Observaciones del CH interestelar y el continuo en 3,3 GHz

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Olano, C. A.; Combi, J. A.; Pöppel, W.; Benaglia, P.; Sanz, A. J.; Bava, J. A.

Se informa sobre el proyecto que se lleva a cabo en el IAR con el propósito de observar las líneas hiperfinas del estado fundamental del CH y el continuo en la banda de 3,3 GHz. El nuevo receptor construído en nuestro laboratorio para tal fin se instaló sobre uno de los radiotelescopios, funcionando conjuntamente con los sistemas de procesamiento actuales del IAR. Los resultados de las primeras observaciones, realizadas tanto en las líneas espectrales como en el continuo sobre fuentes conocidas, fueron satisfactorios.

The future is 'ambient'

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lugmayr, Artur

2006-02-01

The research field of ambient media starts to spread rapidly and first applications for consumer homes are on the way. Ambient media is the logical continuation of research around media. Media has been evolving from old media (e.g. print media), to integrated presentation in one form (multimedia - or new media), to generating a synthetic world (virtual reality), to the natural environment is the user-interface (ambient media), and will be evolving towards real/synthetic undistinguishable media (bio-media or bio-multimedia). After the IT bubble was bursting, multimedia was lacking a vision of potential future scenarios and applications. Within this research paper the potentials, applications, and market available solutions of mobile ambient multimedia are studied. The different features of ambient mobile multimedia are manifold and include wearable computers, adaptive software, context awareness, ubiquitous computers, middleware, and wireless networks. The paper especially focuses on algorithms and methods that can be utilized to realize modern mobile ambient systems.

ATMOSPHERIC VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUND MEASUREMENTS DURING THE 1996 PASO DEL NORTE OZONE STUDY

EPA Science Inventory

Ambient air VOC samples were collected at surface air quality monitoring sites, near sources of interest, and aloft on the US (El Paso) and Mexican (Ciudad Juarez) side of the border during a six-week period of the 1996 Paso del Norte Ozone Study. Samples were collected at five...

Ambient Dried Aerogels

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, Steven M.; Paik, Jong-Ah

2013-01-01

A method has been developed for creating aerogel using normal pressure and ambient temperatures. All spacecraft, satellites, and landers require the use of thermal insulation due to the extreme environments encountered in space and on extraterrestrial bodies. Ambient dried aerogels introduce the possibility of using aerogel as thermal insulation in a wide variety of instances where supercritically dried aerogels cannot be used. More specifically, thermoelectric devices can use ambient dried aerogel, where the advantages are in situ production using the cast-in ability of an aerogel. Previously, aerogels required supercritical conditions (high temperature and high pressure) to be dried. Ambient dried aerogels can be dried at room temperature and pressure. This allows many materials, such as plastics and certain metal alloys that cannot survive supercritical conditions, to be directly immersed in liquid aerogel precursor and then encapsulated in the final, dried aerogel. Additionally, the metalized Mylar films that could not survive the previous methods of making aerogels can survive the ambient drying technique, thus making multilayer insulation (MLI) materials possible. This results in lighter insulation material as well. Because this innovation does not require high-temperature or high-pressure drying, ambient dried aerogels are much less expensive to produce. The equipment needed to conduct supercritical drying costs many tens of thousands of dollars, and has associated running expenses for power, pressurized gasses, and maintenance. The ambient drying process also expands the size of the pieces of aerogel that can be made because a high-temperature, high-pressure system typically has internal dimensions of up to 30 cm in diameter and 60 cm in height. In the case of this innovation, the only limitation on the size of the aerogels produced would be in the ability of the solvent in the wet gel to escape from the gel network.

Desgarros del epitelio pigmentario de la retina: factores de riesgo, mecanismo y control terapéutico.

PubMed

Clemens, Christoph R; Eter, Nicole

2017-07-11

Los desgarros del epitelio pigmentario de la retina (EPR) se asocian en la mayoría de los casos con los desprendimientos vascularizados del EPR debido a una degeneración macular asociada a la edad (DMAE), y normalmente implican una pérdida adversa de la agudeza visual. Estudios recientes indican que ha habido un aumento en la incidencia de desgarros del EPR desde la introducción de fármacos anti-factor de crecimiento del endotelio vascular (anti-VEGF) así como una asociación temporal entre el desgarro y la inyección intravítrea. Dado que el número de pacientes con DMAE y el número de inyecciones anti-VEGF va en aumento, tanto la dificultad de prevenir desgarros del EPR como el tratamiento tras la formación de los desgarros han adquirido una mayor relevancia. De forma paralela, la evolución de la imagenología de la retina ha contribuido de manera significativa a comprender mejor el desarrollo de los desgarros del EPR en los últimos años. Esta revisión resume los conocimientos que se poseen actualmente sobre el desarrollo, los factores pronósticos y las estrategias terapéuticas de los desgarros del EPR antes y después de que estos se formen. © 2017 S. Karger AG, Basel.

El uso de la neuromodulación para el tratamiento del temblor

PubMed Central

Bendersky, Damián; Ajler, Pablo; Yampolsky, Claudio

2014-01-01

Introducción: El temblor puede ser un desorden incapacitante y el tratamiento de primera línea para estos pacientes es farmacológico. Sin embargo, este tratamiento puede llevar a una reducción satisfactoria del temblor en sólo el 50% de los pacientes con temblor esencial. La talamotomía era el tratamiento de elección para el temblor refractario al tratamiento médico hasta que comenzó a utilizarse la estimulación cerebral profunda (ECP) del núcleo ventral intermedio (Vim) del tálamo. En la actualidad, raramente se realiza la talamotomía. Métodos: Este artículo es una revisión no sistemática de las indicaciones, resultados, parámetros de programación y técnica quirúrgica de la ECP del Vim para el tratamiento del temblor. Resultados: Aunque los resultados clínicos son similares usando la talamotomía o la ECP del Vim, la primera causa más efectos adversos que la última. Además, la ECP puede ser usada bilateralmente, mientras que la talamotomía tiene un alto riesgo de causar disartria cuando se realiza de ambos lados. La ECP del Vim logró una adecuada mejoría del temblor en varias series de pacientes con temblor causado por temblor esencial, enfermedad de Parkinson o esclerosis múltiple. Además del Vim, hay otros blancos que están siendo usados por varios autores, tales como la zona incerta y las radiaciones prelemniscales. Conclusión: La ECP del Vim es un tratamiento útil para el temblor incapacitante refractario al tratamiento médico. Es esencial realizar una precisa selección de pacientes, así como utilizar una técnica quirúrgica correcta. Aún se desconoce el mejor blanco estereotáctico para el temblor, aunque el Vim es el más usado. PMID:25165613

Ambient Tropospheric Particles

EPA Science Inventory

Atmospheric particulate matter (PM) is a complex mixture of solid and liquid particles suspended in ambient air (also known as the atmospheric aerosol). Ambient PM arises from a wide-range of sources and/or processes, and consists of particles of different shapes, sizes, and com...

Estrategia innovadora enfocada en parejas del mismo sexo para disminuir la infección del VIH en hombres Latinos

PubMed Central

Martinez, Omar; Wu, Elwin; Sandfort, Theo; Shultz, Andrew Z.; Capote, Jonathan; Chávez, Silvia; Moya, Eva; Dodge, Brian; Morales, Gabriel; Porras, Antonio; Ovejero, Hugo

2014-01-01

Resumen El VIH es un problema de salud importante dentro de la comunidad latina de los Estados Unidos. Gracias a los esfuerzos de prevención, los niveles de contagio entre los latinos se han mantenido estables por más de una década. Sin embargo, esta población sigue siendo afectada a niveles muy altos, en particular entre hombres que tienen sexo con hombres (HSH), de origen latino y que hablan principalmente el idioma español. Existen varios factores que contribuyen a la transmisión del VIH entre esta población, como son: el uso de drogas; la violencia dentro de la pareja; la presencia de infecciones de transmisión sexual; relaciones sexuales sin protección, dentro y fuera de la pareja; el evadir la búsqueda de recursos (prueba y tratamiento adecuado) por temor a ser discriminado o por su estatus migratorio; la escasez de recursos económicos o estado de pobreza y los patrones relacionados a la migración. En particular, Investigaciones Epidemiológicas de Comportamientos han determinado: cómo algunas dinámicas en parejas están directamente asociadas a los comportamientos sexuales de riesgos. En consecuencia, es necesaria mayor investigación para identificar esas dinámicas, y a su vez, realizar intervenciones dirigidas a la reducción de conductas de riesgo enfocadas en parejas de hombres del mismo sexo. En este escrito, se describe la importancia del uso de las relaciones de pareja como estrategia en la reducción de la trasmisión del VIH/SIDA en HSH de origen latino y que hablan principalmente el idioma español en los Estados Unidos. PMID:25580466

Moléculas orgánicas obtenidas en simulaciones experimentales del medio interestelar.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muñoz-Caro, Guillermo Manuel

Las nubes moleculares son regiones de formación de estrellas, con temperaturas cinéticas entre 10-50 K y densidades de 103-106 átomos cm-3. Su materia está formada por gas y polvo interestelar. Estas partículas de polvo están cubiertas por una fina capa de hielo, de unos 0.01 μm, que contiene H2O y a menudo CO, CO2, CH3OH y NH3. El hielo es presumiblemente irradiado por fotones ultravioleta y rayos cósmicos en las zonas poco profundas de las nubes moleculares y las regiones circunestelares. En un sistema de vacío, P ˜ 10-7 mbar, simulamos la deposición de hielo a partir de 10 K y la irradiación ultravioleta por medio de una lámpara de descarga de hidrógeno activada con microondas. La evolución del hielo se observa por medio de un espectrómetro infrarrojo. De este modo es posible determinar la composición del hielo observado en el medio interestelar y predecir la presencia de moléculas aún no detectadas en el espacio, que han sido producto del procesamiento del hielo en nuestros experimentos. También es posible calentar el sistema hasta temperatura ambiente para sublimar el hielo depositado. Cuando el hielo ha sido previamente irradiado, se observa un residuo compuesto por moléculas orgánicas complejas, algunas prebióticas, como varios ácidos carboxílicos, aminas, amidas, ésteres y en menor proporción moléculas heterocíclicas y aminoácidos. Algunas de estas moléculas podrían detectarse en estado gaseoso por medio de observaciones milimétricas y de radio. También podrían estar presentes en el polvo cometario, cuyo análisis químico está planeado por las misiones Stardust y Rosetta. Mientras tanto, nuestro grupo está llevando a cabo el análisis de partículas de polvo interplanetario (IDPs), algunas de las cuales pueden ser de origen cometario. Al igual que ocurre con los productos obtenidos por irradiación del hielo en nuestros experimentos, algunas IDPs son ricas en material orgánico que contiene oxígeno.

Determinacion del error sistematico del momentum de muones producidos por interacciones neutrino-nucleon en el detector MINER$$\

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

Diaz Bautista, Gonzalo A.

El Modelo Estandar describe todas las partculas observadas en el naturaleza hasta el momento as como las caractersticas que gobiernan a las interacciones fundamentales entre ellas. En especial es posible identicar a las interacciones electromagnetica y debil, las cuales bajo determinadas condiciones de temperatura y energa pueden ser descritas a traves de una sola teora que engloba a ambas. A esta teora se le denomina electrodebil y tiene como nalidad caracterizar las propiedades de la interaccion maniesta a partir de la mezcla de las interacciones electromagnetica y debil, la que tambien lleva como nombre interaccion electrodebil. Particularmente, los neutrinos sonmore » de especial interes ya que, por un lado, interactuan por medio de la interaccion debil muy raramente en comparacion con otras partculas y, por el otro, no son acertadamente descritos por el Modelo Estandar. Por medio de observaciones experimentales que demostraban que los neutrinos cambian de sabor al propagarse, fenomeno llamado oscilaciones de neutrinos, se pudo llegar a la conclusion de que la implicancia de este fenomeno da como consecuencia que los neutrinos efectivamente s tienen masa, algo que entra en contradiccion con la descripcion inicial del Modelo Estandar, el cual los describe como partculas sin masa. Es de esta manera que las oscilaciones de neutrinos han sido y siguen siendo en la actualidad objeto de interes en la Fsica de Altas Energas tanto teorica como experimental. A n de poder realizar mediciones precisas de oscilaciones de neutrinos, los experimentos encargados de estas mediciones deben tratar de reducir sus incertidumbres en lo posible. Una de estas proviene de la caracterizacion de las secciones de choque de los neutrinos cuando interactuan con la materia, particularmente los nucleones al interior de los nucleos atomicos. El experimento MINERA esta orientado, entre otras cosas, a hacer una correcta caracterizacion de secciones de choque neutrino-nucleon por medio del

Como Lo Hago Yo: Mielomeningocele En Bolivia

PubMed Central

Dabdoub, Carlos F.; Dabdoub, Carlos B.; Villavicencio, Ramiro; Quevedo, Germán

2014-01-01

Introducción: Las malformaciones del tubo neural (MTN) representan la segunda causa más frecuente de anomalías congénitas, luego de las cardiopatías. En este grupo se destaca el mielomeningocele (MMC) por su mayor incidencia, y por ser la más incapacitante y la más compleja entre todas las demás malformaciones del sistema nervioso c`entral (SNC). En Bolivia, como en muchos países de Sudamérica, los bajos niveles socio-culturales y la debilidad en el sistema sanitario, hacen que su incidencia y su morbilidad, sean mayores que en las naciones más desarrolladas. Material y Métodos: Se realizó un estudio retrospectivo y descriptivo de 70 casos de MMC, atendidos por un equipo multidisciplinario en el Hospital Universitario Japonés (HUJ) de Santa Cruz de la Sierra, entre 2008-2011. De ellos, 60 fueron intervenidos quirúrgicamente. Resultados: Se realizaron controles prenatales sólo en 27 mujeres (38.6%), diagnosticándose una disrafia espinal en apenas dos casos (7.4%). La edad de ingreso del MMC en su mayoría fue después de las 24 horas (65.6%), predominando su localización en la región lumbosacra (64.3%). De ellos, 67.2% eran abiertos, presentando un 32.9% un daño neurológico motor parcial mientras que 47.1% tenían paraplejia por debajo de la lesión. De los 70 casos, tres (4.3%) no fueron intervenidos, por presentar defectos congénitos severos o estado general grave. Las principales complicaciones posoperatorias inmediatas fueron: dehiscencia de sutura y/o infección de la herida (16.6%), fístula de líquido cefalorraquídeo (LCR) (10%) e infección del SNC (11.7%). La mortalidad general y postoperatoria fue de 7.1% y 3.3%, respectivamente. Al mes de vida presentaban hidrocefalia un 80% de los pacientes operados, colocándose una derivación ventriculoperitoneal (DVP) de presión media. De 9 pacientes que tuvieron un acompanamiento de dos o más años, seis presentaron una médula anclada, que fueron intervenidas quirúrgicamente. Conclusi

Estudio del CH interestelar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Olano, C.; Lemarchand, G.; Sanz, A. J.; Bava, J. A.

El objetivo principal de este proyecto consiste en el estudio de la distribución y abundancia del CH en nubes interestelares a través de la observación de las líneas hiperfinas del CH en 3,3 GHz. El CH es una molécula de amplia distribución en el espacio interestelar y una de las pocas especies que han sido observadas tanto con técnicas de radio como ópticas. Desde el punto de vista tecnológico se ha desarrollado un cabezal de receptor que permitirá la realización de observaciones polarimétricas en la frecuencia de 3,3 GHz, con una temperatura del sistema de 60 K y un ancho de banda de 140 MHz, y que será instalado en el foco primario de la antena parabólica del IAR. El cabezal del receptor es capaz de detectar señales polarizadas, separando las componentes de polarización circular derecha e izquierda. Para tal fin el cabezal consta de dos ramas receptoras que amplificarán la señal y la trasladarán a una frecuencia más baja (frecuencia intermedia), permitiendo de esa forma un mejor transporte de la señal a la sala de control para su posterior procesamiento. El receptor además de tener características polarimétricas, podrá ser usado en el continuo y en la línea, utilizando las ventajas observacionales y de procesamiento de señal que actualmente posee el IAR.

Estudio fenomenologico del conocimiento curricular y conocimiento de contenido en maestros de matematica a nivel secundario

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cardona Tomassini, Ivan Javier

En esta investigacion se estudio el fenomeno del conocimiento de contenido y el conocimiento curricular de maestros de matermaticas y como estos dos componentes se reflejan en su conocimiento pedagogico del contenido. El conocimiento de contenido es el conocimiento que tienen los maestros de los contenidos de una disciplina y sobre la estructura de su organizacion (Shulman, 1986). El conocimiento curricular es el conocimiento que los maestros poseen sobre los componentes de un curriculo disenado para ensenar un topico de una materia especifica a un nivel particular, la variedad de instrumentos instruccionales disponibles para implementar el mismo y como utilizar los instrumentos curriculares disponibles (Ball & Bass, 2003; Choppin, 2009; Hill, Rowan, & Ball, 2005). Este estudio se enmarca en el paradigma cualitativo, teniendo como diseno el estudio fenomenologico (Lucca y Berrios, 2009; McMillan, 2004). Los participantes fueron seis maestros de matermaticas del nivel superior (10mo a 12mo grado). Al momento de la investigacion los participantes ensenaban en escuelas publicas o privadas de Puerto Rico. Para recolectar la informacion se utilizo un grupo focal en donde los maestros resolvieron seis ejercicios matematicos y posteriormente reflexionaron en forma grupal sobre las soluciones. Tambien se realizo un analisis de documentos de planificacion y se llevaron a cabo entrevistas semiestructuradas. Se exploraron los contenidos relacionados a la ecuacion de una recta, rectas verticales y horizontales, suma y multiplicacion de polinomios, resolucion de ecuaciones cuadraticas y distancia entre dos puntos del plano cartesiano. Los resultados muestran que los participantes tienen dominio procesal de los contenidos correspondientes a las rectas verticales y horizontales, la suma y multiplicacion de polinomios, el calculo distancia entre dos puntos del plano cartesiano. Sin embargo, se noto cierta dificultad en la explicacion conceptual de los contenidos relacionados a la

Efecto del Programa de Entrenamiento “Manejo del Dolor” en la Documentación de Enfermería en el Expediente Electrónico

PubMed Central

Monsiváis, María Guadalupe Moreno; Guzmán, Ma. Guadalupe Interial; Flores, Paz Francisco Sauceda; Arreola, Leticia Vázquez

2012-01-01

Resumen En el presente trabajo se muestra la importancia de entrenar al personal de enfermería para mejorar la documentación en el expediente electrónico. Se eligió el manejo del dolor por ser un área prioritaria; una alta proporción de pacientes en período post operatorio cursa con dolor, por lo tanto, la documentación debe ser útil para la toma de decisiones clínicas. Se implementó un programa de entrenamiento denominado “Manejo del Dolor” dirigido al personal de enfermería. Se utilizó la tecnología de la información como herramienta para fortalecer el conocimiento con base en la revisión sistemática de la literatura; el personal de enfermería participante seleccionó la mejor evidencia; posteriormente se trabajó en la transferencia de este conocimiento a la práctica a través del diseño de un protocolo para el manejo del dolor. Se concluye que el conocimiento del manejo del dolor es fundamental para que enfermería documente con mayor precisión sus intervenciones. PMID:24199106

Open Ambient Intelligence Environments.

PubMed

Burzagli, Laura; Emiliani, Pier Luigi

2015-01-01

The present impact of ambient intelligence concepts in eInclusion is first briefly reviewed. Suggestions and examples of how ambient intelligent environments should be specified, designed and used to favour independent living of people with activity limitations are presented.

Calidad de Imagen del Telescopio UNAM212

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cobos, F. J.; Teiada de Vargas, C.

1987-05-01

El telescopio UNAM2l2, del Observatorio Astronómico Nacional, situado en la Sierra de San Pedro Mártir (Baja California, México), cumplira en un futuro muy cercano siete años de uso para fines de investigación astronómica. Aunque en este tiempo no se ha efectuado un estudio sistemático acerca de su comportamiento óptico y de los factores que influyen en la calidad de las imágenes, se han realizado pruebas diversas, estudios parciales y reuniones especificas, cuyos resultados no siempre se han difundido ampliamente y generalmente no se han presentado por escrito. Es por ello que hemos creido necesario intentar una recopilación de la información existente para poder con ella establecer un diagnóstjco que, aunque no sea definitivo, sirva de base para futuros trabajos tendientes a optimizar el comportamiento óptico del telescopio. Es evidente que un buen número de las conclusiones que se presentan son resultado del trabajo de muchas personas ó de esfuerzos colectivos. Asimismo, hemos tratado de localizar información bibliográfica que pueda ser de utilidad. Nuestro objetivo primordial ha consistido en centrarnos en la óptica del telescopio y su calidad, pero también se han considerado otros aspectos que puedan afectar las imágenes obtenidas tales como: celda del primario, `seeing' local y externo, flexiones posibles en la estructura mecánica del telescopio, etc.

AMBIENT AIR MONITORING STRATEGY

EPA Science Inventory

The Clean Air Act requires EPA to establish national ambient air quality standards and to regulate as necessary, hazardous air pollutants. EPA uses ambient air monitoring to determine current air quality conditions, and to assess progress toward meeting these standards and relat...

Violación del Principio de Equivalencia en Teorías con Dilatón de Cuerdas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Landau, S. J.; Sisterna, P. D.; Vucetich, H.

Se estudian las violaciones al Principio de Equivalencia en Teorías con Dilatón de Cuerdas. En estos modelos, algunas de las constantes fundamentales dependen del espacio y del tiempo. Se muestra que los experimentos de caída libre no tienen aún precisión como para poner límites a los parámetros de la teoría.

Turbine airfoil with ambient cooling system

DOEpatents

Campbell, Jr, Christian X.; Marra, John J.; Marsh, Jan H.

2016-06-07

A turbine airfoil usable in a turbine engine and having at least one ambient air cooling system is disclosed. At least a portion of the cooling system may include one or more cooling channels configured to receive ambient air at about atmospheric pressure. The ambient air cooling system may have a tip static pressure to ambient pressure ratio of at least 0.5, and in at least one embodiment, may include a tip static pressure to ambient pressure ratio of between about 0.5 and about 3.0. The cooling system may also be configured such that an under root slot chamber in the root is large to minimize supply air velocity. One or more cooling channels of the ambient air cooling system may terminate at an outlet at the tip such that the outlet is aligned with inner surfaces forming the at least one cooling channel in the airfoil to facilitate high mass flow.

Identification and calibration of the structural model of historical masonry building damaged during the 2016 Italian earthquakes: The case study of Palazzo del Podestà in Montelupone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Catinari, Federico; Pierdicca, Alessio; Clementi, Francesco; Lenci, Stefano

2017-11-01

The results of an ambient-vibration based investigation conducted on the "Palazzo del Podesta" in Montelupone (Italy) is presented. The case study was damaged during the 20I6 Italian earthquakes that stroke the central part of the Italy. The assessment procedure includes full-scale ambient vibration testing, modal identification from ambient vibration responses, finite element modeling and dynamic-based identification of the uncertain structural parameters of the model. A very good match between theoretical and experimental modal parameters was reached and the model updating has been performed identifying some structural parameters.

Gabapentina a dosis de 300 vs. 450 mg como premedicación anestésica para hipertensión reactiva, ansiedad y analgesia.

PubMed

Rascón-Martínez, Dulce María; Guzmán-Sánchez, Joaquín Antonio; Corral-Urdapilleta, Nora Paulina; Arguelles-Uribe, Gema Damaris; Velázquez-Loeza, Jazmín; Soto-Palma, Gustavo; Carrillo-Torres, Orlando

Observar el comportamiento de la gabapentina para aminorar la hipertensión reactiva secundaria a ansiedad y dolor en pacientes sometidos a cirugía oftálmica, así como el consumo de opiáceos entre los grupos. Ensayo clínico controlado aleatorizado y doble ciego que analizó a 125 pacientes divididos en tres grupos: grupo A, gabapentina 300 mg; grupo B, gabapentina 450 mg; grupo C, amaranto en grageas como control 2 horas antes del procedimiento quirúrgico. Se utilizó la prueba de ji al cuadrado para variables sociodemográficas y ANOVA de un factor para variables numéricas continuas. Se consideró como significativo un valor de p < 0.05 para un estudio de dos colas con un poder beta del 80%. La ansiedad y la analgesia transoperatoria y posoperatoria tuvieron diferencias significativas entre los grupos. Se encontró menor consumo de opiáceos en los grupos que usaron gabapentina. La gabapentina por vía oral, 300 o 450 mg, 2 horas antes de la cirugía, reduce el dolor, la ansiedad y el consumo de opiáceos durante el posoperatorio en pacientes sometidos a cirugía oftalmológica. Copyright: © 2018 SecretarÍa de Salud

Distribución del continuo ultravioleta e infrarrojo en estrellas Be

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cruzado, A.; Ringuelet, A.; di Rocco, H.

Estamos interesados en interpretar los excesos de flujo infrarrojo y/o ultravioleta observados en estrellas Be con respecto al de estrellas B normales, así como su posible correlación. Una envoltura rodeando la estrella distingue una estrella Be de una B normal; para explicar las observaciones es necesario entonces tener en cuenta todos los posibles procesos físicos que en ella tienen lugar. Adoptando un modelo atmosférico específico, hemos estudiado el proceso de recombinación dielectrónica de metales como MgII y FeII, teniendo en cuenta la posible influencia de la opacidad del medio en el flujo emitido.

Astronomía para ciegos y amblíopes. Proyecto de construcción de un planetario especial en la ciudad de Mar del Plata

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Musso, S.

?`Qué es la Astronomía para Ciegos?. El trabajo es una adaptación en base a la escala de magnitudes de Hipparco que cambia el concepto de luz por una adaptación sonora, donde las estrellas de magnitud 6 se escuchan en 10 dB, más o menos lo que consideramos el umbral de la audición humana. Quienes no escuchan muy bien no pueden escuchar las magnitudes 6, de la misma manera que muchos de nosotros, que no poseemos una visión perfecta, no podemos observar esas mismas estrellas en el cielo (más allá de la polución). A los astros de magnitud 5 vamos a relacionarlos a un sonido en 20 dB. Y así sucesivamente. También los colores estarán representados en una convención de graves a agudos y lo mismo algunas características del cielo. Por ejemplo, la Vía Láctea se mostrará como un ``ruido", como bien nos lo hicieron ver nuestros futuros destinatarios. En Mar del Plata nos encontramos ya trabajando en un proyecto que tiene como objetivo final la construcción del Primer Planetario Acústico del Mundo, una herramienta para la enseñanza de la astronomía, un espacio para la lucha contra la discriminación del discapacitado y una posibilidad de ``ver el cielo de un modo diferente".

Percepción de competencia y adiestramiento profesional especializado relativos al VIH/SIDA en estudiantes y profesionales de la salud: el estigma como un indicador de necesidad

PubMed Central

RODRÍGUEZ, Yarimar ROSA; DÍAZ, Nelson VARAS

2009-01-01

El proceso de estigmatización asume una devaluación de la persona debido a una característica o marca que haya sido identificada socialmente y que permita que se le describa como diferente. Desde que se desató la epidemia del VIH/SIDA, vivir con la enfermedad ha sido señalado de manera social como una marca estigmatizante. Las manifestaciones de dicha estigmatización se han documentado entre profesionales de la salud. Este estigma puede afectar los servicios de salud que las personas que viven con VIH/SIDA reciben de estos profesionales. Los objetivos de esta investigación fueron explorar: 1) la percepción que tienen estudiantes y profesionales de la salud sobre su nivel de competencia para ofrecer servicios a personas que viven con VIH/SIDA, 2) las opiniones de éstos sobre el tipo de adiestramiento profesional recibido y la necesidad del mismo, y 3) la manifestación de actitudes estigmatizantes como indicadores de necesidad de adiestramiento profesional. La muestra total del estudio estuvo compuesta por 80 de diversas profesiones de la salud. Los resultados reflejan que algunos/as de los/as participantes han recibido formación en VIH pero ésta no ha sido suficiente para contrarrestar las nociones estigmatizantes. Discutimos las implicaciones de los resultados para investigaciones futuras y el desarrollo de intervenciones con vías de minimizar las nociones estigmatizantes en los escenarios de salud. PMID:20011236

Prevalencia y tamizaje del Trastorno por Déficit de Atención con Hiperactividad en Costa Rica

PubMed Central

Weiss, Nicholas T.; Schuler, Jovita; Monge, Silvia; McGough, James J.; Chavira, Denise; Bagnarello, Monica; Herrera, Luis Diego; Mathews, Carol A.

2015-01-01

Resumen La investigación tuvo como propósito estimar la prevalencia del Trastorno por Déficit de Atención con Hiperactividad (TDAH) en Costa Rica y determinar si la versión en español del cuestionario Swanson Nolan and Pelham Scale IV (SNAP-IV) es un instrumento de tamizaje útil en una población de niños y niñas escolares costarricenses. El instrumento fue entregado a padres y maestros de 425 niños entre 5 y 13 años de edad (promedio = 8.8). Todos fueron evaluados con el instrumento Swanson, Kotkin, Agler, M-Flynn and Pelham Scale (SKAMP). Su diagnóstico fue confirmado con una entrevista clínica. La sensibilidad y la especificidad del SNAP-IV fueron evaluadas como predictores de criterios de diagnóstico según el DSM-IV. La prevalencia puntual en la muestra del TDAH fue del 5%. El tamizaje más preciso lo hizo el SNAP-IV completado por el maestro en un corte de 20%, con una sensibilidad de 96% y una especificidad de un 82%. La sensibilidad de los instrumentos completados por los padres fue más baja que aquella de los maestros. El SNAP-IV completado por las maestras con un corte aislando el 20% de los mayores puntajes categorizó correctamente a un 87% de los sujetos. PMID:22432094

Ambient Monitoring Technology Information Center (AMTIC)

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This site contains information on ambient air quality monitoring programs, monitoring methods, quality assurance and control procedures, and federal regulations related to ambient air quality monitoring.

Comprension de los conceptos de los enlaces ionico y covalente en estudiantes universitarios del primer curso de quimica general

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ballesteros Benavides, Maria Elvira

Para este trabajo utilizamos el estudio de casos cualitativo que se llevo a cabo en una universidad privada de Puerto Rico. Empleamos como unidad de analisis el concepto de enlace quimico, ionico y covalente. Los participantes fueron los estudiantes de la seccion nocturna del curso de Quimica General I. La investigacion se desarrollo por medio de dos entrevistas de persona a persona, observaciones de las expresiones no verbales y la hoja de identificacion de conceptos. Para la triangulacion tomamos en consideracion las preconcepciones erroneas, las concepciones alternativas y el mapa de conceptos de cada participante. Preparamos un mapa de conceptos para el enlace quimico validado por un comite de expertos. Tambien, elaboramos los mapas de conceptos de los participantes que sirvieron para varios propositos: conocer la estructura conceptual, expresar los logros, hacer comparaciones e identificar la presencia de concepciones alternativas. Entre los hallazgos encontramos que todos los participantes poseen conocimiento previo de los enlaces quimicos ionico y covalente y dentro de ese conocimiento existen preconcepciones erroneas mas numerosas para el enlace ionico. Al principio del semestre el 50% de los participantes demostraron tener "carencia fuerte de conceptos" tanto para el enlace ionico como para el covalente. Al finalizar el semestre encontramos en el 40% de los participantes concepciones alternativas tanto para el enlace ionico como para el covalente y el 90% no lograron distinguir un enlace del otro. Nuestras conclusiones fueron que los participantes sin distincion del aprovechamiento academico demostraron tener la tendencia de "carencia fuerte de conceptos" tanto para el enlace ionico como para el covalente, presentaron dificultad al integrar los conceptos de los enlaces quimicos ionico y covalente que se pusieron de manifiesto al dar los ejemplos. Las preconcepciones erroneas contribuyen en el desarrollo de las concepciones alternativas. Ademas, los

Servicio de Mapas en Internet para la Salud Ambiental en la Region Fronteriza Entre los Estados Unidos y Mexico

USGS Publications Warehouse

Buckler, Denny; Stefanov, Jim

2004-01-01

La region fronteriza de los Estados Unidos y Mexico abarca una gran diversidad de ambientes fisicos y habitaciones, entre los cuales estan los humedales, desiertos, pastos, montanas, y bosques. Estos a su vez son unicos en cuanto a su diversidad de recursos acuaticos minerales, y biologicos. La region se interconecta economica, politica, y socialmente debido a su herencia binacional. En 1995, cerca de 11 millones de habitantes vivian en la zona adyacente a la frontera. Un estudio sugiere que esa poblacion podria doblarse antes del ano 2020.

Modelo semi-empírico de protuberancia solar a partir del diagnóstico de densidades

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cirigliano, D.; Vial, J. C.; Rovira, M.

A partir de la observación del espectro del quintuplete de C III alrededor de 1175 Å, se ha realizado el diagnóstico de la densidad y presión electrónica, basado en el cálculo del cociente de las intensidades observadas. Una vez establecida la densidad electrónica, y con el cálculo de las velocidades Doppler, hemos investigado el flujo de masa en la protuberancia en función de la temperatura. Estableciendo como hipótesis la conservación del número de partículas que ingresan y salen del cuerpo de la protuberancia, se investiga la variación del área de un tubo de flujo semi-empírico en función de la temperatura. A partir de dicho diagnóstico, se examina el comportamiento del radio del tubo magnético en función de la temperatura, los que dan cuenta de la abertura de las líneas de campo magnético que confinan el plasma y de la divergencia del campo magnético en diferentes alturas de la atmósfera solar.

Digitalización de diapositivas del Sol en H α

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Missio, H.; Montenegro, C.; Montenegro, R.

El objetivo de este trabajo ha sido el de obtener imágenes digitalizadas de las diapositivas tomadas del Sol en luz de hidrógeno de la línea correspondiente a Hα, y de esta manera llegar a convertir las mismas a un archivo digital para poder ser tratadas luego por computadora y poder contabilizar con exactitud, mediante un programa adecuado para tal fin, las zonas activas del Sol en la imagen digitalizada. En principio, para llegar a esto se pensó en la utilización de medios accesibles, y como detector se utilizó un fototransistor ubicado dentro de un soporte rectangular sobre dos ejes de desplazamiento X e Y. Se han obtenido con este procedimiento imágenes de buena calidad, construídas a partir de tres datos digitalizados en cada barrido que aportan la posición X e Y y la intensidad del pixel en ese punto indicada en 255 tonos de grises.

TUBERCULOSIS COMO ENFERMEDAD OCUPACIONAL

PubMed Central

Mendoza-Ticona, Alberto

2014-01-01

Existe evidencia suficiente para declarar a la tuberculosis como enfermedad ocupacional en diversos profesionales especialmente entre los trabajadores de salud. En el Perú están normados y reglamentados los derechos laborales inherentes a la tuberculosis como enfermedad ocupacional, como la cobertura por discapacidad temporal o permanente. Sin embargo, estos derechos aún no han sido suficientemente socializados. En este trabajo se presenta información sobre el riesgo de adquirir tuberculosis en el lugar de trabajo, se revisan las evidencias para declarar a la tuberculosis como enfermedad ocupacional en trabajadores de salud y se presenta la legislación peruana vigente al respecto. PMID:22858771

Below-Ambient and Cryogenic Thermal Testing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fesmire, James E.

2016-01-01

Thermal insulation systems operating in below-ambient temperature conditions are inherently susceptible to moisture intrusion and vapor drive toward the cold side. The subsequent effects may include condensation, icing, cracking, corrosion, and other problems. Methods and apparatus for real-world thermal performance testing of below-ambient systems have been developed based on cryogenic boiloff calorimetry. New ASTM International standards on cryogenic testing and their extension to future standards for below-ambient testing of pipe insulation are reviewed.

Contribución al flujo infrarrojo de las estrellas Be de la recombinación dielectrónica del MgII

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cruzado, A.; di Rocco, H.; Ringuelet, A.

Para evaluar la contribución del proceso de recombinación dielectrónica del átomo de MgII al exceso de flujo infrarrojo observado en las estrellas Be, calculamos la energía emitida en las líneas originadas por este proceso. Se evaluaron los efectos de las condiciones físicas del medio, como la temperatura electrónica y la densidad electrónica, sobre el flujo emitido. Se consideró también la influencia de una posible opacidad.

Cambios históricos en el aporte terrígeno de la cuenca del Río de la Plata sobre la plataforma interna Uruguaya

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marrero, Analía; Tudurí, Adriana; Pérez, Laura; Cuña, Caroline; Muniz, Pablo; Lopes Figueira, Rubens; Michaelovitch de Mahiques, Michel; Alves de Lima Ferreira, Paulo; Pittauerová, Daniela; Hanebuth, Till; García Rodríguez, Felipe

2014-12-01

El Río de la Plata (RdlP) presenta significativas variaciones naturales (hidrodinámicas y oceanográficas) asociadas a diferentes condiciones climáticas. El propósito de este trabajo es inferir los cambios de aportes continentales de sedimentos y su relación con las variaciones hidrológicas del Río de la Plata, a través del análisis de proxies sedimentológicos y geoquímicos en testigos de sedimentos de la plataforma interna uruguaya que registran los últimos 100 años, aproximadamente. A partir de la datación por 210Pb de dos testigos de sedimentos (GeoB 13813-4 y BAR1) se reconstruyó la geocronología del ambiente, y se relacionó con datos de las forzantes climáticas Pacific Decadal Oscillation, El Niño/La Niña Southern Oscillation, Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation, y las anomalías hidrológicas de los ríos Paraná y Uruguay. Los valores más positivos y estables del Southern Oscillation Index, los cuales corresponden a fases La Niña, se observan en el periodo correspondiente entre 1910-1970, respecto al resto de la serie, donde se aprecia una mayor variabilidad y una tendencia hacia valores más negativos (eventos El Niño). Se hicieron dendrogramas (clustering) jerárquicos para ambos testigos. Para el testigo GeoB 13813-4, se utilizó la relación Ca/Ti y la granulometría, mientras que para BAR1 se recurrió a variables granulométricas y la tasa de sedimentación. El mayor aporte continental hacia la región de la plataforma adyacente al Río de la Plata registrado a partir del año 1970, podría ser el factor principal de los agrupamientos observados en los clusters para ambos testigos. Las agrupaciones mostraron una diferenciación en la década de 1970, lo que estaría asociado al aumento de los caudales de los ríos Paraná y Uruguay, durante las últimas tres décadas del siglo XX. Por otra parte se observa que la granulometría del testigo BAR1 presentó un mayor tamaño de grano y más variabilidad que en el caso del testigo Geo

Ambient versus traditional environment in pediatric emergency department.

PubMed

Robinson, Patricia S; Green, Jeanette

2015-01-01

We sought to examine the effect of exposure to an ambient environment in a pediatric emergency department. We hypothesized that passive distraction from ambient lighting in an emergency department would lead to reduction in patient pain and anxiety and increased caregiver satisfaction with services. Passive distraction has been associated with lower anxiety and pain in patients and affects perception of wait time. A pediatric ED was designed that optimized passive distraction techniques using colorful ambient lighting. Participants were nonrandomly assigned to either an ambient ED environment or a traditional ED environment. Entry and exit questionnaires assessed caregiver expectations and experiences. Pain ratings were obtained with age-appropriate scales, and wait times were recorded. A total of 70 participants were assessed across conditions, that is, 40 in the ambient ED group and 30 in the traditional ED group. Caregivers in the traditional ED group expected a longer wait, had higher anxiety pretreatment, and felt more scared than those in the ambient ED group. Caregivers in the ambient ED group felt more included in the care of their child and rated quality of care higher than caregivers in the traditional ED group. Pain ratings and administrations of pain medication were lower in the ambient ED group. Mean scores for the ambient ED group were in the expected direction on several items measuring satisfaction with ED experiences. Results were suggestive of less stress in caregivers, less pain in patients, and higher satisfaction levels in the ambient ED group. © The Author(s) 2015.

Nanosecond laser-metal ablation at different ambient conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elsied, Ahmed M.; Dieffenbach, Payson C.; Diwakar, Prasoon K.; Hassanein, Ahmed

2018-05-01

Ablation of metals under different ambient conditions and laser fluences, was investigated through series of experiments. A 1064 nm, 6 ns Nd:YAG laser was used to ablate 1 mm thick metal targets with laser energy ranging from 2 mJ to 300 mJ. The experiments were designed to study the effect of material properties, laser fluence, ambient gas, and ambient pressure on laser-metal ablation. The first experiment was conducted under vacuum to study the effect of laser fluence and material properties on metal ablation, using a wide range of laser fluences (2 J/cm2 up to 300 J/cm2) and two different targets, Al and W. The second experiment was conducted at atmospheric pressure using two different ambient gases air and argon, to understand the effect of ambient gas on laser-metal ablation process. The third experiment was conducted at two different pressures (10 Torr and 760 Torr) using the same ambient gas to investigate the effect of ambient pressure on laser-metal ablation. To compare the different ablation processes, the amount of mass ablated, ablation depth, crater profile and melt formation were measured using White Light Profilometer (WLP). The experimental results show that at low laser fluence: the ablated mass, ablation depth, and height of molten layer follow a logarithmic function of the incident laser fluence. While, at high laser fluence they follow a linear function. This dependence on laser fluence was found to be independent on ambient conditions and irradiated material. The effect of ambient pressure was more pronounced than the effect of ambient gas type. Plasma shielding effect was found to be very pronounced in the presence of ambient gas and led to significant reduction in the total mass ablation.

Ambient Oxygen Promotes Tumorigenesis

PubMed Central

Starost, Matthew F.; Lago, Cory U.; Lim, Philip K.; Sack, Michael N.; Kang, Ju-Gyeong; Wang, Ping-yuan; Hwang, Paul M.

2011-01-01

Oxygen serves as an essential factor for oxidative stress, and it has been shown to be a mutagen in bacteria. While it is well established that ambient oxygen can also cause genomic instability in cultured mammalian cells, its effect on de novo tumorigenesis at the organismal level is unclear. Herein, by decreasing ambient oxygen exposure, we report a ∼50% increase in the median tumor-free survival time of p53−/− mice. In the thymus, reducing oxygen exposure decreased the levels of oxidative DNA damage and RAG recombinase, both of which are known to promote lymphomagenesis in p53−/− mice. Oxygen is further shown to be associated with genomic instability in two additional cancer models involving the APC tumor suppressor gene and chemical carcinogenesis. Together, these observations represent the first report directly testing the effect of ambient oxygen on de novo tumorigenesis and provide important physiologic evidence demonstrating its critical role in increasing genomic instability in vivo. PMID:21589870

40 CFR 51.190 - Ambient air quality monitoring requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Ambient air quality monitoring... PROGRAMS REQUIREMENTS FOR PREPARATION, ADOPTION, AND SUBMITTAL OF IMPLEMENTATION PLANS Ambient Air Quality Surveillance § 51.190 Ambient air quality monitoring requirements. The requirements for monitoring ambient air...

40 CFR 51.190 - Ambient air quality monitoring requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 2 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Ambient air quality monitoring... PROGRAMS REQUIREMENTS FOR PREPARATION, ADOPTION, AND SUBMITTAL OF IMPLEMENTATION PLANS Ambient Air Quality Surveillance § 51.190 Ambient air quality monitoring requirements. The requirements for monitoring ambient air...

40 CFR 51.190 - Ambient air quality monitoring requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 2 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Ambient air quality monitoring... PROGRAMS REQUIREMENTS FOR PREPARATION, ADOPTION, AND SUBMITTAL OF IMPLEMENTATION PLANS Ambient Air Quality Surveillance § 51.190 Ambient air quality monitoring requirements. The requirements for monitoring ambient air...

40 CFR 51.190 - Ambient air quality monitoring requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 2 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Ambient air quality monitoring... PROGRAMS REQUIREMENTS FOR PREPARATION, ADOPTION, AND SUBMITTAL OF IMPLEMENTATION PLANS Ambient Air Quality Surveillance § 51.190 Ambient air quality monitoring requirements. The requirements for monitoring ambient air...

40 CFR 51.190 - Ambient air quality monitoring requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 2 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Ambient air quality monitoring... PROGRAMS REQUIREMENTS FOR PREPARATION, ADOPTION, AND SUBMITTAL OF IMPLEMENTATION PLANS Ambient Air Quality Surveillance § 51.190 Ambient air quality monitoring requirements. The requirements for monitoring ambient air...

Neurobiología del autismo y TDAH mediante técnicas de neuroimagen: divergencias y convergencias

PubMed Central

Proal, Erika; Olvera, Jorge González; Blancas, Aurea S.; Chalita, Pablo J.; Castellanos, F. Xavier

2013-01-01

En el área clínica algunos síntomas del trastorno por déficit de atención e hiperactividad (TDAH), se presentan en los pacientes con trastorno del espectro autista (TEA). Se ha demostrado que existen alteraciones en circuitos cerebrales que impactan en fallas cognitivas y de comportamiento específicas de cada uno de estos trastornos. Sin embargo, han sido poco estudiados los correlatos cerebrales que hay detrás tanto de las similitudes como de las diferencias sintomatológicas. En la presente revisión se analizaron los estudios meta-analíticos existentes estructurales y funcionales en TDAH y TEA. Por un lado, se observaron convergencias en circuitos como el dorsal atencional, de funciones ejecutivas, visual, somatomotor y circuito de activación por defecto. Estas similitudes posiblemente explican las manifestaciones comórbidas entre los trastornos como la falla en la integración de información, motricidad fina y procesos atencionales específicos. Por otro lado, específicamente en el TDAH se observan déficits en el circuito de recompensa y ventral atencional, sistemas involucrados en la medición de efectos de reforzamiento y monitoreo atencional. En TEA los circuitos más afectados fueron los implicados en procesos de cognición social y lenguaje. En conclusión, existen correlatos neuronales en TEA que explican las manifestaciones clínicas tanto convergentes como divergentes presentes en TDAH. PMID:23897144

Forensic applications of ambient ionization mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Ifa, Demian R; Jackson, Ayanna U; Paglia, Giuseppe; Cooks, R Graham

2009-08-01

This review highlights and critically assesses forensic applications in the developing field of ambient ionization mass spectrometry. Ambient ionization methods permit the ionization of samples outside the mass spectrometer in the ordinary atmosphere, with minimal sample preparation. Several ambient ionization methods have been created since 2004 and they utilize different mechanisms to create ions for mass-spectrometric analysis. Forensic applications of these techniques--to the analysis of toxic industrial compounds, chemical warfare agents, illicit drugs and formulations, explosives, foodstuff, inks, fingerprints, and skin--are reviewed. The minimal sample pretreatment needed is illustrated with examples of analysis from complex matrices (e.g., food) on various substrates (e.g., paper). The low limits of detection achieved by most of the ambient ionization methods for compounds of forensic interest readily offer qualitative confirmation of chemical identity; in some cases quantitative data are also available. The forensic applications of ambient ionization methods are a growing research field and there are still many types of applications which remain to be explored, particularly those involving on-site analysis. Aspects of ambient ionization currently undergoing rapid development include molecular imaging and increased detection specificity through simultaneous chemical reaction and ionization by addition of appropriate chemical reagents.

Cirugía de los trastornos del comportamiento: el estado del arte

PubMed Central

Yampolsky, Claudio; Bendersky, Damián

2014-01-01

Introducción: La cirugía de los trastornos del comportamiento (CTC) se está convirtiendo en un tratamiento más común desde el desarrollo de la neuromodulación. Métodos: Este artículo es una revisión no sistemática de la historia, indicaciones actuales, técnicas y blancos quirúrgicos de la CTC. Dividimos su historia en 3 eras: la primera comienza en los inicios de la psicocirugía y termina con el desarrollo de las tícnicas estereotácticas, cuando comienza la segunda era. Ésta se caracteriza por la realización de lesiones estereotácticas. Nos encontramos transitando la tercera era, que comienza cuando la estimulación cerebral profunda (ECP) comienza a ser usada en CTC. Resultados: A pesar de los errores graves cometidos en el pasado, hoy en día, la CTC está renaciendo. Los trastornos psiquiátricos que se más frecuentemente se tratan con cirugía son: depresión refractaria, trastorno obsesivo-compulsivo y síndrome de Tourette. Además, algunos pacientes con agresividad fueron tratados quirúrgicamente. Hay varios blancos estereotácticos descriptos para estos trastornos. La estimulación vagal puede ser usada también para depresión. Conclusión: Los resultados de la ECP en estos trastornos parecen alentadores. Sin embargo, se necesitan más estudios randomizados para establecer la efectividad de la CTC. Debe tenerse en cuenta que una apropiada selección de pacientes nos ayudará a realizar un procedimiento más seguro así como también a lograr mejores resultados quirúrgicos, conduciendo a la CTC a ser más aceptada por psiquiatras, pacientes y sus familias. Se necesita mayor investigación en varios temas como: fisiopatología de los trastornos del comportamiento, indicaciones de CTC y nuevos blancos quirúrgicos. PMID:25165612

49 CFR 325.35 - Ambient conditions; highway operations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 49 Transportation 5 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Ambient conditions; highway operations. 325.35... MOTOR CARRIER NOISE EMISSION STANDARDS Measurement of Noise Emissions; Highway Operations § 325.35 Ambient conditions; highway operations. (a)(1) Sound. The ambient A-weighted sound level at the microphone...

49 CFR 325.35 - Ambient conditions; highway operations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 49 Transportation 5 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Ambient conditions; highway operations. 325.35... MOTOR CARRIER NOISE EMISSION STANDARDS Measurement of Noise Emissions; Highway Operations § 325.35 Ambient conditions; highway operations. (a)(1) Sound. The ambient A-weighted sound level at the microphone...

FRAMEWORK FOR DEVELOPING AMBIENT WATER ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Currently, Ambient Water Quality Criteria (AWQC) for aquatic life protection are derived according to the Guidelines for Derivation of Ambient Water Quality Criteria for the Protection of Aquatic Life and Their Uses, published in 1985. To ensure that AWQC are derived from the best available science, Office of Water assessed the need to update the Guidelines and identified issues that should be addressed in the revisions. In December 2002, EPA's Science Advisory Board concurred with EPA's assessment of the need to update the Guidelines as well as with the issues EPA identified to address. Updating the Guidelines is a Priority Strategic Action included in OST's Strategy for Water Quality Standards and Criteria (Next Priority Strategic Action #1). To revise existing methodology for deriving ambient water quality criteria for the protection of aquatic life.

The influence of ambient light on the driver

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klinger, Karsten D.; Lemmer, Uli

2008-04-01

Increasingly, cars are fitted with interior ambient lighting which is switched on while driving. This special kind of interior light emphasizes the interior design of the car, it makes a car look special and gives the buyers a new option to personalize their automobiles. But how does ambient interior light influence the driver? We conducted a series of over 50 tests to study the influence of interior ambient light on contrast perception under different illumination levels, colors and positions of the illuminated areas. Our tests show that in many cases the ambient lighting can improve the visual contrast for seeing objects in the headlamp beam. But the test persons mentioned that the tested brightness looked too bright and that they felt glared. The measured values instead proved that no disability glare exists. Therefore, provided that the drivers can adjust the intensity of the ambient light to avoid glare, the ambient light has no negative effect on the drivers' contrast perception.

40 CFR 1033.505 - Ambient conditions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 1033.505 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR POLLUTION CONTROLS... presumed that combustion air will be drawn from the ambient air. Thus, the ambient temperature limits of this paragraph (a) apply for intake air upstream of the engine. If you do not draw combustion air from...

40 CFR 1033.505 - Ambient conditions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 1033.505 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR POLLUTION CONTROLS... presumed that combustion air will be drawn from the ambient air. Thus, the ambient temperature limits of this paragraph (a) apply for intake air upstream of the engine. If you do not draw combustion air from...

40 CFR 1033.505 - Ambient conditions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 1033.505 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR POLLUTION CONTROLS... presumed that combustion air will be drawn from the ambient air. Thus, the ambient temperature limits of this paragraph (a) apply for intake air upstream of the engine. If you do not draw combustion air from...

40 CFR 1033.505 - Ambient conditions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 1033.505 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR POLLUTION CONTROLS... presumed that combustion air will be drawn from the ambient air. Thus, the ambient temperature limits of this paragraph (a) apply for intake air upstream of the engine. If you do not draw combustion air from...

40 CFR 1033.505 - Ambient conditions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 1033.505 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR POLLUTION CONTROLS... presumed that combustion air will be drawn from the ambient air. Thus, the ambient temperature limits of this paragraph (a) apply for intake air upstream of the engine. If you do not draw combustion air from...

Clinical Application of Ambient Ionization Mass Spectrometry

PubMed Central

Li, Li-Hua; Hsieh, Hua-Yi; Hsu, Cheng-Chih

2017-01-01

Ambient ionization allows mass spectrometry analysis directly on the sample surface under atmospheric pressure with almost zero sample pretreatment. Since the development of desorption electrospray ionization (DESI) in 2004, many other ambient ionization techniques were developed. Due to their simplicity and low operation cost, rapid and on-site clinical mass spectrometry analysis becomes real. In this review, we will highlight some of the most widely used ambient ionization mass spectrometry approaches and their applications in clinical study. PMID:28337399

Radon-222 related influence on ambient gamma dose.

PubMed

Melintescu, A; Chambers, S D; Crawford, J; Williams, A G; Zorila, B; Galeriu, D

2018-04-03

Ambient gamma dose, radon, and rainfall have been monitored in southern Bucharest, Romania, from 2010 to 2016. The seasonal cycle of background ambient gamma dose peaked between July and October (100-105 nSv h -1 ), with minimum values in February (75-80 nSv h -1 ), the time of maximum snow cover. Based on 10 m a.g.l. radon concentrations, the ambient gamma dose increased by around 1 nSv h -1 for every 5 Bq m -3 increase in radon. Radon variability attributable to diurnal changes in atmospheric mixing contributed less than 15 nSv h -1 to the overall variability in ambient gamma dose, a factor of 4 more than synoptic timescale changes in air mass fetch. By contrast, precipitation-related enhancements of the ambient gamma dose were 15-80 nSv h -1 . To facilitate routine analysis, and account in part for occasional equipment failure, an automated method for identifying precipitation spikes in the ambient gamma dose was developed. Lastly, a simple model for predicting rainfall-related enhancement of the ambient gamma dose is tested against rainfall observations from events of contrasting duration and intensity. Results are also compared with those from previously published models of simple and complex formulation. Generally, the model performed very well. When simulations underestimated observations the absolute difference was typically less than the natural variability in ambient gamma dose arising from atmospheric mixing influences. Consequently, combined use of the automated event detection method and the simple model of this study could enable the ambient gamma dose "attention limit" (which indicates a potential radiological emergency) to be reduced from 200 to 400% above background to 25-50%. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Impact of critical care environment on burnout, perceived quality of care and safety attitude of the nursing team.

PubMed

Guirardello, Edinêis de Brito

2017-06-05

assess the perception of the nursing team about the environment of practice in critical care services and its relation with the safety attitude, perceived quality of care and burnout level. cross-sectional study involving 114 nursing professionals from the intensive care unit of a teaching hospital. The following instruments were used: Nursing Work Index-Revised, Maslach Burnout Inventory and the Safety Attitude Questionnaire. the professionals who perceived greater autonomy, good relationships with the medical team and better control over the work environment presented lower levels of burnout, assessed the quality of care as good and reported a positive perception on the safety attitude for the domain job satisfaction. the findings evidenced that environments favorable to these professionals' practice result in lower levels of burnout, a better perceived quality of care and attitudes favorable to patient safety. avaliar a percepção da equipe de enfermagem sobre o ambiente da prática em unidades de cuidados críticos e sua relação com atitude de segurança, percepção da qualidade do cuidado e nível de burnout. estudo transversal com a participação de 114 profissionais de enfermagem da unidade de terapia intensiva de um hospital de ensino. Foram utilizados os instrumentos: Nursing Work Index-Revised, Inventário de Burnout de Maslach e o Questionário de Atitudes de Segurança. os profissionais que perceberam maior autonomia, boas relações com a equipe médica e melhor controle sobre o ambiente de trabalho, apresentaram menores níveis de burnout, avaliaram como boa a qualidade do cuidado e relataram uma percepção positiva da atitude de segurança para o domínio satisfação no trabalho. os achados evidenciaram que ambientes favoráveis à prática desses profissionais resultam em menores níveis de burnout, melhor percepção da qualidade do cuidado e atitudes favoráveis à segurança do paciente. evaluar la percepción del equipo de enfermer

La implantacion del enfoque constructivista en el aula de ciencia: Estudio de caso multiple

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arroyo Betancourt, Luz I.

Esta investigacion estudia la implantacion del enfoque constructivista en tres aulas de ciencia del contexto puertorriqueno. Se auscultaron las practicas educativas que utilizan maestras consideradas constructivistas y la correspondencia de sus practicas educativas con los elementos esenciales de la didactica que proponen los teoricos de los planteamientos constructivistas. Se ausculto, ademas, a que vision del enfoque constructivista responden las expresiones de las maestras acerca de su practica educativa y como compara con su quehacer, a la luz de los elementos esenciales de las visiones constructivistas piagetiana, social y radical. Se utilizo el diseno de estudio descriptivo de caso multiple. El estudio se baso en entrevistas a profundidad, revision de documentos y observacion no participativa a la sala de clases. El contexto fueron tres escuelas publicas de la Region Educativa de San Juan, una elemental, una intermedia y una superior. Los resultados confirmaron que la transicion hacia el enfoque constructivista es un proceso que toma tiempo, dedicacion y la participacion en adiestramientos y readiestramientos acerca del nuevo enfoque. Las maestras coinciden en la mayoria de las practicas educativas que utilizan para implantar el enfoque constructivista de ensenanza y difieren en algunas debido, probablemente, a que han tenido que adaptarlas a los correspondientes niveles de ensenanza: elemental, intermedio y superior. Dos de las maestras planifican por conceptos generadores, mientras que una de ellas planifica siguiendo la guia que recibe del Departamento de Educacion. Difieren ademas, en el enfasis que confieren al inquirir cientifico. Con relacion a la correspondencia entre la vision manifestada por las maestras a la luz de las visiones piagetiana, social y radical, aparentemente, las preguntas del protocolo de entrevistas no lograron evocar la informacion con suficiente profundidad, por lo que la investigadora tuvo que inferir las visiones de las

Ambient noise levels in industrial audiometric test rooms.

PubMed

Frank, T; Williams, D L

1994-05-01

In 1983 the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) specified maximum permissible ambient noise levels (MPANLs) that would allow valid hearing threshold measurements in an audiometric test room. However, ambient noise sound pressure levels (SPLs) in rooms used for industrial hearing tests are unknown. The present study reports octave band (125 to 8000 Hz) ambient noise SPLs measured in 490 single-walled prefabricated audiometric test rooms located in industrial settings that were obtained from eight sources. The ambient noise SPLs were highest in the lower frequencies and decreased as frequency increased. All 490 rooms met the OSHA MPANLs. Fortunately, the ambient noise SPLs were considerably lower than the OSHA MPANLs, since previous research has demonstrated that hearing thresholds cannot be obtained down to 0-dB HL in a test room having ambient noise levels equal to the OSHA MPANLs. In fact, 33%, or 162 of the 490 test rooms, met the more stringent MPANLs recently specified by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) for industrial hearing testing. Given that the OSHA MPANLs are too high and that the test room ambient noise SPLs were considerably less than the OSHA MPANLs, that authors recommend that the OSHA MPANLs be revised to the more stringent ANSI 1991 MPANLs so that hearing thresholds for baseline and annual audiograms can be measured down to 0-dB HL.

Manufactured Porous Ambient Surface Simulants

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carey, Elizabeth M.; Peters, Gregory H.; Chu, Lauren; Zhou, Yu Meng; Cohen, Brooklin; Panossian, Lara; Green, Jacklyn R.; Moreland, Scott; Backes, Paul

2016-01-01

The planetary science decadal survey for 2013-2022 (Vision and Voyages, NRC 2011) has promoted mission concepts for sample acquisition from small solar system bodies. Numerous comet-sampling tools are in development to meet this standard. Manufactured Porous Ambient Surface Simulants (MPASS) materials provide an opportunity to simulate variable features at ambient temperatures and pressures to appropriately test potential sample acquisition systems for comets, asteroids, and planetary surfaces. The original "flavor" of MPASS materials is known as Manufactured Porous Ambient Comet Simulants (MPACS), which was developed in parallel with the development of the Biblade Comet Sampling System (Backes et al., in review). The current suite of MPACS materials was developed through research of the physical and mechanical properties of comets from past comet missions results and modeling efforts, coordination with the science community at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and testing of a wide range of materials and formulations. These simulants were required to represent the physical and mechanical properties of cometary nuclei, based on the current understanding of the science community. Working with cryogenic simulants can be tedious and costly; thus MPACS is a suite of ambient simulants that yields a brittle failure mode similar to that of cryogenic icy materials. Here we describe our suite of comet simulants known as MPACS that will be used to test and validate the Biblade Comet Sampling System (Backes et al., in review).

Ambient Air Quality Data Inventory

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The Office of Air and Radiation's (OAR) Ambient Air Quality Data (Current) contains ambient air pollution data collected by EPA, other federal agencies, as well as state, local, and tribal air pollution control agencies. Its component data sets have been collected over the years from approximately 10,000 monitoring sites, of which approximately 5,000 are currently active. OAR's Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards (OAQPS) and other internal and external users, rely on this data to assess air quality, assist in Attainment/Non-Attainment designations, evaluate State Implementation Plans for Non-Attainment Areas, perform modeling for permit review analysis, and other air quality management functions. Air quality information is also used to prepare reports for Congress as mandated by the Clean Air Act. This data covers air quality data collected after 1980, when the Clean Air Act requirements for monitoring were significantly modified. Air quality data from the Agency's early years (1970s) remains available (see OAR PRIMARY DATA ASSET: Ambient Air Quality Data -- Historical), but because of technical and definitional differences the two data assets are not directly comparable. The Clean Air Act of 1970 provided initial authority for monitoring air quality for Conventional Air Pollutants (CAPs) for which EPA has promulgated National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). Requirements for monitoring visibility-related parameters were added in 1977. Requiremen

Alejarse como proceso social: niños y ancianos «abandonados» en Ayacucho1

PubMed Central

Leinaweaver, Jessaca

2013-01-01

En investigaciones previas sobre el acogimiento familiar y la adopción en Ayacucho, se ha podido descubrir cómo los ayacuchanos adquieren y producen relaciones sociales. Mientras negocian creativamente los discursos y espacios construidos simultáneamente por instituciones, comunidades, y estructuras sociales, van adquiriendo nuevas formas de relacionarse. Este artículo discute el proceso opuesto: el deshacerse de relaciones de parentesco, y el proceso social del abandono o alejamiento. Cuando se aleja a una persona de su familia o su comunidad, los que se quedan en ella llegan a entenderse como ciertos tipos de personas. En los estudios de caso discutidos aquí, recopilados a través de una detallada y cuidadosa observación participante y de entrevistas etnográficas grabadas entre 2001 y 2007, se puede ver cómo, después de un alejamiento social, los individuos que alejan se reinterpretan como sujetos que se encuentran superándose o volviéndose modernos, o bien sacrificándose. PMID:25177044

Uso Del Condón en Adolescentes Nahuas, un Modelo Explicativo.

PubMed

Tirado, María de Los Ángeles Meneses; Benavides-Torres, Raquel A; Navarro, Sergio Meneses; de la Colina, Juan Antonio Doncel; Rodríguez, Dora Julia Onofre; Hernández, Francisco Javier Baéz

2018-03-01

En México, la población indígena supera los siete millones de habitantes, en Puebla el grupo más representativo es el Náhuatl. Sin embargo, las condiciones de vida, salud, educación y transporte son precarias para esta población. En los adolescentes, las responsabilidades como el matrimonio, la familia y los compromisos ante la comunidad, favorecen conductas de riesgo sexual que dificultan su desarrollo económico, social y reproductivo. El objetivo fue proponer un modelo explicativo del uso del condón en adolescentes nahuas. Método. Bajo el marco de la teoría social cognitiva, el concepto de valores culturales de Leininger y el proceso de la sustracción teórica, se desarrolló este artículo. Se muestran las relaciones del modelo con las proposiciones y los factores que influyen en el uso del condón para este grupo específico. Finalmente, el modelo explica las variables de interés, los niveles de abstracción y las relaciones entre sí en el contexto náhuatl. El siguiente paso será implementar los indicadores empíricos para conocer el grado de influencia de los factores personales y ambientales hacia el uso del condón en adolescentes nahuas. Resultados que aportarán información para el desarrollo del conocimiento en enfermería y la reducción de riesgo sexual de esta población.

Cámara CCD Directa con el Telescopio de 2.15 m del CASLEO: algunos diagnósticos

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cellone, S. A.

Se efectuaron algunas pruebas con la cámara CCD (+ Reductor Focal) instalada en el foco Cassegrain del Telescopio de 2.15 m del Complejo Astronómico El Leoncito (CASLEO). Las conclusiones más significativas son: Los tiempos de exposición efectivos difieren de los nominales en una fracción apreciable de segundo. En exposiciones de menos de 3 segundos, la iluminación no es pareja en todo el detector. En consecuencia, se recomiendan los pasos a seguir por los astrónomos tanto durante la observación como en la reducción de sus datos.

Ambient Temperature and Cerebrovascular Hemodynamics in the Elderly.

PubMed

Pan, Wen-Chi; Eliot, Melissa N; Koutrakis, Petros; Coull, Brent A; Sorond, Farzaneh A; Wellenius, Gregory A

2015-01-01

Some prior studies have linked ambient temperature with risk of cerebrovascular events. If causal, the pathophysiologic mechanisms underlying this putative association remain unknown. Temperature-related changes in cerebral vascular function may play a role, but this hypothesis has not been previously evaluated. We evaluated the association between ambient temperature and cerebral vascular function among 432 participants ≥65 years old from the MOBILIZE Boston Study with data on cerebrovascular blood flow, cerebrovascular resistance, and cerebrovascular reactivity in the middle cerebral artery. We used linear regression models to assess the association of mean ambient temperature in the previous 1 to 28 days with cerebrovascular hemodynamics adjusting for potential confounding factors. A 10°C increase in the 21-day moving average of ambient temperature was associated with a 10.1% (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.2%, 17.3%) lower blood flow velocity, a 9.0% (95% CI, 0.7%, 18.0%) higher cerebrovascular resistance, and a 15.3% (95%CI, 2.7%, 26.4%) lower cerebral vasoreactivity. Further adjustment for ozone and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) did not materially alter the results. However, we found statistically significant interactions between ambient temperature and PM2.5 such that the association between temperature and blood flow velocity was attenuated at higher levels of PM2.5. In this elderly population, we found that ambient temperature was negatively associated with cerebral blood flow velocity and cerebrovascular vasoreactivity and positively associated with cerebrovascular resistance. Changes in vascular function may partly underlie the observed associations between ambient temperature and risk of cerebrovascular events.

INTERPOLATING VANCOUVER'S DAILY AMBIENT PM 10 FIELD

EPA Science Inventory

In this article we develop a spatial predictive distribution for the ambient space- time response field of daily ambient PM10 in Vancouver, Canada. Observed responses have a consistent temporal pattern from one monitoring site to the next. We exploit this feature of the field b...

Empirically Optimized Flow Cytometric Immunoassay Validates Ambient Analyte Theory

PubMed Central

Parpia, Zaheer A.; Kelso, David M.

2010-01-01

Ekins’ ambient analyte theory predicts, counter intuitively, that an immunoassay’s limit of detection can be improved by reducing the amount of capture antibody. In addition, it also anticipates that results should be insensitive to the volume of sample as well as the amount of capture antibody added. The objective of this study is to empirically validate all of the performance characteristics predicted by Ekins’ theory. Flow cytometric analysis was used to detect binding between a fluorescent ligand and capture microparticles since it can directly measure fractional occupancy, the primary response variable in ambient analyte theory. After experimentally determining ambient analyte conditions, comparisons were carried out between ambient and non-ambient assays in terms of their signal strengths, limits of detection, and their sensitivity to variations in reaction volume and number of particles. The critical number of binding sites required for an assay to be in the ambient analyte region was estimated to be 0.1VKd. As predicted, such assays exhibited superior signal/noise levels and limits of detection; and were not affected by variations in sample volume and number of binding sites. When the signal detected measures fractional occupancy, ambient analyte theory is an excellent guide to developing assays with superior performance characteristics. PMID:20152793

Automated Processing Workflow for Ambient Seismic Recordings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Girard, A. J.; Shragge, J.

2017-12-01

Structural imaging using body-wave energy present in ambient seismic data remains a challenging task, largely because these wave modes are commonly much weaker than surface wave energy. In a number of situations body-wave energy has been extracted successfully; however, (nearly) all successful body-wave extraction and imaging approaches have focused on cross-correlation processing. While this is useful for interferometric purposes, it can also lead to the inclusion of unwanted noise events that dominate the resulting stack, leaving body-wave energy overpowered by the coherent noise. Conversely, wave-equation imaging can be applied directly on non-correlated ambient data that has been preprocessed to mitigate unwanted energy (i.e., surface waves, burst-like and electromechanical noise) to enhance body-wave arrivals. Following this approach, though, requires a significant preprocessing effort on often Terabytes of ambient seismic data, which is expensive and requires automation to be a feasible approach. In this work we outline an automated processing workflow designed to optimize body wave energy from an ambient seismic data set acquired on a large-N array at a mine site near Lalor Lake, Manitoba, Canada. We show that processing ambient seismic data in the recording domain, rather than the cross-correlation domain, allows us to mitigate energy that is inappropriate for body-wave imaging. We first develop a method for window selection that automatically identifies and removes data contaminated by coherent high-energy bursts. We then apply time- and frequency-domain debursting techniques to mitigate the effects of remaining strong amplitude and/or monochromatic energy without severely degrading the overall waveforms. After each processing step we implement a QC check to investigate improvements in the convergence rates - and the emergence of reflection events - in the cross-correlation plus stack waveforms over hour-long windows. Overall, the QC analyses suggest that

Modifications of exposure to ambient particulate matter: Tackling bias in using ambient concentration as surrogate with particle infiltration factor and ambient exposure factor.

PubMed

Shi, Shanshan; Chen, Chen; Zhao, Bin

2017-01-01

Numerous epidemiological studies explored health risks attributed to outdoor particle pollution. However, a number of these studies routinely utilized ambient concentration as a surrogate for personal exposure to ambient particles. This simplification ignored the difference between indoor and outdoor concentrations of outdoor originated particles and may bias the estimate of particle-health associations. Intending to avoid the bias, particle infiltration factor (F inf ), which describes the penetration of outdoor particles in indoor environment, and ambient exposure factor (α), which represents the fraction of outdoor particles people are truly exposed to, are utilized as modification factors to modify outdoor particle concentration. In this study, the probabilistic distributions of annually-averaged and seasonally-averaged F inf and α were assessed for residences and residents in Beijing. F inf of a single residence and α of an individual was estimated based on the mechanisms governing particle outdoor-to-indoor migration and human time-activity pattern. With this as the core deterministic model, probabilistic distributions of F inf and α were estimated via Monte Carlo Simulation. Annually-averaged F inf of PM 2.5 and PM 10 for residences in Beijing tended to be log-normally distributed as lnN(-0.74,0.14) and lnN(-0.94,0.15) with geometric mean value as 0.47 and 0.39, respectively. Annually-averaged α of PM 2.5 and PM 10 for Beijing residents also tended to be log-normally distributed as lnN(-0.59,0.12) and lnN(-0.73,0.13) with geometric mean value as 0.55 and 0.48, respectively. As for seasonally-averaged results, F inf and α of PM 2.5 and PM 10 were largest in summer and smallest in winter. The obvious difference between these modification factors and unity suggested that modifications of ambient particle concentration need to be considered in epidemiological studies to avoid misclassifications of personal exposure to ambient particles. Moreover

Ambient Temperature and Cerebrovascular Hemodynamics in the Elderly

PubMed Central

Pan, Wen-Chi; Eliot, Melissa N.; Koutrakis, Petros; Coull, Brent A.; Sorond, Farzaneh A.; Wellenius, Gregory A.

2015-01-01

Background and Purpose Some prior studies have linked ambient temperature with risk of cerebrovascular events. If causal, the pathophysiologic mechanisms underlying this putative association remain unknown. Temperature-related changes in cerebral vascular function may play a role, but this hypothesis has not been previously evaluated. Methods We evaluated the association between ambient temperature and cerebral vascular function among 432 participants ≥65 years old from the MOBILIZE Boston Study with data on cerebrovascular blood flow, cerebrovascular resistance, and cerebrovascular reactivity in the middle cerebral artery. We used linear regression models to assess the association of mean ambient temperature in the previous 1 to 28 days with cerebrovascular hemodynamics adjusting for potential confounding factors. Results A 10°C increase in the 21-day moving average of ambient temperature was associated with a 10.1% (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.2%, 17.3%) lower blood flow velocity, a 9.0% (95% CI, 0.7%, 18.0%) higher cerebrovascular resistance, and a 15.3% (95%CI, 2.7%, 26.4%) lower cerebral vasoreactivity. Further adjustment for ozone and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) did not materially alter the results. However, we found statistically significant interactions between ambient temperature and PM2.5 such that the association between temperature and blood flow velocity was attenuated at higher levels of PM2.5. Conclusions In this elderly population, we found that ambient temperature was negatively associated with cerebral blood flow velocity and cerebrovascular vasoreactivity and positively associated with cerebrovascular resistance. Changes in vascular function may partly underlie the observed associations between ambient temperature and risk of cerebrovascular events. PMID:26258469

Ambient air contamination: Characterization and detection techniques

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nulton, C. P.; Silvus, H. S.

1985-01-01

Techniques to characterize and detect sources of ambient air contamination are described. Chemical techniques to identify indoor contaminants are outlined, they include gas chromatography, or colorimetric detection. Organics generated from indoor materials at ambient conditions and upon combustion are characterized. Piezoelectric quartz crystals are used as precision frequency determining elements in electronic oscillators.

14 CFR 25.1527 - Ambient air temperature and operating altitude.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Ambient air temperature and operating... Information Operating Limitations § 25.1527 Ambient air temperature and operating altitude. The extremes of the ambient air temperature and operating altitude for which operation is allowed, as limited by...

14 CFR 25.1527 - Ambient air temperature and operating altitude.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Ambient air temperature and operating... Information Operating Limitations § 25.1527 Ambient air temperature and operating altitude. The extremes of the ambient air temperature and operating altitude for which operation is allowed, as limited by...

14 CFR 25.1527 - Ambient air temperature and operating altitude.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Ambient air temperature and operating... Information Operating Limitations § 25.1527 Ambient air temperature and operating altitude. The extremes of the ambient air temperature and operating altitude for which operation is allowed, as limited by...

14 CFR 25.1527 - Ambient air temperature and operating altitude.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Ambient air temperature and operating... Information Operating Limitations § 25.1527 Ambient air temperature and operating altitude. The extremes of the ambient air temperature and operating altitude for which operation is allowed, as limited by...

ASSESSMENT OF HUMAN EXPOSURE TO AMBIENT PARTICULATE MATTER.

EPA Science Inventory

Recent epidemiological studies have consistently shown that the acute mortality effects of high concentrations of ambient particulate matter (PM), documented in historic air pollution episodes, may also be occurring at the low to moderate concentrations of ambient PM found in mod...

Associations between summertime ambient pollutants and respiratory morbidity in New York City: Comparison of results using ambient concentrations versus predicted exposures

EPA Science Inventory

Epidemiological analyses of air quality often estimate human exposure from ambient monitoring data, potentially leading to exposure misclassification and subsequent bias in estimated health risks. To investigate this, we conducted a case-crossover study of summertime ambient ozon...

Ambient workplace heterosexism: Implications for sexual minority and heterosexual employees.

PubMed

Miner, Kathi N; Costa, Paula L

2018-06-01

This study examined the relationship between ambient workplace heterosexism, emotional reactions (i.e., fear and anger), and outcomes for sexual minority and heterosexual employees. Five hundred thirty-six restaurant employees (68% female, 77% White) completed an online survey assessing the variables of interest. Results showed that greater experiences of ambient workplace heterosexism were associated with heightened fear and anger and, in turn, with heightened psychological distress (for fear) and greater physical health complaints, turnover intentions, and lowered job satisfaction (for anger). Fear also mediated the relationship between ambient workplace heterosexism and psychological distress. In addition, sexual orientation moderated the relationship between ambient workplace heterosexism and fear such that sexual minority employees reported more fear than heterosexuals with greater ambient heterosexism. These effects occurred after controlling for personal experiences of interpersonal discrimination. Our findings suggest that ambient workplace heterosexism can be harmful to all employees, not only sexual minorities or targeted individuals. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The Danger from the Outer Space. (Breton Title: O Perigo que Vem do Espaço.) El Peligro que Viene del Espacio

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bedaque, Paulo

2005-12-01

possíveis "agressores" e na estimativa dos reais riscos que corremos. Entre los muchos riesgos que corre el ambiente terrestre existe la remota posibilidad de choques con pequeños cuerpos celestes como cometas y asteroides, y que pueden provocar desde pequeños daños sin mayores consecuencias hasta cataclismos de grandes dimensiones, con reflejos para toda la vida existente enla Tierra. Latasa de colisiones, como era de esperar, es mucho menor para cuerpos con masas y diámetros crecientes. Es posible realizar simulaciones considerando el diámetro, la masa, su velocidad y el ángulo de la colisión para estimar las probabilidades, las consecuencias para el planeta y con qué tasa temporal podemos esperarlas. Los resultados de estas simulaciones se presentan en gráficos para facilitar el análisis final. Finalmente señalamos que existen varios centros de investigación en el mundo trabajando en barreduras del cielo en busca de posibles "agresores" y en las estimaciones de los riesgos que corremos.

Effect of Ambient Temperature on the Human Tear Film.

PubMed

Abusharha, Ali A; Pearce, E Ian; Fagehi, Raied

2016-09-01

During everyday life, the tear film is exposed to a wide range of ambient temperatures. This study aims to investigate the effect of ambient temperature on tear film physiology. A controlled environment chamber was used to create different ambient temperatures (5, 10, 15, 20, and 25°C) at a constant relative humidity of 40%. Subjects attended for two separate visits and were exposed to 25, 20, and 15°C at one visit and to 10 and 5°C at the other visit. The subjects were exposed to each room temperature for 10 min before investigating tear film parameters. The order of the visits was random. Tear physiology parameters assessed were tear evaporation rate, noninvasive tear break-up time (NITBUT), lipid layer thickness (LLT), and ocular surface temperature (OST). Each parameter was assessed under each condition. A threefold increase in tear evaporation rate was observed as ambient temperature increased to 25°C (P=0.00). The mean evaporation rate increased from 0.056 μL/min at 5°C to 0.17 μL/min at 25°C. The mean NITBUT increased from 7.31 sec at 5°C to 12.35 sec at 25°C (P=0.01). A significant change in LLT was also observed (P=0.00), LLT median ranged between 20 and 40 nm at 5 and 10°C and increased to 40 and 90 nm at 15, 20, and 25°C. Mean reduction of 4°C OST was observed as ambient temperature decreased from 25 to 5°C. Ambient temperature has a considerable effect on human tear film characteristics. Tear evaporation rate, tear LLT, tear stability, and OST were considerably affected by ambient temperature. Chronic exposure to low ambient temperature would likely result in symptoms of dry eye and ultimately ocular surface disorders.

Volumetric ambient occlusion for real-time rendering and games.

PubMed

Szirmay-Kalos, L; Umenhoffer, T; Toth, B; Szecsi, L; Sbert, M

2010-01-01

This new algorithm, based on GPUs, can compute ambient occlusion to inexpensively approximate global-illumination effects in real-time systems and games. The first step in deriving this algorithm is to examine how ambient occlusion relates to the physically founded rendering equation. The correspondence stems from a fuzzy membership function that defines what constitutes nearby occlusions. The next step is to develop a method to calculate ambient occlusion in real time without precomputation. The algorithm is based on a novel interpretation of ambient occlusion that measures the relative volume of the visible part of the surface's tangent sphere. The new formula's integrand has low variation and thus can be estimated accurately with a few samples.

Sampling and analyte enrichment strategies for ambient mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Li, Xianjiang; Ma, Wen; Li, Hongmei; Ai, Wanpeng; Bai, Yu; Liu, Huwei

2018-01-01

Ambient mass spectrometry provides great convenience for fast screening, and has showed promising potential in analytical chemistry. However, its relatively low sensitivity seriously restricts its practical utility in trace compound analysis. In this review, we summarize the sampling and analyte enrichment strategies coupled with nine modes of representative ambient mass spectrometry (desorption electrospray ionization, paper vhspray ionization, wooden-tip spray ionization, probe electrospray ionization, coated blade spray ionization, direct analysis in real time, desorption corona beam ionization, dielectric barrier discharge ionization, and atmospheric-pressure solids analysis probe) that have dramatically increased the detection sensitivity. We believe that these advances will promote routine use of ambient mass spectrometry. Graphical abstract Scheme of sampling stretagies for ambient mass spectrometry.

Estimación de pequeñas perturbaciones en satélites geocéntricos como un problema inverso

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zadunaisky, P. E.

El movimiento geocéntrico de un satélite artificial es simulado automáticamente por un sistema de ecuaciones diferenciales de segundo orden que incluyen dos funciones perturbadoras. La primera representa el segundo término del potencial gravitatorio de la Tierra y la segunda corresponde al frenado atmosférico. Asumiendo como conocidas, por hipótesis o por mediciones, la posición y velocidad del satélite en instantes sucesivos se estiman las perturbaciones a intervalos sucesivos por un método determinístico. Para ilustrar el método y comprobar la precisión de nuestros resultados hemos simulado dos ejemplos incluyendo valores conocidos de las perturbaciones que luego comparamos con los resultados de nuestro método. El método puede aplicarse por ejemplo para el intervalo de una revolución satelital lo cual permitiría el diseño inmediato de una maniobra correctiva de la órbita satelital.

Ozone studies in the Paso del Norte region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Becerra-Davila, Fernando

The Paso del Norte region forms the largest contiguous bi-national conglomerate on the US-Mexico border. With a combined population of around 2 million inhabitants, the Paso del Norte region is isolated, more than 500 km away from the nearest urban area of comparable size, thus making it an ideal location for air quality studies of an isolated urban environment. The meteorological conditions leading to a high ozone episode in this region, such as the historical ozone episode of June 2006, are analyzed. It is well known that stagnation and minimal winds, high temperatures, and pressure ridges over the region are conducive to high ozone episodes. In addition, the planetary boundary height is studied to understand its impact on high ozone episodes. Several studies report that ground level ozone non-attainment regulations could be caused not only by local emissions, but also by atmospheric transport. In this work the atmospheric advection of pollutants into the region is analyzed using HYSPLIT backward trajectories. Furthermore, a novel backward trajectory clustering technique is implemented for the summer of 2006. The "ozone weekend effect" (OWE) is a phenomenon by which in some geographical regions ambient ozone concentrations tend to be higher on weekends than on weekdays, despite the lower emissions of ozone precursors during those days. The observed local OWE has never previously been studied in terms of the photolysis rates of four of the main ozone precursors. In this research a novel method that allows the calculation of actinic fluxes, photolysis frequencies and photolysis rates with a high degree of accuracy and reliability has been developed. This method utilizes a combination of the experimental data available for this region in conjunction with a radiative transfer model (TUV model). Three weekend-weekday cases during summers 2006, 2009 and 2010 are studied in this work. In this research, the photolysis impact on the local OWE is studied. The results

RADIOCARBON ANALYSIS OF PM 2.5 AMBIENT AEROSOL

EPA Science Inventory

The radiocarbon (14C) content of an ambient aerosol sample can be directly related to the fraction of the sample's total carbon mass contributed by natural (biogenic) sources. Such knowledge is difficult to determine by other means, and important for devising ambient PM contro...

Technology review: prototyping platforms for monitoring ambient conditions.

PubMed

Afolaranmi, Samuel Olaiya; Ramis Ferrer, Borja; Martinez Lastra, Jose Luis

2018-05-08

The monitoring of ambient conditions in indoor spaces is very essential owing to the amount of time spent indoors. Specifically, the monitoring of air quality is significant because contaminated air affects the health, comfort and productivity of occupants. This research work presents a technology review of prototyping platforms for monitoring ambient conditions in indoor spaces. It involves the research on sensors (for CO 2 , air quality and ambient conditions), IoT platforms, and novel and commercial prototyping platforms. The ultimate objective of this review is to enable the easy identification, selection and utilisation of the technologies best suited for monitoring ambient conditions in indoor spaces. Following the review, it is recommended to use metal oxide sensors, optical sensors and electrochemical sensors for IAQ monitoring (including NDIR sensors for CO 2 monitoring), Raspberry Pi for data processing, ZigBee and Wi-Fi for data communication, and ThingSpeak IoT platform for data storage, analysis and visualisation.

Ambient Construction, LLC Information Sheet

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Ambient Construction, LLC (the Company) is located in Tallahassee, Florida. The settlement involves renovation activities conducted at property constructed prior to 1978, located in Tallahassee, Florida.

Flicker-induced retinal arteriole dilation is reduced by ambient lighting.

PubMed

Noonan, Jonathan E; Dusting, Gregory J; Nguyen, Thanh T; Man, Ryan E K; Best, William J; Lamoureux, Ecosse L

2014-08-07

To investigate the impact of ambient room lighting on the magnitude of flicker light-induced retinal vasodilations in healthy individuals. Twenty healthy nonsmokers participated in a balanced 2 × 2 crossover study. Retinal vascular imaging was performed with the dynamic vessel analyzer under reduced or normal ambient lighting, then again after 20 minutes under the alternate condition. Baseline calibers of selected arteriole and venule segments were recorded in measurement units. Maximum percentage dilations from baseline during 20 seconds of luminance flicker were calculated from the mean of three measurement cycles. Within-subject differences were assessed by repeated measures analysis of variance with the assumption of no carryover effects and pairwise comparisons from the fitted model. Mean (SD) maximum arteriole dilations during flicker stimulation under reduced and normal ambient lighting were 4.8% (2.3%) and 4.1% (1.9%), respectively (P = 0.019). Maximum arteriole dilations were (mean ± 95% confidence interval) 0.7% ± 0.6% lower under normal ambient lighting compared with reduced lighting. Ambient lighting had no significant effect on maximum venular dilations during flicker stimulation or on the baseline calibers of arterioles or venules. Retinal arteriole dilation in response to luminance flicker stimulation is reduced under higher ambient lighting conditions. Reduced responses with higher ambient lighting may reflect reduced contrast between the ON and OFF flicker phases. Although it may not always be feasible to conduct studies under reduced lighting conditions, ambient lighting levels should be consistent to ensure that comparisons are valid. Copyright 2014 The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, Inc.

Characterizing CO and NOy Sources and Relative Ambient Ratios in the Baltimore Area Using Ambient Measurements and Source Attribution Modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simon, Heather; Valin, Luke C.; Baker, Kirk R.; Henderson, Barron H.; Crawford, James H.; Pusede, Sally E.; Kelly, James T.; Foley, Kristen M.; Chris Owen, R.; Cohen, Ronald C.; Timin, Brian; Weinheimer, Andrew J.; Possiel, Norm; Misenis, Chris; Diskin, Glenn S.; Fried, Alan

2018-03-01

Modeled source attribution information from the Community Multiscale Air Quality model was coupled with ambient data from the 2011 Deriving Information on Surface conditions from Column and Vertically Resolved Observations Relevant to Air Quality Baltimore field study. We assess source contributions and evaluate the utility of using aircraft measured CO and NOy relationships to constrain emission inventories. We derive ambient and modeled ΔCO:ΔNOy ratios that have previously been interpreted to represent CO:NOy ratios in emissions from local sources. Modeled and measured ΔCO:ΔNOy are similar; however, measured ΔCO:ΔNOy has much more daily variability than modeled values. Sector-based tagging shows that regional transport, on-road gasoline vehicles, and nonroad equipment are the major contributors to modeled CO mixing ratios in the Baltimore area. In addition to those sources, on-road diesel vehicles, soil emissions, and power plants also contribute substantially to modeled NOy in the area. The sector mix is important because emitted CO:NOx ratios vary by several orders of magnitude among the emission sources. The model-predicted gasoline/diesel split remains constant across all measurement locations in this study. Comparison of ΔCO:ΔNOy to emitted CO:NOy is challenged by ambient and modeled evidence that free tropospheric entrainment, and atmospheric processing elevates ambient ΔCO:ΔNOy above emitted ratios. Specifically, modeled ΔCO:ΔNOy from tagged mobile source emissions is enhanced 5-50% above the emitted ratios at times and locations of aircraft measurements. We also find a correlation between ambient formaldehyde concentrations and measured ΔCO:ΔNOy suggesting that secondary CO formation plays a role in these elevated ratios. This analysis suggests that ambient urban daytime ΔCO:ΔNOy values are not reflective of emitted ratios from individual sources.

PREVENCIÓN DEL VIH/SIDA EN LOS CIRCUITOS DE LEVANTE HSH: UNA ASIGNATURA PENDIENTE.

PubMed

Barreda, Victoria; Carballo-Dieguez, Alex; Marone, Rubén; Balán, Iván; Pando, María Ángeles; Avila, María Mercedes

2010-12-01

A partir de un relevamiento de tipo etnográfico, se describen lugares de encuentro de HSH en la Ciudad de Buenos Aires y sus prácticas sexuales. El reconocimiento de tales espacios, así como las características que asumen en ellos los encuentros sexuales entre los HSH, plantean obstáculos específicos en la adopción de comportamientos preventivos y, asimismo, generan nuevos desafíos para las actividades de prevención. Se plantean las dificultades y debates conceptuales que la misma categoría presenta, y sus consecuencias en el abordaje preventivo y teórico-metodológico para las ciencias sociales. Además, se proponen nuevos interrogantes acerca de los alcances y las limitaciones del modelo preventivo del VIH/Sida para HSH.

Evaporative water loss, relative water economy and evaporative partitioning of a heterothermic marsupial, the monito del monte (Dromiciops gliroides).

PubMed

Withers, Philip C; Cooper, Christine E; Nespolo, Roberto F

2012-08-15

We examine here evaporative water loss, economy and partitioning at ambient temperatures from 14 to 33°C for the monito del monte (Dromiciops gliroides), a microbiotheriid marsupial found only in temperate rainforests of Chile. The monito's standard evaporative water loss (2.58 mg g(-1) h(-1) at 30°C) was typical for a marsupial of its body mass and phylogenetic position. Evaporative water loss was independent of air temperature below thermoneutrality, but enhanced evaporative water loss and hyperthermia were the primary thermal responses above the thermoneutral zone. Non-invasive partitioning of total evaporative water loss indicated that respiratory loss accounted for 59-77% of the total, with no change in respiratory loss with ambient temperature, but a small change in cutaneous loss below thermoneutrality and an increase in cutaneous loss in and above thermoneutrality. Relative water economy (metabolic water production/evaporative water loss) increased at low ambient temperatures, with a point of relative water economy of 15.4°C. Thermolability had little effect on relative water economy, but conferred substantial energy savings at low ambient temperatures. Torpor reduced total evaporative water loss to as little as 21% of normothermic values, but relative water economy during torpor was poor even at low ambient temperatures because of the relatively greater reduction in metabolic water production than in evaporative water loss. The poor water economy of the monito during torpor suggests that negative water balance may explain why hibernators periodically arouse to normothermia, to obtain water by drinking or via an improved water economy.

Care services ecosystem for ambient assisted living

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Camarinha-Matos, Luis M.; Rosas, Joao; Ines Oliveira, Ana; Ferrada, Filipa

2015-08-01

Effective provision of care and assistance services in ambient assisted living requires the involvement and collaboration of multiple stakeholders. To support such collaboration, the development of an ecosystem of products and services for active ageing plays an important role. This article introduces a conceptual architecture that supports such care ecosystem. In order to facilitate understanding and better interrelate concepts, a 3-layered model is adopted: Infrastructure layer, Care and assistance services layer and Ambient Assisted Living ecosystem layer. A holistic perspective of ambient assisted living, namely considering four important life settings is adopted: (1) independent living; (2) health and care in life; (3) occupation in life and (4) recreation in life. The proposed architecture is designed in the context of a national Portuguese project and in accordance with the findings of a large European road mapping initiative on ICT and ageing.

Ambient Field Analysis at Groningen Gas Field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spica, Z.; Nakata, N.; Beroza, G. C.

2016-12-01

We analyze continuous ambient-field data at Groningen gas field (Netherlands) through cross-correlation processing. The Groningen array is composed of 75 shallow boreholes with 6 km spacing, which contain a 3C surface accelerometer and four 5-Hz 3C borehole geophones spaced at 50 m depth intervals. We successfully retrieve coherent waves from ambient seismic field on the 9 components between stations. Results show high SNR signal in the frequency range of 0.125-1 Hz, and the ZZ, ZR, RZ, RR and TT components show much stronger wave energy than other components as expected. This poster discuss the different type of waves retrieved, the utility of the combination of borehole and surface observations, future development as well as the importance to compute the 9 components of the Green's tensor to better understand the wave field propriety with ambient noise.

Impacto del Seguro Popular en el gasto catastrófico y de bolsillo en el México rural y urbano, 2005–2008

PubMed Central

Sosa-Rubí, Sandra G; Salinas-Rodríguez, Aarón; Galárraga, Omar

2016-01-01

Objetivo Estimar el efecto del Seguro Popular (SP) sobre la incidencia del gasto catastrófico en salud (GCS) y sobre el gasto de bolsillo en salud (GBS) en el mediano plazo. Material y métodos Con base en la Encuesta de Evaluación del Seguro Popular (2005–2008), se analizaron los resultados del efecto del SP en la cohorte rural para dos años de seguimiento (2006 y 2008) y en la cohorte urbana para un año (2008). Resultados A nivel conglomerado no se detectaron efectos del SP. A nivel hogar se encontró que el SP tiene un efecto protector en el GCS y en el GBS en consulta externa y hospitalización en zonas rurales; y efectos significativos en la reducción de GBS en consulta externa en zonas urbanas. Conclusiones El SP se muestra como un programa efectivo para proteger a los hogares contra gastos de bolsillo por motivos de salud en el mediano plazo. PMID:22282205

Extraction of body waves from seismic ambient noise

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Eun Mi; Kang, Tae Seob; Kim, Tae Sung

2014-05-01

Ambient noise cross-correlation is used in seismology to obtain the part of the surface waves and applied to the theoretical researches and various experiments. Obtaining the part of body waves from the ambient noise correlation is difficult to recognize because of the feature decreasing body waves along the travel path. However, the travel times of body waves detected from temporal and spacial events occurrence involve uncertainty of the epicenter and accompany temporal-spacial restriction. On the other hand, ambient noise is always occurred and is obtained at the all stations. So it can be applied to research of the internal earth when the case of extracting the body waves using the cross-correlation is possible. This study shows that body waves can be observed by analyzing the ambient noise recorded seismic data in South Korea. Using 42 broad-band three components stations located on the South Korea. The data removed the mean and trend are filtered high-frequency band(0.5-2Hz). The noise correlations were calculated for all combinations of radial, transverse and veltical components, which required rotation of the horizontal components for each station pair according to the azimuth at each station of the great-circle between the two stations. Removing the part of broad-band signals effected by occurring event, the part of standard deviations more than three times are removed. And it applied spectral whitening to reduce effects of the surface waves. After data processing, all ambient noise signals are cross-correlated and temporal stacked. We found the signals propagating from one station to another station, this signals can be interpreted as the body waves distinguished surface travel-time in high-frequency band.From this analysis, we can extract the body waves using ambient noise cross correlation of continuous data at the stations.

Ambient Air Pollution and Atherosclerosis in Los Angeles

PubMed Central

Künzli, Nino; Jerrett, Michael; Mack, Wendy J.; Beckerman, Bernardo; LaBree, Laurie; Gilliland, Frank; Thomas, Duncan; Peters, John; Hodis, Howard N.

2005-01-01

Associations have been found between long-term exposure to ambient air pollution and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The contribution of air pollution to atherosclerosis that underlies many cardiovascular diseases has not been investigated. Animal data suggest that ambient particulate matter (PM) may contribute to atherogenesis. We used data on 798 participants from two clinical trials to investigate the association between atherosclerosis and long-term exposure to ambient PM up to 2.5 μm in aerodynamic diameter (PM2.5). Baseline data included assessment of the carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT), a measure of subclinical atherosclerosis. We geocoded subjects’ residential areas to assign annual mean concentrations of ambient PM2.5. Exposure values were assigned from a PM2.5 surface derived from a geostatistical model. Individually assigned annual mean PM2.5 concentrations ranged from 5.2 to 26.9 μg/m3 (mean, 20.3). For a cross-sectional exposure contrast of 10 μg/m3 PM2.5, CIMT increased by 5.9% (95% confidence interval, 1–11%). Adjustment for age reduced the coefficients, but further adjustment for covariates indicated robust estimates in the range of 3.9–4.3% (p-values, 0.05–0.1). Among older subjects (≥60 years of age), women, never smokers, and those reporting lipid-lowering treatment at baseline, the associations of PM2.5 and CIMT were larger with the strongest associations in women ≥60 years of age (15.7%, 5.7–26.6%). These results represent the first epidemiologic evidence of an association between atherosclerosis and ambient air pollution. Given the leading role of cardiovascular disease as a cause of death and the large populations exposed to ambient PM2.5, these findings may be important and need further confirmation. PMID:15687058

Health-Enabling and Ambient Assistive Technologies: Past, Present, Future.

PubMed

Haux, R; Koch, S; Lovell, N H; Marschollek, M; Nakashima, N; Wolf, K-H

2016-06-30

During the last decades, health-enabling and ambient assistive technologies became of considerable relevance for new informatics-based forms of diagnosis, prevention, and therapy. To describe the state of the art of health-enabling and ambient assistive technologies in 1992 and today, and its evolution over the last 25 years as well as to project where the field is expected to be in the next 25 years. In the context of this review, we define health-enabling and ambient assistive technologies as ambiently used sensor-based information and communication technologies, aiming at contributing to a person's health and health care as well as to her or his quality of life. Systematic review of all original articles with research focus in all volumes of the IMIA Yearbook of Medical Informatics. Surveying authors independently on key projects and visions as well as on their lessons learned in the context of health-enabling and ambient assistive technologies and summarizing their answers. Surveying authors independently on their expectations for the future and summarizing their answers. IMIA Yearbook papers containing statements on health-enabling and ambient assistive technologies appear first in 2002. These papers form a minor part of published research articles in medical informatics. However, during recent years the number of articles published has increased significantly. Key projects were identified. There was a clear progress on the use of technologies. However proof of diagnostic relevance and therapeutic efficacy remains still limited. Reforming health care processes and focussing more on patient needs are required. Health-enabling and ambient assistive technologies remain an important field for future health care and for interdisciplinary research. More and more publications assume that a person's home and their interaction therein, are becoming important components in health care provision, assessment, and management.

Health-Enabling and Ambient Assistive Technologies: Past, Present, Future

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Summary Background During the last decades, health-enabling and ambient assistive technologies became of considerable relevance for new informatics-based forms of diagnosis, prevention, and therapy. Objectives To describe the state of the art of health-enabling and ambient assistive technologies in 1992 and today, and its evolution over the last 25 years as well as to project where the field is expected to be in the next 25 years. In the context of this review, we define health-enabling and ambient assistive technologies as ambiently used sensor-based information and communication technologies, aiming at contributing to a person’s health and health care as well as to her or his quality of life. Methods Systematic review of all original articles with research focus in all volumes of the IMIA Yearbook of Medical Informatics. Surveying authors independently on key projects and visions as well as on their lessons learned in the context of health-enabling and ambient assistive technologies and summarizing their answers. Surveying authors independently on their expectations for the future and summarizing their answers. Results IMIA Yearbook papers containing statements on health-enabling and ambient assistive technologies appear first in 2002. These papers form a minor part of published research articles in medical informatics. However, during recent years the number of articles published has increased significantly. Key projects were identified. There was a clear progress on the use of technologies. However proof of diagnostic relevance and therapeutic efficacy remains still limited. Reforming health care processes and focussing more on patient needs are required. Conclusions Health-enabling and ambient assistive technologies remain an important field for future health care and for interdisciplinary research. More and more publications assume that a person‘s home and their interaction therein, are becoming important components in health care provision, assessment

Ambient pressure fuel cell system

DOEpatents

Wilson, Mahlon S.

2000-01-01

An ambient pressure fuel cell system is provided with a fuel cell stack formed from a plurality of fuel cells having membrane/electrode assemblies (MEAs) that are hydrated with liquid water and bipolar plates with anode and cathode sides for distributing hydrogen fuel gas and water to a first side of each one of the MEAs and air with reactant oxygen gas to a second side of each one of the MEAs. A pump supplies liquid water to the fuel cells. A recirculating system may be used to return unused hydrogen fuel gas to the stack. A near-ambient pressure blower blows air through the fuel cell stack in excess of reaction stoichiometric amounts to react with the hydrogen fuel gas.

Ambient-temperature co-oxidation catalysts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Upchurch, Billy T.; Schryer, David R.; Brown, Kenneth G.; Kielin, Erik J.

1991-01-01

Oxidation catalysts which operate at ambient temperature were developed for the recombination of carbon monoxide (CO) and oxygen (O2) dissociation products which are formed during carbon dioxide (CO2) laser operation. Recombination of these products to regenerate CO2 allows continuous operation of CO2 lasers in a closed cycle mode. Development of these catalyst materials provides enabling technology for the operation of such lasers from space platforms or in ground based facilities without constant gas consumption required for continuous open cycle operation. Such catalysts also have other applications in various areas outside the laser community for removal of CO from other closed environments such as indoor air and as an ambient temperature catalytic converter for control of auto emissions.

Plume Splitting in a Two-layer Stratified Ambient Fluid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Yongxing; Flynn, Morris; Sutherland, Bruce

2017-11-01

A line-source plume descending into a two-layer stratified ambient fluid in a finite sized tank is studied experimentally. Although the total volume of ambient fluid is fixed, lower- and upper-layer fluids are respectively removed and added at a constant rate mimicking marine outfall through diffusers and natural and hybrid ventilated buildings. The influence of the plume on the ambient depends on the value of λ, defined as the ratio of the plume buoyancy to the buoyancy loss of the plume as it crosses the ambient interface. Similar to classical filling-box experiments, the plume can always reach the bottom of the tank if λ > 1 . By contrast, if λ < 1 , an intermediate layer eventually forms as a result of plume splitting. Eventually all of the plume fluid spreads within the intermediate layer. The starting time, tv, and the ending time, tt, of the transition process measured from experiments correlate with the value of λ. A three-layer ambient fluid is observed after transition, and the mean value of the measured densities of the intermediate layer fluid is well predicted using plume theory. Acknowledgments: Funding for this study was provided by NSERC.

Evidence of Non-extensivity in Earth's Ambient Noise

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koutalonis, Ioannis; Vallianatos, Filippos

2017-12-01

The study of ambient seismic noise is one of the important scientific and practical research challenges, due to its use in a number of geophysical applications. In this work, we describe Earth's ambient noise fluctuations in terms of non-extensive statistical physics. We found that Earth's ambient noise increments follow the q-Gaussian distribution. This indicates that Earth's ambient noise's fluctuations are not random and present long-term memory effects that could be described in terms of Tsallis entropy. Our results suggest that q values depend on the time length used and that the non-extensive parameter, q, converges to value q → 1 for short-time windows and a saturation value of q ≈ 1.33 for longer ones. The results are discussed from the point of view of superstatistics introduced by Beck [Contin Mech Thermodyn 16(3):293-304, 2004] and connects the q values with the system's degrees of freedom. Our work indicates that the converged (maximum) value is q = 1.33 and is related to 5 degrees of freedom.

DEL phenotype.

PubMed

Kwon, Dong H; Sandler, S G; Flegel, Willy A

2017-09-01

DEL red blood cells (RBCs) type as D- by routine serologic methods and are transfused routinely, without being identified as expressing a very weak D antigen, to D- recipients. DEL RBCs are detected only by adsorption and elution of anti-D or by molecular methods. Most DEL phenotypes have been reported in population studies conducted in East Asia, although DEL phenotypes have been detected also among Caucasian individuals. Approximately 98 percent of DEL phenotypes in East Asians are associated with the RHD*DEL1 or RHD*01EL.01 allele. The prevalence of DEL phenotypes has been reported among D- Han Chinese (30%), Japanese (28%), and Korean (17%) populations. The prevalence of DEL phenotypes is significantly lower among D- Caucasian populations (0.1%). Among the 3-5 percent of African individuals who are D-, there are no reports of the DEL phenotype. Case reports from East Asia indicate that transfusion of DEL RBCs to D- recipients has been associated with D alloimmunization. East Asian immigrants constitute 2.1 percent of the 318.9 million persons residing in the United States, and an estimated 2.8 percent are blood donors. Using these statistics, we estimate that 68-683 units of DEL RBCs from donors of East Asian ancestry are transfused as D- annually in the United States. Given the reports from East Asia of D alloimmunization attributed to transfusion of DEL RBCs, one would expect an occasional report of D alloimmunization in the United States following transfusion of DEL RBCs to a D- recipient. If such cases do occur, the most likely reason that they are not detected is the absence of active post-transfusion monitoring for formation of anti-D.

Monoclinic deformation of calcite crystals at ambient conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Przeniosło, R.; Fabrykiewicz, P.; Sosnowska, I.

2016-09-01

High resolution synchrotron radiation powder diffraction shows that the average crystal structure of calcite at ambient conditions is described with the trigonal space group R 3 bar c but there is a systematic hkl-dependent Bragg peak broadening. A modelling of this anisotropic peak broadening with the microstrain model from Stephens (1999) [15] is presented. The observed lattice parameters' correlations can be described by assuming a monoclinic-type deformation of calcite crystallites. A quantitative model of this monoclinic deformation observed at ambient conditions is described with the space group C 2 / c . The monoclinic unit cell suggested at ambient conditions is related with the monoclinic unit cell reported in calcite at high pressure (Merrill and Bassett (1975) [10]).

Medio ambiente y cáncer pediátrico en la Región de Murcia (España): integrando la historia clínica medioambiental en un sistema de información geográfica

PubMed Central

Ortega-García, J.A.; López-Hernández, F.A.; Sobrino-Najul, E.; Febo, I.; Fuster-Soler, J.L.

2016-01-01

Introducción Medio Ambiente y Cáncer Pediátrico (CP) en la Región de Murcia (RM) es un proyecto de investigación, cuya principal meta es el desarrollo de una cuidadosa historia ambiental pediátrica (HAP) y el uso de sistemas de información geográfica (SIG) para crear mapas de incidencia y analizar la distribución geográfica del CP en la RM. El objetivo es presentar la metodología, el estudio descriptivo y los primeros resultados sobre la incidencia espacial y temporal del CP en la RM (España). Material y métodos Estudio descriptivo y de georreferenciación de todos los casos de CP menores de 15 años, diagnosticados entre el 1 de enero de 1998 y el 31 de diciembre de 2009. Se han asociado a cada caso tres direcciones postales, durante el embarazo, en el período posnatal y en el momento del diagnóstico. También se han utilizado las siguientes variables: sexo, fechas de nacimiento y diagnóstico y el diagnóstico patológico. Resultados No se observa un incremento en la tendencia de la incidencia del CP. La tasa cruda de incidencia fue de 14,3 casos por 100.000 niños menores de 15 años. La razón de incidencia estandarizada es más elevada en el noroeste de la RM. El 30% tienen un domicilio previo al diagnóstico distinto al del embarazo. Conclusiones La integración de la información temporal y espacial de la HAP en un SIG permitirá la identificación y el estudio de conglomerados espacio-temporales a través de un sistema de vigilancia medioambiental que ayude a ponderar la importancia de los factores de riesgo asociados. PMID:21315667

Ambient Air Pollution and Morbidity in Chinese.

PubMed

Hu, Li-Wen; Lawrence, Wayne R; Liu, Yimin; Yang, Bo-Yi; Zeng, Xiao-Wen; Chen, Wen; Dong, Guang-Hui

2017-01-01

The rapid economic growth in China is coupled with a severe ambient air pollution, which poses a huge threat to human health and the sustainable development of social economy. The rapid urbanization and industrialization over the last three decades have placed China as one of countries with the greatest disease burden in world. Notably, the prevalence rate of chronic noncommunicable diseases (CND), including respiratory diseases, CVD, and stroke, in 2010 reaches 16.9%. The continuous growth of the incidence of CND urgent needs for effective regulatory action for health protection. This study aims to evaluate the impact of rapid urbanization on status of ambient air pollution and associated adverse health effects on the incidence and the burden of CND and risk assessment. Our findings would be greatly significant in the prediction of the risk of ambient air pollution on CND and for evidence-based policy making and risk management in China.

Unidades generadoras de energía eléctrica para servicios públicos: Revocación del Plan de Energía Limpia: Propuesta

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

La EPA está proponiendo la revocación del Plan de Energía Limpia (CPP, por sus siglas en inglés) – después de completar una revisión minuciosa como fue dictaminada por la Orden Ejecutiva de Independencia Energética.

Effective passivation of exfoliated black phosphorus transistors against ambient degradation.

PubMed

Wood, Joshua D; Wells, Spencer A; Jariwala, Deep; Chen, Kan-Sheng; Cho, EunKyung; Sangwan, Vinod K; Liu, Xiaolong; Lauhon, Lincoln J; Marks, Tobin J; Hersam, Mark C

2014-12-10

Unencapsulated, exfoliated black phosphorus (BP) flakes are found to chemically degrade upon exposure to ambient conditions. Atomic force microscopy, electrostatic force microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy are employed to characterize the structure and chemistry of the degradation process, suggesting that O2 saturated H2O irreversibly reacts with BP to form oxidized phosphorus species. This interpretation is further supported by the observation that BP degradation occurs more rapidly on hydrophobic octadecyltrichlorosilane self-assembled monolayers and on H-Si(111) versus hydrophilic SiO2. For unencapsulated BP field-effect transistors, the ambient degradation causes large increases in threshold voltage after 6 h in ambient, followed by a ∼ 10(3) decrease in FET current on/off ratio and mobility after 48 h. Atomic layer deposited AlOx overlayers effectively suppress ambient degradation, allowing encapsulated BP FETs to maintain high on/off ratios of ∼ 10(3) and mobilities of ∼ 100 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) for over 2 weeks in ambient conditions. This work shows that the ambient degradation of BP can be managed effectively when the flakes are sufficiently passivated. In turn, our strategy for enhancing BP environmental stability will accelerate efforts to implement BP in electronic and optoelectronic applications.

The soiling of materials in the ambient atmosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamilton, R. S.; Mansfield, T. A.

Models describing the rate of soiling of exposed surfaces due to the deposition and accumulation of particulate matter from the atmosphere are reviewed. Samples of white painted wood were exposed for 110 days in the ambient atmosphere. Separate samples were sheltered and unsheltered from rainfall. Reflectance was measured daily. Results are compared with recently published studies in the U.S.A. (samples in the ambient atmosphere) and the U.K. (samples in a road tunnel). Experimental soiling rates were compared with predicted values. Existing models were satisfactory for predicting soiling in a tunnel but underestimated soiling in an ambient situation; a revised formulation is proposed for this situation. Rainfall generally produced a cleaning effect but redistribution of washed-off material could produce enhanced soiling.

AMBIENT CARBON MONOXIDE MONITOR

EPA Science Inventory

A portable instrument has been designed and two units have been built to monitor the concentration of CO in ambient air. The air flows through a sampling section that is approximately 43 cm long with a 28-pass optical system that produces a total path of 12 meters. Gas-filter cor...

Normas finales de desempeño para fuentes nuevas y revisión de tecnología y riesgos del sector de refinería de petróleo-resumen de cambios

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

La Agencia de Protección Ambiental (EPA, por sus siglas en inglés) emitió un reglamento final que mejorará significativamente la calidad del aire en los vecindarios cercanos a las refinerías de petróleo mediante un control más exhaustivo de las emisiones a

Is anthropogenic ambient noise in the ocean increasing?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McCarthy, Elena; Miller, James H.

2002-11-01

It is commonly accepted that the ocean's ambient noise levels are rising due to increased human activities in coastal and offshore areas. It has been estimated that low-frequency noise levels increased more than 10 dB in many parts of the world between 1950 and 1975. [Ross, Acoustics Bulletin, Jan/Feb (1993)]. Several other sources cite an increase in manmade, or anthropogenic, noise over the past few decades. [D. A. Croll et al., Animal Conservation 4(1) (2001); Marine Mammal Commission Report to Congress (1999); C. W. Turl, NOSC Tech. Report 776 (1982)]. However, there are few historical records of ambient noise data to substantiate these claims. This paper examines several sectors of anthropogenic activities to determine their contributions to ambient noise. These activities include shipping, oil and gas exploration, military sonar development, and academic research. A series of indices for each of these industries is developed to predict ambient noise trends in the sea. It is found that the amount of noise generated by individual activities may have decreased overall due to new technologies and improved efficiency even if the intensity of such activities has increased.

Time to harmonize national ambient air quality standards.

PubMed

Kutlar Joss, Meltem; Eeftens, Marloes; Gintowt, Emily; Kappeler, Ron; Künzli, Nino

2017-05-01

The World Health Organization has developed ambient air quality guidelines at levels considered to be safe or of acceptable risk for human health. These guidelines are meant to support governments in defining national standards. It is unclear how they are followed. We compiled an inventory of ambient air quality standards for 194 countries worldwide for six air pollutants: PM 2.5 , PM 10 , ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide and carbon monoxide. We conducted literature and internet searches and asked country representatives about national ambient air quality standards. We found information on 170 countries including 57 countries that did not set any air quality standards. Levels varied greatly by country and by pollutant. Ambient air quality standards for PM 2.5 , PM 10 and SO 2 poorly complied with WHO guideline values. The agreement was higher for CO, SO 2 (10-min averaging time) and NO 2 . Regulatory differences mirror the differences in air quality and the related burden of disease around the globe. Governments worldwide should adopt science based air quality standards and clean air management plans to continuously improve air quality locally, nationally, and globally.

Origen y evolución de la estructura del Universo

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

García Lambas, D.

Se presenta una revisión de diversos tópicos vinculados a la evolución de estructuras en el Universo y se discuten los escenarios más aceptados para la comprensión de las irregularidades primigenias y de su evolución temporal. Se analizan evidencias observacionales de la naturaleza jerárquica en los mecanismos de formación de sistemas, tales como las indicaciones provenientes de las correlaciones espaciales y de velocidades, la naturaleza del Universo a alto redshift, y la habilidad de los modelos jerárquicos en predecir diversas propiedades dinámicas, fotométricas y químicas de las galaxias.

RELACIÓN MÉDICO PACIENTE: DERECHOS DEL ADULTO MAYOR

PubMed Central

Barrantes-Monge, Melba; Rodríguez, Eduardo; Lama, Alexis

2009-01-01

Existen prejuicios en relación con la vejez, incluso entre los profesionales que se dedican a la gerontología. Uno común y peligroso es considerar que los viejos son todos enfermos o discapacitados. La relación médico-paciente es la piedra angular de la práctica y ética médicas. Para alcanzar el respeto por los adultos mayores es necesaria una medicina prudente, basada en una práctica en la cual la reflexión ética y clínica pueda contribuir. Esto último es posible si se hacen valer los derechos del adulto mayor, en particular como paciente para la toma de decisiones. PMID:20379380

Investigación del USGS sobre el ecosistema de arrecifes de coral en el Atlántico

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kuffner, Ilsa B.; Yates, Kimberly K.; Zawada, David G.; Richey, Julie N.; Kellogg, Christina A.; Toth, Lauren T.; Torres-Garcia, Legna M.

2015-10-23

Los arrecifes de coral son estructuras sólidas, biomineralizadas que protegen comunidades costeras actuando como barreras protectoras de peligros tales como los huracanes y los tsunamis. Estos proveen arena a las playas a través de procesos naturales de erosión, fomentan la industria del turismo, las actividades recreacionales y proveen hábitats pesqueros esenciales. La conti-nua degradación mundial de ecosistemas de arrecifes de coral está bien documentada. Existe la necesidad de enfoque y organización de la ciencia para entender los procesos complejos físicos y biológicos e interacciones que están afectando el estado de los arrecifes coralinos y su capacidad para responder a un entorno cambiante.

Selected physico-mechanical characteristics of cryogenic and ambient ground turmeric

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barnwal, Pradyuman; Mohite, Ashish M.; Singh, Krishna K.; Kumar, Pankaj

2014-03-01

In this communication, selected physicomechanical characteristics of ground turmeric (cv. Prabha) were investigated for cryogenic and ambient grinding conditions of turmeric at different moisture contents (4, 6, 8 and 10% w.b.). A cryogenic grinder (Model: 100 UPZ, Hosokawa Alpine, Germany) and a micro pulverizer (hammer mill) were used for cryogenic and ambient grinding, respectively. The ground turmeric was graded in three grades viz. Gr-I, Gr-II and Gr-III with a sieve shaker using BSS Nos. 40, 85 and pan, respectively. Tap densities for cryogenic and ambient ground turmeric decreased from 678.7 (Gr-I) to 546.7 kgm-3 (Gr-III) and from 642.3 (Gr-I) to 468.6 kgm-3 (Gr-III), respectively, with the moisture increase. The angle of repose for cryogenic and ambient ground turmeric increased linearly from 26.85 (Gr-I) to 34.0° (Gr-III) and from 23.10 (Gr-I) to 28.06° (Gr-III), respectively with the increase in moisture content. The static coefficient of friction was the highest on plywood surface followed by mild steel sheet and galvanized iron sheet. The cryoground samples were found better in colour. Thermal conductivity of cryo-ground samples was higher than that of ambient ground samples. These physico-mechanical characteristics of cryogenic and ambient ground turmeric will be helpful for packaging, handling, and storage.

Encefalitis por anticuerpos contra el receptor de NMDA: experiencia con seis pacientes pediátricos. Potencial eficacia del metotrexato

PubMed Central

Bravo-Oro, Antonio; Abud-Mendoza, Carlos; Quezada-Corona, Arturo; Dalmau, Josep; Campos-Guevara, Verónica

2016-01-01

Introducción La encefalitis por anticuerpos contra el receptor de N-metil-D-aspartato (NMDA) es una entidad cada vez más diagnosticada en edad pediátrica. A diferencia de los adultos, en muchos casos no se asocia a tumores y las manifestaciones iniciales en niños más frecuentes son crisis convulsivas y trastornos del movimiento, mientras que en los adultos predominan las alteraciones psiquiátricas. Casos clínicos Presentamos seis casos pediátricos confirmados con anticuerpos contra la subunidad NR1 del receptor de NMDA en suero y líquido cefalorraquídeo. Cinco de los casos comenzaron con crisis convulsivas como manifestación clínica inicial antes de desarrollar el cuadro clásico de esta entidad. En todos los casos se utilizaron esteroides como primera línea de tratamiento, con los que sólo se observó control de las manifestaciones en uno, por lo que el resto de los pacientes requirió inmunomoduladores de segunda línea. Todos los pacientes recibieron metotrexato como tratamiento inmunomodulador para evitar recaídas y la evolución fue a la mejoría en todos ellos. Conclusiones En nuestra serie de pacientes con encefalitis por anticuerpos contra el receptor de NMDA, ninguno se asoció a tumores. Todos los casos recibieron metotrexato por lo menos durante un año, no observamos eventos adversos clínicos ni por laboratorio, ni hubo secuelas neurológicas ni recaídas durante el tratamiento. Aunque es una serie pequeña y es deseable incrementar el número y tiempo de evolución, consideramos el metotrexato una excelente alternativa como tratamiento inmunomodulador para esta patología. PMID:24150952

INCLUSIÓN DE LA ÉTICA Y BIOÉTICA EN LA FORMACIÓN DE PRE Y POSGRADO DEL CIRUJANO-DENTISTA EN PERÚ

PubMed Central

Rupaya, Carmen Rosa García

2009-01-01

Se revisan aspectos de la inclusión de la ética y bioética en la formación de pre y posgrado del cirujano-dentista en Perú. Desde el punto de vista de la formación del docente, se analiza la presencia de normatividad ética en la investigación científica que genera la universidad, así como los conocimientos y actitudes vinculados con la ética y bioética en la formación del odontólogo. Se concluye que es un compromiso fomentar un cambio de paradigma, a través de un movimiento masivo que involucre los ámbitos familiar, profesional y académico, con el n de integrar la reflexión ética en nuestro diario proceder. PMID:19946384

40 CFR 52.14 - State ambient air quality standards.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false State ambient air quality standards. 52.14 Section 52.14 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS... quality standards. Any ambient air quality standard submitted with a plan which is less stringent than a...

40 CFR 52.14 - State ambient air quality standards.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 3 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false State ambient air quality standards. 52.14 Section 52.14 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS... quality standards. Any ambient air quality standard submitted with a plan which is less stringent than a...

40 CFR 52.14 - State ambient air quality standards.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 3 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false State ambient air quality standards. 52.14 Section 52.14 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS... quality standards. Any ambient air quality standard submitted with a plan which is less stringent than a...

40 CFR 52.14 - State ambient air quality standards.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 3 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false State ambient air quality standards. 52.14 Section 52.14 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS... quality standards. Any ambient air quality standard submitted with a plan which is less stringent than a...

40 CFR 52.14 - State ambient air quality standards.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 3 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false State ambient air quality standards. 52.14 Section 52.14 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS... quality standards. Any ambient air quality standard submitted with a plan which is less stringent than a...

The Genetic Control of Reproductive Development under High Ambient Temperature.

PubMed

Ejaz, Mahwish; von Korff, Maria

2017-01-01

Ambient temperature has a large impact on reproductive development and grain yield in temperate cereals. However, little is known about the genetic control of development under different ambient temperatures. Here, we demonstrate that in barley (Hordeum vulgare), high ambient temperatures accelerate or delay reproductive development depending on the photoperiod response gene PHOTOPERIOD1 (Ppd-H1) and its upstream regulator EARLY FLOWERING3 (HvELF3). A natural mutation in Ppd-H1 prevalent in spring barley delayed floral development and reduced the number of florets and seeds per spike, while the wild-type Ppd-H1 or a mutant Hvelf3 allele accelerated floral development and maintained the seed number under high ambient temperatures. High ambient temperature delayed the expression phase and reduced the amplitude of clock genes and repressed the floral integrator gene FLOWERING LOCUS T1 independently of the genotype. Ppd-H1-dependent variation in flowering time under different ambient temperatures correlated with relative expression levels of the BARLEY MADS-box genes VERNALIZATION1 (HvVRN1), HvBM3, and HvBM8 in the leaf. Finally, we show that Ppd-H1 interacts with regulatory variation at HvVRN1. Ppd-H1 only accelerated floral development in the background of a spring HvVRN1 allele with a deletion in the regulatory intron. The full-length winter Hvvrn1 allele was strongly down-regulated, and flowering was delayed by high temperatures irrespective of Ppd-H1 Our findings demonstrate that the photoperiodic and vernalization pathways interact to control flowering time and floret fertility in response to ambient temperature in barley. © 2017 American Society of Plant Biologists. All Rights Reserved.

The risk of melanoma associated with ambient summer ultraviolet radiation.

PubMed

Pinault, Lauren; Bushnik, Tracey; Fioletov, Vitali; Peters, Cheryl E; King, Will D; Tjepkema, Michael

2017-05-17

Depletion of the ozone layer has meant that ambient ultraviolet radiation (UVR) has increased in recent decades. At the same time, the incidence of skin cancers, including melanoma, has risen. The relatively few large-scale studies that linked ambient UVR to melanoma found a trend toward rising incidence closer to the equator, where UVR estimates are highest. Similar research has not been conducted in Canada, where ambient UVR is generally lower than in countries further south. Modelled UVR data for the months of June through August during the 1980-to-1990 period were spatially linked in Geographic Information Systems to 2.4 million white members of the 1991 Canadian Census Health and Environment Cohort and tracked for melanoma diagnosis over an 18-year period (1992 to 2009). Standard Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate melanoma risk associated with increases of ambient summer UVR, assigned by residence at baseline. Models were adjusted for age, sex and socioeconomic (SES) characteristics. Separate analyses by body site of melanoma were conducted. Effect modification of the association between ambient UVR and melanoma by sex, age, outdoor occupation and selected SES characteristics was evaluated. Differences of one standard deviation (446 J/m², or 7% of the mean) in average ambient summer UVR were associated with an increased hazard ratio (HR) for melanoma of 1.22 (95% CI: 1.19 to 1.25) when adjusting for sex, age and SES characteristics. The HR for melanoma in relative UVR (per 1 standard deviation) was larger for men (HR = 1.26; 95% CI: 1.21 to 1.30) than for women (HR = 1.17; 95% CI: 1.13 to 1.22). Ambient summer UVR is associated with a greater risk of melanoma among the white population, even in a country where most people live within a narrow latitudinal belt. A stronger association between melanoma and ambient UVR was evident among men and among people of lower SES.

Advanced Catalysts for the Ambient Temperature Oxidation of Carbon Monoxide and Formaldehyde

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nalette, Tim; Eldridge, Christopher; Yu, Ping; Alpetkin, Gokhan; Graf, John

2010-01-01

The primary applications for ambient temperature carbon monoxide (CO) oxidation catalysts include emergency breathing masks and confined volume life support systems, such as those employed on the Shuttle. While Hopcalite is typically used in emergency breathing masks for terrestrial applications, in the 1970s, NASA selected a 2% platinum (Pt) on carbon for use on the Shuttle since it is more active and also more tolerant to water vapor. In the last 10-15 years there have been significant advances in ambient temperature CO oxidation catalysts. Langley Research Center developed a monolithic catalyst for ambient temperature CO oxidation operating under stoichiometric conditions for closed loop carbon dioxide (CO2) laser applications which is also advertised as having the potential to oxidize formaldehyde (HCHO) at ambient temperatures. In the last decade it has been discovered that appropriate sized nano-particles of gold are highly active for CO oxidation, even at sub-ambient temperatures, and as a result there has been a wealth of data reported in the literature relating to ambient/low temperature CO oxidation. In the shorter term missions where CO concentrations are typically controlled via ambient temperature oxidation catalysts, formaldehyde is also a contaminant of concern, and requires specially treated carbons such as Calgon Formasorb as untreated activated carbon has effectively no HCHO capacity. This paper examines the activity of some of the newer ambient temperature CO and formaldehyde (HCHO) oxidation catalysts, and measures the performance of the catalysts relative to the NASA baseline Ambient Temperature Catalytic Oxidizer (ATCO) catalyst at conditions of interest for closed loop trace contaminant control systems.

Representaciones sociales sobre la problemática de Chagas en un servicio de salud comunitaria del Gran La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

PubMed

Sanmartino, Mariana; Amieva, Carolina; Medone, Y Paula

2017-03-01

Hablar de Chagas es hablar de una problemática compleja, definida por elementos de carácter biomédico, epidemiológico, sociocultural y político, que se conjugan dinámicamente. En este trabajo buscamos identificar y analizar las representaciones sobre Chagas de los integrantes del equipo de salud de un centro de atención periurbano de la ciudad de La Plata, Argentina. Mediante un abordaje cualitativo, se realizaron entrevistas semiestructuradas y se analizaron las respuestas con la técnica del análisis de contenido. Los resultados mostraron que la mayor parte de las personas entrevistadas no contempla al Chagas como una problemática en su contexto laboral cotidiano y manifiestan un fuerte sesgo biologicista en su formación profesional. Con este trabajo señalamos la urgente necesidad de reflexionar críticamente en torno a la formación de los profesionales de la salud en relación a problemáticas socioambientales complejas de importancia regional, como lo es el Chagas.

Ambient seismic wave field

PubMed Central

NISHIDA, Kiwamu

2017-01-01

The ambient seismic wave field, also known as ambient noise, is excited by oceanic gravity waves primarily. This can be categorized as seismic hum (1–20 mHz), primary microseisms (0.02–0.1 Hz), and secondary microseisms (0.1–1 Hz). Below 20 mHz, pressure fluctuations of ocean infragravity waves reach the abyssal floor. Topographic coupling between seismic waves and ocean infragravity waves at the abyssal floor can explain the observed shear traction sources. Below 5 mHz, atmospheric disturbances may also contribute to this excitation. Excitation of primary microseisms can be attributed to topographic coupling between ocean swell and seismic waves on subtle undulation of continental shelves. Excitation of secondary microseisms can be attributed to non-linear forcing by standing ocean swell at the sea surface in both pelagic and coastal regions. Recent developments in source location based on body-wave microseisms enable us to estimate forcing quantitatively. For a comprehensive understanding, we must consider the solid Earth, the ocean, and the atmosphere as a coupled system. PMID:28769015

Mass spectrometry imaging under ambient conditions.

PubMed

Wu, Chunping; Dill, Allison L; Eberlin, Livia S; Cooks, R Graham; Ifa, Demian R

2013-01-01

Mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) has emerged as an important tool in the last decade and it is beginning to show potential to provide new information in many fields owing to its unique ability to acquire molecularly specific images and to provide multiplexed information, without the need for labeling or staining. In MSI, the chemical identity of molecules present on a surface is investigated as a function of spatial distribution. In addition to now standard methods involving MSI in vacuum, recently developed ambient ionization techniques allow MSI to be performed under atmospheric pressure on untreated samples outside the mass spectrometer. Here we review recent developments and applications of MSI emphasizing the ambient ionization techniques of desorption electrospray ionization (DESI), laser ablation electrospray ionization (LAESI), probe electrospray ionization (PESI), desorption atmospheric pressure photoionization (DAPPI), femtosecond laser desorption ionization (fs-LDI), laser electrospray mass spectrometry (LEMS), infrared laser ablation metastable-induced chemical ionization (IR-LAMICI), liquid microjunction surface sampling probe mass spectrometry (LMJ-SSP MS), nanospray desorption electrospray ionization (nano-DESI), and plasma sources such as the low temperature plasma (LTP) probe and laser ablation coupled to flowing atmospheric-pressure afterglow (LA-FAPA). Included are discussions of some of the features of ambient MSI for example the ability to implement chemical reactions with the goal of providing high abundance ions characteristic of specific compounds of interest and the use of tandem mass spectrometry to either map the distribution of targeted molecules with high specificity or to provide additional MS information on the structural identification of compounds. We also describe the role of bioinformatics in acquiring and interpreting the chemical and spatial information obtained through MSI, especially in biological applications for tissue

Mass Spectrometry Imaging under Ambient Conditions

PubMed Central

Wu, Chunping; Dill, Allison L.; Eberlin, Livia S.; Cooks, R. Graham; Ifa, Demian R.

2012-01-01

Mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) has emerged as an important tool in the last decade and it is beginning to show potential to provide new information in many fields owing to its unique ability to acquire molecularly specific images and to provide multiplexed information, without the need for labeling or staining. In MSI, the chemical identity of molecules present on a surface is investigated as a function of spatial distribution. In addition to now standard methods involving MSI in vacuum, recently developed ambient ionization techniques allow MSI to be performed under atmospheric pressure on untreated samples outside the mass spectrometer. Here we review recent developments and applications of MSI emphasizing the ambient ionization techniques of desorption electrospray ionization (DESI), laser ablation electrospray ionization (LAESI), probe electrospray ionization (PESI), desorption atmospheric pressure photoionization (DAPPI), femtosecond laser desorption ionization (fs-LDI), laser electrospray mass spectrometry (LEMS), infrared laser ablation metastable-induced chemical ionization (IR-LAMICI), liquid microjunction surface sampling probe mass spectrometry (LMJ-SSP MS), nanospray desorption electrospray ionization (nano-DESI), and plasma sources such as the low temperature plasma (LTP) probe and laser ablation coupled to flowing atmospheric-pressure afterglow (LA-FAPA). Included are discussions of some of the features of ambient MSI including the ability to implement chemical reactions with the goal of providing high abundance ions characteristic of specific compounds of interest and the use of tandem mass spectrometry to either map the distribution of targeted molecules with high specificity or to provide additional MS information in the structural identification of compounds. We also describe the role of bioinformatics in acquiring and interpreting the chemical and spatial information obtained through MSI, especially in biological applications for tissue

Seguridad del paciente en Radioterapia Intraoperatoria: Impacto de los elementos controlados por el Radiofisico

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tarjuelo, Juan Lopez

Introduccion: En la administracion de la radioterapia intervienen profesionales y equipos de tratamiento, por lo que existe el riesgo de error y se precisa que dicho equipamiento funcione conforme a lo esperado. A los radiofisicos les corresponde participar en las actividades de garantia o aseguramiento de la calidad, incluyendo el control de calidad de los equipos, y en la evaluacion de los riesgos asociados. La radioterapia intraoperatoria (RIO) es una tecnica radioterapica de intensificacion de dosis, altamente selectiva, dirigida a volumenes anatomicos restringidos durante el tratamiento quirurgico oncologico, basada en la administracion de una dosis absorbida alta por medio de un haz de electrones tras el examen visual directo del lecho tumoral. Como incorporar los ultimos avances en el refuerzo de la seguridad en radioterapia es una tarea ambiciosa y compleja, resulta mas concreta y de inmediata aplicacion su introduccion en la RIO. El objetivo es analizar los elementos que reducen los riesgos y aumentan la seguridad en la RIO y su dosimetria, y valorar la funcion del radiofisico en esta labor. Material y metodos: Se emplearon el planificador Radiance de GMV y el acelerador lineal de los tratamientos de RIO Elekta Precise, controlado con el verificador diario de haces Daily QA Check 1090 y medido con las camaras de ionizacion PPC 40, FC65-G y FC65-P de PTW-Freiburg, a su vez verificadas con fuentes radiactivas adecuadas de estroncio-90 modelos CDP y CDC de IBA Dosimetry. Se realizo un analisis de modos de fallo y efectos (failure mode and effect analysis, FMEA) con el fin de identificar los elementos que forman la RIO y aplicar las herramientas necesarias para la minimizacion de los riesgos y la mejora de la seguridad en la tecnica. Se estudiaron las verificaciones diarias de dicho acelerador Precise con el control estadistico de procesos (statistical process control, SPC) y se simularon intervenciones para devolverlo al estado llamado en control. El SPC

Different relationships between personal exposure and ambient concentration by particle size.

PubMed

Guak, Sooyoung; Lee, Kiyoung

2018-04-06

Ambient particulate matter (PM) concentrations at monitoring stations were often used as an indicator of population exposure to PM in epidemiological studies. The correlation between personal exposure and ambient concentrations of PM varied because of diverse time-activity patterns. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between personal exposure and ambient concentrations of PM 10 and PM 2.5 with minimal impact of time-activity pattern on personal exposure. Performance of the MicroPEM, v3.2 was evaluated by collocation with central ambient air monitors for PM 10 and PM 2.5 . A field technician repeatedly conducted measurement of 24 h personal exposures to PM 10 and PM 2.5 with a fixed time-activity pattern of office worker over 26 days in Seoul, Korea. The relationship between the MicroPEM and the ambient air monitor showed good linearity. Personal exposure and ambient concentrations of PM 2.5 were highly correlated with a fixed time-activity pattern compared with PM 10 . The finding implied a high infiltration rate of PM 2.5 and low infiltration rate of PM 10 . The relationship between personal exposure and ambient concentrations of PM 10 and PM 2.5 was different for high level episodes. In the Asian dust episode, staying indoors could reduce personal exposure to PM 10 . However, personal exposure to PM 2.5 could not be reduced by staying indoors during the fine dust advisory episode.

Circadian Rhythm of Ambient Noise Off the Southeast Coast of India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kannan, R.; Latha, G.; Prashanthi Devi, M.

An ambient noise system consisting of a vertical linear hydrophone array was deployed in the shallow waters off Chennai, southeast coast of India from 1 August to 16 September 2013 to record ambient ocean noise of frequencies up to 10kHz. Biological sounds, which are broadband, short duration signals resulting from Terapon theraps, a native species, are a prominent feature of the ocean soundscape. Terapon activity peaks at 8pm and 11pm, and its presence is not observed after 12 midnight in both the months. In the other period, the ambient noise fluctuation is due to wind and vessel traffic. Hence, the present study focuses on the description of the ambient noise fluctuation over two 12h periods, i.e., 12 midnight-12 noon considered as period I, and 12 noon-12 midnight as period II in order to show the circadian rhythm of ambient noise. In this study area, Terapon vocalization reached 25dB above the ambient noise level and it dominates the short-term spectra records in the 0.4-4kHz range. All Terapon signals had daily patterns of sound production with highest levels of activity after dusk during the study period. The result shows that the circadian rhythm of ambient noise is mainly of biological sound generated by Terapon and it is reported first time in the shallow waters off the southeast coast of India.

Ambient air monitoring of Beijing MSW logistics facilities in 2006.

PubMed

Li, Chun-Ping; Li, Guo-Xue; Luo, Yi-Ming; Li, Yan-Fu

2008-11-01

In China, "green" integrated waste management methods are being implemented in response to environmental concerns. We measured the air quality at several municipal solid waste (MSW) sites to provide information for the incorporation of logistics facilities within the current integrated waste management system. We monitored ambient air quality at eight MSW collecting stations, five transfer stations, one composting plant, and five disposal sites in Beijing during April 2006. Composite air samples were collected and analyzed for levels of odor, ammonia (NH3), hydrogen sulfide (H2S), total suspended particles (TSPs), carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and nitrogen dioxide (NO2). The results of our atmospheric monitoring demonstrated that although CO and SO2 were within acceptable emission levels according to ambient standards, levels of H2S, TSP, and NO2 in the ambient air at most MSW logistics facilities far exceeded ambient limits established for China. The primary pollutants in the ambient air at Beijing MSW logistics facilities were H2S, TSPs, NO2, and odor. To improve current environmental conditions at MSW logistics facilities, the Chinese government encourages the separation of biogenic waste from MSW at the source.

PREVENCIÓN DEL VIH/SIDA EN LOS CIRCUITOS DE LEVANTE HSH: UNA ASIGNATURA PENDIENTE1

PubMed Central

Barreda, Victoria; Carballo-Dieguez, Alex; Marone, Rubén; Balán, Iván; Pando, María Ángeles; Ávila, María Mercedes

2011-01-01

Resumen A partir de un relevamiento de tipo etnográfico, se describen lugares de encuentro de HSH en la Ciudad de Buenos Aires y sus prácticas sexuales. El reconocimiento de tales espacios, así como las características que asumen en ellos los encuentros sexuales entre los HSH, plantean obstáculos específicos en la adopción de comportamientos preventivos y, asimismo, generan nuevos desafíos para las actividades de prevención. Se plantean las dificultades y debates conceptuales que la misma categoría presenta, y sus consecuencias en el abordaje preventivo y teórico-metodológico para las ciencias sociales. Además, se proponen nuevos interrogantes acerca de los alcances y las limitaciones del modelo preventivo del VIH/Sida para HSH. PMID:21874154

Sub-to super-ambient temperature programmable microfabricated gas chromatography column

DOEpatents

Robinson, Alex L.; Anderson, Lawrence F.

2004-03-16

A sub- to super-ambient temperature programmable microfabricated gas chromatography column enables more efficient chemical separation of chemical analytes in a gas mixture by combining a thermoelectric cooler and temperature sensing on the microfabricated column. Sub-ambient temperature programming enables the efficient separation of volatile organic compounds and super-ambient temperature programming enables the elution of less volatile analytes within a reasonable time. The small heat capacity and thermal isolation of the microfabricated column improves the thermal time response and power consumption, both important factors for portable microanalytical systems.

The Utility of the Extended Images in Ambient Seismic Wavefield Migration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Girard, A. J.; Shragge, J. C.

2015-12-01

Active-source 3D seismic migration and migration velocity analysis (MVA) are robust and highly used methods for imaging Earth structure. One class of migration methods uses extended images constructed by incorporating spatial and/or temporal wavefield correlation lags to the imaging conditions. These extended images allow users to directly assess whether images focus better with different parameters, which leads to MVA techniques that are based on the tenets of adjoint-state theory. Under certain conditions (e.g., geographical, cultural or financial), however, active-source methods can prove impractical. Utilizing ambient seismic energy that naturally propagates through the Earth is an alternate method currently used in the scientific community. Thus, an open question is whether extended images are similarly useful for ambient seismic migration processing and verifying subsurface velocity models, and whether one can similarly apply adjoint-state methods to perform ambient migration velocity analysis (AMVA). Herein, we conduct a number of numerical experiments that construct extended images from ambient seismic recordings. We demonstrate that, similar to active-source methods, there is a sensitivity to velocity in ambient seismic recordings in the migrated extended image domain. In synthetic ambient imaging tests with varying degrees of error introduced to the velocity model, the extended images are sensitive to velocity model errors. To determine the extent of this sensitivity, we utilize acoustic wave-equation propagation and cross-correlation-based migration methods to image weak body-wave signals present in the recordings. Importantly, we have also observed scenarios where non-zero correlation lags show signal while zero-lags show none. This may be a valuable missing piece for ambient migration techniques that have yielded largely inconclusive results, and might be an important piece of information for performing AMVA from ambient seismic recordings.

Health Effects of Ambient Air Pollution in Developing Countries.

PubMed

Mannucci, Pier Mannuccio; Franchini, Massimo

2017-09-12

The deleterious effects of ambient air pollution on human health have been consistently documented by many epidemiologic studies worldwide, and it has been calculated that globally at least seven million deaths are annually attributable to the effects of air pollution. The major air pollutants emitted into the atmosphere by a number of natural processes and human activities include nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds, and particulate matter. In addition to the poor ambient air quality, there is increasing evidence that indoor air pollution also poses a serious threat to human health, especially in low-income countries that still use biomass fuels as an energy resource. This review summarizes the current knowledge on ambient air pollution in financially deprived populations.

High ambient contrast ratio OLED and QLED without a circular polarizer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tan, Guanjun; Zhu, Ruidong; Tsai, Yi-Shou; Lee, Kuo-Chang; Luo, Zhenyue; Lee, Yuh-Zheng; Wu, Shin-Tson

2016-08-01

A high ambient contrast ratio display device using a transparent organic light emitting diode (OLED) or transparent quantum-dot light-emitting diode (QLED) with embedded multilayered structure and absorber is proposed and its performance is simulated. With the help of multilayered structure, the device structure allows almost all ambient light to get through the display device and be absorbed by the absorber. Because the reflected ambient light is greatly reduced, the ambient contrast ratio of the display system is improved significantly. Meanwhile, the multilayered structure helps to lower the effective refractive index, which in turn improves the out-coupling efficiency of the display system. Potential applications for sunlight readable flexible and rollable displays are emphasized.

Ultrafine ambient particulate matter enhances cardiac ischemia and reperfusion injury

EPA Science Inventory

Epidemiological studies have demonstrated a consistent link between exposure to ambient particulate air pollutant (PM) and the incidence of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The present study was designed to evaluate the cardiac effects of ambient PM. Mice were exposed to 1...

Ambient fine particulate matter in China: Its negative impacts and possible countermeasures.

PubMed

Qi, Zihan; Chen, Tingjia; Chen, Jiang; Qi, Xiaofei

2018-03-01

In recent decades, China has experienced rapid economic development accompanied by increasing concentrations of ambient PM 2.5 , particulate matter of less than 2.5 μm in diameter. PM 2.5 is now believed to be a carcinogen, causing higher lung cancer risks and generating losses to the economy and society. This meta-analysis evaluates the losses generated by ambient PM 2.5 in Suzhou from 2014 to 2016 and predicts losses at different concentrations. Estimations of total losses in Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, Dalian, and Xiamen are also presented, with a total national loss in 2015. The authors then demonstrate that lowering ambient PM 2.5 concentrations would be a realistic way for China to reduce the evaluated social losses in the short term. Possible legal measures are listed for lowering ambient PM 2.5 concentrations. The present findings quantify the economic effects of ambient PM 2.5 due to the increased incidence rate and mortality rate of lung cancer. Lowering ambient PM 2.5 concentrations would be the most realistic way for China to reduce tghe evaluated social losses in the short term. Possible legal measures for lowering ambient PM 2.5 concentrations to reduce the total losses are identified.

[History of Instituto Nacional de Salud Ocupacional del Peru].

PubMed

Cossio-Brazzan, Juan M

2012-06-01

In Peru, the industry's development has made economic improvements but at the same time, it has had a major impact on the health of the workers; for that reason, it was necessary to generate control mechanisms. So, in 1940 it was created the Departmento de Higiene Industrial, which in 1956 was changed to Instituto de Salud Ocupacional, but it was deactivated in 1994. However, in 2001 it reappeared into the Ministerio de Salud organizational structure with the name of Instituto de Salud Ocupacional "Alberto Hurtado Abadía". Actually, it is the Centro Nacional de Salud Ocupacional y Protección del Ambiente para la Salud (CENSOPAS), organ of the Instituto Nacional de Salud which continues working in synergy with other institutions and sectors, making research to protect the health of exposed persons (workers and community) to contamination and risks associated with economic activities.

Ambient Temperature and Morbidity: A Review of Epidemiological Evidence

PubMed Central

Ye, Xiaofang; Wolff, Rodney; Yu, Weiwei; Vaneckova, Pavla; Pan, Xiaochuan

2011-01-01

Objective: In this paper, we review the epidemiological evidence on the relationship between ambient temperature and morbidity. We assessed the methodological issues in previous studies and proposed future research directions. Data sources and data extraction: We searched the PubMed database for epidemiological studies on ambient temperature and morbidity of noncommunicable diseases published in refereed English journals before 30 June 2010. Forty relevant studies were identified. Of these, 24 examined the relationship between ambient temperature and morbidity, 15 investigated the short-term effects of heat wave on morbidity, and 1 assessed both temperature and heat wave effects. Data synthesis: Descriptive and time-series studies were the two main research designs used to investigate the temperature–morbidity relationship. Measurements of temperature exposure and health outcomes used in these studies differed widely. The majority of studies reported a significant relationship between ambient temperature and total or cause-specific morbidities. However, there were some inconsistencies in the direction and magnitude of nonlinear lag effects. The lag effect of hot temperature on morbidity was shorter (several days) compared with that of cold temperature (up to a few weeks). The temperature–morbidity relationship may be confounded or modified by sociodemographic factors and air pollution. Conclusions: There is a significant short-term effect of ambient temperature on total and cause-specific morbidities. However, further research is needed to determine an appropriate temperature measure, consider a diverse range of morbidities, and to use consistent methodology to make different studies more comparable. PMID:21824855

14 CFR 25.1527 - Ambient air temperature and operating altitude.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Ambient air temperature and operating... TRANSPORTATION AIRCRAFT AIRWORTHINESS STANDARDS: TRANSPORT CATEGORY AIRPLANES Operating Limitations and Information Operating Limitations § 25.1527 Ambient air temperature and operating altitude. The extremes of...

Efectos de la irradiación iónica en hielos de moléculas carbonadas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Satorre, M. A.

ónicas. En la mayor parte de los casos las especies producidas por la rotura del enlace, se recombinan volviendo a formar la molécula original. Sin embargo un pequeño porcentaje es capaz de formar nuevas moléculas. Si el ion queda implantado en el hielo y es reactivo (H+, C+,ldots) podría formar parte de una molécula nueva que incorpora un átomo que inicialmente no se encontraba presente en el hielo. También se presentará un contraejemplo para demostrar que no es posible asegurar que siempre que implantemos un ion reactivo, éste formará parte de nuevas moléculas en la mezcla. También se presentará la formación de nuevas moléculas a partir de la irradiación de hielos de metano, que llevan a la formación de otros compuestos como acetileno, eteno, etano,... en los cuales la relación C/H ha variado. Además de estos compuestos se forma también un residuo carbonoso (refractario) que es estable a temperatura ambiente y cuya composición química no es bien conocida. Por último, el aumento de la temperatura de sublimación es también una consecuencia de la irradiación, aunque la magnitud del aumento depende de la mezcla original y de la irradiación sufrida. Existen moléculas que llegan a variar su temperatura de sublimación en decenas de grados. Para el caso de moléculas carbonadas se forman especies por irradiación que son estables a temperatura ambiente. Con todo ello se muestra que los experimentos de laboratorio pueden ayudarnos a comprender la formación, destrucción y variación de las propiedades físicas de los hielos de interés astrofísico con la irradiación.

Mobile-centric ambient intelligence in health- and homecare-anticipating ethical and legal challenges.

PubMed

Kosta, Eleni; Pitkänen, Olli; Niemelä, Marketta; Kaasinen, Eija

2010-06-01

Ambient Intelligence provides the potential for vast and varied applications, bringing with it both promise and peril. The development of Ambient Intelligence applications poses a number of ethical and legal concerns. Mobile devices are increasingly evolving into tools to orientate in and interact with the environment, thus introducing a user-centric approach to Ambient Intelligence. The MINAmI (Micro-Nano integrated platform for transverse Ambient Intelligence applications) FP6 research project aims at creating core technologies for mobile device based Ambient Intelligence services. In this paper we assess five scenarios that demonstrate forthcoming MINAmI-based applications focusing on healthcare, assistive technology, homecare, and everyday life in general. A legal and ethical analysis of the scenarios is conducted, which reveals various conflicting interests. The paper concludes with some thoughts on drafting ethical guidelines for Ambient Intelligence applications.

Multiagent robotic systems' ambient light sensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iureva, Radda A.; Maslennikov, Oleg S.; Komarov, Igor I.

2017-05-01

Swarm robotics is one of the fastest growing areas of modern technology. Being subclass of multi-agent systems it inherits the main part of scientific-methodological apparatus of construction and functioning of practically useful complexes, which consist of rather autonomous independent agents. Ambient light sensors (ALS) are widely used in robotics. But speaking about swarm robotics, the technology which has great number of specific features and is developing, we can't help mentioning that its important to use sensors on each robot not only in order to help it to get directionally oriented, but also to follow light emitted by robot-chief or to help to find the goal easier. Key words: ambient light sensor, swarm system, multiagent system, robotic system, robotic complexes, simulation modelling

Evidence of the non-extensive character of Earth's ambient noise.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koutalonis, Ioannis; Vallianatos, Filippos

2017-04-01

Investigation of dynamical features of ambient seismic noise is one of the important scientific and practical research challenges. In the same time there isgrowing interest concerning an approach to study Earth Physics based on thescience of complex systems and non extensive statistical mechanics which is a generalization of Boltzmann-Gibbs statistical physics (Vallianatos et al., 2016).This seems to be a promising framework for studying complex systems exhibitingphenomena such as, long-range interactions, and memory effects. Inthis work we use non-extensive statistical mechanics and signal analysis methodsto explore the nature of ambient noise as measured in the stations of the HSNC in South Aegean (Chatzopoulos et al., 2016). In the present work we analyzed the de-trended increments time series of ambient seismic noise X(t), in time windows of 20 minutes to 10 seconds within "calm time zones" where the human-induced noise presents a minimum. Following the non extensive statistical physics approach, the probability distribution function of the increments of ambient noise is investigated. Analyzing the probability density function (PDF)p(X), normalized to zero mean and unit varianceresults that the fluctuations of Earth's ambient noise follows a q-Gaussian distribution asdefined in the frame of non-extensive statisticalmechanics indicated the possible existence of memory effects in Earth's ambient noise. References: F. Vallianatos, G. Papadakis, G. Michas, Generalized statistical mechanics approaches to earthquakes and tectonics. Proc. R. Soc. A, 472, 20160497, 2016. G. Chatzopoulos, I.Papadopoulos, F.Vallianatos, The Hellenic Seismological Network of Crete (HSNC): Validation and results of the 2013 aftershock,Advances in Geosciences, 41, 65-72, 2016.

Health Effects of Ambient Air Pollution in Developing Countries

PubMed Central

Mannucci, Pier Mannuccio; Franchini, Massimo

2017-01-01

The deleterious effects of ambient air pollution on human health have been consistently documented by many epidemiologic studies worldwide, and it has been calculated that globally at least seven million deaths are annually attributable to the effects of air pollution. The major air pollutants emitted into the atmosphere by a number of natural processes and human activities include nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds, and particulate matter. In addition to the poor ambient air quality, there is increasing evidence that indoor air pollution also poses a serious threat to human health, especially in low-income countries that still use biomass fuels as an energy resource. This review summarizes the current knowledge on ambient air pollution in financially deprived populations. PMID:28895888

Designing for Persuasion: Toward Ambient Eco-Visualization for Awareness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Tanyoung; Hong, Hwajung; Magerko, Brian

When people are aware of their lifestyle's ecological consequences, they are more likely to adjust their behavior to reduce their impact. Persuasive design that provides feedback to users without interfering with their primary tasks can increases the awareness of neighboring problems. As a case study of design for persuasion, we designed two ambient displays as desktop widgets. Both represent a users' computer usage time, but in different visual styles. In this paper, we present the results of a comparative study of two ambient displays. We discuss the gradual progress of persuasion supported by the ambient displays and the differences in users' perception affected by the different visualization styles. Finally, Our empirical findings lead to a series of design implications for persuasive media.

Exposure to ambient air pollutants and spontaneous abortion.

PubMed

Moridi, Maryam; Ziaei, Saeideh; Kazemnejad, Anoshirvan

2014-03-01

This study aimed to evaluate the correlation between ambient concentrations of air pollutants and first-trimester spontaneous abortion. This was a retrospective case–control study, which was conducted on 296 women from June 2010 to February 2011 in Tehran, Iran. Cases were 148 women who experienced a spontaneous abortion before 14 weeks of gestation while the controls were 148 pregnant women after 14 weeks of gestation and groups were matched on sociodemographics and obstetrics characteristics. The samples were recruited randomly from 10 hospitals. In total, pollutants concentrations were collected at 29 stations hourly throughout the study area. We estimated the mean exposure for each participant and investigated the association between spontaneous abortion and ambient pollutants. Findings demonstrated that the average of ambient air pollutants in the cases was significantly higher than in the controls (P < 0.05). The odd ratios of abortion in the areas with higher concentrations of CO, NO₂, O₃ and PM₁₀ were 1.98, 0.96, 0.94 and 1.01, respectively (P < 0.05). Also, the model showed that there was no significant association between prenatal exposures to SO₂ and abortion (P > 0.05). Our findings suggest that pregnant women exposed to ambient air pollutants may be at increased risk of spontaneous abortion. Confirmation by further research is needed.

A Survey on Ambient Intelligence in Health Care.

PubMed

Acampora, Giovanni; Cook, Diane J; Rashidi, Parisa; Vasilakos, Athanasios V

2013-12-01

Ambient Intelligence (AmI) is a new paradigm in information technology aimed at empowering people's capabilities by the means of digital environments that are sensitive, adaptive, and responsive to human needs, habits, gestures, and emotions. This futuristic vision of daily environment will enable innovative human-machine interactions characterized by pervasive, unobtrusive and anticipatory communications. Such innovative interaction paradigms make ambient intelligence technology a suitable candidate for developing various real life solutions, including in the health care domain. This survey will discuss the emergence of ambient intelligence (AmI) techniques in the health care domain, in order to provide the research community with the necessary background. We will examine the infrastructure and technology required for achieving the vision of ambient intelligence, such as smart environments and wearable medical devices. We will summarize of the state of the art artificial intelligence methodologies used for developing AmI system in the health care domain, including various learning techniques (for learning from user interaction), reasoning techniques (for reasoning about users' goals and intensions) and planning techniques (for planning activities and interactions). We will also discuss how AmI technology might support people affected by various physical or mental disabilities or chronic disease. Finally, we will point to some of the successful case studies in the area and we will look at the current and future challenges to draw upon the possible future research paths.

Ambient intelligence application based on environmental measurements performed with an assistant mobile robot.

PubMed

Martinez, Dani; Teixidó, Mercè; Font, Davinia; Moreno, Javier; Tresanchez, Marcel; Marco, Santiago; Palacín, Jordi

2014-03-27

This paper proposes the use of an autonomous assistant mobile robot in order to monitor the environmental conditions of a large indoor area and develop an ambient intelligence application. The mobile robot uses single high performance embedded sensors in order to collect and geo-reference environmental information such as ambient temperature, air velocity and orientation and gas concentration. The data collected with the assistant mobile robot is analyzed in order to detect unusual measurements or discrepancies and develop focused corrective ambient actions. This paper shows an example of the measurements performed in a research facility which have enabled the detection and location of an uncomfortable temperature profile inside an office of the research facility. The ambient intelligent application has been developed by performing some localized ambient measurements that have been analyzed in order to propose some ambient actuations to correct the uncomfortable temperature profile.

Ambient Intelligence Application Based on Environmental Measurements Performed with an Assistant Mobile Robot

PubMed Central

Martinez, Dani; Teixidó, Mercè; Font, Davinia; Moreno, Javier; Tresanchez, Marcel; Marco, Santiago; Palacín, Jordi

2014-01-01

This paper proposes the use of an autonomous assistant mobile robot in order to monitor the environmental conditions of a large indoor area and develop an ambient intelligence application. The mobile robot uses single high performance embedded sensors in order to collect and geo-reference environmental information such as ambient temperature, air velocity and orientation and gas concentration. The data collected with the assistant mobile robot is analyzed in order to detect unusual measurements or discrepancies and develop focused corrective ambient actions. This paper shows an example of the measurements performed in a research facility which have enabled the detection and location of an uncomfortable temperature profile inside an office of the research facility. The ambient intelligent application has been developed by performing some localized ambient measurements that have been analyzed in order to propose some ambient actuations to correct the uncomfortable temperature profile. PMID:24681671

Descompresión microvascular en neuralgia del trigémino: Reporte de 36 casos y revisión de la literatura

PubMed Central

Campero, Alvaro; Ajler, Pablo; Campero, Abraham Agustín

2014-01-01

Objetivo: El propósito del presente trabajo es presentar los resultados de 36 pacientes con diagnóstico de neuralgia del trigémino (NT), en los cuales se realizó una descompresión microvascular (DMV). Material y Método: Desde junio de 2005 a mayo de 2012, 36 pacientes con diagnóstico de NT fueron operados por el primer autor (AC), realizando una DMV. Se evaluó: Edad, sexo, tiempo de sintomatología previo a la cirugía, hallazgos intraoperatorios (a través de los videos quirúrgicos), y resultados postoperatorios. Resultados: De los 36 pacientes operados, 25 fueron mujeres y 11 varones. El promedio de edad fue de 48 años. El seguimiento postoperatorio fue en promedio de 38 meses. De los 36 pacientes, 32 (88%) evolucionaron sin dolor hasta la fecha. De los 4 casos con recurrencia de dolor, en dos pacientes se observó como hallazgo intraoperatorio un conflicto venoso. Conclusión: La DMV como tratamiento de la NT es un procedimiento efectivo y seguro. El hallazgo intraoperatorio de una “compresión” venosa podría indicar una evolución postoperatoria desfavorable. PMID:25379343

78 FR 16184 - Revision to Ambient Nitrogen Dioxide Monitoring Requirements

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-03-14

... Revision to Ambient Nitrogen Dioxide Monitoring Requirements AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA... ambient air quality standard (NAAQS) for nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) for the near-road component of the NO 2... Nitrogen Dioxide Monitoring Requirements Docket, Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2012- 0486, EPA Docket Center...

Numerical study of ambient pressure for laser-induced bubble near a rigid boundary

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, BeiBei; Zhang, HongChao; Han, Bing; Lu, Jian

2012-07-01

The dynamics of the laser-induced bubble at different ambient pressures was numerically studied by Finite Volume Method (FVM). The velocity of the bubble wall, the liquid jet velocity at collapse, and the pressure of the water hammer while the liquid jet impacting onto the boundary are found to increase nonlinearly with increasing ambient pressure. The collapse time and the formation time of the liquid jet are found to decrease nonlinearly with increasing ambient pressure. The ratios of the jet formation time to the collapse time, and the displacement of the bubble center to the maximal radius while the jet formation stay invariant when ambient pressure changes. These ratios are independent of ambient pressure.

Object detectability at increased ambient lighting conditions.

PubMed

Pollard, Benjamin J; Chawla, Amarpreet S; Delong, David M; Hashimoto, Noriyuki; Samei, Ehsan

2008-06-01

Under typical dark conditions encountered in diagnostic reading rooms, a reader's pupils will contract and dilate as the visual focus intermittently shifts between the high luminance display and the darker background wall, resulting in increased visual fatigue and the degradation of diagnostic performance. A controlled increase of ambient lighting may, however, reduce the severity of these pupillary adjustments by minimizing the difference between the luminance level to which the eyes adapt while viewing an image (L(adp)) and the luminance level of diffusely reflected light from the area surrounding the display (L(s)). Although ambient lighting in reading rooms has conventionally been kept at a minimum to maintain the perceived contrast of film images, proper Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) calibration of modern medical-grade liquid crystal displays can compensate for minor lighting increases with very little loss of image contrast. This paper describes two psychophysical studies developed to evaluate and refine optimum reading room ambient lighting conditions through the use of observational tasks intended to simulate real clinical practices. The first study utilized the biologic contrast response of the human visual system to determine a range of representative L(adp) values for typical medical images. Readers identified low contrast horizontal objects in circular foregrounds of uniform luminance (5, 12, 20, and 30 cd/m2) embedded within digitized mammograms. The second study examined the effect of increased ambient lighting on the detection of subtle objects embedded in circular foregrounds of uniform luminance (5, 12, and 35 cd/m2) centered within a constant background of 12 cd/m2 luminance. The images were displayed under a dark room condition (1 lux) and an increased ambient lighting level (50 lux) such that the luminance level of the diffusely reflected light from the background wall was approximately equal to the image L(adp) value of

Ambient and laboratory evaluation of a low-cost particulate matter sensor.

PubMed

Kelly, K E; Whitaker, J; Petty, A; Widmer, C; Dybwad, A; Sleeth, D; Martin, R; Butterfield, A

2017-02-01

Low-cost, light-scattering-based particulate matter (PM) sensors are becoming more widely available and are being increasingly deployed in ambient and indoor environments because of their low cost and ability to provide high spatial and temporal resolution PM information. Researchers have begun to evaluate some of these sensors under laboratory and environmental conditions. In this study, a low-cost, particulate matter sensor (Plantower PMS 1003/3003) used by a community air-quality network is evaluated in a controlled wind-tunnel environment and in the ambient environment during several winter-time, cold-pool events that are associated with high ambient levels of PM. In the wind-tunnel, the PMS sensor performance is compared to two research-grade, light-scattering instruments, and in the ambient tests, the sensor performance is compared to two federal equivalent (one tapered element oscillating microbalance and one beta attenuation monitor) and gravimetric federal reference methods (FEMs/FRMs) as well as one research-grade instrument (GRIMM). The PMS sensor response correlates well with research-grade instruments in the wind-tunnel tests, and its response is linear over the concentration range tested (200-850 μg/m 3 ). In the ambient tests, this PM sensor correlates better with gravimetric methods than previous studies with correlation coefficients of 0.88. However additional measurements under a variety of ambient conditions are needed. Although the PMS sensor correlated as well as the research-grade instrument to the FRM/FEMs in ambient conditions, its response varies with particle properties to a much greater degree than the research-grade instrument. In addition, the PMS sensors overestimate ambient PM concentrations and begin to exhibit a non-linear response when PM 2.5 concentrations exceed 40 μg/m 3 . These results have important implications for communicating results from low-cost sensor networks, and they highlight the importance of using an

Ambient seismic noise applications for Titan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jackson, J. M.; Zhan, Z.; Clayton, R. W.; Helmberger, D. V.; Tsai, V. C.

2010-12-01

Titan is Saturn’s largest moon and is host to a myriad of surface, crustal, and perhaps interior dynamic processes (e.g., Lunine & Lorenz 2009; Sotin et al. 2009). Although recent gravity data put constraints on the nature of Titan’s deep interior (Iess et al. 2010), details regarding the layering and crustal structure remain poorly constrained. For example, the crustal thickness derived from modeling of the gravity data suggests a value ~100 km, but with a large uncertainty. There may exist a subsurface ocean or reservoirs of liquid that actively connects with Titan’s hyrdrocarbon-bearing lakes and atmosphere. Cross-correlation of ambient seismic noise is an emerging method to study crustal structures (e.g., Shapiro et al. 2005). Recent results show that under certain conditions, such as post-critical reflections, the Moho-reflected shear wave (SmS) can be clearly identified with ambient seismic noise [Zhan et al. 2010]. Titan may represent a plausible planetary body to apply the methods of ambient seismic noise, thereby providing a unique opportunity to better understand the interior of an icy body in our solar system. We will explore the use of ambient seismic noise on Titan and assess its application to determine interior structures, such as signals expected for different crust-(ocean)-mantle boundary depths. References: Iess, L. et al. (2010), Science 327: 1367-1369 Lunine, J.I. and Lorenz, R.D. (2009), Ann. Rev. Earth Planet. Sci. 37: 299-320. Shapiro et al. (2005), Science 307: 1615-1618. Sotin et al. (2009), in Titan from Cassini-Huygens: 61-73. R.H. Brown, J.-P. Lebreton, J. Hunter Waite, Eds. Zhan, Z. et al. (2010), Geophys. J. Int. doi: 10.1111/j/1365-246X.2010.04625.x Acknowledgments: Parts of this work grew out of discussions during a mini study at the Keck Institute for Space Studies, which is funded by the W. M. Keck Foundation.

Ambient-Light-Canceling Camera Using Subtraction of Frames

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morookian, John Michael

2004-01-01

The ambient-light-canceling camera (ALCC) is a proposed near-infrared electronic camera that would utilize a combination of (1) synchronized illumination during alternate frame periods and (2) subtraction of readouts from consecutive frames to obtain images without a background component of ambient light. The ALCC is intended especially for use in tracking the motion of an eye by the pupil center corneal reflection (PCCR) method. Eye tracking by the PCCR method has shown potential for application in human-computer interaction for people with and without disabilities, and for noninvasive monitoring, detection, and even diagnosis of physiological and neurological deficiencies. In the PCCR method, an eye is illuminated by near-infrared light from a lightemitting diode (LED). Some of the infrared light is reflected from the surface of the cornea. Some of the infrared light enters the eye through the pupil and is reflected from back of the eye out through the pupil a phenomenon commonly observed as the red-eye effect in flash photography. An electronic camera is oriented to image the user's eye. The output of the camera is digitized and processed by algorithms that locate the two reflections. Then from the locations of the centers of the two reflections, the direction of gaze is computed. As described thus far, the PCCR method is susceptible to errors caused by reflections of ambient light. Although a near-infrared band-pass optical filter can be used to discriminate against ambient light, some sources of ambient light have enough in-band power to compete with the LED signal. The mode of operation of the ALCC would complement or supplant spectral filtering by providing more nearly complete cancellation of the effect of ambient light. In the operation of the ALCC, a near-infrared LED would be pulsed on during one camera frame period and off during the next frame period. Thus, the scene would be illuminated by both the LED (signal) light and the ambient (background) light

Draft guidelines for measurement and assessment of low-level ambient noise

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1998-03-31

This document describes an ambient noise measurement protocol, a detailed methodology for characterizing ambient noise in low-level environments such as the National Parks. It presents definitions of terminology useful for understanding the mea...

WORKSHOP ON SOURCE EMISSION AND AMBIENT AIR MONITORING OF MERCURY

EPA Science Inventory

AN EPA/ORD Workshop on Source Emission and Ambient Air Monitoring of Mercury was held on 9/13-14/99, Bloomington, Minnesota. The purpose of the workshop was to discuss the state-of-the-science in source and ambient air mercury monitoring as well as mercury monitoring research and...

Ambient VOC-Measurements by GC-PTR-TOF

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Langebner, S.; Schnitzhofer, R.; Hasler, C.; Jocher, M.; Hansel, A.; Brilli, F.

2011-12-01

Authors: Stephan LANGEBNER, Federico BRILLI, Ralf SCHNITZHOFER, Christoph HASLER, Markus JOCHER, Armin HANSEL; During the past 16 years PTR MS (Proton Transfer Reaction Mass Spectrometry) became a well established technique for real time measurements of environmentally important volatile organic compounds (VOCs) [HANSEL 1995]. The recent development of PTR ToF [GRAUS 2010] increased the VOC separation capability by strongly improving the mass separation capability and the duty cycle. Now isobaric compounds can be separated and whole mass spectra are recorded within a fraction of a second. Isomeric VOCs, however, remain undistinguishable with this technique. Therefore a Thermo-Desorption-System-Gas-Chromatograph (TDS GC) with isomeric separation capabilities was coupled with a PTR ToF. The performance of this new GC PTR TOF instrument was evaluated analysing ambient air for several days. The measurement cycle started with simultaneous GC-sampling and direct PTR ToF measurements of ambient air. After the fifteen minute TDS cycle, the output of the GC column was directed to the PTR ToF and the timely separated VOC peaks were recorded for 40 minutes. We will present first results which look very promising e.g. different monoterpene isomers can be clearly distinguished at ambient levels.

Visual attention for a desktop virtual environment with ambient scent

PubMed Central

Toet, Alexander; van Schaik, Martin G.

2013-01-01

In the current study participants explored a desktop virtual environment (VE) representing a suburban neighborhood with signs of public disorder (neglect, vandalism, and crime), while being exposed to either room air (control group), or subliminal levels of tar (unpleasant; typically associated with burned or waste material) or freshly cut grass (pleasant; typically associated with natural or fresh material) ambient odor. They reported all signs of disorder they noticed during their walk together with their associated emotional response. Based on recent evidence that odors reflexively direct visual attention to (either semantically or affectively) congruent visual objects, we hypothesized that participants would notice more signs of disorder in the presence of ambient tar odor (since this odor may bias attention to unpleasant and negative features), and less signs of disorder in the presence of ambient grass odor (since this odor may bias visual attention toward the vegetation in the environment and away from the signs of disorder). Contrary to our expectations the results provide no indication that the presence of an ambient odor affected the participants’ visual attention for signs of disorder or their emotional response. However, the paradigm used in present study does not allow us to draw any conclusions in this respect. We conclude that a closer affective, semantic, or spatiotemporal link between the contents of a desktop VE and ambient scents may be required to effectively establish diagnostic associations that guide a user’s attention. In the absence of these direct links, ambient scent may be more diagnostic for the physical environment of the observer as a whole than for the particular items in that environment (or, in this case, items represented in the VE). PMID:24324453

Association between ambient ultraviolet radiation and risk of esophageal cancer.

PubMed

Tran, Bich; Lucas, Robyn; Kimlin, Michael; Whiteman, David; Neale, Rachel

2012-12-01

Ecological studies have suggested an inverse relationship between latitude and risks of some cancers. However, associations between solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) exposure and esophageal cancer risk have not been fully explored. We therefore investigated the association between nevi, freckles, and measures of ambient UVR over the life-course with risks of esophageal cancers. We compared estimated lifetime residential ambient UVR among Australian patients with esophageal cancer (330 esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC), 386 esophago-gastric junction adenocarcinoma (EGJAC), and 279 esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC)), and 1471 population controls. We asked people where they had lived at different periods of their life, and assigned ambient UVR to each location based on measurements from NASA's Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer database. Freckling and nevus burden were self-reported. We used multivariable logistic regression models to estimate the magnitude of associations between phenotype, ambient UVR, and esophageal cancer risk. Compared with population controls, patients with EAC and EGJAC were less likely to have high levels of estimated cumulative lifetime ambient UVR (EAC odds ratio (OR) 0.59, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.35-0.99, EGJAC OR 0.55, 0.34-0.90). We found no association between UVR and risk of ESCC (OR 0.91, 0.51-1.64). The associations were independent of age, sex, body mass index, education, state of recruitment, frequency of reflux, smoking status, alcohol consumption, and H. pylori serostatus. Cases with EAC were also significantly less likely to report high levels of nevi than controls. These data show an inverse association between ambient solar UVR at residential locations and risk of EAC and EGJAC, but not ESCC.

Investigation of Transmission Warming Technologies at Various Ambient Conditions

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

Jehlik, Forrest; Iliev, Simeon; Wood, Eric

This work details two approaches for evaluating transmission warming technology: experimental dynamometer testing and development of a simplified transmission efficiency model to quantify effects under varied real world ambient and driving conditions. Two vehicles were used for this investigation: a 2013 Ford Taurus and a 2011 Ford Fusion. The Taurus included a production transmission warming system and was tested over hot and cold ambient temperatures with the transmission warming system enabled and disabled. A robot driver was used to minimize driver variability and increase repeatability. Additionally the Fusion was tested cold and with the transmission pre-heated prior to completing themore » test cycles. These data were used to develop a simplified thermally responsive transmission model to estimate effects of transmission warming in real world conditions. For the Taurus, the fuel consumption variability within one standard deviation was shown to be under 0.5% for eight repeat Urban Dynamometer Driving Cycles (UDDS). These results were valid with the transmission warming system active or passive. Using the transmission warming system under 22 degrees C ambient temperature, fuel consumption reduction was shown to be 1.4%. For the Fusion, pre-warming the transmission reduced fuel consumption 2.5% for an urban drive cycle at -7 degrees C ambient temperature, with 1.5% of the 2.5% gain associated with the transmission, while consumption for the US06 test was shown to be reduced by 7% with 5.5% of the 7% gain associated with the transmission. It was found that engine warming due to conduction between the pre-heated transmission and the engine resulted in the remainder of the benefit. For +22 degrees C ambient tests, the pre-heated transmission was shown to reduce fuel consumption approximately 1% on an urban cycle, while no benefit was seen for the US06 cycle. The simplified modeling results showed gains in efficiency ranging from 0-1.5% depending on the ambient

Intercomparison of six ambient [CH2O] measurement techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gilpin, Tim; Apel, Eric; Fried, Alan; Wert, Bryan; Calvert, Jack; Genfa, Zhang; Dasgupta, Purnendu; Harder, Jerry W.; Heikes, Brian; Hopkins, Brian; Westberg, Hal; Kleindienst, Tad; Lee, Yin-Nan; Zhou, Xianliang; Lonneman, William; Sewell, Scott

1997-09-01

From May 29 to June 3, 1995 a blind intercomparison of six ambient formaldehyde measurement techniques took place at a field site near the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado. The continuous measurement methods intercompared were tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy, (TDLAS); coil/2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine, (CDNPH); 1,3-cyclohexanedione-diffusion scrubber (CHDDS); and the coil enzyme method (CENZ). In addition, two different cartridge methods were compared: silica gel-2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine (DPNH) systems and a C-18-DNPH system. The intercomparison was conducted with spiked zero air (part 1) and ambient air (part 2). The CH2O standards for part 1 were calibrated by several independent methods and delivered to participants via a common glass manifold with potential trace gas interférants common to ambient air (O3, SO2, NO2, isoprene, H2O). The TDLAS system was used to confirm the absolute accuracy of the standards and served as a mission reference for part 1. The ambient phase lasted 44 hours with all participants sampling from a common glass tower. Differences between the ambient [CH2O] observed by the TDLAS and the other continuous methods were significant in some cases. For matched ambient measurement times the average ratios (±1σ) [CH2O]measured/[CH2O]TDLAS were: 0.89±0.12 (CDNPH); 1.30±0.02 (CHDDS); 0.63±0.03 (CENZ). The methods showed similar variations but different absolute values and the divergences appeared to result largely from calibration differences (no gas phase standards were used by groups other than NCAR). When the regressions of the participant [CH2O] values versus the TDLAS values, (measured in part 1), were used to normalize all of the results to the common gas phase standards of the NCAR group, the average ratios (±1σ), [CH2O]corrected/[CH2O]TDLAS for the first measurement period were much closer to unity: 1.04±0.14 (CDNPH), 1.00±0.11 (CHDDS), and 0.82±0.08 (CENZ). With the continuous methods

ESTIMATED HOURLY PERSONAL EXPOSURES TO AMBIENT AND NON-AMBIENT PARTICULATE MATTER AMONG SENSITIVE POPULATIONS IN SEATTLE, WASHINGTON

EPA Science Inventory

Epidemiological studies of particulate matter (PM) routinely use concentrations measured with stationary outdoor monitors as surrogates for personal exposure. Despite the frequently reported poor correlations between ambient concentrations and total personal exposure, the epidemi...

Providing Context for Ambient Particulate Matter and Estimates of Attributable Mortality.

PubMed

McClellan, Roger O

2016-09-01

Four papers on fine particulate matter (PM2.5 ) by Anenberg et al., Fann et al., Shin et al., and Smith contribute to a growing body of literature on estimated epidemiological associations between ambient PM2.5 concentrations and increases in health responses relative to baseline notes. This article provides context for the four articles, including a historical review of provisions of the U.S. Clean Air Act as amended in 1970, requiring the setting of National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for criteria pollutants such as particulate matter (PM). The substantial improvements in both air quality for PM and population health as measured by decreased mortality rates are illustrated. The most recent revision of the NAAQS for PM2.5 in 2013 by the Environmental Protection Agency distinguished between (1) uncertainties in characterizing PM2.5 as having a causal association with various health endpoints, and as all-cause mortality, and (2) uncertainties in concentration--excess health response relationships at low ambient PM2.5 concentrations below the majority of annual concentrations studied in the United States in the past. In future reviews, and potential revisions, of the NAAQS for PM2.5 , it will be even more important to distinguish between uncertainties in (1) characterizing the causal associations between ambient PM2.5 concentrations and specific health outcomes, such as all-source mortality, irrespective of the concentrations, (2) characterizing the potency of major constituents of PM2.5 , and (3) uncertainties in the association between ambient PM2.5 concentrations and specific health outcomes at various ambient PM2.5 concentrations. The latter uncertainties are of special concern as ambient PM2.5 concentrations and health morbidity and mortality rates approach background or baseline rates. © 2016 Society for Risk Analysis.

A Survey on Ambient Intelligence in Health Care

PubMed Central

Acampora, Giovanni; Cook, Diane J.; Rashidi, Parisa; Vasilakos, Athanasios V.

2013-01-01

Ambient Intelligence (AmI) is a new paradigm in information technology aimed at empowering people’s capabilities by the means of digital environments that are sensitive, adaptive, and responsive to human needs, habits, gestures, and emotions. This futuristic vision of daily environment will enable innovative human-machine interactions characterized by pervasive, unobtrusive and anticipatory communications. Such innovative interaction paradigms make ambient intelligence technology a suitable candidate for developing various real life solutions, including in the health care domain. This survey will discuss the emergence of ambient intelligence (AmI) techniques in the health care domain, in order to provide the research community with the necessary background. We will examine the infrastructure and technology required for achieving the vision of ambient intelligence, such as smart environments and wearable medical devices. We will summarize of the state of the art artificial intelligence methodologies used for developing AmI system in the health care domain, including various learning techniques (for learning from user interaction), reasoning techniques (for reasoning about users’ goals and intensions) and planning techniques (for planning activities and interactions). We will also discuss how AmI technology might support people affected by various physical or mental disabilities or chronic disease. Finally, we will point to some of the successful case studies in the area and we will look at the current and future challenges to draw upon the possible future research paths. PMID:24431472

Modeling subharmonic response from contrast microbubbles as a function of ambient static pressure

PubMed Central

Katiyar, Amit; Sarkar, Kausik; Forsberg, Flemming

2011-01-01

Variation of subharmonic response from contrast microbubbles with ambient pressure is numerically investigated for non-invasive monitoring of organ-level blood pressure. Previously, several contrast microbubbles both in vitro and in vivo registered approximately linear (5–15 dB) subharmonic response reduction with 188 mm Hg change in ambient pressure. In contrast, simulated subharmonic response from a single microbubble is seen here to either increase or decrease with ambient pressure. This is shown using the code BUBBLESIM for encapsulated microbubbles, and then the underlying dynamics is investigated using a free bubble model. The ratio of the excitation frequency to the natural frequency of the bubble is the determining parameter—increasing ambient pressure increases natural frequency thereby changing this ratio. For frequency ratio below a lower critical value, increasing ambient pressure monotonically decreases subharmonic response. Above an upper critical value of the same ratio, increasing ambient pressure increases subharmonic response; in between, the subharmonic variation is non-monotonic. The precise values of frequency ratio for these three different trends depend on bubble radius and excitation amplitude. The modeled increase or decrease of subharmonic with ambient pressure, when one happens, is approximately linear only for certain range of excitation levels. Possible reasons for discrepancies between model and previous experiments are discussed. PMID:21476688

40 CFR 50.8 - National primary ambient air quality standards for carbon monoxide.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false National primary ambient air quality standards for carbon monoxide. 50.8 Section 50.8 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS NATIONAL PRIMARY AND SECONDARY AMBIENT AIR QUALITY STANDARDS § 50.8 National primary ambient air quality standards for...

40 CFR 50.8 - National primary ambient air quality standards for carbon monoxide.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 2 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false National primary ambient air quality standards for carbon monoxide. 50.8 Section 50.8 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS NATIONAL PRIMARY AND SECONDARY AMBIENT AIR QUALITY STANDARDS § 50.8 National primary ambient air quality standards for...

40 CFR 50.8 - National primary ambient air quality standards for carbon monoxide.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 2 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false National primary ambient air quality standards for carbon monoxide. 50.8 Section 50.8 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS NATIONAL PRIMARY AND SECONDARY AMBIENT AIR QUALITY STANDARDS § 50.8 National primary ambient air quality standards for...

REVIEW ARTICLE: Sensor communication technology towards ambient intelligence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Delsing, J.; Lindgren, P.

2005-04-01

This paper is a review of the fascinating development of sensors and the communication of sensor data. A brief historical introduction is given, followed by a discussion on architectures for sensor networks. Further, realistic specifications on sensor devices suitable for ambient intelligence and ubiquitous computing are given. Based on these specifications, the status and current frontline development are discussed. In total, it is shown that future technology for ambient intelligence based on sensor and actuator devices using standardized Internet communication is within the range of possibilities within five years.

The DFKI Competence Center for Ambient Assisted Living

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frey, Jochen; Stahl, Christoph; Röfer, Thomas; Krieg-Brückner, Bernd; Alexandersson, Jan

The DFKI Competence Center for Ambient Assisted Living (CCAAL) is a cross-project and cross-department virtual organization within the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence coordinating and conducting research and development in the area of Ambient Assisted Living (AAL). Our demonstrators range from multimodal speech dialog systems to fully instrumented environments allowing the development of intelligent assistant systems, for instance an autonomous wheelchair, or the recognition and processing of everyday activities in a smart home. These innovative technologies are then tested, evaluated and demonstrated in DFKI's living labs.

Ambient temperature affects postnatal litter size reduction in golden hamsters.

PubMed

Ohrnberger, Sarah A; Monclús, Raquel; Rödel, Heiko G; Valencak, Teresa G

2016-01-01

To better understand how different ambient temperatures during lactation affect survival of young, we studied patterns of losses of pups in golden hamsters ( Mesocricetus auratus ) at different ambient temperatures in the laboratory, mimicking temperature conditions in natural habitats. Golden hamsters produce large litters of more than 10 young but are also known to wean fewer pups at the end of lactation than they give birth to. We wanted to know whether temperature affects litter size reductions and whether the underlying causes of pup loss were related to maternal food (gross energy) intake and reproductive performance, such as litter growth. For that, we exposed lactating females to three different ambient temperatures and investigated associations with losses of offspring between birth and weaning. Overall, around one third of pups per litter disappeared, obviously consumed by the mother. Such litter size reductions were greatest at 30 °C, in particular during the intermediate postnatal period around peak lactation. Furthermore, litter size reductions were generally higher in larger litters. Maternal gross energy intake was highest at 5 °C suggesting that mothers were not limited by milk production and might have been able to raise a higher number of pups until weaning. This was further supported by the fact that the daily increases in litter mass as well as in the individual pup body masses, a proxy of mother's lactational performance, were lower at higher ambient temperatures. We suggest that ambient temperatures around the thermoneutral zone and beyond are preventing golden hamster females from producing milk at sufficient rates. Around two thirds of the pups per litter disappeared at high temperature conditions, and their early growth rates were significantly lower than at lower ambient temperatures. It is possible that these losses are due to an intrinsic physiological limitation (imposed by heat dissipation) compromising maternal energy intake and

10 CFR 35.70 - Surveys of ambient radiation exposure rate.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... the surveys required by paragraph (a) of this section in an area(s) where patients or human research... 10 Energy 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Surveys of ambient radiation exposure rate. 35.70 Section... Requirements § 35.70 Surveys of ambient radiation exposure rate. (a) In addition to the surveys required by...

10 CFR 35.70 - Surveys of ambient radiation exposure rate.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... the surveys required by paragraph (a) of this section in an area(s) where patients or human research... 10 Energy 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Surveys of ambient radiation exposure rate. 35.70 Section... Requirements § 35.70 Surveys of ambient radiation exposure rate. (a) In addition to the surveys required by...

10 CFR 35.70 - Surveys of ambient radiation exposure rate.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... the surveys required by paragraph (a) of this section in an area(s) where patients or human research... 10 Energy 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Surveys of ambient radiation exposure rate. 35.70 Section... Requirements § 35.70 Surveys of ambient radiation exposure rate. (a) In addition to the surveys required by...

10 CFR 35.70 - Surveys of ambient radiation exposure rate.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... the surveys required by paragraph (a) of this section in an area(s) where patients or human research... 10 Energy 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Surveys of ambient radiation exposure rate. 35.70 Section... Requirements § 35.70 Surveys of ambient radiation exposure rate. (a) In addition to the surveys required by...

10 CFR 35.70 - Surveys of ambient radiation exposure rate.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... the surveys required by paragraph (a) of this section in an area(s) where patients or human research... 10 Energy 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Surveys of ambient radiation exposure rate. 35.70 Section... Requirements § 35.70 Surveys of ambient radiation exposure rate. (a) In addition to the surveys required by...

Del sujeto que ha intentado suicidarse y el Otro: la Institución Psiquiátrica

PubMed Central

Liliana, Mondragón B.; Miguel Ángel, Caballero G.

2009-01-01

El hospital psiquiátrico se ha constituido como un lugar donde se posibilita legitimar la exclusión y la radicalidad de ese otro “que no es igual”, como es el caso del sujeto que atenta contra su propia vida. En consecuencia, el intento de suicidio desde el pensamiento foucaultiano, es una resistencia que desmantela la estructura de dominación a través de un acto de poder, el cual se ejerce sobre el propio cuerpo. Así, la intención de este texto es mostrar que la relación Otro-otro es un lugar en la estructura subjetiva, que se deposita en la institución psiquiátrica, la cual representa el poder, la ley, y es aquello a lo que se le quiere agredir, resistir, abatir con un intento de suicidio. Para demostrar como se materializan estos hechos, se exponen los testimonios de tres adolescentes atendidas en un hospital psiquiátrico por intentos suicidas, en los cuales se señalan los diferentes significados que le atribuyen a la institución psiquiátrica en tanto que representa un Otro en sus actos autoinfligidos. PMID:25400324

Ambient lighting: setting international standards for the viewing of softcopy chest images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McEntee, Mark F.; Ryan, John; Evanoff, Micheal G.; Keeling, Aoife; Chakraborty, Dev; Manning, David; Brennan, Patrick C.

2007-03-01

Clinical radiological judgments are increasingly being made on softcopy LCD monitors. These monitors are found throughout the hospital environment in radiological reading rooms, outpatient clinics and wards. This means that ambient lighting where clinical judgments from images are made can vary widely. Inappropriate ambient lighting has several deleterious effects: monitor reflections reduce contrast; veiling glare adds brightness; dynamic range and detectability of low contrast objects is limited. Radiological images displayed on LCDs are more sensitive to the impact of inappropriate ambient lighting and with these devices problems described above are often more evident. The current work aims to provide data on optimum ambient lighting, based on lesions within chest images. The data provided may be used for the establishment of workable ambient lighting standards. Ambient lighting at 30cms from the monitor was set at 480 Lux (office lighting) 100 Lux (WHO recommendations), 40 Lux and <10 Lux. All monitors were calibrated to DICOM part 14 GSDF. Sixty radiologists were presented with 30 chest images, 15 images having simulated nodular lesions of varying subtlety and size. Lesions were positioned in accordance with typical clinical presentation and were validated radiologically. Each image was presented for 30 seconds and viewers were asked to identify and score any visualized lesion from 1-4 to indicate confidence level of detection. At the end of the session, sensitivity and specificity were calculated. Analysis of the data suggests that visualization of chest lesions is affected by inappropriate lighting with chest radiologists demonstrating greater ambient lighting dependency. JAFROC analyses are currently being performed.

Ambient noise adjoint tomography for a linear array in North China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, C.; Yao, H.; Liu, Q.; Yuan, Y. O.; Zhang, P.; Feng, J.; Fang, L.

2017-12-01

Ambient noise tomography based on dispersion data and ray theory has been widely utilized for imaging crustal structures. In order to improve the inversion accuracy, ambient noise tomography based on the 3D adjoint approach or full waveform inversion has been developed recently, however, the computational cost is tremendous. In this study we present 2D ambient noise adjoint tomography for a linear array in north China with significant computational efficiency compared to 3D ambient noise adjoint tomography. During the preprocessing, we first convert the observed data in 3D media, i.e., surface-wave empirical Green's functions (EGFs) from ambient noise cross-correlation, to the reconstructed EGFs in 2D media using a 3D/2D transformation scheme. Different from the conventional steps of measuring phase dispersion, the 2D adjoint tomography refines 2D shear wave speeds along the profile directly from the reconstructed Rayleigh wave EGFs in the period band 6-35s. With the 2D initial model extracted from the 3D model from traditional ambient noise tomography, adjoint tomography updates the model by minimizing the frequency-dependent Rayleigh wave traveltime misfits between the reconstructed EGFs and synthetic Green function (SGFs) in 2D media generated by the spectral-element method (SEM), with a preconditioned conjugate gradient method. The multitaper traveltime difference measurement is applied in four period bands during the inversion: 20-35s, 15-30s, 10-20s and 6-15s. The recovered model shows more detailed crustal structures with pronounced low velocity anomaly in the mid-lower crust beneath the junction of Taihang Mountains and Yin-Yan Mountains compared with the initial model. This low velocity structure may imply the possible intense crust-mantle interactions, probably associated with the magmatic underplating during the Mesozoic to Cenozoic evolution of the region. To our knowledge, it's first time that ambient noise adjoint tomography is implemented in 2D media

Ambient Seismic Noise Interferometry on the Island of Hawai`i

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ballmer, Silke

Ambient seismic noise interferometry has been successfully applied in a variety of tectonic settings to gain information about the subsurface. As a passive seismic technique, it extracts the coherent part of ambient seismic noise in-between pairs of seismic receivers. Measurements of subtle temporal changes in seismic velocities, and high-resolution tomographic imaging are then possible - two applications of particular interest for volcano monitoring. Promising results from other volcanic settings motivate its application in Hawai'i, with this work being the first to explore its potential. The dataset used for this purpose was recorded by the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory's permanent seismic network on the Island of Hawai'i. It spans 2.5 years from 5/2007 to 12/2009 and covers two distinct sources of volcanic tremor. After applying standard processing for ambient seismic noise interferometry, we find that volcanic tremor strongly affects the extracted noise information not only close to the tremor source, but unexpectedly, throughout the island-wide network. Besides demonstrating how this long-range observability of volcanic tremor can be used to monitor volcanic activity in the absence of a dense seismic array, our results suggest that care must be taken when applying ambient seismic noise interferometry in volcanic settings. In a second step, we thus exclude days that show signs of volcanic tremor, reducing the dataset to three months, and perform ambient seismic noise tomography. The resulting two-dimensional Rayleigh wave group velocity maps for 0.1 - 0.9 Hz compare very well with images from previous travel time tomography, both, for the main volcanic structures at low frequencies as well as for smaller features at mid-to-high frequencies - a remarkable observation for the temporally truncated dataset. These robust results suggest that ambient seismic noise tomography in Hawai'i is suitable 1) to provide a three-dimensional S-wave model for the volcanoes and 2

Antimicrobial Applications of Ambient--Air Plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pavlovich, Matthew John

The emerging field of plasma biotechology studies the applications of the plasma phase of matter to biological systems. "Ambient-condition" plasmas created at or near room temperature and atmospheric pressure are especially promising for biomedical applications because of their convenience, safety to patients, and compatibility with existing medical technology. Plasmas can be created from many different gases; plasma made from air contains a number of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, or RONS, involved in various biological processes, including immune activity, signaling, and gene expression. Therefore, ambient-condition air plasma is of particular interest for biological applications. To understand and predict the effects of treating biological systems with ambient-air plasma, it is necessary to characterize and measure the chemical species that these plasmas produce. Understanding both gaseous chemistry and the chemistry in plasma-treated aqueous solution is important because many biological systems exist in aqueous media. Existing literature about ambient-air plasma hypothesizes the critical role of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species; a major aim of this dissertation is to better quantify RONS by produced ambient-air plasma and understand how RONS chemistry changes in response to different plasma processing conditions. Measurements imply that both gaseous and aqueous chemistry are highly sensitive to operating conditions. In particular, chemical species in air treated by plasma exist in either a low-power ozone-dominated mode or a high-power nitrogen oxide-dominated mode, with an unstable transition region at intermediate discharge power and treatment time. Ozone (O3) and nitrogen oxides (NO and NO2, or NOx) are mutually exclusive in this system and that the transition region corresponds to the transition from ozone- to nitrogen oxides-mode. Aqueous chemistry agrees well with to air plasma chemistry, and a similar transition in liquid-phase composition

Using metal ratios to detect emissions from municipal waste incinerators in ambient air pollution data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Font, Anna; de Hoogh, Kees; Leal-Sanchez, Maria; Ashworth, Danielle C.; Brown, Richard J. C.; Hansell, Anna L.; Fuller, Gary W.

2015-07-01

This study aimed to fingerprint emissions from six municipal waste incinerators (MWIs) and then test if these fingerprint ratios could be found in ambient air samples. Stack emissions tests from MWIs comprised As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, Mn, Ni, V and Hg. Those pairs of metals showing good correlation (R > 0.75) were taken as tracers of MWI emissions and ratios calculated: Cu/Pb; Cd/Pb; Cd/Cu and Cr/Pb. Emissions ratios from MWIs differed significantly from those in ambient rural locations and those close to traffic. In order to identify MWI emissions in ambient air two analysis tests were carried out. The first, aimed to explore if MWI emissions dominate the ambient concentrations. The mean ambient ratio of each of the four metal ratios were calculated for six ambient sampling sites within 10 km from a MWI under stable meteorological conditions when the wind blew from the direction of the incinerator. Under these meteorological conditions ambient Cd/Pb was within the range of MWI emissions at one location, two monitoring sites measured mean Cr/Pb ratios representative of the MWI emissions and the four sites measured values of Cu/Pb within the range of MWI emissions. No ambient measurements had mean Cd/Cu ratios within the MWI values. Even though MWI was not the main source determining the ambient metal ratios, possible occasional plume grounding might have occurred. The second test then examined possible plume grounding by identifying the periods when all metal ratios differed from rural and traffic values at the same time and were consistent with MWI emissions. Metal ratios consistent with MWI emissions were found in ambient air within 10 km of one MWI for about 0.2% of study period. Emissions consistent with a second MWI were similarly detected at two ambient measurement sites about 0.1% and 0.02% of the time. Where plume grounding was detected, the maximum annual mean particulate matter (PM) from the MWI was estimated to be 0.03 μg m-3 to 0.12 μg m-3; 2-3 orders of

The Concentrations of Ambient Burkholderia Pseudomallei during Typhoon Season in Endemic Area of Melioidosis in Taiwan

PubMed Central

Yang, Chun-Yuh; Lee, Min Sheng; Ho, Chi-Kung; Mena, Kristina D.; Wang, Peng-Yau; Chen, Pei-Shih

2014-01-01

Background Melioidosis is a severe bacterial infection caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei with a high case-fatality rate. Epidemiological and animal studies show the possibility of inhalation transmission. However, no B. pseudomallei concentrations in ambient air have been researched. Here, we developed a method to quantify ambient B. pseudomallei and then measured concentrations of ambient B. pseudomallei during the typhoon season and the non-typhoon season to determine the factors influencing ambient B. pseudomallei levels. Methods We quantified ambient B. pseudomallei by using a filter/real-time qPCR method in the Zoynan Region in Kaohsiung, southern Taiwan. Twenty-four hour samples were collected at a sampling rate of 20 L/min every day from June 11 to December 21, 2012 including during the typhoon season (June to September) and reference season (October to December). Results We successfully developed a filtration/real-time qPCR method to quantify ambient B. pseudomallei. To our knowledge, this is the first report describing concentrations of ambient B. pseudomallei. Ambient B. pseudomallei were only detected during the typhoon season when compared to the reference season. For the typhoons affecting the Zoynan Region, the positive rates of ambient B. pseudomallei were very high at 80% to 100%. During June to December, rainfall was positively correlated with ambient B. pseudomallei with a statistical significance. Sediment at a nearby pond significantly influenced the concentration of ambient B. pseudomallei. During the typhoon month, the typhoon was positively correlated with ambient B. pseudomallei whereas wind speed was reversely correlated with ambient B. pseudomallei. Conclusions Our data suggest the possibility of transmission of B. pseudomallei via inhalation during the typhoon season. PMID:24874950

The concentrations of ambient Burkholderia pseudomallei during typhoon season in endemic area of melioidosis in Taiwan.

PubMed

Chen, Ya-Lei; Yen, Yu-Chuan; Yang, Chun-Yuh; Lee, Min Sheng; Ho, Chi-Kung; Mena, Kristina D; Wang, Peng-Yau; Chen, Pei-Shih

2014-01-01

Melioidosis is a severe bacterial infection caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei with a high case-fatality rate. Epidemiological and animal studies show the possibility of inhalation transmission. However, no B. pseudomallei concentrations in ambient air have been researched. Here, we developed a method to quantify ambient B. pseudomallei and then measured concentrations of ambient B. pseudomallei during the typhoon season and the non-typhoon season to determine the factors influencing ambient B. pseudomallei levels. We quantified ambient B. pseudomallei by using a filter/real-time qPCR method in the Zoynan Region in Kaohsiung, southern Taiwan. Twenty-four hour samples were collected at a sampling rate of 20 L/min every day from June 11 to December 21, 2012 including during the typhoon season (June to September) and reference season (October to December). We successfully developed a filtration/real-time qPCR method to quantify ambient B. pseudomallei. To our knowledge, this is the first report describing concentrations of ambient B. pseudomallei. Ambient B. pseudomallei were only detected during the typhoon season when compared to the reference season. For the typhoons affecting the Zoynan Region, the positive rates of ambient B. pseudomallei were very high at 80% to 100%. During June to December, rainfall was positively correlated with ambient B. pseudomallei with a statistical significance. Sediment at a nearby pond significantly influenced the concentration of ambient B. pseudomallei. During the typhoon month, the typhoon was positively correlated with ambient B. pseudomallei whereas wind speed was reversely correlated with ambient B. pseudomallei. Our data suggest the possibility of transmission of B. pseudomallei via inhalation during the typhoon season.

Ambient Ionization Mass Spectrometry for Cancer Diagnosis and Surgical Margin Evaluation

PubMed Central

Ifa, Demian R.; Eberlin, Livia S.

2017-01-01

Background There is a clinical need for new technologies that would enable rapid disease diagnosis based on diagnostic molecular signatures. Ambient ionization mass spectrometry has revolutionized the means by which molecular information can be obtained from tissue samples in real time and with minimal sample pretreatment. New developments in ambient ionization techniques applied to clinical research suggest that ambient ionization mass spectrometry will soon become a routine medical tool for tissue diagnosis. Content This review summarizes the main developments in ambient ionization techniques applied to tissue analysis, with focus on desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, probe electrospray ionization, touch spray, and rapid evaporative ionization mass spectrometry. We describe their applications to human cancer research and surgical margin evaluation, highlighting integrated approaches tested for ex vivo and in vivo human cancer tissue analysis. We also discuss the challenges for clinical implementation of these tools and offer perspectives on the future of the field. Summary A variety of studies have showcased the value of ambient ionization mass spectrometry for rapid and accurate cancer diagnosis. Small molecules have been identified as potential diagnostic biomarkers, including metabolites, fatty acids, and glycerophospholipids. Statistical analysis allows tissue discrimination with high accuracy rates (>95%) being common. This young field has challenges to overcome before it is ready to be broadly accepted as a medical tool for cancer diagnosis. Growing research in new, integrated ambient ionization mass spectrometry technologies and the ongoing improvements in the existing tools make this field very promising for future translation into the clinic. PMID:26555455

Ambient curing fire resistant foams

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hamermesh, C. L.; Hogenson, P. A.; Tung, C. Y.; Sawko, P. M.; Riccitiello, S. R.

1979-01-01

The feasibility of development of an ambient curing foam is described. The thermal stability and flame spread index of the foams were found to be comparable to those of the high-temperature cured polyimide foams by Monsanto two-foot tunnel test and NASA T-3 Fire test. Adaptation of the material to spray in place applications is described

Ambient Volatility of Triethyl Phosphate

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-08-01

AMBIENT VOLATILITY OF TRIETHYL PHOSPHATE ECBC-TR-1476 James H. Buchanan John J. Mahle RESEARCH AND...TECHNOLOGY DIRECTORATE David E. Tevault JOINT RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, INC. Belcamp, MD 21017-1552 August 2017 Approved for public release...21010-5424 Joint Research and Development, Inc.; 4694 Millennium Drive, Suite 105, Belcamp, MD 21017-1552 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION REPORT

Ambient Noise Correlation Amplitudes and Local Site Response

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bowden, D. C.; Tsai, V. C.; Lin, F. C.

2014-12-01

We investigate amplitudes from ambient noise cross correlations in a spatially dense array. Our study of wave propagation effects and ambient noise is focused on the Long Beach Array, with more than 5000 single component geophones in an area of about 100 square kilometers, providing high resolution imaging of shallow crustal features. The method allows for observations of ground properties like site response and attenuation, which can well supplement traditional velocity models and simulations for seismic hazard. Traditional ambient noise cross correlations have proven to be an effective means of measuring velocity information about surface waves, but the amplitudes of such signals in traditional processing are often distorted. We discuss a method of signal processing which preserves relative amplitudes of signals within an array, and the subsequent processing to track wave motion across the array. Previous work showed promising correlation to known local structure, but did not represent a thorough application of tomographic methods. Now we extend the methodology to more robustly consider wavefront focusing and defocusing, interference with higher modes, and discuss the differing effects of local site response, attenuation, and scattering. Application of Helmholtz tomography and determination of local site amplification has previously been demonstrated using earthquake data on the continental scale with USArray, but the exploitation of the ambient noise field is required both for the higher frequencies needed by seismic hazard studies and for the short deployment time of a Long Beach scale array. We outline both the successes and shortcomings of the methodology, and show how it can be extended for use on future arrays.

Ambient awareness: From random noise to digital closeness in online social networks

PubMed Central

Levordashka, Ana; Utz, Sonja

2016-01-01

Ambient awareness refers to the awareness social media users develop of their online network in result of being constantly exposed to social information, such as microblogging updates. Although each individual bit of information can seem like random noise, their incessant reception can amass to a coherent representation of social others. Despite its growing popularity and important implications for social media research, ambient awareness on public social media has not been studied empirically. We provide evidence for the occurrence of ambient awareness and examine key questions related to its content and functions. A diverse sample of participants reported experiencing awareness, both as a general feeling towards their network as a whole, and as knowledge of individual members of the network, whom they had not met in real life. Our results indicate that ambient awareness can develop peripherally, from fragmented information and in the relative absence of extensive one-to-one communication. We report the effects of demographics, media use, and network variables and discuss the implications of ambient awareness for relational and informational processes online. PMID:27375343

Ambient awareness: From random noise to digital closeness in online social networks.

PubMed

Levordashka, Ana; Utz, Sonja

2016-07-01

Ambient awareness refers to the awareness social media users develop of their online network in result of being constantly exposed to social information, such as microblogging updates. Although each individual bit of information can seem like random noise, their incessant reception can amass to a coherent representation of social others. Despite its growing popularity and important implications for social media research, ambient awareness on public social media has not been studied empirically. We provide evidence for the occurrence of ambient awareness and examine key questions related to its content and functions. A diverse sample of participants reported experiencing awareness, both as a general feeling towards their network as a whole, and as knowledge of individual members of the network, whom they had not met in real life. Our results indicate that ambient awareness can develop peripherally, from fragmented information and in the relative absence of extensive one-to-one communication. We report the effects of demographics, media use, and network variables and discuss the implications of ambient awareness for relational and informational processes online.

Relationship between prostate-specific antigen levels and ambient temperature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ohwaki, Kazuhiro; Endo, Fumiyasu; Hattori, Kazunori; Muraishi, Osamu

2014-07-01

We examined the association between prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and daily mean ambient temperature on the day of the test in healthy men who had three annual checkups. We investigated 9,694 men who visited a hospital for routine health checkups in 2007, 2008, and 2009. Although the means and medians of ambient temperature for the three years were similar, the mode in 2008 (15.8 °C) was very different from those in 2007 and 2009 (22.4 °C and 23.2 °C). After controlling for age, body mass index, and hematocrit, a multiple regression analysis revealed a U-shaped relationship between ambient temperature and PSA in 2007 and 2009 ( P < 0.001 and P = 0.004, respectively), but not in 2008 ( P = 0.779). In 2007, PSA was 13.5 % higher at 5 °C and 10.0 % higher at 30 °C than that at 18.4 °C (nadir). In 2009, PSA was 7.3 % higher at 5 °C and 6.8 % at 30 °C compared with the level at 17.7 °C (nadir). In logistic regression analysis, a U-shaped relationship was found for the prevalence of a higher PSA (> 2.5 ng/mL) by ambient temperature, with the lowest likelihood of having a high PSA at 17.8 °C in 2007 ( P = 0.038) and 15.5 °C in 2009 ( P = 0.033). When tested at 30 °C, there was a 57 % excess risk of having a high PSA in 2007 and a 61 % higher risk in 2009 compared with those at each nadir temperature. We found a U-shaped relationship between PSA and ambient temperature with the lowest level of PSA at 15-20 °C.

Implicit Interaction: A Modality for Ambient Exercise Monitoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wan, J.; O'Grady, M. J.; O'Hare, G. M. P.

Ambient Exercise refers to the implicit exercise that people undertake in the course of their everyday duties - a simple example being climbing stairs. Increasing awareness of the potential health benefits of such activities may well contribute to an increase in a person’s well-being. Initially, it is necessary to monitor and quantify such exercise so that personalized fitness plans may be constructed. In this paper, the implicit interaction modality is harnessed to enable the capturing of ambient exercise activity thereby facilitating its subsequent quantification and interpretation. The novelty of the solution proposed lies in its ubiquity and transparency.

40 CFR 50.16 - National primary and secondary ambient air quality standards for lead.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false National primary and secondary ambient... AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS NATIONAL PRIMARY AND SECONDARY AMBIENT AIR QUALITY STANDARDS § 50.16 National primary and secondary ambient air quality standards for lead. (a) The national primary and...

40 CFR 50.12 - National primary and secondary ambient air quality standards for lead.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false National primary and secondary ambient... AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS NATIONAL PRIMARY AND SECONDARY AMBIENT AIR QUALITY STANDARDS § 50.12 National primary and secondary ambient air quality standards for lead. (a) National primary and secondary...

The Genetic Control of Reproductive Development under High Ambient Temperature1[OPEN

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Ambient temperature has a large impact on reproductive development and grain yield in temperate cereals. However, little is known about the genetic control of development under different ambient temperatures. Here, we demonstrate that in barley (Hordeum vulgare), high ambient temperatures accelerate or delay reproductive development depending on the photoperiod response gene PHOTOPERIOD1 (Ppd-H1) and its upstream regulator EARLY FLOWERING3 (HvELF3). A natural mutation in Ppd-H1 prevalent in spring barley delayed floral development and reduced the number of florets and seeds per spike, while the wild-type Ppd-H1 or a mutant Hvelf3 allele accelerated floral development and maintained the seed number under high ambient temperatures. High ambient temperature delayed the expression phase and reduced the amplitude of clock genes and repressed the floral integrator gene FLOWERING LOCUS T1 independently of the genotype. Ppd-H1-dependent variation in flowering time under different ambient temperatures correlated with relative expression levels of the BARLEY MADS-box genes VERNALIZATION1 (HvVRN1), HvBM3, and HvBM8 in the leaf. Finally, we show that Ppd-H1 interacts with regulatory variation at HvVRN1. Ppd-H1 only accelerated floral development in the background of a spring HvVRN1 allele with a deletion in the regulatory intron. The full-length winter Hvvrn1 allele was strongly down-regulated, and flowering was delayed by high temperatures irrespective of Ppd-H1. Our findings demonstrate that the photoperiodic and vernalization pathways interact to control flowering time and floret fertility in response to ambient temperature in barley. PMID:28049855

Voxel-Space Ambient Occlusion

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-02-01

a collection of information if it does not display a currently valid OMB control number. PLEASE DO NOT RETURN YOUR FORM TO THE ABOVE ADDRESS. a...represents the BRDF of the surface material, for incoming direction ψ and an outgoing direction. L(y) is the incoming radiance in the direction ψ from a...10-1-0338). Models come from the Stanford repository. References [BS09] L. Bavoil, M.Sainz Multi-layer dual-resolution screen-space ambient occlusion

Correlation-study about the ambient dose rate and the weather conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Furuya, Masato; Hatano, Yuko; Aoyama, Tomoo; Igarashi, Yasuhito; Kita, Kazuyuki; Ishizuka, Masahide

2016-04-01

The long-term radiation risks are believed to be heavily affected by the resuspension process. We therefore focus on the surface-atmosphere exchange process of released radioactive materials in this study. Radioactive materials were deposited on the soil and float in the air, and such complicated process are influenced by the weather conditions deeply. We need to reveal the correlation between the weather conditions and the ambient dose rate. In this study, we study the correlation between the weather conditions and the ambient dose rate with the correction of the decrease due to the radioactive decay. We found that there is a negative correlation between the ambient dose rate and the soil water content by the correlation coefficient. Using this result, we reconstruct the ambient dose rate from the weather conditions by the multiple regression analysis and found that the reconstructed data agree with the observation very well. Using Kalman filter, which can be sequentially updates the state estimate, we obtained such a good agreement.

Ambient Intelligence Research Landscapes: Introduction and Overview

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Streitz, Norbert

This paper starts out by introducing the "Landscapes" category at the Joint International Conference on Ambient Intelligence (AmI-2010) and provides an overview over the two sessions. The main part of the paper presents a framework for the role of Ambient Intelligence in the development of the cities of the future. This includes the integration of real and virtual worlds resulting in Hybrid Cities and their transformation into Smart Cities. In the context, it is argued that the technological development has to be monitored by guidelines and goals for maintaining and improving the quality of life leading to what is called Humane Cities, addressing, e.g., social awareness and privacy, trust and identity. The paper closes with proposals for a future research agenda.

Urgency to Assess the Health Impact of Ambient Air Pollution in China.

PubMed

Yang, Bo-Yi; Liu, Yimin; Hu, Li-Wen; Zeng, Xiao-Wen; Dong, Guang-Hui

2017-01-01

As the world's second-largest economy, China is going on suffering from environmental pollution, especially for ambient air pollution, which has become a major threat to public health; public awareness of the detrimental effects of air pollution on health is increasing-particularly in relation to haze days. Considering the nonlinear relationship of ambient air pollution exposure and health impacts, and the differences in specific sources of air pollution with those in North America and Europe, conducting health impact assessments of ambient air pollution in China has thus become an urgent task for public health practitioners. Systematic review of the health effects of exposure to ambient air pollution from quantitative studies conducted in Chinese could provide vital information for epidemiology-based health impact assessments and the implementation of a national environmental protection policy.

Produccion Gaseosa del Cometa Halley: Erupciones Y Fotodisociacion del Radical OH

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Silva, A. M.; Mirabel, I. F.

1990-11-01

RESUMEN:En este trabajo informamos la detecci6n de 20 erupciones en la li'nea de =18cm (1667MHz) del radical OH en el Cometa Halley.Las observaciones incluyen todos los monitoreos existentes y se extienden desde 120 dias antes del perihelio hasta 90 dias despues.Se detectan bruscos crecimientos en el flujo medido,hasta un factor 1O,seguidos por decaimientos lentos asociados con la fotodisociaci6n del OH. Se obtuvieron valores para el tiempo de vida fotoquimico del OH y del H2O basandose en el modelo desarrollado previamente por Silva(1988). Esos tiempos de vida estan de acuerdo con predicciones teoricas y con las observaciones en el Ultravioleta, y los resultados, los que son fuertemente dependientes de la velocidad heliocentrica del Coineta (variando hasta un factor 6), han sido calculados para varios rangos de velocidad entre +28 y -28 km/seg. Key wo'L :

Collisionless Coupling between Explosive Debris Plasma and Magnetized Ambient Plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bondarenko, Anton

2016-10-01

The explosive expansion of a dense debris plasma cloud into relatively tenuous, magnetized, ambient plasma characterizes a wide variety of astrophysical and space phenomena, including supernova remnants, interplanetary coronal mass ejections, and ionospheric explosions. In these rarified environments, collective electromagnetic processes rather than Coulomb collisions typically mediate the transfer of momentum and energy from the debris plasma to the ambient plasma. In an effort to better understand the detailed physics of collisionless coupling mechanisms in a reproducible laboratory setting, the present research jointly utilizes the Large Plasma Device (LAPD) and the Phoenix laser facility at UCLA to study the super-Alfvénic, quasi-perpendicular expansion of laser-produced carbon (C) and hydrogen (H) debris plasma through preformed, magnetized helium (He) ambient plasma via a variety of diagnostics, including emission spectroscopy, wavelength-filtered imaging, and magnetic field induction probes. Large Doppler shifts detected in a He II ion spectral line directly indicate initial ambient ion acceleration transverse to both the debris plasma flow and the background magnetic field, indicative of a fundamental process known as Larmor coupling. Characterization of the laser-produced debris plasma via a radiation-hydrodynamics code permits an explicit calculation of the laminar electric field in the framework of a ``hybrid'' model (kinetic ions, charge-neutralizing massless fluid electrons), thus allowing for a simulation of the initial response of a distribution of He II test ions. A synthetic Doppler-shifted spectrum constructed from the simulated velocity distribution of the accelerated test ions excellently reproduces the spectroscopic measurements, confirming the role of Larmor coupling in the debris-ambient interaction.

The consistent difference in red fluorescence in fishes across a 15 m depth gradient is triggered by ambient brightness, not by ambient spectrum.

PubMed

Harant, Ulrike Katharina; Michiels, Nicolaas Karel; Anthes, Nils; Meadows, Melissa Grace

2016-02-17

Organisms adapt to fluctuations or gradients in their environment by means of genetic change or phenotypic plasticity. Consistent adaptation across small spatial scales measured in meters, however, has rarely been reported. We recently found significant variation in fluorescence brightness in six benthic marine fish species across a 15 m depth gradient. Here, we investigate whether this can be explained by phenotypic plasticity alone, using the triplefin Tripterygion delaisi as a model species. In two separate experiments, we measure change in red fluorescent brightness to spectral composition and ambient brightness, two central parameters of the visual environment that change rapidly with depth. Changing the ambient spectra simulating light at -5 or -20 m depth generated no detectable changes in mean fluorescence brightness after 4-6 weeks. In contrast, a reduction in ambient brightness generated a significant and reversible increase in mean fluorescence, most of this within the first week. Although individuals can quickly up- and down-regulate their fluorescence around this mean value using melanosome aggregation and dispersal, we demonstrate that this range around the mean remained unaffected by either treatment. We show that the positive association between fluorescence and depth observed in the field can be fully explained by ambient light brightness, with no detectable additional effect of spectral composition. We propose that this change is achieved by adjusting the ratio of melanophores and fluorescent iridophores in the iris.

Computation of structural flexibility for bridge health monitoring using ambient modal data

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1996-01-01

The issues surrounding the use of ambient vibration modes for the location of structural damage via dynamically : measured flexibility are examined. Several methods for obtaining the required mass-normalized : dynamic mode shapes from ambient modal d...

Continuous determination of gaseous ammonia in the ambient atmosphere using fluorescence derivatization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abbas, Rana; Tanner, Roger L.

A method for continuous determination of ambient ammonia levels employing o-phthalaldehyde fluorescence derivatization is described. A simplified Venturi scrubber and gas-liquid separator have been employed for reproducible measurements of ⩾ 0.1 ppb ambient ammonia with less than 2 min time resolution. The scrubbing efficiency of the ammonia gas collection system was determined to be 29 ± 1 %. During 4 d in August 1979 ambient ammonia levels at the Brookhaven National Laboratory site averaged about 1.5 ± 1.1 ppb during afternoon daylight hours.

Ambient Seismic Imaging of Hydraulically Active Fractures at km Depths

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malin, P. E.; Sicking, C.

2017-12-01

Streaming Depth Images of ambient seismic signals using numerous, densely-distributed, receivers have revealed their connection to hydraulically active fractures at 0.5 to 5 km depths. Key for this type of imaging is very high-fold stacking over both multiple receives and periods of a few hours. Also important is suppression of waveforms from fixed, repeating sources such as pumps, generators, and traffic. A typical surface-based ambient SDI survey would use a 3D seismic receiver grid. It would have 1,000 to 4,000 uniformly distributed receivers at a density of 50/km2over the target. If acquired by borehole receivers buried 100 m deep, the density can be dropped by an order of magnitude. We show examples of the acquisition and signal processing scenarios used to produce the ambient images. (Sicking et al., SEG Interpretation, Nov 2017.) While the fracture-fluid source connection of SDI has been verified by drilling and various types of hydraulic tests, the precise nature of the signal's origin is not clear. At the current level of observation, the signals do not have identifiable phases, but can be focused using P wave velocities. Suggested sources are resonances of pressures fluctuations in the fractures, or small, continuous, slips on fractures surfaces. In either case, it appears that the driving mechanism is tectonic strain in an inherently unstable crust. Solid earth tides may enhance these strains. We illustrate the value of the ambient SDI method in its industrial application by showing case histories from energy industry and carbon-capture-sequestration projects. These include ambient images taken before, during, and after hydraulic treatments in un-conventional reservoirs. The results show not only locations of active fractures, but also their time responses to stimulation and production. Time-lapse ambient imaging can forecast and track events such as well interferences and production changes that can result from nearby treatments.

Ambient air pollution and low birth weight - are some women more vulnerable than others?

PubMed

Westergaard, Nadja; Gehring, Ulrike; Slama, Rémy; Pedersen, Marie

2017-07-01

Ambient air pollution is controllable, and it is one of the greatest environmental threats to human health. Studies conducted worldwide have provided evidence that maternal exposure to ambient air pollution during pregnancy enhances the risk of low birth weight at term (TLBW, <2500g among infants born ≥37 completed weeks of gestation), a maker of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), and suggest that some subgroups of pregnant women who are smoking, of low or high body-mass index (BMI), low socioeconomic status (SES) or asthma are more vulnerable towards the effect of ambient air pollution. The aim of this commentary is to review the published literature on the association between ambient air pollution and TLBW regarding increased vulnerability for the above-mentioned subgroups. Although more than fifty epidemiological studies have examined the associations between ambient air pollution and TLBW to date, we only identified six studies that examined the potential effect modification of the association between ambient air pollution and TLBW by the above listed maternal risk factors. Two studies assessed effect modification caused by smoking on the association between ambient air pollution and TLBW. The adjusted odds ratio (OR) for TLBW associated with exposure to ambient air pollution were in one study higher among women who smoked during pregnancy, as compared to the OR of non-smoking women, while in the other study the association was in the opposite direction. The association of ambient air pollution and TLBW were higher among women characterized by extreme BMI (two studies) and low SES compared to non-obese women or women of higher SES (four studies), respectively. Only one study reported the estimated effects among asthmatic and non-asthmatic women and no statistically significant effect modification was evident for the risk of TLBW associated with ambient air pollution. The current epidemiologic evidence is scarce, but suggests that pregnant women who are

Laser ablation in an ambient gas: Modelling and experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moscicki, Tomasz; Hoffman, Jacek; Szymanski, Zygmunt

2018-02-01

The laser ablation of graphite in ambient argon is studied both experimentally and theoretically in conditions corresponding to the initial conditions of carbon nanotube synthesis by the laser vaporization method. The results of the experiment show that the maximum plasma temperature of 24 000 K is reached 25 ns after the beginning of the laser pulse and decreases to about 4000-4500 K after 10 μs. The maximum electron density of 8 × 1025 m-3 is reached 15 ns from the beginning of the laser pulse. The hydrodynamic model applied shows comparable plasma temperatures and electron densities. The model also replicates well a shock wave and plume confinement—intrinsic features of supersonic flow of the ablated plume in an ambient gas. The results show that the theoretical model can be used to simulate nanosecond laser ablation in an ambient gas from the beginning of the process up to several microseconds.

Measurement of Ambient Air Motion of D. I. Gasoline Spray by LIF-PIV

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamakawa, Masahisa; Isshiki, Seiji; Yoshizaki, Takuo; Nishida, Keiya

Ambient air velocity distributions in and around a D. I. gasoline spray were measured using a combination of LIF and PIV techniques. A rhodamine and water solution was injected into ambient air to disperse the fine fluorescent liquid particles used as tracers. A fuel spray was injected into the fluorescent tracer cloud and was illuminated by an Nd: YAG laser light sheet (532nm). The scattered light from the spray droplets and tracers was cut off by a high-pass filter (>560nm). As the fluorescence (>600nm) was transmitted through the high-pass filter, the tracer images were captured using a CCD camera and the ambient air velocity distribution could be obtained by PIV based on the images. This technique was applied to a D. I. gasoline spray. The ambient air flowed up around the spray and entered into the tail of the spray. Furthermore, the relative velocity between the spray and ambient air was investigated.

Characteristics, determinants, and spatial variations of ambient fungal levels in the subtropical Taipei metropolis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Yi-Hua; Chan, Chang-Chuan; Rao, Carol Y.; Lee, Chung-Te; Hsu, Hsiao-Hsien; Chiu, Yueh-Hsiu; Chao, H. Jasmine

This study was conducted to investigate the temporal and spatial distributions, compositions, and determinants of ambient aeroallergens in Taipei, Taiwan, a subtropical metropolis. We monitored ambient culturable fungi in Shin-Jhuang City, an urban area, and Shi-Men Township, a rural area, in Taipei metropolis from 2003 to 2004. We collected ambient fungi in the last week of every month during the study period, using duplicate Burkard portable samplers and Malt Extract Agar. The median concentration of total fungi was 1339 colony-forming units m -3 of air over the study period. The most prevalent fungi were non-sporulating fungi, Cladosporium, Penicillium, Curvularia and Aspergillus at both sites. Airborne fungal concentrations and diversity of fungal species were generally higher in urban than in rural areas. Most fungal taxa had significant seasonal variations, with higher levels in summer. Multivariate analyses showed that the levels of ambient fungi were associated positively with temperature, but negatively with ozone and several other air pollutants. Relative humidity also had a significant non-linear relationship with ambient fungal levels. We concluded that the concentrations and the compositions of ambient fungi are diverse in urban and rural areas in the subtropical region. High ambient fungal levels were related to an urban environment and environmental conditions of high temperature and low ozone levels.

The persistent signature of tropical cyclones in ambient seismic noise

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gualtieri, Lucia; Camargo, Suzana J.; Pascale, Salvatore; Pons, Flavio M. E.; Ekström, Göran

2018-02-01

The spectrum of ambient seismic noise shows strong signals associated with tropical cyclones, yet a detailed understanding of these signals and the relationship between them and the storms is currently lacking. Through the analysis of more than a decade of seismic data recorded at several stations located in and adjacent to the northwest Pacific Ocean, here we show that there is a persistent and frequency-dependent signature of tropical cyclones in ambient seismic noise that depends on characteristics of the storm and on the detailed location of the station relative to the storm. An adaptive statistical model shows that the spectral amplitude of ambient seismic noise, and notably of the short-period secondary microseisms, has a strong relationship with tropical cyclone intensity and can be employed to extract information on the tropical cyclones.

Redox Toxicology of Ambient Air Pollution

EPA Science Inventory

Ambient air pollution is a leading global cause of morbidity and mortality. Millions of Americans live in areas in which levels of tropospheric ozone exceed air quality standards, while exposure to particulate matter (PM2.5) alone results in 3.2 million excess deaths annually wor...

Whale contribution to long time series of low-frequency oceanic ambient sound

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andrew, Rex K.; Howe, Bruce M.; Mercer, James A.

2002-05-01

It has long been known that baleen (mainly blue and fin) whale vocalizations are a component of oceanic ambient sound. Urick reports that the famous ``20-cycle pulses'' were observed even from the first Navy hydrophone installations in the early 1950's. As part of the Acoustic Thermometry Ocean Climate (ATOC) and the North Pacific Acoustic Laboratory (NPAL) programs, more than 6 years of nearly continuous ambient sound data have been collected from Sound Surveillance System (SOSUS) sites in the northeast Pacific. These records now show that the average level of the ambient sound has risen by as much as 10 dB since the 1960's. Although much of this increase is probably attributable to manmade sources, the whale call component is still prominent. The data also show that the whale signal is clearly seasonal: in coherent averages of year-long records, the whale call signal is the only feature that stands out, making strong and repeatable patterns as the whale population migrates past the hydrophone systems. This prominent and sometimes dominant component of ambient sound has perhaps not been fully appreciated in current ambient noise models. [Work supported by ONR.

Advances in ambient temperature secondary lithium cells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Subbarao, S.; Shen, D. H.; Deligiannis, F.; Huang, C.-K.; Halpert, G.

1990-01-01

The goal of the NASA/OAST sponsored program on the development of ambient-temperature secondary lithium cells for future space applications is to develop cells with a 100 W h/kg specific energy and capable of 1000 cycles at 50-percent depth of discharge. This paper examines the performance potentials of Li-TiS2, Li-MoS3, Li-V6O13, and Li-NbSe3 electrochemical systems at ambient temperature, together with cycle life and safety characteristics. Of these four, the Li-TiS2 system was found to be the most promising in terms of achievable specific energy and cycle life. Major advances made on the development of secondary lithium cells, which are in the areas of cathode processing technology, mixed solvent electrolytes, and cell assembly, are summarized.

Ambiente e formação estelar em galáxias

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mateus, A., Jr.; Sodré, L., Jr.

2003-08-01

Estudamos o ambiente de galáxias com formação estelar inicialmente a partir de uma amostra limitada em volume proveniente do 2dF Galaxy Redshift Survey. Discriminamos as galáxias com formação estelar com base em distintas classes espectrais, utilizando para esta classificação as larguras equivalentes das linhas [OII]l3727 e Hd. O ambiente é caracterizado pela densidade espacial local de galáxias. Mostramos que a fração de galáxias com formação estelar é bastante reduzida em ambientes densos, enquanto a de galáxias passivas aumenta nestas regiões. Por outro lado, quando analisamos a fração de galáxias que apresentam um surto recente de formação estelar, notamos que ela independe do ambiente, sendo que em regiões mais densas alguns destes objetos apresentam distorções em sua morfologia. Estes resultados são confrontados com a análise da dependência ambiental da taxa de formação estelar, estimada pela emissão em Ha, de uma amostra extraída do Sloan Digital Sky Survey. Um declínio gradual da formação estelar também é observado nesta análise, sugerindo que as interações por efeitos de maré sejam responsáveis pela redução da formação estelar em ambientes densos através da remoção do reservatório de gás das galáxias. No entanto, estas interações também podem induzir surtos de formação estelar nas galáxias, além de peculiaridades morfológicas observadas nos objetos que habitam regiões mais densas.

Characterising the ambient sound environment for infants in intensive care wards.

PubMed

Shoemark, Helen; Harcourt, Edward; Arnup, Sarah J; Hunt, Rod W

2016-04-01

The purpose of this study is to characterise ambient sound levels of paediatric and neonatal intensive care units in an old and new hospital according to current standards. The sound environment was surveyed for 24-h data collection periods (n = 80) in the Neonatal and Paediatric Intensive Care Units (NICUs and PICUs) and Special Care Nursery of the old and new Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne. The ambient sound environment was characterised as the proportion of time the ongoing ambient sound met standard benchmarks, the mean 5-s sound levels and the number and duration of noise events. In the old hospital, none of the data collection periods in the NICU and PICU met the standard benchmark for ongoing ambient sound, while only 5 of the 22 data collection periods in the new hospital met the recommended level. There was no change in proportion of time at recommended Leq between the old and the new Special Care Nursery. There was strong evidence for a difference in the mean number of events >65 dBA (Lmax ) in the old and new hospital (rate ratio = 0.82, 95% confidence interval: 0.73 to 0.92, P = 0.001). The NICU and PICU were above 50 dBA in 75% of all data collection periods, with ventilatory equipment associated with higher ongoing ambient sound levels. The ongoing ambient sound suggests that the background sound environment of the new hospital is not different to the old hospital. However, there may be a reduction in the number of noise events. © 2016 The Authors Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health © 2016 Paediatrics and Child Health Division (Royal Australasian College of Physicians).

78 FR 63933 - Approval and Promulgation of Air Quality Implementation Plans; Virginia; Revised Ambient Air...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-10-25

...] Approval and Promulgation of Air Quality Implementation Plans; Virginia; Revised Ambient Air Quality... of Virginia adding ambient air quality standards and associated reference conditions for Fine Particulate Matter (PM 2.5 ) that are consistent with the 2013 National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS...

Comportamiento del Helio en estrellas químicamente peculiares

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malaroda, S. M.; López García, Z.; Leone, F.; Catalano, F.

Las estrellas químicamente peculiares (CP) se caracterizan por tener deficiencias y sobreabundancias de algunos elementos químicos de hasta 106 veces la abundancia solar. Además presentan variaciones en las líneas espectrales. Se piensa que ello se debe a que los campos magnéticos presentes en este tipo de estrellas son principalmente dipolares, con un eje de simetría diferente del eje de rotación. La distribución de los elementos sobreabundantes y deficientes no es homogénea sobre la superficie estelar y las variaciones observadas serían una consecuencia directa de la rotación estelar. Entre los elementos con abundancia anómala se encuentra el Helio, cuyas líneas tienen intensidades que no son consistentes con una abundancia normal, que no puede ser determinada del modo usual, o sea, considerando una atmósfera con composición solar. Con el fin de determinar la abundancia de este elemento, se inició un estudio de estrellas anómalas de Helio, Hew y He strong. Además se determinarán las abundancias de otros elementos anómalos como ser el Si, Cr, Mg, Mn y Fe. Las mismas se determinan del modo tradicional, o sea: a) medida de los anchos equivalentes de las líneas de los distintos elementos analizados; b) adopción de la temperatura efectiva, gravedad y abundancia del Helio; c) cálculo del modelo de atmósfera d) comparación con las observaciones y reinicio de un proceso iterativo hasta lograr un acuerdo entre todos los parámetros analizados. Las observaciones se llevaron a cabo en el Complejo Astronómico El Leoncito. Se observaron setenta y ocho estrellas anómalas de Helio. En este momento se está procediendo a calcular las abundancias correspondientes a los distintos elementos químicos. Para ello se hace uso de los modelos de Kurucz, ATLAS9. Los cálculos NLTE de las líneas de Helio se llevan a cabo con el programa MULTI y se compararán con los realizados con el programa WIDTH9 de Kurucz (LTE), con el objeto de resaltar la importancia de

Ambient air pollution and semen quality.

PubMed

Nobles, Carrie J; Schisterman, Enrique F; Ha, Sandie; Kim, Keewan; Mumford, Sunni L; Buck Louis, Germaine M; Chen, Zhen; Liu, Danping; Sherman, Seth; Mendola, Pauline

2018-05-01

Ambient air pollution is associated with systemic increases in oxidative stress, to which sperm are particularly sensitive. Although decrements in semen quality represent a key mechanism for impaired fecundability, prior research has not established a clear association between air pollution and semen quality. To address this, we evaluated the association between ambient air pollution and semen quality among men with moderate air pollution exposure. Of 501 couples in the LIFE study, 467 male partners provided one or more semen samples. Average residential exposure to criteria air pollutants and fine particle constituents in the 72 days before ejaculation was estimated using modified Community Multiscale Air Quality models. Generalized estimating equation models estimated the association between air pollutants and semen quality parameters (volume, count, percent hypo-osmotic swollen, motility, sperm head, morphology and sperm chromatin parameters). Models adjusted for age, body mass index, smoking and season. Most associations between air pollutants and semen parameters were small. However, associations were observed for an interquartile increase in fine particulates ≤2.5 µm and decreased sperm head size, including -0.22 (95% CI -0.34, -0.11) µm 2 for area, -0.06 (95% CI -0.09, -0.03) µm for length and -0.09 (95% CI -0.19, -0.06) µm for perimeter. Fine particulates were also associated with 1.03 (95% CI 0.40, 1.66) greater percent sperm head with acrosome. Air pollution exposure was not associated with semen quality, except for sperm head parameters. Moderate levels of ambient air pollution may not be a major contributor to semen quality. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Ocean ambient sound south of Bermuda and Panama Canal traffic.

PubMed

Širović, Ana; Hildebrand, John A; McDonald, Mark A

2016-05-01

Comparisons of current and historic ocean ambient noise levels are rare, especially in the North Atlantic. Recent (2013-2014) monthly patterns in ocean ambient sound south of Bermuda were compared to those recorded at the same location in 1966. Additionally, trends in ocean traffic, in particular, Panama Canal traffic, over this time were also investigated. One year of ocean ambient noise measurements were collected in 1966 using cabled, omnidirectional hydrophones at the U.S. Navy Tudor Hill Laboratory in Bermuda, and repeat measurements were collected at the same location from June 2013-May 2014 using a High-frequency Acoustic Recording Package. Average monthly pressure spectrum levels at 44 Hz increased 2.8 ± 0.8 dB from 1966 to 2013, indicating an average increase of 0.6 dB/decade. This low level of increase may be due to topographic shielding at this site, limiting it to only southern exposure, and the limit in the number of ship transits through the Panama Canal, which did not change substantially during this time. The impending expansion of the Canal, which will enable the transit of larger ships at twice the current rate, is likely to lead to a substantial increase in ocean ambient sound at this location in the near future.

Ambient air cooling arrangement having a pre-swirler for gas turbine engine blade cooling

DOEpatents

Lee, Ching-Pang; Tham, Kok-Mun; Schroeder, Eric; Meeroff, Jamie; Miller, Jr., Samuel R; Marra, John J

2015-01-06

A gas turbine engine including: an ambient-air cooling circuit (10) having a cooling channel (26) disposed in a turbine blade (22) and in fluid communication with a source (12) of ambient air: and an pre-swirler (18), the pre-swirler having: an inner shroud (38); an outer shroud (56); and a plurality of guide vanes (42), each spanning from the inner shroud to the outer shroud. Circumferentially adjacent guide vanes (46, 48) define respective nozzles (44) there between. Forces created by a rotation of the turbine blade motivate ambient air through the cooling circuit. The pre-swirler is configured to impart swirl to ambient air drawn through the nozzles and to direct the swirled ambient air toward a base of the turbine blade. The end walls (50, 54) of the pre-swirler may be contoured.

Cloud motion in relation to the ambient wind field

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fuelberg, H. E.; Scoggins, J. R.

1975-01-01

Trajectories of convective clouds were computed from a mathematical model and compared with trajectories observed by radar. The ambient wind field was determined from the AVE IIP data. The model includes gradient, coriolis, drag, lift, and lateral forces. The results show that rotational effects may account for large differences between the computed and observed trajectories and that convective clouds may move 10 to 20 degrees to the right or left of the average wind vector and at speeds 5 to 10 m/sec faster or slower than the average ambient wind speed.

Quality Control for Ambient Sampling of PCDD/PCDF from Open Combustion Sources

EPA Science Inventory

Both long duration (> 6 h) and high temperature (up to 139o C) sampling efforts were conducted using ambient air sampling methods to determine if either high volume throughput or higher than ambient sampling temperatures resulted in loss of target polychlorinated dibenzodioxins/d...

Physical properties of ambient and laboratory-generated secondary organic aerosol

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Brien, Rachel E.; Neu, Alexander; Epstein, Scott A.; MacMillan, Amanda C.; Wang, Bingbing; Kelly, Stephen T.; Nizkorodov, Sergey A.; Laskin, Alexander; Moffet, Ryan C.; Gilles, Mary K.

2014-06-01

The size and thickness of organic aerosol particles collected by impaction in five field campaigns were compared to those of laboratory-generated secondary organic aerosols (SOA). Scanning transmission X-ray microscopy was used to measure the total carbon absorbance (TCA) by individual particles as a function of their projection areas on the substrate. Particles with higher viscosity/surface tension can be identified by a steeper slope on a plot of TCA versus size because they flatten less upon impaction. The slopes of the ambient data are statistically similar indicating a small range of average viscosities/surface tensions across five field campaigns. Steeper slopes were observed for the plots corresponding to ambient particles, while smaller slopes were indicative of the laboratory-generated SOA. This comparison indicates that ambient organic particles have higher viscosities/surface tensions than those typically generated in laboratory SOA studies.

78 FR 63878 - Approval and Promulgation of Air Quality Implementation Plans; Virginia; Revised Ambient Air...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-10-25

...] Approval and Promulgation of Air Quality Implementation Plans; Virginia; Revised Ambient Air Quality... State Implementation Plan (SIP). The revisions add ambient air quality standards and associated... Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for PM 2.5 . EPA is approving these revisions in accordance with the...

Beyond the Channel: A Literature Review on Ambient Displays for Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Borner, Dirk; Kalz, Marco; Specht, Marcus

2013-01-01

The review analyses work in the research field of ambient display with a focus on the use of such displays for situational awareness, feedback and learning. The purpose of the review is to assess the state-of-the-art of the use of ambient displays with an explicit or implicit learning purpose and the possible classification of respective…

The higher mode of surface wave derived from ambient noise and preliminary application to estimating subsurface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhentao, Y.; Xiaofei, C.; Jiannan, W.

2016-12-01

The fundamental mode is the primary component of surface wave derived from ambient noise. It is the basis of the method of structure imaging from ambient noise (e.g. SPAC, Aki 1957; F-K, Lascoss 1968; MUSIC, Schmidt 1986). It is well known, however, that if the higher modes of surface wave can be identified from data and are incorporated in the inversion of dispersion curves, the uncertainty in inversion results will be greatly reduced (e.g., Tokimastu,1997). Actually, the ambient noise indeed contains the higher modes as well in its raw data of ambient noise. If we could extract the higher modes from ambient noise, the structure inversion method of ambient noise would be greatly improved. In the past decade, there are many studies to improve SPAC and analyses the relationship of fundamental mode and higher mode (Ohri et al 2002; Asten et al. 2006; Tashiaki Ykoi 2010 ;Tatsunori Ikeda 2012). In this study, we will present a new method of identifying higher modes from ambient noise data by reprocessing the "surface waves' phases" derived from the ambient noise through cross-correlation analysis, and show preliminary application in structure inversion.

Ambient air quality and asthma cases in Niğde, Turkey.

PubMed

Kara, Ertan; Özdilek, Hasan Göksel; Kara, Emine Erman

2013-06-01

Urban air quality is one of the key factors affecting human health. Turkey has transformed itself into an urban society over the last 30 years. At the same time, air pollution has become a serious impairment to health in many urban areas in the country. This is due to many reasons. In this study, a nonparametric evaluation was conducted of health effects that are triggered by urban air pollution. Niğde, the city which is the administrative centre of Nigde province was chosen of the effects of air pollution since, like many central Turkish cities, it is situated on a valley where atmospheric inversion occurs. In this paper, the relationship between ambient urban air quality, namely PM10 and sulphur dioxide (SO2), and human health, specifically asthma, during the winter season is examined. Air pollution data and asthma cases from 2006 to 2010 are covered in this study. The results of our study indicate that total asthma cases reported in Nigde between 2008 and 2010 were highly dependent on ambient SO2 concentration. More asthma cases were recorded when 30 μg m(-3) or higher SO2 was present in the ambient air than those recorded under cleaner ambient air conditions. Moreover, it was determined that in Nigde in 2010, asthma cases reported in males aged between 45 and 64 were closely correlated with ambient SO2 (α=0.05).

75 FR 81477 - Approval and Promulgation of Air Quality Implementation Plans; Virginia; Amendments to Ambient...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-12-28

... Promulgation of Air Quality Implementation Plans; Virginia; Amendments to Ambient Air Quality Standards for... revision consists of amendments to the Commonwealth of Virginia's ambient air quality standards for... Chapter 30) that contains the ambient air quality standards set out in 40 CFR 50. The SIP revision made...

40 CFR 53.56 - Test for effect of variations in ambient pressure.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... measurement accuracy. (iv) Coefficient of variability measurement accuracy. (v) Ambient pressure measurement... through the sample filter, measured in actual volume units at the temperature and pressure of the air as... volumetric flow rate corrections are made based on measurements of actual ambient temperature and pressure...

Effect of ambient temperature on the thermal profile of the human forearm, hand, and fingers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Montgomery, L. D.; Williams, B. A.

1976-01-01

Forearm, hand, and finger skin temperatures were measured on the right and left sides of seven resting men. The purpose was to determine the bilateral symmetry of these segmental temperature profiles at ambient temperatures from 10 to 45 C. Thermistors placed on the right and left forearms, hands, and index fingers were used to monitor the subjects until equilibration was reached at each ambient temperature. Additionally, thermal profiles of both hands were measured with copper-constantan thermocouples. During one experimental condition (23 C ambient), rectal, ear canal, and 24 skin temperatures were measured on each subject. Average body and average skin temperatures are given for each subject at the 23 C ambient condition. Detailed thermal profiles are also presented for the dorsal, ventral, and circumferential left forearm, hand, and finger skin temperatures at 23 C ambient. No significant differences were found between the mean skin temperatures of the right and left contralateral segments at any of the selected ambient temperatures.

[The health status of children from industrial towns due ambient air pollution].

PubMed

Meĭbaliev, M T

2008-01-01

The author's observations suggest that hygienic monitoring in an industrial city should be made in two areas: 1) ambient air quality and 2) human health. Ambient air quality should be monitored in each town in accordance with an individual program, by taking into account the volume and nature of hazardous substances from the stationary stations, as well as weather conditions, the planning system of residential areas, and the layout of an industrial zone. Monitoring of the population's health in the industrial town should be adapted to the forms and conditions of ambient air quality monitoring in order to reveal environmental pollution-induced changes.

On-line analysis of ambient air aerosols using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carranza, J. E.; Fisher, B. T.; Yoder, G. D.; Hahn, D. W.

2001-06-01

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy is developed for the detection of aerosols in ambient air, including quantitative mass concentration measurements and size/composition measurements of individual aerosol particles. Data are reported for ambient air aerosols containing aluminum, calcium, magnesium and sodium for a 6-week sampling period spanning the Fourth of July holiday period. Measured mass concentrations for these four elements ranged from 1.7 parts per trillion (by mass) to 1.7 parts per billion. Ambient air concentrations of magnesium and aluminum revealed significant increases during the holiday period, which are concluded to arise from the discharge of fireworks in the lower atmosphere. Real-time conditional data analysis yielded increases in analyte spectral intensity approaching 3 orders of magnitude. Analysis of single particles yielded composition-based aerosol size distributions, with measured aerosol diameters ranging from 100 nm to 2 μm. The absolute mass detection limits for single particle analysis exceeded sub-femtogram values for calcium-containing particles, and was on the order of 2-3 femtograms for magnesium and sodium-based particles. Overall, LIBS-based analysis of ambient air aerosols is a promising technique for the challenging issues associated with the real-time collection and analysis of ambient air particulate matter data.

Integration of ambient seismic noise monitoring, displacement and meteorological measurements to infer the temperature-controlled long-term evolution of a complex prone-to-fall cliff

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Colombero, C.; Baillet, L.; Comina, C.; Jongmans, D.; Larose, E.; Valentin, J.; Vinciguerra, S.

2018-06-01

Monitoring the temporal evolution of resonance frequencies and velocity changes detected from ambient seismic noise recordings can help in recognizing reversible and irreversible modifications within unstable rock volumes. With this aim, the long-term ambient seismic noise data set acquired at the potentially unstable cliff of Madonna delSasso (NW Italian Alps) was analysed in this study, using both spectral analysis and cross-correlation techniques. Noise results were integrated and compared with direct displacement measurements and meteorological data, to understand the long-term evolution of the cliff. No irreversible modifications in the stability of the site were detected over the monitored period. Conversely, daily and seasonal air temperature fluctuations were found to control resonance frequency values, amplitudes and directivities and to induce reversible velocity changes within the fractured rock mass. The immediate modification in the noise parameters due to temperature fluctuations was interpreted as the result of rock mass thermal expansion and contraction, inducing variations in the contact stiffness along the fractures isolating two unstable compartments. Differences with previous case studies were highlighted in the long-term evolution of noise spectral amplitudes and directivities, due to the complex 3-D fracture setting of the site and to the combined effects of the two unstable compartments.

Effects of high ambient temperature on urea-nitrogen recycling in lactating dairy cows.

PubMed

Obitsu, Taketo; Kamiya, Mitsuru; Kamiya, Yuko; Tanaka, Masahito; Sugino, Toshihisa; Taniguchi, Kohzo

2011-08-01

Effects of exposure to hot environment on urea metabolism were studied in lactating Holstein cows. Four cows were fed ad libitum a total mixed ration and housed in a temperature-controlled chamber at constant moderate (18°C) or high (28°C) ambient temperatures in a cross-over design. Urea nitrogen (N) kinetics was measured by determining urea isotopomer in urine after single injection of [(15) N(2) ]urea into the jugular vein. Both dry matter intake and milk yield were decreased under high ambient temperature. Intakes of total N and digestible N were decreased under high ambient temperature but urinary urea-N excretion was increased. The ratio of urea-N production to digestible N was increased, whereas the proportion of gut urea-N entry to urea-N production tended to be decreased under high ambient temperature. Neither return to the ornithine cycle, anabolic use nor fecal excretion of urea-N recycled to the gut was affected by ambient temperature. Under high ambient temperature, renal clearance of plasma urea was not affected but the gut clearance was decreased. Increase of urea-N production and reduction of gut urea-N entry, in relative terms, were associated with increased urinary urea-N excretion of lactating dairy cows in higher thermal environments. 2011 The Authors. Animal Science Journal © 2011 Japanese Society of Animal Science.

Different pools of glutamate receptors mediate sensitivity to ambient glutamate in the cochlear nucleus.

PubMed

Yang, Yang; Xu-Friedman, Matthew A

2015-06-01

Ambient glutamate plays an important role in pathological conditions, such as stroke, but its role during normal activity is not clear. In addition, it is not clear how ambient glutamate acts on glutamate receptors with varying affinities or subcellular localizations. To address this, we studied "endbulb of Held" synapses, which are formed by auditory nerve fibers onto bushy cells (BCs) in the anteroventral cochlear nucleus. When ambient glutamate was increased by applying the glutamate reuptake inhibitor TFB-TBOA, BCs depolarized as a result of activation of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) and group I metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs). Application of antagonists against NMDARs (in 0 Mg(2+)) or mGluRs caused hyperpolarization, indicating that these receptors were bound by a tonic source of glutamate. AMPA receptors did not show these effects, consistent with their lower glutamate affinity. We also evaluated the subcellular localization of the receptors activated by ambient glutamate. The mGluRs were not activated by synaptic stimulation and thus appear to be exclusively extrasynaptic. By contrast, NMDARs in both synaptic and extrasynaptic compartments were activated by ambient glutamate, as shown using the use-dependent antagonist MK-801. Levels of ambient glutamate appeared to be regulated in a spike-independent manner, and glia likely play a major role. These low levels of ambient glutamate likely have functional consequences, as even low concentrations of TBOA caused significant increases in BC spiking following synaptic stimulation. These results indicate that normal resting potential appears to be poised in the region of maximal sensitivity to small changes in ambient glutamate. Copyright © 2015 the American Physiological Society.

Different pools of glutamate receptors mediate sensitivity to ambient glutamate in the cochlear nucleus

PubMed Central

Yang, Yang

2015-01-01

Ambient glutamate plays an important role in pathological conditions, such as stroke, but its role during normal activity is not clear. In addition, it is not clear how ambient glutamate acts on glutamate receptors with varying affinities or subcellular localizations. To address this, we studied “endbulb of Held” synapses, which are formed by auditory nerve fibers onto bushy cells (BCs) in the anteroventral cochlear nucleus. When ambient glutamate was increased by applying the glutamate reuptake inhibitor TFB-TBOA, BCs depolarized as a result of activation of N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) and group I metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs). Application of antagonists against NMDARs (in 0 Mg2+) or mGluRs caused hyperpolarization, indicating that these receptors were bound by a tonic source of glutamate. AMPA receptors did not show these effects, consistent with their lower glutamate affinity. We also evaluated the subcellular localization of the receptors activated by ambient glutamate. The mGluRs were not activated by synaptic stimulation and thus appear to be exclusively extrasynaptic. By contrast, NMDARs in both synaptic and extrasynaptic compartments were activated by ambient glutamate, as shown using the use-dependent antagonist MK-801. Levels of ambient glutamate appeared to be regulated in a spike-independent manner, and glia likely play a major role. These low levels of ambient glutamate likely have functional consequences, as even low concentrations of TBOA caused significant increases in BC spiking following synaptic stimulation. These results indicate that normal resting potential appears to be poised in the region of maximal sensitivity to small changes in ambient glutamate. PMID:25855696

Assessment of ambient air quality in Eskişehir, Turkey.

PubMed

Ozden, O; Döğeroğlu, T; Kara, S

2008-07-01

This paper presents an assessment of air quality of the city Eskişehir, located 230 km southwest to the capital of Turkey. Only five of the major air pollutants, most studied worldwide and available for the region, were considered for the assessment. Available sulphur dioxide (SO(2)), particulate matter (PM), nitrogen dioxide (NO(2)), ozone (O(3)), and non-methane volatile organic carbons (NMVOCs) data from local emission inventory studies provided relative source contributions of the selected pollutants to the region. The contributions of these typical pollution parameters, selected for characterizing such an urban atmosphere, were compared with the data established for other cities in the nation and world countries. Additionally, regional ambient SO(2) and PM concentrations, determined by semi-automatic monitoring at two sites, were gathered from the National Ambient Air Monitoring Network (NAAMN). Regional data for ambient NO(2) (as a precursor of ozone as VOCs) and ozone concentrations, through the application of the passive sampling method, were provided by the still ongoing local air quality monitoring studies conducted at six different sites, as representatives of either the traffic-dense-, or coal/natural gas burning residential-, or industrial/rural-localities of the city. Passively sampled ozone data at a single rural site were also verified with the data from a continuous automatic ozone monitoring system located at that site. Effects of variations in seasonal-activities, newly established railway system, and switching to natural gas usage on the temporal changes of air quality were all considered for the assessment. Based on the comparisons with the national [AQCR (Air Quality Control Regulation). Ministry of Environment (MOE), Ankara. Official Newspaper 19269; 1986.] and a number of international [WHO (World Health Organization). Guidelines for Air Quality. Geneva; 2000. Downloaded in January 2006, website: http://www.who.int/peh/; EU (European Union

Effects of color combination and ambient illumination on visual perception time with TFT-LCD.

PubMed

Lin, Chin-Chiuan; Huang, Kuo-Chen

2009-10-01

An empirical study was carried out to examine the effects of color combination and ambient illumination on visual perception time using TFT-LCD. The effect of color combination was broken down into two subfactors, luminance contrast ratio and chromaticity contrast. Analysis indicated that the luminance contrast ratio and ambient illumination had significant, though small effects on visual perception. Visual perception time was better at high luminance contrast ratio than at low luminance contrast ratio. Visual perception time under normal ambient illumination was better than at other ambient illumination levels, although the stimulus color had a confounding effect on visual perception time. In general, visual perception time was better for the primary colors than the middle-point colors. Based on the results, normal ambient illumination level and high luminance contrast ratio seemed to be the optimal choice for design of workplace with video display terminals TFT-LCD.

40 CFR 50.6 - National primary and secondary ambient air quality standards for PM10.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false National primary and secondary ambient... AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS NATIONAL PRIMARY AND SECONDARY AMBIENT AIR QUALITY STANDARDS § 50.6 National primary and secondary ambient air quality standards for PM10. (a) The level of the national...

The Third Ambient Aspirin Polymorph

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

Shtukenberg, Alexander G.; Hu, Chunhua T.; Zhu, Qiang

Polymorphism in aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid), one of the most widely consumed medications, was equivocal until the structure of a second polymorph II, similar in structure to the original form I, was reported in 2005. Here, the third ambient polymorph of aspirin is described. Lastly, it was crystallized from the melt and its structure was determined using a combination of X-ray powder diffraction analysis and crystal structure prediction algorithms.

The Third Ambient Aspirin Polymorph

DOE PAGES

Shtukenberg, Alexander G.; Hu, Chunhua T.; Zhu, Qiang; ...

2017-05-17

Polymorphism in aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid), one of the most widely consumed medications, was equivocal until the structure of a second polymorph II, similar in structure to the original form I, was reported in 2005. Here, the third ambient polymorph of aspirin is described. Lastly, it was crystallized from the melt and its structure was determined using a combination of X-ray powder diffraction analysis and crystal structure prediction algorithms.

Superconducting Open-Framework Allotrope of Silicon at Ambient Pressure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sung, Ha-Jun; Han, W. H.; Lee, In-Ho; Chang, K. J.

2018-04-01

Diamond Si is a semiconductor with an indirect band gap that is the basis of modern semiconductor technology. Although many metastable forms of Si were observed using diamond anvil cells for compression and chemical precursors for synthesis, no metallic phase at ambient conditions has been reported thus far. Here we report the prediction of pure metallic Si allotropes with open channels at ambient pressure, unlike a cubic diamond structure in covalent bonding networks. The metallic phase termed P 6 /m -Si6 can be obtained by removing Na after pressure release from a novel Na-Si clathrate called P 6 /m -NaSi6 , which is predicted through first-principles study at high pressure. We identify that both P 6 /m -NaSi6 and P 6 /m -Si6 are stable and superconducting with the critical temperatures of about 13 and 12 K at ambient pressure, respectively. The prediction of new Na-Si and Si clathrate structures presents the possibility of exploring new exotic allotropes useful for Si-based devices.

Superconducting Open-Framework Allotrope of Silicon at Ambient Pressure.

PubMed

Sung, Ha-Jun; Han, W H; Lee, In-Ho; Chang, K J

2018-04-13

Diamond Si is a semiconductor with an indirect band gap that is the basis of modern semiconductor technology. Although many metastable forms of Si were observed using diamond anvil cells for compression and chemical precursors for synthesis, no metallic phase at ambient conditions has been reported thus far. Here we report the prediction of pure metallic Si allotropes with open channels at ambient pressure, unlike a cubic diamond structure in covalent bonding networks. The metallic phase termed P6/m-Si_{6} can be obtained by removing Na after pressure release from a novel Na-Si clathrate called P6/m-NaSi_{6}, which is predicted through first-principles study at high pressure. We identify that both P6/m-NaSi_{6} and P6/m-Si_{6} are stable and superconducting with the critical temperatures of about 13 and 12 K at ambient pressure, respectively. The prediction of new Na-Si and Si clathrate structures presents the possibility of exploring new exotic allotropes useful for Si-based devices.

Ambient Noise Green's Function Simulation of Long-Period Ground Motions for Reverse Faulting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miyake, H.; Beroza, G. C.

2009-12-01

Long-time correlation of ambient seismic noise has been demonstrated as a useful tool for strong ground motion prediction [Prieto and Beroza, 2008]. An important advantage of ambient noise Green's functions is that they can be used for ground motion simulation without resorting to either complex 3-D velocity structure to develop theoretical Green’s functions, or aftershock records for empirical Green’s function analysis. The station-to-station approach inherent to ambient noise Green’s functions imposes some limits to its application, since they are band-limited, applied at the surface, and for a single force. We explore the applicability of this method to strong motion prediction using the 2007 Chuetsu-oki, Japan, earthquake (Mw 6.6, depth = 9 km), which excited long-period ground motions in and around the Kanto basin almost 200 km from the epicenter. We test the performance of ambient noise Green's function for long-period ground motion simulation. We use three components of F-net broadband data at KZK station, which is located near the source region, as a virtual source, and three components of six F-net stations in and around the Kanto basin to calculate the response. An advantage to applying this approach in Japan is that ambient-noise sources are active in diverse directions. The dominant period of the ambient noise for the F-net datasets is mostly 7 s over the year, and amplitudes are largest in winter. This period matches the dominant periods of the Kanto and Niigata basins. For the 9 components of the ambient noise Green’s functions, we have confirmed long-period components corresponding to Love wave and Rayleigh waves that can be used for simulation of the 2007 Chuetsu-oki earthquake. The relative amplitudes, phases, and durations of the ambient noise Green’s functions at the F-net stations in and around the Kanto basin respect to F-net KZK station are fairly well matched with those of the observed ground motions for the 2007 Chuetsu

Laboratory study of collisionless coupling between explosive debris plasma and magnetized ambient plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bondarenko, A. S.; Schaeffer, D. B.; Everson, E. T.; Clark, S. E.; Lee, B. R.; Constantin, C. G.; Vincena, S.; Van Compernolle, B.; Tripathi, S. K. P.; Winske, D.; Niemann, C.

2017-08-01

The explosive expansion of a localized plasma cloud into a relatively tenuous, magnetized, ambient plasma characterizes a variety of astrophysical and space phenomena. In these rarified environments, collisionless electromagnetic processes rather than Coulomb collisions typically mediate the transfer of momentum and energy from the expanding "debris" plasma to the surrounding ambient plasma. In an effort to better understand the detailed physics of collisionless coupling mechanisms, compliment in situ measurements of space phenomena, and provide validation of previous computational and theoretical work, the present research jointly utilizes the Large Plasma Device and the Raptor laser facility at the University of California, Los Angeles to study the super-Alfvénic, quasi-perpendicular expansion of laser-produced carbon (C) and hydrogen (H) debris plasma through preformed, magnetized helium (He) ambient plasma via a variety of diagnostics, including emission spectroscopy, wavelength-filtered imaging, and a magnetic flux probe. Doppler shifts detected in a He1+ ion spectral line indicate that the ambient ions initially accelerate transverse to both the debris plasma flow and the background magnetic field. A qualitative analysis in the framework of a "hybrid" plasma model (kinetic ions and inertia-less fluid electrons) demonstrates that the ambient ion trajectories are consistent with the large-scale laminar electric field expected to develop due to the expanding debris. In particular, the transverse ambient ion motion provides direct evidence of Larmor coupling, a collisionless momentum exchange mechanism that has received extensive theoretical and numerical investigation. In order to quantitatively evaluate the observed Doppler shifts, a custom simulation utilizing a detailed model of the laser-produced debris plasma evolution calculates the laminar electric field and computes the initial response of a distribution of ambient test ions. A synthetic Doppler

Cooling system with compressor bleed and ambient air for gas turbine engine

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

Marsh, Jan H.; Marra, John J.

A cooling system for a turbine engine for directing cooling fluids from a compressor to a turbine blade cooling fluid supply and from an ambient air source to the turbine blade cooling fluid supply to supply cooling fluids to one or more airfoils of a rotor assembly is disclosed. The cooling system may include a compressor bleed conduit extending from a compressor to the turbine blade cooling fluid supply that provides cooling fluid to at least one turbine blade. The compressor bleed conduit may include an upstream section and a downstream section whereby the upstream section exhausts compressed bleed airmore » through an outlet into the downstream section through which ambient air passes. The outlet of the upstream section may be generally aligned with a flow of ambient air flowing in the downstream section. As such, the compressed air increases the flow of ambient air to the turbine blade cooling fluid supply.« less

Ambient Sound-Based Collaborative Localization of Indeterministic Devices

PubMed Central

Kamminga, Jacob; Le, Duc; Havinga, Paul

2016-01-01

Localization is essential in wireless sensor networks. To our knowledge, no prior work has utilized low-cost devices for collaborative localization based on only ambient sound, without the support of local infrastructure. The reason may be the fact that most low-cost devices are indeterministic and suffer from uncertain input latencies. This uncertainty makes accurate localization challenging. Therefore, we present a collaborative localization algorithm (Cooperative Localization on Android with ambient Sound Sources (CLASS)) that simultaneously localizes the position of indeterministic devices and ambient sound sources without local infrastructure. The CLASS algorithm deals with the uncertainty by splitting the devices into subsets so that outliers can be removed from the time difference of arrival values and localization results. Since Android is indeterministic, we select Android devices to evaluate our approach. The algorithm is evaluated with an outdoor experiment and achieves a mean Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) of 2.18 m with a standard deviation of 0.22 m. Estimated directions towards the sound sources have a mean RMSE of 17.5° and a standard deviation of 2.3°. These results show that it is feasible to simultaneously achieve a relative positioning of both devices and sound sources with sufficient accuracy, even when using non-deterministic devices and platforms, such as Android. PMID:27649176

Enhancing Safety of Artificially Ventilated Patients Using Ambient Process Analysis.

PubMed

Lins, Christian; Gerka, Alexander; Lüpkes, Christian; Röhrig, Rainer; Hein, Andreas

2018-01-01

In this paper, we present an approach for enhancing the safety of artificially ventilated patients using ambient process analysis. We propose to use an analysis system consisting of low-cost ambient sensors such as power sensor, RGB-D sensor, passage detector, and matrix infrared temperature sensor to reduce risks for artificially ventilated patients in both home and clinical environments. We describe the system concept and our implementation and show how the system can contribute to patient safety.

Coherent ambient infrasound recorded by the International Monitoring System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matoza, Robin S.; LandèS, Matthieu; Le Pichon, Alexis; Ceranna, Lars; Brown, David

2013-01-01

The ability of the International Monitoring System (IMS) infrasound network to detect atmospheric nuclear explosions and other signals of interest is strongly dependent on station-specific ambient noise. This ambient noise includes both incoherent wind noise and real coherent infrasonic waves. Previous ambient infrasound noise models have not distinguished between incoherent and coherent components. We present a first attempt at statistically and systematically characterizing coherent infrasound recorded by the IMS. We perform broadband (0.01-5 Hz) array processing with the IMS continuous waveform archive (39 stations from 1 April 2005 to 31 December 2010) using an implementation of the Progressive Multi-Channel Correlation algorithm in log-frequency space. From these results, we estimate multi-year 5th, 50th, and 95th percentiles of the RMS pressure of coherent signals in 15 frequency bands for each station. We compare the resulting coherent infrasound models with raw power spectral density noise models, which inherently include both incoherent and coherent components. Our results indicate that IMS arrays consistently record coherent ambient infrasound across the broad frequency range from 0.01 to 5 Hz when wind noise levels permit. The multi-year averaging emphasizes continuous signals such as oceanic microbaroms, as well as persistent transient signals such as repetitive volcanic, surf, thunder, or anthropogenic activity. Systematic characterization of coherent infrasound detection is important for quantifying a station's recording environment, signal-to-noise ratio as a function of frequency and direction, and overall performance, which all influence the detection probability of specific signals of interest.

Análisis de costo de la enfermedad, del tratamiento, las complicaciones e intervenciones de la hipercolesterolemia en México en 2016.

PubMed

Baeza-Cruz, German; Peniche-Otero, Gustavo; Alva-Esqueda, Mónica E; Naranjo-Muedano, Mariana; Soria-Suárez, Noé; Morales-Flores, Héctor J

2018-04-20

Describir los costos y el impacto económico de la atención de pacientes diagnosticados con hipercolesterolemia en México en el año 2016. METODOLOGíA: Se desarrolla una evaluación económica del tipo análisis de costo de la enfermedad donde se cuantifican los recursos médicos utilizados para el tratamiento de la hipercolesterolemia así como para sus complicaciones. Los costos de los recursos médicos utilizados son obtenidos de los costos unitarios por nivel de atención del Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social (IMSS) así como de las licitaciones publicadas en el portal de compras del IMSS. El uso de recursos se obtiene mediante un panel de expertos y para el porcentaje de presencia de las complicaciones se efectúa una revisión de literatura. Los costos médicos directos son estimados multiplicando la frecuencia de uso por el costo unitario, agrupándolos y obteniendo así los costos individuales de cada recurso médico. Los casos de hipercolesterolemia en prevención secundaria con enfermedad coronaria y enfermedad cardiovascular representan un mayor costo promedio anual ($111,835.19, D.E. $84,276.37), seguido de la hipercolesterolemia en prevención secundaria con enfermedad coronaria sin enfermedad cardiovascular ($56,352.13, D.E. $29,004.04), los cuales no incluyen los costos generados por las complicaciones. El resto de los grupos de hipercolesterolemia representan una carga económica menor. La carga económica de la hipercolesterolemia representa en promedio por caso al año $258,761.37, esto traducido a los aproximadamente 445,075 de casos diagnosticados y tratados al año representaría un impacto económico en el sistema de salud de más de ciento quince mil millones ($115,168,331,355.11). Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Towards full waveform ambient noise inversion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sager, Korbinian; Ermert, Laura; Boehm, Christian; Fichtner, Andreas

2018-01-01

In this work we investigate fundamentals of a method—referred to as full waveform ambient noise inversion—that improves the resolution of tomographic images by extracting waveform information from interstation correlation functions that cannot be used without knowing the distribution of noise sources. The fundamental idea is to drop the principle of Green function retrieval and to establish correlation functions as self-consistent observables in seismology. This involves the following steps: (1) We introduce an operator-based formulation of the forward problem of computing correlation functions. It is valid for arbitrary distributions of noise sources in both space and frequency, and for any type of medium, including 3-D elastic, heterogeneous and attenuating media. In addition, the formulation allows us to keep the derivations independent of time and frequency domain and it facilitates the application of adjoint techniques, which we use to derive efficient expressions to compute first and also second derivatives. The latter are essential for a resolution analysis that accounts for intra- and interparameter trade-offs. (2) In a forward modelling study we investigate the effect of noise sources and structure on different observables. Traveltimes are hardly affected by heterogeneous noise source distributions. On the other hand, the amplitude asymmetry of correlations is at least to first order insensitive to unmodelled Earth structure. Energy and waveform differences are sensitive to both structure and the distribution of noise sources. (3) We design and implement an appropriate inversion scheme, where the extraction of waveform information is successively increased. We demonstrate that full waveform ambient noise inversion has the potential to go beyond ambient noise tomography based on Green function retrieval and to refine noise source location, which is essential for a better understanding of noise generation. Inherent trade-offs between source and structure

Astronomy in High School: Using a Mini-Planetarium to Understand Details of the Apparent Movement of Stars. (Spanish Title: Astronomía en la Escuela Secundaria: Comprendiendo los Detalles del Movimiento Aparente de Las Estrellas con un Miniplanetario.) Astronomia no Ensino Médio: Compreendendo Detalhes do Movimento Aparente das Estrelas com um Miniplanetário

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

dos Santos Leão, Demetrius

2013-07-01

The aim of this article is to present part of the results obtained by the intervention made from the author's Master degree project, which consisted in the development of a set of Astronomy classes for first year of High School students from a private school in the "Distrito Federal", Brasilia, Brazil, making use of a didactical material called mini-planetarium (MP) as the main resource. Using Paulo Freire's contextualization and dialogicity ideas as a theoretical framework guided by these lessons, it was proposed to the students the assembly and application of that resource in a planetarium session. During the project, some subjects such as the apparent trajectory of stars through Brasilia's sky, the location of the cardinal points beginning from the Southern Cross constellation, the color of stars and the stars being seen from a particular place were emphasized. It was found that the students showed an improvement of their understanding about these subjects, as well as a significant excitement with the developed methodology. El objetivo de este trabajo es presentar algunos de los resultados obtenidos en el proyecto de la tesis de maestría del autor, que incluyó el desarrollo de algunas clases de Astronomía, con estudiantes del primer año del bachillerato de una escuela privada del Distrito Federal (Brasilia, Brasil), utilizando como materia prima didáctica el recurso llamado miniplanetario (MP). Utilizando como base teórica orientadora de esas clases las ideas de contextualización y dialógica de Paulo Freire, fue propuesto a los estudiantes el montaje y la utilización de este recurso en una función de planetario. Durante el proyecto, se enfatizaron asuntos tales como la trayectoria aparente de las estrellas del cielo de Brasilia, la ubicación de los puntos cardinales a partir de la constelación de la Cruz del Sur, los colores de las estrellas y las estrellas vistas desde una localidad determinada. Se constató que los estudiantes mostraron una mejora

Profiling quinones in ambient air samples collected from the Athabasca region (Canada).

PubMed

Wnorowski, Andrzej; Charland, Jean-Pierre

2017-12-01

This paper presents new findings on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon oxidation products-quinones that were collected in ambient air samples in the proximity of oil sands exploration. Quinones were characterized for their diurnal concentration variability, phase partitioning, and molecular size distribution. Gas-phase (GP) and particle-phase (PM) ambient air samples were collected separately in the summer; a lower quinone content was observed in the PM samples from continuous 24-h sampling than from combined 12-h sampling (day and night). The daytime/nocturnal samples demonstrated that nighttime conditions led to lower concentrations and some quinones not being detected. The highest quinone levels were associated with wind directions originating from oil sands exploration sites. The statistical correlation with primary pollutants directly emitted from oil sands industrial activities indicated that the bulk of the detected quinones did not originate directly from primary emission sources and that quinone formation paralleled a reduction in primary source NO x levels. This suggests a secondary chemical transformation of primary pollutants as the origin of the determined quinones. Measurements of 19 quinones included five that have not previously been reported in ambient air or in Standard Reference Material 1649a/1649b and seven that have not been previously measured in ambient air in the underivatized form. This is the first paper to report on quinone characterization in secondary organic aerosols originating from oil sands activities, to distinguish chrysenequinone and anthraquinone positional isomers in ambient air, and to report the requirement of daylight conditions for benzo[a]pyrenequinone and naphthacenequinone to be present in ambient air. Crown Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Motor transport emission, ambient air quality, and the Moscow population's health].

PubMed

Ivanenko, A V; Volkova, I F; Kornienko, A P

2007-01-01

As of 2006, the city's motor transport fleet amounted to as many as 3 million units that annually consume about 5 million tons of petrol. The use rate of all kinds of vehicles has increased, resulting in the growth of the proportion of ambient air pollutants discharged by motor transport, which surpasses the increase of the absolute size of the fleet. The contribution of traveling sources to ambient air pollution is growing steadily and it has been recently about 90% (1 million tons). Implementation of measures and developed managerial decisions, and ecological programs, improvement of Moscow town-planning measures, and environment-improving measures against motor vehicles have contributed to a reduction in chemical and physical burdens on the population. The characteristics of the capital's ambient air pollution have been recently observed to become stable and improve. There is stabilization in morbidity due to respiratory diseases in all population groups. The prevalence of chronic respiratory diseases in children is on the decrease, the increase rate was 1.4% versus 33.5% in the preceding period. Assessment of carcinogenic risk showed that ambient air pollution and drinking water contamination had a negative impact on the Moscow population.

Characterization of ambient-generated exposure to fine particles using sulfate as a tracer in the Chinese megacity of Guangzhou.

PubMed

Chen, Xiao-Cui; Jahn, Heiko J; Engling, Guenter; Ward, Tony J; Kraemer, Alexander; Ho, Kin-Fai; Chan, Chuen-Yu

2017-02-15

Total personal exposures can differ from the concentrations measured at stationary ambient monitoring sites. To provide further insight into factors affecting exposure to particles, chemical tracers were used to separate total personal exposure into its ambient and non-ambient components. Simultaneous measurements of ambient and personal exposure to fine particles (PM 2.5 ) were conducted in eight districts of Guangzhou, a megacity in South China, during the winter of 2011. Considerable significant correlations (Spearman's Rho, r s ) between personal exposures and ambient concentrations of sulfate (SO 4 2- ; r s >0.68) were found in contrast to elemental carbon (EC; r s >0.37). The average fraction of personal SO 4 2- to ambient SO 4 2- resulting in an adjusted ambient exposure factor of α=0.72 and a slope of 0.73 was determined from linear regression analysis when there were minimal indoor sources of SO 4 2- . From all data pooled across the districts, the estimated average ambient-generated and non-ambient-generated exposure to PM 2.5 were 55.3μg/m 3 (SD=23.4μg/m 3 ) and 18.1μg/m 3 (SD=29.1μg/m 3 ), respectively. A significant association was found between ambient-generated exposure and ambient PM 2.5 concentrations (Pearson's r=0.51, p<0.001). As expected, the non-ambient generated exposure was not related to the ambient concentrations. This study highlights the importance of both ambient and non-ambient components of total personal exposure in the megacity of Guangzhou. Our results support the use of SO 4 2- as a tracer of personal exposure to PM 2.5 of ambient origin in environmental and epidemiological studies. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Humidity Effects on Fragmentation in Plasma-Based Ambient Ionization Sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Newsome, G. Asher; Ackerman, Luke K.; Johnson, Kevin J.

2016-01-01

Post-plasma ambient desorption/ionization (ADI) sources are fundamentally dependent on surrounding water vapor to produce protonated analyte ions. There are two reports of humidity effects on ADI spectra. However, it is unclear whether humidity will affect all ADI sources and analytes, and by what mechanism humidity affects spectra. Flowing atmospheric pressure afterglow (FAPA) ionization and direct analysis in real time (DART) mass spectra of various surface-deposited and gas-phase analytes were acquired at ambient temperature and pressure across a range of observed humidity values. A controlled humidity enclosure around the ion source and mass spectrometer inlet was used to create programmed humidity and temperatures. The relative abundance and fragmentation of molecular adduct ions for several compounds consistently varied with changing ambient humidity and also were controlled with the humidity enclosure. For several compounds, increasing humidity decreased protonated molecule and other molecular adduct ion fragmentation in both FAPA and DART spectra. For others, humidity increased fragment ion ratios. The effects of humidity on molecular adduct ion fragmentation were caused by changes in the relative abundances of different reagent protonated water clusters and, thus, a change in the average difference in proton affinity between an analyte and the population of water clusters. Control of humidity in ambient post-plasma ion sources is needed to create spectral stability and reproducibility.

Humidity Effects on Fragmentation in Plasma-Based Ambient Ionization Sources.

PubMed

Newsome, G Asher; Ackerman, Luke K; Johnson, Kevin J

2016-01-01

Post-plasma ambient desorption/ionization (ADI) sources are fundamentally dependent on surrounding water vapor to produce protonated analyte ions. There are two reports of humidity effects on ADI spectra. However, it is unclear whether humidity will affect all ADI sources and analytes, and by what mechanism humidity affects spectra. Flowing atmospheric pressure afterglow (FAPA) ionization and direct analysis in real time (DART) mass spectra of various surface-deposited and gas-phase analytes were acquired at ambient temperature and pressure across a range of observed humidity values. A controlled humidity enclosure around the ion source and mass spectrometer inlet was used to create programmed humidity and temperatures. The relative abundance and fragmentation of molecular adduct ions for several compounds consistently varied with changing ambient humidity and also were controlled with the humidity enclosure. For several compounds, increasing humidity decreased protonated molecule and other molecular adduct ion fragmentation in both FAPA and DART spectra. For others, humidity increased fragment ion ratios. The effects of humidity on molecular adduct ion fragmentation were caused by changes in the relative abundances of different reagent protonated water clusters and, thus, a change in the average difference in proton affinity between an analyte and the population of water clusters. Control of humidity in ambient post-plasma ion sources is needed to create spectral stability and reproducibility.

Bedsharing at home, breastfeeding and sudden infant death. Recommendations for health professionals

PubMed

2017-10-01

El Grupo de Trabajo en Muerte Súbita e Inesperada del Lactante, junto con la Subcomisión de Lactancia Materna de la Sociedad Argentina de Pediatría, elaboraron nuevas recomendaciones sobre la práctica del colecho, en la cual el niño duerme en la misma superficie junto a su madre, situación que es motivo de controversia. El colecho favorece la lactancia materna, que, a su vez, es protectora de la muerte súbita del lactante. Un pequeño grupo de niños presenta mayor riesgo de muerte súbita del lactante y accidentes fatales durante el colecho en ciertas circunstancias, que incluyen dormir en un sillón o sofá, padres fumadores, ingesta de sedantes, drogas y/o consumo de alcohol, niños prematuros y/o de bajo peso. El colecho en niños alimentados con leche humana, sin los factores de riesgo mencionados y con padres responsables de implementar un ambiente de sueño seguro, no aumenta el riesgo de muerte súbita del lactante. Esta guía no recomienda taxativamente la prohibición del colecho. Instruye a los profesionales de la salud a propalar a las familias un mensaje balanceado que incluya tanto los riesgos como los beneficios del colecho, lo que les permite a los padres una decisión informada al respecto. El documento señala que la cohabitación sin colecho es el lugar más seguro para los bebés al momento de dormir.

Temporal and spatial patterns of ambient endotoxin concentrations in Fresno, California.

PubMed

Tager, Ira B; Lurmann, Frederick W; Haight, Thaddeus; Alcorn, Siana; Penfold, Bryan; Hammond, S Katharine

2010-10-01

Endotoxins are found in indoor dust generated by human activity and pets, in soil, and adsorbed onto the surfaces of ambient combustion particles. Endotoxin concentrations have been associated with respiratory symptoms and the risk of atopy and asthma in children. We characterized the temporal and spatial variability of ambient endotoxin in Fresno/Clovis, California, located in California's Central Valley, to identify correlates and potential predictors of ambient endotoxin concentrations in a cohort of children with asthma [Fresno Asthmatic Children's Environment Study (FACES)]. Between May 2001 and October 2004, daily ambient endotoxin and air pollutants were collected at the central ambient monitoring site of the California Air Resources Board in Fresno and, for shorter time periods, at 10 schools and indoors and outdoors at 84 residences in the community. Analyses were restricted to May-October, the dry months during which endotoxin concentrations are highest. Daily endotoxin concentration patterns were determined mainly by meteorologic factors, particularly the degree of air stagnation. Overall concentrations were lowest in areas distant from agricultural activities. Highest concentrations were found in areas immediately downwind from agricultural/pasture land. Among three other measured air pollutants [fine particulate matter, elemental carbon (a marker of traffic in Fresno), and coarse particulate matter (PMc)], PMc was the only pollutant correlated with endotoxin. Endotoxin, however, was the most spatially variable. Our data support the need to evaluate the spatial/temporal variability of endotoxin concentrations, rather than relying on a few measurements made at one location, in studies of exposure and and respiratory health effects, particularly in children with asthma and other chronic respiratory diseases.

40 CFR 53.55 - Test for effect of variations in power line voltage and ambient temperature.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... measurement accuracy. (iv) Coefficient of variability measurement accuracy. (v) Ambient air temperature... line voltage and ambient temperature. 53.55 Section 53.55 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL... power line voltage and ambient temperature. (a) Overview. (1) This test procedure is a combined...

10 CFR 35.2070 - Records of surveys for ambient radiation exposure rate.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 10 Energy 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Records of surveys for ambient radiation exposure rate. 35.2070 Section 35.2070 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION MEDICAL USE OF BYPRODUCT MATERIAL Records § 35.2070 Records of surveys for ambient radiation exposure rate. A licensee shall retain a record of...

10 CFR 35.2070 - Records of surveys for ambient radiation exposure rate.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 10 Energy 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Records of surveys for ambient radiation exposure rate. 35.2070 Section 35.2070 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION MEDICAL USE OF BYPRODUCT MATERIAL Records § 35.2070 Records of surveys for ambient radiation exposure rate. A licensee shall retain a record of...

10 CFR 35.2070 - Records of surveys for ambient radiation exposure rate.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 10 Energy 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Records of surveys for ambient radiation exposure rate. 35.2070 Section 35.2070 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION MEDICAL USE OF BYPRODUCT MATERIAL Records § 35.2070 Records of surveys for ambient radiation exposure rate. A licensee shall retain a record of...

10 CFR 35.2070 - Records of surveys for ambient radiation exposure rate.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 10 Energy 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Records of surveys for ambient radiation exposure rate. 35.2070 Section 35.2070 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION MEDICAL USE OF BYPRODUCT MATERIAL Records § 35.2070 Records of surveys for ambient radiation exposure rate. A licensee shall retain a record of...

10 CFR 35.2070 - Records of surveys for ambient radiation exposure rate.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 10 Energy 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Records of surveys for ambient radiation exposure rate. 35.2070 Section 35.2070 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION MEDICAL USE OF BYPRODUCT MATERIAL Records § 35.2070 Records of surveys for ambient radiation exposure rate. A licensee shall retain a record of...

Presentación del estudio "Links" de hombres que tienes sexo con hombres en Buenos Aires, Argentina.

PubMed

Carballo-Diéguez, Alex; Avila, María M; Balán, Iván C; Marone, Rubén; Pando, María A; Barreda, Victoria

2011-03-01

Estudios previos en Buenos Aires reportaron altas prevalencias de HIV entre HSH, con valores que oscilan entre 9 y 14% durante casi 10 años de continuo testeo. El objetivo principal de este estudio fue la evaluación de factores relacionados al comportamiento de alto riesgo para transmisión del HIV entre HSH entre los que se incluyen el conocimiento y factores emocionales, socioculturales y ambientales. Por otro lado se realizó la estimación de prevalencia e incidencia de HIV utilizando RDS (Respondent Driven Sampling), así como la presencia de otras infecciones de transmisión sexual. Por último se evaluaron los hábitos de testeo para HIV indagando que factores facilitan o impiden su realización. El estudio constó de dos fases, en primer lugar una fase cualitativa y posteriormente una fase cuantitativa con una duración total de 4 años y medio. Durante la fase cualitativa se realizaron 44 entrevistas individuales en profundidad, 8 grupos focales y 10 observaciones etnográficas (hoteles, baños públicos ("teteras"), cines pornográficos, fiestas privadas, dark rooms y discotecas). Durante la fase cuantitativa del estudio se realizó el reclutamiento de 500 participantes que provinieron de la Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, así como del Gran Buenos Aires. El reclutamiento se comenzó con 16 participantes llamados semillas. Se realizó el diagnóstico de infección por HIV, hepatitis B y C (HBV y HCV), Treponema pallidum, Virus Papiloma Humano (HPV) y Chlamidias. La colaboración establecida entre los grupos de trabajo enfocados en áreas diversas posibilitó el abordaje conjunto de nuevas estrategias de investigación antes no exploradas en nuestro país. Los resultados más relevantes de esta investigación serán progresivamente publicados en sucesivos números de Actualizaciones en SIDA.

Ambient Noise in an Urbanized Tidal Channel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bassett, Christopher

In coastal environments, when topographic and bathymetric constrictions are combined with large tidal amplitudes, strong currents (> 2 m/s) can occur. Because such environments are relatively rare and difficult to study, until recently, they have received little attention from the scientific community. However, in recent years, interest in developing tidal hydrokinetic power projects in these environments has motivated studies to improve this understanding. In order to support an analysis of the acoustic effects of tidal power generation, a multi-year study was conducted at a proposed project site in Puget Sound (WA) are analyzed at a site where peak currents exceeded 3.5 m/s. From these analyses, three noise sources are shown to dominate the observed variability in ambient noise between 0.02-30 kHz: anthropogenic noise from vessel traffic, sediment-generated noise during periods of strong currents, and flow-noise resulting from turbulence advected over the hydrophones. To assess the contribution of vessel traffic noise, one calendar year of Automatic Identification System (AIS) ship-traffic data was paired with hydrophone recordings. The study region included inland waters of the Salish Sea within a 20 km radius of the hydrophone deployment site in northern Admiralty Inlet. The variability in spectra and hourly, daily, and monthly ambient noise statistics for unweighted broadband and M-weighted sound pressure levels is driven largely by vessel traffic. Within the one-year study period, at least one AIS transmitting vessel is present in the study area 90% of the time and over 1,363 unique vessels are recorded. A noise budget for vessels equipped with AIS transponders identifies cargo ships, tugs, and passenger vessels as the largest contributors to noise levels. A simple model to predict received levels at the site based on an incoherent summation of noise from different vessel types yields a cumulative probability density function of broadband sound pressure

A caregiver support platform within the scope of an ambient assisted living ecosystem.

PubMed

Costa, Angelo; Novais, Paulo; Simoes, Ricardo

2014-03-20

The Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) area is in constant evolution, providing new technologies to users and enhancing the level of security and comfort that is ensured by house platforms. The Ambient Assisted Living for All (AAL4ALL) project aims to develop a new AAL concept, supported on a unified ecosystem and certification process that enables a heterogeneous environment. The concepts of Intelligent Environments, Ambient Intelligence, and the foundations of the Ambient Assisted Living are all presented in the framework of this project. In this work, we consider a specific platform developed in the scope of AAL4ALL, called UserAccess. The architecture of the platform and its role within the overall AAL4ALL concept, the implementation of the platform, and the available interfaces are presented. In addition, its feasibility is validated through a series of tests.

A Caregiver Support Platform within the Scope of an Ambient Assisted Living Ecosystem

PubMed Central

Costa, Angelo; Novais, Paulo; Simoes, Ricardo

2014-01-01

The Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) area is in constant evolution, providing new technologies to users and enhancing the level of security and comfort that is ensured by house platforms. The Ambient Assisted Living for All (AAL4ALL) project aims to develop a new AAL concept, supported on a unified ecosystem and certification process that enables a heterogeneous environment. The concepts of Intelligent Environments, Ambient Intelligence, and the foundations of the Ambient Assisted Living are all presented in the framework of this project. In this work, we consider a specific platform developed in the scope of AAL4ALL, called UserAccess. The architecture of the platform and its role within the overall AAL4ALL concept, the implementation of the platform, and the available interfaces are presented. In addition, its feasibility is validated through a series of tests. PMID:24658626

78 FR 34964 - Implementation of the 2008 National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Ozone: State Implementation...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-06-11

...] Implementation of the 2008 National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Ozone: State Implementation Plan... Ambient Air Quality Standards for Ozone: State Implementation Plan Requirements'' which published in the... the 2008 ozone national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) (the ``2008 ozone NAAQS'') that were...

Influence of ambient air pressure on effervescent atomization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chen, S. K.; Lefebvre, A. H.; Rollbuhler, J.

1993-01-01

The influence of ambient air pressure on the drop-size distributions produced in effervescent atomization is examined in this article. Also investigated are the effects on spray characteristics of variations in air/liquid mass ratio, liquid-injection pressure, and atomizer discharge-orifice diameter at different levels of ambient air pressure. It is found that continuous increase in air pressure above the normal atmospheric value causes the mean drop-size to first increase up to a maximum value and then decline. An explanation for this characteristic is provided in terms of the various contributing factors to the overall atomization process. It is also observed that changes in atomizer geometry and operating conditions have little effect on the distribution of drop-sizes in the spray.

A Mobility-Aware QoS Signaling Protocol for Ambient Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jeong, Seong-Ho; Lee, Sung-Hyuck; Bang, Jongho

Mobility-aware quality of service (QoS) signaling is crucial to provide seamless multimedia services in the ambient environment where mobile nodes may move frequently between different wireless access networks. The mobility of an IP-based node in ambient networks affects routing paths, and as a result, can have a significant impact on the operation and state management of QoS signaling protocols. In this paper, we first analyze the impact of mobility on QoS signaling protocols and how the protocols operate in mobility scenarios. We then propose an efficient mobility-aware QoS signaling protocol which can operate adaptively in ambient networks. The key features of the protocol include the fast discovery of a crossover node where the old and new paths converge or diverge due to handover and the localized state management for seamless services. Our analytical and simulation/experimental results show that the proposed/implemented protocol works better than existing protocols in the IP-based mobile environment.

Carbonyl atmospheric reaction products of aromatic hydrocarbons in ambient air

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Obermeyer, Genevieve; Aschmann, Sara M.; Atkinson, Roger; Arey, Janet

To convert gaseous carbonyls to oximes during sampling, an XAD-4 resin denuder system pre-coated with O-(2,3,4,5,6-pentafluorobenzyl)hydroxylamine and followed by analysis with methane positive chemical ionization gas chromatography/mass spectrometry was used to measure carbonyls in ambient air samples in Riverside, CA. In conjunction with similar analyses of environmental chamber OH radical-initiated reactions of o- and p-xylene, 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene, ethylbenzene, 4-hydroxy-2-butanone and 1,4-butanediol, we identified benzaldehyde, o-, m- and p-tolualdehyde and acetophenone and the dicarbonyls glyoxal, methylglyoxal, biacetyl, ethylglyoxal, 1,4-butenedial, 3-hexene-2,5-dione, 3-oxo-butanal, 1,4-butanedial and malonaldehyde in the ambient air samples. As discussed, these carbonyls and dicarbonyls can be formed from the OH radical-initiated reactions of aromatic hydrocarbons and other volatile organic compounds emitted into the atmosphere, and we conclude that in situ atmospheric formation is a major source of these carbonyls in our Riverside, CA, ambient air samples.

Quantifying the contribution of ambient and indoor-generated fine particles to indoor air in residential environments.

PubMed

MacNeill, M; Kearney, J; Wallace, L; Gibson, M; Héroux, M E; Kuchta, J; Guernsey, J R; Wheeler, A J

2014-08-01

Indoor fine particles (FPs) are a combination of ambient particles that have infiltrated indoors, and particles that have been generated indoors from activities such as cooking. The objective of this paper was to estimate the infiltration factor (Finf ) and the ambient/non-ambient components of indoor FPs. To do this, continuous measurements were collected indoors and outdoors for seven consecutive days in 50 non-smoking homes in Halifax, Nova Scotia in both summer and winter using DustTrak (TSI Inc) photometers. Additionally, indoor and outdoor gravimetric measurements were made for each 24-h period in each home, using Harvard impactors (HI). A computerized algorithm was developed to remove (censor) peaks due to indoor sources. The censored indoor/outdoor ratio was then used to estimate daily Finfs and to determine the ambient and non-ambient components of total indoor concentrations. Finf estimates in Halifax (daily summer median = 0.80; daily winter median = 0.55) were higher than have been reported in other parts of Canada. In both winter and summer, the majority of FP was of ambient origin (daily winter median = 59%; daily summer median = 84%). Predictors of the non-ambient component included various cooking variables, combustion sources, relative humidity, and factors influencing ventilation. This work highlights the fact that regional factors can influence the contribution of ambient particles to indoor residential concentrations. Ambient and non-ambient particles have different risk management approaches, composition, and likely toxicity. Therefore, a better understanding of their contribution to the indoor environment is important to manage the health risks associated with fine particles (FPs) effectively. As well, a better understanding of the factors Finf can help improve exposure assessment and contribute to reduced exposure misclassification in epidemiologic studies. © 2013 Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada Indoor Air © 2013 John Wiley & Sons

Emissions from residential energy use dominate exposure to ambient fine particulate matter in India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Conibear, L.; Butt, E. W.; Knote, C. J.; Arnold, S.; Spracklen, D. V.

2017-12-01

Exposure to ambient particulate matter of less than 2.5 µm in diameter (PM2.5) is a leading cause of disease burden in India. Information on the source contributions to the burden of disease attributable to ambient PM2.5 exposure is critical to support the national and sub-national control of air pollution. Previous studies analysing the contributions of different emission sectors to disease burden in India have been limited by coarse model resolutions and a lack of extensive PM2.5 observations before 2016. We use a regional numerical weather prediction model online-coupled with chemistry, evaluated against extensive surface observations, to make the first high resolution study of the contributions of seven emission sectors to the disease burden associated with ambient PM2.5 exposure in India. We find that residential energy use is the dominant contributing emission sector. Removing air pollution emissions from residential energy use would reduce population-weighted annual mean ambient PM2.5 concentrations by 52%, reducing the number of premature mortalities caused by exposure to ambient PM2.5 by 26%, equivalent to 268,000 (95% uncertainty interval (95UI): 167,000-360,000) lives every year. The smaller fractional reduction in mortality burden is due to the non-linear exposure-response relationship at the high PM2.5 concentrations observed across India and consequently large reductions in emissions are required to reduce the health burden from ambient PM2.5 exposure in India. Keywords: ambient air quality, India, residential energy use, health impact, particulate matter, WRF-Chem

Influence of Ambient Humidity on the Voltage Response of Ionic Polymer-Metal Composite Sensor.

PubMed

Zhu, Zicai; Horiuchi, Tetsuya; Kruusamäe, Karl; Chang, Longfei; Asaka, Kinji

2016-03-31

Electrical potential based on ion migration exists not only in natural systems but also in ionic polymer materials. In order to investigate the influence of ambient humidity on voltage response, classical Au-Nafion IPMC was chosen as the reference sample. Voltage response under a bending deformation was measured in two ways: first, continuous measurement of voltage response in the process of absorption and desorption of water to study the tendency of voltage variation at all water states; second, measurements at multiple fixed ambient humidity levels to characterize the process of voltage response quantitatively. Ambient humidity influences the voltage response mainly by varying water content in ionic polymer. Under a step bending, the amplitude of initial voltage peak first increases and then decreases as the ambient humidity and the inherent water content decrease. This tendency is explained semiquantitatively by mass storage capacity related to the stretchable state of the Nafion polymer network. Following the initial peak, the voltage shows a slow decay to a steady state, which is first characterized in this paper. The relative voltage decay during the steady state always decreases as the ambient humidity is lowered. It is ascribed to progressive increase of the ratio between the water molecules in the cation hydration shell to the free water. Under sinusoidal mechanical bending excitation in the range of 0.1-10 Hz, the voltage magnitude increases with frequency at high ambient humidity but decreases with frequency at low ambient humidity. The relationship is mainly controlled by the voltage decay effect and the response speed.

Ambient echolalia in a patient with germinoma around the bilateral ventriculus lateralis: a case report.

PubMed

Suzuki, Tadashi; Itoh, Shouichi; Arai, Noritoshi; Kouno, Masako; Noguchi, Makoto; Takatsu, Masami; Takeda, Katsuhiko

2012-01-01

Ambient echolalia is a rare condition with few reported cases. We report the case of a 20-year-old man with a germinoma around the bilateral ventriculus lateralis who exhibited ambient echolalia. Clinical features included instinctive grasp reaction and compulsive manipulation of tools in his right hand. Speech or mental deterioration has been cited as a cause of ambient echolalia, but neither dementia nor aphasia was present. We propose that ambient echolalia in our case could be interpreted as a disinhibition of pre-existing essentially intact motor subroutines due to damage of the medial frontal lobe.

Trastornos mentales y consumo de drogas en la población víctima del conflicto armado en tres ciudades de Colombia.

PubMed

Castaño, Guillermo; Sierra, Gloria; Sánchez, Daniela; Torres, Yolanda; Salas, Carolina; Buitrago, Carolina

2018-05-01

Introducción. La violencia en sus diferentes modalidades incrementa el riesgo de trastornos mentales y de consumo de drogas.Objetivos. Estimar la prevalencia de los trastornos mentales, del uso y abuso de drogas, así como los factores asociados en víctimas de desplazamiento forzado en tres ciudades colombianas.Materiales y métodos. Se hizo un estudio de prevalencia en una muestra de 1.026 personas entre los 13 y los 65 años de edad, a quienes se entrevistó utilizando el instrumento Composite International Diagnostic Interview y el Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test de la Organización Mundial de la Salud, así como un cuestionario sobre el consumo de drogas modificado a partir de la encuesta del Sistema Interamericano de Datos Uniformes sobre Drogas de la Comisión Interamericana para el Control del Abuso de Drogas de la Organización de Estados Americanos, y otro sobre aspectos relacionados con el desplazamiento forzado. El análisis se hizo mediante el programa estadístico SPSS™, versión 21.Resultados. La prevalencia de vida de los trastornos mentales fue la siguiente: fobia específica, 17,7 %; depresión mayor, 16,4 %; estrés postraumático, 9,9 %; trastorno oposicionista desafiante, 8,9 %; ansiedad por separación, 7,2 %; trastornos de conducta, 5,8 %, y déficit de atención, 5,6 %. La prevalencia de vida del consumo de alcohol fue de 68,7 %; de tabaco, 31,3 %, de marihuana, 11,2 %, de cocaína, 3,5 %, de basuco, 2,0 %, de inhalables, 2,3 %, y de medicamentos ansiolíticos sin receta, 2,5 %, en tanto que 0,7 % de los entrevistados se había inyectado drogas. El presentar cualquiera de los trastornos mentales se asoció con el sexo femenino (odds ratio, OR=1,61; IC95% 1,21-2,14), así como el haber sido sometido a más de un desplazamiento forzado (OR=1,47; IC95 1,05-2,05). El consumo de cualquiera de las drogas se asoció con ser hombre (OR=5,38; IC95% 2,35-12,34).Conclusiones. La alta prevalencia de trastornos mentales y de consumo de

BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF OIL FLY ASH AND RELEVANCE TO AMBIENT AIR PARTICULATE MATTER

EPA Science Inventory

Epidemiologic studies have demonstrated increased human morbidity and mortality with elevations in the concentration of ambient air particulate matter (PM). Fugitive fly ash from the combustion of oil and residual fuel oil significantly contributes to the ambient air particle bur...

Test/QA Plan (TQAP) for Verification of Semi-Continuous Ambient Air Monitoring Systems

EPA Science Inventory

The purpose of the semi-continuous ambient air monitoring technology (or MARGA) test and quality assurance plan is to specify procedures for a verification test applicable to commercial semi-continuous ambient air monitoring technologies. The purpose of the verification test is ...

EFFECTS OF AMBIENT PM ON CYTOKINE PRODUCTION IN MOUSE MACHROPHAGES AND EPITHELIAL CELLS

EPA Science Inventory

The objective of the Multi-Site Ambient Particle Study (MAPS) was to collect ambient particles from different geographical regions, examine their health effects using various in vitro and in vivo experimental approaches, and ultimately relate the health effects to particle compon...

EFFECTS OF AMBIENT PM ON CYTOKINE PRODUCTION IN MOUSE MACROPHAGES AND EPITHELIAL CELLS

EPA Science Inventory

The objective of the Multi-Site Ambient Particle Study (MAPS) was to collect ambient particles from different geographical regions, examine their health effects using various in vitro and in vivo experimental approaches, and ultimately relate the health effects to particle compon...

Recent DDT and PCB contamination in the sediment and biota of the Como Bay (Lake Como, Italy).

PubMed

Bettinetti, R; Quadroni, S; Boggio, E; Galassi, S

2016-01-15

Due to its peculiar geographical and morphological characteristics, Lake Como (Northern Italy) represents an interesting study-case for investigating the sub-basin scale circulation of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) that, despite being banned since the 1970s, have reached surprisingly high concentrations in some southern alpine lakes as a consequence of their release from melting glaciers in recent years. In particular, the Como Bay, which is located in the city of Como, seems noteworthy because its waters have a longer residence time than the other areas of the lake. The analyses of the historical concentration of PCBs, pp′DDT and its metabolites in a sediment core sampled from the Como Bay covering a time-period from their ban to recent times, showed that the DDTs have never experienced a significant (p < 0.05) decrease over time, with concentrations of the most abundant homologue, pp′DDE, ranging from 27 to 75 ng g(-1) d.w. Conversely PCBs significantly (p < 0.05) decreased towards recent times, reaching concentrations around 80 ng g(-1) d.w. The contribution of high altitude and local sources was recorded also in the food web: both zooplankton and the zooplanktivorous fish agone were mainly contaminated by pp′DDE (81.4 ng g(-1) w.w. and 534.6 ng g(-1) w.w. respectively) and by the PCB metabolite hexa-CB (449.7 ng g(-1) w.w. and 1672.1 ng g(-1) w.w. respectively). The DDT concentrations in the agone (sampled during the years 2006–2009) never exceeded the limits for human consumption in Italy, while concentrations of six selected PCBs exceeded human health advisory recommendations in one of the fish samples analysed, when it was approximately two times higher than the recommended value of 125 ng g(-1) w.w.

75 FR 2935 - Extension of Deadline for Promulgating Designations for the 2008 Ozone National Ambient Air...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-01-19

... Part II Environmental Protection Agency 40 CFR Parts 50, 58 and 81 Ozone National Ambient Air... 2008 Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION... designations for the ozone national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) that were promulgated in March 2008...

Variation of indoor radon concentration and ambient dose equivalent rate in different outdoor and indoor environments.

PubMed

Stojanovska, Zdenka; Boev, Blazo; Zunic, Zora S; Ivanova, Kremena; Ristova, Mimoza; Tsenova, Martina; Ajka, Sorsa; Janevik, Emilija; Taleski, Vaso; Bossew, Peter

2016-05-01

Subject of this study is an investigation of the variations of indoor radon concentration and ambient dose equivalent rate in outdoor and indoor environments of 40 dwellings, 31 elementary schools and five kindergartens. The buildings are located in three municipalities of two, geologically different, areas of the Republic of Macedonia. Indoor radon concentrations were measured by nuclear track detectors, deployed in the most occupied room of the building, between June 2013 and May 2014. During the deploying campaign, indoor and outdoor ambient dose equivalent rates were measured simultaneously at the same location. It appeared that the measured values varied from 22 to 990 Bq/m(3) for indoor radon concentrations, from 50 to 195 nSv/h for outdoor ambient dose equivalent rates, and from 38 to 184 nSv/h for indoor ambient dose equivalent rates. The geometric mean value of indoor to outdoor ambient dose equivalent rates was found to be 0.88, i.e. the outdoor ambient dose equivalent rates were on average higher than the indoor ambient dose equivalent rates. All measured can reasonably well be described by log-normal distributions. A detailed statistical analysis of factors which influence the measured quantities is reported.

Ambient and at-the-ear occupational noise exposure and serum lipid levels.

PubMed

Arlien-Søborg, Mai C; Schmedes, Astrid S; Stokholm, Z A; Grynderup, M B; Bonde, J P; Jensen, C S; Hansen, Å M; Frederiksen, T W; Kristiansen, J; Christensen, K L; Vestergaard, J M; Lund, S P; Kolstad, H A

2016-10-01

Occupational and residential noise exposure has been related to increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Alteration of serum lipid levels has been proposed as a possible causal pathway. The objective of this study was to investigate the relation between ambient and at-the-ear occupational noise exposure and serum levels of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, and triglycerides when accounting for well-established predictors of lipid levels. This cross-sectional study included 424 industrial workers and 84 financial workers to obtain contrast in noise exposure levels. They provided a serum sample and wore portable dosimeters that every 5-s recorded ambient noise exposure levels during a 24-h period. We extracted measurements obtained during work and calculated the full-shift mean ambient noise level. For 331 workers who kept a diary on the use of a hearing protection device (HPD), we subtracted 10 dB from every noise recording obtained during HPD use and estimated the mean full-shift noise exposure level at the ear. Mean ambient noise level was 79.9 dB (A) [range 55.0-98.9] and the mean estimated level at the ear 77.8 dB (A) [range 55.0-94.2]. Ambient and at-the-ear noise levels were strongly associated with increasing levels of triglycerides, cholesterol-HDL ratio, and decreasing levels of HDL-cholesterol, but only in unadjusted analyses that did not account for HPD use and other risk factors. No associations between ambient or at-the-ear occupational noise exposure and serum lipid levels were observed. This indicates that a causal pathway between occupational and residential noise exposure and cardiovascular disease does not include alteration of lipid levels.

Ambient ultraviolet radiation exposure and hepatocellular carcinoma incidence in the United States.

PubMed

VoPham, Trang; Bertrand, Kimberly A; Yuan, Jian-Min; Tamimi, Rulla M; Hart, Jaime E; Laden, Francine

2017-08-18

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most commonly occurring type of primary liver cancer, has been increasing in incidence worldwide. Vitamin D, acquired from sunlight exposure, diet, and dietary supplements, has been hypothesized to impact hepatocarcinogenesis. However, previous epidemiologic studies examining the associations between dietary and serum vitamin D reported mixed results. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between ambient ultraviolet (UV) radiation exposure and HCC risk in the U.S. The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database provided information on HCC cases diagnosed between 2000 and 2014 from 16 population-based cancer registries across the U.S. Ambient UV exposure was estimated by linking the SEER county with a spatiotemporal UV exposure model using a geographic information system. Poisson regression with robust variance estimation was used to calculate incidence rate ratios (IRRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association between ambient UV exposure per interquartile range (IQR) increase (32.4 mW/m 2 ) and HCC risk adjusting for age at diagnosis, sex, race, year of diagnosis, SEER registry, and county-level information on prevalence of health conditions, lifestyle, socioeconomic, and environmental factors. Higher levels of ambient UV exposure were associated with statistically significant lower HCC risk (n = 56,245 cases; adjusted IRR per IQR increase: 0.83, 95% CI 0.77, 0.90; p < 0.01). A statistically significant inverse association between ambient UV and HCC risk was observed among males (p for interaction = 0.01) and whites (p for interaction = 0.01). Higher ambient UV exposure was associated with a decreased risk of HCC in the U.S. UV exposure may be a potential modifiable risk factor for HCC that should be explored in future research.

Effects of respirator ambient air cooling on thermophysiological responses and comfort sensations.

PubMed

Caretti, David M; Barker, Daniel J

2014-01-01

This investigation assessed the thermophysiological and subjective impacts of different respirator ambient air cooling options while wearing chemical and biological personal protective equipment in a warm environment (32.7 ± 0.4°C, 49.6 ± 6.5% RH). Ten volunteers participated in 90-min heat exposure trials with and without respirator (Control) wear and performed computer-generated tasks while seated. Ambient air cooling was provided to respirators modified to blow air to the forehead (FHC) or to the forehead and the breathing zone (BZC) of a full-facepiece air-purifying respirator using a low-flow (45 L·min(-1)) mini-blower. An unmodified respirator (APR) trial was also completed. The highest body temperatures (TTY) and least favorable comfort ratings were observed for the APR condition. With ambient cooling over the last 60 min of heat exposure, TTY averaged 37.4 ± 0.6°C for Control, 38.0 ± 0.4°C for APR, 37.8 ± 0.5°C for FHC, and 37.6 ± 0.7°C for BZC conditions independent of time. Both the FHC and BZC ambient air cooling conditions reduced facial skin temperatures, reduced the rise in body temperatures, and led to more favorable subjective comfort and thermal sensation ratings over time compared to the APR condition; however statistical differences among conditions were inconsistent. Independent of exposure time, average breathing apparatus comfort scores with BZC (7.2 ± 2.5) were significantly different from both Control (8.9 ± 1.4) and APR (6.5 ± 2.2) conditions when ambient cooling was activated. These findings suggest that low-flow ambient air cooling of the face under low work rate conditions and mild hyperthermia may be a practical method to minimize the thermophysiological strain and reduce perceived respirator discomfort.

[Influence of ambient light and adjacent tooth in anterior tooth color measurement].

PubMed

Wang, Si-qian; Sean, S Lee; Wu, Zhang; Li, Yiming; Ma, Jian-feng

2007-10-01

To investigate the influence of different intensity and directions of ambient light and adjacent tooth in anterior tooth color measurement by using colorimeter. Fiber lite MI-150 was used as ambient illuminant and it irradiated from three or twelve o'clock direction through 45 degrees angle above. The light magnitude 0, 50, 75, 100, 125, 150 W were applied in this experiment. The values of CIE L* a* b* were measured by Minolta Chroma meter CR-321 colorimeter on the center labial surface of ten extracted human maxillary central incisors with or without adjacent teeth, then those data were analyzed statistically by using SPSS 11.5. Neither different intensities nor different directions of ambient light could influence the results of color measurement by using Minolta Chroma meter CR-321 colorimeter, so did the adjacent teeth whether those were exist or not. There is no influence of ambient light and adjacent teeth in the color measurement of anterior teeth under this experiment condition, and Minolta Chroma meter CR-321 colorimeter can be used to measure the color directly aside the chair with light.

Does maternal exposure during pregnancy to higher ambient temperature increase the risk of hypospadias?

PubMed

Kilinc, Muhammet Fatih; Cakmak, Sedat; Demir, Demirhan Orsan; Doluoglu, Omer Gokhan; Yildiz, Yildiray; Horasanli, Kaya; Dalkilic, Ayhan

2016-12-01

The association between ambient temperature that the mother is exposed to during pregnancy and hypospadias has not been investigated by the studies, although the recent studies showed the correlation between some congenital malformations (congenital heart disease, neural tube defect, etc.) and ambient temperature. The aim was to investigate the relation between hypospadias and the ambient temperatures that the mother is exposed to during her pregnancy. The data of patients with hypospadias that had their gestational periods in Ankara and Istanbul regions, and had other urological treatments (circumcision, urinary tract infection, pyeloplasty, nephrolithotomy, etc.) between January 2000 and November 2015 were analyzed retrospectively. The ambient temperature at 8-14 weeks of gestation was investigated for each patient by reviewing the data of the General Directorate of Meteorology, since this period was risky for development of hypospadias. The data including ambient temperature that the pregnant mother was exposed to, maternal age, parity, economical status, gestational age at birth, and birth weight were compared between two groups. The retrospective nature of the study may be a potential source for selection bias. The data of 1,709 children that had hypospadias repair and 4,946 children that had other urological treatments between 2000 and 2015 were retrospectively analyzed. There were no differences between the groups for maternal age, parity, economical status, gestational age at birth, and birth weight (Table). Analysis of exposed maximum and average ambient temperatures at 8-14 weeks of gestation revealed that July and August, hot periods in summer time, were more prevalent in the hypospadias group (p = 0.01). The average and maximum monthly ambient temperatures during summer increased the risk for hypospadias (OR, 1.32; 95% CI, 1.08-1.52; and OR, 1.22; 95% CI, 0.99-1.54, respectively. In this paper, we evaluated the relation between hypospadias and the

Aircraft electric field measurements: Calibration and ambient field retrieval

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Koshak, William J.; Bailey, Jeff; Christian, Hugh J.; Mach, Douglas M.

1994-01-01

An aircraft locally distorts the ambient thundercloud electric field. In order to determine the field in the absence of the aircraft, an aircraft calibration is required. In this work a matrix inversion method is introduced for calibrating an aircraft equipped with four or more electric field sensors and a high-voltage corona point that is capable of charging the aircraft. An analytic, closed form solution for the estimate of a (3 x 3) aircraft calibration matrix is derived, and an absolute calibration experiment is used to improve the relative magnitudes of the elements of this matrix. To demonstrate the calibration procedure, we analyze actual calibration date derived from a Lear jet 28/29 that was equipped with five shutter-type field mill sensors (each with sensitivities of better than 1 V/m) located on the top, bottom, port, starboard, and aft positions. As a test of the calibration method, we analyze computer-simulated calibration data (derived from known aircraft and ambient fields) and explicitly determine the errors involved in deriving the variety of calibration matrices. We extend our formalism to arrive at an analytic solution for the ambient field, and again carry all errors explicitly.

77 FR 12482 - Approval and Promulgation of Air Quality Implementation Plans; Indiana; Lead Ambient Air Quality...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-01

... Promulgation of Air Quality Implementation Plans; Indiana; Lead Ambient Air Quality Standards AGENCY... incorporates the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for Pb promulgated by EPA in 2008. DATES: This... FR 66964) and codified at 40 CFR 50.16, ``National primary and secondary ambient air quality...

Temporal and Spatial Patterns of Ambient Endotoxin Concentrations in Fresno, California

PubMed Central

Tager, Ira B.; Lurmann, Frederick W.; Haight, Thaddeus; Alcorn, Siana; Penfold, Bryan; Hammond, S. Katharine

2010-01-01

Background Endotoxins are found in indoor dust generated by human activity and pets, in soil, and adsorbed onto the surfaces of ambient combustion particles. Endotoxin concentrations have been associated with respiratory symptoms and the risk of atopy and asthma in children. Objective We characterized the temporal and spatial variability of ambient endotoxin in Fresno/Clovis, California, located in California’s Central Valley, to identify correlates and potential predictors of ambient endotoxin concentrations in a cohort of children with asthma [Fresno Asthmatic Children’s Environment Study (FACES)]. Methods Between May 2001 and October 2004, daily ambient endotoxin and air pollutants were collected at the central ambient monitoring site of the California Air Resources Board in Fresno and, for shorter time periods, at 10 schools and indoors and outdoors at 84 residences in the community. Analyses were restricted to May–October, the dry months during which endotoxin concentrations are highest. Results Daily endotoxin concentration patterns were determined mainly by meteorologic factors, particularly the degree of air stagnation. Overall concentrations were lowest in areas distant from agricultural activities. Highest concentrations were found in areas immediately downwind from agricultural/pasture land. Among three other measured air pollutants [fine particulate matter, elemental carbon (a marker of traffic in Fresno), and coarse particulate matter (PMc)], PMc was the only pollutant correlated with endotoxin. Endotoxin, however, was the most spatially variable. Conclusions Our data support the need to evaluate the spatial/temporal variability of endotoxin concentrations, rather than relying on a few measurements made at one location, in studies of exposure and and respiratory health effects, particularly in children with asthma and other chronic respiratory diseases. PMID:20494854

Significance of ambient conditions in uranium absorption and emission features of laser ablation plasmas

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

Skrodzki, P. J.; Shah, N. P.; Taylor, N.

2016-11-01

This study employs laser ablation (LA) to investigate mechanisms for U optical signal variation under various environmental conditions during laser absorption spectroscopy (LAS) and optical emission spectroscopy (OES). Potential explored mechanisms for signal quenching related to ambient conditions include plasma chemistry (e.g., uranium oxide formation), ambient gas confinement effects, and other collisional interactions between plasma constituents and the ambient gas. LA-LAS studies show that the persistence of the U ground state population is significantly reduced in the presence of air ambient compared to nitrogen. LA-OES results yield congested spectra from which the U I 356.18 nm transition is prominent andmore » serves as the basis for signal tracking. LA-OES signal and persistence vary negligibly between the test gases (air and N2), unlike the LA-LAS results. The plume hydrodynamic features and plume fundamental properties showed similar results in both air and nitrogen ambient. Investigation of U oxide formation in the laser-produced plasma suggests that low U concentration in a sample hinders consistent detection of UO molecular spectra.« less

Significance of ambient conditions in uranium absorption and emission features of laser ablation plasmas

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

Skrodzki, P. J.; Shah, N. P.; Taylor, N.

2016-10-02

This study employs laser ablation (LA) to investigate mechanisms for U optical signal variation under various environmental conditions during laser absorption spectroscopy (LAS) and optical emission spectroscopy (OES). Potential mechanisms explored for signal quenching related to ambient conditions include plasma chemistry (e.g., uranium oxide formation), ambient gas confinement effects, and other collisional interactions between plas-ma constituents and the ambient gas. LA-LAS studies show that the persistence of the U ground state population is significantly reduced in the presence of air ambient compared to nitrogen. LA-OES yields congested spectra from which the U I 356.18 nm transition is prominent and servesmore » as the basis for signal tracking. LA-OES signal and per-sistence vary negligibly between the test gases (air and N 2), unlike the LA-LAS results. The plume hydrodynamic features and plume fundamental properties showed similar results in both air and nitrogen ambient. In conclusion, investigation of U oxide formation in the laser-produced plasma suggests that low U concentration in a sample hinders consistent detection of UO molecular spectra.« less

40 CFR 53.56 - Test for effect of variations in ambient pressure.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... the tests and shall be checked at zero and at least one flow rate within ±3 percent of 16.7 L/min... this test, the absolute difference in values calculated in Equation 21 of this paragraph (g)(4) must... absolute difference between the mean ambient air pressure indicated by the test sampler and the ambient...

40 CFR 53.56 - Test for effect of variations in ambient pressure.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... the tests and shall be checked at zero and at least one flow rate within ±3 percent of 16.7 L/min... this test, the absolute difference in values calculated in Equation 21 of this paragraph (g)(4) must... absolute difference between the mean ambient air pressure indicated by the test sampler and the ambient...

40 CFR 53.56 - Test for effect of variations in ambient pressure.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... the tests and shall be checked at zero and at least one flow rate within ±3 percent of 16.7 L/min... this test, the absolute difference in values calculated in Equation 21 of this paragraph (g)(4) must... absolute difference between the mean ambient air pressure indicated by the test sampler and the ambient...

40 CFR 53.56 - Test for effect of variations in ambient pressure.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... the tests and shall be checked at zero and at least one flow rate within ±3 percent of 16.7 L/min... this test, the absolute difference in values calculated in Equation 21 of this paragraph (g)(4) must... absolute difference between the mean ambient air pressure indicated by the test sampler and the ambient...

40 CFR 50.10 - National 8-hour primary and secondary ambient air quality standards for ozone.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... ambient air quality standards for ozone. 50.10 Section 50.10 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL....10 National 8-hour primary and secondary ambient air quality standards for ozone. (a) The level of the national 8-hour primary and secondary ambient air quality standards for ozone, measured by a...

40 CFR 50.9 - National 1-hour primary and secondary ambient air quality standards for ozone.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... ambient air quality standards for ozone. 50.9 Section 50.9 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL....9 National 1-hour primary and secondary ambient air quality standards for ozone. (a) The level of the national 1-hour primary and secondary ambient air quality standards for ozone measured by a...

40 CFR 50.10 - National 8-hour primary and secondary ambient air quality standards for ozone.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... ambient air quality standards for ozone. 50.10 Section 50.10 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL....10 National 8-hour primary and secondary ambient air quality standards for ozone. (a) The level of the national 8-hour primary and secondary ambient air quality standards for ozone, measured by a...

40 CFR 50.9 - National 1-hour primary and secondary ambient air quality standards for ozone.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... ambient air quality standards for ozone. 50.9 Section 50.9 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL....9 National 1-hour primary and secondary ambient air quality standards for ozone. (a) The level of the national 1-hour primary and secondary ambient air quality standards for ozone measured by a...

40 CFR 50.10 - National 8-hour primary and secondary ambient air quality standards for ozone.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... ambient air quality standards for ozone. 50.10 Section 50.10 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL....10 National 8-hour primary and secondary ambient air quality standards for ozone. (a) The level of the national 8-hour primary and secondary ambient air quality standards for ozone, measured by a...

40 CFR 50.9 - National 1-hour primary and secondary ambient air quality standards for ozone.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... ambient air quality standards for ozone. 50.9 Section 50.9 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL....9 National 1-hour primary and secondary ambient air quality standards for ozone. (a) The level of the national 1-hour primary and secondary ambient air quality standards for ozone measured by a...

40 CFR 50.9 - National 1-hour primary and secondary ambient air quality standards for ozone.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... ambient air quality standards for ozone. 50.9 Section 50.9 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL....9 National 1-hour primary and secondary ambient air quality standards for ozone. (a) The level of the national 1-hour primary and secondary ambient air quality standards for ozone measured by a...

40 CFR 50.10 - National 8-hour primary and secondary ambient air quality standards for ozone.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... ambient air quality standards for ozone. 50.10 Section 50.10 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL....10 National 8-hour primary and secondary ambient air quality standards for ozone. (a) The level of the national 8-hour primary and secondary ambient air quality standards for ozone, measured by a...

40 CFR 50.10 - National 8-hour primary and secondary ambient air quality standards for ozone.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... ambient air quality standards for ozone. 50.10 Section 50.10 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL....10 National 8-hour primary and secondary ambient air quality standards for ozone. (a) The level of the national 8-hour primary and secondary ambient air quality standards for ozone, measured by a...

40 CFR 50.9 - National 1-hour primary and secondary ambient air quality standards for ozone.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... ambient air quality standards for ozone. 50.9 Section 50.9 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL....9 National 1-hour primary and secondary ambient air quality standards for ozone. (a) The level of the national 1-hour primary and secondary ambient air quality standards for ozone measured by a...

40 CFR 50.7 - National primary and secondary ambient air quality standards for PM2.5.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false National primary and secondary ambient... AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS NATIONAL PRIMARY AND SECONDARY AMBIENT AIR QUALITY STANDARDS § 50.7 National primary and secondary ambient air quality standards for PM2.5. (a) The national primary and...

40 CFR 50.13 - National primary and secondary ambient air quality standards for PM2.5.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false National primary and secondary ambient... PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS NATIONAL PRIMARY AND SECONDARY AMBIENT AIR QUALITY STANDARDS § 50.13 National primary and secondary ambient air quality standards for PM2.5. (a) The national primary...

Dependence of the subharmonic signal from contrast agent microbubbles on ambient pressure: A theoretical analysis.

PubMed

Jiménez-Fernández, J

2018-01-01

This paper investigates the dependence of the subharmonic response in a signal scattered by contrast agent microbubbles on ambient pressure to provide quantitative estimations of local blood pressure. The problem is formulated by assuming a gas bubble encapsulated by a shell of finite thickness with dynamic behavior modeled by a nonlinear viscoelastic constitutive equation. For ambient overpressure compatible with the clinical range, the acoustic pressure intervals where the subharmonic signal may be detected (above the threshold for the onset and below the limit value for the first chaotic transition) are determined. The analysis shows that as the overpressure is increased, all harmonic components are displaced to higher frequencies. This displacement is significant for the subharmonic of order 1/2 and explains the increase or decrease in the subharmonic amplitude with ambient pressure described in previous works. Thus, some questions related to the monotonic dependence of the subharmonic amplitude on ambient pressure are clarified. For different acoustic pressures, quantitative conditions for determining the intervals where the subharmonic amplitude is a monotonic or non-monotonic function of the ambient pressure are provided. Finally, the influence of the ambient pressure on the subharmonic resonance frequency is analyzed.

EXPOSURE TO CONCENTRATED AMBIENT PARTICLES (CAPS): REVIEW

EPA Science Inventory

Epidemiologic studies support a participation of fine particulate matter (PM) with a diameter of 0.1 to 2.5 microm in the effects of air pollution particles on human health. The ambient fine particle concentrator is a recently developed technology that can enrich the mass of ambi...

Ambient Temperature, Fuel Economy, Emissions, and Trip Length

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1979-08-01

This report examines the relationship among automotive fuel economy, ambient temperature, cold-start trip length, and drive-train component temperatures of four 1977 vehicles. Fuel economy, exhaust emission, and drive-train temperatures were measured...

Effect of ambient temperature and humidity on emissions of an idling gas turbine

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kauffman, C. W.

1977-01-01

The effects of inlet pressure, temperature, and humidity on the oxides of nitrogen produced by an engine operating at takeoff power setting were investigated and numerous correction factors were formulated. The effect of ambient relative humidity on gas turbine idle emissions was ascertained. Experimentally, a nonvitiating combustor rig was employed to simulate changing combustor inlet conditions as generated by changing ambient conditions. Emissions measurements were made at the combustor exit. For carbon monoxide, a reaction kinetic scheme was applied within each zone of the combustor where initial species concentrations reflected not only local combustor characteristics but also changing ambient conditions.

Ambient Intelligence 2.0: Towards Synergetic Prosperity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aarts, Emile; Grotenhuis, Frits

Ten years of research in Ambient Intelligence have revealed that the original ideas and assertions about the way the concept should develop no longer hold and should be substantially revised. Early scenario's in Ambient Intelligence envisioned a world in which individuals could maximally exploit personalized, context aware, wireless devices thus enabling them to become maximally productive, while living at an unprecedented pace. Environments would become smart and proactive, enriching and enhancing the experience of participants thus supporting maximum leisure possibly even at the risk of alienation. New insights have revealed that these brave new world scenarios are no longer desirable and that people are more in for a balanced approach in which technology should serve people instead of driving them to the max. We call this novel approach Synergetic Prosperity, referring to meaningful digital solutions that balance mind and body, and society and earth thus contributing to a prosperous and sustainable development of mankind.

Impact of ambient environment on the electronic structure of CuPc/Au sample

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sinha, Sumona; Mukherjee, M.

2018-02-01

The performances of organic devices are crucially connected with their stability in the ambient environment. The impact of 24 h. Ambient environment exposure to the electronic structures of about 12 nm thick CuPc thin film on clean Au substrate have been studied employing UV photoemission spectroscopy technique. X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS) was used to find out the origin of the change of the electronic structures in the sample with the exposure. The XPS study suggests that the oxidation occurs at the CuPc thin film. Due to the adsorption of oxygen in the CuPc film from the ambient air, charge carriers are formed within the CuPc film. Moreover, the XPS results imply that the CuPc film is sufficiently thinner for diffusing oxygen molecules through it and gets physically absorbed on Au substrate during the ambient exposure. Consequently, the hole injection barrier height of pristine CuPc film, grown on Au substrate, is reduced by about 0.50 eV and work-function of the pristine CuPc sample is enhanced by around 0.25 eV in the exposure. The findings will help to understand the mechanism that governs the degradation of performance of CuPc based devices in ambient environment.

Type 2 diabetes, but not obesity, prevalence is positively associated with ambient temperature.

PubMed

Speakman, John R; Heidari-Bakavoli, Sahar

2016-08-01

Cold exposure stimulates energy expenditure and glucose disposal. If these factors play a significant role in whole body energy balance, and glucose homeostasis, it is predicted that both obesity and type 2 diabetes prevalence would be lower where it is colder. Previous studies have noted connections between ambient temperature and obesity, but the direction of the effect is confused. No previous studies have explored the link of type 2 diabetes to ambient temperature. We used county level data for obesity and diabetes prevalence across the mainland USA and matched this to county level ambient temperature data. Average ambient temperature explained 5.7% of the spatial variation in obesity and 29.6% of the spatial variation in type 2 diabetes prevalence. Correcting the type 2 diabetes data for the effect of obesity reduced the explained variation to 26.8%. Even when correcting for obesity, poverty and race, ambient temperature explained 12.4% of the variation in the prevalence of type 2 diabetes, and this significant effect remained when latitude was entered into the model as a predictor. When obesity prevalence was corrected for poverty and race the significant effect of temperature disappeared. Enhancing energy expenditure by cold exposure will likely not impact obesity significantly, but may be useful to combat type 2 diabetes.

'Designing Ambient Interactions - Pervasive Ergonomic Interfaces for Ageing Well' (DAI'10)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Geven, Arjan; Prost, Sebastian; Tscheligi, Manfred; Soldatos, John; Gonzalez, Mari Feli

The workshop will focus on novel computer based interaction mechanisms and interfaces, which boost natural interactivity and obviate the need for conventional tedious interfaces. Such interfaces are increasingly used in ambient intelligence environments and related applications, including application boosting elderly cognitive support, cognitive rehabilitation and Ambient Assisted Living (AAL). The aim of the workshop is to provide insights on the technological underpinnings of such interfaces, along with tools and techniques for their design and evaluation.

Presentación del estudio “Links” de hombres que tienes sexo con hombres en Buenos Aires, Argentina

PubMed Central

Carballo-Diéguez, Alex; Ávila, María M; Balán, Iván C.; Marone, Rubén; Pando, María A.; Barreda, Victoria

2011-01-01

Resumen Estudios previos en Buenos Aires reportaron altas prevalencias de HIV entre HSH, con valores que oscilan entre 9 y 14% durante casi 10 años de continuo testeo. El objetivo principal de este estudio fue la evaluación de factores relacionados al comportamiento de alto riesgo para transmisión del HIV entre HSH entre los que se incluyen el conocimiento y factores emocionales, socioculturales y ambientales. Por otro lado se realizó la estimación de prevalencia e incidencia de HIV utilizando RDS (Respondent Driven Sampling), así como la presencia de otras infecciones de transmisión sexual. Por último se evaluaron los hábitos de testeo para HIV indagando que factores facilitan o impiden su realización. El estudio constó de dos fases, en primer lugar una fase cualitativa y posteriormente una fase cuantitativa con una duración total de 4 años y medio. Durante la fase cualitativa se realizaron 44 entrevistas individuales en profundidad, 8 grupos focales y 10 observaciones etnográficas (hoteles, baños públicos (“teteras”), cines pornográficos, fiestas privadas, dark rooms y discotecas). Durante la fase cuantitativa del estudio se realizó el reclutamiento de 500 participantes que provinieron de la Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, así como del Gran Buenos Aires. El reclutamiento se comenzó con 16 participantes llamados semillas. Se realizó el diagnóstico de infección por HIV, hepatitis B y C (HBV y HCV), Treponema pallidum, Virus Papiloma Humano (HPV) y Chlamidias. La colaboración establecida entre los grupos de trabajo enfocados en áreas diversas posibilitó el abordaje conjunto de nuevas estrategias de investigación antes no exploradas en nuestro país. Los resultados más relevantes de esta investigación serán progresivamente publicados en sucesivos números de Actualizaciones en SIDA. PMID:25264397

Influence of low ambient temperature on epitympanic temperature measurement: a prospective randomized clinical study.

PubMed

Strapazzon, Giacomo; Procter, Emily; Putzer, Gabriel; Avancini, Giovanni; Dal Cappello, Tomas; Überbacher, Norbert; Hofer, Georg; Rainer, Bernhard; Rammlmair, Georg; Brugger, Hermann

2015-11-05

Epitympanic temperature (Tty) measured with thermistor probes correlates with core body temperature (Tcore), but the reliability of measurements at low ambient temperature is unknown. The aim of this study was to determine if commercially-available thermistor-based Tty reflects Tcore in low ambient temperature and if Tty is influenced by insulation of the ear. Thirty-one participants (two females) were exposed to room (23.2 ± 0.4 °C) and low (-18.7 ± 1.0 °C) ambient temperature for 10 min using a randomized cross-over design. Tty was measured using an epitympanic probe (M1024233, GE Healthcare Finland Oy) and oesophageal temperature (Tes) with an oesophageal probe (M1024229, GE Healthcare Finland Oy) inserted into the lower third of the oesophagus. Ten participants wore ear protectors (Arton 2200, Emil Lux GmbH & Co. KG, Wermelskirchen, Switzerland) to insulate the ear from ambient air. During exposure to room temperature, mean Tty increased from 33.4 ± 1.5 to 34.2 ± 0.8 °C without insulation of the ear and from 35.0 ± 0.8 to 35.5 ± 0.7 °C with insulation. During exposure to low ambient temperature, mean Tty decreased from 32.4 ± 1.6 to 28.5 ± 2.0 °C without insulation and from 35.6 ± 0.6 to 35.2 ± 0.9 °C with insulation. The difference between Tty and Tes at low ambient temperature was reduced by 82% (from 7.2 to 1.3 °C) with insulation of the ear. Epitympanic temperature measurements are influenced by ambient temperature and deviate from Tes at room and low ambient temperature. Insulating the ear with ear protectors markedly reduced the difference between Tty and Tes and improved the stability of measurements. The use of models to correct Tty may be possible, but results should be validated in larger studies.

Characterizing CO and NOy Sources and Relative Ambient Ratios in the Baltimore Area Using Ambient Measurements and Source Attribution Modeling

EPA Science Inventory

Modeled source attribution information from the Community Multiscale Air Quality model was coupled with ambient data from the 2011 Deriving Information on Surface conditions from Column and Vertically Resolved Observations Relevant to Air Quality Baltimore field study. We assess ...

Nanoparticulas basadas en complejos de Fe(II) con transicion de espin: sintesis, caracterizacion y aplicaciones en electronica molecular

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Monrabal Capilla, Maria

sintesis de otro nuevo tipo de nanoparticulas, obtenidas a partir de otro polimero de la misma familia, el [FeO8ZnO2(Htrz)3](BF4). Estas nanoparticulas se sintetizaron con el objetivo de estudiar el efecto de la dilucion del metal en la muestra. Como resultado se obtuvieron nanoparticulas que tambien presentan una estrecha distribucion de tamanos pero en este caso la transicion de espin no es tan abrupta como en los casos anteriores. Aunque sigue presentando un ciclo de histeresis termica bastante ancho y a temperaturas proximas a la temperatura ambiente. En el capitulo 4 se describiran las estrategias que se han seguido para mejorar la estabilidad y afinidad sobre diferentes sustratos de las nanoparticulas sintetizadas en el capitulo 2. Tambien se hablara de los intentos realizados parar depositarlas en superficies y embeberlas en diferentes matrices organicas e inorganicas. En el capitulo 5 presentaremos la obtencion de un interruptor molecular realizado poniendo en contacto nanoparticulas individuales sintetizadas en el capitulo 2, con unos electrodos separados varios nanometros. Este dispositivo exhibe "switching" y efecto memoria a temperaturas proximas a la temperatura ambiente como consecuencia de la biestabilidad intrinseca de las nanoparticulas. Ademas demostraremos que el estado magnetico de estas nanoparticulas puede ser controlado electricamente, ya que la transicion de espin en este nanodispositivo molecular puede ser inducida simplemente aplicando un voltaje, lo que puede ser de gran interes para la electronica molecular.

Effects of Ambient Air Pollution Exposure on Olfaction: A Review

PubMed Central

Ajmani, Gaurav S.; Suh, Helen H.; Pinto, Jayant M.

2016-01-01

Background: Olfactory dysfunction affects millions of people worldwide. This sensory impairment is associated with neurodegenerative disease and significantly decreased quality of life. Exposure to airborne pollutants has been implicated in olfactory decline, likely due to the anatomic susceptibility of the olfactory nerve to the environment. Historically, studies have focused on occupational exposures, but more recent studies have considered effects from exposure to ambient air pollutants. Objectives: To examine all relevant human data evaluating a link between ambient pollution exposure and olfaction and to review supporting animal data in order to examine potential mechanisms for pollution-associated olfactory loss. Methods: We identified and reviewed relevant articles from 1950 to 2015 using PubMed and Web of Science and focusing on human epidemiologic and pathophysiologic studies. Animal studies were included only to support pertinent data on humans. We reviewed findings from these studies evaluating a relationship between environmental pollutant exposure and olfactory function. Results: We identified and reviewed 17 articles, with 1 additional article added from a bibliography search, for a total of 18 human studies. There is evidence in human epidemiologic and pathologic studies that increased exposure to ambient air pollutants is associated with olfactory dysfunction. However, most studies have used proxies for pollution exposure in small samples of convenience. Human pathologic studies, with supporting animal work, have also shown that air pollution can contact the olfactory epithelium, translocate to the olfactory bulb, and migrate to the olfactory cortex. Pollutants can deposit at each location, causing direct damage and disruption of tissue morphology or inducing local inflammation and cellular stress responses. Conclusions: Ambient air pollution may impact human olfactory function. Additional studies are needed to examine air pollution�

Effects of Ambient Air Pollution Exposure on Olfaction: A Review.

PubMed

Ajmani, Gaurav S; Suh, Helen H; Pinto, Jayant M

2016-11-01

Olfactory dysfunction affects millions of people worldwide. This sensory impairment is associated with neurodegenerative disease and significantly decreased quality of life. Exposure to airborne pollutants has been implicated in olfactory decline, likely due to the anatomic susceptibility of the olfactory nerve to the environment. Historically, studies have focused on occupational exposures, but more recent studies have considered effects from exposure to ambient air pollutants. To examine all relevant human data evaluating a link between ambient pollution exposure and olfaction and to review supporting animal data in order to examine potential mechanisms for pollution-associated olfactory loss. We identified and reviewed relevant articles from 1950 to 2015 using PubMed and Web of Science and focusing on human epidemiologic and pathophysiologic studies. Animal studies were included only to support pertinent data on humans. We reviewed findings from these studies evaluating a relationship between environmental pollutant exposure and olfactory function. We identified and reviewed 17 articles, with 1 additional article added from a bibliography search, for a total of 18 human studies. There is evidence in human epidemiologic and pathologic studies that increased exposure to ambient air pollutants is associated with olfactory dysfunction. However, most studies have used proxies for pollution exposure in small samples of convenience. Human pathologic studies, with supporting animal work, have also shown that air pollution can contact the olfactory epithelium, translocate to the olfactory bulb, and migrate to the olfactory cortex. Pollutants can deposit at each location, causing direct damage and disruption of tissue morphology or inducing local inflammation and cellular stress responses. Ambient air pollution may impact human olfactory function. Additional studies are needed to examine air pollution-related olfactory impacts on the general population using measured

High mortality of Red Sea zooplankton under ambient solar radiation.

PubMed

Al-Aidaroos, Ali M; El-Sherbiny, Mohsen M O; Satheesh, Sathianeson; Mantha, Gopikrishna; Agustī, Susana; Carreja, Beatriz; Duarte, Carlos M

2014-01-01

High solar radiation along with extreme transparency leads to high penetration of solar radiation in the Red Sea, potentially harmful to biota inhabiting the upper water column, including zooplankton. Here we show, based on experimental assessments of solar radiation dose-mortality curves on eight common taxa, the mortality of zooplankton in the oligotrophic waters of the Red Sea to increase steeply with ambient levels of solar radiation in the Red Sea. Responses curves linking solar radiation doses with zooplankton mortality were evaluated by exposing organisms, enclosed in quartz bottles, allowing all the wavelengths of solar radiation to penetrate, to five different levels of ambient solar radiation (100%, 21.6%, 7.2%, 3.2% and 0% of solar radiation). The maximum mortality rates under ambient solar radiation levels averaged (±standard error of the mean, SEM) 18.4±5.8% h(-1), five-fold greater than the average mortality in the dark for the eight taxa tested. The UV-B radiation required for mortality rates to reach ½ of maximum values averaged (±SEM) 12±5.6 h(-1)% of incident UVB radiation, equivalent to the UV-B dose at 19.2±2.7 m depth in open coastal Red Sea waters. These results confirm that Red Sea zooplankton are highly vulnerable to ambient solar radiation, as a consequence of the combination of high incident radiation and high water transparency allowing deep penetration of damaging UV-B radiation. These results provide evidence of the significance of ambient solar radiation levels as a stressor of marine zooplankton communities in tropical, oligotrophic waters. Because the oligotrophic ocean extends across 70% of the ocean surface, solar radiation can be a globally-significant stressor for the ocean ecosystem, by constraining zooplankton use of the upper levels of the water column and, therefore, the efficiency of food transfer up the food web in the oligotrophic ocean.

High Resolution Tissue Imaging Using the Single-probe Mass Spectrometry under Ambient Conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rao, Wei; Pan, Ning; Yang, Zhibo

2015-06-01

Ambient mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) is an emerging field with great potential for the detailed spatial analysis of biological samples with minimal pretreatment. We have developed a miniaturized sampling and ionization device, the Single-probe, which uses in-situ surface micro-extraction to achieve high detection sensitivity and spatial resolution during MSI experiments. The Single-probe was coupled to a Thermo LTQ Orbitrap XL mass spectrometer and was able to create high spatial and high mass resolution MS images at 8 ± 2 and 8.5 μm on flat polycarbonate microscope slides and mouse kidney sections, respectively, which are among the highest resolutions available for ambient MSI techniques. Our proof-of-principle experiments indicate that the Single-probe MSI technique has the potential to obtain ambient MS images with very high spatial resolutions with minimal sample preparation, which opens the possibility for subcellular ambient tissue MSI to be performed in the future.

Potential Ambient Energy-Harvesting Sources and Techniques

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yildiz, Faruk

2009-01-01

Ambient energy harvesting is also known as energy scavenging or power harvesting, and it is the process where energy is obtained from the environment. A variety of techniques are available for energy scavenging, including solar and wind powers, ocean waves, piezoelectricity, thermoelectricity, and physical motions. For example, some systems…

Radio-Observaciones del OH EN la Coma del Cometa Halley Desde EL Hemisferio Sur

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Silva, A. M.; Bajaja, E.; Morras, R.; Cersosimo, J. C.; Martin, M. C.; Arnal, E. M.; Poppel, W. G. L.; Colomb, F. R.; Mazzaro, J.; Olalde, J. C.; Boriakoff, V.; Mirabel, I. F.

1987-05-01

Se utilizó una antena de 30 metros del Instituto Argentino de Radioastronomía para observaciones diarias Cf ebrero a abril de 1986) de la transición en 1667 MHz ( λ = 18 cm) del OH en la coma del cometa Halley. De las observaciones realizadas se concluye: 1) El número promedio de moléculas de OH en la coma durante 37 días de observación fue de (8.9±3.5)x1034 moléculas, lo que implica una tasa de producción promedio de OH de 1.8x1029 moléculas seg-1 y consecuentemente una pérdida de masa promedio de 17±6 toneladas seg-1 . Este valor está de acuerdo con las mediciones realizadas por las sondas Vega y Giotto. 2) El monitoreo desde el lAR revela la existencia de variaciones bruscas en los flujos de absorción del OH. Estas variaciones son consistentes con los modelos que representan la producción gaseosa a partir de ejecciones y/o desprendimientos discretos de materia congelada del núcleo. 3) Las variaciones en la densidad de flujo son consistentes con las estimaciones de los tiem- pos de vida medios del H2O y del OH en presencia del campo de radiación solar. 4) Se encuentra una correlación entre la intensidad del flujo absorbido y anisotropías en Ia dinamica de la coma.

Organic Components and Elemental Carbon in Soils and Ambient Particles near Phoenix, AZ

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fraser, M. P.; Jia, Y.; Clements, A.

2008-12-01

In the desert southwest, fugitive dust emissions contribute significantly to ambient aerosol concentrations. Wind erosion from the arid land is a primary contributor to ambient particulate matter (PM) concentrations but, in regions including Central Arizona, desert lands have been converted for agriculture use and thus agriculture processes constitute another contributor. As the metropolitan Phoenix region expands into these agricultural lands, urban sources and construction also contributes to the ambient PM load. In an effort to identify and access relative contribution of these and other major PM sources in the region, a series of ambient PM samples and soil samples were collected near Higley, AZ, a suburb of Phoenix which has seen rapid urbanization onto agricultural lands between January and May 2008. The soil samples collected were resuspended and samples of resuspended dust were collected to represent particles smaller than 2.5 microns and 10 microns in aerodynamic diameter (PM2.5 and PM10 respectively). The size segregated soil and ambient PM samples were analyzed for bulk mass, elemental and organic carbon content, and a number of specific compounds including ions, metals, alkanes, organic acids, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and saccharides. The saccharide contribution to soil organic carbon has been studied to elucidate key factors in the soil carbon balance and markers have been developed for tracing fungal metabolites, plant growth and budding and organic matter decay. Using organic markers, the contribution of various sources to PM10 and PM2.5 levels have been determined by positive matrix factorization (PMF) of the ambient aerosol marker concentrations quantified from PM samples. Subsequently, samples of local soil from native and agricultural fields and local roadways wers size- segregated and analyzed in an effort to create a source profile for the dust in the area. A chemical mass balance model has been used to compare with the PMF results

Low power energy harvesting and storage techniques from ambient human powered energy sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yildiz, Faruk

Conventional electrochemical batteries power most of the portable and wireless electronic devices that are operated by electric power. In the past few years, electrochemical batteries and energy storage devices have improved significantly. However, this progress has not been able to keep up with the development of microprocessors, memory storage, and sensors of electronic applications. Battery weight, lifespan and reliability often limit the abilities and the range of such applications of battery powered devices. These conventional devices were designed to be powered with batteries as required, but did not allow scavenging of ambient energy as a power source. In contrast, development in wireless technology and other electronic components are constantly reducing the power and energy needed by many applications. If energy requirements of electronic components decline reasonably, then ambient energy scavenging and conversion could become a viable source of power for many applications. Ambient energy sources can be then considered and used to replace batteries in some electronic applications, to minimize product maintenance and operating cost. The potential ability to satisfy overall power and energy requirements of an application using ambient energy can eliminate some constraints related to conventional power supplies. Also power scavenging may enable electronic devices to be completely self-sustaining so that battery maintenance can eventually be eliminated. Furthermore, ambient energy scavenging could extend the performance and the lifetime of the MEMS (Micro electromechanical systems) and portable electronic devices. These possibilities show that it is important to examine the effectiveness of ambient energy as a source of power. Until recently, only little use has been made of ambient energy resources, especially for wireless networks and portable power devices. Recently, researchers have performed several studies in alternative energy sources that could provide

Aural-Nondetectability Model Predictions for Night-Vision Goggles across Ambient Lighting Conditions

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-12-01

ARL-TR-7564 ● DEC 2015 US Army Research Laboratory Aural-Nondetectability Model Predictions for Night -Vision Goggles across...ARL-TR-7564 ● DEC 2015 US Army Research Laboratory Aural-Nondetectability Model Predictions for Night -Vision Goggles across Ambient...May 2015–30 Sep 2015 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Aural-Nondetectability Model Predictions for Night -Vision Goggles across Ambient Lighting Conditions 5a

Retrieval of reflections from ambient noise using illumination diagnosis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vidal, C. Almagro; Draganov, D.; van der Neut, J.; Drijkoningen, G.; Wapenaar, K.

2014-09-01

Seismic interferometry (SI) enables the retrieval of virtual sources at the location of receivers. In the case of passive SI, no active sources are used for the retrieval of the reflection response of the subsurface, but ambient-noise recordings only. The resulting retrieved response is determined by the illumination characteristics of the recorded ambient noise. Characteristics like geometrical distribution and signature of the noise sources, together with the complexity of the medium and the length of the noise records, determine the quality of the retrieved virtual-shot events. To retrieve body wave reflections, one needs to correlate body-wave noise. A source of such noise might be regional seismicity. In regions with notable human presence, the dominant noise sources are generally located at or close to the surface. In the latter case, the noise will be dominated by surface waves and consequently also the retrieved virtual common-source panels will contain dominant retrieved surface waves, drowning out possible retrieved reflections. In order to retrieve reflection events, suppression of the surface waves becomes the most important pre-processing goal. Because of the reasons mentioned above, we propose a fast method to evaluate the illumination characteristics of ambient noise using the correlation results from ambient-noise records. The method is based on the analysis of the so-called source function of the retrieved virtual-shot panel, and evaluates the apparent slowness of arrivals in the correlation results that pass through the position of the virtual source and at zero time. The results of the diagnosis are used to suppress the retrieval of surface waves and therefore to improve the quality of the retrieved reflection response. We explain the approach using modelled data from transient and continuous noise sources and an example from a passive field data set recorded at Annerveen, Northern Netherlands.

Increased levels of ambient fungal spores in Taiwan are associated with dust events from China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Pei-Chih; Tsai, Jui-Chen; Li, Fang-Chun; Lung, Shih-Chun; Su, Huey-Jen

2004-09-01

Fungi are ubiquitous in nature and their spores are often dispersed into the atmosphere through turbulent airstreams. As yellow sandstorm blown from deserts in China had affected the ambient air quality with increasing levels of ambient particulates, often including significant amounts of biologically active particles has therefore become imperative for concerns of their health implications. Our study was aimed to examine the effects of yellow sandstorm events on the fungal composition and concentrations in ambient air. Atmospheric fungal spores were continuously collected using Burkard Volumetric Spore Trap. Samples collected between December 2000 and April 2001 were selected for priority analysis from days when the yellow sandstorms were reported to affect Taiwan according to the Central Weather Bureau in Taiwan. The composition of dominant spores such as Basidiospore, Penicillium/Aspergillus, Nigrospora, Arthrinium, Curvularia, Rusts, Stemphylium, Cercospora, Pithomyces, and unidentified fungi were significantly higher than those of background days. The increase of Basidiospore, Penicillium/Aspergillus, Nigrospora, and those unidentified fungi seems to be significantly associated with the increase of ambient particulate levels with regression coefficients ranging from 0.887 to 31.98. Our study has identified increasing ambient concentrations during sandstorm episodes are observed for some major fungi, Basidiospore, Penicillium, Aspergillus, and those unidentified fungi and the trends of the increase seems to associate with ambient particulate levels. Further efforts to clarify the relationship between those high fungal spore exposures and clinical adverse health effects are suggested in the future. In addition, effects of climatic factors and other particulate levels on the variation of ambient fungal spore levels are also desired in further study. Additional monitoring of ambient fungal spores in the first line of west coastline is hoped to assist in

A high-resolution ambient seismic noise model for Europe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kraft, Toni

2014-05-01

In the past several years, geological energy technologies receive growing attention and have been initiated in or close to urban areas. Some of these technologies involve injecting fluids into the subsurface (e.g., oil and gas development, waste disposal, and geothermal energy development) and have been found or suspected to cause small to moderate sized earthquakes. These earthquakes, which may have gone unnoticed in the past when they occurred in remote sparsely populated areas, are now posing a considerable risk for the public acceptance of these technologies in urban areas. The permanent termination of the EGS project in Basel, Switzerland after a number of induced ML~3 (minor) earthquakes in 2006 is one prominent example. It is therefore essential to the future development and success of these geological energy technologies to develop strategies for managing induced seismicity and keeping the size of induced earthquake at a level that is acceptable to all stakeholders. Most guidelines and recommendations on induced seismicity published since the 1970ies conclude that an indispensable component of such a strategy is the establishment of seismic monitoring in an early stage of a project. This is because an appropriate seismic monitoring is the only way to detect and locate induced microearthquakes with sufficient certainty to develop an understanding of the seismic and geomechanical response of the reservoir to the geotechnical operation. In addition, seismic monitoring lays the foundation for the establishment of advanced traffic light systems and is therefore an important confidence building measure towards the local population and authorities. Due to this development an increasing number of seismic monitoring networks are being installed in densely populated areas with strongly heterogeneous, and unfavorable ambient noise conditions. This poses a major challenge on the network design process, which aims to find the sensor geometry that optimizes the

Enhancing the performance of tungsten doped InZnO thin film transistors via sequential ambient annealing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Hyun-Woo; Song, Aeran; Kwon, Sera; Choi, Dukhyun; Kim, Younghak; Jun, Byung-Hyuk; Kim, Han-Ki; Chung, Kwun-Bum

2018-03-01

This study suggests a sequential ambient annealing process as an excellent post-treatment method to enhance the device performance and stability of W (tungsten) doped InZnO thin film transistors (WIZO-TFTs). Sequential ambient annealing at 250 °C significantly enhanced the device performance and stability of WIZO-TFTs, compared with other post-treatment methods, such as air ambient annealing and vacuum ambient annealing at 250 °C. To understand the enhanced device performance and stability of WIZO-TFT with sequential ambient annealing, we investigate the correlations between device performance and stability and electronic structures, such as band alignment, a feature of the conduction band, and band edge states below the conduction band. The enhanced performance of WIZO-TFTs with sequential ambient annealing is related to the modification of the electronic structure. In addition, the dominant mechanism responsible for the enhanced device performance and stability of WIZO-TFTs is considered to be a change in the shallow-level and deep-level band edge states below the conduction band.

Superconductor shields test chamber from ambient magnetic fields

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hildebrandt, A. F.

1965-01-01

Shielding a test chamber for magnetic components enables it to maintain a constant, low magnetic field. The chamber is shielded from ambient magnetic fields by a lead foil cylinder maintained in a superconducting state by liquid helium.

75 FR 16459 - Draft Document Related to the Review of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-04-01

... Review of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Particulate Matter AGENCY: Environmental... Review of the Particulate Matter National Ambient Air Quality Standards--First External Review Draft (75... Particulate Matter National Ambient Air Quality Standards--First External Review Draft (March 2010), please...

Cognitions and 'placebos' in behavioral research on ambient noise.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Harcum, E. R.; Monti, P. M.

1973-01-01

The study investigated effects of noise on visual and psychomotor tasks, with particular concern for influences of certain cognitive variables. A first experiment, using visual and card-sorting tasks, found no effects of 100 dB ambient noise per se, although cognitive variables in the testing situation affected both performance and ratings of disturbance. In two subsequent experiments some of the subjects were told that a noise was extraneous to their task of reproducing tachistoscopic patterns, and others were told that effects of the noise were being studied. It appears that in the absence of an adequate 'placebo' to control for cognitive factors, deceptive instructions may always be necessary in studies of ambient noise.

Burden of disease attributed to ambient air pollution in Thailand: A GIS-based approach.

PubMed

Pinichka, Chayut; Makka, Nuttapat; Sukkumnoed, Decharut; Chariyalertsak, Suwat; Inchai, Puchong; Bundhamcharoen, Kanitta

2017-01-01

Growing urbanisation and population requiring enhanced electricity generation as well as the increasing numbers of fossil fuel in Thailand pose important challenges to air quality management which impacts on the health of the population. Mortality attributed to ambient air pollution is one of the sustainable development goals (SDGs). We estimated the spatial pattern of mortality burden attributable to selected ambient air pollution in 2009 based on the empirical evidence in Thailand. We estimated the burden of disease attributable to ambient air pollution based on the comparative risk assessment (CRA) framework developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Global Burden of Disease study (GBD). We integrated geographical information systems (GIS)-based exposure assessments into spatial interpolation models to estimate ambient air pollutant concentrations, the population distribution of exposure and the concentration-response (CR) relationship to quantify ambient air pollution exposure and associated mortality. We obtained air quality data from the Pollution Control Department (PCD) of Thailand surface air pollution monitoring network sources and estimated the CR relationship between relative risk (RR) and concentration of air pollutants from the epidemiological literature. We estimated 650-38,410 ambient air pollution-related fatalities and 160-5,982 fatalities that could have been avoided with a 20 reduction in ambient air pollutant concentrations. The summation of population-attributable fraction (PAF) of the disease burden for all-causes mortality in adults due to NO2 and PM2.5 were the highest among all air pollutants at 10% and 7.5%, respectively. The PAF summation of PM2.5 for lung cancer and cardiovascular disease were 16.8% and 14.6% respectively and the PAF summations of mortality attributable to PM10 was 3.4% for all-causes mortality, 1.7% for respiratory and 3.8% for cardiovascular mortality, while the PAF summation of mortality attributable to

Burden of disease attributed to ambient air pollution in Thailand: A GIS-based approach

PubMed Central

Pinichka, Chayut; Makka, Nuttapat; Sukkumnoed, Decharut; Chariyalertsak, Suwat; Inchai, Puchong

2017-01-01

Background Growing urbanisation and population requiring enhanced electricity generation as well as the increasing numbers of fossil fuel in Thailand pose important challenges to air quality management which impacts on the health of the population. Mortality attributed to ambient air pollution is one of the sustainable development goals (SDGs). We estimated the spatial pattern of mortality burden attributable to selected ambient air pollution in 2009 based on the empirical evidence in Thailand. Methods We estimated the burden of disease attributable to ambient air pollution based on the comparative risk assessment (CRA) framework developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Global Burden of Disease study (GBD). We integrated geographical information systems (GIS)-based exposure assessments into spatial interpolation models to estimate ambient air pollutant concentrations, the population distribution of exposure and the concentration-response (CR) relationship to quantify ambient air pollution exposure and associated mortality. We obtained air quality data from the Pollution Control Department (PCD) of Thailand surface air pollution monitoring network sources and estimated the CR relationship between relative risk (RR) and concentration of air pollutants from the epidemiological literature. Results We estimated 650–38,410 ambient air pollution-related fatalities and 160–5,982 fatalities that could have been avoided with a 20 reduction in ambient air pollutant concentrations. The summation of population-attributable fraction (PAF) of the disease burden for all-causes mortality in adults due to NO2 and PM2.5 were the highest among all air pollutants at 10% and 7.5%, respectively. The PAF summation of PM2.5 for lung cancer and cardiovascular disease were 16.8% and 14.6% respectively and the PAF summations of mortality attributable to PM10 was 3.4% for all-causes mortality, 1.7% for respiratory and 3.8% for cardiovascular mortality, while the PAF

Humpback whale-generated ambient noise levels provide insight into singers' spatial densities.

PubMed

Seger, Kerri D; Thode, Aaron M; Urbán-R, Jorge; Martínez-Loustalot, Pamela; Jiménez-López, M Esther; López-Arzate, Diana

2016-09-01

Baleen whale vocal activity can be the dominant underwater ambient noise source for certain locations and seasons. Previous wind-driven ambient-noise formulations have been adjusted to model ambient noise levels generated by random distributions of singing humpback whales in ocean waveguides and have been combined to a single model. This theoretical model predicts that changes in ambient noise levels with respect to fractional changes in singer population (defined as the noise "sensitivity") are relatively unaffected by the source level distributions and song spectra of individual humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae). However, the noise "sensitivity" does depend on frequency and on how the singers' spatial density changes with population size. The theoretical model was tested by comparing visual line transect surveys with bottom-mounted passive acoustic data collected during the 2013 and 2014 humpback whale breeding seasons off Los Cabos, Mexico. A generalized linear model (GLM) estimated the noise "sensitivity" across multiple frequency bands. Comparing the GLM estimates with the theoretical predictions suggests that humpback whales tend to maintain relatively constant spacing between one another while singing, but that individual singers either slightly increase their source levels or song duration, or cluster more tightly as the singing population increases.

Uncertainty associated with the gravimetric measurement of particulate matter concentration in ambient air.

PubMed

Lacey, Ronald E; Faulkner, William Brock

2015-07-01

This work applied a propagation of uncertainty method to typical total suspended particulate (TSP) sampling apparatus in order to estimate the overall measurement uncertainty. The objectives of this study were to estimate the uncertainty for three TSP samplers, develop an uncertainty budget, and determine the sensitivity of the total uncertainty to environmental parameters. The samplers evaluated were the TAMU High Volume TSP Sampler at a nominal volumetric flow rate of 1.42 m3 min(-1) (50 CFM), the TAMU Low Volume TSP Sampler at a nominal volumetric flow rate of 17 L min(-1) (0.6 CFM) and the EPA TSP Sampler at the nominal volumetric flow rates of 1.1 and 1.7 m3 min(-1) (39 and 60 CFM). Under nominal operating conditions the overall measurement uncertainty was found to vary from 6.1x10(-6) g m(-3) to 18.0x10(-6) g m(-3), which represented an uncertainty of 1.7% to 5.2% of the measurement. Analysis of the uncertainty budget determined that three of the instrument parameters contributed significantly to the overall uncertainty: the uncertainty in the pressure drop measurement across the orifice meter during both calibration and testing and the uncertainty of the airflow standard used during calibration of the orifice meter. Five environmental parameters occurring during field measurements were considered for their effect on overall uncertainty: ambient TSP concentration, volumetric airflow rate, ambient temperature, ambient pressure, and ambient relative humidity. Of these, only ambient TSP concentration and volumetric airflow rate were found to have a strong effect on the overall uncertainty. The technique described in this paper can be applied to other measurement systems and is especially useful where there are no methods available to generate these values empirically. This work addresses measurement uncertainty of TSP samplers used in ambient conditions. Estimation of uncertainty in gravimetric measurements is of particular interest, since as ambient particulate

The effects of ambient particulate matter on human alveolar machrophage oxidative and inflammatory responses

EPA Science Inventory

Epidemiologic and occupational studies demonstrate that ambient PM and DEP have deleterious effects on human cardiopulmonary health including exacerbation of pre-existing lung disease and development of respiratory infections. The effects of ambient PM on lung cell responsivenes...

Microbiological Studies of Semi-Preserved Natural Condiments Paste Stored in Refrigerator and Ambient Temperature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dien, H. A.; Montolalu, R. I.; Mentang, F.; Mandang, A. S. K.; Rahmi, A. D.; Berhimpon, S.

2018-01-01

The aims of this studies were to prepare juice and raw condiment to be come semipreserve pastes, and to do microbial assessments on the both pastes during storing in refrigerator and ambient temperatures. For both pastes in refrigerator, samples were taken at 0, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 days, and in ambient temperature samples were taken at 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6 days. Assessment were done for TPC, total coliform and E. coli, Salmonella sp, Staphylococcus sp., Vibrio sp., pH and water content. The results shown that juice paste stored in refrigerator still good until 30 days (TPC 1,5x104 CFU/g), and in ambient temperature still good until 6 days (2x104 CFU/g). Condiment paste stored in refrigerator still good until 30 days (6.5x103 CFU/g), and in ambient temperature still good until 6 days (1.17x104 CFU/g). However, recommended that condiment paste stored in ambient temperature only until 4 days (7.3x103CFU/g), while that juice paste until 5 days (7.8x103CFU/g). There were no pathogenic bacteria found in all samples.

Environmentally Persistent Free Radical (EPFRs) - Ambient Air Particulates, Soils and Fate of Some Pollutants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lomnicki, S. M.

2017-12-01

Environmentally Persistent Free Radicals (EPFRs) are relatively recently discovered species that are present on ambient air particulates. Their origin is typically associated with the combustion borne PM, where in the cool zone of the combustion process aromatic precursors react with the metal centers of particulates forming surface-organic complex with radical characteristics. EPFRs have been found to be sufficiently resistant to be emitted from the combustion sources and persist in the ambient air on particulates. Their inhalation has been associated with severe health effects, and potentially are one of the major agents contributing the epidemiological risks of PM exposure. Interestingly, EPFRs can be formed not only at the elevated temperatures but also in ambient conditions, where the contact of precursor molecules with transition metal (but not only) domains can result in adsorbate complexes. In fact, EPFRs have been detected in the contaminated soils, or during the oil spill incidents. It is very likely, that the interaction of some molecules released to the air can result in the formation of EPFRs on the ambient air particulates in atmospheric conditions. These species can be a natural degradation by-products that lead to the formation of oxygenated organics in ambient atmosphere.

Ambient groundwater flow diminishes nitrogen cycling in streams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Azizian, M.; Grant, S. B.; Rippy, M.; Detwiler, R. L.; Boano, F.; Cook, P. L. M.

2017-12-01

Modeling and experimental studies demonstrate that ambient groundwater reduces hyporheic exchange, but the implications of this observation for stream N-cycling is not yet clear. We utilized a simple process-based model (the Pumping and Streamline Segregation or PASS model) to evaluate N- cycling over two scales of hyporheic exchange (fluvial ripples and riffle-pool sequences), ten ambient groundwater and stream flow scenarios (five gaining and losing conditions and two stream discharges), and three biogeochemical settings (identified based on a principal component analysis of previously published measurements in streams throughout the United States). Model-data comparisons indicate that our model provides realistic estimates for direct denitrification of stream nitrate, but overpredicts nitrification and coupled nitrification-denitrification. Riffle-pool sequences are responsible for most of the N-processing, despite the fact that fluvial ripples generate 3-11 times more hyporheic exchange flux. Across all scenarios, hyporheic exchange flux and the Damkohler Number emerge as primary controls on stream N-cycling; the former regulates trafficking of nutrients and oxygen across the sediment-water interface, while the latter quantifies the relative rates of organic carbon mineralization and advective transport in streambed sediments. Vertical groundwater flux modulates both of these master variables in ways that tend to diminish stream N-cycling. Thus, anthropogenic perturbations of ambient groundwater flows (e.g., by urbanization, agricultural activities, groundwater mining, and/or climate change) may compromise some of the key ecosystem services provided by streams.

Low Ambient Temperature and Intracerebral Hemorrhage: The INTERACT2 Study.

PubMed

Zheng, Danni; Arima, Hisatomi; Sato, Shoichiro; Gasparrini, Antonio; Heeley, Emma; Delcourt, Candice; Lo, Serigne; Huang, Yining; Wang, Jiguang; Stapf, Christian; Robinson, Thompson; Lavados, Pablo; Chalmers, John; Anderson, Craig S

2016-01-01

Rates of acute intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) increase in winter months but the magnitude of risk is unknown. We aimed to quantify the association of ambient temperature with the risk of ICH in the Intensive Blood Pressure Reduction in Acute Cerebral Haemorrhage Trial (INTERACT2) participants on an hourly timescale. INTERACT2 was an international, open, blinded endpoint, randomized controlled trial of patients with spontaneous ICH (<6h of onset) and elevated systolic blood pressure (SBP, 150-220 mmHg) assigned to intensive (target SBP <140 mmHg) or guideline-recommended (SBP <180 mmHg) BP treatment. We linked individual level hourly temperature to baseline data of 1997 participants, and performed case-crossover analyses using a distributed lag non-linear model with 24h lag period to assess the association of ambient temperature and risk of ICH. Results were presented as overall cumulative odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CI. Low ambient temperature (≤10°C) was associated with increased risks of ICH: overall cumulative OR was 1.37 (0.99-1.91) for 10°C, 1.92 (1.31-2.81) for 0°C, 3.13 (1.89-5.19) for -10°C, and 5.76 (2.30-14.42) for -20°C, as compared with a reference temperature of 20°C.There was no clear relation of low temperature beyond three hours after exposure. Results were consistent in sensitivity analyses. Exposure to low ambient temperature within several hours increases the risk of ICH. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00716079.

Implications of observed and simulated ambient flow in monitoring wells.

PubMed

Elci, B A; Molz, F J; Waldrop, W R

2001-01-01

A recent paper by Hutchins and Acree (2000) has called attention to ground water sampling bias due to ambient (natural gradient-induced) flows in monitoring wells. Data collected with borehole flowmeters have shown that such ambient flows are ubiquitous in both confined and unconfined aquifers. Developed herein is a detailed three-dimensional model of flow and transport in the vicinity of a fully penetrating monitoring well. The model was used to simulate a measured ambient flow distribution around a test well in a heterogeneous aquifer at the Savannah River Site (SRS) near Aiken, South Carolina. Simulated ambient flows agreed well with measurements. Natural flow was upward, so water entered the well mainly through high K layers in the lower portion of the aquifer and exited through similar layers in the upper portion. The maximum upward discharge in the well was about 0.28 L/min, which implied an induced exchange of 12 m3/month from the bottom half of the aquifer to the upper half. Tracer transport simulations then illustrated how a contaminant located initially in a lower portion of the aquifer was continuously transported into the upper portion and diluted throughout the entire well by in-flowing water. Even after full purging or micropurging, samples from such a well will yield misleading and ambiguous data concerning solute concentrations, location of a contaminant source, and plume geometry. For all of these reasons, use of long-screened monitoring wells should be phased out, unless an appropriate multilevel sampling device prevents vertical flow.

Effect of ambient particulate matter expousre on hemostasis

EPA Science Inventory

Epidemiological studies have linked levels of particulate matter (PM) in ambient air to cardiovascular mortality and hospitalizations for myocardial infarction (MI) and stroke. Thrombus formation plays a primary role in potentiating acute cardiovascular events, and this study was...

Black phosphorus: ambient degradation and strategies for protection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuriakose, Sruthi; Ahmed, Taimur; Balendhran, Sivacarendran; Bansal, Vipul; Sriram, Sharath; Bhaskaran, Madhu; Walia, Sumeet

2018-07-01

Elemental 2D black phosphorus (BP) is a highly anisotropic versatile material capable of exhibiting wide ranging electronic characteristics ranging from semi-metallic to semiconducting. Its thickness dependent tunable energy gap makes it an exciting prospect for deployment in a variety of applications. The main hurdle limiting diverse applications incorporating BP is its ambient instability. BP degrades rapidly under room conditions, affecting its structure and properties. In this report, we cover the recent progress that has occurred towards protecting BP from ambient degradation. We review the major developments in effectively countering the problem and compare their relative degrees of success. This is provided in the context of the mechanisms governing the atmospheric instability of this material. A targeted focus is kept on the various causes of degradation of BP in atmospheric conditions and the protection strategies that have been implemented so far.

The Effects of Ambient Conditions on Helicopter Harmonic Noise Radiation: Theory and Experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Greenwood, Eric; Sim, Ben W.; Boyd, D. Douglas, Jr.

2016-01-01

The effects of ambient atmospheric conditions, air temperature and density, on rotor harmonic noise radiation are characterized using theoretical models and experimental measurements of helicopter noise collected at three different test sites at elevations ranging from sea level to 7000 ft above sea level. Significant changes in the thickness, loading, and blade-vortex interaction noise levels and radiation directions are observed across the different test sites for an AS350 helicopter flying at the same indicated airspeed and gross weight. However, the radiated noise is shown to scale with ambient pressure when the flight condition of the helicopter is defined in nondimensional terms. Although the effective tip Mach number is identified as the primary governing parameter for thickness noise, the nondimensional weight coefficient also impacts lower harmonic loading noise levels, which contribute strongly to low frequency harmonic noise radiation both in and out of the plane of the horizon. Strategies for maintaining the same nondimensional rotor operating condition under different ambient conditions are developed using an analytical model of single main rotor helicopter trim and confirmed using a CAMRAD II model of the AS350 helicopter. The ability of the Fundamental Rotorcraft Acoustics Modeling from Experiments (FRAME) technique to generalize noise measurements made under one set of ambient conditions to make accurate noise predictions under other ambient conditions is also validated.

Ambient Mass Spectrometry Imaging Using Direct Liquid Extraction Techniques

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

Laskin, Julia; Lanekoff, Ingela

2015-11-13

Mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) is a powerful analytical technique that enables label-free spatial localization and identification of molecules in complex samples.1-4 MSI applications range from forensics5 to clinical research6 and from understanding microbial communication7-8 to imaging biomolecules in tissues.1, 9-10 Recently, MSI protocols have been reviewed.11 Ambient ionization techniques enable direct analysis of complex samples under atmospheric pressure without special sample pretreatment.3, 12-16 In fact, in ambient ionization mass spectrometry, sample processing (e.g., extraction, dilution, preconcentration, or desorption) occurs during the analysis.17 This substantially speeds up analysis and eliminates any possible effects of sample preparation on the localization of moleculesmore » in the sample.3, 8, 12-14, 18-20 Venter and co-workers have classified ambient ionization techniques into three major categories based on the sample processing steps involved: 1) liquid extraction techniques, in which analyte molecules are removed from the sample and extracted into a solvent prior to ionization; 2) desorption techniques capable of generating free ions directly from substrates; and 3) desorption techniques that produce larger particles subsequently captured by an electrospray plume and ionized.17 This review focuses on localized analysis and ambient imaging of complex samples using a subset of ambient ionization methods broadly defined as “liquid extraction techniques” based on the classification introduced by Venter and co-workers.17 Specifically, we include techniques where analyte molecules are desorbed from solid or liquid samples using charged droplet bombardment, liquid extraction, physisorption, chemisorption, mechanical force, laser ablation, or laser capture microdissection. Analyte extraction is followed by soft ionization that generates ions corresponding to intact species. Some of the key advantages of liquid extraction techniques include

Ambient Assisted Nutritional Advisor for elderly people living at home.

PubMed

Lazaro, Juan P; Fides, Alvaro; Navarro, Ana; Guillen, Sergio

2010-01-01

Nutrition is a critical aspect when getting older because bad nutrition habits can accelerate the process of degradation of the physical condition of the old person. In order to mitigate this problem, an Ambient Assisted Living service has been developed. Research with this service is focused on demonstrating that with an Ambient Intelligence systems it is possible to make the nutritional management much more effective by influencing the user, by automatically and seamlessly monitoring and by facilitating tools for nutritional management for people that want to be autonomous. In this paper both requirement acquisition and development processes are described as well.

Espectroscopia del Cometa Halley

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Naranjo, O.; Fuenmayor, F.; Ferrin, L.; Bulka, P.; Mendoza, C.

1987-05-01

Se reportan observaciones espectroscópicas del cometa Halley. Los espectros fueron tomados usando el espectrógrafo del telescopio reflector de 1 metro del Observatorio Nacional de Venezuela. Se utilizó óptica azul, con una red de difracción de 600 lineas/min, obteniéndose una dispersión de 74.2 A/mm y una resolución de 2.5 A, en el rango espectral de 3500 a 6500 A. Seis placas fueron tomadas con emulsión IIa-O y dos con IIa-D. Los tiempos de exposición fueron entre 10 y 150 minutos. El cometa se encontraba entre 0.70 y 1.04 UA del Sol, y entre 1.28 y 0.73 UA de la Tierra. Las emisiones más prominentes en el espectro, son las del CN, C2, y C3. Otras emisiones detectadas corresponden a CH, NH2 y Na. Los espectros muestran un fuerte continuo, indicando un contenido significativo de polvo. Se detectó mayor intensidad del contínuo, en la dirección anti solar, lo cual es evidencia de la cola de polvo.

Training Engineers for the Ambient Intelligence Challenge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Corno, Fulvio; De Russis, Luigi

2017-01-01

The increasing complexity of the new breed of distributed intelligent systems, such as the Internet of Things, which require a diversity of languages and protocols, can only be tamed with design and programming best practices. Interest is also growing for including the human factor, as advocated by the "ambient intelligence" (AmI)…

[Influence of daily ambient temperature on mortality and years of life lost in Chongqing].

PubMed

Li, Jing; Luo, Shuquan; Ding, Xianbin; Yang, Jun; Li, Jing; Liu, Xiaobo; Gao, Jinghong; Xu, Lei; Tang, Wenge; Liu, Qiyong

2016-03-01

To evaluate the influence of extreme ambient temperature on mortality and years of life lost (YLL) in Chongqing. The daily mortality, meteorology and air pollution index data in Chongqing from the 1(st) January 2010 to the 31(st) December 2013 were collected. Distributed lag non-linear model (DLNM) was used to assess the influence of daily ambient temperature on daily number of deaths and daily YLL respectively. The delayed and cumulative effects of extreme temperature on sex, age, and cause-specific mortality were also assessed. The relationships between ambient temperature and non-accidental, cardiovascular disease and respiratory disease mortalities and YLL were U-shaped or W-shaped. The effect of heat was obvious on that day, peaked on day 7, and lasted for two weeks, whereas the effect of cold was obvious a week later and lasted for a month. As 1 ℃ increase of ambient temperature, the cumulative relative risks (CRR) of high temperature across lag 0-7 days on non-accidental, respiratory disease and cardiovascular disease mortalities were 1.05 (95%CI: 1.03-1.07), 1.08 (95%CI: 1.05-1.11) and 1.05 (95%CI: 1.01-1.09) respectively. The effects of heat on YLL for each cause were 23.81 (95%CI: 12.31-35.31), 14.34 (95%CI: 8.98-19.70) and 4.43 (95%CI: 1.64-7.21), respectively. On cold days, 1 ℃ decrease of ambient temperature was correlated with an increase in CRR of 1.06 (95%CI: 1.04-1.08), 1.09 (95%CI:1.06-1.12) and 1.06 (95%CI: 1.02-1.11) from lag 0 to 14 for non-accidental, respiratory disease and cardiovascular disease mortalities, respectively. The estimated YLL were 23.34 (95%CI: 10.04-36.64), 16.39 (95%CI: 10.19-22.59) and 2.61 (95%CI: -0.61-5.82). People aged ≥65 years tend to have higher CRR and YLL than those aged <65 years. On high temperature days, the CRR in women was higher than that in men, while the YLL in women was lower than that in men. On low temperature days, both the CRR and YLL in women were higher than those in men. Both high and low

The influence of ambient salinity on routine metabolism in the teleost Cyprinodon variegatus Lacepède

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nordlie, F.G.; Walsh, S.J.; Haney, D.C.; Nordlie, T.F.

1991-01-01

Routine metabolic rates were highest at ambient salinities from 15 to 50‰. Metabolism was somewhat lower at ambient salinities less than 15‰, and showed a sequential decline at ambient salinities greater than 50‰. It is suggested that routine metabolism is depressed at elevated salinities by reduced O, transfer, a consequence of maintenance of hydromineral balance in hypersaline waters.

Meningiomas del foramen magno: Reporte de 12 casos y revisión de la literatura

PubMed Central

Campero, Álvaro; Ajler, Pablo; Roman, Guillermo; Rivadeneira, Conrado

2017-01-01

Resumen Objetivo: El propósito del presente trabajo es presentar los resultados de 12 pacientes con diagnóstico de meningiomas del foramen magno (MFM), de localización anterior o lateral, operados con técnicas microquirúrgicas. Método: Desde Junio de 2005 a Diciembre de 2016, 12 pacientes con diagnóstico de MFM fueron intervenidos quirúrgicamente. Se evaluó: edad, sexo, localización de la lesión (anterior o lateral), sintomatología, tipo de abordaje utilizado y resultados postoperatorios. Resultados: De los pacientes intervenidos, 8 fueron mujeres y 4 varones. La edad promedio fue de 47 años. La localización fue anterior en 8 casos y lateral en 4 casos. La sintomatología más frecuente fue dolor occipito-cervical (8 casos), seguido de tetraparesia (3 casos). En los pacientes con MFM de localización anterior se realizó un abordaje extremo-lateral transcondilar (ELTC), mientras que en los tumores laterales el abordaje fue extremo-lateral retrocondilar (ELRC). En 10 casos la resección fue completa. En dos pacientes fue necesario dejar una pequeña lámina de meningioma sobre la arteria vertebral y a nivel del foramen yugular. Como complicaciones postoperatorias, 3 pacientes presentaron una paresia del XII nervio craneano y 2 pacientes paresia del XI nervio craneano; además, 1 paciente presentó una fístula de LCR. Conclusión: La cirugía de los MFM de localización anterior y lateral puede ser realizada de forma segura y efectiva. Es necesario: a) buen conocimiento anatómico de la región; b) disecar los músculos de la nuca en 2 planos, exponiendo el triángulo suboccipital y la arteria vertebral (AV); 3) realizar un abordaje ELRC en los tumores laterales, y ELTC en los tumores anteriores; y 4) buena técnica microquirúrgica. PMID:29142778

The Need to Disentangle Key Concepts from Ecosystem-Approach Jargon

PubMed Central

WAYLEN, K A; HASTINGS, E J; BANKS, E A; HOLSTEAD, K L; IRVINE, R J; BLACKSTOCK, K L

2014-01-01

Argot Ambiente-Estrategia Resumen La estrategia ambiental – como es promocionada por la Convención Biológica sobre Diversidad en 2000 – es una estrategia para un manejo holístico, sustentable y equitativo de recursos naturales, que habrá de implementarse por vía de los 12 Principios de Malawi. Estos principios describen la necesidad de manejar la naturaleza en términos de ecosistemas dinámicos, mientras se compromete totalmente con las personas locales. Es un concepto ambicioso. Hoy en día, el término es común en la investigación y la literatura de políticas sobre el manejo ambiente. Sin embargo, se han relacionado múltiples significados con el término, lo que resulta en confusión. Revisamos referencias a la estrategia ambiental de 1957 a 2012 e identificamos tres usos principales: como una alternativa para manejo ambiental o basado en ecosistemas; en referencia a una estrategia integrada y equitativa para el manejo de recursos según la CBD; y como un término que indica un enfoque en el entendimiento y la valuación de los servicios ambientales. Aunque los usos de este término y sus variantes pueden traslaparse en su significado, típicamente no reflejan en su totalidad los valores de la estrategia ambiental como fue definida por la CBD. Por ejemplo, actualmente hay un énfasis creciente en los servicios ambientales, pero enfocarse solamente en estos no promueve la descentralización del manejo o el uso de todas las formas de conocimiento, siendo ambas integrales para el concepto de la CBD. Resaltamos que los Principios de Malawi están en riesgo de ser olvidados. Para entender mejor estos principios, se requiere de más esfuerzo para implementarlos. Dichos esfuerzos deben ser evaluados, idóneamente con estrategias comparativas, antes de permitir que el concepto de la CBD de manejo holístico y comprometido socialmente sea abandonado o reemplazado. Es posible que los intentos por implementar los 12 principios juntos enfrentarán muchos obst

Method development estimating ambient mercury concentration from monitored mercury wet deposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, S. M.; Qiu, X.; Zhang, L.; Yang, F.; Blanchard, P.

2013-05-01

Speciated atmospheric mercury data have recently been monitored at multiple locations in North America; but the spatial coverage is far less than the long-established mercury wet deposition network. The present study describes a first attempt linking ambient concentration with wet deposition using Beta distribution fitting of a ratio estimate. The mean, median, mode, standard deviation, and skewness of the fitted Beta distribution parameters were generated using data collected in 2009 at 11 monitoring stations. Comparing the normalized histogram and the fitted density function, the empirical and fitted Beta distribution of the ratio shows a close fit. The estimated ambient mercury concentration was further partitioned into reactive gaseous mercury and particulate bound mercury using linear regression model developed by Amos et al. (2012). The method presented here can be used to roughly estimate mercury ambient concentration at locations and/or times where such measurement is not available but where wet deposition is monitored.

A method to characterise site, urban and regional ambient background radiation.

PubMed

Passmore, C; Kirr, M

2011-03-01

Control dosemeters are routinely provided to customers to monitor the background radiation so that it can be subtracted from the gross response of the dosemeter to arrive at the occupational dose. Landauer, the largest dosimetry processor in the world with subsidiaries in Australia, Brazil, China, France, Japan, Mexico and the UK, has clients in approximately 130 countries. The Glenwood facility processes over 1.1 million controls per year. This network of clients around the world provides a unique ability to monitor the world's ambient background radiation. Control data can be mined to provide useful historical information regarding ambient background rates and provide a historical baseline for geographical areas. Historical baseline can be used to provide site or region-specific background subtraction values, document the variation in ambient background radiation around a client's site or provide a baseline for measuring the efficiency of clean-up efforts in urban areas after a dirty bomb detonation.

Experimental and casework validation of ambient temperature corrections in forensic entomology.

PubMed

Johnson, Aidan P; Wallman, James F; Archer, Melanie S

2012-01-01

This paper expands on Archer (J Forensic Sci 49, 2004, 553), examining additional factors affecting ambient temperature correction of weather station data in forensic entomology. Sixteen hypothetical body discovery sites (BDSs) in Victoria and New South Wales (Australia), both in autumn and in summer, were compared to test whether the accuracy of correlation was affected by (i) length of correlation period; (ii) distance between BDS and weather station; and (iii) periodicity of ambient temperature measurements. The accuracy of correlations in data sets from real Victorian and NSW forensic entomology cases was also examined. Correlations increased weather data accuracy in all experiments, but significant differences in accuracy were found only between periodicity treatments. We found that a >5°C difference between average values of body in situ and correlation period weather station data was predictive of correlations that decreased the accuracy of ambient temperatures estimated using correlation. Practitioners should inspect their weather data sets for such differences. © 2011 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

RNA-seq analysis of broiler liver transcriptome reveals novel responses to high ambient temperature.

PubMed

Coble, Derrick J; Fleming, Damarius; Persia, Michael E; Ashwell, Chris M; Rothschild, Max F; Schmidt, Carl J; Lamont, Susan J

2014-12-10

In broilers, high ambient temperature can result in reduced feed consumption, digestive inefficiency, impaired metabolism, and even death. The broiler sector of the U.S. poultry industry incurs approximately $52 million in heat-related losses annually. The objective of this study is to characterize the effects of cyclic high ambient temperature on the transcriptome of a metabolically active organ, the liver. This study provides novel insight into the effects of high ambient temperature on metabolism in broilers, because it is the first reported RNA-seq study to characterize the effect of heat on the transcriptome of a metabolic-related tissue. This information provides a platform for future investigations to further elucidate physiologic responses to high ambient temperature and seek methods to ameliorate the negative impacts of heat. Transcriptome sequencing of the livers of 8 broiler males using Illumina HiSeq 2000 technology resulted in 138 million, 100-base pair single end reads, yielding a total of 13.8 gigabases of sequence. Forty genes were differentially expressed at a significance level of P-value < 0.05 and a fold-change ≥ 2 in response to a week of cyclic high ambient temperature with 27 down-regulated and 13 up-regulated genes. Two gene networks were created from the function-based Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) of the differentially expressed genes: "Cell Signaling" and "Endocrine System Development and Function". The gene expression differences in the liver transcriptome of the heat-exposed broilers reflected physiological responses to decrease internal temperature, reduce hyperthermia-induced apoptosis, and promote tissue repair. Additionally, the differential gene expression revealed a physiological response to regulate the perturbed cellular calcium levels that can result from high ambient temperature exposure. Exposure to cyclic high ambient temperature results in changes at the metabolic, physiologic, and cellular level that can be

La estructura dinámica del cinturón de Kuiper interior y la formación de Urano y Neptuno

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Melita, M. D.; Brunini, A.

De acuerdo a los más recientes estudios sobre la formación de Urano y Neptuno, éstos podrían haber sufrido una importante migración radial hacia el exterior, debido al intercambio de momento angular con los planetesimales presentes en esa región durante las últimas etapas de la formación del Sistema Solar. Esta migración radial habría tenido importantes consecuencias sobre la presente estructura dinámica del cinturón cometario de Kuiper. Tal como lo reflejan las observaciones, la mayoría de los cuerpos observados en el cinturón de Kuiper se encuentran en resonancia de movimientos medios exteriores con Neptuno, hecho que también se refleja en la presente órbita de Plutón. En el presente trabajo se estudia tanto numérica como analíticamente la influencia de la variación de las masas de Urano y Neptuno durante el proceso de migración sobre las probabilidades de captura en algunas de las resonancias exteriores de Neptuno. Se estudia también la influencia de encuentros gravitacionales mutuos sobre la estabilidad de las órbitas resonantes. Este estudio ofrece argumentos de plausibilidad para explicar por qué ninguno de los objetos descubiertos en el cinturón de Kuiper se encontraría en la resonancia 2:1.

Changes in ambient dose equivalent rates around roads at Kawamata town after the Fukushima accident.

PubMed

Kinase, Sakae; Sato, Satoshi; Sakamoto, Ryuichi; Yamamoto, Hideaki; Saito, Kimiaki

2015-11-01

Changes in ambient dose equivalent rates noted through vehicle-borne surveys have elucidated ecological half-lives of radioactive caesium in the environment. To confirm that the ecological half-lives are appropriate for predicting ambient dose equivalent rates within living areas, it is important to ascertain ambient dose equivalent rates on/around roads. In this study, radiation monitoring on/around roads at Kawamata town, located about 37 km northwest of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, was performed using monitoring vehicles and survey meters. It was found that the ambient dose equivalent rates around roads were higher than those on roads as of October 2012. And withal the ecological half-lives on roads were essentially consistent with those around roads. With dose predictions using ecological half-lives on roads, it is necessary to make corrections to ambient dose equivalent rates through the vehicle-borne surveys against those within living areas. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

The effect of acclimatization and ambient temperature on heat withdrawal threshold in rats.

PubMed

Vítková, J; Loučka, M; Boček, J; Vaculín, S

2015-01-01

Nociception in rats is frequently measured in terms of latency of withdrawal reaction to radiant heat (thermal nociceptive threshold). The aim of this study was to determine how much housing acclimatization and ambient temperature affect the results of thermal pain threshold testing. All experiments used adult male Wistar rats. Thermal pain thresholds were tested using the radiant heat withdrawal reaction at three different body sites: forepaws, hind paws and tail. Skin temperature was measured using an Infrared thermometer and ambient temperature was set at 18, 20, 24 or 26 °C. The results demonstrate that (1) thermal pain threshold was inversely related to both ambient and skin temperature; (2) housing acclimatization and repeated testing had no effect on nociceptive thresholds at any of the three body sites; (3) a resting, cranio-caudal distribution, of nociceptive sensitivity was observed; (4) hind paws and tail were more sensitive to changes of skin and ambient temperature than forepaws. These findings show the importance of recording laboratory conditions in experiments and their influence on results. © 2014 European Pain Federation - EFIC®

Cable Feedthrough Between Liquid Oxygen And Ambient

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Myers, Don A.

1992-01-01

Encapsulant and back pressure provide double protection. Cable-feedthrough tube between ambient air and interior of vessel containing liquid oxygen protects external instrumentation and cable from oxygen. Cable in tube surrounded by potting compound. Provides flow of gaseous nitrogen to dilute oxidant and makes it harmless in case of leakage through crack in potting compound.

Número de ganglios linfáticos metastásicos como determinante de los resultados después de prostatectomía radical de rescate para el cáncer de próstata de radiación recurrente

PubMed Central

Gugliemetti, G; Sukhu, R; Conca Baenas, M A.; Meeks, J; Sjoberg, D D.; Eastham, J A.; Scardino, P T.; Touijer, K

2017-01-01

Resumen Antecedentes La presencia de metástasis en los ganglios linfáticos (MGL) en la prostatectomía radical de rescate (PRs) se asocia con un mal pronóstico. Los factores predictivos de resultados en este contexto siguen siendo indeterminados. El objetivo fue evaluar el papel de número de ganglios linfáticos positivos sobre el resultado de los pacientes con MGL después de PRs y para el cáncer de próstata de radio-recurrente. Material y métodos Se analizaron los datos de una cohorte consecutiva de 215 hombres tratados con PRr en una sola institución. Se utilizaron los modelos de regresión de riesgos proporcionales de Cox univariante para la recurrencia bioquímica (RBQ) y los resultados metastásicos, con el antígeno prostático específico, la puntuación de Gleason, la extensión extraprostática, la invasión de vesículas seminales, el tiempo entre la terapia de radiación y PRr y el número de ganglios positivos como factores predictivos. Resultados De los 47 pacientes con MGL, 37 desarrollaron RBQ, 11 desarrollaron metástasis a distancia y 4 fallecieron con una mediana de seguimiento de 2,3 años para los supervivientes. El riesgo de metástasis aumentó con mayores niveles preoperatorios de PSA (HR 1,19 por 1 ng/ml; IC del 95%: 1,06, 1,34; p = 0,003). Los factores predictivos restantes no alcanzaron niveles convencionales de significación. Sin embargo, la eliminación de 3 o más ganglios linfáticos positivos demostró una asociación positiva, como se esperaba, con enfermedad metastásica (HR 3,44, IC: 0,91, 13,05; p = 0,069) en comparación con uno o dos ganglios positivos. Del mismo modo, la presencia de extensión extraprostática, invasión de vesículas seminales y grado de Gleason superior a 7 también demostraron una asociación positiva con un mayor riesgo de metástasis, con índices de riesgo de 3,97 (IC del 95% 0,50; 31,4; p = 0,2), 3,72 (IC 95% 0,80, 17,26; p = 0,1) y 1,45 (IC del 95% 0,44, 4,76; p = 0,5), respectivamente

Interactions Between Housing Density and Ambient Temperature in the Cage Environment: Effects on Mouse Physiology and Behavior.

PubMed

Toth, Linda A; Trammell, Rita A; Ilsley-Woods, Megan

2015-11-01

To determine how housing density and ambient temperature interact to influence the physiology and behavior of mice, we systematically varied housing density (1 to 5 mice per cage) and ambient temperature (22, 26, or 30 °C) and measured effects on body weight, food intake, diurnal patterns of locomotor activity and core temperature, fecal corticosterone, and serum cytokine and adipokine panels. Temperatures inside cages housing 5 mice were 1 to 2 °C higher than the ambient temperature. As the housing density decreased, in-cage temperatures began to fall at a density of 2 or 3 mice per cage and did not differ from ambient temperature at 1 mouse per cage. Ambient temperature, but not housing density, significantly affected food intake. Although neither ambient temperature nor housing density affected core temperature or activity, hyperthermia and behavioral activation occurred during the 12-h period after cage change. Fecal concentrations of corticosterone metabolites and serum cytokines, chemokines, insulin, and leptin were not influenced by cage density and were only sporadically influenced by ambient temperature. Our data document that the number of mice housed per cage influences the intracage environmental conditions and that ambient temperature influences food intake even when temperatures are within or near recommended or thermoneutral ranges. We conclude that investigators should be cautious when changing the number of mice housed in a cage over the course of a study, because doing so significantly alters the cage environment to which remaining mice are exposed.

Interactions Between Housing Density and Ambient Temperature in the Cage Environment: Effects on Mouse Physiology and Behavior

PubMed Central

Toth, Linda A; Trammell, Rita A; Ilsley-Woods, Megan

2015-01-01

To determine how housing density and ambient temperature interact to influence the physiology and behavior of mice, we systematically varied housing density (1 to 5 mice per cage) and ambient temperature (22, 26, or 30 °C) and measured effects on body weight, food intake, diurnal patterns of locomotor activity and core temperature, fecal corticosterone, and serum cytokine and adipokine panels. Temperatures inside cages housing 5 mice were 1 to 2 °C higher than the ambient temperature. As the housing density decreased, in-cage temperatures began to fall at a density of 2 or 3 mice per cage and did not differ from ambient temperature at 1 mouse per cage. Ambient temperature, but not housing density, significantly affected food intake. Although neither ambient temperature nor housing density affected core temperature or activity, hyperthermia and behavioral activation occurred during the 12-h period after cage change. Fecal concentrations of corticosterone metabolites and serum cytokines, chemokines, insulin, and leptin were not influenced by cage density and were only sporadically influenced by ambient temperature. Our data document that the number of mice housed per cage influences the intracage environmental conditions and that ambient temperature influences food intake even when temperatures are within or near recommended or thermoneutral ranges. We conclude that investigators should be cautious when changing the number of mice housed in a cage over the course of a study, because doing so significantly alters the cage environment to which remaining mice are exposed. PMID:26632780

Sensor Amplifier for the Venus Ground Ambient

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

DelCastillo, Linda Y.; Johnson, Travis W.; Hatake, Toshiro; Mojarradi, Mohammad M.; Kolawa, Elizabeth A.

2006-01-01

Previous Venus Landers employed high temperature pressure vessels, with thermally protected electronics, to achieve successful missions, with a maximum surface lifetime of 127 minutes. Extending the operating range of electronic systems to the temperatures (480 C) and pressures (90 bar) of the Venus ground ambient would significantly increase the science return of future missions. Toward that end, the current work describes the innovative design of a sensor preamplifier, capable of working in the Venus ground ambient and designed using commercial components (thermionic vacuum tubes, wide band gap transistors, thick film resistors, advanced high temperature capacitors, and monometallic interfaces) To identify commercial components and electronic packaging materials that are capable of operation within the specified environment, a series of active devices, passive components, and packaging materials were screened for operability at 500C, assuming a 10x increase in the mission lifetime. In addition. component degradation as a function of time at 500(deg)C was evaluated. Based on the results of these preliminary evaluations, two amplifiers were developed.

Disseminating Ambient Assisted Living in Rural Areas

PubMed Central

Leitner, Gerhard; Felfernig, Alexander; Fercher, Anton J.; Hitz, Martin

2014-01-01

The smart home, ambient intelligence and ambient assisted living have been intensively researched for decades. Although rural areas are an important potential market, because they represent about 80% of the territory of the EU countries and around 125 million inhabitants, there is currently a lack of applicable AAL solutions. This paper discusses the theoretical foundations of AAL in rural areas. This discussion is underlined by the achievements of the empirical field study, Casa Vecchia, which has been carried out over a four-year period in a rural area in Austria. The major goal of Casa Vecchia was to evaluate the feasibility of a specific form of AAL for rural areas: bringing AAL technology to the homes of the elderly, rather than moving seniors to special-equipped care facilities. The Casa Vecchia project thoroughly investigated the possibilities, challenges and drawbacks of AAL related to this specific approach. The findings are promising and somewhat surprising and indicate that further technical, interactional and socio-psychological research is required to make AAL in rural areas reasonable in the future. PMID:25068862

Effect of ambient light exposure of media and embryos on development and quality of porcine parthenogenetically activated embryos.

PubMed

Li, Rong; Liu, Ying; Pedersen, Hanne Skovsgaard; Callesen, Henrik

2015-06-01

Light exposure is a common stress factor during in vitro handling of oocytes and embryos that originates from both microscope and ambient light. In the current study, the effect of two types of ambient light (daylight and laboratory light) on porcine parthenogenetically activated (PA) embryos was tested in two experiments: (1) ambient light on medium subsequently used for embryo in vitro development; and (2) ambient light exposure on activated oocytes before in vitro development. The results from Experiment 1 showed that exposure of culture medium to both types of ambient light decreased the percentage of blastocysts that showed good morphology, only after 24 h exposure. The results from Experiment 2 revealed a reduction in both blastocyst formation and quality when activated oocytes were exposed to both types of ambient light. This effect was seen after only 1 h exposure and increased with time. In conclusion, exposure to ambient light can be harmful to embryo development, both when medium is exposed for a long period of time and, to a greater extent, when the embryo itself is exposed for >1 h. In practice, it is therefore recommended to protect both culture medium and porcine embryos against ambient light during in vitro handling in the laboratory.

An Investigation on Attributes of Ambient Temperature and Diurnal Temperature Range on Mortality in Five East-Asian Countries.

PubMed

Lee, Whan-Hee; Lim, Youn-Hee; Dang, Tran Ngoc; Seposo, Xerxes; Honda, Yasushi; Guo, Yue-Liang Leon; Jang, Hye-Min; Kim, Ho

2017-08-31

Interest in the health effects of extremely low/high ambient temperature and the diurnal temperature range (DTR) on mortality as representative indices of temperature variability is growing. Although numerous studies have reported on these indices independently, few studies have provided the attributes of ambient temperature and DTR related to mortality, concurrently. In this study, we aimed to investigate and compare the mortality risk attributable to ambient temperature and DTR. The study included data of 63 cities in five East-Asian countries/regions during various periods between 1972 and 2013. The attributable risk of non-accidental death to ambient temperature was 9.36% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 8.98-9.69%) and to DTR was 0.59% (95% CI: 0.53-0.65%). The attributable cardiovascular mortality risks to ambient temperature (15.63%) and DTR (0.75%) are higher than the risks to non-accidental/respiratory-related mortality. We verified that ambient temperature plays a larger role in temperature-associated mortality, and cardiovascular mortality is susceptible to ambient temperature and DTR.

ORGANOCHLORINE PESTICIDES IN THE AMBIENT AIR OF MEXICO

EPA Science Inventory

Recent and past use of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in Mexico has resulted in concentrations in ambient air that are 1-2 orders of magnitude above levels in the Great Lakes region. Atmospheric transport from Mexico and Central America may be contributing significant amounts ...

Relationships of online exhaled, offline exhaled, and ambient nitric oxide in an epidemiologic survey of schoolchildren.

PubMed

Linn, William S; Berhane, Kiros T; Rappaport, Edward B; Bastain, Tracy M; Avol, Edward L; Gilliland, Frank D

2009-11-01

Field measurements of exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) and ambient nitric oxide (NO) are useful to assess both respiratory health and short-term air pollution exposure. Online real-time measurement maximizes data quality and comparability with clinical studies, but offline delayed measurement may be more practical for large epidemiological studies. To facilitate cross-comparison in larger studies, we measured FeNO and concurrent ambient NO both online and offline in 362 children at 14 schools in 8 Southern California communities. Offline breath samples were collected in bags at 100 ml/s expiratory flow with deadspace discard; online FeNO was measured at 50 ml/s. Scrubbing of ambient NO from inhaled air appeared to be nearly 100% effective online, but 50-75% effective offline. Offline samples were stored at 2-8 degrees C and analyzed 2-26 h later at a central laboratory. Offline and online FeNO showed a nearly (but not completely) linear relationship (R(2)=0.90); unadjusted means (ranges) were 10 (4-94) and 15 (3-181) p.p.b., respectively. Ambient NO concentration range was 0-212 p.p.b. Offline FeNO was positively related to ambient NO (r=0.30, P<0.0001), unlike online FeNO (r=0.09, P=0.08), indicating that ambient NO artifactually influenced offline measurements. Offline FeNO differed between schools (P<0.001); online FeNO did not (P=0.26), suggesting artifacts related to offline bag storage and transport. Artifact effects were small in comparison with between-subject variance of FeNO. An empirical statistical model predicting individual online FeNO from offline FeNO, ambient NO, and lag time before offline analysis gave R(2)=0.94. Analyses of school or age differences yielded similar results from measured or model-predicted online FeNO. Either online or offline measurement of exhaled NO and concurrent ambient NO can be useful in field epidemiology. Influence of ambient NO on exhaled NO should be examined carefully, particularly for offline measurements.

Effects of Ambient Temperature and Forced-air Warming on Intraoperative Core Temperature: A Factorial Randomized Trial.

PubMed

Pei, Lijian; Huang, Yuguang; Xu, Yiyao; Zheng, Yongchang; Sang, Xinting; Zhou, Xiaoyun; Li, Shanqing; Mao, Guangmei; Mascha, Edward J; Sessler, Daniel I

2018-05-01

The effect of ambient temperature, with and without active warming, on intraoperative core temperature remains poorly characterized. The authors determined the effect of ambient temperature on core temperature changes with and without forced-air warming. In this unblinded three-by-two factorial trial, 292 adults were randomized to ambient temperatures 19°, 21°, or 23°C, and to passive insulation or forced-air warming. The primary outcome was core temperature change between 1 and 3 h after induction. Linear mixed-effects models assessed the effects of ambient temperature, warming method, and their interaction. A 1°C increase in ambient temperature attenuated the negative slope of core temperature change 1 to 3 h after anesthesia induction by 0.03 (98.3% CI, 0.01 to 0.06) °Ccore/(h°Cambient) (P < 0.001), for patients who received passive insulation, but not for those warmed with forced-air (-0.01 [98.3% CI, -0.03 to 0.01] °Ccore/[h°Cambient]; P = 0.40). Final core temperature at the end of surgery increased 0.13°C (98.3% CI, 0.07 to 0.20; P < 0.01) per degree increase in ambient temperature with passive insulation, but was unaffected by ambient temperature during forced-air warming (0.02 [98.3% CI, -0.04 to 0.09] °Ccore/°Cambient; P = 0.40). After an average of 3.4 h of surgery, core temperature was 36.3° ± 0.5°C in each of the forced-air groups, and ranged from 35.6° to 36.1°C in passively insulated patients. Ambient intraoperative temperature has a negligible effect on core temperature when patients are warmed with forced air. The effect is larger when patients are passively insulated, but the magnitude remains small. Ambient temperature can thus be set to comfortable levels for staff in patients who are actively warmed.

46 CFR 153.370 - Minimum relief valve setting for ambient temperature cargo tanks.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 46 Shipping 5 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Minimum relief valve setting for ambient temperature... temperature cargo tanks. The relief valve setting for a containment system that carries a cargo at ambient temperature must at least equal the cargo's vapor pressure at 46 °C (approx. 115 °F). [CGD 81-078, 50 FR 21173...

46 CFR 153.370 - Minimum relief valve setting for ambient temperature cargo tanks.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 46 Shipping 5 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Minimum relief valve setting for ambient temperature... temperature cargo tanks. The relief valve setting for a containment system that carries a cargo at ambient temperature must at least equal the cargo's vapor pressure at 46 °C (approx. 115 °F). [CGD 81-078, 50 FR 21173...

46 CFR 153.370 - Minimum relief valve setting for ambient temperature cargo tanks.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 46 Shipping 5 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Minimum relief valve setting for ambient temperature... temperature cargo tanks. The relief valve setting for a containment system that carries a cargo at ambient temperature must at least equal the cargo's vapor pressure at 46 °C (approx. 115 °F). [CGD 81-078, 50 FR 21173...

46 CFR 153.370 - Minimum relief valve setting for ambient temperature cargo tanks.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Minimum relief valve setting for ambient temperature... temperature cargo tanks. The relief valve setting for a containment system that carries a cargo at ambient temperature must at least equal the cargo's vapor pressure at 46 °C (approx. 115 °F). [CGD 81-078, 50 FR 21173...

46 CFR 153.370 - Minimum relief valve setting for ambient temperature cargo tanks.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 46 Shipping 5 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Minimum relief valve setting for ambient temperature... temperature cargo tanks. The relief valve setting for a containment system that carries a cargo at ambient temperature must at least equal the cargo's vapor pressure at 46 °C (approx. 115 °F). [CGD 81-078, 50 FR 21173...

Articulatory Complexity, Ambient Frequency, and Functional Load as Predictors of Consonant Development in Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stokes, Stephanie F.; Surendran, Dinoj

2005-01-01

The notion of a universal pattern of phonological development, rooted in basic physiological constraints, is controversial, with some researchers arguing for a strong environmental (ambient language) influence on phonological development or an interaction of both physiological constraints and ambient language effects. This research examines the…

Characterization of Ambient Black Carbon Aerosols

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, R.; Levy, M. E.; Zheng, J.; Molina, L. T.

2013-12-01

Because of the strong absorption over a broad range of the electromagnetic spectra, black carbon (BC) is a key short-lived climate forcer, which contributes significantly to climate change by direct radiative forcing and is the second most important component causing global warming after carbon dioxide. The impact of BC on the radiative forcing of the Earth-Atmosphere system is highly dependent of the particle properties. In this presentation, emphasis will be placed on characterizing BC containing aerosols in at the California-Mexico border to obtain a greater understanding of the atmospheric aging and properties of ambient BC aerosols. A comprehensive set of directly measured aerosol properties, including the particle size distribution, effective density, hygroscopicity, volatility, and several optical properties, will be discussed to quantify the mixing state and composition of ambient particles. In Tijuana, Mexico, submicron aerosols are strongly influenced by vehicle emissions; subsequently, the BC concentration in Tijuana is considerably higher than most US cities with an average BC concentration of 2.71 × 2.65 g cm-3. BC accounts for 24.75 % × 9.44 of the total submicron concentration on average, but periodically accounts for over 50%. This high concentration of BC strongly influences many observed aerosol properties such as single scattering albedo, hygroscopicity, effective density, and volatility.

Effect of ambient temperature on human pain and temperature perception.

PubMed

Strigo, I A; Carli, F; Bushnell, M C

2000-03-01

Animal studies show reduced nociceptive responses to noxious heat stimuli and increases in endogenous beta-endorphin levels in cold environments, suggesting that human pain perception may be dependent on ambient temperature. However, studies of changes in local skin temperature on human pain perception have yielded variable results. This study examines the effect of both warm and cool ambient temperature on the perception of noxious and innocuous mechanical and thermal stimuli. Ten subjects (7 men and 3 women, aged 20-23 yr) used visual analog scales to rate the stimulus intensity, pain intensity, and unpleasantness of thermal (0-50 degrees C) and mechanical (1.2-28.9 g) stimuli applied on the volar forearm with a 1-cm2 contact thermode and von Frey filaments, respectively. Mean skin temperatures were measured throughout the experiment by infrared pyrometer. Each subject was tested in ambient temperatures of 15 degrees C (cool), 25 degrees C (neutral), and 35 degrees C (warm) on separate days, after a 30-min acclimation to the environment. Studies began in the morning after an 8-h fast. Mean skin temperature was altered by ambient temperature (cool room: 30.1 degrees C; neutral room: 33.4 degrees C; warm room: 34.5 degrees C; P < 0.0001). Ambient temperature affected both heat (44-50 degrees C) and cold (25-0 degrees C) perception (P < 0.01). Stimulus intensity ratings tended to be lower in the cool than in the neutral environment (P < 0.07) but were not different between the neutral and warm environments. Unpleasantness ratings revealed that cold stimuli were more unpleasant than hot stimuli in the cool room and that noxious heat stimuli were more unpleasant in a warm environment. Environmental temperature did not alter ratings of warm (37 and 40 degrees C) or mechanical stimuli. These results indicate that, in humans, a decrease in skin temperature following exposure to cool environments reduces thermal pain. Suppression of Adelta primary afferent cold fiber

Measurement of Ambient Ammonia and Surface-level Meteorological Forcing Variables near an Agricultural Emission Source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Myles, L.; Heuer, M. W.

2012-12-01

Atmospheric ammonia (NH3) is a reduced form of reactive nitrogen that is primarily emitted from agricultural activities. NH3 volatilizes from animal waste and fertilized land directly into the atmosphere where it can either react with other gases to form fine particulate matter or deposit on surfaces through air-surface exchange processes. Field measurements in different ecosystems and under various conditions are necessary to improve the understanding of the complex relationships between ambient NH3 and meteorological parameters, such as temperature and relative humidity, which influence volatilization rates and ultimately, ambient concentrations near emission sources. However, the measurement of ambient NH3 is challenging. NH3 is hydroscopic and reactive, and measurement techniques are subject to errors caused by sampling artifacts and other interferences. Recent advancements have led to improved techniques that allow real-time measurement of ambient NH3. A cavity ring-down spectrometer was deployed at a cattle research facility in Knoxville, TN during spring 2012 to measure ambient NH3, and meteorological instrumentation was collocated to measure 3-D winds, temperature, relative humidity, precipitation and other parameters (z = 2 m). The study site was rolling pasture typical of the eastern Tennessee Valley and included two large barns and approximately 30-40 cattle. Daytime ambient NH3 averaged 15-20 ppb most days with lows of approximately 7 ppb at night. Higher concentrations (greater than 50 ppb) seemed to correlate with higher temperatures (greater than 27 C), although the data are not consistent. Several instances of 100 ppb concentrations were measured when temperatures were high and winds were from the direction of the barns. Overall, the study shows that ambient NH3 levels near agricultural emission sources may vary greatly with time and a variety of factors, including meteorological conditions. The data support the need for real-time measurements of NH

Low Ambient Temperature and Intracerebral Hemorrhage: The INTERACT2 Study

PubMed Central

Zheng, Danni; Arima, Hisatomi; Sato, Shoichiro; Gasparrini, Antonio; Heeley, Emma; Delcourt, Candice; Lo, Serigne; Huang, Yining; Wang, Jiguang; Stapf, Christian; Robinson, Thompson; Lavados, Pablo; Chalmers, John; Anderson, Craig S.

2016-01-01

Background Rates of acute intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) increase in winter months but the magnitude of risk is unknown. We aimed to quantify the association of ambient temperature with the risk of ICH in the Intensive Blood Pressure Reduction in Acute Cerebral Haemorrhage Trial (INTERACT2) participants on an hourly timescale. Methods INTERACT2 was an international, open, blinded endpoint, randomized controlled trial of patients with spontaneous ICH (<6h of onset) and elevated systolic blood pressure (SBP, 150–220 mmHg) assigned to intensive (target SBP <140 mmHg) or guideline-recommended (SBP <180 mmHg) BP treatment. We linked individual level hourly temperature to baseline data of 1997 participants, and performed case-crossover analyses using a distributed lag non-linear model with 24h lag period to assess the association of ambient temperature and risk of ICH. Results were presented as overall cumulative odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CI. Results Low ambient temperature (≤10°C) was associated with increased risks of ICH: overall cumulative OR was 1.37 (0.99–1.91) for 10°C, 1.92 (1.31–2.81) for 0°C, 3.13 (1.89–5.19) for -10°C, and 5.76 (2.30–14.42) for -20°C, as compared with a reference temperature of 20°C.There was no clear relation of low temperature beyond three hours after exposure. Results were consistent in sensitivity analyses. Conclusions Exposure to low ambient temperature within several hours increases the risk of ICH. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00716079 PMID:26859491

A method to measure internal stray radiation of cryogenic infrared imaging systems under various ambient temperatures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tian, Qijie; Chang, Songtao; Li, Zhou; He, Fengyun; Qiao, Yanfeng

2017-03-01

The suppression level of internal stray radiation is a key criterion for infrared imaging systems, especially for high-precision cryogenic infrared imaging systems. To achieve accurate measurement for internal stray radiation of cryogenic infrared imaging systems under various ambient temperatures, a measurement method, which is based on radiometric calibration, is presented in this paper. First of all, the calibration formula is deduced considering the integration time, and the effect of ambient temperature on internal stray radiation is further analyzed in detail. Then, an approach is proposed to measure the internal stray radiation of cryogenic infrared imaging systems under various ambient temperatures. By calibrating the system under two ambient temperatures, the quantitative relation between the internal stray radiation and the ambient temperature can be acquired, and then the internal stray radiation of the cryogenic infrared imaging system under various ambient temperatures can be calculated. Finally, several experiments are performed in a chamber with controllable inside temperatures to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed method. Experimental results indicate that the proposed method can be used to measure internal stray radiation with high accuracy at various ambient temperatures and integration times. The proposed method has some advantages, such as simple implementation and the capability of high-precision measurement. The measurement results can be used to guide the stray radiation suppression and to test whether the internal stray radiation suppression performance meets the requirement or not.

Intertextual Sexual Politics: Illness and Desire in Enrique Gomez Carrillo's "Del amor", "del dolor y del vicio" and Aurora Caceres's "La rosa muerta"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

LaGreca, Nancy

2012-01-01

This study explores the intertextuality between Aurora Caceres's "La rosa muerta" (1914) and the novel "Del amor, del dolor y del vicio" (1898) by her ex-husband, Enrique Gomez Carrillo. Caceres strategically mentions Gomez Carrillo's novel in "La rosa muerta" to invite a reading of her work in dialogue with his. Both narratives follow the sexual…

Persistent photoconductivity in ZnO nanowires: Influence of oxygen and argon ambient

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Madel, M.; Huber, F.; Mueller, R.; Amann, B.; Dickel, M.; Xie, Y.; Thonke, K.

2017-03-01

ZnO nanowires typically show persistent photoconductivity (PPC), which depends in their temporal behaviour on the ambient. We investigate ZnO nanowires in oxygen and argon ambient and analyze the PPC both on the short and on the long time scale to sort out the underlying mechanisms. Wavelength dependent excitation shows the energy barrier for the PPC to be around 150 meV below the band gap of ZnO, independent of the ambient atmosphere. In photocurrent measurements at constant wavelength, a log-logistic dependence of the conductivity on the partial oxygen pressure is observed. The experimental results are compared to a model of Bonasewicz et al. [J. Electrochem. Soc. 133, 2270 (1986)] and can be explained by oxygen adsorption processes occurring on the surface of the ZnO nanowires. From temperature dependent measurements of the decay times in oxygen and argon ambient, the related activation energies for the fast and slow decay processes are determined. Comparing our results to theoretical calculations of energy levels of intrinsic defects [Janotti and Van de Walle, Phys. Status Solidi B 248, 799 (2011)], we find oxygen vacancies to be related to the fast decay processes, whereas adsorption and desorption processes of oxygen on the ZnO nanowire surface account for the slow part.

Brassinosteroid signaling-dependent root responses to prolonged elevated ambient temperature.

PubMed

Martins, Sara; Montiel-Jorda, Alvaro; Cayrel, Anne; Huguet, Stéphanie; Roux, Christine Paysant-Le; Ljung, Karin; Vert, Grégory

2017-08-21

Due to their sessile nature, plants have to cope with and adjust to their fluctuating environment. Temperature elevation stimulates the growth of Arabidopsis aerial parts. This process is mediated by increased biosynthesis of the growth-promoting hormone auxin. How plant roots respond to elevated ambient temperature is however still elusive. Here we present strong evidence that temperature elevation impinges on brassinosteroid hormone signaling to alter root growth. We show that elevated temperature leads to increased root elongation, independently of auxin or factors known to drive temperature-mediated shoot growth. We further demonstrate that brassinosteroid signaling regulates root responses to elevated ambient temperature. Increased growth temperature specifically impacts on the level of the brassinosteroid receptor BRI1 to downregulate brassinosteroid signaling and mediate root elongation. Our results establish that BRI1 integrates temperature and brassinosteroid signaling to regulate root growth upon long-term changes in environmental conditions associated with global warming.Moderate heat stimulates the growth of Arabidopsis shoots in an auxin-dependent manner. Here, Martins et al. show that elevated ambient temperature modifies root growth by reducing the BRI1 brassinosteroid-receptor protein level and downregulating brassinosteroid signaling.

Ambient-Light Simulator For Testing Cockpit Displays

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Batson, Vernon M.; Gupton, Lawrence E.

1995-01-01

Apparatus provides illumination from outside, through windows and into interior of simulated airplane cockpit. Simulates sunlight, darkness, or lightning on demand. Ambient-lighting simulator surrounds forward section of simulated airplane. Provides control over intensity, color, and diffuseness of solar illumination and of position of Sun relative to airplane. Used to evaluate aircraft-instrumentation display devices under realistic lighting conditions.

Anode for rechargeable ambient temperature lithium cells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Huang, Chen-Kuo (Inventor); Surampudi, Subbarao (Inventor); Attia, Alan I. (Inventor); Halpert, Gerald (Inventor)

1994-01-01

An ambient room temperature, high density, rechargeable lithium battery includes a Li(x)Mg2Si negative anode which intercalates lithium to form a single crystalline phase when x is up to 1.0 and an amorphous phase when x is from 1 to 2.0. The electrode has good reversibility and mechanical strength after cycling.

Security architecture for health grid using ambient intelligence.

PubMed

Naqvi, S; Riguidel, M; Demeure, I

2005-01-01

To propose a novel approach of incorporating ambient intelligence in the health grid security architecture. Security concerns are severely impeding the grid community effort in spreading its wings in health applications. In this paper, we have proposed a high level approach to incorporate ambient intelligence for health grid security architecture and have argued that this will significantly improve the current state of the grid security paradigm with an enhanced user-friendly environment. We believe that the time is right to shift the onus of traditional security mechanisms onto the new technologies. The incorporation of ambient intelligence in the security architecture of a grid will not only render a security paradigm robust but also provide an attractive vision for the future of computing by bringing the two worlds together. In this article we propose an evolutionary approach of utilizing smart devices for grid security architecture. We argue that such an infrastructure will impart unique features to the existing grid security paradigms by offering fortified and relentless monitoring. This new security architecture will be comprehensive in nature but will not be cumbersome for the users due to its typical characteristics of not prying into their lives and adapting to their needs. We have identified a new paradigm of the security architecture for a health grid that will not only render a security mechanism robust but will also provide the high levels of user-friendliness. As our approach is a first contribution to this problem, a number of other issues for future research remain open. However, the prospects are fascinating.

Promoted Metals Combustion at Ambient and Elevated Temperatures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Engel, Carl D.; Herald, Stephen D.; Davis, S. Eddie

2005-01-01

Promoted combustion testing of materials, Test 17 of NASA STD-6001, has been used to assess metal propensity to burn in oxygen rich environments. An igniter is used at the bottom end of a rod to promote ignition, and if combustion is sustained, the burning progresses from the bottom to the top of the rod. The physical mechanisms are very similar to the upward flammability test, Test 1 of NASA STD-6001. The differences are in the normal environmental range of pressures, oxygen content, and sample geometry. Upward flammability testing of organic materials can exhibit a significant transitional region between no burning to complete quasi-state burning. In this transitional region, the burn process exhibits a probabilistic nature. This transitional region has been identified for metals using the promoted combustion testing method at ambient initial temperatures. The work given here is focused on examining the transitional region and the quasi-steady burning region both at conventional ambient testing conditions and at elevated temperatures. A new heated promoted combustion facility and equipment at Marshall Space Flight Center have just been completed to provide the basic data regarding the metals operating temperature limits in contact with oxygen rich atmospheres at high pressures. Initial data have been obtained for Stainless Steel 304L, Stainless Steel 321, Haynes 214, and Inconel 718 at elevated temperatures in 100-percent oxygen atmospheres. These data along with an extended data set at ambient initial temperature test conditions are examined. The pressure boundaries of acceptable, non-burning usage is found to be lowered at elevated temperature.

Big data, smart homes and ambient assisted living.

PubMed

Vimarlund, V; Wass, S

2014-08-15

To discuss how current research in the area of smart homes and ambient assisted living will be influenced by the use of big data. A scoping review of literature published in scientific journals and conference proceedings was performed, focusing on smart homes, ambient assisted living and big data over the years 2011-2014. The health and social care market has lagged behind other markets when it comes to the introduction of innovative IT solutions and the market faces a number of challenges as the use of big data will increase. First, there is a need for a sustainable and trustful information chain where the needed information can be transferred from all producers to all consumers in a structured way. Second, there is a need for big data strategies and policies to manage the new situation where information is handled and transferred independently of the place of the expertise. Finally, there is a possibility to develop new and innovative business models for a market that supports cloud computing, social media, crowdsourcing etc. The interdisciplinary area of big data, smart homes and ambient assisted living is no longer only of interest for IT developers, it is also of interest for decision makers as customers make more informed choices among today's services. In the future it will be of importance to make information usable for managers and improve decision making, tailor smart home services based on big data, develop new business models, increase competition and identify policies to ensure privacy, security and liability.

Big Data, Smart Homes and Ambient Assisted Living

PubMed Central

Wass, S.

2014-01-01

Summary Objectives To discuss how current research in the area of smart homes and ambient assisted living will be influenced by the use of big data. Methods A scoping review of literature published in scientific journals and conference proceedings was performed, focusing on smart homes, ambient assisted living and big data over the years 2011-2014. Results The health and social care market has lagged behind other markets when it comes to the introduction of innovative IT solutions and the market faces a number of challenges as the use of big data will increase. First, there is a need for a sustainable and trustful information chain where the needed information can be transferred from all producers to all consumers in a structured way. Second, there is a need for big data strategies and policies to manage the new situation where information is handled and transferred independently of the place of the expertise. Finally, there is a possibility to develop new and innovative business models for a market that supports cloud computing, social media, crowdsourcing etc. Conclusions The interdisciplinary area of big data, smart homes and ambient assisted living is no longer only of interest for IT developers, it is also of interest for decision makers as customers make more informed choices among today’s services. In the future it will be of importance to make information usable for managers and improve decision making, tailor smart home services based on big data, develop new business models, increase competition and identify policies to ensure privacy, security and liability. PMID:25123734

Improved Ambient Pressure Pyroelectric Ion Source

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Beegle, Luther W.; Kim, Hugh I.; Kanik, Isik; Ryu, Ernest K.; Beckett, Brett

2011-01-01

The detection of volatile vapors of unknown species in a complex field environment is required in many different applications. Mass spectroscopic techniques require subsystems including an ionization unit and sample transport mechanism. All of these subsystems must have low mass, small volume, low power, and be rugged. A volatile molecular detector, an ambient pressure pyroelectric ion source (APPIS) that met these requirements, was recently reported by Caltech researchers to be used in in situ environments.

40 CFR 50.12 - National primary and secondary ambient air quality standards for lead.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... air quality standards for lead. 50.12 Section 50.12 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION... National primary and secondary ambient air quality standards for lead. (a) National primary and secondary ambient air quality standards for lead and its compounds, measured as elemental lead by a reference method...

40 CFR 50.12 - National primary and secondary ambient air quality standards for lead.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... air quality standards for lead. 50.12 Section 50.12 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION... National primary and secondary ambient air quality standards for lead. (a) National primary and secondary ambient air quality standards for lead and its compounds, measured as elemental lead by a reference method...

40 CFR 50.12 - National primary and secondary ambient air quality standards for lead.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... air quality standards for lead. 50.12 Section 50.12 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION... National primary and secondary ambient air quality standards for lead. (a) National primary and secondary ambient air quality standards for lead and its compounds, measured as elemental lead by a reference method...

Improving ambient noise cross-correlations in the noisy ocean bottom environment of the Juan de Fuca plate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tian, Ye; Ritzwoller, Michael H.

2017-09-01

Ambient noise tomography exploits seismic ground motions that propagate coherently over long interstation distances. Such ground motions provide information about the medium of propagation that is recoverable from interstation cross-correlations. Local noise sources, which are particularly strong in ocean bottom environments, corrupt ambient noise cross-correlations and compromise the effectiveness of ambient noise tomography. Based on 62 ocean bottom seismometers (OBSs) located on Juan de Fuca (JdF) plate from the Cascadia Initiative experiment and 40 continental stations near the coast of the western United States obtained in 2011 and 2012, we attempt to reduce the effects of local noise on vertical component seismic records across the plate and onto US continent. The goal is to provide better interstation cross-correlations for use in ambient noise tomography and the study of ambient noise directionality. As shown in previous studies, tilt and compliance noise are major sources of noise that contaminate the vertical channels of the OBSs and such noise can be greatly reduced by exploiting information on the horizontal components and the differential pressure gauge records, respectively. We find that ambient noise cross-correlations involving OBSs are of significantly higher signal-to-noise ratio at periods greater than 10 s after reducing these types of noise, particularly in shallow water environments where tilt and compliance noise are especially strong. The reduction of tilt and compliance noise promises to improve the accuracy and spatial extent of ambient noise tomography, allowing measurements based on coherently propagating ambient noise to be made at stations in the shallower parts of the JdF plate and at longer periods than in previous studies. In addition such local noise reduction produces better estimates of the azimuthal content of ambient noise.

Long-Term Ambient Temperature and Externalizing Behaviors in Adolescents.

PubMed

Younan, Diana; Li, Lianfa; Tuvblad, Catherine; Wu, Jun; Lurmann, Fred; Franklin, Meredith; Berhane, Kiros; McConnell, Rob; Wu, Anna H; Baker, Laura A; Chen, Jiu-Chiuan

2018-05-21

The climate-violence relationship has been debated for decades, and yet most of the supportive evidence came from ecological or cross-sectional analyses with very limited long-term exposure data. We conducted an individual-level, longitudinal study to investigate the association between ambient temperature and externalizing behaviors of urban-dwelling adolescents. Participants (n = 1,287) of the Risk Factors for Antisocial Behavior Study were examined in 2000-2012 (aged 9-18 years) with repeated assessments of their externalizing behaviors (aggression; delinquency). Ambient temperature data were obtained from the local Meteorological Information System. In adjusted multi-level models, aggressive behaviors significantly increased with rising average temperatures (per 1°C-increment) in preceding 1-3 years (β = 0.23, 95% CI: 0.00, 0.46; β = 0.35, 95% CI: 0.06, 0.63; β = 0.41, 95% CI: 0.08, 0.74; respectively), equivalent to 1.5-3 years of delay in age-related behavioral maturation. These associations were slightly stronger among girls and families of lower socioeconomic status, but greatly diminished in neighborhoods with higher greenspace. No significant associations were found with delinquency. Our study provides the first individual-level epidemiologic evidence supporting the adverse association of long-term ambient temperature and aggression. Similar approaches to studying meteorology and violent crimes may further inform scientific debates on climate change and collective violence.

Ambient Scattering from Ring-Symmetric Spacecraft Exhaust Plume.

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-04-01

spacecraft is shielded from ambient scattering by its own plume. Assuming hard- speres collisions, the first-collision model is given by a simple...may change upon replacing the hard- speres approximation by a more realistic collision model. A possible modification of spacecraft charging by the

40 CFR 610.60 - Non-standard ambient conditions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 30 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Non-standard ambient conditions. 610.60 Section 610.60 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) ENERGY POLICY FUEL ECONOMY RETROFIT DEVICES Test Procedures and Evaluation Criteria Special Test Procedures § 610.60...

40 CFR 610.60 - Non-standard ambient conditions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 31 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Non-standard ambient conditions. 610.60 Section 610.60 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) ENERGY POLICY FUEL ECONOMY RETROFIT DEVICES Test Procedures and Evaluation Criteria Special Test Procedures § 610.60...

40 CFR 610.60 - Non-standard ambient conditions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 31 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Non-standard ambient conditions. 610.60 Section 610.60 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) ENERGY POLICY FUEL ECONOMY RETROFIT DEVICES Test Procedures and Evaluation Criteria Special Test Procedures § 610.60...

49 CFR 325.55 - Ambient conditions; stationary test.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 49 Transportation 5 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Ambient conditions; stationary test. 325.55 Section 325.55 Transportation Other Regulations Relating to Transportation (Continued) FEDERAL MOTOR CARRIER SAFETY ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION GENERAL REGULATIONS COMPLIANCE WITH INTERSTATE MOTOR CARRIER NOISE EMISSION STANDARDS...

40 CFR 610.60 - Non-standard ambient conditions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 29 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Non-standard ambient conditions. 610.60 Section 610.60 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) ENERGY POLICY FUEL ECONOMY RETROFIT DEVICES Test Procedures and Evaluation Criteria Special Test Procedures § 610.60...

RADIOCARBON MEASUREMENTS ON PM-2.5 AMBIENT AEROSOL

EPA Science Inventory

Radiocarbon (14C) measurements provide an estimate of the fraction of carbon in a sample that is biogenic. The methodology has been extensively used in past wintertime studies to quantify the contribution of wood smoke to ambient aerosol. In summertime such measurements can p...

Role of Ambient Solar Wind Conditions in CME evolution (P21)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jadav, R.; Jadeja, A. K.; Iyer, K. N.

2006-11-01

ipsraj@yahoo.com Solar events are mainly responsible for producing storms at the Earth. Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) is a major cause for this. In this paper, Coronal Mass Ejections occurred during 1998-2004 are studied. Ambient solar wind does play some role in determining the effect of a CME. The effects produced at the Earth during the period 1999 2004 are considered and an attempt has been made to understand the role of ambient solar wind. This is to draw some conclusion about how some of the events become geo- effective.

A realistic in vitro exposure revealed seasonal differences in (pro-)inflammatory effects from ambient air in Fribourg, Switzerland.

PubMed

Bisig, Christoph; Petri-Fink, Alke; Rothen-Rutishauser, Barbara

2018-01-01

Ambient air pollutant levels vary widely in space and time, therefore thorough local evaluation of possible effects is needed. In vitro approaches using lung cell cultures grown at the air-liquid interface and directly exposed to ambient air can offer a reliable addition to animal experimentations and epidemiological studies. To evaluate the adverse effects of ambient air in summer and winter a multi-cellular lung model (16HBE14o-, macrophages, and dendritic cells) was exposed in a mobile cell exposure system. Cells were exposed on up to three consecutive days each 12 h to ambient air from Fribourg, Switzerland, during summer and winter seasons. Higher particle number, particulate matter mass, and nitrogen oxide levels were observed in winter ambient air compared to summer. Good cell viability was seen in cells exposed to summer air and short-term winter air, but cells exposed three days to winter air were compromised. Exposure of summer ambient air revealed no significant upregulation of oxidative stress or pro-inflammatory genes. On the opposite, the winter ambient air exposure led to an increased oxidative stress after two exposure days, and an increase in three assessed pro-inflammatory genes already after 12 h of exposure. We found that even with a short exposure time of 12 h adverse effects in vitro were observed only during exposure to winter but not summer ambient air. With this work we have demonstrated that our simple, fast, and cost-effective approach can be used to assess (adverse) effects of ambient air.

La utilizacion de los mapas conceptuales en la ensenanza de biologia y su efecto sobre el dominio del proceso de fotosintesis en los estudiantes universitarios

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gonzalez Rivera, Maria M.

Se investigo el efecto de los mapas conceptuales sobre el dominio del proceso de fotosintesis en estudiantes universitarios. La investigacion utilizo dos estrategias: mapas conceptuales individuales y mapas conceptuales colaborativos, con el fin de investigar si existen diferencias significativas en el dominio del proceso de fotosintesis. El analisis de los datos incluyo aspectos cualitativos y cuantitativos. Se desprende del estudio que el 80% de los estudiantes describen la utilizacion de los mapas conceptuales como una experiencia beneficiosa. El 70% de los estudiantes expreso que los mapas conceptuales son utiles en el aprendizaje del proceso de fotosintesis y el 61% indico que facilitan la comprension de los conceptos. Los hallazgos mas importantes del analisis cuantitativo indican que los estudiantes que utilizaron los mapas conceptuales mejoraron significativamente su desempeno en la posprueba global. Se utilizo la prueba Mann-Whitney para investigar si existian diferencias significativas en la posprueba y preprueba global, el valor de W = 1945.0, para un valor p de 0.00, lo cual establece diferencias significativas. Para determinar si existian diferencias significativas entre la posprueba y preprueba del grupo individual, se realizo la prueba nuevamente. El valor de W correspondio a 490.5, que es significativo, con un valor p de 0.00. Se concluye que existen diferencias significativas entre la ejecucion de la posprueba y preprueba del grupo individual. Los datos proveen suficiente evidencia para sostener que los estudiantes que utilizaron la estrategia de mapas conceptuales individuales mejoraron el dominio del proceso de fotosintesis significativamente. Se realizo nuevamente la prueba para los resultados de posprueba y preprueba del grupo colaborativo. El valor de W correspondio a 446 con un valor p de 0.00. Se concluyo que existen diferencias significativas entre la ejecucion de la posprueba y preprueba del grupo colaborativo. Finalmente, se efectuo una

Effect of ambient light on the time needed to complete a fetal biophysical profile: A randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Said, Heather M; Gupta, Shweta; Vricella, Laura K; Wand, Katy; Nguyen, Thinh; Gross, Gilad

2017-10-01

The objective of this study is to determine whether ambient light serves as a fetal stimulus to decrease the amount of time needed to complete a biophysical profile. This is a randomized controlled trial of singleton gestations undergoing a biophysical profile. Patients were randomized to either ambient light or a darkened room. The primary outcome was the time needed to complete the biophysical profile. Secondary outcomes included total and individual component biophysical profile scores and scores less than 8. A subgroup analysis of different maternal body mass indices was also performed. 357 biophysical profile studies were analyzed. 182 studies were performed with ambient light and 175 were performed in a darkened room. There was no difference in the median time needed to complete the biophysical profile based on exposure to ambient light (6.1min in darkened room versus 6.6min with ambient light; P=0.73). No difference was found in total or individual component biophysical profile scores. Subgroup analysis by maternal body mass index did not demonstrate shorter study times with ambient light exposure in women who were normal weight, overweight or obese. Ambient light exposure did not decrease the time needed to complete the biophysical profile. There was no evidence that ambient light altered fetal behavior observed during the biophysical profile. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

40 CFR 50.15 - National primary and secondary ambient air quality standards for ozone.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... air quality standards for ozone. 50.15 Section 50.15 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL....15 National primary and secondary ambient air quality standards for ozone. (a) The level of the national 8-hour primary and secondary ambient air quality standards for ozone (O3) is 0.075 parts per...

40 CFR 50.15 - National primary and secondary ambient air quality standards for ozone.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... air quality standards for ozone. 50.15 Section 50.15 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL....15 National primary and secondary ambient air quality standards for ozone. (a) The level of the national 8-hour primary and secondary ambient air quality standards for ozone (O3) is 0.075 parts per...

40 CFR 50.15 - National primary and secondary ambient air quality standards for ozone.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... air quality standards for ozone. 50.15 Section 50.15 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL....15 National primary and secondary ambient air quality standards for ozone. (a) The level of the national 8-hour primary and secondary ambient air quality standards for ozone (O3) is 0.075 parts per...

40 CFR 50.15 - National primary and secondary ambient air quality standards for ozone.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... air quality standards for ozone. 50.15 Section 50.15 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL....15 National primary and secondary ambient air quality standards for ozone. (a) The level of the national 8-hour primary and secondary ambient air quality standards for ozone (O3) is 0.075 parts per...

40 CFR 50.15 - National primary and secondary ambient air quality standards for ozone.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... air quality standards for ozone. 50.15 Section 50.15 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL....15 National primary and secondary ambient air quality standards for ozone. (a) The level of the national 8-hour primary and secondary ambient air quality standards for ozone (O3) is 0.075 parts per...

40 CFR 50.16 - National primary and secondary ambient air quality standards for lead.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... air quality standards for lead. 50.16 Section 50.16 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION... National primary and secondary ambient air quality standards for lead. (a) The national primary and secondary ambient air quality standards for lead (Pb) and its compounds are 0.15 micrograms per cubic meter...

Plant molecular responses to the elevated ambient temperatures expected under global climate change.

PubMed

Fei, Qionghui; Li, Jingjing; Luo, Yunhe; Ma, Kun; Niu, Bingtao; Mu, Changjun; Gao, Huanhuan; Li, Xiaofeng

2018-01-02

Environmental temperatures affect plant distribution, growth, and development. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) predicts that global temperatures will rise by at least 1.5°C by the end of this century. Global temperature changes have already had a discernable impact on agriculture, phenology, and ecosystems. At the molecular level, extensive literature exists on the mechanism controlling plant responses to high temperature stress. However, few studies have focused on the molecular mechanisms behind plant responses to mild increases in ambient temperature. Previous research has found that moderately higher ambient temperatures can induce hypocotyl elongation and early flowering. Recent evidence demonstrates roles for the phytohormones auxin and ethylene in adaptive growth of plant roots to slightly higher ambient temperatures.

Imaging near surface mineral targets with ambient seismic noise

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dales, P.; Audet, P.; Olivier, G.

2017-12-01

To keep up with global metal and mineral demand, new ore-deposits have to be discovered on a regular basis. This task is becoming increasingly difficult, since easily accessible deposits have been exhausted to a large degree. The typical procedure for mineral exploration begins with geophysical surveys followed by a drilling program to investigate potential targets. Since the retrieved drill core samples are one-dimensional observations, the many holes needed to interpolate and interpret potential deposits can lead to very high costs. To reduce the amount of drilling, active seismic imaging is sometimes used as an intermediary, however the active sources (e.g. large vibrating trucks or explosive shots) are expensive and unsuitable for operation in remote or environmentally sensitive areas. In recent years, passive seismic imaging using ambient noise has emerged as a novel, low-cost and environmentally sensitive approach for exploring the sub-surface. This technique dispels with active seismic sources and instead uses ambient seismic noise such as ocean waves, traffic or minor earthquakes. Unfortunately at this point, passive surveys are not capable of reaching the required resolution to image the vast majority of the ore-bodies that are being explored. In this presentation, we will show the results of an experiment where ambient seismic noise recorded on 60 seismic stations was used to image a near-mine target. The target consists of a known ore-body that has been partially exhausted by mining efforts roughly 100 years ago. The experiment examined whether ambient seismic noise interferometry can be used to image the intact and exhausted ore deposit. A drilling campaign was also conducted near the target which offers the opportunity to compare the two methods. If the accuracy and resolution of passive seismic imaging can be improved to that of active surveys (and beyond), this method could become an inexpensive intermediary step in the exploration process and result

Descripción del coronógrafo a ser instalado en Argentina (MICA)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stenborg, G.; Francile, C.; Schwenn, R.; Epple, A.; Rovira, M.

El ``Coronógrafo de espejo para Argentina'' es un telescopio solar terrestre a ser colocado en el Observatorio Astronómico Félix Aguilar (El Leoncito), antes de finalizar 1996, como parte de un programa de ciencia bilateral entre Alemania y Argentina. Eclipses fotográficos de alta resolución han revelado que la corona solar es altamente estructurada y variable. De hecho, está contínuamente deformada y moldeada por los movimientos convectivos de los extremos de los arcos magnéticos en la fotosfera, estando, en muchas oportunidades, afectada por explosivas liberaciones de energía. MICA, en conjunción con otros telescopios solares espaciales y terrestres, tratará de contribuir al entendimiento de cuestiones fundamentales de la física solar. Entre ellas: cómo la corona está siendo calentada, dónde y cómo el viento solar es acelerado, qué causa los transitorios coronales, etc. Para ello investigará la distribución de los parámetros del plasma y su evolución con el tiempo, la estructura espacial de la corona en fina y gran escala, procesos que ocurren en los transitorios coronales y factores que los disparan, etc. Para responder a estas cuestiones MICA observará la atmósfera solar por sobre el limbo entre 1.1 y 2 radios solares aproximadamente, usando un nuevo tipo de sistema coronográfico que permite suprimir el brillo del disco solar suficientemente bien, tomando las imágenes con una cámara CCD de 1024x1024 pixels, codificada en 12 bits, pudiendo el mismo ser operado en forma remota. En la presente exposición describiremos las características del instrumento, cómo será controlado y qué esperamos observar basados en las imágenes obtenidas por los telescopios de similares características LASCO C1 a bordo del SOHO y PICO (ubicado en el Observatorio de Pic du Midi, Francia).

Estimating personal exposures from ambient air-pollution measures: Using meta-analysis to assess measurement error

PubMed Central

Holliday, Katelyn M; Avery, Christy L; Poole, Charles; McGraw, Kathleen; Williams, Ronald; Liao, Duanping; Smith, Richard L; Whitsel, Eric A

2014-01-01

Background Although ambient concentrations of particulate matter ≤10μm (PM10) are often used as proxies for total personal exposure, correlation (r) between ambient and personal PM10 concentrations varies. Factors underlying this variation and its effect on health outcome-PM exposure relationships remain poorly understood. Methods We conducted a random-effects meta-analysis to estimate effects of study, participant and environmental factors on r; used the estimates to impute personal exposure from ambient PM10 concentrations among 4,012 non-smoking, diabetic participants in the Women’s Health Initiative clinical trial; and then estimated the associations of ambient and imputed personal PM10 concentrations with electrocardiographic measures such as heart rate variability. Results We identified fifteen studies (in years 1990-2009) of 342 participants in five countries. The median r was 0.46 (range = 0.13 to 0.72). There was little evidence of funnel-plot asymmetry but substantial heterogeneity of r, which increased 0.05 (95% confidence interval [CI]= 0.01 to 0.09) per 10 μg/m3 increase in mean ambient PM10 concentration. Substituting imputed personal exposure for ambient PM10 concentrations shifted mean percent changes in electrocardiographic measures per 10μg/m3 increase in exposure away from the null and decreased their precision, e.g. −2.0% (95% CI= −4.6% to 0.7%) versus −7.9% (−15.9% to 0.9%) for the standard deviation of normal-to-normal RR interval duration. Conclusions Analogous distributions and heterogeneity of r in extant meta-analyses of ambient and personal PM2.5 concentrations suggest that observed shifts in mean percent change and decreases in precision may be generalizable across particle size. PMID:24220191

[Burden of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease attributable to ambient ozone pollution in 1990 and 2013 in China].

PubMed

Cui, J; Yin, P; Wang, L J; Liu, S W; Li, Y C; Liu, Y N; Liu, J M; You, J L; Zeng, X Y; Zhou, M G

2016-05-01

To investigate the burden of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in China attributable to ambient ozone pollution in 1990 and 2013. Based on the results of the China Global Burden of Disease Study (GBD) 2013, the population attributable fractions was used to analyze the deaths and disability-adjusted life years (DALY) of COPD attributable to ambient ozone pollution in all provinces (not including Taiwan, China) in 1990 and 2013, and to compare changes of the attributable disease burden in 1990 and 2013. In 2013, 7.4% (95% uncertainty interval (95% UI): 6.1%-8.6%) of COPD were attributable to ambient ozone pollution, with the highest rate in Hebei province (15.0%, 95%UI: 12.0%-18.7%) and the lowest in Heilongjiang province (2.8%,95%UI: 0.9%-5.3%). In 2013, 67 485 COPD deaths in China were due to ambient ozone pollution, with the highest number in Sichuan province (11 929) and in China lowest in Macao (11). A total of 1.168 million DALYs caused by COPD were due to ambient ozone pollution, with the highest in Sichuan province (0.189 million) and lowest in Macao (257.4). In 2013, the DALY per 100 000 population caused by COPD due to ambient ozone pollution after age standardization was lowest in Heilongjiang province (21.9), Shanghai (26.7), Beijing (38.4), Tianjin (39.3), and Jilin province (39.7) and highest in Sichuan province (206.4), Qinghai province (202.5), Guizhou province (175.3), and Gansu province (171.4). DALYs caused by COPD attributable to ambient ozone pollution increased with age (0.144 million person years for ages 15-49 years, 0.43 million person years for age 50-69 years and 0.594 million person years for age 70 years and above), which were higher in men than in women (0.708 million person years for men and 0.459 million person years for women in 2013). Deaths of COPD attributable to ambient ozone pollution were 49 514 and 67 485 in 1990 and 2013, respectively. DALYs caused by COPD attributable to ozone pollution totaled 0.894 million and 1

Ambient temperature and volume of perihematomal edema in acute intracerebral haemorrhage: the INTERACT1 study.

PubMed

Zheng, Danni; Arima, Hisatomi; Heeley, Emma; Karpin, Anne; Yang, Jie; Chalmers, John; Anderson, Craig S

2015-01-01

As no human data exist, we aimed to determine the relation between ambient temperature and volume of perihematomal 'cerebral' edema in acute spontaneous intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH) among Chinese participants of the pilot phase, Intensive Blood Pressure Reduction in Acute Cerebral Haemorrhage Trial (INTERACT1). INTERACT1 was a multicenter, open, blind outcome assessed, randomized controlled trial of intensive (systolic target <140 mmHg) vs. guideline-recommended (systolic target <180 mmHg) blood pressure (BP) lowering in 404 patients with acute ICH. Data on ambient temperature (mean, minimum, maximum, and range) on the day of each participant's ICH obtained from China Meteorological Data Sharing Service System were linked to other data including edema volumes. Multivariable regression analyses were performed to evaluate association between ambient temperature and edema volumes. A generalized linear regression model with a generalized estimating equations approach (GEE) was used to assess any association of ambient temperature and change in edema volume over 72 h. A total of 250 of all 384 Chinese participants had complete data that showed positive associations between ambient temperature (mean and minimum temperatures) and edema volumes at each time point over 72 h after hospital admission (all P < 0·05). All temperature parameters except diurnal temperature range were positively associated with edema volume after adjustment for confounding variables (all P < 0·02). An apparent positive association exists between ambient temperature and perihematomal edema volume in acute spontaneous ICH. © 2014 World Stroke Organization.

Evaluacion de los recursos potenciales del petroleo y gas, en Centro y Suramerica [Evaluation of potential petroleum and gas resources in Central and South America

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schenk, C.S.

2001-01-01

El Servicio Geológico de los Estados Unidos (USGS, por sus siglas en inglés) completó recientemente un estudio evaluativo de recursos potenciales de petróleo y gas en 130 provincias de petróleo seleccionadas en diferentes partes del mundo (USGS, 2000). De estas 130 provincias, 23 se encuentran en Suramérica, Centroamérica, y la región del Caribe (fig. 1). El estudio comprendió desde las provincias de petróleo establecidas con un largo historial de producción, como la Cuenca de Maracaibo, hasta las provincias fronterizas de poca o ninguna producción, como la Cuenca de Guyana-Suriname. No todas las provincias con historial de producción o con potencial de producción fueron evaluadas en el Estudio Evaluativo USGS 2000. Al presente, el USGS está evaluando muchas de las provincias restantes de petróleo y gas, en Centro y Suramérica. En cada provincia hemos (1) definido geológicamente el total de los sistemas de petróleo, (2) definido las unidades evaluadas que forman parte de todos los sistemas de petróleo, y (3) evaluado el volumen potencial de petróleo y gas convencional en cada unidad evaluada. Definimos un total de 26 sistemas de petróleo y 55 unidades evaluadas en las 23 provincias

Benzene levels in ambient air and breath of smokers and nonsmokers in urban and pristine environments

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

Wester, R.C.; Maibach, H.I.; Gruenke, L.D.

Benzene levels in human breath and in ambient air were compared in the urban area of San Francisco (SF) and in a more remote coastal pristine setting of Stinson Beach, Calif. (SB). Benzene analysis was done by gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS). Ambient benzene levels were sevenfold higher in SF (2.6 +/- 1.3 ppb, n = 25) than SB (0.38 +/- 0.39 ppb, n = 21). In SF, benzene in smokers' breath (6.8 +/- 3.0 ppb) was greater than in nonsmokers' breath (2.5 +/- 0.8 ppb) and smokers' ambient air (3.3 +/- 0.8 ppb). In SB the same pattern was observed:more » benzene in smokers' breath was higher than in nonsmokers' breath and ambient air. Benzene in SF nonsmokers' breath was greater than in SB nonsmokers' breath. Marijuana-only smokers had benzene breath levels between those of smokers and nonsmokers. There was little correlation between benzene in breath and number of cigarettes smoked, or with other benzene exposures such as diet. Of special interest was the finding that benzene in breath of SF nonsmokers (2.5 +/- 0.8 ppb) was greater than that in nonsmokers ambient air (1.4 +/- 0.1 ppb). The same was true in SB, where benzene in nonsmokers breath was greater than ambient air (1.8 +/- 0.2 ppb versus 1.0 +/- 0.1 ppb on d 1 and 1.3 +/- 0.3 ppb versus 0.23 +/- 0.18 ppb on d 2). This suggests an additional source of benzene other than outdoor ambient air.« less

Laboratory Development of a Passive Sampling Device for Hydrazines in Ambient Air

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-05-30

of dilution air . Conditioned house- compressed air is used as the diluent. The conditioning procedure consists of passing the house air through a...Device N4 for Hydrazines in Ambient Air P. A. TAFFE,* K. P. CROSSMAN,* S. L. ROSE-PEHRSSON, AND J. R. WYATT 0 Chemistry Dynamics and Diagnostic Branch...Ambient Air 6. AUTHOR(S) Taffe,* P. A., Crossman,* K. P., Wyatt, J. R., and Rose-Pehrsson, S. L. 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADORESS(ES) 8

Modelo analítico del efecto de PRS sobre satélites GPS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meza, A.; Brunini, C.; Usandivaras, J. C.

El sistema GPS (Global Position System) es, hoy en día, la herramienta de navegación y posicionamiento más potente y lo será sin duda en la próxima década. Gran parte de su valiosa utilidad se debe a la alta precisión que permite lograr y ésta, a su vez, depende, entre otras causas, de la precisión con que se conocen las órbitas de los satélites. La presión de radiación solar (PRS) fija el límite de la precisión con que pueden calcularse en la actualidad las efemérides satelitarias. El objetivo de este trabajo es proponer una mejor resolución de este fenómeno. El modelo analítico aquí presentado, se basa en el análisis del comportamiento de los residuos de un ajuste por mínimos cuadrados en el que se utiliza el modelo de PRS propuesto por Beutler. El mismo consiste en un modelo determinista del fenómeno con dos parámetros libres. Los resultados obtenidos ponen de manifiesto que, aún después de aplicar dichos parámetros, prevalecen en los residuos efectos semidiurnos en las componentes radial,tangencial y normal. Estos resultados obtenidos se comparan con los de un trabajo desarrollado por el Instituto de Berne (Beutler et al., 1994), en el que se utilizaron como pseudo-observaciones las órbitas precisas del IGS (CODE). El intervalo de integración escogido por este centro fueron las semanas 680 y 681. En resumen se tienen arcos de 14 días para todos los satélites, donde las efemérides precisas de los mismos para los 14 días fueron utilizados como pseudo-observaciones. El modelo de fuerza que empleó dicho centro fue básicamente el tradicional en lo que respecta al modelo de las fuerzas gravitacionales, y para la PRS utilizo el modelo standard de Beutler. Los parámetros de este modelo junto con las 6 condiciones iniciales (posición y velocidad) fueron ajustados por el método general de mínimos cuadrados. Los residuos en la componente radial, tangencial y normal, para los satélites con un buen comportamiento, presentan una

The relationship between ambient illumination and psychological factors in viewing of display Images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iwanami, Takuya; Kikuchi, Ayano; Kaneko, Takashi; Hirai, Keita; Yano, Natsumi; Nakaguchi, Toshiya; Tsumura, Norimichi; Yoshida, Yasuhiro; Miyake, Yoichi

2009-01-01

In this paper, we have clarified the relationship between ambient illumination and psychological factors in viewing of display images. Psychological factors were obtained by the factor analysis with the results of the semantic differential (SD) method. In the psychological experiments, subjects evaluated the impressions of displayed images with changing ambient illuminating conditions. The illumination conditions were controlled by a fluorescent ceiling light and a color LED illumination which was located behind the display. We experimented under two kinds of conditions. One was the experiment with changing brightness of the ambient illumination. The other was the experiment with changing the colors of the background illumination. In the results of the experiment, two factors "realistic sensation, dynamism" and "comfortable," were extracted under different brightness of the ambient illumination of the display surroundings. It was shown that the "comfortable" was improved by the brightness of display surroundings. On the other hand, when the illumination color of surroundings was changed, three factors "comfortable," "realistic sensation, dynamism" and "activity" were extracted. It was also shown that the value of "comfortable" and "realistic sensation, dynamism" increased when the display surroundings were illuminated by the average color of the image contents.

Projection screen having reduced ambient light scattering

DOEpatents

Sweatt, William C [Albuquerque, NM

2010-05-11

An apparatus and method for improving the contrast between incident projected light and ambient light reflected from a projection screen are described. The efficiency of the projection screen for reflection of the projected light remains high, while permitting the projection screen to be utilized in a brightly lighted room. Light power requirements from the projection system utilized may be reduced.

Single-particle speciation of alkylamines in ambient aerosol at five European sites.

PubMed

Healy, Robert M; Evans, Greg J; Murphy, Michael; Sierau, Berko; Arndt, Jovanna; McGillicuddy, Eoin; O'Connor, Ian P; Sodeau, John R; Wenger, John C

2015-08-01

Alkylamines are associated with both natural and anthropogenic sources and have been detected in ambient aerosol in a variety of environments. However, little is known about the ubiquity or relative abundance of these species in Europe. In this work, ambient single-particle mass spectra collected at five sampling sites across Europe have been analysed for their alkylamine content. The aerosol time-of-flight mass spectrometer (ATOFMS) data used were collected in Ireland (Cork), France (Paris, Dunkirk and Corsica) and Switzerland (Zurich) between 2008 and 2013. Each dataset was queried for mass spectral marker ions associated with the following ambient alkylamines: dimethylamine (DMA), trimethylamine (TMA), diethylamine (DEA), triethylamine (TEA), dipropylamine (DPA) and tripropylamine (TPA). The fraction of ambient particles that contained detectable alkylamines ranged from 1 to 17 % depending on location, with the highest fractions observed in Paris and Zurich in the winter months. The lowest fractions were observed at coastal sites, where the influence of animal husbandry-related alkylamine emissions is also expected to be lowest. TMA was the most ubiquitous particle phase alkylamine detected and was observed at all locations. Alkylamines were found to be internally mixed with both sulphate and nitrate for each dataset, suggesting that aminium salt formation may be important at all sites investigated. Interestingly, in Corsica, all alkylamine particles detected were also found to be internally mixed with methanesulphonic acid (MSA), indicating that aminium methanesulphonate salts may represent a component of marine ambient aerosol in the summer months. Internal mixing of alkylamines with sea salt was not observed, however. Alkylamine-containing particle composition was found to be reasonably homogeneous at each location, with the exception of the Corsica and Dunkirk sites, where two and four distinct mixing states were observed, respectively.

Hot dogs: High ambient temperatures impact reproductive success in a tropical carnivore.

PubMed

Woodroffe, Rosie; Groom, Rosemary; McNutt, J Weldon

2017-10-01

Climate change imposes an urgent need to recognise and conserve the species likely to be worst affected. However, while ecologists have mostly explored indirect effects of rising ambient temperatures on temperate and polar species, physiologists have predicted direct impacts on tropical species. The African wild dog (Lycaon pictus), a tropical species, exhibits few of the traits typically used to predict climate change vulnerability. Nevertheless, we predicted that wild dog populations might be sensitive to weather conditions, because the species shows strongly seasonal reproduction across most of its geographical range. We explored associations between weather conditions, reproductive costs, and reproductive success, drawing on long-term wild dog monitoring data from sites in Botswana (20°S, 24 years), Kenya (0°N, 12 years), and Zimbabwe (20°S, 6 years). High ambient temperatures were associated with reduced foraging time, especially during the energetically costly pup-rearing period. Across all three sites, packs which reared pups at high ambient temperatures produced fewer recruits than did those rearing pups in cooler weather; at the non-seasonal Kenya site such packs also had longer inter-birth intervals. Over time, rising ambient temperatures at the (longest-monitored) Botswana site coincided with falling wild dog recruitment. Our findings suggest a direct impact of high ambient temperatures on African wild dog demography, indicating that this species, which is already globally endangered, may be highly vulnerable to climate change. This vulnerability would have been missed by simplistic trait-based assessments, highlighting the limitations of such assessments. Seasonal reproduction, which is less common at low latitudes than at higher latitudes, might be a useful indicator of climate change vulnerability among tropical species. © 2017 The Authors. Journal of Animal Ecology © 2017 British Ecological Society.

A reaction cell for ambient pressure soft x-ray absorption spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Castán-Guerrero, C.; Krizmancic, D.; Bonanni, V.; Edla, R.; Deluisa, A.; Salvador, F.; Rossi, G.; Panaccione, G.; Torelli, P.

2018-05-01

We present a new experimental setup for performing X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy (XAS) in the soft X-ray range at ambient pressure. The ambient pressure XAS setup is fully compatible with the ultra high vacuum environment of a synchrotron radiation spectroscopy beamline end station by means of ultrathin Si3N4 membranes acting as windows for the X-ray beam and seal of the atmospheric sample environment. The XAS detection is performed in total electron yield (TEY) mode by probing the drain current from the sample with a picoammeter. The high signal/noise ratio achievable in the TEY mode, combined with a continuous scanning of the X-ray energies, makes it possible recording XAS spectra in a few seconds. The first results show the performance of this setup to record fast XAS spectra from sample surfaces exposed at atmospheric pressure, even in the case of highly insulating samples. The use of a permanent magnet inside the reaction cell enables the measurement of X-ray magnetic circular dichroism at ambient pressure.

Impact of National Ambient Air Quality Standards Nonattainment Designations on Particulate Pollution and Health.

PubMed

Zigler, Corwin M; Choirat, Christine; Dominici, Francesca

2018-03-01

Despite dramatic air quality improvement in the United States over the past decades, recent years have brought renewed scrutiny and uncertainty surrounding the effectiveness of specific regulatory programs for continuing to improve air quality and public health outcomes. We employ causal inference methods and a spatial hierarchical regression model to characterize the extent to which a designation of "nonattainment" with the 1997 National Ambient Air Quality Standard for ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in 2005 causally affected ambient PM2.5 and health outcomes among over 10 million Medicare beneficiaries in the Eastern United States in 2009-2012. We found that, on average across all retained study locations, reductions in ambient PM2.5 and Medicare health outcomes could not be conclusively attributed to the nonattainment designations against the backdrop of other regional strategies that impacted the entire Eastern United States. A more targeted principal stratification analysis indicates substantial health impacts of the nonattainment designations among the subset of areas where the designations are estimated to have actually reduced ambient PM2.5 beyond levels achieved by regional measures, with noteworthy reductions in all-cause mortality, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, heart failure, ischemic heart disease, and respiratory tract infections. These findings provide targeted evidence of the effectiveness of local control measures after nonattainment designations for the 1997 PM2.5 air quality standard.

Analysis of Anions in Ambient Aerosols by Microchip Capillary Electrophoresis

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

Liu, Yan; MacDonald, David A.; Yu, Xiao-Ying

2006-10-01

We describe a microchip capillary electrophoresis method for the analysis of nitrate and sulfate in ambient aerosols. Investigating the chemical composition of ambient aerosol particles is essential for understanding their sources and effects. Significant progress has been made towards developing mass spectrometry-based instrumentation for rapid qualitative analysis of aerosols. Alternative methods for rapid quantification of selected high abundance compounds are needed to augment the capacity for widespread routine analysis. Such methods could provide much higher temporal and spatial resolution than can be achieved currently. Inorganic anions comprise a large percentage of particulate mass with nitrate and sulfate among the mostmore » abundant species. While ion chromatography has proven very useful for analyzing extracts of time-integrated ambient aerosol samples collected on filters and for semi-continuous, on-line particle composition measurements, there is a growing need for development of new compact, inexpensive approaches to routine on-line aerosol ion analysis for deployment in spatially dense, atmospheric measurement networks. Microchip capillary electrophoresis provides the necessary speed and portability to address this need. In this report, on-column contact conductivity detection is used with hydrodynamic injection to create a simple microchip instrument for analysis of nitrate and sulfate. On-column contact conductivity detection was achieved using a Pd decoupler placed upstream from the working electrodes. Microchips containing two Au or Pd working electrodes showed a good linear range (5-500 µM) and low limits-of-detection for sulfate and nitrate with Au providing the lowest detection limits (1 µM) for both ions. The completed microchip system was used to analyze ambient aerosol filter samples. Nitrate and sulfate concentrations measured by the microchip matched the concentrations measured by ion chromatography.« less

Shear velocity of the Rotokawa geothermal field using ambient noise

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Civilini, F.; Savage, M. K.; Townend, J.

2014-12-01

Ambient noise correlation is an increasingly popular seismological technique that uses the ambient seismic noise recorded at two stations to construct an empirical Green's function. Applications of this technique include determining shear velocity structure and attenuation. An advantage of ambient noise is that it does not rely on external sources of seismic energy such as local or teleseismic earthquakes. This method has been used in the geothermal industry to determine the depths at which magmatic processes occur, to distinguish between production and non-production areas, and to observe seismic velocity perturbations associated with fluid extraction. We will present a velocity model for the Rotokawa geothermal field near Taupo, New Zealand, produced from ambient noise cross correlations. Production at Rotokawa is based on the "Rotokawa A" combined cycle power station established in 1997 and the "Nga Awa Purua" triple flash power plant established in 2010. Rotokawa Joint Venture, a partnership between Mighty River Power and Tauhara North No. 2 Trust currently operates 174 MW of generation at Rotokawa. An array of short period seismometers was installed in 2008 and occupies an area of roughly 5 square kilometers around the site. Although both cultural and natural noise sources are recorded at the stations, the instrument separation distance provides a unique challenge for analyzing cross correlations produced by both signal types. The inter-station spacing is on the order of a few kilometers, so waves from cultural sources generally are not coherent from one station to the other, while the wavelength produced by natural noise is greater than the station separation. Velocity models produced from these two source types will be compared to known geological models of the site. Depending on the amount of data needed to adequately construct cross-correlations, a time-dependent model of velocity will be established and compared with geothermal production processes.

Influence of high ambient illuminance and display luminance on readability and subjective preference

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Moor, Katrien; Andrén, Börje; Guo, Yi; Brunnström, Kjell; Wang, Kun; Drott, Anton; Hermann, David S.

2015-03-01

Many devices, such as tablets, smartphones, notebooks, fixed and portable navigation systems are used on a (nearly) daily basis, both in in- and outdoor environments. It is often argued that contextual factors, such as the ambient illuminance in relation to characteristics of the display (e.g., surface treatment, screen reflectance, display luminance …) may have a strong influence on the use of such devices and corresponding user experiences. However, the current understanding of these influence factors is still rather limited. In this work, we therefore focus in particular on the impact of lighting and display luminance on readability, visual performance, subjective experience and preference. A controlled lab study (N=18) with a within-subjects design was performed to evaluate two car displays (one glossy and one matte display) in conditions that simulate bright outdoor lighting conditions. Four ambient luminance levels and three display luminance settings were combined into 7 experimental conditions. More concretely, we investigated for each display: (1) whether and how readability and visual performance varied with the different combinations of ambient luminance and display luminance and (2) whether and how they influenced the subjective experience (through self-reported valence, annoyance, visual fatigue) and preference. The results indicate a limited, yet negative influence of increased ambient luminance and reduced contrast on visual performance and readability for both displays. Similarly, we found that the self-reported valence decreases and annoyance and visual fatigue increase as the contrast ratio decreases and ambient luminance increases. Overall, the impact is clearer for the matte display than for the glossy display.

Respiratory alkalosis and primary hypocapnia in Labrador Retrievers participating in field trials in high-ambient-temperature conditions.

PubMed

Steiss, Janet E; Wright, James C

2008-10-01

To determine whether Labrador Retrievers participating in field trials develop respiratory alkalosis and hypocapnia primarily in conditions of high ambient temperatures. 16 Labrador Retrievers. At each of 5 field trials, 5 to 10 dogs were monitored during a test (retrieval of birds over a variable distance on land [1,076 to 2,200 m]; 36 assessments); ambient temperatures ranged from 2.2 degrees to 29.4 degrees C. For each dog, rectal temperature was measured and a venous blood sample was collected in a heparinized syringe within 5 minutes of test completion. Blood samples were analyzed on site for Hct; pH; sodium, potassium, ionized calcium, glucose, lactate, bicarbonate, and total CO2 concentrations; and values of PvO2 and PvCO2. Scatterplots of each variable versus ambient temperature were reviewed. Regression analysis was used to evaluate the effect of ambient temperature (< or = 21 degrees C and > 21 degrees C) on each variable. Compared with findings at ambient temperatures < or = 21 degrees C, venous blood pH was increased (mean, 7.521 vs 7.349) and PvCO2 was decreased (mean, 17.8 vs 29.3 mm Hg) at temperatures > 21 degrees C; rectal temperature did not differ. Two dogs developed signs of heat stress in 1 test at an ambient temperature of 29 degrees C; their rectal temperatures were higher and PvCO2 values were lower than findings in other dogs. When running distances frequently encountered at field trials, healthy Labrador Retrievers developed hyperthermia regardless of ambient temperature. Dogs developed respiratory alkalosis and hypocapnia at ambient temperatures > 21 degrees C.

Sexual selection on multivariate phenotypes in Anastrepha Fraterculus (Diptera: Tephritidae) from Argentina

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

Sciurano, R.; Rodriguero, M.; Gomez Cendra, P.

Despite the interest in applying environmentally friendly control methods such as sterile insect technique (SIT) against Anastrepha fraterculus (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae), information about its biology, taxonomy, and behavior is still insufficient. To increase this information, the present study aims to evaluate the performance of wild flies under field cage conditions through the study of sexual competitiveness among males (sexual selection). A wild population from Horco Molle, Tucuman, Argentina was sampled. Mature virgin males and females were released into outdoor field cages to compete for mating. Morphometric analyses were applied to determine the relationship between the multivariate phenotype and copulatory success.more » Successful and unsuccessful males were measured for 8 traits: head width (HW), face width (FW), eye length (EL), thorax length (THL), wing length (WL), wing width (WW), femur length (FL), and tibia length (TIL). Combinations of different multivariate statistical methods and graphical analyses were used to evaluate sexual selection on male phenotype. The results indicated that wing width and thorax length would be the most probable targets of sexual selection. They describe a non-linear association between expected fitness and each of these 2 traits. This non-linear relation suggests that observed selection could maintain the diversity related to body size. (author) [Spanish] A pesar del interes por la aplicacion de metodos de control de bajo impacto ambiental sobre Anastrepha fraterculus (Diptera: Tephritidae), como la Tecnica del Insecto Esteril (TIE), no existe aun informacion suficiente sobre su biologia, taxonomia y comportamiento. Este trabajo tiene como objetivo evaluar el desempeno de moscas en jaulas de campo a traves del estudio de la competitividad sexual entre machos salvajes (seleccion sexual). Para ello, se muestreo una poblacion de Horco Molle, Tucuman (Argentina). En jaulas de campo se liberaron machos y hembras

Adaptive Ambient Illumination Based on Color Harmony Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kikuchi, Ayano; Hirai, Keita; Nakaguchi, Toshiya; Tsumura, Norimichi; Miyake, Yoichi

We investigated the relationship between ambient illumination and psychological effect by applying a modified color harmony model. We verified the proposed model by analyzing correlation between psychological value and modified color harmony score. Experimental results showed the possibility to obtain the best color for illumination using this model.

A lightweight ambient air-cooling unit for use in hazardous environments.

PubMed

Chen, Y T; Constable, S H; Bomalaski, S H

1997-01-01

Recent research demonstrated (a) the effectiveness of intermittent conditioned air cooling during rest breaks to significantly reduce cumulative heat storage and (b) that longer work sessions were possible for individuals wearing chemical defense ensembles. To further advance this concept, a strategy for implementing continuous air cooling was conceived; ambient air cooling was added during work cycles and conditioned air cooling was delivered during rest periods. A compact battery-powered beltpack cooling unit (3.9 kg) designed and made at the U.S. Air Force Armstrong Laboratory was used to deliver 5.7 L/sec filtered ambient air during work cycles: 4.7 L/sec to the body and 1 L/sec to the face. Five experimental cycles were conducted in a thermally controlled chamber under warm conditions (32 degrees C, 40% relative humidity) with (1) no cooling-intermittent work, (2) intermittent cooling, (3) continuous cooling during intermittent exercise, and (4) no cooling-continuous work and (5) ambient air cooling during continuous exercise. Intermittent, conditioned, and continuous air cooling resulted in significant reductions in rectal temperature, mean skin temperature, and heart rate as compared with the no-cooling trials. The continuous air-cooling trial significantly improved thermal comfort and sweat evaporation. Results suggest that ambient air delivered during work cycles by a lightweight portable unit (in conjunction with conditioned air delivered during rest periods), can definitely improve personal comfort, reduce skin temperature, and decrease the cumulative fatigue common to repeated work/rest cycles in selected military and industrial applications in which individuals work in chemical defense ensembles.

Sources and levels of ambient ocean sound near the Antarctic Peninsula.

PubMed

Dziak, Robert P; Bohnenstiehl, DelWayne R; Stafford, Kathleen M; Matsumoto, Haruyoshi; Park, Minkyu; Lee, Won Sang; Fowler, Matt J; Lau, Tai-Kwan; Haxel, Joseph H; Mellinger, David K

2015-01-01

Arrays of hydrophones were deployed within the Bransfield Strait and Scotia Sea (Antarctic Peninsula region) from 2005 to 2009 to record ambient ocean sound at frequencies of up to 125 and 500 Hz. Icequakes, which are broadband, short duration signals derived from fracturing of large free-floating icebergs, are a prominent feature of the ocean soundscape. Icequake activity peaks during austral summer and is minimum during winter, likely following freeze-thaw cycles. Iceberg grounding and rapid disintegration also releases significant acoustic energy, equivalent to large-scale geophysical events. Overall ambient sound levels can be as much as ~10-20 dB higher in the open, deep ocean of the Scotia Sea compared to the relatively shallow Bransfield Strait. Noise levels become lowest during the austral winter, as sea-ice cover suppresses wind and wave noise. Ambient noise levels are highest during austral spring and summer, as surface noise, ice cracking and biological activity intensifies. Vocalizations of blue (Balaenoptera musculus) and fin (B. physalus) whales also dominate the long-term spectra records in the 15-28 and 89 Hz bands. Blue whale call energy is a maximum during austral summer-fall in the Drake Passage and Bransfield Strait when ambient noise levels are a maximum and sea-ice cover is a minimum. Fin whale vocalizations were also most common during austral summer-early fall months in both the Bransfield Strait and Scotia Sea. The hydrophone data overall do not show sustained anthropogenic sources (ships and airguns), likely due to low coastal traffic and the typically rough weather and sea conditions of the Southern Ocean.

Extracting Rayleigh wave dispersion from ambient noise across the Indian Ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Z.; Dalton, C. A.

2016-12-01

Rayleigh wave dispersion extracted from ambient seismic noise has been widely used to image crustal and uppermost mantle structure. Applications of this approach in continental settings are abundant, but there have been relatively few studies within ocean basins. In this presentation, we will first demonstrate the feasibility of extracting high quality Rayleigh wave dispersion information from ambient noise across the entire Indian Ocean basin. Phase arrival times measured from ambient noise are largely consistent with the ones predicted from 2-D phase velocity maps that were determined from earthquake data alone. Secondly, we show that adding dispersion information extracted from ambient noise to existing earthquake data can indeed improve the resolution of phase velocity maps by about 20% in the western Indian Ocean region where the station distribution is the densest. High quality Rayleigh wave dispersion information can be obtained from stacking waveforms over less than two years at land stations and less than four years at island stations. After removing the age dependent average velocities, the 2-D phase velocity maps show slow anomalies associated with the Seychelles-Mascarene plateau. Forward modeling suggests that the crust is about 15-25 km thick in this area, which agrees with previous estimates obtained from gravity data. We also observe that the slow anomaly related to the Central Indian Ridge is asymmetric. The center of this slow anomaly lies to the west side of ridge, which is opposite to the ridge migration direction. This asymmetry probably reflects the interactions between the ridge and nearby hotspots.

CONTROLLED EXPOSURES OF HEALTHY AND ASTHMATIC VOLUNTEERS TO CONCENTRATED AMBIENT PARTICLES IN METROPOLITAN LOS ANGELES

EPA Science Inventory

Investigators expect to use a Harvard ambient particle concentrator to assess the effects of exposure to concentrated ambient particles (CAPs) on healthy and asthmatic people.  12 healthy individuals and 12 individuals with mild asthma will be exposed to either filtere...

A Smart Kitchen for Ambient Assisted Living

PubMed Central

Blasco, Rubén; Marco, Álvaro; Casas, Roberto; Cirujano, Diego; Picking, Richard

2014-01-01

The kitchen environment is one of the scenarios in the home where users can benefit from Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) applications. Moreover, it is the place where old people suffer from most domestic injuries. This paper presents a novel design, implementation and assessment of a Smart Kitchen which provides Ambient Assisted Living services; a smart environment that increases elderly and disabled people's autonomy in their kitchen-related activities through context and user awareness, appropriate user interaction and artificial intelligence. It is based on a modular architecture which integrates a wide variety of home technology (household appliances, sensors, user interfaces, etc.) and associated communication standards and media (power line, radio frequency, infrared and cabled). Its software architecture is based on the Open Services Gateway initiative (OSGi), which allows building a complex system composed of small modules, each one providing the specific functionalities required, and can be easily scaled to meet our needs. The system has been evaluated by a large number of real users (63) and carers (31) in two living labs in Spain and UK. Results show a large potential of system functionalities combined with good usability and physical, sensory and cognitive accessibility. PMID:24445412

A smart kitchen for ambient assisted living.

PubMed

Blasco, Rubén; Marco, Álvaro; Casas, Roberto; Cirujano, Diego; Picking, Richard

2014-01-17

The kitchen environment is one of the scenarios in the home where users can benefit from Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) applications. Moreover, it is the place where old people suffer from most domestic injuries. This paper presents a novel design, implementation and assessment of a Smart Kitchen which provides Ambient Assisted Living services; a smart environment that increases elderly and disabled people's autonomy in their kitchen-related activities through context and user awareness, appropriate user interaction and artificial intelligence. It is based on a modular architecture which integrates a wide variety of home technology (household appliances, sensors, user interfaces, etc.) and associated communication standards and media (power line, radio frequency, infrared and cabled). Its software architecture is based on the Open Services Gateway initiative (OSGi), which allows building a complex system composed of small modules, each one providing the specific functionalities required, and can be easily scaled to meet our needs. The system has been evaluated by a large number of real users (63) and carers (31) in two living labs in Spain and UK. Results show a large potential of system functionalities combined with good usability and physical, sensory and cognitive accessibility.

Distance correction system for localization based on linear regression and smoothing in ambient intelligence display.

PubMed

Kim, Dae-Hee; Choi, Jae-Hun; Lim, Myung-Eun; Park, Soo-Jun

2008-01-01

This paper suggests the method of correcting distance between an ambient intelligence display and a user based on linear regression and smoothing method, by which distance information of a user who approaches to the display can he accurately output even in an unanticipated condition using a passive infrared VIR) sensor and an ultrasonic device. The developed system consists of an ambient intelligence display and an ultrasonic transmitter, and a sensor gateway. Each module communicates with each other through RF (Radio frequency) communication. The ambient intelligence display includes an ultrasonic receiver and a PIR sensor for motion detection. In particular, this system selects and processes algorithms such as smoothing or linear regression for current input data processing dynamically through judgment process that is determined using the previous reliable data stored in a queue. In addition, we implemented GUI software with JAVA for real time location tracking and an ambient intelligence display.

Seismic gradiometry using ambient seismic noise in an anisotropic Earth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Ridder, S. A. L.; Curtis, A.

2017-05-01

We introduce a wavefield gradiometry technique to estimate both isotropic and anisotropic local medium characteristics from short recordings of seismic signals by inverting a wave equation. The method exploits the information in the spatial gradients of a seismic wavefield that are calculated using dense deployments of seismic arrays. The application of the method uses the surface wave energy in the ambient seismic field. To estimate isotropic and anisotropic medium properties we invert an elliptically anisotropic wave equation. The spatial derivatives of the recorded wavefield are evaluated by calculating finite differences over nearby recordings, which introduces a systematic anisotropic error. A two-step approach corrects this error: finite difference stencils are first calibrated, then the output of the wave-equation inversion is corrected using the linearized impulse response to the inverted velocity anomaly. We test the procedure on ambient seismic noise recorded in a large and dense ocean bottom cable array installed over Ekofisk field. The estimated azimuthal anisotropy forms a circular geometry around the production-induced subsidence bowl. This conforms with results from studies employing controlled sources, and with interferometry correlating long records of seismic noise. Yet in this example, the results were obtained using only a few minutes of ambient seismic noise.

Mode Shape Estimation Algorithms Under Ambient Conditions: A Comparative Review

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

Dosiek, Luke; Zhou, Ning; Pierre, John W.

Abstract—This paper provides a comparative review of five existing ambient electromechanical mode shape estimation algorithms, i.e., the Transfer Function (TF), Spectral, Frequency Domain Decomposition (FDD), Channel Matching, and Subspace Methods. It is also shown that the TF Method is a general approach to estimating mode shape and that the Spectral, FDD, and Channel Matching Methods are actually special cases of it. Additionally, some of the variations of the Subspace Method are reviewed and the Numerical algorithm for Subspace State Space System IDentification (N4SID) is implemented. The five algorithms are then compared using data simulated from a 17-machine model of themore » Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) under ambient conditions with both low and high damping, as well as during the case where ambient data is disrupted by an oscillatory ringdown. The performance of the algorithms is compared using the statistics from Monte Carlo Simulations and results from measured WECC data, and a discussion of the practical issues surrounding their implementation, including cases where power system probing is an option, is provided. The paper concludes with some recommendations as to the appropriate use of the various techniques. Index Terms—Electromechanical mode shape, small-signal stability, phasor measurement units (PMU), system identification, N4SID, subspace.« less

Ambient temperature cadmium zinc telluride radiation detector and amplifier circuit

DOEpatents

McQuaid, James H.; Lavietes, Anthony D.

1998-05-29

A low noise, low power consumption, compact, ambient temperature signal amplifier for a Cadmium Zinc Telluride (CZT) radiation detector. The amplifier can be used within a larger system (e.g., including a multi-channel analyzer) to allow isotopic analysis of radionuclides in the field. In one embodiment, the circuit stages of the low power, low noise amplifier are constructed using integrated circuit (IC) amplifiers , rather than discrete components, and include a very low noise, high gain, high bandwidth dual part preamplification stage, an amplification stage, and an filter stage. The low noise, low power consumption, compact, ambient temperature amplifier enables the CZT detector to achieve both the efficiency required to determine the presence of radio nuclides and the resolution necessary to perform isotopic analysis to perform nuclear material identification. The present low noise, low power, compact, ambient temperature amplifier enables a CZT detector to achieve resolution of less than 3% full width at half maximum at 122 keV for a Cobalt-57 isotope source. By using IC circuits and using only a single 12 volt supply and ground, the novel amplifier provides significant power savings and is well suited for prolonged portable in-field use and does not require heavy, bulky power supply components.

Ambient temperature cadmium zinc telluride radiation detector and amplifier circuit

DOEpatents

McQuaid, J.H.; Lavietes, A.D.

1998-05-26

A low noise, low power consumption, compact, ambient temperature signal amplifier for a Cadmium Zinc Telluride (CZT) radiation detector is disclosed. The amplifier can be used within a larger system (e.g., including a multi-channel analyzer) to allow isotopic analysis of radionuclides in the field. In one embodiment, the circuit stages of the low power, low noise amplifier are constructed using integrated circuit (IC) amplifiers , rather than discrete components, and include a very low noise, high gain, high bandwidth dual part preamplification stage, an amplification stage, and an filter stage. The low noise, low power consumption, compact, ambient temperature amplifier enables the CZT detector to achieve both the efficiency required to determine the presence of radionuclides and the resolution necessary to perform isotopic analysis to perform nuclear material identification. The present low noise, low power, compact, ambient temperature amplifier enables a CZT detector to achieve resolution of less than 3% full width at half maximum at 122 keV for a Cobalt-57 isotope source. By using IC circuits and using only a single 12 volt supply and ground, the novel amplifier provides significant power savings and is well suited for prolonged portable in-field use and does not require heavy, bulky power supply components. 9 figs.

Determinants of the Associations between Ambient Concentrations and Personal Exposures to Ambient PM2.5, NO2, and O3 during DEARS

EPA Science Inventory

In this analysis, ambient concentrations and personal exposures to PM2.5, O3, and NO2, air exchange rates, meteorological parameters, and questionnaire survey responses collected during the Detroit Exposure and Aerosol Research Study (DEARS) are used: 1) to evaluate different met...

ARE MALES MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO AMBIENT PM THAN FEMALES?

EPA Science Inventory

Recent epidemiologic studies of modern air pollution show statistically significant relationships between fluctuations of daily non-trauma mortality and fluctuations of daily ambient particulate matter (PM) levels at low concentrations. A review of historic smoke-fog (smog)episo...

Ambient air sulphur dioxide and sulphate accumulation in deciduous and evergreen plants.

PubMed

Dwivedi, Anil K; Shashi

2012-01-01

Present study is an attempt to evaluate the difference in rate of sulphur dioxide (SO2) absorption by deciduous (Ficus religiosa) and evergreen (Carica papaya) plants, under elevated concentration of the gas in ambient air. Two-way ANOVA for SO2 in air and sulphate (SO4) accumulation in both the selected plants showed significant difference (p<0.01) at different study sites; different months as well as interaction effect of both site and months. The linear correlation coefficient among ambient air SO2 and SO4 in leaves was always significant (p<0.001) in case of deciduous plant; however, the same in evergreen plants showed heterogeneous result. Air pollution tolerance index (APTI) of F. religiosa (deciduous) and C. papaya (evergreen) was found to be 19.73 and 81.10 respectively, proving that the former has low tolerance capacity and is sensitive, while the latter is resistant to the elevated ambient air SO2.

High-resolution bottom-loss estimation using the ambient-noise vertical coherence function.

PubMed

Muzi, Lanfranco; Siderius, Martin; Quijano, Jorge E; Dosso, Stan E

2015-01-01

The seabed reflection loss (shortly "bottom loss") is an important quantity for predicting transmission loss in the ocean. A recent passive technique for estimating the bottom loss as a function of frequency and grazing angle exploits marine ambient noise (originating at the surface from breaking waves, wind, and rain) as an acoustic source. Conventional beamforming of the noise field at a vertical line array of hydrophones is a fundamental step in this technique, and the beamformer resolution in grazing angle affects the quality of the estimated bottom loss. Implementation of this technique with short arrays can be hindered by their inherently poor angular resolution. This paper presents a derivation of the bottom reflection coefficient from the ambient-noise spatial coherence function, and a technique based on this derivation for obtaining higher angular resolution bottom-loss estimates. The technique, which exploits the (approximate) spatial stationarity of the ambient-noise spatial coherence function, is demonstrated on both simulated and experimental data.

Genetic variation for farrowing rate in pigs in response to change in photoperiod and ambient temperature.

PubMed

Sevillano, C A; Mulder, H A; Rashidi, H; Mathur, P K; Knol, E F

2016-08-01

Seasonal infertility is often observed as anestrus and a lower conception rate resulting in a reduced farrowing rate (FR) during late summer and early autumn. This is often regarded as an effect of heat stress; however, we observed a reduction in the FR of sows even after correcting for ambient temperature in our data. Therefore, we added change in photoperiod in the analysis of FR considering its effect on sow fertility. Change in photoperiod was modeled using the cosine of the day of first insemination within a year. On an average, the FR decreased by 2% during early autumn with decreasing daily photoperiod compared with early summer with almost no change in daily photoperiod. It declined 0.2% per degree Celsius of ambient temperature above 19.2°C. This result is a step forward in disentangling the 2 environmental components responsible for seasonal infertility. Our next aim was to estimate the magnitude of genetic variation in FR in response to change in photoperiod and ambient temperature to explore opportunities for selecting pigs to have a constant FR throughout the year. We used reaction norm models to estimate additive genetic variation in response to change in photoperiod and ambient temperature. The results revealed a larger genetic variation at stressful environments when daily photoperiod decreased and ambient temperatures increased above 19.2°C compared with neutral environments. Genetic correlations between stressful environments and nonstressful environments ranged from 0.90 (±0.03) to 0.46 (±0.13) depending on the severity of the stress, indicating changes in expression of FR depending on the environment. The genetic correlation between responses of pigs to changes in photoperiod and to those in ambient temperature were positive, indicating that pigs tolerant to decreasing daily photoperiod are also tolerant to high ambient temperatures. Therefore, selection for tolerance to decreasing daily photoperiod should also increase tolerance to high

The power laws of nanoscale forces in ambient conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chiesa, Matteo; Santos, Sergio; Lai, Chia-Yun

Power laws are ubiquitous in the physical sciences and indispensable to qualitatively and quantitatively describe physical phenomena. A nanoscale force law that accurately describes the phenomena observed in ambient conditions at several nm or fractions of a nm above a surface however is still lacking. Here we report a power law derived from experimental data and describing the interaction between an atomic force microscope AFM tip modelled as a sphere and a surface in ambient conditions. By employing a graphite surface as a model system the resulting effective power is found to be a function of the tip radius and the distance. The data suggest a nano to mesoscale transition in the power law that results in relative agreement with the distance-dependencies predicted by the Hamaker and Lifshitz theories for van der Waals forces for the larger tip radii only

Mechanistic Insights into the Relationship between Lung and Vascular Response to Ambient Particulate Matter (PM)

EPA Science Inventory

The mechanisms by which pulmonary-encountered ambient PM induces vascular response are not well understood. We examined lung and aortic response of rats following intratracheal instillation of three ambient PM. Chemically characterized PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 from th...

A novel method for calculating ambient aerosol liquid water content based on measurements of a humidified nephelometer system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuang, Ye; Zhao, Chun Sheng; Zhao, Gang; Tao, Jiang Chuan; Xu, Wanyun; Ma, Nan; Bian, Yu Xuan

2018-05-01

Water condensed on ambient aerosol particles plays significant roles in atmospheric environment, atmospheric chemistry and climate. Before now, no instruments were available for real-time monitoring of ambient aerosol liquid water contents (ALWCs). In this paper, a novel method is proposed to calculate ambient ALWC based on measurements of a three-wavelength humidified nephelometer system, which measures aerosol light scattering coefficients and backscattering coefficients at three wavelengths under dry state and different relative humidity (RH) conditions, providing measurements of light scattering enhancement factor f(RH). The proposed ALWC calculation method includes two steps: the first step is the estimation of the dry state total volume concentration of ambient aerosol particles, Va(dry), with a machine learning method called random forest model based on measurements of the dry nephelometer. The estimated Va(dry) agrees well with the measured one. The second step is the estimation of the volume growth factor Vg(RH) of ambient aerosol particles due to water uptake, using f(RH) and the Ångström exponent. The ALWC is calculated from the estimated Va(dry) and Vg(RH). To validate the new method, the ambient ALWC calculated from measurements of the humidified nephelometer system during the Gucheng campaign was compared with ambient ALWC calculated from ISORROPIA thermodynamic model using aerosol chemistry data. A good agreement was achieved, with a slope and intercept of 1.14 and -8.6 µm3 cm-3 (r2 = 0.92), respectively. The advantage of this new method is that the ambient ALWC can be obtained solely based on measurements of a three-wavelength humidified nephelometer system, facilitating the real-time monitoring of the ambient ALWC and promoting the study of aerosol liquid water and its role in atmospheric chemistry, secondary aerosol formation and climate change.

Development of a low cost method to estimate the seismic signature of a geothermal field form ambient noise analysis.

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

Tibuleac, Ileana