Development of a see-through hollow cathode discharge lamp for (Li/Ne) optogalvanic studies.

PubMed

Saini, V K; Kumar, P; Sarangpani, K K; Dixit, S K; Nakhe, S V

2017-09-01

Development of a demountable and see-through hollow cathode (HC) discharge lamp suitable for optogalvanic (OG) spectroscopy is described. The design of the HC lamp is simple, compact, and inexpensive. Lithium, investigated rarely by the OG method, is selected for cathode material as its isotopes are important for nuclear industry. The HC lamp is characterized electrically and optically for discharge oscillations free OG effect. Strong OG signals of lithium as well as neon (as buffer gas) are produced precisely upon copper vapor laser pumped tunable dye laser irradiation. The HC lamp is capable of generating a clean OG resonance spectrum in the available dye laser wavelength scanning range (627.5-676 nm) obtained with 4-(Dicyanomethylene)-2-methyl-6-(4-dimethylaminostyryl)-4H-pyran dye. About 28 resonant OG lines are explicitly observed. Majority of them have been identified using j-l coupling scheme and assigned to the well-known neon transitions. One line that corresponds to wavelength near about 670.80 nm is assigned to lithium and resolved for its fine ( 2 S 1/2 → 2 P 1/2, 3/2 ) transitions. These OG transitions allow 0.33 cm -1 accuracy and can be used to supplement the OG transition data available from other sources to calibrate the wavelength of a scanning dye laser with precision at atomic levels.

Unmatched speed perceptions between overground and treadmill manual wheelchair propulsion in long-term manual wheelchair users.

PubMed

Chénier, Félix; Champagne, Audrey; Desroches, Guillaume; Gagnon, Dany H

2018-03-01

Manual wheelchair (MWC) propulsion is increasingly assessed on a motorized treadmill (TM), which is often considered more ecologically valid than stationary rollers. However, no clear consensus on the similarities between overground (OG) and TM propulsion has yet been reached. Furthermore, no study has investigated the participants' perceptions of propelling a MWC on a TM compared to OG. The present study aims to assess the perception of speed when propelling on a TM vs OG, and to relate this perception to measured spatiotemporal variables, kinetics and work. In this repeated-measures study, the propulsion's spatiotemporal variables, kinetics, and work of nineteen experienced wheelchair users with a spinal cord injury were compared between three conditions: 1) OG at a self-selected speed, 2) on a TM at a self-selected speed perceived as being similar to the OG speed (TM perceived ), and 3) on a TM at the same speed as OG (TM matched ). Each variable was compared between conditions using an analysis of variance for repeated measures. All participants selected a lower speed for TM perceived than OG, with a difference of -0.6 m/s (-44%). This adaptation may be due to a combination of two factors: 1) the absence of speed information, and 2) the feeling of urgency to grab the wheels during the recovery phase. The power output, work per cycle, and work per minute were also much lower on TM perceived than OG. However, in contrast to other work on MWC propulsion on a TM, the kinetic variables assessed were all similar between the OG and TM matched conditions. Training on a TM should be performed at a speed that matches the OG speed and not at a self-selected speed on the TM, which would reduce the power output and work and therefore reduce the efficiency of the training. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The use of the osmole gap as a screening test for the presence of exogenous substances.

PubMed

Purssell, Roy A; Lynd, Larry D; Koga, Yoshikata

2004-01-01

The rapid and accurate diagnosis of toxic alcohol poisoning due to methanol (methyl alcohol) [MeOH] and ethylene glycol (EG), is paramount in preventing serious adverse outcomes. The quantitative measurement of specific serum levels of these substances using gas chromatography is expensive, time consuming and generally only available at major tertiary-care facilities. Therefore, because these toxic substances are osmotically active and the measurement of serum osmolality is easily performed and more readily available, the presence of an osmole gap (OG) has been adopted as an alternative screening test. By definition, the OG is the difference between the measured serum osmolality determined using the freezing point depression (Osm(m)) and the calculated serum molarity (Mc), which is estimated from the known and readily measurable osmotically active substances in the serum, in particular sodium, urea, glucose, and potassium and ethanol (alcohol). Thus, the OG=Osm(m)-Mc, and an OG above a specific threshold (the threshold of positivity) suggests the presence of unmeasured osmotically active substances, which could be indicative of a toxic exposure. The objectives of this study were to review the principles of evaluating screening tests, the theory behind the OG as a screening test and the literature upon which the adoption of the OG as a screening test has been based. This review revealed that there have been numerous equations derived and proposed for the estimation of the Mc, with the objective of developing empirical evidence of the best equation for the determination of the OG and ultimately the utility of OG as a screening test. However, the methods and statistical analysis employed have generally been inconsistent with recommended guidelines for screening test evaluation and although many equations have been derived, they have not been appropriately validated. Specific evidence of the clinical utility of the OG requires that a threshold of positivity be definitively established, and the sensitivity and specificity of the OG in patients exposed to either EG or MeOH be measured. However, the majority of studies to date have only evaluated the relationship between the Osm(m) (mmol/kg H2O) and the Mc (mmol/L) in patients that have not been exposed to either MeOH or EG. While some studies have evaluated the relationship between the OG and serum ethanol concentration, these findings cannot be extrapolated to the use of the OG to screen for toxic alcohol exposure. This review shows that there has not been an appropriately designed empirical evaluation of the diagnostic utility of the OG and that its clinical utility remains hypothetical, having been theoretically extrapolated from the non-poisoned population.

Environmental and Human Health Impacts of Spreading Oil and Gas Wastewater on Roads.

PubMed

Tasker, T L; Burgos, W D; Piotrowski, P; Castillo-Meza, L; Blewett, T A; Ganow, K B; Stallworth, A; Delompré, P L M; Goss, G G; Fowler, L B; Vanden Heuvel, J P; Dorman, F; Warner, N R

2018-06-19

Thirteen states in the United States allow the spreading of O&G wastewaters on roads for deicing or dust suppression. In this study, the potential environmental and human health impacts of this practice are evaluated. Analyses of O&G wastewaters spread on roads in the northeastern, U.S. show that these wastewaters have salt, radioactivity, and organic contaminant concentrations often many times above drinking water standards. Bioassays also indicated that these wastewaters contain organic micropollutants that affected signaling pathways consistent with xenobiotic metabolism and caused toxicity to aquatic organisms like Daphnia magna. The potential toxicity of these wastewaters is a concern as lab experiments demonstrated that nearly all of the metals from these wastewaters leach from roads after rain events, likely reaching ground and surface water. Release of a known carcinogen (e.g., radium) from roads treated with O&G wastewaters has been largely ignored. In Pennsylvania from 2008 to 2014, spreading O&G wastewater on roads released over 4 times more radium to the environment (320 millicuries) than O&G wastewater treatment facilities and 200 times more radium than spill events. Currently, state-by-state regulations do not require radium analyses prior to treating roads with O&G wastewaters. Methods for reducing the potential impacts of spreading O&G wastewaters on roads are discussed.

Methanol extract of Ocimum gratissimum protects murine peritoneal macrophages from nicotine toxicity by decreasing free radical generation, lipid and protein damage and enhances antioxidant protection

PubMed Central

Mahapatra, Santanu Kar; Chakraborty, Subhankari Prasad; Das, Subhasis

2009-01-01

In the present study, methanol extract of Ocimum gratissimum Linn (ME-Og) was tested against nicotine-induced murine peritoneal macrophage in vitro. Phytochemical analysis of ME-Og shown high amount of flavonoid and phenolic compound present in it. The cytotoxic effect of ME-Og was studied in murine peritoneal macrophages at different concentrations (0.1 to 100 µg/ml) using the 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5 diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) method. To establish the protective role of ME-Og against nicotine toxicity, peritoneal macrophages from mice were treated with nicotine (10 mM), nicotine + ME-Og (1 to 25 µg/ml) for 12 h in culture media. The significantly (p < 0.05) increased super oxide anion generation, reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase activity, myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity, lipid peroxidation, protein carbonyls, oxidized glutathione levels were observed in nicotine-treated group as compared to control group; those were significantly (p < 0.05) reduced in ME-Og supplemented groups in concentration dependent manner. More over, significantly (p < 0.05) reduced antioxidant status due to nicotine exposure was effectively ameliorated by ME-Og supplementation in murine peritoneal macrophages. Among the different concentration of ME-Og, maximum protective effect was observed by 25 µg/ml, which does not produce significant cell cytotoxicity in murine peritoneal macrophages. These findings suggest the potential use and beneficial role of O. gratissimum as a modulator of nicotine-induced free radical generation, lipid-protein damage and antioxidant status in important immune cell, peritoneal macrophages. PMID:20716908

Outcome of Laparoscopic Adrenalectomy in Obese Patients.

PubMed

Paun, Diana; Petris, Rodica; Ganescu, Roxana; Paun, Sorin; Vartic, Mihaela; Beuran, Mircea

2015-09-01

To compare early morbidity of obese and nonobese patients with minimally invasive adrenalectomies. Retrospective study of a prospectively maintained database, between June 2003 - December 2012, in a universitary affiliated tertiary hospital. Selection criteria: Minimally invasive adrenalectomy. Obese patients were defined as BMI over 30 kg/m2. From 205 patient with laparoscopic adrenalectomies we counted 30 obese patients (OG), 25 of them female and only 5 men with a median age of 54,20 years versus 47,94 years for nonobese group (NOG) (p=0.008). In OG were 15 right sided tumor, 11 on the left side and 4 bilateral all treated with transperitoneal antero-lateral approach. Median operating time was 92.20 minutes for OG versus 91.13 minutes for NOG (p=0.924). In OG, 5 patients had previous abdominal surgeries and we counted 4 conversion to open surgery, 2 postoperative complications (6.6%) and no mortality. All OG patients have diverse comorbidities, 50% of them more then 3. Median specimen size was 5.92 cm for OG versus 4.85 cm for NOG (p=0.057). The histology of OG was: adenoma 11 cases, hiperplasia 13 cases and pheochromocytoma 6. In NOG we had: postoperative hospital stay was 6.57 days in OG versus 4.11 days in NOG (p=0.009). Although obese patients had a higher rate for early morbidities, the minimally invasive approach has particular benefits for them. Although postoperative hospital stay was significantly longer, we believe that advantages of minimal invasive surgery for obese patients remains valid even in a BMI over 30.

Octyl gallate reduces ATP levels and Ki67 expression leading HepG2 cells to cell cycle arrest and mitochondria-mediated apoptosis.

PubMed

Lima, Kelly Goulart; Krause, Gabriele Catyana; da Silva, Elisa Feller Gonçalves; Xavier, Léder Leal; Martins, Léo Anderson Meira; Alice, Laura Manzoli; da Luz, Luiza Bueno; Gassen, Rodrigo Benedetti; Filippi-Chiela, Eduardo Cremonese; Haute, Gabriela Viegas; Garcia, Maria Claudia Rosa; Funchal, Giselle Afonso; Pedrazza, Leonardo; Reghelin, Camille Kirinus; de Oliveira, Jarbas Rodrigues

2018-04-01

Octyl gallate (OG) is an antioxidant that has shown anti-tumor, anti-diabetic and anti-amyloidogenic activities. Mitochondria play an important role in hepatocellular carcinoma, mainly by maintaining accelerated cellular proliferation through the production of ATP. Thus, the mitochondria may be a target for antitumor therapies. Here, we investigated the effects of OG in the hepatocarcinoma cell line (HepG2) and the mechanisms involved. We report, for the first time, that treatment with OG for 24h inhibited HepG2 cell growth by decreasing mitochondrial activity and mass, which led to the reduction of ATP levels. This reduction in the energy supply triggered a decrease in Ki67 protein expression, leading cells to cycle arrest. In addition, treatment with two doses of OG for 48h induced loss of mitochondrial functionality, mitochondrial swelling and apoptosis. Finally, we report that HepG2 cells had no resistance to treatment after multiple doses. Collectively, our findings indicate that metabolic dysregulation and Ki67 protein reduction are key events in the initial anti-proliferative action of OG, whereas mitochondrial swelling and apoptosis induction are involved in the action mechanism of OG after prolonged exposure. This suggests that OG targets mitochondria, thus representing a candidate for further research on therapies for hepatocarcinoma. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Ocimum gratissimum retards breast cancer growth and progression and is a natural inhibitor of matrix metalloproteases

PubMed Central

Nangia-Makker, Pratima; Raz, Tirza; Tait, Larry; Shekhar, Malathy P.V.; Li, Hong; Balan, Vitaly; Makker, Hemanckur; Fridman, Rafael; Maddipati, Krishnarao; Raz, Avraham

2013-01-01

Ocimum genus (a.k.a holy basil or tulsi) is a dietary herb used for its multiple beneficial pharmacologic properties including anti-cancer activity. Here we show that crude extract of Ocimum gratissimum (OG) and its hydrophobic and hydrophilic fractions (HB and HL) differentially inhibit breast cancer cell chemotaxis and chemoinvasion in vitro and retard tumor growth and temporal progression of MCF10ADCIS.com xenografts, a model of human breast comedo-ductal carcinoma in situ (comedo-DCIS). OG-induced inhibition of tumor growth was associated with decreases in basement membrane disintegration, angiogenesis and MMP-2 and MMP-9 activities as confirmed by in situ gelatin zymography and cleavage of galectin-3. There was also decrease in MMP-2 and MMP-9 activities in the conditioned media of OG-treated MCF10AT1 and MCF10AT1-EIII8 premalignant human breast cancer cells as compared with control. The MMP-2 and MMP-9 inhibitory activities of OG were verified in vitro using gelatin, a synthetic fluorogenic peptide and recombinant galectin-3 as MMP substrates. Mice fed on OG-supplemented drinking water showed no adverse effects compared with control. These data suggest that OG is non-toxic and that the anti-cancer therapeutic activity of OG may in part be contributed by its MMP inhibitory activity. PMID:23380593

2-Oxoglutarate levels control adenosine nucleotide binding by Herbaspirillum seropedicae PII proteins.

PubMed

Oliveira, Marco A S; Gerhardt, Edileusa C M; Huergo, Luciano F; Souza, Emanuel M; Pedrosa, Fábio O; Chubatsu, Leda S

2015-12-01

Nitrogen metabolism in Proteobacteria is controlled by the Ntr system, in which PII proteins play a pivotal role, controlling the activity of target proteins in response to the metabolic state of the cell. Characterization of the binding of molecular effectors to these proteins can provide information about their regulation. Here, the binding of ATP, ADP and 2-oxoglutarate (2-OG) to the Herbaspirillum seropedicae PII proteins, GlnB and GlnK, was characterized using isothermal titration calorimetry. Results show that these proteins can bind three molecules of ATP, ADP and 2-OG with homotropic negative cooperativity, and 2-OG binding stabilizes the binding of ATP. Results also show that the affinity of uridylylated forms of GlnB and GlnK for nucleotides is significantly lower than that of the nonuridylylated proteins. Furthermore, fluctuations in the intracellular concentration of 2-OG in response to nitrogen availability are shown. Results suggest that under nitrogen-limiting conditions, PII proteins tend to bind ATP and 2-OG. By contrast, after an ammonium shock, a decrease in the 2-OG concentration is observed causing a decrease in the affinity of PII proteins for ATP. This phenomenon may facilitate the exchange of ATP for ADP on the ligand-binding pocket of PII proteins, thus it is likely that under low ammonium, low 2-OG levels would favor the ADP-bound state. © 2015 FEBS.

Medical abortions performed by specialists in private practice.

PubMed

Pay, Aase Serine Devold; Aabø, Runa Sigrid; Økland, Inger; Janbu, Torunn; Iversen, Ole-Erik; Løkeland, Mette

2018-05-29

I Norge utføres abort kun i offentlige sykehus. I 2010 besluttet Helse- og omsorgsdepartementet å iverksette et toårig prøveprosjekt som ga avtalespesialister i fødselshjelp og kvinnesykdommer adgang til å tilby medikamentell abort før utgangen av 9. svangerskapsuke. Prøveprosjektet ble igangsatt 1.3.2015 og varte til 31.3.2017. I denne artikkelen presenterer vi de første erfaringene, herunder hvordan behandlingstilbudet ble mottatt av kvinnene. Gravide med en svangerskapsvarighet < 63 dager ultrasonografisk vurdert, som oppsøkte avtalespesialist for medikamentell abort, ble fortløpende inkludert i prosjektet (n = 476). Kvinnene inntok 200 mg mifepriston peroralt på legekontoret, 36-48 timer senere satte de selv 800 µg misoprostol vaginalt hjemme. Informasjon ble innhentet ved spørreskjema på den første konsultasjonen, under aborten og ved etterkontrollen 2-4 uker etter aborten. Under aborten rapporterte 66 % (296/450) moderat eller sterk smerte og 79 % (358/451) moderat eller sterk blødning. De fleste opplevde det som trygt å være hjemme. 96 % (390/406) ville valgt medikamentell abort hos avtalespesialist ved en eventuell senere abort, og 97 % (392/405) ville anbefalt behandlingstilbudet til andre i samme situasjon. Kvinnene i studien opplevde abortbehandling hos avtalespesialist som trygt. Tilbudet gir større valgfrihet til gravide som ønsker abort, og pasientene er tilfredse.

Operational Group Sandy technical progress report

USGS Publications Warehouse

,

2013-01-01

This report documents results from the March 2013 deployment of the OGS. It includes background information on Hurricane Sandy and the federal response; the OGS methodology; scenarios for Hurricane Sandy’s impact on coastal communities and urban ecosystems; potential interventions to improve regional resilience to future major storms; a discussion of scenario results; and lessons learned about the OGS process.

The opposite roles of agdA and glaA on citric acid production in Aspergillus niger.

PubMed

Wang, Lu; Cao, Zhanglei; Hou, Li; Yin, Liuhua; Wang, Dawei; Gao, Qiang; Wu, Zhenqiang; Wang, Depei

2016-07-01

Citric acid is produced by an industrial-scale process of fermentation using Aspergillus niger as a microbial cell factory. However, citric acid production was hindered by the non-fermentable isomaltose and insufficient saccharification ability in A. niger when liquefied corn starch was used as a raw material. In this study, A. niger TNA 101ΔagdA was constructed by deletion of the α-glucosidase-encoding agdA gene in A. niger CGMCC 10142 genome using Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation. The transformants A. niger OG 1, OG 17, and OG 31 then underwent overexpression of glucoamylase in A. niger TNA 101ΔagdA. The results showed that the α-glucosidase activity of TNA 101ΔagdA was decreased by 62.5 % compared with CGMCC 10142, and isomaltose was almost undetectable in the fermentation broth. The glucoamylase activity of the transformants OG 1 and OG 17 increased by 34.5 and 16.89 % compared with that of TNA 101ΔagdA, respectively. In addition, for the recombinants TNA 101ΔagdA, OG 1 and OG 17, there were no apparent defects in the growth development. Consequently, in comparison with CGMCC 10142, TNA 101ΔagdA and OG 1 decreased the residual reducing sugar by 52.95 and 88.24 %, respectively, and correspondingly increased citric acid production at the end of fermentation by 8.68 and 16.87 %. Citric acid production was further improved by decreasing the non-fermentable residual sugar and increasing utilization rate of corn starch material in A. niger. Besides, the successive saccharification and citric acid fermentation processes were successfully integrated into one step.

Oxygen Generator System Mars In-Situ Propellant Production Precursor Flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sridhar, K. R.; Gottmann, M.; Baird, R. S.

1999-01-01

The 2001 Lander to Mars will carry the first ever ISRU payload to Mars. This payload, the Mars In-situ Propellant production Precursor (MIP), will demonstrate a variety of technologies that will be required for future ISRU Mars indigenous material processing plant designs. One of those technologies is that of extracting oxygen from the predominantly carbon dioxide atmosphere of Mars, a prerequisite for future sample return and human missions to Mars. The Oxygen Generator Subsystem (OGS) portion of the MIP will demonstrate this and is the focus of this paper. The primary objective of the OGS is to demonstrate the production of oxygen from Mars atmospheric gases. Secondary objectives are to measure the performance and reliability of oxygen generation hardware in actual mission environments over an extended time. Major constraints on the OGS design came from several sources. The Lander provides power to the system from solar power that is harnessed by photovoltaic arrays. This limited OGS to daytime only operations (six to eight hours) and a maximum power of 15W. The reliance on solar power necessitated thermal cycling of the OGS between Mars ambient and OGS operating temperatures. The Lander also limited the total mass of the MIP payload to 7.5 kg with a correspondingly small volume, and the OGS was one of six experiments in the MIP. Mass and volume were to be minimized. Another constraint was cost. Mission funding, as always, was tight. Cost was to be minimized. In short the OGS design had to be low power (<15 Watts), low mass (1 kg), low volume, low cost, and be capable of cyclical operations for an extended stay on Mars. After extensive research, a zirconia based solid oxide electrolyzer design was selected.

Oxygen Generator System Mars In-Situ Propellant Production Precursor Flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sridhar, K. R.; Gottmann, M.; Baird, R. S.

1999-01-01

The 2001 Lander to Mars will carry the first ever In situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) payload to Mars. This payload, the Mars In-situ Propellant production Precursor (MIP), will demonstrate a variety of technologies that will be required for future ISRU Mars indigenous material processing plant designs. One of those technologies is that of extracting oxygen from the predominantly carbon dioxide atmosphere of Mars, a prerequisite for future sample return and human missions to Mars. The Oxygen Generator Subsystem (OGS) portion of the MIP will demonstrate this and is the focus of this paper. The primary objective of the OGS is to demonstrate the production of oxygen from Mars atmospheric gases. Secondary objectives are to measure the performance and reliability of oxygen generation hardware in actual mission environments over an extended time. Major constraints on the OGS design came from several sources. The Lander provides power to the system from solar power that is harnessed by photovoltaic arrays. This limited OGS to daytime only operations (six to eight hours) and a maximum power of 15W. The reliance on solar power necessitated thermal cycling of the OGS between Mars ambient and OGS operating temperatures. The Lander also limited the total mass of the MIP payload to 7.5 kg with a correspondingly small volume, and the OGS was one of six experiments in the MIP Mass and volume were to be minimized. Another constraint was cost. Mission funding, as always, was tight. Cost was to be minimized. In short the OGS design had to be low power (<15 Watts), low mass (1 kg), low volume, low cost, and be capable of cyclical operations for an extended stay on Mars. After extensive research, a zirconia based solid oxide electrolyzer design was selected.

Distribution of the P2X2 receptor and chemical coding in ileal enteric neurons of obese male mice (ob/ob)

PubMed Central

Mizuno, Márcia Sanae; Crisma, Amanda Rabello; Borelli, Primavera; Schäfer, Bárbara Tavares; Silveira, Mariana Póvoa; Castelucci, Patricia

2014-01-01

AIM: To investigate the colocalization, density and profile of neuronal areas of enteric neurons in the ileum of male obese mice. METHODS: The small intestinal samples of male mice in an obese group (OG) (C57BL/6J ob/ob) and a control group (CG) (+/+) were used. The tissues were analyzed using a double immunostaining technique for immunoreactivity (ir) of the P2X2 receptor, nitric oxide synthase (NOS), choline acetyl transferase (ChAT) and calretinin (Calr). Also, we investigated the density and profile of neuronal areas of the NOS-, ChAT- and Calr-ir neurons in the myenteric plexus. Myenteric neurons were labeled using an NADH-diaphorase histochemical staining method. RESULTS: The analysis demonstrated that the P2X2 receptor was expressed in the cytoplasm and in the nuclear and cytoplasmic membranes only in the CG. Neuronal density values (neuron/cm2) decreased 31% (CG: 6579 ± 837; OG: 4556 ± 407) and 16.5% (CG: 7796 ± 528; OG: 6513 ± 610) in the NOS-ir and calretinin-ir neurons in the OG, respectively (P < 0.05). Density of ChAT-ir (CG: 6200 ± 310; OG: 8125 ± 749) neurons significantly increased 31% in the OG (P < 0.05). Neuron size studies demonstrated that NOS, ChAT, and Calr-ir neurons did not differ significantly between the CG and OG groups. The examination of NADH-diaphorase-positive myenteric neurons revealed an overall similarity between the OG and CG. CONCLUSION: Obesity may exert its effects by promoting a decrease in P2X2 receptor expression and modifications in the density of the NOS-ir, ChAT-ir and CalR-ir myenteric neurons. PMID:25320527

Foot-Ground Reaction Force During Resistance Exercise in Parabolic Flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, Stuart M. C.; Cobb, Kendall; Loehr, James A.; Nguyen, Daniel; Schneider, Suzanne M.

2003-01-01

An interim Resistance Exercise Device (iRED) was designed to provide resistive exercise as a countermeasure to space flight-induced loss of muscle strength and endurance as well as decreased bone mineral density. The purpose of this project was to compare foot-ground reaction force during iRED exercise in normal gravity (l-g) versus micro gravity (O-g) achieved during parabolic flight. METHODS: Four subjects performed three exercises using the iRED (squat, heel raise, and deadlift) during I-g and O-g at a moderate intensity (60% of maximum strength during deadlift exercise). Foot-ground reaction force was measured in three axes (x,y,z) using a force plate, and the magnitude of the resultant force vector was calculated (r = X 2 + y2 + Z2 ). Range of motion (ROM) was measured using a linear encoder. Peak force (PkF) and total work (TW) were calculated using a customized computer program. Paired t-tests were used to test if significant differences (p.::::0.05) were observed between I-g and O-g exercise. RESULTS: PkF and TW measured in the resultant axis were significantly less in O-g for each of the exercises tested. During O-g, PkF was 42-46% and TW was 33- 37% of that measured during I-g. ROM and average time to complete each repetition were not different from I-g to O-g. CONCLUSIONS: When performing exercises in which body mass is a portion of the resistance during I-g, PkF and TW measured during resistive exercise were reduced approximately 60-70% during O-g. Thus, a resistive exercise device during O-g will be required to provided higher resistances to induce a similar training stimulus to that on Earth.

Detection of induced seismicity due to oil and gas extraction in the northern Gulf of Mexico, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fadugba, Oluwaseun Idowu

Drilling operations and extraction of oil and gas (O&G) may lead to subsurface slumping or compression of sediments due to reduced vertical principal stress which may lead to small earthquakes at the drilling site. O&G extraction is common in the northern Gulf of Mexico (NGM) and only thirty-five earthquakes of magnitudes between 2.3 and 6.0 have been recorded in the area from 1974 to the present. The purpose of this research is to detect more earthquakes using stacks of seismic data from the Transportable USArray (TA) from 2011 to 2013, and determine the spatiotemporal relationship between the detected earthquakes and O&G extraction. Five new small offshore earthquakes, that may be associated with the offshore O&G production, have been detected in the data. Spatial correlation of the epicenters with offshore drilling sites shows that the earthquakes may be due to the O&G extraction.

IMPACT OF DEFICIENT NUTRITION IN BONE MASS AFTER BARIATRIC SURGERY.

PubMed

Costa, Tatiana Munhoz da Rocha Lemos; Paganoto, Mariana; Radominski, Rosana Bento; Borba, Victoria Zeghbi Cochenski

2016-03-01

Essential nutrients are considered for the prevention of the bone loss that occurs after bariatric surgery. Evaluate nutrients involved in bone metabolism, and relate to serum concentrations of calcium, vitamin D, and parathyroid hormone, and the use of supplements and sun exposure on the bone mass of patients who had undergone gastric bypass surgery. An observational study, with patients who had undergone the surgery 12 or more months previously, operated group (OG), compared to a control group (CG). Were included 56 in OG and 27 in the CG. The mean age was 36.4±8.5 years. The individuals in the OG, compared to CG, consumed inadequate amounts of protein and daily calcium. The OG had a higher prevalence of low sun exposure, lower levels of 25OH Vitamin D (21.3±10.9 vs. 32.1±11.8 ng/dl), and increased serum levels of parathyroid hormone (68.1±32.9 vs. 39.9±11.9 pg/ml, p<0.001). Secondary hyperparathyroidism was present only in the OG (41.7%). The mean lumbar spine bone mineral density was lower in the OG. Four individuals from the OG had low bone mineral density for chronological age, and no one from the CG. The dietary components that affect bone mass in patients undergoing bariatric surgery were inadequate. The supplementation was insufficient and the sun exposure was low. These changes were accompanied by secondary hyperparathyroidism and a high prevalence of low bone mass in lumbar spine in these subjects.

Extensive Copy Number Variations in Admixed Indian Population of African Ancestry: Potential Involvement in Adaptation

PubMed Central

Dash, Debasis; Mukerji, Mitali

2014-01-01

Admixture mapping has been enormously resourceful in identifying genetic variations linked to phenotypes, adaptation, and diseases. In this study through analysis of copy number variable regions (CNVRs), we report extensive restructuring in the genomes of the recently admixed African-Indian population (OG-W-IP) that inhabits a highly saline environment in Western India. The study included subjects from OG-W-IP (OG), five different Indian and three HapMap populations that were genotyped using Affymetrix version 6.0 arrays. Copy number variations (CNVs) detected using Birdsuite were used to define CNVRs. Population structure with respect to CNVRs was delineated using random forest approach. OG genomes have a surprising excess of CNVs in comparison to other studied populations. Individual ancestry proportions computed using STRUCTURE also reveals a unique genetic component in OGs. Population structure analysis with CNV genotypes indicates OG to be distant from both the African and Indian ancestral populations. Interestingly, it shows genetic proximity with respect to CNVs to only one Indian population IE-W-LP4, which also happens to reside in the same geographical region. We also observe a significant enrichment of molecular processes related to ion binding and receptor activity in genes encompassing OG-specific CNVRs. Our results suggest that retention of CNVRs from ancestral natives and de novo acquisition of CNVRs could accelerate the process of adaptation especially in an extreme environment. Additionally, this population would be enormously useful for dissecting genes and delineating the involvement of CNVs in salt adaptation. PMID:25398783

Effects of feeding an immunomodulatory supplement to heat-stressed or actively cooled cows during late gestation on postnatal immunity, health, and growth of calves.

PubMed

Skibiel, Amy L; Fabris, Thiago F; Corrá, Fabiana N; Torres, Yazielis M; McLean, Derek J; Chapman, James D; Kirk, David J; Dahl, Geoffrey E; Laporta, Jimena

2017-09-01

Heat stress during late gestation negatively affects the physiology, health, and productivity of dairy cows as well as the calves developing in utero. Providing cows with active cooling devices, such as fans and soakers, and supplementing cows with an immunomodulating feed additive, OmniGen-AF (OG; Phibro Animal Health Corporation), improves immune function and milk yield of cows. It is unknown if maternal supplementation of OG combined with active cooling during late gestation might benefit the developing calf as well. Herein we evaluated markers of innate immune function, including immune cell counts, acute phase proteins, and neutrophil function, of calves born to multiparous dams in a 2 × 2 factorial design. Dams were supplemented with OG or a bentonite control (NO) beginning at 60 d before dry off and exposed to heat stress with cooling (CL) or without active cooling (HT) during the dry period (∼46 d). At birth, calves were separated from their dams and fed 6.6 L of their dams' colostrum in 2 meals. Calf body weight and rectal temperature were recorded, and blood samples were collected at birth (before colostrum feeding) and at 10, 28, and 49 d of age. Calves born to either CL dams or OG dams were heavier at birth than calves born to HT or NO dams, respectively. Concentrations of serum amyloid A were higher in the blood of calves born to OG dams relative to NO and for HT calves relative to CL calves. In addition, calves born to cooled OG dams had greater concentrations of plasma haptoglobin than calves born to cooled control dams. Neutrophil function at 10 d of age was enhanced in calves born to cooled OG dams and lymphocyte counts were higher in calves born to OG dams. Together these results suggest that adding OG to maternal feed in combination with active cooling of cows during late gestation is effective in mitigating the negative effects of in utero heat stress on postnatal calf growth and immune competence. Copyright © 2017 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Elderly patients with colorectal cancer: treatment modalities and survival in France. National data from the ThInDiT cohort study.

PubMed

Doat, S; Thiébaut, A; Samson, S; Ricordeau, P; Guillemot, D; Mitry, E

2014-05-01

Few data exist on how elderly patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) are actually treated in real-life practice. Based on a national cohort, we analysed routine treatment modalities of the elderly who were diagnosed with CRC in France in 2009. The characteristics of patients and tumours and the cancer treatments received during the first year of all national incident cases of CRC diagnosed between 1st April and 31st December 2009, were compared between a 'younger group' (YG), under 75 years of age (N = 18,410 patients), and an 'older group' (OG), aged 75 and over (N = 13,255 patients). In the OG with metastases at baseline, we analysed two-year overall survival (OS) according to the treatment received (e.g. chemotherapy, surgery) and well-known prognostic factors. Among patients with localised CRC (N = 25,353), surgery was equally performed in both groups in more than 80% of the cases (p=0.52); time to surgery was shorter in the OG (8 versus 23 days) because there was more emergency surgery for occlusion among the OG. Adjuvant chemotherapy was performed in 15% of the OG (versus 29% in the YG) and consisted of 5-fluorouracil (5FU) monotherapy in more than 50% of OG patients. Among patients with metastatic CRC (N = 6,312), palliative chemotherapy was given to 48% of the OG versus 85% of the YG. Chemotherapy regimens included 30% monotherapy with 5FU, 30% oxaliplatin combination and 20% bevacizumab combination in the OG; compared to 10%, 34% and 35%, respectively, in the YG. The median OS for the OG was 8.4 months (versus 22.3 months in the YG) and 17.1 months among elderly patients who received chemotherapy. CRC is more frequently complicated at diagnosis among elderly patients. Adjuvant and palliative chemotherapy is less frequently prescribed among elderly patients. This could be explained by the fact that unfit elderly patients do not deserve chemotherapy, but certainly also reflect the fact that some fit elderly patients are undertreated. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Development of a liposome microbicide formulation for vaginal delivery of octylglycerol for HIV prevention

PubMed Central

Wang, Lin; Sassi, Alexandra Beumer; Patton, Dorothy; Isaacs, Charles; Moncla, B. J.; Gupta, Phalguni; Rohan, Lisa Cencia

2015-01-01

The feasibility of using a liposome drug delivery system to formulate octylglycerol (OG) as a vaginal microbicide product was explored. A liposome formulation was developed containing 1% OG and phosphatidyl choline in a ratio that demonstrated in vitro activity against Neisseria gonorrhoeae, HSV-1, HSV-2 and HIV-1 while sparing the innate vaginal flora, Lactobacillus. Two conventional gel formulations were prepared for comparison. The OG liposome formulation with the appropriate OG/lipid ratio and dosing level had greater efficacy than either conventional gel formulation and maintained this efficacy for at least 2 months. No toxicity was observed for the liposome formulation in ex vivo testing in a human ectocervical tissue model or in vivo testing in the macaque safety model. Furthermore, minimal toxicity was observed to lactobacilli in vitro or in vivo safety testing. The OG liposome formulation offers a promising microbicide product with efficacy against HSV, HIV and N. gonorrhoeae. PMID:22149387

OGS Hydrogen Sensor ORU R&R

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-04-18

ISS030-E-236919 (18 April 2012) --- NASA astronaut Dan Burbank, Expedition 30 commander, works with the Oxygen Generator System (OGS) rack in the Tranquility node of the International Space Station. Burbank unpowered the OGS, purged the hydrogen sensor Orbital Replacement Unit (ORU) with the Hydrogen Sensor ORU Purge Adapter (HOPA) for return to Earth, and replaced the hydrogen sensor with a new spare, then cleaned the rack Avionics Air Assembly (AAA).

Decolorization of azo dyes Orange G using hydrodynamic cavitation coupled with heterogeneous Fenton process.

PubMed

Cai, Meiqiang; Su, Jie; Zhu, Yizu; Wei, Xiaoqing; Jin, Micong; Zhang, Haojie; Dong, Chunying; Wei, Zongsu

2016-01-01

The present work demonstrates the application of the combination of hydrodynamic cavitation (HC) and the heterogeneous Fenton process (HF, Fe(0)/H2O2) for the decolorization of azo dye Orange G (OG). The effects of main affecting operation conditions such as the inlet fluid pressure, initial concentration of OG, H2O2 and zero valent iron (ZVI), the fixed position of ZVI, and medium pH on decolorization efficiency were discussed with guidelines for selection of optimum parameters. The results revealed that the acidic conditions are preferred for OG decolorizaiton. The decolorization rate increased with increasing H2O2 and ZVI concentration and decreased with increasing OG initial concentration. Besides, the decolorization rate was strongly dependent on the fixed position of ZVI. The analysis results of degradation products using liquid chromatography-ESI-TOF mass spectrometry revealed that the degradation mechanism of OG proceeds mainly via reductive cleavage of the azo linkage due to the attack of hydroxyl radical. The present work has conclusively established that the combination of HC and HF can be more energy efficient and gives higher decolorization rate of OG as compared with HC and HF alone. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Ultrasound enhanced activation of peroxydisulfate by activated carbon fiber for decolorization of azo dye.

PubMed

Huang, Tianyin; Zhang, Ke; Qian, Yajie; Fang, Cong; Chen, Jiabin

2018-02-20

Activated carbon fiber (ACF) has become an emerging activator for peroxydisulfate (PDS) to generate sulfate radical (SO 4 •- ). However, the relative low activation efficiency and poor contaminant mineralization limited its widespread application. Herein, ultrasound (US) was introduced to the ACF activated PDS system, and the synergistic effect of US and ACF in PDS activation and the enhancement of contaminant mineralization were investigated. The synergistic effect of US and ACF was observed in the PDS activation to decolorize orange G (OG). The decolorization efficiency increased with increasing ACF loading and US power, and PDS/OG ratio from 1 to 40. The activation energy was determined to be 24.065 kJ/mol. The radical-induced decolorization of OG took place on the surface of ACF, and both SO 4 •- and hydroxyl radical ( • OH) contributed to OG decolorization. The azo bond and naphthalene ring on OG were destructed to other aromatic intermediates and finally mineralized to CO 2 and H 2 O. The introduction of US in the ACF/PDS system significantly enhanced the mineralization of OG. The combination of US and PDS was highly efficient to activate PDS to decolorize azo dyes. Moreover, the introduction of US remarkably improved the contaminant mineralization.

Enhanced degradation of Orange G by permanganate with the employment of iron anode.

PubMed

Bu, Lingjun; Shi, Zhou; Zhou, Shiqing

2017-01-01

Iron anode was employed to enhance the degradation of Orange G (OG) by permanganate (EC/KMnO 4 ). Continuously generated Fe 2+ from iron anode facilitated the formation of fresh MnO 2 , which plays a role in catalyzing permanganate oxidation. The EC/KMnO 4 system also showed a better performance to remove OG than Fe 2+ /KMnO 4 , indicating the importance of in situ formed fresh MnO 2 . Besides, the effects of applied current, KMnO 4 dosage, solution pH, and natural organics were evaluated and results demonstrated that high current and oxidant dosage are favorable for OG removal. And the application of iron anode has a promoting effect on the KMnO 4 oxidation over a wide pH range (5.0-9.0), while the Fe 2+ /KMnO 4 process does not. For natural organics, its presence could inhibit OG removal due to its competitive role. And the promoting effect of OG removal by the EC/KMnO 4 process in natural water was confirmed. At last, the EC/KMnO 4 process showed a satisfying performance on the decolorization and mineralization of OG. This study provides a potential technology to enhance permanganate oxidation and broadens the knowledge of azo dye removal.

Outcomes following neonatal cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

PubMed

Boldingh, Anne Marthe; Solevåg, Anne Lee; Nakstad, Britt

2018-05-29

Hjerte-lunge-redning av et kritisk sykt barn ved fødsel kan føre til overlevelse eller død. De som overlever kan utvikle komplikasjoner direkte etter fødsel eller senere i småbarns- og skolealder. Hypoksisk iskemisk encefalopati er en tilstand med nevrologiske symptomer hos den nyfødte etter hypoksi ved fødsel. Tilstanden klassifiseres som mild, moderat eller alvorlig. Vi ønsket å gi en oversikt over kort- og langtidsutfall etter hjerte-lunge-redning ved fødsel. Vi søkte i databasen Medline for utfall etter hjerte-lunge-redning ved fødsel. Vi identifiserte 15 indekserte, fagfellevurderte originalartikler og to metaanalyser om utfall etter hjerte-lunge-redning ved fødsel eller fødselsasfyksi. Hypoksisk iskemisk encefalopati rammer generelt 38 % av pasientene i mild til moderat grad og 23 % i alvorlig grad. Dødeligheten varierte fra 10 % i høy- til 28 % i lavinntektsland. Overlevende utvikler ofte motoriske, kognitive og sensoriske utviklingshemninger. I noen tilfeller blir det først avdekket ved skolestart når mer komplekse ferdigheter kreves. Funksjonshemning ved skolealder er sterkt korrelert til tilstanden i småbarnsalder. Endringer i algoritmene ved hjerte-lunge-redning og rutinebehandling med hypotermi har redusert risikoen for alvorlige følgetilstander etter hypoksisk iskemisk encefalopati.

Anxiolytic effects of orcinol glucoside and orcinol monohydrate in mice.

PubMed

Wang, Xiaohong; Li, Guiyun; Li, Peng; Huang, Linyuan; Huang, Jianmei; Zhai, Haifeng

2015-06-01

Anxiety is a common psychological disorder, often occurring in combination with depression, but therapeutic drugs with high efficacy and safety are lacking. Orcinol glucoside (OG) was recently found to have an antidepressive action. To study the therapeutic potential of OG and orcinol monohydrate (OM) as anxiolytic agents. Anxiolytic effects in mice were measured using the elevated plus-maze, hole-board, and open-field tests. Eight groups of mice were included in each test. Thirty minutes before each test, mice in each group received one oral administration of OG (5, 10, or 20 mg/kg), OM (2.5, 5, or 10 mg/kg), the positive control diazepam (1 or 5 mg/kg), or control vehicle. Each mouse underwent only one test. Uptake of orcinol (5 mg/kg) in the brain was qualitatively detected using the HPLC-MS method. OG (5, 10, and 20 mg/kg) and OM (2.5 and 5 mg/kg) increased the time spent in open arms and the number of entries into open arms in the elevated plus-maze test. OG (5 and 10 mg/kg) and OM (2.5 and 5 mg/kg) increased the number of head-dips in the hole-board test. At all tested doses, OG and OM did not significantly affect the locomotion of mice in the open-field test. Orcinol could be detected in the mouse brain homogenates 30 min after oral OM administration, having confirmed that OM is centrally active. The results demonstrated that OG and OM are anxiolytic agents without sedative effects, indicating their therapeutic potential for anxiety.

Validation of the American Board of Orthodontics Objective Grading System for assessing the treatment outcomes of Chinese patients.

PubMed

Song, Guang-Ying; Baumrind, Sheldon; Zhao, Zhi-He; Ding, Yin; Bai, Yu-Xing; Wang, Lin; He, Hong; Shen, Gang; Li, Wei-Ran; Wu, Wei-Zi; Ren, Chong; Weng, Xuan-Rong; Geng, Zhi; Xu, Tian-Min

2013-09-01

Orthodontics in China has developed rapidly, but there is no standard index of treatment outcomes. We assessed the validity of the American Board of Orthodontics Objective Grading System (ABO-OGS) for the classification of treatment outcomes in Chinese patients. We randomly selected 108 patients who completed treatment between July 2005 and September 2008 in 6 orthodontic treatment centers across China. Sixty-nine experienced Chinese orthodontists made subjective assessments of the end-of-treatment casts for each patient. Three examiners then used the ABO-OGS to measure the casts. Pearson correlation analysis and receiver operating characteristic curve analysis were conducted to evaluate the correspondence between the ABO-OGS cast measurements and the orthodontists' subjective assessments. The average subjective grading scores were highly correlated with the ABO-OGS scores (r = 0.7042). Four of the 7 study cast components of the ABO-OGS score-occlusal relationship, overjet, interproximal contact, and alignment-were statistically significantly correlated with the judges' subjective assessments. Together, these 4 accounted for 58% of the variability in the average subjective grading scores. The ABO-OGS cutoff score for cases that the judges deemed satisfactory was 16 points; the corresponding cutoff score for cases that the judges considered acceptable was 21 points. The ABO-OGS is a valid index for the assessment of treatment outcomes in Chinese patients. By comparing the objective scores on this modification of the ABO-OGS with the mean subjective assessment of a panel of highly qualified Chinese orthodontists, a cutoff point for satisfactory treatment outcome was defined as 16 points or fewer, with scores of 16 to 21 points denoting less than satisfactory but still acceptable treatment. Cases that scored greater than 21 points were considered unacceptable. Copyright © 2013 American Association of Orthodontists. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

A fast visual evoked potential method for functional assessment and follow-up of childhood optic gliomas.

PubMed

Trisciuzzi, Maria Teresa S; Riccardi, Riccardo; Piccardi, Marco; Iarossi, Giancarlo; Buzzonetti, Luca; Dickmann, Anna; Colosimo, Cesare; Ruggiero, Antonio; Di Rocco, Concezio; Falsini, Benedetto

2004-01-01

To evaluate a fast technique of visual evoked potentials (VEPs) recording, in response to steady-state luminance stimuli (SS-LVEPs), for functional assessment and follow-up of childhood optic gliomas (OGs). Eighteen OG patients (age range: 3.5-18 years), with different degrees of optic pathway damage severity, were examined. Sixteen age-matched normal subjects served as controls. Ten of the 18 OG patients were re-tested 1-3 months after the first examination. SS-LVEPs were elicited by a sinusoidally-modulated flickering (8 Hz) uniform field, generated by a light emitting diode (LED)-array and presented monocularly in a mini-ganzfeld. Amplitude and phase of the Fourier-analyzed response fundamental (1F) and second harmonic (2F) were measured. The full VEP protocol had a median duration of 6 min (range: 4-12). When compared to normal control values, median 1F and 2F SS-LVEP amplitudes of OG patients were reduced (P<0.01), with a borderline increase in 2F phase lag (P<0.05). In 11 OG patients with asymmetric optic pathway damage in between-eye comparisons, median 1F amplitude losses were greater (P<0.01) in fellow eyes with more severe damage. No significant interocular difference was observed in control subjects. Median test-retest changes of 1F and 2F component were <20% and 30 degrees for amplitude and phase, respectively. In individual OG patients, 1F and 2F amplitudes were positively correlated (P<0.01) with visual acuity. 1F amplitude losses were correlated (P=0.01) with the severity of optic disc atrophy. Considering both 1F and 2F abnormalities, diagnostic sensitivity of SS-LVEP in detecting OG-induced optic pathways damage was 83.3%. The present findings support the use of this technique, as an alternative to pattern VEPs, for functional assessment and follow-up of OG in uncooperative children.

OGS improvements in 2012 in running the Northeastern Italy Seismic Network: the Ferrara VBB borehole seismic station

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pesaresi, Damiano; Romanelli, Marco; Barnaba, Carla; Bragato, Pier Luigi; Durì, Giorgio

2013-04-01

The Centro di Ricerche Sismologiche (CRS, Seismological Research Center) of the Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e di Geofisica Sperimentale (OGS, Italian National Institute for Oceanography and Experimental Geophysics) in Udine (Italy) after the strong earthquake of magnitude M=6.4 occurred in 1976 in the Italian Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, started to operate the Northeastern Italy Seismic Network: it currently consists of 17 very sensitive broad band and 18 simpler short period seismic stations, all telemetered to and acquired in real time at the OGS-CRS data center in Udine. Real time data exchange agreements in place with other Italian, Slovenian, Austrian and Swiss seismological institutes lead to a total number of about 100 seismic stations acquired in real time, which makes the OGS the reference institute for seismic monitoring of Northeastern Italy. The southwestern edge of the OGS seismic network stands on the Po alluvial basin: earthquake localization and characterization in this area is affected by the presence of soft alluvial deposits. OGS ha already experience in running a local seismic network in high noise conditions making use of borehole installations in the case of the micro-seismicity monitoring of a local gas storage site for a private company. Following the ML=5.9 earthquake that struck the Emilia region around Ferrara in Northern Italy on May 20, 2012 at 02:03:53 UTC, a cooperation of Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, OGS, the Comune di Ferrara and the University of Ferrara lead to the reinstallation of a previously existing very broad band (VBB) borehole seismic station in Ferrara. The aim of the OGS intervention was on one hand to extend its real time seismic monitoring capabilities toward South-West, including Ferrara and its surroundings, and on the other hand to evaluate the seismic response at the site. We will describe improvements in running the Northeastern Italy Seismic Network, including details of the Ferrara VBB borehole station configuration and installation, with first results.

Comparison of long-term results between laparoscopy-assisted gastrectomy and open gastrectomy with D2 lymph node dissection for advanced gastric cancer.

PubMed

Hamabe, Atsushi; Omori, Takeshi; Tanaka, Koji; Nishida, Toshirou

2012-06-01

Laparoscopy-assisted gastrectomy (LAG) has been established as a low-invasive surgery for early gastric cancer. However, it remains unknown whether it is applicable also for advanced gastric cancer, mainly because the long-term results of LAG with D2 lymph node dissection for advanced gastric cancer have not been well validated compared with open gastrectomy (OG). A retrospective cohort study was performed to compare LAG and OG with D2 lymph node dissection. For this study, 167 patients (66 LAG and 101 OG patients) who underwent gastrectomy with D2 lymph node dissection for advanced gastric cancer were reviewed. Recurrence-free survival and overall survival time were estimated using Kaplan-Meier curves. Stratified log-rank statistical evaluation was used to compare the difference between the LAG and OG groups stratified by histologic type, pathologic T status, N status, and postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy. The adjusted Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to calculate the hazard ratios (HRs) of LAG. The 5-year recurrence-free survival rate was 89.6% in the LAG group and 75.8% in the OG group (nonsignificant difference; stratified log-rank statistic, 3.11; P = 0.0777). The adjusted HR of recurrence for LAG compared with OG was 0.389 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.131-1.151]. The 5-year overall survival rate was 94.4% in the LAG group and 78.5% in the OG group (nonsignificant difference; stratified log-rank statistic, 0.4817; P = 0.4877). The adjusted HR of death for LAG compared with OG was 0.633 (95% CI 0.172-2.325). The findings show that LAG with D2 lymph node dissection is acceptable in terms of long-term results for advanced gastric cancer cases and may be applicable for advanced gastric cancer treatment.

Comparing Top-down and Bottom-up Estimates of Methane Emissions across Multiple U.S. Basins Provides Insights into National Oil and Gas Emissions and Mitigation Strategies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamburg, S.; Alvarez, R.; Lyon, D. R.; Zavala-Araiza, D.

2016-12-01

Several recent studies quantified regional methane emissions in U.S. oil and gas (O&G) basins using top-down approaches such as airborne mass balance measurements. These studies apportioned total methane emissions to O&G based on hydrocarbon ratios or subtracting bottom-up estimates of other sources. In most studies, top-down estimates of O&G methane emissions exceeded bottom-up emission inventories. An exception is the Barnett Shale Coordinated Campaign, which found agreement between aircraft mass balance estimates and a custom emission inventory. Reconciliation of Barnett Shale O&G emissions depended on two key features: 1) matching the spatial domains of top-down and bottom-up estimates, and 2) accounting for fat-tail sources in site-level emission factors. We construct spatially explicit custom emission inventories for domains with top-down O&G emission estimates in eight major U.S. oil and gas production basins using a variety of data sources including a spatially-allocated U.S. EPA Greenhouse Gas Inventory, the EPA Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program, state emission inventories, and recently published measurement studies. A comparison of top-down and our bottom-up estimates of O&G emissions constrains the gap between these approaches and elucidates regional variability in production-normalized loss rates. A comparison of component-level and site-level emission estimates of production sites in the Barnett Shale region - where comprehensive activity data and emissions estimates are available - indicates that abnormal process conditions contribute about 20% of regional O&G emissions. Combining these two analyses provides insights into the relative importance of different equipment, processes, and malfunctions to emissions in each basin. These data allow us to estimate the U.S. O&G supply chain loss rate, recommend mitigation strategies to reduce emissions from existing infrastructure, and discuss how a similar approach can be applied internationally.

An evaluation of an immunomodulatory feed ingredient in heat-stressed lactating Holstein cows: Effects on hormonal, physiological, and production responses.

PubMed

Hall, L W; Villar, F; Chapman, J D; McLean, D J; Long, N M; Xiao, Y; Collier, J L; Collier, R J

2018-06-06

Holstein cows (n = 30) were balanced by days in milk, milk production, and parity (91 ± 5.9 d in milk, 36.2 ± 2.5 kg/d, and 3.1 ± 1.4, respectively) and fed OmniGen-AF (OG; Phibro Animal Health, Teaneck, NJ), an immune stimulant, at 0 g/cow per d for control (CON) or 56 g/cow per d for OG for 52 d on a commercial dairy. At 52 d of the study cows were randomly selected (n = 12) from both groups (6 OG and 6 CON) and housed in environmentally controlled rooms at the Agricultural Research Complex for 21 d at the University of Arizona. Cows were subjected to 7 d of thermoneutral (TN) conditions, 10 d of heat stress (HS), and 4 d of recovery (REC) under TN conditions. Feed intake, milk production, and milk composition were measured daily. Rectal temperatures (RT) and respiration rates (RR) were recorded 3 times per day (600, 1400, and 1800 h). Blood samples were taken on d 7 (TN), 8 (HS), 10 (HS), 17 (HS), and 18 (TN) during the Agricultural Research Complex segment. Cows in HS had higher RR and RT and water intake and lower dry matter intake and milk yield than these measures in TN. There was a treatment × environment interaction with cows fed OG having lower RR and RT and higher dry matter intake during peak thermal loads than CON. However, milk yield did not differ between groups. Cows fed OG had lower milk fat percent than CON (3.7 vs 4.3%) during HS. The SCC content of milk did not differ between treatment groups but rose in both groups during the REC phase following HS. Plasma insulin and plasma glucose levels were not different between groups. However, plasma insulin in both groups was lower during acute HS, then rose across the HS period, and was highest during the REC phase. Plasma cortisol levels were highest in all cows on the first day of HS (d 8) but were lower in cows fed OG compared with CON. However, plasma ACTH concentrations were elevated in OG-fed animals at all times samples were collected. Plasma ACTH was also elevated in cows fed both OG and CON during HS. Feeding OG reduced plasma cortisol during acute but not chronic HS and increased basal plasma ACTH, suggesting that OG treatment may alter the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis. Copyright © 2018 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Crown oxygen-doping graphene with embedded main-group metal atoms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Liyuan; Wang, Qian; Yang, Chuanghua; Quhe, Ruge; Guan, Pengfei; Lu, Pengfei

2018-02-01

Different main-group metal atoms embedded in crown oxygen-doping graphene (metal@OG) systems are studied by the density functional theory. The binding energies and electronic structures are calculated by using first-principles calculations. The binding energy of metal@OG system mainly depends on the electronegativity of the metal atom. The lower the value of the electronegativity, the larger the binding energy, indicating the more stable the system. The electronic structure of metal@OG arouses the emergence of bandgap and shift of Dirac point. It is shown that interaction between metal atom and crown oxygen-doping graphene leads to the graphene's stable n-doping, and the metal@OG systems are stable semiconducting materials, which can be used in technological applications.

GO2OGS 1.0: a versatile workflow to integrate complex geological information with fault data into numerical simulation models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fischer, T.; Naumov, D.; Sattler, S.; Kolditz, O.; Walther, M.

2015-11-01

We offer a versatile workflow to convert geological models built with the ParadigmTM GOCAD© (Geological Object Computer Aided Design) software into the open-source VTU (Visualization Toolkit unstructured grid) format for usage in numerical simulation models. Tackling relevant scientific questions or engineering tasks often involves multidisciplinary approaches. Conversion workflows are needed as a way of communication between the diverse tools of the various disciplines. Our approach offers an open-source, platform-independent, robust, and comprehensible method that is potentially useful for a multitude of environmental studies. With two application examples in the Thuringian Syncline, we show how a heterogeneous geological GOCAD model including multiple layers and faults can be used for numerical groundwater flow modeling, in our case employing the OpenGeoSys open-source numerical toolbox for groundwater flow simulations. The presented workflow offers the chance to incorporate increasingly detailed data, utilizing the growing availability of computational power to simulate numerical models.

Location Capability and Site Characterization Installing a Borehole VBB Seismometer: the OGS Experience in Ferrara (Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pesaresi, D.; Barnaba, C.

2014-12-01

The Centro di Ricerche Sismologiche (CRS, Seismological Research Centre) of the Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e di Geofisica Sperimentale (OGS, Italian National Institute for Oceanography and Experimental Geophysics) in Udine (Italy) after the strong earthquake of magnitude M=6.4 occurred in 1976 in the Italian Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, started to operate the Northeastern Italy Seismic Network: it currently consists of 19 very sensitive broad band and 17 simpler short period seismic stations, all telemetered to and acquired in real time at the OGS CRS data centre in Udine. The southwestern edge of the OGS seismic network stands on the Po alluvial basin: earthquake localization and characterization in this area is affected by the presence of soft alluvial deposits. Following the ML=5.9 earthquake that struck the Emilia region around Ferrara in Northern Italy on May 20, 2012, a cooperation of Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, OGS, the Comune di Ferrara and the University of Ferrara lead to the reinstallation of a previously existing very broad band (VBB) borehole seismic station in Ferrara and to the deployment of a temporary seismographic network consisting of eight portable seismological stations, to record the local earthquakes that occurred during the seismic sequence. The aim of the OGS intervention was on one hand to extend its real time seismic monitoring capabilities toward South-West, including Ferrara and its surroundings, and on the other hand to evaluate seismic site responses in the area. We will introduce details of the Ferrara VBB borehole station and the OGS temporary seismographic network configuration and installation. We will then illustrate the location capability performances, and finally we will shortly describe seismic site characterization with surface/borehole comparisons in terms of seismic noise, site amplification and resonance frequencies.

Extensive copy number variations in admixed Indian population of African ancestry: potential involvement in adaptation.

PubMed

Narang, Ankita; Jha, Pankaj; Kumar, Dhirendra; Kutum, Rintu; Mondal, Anupam Kumar; Dash, Debasis; Mukerji, Mitali

2014-11-13

Admixture mapping has been enormously resourceful in identifying genetic variations linked to phenotypes, adaptation, and diseases. In this study through analysis of copy number variable regions (CNVRs), we report extensive restructuring in the genomes of the recently admixed African-Indian population (OG-W-IP) that inhabits a highly saline environment in Western India. The study included subjects from OG-W-IP (OG), five different Indian and three HapMap populations that were genotyped using Affymetrix version 6.0 arrays. Copy number variations (CNVs) detected using Birdsuite were used to define CNVRs. Population structure with respect to CNVRs was delineated using random forest approach. OG genomes have a surprising excess of CNVs in comparison to other studied populations. Individual ancestry proportions computed using STRUCTURE also reveals a unique genetic component in OGs. Population structure analysis with CNV genotypes indicates OG to be distant from both the African and Indian ancestral populations. Interestingly, it shows genetic proximity with respect to CNVs to only one Indian population IE-W-LP4, which also happens to reside in the same geographical region. We also observe a significant enrichment of molecular processes related to ion binding and receptor activity in genes encompassing OG-specific CNVRs. Our results suggest that retention of CNVRs from ancestral natives and de novo acquisition of CNVRs could accelerate the process of adaptation especially in an extreme environment. Additionally, this population would be enormously useful for dissecting genes and delineating the involvement of CNVs in salt adaptation. © The Author(s) 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution.

Differential Game Theory Application to Intelligent Missile Guidance

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-06-01

guidance (OG) and game theoretic guidance ( GTG ). One reason for this development is the fact that the implementation hardware for the guidance system has...state estimation techniques such as the Kalman Filter and others, it is now feasible to implement the OG, GTG and GTG +AI ‘intelligent’ guidance on...both PN and APN as special cases of OG and GTG ; this connection is further explored in this report. The desire to reduce weapon life-cycle cost

Three Years of on Orbit ISS Oxygen Generation System Operation 2007-2010

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Diderich, Greg S.; Polis, Pete; VanKeuren, Steven P.; Erickson, Bob

2010-01-01

The International Space Station (ISS) United States Orbital Segment (USOS) Oxygen Generation System (OGS) has accumulated 240 days of continuous operation at varied oxygen production rates within the US Laboratory Module (LAB) since it was first activated in July 2007. OGS relocated from the ISS LAB to Node 3 during 20A Flight (February 2010). The OGS rack delivery was accelerated for on-orbit checkout in the LAB, and it was launched to ISS in July of 2006. During the on-orbit checkout interval within the LAB from July 2007 to October 2008, OGS operational times were limited by the quantity of feedwater in a Payload Water Reservoir (PWR) bag. Longer runtimes are now achievable due to the continuous feedwater availability after ULF2 delivery and activation of the USOS Water Recovery System (WRS) racks. OGS is considered a critical function to maintaining six crew capability. There have been a number of failures which interrupted or threatened to interrupt oxygen production. Filters in the recirculation loop have clogged and have been replaced, Hydrogen sensors have fallen out of specifications, a pump delta pressure sensor failed, a pump failed to start, and the voltage on the cell stack increased out of tolerance. This paper will discuss the operating experience and characteristics of the OGS, as well as operational issues and their resolution.

Effect of nutritional immunomodulation and heat stress during the dry period on subsequent performance of cows.

PubMed

Fabris, Thiago F; Laporta, Jimena; Corra, Fabiana N; Torres, Yazielis M; Kirk, David J; McLean, Derek J; Chapman, J D; Dahl, Geoffrey E

2017-08-01

Heat stress in dairy cows during the dry period impairs milk yield in the next lactation. Feeding OmniGen-AF (OG; Phibro Animal Health Corp., Teaneck, NJ) to lactating cows during heat stress may increase dry matter intake (DMI) and lowers respiration rate (RR) and rectal temperature (RT), but the effects in dry cows are not known. We hypothesized that OG supplementation before, during, and after the dry period (approximately 160 d total) would overcome the effects of heat stress and improve cow performance in the next lactation. Cows were randomly assigned to OG or control (placebo) treatments for the last 60 d in milk (DIM), based on mature-equivalent milk yield in the previous lactation. Cows were dried off 45 d before expected calving and randomly assigned to heat stress (HT) or cooling (CL) treatments. Thus, cows received dietary supplementation during late lactation before they were exposed to either CL or HT. After dry-off, treatment groups included heat stress with placebo (HT, only shade, 56 g/d of placebo, n = 17), HT with OG supplementation (HTOG, 56 g/d of OG, n = 19), cooling with placebo (CL, shade, fans, and soakers, 56 g/d of placebo, n = 16), and CL with OG supplementation (CLOG, 56 g/d of OG, n = 11). After parturition, all cows were kept under the same CL system and management, and all cows continued to receive OG or control treatment until 60 DIM. Cooling cows during the dry period reduced afternoon RT (CL vs. HT; 38.9 ± 0.05 vs. 39.3 ± 0.05°C) and RR (CL vs. HT; 45 ± 1.6 vs. 77 ± 1.6 breaths/min). Respiration rate was also decreased by OG supplementation under HT conditions (HTOG vs. HT; 69.7 ± 1.6 vs. 77.2 ± 1.6 breaths/min). An interaction was observed between OG supplementation and HT; HTOG cows tended to have lower morning RT compared with HT cows. During the dry period, OG reduced DMI relative to control cows. Birth weight was greater in calves from CL cows (CL vs. HT; 40.6 ± 1.09 vs. 38.7 ± 1.09 kg). No differences were detected among treatments in hematocrit, total protein, and body condition score. Cows offered CLOG, CL, and HTOG treatments had greater body weight during the dry period (794.9 ± 17.9, 746.8 ± 16.7, and 762.9 ± 14.9 kg, respectively) than HT cows (720 ± 16.2 kg). Gestation length was approximately 4 d longer for CL cows compared with HT cows. Cows offered CLOG, CL, and HTOG treatments produced more milk (41.3 ± 1.6, 40.7 ± 1.6, and 40.5 ± 1.6 kg/d, respectively) than HT treatment (35.9 ± 1.6 kg/d). Body weight after parturition and DMI were evaluated up to 60 DIM and averaged 661.5 ± 15.8 and 19.4 ± 0.7 kg/d, respectively, with no differences observed among treatments. These results confirm that exposure of dry cows to heat stress negatively affects milk yield in the subsequent lactation. Active cooling of dry cows and OG supplementation can reduce the negative effects of heat stress in the dry period on subsequent performance. Copyright © 2017 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

OGS improvements in 2012 in running the North-eastern Italy Seismic Network: the Ferrara VBB borehole seismic station

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pesaresi, D.; Romanelli, M.; Barnaba, C.; Bragato, P. L.; Durì, G.

2014-07-01

The Centro di Ricerche Sismologiche (CRS, Seismological Research Centre) of the Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e di Geofisica Sperimentale (OGS, Italian National Institute for Oceanography and Experimental Geophysics) in Udine (Italy) after the strong earthquake of magnitude M=6.4 occurred in 1976 in the Italian Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, started to operate the North-eastern Italy Seismic Network: it currently consists of 17 very sensitive broad band and 18 simpler short period seismic stations, all telemetered to and acquired in real time at the OGS-CRS data centre in Udine. Real time data exchange agreements in place with other Italian, Slovenian, Austrian and Swiss seismological institutes lead to a total number of about 100 seismic stations acquired in real time, which makes the OGS the reference institute for seismic monitoring of North-eastern Italy. The south-western edge of the OGS seismic network (Fig. 1) stands on the Po alluvial basin: earthquake localization and characterization in this area is affected by the presence of soft alluvial deposits. OGS ha already experience in running a local seismic network in high noise conditions making use of borehole installations in the case of the micro-seismicity monitoring of a local gas storage site for a private company. Following the ML = 5.9 earthquake that struck the Emilia region around Ferrara in Northern Italy on 20 May 2012 at 02:03:53 UTC, a cooperation of Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, OGS, the Comune di Ferrara and the University of Ferrara lead to the reinstallation of a previously existing very broad band (VBB) borehole seismic station in Ferrara. The aim of the OGS intervention was on one hand to extend its real time seismic monitoring capabilities toward South-West, including Ferrara and its surroundings, and on the other hand to evaluate the seismic response at the site. We will describe improvements in running the North-eastern Italy Seismic Network, including details of the Ferrara VBB borehole station configuration and installation, with first results.

Analysis of factors related to vagally mediated reflex bradycardia during gastrectomy.

PubMed

Kim, Duk-Kyung; Ahn, Hyun Joo; Lee, Seung Won; Choi, Ji Won

2015-12-01

Because vagally mediated reflex bradycardia occurs frequently during gastrectomy and is potentially harmful, we compared the incidence of clinically significant reflex bradycardia between patients undergoing laparoscopic gastrectomy (LG) and open gastrectomy (OG) and examined whether the type of surgery (OG vs. LG) was an independent risk factor for clinically significant reflex bradycardia. This prospective observational study evaluated 358 adult patients (age 18-70 years) who were undergoing elective OG or LG for gastric cancer resection. Symptomatic reflex bradycardia was defined as a sudden decrease in heart rate to <50 beats per minute (bpm), or to 50-59 bpm with a systolic blood pressure <70 mmHg, associated with a specific surgical maneuver. If bradycardia or hypotension developed, atropine or ephedrine was administered, in accordance with a predefined treatment protocol. The overall incidence of symptomatic reflex bradycardia was 24.6% (88/358). Univariate analysis revealed the incidence of symptomatic reflex bradycardia in the LG group was significantly lower than that in the OG group [13.0% (13/100) vs. 29.1% (75/258), p = 0.002]. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that the type of surgery (OG vs. LG), advanced age, preoperative bradycardia, type of muscle relaxant (vecuronium vs. rocuronium), no use of intravenous remifentanil, and low core temperature, were independent risk factors for symptomatic reflex bradycardia (odds ratio 3.184; 95% confidence interval 1.490-6.800; p = 0.003). The LG approach was associated with a reduced risk of clinically significant reflex bradycardia compared with the OG approach.

Characterization and antimicrobial activity of sweetpotato starch-based edible film containing origanum (Thymus capitatus) oil.

PubMed

Ehivet, Fabienne E; Min, Byungjin; Park, Mi-Kyung; Oh, Jun-Hyun

2011-01-01

The objectives of this research were to characterize the mechanical and barrier properties of sweetpotato starch (SPS)-based film (SPSF) and to investigate the antimicrobial activity of SPSF containing origanum oil (OG) against foodborne pathogenic bacteria. The SPSF was fabricated with the SPS extracted from commercial sweetpotato roots. Tensile strength (TS), percent elongation at break (E), and water vapor permeability (WVP) were determined to characterize the SPSF fabricated with selected SPS concentrations, plasticizers, and the concentrations of plasticizers. The agar diffusion assay was used to determine the antimicrobial activity of SPSF containing selective concentrations of OG against Salmonella Enteritidis, Escherichia coli O157:H7, and Listeria monocytogenes. The SPSF fabricated with 2.5% SPS exhibited the greatest TS (4.58 MPa). The TS, E, and WVP of SPSF plasticized with 40% sorbitol exhibited 7.96 MPa, 77.92%, 0.212 ng m/m(2) S Pa, respectively. Therefore, the SPSF fabricated with 2.5% SPS and 40% sorbitol was determined as the optimum film. The antimicrobial activity of the SPSF containing OG increased as the concentration of OG increased. And the SPSF containing OG exhibited greater inhibitory effects against the gram-negative bacteria such as S. Enteritidis and E. coli O157:H7 than the gram-positive L. monocytogenes. The greatest antimicrobial activity was observed against S. Enteritidis when the SPSF containing 2% OG was applied, and the maximum square of zone width was 18.43 mm(2).

Increase in Dye:Dendrimer Ratio Decreases Cellular Uptake of Neutral Dendrimers in RAW Cells.

PubMed

Vaidyanathan, Sriram; Kaushik, Milan; Dougherty, Casey; Rattan, Rahul; Goonewardena, Sascha N; Banaszak Holl, Mark M; Monano, Janet; DiMaggio, Stassi

2016-09-12

Neutral generation 3 poly(amidoamine) dendrimers were labeled with Oregon Green 488 (G3-OG n ) to obtain materials with controlled fluorophore:dendrimer ratios (n = 1-2), a mixture containing mostly 3 dyes per dendrimer, a mixture containing primarily 4 or more dyes per dendrimer ( n = 4+), and a stochastic mixture ( n = 4 avg ). The UV absorbance of the dye conjugates increased linearly as n increased and the fluorescence emission decreased linearly as n increased. Cellular uptake was studied in RAW cells and HEK 293A cells as a function of the fluorophore:dendrimer ratio (n). The cellular uptake of G3-OG n ( n = 3, 4+, 4 avg ) into RAW cells was significantly lower than G3-OG n ( n = 1, 2). The uptake of G3-OG n ( n = 3, 4+, 4 avg ) into HEK 293A cells was not significantly different from G3-OG 1 . Thus, the fluorophore:dendrimer ratio was observed to change the extent of uptake in the macrophage uptake mechanism but not in the HEK 293A cell. This difference in endocytosis indicates the presence of a pathway in the macrophage that is sensitive to hydrophobicity of the particle.

Can anti-gravity running improve performance to the same degree as over-ground running?

PubMed

Brennan, Christopher T; Jenkins, David G; Osborne, Mark A; Oyewale, Michael; Kelly, Vincent G

2018-03-11

This study examined the changes in running performance, maximal blood lactate concentrations and running kinematics between 85%BM anti-gravity (AG) running and normal over-ground (OG) running over an 8-week training period. Fifteen elite male developmental cricketers were assigned to either the AG or over-ground (CON) running group. The AG group (n = 7) ran twice a week on an AG treadmill and once per week over-ground. The CON group (n = 8) completed all sessions OG on grass. Both AG and OG training resulted in similar improvements in time trial and shuttle run performance. Maximal running performance showed moderate differences between the groups, however the AG condition resulted in less improvement. Large differences in maximal blood lactate concentrations existed with OG running resulting in greater improvements in blood lactate concentrations measured during maximal running. Moderate increases in stride length paired with moderate decreases in stride rate also resulted from AG training. The use of AG training to supplement regular OG training for performance should be used cautiously, as extended use over long periods of time could lead to altered stride mechanics and reduced blood lactate.

The effect of vision on postural strategies in Prader-Willi patients.

PubMed

Cimolin, Veronica; Galli, Manuela; Vismara, Luca; Grugni, Graziano; Priano, Lorenzo; Capodaglio, Paolo

2011-01-01

The aim of this study was to quantify the role of visual contribution in patients with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) on balance maintenance using a force platform. We enrolled 14 individuals with PWS free from conditions associated with impaired balance, 44 obese (OG) and 20 healthy controls (CG). Postural sway was measured for 60s while standing on a force platform (Kistler, CH; acquisition frequency: 500 Hz) integrated with a video system. Patients maintained an upright standing position with Open Eyes (OE) and then with Closed Eyes (CE). The ratio between the value of the parameter under OE and CE conditions was measured. Under OE condition PWS and OG were characterized by higher postural instability than CG, with the PWS group showing poorer balance capacity than OG. The Romberg ratio showed that while OG and CG had lower balance without vision, PWS maintained the same performance changing from OE to CE. The integration of different sensory inputs appears similar in OG and CG with higher postural stability under OE than CE. Balance in PWS is not influenced by the elimination of visual input. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Barriers to Breast Cancer Screening among Latinas in the U.S.-Mexico Border Region

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-05-01

la Salud : A breast and cervical... en in g E ve r ha d a m am m og ra m H ad a M am m og ra m w ith in th e la st 2 ye ar s H ad a m am m og ra m w ith in th e la st ye ar U na dj us...Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA 22. Fernandez ME, Gonzales A, Tortolero-Luna G et al (2009) Effectiveness of Cultivando la Salud : a breast and cervical

Self-induced optogalvanic effect in a segmented hollow-cathode discharge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steflekova, V.; Zhechev, D.

2018-03-01

Optogalvanic (OG) interaction is simulated and studied in a segmented hollow-cathode discharge (SHCD). HCD-lamps are used to induce an OG signal by their own emission or by that of another lamp. The efficiency of the OG of a Ne/Cu HCD lamp in the range 320-380 nm is estimated theoretically. An irregular galvanic peak arising near the inflection point in the i-V curve (∂V/∂i<0) is detected. Its origin is related to Penning ionization of the sputtered cathode material.

Nyberg with OGS R&R

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-07-19

ISS036-E-021797 (18 July 2013) --- NASA astronaut Karen Nyberg, Expedition 36 flight engineer, performs a remove and replace of the Oxygen Generation System (OGS) Hydrogen (H2) Sensor in the Tranquility node of the International Space Station.

Pre-treatment of high oil and grease pet food industrial wastewaters using immobilized lipase hydrolyzation.

PubMed

Jeganathan, Jeganaesan; Bassi, Amarjeet; Nakhla, George

2006-09-01

Wastewaters generating from pet food industries contain high concentration of oil and grease (O&G), which is difficult to treat through conventional biological treatment systems. In this study, the hydrolysis of O&G originating from pet food industrial wastewater was evaluated. Candida rugosa lipase was immobilized in calcium alginate beads and applied in the hydrolysis experiment. Results showed that approximately 50% of the O&G was hydrolyzed due to the enzyme activity. A significant increment in COD and VFA production was also observed. The immobilized lipase activity was confirmed with p-nitrophenyl palmitate (pNPP) before and after O&G hydrolysis. During the 3-day experiment, approximately 65% of the beads were recovered and after the hydrolysis, approximately 70% of the enzyme activity remained in the beads. This study shows the potential of immobilized lipase as a pre-treatment step in biological treatment of pet food manufacturing wastewater.

International Space Station United States Orbital Segment Oxygen Generation System On-Orbit Operational Experience

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Erickson, Robert J.; Howe, John, Jr.; Kulp, Galen W.; VanKeuren, Steven P.

2008-01-01

The International Space Station (ISS) United States Orbital Segment (USOS) Oxygen Generation System (OGS) was originally intended to be installed in ISS Node 3. The OGS rack delivery was accelerated, and it was launched to ISS in July of 2006 and installed in the US Laboratory Module. Various modification kits were installed to provide its interfaces, and the OGS was first activated in July of 2007 for 15 hours, In October of 2007 it was again activated for 76 hours with varied production rates and day/night cycling. Operational time in each instance was limited by the quantity of feedwater in a Payload Water Reservoir (PWR) bag. Feedwater will be provided by PWR bag until the USOS Water Recovery System (WRS) is delivered to SS in fall of 2008. This paper will discuss operating experience and characteristics of the OGS, as well as operational issues and their resolution.

ogs6 - a new concept for porous-fractured media simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Naumov, Dmitri; Bilke, Lars; Fischer, Thomas; Rink, Karsten; Wang, Wenqing; Watanabe, Norihiro; Kolditz, Olaf

2015-04-01

OpenGeoSys (OGS) is a scientific open-source initiative for numerical simulation of thermo-hydro-mechanical/chemical (THMC) processes in porous and fractured media, continuously developed since the mid-eighties. The basic concept is to provide a flexible numerical framework for solving coupled multi-field problems. OGS is targeting mainly on applications in environmental geoscience, e.g. in the fields of contaminant hydrology, water resources management, waste deposits, or geothermal energy systems, but it has also been successfully applied to new topics in energy storage recently. OGS is actively participating several international benchmarking initiatives, e.g. DECOVALEX (waste management), CO2BENCH (CO2 storage and sequestration), SeSBENCH (reactive transport processes) and HM-Intercomp (coupled hydrosystems). Despite the broad applicability of OGS in geo-, hydro- and energy-sciences, several shortcomings became obvious concerning the computational efficiency as well as the code structure became too sophisticated for further efficient development. OGS-5 was designed for object-oriented FEM applications. However, in many multi-field problems a certain flexibility of tailored numerical schemes is essential. Therefore, a new concept was designed to overcome existing bottlenecks. The paradigms for ogs6 are: - Flexibility of numerical schemes (FEM#FVM#FDM), - Computational efficiency (PetaScale ready), - Developer- and user-friendly. ogs6 has a module-oriented architecture based on thematic libraries (e.g. MeshLib, NumLib) on the large scale and uses object-oriented approach for the small scale interfaces. Usage of a linear algebra library (Eigen3) for the mathematical operations together with the ISO C++11 standard increases the expressiveness of the code and makes it more developer-friendly. The new C++ standard also makes the template meta-programming technique code used for compile-time optimizations more compact. We have transitioned the main code development to the GitHub code hosting system (https://github.com/ufz/ogs). The very flexible revision control system Git in combination with issue tracking, developer feedback and the code review options improve the code quality and the development process in general. The continuous testing procedure of the benchmarks as it was established for OGS-5 is maintained. Additionally unit testing, which is automatically triggered by any code changes, is executed by two continuous integration frameworks (Jenkins CI, Travis CI) which build and test the code on different operating systems (Windows, Linux, Mac OS), in multiple configurations and with different compilers (GCC, Clang, Visual Studio). To improve the testing possibilities further, XML based file input formats are introduced helping with automatic validation of the user contributed benchmarks. The first ogs6 prototype version 6.0.1 has been implemented for solving generic elliptic problems. Next steps are envisaged to transient, non-linear and coupled problems. Literature: [1] Kolditz O, Shao H, Wang W, Bauer S (eds) (2014): Thermo-Hydro-Mechanical-Chemical Processes in Fractured Porous Media: Modelling and Benchmarking - Closed Form Solutions. In: Terrestrial Environmental Sciences, Vol. 1, Springer, Heidelberg, ISBN 978-3-319-11893-2, 315pp. http://www.springer.com/earth+sciences+and+geography/geology/book/978-3-319-11893-2 [2] Naumov D (2015): Computational Fluid Dynamics in Unconsolidated Sediments: Model Generation and Discrete Flow Simulations, PhD thesis, Technische Universität Dresden.

Molecular dynamics simulations of pea (Pisum sativum) lectin structure with octyl glucoside detergents: the ligand interactions and dynamics.

PubMed

Konidala, Praveen; Niemeyer, Bernd

2007-07-01

The mitogenic pea (Pisum sativum) lectin is a legume protein of non-immunoglobulin nature capable of specific recognition of glucose derivatives without altering its structure. Molecular dynamics simulations were performed in a realistic environment to investigate the structure and interaction properties of pea lectin with various concentrations of n-octyl-beta-d-glucopyranoside (OG) detergent monomers distributed inside explicit solvent cell. In addition, the diffusion coefficients of the ligands (OG, Ca2+, Mn2+, and Cl-) and the water molecules were also reported. The structural flexibility of the lectin was conserved in all simulations. The self-assembly of OG monomers into a small micelle at the hydrophobic site of the lectin was noticed in the simulation with 20 OG monomers. The interaction energy analysis concludes that the lectin was appropriately termed an adaptive structure. One or rarely two binding sites were observed at an instant in each simulation that were electrostatically favoured for the OG to interact with the surface amino acid residues. Enhanced binding of OG to the pea lectin was quantified in the system containing only Ca2+ divalent ions. Interestingly, no binding was observed in the simulation without divalent ions. Furthermore, the lectin-ligand complex was stabilized by multiple hydrogen bonds and at least one water bridge. Finally, the work was also in accordance with the published work elsewhere that the simulations performed with different initial conditions and using higher nonbonded cutoffs for the van der Waals and electrostatic interactions provide more accurate information and clues than the single large simulation of the biomolecular system of interest.

Hypercaloric Diet Establishes Erectile Dysfunction in Rat: Mechanisms Underlying the Endothelial Damage

PubMed Central

de Souza, Iara L. L.; Barros, Bárbara C.; de Oliveira, Giuliana A.; Queiroga, Fernando R.; Toscano, Lydiane T.; Silva, Alexandre S.; Silva, Patrícia M.; Interaminense, Leylliane F. L.; Cavalcante, Fabiana de Andrade; da Silva, Bagnólia A.

2017-01-01

Obesity is characterized by an excessive increase in body mass, leading to endothelial damage that may favor the development of erectile dysfunction (ED). ED is defined as the inability to achieve or maintain a penile erection long enough to have a sexual intercourse. In this context, different ED models were developed, however the high price of special animals or the long period to establish the disease has limited studies in this field. Therefore, this study proposed to establish and characterize a novel model of ED in rats associated to a hypercaloric diet consumption. Animals were randomly divided into control group (CG), which received a standard diet, and obese group (OG), fed with a hypercaloric diet during 8 weeks. Rat's erectile function was evaluated in vivo and in vitro. Food and caloric intake of OG were reduced compared to CG, due to an increased diet energy efficiency. However, OG presented an increased body mass, inguinal, retroperitoneal and epididymal adipose tissues, as well as body adiposity index at the end of experimental protocol. In erectile function analysis, there was a decrease in the number and the latency of penile erections in OG. Additionally, the contractile reactivity of corpus cavernosum was increased in OG, favoring penile detumescence and related to a reduced nitric oxide bioavailability and an increased in contractile prostaglandins levels as a consequence of endothelial damage. Moreover, the endothelium-relaxation reactivity of corpus cavernosum was attenuated in OG associated to the oxidative stress. Thus, it was provided a model for advances in sexual dysfunction field and drug discovery for ED treatment. PMID:29085300

Prescribing of asthma drugs for children 2004-2015.

PubMed

Mikalsen, Ingvild Bruun; Karlstad, Øystein; Furu, Kari; Øymar, Knut

2018-02-20

Astma kan være vanskelig å diagnostisere hos barn. For barn under skolealder finnes det få tilgjengelige objektive diagnostiske undersøkelser, og retningslinjene for diagnose og behandling er basert på sykehistorie og klinisk undersøkelse. Dette kan gi rom for varierende behandlingspraksis. Data fra Reseptregisteret ble brukt til å studere forskrivning av legemidler mot astma til barn i aldersgruppene 0-4 år og 5-9 år fordelt på fylker fra 2004-15. Det var stor variasjon mellom fylkene i andelen per 1 000 barn som fikk forskrevet legemidler mot astma i perioden 2012-14 (aldersgruppen 0-4 år: median: 104/1 000; ekstremverdier: 64-147, aldersgruppen 5-9 år: 68/1000; 46-86). Inhalasjonssteroider var hyppigst forskrevet, og det var her variasjonen mellom fylkene var størst i begge aldersgruppene (aldersgruppen 0-4 år: 85/1 000; 42-116, aldersgruppen 5-9 år: 51/1 000; 31-70). De fleste fikk kun en eller få forskrivninger med inhalasjonssteroider over en treårsperiode. Endring i forskrivningen av inhalasjonssteroider fra 2004 til 2015 varierte betydelig mellom fylkene, mest for aldersgruppen 0-4 år. Stor forskjell i forskrivning av legemidler mot astma fylkene imellom, høy andel sporadisk bruk og endring over tid, særlig i den yngste aldersgruppen, kan tyde på en unaturlig variasjon i behandlingen som ikke kan forklares av forskjeller i astmaforekomst. Uklare retningslinjer som ikke er tilstrekkelig innarbeidet i klinisk praksis kan være én årsak.

Magnetic EDTA functionalized CoFe2O4 nanoparticles (EDTA-CoFe2O4) as a novel catalyst for peroxymonosulfate activation and degradation of Orange G.

PubMed

Deng, Lin; Shi, Zhou; Zou, Zhiyan; Zhou, Shiqing

2017-04-01

EDTA functionalized CoFe 2 O 4 nanoparticles (EDTA-CoFe 2 O 4 ) synthesized using a facile one-pot solvothermal method were employed as catalysts to activate peroxymonosulfate (PMS) with Orange G (OG) as the target pollutant. Effects of operating parameters including initial solution pH, catalyst dosage, PMS dosage, and water matrix components such as Cl - , NO 3 - , CO 3 2- , and humic acid were evaluated. A degradation efficiency of 93% was achieved in 15 min with 1 mM PMS and 0.2 g/L EDTA-CoFe 2 O 4 catalyst, while only 57% of OG was degraded within 15 min in CoFe 2 O 4 /PMS system. The degradation of OG followed pseudo-first-order kinetics, and the apparent first-order date constant (k obs ) for OG in EDTA-CoFe 2 O 4 /PMS and CoFe 2 O 4 /PMS system was determined to be 0.152 and 0.077 min -1 , respectively. OG degradation by EDTA-CoFe 2 O 4 /PMS was enhanced with the increase of catalyst and PMS doses at respective range of 0.1-2.0 g/L and 0.5-10.0 mM. Higher efficiency of OG oxidation was observed within a wide pH range (3.0-9.0), implying the possibility of applying EDTA-CoFe 2 O 4 /PMS process under environmental realistic conditions. Humic acid (HA) at low concentration accelerated the removal of OG; however, a less apparent inhibitive effect was observed at HA addition of 10 mg/L. The k obs value was found to decrease slightly from 0.1601 to 0.1274, 0.1248, and 0.1152 min -1 with the addition of NO 3 - , CO 3 2- , and Cl - , respectively, but near-complete removal of OG could still be obtained after 15 min. Both of the sulfate radicals and hydroxyl radicals were produced in the reaction, and sulfate radicals were the dominant according to the scavenging tests and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) tests. Finally, a degradation mechanism was proposed, and the stability and reusability of the EDTA-CoFe 2 O 4 were evaluated.

40 CFR 432.25 - New source performance standards (NSPS).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

..., fecal coliform, O&G, and TSS are the same as the limitations specified in § 432.22(a)(1), and the... on-site, the standards for BOD5, fecal coliform, O&G, and TSS are the same as the corresponding...

40 CFR 432.85 - New source performance standards (NSPS).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

..., fecal coliform, O&G, and TSS specified in § 432.82(a). (b) Facilities that generate more than 50 million pounds per year of finished products must achieve the limitations for BOD5, fecal coliform, O&G, and TSS...

40 CFR 432.35 - New source performance standards (NSPS).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

..., fecal coliform, TSS, and O&G are the same as the limitations specified in § 432.32(a)(1) and the... on-site, the standards for BOD5, fecal coliform, TSS, and O&G are the same as the corresponding...

40 CFR 432.65 - New source performance standards (NSPS).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

..., fecal coliform, O&G, and TSS specified in § 432.62(a). (b) Facilities that generate more than 50 million pounds per year of finished products must achieve the limitations for BOD5, fecal coliform, O&G, and TSS...

40 CFR 432.35 - New source performance standards (NSPS).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

..., fecal coliform, TSS, and O&G are the same as the limitations specified in § 432.32(a)(1) and the... on-site, the standards for BOD5, fecal coliform, TSS, and O&G are the same as the corresponding...

40 CFR 432.45 - New source performance standards (NSPS).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

..., fecal coliform, TSS, and O&G are the same as the limitations specified in § 432.42(a)(1); and standards... on-site, the standards for BOD5, fecal coliform, TSS, and O&G are the same as the limitations...

40 CFR 432.15 - New source performance standards (NSPS).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

..., fecal coliform, O&G, and TSS are the same as the corresponding limitations specified in § 432.12(a)(1... on-site, the standards for BOD5, fecal coliform, O&G, and TSS are the same as the limitations...

40 CFR 432.25 - New source performance standards (NSPS).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

..., fecal coliform, O&G, and TSS are the same as the limitations specified in § 432.22(a)(1), and the... on-site, the standards for BOD5, fecal coliform, O&G, and TSS are the same as the corresponding...

40 CFR 432.85 - New source performance standards (NSPS).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

..., fecal coliform, O&G, and TSS specified in § 432.82(a). (b) Facilities that generate more than 50 million pounds per year of finished products must achieve the limitations for BOD5, fecal coliform, O&G, and TSS...

40 CFR 432.15 - New source performance standards (NSPS).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

..., fecal coliform, O&G, and TSS are the same as the corresponding limitations specified in § 432.12(a)(1... on-site, the standards for BOD5, fecal coliform, O&G, and TSS are the same as the limitations...

40 CFR 432.45 - New source performance standards (NSPS).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

..., fecal coliform, TSS, and O&G are the same as the limitations specified in § 432.42(a)(1); and standards... on-site, the standards for BOD5, fecal coliform, TSS, and O&G are the same as the limitations...

Watershed-Scale Impacts from Surface Water Disposal of Oil and Gas Wastewater in Western Pennsylvania.

PubMed

Burgos, William D; Castillo-Meza, Luis; Tasker, Travis L; Geeza, Thomas J; Drohan, Patrick J; Liu, Xiaofeng; Landis, Joshua D; Blotevogel, Jens; McLaughlin, Molly; Borch, Thomas; Warner, Nathaniel R

2017-08-01

Combining horizontal drilling with high volume hydraulic fracturing has increased extraction of hydrocarbons from low-permeability oil and gas (O&G) formations across the United States; accompanied by increased wastewater production. Surface water discharges of O&G wastewater by centralized waste treatment (CWT) plants pose risks to aquatic and human health. We evaluated the impact of surface water disposal of O&G wastewater from CWT plants upstream of the Conemaugh River Lake (dam controlled reservoir) in western Pennsylvania. Regulatory compliance data were collected to calculate annual contaminant loads (Ba, Cl, total dissolved solids (TDS)) to document historical industrial activity. In this study, two CWT plants 10 and 19 km upstream of a reservoir left geochemical signatures in sediments and porewaters corresponding to peak industrial activity that occurred 5 to 10 years earlier. Sediment cores were sectioned for the collection of paired samples of sediment and porewater, and analyzed for analytes to identify unconventional O&G wastewater disposal. Sediment layers corresponding to the years of maximum O&G wastewater disposal contained higher concentrations of salts, alkaline earth metals, and organic chemicals. Isotopic ratios of 226 Ra /228 Ra and 87 Sr /86 Sr identified that peak concentrations of Ra and Sr were likely sourced from wastewaters that originated from the Marcellus Shale formation.

Spatiotemporal Industrial Activity Model for Estimating the Intensity of Oil and Gas Operations in Colorado.

PubMed

Allshouse, William B; Adgate, John L; Blair, Benjamin D; McKenzie, Lisa M

2017-09-05

Oil and gas (O&G) production in the United States has increased in the last 15 years, and operations, which are trending toward large multiwell pads, release hazardous air pollutants. Health studies have relied on proximity to O&G wells as an exposure metric, typically using an inverse distance-weighting (IDW) approach. Because O&G emissions are dependent on multiple factors, a dynamic model is needed to describe the variability in air pollution emissions over space and time. We used information on Colorado O&G activities, production volumes, and air pollutant emission rates from two Colorado basins to create a spatiotemporal industrial activity model to develop an intensity-adjusted IDW well-count metric. The Spearman correlation coefficient between this metric and measured pollutant concentrations was 0.74. We applied our model to households in Greeley, Colorado, which is in the middle of the densely developed Denver-Julesburg basin. Our intensity-adjusted IDW increased the unadjusted IDW dynamic range by a factor of 19 and distinguishes high-intensity events, such as hydraulic fracturing and flowback, from lower-intensity events, such as production at single-well pads. As the frequency of multiwell pads increases, it will become increasingly important to characterize the range of intensities at O&G sites when conducting epidemiological studies.

An overview of turbomachinery project in Malaysian oil and gas industry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abd. Rahman Sabri, Harris; Rahim, Abd. Rahman Abdul; Yew, Wong Kuan; Ismail, Syuhaida

2017-12-01

Being the most demanding, challenging and exciting engineering and technological advances has provided escalated interests amongst the engineers at large to venture into the oil and gas (O&G) industry. Although claimed as the most expensive industry in the world via the utilisation of critical equipments, the O&G industry is still recording notorius failures in its project management especially due to turbomachinery issues, the heart equipment of any O&G project. Therefore, it is important for this paper to review turbomachinery project as one of the long lead items during project executions that is also proven to be the most costly and expensive equipment. This paper therefore discusses the gaps in turbomachinery studies via literature review in highlighting its application in O&G projects. It is found that the main components of turbomachinery are driver and driven equipment, which are applied for mechanical equipment, Electric Power Generation and heat generation for Combined Cycled Configuration. Important variables for turbomachinery selection include: (1) process requirement; (2) site location; (3) driver selection; (4) equipment sparing philosophy; (5) efficiency and reliability; (6) operability and maintainability; and (7) cost. It is hoped that this paper would lead to the successful project management of turbomachinery in the O&G industry.

Assessment of the Efficacy of Home Remedial Methods to Improve Drinking Water Quality in Two Major Aquifer Systems in Jaffna Peninsula, Sri Lanka

PubMed Central

Subanky, Suvendran

2017-01-01

Chunnakam and Vadamaradchi are two major aquifer systems in Jaffna Peninsula, Sri Lanka. This study was performed to compare water quality in the domestic wells in these aquifers and to assess the efficacy of household water treatments for treating contaminated water. Replicate well water samples were collected from each aquifer and pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), conductivity, total dissolved solids (TDS), salinity, temperature, total solids (TS), total hardness (TH), chemical oxygen demand (COD), oil and grease (OG), nitrate N (N), and total phosphate (TP) were measured. The sampled water from the domestic wells was filtered through commercial mineral filter and Moringa oleifera leaf powder and boiled at 100°C for 10 minutes and the TH, OG, N, and TP were measured. Both OG and N in Chunnakam were significantly higher and the DO were significantly lower than those of Vadamaradchi. TH, N, and OG of some wells exceeded the drinking water quality standards established by Sri Lanka Standards Institution. Moringa oleifera leaf powder filtration reduced N significantly and filtering through commercial mineral filter reduced OG, TH, and N significantly. Boiling at 100°C could remove TH significantly but may cause significant increase in N which might result in health impacts. PMID:29181225

Assessment of the Efficacy of Home Remedial Methods to Improve Drinking Water Quality in Two Major Aquifer Systems in Jaffna Peninsula, Sri Lanka.

PubMed

Wijeyaratne, W M Dimuthu Nilmini; Subanky, Suvendran

2017-01-01

Chunnakam and Vadamaradchi are two major aquifer systems in Jaffna Peninsula, Sri Lanka. This study was performed to compare water quality in the domestic wells in these aquifers and to assess the efficacy of household water treatments for treating contaminated water. Replicate well water samples were collected from each aquifer and pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), conductivity, total dissolved solids (TDS), salinity, temperature, total solids (TS), total hardness (TH), chemical oxygen demand (COD), oil and grease (OG), nitrate N (N), and total phosphate (TP) were measured. The sampled water from the domestic wells was filtered through commercial mineral filter and Moringa oleifera leaf powder and boiled at 100°C for 10 minutes and the TH, OG, N, and TP were measured. Both OG and N in Chunnakam were significantly higher and the DO were significantly lower than those of Vadamaradchi. TH, N, and OG of some wells exceeded the drinking water quality standards established by Sri Lanka Standards Institution. Moringa oleifera leaf powder filtration reduced N significantly and filtering through commercial mineral filter reduced OG, TH, and N significantly. Boiling at 100°C could remove TH significantly but may cause significant increase in N which might result in health impacts.

OGS Maintenance

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-07-21

ISS024-E-009246 (21 July 2010) --- NASA astronaut Tracy Caldwell Dyson, Expedition 24 flight engineer, is pictured during troubleshooting operations of the Oxygen Generator System (OGS) hardware and replacement of an H2 (hydrogen) Dome Orbit Replaceable Unit (ORU) in the Destiny laboratory of the International Space Station.

40 CFR 432.75 - New source performance standards (NSPS).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... achieve the standards for BOD5, fecal coliform, O&G, and TSS specified in § 432.72(a). (b) Facilities that..., fecal coliform, O&G, and TSS specified in § 432.72(b) and the limitations for ammonia (as N) and total...

40 CFR 432.95 - New source performance standards (NSPS).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... standards for BOD 5, fecal coliform, O&G, and TSS specified in § 432.92(a). (b) Facilities that generate... coliform, O&G, and TSS specified in § 432.92(b) and the limitations for ammonia (as N) and total nitrogen...

Surface texture of resin-modified glass ionomer cements: effects of finishing/polishing systems.

PubMed

Yap, Adrian U J; Tan, W S; Yeo, J C; Yap, W Y; Ong, S B

2002-01-01

This study investigated the surface texture of two resin-modified glass ionomer cements (RMGICs) in the vertical and horizontal axis after treatment with different finishing/polishing systems. Class V preparations were made on the buccal and lingual/palatal surfaces of freshly extracted teeth. The cavities on each tooth were restored with Fuji II LC (GC) and Photac-Fil Quick (ESPE) according to manufacturers' instructions. Immediately after light-polymerization, gross finishing was done with 8-flute tungsten carbide burs. The teeth were then randomly divided into four groups and finished/polished with (a) Robot Carbides (RC); (b) Super-Snap system (SS); (c) OneGloss (OG) and (d) CompoSite Points (CS). The sample size for each material-finishing/polishing system combination was eight. The mean surface roughness (microm) in vertical (RaV) and horizontal (RaH) axis was measured using a profilometer. Data was subjected to ANOVA/Scheffe's tests and Independent Samples t-test at significance level 0.05. Mean RaV ranged from 0.59-1.31 and 0.83-1.52, while mean RaH ranged from 0.80-1.43 and 0.85-1.58 for Fuji II LC and Photac-Fil, respectively. Results of statistical analysis were as follows: Fuji II LC: RaV-RC, SS

Effects of finishing/polishing techniques on microleakage of resin-modified glass ilonomer cement restorations.

PubMed

Yap, Adrian U J; Yap, W Y; Yeo, Egwin J C; Tan, Jane W S; Ong, Debbie S B

2003-01-01

This study investigated the effect of finishing/polishing techniques on the microleakage of resin-modified glass ionomer restorations. Class V preparations were made on the buccal and lingual/palatal surfaces of freshly extracted teeth. The cavities on each tooth were restored with Fuji II LC (FT [GC]) and Photac-Fil Quick (PF [3M-ESPE]) according to manufacturers' instructions. Immediately after light-polymerization, gross finishing was done with eight-fluted tungsten carbide burs. The teeth were then randomly divided into four groups and finishing/polishing was done with one of the following systems: (a) Robot Carbides (RC); (b) Super-Snap system (SS); (c) OneGloss (OG) and (d) CompoSite Polishers (CS). The sample size for each material-finishing/polishing system combination was eight. After finishing/polishing, the teeth were stored in distilled water at 37 degrees C for one week. The root apices were then sealed with acrylic and two coats of varnish was applied 1 mm beyond the restoration margins. The teeth were subsequently subjected to dye penetration testing (0.5% basic fuchsin), sectioned and scored. Data was analyzed using Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U tests at a significance level of 0.05. Results of statistical analysis were as follows: Enamel margins: PF-OG

Anti-Cancer Efficacy of Silybin Derivatives - A Structure-Activity Relationship

PubMed Central

Agarwal, Chapla; Wadhwa, Ritambhara; Deep, Gagan; Biedermann, David; Gažák, Radek; Křen, Vladimír; Agarwal, Rajesh

2013-01-01

Silybin or silibinin, a flavonolignan isolated from Milk thistle seeds, is one of the popular dietary supplements and has been extensively studied for its antioxidant, hepatoprotective and anti-cancer properties. We have envisioned that potency of silybin could be further enhanced through suitable modification/s in its chemical structure. Accordingly, here, we synthesized and characterized a series of silybin derivatives namely 2,3-dehydrosilybin (DHS), 7-O-methylsilybin (7OM), 7-O-galloylsilybin (7OG), 7,23-disulphatesilybin (DSS), 7-O-palmitoylsilybin (7OP), and 23-O-palmitoylsilybin (23OP); and compared their anti-cancer efficacy using human bladder cancer HTB9, colon cancer HCT116 and prostate carcinoma PC3 cells. In all the 3 cell lines, DHS, 7OM and 7OG demonstrated better growth inhibitory effects and compared to silybin, while other silybin derivatives showed lesser or no efficacy. Next, we prepared the optical isomers (A and B) of silybin, DHS, 7OM and 7OG, and compared their anti-cancer efficacy. Isomers of these three silybin derivatives also showed better efficacy compared with respective silybin isomers, but in each, there was no clear cut silybin A versus B isomer activity preference. Further studies in HTB cells found that DHS, 7OM and 7OG exert better apoptotic activity than silibinin. Clonogenic assays in HTB9 cells further confirmed that both the racemic mixtures as well as pure optical isomers of DHS, 7OM and 7OG were more effective than silybin. Overall, these results clearly suggest that the anti-cancer efficacy of silybin could be significantly enhanced through structural modifications, and identify strong anti-cancer efficacy of silybin derivatives, namely DHS, 7OM, and 7OG, signifying that their efficacy and toxicity should be evaluated in relevant pre-clinical cancer models in rodents. PMID:23555889

Postoperative Outcomes of Minimally Invasive Gastrectomy Versus Open Gastrectomy During the Early Introduction of Minimally Invasive Gastrectomy in the Netherlands: A Population-based Cohort Study.

PubMed

Brenkman, Hylke J F; Gisbertz, Suzanne S; Slaman, Annelijn E; Goense, Lucas; Ruurda, Jelle P; van Berge Henegouwen, Mark I; van Hillegersberg, Richard

2017-11-01

To compare postoperative outcomes of minimally invasive gastrectomy (MIG) to open gastrectomy (OG) for cancer during the introduction of MIG in the Netherlands. Between 2011 and 2015, the use of MIG increased from 4% to 53% in the Netherlands. This population-based cohort study included all patients with curable gastric adenocarcinoma that underwent gastrectomy between 2011 and 2015, registered in the Dutch Upper GI Cancer Audit. Patients with missing preoperative data, and patients in whom no lymphadenectomy or reconstruction was performed were excluded. Propensity score matching was applied to create comparable groups between patients receiving MIG or OG, using year of surgery and other potential confounders. Morbidity, mortality, and hospital stay were evaluated. Of the 1697 eligible patients, 813 were discarded after propensity score matching; 442 and 442 patients who underwent MIG and OG, respectively, remained. Conversions occurred in 10% of the patients during MIG. Although the overall postoperative morbidity (37% vs 40%, P = 0.489) and mortality rates (6% vs 4%, P = 0.214) were comparable between the 2 groups, patients who underwent MIG experienced less wound complications (2% vs 5%, P = 0.006). Anastomotic leakage occurred in 8% of the patients after MIG, and in 7% after OG (P = 0.525). The median hospital stay declined over the years for both procedures (11 to 8 days, P < 0.001). Overall, hospital stay was shorter after MIG compared with OG (8 vs 10 days, P < 0.001). MIG was safely introduced in the Netherlands, with overall morbidity and mortality comparable with OG, less wound complications and shorter hospitalization.

Resterilized mesh in repair of abdominal wall defects in rats.

PubMed

Sucullu, Ilker; Akin, Mehmet Levhi; Yitgin, Selahattin; Filiz, Ali Ilker; Kurt, Yavuz

2008-01-01

A variety of negative opinions about repeated usage of relatively expensive resterilized synthetic meshes have been considered. It had been stated that resterilized polypropylene meshes inhibits fibroblastic activity, decreases proliferative activity, and increases apoptosis in human fibroblast culture, in vitro. The purpose of this study is the in vivo evaluation of the resterilized mesh repairs of abdominal hernia defects in rat models of incisional hernia by comparing primer repair and original mesh repairs. The rats (n = 22) were separated into three groups. While the abdominal defect was repaired by primary suture in the control group (CG), the defects were repaired by original mesh (OG) or resterilized mesh (RG) in mesh-repaired groups. After 21 days, the rats were evaluated for tissue tensile strengths, tissue hydroxyproline levels, tissue inflammation, fibrosis, and apoptosis. Although the tensile strengths in OG and RG were significantly higher than those of CG (p < .05 and p < .05), there was no significant difference between two groups. The tissue hydroxyproline levels in OG and RG were also higher than those of CG. The difference was not significant between the two groups. The inflammation and fibrosis indexes in OG and RG were significantly higher than those of CG (p < .0001 for both), but there was no difference between groups. While the apoptosis index in OG and RG was also higher than that of CG (p < .0001 for both), there was no significant difference between OG and RG. The usage of resterilized mesh in abdominal wall repair did not reduce the tissue tensile strength, did not affect the tissue hydroxyproline levels, did not decrease the fibrosis, and did not increase the tissue inflammation and apoptosis. In conclusion, usage of resterilized meshes in abdominal wall defects was as safe as sterilized meshes.

An Acidic PATHOGENESIS-RELATED1 Gene of Oryza grandiglumis is Involved in Disease Resistance Response Against Bacterial Infection

PubMed Central

Shin, Sang Hyun; Pak, Jung-Hun; Kim, Mi Jin; Kim, Hye Jeong; Oh, Ju Sung; Choi, Hong Kyu; Jung, Ho Won; Chung, Young Soo

2014-01-01

Wild rice, Oryza grandiglumis shows hyper-resistance response to pathogen infection. In order to identify genes necessary for defense response in plants, we have carried out a subtractive hybridization coupled with a cDNA macroarray. An acidic PATHOGENESIS-RELATED1 (PR1) gene of the wild rice is highly identical to the acidic PR1 genes of different plant species. The OgPR1a cDNA has an apparent single open reading frame with a predicted molecular mass 40,621 Da and an isoelectic point of 5.14. Both in silico analysis and a transient expression assay in onion epidermal cells revealed that the OgPR1a protein could be localized in intercellular space in plants. The OgPR1a mRNA was strongly transcribed by the exogenous treatment with ethylene and jasmonic acid as well as protein phosphatase inhibitors. Additionally, ectopic expression of the OgPR1a conferred disease resistance on Arabidopsis to the bacterial and fungal infections. PMID:25289005

Targeted Therapies for Advanced Oesophagogastric Cancer: Recent Progress and Future Directions.

PubMed

Young, Kate; Chau, Ian

2016-01-01

The genomic landscape of oesophagogastric (OG) cancer is highly complex. The recent elucidation of some of the pathways involved has suggested a number of novel targets for therapy. This therapy is urgently required as with conventional chemotherapy regimens patients with advanced OG cancer still have a median overall survival of under a year. This review outlines the rationale for the current treatment of OG cancer with chemotherapy and describes both previously conducted and ongoing clinical trials of novel agents in this area. The targets and associated treatments discussed include HER-2, EGFR, VEGF, c-Met, FGFR-2, PI3K, mTOR andIGF-1. To date only two targeted treatments, trastuzumab and ramucirumab, have become part of the treatment paradigm for OG cancer, partly due to difficulties in defining predictive biomarkers in this disease. However, there are a number of promising drugs in the pipeline and this article seeks to describe these and other potential novel approaches including targeting DNA repair deficiencies and the immune system.

5-Carboxy-8-hydroxyquinoline is a Broad Spectrum 2-Oxoglutarate Oxygenase Inhibitor which Causes Iron Translocation

PubMed Central

Aik, WeiShen; Che, Ka Hing; Li, Xuan Shirley; Kristensen, Jan B. L.; King, Oliver N. F.; Chan, Mun Chiang; Yeoh, Kar Kheng; Choi, Hwanho; Walport, Louise J.; Thinnes, Cyrille C.; Bush, Jacob T.; Lejeune, Clarisse; Rydzik, Anna M.; Rose, Nathan R.; Bagg, Eleanor A.; McDonough, Michael A.; Krojer, Tobias; Yue, Wyatt W.; Ng, Stanley S.; Olsen, Lars; Brennan, Paul E.; Oppermann, Udo; Muller-Knapp, Susanne; Klose, Robert J.; Ratcliffe, Peter J.; Schofield, Christopher J.; Kawamura, Akane

2015-01-01

2-Oxoglutarate and iron dependent oxygenases are therapeutic targets for human diseases. Using a representative 2OG oxygenase panel, we compare the inhibitory activities of 5-carboxy-8-hydroxyquinoline (IOX1) and 4-carboxy-8-hydroxyquinoline (4C8HQ) with that of two other commonly used 2OG oxygenase inhibitors, N-oxalylglycine (NOG) and 2,4-pyridinedicarboxylic acid (2,4-PDCA). The results reveal that IOX1 has a broad spectrum of activity, as demonstrated by the inhibition of transcription factor hydroxylases, representatives of all 2OG dependent histone demethylase subfamilies, nucleic acid demethylases and γ-butyrobetaine hydroxylase. Cellular assays show that, unlike NOG and 2,4-PDCA, IOX1 is active against both cytosolic and nuclear 2OG oxygenases without ester derivatisation. Unexpectedly, crystallographic studies on these oxygenases demonstrate that IOX1, but not 4C8HQ, can cause translocation of the active site metal, revealing a rare example of protein ligand-induced metal movement PMID:26682036

Restaurant oil and grease management in Hong Kong.

PubMed

Yau, Yiu-Hung; Rudolph, Victor; Lo, Cat Chui-Man; Wu, Kam-Chau

2018-06-24

Oil and grease (O&G) in wastewater can be considered as two parts or proportion contained in emulsion which exceeded O&G standard. Most of oil becomes emulsified with water when they pass through grease trap and discharged in the effluents. Thus, it may indicate that either treatment of grease traps or standards for O&G content stipulated in technical memorandum of Water Pollution Control Ordinance (WPCO) do not reflect the actual situation. Existing grease traps should be upgraded to meet the requirements of WPCO. Alternative technologies need to be developed to tackle this unsolved problem. Good management and practices are also important to ensure proper collection and waste recycling rather than just disposing effluent into drains. Collected O&G content can be recycled as valuable products such as biofuel, flotation agent, or other derivatives. This approach not only protects the environment by improving water quality, it also encourages large flow restaurant operators to recycle oil and grease content towards cleaner production.

Paleobathymetric Reconstruction of Ross Sea: seismic data processing and regional reflectors mapping

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Olivo, Elisabetta; De Santis, Laura; Wardell, Nigel; Geletti, Riccardo; Busetti, Martina; Sauli, Chiara; Bergamasco, Andrea; Colleoni, Florence; Vanzella, Walter; Sorlien, Christopher; Wilson, Doug; De Conto, Robert; Powell, Ross; Bart, Phil; Luyendyk, Bruce

2017-04-01

PURPOSE: New maps of some major unconformities of the Ross Sea have been reconstructed, by using seismic data grids, combined with the acoustic velocities from previous works, from new and reprocessed seismic profiles. This work is carried out with the support of PNRA and in the frame of the bilateral Italy-USA project GLAISS (Global Sea Level Rise & Antarctic Ice Sheet Stability predictions), funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Paleobathymetric maps of 30, 14 and 4 million years ago, three 'key moments' for the glacial history of the Antarctic Ice Sheet, coinciding with global climatic changes. The paleobathymetric maps will then be used for numeric simulations focused on the width and thickness of the Ross Sea Ice Sheet. PRELIMINARY RESULTS: The first step was to create TWT maps of three main unconformity (RSU6, RSU4, and RSU2) of Ross Sea, revisiting and updating the ANTOSTRAT maps, through the interpretation of sedimentary bodies and erosional features, used to infer active or old processes along the slope, we identified the main seismic unconformities. We used the HIS Kingdom academic license. The different groups contribution was on the analysis of the Eastern Ross Sea continental slope and rise (OGS), of the Central Basin (KOPRI) of the western and central Ross Sea (Univ. of Santa Barbara and OGS), where new drill sites and seismic profiles were collected after the publication of the ANTOSTRAT maps. Than we joined our interpretation with previous interpretations. We examined previous processing of several seismic lines and all the old acoustic velocity analysis. In addiction we reprocessed some lines in order to have a higher data coverage. Then, combining the TWT maps of the unconformity with the old and new speed data we created new depth maps of the study area. The new depth maps will then be used for reconstructing the paleobathymetry of the Ross Sea by applying backstripping technique.

OGS improvements in the year 2011 in running the Northeastern Italy Seismic Network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bragato, P. L.; Pesaresi, D.; Saraò, A.; Di Bartolomeo, P.; Durı, G.

2012-04-01

The Centro di Ricerche Sismologiche (CRS, Seismological Research Center) of the Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e di Geofisica Sperimentale (OGS, Italian National Institute for Oceanography and Experimental Geophysics) in Udine (Italy) after the strong earthquake of magnitude M=6.4 occurred in 1976 in the Italian Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, started to operate the Northeastern Italy Seismic Network: it currently consists of 15 very sensitive broad band and 21 simpler short period seismic stations, all telemetered to and acquired in real time at the OGS-CRS data center in Udine. Real time data exchange agreements in place with other Italian, Slovenian, Austrian and Swiss seismological institutes lead to a total number of about 100 seismic stations acquired in real time, which makes the OGS the reference institute for seismic monitoring of Northeastern Italy. Since 2002 OGS-CRS is using the Antelope software suite on several workstations plus a SUN Cluster as the main tool for collecting, analyzing, archiving and exchanging seismic data, initially in the framework of the EU Interreg IIIA project "Trans-national seismological networks in the South-Eastern Alps". SeisComP is also used as a real time data exchange server tool. In order to improve the seismological monitoring of the Northeastern Italy area, at OGS-CRS we tuned existing programs and created ad hoc ones like: a customized web server named PickServer to manually relocate earthquakes, a script for automatic moment tensor determination, scripts for web publishing of earthquake parametric data, waveforms, state of health parameters and shaking maps, noise characterization by means of automatic spectra analysis, and last but not least scripts for email/SMS/fax alerting. The OGS-CRS Real Time Seismological website (RTS, http://rts.crs.inogs.it/) operative since several years was initially developed in the framework of the Italian DPC-INGV S3 Project: the RTS website shows classic earthquake locations parametric data plus ShakeMap and moment tensor information. At OGS-CRS we also spent a considerable amount of efforts in improving the long-period performances of broadband seismic stations, either by carrying out full re-installations and/or applying thermal insulations to the seismometers: more examples of PSD plots of the PRED broad band seismic station installation in the cave tunnel of Cave del Predil using a Quanterra Q330HR high resolution digitizer and a Sterckeisen STS-2 broadband seismometer will be illustrated. Efforts in strengthening the reliability of data links, exploring the use of redundant satellite/radio/GPRS links will also be shown.

Crystal Structure and Functional Analysis of Homocitrate Synthase, an Essential Enzyme in Lysine Biosynthesis

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

Bulfer, Stacie L.; Scott, Erin M.; Couture, Jean-François

2010-01-12

Homocitrate synthase (HCS) catalyzes the first and committed step in lysine biosynthesis in many fungi and certain Archaea and is a potential target for antifungal drugs. Here we report the crystal structure of the HCS apoenzyme from Schizosaccharomyces pombe and two distinct structures of the enzyme in complex with the substrate 2-oxoglutarate (2-OG). The structures reveal that HCS forms an intertwined homodimer stabilized by domain-swapping between the N- and C-terminal domains of each monomer. The N-terminal catalytic domain is composed of a TIM barrel fold in which 2-OG binds via hydrogen bonds and coordination to the active site divalent metalmore » ion, whereas the C-terminal domain is composed of mixed {alpha}/{beta} topology. In the structures of the HCS apoenzyme and one of the 2-OG binary complexes, a lid motif from the C-terminal domain occludes the entrance to the active site of the neighboring monomer, whereas in the second 2-OG complex the lid is disordered, suggesting that it regulates substrate access to the active site through its apparent flexibility. Mutations of the active site residues involved in 2-OG binding or implicated in acid-base catalysis impair or abolish activity in vitro and in vivo. Together, these results yield new insights into the structure and catalytic mechanism of HCSs and furnish a platform for developing HCS-selective inhibitors.« less

Evolution of food provision to athletes at the summer Olympic Games.

PubMed

Pelly, Fiona E; O'Connor, Helen T; Denyer, Gareth S; Caterson, Ian D

2011-06-01

The history of food provision at the summer Olympic Games (OG) over the past century (1896-2008) provides insight into the evolution of sports nutrition research and the dietary strategies of athletes. Early research favoring protein as the main fuel for exercise was reflected in OG menus from 1932 to 1968. Despite conclusive research from the 1960s demonstrating the clear benefit of carbohydrate on exercise performance, a specific emphasis on carbohydrate-rich foods was not noted until the 1970s. Athlete food preferences and catering complexity evolved rapidly between 1970 and 2000, driven predominantly by a dramatic expansion of the OG and the emergence of systematic sports nutrition research. Nutritional advice by experts and sponsorship by food companies became increasingly important beginning with the 1984 Los Angeles OG. More recent developments include nutritional labeling of menu items and provision of a nutrition information desk (Barcelona 1992), demand for a "high-starch, low-fat menu" (Atlanta 1996), the addition of a dedicated menu website and the systematic gathering of information on athletes' apparent consumption (Sydney 2000), and appointment of the first international dietetic review committee (Beijing 2008). The history of catering at the OG tracks the evolution of sports nutrition practice from anecdotes and myth towards an established specialty in nutrition and dietetics grounded in evidence-based science. © 2011 International Life Sciences Institute.

Uridylylation of Herbaspirillum seropedicae GlnB and GlnK proteins is differentially affected by ATP, ADP and 2-oxoglutarate in vitro.

PubMed

Bonatto, Ana C; Souza, Emanuel M; Oliveira, Marco A S; Monteiro, Rose A; Chubatsu, Leda S; Huergo, Luciano F; Pedrosa, Fábio O

2012-08-01

PII are signal-transducing proteins that integrate metabolic signals and transmit this information to a large number of proteins. In proteobacteria, PII are modified by GlnD (uridylyltransferase/uridylyl-removing enzyme) in response to the nitrogen status. The uridylylation/deuridylylation cycle of PII is also regulated by carbon and energy signals such as ATP, ADP and 2-oxoglutarate (2-OG). These molecules bind to PII proteins and alter their tridimensional structure/conformation and activity. In this work, we determined the effects of ATP, ADP and 2-OG levels on the in vitro uridylylation of Herbaspirillum seropedicae PII proteins, GlnB and GlnK. Both proteins were uridylylated by GlnD in the presence of ATP or ADP, although the uridylylation levels were higher in the presence of ATP and under high 2-OG levels. Under excess of 2-OG, the GlnB uridylylation level was higher in the presence of ATP than with ADP, while GlnK uridylylation was similar with ATP or ADP. Moreover, in the presence of ADP/ATP molar ratios varying from 10/1 to 1/10, GlnB uridylylation level decreased as ADP concentration increased, whereas GlnK uridylylation remained constant. The results suggest that uridylylation of both GlnB and GlnK responds to 2-OG levels, but only GlnB responds effectively to variation on ADP/ATP ratio.

SalB inactivation modulates culture supernatant exoproteins and affects autolysis and viability in Enterococcus faecalis OG1RF.

PubMed

Shankar, Jayendra; Walker, Rachel G; Wilkinson, Mark C; Ward, Deborah; Horsburgh, Malcolm J

2012-07-01

The culture supernatant fraction of an Enterococcus faecalis gelE mutant of strain OG1RF contained elevated levels of the secreted antigen SalB. Using differential fluorescence gel electrophoresis (DIGE) the salB mutant was shown to possess a unique complement of exoproteins. Differentially abundant exoproteins were identified using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry. Stress-related proteins including DnaK, Dps family protein, SOD, and NADH peroxidase were present in greater quantity in the OG1RF salB mutant culture supernatant. Moreover, several proteins involved in cell wall synthesis and cell division, including d-Ala-d-Lac ligase and EzrA, were present in reduced quantity in OG1RF salB relative to the parent strain. The salB mutant displayed reduced viability and anomalous cell division, and these phenotypes were exacerbated in a gelE salB double mutant. An epistatic relationship between gelE and salB was not identified with respect to increased autolysis and cell morphological changes observed in the salB mutant. SalB was purified as a six-histidine-tagged protein to investigate peptidoglycan hydrolytic activity; however, activity was not evident. High-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis of reduced muropeptides from peptidoglycan digested with mutanolysin revealed that the salB mutant and OG1RF were indistinguishable.

Photocatalytic degradation of Orange G dye under solar light using nanocrystalline semiconductor metal oxide.

PubMed

Thennarasu, G; Kavithaa, S; Sivasamy, A

2011-08-01

The photocatalytic degradation of Orange G (OG) dye has been investigated using synthesised nanocrystalline ZnO as a photocatalyst and sunlight as the irradiation source. The formation of ZnO prepared from its precursor was confirmed through FT-IR and powder X-ray diffraction analyses. Surface morphology was characterised by scanning electron microscope and transmission electron microscope analysis. Band gap energy of synthesised nanocrystalline ZnO was calculated using diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS). Different experimental parameters such as effects of pH, dye concentrations and mass of catalyst were standardised in order to achieve complete degradation of the dye molecules under solar light irradiation. The kinetics of oxidation of OG was also studied. The complete degradation of OG was evident after 90 min of irradiation at an initial pH of 6.86. The degradation of OG was confirmed by UV-Visible spectrophotometer, high-pressure liquid chromatography, ESI-Mass and chemical oxygen demand analyses. The adsorption of dye onto catalytic surface was analysed employing model equations such as Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms, and it was found that the Langmuir isotherm model best fitted the adsorption data. The solar photodegradation of OG followed pseudo-first-order kinetics. HPLC and ESI-Mass analyses of the degraded samples suggested that the dye molecules were readily degraded under solar irradiation with nanocrystalline ZnO.

Coleman works at the AR OGS Rack in the Node 3

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-02-08

ISS026-E-025143 (8 Feb. 2011) --- NASA astronaut Catherine (Cady) Coleman, Expedition 26 flight engineer, works at the Atmosphere Revitalization / Oxygen Generation System (AR OGS) rack in the Harmony node of the International Space Station. Coleman collected recirculation loop samples for subsequent analysis for pH value.

Coleman works at the AR OGS Rack in the Node 3

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-02-08

ISS026-E-025142 (8 Feb. 2011) --- NASA astronaut Catherine (Cady) Coleman, Expedition 26 flight engineer, works at the Atmosphere Revitalization / Oxygen Generation System (AR OGS) rack in the Harmony node of the International Space Station. Coleman collected recirculation loop samples for subsequent analysis for pH value.

EMODNet Hydrography - Seabed Mapping - Developing a higher resolution digital bathymetry for the European seas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schaap, Dick M. A.; Moussat, Eric

2013-04-01

In December 2007 the European Parliament and Council adopted the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) which aims to achieve environmentally healthy marine waters by 2020. This Directive includes an initiative for an overarching European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODNet). The EMODNet Hydrography - Seabed Mapping projects made good progress in developing the EMODNet Hydrography portal to provide overview and access to available bathymetric survey datasets and to generate an harmonised digital bathymetry for Europe's sea basins. Up till end 2012 more than 8400 bathymetric survey datasets, managed by 14 data centres from 9 countries and originated from 118 institutes, have been gathered and populated in the EMODNet Hydrography Data Discovery and Access service, adopting SeaDataNet standards. These datasets have been used as input for analysing and generating the EMODNet digital terrain model (DTM), so far for the following sea basins: • the Greater North Sea, including the Kattegat • the English Channel and Celtic Seas • Western and Central Mediterranean Sea and Ionian Sea • Bay of Biscay, Iberian coast and North-East Atlantic • Adriatic Sea • Aegean - Levantine Sea (Eastern Mediterranean). • Azores - Madeira EEZ The Hydrography Viewing service gives users wide functionality for viewing and downloading the EMODNet digital bathymetry: • water depth in gridded form on a DTM grid of a quarter a minute of longitude and latitude • option to view QC parameters of individual DTM cells and references to source data • option to download DTM tiles in different formats: ESRI ASCII, XYZ, CSV, NetCDF (CF), GeoTiff and SD for Fledermaus 3 D viewer software • option for users to create their Personal Layer and to upload multibeam survey ASCII datasets for automatic processing into personal DTMs following the EMODNet standards The NetCDF (CF) DTM files are fit for use in a special 3D Viewer software package which is based on the existing open source NASA World Wind JSK application. It has been developed in the frame of the EU Geo-Seas project (another sibling of SeaDataNet for marine geological and geophysical data) and is freely available. The 3D viewer also supports the ingestion of WMS overlay maps. The EMODNet consortium is actively seeking cooperation with Hydrographic Offices, research institutes, authorities and private organisations for additional data sets (single and multibeam surveys, sounding tracks, composite products) to contribute to an even better geographical coverage. These datasets will be used for upgrading and extending the EMODNet regional Digital Terrain Models (DTM). The datasets themselves are not distributed but described in the metadata service, giving clear information about the background survey data used for the DTM, their access restrictions, originators and distributors and facilitating requests by users to originators. This way the portal provides originators of bathymetric data sets an attractive shop window for promoting their data sets to potential users, without losing control. The EMODNet Hydrography Consortium consists of MARIS (NL), ATLIS (NL), IFREMER (FR), SHOM (FR), IEO (ES), GSI (IE), NERC-NOCS (UK), OGS (IT), HCMR (GR), and UNEP/GRID-Arendal (NO) with associate partners CNR-ISMAR (IT), OGS-RIMA (IT), IHPT (PT), and LNEG (PT). Website: http://www.emodnet-hydrography.eu

Duty Module Methodology for Officer Career Management System Development: Task Data Bank, Task List.

DTIC Science & Technology

1975-11-01

and supply of communications equipment. O-G-1 0427 Prepare communications portion of unit SOP, operations orders, and plans. O-G-1 0428 Interpret...property for sale into commrercial categories. 0-FF-10 1307 Prepare formal advertising and invitations to bid and make other authorized arrangements for

On-The-Move Nutrient Delivery System (NDS): User Acceptability of Rotary Flow Control Version

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-04-01

Following: Salt, Sodium Citrate, Monopotassium Phosphate, Sodium Benzoate , Potassium Sorbate, FD & C Yellow #5. Faslln,,, Flow Mallifold 126.00 g (4.44 oz...Fat Cholesterol Sodium 440mg Potassium Total Carbohydrate Dietary Fiber Sugars Protein Vitamin A Vitamin C Calcium lron Phosphorus 260 o Og Og Omg 18

40 CFR 432.62 - Effluent limitations attainable by the application of the best practicable control technology...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

....018 Fecal Coliform (2) (3) O&G 4 0.012 0.006 TSS 0.044 0.022 1 Pounds per 1000 lbs (or g/kg) of... million pounds per year of finished products must achieve the limitations for BOD5, fecal coliform, O&G...

40 CFR 432.82 - Effluent limitations attainable by the application of the best practicable control technology...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

....31 Fecal Coliform (2) (3) O&G 4 0.22 0.11 TSS 0.74 0.37 1 Pounds per 1000 lbs (or g/kg) of finished... million pounds per year of finished products must achieve the limitations for BOD5, fecal coliform, O&G...

40 CFR 432.92 - Effluent limitations attainable by the application of the best practicable control technology...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

....37 Fecal Coliform (2) (3) O&G 4 0.26 0.13 TSS 0.90 0.45 1 Pounds per 1000 lbs (or g/kg) of finished... million pounds per year of finished products must achieve the limitations for BOD5, fecal coliform, O&G...

40 CFR 432.82 - Effluent limitations attainable by the application of the best practicable control technology...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

....31 Fecal Coliform (2) (3) O&G 4 0.22 0.11 TSS 0.74 0.37 1 Pounds per 1000 lbs (or g/kg) of finished... million pounds per year of finished products must achieve the limitations for BOD5, fecal coliform, O&G...

VERTICAL STRATIFICATION OF SOIL WATER STORAGE AND RELEASE DYNAMICS IN PACIFIC NORTHWEST CONIFEROUS FORESTS

EPA Science Inventory

abstract for journal article We characterized vertical variation in the seasonal depletion of stored soil moisture in old-growth ponderosa pine (OG-PP, xeric), and young and old-growth Douglas-fir (Y-DF, OG-DF, mesic) forests to evaluate changes in water availability for root up...

New Insights on Leucine-Rich Repeats Receptor-Like Kinase Orthologous Relationships in Angiosperms

PubMed Central

Dufayard, Jean-François; Bettembourg, Mathilde; Fischer, Iris; Droc, Gaetan; Guiderdoni, Emmanuel; Périn, Christophe; Chantret, Nathalie; Diévart, Anne

2017-01-01

Leucine-Rich Repeats Receptor-Like Kinase (LRR-RLK) genes represent a large and complex gene family in plants, mainly involved in development and stress responses. These receptors are composed of an LRR-containing extracellular domain (ECD), a transmembrane domain (TM) and an intracellular kinase domain (KD). To provide new perspectives on functional analyses of these genes in model and non-model plant species, we performed a phylogenetic analysis on 8,360 LRR-RLK receptors in 31 angiosperm genomes (8 monocots and 23 dicots). We identified 101 orthologous groups (OGs) of genes being conserved among almost all monocot and dicot species analyzed. We observed that more than 10% of these OGs are absent in the Brassicaceae species studied. We show that the ECD structural features are not always conserved among orthologs, suggesting that functions may have diverged in some OG sets. Moreover, we looked at targets of positive selection footprints in 12 pairs of OGs and noticed that depending on the subgroups, positive selection occurred more frequently either in the ECDs or in the KDs. PMID:28424707

Study of the 249-251Cf + 48Ca reactions: recent results and outlook

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Voinov, A. A.; Oganessian, Yu Ts; Abdullin, F. Sh; Brewer, N. T.; Dmitriev, S. N.; Grzywacz, R. K.; Hamilton, J. H.; Itkis, M. G.; Miernik, K.; Polyakov, A. N.; Roberto, J. B.; Rykaczewski, K. P.; Sabelnikov, A. V.; Sagaidak, R. N.; Shirokovsky, I. V.; Shumeiko, M. V.; Stoyer, M. A.; Subbotin, V. G.; Sukhov, A. M.; Tsyganov, Yu S.; Utyonkov, V. K.; Vostokin, G. K.

2018-02-01

Experiment aiming at the synthesis of heavy isotopes of Z=118 (Og) using beam of 48Ca and a target of 249-251Cf was undertaken in October 2015 - April 2016 employing the Dubna Gas-Filled Recoil Separator (FLNR JINR). The target of mixed isotopes of 249-251Cf (50.7% of 249Cf, 12.9% of 250Cf, and 36.4% of 251Cf) was irradiated by 48Ca ions at two beam energies of 252 and 258 MeV with the corresponding accumulated beam doses of 1.6×1019 and 1.1×1019. A single event observed at lower beam energy was assigned to the isotope 294Og, the product of the reaction 249Cf(48Ca, 3n); its decay pattern and the observed radioactive properties of the nuclides in the decay chain reproduce in full those observed for 294Og in our earlier experiments of 2002-2005 and 2012. At higher beam energy we observed no decay chains that could be attributed to the isotopes of Og. The possibility of renewal of this experiment in the future is discussed.

Characterization of VOCs Emissions from Industrial Facilities and Natural Gas Production Sites: A Mobile Sensing Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, X.; Gu, J.; Trask, B.; Lyon, D. R.; Albertson, J. D.

2017-12-01

With the recent expansion of U.S. oil and gas (O&G) production, many studies have focused on the quantification of fugitive methane emissions. However, only a few studies have explored the emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from O&G production sites that affect human health in adjacent communities, both directly through exposure to toxic chemical compounds and indirectly via formation of ground-level ozone. In this study, we seek to quantify emissions of VOCs from O&G production sites and petrochemical facilities using a mobile sensing approach, with both high-end analyzers and relatively low-cost sensors. A probabilistic source characterization approach is used to estimate emission rates of VOCs, directly taking into account quantitative measure of sensor accuracy. This work will provide data with proper spatiotemporal resolution and coverage, so as to improve the understanding of VOCs emission from O&G production sites, VOCs-exposure of local communities, and explore the feasibility of low-cost sensors for VOCs monitoring. The project will provide an important foundational step to enable large scale studies.

Mechanical external work and recovery at preferred walking speed in obese subjects.

PubMed

Malatesta, Davide; Vismara, Luca; Menegoni, Francesco; Galli, Manuela; Romei, Marianna; Capodaglio, Paolo

2009-02-01

The aim of this study was to compare the mechanical external work (per kg) and pendular energy transduction at preferred walking speed (PWS) in obese versus normal body mass subjects to investigate whether obese adults adopt energy conserving gait mechanics. The mechanical external work (Wext) and the fraction of mechanical energy recovered by the pendular mechanism (Rstep) were computed using kinematic data acquired by an optoelectronic system and were compared in 30 obese (OG; body mass index [BMI] = 39.6 +/- 0.6 kg m(-2); 29.5 +/- 1.3 yr) and 19 normal body mass adults (NG; BMI = 21.4 +/- 0.5 kg m(-2); 31.2 +/- 1.2 yr) walking at PWS. PWS was significantly lower in OG (1.18 +/- 0.02 m s(-1)) than in NG (1.33 +/- 0.02 m s(-1); P

Pectin Biosynthesis Is Critical for Cell Wall Integrity and Immunity in Arabidopsis thaliana

PubMed Central

Bethke, Gerit; Thao, Amanda; Xiong, Guangyan; Hatsugai, Noriyuki; Katagiri, Fumiaki; Pauly, Markus

2016-01-01

Plant cell walls are important barriers against microbial pathogens. Cell walls of Arabidopsis thaliana leaves contain three major types of polysaccharides: cellulose, various hemicelluloses, and pectins. UDP-d-galacturonic acid, the key building block of pectins, is produced from the precursor UDP-d-glucuronic acid by the action of glucuronate 4-epimerases (GAEs). Pseudomonas syringae pv maculicola ES4326 (Pma ES4326) repressed expression of GAE1 and GAE6 in Arabidopsis, and immunity to Pma ES4326 was compromised in gae6 and gae1 gae6 mutant plants. These plants had brittle leaves and cell walls of leaves had less galacturonic acid. Resistance to specific Botrytis cinerea isolates was also compromised in gae1 gae6 double mutant plants. Although oligogalacturonide (OG)-induced immune signaling was unaltered in gae1 gae6 mutant plants, immune signaling induced by a commercial pectinase, macerozyme, was reduced. Macerozyme treatment or infection with B. cinerea released less soluble uronic acid, likely reflecting fewer OGs, from gae1 gae6 cell walls than from wild-type Col-0. Although both OGs and macerozyme-induced immunity to B. cinerea in Col-0, only OGs also induced immunity in gae1 gae6. Pectin is thus an important contributor to plant immunity, and this is due at least in part to the induction of immune responses by soluble pectin, likely OGs, that are released during plant-pathogen interactions. PMID:26813622

Effects of forage family on apparent ruminal synthesis of B vitamins in lactating dairy cows.

PubMed

Castagnino, D S; Seck, M; Beaudet, V; Kammes, K L; Linton, J A Voelker; Allen, M S; Gervais, R; Chouinard, P Y; Girard, C L

2016-03-01

Effects of forage family (legume vs. grass) on apparent ruminal synthesis (ARS) and postruminal supply of B vitamins were evaluated in 2 experiments. Diets containing either alfalfa (AL) or orchardgrass (OG) silages as the sole forage were offered to ruminally and duodenally cannulated lactating Holstein cows in crossover design experiments. Experiment 1 compared diets containing AL and OG [~23% forage neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and ~27% total NDF] offered to 8 cows in two 15-d treatment periods. Experiment 2 compared diets containing AL and OG (~25% forage NDF and ~30% total NDF) offered to 13 cows in two 18-d treatment periods. Thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, folates, and vitamin B12 were analyzed in feeds and duodenal digesta. Apparent ruminal synthesis was calculated as the duodenal flow of each vitamin minus its intake. Forage family affected B vitamin intakes, duodenal flow, and ARS. In both experiments, AL diets increased vitamin B6 and decreased folate intakes. In experiment 1, riboflavin and niacin intakes were greater with the OG diet, whereas in experiment 2 thiamin intake was greater but riboflavin intake was smaller with the OG diet. In spite of the low contribution of either silage to the dietary folate content, folate intake was greater with OG diets than AL due to the difference in soybean meal contribution between diets. Niacin and folate ARS were not affected by the forage family. Duodenal microbial nitrogen flow was positively correlated with ARS of riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, folates, and vitamin B12, but tended to be negatively correlated with thiamin ARS. Apparent ruminal synthesis of folates and vitamin B12 appear to be related to microbial biomass activity. Changes in nutrient composition of the diets likely affected the microbial population in the rumen and their B vitamin metabolism. Copyright © 2016 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Long-term Outcomes of Laparoscopic Versus Open Surgery for Clinical Stage II/III Gastric Cancer: A Multicenter Cohort Study in Japan (LOC-A Study).

PubMed

Kinoshita, Takahiro; Uyama, Ichiro; Terashima, Masanori; Noshiro, Hirokazu; Nagai, Eishi; Obama, Kazutaka; Tamamori, Yutaka; Nabae, Toshinaga; Honda, Michitaka; Abe, Takayuki

2018-04-24

A large-scale multicenter historical cohort study was conducted to investigate the efficacy of laparoscopic gastrectomy (LG) in comparison to open gastrectomy (OG) for locally advanced gastric cancer. LG is now practiced widely, but its applicability for advanced gastric cancer is still controversial. As oncologic outcomes of randomized trials are still pending, there is an urgent need for information that would be relevant to current practice. Through a consensus meeting involving surgeons and biostatisticians, 30 preoperative variables possibly influencing the choice of surgical approach and associated with outcome were identified to enable rigorous estimation of propensity scores. A total of 1948 consecutive patients who underwent gastrectomy for clinical stage II/III gastric adenocarcinoma between 2008 and 2014 were identified, and their clinical data were collected from 8 participating hospitals. After propensity score matching, 610 cases (OG = 305, LG = 305) were finally selected for comparison of long-term outcomes. In the propensity-matched OG and LG populations, the mean observation period was 3.5 and 3.4 years, and the 5-year overall survival was 53.0% and 54.2%, respectively. The hazard ratio (LG/OG) for overall survival was 1.01 (95% confidence interval, 0.80-1.29), and noninferiority of LG was demonstrated statistically as the upper 95% confidence limit was less than the prespecified margin (1.33). The recurrence rate was 30.8% and 29.8% for OG and LG, respectively, and the hazard ratio for recurrence was 0.98 (95% confidence interval, 0.74-1.31). The patterns of recurrence in the 2 groups were similar. This observational study strictly adjusted for confounding factors has provided evidence to suggest that LG is oncologically comparable to OG for locally advanced gastric cancer. The validity of this result will be examined in ongoing randomized trials.

Analysis of a long-term measurement of air pollutants (2007-2011) in North China Plain (NCP); Impact of emission reduction during the Beijing Olympic Games.

PubMed

Xu, Ruiguang; Tang, Guiqian; Wang, Yuesi; Tie, Xuexi

2016-09-01

Five years measurements were used to evaluate the effect of emission controls on the changes of air pollutants in Beijing and its surroundings in the NCP during 2008 Olympic Games (2008OG). The major challenge of this study was to filter out the effect of variability of meteorological conditions, when compared the air pollutants during the game to non-game period. We used four-year (2007, 2009-2011) average as the Non-2008OG to smooth the temporal variability caused by meteorological parameters. To study the spatial variability and regional transport, 6 sites (urban, rural, a mega city, a heavy industrial city, and a remote site) were selected. The result showed that the annually meteorological variability was significantly reduced. Such as, in BJ the differences between 2008OG and 5-years averaged values were 2.7% for relative humidity and 0.6% for wind speed. As a result, the anomaly of air pollutants between 2008OG and Non-2008OG can largely attribute to the emission control. The comparison showed that the major pollutants (PM10, PM2.5, NO, NOx) at the 6 sites in 2008OG were consistently lowered. For example, PM2.5 in BJ decreased from 75 to 45 μg/m(3) (40% reduction). However, the emission controls had minor effect on O3 concentrations (1% reduction). In contrast, the O3 precursor (NOx) reduced from 19.7 to 13.2 ppb (33% reduction). The in-sensitivity between NOx and O3 suggested that the O3 formation was under VOCs control condition in NCP, showing that strong VOC emission control is needed in order to significantly reduce O3 concentration in the region. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

OpenGeoSys-GEMS: Hybrid parallelization of a reactive transport code with MPI and threads

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kosakowski, G.; Kulik, D. A.; Shao, H.

2012-04-01

OpenGeoSys-GEMS is a generic purpose reactive transport code based on the operator splitting approach. The code couples the Finite-Element groundwater flow and multi-species transport modules of the OpenGeoSys (OGS) project (http://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=18345) with the GEM-Selektor research package to model thermodynamic equilibrium of aquatic (geo)chemical systems utilizing the Gibbs Energy Minimization approach (http://gems.web.psi.ch/). The combination of OGS and the GEM-Selektor kernel (GEMS3K) is highly flexible due to the object-oriented modular code structures and the well defined (memory based) data exchange modules. Like other reactive transport codes, the practical applicability of OGS-GEMS is often hampered by the long calculation time and large memory requirements. • For realistic geochemical systems which might include dozens of mineral phases and several (non-ideal) solid solutions the time needed to solve the chemical system with GEMS3K may increase exceptionally. • The codes are coupled in a sequential non-iterative loop. In order to keep the accuracy, the time step size is restricted. In combination with a fine spatial discretization the time step size may become very small which increases calculation times drastically even for small 1D problems. • The current version of OGS is not optimized for memory use and the MPI version of OGS does not distribute data between nodes. Even for moderately small 2D problems the number of MPI processes that fit into memory of up-to-date workstations or HPC hardware is limited. One strategy to overcome the above mentioned restrictions of OGS-GEMS is to parallelize the coupled code. For OGS a parallelized version already exists. It is based on a domain decomposition method implemented with MPI and provides a parallel solver for fluid and mass transport processes. In the coupled code, after solving fluid flow and solute transport, geochemical calculations are done in form of a central loop over all finite element nodes with calls to GEMS3K and consecutive calculations of changed material parameters. In a first step the existing MPI implementation was utilized to parallelize this loop. Calculations were split between the MPI processes and afterwards data was synchronized by using MPI communication routines. Furthermore, multi-threaded calculation of the loop was implemented with help of the boost thread library (http://www.boost.org). This implementation provides a flexible environment to distribute calculations between several threads. For each MPI process at least one and up to several dozens of worker threads are spawned. These threads do not replicate the complete OGS-GEM data structure and use only a limited amount of memory. Calculation of the central geochemical loop is shared between all threads. Synchronization between the threads is done by barrier commands. The overall number of local threads times MPI processes should match the number of available computing nodes. The combination of multi-threading and MPI provides an effective and flexible environment to speed up OGS-GEMS calculations while limiting the required memory use. Test calculations on different hardware show that for certain types of applications tremendous speedups are possible.

Physical characteristics of Comet Nucleus C/2001 OG 108 (LONEOS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abell, Paul A.; Fernández, Yanga R.; Pravec, Petr; French, Linda M.; Farnham, Tony L.; Gaffey, Michael J.; Hardersen, Paul S.; Kušnirák, Peter; Šarounová, Lenka; Sheppard, Scott S.; Narayan, Gautham

2005-12-01

A detailed description of the Halley-type Comet C/2001 OG 108 (LONEOS) has been derived from visible, near-infrared, and mid-infrared observations obtained in October and November 2001. These data represent the first high-quality ground-based observations of a bare Halley-type comet nucleus and provide the best characterization of a Halley-type comet other than 1P/Halley itself. Analysis of time series photometry suggests that the nucleus has a rotation period of 57.2±0.5 h with a minimum nuclear axial ratio of 1.3, a phase-darkening slope parameter G of -0.01±0.10, and an estimated H=13.05±0.10. The rotation period of C/2001 OG 108 is one of the longest observed among comet nuclei. The V- R color index for this object is measured to be 0.46±0.02, which is virtually identical to that of other cometary nuclei and other possible extinct comet candidates. Measurements of the comet's thermal emission constrain the projected elliptical nuclear radii to be 9.6±1.0 km and 7.4±1.0 km, which makes C/2001 OG 108 one of the larger cometary nuclei known. The derived geometric albedo in V-band of 0.040±0.010 is typical for comet nuclei. Visible-wavelength spectrophotometry and near-infrared spectroscopy were combined to derive the nucleus's reflectance spectrum over a 0.4 to 2.5 μm wavelength range. These measurements represent one of the few nuclear spectra ever observed and the only known spectrum of a Halley-type comet. The spectrum of this comet nucleus is very nearly linear and shows no discernable absorption features at a 5% detection limit. The lack of any features, especially in the 0.8 to 1.0 μm range such as are seen in the spectra of carbonaceous chondrite meteorites and many low-albedo asteroids, is consistent with the presence of anhydrous rather than hydrous silicates on the surface of this comet. None of the currently recognized meteorites in the terrestrial collections have reflectance spectra that match C/2001 OG 108. The near-infrared spectrum, the geometric albedo, and the visible spectrophotometry all indicate that C/2001 OG 108 has spectral properties analogous to the D-type, and possibly P-type asteroids. Comparison of the measured albedo and diameter of C/2001 OG 108 with those of Damocloid asteroids reveals similarities between these asteroids and this comet nucleus, a finding which supports previous dynamical arguments that Damocloid asteroids could be composed of cometary-like materials. These observations are also consistent with findings that two Jupiter-family comets may have spectral signatures indicative of D-type asteroids. C/2001 OG 108 probably represents the transition from a typical active comet to an extinct cometary nucleus, and, as a Halley-type comet, suggests that some comets originating in the Oort cloud can become extinct without disintegrating. As a near-Earth object, C/2001 OG 108 supports the suggestion that some fraction of the near-Earth asteroid population consists of extinct cometary nuclei.

From Black Power to Hip-Hop: Jeffrey O.G. Ogbar

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smiles, Robin V.

2005-01-01

While history for most conjures up images of places and experiences far removed, for Dr. Jeffrey O.G. Ogbar, the field provides a "wonderful medium" to illuminate contemporary issues as well. Much of Ogbar's current research centers on events occurring in the latter half of the 20th century, such as the civil rights and Black power…

Reading and Spelling Gains Following One Year of Orton-Gillingham Intervention in Singaporean Students with Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lim, Lois; Oei, Adam C.

2015-01-01

Despite the widespread use of Orton-Gillingham (OG) based approaches to dyslexia remediation, empirical support documenting its effectiveness is lacking. Recently, Chia and Houghton demonstrated the effectiveness of the OG approach for remediation of dyslexia in Singapore. As a conceptual replication and extension of that research, we report…

Vertical stratification of soil water storage and release dynamics in Pacific Northwest coniferous forests.

Treesearch

J.M. Warren; F.C. Meinzer; J.R. Brooks; J.C. Domec

2005-01-01

We characterized vertical variation in the seasonal release of stored soil moisture in old-growth ponderosa pine (OG-PP, xeric), and young and old-growth Douglas-fir (Y-DF, OG-DF, mesic) forests to evaluate changes in water availability for root uptake. Soil water potential (ψ) and volumetric water content (θ...

40 CFR 432.125 - New source performance standards (NSPS).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... BOD5 26 16 Fecal Coliform (2) (3) O&G (as HEM) 14 8.0 TSS 30 20 1 mg/L (ppm). 2 Maximum of 400 MPN or... Ammonia (as N) 8.0 4.0 BOD5 26 16 Fecal Coliform (2) (3) O&G (as HEM) 14 8.0 TSS 30 20 Total Nitrogen 147...

40 CFR 432.115 - New source performance standards (NSPS).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... Coliform ( 2 ) ( 3 ) O&G (as HEM) 14 8.0 TSS 30 20 1 mg/L (ppm). 2 Maximum of 400 MPN or CFU per 100 mL at... Coliform (2) (3) O&G (as HEM) 14 8.0 TSS 30 20 Total Nitrogen 147 103 1 mg/L (ppm). 2 Maximum of 400 MPN or...

40 CFR 432.72 - Effluent limitations attainable by the application of the best practicable control technology...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... BOD5 0.56 0.28 Fecal Coliform (2) (3) O&G 4 0.20 0.10 TSS 0.68 0.34 1 Pounds per 1000 lbs (or g/kg) of... million pounds per year of finished products must achieve the limitations for BOD5, fecal coliform, O&G...

40 CFR 432.125 - New source performance standards (NSPS).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... BOD5 26 16 Fecal Coliform (2) (3) O&G (as HEM) 14 8.0 TSS 30 20 1 mg/L (ppm). 2 Maximum of 400 MPN or... Ammonia (as N) 8.0 4.0 BOD5 26 16 Fecal Coliform (2) (3) O&G (as HEM) 14 8.0 TSS 30 20 Total Nitrogen 147...

40 CFR 432.115 - New source performance standards (NSPS).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... Coliform ( 2 ) ( 3 ) O&G (as HEM) 14 8.0 TSS 30 20 1 mg/L (ppm). 2 Maximum of 400 MPN or CFU per 100 mL at... Coliform (2) (3) O&G (as HEM) 14 8.0 TSS 30 20 Total Nitrogen 147 103 1 mg/L (ppm). 2 Maximum of 400 MPN or...

Regulation of nitrate assimilation in cyanobacteria.

PubMed

Ohashi, Yoshitake; Shi, Wei; Takatani, Nobuyuki; Aichi, Makiko; Maeda, Shin-ichi; Watanabe, Satoru; Yoshikawa, Hirofumi; Omata, Tatsuo

2011-02-01

Nitrate assimilation by cyanobacteria is inhibited by the presence of ammonium in the growth medium. Both nitrate uptake and transcription of the nitrate assimilatory genes are regulated. The major intracellular signal for the regulation is, however, not ammonium or glutamine, but 2-oxoglutarate (2-OG), whose concentration changes according to the change in cellular C/N balance. When nitrogen is limiting growth, accumulation of 2-OG activates the transcription factor NtcA to induce transcription of the nitrate assimilation genes. Ammonium inhibits transcription by quickly depleting the 2-OG pool through its metabolism via the glutamine synthetase/glutamate synthase cycle. The P(II) protein inhibits the ABC-type nitrate transporter, and also nitrate reductase in some strains, by an unknown mechanism(s) when the cellular 2-OG level is low. Upon nitrogen limitation, 2-OG binds to P(II) to prevent the protein from inhibiting nitrate assimilation. A pathway-specific transcriptional regulator NtcB activates the nitrate assimilation genes in response to nitrite, either added to the medium or generated intracellularly by nitrate reduction. It plays an important role in selective activation of the nitrate assimilation pathway during growth under a limited supply of nitrate. P(II) was recently shown to regulate the activity of NtcA negatively by binding to PipX, a small coactivator protein of NtcA. On the basis of accumulating genome information from a variety of cyanobacteria and the molecular genetic data obtained from the representative strains, common features and group- or species-specific characteristics of the response of cyanobacteria to nitrogen is summarized and discussed in terms of ecophysiological significance.

Influence of forage species and diet particle size on the passage of digesta and nylon particles from the reticulorumen of steers.

PubMed

Prigge, E C; Fox, J T; Jacquemet, N A; Russell, R W

1993-10-01

To assess factors that influence the passage of digesta from the reticulorumen, ruminally fistulated steers (387 kg) were fed to appetite in a 4 x 4 Latin square design either orchardgrass (OG) (Dactylis glomerata L.) or switchgrass (SG) (Panicum virgatum L.) hays. The two hays were fed in either the long form or ground to pass a 2-cm screen. Steers fed OG diets had greater DMI (P < .05) than steers fed SG diets (11.7 vs 10.4 kg/d respectively). Particle size of ruminal digesta and feces determined by wet sieving was greater (P < .05) for the OG and long hay diets than for the SG and ground diets. Particle size of digesta collected from the anterior dorsal sac and anterior ventral sac of the rumen and from the reticulum did not vary (P > .25) with site. Conversely, ruminal concentrations of 1-mm nylon particles tended (P = .11) to be greater in the lower strata of the reticulorumen at 12 and 24 h after dosing. Neither a site effect nor a site x time-after-dosing interaction (P > .75) was observed for the 3- or 5-mm nylon particles, suggesting that a sorting process independent of specific gravity occurs in the rumen for smaller particles (before the reticulomasal orifice). Passage rate of the 1-mm nylon particles from the reticulorumen was greater (P < .01) for animals fed the SG than for those fed the OG diets, whereas for the 5-mm particles, passage rate was greater for the OG diets.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Therapeutic potential of octyl gallate isolated from fruits of Terminalia bellerica in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

PubMed

Latha, R Cecily Rosemary; Daisy, P

2013-06-01

Medicinal plants are a potential source of antidiabetic drugs. Terminalia bellerica Roxb. (Combretaceae) is used in Indian traditional systems of medicine to treat diabetes mellitus. The aim of this study was to isolate and identify antihyperglycemic principle(s) from the fruits of T. bellerica and assess the bioactivity in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Bioassay-guided fractionation was followed to isolate the active compound(s), structure was elucidated using (1)H and (13)C NMR, IR and mass spectrometry and administered intragastrically to diabetic Wistar rats at different doses (5, 10 and 20 mg/kg, body weight) for 28 d. Plasma glucose, insulin, C-peptide and other biochemical parameters were studied. Octyl gallate (OG) isolated first time from the fruit rind of T. bellerica significantly (p < 0.05) reduced plasma glucose to near normal values (108.47 ± 6.9 mg/dl) after 14 d at the dose of 20 mg/kg. In addition, OG significantly increased plasma insulin, C-peptide, total protein, albumin, tissue glycogen, body weight and markedly decreased serum total cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL-cholesterol, urea, uric acid and creatinine in diabetic rats. Also OG restored the altered regulatory enzymes of carbohydrate metabolism. OG might have augmented the secretion of insulin by the modulation of cAMP and intracellular calcium levels in the β cells of the pancreas. Our findings indicate that OG isolated first time from the fruit rind of T. bellerica has potential antidiabetic effect as it augments insulin secretion and normalizes the altered biochemical parameters in experimental diabetic rat models.

Evidence for the Slow Reaction of Hypoxia-Inducible Factor Prolyl Hydroxylase 2 with Oxygen

PubMed Central

Flashman, Emily; Hoffart, Lee M.; Hamed, Refaat B.; Bollinger, J. Martin; Krebs, Carsten; Schofield, Christopher J.

2010-01-01

SUMMARY The response of animals to hypoxia is mediated by the hypoxia-inducible transcription factor (HIF). Human HIF is regulated by four Fe(II) and 2-oxoglutarate (2OG) dependent oxygenases: Prolyl hydroxylase domain enzymes (PHDs or EGLNs) 1–3 catalyse hydroxylation of two prolyl-residues in HIF, triggering its degradation by the proteasome. Factor inhibiting HIF (FIH) catalyses hydroxylation of an asparagine-residue in HIF, inhibiting its transcriptional activity. Collectively, the HIF hydroxylases negatively regulate HIF in response to increasing oxygen concentration. Prolyl hydroxylase domain 2 (PHD2) is the most important oxygen sensor in human cells; however the underlying kinetic basis of the oxygen sensing function of PHD2 is unclear. We report analyses of the reaction of PHD2 with oxygen. Chemical quench/mass spectrometry experiments showed that reaction of a complex of PHD2, Fe(II), 2OG and the C-terminal oxygen-dependent degradation domain of HIF-α (CODD) with oxygen to form hydroxylated CODD and succinate is much slower (~100 fold) than for other similarly studied 2OG oxygenases. Stopped flow/UV-visible spectroscopy experiments showed that the reaction produces a relatively stable species absorbing at 320nm; Mössbauer spectroscopic experiments implied that this species is likely not a Fe(IV)=O intermediate, as observed for other 2OG oxygenases. Overall the results suggest that, at least compared to other studied 2OG oxygenases, PHD2 reacts relatively slowly with oxygen, a property that may be associated with its function as an oxygen sensor. PMID:20840591

Enhanced treatment of waste frying oil in an activated sludge system by addition of crude rhamnolipid solution.

PubMed

Zhang, Hongzi; Xiang, Hai; Zhang, Guoliang; Cao, Xia; Meng, Qing

2009-08-15

The presence of high-strength oil and grease (O&G) in wastewater poses serious challenges for environment. Addition of surfactant into the activated sludge bioreactor is feasible in reducing high concentrations of O&G via enhancing its bioavailability. In this paper, an aqueous biosurfactant solution of rhamnolipid as a cell-free culture broth of Pseudomonas aeruginosa zju.um1 was added into a batch of aerobic activated sludge system for treatment of the waste frying oil. This treatment was conducted on both bench and pilot-scales, whereas the removal efficiency of frying oil was determined by analyzing the residue concentration of O&G and chemical oxygen demand (COD). In the presence of varying concentrations of rhamnolipid from 22.5 mg/L to 90 mg/L, aerobic treatment for 30 h was enough to remove over 93% of O&G while this biodegradability was only 10% in the control system with the absence of rhamnolipids. The equivalent biodegradability was similarly obtained on COD under addition of rhamnolipid. Compared with bench studies, a higher treatment efficiency with the presence of rhamnolipids was achieved on a pilot-scale of activated sludge system, in which a short time of 12h was required for removing approximately 95% of O&G while the control treatment attained a low efficiency of 17%. Finally, foaming and biodegradability of rhamnolipids in activated sludge system were further examined in the whole treatment process. It seems that the addition of rhamnolipid-containing culture broth showed great potential for treatment of oily wastewater by activated sludge.

Modeled Oil and Gas Atmospheric Impacts in National Parks and Wilderness Areas in the Western US

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thompson, T. M.; Barna, M. G.; Schichtel, B. A.; Vimont, J.; Moore, C. T.

2014-12-01

Oil and gas production in the Western United States has increased considerably over the past 10 years. While many of the still limited oil and gas impact assessments have focused on potential human health impacts, the typically remote locations of production in the Intermountain West suggests that the impacts of oil and gas production on national parks and wilderness areas (class 1&2 areas) could also be important. To evaluate this, we utilize the Comprehensive Air quality Model with Extensions (CAMx) with two year-long modeling episodes representing 2008 and 2011, meteorology and emissions. The model inputs for the 2008 and 2011 episodes were generated as part of the West-wide Jump-start Air Quality Modeling Study (WestJumpAQMS) and Three State Air Quality Study (3SAQS) respectively. Both studies included a detailed assessment of oil and gas (O&G) emissions in Western States for the respective years. Each year-long modeling episode was run both with and without emissions from O&G production. The difference between these two runs provides an estimate of the contribution of the O&G production to air quality. These data were used to assess the contribution of O&G to the 8 hour average ozone concentrations, daily and annual fine particulate concentrations, annual nitrogen deposition totals and visibility in the modeling domain. We present the results for the class 1&2 areas in the Western US. We also present temporal trends of O&G impacts, differentiating between trends in urban and rural areas.

Plant immunity triggered by engineered in vivo release of oligogalacturonides, damage-associated molecular patterns.

PubMed

Benedetti, Manuel; Pontiggia, Daniela; Raggi, Sara; Cheng, Zhenyu; Scaloni, Flavio; Ferrari, Simone; Ausubel, Frederick M; Cervone, Felice; De Lorenzo, Giulia

2015-04-28

Oligogalacturonides (OGs) are fragments of pectin that activate plant innate immunity by functioning as damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs). We set out to test the hypothesis that OGs are generated in planta by partial inhibition of pathogen-encoded polygalacturonases (PGs). A gene encoding a fungal PG was fused with a gene encoding a plant polygalacturonase-inhibiting protein (PGIP) and expressed in transgenic Arabidopsis plants. We show that expression of the PGIP-PG chimera results in the in vivo production of OGs that can be detected by mass spectrometric analysis. Transgenic plants expressing the chimera under control of a pathogen-inducible promoter are more resistant to the phytopathogens Botrytis cinerea, Pectobacterium carotovorum, and Pseudomonas syringae. These data provide strong evidence for the hypothesis that OGs released in vivo act as a DAMP signal to trigger plant immunity and suggest that controlled release of these molecules upon infection may be a valuable tool to protect plants against infectious diseases. On the other hand, elevated levels of expression of the chimera cause the accumulation of salicylic acid, reduced growth, and eventually lead to plant death, consistent with the current notion that trade-off occurs between growth and defense.

α decay properties of 297Og within the two-potential approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deng, Jun-Gang; Cheng, Jun-Hao; Zheng, Bo; Li, Xiao-Hua

2017-12-01

The α decay half-life of the unknown nucleus 297Og is predicted within the two-potential approach, and α preformation probabilities of 64 odd-A nuclei in the region of proton numbers 82 < Z < 126 and neutron numbers 152 < N < 184, from 251Cf to 295Og, are extracted. In addition, based on the latest experimental data, a new set of parameters for α preformation probabilities considering the shell effect and proton-neutron interaction are obtained. The predicted α decay half-life of 297Og is 0.16 ms within a factor of 4.97. The predicted spin and parity of the ground states for 269Sg, 285Fl and 293Lv are 3/2+, 3/2+ and 5/2+, respectively. Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (11205083, 11505100), Construct Program of the Key Discipline in Hunan Province, the Research Foundation of Education Bureau of Hunan Province, China (15A159), the Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province, China (2015JJ3103, 2015JJ2121), the Innovation Group of Nuclear and Particle Physics in USC, the Shandong Province Natural Science Foundation, China (ZR2015AQ007) and Hunan Provincial Innovation Foundation For Postgraduate (CX2017B536)

Regulation of GPR119 receptor activity with endocannabinoid-like lipids.

PubMed

Syed, Samreen K; Bui, Hai Hoang; Beavers, Lisa S; Farb, Thomas B; Ficorilli, James; Chesterfield, Amy K; Kuo, Ming-Shang; Bokvist, Krister; Barrett, David G; Efanov, Alexander M

2012-12-15

The GPR119 receptor plays an important role in the secretion of incretin hormones in response to nutrient consumption. We have studied the ability of an array of naturally occurring endocannabinoid-like lipids to activate GPR119 and have identified several lipid receptor agonists. The most potent receptor agonists identified were three N-acylethanolamines: oleoylethanolamine (OEA), palmitoleoylethanolamine, and linoleylethanolamine (LEA), all of which displayed similar potency in activating GPR119. Another lipid, 2-oleoylglycerol (2-OG), also activated GPR119 receptor but with significantly lower potency. Endogenous levels of endocannabinoid-like lipids were measured in intestine in fasted and refed mice. Of the lipid GPR119 agonists studied, the intestinal levels of only OEA, LEA, and 2-OG increased significantly upon refeeding. Intestinal levels of OEA and LEA in the fasted mice were low. In the fed state, OEA levels only moderately increased, whereas LEA levels rose drastically. 2-OG was the most abundant of the three GPR119 agonists in intestine, and its levels were radically elevated in fed mice. Our data suggest that, in lean mice, 2-OG and LEA may serve as physiologically relevant endogenous GPR119 agonists that mediate receptor activation upon nutrient uptake.

Plant immunity triggered by engineered in vivo release of oligogalacturonides, damage-associated molecular patterns

PubMed Central

Benedetti, Manuel; Pontiggia, Daniela; Raggi, Sara; Cheng, Zhenyu; Scaloni, Flavio; Ferrari, Simone; Ausubel, Frederick M.; Cervone, Felice; De Lorenzo, Giulia

2015-01-01

Oligogalacturonides (OGs) are fragments of pectin that activate plant innate immunity by functioning as damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs). We set out to test the hypothesis that OGs are generated in planta by partial inhibition of pathogen-encoded polygalacturonases (PGs). A gene encoding a fungal PG was fused with a gene encoding a plant polygalacturonase-inhibiting protein (PGIP) and expressed in transgenic Arabidopsis plants. We show that expression of the PGIP–PG chimera results in the in vivo production of OGs that can be detected by mass spectrometric analysis. Transgenic plants expressing the chimera under control of a pathogen-inducible promoter are more resistant to the phytopathogens Botrytis cinerea, Pectobacterium carotovorum, and Pseudomonas syringae. These data provide strong evidence for the hypothesis that OGs released in vivo act as a DAMP signal to trigger plant immunity and suggest that controlled release of these molecules upon infection may be a valuable tool to protect plants against infectious diseases. On the other hand, elevated levels of expression of the chimera cause the accumulation of salicylic acid, reduced growth, and eventually lead to plant death, consistent with the current notion that trade-off occurs between growth and defense. PMID:25870275

Optical fixing the positions of the off-shore objects applying the method of two reference points

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Naus, Krzysztof; Szulc, Dariusz

2014-06-01

The Paper presents the optical method of fixing the off-shore objects positions from the land. The method is based on application of two reference points, having the geographical coordinates defined. The first point was situated high on the sea shore, where also the camera was installed. The second point was intended for use to determine the topocentric horizon plane and it was situated at the water-level. The first section of the Paper contains the definition of space and disposed therein reference systems: connected with the Earth, water-level and the camera system. The second section of the Paper provides a description of the survey system model and the principles of the Charge Coupled Device - CCD array pixel's coordinates (plate coordinates) transformation into the geographic coordinates located on the water-level. In the final section there are presented the general rules of using the worked out method in the optical system. W artykule przedstawiono optyczną metodę wyznaczania pozycji obiektów nawodnych z lądu. Oparto ją na dwóch punktach odniesienia o znanych współrzędnych geograficznych. Pierwszy umiejscowiono wysoko na brzegu morza i przeznaczono do zamontowania kamery. Drugi przeznaczono do określania płaszczyzny horyzontu topocentrycznego i umiejscowiono na poziomie lustra wody. W pierwszej części artykułu zdefi niowano przestrzeń i rozmieszczone w niej układy odniesienia: związany z Ziemią, poziomem lustra wody i kamerą. Drugą część artykułu stanowi opis modelu układu pomiarowego oraz zasad transformacji współrzędnych piksela (tłowych) z matrycy CCD na współrzędne geograficzne punktu umiejscowionego na poziomie lustra wody. W części końcowej zaprezentowano ogólne zasady wykorzystywania opracowanej metody w systemie optycznym.

A new overgrowth syndrome is due to mutations in RNF125.

PubMed

Tenorio, Jair; Mansilla, Alicia; Valencia, María; Martínez-Glez, Víctor; Romanelli, Valeria; Arias, Pedro; Castrejón, Nerea; Poletta, Fernando; Guillén-Navarro, Encarna; Gordo, Gema; Mansilla, Elena; García-Santiago, Fé; González-Casado, Isabel; Vallespín, Elena; Palomares, María; Mori, María A; Santos-Simarro, Fernando; García-Miñaur, Sixto; Fernández, Luis; Mena, Rocío; Benito-Sanz, Sara; del Pozo, Ángela; Silla, Juan Carlos; Ibañez, Kristina; López-Granados, Eduardo; Martín-Trujillo, Alex; Montaner, David; Heath, Karen E; Campos-Barros, Ángel; Dopazo, Joaquín; Nevado, Julián; Monk, David; Ruiz-Pérez, Víctor L; Lapunzina, Pablo

2014-12-01

Overgrowth syndromes (OGS) are a group of disorders in which all parameters of growth and physical development are above the mean for age and sex. We evaluated a series of 270 families from the Spanish Overgrowth Syndrome Registry with no known OGS. We identified one de novo deletion and three missense mutations in RNF125 in six patients from four families with overgrowth, macrocephaly, intellectual disability, mild hydrocephaly, hypoglycemia, and inflammatory diseases resembling Sjögren syndrome. RNF125 encodes an E3 ubiquitin ligase and is a novel gene of OGS. Our studies of the RNF125 pathway point to upregulation of RIG-I-IPS1-MDA5 and/or disruption of the PI3K-AKT and interferon signaling pathways as the putative final effectors. © 2014 WILEY PERIODICALS, INC.

Hubble Space Telescope Reduced-Gyro Control Law Design, Implementation, and On-Orbit Performance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clapp, Brian R.; Ramsey, Patrick R.; Wirzburger, John H.; Smith, Daniel C.; VanArsadall, John C.

2008-01-01

Following gyro failures in April 2001 and April 2003, HST Pointing Control System engineers designed reduced-gyro control laws to extend the spacecraft science mission. The Two-Gyro Science (TGS) and One-Gyro Science (OGS) control laws were designed and implemented using magnetometers, star trackers, and Fine Guidance Sensors in succession to control vehicle rate about the missing gyro axes. Both TGS and OGS have demonstrated on-orbit pointing stability of 7 milli-arcseconds or less, which depends upon the guide star magnitude used by the Fine Guidance Sensor. This paper describes the design, implementation, and on-orbit performance of the TGS and OGS control law fine-pointing modes using Fixed Head Star Trackers and Fine Guidance Sensors, after successfully achieving coarse-pointing control using magnetometers.

Land use and land management effects on soil organic carbon stock in Mediterranean agricultural areas (Southern Spain)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parras-Alcántara, Luis; Lozano-García, Beatriz

2014-05-01

INTRODUCTION Soils play a key role in the carbon geochemical cycle. Agriculture contributes to carbon sequestration through photosynthesis and the incorporation of carbon into carbohydrates. Soil management is one of the best tools for climate change mitigation. Small increases or decreases in soil carbon content due to changes in land use or management practices, may result in a significant net exchange of carbon between the soil carbon pool and the atmosphere. In the last decades arable crops (AC) have been transformed into olive grove cultivations (OG) or vineyards (V) in Mediterranean areas. A field study was conducted to determine long-term effects of land use change (LUC) (AC by OG and V) on soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), C:N ratio and their stratification in Calcic-Chromic Luvisols (LVcc/cr) in Mediterranean conditions. MATERIAL AND METHODS An unirrigated farm in Montilla-Moriles (Córdoba, Spain) cultivated under conventional tillage (animal power with lightweight reversible plows and non-mineral fertilization or pesticides) was selected for study in 1965. In 1966, the farm was divided into three plots with three different uses (AC, OG and V). The preliminary analyses were realized in 1965 for AC (AC1), and the second analyses were realized in 2011 for AC (AC2 - winter crop rotation with annual wheat and barley, receiving mineral fertilization or pesticides), OG (annual passes with disk harrow and cultivator in the spring, followed by a tine harrow in the summer receiving mineral fertilization and weed control with residual herbicides), and V (with three or five chisel passes a year from early spring to early autumn with mineral fertilization or pesticides.). In all cases (AC1, AC2, OG and V) were collected soil entire profiles. Soil properties determined were: soil particle size, bulk density, SOC, TN, C:N ratio, stocks and SRs. The statistical significance of the differences in the variables between land use practices was tested using the Anderson-Darling test at each horizon or a combination of horizons for each soil type. RESULTS The LUC had a negative impact in the soil, reducing the SOC and TN stocks. The conversion from AC to V and OG involved the loss of the SOC stock (52.7% and 64.9% to V and OG respectively) and the loss of the TN stock (42.6% and 38.1% to V and OG respectively). The reduction of SOC by LUC, can be explained by a degraded process (due to vegetation losses and unsustainable soil management, which result in progressive impoverishment in the soil organic matter (OM) content, causing low productivity, which derived in unsuitable chemical properties) and by the reduced input of OM in cultivated soils, which reduced physical protection of soil and increased water erosion. However, 46 years of LUC had a positive effect in the soil, increasing the SR (in V and OG) of SOC, TN and C:N ratio (Parras-Alcántara et al., 2013). REFERENCES Parras-Alcántara, L., Martín-Carrillo, M., Lozano-García, B. 2013. Impacts of land use change in soil carbon and nitrogen in a Mediterranean agricultural area (Southern Spain). Solid Earth, 4: 167-177.

40 CFR 75.19 - Optional SO2, NOX, and CO2 emissions calculation for low mass emissions (LME) units.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... hourly SO2 mass emissions under this section. Alternatively, for fuel oil combustion, a lower, fuel... (or ozone season) prior to the year of the test (g H2O/g air). Ho = Observed humidity ratio during the test run (g H2O/g air). Tr = Average annual atmospheric temperature (or average ozone season...

Students' Decision Steps in Meta-Cognitive Learning in Free Online Groups (MetaL-FrOG): A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sen Fa, Kinsley Ng; Hussin, Firuz Hussin

2011-01-01

What prompts the students to respond in online dialogic discussion? Why some students chose to fall out? This case study through the lens of phenomenography observation attempts to explain the five decision steps of students to respond in Meta-cognitive Learning in Free Online Groups (MetaL-FrOG) discussion. It presents a part of a research…

Quantifying, Assessing, and Mitigating Methane Emissions from Super-emitters in the Oil and Gas Supply Chain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lyon, David Richard

Methane emissions from the oil and gas (O&G) supply chain reduce potential climate benefits of natural gas as a replacement for other fossil fuels that emit more carbon dioxide per energy produced. O&G facilities have skewed emission rate distributions with a small fraction of sites contributing the majority of emissions. Knowledge of the identity and cause of these high emission facilities, referred to as super-emitters or fat-tail sources, is critical for reducing supply chain emissions. This dissertation addresses the quantification of super-emitter emissions, assessment of their prevalence and relationship to site characteristics, and mitigation with continuous leak detection systems. Chapter 1 summarizes the state of the knowledge of O&G methane emissions. Chapter 2 constructs a spatially-resolved emission inventory to estimate total and O&G methane emissions in the Barnett Shale as part of a coordinated research campaign using multiple top-down and bottom-up methods to quantify emissions. The emission inventory accounts for super-emitters with two-phase Monte Carlo simulations that combine site measurements collected with two approaches: unbiased sampling and targeted sampling of super-emitters. More comprehensive activity data and the inclusion of super-emitters, which account for 19% of O&G emissions, produces a emission inventory that is not statistically different than top-down regional emission estimates. Chapter 3 describes a helicopter-based survey of over 8,000 well pads in seven basins with infrared optical gas imaging to assess high emission sources. Four percent of sites are observed to have high emissions with over 90% of observed sources from tanks. The occurrence of high emissions is weakly correlated to site parameters and the best statistical model explains only 14% of variance, which demonstrates that the occurrence of super-emitters is primarily stochastic. Chapter 4 presents a Gaussian dispersion model for optimizing the placement of continuous leak detection systems at three example well pads. The model demonstrates that large leaks can be detected quickly with first generation systems. Continuous leak detection can be used in the near future to cost-effectively mitigate methane emissions from O&G super-emitters.

Mouse alpha1(I)-collagen promoter is the best known promoter to drive efficient Cre recombinase expression in osteoblast.

PubMed

Dacquin, Romain; Starbuck, Michael; Schinke, Thorsten; Karsenty, Gérard

2002-06-01

Cell- and time-specific gene inactivation should enhance our knowledge of bone biology. Implementation of this technique requires construction of transgenic mouse lines expressing Cre recombinase in osteoblasts, the bone forming cell. We tested several promoter fragments for their ability to drive efficient Cre expression in osteoblasts. In the first mouse transgenic line, the Cre gene was placed under the control of the 2.3-kb proximal fragment of the alpha1(I)-collagen promoter, which is expressed at high levels in osteoblasts throughout their differentiation. Transgenic mice expressing this transgene in bone were bred with the ROSA26 reporter (R26R) strain in which the ROSA26 locus is targeted with a conditional LacZ reporter cassette. In R26R mice, Cre expression and subsequent Cre-mediated recombination lead to expression of the LacZ reporter gene, an event that can be monitored by LacZ staining. LacZ staining was detected in virtually all osteoblasts of alpha1(I)-Cre;R26R mice indicating that homologous recombination occurred in these cells. No other cell type stained blue. In the second line studied, the 1.3-kb fragment of osteocalcin gene 2 (OG2) promoter, which is active in differentiated osteoblasts, was used to drive Cre expression. OG2-Cre mice expressed Cre specifically in bone. However, cross of OG2-Cre mice with R26R mice did not lead to any detectable LacZ staining in osteoblasts. Lastly, we tested a more active artificial promoter derived from the OG2 promoter. The artificial OG2-Cre transgene was expressed by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction in cartilage and bone samples. After cross of the artificial OG2-Cre mice with R26R mice, we detected a LacZ staining in articular chondrocytes but not in osteoblasts. Our data suggest that the only promoter able to drive Cre expression at a level sufficient to induce recombination in osteoblasts is the alpha1(I)-collagen promoter. Copyright 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Experimental and theoretical investigation of homogeneous gaseous reaction of CO2(g) + nH2O(g) + nNH3(g) → products (n = 1, 2).

PubMed

Li, Zhuangjie; Zhang, Baoquan

2012-09-13

Decreasing CO2 emissions into the atmosphere is key for reducing global warming. To facilitate the CO2 emission reduction efforts, our laboratory conducted experimental and theoretical investigations of the homogeneous gaseous reaction of CO2(g) + nH2O(g) + nNH3(g) → (NH4)HCO3(s)/(NH4)2CO3(s) (n = 1 and 2) using Fourier transform infrared attenuated total reflectance (FTIR-ATR) spectroscopy and ab initio molecular orbital theory. Our FTIR-ATR experimental results indicate that (NH4)2CO3(s) and (NH4)HCO3(s) are formed as aerosol particulate matter when carbon dioxide reacts with ammonia and water in the gaseous phase at room temperature. Ab initio study of this chemical system suggested that the reaction may proceed through formation of NH3·H2O(g), NH3·CO2(g), and CO2·H2O(g) complexes. Subsequent complexes, NH3·H2O·CO2 and (NH3)2·H2O·CO2, can be formed by adding gaseous reactants to the NH3·H2O(g), NH3·CO2(g), and CO2·H2O(g) complexes, respectively. The NH3·H2O·CO2 and (NH3)2·H2O·CO2 complexes can then be rearranged to produce (NH4)HCO3 and (NH4)2CO3 as final products via a transition state, and the NH3 molecule acts as a medium accepting and donating hydrogen atoms in the rearrangement process. Our computational results also reveal that the presence of an additional water molecule can reduce the activation energy of the rearrangement process. The high activation energy predicted in the present work suggests that the reaction is kinetically not favored, and our experimental observation of (NH4)HCO3(s) and (NH4)2CO3(s) may be attributed to the high concentrations of reactants increasing the reaction rate of the title reactions in the reactor.

Effect of High-Intensity Interval Training on Plasma Omentin-1 Concentration in Overweight/Obese and Normal-Weight Youth

PubMed Central

Ouerghi, Nejmeddine; Fradj, Mohamed Kacem Ben; Bezrati, Ikram; Feki, Moncef; Kaabachi, Naziha; Bouassida, Anissa

2017-01-01

Objectives Omentin-1 is a recently discovered adipokine, mainly produced by visceral adipose tissue, which is thought to improve insulin sensitivity. The study aimed to assess the association of plasma omentin-1 with cardiometabolic traits and physical performance and to test its response to high-intensity interval training (HIIT) in obese and normal-weight subjects. Methods Nine overweight/obese (OG) and 9 normal-weight (NWG) young men performed an 8-week HIIT program. Body composition, physical performance, homeostasis model assessment index for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) as well as plasma omentin-1and lipid levels were assessed before and after the HIIT program. Results Baseline plasma omentin-1 was lower in OG than NWG men (359 ± 138 vs. 470 ± 114 ng/ml; p = 0.052). Plasma omentin-1 was related to body fat (r = −0.57; p = 0.03) and LDL-cholesterol (r = −0.49; p = 0.04). There was a trend towards significant association of omentin-1 with BMI (r = −0.47; p = 0.06) and VO2max (r = 0.41; p = 0.09). However, no association was observed with HOMA-IR. Following the HIIT program, omentin-1 concentrations have significantly (p < 0.01) increased in OG (359 ± 138 to 455 ± 126 ng/ml) and NWG men (470 ± 114 to 572 ± 115 ng/ml). In parallel, the cardiometabolic profile has improved with a significant decrease of HOMA-IR in OG. Conclusions HIIT resulted in a plasma omentin-1 increase and an improvement with regard to cardiometabolic traits in the OG men, which may contribute to modulate insulin sensitivity. PMID:28787708

Longitudinal assessment of childhood optic gliomas: relationship between flicker visual evoked potentials and magnetic resonance imaging findings.

PubMed

Falsini, Benedetto; Ziccardi, Lucia; Lazzareschi, Ilaria; Ruggiero, Antonio; Placentino, Luca; Dickmann, Anna; Liotti, Lucia; Piccardi, Marco; Balestrazzi, Emilio; Colosimo, Cesare; Di Rocco, Concezio; Riccardi, Riccardo

2008-05-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate longitudinally functional and neuro-radiologic findings in childhood optic gliomas (OG), by comparing flicker visual evoked potentials (F-VEPs) with brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) changes. Fourteen children (age range: 1-13 years) with OGs underwent serial F-VEP, MRI and neuro-ophthalmic examinations over a 38 month (median, range: 6-76) follow-up. F-VEPs were elicited by 8 Hz sine-wave flicker stimuli presented in a mini-Ganzfeld. Contrast-enhanced MRI examinations were performed. Results of both tests were blindly assessed by independent evaluators. F-VEPs were judged to be improved, stable or worsened if changes in the amplitude and/or phase angle of the response exceeded the limits of test-retest variability (+/-90th percentile) established for the same patients. MRI results were judged to show regression, stabilization or progression of OG based on its changes in size (+/-20%) or extension. Two to seven pairs of F-VEP/MRI examinations per patient (median: 4) were collected. Based on a total of 38 pairs of F-VEP/MRI examinations, both tests agreed in showing worsening (progression), stabilization and improvement (regression) in 5, 15 and 10 cases, respectively. In 3 cases, F-VEPs showed a worsening and MRI a stabilization, while in 5 cases F-VEPs showed an improvement and MRI a stabilization. Agreement between F-VEP and MRI changes was 78.9% (95% CI: +/- 37%, K statistics = 0.67, P < 0.001). The results indicate that longitudinal F-VEP changes can predict changes in MRI-assessed OG size and extension, providing a non-invasive functional assay, complementary to neuro-imaging, for OG follow-up.

Effect of High-Intensity Interval Training on Plasma Omentin-1 Concentration in Overweight/Obese and Normal-Weight Youth.

PubMed

Ouerghi, Nejmeddine; Ben Fradj, Mohamed Kacem; Bezrati, Ikram; Feki, Moncef; Kaabachi, Naziha; Bouassida, Anissa

2017-01-01

Omentin-1 is a recently discovered adipokine, mainly produced by visceral adipose tissue, which is thought to improve insulin sensitivity. The study aimed to assess the association of plasma omentin-1 with cardiometabolic traits and physical performance and to test its response to high-intensity interval training (HIIT) in obese and normal-weight subjects. Nine overweight/obese (OG) and 9 normal-weight (NWG) young men performed an 8-week HIIT program. Body composition, physical performance, homeostasis model assessment index for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) as well as plasma omentin-1and lipid levels were assessed before and after the HIIT program. Baseline plasma omentin-1 was lower in OG than NWG men (359 ± 138 vs. 470 ± 114 ng/ml; p = 0.052). Plasma omentin-1 was related to body fat (r = -0.57; p = 0.03) and LDL-cholesterol (r = -0.49; p = 0.04). There was a trend towards significant association of omentin-1 with BMI (r = -0.47; p = 0.06) and VO2max (r = 0.41; p = 0.09). However, no association was observed with HOMA-IR. Following the HIIT program, omentin-1 concentrations have significantly (p < 0.01) increased in OG (359 ± 138 to 455 ± 126 ng/ml) and NWG men (470 ± 114 to 572 ± 115 ng/ml). In parallel, the cardiometabolic profile has improved with a significant decrease of HOMA-IR in OG. HIIT resulted in a plasma omentin-1 increase and an improvement with regard to cardiometabolic traits in the OG men, which may contribute to modulate insulin sensitivity. © 2017 The Author(s) Published by S. Karger GmbH, Freiburg.

Tactical Behaviors in Men's 800-m Olympic and World-Championship Medalists: A Changing of the Guard.

PubMed

Sandford, Gareth N; Pearson, Simon; Allen, Sian V; Malcata, Rita M; Kilding, Andrew E; Ross, Angus; Laursen, Paul B

2018-02-01

To assess the longitudinal evolution of tactical behaviors used to medal in men's 800-m Olympic Games (OG) or world-championship (WC) events in the recent competition era (2000-2016). Thirteen OG and WC events were characterized for 1st- and 2nd-lap splits using available footage from YouTube. Positive pacing strategies were defined as a faster 1st lap. Season's best 800-m time and world ranking, reflective of an athlete's "peak condition," were obtained to determine relationships between adopted tactics and physical condition prior to the championships. Seven championship events provided coverage of all medalists to enable determination of average 100-m speed and sector pacing of medalists. From 2011 onward, 800-m OG and WC medalists showed a faster 1st lap by 2.2 ± 1.1 s (mean, ±90% confidence limits; large difference, very likely), contrasting a possibly faster 2nd lap from 2000 to 2009 (0.5, ±0.4 s; moderate difference). A positive pacing strategy was related to a higher world ranking prior to the championships (r = .94, .84-.98; extremely large, most likely). After 2011, the fastest 100-m sector from 800-m OG and WC medalists was faster than before 2009 by 0.5, ±0.2 m/s (large difference, most likely). A secular change in tactical racing behavior appears evident in 800-m championships; since 2011, medalists have largely run faster 1st laps and have faster 100-m sector-speed requirements. This finding may be pertinent for training, tactical preparation, and talent identification of athletes preparing for 800-m running at OGs and WCs.

Data inconsistencies from states with unconventional oil and gas activity.

PubMed

Malone, Samantha; Kelso, Matthew; Auch, Ted; Edelstein, Karen; Ferrar, Kyle; Jalbert, Kirk

2015-01-01

The quality and availability of unconventional oil and gas (O&G) data in the United States have never been compared methodically state-to-state. By conducting such an assessment, this study seeks to better understand private and publicly sourced data variability and to identify data availability gaps. We developed an exploratory data-grading tool - Data Accessibility and Usability Index (DAUI) - to guide the review of O&G data quality. Between July and October 2013, we requested, collected, and assessed 5 categories of unconventional O&G data (wells drilled, violations, production, waste, and Class II disposal wells) from 10 states with active drilling activity. We based our assessment on eight data quality parameters (accessibility, usability, point location, completeness, metadata, agency responsiveness, accuracy, and cost). Using the DAUI, two authors graded the 10 states and then averaged their scores. The average score received across all states, data categories, and parameters was 67.1 out of 100, largely insufficient for proper data transparency. By state, Pennsylvania received the highest average ( = 93.5) and ranked first in all but one data category. The lowest scoring state was Texas ( = 44) largely due to its policy of charging for certain data. This article discusses the various reasons for scores received, as well as methodological limitations of the assessment metrics. We argue that the significant variability of unconventional O&G data-and its availability to the public-is a barrier to regulatory and industry transparency. The lack of transparency also impacts public education and broader participation in industry governance. This study supports the need to develop a set of data best management practices (BMPs) for state regulatory agencies and the O&G industry, and suggests potential BMPs for this purpose.

In situ one-step hydrothermal synthesis of oxygen-containing groups-modified g-C3N4 for the improved photocatalytic H2-evolution performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Xinhe; Chen, Fengyun; Wang, Xuefei; Yu, Huogen

2018-01-01

Surface modification of g-C3N4 is one of the most effective strategies to boost its photocatalytic H2-evolution performance via promoting the interfacial catalytic reactions. In this study, an in situ one-step hydrothermal method was developed to prepare the oxygen-containing groups-modified g-C3N4 (OG/g-C3N4) by a facile and green hydrothermal treatment of bulk g-C3N4 in pure water without any additives. It was found that the hydrothermal treatment (180 °C) not only could greatly increase the specific surface area (from 2.3 to 69.8 m2 g-1), but also caused the formation of oxygen-containing groups (sbnd OH and Cdbnd O) on the OG/g-C3N4 surface, via the interlayer delamination and intralayer depolymerization of bulk g-C3N4. Photocatalytic experimental results indicated that after hydrothermal treatment, the resultant OG/g-C3N4 samples showed an obviously improved H2-evolution performance. Especially, when the hydrothermal time was 6 h, the resultant OG/g-C3N4(6 h) exhibited the highest photocatalytic activity, which was clearly higher than that of the bulk g-C3N4 by a factor of ca. 7. In addition to the higher specific surface area, the enhanced H2-evolution rate of OG/g-C3N4 photocatalysts can be mainly attributed to the formation of oxygen-containing groups, which possibly works as the effective H2-evolution active sites. Considering the facie and green synthesis method, the present work may provide a new insight for the development of highly efficient photocatalytic materials.

Accuracy of DSM based on digital aerial image matching. (Polish Title: Dokładność NMPT tworzonego metodą automatycznego dopasowania cyfrowych zdjęć lotniczych)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kubalska, J. L.; Preuss, R.

2013-12-01

Digital Surface Models (DSM) are used in GIS data bases as single product more often. They are also necessary to create other products such as3D city models, true-ortho and object-oriented classification. This article presents results of DSM generation for classification of vegetation in urban areas. Source data allowed producing DSM with using of image matching method and ALS data. The creation of DSM from digital images, obtained by Ultra Cam-D digital Vexcel camera, was carried out in Match-T by INPHO. This program optimizes the configuration of images matching process, which ensures high accuracy and minimize gap areas. The analysis of the accuracy of this process was made by comparison of DSM generated in Match-T with DSM generated from ALS data. Because of further purpose of generated DSM it was decided to create model in GRID structure with cell size of 1 m. With this parameter differential model from both DSMs was also built that allowed determining the relative accuracy of the compared models. The analysis indicates that the generation of DSM with multi-image matching method is competitive for the same surface model creation from ALS data. Thus, when digital images with high overlap are available, the additional registration of ALS data seems to be unnecessary.

40 CFR 420.104 - New source performance standards (NSPS).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... TSS 0.00125 0.000626 O&G 0.000522 0.000209 Chromium 1 0.0000209 0.0000084 Lead 0.0000094 0.0000031... pH (2) (2) 1 The limitations for chromium and nickel shall be applicable in lieu of those for lead... consecutive days Kg/kkg (pounds per 1,000 lb) of product TSS 0.00250 0.00125 O&G 0.00104 0.000417 Chromium 1 0...

40 CFR 420.104 - New source performance standards (NSPS).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... TSS 0.00125 0.000626 O&G 0.000522 0.000209 Chromium 1 0.0000209 0.0000084 Lead 0.0000094 0.0000031... pH (2) (2) 1 The limitations for chromium and nickel shall be applicable in lieu of those for lead... consecutive days Kg/kkg (pounds per 1,000 lb) of product TSS 0.00250 0.00125 O&G 0.00104 0.000417 Chromium 1 0...

40 CFR 420.104 - New source performance standards (NSPS).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... TSS 0.00125 0.000626 O&G 0.000522 0.000209 Chromium 1 0.0000209 0.0000084 Lead 0.0000094 0.0000031... pH (2) (2) 1 The limitations for chromium and nickel shall be applicable in lieu of those for lead... consecutive days Kg/kkg (pounds per 1,000 lb) of product TSS 0.00250 0.00125 O&G 0.00104 0.000417 Chromium 1 0...

40 CFR 437.43 - Effluent limitations attainable by the application of the best conventional pollutant control...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

...&G, pH, and TSS are the same as the corresponding limitation specified in § 437.42(b). (c) Combined waste receipts from subparts A and B of this part: Limitations for O&G, pH, and TSS are the same as the... part: Limitations for BOD5, O&G, pH, and TSS are the same as the corresponding limitation specified in...

40 CFR 437.43 - Effluent limitations attainable by the application of the best conventional pollutant control...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

...&G, pH, and TSS are the same as the corresponding limitation specified in § 437.42(b). (c) Combined waste receipts from subparts A and B of this part: Limitations for O&G, pH, and TSS are the same as the... part: Limitations for BOD5, O&G, pH, and TSS are the same as the corresponding limitation specified in...

40 CFR 420.104 - New source performance standards (NSPS).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... TSS 0.00125 0.000626 O&G 0.000522 0.000209 Chromium 1 0.0000209 0.0000084 Lead 0.0000094 0.0000031... pH (2) (2) 1 The limitations for chromium and nickel shall be applicable in lieu of those for lead... consecutive days Kg/kkg (pounds per 1,000 lb) of product TSS 0.00250 0.00125 O&G 0.00104 0.000417 Chromium 1 0...

40 CFR 420.104 - New source performance standards (NSPS).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... TSS 0.00125 0.000626 O&G 0.000522 0.000209 Chromium 1 0.0000209 0.0000084 Lead 0.0000094 0.0000031... pH (2) (2) 1 The limitations for chromium and nickel shall be applicable in lieu of those for lead... consecutive days Kg/kkg (pounds per 1,000 lb) of product TSS 0.00250 0.00125 O&G 0.00104 0.000417 Chromium 1 0...

Schwannoma-like tumor in the anterior cranial fossa immunonegative for Leu7 but immunopositive for Schwann/2E.

PubMed

Bohoun, Christian Aïssè; Terakawa, Yuzo; Goto, Takeo; Tanaka, Sayaka; Kuwae, Yuko; Ohsawa, Masahiko; Morisako, Hiroki; Nakajo, Kosuke; Sato, Hidetoshi; Ohata, Kenji; Yokoo, Hideaki

2017-06-01

Schwannoma arising from the olfactory system, often called olfactory groove schwannoma (OGS), is rare, as the olfactory bulb and tract, belonging to the central nervous system, should lack Schwann cells. Another rare entity called olfactory ensheathing cell tumor (OECT) has been reported, which mimics clinical and radiological characteristics of OGS. Here, we report two rare cases of schwannoma-like tumor in the anterior cranial fossa that showed negative staining for Leu7, but positive staining for Schwann/2E, and discuss their origin. Two cases of mass lesions in the anterior cranial fossa in a 26-year-old man and a 24-year-old woman were successfully removed. Morphological examination of these tumors was compatible with a diagnosis of schwannoma. Immunohistochemically, both cases were negative for Leu7, yielding a diagnosis of OECT, but were positive for the schwannoma-specific marker, Schwann/2E. Immunohistochemical staining results in our two cases question the current assumption that OGS and OECT can be distinguished only by Leu7 staining pattern. In conclusion, the origins of OGS and OECT remain to be determined, and further studies in larger numbers of cases are needed to characterize these rare tumors in the anterior cranial fossa. © 2016 Japanese Society of Neuropathology.

α decay properties of 296Og within the two-potential approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deng, Jun-Gang; Zhao, Jie-Cheng; Chen, Jiu-Long; Wu, Xi-Jun; Li, Xiao-Hua

2018-04-01

The present work is a continuation of our previous paper [J.-G. Deng, et al., Chin. Phys. C, 41: 124109 (2017)]. In the present work, the α decay half-life of the unknown nucleus 296Og is predicted within the two-potential approach and the hindrance factors of all 20 even-even nuclei in the same region as 296Og, i.e. proton number 82

Requirement for Pectin Methyl Esterase and Preference for Fragmented over Native Pectins for Wall-associated Kinase-activated, EDS1/PAD4-dependent Stress Response in Arabidopsis*

PubMed Central

Kohorn, Bruce D.; Kohorn, Susan L.; Saba, Nicholas J.; Martinez, Victoriano Meco

2014-01-01

The wall-associated kinases (WAKs) have a cytoplasmic protein kinase domain that spans the plasma membrane and binds pectin in the extracellular matrix of plants. WAKs are required for cell expansion during Arabidopsis seedling development but are also an integral part of the response to pathogens and stress that present oligogalacturonides (OGs), which subsequently bind to WAKs and activate a MPK6 (mitogen-activated protein kinase)-dependent pathway. It was unclear how WAKs distinguish native pectin polymers and OGs to activate one or the other of these two pathways. A dominant allele of WAK2 constitutively activates the stress response, and we show here that the effect is dependent upon EDS1 and PAD4, transcriptional activators involved in the pathogen response. Moreover, the WAK2 dominant allele is suppressed by a null allele of a pectin methyl esterase (PME3) whose activity normally leads to cross-linking of pectins in the cell wall. Although OGs activate a transcriptional response in wild type, the response is enhanced in a pme3/pme3 null, consistent with a competition by OG and native polymers for activation of WAKs. This provides a plausible mechanism for WAKs to distinguish an expansion from a stress pathway. PMID:24855660

Residential noise from nearby oil and gas well construction and drilling.

PubMed

Blair, Benjamin D; Brindley, Stephen; Dinkeloo, Eero; McKenzie, Lisa M; Adgate, John L

2018-05-11

Public concern about oil and gas (O&G) operations in residential areas is substantial. Noise from construction and drilling related to O&G operations may be greater than other phases of O&G operations; yet the impacts of audible and low-frequency noise during these operations are not extensively explored nor the effects on health well understood. This study documents the noise levels at a multi-well O&G well pad during construction and drilling in a residential area in Colorado. A-weighted (dBA) and C-weighted (dBC) noise measurements were collected at four locations during development over a 3-month period. The maximum 1-min equivalent continuous sound levels over a 1-month period were 60.2 dBA and 80.0 dBC. Overall, 41.1% of daytime and 23.6% of nighttime dBA 1-min equivalent continuous noise measurements were found to exceed 50 dBA, and 97.5% of daytime and 98.3% of nighttime measurements were found to exceed 60 dBC. Noise levels exceeding 50 dBA or 60 dBC may cause annoyance and be detrimental to health; thus, these noise levels have the potential to impact health and noise levels and associated health effects warrant further investigation.

Accuracy of Three-Dimensional Planning in Surgery-First Orthognathic Surgery: Planning Versus Outcome.

PubMed

Tran, Ngoc Hieu; Tantidhnazet, Syrina; Raocharernporn, Somchart; Kiattavornchareon, Sirichai; Pairuchvej, Verasak; Wongsirichat, Natthamet

2018-05-01

The benefit of computer-assisted planning in orthognathic surgery (OGS) has been extensively documented over the last decade. This study aimed to evaluate the accuracy of three-dimensional (3D) virtual planning in surgery-first OGS. Fifteen patients with skeletal class III malocclusion who underwent bimaxillary OGS with surgery-first approach were included. A composite skull model was reconstructed using data from cone-beam computed tomography and stereolithography from a scanned dental cast. Surgical procedures were simulated using Simplant O&O software, and the virtual plan was transferred to the operation room using 3D-printed splints. Differences of the 3D measurements between the virtual plan and postoperative results were evaluated, and the accuracy was reported using root mean square deviation (RMSD) and the Bland-Altman method. The virtual planning was successfully transferred to surgery. The overall mean linear difference was 0.88 mm (0.79 mm for the maxilla and 1 mm for the mandible), and the overall mean angular difference was 1.16°. The RMSD ranged from 0.86 to 1.46 mm and 1.27° to 1.45°, within the acceptable clinical criteria. In this study, virtual surgical planning and 3D-printed surgical splints facilitated the diagnosis and treatment planning, and offered an accurate outcome in surgery-first OGS.

Development of cereal-based functional food using cereal-mix substrate fermented with probiotic strain - Pichia kudriavzevii OG32.

PubMed

Ogunremi, Omotade R; Agrawal, Renu; Sanni, Abiodun I

2015-11-01

Probiotic strains contribute to the functionality of foods during fermentation. In this present work, cereal-mix was fermented with probiotic Pichia kudriavzevii OG32. Selected fermentation parameters and functional properties of the product were determined. The growth of Pichia kudriavzevii OG32 was supported by the cereal-mix containing 1% salt and 0.2% red chili powder to counts of between 7.46 and 8.22 Log10 cfu/mL within 24 h. Pichia kudriavzevii OG32 increased the viscosity of cereal-mix with the highest inoculum size (1.84x105cfu/ml) giving the highest viscosity of 1793.6 mPa.S. An inoculum size of 1.98 × 10(4) cfu/mL gave the most acceptable product based on the sensory evaluation by the panelist. Forty volatile compounds were identified in the fermented product, while acids (32.21%) and esters (32.37%) accounted for the largest proportions. The cereal-based fermented product scavenged DPPH from 200 μmol/L methanolic solution by 55.71%. Probiotic yeast improved the sensory and some functional properties of cereal-based substrate during fermentation. This is one of the first reports on the volatile composition of cereal-based functional food produced with probiotic yeast.

Studies on pulsed optogalvanic effect in Eu/Ne hollow cathode discharge.

PubMed

Saini, V K; Kumar, P; Dixit, S K; Nakhe, S V

2014-07-01

The optogalvanic (OG) effect has been observed in a Eu/Ne hollow cathode discharge lamp using pulsed laser irradiation. An OG spectrum is recorded in dye laser wavelength region 574–602 nm using a boxcar-averager. In total 41 atomic lines are observed. Of these, 38 lines are assigned to neon transitions. Two lines observed corresponding to wavelengths 576.519 and 601.815 nm are assigned to europium transitions; (4f 7 6s 2 , S 8 7/2 →4f 7 6s6p , zP 6 7/2 ) and (4f 7 6s 2 , S 8 7/2 →4f 7 6s6p , zP 8 9/2 ), respectively, and the remaining line at 582.475 nm could not be assigned. The effect of the discharge current on europium as well as neon OG signals is also studied. At moderate discharge current values, an extra positive peak is observed in neon OG signal for the transition (1s 5 →2p 2 ) at 588.189 nm, which is explained by Penning-ionization process using the quasi-resonant energy transfer interactions between excited neon and europium atoms lying in 2p 2 and D 10 9/2 states, respectively.

Accuracy Estimation of the Approximated Methods Used for Assessing Risk of Buildings Damage Under the Influence of Underground Exploitation in the Light of World's and Polish Experience - Part 2 / Analiza Dokładności Przybliżonych Metod Oceny Zagrożenia Budynków Wpływami Podziemnej Eksploatacji Stosowanych W Świecie I Polskiej Metody Punktowej - Część 2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malinowska, Agnieszka

2013-09-01

This paper is a continuation of theoretical analyses of World's methods used for assessing damage risk to buildings with continuous strains, which were presented in Part 1. The authors focus only on those methods in which the scale of damage to buildings can be approximated. Selected methods were tested on 100 random objects sited in hard coal excavation-induced areas. The efficiency and effectiveness of those methods was evaluated. The damage risk was also verified with the use of a method currently used in Poland. The efficiency results obtained for World's methods and the one used in Poland turned out to be comparable. Practical studies were made to evaluate the adaptability of those methods in the underground exploitation-induced conditions in Poland. Artykuł stanowi kontynuację badań teoretycznych zaprezentowanych w części pierwszej, dotyczących oceny możliwości wykorzystania metod stosowanych na świecie do oceny zagrożenia budynków deformacjami ciągłymi. Skoncentrowano się jedynie na metodach pozwalających na przybliżoną ocenę stopnia uszkodzenia obiektów. Wybrane metody przetestowano na 100 losowo wybranych obiektach z terenu poddanego wpływom eksploatacji węgla kamiennego. Przyjęty tok postępowania pozwolił na ocenę efektywności oraz skuteczności tych metod. Ocenę zagrożenia budynków przeprowadzono również przy wykorzystaniu metody stosowanej obecnie w Polsce. Wyniki ewaluacji zagrożenia metodami światowymi można było porównać z efektywnością Polskiej metody. Badania praktyczne pozwoliły na ocenę możliwości adaptacji tych metod w warunkach eksploatacji podziemnej w Polsce.

40 CFR 420.102 - Effluent limitations representing the degree of effluent reduction attainable by the application...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

....000626 O&G 0.000522 0.000209 Chromium 1 0.0000209 0.0000084 Lead 0.0000094 0.0000031 Nickel 1 0.0000188 0... limitations for chromium and nickel shall be applicable in lieu of those for lead and zinc when cold rolling...) of product TSS 0.00626 0.00313 O&G 0.00261 0.00104 Chromium 1 0.000104 0.0000418 Lead 0.0000469 0...

40 CFR 420.102 - Effluent limitations representing the degree of effluent reduction attainable by the application...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

....000626 O&G 0.000522 0.000209 Chromium 1 0.0000209 0.0000084 Lead 0.0000094 0.0000031 Nickel 1 0.0000188 0... limitations for chromium and nickel shall be applicable in lieu of those for lead and zinc when cold rolling...) of product TSS 0.00626 0.00313 O&G 0.00261 0.00104 Chromium 1 0.000104 0.0000418 Lead 0.0000469 0...

40 CFR 420.102 - Effluent limitations representing the degree of effluent reduction attainable by the application...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

....000626 O&G 0.000522 0.000209 Chromium 1 0.0000209 0.0000084 Lead 0.0000094 0.0000031 Nickel 1 0.0000188 0... limitations for chromium and nickel shall be applicable in lieu of those for lead and zinc when cold rolling...) of product TSS 0.00626 0.00313 O&G 0.00261 0.00104 Chromium 1 0.000104 0.0000418 Lead 0.0000469 0...

40 CFR 420.102 - Effluent limitations representing the degree of effluent reduction attainable by the application...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

....000626 O&G 0.000522 0.000209 Chromium 1 0.0000209 0.0000084 Lead 0.0000094 0.0000031 Nickel 1 0.0000188 0... limitations for chromium and nickel shall be applicable in lieu of those for lead and zinc when cold rolling...) of product TSS 0.00626 0.00313 O&G 0.00261 0.00104 Chromium 1 0.000104 0.0000418 Lead 0.0000469 0...

40 CFR 420.102 - Effluent limitations representing the degree of effluent reduction attainable by the application...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

....000626 O&G 0.000522 0.000209 Chromium 1 0.0000209 0.0000084 Lead 0.0000094 0.0000031 Nickel 1 0.0000188 0... limitations for chromium and nickel shall be applicable in lieu of those for lead and zinc when cold rolling...) of product TSS 0.00626 0.00313 O&G 0.00261 0.00104 Chromium 1 0.000104 0.0000418 Lead 0.0000469 0...

Sustainable oil and grease removal from synthetic stormwater runoff using bench-scale bioretention studies.

PubMed

Hong, Eunyoung; Seagren, Eric A; Davis, Allen P

2006-02-01

One of the principal components of the contaminant load in urban stormwater runoff is oil and grease (O&G) pollution, resulting from vehicle emissions. A mulch layer was used as a contaminant trap to remove O&G (dissolved and particulate-associated naphthalene, dissolved toluene, and dissolved motor oil hydrocarbons) from a synthetic runoff during a bench-scale infiltration study. Approximately 80 to 95% removal of all contaminants from synthetic runoff was found via sorption and filtration. Subsequently, approximately 90% of the sorbed naphthalene, toluene, oil, and particulate-associated naphthalene was biodegraded within approximately 3, 4, 8, and 2 days after the event, respectively, based on decreases in contaminant concentrations coupled with increases of microbial populations. These results indicate the effectiveness and sustainability of placing a thin layer of mulch on the surface of a bioretention facility for reducing O&G pollution from urban stormwater runoff.

Physiochemical Characterization of Iodine (V) Oxide: Hydration Rates

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-12-15

decomposition .21 2 Distribution A Scheme 1. Iodine (V) Oxide‐Water System Hydration : 3I2O5(s) + H2O(g) → 2HI3O8(s) + 2H2O(g) → 6HIO3(s...dehydration steps and decomposition step for each sample. The corresponding percent compositions of the three hydration forms of the oxide have been...135 Physiochemical Characterization of Iodine (V) Oxide: Hydration Rates Distribution A: Approved for public release; distribution unlimited

Comparison of Oogenesis and Sex Steroid Profiles between Twice and Once Annually Spawning of Rainbow Trout Females (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

PubMed Central

Estay, Francisco; Colihueque, Nelson; Araneda, Cristian

2012-01-01

This study compares the gonadosomatic index (GSI), oocyte growth (OG), gonadal histology, and plasma level concentrations of sex hormones (estradiol-17β (E2) and vitellogenin (V)) of twice-spawning (T-SP) and once-spawning (O-SP) females of rainbow trout throughout the additional and the normal reproductive cycle, respectively. In T-SP, the GSI values rapidly increase from May to November, in contrast to O-SP, which showed low and constant GSI values (1.19 to 14.5 and 1.19 to 0.63, resp.). T-SP exhibited a marked increase of OG in the same period, reaching a maximum diameter of 4,900 ± 141.42 μm, in contrast to O-SP, which presented a slow OG. The gonadal histology of T-SP agreed with the general pattern of ovogenesis observed for O-SP (vitellogenesis, ovulation, and recrudescence); however, this process was nonsynchronous between the two breeder groups. Plasma steroid levels showed significant variation during oogenesis, which agreed with the GSI, OG, and gonadal histology patterns. The level of E2 increased to a maximum value of 26.2 ng/mL and 36.0 ng/mL in O-SP and T-SP, respectively, one or two months before the spawning event where vitellogenesis was fully active. The V concentrations followed a pattern similar to those of E2. PMID:23213308

Telecom and scintillation first data analysis for DOMINO: laser communication between SOTA, onboard SOCRATES satellite, and MEO optical ground station

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Phung, D.-H.; Samain, E.; Maurice, N.; Albanesse, D.; Mariey, H.; Aimar, M.; M. Lagarde, G.; Artaud, G.; Issler, J.-L.; Vedrenne, N.; Velluet, M.-T.; Toyoshima, M.; Akioka, M.; Kolev, D.; Munemasa, Y.; Takenaka, H.; Iwakiri, N.

2016-03-01

In collaboration between CNES, NICT, Geoazur, the first successful lasercom link between the micro-satellite SOCRATES and an OGS in Europe has been established. This paper presents some results of telecom and scintillation first data analysis for 4 successful links in June & July 2015 between SOTA terminal and MEO optical ground station (OGS) at Caussols France. The telecom and scintillation data have been continuously recorded during the passes by using a detector developed at the laboratory. An irradiance of 190 nW/m2 and 430 nW/m2 has been detected for 1549 nm and 976 nm downlinks at 35° elevation. Spectrums of power fluctuation measured at OGS are analyzed at different elevation angles and at different diameters of telescope aperture to determine fluctuations caused by pointing error (due to satellite & OGS telescope vibrations) and caused by atmospheric turbulence. Downlink & Uplink budgets are analyzed, the theoretical estimation matches well to measured power levels. Telecom signal forms and bit error rates (BER) of 1549 nm and 976 nm downlink are also shown at different diameters of telescope aperture. BER is 'Error Free' with full-aperture 1.5m telescope, and almost in `good channel' with 0.4 m sub-aperture of telescope. We also show the comparison between the expected and measured BER distributions.

Immunomodulatory Role of Ocimum gratissimum and Ascorbic Acid against Nicotine-Induced Murine Peritoneal Macrophages In Vitro

PubMed Central

Mahapatra, Santanu Kar; Chakraborty, Subhankari Prasad; Roy, Somenath

2011-01-01

The aim of this present study was to evaluate the immune functions and immune responses in nicotine-induced (10 mM) macrophages and concurrently establish the immunomodulatory role of aqueous extract of Ocimum gratissimum (Ae-Og) and ascorbic acid. In this study, nitrite generations and some phenotype functions by macrophages were studied. Beside that, release of Th1 cytokines (TNF-α, IL-12) and Th2 cytokines (IL-10, TGF-β) was measured by ELISA, and the expression of these cytokines at mRNA level was analyzed by real-time PCR. Ae-Og, at a dose of 10 μg/mL, significantly reduced the nicotine-induced NO generation and iNOSII expression. Similar kinds of response were observed with supplementation of ascorbic acid (0.01 mM). The administration of Ae-Og and ascorbic acid increased the decreased adherence, chemotaxis, phagocytosis, and intracellular killing of bacteria in nicotine-treated macrophages. Ae-Og and ascorbic acid were found to protect the murine peritoneal macrophages through downregulation of Th1 cytokines in nicotine-treated macrophages with concurrent activation of Th2 responses. These findings strongly enhanced our understanding of the molecular mechanism leading to nicotine-induced suppression of immune functions and provide additional rationale for application of anti-inflammatory therapeutic approaches by O. gratissimum and ascorbic acid for different inflammatory disease prevention and treatment during nicotine toxicity. PMID:22220218

Requirement for pectin methyl esterase and preference for fragmented over native pectins for wall-associated kinase-activated, EDS1/PAD4-dependent stress response in Arabidopsis.

PubMed

Kohorn, Bruce D; Kohorn, Susan L; Saba, Nicholas J; Martinez, Victoriano Meco

2014-07-04

The wall-associated kinases (WAKs) have a cytoplasmic protein kinase domain that spans the plasma membrane and binds pectin in the extracellular matrix of plants. WAKs are required for cell expansion during Arabidopsis seedling development but are also an integral part of the response to pathogens and stress that present oligogalacturonides (OGs), which subsequently bind to WAKs and activate a MPK6 (mitogen-activated protein kinase)-dependent pathway. It was unclear how WAKs distinguish native pectin polymers and OGs to activate one or the other of these two pathways. A dominant allele of WAK2 constitutively activates the stress response, and we show here that the effect is dependent upon EDS1 and PAD4, transcriptional activators involved in the pathogen response. Moreover, the WAK2 dominant allele is suppressed by a null allele of a pectin methyl esterase (PME3) whose activity normally leads to cross-linking of pectins in the cell wall. Although OGs activate a transcriptional response in wild type, the response is enhanced in a pme3/pme3 null, consistent with a competition by OG and native polymers for activation of WAKs. This provides a plausible mechanism for WAKs to distinguish an expansion from a stress pathway. © 2014 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Sequential capillary electrophoresis analysis using optically gated sample injection and UV/vis detection.

PubMed

Liu, Xiaoxia; Tian, Miaomiao; Camara, Mohamed Amara; Guo, Liping; Yang, Li

2015-10-01

We present sequential CE analysis of amino acids and L-asparaginase-catalyzed enzyme reaction, by combing the on-line derivatization, optically gated (OG) injection and commercial-available UV-Vis detection. Various experimental conditions for sequential OG-UV/vis CE analysis were investigated and optimized by analyzing a standard mixture of amino acids. High reproducibility of the sequential CE analysis was demonstrated with RSD values (n = 20) of 2.23, 2.57, and 0.70% for peak heights, peak areas, and migration times, respectively, and the LOD of 5.0 μM (for asparagine) and 2.0 μM (for aspartic acid) were obtained. With the application of the OG-UV/vis CE analysis, sequential online CE enzyme assay of L-asparaginase-catalyzed enzyme reaction was carried out by automatically and continuously monitoring the substrate consumption and the product formation every 12 s from the beginning to the end of the reaction. The Michaelis constants for the reaction were obtained and were found to be in good agreement with the results of traditional off-line enzyme assays. The study demonstrated the feasibility and reliability of integrating the OG injection with UV/vis detection for sequential online CE analysis, which could be of potential value for online monitoring various chemical reaction and bioprocesses. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Accuracy of Three-Dimensional Planning in Surgery-First Orthognathic Surgery: Planning Versus Outcome

PubMed Central

Tran, Ngoc Hieu; Tantidhnazet, Syrina; Raocharernporn, Somchart; Kiattavornchareon, Sirichai; Pairuchvej, Verasak; Wongsirichat, Natthamet

2018-01-01

Background The benefit of computer-assisted planning in orthognathic surgery (OGS) has been extensively documented over the last decade. This study aimed to evaluate the accuracy of three-dimensional (3D) virtual planning in surgery-first OGS. Methods Fifteen patients with skeletal class III malocclusion who underwent bimaxillary OGS with surgery-first approach were included. A composite skull model was reconstructed using data from cone-beam computed tomography and stereolithography from a scanned dental cast. Surgical procedures were simulated using Simplant O&O software, and the virtual plan was transferred to the operation room using 3D-printed splints. Differences of the 3D measurements between the virtual plan and postoperative results were evaluated, and the accuracy was reported using root mean square deviation (RMSD) and the Bland-Altman method. Results The virtual planning was successfully transferred to surgery. The overall mean linear difference was 0.88 mm (0.79 mm for the maxilla and 1 mm for the mandible), and the overall mean angular difference was 1.16°. The RMSD ranged from 0.86 to 1.46 mm and 1.27° to 1.45°, within the acceptable clinical criteria. Conclusion In this study, virtual surgical planning and 3D-printed surgical splints facilitated the diagnosis and treatment planning, and offered an accurate outcome in surgery-first OGS. PMID:29581806

Phylogeny Inference of Closely Related Bacterial Genomes: Combining the Features of Both Overlapping Genes and Collinear Genomic Regions

PubMed Central

Zhang, Yan-Cong; Lin, Kui

2015-01-01

Overlapping genes (OGs) represent one type of widespread genomic feature in bacterial genomes and have been used as rare genomic markers in phylogeny inference of closely related bacterial species. However, the inference may experience a decrease in performance for phylogenomic analysis of too closely or too distantly related genomes. Another drawback of OGs as phylogenetic markers is that they usually take little account of the effects of genomic rearrangement on the similarity estimation, such as intra-chromosome/genome translocations, horizontal gene transfer, and gene losses. To explore such effects on the accuracy of phylogeny reconstruction, we combine phylogenetic signals of OGs with collinear genomic regions, here called locally collinear blocks (LCBs). By putting these together, we refine our previous metric of pairwise similarity between two closely related bacterial genomes. As a case study, we used this new method to reconstruct the phylogenies of 88 Enterobacteriale genomes of the class Gammaproteobacteria. Our results demonstrated that the topological accuracy of the inferred phylogeny was improved when both OGs and LCBs were simultaneously considered, suggesting that combining these two phylogenetic markers may reduce, to some extent, the influence of gene loss on phylogeny inference. Such phylogenomic studies, we believe, will help us to explore a more effective approach to increasing the robustness of phylogeny reconstruction of closely related bacterial organisms. PMID:26715828

The interns' learning assessment in obstetrics and gynecology department of Zahedan University of Medical Sciences.

PubMed

Roudbari, Masoud; Yaghmaei, Minoo

2007-09-01

One of the aims of management priorities in medical universities is the evaluation of learning in educational departments in order to prevent educational retardation and to improve the quality of education. The aim of this study was to evaluate the interns' learning in the obstetrics and gynecology (O&G) department at Zahedan University of Medical Sciences (ZUMS). The study was performed in ZUMS, Iran, in 2002-2003 on all interns at the O&G department, including 30 men and 40 women. For data collection, a questionnaire was used and included some questions regarding the common emergencies and diseases in O&G, together with different learning indicators such as reading, observation, hearing, management, and the capability of management. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, tables, t test, and chi-square test using the SPSS software. The mean percentages of learning indicators of observation, bedside teaching, supervised management, and personal management in the common emergencies and diseases of O&G in male interns were significantly lower than those in female interns. Also, the mean percentages of managing capabilities were 12% and 70.5% in common emergencies and 14.2% and 59.3% in common diseases for male and female interns, respectively. The chi-square test showed a significant difference between the mean percentages of the managing capabilities in male and female interns for the majority of the common emergencies and diseases. Also, the chi-square test revealed a significant relationship between the learning indicators and the interns' managing capabilities for common emergencies and diseases. Some learning indicators in the male interns were very low. This needs urgent improvement of the learning quality in the O&G department, especially for the male interns, particularly those who are supposed to work in the deprived areas of the country after graduation in the public service.

Environmental Defense Fund Oil and Gas Methane Studies: Principles for Collaborating with Industry Partners while Maintaining Scientific Objectivity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamburg, S.

2016-12-01

Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) launched a series of 16 research studies in 2012 to quantify methane emissions from the U.S. oil and gas (O&G) supply chain. In addition to EDF's funding from philanthropic individuals and foundations and in-kind contributions from universities, over forty O&G companies contributed money to the studies. For a subset of studies that required partner companies to provide site access to measure their equipment, five common principles were followed to assure that research was objective and scientifically rigorous. First, academic scientists were selected as principal investigators (PIs) to lead the studies. In line with EDF's policy of not accepting money from corporate partners, O&G companies provided funding directly to academic PIs. Technical work groups and steering committees consisting of EDF and O&G partner staff advised the PIs in the planning and implementation of research, but PIs had the final authority in scientific decisions including publication content. Second, scientific advisory panels of independent experts advised the PIs in the study design, data analysis, and interpretation. Third, studies employed multiple methodologies when possible, including top-down and bottom-up measurements. This helped overcome the limitations of individual approaches to decrease the uncertainty of emission estimates and minimize concerns with data being "cherry-picked". Fourth, studies were published in peer-reviewed journals to undergo an additional round of independent review. Fifth, transparency of data was paramount. Study data were released after publication, although operator and site names of individual data points were anonymized to ensure transparency and allow independent analysis. Following these principles allowed an environmental organization, O&G companies, and academic scientists to collaborate in scientific research while minimizing conflicts of interest. This approach can serve as a model for a scientifically rigorous process minimally influenced by study partners.

Integrated processes for produced water polishing: Enhanced flotation/sedimentation combined with advanced oxidation processes.

PubMed

Jiménez, Silvia; Micó, María M; Arnaldos, Marina; Ferrero, Enrique; Malfeito, Jorge J; Medina, Francisco; Contreras, Sandra

2017-02-01

In this study, bench scale dissolved air flotation (DAF) and settling processes have been studied and compared to a novel flotation technology based on the use of glass microspheres of limited buoyancy and its combination with conventional DAF, (Enhanced DAF or E-DAF). They were evaluated as pretreatments for advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) to polish produced water (PW) for reuse purposes. Settling and E-DAF without air injection showed adequate turbidity and oil and grease (O&G) removals, with eliminations higher than 87% and 90% respectively, employing 70 mg L -1 of FeCl 3 and 83 min of settling time, and 57.9 mg L -1 of FeCl 3 , 300 mg L -1 of microspheres and a flocculation rate of 40 rpm in the E-DAF process. A linear correlation was observed between final O&G concentration and turbidity after E-DAF. In order to polish the O&G content of the effluent even further, to remove soluble compounds as phenol and to take advantage of residual iron after these treatments, Fenton and photo-Fenton reactions were essayed. After 6 h of the Fenton reaction at pH 3, the addition of 1660 mg L -1 of H 2 O 2 and 133 mg L -1 of iron showed a maximum O&G elimination of 57.6% and a phenol removal up to 80%. Photo-Fenton process showed better results after 3 h, adding 600 mg L -1 of H 2 O 2 and 300 mg L -1 of iron, at pH 3, with a higher fraction of elimination of the O&G content (73.7%) and phenol (95%) compared to the conventional Fenton process. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Antimicrobial Efficacy of a Silver Impregnated Hydrophilic PU Foam.

PubMed

Percival, Steven L

2018-06-01

A novel hydrophilic polyurethane (PU) foam dressing which is impregnated with silver chloride, Optifoam® Gentle (OG) Ag+ (Medline Industries Inc., Chicago, Illinois), was evaluated in this study. The aims of this study were to determine the rate of elution of silver from the foam dressing over a period of 168 hours into simulated wound fluid and an evaluation of antimicrobial efficacy using zone of inhibition (ZOI), direct kill, and time-kill viability. Thirty-two microorganisms associated with wounds including Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Methicillin sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA), Acinetobacter baumannii, Candida albicans, and antibiotic-resistant strains (Methicillin-resistant S. aureus [MRSA] and Vancomycin-resistant Enterococci [VRE]) were evaluated. Silver release from the wound dressing showed an exponential curve with a stable sustained release of 25ppm achieved after 24 hours, which was maintained for the full duration of the study. OG Ag+ caused inhibition zones ranging from 4-16mm after a 24-hour contact time. In the direct kill assay, OG Ag+ reduced the microbial numbers below the limit of detection and reduced viability by a log of four within 24 hours. For the time-kill viability studies, the results support the use of this hydrophilic polyurethane foam as a wound dressing for use in wounds at risk of infection or infected by achieving a four log kill within six hours and a six log kill in 16 hours. In conclusion, OG Ag+ was shown to be an effective wound dressing in the killing of a range of important opportunistic pathogens of relevance to wound healing and infections. Achieving a six log kill against S. aureus and E.coli, within 16 hours in the time kill assay, (ASTM E2315-03) demonstrates that OG Ag+ should be an important addition to the armoury available for the management of acute and chronic wounds at risk of infection or clinically infected.

Investigation into the High Voltage Shutdown of the Oxygen Generator System in the International Space Station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carpenter, Joyce E.; Gentry, Gregory J.; Diderich, Greg S.; Roy, Robert J.; Golden, John L.; VanKeuren, Steve; Steele, John W.; Rector, Tony J.; Varsik, Jerome D.; Montefusco, Daniel J.;

Development of Lead Compounds as Fusion Inhibitors for Dengue Virus

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-08-01

19a. NAME OF RESPONSIBLE PERSON USAMRMC a. REPORT U b . ABSTRACT U c. THIS PAGE U UU 61 19b. TELEPHONE NUMBER (include area code...and III (blue). B ) Structural alignment of E2 protein monomer in the absence and presence of βOG (pdbIDs 1OAN and 1OKE respectively), with the kl-β...hairpin loop colored as follows: prefusion state (yellow), intermediate βOG-E2 complex (blue), secondary structure colored by B -factor from blue

A comparison of two antigen-detection ELISA for detecting infection of Dirofilaria immitis in dogs.

PubMed

Euclid, J M; Copeman, D B

1997-09-01

A survey on 87 dogs necropsied in the Townsville region revealed 34 (39%) were infected with Dirofilaria immitis. Infected dogs had an average of 6.1 adult worms in the heart and associated blood vessels. The VetRED assay detected 23 of the 34 infected dogs (sensitivity 65%) and the Og4C3 ELISA detected 27 (sensitivity 80%). Sensitivity of the VetRED and Og4C3 ELISA increased to 88 and 94% respectively in dogs with three or more worms. Both tests detected correctly all uninfected dogs. Despite the higher accuracy of the Og4C3 ELISA, compared to the VetRED assay, it is unlikely to be used widely as a field test for heartworm unless it can be modified from its present plate ELISA format which takes 4 hours, into one which is more rapid and convenient. However, as a reference ELISA, it may well be worthwhile in situations which require considerable accuracy for detecting D. immitis infection.

SANS with contrast variation study of the bacteriorhodopsin-octyl glucoside complex

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mo, Yiming; Heller, William T.

2010-11-01

Membrane proteins (MPs), which play vital roles in trans-membrane trafficking and signalling between cells and their external environment, comprise a major fraction of the expressed proteomes of many organisms. MP production for biophysical characterization requires detergents for extracting MPs from their native membrane and to solubilize the MP in solution for purification and study. In a proper detergent solution, the detergent-associated MPs retain their native fold and oligomerization state, key requirements for biophysical characterization and crystallization. SANS with contrast variation was performed to characterize BR in complex with OG to better understand the MP-detergent complex. Contrast variation makes it possible to not only probe the conformation of the entire structure but also investigate the conformation of the polypeptide chain within the BR-OG complex. The BR-OG SANS contrast variation series is not consistent with a compact structure, such as a trimeric BR complex surrounded by a belt of detergent. The data strongly suggest that the protein is partially unfolded through its association with the detergent micelles.

Enterococcus faecalis Ebp pili are important for cell-cell aggregation and intraspecies gene transfer

PubMed Central

Leanti La Rosa, Sabina; Camila Montealegre, Maria; Singh, Kavindra V.

2016-01-01

Enterococcus faecalis is an opportunistic pathogen that ranks among the leading causes of biofilm-associated infections. We previously demonstrated that the endocarditis- and biofilm-associated pili (Ebp) of E. faecalis play a major role in biofilm formation, adherence to abiotic surfaces and experimental infections. In this study, derivatives of E. faecalis strain OG1 were engineered to further characterize functions of Ebp pili. Loss of pili resulted in a 36-fold decrease in the number of closely associated cells when OG1RFΔebpABC was mixed with OG1SSpΔebpABC, compared with mixing the Ebp+ parental strains. In addition, using the Ebp+ parental strains as donor and recipient, we found a statistically significant increase (280–360 %, P < 0.05) in the frequency of plasmid transfer versus using Ebp−  mutants in the conjugation experiments. These results demonstrate a previously unrecognized role of Ebp pili, namely, as important contributors to microscale cell aggregation and horizontal spread of genetic material. PMID:26967674

Oligomerization state of water channels and glycerol facilitators. Involvement of loop E.

PubMed

Lagrée, V; Froger, A; Deschamps, S; Pellerin, I; Delamarche, C; Bonnec, G; Gouranton, J; Thomas, D; Hubert, J F

1998-12-18

The major intrinsic protein (MIP) family includes water channels aquaporins (AQPs) and facilitators for small solutes such as glycerol (GlpFs). Velocity sedimentation on sucrose gradients demonstrates that heterologous AQPcic expressed in yeast or Xenopus oocytes behaves as an homotetramer when extracted by n-octyl beta-D-glucopyranoside (OG) and as a monomer when extracted by SDS. We performed an analysis of GlpF solubilized from membranes of Escherichia coli or of mRNA-injected Xenopus oocytes. The GlpF protein extracted either by SDS or by nondenaturing detergents, OG and Triton X-100, exhibits sedimentation coefficients only compatible with a monomeric form of the protein in micelles. We then substituted in loop E of AQPcic two amino acids predicted to play a role in the functional/structural properties of the MIPs. In two expression systems, yeast and oocytes, the mutant AQPcic-S205D is monomeric in OG and in SDS. The A209K mutation does not modify the tetrameric form of the heterologous protein in OG. This study shows that the serine residue at position 205 is essential for AQPcic tetramerization. Because the serine in this position is highly conserved among aquaporins and systematically replaced by an acid aspartic in GlpFs, we postulate that glycerol facilitators are monomers whereas aquaporins are organized in tetramers. Our data suggest that the role of loop E in MIP properties partly occurs through its ability to allow oligomerization of the proteins.

Effect of oral glucose administration on rebound growth hormone release in normal and obese women: the role of adiposity, insulin sensitivity and ghrelin.

PubMed

Pena-Bello, Lara; Pertega-Diaz, Sonia; Outeiriño-Blanco, Elena; Garcia-Buela, Jesus; Tovar, Sulay; Sangiao-Alvarellos, Susana; Dieguez, Carlos; Cordido, Fernando

2015-01-01

Metabolic substrates and nutritional status play a major role in growth hormone (GH) secretion. Uncovering the mechanisms involved in GH secretion following oral glucose (OG) administration in normal and obese patients is a pending issue. The aim of this study was to investigate GH after OG in relation with adiposity, insulin secretion and action, and ghrelin secretion in obese and healthy women, to further elucidate the mechanism of GH secretion after OG and the altered GH secretion in obesity. We included 64 healthy and obese women. After an overnight fast, 75 g of OG were administered; GH, glucose, insulin and ghrelin were obtained during 300 minutes. Insulin secretion and action indices and the area under the curve (AUC) were calculated for GH, glucose, insulin and ghrelin. Univariate and multivariate linear regression analyses were employed. The AUC of GH (μg/L•min) was lower in obese (249.8±41.8) than in healthy women (490.4±74.6), P=0.001. The AUC of total ghrelin (pg/mL•min) was lower in obese (240995.5±11094.2) than in healthy women (340797.5±37757.5), P=0.042. There were significant correlations between GH secretion and the different adiposity, insulin secretion and action, and ghrelin secretion indices. After multivariate analysis only ghrelin AUC remained a significant predictor for fasting and peak GH.

Effect of Oral Glucose Administration on Rebound Growth Hormone Release in Normal and Obese Women: The Role of Adiposity, Insulin Sensitivity and Ghrelin

PubMed Central

Pena-Bello, Lara; Pertega-Diaz, Sonia; Outeiriño-Blanco, Elena; Garcia-Buela, Jesus; Tovar, Sulay; Sangiao-Alvarellos, Susana; Dieguez, Carlos; Cordido, Fernando

2015-01-01

Context Metabolic substrates and nutritional status play a major role in growth hormone (GH) secretion. Uncovering the mechanisms involved in GH secretion following oral glucose (OG) administration in normal and obese patients is a pending issue. Objective The aim of this study was to investigate GH after OG in relation with adiposity, insulin secretion and action, and ghrelin secretion in obese and healthy women, to further elucidate the mechanism of GH secretion after OG and the altered GH secretion in obesity. Participants and Methods We included 64 healthy and obese women. After an overnight fast, 75 g of OG were administered; GH, glucose, insulin and ghrelin were obtained during 300 minutes. Insulin secretion and action indices and the area under the curve (AUC) were calculated for GH, glucose, insulin and ghrelin. Univariate and multivariate linear regression analyses were employed. Results The AUC of GH (μg/L•min) was lower in obese (249.8±41.8) than in healthy women (490.4±74.6), P=0.001. The AUC of total ghrelin (pg/mL•min) was lower in obese (240995.5±11094.2) than in healthy women (340797.5±37757.5), P=0.042. There were significant correlations between GH secretion and the different adiposity, insulin secretion and action, and ghrelin secretion indices. After multivariate analysis only ghrelin AUC remained a significant predictor for fasting and peak GH. PMID:25782001

Computational analysis of pediatric ventricular assist device implantation to decrease cerebral particulate embolization.

PubMed

Nguyen, ThuyTien; Argueta-Morales, I Ricardo; Guimond, Stephen; Clark, William; Ceballos, Andres; Osorio, Ruben; Divo, Eduardo A; De Campli, William M; Kassab, Alain J

2016-01-01

Stroke is the most devastating complication after ventricular assist device (VAD) implantation with a 19% incidence and 65% mortality in the pediatric population. Current pediatric VAD technology and anticoagulation strategies alone are suboptimal. VAD implantation assisted by computational methods (CFD) may contribute reducing the risk of cerebral embolization. Representative three-dimensional aortic arch models of an infant and a child were generated. An 8 mm VAD outflow-graft (VAD-OG) anastomosed to the aorta was rendered and CFD was applied to study blood flow patterns. Particle tracks, originating in the VAD, were computed with a Lagrangian phase model and the percentage of particles entering the cerebral vessels was calculated. Eight implantation configurations (infant = 5 and child = 3) and 5 particle sizes (0.5, 1, 2, 3, and 4 mm) were considered. For the infant model, percentage of particles entering the cerebral vessels ranged from 15% for a VAD-OG anastomosed at 90° to the aorta, to 31% for 30° VAD-OG anastomosis (overall percentages: X(2) = 10,852, p < 0.0001). For the child model, cerebral embolization ranged from 9% for the 30° VAD-OG anastomosis to 15% for the 60° anastomosis (overall percentages: χ(2) = 10,323, p < 0.0001). Using detailed CFD calculations, we demonstrate that the risk of stroke depends significantly on the VAD implantation geometry. In turn, the risk probably depends on patient-specific anatomy. CFD can be used to optimize VAD implantation geometry to minimize stroke risk.

Sono-incorporation of CuO nanoparticles on the surface and into the mesoporous hexatitanate layers: Enhanced Fenton-like activity in degradation of orange-G at its neutral pH

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sehati, S.; Entezari, M. H.

2017-03-01

In this work, for the first time, CuO/Ti6O13 mesoporous nanocomposite was synthesized by direct intercalation of CuO nanoparticles into hexatitanate layers in the presence of ultrasound. In fact mesoporous potassium hexatitanate with high pore size (44.94 nm) was used as a support. CuO nanoparticles were grown into the titanate pores which caused formation of ultra small CuO with uniform size and high surface area. In fact, titanate is considered as a substrate for better dispersion and nucleation of the CuO nanoparticles which prevented the agglomeration and overgrowth of guest molecules. The prepared sample was characterized by XRD, FE-SEM, TEM, UV-vis spectra, N2 adsorption-desorption, Raman spectra and FT-IR techniques. The product was used as a heterogeneous Fenton-like catalyst for the degradation of Orang G (OG). The effect of important parameters, including pH, H2O2 addition rate and catalyst loading on the decolorization of OG were investigated. Based on the results, CuO/Ti6O13 catalyst exhibited high catalytic activity for OG degradation in aqueous solution at neutral pH of the dye. Moreover, breaking of H2O2 during the catalytic reaction was monitored by spectroscopic method. The results confirmed the decomposition of H2O2 to produce rad OH which is the main active species for the degradation of OG.

Interaction of Aβ(1-42) amyloids with lipids promotes "off-pathway" oligomerization and membrane damage.

PubMed

Henry, Sarah; Vignaud, Hélène; Bobo, Claude; Decossas, Marion; Lambert, Oliver; Harte, Etienne; Alves, Isabel D; Cullin, Christophe; Lecomte, Sophie

2015-03-09

The toxicity of amyloids, as Aβ(1-42) involved in Alzheimer disease, is a subject under intense scrutiny. Many studies link their toxicity to the existence of various intermediate structures prior to fiber formation and/or their specific interaction with membranes. In this study we focused on the interaction between membrane models and Aβ(1-42) peptides and variants (L34T, mG37C) produced in E. coli and purified in monomeric form. We evaluated the interaction of a toxic stable oligomeric form (oG37C) with membranes as comparison. Using various biophysical techniques as fluorescence and plasmon waveguide resonance, we clearly established that the oG37C interacts strongly with membranes leading to its disruption. All the studied peptides destabilized liposomes and accumulated slowly on the membrane (rate constant 0.02 min(-1)). Only the oG37C exhibited a particular pattern of interaction, comprising two steps: the initial binding followed by membrane reorganization. Cryo-TEM was used to visualize the peptide effect on liposome morphologies. Both oG37C and mG37C lead to PG membrane fragmentation. The PG membrane promotes peptide oligomerization, implicated in membrane disruption. WT (Aβ(1-42)) also perturbs liposome organization with membrane deformation rather than disruption. For all the peptides studied, their interaction with the membranes changes their fibrillization process, with less fibers and more small aggregates being formed. These studies allowed to establish, a correlation between toxicity, fiber formation, and membrane disruption.

The Mitochondrial 2-Oxoglutarate Carrier Is Part of a Metabolic Pathway That Mediates Glucose- and Glutamine-stimulated Insulin Secretion*

PubMed Central

Odegaard, Matthew L.; Joseph, Jamie W.; Jensen, Mette V.; Lu, Danhong; Ilkayeva, Olga; Ronnebaum, Sarah M.; Becker, Thomas C.; Newgard, Christopher B.

2010-01-01

Glucose-stimulated insulin secretion from pancreatic islet β-cells is dependent in part on pyruvate cycling through the pyruvate/isocitrate pathway, which generates cytosolic α-ketoglutarate, also known as 2-oxoglutarate (2OG). Here, we have investigated if mitochondrial transport of 2OG through the 2-oxoglutarate carrier (OGC) participates in control of nutrient-stimulated insulin secretion. Suppression of OGC in clonal pancreatic β-cells (832/13 cells) and isolated rat islets by adenovirus-mediated delivery of small interfering RNA significantly decreased glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. OGC suppression also reduced insulin secretion in response to glutamine plus the glutamate dehydrogenase activator 2-amino-2-norbornane carboxylic acid. Nutrient-stimulated increases in glucose usage, glucose oxidation, glutamine oxidation, or ATP:ADP ratio were not affected by OGC knockdown, whereas suppression of OGC resulted in a significant decrease in the NADPH:NADP+ ratio during stimulation with glucose but not glutamine + 2-amino-2-norbornane carboxylic acid. Finally, OGC suppression reduced insulin secretion in response to a membrane-permeant 2OG analog, dimethyl-2OG. These data reveal that the OGC is part of a mechanism of fuel-stimulated insulin secretion that is common to glucose, amino acid, and organic acid secretagogues, involving flux through the pyruvate/isocitrate cycling pathway. Although the components of this pathway must remain intact for appropriate stimulus-secretion coupling, production of NADPH does not appear to be the universal second messenger signal generated by these reactions. PMID:20356834

Effect of high-frequency bio-oxidative ozone therapy for masticatory muscle pain: a double-blind randomised clinical trial.

PubMed

Celakil, T; Muric, A; Gokcen Roehlig, B; Evlioglu, G; Keskin, H

2017-06-01

To evaluate the effect of bio-oxidative ozone application at the points of greatest pain in patients with chronic masticatory muscle pain. A total number of 40 (40 women, with a mean age of 31·7) were selected after the diagnosis of myofacial pain dysfunction syndrome according to the Research Diagnostic Criteria for temporomandibular disorder (RDC/TMD). The patients were randomly divided into two groups: patients received the ozone therapy at the point of greatest pain, ozone group (OG; n = 20); patients received the sham ozone therapy at the point of greatest pain, placebo group (PG; n = 20). Ozone and placebo were applied three times per week, for a total of six sessions. Mandibular movements were examined, masticator muscles tenderness were assessed and pressure pain threshold (PPT) values were obtained. Subjective pain levels were evaluated using visual analogue sale (VAS). These assessments were performed at baseline, 1 month and 3 months. Ozono therapy decreased pain intensity and increased PPT values significantly from baseline to 1 month and 3 months in OG compared with PG. PPTs of the temporal (OG = 24·85 ± 6·65, PG = 20·65 ± 5·43, P = 0.035) and masseter (OG = 19·03 ± 6·42, PG = 14·23 ± 2·95, P = 0.007) muscles at 3 months of control (T2) were significantly higher in the OG group. PPT value of the lateral pole was also significantly higher at T2 in the OG group (OG = 21·25 ± 8·43, PG = 15·35 ± 4·18, P = 0.012). Mandibular movements did not show significant differences between treatment groups except right lateral excursion values at T2 (OG = 8·90 ± 1·77, PG = 6·85 ± 2·41, P = 0.003); however, OG demonstrated significantly better results over time. Overall improvements in VAS scores from baseline to 3 months were OG 67·7%; PG 48·4%. Although ozone therapy can be accepted as an alternative treatment modality in the management of masticatory muscle pain, sham ozone therapy (placebo) showed significant improvements in the tested parameters. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Gruppeorganiseret og selvstyret fremmedsprogstilegnelse. Et undervisningseksperiment pa RUC [and] Skolesprogene. Om fremmedsprogenes status og funktion i gymnasiet. ROLIG Papir 22 (Group Organized and Self Managed Foreign Language Acquisition. A Research Project at RUC [and] School Languages. On the Status and Function of Foreign Languages in Secondary Schools. ROLIG Paper 22).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jakobsen, Karen Sonne

Two articles highlight different issues on foreign language learning and instruction in Denmark. The first article describes a research project at Roskilde University Center that focuses on group organized and self managed foreign language acquisition. The idea for the project came about as a result of concern over problems related to foreign…

Interdisciplinary curriculum to train internal medicine and obstetrics-gynecology residents in ambulatory women's health: adapting problem-based learning to residency education.

PubMed

Spencer, Abby L; McNeil, Melissa

2009-09-01

Although residents in internal medicine (IM) and obstetrics-gynecology (OG) must provide primary care for women, studies indicate that both groups require more skills and training in women's health. Our goals were to assess the needs of residents at our academic medical center and to design an interdisciplinary curriculum that addresses these needs utilizing a modified problem-based learning (PBL) format. The aim of this article is to report on the development, logistics, and successful implementation of our innovative curriculum. Based on results from a targeted needs-assessment, we designed a curriculum for both IM and OG residents to address curricular deficiencies in an efficient and effective manner. Procurement of support was achieved by reviewing overlapping competency requirements and results of the needs-assessment with the program directors. The curriculum consists of six ambulatory clinical cases which lead residents through a discussion of screening, diagnosis, prevention, and management within a modified PBL format. Residents select one learning objective each week which allows them to serve as content experts during case discussions, applying what they learned from their literature review to guide the group as they decide upon the next step for the case. This format helps accommodate different experience levels of learners, encourages discussion from less-vocal residents, and utilizes theories of adult learning. Sixty-five residents have participated in the curriculum since it was successfully implemented. IM residents report that the cases were their first opportunity to discuss the health concerns of younger women; OG residents felt similarly about cases related to older women. Implementation challenges included resident accountability. Residents identified the timing of the sessions and clinical coverage requirements as barriers to conference attendance. Interdisciplinary modified PBL conferences focusing on shared curricular needs in ambulatory women's health are well-received by both IM and OG residents. This format utilizes theories of adult learning and maximizes limited time and resources by teaching IM and OG residents concurrently, and can be successfully implemented at a large academic medical center.

Effects of endophyte-infected tall fescue on indicators of thermal status and growth in Hereford and Senepol steers.

PubMed

Browning, R

2004-02-01

Poor growth often occurs in cattle consuming ergot alkaloids associated with endophyte-infected (EI) tall fescue. Hyperthermia may contribute significantly to poor growth resulting from fescue toxicosis. This study examined indicators of thermal status and growth in Hereford (n = 30; heat-sensitive Bos taurus; H) and Senepol (n = 28; heat-tolerant Bos taurus; S) steers fed EI tall fescue (TF) or orchardgrass (OG) in 2 x 2 factorial experiments. Respiration rates, daytime shade use, tail skin temperatures, and body weights were measured during the summer and fall of 2000 (Exp. 1) and 2001 (Exp. 2). Experimental diets consisted of hay and seed for 12 wk in 2000, hay for 6 wk during the summer of 2001, and hay plus seed for 6 wk during the fall of 2001. In Exp. 1, EI tall fescue increased (P < 0.01) respiration rates, shade use, and skin temperatures in both breeds. Breed x diet affected (P < 0.01) 12-wk ADG in Exp. 1. Growth rate was lower for H-TF (262 g/d) than for S-TF, S-OG, and H-OG (475, 497, and 524 g/d, respectively). In Exp. 2, Senepol had lower (P < 0.01) respiration rates, shade use, and skin temperatures compared with Hereford, but diet did not alter (P > 0.14) these indicator traits in either breed. Breed x diet affected (P < 0.01) summer growth rates. Growth rate was lower for H-TF (88 g/d) than for H-OG, S-TF, and S-OG (508, 555, and 566 g/d, respectively). Adding seed to the diets in Exp. 2 decreased (P < 0.01) ADG for both breeds on TF during the fall. Thermal status indicator traits in Senepol and Hereford steers were similarly altered by TF; however, only Hereford showed consistently poor growth. Senepol showed resilience in their capacity for growth under conditions of fescue toxicosis. Senepol influence may enhance cattle performance in production systems that use EI tall fescue as the base forage.

Minimally invasive surgery for gastric cancer: A comparison between robotic, laparoscopic and open surgery

PubMed Central

Parisi, Amilcare; Reim, Daniel; Borghi, Felice; Nguyen, Ninh T; Qi, Feng; Coratti, Andrea; Cianchi, Fabio; Cesari, Maurizio; Bazzocchi, Francesca; Alimoglu, Orhan; Gagnière, Johan; Pernazza, Graziano; D’Imporzano, Simone; Zhou, Yan-Bing; Azagra, Juan-Santiago; Facy, Olivier; Brower, Steven T; Jiang, Zhi-Wei; Zang, Lu; Isik, Arda; Gemini, Alessandro; Trastulli, Stefano; Novotny, Alexander; Marano, Alessandra; Liu, Tong; Annecchiarico, Mario; Badii, Benedetta; Arcuri, Giacomo; Avanzolini, Andrea; Leblebici, Metin; Pezet, Denis; Cao, Shou-Gen; Goergen, Martine; Zhang, Shu; Palazzini, Giorgio; D’Andrea, Vito; Desiderio, Jacopo

2017-01-01

AIM To investigate the role of minimally invasive surgery for gastric cancer and determine surgical, clinical, and oncological outcomes. METHODS This is a propensity score-matched case-control study, comparing three treatment arms: robotic gastrectomy (RG), laparoscopic gastrectomy (LG), open gastrectomy (OG). Data collection started after sharing a specific study protocol. Data were recorded through a tailored and protected web-based system. Primary outcomes: harvested lymph nodes, estimated blood loss, hospital stay, complications rate. Among the secondary outcomes, there are: operative time, R0 resections, POD of mobilization, POD of starting liquid diet and soft solid diet. The analysis includes the evaluation of type and grade of postoperative complications. Detailed information of anastomotic leakages is also provided. RESULTS The present analysis was carried out of 1026 gastrectomies. To guarantee homogenous distribution of cases, patients in the RG, LG and OG groups were 1:1:2 matched using a propensity score analysis with a caliper = 0.2. The successful matching resulted in a total sample of 604 patients (RG = 151; LG = 151; OG = 302). The three groups showed no differences in all baseline patients characteristics, type of surgery (P = 0.42) and stage of the disease (P = 0.16). Intraoperative blood loss was significantly lower in the LG (95.93 ± 119.22) and RG (117.91 ± 68.11) groups compared to the OG (127.26 ± 79.50, P = 0.002). The mean number of retrieved lymph nodes was similar between the RG (27.78 ± 11.45), LG (24.58 ± 13.56) and OG (25.82 ± 12.07) approach. A benefit in favor of the minimally invasive approaches was found in the length of hospital stay (P < 0.0001). A similar complications rate was found (P = 0.13). The leakage rate was not different (P = 0.78) between groups. CONCLUSION Laparoscopic and robotic surgery can be safely performed and proposed as possible alternative to open surgery. The main highlighted benefit is a faster postoperative functional recovery. PMID:28428717

Modeling to Evaluate Contribution of Oil and Gas Emissions to Air Pollution.

PubMed

Thompson, Tammy M; Shepherd, Donald; Stacy, Andrea; Barna, Michael G; Schichtel, Bret A

2017-04-01

Oil and gas production in the Western United States has increased considerably over the past 10 years. While many of the still limited oil and gas impact assessments have focused on potential human health impacts, the typically remote locations of production in the Intermountain West suggests that the impacts of oil and gas production on national parks and wilderness areas (Class I and II areas) could also be important. To evaluate this, we utilize the Comprehensive Air quality Model with Extensions (CAMx) with a year-long modeling episode representing the best available representation of 2011 meteorology and emissions for the Western United States. The model inputs for the 2011 episodes were generated as part of the Three State Air Quality Study (3SAQS). The study includes a detailed assessment of oil and gas (O&G) emissions in Western States. The year-long modeling episode was run both with and without emissions from O&G production. The difference between these two runs provides an estimate of the contribution of the O&G production to air quality. These data were used to assess the contribution of O&G to the 8 hour average ozone concentrations, daily and annual fine particulate concentrations, annual nitrogen deposition totals and visibility in the modeling domain. We present the results for the Class I and II areas in the Western United States. Modeling results suggest that emissions from O&G activity are having a negative impact on air quality and ecosystem health in our National Parks and Class I areas. In this research, we use a modeling framework developed for oil and gas evaluation in the western United States to determine the modeled impacts of emissions associated with oil and gas production on air pollution metrics. We show that oil and gas production may have a significant negative impact on air quality and ecosystem health in some national parks and other Class I areas in the western United States. Our findings are of particular interest to federal land managers as well as regulators in states heavy in oil and gas production as they consider control strategies to reduce the impact of development.

The geovisualisation window of the temporal and spatial variability for Volunteered Geographic Information activities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Medynska-Gulij, Beata; Myszczuk, Miłosz

2012-11-01

This study presents an attempt to design geographical visualisation tools that allow to tackle the immensity of spatial data provided by Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI), both in terms of temporal and spatial aspects. In accordance with the assumptions made at the conceptual stage, the final action was the implementation of the window entitled ‘Geovisualisation of the Panoramio.com Activities in District of Poznan 2011’ into the web browser. The concept has been based on a division of the geovisualisation window into three panels, of which the most important - in order to capture spatial variability - have statistical maps at the general level (dot map and choropleth map), while at the detailed level - a dot map on a topographic reference map or tourist map. For two ranges, temporal variability is presented by graphs, while a review of attributes of individual activities of the social website in question is set forward in the table panel. The element that visually interlinks all of the panels is the emphasised individual activity. Problemem podjetym w tych badaniach stało sie wykorzystanie metod z nurtu geograficznej wizualizacji do wskazania cech fenomenu VGI w zakresie zmiennosci czasowo-przestrzennej. Zgodnie z załozeniami poczynionymi w etapie koncepcyjnym finalnym działaniem stało sie zaimplementowanie do przegladarki internetowej okna pod tytułem: ”Geowizualizacja aktywnosci społecznosci Panoramio.com w powiecie poznanskim w 2011 roku”. Koncepcja została oparta na podziale okna geowizualizacji na trzy panele, z których najwazniejsze znaczenie dla uchwycenia zmiennosci przestrzennej na poziomie ogólnym ma kartogram, natomiast na poziomie szczegółowym mapa kropkowa wyswietlana na podkładzie mapy topograficznej lub turystycznej. Zmiennosc czasowa w dwóch zakresach prezentuja wykresy, a przeglad atrybutów poszczególnych aktywnosci prezentowanego portalu społecznosciowego zapewnia tabela. Elementem spajajacym wizualnie wszystkie panele jest wyeksponowana graficznie pojedyncza aktywnosc. Przetwarzanie danych odbyło sie w srodowisku open source, a technologia funkcjonowania aplikacji okna geowizualizacji bazowała na zastosowaniu asynchronicznych zapytan do serwera WWW oraz serwera baz danych co zapewnia sprawne "odswiezanie” poszczególnych paneli.

Terminology Guideline for Classifying Offshore Wind Energy Resources

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

Beiter, Philipp; Musial, Walt

The purpose of this guideline is to establish a clear and consistent vocabulary for conveying offshore wind resource potential and to interpret this vocabulary in terms that are familiar to the oil and gas (O&G) industry. This involves clarifying and refining existing definitions of offshore wind energy resource classes. The terminology developed in this guideline represents one of several possible sets of vocabulary that may differ with respect to their purpose, data availability, and comprehensiveness. It was customized to correspond with established offshore wind practices and existing renewable energy industry terminology (e.g. DOE 2013, Brown et al. 2015) while conformingmore » to established fossil resource classification as best as possible. The developers of the guideline recognize the fundamental differences that exist between fossil and renewable energy resources with respect to availability, accessibility, lifetime, and quality. Any quantitative comparison between fossil and renewable energy resources, including offshore wind, is therefore limited. For instance, O&G resources are finite and there may be significant uncertainty associated with the amount of the resource. In contrast, aboveground renewable resources, such as offshore wind, do not generally deplete over time but can vary significantly subhourly, daily, seasonally, and annually. The intent of this guideline is to make these differences transparent and develop an offshore wind resource classification that conforms to established fossil resource classifications where possible. This guideline also provides methods to quantitatively compare certain offshore wind energy resources to O&G resource classes for specific applications. Finally, this guideline identifies areas where analogies to established O&G terminology may be inappropriate or subject to misinterpretation.« less

Commitment to and preparedness for sustainable supply chain management in the oil and gas industry.

PubMed

Wan Ahmad, Wan Nurul K; Rezaei, Jafar; Tavasszy, Lóránt A; de Brito, Marisa P

2016-09-15

Our current dependency on the oil and gas (O&G) industry for economic development and social activities necessitates research into the sustainability of the industry's supply chains. At present, studies on sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) practices in the industry do not include firm-internal factors that affect the sustainability strategies employed by different functional areas of its supply chains. Our study aims to address this gap by identifying the relevant internal factors and exploring their relationship with SSCM strategies. Specifically, we discuss the commitment to and preparedness for sustainable practices of companies that operate in upstream and downstream O&G supply chain. We study the impact of these factors on their sustainability strategies of four key supply chain functions: supplier management, production management, product stewardship and logistics management. The analyses of data collected through a survey among 81 companies show that management preparedness may enhance sustainable supply chain strategies in the O&G industry more than commitment does. Among the preparedness measures, management of supply chain operational risks is found to be vital to the sustainability of all supply chain functions except for production management practices. The findings also highlight the central importance of supplier and logistics management to the achievement of sustainable O&G supply chains. Companies must also develop an organizational culture that encourages, for example, team collaboration and proactive behaviour to finding innovative sustainability solutions in order to translate commitment to sustainable practices into actions that can produce actual difference to their SSCM practices. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Theoretical predictions for α -decay chains of 118 290 -298Og isotopes using a finite-range nucleon-nucleon interaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ismail, M.; Adel, A.

2018-04-01

The α -decay half-lives of the recently synthesized superheavy nuclei (SHN) are investigated by employing the density dependent cluster model. A realistic nucleon-nucleon (NN ) interaction with a finite-range exchange part is used to calculate the microscopic α -nucleus potential in the well-established double-folding model. The calculated potential is then implemented to find both the assault frequency and the penetration probability of the α particle by means of the Wentzel-Kramers-Brillouin (WKB) approximation in combination with the Bohr-Sommerfeld quantization condition. The calculated values of α -decay half-lives of the recently synthesized Og isotopes and its decay products are in good agreement with the experimental data. Moreover, the calculated values of α -decay half-lives have been compared with those values evaluated using other theoretical models, and it was found that our theoretical values match well with their counterparts. The competition between α decay and spontaneous fission is investigated and predictions for possible decay modes for the unknown nuclei 118 290 -298Og are presented. We studied the behavior of the α -decay half-lives of Og isotopes and their decay products as a function of the mass number of the parent nuclei. We found that the behavior of the curves is governed by proton and neutron magic numbers found from previous studies. The proton numbers Z =114 , 116, 108, 106 and the neutron numbers N =172 , 164, 162, 158 show some magic character. We hope that the theoretical prediction of α -decay chains provides a new perspective to experimentalists.

An optoacoustic guide with augmented reality system towards precision breast conserving surgery (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lan, Lu; Liu, Kaiming; Xia, Yan; Wu, Jiayingzi; Li, Rui; Wang, Pu; Han, Linda K.; Cheng, Ji-Xin

2017-02-01

Breast-conserving surgery is a well-accepted breast cancer treatment. However, it is still challenging for the surgeon to accurately localize the tumor during the surgery. Also, the guidance provided by current methods is 1 dimensional distance information, which is indirect and not intuitive. Therefore, it creates problems on a large re-excision rate, and a prolonged surgical time. To solve these problems, we have developed a fiber-delivered optoacoustic guide (OG), which mimics the traditional localization guide wire and is preoperatively placed into tumor mass, and an augmented reality (AR) system to provide real-time visualization on the location of the tumor with sub-millimeter variance. By a nano-composite light diffusion sphere and light absorbing layer formed on the tip of an optical fiber, the OG creates an omnidirectional acoustic source inside tumor mass under pulsed laser excitation. The optoacoustic signal generated has a high dynamic range ( 58dB) and spreads in a large apex angle of 320 degrees. Then, an acoustic radar with three ultrasound transducers is attached to the breast skin, and triangulates the location of the OG tip. With an AR system to sense the location of the acoustic radar, the relative position of the OG tip inside the tumor to the AR display is calculated and rendered. This provides direct visual feedback of the tumor location to surgeons, which will greatly ease the surgical planning during the operation and save surgical time. A proof-of-concept experiment using a tablet and a stereo-vision camera is demonstrated and 0.25 mm tracking variance is achieved.

Circulating filarial antigen in the hydrocele fluid from individuals living in a bancroftian filariasis area - Recife, Brazil: detected by the monoclonal antibody Og4C3-assay.

PubMed

Rocha, Abraham; Lima, Guilherme; Medeiros, Zulma; Aguiar-Santos, Ana; Alves, Sandra; Montarroyos, Ulisses; Oliveira, Paula; Béliz, Fátima; Netto, Maria José; Furtado, André

2004-02-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the circulating filarial antigen (CFA) detected by the monoclonal antibody (mAb) Og4C3-ELISA in paired samples of serum and hydrocele fluid from 104 men with hydrocele, living in an endemic area of Wuchereria bancrofti. Nocturnal blood specimens were filtered and examined for microfilariae (MF) and ultrasound was used in order to identify the presence of adult worms (the filaria dance sign - FDS) in the lymphatic vessels of the scrotal area. Four groups were selected according to their parasitological status: group I - 71 MF- and FDS-; group II - 21 MF+ and FDS+; group III - 10 MF- and FDS+ and group IV- 2 MF+ and FDS-. CFA was identified simultaneously (fluid and serum) in 11 (15.5%), 21 (100%), 3 (30%), and 1 (50%) in groups I, II, III, and IV, respectively. In despite of high CFA+ level (antigen Og4C3) units/ml, the Geometrical Mean (GM) = 2696) in the sera of these 36/104 paired samples, when compared to the hydrocele fluid, (GM = 1079), showed a very good correlation between the CFA level in the serum and CFA level in the fluid (r = 0.731). CFA level in the serum of the 23 microfilaremics (groups II and IV) was extremely high (GM = 4189) and was correlated with MF density (r = 0.442). These findings report for the first time the potential alternative use of the hydrocele fluid to investigate CFA using the mAb Og4C3-ELISA.

Instability and thermal conductivity of pressure-densified and elastically altered orientational glass of Buckminsterfullerene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johari, G. P.; Andersson, Ove; Sundqvist, Bertil

2018-04-01

We report on the temperature, pressure, and time (T, p, and t)-dependent features of thermal conductivity, κ, of partially ordered, non-equilibrium state of C60-OG, the orientational glass of Buckminsterfullerene (at T below the orientational freezing temperature Tog) made more unstable (i) by partially depressurizing its high-p formed state to elastically expand it and (ii) by further pressurizing that state to elastically contract it. The sub-Tog effects observed on heating of C60-OG differ from those of glasses because phonon propagation depends on the ratio of two well-defined orientational states of C60 molecules and the density of the solid. A broad peak-like feature appears at T near Tog in the κ-T plots of C60-OG formed at 0.7 GPa, depressurized to 0.2 GPa and heated at 0.2 GPa, which we attribute to partial overlap of the sub-Tog and Tog features. A sub-Tog local minimum appears in the κ-T plots at T well below Tog of C60-OG formed at 0.1 GPa, pressurized to 0.5 GPa and heated at 0.5 GPa and it corresponds to the state of maximum disorder. Although Buckminsterfullerene is regarded as an orientationally disordered crystal, variation of its properties with T and p is qualitatively different from other such crystals. We discuss the findings in terms of the nature of its disorder, sensitivity of its rotational dynamics to temperature, and the absence of the Johari-Goldstein relaxation. All seem to affect the phenomenology of its glass-like transition.

Anaerobic treatability of high oil and grease rendering wastewater.

PubMed

Nakhla, George; Al-Sabawi, Mustafa; Bassi, Amerjeet; Liu, Victor

2003-08-29

This study evaluated the use of a new biosurfactant, BOD-Balance, derived from cactus for the treatment of oil-and-grease-laden rendering wastewater anaerobically. Batch laboratory experimental results and preliminary full-scale data are presented. The biosurfactant affected a significant increase in the COD degradation rate for the raw wastewater. However, after reduction of the oil and grease (O&G) by dissolved air flotation, the biosurfactant did not exhibit any advantages. Modeling of the data indicated that various COD fractions, i.e. both soluble and particulate as well as total COD at various testing conditions conformed well to both zero-order and first-order models. The biosurfactant affected a 164-238 and 164-247% increase in COD and particulate COD biodegradation rate for the raw wastewater. The reduction of O&G concentration to <800 mg/l increased total and soluble COD degradation rates by 106%. Results from the full-scale mesophilic anaerobic digestion system indicated that the addition of the biosurfactant at doses of 130-200 mg/l decreased O&G concentrations from 66,300 to 10,200 mg/l over a 2-month-period.

The effects of detergents DDM and beta-OG on the singlet excited state lifetime of the chlorophyll a in cytochrome b6f complex from spinach chloroplasts.

PubMed

Chen, XiaoBo; Zhao, XiaoHui; Zhang, JianPing; Li, LiangBi; Kuang, TingYun

2007-08-01

The singlet excited state lifetime of the chlorophyll a (Chl a) in cytochrome b(6)f (Cyt b(6)f) complex was reported to be shorter than that of free Chl a in methanol, but the value was different for Cyt b(6)f complexes from different sources ( approximately 200 and approximately 600 ps are the two measured results). The present study demonstrated that the singlet excited state lifetime is associated with the detergents n-dodecyl-beta-D-maltoside (DDM) and n-octyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside (beta-OG), but has nothing to do with the different sources of Cyt b(6)f complexes. Compared with the Cyt b(6)f dissolved in beta-OG, the Cyt b(6)f in DDM had a lower fluorescence yield, a lower photodegradation rate of Chl a, and a shorter lifetime of Chl a excited state. In short, the singlet excited state lifetime, approximately 200 ps, of the Chl a in Cyt b(6)f complex in DDM is closer to the true in vivo.

The influence of regional geological settings on the seismic hazard level in copper mines in the Legnica-Głogów Copper Belt Area (Poland)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burtan, Zbigniew

2017-11-01

The current level of rockburst hazard in copper mines of the (LGOM) Legnica- Głogów Copper Belt Area is mostly the consequence of mining-induced seismicity, whilst the majority of rockbursting events registered to date were caused by high-energy tremors. The analysis of seismic readings in recent years reveals that the highest seismic activity among the copper mines in the LGOM is registered in the mine Rudna. This study investigates the seismic activity in the rock strata in the Rudna mine fields over the years 2006-2015. Of particular interest are the key seismicity parameters: the number of registered seismic events, the total energy emissions, the energy index. It appears that varied seismic activity in the area may be the function of several variables: effective mining thickness, the thickness of burst-prone strata and tectonic intensity. The results support and corroborate the view that principal factors influencing the actual seismic hazard level are regional geological conditions in the copper mines within the Legnica-Głogów Copper Belt Area.

Arab-American trade: performance and prospects. [With oil group and non-oil group countries

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

Al-Bustany, B.

1980-03-01

Twenty Arab countries were examined by dividing them into two groups depending on the relative share of oil exports (excluding re-exports) in total exports as an annual average for 1972-1978, with a demarcation line of 50%. The oil group (OG) comprises eight countries while the non-oil group covers twelve countries. The level of Arab exports and imports increased during the period between 1972 and 1978. Oil was the dominant export but NOG countries diversified with exports of cotton and phosphate. The balance of trade of the Arab countries was positive during this period despite the persistent, and increasing, deficit ofmore » the NOG countries, Combined Arab-American trade increased substantially during the 1970's but particularly after 1974. Oil has been the major factor affecting the size and pattern of Arab-American trade. Export earnings of the OG increased while import capacity of the NOG, supported by increased financial aid received from the OG, also increased. The American balance of trade will continue to be closely linked to Arab influence. (SAC)« less

Absolute Doppler shift calibration of laser induced fluorescence signals using optogalvanic measurements in a hollow cathode lamp

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ruyten, Wilhelmus M.; Keefer, Dennis

1992-01-01

The paper investigates the use of optogalvanic (OG) measurements on the neutral 3P1 and 3P2 levels of argon in a hollow cathode lamp for the purpose of calibrating Doppler shifts of laser-induced fluorescence signals from an arcjet plume. It is shown that, even with non-Doppler-free OG detection, accuracy to better than 10 MHz is possible but that, depending on the experiment geometry, corrections of 10-35 MHz may be necessary to offset small axial drift velocities of neutral atoms in the hollow cathode lamp.

Meals on Wheels? A Decade of Megafaunal Visual and Acoustic Observations from Offshore Oil & Gas Rigs and Platforms in the North and Irish Seas.

PubMed

Todd, Victoria Louise Georgia; Warley, Jane Clare; Todd, Ian Boyer

2016-01-01

A decade of visual and acoustic detections of marine megafauna around offshore Oil & Gas (O&G) installations in the North and Irish Seas are presented. Marine megafauna activity was monitored visually and acoustically by Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) qualified and experienced Marine Mammal Observers (MMO) and Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) Operators respectively, with real-time towed PAM in combination with industry standard software, PAMGuard. Monitoring was performed during routine O&G industrial operations for underwater noise mitigation purposes, and to ensure adherence to regulatory guidelines. Incidental sightings by off-effort MMOs and installation crew were also reported. Visual and acoustic monitoring spanned 55 non-consecutive days between 2004 and 2014. A total of 47 marine mammal sightings were recorded by MMOs on dedicated watch, and 10 incidental sightings of marine megafauna were reported over 10 years. Species included: harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena), Atlantic white-sided dolphin (Lagenorhynchus acutus), white beaked dolphin (Lagenorhynchus albirostris), common dolphin (Delphinus delphis), minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata), common seal (Phoca vitulina), grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) and, basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus). Passive Acoustic Monitoring was conducted on two occasions in 2014; 160 PAM hours over 12 days recorded a total of 308 individual clicks identified as harbour porpoises. These appear to be the first such acoustic detections obtained from a North Sea drilling rig whilst using a typically configured hydrophone array designed for towing in combination with real-time PAMGuard software. This study provides evidence that marine megafauna are present around mobile and stationary offshore O&G installations during routine operational activities. On this basis, Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) for decommissioning O&G platforms should be carried-out on a case-by-case basis, and must include provisions for hitherto overlooked marine megafauna.

Heterogeneous Human Periodontal Ligament-Committed Progenitor and Stem Cell Populations Exhibit a Unique Cementogenic Property Under In Vitro and In Vivo Conditions.

PubMed

Shinagawa-Ohama, Rei; Mochizuki, Mai; Tamaki, Yuichi; Suda, Naoto; Nakahara, Taka

2017-05-01

An undesirable complication that arises during dental treatments is external apical-root resorption, which causes root-cementum and root-dentin loss. To induce de novo cementogenesis, stem cell therapy is required. Cementum-forming cells (cementoblasts) are known to be differentiated from periodontal-lineage mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), which are derived from the dental follicle (DF) in developing tissues and the periodontal ligament (PDL) in adult tissues, but the periodontal-lineage MSC type that is optimal for inducing de novo cementogenesis remains unidentified, as does the method to isolate these cells from harvested tissues. Thus, we investigated the cementogenic potential of DF- and PDL-derived MSCs that were isolated by using two widely used cell-isolation methods: enzymatic digestion and outgrowth (OG) methods. DF- and PDL-derived cells isolated by using both methods proliferated actively, and all four isolated cell types showed MSC gene/protein expression phenotype and ability to differentiate into adipogenic and chondrogenic lineages. Furthermore, cementogenic-potential analysis revealed that all cell types produced alizarin red S-positive mineralized materials in in vitro cultures. However, PDL-OG cells presented unique cementogenic features, such as nodular formation of mineralized deposits displaying a cellular intrinsic fiber cementum-like structure, as well as a higher expression of cementoblast-specific genes than in the other cell types. Moreover, in in vivo transplantation experiments, PDL-OG cells formed cellular cementum-like hard tissue containing embedded osteocalcin-positive cells, whereas the other cells formed acellular cementum-like materials. Given that the root-cementum defect is likely regenerated through cellular cementum deposition, PDL-OG cell-based therapies might potentially facilitate the de novo cellular cementogenesis required for regenerating the root defect.

O-GlcNAcPRED-II: an integrated classification algorithm for identifying O-GlcNAcylation sites based on fuzzy undersampling and a K-means PCA oversampling technique.

PubMed

Jia, Cangzhi; Zuo, Yun; Zou, Quan; Hancock, John

2018-02-06

Protein O-GlcNAcylation (O-GlcNAc) is an important post-translational modification of serine (S)/threonine (T) residues that involves multiple molecular and cellular processes. Recent studies have suggested that abnormal O-G1cNAcylation causes many diseases, such as cancer and various neurodegenerative diseases. With the available protein O-G1cNAcylation sites experimentally verified, it is highly desired to develop automated methods to rapidly and effectively identify O-G1cNAcylation sites. Although some computational methods have been proposed, their performance has been unsatisfactory, particularly in terms of prediction sensitivity. In this study, we developed an ensemble model O-GlcNAcPRED-II to identify potential O-G1cNAcylation sites. A K-means principal component analysis oversampling technique (KPCA) and fuzzy undersampling method (FUS) were first proposed and incorporated to reduce the proportion of the original positive and negative training samples. Then, rotation forest, a type of classifier-integrated system, was adopted to divide the eight types of feature space into several subsets using four sub-classifiers: random forest, k-nearest neighbour, naive Bayesian and support vector machine. We observed that O-GlcNAcPRED-II achieved a sensitivity of 81.05%, specificity of 95.91%, accuracy of 91.43% and Matthew's correlation coefficient of 0.7928 for five-fold cross-validation run 10 times. Additionally, the results obtained by O-GlcNAcPRED-II on two independent datasets also indicated that the proposed predictor outperformed five published prediction tools. http://121.42.167.206/OGlcPred/. cangzhijia@dlmu.edu.cn or zouquan@nclab.net. © The Author (2018). Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com

The newly developed CRF1-receptor antagonists, NGD 98-2 and NGD 9002, suppress acute stress-induced stimulation of colonic motor function and visceral hypersensitivity in rats.

PubMed

Million, Mulugeta; Zhao, Jing-Fang; Luckey, Andrew; Czimmer, József; Maynard, George D; Kehne, John; Hoffman, Diane C; Taché, Yvette

2013-01-01

Corticotropin releasing factor receptor 1 (CRF1) is the key receptor that mediates stress-related body responses. However to date there are no CRF1 antagonists that have shown clinical efficacy in stress-related diseases. We investigated the inhibitory effects of a new generation, topology 2 selective CRF1 antagonists, NGD 98-2 and NGD 9002 on exogenous and endogenous CRF-induced stimulation of colonic function and visceral hypersensitivity to colorectal distension (CRD) in conscious rats. CRF1 antagonists or vehicle were administered orogastrically (og) or subcutaneously (sc) before either intracerebroventricular (icv) or intraperitoneal (ip) injection of CRF (10 µg/kg), exposure to water avoidance stress (WAS, 60 min) or repeated CRD (60 mmHg twice, 10 min on/off at a 30 min interval). Fecal pellet output (FPO), diarrhea and visceromotor responses were monitored. In vehicle (og)-pretreated rats, icv CRF stimulated FPO and induced diarrhea in >50% of rats. NGD 98-2 or NGD 9002 (3, 10 and 30 mg/kg, og) reduced the CRF-induced FPO response with an inhibitory IC50 of 15.7 and 4.3 mg/kg respectively. At the highest dose, og NGD 98-2 or NGD 9002 blocked icv CRF-induced FPO by 67-87% and decreased WAS-induced-FPO by 23-53%. When administered sc, NGD 98-2 or NGD 9002 (30 mg/kg) inhibited icv and ip CRF-induced-FPO. The antagonists also prevented the development of nociceptive hyper-responsivity to repeated CRD. These data demonstrate that topology 2 CRF1 antagonists, NGD 98-2 and NGD 9002, administered orally, prevented icv CRF-induced colonic secretomotor stimulation, reduced acute WAS-induced defecation and blocked the induction of visceral sensitization to repeated CRD.

Postural alignment in children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy and its relationship with balance

PubMed Central

Baptista, Cyntia R. J. A.; Costa, Andreia A.; Pizzato, Tatiana M.; Souza, Francine B.; Mattiello-Sverzut, Ana C.

2014-01-01

Background In Duchenne muscular dystrophy, functional deficits seem to arise from body misalignment, deconditioning, and obesity secondary to weakness and immobility. The question remains about the effects of postural deviations on the functional balance of these children. Objectives To identify and quantify postural deviations in children with DMD in comparison to non-affected children (eutrophic and overweight/obese), exploring relationships between posture and function. Method This case-control study evaluated 29 participants aged 6 to 11 years: 10 DMD (DG), 10 eutrophic (EG), and 9 overweight/obese (OG). Digital photogrammetry and SAPo program were used to measure postural alignment and the Pediatric Balance Scale (PBS) was used to measure balance. The Kruskall-Wallis and Dunn post-hoc tests were used for inter-group comparison of posture and balance. Spearman's coefficient tested the correlation between postural and balance variables. Results The horizontal pelvic alignment data indicated that the anteversion of the DG was similar to that of the OG and twice that of the EG (p<0.05). Compared to the EG, the DG and OG showed an increased forward position of the center of mass (p<0.05). There was a moderate and weak correlation between the PBS score and horizontal pelvic alignment (0.58 and 0.47-left/right). The PBS showed a weak correlation with asymmetries in the sagittal plane (-0.39). The PBS scores for the OG and EG suggest that obesity did not have a deleterious effect on balance. Conclusions The balance deficit in children with DMD was accompanied by an increased forward position of the center of mass and significant pelvic anteversion that constitutes a compensatory strategy to guarantee similar performance to the children not affected by the disease. PMID:24838810

Regulation of nif expression in Methanococcus maripaludis: roles of the euryarchaeal repressor NrpR, 2-oxoglutarate, and two operators.

PubMed

Lie, Thomas J; Wood, Gwendolyn E; Leigh, John A

2005-02-18

The methanogenic archaean Methanococcus maripaludis can use ammonia, alanine, or dinitrogen as a nitrogen source for growth. The euryarchaeal nitrogen repressor NrpR controls the expression of the nif (nitrogen fixation) operon, resulting in full repression with ammonia, intermediate repression with alanine, and derepression with dinitrogen. NrpR binds to two tandem operators in the nif promoter region, nifOR(1) and nifOR(2). Here we have undertaken both in vivo and in vitro approaches to study the way in which NrpR, nifOR(1), nifOR(2), and the effector 2-oxoglutarate (2OG) combine to regulate nif expression, leading to a comprehensive understanding of this archaeal regulatory system. We show that NrpR binds as a dimer to nifOR(1) and cooperatively as two dimers to both operators. Cooperative binding occurs only with both operators present. nifOR(1) has stronger binding and by itself can mediate the repression of nif transcription during growth on ammonia, unlike the weakly binding nifOR(2). However, nifOR(2) in combination with nifOR(1) is critical for intermediate repression during growth on alanine. Accordingly, NrpR binds to both operators together with higher affinity than to nifOR(1) alone. NrpR responds directly to 2OG, which weakens its binding to the operators. Hence, 2OG is an intracellular indicator of nitrogen deficiency and acts as an inducer of nif transcription via NrpR. This model is upheld by the recent finding (J. A. Dodsworth and J. A. Leigh, submitted for publication) in our laboratory that 2OG levels in M. maripaludis vary with growth on different nitrogen sources.

Adjustment among mothers reporting same-gender sexual partners: a study of a representative population sample from Quebec Province (Canada).

PubMed

Julien, Danielle; Jouvin, Emilie; Jodoin, Emilie; L'archevêque, Alexandre; Chartrand, Elise

2008-12-01

We examined the well-being of mothers and non-mothers reporting exclusive opposite-gender sexual partners (OG), same-gender sexual partners (SG), or both (BI) in a representative sample of 20,773 participants (11,034 women) 15-years-old or older from the population of Quebec province in Canada. Participants completed a self-administered questionnaire and SG and BI women (n = 179) were matched to a sample of OG women (n = 179) based on age, income, geographical area, and children (having at least one 18-year-old or younger biological or adopted child at home). We assessed social milieu variables, risk factors for health disorders, mental health, and quality of mothers' relationship with children. The findings indicated a sexual orientation main effect: Mothers and non-mothers in the SG and BI group, as compared to their OG controls, were significantly less likely to live in a couple relationship, had significantly lower levels of social support, higher prevalence of early negative life events, substance abuse, suicide ideation, and higher levels of psychological distress. There were no Sexual Orientation X Parenthood status effects. The results further indicated that sexual orientation did not account for unique variance in women's psychological distress beyond that afforded by their social milieu, health risk factors, and parenthood status. No significant differences were found for the quality of mothers' relationship with children. SG-BI and OG mothers with low levels of social integration were significantly more likely to report problems with children than parents with high levels of social integration. We need to understand how marginal sexualities and their associated social stigma, as risk indicators for mothers, interact with other factors to impact family life, parenting skills, and children's adjustment.

Development of a new multimedia instrument to measure cancer-specific quality of life in Portuguese-speaking patients with varying literacy skills.

PubMed

Paiva, Carlos Eduardo; Siquelli, Felipe Augusto Ferreira; Zaia, Gabriela Rossi; de Andrade, Diocésio Alves Pinto; Borges, Marcos Aristoteles; Jácome, Alexandre A; Giroldo, Gisele Augusta Sousa Nascimento; Santos, Henrique Amorim; Hahn, Elizabeth A; Uemura, Gilberto; Paiva, Bianca Sakamoto Ribeiro

2016-01-01

To develop and validate a new multimedia instrument to measure health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in Portuguese-speaking patients with cancer. A mixed-methods study conducted in a large Brazilian Cancer Hospital. The instrument was developed along the following sequential phases: identification of HRQOL issues through qualitative content analysis of individual interviews, evaluation of the most important items according to the patients, review of the literature, evaluation by an expert committee, and pretesting. In sequence, an exploratory factor analysis was conducted (pilot testing, n = 149) to reduce the number of items and to define domains and scores. The psychometric properties of the IQualiV-OG-21 were measured in a large multicentre Brazilian study (n = 323). A software containing multimedia resources were developed to facilitate self-administration of IQualiV-OG-21; its feasibility and patients' preferences ("paper and pencil" vs. software) were further tested (n = 54). An exploratory factor analysis reduced the 30-item instrument to 21 items. The IQualiV-OG-21 was divided into 6 domains: emotional, physical, existential, interpersonal relationships, functional and financial. The multicentre study confirmed that it was valid and reliable. The electronic multimedia instrument was easy to complete and acceptable to patients. Regarding preferences, 61.1 % of them preferred the electronic format in comparison with the paper and pencil format. The IQualiV-OG-21 is a new valid and reliable multimedia HRQOL instrument that is well-understood, even by patients with low literacy skills, and can be answered quickly. It is a useful new tool that can be translated and tested in other cultures and languages.

Prediction of optical communication link availability: real-time observation of cloud patterns using a ground-based thermal infrared camera

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bertin, Clément; Cros, Sylvain; Saint-Antonin, Laurent; Schmutz, Nicolas

2015-10-01

The growing demand for high-speed broadband communications with low orbital or geostationary satellites is a major challenge. Using an optical link at 1.55 μm is an advantageous solution which potentially can increase the satellite throughput by a factor 10. Nevertheless, cloud cover is an obstacle for this optical frequency. Such communication requires an innovative management system to optimize the optical link availability between a satellite and several Optical Ground Stations (OGS). The Saint-Exupery Technological Research Institute (France) leads the project ALBS (French acronym for BroadBand Satellite Access). This initiative involving small and medium enterprises, industrial groups and research institutions specialized in aeronautics and space industries, is currently developing various solutions to increase the telecommunication satellite bandwidth. This paper presents the development of a preliminary prediction system preventing the cloud blockage of an optical link between a satellite and a given OGS. An infrared thermal camera continuously observes (night and day) the sky vault. Cloud patterns are observed and classified several times a minute. The impact of the detected clouds on the optical beam (obstruction or not) is determined by the retrieval of the cloud optical depth at the wavelength of communication. This retrieval is based on realistic cloud-modelling on libRadtran. Then, using subsequent images, cloud speed and trajectory are estimated. Cloud blockage over an OGS can then be forecast up to 30 minutes ahead. With this information, the preparation of the new link between the satellite and another OGS under a clear sky can be prepared before the link breaks due to cloud blockage.

Effects of music and art education in early life and oral functions on the QOL of the Takarazuka Revue Company OG compared with general elderly females.

PubMed

Masutani, Takiko; Yamamoto, Yasuji; Konishi, Junya; Maeda, Kiyoshi

2010-03-01

Today, Japan is becoming a super-aged society, with senior citizens already constituting over 21% of the population. In this situation, the question of how elderly people can extend their lives and enjoy independent lifestyles is becoming more important. The present study aims to clarify the relationship between the Quality of Life (QOL) of elderly females and their current oral functions and experiences of music and art education in early life. We carried out a survey study focusing on elderly females (Takarazuka Revue Company OG group and general female group) by carrying out a questionnaire survey and comparing cognitive function, oral examinations, cerebral atrophy in magnetic resonance imaging, and other characteristics. It was shown that the Takarazuka Revue Company OG group had greater hippocampal volumes and significantly higher cognitive functions than the general female group. In addition, in the general female group, there was a significant correlation between a decrease in the number of remaining teeth and a decrease in activities in daily living, but in the Takarazuka Revue Company OG group, no such correlation was observed. The results showed that those who have received art education as part of their careers over an extensive period since early life have higher levels of cognitive function, QOL, physical activity, social activity and life satisfaction compared with the general female group; showing that they sense a purpose in life and live with a positive attitude. In contrast, in the general female group, those who have continued to enjoy hobbies have higher levels of cognitive function, QOL, physical activity, social activity and life satisfaction than those who have not, thus showing that they live with a positive attitude.

Cellular Assays for Studying the Fe-S Cluster Containing Base Excision Repair Glycosylase MUTYH and Homologs.

PubMed

Majumdar, Chandrima; Nuñez, Nicole N; Raetz, Alan G; Khuu, Cindy; David, Sheila S

2018-01-01

Many DNA repair enzymes, including the human adenine glycosylase MUTYH, require iron-sulfur (Fe-S) cluster cofactors for DNA damage recognition and subsequent repair. MUTYH prokaryotic and eukaryotic homologs are a family of adenine (A) glycosylases that cleave A when mispaired with the oxidatively damaged guanine lesion, 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanine (OG). Faulty OG:A repair has been linked to the inheritance of missense mutations in the MUTYH gene. These inherited mutations can result in the onset of a familial colorectal cancer disorder known as MUTYH-associated polyposis (MAP). While in vitro studies can be exceptional at unraveling how MutY interacts with its OG:A substrate, cell-based assays are needed to provide a cellular context to these studies. In addition, strategic comparison of in vitro and in vivo studies can provide exquisite insight into the search, selection, excision process, and the coordination with protein partners, required to mediate full repair of the lesion. A commonly used assay is the rifampicin resistance assay that provides an indirect evaluation of the intrinsic mutation rate in Escherichia coli (E. coli or Ec), read out as antibiotic-resistant cell growth. Our laboratory has also developed a bacterial plasmid-based assay that allows for direct evaluation of repair of a defined OG:A mispair. This assay provides a means to assess the impact of catalytic defects in affinity and excision on overall repair. Finally, a mammalian GFP-based reporter assay has been developed that more accurately models features of mammalian cells. Taken together, these assays provide a cellular context to the repair activity of MUTYH and its homologs that illuminates the role these enzymes play in preventing mutations and disease. © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Biological treatment of produced water in a sequencing batch reactor by a consortium of isolated halophilic microorganisms.

PubMed

Pendashteh, A R; Fakhru'l-Razi, A; Chuah, T G; Radiah, A B Dayang; Madaeni, S S; Zurina, Z A

2010-10-01

Produced water or oilfield wastewater is the largest volume ofa waste stream associated with oil and gas production. The aim of this study was to investigate the biological pretreatment of synthetic and real produced water in a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) to remove hydrocarbon compounds. The SBR was inoculated with isolated tropical halophilic microorganisms capable of degrading crude oil. A total sequence of 24 h (60 min filling phase; 21 h aeration; 60 min settling and 60 min decant phase) was employed and studied. Synthetic produced water was treated with various organic loading rates (OLR) (0.9 kg COD m(-3) d(-1), 1.8 kg COD m(-3) d(-1) and 3.6 kg COD m(-3) d(-1)) and different total dissolved solids (TDS) concentration (35,000 mg L(-1), 100,000 mg L(-1), 150,000 mg L(-1), 200,000 mg L(-1) and 250,000 mg L(-1)). It was found that with an OLR of 0.9 kg COD m(-3) d(-1) and 1.8 kg COD m(-3) d(-1), average oil and grease (O&G) concentrations in the effluent were 7 mg L(-1) and 12 mg L(-1), respectively. At TDS concentration of 35,000 mg L(-1) and at an OLR of 1.8 kg COD m(-3)d(-1), COD and O&G removal efficiencies were more than 90%. However, with increase in salt content to 250,000 mg L(-1), COD and O&G removal efficiencies decreased to 74% and 63%, respectively. The results of biological treatment of real produced water showed that the removal rates of the main pollutants of wastewater, such as COD, TOC and O&G, were above 81%, 83%, and 85%, respectively.

Electron and Nucleon Localization Functions of Oganesson: Approaching the Thomas-Fermi Limit

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

Jerabek, Paul; Schuetrumpf, Bastian; Schwerdtfeger, Peter

Fermion localization functions are used to discuss electronic and nucleonic shell structure effects in the superheavy element oganesson, the heaviest element discovered to date. Spin-orbit splitting in the 7p electronic shell becomes so large (~10 eV) that Og is expected to show uniform-gas-like behavior in the valence region with a rather large dipole polarizability compared to the lighter rare gas elements. The nucleon localization in Og is also predicted to undergo a transition to the Thomas-Fermi gas behavior in the valence region. Finally, this effect, particularly strong for neutrons, is due to the high density of single-particle orbitals.

Electron and Nucleon Localization Functions of Oganesson: Approaching the Thomas-Fermi Limit

DOE PAGES

Jerabek, Paul; Schuetrumpf, Bastian; Schwerdtfeger, Peter; ...

2018-01-31

Fermion localization functions are used to discuss electronic and nucleonic shell structure effects in the superheavy element oganesson, the heaviest element discovered to date. Spin-orbit splitting in the 7p electronic shell becomes so large (~10 eV) that Og is expected to show uniform-gas-like behavior in the valence region with a rather large dipole polarizability compared to the lighter rare gas elements. The nucleon localization in Og is also predicted to undergo a transition to the Thomas-Fermi gas behavior in the valence region. Finally, this effect, particularly strong for neutrons, is due to the high density of single-particle orbitals.

History of the Army Ground Forces. Study Number 22. The Amphibious Training Center

DTIC Science & Technology

1946-01-01

sub: Allotment of Pers to the ATC. 21. WD ltr AG 320.2 (1-20-43) PO-M to CG AGF, 25 Feb 43, sub: Almt of Pers for the ATC. 22. AGF MIS, G-3 to AG, 25...sub: Almt of Pers to the ATC. 38 I:Iv .""- reasons. First) if the Center were to continue in operation, the problem of insuffi- cient personnel would...43) to oG ATC, 17 Mar 43, sub: Almt of Grades and Authorized Strengths. 25. WD memo WDGCT 353 (Anph)98-28-42) for OG ACF, 19 Sep 42, sub

Electron and Nucleon Localization Functions of Oganesson: Approaching the Thomas-Fermi Limit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jerabek, Paul; Schuetrumpf, Bastian; Schwerdtfeger, Peter; Nazarewicz, Witold

2018-02-01

Fermion localization functions are used to discuss electronic and nucleonic shell structure effects in the superheavy element oganesson, the heaviest element discovered to date. Spin-orbit splitting in the 7 p electronic shell becomes so large (˜10 eV ) that Og is expected to show uniform-gas-like behavior in the valence region with a rather large dipole polarizability compared to the lighter rare gas elements. The nucleon localization in Og is also predicted to undergo a transition to the Thomas-Fermi gas behavior in the valence region. This effect, particularly strong for neutrons, is due to the high density of single-particle orbitals.

Catalytic Mechanisms of Fe(II)- and 2-Oxoglutarate-dependent Oxygenases*

PubMed Central

Martinez, Salette; Hausinger, Robert P.

2015-01-01

Mononuclear non-heme Fe(II)- and 2-oxoglutarate (2OG)-dependent oxygenases comprise a large family of enzymes that utilize an Fe(IV)-oxo intermediate to initiate diverse oxidative transformations with important biological roles. Here, four of the major types of Fe(II)/2OG-dependent reactions are detailed: hydroxylation, halogenation, ring formation, and desaturation. In addition, an atypical epimerization reaction is described. Studies identifying several key intermediates in catalysis are concisely summarized, and the proposed mechanisms are explained. In addition, a variety of other transformations catalyzed by selected family members are briefly described to further highlight the chemical versatility of these enzymes. PMID:26152721

Development and Utilization of a Patient-Oriented Outpatient Guidance System.

PubMed

Baek, Mira; Koo, Bo Kyung; Kim, Byoung Jae; Hong, Kyung-Ran; Kim, Jongdeuk; Yoo, Sooyoung; Hwang, Hee; Seo, Jeongwan; Kim, Donghyeok; Shin, Kichul

2016-07-01

To develop a tool which can easily access the hospital information system (HIS) to facilitate outpatient care and maximize patient satisfaction on his or her hospital visit. Our Center for Informatics developed an outpatient guidance system (OGS) after careful analysis of the list of daily tasks undergone by patients and related work processes. Bluetooth beacons were installed to assist patients, to inform them of points of interest, and to guide them along the proper routes to and within the hospital. The OGS conveniently provided patients' clinic schedules, routes to the hospital, and direct costs; all of this information was embedded in the HIS accessed from patients' personal mobile devices or kiosks. Patients were also able to identify their locations within the hospital, receiving proper directions to subsequent task. Since its launch in October 2014, the number of mobile accesses increased from 4,011 to 8,242 per month within a year. The substantial growth of interest in and use of our OGS in such a short period indicate that this system has been successfully incorporated into patients' daily activities. We believe that this system will continue to help improve health services and the well-being of those visiting the hospital.

Cardiovascular fitness in obese versus nonobese 8-11-year-old boys and girls.

PubMed

Mastrangelo, M Alysia; Chaloupka, Edward C; Rattigan, Peter

2008-09-01

The purpose of this study was to compare cardiovascular fitness between obese and nonobese children. Based on body mass index, 118 were classified as obese (boys [OB] = 62, girls [OG] = 56), while 421 were nonobese (boys [NOB] = 196, girls [NOG] = 225). Cardiovascular fitness was determined by a 1-mile [1.6 km] run/walk (MRW) and estimated peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) and analyzed using two-way analyses of variance (Gender x Obese/Nonobese). MRW times were significantly faster (p < .05) for the NOB (10 min 34 s) compared to the OB (13 min 8 s) and the NOG (13 min 15 s.) compared to the OG (14 min 44 s.). Predicted VO2peak values (mL x kg(-1) x min(-1)) were significantly higher (p < .05) for the NOB (48.29) compared to the OB (41.56) and the NOG (45.99) compared to the OG (42.13). MRW was compared between obese and nonobese participants on the President's Challenge (2005), the National Children and Youth Fitness Study, and FITNESSGRAM HFZ standards. The nonobese boys and girls scored higher on all three, exhibiting better cardiovascular fitness as compared to obese counterparts.

Oxygen Generation System Laptop Bus Controller Flight Software

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rowe, Chad; Panter, Donna

2009-01-01

The Oxygen Generation System Laptop Bus Controller Flight Software was developed to allow the International Space Station (ISS) program to activate specific components of the Oxygen Generation System (OGS) to perform a checkout of key hardware operation in a microgravity environment, as well as to perform preventative maintenance operations of system valves during a long period of what would otherwise be hardware dormancy. The software provides direct connectivity to the OGS Firmware Controller with pre-programmed tasks operated by on-orbit astronauts to exercise OGS valves and motors. The software is used to manipulate the pump, separator, and valves to alleviate the concerns of hardware problems due to long-term inactivity and to allow for operational verification of microgravity-sensitive components early enough so that, if problems are found, they can be addressed before the hardware is required for operation on-orbit. The decision was made to use existing on-orbit IBM ThinkPad A31p laptops and MIL-STD-1553B interface cards as the hardware configuration. The software at the time of this reporting was developed and tested for use under the Windows 2000 Professional operating system to ensure compatibility with the existing on-orbit computer systems.

International Space Station (ISS)

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-09-01

The Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) Group of the Flight Projects Directorate at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville, Alabama, is responsible for designing and building the life support systems that will provide the crew of the International Space Station (ISS) a comfortable environment in which to live and work. This is a close-up view of ECLSS Oxygen Generation System (OGS) rack. The ECLSS Group at the MSFC oversees the development of the OGS, which produces oxygen for breathing air for the crew and laboratory animals, as well as for replacing oxygen lost due to experiment use, airlock depressurization, module leakage, and carbon dioxide venting. The OGS consists primarily of the Oxygen Generator Assembly (OGA), provided by the prime contractor, the Hamilton Sundstrand Space Systems, International (HSSSI) in Windsor Locks, Cornecticut and a Power Supply Module (PSM), supplied by the MSFC. The OGA is comprised of a cell stack that electrolyzes (breaks apart the hydrogen and oxygen molecules) some of the clean water provided by the Water Recovery System and the separators that remove the gases from water after electrolysis. The PSM provides the high power to the OGA needed to electrolyze the water.

Photocatalytic degradation of Orange G on nitrogen-doped TiO2 catalysts under visible light and sunlight irradiation.

PubMed

Sun, Jianhui; Qiao, Liping; Sun, Shengpeng; Wang, Guoliang

2008-06-30

In this paper, the degradation of an azo dye Orange G (OG) on nitrogen-doped TiO2 photocatalysts has been investigated under visible light and sunlight irradiation. Under visible light irradiation, the doped TiO2 nanocatalysts demonstrated higher activity than the commercial Dugussa P25 TiO2, allowing more efficient utilization of solar light, while under sunlight, P25 showed higher photocatalytic activity. According to the X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and UV-vis spectra analyses, it was found that both the nanosized anatase structure and the appearance of new absorption band in the visible region caused by nitrogen doping were responsible for the significant enhancement of OG degradation under visible light. In addition, the photosensitized oxidation mechanism originated from OG itself was also considered contributing to the higher visible-light-induced degradation efficiency. The effect of the initial pH of the solution and the dosage of hydrogen peroxide under different light sources was also investigated. Under visible light and sunlight, the optimal solution pH was both 2.0, while the optimal dosage of H2O2 was 5.0 and 15.0 mmol/l, respectively.

Oily wastewater treatment using a novel hybrid PBR-UASB system.

PubMed

Jeganathan, Jeganaesan; Nakhla, George; Bassi, Amarjeet

2007-04-01

In this study, anaerobic treatability of oily wastewater was investigated in a hybrid reactor system consisting of a packed bed reactor (PBR) followed by an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor at 35 degrees C. The system was operated using real pet food wastewater at different hydraulic retention times and loading rates for 165 d. The PBR was packed with sol-gel/alginate beads containing immobilized enzyme which hydrolyzed the oil and grease (O&G) into free long chain fatty acids, that were biodegraded by the UASB. The hybrid system was operated up to an oil loading rate of 4.9 kg O&Gm(-3)d(-1) (to the PBR) without any operational problems for a period of 100 d, with COD and O&G removal efficiencies above 90% and no sludge flotation was observed in the UASB. Beads supplement to the PBR was less than 2 g d(-1) and the relative activity was about 70%. Further increment in O&G loading to 18.7 kg O&Gm(-3)d(-1) caused destabilization of the system with 0.35% (v float/v feed) sludge float removed from the UASB.

Radiation sensitivity and EPR dosimetric potential of gallic acid and its esters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tuner, Hasan; Oktay Bal, M.; Polat, Mustafa

2015-02-01

In the preset work the radiation sensitivities of Gallic Acid anhydrous and monohydrate, Octyl, Lauryl, and Ethyl Gallate (GA, GAm, OG, LG, and EG) were investigated in the intermediate (0.5-20 kGy) and low radiation (<10 Gy) dose range using Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. While OG, LG, and EG are presented a singlet EPR spectra, their radiation sensitivity found to be very different in the intermediate dose range. At low radiation dose range (<10 Gy) only LG is found to be present a signal that easily distinguished from the noise signals. The intermediate and low dose range radiation sensitivities are compared using well known EPR dosimeter alanine. The radiation yields (G) of the interested material were found to be 1.34×10-2, 1.48×10-2, 4.14×10-2, and 6.03×10-2, 9.44×10-2 for EG, GA, GAm, OG, and LG, respectively at the intermediate dose range. It is found that the simple EPR spectra and the noticeable EPR signal of LG make it a promising dosimetric material to be used below 10 Gy of radiation dose.

Techno-Economic Assessment of Recycling BOF Offgas Cleaning System Solid Wastes by Using Zinc-Free Scrap

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Naiyang

High zinc concentration in basic oxygen furnace (BOF) steelmaking offgas (OG) cleaning system solid wastes is one of the main barriers for recycling of the solid wastes in sintering — blast furnace ironmaking process. One of the possible solutions is to utilize zinc-free scrap in BOF steelmaking so that the BOF OG solid wastes will not be contaminated with zinc and can be recycled through sintering — blast furnace ironmaking. This paper describes a model for helping to decide whether to use zinc-free scrap in a BOF process. A model computing marginal price increment of zinc-free scrap is developed. The marginal price increment is proportional to value change of the BOF OG solid wastes after and before using zinc-free scrap, to ratio of BOF solid waste rate to purchased galvanized scrap rate, and to price of galvanized scrap. Due to the variations of consumption rate of purchased galvanized scrap and home galvanized scrap, iron ore price, landfill cost, and price of purchased galvanized scrap, using zinc-free scrap in a BOF process might be economically feasible for some ironmaking and steelmaking plants or in some particular market circumstances.

Soil organic matter degradability in four Japanese forest soils

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moriya, K.; Koarashi, J.; Atarashi-Andoh, M.; Moriizumi, J.; Yamazawa, H.; Ishizuka, S.

2011-12-01

Soil organic carbon (SOC) is the largest carbon reservoir in terrestrial ecosystems, and CO2 emission derived from SOC decomposition is considered to strongly influence atmospheric CO2 concentration. Therefore, it is important to understand what factors control the process of SOC decomposition. We studied the temperature sensitivity of SOC decomposition in forest surface soils by an incubation experiment at two temperatures. Soil samples were collected from the top 20 cm of mineral soils at four forest sites in Japan: AP (Appi: 40°00'N, 140°56'E), US (Ushiku: 35°57'N, 140°10'E), OG (Ogawa: 36°56'N, 140°35'E), and HO (Hitsujigaoka: 43°59'N, 141°23'E). The soil samples were sieved with a 4 mm-mesh and remaining roots in the samples were carefully removed by hand. Approximately a 75 g dry weight equivalent of the sample was adjusted to 50% of water holding capacity and put into a 1 L jar. Triplicate jars were enclosed after flushing their headspaces with CO2-free air and incubated at temperatures of 10°C and 20°C, respectively. We periodically collected 1 mL of headspace gas from the jars to measure CO2 concentration using a gas chromatograph. When the CO2 concentration in each jar reached 1.5% in volume, the headspace gas in the jar was collected to measure carbon isotope ratio of the CO2, and then the headspace of the jar was re-flushed and continued to incubate. The SOC decomposition rate at 20°C was consistently higher than that at 10°C, the order of which was AP ≤ US ≤ OG < HO. This order did not correspond to the orders of both mean annual temperature at the sites (AP < HO < OG < US), and total organic carbon content per dry soil weight (HO < US < AP < OG). Our result suggests that field temperature does not exert predominant control over SOC degradability in Japanese forest surface soils. Q10 values obtained for the AP, US, and OG soils was initially approximately 3 and increased up to 4 after one month of incubation. The increase in Q10 value was possibly due to reducing in labile SOC. Our result support that recalcitrant substrates with the higher activation energy are more sensitive to temperature than labile ones.

Turbulence Considerations for Comparing Ecosystem Exchange over Old-Growth and Clear-Cut Stands For Limited Fetch and Complex Canopy Flow Conditions

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

Wharton, S; Schroeder, M; Paw U, K T

2009-01-08

Carbon dioxide, water vapor and energy fluxes were measured using eddy covariance (EC) methodology over three adjacent forests in southern Washington State to identify stand-level age-effects on ecosystem exchange. The sites represent Douglas-fir forest ecosystems at two contrasting successional stages: old-growth (OG) and early seral (ES). Here we present eddy flux and meteorological data from two early seral stands and the Wind River AmeriFlux old-growth forest during the growing season (March-October) in 2006 and 2007. We show an alternative approach to the usual friction velocity (u*) method for determining periods of adequate atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) mixing based on themore » ratio of mean horizontal ({bar u}) and vertical ({bar w}) wind flow to a modified turbulent kinetic energy scale (uTKE). This new parameter in addition to footprint modeling showed that daytime CO{sub 2} fluxes (F{sub NEE}) in small clear-cuts (< 10 hectares) can be measured accurately with EC if micrometeorological conditions are carefully evaluated. Peak midday CO{sub 2} fluxes (F{sub NEE} = -14.0 to -12.3 {micro}mol m{sup -2} s{sup -1}) at OG were measured in April in both 2006 and 2007 before bud break when air and soil temperatures and vapor pressure deficit were relatively low, and soil moisture and light levels were favorable for photosynthesis. At the early seral stands, peak midday CO{sub 2} fluxes (F{sub NEE} = -11.0 to -8.7 {micro}mol m{sup -2} s{sup -1}) were measured in June and July while spring-time CO{sub 2} fluxes were much smaller (F{sub NEE} = -3.8 to -3.6 {micro}mol m{sup -2} s{sup -1}). Overall, we measured lower evapotranspiration (OG = 230 mm; ES = 297 mm) higher midday F{sub NEE} (OG F{sub NEE} = -9.0 {micro}mol m{sup -2} s{sup -1}; ES F{sub NEE} = -7.3 {micro}mol m{sup -2} s{sup -1}) and higher Bowen ratios (OG {beta} = 2.0. ES {beta} = 1.2) at the old-growth forest than at the ES sites during the summer months (May-August). Eddy covariance studies such as ours add critical land-atmosphere exchange data for an abundant, but rarely studied Douglas-fir age class.« less

Oligosaccharide nanomedicine of alginate sodium improves therapeutic results of posterior lumbar interbody fusion with cages for degenerative lumbar disease in osteoporosis patients by downregulating serum miR-155.

PubMed

Qu, Yang; Wang, Zhengming; Zhou, Haohan; Kang, Mingyang; Dong, Rongpeng; Zhao, Jianwu

2017-01-01

Degenerative lumbar disease (DLD) is a significant issue for public health. Posterior lumbar intervertebral fusion with cages (PLIFC) has high-level fusion rate and realignment on DLD. However, there are some complications following the surgery. Alginate oligosaccharides (AOS) have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities and may be suitable for infection therapy. MiR-155 is a biomarker associated with inflammatory and oxidative stress. AOS may promote PLIFC therapy by regulating miR-155. Pluronic nanoparticles and oligosaccharide nanomedicine of alginate sodium (ONAS) were prepared with ampicillin at size <200 nm. Ninety-six DLD osteoporosis patients received PLIFC and were evenly assigned into ONAS group (OG, oral administration of 100 mg ONAS daily) and control group (PG, 100 mg pluronic nanoparticles). Serum miR-155 level was measured by real-time quantitative PCR. The levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione (GSH), aspartate aminotransaminase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra) were measured. Weighted mean difference (WMD), relative risk (RR), complications, surgery infection rate, fusion rate, and Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) scores were used to evaluate therapeutic efficacy. After 1-month therapy, infection rates and side effects were lower in OG than those in PG (RR =0.64, 95% confidence interval [CI] [0.48, 0.84], P =0.001). The fusion rates were higher in OG than in PG (WMD =21.96, 95% CI [-0.24, 37.62], P =0.021). The JOA scores were higher in OG than in PG (RR =0.52, 95% CI [0.33, 0.84], P =0.007), and no significant difference was found for the visual analog scale and Oswestry Disability Index. Serum levels of miR-155, ALT, AST, and IL-1β were lower while SOD, GSH, and IL-1ra were higher in OG than in PG. MiR-155 mimic increased the levels of ALT, AST, and IL-1β and reduced the levels of SOD, GSH, and IL-1ra. In contrast, miR-155 inhibitor had reverse results. Therefore, ONAS has better improvement in complications and therapeutic effects on DLD by regulating serum miR-155.

Gait initiation and termination strategies in patients with Prader-Willi syndrome.

PubMed

Cimolin, Veronica; Cau, Nicola; Galli, Manuela; Santovito, Cristina; Grugni, Graziano; Capodaglio, Paolo

2017-05-23

Gait Initiation (GI) is a functional task representing one of the first voluntary destabilizing behaviours observed in the development of a locomotor pattern as the whole body centre of mass transitions from a large to a small base of support. Conversely, Gait Termination (GT) consists in the transition from walking to standing which, in everyday life, is a very common movement. Compared to normal walking, it requires higher control of postural stability. For a safe GT, the forward movement of the body has to be slowed down to achieve a stable upright position. Stability requirements have to be fulfilled for safe GT. In individuals with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS), excessive body weight negatively affects the movement, such as walking and posture, but there are no experimental studies about GI and GT in these individuals. The aim of this study was to quantitatively characterise the strategy of patients with PWS during GI and GT using parameters obtained by the Center of Pressure (CoP) track. Twelve patients with PWS, 20 obese (OG) and 19 healthy individuals (HG) were tested using a force platform during the GI and GT tasks. CoP plots were divided into different phases, and duration, length and velocity of the CoP trace in these phases were calculated and compared for each task. As for GI, the results showed a significant reduction of the task duration and lower velocity and CoP length parameters in PWS, compared to OG and HG. In PWS, those parameters were reduced to a higher degree with respect to the OG. During GT, longer durations, similar to OG, were observed in PWS than HG. Velocity is reduced when compared to OG and HG, especially in medio-lateral direction and in the terminal part of GT. From these data, GI appears to be a demanding task in most of its sub-phases for PWS individuals, while GT seems to require caution only towards the end of the task. Breaking the cycle of gait into the phases of GI and GT and implementing specific exercises focusing on weight transfer and foot clearance during the transition phase from the steady condition to gait will possibly improve the effectiveness of rehabilitation and fall and injury prevention.

Oral pharmacokinetics of baicalin, wogonoside, oroxylin A 7-O-β-d-glucuronide and their aglycones from an aqueous extract of Scutellariae Radix in the rat.

PubMed

Cai, Yu; Li, Sai; Li, Ting; Zhou, Ruina; Wai, Alfred Tai-Seng; Yan, Ru

2016-07-15

Scutellariae Radix (SR) has been extensively prescribed in folk medicines due to its notable beneficial activities. The flavonoid glucuronides baicalin (BG), wogonoside (WG), oroxylin A 7-O-β-d-glucuronide (OG) and their aglycones baicalein, wogonin and oroxylin A, are the main components of the herb. So far, majority of previous studies failed to report the pharmacokinetics and none offered an explanation for the systemic exposures of these six flavonoids when the herbal extract was orally administered. In this study, when a SR extract was orally dosed to rats (800mg/kg, equivalent to BG 324.80, WG 124.00, OG 43.04, baicalein 25.36, wogonin 24.40, and oroxylin A 5.79mg/kg), all six flavonoids were detectable throughout the experimental period (48h) using an LC-MS/MS method with the Cmax and AUC0-48h of the glucuronides 10-130 times that of respective aglycones. As the lowest among the three glucuronides in the herb, OG was the most abundant in vivo, while the systemic exposure of wogonin was the highest amongst the three aglycones. The dose-normalized AUC0-48h descended in orders of OG/oroxylin A, WG/wogonin and BG/baicalein. Two di-conjugates of baicalein (BG glucuronide and BG glucoside), two BG isomers (minor BM1 and major BM2), and one WG isomer (wogonin 5-O-glucuronide) were detected in rat plasma. Semi-quantitation of the isomers with peak area data revealed that the AUPs (area under peak area ratio-time curves) of BG isomers were ∼3 times that of BG, yet the AUP of wogonin 5-O-glucuronide was only one seventh of WG. BM2, tentatively assigned as baicalein 6-O-glucuronide, was formed from both microbial isomerization of BG and hepatic glucuronidation of baicalein. Wogonin 5-O-glucuronide was only formed in hepatic glucuronidation of wogonin. Demethylated wogonin was observed in gut bacteria, offering an optional origin of BM1 apart from baicalein glucuronidation. Microbial isomerization of BG and extensive hepatic glucuronidation of baicalein to form BM2as well as a poorer intestinal permeability of baicalein (Papp×10(-6)cm/s) should account for the lower systemic exposures of BG and baicalein. Faster microbial hydrolysis of WG, high intestinal permeability (Papp×10(-5)cm/s) and less hepatic glucuronidation of wogonin explain the relatively high systemic exposure of wogonin. Sole microbial deglycosylation of OG, high intestinal permeability (Papp×10(-5)cm/s) and extensive hepatic glucuronidation of oroxylin A supported the highest systemic exposure of OG. Taken together, the oral kinetics of six flavonoid glucuronides and aglycones in the SR extract were simultaneously obtained. Microbial conversion, intestinal epithelial permeability and hepatic glucuronidation are determinant factors for their systemic exposures. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Room-temperature optically pumped laser emission from a-plane GaN with high optical gain characteristics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuokstis, E.; Chen, C. Q.; Yang, J. W.; Shatalov, M.; Gaevski, M. E.; Adivarahan, V.; Khan, M. Asif

2004-04-01

Photoluminescence (PL) and optical gain (OG) spectra of a-plane GaN layers have been analyzed over a wide range of excitation intensities. The samples were fully coalesced layers grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition over r-plane sapphire substrates using epitaxial layer overgrowth (ELOG) and selective area lateral epitaxy (SALE) procedures. ELOG and SALE a-plane samples showed a strong stimulated emission line in backscattering-geometry PL spectra along with extremely high OG coefficient values (in SALE samples more than 2000 cm-1). Structures prepared with natural cleaved facet cavities based on these films were used to demonstrate optically pumped room-temperature lasing.

Characterization and promoter activity of chromoplast specific carotenoid associated gene (CHRC) from Oncidium Gower Ramsey.

PubMed

Chiou, Chung-Yi; Wu, Keqiang; Yeh, Kai-Wun

2008-10-01

Tissue-specific promoters are required for plant molecular breeding to drive a target gene in the appropriate location in plants. A chromoplast-specific, carotenoid-associated gene (OgCHRC) and its promoter (Pchrc) were isolated from Oncidium orchid and characterized. Northern blot analysis revealed that OgCHRC is specifically expressed in flowers, not in roots and leaves. Transient expression assay of Pchrc by bombardment transformation confirmed its differential expression pattern in floral tissues of different horticulture plants and cell-type location in conical papillate cells of adaxial epidermis of flower. These results suggest that Pchrc could serve as a useful tool in ornamental plant biotechnology to modify flower color.

Addition and hydrogen abstraction reactions of an OH radical with 8-oxoguanine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jena, N. R.; Mishra, P. C.

2006-05-01

Addition reaction of an OH radical at the C2, C4, C5 or C8 position of 8-oxoguanine (8OG) and abstraction of its H9 atom by an OH radical were studied using density functional theory (B3LYP) employing 6-31G ∗∗, 6-311++G ∗∗ and AUG-cc-pVDZ basis sets. Solvent effects of aqueous media were treated using the PCM model. It is found that the addition of an OH radical at the C4 position of 8OG would be most favored in both gas phase and aqueous media. These addition and abstraction reactions in aqueous media are both found to be barrierless.

A small molecule fusion inhibitor of dengue virus.

PubMed

Poh, Mee Kian; Yip, Andy; Zhang, Summer; Priestle, John P; Ma, Ngai Ling; Smit, Jolanda M; Wilschut, Jan; Shi, Pei-Yong; Wenk, Markus R; Schul, Wouter

2009-12-01

The dengue virus envelope protein plays an essential role in viral entry by mediating fusion between the viral and host membranes. The crystal structure of the envelope protein shows a pocket (located at a "hinge" between Domains I and II) that can be occupied by ligand n-octyl-beta-D-glucoside (betaOG). Compounds blocking the betaOG pocket are thought to interfere with conformational changes in the envelope protein that are essential for fusion. Two fusion assays were developed to examine the anti-fusion activities of compounds. The first assay measures the cellular internalization of propidium iodide upon membrane fusion. The second assay measures the protease activity of trypsin upon fusion between dengue virions and trypsin-containing liposomes. We performed an in silico virtual screening for small molecules that can potentially bind to the betaOG pocket and tested these candidate molecules in the two fusion assays. We identified one compound that inhibits dengue fusion in both assays with an IC(50) of 6.8 microM and reduces viral titers with an EC(50) of 9.8 microM. Time-of-addition experiments showed that the compound was only active when present during viral infection but not when added 1h later, in agreement with a mechanism of action through fusion inhibition.

Comparing the Thermodynamic Behaviour of Al(1)+ZrO2(s) to Al(1)+Al2O3(s)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Copland, Evan

2004-01-01

In an effort to better determine the thermodynamic properties of Al(g) and Al2O(g). the vapor in equilibrium with Al(l)+ZrO2(s) was compared to the vapor in equilibrium with Al(l)+Al2O3(s) over temperature range 1197-to-1509K. The comparison was made directly by Knudsen effusion-cell mass spectrometry with an instrument configured for a multiple effusion-cell vapor source (multi-cell KEMS). Second law enthalpies of vaporization of Al(g) and Al2O(g) together with activity measurements show that Al(l)+ZrO2(s) is thermodynamically equivalent to Al(l)+Al2O3(s), indicating Al(l) remained pure and Al2O3(s) was present in the ZrO2-cell. Subsequent observation of the Al(l)/ZrO2 and vapor/ZrO2 interfaces revealed a thin Al2O3-layer had formed, separating the ZrO2-cell from Al(l) and Al(g)+Al2O(g), effectively transforming it into an Al2O3 effusion-cell. This behavior agrees with recent observations made for Beta-NiAl(Pt) alloys measured in ZrO2 effusion-cell.

Effects of untreated and treated oilfield-produced water on seed germination, seedling development, and biomass production of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.).

PubMed

da Costa Marques, Mônica Regina; de Souza, Paulo Sérgio Alves; Rigo, Michelle Machado; Cerqueira, Alexandre Andrade; de Paiva, Julieta L; Merçon, Fábio; Perez, Daniel Vidal

2015-10-01

This study aims to evaluate possible toxic effects of oil and other contaminants from oilfield-produced water from oil exploration and production, on seed germination, and seedling development of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.). In comparison, as treated by electroflocculation, oilfield-produced water, with lower oil and organic matter content, was also used. Electroflocculation treatment of oilfield-produced water achieved significant removals of chemical oxygen demand (COD) (94 %), oil and grease (O&G) (96 %), color (97 %), and turbidity (99 %). Different O&G, COD, and salt levels of untreated and treated oilfield-produced water did not influence germination process and seedling biomass production. Normal seedlings percentage and vigor tended to decrease more intensely in O&G and COD levels, higher than 337.5 mg L(-1) and 1321 mg O2 L(-1), respectively, using untreated oilfield-produced water. These results indicate that this industrial effluent must be treated, in order to not affect adversely seedling development. This way, electroflocculation treatment appears as an interesting alternative to removing oil and soluble organic matter in excess from oilfield-produced water improving sunflower's seedling development and providing a friendly environmental destination for this wastewater, reducing its potential to harm water resources, soil, and biota.

Systematic reviews involving complementary and alternative medicine interventions had higher quality of reporting than conventional medicine reviews.

PubMed

Lawson, Margaret L; Pham, Ba'; Klassen, Terry P; Moher, David

2005-08-01

To compare the quality of systematic reviews reported in English and in languages other than English, and to determine whether there are differences between conventional medicine (CM) and complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) reports. We used the Oxman and Guyatt (OG) scale to assess the quality of reporting in 130 systematic reviews: 50 were language-restricted, 32 were language-inclusive but only English-language (EL) trials contained (inclusive-EL), and 48 were language-inclusive and included trials published in languages other than English (inclusive-LOE). Of the 130 reviews, 105 addressed CM interventions and 25 addressed CAM interventions. Comparison of the systematic reviews showed that the quality of reporting and reporting characteristics are not affected by inclusion or exclusion of LOE; however, the quality of reporting of systematic reviews involving CAM interventions is higher than that of reviews focusing on CM interventions. Informal comparison of the OG scale with the data collected on quality assessments showed that the OG scale performs well overall but may not identify important differences in comprehensiveness of the search strategy and avoidance of bias in study selection. Further research is required to determine the best methods for assessing quality of systematic reviews and whether the effect of language restrictions is dependent on the type of intervention (CM or CAM).

Analysis of obstetrics and gynecology professional liability claims in Catalonia, Spain (1986-2010).

PubMed

Gómez-Durán, Esperanza L; Mulà-Rosías, Joan Antoni; Lailla-Vicens, Josep Maria; Benet-Travé, Josep; Arimany-Manso, Josep

2013-07-01

To identify relevant factors involved in obstetrics and gynecology (OG) professional liability claims to help archive better management of risks. Analysis of 885 OG claims opened between 1986 and 2010, with the identification of the most common events leading to a claim, the economical and juridical characteristics of the claims, as well as the relevant trends over the study period. Most claims related to obstetrics. Labor, delivery and its complications accounted for 33.1% of the claims; 12.77% related specifically to cesarean. Oncological diseases, fetus death during labor and delivery, neurologically impaired infant and histerectomy-related problems were the most frequently claimed events. Most cases ended up without an indemnity payment and 37.7% of closed files were solved by an out-of-court procedure. Average payment was higher for the obstetric procedures than for those concerning gynecology cases. The proportion of claims relating to obstetrics increased during the study period, as well as the average payment. OG is at high-risk for malpractice claims, but compensation awards are not frequent. However, particular events, such as retained foreign objects, tubal ligation, ultrasound diagnosis or neurologically impaired newborns, deserve special attention regarding medico-legal issues. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd and Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine. All rights reserved.

International Space Station (ISS)

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-03-01

The Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) Group of the Flight Projects Directorate at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, is responsible for designing and building the life support systems that will provide the crew of the International Space Station (ISS) a comfortable environment in which to live and work. This photograph shows the mockup of the the ECLSS to be installed in the Node 3 module of the ISS. From left to right, shower rack, waste management rack, Water Recovery System (WRS) Rack #2, WRS Rack #1, and Oxygen Generation System (OGS) rack are shown. The WRS provides clean water through the reclamation of wastewaters and is comprised of a Urine Processor Assembly (UPA) and a Water Processor Assembly (WPA). The UPA accepts and processes pretreated crewmember urine to allow it to be processed along with other wastewaters in the WPA. The WPA removes free gas, organic, and nonorganic constituents before the water goes through a series of multifiltration beds for further purification. The OGS produces oxygen for breathing air for the crew and laboratory animals, as well as for replacing oxygen loss. The OGS is comprised of a cell stack, which electrolyzes (breaks apart the hydrogen and oxygen molecules) some of the clean water provided by the WRS, and the separators that remove the gases from the water after electrolysis.

Enhanced biofiltration of O&G produced water comparing granular activated carbon and nutrients.

PubMed

Riley, Stephanie M; Ahoor, Danika C; Cath, Tzahi Y

2018-05-31

Large volumes of water are required for the development of unconventional oil and gas (O&G) wells. Water scarcity coupled with seismicity induced by deep-well disposal promote new O&G wastewater management strategies, specifically treatment and reuse. One technology that has been proven effective for removal of organic matter and solids is biologically active filtration (BAF) with granular active carbon (GAC); however, further optimization is needed to enhance BAF performance. This study evaluated three GAC media (one spent and two new) and two nutrient-mix supplements for enhanced removal of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC). Biofilm development was also monitored and correlated to BAF performance. The spent GAC with extant biofilm quickly acclimated to PW and demonstrated up to 92% DOC removal (81% COD) in 24h, while little impact by nutrient addition was observed. In addition, virgin GAC was slow to establish a biofilm, indicating that appropriate GAC selection and pre-developed biofilm is critical for efficient BAF performance. Furthermore, the production of high quality BAF effluent (less than 20mg/L DOC) presents the opportunity to apply BAF as a pretreatment for subsequent desalination-expanding the potential for reuse applications of PW. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Experience with external pump trial prior to implantation for intrathecal baclofen in ambulatory patients with spastic cerebral palsy.

PubMed

Bleyenheuft, C; Filipetti, P; Caldas, C; Lejeune, T

2007-01-01

To evaluate effectiveness and safety of intrathecal baclofen administration (ITB) testing with continuous infusion via an external pump before the implantation of an internal one in ambulatory spastic patients with cerebral palsy (CP). Seven CP patients (3 diplegic, 4 quadriplegic - 18.4+/-7.0 years) with a progressive decrease in walking ability were included. Assessments included: Ashworth's scale, Observational Gait Scale (OGS), and GMFM-66. During the ITB test (45-150 microg/24h), spasticity decreased by more than two points on Ashworth's scale (p<0.001) and walking ability improved (median OGS increased from 7 to 9, p

Conversion of laparoscopic surgery for perforated peptic ulcer: a single-center study.

PubMed

Zimmermann, Markus; Hoffmann, Martin; Laubert, Tilman; Jung, Carlo; Bruch, Hans-Peter; Schloericke, Erik

2015-11-01

A perforated peptic ulcer can be managed laparoscopically in selected patients. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether conversion of emergency laparoscopy is inferior to primary median laparotomy in terms of postoperative morbidity and mortality. We analyzed patients who underwent laparoscopic or open surgery for a perforated peptic ulcer at the Department of Surgery, University of Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Luebeck between January, 1996 and December, 2010. Perforations were graded according to the Boey classification, a preoperative risk-scoring system. Conversion to laparotomy was necessary in 20 of the 45 patients who underwent laparoscopic surgery (CG); therefore, laparoscopic operations were completed in 25 patients (LG). The third patient cohort comprised 139 patients who underwent primary laparotomy (OG). Overall minor morbidity was significantly lower (p = 0.048) in the LG patients than in the OG patients, whereas no significant differences were found in major morbidity and mortality, particularly between the OG and CG. Patients' suitability for laparoscopic management should be decided on according to Boey's clinical scoring system. Our findings demonstrated that conversion from laparoscopy to laparotomy was not associated with elevated postoperative morbidity or mortality versus initial laparotomy. Therefore, emergency operations may be commenced laparoscopically in selected patients, especially considering the postoperative advantages of this approach.

Meals on Wheels? A Decade of Megafaunal Visual and Acoustic Observations from Offshore Oil & Gas Rigs and Platforms in the North and Irish Seas

PubMed Central

Todd, Victoria Louise Georgia; Todd, Ian Boyer

2016-01-01

A decade of visual and acoustic detections of marine megafauna around offshore Oil & Gas (O&G) installations in the North and Irish Seas are presented. Marine megafauna activity was monitored visually and acoustically by Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) qualified and experienced Marine Mammal Observers (MMO) and Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) Operators respectively, with real-time towed PAM in combination with industry standard software, PAMGuard. Monitoring was performed during routine O&G industrial operations for underwater noise mitigation purposes, and to ensure adherence to regulatory guidelines. Incidental sightings by off-effort MMOs and installation crew were also reported. Visual and acoustic monitoring spanned 55 non-consecutive days between 2004 and 2014. A total of 47 marine mammal sightings were recorded by MMOs on dedicated watch, and 10 incidental sightings of marine megafauna were reported over 10 years. Species included: harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena), Atlantic white-sided dolphin (Lagenorhynchus acutus), white beaked dolphin (Lagenorhynchus albirostris), common dolphin (Delphinus delphis), minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata), common seal (Phoca vitulina), grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) and, basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus). Passive Acoustic Monitoring was conducted on two occasions in 2014; 160 PAM hours over 12 days recorded a total of 308 individual clicks identified as harbour porpoises. These appear to be the first such acoustic detections obtained from a North Sea drilling rig whilst using a typically configured hydrophone array designed for towing in combination with real-time PAMGuard software. This study provides evidence that marine megafauna are present around mobile and stationary offshore O&G installations during routine operational activities. On this basis, Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) for decommissioning O&G platforms should be carried-out on a case-by-case basis, and must include provisions for hitherto overlooked marine megafauna. PMID:27078153

Sequential simulation (SqS) of clinical pathways: a tool for public and patient engagement in point-of-care diagnostics

PubMed Central

Huddy, Jeremy R; Weldon, Sharon-Marie; Ralhan, Shvaita; Painter, Tim; Hanna, George B; Kneebone, Roger; Bello, Fernando

2016-01-01

Objectives Public and patient engagement (PPE) is fundamental to healthcare research. To facilitate effective engagement in novel point-of-care tests (POCTs), the test and downstream consequences of the result need to be considered. Sequential simulation (SqS) is a tool to represent patient journeys and the effects of intervention at each and subsequent stages. This case study presents a process evaluation of SqS as a tool for PPE in the development of a volatile organic compound-based breath test POCT for the diagnosis of oesophagogastric (OG) cancer. Setting Three 3-hour workshops in central London. Participants 38 members of public attended a workshop, 26 (68%) had no prior experience of the OG cancer diagnostic pathway. Interventions Clinical pathway SqS was developed from a storyboard of a patient, played by an actor, noticing symptoms of oesophageal cancer and following a typical diagnostic pathway. The proposed breath testing strategy was then introduced and incorporated into a second SqS to demonstrate pathway impact. Facilitated group discussions followed each SqS. Primary and secondary outcome measures Evaluation was conducted through pre-event and postevent questionnaires, field notes and analysis of audiovisual recordings. Results 38 participants attended a workshop. All participants agreed they were able to contribute to discussions and like the idea of an OG cancer breath test. Five themes emerged related to the proposed new breath test including awareness of OG cancer, barriers to testing and diagnosis, design of new test device, new clinical pathway and placement of test device. 3 themes emerged related to the use of SqS: participatory engagement, simulation and empathetic engagement, and why participants attended. Conclusions SqS facilitated a shared immersive experience for participants and researchers that led to the coconstruction of knowledge that will guide future research activities and be of value to stakeholders concerned with the invention and adoption of POCT. PMID:27625053

Dynamics of two methanogenic microbiomes incubated in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, naphthenic acids, and oil field produced water.

PubMed

Oko, Bonahis J; Tao, Yu; Stuckey, David C

2017-01-01

Oil field produced water (OFPW) is widely produced in large volumes around the world. Transforming the organic matter in OFPW into bioenergy, such as biomethane, is one promising way to sustainability. However, OFPW is difficult to biologically degrade because it contains complex compounds such as naphthenic acids (NAs), or polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Although active microbial communities have been found in many oil reservoirs, little is known about how an exotic microbiome, e.g. the one which originates from municipal wastewater treatment plants, would evolve when incubated with OFPW. In this study, we harvested methanogenic biomass from two sources: a full-scale anaerobic digester (AD) treating oil and gas processing wastewater (named O&G sludge), and from a full-scale AD reactor treating multiple fractions of municipal solid wastes (named MS, short for mixed sludge). Both were incubated in replicate microcosms fed with PAHs, NAs, or OFPW. The results showed that the PAHs, NAs, and OFPW feeds could rapidly alter the methanogenic microbiomes, even after 14 days, while the O&G sludge adapted faster than the mixed sludge in all the incubations. Two rarely reported microorganisms, a hydrogenotrophic methanogen Candidatus methanoregula and a saccharolytic fermenter Kosmotoga , were found to be prevalent in the PAHs and OFPW microcosms, and are likely to play an important role in the syntrophic degradation of PAHs and OFPW, cooperating with methanogens such as Methanoregula, Methanosarcina, or Methanobacterium . The dominant phyla varied in certain patterns during the incubations, depending on the biomass source, feed type, and variation in nutrients. The sludge that originated from the oil and gas processing wastewater treatment (O&G) reactor adapted faster than the one from municipal solid waste reactors, almost certainly because the O&G biomass had been "pre-selected" by the environment. This study reveals the importance of biomass selection for other crude oil-waste-related bioengineering studies, such as bioaugmentation and bioremediation.

Increased Drought Impacts on Temperate Rainforests from Southern South America: Results of a Process-Based, Dynamic Forest Model

PubMed Central

Gutiérrez, Alvaro G.; Armesto, Juan J.; Díaz, M. Francisca; Huth, Andreas

2014-01-01

Increased droughts due to regional shifts in temperature and rainfall regimes are likely to affect forests in temperate regions in the coming decades. To assess their consequences for forest dynamics, we need predictive tools that couple hydrologic processes, soil moisture dynamics and plant productivity. Here, we developed and tested a dynamic forest model that predicts the hydrologic balance of North Patagonian rainforests on Chiloé Island, in temperate South America (42°S). The model incorporates the dynamic linkages between changing rainfall regimes, soil moisture and individual tree growth. Declining rainfall, as predicted for the study area, should mean up to 50% less summer rain by year 2100. We analysed forest responses to increased drought using the model proposed focusing on changes in evapotranspiration, soil moisture and forest structure (above-ground biomass and basal area). We compared the responses of a young stand (YS, ca. 60 years-old) and an old-growth forest (OG, >500 years-old) in the same area. Based on detailed field measurements of water fluxes, the model provides a reliable account of the hydrologic balance of these evergreen, broad-leaved rainforests. We found higher evapotranspiration in OG than YS under current climate. Increasing drought predicted for this century can reduce evapotranspiration by 15% in the OG compared to current values. Drier climate will alter forest structure, leading to decreases in above ground biomass by 27% of the current value in OG. The model presented here can be used to assess the potential impacts of climate change on forest hydrology and other threats of global change on future forests such as fragmentation, introduction of exotic tree species, and changes in fire regimes. Our study expands the applicability of forest dynamics models in remote and hitherto overlooked regions of the world, such as southern temperate rainforests. PMID:25068869

Detergent-dependent separation of postsynaptic density, membrane rafts and other subsynaptic structures from the synaptic plasma membrane of rat forebrain.

PubMed

Zhao, LiYing; Sakagami, Hiroyuki; Suzuki, Tatsuo

2014-10-01

We systematically investigated the purification process of post-synaptic density (PSD) and post-synaptic membrane rafts (PSRs) from the rat forebrain synaptic plasma membranes by examining the components and the structures of the materials obtained after the treatment of synaptic plasma membranes with TX-100, n-octyl β-d-glucoside (OG) or 3-([3-cholamidopropyl]dimethylammonio)-2-hydroxy-1-propanesulfonate (CHAPSO). These three detergents exhibited distinct separation profiles for the synaptic subdomains. Type I and type II PSD proteins displayed mutually exclusive distribution. After TX-100 treatment, type I PSD was recovered in two fractions: a pellet and an insoluble fraction 8, which contained partially broken PSD-PSR complexes. Conventional PSD was suggested to be a mixture of these two PSD pools and did not contain type II PSD. An association of type I PSD with PSRs was identified in the TX-100 treatment, and those with type II PSD in the OG and CHAPSO treatments. An association of GABA receptors with gephyrin was easily dissociated. OG at a high concentration solubilized the type I PSD proteins. CHAPSO treatment resulted in a variety of distinct fractions, which contained certain novel structures. Two different pools of GluA, either PSD or possibly raft-associated, were identified in the OG and CHAPSO treatments. These results are useful in advancing our understanding of the structural organization of synapses at the molecular level. We systematically investigated the purification process of post-synaptic density (PSD) and synaptic membrane rafts by examining the structures obtained after treatment of the SPMs with TX-100, n-octyl β-d-glucoside or CHAPSO. Differential distribution of type I and type II PSD, synaptic membrane rafts, and other novel subdomains in the SPM give clues to understand the structural organization of synapses at the molecular level. © 2014 International Society for Neurochemistry.

SU-D-9A-01: Listmode-Driven Optimal Gating (OG) Respiratory Motion Management: Potential Impact On Quantitative PET Imaging

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

Lee, K; Hristov, D

2014-06-01

Purpose: To evaluate the potential impact of listmode-driven amplitude based optimal gating (OG) respiratory motion management technique on quantitative PET imaging. Methods: During the PET acquisitions, an optical camera tracked and recorded the motion of a tool placed on top of patients' torso. PET event data were utilized to detect and derive a motion signal that is directly coupled with a specific internal organ. A radioactivity-trace was generated from listmode data by accumulating all prompt counts in temporal bins matching the sampling rate of the external tracking device. Decay correction for 18F was performed. The image reconstructions using OG respiratorymore » motion management technique that uses 35% of total radioactivity counts within limited motion amplitudes were performed with external motion and radioactivity traces separately with ordered subset expectation maximization (OSEM) with 2 iterations and 21 subsets. Standard uptake values (SUVs) in a tumor region were calculated to measure the effect of using radioactivity trace for motion compensation. Motion-blurred 3D static PET image was also reconstructed with all counts and the SUVs derived from OG images were compared with SUVs from 3D images. Results: A 5.7 % increase of the maximum SUV in the lesion was found for optimal gating image reconstruction with radioactivity trace when compared to a static 3D image. The mean and maximum SUVs on the image that was reconstructed with radioactivity trace were found comparable (0.4 % and 4.5 % increase, respectively) to the values derived from the image that was reconstructed with external trace. Conclusion: The image reconstructed using radioactivity trace showed that the blurring due to the motion was reduced with impact on derived SUVs. The resolution and contrast of the images reconstructed with radioactivity trace were comparable to the resolution and contrast of the images reconstructed with external respiratory traces. Research supported by Siemens.« less

Genome‐scale diversity and niche adaptation analysis of Lactococcus lactis by comparative genome hybridization using multi‐strain arrays

PubMed Central

Siezen, Roland J.; Bayjanov, Jumamurat R.; Felis, Giovanna E.; van der Sijde, Marijke R.; Starrenburg, Marjo; Molenaar, Douwe; Wels, Michiel; van Hijum, Sacha A. F. T.; van Hylckama Vlieg, Johan E. T.

2011-01-01

Summary Lactococcus lactis produces lactic acid and is widely used in the manufacturing of various fermented dairy products. However, the species is also frequently isolated from non‐dairy niches, such as fermented plant material. Recently, these non‐dairy strains have gained increasing interest, as they have been described to possess flavour‐forming activities that are rarely found in dairy isolates and have diverse metabolic properties. We performed an extensive whole‐genome diversity analysis on 39 L. lactis strains, isolated from dairy and plant sources. Comparative genome hybridization analysis with multi‐strain microarrays was used to assess presence or absence of genes and gene clusters in these strains, relative to all L. lactis sequences in public databases, whereby chromosomal and plasmid‐encoded genes were computationally analysed separately. Nearly 3900 chromosomal orthologous groups (chrOGs) were defined on basis of four sequenced chromosomes of L. lactis strains (IL1403, KF147, SK11, MG1363). Of these, 1268 chrOGs are present in at least 35 strains and represent the presently known core genome of L. lactis, and 72 chrOGs appear to be unique for L. lactis. Nearly 600 and 400 chrOGs were found to be specific for either the subspecies lactis or subspecies cremoris respectively. Strain variability was found in presence or absence of gene clusters related to growth on plant substrates, such as genes involved in the consumption of arabinose, xylan, α‐galactosides and galacturonate. Further niche‐specific differences were found in gene clusters for exopolysaccharides biosynthesis, stress response (iron transport, osmotolerance) and bacterial defence mechanisms (nisin biosynthesis). Strain variability of functions encoded on known plasmids included proteolysis, lactose fermentation, citrate uptake, metal ion resistance and exopolysaccharides biosynthesis. The present study supports the view of L. lactis as a species with a very flexible genome. PMID:21338475

The plant limonoid 7-oxo-deacetoxygedunin inhibits RANKL-induced osteoclastogenesis by suppressing activation of the NF-{kappa}B and MAPK pathways

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

Wisutsitthiwong, Chonnaree; Buranaruk, Chayanit; Pudhom, Khanitha

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer A gedunin type limonoid from seeds of mangroves, 7-oxo-7-deacetoxygedunin, exhibits strong anti-osteoclastogenic activity. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Treatment with this limonoid results in significant decrease in expression of NFATc1 and osteoclast-related genes. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The mode of action of this limonoid is by inhibiting activation of the NF-{kappa}B and MAPK pathways which are activated by RANKL. -- Abstract: Osteoclasts together with osteoblasts play pivotal roles in bone remodeling. Aberrations in osteoclast differentiation and activity contribute to osteopenic disease. Osteoclasts differentiate from monocyte/macrophage progenitors, a process that is initiated by the interaction between receptor activator of NF-{kappa}B (RANK) and its ligand, RANKL. Inmore » this study, we identified 7-oxo-7-deacetoxygedunin (7-OG), a gedunin type limonoid from seeds of the mangrove Xylocarpus moluccensis, as a potent inhibitor of osteoclastogenesis. Additionally, 7-OG showed strong anti-osteoclastogenic activity with low cytotoxicity against the monocyte/macrophage progenitor cell line, RAW264.7. The IC50 for anti-osteoclastogenic activity was 4.14 {mu}M. Treatment with 7-OG completely abolished the appearance of multinucleated giant cells with tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase activity in RAW264.7 cells stimulated with RANKL. When the expression of genes related to osteoclastogenesis was investigated, a complete downregulation of NFATc1 and cathepsin K and a delayed downregulation of irf8 were observed upon 7-OG treatment in the presence of RANKL. Furthermore, treatment with this limonoid suppressed RANKL-induced activation of p38, MAPK and Erk and nuclear localization of NF-{kappa}B p65. Taken together, we present evidence indicating a plant limonoid as a novel osteoclastogenic inhibitor that could be used for osteoporosis and related conditions.« less

Increased drought impacts on temperate rainforests from southern South America: results of a process-based, dynamic forest model.

PubMed

Gutiérrez, Alvaro G; Armesto, Juan J; Díaz, M Francisca; Huth, Andreas

2014-01-01

Increased droughts due to regional shifts in temperature and rainfall regimes are likely to affect forests in temperate regions in the coming decades. To assess their consequences for forest dynamics, we need predictive tools that couple hydrologic processes, soil moisture dynamics and plant productivity. Here, we developed and tested a dynamic forest model that predicts the hydrologic balance of North Patagonian rainforests on Chiloé Island, in temperate South America (42°S). The model incorporates the dynamic linkages between changing rainfall regimes, soil moisture and individual tree growth. Declining rainfall, as predicted for the study area, should mean up to 50% less summer rain by year 2100. We analysed forest responses to increased drought using the model proposed focusing on changes in evapotranspiration, soil moisture and forest structure (above-ground biomass and basal area). We compared the responses of a young stand (YS, ca. 60 years-old) and an old-growth forest (OG, >500 years-old) in the same area. Based on detailed field measurements of water fluxes, the model provides a reliable account of the hydrologic balance of these evergreen, broad-leaved rainforests. We found higher evapotranspiration in OG than YS under current climate. Increasing drought predicted for this century can reduce evapotranspiration by 15% in the OG compared to current values. Drier climate will alter forest structure, leading to decreases in above ground biomass by 27% of the current value in OG. The model presented here can be used to assess the potential impacts of climate change on forest hydrology and other threats of global change on future forests such as fragmentation, introduction of exotic tree species, and changes in fire regimes. Our study expands the applicability of forest dynamics models in remote and hitherto overlooked regions of the world, such as southern temperate rainforests.

Feed intake patterns of sport ponies and warmblood horses following iso-energetic intake of pelleted fibre-rich mixed feed, muesli feed and semicrushed oat grains.

PubMed

Bochnia, M; Boesel, M; Bahrenthien, L; Wensch-Dorendorf, M; Zeyner, A

2017-06-01

The aim of the study was to compare diverse feed intake patterns in sport ponies and warmblood-type horses after feeding iso-energetic amounts of three different concentrates: a pelleted fibre-rich mixed feed (PF), a muesli feed (MF) and semicrushed oat grains (OG). Four sport ponies and six warmblood-type horses received the concentrates and meadow hay according to maintenance (0.52 MJ metabolizable energy (ME) kg body weight (BW) 0.75 /day). Both breeds were allocated at random to three groups and received once daily for 8 days either OG (1 g starch/kg BW/meal) or iso-energetic quantities of PF and MF according to a crossover design. On the 8th day, feed intake patterns (chewing frequency (CF) in number of chewings (NC), NC/s), feed intake time (FIT DM , min/kg dry matter (DM); FIT (neutral detergent fibre) NDF , min/kg NDF) and chewing intensity (CI, NC/kg DM) were measured using modified halters. In warmbloods, PF tended to be ingested faster than MF and OG (10.3 ± 1.9, 13.0 ± 1.3, 14.4 ± 2.0 min/kg DM, respectively; p = 0.05). In ponies, a similar trend was observed (13.5 ± 2.5, 13.6 ± 2.0 and 15.4 ± 1.1 min/kg DM, respectively; p > 0.05). Ponies needed more time to ingest PF than warmbloods (p < 0.05). The CF of ponies was affected by the type of concentrate (PF and MF 1.43 ± 0.11 vs. OG 1.28 ± 0.093 NC/s; p < 0.05). The results indicate that concentrate intake of breeds follows a similar pattern and that breed differences were limited to PF only. In both breeds, PF induced chewing patterns different from those observed for OG and/or MF. However, an interpretation of these differences needs to take into consideration the diverse chemical compositions of the concentrates. Upcoming studies should address the throwback regarding PF and also examine the metabolic consequences of concentrate intake in ponies. Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition © 2017 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Effects of isoenergetic quantities of a low-starch muesli feed high in fat and fibre vs. oat grains on the glycemic and insulinemic responses and feed intake patterns in sport ponies.

PubMed

Bochnia, M; Schürer, C; Gottschalk, J; Einspanier, A; Hillegeist, D; Wensch-Dorendorf, M; Greef, J M; Glatter, M; Zeyner, A

2017-06-01

Aim of this study was to compare glycemic and insulinemic responses and feed intake patterns in sport ponies after feeding isoenergetic quantities of low-starch muesli feed high in fat and fibre (FF) or oat grains (OG). Six sport ponies were randomly assigned to one of these two treatment groups for 2 × 3 weeks according to a crossover-design. Ponies received two equal meals/day of either semi-crushed OG (1 g starch/kg bwt*meal -1 ) or an isoenergetic quantity of FF. Hay was also given in two equal meals/day and provided the remaining metabolisable energy up to 1.3-fold maintenance level. On day 21, blood was sampled 1 h after each pony received 0.5 kg hay (0 min). Then, the concentrate was provided and blood sampled 30, 60, 90, 120, 180, 240 and 300 min thereafter. Plasma glucose and serum insulin were analysed, and the areas under the curve (AUC) was calculated 120 and 300 min postprandial (PP). Feed intake patterns were measured in 4 ponies/group via a modified halter. OG was ingested faster than FF (feed intake time; FIT DM in min/kg DM: 8.8 ± 1.6 vs. 15.9 ± 1.62, p < 0.05) combined with a higher chewing frequency (p < 0.05). The AUCs gluc120/300, ins120/300 were statistically higher with OG than FF (mmol/L*min -1 : AUC gluc120 : 776 ± 128 vs. 676 ± 80.4; AUC gluc300 : 1811 ± 295.3 vs. 1569 ± 126.3; nmol/L*min -1 : AUC ins120 : 38 ± 18 vs. 22 ± 8.1; AUC ins300 : 83 ± 39 vs. 35 ± 12; p < 0.05). Plasma glucose tended to decline following the intake of FF, which might be beneficial for equines with reduced glucose tolerance. This, however, requires further investigation. In this study, the ponies consumed OG unexpectedly rapidly. The rate of feed intake was similar to the results previously reported in the literature for warmblood horses. Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition © 2017 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Modeling Phase-Aligned Gamma-Ray and Radio Millisecond Pulsar Light Curves

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Venter, C.; Johnson, T.; Harding, A.

2012-01-01

Since the discovery of the first eight gamma-ray millisecond pulsars (MSPs) by the Fermi Large Area Telescope, this population has been steadily expanding. Four of the more recent detections, PSR J00340534, PSR J1939+2134 (B1937+21; the first MSP ever discovered), PSR J1959+2048 (B1957+20; the first discovery of a black widow system), and PSR J2214+3000, exhibit a phenomenon not present in the original discoveries: nearly phase-aligned radio and gamma-ray light curves (LCs). To account for the phase alignment, we explore models where both the radio and gamma-ray emission originate either in the outer magnetosphere near the light cylinder or near the polar caps. Using a Markov Chain Monte Carlo technique to search for best-fit model parameters, we obtain reasonable LC fits for the first three of these MSPs in the context of altitude-limited outer gap (alOG) and two-pole caustic (alTPC) geometries (for both gamma-ray and radio emission). These models differ from the standard outer gap (OG)/two-pole caustic (TPC) models in two respects: the radio emission originates in caustics at relatively high altitudes compared to the usual conal radio beams, and we allow both the minimum and maximum altitudes of the gamma-ray and radio emission regions to vary within a limited range (excluding the minimum gamma-ray altitude of the alTPC model, which is kept constant at the stellar radius, and that of the alOG model, which is set to the position-dependent null charge surface altitude). Alternatively, phase-aligned solutions also exist for emission originating near the stellar surface in a slot gap scenario (low-altitude slot gap (laSG) models). We find that the alTPC models provide slightly better LC fits than the alOG models, and both of these give better fits than the laSG models (for the limited range of parameters considered in the case of the laSG models). Thus, our fits imply that the phase-aligned LCs are likely of caustic origin, produced in the outer magnetosphere, and that the radio emission for these pulsars may come from close to the light cylinder. In addition, we were able to constrain the minimum and maximum emission altitudes with typical uncertainties of 30% of the light cylinder radius. Our results therefore describe a third gamma-ray MSP subclass, in addition to the two previously found by Venter et al.: those with LCs fit by standard OG/TPC models and those with LCs fit by pair-starved polar cap models.

Dietary Fat, Eicosanoids and Breast Cancer Risk

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-04-01

Celery log 1Og log Peas 15g 15g 15g Garlic Powder/Salt/Pepper Dash Dash Dash Lemon Juice 2g 2g 2g Mayonnaise 25g 9g 0 Fat Free Miracle Whip 0 20g 30g...Sugar 0 4g 4g Oatmeal Walnut Cookie 30g 30g 30g Dinner: Beef Tenderloin 65g 60g 75g Mashed Potatoes 10Og 140g 140g w/Butter/Olive Oil 5g/4g 0 0 Corn 80g...Fat Free Gravy 40g 40g 40g w/ Safflower Oil/Flax Oil 7g (Safflower) 3g (Safflower) 3g (Flax) Mashed Potato 100g 140g 140g Green Beans 100g 100g �g

Finishing/polishing of composite and compomer restoratives: effectiveness of one-step systems.

PubMed

Yap, Adrian U J; Yap, S H; Teo, C K; Ng, J J

2004-01-01

This study investigated the surface texture of composite (Z100, 3M ESPE) and compomer (F2000, 3M ESPE) restoratives after treatment with different one-step finishing/polishing systems (One-Gloss [OG], Shofu; PoGo [PG], Dentsply; Sof-Lex Brush [SB], 3M ESPE). The surface roughness obtained was compared to that using a matrix strip [MS], a two-step rubber abrasive (CompoSite [CS], Shofu) and a graded abrasive disk (Super Snap [SS], Shofu) system. Eight specimens (3-mm long x 3-mm wide x 2-mm deep) of each material were made according to manufacturer's instructions. With exception of the MS group, all groups were roughened with 320 grit grinding paper using a lapping device prior to finishing/polishing with the different systems. The mean surface roughness (microm) was measured with a profilometer. Data was subjected to ANOVA/Scheffe's tests and independent samples t-test at significance level 0.05. Mean Ra ranged from 0.22 to 0.32 microm for Z100 and 0.45 to 0.68 for F2000. For both materials, the smoothest surfaces were obtained with MS. The roughest surfaces were observed after treatment with SS and OG for Z100 and F2000, respectively. The effectiveness of the finishing/polishing systems was material dependent. The surface finish produced by PG and SB was superior or comparable to that obtained with CS, SS and OG.

Colorful protein-based fluorescent probes for collagen imaging.

PubMed

Aper, Stijn J A; van Spreeuwel, Ariane C C; van Turnhout, Mark C; van der Linden, Ardjan J; Pieters, Pascal A; van der Zon, Nick L L; de la Rambelje, Sander L; Bouten, Carlijn V C; Merkx, Maarten

2014-01-01

Real-time visualization of collagen is important in studies on tissue formation and remodeling in the research fields of developmental biology and tissue engineering. Our group has previously reported on a fluorescent probe for the specific imaging of collagen in live tissue in situ, consisting of the native collagen binding protein CNA35 labeled with fluorescent dye Oregon Green 488 (CNA35-OG488). The CNA35-OG488 probe has become widely used for collagen imaging. To allow for the use of CNA35-based probes in a broader range of applications, we here present a toolbox of six genetically-encoded collagen probes which are fusions of CNA35 to fluorescent proteins that span the visible spectrum: mTurquoise2, EGFP, mAmetrine, LSSmOrange, tdTomato and mCherry. While CNA35-OG488 requires a chemical conjugation step for labeling with the fluorescent dye, these protein-based probes can be easily produced in high yields by expression in E. coli and purified in one step using Ni2+-affinity chromatography. The probes all bind specifically to collagen, both in vitro and in porcine pericardial tissue. Some first applications of the probes are shown in multicolor imaging of engineered tissue and two-photon imaging of collagen in human skin. The fully-genetic encoding of the new probes makes them easily accessible to all scientists interested in collagen formation and remodeling.

Studies on laser-assisted Penning ionization by the optogalvanic effect in Ne/Eu hollow cathode discharge.

PubMed

Saini, V K; Kumar, P; Dixit, S K; Nakhe, S V

2015-02-01

Laser-assisted Penning ionization (LAPI) is detected in a Ne/Eu hollow cathode (HC) discharge lamp using the pulsed optogalvanic (OG) method. In the Ne/Eu discharge, doubly ionized europium excited energy levels Eu[4f(7)(P(7/2,5/2)6)] lie within the thermal limit (∼kT) from the laser-excited neon's energy level [2p(5)(P3/202)3p or 2p(8) (in Paschen notation)] lying at 149,848  cm(-1). Therefore, Penning ionization (PI) of europium atoms likely to occur into its highly excited ionic states is investigated. To probe the PI of europium, the temporal profiles of its counterpart neon OG signal are studied as a function of discharge current for the transitions (1s(4)→2p(8)) and (1s(2)→2p(2)), corresponding to 650.65 and 659.89 nm wavelengths, respectively. It is observed that PI of europium alters the overall discharge characteristics significantly and, hence, modifies the temporal profile of the OG signals accordingly. The quasi-resonant ionizing energy transfer collisions between laser-excited Ne 2p(8) atoms and electronically excited europium P(9/2)10 atoms are used to explain the LAPI mechanism. Such LAPI studies carried out in HC discharge could be useful for the discharge of a metal-vapor laser with appropriate Penning mixtures.

On the nonlinear development of the most unstable Goertler vortex mode

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Denier, James P.; Hall, Philip

1991-01-01

The nonlinear development of the most unstable Gortler vortex mode in boundary layer flows over curved walls is investigated. The most unstable Gortler mode is confined to a viscous wall layer of thickness O(G -1/5) and has spanwise wavelength O(G 11/5); it is, of course, most relevant to flow situations where the Gortler number G is much greater than 1. The nonlinear equations covering the evolution of this mode over an O(G -3/5) streamwise lengthscale are derived and are found to be of a fully nonparallel nature. The solution of these equations is achieved by making use of the numerical scheme used by Hall (1988) for the numerical solution of the nonlinear Gortler equations valid for O(1) Gortler numbers. Thus, the spanwise dependence of the flow is described by a Fourier expansion, whereas the streamwise and normal variations of the flow are dealt with by employing a suitable finite difference discretization of the governing equations. Our calculations demonstrate that, given a suitable initial disturbance, after a brief interval of decay, the energy in all the higher harmonics grows until a singularity is encountered at some downstream position. The structure of the flowfield as this singularity is approached suggests that the singularity is responsible for the vortices, which are initially confined to the thin viscous wall layer, moving away from the wall and into the core of the boundary layer.

Environmental Control and Life Support System Mockup

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2001-01-01

The Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) Group of the Flight Projects Directorate at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, is responsible for designing and building the life support systems that will provide the crew of the International Space Station (ISS) a comfortable environment in which to live and work. This photograph shows the mockup of the the ECLSS to be installed in the Node 3 module of the ISS. From left to right, shower rack, waste management rack, Water Recovery System (WRS) Rack #2, WRS Rack #1, and Oxygen Generation System (OGS) rack are shown. The WRS provides clean water through the reclamation of wastewaters and is comprised of a Urine Processor Assembly (UPA) and a Water Processor Assembly (WPA). The UPA accepts and processes pretreated crewmember urine to allow it to be processed along with other wastewaters in the WPA. The WPA removes free gas, organic, and nonorganic constituents before the water goes through a series of multifiltration beds for further purification. The OGS produces oxygen for breathing air for the crew and laboratory animals, as well as for replacing oxygen loss. The OGS is comprised of a cell stack, which electrolyzes (breaks apart the hydrogen and oxygen molecules) some of the clean water provided by the WRS, and the separators that remove the gases from the water after electrolysis.

Octyl gallate and gallic acid isolated from Terminalia bellarica regulates normal cell cycle in human breast cancer cell lines.

PubMed

Sales, Mary Selesty; Roy, Anita; Antony, Ludas; Banu, Sakhila K; Jeyaraman, Selvaraj; Manikkam, Rajalakshmi

2018-07-01

Herbal medicines stand unique and effective in treating human diseases. Terminalia bellarica (T. bellarica) is a potent medicinal herb, with a wide range of pharmacological activities. The present study was aimed to evaluate the effect of octyl gallate (OG) and gallic acid (GA) isolated from methanolic fruit extract of T. bellirica to inhibit the survival of breast cancer cells (MCF-7 & MDA-MB-231). Both OG & GA exhibited decreased MCF-7 & MDA-MB-231 survival and induced apoptosis, with IC 50 value of OG and GA as 40 μM and 80 μM respectively. No toxic effect was observed on normal breast cells (MCF-10A). The compounds inhibited cell cycle progression by altering the expression of the cell cycle regulators (Cyclin D1, D3, CDK-4, CDK-6, p18 INK4, p21Waf-1 and p27 KIP). Octyl gallate was more effective at low concentrations than GA. In-silico results provided stable interactions between the compounds and target proteins. The present investigation proved the downregulation of positive cell cycle regulators and upregulation of negative cell cycle regulators inducing apoptosis in compound-treated breast cancer cells. Hence, both the compounds may serve as potential anticancer agents and could be developed as breast cancer drugs, with further explorations. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Mechanisms of formation of 8-oxoguanine due to reactions of one and two OH* radicals and the H2O2 molecule with guanine: A quantum computational study.

PubMed

Jena, N R; Mishra, P C

2005-07-28

Mechanisms of formation of the mutagenic product 8-oxoguanine (8OG) due to reactions of guanine with two separate OH* radicals and with H2O2 were investigated at the B3LYP/6-31G, B3LYP/6-311++G, and B3LYP/AUG-cc-pVDZ levels of theory. Single point energy calculations were carried out with the MP2/AUG-cc-pVDZ method employing the optimized geometries at the B3LYP/AUG-cc-pVDZ level. Solvent effect was treated using the PCM and IEF-PCM models. Reactions of two separate OH* radicals and H2O2 with the C2 position of 5-methylimidazole (5MI) were investigated taking 5MI as a model to study reactions at the C8 position of guanine. The addition reaction of an OH* radical at the C8 position of guanine is found to be nearly barrierless while the corresponding adduct is quite stable. The reaction of a second OH* radical at the C8 position of guanine leading to the formation of 8OG complexed with a water molecule can take place according to two different mechanisms, involving two steps each. According to one mechanism, at the first step, 8-hydroxyguanine (8OHG) complexed with a water molecule is formed ,while at the second step, 8OHG is tautomerized to 8OG. In the other mechanism, at the first step, an intermediate complexed (IC) with a water molecule is formed, the five-membered ring of which is open, while at the second step, the five-membered ring is closed and a hydrogen bonded complex of 8OG with a water molecule is formed. The reaction of H2O2 with guanine leading to the formation of 8OG complexed with a water molecule can also take place in accordance with two different mechanisms having two steps each. At the first step of one mechanism, H2O2 is dissociated into two OH* groups that react with guanine to form the same IC as that formed in the reaction with two separate OH* radicals, and the subsequent step of this mechanism is also the same as that of the reaction of guanine with two separate OH* radicals. At the first step of the other mechanism of the reaction of guanine with H2O2, the latter molecule is dissociated into a hydrogen atom and an OOH* group which become bonded to the N7 and C8 atoms of guanine, respectively. At the second step of this mechanism, the OOH* group is dissociated into an oxygen atom and an OH* group, the former becomes bonded to the C8 atom of guanine while the latter abstracts the H8 atom bonded to C8, thus producing 8OG complexed with a water molecule. Solvent effects of the aqueous medium on certain reaction barriers and released energies are appreciable. 5MI works as a satisfactory model for a qualitative study of the reactions of two separate OH* radicals or H2O2 occurring at the C8 position of guanine.

Acquiring data in real time in Italy from the Antarctic Seismographic Argentinean Italian Network (ASAIN): testing the global capabilities of the EarthWorm and Antelope software suites.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Percy Plasencia Linares, Milton; Russi, Marino; Pesaresi, Damiano; Cravos, Claudio

2010-05-01

The Italian National Institute for Oceanography and Experimental Geophysics (Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e di Geofisica Sperimentale, OGS) is running the Antarctic Seismographic Argentinean Italian Network (ASAIN), made of 7 seismic stations located in the Scotia Sea region in Antarctica and in Tierra del Fuego - Argentina: data from these stations are transferred in real time to the OGS headquarters in Trieste (Italy) via satellite links provided by the Instituto Antártico Argentino (IAA). Data is collected and archived primarily in Güralp Compress Format (GCF) through the Scream! software at OGS and IAA, and transmitted also in real time to the Observatories and Research Facilities for European Seismology (ORFEUS). The main real time seismic data acquisition and processing system of the ASAIN network is based on the EarthWorm 7.3 (Open Source) software suite installed on a Linux server at the OGS headquarters in Trieste. It runs several software modules for data collection, data archiving, data publication on dedicated web servers: wave_serverV, Winston Wave Server, and data analysis and realtime monitoring through Swarm program. OGS is also running, in close cooperation with the Friuli-Venezia Giulia Civil Defense, the North East (NI) Italy seismic network, making use of the Antelope commercial software suite from BRTT as the main acquisition system. As a test to check the global capabilities of the Antelope software suite, we also set up an instance of Antelope acquiring data in real time from both the regional ASAIN seismic network in Antarctica and a subset of the Global Seismic Network (GSN) funded by the Incorporated Research Institution for Seismology (IRIS). The facilities of the IRIS Data Management System, and specifically the IRIS Data Management Center, were used for real time access to waveform required in this study. The first tests indicated that more than 80% of the earthquakes with magnitude M>5.0 listed in the Preliminary Determination of Epicenters (PDE) catalogue of the National Earthquake Information Center (NEIC) of the United States Geological Survey (USGS) were also correctly automatically detected by Antelope, with an average location error of 0.05 degrees and average body wave magnitude Mb estimation error below 0.1. The average time difference between event origin time and the actual time of event determination by Antelope was of about 45': the comparison with 20', the IASPEI91 P-wave travel time for 180 degrees distance, and 25', the estimate of our test system data latency, indicate that Antelope is a serious candidate for regional and global early warning systems.

Sequential simulation (SqS) of clinical pathways: a tool for public and patient engagement in point-of-care diagnostics.

PubMed

Huddy, Jeremy R; Weldon, Sharon-Marie; Ralhan, Shvaita; Painter, Tim; Hanna, George B; Kneebone, Roger; Bello, Fernando

2016-09-13

Public and patient engagement (PPE) is fundamental to healthcare research. To facilitate effective engagement in novel point-of-care tests (POCTs), the test and downstream consequences of the result need to be considered. Sequential simulation (SqS) is a tool to represent patient journeys and the effects of intervention at each and subsequent stages. This case study presents a process evaluation of SqS as a tool for PPE in the development of a volatile organic compound-based breath test POCT for the diagnosis of oesophagogastric (OG) cancer. Three 3-hour workshops in central London. 38 members of public attended a workshop, 26 (68%) had no prior experience of the OG cancer diagnostic pathway. Clinical pathway SqS was developed from a storyboard of a patient, played by an actor, noticing symptoms of oesophageal cancer and following a typical diagnostic pathway. The proposed breath testing strategy was then introduced and incorporated into a second SqS to demonstrate pathway impact. Facilitated group discussions followed each SqS. Evaluation was conducted through pre-event and postevent questionnaires, field notes and analysis of audiovisual recordings. 38 participants attended a workshop. All participants agreed they were able to contribute to discussions and like the idea of an OG cancer breath test. Five themes emerged related to the proposed new breath test including awareness of OG cancer, barriers to testing and diagnosis, design of new test device, new clinical pathway and placement of test device. 3 themes emerged related to the use of SqS: participatory engagement, simulation and empathetic engagement, and why participants attended. SqS facilitated a shared immersive experience for participants and researchers that led to the coconstruction of knowledge that will guide future research activities and be of value to stakeholders concerned with the invention and adoption of POCT. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

Is the delivery of a quality improvement education programme in obstetrics and gynaecology for final year medical students feasible and still effective in a shortened time frame?

PubMed

Kool, Bridget; Wise, Michelle R; Peiris-John, Roshini; Sadler, Lynn; Mahony, Faith; Wells, Susan

2017-05-26

Teaching clinical audit skills to nascent health professionals is one strategy to improve frontline care. The undergraduate medical curriculum at the University of Auckland provides improvement science theory and skills in Year 5 teaching, and the opportunity to put this into practice during an Obstetrics and Gynaecology (O&G) clinical attachment in Year 6. In 2015, a revised medical school curriculum at the university resulted in a planned reduction of the O&G attachment from five weeks to four, necessitating revision of the Year 6 Quality Improvement (QI) project. The aim of this study was to evaluate if the revised programme provided an important experiential learning opportunity for medical students without imposing an unsustainable burden on clinical services. Based on a CIPP (Context/Input/Process/Product) evaluation model, the study was conducted in several stages to get a sense of the context as the new programme was being planned (Context evaluation), the feasibility of an alternative approach to meet the educational need (Input evaluation), the implementation of the revised programme (Process evaluation) and finally, the programme outcomes (Product evaluation). We used multiple data sources (supervisors, students, academic administrators, and hospital staff) and data collection methods (questionnaires, focus groups, individual interviews, consultative workshops, student reports and oral presentations). The context evaluation revealed the Year 6 QI programme to be valuable and contributed to O&G service improvements, however, the following concerns were identified: time to complete the project, timely topic selection and access to data, recognition of student achievement, and staff workload. The evaluation of the revised QI project indicated improvement in student perceptions of their QI knowledge and skills, and most areas previously identified as challenging, despite the concurrent reduction in the duration of the O&G attachment. Applying the CIPP model for evaluation to our revised QI programme enabled streamlining of procedures to achieve greater efficiency without compromising the quality of the learning experience, or increasing pressure on staff. A four week clinical rotation is adequate for medical educators to consider opportunities for including QI projects as part of student experiential learning.

Reactive transport modeling in the subsurface environment with OGS-IPhreeqc

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Wenkui; Beyer, Christof; Fleckenstein, Jan; Jang, Eunseon; Kalbacher, Thomas; Naumov, Dimitri; Shao, Haibing; Wang, Wenqing; Kolditz, Olaf

2015-04-01

Worldwide, sustainable water resource management becomes an increasingly challenging task due to the growth of population and extensive applications of fertilizer in agriculture. Moreover, climate change causes further stresses to both water quantity and quality. Reactive transport modeling in the coupled soil-aquifer system is a viable approach to assess the impacts of different land use and groundwater exploitation scenarios on the water resources. However, the application of this approach is usually limited in spatial scale and to simplified geochemical systems due to the huge computational expense involved. Such computational expense is not only caused by solving the high non-linearity of the initial boundary value problems of water flow in the unsaturated zone numerically with rather fine spatial and temporal discretization for the correct mass balance and numerical stability, but also by the intensive computational task of quantifying geochemical reactions. In the present study, a flexible and efficient tool for large scale reactive transport modeling in variably saturated porous media and its applications are presented. The open source scientific software OpenGeoSys (OGS) is coupled with the IPhreeqc module of the geochemical solver PHREEQC. The new coupling approach makes full use of advantages from both codes: OGS provides a flexible choice of different numerical approaches for simulation of water flow in the vadose zone such as the pressure-based or mixed forms of Richards equation; whereas the IPhreeqc module leads to a simplification of data storage and its communication with OGS, which greatly facilitates the coupling and code updating. Moreover, a parallelization scheme with MPI (Message Passing Interface) is applied, in which the computational task of water flow and mass transport is partitioned through domain decomposition, whereas the efficient parallelization of geochemical reactions is achieved by smart allocation of computational workload over multiple compute nodes. The plausibility of the new coupling is verified by several benchmark tests. In addition, the efficiency of the new coupling approach is demonstrated by its application in a large scale scenario, in which the environmental fate of pesticides in a complex soil-aquifer system is studied.

Reactive transport modeling in variably saturated porous media with OGS-IPhreeqc

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, W.; Beyer, C.; Fleckenstein, J. H.; Jang, E.; Kalbacher, T.; Shao, H.; Wang, W.; Kolditz, O.

2014-12-01

Worldwide, sustainable water resource management becomes an increasingly challenging task due to the growth of population and extensive applications of fertilizer in agriculture. Moreover, climate change causes further stresses to both water quantity and quality. Reactive transport modeling in the coupled soil-aquifer system is a viable approach to assess the impacts of different land use and groundwater exploitation scenarios on the water resources. However, the application of this approach is usually limited in spatial scale and to simplified geochemical systems due to the huge computational expense involved. Such computational expense is not only caused by solving the high non-linearity of the initial boundary value problems of water flow in the unsaturated zone numerically with rather fine spatial and temporal discretization for the correct mass balance and numerical stability, but also by the intensive computational task of quantifying geochemical reactions. In the present study, a flexible and efficient tool for large scale reactive transport modeling in variably saturated porous media and its applications are presented. The open source scientific software OpenGeoSys (OGS) is coupled with the IPhreeqc module of the geochemical solver PHREEQC. The new coupling approach makes full use of advantages from both codes: OGS provides a flexible choice of different numerical approaches for simulation of water flow in the vadose zone such as the pressure-based or mixed forms of Richards equation; whereas the IPhreeqc module leads to a simplification of data storage and its communication with OGS, which greatly facilitates the coupling and code updating. Moreover, a parallelization scheme with MPI (Message Passing Interface) is applied, in which the computational task of water flow and mass transport is partitioned through domain decomposition, whereas the efficient parallelization of geochemical reactions is achieved by smart allocation of computational workload over multiple compute nodes. The plausibility of the new coupling is verified by several benchmark tests. In addition, the efficiency of the new coupling approach is demonstrated by its application in a large scale scenario, in which the environmental fate of pesticides in a complex soil-aquifer system is studied.

Analysis of large optical ground stations for deep-space optical communications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garcia-Talavera, M. Reyes; Rivera, C.; Murga, G.; Montilla, I.; Alonso, A.

2017-11-01

Inter-satellite and ground to satellite optical communications have been successfully demonstrated over more than a decade with several experiments, the most recent being NASA's lunar mission Lunar Atmospheric Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE). The technology is in a mature stage that allows to consider optical communications as a high-capacity solution for future deep-space communications [1][2], where there is an increasing demand on downlink data rate to improve science return. To serve these deep-space missions, suitable optical ground stations (OGS) have to be developed providing large collecting areas. The design of such OGSs must face both technical and cost constraints in order to achieve an optimum implementation. To that end, different approaches have already been proposed and analyzed, namely, a large telescope based on a segmented primary mirror, telescope arrays, and even the combination of RF and optical receivers in modified versions of existing Deep-Space Network (DSN) antennas [3][4][5]. Array architectures have been proposed to relax some requirements, acting as one of the key drivers of the present study. The advantages offered by the array approach are attained at the expense of adding subsystems. Critical issues identified for each implementation include their inherent efficiency and losses, as well as its performance under high-background conditions, and the acquisition, pointing, tracking, and synchronization capabilities. It is worth noticing that, due to the photon-counting nature of detection, the system performance is not solely given by the signal-to-noise ratio parameter. To start with the analysis, first the main implications of the deep space scenarios are summarized, since they are the driving requirements to establish the technical specifications for the large OGS. Next, both the main characteristics of the OGS and the potential configuration approaches are presented, getting deeper in key subsystems with strong impact in the performance. The different configurations are compared from the technical point of view, taking into account the effect of atmospheric conditions. Finally a very preliminary cost analysis for a large aperture OGS is presented.

Phylogenomics of Lophotrochozoa with Consideration of Systematic Error.

PubMed

Kocot, Kevin M; Struck, Torsten H; Merkel, Julia; Waits, Damien S; Todt, Christiane; Brannock, Pamela M; Weese, David A; Cannon, Johanna T; Moroz, Leonid L; Lieb, Bernhard; Halanych, Kenneth M

2017-03-01

Phylogenomic studies have improved understanding of deep metazoan phylogeny and show promise for resolving incongruences among analyses based on limited numbers of loci. One region of the animal tree that has been especially difficult to resolve, even with phylogenomic approaches, is relationships within Lophotrochozoa (the animal clade that includes molluscs, annelids, and flatworms among others). Lack of resolution in phylogenomic analyses could be due to insufficient phylogenetic signal, limitations in taxon and/or gene sampling, or systematic error. Here, we investigated why lophotrochozoan phylogeny has been such a difficult question to answer by identifying and reducing sources of systematic error. We supplemented existing data with 32 new transcriptomes spanning the diversity of Lophotrochozoa and constructed a new set of Lophotrochozoa-specific core orthologs. Of these, 638 orthologous groups (OGs) passed strict screening for paralogy using a tree-based approach. In order to reduce possible sources of systematic error, we calculated branch-length heterogeneity, evolutionary rate, percent missing data, compositional bias, and saturation for each OG and analyzed increasingly stricter subsets of only the most stringent (best) OGs for these five variables. Principal component analysis of the values for each factor examined for each OG revealed that compositional heterogeneity and average patristic distance contributed most to the variance observed along the first principal component while branch-length heterogeneity and, to a lesser extent, saturation contributed most to the variance observed along the second. Missing data did not strongly contribute to either. Additional sensitivity analyses examined effects of removing taxa with heterogeneous branch lengths, large amounts of missing data, and compositional heterogeneity. Although our analyses do not unambiguously resolve lophotrochozoan phylogeny, we advance the field by reducing the list of viable hypotheses. Moreover, our systematic approach for dissection of phylogenomic data can be applied to explore sources of incongruence and poor support in any phylogenomic data set. [Annelida; Brachiopoda; Bryozoa; Entoprocta; Mollusca; Nemertea; Phoronida; Platyzoa; Polyzoa; Spiralia; Trochozoa.]. © The Author(s) 2016. Published by Oxford University Press, on behalf of the Society of Systematic Biologists. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Characterization of avian paramyxovirus serotype 14, a novel serotype, isolated from a duck fecal sample in Japan.

PubMed

Thampaisarn, Rapeewan; Bui, Vuong N; Trinh, Dai Q; Nagai, Makoto; Mizutani, Tetsuya; Omatsu, Tsutomu; Katayama, Yukie; Gronsang, Dulyatad; Le, Duong H T; Ogawa, Haruko; Imai, Kunitoshi

2017-01-15

A hemagglutinating virus isolate designated 11OG0352, was obtained from a duck fecal sample. Genetic and virological analyses indicated that it might represent a novel serotype of avian paramyxovirus (APMV). Electron micrographs showed that the morphology of the virus particle was similar to that of APMV. The complete genome of this virus comprised 15,444 nucleotides complying with the paramyxovirus "rule of six" and contains six open reading frames (3'-N-P-M-F-HN-L-5'). The phylogenetic analysis of the whole genome revealed that the virus was a member of the genus Avulavirus, but that it was distinct from APMV-1 to APMV-13. Although the F-protein cleavage site was TREGK↓L, which resembles a lentogenic strain of APMV-1, the K residue at position -1 of the cleavage site was first discovered in APMV members. The phosphoprotein gene of isolate 11OG0352 contains a putative RNA editing site, 3'-AUUUUCCC-5' (negative sense) which sequence differs from that of other APMVs. The intracerebral pathogenicity index test did not detect virulence in infected chicks. In hemagglutination inhibition (HI) tests, an antiserum against this virus did not detectably react with other APMVs (serotypes 1-4, 6-9) except for low reciprocal cross-reactivity with APMV-6. We designated this isolate, as APMV-14/duck/Japan/11OG0352/2011 and propose that it is a novel APMV serotype. The HI test may not be widely applicable for the classification of a new serotype because of the limited availability of reference antisera against all serotypes and cross-reactivity data. The nucleotide sequence identities of the whole genome of 11OG0352 and other APMVs ranged from 46.3% to 56.1%. Such comparison may provide a useful tool for classifying new APMV isolates. However, the nucleotide sequence identity between APMV-12 and APMV-13 was higher (64%), which was nearly identical to the lowest nucleotide identity (67%) reported in subgroups within the serotype. Therefore, consensus criteria for using whole genome analysis should be established. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A description of shock attenuation for children running.

PubMed

Mercer, John A; Dufek, Janet S; Mangus, Brent C; Rubley, Mack D; Bhanot, Kunal; Aldridge, Jennifer M

2010-01-01

A growing number of children are participating in organized sport activities, resulting in a concomitant increase in lower extremity injuries. Little is known about the impact generated when children are running or how this impact is attenuated in child runners. To describe shock attenuation characteristics for children running at different speeds on a treadmill and at a single speed over ground. Prospective cohort study. Biomechanics laboratory. Eleven boys (age = 10.5 +/- 0.9 years, height = 143.7 +/- 8.3 cm, mass = 39.4 +/- 10.9 kg) and 7 girls (age = 9.9 +/- 1.1 years, height = 136.2 +/- 7.7 cm, mass = 35.1 +/- 9.6 kg) participated. Participants completed 4 running conditions, including 3 treadmill (TM) running speeds (preferred, fast [0.5 m/s more than preferred], and slow [0.5 m/s less than preferred]) and 1 overground (OG) running speed. We measured leg peak impact acceleration (LgPk), head peak impact acceleration (HdPk), and shock attenuation (ratio of LgPk to HdPk). Shock attenuation (F(2,16) = 4.80, P = .01) was influenced by the interaction of speed and sex. Shock attenuation increased across speeds (slow, preferred, fast) for boys (P < .05) but not for girls (P > .05). Both LgPk (F(1,16) = 5.04, P = .04) and HdPk (F(1,16) = 6.04, P = .03) were different across speeds, and both were greater for girls than for boys. None of the dependent variables were influenced by the interaction of setting (TM, OG) and sex (P >or= .05). Shock attenuation (F(1,16) = 33.51, P < .001) and LgPk (F(1,16) = 31.54, P < .001) were different between TM and OG, and each was greater when running OG than on the TM, regardless of sex. Shock attenuation was between 66% and 76% for children running under a variety of conditions. Girls had greater peak impact accelerations at the leg and head levels than boys but achieved similar shock attenuation. We do not know how these shock attenuation characteristics are related to overuse injuries.

Ninteenth International Cosmic Ray Conference. OG Sessions, Volume 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, F. C. (Compiler)

1985-01-01

Contributed papers addressing cosmic ray origin and galactic phenomena are compiled. The topic areas covered in this volume include gamma ray bursts, gamma rays from point sources, and diffuse gamma ray emission.

Nineteenth International Cosmic Ray Conference. OG Sessions, Volume 3

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, F. C. (Compiler)

1985-01-01

Papers submitted for presentation at the 19th International Cosmic Ray Conference are compiled. This volume addresses cosmic ray sources and acceleration, interstellar propagation and nuclear interactions, and detection techniques and instrumentation.

Ion Dynamics of a BHT-600 Hall Thruster Measured with Time-Resolved Laser-Induced Fluorescence

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-01-14

LIF  Method V = 0 V V λ = λ0 λ > λ0 λ < λ0 Ion Velocity from  Doppler Shift: 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4...0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1 Frequency (GHz) N o r m a l i z e d S i g n a l xneg28z6_AVG OG LIF OG Fit LIF Fit AFRL | BHT‐600 TRLIF | Jan 14, 2016 10...Distribution A: Approved for Public Release; Distribution Unlimited. PA# 16204 Time‐Resolved  LIF  Method Laser  Tapered Amp  D1  BS1  BS2  D2  O G C  

Study of driving fatigue alleviation by transcutaneous acupoints electrical stimulations.

PubMed

Wang, Fuwang; Wang, Hong

2014-01-01

Driving fatigue is more likely to bring serious safety trouble to traffic. Therefore, accurately and rapidly detecting driving fatigue state and alleviating fatigue are particularly important. In the present work, the electrical stimulation method stimulating the Láogóng point (PC8) of human body is proposed, which is used to alleviate the mental fatigue of drivers. The wavelet packet decomposition (WPD) is used to extract θ, α, and β subbands of drivers' electroencephalogram (EEG) signals. Performances of the two algorithms (θ + α)/(α + β) and θ/β are also assessed as possible indicators for fatigue detection. Finally, the differences between the drivers with electrical stimulation and normal driving are discussed. It is shown that stimulating the Láogóng point (PC8) using electrical stimulation method can alleviate driver fatigue effectively during longtime driving.

Investigation of the Makeup, Source, and Removal Strategies for Total Organic Carbon in the Oxygen Generation System Recirculation Loop

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bowman, Elizabeth M.; Carpenter, Joyce; Roy, Robert J.; Van Keuren, Steve; Wilson, Mark E.

2015-01-01

Since 2007, the Oxygen Generation System (OGS) on board the International Space Station (ISS) has been producing oxygen for crew respiration via water electrolysis. As water is consumed in the OGS recirculating water loop, make-up water is furnished by the ISS potable water bus. A rise in Total Organic Carbon (TOC) was observed beginning in February, 2011, which continues through the present date. Increasing TOC is of concern because the organic constituents responsible for the TOC were unknown and had not been identified; hence their impacts on the operation of the electrolytic cell stack components and on microorganism growth rates and types are unknown. Identification of the compounds responsible for the TOC increase, their sources, and estimates of their loadings in the OGA as well as possible mitigation strategies are presented.

A method for optical ground station reduce alignment error in satellite-ground quantum experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Dong; Wang, Qiang; Zhou, Jian-Wei; Song, Zhi-Jun; Zhong, Dai-Jun; Jiang, Yu; Liu, Wan-Sheng; Huang, Yong-Mei

2018-03-01

A satellite dedicated for quantum science experiments, has been developed and successfully launched from Jiuquan, China, on August 16, 2016. Two new optical ground stations (OGSs) were built to cooperate with the satellite to complete satellite-ground quantum experiments. OGS corrected its pointing direction by satellite trajectory error to coarse tracking system and uplink beacon sight, therefore fine tracking CCD and uplink beacon optical axis alignment accuracy was to ensure that beacon could cover the quantum satellite in all time when it passed the OGSs. Unfortunately, when we tested specifications of the OGSs, due to the coarse tracking optical system was commercial telescopes, the change of position of the target in the coarse CCD was up to 600μrad along with the change of elevation angle. In this paper, a method of reduce alignment error between beacon beam and fine tracking CCD is proposed. Firstly, OGS fitted the curve of target positions in coarse CCD along with the change of elevation angle. Secondly, OGS fitted the curve of hexapod secondary mirror positions along with the change of elevation angle. Thirdly, when tracking satellite, the fine tracking error unloaded on the real-time zero point position of coarse CCD which computed by the firstly calibration data. Simultaneously the positions of the hexapod secondary mirror were adjusted by the secondly calibration data. Finally the experiment result is proposed. Results show that the alignment error is less than 50μrad.

Detection of Induced Seismicity Due to Oil and Gas Extraction in the Northern Gulf of Mexico, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fadugba, O. I.; Ebel, J.

2014-12-01

Drilling operations and extraction of oil and gas (O&G) may lead to subsurface slumping or compression of sediments due to reduced vertical principal stress which may lead to small earthquakes at the drilling site. O&G extraction is common in the northern Gulf of Mexico (NGM) and only thirty-five earthquakes of magnitudes between 2.3 and 6.0 have been recorded in the area from 1974 to the present. The purpose of this research is to detect more earthquakes using stacks of seismic data from the EarthScope Transportable USArray (TA) from 2011 to 2013, and determine the spatiotemporal relationship between the detected earthquakes and O&G extraction. TA waveform records were retrieved from IRIS database and a narrow bandpass filter of 1 - 2 Hz was applied to remove background and high frequency noises and focus on the low energy part of the signal. The seismic record at all stations was plotted vertically with respect to distance from the Gulf. An Automatic Gain Control (AGC) using Root Mean Square was applied to boost the signals at farther stations. More than 1500 events have been detected, including teleseisms and local blasts from the area, especially from the three Walter Minerals coal mines in Alabama. No offshore earthquakes have been detected in the data, although data processing is still ongoing. Therefore, any earthquake activity, if present, associated with the offshore oil and gas production must be at a magnitude below the detection threshold of the algorithm.

Anti-Diabetic Potential of Ocimum gratissimum Leaf Fractions in Fortified Diet-Fed Streptozotocin Treated Rat Model of Type-2 Diabetes

PubMed Central

Umar, Isamila A.; James, Dorcas B.; Inuwa, Hajiya M.

2017-01-01

Background: Ocimum gratissimum (OG) is used in the traditional management of diabetes in Nigeria. This study investigated the anti-diabetic potential of OG leaf fractions (OGLF) in a rat model of Type-2 diabetes (T2D). Methods: Methanol crude extract of OG leaf was fractionated with solvents of increasing order of polarity (n-hexane, chloroform, ethyl-acetate, n-butanol and water). The anti-diabetic potential of the fractions was evaluated in vivo. T2D was induced in Albino Wistar rats and treated with OGLF. Results: The T2D rats showed significant elevation in serum levels of fasting blood glucose (FBG), liver and kidney function biomarkers. At 4-week of intervention with OGLF, the untreated diabetic control group maintained severe hyperglycaemia in the presence of 61.7% serum insulin, 17.3% pancreatic β-cell function (HOMA-β) and 51.5% Insulin sensitivity. The glucose tolerance ability was enhanced in the n-butanol-fraction (OGb) treated group. With 74.8% available serum insulin and 38.6% improvement in insulin sensitivity, the OGb treated group had a 63.5% reduction in FBG and it was found to be most effective as it ameliorates a majority of the changes caused in the studied parameters in diabetic rats. Conclusions: The data from this study suggest that OGb fraction is a potential candidate for the development of an effective drug for the management of T2D. PMID:29019956

Arsenic removal using steel manufacturing byproducts as permeable reactive materials in mine tailing containment systems.

PubMed

Ahn, Joo Sung; Chon, Chul-Min; Moon, Hi-Soo; Kim, Kyoung-Woong

2003-05-01

Steel manufacturing byproducts were tested as a means of treating mine tailing leachate with a high As concentration. Byproduct materials can be placed in situ as permeable reactive barriers to control the subsurface release of leachate from tailing containment systems. The tested materials had various compositions of elemental Fe, Fe oxides, Ca-Fe oxides and Ca hydroxides typical of different steel manufacturing processes. Among these materials, evaporation cooler dust (ECD), oxygen gas sludge (OGS), basic oxygen furnace slag (BOFS) and to a lesser degree, electrostatic precipitator dust (EPD) effectively removed both As(V) and As(III) during batch experiments. ECD, OGS and BOFS reduced As concentrations to <0.5mg/l from 25mg/l As(V) or As(III) solution in 72 h, exhibiting higher removal capacities than zero-valent iron. High Ca concentrations and alkaline conditions (pH ca. 12) provided by the dissolution of Ca hydroxides may promote the formation of stable, sparingly soluble Ca-As compounds. When initial pH conditions were adjusted to 4, As reduction was enhanced, probably by adsorption onto iron oxides. The elution rate of retained As from OGS and ECD decreased with treatment time, and increasing the residence time in a permeable barrier strategy would be beneficial for the immobilization of As. When applied to real tailing leachate, ECD was found to be the most efficient barrier material to increase pH and to remove As and dissolved metals.

LEO-to-ground optical communications using SOTA (Small Optical TrAnsponder) - Payload verification results and experiments on space quantum communications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carrasco-Casado, Alberto; Takenaka, Hideki; Kolev, Dimitar; Munemasa, Yasushi; Kunimori, Hiroo; Suzuki, Kenji; Fuse, Tetsuharu; Kubo-Oka, Toshihiro; Akioka, Maki; Koyama, Yoshisada; Toyoshima, Morio

2017-10-01

Free-space optical communications have held the promise of revolutionizing space communications for a long time. The benefits of increasing the bitrate while reducing the volume, mass and energy of the space terminals have attracted the attention of many researchers for a long time. In the last few years, more and more technology demonstrations have been taking place with participants from both the public and the private sector. The National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) in Japan has a long experience in this field. SOTA (Small Optical TrAnsponder) was the last NICT space lasercom mission, designed to demonstrate the potential of this technology applied to microsatellites. Since the beginning of SOTA mission in 2014, NICT regularly established communication using the Optical Ground Stations (OGS) located in the Headquarters at Koganei (Tokyo) to receive the SOTA signals, with over one hundred successful links. All the goals of the SOTA mission were fulfilled, including up to 10-Mbit/s downlinks using two different wavelengths and apertures, coarse and fine tracking of the OGS beacon, space-to-ground transmission of the on-board-camera images, experiments with different error correcting codes, interoperability with other international OGS, and experiments on quantum communications. The SOTA mission ended on November 2016, more than doubling the designed lifetime of 1-year. In this paper, the SOTA characteristics and basic operation are explained, along with the most relevant technological demonstrations.

Mapping three guanine oxidation products along DNA following exposure to three types of reactive oxygen species.

PubMed

Matter, Brock; Seiler, Christopher L; Murphy, Kristopher; Ming, Xun; Zhao, Jianwei; Lindgren, Bruce; Jones, Roger; Tretyakova, Natalia

2018-06-01

Reactive oxygen and nitrogen species generated during respiration, inflammation, and immune response can damage cellular DNA, contributing to aging, cancer, and neurodegeneration. The ability of oxidized DNA bases to interfere with DNA replication and transcription is strongly influenced by their chemical structures and locations within the genome. In the present work, we examined the influence of local DNA sequence context, DNA secondary structure, and oxidant identity on the efficiency and the chemistry of guanine oxidation in the context of the Kras protooncogene. A novel isotope labeling strategy developed in our laboratory was used to accurately map the formation of 2,2-diamino-4-[(2-deoxy-β-D-erythropentofuranosyl)amino]- 5(2 H)-oxazolone (Z), 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2'-deoxyguanosine (OG), and 8-nitroguanine (8-NO 2 -G) lesions along DNA duplexes following photooxidation in the presence of riboflavin, treatment with nitrosoperoxycarbonate, and oxidation in the presence of hydroxyl radicals. Riboflavin-mediated photooxidation preferentially induced OG lesions at 5' guanines within GG repeats, while treatment with nitrosoperoxycarbonate targeted 3'-guanines within GG and AG dinucleotides. Little sequence selectivity was observed following hydroxyl radical-mediated oxidation. However, Z and 8-NO 2 -G adducts were overproduced at duplex ends, irrespective of oxidant identity. Overall, our results indicate that the patterns of Z, OG, and 8-NO 2 -G adduct formation in the genome are distinct and are influenced by oxidant identity and the secondary structure of DNA. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Evaluating Oil and Gas Speciation Profiles with Factor Analysis of Ambient Volatile Organic Compound Concentrations in the Colorado Front Range

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Capps, S.; Paranjothi, G.; Pierce, G. E.; Milford, J. B.

2016-12-01

Increased oil and gas (O&G) development, particularly through the use of hydraulic fracturing, in the Denver-Julesburg Basin (DJB) in Colorado over the last decade has been identified as a source of emissions of air pollutants, which are now included in chemical transport modeling. As one effort to evaluate its impact, ambient concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that serve as precursors to ozone formation were measured in an Ozone Precursor Study conducted by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment during 2013 and 2014. The study included 6 - 9 a.m. measurements of an extensive suite of ozone-precursor VOCs from a site in an area of intensive O&G development in Platteville, CO, and another site in downtown Denver, CO. To evaluate the influences of urban activity or O&G development on these ambient concentrations, we used the U.S. EPA's Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) tool. A five-factor PMF solution was selected as providing the best fit to the dataset comprised of VOC measurements for both years and both sites. One PMF factor matches the VOC emissions speciation profile for the flashing gas composition for condensate tanks in the DJB that was developed by the Western Regional Air Partnership for use in chemical transport modeling in the region. The contribution of this factor to individual and total VOC concentrations and ozone production reactivity is evaluated for Platteville and Denver.

Anti-Diabetic Potential of Ocimum gratissimum Leaf Fractions in Fortified Diet-Fed Streptozotocin Treated Rat Model of Type-2 Diabetes.

PubMed

Okoduwa, Stanley I R; Umar, Isamila A; James, Dorcas B; Inuwa, Hajiya M

2017-10-11

Background : Ocimum gratissimum (OG) is used in the traditional management of diabetes in Nigeria. This study investigated the anti-diabetic potential of OG leaf fractions (OGLF) in a rat model of Type-2 diabetes (T2D). Method : Methanol crude extract of OG leaf was fractionated with solvents of increasing order of polarity ( n -hexane, chloroform, ethyl-acetate, n -butanol and water). The anti-diabetic potential of the fractions was evaluated in vivo. T2D was induced in Albino Wistar rats and treated with OGLF. Result : The T2D rats showed significant elevation in serum levels of fasting blood glucose (FBG), liver and kidney function biomarkers. At 4-weeks of intervention with OGLF, the untreated diabetic control group maintained severe hyperglycaemia in the presence of 61.7% serum insulin, 17.3% pancreatic β-cell function (HOMA-β) and 51.5% Insulin sensitivity. The glucose tolerance ability was enhanced in the n -butanol-fraction (OGb) treated group. With 74.8% available serum insulin and 38.6% improvement in insulin sensitivity, the OGb treated group had a 63.5% reduction in FBG and it was found to be most effective as it ameliorates a majority of the changes caused in the studied parameters in diabetic rats. Conclusions : The data from this study suggest that OGb fraction is a potential candidate for the development of an effective drug for the management of T2D.

40 CFR 432.2 - General definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... and grease. (4) O&G (as HEM) means total recoverable oil and grease measured as n-hexane extractable... measured by EPA Method 300.0 (incorporated by reference, see § 432.5). (1) Ammonia (as N) means ammonia...

40 CFR 432.2 - General definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... and grease. (4) O&G (as HEM) means total recoverable oil and grease measured as n-hexane extractable... measured by EPA Method 300.0 (incorporated by reference, see § 432.5). (1) Ammonia (as N) means ammonia...

40 CFR 432.2 - General definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... and grease. (4) O&G (as HEM) means total recoverable oil and grease measured as n-hexane extractable... measured by EPA Method 300.0 (incorporated by reference, see § 432.5). (1) Ammonia (as N) means ammonia...

40 CFR 432.2 - General definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... and grease. (4) O&G (as HEM) means total recoverable oil and grease measured as n-hexane extractable... measured by EPA Method 300.0 (incorporated by reference, see § 432.5). (1) Ammonia (as N) means ammonia...

40 CFR 432.2 - General definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... and grease. (4) O&G (as HEM) means total recoverable oil and grease measured as n-hexane extractable... measured by EPA Method 300.0 (incorporated by reference, see § 432.5). (1) Ammonia (as N) means ammonia...

Effects of cultivar and grazing initiation date on fall-grown oat for replacement dairy heifers.

PubMed

Coblentz, W K; Brink, G E; Esser, N M; Cavadini, J S

2015-09-01

Fall-grown oat has shown promise for extending the grazing season in Wisconsin, but the optimum date for initiating grazing has not been evaluated. Our objectives for this project were (1) to assess the pasture productivity and nutritive value of 2 oat cultivars [Ogle and ForagePlus (OG and FP, respectively)] with late-September (EG) or mid-October (LG) grazing initiation dates; and (2) to evaluate growth performance by heifers grazing these oat forages compared with heifers reared in confinement (CON). A total of 160 gravid Holstein heifers (80 heifers/yr) were assigned to 10 research groups (8 heifers/group). Mean initial body weight was 509±40.5 kg in 2013 and 517±30.2 kg in 2014. Heifer groups were assigned to specific pastures arranged as a 2×2 factorial of oat cultivars and grazing initiation dates. Grazing heifer groups were allowed to strip-graze oat pastures for 6 h daily before returning to the barn, where they were offered a forage-based basal total mixed ration. Main effects of oat cultivar and sampling date interacted for forage characteristics in 2013, but not in 2014. During 2013, oat forage mass increased until early November before declining in response to freezing weather conditions, thereby exhibiting linear and quadratic effects of sampling date, regardless of oat cultivar. Similar trends over time were observed in 2014. For 2013, the maximum forage mass was 5,329 and 5,046 kg/ha for FP and OG, respectively, whereas the mean maximum forage mass for 2014 was 4,806 kg/ha. ForagePlus did not reach the boot stage of growth during either year of the trial; OG matured more rapidly, reaching the late-heading stage during 2013, but exhibited only minor maturity differences from FP in 2014. For 2013, average daily gain for CON did not differ from grazing heifer groups (overall mean=0.63 kg/d); however, average daily gain from FP was greater than OG (0.68 vs. 0.57 kg/d), and greater from EG compared with LG (0.82 vs. 0.43 kg/d). For 2013, advantages in average daily gain for heifers grazing FP pastures were likely related to the greater energy density of FP oat throughout the fall that reached a maximum of 68.8% total digestible nutrients on November 27 compared with only 63.7% for OG on October 10. During 2014, average daily gain from CON exceeded all grazing heifer groups (0.81 vs. 0.57 kg/d), and average daily gain from EG again exceeded LG (0.70 vs. 0.44 kg/d). These results suggest that delaying grazing until mid-October will consistently suppress heifer growth performance, particularly if rapidly maturing cultivars are used. Copyright © 2015 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Cosmic Ray Origin, Acceleration and Propagation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baring, Matthew G.

2000-01-01

This paper summarizes highlights of the OG3.1, 3.2 and 3.3 sessions of the 26th International Cosmic Ray Conference in Salt Lake City, which were devoted to issues of origin/composition, acceleration and propagation.

Study of Driving Fatigue Alleviation by Transcutaneous Acupoints Electrical Stimulations

PubMed Central

Wang, Fuwang; Wang, Hong

2014-01-01

Driving fatigue is more likely to bring serious safety trouble to traffic. Therefore, accurately and rapidly detecting driving fatigue state and alleviating fatigue are particularly important. In the present work, the electrical stimulation method stimulating the Láogóng point (劳宫PC8) of human body is proposed, which is used to alleviate the mental fatigue of drivers. The wavelet packet decomposition (WPD) is used to extract θ, α, and β subbands of drivers' electroencephalogram (EEG) signals. Performances of the two algorithms (θ + α)/(α + β) and θ/β are also assessed as possible indicators for fatigue detection. Finally, the differences between the drivers with electrical stimulation and normal driving are discussed. It is shown that stimulating the Láogóng point (劳宫PC8) using electrical stimulation method can alleviate driver fatigue effectively during longtime driving. PMID:25254242

Integrated modeling of protein-coding genes in the Manduca sexta genome using RNA-Seq data from the biochemical model insect

PubMed Central

Cao, Xiaolong; Jiang, Haobo

2015-01-01

The genome sequence of Manduca sexta was recently determined using 454 technology. Cufflinks and MAKER2 were used to establish gene models in the genome assembly based on the RNA-Seq data and other species' sequences. Aided by the extensive RNA-Seq data from 50 tissue samples at various life stages, annotators over the world (including the present authors) have manually confirmed and improved a small percentage of the models after spending months of effort. While such collaborative efforts are highly commendable, many of the predicted genes still have problems which may hamper future research on this insect species. As a biochemical model representing lepidopteran pests, M. sexta has been used extensively to study insect physiological processes for over five decades. In this work, we assembled Manduca datasets Cufflinks 3.0, Trinity 4.0, and Oases 4.0 to assist the manual annotation efforts and development of Official Gene Set (OGS) 2.0. To further improve annotation quality, we developed methods to evaluate gene models in the MAKER2, Cufflinks, Oases and Trinity assemblies and selected the best ones to constitute MCOT 1.0 after thorough crosschecking. MCOT 1.0 has 18,089 genes encoding 31,666 proteins: 32.8% match OGS 2.0 models perfectly or near perfectly, 11,747 differ considerably, and 29.5% are absent in OGS 2.0. Future automation of this process is anticipated to greatly reduce human efforts in generating comprehensive, reliable models of structural genes in other genome projects where extensive RNA-Seq data are available. PMID:25612938

Beneficial Use of Produced Water from Oil and Gas Operations for Agriculture: Effects on Crop Health and Crop Uptake of Contaminants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sedlacko, E.; Blaine, A. C.; Haynes, K. M.; Higgins, C. P.

2016-12-01

The balance between water conservation and energy generation is difficult to maintain. Oil and gas (O&G) companies look to dispose of produced water in safe, economical ways, while farmers desperate for water seek plentiful sources to maintain their fields. The solution seems simple—purify the water from O&G operations and deliver it to the farmers for irrigation to ensure a reliable source of food. Unfortunately, little research has been conducted to date that could provide purification guidelines, risk warnings, or standard methods for how to implement this solution. In addition, multiple barriers to implementation including regulatory, economic, liability, and social license considerations, must be addressed. This presentation contains data regarding the uptake of compounds two crops, Triticum aestivum (spring wheat) and Helianthus annus (sunflower), grown in a controlled greenhouse environment and irrigated with different dilutions of raw and treated produced water from O&G operations. Differences in plant height, plant color, leaf area, and plant mass were examined, and additional laboratory analyses were conducted on the plants to detect uptake of inorganic and organic substances. Plant stress was also assessed both qualitatively and through plant hormone analysis. In addition, this project provided the opportunity for K-12 teachers to become involved in university research through a new National Science Foundation Research Experience for Teachers (RET) program at Colorado School of Mines. The subsequent impacts of this food-energy-water nexus research on local communities and local STEM curricula via the RET program will also be highlighted.

Oxidative Stress Function in Women over 40 Years of Age, Considering Their Lifestyle.

PubMed

Gonçalves Mota, Maria Paula; Santos, Zirlene; Soares, Jorge; Pereira, Ana; Fonseca, Sandra; Peixoto, Francisco; Gaivão, Isabel; Oliveira, Maria

2017-01-01

Aging is dependent on biological processes that determine the aging of the organism at the cellular level. The Oxidative Stress Theory of Aging might explain some of the age-related changes in cell macromolecules. Moreover, exposome and lifestyle may also induce changes in cell damage induced by oxidative stress. The aim of the present study was to analyze the related redox changes in lymphocyte function of healthy women over 40 years old. Three groups: younger (YG: 40-49 years), middle aged (MAG: 50-59 years), and older (OG: ≥60 years) were evaluated on anthropometric variables, blood pressure, cardiovascular fitness, lifestyle habits, perceived stress, DNA damage, malondialdehyde, catalase activity, and total antioxidant capacity. Physical activity and cardiovascular fitness were significantly higher in YG and MAG as compared to the OG. Systolic blood pressure increased significantly with group age. Frequency and total amount of alcohol intake were lower in the OG and higher in the MAG. No significant differences were observed between the three groups in oxidative stress parameters. Only alcohol consumption was associated with the higher DNA FPG-sensitive sites, and only in the YG ( p  < 0.05). Healthy lifestyle is critical to avoiding major ailments associated with aging. This may be inferred from the lack of significant differences in the various oxidative stress parameters measured in the healthy women over the age of 40 who took part in the study. Conscious lifestyle behaviors (decrease in alcohol and smoking habits) could have impaired the expected age-related oxidative stress increase.

The effect of early physiotherapy on the recovery of mandibular function after orthognathic surgery for class III correction. Part II: electromyographic activity of masticatory muscles.

PubMed

Ko, Ellen Wen-Ching; Teng, Terry Te-Yi; Huang, Chiung Shing; Chen, Yu-Ray

2015-01-01

The study was conducted to evaluate the effect of early physical rehabilitation by comparing the differences of surface electromyographic (sEMG) activity in the masseter and anterior temporalis muscles after surgical correction of skeletal class III malocclusion. The prospective study included 63 patients; the experimental groups contained 31 patients who received early systematic physical rehabilitation; the control group (32 patients) did not receive physiotherapy. The amplitude of sEMG in the masticatory muscles reached 72.6-121.3% and 37.5-64.6% of pre-surgical values in the experimental and control groups respectively at 6 weeks after orthognathic surgery (OGS). At 6 months after OGS, the sEMG reached 135.1-233.4% and 89.6-122.5% of pre-surgical values in the experimental and control groups respectively. Most variables in the sEMG examination indicated that recovery of the masticatory muscles in the experimental group was better than the control group as estimated in the early phase (T1 to T2) and the total phase (T1 to T3); there were no significant differences between the mean recovery percentages in the later phase (T2 to T3). Early physical rehabilitative therapy is helpful for early recovery of muscle activity in masticatory muscles after OGS. After termination of physical therapy, no significant difference in recovery was indicated in patients with or without early physiotherapy. Copyright © 2014 European Association for Cranio-Maxillo-Facial Surgery. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Assessment of clinical outcomes of Roth and MBT bracket prescription using the American Board of Orthodontics Objective Grading System

PubMed Central

Jain, Mahesh; Varghese, Joseph; Mascarenhas, Rohan; Mogra, Subraya; Shetty, Siddarth; Dhakar, Nidhi

2013-01-01

Background: There is always a need to assess whether small changes in bracket prescription can lead to visually detectable differences in tooth positions. However, with little clinical evidence to show advantages of any of the popularly used bracket systems, orthodontists are forced to make clinical decisions with little scientific guidance. Aim: To compare the orthodontic cases finished with Roth and MBT prescription using American Board of Orthodontics-Objective Grading System (ABO-OGS). Settings and Design: Department of Orthodontics, Post-graduate dental college, retrospective cross-sectional study. Materials and Methods: Forty patients selected were divided into two groups of 20 patients each finished with straight wire appliance using Roth and MBT prescription, respectively. The examiner ability was assessed and calibrated by one of the ABO certified clinician to grade cases using the OGS. Statistical Analysis: Unpaired student t-test was used and P < 0.05 was accepted as significant. Results and Conclusions: MBT bracket group had a lower score of 2.60 points in buccolingual inclination and lower score of 1.10 points in occlusal contact category that was statistically significant when compared with Roth group. The difference in total ABO-OGS score was 2.65 points showing that the outcome for the MBT prescription was better than that of the Roth prescription, which is statistically significant, but with little or no clinical significance. It can be concluded that use of either one of the Roth and MBT bracket prescriptions have no impact to the overall clinical outcome and quality of treatment entirely depends on clinician judgment and experience. PMID:24124295

Is the Okavango Delta the terminus of the East African Rift System? Towards a new geodynamic model: Geodetic study and geophysical review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pastier, Anne-Morwenn; Dauteuil, Olivier; Murray-Hudson, Michael; Moreau, Frédérique; Walpersdorf, Andrea; Makati, Kaelo

2017-08-01

The Okavango Graben (OG) has been considered as the terminus of the southwestern branch of the East African Rift System (EARS) since the 1970s based on fault morphology and early seismic and geophysical data. Thus it has been assumed to be an incipient rifting zone, analogous to the early stage of mature rifts in the EARS. Recent geodetic data and geophysical studies in the area bring new insights into the local crust and lithosphere, mantle activity and fault activity. In this study, we computed the velocities for three permanent GPS stations surrounding the graben and undertook a review of the new geophysical data available for the area. The northern and southern blocks of the graben show an exclusively low strike-slip displacement rate of about 1mm/year, revealing the transtensional nature of this basin. The seismic record of central and southern Africa was found to be instrumentally biased for the events recorded before 2004 and the OG may not represent the most seismically active area in Botswana anymore. Moreover, no significant lithosphere and crustal thinning is found in the tectonic structure nor any strong negative Bouguer anomaly and surface heat flux. Thus the OG does not match the classical model for a rifting zone. We propose a new geodynamic model for the deformation observed west of the EARS based on accommodation of far-field deformation due to the differential extension rates of the EARS and the displacement of the Kalahari craton relative to the Nubian plate.

Characteristics and treatability of oil-bearing wastes from aluminum alloy machining operations.

PubMed

Chen, Luke; Hsieh, Chueh-Chen; Wetherbee, John; Yang, Chen-Lu

2008-04-15

Enomoto Industry Co., exclusively uses water-based cutting fluids in its aluminum alloy machining operations. Since the cost of disposal can be much greater than the cost of purchase, the treatability of spent cutting fluids is becoming a major criterion for cutting fluid selection. Samples were collected from the machining lines at Enomoto's facility to determine their characteristics and evaluate their treatability with centrifugation, chemical coagulation and electrochemical coagulation. As expected, oil and grease (O&G) and total suspended solids (TSS) are the main reasons that spent cutting fluids are prohibited from being discharged into local swage systems. The average O&G found in the spent cutting fluids is 87,354 mg/L with TSS of more than 70,000 mg/L. Both O&G and TSS are the major contributors to the high turbidity of these waste effluents. A centrifuge with a relative centrifugal force of 1318 x g, was able to reduce 60% of the turbidity. By adding the coagulant aluminum chloride, the oil-water emulsion was destabilized, and the turbidity was reduced from 3249 Formazin Attenuation Units (FAU) to around 314 FAU. With freshly generated aluminum ions in the spent cutting fluid, the electrochemical process destabilized the oil-water emulsion system. The coalesced oil droplets were adsorbed onto the highly dispersed aluminum coagulant. The oil-rich sludge that was generated in the operation was then floated to the surface, forming a blanket that was removed by skimming. The electrochemical treatment was able to reduce the turbidity to less than 14 FAU, which is the detection limit of the Hach DR/4000 UV-vis spectrophotometer.

Multiple genome alignment for identifying the core structure among moderately related microbial genomes.

PubMed

Uchiyama, Ikuo

2008-10-31

Identifying the set of intrinsically conserved genes, or the genomic core, among related genomes is crucial for understanding prokaryotic genomes where horizontal gene transfers are common. Although core genome identification appears to be obvious among very closely related genomes, it becomes more difficult when more distantly related genomes are compared. Here, we consider the core structure as a set of sufficiently long segments in which gene orders are conserved so that they are likely to have been inherited mainly through vertical transfer, and developed a method for identifying the core structure by finding the order of pre-identified orthologous groups (OGs) that maximally retains the conserved gene orders. The method was applied to genome comparisons of two well-characterized families, Bacillaceae and Enterobacteriaceae, and identified their core structures comprising 1438 and 2125 OGs, respectively. The core sets contained most of the essential genes and their related genes, which were primarily included in the intersection of the two core sets comprising around 700 OGs. The definition of the genomic core based on gene order conservation was demonstrated to be more robust than the simpler approach based only on gene conservation. We also investigated the core structures in terms of G+C content homogeneity and phylogenetic congruence, and found that the core genes primarily exhibited the expected characteristic, i.e., being indigenous and sharing the same history, more than the non-core genes. The results demonstrate that our strategy of genome alignment based on gene order conservation can provide an effective approach to identify the genomic core among moderately related microbial genomes.

Extreme warm temperatures alter forest phenology and productivity in Europe.

PubMed

Crabbe, Richard A; Dash, Jadu; Rodriguez-Galiano, Victor F; Janous, Dalibor; Pavelka, Marian; Marek, Michal V

2016-09-01

Recent climate warming has shifted the timing of spring and autumn vegetation phenological events in the temperate and boreal forest ecosystems of Europe. In many areas spring phenological events start earlier and autumn events switch between earlier and later onset. Consequently, the length of growing season in mid and high latitudes of European forest is extended. However, the lagged effects (i.e. the impact of a warm spring or autumn on the subsequent phenological events) on vegetation phenology and productivity are less explored. In this study, we have (1) characterised extreme warm spring and extreme warm autumn events in Europe during 2003-2011, and (2) investigated if direct impact on forest phenology and productivity due to a specific warm event translated to a lagged effect in subsequent phenological events. We found that warmer events in spring occurred extensively in high latitude Europe producing a significant earlier onset of greening (OG) in broadleaf deciduous forest (BLDF) and mixed forest (MF). However, this earlier OG did not show any significant lagged effects on autumnal senescence. Needleleaf evergreen forest (NLEF), BLDF and MF showed a significantly delayed end of senescence (EOS) as a result of extreme warm autumn events; and in the following year's spring phenological events, OG started significantly earlier. Extreme warm spring events directly led to significant (p=0.0189) increases in the productivity of BLDF. In order to have a complete understanding of ecosystems response to warm temperature during key phenological events, particularly autumn events, the lagged effect on the next growing season should be considered. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cellulose-Derived Oligomers Act as Damage-Associated Molecular Patterns and Trigger Defense-Like Responses1

PubMed Central

Li, Shundai; Zipfel, Cyril

2017-01-01

The plant cell wall, often the site of initial encounters between plants and their microbial pathogens, is composed of a complex mixture of cellulose, hemicellulose, and pectin polysaccharides as well as proteins. The concept of damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) was proposed to describe plant elicitors like oligogalacturonides (OGs), which can be derived by the breakdown of the pectin homogalacturon by pectinases. OGs act via many of the same signaling steps as pathogen- or microbe-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) to elicit defenses and provide protection against pathogens. Given both the complexity of the plant cell wall and the fact that many pathogens secrete a wide range of cell wall-degrading enzymes, we reasoned that the breakdown products of other cell wall polymers may be similarly biologically active as elicitors and may help to reinforce the perception of danger by plant cells. Our results indicate that oligomers derived from cellulose are perceived as signal molecules in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), triggering a signaling cascade that shares some similarities to responses to well-known elicitors such as chitooligomers and OGs. However, in contrast to other known PAMPs/DAMPs, cellobiose stimulates neither detectable reactive oxygen species production nor callose deposition. Confirming our idea that both PAMPs and DAMPs are likely to cooccur at infection sites, cotreatments of cellobiose with flg22 or chitooligomers led to synergistic increases in gene expression. Thus, the perception of cellulose-derived oligomers may participate in cell wall integrity surveillance and represents an additional layer of signaling following plant cell wall breakdown during cell wall remodeling or pathogen attack. PMID:28242654

Promoter/repressor system of Lactobacillus plantarum phage og1e: characterization of the promoters pR49-pR-pL and overproduction of the cro-like protein cng in Escherichia coli.

PubMed

Kakikawa, M; Watanabe, N; Funawatashi, T; Oki, M; Yasukawa, H; Taketo, A; Kodaira, K I

1998-07-30

The Lactobacillus plantarum phage og1e (42259bp) has two repressor-like genes cng and cpg oriented oppositely, accompanied by three potential promoters pR, pL and pR49, and seven operator-like sequences (GATAC-boxes) (Kodaira et al., 1997). In this study, the og1e putative promoters were introduced into the Escherichia coli promoter-detecting plasmid pKK232-8. In E. coli CK111, pR (pKPR1), pL (pKPL1) and pR49 (pKPR49) exhibited distinct CAT activities. When pKPR1 or pKPL1 was coexistent with a compatible plasmid pACYC184 carrying pR-cng (pA4PRCN1), the CAT activity was decreased significantly. On the other hand, cng directed a protein (Cng) of 10.1 kDa in E. coli under the control of T7 promoter. Gel mobility-shift assays demonstrated that Cng binds specifically to a DNA region containing the GATAC-boxes. In addition, primer extension analyses demonstrated that the two sequences pR and pL act as a promoter in L. plantarum as well as in E. coli. These results suggested that the potential promoters pR and pL probably function for the lytic and lysogenic pathways, respectively, and Cng may act as a repressor presumably through the GATAC-boxes as operators.

Using Earthquake Analysis to Expand the Oklahoma Fault Database

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, J. C.; Evans, S. C.; Walter, J. I.

2017-12-01

The Oklahoma Geological Survey (OGS) is compiling a comprehensive Oklahoma Fault Database (OFD), which includes faults mapped in OGS publications, university thesis maps, and industry-contributed shapefiles. The OFD includes nearly 20,000 fault segments, but the work is far from complete. The OGS plans on incorporating other sources of data into the OFD, such as new faults from earthquake sequence analyses, geologic field mapping, active-source seismic surveys, and potential fields modeling. A comparison of Oklahoma seismicity and the OFD reveals that earthquakes in the state appear to nucleate on mostly unmapped or unknown faults. Here, we present faults derived from earthquake sequence analyses. From 2015 to present, there has been a five-fold increase in realtime seismic stations in Oklahoma, which has greatly expanded and densified the state's seismic network. The current seismic network not only improves our threshold for locating weaker earthquakes, but also allows us to better constrain focal plane solutions (FPS) from first motion analyses. Using nodal planes from the FPS, HypoDD relocation, and historic seismic data, we can elucidate these previously unmapped seismogenic faults. As the OFD is a primary resource for various scientific investigations, the inclusion of seismogenic faults improves further derivative studies, particularly with respect to seismic hazards. Our primal focus is on four areas of interest, which have had M5+ earthquakes in recent Oklahoma history: Pawnee (M5.8), Prague (M5.7), Fairview (M5.1), and Cushing (M5.0). Subsequent areas of interest will include seismically active data-rich areas, such as the central and northcentral parts of the state.

The 2-monoacylglycerol moiety of dietary fat appears to be responsible for the fat-induced release of GLP-1 in humans.

PubMed

Mandøe, Mette J; Hansen, Katrine B; Hartmann, Bolette; Rehfeld, Jens F; Holst, Jens J; Hansen, Harald S

2015-09-01

Dietary triglycerides can, after digestion, stimulate the intestinal release of incretin hormones through activation of G protein-coupled receptor (GPR) 119 by 2-monoacylglycerol and by the activation of fatty acid receptors for long- and short-chain fatty acids. Medium-chain fatty acids do not stimulate the release of intestinal hormones. To dissect the mechanism of fat-induced glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) release in humans, we compared the effects of tributyrin (containing short-chain fatty acids; i.e., butyric acid), olive oil [containing long-chain fatty acids; e.g., oleic acid plus 2-oleoyl glycerol (2-OG)], and 1,3-dioctanoyl-2-oleoyl glycerol (C8-dietary oil), which is digested to form medium-chain fatty acids : i.e., octanoic acid : and 2-OG. In a randomized, single-blinded crossover study, 12 healthy white men [mean age: 24 y; BMI (in kg/m(2)): 22] were given the following 4 meals on 4 different days: 200 g carrots + 6.53 g tributyrin, 200 g carrots + 13.15 g C8-dietary oil, 200 g carrots + 19 g olive oil, or 200 g carrots. All of the lipids totaled 0.0216 mol. Main outcome measures were incremental areas under the curve for total GLP-1, GIP, and cholecystokinin (CCK) in plasma. C8-dietary oil and olive oil showed the same GLP-1 response [583 ± 101 and 538 ± 71 (pmol/L) × 120 min; P = 0.733], whereas the GIP response was higher for olive oil than for C8-dietary oil [3293 ± 404 and 1674 ± 270 (pmol/L) × 120 min; P = 0.002]. Tributyrin and carrots alone resulted in no increase in any of the measured hormones. Peptide YY (PYY) and neurotensin responses resembled those of GLP-1. Only olive oil stimulated CCK release. Under our study conditions, 2-OG and GPR119 activation can fully explain the olive oil-induced secretion of GLP-1, PYY, and neurotensin. In contrast, both oleic acid and 2-OG contributed to the GIP response. Dietary butyrate did not stimulate gut hormone secretion. Olive oil-derived oleic acid seems to be fully responsible for olive oil-induced CCK secretion. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02264951. © 2015 American Society for Nutrition.

Research and Development of An In-situ Real-time Coastal Monitoring System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deponte, D.; Cecco, R.; Laterza, R.; Medeot, N.; Nair, R.; Viezzoli, D.

The coastal area is a complex system in which the effects of the forcing terms on the circulation and mixing present a marked space-time variability on widely differing scales. In order to study such a system, it is necessary to monitor continuously, at high frequency, oceanographic and meteorological variables. To meet this need, the OGS has developed a coastal meteo-oceanographic buoy, called MAMBO, constituted by a float, a hull, a tripod and a powering system based on batteries recharged by so- lar panels that have been expressly designed and assembled by an in-house technical team. The buoy is equipped with a mechanical winch driving a multi-parametric pro- filing probe which provides data on pressure, temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll, pH and turbidity over the entire water column. Meteorological data (air temperature, barometric pressure and wind) are also measured. Data are acquired ev- ery 3 hours and transmitted via GSM cellular phone to a receiving station at the OGS in real-time where they are automatically subjected to a first level quality-check and made available to the public at the OGS web site. The buoy also serves as a convenient platform for a separate OGS-developed controller that manages an upward-looking ADCP-600kHz positioned on the sea floor close to the buoy. This controller regu- lates the ADCP power supply and permits the real-time transmission of pressure and current data to land via GSM cellular phone. Since there are no limitations due to bat- teries or memory capacity, currents can be sampled at high spatial and time resolution. Moreover, the controller permits to remotely change the configuration of the instru- ment in order to increase, for example, vertical resolution, and eventually, to record wave data. The first buoy of this type has been operating in the Gulf of Trieste (North Adriatic Sea) since 1998, and it is being continually improved. Two others, supplied additionally with a GPS, a radiometer and a hygrometer and improved with respect to some mechanical parts, have been deployed since June 2000, in the coastal area to the north of Sardinia (Tyrrhenian Sea). The development of an effective quality control procedure, that can be applied in real-time to the acquired data and that can permit the design of an efficient maintenance program for the buoy sensors, is in progress.

Relationship of Shallow Groundwater Quality to Hydraulic Fracturing Activities in Antrim and Kalkaska Counties, MI

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stefansky, J. N.; Robertson, W. M.; Chappaz, A.; Babos, H.; Israel, S.; Groskreutz, L. M.

2015-12-01

Hydraulic fracturing (fracking) of oil and natural gas (O&G) wells is a widely applied technology that can increase yields from tight geologic formations. However, it is unclear how fracking may impact shallow groundwater; previous research into its effects has produced conflicting results. Much of the worry over potential impacts to water quality arises from concerns about the produced water. The water produced from O&G formations is often salty, contains toxic dissolved elements, and can be radioactive. If fracking activities cause or increase connectivity between O&G formations and overlying groundwater, there may be risks to aquifers. As one part of a groundwater quality study in Antrim and Kalkaska Counties, MI, samples were collected from the unconfined glacial aquifer (3-300 m thick) and produced water from the underlying Antrim formation, a shallow (180-670 m deep) natural gas producing black shale. Groundwater samples were collected between 200 to 10,000 m distance from producing Antrim gas wells and from a range of screened intervals (15-95 m). Samples were analyzed for major constituents (e.g., Br, Cl), pH, conductivity, and dissolved oxygen (DO). The specific conductance of groundwater samples ranged from 230-1020 μS/cm; DO ranged from 0.4-100% saturation. Preliminary results show a slight inverse correlation between specific conductance and proximity to producing Antrim wells. The observed range of DO saturation in glacial aquifer groundwater appears to be related to both screened depth of the water wells and proximity to Antrim wells. During sampling, some well owners expressed concerns about the effects of fracking on groundwater quality and reported odd smells and tastes in their water after O&G drilling occurred near their homes. The results of this study and reported observations provide evidence to suggest a potential hydrogeological connection between the Antrim formation and the overlying glacial aquifer in some locations; it also raises questions about water quality in Antrim and Kalkaska counties. Further investigation is needed to address questions raised in this study. As the controversy surrounding fracking is growing and the application of this technology spreads worldwide, it is important for the questions about fracking and groundwater quality to be well addressed.

The Potential Role of Grid-Like Software in Bedside Chest Radiography in Improving Image Quality and Dose Reduction: An Observer Preference Study.

PubMed

Ahn, Su Yeon; Chae, Kum Ju; Goo, Jin Mo

2018-01-01

To compare the observer preference of image quality and radiation dose between non-grid, grid-like, and grid images. Each of the 38 patients underwent bedside chest radiography with and without a grid. A grid-like image was generated from a non-grid image using SimGrid software (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.) employing deep-learning-based scatter correction technology. Two readers recorded the preference for 10 anatomic landmarks and the overall appearance on a five-point scale for a pair of non-grid and grid-like images, and a pair of grid-like and grid images, respectively, which were randomly presented. The dose area product (DAP) was also recorded. Wilcoxon's rank sum test was used to assess the significance of preference. Both readers preferred grid-like images to non-grid images significantly ( p < 0.001); with a significant difference in terms of the preference for grid images to grid-like images ( p = 0.317, 0.034, respectively). In terms of anatomic landmarks, both readers preferred grid-like images to non-grid images ( p < 0.05). No significant differences existed between grid-like and grid images except for the preference for grid images in proximal airways by two readers, and in retrocardiac lung and thoracic spine by one reader. The median DAP were 1.48 (range, 1.37-2.17) dGy * cm 2 in grid images and 1.22 (range, 1.11-1.78) dGy * cm 2 in grid-like images with a significant difference ( p < 0.001). The SimGrid software significantly improved the image quality of non-grid images to a level comparable to that of grid images with a relatively lower level of radiation exposure.

76 FR 18231 - Federal Property Suitable as Facilities To Assist the Homeless

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-04-01

...-101 and 15-115 Olympic Nat'l Park Lake Crescent WA 98362 Landholding Agency: Interior Property Number... National Coalition for the Homeless v. Veterans Administration, No. 88-2503-OG (D.D.C.). Properties...-based paint [[Page 18232

TIGGERC: Turbomachinery Interactive Grid Generator for 2-D Grid Applications and Users Guide

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miller, David P.

1994-01-01

A two-dimensional multi-block grid generator has been developed for a new design and analysis system for studying multiple blade-row turbomachinery problems. TIGGERC is a mouse driven, interactive grid generation program which can be used to modify boundary coordinates and grid packing and generates surface grids using a hyperbolic tangent or algebraic distribution of grid points on the block boundaries. The interior points of each block grid are distributed using a transfinite interpolation approach. TIGGERC can generate a blocked axisymmetric H-grid, C-grid, I-grid or O-grid for studying turbomachinery flow problems. TIGGERC was developed for operation on Silicon Graphics workstations. Detailed discussion of the grid generation methodology, menu options, operational features and sample grid geometries are presented.

OVERGRID: A Unified Overset Grid Generation Graphical Interface

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chan, William M.; Akien, Edwin W. (Technical Monitor)

1999-01-01

This paper presents a unified graphical interface and gridding strategy for performing overset grid generation. The interface called OVERGRID has been specifically designed to follow an efficient overset gridding strategy, and contains general grid manipulation capabilities as well as modules that are specifically suited for overset grids. General grid utilities include functions for grid redistribution, smoothing, concatenation, extraction, extrapolation, projection, and many others. Modules specially tailored for overset grids include a seam curve extractor, hyperbolic and algebraic surface grid generators, a hyperbolic volume grid generator, and a Cartesian box grid generator, Grid visualization is achieved using OpenGL while widgets are constructed with Tcl/Tk. The software is portable between various platforms from UNIX workstations to personal computers.

GRID2D/3D: A computer program for generating grid systems in complex-shaped two- and three-dimensional spatial domains. Part 2: User's manual and program listing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bailey, R. T.; Shih, T. I.-P.; Nguyen, H. L.; Roelke, R. J.

1990-01-01

An efficient computer program, called GRID2D/3D, was developed to generate single and composite grid systems within geometrically complex two- and three-dimensional (2- and 3-D) spatial domains that can deform with time. GRID2D/3D generates single grid systems by using algebraic grid generation methods based on transfinite interpolation in which the distribution of grid points within the spatial domain is controlled by stretching functions. All single grid systems generated by GRID2D/3D can have grid lines that are continuous and differentiable everywhere up to the second-order. Also, grid lines can intersect boundaries of the spatial domain orthogonally. GRID2D/3D generates composite grid systems by patching together two or more single grid systems. The patching can be discontinuous or continuous. For continuous composite grid systems, the grid lines are continuous and differentiable everywhere up to the second-order except at interfaces where different single grid systems meet. At interfaces where different single grid systems meet, the grid lines are only differentiable up to the first-order. For 2-D spatial domains, the boundary curves are described by using either cubic or tension spline interpolation. For 3-D spatial domains, the boundary surfaces are described by using either linear Coon's interpolation, bi-hyperbolic spline interpolation, or a new technique referred to as 3-D bi-directional Hermite interpolation. Since grid systems generated by algebraic methods can have grid lines that overlap one another, GRID2D/3D contains a graphics package for evaluating the grid systems generated. With the graphics package, the user can generate grid systems in an interactive manner with the grid generation part of GRID2D/3D. GRID2D/3D is written in FORTRAN 77 and can be run on any IBM PC, XT, or AT compatible computer. In order to use GRID2D/3D on workstations or mainframe computers, some minor modifications must be made in the graphics part of the program; no modifications are needed in the grid generation part of the program. The theory and method used in GRID2D/3D is described.

GRID2D/3D: A computer program for generating grid systems in complex-shaped two- and three-dimensional spatial domains. Part 1: Theory and method

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shih, T. I.-P.; Bailey, R. T.; Nguyen, H. L.; Roelke, R. J.

1990-01-01

An efficient computer program, called GRID2D/3D was developed to generate single and composite grid systems within geometrically complex two- and three-dimensional (2- and 3-D) spatial domains that can deform with time. GRID2D/3D generates single grid systems by using algebraic grid generation methods based on transfinite interpolation in which the distribution of grid points within the spatial domain is controlled by stretching functions. All single grid systems generated by GRID2D/3D can have grid lines that are continuous and differentiable everywhere up to the second-order. Also, grid lines can intersect boundaries of the spatial domain orthogonally. GRID2D/3D generates composite grid systems by patching together two or more single grid systems. The patching can be discontinuous or continuous. For continuous composite grid systems, the grid lines are continuous and differentiable everywhere up to the second-order except at interfaces where different single grid systems meet. At interfaces where different single grid systems meet, the grid lines are only differentiable up to the first-order. For 2-D spatial domains, the boundary curves are described by using either cubic or tension spline interpolation. For 3-D spatial domains, the boundary surfaces are described by using either linear Coon's interpolation, bi-hyperbolic spline interpolation, or a new technique referred to as 3-D bi-directional Hermite interpolation. Since grid systems generated by algebraic methods can have grid lines that overlap one another, GRID2D/3D contains a graphics package for evaluating the grid systems generated. With the graphics package, the user can generate grid systems in an interactive manner with the grid generation part of GRID2D/3D. GRID2D/3D is written in FORTRAN 77 and can be run on any IBM PC, XT, or AT compatible computer. In order to use GRID2D/3D on workstations or mainframe computers, some minor modifications must be made in the graphics part of the program; no modifications are needed in the grid generation part of the program. This technical memorandum describes the theory and method used in GRID2D/3D.

Trends in life science grid: from computing grid to knowledge grid.

PubMed

Konagaya, Akihiko

2006-12-18

Grid computing has great potential to become a standard cyberinfrastructure for life sciences which often require high-performance computing and large data handling which exceeds the computing capacity of a single institution. This survey reviews the latest grid technologies from the viewpoints of computing grid, data grid and knowledge grid. Computing grid technologies have been matured enough to solve high-throughput real-world life scientific problems. Data grid technologies are strong candidates for realizing "resourceome" for bioinformatics. Knowledge grids should be designed not only from sharing explicit knowledge on computers but also from community formulation for sharing tacit knowledge among a community. Extending the concept of grid from computing grid to knowledge grid, it is possible to make use of a grid as not only sharable computing resources, but also as time and place in which people work together, create knowledge, and share knowledge and experiences in a community.

Trends in life science grid: from computing grid to knowledge grid

PubMed Central

Konagaya, Akihiko

2006-01-01

Background Grid computing has great potential to become a standard cyberinfrastructure for life sciences which often require high-performance computing and large data handling which exceeds the computing capacity of a single institution. Results This survey reviews the latest grid technologies from the viewpoints of computing grid, data grid and knowledge grid. Computing grid technologies have been matured enough to solve high-throughput real-world life scientific problems. Data grid technologies are strong candidates for realizing "resourceome" for bioinformatics. Knowledge grids should be designed not only from sharing explicit knowledge on computers but also from community formulation for sharing tacit knowledge among a community. Conclusion Extending the concept of grid from computing grid to knowledge grid, it is possible to make use of a grid as not only sharable computing resources, but also as time and place in which people work together, create knowledge, and share knowledge and experiences in a community. PMID:17254294

Recent photometry of selected symbiotic stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vrašťák, M.

2018-04-01

A new multicolour (BVRcIc) photometric observations of symbiotic stars UV Aur, YY Her, V443 Her, V1016 Cyg, PU Vul, V407 Cyg, V471 Per and suspected symbiotic stars ZZ CMi, NQ Gem, V934 Her, V335 Vul, V627 Cas is presented. The data were obtained from 2016 October to 2018 January by the metod of classical CCD photometry. The monitoring program is still running, so on this paper partial light curves are presented.

Assessing the surgical skills of trainees in the operating theatre: a prospective observational study of the methodology.

PubMed

Beard, J D; Marriott, J; Purdie, H; Crossley, J

2011-01-01

To compare user satisfaction and acceptability, reliability and validity of three different methods of assessing the surgical skills of trainees by direct observation in the operating theatre across a range of different surgical specialties and index procedures. A 2-year prospective, observational study in the operating theatres of three teaching hospitals in Sheffield. The assessment methods were procedure-based assessment (PBA), Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills (OSATS) and Non-technical Skills for Surgeons (NOTSS). The specialties were obstetrics and gynaecology (O&G) and upper gastrointestinal, colorectal, cardiac, vascular and orthopaedic surgery. Two to four typical index procedures were selected from each specialty. Surgical trainees were directly observed performing typical index procedures and assessed using a combination of two of the three methods (OSATS or PBA and NOTSS for O&G, PBA and NOTSS for the other specialties) by the consultant clinical supervisor for the case and the anaesthetist and/or scrub nurse, as well as one or more independent assessors from the research team. Information on user satisfaction and acceptability of each assessment method from both assessor and trainee perspectives was obtained from structured questionnaires. The reliability of each method was measured using generalisability theory. Aspects of validity included the internal structure of each tool and correlation between tools, construct validity, predictive validity, interprocedural differences, the effect of assessor designation and the effect of assessment on performance. Of the 558 patients who were consented, a total of 437 (78%) cases were included in the study: 51 consultant clinical supervisors, 56 anaesthetists, 39 nurses, 2 surgical care practitioners and 4 independent assessors provided 1635 assessments on 85 trainees undertaking the 437 cases. A total of 749 PBAs, 695 NOTSS and 191 OSATSs were performed. Non-O&G clinical supervisors and trainees provided mixed, but predominantly positive, responses about a range of applications of PBA. Most felt that PBA was important in surgical education, and would use it again in the future and did not feel that it added time to the operating list. The overall satisfaction of O&G clinical supervisors and trainees with OSATS was not as high, and a majority of those who used both preferred PBA. A majority of anaesthetists and nurses felt that NOTSS allowed them to rate interpersonal skills (communication, teamwork and leadership) more easily than cognitive skills (situation awareness and decision-making), that it had formative value and that it was a valuable adjunct to the assessment of technical skills. PBA demonstrated high reliability (G > 0.8 for only three assessor judgements on the same index procedure). OSATS had lower reliability (G > 0.8 for five assessor judgements on the same index procedure). Both were less reliable on a mix of procedures because of strong procedure-specific factors. A direct comparison of PBA between O&G and non-O&G cases showed a striking difference in reliability. Within O&G, a good level of reliability (G > 0.8) could not be obtained using a feasible number of assessments. Conversely, the reliability within non-O&G cases was exceptionally high, with only two assessor judgements being required. The reasons for this difference probably include the more summative purpose of assessment in O&G and the much higher proportion of O&G trainees in this study with training concerns (42% vs 4%). The reliability of NOTSS was lower than that for PBA. Reliability for the same procedure (G > 0.8) required six assessor judgements. However, as procedure-specific factors exerted a lesser influence on NOTSS, reliability on a mix of procedures could be achieved using only eight assessor judgements. NOTSS also demonstrated a valid internal structure. The strongest correlations between NOTSS and PBA or OSATS were in the 'decision-making' domain. PBA and NOTSS showed better construct validity than OSATS, the year of training and the number of recent index procedures performed being significant independent predictors of performance. There was little variation in scoring between different procedures or different designations of assessor. The results suggest that PBA is a reliable and acceptable method of assessing surgical skills, with good construct validity. Specialties that use OSATS may wish to consider changing the design or switching to PBA. Whatever workplace-based assessment method is used, the purpose, timing and frequency of assessment require detailed guidance. NOTSS is a promising tool for the assessment of non-technical skills, and surgical specialties may wish to consider its inclusion in their assessment framework. Further research is required into the use of health-care professionals other than consultant surgeons to assess trainees, the relationship between performance and experience, the educational impact of assessment and the additional value of video recording.

Spatial services grid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cao, Jian; Li, Qi; Cheng, Jicheng

2005-10-01

This paper discusses the concept, key technologies and main application of Spatial Services Grid. The technologies of Grid computing and Webservice is playing a revolutionary role in studying the spatial information services. The concept of the SSG (Spatial Services Grid) is put forward based on the SIG (Spatial Information Grid) and OGSA (open grid service architecture). Firstly, the grid computing is reviewed and the key technologies of SIG and their main applications are reviewed. Secondly, the grid computing and three kinds of SIG (in broad sense)--SDG (spatial data grid), SIG (spatial information grid) and SSG (spatial services grid) and their relationships are proposed. Thirdly, the key technologies of the SSG (spatial services grid) is put forward. Finally, three representative applications of SSG (spatial services grid) are discussed. The first application is urban location based services gird, which is a typical spatial services grid and can be constructed on OGSA (Open Grid Services Architecture) and digital city platform. The second application is region sustainable development grid which is the key to the urban development. The third application is Region disaster and emergency management services grid.

Navigation in Grid Space with the NAS Grid Benchmarks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Frumkin, Michael; Hood, Robert; Biegel, Bryan A. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

We present a navigational tool for computational grids. The navigational process is based on measuring the grid characteristics with the NAS Grid Benchmarks (NGB) and using the measurements to assign tasks of a grid application to the grid machines. The tool allows the user to explore the grid space and to navigate the execution at a grid application to minimize its turnaround time. We introduce the notion of gridscape as a user view of the grid and show how it can be me assured by NGB, Then we demonstrate how the gridscape can be used with two different schedulers to navigate a grid application through a rudimentary grid.

Concept and Plan for Modernizing the Defense Logistic Standard Systems.

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-04-01

queries 4N " "" " " ř""’* " , -’" ""’ 4.p. Originating Faciity Satelite (s) of primary user Primary ocal user I - :rom otn oe-earny D DN og(.isties MI

Radiophotoluminescent and Tenebrescent Glasses

DTIC Science & Technology

1951-11-24

Mineral Industries | Pennsylvania State College State College, Pennsylvania -j-- Copy No. 42 < Dr; G. Monk Senior Physicist , Remote Control...the quaternary system A^Og-ELO-? P2Oc-BaO, In order to better understand this fact stapler binary and ternary compositions were considered, The

Ninteenth International Cosmic Ray Conference. OG Sessions, Volume 2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, F. C. (Compiler)

1985-01-01

Contributed papers addressing cosmic ray origin and galactic phenomena are compiled. Topic areas include the composition, spectra, and anisotropy of cosmic ray nuclei with energies and 1 TeV, isotopes, antiprotons and related subjects, and electrons, positrons, and measurements of synchrotron radiation.

caGrid 1.0: a Grid enterprise architecture for cancer research.

PubMed

Oster, Scott; Langella, Stephen; Hastings, Shannon; Ervin, David; Madduri, Ravi; Kurc, Tahsin; Siebenlist, Frank; Covitz, Peter; Shanbhag, Krishnakant; Foster, Ian; Saltz, Joel

2007-10-11

caGrid is the core Grid architecture of the NCI-sponsored cancer Biomedical Informatics Grid (caBIG) program. The current release, caGrid version 1.0, is developed as the production Grid software infrastructure of caBIG. Based on feedback from adopters of the previous version (caGrid 0.5), it has been significantly enhanced with new features and improvements to existing components. This paper presents an overview of caGrid 1.0, its main components, and enhancements over caGrid 0.5.

SU-E-P-30: Clinical Applications of Spatially Fractionated Radiation Therapy (GRID) Using Helical Tomotherapy

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

Zhang, X; Liang, X; Penagaricano, J

2015-06-15

Purpose: To present the first clinical applications of Helical Tomotherapy-based spatially fractionated radiotherapy (HT-GRID) for deep seated tumors and associated dosimetric study. Methods: Ten previously treated GRID patients were selected (5 HT-GRID and 5 LINAC-GRID using a commercially available GRID block). Each case was re-planned either in HT-GRID or LINAC-GRID for a total of 10 plans for both techniques using same prescribed dose of 20 Gy to maximum point dose of GRID GTV. For TOMO-GRID, a programmable virtual TOMOGRID template mimicking a GRID pattern was generated. Dosimetric parameters compared included: GRID GTV mean dose (Dmean) and equivalent uniform dose (EUD),more » GRID GTV dose inhomogeneity (Ratio(valley/peak)), normal tissue Dmean and EUD, and other organs-at-risk(OARs) doses. Results: The median tumor volume was 634 cc, ranging from 182 to 4646 cc. Median distance from skin to the deepest part of tumor was 22cm, ranging from 8.9 to 38cm. The median GRID GTV Dmean and EUD was 10.65Gy (9.8–12.5Gy) and 7.62Gy (4.31–11.06Gy) for HT-GRID and was 6.73Gy (4.44–8.44Gy) and 3.95Gy (0.14–4.2Gy) for LINAC-GRID. The median Ratio(valley/peak) was 0.144(0.05–0.29) for HT-GRID and was 0.055(0.0001–0.14) for LINAC-GRID. For normal tissue in HT-GRID, the median Dmean and EUD was 1.24Gy (0.34–2.54Gy) and 5.45 Gy(3.45–6.89Gy) and was 0.61 Gy(0.11–1.52Gy) and 6Gy(4.45–6.82Gy) for LINAC-GRID. The OAR doses were comparable between the HT-GRID and LINAC-GRID. However, in some cases it was not possible to avoid a critical structure in LINAC-GRID; while HT-GRID can spare more tissue doses for certain critical structures. Conclusion: HT-GRID delivers higher GRID GTV Dmean, EUD and Ratio(valley/peak) compared to LINAC-GRID. HT-GRID delivers higher Dmean and lower EUD for normal tissue compared to LINAC-GRID. TOMOGRID template can be highly patient-specific and allows adjustment of the GRID pattern to different tumor sizes and shapes when they are deeply-seated and cannot be safely treated with LINAC-GRID.« less

Unstructured grid research and use at NASA Lewis Research Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Potapczuk, Mark G.

1993-01-01

Computational fluid dynamics applications of grid research at LRC include inlets, nozzles, and ducts; turbomachinery; propellers - ducted and unducted; and aircraft icing. Some issues related to internal flow grid generation are resolution requirements on several boundaries, shock resolution vs. grid periodicity, grid spacing at blade/shroud gap, grid generation in turbine blade passages, and grid generation for inlet/nozzle geometries. Aircraft icing grid generation issues include (1) small structures relative to airfoil chord must be resolved; (2) excessive number of grid points in far-field using structured grid; and (3) grid must be recreated as ice shape grows.

GridMan: A grid manipulation system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eiseman, Peter R.; Wang, Zhu

1992-01-01

GridMan is an interactive grid manipulation system. It operates on grids to produce new grids which conform to user demands. The input grids are not constrained to come from any particular source. They may be generated by algebraic methods, elliptic methods, hyperbolic methods, parabolic methods, or some combination of methods. The methods are included in the various available structured grid generation codes. These codes perform the basic assembly function for the various elements of the initial grid. For block structured grids, the assembly can be quite complex due to a large number of clock corners, edges, and faces for which various connections and orientations must be properly identified. The grid generation codes are distinguished among themselves by their balance between interactive and automatic actions and by their modest variations in control. The basic form of GridMan provides a much more substantial level of grid control and will take its input from any of the structured grid generation codes. The communication link to the outside codes is a data file which contains the grid or section of grid.

An Approach for Dynamic Grids

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Slater, John W.; Liou, Meng-Sing; Hindman, Richard G.

1994-01-01

An approach is presented for the generation of two-dimensional, structured, dynamic grids. The grid motion may be due to the motion of the boundaries of the computational domain or to the adaptation of the grid to the transient, physical solution. A time-dependent grid is computed through the time integration of the grid speeds which are computed from a system of grid speed equations. The grid speed equations are derived from the time-differentiation of the grid equations so as to ensure that the dynamic grid maintains the desired qualities of the static grid. The grid equations are the Euler-Lagrange equations derived from a variational statement for the grid. The dynamic grid method is demonstrated for a model problem involving boundary motion, an inviscid flow in a converging-diverging nozzle during startup, and a viscous flow over a flat plate with an impinging shock wave. It is shown that the approach is more accurate for transient flows than an approach in which the grid speeds are computed using a finite difference with respect to time of the grid. However, the approach requires significantly more computational effort.

Changes in the Game Characteristics of a Badminton Match: A Longitudinal Study through the Olympic Game Finals Analysis in Men's Singles.

PubMed

Laffaye, Guillaume; Phomsoupha, Michael; Dor, Frédéric

2015-09-01

The goal of this study was to analyze, through a longitudinal study, the Olympic Badminton Men's singles finals from the Barcelona Games (1992) to the London Games (2012) to assess some changes of the Badminton game characteristics. Six Olympic finals have been analyzed based on the official video of the Olympic Games (OG) through the temporal structure and with a notational approach. In total, 537 rallies and 5537 strokes have been analyzed. The results show a change in the game's temporal structure: a significant difference in the rally time, rest time and number of shots per rally (all p<0.0001; 0.09 < η(2) < 0.16). Moreover, the shot frequency shows a 34.0% increase (p<0.000001; η(2) = 0.17), whereas the work density revealed a 58.2% decrease (from 78% to 30.8%) as well as the effective playing time (-34.5% from 34.7±1.4% to 22.7±1.4%). This argues for an increase in the intensity of the game and a necessity for the player to use a longer resting time to recover. Lastly, the strokes distribution and the percentage of unforced and forced mistakes did not show any differences throughout the OG analysis, except for the use of the clear. This results impact on the way the training of Badminton players should be designed, especially in the temporal structure and intensity. Key pointsBadminton game has become faster, with an important increase in the shot frequency (+34%)The effective playing time has decreased between first to last Olympic Games (-34.5%)The strokes distribution and the percentage of unforced and forced errors show no differences through the OG analysis, except for the use of the clear.

Anhydrous octyl-glucoside phase transition from lamellar to isotropic induced by electric and magnetic fields.

PubMed

Hashim, Rauzah; Sugimura, Akihiko; Nguan, Hock-Seng; Rahman, Matiur; Zimmermann, Herbert

2017-02-28

A static deuterium nuclear magnetic resonance ( 2 HNMR) technique (magnetic field, B = 7.05 T) was employed to monitor the thermotropic lamellar phase of the anhydrous 1:1 mixture sample of octyl-b-D-glucoside (βOG) and that of partially deuterium labelled at the alpha position on the chain, i.e.,βOG-d 2 In the absence of an electric field, the 2 H NMR spectrum of the mixture gives a typical quadrupolar doublet representing the aligned lamellar phase. Upon heating to beyond the clearing temperature at 112 °C, this splitting converts to a single line expected for an isotropic phase. Simultaneous application of magnetic and electric fields (E = 0.4 MV/m) at 85 °C in the lamellar phase, whose direction was set to be parallel or perpendicular to the magnetic field, resulted in the change of the doublet into a single line and this recovers to the initial doublet with time for both experimental geometries. This implies E- and B-field-induced phase transitions from the lamellar to an isotropic phase and a recovery to the lamellar phase again with time. Moreover, these phase transformations are accompanied by a transient current. A similar observation was made in a computational study when an electric field was applied to a water cluster system. Increasing the field strength distorts the water cluster and weakens its hydrogen bonds leading to a structural breakdown beyond a threshold field-strength. Therefore, we suggest the observed field-induced transition is likely due to a structure change of the βOG lamellar assembly caused by the field effect and not due to Joule heating.

The effect of an offset polar cap dipolar magnetic field on the modeling of the Vela pulsar’s γ-ray light curves

PubMed Central

Barnard, M.; Venter, C.; Harding, A. K.

2018-01-01

We performed geometric pulsar light curve modeling using static, retarded vacuum, and offset polar cap (PC) dipole B-fields (the latter is characterized by a parameter ε), in conjunction with standard two-pole caustic (TPC) and outer gap (OG) emission geometries. The offset-PC dipole B-field mimics deviations from the static dipole (which corresponds to ε = 0). In addition to constant-emissivity geometric models, we also considered a slot gap (SG) E-field associated with the offset-PC dipole B-field and found that its inclusion leads to qualitatively different light curves. Solving the particle transport equation shows that the particle energy only becomes large enough to yield significant curvature radiation at large altitudes above the stellar surface, given this relatively low E-field. Therefore, particles do not always attain the radiation-reaction limit. Our overall optimal light curve fit is for the retarded vacuum dipole field and OG model, at an inclination angle α=78−1+1° and observer angle ζ=69−1+2°. For this B-field, the TPC model is statistically disfavored compared to the OG model. For the static dipole field, neither model is significantly preferred. We found that smaller values of ε are favored for the offset-PC dipole field when assuming constant emissivity, and larger ε values favored for variable emissivity, but not significantly so. When multiplying the SG E-field by a factor of 100, we found improved light curve fits, with α and ζ being closer to best fits from independent studies, as well as curvature radiation reaction at lower altitudes. PMID:29681648

Consultants as victims of bullying and undermining: a survey of Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists consultant experiences

PubMed Central

Shabazz, Tariq; Parry-Smith, William; Oates, Sharon; Henderson, Steven; Mountfield, Joanna

2016-01-01

Objective To explore incidents of bullying and undermining among obstetrics and gynaecology (O&G) consultants in the UK, to add another dimension to previous research and assist in providing a more holistic understanding of the problem in medicine. Design Questionnaire survey. Setting Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG). Participants O&G consultant members/fellows of the RCOG working in the UK. Main outcome measures Measures included a typology of 4 bullying and undermining consequences from major to coping. Results There was a 28% (664) response rate of whom 44% (229) responded that they had been persistently bullied or undermined. Victims responded that bullying and undermining is carried out by those senior or at least close in the hierarchy. Of the 278 consultants who answered the question on ‘frequency of occurrence’, 50% stated that bullying and undermining occurs on half, or more, of all encounters with perpetrators and two-thirds reported that it had lasted more than 3 years. The reported impact on professional and personal life spans a wide spectrum from suicidal ideation, depression and sleep disturbance, and a loss of confidence. Over half reported problems that could compromise patient care. When victims were asked if the problem was being addressed, 73% of those that responded stated that it was not. Conclusions Significant numbers of consultants in O&G in the UK are victims of bullying and undermining behaviour that puts their own health and patient care at risk. New interventions to tackle the problem, rather than its consequences, are required urgently, together with greater commitment to supporting such interventions. PMID:27324715

Generalization of treadmill perturbation to overground slip during gait: Effect of different perturbation distances on slip recovery.

PubMed

Lee, Anna; Bhatt, Tanvi; Pai, Yi-Chung

2016-01-25

Treadmill-perturbation training (TM-training) may improve a person׳s fall-resistance, whereby adjusting slip distance can be a simple way to manipulate training intensity. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of different slip distances in TM-training (12-cm vs. 18-cm) on its generalization to the recovery from a novel "free" slip during overground walking. Generalization here means the ability to apply learned skill from TM-training to slip recovery during overground walking. Thirty-six young adults in the TM_12 or the TM_18 group underwent either a 12-cm or an 18-cm slip during the treadmill walking for seven times, or in the control group were not exposed to any perturbation. Their responses were also contrasted with previously reported results from overground-perturbation training (OG-training) in which participants received either a 12-cm or an 18-cm slip during level walking with the same number of repetitions. Everyone was then exposed to the same generalization test during a novel "free" slip in overground walking. Their proactive and reactive control of stability was measured and compared. TM-training displayed a significant training effect in comparison to the control group (p<0.05), while most of the improvements were found in the reactive control of stability and were much-limited in comparison to that of OG-training. Also unlike OG-training, no significant differences were found between the results obtained from the TM_12 and the TM_18 groups (p>0.05). These results underscore the further needs to investigate the potential of the treadmill as a convenient instrument that can effectively deliver perturbation training. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

The Enzymology of 2-Hydroxyglutarate, 2-Hydroxyglutaramate and 2-Hydroxysuccinamate and Their Relationship to Oncometabolites

PubMed Central

Hariharan, Vivek A.; Denton, Travis T.; Paraszcszak, Sarah; McEvoy, Kyle; Jeitner, Thomas M.; Krasnikov, Boris F.; Cooper, Arthur J. L.

2017-01-01

Many enzymes make “mistakes”. Consequently, repair enzymes have evolved to correct these mistakes. For example, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and mitochondrial malate dehydrogenase (mMDH) slowly catalyze the reduction of 2-oxoglutarate (2-OG) to the oncometabolite l-2-hydroxyglutarate (l-2-HG). l-2-HG dehydrogenase corrects this error by converting l-2-HG to 2-OG. LDH also catalyzes the reduction of the oxo group of 2-oxoglutaramate (2-OGM; transamination product of l-glutamine). We show here that human glutamine synthetase (GS) catalyzes the amidation of the terminal carboxyl of both the l- and d- isomers of 2-HG. The reaction of 2-OGM with LDH and the reaction of l-2-HG with GS generate l-2-hydroxyglutaramate (l-2-HGM). We also show that l-2-HGM is a substrate of human ω-amidase. The product (l-2-HG) can then be converted to 2-OG by l-2-HG dehydrogenase. Previous work showed that 2-oxosuccinamate (2-OSM; transamination product of l-asparagine) is an excellent substrate of LDH. Finally, we also show that human ω-amidase converts the product of this reaction (i.e., l-2-hydroxysuccinamate; l-2-HSM) to l-malate. Thus, ω-amidase may act together with hydroxyglutarate dehydrogenases to repair certain “mistakes” of GS and LDH. The present findings suggest that non-productive pathways for nitrogen metabolism occur in mammalian tissues in vivo. Perturbations of these pathways may contribute to symptoms associated with hydroxyglutaric acidurias and to tumor progression. Finally, methods for the synthesis of l-2-HGM and l-2-HSM are described that should be useful in determining the roles of ω-amidase/4- and 5-C compounds in photorespiration in plants. PMID:28358347

Rapid rebound of soil respiration following partial stand disturbance by tree girdling in a temperate deciduous forest.

PubMed

Levy-Varon, Jennifer H; Schuster, William S F; Griffin, Kevin L

2014-04-01

Forests serve an essential role in climate change mitigation by removing CO2 from the atmosphere. Within a forest, disturbance events can greatly impact C cycling and subsequently influence the exchange of CO2 between forests and the atmosphere. This connection makes understanding the forest C cycle response to disturbance imperative for climate change research. The goal of this study was to examine the temporal response of soil respiration after differing levels of stand disturbance for 3 years at the Black Rock Forest (southeastern NY, USA; oaks comprise 67% of the stand). Tree girdling was used to mimic pathogen attack and create the following treatments: control, girdling all non-oaks (NOG), girdling half of the oak trees (O50), and girdling all the oaks (OG). Soil respiratory rates on OG plots declined for 2 years following girdling before attaining a full rebound of belowground activity in the third year. Soil respiration on NOG and O50 were statistically similar to the control for the duration of the study although a trend for a stronger decline in respiration on O50 relative to NOG occurred in the first 2 years. Respiratory responses among the various treatments were not proportional to the degree of disturbance and varied over time. The short-lived respiratory response on O50 and OG suggests that belowground activity is resilient to disturbance; however, sources of the recovered respiratory flux on these plots are likely different than they were pre-treatment. The differential taxon response between oaks and non-oaks suggests that after a defoliation or girdling event, the temporal response of the soil respiratory flux may be related to the C allocation pattern of the affected plant group.

Probing Millisecond Pulsar Emission Geometry Using Light Curves From the Fermi Large Area Telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Venter, Christo; Harding, Alice; Guillemot, L.

2009-01-01

An interesting new high-energy pulsar sub-population is emerging following early discoveries of gamma-ray millisecond pulsars (MSPs) by the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT). We present results from 3D emission modeling, including the Special Relativistic effects of aberration and time-of-flight delays and also rotational sweepback of 13-field lines, in the geometric context of polar cap (PC), slot gap (SG), outer gap (OG), and two-pole caustic (TPC) pulsar models. In contrast to the general belief that these very old, rapidly-rotating neutron stars (NSs) should have largely pair-starved magnetospheres due to the absence of significant pair production, we find that most of the light curves are best fit by SG and OG models, which indicates the presence of narrow accelerating gaps limited by robust pair production -- even in these pulsars with very low spin-down luminosities. The gamma-ray pulse shapes and relative phase lags with respect to the radio pulses point to high-altitude emission being dominant for all geometries. We also find exclusive differentiation of the current gamma-ray MSP population into two MSP sub-classes: light curve shapes and lags across wavebands impose either pair-starved PC (PSPC) or SG / OG-type geometries. In the first case, the radio pulse has a small lag with respect to the single gamma-ray pulse, while the (first) gamma-ray peak usually trails the radio by a large phase offset in the latter case. Finally, we find that the flux correction factor as a function of magnetic inclination and observer angles is typically of order unity for all models. Our calculation of light curves and flux correction factor f(_, _, P) for the case of MSPs is therefore complementary to the "ATLAS paper" of Watters et al. for younger pulsars.

Sociodemographic profile of an Olympic team.

PubMed

Lawrence, D W

2017-07-01

To document the distribution of sociodemographic markers (race and relative access to wealth) in athletes participating at the summer and Winter Olympic Games (OGs). Cross-sectional descriptive epidemiological study. Sociodemographic data were collected from publically available resources for all athletes representing four countries (Canada, United States of America, Great Britain and Australia) at the 2014 Sochi Winter OGs and 2016 Rio Summer OGs. The prevalence of white and privately educated athletes were identified for each sport, country, and team with consideration and comparison to the general population. Access indices (i.e. the combined race socio-economic access index [CAI]) were developed to describe the relative distribution of white and privately educated athletes representing each sport, country and team compared to the respective general population. A total of 568 winter and 1643 summer athletes were included in this study. Privately educated athletes constituted 30.3% and 32.7% of winter and summer athletes, respectively; while 94.9% of winter and 81.7% of summer athletes were white. The CAIs of the Canadian, American, British and Australian winter Olympic teams were 0.52, 0.42, 0.61 and 0.45, respectively. The CAIs, for the Canadian, American, British and Australian summer Olympic teams were 0.89, 1.13, 0.82 and 0.83, respectively. Summer and winter sports with the greatest and least racial and socio-economic biases were identified. Racial and socio-economic biases were identified in both summer and winter Olympic sports; predominantly favouring white and privately educated Olympic athletes. These findings prompt further inquiry into barriers for sport-specific participation and advancement, in addition to the practice of providing substantial public resources in support for Olympic sports and athletes. Copyright © 2017 The Royal Society for Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Educational strategies for colonoscopy bowel prep overcome barriers against split-dosing: A randomized controlled trial

PubMed Central

Andrealli, Alida; Paggi, Silvia; Amato, Arnaldo; Rondonotti, Emanuele; Imperiali, Gianni; Lenoci, Nicoletta; Mandelli, Giovanna; Terreni, Natalia; Spinzi, Giancarlo; Radaelli, Franco

2018-01-01

Background A split-dose (SD) regimen is crucial for colonoscopy quality. Compliance with SD for early morning colonoscopy is generally poor. The present study evaluated whether pre-colonoscopy counselling, in addition to a dedicated leaflet, might increase SD uptake. Methods Consecutive 50–69-year-old patients undergoing screening colonoscopy before 10 a.m. were randomized to either receive written information only on bowel preparation (Written Group, WG) or written and oral instructions (Written and Oral Group, WaOG). The leaflet strongly encouraged SD adoption. The primary endpoint was the number of patients adopting SD in each group. The secondary endpoints were predictors of SD uptake, compliance with preparation schemes and cleansing adequacy. Results A total of 286 patients (143 WG, 143 WaOG) were enrolled (mean age 59.6 ± 6.1 years, men 49.3%). SD was adopted by 114 and 125 patients in the WG and WaOG, respectively (79.7% versus 87.4%, p = 0.079). No significant differences were observed for the proportion of patients with full compliance with preparation scheme (97.9% versus 97.2%, p = 0.99) and of procedures with adequate bowel cleansing (95.6% versus 95.1%, p = 0.77). At multivariate analysis, a > 1 h travel time to the endoscopy service was inversely correlated with SD uptake (odds ratio (OR) 0.30, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.09–0.98). Conclusions Our leaflet guaranteed satisfactory uptake of SD and excellent adherence to the preparation scheme for early morning colonoscopy. Its use might marginalize the need for additional oral instructions, particularly in open-access settings. PMID:29511558

Differential phosphorylation patterns of P-glycoprotein reconstituted into a proteoliposome system: insight into additional unconventional phosphorylation sites.

PubMed

Lelong-Rebel, Isabelle H; Cardarelli, Carol O

2005-01-01

Membrane vesicles from the multidrug-resistant KB-V1 and KB-C1 cell lines overexpressing P-glycoprotein (Pgp), responsible for pleiotropic chemotherapeutic agents resistance, were solubilized with octyl-glucoside (OG-EX) and further fractionated on DEAE-sepharose column with increased concentrations of NaCl. The fraction containing Pgp (F3) was reconstituted into proteoliposomes (F3-PLP). Comparisons of the phosphorylation levels of Pgp achieved throughout the purification and reconstitution steps were addressed in this study. The [delta32 P] ATP-driven phosphorylation of Pgp was strongly increased in OG-EX, decreased in F3 and not detected in F3-PLP, when compared to Pgp phosphorylation in native plasma membrane vesicles. [delta32 P]ATP-phosphorylation of Pgp in F3-PLP could be restored by exogenously added PKC or by the catalytic sub-unit of PKA. The vanadate-induced hyperphosphorylation effect on Pgp by [delta32 P]ATP observed with plasma membrane vesicles was maintained in OG-EX, but was lost in F3 and did not enable labelling in F3-PLP. Enhancement of [delta32 P]-labelling of native Pgp via [delta32 P]ATP combined with GTP was maintained and also triggered phosphorylation of purified/reconstituted Pgp in F3-PLP as well. Altogether, our data suggest differential phosphorylation patterns of the transporter linked to environmental molecular composition (lipids, presence of detergent) and structure (unfolded versus embedded). In addition, restoration by GTP of Pgp phosphorylation by [delta32 P]ATP in the frame of F3-PLP suggests intra-molecular modulations and hints that other phosphorylation sites and processes, different from the classic ones involving PKC and/or PKA, may participate in the transporter's mechanism.

Integrated modeling of protein-coding genes in the Manduca sexta genome using RNA-Seq data from the biochemical model insect.

PubMed

Cao, Xiaolong; Jiang, Haobo

2015-07-01

The genome sequence of Manduca sexta was recently determined using 454 technology. Cufflinks and MAKER2 were used to establish gene models in the genome assembly based on the RNA-Seq data and other species' sequences. Aided by the extensive RNA-Seq data from 50 tissue samples at various life stages, annotators over the world (including the present authors) have manually confirmed and improved a small percentage of the models after spending months of effort. While such collaborative efforts are highly commendable, many of the predicted genes still have problems which may hamper future research on this insect species. As a biochemical model representing lepidopteran pests, M. sexta has been used extensively to study insect physiological processes for over five decades. In this work, we assembled Manduca datasets Cufflinks 3.0, Trinity 4.0, and Oases 4.0 to assist the manual annotation efforts and development of Official Gene Set (OGS) 2.0. To further improve annotation quality, we developed methods to evaluate gene models in the MAKER2, Cufflinks, Oases and Trinity assemblies and selected the best ones to constitute MCOT 1.0 after thorough crosschecking. MCOT 1.0 has 18,089 genes encoding 31,666 proteins: 32.8% match OGS 2.0 models perfectly or near perfectly, 11,747 differ considerably, and 29.5% are absent in OGS 2.0. Future automation of this process is anticipated to greatly reduce human efforts in generating comprehensive, reliable models of structural genes in other genome projects where extensive RNA-Seq data are available. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of the onset and length of growing season to define planting date—`a case study for Mali (West Africa)'

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akinseye, F. M.; Agele, S. O.; Traore, P. C. S.; Adam, M.; Whitbread, A. M.

2016-05-01

The agroecological zones (AEZ) of Mali fall within the semi-arid climate, the ability to determine efficiently or predict accurately the onset of growing season (OGS), and length of growing season (LGS) cannot be over-emphasized due to highly variable rainfall pattern and the dependence of smallholder farmers practising on rainfed farming agriculture. In this study, we determined the most suitable method for predicting the onset date of rainfall across AEZ that fitted with the planting windows of major cereal crops (maize, millet, and sorghum). Using long-term daily rainfall records from 22 meteorological stations spread across AEZ of Mali, four (4) known methods were applied to determine the onset dates of the rain. The mean onset dates were statistically compared with the farmer's planting window for the selected weather stations to determine the suitable dates of OGS and LGS. The hypothesis considered a time lag minimum of 7 days between the mean onset date and traditional farmer sowing dates for the crops. Then, the preferred method was used to estimate OGS based on early, normal and late dates respectively across the stations. Also, the estimated LGS according to each zone was evaluated using probability distribution chart with duration to maturity for varieties of the same crops. The results showed that Def_4 was found appropriate for Sahelian and Sudano-Sahelian zones; Def_3 satisfied the criteria and exhibited superior capacity into farmer's average planting date over Sudanian and Guinea Savannah zones. These results have an important application in cropping systems in order to prevent crop failure and ensure a better choice of crop variety according to LGS under climate variability and change being experienced across Mali.

Open Screw Placement in a 1.5 mm LCP Over a Fracture Gap Decreases Fatigue Life

PubMed Central

Alwen, Sarah G. J.; Kapatkin, Amy S.; Garcia, Tanya C.; Milgram, Joshua; Stover, Susan M.

2018-01-01

Objective To investigate the influence of plate and screw hole position on the stability of simulated radial fractures stabilized with a 1.5 mm condylar locking compression plate (LCP). Study Design In vitro mechanical testing of paired cadaveric limbs. Sample Population Paired radii (n = 7) stabilized with a 1.5 mm condylar LCP with an open screw hole positioned either proximal to (PG), or over (OG), a simulated small fracture gap. Methods Constructs were cycled in axial compression at a simulated trot load until failure or a maximum of 200,000 cycles. Specimens that sustained 200,000 cycles without failure were then loaded in axial compression in a single cycle to failure. Construct cyclic axial stiffness and gap strain, fatigue life, and residual strength were evaluated and compared between constructs using analysis of variance. Results Of pairs that had a failure during cyclic loading, OG constructs survived fewer cycles (54,700 ± 60,600) than PG (116,800 ± 49,300). OG constructs had significantly lower initial stiffness throughout cyclic loading and higher gap strain range within the first 1,000 cycles than PG constructs. Residual strength variables were not significantly different between constructs, however yield loads occurred at loads only marginally higher than approximated trot loads. Fatigue life decreased with increasing body weight. Conclusion Fracture fixation stability is compromised by an open screw hole directly over a fracture gap compared to the open screw hole being buttressed by bone in the model studied. The 1.5 mm condylar LCP may be insufficient stabilization in dogs with appropriate radial geometry but high body weights. PMID:29876361

The Enzymology of 2-Hydroxyglutarate, 2-Hydroxyglutaramate and 2-Hydroxysuccinamate and Their Relationship to Oncometabolites.

PubMed

Hariharan, Vivek A; Denton, Travis T; Paraszcszak, Sarah; McEvoy, Kyle; Jeitner, Thomas M; Krasnikov, Boris F; Cooper, Arthur J L

2017-03-30

Many enzymes make "mistakes". Consequently, repair enzymes have evolved to correct these mistakes. For example, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and mitochondrial malate dehydrogenase (mMDH) slowly catalyze the reduction of 2-oxoglutarate (2-OG) to the oncometabolite l-2-hydroxyglutarate (l-2-HG). l-2-HG dehydrogenase corrects this error by converting l-2-HG to 2-OG. LDH also catalyzes the reduction of the oxo group of 2-oxoglutaramate (2-OGM; transamination product of l-glutamine). We show here that human glutamine synthetase (GS) catalyzes the amidation of the terminal carboxyl of both the l- and d- isomers of 2-HG. The reaction of 2-OGM with LDH and the reaction of l-2-HG with GS generate l-2-hydroxyglutaramate (l-2-HGM). We also show that l-2-HGM is a substrate of human ω-amidase. The product (l-2-HG) can then be converted to 2-OG by l-2-HG dehydrogenase. Previous work showed that 2-oxosuccinamate (2-OSM; transamination product of l-asparagine) is an excellent substrate of LDH. Finally, we also show that human ω-amidase converts the product of this reaction (i.e., l-2-hydroxysuccinamate; l-2-HSM) to l-malate. Thus, ω-amidase may act together with hydroxyglutarate dehydrogenases to repair certain "mistakes" of GS and LDH. The present findings suggest that non-productive pathways for nitrogen metabolism occur in mammalian tissues in vivo. Perturbations of these pathways may contribute to symptoms associated with hydroxyglutaric acidurias and to tumor progression. Finally, methods for the synthesis of l-2-HGM and l-2-HSM are described that should be useful in determining the roles of ω-amidase/4- and 5-C compounds in photorespiration in plants.

Comparing PAH availability from manufactured gas plant soils and sediments with chemical and biological tests. 1. PAH release during water desorption and supercritical carbon dioxide extraction.

PubMed

Hawthorne, Steven B; Poppendieck, Dustin G; Grabanski, Carol B; Loehr, Raymond C

2002-11-15

Soil and sediment samples from oil gas (OG) and coal gas (CG) manufactured gas plant (MGP) sites were selected to represent a range of PAH concentrations (150-40,000 mg/kg) and sample matrix compositions. Samples varied from vegetated soils to lampblack soot and had carbon contents from 3 to 87 wt %. SFE desorption (120 min) and water/XAD2 desorption (120 days) curves were determined and fit with a simple two-site model to determine the rapid-released fraction (F) for PAHs ranging from naphthalene to benzo[ghi]perylene. F values varied greatly among the samples, from ca. 10% to >90% for the two- and three-ring PAHs and from <1% to ca. 50% for the five- and six-ring PAHs. Release rates did not correlate with sample matrix characteristics including PAH concentrations, elemental composition (C, H, N, S), or "hard" and "softs" organic carbon, indicating that PAH release cannot easily be estimated on the basis of sample matrix composition. Fvalues for CG site samples obtained with SFE and water desorption agreed well (linear correlation coefficient, r2 = 0.87, slope = 0.93), but SFE yielded higher F values for the OG samples. These behaviors were attributed to the stronger ability of carbon dioxide than water to desorb PAHs from the highly aromatic (hard) carbon of the OG matrixes, while carbon dioxide and water showed similar abilities to desorb PAHs from the more polar (soft) carbon of the CG samples. The combined SFE and water desorption approaches should improve the understanding of PAH sequestration and release from contaminated soils and sediments and provide the basis for subsequent studies using the same samples to compare PAH release with PAH availability to earthworms.

Polyphenol-rich extract of Ocimum gratissimum leaves ameliorates colitis via attenuating colonic mucosa injury and regulating pro-inflammatory cytokines production and oxidative stress.

PubMed

Alabi, Quadri K; Akomolafe, Rufus O; Omole, Joseph G; Adefisayo, Modinat A; Ogundipe, Olaofe L; Aturamu, Ayodeji; Sanya, Joseph O

2018-04-20

Colitis is a chronic inflammation and ulcer on the inner lining of the large intestine. For many centuries Ocimum gratissimum (OG) leaves have been used in folk medicine in Nigeria to treat inflammatory bowel diseases, however, to date, the anti-colitis effects of OG have not been scientifically proven. In this study we investigated the effects of polyphenol rich extract of Ocimum gratissimum (PREOG) leaf on colonic mucosa injury in colitis, its mechanisms, initial administration time and dosage. Dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced rat colitis models was used. PREOG administration was initiated at 3 and 7 d after the model was established at doses of 200, 400 and 800 mg/kg for 7 d. 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) was used as a reference drug. The disease activity index (DAI), vascular permeability, markers of oxidative stress, granulocyte infiltration, inflammation and histopathological alteration were evaluated. Obvious colonic inflammation and mucosa injuries were observed in DSS-induced colitis groups. PREOG administration promoted repair of colonic mucosa injuries, attenuated inflammation, and decreased DAI scores in rats with colitis. PREOG also decreased the plasma concentrations of Interleukin-(IL)-6 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and concentrations of myeloperoxidase, nitric oxide, cyclooxygenase-2 and malondialdehyde in the colon, and increased the plasma concentrations of IL-4 and IL-10 as well as the concentration of superoxide dismutase, catalase and reduced glutathione in the colon. The efficacy of PREOG was dosage dependent. In conclusion, OG repairs colonic mucosa injury in experimental colitis through its ant-inflammatory and ant-oxidant. Its efficacy related to initial administration time and dose. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Consultants as victims of bullying and undermining: a survey of Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists consultant experiences.

PubMed

Shabazz, Tariq; Parry-Smith, William; Oates, Sharon; Henderson, Steven; Mountfield, Joanna

2016-06-20

To explore incidents of bullying and undermining among obstetrics and gynaecology (O&G) consultants in the UK, to add another dimension to previous research and assist in providing a more holistic understanding of the problem in medicine. Questionnaire survey. Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG). O&G consultant members/fellows of the RCOG working in the UK. Measures included a typology of 4 bullying and undermining consequences from major to coping. There was a 28% (664) response rate of whom 44% (229) responded that they had been persistently bullied or undermined. Victims responded that bullying and undermining is carried out by those senior or at least close in the hierarchy. Of the 278 consultants who answered the question on 'frequency of occurrence', 50% stated that bullying and undermining occurs on half, or more, of all encounters with perpetrators and two-thirds reported that it had lasted more than 3 years. The reported impact on professional and personal life spans a wide spectrum from suicidal ideation, depression and sleep disturbance, and a loss of confidence. Over half reported problems that could compromise patient care. When victims were asked if the problem was being addressed, 73% of those that responded stated that it was not. Significant numbers of consultants in O&G in the UK are victims of bullying and undermining behaviour that puts their own health and patient care at risk. New interventions to tackle the problem, rather than its consequences, are required urgently, together with greater commitment to supporting such interventions. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

Generalization of treadmill perturbation to overground slip during gait: Effect of different perturbation distances on slip recovery

PubMed Central

Lee, Anna; Bhatt, Tanvi; Pai, Yi-Chung

2016-01-01

Treadmill-perturbation training (TM-training) may improve a person’s fall-resistance, whereby adjusting slip distance can be a simple way to manipulate training intensity. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of different slip distances in TM-training (12-cm vs. 18-cm) on its generalization to the recovery from a novel “free” slip during overground walking. Generalization here means the ability to apply learned skill from TM-training to slip recovery during overground walking. Thirty-six young adults in the TM_12 or the TM_18 group underwent either a 12-cm or an 18-cm slip during the treadmill walking for seven times, or in the control group were not exposed to any perturbation. Their responses were also contrasted with previously reported results from overground-perturbation training (OG-training) in which participants received either a 12-cm or an 18-cm slip during level walking with the same number of repetitions. Everyone was then exposed to the same generalization test during a novel “free” slip in overground walking. Their proactive and reactive control of stability was measured and compared. TM-training displayed a significant training effect in comparison to the control group (p<0.05), while most of the improvements were found in the reactive control of stability and were much-limited in comparison to that of OG-training. Also unlike OG-training, no significant differences were found between the results obtained from the TM_12 and the TM_18 groups (p>0.05). These results underscore the further needs to investigate the potential of the treadmill as a convenient instrument that can effectively deliver perturbation training. PMID:26653674

Inferring diameters of spheres and cylinders using interstitial water.

PubMed

Herrera, Sheryl L; Mercredi, Morgan E; Buist, Richard; Martin, Melanie

2018-06-04

Most early methods to infer axon diameter distributions using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) used single diffusion encoding sequences such as pulsed gradient spin echo (SE) and are thus sensitive to axons of diameters > 5 μm. We previously simulated oscillating gradient (OG) SE sequences for diffusion spectroscopy to study smaller axons including the majority constituting cortical connections. That study suggested the model of constant extra-axonal diffusion breaks down at OG accessible frequencies. In this study we present data from phantoms to test a time-varying interstitial apparent diffusion coefficient. Diffusion spectra were measured in four samples from water packed around beads of diameters 3, 6 and 10 μm; and 151 μm diameter tubes. Surface-to-volume ratios, and diameters were inferred. The bead pore radii estimates were 0.60±0.08 μm, 0.54±0.06 μm and 1.0±0.1 μm corresponding to bead diameters ranging from 2.9±0.4 μm to 5.3±0.7 μm, 2.6±0.3 μm to 4.8±0.6 μm, and 4.9±0.7 μm to 9±1 μm. The tube surface-to-volume ratio estimate was 0.06±0.02 μm -1 corresponding to a tube diameter of 180±70 μm. Interstitial models with OG inferred 3-10 μm bead diameters from 0.54±0.06 μm to 1.0±0.1 μm pore radii and 151 μm tube diameters from 0.06±0.02 μm -1 surface-to-volume ratios.

Human 2-Oxoglutarate Dehydrogenase Complex E1 Component Forms a Thiamin-derived Radical by Aerobic Oxidation of the Enamine Intermediate*

PubMed Central

Nemeria, Natalia S.; Ambrus, Attila; Patel, Hetalben; Gerfen, Gary; Adam-Vizi, Vera; Tretter, Laszlo; Zhou, Jieyu; Wang, Junjie; Jordan, Frank

2014-01-01

Herein are reported unique properties of the human 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase multienzyme complex (OGDHc), a rate-limiting enzyme in the Krebs (citric acid) cycle. (a) Functionally competent 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase (E1o-h) and dihydrolipoyl succinyltransferase components have been expressed according to kinetic and spectroscopic evidence. (b) A stable free radical, consistent with the C2-(C2α-hydroxy)-γ-carboxypropylidene thiamin diphosphate (ThDP) cation radical was detected by electron spin resonance upon reaction of the E1o-h with 2-oxoglutarate (OG) by itself or when assembled from individual components into OGDHc. (c) An unusual stability of the E1o-h-bound C2-(2α-hydroxy)-γ-carboxypropylidene thiamin diphosphate (the “ThDP-enamine”/C2α-carbanion, the first postdecarboxylation intermediate) was observed, probably stabilized by the 5-carboxyl group of OG, not reported before. (d) The reaction of OG with the E1o-h gave rise to superoxide anion and hydrogen peroxide (reactive oxygen species (ROS)). (e) The relatively stable enzyme-bound enamine is the likely substrate for oxidation by O2, leading to the superoxide anion radical (in d) and the radical (in b). (f) The specific activity assessed for ROS formation compared with the NADH (overall complex) activity, as well as the fraction of radical intermediate occupying active centers of E1o-h are consistent with each other and indicate that radical/ROS formation is an “off-pathway” side reaction comprising less than 1% of the “on-pathway” reactivity. However, the nearly ubiquitous presence of OGDHc in human tissues, including the brain, makes these findings of considerable importance in human metabolism and perhaps disease. PMID:25210035

The Effect of an Offset Polar Cap Dipolar Magnetic Field on the Modeling of the Vela Pulsar's Gamma-Ray Light Curves

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barnard, M.; Venter, C.; Harding, A. K.

2016-01-01

We performed geometric pulsar light curve modeling using static, retarded vacuum, and offset polar cap (PC) dipole B-fields (the latter is characterized by a parameter epsilon), in conjunction with standard two-pole caustic (TPC) and outer gap (OG) emission geometries. The offset-PC dipole B-field mimics deviations from the static dipole (which corresponds to epsilon equals 0). In addition to constant-emissivity geometric models, we also considered a slot gap (SG) E-field associated with the offset-PC dipole B-field and found that its inclusion leads to qualitatively different light curves. Solving the particle transport equation shows that the particle energy only becomes large enough to yield significant curvature radiation at large altitudes above the stellar surface, given this relatively low E-field. Therefore, particles do not always attain the radiation-reaction limit. Our overall optimal light curve fit is for the retarded vacuum dipole field and OG model, at an inclination angle alpha equals 78 plus or minus 1 degree and observer angle zeta equals 69 plus 2 degrees or minus 1 degree. For this B-field, the TPC model is statistically disfavored compared to the OG model. For the static dipole field, neither model is significantly preferred. We found that smaller values of epsilon are favored for the offset-PC dipole field when assuming constant emissivity, and larger epsilon values favored for variable emissivity, but not significantly so. When multiplying the SG E-field by a factor of 100, we found improved light curve fits, with alpha and zeta being closer to best fits from independent studies, as well as curvature radiation reaction at lower altitudes.

An ecodesign method for reducing the effects of hazardous substances in the product lifecycle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simanovska, J.; Valters, K.; Bažbauers, G.; Luttropp, C.

2012-10-01

Growing evidence on the indoor and outdoor pollution caused by the flow of man-made products urges that the content and leaching of hazardous substances from products be minimised. One of the ways to reduce the potential adverse impacts caused by these substances could be via ecodesign - i.e. through the consideration of lifecycle-related environmental aspects during the product development. The authors’ review of the existing ecodesign methods highlights the weakness of these methods in identifying and assessing the health-related and environmental impacts of hazardous substances contained in products, especially with regard to the exposure assessment. Therefore, a new, semi-quantitative screening ecodesign method applicable for different types of products has been developed. The method ranks the most severe hazards based on the classification according to the Globally Harmonised System together with the exposure evaluation as well as integrates the aspects of material efficiency. This method is suitable for use in the product development process, requiring decisions to be made based on limited information while integrating the main principles of a scientific risk assessment for chemicals. Application of the method is demonstrated with a case study on products made of plywood. The method makes it possible to identify the needs for and elaboration of ecodesign proposals, and fosters communication and information exchange throughout the supply chain. Augošs pierādījumu daudzums par produktu sastāvā esošo kaitīgo ķīmisko vielu nelabvēlīgo ietekmi uz vidi un cilvēku veselību liecina par nepieciešamību samazināt šādu vielu saturu produktos un izdalīšanos no tiem, ko varētu realizēt ar ekodizaina palīdzību. Pārskatot zinātniskās publikācijas ekodizaina jomā, konstatēts, ka pašreiz ekodizaina metodes nepilnīgi nodrošina materiālu sastāvā esošo vielu kaitīgās ietekmes uz cilvēku veselību un apkārtējo vidi novēršanu. Tāpēc radīta jauna, daļēji kvantitatīva ekodizaina metode, apvienojot produktu izstrādes prasības ar zinātniskā ķīmiskā riska novērtēšanas principiem, kas piedāvā bīstamo īpašību prioritizēšanu, izmantojot Globāli harmonizētās sistēmas ķīmisko vielu klasifikācijas kodus, kā arī iedarbības un materiālu efektivitātes aspektu prioritizēšanu. Metode tika aprobēta, demonstrējot tās izmantošanu. Metode ļauj produkta izstrādātājam identificēt pārmaiņu nepieciešamību, izstrādāt ekodizaina priekšlikumus, izvērtēt alternatīvas, un palīdz uzlabot saziņu par materiālu īpašībām un ietekmi uz vidi un cilvēka veselību izejvielu un produktu piegādes ķēdē.

caGrid 1.0: A Grid Enterprise Architecture for Cancer Research

PubMed Central

Oster, Scott; Langella, Stephen; Hastings, Shannon; Ervin, David; Madduri, Ravi; Kurc, Tahsin; Siebenlist, Frank; Covitz, Peter; Shanbhag, Krishnakant; Foster, Ian; Saltz, Joel

2007-01-01

caGrid is the core Grid architecture of the NCI-sponsored cancer Biomedical Informatics Grid (caBIGTM) program. The current release, caGrid version 1.0, is developed as the production Grid software infrastructure of caBIGTM. Based on feedback from adopters of the previous version (caGrid 0.5), it has been significantly enhanced with new features and improvements to existing components. This paper presents an overview of caGrid 1.0, its main components, and enhancements over caGrid 0.5. PMID:18693901

Aspects on HTS applications in confined power grids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arndt, T.; Grundmann, J.; Kuhnert, A.; Kummeth, P.; Nick, W.; Oomen, M.; Schacherer, C.; Schmidt, W.

2014-12-01

In an increasing number of electric power grids the share of distributed energy generation is also increasing. The grids have to cope with a considerable change of power flow, which has an impact on the optimum topology of the grids and sub-grids (high-voltage, medium-voltage and low-voltage sub-grids) and the size of quasi-autonomous grid sections. Furthermore the stability of grids is influenced by its size. Thus special benefits of HTS applications in the power grid might become most visible in confined power grids.

Exploring Hypersonic, Unstructured-Grid Issues through Structured Grids

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mazaheri, Ali R.; Kleb, Bill

2007-01-01

Pure-tetrahedral unstructured grids have been shown to produce asymmetric heat transfer rates for symmetric problems. Meanwhile, two-dimensional structured grids produce symmetric solutions and as documented here, introducing a spanwise degree of freedom to these structured grids also yields symmetric solutions. The effects of grid skewness and other perturbations of structured-grids are investigated to uncover possible mechanisms behind the unstructured-grid solution asymmetries. By using controlled experiments around a known, good solution, the effects of particular grid pathologies are uncovered. These structured-grid experiments reveal that similar solution degradation occurs as for unstructured grids, especially for heat transfer rates. Non-smooth grids within the boundary layer is also shown to produce large local errors in heat flux but do not affect surface pressures.

Occupancy change detection system and method

DOEpatents

Bruemmer, David J [Idaho Falls, ID; Few, Douglas A [Idaho Falls, ID

2009-09-01

A robot platform includes perceptors, locomotors, and a system controller. The system controller executes instructions for producing an occupancy grid map of an environment around the robot, scanning the environment to generate a current obstacle map relative to a current robot position, and converting the current obstacle map to a current occupancy grid map. The instructions also include processing each grid cell in the occupancy grid map. Within the processing of each grid cell, the instructions include comparing each grid cell in the occupancy grid map to a corresponding grid cell in the current occupancy grid map. For grid cells with a difference, the instructions include defining a change vector for each changed grid cell, wherein the change vector includes a direction from the robot to the changed grid cell and a range from the robot to the changed grid cell.

Importance of Grid Center Arrangement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pasaogullari, O.; Usul, N.

2012-12-01

In Digital Elevation Modeling, grid size is accepted to be the most important parameter. Despite the point density and/or scale of the source data, it is freely decided by the user. Most of the time, arrangement of the grid centers are ignored, even most GIS packages omit the choice of grid center coordinate selection. In our study; importance of the arrangement of grid centers is investigated. Using the analogy between "Raster Grid DEM" and "Bitmap Image", importance of placement of grid centers in DEMs are measured. The study has been conducted on four different grid DEMs obtained from a half ellipsoid. These grid DEMs are obtained in such a way that they are half grid size apart from each other. Resulting grid DEMs are investigated through similarity measures. Image processing scientists use different measures to investigate the dis/similarity between the images and the amount of different information they carry. Grid DEMs are projected to a finer grid in order to co-center. Similarity measures are then applied to each grid DEM pairs. These similarity measures are adapted to DEM with band reduction and real number operation. One of the measures gives function graph and the others give measure matrices. Application of similarity measures to six grid DEM pairs shows interesting results. These four different grid DEMs are created with the same method for the same area, surprisingly; thirteen out of 14 measures state that, the half grid size apart grid DEMs are different from each other. The results indicated that although grid DEMs carry mutual information, they have also additional individual information. In other words, half grid size apart constructed grid DEMs have non-redundant information.; Joint Probability Distributions Function Graphs

Disentangling α and β relaxation in orientationally disordered crystals with theory and experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cui, Bingyu; Gebbia, Jonathan F.; Tamarit, Josep-Lluis; Zaccone, Alessio

2018-05-01

We use a microscopically motivated generalized Langevin equation (GLE) approach to link the vibrational density of states (VDOS) to the dielectric response of orientational glasses (OGs). The dielectric function calculated based on the GLE is compared with experimental data for the paradigmatic case of two OGs: freon-112 and freon-113, around and just above Tg. The memory function is related to the integral of the VDOS times a spectral coupling function γ (ωp) , which tells the degree of dynamical coupling between molecular degrees of freedom at different eigenfrequencies. The comparative analysis of the two freons reveals that the appearance of a secondary β relaxation in freon-112 is due to cooperative dynamical coupling in the regime of mesoscopic motions caused by stronger anharmonicity (absent in freon-113) and is associated with the comparatively lower boson peak in the VDOS. The proposed framework brings together all the key aspects of glassy physics (VDOS with the boson peak, dynamical heterogeneity, dissipation, and anharmonicity) into a single model.

["The Society for letters and natural science" The young Ole H. Mynster and the chemical revolution around 1800].

PubMed

Hansen, Sven Erik

2015-01-01

Ole H. Mynster (1772-1818) was a stepson of the leading physician at the Royal Frederik Hospital in Copenhagen. At an early age he became fond of zoology and mineralogy. He created "societies" in Enlightenment-style for boys and young people with lectures and collections. Later on a circle of talented young students, scientists and poets met in his small room at the hospital. Some of them with Ole Mynster as the head set up a modern scientific journal, Physicalsk, oeconomisk og medicochirurgisk Bibliotek for Danmark og Norge which encouraged the introduction of antiphlogistic chemistry. Ole Mynster became physician at the Royal Frederik Hospital and lecturer in clinical pharmacology. He wrote the first book in Danish on pharmacology based upon chemistry. In their memoirs, prominent members of his circle have told about him, and his son F.L. Mynster has written a draft for a biography. An overview of the activities within natural science and medicine of the young Ole Hieronymus Mynster is presented.

First Results & Future Prospects for 30 GeV Gamma Rays from CELESTE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Naurois, Mathieu

The CELESTE solar farm gamma-ray telescope detected the Crab Nebula at 80 GeV ( Hz) using 18 heliostats in 1998. In March 1999, observations began with a setup extended to 40 heliostats, and with upgraded electronics. Technical delays and bad weather only permitted a very small data set for the Crab nebula. hours of data were taken simultaneously with the CAT imaging telescope showing evidence for a gamma signal. In this talk the analysis method of these data is described. CELESTE has passed major milestones and the groundwork is laid for the blazar and pulsar studies presented elsewhere in this conference (OG 2.1.20, OG 2.2.31). DEDICATION : CELESTE is the brainchild of Eric Pare, who died at the age of 39 in an automobile accident, two weeks after finding our first gamma ray signal. Eric also played a major role in the conception and design of CAT. We dedicate this work to his memory.

On Orbit ISS Oxygen Generation System Operation Status

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Diderich, Greg S.; Polis, Pete; VanKeuren, Steven P.; Erickson, Robert; Mason, Richard

2011-01-01

The International Space Station (ISS) United States Orbital Segment (USOS) Oxygen Generation System (OGS) has accumulated almost a year of operation at varied oxygen production rates within the US Laboratory Module (LAB) since it was first activated in July 2007. It was operated intermittently through 2009 and 2010, due to filter clogging and acid accumulation in the recirculation loop. Since the installation of a deionizing bed in the recirculation loop in May of 2011 the OGA has been operated continuously. Filters in the recirculation loop have clogged and have been replaced. Hydrogen sensors have drifted apart, and a power failure may have condensed water on a hydrogen sensor. A pump delta pressure sensor failed, and a replacement new spare pump failed to start. Finally, the voltage across the cell stack increased out of tolerance due to cation contamination, and the cell stack was replaced. This paper will discuss the operating experience and characteristics of the OGS, as well as operational issues and their resolution.

Preliminary results from 2017 OGS Explora cruise to the Ross Sea continental slope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rebesco, Michele; De Santis, Laura; Gales, Jenny; Kim, Sookwan; Liu, Yanguang; Sauli, Chiara; Cuffaro, Marco; Bergamasco, Andrea; Colleoni, Florence; Kovacevic, Vedrana; Olivo, Elisabetta; Florindo-Lopez, Cristian; Codiglia, Riccardo; Zgur, Fabrizio; Accettella, Daniela; Gordini, Emiliano; Visnovic, Paolo; Tomini, Isabella; Mansutti, Paolo; Sterzai, Paolo

2017-04-01

OGS Explora is back to Antarctica for three projects focused on the Ross Sea eastern continental slope: EU/FP7-EUROFLEETS (http://www.eurofleets.eu) ANTSSS, PNRA (Programma Nazionale Di Ricerche in Antartide) ODYSSEA, and PNRA WHISPERS. These projects employ three main methods: 1) geophysics (multichannel seismic reflection, sub-bottom and multibeam morphobathymetric survey); 2) geology (gravity corer and box-corer); oceanography (CTD, LADCP, turbulence). The general objective is to contribute to the understanding of past and present ocean dynamics and glacial history of this Antarctic sector. In particular, to find evidence (in the geometry and distribution of the stratigraphic sequences) of Miocene-Pleistocene West Antarctic Ice Sheet and East Antarctic Ice Sheet advances and retreats and of their effects on Ross Sea Bottom Water formation and dynamics. The gravity cores provide the chronological control for the Quaternary. Deep sea drilling (through IODP Exp. 374, whose additional alternative sites are surveyed during this cruise) will provide the chronological control for the pre-Quaternary seismic sequences.

New multifunctional materials obtained by the intercalation of anionic dyes into layered zinc hydroxide nitrate followed by dispersion into poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA).

PubMed

Marangoni, Rafael; Ramos, Luiz Pereira; Wypych, Fernando

2009-02-15

Different anionic blue and orange dyes have been immobilized on a zinc hydroxide nitrate (Zn(5)(OH)(8)(NO(3))(2)nH(2)O--Zn-OH-NO(3)) by anion exchange with interlayer and/or outer surface nitrate ions of the layered matrix. Orange G (OG) was totally intercalated, orange II (OII) was partially intercalated, while Niagara blue 3B (NB) and Evans blue (EV) were only adsorbed at the outer surface. Several composite films of poly(vinyl alcohol)--PVA were prepared by casting through the dispersion of the hybrid material (Zn-OH-OG) into a PVA aqueous solution and evaporation of water in a vacuum oven. The obtained composite films were transparent, colored, and capable of absorbing UV radiation. Improved mechanical properties were also obtained in relation to the nonfilled PVA films. These results demonstrate the onset of a new range of potential applications for layered hydroxide salts in the preparation of polymer composite multifunctional materials.

Role of calcium in acclimation of the cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 to nitrogen starvation.

PubMed

Leganés, Francisco; Forchhammer, Karl; Fernández-Piñas, Francisca

2009-01-01

A Ca2+ signal is required for the process of heterocyst differentiation in the filamentous diazotrophic cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. PCC 7120. This paper presents evidence that a transient increase in intracellular free Ca2+ is also involved in acclimation to nitrogen starvation in the unicellular non-diazotrophic cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942. The Ca2+ transient was triggered in response to nitrogen step-down or the addition of 2-oxoglutarate (2-OG), or its analogues 2,2-difluoropentanedioic acid (DFPA) and 2-methylenepentanedioic acid (2-MPA), to cells growing with combined nitrogen, suggesting that an increase in intracellular 2-OG levels precedes the Ca2+ transient. The signalling protein P(II) and the transcriptional regulator NtcA appear to be needed to trigger the signal. Suppression of the Ca2+ transient by the intracellular Ca2+ chelator N,N'-[1,2-ethanediylbis(oxy-2,1-phenylene)]bis[N-[2-[(acetyloxy)methoxy]-2-oxoethyl

MAG3D and its application to internal flowfield analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, K. D.; Henderson, T. L.; Choo, Y. K.

1992-01-01

MAG3D (multiblock adaptive grid, 3D) is a 3D solution-adaptive grid generation code which redistributes grid points to improve the accuracy of a flow solution without increasing the number of grid points. The code is applicable to structured grids with a multiblock topology. It is independent of the original grid generator and the flow solver. The code uses the coordinates of an initial grid and the flow solution interpolated onto the new grid. MAG3D uses a numerical mapping and potential theory to modify the grid distribution based on properties of the flow solution on the initial grid. The adaptation technique is discussed, and the capability of MAG3D is demonstrated with several internal flow examples. Advantages of using solution-adaptive grids are also shown by comparing flow solutions on adaptive grids with those on initial grids.

An Adaptive Unstructured Grid Method by Grid Subdivision, Local Remeshing, and Grid Movement

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pirzadeh, Shahyar Z.

1999-01-01

An unstructured grid adaptation technique has been developed and successfully applied to several three dimensional inviscid flow test cases. The approach is based on a combination of grid subdivision, local remeshing, and grid movement. For solution adaptive grids, the surface triangulation is locally refined by grid subdivision, and the tetrahedral grid in the field is partially remeshed at locations of dominant flow features. A grid redistribution strategy is employed for geometric adaptation of volume grids to moving or deforming surfaces. The method is automatic and fast and is designed for modular coupling with different solvers. Several steady state test cases with different inviscid flow features were tested for grid/solution adaptation. In all cases, the dominant flow features, such as shocks and vortices, were accurately and efficiently predicted with the present approach. A new and robust method of moving tetrahedral "viscous" grids is also presented and demonstrated on a three-dimensional example.

Greening the Grid - Advancing Solar, Wind, and Smart Grid Technologies (Spanish Version)

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

This is the Spanish version of 'Greening the Grid - Advancing Solar, Wind, and Smart Grid Technologies'. Greening the Grid provides technical assistance to energy system planners, regulators, and grid operators to overcome challenges associated with integrating variable renewable energy into the grid.

Near-Body Grid Adaption for Overset Grids

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Buning, Pieter G.; Pulliam, Thomas H.

2016-01-01

A solution adaption capability for curvilinear near-body grids has been implemented in the OVERFLOW overset grid computational fluid dynamics code. The approach follows closely that used for the Cartesian off-body grids, but inserts refined grids in the computational space of original near-body grids. Refined curvilinear grids are generated using parametric cubic interpolation, with one-sided biasing based on curvature and stretching ratio of the original grid. Sensor functions, grid marking, and solution interpolation tasks are implemented in the same fashion as for off-body grids. A goal-oriented procedure, based on largest error first, is included for controlling growth rate and maximum size of the adapted grid system. The adaption process is almost entirely parallelized using MPI, resulting in a capability suitable for viscous, moving body simulations. Two- and three-dimensional examples are presented.

Using Grid Benchmarks for Dynamic Scheduling of Grid Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Frumkin, Michael; Hood, Robert

2003-01-01

Navigation or dynamic scheduling of applications on computational grids can be improved through the use of an application-specific characterization of grid resources. Current grid information systems provide a description of the resources, but do not contain any application-specific information. We define a GridScape as dynamic state of the grid resources. We measure the dynamic performance of these resources using the grid benchmarks. Then we use the GridScape for automatic assignment of the tasks of a grid application to grid resources. The scalability of the system is achieved by limiting the navigation overhead to a few percent of the application resource requirements. Our task submission and assignment protocol guarantees that the navigation system does not cause grid congestion. On a synthetic data mining application we demonstrate that Gridscape-based task assignment reduces the application tunaround time.

Adaptive EAGLE dynamic solution adaptation and grid quality enhancement

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Luong, Phu Vinh; Thompson, J. F.; Gatlin, B.; Mastin, C. W.; Kim, H. J.

1992-01-01

In the effort described here, the elliptic grid generation procedure in the EAGLE grid code was separated from the main code into a subroutine, and a new subroutine which evaluates several grid quality measures at each grid point was added. The elliptic grid routine can now be called, either by a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code to generate a new adaptive grid based on flow variables and quality measures through multiple adaptation, or by the EAGLE main code to generate a grid based on quality measure variables through static adaptation. Arrays of flow variables can be read into the EAGLE grid code for use in static adaptation as well. These major changes in the EAGLE adaptive grid system make it easier to convert any CFD code that operates on a block-structured grid (or single-block grid) into a multiple adaptive code.

FermiGrid - experience and future plans

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

Chadwick, K.; Berman, E.; Canal, P.

2007-09-01

Fermilab supports a scientific program that includes experiments and scientists located across the globe. In order to better serve this community, Fermilab has placed its production computer resources in a Campus Grid infrastructure called 'FermiGrid'. The FermiGrid infrastructure allows the large experiments at Fermilab to have priority access to their own resources, enables sharing of these resources in an opportunistic fashion, and movement of work (jobs, data) between the Campus Grid and National Grids such as Open Science Grid and the WLCG. FermiGrid resources support multiple Virtual Organizations (VOs), including VOs from the Open Science Grid (OSG), EGEE and themore » Worldwide LHC Computing Grid Collaboration (WLCG). Fermilab also makes leading contributions to the Open Science Grid in the areas of accounting, batch computing, grid security, job management, resource selection, site infrastructure, storage management, and VO services. Through the FermiGrid interfaces, authenticated and authorized VOs and individuals may access our core grid services, the 10,000+ Fermilab resident CPUs, near-petabyte (including CMS) online disk pools and the multi-petabyte Fermilab Mass Storage System. These core grid services include a site wide Globus gatekeeper, VO management services for several VOs, Fermilab site authorization services, grid user mapping services, as well as job accounting and monitoring, resource selection and data movement services. Access to these services is via standard and well-supported grid interfaces. We will report on the user experience of using the FermiGrid campus infrastructure interfaced to a national cyberinfrastructure--the successes and the problems.« less

78 FR 5171 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-01-24

... with Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Online GEOINT Services (OGS) directorate of NGA announces a proposed public information collection and seeks public comment on the provisions thereof. Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary...

Sprog, kultur, intersprog (Language, Culture, Interlanguage). ROLIG-Papir 57.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Risager, Karen, Ed.

Four articles on language, culture, and interlanguage are included in this volume. The first by Karen Risager, "Sprog, kultur, og internationalisering" ("Language, Culture, and Internationalization") takes issue with the very broad perception that foreign language and culture cannot be separated in instruction. The second article,…

The Utility of Handheld Programmable Calculators in Aircraft Life Cycle Cost Estimation.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-09-01

are available for extended mem - ory, hardcopy printout, video interface, and special application software. Any calculator of comparable memory could...condi- tioning system. OG Total number of engine, air turbine motor (ATM) and auxiliary power unit (APU) driven generator/alternators. OHP Total number

Forecasting landslide activations by means of GA-SAKe. An example of application to three case studies in Calabria (Southern Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iovine, Giulio G. R.; De Rango, Alessio; Gariano, Stefano L.; Terranova, Oreste G.

2016-04-01

GA-SAKe - the Genetic-Algorithm based release of the hydrological model SAKe (Self Adaptive Kernel) - allows to forecast the timing of activation of landslides [1, 2], based on dates of landslide activations and rainfall series. The model can be applied to either single or set of similar landslides in a homogeneous context. Calibration of the model is performed through Genetic-Algorithm, and provides families of optimal, discretized solutions (kernels) that maximize the fitness function. The mobility functions are obtained through convolution of the optimal kernels with rain series. The shape of the kernel, including its base time, is related to magnitude of the landslide and hydro-geological complexity of the slope. Once validated, the model can be applied to estimate the timing of future landslide activations in the same study area, by employing measured or forecasted rainfall. GA-SAKe is here employed to analyse the historical activations of three rock slides in Calabria (Southern Italy), threatening villages and main infrastructures. In particular: 1) the Acri-Serra di Buda case, developed within a Sackung, involving weathered crystalline and metamorphic rocks; for this case study, 6 dates of activation are available; 2) the San Fili-Uncino case, developed in clay and conglomerate overlaying gneiss and biotitic schist; for this case study, 7 dates of activation are available [2]; 3) the San Benedetto Ullano-San Rocco case, developed in weathered metamorphic rocks; for this case study, 3 dates of activation are available [1, 3, 4, 5]. The obtained results are quite promising, given the high performance of the model against slope movements characterized by numerous historical activations. Obtained results, in terms of shape and base time of the kernels, are compared by taking into account types and sizes of the considered case studies, and involved rock types. References [1] Terranova O.G., Iaquinta P., Gariano S.L., Greco R. & Iovine G. (2013) In: Landslide Science and Practice, Margottini, Canuti, Sassa (Eds.), Vol. 3, pp.73-79. [2] Terranova O.G., Gariano S.L., Iaquinta P. & Iovine G.G.R. (2015). Geosci. Model Dev., 8, 1955-1978. [3] Iovine G., Iaquinta P. & Terranova O. (2009). In Anderssen, Braddock & Newham (Eds.), Proc. 18th World IMACS Congr. and MODSIM09 Int. Congr. on Modelling and Simulation, pp. 2686-2693. [4] Iovine G., Lollino P., Gariano S.L. & Terranova O.G. (2010). NHESS, 10, 2341-2354. [5] Capparelli G., Iaquinta P., Iovine G., Terranova O.G. & Versace P. (2012). Natural Hazards, 61(1), pp.247-256.

Differences in open versus laparoscopic gastric bypass mortality risk using the Obesity Surgery Mortality Risk Score (OS-MRS).

PubMed

Brolin, Robert E; Cody, Ronald P; Marcella, Stephen W

2015-01-01

The Obesity Surgery Mortality Risk Score (OS-MRS) was developed to ascertain preoperative mortality risk of patients having bariatric surgery. To date there has not been a comparison between open and laparoscopic operations using the OS-MRS. To determine whether there are differences in mortality risk between open and laparoscopic Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass (RYGB) using the OS-MRS. Three university-affiliated hospitals. The 90-day mortality of 2467 consecutive patients who had primary open (1574) or laparoscopic (893) RYGB performed by one surgeon was determined. Univariate and multivariate analysis using 5 OS-MRS risk factors including body mass index (BMI) gender, age>45, presence of hypertension and preoperative deep vein thrombosis (DVT) risk was performed in each group. Each patient was placed in 1 of 3 OS-MRS risk classes based on the number of risks: A (0-1), B (2-3), and C (4-5). Preoperative BMI and DVT risk factors were significantly greater in the open group (OG). Preoperative age was significantly greater in the laparoscopic group (LG). There were significantly more class B and C patients in LG. Ninety-day mortality rates for OG and LG patients were 1.0% and .9%, respectively. Pulmonary embolism was the most common cause of death. All deaths in LG occurred during first 4 years of that experience. Mortality rate by class was A = .1%; B = 1.5%; C = 2.3%. The difference in mortality between class B and C patients was not significant. Univariate analysis in the OG indicated that BMI, age, gender, and DVT risk were significant predictors of mortality. In the LG only BMI and DVT were significant predictors of death. Presence of hypertension was not a significant predictor in either group. Multivariate analysis excluding hypertension found that age was predictive of mortality in the OG while BMI (P = .057) and gender (P = .065) approached statistical significance. Conversely, only BMI was predictive of mortality in the LG with age approaching significance (P = .058). In multivariate analysis DVT risk was not predictive of mortality in either group. There are significant differences in the predictive value of the OS-MRS between open and laparoscopic RYGB. Although laparoscopic patients were significantly older versus the open patients, age was not predictive of mortality after laparoscopic RYGB. BMI trended toward increased mortality risk in both groups. Changes in technique and protocol likely contributed toward no mortality during the last 6 years of our laparoscopic experience. Copyright © 2015 American Society for Bariatric Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Assessment of grid optimisation measures for the German transmission grid using open source grid data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Böing, F.; Murmann, A.; Pellinger, C.; Bruckmeier, A.; Kern, T.; Mongin, T.

2018-02-01

The expansion of capacities in the German transmission grid is a necessity for further integration of renewable energy sources into the electricity sector. In this paper, the grid optimisation measures ‘Overhead Line Monitoring’, ‘Power-to-Heat’ and ‘Demand Response in the Industry’ are evaluated and compared against conventional grid expansion for the year 2030. Initially, the methodical approach of the simulation model is presented and detailed descriptions of the grid model and the used grid data, which partly originates from open-source platforms, are provided. Further, this paper explains how ‘Curtailment’ and ‘Redispatch’ can be reduced by implementing grid optimisation measures and how the depreciation of economic costs can be determined considering construction costs. The developed simulations show that the conventional grid expansion is more efficient and implies more grid relieving effects than the evaluated grid optimisation measures.

Surface Modeling and Grid Generation of Orbital Sciences X34 Vehicle. Phase 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Alter, Stephen J.

1997-01-01

The surface modeling and grid generation requirements, motivations, and methods used to develop Computational Fluid Dynamic volume grids for the X34-Phase 1 are presented. The requirements set forth by the Aerothermodynamics Branch at the NASA Langley Research Center serve as the basis for the final techniques used in the construction of all volume grids, including grids for parametric studies of the X34. The Integrated Computer Engineering and Manufacturing code for Computational Fluid Dynamics (ICEM/CFD), the Grid Generation code (GRIDGEN), the Three-Dimensional Multi-block Advanced Grid Generation System (3DMAGGS) code, and Volume Grid Manipulator (VGM) code are used to enable the necessary surface modeling, surface grid generation, volume grid generation, and grid alterations, respectively. All volume grids generated for the X34, as outlined in this paper, were used for CFD simulations within the Aerothermodynamics Branch.

Application of the FUN3D Unstructured-Grid Navier-Stokes Solver to the 4th AIAA Drag Prediction Workshop Cases

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee-Rausch, Elizabeth M.; Hammond, Dana P.; Nielsen, Eric J.; Pirzadeh, S. Z.; Rumsey, Christopher L.

2010-01-01

FUN3D Navier-Stokes solutions were computed for the 4th AIAA Drag Prediction Workshop grid convergence study, downwash study, and Reynolds number study on a set of node-based mixed-element grids. All of the baseline tetrahedral grids were generated with the VGRID (developmental) advancing-layer and advancing-front grid generation software package following the gridding guidelines developed for the workshop. With maximum grid sizes exceeding 100 million nodes, the grid convergence study was particularly challenging for the node-based unstructured grid generators and flow solvers. At the time of the workshop, the super-fine grid with 105 million nodes and 600 million elements was the largest grid known to have been generated using VGRID. FUN3D Version 11.0 has a completely new pre- and post-processing paradigm that has been incorporated directly into the solver and functions entirely in a parallel, distributed memory environment. This feature allowed for practical pre-processing and solution times on the largest unstructured-grid size requested for the workshop. For the constant-lift grid convergence case, the convergence of total drag is approximately second-order on the finest three grids. The variation in total drag between the finest two grids is only 2 counts. At the finest grid levels, only small variations in wing and tail pressure distributions are seen with grid refinement. Similarly, a small wing side-of-body separation also shows little variation at the finest grid levels. Overall, the FUN3D results compare well with the structured-grid code CFL3D. The FUN3D downwash study and Reynolds number study results compare well with the range of results shown in the workshop presentations.

Research on Grid Size Suitability of Gridded Population Distribution in Urban Area: A Case Study in Urban Area of Xuanzhou District, China.

PubMed

Dong, Nan; Yang, Xiaohuan; Cai, Hongyan; Xu, Fengjiao

2017-01-01

The research on the grid size suitability is important to provide improvement in accuracies of gridded population distribution. It contributes to reveal the actual spatial distribution of population. However, currently little research has been done in this area. Many well-modeled gridded population dataset are basically built at a single grid scale. If the grid cell size is not appropriate, it will result in spatial information loss or data redundancy. Therefore, in order to capture the desired spatial variation of population within the area of interest, it is necessary to conduct research on grid size suitability. This study summarized three expressed levels to analyze grid size suitability, which include location expressed level, numeric information expressed level, and spatial relationship expressed level. This study elaborated the reasons for choosing the five indexes to explore expression suitability. These five indexes are consistency measure, shape index rate, standard deviation of population density, patches diversity index, and the average local variance. The suitable grid size was determined by constructing grid size-indicator value curves and suitable grid size scheme. Results revealed that the three expressed levels on 10m grid scale are satisfying. And the population distribution raster data with 10m grid size provide excellent accuracy without loss. The 10m grid size is recommended as the appropriate scale for generating a high-quality gridded population distribution in our study area. Based on this preliminary study, it indicates the five indexes are coordinated with each other and reasonable and effective to assess grid size suitability. We also suggest choosing these five indexes in three perspectives of expressed level to carry out the research on grid size suitability of gridded population distribution.

Research on Grid Size Suitability of Gridded Population Distribution in Urban Area: A Case Study in Urban Area of Xuanzhou District, China

PubMed Central

Dong, Nan; Yang, Xiaohuan; Cai, Hongyan; Xu, Fengjiao

2017-01-01

The research on the grid size suitability is important to provide improvement in accuracies of gridded population distribution. It contributes to reveal the actual spatial distribution of population. However, currently little research has been done in this area. Many well-modeled gridded population dataset are basically built at a single grid scale. If the grid cell size is not appropriate, it will result in spatial information loss or data redundancy. Therefore, in order to capture the desired spatial variation of population within the area of interest, it is necessary to conduct research on grid size suitability. This study summarized three expressed levels to analyze grid size suitability, which include location expressed level, numeric information expressed level, and spatial relationship expressed level. This study elaborated the reasons for choosing the five indexes to explore expression suitability. These five indexes are consistency measure, shape index rate, standard deviation of population density, patches diversity index, and the average local variance. The suitable grid size was determined by constructing grid size-indicator value curves and suitable grid size scheme. Results revealed that the three expressed levels on 10m grid scale are satisfying. And the population distribution raster data with 10m grid size provide excellent accuracy without loss. The 10m grid size is recommended as the appropriate scale for generating a high-quality gridded population distribution in our study area. Based on this preliminary study, it indicates the five indexes are coordinated with each other and reasonable and effective to assess grid size suitability. We also suggest choosing these five indexes in three perspectives of expressed level to carry out the research on grid size suitability of gridded population distribution. PMID:28122050

Changing from computing grid to knowledge grid in life-science grid.

PubMed

Talukdar, Veera; Konar, Amit; Datta, Ayan; Choudhury, Anamika Roy

2009-09-01

Grid computing has a great potential to become a standard cyber infrastructure for life sciences that often require high-performance computing and large data handling, which exceeds the computing capacity of a single institution. Grid computer applies the resources of many computers in a network to a single problem at the same time. It is useful to scientific problems that require a great number of computer processing cycles or access to a large amount of data.As biologists,we are constantly discovering millions of genes and genome features, which are assembled in a library and distributed on computers around the world.This means that new, innovative methods must be developed that exploit the re-sources available for extensive calculations - for example grid computing.This survey reviews the latest grid technologies from the viewpoints of computing grid, data grid and knowledge grid. Computing grid technologies have been matured enough to solve high-throughput real-world life scientific problems. Data grid technologies are strong candidates for realizing a "resourceome" for bioinformatics. Knowledge grids should be designed not only from sharing explicit knowledge on computers but also from community formulation for sharing tacit knowledge among a community. By extending the concept of grid from computing grid to knowledge grid, it is possible to make use of a grid as not only sharable computing resources, but also as time and place in which people work together, create knowledge, and share knowledge and experiences in a community.

Solar activity and economic fundamentals: Evidence from 12 geographically disparate power grids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Forbes, Kevin F.; St. Cyr, O. C.

2008-10-01

This study uses local (ground-based) magnetometer data as a proxy for geomagnetically induced currents (GICs) to address whether there is a space weather/electricity market relationship in 12 geographically disparate power grids: Eirgrid, the power grid that serves the Republic of Ireland; Scottish and Southern Electricity, the power grid that served northern Scotland until April 2005; Scottish Power, the power grid that served southern Scotland until April 2005; the power grid that serves the Czech Republic; E.ON Netz, the transmission system operator in central Germany; the power grid in England and Wales; the power grid in New Zealand; the power grid that serves the vast proportion of the population in Australia; ISO New England, the power grid that serves New England; PJM, a power grid that over the sample period served all or parts of Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia; NYISO, the power grid that serves New York State; and the power grid in the Netherlands. This study tests the hypothesis that GIC levels (proxied by the time variation of local magnetic field measurements (dH/dt)) and electricity grid conditions are related using Pearson's chi-squared statistic. The metrics of power grid conditions include measures of electricity market imbalances, energy losses, congestion costs, and actions by system operators to restore grid stability. The results of the analysis indicate that real-time market conditions in these power grids are statistically related with the GIC proxy.

Grid artifact reduction for direct digital radiography detectors based on rotated stationary grids with homomorphic filtering

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

Kim, Dong Sik; Lee, Sanggyun

2013-06-15

Purpose: Grid artifacts are caused when using the antiscatter grid in obtaining digital x-ray images. In this paper, research on grid artifact reduction techniques is conducted especially for the direct detectors, which are based on amorphous selenium. Methods: In order to analyze and reduce the grid artifacts, the authors consider a multiplicative grid image model and propose a homomorphic filtering technique. For minimal damage due to filters, which are used to suppress the grid artifacts, rotated grids with respect to the sampling direction are employed, and min-max optimization problems for searching optimal grid frequencies and angles for given sampling frequenciesmore » are established. The authors then propose algorithms for the grid artifact reduction based on the band-stop filters as well as low-pass filters. Results: The proposed algorithms are experimentally tested for digital x-ray images, which are obtained from direct detectors with the rotated grids, and are compared with other algorithms. It is shown that the proposed algorithms can successfully reduce the grid artifacts for direct detectors. Conclusions: By employing the homomorphic filtering technique, the authors can considerably suppress the strong grid artifacts with relatively narrow-bandwidth filters compared to the normal filtering case. Using rotated grids also significantly reduces the ringing artifact. Furthermore, for specific grid frequencies and angles, the authors can use simple homomorphic low-pass filters in the spatial domain, and thus alleviate the grid artifacts with very low implementation complexity.« less

Numerical computation of complex multi-body Navier-Stokes flows with applications for the integrated Space Shuttle launch vehicle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chan, William M.

1993-01-01

An enhanced grid system for the Space Shuttle Orbiter was built by integrating CAD definitions from several sources and then generating the surface and volume grids. The new grid system contains geometric components not modeled previously plus significant enhancements on geometry that has been modeled in the old grid system. The new orbiter grids were then integrated with new grids for the rest of the launch vehicle. Enhancements were made to the hyperbolic grid generator HYPGEN and new tools for grid projection, manipulation, and modification, Cartesian box grid and far field grid generation and post-processing of flow solver data were developed.

SU-C-209-03: Anti-Scatter Grid-Line Artifact Minimization for Removing the Grid Lines for Three Different Grids Used with a High Resolution CMOS Detector

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

Rana, R; Bednarek, D; Rudin, S

Purpose: Demonstrate the effectiveness of an anti-scatter grid artifact minimization method by removing the grid-line artifacts for three different grids when used with a high resolution CMOS detector. Method: Three different stationary x-ray grids were used with a high resolution CMOS x-ray detector (Dexela 1207, 75 µm pixels, sensitivity area 11.5cm × 6.5cm) to image a simulated artery block phantom (Nuclear Associates, Stenosis/Aneurysm Artery Block 76–705) combined with a frontal head phantom used as the scattering source. The x-ray parameters were 98kVp, 200mA, and 16ms for all grids. With all the three grids, two images were acquired: the first formore » a scatter-less flat field including the grid and the second of the object with the grid which may still have some scatter transmission. Because scatter has a low spatial frequency distribution, it was represented by an estimated constant value as an initial approximation and subtracted from the image of the object with grid before dividing by an average frame of the grid flat-field with no scatter. The constant value was iteratively changed to minimize residual grid-line artifact. This artifact minimization process was used for all the three grids. Results: Anti-scatter grid lines artifacts were successfully eliminated in all the three final images taken with the three different grids. The image contrast and CNR were also compared before and after the correction, and also compared with those from the image of the object when no grid was used. The corrected images showed an increase in CNR of approximately 28%, 33% and 25% for the three grids, as compared to the images when no grid at all was used. Conclusion: Anti-scatter grid-artifact minimization works effectively irrespective of the specifications of the grid when it is used with a high spatial resolution detector. Partial support from NIH Grant R01-EB002873 and Toshiba Medical Systems Corp.« less

Development of Three-Dimensional DRAGON Grid Technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zheng, Yao; Kiou, Meng-Sing; Civinskas, Kestutis C.

1999-01-01

For a typical three dimensional flow in a practical engineering device, the time spent in grid generation can take 70 percent of the total analysis effort, resulting in a serious bottleneck in the design/analysis cycle. The present research attempts to develop a procedure that can considerably reduce the grid generation effort. The DRAGON grid, as a hybrid grid, is created by means of a Direct Replacement of Arbitrary Grid Overlapping by Nonstructured grid. The DRAGON grid scheme is an adaptation to the Chimera thinking. The Chimera grid is a composite structured grid, composing a set of overlapped structured grids, which are independently generated and body-fitted. The grid is of high quality and amenable for efficient solution schemes. However, the interpolation used in the overlapped region between grids introduces error, especially when a sharp-gradient region is encountered. The DRAGON grid scheme is capable of completely eliminating the interpolation and preserving the conservation property. It maximizes the advantages of the Chimera scheme and adapts the strengths of the unstructured and while at the same time keeping its weaknesses minimal. In the present paper, we describe the progress towards extending the DRAGON grid technology into three dimensions. Essential and programming aspects of the extension, and new challenges for the three-dimensional cases, are addressed.

On Accuracy of Adaptive Grid Methods for Captured Shocks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yamaleev, Nail K.; Carpenter, Mark H.

2002-01-01

The accuracy of two grid adaptation strategies, grid redistribution and local grid refinement, is examined by solving the 2-D Euler equations for the supersonic steady flow around a cylinder. Second- and fourth-order linear finite difference shock-capturing schemes, based on the Lax-Friedrichs flux splitting, are used to discretize the governing equations. The grid refinement study shows that for the second-order scheme, neither grid adaptation strategy improves the numerical solution accuracy compared to that calculated on a uniform grid with the same number of grid points. For the fourth-order scheme, the dominant first-order error component is reduced by the grid adaptation, while the design-order error component drastically increases because of the grid nonuniformity. As a result, both grid adaptation techniques improve the numerical solution accuracy only on the coarsest mesh or on very fine grids that are seldom found in practical applications because of the computational cost involved. Similar error behavior has been obtained for the pressure integral across the shock. A simple analysis shows that both grid adaptation strategies are not without penalties in the numerical solution accuracy. Based on these results, a new grid adaptation criterion for captured shocks is proposed.

On the use of Schwarz-Christoffel conformal mappings to the grid generation for global ocean models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, S.; Wang, B.; Liu, J.

2015-10-01

In this article we propose two grid generation methods for global ocean general circulation models. Contrary to conventional dipolar or tripolar grids, the proposed methods are based on Schwarz-Christoffel conformal mappings that map areas with user-prescribed, irregular boundaries to those with regular boundaries (i.e., disks, slits, etc.). The first method aims at improving existing dipolar grids. Compared with existing grids, the sample grid achieves a better trade-off between the enlargement of the latitudinal-longitudinal portion and the overall smooth grid cell size transition. The second method addresses more modern and advanced grid design requirements arising from high-resolution and multi-scale ocean modeling. The generated grids could potentially achieve the alignment of grid lines to the large-scale coastlines, enhanced spatial resolution in coastal regions, and easier computational load balance. Since the grids are orthogonal curvilinear, they can be easily utilized by the majority of ocean general circulation models that are based on finite difference and require grid orthogonality. The proposed grid generation algorithms can also be applied to the grid generation for regional ocean modeling where complex land-sea distribution is present.

Ion beamlet steering for two-grid electrostatic thrusters. M.S. Thesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Homa, J. M.

1984-01-01

An experimental study of ion beamlet steering in which the direction of beamlets emitted from a two grid aperture system is controlled by relative translation of the grids, is described. The results can be used to design electrostatic accelerating devices for which the direction and focus of emerging beamlets are important. Deflection and divergence angle data are presented for two grid systems as a function of the relative lateral displacement of the holes in these grids. At large displacements, accelerator grid impingements become excessive and this determines the maximum allowable displacement and as a result the useful range of beamlet deflection. Beamlet deflection is shown to vary linearly with grid offset angle over this range. The divergence of the beamlets is found to be unaffected by deflection over the useful range of beamlet deflection. The grids of a typical dished grid ion thruster are examined to determine the effects of thermally induced grid distortion and prescribed offsets of grid hole centerlines on the characteristics of the emerging beamlets. The results are used to determine the region on the grid surface where ion beamlet deflections exceed the useful range. Over this region high accelerator grid impingement currents and rapid grid erosion are predicted.

Multi-off-grid methods in multi-step integration of ordinary differential equations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Beaudet, P. R.

1974-01-01

Description of methods of solving first- and second-order systems of differential equations in which all derivatives are evaluated at off-grid locations in order to circumvent the Dahlquist stability limitation on the order of on-grid methods. The proposed multi-off-grid methods require off-grid state predictors for the evaluation of the n derivatives at each step. Progressing forward in time, the off-grid states are predicted using a linear combination of back on-grid state values and off-grid derivative evaluations. A comparison is made between the proposed multi-off-grid methods and the corresponding Adams and Cowell on-grid integration techniques in integrating systems of ordinary differential equations, showing a significant reduction in the error at larger step sizes in the case of the multi-off-grid integrator.

Grids for Dummies: Featuring Earth Science Data Mining Application

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hinke, Thomas H.

2002-01-01

This viewgraph presentation discusses the concept and advantages of linking computers together into data grids, an emerging technology for managing information across institutions, and potential users of data grids. The logistics of access to a grid, including the use of the World Wide Web to access grids, and security concerns are also discussed. The potential usefulness of data grids to the earth science community is also discussed, as well as the Global Grid Forum, and other efforts to establish standards for data grids.

Two dimensional vernier

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Juday, Richard D. (Inventor)

1992-01-01

A two-dimensional vernier scale is disclosed utilizing a cartesian grid on one plate member with a polar grid on an overlying transparent plate member. The polar grid has multiple concentric circles at a fractional spacing of the spacing of the cartesian grid lines. By locating the center of the polar grid on a location on the cartesian grid, interpolation can be made of both the X and Y fractional relationship to the cartesian grid by noting which circles coincide with a cartesian grid line for the X and Y direction.

A Critical Study of Agglomerated Multigrid Methods for Diffusion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nishikawa, Hiroaki; Diskin, Boris; Thomas, James L.

2011-01-01

Agglomerated multigrid techniques used in unstructured-grid methods are studied critically for a model problem representative of laminar diffusion in the incompressible limit. The studied target-grid discretizations and discretizations used on agglomerated grids are typical of current node-centered formulations. Agglomerated multigrid convergence rates are presented using a range of two- and three-dimensional randomly perturbed unstructured grids for simple geometries with isotropic and stretched grids. Two agglomeration techniques are used within an overall topology-preserving agglomeration framework. The results show that multigrid with an inconsistent coarse-grid scheme using only the edge terms (also referred to in the literature as a thin-layer formulation) provides considerable speedup over single-grid methods but its convergence deteriorates on finer grids. Multigrid with a Galerkin coarse-grid discretization using piecewise-constant prolongation and a heuristic correction factor is slower and also grid-dependent. In contrast, grid-independent convergence rates are demonstrated for multigrid with consistent coarse-grid discretizations. Convergence rates of multigrid cycles are verified with quantitative analysis methods in which parts of the two-grid cycle are replaced by their idealized counterparts.

Advanced Unstructured Grid Generation for Complex Aerodynamic Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pirzadeh, Shahyar Z.

2008-01-01

A new approach for distribution of grid points on the surface and in the volume has been developed and implemented in the NASA unstructured grid generation code VGRID. In addition to the point and line sources of prior work, the new approach utilizes surface and volume sources for automatic curvature-based grid sizing and convenient point distribution in the volume. A new exponential growth function produces smoother and more efficient grids and provides superior control over distribution of grid points in the field. All types of sources support anisotropic grid stretching which not only improves the grid economy but also provides more accurate solutions for certain aerodynamic applications. The new approach does not require a three-dimensional background grid as in the previous methods. Instead, it makes use of an efficient bounding-box auxiliary medium for storing grid parameters defined by surface sources. The new approach is less memory-intensive and more efficient computationally. The grids generated with the new method either eliminate the need for adaptive grid refinement for certain class of problems or provide high quality initial grids that would enhance the performance of many adaptation methods.

Construction and application research of Three-dimensional digital power grid in Southwest China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Yang; Zhou, Hong; You, Chuan; Jiang, Li; Xin, Weidong

2018-01-01

With the rapid development of Three-dimensional (3D) digital design technology in the field of power grid construction, the data foundation and technical means of 3D digital power grid construction approaches perfection. 3D digital power grid has gradually developed into an important part of power grid construction and management. In view of the complicated geological conditions in Southwest China and the difficulty in power grid construction and management, this paper is based on the data assets of Southwest power grid, and it aims at establishing a 3D digital power grid in Southwest China to provide effective support for power grid construction and operation management. This paper discusses the data architecture, technical architecture and system design and implementation process of the 3D digital power grid construction through teasing the key technology of 3D digital power grid. The application of power grid data assets management, transmission line corridor planning, geological hazards risk assessment, environmental impact assessment in 3D digital power grid are also discussed and analysed.

Post-Test Analysis of the Deep Space One Spare Flight Thruster Ion Optics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anderson, John R.; Sengupta, Anita; Brophy, John R.

2004-01-01

The Deep Space 1 (DSl) spare flight thruster (FT2) was operated for 30,352 hours during the extended life test (ELT). The test was performed to validate the service life of the thruster, study known and identify unknown life limiting modes. Several of the known life limiting modes involve the ion optics system. These include loss of structural integrity for either the screen grid or accelerator grid due to sputter erosion from energetic ions striking the grid, sputter erosion enlargement of the accelerator grid apertures to the point where the accelerator grid power supply can no longer prevent electron backstreaming, unclearable shorting between the grids causes by flakes of sputtered material, and rouge hole formation due to flakes of material defocusing the ion beam. Grid gap decrease, which increases the probability of electron backstreaming and of arcing between the grids, was identified as an additional life limiting mechanism after the test. A combination of accelerator grid aperture enlargement and grid gap decrease resulted in the inability to prevent electron backstreaming at full power at 26,000 hours of the ELT. Through pits had eroded through the accelerator grid webbing and grooves had penetrated through 45% of the grid thickness in the center of the grid. The upstream surface of the screen grid eroded in a chamfered pattern around the holes in the central portion of the grid. Sputter deposited material, from the accelerator grid, adhered to the downstream surface of the screen grid and did not spall to form flakes. Although a small amount of sputter deposited material protruded into the screen grid apertures, no rouge holes were found after the ELT.

DRAGON Grid: A Three-Dimensional Hybrid Grid Generation Code Developed

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liou, Meng-Sing

2000-01-01

Because grid generation can consume 70 percent of the total analysis time for a typical three-dimensional viscous flow simulation for a practical engineering device, payoffs from research and development could reduce costs and increase throughputs considerably. In this study, researchers at the NASA Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field developed a new hybrid grid approach with the advantages of flexibility, high-quality grids suitable for an accurate resolution of viscous regions, and a low memory requirement. These advantages will, in turn, reduce analysis time and increase accuracy. They result from an innovative combination of structured and unstructured grids to represent the geometry and the computation domain. The present approach makes use of the respective strengths of both the structured and unstructured grid methods, while minimizing their weaknesses. First, the Chimera grid generates high-quality, mostly orthogonal meshes around individual components. This process is flexible and can be done easily. Normally, these individual grids are required overlap each other so that the solution on one grid can communicate with another. However, when this communication is carried out via a nonconservative interpolation procedure, a spurious solution can result. Current research is aimed at entirely eliminating this undesired interpolation by directly replacing arbitrary grid overlapping with a nonstructured grid called a DRAGON grid, which uses the same set of conservation laws over the entire region, thus ensuring conservation everywhere. The DRAGON grid is shown for a typical film-cooled turbine vane with 33 holes and 3 plenum compartments. There are structured grids around each geometrical entity and unstructured grids connecting them. In fiscal year 1999, Glenn researchers developed and tested the three-dimensional DRAGON grid-generation tools. A flow solver suitable for the DRAGON grid has been developed, and a series of validation tests are underway.

Operation and Maintenance Manual for Draw Off-Holdback (DOHB) Tension Machine

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-12-01

020-31 DENISON 14 D316127 28 HIDRAULIC RRAKE 2 0316127 29 I ESERVOIR 1 0316390 WGC 2 0316128 EFEENCE ORAINS: 1. WGC OG. NO. 031605 OUTLINE & GENERAL...filter Excessive decompression energy rates Improve decompression control Excessive line capacitance (line volume. Reduce line size or lengths

An Analysis of Two Dyslexia Interventions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rauch, A. Lillian Inman

2017-01-01

This was a quasi-experimental comparison study conducted in a rural suburban school district in Texas. The primary purpose of this study was to determine whether elementary students with dyslexic tendencies, who received the Tier III, Orton-Gillingham- (O-G) based Take Flight reading intervention being piloted on two campuses, showed statistically…

Oxygen amendment on growth and nitrogen-use efficiency of flooded Italian Basil

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Flooding is a frequent and often unavoidable cause of stress, in vegetable production in Florida. Flooding results in hypoxia i.e., oxygen deficiency. This study was conducted with traditional Italian basil (Ocimum basilicum L.), cv. Genovese OG, treated with either a fast- or slow-release solid oxy...

Alternative Frameworks for the Reconciliation of Probability Assessments

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-11-01

probability. The mental gymnastics required are too difficult. In fact, we see that the only feelings of discomfort S truly has concern imoving from q...some form oG entropy measure might well be appropriate here. A more serious difficulty arises with the actual hill-climbing algorithm. We cannot be

Cinnamic acid analogs as intervention catalysts for overcoming antifungal tolerance

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Antifungal potency of thirty-three cinnamic acid derivatives was investigated. The efficacy of caspofungin (CAS) or octyl gallate (OG), the cell wall disrupting agents, was augmented by 4-chloro-a-methyl- or 4-methylcinnamic acid screened. Synergistic chemosensitization by 4-chloro-a-methyl- or 4-me...

An Analysis of Instruction-Cached SIMD Computer Architecture

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-12-01

ASSEBLE SIMULATE SCHEDULE VERIFY :t og ... . .. ... V~JSRUCTONSFOR PECIIEDCOMPARE ASSEMBLEI SIMULATE Ift*U1II ~ ~ SCHEDULEIinw ;. & VERIFY...Cache to Place Blocks ................. 70 4.5.4 Step 4: Schedule Cache Blocks ............................. 70 4.5.5 Step 5: Store Cache Blocks...167 B.4 Scheduler .............................................. 167 B.4.1 Basic Block Definition

The National Grid Project: A system overview

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gaither, Adam; Gaither, Kelly; Jean, Brian; Remotigue, Michael; Whitmire, John; Soni, Bharat; Thompson, Joe; Dannenhoffer,, John; Weatherill, Nigel

1995-01-01

The National Grid Project (NGP) is a comprehensive numerical grid generation software system that is being developed at the National Science Foundation (NSF) Engineering Research Center (ERC) for Computational Field Simulation (CFS) at Mississippi State University (MSU). NGP is supported by a coalition of U.S. industries and federal laboratories. The objective of the NGP is to significantly decrease the amount of time it takes to generate a numerical grid for complex geometries and to increase the quality of these grids to enable computational field simulations for applications in industry. A geometric configuration can be discretized into grids (or meshes) that have two fundamental forms: structured and unstructured. Structured grids are formed by intersecting curvilinear coordinate lines and are composed of quadrilateral (2D) and hexahedral (3D) logically rectangular cells. The connectivity of a structured grid provides for trivial identification of neighboring points by incrementing coordinate indices. Unstructured grids are composed of cells of any shape (commonly triangles, quadrilaterals, tetrahedra and hexahedra), but do not have trivial identification of neighbors by incrementing an index. For unstructured grids, a set of points and an associated connectivity table is generated to define unstructured cell shapes and neighboring points. Hybrid grids are a combination of structured grids and unstructured grids. Chimera (overset) grids are intersecting or overlapping structured grids. The NGP system currently provides a user interface that integrates both 2D and 3D structured and unstructured grid generation, a solid modeling topology data management system, an internal Computer Aided Design (CAD) system based on Non-Uniform Rational B-Splines (NURBS), a journaling language, and a grid/solution visualization system.

Impact of Considering 110 kV Grid Structures on the Congestion Management in the German Transmission Grid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoffrichter, André; Barrios, Hans; Massmann, Janek; Venkataramanachar, Bhavasagar; Schnettler, Armin

2018-02-01

The structural changes in the European energy system lead to an increase of renewable energy sources that are primarily connected to the distribution grid. Hence the stationary analysis of the transmission grid and the regionalization of generation capacities are strongly influenced by subordinate grid structures. To quantify the impact on the congestion management in the German transmission grid, a 110 kV grid model is derived using publicly available data delivered by Open Street Map and integrated into an existing model of the European transmission grid. Power flow and redispatch simulations are performed for three different regionalization methods and grid configurations. The results show a significant impact of the 110 kV system and prove an overestimation of power flows in the transmission grid when neglecting subordinate grids. Thus, the redispatch volume in Germany to dissolve bottlenecks in case of N-1 contingencies decreases by 38 % when considering the 110 kV grid.

FermiGrid—experience and future plans

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chadwick, K.; Berman, E.; Canal, P.; Hesselroth, T.; Garzoglio, G.; Levshina, T.; Sergeev, V.; Sfiligoi, I.; Sharma, N.; Timm, S.; Yocum, D. R.

2008-07-01

Fermilab supports a scientific program that includes experiments and scientists located across the globe. In order to better serve this community, Fermilab has placed its production computer resources in a Campus Grid infrastructure called 'FermiGrid'. The FermiGrid infrastructure allows the large experiments at Fermilab to have priority access to their own resources, enables sharing of these resources in an opportunistic fashion, and movement of work (jobs, data) between the Campus Grid and National Grids such as Open Science Grid (OSG) and the Worldwide LHC Computing Grid Collaboration (WLCG). FermiGrid resources support multiple Virtual Organizations (VOs), including VOs from the OSG, EGEE, and the WLCG. Fermilab also makes leading contributions to the Open Science Grid in the areas of accounting, batch computing, grid security, job management, resource selection, site infrastructure, storage management, and VO services. Through the FermiGrid interfaces, authenticated and authorized VOs and individuals may access our core grid services, the 10,000+ Fermilab resident CPUs, near-petabyte (including CMS) online disk pools and the multi-petabyte Fermilab Mass Storage System. These core grid services include a site wide Globus gatekeeper, VO management services for several VOs, Fermilab site authorization services, grid user mapping services, as well as job accounting and monitoring, resource selection and data movement services. Access to these services is via standard and well-supported grid interfaces. We will report on the user experience of using the FermiGrid campus infrastructure interfaced to a national cyberinfrastructure - the successes and the problems.

Estimating scatter in cone beam CT with striped ratio grids: A preliminary investigation

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

Hsieh, Scott, E-mail: sshsieh@stanford.edu

2016-09-15

Purpose: To propose a new method for estimating scatter in x-ray imaging. Conventional antiscatter grids reject scatter at an efficiency that is constant or slowly varying over the surface of the grid. A striped ratio antiscatter grid, composed of stripes that alternate between high and low grid ratio, could be used instead. Such a striped ratio grid would reduce scatter-to-primary ratio as a conventional grid would, but more importantly, the signal discontinuities at the boundaries of stripes can be used to estimate local scatter content. Methods: Signal discontinuities provide information on scatter, but are contaminated by variation in primary radiation.more » A nonlinear image processing algorithm is used to estimate the scatter content in the presence of primary variation. We emulated a striped ratio grid by imaging phantoms with two sequential CT scans, one with and one without a conventional grid. These two scans are processed together to mimic a striped ratio grid. This represents a best case limit of the striped ratio grid, in that the extent of grid ratio modulation is very high and the scatter contrast is maximized. Results: In a uniform cylinder, the striped ratio grid virtually eliminates cupping. Artifacts from scatter are improved in an anthropomorphic phantom. Some banding artifacts are induced by the striped ratio grid. Conclusions: Striped ratio grids could be a simple and effective evolution of conventional antiscatter grids. Construction and validation of a physical prototype remains an important future step.« less

Unstructured Cartesian/prismatic grid generation for complex geometries

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Karman, Steve L., Jr.

1995-01-01

The generation of a hybrid grid system for discretizing complex three dimensional (3D) geometries is described. The primary grid system is an unstructured Cartesian grid automatically generated using recursive cell subdivision. This grid system is sufficient for computing Euler solutions about extremely complex 3D geometries. A secondary grid system, using triangular-prismatic elements, may be added for resolving the boundary layer region of viscous flows near surfaces of solid bodies. This paper describes the grid generation processes used to generate each grid type. Several example grids are shown, demonstrating the ability of the method to discretize complex geometries, with very little pre-processing required by the user.

Data Grid Management Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moore, Reagan W.; Jagatheesan, Arun; Rajasekar, Arcot; Wan, Michael; Schroeder, Wayne

2004-01-01

The "Grid" is an emerging infrastructure for coordinating access across autonomous organizations to distributed, heterogeneous computation and data resources. Data grids are being built around the world as the next generation data handling systems for sharing, publishing, and preserving data residing on storage systems located in multiple administrative domains. A data grid provides logical namespaces for users, digital entities and storage resources to create persistent identifiers for controlling access, enabling discovery, and managing wide area latencies. This paper introduces data grids and describes data grid use cases. The relevance of data grids to digital libraries and persistent archives is demonstrated, and research issues in data grids and grid dataflow management systems are discussed.

GRID3D-v2: An updated version of the GRID2D/3D computer program for generating grid systems in complex-shaped three-dimensional spatial domains

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Steinthorsson, E.; Shih, T. I-P.; Roelke, R. J.

1991-01-01

In order to generate good quality systems for complicated three-dimensional spatial domains, the grid-generation method used must be able to exert rather precise controls over grid-point distributions. Several techniques are presented that enhance control of grid-point distribution for a class of algebraic grid-generation methods known as the two-, four-, and six-boundary methods. These techniques include variable stretching functions from bilinear interpolation, interpolating functions based on tension splines, and normalized K-factors. The techniques developed in this study were incorporated into a new version of GRID3D called GRID3D-v2. The usefulness of GRID3D-v2 was demonstrated by using it to generate a three-dimensional grid system in the coolent passage of a radial turbine blade with serpentine channels and pin fins.

Integrated geometry and grid generation system for complex configurations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Akdag, Vedat; Wulf, Armin

1992-01-01

A grid generation system was developed that enables grid generation for complex configurations. The system called ICEM/CFD is described and its role in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) applications is presented. The capabilities of the system include full computer aided design (CAD), grid generation on the actual CAD geometry definition using robust surface projection algorithms, interfacing easily with known CAD packages through common file formats for geometry transfer, grid quality evaluation of the volume grid, coupling boundary condition set-up for block faces with grid topology generation, multi-block grid generation with or without point continuity and block to block interface requirement, and generating grid files directly compatible with known flow solvers. The interactive and integrated approach to the problem of computational grid generation not only substantially reduces manpower time but also increases the flexibility of later grid modifications and enhancements which is required in an environment where CFD is integrated into a product design cycle.

Distinction of Concept and Discussion on Construction Idea of Smart Water Grid Project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ye, Y.; Yizi, S., Sr.; Lili, L., Sr.; Sang, X.; Zhai, J.

2016-12-01

Smart water grid project includes construction of water physical grid consisting of various flow regulating infrastructures, construction of water information grid in line with the trend of intelligent technology and construction of water management grid featured by system & mechanism construction and systemization of regulation decision-making. It is the integrated platform and comprehensive carrier for water conservancy practices. Currently, there still is dispute over engineering construction idea of smart water grid which, however, represents the future development trend of water management and is increasingly emphasized. The paper, based on distinction of concept of water grid and water grid engineering, explains the concept of water grid intelligentization, actively probes into construction idea of Smart water grid project in our country and presents scientific problems to be solved as well as core technologies to be mastered for smart water grid construction.

Grid Research | Grid Modernization | NREL

Science.gov Websites

Grid Research Grid Research NREL addresses the challenges of today's electric grid through high researcher in a lab Integrated Devices and Systems Developing and evaluating grid technologies and integrated Controls Developing methods for real-time operations and controls of power systems at any scale Photo of

NREL Partnership Develops Off-Grid Energy Access through Quality Assurance

Science.gov Websites

Framework for Mini-Grids | Integrated Energy Solutions | NREL Partnership Develops Off-Grid Energy Access through Quality Assurance Framework for Mini-Grids NREL Partnership Develops Off-Grid Energy Access through Quality Assurance Framework for Mini-Grids NREL has teamed with the Global Lighting

Arc Length Based Grid Distribution For Surface and Volume Grids

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mastin, C. Wayne

1996-01-01

Techniques are presented for distributing grid points on parametric surfaces and in volumes according to a specified distribution of arc length. Interpolation techniques are introduced which permit a given distribution of grid points on the edges of a three-dimensional grid block to be propagated through the surface and volume grids. Examples demonstrate how these methods can be used to improve the quality of grids generated by transfinite interpolation.

An interactive multi-block grid generation system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kao, T. J.; Su, T. Y.; Appleby, Ruth

1992-01-01

A grid generation procedure combining interactive and batch grid generation programs was put together to generate multi-block grids for complex aircraft configurations. The interactive section provides the tools for 3D geometry manipulation, surface grid extraction, boundary domain construction for 3D volume grid generation, and block-block relationships and boundary conditions for flow solvers. The procedure improves the flexibility and quality of grid generation to meet the design/analysis requirements.

Hyperbolic Prismatic Grid Generation and Solution of Euler Equations on Prismatic Grids

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pandya, S. A.; Chattot, JJ; Hafez, M. M.; Kutler, Paul (Technical Monitor)

1994-01-01

A hyperbolic grid generation method is used to generate prismatic grids and an approach using prismatic grids to solve the Euler equations is presented. The theory of the stability and feasibility of the hyperbolic grid generation method is presented. The hyperbolic grid generation method of Steger et al for structured grids is applied to a three dimensional triangularized surface definition to generate a grid that is unstructured on each successive layer. The grid, however, retains structure in the body-normal direction and has a computational cell shaped like a triangular prism. In order to take advantage of the structure in the normal direction, a finite-volume scheme that treats the unknowns along the normal direction implicitly is introduced and the flow over a sphere is simulated.

Emissions & Generation Resource Integrated Database (eGRID), eGRID2012

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The Emissions & Generation Resource Integrated Database (eGRID) is a comprehensive source of data on the environmental characteristics of almost all electric power generated in the United States. These environmental characteristics include air emissions for nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide; emissions rates; net generation; resource mix; and many other attributes. eGRID2012 Version 1.0 is the eighth edition of eGRID, which contains the complete release of year 2009 data, as well as year 2007, 2005, and 2004 data. For year 2009 data, all the data are contained in a single Microsoft Excel workbook, which contains boiler, generator, plant, state, power control area, eGRID subregion, NERC region, U.S. total and grid gross loss factor tabs. Full documentation, summary data, eGRID subregion and NERC region representational maps, and GHG emission factors are also released in this edition. The fourth edition of eGRID, eGRID2002 Version 2.01, containing year 1996 through 2000 data is located on the eGRID Archive page (http://www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/energy-resources/egrid/archive.html). The current edition of eGRID and the archived edition of eGRID contain the following years of data: 1996 - 2000, 2004, 2005, and 2007. eGRID has no other years of data.

Feasibility and its characteristics of CO2 laser micromachining-based PMMA anti-scattering grid estimated by MCNP code simulation.

PubMed

Bae, Jun Woo; Kim, Hee Reyoung

2018-01-01

Anti-scattering grid has been used to improve the image quality. However, applying a commonly used linear or parallel grid would cause image distortion, and focusing grid also requires a precise fabrication technology, which is expensive. To investigate and analyze whether using CO2 laser micromachining-based PMMA anti-scattering grid can improve the performance of the grid at a lower cost. Thus, improvement of grid performance would result in improvement of image quality. The cross-sectional shape of CO2 laser machined PMMA is similar to alphabet 'V'. The performance was characterized by contrast improvement factor (CIF) and Bucky. Four types of grid were tested, which include thin parallel, thick parallel, 'V'-type and 'inverse V'-type of grid. For a Bucky factor of 2.1, the CIF of the grid with both the "V" and inverse "V" had a value of 1.53, while the thick and thick parallel types had values of 1.43 and 1.65, respectively. The 'V' shape grid manufacture by CO2 laser micromachining showed higher CIF than parallel one, which had same shielding material channel width. It was thought that the 'V' shape grid would be replacement to the conventional parallel grid if it is hard to fabricate the high-aspect-ratio grid.

Probabilistic Learning by Rodent Grid Cells

PubMed Central

Cheung, Allen

2016-01-01

Mounting evidence shows mammalian brains are probabilistic computers, but the specific cells involved remain elusive. Parallel research suggests that grid cells of the mammalian hippocampal formation are fundamental to spatial cognition but their diverse response properties still defy explanation. No plausible model exists which explains stable grids in darkness for twenty minutes or longer, despite being one of the first results ever published on grid cells. Similarly, no current explanation can tie together grid fragmentation and grid rescaling, which show very different forms of flexibility in grid responses when the environment is varied. Other properties such as attractor dynamics and grid anisotropy seem to be at odds with one another unless additional properties are assumed such as a varying velocity gain. Modelling efforts have largely ignored the breadth of response patterns, while also failing to account for the disastrous effects of sensory noise during spatial learning and recall, especially in darkness. Here, published electrophysiological evidence from a range of experiments are reinterpreted using a novel probabilistic learning model, which shows that grid cell responses are accurately predicted by a probabilistic learning process. Diverse response properties of probabilistic grid cells are statistically indistinguishable from rat grid cells across key manipulations. A simple coherent set of probabilistic computations explains stable grid fields in darkness, partial grid rescaling in resized arenas, low-dimensional attractor grid cell dynamics, and grid fragmentation in hairpin mazes. The same computations also reconcile oscillatory dynamics at the single cell level with attractor dynamics at the cell ensemble level. Additionally, a clear functional role for boundary cells is proposed for spatial learning. These findings provide a parsimonious and unified explanation of grid cell function, and implicate grid cells as an accessible neuronal population readout of a set of probabilistic spatial computations. PMID:27792723

The Impact of Varying the Physics Grid Resolution Relative to the Dynamical Core Resolution in CAM-SE-CSLAM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herrington, A. R.; Lauritzen, P. H.; Reed, K. A.

2017-12-01

The spectral element dynamical core of the Community Atmosphere Model (CAM) has recently been coupled to an approximately isotropic, finite-volume grid per implementation of the conservative semi-Lagrangian multi-tracer transport scheme (CAM-SE-CSLAM; Lauritzen et al. 2017). In this framework, the semi-Lagrangian transport of tracers are computed on the finite-volume grid, while the adiabatic dynamics are solved using the spectral element grid. The physical parameterizations are evaluated on the finite-volume grid, as opposed to the unevenly spaced Gauss-Lobatto-Legendre nodes of the spectral element grid. Computing the physics on the finite-volume grid reduces numerical artifacts such as grid imprinting, possibly because the forcing terms are no longer computed at element boundaries where the resolved dynamics are least smooth. The separation of the physics grid and the dynamics grid allows for a unique opportunity to understand the resolution sensitivity in CAM-SE-CSLAM. The observed large sensitivity of CAM to horizontal resolution is a poorly understood impediment to improved simulations of regional climate using global, variable resolution grids. Here, a series of idealized moist simulations are presented in which the finite-volume grid resolution is varied relative to the spectral element grid resolution in CAM-SE-CSLAM. The simulations are carried out at multiple spectral element grid resolutions, in part to provide a companion set of simulations, in which the spectral element grid resolution is varied relative to the finite-volume grid resolution, but more generally to understand if the sensitivity to the finite-volume grid resolution is consistent across a wider spectrum of resolved scales. Results are interpreted in the context of prior ideas regarding resolution sensitivity of global atmospheric models.

Study of the key factors affecting the triple grid lifetime of the LIPS-300 ion thruster

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mingming, SUN; Liang, WANG; Juntai, YANG; Xiaodong, WEN; Yongjie, HUANG; Meng, WANG

2018-04-01

In order to ascertain the key factors affecting the lifetime of the triple grids in the LIPS-300 ion thruster, the thermal deformation, upstream ion density and component lifetime of the grids are simulated with finite element analysis, fluid simulation and charged-particle tracing simulation methods on the basis of a 1500 h short lifetime test. The key factor affecting the lifetime of the triple grids in the LIPS-300 ion thruster is obtained and analyzed through the test results. The results show that ion sputtering erosion of the grids in 5 kW operation mode is greater than in the case of 3 kW. In 5 kW mode, the decelerator grid shows the most serious corrosion, the accelerator grid shows moderate corrosion, and the screen grid shows the least amount of corrosion. With the serious corrosion of the grids in 5 kW operation mode, the intercept current of the acceleration and deceleration grids increases substantially. Meanwhile, the cold gap between the accelerator grid and the screen grid decreases from 1 mm to 0.7 mm, while the cold gap between the accelerator grid and the decelerator grid increases from 1 mm to 1.25 mm after 1500 h of thruster operation. At equilibrium temperature with 5 kW power, the finite element method (FEM) simulation results show that the hot gap between the screen grid and the accelerator grid reduces to 0.2 mm. Accordingly, the hot gap between the accelerator grid and the decelerator grid increases to 1.5 mm. According to the fluid method, the plasma density simulated in most regions of the discharge chamber is 1 × 1018‑8 × 1018 m‑3. The upstream plasma density of the screen grid is in the range 6 × 1017‑6 × 1018 m‑3 and displays a parabolic characteristic. The charged particle tracing simulation method results show that the ion beam current without the thermal deformation of triple grids has optimal perveance status. The ion sputtering rates of the accelerator grid hole and the decelerator hole are 5.5 × 10‑14 kg s‑1 and 4.28 × 10‑14 kg s‑1, respectively, while after the thermal deformation of the triple grids, the ion beam current has over-perveance status. The ion sputtering rates of the accelerator grid hole and the decelerator hole are 1.41 × 10‑13 kg s‑1 and 4.1 × 10‑13 kg s‑1, respectively. The anode current is a key factor for the triple grid lifetime in situations where the structural strength of the grids does not change with temperature variation. The average sputtering rates of the accelerator grid and the decelerator grid, which were measured during the 1500 h lifetime test in 5 kW operating conditions, are 2.2 × 10‑13 kg s‑1 and 7.3 × 10‑13 kg s‑1, respectively. These results are in accordance with the simulation, and the error comes mainly from the calculation distribution of the upstream plasma density of the grids.

Chimera Grid Tools

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chan, William M.; Rogers, Stuart E.; Nash, Steven M.; Buning, Pieter G.; Meakin, Robert

2005-01-01

Chimera Grid Tools (CGT) is a software package for performing computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis utilizing the Chimera-overset-grid method. For modeling flows with viscosity about geometrically complex bodies in relative motion, the Chimera-overset-grid method is among the most computationally cost-effective methods for obtaining accurate aerodynamic results. CGT contains a large collection of tools for generating overset grids, preparing inputs for computer programs that solve equations of flow on the grids, and post-processing of flow-solution data. The tools in CGT include grid editing tools, surface-grid-generation tools, volume-grid-generation tools, utility scripts, configuration scripts, and tools for post-processing (including generation of animated images of flows and calculating forces and moments exerted on affected bodies). One of the tools, denoted OVERGRID, is a graphical user interface (GUI) that serves to visualize the grids and flow solutions and provides central access to many other tools. The GUI facilitates the generation of grids for a new flow-field configuration. Scripts that follow the grid generation process can then be constructed to mostly automate grid generation for similar configurations. CGT is designed for use in conjunction with a computer-aided-design program that provides the geometry description of the bodies, and a flow-solver program.

Progress in Grid Generation: From Chimera to DRAGON Grids

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liou, Meng-Sing; Kao, Kai-Hsiung

1994-01-01

Hybrid grids, composed of structured and unstructured grids, combines the best features of both. The chimera method is a major stepstone toward a hybrid grid from which the present approach is evolved. The chimera grid composes a set of overlapped structured grids which are independently generated and body-fitted, yielding a high quality grid readily accessible for efficient solution schemes. The chimera method has been shown to be efficient to generate a grid about complex geometries and has been demonstrated to deliver accurate aerodynamic prediction of complex flows. While its geometrical flexibility is attractive, interpolation of data in the overlapped regions - which in today's practice in 3D is done in a nonconservative fashion, is not. In the present paper we propose a hybrid grid scheme that maximizes the advantages of the chimera scheme and adapts the strengths of the unstructured grid while at the same time keeps its weaknesses minimal. Like the chimera method, we first divide up the physical domain by a set of structured body-fitted grids which are separately generated and overlaid throughout a complex configuration. To eliminate any pure data manipulation which does not necessarily follow governing equations, we use non-structured grids only to directly replace the region of the arbitrarily overlapped grids. This new adaptation to the chimera thinking is coined the DRAGON grid. The nonstructured grid region sandwiched between the structured grids is limited in size, resulting in only a small increase in memory and computational effort. The DRAGON method has three important advantages: (1) preserving strengths of the chimera grid; (2) eliminating difficulties sometimes encountered in the chimera scheme, such as the orphan points and bad quality of interpolation stencils; and (3) making grid communication in a fully conservative and consistent manner insofar as the governing equations are concerned. To demonstrate its use, the governing equations are discretized using the newly proposed flux scheme, AUSM+, which will be briefly described herein. Numerical tests on representative 2D inviscid flows are given for demonstration. Finally, extension to 3D is underway, only paced by the availability of the 3D unstructured grid generator.

Progress Toward Overset-Grid Moving Body Capability for USM3D Unstructured Flow Solver

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pandyna, Mohagna J.; Frink, Neal T.; Noack, Ralph W.

2005-01-01

A static and dynamic Chimera overset-grid capability is added to an established NASA tetrahedral unstructured parallel Navier-Stokes flow solver, USM3D. Modifications to the solver primarily consist of a few strategic calls to the Donor interpolation Receptor Transaction library (DiRTlib) to facilitate communication of solution information between various grids. The assembly of multiple overlapping grids into a single-zone composite grid is performed by the Structured, Unstructured and Generalized Grid AssembleR (SUGGAR) code. Several test cases are presented to verify the implementation, assess overset-grid solution accuracy and convergence relative to single-grid solutions, and demonstrate the prescribed relative grid motion capability.

Switching Logic for Converting Off-grid PV Customers to On-grid by Utilizing Off-grid Inverter and Battery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anishkumar, A. R.; Sreejaya, P.

2016-12-01

Kerala is a state in India having a very good potential for solar PV energy production. The domestic customers in Kerala using PV system are approximately 15 % and almost all of them are using the off-grid PV system. When these off grid customers move to on-grid system, off grid system accessories such as inverter and batteries become redundant. In this paper, a switching logic has been developed for the effective utilization of off grid accessories and reducing islanding power loss for on grid customers. An algorithm is proposed for the switching logic and it is verified using simulation results and hardware implementation.

WE-EF-207-10: Striped Ratio Grids: A New Concept for Scatter Estimation

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

Hsieh, S

2015-06-15

Purpose: To propose a new method for estimating scatter in x-ray imaging. We propose the “striped ratio grid,” an anti-scatter grid with alternating stripes of high scatter rejection (attained, for example, by high grid ratio) and low scatter rejection. To minimize artifacts, stripes are oriented parallel to the direction of the ramp filter. Signal discontinuities at the boundaries between stripes provide information on local scatter content, although these discontinuities are contaminated by variation in primary radiation. Methods: We emulated a striped ratio grid by imaging phantoms with two sequential CT scans, one with and one without a conventional grid, andmore » processed them together to mimic a striped ratio grid. Two phantoms were scanned with the emulated striped ratio grid and compared with a conventional anti-scatter grid and a fan-beam acquisition, which served as ground truth. A nonlinear image processing algorithm was developed to mitigate the problem of primary variation. Results: The emulated striped ratio grid reduced scatter more effectively than the conventional grid alone. Contrast is thereby improved in projection imaging. In CT imaging, cupping is markedly reduced. Artifacts introduced by the striped ratio grid appear to be minimal. Conclusion: Striped ratio grids could be a simple and effective evolution of conventional anti-scatter grids. Unlike several other approaches currently under investigation for scatter management, striped ratio grids require minimal computation, little new hardware (at least for systems which already use removable grids) and impose few assumptions on the nature of the object being scanned.« less

The Internet of things and Smart Grid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Biao; Lv, Sen; Pan, Qing

2018-02-01

The Internet of things and smart grid are the frontier of information and Industry. The combination of Internet of things and smart grid will greatly enhance the ability of smart grid information and communication support. The key technologies of the Internet of things will be applied to the smart grid, and the grid operation and management information perception service centre will be built to support the commanding heights of the world’s smart grid.

7 CFR 1710.102 - Borrower eligibility for different types of loans.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... implementation of demand side management, energy conservation programs, and on grid and off grid renewable energy... management, energy conservation programs, and on grid and off grid renewable energy systems. (c) One hundred..., energy conservation programs, and on grid and off grid renewable energy systems. (See 7 CFR part 1712...

Evaluation of grid generation technologies from an applied perspective

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hufford, Gary S.; Harrand, Vincent J.; Patel, Bhavin C.; Mitchell, Curtis R.

1995-01-01

An analysis of the grid generation process from the point of view of an applied CFD engineer is given. Issues addressed include geometric modeling, structured grid generation, unstructured grid generation, hybrid grid generation and use of virtual parts libraries in large parametric analysis projects. The analysis is geared towards comparing the effective turn around time for specific grid generation and CFD projects. The conclusion was made that a single grid generation methodology is not universally suited for all CFD applications due to both limitations in grid generation and flow solver technology. A new geometric modeling and grid generation tool, CFD-GEOM, is introduced to effectively integrate the geometric modeling process to the various grid generation methodologies including structured, unstructured, and hybrid procedures. The full integration of the geometric modeling and grid generation allows implementation of extremely efficient updating procedures, a necessary requirement for large parametric analysis projects. The concept of using virtual parts libraries in conjunction with hybrid grids for large parametric analysis projects is also introduced to improve the efficiency of the applied CFD engineer.

A Critical Study of Agglomerated Multigrid Methods for Diffusion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thomas, James L.; Nishikawa, Hiroaki; Diskin, Boris

2009-01-01

Agglomerated multigrid techniques used in unstructured-grid methods are studied critically for a model problem representative of laminar diffusion in the incompressible limit. The studied target-grid discretizations and discretizations used on agglomerated grids are typical of current node-centered formulations. Agglomerated multigrid convergence rates are presented using a range of two- and three-dimensional randomly perturbed unstructured grids for simple geometries with isotropic and highly stretched grids. Two agglomeration techniques are used within an overall topology-preserving agglomeration framework. The results show that multigrid with an inconsistent coarse-grid scheme using only the edge terms (also referred to in the literature as a thin-layer formulation) provides considerable speedup over single-grid methods but its convergence deteriorates on finer grids. Multigrid with a Galerkin coarse-grid discretization using piecewise-constant prolongation and a heuristic correction factor is slower and also grid-dependent. In contrast, grid-independent convergence rates are demonstrated for multigrid with consistent coarse-grid discretizations. Actual cycle results are verified using quantitative analysis methods in which parts of the cycle are replaced by their idealized counterparts.

Advanced Unstructured Grid Generation for Complex Aerodynamic Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pirzadeh, Shahyar

2010-01-01

A new approach for distribution of grid points on the surface and in the volume has been developed. In addition to the point and line sources of prior work, the new approach utilizes surface and volume sources for automatic curvature-based grid sizing and convenient point distribution in the volume. A new exponential growth function produces smoother and more efficient grids and provides superior control over distribution of grid points in the field. All types of sources support anisotropic grid stretching which not only improves the grid economy but also provides more accurate solutions for certain aerodynamic applications. The new approach does not require a three-dimensional background grid as in the previous methods. Instead, it makes use of an efficient bounding-box auxiliary medium for storing grid parameters defined by surface sources. The new approach is less memory-intensive and more efficient computationally. The grids generated with the new method either eliminate the need for adaptive grid refinement for certain class of problems or provide high quality initial grids that would enhance the performance of many adaptation methods.

Algebraic grid generation using tensor product B-splines. Ph.D. Thesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Saunders, B. V.

1985-01-01

Finite difference methods are more successful if the accompanying grid has lines which are smooth and nearly orthogonal. The development of an algorithm which produces such a grid when given the boundary description. Topological considerations in structuring the grid generation mapping are discussed. The concept of the degree of a mapping and how it can be used to determine what requirements are necessary if a mapping is to produce a suitable grid is examined. The grid generation algorithm uses a mapping composed of bicubic B-splines. Boundary coefficients are chosen so that the splines produce Schoenberg's variation diminishing spline approximation to the boundary. Interior coefficients are initially chosen to give a variation diminishing approximation to the transfinite bilinear interpolant of the function mapping the boundary of the unit square onto the boundary grid. The practicality of optimizing the grid by minimizing a functional involving the Jacobian of the grid generation mapping at each interior grid point and the dot product of vectors tangent to the grid lines is investigated. Grids generated by using the algorithm are presented.

Generation of a composite grid for turbine flows and consideration of a numerical scheme

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Choo, Y.; Yoon, S.; Reno, C.

1986-01-01

A composite grid was generated for flows in turbines. It consisted of the C-grid (or O-grid) in the immediate vicinity of the blade and the H-grid in the middle of the blade passage between the C-grids and in the upstream region. This new composite grid provides better smoothness, resolution, and orthogonality than any single grid for a typical turbine blade with a large camber and rounded leading and trailing edges. The C-H (or O-H) composite grid has an unusual grid point that is connected to more than four neighboring nodes in two dimensions (more than six neighboring nodes in three dimensions). A finite-volume lower-upper (LU) implicit scheme to be used on this grid poses no problem and requires no special treatment because each interior cell of this composite grid has only four neighboring cells in two dimensions (six cells in three dimensions). The LU implicit scheme was demonstrated to be efficient and robust for external flows in a broad flow regime and can be easily applied to internal flows and extended from two to three dimensions.

Structured background grids for generation of unstructured grids by advancing front method

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pirzadeh, Shahyar

1991-01-01

A new method of background grid construction is introduced for generation of unstructured tetrahedral grids using the advancing-front technique. Unlike the conventional triangular/tetrahedral background grids which are difficult to construct and usually inadequate in performance, the new method exploits the simplicity of uniform Cartesian meshes and provides grids of better quality. The approach is analogous to solving a steady-state heat conduction problem with discrete heat sources. The spacing parameters of grid points are distributed over the nodes of a Cartesian background grid by interpolating from a few prescribed sources and solving a Poisson equation. To increase the control over the grid point distribution, a directional clustering approach is used. The new method is convenient to use and provides better grid quality and flexibility. Sample results are presented to demonstrate the power of the method.

Enabling campus grids with open science grid technology

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

Weitzel, Derek; Bockelman, Brian; Swanson, David

2011-01-01

The Open Science Grid is a recognized key component of the US national cyber-infrastructure enabling scientific discovery through advanced high throughput computing. The principles and techniques that underlie the Open Science Grid can also be applied to Campus Grids since many of the requirements are the same, even if the implementation technologies differ. We find five requirements for a campus grid: trust relationships, job submission, resource independence, accounting, and data management. The Holland Computing Center's campus grid at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln was designed to fulfill the requirements of a campus grid. A bridging daemon was designed to bring non-Condormore » clusters into a grid managed by Condor. Condor features which make it possible to bridge Condor sites into a multi-campus grid have been exploited at the Holland Computing Center as well.« less

Three-dimensional local grid refinement for block-centered finite-difference groundwater models using iteratively coupled shared nodes: A new method of interpolation and analysis of errors

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mehl, S.; Hill, M.C.

2004-01-01

This paper describes work that extends to three dimensions the two-dimensional local-grid refinement method for block-centered finite-difference groundwater models of Mehl and Hill [Development and evaluation of a local grid refinement method for block-centered finite-difference groundwater models using shared nodes. Adv Water Resour 2002;25(5):497-511]. In this approach, the (parent) finite-difference grid is discretized more finely within a (child) sub-region. The grid refinement method sequentially solves each grid and uses specified flux (parent) and specified head (child) boundary conditions to couple the grids. Iteration achieves convergence between heads and fluxes of both grids. Of most concern is how to interpolate heads onto the boundary of the child grid such that the physics of the parent-grid flow is retained in three dimensions. We develop a new two-step, "cage-shell" interpolation method based on the solution of the flow equation on the boundary of the child between nodes shared with the parent grid. Error analysis using a test case indicates that the shared-node local grid refinement method with cage-shell boundary head interpolation is accurate and robust, and the resulting code is used to investigate three-dimensional local grid refinement of stream-aquifer interactions. Results reveal that (1) the parent and child grids interact to shift the true head and flux solution to a different solution where the heads and fluxes of both grids are in equilibrium, (2) the locally refined model provided a solution for both heads and fluxes in the region of the refinement that was more accurate than a model without refinement only if iterations are performed so that both heads and fluxes are in equilibrium, and (3) the accuracy of the coupling is limited by the parent-grid size - A coarse parent grid limits correct representation of the hydraulics in the feedback from the child grid.

HappyFace as a generic monitoring tool for HEP experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kawamura, Gen; Magradze, Erekle; Musheghyan, Haykuhi; Quadt, Arnulf; Rzehorz, Gerhard

2015-12-01

The importance of monitoring on HEP grid computing systems is growing due to a significant increase in their complexity. Computer scientists and administrators have been studying and building effective ways to gather information on and clarify a status of each local grid infrastructure. The HappyFace project aims at making the above-mentioned workflow possible. It aggregates, processes and stores the information and the status of different HEP monitoring resources into the common database of HappyFace. The system displays the information and the status through a single interface. However, this model of HappyFace relied on the monitoring resources which are always under development in the HEP experiments. Consequently, HappyFace needed to have direct access methods to the grid application and grid service layers in the different HEP grid systems. To cope with this issue, we use a reliable HEP software repository, the CernVM File System. We propose a new implementation and an architecture of HappyFace, the so-called grid-enabled HappyFace. It allows its basic framework to connect directly to the grid user applications and the grid collective services, without involving the monitoring resources in the HEP grid systems. This approach gives HappyFace several advantages: Portability, to provide an independent and generic monitoring system among the HEP grid systems. Eunctionality, to allow users to perform various diagnostic tools in the individual HEP grid systems and grid sites. Elexibility, to make HappyFace beneficial and open for the various distributed grid computing environments. Different grid-enabled modules, to connect to the Ganga job monitoring system and to check the performance of grid transfers among the grid sites, have been implemented. The new HappyFace system has been successfully integrated and now it displays the information and the status of both the monitoring resources and the direct access to the grid user applications and the grid collective services.

Optimization of electrostatic dual-grid beam-deflection system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hudson, W. R.; Lathem, W. C.; Power, J. L.; Banks, B. A.

1972-01-01

Tests were performed to minimize accelerator grid erosion of a 5-cm diameter Kaufman ion thruster due to direct beam impingement. Several different screen hole diameters, pillow-shape-square screen holes, and dished screen grids were tried. The optimization was accomplished by copper plating the accelerator grid before testing each grid configuration on a thruster for a 2-hour run. The thruster beam sputtered copper and molybdenum from the accelerator grid where the beam impinged. The observed erosion patterns and measured accelerator currents were used to determine how to modify the accelerator system. The lowest erosion was obtained for a 50-percent open area pillow-shape-square-aperture screen grid, dished 0.043 centimeter convex toward the accelerator grid, which was positioned with the center of the screen grid 0.084 centimeter from the accelerator grid. During this investigation the accelerator current was reduced from 120 to 55 microamperes and was also more uniformly distributed over the area of the accelerator grid.

MaGate Simulator: A Simulation Environment for a Decentralized Grid Scheduler

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Ye; Brocco, Amos; Courant, Michele; Hirsbrunner, Beat; Kuonen, Pierre

This paper presents a simulator for of a decentralized modular grid scheduler named MaGate. MaGate’s design emphasizes scheduler interoperability by providing intelligent scheduling serving the grid community as a whole. Each MaGate scheduler instance is able to deal with dynamic scheduling conditions, with continuously arriving grid jobs. Received jobs are either allocated on local resources, or delegated to other MaGates for remote execution. The proposed MaGate simulator is based on GridSim toolkit and Alea simulator, and abstracts the features and behaviors of complex fundamental grid elements, such as grid jobs, grid resources, and grid users. Simulation of scheduling tasks is supported by a grid network overlay simulator executing distributed ant-based swarm intelligence algorithms to provide services such as group communication and resource discovery. For evaluation, a comparison of behaviors of different collaborative policies among a community of MaGates is provided. Results support the use of the proposed approach as a functional ready grid scheduler simulator.

Emissions & Generation Resource Integrated Database (eGRID), eGRID2002 (with years 1996 - 2000 data)

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The Emissions & Generation Resource Integrated Database (eGRID) is a comprehensive source of data on the environmental characteristics of almost all electric power generated in the United States. These environmental characteristics include air emissions for nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and mercury; emissions rates; net generation; resource mix; and many other attributes. eGRID2002 (years 1996 through 2000 data) contains 16 Excel spreadsheets and the Technical Support Document, as well as the eGRID Data Browser, User's Manual, and Readme file. Archived eGRID data can be viewed as spreadsheets or by using the eGRID Data Browser. The eGRID spreadsheets can be manipulated by data users and enables users to view all the data underlying eGRID. The eGRID Data Browser enables users to view key data using powerful search features. Note that the eGRID Data Browser will not run on a Mac-based machine without Windows emulation.

Cloud Computing for the Grid: GridControl: A Software Platform to Support the Smart Grid

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

None

GENI Project: Cornell University is creating a new software platform for grid operators called GridControl that will utilize cloud computing to more efficiently control the grid. In a cloud computing system, there are minimal hardware and software demands on users. The user can tap into a network of computers that is housed elsewhere (the cloud) and the network runs computer applications for the user. The user only needs interface software to access all of the cloud’s data resources, which can be as simple as a web browser. Cloud computing can reduce costs, facilitate innovation through sharing, empower users, and improvemore » the overall reliability of a dispersed system. Cornell’s GridControl will focus on 4 elements: delivering the state of the grid to users quickly and reliably; building networked, scalable grid-control software; tailoring services to emerging smart grid uses; and simulating smart grid behavior under various conditions.« less

Techniques for grid manipulation and adaptation. [computational fluid dynamics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Choo, Yung K.; Eisemann, Peter R.; Lee, Ki D.

1992-01-01

Two approaches have been taken to provide systematic grid manipulation for improved grid quality. One is the control point form (CPF) of algebraic grid generation. It provides explicit control of the physical grid shape and grid spacing through the movement of the control points. It works well in the interactive computer graphics environment and hence can be a good candidate for integration with other emerging technologies. The other approach is grid adaptation using a numerical mapping between the physical space and a parametric space. Grid adaptation is achieved by modifying the mapping functions through the effects of grid control sources. The adaptation process can be repeated in a cyclic manner if satisfactory results are not achieved after a single application.

Geometry modeling and multi-block grid generation for turbomachinery configurations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shih, Ming H.; Soni, Bharat K.

1992-01-01

An interactive 3D grid generation code, Turbomachinery Interactive Grid genERation (TIGER), was developed for general turbomachinery configurations. TIGER features the automatic generation of multi-block structured grids around multiple blade rows for either internal, external, or internal-external turbomachinery flow fields. Utilization of the Bezier's curves achieves a smooth grid and better orthogonality. TIGER generates the algebraic grid automatically based on geometric information provided by its built-in pseudo-AI algorithm. However, due to the large variation of turbomachinery configurations, this initial grid may not always be as good as desired. TIGER therefore provides graphical user interactions during the process which allow the user to design, modify, as well as manipulate the grid, including the capability of elliptic surface grid generation.

Method of grid generation

DOEpatents

Barnette, Daniel W.

2002-01-01

The present invention provides a method of grid generation that uses the geometry of the problem space and the governing relations to generate a grid. The method can generate a grid with minimized discretization errors, and with minimal user interaction. The method of the present invention comprises assigning grid cell locations so that, when the governing relations are discretized using the grid, at least some of the discretization errors are substantially zero. Conventional grid generation is driven by the problem space geometry; grid generation according to the present invention is driven by problem space geometry and by governing relations. The present invention accordingly can provide two significant benefits: more efficient and accurate modeling since discretization errors are minimized, and reduced cost grid generation since less human interaction is required.

Characterization of Slosh Damping for Ortho-Grid and Iso-Grid Internal Tank Structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Westra, Douglas G.; Sansone, Marco D.; Eberhart, Chad J.; West, Jeffrey S.

2016-01-01

Grid stiffened tank structures such as Ortho-Grid and Iso-Grid are widely used in cryogenic tanks for providing stiffening to the tank while reducing mass, compared to tank walls of constant cross-section. If the structure is internal to the tank, it will positively affect the fluid dynamic behavior of the liquid propellant, in regard to fluid slosh damping. As NASA and commercial companies endeavor to explore the solar system, vehicles will by necessity become more mass efficient, and design margin will be reduced where possible. Therefore, if the damping characteristics of the Ortho-Grid and Iso-Grid structure is understood, their positive damping effect can be taken into account in the systems design process. Historically, damping by internal structures has been characterized by rules of thumb and for Ortho-Grid, empirical design tools intended for slosh baffles of much larger cross-section have been used. There is little or no information available to characterize the slosh behavior of Iso-Grid internal structure. Therefore, to take advantage of these structures for their positive damping effects, there is much need for obtaining additional data and tools to characterize them. Recently, the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center conducted both sub-scale testing and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations of slosh damping for Ortho-Grid and Iso-Grid tanks for cylindrical tanks containing water. Enhanced grid meshing techniques were applied to the geometrically detailed and complex Ortho-Grid and Iso-Grid structures. The Loci-STREAM CFD program with the Volume of Fluid Method module for tracking and locating the water-air fluid interface was used to conduct the simulations. The CFD simulations were validated with the test data and new empirical models for predicting damping and frequency of Ortho-Grid and Iso-Grid structures were generated.

Ion Engine Grid Gap Measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Soulas, Gerge C.; Frandina, Michael M.

2004-01-01

A simple technique for measuring the grid gap of an ion engine s ion optics during startup and steady-state operation was demonstrated with beam extraction. The grid gap at the center of the ion optics assembly was measured with a long distance microscope that was focused onto an alumina pin that protruded through the center accelerator grid aperture and was mechanically attached to the screen grid. This measurement technique was successfully applied to a 30 cm titanium ion optics assembly mounted onto an NSTAR engineering model ion engine. The grid gap and each grid s movement during startup from room temperature to both full and low power were measured. The grid gaps with and without beam extraction were found to be significantly different. The grid gaps at the ion optics center were both significantly smaller than the cold grid gap and different at the two power levels examined. To avoid issues associated with a small grid gap during thruster startup with titanium ion optics, a simple method was to operate the thruster initially without beam extraction to heat the ion optics. Another possible method is to apply high voltage to the grids prior to igniting the discharge because power deposition to the grids from the plasma is lower with beam extraction than without. Further testing would be required to confirm this approach.

caGrid 1.0 : an enterprise Grid infrastructure for biomedical research.

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

Oster, S.; Langella, S.; Hastings, S.

To develop software infrastructure that will provide support for discovery, characterization, integrated access, and management of diverse and disparate collections of information sources, analysis methods, and applications in biomedical research. Design: An enterprise Grid software infrastructure, called caGrid version 1.0 (caGrid 1.0), has been developed as the core Grid architecture of the NCI-sponsored cancer Biomedical Informatics Grid (caBIG{trademark}) program. It is designed to support a wide range of use cases in basic, translational, and clinical research, including (1) discovery, (2) integrated and large-scale data analysis, and (3) coordinated study. Measurements: The caGrid is built as a Grid software infrastructure andmore » leverages Grid computing technologies and the Web Services Resource Framework standards. It provides a set of core services, toolkits for the development and deployment of new community provided services, and application programming interfaces for building client applications. Results: The caGrid 1.0 was released to the caBIG community in December 2006. It is built on open source components and caGrid source code is publicly and freely available under a liberal open source license. The core software, associated tools, and documentation can be downloaded from the following URL: .« less

Automatic structured grid generation using Gridgen (some restrictions apply)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chawner, John R.; Steinbrenner, John P.

1995-01-01

The authors have noticed in the recent grid generation literature an emphasis on the automation of structured grid generation. The motivation behind such work is clear; grid generation is easily the most despised task in the grid-analyze-visualize triad of computational analysis (CA). However, because grid generation is closely coupled to both the design and analysis software and because quantitative measures of grid quality are lacking, 'push button' grid generation usually results in a compromise between speed, control, and quality. Overt emphasis on automation obscures the substantive issues of providing users with flexible tools for generating and modifying high quality grids in a design environment. In support of this paper's tongue-in-cheek title, many features of the Gridgen software are described. Gridgen is by no stretch of the imagination an automatic grid generator. Despite this fact, the code does utilize many automation techniques that permit interesting regenerative features.

Parallel grid population

DOEpatents

Wald, Ingo; Ize, Santiago

2015-07-28

Parallel population of a grid with a plurality of objects using a plurality of processors. One example embodiment is a method for parallel population of a grid with a plurality of objects using a plurality of processors. The method includes a first act of dividing a grid into n distinct grid portions, where n is the number of processors available for populating the grid. The method also includes acts of dividing a plurality of objects into n distinct sets of objects, assigning a distinct set of objects to each processor such that each processor determines by which distinct grid portion(s) each object in its distinct set of objects is at least partially bounded, and assigning a distinct grid portion to each processor such that each processor populates its distinct grid portion with any objects that were previously determined to be at least partially bounded by its distinct grid portion.

Motor coordination in mice with hotfoot, Lurcher, and double mutations of the Grid2 gene encoding the delta-2 excitatory amino acid receptor.

PubMed

Lalonde, R; Hayzoun, K; Selimi, F; Mariani, J; Strazielle, C

2003-11-01

Grid2(ho/ho) is a loss of function gene mutation resulting in abnormal dendritic arborizations of Purkinje cells. These mutants were compared in a series of motor coordination tests requiring balance and equilibrium to nonataxic controls (Grid2(ho/+)) and to a double mutant (Grid2(ho/Lc)) with an inserted Lc mutation. The performance of Grid2(ho/ho) mutant mice was poorer than that of controls on stationary beam, coat hanger, unsteady platform, and rotorod tests. Grid2(ho/Lc) did not differ from Grid2(Lc/+) mice. However, the insertion of the Lc mutation in Grid2(ho/Lc) potentiated the deficits found in Grid2(ho/ho) in stationary beam, unsteady platform, and rotorod tests. These results indicate a deleterious effect of the Lc mutation on Grid2-deficient mice.

A principle of economy predicts the functional architecture of grid cells.

PubMed

Wei, Xue-Xin; Prentice, Jason; Balasubramanian, Vijay

2015-09-03

Grid cells in the brain respond when an animal occupies a periodic lattice of 'grid fields' during navigation. Grids are organized in modules with different periodicity. We propose that the grid system implements a hierarchical code for space that economizes the number of neurons required to encode location with a given resolution across a range equal to the largest period. This theory predicts that (i) grid fields should lie on a triangular lattice, (ii) grid scales should follow a geometric progression, (iii) the ratio between adjacent grid scales should be √e for idealized neurons, and lie between 1.4 and 1.7 for realistic neurons, (iv) the scale ratio should vary modestly within and between animals. These results explain the measured grid structure in rodents. We also predict optimal organization in one and three dimensions, the number of modules, and, with added assumptions, the ratio between grid periods and field widths.

caGrid 1.0: An Enterprise Grid Infrastructure for Biomedical Research

PubMed Central

Oster, Scott; Langella, Stephen; Hastings, Shannon; Ervin, David; Madduri, Ravi; Phillips, Joshua; Kurc, Tahsin; Siebenlist, Frank; Covitz, Peter; Shanbhag, Krishnakant; Foster, Ian; Saltz, Joel

2008-01-01

Objective To develop software infrastructure that will provide support for discovery, characterization, integrated access, and management of diverse and disparate collections of information sources, analysis methods, and applications in biomedical research. Design An enterprise Grid software infrastructure, called caGrid version 1.0 (caGrid 1.0), has been developed as the core Grid architecture of the NCI-sponsored cancer Biomedical Informatics Grid (caBIG™) program. It is designed to support a wide range of use cases in basic, translational, and clinical research, including 1) discovery, 2) integrated and large-scale data analysis, and 3) coordinated study. Measurements The caGrid is built as a Grid software infrastructure and leverages Grid computing technologies and the Web Services Resource Framework standards. It provides a set of core services, toolkits for the development and deployment of new community provided services, and application programming interfaces for building client applications. Results The caGrid 1.0 was released to the caBIG community in December 2006. It is built on open source components and caGrid source code is publicly and freely available under a liberal open source license. The core software, associated tools, and documentation can be downloaded from the following URL: https://cabig.nci.nih.gov/workspaces/Architecture/caGrid. Conclusions While caGrid 1.0 is designed to address use cases in cancer research, the requirements associated with discovery, analysis and integration of large scale data, and coordinated studies are common in other biomedical fields. In this respect, caGrid 1.0 is the realization of a framework that can benefit the entire biomedical community. PMID:18096909

caGrid 1.0: an enterprise Grid infrastructure for biomedical research.

PubMed

Oster, Scott; Langella, Stephen; Hastings, Shannon; Ervin, David; Madduri, Ravi; Phillips, Joshua; Kurc, Tahsin; Siebenlist, Frank; Covitz, Peter; Shanbhag, Krishnakant; Foster, Ian; Saltz, Joel

2008-01-01

To develop software infrastructure that will provide support for discovery, characterization, integrated access, and management of diverse and disparate collections of information sources, analysis methods, and applications in biomedical research. An enterprise Grid software infrastructure, called caGrid version 1.0 (caGrid 1.0), has been developed as the core Grid architecture of the NCI-sponsored cancer Biomedical Informatics Grid (caBIG) program. It is designed to support a wide range of use cases in basic, translational, and clinical research, including 1) discovery, 2) integrated and large-scale data analysis, and 3) coordinated study. The caGrid is built as a Grid software infrastructure and leverages Grid computing technologies and the Web Services Resource Framework standards. It provides a set of core services, toolkits for the development and deployment of new community provided services, and application programming interfaces for building client applications. The caGrid 1.0 was released to the caBIG community in December 2006. It is built on open source components and caGrid source code is publicly and freely available under a liberal open source license. The core software, associated tools, and documentation can be downloaded from the following URL: https://cabig.nci.nih.gov/workspaces/Architecture/caGrid. While caGrid 1.0 is designed to address use cases in cancer research, the requirements associated with discovery, analysis and integration of large scale data, and coordinated studies are common in other biomedical fields. In this respect, caGrid 1.0 is the realization of a framework that can benefit the entire biomedical community.

[Intraoperative ultrasonography, dissection with ultra-shears and trans-cystic choledochoscopy during laparoscopic approach in obstructive lithiasis icterus case].

PubMed

Alecu, L; Corodeanu, G; Costan, I; Lungu, C; Staicu, A

2001-01-01

The authors present the case of a 48 years old male with lithiasis obstructive icterus who was operated by laparoscopic transcystic approach with choledochoscopy. This minimally invasive technique was very spectacular trough the using of laparoscopic ultrasonography, dissection with Ultra-Shears device and transcystic choledochoscopy. Careful watching of abdominal laparoscopic view and transcystic choledochoscopic view is the particularity of laparoscopic transcystic management of choledocholithiasis. This metod don't let us to explore the biliary tract before the junction between common bile duct and cystic duct.

A Roadmap for caGrid, an Enterprise Grid Architecture for Biomedical Research

PubMed Central

Saltz, Joel; Hastings, Shannon; Langella, Stephen; Oster, Scott; Kurc, Tahsin; Payne, Philip; Ferreira, Renato; Plale, Beth; Goble, Carole; Ervin, David; Sharma, Ashish; Pan, Tony; Permar, Justin; Brezany, Peter; Siebenlist, Frank; Madduri, Ravi; Foster, Ian; Shanbhag, Krishnakant; Mead, Charlie; Hong, Neil Chue

2012-01-01

caGrid is a middleware system which combines the Grid computing, the service oriented architecture, and the model driven architecture paradigms to support development of interoperable data and analytical resources and federation of such resources in a Grid environment. The functionality provided by caGrid is an essential and integral component of the cancer Biomedical Informatics Grid (caBIG™) program. This program is established by the National Cancer Institute as a nationwide effort to develop enabling informatics technologies for collaborative, multi-institutional biomedical research with the overarching goal of accelerating translational cancer research. Although the main application domain for caGrid is cancer research, the infrastructure provides a generic framework that can be employed in other biomedical research and healthcare domains. The development of caGrid is an ongoing effort, adding new functionality and improvements based on feedback and use cases from the community. This paper provides an overview of potential future architecture and tooling directions and areas of improvement for caGrid and caGrid-like systems. This summary is based on discussions at a roadmap workshop held in February with participants from biomedical research, Grid computing, and high performance computing communities. PMID:18560123

A roadmap for caGrid, an enterprise Grid architecture for biomedical research.

PubMed

Saltz, Joel; Hastings, Shannon; Langella, Stephen; Oster, Scott; Kurc, Tahsin; Payne, Philip; Ferreira, Renato; Plale, Beth; Goble, Carole; Ervin, David; Sharma, Ashish; Pan, Tony; Permar, Justin; Brezany, Peter; Siebenlist, Frank; Madduri, Ravi; Foster, Ian; Shanbhag, Krishnakant; Mead, Charlie; Chue Hong, Neil

2008-01-01

caGrid is a middleware system which combines the Grid computing, the service oriented architecture, and the model driven architecture paradigms to support development of interoperable data and analytical resources and federation of such resources in a Grid environment. The functionality provided by caGrid is an essential and integral component of the cancer Biomedical Informatics Grid (caBIG) program. This program is established by the National Cancer Institute as a nationwide effort to develop enabling informatics technologies for collaborative, multi-institutional biomedical research with the overarching goal of accelerating translational cancer research. Although the main application domain for caGrid is cancer research, the infrastructure provides a generic framework that can be employed in other biomedical research and healthcare domains. The development of caGrid is an ongoing effort, adding new functionality and improvements based on feedback and use cases from the community. This paper provides an overview of potential future architecture and tooling directions and areas of improvement for caGrid and caGrid-like systems. This summary is based on discussions at a roadmap workshop held in February with participants from biomedical research, Grid computing, and high performance computing communities.

Method for the depth corrected detection of ionizing events from a co-planar grids sensor

DOEpatents

De Geronimo, Gianluigi [Syosset, NY; Bolotnikov, Aleksey E [South Setauket, NY; Carini, Gabriella [Port Jefferson, NY

2009-05-12

A method for the detection of ionizing events utilizing a co-planar grids sensor comprising a semiconductor substrate, cathode electrode, collecting grid and non-collecting grid. The semiconductor substrate is sensitive to ionizing radiation. A voltage less than 0 Volts is applied to the cathode electrode. A voltage greater than the voltage applied to the cathode is applied to the non-collecting grid. A voltage greater than the voltage applied to the non-collecting grid is applied to the collecting grid. The collecting grid and the non-collecting grid are summed and subtracted creating a sum and difference respectively. The difference and sum are divided creating a ratio. A gain coefficient factor for each depth (distance between the ionizing event and the collecting grid) is determined, whereby the difference between the collecting electrode and the non-collecting electrode multiplied by the corresponding gain coefficient is the depth corrected energy of an ionizing event. Therefore, the energy of each ionizing event is the difference between the collecting grid and the non-collecting grid multiplied by the corresponding gain coefficient. The depth of the ionizing event can also be determined from the ratio.

Propagation of Disturbances in AC Electricity Grids.

PubMed

Tamrakar, Samyak; Conrath, Michael; Kettemann, Stefan

2018-04-24

The energy transition towards high shares of renewable energy will affect the stability of electricity grids in many ways. Here, we aim to study its impact on propagation of disturbances by solving nonlinear swing equations describing coupled rotating masses of synchronous generators and motors on different grid topologies. We consider a tree, a square grid and as a real grid topology, the german transmission grid. We identify ranges of parameters with different transient dynamics: the disturbance decays exponentially in time, superimposed by oscillations with the fast decay rate of a single node, or with a smaller decay rate without oscillations. Most remarkably, as the grid inertia is lowered, nodes may become correlated, slowing down the propagation from ballistic to diffusive motion, decaying with a power law in time. Applying linear response theory we show that tree grids have a spectral gap leading to exponential relaxation as protected by topology and independent on grid size. Meshed grids are found to have a spectral gap which decreases with increasing grid size, leading to slow power law relaxation and collective diffusive propagation of disturbances. We conclude by discussing consequences if no measures are undertaken to preserve the grid inertia in the energy transition.

Nonuniform grid implicit spatial finite difference method for acoustic wave modeling in tilted transversely isotropic media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chu, Chunlei; Stoffa, Paul L.

2012-01-01

Discrete earth models are commonly represented by uniform structured grids. In order to ensure accurate numerical description of all wave components propagating through these uniform grids, the grid size must be determined by the slowest velocity of the entire model. Consequently, high velocity areas are always oversampled, which inevitably increases the computational cost. A practical solution to this problem is to use nonuniform grids. We propose a nonuniform grid implicit spatial finite difference method which utilizes nonuniform grids to obtain high efficiency and relies on implicit operators to achieve high accuracy. We present a simple way of deriving implicit finite difference operators of arbitrary stencil widths on general nonuniform grids for the first and second derivatives and, as a demonstration example, apply these operators to the pseudo-acoustic wave equation in tilted transversely isotropic (TTI) media. We propose an efficient gridding algorithm that can be used to convert uniformly sampled models onto vertically nonuniform grids. We use a 2D TTI salt model to demonstrate its effectiveness and show that the nonuniform grid implicit spatial finite difference method can produce highly accurate seismic modeling results with enhanced efficiency, compared to uniform grid explicit finite difference implementations.

A fast dynamic grid adaption scheme for meteorological flows

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

Fiedler, B.H.; Trapp, R.J.

1993-10-01

The continuous dynamic grid adaption (CDGA) technique is applied to a compressible, three-dimensional model of a rising thermal. The computational cost, per grid point per time step, of using CDGA instead of a fixed, uniform Cartesian grid is about 53% of the total cost of the model with CDGA. The use of general curvilinear coordinates contributes 11.7% to this total, calculating and moving the grid 6.1%, and continually updating the transformation relations 20.7%. Costs due to calculations that involve the gridpoint velocities (as well as some substantial unexplained costs) contribute the remaining 14.5%. A simple way to limit the costmore » of calculating the grid is presented. The grid is adapted by solving an elliptic equation for gridpoint coordinates on a coarse grid and then interpolating the full finite-difference grid. In this application, the additional costs per grid point of CDGA are shown to be easily offset by the savings resulting from the reduction in the required number of grid points. In simulation of the thermal costs are reduced by a factor of 3, as compared with those of a companion model with a fixed, uniform Cartesian grid. 8 refs., 8 figs.« less

Rapid Airplane Parametric Input Design (RAPID)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, Robert E.

1995-01-01

RAPID is a methodology and software system to define a class of airplane configurations and directly evaluate surface grids, volume grids, and grid sensitivity on and about the configurations. A distinguishing characteristic which separates RAPID from other airplane surface modellers is that the output grids and grid sensitivity are directly applicable in CFD analysis. A small set of design parameters and grid control parameters govern the process which is incorporated into interactive software for 'real time' visual analysis and into batch software for the application of optimization technology. The computed surface grids and volume grids are suitable for a wide range of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation. The general airplane configuration has wing, fuselage, horizontal tail, and vertical tail components. The double-delta wing and tail components are manifested by solving a fourth order partial differential equation (PDE) subject to Dirichlet and Neumann boundary conditions. The design parameters are incorporated into the boundary conditions and therefore govern the shapes of the surfaces. The PDE solution yields a smooth transition between boundaries. Surface grids suitable for CFD calculation are created by establishing an H-type topology about the configuration and incorporating grid spacing functions in the PDE equation for the lifting components and the fuselage definition equations. User specified grid parameters govern the location and degree of grid concentration. A two-block volume grid about a configuration is calculated using the Control Point Form (CPF) technique. The interactive software, which runs on Silicon Graphics IRIS workstations, allows design parameters to be continuously varied and the resulting surface grid to be observed in real time. The batch software computes both the surface and volume grids and also computes the sensitivity of the output grid with respect to the input design parameters by applying the precompiler tool ADIFOR to the grid generation program. The output of ADIFOR is a new source code containing the old code plus expressions for derivatives of specified dependent variables (grid coordinates) with respect to specified independent variables (design parameters). The RAPID methodology and software provide a means of rapidly defining numerical prototypes, grids, and grid sensitivity of a class of airplane configurations. This technology and software is highly useful for CFD research for preliminary design and optimization processes.

Grid Technology as a Cyberinfrastructure for Delivering High-End Services to the Earth and Space Science Community

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hinke, Thomas H.

2004-01-01

Grid technology consists of middleware that permits distributed computations, data and sensors to be seamlessly integrated into a secure, single-sign-on processing environment. In &is environment, a user has to identify and authenticate himself once to the grid middleware, and then can utilize any of the distributed resources to which he has been,panted access. Grid technology allows resources that exist in enterprises that are under different administrative control to be securely integrated into a single processing environment The grid community has adopted commercial web services technology as a means for implementing persistent, re-usable grid services that sit on top of the basic distributed processing environment that grids provide. These grid services can then form building blocks for even more complex grid services. Each grid service is characterized using the Web Service Description Language, which provides a description of the interface and how other applications can access it. The emerging Semantic grid work seeks to associates sufficient semantic information with each grid service such that applications wii1 he able to automatically select, compose and if necessary substitute available equivalent services in order to assemble collections of services that are most appropriate for a particular application. Grid technology has been used to provide limited support to various Earth and space science applications. Looking to the future, this emerging grid service technology can provide a cyberinfrastructures for both the Earth and space science communities. Groups within these communities could transform those applications that have community-wide applicability into persistent grid services that are made widely available to their respective communities. In concert with grid-enabled data archives, users could easily create complex workflows that extract desired data from one or more archives and process it though an appropriate set of widely distributed grid services discovered using semantic grid technology. As required, high-end computational resources could be drawn from available grid resource pools. Using grid technology, this confluence of data, services and computational resources could easily be harnessed to transform data from many different sources into a desired product that is delivered to a user's workstation or to a web portal though which it could be accessed by its intended audience.

40 CFR 60.335 - Test methods and procedures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... stationary combustion turbines; units used in association with heat recovery steam generators (HRSG) equipped... = observed humidity of ambient air, g H2O/g air, e = transcendental constant, 2.718, and Ta = ambient... combustion turbine must still be met. (4) If water or steam injection is used to control NOX with no...

Desiccation tolerance during different desiccation strategies in A. angustifolia embryos

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Brazilian pine (Araucaria angustifolia) is native to the Atlantic Rainforest of Brazil and is an endangered species. The mature seeds are recalcitrant and have large embryos (about 2.5 cm in length) that contain more than 1 g H2O.g dry mass (dm)-1. Successful cryopreservation requires reduction of ...

78 FR 43221 - Federal Property Suitable as Facilities To Assist the Homeless

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-07-19

... speech-impaired (202) 708-2565 (these telephone numbers are not toll-free), or call the toll-free Title V... the Homeless v. Veterans Administration, No. 88-2503-OG (D.D.C.). Properties reviewed are listed in... Assistant Secretary for Special Needs. TITLE V, FEDERAL SURPLUS PROPERTY PROGRAM FEDERAL REGISTER REPORT FOR...

Large Enhancement of the Sagnac Effect Based on Nonlinearly Induced Nonreciprocity.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-05-30

Og4 ,, % 20. ABSTRACT (Continue on reverse side It ne c,&aty and Identify by block number) LL On Back -°. La . -k. DD 1JAN73 1473 EDITION OF ’NOV6S...be published. 8. L. A. Hackel, R. P. Hackel, and S. Ezekiel, Metrologia 13, 141 (1977). Ř. .4

24 CFR 200.950 - Building product standards and certification program for solar water heating system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... certification program for solar water heating system. 200.950 Section 200.950 Housing and Urban Development... solar water heating system. (a) Applicable standards. (1) All solar water heating systems shall be...) Document OG-300-93, Operating Guidelines and Minimum Standards for Certifying Solar Water Heating Systems...

24 CFR 200.950 - Building product standards and certification program for solar water heating system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... certification program for solar water heating system. 200.950 Section 200.950 Housing and Urban Development... solar water heating system. (a) Applicable standards. (1) All solar water heating systems shall be...) Document OG-300-93, Operating Guidelines and Minimum Standards for Certifying Solar Water Heating Systems...

78 FR 11687 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for the Office of Management and Budget (OMB...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-02-19

... displays a currently valid OMB control number. The NRC published a Federal Register notice with a 60-day... owner groups (OGs), vendors, the Electric Power Research Institute, and the Nuclear Energy Institute... the staff to review a proposed methodology, design, operational requirements, or other safety-related...

40 CFR 465.44 - Pretreatment standards for existing sources.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... manufactured Cr 36.92 (0.081) 15.10 (0.033) Cu 159.41 (0.351) 83.90 (0.185) Zn 122.49 (0.270) 51.18 (0.113) F....85 (0.059) 12.59 (0.028) O&G (for alternate monitoring) 1678.00 (3.699) 1006.80 (2.220) [48 FR 52399...

40 CFR 465.44 - Pretreatment standards for existing sources.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... manufactured Cr 36.92 (0.081) 15.10 (0.033) Cu 159.41 (0.351) 83.90 (0.185) Zn 122.49 (0.270) 51.18 (0.113) F....85 (0.059) 12.59 (0.028) O&G (for alternate monitoring) 1678.00 (3.699) 1006.80 (2.220) [48 FR 52399...