in this area, the slip deficit rate between the two relevant blocks can be estimated. In this study, we remove the time-dependent postseismic deformation of the 2004 southeastern off the Kii Peninsula earthquakes (MJMA 7.1, 7.4), which had led to the underestimation of the slip deficit rate in earlier studies. We model the postearthquake viscoelastic relaxation using the 3D finite element model with bi-viscous Burgers rheology, as well as the afterslip on the finite faults. The corrected Global Positioning System-Acoustic and land-based Global Navigation Satellite Systems data are aligned to the existing tectonic model and used to estimate the slip deficit rate on the plate boundary. We then calculate the coseismic displacements and tsunami wave propagation with the simple assumption that a hundred years of constant slip deficit accumulation was released instantaneously. To evaluate the influence of uncertainties in the plate interface geometry on a tsunami model for the Nankai trough, we investigated two different geometries and performed checkerboard inversion simulations. Although the two models indicate roughly similar results, the peak height of the tsunami wave and its arrival time at several points are significantly different in terms of the expected hazard.

Topography and Stratigraphy of the Northern Martian Polar Layered Deposits Using Photoclinometry, Stereogrammetry, and MOLA Altimetry

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fenton, L.K.; Herkenhoff, K. E.

2000-01-01

We present two photoclinometric profiles across a trough in the martian northern polar layered terrain. Complications caused by albedo variations were avoided by using an early springtime Viking image with a thin cover of seasonal CO2 frost. The topographic profiles were constrained with stereogrammetric elevations derived from summertime Viking images of the same region. We find that the photoclinometric profiles are consistent with a nearby MOLA (Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter) track crossing the same polar trough. The trough is asymmetric, with higher relief and a steeper slope on the equatorward-facing wall. Individual layers are subdued and difficult to observe in the profiles. A decrease in both relief and elevation toward the eastern end of the trough suggests that layers become thinner to the east. Declining equatorward slopes in the eastern portion of the trough imply that erosion rates have varied along the trough. The variation in erosion rate may be linked to the change in layer thickness along the trough. Layers have an average thickness of 19??8 m in the center of the trough and 59??32 m on the northern wall. The northern wall is most likely composed of thinner layers that are obscured. To first order, we find that a 19-m layer requires 16,000 years of deposition to form. Although this timescale does not coincide with orbital variation periods of 105 and 106 years, deposition rates may not be constant and thus the 16,000-year layer formation time does not preclude layer formation during part of each orbital oscillation. ?? 2000 Academic Press.

9 CFR 82.21 - Vehicles, cages, coops, containers, troughs, and other equipment used for infected poultry.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

..., troughs, and other equipment used for infected poultry. 82.21 Section 82.21 Animals and Animal Products... ANIMALS (INCLUDING POULTRY) AND ANIMAL PRODUCTS EXOTIC NEWCASTLE DIS- EASE (END) AND CHLAMYDIOSIS Chlamydiosis in Poultry § 82.21 Vehicles, cages, coops, containers, troughs, and other equipment used for...

Evolution of the Outflows in NGC 3516

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dunn, Jay P.; Parvaresh, Rozhin; Kraemer, S. B.; Crenshaw, D. Michael

2018-02-01

We analyze the 2011 HST/COS spectrum of the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 3516, which demonstrates clear changes in one of the intrinsic absorption troughs (component 5), slight evidence of change in a second trough (component 6), and the appearance of a new absorption trough (component 9). We interpret both the changes and the appearance of the new trough as bulk motion across the line of sight. The implied lower limit on the transverse velocity of component 5 is 360 km s‑1, compared to the earlier 2001 HST/STIS spectrum, while the lower limits for components 6 and 9 are 920 km s‑1, based on 2009 FUSE data. Component 5 also exhibits a shift in velocity centroid. This is only the second known case of this behavior in a Seyfert galaxy. Due to the high quality of the HST/COS spectrum, we identify a previously undetected trough due to an excited state of Si II for component 1. In combination with the resonance trough of Si II and photoionization modeling, we directly determine the distance of the component 1 outflow to be 67.2 pc.

Prediction of Vancomycin Dose for Recommended Trough Concentrations in Pediatric Patients With Cystic Fibrosis.

PubMed

Amin, Raid W; Guttmann, Rodney P; Harris, Quianna R; Thomas, Janesha W

2018-05-01

Vancomycin is a key antibiotic used in the treatment of multiple conditions including infections associated with cystic fibrosis and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. The present study sought to develop a model based on empirical evidence of optimal vancomycin dose as judged by clinical observations that could accelerate the achievement of desired trough level in children with cystic fibrosis. Transformations of dose and trough were used to arrive at regression models with excellent fit for dose based on weight or age for a target trough. Results of this study indicate that the 2 proposed regression models are robust to changes in age or weight, suggesting that the daily dose on a per-kilogram basis is determined primarily by the desired trough level. The results show that to obtain a vancomycin trough level of 20 μg/mL, a dose of 80 mg/kg/day is needed. This analysis should improve the efficiency of vancomycin usage by reducing the number of titration steps, resulting in improved patient outcome and experience. © 2018, The American College of Clinical Pharmacology.

Geochemical and Sr-Nd-Pb-Li isotopic characteristics of volcanic rocks from the Okinawa Trough: Implications for the influence of subduction components and the contamination of crustal materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Kun; Zhai, Shikui; Yu, Zenghui; Wang, Shujie; Zhang, Xia; Wang, Xiaoyuan

2018-04-01

The Okinawa Trough is an infant back-arc basin developed along the Ryukyu arc. This paper provides new major and trace element and Sr-Nd-Pb-Li isotope data of volcanic rocks in the Okinawa Trough and combines the published geochemical data to discuss the composition of magma source, the influence of subduction component, and the contamination of crustal materials, and calculate the contribution between subduction sediment and altered oceanic crust in the subduction component. The results showed that there are 97% DM and 3% EMI component in the mantle source in middle trough (MS), which have been influenced by subduction sediment. The Li-Nd isotopes indicate that the contribution of subduction sediment and altered oceanic crust in subduction component are 4 and 96%, respectively. The intermediate-acidic rocks suffer from contamination of continental crust material in shallow magma chamber during fractional crystallization. The acidic rocks in south trough have experienced more contamination of crustal material than those from the middle and north trough segments.

The noon and midnight mid-latitude trough as seen by Ariel 4

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tulunay, Y. K.; Grebowsky, J. M.

1978-01-01

The electron density data returned by the polar orbiting satellites Ariel 3 and Ariel 4 revealed that the midlatitude trough is one of the distinct large-scale features of the ionosphere at about 550 km. Recent work (e.g., Tulunay and Grebowsky, 1975) on the data included the investigation of the temporal development of the latitudinal position of the midlatitude electron density trough at dawn and dusk during the large magnetic storms of May 1967 and May 1972. Model calculations which assumed that the equatorial convection E-field varies in step with the Kp index reproduced on the average the observed behavior. In the present paper, trough observations made at noon and midnight during the period, 12-21 December 1971 which encompassed a relatively large magnetic storm are discussed. In this context, model calculations have been employed as a guide of average approximations of the actual situation in predicting the plasmapause location. It is also shown that the trough observed on the noon passes is not generally plasmapause-related as the nightside troughs are expected to be.

A biomarker record of temperature and phytoplankton community in Okinawa Trough since the last glacial maximum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruan, Jiaping

2017-04-01

A variety of biomarkers were examined from Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) core 1202B to reconstruct temperature and phytoplankton community structures in the southern Okinawa Trough for the past ca. 20000 years. Two molecular temperature proxies (Uk37 and TEX86) show 5-6 ℃ warming during the glacial/interglacial transition. Prior to the Holocene, the Uk37-derived temperature was generally 1-4 ℃ higher than TEX86-derived temperature. This difference, however, was reduced to <1 ℃ in the Holocene when the Kuroshio Current was intensified. Correspondingly, the phytoplankton biomarkers (e.g., C37:2 alkenone, brassicasterol, C30 1,15-diols and dinosterol) suggest a shift of planktonic community assemblages with coccolithophorids becoming more abundant in the Holocene at the expense of diatoms/dinoflagellates. Such a shift is related to the variability of nutrient, temperature and salinity in the Okinawa Trough, controlled by the sea level and the intensity of Kuroshio Current. The phytoplankton community change may have profound implications on atmospheric CO2 fluctuations during glacial/interglacial cycles since diatoms and dinoflagellates have a higher efficiency of biological pump than coccolithophorids.

Interactions between commercial fishing and walleye pollock aggregations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stienessen, Sarah; Wilson, Chris D.; Hallowed, Anne B.

2002-05-01

Scientists with the Alaska Fisheries Science Center are conducting a multiyear field experiment off the eastern side of Kodiak Island in the Gulf of Alaska to determine whether commercial fishing activities significantly affect the distribution and abundance of walleye pollock (Theragra chalcogramma), an important prey species of endangered Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus). In support of this activity, spatio-temporal patterns were described for pollock aggregations. Acoustic-trawl surveys were conducted in two adjacent submarine troughs in August 2001. One trough served as a control site where fishing was prohibited and the other as a treatment site where fishing was allowed. Software, which included patch recognition algorithms, was used to extract acoustic data and generate patch size and shape-related variables to analyze fish aggregations. Important patch related descriptors included skewness, kurtosis, length, height, and density. Estimates of patch fractal dimensions, which relate school perimeter to school area, were less for juvenile than for adult aggregations, indicating a more complex school shape for adults. Comparisons of other patch descriptors were made between troughs and in the presence and absence of the fishery to determine whether trends in pollock aggregation dynamics were a result of the fishery or of naturally occurring events.

The relationship between a blunted morning surge and a reversed nocturnal blood pressure dipping or "riser" pattern.

PubMed

Fujiwara, Takeshi; Tomitani, Naoko; Sato, Keiko; Okura, Ayako; Suzuki, Noriyuki; Kario, Kazuomi

2017-11-01

The authors sought to determine the association between the blunted morning blood pressure (BP) surge and nocturnal BP dipping of the "riser" pattern in 501 patients with hypertension enrolled in the ACHIEVE-ONE (Ambulatory Blood Pressure Control and Home Blood Pressure [Morning and Evening] Lowering by the N-Channel Blocker Cilnidipine) trial. The patients' sleep-trough morning BP surge and prewaking surge were calculated and then classified according to their nocturnal systolic BP reduction pattern as extreme dippers, dippers, nondippers, and risers. The prevalence of the riser pattern was significantly higher in both the lowest sleep-trough morning BP surge decile and the prewaking surge decile (blunted surge group) compared with the remaining deciles (56.0% vs 10.4% [P<.0001] and 59.2% vs 10.2% [P<.0001], respectively). The riser pattern was a significant determinant of both blunted sleep-trough morning BP surge (odds ratio, 73.3; P<.0001) and blunted prewaking surge (odds ratio, 14.8; P<.0001). The high prevalence of the riser pattern in patients with blunted morning BP surges may account for the cardiovascular risk previously reported in such patients. ©2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Lakes in Valles Marineris

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lucchitta, Baerbel K.

2010-10-01

The paper reviews the evolution of hypotheses of lakes in Valles Marineris through observations made from the time of Mariner and continuing through the Viking, MGS, MO, MEx, and MRO missions. Several pertinent findings from these missions are addressed, including: The morphology and composition of the interior layered deposits (ILD); the question whether ILD are deposited inside the troughs or exhumed from the walls; the possible existence of ancestral basins; the derivation of water; arguments for an origin as aqueous, eolian, or pyroclastic sediments, or sub/ice volcanoes; origin of inclined layers, mounds and moats; and age relations of features within and peripheral to the troughs. A possible scenario begins with the collapse of ice-charged ground into ancestral basins along structural planes of weakness due to Tharsis stresses, about 3.5 Ga ago. The basins rapidly filled with water from ground ice, subterranean aquifers, or nearby valley networks. The water spilled out of the peripheral troughs and flowed across high plateaus into early outflow channels. The ancestral basins then filled with sediments derived from valley networks or from trapped eolian or pyroclastic deposits. Alternatively, volcanoes rose under the water or ice to form tuyas. The water was highly acidic, and sediments may have been deposited directly as evaporites or were later altered to evaporites by the brines or by hydrothermal activity. Percolating fluids produced iron oxide concretions. Similar alteration would have affected the putative volcanoes. Most of the ILD were emplaced early in the troughs' history. Shortly thereafter, more water erupted from the peripheral troughs and formed additional chaos and outflow channels. The ancestral basins were breached by erosion and tectonism, and the through-going Coprates/Ius graben system developed. Major lakes within the Valles Marineris dried up and vigorous wind erosion reduced the friable, evaporite-rich sediments to isolated mounds. Simultaneously, the iron oxide concretions weat hered out to form lag deposits mostly at the base of scarps. During that time, some of the ILD may have become tilted by structural deformation. Alternatively, inclined beds on the mounds may have come from draping by volcanic ash or eolian deposits, or by gravity sliding on the steep, evaporite-charged flanks of the mounds. Inclined layers could be readily explained if the ILD were tuyas. Landslides fell into the newly created voids and occasional sliding persisted throughout most of the troughs' history. Minor volcanic activity continued and may have spewed mafic ash onto the eroded ILD-mound surfaces and onto the trough floors. Eventually, only wind persisted, producing yardangs on the ILD and reworking ash, trapped eolian sediments, and debris eroded from the ILD.

Impact of ABCB1, ABCG2, and CYP3A5 polymorphisms on plasma trough concentrations of apixaban in Japanese patients with atrial fibrillation.

PubMed

Ueshima, Satoshi; Hira, Daiki; Fujii, Ryo; Kimura, Yuuma; Tomitsuka, Chiho; Yamane, Takuya; Tabuchi, Yohei; Ozawa, Tomoya; Itoh, Hideki; Horie, Minoru; Terada, Tomohiro; Katsura, Toshiya

2017-09-01

During anticoagulant therapy, major bleeding is one of the most severe adverse effects. This study aimed to evaluate the relationships between ABCB1, ABCG2, and CYP3A5 polymorphisms and plasma trough concentrations of apixaban, a direct inhibitor of coagulation factor X. A total of 70 plasma concentrations of apixaban from 44 Japanese patients with atrial fibrillation were analyzed. In these analyses, the plasma trough concentration/dose (C/D) ratio of apixaban was used as a pharmacokinetic index and all data were stratified according to the presence of ABCB1 (ABCB1 1236C>T, 2677G>T/A, and 3435C>T), ABCG2 (ABCG2 421C>A), and CYP3A5 (CYP3A5*3) polymorphisms. Influences of various clinical laboratory parameters (age, serum creatinine, estimated glomerular filtration rate, aspartate amino transferase, and alanine amino transferase) on the plasma trough C/D ratio of apixaban were included in analyses. Although no ABCB1 polymorphisms affected the plasma trough C/D ratio of apixaban, the plasma trough C/D ratio of apixaban was significantly higher in patients with the ABCG2 421A/A genotype than in patients with the ABCG2 421C/C genotype (P<0.01). The plasma trough C/D ratio of apixaban in patients with CYP3A5*1/*3 or *3/*3 genotypes was also significantly higher than that in patients with the CYP3A5*1/*1 genotype (P<0.05). Furthermore, the plasma trough C/D ratio of apixaban decreased with increased estimated glomerular filtration rate. These results indicate that ABCG2 421A/A and CYP3A5*3 genotypes and renal function are considered potential factors affecting trough concentrations of apixaban.

Exploration gaps exist in Nigeria`s prolific delta

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

Thomas, D.

The Niger delta region of the Republic of Nigeria is Africa`s largest oil producing area. It is clear that Nigeria will continue to contribute significantly to world petroleum production well into the 21st century: with increases in recoverable oil reserves in the Niger delta onshore and offshore; the promising potential of the Niger delta deepwater region; and a lesser but not insignificant contribution from the unexplored onshore Benue trough, part of the mid-African rift system, which has already proved to hold substantial oil reserves in the Doba basin of neighboring Chad. This is the first of five parts on Nigeria`smore » oil and gas potential. The later articles deal with Niger delta oil reserves and production, Niger delta gas reserves, the delta`s deepwater region, and the Benue trough and onshore cretaceous rift basins. This article deals with the geologic setting of the Niger delta-Benue trough region, the synrift deposits, marine sedimentation, margin evolution, geologic strata and reservoirs, reservoir character, structure and traps, hydrocarbon types, geotemperatures, and source rock quality.« less

A digital map of the high center (HC) and low center (LC) polygon boundaries delineated from high resolution LiDAR data for Barrow, Alaska

DOE Data Explorer

Gangodagamage, Chandana; Wullschleger, Stan

2014-07-03

This dataset represent a map of the high center (HC) and low center (LC) polygon boundaries delineated from high resolution LiDAR data for the arctic coastal plain at Barrow, Alaska. The polygon troughs are considered as the surface expression of the ice-wedges. The troughs are in lower elevations than the interior polygon. The trough widths were initially identified from LiDAR data, and the boundary between two polygons assumed to be located along the lowest elevations on trough widths between them.

Continuous coating of silicon-on-ceramic

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heaps, J. D.; Schuldt, S. B.; Grung, B. L.; Zook, J. D.; Butter, C. D.

1980-01-01

Growth of sheet silicon on low-cost substrates has been demonstrated by the silicon coating with inverted meniscus (SCIM) technique. A mullite-based ceramic substrate is coated with carbon and then passed over a trough of molten silicon with a raised meniscus. Solidification occurs at the trailing edge of the downstream meniscus, producing a silicon-on-ceramic (SOC) layer. Meniscus shape and stability are controlled by varying the level of molten silicon in a reservoir connected to the trough. The thermal conditions for growth and the crystallographic texture of the SOC layers are similar to those produced by dip-coating, the original technique of meniscus-controlled growth. The thermal conditions for growth have been analyzed in some detail. The analysis correctly predicts the velocity-thickness relationship and the liquid-solid interface shape for dip-coating, and appears to be equally applicable to SCIM-coating. Solar cells made from dip-coated SOC material have demonstrated efficiencies of 10% on 4-sq cm cells and 9.9% on 10-sq cm cells.

Sedimentation and tectonics of the Sylhet trough, Bangladesh

USGS Publications Warehouse

Johnson, S.Y.; Nur Alam, A.M.

1991-01-01

The Sylhet trough, a sub-basin of the Bengal Basin in northeastern Bangladesh, contains a thick fill (12 to 16 km) of late Mesozoic and Cenozoic strata that record its tectonic evolution. Stratigraphic, sedimentologic, and petrographic data collected from outcrops, cores, well logs, and seismic lines are used to reconstruct the history of this trough. -from Authors

Concentrating Solar Power Projects - Yumen 50MW Thermal Oil Trough CSP

Science.gov Websites

project | Concentrating Solar Power | NREL Thermal Oil Trough CSP project Status Date : September 28, 2016 Project Overview Project Name: Yumen 50MW Thermal Oil Trough CSP project Country: China : Thermal Oil Power Block Turbine Capacity (Gross): 50.0 MW Turbine Capacity (Net): 50.0 MW Output Type

Collapse Pits

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

24 April 2005 This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a large and several small pits formed by collapse along the trend of a fault system in the Uranius Fossae region of Mars. Running diagonal from middle-right toward lower left is a trough that intersects the pit. The trough is a typical graben formed by faulting as the upper crust of Mars split and pulled apart at this location. The opening of the graben also led to formation of the collapse pits.

Location near: 26.2oN, 88.7oW Image width: 3 km (1.9 mi) Illumination from: lower left Season: Northern Summer

The prevalence of Escherichia coli O157:H7 fecal shedding in feedlot pens is affected by the water-to-cattle ratio: A randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Beauvais, Wendy; Gart, Elena V; Bean, Melissa; Blanco, Anthony; Wilsey, Jennifer; McWhinney, Kallie; Bryan, Laura; Krath, Mary; Yang, Ching-Yuan; Manriquez Alvarez, Diego; Paudyal, Sushil; Bryan, Kelsey; Stewart, Samantha; Cook, Peter W; Lahodny, Glenn; Baumgarten, Karina; Gautam, Raju; Nightingale, Kendra; Lawhon, Sara D; Pinedo, Pablo; Ivanek, Renata

2018-01-01

Escherichia coli O157:H7 fecal shedding in feedlot cattle is common and is a public health concern due to the risk of foodborne transmission that can result in severe, or even fatal, disease in people. Despite a large body of research, few practical and cost-effective farm-level interventions have been identified. In this study, a randomized controlled trial was conducted to assess the effect of reducing the level of water in automatically refilling water-troughs on fecal shedding of E. coli O157:H7 in feedlot cattle. Pens in a feedlot in the Texas Panhandle were randomly allocated as control (total number: 17) or intervention (total number: 18) pens. Fecal samples (2,759 in total) were collected both at baseline and three weeks after the intervention, and tested for the presence of E. coli O157:H7 using immunomagnetic bead separation and selective culture. There was a strong statistical association between sampling date and the likelihood of a fecal sample testing positive for E. coli O157:H7. Pen was also a strong predictor of fecal prevalence. Despite accounting for this high level of clustering, a statistically significant association between reduced water levels in the trough and increased prevalence of E. coli O157:H7 in the feces was observed (Odds Ratio = 1.6; 95% Confidence Interval: 1.2-2.0; Likelihood Ratio Test: p = 0.02). This is the first time that such an association has been reported, and suggests that increasing water-trough levels may be effective in reducing shedding of E. coli O157:H7 in cattle feces, although further work would be needed to test this hypothesis. Controlling E. coli O157:H7 fecal shedding at the pre-harvest level may lead to a reduced burden of human foodborne illness attributed to this pathogen in beef.

The prevalence of Escherichia coli O157:H7 fecal shedding in feedlot pens is affected by the water-to-cattle ratio: A randomized controlled trial

PubMed Central

Gart, Elena V.; Bean, Melissa; Blanco, Anthony; Wilsey, Jennifer; McWhinney, Kallie; Bryan, Laura; Krath, Mary; Yang, Ching-Yuan; Manriquez Alvarez, Diego; Paudyal, Sushil; Bryan, Kelsey; Stewart, Samantha; Cook, Peter W.; Lahodny, Glenn; Baumgarten, Karina; Gautam, Raju; Nightingale, Kendra; Lawhon, Sara D.; Pinedo, Pablo; Ivanek, Renata

2018-01-01

Escherichia coli O157:H7 fecal shedding in feedlot cattle is common and is a public health concern due to the risk of foodborne transmission that can result in severe, or even fatal, disease in people. Despite a large body of research, few practical and cost-effective farm-level interventions have been identified. In this study, a randomized controlled trial was conducted to assess the effect of reducing the level of water in automatically refilling water-troughs on fecal shedding of E. coli O157:H7 in feedlot cattle. Pens in a feedlot in the Texas Panhandle were randomly allocated as control (total number: 17) or intervention (total number: 18) pens. Fecal samples (2,759 in total) were collected both at baseline and three weeks after the intervention, and tested for the presence of E. coli O157:H7 using immunomagnetic bead separation and selective culture. There was a strong statistical association between sampling date and the likelihood of a fecal sample testing positive for E. coli O157:H7. Pen was also a strong predictor of fecal prevalence. Despite accounting for this high level of clustering, a statistically significant association between reduced water levels in the trough and increased prevalence of E. coli O157:H7 in the feces was observed (Odds Ratio = 1.6; 95% Confidence Interval: 1.2–2.0; Likelihood Ratio Test: p = 0.02). This is the first time that such an association has been reported, and suggests that increasing water-trough levels may be effective in reducing shedding of E. coli O157:H7 in cattle feces, although further work would be needed to test this hypothesis. Controlling E. coli O157:H7 fecal shedding at the pre-harvest level may lead to a reduced burden of human foodborne illness attributed to this pathogen in beef. PMID:29414986

Observations and simulations of the bottom nepheloid layer in the Lafourche Trough, Louisiana Continental Shelf

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jolliff, J.; Jarosz, E.; Penko, A.; Smith, T.

2017-12-01

The "Lafourche Trough" is a mud/silt -dominated, elongate seafloor depression located between transgressive sandy shoals approximately 50 km south of Cocodrie, Louisiana. These irregular bathymetric features are relicts of the abandoned Lafourche delta complex that still have an impact upon coupled sediment-hydrodynamic processes occurring today. Repeated optical and physical oceanographic surveys conducted during the spring of 2015 and winter 2017 reveal persistent bottom nepheloid layers (BNLs) characterized by extreme optical turbidity (beam attenuation 10 m-1, 532 nm). The manifestation and persistence of cohesive sediment BNLs in this area appears to result from a complex interplay between tidal currents, bathymetry, and frontal dynamics along the edge of the Mississippi River plume. Numerical experiments were performed using the Coupled Ocean Atmosphere Mesoscale Prediction System (COAMPS), an integrated air-sea-wave operational forecasting tool, that includes a simplified numerical sediment resuspension and transport scheme in order to simulate the nepheloid layer observations through the trough. The model results suggest that the wave-current bottom boundary layer is a critical factor in BNL development, and thusly, without wave model integration into COAMPS the system struggles to replicate the observations. Future modeling work will need to explore the potential suppression of physical mixing due to density perturbations along the BNL to fluid mud continuum within the bottom boundary layer.

Properties of solar generators with reflectors and radiators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ebeling, W. D.; Rex, D.; Bierfischer, U.

1980-06-01

Radiation cooled concentrator systems using silicon and GaAs cells were studied. The principle of radiation cooling by the reflector surfaces is discussed for cylindrical parabolic reflectors (SARA), truncated hexagonal pyramids, and a small trough configuration. Beam paths, collection properties for imperfect orientation, and thermal optimization parameters were analyzed. The three concentrating systems with radiation cooling offer advantages over the plane panel and over the large trough. With silicon solar cells they exhibit considerably lower solar cell consumption per Kw and also lower mass per kW. With GaAs cells the SARA system reduces the number of solar cells needed per kW to less than 10%. Also in all other cases SARA offers the best values for alpha and F sub sol, as long as narrow angular tolerances of the panel orientation can be met. Analysis of the energy collecting properties for imperfect orientation shows the superiority of the hexagonal concentrator. This device can produce power for even large angles between the sun and the panel normal.

Optical design of two-axes parabolic trough collector and two-section Fresnel lens for line-to-spot solar concentration.

PubMed

Ramírez, Carlos; León, Noel; García, Héctor; Aguayo, Humberto

2015-06-01

Solar tracking concentrators are optical systems that collect the solar energy flux either in a line or spot using reflective or refractive surfaces. The main problem with these surfaces is their manufacturing complexity, especially at large scales. In this paper, a line-to-spot solar tracking concentrator is proposed. Its configuration allows for a low-cost solar concentrator system. It consists of a parabolic trough collector (PTC) and a two-section PMMA Fresnel lens (FL), both mounted on a two-axis solar tracker. The function of the PTC is to reflect the incoming solar radiation toward a line. Then, the FL, which is placed near the focus, transforms this line into a spot by refraction. It was found that the system can achieve a concentration ratio of 100x and concentrate an average solar irradiance of 518.857W/m² with an average transmittance of 0.855, taking into account the effect of the chromatic aberration.

The Salton Seismic Imaging Project (SSIP): Rift Processes and Earthquake Hazards in the Salton Trough (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hole, J. A.; Stock, J. M.; Fuis, G. S.; Rymer, M. J.; Murphy, J. M.; Sickler, R. R.; Criley, C. J.; Goldman, M.; Catchings, R. D.; Ricketts, J. W.; Gonzalez-Fernandez, A.; Driscoll, N.; Kent, G.; Harding, A. J.; Klemperer, S. L.

2009-12-01

The Salton Seismic Imaging Project (SSIP) and coordinated projects will acquire seismic data in and across the Salton Trough in southern California and northern Mexico, including the Coachella, Imperial, and Mexicali Valleys. These projects address both rifting processes at the northern end of the Gulf of California extensional province and earthquake hazards at the southern end of the San Andreas Fault system. In the central Salton Trough, North American lithosphere appears to have been rifted completely apart. Based primarily on a 1979 seismic refraction project, the 20-22 km thick crust is apparently composed entirely of new crust added by magmatism from below and sedimentation from above. The new data will constrain the style of continental breakup, the role and mode of magmatism, the effects of rapid Colorado River sedimentation upon extension and magmatism, and the partitioning of oblique extension. The southernmost San Andreas Fault is considered at high risk of producing a large damaging earthquake, yet structures of the fault and adjacent basins are poorly constrained. To improve hazard models, SSIP will image the geometry of the San Andreas and Imperial Faults, structure of sedimentary basins in the Salton Trough, and three-dimensional seismic velocity of the crust and uppermost mantle. SSIP and collaborating projects have been funded by several different programs at NSF and the USGS. These projects include seven lines of land refraction and low-fold reflection data, airguns and OBS data in the Salton Sea, coordinated fieldwork for onshore-offshore and 3-D data, and a densely sampled line of broadband stations across the trough. Fieldwork is tentatively scheduled for 2010. Preliminary work in 2009 included calibration shots in the Imperial Valley that quantified strong ground motion and proved lack of harm to agricultural irrigation tile drains from explosive shots. Piggyback and complementary studies are encouraged.

Magnetic anomaly map of the central Cayman Trough, northwestern Caribbean Sea

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dillon, William P.; Edgar, N. Terence; Parson, Lindsay M.; Scanlon, Kathryn M.; Driscoll, George R.; Jacobs, Colin L.

1993-01-01

This is the first large-scale published map of magnetic anomalies in the central Cayman Trough area. Two previously published very small scale maps based on much less data are a regional map (Gough and Heirtzler, 1969) and a map compiled from several tracklines running parallel to the axis of the Cayman Trough (MacDonald and Holcombe, 1978).

Effect of Channel Catfish Ictalurus Punctatus Egg Mass Loading Rate on Performance of the “See-Saw” Incubator

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The “See-Saw” is a vertical-lift incubator that increases water circulation around and through channel catfish egg masses. Baskets in the incubator move up and down on racks in conventional hatchery troughs, raising the rack in one trough while lowering the rack in the adjacent trough. Egg masses ...

Cut By Troughs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

1 September 2005 This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows an impact crater cut by troughs which formed after the crater formed. The crater and troughs have large windblown ripples on their floors. The ripples, troughs, craters, and other surfaces in this scene have all been mantled by dust. Dark streaks on slopes indicate areas where avalanches of dry dust have occurred. These features are located on Sacra Mena, a large mesa in the Kasei Valles region.

Location near: 25.4oN, 66.8oW Image width: width: 3 km (1.9 mi) Illumination from: lower left Season: Northern Autumn

Ganges Chasma in 3-D

NASA Image and Video Library

1999-06-25

Ganges Chasma is part of the Valles Marineris trough system that stretches nearly 5,000 kilometers 3,000 miles across the western equatorial region of Mars. This stereo anaglyph is from NASA Mars Global Surveyor. 3D glasses are necessary.

Aeolian Sediment Transport Pathways and Aerodynamics at Troughs on Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bourke, Mary C.; Bullard, Joanna E.; Barnouin-Jha, Olivier S.

2004-01-01

Interaction between wind regimes and topography can give rise to complex suites of aeolian landforms. This paper considers aeolian sediment associated wit11 troughs on Mars and identifies a wider range of deposit types than has previously been documented. These include wind streaks, falling dunes, "lateral" dunes, barchan dunes, linear dunes, transverse ridges, sand ramps, climbing dunes, sand streamers, and sand patches. The sediment incorporated into these deposits is supplied by wind streaks and ambient Planitia sources as well as originating within the trough itself, notably from the trough walls and floor. There is also transmission of sediment between dneTsh. e flow dynamics which account for the distribution of aeolian sediment have been modeled using two-dimensional computational fluid dynamics. The model predicts flow separation on the upwind side of the trough followed by reattachment and acceleration at the downwind margin. The inferred patterns of sediment transport compare well with the distribution of aeolian forms. Model data indicate an increase of wind velocity by approx. 30 % at the downwind trough margin. This suggests that the threshold wind speed necessary for sand mobilization on Mars will be more freqentmlye t in these inclined locations.

Studies of plasma irregularities and convection in the polar ionosphere using HILAT, SABRE and EISCAT. Interim report, 1 Feb 88-31 Mar 89

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

Jones, T.B.; Lester, M.; Wilkinson, A.J.

A statistical study of the F-region main ionospheric trough has been undertaken with EISCAT common programme data to assess the possibility that the trough region is a perferential region for the generation of E-region irregularities. Three years of CP-3 data from EISCAT formed the basis of this study. Backscatter observed by the coherent radar, SABRE, was also utilized to study the occurrence of irregularities in the E-region. On 26 out of the 36 days when the trough was observed by EISCAT, SABRE observed coherent backscatter. Although this percentage seems high, there was no consistent relationship between the latitude of themore » trough minimum and the latitude of peak backscatter intensity. A case study involving a four day run of EISCAT in September 1986 indicates that the trough latitude can be affected by changes in the interplanetary magnetic field north-south components. On two days rapid decreases in the latitude of the trough were related to a southward turning of the IMF and the onset of backscatter. The high percentage of occurrence of backscatter is believed to be caused by enhanced convection.« less

Simultaneous Sea-Level Oscillations in Japanese Bays Induced by the Tsunami of Nankai-Trough Earthquake

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oishi, Y.; Furumura, T.; Imamura, F.; Yamashita, K.; Sugawara, D.

2016-12-01

In this study, we investigate the response of bays to the tsunami of Nankai-trough earthquake based on tsunami simulations and demonstrate the possibility that sea-level oscillation of each bay, which is induced by an incident tsunami, interacts with those of other bays. Several major cities in Japan, including the capital, are located in the bays near the Nankai trough and it is assumed that these cities will be largely affected by the tsunamis caused by recurring large earthquakes at the trough. Therefore, it is very important for these populated cities to understand the mechanism and properties of the tsunami-induced oscillations that continue for a long time in bays to draw up evacuation plans. To investigate the response of bays for various tsunamis that may occur in the Nankai trough area, we distributed the tsunami sources that have the form of a 2-D Gaussian function around the Nankai trough. From simulations with these sources, it was found that strong oscillations of bay water occur when the source is located in the bay itself or when strong oscillations occur in other bays. For example, when the Tosa bay oscillates, the Tokyo bay that is 600 km away from the Tosa bay also oscillates. Among the bays around the Nankai trough, the Suruga bay, the deepest bay in Japan with a 2500-km depth, oscillates more strongly than other bays for most cases. To check the influence of the strong oscillations in the Suruga bay on other bays, we conducted tsunami simulations using a modified topography model in which the Suruga bay is artificially landfilled. As a consequence, the strength of oscillations in the adjacent bays are reduced by 20-30%, suggesting the large influence of the distinguished oscillation of the Suruga bay on these bays. We finally conducted tsunami simulations using the eleven Nankai-trough earthquake scenarios of the Central Disaster Prevention Council (CDPC) of Japan as tsunami sources, and the mutual relation regarding the strengths of oscillations among the bays around the Nankai trough was confirmed irrespective of the earthquake scenarios. The results of this study suggest that oscillations of the bays do not occur independently in each bay but simultaneously occur among the bays. More detailed characteristics of the response of the bays to the tsunamis in the Nankai-trough area will be discussed in the presentation.

Systems and Methods for Automated Vessel Navigation Using Sea State Prediction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Huntsberger, Terrance L. (Inventor); Howard, Andrew B. (Inventor); Reinhart, Rene Felix (Inventor); Aghazarian, Hrand (Inventor); Rankin, Arturo (Inventor)

2017-01-01

Systems and methods for sea state prediction and autonomous navigation in accordance with embodiments of the invention are disclosed. One embodiment of the invention includes a method of predicting a future sea state including generating a sequence of at least two 3D images of a sea surface using at least two image sensors, detecting peaks and troughs in the 3D images using a processor, identifying at least one wavefront in each 3D image based upon the detected peaks and troughs using the processor, characterizing at least one propagating wave based upon the propagation of wavefronts detected in the sequence of 3D images using the processor, and predicting a future sea state using at least one propagating wave characterizing the propagation of wavefronts in the sequence of 3D images using the processor. Another embodiment includes a method of autonomous vessel navigation based upon a predicted sea state and target location.

Systems and Methods for Automated Vessel Navigation Using Sea State Prediction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Aghazarian, Hrand (Inventor); Reinhart, Rene Felix (Inventor); Huntsberger, Terrance L. (Inventor); Rankin, Arturo (Inventor); Howard, Andrew B. (Inventor)

2015-01-01

Systems and methods for sea state prediction and autonomous navigation in accordance with embodiments of the invention are disclosed. One embodiment of the invention includes a method of predicting a future sea state including generating a sequence of at least two 3D images of a sea surface using at least two image sensors, detecting peaks and troughs in the 3D images using a processor, identifying at least one wavefront in each 3D image based upon the detected peaks and troughs using the processor, characterizing at least one propagating wave based upon the propagation of wavefronts detected in the sequence of 3D images using the processor, and predicting a future sea state using at least one propagating wave characterizing the propagation of wavefronts in the sequence of 3D images using the processor. Another embodiment includes a method of autonomous vessel navigation based upon a predicted sea state and target location.

Air-borne shape measurement of parabolic trough collector fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prahl, Christoph; Röger, Marc; Hilgert, Christoph

2017-06-01

The optical and thermal efficiency of parabolic trough collector solar fields is dependent on the performance and assembly accuracy of its components such as the concentrator and absorber. For the purpose of optical inspection/approval, yield analysis, localization of low performing areas, and optimization of the solar field, it is essential to create a complete view of the optical properties of the field. Existing optical measurement tools are based on ground based cameras, facing restriction concerning speed, volume and automation. QFly is an airborne qualification system which provides holistic and accurate information on geometrical, optical, and thermal properties of the entire solar field. It consists of an unmanned aerial vehicle, cameras and related software for flight path planning, data acquisition and evaluation. This article presents recent advances of the QFly measurement system and proposes a methodology on holistic qualification of the complete solar field with minimum impact on plant operation.

Stratigraphic framework of Cambrian and Ordovician rocks in the central Appalachian Basin from Medina County, Ohio, through southwestern and south-central Pennsylvania to Hampshire County, West Virginia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ryder, Robert T.; Harris, Anita G.; Repetski, John E.; revised and digitized by Crangle, Robert D.

2003-01-01

A 275-mi-long restored stratigraphic cross section from Medina County, Ohio, through southwestern and south-central Pennsylvania to Hampshire County, W. Va., provides new details on Cambrian and Ordovician stratigraphy in the central Appalachian basin and the structure of underlying Precambrian basement rocks. From west to east, the major structural elements of the block-faulted basement in this section are (1) the relatively stable, slightly extended craton, which includes the Wooster arch, (2) the fault-controlled Ohio-West Virginia hinge zone, which separates the craton from the adjoining Rome trough, (3) the Rome trough, which consists of an east-facing asymmetric graben and an overlying sag basin, and (4) a positive fault block, named here the South-central Pennsylvania arch, which borders the eastern margin of the graben part of the Rome trough. Pre-Middle Ordovician structural relief on Precambrian basement rocks across the down-to-the-west normal fault that separates the Rome trough and the adjoining South-central Pennsylvania arch amounted to between 6,000 and 7,000 ft. The restored cross section shows eastward thickening of the Cambrian and Ordovician sequence from about 3,000 ft near the crest of the Wooster arch at the western end of the section to about 5,150 ft at the Ohio-West Virginia hinge zone adjoining the western margin of the Rome trough to about 19,800 ft near the depositional axis of the Rome trough. East of the Rome trough, at the adjoining western edge of the South-central Pennsylvania arch, the Cambrian and Ordovician sequence thins abruptly to about 13,500 ft and then thins gradually eastward across the arch to about 12,700 ft near the Allegheny structural front and to about 10,150 ft at the eastern end of the restored section. In general, the Cambrian and Ordovician sequence along this section consists of four major lithofacies that are predominantly shallow marine to peritidal in origin. In ascending stratigraphic order, the lithofacies are identified by the following descriptive names: (1) sandstone, shale, limestone, and dolomite unit, (2) dolomite and sandstone unit, (3) limestone and black shale unit, and (4) shale and sandstone unit. Each of these units and their associated subunits thicken from west to east across the restored section to a maximum near the depositional axis of the Rome trough and then thin eastward to the end of the section. The sandstone, shale, limestone, and dolomite unit is largely confined to the asymmetric graben that marks the initial phase of the Rome trough. This unit is Early and Middle Cambrian in age and consists, in ascending order, of a basal sandstone unit (undrilled but probably present), the Tomstown Dolomite (undrilled but probably present), the Waynesboro Formation, and the Pleasant Hill Limestone and its equivalent lower one-third of the Elbrook Formation at the eastern end of the section. The dolomite and sandstone unit forms the core of the Cambrian and Ordovician sequence. In the Rome trough and on the adjoining South-central Pennsylvania arch, this unit consists, in ascending order, of the Middle and Upper Cambrian Warrior Formation and the equivalent upper two-thirds of the Elbrook Formation at the eastern end of the section, the Upper Cambrian Gatesburg Formation, and the Lower Ordovician and Middle Ordovician (Whiterockian and Chazyan) Beekmantown Group. West of the Ohio-West Virginia hinge zone, the dolomite and sandstone unit consists, in ascending order, of the Conasauga Formation of Janssens (1973), the Krysik sandstone of driller's usage, the B zone of Calvert (1964), the Knox Dolomite and the associated Rose Run Sandstone Member, and the Wells Creek Formation. The widespread Knox unconformity is located at the base of the Wells Creek Formation and at or near the top of the adjoining Beekmantown Group, except near the depositional axis of the Rome trough, where the unconformity seems to be absent. The limestone and black shale unit i

Development of real time monitor system displaying seismic waveform data observed at seafloor seismic network, DONET, for disaster management information

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Horikawa, H.; Takaesu, M.; Sueki, K.; Takahashi, N.; Sonoda, A.; Miura, S.; Tsuboi, S.

2014-12-01

Mega-thrust earthquakes are anticipated to occur in the Nankai Trough in southwest Japan. In the source areas, we have deployed seafloor seismic network, DONET (Dense Ocean-floor Network System for Earthquake and Tsunamis), in 2010 in order to monitor seismicity, crustal deformations, and tsunamis. DONET system consists of totally 20 stations, which is composed of six kinds of sensors, including strong-motion seismometers　and quartz pressure gauges. Those stations are densely distributed with an average spatial interval of 15-20 km and cover near the trench axis to coastal areas. Observed data are transferred to a land station through a fiber-optical cable and then to JAMSTEC (Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology) data management center through a private network in real time. After 2011 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku Earthquake, each local government close to Nankai Trough try to plan disaster prevention scheme. JAMSTEC will disseminate DONET data combined with research accomplishment so that they will be widely recognized as important earthquake information. In order to open DONET data observed for research to local government, we have developed a web application system, REIS　(Real-time Earthquake Information System). REIS is providing seismic waveform data to some local governments close to Nankai Trough as a pilot study. As soon as operation of DONET is ready, REIS will start full-scale operation. REIS can display seismic waveform data of DONET in real-time, users can select strong motion and pressure data, and configure the options of trace view arrangement, time scale, and amplitude. In addition to real-time monitoring, REIS can display past seismic waveform data and show earthquake epicenters on the map. In this presentation, we briefly introduce DONET system and then show our web　application system. We also discuss our future plans for further developments of REIS.

Storm Observations of Persistent Three-Dimensional Shoreline Morphology and Bathymetry Along a Geologically Influenced Shoreface Using X-Band Radar (BASIR)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brodie, K. L.; McNinch, J. E.

2008-12-01

Accurate predictions of shoreline response to storms are contingent upon coastal-morphodynamic models effectively synthesizing the complex evolving relationships between beach topography, sandbar morphology, nearshore bathymetry, underlying geology, and the nearshore wave-field during storm events. Analysis of "pre" and "post" storm data sets have led to a common theory for event response of the nearshore system: pre-storm three-dimensional bar and shoreline configurations shift to two-dimensional, linear forms post- storm. A lack of data during storms has unfortunately left a gap in our knowledge of how the system explicitly changes during the storm event. This work presents daily observations of the beach and nearshore during high-energy storm events over a spatially extensive field site (order of magnitude: 10 km) using Bar and Swash Imaging Radar (BASIR), a mobile x-band radar system. The field site contains a complexity of features including shore-oblique bars and troughs, heterogeneous sediment, and an erosional hotspot. BASIR data provide observations of the evolution of shoreline and bar morphology, as well as nearshore bathymetry, throughout the storm events. Nearshore bathymetry is calculated using a bathymetry inversion from radar- derived wave celerity measurements. Preliminary results show a relatively stable but non-linear shore-parallel bar and a non-linear shoreline with megacusp and embayment features (order of magnitude: 1 km) that are enhanced during the wave events. Both the shoreline and shore-parallel bar undulate at a similar spatial frequency to the nearshore shore- oblique bar-field. Large-scale shore-oblique bars and troughs remain relatively static in position and morphology throughout the storm events. The persistence of a three-dimensional shoreline, shore-parallel bar, and large-scale shore-oblique bars and troughs, contradicts the idea of event-driven shifts to two- dimensional morphology and suggests that beach and nearshore response to storms may be location specific. We hypothesize that the influence of underlying geology, defined by (1) the introduction of heterogeneous sediment and (2) the possible creation of shore-oblique bars and troughs in the nearshore, may be responsible for the persistence of three-dimensional forms and the associated shoreline hotspots during storm events.

Welfare of organic laying hens kept at different indoor stocking densities in a multi-tier aviary system. II: live weight, health measures and perching.

PubMed

Steenfeldt, S; Nielsen, B L

2015-09-01

Multi-tier aviary systems, where conveyor belts below the tiers remove the manure at regular intervals, are becoming more common in organic egg production. The area on the tiers can be included in the net area available to the hens (also referred to as usable area) when calculating maximum indoor stocking densities in organic systems within the EU. In this article, results on live weight, health measures and perching are reported for organic laying hens housed in a multi-tier system with permanent access to a veranda and kept at stocking densities (D) of 6, 9 and 12 hens/m2 available floor area, with concomitant increases in the number of hens per trough, drinker, perch and nest space. In a fourth treatment, access to the top tier was blocked reducing vertical, trough, and perch access at the lowest stocking density (D6x). In all other aspects than stocking density, the experiment followed the EU regulations on the keeping of organic laying hens. Hen live weight, mortality and foot health were not affected by the stocking densities used in the present study. Other variables (plumage condition, presence of breast redness and blisters, pecked tail feathers, and perch use) were indirectly affected by the increase in stocking density through the simultaneous reduction in access to other resources, mainly perches and troughs. The welfare of the hens was mostly affected by these associated constraints, despite all of them being within the allowed minimum requirements for organic production in the EU. Although the welfare consequences reported here were assessed to be moderate to minor, it is important to take into account concurrent constraints on access to other resources when higher stocking densities are used in organic production.

Weak lensing by galaxy troughs in DES Science Verification data

DOE PAGES

Gruen, D.; Friedrich, O.; Amara, A.; ...

2015-11-29

In this study, we measure the weak lensing shear around galaxy troughs, i.e. the radial alignment of background galaxies relative to underdensities in projections of the foreground galaxy field over a wide range of redshift in Science Verification data from the Dark Energy Survey. Our detection of the shear signal is highly significant (10σ–15σ for the smallest angular scales) for troughs with the redshift range z ϵ [0.2, 0.5] of the projected galaxy field and angular diameters of 10 arcmin…1°. These measurements probe the connection between the galaxy, matter density, and convergence fields. By assuming galaxies are biased tracers ofmore » the matter density with Poissonian noise, we find agreement of our measurements with predictions in a fiducial Λ cold dark matter model. The prediction for the lensing signal on large trough scales is virtually independent of the details of the underlying model for the connection of galaxies and matter. Our comparison of the shear around troughs with that around cylinders with large galaxy counts is consistent with a symmetry between galaxy and matter over- and underdensities. In addition, we measure the two-point angular correlation of troughs with galaxies which, in contrast to the lensing signal, is sensitive to galaxy bias on all scales. The lensing signal of troughs and their clustering with galaxies is therefore a promising probe of the statistical properties of matter underdensities and their connection to the galaxy field.« less

A new Arctic seepage site? Preliminary evidence from benthic community

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caridi, Francesca; Sabbatini, Anna; Morigi, Caterina; Giulia Lucchi, Renata

2017-04-01

The Kveithola Trough is an abrupt and narrow sedimentary system located in the NW Barents Sea. The hydrographic, bio-geochemical conditions and the possible existence of gas seepage activity of the area have been investigated during the Eurofleets 2- BURSTER cruise, conducted on board the German icebreaker RV Polarstern. The aim of our work is to characterize the benthic biota and more specifically the macrofaunal community structure coupled to the study of benthic foraminiferal meiofauna. Preliminary qualitative results revealed that in the inner Kveithola Trough, the macrofaunal community is composed by abundant black worm tubes (Chaetopteridae worms and Siboglinidae-like taxa) with presence of Thyasiridae bivalve species. The occurrence of these macrofaunal taxa is usually associated to oxygen-reduced environments, hydrothermal vents and cold seeps. The living benthic foraminiferal assemblage in the same stations is characterized by the presence of typically oxygen-depleted environmental taxa including the calcareous species Nonionellina labradorica and Globobulimina spp.. Conversely, in the outer Kveithola trough, both benthic macrofauna and foraminiferal meiofauna assemblages are characterized by less opportunistic taxa with a higher biodiversity suggesting very distinct oceanographic sea bottom conditions. The organic matter richness plays a large role in the Kveithola Trough environmental setting and may bring anoxic conditions that could affect the biota of the area. In fact, the benthic community structure of this area inhabits suboxic, anoxic and organic-enriched sediments and disturbed environments, forming assemblages with low diversity and high abundances of a few tolerant and/or specialized species. This preliminary finding could be consistent with other studies examining benthic community structure around Svalbard and in particular cold seep and vents habitats where faunal characteristics are patchy, suggesting small-scale heterogeneity in the environment surrounding cold seeps. For said reasons we envisage the presence of a new Arctic seepage site having a strong local impact on the benthic system.

Burridge-Knopoff Model as an Educational and Demonstrational Tool in Seismicity Prediction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kato, M.

2007-12-01

While our effort is ongoing, the fact that predicting destructive earthquakes is not a straightforward business is hard to sell to the general public. Japan is prone to two types of destructive earthquakes; interplate events along Japan Trench and Nankai Trough, and intraplate events that often occur beneath megacities. Periodicity of interplate earthquakes is usually explained by the elastic rebound theory, but we are aware that the historical seismicity along Nankai Trough is not simply periodic. Inland intraplate events have geologically postulated recurrence intervals that are far longer than human lifetime, and we do not have ample knowledge to model their behavior that includes interaction among intraplate and interplate events. To demonstrate that accumulation and release of elastic energy is complex even in a simple system, we propose to utilize the Burridge-Knopoff (BK) model as a demonstrational tool. This original one-dimensional model is easy to construct and handle so that this is also an effective educational tool for classroom use. Our simulator is a simple realization of the original one dimensional BK, which consists of small blocks, springs and a motor. Accumulation and release of strain is visibly observable, and by guessing when the next large events occur we are able to intuitively learn that observation of strain accumulation is only one element in predicting large events. Quantitative analysis of the system is also possible by measuring the movement of blocks. While the long term average of strain energy is controlled by the loading rate, observed seismicity is neither time-predictable nor slip-predictable. Time between successive events is never a constant. Distribution of released energy obeys the power law, similar to Ishimoto- Iida and Gutenberg-Richter Law. This tool is also useful in demonstration of nonlinear behavior of complex system.

Quaternary Turbidite Sedimentation in the Moresby Trough, Preliminary Observations from the Papua New Guinea S2S Study Area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bentley, S. J.; Muhammad, Z.; Dickens, J.; Droxler, A.; Peterson, L.; Opdyke, B.

2004-12-01

Multicores and jumbo piston cores were collected from the Moresby Trough from the R/V Melville in March-April 204 to study patterns of off-shelf sediment flux from the Gulf of Papua to the deep sea over Pleistocene-Holocene timescales. The Moresby Trough represents the primary deep-sea sediment conduit linking the Source to Sink Gulf of Papua study area to the north with the Coral Sea Basin to the south. Core locations were navigated from the surface using dynamic positioning and multibeam bathymetric mosaics collected during the cruise. Selected cores have been analyzed using a multi-sensor core logger, X-radiography, granulometry, and Pb-210 geochronology. Most piston cores collected from the Moresby Trough contain abundant mafic sandy turbidites overlain by fine-grained hemipelagic deposits 1-2 m thick. X-radiographs of multicores reveal mostly bioturbated hemipelagics. However, one core, MV25-0403-24MC, was collected from the axis of a primary channel, and contains at least two fine-grained turbidites within the upper 0.5 m of sediment. The uppermost turbidite contains low but uniform activities of excess Pb-210, and may have been 15-20 cm thick at the time of deposition (i.e., before subsequent disruption by bioturbation), based on fabric and radiochemical evidence. Application of a simple box-model for physical mixing (i.e., during the flow) and subsequent decay suggests that the uppermost turbidite was deposited 70-120 years before present. Bioturbation has since reworked about 60% of the bed, suggesting that such beds will only escape destruction by bioturbation if they are > 10 cm thick, and are deposited more frequently than once per century. Based on these observations, we suggest that gravity flows are presently active in the Moresby trough, and may account for a significant fraction of the hemipelagic drape present in channel systems. However, fabric evidence for these thin, fine-grained beds may be obscured by subsequent bioturbation. Also, at some point in the past, possibly at the onset of the Holocene Transgression, the character of sediment flux to the Moresby Trough shifted from sandy mafic-rich sandy turbidity currents to much finer sediments, delivered downslope by both benthic flows and vertical flux through the water column.

New insights into West Greenland ice sheet/stream dynamics during the last glacial cycle.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roberts, David; Lane, Tim; Rea, Brice; Cofaigh, Colm O.; Jamieson, Stewart; Vieli, Andreas; Rodes, Angel

2015-04-01

Onshore and offshore geomorphological mapping and deglacial chronologies from West Greenland constrain the nature and magnitude of ice advance and decay of the Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) during the last glacial cycle. Several ice stream troughs are known to have fed ice to the shelf edge during the last glacial cycle. Their offshore expression suggests that many were coalescent systems fed by smaller outlet glaciers and ice streams onshore but their central flow pathways were also controlled by geology and preglacial topography. The bed morphology of these large ice streams shows they operated over soft, deforming beds with drumlins, mega-scale glacial lineations and grounding zone wedges marking an offshore transition from predominant areal scour onshore. Records of offshore deglacial chronology remain sparse but the Uummannaq and Disko Bugt ice stream corridors are now well constrained. The Uummannaq ice stream (UIS) completely deglaciated from the continental shelf between 14.8 ka and 11.0 ka in response to rising air temperatures, increasing JJA solar radiation and sea-level rise, but temporary standstills and the asynchronous retreat history of its feeder zones suggest that topography/bathymetry strongly modulated retreat rates as ice became 'locked' back into the coastal fjord system. Initial reconstructions of behaviour UIS discounted an oceanic role in early deglaciation and favoured retreat from the mid-shelf and inner-shelf prior to the Younger Dryas but both these concepts remain under investigation. In Disko Bugt, Jakobshavn Isbrae deglaciated later than the UIS and remained on the outer shelf during the Younger Dyras stadial (12.8 - 11.7 cal. kyrs BP) only reaching in the inner coast fjords at approximately 10.0 ka. The later deglaciation of the Disko system (despite similar external forcing mechanisms) was controlled by regional topographic/bathymetric contrasts in their respective trough morphologies. This hypothesis is supported by recent model output which indicates that non-linear retreat, grounding line stability and up-ice surface thinning is heavily influenced by both vertical and lateral constrictions in marine trough systems. While the offshore ice stream corridors are beginning to reveal their dynamic retreat history, knowledge of the inter-stream areas on the continental shelf remains very poor. The western, onshore sector of the GrIS has a much improved deglacial chronology derived from radiocarbon and new cosmogenic surface exposure dating undertaken in the last decade, but the deglacial history of wide swathes of the inner, mid and outer continental shelf remains completely unknown. The Hellefiske moraines on the West Greenland shelf were described in the late 1970's but little is known of ice sheet retreat behaviour across these areas. Understanding the deglacial signature of such regions is important if we are to use palaeo-reconstructions to understand ice sheet collapse/retreat mechanisms and to inform future model predictions.

Ocular Penetration and Anti-inflammatory Activity of Ketorolac 0.45% and Bromfenac 0.09% Against Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Inflammation

PubMed Central

Galindo, Danielle; Villanueva, Linda; Nguyen, Cathy; Patel, Milan; Borbridge, Lisa; Attar, Mayssa; Schiffman, Rhett M.; Hollander, David A.

2011-01-01

Abstract Purpose Anti-inflammatory activity of topical nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs is mediated by suppression of cyclooxygenase (COX) isoenzymes. This study compared ocular penetration and inflammation suppression of topical ketorolac 0.45% and bromfenac 0.09% ophthalmic solutions in a rabbit model. Methods At hour 0, 36 rabbits received ketorolac 0.45%, bromfenac 0.09%, or an artificial tear 3 times once every 20 min. Half of the rabbits in each group then received intravenous injections of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)–dextran at hour 1, and the other half at hour 10. Aqueous and iris-ciliary body (ICB) samples were collected in the former group at hour 2 (peak) and in the latter group at hour 11 (trough) An additional group of 6 animals received only FITC-dextran, and samples were collected 1 h later. Peak and trough nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug concentrations were compared with previously determined half-maximal inhibitory concentrations (IC50) for COX isoenzymes. Results Peak and trough aqueous and ICB concentrations of ketorolac were at least 7-fold or greater than those of bromfenac. At peak levels, both ketorolac 0.45% and bromfenac 0.09% significantly inhibited LPS-induced aqueous prostaglandin E2 and FITC-dextran elevation (P < 0.01). At trough, both study drugs significantly inhibited LPS-induced aqueous prostaglandin E2 elevation (P < 0.05), but only ketorolac 0.45% significantly reduced LPS-induced aqueous FITC-dextran elevation (P < 0.01). Aqueous and ICB ketorolac concentrations exceeded its IC50 for COX-1 and COX-2 at peak and trough. Aqueous and ICB bromfenac levels exceeded its IC50 for COX-2 at peak and trough, but not for COX-1 at trough aqueous levels and peak and trough ICB levels. Conclusions Both ketorolac 0.45% and bromfenac 0.09% effectively suppressed inflammation at peak. At trough, only ketorolac 0.45% effectively suppressed inflammation as measured by FITC-dextran leakage. The difference in inflammation suppression may be due to differences in tissue concentrations and/or greater COX-1 suppression by ketorolac 0.45%. PMID:21351868

Assessing the Relative Mobility of Submarine Landslides from Deposit Morphology and Physical Properties: an Example from Nankai Trough, Offshore Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sawyer, D.; Moore, Z. T.

2014-12-01

A prominent landslide deposit in the Slope Basin seaward of the Megasplay Fault in the Nankai Trough was emplaced by a high-mobility landslide based on analysis of physical properties and seismic geomorphology. Slide acceleration is a critical variable that determines amplitude of slide-generated tsunami but is many times a variable with large uncertainty. In controlled laboratory experiments, the ratio of the shear stress to yield strength, defined as the Flow Factor, controls a wide spectrum of mass movement styles from slow, retrogressive failure to rapid, liquefied flows. We apply the laboratory Flow Factor approach to a natural landslide in the Nankai Trough by constraining pre-failure particle size analysis and porosity. Several mass transport deposits (MTDs), were drilled and cored at Site C0021 in the Nankai Trough during Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Expedition 338. The largest, MTD-6, occurs at 133-176 meters below seafloor and occurred approximately 0.87 Mya. Slide volume is 2 km3, transport distance is 5 km, and average deposit thickness is 50 m (maximum 180 m). Pre-failure water content was estimated from shallow sediments at Site C0018 (porosity = 72%). The average grain size distribution is 39% clay-sized, 58% silt-sized, and 3% sand-size particles as determined by hydrometer analyses of the MTD. Together, the porosity and clay fraction predict a Flow Factor of approximately 4, which corresponds to a relatively high mobility slide. We interpret this result to indicate the landslide that created MTD-6 was a single event that transported the slide mass relatively rapidly as opposed to a slow, episodic landslide event. This is supported by the observation of a completely evacuated source area with no remnant blocks or retrogressive headscarp and the internally chaotic seismic facies with large entrained blocks. Future works will focus on the tsunamigenic potential of this high mobility slide. This approach can be extended to other field settings characterized by fine-grained siliciclastics and where porosity and clay content are known.

Betel Nut Chewing Is Associated With Reduced Tacrolimus Concentration in Taiwanese Liver Transplant Recipients.

PubMed

Chen, W-Y; Lee, C-Y; Lin, P-Y; Hsieh, C-E; Ko, C-J; Lin, K-H; Lin, C-C; Ming, Y-Z; Chen, Y-L

2017-03-01

Studies have shown that arecoline, the major alkaloid component of betel nuts, alters the activity of enzymes in the cytochrome P450 (CYP-450) family. Tacrolimus, an immunosuppressant that protects against organ rejection in transplant recipients, not only is mainly metabolized by CYP3A enzymes but also has a narrow therapeutic range. We aimed to investigate whether dose-adjusted blood trough levels of tacrolimus differed over time between betel nut-chewing and non-betel nut-chewing liver transplant recipients. In this retrospective case-control study, 14 active betel nut-using liver recipients were matched at a 1:2 ratio to 28 non-betel nut-using liver recipients by sex, age, graft source, duration of follow-up after liver transplantation, and estimated glomerular filtration rate. Differences in liver function index, renal function index, and dose-adjusted blood trough levels of tacrolimus over an 18-month period were compared between the 2 groups by using the Generalized Estimating Equation approach. Dose-adjusted blood trough levels of tacrolimus tended to be significantly (P = .04) lower in betel nut chewers (mean = 0.81, medium = 0.7, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.73 to 0.90) than in nonchewers (mean = 1.12, medium = 0.88, 95% CI = 1.03 to 1.22) during the 18-month study period. However, there was no significant difference in renal and liver function index between the 2 groups. Liver transplant recipients receiving tacrolimus tend to have lower blood trough levels of the drug over time if they chew betel nuts. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Declining Nutrient Concentrations in the Northeast Atlantic as a Result of a Weakening Subpolar Gyre

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, Clare; Inall, Mark; Hakkinen, Sirpa

2013-01-01

Between 1996 and the mid-2000s the upper waters (200-700 m) of the Rockall Trough became warmer (+0.72 C), saltier (+0.088) and reduced in nitrate and phosphate (-2.00 Micron and -0.14 Micron respectively). These changes, out-with calculated errors, can be explained by the varying influence of southern versus subpolar water masses in the basin as the Subpolar Gyre weakened and contracted. Upper water properties strongly correlate with a measure of the strength of the Subpolar Gyre (the first principal component of sea surface height over the Subpolar North Atlantic) prior to the mid-2000s. As the gyre weakens, the upper layers of the trough become warmer (r -0.85), more saline (r -0.86) and reduced in nitrate and phosphate (r +0.81 and r +0.87 respectively). Further the proportion of subpolar waters in the basin decreases from around 50% to less than 20% (r +0. 88). Since the mid-2000s the Subpolar Gyre has been particularly weak. During this period temperatures decreased slightly (-0.21 1C), salinities remained near constant (35.410 +/- 0.005) and phosphate levels low and stable (0.68 +/- 0.02 Micron). These relative lack of changes are thought to be related to the maximum proportion of southern water masses within the Rockall Trough having been reached. Thus the upper water properties are no longer controlled by changes in the relative importance of different water masses in the basin (as prior to the mid-2000s), but rather a different process. We suggest that when the gyre is particularly weak the interannual changes in upper water properties in the Rockall Trough reflect changes in the source properties of the southern water masses. Since the early-2000s the Subpolar Gyre has been weaker than observed since 1992, or modelled since 1960-1970. Hence upper waters within the Rockall Trough may be warmer, saltier and more depleted in nitrate and phosphate than at any time in the last half century.

Facies mosaic in a fiord: Carboniferous-Permian Talchir Formation, India

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

Bose, P.K.; Mukhopadhyay, G.; Bhattacharya, H.N.

1988-01-01

Facies analysis of the basal 37m of the Carboniferous-Permian Talchir Formation is a glacier-fed bedrock trough in Dudhi nala, Bihar, India, provides insight into the pattern of sedimentation of course gravels in a fiord. Rapid transitions between 11 recognized facies, together with their complex organization, random variability in bed thickness, and differences in clast, shape, size, and composition indicate coalescence of fans developed from numerous point sources bordering the elongated trough. Converging slide masses and lodgment tillites on the slopes flanking the trough give way to sediment gravity flow deposits composed of an array of conglomerates (matrix and clast supportedmore » with normal, inverse of absence of grading), attendant turbidite sands, and prodelta mud. The rheology of the in-trough flows ranged from plastic laminar to fluidal turbulent in response to flow from slope to floor of the trough. Rapid calving of icebergs during the onset of deglaciation established a wave regime at the mouth of the trough and deposited cross-stratified sandstone replete with dripstones. The impact of large dripstones landing triggered turbidity currents. Continued rise in water level led to eventual preservation of the fan complex under onlapping wave-built shoal facies that grade into a sequence of upward-thinning hummocky cross-stratified sandstone beds virtually devoid of dripstones.« less

Altitude Variation of the Plasmapause Signature in the Main Ionospheric Trough

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grebowsky, Joseph M.; Benson, Robert F.; Webb, Phillip A.; Truhlik, Vladimir; Bilitza, Dieter

2009-01-01

The projection of the plasmapause magnetic-field lines to low altitudes, where the light-ion chemistry is dominated by O(+), tends to occur near the minimum electron density in the main (midlatitude) electron density trough at night. With increasing attitude in the trough, where H(+) emerges as the dominant iota on the low-latitude boundary, we have found cases where the plasmapause field lines are located on the sharp low-Latitude side of the trough as expected if this topside ionosphere H(+) distribution varies in step with the plasmapause gradient in the distant plasmasphere. These conclusions are based on near-equatorial crossings of the plasmapause (corresponding to the steep gradient in the dominant species H(+) by the Explorer-45 satellite as determined from electric-field measurements by Maynard and Cauffman in the early 1970s and ISIS-2 ionospheric topside-sounder measurements. The former data have now been converted to digital form and made available at http://nssdcftp.gsfc.nasa.gov. The latter provide samples of nearly coincident observations of ionospheric main trough crossings near the same magnetic-field lines of the Explorer 45-determined equatorial plasmapause. The ISIS-2 vertical electron density profiles are used to infer where the F-region transitions from an O(+) to a H(+) dominated plasma through the main trough boundaries.

Petroleum prospects of Benue trough, Nigeria

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

Nawachukwu, J.I.

1985-04-01

Exploration activities in the Benue trough have been minimal over the years, mainly because of large petroleum deposits found in the adjoining Niger delta and early gas finds in the Anambra basin, south of the Benue trough. The recent increase in exploration activities in the trough has necessitated a reevaluation of the petroleum potentials of the basin. In this study, the time-temperature index (TTI) method was used to evaluate petroleum prospects of the basin. An increase in geothermal gradient resulted in a decrease in depth to the oil window, with the sediments maturing earlier at higher geothermal gradients. At geothermalmore » gradients of 1.5-1.9/sup 0/F/100 ft (2.73.5/sup 0/C/100 m) and maximum TTI values, the Asu River Group and the Eze-Aku Group of sediments are still within the gas-generating stage. The Awgu Shale and the Nkporo Shale are capable of generating gas at geothermal gradients of 2.3-2.7/sup 0/F/100 ft (4.2-4.9/sup 0/C/100 m). The Benue trough is essentially a gas-condensate basin with little oil. Exploration targets in the basin include both the sub-Santonian and superSantonian sediments, with the Eze-Aku Group, Awgu Shale, and Nkporo Shale being more prospective than the stratigraphically lower Asu River Group. In general, the middle Benue trough is considered to be the most prospective area within the trough because depths to the mature zones are moderate (6,600-13,000 ft; 2-4 km). These depths are variable, decreasing northeastward and increasing southwestward toward the Niger delta.« less

Katabatic jumps in the Martian northern polar regions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spiga, Aymeric; Smith, Isaac

2018-07-01

Martian polar regions host active regional wind circulations, such as the downslope katabatic winds which develop owing to near-surface radiative cooling and sloped topography. Many observations (stratigraphy from radar profiling, frost streaks, spectral analysis of ices) concur to show that aeolian processes play a key role in glacial processes in Martian polar regions. A spectacular manifestation of this resides in elongated clouds that forms within the polar spiral troughs, a series of geological depressions in Mars' polar caps. Here we report mesoscale atmospheric modeling in Martian polar regions making use of five nested domains operating a model downscaling from horizontal resolutions of twenty kilometers to 200 m in a typical polar trough. We show that strong katabatic jumps form at the bottom of polar troughs with an horizontal morphology and location similar to trough clouds, large vertical velocity (up to +3 m/s) and temperature perturbations (up to 20 K) propitious to cloud formation. This strongly suggests that trough clouds on Mars are caused by katabatic jumps forming within polar troughs. This phenomena is analogous to the terrestrial Loewe phenomena over Antarctica's slopes and coastlines, resulting in a distinctive "wall of snow" during katabatic events. Our mesoscale modeling results thereby suggest that trough clouds might be present manifestations of the ice migration processes that yielded the internal cap structure discovered by radar observations, as part of a "cyclic step" process. This has important implications for the stability and possible migration over geological timescales of water ice surface reservoirs-and, overall, for the evolution of Mars' polar caps over geological timescales.

Laboratory measurement of apixaban using anti-factor Xa assays in acute ischemic stroke patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation.

PubMed

Shin, Hyoshim; Cho, Min-Chul; Kim, Rock Bum; Kim, Chang-Hun; Choi, Nack-Cheon; Kim, Soo-Kyung; Koh, Eun-Ha

2018-02-01

Apixaban is effective and safe for preventing stroke, and its usage has increased exponentially in recent years. However, data concerning the therapeutic range of apixaban is limited. This study determined the trough and peak levels of apixaban-specific anti-factor Xa activity (AFXaA) in acute ischemic stroke patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) in Korea. The study included 85 patients who received apixaban. Blood samples were taken to measure the trough and peak levels of AFXaA using a chromogenic anti-factor assay, as well as prothrombin time (PT) and activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT). We also reviewed complications such as major bleeding of patients treated with apixaban. In patients given a 5.0-mg apixaban dose, the median trough and peak levels of AFXaA were 104.5 and 202.0 ng/mL. In patients given a 2.5-mg apixaban dose, the median trough and peak AFXaA levels were 76.0 and 151.0 ng/mL. The PT showed a positive correlation with increased AFXaA activity at both levels (Trough R = 0.486, Peak R = 0.592), but the aPTT had no relationship with AFXaA activity at both levels (Trough R = 0.181, Peak R = 0.129). Two cases with intracranial bleeding belonged to the highest AFXaA quartile (Trough, p = 0.176; Peak, p = 0.053). In conclusion, we determined the trough and peak levels of AFXaA in patients with NVAF while being treated with the apixaban in Korea. Our results could be used as a starting point when setting the reference ranges for laboratories using anti-Xa assay. Large-scale studies are needed to establish the reference range for AFXaA in patients with NVAF.

Early vedolizumab trough levels predict mucosal healing in inflammatory bowel disease: a multicentre prospective observational study.

PubMed

Yacoub, W; Williet, N; Pouillon, L; Di-Bernado, T; De Carvalho Bittencourt, M; Nancey, S; Lopez, A; Paul, S; Zallot, C; Roblin, X; Peyrin-Biroulet, L

2018-04-01

The correlation between vedolizumab trough levels during induction therapy and mucosal healing remains unknown. To compare early vedolizumab trough levels in patients with and without mucosal healing within the first year after treatment initiation. We prospectively collected vedolizumab trough levels in all inflammatory bowel disease patients at weeks 2, 6 and 14 of vedolizumab treatment in three French referral centres between 1 June 2014 and 31 March 2017. Results of every patient that underwent mucosal assessment by magnetic resonance imaging and/or endoscopy in the first year after treatment initiation were analysed. Median vedolizumab trough levels in the overall population (n = 82) were 27 μg/mL (interquartile range, IQR 21.2-33.8 μg/mL) at week 2, 23 μg/mL (IQR 15-34.5 μg/mL) at week 6 and 10.7 μg/mL (IQR 4.6-20.4 μg/mL) at week 14. Only median vedolizumab trough levels at week 6 differed between patients with and without mucosal healing within the first year after treatment initiation (26.8 vs 15.1 μg/mL, P = 0.035). A cut-off trough level of 18 μg/mL at week 6 predicted mucosal healing within the first year after the start of vedolizumab with an area under the receiver operating curve of 0.735 (95% confidence interval 0.531-0.939). A vedolizumab trough level above 18 μg/mL at week 6 was the only independent variable associated with mucosal healing within the first year of treatment (odds ratio 15.7, 95% confidence interval 2.4-173.0, P = 0.01). Early therapeutic drug monitoring might improve timely detection of vedolizumab-treated patients in need for an intensified dosing regimen. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Crustal structure of the Murray Ridge, northwest Indian Ocean, from wide-angle seismic data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Minshull, T. A.; Edwards, R. A.; Flueh, E. R.

2015-07-01

The Murray Ridge/Dalrymple Trough system forms the boundary between the Indian and Arabian plates in the northern Arabian Sea. Geodetic constraints from the surrounding continents suggest that this plate boundary is undergoing oblique extension at a rate of a few millimetres per year. We present wide-angle seismic data that constrains the composition of the Ridge and of adjacent lithosphere beneath the Indus Fan. We infer that Murray Ridge, like the adjacent Dalrymple Trough, is underlain by continental crust, while a thin crustal section beneath the Indus Fan represents thinned continental crust or exhumed serpentinized mantle that forms part of a magma-poor rifted margin. Changes in crustal structure across the Murray Ridge and Dalrymple Trough can explain short-wavelength gravity anomalies, but a long-wavelength anomaly must be attributed to deeper density contrasts that may result from a large age contrast across the plate boundary. The origin of this fragment of continental crust remains enigmatic, but the presence of basement fabrics to the south that are roughly parallel to Murray Ridge suggests that it separated from the India/Seychelles/Madagascar block by extension during early breakup of Gondwana.

Central venous pulse pressure analysis using an R-synchronized pressure measurement system.

PubMed

Fujita, Yoshihisa; Hayashi, Daisuke; Wada, Shinya; Yoshioka, Naoki; Yasukawa, Takeshi; Pestel, Gunther

2006-12-01

The information derived from central venous catheters is underused. We developed an EKG-R synchronization and averaging system to obtained distinct CVP waveforms and analyzed components of these. Twenty-five paralyzed surgical patients undergoing CVP monitoring under mechanical ventilation were studied. CVP and EKG signals were analyzed employing our system, the mean CVP and CVP at end-diastole during expiration were compared, and CVP waveform components were measured using this system. CVP waveforms were clearly visualized in all patients. They showed the a peak to be 1.8+/- 0.7 mmHg, which was the highest of three peaks, and the x trough to be lower than the y trough (-1.6+/- 0.7 mmHg and -0.9+/- 0.5 mmHg, respectively), with a mean pulse pressure of 3.4 mmHg. The difference between the mean CVP and CVP at end-diastole during expiration was 0.58+/- 0.81 mmHg. The mean CVP can be used as an index of right ventricular preload in patients under mechanical ventilation with regular sinus rhythm. Our newly developed system is useful for clinical monitoring and for education in circulatory physiology.

Evidence and mechanism of Hurricane Fran-Induced ocean cooling in the Charleston Trough

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xie, Lian; Pietrafesa, L. J.; Bohm, E.; Zhang, C.; Li, X.

Evidence of enhanced sea surface cooling during and following the passage of Hurricane Fran in September 1996 over an oceanic depression located on the ocean margin offshore of Charleston, South Carolina (referred to as the Charleston Trough), [Pietrafesa, 1983] is documented. Approximately 4C° of sea surface temperature (SST) reduction within the Charleston Trough following the passage of Hurricane Fran was estimated based on SST imagery from Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) on the NOAA-14 polar orbiting satellite. Simulations using a three-dimensional coastal ocean model indicate that the largest SST reduction occurred within the Charleston Trough. This SST reduction can be explained by oceanic mixing due to storm-induced internal inertia-gravity waves.

Non-tracking solar energy collector system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Selcuk, M. K. (Inventor)

1978-01-01

A solar energy collector system is described characterized by an improved concentrator for directing incident rays of solar energy on parallel strip-like segments of a flatplate receiver. Individually mounted reflector modules of a common asymmetrical triangular cross-sectional configuration supported for independent orientation are asymmetric included with vee-trough concentrators for deflecting incident solar energy toward the receiver.

The Pliocene Lost River found to west: Detrital zircon evidence of drainage disruption along a subsiding hotspot track

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hodges, M.K.V.; Link, P.K.; Fanning, C.M.

2009-01-01

SHRIMP analysis of U/Pb ages of detrital zircons in twelve late Miocene to Pleistocene sand samples from six drill cores on the Snake River Plain (SRP), Idaho, suggests that an ancestral Lost River system was drained westward along the northern side of the SRP. Neoproterozoic (650 to 740??Ma, Cryogenian) detrital zircon grains from the Wildhorse Creek drainage of the Pioneer Mountains core complex, with a source in 695??Ma orthogneiss, and which are characteristic of the Big Lost River system, are found in Pliocene sand from cores drilled in the central SRP (near Wendell) and western SRP (at Mountain Home). In addition to these Neoproterozoic grains, fluvial sands sourced from the northern margin of the SRP contain detrital zircons with the following ages: 42 to 52??Ma from the Challis magmatic belt, 80 to 100??Ma from the Atlanta lobe of the Idaho batholith, and mixed Paleozoic and Proterozoic ages (1400 to 2000??Ma). In contrast, sands in the Mountain Home Air Base well (MHAB) that contain 155-Ma Jurassic detrital grains with a source in northern Nevada are interpreted to represent an integrated Snake River, with provenance on the southern, eastern and northern sides of the SRP. We propose that late Pliocene and early Pleistocene construction of basaltic volcanoes and rhyolitic domes of the Axial Volcanic Zone of the eastern SRP and the northwest-trending Arco Volcanic Rift Zone (including the Craters of the Moon volcanic center), disrupted the paleo-Lost River drainage, confining it to the Big Lost Trough, a volcanically dammed basin of internal drainage on the Idaho National Laboratory (INL). After the Axial Volcanic Zone and Arco Volcanic Rift Zone were constructed to form a volcanic eruptive and intrusive highland to the southwest, sediment from the Big Lost River was trapped in the Big Lost Trough instead of being delivered by surface streams to the western SRP. Today, water from drainages north of the SRP enters the Snake River Plain regional aquifer through sinks in the Big Lost Trough, and the water resurfaces at Thousand Springs, Idaho, about 195??km to the southwest. Holocene to latest Pliocene samples from drill core in the Big Lost Trough reveal interplay between the glacio-fluvial outwash of the voluminous Big Lost River system and the relatively minor Little Lost River system. A mixed provenance signature is recognized in fine-grained sands deposited in a highstand of a Pleistocene pluvial-lake system. ?? 2009 Elsevier B.V.

Control Chart on Semi Analytical Weighting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miranda, G. S.; Oliveira, C. C.; Silva, T. B. S. C.; Stellato, T. B.; Monteiro, L. R.; Marques, J. R.; Faustino, M. G.; Soares, S. M. V.; Ulrich, J. C.; Pires, M. A. F.; Cotrim, M. E. B.

2018-03-01

Semi-analytical balance verification intends to assess the balance performance using graphs that illustrate measurement dispersion, trough time, and to demonstrate measurements were performed in a reliable manner. This study presents internal quality control of a semi-analytical balance (GEHAKA BG400) using control charts. From 2013 to 2016, 2 weight standards were monitored before any balance operation. This work intended to evaluate if any significant difference or bias were presented on weighting procedure over time, to check the generated data reliability. This work also exemplifies how control intervals are established.

Progress on the Ram Wing Concept with Emphasis on Lateral Dynamics

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1971-01-01

Theoretical and experimental efforts conducted at the Transportation Systems Center in the ram wing program are described. Glide Tests were performed using a simple ram wing model operating in an open rectangular trough 50 ft long. Lift drag ratios o...

Waveform anomaly caused by strong attenuation in the crust and upper mantle in the Okinawa Trough region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Padhy, S.; Furumura, T.; Maeda, T.

2017-12-01

The Okinawa Trough is a young continental back-arc basin located behind the Ryukyu subduction zone in southwestern Japan, where the Philippine Sea Plate dives beneath the trough, resulting in localized mantle upwelling and crustal thinning of the overriding Eurasian Plate. The attenuation structure of the plates and surrounding mantle in this region associated with such complex tectonic environment are poorly documented. Here we present seismological evidence for these features based on the high-resolution waveform analyses and 3D finite difference method (FDM) simulation. We analyzed regional broadband waveforms recorded by F-net (NIED) of in-slab events (M>4, H>100 km). Using band-passed (0.5-8 Hz), mean-squared envelopes, we parameterized coda-decay in terms of rise-time (time from P-arrival to maximum amplitude in P-coda), decay-time (time from maximum amplitude to theoretical S-arrival), and energy-ratio defined as the ratio of energy in P-coda to that in direct P wave. The following key features are observed. First, there is a striking difference in S-excitation along paths traversing and not traversing the trough: events from SW Japan not crossing the trough show clear S waves, while those occurring in the trough show very weak S waves at a station close to the volcanic front. Second, some trough events exhibit spindle-shaped seismograms with strong P-coda excitation, obscuring the development of S waves, at back-arc stations; these waveforms are characterized by high decay-time (>10s) and high energy-ratio (>>1.0), suggesting strong forward scattering along ray paths. Third, some trough events show weak S-excitation characterized by low decay-time (<5s) and low energy-ratio (<1.0) at fore-arc stations, suggesting high intrinsic absorption. To investigate the mechanism of the observed anomalies, we will conduct FDM simulation for a suite of models comprising the key subduction features like localized mantle-upwelling and crustal thinning expected in the region. It is expected that simulation results help to resolve rift-induced crust and upper mantle anomalies in the trough showing maximum waveform distortion as we observed in broadband records, and will enhance understanding of tectonic processes related to back-arc rifting in the region.

Plasma trough concentrations of darunavir/ritonavir and raltegravir in older patients with HIV-1 infection.

PubMed

Calza, L; Colangeli, V; Magistrelli, E; Bussini, L; Conti, M; Ramazzotti, E; Mancini, R; Viale, P

2017-08-01

The aim of the study was to assess plasma concentrations of darunavir/ritonavir and raltegravir in older patients compared with younger patients with HIV-1 infection. In this observational, open-label study, adult HIV-infected out-patients aged ≤ 40 years (younger patients) or ≥ 60 years (older patients) and treated with tenofovir/emtricitabine plus darunavir/ritonavir (800/100 mg daily) or raltegravir (400 mg twice daily) were asked to participate. The trough concentrations (C trough ) of darunavir/ritonavir and raltegravir were assessed at steady state using a validated high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-tandem mass spectrometry method. A total of 88 HIV-positive patients were enrolled in the study. Forty-six patients were treated with darunavir/ritonavir, and 42 with raltegravir. The geometric mean plasma C trough (coefficient of variation) of raltegravir was comparable between the 19 older and 23 younger subjects: 106 ng/mL (151%) and 94 ng/mL (129%), respectively [geometric mean ratio (GMR) 0.85; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.71-1.57; P = 0.087]. In contrast, the geometric mean plasma C trough of darunavir was significantly higher among the 21 older patients [2209 ng/mL (139%)] than among the 25 younger patients [1876 ng/mL (162%); GMR 1.56; 95% CI: 1.22-1.88; P = 0.004]. Similarly, the geometric mean C trough of ritonavir was significantly higher among older than among younger individuals. The mean plasma C trough of darunavir and ritonavir was significantly higher in older patients than in younger patients with HIV-1 infection, while the mean plasma level of raltegravir was comparable in the two groups. However, both regimens showed good tolerability in both younger and older subjects. © 2017 British HIV Association.

Healthcare-associated Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia in children: Evidence for reverse vancomycin creep and impact of vancomycin trough levels on outcome

PubMed Central

McNeil, J Chase; Kok, Eric Y; Forbes, Andrea; Lamberth, Linda; Hulten, Kristina G; Vallejo, Jesus G; Mason, Edward O; Kaplan, Sheldon L

2015-01-01

Introduction Elevated vancomycin MICs in S. aureus have been associated with worse clinical outcomes in adults. For invasive MRSA infections in adults, the IDSA recommends targeting vancomycin serum trough concentrations between 15–20 μg/ml. We evaluated trends in vancomycin MICs from healthcare-associated S. aureus bacteremia isolates in children in addition to correlating vancomycin serum trough levels with clinical outcomes. Methods Patients and isolates were identified from a prospective S. aureus surveillance study at Texas Children's Hospital (TCH). Healthcare-associated S. aureus bacteremia isolates from 2003–2013 were selected. Vancomycin MICs by E-test were determined and medical records were reviewed. Acute kidney injury (AKI) was defined as doubling of the baseline serum creatinine. Results 341 isolates met inclusion criteria. We observed a reverse vancomycin creep among MRSA isolates in the study period with a decline in the proportion of isolates with vancomycin MIC ≥ 2 μg/ml (from 32.7% to 5.6%, p<0.001). However, the proportion of MSSA isolates with MIC ≥ 2 μg/ml increased (from 2.9% to 9%, p=0.04). Among patients who had vancomycin troughs performed, there was no difference in duration of bacteremia or fever with vancomycin trough >15 μg/ml vs. < 15 μg/ml. A vancomycin trough > 15 μg/ml was, however, an independent risk factor for AKI. Conclusions Vancomycin MICs are shifting among healthcare-associated S. aureus bacteremia isolates with significant differences between MRSA and MSSA at TCH. Higher vancomycin troughs did not improve outcomes in pediatric healthcare-associated S. aureus bacteremia but were associated with increased nephrotoxicity. Further studies are needed to better understand optimal management of children with S. aureus bacteremia. PMID:26646549

Habitat use by larval fishes in a temperate South African surf zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Watt-Pringle, Peter; Strydom, Nadine A.

2003-12-01

Larval fishes were sampled in the Kwaaihoek surf zone on the south east coast of South Africa. On six occasions between February and May 2002, larval fishes were collected in two habitat types identified in the inner surf zone using a modified beach-seine net. The surf zone habitats were classified as either sheltered trough areas or adjacent exposed surf areas. Temperature, depth and current measurements were taken at all sites. Trough habitats consisted of a depression in surf topography characterised by reduced current velocities and greater average depth than adjacent surf areas. In total, 325 larval fishes were collected. Of these, 229 were collected in trough and 96 in surf habitats. At least 22 families and 37 species were represented in the catch. Dominant families were the Mugilidae, Sparidae, Atherinidae, and Engraulidae. Dominant species included Liza tricuspidens and Liza richardsonii (Mugilidae), Rhabdosargus holubi and Sarpa salpa (Sparidae), Atherina breviceps (Atherinidae) and Engraulis japonicus (Engraulide). Mean CPUE of postflexion larvae of estuary-dependent species was significantly greater in trough areas. The proportion of postflexion larval fishes in trough habitat was significantly greater than that of preflexion stages, a result that was not apparent in surf habitat sampled. CPUE of postflexion larvae of estuary-dependent fishes was negatively correlated with current magnitude and positively correlated with habitat depth. Mean body length of larval fishes was significantly greater in trough than in surf habitats. These results provide evidence that the CPUE of postflexion larvae of estuary-dependent fishes is higher in trough habitat in the surf zone and this may be indicative of active habitat selection for areas of reduced current velocity/wave action. The implications of this behaviour for estuarine recruitment processes are discussed.

FAST TRACK COMMUNICATION: Nanocrystalline silicon film growth morphology control through RF waveform tailoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnson, Erik V.; Verbeke, Thomas; Vanel, Jean-Charles; Booth, Jean-Paul

2010-10-01

We demonstrate the application of RF waveform tailoring to generate an electrical asymmetry in a capacitively coupled plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition system, and its use to control the growth mode of hydrogenated amorphous and nanocrystalline silicon thin films deposited at low temperature (150 °C). A dramatic shift in the dc bias potential at the powered electrode is observed when simply inverting the voltage waveform from 'peaks' to 'troughs', indicating an asymmetric distribution of the sheath voltage. By enhancing or suppressing the ion bombardment energy at the substrate (situated on the grounded electrode), the growth of thin silicon films can be switched between amorphous and nanocrystalline modes, as observed using in situ spectroscopic ellipsometry. The effect is observed at pressures sufficiently low that the collisional reduction in average ion bombardment energy is not sufficient to allow nanocrystalline growth (<100 mTorr).

Rewilding as nature based solution in land management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Novara, Agata; Gristina, Luciano; Keesstra, Saskia; Pereira, Paulo; Cerda, Artemio

2017-04-01

Rewilding is an effective tool of ecological restoration and a nature based solution for hydro-meteorological risk control. Rewilding contributes to reduce flood risk, resist droughts, helps to restore soil organic matter content, increases soil and plant biodiversity, improves the overall ecosystem and human health. The key element of rewilding is not the nature control, but following the natural processes to restore the key soil ecological factors and their connectivity. Rewilding can be applicable at different ecosystem stages, from natural reserve to more anthropogenic system such as agricultural land through the restoration of wild soil function trough permaculture or forest farming. The proposed nature based solution not only avoid the investment in traditional engineering but it also an opportunities for creating new economics model based on wild nature (ecoturism, education, wild edible plants). This work is a review of applied rewilding actions and considerations on future nature based solutions applications will be discussed .

Paleozoic tectonics of the Ouachita Orogen through Nd isotopes

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

Gleason, J.D.; Patchett, P.J.; Dickinson, W.R.

1992-01-01

A combined isotopic and trace-element study of the Late Paleozoic Ouachita Orogenic belt has the following goals: (1) define changing provenance of Ouachita sedimentary systems throughout the Paleozoic; (2) constrain sources feeding into the Ouachita flysch trough during the Late Paleozoic; (3) isolate the geochemical signature of proposed colliding terranes to the south; (4) build a data base to compare with possible Ouachita System equivalents in Mexico. The ultimate aim is to constrain the tectonic setting of the southern margin of North America during the Paleozoic, with particular emphasis on collisional events leading to the final suturing of Pangea. Ndmore » isotopic data identify 3 distinct groups: (1) Ordovician passive margin sequence; (2) Carboniferous proto-flysch (Stanley Fm.), main flysch (Jackfork and Atoka Fms.) and molasse (foreland Atoka Fm.); (3) Mississippian ash-flow tuffs. The authors interpret the Ordovician signature to be essentially all craton-derived, whereas the Carboniferous signature reflects mixed sources from the craton plus orogenic sources to the east and possibly the south, including the evolving Appalachian Orogen. The proposed southern source is revealed by the tuffs to be too old and evolved to be a juvenile island arc terrane. They interpret the tuffs to have been erupted in a continental margin arc-type setting. Surprisingly, the foreland molasse sequence is indistinguishable from the main trough flysch sequence, suggesting the Ouachita trough and the craton were both inundated with sediment of a single homogenized isotopic signature during the Late Carboniferous. The possibility that Carboniferous-type sedimentary dispersal patterns began as early as the Silurian has important implications for the tectonics and paleogeography of the evolving Appalachian-Ouachita Orogenic System.« less

Interplay between climatic and tectonic processes in the St. Elias foreland, southern Alaska: Evolution of a glaciated convergent margin since the mid-Pleistocene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Worthington, L. L.; Gulick, S. P.; Ridgway, K. R.; Jaeger, J. M.; Cowan, E. A.; Slagle, A. L.; Forwick, M.

2013-12-01

The offshore St. Elias fold-thrust belt records the complex interaction between collisional tectonics and glacial climate variability, providing insight for models of orogenesis and the evolution of glacial depocenters. Ongoing collision of the Yakutat (YAK) microplate with North America (NA) has driven orogenesis of the St. Elias Mountains and the advance of the offshore deformation front to the southeast. Glacial erosion and deposition have provided sediment that constructed the upper continental shelf, much of which has been reincorporated into the orogenic wedge through offshore faulting and folding. We integrate core and downhole logging data from IODP Expedition 341 (Sites U1420 and U1421) drilled on the Yakutat shelf and slope with high-resolution and regional seismic profiles to investigate the coupled structural and stratigraphic evolution of the St. Elias margin. Site U1420 lies on the Yakutat shelf within the Bering Trough, a shelf-crossing trough that is within primary depocenter for Bering Glacier sediments. The sub-seafloor architecture of the Bering Trough region is defined by a regional unconformity that marks the first glacial advance to the shelf edge. Below the unconformity, the shelf is constructed by multiple aggradational packages that are likely a series of pro-glacial outer shelf/slope fans. Two faults underlie the glacial packages and have been rendered inactive as the depositional environment has evolved, while faulting elsewhere on the shelf has initiated. Site U1421 lies on the current continental slope, within the backlimb of an active thrust that forms part of the modern YAK-NA deformation front. At each of these sites, we recovered glacigenic diamict (at depths up to ~1015 m at Site U1420), all of which is younger than 0.781 Ma. Preliminary age models for the Bering Trough region indicate that the entire outer shelf and shelf edge environment have been built since the Mid-Pleistocene Transition (MPT), and is possibly even younger. In stark contrast to previous interpretations, the shelf environment, in addition to the proximal deep-sea fan system, appears to be a primary glacial depocenter since the MPT, with an average accumulation rate >1.3 mm/yr. Additionally, initiation of active deformation away from the Bering Trough depocenter likely occurred since ~1 Ma. These observations suggest that possible tectonic reorganization due to mass redistribution by glacial processes occurs at time scales on the order of 100kyr-1Myr. It follows that the St. Elias orogenic system may be more sensitive to glacial-interglacial cycles than previously recognized.

Synoptic regimes associated with the eastern Mediterranean wet season cyclone tracks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Almazroui, Mansour; Awad, Adel M.

2016-11-01

The main synoptic patterns associated with the wet season (October-May) eastern Mediterranean cyclones have been analyzed and described using NCEP/NCAR reanalysis datasets for the period 1958-2013. The cyclone tracks detected in the eastern Mediterranean are classified into two types based on their positions: the local tracks and the long tracks. The local tracks are either stationary or short tracks. The long tracks distinguished into eleven very closed and highly correlated clusters, which are presented into three regimes namely the northern, the southern and the eastern border Mediterranean regimes. Among the 940 (44.78% of a total of 2099) long tracks, the northern, southern, and eastern border regime contributes respectively about 53.62%, 41.81% and 5% of the long tracks. In addition, the distribution of the long tracks reveals that a larger proportion of the cyclones are generated at the northern coast during November and spring months, while few cyclones are developed over the eastern Mediterranean border in warm months (April and May). Further, their synoptic features show that the regimes are associated with the extension of Azores high, specifically for each regime, the cyclogenesis areas of its clusters are controlled by the intersection of low level (850 hPa) trough and the position of the upper level (250 hPa) maximum wind. Furthermore, the orientations of clusters are controlled by the extension of Siberian high and the shape of cyclonic trough at 850 hPa. In addition, the synoptic study shows that most of the southern cyclones generated externally by African and Red Sea troughs, while most of the northern and eastern border cyclones are generated internally.

Role of ground ice dynamics and ecological feedbacks in recent ice wedge degradation and stabilization

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mark Torre Jorgenson,; Mikhail Kanevskiy,; Yuri Shur,; Natalia Moskalenko,; Dana Brown,; Wickland, Kimberly P.; Striegl, Robert G.; Koch, Joshua C.

2015-01-01

Ground ice is abundant in the upper permafrost throughout the Arctic and fundamentally affects terrain responses to climate warming. Ice wedges, which form near the surface and are the dominant type of massive ice in the Arctic, are particularly vulnerable to warming. Yet processes controlling ice wedge degradation and stabilization are poorly understood. Here we quantified ice wedge volume and degradation rates, compared ground ice characteristics and thermal regimes across a sequence of five degradation and stabilization stages and evaluated biophysical feedbacks controlling permafrost stability near Prudhoe Bay, Alaska. Mean ice wedge volume in the top 3 m of permafrost was 21%. Imagery from 1949 to 2012 showed thermokarst extent (area of water-filled troughs) was relatively small from 1949 (0.9%) to 1988 (1.5%), abruptly increased by 2004 (6.3%) and increased slightly by 2012 (7.5%). Mean annual surface temperatures varied by 4.9°C among degradation and stabilization stages and by 9.9°C from polygon center to deep lake bottom. Mean thicknesses of the active layer, ice-poor transient layer, ice-rich intermediate layer, thermokarst cave ice, and wedge ice varied substantially among stages. In early stages, thaw settlement caused water to impound in thermokarst troughs, creating positive feedbacks that increased net radiation, soil heat flux, and soil temperatures. Plant growth and organic matter accumulation in the degraded troughs provided negative feedbacks that allowed ground ice to aggrade and heave the surface, thus reducing surface water depth and soil temperatures in later stages. The ground ice dynamics and ecological feedbacks greatly complicate efforts to assess permafrost responses to climate change.

Sirolimus for epilepsy in children with tuberous sclerosis complex: A randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Overwater, Iris E; Rietman, André B; Bindels-de Heus, Karen; Looman, Caspar W N; Rizopoulos, Dimitris; Sibindi, Tafadzwa M; Cherian, Perumpillichira J; Jansen, Floor E; Moll, Henriëtte A; Elgersma, Ype; de Wit, Marie-Claire Y

2016-09-06

To investigate whether mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) inhibitors could reduce seizure frequency in children with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC). Due to slow inclusion rate, target inclusion of 30 children was not reached. Twenty-three children with TSC and intractable epilepsy (age 1.8-10.9 years) were randomly assigned (1:1) to open-label, add-on sirolimus treatment immediately or after 6 months. Sirolimus was titrated to trough levels of 5-10 ng/mL. Primary endpoint was seizure frequency change during the sixth month of sirolimus treatment. Intention-to-treat analysis showed sirolimus treatment resulted in 41% seizure frequency decrease (95% confidence interval [CI] -69% to +14%; p = 0.11) compared to the standard-care period. Per protocol analysis of 14 children who reached sirolimus target trough levels in the sixth sirolimus month showed a seizure frequency decrease of 61% (95% CI -86% to +6%; p = 0.06). Cognitive development did not change. All children had adverse events. Five children discontinued sirolimus prematurely. We describe a randomized controlled trial for a non-antiepileptic drug that directly targets a presumed causal mechanism of epileptogenesis in a genetic disorder. Although seizure frequency decreased, especially in children reaching target trough levels, we could not show a significant benefit. Larger trials or meta-analyses are needed to investigate if patients with TSC with seizures benefit from mTORC1 inhibition. This trial was registered at trialregister.nl (NTR3178) and supported by the Dutch Epilepsy Foundation. This study provides Class III evidence that sirolimus does not significantly reduce seizure frequency in children with TSC and intractable epilepsy. The study lacked the precision to exclude a benefit from sirolimus. © 2016 American Academy of Neurology.

Role of ground ice dynamics and ecological feedbacks in recent ice wedge degradation and stabilization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jorgenson, M. T.; Kanevskiy, M.; Shur, Y.; Moskalenko, N.; Brown, D. R. N.; Wickland, K.; Striegl, R.; Koch, J.

2015-11-01

Ground ice is abundant in the upper permafrost throughout the Arctic and fundamentally affects terrain responses to climate warming. Ice wedges, which form near the surface and are the dominant type of massive ice in the Arctic, are particularly vulnerable to warming. Yet processes controlling ice wedge degradation and stabilization are poorly understood. Here we quantified ice wedge volume and degradation rates, compared ground ice characteristics and thermal regimes across a sequence of five degradation and stabilization stages and evaluated biophysical feedbacks controlling permafrost stability near Prudhoe Bay, Alaska. Mean ice wedge volume in the top 3 m of permafrost was 21%. Imagery from 1949 to 2012 showed thermokarst extent (area of water-filled troughs) was relatively small from 1949 (0.9%) to 1988 (1.5%), abruptly increased by 2004 (6.3%) and increased slightly by 2012 (7.5%). Mean annual surface temperatures varied by 4.9°C among degradation and stabilization stages and by 9.9°C from polygon center to deep lake bottom. Mean thicknesses of the active layer, ice-poor transient layer, ice-rich intermediate layer, thermokarst cave ice, and wedge ice varied substantially among stages. In early stages, thaw settlement caused water to impound in thermokarst troughs, creating positive feedbacks that increased net radiation, soil heat flux, and soil temperatures. Plant growth and organic matter accumulation in the degraded troughs provided negative feedbacks that allowed ground ice to aggrade and heave the surface, thus reducing surface water depth and soil temperatures in later stages. The ground ice dynamics and ecological feedbacks greatly complicate efforts to assess permafrost responses to climate change.

Geohydrology of the Aucilla-Suwannee-Ochlockonee River Basin, south-central Georgia and adjacent parts of Florida

USGS Publications Warehouse

Torak, Lynn J.; Painter, Jaime A.; Peck, Michael F.

2010-01-01

Major streams and tributaries located in the Aucilla-Suwannee-Ochlockonee (ASO) River Basin of south-central Georgia and adjacent parts of Florida drain about 8,000 square miles of a layered sequence of clastic and carbonate sediments and carbonate Coastal Plain sediments consisting of the surficial aquifer system, upper semiconfining unit, Upper Floridan aquifer, and lower confining unit. Streams either flow directly on late-middle Eocene to Oligocene karst limestone or carve a dendritic drainage pattern into overlying Miocene to Holocene sand, silt, and clay, facilitating water exchange and hydraulic connection with geohydrologic units. Geologic structures operating in the ASO River Basin through time control sedimentation and influence geohydrology and water exchange between geohydrologic units and surface water. More than 300 feet (ft) of clastic sediments overlie the Upper Floridan aquifer in the Gulf Trough-Apalachicola Embayment, a broad area extending from the southwest to the northeast through the center of the basin. These clastic sediments limit hydraulic connection and water exchange between the Upper Floridan aquifer, the surficial aquifer system, and surface water. Accumulation of more than 350 ft of low-permeability sediments in the Southeast Georgia Embayment and Suwannee Strait hydraulically isolates the Upper Floridan aquifer from land-surface hydrologic processes in the Okefenokee Basin physiographic district. Burial of limestone beneath thick clastic overburden in these areas virtually eliminates karst processes, resulting in low aquifer hydraulic conductivity and storage coefficient despite an aquifer thickness of more than 900 ft. Conversely, uplift and faulting associated with regional tectonics and the northern extension of the Peninsular Arch caused thinning and erosion of clastic sediments overlying the Upper Floridan aquifer southeast of the Gulf Trough-Apalachicola Embayment near the Florida-Georgia State line. Limestone dissolution in Brooks and Lowndes Counties, Ga., create karst features that enhance water-transmitting and storage properties of the Upper Floridan aquifer, promoting groundwater recharge and water exchange between the aquifer, land surface, and surface water. Structural control of groundwater flow and hydraulic properties combine with climatic effects and increased hydrologic stress from agricultural pumpage to yield unprecedented groundwater-level decline in the northwestern and central parts of the ASO River Basin. Hydrographs from continuous-record observation wells in these regions document declining groundwater levels, indicating diminished water-resource potential of the Upper Floridan aquifer through time. More than 24 ft of groundwater-level decline occurred along the basin's northwestern boundary with the lower Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin, lowering hydraulic gradients that provide the potential for groundwater flow into the ASO River Basin and southeastward across the Gulf Trough-Apalachicola Embayment region. Slow-moving groundwater across the trough-embayment region coupled with downward-vertical flow from upper to lower limestone units composing the Upper Floridan aquifer resulted in 40-50 ft of groundwater-level decline since 1969 in southeastern Colquitt County. Multi-year episodes of dry climatic conditions during the 1980s through the early 2000s contributed to seasonal and long-term groundwater-level decline by reducing recharge to the Upper Floridan aquifer and increasing hydrologic stress by agricultural pumpage. Unprecedented and continued groundwater-level decline since 1969 caused 40-50 ft of aquifer dewatering in southeastern Colquitt County that reduced aquifer transmissivity and the ability to supply groundwater to wells, resulting in depletion of the groundwater resource.

GAS SEAL

DOEpatents

Monson, H.; Hutter, E.

1961-07-11

A seal is described for a cover closing an opening in the top of a pressure vessel that may house a nuclear reactor. The seal comprises a U-shaped trough formed on the pressure vessel around the opening therein, a mass of metal in the trough, and an edge flange on the cover extending loosely into the trough and dipping into the metal mass. The lower portion of the metal mass is kept melted, and the upper portion, solid. The solid pontion of the metal mass prevents pressure surges in the vessel from expelling the liquid portion of the metal mass from the trough; the liquld portion, thus held in place by the solid portion, does not allow gas to go through, and so gas cannot escape through shrinkage holes in the solid portion.

Aerogeophysical evidence for complex subglacial geology below the Rutford drainage basin,WestAntarctica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jones, P.; Ferraccioli, F.; Corr, H.; Smith, A. M.; King, E.; Vaughan, D.

2003-12-01

A significant part of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet appears to be imposed upon a complex and still largely unknown continental rift system, perhaps featuring sedimentary basins, thin crust and high heat flow. Subglacial geology has been postulated to strongly modulate the dynamics and stability of the ice sheet itself. Specifically, recent aerogeophysics collected over central West Antarctica at edge of the Whitmore Mountains crustal block show that narrow subglacial rift basins with thick sedimentary infill may control the onsets and lateral margins of ice streams. The British Antarctic Survey flew an aerogeophysical survey during the 2001-02 field season: the main aim was to investigate what factors control the location and dynamics of the onset region of the Rutford Ice stream. Airborne radar, aerogravity and aeromagnetic data were simultaneously collected over the drainage basin of the Rutford Ice Stream. The new bedrock elevation grid for the area shows that the Rutford Ice Stream is constrained by a deep bedrock trough with a N-S to NE-SW trend. The onset region appears however to lie within an E-W bedrock trough at the edge of the Ellsworth Mountains crustal block. Bouguer gravity maps do not reveal typical signatures for a coincident deep rift basin at this location. However, a sharp NE-SW trending gradient, likely separating crustal blocks with contrasting crustal thickness is revealed. Aeromagnetic data image NE-SW trends north of the Rutford Ice Stream. In the onset region, these trends appear to be truncated by a NNW-SSE trend, lying on strike with the Ellsworth Mountains. Hence, the new aerogeophysical data suggests greater complexity in the subglacial geology and structure of an onset region of an ice stream compared to previous investigations.

Southern Sand Dunes

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-01-15

At first glance, this NASA Mars Odyssey image showing impact craters and linear ridges and troughs is typical of the southern highlands. However, upon closer examination migrating sand dunes are observed within the troughs.

Volcanism and massive sulfide formation at a sedimented spreading center, Escanaba Trough, Gorda Ridge, northeast Pacific.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Morton, J.L.; Holmes, M.L.; Koski, R.A.

1987-01-01

Seismic-reflection profiles over the sediment-filled Escanaba Trough at the southern Gorda Ridge reveal a series of volcanic centers that pierce the sediment. The volcanic edifices are 3 to 6 km in diameter and are spaced at 15 to 20 km intervals along the axis of the trough. Composition and form of sulfide samples obtained from the bank suggest significant interaction between hydrothermal fluids and sediment at depth, and deposition of sulfide within the sediment pile.-from Authors

Storminess and cold air outbreaks in NE America during AD 1790-1820

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van der Schrier, G.; Jones, P. D.

2008-01-01

Two hypotheses have been put forward to explain the anomalously deep trough in winter sea-level pressure in the northwestern Atlantic sector during the AD 1790-1820 period. One relates it to an increase in cyclolysis in this area, the other to a change in the general planetary circulation. In an attempt to distinguish between these hypotheses, storminess and cold air outbreaks (CAO) in the northeastern USA during 1790-1820 are studied, based on a record of daily pressure and temperature observations at Salem (Massachusetts, USA). Frequency changes of CAO act as proxy for planetary circulation changes. It is found that CAO in the early period were both more persistent and severe than those in the modern control period. No evidence of elevated levels of storminess in the 1790-1820 period was found. This suggests that the anomalously deep trough can be attributed mainly to a change in the planetary circulation.

Lightweight, low-cost solar energy collector

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hochberg, Eric B. (Inventor); Costen, Michael K. (Inventor)

2006-01-01

A lightweight solar concentrator of the reflecting parabolic or trough type is realized via a thin reflecting film, an inflatable structural housing and tensioned fibers. The reflector element itself is a thin, flexible, specularly-reflecting sheet or film. The film is maintained in the parabolic trough shape by means of a plurality of identical tensioned fibers arranged to be parallel to the longitudinal axis of the parabola. Fiber ends are terminated in two identical spaced anchorplates, each containing a plurality of holes which lie on the desired parabolic contour. In a preferred embodiment, these fibers are arrayed in pairs with one fiber contacting the front side of the reflecting film and the other contacting the back side of the reflecting film. The reflective surface is thereby slidably captured between arrays of fibers which control the shape and position of the reflective film. Gas pressure in the inflatable housing generates fiber tension to achieve a truer parabolic shape.

Evaluation of body weight-based vancomycin therapy and the incidence of nephrotoxicity: a retrospective study in the northwest of China.

PubMed

Dong, Mo-Han; Wang, Jing-Wen; Wu, Yin; Chen, Bei-Yu; Yu, Min; Wen, Ai-Dong

2015-08-01

To identify specific risk factors of vancomycin-induced nephrotoxicity in China, as the relationship between vancomycin therapy (dosing and trough concentration monitoring) and nephrotoxicity has been the subject of critical debate. The cases of 90 critically ill patients who received vancomycin therapy in Xijing Hospital in the northwest of China between March 2014 and January 2015 were reviewed retrospectively. Vancomycin dosing, blood serum trough concentration, and other independent risk factors associated with nephrotoxicity were evaluated in a multivariable model. Among the 90 critically ill patients, 59 were males; mean age was 46.3 years. The indications for vancomycin use were methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus-associated pneumonia, central nervous system infection, and bacteremia. Clinical pharmacists prescribed weight-based dosing, ranging from 20 to 45mg/kg/day. Fourteen (15.6%) patients developed nephrotoxicity, with serum creatinine elevated significantly from a mean (standard deviation) of 90.0 (18.8) μmol/l to 133.8 (63.2) μmol/l (p = 0.015). It was found that those with a vancomycin dosage >38mg/kg/day (50.0% vs. 11.3%, p = 0.004) and a vancomycin serum trough concentration >20mg/l (57.1% vs. 12.0%, p = 0.01) were more likely to develop nephrotoxicity. The data from this study indicate that a vancomycin dosage >38mg/kg/day and a serum trough level >20mg/l are both independent factors associated with the development of nephrotoxicity, suggesting that renal function should be monitored closely during vancomycin treatment. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Turbidite megabeds in an Oceanic Rift Valley recording jokulhlaups of late Pleistocene glacial lakes of the western United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

Zuffa, G.G.; Normark, W.R.; Serra, F.; Brunner, C.A.

2000-01-01

Escanaba Trough is the southernmost segment of the Gorda Ridge and is filled by sandy turbidites locally exceeding 500 m in thickness. New results from Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Sites 1037 and 1038 that include accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) 14C dates and revised petrographic evaluation of the sediment provenance, combined with high-resolution seismic-reflection profiles, provide a lithostratigraphic framework for the turbidite deposits. Three fining-upward units of sandy turbidites from the upper 365 m at ODP Site 1037 can be correlated with sediment recovered at ODP Site 1038 and Deep Sea Drilling Program (DSDP) Site 35. Six AMS 14C ages in the upper 317 m of the sequence at Site 1037 indicate that average deposition rates exceeded 10 m/k.yr. between 32 and 11 ka, with nearly instantaneous deposition of one ~60-m interval of sand. Petrography of the sand beds is consistent with a Columbia River source for the entire sedimentary sequence in Escanaba Trough. High-resolution acoustic stratigraphy shows that the turbidites in the upper 60 m at Site 1037 provide a characteristic sequence of key reflectors that occurs across the floor of the entire Escanaba Trough. Recent mapping of turbidite systems in the northeast Pacific Ocean suggests that the turbidity currents reached the Escanaba Trough along an 1100-km-long pathway from the Columbia River to the west flank of the Gorda Ridge. The age of the upper fining-upward unit of sandy turbidites appears to correspond to the latest Wisconsinan outburst of glacial Lake Missoula. Many of the outbursts, or jokulhlaups, from the glacial lakes probably continued flowing as hyperpycnally generated turbidity currents on entering the sea at the mouth of the Columbia River.

Root system morphology of Oregon white oak on a glacial outwash soil.

Treesearch

Warren D. Devine; Constance A. Harrington

2005-01-01

Oregon white oak is reportedly a deeply rooted species, but its rooting habit on coarse-textured soils is undocumented. In the Puget Trough of western Washington, Oregon white oak grows in coarse-textured glacial outwash soils on lowland sites. Our objective was to quantify the gross root system morphology of Oregon white oak in these soils, thereby improving our...

Tracing subducted sediment inputs to the Ryukyu arc-Okinawa Trough system: Evidence from thallium isotopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shu, Yunchao; Nielsen, Sune G.; Zeng, Zhigang; Shinjo, Ryuichi; Blusztajn, Jerzy; Wang, Xiaoyuan; Chen, Shuai

2017-11-01

Sediments are actively subducted in virtually every arc worldwide. However, quantifying their contributions to arc lavas and thereby establishing budgets of how sediments participate in slab-mantle interaction is challenging. In this contribution we use thallium (Tl) abundances and isotopic compositions of lavas from the Ryukyu arc (including south Kyushu) and its back-arc basin, Okinawa Trough, to investigate the influence of sediments from arc to back-arc. We also present extensive geochemical data for sediments and altered oceanic crust (AOC) outboard of the northern (DSDP Sites 296, 442B, 443 and 444) and central (DSDP Sites 294 and 295) part of the Ryukyu arc. The Tl isotopic compositions of sediments change systematically from lighter outboard of northern Ryukyu arc to heavier outboard of central Ryukyu arc. The feature reflects the dominance of terrigenous material and pelagic sedimentation outboard of the northern and central Ryukyu arc, respectively. Central and northern sections of Ryukyu arc and Okinawa Trough display larger range of Tl isotopic variation than southern section, which is consistent with more pelagic provenance for sediments outboard of central and northern Ryukyu arcs than that of expected sediments outboard of southern Ryukyu arc. Identical Tl, Sr, Nd and Pb isotope variations are found when comparing arc and back arc lavas, which indicates that sediments fluxes also account for the Tl isotopic variations in the Okinawa Trough lavas. Two-end-member mixing models of Tl with Pb, Sr and Nd isotopes require sediment inputs of< 1%, 0.1-1% and 0.3-2% by weight to the depleted mantle source to account for all these isotopic compositions of lavas from northern, central and southern portion of the Ryukyu arc and Okinawa Trough. Bulk mixing between mantle and sediment end members predict very similar sediment fluxes when using Tl, Sr, Nd and Pb isotopes, which indicates that fractionation of these elements must have happened after mixing between mantle and sediments. This conclusion is corroborated by model calculations of mixing between sediment melts with fractionated Sr/Nd ratios and mantle wedge, which show that no arc lava plot on such mixing lines. Thus bulk sediment mixing, rather than sediment melt, is required for the generation of the lavas from the Ryukyu arc and Okinawa Trough. The requirement of bulk sediment mixing occurring before trace element fractionation in the sub-arc mantle is consistent with models where mélange layers form at the top of the slab and are the principle source material for arc lavas. In addition, the fact that sediment components observed in the Ryukyu arc and Okinawa Trough lavas are similar, suggests that transport of mélange material to the source regions of the arc and back arc is equally efficient. This feature is most readily explained if mélange material is transported from the slab as diapirs.

Stable interior, showing center aisle, stalls, and feed troughs. View ...

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

Stable interior, showing center aisle, stalls, and feed troughs. View looking southwest - Fort Hill Farm, Stable, West of Staunton (Roanoke) River between Turkey & Caesar's Runs, Clover, Halifax County, VA

Prefabricated microvascular autograft in tracheal reconstruction.

PubMed

Fayad, J; Kuriloff, D B

1994-10-01

Tracheal reconstruction continues to be a challenge in head and neck surgery. Numerous techniques, including the use of alloplasts, composite grafts, and staged laryngotracheal troughs, have met with limited success because of implant exposure, infection, persistent granulation tissue, and eventual restenosis. With recently introduced techniques for soft-tissue molding, bone induction with bone morphogenetic protein, and microvascular free tissue transfer, a rodent model was developed to create a well-vascularized tracheal autograft. In this model, a rigid tube having the same dimensions and flexibility as the native trachea was created by wrapping a cylindrical silicone tracheal mold with a layer of vascularized adductor thigh muscle pedicled on the femoral vessels in the groin. Tracheal rings were created by filing transverse troughs in the muscle bed with bone morphogenetic protein-primed demineralized bone matrix before wrapping around the silicone mold. Grafts harvested at 2 weeks demonstrated rigid skeletal support provided by heterotopic bone formation in the form of rings and a smooth inner lining produced by fibroplasia. Bone transformation was controlled and restricted to the muscle troughs, allowing intervening regions of soft tissue and thus producing a flexible neotrachia. With this model, a homologous, vascularized tracheal autograft capable of microvascular free tissue transfer was fabricated based on the femoral vessels. Prefabrication of composite grafts, through the use of soft-tissue molding, bone induction, and subsequent free tissue transfer, has an unlimited potential for use in head and neck reconstruction.

Geophysical investigation of an upper tertiary subbasin in the southern Egyptian Red Sea shelf and its bearing on oil exploration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khattab, M. M.

Several narrow, elongate and Red Sea-trending gravity lows, suggested recently as due to depositional troughs, are shown on the Egyptian Red Sea shelf Bouguer map. Few drilling data and poor reflectivity below the Pliocene-Miocene uncorformity hinder subsurface evaluation. A 1 mgal anomaly (25 km north of Ras Benas Peninsula) was analysed along a crossing sessmic reflection line. The interpretation was aided by: lithology at an off-shore well, seismic data above the unconformity and aeromagnetic data in the southerly-located Foul Bay. The best fit of computed to observed gravity was for a three-layers model (water, post-evaporites and evaporites) where maximum sediment thickness was 3.8 km of which layers 2 and 3 constittted 1.6 and 2.2 km. The subbasin configuration was found to be controlled by Quaternary (similar to that mapped at Egyptian and Saudi Arabian coastal provinces) and pre-middle Miocence (affecting only middle Miocene evaprites beneath a reflection line at the western margin of the main trough near latitude 24°N) faulting which supports the conceot of Red Sea arching and subsequent faulting at marginal shelves. This subbasin is found associated, in part, with a sea--floor trough and with part of Foul Bay magnetic lineations (interpreted recently as caused by oceanic crust) which, in turn, are shown to constitute continuation of mapped onshore tholeiitic dikes.

Channel morphology and its impact on flood passage, the Tianjiazhen reach of the middle Yangtze River

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Yafeng; Zhang, Qiang; Chen, Zhongyuan; Jiang, Tong; Wu, Jinglu

2007-03-01

The Tianjiazhen reach of the middle Yangtze is about 8 km long, and characterized by a narrow river width of 650 m and local water depth of > 90 m in deep inner troughs, of which about 60 m is below the mean sea level. The troughs in the channel of such a large river are associated with regional tectonics and local lithology. The channel configuration plays a critical role in modifying the height and duration of river floods and erosion of the riverbed. The formation of the troughs in the bed of the Yangtze is considered to be controlled by sets of NW-SE-oriented neotectonic fault zones, in which some segments consist of highly folded thick Triassic limestone crossed by the Yangtze River. Several limestone hills, currently located next to the river channel, serve as nodes that create large vortices in the river, thereby accelerating downcutting on the riverbed composed of limestone highly susceptible to physical corrosion and chemical dissolution. Hydrological records indicate that the nodal hills and channel configuration at Tianjiazhen do not impact on normal flow discharges but discharges > 50,000 m 3s - 1 are slowed down for 2-3 days. Catastrophic floods are held up for even longer periods. These inevitably result in elevated flood stages upstream of prolonged duration, affecting large cities such as Wuhan and a very large number of people.

Surface expression of the Chicxulub crater

PubMed

Pope, K O; Ocampo, A C; Kinsland, G L; Smith, R

1996-06-01

Analyses of geomorphic, soil, and topographic data from the northern Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico, confirm that the buried Chicxulub impact crater has a distinct surface expression and that carbonate sedimentation throughout the Cenozoic has been influenced by the crater. Late Tertiary sedimentation was mostly restricted to the region within the buried crater, and a semicircular moat existed until at least Pliocene time. The topographic expression of the crater is a series of features concentric with the crater. The most prominent is an approximately 83-km-radius trough or moat containing sinkholes (the Cenote ring). Early Tertiary surfaces rise abruptly outside the moat and form a stepped topography with an outer trough and ridge crest at radii of approximately 103 and approximately 129 km, respectively. Two discontinuous troughs lie within the moat at radii of approximately 41 and approximately 62 km. The low ridge between the inner troughs corresponds to the buried peak ring. The moat corresponds to the outer edge of the crater floor demarcated by a major ring fault. The outer trough and the approximately 62-km-radius inner trough also mark buried ring faults. The ridge crest corresponds to the topographic rim of the crater as modified by postimpact processes. These interpretations support previous findings that the principal impact basin has a diameter of approximately 180 km, but concentric, low-relief slumping extends well beyond this diameter and the eroded crater rim may extend to a diameter of approximately 260 km.

New details about the LGM extent and subsequent retreat of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet from the easternmost Amundsen Sea Embayment shelf

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klages, J. P.; Hillenbrand, C. D.; Kuhn, G.; Smith, J. A.; Graham, A. G. C.; Nitsche, F. O.; Frederichs, T.; Arndt, J. E.; Gebhardt, C.; Robin, Z.; Uenzelmann-Neben, G.; Gohl, K.; Jernas, P.; Wacker, L.

2017-12-01

In recent years several previously undiscovered grounding-zone wedges (GZWs) have been described within the Abbot-Cosgrove palaeo-ice stream trough on the easternmost Amundsen Sea Embayment shelf. These GZWs document both the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM; 26.5-19 cal. ka BP) grounding-line extent and the subsequent episodic retreat within this trough that neighbors the larger Pine Island-Thwaites trough to the west. Here we combine bathymetric, seismic, and geologic data showing that 1) the grounding line in Abbot Trough did not reach the continental shelf break at any time during the last glacial period, and 2) a prominent stacked GZW constructed from six individual wedges lying upon another was deposited 100 km upstream from the LGM grounding-line position. The available data allow for calculating volumes for most of these individual GZWs and for the entire stack. Sediment cores were recovered seawards from the outermost GZW in the trough, and from the individual wedges of the stacked GZW in order to define the LGM grounding-line extent, and provide minimum grounding-line retreat ages for the respective positions on the stacked GZW. We present implications of a grounded-ice free outer shelf throughout the last glacial period. Furthermore, we assess the significance of the grounding-line stillstand period recorded by the stacked GZW in Abbot Trough for the timing of post-LGM retreat of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet from the Amundsen Sea Embayment shelf.

Conceptual design study of concentrator enhanced solar arrays for space applications. 2kW Si and GaAs systems at 1 AU

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1980-01-01

The effect of concentration level on the specific power for a deployable, thin, gallium arsenide cell array in geosynchronous orbit for 10 years in conjunction with a two dimensional flat plate trough concentrator (V trough) and also with a multiple flat plate concentrator was investigated as well as the effects for a conventional silicon cell array on a rigid substrate. For application to a thin GaAs array at 1 AU for 10 years, the V trough produces a 19% benefit in specific power and a dramatic reduction in array area, while the multiple flat plate collector design is not only of no benefit, but is a considerable detriment. The benefit it achieves by reducing array area is duplicated by the 2D design. For the silicon array on a rigid substrate, improvement in performance due to a concentrator with ordinary mirror coating is quite small: 9% increase in specific power, and 13% reduction in array area. When the concentrator mirrors are coated with an improved cold mirror coating, somewhat more significant results are obtained: 31% specific power improvement; and 27% area reduction. In both cases, a 10 year exposure reduces BOL output by 23%.

Precipitation stable isotope records from the northern Hengduan Mountains in China capture signals of the winter India-Burma Trough and the Indian Summer Monsoon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Wusheng; Tian, Lide; Yao, Tandong; Xu, Baiqing; Wei, Feili; Ma, Yaoming; Zhu, Haifeng; Luo, Lun; Qu, Dongmei

2017-11-01

This project reports results of the first precipitation stable isotope (δ18 O and δD) time series produced for Qamdo in the northern Hengduan Mountains in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau. The data showed that the fluctuations of precipitation stable isotopes at Qamdo during the different seasons revealed various moisture sources. The westerlies and local recycling moisture dominated at the study area before the pre-monsoon and after the post-monsoon seasons, which resulted in similar trends of both precipitation stable isotopes and temperature. The marine moisture was transported to the northern Hengduan Mountains by the winter India-Burma Trough combined with convection. Consequently, stable isotopes in subsequent precipitation were occasionally observed to decrease suddenly. However, δ18 O and δD values of precipitation at Qamdo were lower during the monsoon period and the duration of those low values was longer because of the effects of the Indian Summer Monsoon and the strengthening convection. Our findings indicate that the effects of seasonal precipitation differences caused by various climate systems, including the winter India-Burma Trough and Indian Summer Monsoon, need to be considered when attempting to interpret tree-ring and ice core records for the Hengduan Mountains.

The effects of thick sediment upon continental breakup: seismic imaging and thermal modeling of the Salton Trough, southern California

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, L.; Hole, J. A.; Lowell, R. P.; Stock, J. M.; Fuis, G. S.; Driscoll, N. W.; Kell, A. M.; Kent, G. M.; Harding, A. J.; Gonzalez-Fernandez, A.; Lázaro-Mancilla, O.

2015-12-01

Continental rifting ultimately creates a deep accommodation space for sediment. When a major river flows into a late-stage rift, thick deltaic sediment can change the thermal regime and alter the mechanisms of extension and continental breakup. The Salton Trough, the northernmost rift segment of the Gulf of California plate boundary, has experienced the same extension as the rest of the Gulf, but is filled to sea level by sediment from the Colorado River. Unlike the southern Gulf, seafloor spreading has not initiated. Instead, seismicity, high heat flow, and minor volcanoes attest to ongoing rifting of thin, transitional crust. Recently acquired controlled-source seismic refraction and wide-angle reflection data in the Salton Trough provide constraints upon crustal architecture and active rift processes. The crust in the central Salton Trough is only 17-18 km thick, with a strongly layered but relatively one-dimensional structure for ~100 km in the direction of plate motion. The upper crust includes 2-4 km of Colorado River sediment. Crystalline rock below the sediment is interpreted to be similar sediment metamorphosed by the high heat flow and geothermal activity. Meta-sediment extends to at least 9 km depth. A 4-5 km thick layer in the middle crust is either additional meta-sediment or stretched pre-existing continental crust. The lowermost 4-5 km of the crust is rift-related mafic magmatic intrusion or underplating from partial melting in the hot upper mantle. North American lithosphere in the Salton Trough has been almost or completely rifted apart. The gap has been filled by ~100 km of new transitional crust created by magmatism from below and sedimentation from above. These processes create strong lithologic, thermal, and rheologic layering. While heat flow in the rift is very high, rapid sedimentation cools the upper crust as compared to a linear geotherm. Brittle extension occurs within new meta-sedimentary rock. The lower crust, in comparison, is maintained hot and weak by the overlying sedimentary thermal blanket. The lower crust stretches by ductile flow and magmatism is not localized. In this passive rift driven by distant plate motions, rapid sedimentation and its thermal effects delay final breakup of the crust and the onset of seafloor spreading.

Large-scale evolution of the central-east Greenland margin: New insights to the North Atlantic glaciation history

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pérez, Lara F.; Nielsen, Tove; Knutz, Paul C.; Kuijpers, Antoon; Damm, Volkmar

2018-04-01

The continental shelf of central-east Greenland is shaped by several glacially carved transverse troughs that form the oceanward extension of the major fjord systems. The evolution of these troughs through time, and their relation with the large-scale glaciation of the Northern Hemisphere, is poorly understood. In this study seismostratigraphic analyses have been carried out to determine the morphological and structural development of this important sector of the East Greenland glaciated margin. The age of major stratigraphic discontinuities has been constrained by a direct tie to ODP site 987 drilled in the Greenland Sea basin plain off Scoresby Sund fan system. The areal distribution and internal facies of the identified seismic units reveal the large-scale depositional pattern formed by ice-streams draining a major part of the central-east Greenland ice sheet. Initial sedimentation along the margin was, however, mainly controlled by tectonic processes related to the margin construction, continental uplift, and fluvial processes. From late Miocene to present, progradational and erosional patterns point to repeated glacial advances across the shelf. The evolution of depo-centres suggests that ice sheet advances over the continental shelf have occurred since late Miocene, about 2 Myr earlier than previously assumed. This cross-shelf glaciation is more pronounced during late Miocene and early Pliocene along Blosseville Kyst and around the Pliocene/Pleistocene boundary off Scoresby Sund; indicating a northward migration of the glacial advance. The two main periods of glaciation were separated by a major retreat of the ice sheet to an inland position during middle Pliocene. Mounded-wavy deposits interpreted as current-related deposits suggest the presence of changing along-slope current dynamics in concert with the development of the modern North Atlantic oceanographic pattern.

Landslides in Valles Marineris, Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lucchitta, B. K.

1979-01-01

The morphology of the landslides in the Martian equatorial troughs, the geologic structure of the troughs, the time of emplacement, the similarity to terrestrial landslides, and the origin and mechanism of transport are analyzed. About 35 large landslides well-resolved on Viking images were examined, and it is found that the major landslides cover 31,000 sq km of the trough floors, and individual slides range in area from 40 to 7000 sq km. The morphologic variations of the landslides can be attributed mainly to their degree of confinement on trough floors. Many prominent landslides appear to be of similar age and were emplaced after a major faulting that dropped the trough floors. Most sliding occurred after the created scarps were dissected into spurs, gullies, and tributary canyons. Emplacement of the landslides approximately coincided with a late episode of major eruptive activity of the Tharsis volcanoes, and it is suggested that the slides may have originated as gigantic mudflows with slump blocks at their heads. The large size of many landslides is due to the fault scarps as high as 7 km on which they formed in the absence of vigorous fluvial erosion. The landslides suggest that Mars is earthlike in some respects, which may be important for further evaluations.

Morphology-dependent water budgets and nutrient fluxes in arctic thaw ponds

USGS Publications Warehouse

Koch, Joshua C.; Gurney, Kirsty; Wipfli, Mark S.

2014-01-01

Thaw ponds on the Arctic Coastal Plain of Alaska are productive ecosystems, providing habitat and food resources for many fish and bird species. Permafrost in this region creates unique pond morphologies: deep troughs, shallow low-centred polygons (LCPs) and larger coalescent ponds. By monitoring seasonal trends in pond volume and chemistry, we evaluated whether pond morphology and size affect water temperature and desiccation, and nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) fluxes. Evaporation was the largest early-summer water flux in all pond types. LCPs dried quickly and displayed high early-summer nutrient concentrations and losses. Troughs consistently received solute-rich subsurface inflows, which accounted for 12 to 42 per cent of their volume and may explain higher P in the troughs. N to P ratios increased and ammonium concentrations decreased with pond volume, suggesting that P and inorganic N availability may limit ecosystem productivity in older, larger ponds. Arctic summer temperatures will likely increase in the future, which may accelerate mid-summer desiccation. Given their morphology, troughs may remain wet, become warmer and derive greater nutrient loads from their thawing banks. Overall, seasonal- to decadal-scale warming may increase ecosystem productivity in troughs relative to other Arctic Coastal Plain ponds. 

A simple model of the effects of the mid-latitude total ion trough in the bottomside F layer on HF radiowave propagation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lockwood, M.

1981-06-01

Observations of the amplitudes and Doppler shifts of received HF radio waves are compared with model predictions made using a two-dimensional ray-tracing program. The signals are propagated over a sub-auroral path, which is shown to lie along the latitudes of the mid-latitude trough at times of low geomagnetic activity. Generalizing the predictions to include a simple model of the trough in the density and height of the F2 peak enables the explanation of the anomalous observed diurnal variations. The behavior of received amplitude, Doppler shift, and signal-to-noise ratio as a function of the K sub p index value, the time of day, and the season (in 17 months of continuous recording) is found to agree closely with that predicted using the statistical position of the trough as deduced from 8 years of Alouette satellite soundings. The variation in the times of the observation of large signal amplitudes with the K sub p value and the complete absence of such amplitudes when it exceeds 2.75 are two features that implicate the trough in these effects.

Eclipsing damped Ly α systems in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 12

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fathivavsari, H.; Petitjean, P.; Jamialahmadi, N.; Khosroshahi, H. G.; Rahmani, H.; Finley, H.; Noterdaeme, P.; Pâris, I.; Srianand, R.

2018-07-01

We present the results of our automatic search for proximate damped Ly α absorption (PDLA) systems in the quasar spectra from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 12. We constrain our search to those PDLAs lying within 1500 km s-1 from the quasar to make sure that the broad DLA absorption trough masks most of the strong Ly α emission from the broad-line region (BLR) of the quasar. When the Ly α emission from the BLR is blocked by these so-called eclipsing DLAs, narrow Ly α emission from the host galaxy could be revealed as a narrow emission line (NEL) in the DLA trough. We define a statistical sample of 399 eclipsing DLAs with log N(H I) ≥ 21.10. We divide our statistical sample into three subsamples based on the strength of the NEL detected in the DLA trough. By studying the stacked spectra of these subsamples, we found that absorptions from high ionization species are stronger in DLAs with stronger NEL in their absorption core. Moreover, absorption from the excited states of species like SIII are also stronger in DLAs with stronger NEL. We also found no correlation between the luminosity of the Ly α NEL and the quasar luminosity. These observations are consistent with a scenario in which the DLAs with stronger NEL are denser and physically closer to the quasar. We propose that these eclipsing DLAs could be the product of the interaction between infalling and outflowing gas. High-resolution spectroscopic observation would be needed to shed some light on the nature of these eclipsing DLAs.

Scaly-skinned Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

[figure removed for brevity, see original site]

The style of erosion along the highlands-lowlands boundary of southern Elysium Planitia has produced a strange pattern of troughs that look like the skin of a reptile. In reality, a very clear process of landscape degradation is evident in this image. Some process has produced polygon-shaped troughs that create zones of weakness in the uppermost crust. It is likely that wind-blown particles deepen and widen the troughs, producing isolated knobs and mesas. Ultimately, the erosional reworking of the landscape is so complete that all signs of the upper layer are removed, leaving the smooth lowland surface to the north.

Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

Upper mantle electrical resistivity structure beneath back-arc spreading centers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seama, N.; Shibata, Y.; Kimura, M.; Shindo, H.; Matsuno, T.; Nogi, Y.; Okino, K.

2011-12-01

We compare four electrical resistivity structure images of the upper mantle across back-arc spreading centers (Mariana Trough at 18 N and 13 N, and the Eastern Lau at 19.7 S and 21.3 S) to provide geophysical constraints on issues of mantle dynamics beneath the back-arc spreading system related to the subducting slab. The central Mariana Trough at 18 N has the full spreading rate of 25 km/Myr, and shows characteristic slow-spreading features; existence of median valley neovolcanic zone and "Bull's eyes" mantle Bouguer anomaly (MBA) along the axes. On the other hand, the southern Mariana Trough at 13 N shows an EPR type axial relief in morphology and lower MBA than that in the central Mariana Trough (Kitada et al., 2006), suggesting abundance of magma supply, even though the full spreading rate is 35 km/Myr that is categorized as a slow spreading ridge. At the Eastern Lau spreading center, crustal thickness and morphology vary systematically with arc proximity and shows the opposed trends against spreading rate: The full spreading rate increases from 65 km/Myr at 21.3 S to 85 km/Myr at 19.7 S, while the crustal thicknesses decrease together with morphology transitions from shallow peaked volcanic highs to a deeper flat axis (Martinez et al., 2006). Matsuno et al. (2010) provides a resistivity structure image of the upper mantle across the central Mariana subduction system, which contains several key features: There is an uppermost resistive layer with a thickness of 80-100 km beneath the central Mariana Trough, suggesting dry residual from the plate accretion process. But there is no evidence for a conductive feature beneath the back-arc spreading center at 18 N, and this feature is clearly independent from the conductive region beneath the volcanic arc below 60 km depth that reflects melting and hydration driven by water release from the subducting slab. The resultant upper mantle resistivity structure well support that the melt supply is not abundant, resulting in characteristic slow-spreading features at the surface. We have conducted marine magnetotelluric (MT) surveys at the southern Mariana in 2010 and at the Eastern Lau in 2009-2010. We obtained 10 ocean bottom electro-magnetometer (OBEM) data from a 130 km length MT transect across the southern Mariana spreading axis at 13 N, while we obtained 2 OBEM data and 11 ocean bottom magnetometer data from two 160 km length MT transects across the Eastern Lau spreading axes at 19.7 S and 21.3 S. After calculation of MT response functions and their correction for topographic distortion, two-dimensional electrical resistivity structures will be derived using an inversion algorithm. At this meeting, first we will show the resistivity structure images of the upper mantle beneath these spreading axes. Then, these structure images will be compared to identify differences in the mantle dynamics and the melt supply beneath the back-arc spreading system related to the subducting slab.

Post-carboniferous tectonics in the Anadarko Basin, Oklahoma: Evidence from side-looking radar imagery

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nielsen, K. C.; Stern, R. J.

1985-01-01

The Anadarko Basin of western Oklahoma is a WNW-ESE elongated trough filled with of Paleozoic sediments. Most models call for tectonic activity to end in Pennsylvanian times. NASA Shuttle Imaging Radar revealed a distinctive and very straight lineament set extending virtually the entire length of the Anadarko Basin. The lineaments cut across the relatively flat-lying Permian units exposed at the surface. The character of these lineaments is seen most obviously as a tonal variation. Major streams, including the Washita and Little Washita rivers, appear to be controlled by the location of the lineaments. Subsurface data indicate the lineaments may be the updip expression of a buried major fault system, the Mountain View fault. Two principal conclusions arise from this analysis: (1) the complex Mountain View Fault system appears to extend southeast to join the Reagan, Sulphur, and/or Mill Creek faults of the Arbuckle Mountains, and (2) this fault system has been reactivated in Permian or younger times.

OUT Success Stories: Solar Hot Water Technology

DOE R&D Accomplishments Database

Clyne, R.

2000-08-01

Solar hot water technology was made great strides in the past two decades. Every home, commercial building, and industrial facility requires hot water. DOE has helped to develop reliable and durable solar hot water systems. For industrial applications, the growth potential lies in large-scale systems, using flat-plate and trough-type collectors. Flat-plate collectors are commonly used in residential hot water systems and can be integrated into the architectural design of the building.

Renewable Energy System Feasibility Study

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-08-01

SOLAR KINETICS, INC. TECHNICAL DATA 1.. SHORT FOCAL LENGTH The true test of parabolic trough collector efficiency is not the instantaneous efficiency...capabilities of concentrating solar collectors . Also, use of a solar thermal energy system to regenerate the desiccant beds of the IAD would satisfy...air flow rate is approximately 2?0 scfm or 16.2 lbm/min through the desiccant bed undergoing regeneration. Solar thermal energy collectors are

3D-seismic observations of Late Pleistocene glacial dynamics on the central West Greenland margin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hofmann, Julia; Knutz, Paul; Cofaigh, Colm Ó.

2016-04-01

Fast-flowing ice streams and outlet glaciers exert a major control on glacial discharge from contemporary and palaeo ice sheets. Improving our understanding of the extent and dynamic behaviour of these palaeo-ice streams is therefore crucial for predictions of the response of ice sheets to present and future climate warming and the associated implications for global sea level. This poster presents results from two 3D-seismic surveys located on the shelf adjoining the Disko Bay trough-mouth fan (TMF), one of the largest glacial outlet systems in Greenland. Located at the seaward terminus of the c. 370 km long cross-shelf Disko Trough, the Disko Bay TMF was generated by highly efficient subglacial sediment delivery onto the continental slopes during repeated ice-stream advances. A variety of submarine glacial landform assemblages are recognised on the seabed reflecting past ice-stream activity presumably related to glacial-interglacial cycles. The 3D-seismic volumes cover the shallow banks located north and south of the Disko Trough. The focus of this study is the seabed and the uppermost stratigraphic interval associated with the Late Stage of TMF development, presumably covering the late Pleistocene (Hofmann et al., submitted). Seabed morphologies include multiple sets of ridges up to 20 m high that extend in NW-SE direction for c. 30 km, and cross-cutting curvilinear furrows with maximum lengths of c. 9 km and average depths of c. 4.5 m. Back-stepping, arcuate scarps facing NW define the shelf break on the northern survey, comprising average widths of c. 4.5 km and incision depths of c. 27.5 m. The large transverse ridge features on the southern survey are likely ice-marginal and are interpreted as terminal moraine ridges recording the existence of a shelf-edge terminating, grounded Late Weichselian ice sheet. The furrows, most prominent on the outer shelf adjoining the shallow banks and partly incising the moraine ridges, are interpreted as iceberg ploughmarks suggesting the transition between grounded ice and a glacimarine setting. The back-stepping scarps are suggestive of slide scars that were created as a result of mass movement induced by instabilities along the NW slope. The buried section contains morphologies indicating an asymmetric feature with a steeper side facing south. It comprises a thickness of c. 100 m and a length of c. 28 km. The detailed surface observations and seismic geometries suggest that the northern area represents a relict grounding-zone wedge (GZW). The wedge is covered by stratified deposits suggesting that it was at least occasionally submarine after its formation and may have served as pinning-point for floating ice shelves during periods of the Late TMF Stage. Important implications of the study are the intermittent development of floating ice shelves during the course of the Late Stage of TMF development and the presence of shelf-edge terminating grounded Late Weichselian ice outside of the troughs. Hofmann, J.C., Knutz, P.C., Nielsen, T., Kuijpers, A., submitted. Seismic architecture and evolution of the Disko Bay trough-mouth fan, central West Greenland margin. Quaternary Science Reviews.

Proceedings of the First Semiannual Distributed Receiver Program Review

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1980-01-01

Point focus and line focus distributed receiver solar thermal technology for the production of electric power and of industrial process heat is addressed. Concentrator, receiver, and power conversion development are covered along with hardware tests and evaluation. Mass production costing, parabolic dish applications, and trough and bowl systems are included.

An evaluation of the precipitation distribution associated with landfalling tropical systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Atallah, Eyad H.

Several recent landfalling tropical cyclones (e.g. Dennis, Floyd, and Irene 1999) have highlighted a need for a refinement in the forecasting paradigms and techniques in the area of quantitative precipitation forecasting (QPF). Accordingly, several landfalling tropical storms were composited based on the precipitation distribution relative to the cyclone track (i.e. left of, right of, or along track), and cases from each composite were examined using a potential vorticity (PV) and quasi-geostrophic (QG) framework. Results indicate that a left of track precipitation distribution (e.g. Floyd 1999) is characteristic of tropical systems undergoing extratropical transition (ET). In these cases, a significant positively tilted mid-latitude trough approaches the cyclone from the northwest, shifting precipitation to the north-northwest of the cyclone. PV redistribution through diabatic heating then leads to enhanced ridging over and downstream of the tropical cyclone resulting in an increase in the cyclonic advection of vorticity by the thermal wind. Precipitation distribution is heaviest to the right of the track of the storm when downstream intensification of the ridge is important (e.g. David, 1979). Enhancement of the downstream ridge ahead of a weak mid-latitude trough accentuates the PV gradient between the tropical system and the downstream ridge. This, in combination with a slight acceleration in the movement of the tropical system, produces a region of enhanced positive PV advection (implied ascent) between the tropical system and the downstream ridge. Precipitation is heaviest along/very near the track of a storm when shear values are low and/or oriented along the track of the tropical cyclone (e.g. Fran 1996). Without large scale forcing for vertical motion associated with a midlatitude trough, most of the ascent remains concentrated near the storm core in the region of greatest diabatic heating and maximum wind speeds. In all cases, the diabatic enhancement of the downstream ridge is instrumental in the redistribution of precipitation about the tropical system. Unfortunately, this process is not well simulated in operational forecast models, leading to systematic errors in QPF.

Microtopographic control on the ground thermal regime in ice wedge polygons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abolt, Charles J.; Young, Michael H.; Atchley, Adam L.; Harp, Dylan R.

2018-06-01

The goal of this research is to constrain the influence of ice wedge polygon microtopography on near-surface ground temperatures. Ice wedge polygon microtopography is prone to rapid deformation in a changing climate, and cracking in the ice wedge depends on thermal conditions at the top of the permafrost; therefore, feedbacks between microtopography and ground temperature can shed light on the potential for future ice wedge cracking in the Arctic. We first report on a year of sub-daily ground temperature observations at 5 depths and 9 locations throughout a cluster of low-centered polygons near Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, and demonstrate that the rims become the coldest zone of the polygon during winter, due to thinner snowpack. We then calibrate a polygon-scale numerical model of coupled thermal and hydrologic processes against this dataset, achieving an RMSE of less than 1.1 °C between observed and simulated ground temperature. Finally, we conduct a sensitivity analysis of the model by systematically manipulating the height of the rims and the depth of the troughs and tracking the effects on ice wedge temperature. The results indicate that winter temperatures in the ice wedge are sensitive to both rim height and trough depth, but more sensitive to rim height. Rims act as preferential outlets of subsurface heat; increasing rim size decreases winter temperatures in the ice wedge. Deeper troughs lead to increased snow entrapment, promoting insulation of the ice wedge. The potential for ice wedge cracking is therefore reduced if rims are destroyed or if troughs subside, due to warmer conditions in the ice wedge. These findings can help explain the origins of secondary ice wedges in modern and ancient polygons. The findings also imply that the potential for re-establishing rims in modern thermokarst-affected terrain will be limited by reduced cracking activity in the ice wedges, even if regional air temperatures stabilize.

3D Porosity Estimation of the Nankai Trough Sediments from Core-log-seismic Integration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, J. O.

2015-12-01

The Nankai Trough off southwest Japan is one of the best subduction-zone to study megathrust earthquake fault. Historic, great megathrust earthquakes with a recurrence interval of 100-200 yr have generated strong motion and large tsunamis along the Nankai Trough subduction zone. At the Nankai Trough margin, the Philippine Sea Plate (PSP) is being subducted beneath the Eurasian Plate to the northwest at a convergence rate ~4 cm/yr. The Shikoku Basin, the northern part of the PSP, is estimated to have opened between 25 and 15 Ma by backarc spreading of the Izu-Bonin arc. The >100-km-wide Nankai accretionary wedge, which has developed landward of the trench since the Miocene, mainly consists of offscraped and underplated materials from the trough-fill turbidites and the Shikoku Basin hemipelagic sediments. Particularly, physical properties of the incoming hemipelagic sediments may be critical for seismogenic behavior of the megathrust fault. We have carried out core-log-seismic integration (CLSI) to estimate 3D acoustic impedance and porosity for the incoming sediments in the Nankai Trough. For the CLSI, we used 3D seismic reflection data, P-wave velocity and density data obtained during IODP (Integrated Ocean Drilling Program) Expeditions 322 and 333. We computed acoustic impedance depth profiles for the IODP drilling sites from P-wave velocity and density data. We constructed seismic convolution models with the acoustic impedance profiles and a source wavelet which is extracted from the seismic data, adjusting the seismic models to observed seismic traces with inversion method. As a result, we obtained 3D acoustic impedance volume and then converted it to 3D porosity volume. In general, the 3D porosities show decrease with depth. We found a porosity anomaly zone with alteration of high and low porosities seaward of the trough axis. In this talk, we will show detailed 3D porosity of the incoming sediments, and present implications of the porosity anomaly zone for the megathrust fault behavior.

Regional circulation around Heard and McDonald Islands and through the Fawn Trough, central Kerguelen Plateau

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Wijk, Esmee M.; Rintoul, Stephen R.; Ronai, Belinda M.; Williams, Guy D.

2010-05-01

The fine-scale circulation around the Heard and McDonald Islands and through the Fawn Trough, Kerguelen Plateau, is described using data from three high-resolution CTD sections, Argo floats and satellite maps of chlorophyll a, sea surface temperature (SST) and absolute sea surface height (SSH). We confirm that the Polar Front (PF) is split into two branches over the Kerguelen Plateau, with the NPF crossing the north-eastern limits of our survey carrying 25 Sv to the southeast. The SPF was associated with a strong eastward-flowing jet carrying 12 Sv of baroclinic transport through the deepest part of Fawn Trough (relative to the bottom). As the section was terminated midway through the trough this estimate is very likely to be a lower bound for the total transport. We demonstrate that the SPF contributes to the Fawn Trough Current identified by previous studies. After exiting the Fawn Trough, the SPF crossed Chun Spur and continued as a strong north-westward flowing jet along the eastern flank of the Kerguelen Plateau before turning offshore between 50°S and 51.5°S. Measured bottom water temperatures suggest a deep water connection between the northern and southern parts of the eastern Kerguelen Plateau indicating that the deep western boundary current continues at least as far north as 50.5°S. Analysis of satellite altimetry derived SSH streamlines demonstrates a southward shift of both the northern and southern branches of the Polar Front from 1994 to 2004. In the direct vicinity of the Heard and McDonald islands, cool waters of southern origin flow along the Heard Island slope and through the Eastern Trough bringing cold Winter Water (WW) onto the plateau. Complex topography funnels flow through canyons, deepens the mixed layer and increases productivity, resulting in this area being the preferred foraging region for a number of satellite-tracked land-based predators.

Healthcare-associated Staphylococcus aureus Bacteremia in Children: Evidence for Reverse Vancomycin Creep and Impact of Vancomycin Trough Values on Outcome.

PubMed

McNeil, J Chase; Kok, Eric Y; Forbes, Andrea R; Lamberth, Linda; Hulten, Kristina G; Vallejo, Jesus G; Mason, Edward O; Kaplan, Sheldon L

2016-03-01

Elevated vancomycin minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) in Staphylococcus aureus have been associated with worse clinical outcomes in adults. For invasive meticillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) infections in adults, the Infectious Diseases Society of America recommends targeting vancomycin serum trough concentrations between 15 and 20 μg/mL. We evaluated trends in vancomycin MICs from healthcare-associated (HCA) S. aureus bacteremia isolates in children in addition to correlating vancomycin serum trough levels with clinical outcomes. Patients and isolates were identified from a prospective S. aureus surveillance study at Texas Children's Hospital (TCH). HCA S. aureus bacteremia isolates from 2003 to 2013 were selected. Vancomycin MICs by E-test were determined and medical records were reviewed. Acute kidney injury (AKI) was defined as doubling of the baseline serum creatinine. Three hundred forty-one isolates met inclusion criteria. We observed a reverse vancomycin creep among MRSA isolates in the study period with a decline in the proportion of isolates with vancomycin MIC ≥ 2 μg/mL (from 32.7% to 5.6%; P < 0.001). However, the proportion of MSSA isolates with MIC ≥ 2 μg/mL increased (from 2.9% to 9%; P = 0.04). Among patients who had vancomycin troughs performed, there was no difference in duration of bacteremia or fever with vancomycin trough >15 versus <15 μg/mL. A vancomycin trough >15 μg/mL was, however, an independent risk factor for AKI. Vancomycin MICs are shifting among HCA S. aureus bacteremia isolates with significant differences between MRSA and MSSA at TCH. Higher vancomycin troughs did not improve outcomes in pediatric HCA S. aureus bacteremia but were associated with increased nephrotoxicity. Further studies are needed to better understand optimal management of children with S. aureus bacteremia.

Balancing vancomycin efficacy and nephrotoxicity: should we be aiming for trough or AUC/MIC?

PubMed

Patel, Karisma; Crumby, Ashley S; Maples, Holly D

2015-04-01

Sixty years later, the question that still remains is how to appropriately utilize vancomycin in the pediatric population. The Infectious Diseases Society of America published guidelines in 2011 that provide guidance for dosing and monitoring of vancomycin in adults and pediatrics. However, goal vancomycin trough concentrations of 15-20 μg/mL for invasive infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus were based primarily on adult pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic data that achieved an area under the curve to minimum inhibitory concentration ratio (AUC/MIC) of ≥400. Recent pediatric literature shows that vancomycin trough concentrations needed to achieve the target AUC/MIC are different than the adult goal troughs cited in the guidelines. This paper addresses several thoughts, including the role of vancomycin AUC/MIC in dosing strategies and safety monitoring, consistency in laboratory reporting, and future directions for calculating AUC/MIC in pediatrics.

Paleoenvironmental Assessment and Deglacial Chronology of the Onondaga Trough, Onondaga County, New York

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kappel, William M.; Teece, Mark A.

2007-01-01

Introduction The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Onondaga Lake Partnership and Onondaga Environmental Institute, has been studying the hydrogeology of the Onondaga Trough since 2002 to determine the movement and concentration of naturally occurring brine in the glacial valley-fill aquifer. Numerous shallow and deep test holes have been drilled to determine the glacial and water-quality stratigraphy in the Onondaga Trough. Organic materials were recovered from the Onondaga Creek, Ninemile Creek, and Harbor Brook valleys, and from lakebed sediments in Onondaga Lake (fig. 1) and age-dated with carbon-isotope analysis techniques. This report summarizes the carbon-isotope data collected from 1996 through 2006 in the Onondaga Trough. The results of these analyses provide a means to understand the deglaciation of the watershed and the development of the watershed from barren glacial sediment to a forested ecosystem.

Formations in Context (or, what is it?)

NASA Image and Video Library

2018-04-02

This image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is a close-up of a trough, along with channels draining into the depression. Some HiRISE images show strange-looking formations. Sometimes it helps to look at Context Camera images to understand the circumstances of a scene -- like this cutout from CTX 033783_1509 -- which here shows an impact crater with a central peak, and a collapse depression with concentric troughs just north of that peak. On the floor of the trough is some grooved material that we typically see in middle latitude regions where there has been glacial flow. These depressions with concentric troughs exist elsewhere on Mars, and their origins remain a matter of debate. NB: The Context Camera is another instrument onboard MRO, and it has a larger viewing angle than HiRISE, but less resolution capability than our camera. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA22348

Oblique H.F. radiowave propagation in the main trough region of the ionosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lockwood, M.; Mitchell, V. B.

1980-12-01

The propagation of 7.335 MHz, CW signals over a 5212 km subauroral, west-east path is studied. Measurements and semiempirical predictions are made of the amplitude distributions and Doppler shifts of the received signals. The observed amplitude distribution is fitted with a numerical fading model, yielding the power losses suffered by the signals during propagation via the predominating modes. The mid-latitude trough in the F2 peak ionization density is predicted by a statistical model to be at the latitudes of this path at these times and at low K sub p values; a sharp cut-off in low-power losses at a mean K sub p of 2.75 strongly implicates the trough in the propagation of these signals. It is shown that a simple extension of this model to allow for the trough can reproduce the form of the observed diurnal variation.

Computer laser system for prevention and treatment of dental diseases: new methods and results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fedyai, S. G.; Prochonchukov, Alexander A.; Zhizhina, Nina A.; Metelnikov, Michael A.

1995-05-01

We report results of clinical application of the new computer-laser system. The system includes hardware and software means, which are applied for new efficient methods of prevention and treatment of main dental diseases. The hardware includes a laser physiotherapeutic device (LPD) `Optodan' and a fiberoptic laser delivery system with special endodontic rigging. The semiconductor AG-AL-AG laser diode with wavelengths in the spectral range of 850 - 950 nm (produced by Scientific-Industrial Concern `Reflector') is used as a basic unit. The LPD `Optodan' and methods of treatment are covered by Russian patent No 2014107 and certified by the Russian Ministry of Health. The automated computer system allows us to examine patients quickly and to input differential diagnosis, to determine indications (and contraindications), parameters and regimen of laser therapy, to control treatment efficacy (for carious -- through clinical indexes of enamel solubles, velocity of demineralization and other tests; for periodontal diseases trough complex of the periodontal indexes with automated registry and calculation). We present last results of application of the new technique and methods in treatment of dental diseases in Russian clinics.

SolarTherm: A flexible Modelica-based simulator for CSP systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scott, Paul; Alonso, Alberto de la Calle; Hinkley, James T.; Pye, John

2017-06-01

Annual performance simulations provide a valuable tool for analysing the viability and overall impact of different concentrating solar power (CSP) component and system designs. However, existing tools work best with conventional systems and are difficult or impossible to adapt when novel components, configurations and operating strategies are of interest. SolarTherm is a new open source simulation tool that fulfils this need for the solar community. It includes a simulation framework and a library of flexible CSP components and control strategies that can be adapted or replaced with new designs to meet the special needs of end users. This paper provides an introduction to SolarTherm and a comparison of models for an energy-based trough system and a physical tower system to those in the well-established and widely-used simulator SAM. Differences were found in some components where the inner workings of SAM are undocumented or not well understood, while the other parts show strong agreement. These results help to validate the fundamentals of SolarTherm and demonstrate that, while at an early stage of development, it is already a useful tool for performing annual simulations.

Faults on Skylab imagery of the Salton Trough area, Southern California

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Merifield, P. M.; Lamar, D. L. (Principal Investigator)

1975-01-01

The author has identified the following significant results. Large segments of the major high angle faults in the Salton Trough area are readily identifiable in Skylab images. Along active faults, distinctive topographic features such as scarps and offset drainage, and vegetation differences due to ground water blockage in alluvium are visible. Other fault-controlled features along inactive as well as active faults visible in Skylab photography include straight mountain fronts, linear valleys, and lithologic differences producing contrasting tone, color or texture. A northwestern extension of a fault in the San Andreas set, is postulated by the regional alignment of possible fault-controlled features. The suspected fault is covered by Holocene deposits, principally windblown sand. A northwest trending tonal change in cultivated fields across Mexicali Valley is visible on Skylab photos. Surface evidence for faulting was not observed; however, the linear may be caused by differences in soil conditions along an extension of a segment of the San Jacinto fault zone. No evidence of faulting could be found along linears which appear as possible extensions of the Substation and Victory Pass faults, demonstrating that the interpretation of linears as faults in small scale photography must be corroborated by field investigations.

Interannual variation of springtime biomass burning in Indochina: Regional differences, associated atmospheric dynamical changes, and downwind impacts.

PubMed

Huang, Wan-Ru; Wang, Sheng-Hsiang; Yen, Ming-Cheng; Lin, Neng-Huei; Promchote, Parichart

2016-09-16

During March and April, widespread burning occurs across farmlands in Indochina in preparation for planting at the monsoon onset. The resultant aerosols impact the air quality downwind. In this study, we investigate the climatic aspect of the interannual variation of springtime biomass burning in Indochina and its correlation with air quality at Mt. Lulin in Taiwan using long-term (2005-2015) satellite and global reanalysis data. Based on empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis, we find that the biomass burning activities vary with two geographical regions: northern Indochina (the primary EOF mode) and southern Indochina (the secondary EOF mode). We determine that the variation of biomass burning over northern Indochina is significantly related with the change in aerosol concentrations at Mt. Lulin. This occurs following the change in the so-called India-Burma Trough in the lower and middle troposphere. When the India-Burma Trough is intensified, a stronger northwesterly wind (to the west of the trough) transports the dryer air from higher latitude into northern Indochina, and this promotes local biomass burning activities. The increase in upward motion to the east of the intensified India-Burma Trough lifts the aerosols, which are transported toward Taiwan by the increased low-level westerly jet. Further diagnoses revealed the connection between the India-Burma Trough and the South Asian jet's wave train pattern as well as the previous winter's El Niño - Southern Oscillation phase. This information highlights the role of the India-Burma Trough in modulating northern Indochina biomass burning and possibly predicting aerosol transport to East Asia on the interannual time scale.

Fe-rich carbonate chimney in Okinawa Trough Implication for Fe-driven Microbial Anaerobic Oxidation of Methane (AMO)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peng, X.; Guo, Z.

2016-12-01

Marine sediments associated with cold seeps at continental margins discharge substantial amounts of methane. Microbial anaerobic oxidation of methane (AMO) is a key biogeochemical process in these environments, which can trigger the formation of carbonate chimneys within sediments. The exact biogeochemical mechanism of how AMO control the formation of carbonate chimneys and influence their mineralogy and chemistry remains poorly constrained. Here, we use nano-scale secondary ion mass spectrometry to characterize the petrology and geochemistry of methane-derived Fe-rich carbonate chimneys formed between 5-7 Ma in the Northern Okinawa Trough. We find abundant framboid pyrites formed in the authigenic carbonates in the chimneys, indicating a non-Fe limitation sedimentary system. The δ13C values of carbonate (-18.9‰ to -45.9‰, PDB) show their probable origin from a mixing source of biogenic and thermogenic methane. The δ34S values range from -3.9 ± 0.5‰ to 23.2 ± 0.5‰ (VCDT), indicative of a strong exhaustion of sulfates in a local sulfate pool. We proposed that Fe-rich carbonate chimneys formed at the bottom of the sulfate-methane transition zone, beneath which Fe-driven AOM may happen and provide available ferrous for the extensive precipitation of pyrite in carbonate chimneys. The accumulation of reductive Fe in sediments via this process may widely occur in other analogous settings, with important application for Fe and S biogeochemical cycling within deep sediments at continental margins.

Spectrum-splitting hybrid CSP-CPV solar energy system with standalone and parabolic trough plant retrofit applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Orosz, Matthew; Zweibaum, Nicolas; Lance, Tamir; Ruiz, Maritza; Morad, Ratson

2016-05-01

Sunlight to electricity efficiencies of Parabolic Trough Collector (PTC) plants are typically on the order of 15%, while commercial solar Photovoltaic (PV) technologies routinely achieve efficiencies of greater than 20%, albeit with much higher conversion efficiencies of photons at the band gap. Hybridizing concentrating solar power and photovoltaic technologies can lead to higher aggregate efficiencies due to the matching of photons to the appropriate converter based on wavelength. This can be accomplished through spectral filtering whereby photons unusable or poorly utilitized by PV (IR and UV) are passed through to a heat collection element, while useful photons (VIS) are reflected onto a concentrating PV (CPV) receiver. The mechanical design and experimental validation of spectral splitting optics is described in conjunction with system level modeling and economic analysis. The implications of this architecture include higher efficiency, lower cost hybrid CSP-PV power systems, as well as the potential to retrofit existing PTC plants to boost their output by ~ 10% at a projected investment cost of less than 1 per additional net Watt and an IRR of 18%, while preserving the dispatchability of the CSP plant's thermal energy storage.

Tectonic and Magmatic Controls on Extension and Crustalaccretion in Backarc Basins, Insights from the Lau Basin and Southern Mariana Trough

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sleeper, Jonathan D.

This dissertation examines magmatic and tectonic processes in backarc basins, and how they are modulated by plate- and mantle-driven mechanisms. Backarc basins initiate by tectonic rifting near the arc volcanic front and transition to magmatic seafloor spreading. As at mid-ocean ridges (MORs), spreading can be focused in narrow plate boundary zones, but we also describe a diffuse spreading mode particular to backarc basins. At typical MORs away from hot spots and other melting anomalies, spreading rate is the primary control on the rate of mantle upwelling and decompression melting. At backarc spreading centers, water derived from the subducting slab creates an additional mantle-driven source of melt and buoyant upwelling. Furthermore, because basins open primarily in response to trench rollback, which is inherently a non-rigid process, backarc extensional systems often have to respond to a constantly evolving stress regime, generating complex tectonics and unusual plate boundaries not typically found at MORs. The interplay between these plate- and mantle-driven processes gives rise to the variety of tectonic and volcanic morphologies peculiar to backarc basins. Chapter 2 is focused on the Fonualei Rift and Spreading Center in the Lau Basin. The southern portion of the axis is spreading at ultraslow (<20 mm/yr) opening rates in close proximity to the arc volcanic front and axial morphology abruptly changes from a volcanic ridge to spaced volcanic cones resembling arc volcanoes. Spreading rate and arc proximity appear to control transitions between two-dimensional and three-dimensional mantle upwelling and volcanism. In the second study (Chapter 3), I develop a new model for the rollback-driven kinematic and tectonic evolution of the Lau Basin, where microplate tectonics creates rapidly changing plate boundary configurations. The third study (Chapter 4) focuses on the southern Mariana Trough and the transitions between arc rifting, seafloor spreading, and a new mode of "diffuse spreading," where new crust is accreted in broad zones rather than along a narrow spreading axis, apparently controlled by a balance between slab water addition and its extraction due to melting and crustal accretion.

Concentrating Solar Power Projects - DEWA CSP Trough Project |

Science.gov Websites

: Parabolic trough Turbine Capacity: Net: 600.0 MW Gross: 600.0 MW Status: Under development Start Year: 2020 Ground: 2018 Start Production: 2020 PPA/Tariff Rate: 7.3 US cents per kWh Participants Developer(s): ACWA

Ensemble-based diagnosis of the large-scale processes associated with multiple high-impact weather events over North America during late October 2007

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moore, B. J.; Bosart, L. F.; Keyser, D.

2013-12-01

During late October 2007, the interaction between a deep polar trough and Tropical Cyclone (TC) Kajiki off the eastern Asian coast perturbed the North Pacific jet stream and resulted in the development of a high-amplitude Rossby wave train extending into North America, contributing to three concurrent high-impact weather events in North America: wildfires in southern California associated with strong Santa Ana winds, a cold surge into eastern Mexico, and widespread heavy rainfall (~150 mm) in the south-central United States. Observational analysis indicates that these high-impact weather events were all dynamically linked with the development of a major high-latitude ridge over the eastern North Pacific and western North America and a deep trough over central North America. In this study, global operational ensemble forecasts from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) obtained from The Observing System Research and Predictability Experiment (THORPEX) Interactive Grand Global Ensemble (TIGGE) archive are used to characterize the medium-range predictability of the large-scale flow pattern associated with the three events and to diagnose the large-scale atmospheric processes favorable, or unfavorable, for the occurrence of the three events. Examination of the ECMWF forecasts leading up to the time period of the three high-impact weather events (~23-25 October 2007) indicates that ensemble spread (i.e., uncertainty) in the 500-hPa geopotential height field develops in connection with downstream baroclinic development (DBD) across the North Pacific, associated with the interaction between TC Kajiki and the polar trough along the eastern Asian coast, and subsequently moves downstream into North America, yielding considerable uncertainty with respect to the structure, amplitude, and position of the ridge-trough pattern over North America. Ensemble sensitivity analysis conducted for key sensible weather parameters corresponding to the three high-impact weather events, including relative humidity, temperature, and precipitation, demonstrates quantitatively that all three high-impact weather events are closely linked with the development of the ridge-trough pattern over North America. Moreover, results of this analysis indicate that the development of the ridge-trough pattern is modulated by DBD and cyclogenesis upstream over the central and eastern North Pacific. Specifically, ensemble members exhibiting less intense cyclogenesis and a more poleward cyclone track over the central and eastern North Pacific feature the development of a poleward-displaced ridge over the eastern North Pacific and western North America and a cut-off low over the Intermountain West, an unfavorable scenario for the occurrence the three high-impact weather events. Conversely, ensemble members exhibiting more intense cyclogenesis and a less poleward cyclone track feature persistent ridging along the western coast of North America and trough development over central North America, establishing a favorable flow pattern for the three high-impact weather events. Results demonstrate that relatively small initial differences in the large-scale flow pattern over the North Pacific among ensemble members can result in large uncertainty in the forecast downstream flow response over North America.

Landslides in Valles Marineris, Mars.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lucchitta, B.K.

1979-01-01

Large landslides in the Martian equatorial troughs have been investigated with respect to morphology, geologic structure of the troughs, time of emplacement, similarity to terrestrial landslides, and origin and mechanism of transport. The morphologic variations of the landslides can be attributed mainly to their degree of confinement on trough floors. The huge size of many landslides is due to their occurrence on fault scarps that may have attained several kilometers in height in the absence of vigorous fluvial erosion on Mars. The mechanical efficiency of the Martian landslides is high but in accord with predictions from large landslides on earth. -from Author

Optical and mechanical tolerances in hybrid concentrated thermal-PV solar trough.

PubMed

Diaz, Liliana Ruiz; Cocilovo, Byron; Miles, Alexander; Pan, Wei; Blanche, Pierre-Alexandre; Norwood, Robert A

2018-05-14

Hybrid thermal-PV solar trough collectors combine concentrated photovoltaics and concentrated solar power technology to harvest and store solar energy. In this work, the optical and mechanical requirements for optimal efficiency are analyzed using non-sequential ray tracing techniques. The results are used to generate opto-mechanical tolerances that can be compared to those of traditional solar collectors. We also explore ideas on how to relieve tracking tolerances for single-axis solar collectors. The objective is to establish a basis for tolerances required for the fabrication and manufacturing of hybrid solar trough collectors.

Baby Spider: Growth of a Martian Trough Network

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-12-20

This image from NASA Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows the growth of a branching network of troughs carved by thawing carbon dioxide over the span of three Martian years. This process is believed to also form larger radially patterned channel features known as Martian "spiders." The image is one of three taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and included in a report on the first detection of such troughs persisting and growing, from one Mars year to the next. An animation is available at http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA21257

[Successful cyclosporine treatment in 2 patients with refractory CIDP, involving monitoring of both AUC(0-4h) and trough levels].

PubMed

Takeuchi, Akiko; Shirai, Shinichi; Horiuchi, Kazuhiro; Takahashi, Ikuko; Matsushima, Masaaki; Hirotani, Makoto; Kano, Takahiro; Yabe, Ichiro; Matumoto, Akihisa; Sasaki, Hidenao

2012-01-01

Cyclosporine A (CYA) treatment has been reported to be probably useful for patients with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP) that is resistant to conventional treatment. Although several studies have shown that appropriate area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) monitoring of CYA levels results in improved outcomes for refractory nephrotic syndrome patients, the importance of using AUC analysis for CIDP remains unclear. In this study, we measured both trough and AUC from 0 to 4 h (AUC(0-4 h)) levels of CYA in 2 patients with CIDP and compared the findings for the clinical parameters. On the basis of the CYA dosing recommendations for patients with nephrotic syndrome, we used a CYA concentration of 150 ng/ml for the trough level and an AUC(0-4 h) value of 2,500 ng/(ml·h). Patient 1 showed a significant increase in grip strength and a prolonged remission period. Patient 2 showed improvement in the modified Rankin scale and manual muscle test (MMT) scores. Monitoring both AUC(0-4 h) and trough levels of CYA seems to be a better option than monitoring the trough level alone because it leads to improved estimation of the efficacy and safety of CYA treatment in the case of CIDP patients.

O+ trough zones in the polar cap ionosphere-magnetosphere coupling region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Horwitz, James; Zeng, Wen; Jaafari, Fajer

Regions of low-density troughs in O+ have been observed at 1 RE altitude in the polar cap ionosphere-magnetosphere region by the Thermal Ion Dynamics Experiment(TIDE) on the POLAR spacecraft. In this presentation, the UT Arlington Dynamic Fluid-Kinetic (DyFK) code is employed to investigate the formation of such O+ density troughs. We utilize convection paths of flux tubes in the high-latitude region as prescribed by an empirical convection model with solar wind inputs to track the evolution of ionospheric plasma transport and in particular O+ densities along these tubes with time/space. The flux tubes are subjected to auroral processes of precipitation and wave-driven ion heating when they pass through the auroral oval, which tends to elevate the plasma densities in these tubes. When the F-regions of such tubes traverse locations where the F-region is in darkness, recombination there causes the higher-altitude regions to drain and the densities to decline throughout. Owing to the varying effects of these processes, significant and low trough-like densities at higher altitudes developed along these flux tubes. The modeled densities near 6000 km altitudes will be compared with multiple POLAR passes featuring POLAR/TIDE-measured O+ densities for inside and outside of such trough regions.

Low energy, low latitude wave-dominated shallow marine depositional systems: examples from northern Borneo

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lambiase, Joseph J.; Suraya Tulot

2013-12-01

The depositional environments of the wave-dominant successions in the middle to late Miocene Belait and Sandakan Formations in northwestern and northern Borneo, respectively, were determined based on grain size distributions, sedimentary structures and facies successions, as well as trace and microfossil assemblages. Generally, progradational shoreface successions in the Belait Formation were deposited in very low wave energy environments where longshore currents were too weak to generate trough cross-bedding. Shoreface sands are laterally continuous for several km and follow the basin contours, suggesting attached beaches similar to the modern Brunei coastline. In contrast, trough cross-bedding is common in the coarser Sandakan Formation and back-barrier mangrove swamp deposits cap the progradational succession as on the modern northern Dent Peninsula coastline, indicating barrier development and higher wave energy conditions than in the Belait Formation. The Borneo examples indicate that barrier systems that include significant tidal facies form under higher wave energy conditions than attached beaches with virtually no tidal facies. Also, Borneo's low latitude climate promotes back-barrier mangrove which reduces tidal exchange and reduces tidal influence relative to comparable temperate climate systems. The results of the study indicate that depositional systems on low energy, wave-dominated coasts are highly variable, as are the sand bodies and facies associations they generate.

Hydrochemical tracers in the middle Rio Grande Basin, USA: 1. Conceptualization of groundwater flow

USGS Publications Warehouse

Plummer, Niel; Bexfield, L.M.; Anderholm, S.K.; Sanford, W.E.; Busenberg, E.

2004-01-01

Chemical and isotopic data for groundwater from throughout the Middle Rio Grande Basin, central New Mexico, USA, were used to identify and map groundwater flow from 12 sources of water to the basin,evaluate radiocarbon ages, and refine the conceptual model of the Santa Fe Group aquifer system. Hydrochemical zones, representing groundwater flow over thousands to tens of thousands of years, can be traced over large distances through the primarily siliciclastic aquifer system. The locations of the hydrochemical zones mostly reflect the "modern" predevelopment hydraulic-head distribution, but are inconsistent with a trough in predevelopment water levels in the west-central part of the basin, indicating that this trough is a transient rather than a long-term feature of the aquifer system. Radiocarbon ages adjusted for geochemical reactions, mixing, and evapotranspiration/dilution processes in the aquifer system were nearly identical to the unadjusted radiocarbon ages, and ranged from modern to more than 30 ka. Age gradients from piezometer nests ranged from 0.1 to 2 year cm-1 and indicate a recharge rate of about 3 cm year-1 for recharge along the eastern mountain front and infiltration from the Rio Grande near Albuquerque. There has been appreciably less recharge along the eastern mountain front north and south of Albuquerque. ?? Springer-Verlag 2004.

Two new methods used to simulate the circumferential solar flux density concentrated on the absorber of a parabolic trough solar collector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Minghuan; Wang, Zhifeng; Sun, Feihu

2016-05-01

The optical efficiencies of a solar trough concentrator are important to the whole thermal performance of the solar collector, and the outer surface of the tube absorber is a key interface of energy flux. So it is necessary to simulate and analyze the concentrated solar flux density distributions on the tube absorber of a parabolic trough solar collector for various sun beam incident angles, with main optical errors considered. Since the solar trough concentrators are linear focusing, it is much of interest to investigate the solar flux density distribution on the cross-section profile of the tube absorber, rather than the flux density distribution along the focal line direction. Although a few integral approaches based on the "solar cone" concept were developed to compute the concentrated flux density for some simple trough concentrator geometries, all those integral approaches needed special integration routines, meanwhile, the optical parameters and geometrical properties of collectors also couldn't be changed conveniently. Flexible Monte Carlo ray trace (MCRT) methods are widely used to simulate the more accurate concentrated flux density distribution for compound parabolic solar trough concentrators, while generally they are quite time consuming. In this paper, we first mainly introduce a new backward ray tracing (BRT) method combined with the lumped effective solar cone, to simulate the cross-section flux density on the region of interest of the tube absorber. For BRT, bundles of rays are launched at absorber-surface points of interest, directly go through the glass cover of the absorber, strike on the uniformly sampled mirror segment centers in the close-related surface region of the parabolic reflector, and then direct to the effective solar cone around the incident sun beam direction after the virtual backward reflection. All the optical errors are convoluted into the effective solar cone. The brightness distribution of the effective solar cone is supposed to be circular Gaussian type. Then a parabolic trough solar collector of Euro Trough 150 is used as an example object to apply this BRT method. Euro Trough 150 is composed of RP3 mirror facets, with the focal length of 1.71m, aperture width of 5.77m, outer tube diameter of 0.07m. Also to verify the simulated flux density distributions, we establish a modified MCRT method. For this modified MCRT method, the random rays with weighted energy elements are launched in the close-related rectangle region in the aperture plane of the parabolic concentrator and the optical errors are statistically modeled in the stages of forward ray tracing process. Given the same concentrator geometric parameters and optical error values, the simulated results from these two ray tracing methods are in good consistence. The two highlights of this paper are the new optical simulation method, BRT, and figuring out the close-related mirror surface region for BRT and the close-related aperture region for MCRT in advance to effectively simulate the solar flux distribution on the absorber surface of a parabolic trough collector.

An Analysis of Methods for Maximizing the Utilization of Space in USAF Facilities.

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-09-01

vegetable . peeling machines and dish washing machines- i. Fixed barracks equipment including sinks, troughs and washing machines of all types: .4. Fixed...Prentice-Hall, 1977. 52. Spillars, W.R. and S. Al- Banna . "An Interactive Computer Graphics Space Allocation System," DAW Nine. 229-237. Association for

40 CFR 60.541 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... facility (parts per million by volume) Dc=density of cement or spray material (grams per liter (lb per... which the tire is mounted. Bead cementing operation means the system that is used to apply cement to the... consists of a cement application station, such as a dip tank, spray booth and nozzles, cement trough and...

Multiple-Panel Cylindrical Solar Concentrator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brown, E. M.

1983-01-01

Trough composed of many panels concentrates Sun's energy on solar cells, even when trough is not pointed directly at Sun. Tolerates deviation as great as 5 degrees from direction of sun. For terrestrial applications, multiple-flat-plate design offers potential cost reduction and ease of fabrication.

Assessment of undiscovered continuous oil and gas resources in the Hanoi Trough, Vietnam, 2017

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schenk, Christopher J.; Tennyson, Marilyn E.; Mercier, Tracey J.; Woodall, Cheryl A.; Le, Phuong A.; Klett, Timothy R.; Finn, Thomas M.; Leathers-Miller, Heidi M.; Gaswirth, Stephanie B.; Marra, Kristen R.

2018-02-13

Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated mean undiscovered, technically recoverable continuous resources of 52 million barrels of oil and 591 billion cubic feet of gas in the Hanoi Trough of Vietnam.

[Water provisions for Muscovy ducks--behaviour at duck showers and modified plasson drinkers].

PubMed

Briese, Andreas; Hänsch, Friederike; Hartung, Jörg

2009-01-01

Feather pecking and cannibalism are serious problems in keeping Moscovy ducks. Prevention of feather pecking by regularly applied beak and claw trimming are increasingly criticised by the public. The recommendation of the Council of Europe (COE) for the keeping of Muscovy ducks in farming systems calls for environmental enrichment including water for preening and bathing after December 31,2010. A total of 126 female Muscovy ducks (not beak nor claw trimmed) from commercial breeding lines were kept for 63 resp. 70 days in four compartments with 15-16 ducks each during two production cycles. Two pens where equipped either with duck showers or open water facility (modified Plasson drinker). Water provisions were made available for the ducks four hours daily at working days from their fifth week of life until slaughter. Behaviour at the water provision was registered and analysed for the number of ducks being engaged with water (944 hours recordings over 59 days from four pens analysed in five-minute-intervals (11,540 observations). Additionally 858 feather preening bouts (five a day for each compartment) were analysed for the duration of feather preening behaviour at the water provision. From the fifth to the tenth week of life the mean percentage of animals of a pen was significantly higher at the open trough (trough: 8,3% (+/-5,37); shower: 4.9% (+/-6.1), Mann-Whitney p <0,01) and feather preening took significantly longer (trough: 134.4 sec (+/-154.8); shower: 111.2 sec (+/-152.0), Mann-Whitney p <0.01) than at the showers. Bout duration and percentage of animals observed at both water provisions increased with age. Nonetheless only ten percent of the feather preening behaviour exceeded five minutes. Most animals made use of water in the first hour of the time period when water was provided. In the first weeks of water provision open water troughs were used more often and preening behaviour was longer. When given the choice, younger ducks preferred open drinkers to showers while older ducks showed a higher preference for the duck showers. In future it may be useful to elaborate whether a combination of open water troughs in the first few weeks of the fattening period followed by the provision of showers when the birds have completed their feather coverage can help to reduce the frequency of feather pecking and cannibalism.

He isotope ratios in the Nankai Trough and Costa Rica subduction zones - implications for volatile cycling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kastner, M.; Hilton, D. R.; Jenkins, W. J.; Solomon, E. A.; Spivack, A. J.

2013-12-01

The noble gas 3He is a clear indicator of primordial volatile flux from the mantle, thus providing important insights on the interaction between Earth's interior and exterior reservoirs. Volatile cycling at ridge-crests and its impact on the evolution of seawater chemistry is rather well known as constrained by the 3He flux, whereas the impact of volatile cycling at subduction zones (SZs) on seawater chemistry is as yet poorly known. Constraining chemical and isotopic cycling at SZs is important for understanding the evolution of the mantle-crust and ocean-atmosphere systems. To gain insights on volatile cycling in SZs, pore fluids were sampled for He concentration and isotopic analyses at two tectonically contrasting SZs, Nankai Trough (offshore Japan, Muroto and Kumano transects), an accretionary SZ, and Costa Rica (Offshore Osa Peninsula), an erosional SZ. Sampling for He was achieved by rapidly subsampling core sediments, cleaning and transferring these samples into Ti squeezers in a glove bag, and storing the squeezed pore fluids in crimped Cu tubes for shore-based He concentration and isotope ratio analyses. At the Nankai Trough SZ there is a remarkable range of He isotopic values. The 3He/4He ratios relative to atmospheric ratio (RA) range from mostly crustal 0.47 RA to 4.30 RA which is ~55% of the MORB value of 8 RA. Whereas at the Costa Rica SZ, offshore Osa Peninsula, the ratios range from 0.86 to 1.14 RA, indicating the dominance of crustal radiogenic 4He that is from U and Th decay. The distribution of the He isotope values at Nankai Trough is most interesting, fluids that contain significant mantle 3He components (3He/4He >1) were sampled along and adjacent to fluid conduits that were identified by several chemical and isotopic data (i.e. Cl, B, and Li), including the presence of thermogenic hydrocarbons. Whereas the fluids dominated by 4He (3He/4He ≤1) were obtained from sediment sections that were between the fluid conduits. At Costa Rica, however, even along conduits, the fluids were not greatly enriched in 3He, hence there is no evidence for fluid advection from the subducting Cocos Ridge and numerous seamounts into the sediments, suggesting greatly diminished hydrothermal activity. Focused flow along faults, the décollement, splay and out of sequence faults, and fractured and permeable horizons at SZs play a key role in controlling fluid and heat transport, including mantle He, whereas diffuse flow plays a minor role; mud volcanoes and seeps as well play some role in volatile cycling.

Geologic evolution of the Kastel trough and its implications on the Adiyaman oil fields, SE Turkey

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

Coskun, Bu.

1990-05-01

Oil field developments of the Adiyaman area one of the main oil producing zones in southeast Turkey, have been highly influenced by geologic evolution of the Kastel trough which is situated in front of the suture zone between the Arabian and Anatolian plates. The Upper Cretaceous movements created many paleostructural trends in the Kastel trough where important dolomitic and porous reservoirs exist. The most important tectonic event, which appeared during the Upper Cretaceous movements, is the accumulation of the Kocali-Karadut ophiolitic complex, advancing from the north to the south in the Kastel trough, where heavy materials caused formation of amore » structural model favoring generation and migration and entrapment of oil in the reservoir rocks. Due to the presence of the Kocali-Karadut complex in the Kastel trough the following zones have been distinguished. (1) North Uplift Area. Situated under the allochthonous units, many thrust and reverse faults characterize this zone. The presence of paleohighs, where primary dolomites develop, allows the appearance of some oil fields in the region. This is the main future exploration zone in southeast Turkey. (2) Accumulation Area. Advancing from the north to the south, the allochthonous Kocali-Karadut complex filled the Kastel trough creating a deep graben whose flanks present generally normal faults. (3) Structural Belt. Important paleohighs constitute an exploration trend in this zone where dolomitic and porous carbonates contain actual oil fields. (4) South Accumulation Area. Distant from the Arabian-Anatolian suture zone, regional tectonics and sedimentology show this zone remained deeply buried during geologic time; good source rocks were deposited during the Cretaceous. (5) South Uplift Area. This area corresponds to the northern flank of the huge regional Mardin high in southeast Turkey where new oil fields have been discovered.« less

Prospective Evaluation of a Model-Based Dosing Regimen for Amikacin in Preterm and Term Neonates in Clinical Practice

PubMed Central

De Cock, R. F. W.; Allegaert, K.; Vanhaesebrouck, S.; Danhof, M.; Knibbe, C. A. J.

2015-01-01

Based on a previously derived population pharmacokinetic model, a novel neonatal amikacin dosing regimen was developed. The aim of the current study was to prospectively evaluate this dosing regimen. First, early (before and after second dose) therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) observations were evaluated for achieving target trough (<3 mg/liter) and peak (>24 mg/liter) levels. Second, all observed TDM concentrations were compared with model-predicted concentrations, whereby the results of a normalized prediction distribution error (NPDE) were considered. Subsequently, Monte Carlo simulations were performed. Finally, remaining causes limiting amikacin predictability (i.e., prescription errors and disease characteristics of outliers) were explored. In 579 neonates (median birth body weight, 2,285 [range, 420 to 4,850] g; postnatal age 2 days [range, 1 to 30 days]; gestational age, 34 weeks [range, 24 to 41 weeks]), 90.5% of the observed early peak levels reached 24 mg/liter, and 60.2% of the trough levels were <3 mg/liter (93.4% ≤5 mg/liter). Observations were accurately predicted by the model without bias, which was confirmed by the NPDE. Monte Carlo simulations showed that peak concentrations of >24 mg/liter were reached at steady state in almost all patients. Trough values of <3 mg/liter at steady state were documented in 78% to 100% and 45% to 96% of simulated cases with and without ibuprofen coadministration, respectively; suboptimal trough levels were found in patients with postnatal age <14 days and current weight of >2,000 g. Prospective evaluation of a model-based neonatal amikacin dosing regimen resulted in optimized peak and trough concentrations in almost all patients. Slightly adapted dosing for patient subgroups with suboptimal trough levels was proposed. This model-based approach improves neonatal dosing individualization. PMID:26248375

Gas potential of the Rome Trough in Kentucky: Results of recent Cambrian exploration

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

Harris, D.C.; Drahovzal, J.A.

1996-09-01

A recent gas discovery in the Rome Trough suggests the need to re-evaluate the deep Cambrian potential of eastern Kentucky. A new phase of Cambrian exploration began in mid-1994 with a new pool discovery by the Carson Associates No. 1 Kazee well in Elliott County, Ky. This well blew out and initially flowed 11 MMcfd of gas from the upper Conasauga Group/Rome Formation at 6,258 to 6,270 feet. After this discovery, a second exploratory well (the Blue Ridge No. 1Greene) was drilled on a separate structure in Elliott County in late 1995. The Blue Ridge well was temporarily abandoned, butmore » had shows of gas and condensate. In early 1996, Carson Associates offset their initial discovery well with the No. 33 Lawson Heirs well. This activity follows a frustrating exploration history in the Rome Trough that is marked by numerous gas and oil shows, but rare commercial production. Only three single-well pools have produced commercial gas from the trough, including the recent Kazee well. Stratigraphic units below the Cambrian-Ordovician Knox Group in the Rome Trough are dramatically thicker than their equivalents on the shelf to the north. The interval in the trough is thought to include rocks as old as Early Cambrian, consisting of a basal sandstone, equivalents of the Shady/Tomstown Dolomite, the Rome Formation, and the Conasauga Formation. Sandstones and fractured shales have been responsible for most of the production to date, but dolostone intervals may also have potential. Limited seismic data indicate possible fan-delta and basin-floor fan deposits that may have reservoir potential.« less

Structure of the lower crust beneath the Carolina Trough, U.S. Atlantic continental margin

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tréhu, Anne M.; Ballard, A.; Dorman, L.M.; Gettrust, J.F.; Klitgord, Kim D.; Schreiner, A.

1989-01-01

Data from three large-offset seismic profiles provide information on the crustal structure beneath the Carolina trough. The profiles, obtained by the U.S. Geological Survey, the Naval Oceanographic Research Development Agency, and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in 1985, were oriented parallel to the trough and were located (1) seaward of the East Coast Magnetic Anomaly (ECMA), which is generally thought to represent the boundary between oceanic and continental crust; (2) along the axis of the trough between the ECMA and the hinge zone, which is thought to reflect the landward limit of highly stretched and altered transitional crust; and (3) along the Carolina platform landward of the basement hinge zone on crust thought to have been thinned only slightly during rifting. These data constrain the velocity structure of the lower crust and provide evidence for a thick lens of high-velocity (>7.1 km/s) lower crustal material that extends beneath the Carolina trough and the adjacent ocean basin. This lens reaches a maximum thickness of about 13 km beneath the deepest part of the trough, thins to about 5 km seaward of the ECMA, and is either very thin or absent landward of the hinge zone. It is interpreted to represent material that was underplated beneath and/or intruded into the crust during the late stage of continental rifting and that led to an anomalously thick plutonic layer during the early seafloor spreading phase. These data thus support the recent conclusions of White et al. (1987b) and Mutter et al. (1988) that the initiation of seafloor spreading is attended in many, if not most, cases by the generation of an anomalously large volume of melt.

Top predators in relation to bathymetry, ice and krill during austral winter in Marguerite Bay, Antarctica

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ribic, C.A.; Chapman, E.; Fraser, William R.; Lawson, G.L.; Wiebe, P.H.

2008-01-01

A key hypothesis guiding the US Southern Ocean Global Ocean Ecosystems Dynamics (US SO GLOBEC) program is that deep across-shelf troughs facilitate the transport of warm and nutrient-rich waters onto the continental shelf of the Western Antarctic Peninsula, resulting in enhanced winter production and prey availability to top predators. We tested aspects of this hypothesis during austral winter by assessing the distribution of the resident pack-ice top predators in relation to these deep across-shelf troughs and by investigating associations between top predators and their prey. Surveys were conducted July-August 2001 and August-September 2002 in Marguerite Bay, Antarctica, with a focus on the main across-shelf trough in the bay, Marguerite Trough. The common pack-ice seabird species were snow petrel (Pagodroma nivea, 1.2 individuals km-2), Antarctic petrel (Thalassoica antarctica, 0.3 individuals km-2), and Ade??lie penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae, 0.5 individuals km-2). The most common pack-ice pinniped was crabeater seal (Lobodon carcinophagus). During both winters, snow and Antarctic petrels were associated with low sea-ice concentrations independent of Marguerite Trough, while Ade??lie penguins occurred in association with this trough. Krill concentrations, both shallow and deep, also were associated with Ade??lie penguin and snow petrel distributions. During both winters, crabeater seal occurrence was associated with deep krill concentrations and with regions of lower chlorophyll concentration. The area of lower chlorophyll concentrations occurred in an area with complex bathymetry close to land and heavy ice concentrations. Complex or unusual bathymetry via its influence on physical and biological processes appears to be one of the keys to understanding how top predators survive during the winter in this Antarctic region. ?? 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluating the Relationship between Vancomycin Trough Concentration and 24-Hour Area under the Concentration-Time Curve in Neonates.

PubMed

Tseng, Sheng-Hsuan; Lim, Chuan Poh; Chen, Qi; Tang, Cheng Cai; Kong, Sing Teang; Ho, Paul Chi-Lui

2018-04-01

Bacterial sepsis is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in neonates, especially those involving methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Guidelines by the Infectious Diseases Society of America recommend the vancomycin 24-h area under the concentration-time curve to MIC ratio (AUC 24 /MIC) of >400 as the best predictor of successful treatment against MRSA infections when the MIC is ≤1 mg/liter. The relationship between steady-state vancomycin trough concentrations and AUC 24 values (mg·h/liter) has not been studied in an Asian neonatal population. We conducted a retrospective chart review in Singapore hospitals and collected patient characteristics and therapeutic drug monitoring data from neonates on vancomycin therapy over a 5-year period. A one-compartment population pharmacokinetic model was built from the collected data, internally validated, and then used to assess the relationship between steady-state trough concentrations and AUC 24 A Monte Carlo simulation sensitivity analysis was also conducted. A total of 76 neonates with 429 vancomycin concentrations were included for analysis. Median (interquartile range) was 30 weeks (28 to 36 weeks) for postmenstrual age (PMA) and 1,043 g (811 to 1,919 g) for weight at the initiation of treatment. Vancomycin clearance was predicted by weight, PMA, and serum creatinine. For MRSA isolates with a vancomycin MIC of ≤1, our major finding was that the minimum steady-state trough concentration range predictive of achieving an AUC 24 /MIC of >400 was 8 to 8.9 mg/liter. Steady-state troughs within 15 to 20 mg/liter are unlikely to be necessary to achieve an AUC 24 /MIC of >400, whereas troughs within 10 to 14.9 mg/liter may be more appropriate. Copyright © 2018 American Society for Microbiology.

Spatial patterns of cyanobacterial mat growth on sand ripples

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mariotti, G.; Klepac-Ceraj, V.; Perron, J. T.; Bosak, T.

2016-02-01

Photosynthetic microbial mats produce organic matter, cycle nutrients, bind pollutants and stabilize sediment in sandy marine environments. Here, we investigate the influence of bedforms and wave motion on the growth rate, composition and spatial variability of microbial mats by growing cyanobacterial mats on a rippled bed of carbonate sand in a wave tank. The tank was forced with an oscillatory flow with velocities below the threshold for sediment motion yet able to induce a porewater flow within the sediment. Different spatial patterns developed in mats depending on the initial biochemistry of the water medium. When growing in a medium rich in nitrogen, phosphorous and micronutrients, mats grew faster on ripple troughs than on ripple crests. After two months, mats covered the bed surface uniformly, and the microbial communities on the crests and in the troughs had similar compositions. Differences in bed shear stress and nutrient availability between crests and troughs were not able to explain the faster growth in the troughs. We hypothesize that this growth pattern is due to a "strainer" effect, i.e. the suspended bacteria from the inoculum were preferentially delivered to troughs by the wave-induced porewater flow. In the experiments initiated in a medium previously used up by a microbial mat and thus depleted in nutrients, mats grew preferentially on the ripple crests. This spatial pattern persisted for nearly two years, and the microbial composition on troughs and crests was different. We attribute this pattern to the upwelling of porewater in the crests, which increased the delivery of nutrients from sediment to the cyanobacteria on the bed surface. Thus, the macroscopic patterns formed by photosynthetic microbial mats on sand ripples may be used to infer whether mats are nutrient-limited and whether they are recently colonized or older than a month.

Deglacial to Holocene history of ice-sheet retreat and bottom current strength on the western Barents Sea shelf

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lantzsch, Hendrik; Hanebuth, Till J. J.; Horry, Jan; Grave, Marina; Rebesco, Michele; Schwenk, Tilmann

2017-10-01

High-resolution sediment echosounder data combined with radiocarbon-dated sediment cores allowed us to reconstruct the Late Quaternary stratigraphic architecture of the Kveithola Trough and surrounding Spitsbergenbanken. The deposits display the successive deglacial retreat of the Svalbard-Barents Sea Ice Sheet. Basal subglacial till indicates that the grounded ice sheet covered both bank and trough during the Late Weichselian. A glaciomarine blanket inside the trough coinciding with laminated plumites on the bank formed during the initial ice-melting phase from at least 16.1 to 13.5 cal ka BP in close proximity to the ice margin. After the establishment of open-marine conditions at around 13.5 cal ka BP, a sediment drift developed in the confined setting of the Kveithola Trough, contemporary with crudely laminated mud, an overlying lag deposit, and modern bioclastic-rich sand on Spitsbergenbanken. The Kveithola Drift shows a remarkable grain-size coarsening from the moat towards the southern flank of the trough. This trend contradicts the concept of a separated drift (which would imply coarser grain sizes in proximity of the moat) and indicates that the southern bank is the main sediment source for the coarse material building up the Kveithola Drift. This depocenter represents, therefore, a yet undescribed combination of off-bank wedge and confined drift. Although the deposits inside Kveithola Trough and on Spitsbergenbanken display different depocenter geometries, time-equivalent grain-size changes imply a region-wide sediment-dynamic connection. We thus relate a phase of coarsest sediment supply (8.8-6.3 cal ka BP) to an increase in bottom current strength, which might be related to a stronger Atlantic Water inflow from the Southeast across the bank leading to winnowing and off-bank export of sandy sediments.

Eclipsing damped Lyα systems in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 12★

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fathivavsari, H.; Petitjean, P.; Jamialahmadi, N.; Khosroshahi, H. G.; Rahmani, H.; Finley, H.; Noterdaeme, P.; Pâris, I.; Srianand, R.

2018-04-01

We present the results of our automatic search for proximate damped Lyα absorption (PDLA) systems in the quasar spectra from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 12. We constrain our search to those PDLAs lying within 1500 km s-1 from the quasar to make sure that the broad DLA absorption trough masks most of the strong Lyα emission from the broad line region (BLR) of the quasar. When the Lyα emission from the BLR is blocked by these so-called eclipsing DLAs, narrow Lyα emission from the host galaxy could be revealed as a narrow emission line (NEL) in the DLA trough. We define a statistical sample of 399 eclipsing DLAs with log N(H I) ≥ 21.10. We divide our statistical sample into three subsamples based on the strength of the NEL detected in the DLA trough. By studying the stacked spectra of these subsamples, we found that absorption from high ionization species are stronger in DLAs with stronger NEL in their absorption core. Moreover, absorption from the excited states of species like Si II are also stronger in DLAs with stronger NEL. We also found no correlation between the luminosity of the Lyα NEL and the quasar luminosity. These observations are consistent with a scenario in which the DLAs with stronger NEL are denser and physically closer to the quasar. We propose that these eclipsing DLAs could be the product of the interaction between infalling and outflowing gas. High resolution spectroscopic observation would be needed to shed some light on the nature of these eclipsing DLAs.

Carbonate system at Iheya North in Okinawa Trough~IODP drilling and post drilling environment~

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Noguchi, T.; Hatta, M.; Sunamura, M.; Fukuba, T.; Suzue, T.; Kimoto, H.; Okamura, K.

2012-12-01

The Iheya North hydrothermal field in middle Okinawa Trough is covered with thick hemipelagic and volcanic sediment. Geochemical characteristics of Okinawa Trough is to provide abundant of CO2, CH4, NH4, H2, and H2S which originated from magmatic gases, sedimentary organic matters. On this hydrothermal field, a scientific drilling by Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Expedition 331 was conducted to investigate metabolically diverse subseafloor microbial ecosystem and their physical and chemical settings. To clarify the spatial distribution of physical condition beneath seafloor around the hydrothermal filed, we focus on the carbonate species analysis to reconstruct in-situ pH, which regulate the diversities of microbial community and mineral composition. We developed the small sample volume dissolved total inorganic carbon (DIC) analyzer and conducted the onboard analysis for the interstitial water during IODP Exp.331. Total alkalinity, boron, phosphate, and ammonium also analyzed for thermodynamic calculation. In this presentation, we represent the spatial distribution of pH beneath the Iheya North hydrothermal field. In addition, we developed a 128 bottles multiple water sampler (ANEMONE) for post drilling environmental monitoring. ANEMONE sampler was deployed on the manned submersible Shinkai 6500 with other chemical sensors (CTD, turbidity, pH, ORP, and H2S), and collected the hydrothermal plume samples every 5 minutes during YK12-05 cruise by R/V Yokosuka (Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, JAMSTEC). DIC concentration of plume samples collected by ANEMONE sampler were analyzed just after submersible retrieve, and nutrients, manganese, density, and total cell counts determination were conducted onshore analysis. Based on these results, we describe the spatial distribution of DIC and carbonate system on Iheya North hydrothermal field (interstitial water, hydrothermal fluid, and hydrothermal plume).

Rheology and microrheology of materials at the air-water interface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walder, Robert Benjamin

2008-10-01

The study of materials at the air-water interface is an important area of research in soft condensed matter physics. Films at the air-water interface have been a system of interest to physics, chemistry and biology for the last 20 years. The unique properties of these surface films provide ideal models for 2-d films, surface chemistry and provide a platform for creating 2 dimensional analogue materials to cellular membranes. Measurements of the surface rheology of cross-linked F-actin networks associated with a lipid monolayer at the air-water interface of a Langmuir monolayer have been performed. The rheological measurements are made using a Couette cell. These data demonstrate that the network has a finite elastic modulus that grows as a function of the cross-linking concentration. We also note that under steady-state flow the system behaves as a power law fluid in which the effective viscosity decreases with imposed shear. A Langmuir monolayer trough that is equipped for simultaneous microrheology and standard rheology measurements has been constructed. The central elements are the trough itself with a full range of optical tools accessing the air-water interface from below the trough and a portable knife-edge torsion pendulum that can access the interface from above. The ability to simultaneously measure the mechanical response of Langmuir monolayers on very different length scales is an important step for our understanding of the mechanical response of two-dimensional viscoelastic networks. The optical tweezer microrheometer is used to study the micromechanical properties of Langmuir monolayers. Microrheology measurements are made a variety of surface pressures that correspond to different ordered phases of the monolayer. The complex shear modulus shows an order of magnitude increase for the liquid condensed phase of DPPC compared to the liquid expanded phase.

Multilevel groundwater monitoring of hydraulic head and temperature in the eastern Snake River Plain aquifer, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho, 2011-13

USGS Publications Warehouse

Twining, Brian V.; Fisher, Jason C.

2015-01-01

Normalized mean head values were analyzed for all 11 multilevel monitoring wells for the period of record (2007–13). The mean head values suggest a moderately positive correlation among all boreholes and generally reflect regional fluctuations in water levels in response to seasonal climatic changes. Boreholes within volcanic rift zones and near the southern boundary (USGS 103, USGS 105, USGS 108, USGS 132, USGS 135, USGS 137A) display a temporal correlation that is strongly positive. Boreholes in the Big Lost Trough display some variations in temporal correlations that may result from proximity to the mountain front to the northwest and episodic flow in the Big Lost River drainage system. For example, during June 2012, boreholes MIDDLE 2050A and MIDDLE 2051 showed head buildup within the upper zones when compared to the June 2010 profile event, which correlates to years when surface water was reported for the Big Lost River several months preceding the measurement period. With the exception of borehole USGS 134, temporal correlation between MLMS wells completed within the Big Lost Trough is generally positive. Temporal correlation for borehole USGS 134 shows the least agreement with other MLMS boreholes located within the Big Lost Trough; however, borehole USGS 134 is close to the mountain front where tributary valley subsurface inflow is suspected.

Spatial instability of the rift in the St. Paul multifault transform fracture system, Atlantic Ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sokolov, S. Yu.; Zaraiskaya, Yu. A.; Mazarovich, A. O.; Efimov, V. N.; Sokolov, N. S.

2016-05-01

The structure of the acoustic basement of the eastern part of the St. Paul multifault transform fracture system hosts rift paleovalleys and a paleonodal depression that mismatch the position of the currently active zones. This displacement zone, which is composed of five fault troughs, is unstable in terms of the position of the rift segments, which jumped according to redistribution of stresses. The St. Paul system is characterized by straightening of the transform transition between two remote segments of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR). The eastern part of the system contains anomalous bright-spot-like reflectors on the flattened basement, which is a result of atypical magmatism, that forms the standard ridge relief of the acoustic basement. Deformations of the acoustic basement have a presedimentation character. The present-day deformations with lower amplitude in comparison to the basement are accompanied by acoustic brightening of the sedimentary sequence. The axial Bouguer anomalies in the east of the system continue to the north for 120 km from the active segments of the St. Paul system. Currently seismically active segments of the spreading system are characterized by increasing amplitudes of the E-W displacement along the fault troughs. Cross-correlation of the lengths of the active structural elements of the MAR zone (segments of the ridge and transform fracture zones of displacement) indicates that, statistically, the multifault transform fracture system is a specific type of oceanic strike-slip faults.

International Aviation (Selected Articles)

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-09-11

THE ANAYLYSIS OF DYNAMIC FORCES IN AVIATION STRUCTURES Following along with the development of test manufacturing projects for many types of aircraft...type water troughs. All the main equipment embodies automated measurement controls. It is capable of obtaining test data and curves in a real time...results from thousands of calculations, and decisions were made to select the imaginary origin point to act as the turbulence flow origination point

27. Bollinger twinchain tandem, pigcasting machine, located at the north ...

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

27. Bollinger twin-chain tandem, pig-casting machine, located at the north end of the plant. Prior to closing, approximately 40 percent of the plant's: iron production was cast into pigs and sold to foundry customers. The pig-casting machine employed a controller, lime man, trough man, and crane operator. - Central Furnaces, 2650 Broadway, east bank of Cuyahoga River, Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, OH

Two-stage ordering processes under annealing of Sr submonolayers on Mo(1 1 2)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fedorus, A.; Godzik, G.; Naumovets, A.; Pfnür, H.

2004-09-01

Using LEED as technique of investigation, the evolution of geometrical order in the system Sr/Mo(1 1 2) was studied after annealing at temperatures between 100 and 900 K. Two stages of ordering were found for the chain-like structures p(8 × 1) and p(5 × 1). Partial ordering occurred already at the base adsorption temperature (90 K) with slight improvement after annealing to temperatures around 200 K. The full equilibration of the layers, however, was found to happen only at high annealing temperatures (ranging between 500 and 600 K, depending on coverage). Correlating these data with the highly anisotropic diffusivity known for Sr overlayers on Mo(1 1 2), we assume that the low-temperature ordering sets in via a kink-like diffusion of adsorbate chains essentially along the substrate troughs, whereas in the high-temperature step, diffusion across the troughs is most important.

Morphostructural Analysis and Seabed Shelf Typing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nikiforov, S. L.; Sorokhtin, N. O.; Koshel', S. M.; Lobkovsky, L. I.

2018-03-01

Analysis of the morphometric characteristics from a study of the Barents Sea seabed has shown that the existing troughs are consistent with geodynamic conclusions, allowing morphological typing into structural slopes and reconstruction of their origin. Thus, the Norwegian-Mezenskaya rift system and Svyataya Anna and Victoria troughs were formed due to stretching of the lithosphere. The South Barents and Medvezinsko- Edzinskaya depressions formed at the generation stage of lithospheric plates due to the collision of several island arcs between outliers of the ancient oceanic crust. The choice of the geomorphic method for studying the seabed is because the science of geomorphology comprehensively studies bottom relief (morphology), its origin, and age. Adequate reconstruction of the causal relationships of exogenous and endogenous processes aids in substantiating the prediction of probable catastrophic seabed events. The results of mathematical calculations have confirmed the geodynamic conclusions within the Barents Sea region.

Intimations of water on Mars.

PubMed

2000-08-01

This photo essay contains images of Mars that propose evidence of the possible present or past existence of liquid water on Mars. Images were taken by the Mars Global Surveyor Mars Orbiter Camera. Images presented include: Polar Wall Pit region, consisting of gully landforms possibly caused by seepage and runoff of liquid water; Noachis Terra region, an area of gullies eroded into the wall of a meteor impact crater, where channels and related debris are seen, possibly formed by seepage, runoff, and debris flow; two images of Gorgonum Chaos region, one a series of troughs and layers of gullies and the other of gullies in a specific layer forming an alcove similar to an aquifer; Sirenum Fossae/Gorgonum Chaos mosaic of two images from this region of the southern hemisphere of Mars, showing 20 different channels coming down from a trough and their associated debris fans. Images and their enhancements are from NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science System.

Influence of V-N Microalloying on the High-Temperature Mechanical Behavior and Net Crack Defect of High Strength Weathering Steel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qing, Jiasheng; Wang, Lei; Dou, Kun; Wang, Bao; Liu, Qing

2016-06-01

The influence of V-N microalloying on the high-temperature mechanical behavior of high strength weathering steel is discussed through thermomechanical simulation experiment. The difference of tensile strength caused by variation of [%V][%N] appears after proeutectoid phase change, and the higher level of [%V][%N] is, the stronger the tensile strength tends to be. The ductility trough apparently becomes deeper and wider with the increase of [%V][%N]. When the level of [%V][%N] reaches to 1.7 × 10-3, high strength weathering steel shows almost similar reduction of area to 0.03% Nb-containing steel in the temperature range of 800-900°, however, the ductility trough at the low-temperature stage is wider than that of Nb-containing steel. Moreover, the net crack defect of bloom is optimized through the stable control of N content in low range under the precondition of high strength weathering steel with sufficient strength.

Assessment of GNSS-based height data of multiple ships for measuring and forecasting great tsunamis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Inazu, Daisuke; Waseda, Takuji; Hibiya, Toshiyuki; Ohta, Yusaku

2016-12-01

Ship height positioning by the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) was investigated for measuring and forecasting great tsunamis. We first examined GNSS height-positioning data of a navigating vessel. If we use the kinematic precise point positioning (PPP) method, tsunamis greater than 10-1 m will be detected by ship height positioning. Based on Automatic Identification System (AIS) data, we found that tens of cargo ships and tankers are usually identified to navigate over the Nankai Trough, southwest Japan. We assumed that a future Nankai Trough great earthquake tsunami will be observed by the kinematic PPP height positioning of an AIS-derived ship distribution, and examined the tsunami forecast capability of the offshore tsunami measurements based on the PPP-based ship height. A method to estimate the initial tsunami height distribution using offshore tsunami observations was used for forecasting. Tsunami forecast tests were carried out using simulated tsunami data by the PPP-based ship height of 92 cargo ships/tankers, and by currently operating deep-sea pressure and Global Positioning System (GPS) buoy observations at 71 stations over the Nankai Trough. The forecast capability using the PPP-based height of the 92 ships was shown to be comparable to or better than that using the operating offshore observatories at the 71 stations. We suppose that, immediately after the occurrence of a great earthquake, stations receiving successive ship information (AIS data) along certain areas of the coast would fail to acquire ship data due to strong ground shaking, especially near the epicenter. Such a situation would significantly deteriorate the tsunami-forecast capability using ship data. On the other hand, operational real-time analysis of seismic/geodetic data would be carried out for estimating a tsunamigenic fault model. Incorporating the seismic/geodetic fault model estimation into the tsunami forecast above possibly compensates for the deteriorated forecast capability.

Tracking Boulders

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2006-01-01

13 March 2006 This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a portion of a trough in the Sirenum Fossae region. On the floor and walls of the trough, large -- truck- to house-sized -- boulders are observed at rest. However, there is evidence in this image for the potential for mobility. In the central portion of the south (bottom) wall, a faint line of depressions extends from near the middle of the wall, down to the rippled trough floor, ending very near one of the many boulders in the area. This line of depressions is a boulder track; it indicates the path followed by the boulder as it trundled downslope and eventually came to rest on the trough floor. Because it is on Mars, even when the boulder is sitting still, this once-rolling stone gathers no moss.

Location near: 29.4oS, 146.6oW Image width: 3 km (1.9 mi) Illumination from: upper left Season: Southern Summer

Near-trench slip potential of megaquakes evaluated from fault properties and conditions

PubMed Central

Hirono, Tetsuro; Tsuda, Kenichi; Tanikawa, Wataru; Ampuero, Jean-Paul; Shibazaki, Bunichiro; Kinoshita, Masataka; Mori, James J.

2016-01-01

Near-trench slip during large megathrust earthquakes (megaquakes) is an important factor in the generation of destructive tsunamis. We proposed a new approach to assessing the near-trench slip potential quantitatively by integrating laboratory-derived properties of fault materials and simulations of fault weakening and rupture propagation. Although the permeability of the sandy Nankai Trough materials are higher than that of the clayey materials from the Japan Trench, dynamic weakening by thermally pressurized fluid is greater at the Nankai Trough owing to higher friction, although initially overpressured fluid at the Nankai Trough restrains the fault weakening. Dynamic rupture simulations reproduced the large slip near the trench observed in the 2011 Tohoku-oki earthquake and predicted the possibility of a large slip of over 30 m for the impending megaquake at the Nankai Trough. Our integrative approach is applicable globally to subduction zones as a novel tool for the prediction of extreme tsunami-producing near-trench slip. PMID:27321861

Microtopographic characterization of ice-wedge polygon landscape in Barrow, Alaska: a digital map of troughs, rims, centers derived from high resolution (0.25 m) LiDAR data

DOE Data Explorer

Gangodagamage, Chandana; Wullschleger, Stan

2014-07-03

The dataset represents microtopographic characterization of the ice-wedge polygon landscape in Barrow, Alaska. Three microtopographic features are delineated using 0.25 m high resolution digital elevation dataset derived from LiDAR. The troughs, rims, and centers are the three categories in this classification scheme. The polygon troughs are the surface expression of the ice-wedges that are in lower elevations than the interior polygon. The elevated shoulders of the polygon interior immediately adjacent to the polygon troughs are the polygon rims for the low center polygons. In case of high center polygons, these features are the topographic highs. In this classification scheme, both topographic highs and rims are considered as polygon rims. The next version of the dataset will include more refined classification scheme including separate classes for rims ad topographic highs. The interior part of the polygon just adjacent to the polygon rims are the polygon centers.

Constraining Greenland basal water extent and drainage morphology from radar reflectivity and specularity analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chu, W.; Schroeder, D. M.; Seroussi, H. L.; Creyts, T. T.; Bell, R. E.; Paden, J. D.

2017-12-01

Subglacial water has been observed and theorized to cause changes in basal sliding. Across Greenland, water drainage can produce massive speed-ups, or conversely, very little responses from the ice sheet. While distinct modes of subglacial drainage have been proposed to cause these different responses, the absence of Greenland-wide hydrological observations makes it difficult to examine where shifts in drainage occur and what controls them. By using routing models and the reflectivity and specularity of radar bed echoes from NASA IceBridge, we provide insight into the character of the subglacial water systems and their variability across Greenland. Specifically, we examine Russell Glacier as a southern Greenland example and Petermann Glacier as a northern example. In the south at Russell Glacier, the distribution of subglacial water varies seasonally depending on the surface melt supply. In winter, water is stored on bedrock ridges but is absent in the sediment-filled troughs. In the summer, water drains to the troughs that focus this water, flooding the bed to intensify sliding locally. The topography and material properties of the bed strongly determine the degree to which subglacial drainage focuses at Russell. Conversely, the drainage systems in northern Greenland are vastly different. In Petermann, radar reflectivity indicates a persistent water distribution beneath the fast moving ice trunk. We observe a widespread water distribution with only a weak drainage focusing along the shear margin. Contrasted to Russell, topography and bed materials exert minor roles in determining Petermann's drainage behavior. Instead, local heat production and heat transfer with the neighboring glaciers strongly determine the water distribution in Petermann. We also interpret the radar reflectivity and routing model results in the context of basal roughness and drainage morphology, which we estimate from a more detailed analysis of the specularity of the bed echoes. Together, our results provide insights into the interaction between subglacial drainage, melt supply, and basal roughness over a wide range of environment. Local conditions often determine how drainage focuses at the bed and thereby play a significant role in controlling individual catchment responses to meltwater supply.

Evidence to Support Monitoring of Vedolizumab Trough Concentrations in Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Diseases.

PubMed

Dreesen, Erwin; Verstockt, Bram; Bian, Sumin; de Bruyn, Magali; Compernolle, Griet; Tops, Sophie; Noman, Maja; Van Assche, Gert; Ferrante, Marc; Gils, Ann; Vermeire, Séverine

2018-04-25

Trough concentrations of vedolizumab were found to correlate with clinical response in phase 3 studies of patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) or Crohn's disease (CD). Nevertheless, there are no solid data to support monitoring of vedolizumab trough concentrations in treated patients. We investigated the correlation between vedolizumab exposure and response in a real-world population and aimed to identify patient factors that affect exposure and response. We performed a retrospective cohort study of 179 consecutive patients (66 with UC and 113 with CD) who began vedolizumab therapy from September 1, 2015, through October 1, 2016, at University Hospitals Leuven, Belgium. Serum concentrations of vedolizumab were measured before all infusions up to week 30. Effectiveness endpoints included endoscopic healing (UC, Mayo endoscopic sub-score ≤1; CD, absence of ulcers), clinical response (physicians' global assessment), and biologic response or remission (based on level of C-reactive protein) and were assessed at week 14 (for patients with UC) and week 22 (for patients with CD). A stepwise forward addition-backward elimination modeling approach was performed to identify factors independently associated with vedolizumab exposure and response. Vedolizumab trough concentrations >30.0 μg/mL at week 2, >24.0 μg/mL at week 6, and >14.0 μg/mL during maintenance therapy associated with a higher probability of attaining the effectiveness endpoints for patients with UC or CD (P < .05). Higher body mass and more severe disease (based on high level of C-reactive protein and low level of albumin and/or hemoglobin) at the start of vedolizumab therapy associated with lower trough concentrations of vedolizumab over the 30-week period and a lower probability of achieving mucosal healing (P < .05). Mucosal healing was achieved in significantly more patients with UC than patients with CD, even though a diagnosis of UC was not an independent predictor of higher vedolizumab trough concentrations. In a retrospective study of 179 patients with CD or UC, we observed a correlation between vedolizumab exposure and response. These findings support monitoring of vedolizumab trough concentrations to predict patients' outcome. Copyright © 2018 AGA Institute. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Model based verification of the Secure Socket Layer (SSL) Protocol for NASA systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Powell, John D.; Gilliam, David

2004-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has tens of thousands of networked computer systems and applications. Software Security vulnerabilities present risks such as lost or corrupted data, information theft, and unavailability of critical systems. These risks represent potentially enormous costs to NASA. The NASA Code Q research initiative 'Reducing Software Security Risk (RSSR) Trough an Integrated Approach' offers formal verification of information technology (IT), through the creation of a Software Security Assessment Instrument (SSAI), to address software security risks.

Geologic Mapping of Holden Crater and the Uzboi-Ladon-Morava Outflow System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grant, J. A.; Irwin, R. P., III; Wilson, S. A.

2009-01-01

Geologic mapping in Margaritifer Terra (Fig. 1) yields important new information regarding the inventory, sources, and sinks of water during the Noachian and early Hesperian on Mars [1-7]. Drainage in southwest Margaritifer Terra is dominated by the segmented Uzboi-Ladon-Morava (ULM) meso-scale outflow system that traverses northward along the southwestern flank of the Chryse trough [4-9]. Mapping of lower Uzboi Vallis through Ladon basin highlights the extent and complexity of sedimentary deposits associated with the ULM system [5-13].

Preliminary report, cruises L1-86-NC and L2-86-NC, Escanaba Trough, Gorda Ridge

USGS Publications Warehouse

Morton, J.L.; Normark, W.R.; Ross, Stephanie L.; Koski, R.A.; Holmes, M.L.; Shanks, Wayne C.; Zierenberg, R.A.; Lyle, M.W.; Benninger, L.M.

1987-01-01

Eight large (up to 200 m across) and many small massive sulfide deposits were photographed and sampled at the sediment-covered Escanaba Trough, southern Gorda Ridge, during S.P. Lee cruises L1-86-NC and L2-86-NC in 1986. The deposits are associated with two volcanic edifices within the sedimentary fill along the axis of Escanaba Trough. The sulfide and other hydrothermal minerals are deposited on the seafloor as well as within the sedimentary section. High concentrations of Pb and As in some of the sulfide samples indicates significant interaction between hydrothermal fluids and sediment at depth.

Sedimentation, volcanism, and ancestral lakes in the Valles Marineris: Clues from topography

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lucchitta, B. K.; Isbell, N. K.; Howington-Kraus, A.

1993-01-01

Compilation of a simplified geologic/geomorphic map onto a digital terrain model of Valles Marineris has permitted quantitative evaluations of topographic parameters. The study showed that, if their interior layered deposits are lacustrine, the ancestral Valles Marineris must have consisted of isolated basins. If, on the other hand, the troughs were interconnected as they are today, the deposits are most likely to volcanic origin, and the mesas in the peripheral troughs may be table mountains. The material eroded from the trough walls was probably not sufficient to form all of the interior layered deposits, but it may have contributed significantly to their formation.

Complex Burial and Exhumation of South Polar Cap Pitted Terrain

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

This image is illuminated by sunlight from the upper left. The two prominent bright stripes at the left/center of the image are covered with bright frost and thus create the illusion that they are sunlit from the lower left.

The large pits, troughs, and 'swiss cheese' of the south polar residual cap appear to have been formed in the upper 4 or 5 layers of the polar material. Each layer is approximately 2 meters (6.6 feet) thick. Some Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) images of this terrain show examples in which older pitted and eroded layers have been previously buried and are now being exhumed. The example shown here includes two narrow, diagonal slopes that trend from upper left toward lower right at the left/center portion of the frame. Along the bottoms of these slopes are revealed a layer that underlies them in which there are many more pits and troughs than in the upper layer. It is likely in this case that the lower layer formed its pits and troughs before it was covered by the upper layer. This observation suggests that the troughs, pits, and 'swiss cheese' features of the south polar cap are very old and form over long time scales.

The picture is located near 84.6oS, 45.1oW, and covers an area 3 km by 5 km (1.9 x 3.1 mi) at a resolution of about 3.8 meters (12 ft) per pixel. The image was taken during southern spring on August 29, 1999.

Malin Space Science Systems and the California Institute of Technology built the MOC using spare hardware from the Mars Observer mission. MSSS operates the camera from its facilities in San Diego, CA. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Mars Surveyor Operations Project operates the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft with its industrial partner, Lockheed Martin Astronautics, from facilities in Pasadena, CA and Denver, CO.

Role of Clay Minerals in Long-Distance Transport of Landslides in Valles Marineris, Mars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Watkins, J.; Ehlmann, B. L.; Yin, A.

2014-12-01

Long-runout (> 50 km) subaerial landslides are rare on Earth, but are common features episodically shaping Mars' Valles Marineris (VM) trough system over the past 3.5 billion years. They display two end-member morphologies: a thick-skinned inner zone, characterized by fault-bounded, rotated blocks near their source region, and a thin-skinned, exceptionally long-runout outer zone, characterized by thin sheets spreading over 10s of km across the trough floor. Four decades of studies on the latter have resulted in two main competing hypotheses to explain their long-distance transport: (1) movement of landslides over layers of trapped air or soft materials containing ice or snow, enabling basal lubrication, and (2) fluidization of landslide materials with or without the presence of water and volatiles. To address this issue, we examine the mineralogic composition of landslides across VM using Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) near-infrared spectral data analysis coupled with detailed geologic mapping and morphometric analysis of satellite images. Our survey reveals a general correlation between transport distance, significant lateral spreading, and the presence of hydrated silicates among VM landslides. Given that smectite clay absorbs water into its layered crystal structure and can reduce the friction coefficient by a factor of three v. that of dry rocks, these results suggest that hydrated silicates played a decisive role in facilitating long-runout landslide transport in VM. We propose that, concurrent with downslope failure and sliding of broken trough-wall rock, frontal landslide masses overrode and entrained hydrated-silicate-bearing trough-floor deposits, lubricating the basal sliding zones and permitting the landslide outer zones to spread laterally while moving forward over the low-friction surface. The key participation of hydrated silicates in episodic, sustained landslide activity throughout the canyon implies that clay minerals, generated by water-rock interactions in the Noachian and Hesperian (4.1- 3.3 Ga), exert a long-lasting influence on geomorphic processes that shape the surface of the planet.

Does the West Salton Detachment extend through San Gorgonio Pass, southern California?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matti, J. C.; Langenheim, V. E.

2008-12-01

Rift-related extension and low-angle crustal detachment are key structural elements of the late Cenozoic southern San Andreas Fault system, as manifested by the West Salton Detachment (WSD). The most northwestern exposure of the WSD is in the Santa Rosa Mts (SRM), where the Zosel Fault bottoms a hangingwall sequence of upper Cenozoic marine and terrestrial sedimentary deposits that include stratigraphic units well known throughout the Salton Trough region. We have used geologic and geophysical data to investigate the distribution of the WSD system in the northern Salton Trough, including its possible extension into and beyond San Gorgonio Pass. Although the WSD is not exposed north of the SRM, late Miocene marine and terrigenous sedimentary rocks at Garnet Hill probably are hangingwall deposits squeezed up within the San Andreas Fault zone. West of Garnet Hill lie San Gorgonio Pass (SGP) and the 3 km-high northern escarpment of the San Jacinto Mountains (SJM). In SGP, upper Cenozoic sedimentary rocks south of the Banning strand of the San Gabriel Fault include the marine Imperial Formation and associated terrestrial deposits, a sequence similar to that in the WSD hangingwall throughout the greater Salton Trough region. We propose that the WSD originally extended from the NW head of Coachella Valley west into SGP, where the detachment may form the base of the Cenozoic marine and terrestrial sedimentary sequence. The WSD probably continues west beyond SGP, with extensional translation decreasing until the detachment intersects the Banning Fault near Calimesa. There, we propose that the WSD underlies a subsurface sedimentary package north of the San Timoteo badlands and south of the Banning Fault that a gravity low suggests is 2 km thick, and that reportedly contains marine sediment penetrated in boreholes. When ~44 km of right-slip is restored on the Banning Fault (Matti and Morton, 1993), the Calimesa low restores opposite a similar low in the northwestern Coachella Valley. The juxtaposed gravity lows mark a late Cenozoic depocenter that formed at the NW head of the Salton Trough during evolution of the San Gabriel and San Andreas Faults (10 Ma to 1.2 Ma). This reconstruction has several implications: (1) the WSD was active while the late Cenozoic sedimentary sequence in SGP accumulated in its hangingwall at 7 Ma (marine Imperial Fm) and probably as early as 10 Ma (Hathaway Fm); (2) At that time the San Jacinto Mts (SJM) began to rise in the WSD footwall, shedding sediment and landslide breccia into the SGP basin. Simultaneously, Transverse Ranges sources shed sediment southwest, south, and southeast into the SGP basin and the adjoining San Timoteo basin; (3) Prior to disruption by right-slip on the Banning Fault, the WSD probably extended around the NW head of the Salton Trough, where the detachment would have separated footwall crystalline rocks of SGP from hangingwall deposits of the Salton Trough (Coachella Fanglomerate, Imperial and Painted Hill fms). The enigmatic Whitewater Fault in the SE San Bernardino Mts may be part of the WSD. (4) Because extensional translation on the WSD diminished westward through SGP, it is doubtful that >3 km of topographic relief on the WSD footwall in the SJM resulted from footwall uplift alone during the period 10 Ma to 1.2 Ma. Post-WSD Quaternary uplift must account for an unknown component of this relief.

Dose reduction of risperidone and olanzapine and estimated dopamine D₂ receptor occupancy in stable patients with schizophrenia: findings from an open-label, randomized, controlled study.

PubMed

Takeuchi, Hiroyoshi; Suzuki, Takefumi; Bies, Robert R; Remington, Gary; Watanabe, Koichiro; Mimura, Masaru; Uchida, Hiroyuki

2014-11-01

While acute-phase antipsychotic response has been attributed to 65%-80% dopamine D₂ receptor blockade, the degree of occupancy for relapse prevention in the maintenance treatment of schizophrenia remains unknown. In this secondary study of an open-label, 28-week, randomized, controlled trial conducted between April 2009 and August 2011, clinically stable patients with schizophrenia (DSM-IV) treated with risperidone or olanzapine were randomly assigned to the reduction group (dose reduced by 50%) or maintenance group (dose kept constant). Plasma antipsychotic concentrations at peak and trough before and after dose reduction were estimated with population pharmacokinetic techniques, using 2 collected plasma samples. Corresponding dopamine D₂ occupancy levels were then estimated using the model we developed. Relapse was defined as worsening in 4 Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale-Positive subscale items: delusion, conceptual disorganization, hallucinatory behavior, and suspiciousness. Plasma antipsychotic concentrations were available for 16 and 15 patients in the reduction and maintenance groups, respectively. Estimated dopamine D₂ occupancy (mean ± SD) decreased following dose reduction from 75.6% ± 4.9% to 66.8% ± 6.4% at peak and 72.3% ± 5.7% to 62.0% ± 6.8% at trough. In the reduction group, 10 patients (62.5%) did not demonstrate continuous D₂ receptor blockade above 65% (ie, < 65% at trough) after dose reduction; furthermore, 7 patients (43.8%) did not achieve a threshold of 65% occupancy even at peak. Nonetheless, only 1 patient met our relapse criteria after dose reduction during the 6 months of the study. The results suggest that the therapeutic threshold regarding dopamine D₂ occupancy may be lower for those who are stable in antipsychotic maintenance versus acute-phase treatment. Positron emission tomography studies are warranted to further test our preliminary findings. UMIN Clinical Trials Registry identifier: UMIN000001834. © Copyright 2014 Physicians Postgraduate Press, Inc.

Concentration of Natural Gas Hydrate Beneath the Permafrost Zone: Implications for Geochemical and Hydrologic Investigations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Uchida, T.; Waseda, A.; Namikawa, T.

2004-12-01

Gas hydrates are ice-like solids made of water molecules containing various gas molecules. The geological evaluations have suggested worldwide methane contents of gas hydrate beneath deep sea floors as well as permafrost-related zones to about twice the total reserves of conventional and unconventional hydrocarbon. Scientific and economic interests are increasing in gas hydrate as a new energy resource and a potential greenhouse gas. In 1998 and 2002 Mallik wells were drilled in the Canadian Arctic that clarified the characteristics of gas hydrate-dominant layers at depths from 890 to 1110 m beneath the permafrost zone. Continuous downhole well log data, anomalies of chloride contents in pore waters, core temperature depression as well as visible gas hydrates have confirmed the highly saturated pore-space hydrate as intergranular pore filling within sandy layers, whose saturations are higher than 70% in pore volume. Muddy sediments scarcely contain gas hydrate. The Nankai Trough runs along the Japanese Island, where forearc basins and accretionary prisms developed extensively and BSRs (bottom simulating reflectors) have been recognized widely. The METI Nankai Trough wells in 2000 also revealed the presence of pore-space hydrate filling intergranular pore of sandy layers. It is remarked that there are many similar features in appearance and characteristics between the Mallik and Nankai Trough areas with observations of well-interconnected and highly saturated pore-space hydrate. It is necessary for evaluating subsurface fluid flow behaviors to know both porosity and permeability of gas hydrate-bearing sandy sediments, and measurements of water permeability for them indicate that highly saturated sands may have permeability of a few millidarcies. Subsequent analyses in sedimentology and geochemistry performed on gas hydrate-bearing sands revealed important geologic and sedimentologic controls on the formation and concentration of gas hydrate. It is suggested that the distribution of a porous and coarser-grained sandy sediments is one of the most important factors to control the occurrence of gas hydrates, as well as physicochemical conditions.

Identification of Risk Factors for Nephrotoxicity in Patients Receiving Extended-Duration, High-Trough Vancomycin Therapy

PubMed Central

Contreiras, Claire; Legal, Michael; Lau, Tim T Y; Thalakada, Rosanne; Shalansky, Stephen; Ensom, Mary H H

2014-01-01

Background: In the past, impurities in vancomycin formulations were thought to contribute to nephrotoxicity. In contrast, when current, purer formulations are dosed at conventional trough levels (i.e., 5–15 mg/L), the incidence of nephrotoxicity is relatively low. Recent guidelines have recommended targeting higher vancomycin trough levels in treatment of complicated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections. Dosing based on these higher trough levels may be associated with nephrotoxicity, so the potential risk factors for vancomycin-associated nephrotoxicity require clearer definition. Objectives: To determine the occurrence of nephrotoxicity in patients receiving more than 7 days of vancomycin therapy with high trough levels (15–20 mg/L) and to identify and evaluate specific risk factors related to development of vancomycin-associated nephrotoxicity (i.e., serum creatinine ≥ 44.2 μmol/L or increase ≥ 50% [i.e., ≥ 26.2 μmol/L] from baseline on 2 consecutive days). Methods: Health care records were reviewed for patients seen at 2 major teaching hospitals between January 2008 and March 2011. Patients who had attained high trough levels of vancomycin were screened for eligibility. Patients with unstable renal function, those undergoing hemodialysis, and those for whom dosage and/or sampling times were unclear were excluded. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify risk factors associated with nephrotoxicity. Univariate variables with p < 0.1 were included in the logistic regression model. Results: Of the 176 patients with high trough levels included in the analysis, 24 (14%) experienced nephrotoxicity. In univariate analysis, admission to a general medicine unit (the setting of care for 16 [67%] of the 24 patients with nephrotoxicity) and extended duration of vancomycin treatment were identified as risk factors for nephrotoxicity (p < 0.1). Other risk factors included gastrointestinal comorbidity (p = 0.056), malignancy (p = 0.044), and febrile neutropenia (p = 0.032). Multivariate analysis identified treatment on general medicine units and treatment courses longer than 7 days as independent predictors of vancomycin-associated nephrotoxicity. Conclusion: Patients being treated on general medicine units and those receiving vancomycin for more than 7 days had an increased likelihood of experiencing nephrotoxicity. The increased risk for patients on general medicine units is likely multifactorial. The relationship between treatment duration and risk of nephrotoxicity appeared to be linear. When using extended-duration, high-trough vancomycin therapy, clinicians should be vigilant in monitoring for nephrotoxicity. PMID:24799722

Calprotectin and TNF trough serum levels identify power Doppler ultrasound synovitis in rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis patients in remission or with low disease activity.

PubMed

Inciarte-Mundo, José; Ramirez, Julio; Hernández, Maria Victoria; Ruiz-Esquide, Virginia; Cuervo, Andrea; Cabrera-Villalba, Sonia Raquel; Pascal, Mariona; Yagüe, Jordi; Cañete, Juan D; Sanmarti, Raimon

2016-07-08

Serum levels of calprotectin, a major S100 leucocyte protein, are associated with disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) patients. Higher drug trough serum levels are associated with good response in patients treated with tumour necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi). Power Doppler ultrasound (PDUS) synovitis is predictive of flare and progression of structural damage in patients in clinical remission. The purpose of this study was to analyse the accuracy of calprotectin and TNFi trough serum levels in detecting PDUS synovitis in RA and PsA patients in clinical remission or with low disease activity who were receiving TNFi. We conducted a cross-sectional study of 92 patients (42 with RA, 50 with PsA) receiving adalimumab (ADA), etanercept (ETN) or infliximab who were in remission or had low disease activity (28-joint Disease Activity Score based on erythrocyte sedimentation rate <3.2). Associations of calprotectin, TNFi trough serum levels and acute phase reactants with PDUS synovitis were assessed using correlation and linear regression analyses. The accuracy and discriminatory capacity in detecting PDUS synovitis was assessed using ROC curves. PDUS synovitis was found in 62.4 % of RA patients and 32 % of PsA patients. Both RA and PsA patients with PDUS synovitis had higher calprotectin levels and lower TNFi trough serum levels. Calprotectin positively correlated with ultrasound scores (all r coefficients >0.50 in RA). Calprotectin correlated with the PDUS synovitis score in patients treated with ADA and ETN. Using PDUS synovitis (yes or no) as the reference variable, calprotectin had an AUC of 0.826. The best cut-off was ≥1.66 μg/ml, with a likelihood ratio of 2.77. C-reactive protein (AUC 0.673) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (AUC 0.731) had a lower discriminatory capacity. TNFi trough serum levels were significantly associated with PDUS synovitis (OR 0.67, 95 % CI 0.52-0.85, p < 0.001) but their accuracy (AUC <0.5) was less than that of calprotectin. TNFi trough serum levels were inversely correlated with calprotectin and PDUS synovitis in RA and PsA patients receiving ADA and ETN. Calprotectin and TNFi trough serum levels may help identify PDUS synovitis in RA and PsA patients in clinical remission or with low disease activity.

Extended-interval Dosing of Gentamicin in Premature Neonates Born at <32 Weeks' Gestation and >7 Days of age.

PubMed

Sundaram, Arun; Alshaikh, Belal; Dersch-Mills, Deonne; Dobry, Jenna; Akierman, Albert R; Yusuf, Kamran

2017-06-01

Extended-interval dosing (EID) regimens of gentamicin have been validated for treating confirmed or suspected early- and late-onset sepsis in preterm infants in the first week of life. Despite the marked changes in volume of distribution and renal clearance in preterm infants after the first few days of life, few studies have validated EID regimens of gentamicin in this population. The objective of the study was to evaluate an EID regimen of gentamicin in infants born at <32 weeks' gestational age and aged >7 days. This observational study of an EID regimen was conducted in 39 infants. Dosing interval was based on the serum drug concentration at 22 hours after the administration of the first dose of 5 mg/kg. Gentamicin peak (5-12 µg/mL) and trough (<2 µg/mL) levels were compared to those in a historical control group of 39 infants who received traditional-interval dosing (TID) of 2.5 mg/kg of gentamicin with dosing intervals of 8, 12, or 24 hours. There were no differences in birthweight, gestational age at birth, postmenstrual age, weight at the start of gentamicin administration, postnatal age, small for gestational age status, antenatal corticosteroid use, or postnatal indomethacin exposure between the 2 groups. In the EID group, dosing intervals were 24 hours in 30 infants, 36 hours in 6 infants, and 48 hours in 3 infants. Compared with the TID group (n = 39), the EID group had a significantly higher peak level (median, 9.0 vs 4.7 µg/mL) and a significantly lower trough level (median, 0.7 vs 1.1 µg/mL) (both, P < 0.001). On regression analysis, the postmenstrual age was correlated significantly with trough levels in the EID group. There was no adverse effect on renal function in either group. On follow-up, 1 infant in the EID group and 2 infants in the TID group had evidence of sensorineural hearing loss. In infants born at <32 weeks' gestation and >7 days of age, an EID gentamicin regimen, with a dosing interval based on a single concentration measurement at 22 hours after the administration of the first dose, achieved therapeutic peak and trough levels and performed significantly better than did a TID regimen in reaching target peak and trough levels. Larger-scale trials are needed for assessing the clinical efficacy (treatment failure/success) of these regimens. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier HS Journals, Inc. All rights reserved.

Coastal submergence at Ukishima-ga-hara adjacent to the Suruga Trough (eastern Nankai Trough), central Japan, inferred from diatoms and plant macrofossils

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sawai, Y.; Momohara, A.

2017-12-01

Five episodic submergence events during the past 3500 years were recognized at the Ukishima-ga-hara lowland, northern coast of Suruga Trough (eastern Nankai Trough). Coastal submergence in this region was originally reported by Osamu Fujiwara and his colleagues (e.g., Fujiwara et al., 2016) based mainly on changes in lithostratigraphy from a peaty layer that abruptly changed to a light-colored mud and results of microfossil analyses (pollen and diatoms from 57 and 13 samples, respectively). They attributed the submergence events to coseismic deformation associated with earthquakes in the Fujikawa-kako fault zone or Suruga Trough. Here I reevaluated the micropaleontology of this area using 200 samples from 15 cores to reconstruct the full history of coastal submergence during the last few thousand years. The submergence events were shown not by lithostratigraphy but clearly by changes in fossil diatom assemblages and plant macrofossils. For example, at about 2.3 m and 3.1 m below the ground surface, while aerophilic diatoms (such as Diadesmis contenta and Diploneis elliptica) dominate the underlying peaty layer, freshwater and brackish planktonic taxa (Aulacoseira and Thalassiosira) abound in the overlying layer. As many as five such changes in diatom assemblages were found in a 8-m core and radiocarbon ages constrain the age of the entire sequence to 3500 yr BP.

Hydrogeologic Appraisal of the Valley-Fill Aquifer in the Port Jervis Trough, Sullivan and Ulster Counties, New York

USGS Publications Warehouse

Reynolds, Richard J.

2007-01-01

The nature and extent of valley-fill aquifers in the Port Jervis Trough was evaluated for a 16 mile section of this valley from the Orange-Sullivan County line near Westbrookville to the village of Napanoch in Ulster County as part of the U.S. Geological Survey's Detailed Aquifer Mapping Program in New York State. The principal aquifer in the Port Jervis Trough is a 50 feet thick outwash aquifer that extends from the Phillipsport Moraine near Summitville, southward through the study area to Port Jervis, N.Y. Previous studies had estimated as much as 500 feet of saturated drift in parts of the Trough, but new well data show that much of the valley fill consists of fine-grained lacustrine sediments. Drillers' logs show that the outwash aquifer south of Summitville is underlain by as much as 275 feet of lacustrine silt and clay. North of the Phillipsport Moraine, three large glaciolacustrine deltas that were built into Glacial Lake Wawarsing provide some local and discontinuous confined aquifers through their coarser bottomset beds. Elsewhere in the Trough, collapsed and buried portions of kame deltas and terraces provide local confined aquifers. The outwash aquifer appears to be very transmissive, as evidenced by the high specific capacity of 130 gallons per minute per foot [(gal/min)/ft] of a commercial test well screened in the aquifer.

The influence of a subduction component on magmatism in the Okinawa Trough: Evidence from thorium and related trace element ratios

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Kun; Zeng, Zhi-Gang; Chen, Shuai; Zhang, Yu-Xiang; Qi, Hai-Yan; Ma, Yao

2017-09-01

The Okinawa Trough (OT) is a back-arc, initial continental marginal sea basin located behind the Ryukyu Arc-Trench System. Formation and evolution of the OT have been intimately related to subduction of the Philippine Sea Plate (PSP) since the late Miocene; thus, the magma source of the trough has been affected by subduction components, as in the case of other active back-arc basins, including the Lau Basin (LB) and Mariana Trough (MT). We review all the available geochemical data relating to basaltic lavas from the OT and the middle Ryukyu Arc (RA) in this paper in order to determine the influence of the subduction components on the formation of arc and back-arc magmas within this subduction system. The results of this study reveal that the abundances of Th in OT basalts (OTBs) are higher than that in LB (LBBs) and MT basalts (MTBs) due to the mixing of subducted sediments and EMI-like enriched materials. The geochemical characteristics of Th and other trace element ratios indicate that the OTB originated from a more enriched mantle source (compared to N-mid-ocean ridge basalt, N-MORB) and was augmented by subducted sediments. Data show that the magma sources of the south OT (SOT) and middle Ryukyu Arc (MRA) basalts were principally influenced by subducted aqueous fluids and bulk sediments, which were potentially added into magma sources by accretion and underplating. At the same time, the magma sources of the middle OT (MOT) and Kobi-syo and Sekibi-Syo (KBS+SBS) basalts were impacted by subducted aqueous fluids from both altered oceanic crust (AOC) and sediment. The variable geochemical characteristics of these basalts are due to different Wadati-Benioff depths and tectonic environments of formation, while the addition of subducted bulk sediment to SOT and MRA basalts may be due to accretion and underplating, and subsequent to form mélange formation, which would occur partial melting after aqueous fluids are added. The addition of AOC and sediment aqueous fluid to MOT and KBS+SBS basalts is therefore the result of cold subducted slab dehydration combined with a rapid subduction rate (82 mm/a), leading to the migration of fluids into the mantle wedge. The presence of these attributes is likely because the OT was a back-arc, initial continental marginal sea basin.

Recognition and characterization of networks of water bodies in the Arctic ice-wedge polygonal tundra using high-resolution satellite imagery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Skurikhin, A. N.; Gangodagamage, C.; Rowland, J. C.; Wilson, C. J.

2013-12-01

Arctic lowland landscapes underlain by permafrost are often characterized by polygon-like patterns such as ice-wedge polygons outlined by networks of ice wedges and complemented with polygon rims, troughs, shallow ponds and thermokarst lakes. Polygonal patterns and corresponding features are relatively easy to recognize in high spatial resolution satellite imagery by a human, but their automated recognition is challenging due to the variability in their spectral appearance, the irregularity of individual trough spacing and orientation within the patterns, and a lack of unique spectral response attributable to troughs with widths commonly between 1 m and 2 m. Accurate identification of fine scale elements of ice-wedge polygonal tundra is important as their imprecise recognition may bias estimates of water, heat and carbon fluxes in large-scale climate models. Our focus is on the problem of identification of Arctic polygonal tundra fine-scale landscape elements (as small as 1 m - 2 m width). The challenge of the considered problem is that while large water bodies (e.g. lakes and rivers) can be recognized based on spectral response, reliable recognition of troughs is more difficult. Troughs do not have unique spectral signature, their appearance is noisy (edges are not strong), their width is small, and they often form connected networks with ponds and lakes, and thus they have overlapping spectral response with other water bodies and surrounding non-water bodies. We present a semi-automated approach to identify and classify Arctic polygonal tundra landscape components across the range of spatial scales, such as troughs, ponds, river- and lake-like objects, using high spatial resolution satellite imagery. The novelty of the approach lies in: (1) the combined use of segmentation and shape-based classification to identify a broad range of water bodies, including troughs, and (2) the use of high-resolution WorldView-2 satellite imagery (with resolution of 0.6 m) for this identification. The approach starts by segmenting water bodies from an image, which are then categorized using shape-based classification. Segmentation uses combination of pan sharpened multispectral bands and is based on the active contours without edges technique. The segmentation is robust to noise and can detect objects with weak boundaries that is important for extraction of troughs. We then categorize the segmented regions via shape based classification. Because segmentation accuracy is the main factor impacting the quality of the shape-based classification, for segmentation accuracy assessment we created reference image using WorldView-2 satellite image of ice-wedge polygonal tundra. Reference image contained manually labelled image regions which cover components of drainage networks, such as troughs, ponds, rivers and lakes. The evaluation has shown that the approach provides a good accuracy of segmentation and reasonable classification results. The overall accuracy of the segmentation is approximately 95%, the segmentation user's and producer's accuracies are approximately 92% and 97% respectively.

Aerial mulching techniques-trough fire

Treesearch

Robert Faust

2008-01-01

The Trough fire occurred in August 2001 on the Mendocino National Forest of northern California. A burned area emergency rehabilitation team evaluated the fire effects on the watershed. Concerns were soil from the denuded slopes moving into streams affecting fishery values, reservoir sedimentation and storm runoff plugging culverts leading to road wash outs. Past...

Strawberry Production in Soilless Substrate Troughs – Plant Growth

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Soilless substrates made of peat moss, coconut coir, perlite, rockwool or bark are pathogen free and they have been used in strawberry production in Europe in troughs or containers. Open field strawberry production in soilless substrate is new to California growers. The objective of this study was t...

40 CFR Table 4 to Subpart Wwww of... - Work Practice Standards

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

..., or sumps via covered troughs, pipes, or other covered conveyance that shields the resin from the... when they are being charged or filled, and vii. cover or shield from ambient air resin delivery systems... less may be open when active mixing is taking place, or during periods when they are in process (i.e...

40 CFR Table 4 to Subpart Wwww of... - Work Practice Standards

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

..., or sumps via covered troughs, pipes, or other covered conveyance that shields the resin from the... when they are being charged or filled, and vii. cover or shield from ambient air resin delivery systems... less may be open when active mixing is taking place, or during periods when they are in process (i.e...

40 CFR Table 4 to Subpart Wwww of... - Work Practice Standards

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

..., or sumps via covered troughs, pipes, or other covered conveyance that shields the resin from the... when they are being charged or filled, and vii. cover or shield from ambient air resin delivery systems... less may be open when active mixing is taking place, or during periods when they are in process (i.e...

40 CFR Table 4 to Subpart Wwww of... - Work Practice Standards

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

..., or sumps via covered troughs, pipes, or other covered conveyance that shields the resin from the... when they are being charged or filled, and vii. cover or shield from ambient air resin delivery systems... less may be open when active mixing is taking place, or during periods when they are in process (i.e...

Modeling Groundwater Flow System of a Drainage Basin in the Basement Complex Environment of Southwestern Nigera

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akinwumiju, Akinola S.; Olorunfemi, Martins O.

2018-05-01

This study attempted to model the groundwater flow system of a drainage basin within the Basement Complex environment of Southwestern Nigeria. Four groundwater models were derived from Vertical Electrical Sounding (VES) Data, remotely sensed data, geological information (hydrolineaments and lithology) and borehole data. Subsequently, two sub-surface (local and regional) flow systems were delineated in the study area. While the local flow system is controlled by surface topography, the regional flow system is controlled by the networks of intermediate and deep seated faults/fractures. The local flow system is characterized by convergence, divergence, inflow and outflow in places, while the regional flow system is dominated by NNE-SSW and W-E flow directions. Minor flow directions include NNW-SSE and E-W with possible linkages to the main flow-paths. The NNE-SSW regional flow system is a double open ended flow system with possible linkage to the Niger Trough. The W-E regional flow system is a single open ended system that originates within the study area (with possible linkage to the NNE-SSW regional flow system) and extends to Ikogosi in the adjoining drainage basin. Thus, the groundwater drainage basin of the study area is much larger and extensive than its surface drainage basin. The all year round flowing (perennial) rivers are linked to groundwater outcrops from faults/fractures and contact zones. Consequently, larger percentage of annual rainwater usually leaves the basin in form of runoff and base flow. Therefore, the basin is categorized as a donor basin but with suspected subsurface water input at its northeastern axis.

An Intercomparison Study of Two Proximate Damped Lyα Systems with Residual Flux upon the Lyα Absorption Trough toward Quasars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xie, Xiaoyi; Zhou, Hongyan; Pan, Xiang; Jiang, Peng; Shi, Xiheng; Ji, Tuo; Zhang, Shaohua; Wu, Shengmiao; Zhong, Zhihao

2018-05-01

In this paper, we present an intercomparison study of two quasars, SDSS J145618.32+340037.2 and SDSS J215331.50–025514.1, which have proximate damped Lyα systems (PDLAs) with residual flux upon the Lyα absorption trough. Though they both have residual flux as luminous as 1043 erg s‑1, their PDLAs are quite different in, e.g., neutral hydrogen column density, metal line absorption strength, high-ionization absorption lines as well as residual flux strength. For J1456+3400, the H I column density is log(N H I /cm–2) = 20.6 ± 0.2, with z abs = 2.3138, nearly identical to the quasar redshift (z = 2.3142) determined from the [O III] emission line. The metallicity of this system is typical of DLAs and there is high ionization therein, suggesting that the PDLA system is multiphase, putting it in the quasar environment. For J2153–0255, we measure the H I column density to be log(N H I /cm–2) = 21.5 ± 0.1 at z abs = 3.511, slightly redshifted with respect to the quasar (z = 3.490) measured from C III]. The metallicity of this system is quite low and there is a lack of significant high-ionization absorption lines therein, suggesting that the system is beyond the quasar host galaxy. The residual flux is wide (∼1000 km s‑1) in J1456, with a significance of ∼8σ, while also wide (∼1500 km s‑1) but with a smaller significance of ∼3σ in J2153. Among many explanations, we find that Lyα fuzz or resonant scattering can be used to explain the residual flux in the two sources while partial coverage cannot be excluded for J1456. By comparing these two cases, together with a similar case reported previously, we suggest that the strength of the residual flux is related to properties such as metallicity and high-ionization absorption lines of PDLAs. The residual flux recorded upon the PDLA absorption trough opens a window for us to see the physical conditions and processes of the quasar environment, and their profile and strength further remind us of their spatial scales.

Meta-analysis of the Efficacy and Safety of Latanoprost Monotherapy in Patients With Angle-closure Glaucoma.

PubMed

Chen, Ru; Yang, Ke; Zheng, Zhong; Ong, Moh-Lim; Wang, Ning-Li; Zhan, Si-Yan

2016-03-01

To systematically evaluate the safety and efficacy of latanoprost monotherapy for the treatment of patients with angle-closure glaucoma. We searched EMBASE, Medline, Cochrane Library, Chinese Journal Full-text Database (CNKI), Chinese Science and Technology Periodical Database (VIP), and Wang Fang using the search terms "latanoprost" (or its commercial name, Xalatan) and "angle-closure glaucoma." Resulting articles were then screened using preset inclusion criteria. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses were performed to evaluate the impact of research population, research type (blinded or controlled), and withdrawal/loss to follow-up. A total of 17 studies (n=807) were included in this meta-analysis. The primary outcome measure was intraocular pressure (IOP). Changes in the mean, peak, and trough IOP from baseline were used as effect measures. As I statistic revealed statistical heterogeneity, the random-effects model was applied. With the exception of 2 non-Asian populations from Australia and Peru, all 13 countries included in this study were from Asia. Latanoprost reduced mean IOP by 7.9 mm Hg (32.4%), peak IOP by 7.4 mm Hg (29.8%), and trough IOP by 7.9 mm Hg (32.5%). The most frequent ocular adverse effects were ocular hyperemia, discomfort (including eye irritation, ocular discomfort, foreign body sensation, and itching), and blurred vision with a total incidence rate of 9.4%, 8.7%, and 5.2%, respectively. Systemic adverse effects encompass rhinitis, dizziness, headache, and nonspecific skin pigmentation. Latanoprost is effective at reducing the IOP of patients with angle-closure glaucoma. Adverse reactions associated with latanoprost were mainly ocular in nature.

Charging machine

DOEpatents

Medlin, John B.

1976-05-25

A charging machine for loading fuel slugs into the process tubes of a nuclear reactor includes a tubular housing connected to the process tube, a charging trough connected to the other end of the tubular housing, a device for loading the charging trough with a group of fuel slugs, means for equalizing the coolant pressure in the charging trough with the pressure in the process tubes, means for pushing the group of fuel slugs into the process tube and a latch and a seal engaging the last object in the group of fuel slugs to prevent the fuel slugs from being ejected from the process tube when the pusher is removed and to prevent pressure liquid from entering the charging machine.

Peak Measurement for Vancomycin AUC Estimation in Obese Adults Improves Precision and Lowers Bias.

PubMed

Pai, Manjunath P; Hong, Joseph; Krop, Lynne

2017-04-01

Vancomycin area under the curve (AUC) estimates may be skewed in obese adults due to weight-dependent pharmacokinetic parameters. We demonstrate that peak and trough measurements reduce bias and improve the precision of vancomycin AUC estimates in obese adults ( n = 75) and validate this in an independent cohort ( n = 31). The precision and mean percent bias of Bayesian vancomycin AUC estimates are comparable between covariate-dependent ( R 2 = 0.774, 3.55%) and covariate-independent ( R 2 = 0.804, 3.28%) models when peaks and troughs are measured but not when measurements are restricted to troughs only ( R 2 = 0.557, 15.5%). Copyright © 2017 American Society for Microbiology.

Variations of the ionospheric plasma concentration in the region of the main ionospheric trough during the magnetic storm of December 18-19, 1978, in connection with measurements of the interplanetary magnetic field

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

Gdalevich, G.L.; Afonin, V.V.; Eliseev, A.Y.

1986-07-01

Data from the Kosmos-900 satellite are used to examine variations of the ion concentration in the region of the main ionospheric trough at altitudes of about 500 km during the storm of December 18-19, 1978. These variations of ion densities are compared with the variations of the parameters of the interplanetary medium, in particular, with the E /sub y/ = -VB /sub z/ component of the interplanetary electric field. The results of the comparison are discussed. A scheme is proposed for the formation and motion of the trough during magnetic disturbances.

Two-stage solar concentrators based on parabolic troughs: asymmetric versus symmetric designs.

PubMed

Schmitz, Max; Cooper, Thomas; Ambrosetti, Gianluca; Steinfeld, Aldo

2015-11-20

While nonimaging concentrators can approach the thermodynamic limit of concentration, they generally suffer from poor compactness when designed for small acceptance angles, e.g., to capture direct solar irradiation. Symmetric two-stage systems utilizing an image-forming primary parabolic concentrator in tandem with a nonimaging secondary concentrator partially overcome this compactness problem, but their achievable concentration ratio is ultimately limited by the central obstruction caused by the secondary. Significant improvements can be realized by two-stage systems having asymmetric cross-sections, particularly for 2D line-focus trough designs. We therefore present a detailed analysis of two-stage line-focus asymmetric concentrators for flat receiver geometries and compare them to their symmetric counterparts. Exemplary designs are examined in terms of the key optical performance metrics, namely, geometric concentration ratio, acceptance angle, concentration-acceptance product, aspect ratio, active area fraction, and average number of reflections. Notably, we show that asymmetric designs can achieve significantly higher overall concentrations and are always more compact than symmetric systems designed for the same concentration ratio. Using this analysis as a basis, we develop novel asymmetric designs, including two-wing and nested configurations, which surpass the optical performance of two-mirror aplanats and are comparable with the best reported 2D simultaneous multiple surface designs for both hollow and dielectric-filled secondaries.

Patchy intergalactic He II absorption in HE 2347-4342. II. The possible discovery of the epoch of He-reionization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reimers, D.; Kohler, S.; Wisotzki, L.; Groote, D.; Rodriguez-Pascual, P.; Wamsteker, W.

1997-11-01

We report on observations of redshifted Heii303.8 Angstroms absorption in the high-redshift QSO HE2347-4342 (z=2.885, V=16.1) with the Goddard High Resolution Spectrograph on board HST in its low resolution mode (bigtriangleup lambda = 0.7 Angstroms). With f_λ=3.6\\ 10(-15) ergcm(-2) s(-1) Angstroms(-1) at the expected position of Heii304 Angstroms absorption it is the most UV-bright high redshift QSO discovered so far. We show that the Heii opacity as a function of redshift is patchy showing spectral regions with low Heii opacity (``voids'') and regions with high Heii opacity (blacked-out ``troughs'') and no detectable flux. Combination with high-resolution optical spectra of the Lyalpha forest using CASPEC at the 3.6m telescope shows that the voids can be explained either exclusively by Lyalpha forest cloud absorption with a moderate N_{subs {He{sc ii}}}/N_{subs {H{sc i}}} ratio eta <=100 and turbulent line broadening or by a combination of Lyalpha forest with eta = 45 and thermal broadening plus a diffuse medium with tau_ {subs {GP}}({subs {He{sc ) ii}}} ~ 0.3. Since the latter is a minimum assumption for the Lyalpha forest, a strict upper limit to a diffuse medium is Omega_ {subs {diff}}<0.02 h50(-1.5) at z=2.8. In the troughs in addition to the Lyalpha forest opacity a continuous Heii 304 Angstroms opacity tau = 4.8(+infty }_{-2) is required. In case of photoionization, the troughs would require a diffuse component with a density close to Omega =~ 0.077(eta /45)(-0.5) h50(-1.5) , i.e. all baryons in the universe, which is inconsistent, however, with the observed absence of such a component in the voids. A tentative interpretation is that we observe the epoch of partial Heii reionization of the universe with patches not yet reionized. In that case a diffuse component with Omega_ {subs {diff}}>= 1.3\\ 10(-4) h(-1}_{50) would be sufficient to explain the ``trough'' opacity. The size of the 1163--1172 Angstroms trough is ~ 6 h50(-1) Mpc or ~ 2300 kms(-1) , respectively. We also discuss partially resolved Heii absorption of a high-ionization associated absorption system. Despite its high luminosity HE2347-4342 does not show a Heii proximity effect. A possible reason is that the strong associated system shields the Heii ionizing continuum. Based on observations collected at the European Southern Observatory, La Silla, Chile (ESO No.\\ 58.B--0116). Based on IUE observations collected at the ESA VILSPA ground station near Madrid, Spain. Based on observations with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, obtained at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by Aura, Inc., under NASA contract NAS 5--26\\,555.

Ingestive Behavior of Heifers Supplemented with Glycerin in Substitution of Corn on Brachiaria brizantha Pasture

PubMed Central

Facuri, L. M. A. M.; Silva, R. R.; da Silva, F. F.; de Carvalho, G. G. P.; Sampaio, C. B.; Mendes, F. B. L.; Lisboa, M. M.; Barroso, D. S.; Carvalho, V. M.; Pereira, M. M. S.

2014-01-01

The objective was to evaluate the ingestive behavior of crossbred heifers finished on a Brachiaria brizantha cv. Marandu pasture receiving four levels of glycerin in their supplementation. Thirty-six crossbred heifers with average initial weight of 264.83±3.83 kg and 20 months of age were distributed into a completely randomized design with four treatments and nine replications: control (0%), 4.82%, 10.12%, and 15.56% glycerin in the dry matter. The grazing time reduced linearly (p<0.05), whereas the time spent on activities like rumination, idleness, trough and total chewing time were quadratically affected (p<0.05). Bite rate and number of bites/day were quadratically influenced (p<0.05). The number of bites/swallowed cud and the number of bites/minute, however, increased linearly (p<0.05). Although the time spent on each cud and number of chews per cud were not affected (p>0.05). The number of rumination periods reduced linearly (p<0.05), whereas the number of grazing, idle and trough periods, and the times per grazing, idle, rumination and trough periods were quadratically affected (p<0.05). The feed and rumination efficiencies of the dry matter, non-fibrous carbohydrates, pasture dry matter and concentrate were quadratically affected (p>0.05) whereas the feed efficiency of neutral detergent fiber reduced linearly (p<0.05). Addition of glycerin in substitution of corn in supplements for animals managed on pastures does not influenced feed intake, but reduces the grazing time and increases the idle time. The supplementation also improves feed and rumination efficiencies. PMID:25358318

Field test of thermoelectric generator using parabolic trough solar concentrator for power generation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Viña, Rommel R.; Alagao, Feliciano B.

2018-03-01

A 2.4587 square meter effective area cylindrical parabolic solar concentrator was fabricated. The trough concentrator is a 4-ft by 8-ft metal sheet with solar mirror film adhered on it and it is laid on a frame with steel tubes bent in a shape of a parabola. On the focal region of the parabolic trough is the 1.22-m by 0.10-m absorber plate made of copper and coated flat black. This plate served as high temperature reservoir of the eight equally spaced TEC1-12710T125 thermoelectric modules. On the cold side of the modules is a 2.5-in. by 1-in. rectangular aluminum tube with coolant flowing inside. The coolant loop included a direct contact cooling tower which maintained the module cold side assembly inlet temperature of about 28°C. Collector temperature was also kept below the 125°C module maximum operating temperature by controlling the effective area. This was accomplished by adjusting the reflector covering. Using a dummy load and with 8 modules in series, tests results indicated current readings up to 179.4 mA with a voltage of 10.6 VDC and 27% of reflector area or voltage reading up to 12.7 VDC with a current of 165 mA. A steady voltage of 12 VDC was achieved with the use of a voltage regulator. A voltage above 12 VDC will be required to charge a storage battery. Overall results showed the potential of thermoelectric generator (TEG) in combination with solar energy in power generation.

Impacts of large-scale circulation on urban ambient concentrations of gaseous elemental mercury in New York, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mao, Huiting; Hall, Dolly; Ye, Zhuyun; Zhou, Ying; Felton, Dirk; Zhang, Leiming

2017-09-01

The impact of large-scale circulation on urban gaseous elemental mercury (GEM) was investigated through analysis of 2008-2015 measurement data from an urban site in New York City (NYC), New York, USA. Distinct annual cycles were observed in 2009-2010 with mixing ratios in warm seasons (i.e., spring-summer) 10-20 ppqv ( ˜ 10-25 %) higher than in cool seasons (i.e., fall-winter). This annual cycle was disrupted in 2011 by an anomalously strong influence of the US East Coast trough in that warm season and was reproduced in 2014 associated with a particularly strong Bermuda High. The US East Coast trough axis index (TAI) and intensity index (TII) were used to characterize the effect of the US East Coast trough on NYC GEM, especially in winter and summer. The intensity and position of the Bermuda High appeared to have a significant impact on GEM in warm seasons. Regional influence on NYC GEM was supported by the GEM-carbon monoxide (CO) correlation with r of 0.17-0.69 (p ˜ 0) in most seasons. Simulated regional and local anthropogenic contributions to wintertime NYC anthropogenically induced GEM concentrations were averaged at ˜ 75 % and 25 %, with interannual variation ranging over 67 %-83 % and 17 %-33 %, respectively. Results from this study suggest the possibility that the increasingly strong Bermuda High over the past decades could dominate over anthropogenic mercury emission control in affecting ambient concentrations of mercury via regional buildup and possibly enhancing natural and legacy emissions.

Seasonal Cycles of Oceanic Transports in the Eastern Subpolar North Atlantic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gary, Stefan F.; Cunningham, Stuart A.; Johnson, Clare; Houpert, Loïc.; Holliday, N. Penny; Behrens, Erik; Biastoch, Arne; Böning, Claus W.

2018-02-01

The variability of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) may play a role in sea surface temperature predictions on seasonal to decadal time scales. Therefore, AMOC seasonal cycles are a potential baseline for interpreting predictions. Here we present estimates for the seasonal cycle of transports of volume, temperature, and freshwater associated with the upper limb of the AMOC in the eastern subpolar North Atlantic on the Extended Ellett Line hydrographic section between Scotland and Iceland. Due to weather, ship-based observations are primarily in summer. Recent glider observations during other seasons present an opportunity to investigate the seasonal variability in the upper layer of the AMOC. First, we document a new method to quality control and merge ship, float, and glider hydrographic observations. This method accounts for the different spatial sampling rates of the three platforms. The merged observations are used to compute seasonal cycles of volume, temperature, and freshwater transports in the Rockall Trough. These estimates are similar to the seasonal cycles in two eddy-resolving ocean models. Volume transport appears to be the primary factor modulating other Rockall Trough transports. Finally, we show that the weakest transports occur in summer, consistent with seasonal changes in the regional-scale wind stress curl. Although the seasonal cycle is weak compared to other variability in this region, the amplitude of the seasonal cycle in the Rockall Trough, roughly 0.5-1 Sv about a mean of 3.4 Sv, may account for up to 7-14% of the heat flux between Scotland and Greenland.

NREL, SPI Solar and Trimark Optimize Parabolic Trough Receiver Performance

Science.gov Websites

(CSP) plants. Photo of parabolic trough receiver equipment in a laboratory Photo by Dennis Schroeder Receivers in CSP plants take a lot of abuse, from dramatic temperature changes to numerous mechanical conditions can lead to big improvements in the overall efficiency of CSP plants

Concentrating Solar Power Projects - Chabei 64MW Molten Salt Parabolic

Science.gov Websites

project Status Date: September 29, 2016 Project Overview Project Name: Chabei 64MW Molten Salt Parabolic Technology: Parabolic trough Turbine Capacity: Net: 64.0 MW Gross: 64.0 MW Status: Under development Do you have more information, corrections, or comments? Background Technology: Parabolic trough Status: Under

Small mammals in oak woodlands in the Puget Trough, Washington.

Treesearch

S.M. Wilson; A.B. Carey

2001-01-01

We surveyed the 22 largest sites dominated by Oregon white oaks on the Fort Lewis Military Reservation, Washington, to determine small-mammal community structure and population abundances. Study areas were in the Puget Trough physiographic province and western hemlock vegetation zone. Most oak communities were ecotonal between prairie and Douglas-fir forest. Small...

Concentrating Solar Power Projects - Urat Middle Banner 100MW Thermal Oil

Science.gov Websites

Parabolic Trough project | Concentrating Solar Power | NREL Middle Banner 100MW Thermal Oil Thermal Oil Parabolic Trough project Country: China Location: Urat Middle Banner (Inner Mongolia) Owner(s , 2017 Start Production: 2018 Participants Developer(s): Changzhou Royal Tech Solar Thermal Equipment Co

Concentrating Solar Power Projects - Rayspower Yumen 50MW Thermal Oil

Science.gov Websites

Trough project | Concentrating Solar Power | NREL Rayspower Yumen 50MW Thermal Oil Trough project Status Date: January 31, 2017 Project Overview Project Name: Rayspower Yumen 50MW Thermal Oil . Plant Configuration Solar Field Heat-Transfer Fluid Type: Thermal oil Power Block Turbine Capacity

Concentrating Solar Power Projects - Gulang 100MW Thermal Oil Parabolic

Science.gov Websites

Trough project | Concentrating Solar Power | NREL Gulang 100MW Thermal Oil Parabolic Trough project Status Date: September 29, 2016 Project Overview Project Name: Gulang 100MW Thermal Oil Parabolic ): Webmaster Solar Participants Developer(s): Changzhou Royal Tech Solar Thermal Equipment Co., Ltd. Owner(s

--No Title--

Science.gov Websites

SOUTHERN ROCKIES... A BROAD LONG WAVE TROUGH CROSSES THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN ROCKIES DURING DAY 1...BEFORE WEAKENING AND EXITING INTO THE PLAINS DURING DAY 2. SURFACE LOW PRESSURE FORMING IN RESPONSE TO THE MID MOST RECENT WPC QPF. DAY 1... LIFT ASSOCIATED WITH A BROAD POSITIVELY TILTED LONG WAVE TROUGH MOVING

SeaMARC II mapping of transform faults in the Cayman Trough, Caribbean Sea

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rosencrantz, Eric; Mann, Paul

1992-01-01

SeaMARC II maps of the southern wall of the Cayman Trough between Honduras and Jamaica show zones of continuous, well-defined fault lineaments adjacent and parallel to the wall, both to the east and west of the Cayman spreading axis. These lineaments mark the present, active traces of transform faults which intersect the southern end of the spreading axis at a triple junction. The Swan Islands transform fault to the west is dominated by two major lineaments that overlap with right-stepping sense across a large push-up ridge beneath the Swan Islands. The fault zone to the east of the axis, named the Walton fault, is more complex, containing multiple fault strands and a large pull-apart structure. The Walton fault links the spreading axis to Jamaican and Hispaniolan strike-slip faults, and it defines the southern boundary of a microplate composed of the eastern Cayman Trough and western Hispaniola. The presence of this microplate raises questions about the veracity of Caribbean plate velocities based primarily on Cayman Trough opening rates.

Ionospheric and magnetospheric plasmapauses'

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grebowsky, J. M.; Hoffman, J. H.; Maynard, N. C.

1977-01-01

During August 1972, Explorer 45 orbiting near the equatorial plane with an apogee of about 5.2 R sub e traversed magnetic field lines in close proximity to those simultaneously traversed by the topside ionospheric satellite ISIS 2 near dusk in the L range 2-5.4. The locations of the Explorer 45 plasmapause crossings during this month were compared to the latitudinal decreases of the H(+) density observed on ISIS 2 near the same magnetic field lines. The equatorially determined plasmapause field lines typically passed through or poleward of the minimum of the ionospheric light ion trough, with coincident satellite passes occurring for which the L separation between the plasmapause and trough field lines was between 1 and 2. Vertical flows of the H(+) ions in the light ion trough as detected by the magnetic ion mass spectrometer on ISIS were directed upward with velocities between 1 and 2 kilometers/sec near dusk on these passes. These velocities decreased to lower values on the low latitude side of the H(+) trough but did not show any noticeable change across the field lines corresponding to the magnetospheric plasmapause.

Far-Field Noise Induced by Bubble near Free Surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ye, Xi; Li, Jiang-tao; Liu, Jian-hua; Chen, Hai-long

2018-03-01

The motion of a bubble near the free surface is solved by the boundary element method based on the linear wave equation, and the influence of fluid compressibility on bubble dynamics is analyzed. Based on the solution of the bubble motion, the far-field radiation noise induced by the bubble is calculated using Kirchhoff moving boundary integral equation, and the influence of free surface on far-field noise is researched. As the results, the oscillation amplitude of the bubble is weakened in compressible fluid compared with that in incompressible fluid, and the free surface amplifies the effect of fluid compressibility. When the distance between the bubble and an observer is much larger than that between the bubble and free surface, the sharp wave trough of the sound pressure at the observer occurs. With the increment of the distance between the bubble and free surface, the time of the wave trough appearing is delayed and the value of the wave trough increase. When the distance between the observer and the bubble is reduced, the sharp wave trough at the observer disappears.

Element for use in an inductive coupler for downhole drilling components

DOEpatents

Hall, David R.; Hall, Jr., H. Tracy; Pixton, David S.; Dahlgren, Scott; Fox, Joe; Sneddon, Cameron

2006-08-29

The present invention includes an element for use in an inductive coupler in a downhole component. The element includes a plurality of ductile, generally U-shaped leaves that are electrically conductive. The leaves are less than about 0.0625" thick and are separated by an electrically insulating material. These leaves are aligned so as to form a generally circular trough. The invention also includes an inductive coupler for use in downhole components, the inductive coupler including an annular housing having a recess with a magnetically conductive, electrically insulating (MCEI) element disposed in the recess. The MCEI element includes a plurality of segments where each segment further includes a plurality of ductile, generally U-shaped electrically conductive leaves. Each leaf is less than about 0.0625" thick and separated from the otherwise adjacent leaves by electrically insulating material. The segments and leaves are aligned so as to form a generally circular trough. The inductive coupler further includes an insulated conductor disposed within the generally circular trough. A polymer fills spaces between otherwise adjacent segments, the annular housing, insulated conductor, and further fills the circular trough.

Crustal structure and extension mode in the northwestern margin of the South China Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Jinwei; Wu, Shiguo; McIntosh, Kirk; Mi, Lijun; Liu, Zheng; Spence, George

2016-06-01

Combining multi-channel seismic reflection and gravity modeling, this study has investigated the crustal structure of the northwestern South China Sea margin. These data constrain a hyper-extended crustal area bounded by basin-bounding faults corresponding to an aborted rift below the Xisha Trough with a subparallel fossil ridge in the adjacent Northwest Sub-basin. The thinnest crust is located in the Xisha Trough, where it is remnant lower crust with a thickness of less than 3 km. Gravity modeling also revealed a hyper-extended crust across the Xisha Trough. The postrift magmatism is well developed and more active in the Xisha Trough and farther southeast than on the northwestern continental margin of the South China Sea; and the magmatic intrusion/extrusion was relatively active during the rifting of Xisha Trough and the Northwest Sub-basin. A narrow continent-ocean transition zone with a width of ˜65 km bounded seaward by a volcanic buried seamount is characterized by crustal thinning, rift depression, low gravity anomaly and the termination of the break-up unconformity seismic reflection. The aborted rift near the continental margin means that there may be no obvious detachment fault like that in the Iberia-Newfoundland type margin. The symmetric rift, extreme hyper-extended continental crust and hotter mantle materials indicate that continental crust underwent stretching phase (pure-shear deformation), thinning phase and breakup followed by onset of seafloor spreading and the mantle-lithosphere may break up before crustal-necking in the northwestern South China Sea margin.

Large-Scale Meteorological Patterns Associated with Extreme Precipitation in the US Northeast

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Agel, L. A.; Barlow, M. A.

2016-12-01

Patterns of daily large-scale circulation associated with Northeast US extreme precipitation are identified using both k-means clustering (KMC) and Self-Organizing Maps (SOM) applied to tropopause height. Tropopause height provides a compact representation of large-scale circulation patterns, as it is linked to mid-level circulation, low-level thermal contrasts and low-level diabatic heating. Extreme precipitation is defined as the top 1% of daily wet-day observations at 35 Northeast stations, 1979-2008. KMC is applied on extreme precipitation days only, while the SOM algorithm is applied to all days in order to place the extreme results into a larger context. Six tropopause patterns are identified on extreme days: a summertime tropopause ridge, a summertime shallow trough/ridge, a summertime shallow eastern US trough, a deeper wintertime eastern US trough, and two versions of a deep cold-weather trough located across the east-central US. Thirty SOM patterns for all days are identified. Results for all days show that 6 SOM patterns account for almost half of the extreme days, although extreme precipitation occurs in all SOM patterns. The same SOM patterns associated with extreme precipitation also routinely produce non-extreme precipitation; however, on extreme precipitation days the troughs, on average, are deeper and the downstream ridges more pronounced. Analysis of other fields associated with the large-scale patterns show various degrees of anomalously strong upward motion during, and moisture transport preceding, extreme precipitation events.

Comparison of the multi-scale features in two persistent heavy rainfall events in the middle and lower reaches of Yangtze River

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hui, Pinhong; Fang, Juan

2016-06-01

Two persistent heavy rainfall (PHR) events in the middle and lower reaches of Yangtze River (MLYR) occurring in June 1982 and 1998 are studied in this paper. Though both events happened in the Meiyu season, their large-scale background and developing processes were quite different. During the PHR event in 1982, the Lake Baikal area was occupied by a strong westerly trough and the western Pacific subtropical high (WPSH) was stronger and more westward-extending than the normal years. Under such a condition, the cold-dry air and warm-moist air were continuously transported to the MLYR and favored the PHR there. For the event in 1998, the WPSH was similar to that in 1982, while the westerly trough in the Lake Baikal area was comparatively weak and a shortwave trough situating in East China contributed to advect cold-dry air to the MLYR. It is found that the high-latitude trough was closely related to the 10-30-day low-frequency oscillation while the anomaly of WPSH was linked with the combined effect of both 30-60- and 10-30-day low-frequency oscillations in the PHR event in 1982. By contrast, the 60-day low-pass perturbation demonstrated positive impact on the westward extension of WPSH and development of the Baikal trough while the 30-60-day oscillation played a role in strengthening the shortwave trough in East China and the WPSH in the case of 1998. Though the low-latitude 30-60-day oscillations contributed to the intensification and westward extension of the WPSH in both PHR events, their evolution exhibited evident differences. In the 1982 case, the 30-60-day anomalies originated from the western Indian Ocean were much more like the Madden-Julian Oscillation, while its counterpart in the 1998 case was much more similar to the first mode of the boreal summer intraseasonal oscillation.

Late Weichselian ice-sheet dynamics and deglaciation history of the northern Svalbard margin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fransner, O.; Noormets, R. R. N. N.; Flink, A.; Hogan, K.; Dowdeswell, J. A.; O'Regan, M.; Jakobsson, M.

2016-12-01

The glacial evolution of the northern Svalbard margin is poorly known compared with the western margin. Gravity cores, swath bathymetric, sub-bottom acoustic and 2D airgun data are used to investigate the Late Weichselian Svalbard-Barents Ice Sheet history on the northern Svalbard margin. Prograding sequences in Kvitøya and Albertini trough mouths (TMs) indicate ice streaming to the shelf edge multiple times during the Quaternary. While Kvitøya Trough has an associated trough-mouth fan (TMF), Albertini TM is cut back into the shelf edge. Down-faulted bedrock below Albertini TM suggests larger sediment accommodation space there, explaining the absence of a TMF. The bathymetry indicates that ice flow in Albertini Trough was sourced from Duvefjorden and Albertinibukta. Exposed crystalline bedrock likely kept the two ice flows separated before merging north of Karl XII-Øya. Subglacial landforms in Rijpfjorden and Duvefjorden indicate that both fjords accommodated northward-flowing ice streams during the LGM. The deeper fjord basin and higher elongation ratios of landforms in Duvefjorden suggest a more focused and/or larger ice flow there. Easily erodible sedimentary rocks are common in Duvefjorden, which may explain different ice flow dynamics in these fjords. Kvitøya TMF is flanked by gullies, probably formed through erosive downslope gravity flows triggered by sediment-laden meltwater during early deglaciation. Glacial landforms in Albertini Trough comprise retreat-related landforms indicating slow deglaciation. Iceberg scours in Albertini Trough suggest the importance of calving for mass-loss. Sets of De Geer moraines in Rijpfjorden imply that slow, grounded retreat continued in <210 m water depth. Lack of retreat-related landforms in deeper areas of Rijpfjorden and in Duvefjorden indicates floating glacier fronts influenced by calving. 14C ages suggest that deglaciation of inner Rijpfjorden and central Duvefjorden were complete before 10,434 cal a BP and 10,779 cal a BP respectively.

A Quasi-Experiment To Study the Impact of Vancomycin Area under the Concentration-Time Curve-Guided Dosing on Vancomycin-Associated Nephrotoxicity

PubMed Central

Finch, Natalie A.; Zasowski, Evan J.; Murray, Kyle P.; Mynatt, Ryan P.; Zhao, Jing J.; Yost, Raymond; Pogue, Jason M.

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT Evidence suggests that maintenance of vancomycin trough concentrations at between 15 and 20 mg/liter, as currently recommended, is frequently unnecessary to achieve the daily area under the concentration-time curve (AUC24) target of ≥400 mg · h/liter. Many patients with trough concentrations in this range have AUC24 values in excess of the therapeutic threshold and within the exposure range associated with nephrotoxicity. On the basis of this, the Detroit Medical Center switched from trough concentration-guided dosing to AUC-guided dosing to minimize potentially unnecessary vancomycin exposure. The primary objective of this analysis was to assess the impact of this intervention on vancomycin-associated nephrotoxicity in a single-center, retrospective quasi-experiment of hospitalized adult patients receiving intravenous vancomycin from 2014 to 2015. The primary analysis compared the incidence of nephrotoxicity between patients monitored by assessment of the AUC24 and those monitored by assessment of the trough concentration. Multivariable logistic and Cox proportional hazards regression examined the independent association between the monitoring strategy and nephrotoxicity. Secondary analysis compared vancomycin exposures (total daily dose, AUC, and trough concentrations) between monitoring strategies. Overall, 1,280 patients were included in the analysis. After adjusting for severity of illness, comorbidity, duration of vancomycin therapy, and concomitant receipt of nephrotoxins, AUC-guided dosing was independently associated with lower nephrotoxicity by both logistic regression (odds ratio, 0.52; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.34 to 0.80; P = 0.003) and Cox proportional hazards regression (hazard ratio, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.35 to 0.78; P = 0.002). AUC-guided dosing was associated with lower total daily vancomycin doses, AUC values, and trough concentrations. Vancomycin AUC-guided dosing was associated with reduced nephrotoxicity, which appeared to be a result of reduced vancomycin exposure. PMID:28923869

Association of the clinical efficacy of vancomycin with the novel pharmacokinetic parameter area under the trough level (AUTL) in elderly patients with hospital-acquired pneumonia.

PubMed

Fukumori, S; Tsuji, Y; Mizoguchi, A; Kasai, H; Ishibashi, T; Iwamura, N; To, H

2016-08-01

The pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic parameter that best predicts the efficacy of vancomycin is the ratio of the area under the concentration versus time curve (AUC) to the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). A 24-h AUC (AUC24 )/MIC ratio ≥ 400 was recommended in an American consensus review, but vancomycin treatment occasionally fails despite maintenance of AUC24 /MIC ≥ 400. We evaluated the association between clinical efficacy of vancomycin and two novel pharmacokinetic parameters, the 'area under the trough level' (AUTL) and the 'area above the trough level' (AATL), in hospitalized elderly patients with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) pneumonia. The subjects were hospitalized elderly patients who were administered vancomycin for treatment of MRSA pneumonia between 2006 and 2012 at Sasebo Chuo Hospital (Nagasaki, Japan). Pharmacokinetic parameters of vancomycin were estimated for each patient by Bayesian analysis using population pharmacokinetic parameters for Japanese patients. Based on the patient-specific parameters thus obtained, AUC24 values were calculated as the vancomycin dosage divided by vancomycin clearance. AUTL was calculated as the trough serum concentration multiplied by 24 h, whereas AATL was calculated by subtracting AUTL from AUC24 . Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that efficacy of vancomycin was more strongly associated with AUTL than AUC24 . The optimal cut-off value of AUTL was 331 μg∙h/mL, which means that the optimal cut-off value of the trough serum concentration was 13·8 μg/mL. Efficacy of vancomycin was associated with AUTL, a novel pharmacokinetic parameter. Determining the target AUTL or trough concentration may enhance the efficacy of vancomycin therapy in elderly patients with MRSA pneumonia. Given that nephrotoxicity may increase with a Ctrough in excess of 15 μg/mL, this level should ideally not be exceeded. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Effect of raltegravir on the total and unintegrated proviral HIV DNA during raltegravir-based HAART.

PubMed

Nicastri, Emanuele; Tommasi, Chiara; Abbate, Isabella; Bonora, Stefano; Tempestilli, Massimo; Bellagamba, Rita; Viscione, Magdalena; Rozera, Gabriella; Gallo, Anna L; Ivanovic, Jelena; Amendola, Alessandra; Pucillo, Leopoldo; Di Perri, Giovanni; Capobianchi, Maria R; Narciso, Pasquale

2011-01-01

Raltegravir is the first approved antiretroviral able to prevent HIV genome integration into the host chromosomes. The aim of the study is to test if raltegravir plasma concentrations can be associated with proviral DNA decline during raltegravir-based salvage therapy. A total of 33 multidrug-resistant HIV-infected patients were enrolled in a longitudinal open-label pilot study and completed a 24-week follow-up. The CD4(+) T-cell count, plasma viral load, proviral HIV DNA and two-long-terminal repeat (2-LTR) circular forms were assessed at baseline, day 14, 30, 60, 90 and 180. The raltegravir trough concentration (C (trough)) was measured by HPLC-ultraviolet and patients were divided into two groups according to the median raltegravir C (trough). The mean±SD values of baseline HIV RNA, CD4(+) T-cell count and HIV DNA were 4.4±0.82 log copies/ml, 256±177 cells/mm(3) , and 2,668±4,721 copies/10(6) peripheral blood mononuclear cells, respectively. Despite a transient increase of total DNA at week 2, a marked proviral DNA decay (P=0.01) with an increase of the 2-LTR unintegrated/total DNA ratio (P=0.06) over time was observed. At univariate analysis, no correlation between raltegravir C(trough) and classical virological parameters was observed. Nevertheless, the decay of proviral HIV DNA was more pronounced in patients displaying C(trough)<158 ng/ml with respect to those with C(trough)>158 ng/ml (P=0.046). Successful raltegravir-based therapy produces a significant decline in proviral DNA and is associated with an increase of the unintegrated/total DNA ratio. Further studies are necessary to define the possible role of pharmacokinetic raltegravir monitoring and the biological meaning of unintegrated proviral DNA. © 2011 International Medical Press

A Quasi-Experiment To Study the Impact of Vancomycin Area under the Concentration-Time Curve-Guided Dosing on Vancomycin-Associated Nephrotoxicity.

PubMed

Finch, Natalie A; Zasowski, Evan J; Murray, Kyle P; Mynatt, Ryan P; Zhao, Jing J; Yost, Raymond; Pogue, Jason M; Rybak, Michael J

2017-12-01

Evidence suggests that maintenance of vancomycin trough concentrations at between 15 and 20 mg/liter, as currently recommended, is frequently unnecessary to achieve the daily area under the concentration-time curve (AUC 24 ) target of ≥400 mg · h/liter. Many patients with trough concentrations in this range have AUC 24 values in excess of the therapeutic threshold and within the exposure range associated with nephrotoxicity. On the basis of this, the Detroit Medical Center switched from trough concentration-guided dosing to AUC-guided dosing to minimize potentially unnecessary vancomycin exposure. The primary objective of this analysis was to assess the impact of this intervention on vancomycin-associated nephrotoxicity in a single-center, retrospective quasi-experiment of hospitalized adult patients receiving intravenous vancomycin from 2014 to 2015. The primary analysis compared the incidence of nephrotoxicity between patients monitored by assessment of the AUC 24 and those monitored by assessment of the trough concentration. Multivariable logistic and Cox proportional hazards regression examined the independent association between the monitoring strategy and nephrotoxicity. Secondary analysis compared vancomycin exposures (total daily dose, AUC, and trough concentrations) between monitoring strategies. Overall, 1,280 patients were included in the analysis. After adjusting for severity of illness, comorbidity, duration of vancomycin therapy, and concomitant receipt of nephrotoxins, AUC-guided dosing was independently associated with lower nephrotoxicity by both logistic regression (odds ratio, 0.52; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.34 to 0.80; P = 0.003) and Cox proportional hazards regression (hazard ratio, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.35 to 0.78; P = 0.002). AUC-guided dosing was associated with lower total daily vancomycin doses, AUC values, and trough concentrations. Vancomycin AUC-guided dosing was associated with reduced nephrotoxicity, which appeared to be a result of reduced vancomycin exposure. Copyright © 2017 American Society for Microbiology.

NCAR CCM2 simulation of the modern Antarctic climate

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tzeng, Ren-Yow; Bromwich, David H.; Parish, Thomas R.; Chen, Biao

1994-01-01

The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) community climate model version 2 (CCM2) simulation of the circumpolar trough, surface air temperature, the polar vortex, cloudiness, winds, and atmospheric moisture and energy budgets are examined to validate the model's representation of the present-day Antarctic climate. The results show that the CCM2 can well simulate many important climate features over Antarctica, such as the location and intensity of the circumpolar trough, the coreless winter over the plateau, the intensity and horizontal distribution of the surface inversion, the speed and streamline pattern of the katabatic winds, the double jet stream feature over the southern Indian and Pacific oceans, and the arid climate over the continent. However, there are also some serious errors in the model. Some are due to old problems but some are caused by the new parameterizations in the model. The model errors over high southern latitudes can be summarized as follows: The circumpolar trough, the polar vertex, and the westerlies in midlatitudes are too strong; the semiannual cycle of the circumpolar trough is distorted compared to the observations; the low centers of the circumpolar trough and the troughs in the middle and upper troposphere are shifted eastward by 15 deg - 40 deg longitude; the surface temperatures are too cold over the plateau in summer and over the coastline in winter; the polar tropopause continues to have a cold bias; and the cloudiness is too high over the continent. These biases are induced by two major factors: (1) the cloud optical properties in tropical and middle latitudes, which cause the eastward shift of troughs and surface low centers and the error in the semiannual cycle, and (2) the cold bias of the surface air temperature, which is attributed to the oversimulation of cloudiness over the continent, especially during summer, and the uniform 2-m-thick sea ice. The constant thickness of sea ice suppresses the energy flux from the ocean to the atmosphere and hence reduces the air temperature near the coast during winter. Finally, although the simulated Antarctic climate still suffers these biases, the overall performance of the CCM2 is much better than that of the CCM1-T42. Therefore the CCM2 is good enough to be used for climate change studies, especially over Antarctica.

Withdrawal of immunomodulators after co-treatment does not reduce trough level of infliximab in patients with Crohn's disease.

PubMed

Drobne, David; Bossuyt, Peter; Breynaert, Christine; Cattaert, Tom; Vande Casteele, Niels; Compernolle, Griet; Jürgens, Matthias; Ferrante, Marc; Ballet, Vera; Wollants, Willem-Jan; Cleynen, Isabelle; Van Steen, Kristel; Gils, Ann; Rutgeerts, Paul; Vermeire, Severine; Van Assche, Gert

2015-03-01

The addition of immunomodulators increases the efficacy of maintenance therapy with infliximab for up to 1 year in patients with Crohn's disease who have not been previously treated with immunomodulators. However, there are questions about the effect of withdrawing immunomodulator therapy from these patients. We studied the effects of treatment with infliximab and immunomodulators (co-treatment) and then immunomodulator withdrawal on long-term outcomes of patients, as well as trough levels of infliximab and formation of anti-infliximab antibodies (ATI). In a retrospective study with the median follow-up period of 34 months (interquartile range, 19-58 months), we analyzed data from 223 patients treated for Crohn's disease between May 1999 and December 2010 at the University Hospitals, Leuven, Belgium (65 received infliximab monotherapy, 158 received infliximab and an immunomodulator). Trough levels of infliximab and levels of ATI were measured in blood samples collected from 117 patients throughout co-treatment, as well as the time of immunomodulator withdrawal and after withdrawal. Patients receiving co-treatment had higher trough levels of infliximab (adjusted mean increase, 1.44-fold) than those receiving infliximab monotherapy (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.07-1.92; P = .02). A smaller percentage of patients receiving co-treatment developed ATI (35 of 158, 22%) than those receiving infliximab monotherapy (25 of 65, 38%; P = .01). Among co-treated patients, levels of infliximab remained stable after immunomodulators were withdrawn (before: 3.2 μg/mL; 95% CI, 1.6-5.8 μg/mL and after: 3.7 μg/mL; 95% CI, 1.3-6.3 μg/mL; P = .70). After withdrawal of immunomodulators, 45 of 117 patients (38%) required increasing doses of infliximab, and 21 of 117 (18%) discontinued infliximab. At the time of immunomodulator withdrawal, trough levels of infliximab and C-reactive protein were most strongly associated with response to infliximab thereafter. In a retrospective analysis, we confirmed that withdrawal of immunomodulators after at least 6 months (median, 13 months) of co-treatment with infliximab does not reduce the trough levels of infliximab in patients with Crohn's disease. Detectable trough levels of infliximab at the time of immunomodulator withdrawal are associated with long-term response. Copyright © 2015 AGA Institute. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Structural characteristics around the frontal thrust along the Nankai Trough revealed by bathymetric and seismic reflection survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamashita, M.; Nakanishi, A.; Moore, G. F.; Kodaira, S.; Nakamura, Y.; Miura, S.; Kaneda, Y.

2016-12-01

Great earthquakes with tsunamis with recurrence intervals of 100-200 years have occurred along the Nankai Trough near central Japan where the Shikoku Basin is subducting with thick sediments on the Philippine Sea plate. To predict the exact height of the tsunami on the coast region generated by these large ruptures, it is important to estimate the vertical deformation that occurs on the seaward end of the rupture area. Recent drilling results have also yielded evidence not only of splay faults that generate tsunamigenic rupture, but also new evidence of tsunamigenic rupture along the frontal thrust at the trench axis in the Nankai Trough. In order to understand the deformation around the frontal thrust at the trench axis, we conducted a dense high-resolution seismic reflection survey with 10-20 km spacing over 1500 km of line length during 2013 and 2014. Clear seismic reflection images of frontal thrusts in the accretionary prism and subducting Shikoku Basin, image deformation along the trench axis between off Muroto Cape and off Ashizuri Cape. The cumulative displacement along the frontal thrust and second thrust are measured from picked distinct reflectors in depth-converted profiles. The average value of cumulative displacement of the frontal thrust is more than 100 m within 2 km depth beneath the seafloor. The location of highest displacement of 300 m displacement agree with the seaward end of slip distribution of the 1946 Nankai event calculated by numerical simulations. We also evaluate the seaward structure for understanding the future rupture distribution. The protothrust zone (PTZ) consisting of many incipient thrusts is identifiable in the portion of trough-fill sediments seaward of the frontal thrust. In order to emphasize the characteristics of frontal thrust and PTZ, we construct the detailed relief image for focusing on the lineated slope of the PTZ at the trough axis. Although our surveys covered a part of Nankai seismogenic zone, it is important to evaluate the initiation and evolution of frontal thrust at the toe of Nankai trough axis. This study is part of "Research project for compound disaster mitigation on the great earthquakes and tsunamis around the Nankai Trough region" funded by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology of Japan.

Regional distribution of volcaniclastic layer and its implication for segmentation of the Nankai seismogenic zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sasaki, T.; Lim, J.; Higashi, M.; Park, J.

2010-12-01

The Nankai Trough is known as one of the best-suited convergent plate margins for studying accretionary prism growth as well as subduction zone earthquakes. Along the Nankai accretionary margin off southwest Japan, the Shikoku Basin which formed 26-15 Ma as backarc spreading in the Philippine Sea Plate is being subducted about 4 cm/year to the northwest. The Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP) and Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) penetrated the Nankai accretionary prism and the incoming sedimentary section along the Ashizuri and Muroto transects, off Shikoku Island. Also, Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP), which represented just one part of a multi-stage project known as the Nankai Trough Seismogenic Zone Experiment (NanTroSEIZE) has been conducting drilling cruises now. IODP Expedition 322 in 2009, the coring was carried out at two drilling sites on the northern part of the Shikoku Basin in the subducting Philippine Sea plate. One of the major achievements of Expedition 322 is a discovery of late Miocene (10.2-7.6 Ma) tuffaceous and volcaniclastic sandstone layer (Underwood et al., IODP Prel. Rept. 322, 2009) that has not been previously recognized in the Nankai Trough. Based on age and volcanic sand content analysis, these volcaniclastic layers were unique to the Shikoku Basin off Kii Peninsula. The closest source of this volcanic layer was supposed to be the Izu-Bonin arc. Subducted sediments ultimately affect subduction zone geochemistry, thermal structure, and seismogenesis. High porosity of the volcaniclastic sandstone layer suggests the transportation of fluid to the subduction zone, it might affect the initiation and evolution of the decollement zone or plate boundary fault in the Nankai Trough. We interpreted single channel and multichannel seismic reflection profiles that have been acquired in the Nankai Trough margin by Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) since the year of 1997. We tried to map the major seismic layers such as volcaniclastic layer, volcanic ash layer and turbidite layers which were found at drilling sites in the IODP Expedition 322 in the northern Shikoku Basin. As a result, we recognized that these prominent seismic layers are widely distributed in the northern Shikoku Basin. In this talk, we will show specific seismic layers directly connecting to the decollement at the Nankai Trough axis, and discuss its implications for subduction processes in the Nankai Trough margin.

Topography of closed depressions, scarps, and grabens in the north Tharsis region of Mars: Implications for shallow crustal discontinuities and Graben formation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davis, P. A.; Tanaka, Kenneth L.; Golombek, M. P.

1995-01-01

Using Viking Orbiter images, detailed photoclinometric profiles were obtained across 10 irregular depressions, 32 fretted fractures, 40 troughs and pits, 124 solitary scarps, and 370 simple grabens in the north Tharsis region of Mars. These data allow inferences to be made on the shallow crustal structure of this region. The frequency modes of measured scarp heights correspond with previous general thickness estimates of the heavily cratered and rigded plains units. The depths of the flat-floored irregular depressions (55-175 m), fretted fractures (85-890 m), and troughs and pits (60-1620 m) are also similar to scarp heights (thicknesses) of the geologic units in which these depressions occur, which suggests that the depths of these flat-floored features were controlled by erosional base levels created by lithologic contacts. Although the features have a similar age, both their depths and their observed local structural control increase in the order listed above, which suggests that the more advanced stages of associated fracturing facilitated the development of these depressions by increasing permeability. If a ground-ice zone is a factor in development of these features, as has been suggested, our observation that the depths of these features decrease with increasing latitude suggests that either the thickness of the ground-ice zone does not increase poleward or the depths of the depressions were controlled by the top of the ground-ice zone whose depth may decrease with latitude.

Risk factors associated with Clostridium difficile infection in kidney transplant recipients.

PubMed

Spinner, M L; Stephany, B R; Cerrato, P M; Lam, S W; Neuner, E A; Patel, K S

2018-05-24

Solid organ transplant recipients are especially vulnerable to Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) due to cumulative risk factors including increased exposure to healthcare settings, persistent immunosuppression, and higher rates of antimicrobial exposure. We aimed to identify risk factors associated with CDI development in kidney transplant recipients including implications of immunosuppressive therapies and acid-suppressing agents. This was a single-center, non-interventional, retrospective case-control study of adult subjects between June 1, 2009 and June 30, 2013. During this time, 728 patients underwent kidney transplantation. Overall, 22 developed CDI (cases) and were matched 1:3 with 66 controls. Cases and controls were also matched for induction agent, kidney allograft type (living or deceased), and time from transplant to CDI result (±60 days). The majority of subjects received a deceased donor kidney (77.3%) and basiliximab induction therapy (86.4%). The overall CDI incidence was 3%. Factors independently associated with CDI were average tacrolimus trough (AOR = 1.25, 95% CI = 1.00-1.56, P = .048) and antibiotic exposure for urinary tract infections (UTI) (AOR = 4.17, 95% CI = 1.12-15.54, P = .034). Proton pump inhibitor use was not associated with CDI (OR = 0.81, 95% CI = 0.29-2.29, P = .691). Maintaining a clinically appropriate tacrolimus trough and judicious antibiotic use and selection for UTI treatment could potentially reduce CDI in the kidney transplant population. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Interplate locking derived from seafloor geodetic measurement at the shallow subduction zone of the northernmost Suruga Trough, Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yasuda, K.; Tadokoro, K.; Ikuta, R.; Watanabe, T.; Nagai, S.; Sayanagi, K.

2013-12-01

Observation of seafloor crustal deformation is crucial for megathrust earthquake because most of the focal areas are located below seafloor. Seafloor crustal deformation can be observed GPS/Acoustic technique, and this technique has been carried out at subduction margins in Japan, e.g., Japan Trench, Suruga Trough, and Nankai Trough. At the present, the accuracy of seafloor positioning is one to several centimeters for each epoch. Velocity vectors at seafloor site are estimated through repeated observations. Co- and post- seismic slip distribution and interseismic deformation are estimated from results of seafloor geodetic measurement (e.g., Iinuma et al., 2012; Tadokoro et al., 2012). We repeatedly observed seafloor crustal deformations at two sites across the Suruga Trough from 2005 to investigate interplate locking condition at the focal area of the anticipated megathrust, Tokai, earthquake. We observed 12 and 16 times at an east site of the Suruga Trough (SNE) and at an west site of the Suruga Trough (SNW), respectively. We reinstalled seafloor benchmarks at both sites because of run out of batteries in 2012. We calculated and removed the bias between the old and new seafloor benchmarks. Furthermore, we evaluated two type of analysis. One is Fixed triangular configuration Analysis (FTA). When we determine the seafloor benchmark position, we fix the triangular configuration of seafloor units averaging all the measurements to improve trade-off relation between seafloor benchmark position and sound speed structure. Sound speed structure is assumed to be horizontal layered structure. The other one is Fixed Triangle and Gradient structure of sound speed structure (FTGA). We fixed triangular configuration same as FTA. Sound speed structure is assumed to have gradient structure. Comparing FTA with FTGA, the RMS of horizontal position analyzed through FTA is smaller than that through FTGA at SNE site. On the other hand, the RMS of horizontal position analyzed through FTA is larger than that through FTGA at SNW site. We estimated the displacement velocities with relative to the Amurian plate from the result of repeated observation. The estimated displacement velocity vectors at SNE and SNW are 42×8 mm/y to N94W direction and 46×13 mm/y to N77W direction, respectively. The directions are the same as those measured at the on-land GPS stations. The magnitudes of velocity vector indicate significant shortening by approximately 11 mm/y between SNW and on-land GPS stations at the western part of the Suruga Trough. We also calculated the theoretical surface deformation pattern to depict the interplate locking condition. These results show that the plate interface at the shallow zone of the northernmost Suruga trough is strongly locked.

Potentiometric surfaces, summer 2013 and winter 2015, and select hydrographs for the Southern High Plains aquifer, Cannon Air Force Base, Curry County, New Mexico

USGS Publications Warehouse

Collison, Jake

2016-04-07

Cannon Air Force Base (Cannon AFB) is located in the High Plains physiographic region of east-central New Mexico, about 5 miles west of Clovis, New Mexico. The area surrounding Cannon AFB is primarily used for agriculture, including irrigated cropland and dairies. The Southern High Plains aquifer is the principal source of water for Cannon AFB, for the nearby town of Clovis, and for local agriculture and dairies. The Southern High Plains aquifer in the vicinity of Cannon AFB consists of three subsurface geological formations: the Chinle Formation of Triassic age, the Ogallala Formation of Tertiary age, and the Blackwater Draw Formation of Quaternary age. The Ogallala Formation is the main water-yielding formation of the Southern High Plains aquifer. Groundwater-supplied, center-pivot irrigation dominates pumping from the Southern High Plains aquifer in the area surrounding Cannon AFB, where the irrigation season typically extends from early March through October. The U.S. Geological Survey has been monitoring groundwater levels in the vicinity of Cannon AFB since 1954 and has developed general potentiometric-surface maps that show groundwater flow from northwest to southeast in the study area. While previous potentiometric-surface maps show the general direction of groundwater flow, a denser well network is needed to show details of groundwater flow at a local scale. Groundwater levels were measured in 93 wells during summer 2013 and 100 wells during winter 2015.The summer and winter potentiometric-surface maps display the presence of what is interpreted to be a groundwater trough trending from the northwest to the southeast through the study area. This groundwater trough may be the hydraulic expression of a Tertiary-age paleochannel. Groundwater north of the trough flows in a southerly direction into the trough, and groundwater south of the trough flows in an easterly direction into the trough.During the 18-month period between summer 2013 and winter 2015, changes in groundwater levels ranged from a rise of 10.0 to a decline of 3.8 feet. The regions to the north and south of the groundwater trough contained the majority of the rises in groundwater levels, whereas the regions within the trough contained the majority of the declines in groundwater levels. In contrast, the long-term groundwater-level trend in wells with 20 to 60 years of record is a steady decline in average annual water levels, with declines ranging from 0.41 to 2.81 feet per year. Overall, the northwestern part of the study area exhibits the smallest average annual declines, while the southeastern part of the study area exhibits the largest average annual declines.

Combination of AUV high resolution mapping and submersible visual observations on the Guaymas Hydrothermal Fields (Southern Trough Ridge)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ondreas, H.; Fouquet, Y.; Normand, A.; Rouxel, O.; Godfroy, A.

2011-12-01

The BIG cruise -leg I- was carried out on the Guaymas basin in June 2010 on board the French research vessel L'Atalante. An AUV high-resolution survey was made on the southern trough ridge to gather fine-scale bathymetry and acoustic imagery data. The results of the high resolution survey were used, the next days, to explore the vent's area during several Nautile dives. The southern trough hydrothermal fields of the Guaymas basin have often been studied. However, the local geological context was not really well-defined. During the AUV surveys, maps at 70 m above the seafloor were done over the hydrothermal area. The data were gridded at 2 m spacing. During the same cruise, Nautile dives help us to compare the field observations and the geological features revealed by the high resolution mapping and to investigate the fine-scale relationships between the vents and their geological environment. Integration of these data is made easier by the use of the GIS software technology. It helps us perpetuate data, undertake comparisons, combine different types of data, realize fine-scale geological mapping. Even if some problems are recurrent (precision of positioning, integration of old data...), such combinations of high resolution mapping and visual observations and sampling have changed our vision of hydrothermal geological context. In the Guaymas sedimented spreading axis, our new data show that major hydrothermal sites, in the south part of the southern trough only, are located inside or at the border of 100 to 250 m long, 60 to 150 m wide, 6 to 12 m deep small collapsed sub-circular depressions. The direction of the collapse is variable. Curved faults at the outer border of these depressions control the largest and mature edifices. Smaller, possibly younger, immature chimneys are located at the centre of some depressions. The mature hydrothermal structures appear as mounds up to 80 m in diameter, 20 m in high, each hydrothermal edifice being very-well identified on the 2 m resolution map. Classical high temperature chimneys are present but also areas of high temperature fluids percolating through the petroleum-rich sediment. Echosounder profiles, realized near the bottom with the AUV, show the root of some hydrothermal edifice 40 m down in the sediment and their link with the small depressions. The profiles also show normal faults buried in the sediment and the collapsed depression controlling the hydrothermal edifices. The bordering curved-faults appear as superficial features. To explain the local features seen on high resolution data, we propose a succession of process: i) collapse related to deep recent fissuration in the volcanic basement, ii) discharge controlled along the border of the sub-circular collapse structures and starting of chimneys construction, iii) maturation of the external edifices and collapse of the depression enhanced by mobilisation of sediment out of the depression by fluid discharge.

NREL Research Garners Three Prestigious R&D 100 Awards | News | NREL

Science.gov Websites

, SkyFuel, to create a ground-breaking and low-cost system for utility-sized power generation. The SkyTrough installation costs into competition with gas-fired power plants. NREL shares this award with SkyFuel, Inc. NREL -film lithium microbattery. Its ideal applications are remote wireless sensors, smart homes, smart cars

The magma plumbing system in the Mariana Trough back-arc basin at 18° N

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lai, Zhiqing; Zhao, Guangtao; Han, Zongzhu; Huang, Bo; Li, Min; Tian, Liyan; Liu, Bo; Bu, Xuejiao

2018-04-01

Mafic magmas are common in back-arc basin, once stalled in the crust, these magmas may undergo different evolution. In this paper, compositional and textural variations of plagioclase as well as mineral-melt geothermobarometry are presented for basalts erupted from the central Mariana Trough (CMT). These data reveal crystallization conditions and we attempt a reconstruction of the magma plumbing system of the CMT. Plagioclase megacrysts, phenocrysts, microphenocrysts, microlites, olivine, spinel, and clinopyroxene have been recognized in basalt samples, using BSE images and compositional features. The last three minerals are homogeneous as microphenocrysts. Mineral-melt barometry indicates that plagioclase crystals crystallized and eventually grew into phenocrysts and megacrysts in mush zone with depth of 5-9 km, in which the normal zoning plagioclases crystallized in the interval of various batches of basic magma recharging. Plagioclase megacrysts and phenocrysts were dissolved and/or resorbed, when new basic magmas injected into the mush zone near Moho depth. It is inferred that magma extracted from the mush zone, and adiabatically ascended via different pathways. Some basaltic magmas underwent plagioclase and clinopyroxene microphenocrysts crystallization in low-pressure before eruption. Plagioclase microlites and outermost rims probably crystallized after eruption.

Dipolar bright solitons and solitary vortices in a radial lattice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Chunqing; Lyu, Lin; Huang, Hao; Chen, Zhaopin; Fu, Shenhe; Tan, Haishu; Malomed, Boris A.; Li, Yongyao

2017-11-01

Stabilizing vortex solitons with high values of the topological charge S is a challenging issue in optics, studies of Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs), and other fields. To develop an approach to the solution of this problem, we consider a two-dimensional dipolar BEC under the action of an axisymmetric radially periodic lattice potential, V (r )˜cos(2 r +δ ) , with dipole moments polarized perpendicular to the system's plane, which gives rise to isotropic repulsive dipole-dipole interactions. Two radial lattices are considered, with δ =0 and π , i.e., a potential maximum or minimum at r =0 , respectively. Families of vortex gap soliton (GSs) with S =1 and S ≥2 , the latter ones often being unstable in other settings, are completely stable in the present system (at least up to S =11 ), being trapped in different annular troughs of the radial potential. The vortex solitons with different S may stably coexist in sufficiently far separated troughs. Fundamental GSs, with S =0 , are found too. In the case of δ =0 , the fundamental solitons are ring-shaped modes, with a local minimum at r =0 . At δ =π , they place a density peak at the center.

Structure and development of the southern Moroccan continental shelf

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dillon, William P.

1974-01-01

The structure of the continental shelf off southern Morocco was studied by means of 2,100 km of seismic reflection profiles, magnetic and bathymetric surveys, and dredge samples. The research area lies off four geologic divisions adjacent to the coast: the Atlas Mountains; the Souss Trough; the Anti-Atlas Mountains; and the Aaiun Basin. The continental shelf, along with the western Atlas Mountains, the western Souss Trough, and the entire Aaiun Basin, has subsided along a normal fault-flexure system. This system runs along the shore at the Anti-Atlas Mountains, and cuts off this cratonic block from the shelf subsidence. The shelf is narrow and characterized by out-building off the Anti-Atlas range, whereas it is broader and characterized by upbuilding to the north and south. Deposition was essentially continuous at least from Early Cretaceous through Eocene time. Published work suggests that the last cycle of sedimentation began during Permian rifting. After Eocene time, most sediments carried to the shelf must have bypassed it and gone to construct the slope and rise or to the deep sea. Tertiary orogenies caused extensive folding of Mesozoic and early Tertiary deposits off the Atlas Mountains. ?? 1974.

Impact of structural and autocyclic basin-floor topography on the depositional evolution of the deep-water Valparaiso forearc basin, central Chile

USGS Publications Warehouse

Laursen, J.; Normark, W.R.

2003-01-01

The Valparaiso Basin constitutes a unique and prominent deep-water forearc basin underlying a 40-km by 60-km mid-slope terrace at 2.5-km water depth on the central Chile margin. Seismic-reflection data, collected as part of the CONDOR investigation, image a 3-3.5-km thick sediment succession that fills a smoothly sagged, margin-parallel, elongated trough at the base of the upper slope. In response to underthrusting of the Juan Ferna??ndez Ridge on the Nazca plate, the basin fill is increasingly deformed in the seaward direction above seaward-vergent outer forearc compressional highs. Syn-depositional growth of a large, margin-parallel monoclinal high in conjunction with sagging of the inner trough of the basin created stratal geometries similar to those observed in forearc basins bordered by large accretionary prisms. Margin-parallel compressional ridges diverted turbidity currents along the basin axis and exerted a direct control on sediment depositional processes. As structural depressions became buried, transverse input from point sources on the adjacent upper slope formed complex fan systems with sediment waves characterising the overbank environment, common on many Pleistocene turbidite systems. Mass failure as a result of local topographic inversion formed a prominent mass-flow deposit, and ultimately resulted in canyon formation and hence a new focused point source feeding the basin. The Valparaiso Basin is presently filled to the spill point of the outer forearc highs, causing headward erosion of incipient canyons into the basin fill and allowing bypass of sediment to the Chile Trench. Age estimates that are constrained by subduction-related syn-depositional deformation of the upper 700-800m of the basin fill suggest that glacio-eustatic sea-level lowstands, in conjunction with accelerated denudation rates, within the past 350 ka may have contributed to the increase in simultaneously active point sources along the upper slope as well as an increased complexity of proximal depositional facies.

Laboratory studies of near-grazing impulsive sound propagating over rough water.

PubMed

Qin, Qin; Lukaschuk, Sergei; Attenborough, Keith

2008-08-01

Acoustic impulses due to an electrical spark source (main acoustic energy near 15 kHz) have been measured after propagating near to the water surface in a shallow container resting on a vibrating platform. Control of the platform vibration enabled control of water wave amplitudes. Analysis of the results reveals systematic variations in the received acoustic waveforms as the mean trough-to-crest water wave amplitude is increased up to 7 mm. The amplitudes of the peaks corresponding to specular reflections are reduced and the variability in the tails of the waveforms is increased.

Digital depth horizon compilations of the Alaskan North Slope and adjacent Arctic regions

USGS Publications Warehouse

Saltus, Richard W.; Bird, Kenneth J.

2003-01-01

Data have been digitized and combined to create four detailed depth horizon grids spanning the Alaskan North Slope and adjacent offshore areas. These map horizon compilations were created to aid in petroleum system modeling and related studies. Topography/bathymetry is extracted from a recent Arctic compilation of global onshore DEM and satellite altimetry and ship soundings offshore. The Lower Cretaceous Unconformity (LCU), the top of the Triassic Shublik Formation, and the pre-Carboniferous acoustic basement horizon grids are created from numerous seismic studies, drill hole information, and interpolation. These horizons were selected because they mark critical times in the geologic evolution of the region as it relates to petroleum. The various horizons clearly show the major tectonic elements of this region including the Brooks Range, Colville Trough, Barrow Arch, Hanna Trough, Chukchi Platform, Nuwuk Basin, Kaktovik Basin, and Canada Basin. The gridded data are available in a variety of data formats for use in regional studies.

Elastic Thickness Estimates for Coronae Associated with Chasmata on Venus

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hoogenboom, T.; Martin, P.; Housean, G. A.

2005-01-01

Coronae are large-scale circular tectonic features surrounded by annular ridges. They are generally considered unique to Venus and may offer insights into the differences in lithospheric structure or mantle convective pattern between Venus and Earth. 68% of all coronae are associated with chasmata or fracture belts. The remaining 32% are located at volcanic rises or in the plains. Chasmata are linear to arcuate troughs, with trough parallel fractures and faults which extend for 1000 s of kilometers. Estimates of the elastic thickness of the lithosphere (T(sub e)) have been calculated in a number of gravity/topography studies of Venus and for coronae specifically. None of these studies, however, have explored the dependence of T(sub e) on the tectonic history of the region, as implied from the interpretation of relative timing relationships between coronae and surrounding features. We examine the relationship between the local T(sub e) and the relative ages of coronae and chasmata with the aim of further constraining the origin and evolution of coronae and chasmata systems.

Evidence for Recent Liquid Water on Mars: Gullies in Sirenum Fossae Trough

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

This mosaic of two Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) images shows about 20 different gullies coming down the south-facing wall of a trough in the Sirenum Fossae/Gorgonum Chaos region of the martian southern hemisphere. Each channel and its associated fan--or apron--of debris appears to have started just below the same hard, resistant layer of bedrock located approximately 100 meters (about 325 feet) below the top of the trough wall. The layer beneath this hard, resistant bedrock is interpreted to be permeable, which allows ground water to percolate through it and--at the location of this trough--seep out onto the martian surface. The channels and aprons only occur on the south-facing slope of this valley created by faults on each side of the trough. The depression is approximately 1.4 km (0.9 mi) across.

The mosaic was constructed from two pictures taken on September 16, 1999, and May 1, 2000. The black line is a gap between the two images that was not covered by MOC. The scene covers an area approximately 5.5 kilometers (3.4 miles) wide by 4.9 km (3.0 mi) high. Sunlight illuminates the area from the upper left. The image is located near 38.5oS, 171.3oW. MOC high resolution images are taken black-and-white (grayscale); the color seen here has been synthesized from the colors of Mars observed by the MOC wide angle cameras and by the Viking Orbiters in the late 1970s.

Impact of Pharmacy Practice Model Expansion on Pharmacokinetic Services: Optimization of Vancomycin Dosing and Improved Patient Safety.

PubMed

Han, Zhe; Pettit, Natasha N; Landon, Emily M; Brielmaier, Benjamin D

2017-04-01

Background: The impact of pharmacy interventions on optimizing vancomycin therapy has been described, however interventions vary among studies and the most optimal pharmacy practice model (PPM) for pharmacokinetic (PK) services has not been established. Objective: The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the value of 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (24/7) PK services. Methods: New PK services were implemented in 2 phases with institutional PPM expansion. Phase 1 included universal monitoring by pharmacists with recommendations made to prescribers during business hours. Phase 2 expanded clinical pharmacists' coverage to 24/7 and provided an optional 24/7 pharmacist-managed PK consult service. We compared vancomycin therapeutic trough attainment, dosing, and clinical and safety outcomes between phases 1 and 2 in adult inpatients receiving therapeutic intravenous vancomycin. Results. One hundred and fifty patients were included in each phase. Phase 2 had a greater proportion of vancomycin courses with therapeutic initial trough concentrations (27.5% vs 46.1%; p = 0.002), higher initial trough concentrations (10.9 mcg/mL vs 16.4 mcg/mL; p < 0.001), and optimized initial vancomycin dosing (13.5 mg/kg vs 16.2 mg/kg; p < 0.001). Phase 2 also saw significant reduction in the incidence of vancomycin-associated nephrotoxicity (21.1% vs 11.7%; p = 0.038). Dose optimization and improvement in initial target trough attainment were most notable among intensive care unit (ICU) patients. Conclusions. Our study demonstrated that 24/7 PK services implemented with institutional PPM expansion optimized vancomycin target trough attainment and improved patient safety.

Synoptic patterns leading to hailstorm in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province, Iran

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salahi, Bromand; Nohegar, Ahmad; Behrouzi, Mahmoud; Aalijahan, Mehdi

2018-03-01

The purpose of this study was to extract the synoptic patterns of 500 mb geopotential height and the sea level pressure leading to form hail in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province, Iran. To this end, at first, we explored hail occurrence in different areas of the province under investigation. Then, using sea level pressure and 500 mb geopotential height data, the patterns of hail occurrence were investigated through hierarchical clustering and Ward's method. The level of 500 mb patterns resulting in hail formation in the area include: (1) settlement of a cut-off low pressure blocking in Turkey and Iran's position in downstream of trough and injection of humidity coming from the Red Sea; (2) settlement of low ridge in northern Europe and Iran lying in downstream of the trough and injection of humidity of the Mediterranean Sea; (3) settlement of a cut-off low pressure in east of Europe and Iran lying in downstream of the trough; and (4) settlement of a deep trough in the Mediterranean Sea, formation of an omega-shaped blocking in Northern Europe and Iran lying in downstream of the trough. At sea level, the following patterns have caused hail formation in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province: (1) settlement of low pressure in Iran and Russia accompanying high pressure in Taklimakan Desert and east of Europe; (2) settlement of low pressure in Iran and high pressure in Egypt, northern Europe, and Taklimakan Desert; and (3) settlement of low pressure in Iran, Saudi Arabia and south of Italy and high pressure in Egypt and Siberia.

Sirolimus and tacrolimus trough concentrations and dose requirements after kidney transplantation in relation to CYP3A5 and MDR1 polymorphisms and steroids.

PubMed

Mourad, Michel; Mourad, Georges; Wallemacq, Pierre; Garrigue, Valérie; Van Bellingen, Christophe; Van Kerckhove, Valérie; De Meyer, Martine; Malaise, Jacques; Eddour, Djamila Chaib; Lison, Dominique; Squifflet, Jean Paul; Haufroid, Vincent

2005-10-15

CYP3A5 and MDR1 polymorphisms have been shown to influence tacrolimus blood concentrations and dose requirements. The aim is to determine whether these polymorphisms also affect sirolimus trough concentrations and dose requirements after kidney transplantation. Eighty-five renal transplant recipients receiving sirolimus were included. Twenty-four were treated with a combined sirolimus-tacrolimus regimen. Eighty-one patients received steroids. Sirolimus and tacrolimus were adjusted to a target therapeutic window. CYP3A5 (intron 3) and MDR1 (exons 12, 21, 26) genotypes were correlated to the adjusted trough concentrations and dose requirements for both sirolimus and tacrolimus. There were no significant correlation between adjusted sirolimus trough concentrations or dose requirements and genetic polymorphisms. In a multiple regression model, adjusted-prednisone dose was involved with a positive or negative effect when considering sirolimus dose requirements or adjusted concentrations, respectively. In the subgroup of patients treated by tacrolimus and sirolimus, adjusted tacrolimus doses were higher in patients carrying at least one CYP3A5 *1 allele (median 0.083 vs. 0.035 mg/kg for CYP3A5*3/*3 patients, P<0.05). Adjusted-prednisolone dose and CYP3A5 polymorphism explained up to 61% of the variability in tacrolimus dose requirements. Unlike tacrolimus, sirolimus adjusted trough concentrations and dose requirements seem not affected by CYP3A5 and MDR1 polymorphisms. Adjusted-prednisone dose has a significant impact on tacrolimus and sirolimus dose requirements.

Digital Literacy Development of Students Involved in an ICT Educational Project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Quintana, Maria Graciela Badilla; Pujol, Meritxell Cortada

The impact of the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) has become the core of a change that involves most of the society fields, consequently the technological and informational literacy are essential requirements in education. The research is a quasi-experimental and ex-post-facto study in schools from Spain. The aim was to describe and analyze the involvement showed by 219 students who participated in a development of ICT's Project named Ponte dos Brozos. The research objective was to respond if the students who usually worked with ICT, had better knowledge and management with computing tools, and if they are better prepared in researching and selecting information. Results showed that students who have a higher contact with ICTs know about the technology and how to use it, also better knowledge and control of the computer and operative systems, a high information management level trough the Internet, although their literacy in information is devoid.

Pros and Cons of the Acceleration Scheme (NF-IDS)

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

Bogacz, Alex; Bogacz, Slawomir

The overall goal of the acceleration systems: large acceptance acceleration to 25 GeV and beam shaping can be accomplished by various fixed field accelerators at different stages. They involve three superconducting linacs: a single pass linear Pre-accelerator followed by a pair of multi-pass Recirculating Linear Accelerators (RLA) and finally a nonâ scaling FFAG ring. The present baseline acceleration scenario has been optimized to take maximum advantage of appropriate acceleration scheme at a given stage. Pros and cons of various stages are discussed here in detail. The solenoid based Pre-accelerator offers very large acceptance and facilitates correction of energy gain acrossmore » the bunch and significant longitudinal compression trough induced synchrotron motion. However, far off-crest acceleration reduces the effective acceleration gradient and adds complexity through the requirement of individual RF phase control for each cavity. Close proximity of strong solenoids and superc« less

The total flow concept for geothermal energy conversion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Austin, A. L.

1974-01-01

A geothermal development project has been initiated at the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory (LLL) to emphasize development of methods for recovery and conversion of the energy in geothermal deposits of hot brines. Temperatures of these waters vary from 150 C to more than 300 C with dissolved solids content ranging from less than 0.1% to over 25% by weight. Of particular interest are the deposits of high-temperature/high-salinity brines, as well as less saline brines, known to occur in the Salton Trough of California. Development of this resource will depend on resolution of the technical problems of brine handling, scale and precipitation control, and corrosion/erosion resistant systems for efficient conversion of thermal to electrical energy. Research experience to date has shown these problems to be severe. Hence, the LLL program emphasizes development of an entirely different approach called the Total Flow concept.

Determining the Nature of Late Gunn–Peterson Troughs with Galaxy Surveys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davies, Frederick B.; Becker, George D.; Furlanetto, Steven R.

2018-06-01

Recent observations have discovered long (up to ∼110 Mpc/h), opaque Gunn–Peterson troughs in the z ∼ 5.5 Lyα forest, which are challenging to explain with conventional models of the post-reionization intergalactic medium. Here, we demonstrate that observations of the galaxy populations in the vicinity of the deepest troughs can distinguish two competing models for these features: deep voids where the ionizing background is weak due to fluctuations in the mean free path of ionizing photons would show a deficit of galaxies, while residual temperature variations from extended, inhomogeneous reionization would show an overdensity of galaxies. We use large (∼550 Mpc/h) semi-numerical simulations of these competing explanations to predict the galaxy populations in the largest of the known troughs at z ∼ 5.7. We quantify the strong correlation of Lyα effective optical depth and galaxy surface density in both models, and estimate the degree to which realistic surveys can measure such a correlation. While a spectroscopic galaxy survey is ideal, we also show that a relatively inexpensive narrowband survey of Lyα-emitting galaxies is ∼90% likely to distinguish between the competing models.

Analysis, development and testing of a fixed tilt solar collector employing reversible Vee-Trough reflectors and vacuum tube receivers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Selcuk, M. K.

1979-01-01

The Vee-Trough/Vacuum Tube Collector (VTVTC) aimed to improve the efficiency and reduce the cost of collectors assembled from evacuated tube receivers. The VTVTC was analyzed rigorously and a mathematical model was developed to calculate the optical performance of the vee-trough concentrator and the thermal performance of the evacuated tube receiver. A test bed was constructed to verify the mathematical analyses and compare reflectors made out of glass, Alzak and aluminized GEB Teflon. Tests were run at temperatures ranging from 95 to 180 C during the months of April, May, June, July and August 1977. Vee-trough collector efficiencies of 35-40 per cent were observed at an operating temperature of about 175 C. Test results compared well with the calculated values. Test data covering a complete day are presented for selected dates throughout the test season. Predicted daily useful heat collection and efficiency values are presented for a year's duration at operation temperatures ranging from 65 to 230 C. Estimated collector costs and resulting thermal energy costs are presented. Analytical and experimental results are discussed along with an economic evaluation.

Adaptive sensor-based ultra-high accuracy solar concentrator tracker

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brinkley, Jordyn; Hassanzadeh, Ali

2017-09-01

Conventional solar trackers use information of the sun's position, either by direct sensing or by GPS. Our method uses the shading of the receiver. This, coupled with nonimaging optics design allows us to achieve ultra-high concentration. Incorporating a sensor based shadow tracking method with a two stage concentration solar hybrid parabolic trough allows the system to maintain high concentration with acute accuracy.

Gas Hydrate Petroleum System Modeling in western Nankai Trough Area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tanaka, M.; Aung, T. T.; Fujii, T.; Wada, N.; Komatsu, Y.

2017-12-01

Since 2003, we have been conducting Gas Hydrate (GH) petroleum system models covering the eastern Nankai Trough, Japan, and results of resource potential from regional model shows good match with the value depicted from seismic and log data. In this year, we have applied this method to explore GH potential in study area. In our study area, GH prospects have been identified with aid of bottom simulating reflector (BSR) and presence of high velocity anomalies above the BSR interpreted based on 3D migration seismic and high density velocity cubes. In order to understand the pathway of biogenic methane from source to GH prospects 1D-2D-3D GH petroleum system models are built and investigated. This study comprises lower Miocene to Pleistocene, deep to shallow marine sedimentary successions of Pliocene and Pleistocene layers overlain the basement. The BSR were interpreted in Pliocene and Pleistocene layers. Based on 6 interpreted sequence boundaries from 3D migration seismic and velocity data, construction of a depth 3D framework model is made and distributed by a conceptual submarine fan depositional facies model derived from seismic facies analysis and referring existing geological report. 1D models are created to analyze lithology sensitivity to temperature and vitrinite data from an exploratory well drilled in the vicinity of study area. The PSM parameters are applied in 2D and 3D modeling and simulation. Existing report of the explanatory well reveals that thermogenic origin are considered to exist. For this reason, simulation scenarios including source formations for both biogenic and thermogenic reaction models are also investigated. Simulation results reveal lower boundary of GH saturation zone at pseudo wells has been simulated with sensitivity of a few tens of meters in comparing with interpreted BSR. From sensitivity analysis, simulated temperature was controlled by different peak generation temperature models and geochemical parameters. Progressive folding and updipping layers including paleostructure can effectively assist biogenic gas migration to upward. Biogenic and Thermogenic mixing model shows that kitchen center only has a potential for generating thermogenic hydrocarbon. Our Prospect based on seismic interpretation is consistent with high GH saturation area based on 3D modeling results.

The case for nearly continuous extension of the West Antarctic Rift System, 105-25 Ma (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilson, D. S.; Luyendyk, B. P.

2010-12-01

It is a common perception that extension in the West Antarctic Rift System (WARS) was a two-phase process, with a Cretaceous phase ending when the Campbell Plateau rifted from West Antarctica (~80 Ma), and a mid-Cenozoic phase synchronous with sea floor spreading in the Adare trough (~45-25 Ma). Several lines of evidence indicate that significant extension probably occurred in the intervening 80-45 Ma interval. The strongest evidence comes from subsidence rates on the Central High and Coulman High structures in the central-western Ross Sea, where DSDP Site 270 and other areas with shallow basement have subsided 1 km or more since Oligocene time. With sediment load, these subsidence rates are reasonable for thermal subsidence resulting from extension with a stretching factor of about 2.0-2.5 at about 50-70 Ma, but are hard to reconcile with an extension age around 90 Ma. The seismic velocity structure of the WARS inferred from global surface-wave dispersion is similar to that of oceanic lithosphere of age 40-60 Ma [Ritzwoller et al., 2001 JGR]. Geometric relations of sea floor between Adare Trough and Iselen Bank, northwest Ross Sea, suggest sea floor spreading of about 130 km during early Cenozoic, before the Adare Trough spreading episode started. Numerous cooling ages in the Transantarctic Mountains in the range of 55-45 Ma [Fitzgerald, 1992 Tectonics; Miller et al., 2010 Tectonics] support the interpretation of significant extension prior to 45 Ma. Present crustal thickness of about 22 km near DSDP Site 270 [Trey et al., 1999 Tectonophysics] suggests a pre-extension crustal thickness exceeding 50 km. A simple overall interpretation follows that the WARS has a tectonic history similar to the Basin and Range of western North America: a thick-crust orogenic highland extended for many tens of million years. The main difference between the WARS and the Basin and Range is the post-tectonic cooling and subsidence in the WARS.

Interaction between crustal tectonics and salt deformation in the Eastern Sardinian margin, Western Tyrrhenian Sea: seismic data and analogue modelling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vendeville, Bruno; Lymer, Gael; Gaullier, Virginie; Chanier, Frank; Maillard, Agnes; Sage, Françoise; Lofi, Johanna; Thinon, Isabelle

2014-05-01

The Tyrrhenian Basin opened by eastward migration of the Apennine subduction system. Rifting along the Eastern Sardinian margin started during the middle to late Miocene times and hence this timing partly overlapped the Messinian Salinity Crisis. The two "METYSS" cruises were conducted to use the deformation of the Messinian salt and its Plio-Quaternary overburden as a proxy for better delineating the tectonic history of the sub-salt basement. Many parts of the study area contain two of the most typical Messinian series of the Western Mediterranean: the Mobile Unit (MU; salt, mainly halite), overlain by the more competent Upper Unit (UU: alternating dolomitic marls and anhydrite). The brittle Plio-Quaternary cover overlies the UU. Usually, the presence of mobile salt is viewed as a nuisance for understanding crustal tectonics because salt's ability to act as a structural buffer between the basement and the cover. However, we illustrate, using examples from the Cornaglia Terrace, how we can use thin-skinned salt tectonics as indicators of vertical movements in the sub-salt, pre-Messinian basement. There, slip along N-S-trending crustal normal faults bounding basement troughs has been recorded by salt and overburden in two different manners: - First, post-salt basement faulting (typically after deposition of the Upper Unit and the early Pliocene), and some crustal-scale southward tilting, triggered along-strike (southward) thin-skinned, gliding of salt and overburden recorded by upslope extension and downslope shortening. - Second, and less obvious at first glance, there was some crustal activity along another basement trough, located East of the Baronie Ridge after deposition of the Messinian salt. This trough is narrow, trends N-S and is bounded by crustal faults. The narrow width of the trough allowed for only minor across-strike (E-W) gliding. The resulting geometry would suggest that nothing happened after Messinian times, but some structural features (confirmed by analogue modelling) show that basement fault slip and tilting (Eastward or Westward) was accommodated by lateral flow of salt, which thinned upslope and inflated downslope, while the overlying sediments remained sub-horizontal.

A novel dominant selectable system for the selection of transgenic plants under in vitro and greenhouse conditions based on phosphite metabolism.

PubMed

López-Arredondo, Damar L; Herrera-Estrella, Luis

2013-05-01

Antibiotic and herbicide resistance genes are currently the most frequently used selectable marker genes for plant research and crop development. However, the use of antibiotics and herbicides must be carefully controlled because the degree of susceptibility to these compounds varies widely among plant species and because they can also affect plant regeneration. Therefore, new selectable marker systems that are effective for a broad range of plant species are still needed. Here, we report a simple and inexpensive system based on providing transgenic plant cells the capacity to convert a nonmetabolizable compound (phosphite, Phi) into an essential nutrient for cell growth (phosphate) trough the expression of a bacterial gene encoding a phosphite oxidoreductase (PTXD). This system is effective for the selection of Arabidopsis transgenic plants by germinating T0 seeds directly on media supplemented with Phi and to select transgenic tobacco shoots from cocultivated leaf disc explants using nutrient media supplemented with Phi as both a source of phosphorus and selective agent. Because the ptxD/Phi system also allows the establishment of large-scale screening systems under greenhouse conditions completely eliminating false transformation events, it should facilitate the development of novel plant transformation methods. © 2013 Society for Experimental Biology, Association of Applied Biologists and Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Rivaroxaban Levels in Patients' Plasmas are Comparable by Using Two Different Anti Xa Assay/Coagulometer Systems Calibrated with Two Different Calibrators.

PubMed

Martinuzzo, Marta E; Duboscq, Cristina; Lopez, Marina S; Barrera, Luis H; Vinuales, Estela S; Ceresetto, Jose; Forastiero, Ricardo R; Oyhamburu, Jose

2018-06-01

Rivaroxaban oral anticoagulant does not need laboratory monitoring, but in some situations plasma level measurement is useful. The objective of this paper was to verify analytical performance and compare two rivaroxaban calibrated anti Xa assays/coagulometer systems with specific or other branch calibrators. In 59 samples drawn at trough or peak from patients taking rivaroxaban, plasma levels were measured by HemosIL Liquid anti Xa in ACLTOP 300/500, and STA liquid Anti Xa in TCoag Destiny Plus. HemosIL and STA rivaroxaban calibrators and controls were used. CLSI guideline procedures EP15A3 for precision and trueness, EP6 for linearity, and EP9 for methods comparison were used. Coefficient of variation within run and total precision (CVR and CVWL respectively) of plasmatic rivaroxaban were < 4.2 and < 4.85% and BIAS < 7.4 and < 6.5%, for HemosIL-ACL TOP and STA-Destiny systems, respectively. Linearity verification 8 - 525 ng/mL a Deming regression for methods comparison presented R 0.963, 0.968 and 0.982, with a mean CV 13.3% when using different systems and calibrations. The analytical performance of plasma rivaroxaban was acceptable in both systems, and results from reagent/coagulometer systems are comparable even when calibrating with different branch material.

Simplified methods for the prolonged treatment of fish diseases

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fish, F.F.

1939-01-01

The prevention or control of epidemics of fish diseases by applying a disinfecting solution in a uniform concentration directly to the water supply of a fish pond or trough for a definite period of time has been exceedingly slow in development. In so far as can be determined, the original idea should be credited to. Marsh and Robinson (1910). In their work on the control of algae in fish ponds by the continuous application of dilute copper sulphate solution, administered to the inflowing water supply by means of a floating syphon, they suggested this method as a possibility in the treatment of fish diseases. Following their work, this commendable idea seems to have remained quite dormant and apparently forgotten until Hess (1930) revived it twenty or more years later. This worker found that a prolonged immersion in a dilute disinfecting bath was more efficacious in remowng fluke parasites from goldfish than was the customary short "hand dip" method. Kingsbury and Embody (1932) later adapted the idea of a prolonged treatment to running water by the use of a float valve for maintaining a constant level in a reservoir, resulting in a constant flow to the pond or trough to be treated. Shortly thereafter, Fish (1933) modified the floating syphon of Marsh and Robinson, as it was a simpler apparatus than that of Kingsbury and Embody.

Alternative feeding strategies and potential disease transmission in Wisconsin white-tailed deer

USGS Publications Warehouse

Thompson, A.K.; Samuel, M.D.; VanDeelen, T.R.

2008-01-01

We conducted experimental feeding using 3 feeding methods (pile, spread, trough) and 2 quantities (rationed, ad libitum) of shelled corn to compare deer activity and behavior with control sites and evaluate potential direct and indirect transmission of infectious disease in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in central Wisconsin, USA. Deer use was higher at 2 of the feeding sites than at natural feeding areas (P ??? 0.02). Deer spent a higher proportion of time (P < 0.01) feeding at pile (49%) and spread (61%) treatments than at natural feeding areas (36%). We found higher deer use for rationed than ad libitum feeding quantities and feeding intensity was greatest at rationed piles and lowest at ad libitum spreads. We also observed closer pairwise distances (???0.3 m) among deer when corn was provided in a trough relative to spread (P=0.03). Supplemental feeding poses risks for both direct and indirect disease transmission due to higher deer concentration and more intensive use relative to control areas. Concentrated feeding and contact among deer at feeding sites can also increase risk for disease transmission. Our results indicated that restrictions on feeding quantity would not mitigate the potential for disease transmission None of the feeding strategies we evaluated substantially reduced the potential risk for disease transmission and banning supplemental feeding to reduce transmission is warranted.

Northern control of Southern Source Water deglacial circulation in Rockall Trough, N.E. Atlantic.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McCave, I. N. N.; Hibbert, F. D.; Channell, J. E. T.; Austin, W. E. N.

2014-12-01

Core MD04-2822 from northern Rockall Trough at 2300 m water depth contains a high resolution record of changes in the vigour of the deep circulation determined by variation in the Sortable Silt mean size (SS) over the period 21-0 ka (LGM to present). The record has excellent age control from C-14 and correlation of Np(s) to Greenland ice cores (NGRIP GICC05 scale) (Hibbert et al., 2010, JQS, Austin & Hibbert, 2012, QSR). The record displays a slowdown in deep circulation from 20 to 17.5ka, a faster H-1a and slower H-1b (16.4-14.7 ka), a faster B-A with evident slowing at Older Dryas and IACP, and slow YD. The Holocene shows slower flows around 8.4-7.5, 6.3-5.5 and 3.5 -2.7 ka as well as the Little Ice Age. The a/b differentiation of the Heinrich event is mirrored by changes in d18O at NGRIP with boundaries at 17.8 and 16.3 ka on GICC05 tentatively correlated with H-1b. Benthic Carbon isotope (d13C) variations and values are very similar to those found at 3150 m water depth off Portugal (Skinner & Shackleton, 2004, PaleO), where Shackleton et al (2000, PaleO) show that the water mass is strongly SSW influenced in both warm and cold periods. At the present day there is evidence of SSW (LDW of McCartney, 1992 Progr in O) in Rockall Trough from silicate values greater than those of NE Atlantic Deep water of northern overflow origin. We suggest that bottom water in the Trough during deglaciation contained a major component of southern origin. This is consistent with suggested upper bounds of SSW at ~2000 m elsewhere in the N. Atlantic. This water appears to have responded dynamically to northern hemisphere climatic forcing, although supplied from around Antarctica. In this, its behaviour is similar to the changes in circulation vigour recorded by Pa/Th at 4500 m on Bermuda Rise that must also have been dominated by SSW (McManus et al., 2004, Nature) The κARM/κ grain size parameter reflecting fine magnetite grain size proxy which is sensitive to grain sizes well below the SS range indicates progressive fining of magnetic grain size across the Termination, in contrast to the highly variable sortable silt mean size changes. The magnetic grain-size parameter probably reflects deglacial variations in sediment source from Scotland and Ireland and is not related to flow vigour as some have contended.

Notes on the availability of mid-Atlantic multichannel seismic reflection profiles 11 and 12-A, -B, -C, and -D

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schlee, John Stevens

1978-01-01

Available are two multichannel profiles collected by Digicon Geophysical Corporation in 1975 using a 48-channel streamer (3600 m long). and a 27.9 cu. liter air gun array. They were processed in Denver on the Phoenix "I" by William C. Patterson. The processing included demultiplexing and resampling, geometry and common-depth-point definition, velocity analysis, noise muting, band-pass filtering, time-variant filtering, time-variant deconvolution, and automatic gain control (AGC) scaling, prior to the final profile playout.The release includes parts of two lines off the mid-atlantic continental margin (see map) over the Baltimore Canyon trough. These profiles were collected as part of a regional grid over the offshore Atlantic sedimentary basins, as a part of a continuing program to assess the resource potential using non-proprietary data Line 11 is a cross shelf profile (233 ken long) taken across the shelf, slope and upper rise off Virginia (southern Baltimore Canyon trough). Line 12 (shotpoint 1Ol- 6011, parts A, 8, C and D) is an along-the-shelf profiler and stretches from the Cape Hatteras IPOD line to line 2, at the northern part of the Baltimore Canyon trough), a distance of 591 km.These profiles may be viewed at the U.S. Geological Survey, Atlantic Gulf of Mexico, Office of Marine Geology, Quissett campus, Building B, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543, and at the U.S. Geological Survey, Branch of Oil and Gas Resources, Denver Federal Center, Building 25, Denver. Colorado 80225. Copies of the profiles can be purchased from the Nations Geophysical and Solar-Terrestrial Data Center, Environmental Data Service- NOAA, Code D621 Boulder, Colorado 80303.

Lung function and long-term safety of tiotropium/olodaterol in East Asian patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

PubMed

Bai, Chunxue; Ichinose, Masakazu; Lee, Sang Haak; Lee, Kwan Ho; Jöns, Olaf; Bothner, Ulrich; Zhao, Yihua; Buhl, Roland

2017-01-01

While the efficacy and safety of combined tiotropium and olodaterol in patients with COPD was established in a large clinical trial program, it is important to assess whether clinical data can be applied to geographic patient groups, particularly for East Asian patients who may have a different phenotypic profile to the global trial population. This study aimed to compare the lung function and safety profiles of tiotropium/olodaterol and monocomponents in East Asian and global populations from the TONADO ® trials. In the replicate, double-blind, parallel-group, active-controlled, randomized, 52-week, Phase III TONADO studies, patients received tiotropium/olodaterol, tiotropium, or olodaterol. We assessed the forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV 1 ) area under the curve from 0 to 3 hours (AUC 0-3 ) response and trough FEV 1 response at 24 weeks for the approved doses, tiotropium/olodaterol 5/5 μg, tiotropium 5 μg, and olodaterol 5 μg. Treatment-emergent adverse events were recorded throughout treatment and ≤21 days after study medication. In the East Asian population, 1,152 patients were randomized (5,163 overall). After 24 weeks, FEV 1 AUC 0-3 and trough FEV 1 responses were greater ( P <0.0001) with tiotropium/olodaterol 5/5 μg in both populations versus tiotropium or olodaterol. The East Asian population showed slightly greater trough FEV 1 treatment differences between tiotropium/olodaterol 5/5 μg and tiotropium compared to the overall population. Generally, no increase in adverse events was seen with tiotropium/olodaterol 5/5 μg compared to tiotropium and olodaterol in either population. The efficacy and safety profile of tiotropium/olodaterol 5/5 μg has been demonstrated for both East Asian and global populations.

Contrasting behavior of tungsten and molybdenum in the Okinawa Trough, the East China Sea and the Yellow Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sohrin, Yoshiki; Matsui, Masakazu; Nakayama, Eiichiro

1999-10-01

By using catalytic current polarography and high-resolution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, W and Mo in seawater were determined in the Okinawa Trough, a backarc rift, and in the East China Sea and the Yellow Sea. Mo was distributed conservatively throughout the study area, and its salinity-normalized concentration was 104 ± 6 nM (n = 105). W was also uniformly distributed south of the Kuroshio Current (56 ± 7 pM, n = 51). Anomalous high concentrations of W (maximum 254 pM) were found in the Iheya Graben in the middle Okinawa Trough (>1000 m depth), which were probably supplied by hydrothermal activity. The concentrations of Mo and W in the East China Sea and the Yellow Sea showed linear correlation with salinity (26 < S < 35). The Mo data can be explained by mixing of seawater and river water of the Changjiang (Mo = 10 nM; Qu et al., 1993). However, the values of W extrapolated to S = 0 were largely different between two cruises (1200 pM in May-June 1987 and 540 pM in June 1994) and much higher than the reported concentrations of 160 pM for world rivers by Turekian (1969) and 30 pM for unpolluted Japanese rivers by Sohrin et al. (1989). Moreover, significantly high W was observed in the bottom water at stations near the Changjiang River estuary and the western Yellow Sea. While these data may suggest that W is released from the anoxic sediments of the continental shelf, we need more data to elucidate the mechanism controlling the distribution of W.

Comparable pharmacodynamics, efficacy, and safety of linagliptin 5 mg among Japanese, Asian and white patients with type 2 diabetes.

PubMed

Sarashina, Akiko; Friedrich, Christian; Crowe, Susanne; Patel, Sanjay; Graefe-Mody, Ulrike; Hayashi, Naoyuki; Horie, Yoshiharu

2016-09-01

The efficacy and safety of drugs can vary between different races or ethnic populations because of differences in the relationship of dose to exposure, pharmacodynamic response or clinical efficacy and safety. In the present post-hoc analysis, we assessed the influence of race on the pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, efficacy and safety of monotherapy with the dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor, linagliptin, in patients with type 2 diabetes enrolled in two comparable, previously reported randomized phase III trials. Study 1 (with a 12-week placebo-controlled phase) recruited Japanese patients only (linagliptin, n = 159; placebo, n = 80); study 2 (24-week trial) enrolled Asian (non-Japanese; linagliptin, n = 156; placebo, n = 76) and white patients (linagliptin, n = 180; placebo, n = 90). Linagliptin trough concentrations were equivalent across study and race groups, and were higher than half-maximal inhibitory concentration, resulting in dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibition >80% at trough. Linagliptin inhibited plasma dipeptidyl peptidase-4 activity to a similar degree in study 1 and study 2. Linagliptin reduced fasting plasma glucose concentrations by a similar magnitude across groups, leading to clinically relevant reductions in glycated hemoglobin in all groups. Glycated hemoglobin levels decreased to a slightly greater extent in study 1 (Japanese) and in Asian (non-Japanese) patients from study 2. Linagliptin had a favorable safety profile in each race group. Trough exposure, pharmacodynamic response, and efficacy and safety of linagliptin monotherapy were comparable among Japanese, Asian (non-Japanese) and white patients, confirming that the recommended 5-mg once-daily dose of linagliptin is appropriate for use among different race groups. © 2016 The Authors. Journal of Diabetes Investigation published by Asian Association for the Study of Diabetes (AASD) and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

Large Nankai Trough earthquake and tsunami found in lacustrine deposits through late Holocene-time along the western coast of Kii Peninsula, southwestern Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Okamura, M.; Matsuoka, H.; Tsuzuki, M.; Toraya, K.

2015-12-01

We continue paleo-seismic studies through Late Holocene-time in coastal marsh ponds along the Nankai Trough . These ponds which are co-seismic subsidence areas have continuous muddy sediment stratigraphy and sporadic tsunami induced coarse material. Well controlled age data has been collected from the core-sample that contains plant remains under anoxic sedimentary environment . Total 21 cores collected from two coastal ponds Ashihama-ike and Zasa-ike which locate behind beach-ridge along southeastern coast of Kii Peninsula under Tokai/Tonankai Earthquake assumption areas. Tsunami events are recognized after eighty AMS C-14 dating through recent (core top) to 7300 yBP interval. Among these interval, two remarkable events found in sediment, which are 2050yBP to 2300yBP (=2K event) and 1000yBP to 1100 yBP. 2k event consists thick sand, well rounded gravel in chaotic mud and wood fragment derived from forests surrounding lakes. Later event is correspond to the historical Ninna Nankai earthquake (AD887, 26 August under the old lunar calendar).　Rather small events are occurred in 3500yBP and 1100yBP. These events are found from both of two ponds which has two kilometers in distance each other. Cores bottom are composed of 7400yBP huge-tsunami event caused simultaneously by the Kikai-caldera eruption (over 170 cubic km ejecta) is just covered with the Kikai-Akahoya (K-Ah) tephra. The 2K and volcanic tsunami events have also found widely, not only Kii Peninsula but southern Shikoku (Tokushima Pref. and Kochi Pref.) and Kyushu through the Nankai Trough.

Crustal Structure in the Southern Rockall Trough from Satellite Gravity Data: Evidence for Sea-floor Spreading

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chappell, A.; Kusznir, N. J.

2005-05-01

The southern Rockall Trough south of 57 N has previously been interpreted as either an intra-continental rift floored with highly extended continental crust, or a failed oceanic rift formed by Cretaceous sea floor spreading. Satellite gravity, bathymetry data and seismic estimates of sediment thickness are used to derive crustal basement thickness for the southern Rockall Trough and adjacent regions using a gravity inversion method incorporating a correction for the large negative thermal gravity component present in oceanic and stretched continental lithosphere. The marine Bouguer anomaly, derived from satellite free air gravity (Sandwell & Smith 1997) and Gebco 2003 bathymetry data, is inverted using the method of Oldenberg (1974), incorporating an iteratively applied thermal anomaly correction, to give Moho depth. For oceanic crust the thermal anomaly correction is calculated using isochron ages (Muller et al. 1997) and for continental crust from the beta stretching factors resulting from gravity derived crustal basement thickness and an assumed rift age. When sediment thickness and volcanic addition are assumed to be zero, the resulting upper bound of crustal thickness from the gravity inversion is as little as 10 km in the southern Rockall Trough. A segmented axial thickening of the crust at the centre of the Rockall Trough is predicted, between the Barra volcanic ridge and the Anton Dohrn seamount and is interpreted as having a volcanic origin. Inclusion of a sediment thickness correction in the gravity inversion further reduces predicted crustal thickness. A pseudo-sediment-thickness map has been constructed from the available wide-angle data and incorporated in the gravity inversion. The addition of up to 5.5 km of sediment in the gravity inversion reduces the upper bound of crustal thickness to less than 3 km in some locations. The segmented axial thickening and thin crust shown by the gravity inversion, the lack of intra-basinal faulting, and the volcanic origin for the axis shown by normal incidence seismic data, are consistent with a sea-floor spreading origin for the southern Rockall Trough and not formation by intra-continental rifting. We investigate the formation of the southern Rockall Trough using SfMargin, a new model of continental lithosphere thinning leading to continental breakup and sea-floor spreading initiation. Comparisons of the geometry of the southern Rockall Trough predicted by SfMargin with that observed are consistent with a short period (20Ma) of slow Cretaceous sea-floor spreading, followed by thermal subsidence to present day. This work forms part of the NERC Margins iSIMM project. iSIMM investigators are from Liverpool and Cambridge Universities, Badley Geoscience & Schlumberger Cambridge Research supported by the NERC, the DTI, Agip UK, BP, Amerada Hess Ltd, Anadarko, ConocoPhillips, Shell, Statoil and WesternGeco. The iSIMM team comprises NJ Kusznir, RS White, AM Roberts, PAF Christie, A Chappell, J Eccles, R Fletcher, D Healy, N Hurst, ZC Lunnon, CJ Parkin, AW Roberts, LK Smith, V Tymms & R Spitzer.

Probabilistic Tsunami Hazard Assessment along Nankai Trough (2) a comprehensive assessment including a variety of earthquake source areas other than those that the Earthquake Research Committee, Japanese government (2013) showed

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hirata, K.; Fujiwara, H.; Nakamura, H.; Osada, M.; Morikawa, N.; Kawai, S.; Ohsumi, T.; Aoi, S.; Yamamoto, N.; Matsuyama, H.; Toyama, N.; Kito, T.; Murashima, Y.; Murata, Y.; Inoue, T.; Saito, R.; Takayama, J.; Akiyama, S.; Korenaga, M.; Abe, Y.; Hashimoto, N.

2016-12-01

For the forthcoming Nankai earthquake with M8 to M9 class, the Earthquake Research Committee(ERC)/Headquarters for Earthquake Research Promotion, Japanese government (2013) showed 15 examples of earthquake source areas (ESAs) as possible combinations of 18 sub-regions (6 segments along trough and 3 segments normal to trough) and assessed the occurrence probability within the next 30 years (from Jan. 1, 2013) was 60% to 70%. Hirata et al.(2015, AGU) presented Probabilistic Tsunami Hazard Assessment (PTHA) along Nankai Trough in the case where diversity of the next event's ESA is modeled by only the 15 ESAs. In this study, we newly set 70 ESAs in addition of the previous 15 ESAs so that total of 85 ESAs are considered. By producing tens of faults models, with various slip distribution patterns, for each of 85 ESAs, we obtain 2500 fault models in addition of previous 1400 fault models so that total of 3900 fault models are considered to model the diversity of the next Nankai earthquake rupture (Toyama et al.,2015, JpGU). For PTHA, the occurrence probability of the next Nankai earthquake is distributed to possible 3900 fault models in the viewpoint of similarity to the 15 ESAs' extents (Abe et al.,2015, JpGU). A major concept of the occurrence probability distribution is; (i) earthquakes rupturing on any of 15 ESAs that ERC(2013) showed most likely occur, (ii) earthquakes rupturing on any of ESAs whose along-trench extent is the same as any of 15 ESAs but trough-normal extent differs from it second likely occur, (iii) earthquakes rupturing on any of ESAs whose both of along-trough and trough-normal extents differ from any of 15 ESAs rarely occur. Procedures for tsunami simulation and probabilistic tsunami hazard synthesis are the same as Hirata et al (2015). A tsunami hazard map, synthesized under an assumption that the Nankai earthquakes can be modeled as a renewal process based on BPT distribution with a mean recurrence interval of 88.2 years (ERC, 2013) and an aperiodicity of 0.22, as the median of the values (0.20 to 0.24)that ERC (2013) recommended, suggests that several coastal segments along the southwest coast of Shikoku Island, the southeast coast of Kii Peninsula, and the west coast of Izu Peninsula show over 26 % in exceedance probability that maximum water rise exceeds 10 meters at any coastal point within the next 30 years.

Characterization of inappetent sheep in a feedlot using radio-tracking technology.

PubMed

Barnes, Anne L; Wickham, Sarah L; Admiraal, Ryan; Miller, David W; Collins, Teresa; Stockman, Catherine; Fleming, Patricia A

2018-04-03

The feeding and drinking behaviours of sheep were monitored using RFID technology at a commercial pre-embarkation feedlot in Western Australia with the aim of characterizing feeding and drinking patterns of inappetent sheep that might allow them to be treated. Feeding and drinking behaviours of sheep were compared with their survival and change in body condition. Patterns of number of visits and the time spent at feed and water troughs were analyzed for a total of 8,206 sheep, representing four consignments that were monitored for a range of 6-31 d. Data for feeding and drinking behaviours were compared for the first 6 d. For animals that were alive at exit, 18.9% of sheep attended the feed trough for less than 0.25 h d-1 (15 min per day) on day 1; this decreased to only 2.4% of sheep by day 6. Of the sheep monitored, 0.93% died (n = 76); Salmonella spp. infection was the leading cause of death (n = 40; 52.6% of all deaths) across all months and was accompanied with inanition. There was marked variability in the average time spent at the feed trough for sheep that died eventually from salmonella/inanition (contributing to the lack of statistical difference in time spent at feed trough between sheep dying from different causes; P = 0.056). Over half (55%) of the animals diagnosed with salmonella/inanition spent an average of less than 0.50 h d-1 (30 min per day) and 45% less than 0.25 h d-1 at the feed trough. There was a negative correlation (r) in time spent at the feed trough overtime for individual sheep that died from salmonella/inanition, indicating that these individuals went off their feed. This pattern was not evident for animals that died from other causes (significant difference in r values between five categories of cause of death; P = 0.040). Characterization of feeding behaviour of sheep that died from salmonella/inanition therefore appears to require more than simply monitoring daily intake. There was no difference in time spent at water troughs between sheep that died or were alive at exit (average 0.30 ± 0.23 h d-1). This study reveals that the patterns of feeding and drinking behaviours during pre-embarkation feedlotting do not readily allow identification of animals that warrant singling out for veterinary care or alternative feed arrangements. This result highlights the need for experienced stockmanship in handling these animals.

High H2O/Ce of K-rich MORB from Lena Trough and Gakkel Ridge, Arctic Ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Snow, J. E.; Feig, S. T.

2014-12-01

Lena Trough in the Arctic ocean is the oblique spreading continuation of Gakkel Ridge through the Fram Strait (eg Snow et al. 2011). Extreme trace element and isotopic compositions seen in Lena Trough basalt appear to be the enriched end member dominating the geochemistry of the Western Volcanic Zone of the Western Gakkel Ridge as traced by Pb isotopes, K2O/TiO2, Ba/Nb and other isotopic, major and trace element indicators of mixing (Nauret et al., 2011). This is in contrast to neighboring Gakkel Ridge which has been spreading for 50-60 million years. Basalts from Lena Trough also show a pure MORB noble gas signature (Nauret et al., 2010) and peridotites show no evidence of ancient components in their Os isotopes (Lassiter, et al., in press). The major and trace element compositions of the basalts, however are very distinct from MORB, being far more potassic than all but a single locality on the SW Indian Ridge. We determined H2O and trace element composiitions of a suite of 17 basalt glasses from the Central Lena Trough (CLT) and the Gakkel Western Volcanic Zone, including many of those previously analyzed by Nauret et al. (2012). The Western Gakkel glasses have high H2O/Ce for MORB (>300) suggesting a water rich source consistent with the idea that the northernmost Atlantic mantle is enriched in water (Michael et al., 1995). They are within the range of Eastern Gakkel host glasses determined by Wanless et al, 2013. The Lena Trough (CLT) glasses are very rich in water for MORB (>1% H2O) and are among the highest H2O/Ce (>400) ever measured in MORB aside from melt inclusions in olivine. Mantle melting dynamics and melt evolution cannot account for the H2O/Ce variations in MORB, as these elements have similar behavior during melting and crustal evolution. Interestingly, the H2O/K2O ratios in the basalts are only around 1. This is because the K2O levels in the CLT glasses are very high as well relative to REE. The absolutely linear relationship between H2O and K2O/TiO2 in Lena and Gakkel basalts shows that water systematics in these rocks are completely governed by source composition, with little or no modification by mantle melting dynamics or crystal fractionation. The geochemical influence of the WVZ enriched mantle source declines with distance from Lena Trough along Gakkel Ridge.

To v∞ and beyond! The He I absorption variability across the 2014.6 periastron passage of η Carinae

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Richardson, Noel D.; Madura, Thomas I.; St-Jean, Lucas; Moffat, Anthony F. J.; Gull, Theodore R.; Russell, Christopher M. P.; Damineli, Augusto; Teodoro, Mairan; Corcoran, Michael F.; Walter, Frederick M.; Clementel, Nicola; Groh, José H.; Hamaguchi, Kenji; Hillier, D. John

2016-09-01

We have monitored the massive binary star η Carinae with the CTIO/Small and Moderate Aperture Research Telescope System 1.5 m telescope and CHIRON spectrograph from the previous apastron passage of the system through the recent 2014.6 periastron passage. Our monitoring has resulted in a large, homogeneous data set with an unprecedented time-sampling, spectral resolving power, and signal to noise. This allowed us to investigate temporal variability previously unexplored in the system and discover a kinematic structure in the P Cygni absorption troughs of neutral helium wind lines. The features observed occurred prior to the periastron passage and are seen as we look through the trailing arm of the wind-wind collision shock cone. We show that the bulk of the variability is repeatable across the last five periastron passages, and that the absorption occurs in the inner 230 au of the system. In addition, we found an additional, high-velocity absorption component superimposed on the P Cygni absorption troughs that has been previously unobserved in these lines, but which bears resemblance to the observations of the He I λ10830 Å feature across previous cycles. Through a comparison of the current smoothed particle hydrodynamical simulations, we show that the observed variations are likely caused by instabilities in the wind-wind collision region in our line of sight, coupled with stochastic variability related to clumping in the winds.

Exploring geothermal structures in the Ilan Plain, Taiwan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Chien-Ying; Shih, Ruey-Chan; Chung, Chen-Tung; Huang, Ming-Zi; Kuo, Hsuan-Yu

2017-04-01

The Ilan Plain in northeast Taiwan is located at the southwestern tip of the Okinawa Trough, which extends westward into the Taiwan orogeny. The Ilan Plain covered by thick sediments is clipped by the Hsuehshan Range in the northern side and the Central Range in the southern side. High geothermal gradients with plenteous hot springs of this area may result from igneous intrusion associated with the back-arc spreading of the Okinawa Trough. In this study, we use reflection seismic survey to explore underground structures in the whole Ilan Plain, especially in SanShin, Wujie, and Lize area. We aim to find the relationship between underground structures and geothermal forming mechanism. The research uses reflection seismic survey to investigate the high geothermal gradient area with two mini-vibrators and 240-channel system. The total length of seismic lines is more than 30 kilometers. The results show that alluvial sediments covering the area about 400 600 meters thick and then thin out to the west in SanShin area. In SanShin , the Taiyaqiao anticline in Hsuehshan Range has entered the plain area and is bounded by the Zhuoshui fault (south) and the Zailian fault (north). In Wujie and Lize , Zhuoshui fault cut through a strong reflector which is the top of the gravel layer near the bottom of the alluvial layer, while the SanShin fault seems to cut near very shallow strata. These two faults are a strike-slip fault with a bit of normal fault component distributing over a range of 600 meters. In Ilan Plain, the geothermal forming mechanism is controlled by anticlines and faults. The hydrothermal solution which migrates upward along these anticline or fault zones to the shallow part causing high geothermal gradients in these areas.

Start-up performance of parabolic trough concentrating solar power plants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferruzza, Davide; Topel, Monika; Basaran, Ibrahim; Laumert, Björn; Haglind, Fredrik

2017-06-01

Concentrating solar power plants, even though they can be integrated with thermal energy storage, are still subjected to cyclic start-up and shut-downs. As a consequence, in order to maximize their profitability and performance, the flexibility with respect to transient operations is essential. In this regard, two of the key components identified are the steam generation system and steam turbine. In general it is desirable to have fast ramp-up rates during the start-up of a power plant. However ramp-up rates are limited by, among other things, thermal stresses, which if high enough can compromise the life of the components. Moreover, from an operability perspective it might not be optimal to have designs for the highest heating rates, as there may be other components limiting the power plant start-up. Therefore, it is important to look at the interaction between the steam turbine and steam generator to determine the optimal ramp rates. This paper presents a methodology to account for thermal stresses limitations during the power plant start up, aiming at identifying which components limit the ramp rates. A detailed dynamic model of a parabolic trough power plant was developed and integrated with a control strategy to account for the start-up limitations of both the turbine and steam generator. The models have been introduced in an existing techno-economic tool developed by the authors (DYESOPT). The results indicated that for each application, an optimal heating rates range can be identified. For the specific case presented in the paper, an optimal range of 7-10 K/min of evaporator heating rate can result in a 1.7-2.1% increase in electricity production compared to a slower component (4 K/min).

Freeform solar concentrator with a highly asymmetric acceptance cone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wheelwright, Brian; Angel, J. Roger P.; Coughenour, Blake; Hammer, Kimberly

2014-10-01

A solar concentrator with a highly asymmetric acceptance cone is investigated. Concentrating photovoltaic systems require dual-axis sun tracking to maintain nominal concentration throughout the day. In addition to collecting direct rays from the solar disk, which subtends ~0.53 degrees, concentrating optics must allow for in-field tracking errors due to mechanical misalignment of the module, wind loading, and control loop biases. The angular range over which the concentrator maintains <90% of on-axis throughput is defined as the optical acceptance angle. Concentrators with substantial rotational symmetry likewise exhibit rotationally symmetric acceptance angles. In the field, this is sometimes a poor match with azimuth-elevation trackers, which have inherently asymmetric tracking performance. Pedestal-mounted trackers with low torsional stiffness about the vertical axis have better elevation tracking than azimuthal tracking. Conversely, trackers which rotate on large-footprint circular tracks are often limited by elevation tracking performance. We show that a line-focus concentrator, composed of a parabolic trough primary reflector and freeform refractive secondary, can be tailored to have a highly asymmetric acceptance angle. The design is suitable for a tracker with excellent tracking accuracy in the elevation direction, and poor accuracy in the azimuthal direction. In the 1000X design given, when trough optical errors (2mrad rms slope deviation) are accounted for, the azimuthal acceptance angle is +/- 1.65°, while the elevation acceptance angle is only +/-0.29°. This acceptance angle does not include the angular width of the sun, which consumes nearly all of the elevation tolerance at this concentration level. By decreasing the average concentration, the elevation acceptance angle can be increased. This is well-suited for a pedestal alt-azimuth tracker with a low cost slew bearing (without anti-backlash features).

Are the dimensions of submarine lobe systems independent of allogenic factors?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prélat, A.; Covault, J. A.; Hodgson, D. M.; Fildani, A.; Flint, S. S.

2010-05-01

Submarine lobe dimensions from six different systems are compared: 1) the exhumed Permian Fan 3 lobe complex of the Tanqua Karoo, South Africa; 2) the modern Amazon fan channel-mouth lobe complex, offshore Brazil; 3) a portion of the modern distal Zaïre fan, offshore Angola / Congo; 4) a Pleistocene fan of the Kutai Basin, subsurface offshore Indonesia; 5) the modern Golo system, offshore east Corsica, France; and 6) a lobe complex deposited in the shallow subsurface, offshore Nigeria. These six systems have significantly different source-to-sink configurations (shelf dimension and slope topography), sediment supply characteristics (calibre and rate), tectonic settings, (palaeo) latitude, and delivery systems. Despite these differences, the lobe deposits share similar geometric and dimensional characteristics. Lobes are grouped into two distinct populations of geometries that can be related to basin-floor topography. The first population corresponds to areally extensive but thin lobes (average width 14 km × length 35 km × thickness 12 m) that were deposited onto low relief basin floor areas, like the Tanqua Karoo, the Amazon and the Zaïre systems. The second population corresponds to areally smaller but thicker lobes (average width 5 km × length 8 km × thickness 30 m) that were deposited into settings with higher amplitude of relief, like in the Corsican trough, the Kutai basin, and offshore Nigeria. Basin floor topography confining the lobes can be very subtle, and only occur on one side of the system. The two populations of lobe types, however, share similar volumes, in the order of 1 or 2 km3. The largest lobes are observed in the Zaïre fan, where the average lobe volume reaches 3.3 km3 and the smallest lobes are observed in the Corsican trough where the average lobe volume is 0.4 km3. This variation in lobe volume is minor when compared to the variation observed in present-day up-dip drainage systems, which provide sediment to the deep-water depositional systems and their lobes. This suggests that there is a limit to the total volume of sediment that individual lobes can reach before they shift to a new locus of deposition. In otherwords, big systems do not build big lobes, rather more lobes per unit time. Indeed, in the Amazon and the Zaïre systems, lobe life span is estimated to be 600 and 1450 years, respectively, whereas in the Corsican Golo system, lobe life span is ~ 10 times longer, around 10 to 14 × 103 years. A fundamental control on lobe volume is the propensity for flows to find the lowest topography. We postulate that a fundamental control on all distributive systems is the ratio of lobe thickness to feeder channel depth. The surface gradient from the feeder channel base and lobe top will tend to reduce through time as a lobe builds. This is not sustainable, and when a steeper lateral gradient is present a new depositional low will be used for flows to fill.

Sediment-pore water interactions controlling cementation in the NanTroSEIZE drilling transects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hong, W.; Spinelli, G. A.; Torres, M. E.

2012-12-01

One goal of the Nankai Trough Seismogenic Zone Experiment (NanTroSEIZE) is to understand how changes in subducting sediment control the transition from aseismic to seismogenic behavior in subduction zones. In the sediment entering the Nankai subduction zone, dramatic changes in physical and chemical properties occur across a diagenetic boundary; they are thought to affect sediment strength and deformation. The dissolution of disseminated volcanic ash and precipitation of silica cement may be responsible for these changes in physical properties, but the mechanism controlling cementation was unclear (Spinelli et al., 2007). In this study, we used CrunchFlow (Steefel, 2009) to simulate chemical reactions and fluid flow through 1-D sediment columns at Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) sites on the incoming plate in Nankai Trough. The simulations include the thermodynamics and kinetics of sediment-water interactions, advection of pore water and sediment due to compaction, and multi-component diffusion in an accumulating sediment column. Key reactions in the simulations are: ash dissolution, amorphous silica precipitation and dissolution, and zeolite precipitation. The rate of ash decomposition was constrained using Sr isotope data of Joseph et al. (2012). Our model reproduces the distinct diagenetic boundary observed in sediment and pore water chemistry, which defines two zones. Above this boundary (zone 1), dissolved and amorphous silicate contents are high and the potassium concentration remains near seawater values or gradually decreases toward the boundary. Below the boundary, both dissolved and amorphous silicate content drop rapidly, concomitant with a decrease in dissolved potassium. Our model shows that these changes in the system are driven by formation of clinoptilolite in response to changes in pore fluid pH. The low pH values (<7.6) above the diagenetic boundary accelerate ash decomposition and maintain clinoptilolite slightly undersaturated. The dissolved silicate released from ash alteration precipitates as cement, inhibiting consolidation. At or below the boundary, the increase in pH (>8.0), leads to oversaturation (and precipitation) of clinoptilolite. Strong demand of dissolved silicate due to clinoptilolite formation soon depletes the dissolved potassium and silicate; ash and silicate cement are forced to dissolve. The exact set of reactions resulting on the observed pH increase is still unclear, but it likely involves the carbon system. It is noteworthy that the diagenetic boundary at all sites in the incoming plate occurs at the same thermal maturity of the sediments (TTI=0.025), similar to observations on onshore sequences in Japan (Sasaki, 1986).

The Relationship Between Anomalous Presummer Extreme Rainfall Over South China and Synoptic Disturbances

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Ling; Luo, Yali; Zhang, Da-Lin

2018-04-01

A spectral analysis of daily rainfall data has been performed to investigate extreme rainfall events in south China during the presummer rainy seasons between 1998 and 2015 (excluding 1999, 2006, 2011, and 2014). The results reveal a dominant frequency mode at the synoptic scale with pronounced positive rainfall anomalies. By analyzing the synoptic-scale bandpass-filtered anomalous circulations, 24 extreme rainfall episodes (defined as those with a daily rainfall amount in the top 5%) are categorized into "cyclone" (15) and "trough" (8) types, with the remaining events as an "anticyclone" type, according to the primary anomalous weather system contributing to each extreme rainfall episode. The 15 cyclone-type episodes are further separated into (11) lower- and (4) upper-tropospheric migratory anomalies. An analysis of their anomalous fields shows that both types could be traced back to the generation of cyclonic anomalies downstream of the Tibetan Plateau, except for two episodes of lower-tropospheric migratory anomalies originating over the South China Sea. However, a lower-tropospheric cyclonic anomaly appears during all phases in the former type, but only in the wettest phase in the latter type, with its peak disturbance occurring immediately beneath an upper-level warm anomaly. The production of extreme rainfall in the trough-type episodes is closely related to a deep trough anomaly extending from an intense cyclonic anomaly over north China, which in turn could be traced back to a midlatitude Rossby wave train passing by the Tibetan Plateau. The results have important implications for understanding the origin, structure, and evolution of synoptic disturbances associated with the presummer extreme rainfall in south China.

Salton Trough regional deformation estimated from combined trilateration and survey-mode GPS data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Anderson, G.; Agnew, D.C.; Johnson, H.O.

2003-01-01

The Salton Trough in southeastern California, United States, has one of the highest seismicity and deformation rates in southern California, including 20 earthquakes M 6 or larger since 1892. From 1972 through 1987, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) measured a 41-station trilateration network in this region. We remeasured 37 of the USGS baselines using survey-mode Global Positioning System methods from 1995 through 1999. We estimate the Salton Trough deformation field over a nearly 30-year period through combined analysis of baseline length time series from these two datasets. Our primary result is that strain accumulation has been steady over our observation span, at a resolution of about 0.05 ??strain/yr at 95% confidence, with no evidence for significant long-term strain transients despite the occurrence of seven large regional earthquakes during our observation period. Similar to earlier studies, we find that the regional strain field is consistent with 0.5 ?? 0.03 ??strain/yr total engineering shear strain along an axis oriented 311.6?? ?? 23?? east of north, approximately parallel to the strike of the major regional faults, the San Andreas and San Jacinto (all uncertainties in the text and tables are standard deviations unless otherwise noted). We also find that (1) the shear strain rate near the San Jacinto fault is at least as high as it is near the San Andreas fault, (2) the areal dilatation near the southeastern Salton Sea is significant, and (3) one station near the southeastern Salton Sea moved anomalously during the period 1987.95-1995.11.

Revisiting Parabolic Trough Concentrators for Industrial Process Heat in the United States

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

Turchi, Craig S.; Kurup, Parthiv; Zhu, Guangdong

After significant interest in the 1970s, but relatively few deployments, the use of concentrating solar collectors for thermal applications, including enhanced oil recovery, desalination, and industrial process heat (IPH), is again increasing in global interest. In particular, recent advances in collector design and manufacturing have led to reduced cost per square meter of aperture area. In this study, analysis of a modern parabolic trough that is suited for use in small solar IPH (SIPH) applications predicts that the installed solar field cost can be as low as $170/m2. A slightly higher cost of $200/m2 is estimated for facilities typical ofmore » a SIPH plant size. Full project costs will include additional costs for contingency, piping and heat exchanger interface, and project indirect costs. The cost for solar-generated heat by SIPH is quantified by defining the levelized cost of heat (LCOH). California offers a favorable environment for SIPH given its good insolation, gas prices typically higher than the national average, and policies promoting solar-thermal deployment. Given historically low gas prices, competing with natural gas remains the primary challenge to deployment. However, this study finds that the solar LCOH for many regions in California is lower than the LCOH from natural gas, using a representative installed solar hardware price and the average price for industrial natural gas in California. Lastly, modification are in progress to the parabolic trough model within NREL's System Advisor Model (SAM) to allow users to more easily predict performance for these steam-generation applications.« less

Glycopyrronium once-daily significantly improves lung function and health status when combined with salmeterol/fluticasone in patients with COPD: the GLISTEN study—a randomised controlled trial

PubMed Central

Frith, Peter A; Thompson, Philip J; Ratnavadivel, Rajeev; Chang, Catherina L; Bremner, Peter; Day, Peter; Frenzel, Christina; Kurstjens, Nicol

2015-01-01

Background The optimal use of various therapeutic combinations for moderate/severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is unclear. The GLISTEN trial compared the efficacy of two long-acting anti-muscarinic antagonists (LAMA), when combined with an inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) and a long-acting β2 agonist (LABA). Methods This randomised, blinded, placebo-controlled trial in moderate/severe COPD patients compared once-daily glycopyrronium (GLY) 50 µg, once-daily tiotropium (TIO) 18 µg or placebo (PLA), when combined with salmeterol/fluticasone propionate (SAL/FP) 50/500 µg twice daily. The primary objective was to determine the non-inferiority of GLY+SAL/FP versus TIO+SAL/FP on trough FEV1 after 12 weeks. An important secondary objective was whether addition of GLY to SAL/FP was better than SAL/FP alone. Results 773 patients (mean FEV1 57.2% predicted) were randomised; 84.9% completed the trial. At week 12, GLY+SAL/FP demonstrated non-inferiority to TIO+SAL/FP for trough FEV1: least square mean treatment difference (LSMdiff) −7 mL (SE 17.4) with a lower limit for non-inferiority of −60 mL. There was significant increase in week 12 trough FEV1 with GLY+SAL/FP versus PLA+SAL/FP (LSMdiff 101 mL, p<0.001). At 12 weeks, GLY+SAL/FP produced significant improvement in St George's Respiratory Questionnaire total score versus PLA+SAL/FP (LSMdiff −2.154, p=0.02). GLY+SAL/FP demonstrated significant rescue medication reduction versus PLA+SAL/FP (LSMdiff −0.72 puffs/day, p<0.001). Serious adverse events were similar for GLY+SAL/FP, TIO+SAL/FP and PLA+SAL/FP with an incidence of 5.8%, 8.5% and 5.8%, respectively. Conclusions GLY+SAL/FP showed comparable improvements in lung function, health status and rescue medication to TIO+SAL/FP. Importantly, addition of GLY to SAL/FP demonstrated significant improvements in lung function, health status and rescue medication compared to SAL/FP. Trial registration number NCT01513460. PMID:25841237

Correlations between FEV1 and patient-reported outcomes: A pooled analysis of 23 clinical trials in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

PubMed

Donohue, James F; Jones, Paul W; Bartels, Christian; Marvel, Jessica; D'Andrea, Peter; Banerji, Donald; Morris, David G; Patalano, Francesco; Fogel, Robert

2018-04-01

In clinical trials of inhaled bronchodilators, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) guidelines recommend that patient-reported outcomes (PROs) are assessed alongside lung function. How these endpoints are related is unclear. Pooled longitudinal data from 23 randomised controlled COPD studies were analyzed (N = 23,213). Treatments included long-acting β 2 agonists, long-acting muscarinic antagonists (LABAs or LAMAs) and the LABA/LAMA combination QVA149. Outcome measures were Transition Dyspnoea Index (TDI) and St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) scores, COPD exacerbation frequency and rescue medication use. Relationships between changes in trough forced expiratory volume in one second (ΔFEV 1 ) and outcomes following treatment were assessed using correlations of data summaries and model-based analysis: generalized linear mixed-effect regression modelling to determine if ΔFEV 1 could predict patient outcomes with different treatments. Mean age was 64 years, 73% were male, and most had moderate (45%) or severe (52%) disease. Statistically significant correlations were observed between ΔFEV 1 and each outcome measure (exacerbations Rs = 0.05; rescue medication, SGRQ, TDI, r = 0.11-0.16; all p < .001). Patients with greater improvements in trough FEV 1 had on average better SGRQ and TDI scores, fewer exacerbations, and used less rescue medication. For SGRQ and TDI scores, minimal clinically important differences were observed over the range of pooled ΔFEV 1 values. Model-based predictions confirmed the treatment effect was partly explained by changes in FEV 1 from baseline with improvements in PROs observed across all treatments when trough FEV 1 improved. Across all endpoints active treatments were better than placebo (p < .0001), and LABA/LAMA treatment resulted in numerically better treatment outcomes than either monocomponent. These data suggest that FEV 1 improvements post-bronchodilation correlate with PRO improvements. Further improvements in patient outcomes may be expected by maximizing lung function improvements. Registration details for the 23 randomised controlled studies used in this pooled analysis are supplied in Additional File 4. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.