[A systematic review of the effectiveness of alternative weight-loss products' ingredients].

PubMed

de Lira-García, Cynthia; Souto-Gallardo, María; Bacardí-Gascón, Monserrat; Jiménez-Cruz, Arturo

2008-01-01

The high demand for obesity treatment and conventional therapies' lack of effectiveness increases the use of alternative products. This study was aimed at assessing evidence from randomised clinical trials regarding the effectiveness of alternative weight-loss products' ingredients. A survey was conducted in Ensenada, Baja California, to assess the frequency of consuming alternative products used for weight reduction. The ingredients in the products most in demand were included in this review. The Pubmed database was searched for all randomised clinical trial papers including these ingredients and assessing weight loss. Thirty-six percent of the subjects questioned had used alternative methods for weight-loss, 83% of them being women. The most frequently used products were shakes, tea, pills and flaxseed/linseed. Sixteen randomised clinical trials using four ingredients were used: Garcinia cambogia, green tea, L-carnitina and flaxseed. Only two studies (green tea and Garcinia cambogia) showed significant weight-loss (25%) amongst control and experimental groups. There was no significant difference between the groups in the studies regarding L-carnitina and flaxseed. There is a lack of evidence regarding quality studies justifying the use of alternative products for weight loss.

7 CFR 58.149 - Alternate quality control programs for dairy products.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 3 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Alternate quality control programs for dairy products... and Grading Service 1 Operations and Operating Procedures § 58.149 Alternate quality control programs for dairy products. (a) When a plant has in operation an acceptable quality control program which is...

Alternative strategies: a better alternative.

PubMed

Doody, Dennis

2010-05-01

Alternatives can be defined as being any financial asset other than traditional stocks and bonds. They include marketable alternatives, private capital, and equity real estate. There are two primary reasons for investing in alternatives: the potential for greater return and the opportunity to diversify a portfolio. Although alternatives were challenged in the highly volatile environment that existed in 2008 and early 2009, they generally lived up to expectations.

Real-space study of the optical absorption in alternative phases of silicon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ong, Chin Shen; Coh, Sinisa; Cohen, Marvin L.; Louie, Steven G.

2017-12-01

We introduce a real-space approach to understand the relationship between optical absorption and crystal structure. We apply this approach to alternative phases of silicon, with a focus on the Si20 crystal phase as a case study. We find that about 83% of the changes in the calculated low-energy absorption in Si20 as compared to Si in the diamond structure can be attributed to reducing the differences between the on-site energies of the bonding and antibonding orbitals as well as increasing the hopping integrals for specific Si-Si bonds.

MSWT-01, an alternative in combining Production Based Education (PBE) and student CSR program in Polman

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ananto, Gamawan; Setiawan, Albertus B.; Z, Darman M.

2014-06-01

MSWT-01, Mobile Surface Water Treatment, producing 1m3 per hour, is an alternative for providing clean water in flood disaster areas, and was developed at Bandung State Polytechnic for Manufacturing (Polman) as a part of institution research project. The combination of cartridge or membrane technology such as carbon block, MF, UF and filtration media is used for this machine, instead of coagulation-flocculation with chemical addition, due to emergency purposes related with its treatment processing time. The idea is that MSWT could be combined with Production Based Education (PBE) concept in Polman as a vocational education institution and students 'CSR', students social activities. With the number of implementation trials in real flood area condition, MSWT will be developed further based on the technical output result. The manufacturing process for improving or adding necessary features could be implemented as a student's project in PBE system. This might be an ideal combination alternative for such vocational institution that students get the product media for their PBE program and implement their work as a defined social activity. They will learn and experience related technical matters and more social interactions with the people and other disaster stakeholder as well.

Alternative indicators for measuring hospital productivity.

PubMed

Serway, G D; Strum, D W; Haug, W F

1987-08-01

This article explores the premise that the appropriateness and usefulness of typical hospital productivity measures have been affected by three changes in delivery: Organizational restructuring and other definition and data source changes that make full-time equivalent employee (FTE) measurements ambiguous. Transition to prospective payment (diagnosis-related groups). Increase in capitation (prepaid, at risk) programs. The effects of these changes on productivity management indicate the need for alternative productivity indicators. Several productivity measures that complement these changes in internal operations and the external hospital business environment are presented. These are based on an analysis of four hospitals within a multihospital system, and an illustration and interpretation of an array of measures, based on ten months of actual data, is provided. In conclusion, the recommendation is made for hospital management to collect an expanded set of productivity measures and review them in light of changing expense and revenue management schemes inherent in new payment modes.

Airports offer unrealized potential for alternative energy production.

PubMed

DeVault, Travis L; Belant, Jerrold L; Blackwell, Bradley F; Martin, James A; Schmidt, Jason A; Wes Burger, L; Patterson, James W

2012-03-01

Scaling up for alternative energy such as solar, wind, and biofuel raises a number of environmental issues, notably changes in land use and adverse effects on wildlife. Airports offer one of the few land uses where reductions in wildlife abundance and habitat quality are necessary and socially acceptable, due to risk of wildlife collisions with aircraft. There are several uncertainties and limitations to establishing alternative energy production at airports, such as ensuring these facilities do not create wildlife attractants or other hazards. However, with careful planning, locating alternative energy projects at airports could help mitigate many of the challenges currently facing policy makers, developers, and conservationists.

An alternative to real estate ownership.

PubMed

Scarborough, Sydney

2004-05-01

Partnering with healthcare real estate managers and investors is one way to generate capital, improve cash flow, and minimize the management costs of developing and operating outpatient properties without sacrificing control of strategic locations or facilities. Eight simple steps can help you identify and select viable strategic healthcare real estate partners and negotiate effective monetization (sale of property title) agreements with them.

Part 4 of a 4-part series Miscellaneous Products: Trends and Alternatives in Deodorants, Antiperspirants, Sunblocks, Shaving Products, Powders, and Wipes: Data from the American Contact Alternatives Group.

PubMed

Scheman, Andrew; Jacob, Sharon; Katta, Rajani; Nedorost, Susan; Warshaw, Erin; Zirwas, Matt; Selbo, Nicole

2011-10-01

To provide updated data on the usage of ingredients that are common potential contact allergens in several categories of topical products. To identify useful alternative products with few or no common contact allergens. In November 2009, the full ingredient lists of 5,416 skin, hair, and cosmetic products marketed by the CVS pharmacy chain were copied from CVS.com into Microsoft Word format for analysis. Computer searches were made in Microsoft Word using search/replace and sorting functions to accurately identify the presence of specific allergens in each website product. Percentages of American Contact Dermatitis Society core series allergens (and other common preservatives and sunblocks) were calculated. The usage of American Contact Dermatitis Society core series allergens (and other preservatives and sunblocks) in various miscellaneous categories of topical products is reported. Data on allergens and alternatives for ancillary skin care products are not widely published. This article reviews some of the common potential allergens in antiperspirants, deodorants, shaving products, sunblocks, powders, and wipes. Suitable available alternative products for patients with contact allergy are listed.

Portable inference engine: An extended CLIPS for real-time production systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Le, Thach; Homeier, Peter

1988-01-01

The present C-Language Integrated Production System (CLIPS) architecture has not been optimized to deal with the constraints of real-time production systems. Matching in CLIPS is based on the Rete Net algorithm, whose assumption of working memory stability might fail to be satisfied in a system subject to real-time dataflow. Further, the CLIPS forward-chaining control mechanism with a predefined conflict resultion strategy may not effectively focus the system's attention on situation-dependent current priorties, or appropriately address different kinds of knowledge which might appear in a given application. Portable Inference Engine (PIE) is a production system architecture based on CLIPS which attempts to create a more general tool while addressing the problems of real-time expert systems. Features of the PIE design include a modular knowledge base, a modified Rete Net algorithm, a bi-directional control strategy, and multiple user-defined conflict resolution strategies. Problems associated with real-time applications are analyzed and an explanation is given for how the PIE architecture addresses these problems.

Part 2 of a 4-part series Hair Products: Trends and Alternatives

PubMed Central

Jacob, Sharon; Katta, Rajani; Nedorost, Susan; Warshaw, Erin; Zirwas, Matt; Bhinder, Manpreet

2011-01-01

Objective: To provide updated data on usage of ingredients that are common potential contact allergens in several categories of hair products. To identify useful alternative products with few or no common contact allergens. Design: In November 2009, the full ingredient lists of 5,416 skin, hair, and cosmetic products marketed by the CVS pharmacy chain was copied from CVS.com into Microsoft Word format for analysis. Computer searches were made in Microsoft Word using search/replace and sorting functions to accurately identify the presence of specific allergens in each website product. Measurements: Percentages of American Contact Dermatitis Society core series allergens (and other common preservatives and sunblocks) were calculated. Results: The usage of American Contact Dermatitis Society core series allergens (and other preservatives and sunblocks) in hair products is reported. Conclusion: Data on allergens and alternatives for hair products is not widely published. This article reviews some of the common potential allergens in hair products, including shampoos, conditioners, and styling products. Suitable available alternative products for patients with contact allergy are listed. PMID:21779419

A Survey of Alternative Oxygen Production Technologies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lueck, Dale E.; Parrish, Clyde F.; Buttner, William J.; Surma, Jan M.; Delgado, H. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

Utilization of the Martian atmosphere for the production of fuel and oxygen has been extensively studied. The baseline fuel production process is a Sabatier reactor, which produces methane and water from carbon dioxide and hydrogen. The oxygen produced from the electrolysis of the water is only half of that needed for methane-based rocket propellant, and additional oxygen is needed for breathing air, fuel cells and other energy sources. Zirconia electrolysis cells for the direct reduction of CO2 arc being developed as an alternative means of producing oxygen, but present many challenges for a large-scale oxygen production system. The very high operating temperatures and fragile nature of the cells coupled with fairly high operating voltages leave room for improvement. This paper will survey alternative oxygen production technologies, present data on operating characteristics, materials of construction, and some preliminary laboratory results on attempts to implement each. Our goal is to significantly improve upon the characteristics of proposed zirconia cells for oxygen production. To achieve that goal we are looking at electrolytic systems that operate at significantly lower temperatures, preferably below 31C to allow the incorporation of liquid CO2 in the electrolyte. Our preliminary results indicate that such a system will have much higher current densities and have simpler cathode construction than a porous gas feed electrode system. Such a system could be achieved based on nonaqueous electrolytes or ionic liquids. We are focusing our research on the anode reaction that will produce oxygen from a product generated at the cathode using CO2 as the feed. Operation at low temperatures also will open up the full range of polymer and metal materials, allowing a more robust system design to withstand the rigors of flight, landing, and long term unattended operation on the surface of Mars.

Banana production systems: identification of alternative systems for more sustainable production.

PubMed

Bellamy, Angelina Sanderson

2013-04-01

Large-scale, monoculture production systems dependent on synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, increase yields, but are costly and have deleterious impacts on human health and the environment. This research investigates variations in banana production practices in Costa Rica, to identify alternative systems that combine high productivity and profitability, with reduced reliance on agrochemicals. Farm workers were observed during daily production activities; 39 banana producers and 8 extension workers/researchers were interviewed; and a review of field experiments conducted by the National Banana Corporation between 1997 and 2002 was made. Correspondence analysis showed that there is no structured variation in large-scale banana producers' practices, but two other banana production systems were identified: a small-scale organic system and a small-scale conventional coffee-banana intercropped system. Field-scale research may reveal ways that these practices can be scaled up to achieve a productive and profitable system producing high-quality export bananas with fewer or no pesticides.

Robust real-time cell analysis method for determining viral infectious titers during development of a viral vaccine production process.

PubMed

Charretier, Cédric; Saulnier, Aure; Benair, Loïc; Armanet, Corinne; Bassard, Isabelle; Daulon, Sandra; Bernigaud, Bertrand; Rodrigues de Sousa, Emanuel; Gonthier, Clémence; Zorn, Edouard; Vetter, Emmanuelle; Saintpierre, Claire; Riou, Patrice; Gaillac, David

2018-02-01

The classical cell-culture methods, such as cell culture infectious dose 50% (CCID 50 ) assays, are time-consuming, end-point assays currently used during the development of a viral vaccine production process to measure viral infectious titers. However, they are not suitable for handling the large number of tests required for high-throughput and large-scale screening analyses. Impedance-based bio-sensing techniques used in real-time cell analysis (RTCA) to assess cell layer biological status in vitro, provide real-time data. In this proof-of-concept study, we assessed the correlation between the results from CCID 50 and RTCA assays and compared time and costs using monovalent and tetravalent chimeric yellow fever dengue (CYD) vaccine strains. For the RTCA assay, Vero cells were infected with the CYD sample and real-time impedance was recorded, using the dimensionless cell index (CI). The CI peaked just after infection and decreased as the viral cytopathic effect occurred in a dose-dependent manner. The time to the median CI (CIT med ) was correlated with viral titers determined by CCID 50 over a range of about 4-5log 10 CCID 50 /ml. This in-house RTCA virus-titration assay was shown to be a robust method for determining real-time viral infectious titers, and could be an alternative to the classical CCID 50 assay during the development of viral vaccine production process. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Real-time Stack Monitoring at the BaTek Medical Isotope Production Facility

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

McIntyre, Justin I.; Agusbudiman, A.; Cameron, Ian M.

2016-04-01

Radioxenon emissions from radiopharmaceutical production are a major source of background concentrations affecting the radioxenon detection systems of the International Monitoring System (IMS). Collection of real-time emissions data from production facilities makes it possible to screen out some medical isotope signatures from the IMS radioxenon data sets. This paper describes an effort to obtain and analyze real-time stack emissions data with the design, construction and installation of a small stack monitoring system developed by a joint CTBTO-IDC, BATAN, and PNNL team at the BaTek medical isotope production facility near Jakarta, Indonesia.

Wastes and by-products - alternatives for agricultural use

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

Boles, J.L.; Craft, D.J.; Parker, B.R.

1994-10-01

Top address a growing national problem with generation of wastes and by-products, TVA has been involved for several years with developing and commercializing environmentally responsible practices for eliminating, minimizing, or utilizing various wastes/by-products. In many cases, reducing waste generation is impractical, but the wastes/by-products can be converted into other environmentally sound products. In some instances, conversion of safe, value-added agricultural products in the best or only practical alternative. TVA is currently involved with a diversity of projects converting wastes/by-products into safe, economical, and agriculturally beneficial products. Environmental improvement projects have involved poultry litter, cellulosic wastes, used battery acid, ammonium sulfatemore » fines, lead smelting effluents, deep-welled sulfuric acid/ammonium bisulfate solutions, wood ash, waste magnesium ammonium sulfate slurry from recording tape production, and ammunition plant waste sodium nitrate/ammonium nitrate streams.« less

Evolution of alternative methodologies of scorpion antivenoms production.

PubMed

Carmo, A O; Chatzaki, M; Horta, C C R; Magalhães, B F; Oliveira-Mendes, B B R; Chávez-Olórtegui, C; Kalapothakis, E

2015-04-01

Scorpionism represents a serious public health problem resulting in the death of children and debilitated individuals. Scorpion sting treatment employs various strategies including the use of specific medicines such as antiserum, especially for patients with severe symptoms. In 1909 Charles Todd described the production of an antiserum against the venom of the scorpion Buthus quinquestriatus. Based on Todd's work, researchers worldwide began producing antiserum using the same approach i.e., immunization of horses with crude venom as antigen. Despite achieving satisfactory results using this approach, researchers in this field have developed alternative approaches for the production of scorpion antivenom serum. In this review, we describe the work published by experts in toxinology to the development of scorpion venom antiserum. Methods and results describing the use of specific antigens, detoxified venom or toxins, purified toxins and or venom fractions, native toxoids, recombinant toxins, synthetic peptides, monoclonal and recombinant antibodies, and alternative animal models are presented. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A TaqMan real-time PCR method based on alternative oxidase genes for detection of plant species in animal feed samples.

PubMed

Campos, Maria Doroteia; Valadas, Vera; Campos, Catarina; Morello, Laura; Braglia, Luca; Breviario, Diego; Cardoso, Hélia G

2018-01-01

Traceability of processed food and feed products has been gaining importance due to the impact that those products can have on human/animal health and to the associated economic and legal concerns, often related to adulterations and frauds as it can be the case for meat and milk. Despite mandatory traceability requirements for the analysis of feed composition, few reliable and accurate methods are presently available to enforce the legislative frame and allow the authentication of animal feeds. In this study, nine sensitive and species-specific real-time PCR TaqMan MGB assays are described for plant species detection in animal feed samples. The method is based on selective real-time qPCR (RT-qPCR) amplification of target genes belonging to the alternative oxidase (AOX) gene family. The plant species selected for detection in feed samples were wheat, maize, barley, soybean, rice and sunflower as common components of feeds, and cotton, flax and peanut as possible undesirable contaminants. The obtained results were compared with end-point PCR methodology. The applicability of the AOX TaqMan assays was evaluated through the screening of commercial feed samples, and by the analysis of plant mixtures with known composition. The RT-qPCR methodology allowed the detection of the most abundant species in feeds but also the identification of contaminant species present in lower amounts, down to 1% w/w. AOX-based methodology provides a suitable molecular marker approach to ascertain plant species composition of animal feed samples, thus supporting feed control and enforcement of the feed sector and animal production.

Quantitative evaluation of alternatively spliced mRNA isoforms by label-free real-time plasmonic sensing.

PubMed

Huertas, César S; Carrascosa, L G; Bonnal, S; Valcárcel, J; Lechuga, L M

2016-04-15

Alternative splicing of mRNA precursors enables cells to generate different protein outputs from the same gene depending on their developmental or homeostatic status. Its deregulation is strongly linked to disease onset and progression. Current methodologies for monitoring alternative splicing demand elaborate procedures and often present difficulties in discerning between closely related isoforms, e.g. due to cross-hybridization during their detection. Herein, we report a general methodology using a Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) biosensor for label-free monitoring of alternative splicing events in real-time, without any cDNA synthesis or PCR amplification requirements. We applied this methodology to RNA isolated from HeLa cells for the quantification of alternatively spliced isoforms of the Fas gene, involved in cancer progression through regulation of programmed cell death. We demonstrate that our methodology is isoform-specific, with virtually no cross-hybridization, achieving limits of detection (LODs) in the picoMolar (pM) range. Similar results were obtained for the detection of the BCL-X gene mRNA isoforms. The results were independently validated by RT-qPCR, with excellent concordance in the determination of isoform ratios. The simplicity and robustness of this biosensor technology can greatly facilitate the exploration of alternative splicing biomarkers in disease diagnosis and therapy. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

GATEWAY Demonstrations: Exploring SSL Product Performance in the Real World

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

None

Fact sheet that outlines DOE's GATEWAY technology demonstration program, which evaluates high-performance SSL products for general illumination in a variety of real-world exterior and interior applications.

Shelf Life of Food Products: From Open Labeling to Real-Time Measurements.

PubMed

Corradini, Maria G

2018-03-25

The labels currently used on food and beverage products only provide consumers with a rough guide to their expected shelf lives because they assume that a product only experiences a limited range of predefined handling and storage conditions. These static labels do not take into consideration conditions that might shorten a product's shelf life (such as temperature abuse), which can lead to problems associated with food safety and waste. Advances in shelf-life estimation have the potential to improve the safety, reliability, and sustainability of the food supply. Selection of appropriate kinetic models and data-analysis techniques is essential to predict shelf life, to account for variability in environmental conditions, and to allow real-time monitoring. Novel analytical tools to determine safety and quality attributes in situ coupled with modern tracking technologies and appropriate predictive tools have the potential to provide accurate estimations of the remaining shelf life of a food product in real time. This review summarizes the necessary steps to attain a transition from open labeling to real-time shelf-life measurements.

Global Near Real-Time Satellite-based Flood Monitoring and Product Dissemination

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, M.; Slayback, D. A.; Policelli, F.; Brakenridge, G. R.; Tokay, M.

2012-12-01

Flooding is among the most destructive, frequent, and costly natural disasters faced by modern society, with several major events occurring each year. In the past few years, major floods have devastated parts of China, Thailand, Pakistan, Australia, and the Philippines, among others. The toll of these events, in financial costs, displacement of individuals, and deaths, is substantial and continues to rise as climate change generates more extreme weather events. When these events do occur, the disaster management community requires frequently updated and easily accessible information to better understand the extent of flooding and better coordinate response efforts. With funding from NASA's Applied Sciences program, we have developed, and are now operating, a near real-time global flood mapping system to help provide critical flood extent information within 24-48 hours after flooding events. The system applies a water detection algorithm to MODIS imagery received from the LANCE (Land Atmosphere Near real-time Capability for EOS) system at NASA Goddard. The LANCE system typically processes imagery in less than 3 hours after satellite overpass, and our flood mapping system can output flood products within ½ hour of acquiring the LANCE products. Using imagery from both the Terra (10:30 AM local time overpass) and Aqua (1:30 PM) platforms allows an initial assessment of flooding extent by late afternoon, every day, and more robust assessments after accumulating imagery over a longer period; the MODIS sensors are optical, so cloud cover remains an issue, which is partly overcome by using multiple looks over one or more days. Other issues include the relatively coarse scale of the MODIS imagery (250 meters), the difficulty of detecting flood waters in areas with continuous canopy cover, confusion of shadow (cloud or terrain) with water, and accurately identifying detected water as flood as opposed to normal water extents. We have made progress on some of these issues

Evaluation and analysis of real-time precise orbits and clocks products from different IGS analysis centers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Liang; Yang, Hongzhou; Gao, Yang; Yao, Yibin; Xu, Chaoqian

2018-06-01

To meet the increasing demands from the real-time Precise Point Positioning (PPP) users, the real-time satellite orbit and clock products are generated by different International GNSS Service (IGS) real-time analysis centers and can be publicly received through the Internet. Based on different data sources and processing strategies, the real-time products from different analysis centers therefore differ in availability and accuracy. The main objective of this paper is to evaluate availability and accuracy of different real-time products and their effects on real-time PPP. A total of nine commonly used Real-Time Service (RTS) products, namely IGS01, IGS03, CLK01, CLK15, CLK22, CLK52, CLK70, CLK81 and CLK90, will be evaluated in this paper. Because not all RTS products support multi-GNSS, only GPS products are analyzed in this paper. Firstly, the availability of all RTS products is analyzed in two levels. The first level is the epoch availability, indicating whether there is outage for that epoch. The second level is the satellite availability, which defines the available satellite number for each epoch. Then the accuracy of different RTS products is investigated on nominal accuracy and the accuracy degradation over time. Results show that Root-Mean-Square Error (RMSE) of satellite orbit ranges from 3.8 cm to 7.5 cm for different RTS products. While the mean Standard Deviations of Errors (STDE) of satellite clocks range from 1.9 cm to 5.6 cm. The modified Signal In Space Range Error (SISRE) for all products are from 1.3 cm to 5.5 cm for different RTS products. The accuracy degradation of the orbit has the linear trend for all RTS products and the satellite clock degradation depends on the satellite clock types. The Rb clocks on board of GPS IIF satellites have the smallest degradation rate of less than 3 cm over 10 min while the Cs clocks on board of GPS IIF have the largest degradation rate of more than 10 cm over 10 min. Finally, the real-time kinematic PPP is

Sociocultural attitudes surrounding menstruation and alternative menstrual products: the explanatory role of self-objectification.

PubMed

Grose, Rose Grace; Grabe, Shelly

2014-01-01

We extend objectification theory research to consider the relationship between self-objectification and attitudes toward an alternative menstrual product in a diverse sample of female undergraduates from the United States (N = 151). We use a survey design to investigate attitudes toward one's menstruation as a potential mechanism that may explain this relationship. Reactions to an alternative menstrual product were predominantly negative, supporting prior research on stigma and shame surrounding menstruation. Exploratory structural equation modeling revealed attitudes toward one's menstruation mediated the relationship between self-objectification and participants' reactions to an alternative menstrual product. Implications for women's health are discussed.

Real-time PCR for the early detection and quantification of Coxiella burnetii as an alternative to the murine bioassay.

PubMed

Howe, Gerald B; Loveless, Bonnie M; Norwood, David; Craw, Philip; Waag, David; England, Marilyn; Lowe, John R; Courtney, Bernard C; Pitt, M Louise; Kulesh, David A

2009-01-01

Real-time PCR was used to analyze archived blood from non-human primates (NHP) and fluid samples originating from a well-controlled Q fever vaccine efficacy trial. The PCR targets were the IS1111 element and the com1 gene of Coxiella burnetii. Data from that previous study were used to evaluate real-time PCR as an alternative to the use of sero-conversion by mouse bioassay for both quantification and early detection of C. burnetii bacteria. Real-time PCR and the mouse bioassay exhibited no statistical difference in quantifying the number of microorganisms delivered in the aerosol challenge dose. The presence of C. burnetii in peripheral blood of non-human primates was detected by real-time PCR as early after exposure as the mouse bioassay with results available within hours instead of weeks. This study demonstrates that real-time PCR has the ability to replace the mouse bioassay to measure dosage and monitor infection of C. burnetii in a non-human primate model.

Genetically encoded sensors enable real-time observation of metabolite production

PubMed Central

Rogers, Jameson K.; Church, George M.

2016-01-01

Engineering cells to produce valuable metabolic products is hindered by the slow and laborious methods available for evaluating product concentration. Consequently, many designs go unevaluated, and the dynamics of product formation over time go unobserved. In this work, we develop a framework for observing product formation in real time without the need for sample preparation or laborious analytical methods. We use genetically encoded biosensors derived from small-molecule responsive transcription factors to provide a fluorescent readout that is proportional to the intracellular concentration of a target metabolite. Combining an appropriate biosensor with cells designed to produce a metabolic product allows us to track product formation by observing fluorescence. With individual cells exhibiting fluorescent intensities proportional to the amount of metabolite they produce, high-throughput methods can be used to rank the quality of genetic variants or production conditions. We observe production of several renewable plastic precursors with fluorescent readouts and demonstrate that higher fluorescence is indeed an indicator of higher product titer. Using fluorescence as a guide, we identify process parameters that produce 3-hydroxypropionate at 4.2 g/L, 23-fold higher than previously reported. We also report, to our knowledge, the first engineered route from glucose to acrylate, a plastic precursor with global sales of $14 billion. Finally, we monitor the production of glucarate, a replacement for environmentally damaging detergents, and muconate, a renewable precursor to polyethylene terephthalate and nylon with combined markets of $51 billion, in real time, demonstrating that our method is applicable to a wide range of molecules. PMID:26858408

Genetically encoded sensors enable real-time observation of metabolite production

DOE PAGES

Rogers, Jameson K.; Church, George M.

2016-02-08

Here, engineering cells to produce valuable metabolic products is hindered by the slow and laborious methods available for evaluating product concentration. Consequently, many designs go unevaluated, and the dynamics of product formation over time go unobserved. In this work, we develop a framework for observing product formation in real time without the need for sample preparation or laborious analytical methods. We use genetically encoded biosensors derived from small-molecule responsive transcription factors to provide a fluorescent readout that is proportional to the intracellular concentration of a target metabolite. Combining an appropriate biosensor with cells designed to produce a metabolic product allowsmore » us to track product formation by observing fluorescence. With individual cells exhibiting fluorescent intensities proportional to the amount of metabolite they produce, high-throughput methods can be used to rank the quality of genetic variants or production conditions. We observe production of several renewable plastic precursors with fluorescent readouts and demonstrate that higher fluorescence is indeed an indicator of higher product titer. Using fluorescence as a guide, we identify process parameters that produce 3-hydroxypropionate at 4.2 g/L, 23-fold higher than previously reported. We also report, to our knowledge, the first engineered route from glucose to acrylate, a plastic precursor with global sales of 14 billion. Finally, we monitor the production of glucarate, a replacement for environmentally damaging detergents, and muconate, a renewable precursor to polyethylene terephthalate and nylon with combined markets of 51 billion, in real time, demonstrating that our method is applicable to a wide range of molecules.« less

Use of alternative tobacco products in multiethnic youth from Jujuy, Argentina.

PubMed

Alderete, Ethel; Kaplan, Celia Patricia; Gregorich, Steven E; Pérez-Stable, Eliseo J

2010-01-01

This study examines alternative tobacco use among Latin American youth. A self-administered survey in a random sample of 27 schools was administered in 2004 in Jujuy, Argentina (N = 3218). Prevalence of alternative tobacco product use was 24.1%; 15.3% of youth used hand-rolled cigarettes, 7.8% smoked cigars, 2.3% chewed tobacco leaf and 1.6% smoked pipe. Among youth who never smoked manufactured cigarettes, alternative product use was rare (2.9%), except for chewing tobacco (22%). In multivariate logistic regression boys were more likely than girls to smoke pipe (OR = 3.1; 95% CI 1.1-8.7); indigenous language was associated with smoking hand-rolled cigarettes (OR = 1.4; 95% CI-1.1-1.9) and pipe (OR = 2.2; 95% CI 1.5-3.4). Working in tobacco sales was a risk factor for chewing tobacco (OR = 2.9; 95% CI: 1.7-4.9) and smoking hand-rolled cigarettes (OR = 1.4; 95% CI 1.1-1.8). Having friends who smoked was associated with chewing tobacco (OR = 1.8; 95% CI 1.0-3.2) and with smoking cigars (OR = 2.1; 95% CI 1.5-2.9). Current drinking and thrill-seeking orientation were associated with cigars and pipe smoking. Findings highlight the importance of surveillance of alternative tobacco products use and availability among youth and for addressing identified risk factors.

Prisoner's Dogmatism Scores and Creative Alternative Game Behavior under Full Communication and Real Reward Conditions: A Correlational Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seibold, David R.; Steinfatt, Thomas M.

To extend information on communication to game theory, a study was conducted (1) to determine whether there was a relationship between dogmatism of players in a creative alternative game and their game behavior, and (2) to compare the behavior of federal prison inmates playing a game under conditions of real rewards and full communication…

Impact of Alternative Processes for Aluminum Production on Energy Requirements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grjotheim, Kai; Welch, Barry

1981-09-01

Increasing prices and the shortage of large blocks of electrical energy have given greater impetus to the search for viable alternative processes for aluminum production. These include electrolysis of aluminum chloride, sulfide, and nitride; carbothermal reduction of either the ore or alumina; and disproportioning reactions of either aluminum sulfide or the monochloride route. Common to all these processes are the starting material—an ore containing aluminum oxide—and the final product—the metal. Thus, the thermodynamic cycle will invariably dictate similar theoretical energy requirements for the three processes. In practice, however, the achievable efficiencies and, more noticeably, the proportion of electrical to carbothermal energy required for the various stages of operation can vary. The present status of these alternative processes indicates that while alternative routes, such as the Alcoa-AlCl3-Smelting Process, show distinct potential for reducing electrical energy requirements, they offer little chance of reducing overall energy requirements. Furthermore, because of more stringent purity requirements, any gains made may be at the expense of production costs.

Botanical alternatives to antibiotics for use in organic poultry production.

PubMed

Diaz-Sanchez, Sandra; D'Souza, Doris; Biswas, Debrabrata; Hanning, Irene

2015-06-01

The development of antibiotic resistant pathogens has resulted from the use of sub-therapeutic concentrations of antibiotics delivered in poultry feed. Furthermore, there are a number of consumer concerns regarding the use of antibiotics in food animals including residue contamination of poultry products and antibiotic resistant bacterial pathogens. These issues have resulted in recommendations to reduce the use of antibiotics as growth promoters in livestock in the United States. Unlike conventional production, organic systems are not permitted to use antibiotics. Thus, both conventional and organic poultry production need alternative methods to improve growth and performance of poultry. Herbs, spices, and various other plant extracts are being evaluated as alternatives to antibiotics and some do have growth promoting effects, antimicrobial properties, and other health-related benefits. This review aims to provide an overview of herbs, spices, and plant extracts, currently defined as phytobiotics as potential feed additives. © 2015 Poultry Science Association Inc.

Alternatives to antibiotics: a symposium on the challenges and solutions for animal production.

PubMed

Seal, Bruce S; Lillehoj, Hyun S; Donovan, David M; Gay, Cyril G

2013-06-01

Antibiotics are one of the most important medical discoveries of the 20th century and will remain an essential tool for treating animal and human diseases in the 21st century. However, antibiotic resistance among bacterial pathogens and concerns over their extensive use in food animals has garnered global interest in limiting antibiotic use in animal agriculture. Yet, limiting the availability of medical interventions to prevent and control animal diseases on the farm will directly impact global food security and safety as well as animal and human health. Insufficient attention has been given to the scientific breakthroughs and novel technologies that provide alternatives to antibiotics. The objectives of the symposium 'Alternatives to Antibiotics' were to highlight promising research results and novel technologies that could potentially lead to alternatives to conventional antibiotics, and assess challenges associated with their commercialization, and provide actionable strategies to support development of alternative antimicrobials. The symposium focused on the latest scientific breakthroughs and technologies that could provide new options and alternative strategies for preventing and treating diseases of animals. Some of these new technologies have direct applications as medical interventions for human health, but the focus of the symposium was animal production, animal health and food safety during food-animal production. Five subject areas were explored in detail through scientific presentations and expert panel discussions, including: (1) alternatives to antibiotics, lessons from nature; (2) immune modulation approaches to enhance disease resistance and to treat animal diseases; (3) gut microbiome and immune development, health and diseases; (4) alternatives to antibiotics for animal production; and (5) regulatory pathways to enable the licensure of alternatives to antibiotics.

Part 4 of a 4-part series Miscellaneous Products: Trends and Alternatives in Deodorants, Antiperspirants, Sunblocks, Shaving Products, Powders, and Wipes

PubMed Central

Jacob, Sharon; Katta, Rajani; Nedorost, Susan; Warshaw, Erin; Zirwas, Matt; Selbo, Nicole

2011-01-01

Objective: To provide updated data on the usage of ingredients that are common potential contact allergens in several categories of topical products. To identify useful alternative products with few or no common contact allergens. Design: In November 2009, the full ingredient lists of 5,416 skin, hair, and cosmetic products marketed by the CVS pharmacy chain were copied from CVS.com into Microsoft Word format for analysis. Computer searches were made in Microsoft Word using search/replace and sorting functions to accurately identify the presence of specific allergens in each website product. Measurements: Percentages of American Contact Dermatitis Society core series allergens (and other common preservatives and sunblocks) were calculated. Results: The usage of American Contact Dermatitis Society core series allergens (and other preservatives and sunblocks) in various miscellaneous categories of topical products is reported. Conclusion: Data on allergens and alternatives for ancillary skin care products are not widely published. This article reviews some of the common potential allergens in antiperspirants, deodorants, shaving products, sunblocks, powders, and wipes. Suitable available alternative products for patients with contact allergy are listed. PMID:22010054

Alternate-1 and Alternate-2 Orientations in Interchange (Reciprocal Translocation) Quadrivalents

PubMed Central

Rickards, Geoffrey K.

1983-01-01

The dynamic properties of the spindle, and published numerical data, argue that the differentiation of alternate-1 and alternate-2 orientations of an interchange quadrivalent is real and meaningful, contra Boussy (1982). PMID:17246129

High-Intensity Sweeteners in Alternative Tobacco Products

PubMed Central

Miao, Shida; Beach, Evan S.; Sommer, Toby J.; Zimmerman, Julie B.

2016-01-01

toxicants. This study is the first to quantify high intensity sweeteners in snus and dissolvable products. Snus and dissolvables contain the high intensity sweetener, sucralose, at levels higher than in confectionary products. The high sweetness of alternative tobacco products makes these products attractive to adolescents. Regulation of sweetener content in non-cigarette products is suggested as an efficient means to control product palatability and to reduce initiation in adolescents. PMID:27217475

Green Alternatives to Nitrates and Nitrites in Meat-based Products-A Review.

PubMed

Gassara, Fatma; Kouassi, Anne Patricia; Brar, Satinder Kaur; Belkacemi, Khaled

2016-10-02

Several food additives are added in food for their preservation to maintain the freshness of food (antioxidants) or to slow down or stop the growth of microorganisms (preservative agents). Nitrites and nitrates are used as preservative agents in meat. Nitrites give a smoked taste, a pinkish color in the meat and protect the consumers against the risk of bacterial deterioration. Their addition is however very limited as, in high dose, it can have risks on human health and the environment. Nitrites may also combine with secondary or tertiary amines to form N-nitroso derivatives. Certain N-nitroso compounds have been shown to produce cancers in a wide range of laboratory animals. Thus, alternatives of nitrates and nitrites are the object of numerous research studies. Alternatives, such as the addition of vitamins, fruits, chemicals products, natural products containing nitrite or spices, which have similar properties of nitrites, are in evaluation. In fact, spices are considered to have several organoleptic and anti-microbial properties which would be interesting to study. Several spices and combinations of spices are being progressively evaluated. This review discusses the sources of nitrites and nitrates, their use as additives in food products, their physicochemical properties, their negatives effects and the use of alternatives of nitrites and nitrates in preserving meat products.

Global, real-time ionosphere specification for end-user communication and navigation products

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tobiska, W.; Carlson, H. C.; Schunk, R. W.; Thompson, D. C.; Sojka, J. J.; Scherliess, L.; Zhu, L.; Gardner, L. C.

2010-12-01

Space weather’s effects upon the near-Earth environment are due to dynamic changes in the energy transfer processes from the Sun’s photons, particles, and fields. Of the space environment domains that are affected by space weather, the ionosphere is the key region that affects communication and navigation systems. The Utah State University (USU) Space Weather Center (SWC) is a developer and producer of commercial space weather applications. A key system-level component for providing timely information about the effects of space weather is the Global Assimilation of Ionospheric Measurements (GAIM) system. GAIM, operated by SWC, improves real-time communication and navigation systems by continuously ingesting up to 10,000 slant TEC measurements every 15-minutes from approximately 500 stations. Using a Kalman filter, the background output from the physics-based Ionosphere Forecast Model (IFM) is adjusted to more accurately represent the actual ionosphere. An improved ionosphere leads to more useful derivative products. For example, SWC runs operational code, using GAIM, to calculate and report the global radio high frequency (HF) signal strengths for 24 world cities. This product is updated every 15 minutes at http://spaceweather.usu.edu and used by amateur radio operators. SWC also developed and provides through Apple iTunes the widely used real-time space weather iPhone app called SpaceWx for public space weather education. SpaceWx displays the real-time solar, heliosphere, magnetosphere, thermosphere, and ionosphere drivers to changes in the total electron content, for example. This smart phone app is tip of the “iceberg” of automated systems that provide space weather data; it permits instant understanding of the environment surrounding Earth as it dynamically changes. SpaceWx depends upon a distributed network that connects satellite and ground-based data streams with algorithms to quickly process the measurements into geophysical data, incorporate those

Real-Time PCR in Clinical Microbiology: Applications for Routine Laboratory Testing

PubMed Central

Espy, M. J.; Uhl, J. R.; Sloan, L. M.; Buckwalter, S. P.; Jones, M. F.; Vetter, E. A.; Yao, J. D. C.; Wengenack, N. L.; Rosenblatt, J. E.; Cockerill, F. R.; Smith, T. F.

2006-01-01

Real-time PCR has revolutionized the way clinical microbiology laboratories diagnose many human microbial infections. This testing method combines PCR chemistry with fluorescent probe detection of amplified product in the same reaction vessel. In general, both PCR and amplified product detection are completed in an hour or less, which is considerably faster than conventional PCR detection methods. Real-time PCR assays provide sensitivity and specificity equivalent to that of conventional PCR combined with Southern blot analysis, and since amplification and detection steps are performed in the same closed vessel, the risk of releasing amplified nucleic acids into the environment is negligible. The combination of excellent sensitivity and specificity, low contamination risk, and speed has made real-time PCR technology an appealing alternative to culture- or immunoassay-based testing methods for diagnosing many infectious diseases. This review focuses on the application of real-time PCR in the clinical microbiology laboratory. PMID:16418529

MRSA in Conventional and Alternative Retail Pork Products

PubMed Central

O'Brien, Ashley M.; Hanson, Blake M.; Farina, Sarah A.; Wu, James Y.; Simmering, Jacob E.; Wardyn, Shylo E.; Forshey, Brett M.; Kulick, Marie E.; Wallinga, David B.; Smith, Tara C.

2012-01-01

In order to examine the prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus on retail pork, three hundred ninety-five pork samples were collected from a total of 36 stores in Iowa, Minnesota, and New Jersey. S. aureus was isolated from 256 samples (64.8%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 59.9%–69.5%). S. aureus was isolated from 67.3% (202/300) of conventional pork samples and from 56.8% (54/95) of alternative pork samples (labeled “raised without antibiotics” or “raised without antibiotic growth promotants”). Two hundred and thirty samples (58.2%, 95% CI 53.2%–63.1%) were found to carry methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA). MSSA was isolated from 61.0% (183/300) of conventional samples and from 49.5% (47/95) of alternative samples. Twenty-six pork samples (6.6%, 95% CI 4.3%–9.5%) carried methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA). No statistically significant differences were observed for the prevalence of S. aureus in general, or MSSA or MRSA specifically, when comparing pork products from conventionally raised swine and swine raised without antibiotics, a finding that contrasts with a prior study from the Netherlands examining both conventional and “biologic” meat products. In our study spa types associated with “livestock-associated” ST398 (t034, t011) were found in 26.9% of the MRSA isolates, while 46.2% were spa types t002 and t008—common human types of MRSA that also have been found in live swine. The study represents the largest sampling of raw meat products for MRSA contamination to date in the U.S. MRSA prevalence on pork products was higher than in previous U.S.-conducted studies, although similar to that in Canadian studies. PMID:22276147

Construction of an alternative glycerol-utilization pathway for improved β-carotene production in Escherichia coli.

PubMed

Guo, Jin-Ying; Hu, Kun-Le; Bi, Chang-Hao; Li, Qing-Yan; Zhang, Xue-Li

2018-05-11

Glycerol, which is an inevitable by-product of biodiesel production, is an ideal carbon source for the production of carotenoids due to its low price, good availability and chemically reduced status, which results in a low requirement for additional reducing equivalents. In this study, an alternative carbon-utilization pathway was constructed in Escherichia coli to enable more efficient β-carotene production from glycerol. An aldehyde reductase gene (alrd) and an aldehyde dehydrogenase gene (aldH) from Ralstonia eutropha H16 were integrated into the E. coli chromosome to form a novel glycerol-utilization pathway. The β-carotene specific production value was increased by 50% after the introduction of alrd and aldH. It was found that the glycerol kinase gene (garK), alrd and aldH were the bottleneck of the alternative glycerol metabolic pathway, and modulation of garK gene with an mRS library further increased the β-carotene specific production value by 13%. Finally, co-modulation of genes in the introduced aldH-alrd operon led to 86% more of β-carotene specific production value than that of the strain without the alternative glycerol-utilization pathway and the glycerol-utilization rate was also increased. In this work, β-carotene production of E. coli was significantly improved by constructing and optimizing an alternative glycerol-utilization pathway. This strategy can potentially be used to improve the production of other isoprenoids using glycerol as a cheap and abundant substrate, and therefore has industrial relevance.

High-Intensity Sweeteners in Alternative Tobacco Products.

PubMed

Miao, Shida; Beach, Evan S; Sommer, Toby J; Zimmerman, Julie B; Jordt, Sven-Eric

2016-11-01

intensity sweeteners in snus and dissolvable products. Snus and dissolvables contain the high intensity sweetener, sucralose, at levels higher than in confectionary products. The high sweetness of alternative tobacco products makes these products attractive to adolescents. Regulation of sweetener content in non-cigarette products is suggested as an efficient means to control product palatability and to reduce initiation in adolescents. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco.

Real-time PCR detection chemistry.

PubMed

Navarro, E; Serrano-Heras, G; Castaño, M J; Solera, J

2015-01-15

Real-time PCR is the method of choice in many laboratories for diagnostic and food applications. This technology merges the polymerase chain reaction chemistry with the use of fluorescent reporter molecules in order to monitor the production of amplification products during each cycle of the PCR reaction. Thus, the combination of excellent sensitivity and specificity, reproducible data, low contamination risk and reduced hand-on time, which make it a post-PCR analysis unnecessary, has made real-time PCR technology an appealing alternative to conventional PCR. The present paper attempts to provide a rigorous overview of fluorescent-based methods for nucleic acid analysis in real-time PCR described in the literature so far. Herein, different real-time PCR chemistries have been classified into two main groups; the first group comprises double-stranded DNA intercalating molecules, such as SYBR Green I and EvaGreen, whereas the second includes fluorophore-labeled oligonucleotides. The latter, in turn, has been divided into three subgroups according to the type of fluorescent molecules used in the PCR reaction: (i) primer-probes (Scorpions, Amplifluor, LUX, Cyclicons, Angler); (ii) probes; hydrolysis (TaqMan, MGB-TaqMan, Snake assay) and hybridization (Hybprobe or FRET, Molecular Beacons, HyBeacon, MGB-Pleiades, MGB-Eclipse, ResonSense, Yin-Yang or displacing); and (iii) analogues of nucleic acids (PNA, LNA, ZNA, non-natural bases: Plexor primer, Tiny-Molecular Beacon). In addition, structures, mechanisms of action, advantages and applications of such real-time PCR probes and analogues are depicted in this review. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Global, Daily, Near Real-Time Satellite-based Flood Monitoring and Product Dissemination

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Slayback, D. A.; Policelli, F. S.; Brakenridge, G. R.; Tokay, M. M.; Smith, M. M.; Kettner, A. J.

2013-12-01

Flooding is the most destructive, frequent, and costly natural disaster faced by modern society, and is expected to increase in frequency and damage with climate change and population growth. Some of 2013's major floods have impacted the New York City region, the Midwest, Alberta, Australia, various parts of China, Thailand, Pakistan, and central Europe. The toll of these events, in financial costs, displacement of individuals, and deaths, is substantial and continues to rise as climate change generates more extreme weather events. When these events do occur, the disaster management community requires frequently updated and easily accessible information to better understand the extent of flooding and better coordinate response efforts. With funding from NASA's Applied Sciences program, we developed and are now operating a near real-time global flood mapping system to help provide critical flood extent information within 24-48 hours of events. The system applies a water detection algorithm to MODIS imagery received from the LANCE (Land Atmosphere Near real-time Capability for EOS) system at NASA Goddard within a few hours of satellite overpass. Using imagery from both the Terra (10:30 AM local time overpass) and Aqua (1:30 PM) platforms allows an initial daily assessment of flooding extent by late afternoon, and more robust assessments after accumulating cloud-free imagery over several days. Cloud cover is the primary limitation in detecting surface water from MODIS imagery. Other issues include the relatively coarse scale of the MODIS imagery (250 meters), the difficulty of detecting flood waters in areas with continuous canopy cover, confusion of shadow (cloud or terrain) with water, and accurately identifying detected water as flood as opposed to normal water extents. We have made progress on many of these issues, and are working to develop higher resolution flood detection using alternate sensors, including Landsat and various radar sensors. Although these

Real time evolution at finite temperatures with operator space matrix product states

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pižorn, Iztok; Eisler, Viktor; Andergassen, Sabine; Troyer, Matthias

2014-07-01

We propose a method to simulate the real time evolution of one-dimensional quantum many-body systems at finite temperature by expressing both the density matrices and the observables as matrix product states. This allows the calculation of expectation values and correlation functions as scalar products in operator space. The simulations of density matrices in inverse temperature and the local operators in the Heisenberg picture are independent and result in a grid of expectation values for all intermediate temperatures and times. Simulations can be performed using real arithmetics with only polynomial growth of computational resources in inverse temperature and time for integrable systems. The method is illustrated for the XXZ model and the single impurity Anderson model.

The Generation of Near-Real Time Data Products for MODIS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Teague, M.; Schmaltz, J. E.; Ilavajhala, S.; Ye, G.; Masuoka, E.; Murphy, K. J.; Michael, K.

2010-12-01

The GSFC Terrestrial Information Systems Branch (614.5) operate the Land and Atmospheres Near-real-time Capability for EOS (LANCE-MODIS) system. Other LANCE elements include -AIRS, -MLS, -OMI, and -AMSR-E. LANCE-MODIS incorporates the former Rapid Response system and will, in early 2011, include the Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS). The purpose of LANCE is to provide applications users with a variety of products on a near-real time basis. The LANCE-MODIS data products include Level 1 (L1), L2 fire, snow, sea ice, cloud mask/profiles, aerosols, clouds, land surface reflectance, land surface temperature, and L2G and L3 gridded, daily, land surface reflectance products. Data are available either by ftp access (pull) or by subscription (push) and the L1 and L2 data products are available within an average of 2.5 hours of the observation time. The use of ancillary data products input to the standard science algorithms has been modified in order to obtain these latencies. The resulting products have been approved for applications use by the MODIS Science Team. The http://lance.nasa.gov site provides registration information and extensive information concerning the MODIS data products and imagery including a comparison between the LANCE-MODIS and the standard science-quality products generated by the MODAPS system. The LANCE-MODIS system includes a variety of tools that enable users to manipulate the data products including: parameter, band, and geographic subsetting, re-projection, mosaicing, and generation of data in the GeoTIFF format. In most instances the data resulting from use of these tools has a latency of less than 3 hours. Access to these tools is available through a Web Coverage Service. A Google Earth/Web Mapping Service is available to access image products. LANCE-MODIS supports a wide variety of applications users in civilian, military, and foreign agencies as well as universities and the private sector. Examples of applications are

Next day Salmonella spp. detection method based on real-time PCR for meat, dairy and vegetable food products.

PubMed

Rodriguez-Lazaro, David; Gonzalez-García, Patricia; Delibato, Elisabetta; De Medici, Dario; García-Gimeno, Rosa Maria; Valero, Antonio; Hernandez, Marta

2014-08-01

The microbiological standard for detection of Salmonella relies on several cultural steps and requires more than 5 days for final confirmation, and as consequence there is a need for an alternative rapid methodology for its detection. The aim of this study was to compare different detection strategies based on real-time PCR for a rapid and sensitive detection in an ample range of food products: raw pork and poultry meat, ready to eat lettuce salad and raw sheep milk cured cheese. Three main parameters were evaluated to reduce the time and cost for final results: the initial sample size (25 and 50 g), the incubation times (6, 10 and 18 h) and the bacterial DNA extraction (simple boiling of the culture after washing the bacterial pellet, the use of the Chelex resin, and a commercial silica column). The results obtained demonstrate that a combination of an incubation in buffered peptone water for 18 h of a 25 g-sample coupled to a DNA extraction by boiling and a real-time PCR assay detected down to 2-4 Salmonella spp.CFU per sample in less than 21 h in different types of food products. This RTi-PCR-based method is fully compatible with the ISO standard, providing results more rapidly and cost-effectively. The results were confirmed in a large number of naturally contaminated food samples with at least the same analytical performance as the reference method. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Agile science: creating useful products for behavior change in the real world.

PubMed

Hekler, Eric B; Klasnja, Predrag; Riley, William T; Buman, Matthew P; Huberty, Jennifer; Rivera, Daniel E; Martin, Cesar A

2016-06-01

Evidence-based practice is important for behavioral interventions but there is debate on how best to support real-world behavior change. The purpose of this paper is to define products and a preliminary process for efficiently and adaptively creating and curating a knowledge base for behavior change for real-world implementation. We look to evidence-based practice suggestions and draw parallels to software development. We argue to target three products: (1) the smallest, meaningful, self-contained, and repurposable behavior change modules of an intervention; (2) "computational models" that define the interaction between modules, individuals, and context; and (3) "personalization" algorithms, which are decision rules for intervention adaptation. The "agile science" process includes a generation phase whereby contender operational definitions and constructs of the three products are created and assessed for feasibility and an evaluation phase, whereby effect size estimates/casual inferences are created. The process emphasizes early-and-often sharing. If correct, agile science could enable a more robust knowledge base for behavior change.

Production cost of a real microalgae production plant and strategies to reduce it.

PubMed

Acién, F G; Fernández, J M; Magán, J J; Molina, E

2012-01-01

The cost analysis of a real facility for the production of high value microalgae biomass is presented. The facility is based on ten 3 m3 tubular photobioreactors operated in continuous mode for 2 years, data of Scenedesmus almeriensis productivity but also of nutrients and power consumption from this facility being used. The yield of the facility was close to maximum expected for the location of Almería, the annual production capacity being 3.8 t/year (90 t/ha·year) and the photosynthetic efficiency being 3.6%. The production cost was 69 €/kg. Economic analysis shows that labor and depreciation are the major factors contributing to this cost. Simplification of the technology and scale-up to a production capacity of 200 t/year allows to reduce the production cost up to 12.6 €/kg. Moreover, to reduce the microalgae production cost to approaches the energy or commodities markets it is necessary to reduce the photobioreactor cost (by simplifying its design or materials used), use waste water and flue gases, and reduce the power consumption and labor required for the production step. It can be concluded that although it has been reported that production of biofuels from microalgae is relatively close to being economically feasible, data here reported demonstrated that to achieve it by using the current production technologies, it is necessary to substantially reduce their costs and to operate them near their optimum values. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Functionality of alternative protein in gluten-free product development.

PubMed

Deora, Navneet Singh; Deswal, Aastha; Mishra, Hari Niwas

2015-07-01

Celiac disease is an immune-mediated disease triggered in genetically susceptible individuals by ingested gluten from wheat, rye, barley, and other closely related cereal grains. The current treatment for celiac disease is life-long adherence to a strict gluten-exclusion diet. The replacement of gluten presents a significant technological challenge, as it is an essential structure-building protein, which is necessary for formulating high-quality baked goods. A major limitation in the production of gluten-free products is the lack of protein functionality in non-wheat cereals. Additionally, commercial gluten-free mixes usually contain only carbohydrates, which may significantly limit the amount of protein in the diet. In the recent past, various approaches are attempted to incorporate protein-based ingredients and to modify the functional properties for gluten-free product development. This review aims to the highlight functionality of the alternative protein-based ingredients, which can be utilized for gluten-free product development both functionally as well as nutritionally. © The Author(s) 2014.

Badging, Real ID

Science.gov Websites

. REAL ID LANL Impacts and Solutions The federal government has determined New Mexico is non-compliant Identification Cards whom will also become Non-Compliant. Access through LANL Vehicle Access Portals unaffected alternate ID if they are coming from "non-compliant" REAL-ID states LANS and the Field Office have

Widespread Use of Non-productive Alternative Splice Sites in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

PubMed Central

Kawashima, Tadashi; Douglass, Stephen; Gabunilas, Jason; Pellegrini, Matteo; Chanfreau, Guillaume F.

2014-01-01

Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been used as a model system to investigate the mechanisms of pre-mRNA splicing but only a few examples of alternative splice site usage have been described in this organism. Using RNA-Seq analysis of nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) mutant strains, we show that many S. cerevisiae intron-containing genes exhibit usage of alternative splice sites, but many transcripts generated by splicing at these sites are non-functional because they introduce premature termination codons, leading to degradation by NMD. Analysis of splicing mutants combined with NMD inactivation revealed the role of specific splicing factors in governing the use of these alternative splice sites and identified novel functions for Prp17p in enhancing the use of branchpoint-proximal upstream 3′ splice sites and for Prp18p in suppressing the usage of a non-canonical AUG 3′-splice site in GCR1. The use of non-productive alternative splice sites can be increased in stress conditions in a promoter-dependent manner, contributing to the down-regulation of genes during stress. These results show that alternative splicing is frequent in S. cerevisiae but masked by RNA degradation and that the use of alternative splice sites in this organism is mostly aimed at controlling transcript levels rather than increasing proteome diversity. PMID:24722551

Fatty acid profile of alternative feedstocks for biodiesel production and implications for fuel properties

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Feedstock accounts for approximately 80% of biodiesel production expenses when commodity lipids such as soybean oil are utilized. Furthermore, commodity lipids have competing food-related applications. Consequently, low-cost alternatives that do not displace existing food production are of interest ...

Effects of Real-Time Cochlear Implant Simulation on Speech Perception and Production

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Casserly, Elizabeth D.

2013-01-01

Real-time use of spoken language is a fundamentally interactive process involving speech perception, speech production, linguistic competence, motor control, neurocognitive abilities such as working memory, attention, and executive function, environmental noise, conversational context, and--critically--the communicative interaction between…

MAG4 Versus Alternative Techniques for Forecasting Active-Region Flare Productivity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Falconer, David A.; Moore, Ronald L.; Barghouty, Abdulnasser F.; Khazanov, Igor

2014-01-01

MAG4 is a technique of forecasting an active region's rate of production of major flares in the coming few days from a free-magnetic-energy proxy. We present a statistical method of measuring the difference in performance between MAG4 and comparable alternative techniques that forecast an active region's major-flare productivity from alternative observed aspects of the active region. We demonstrate the method by measuring the difference in performance between the "Present MAG4" technique and each of three alternative techniques, called "McIntosh Active-Region Class," "Total Magnetic Flux," and "Next MAG4." We do this by using (1) the MAG4 database of magnetograms and major-flare histories of sunspot active regions, (2) the NOAA table of the major-flare productivity of each of 60 McIntosh active-region classes of sunspot active regions, and (3) five technique-performance metrics (Heidke Skill Score, True Skill Score, Percent Correct, Probability of Detection, and False Alarm Rate) evaluated from 2000 random two-by-two contingency tables obtained from the databases. We find that (1) Present MAG4 far outperforms both McIntosh Active-Region Class and Total Magnetic Flux, (2) Next MAG4 significantly outperforms Present MAG4, (3) the performance of Next MAG4 is insensitive to the forward and backward temporal windows used, in the range of one to a few days, and (4) forecasting from the free-energy proxy in combination with either any broad category of McIntosh active-region classes or any Mount Wilson active-region class gives no significant performance improvement over forecasting from the free-energy proxy alone (Present MAG4).

Global restriction of using antibiotic growth promoters and alternative strategies in poultry production.

PubMed

Salim, Hossan Md; Huque, Khan Shahidul; Kamaruddin, Kazi M; Beg, M D Anwarul Haque

2018-03-01

A growing global concern of antibiotic use in poultry diets due to its potential adverse effects on birds and human health, food safety and the environment has led to a complete ban or restricted use in some countries, and, at the same time, expanding options for the use of alternative feed additives. Multiple, rather than a single additive may replace antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs) in poultry. Blending of feeding additives and hygienic farm management, vaccination and biosecurity may help achieve good intestinal health, stabilise enteric ecosystems and result in sustainable and cost effective production performance of birds. Moreover, controlling unsolicited ingredients at the production level must have the support of different markets responsible for the supply of safe and quality poultry products for consumers. This requires the further increase and diversification of value added poultry products and the expansion of their markets through strategic planning and gradual limitation of live bird markets. More research is warranted in order to explore suitable, reliable and cost effective alternatives to AGPs for commercial use, and strategic poultry value chain development.

eMODIS Expedited: Overview of a Near Real Time MODIS Production System for Operational Vegetation Monitoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jenkerson, C.; Meyer, D. J.; Werpy, J.; Evenson, K.; Merritt, M.

2010-12-01

The expedited MODIS, or eMODIS production system derives near-real time Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) surface reflectance provided by the Land and Atmosphere Near-real time Capability for EOS (LANCE). There are currently three regions covered by this U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) capability, including the continental U.S., Africa, and the Central America/Caribbean regions. Each of the eMODIS production streams is configured to output its data in map projections, compositing intervals, spatial resolutions, and file formats specific to its region and user community. The challenges of processing 1,000-meter, 500-m, and especially 250-m products by midnight on the last day of a product interval have been met with increasingly effective software and system architecture. An anonymous file transfer protocol (FTP) distribution site (ftp://emodisftp.cr.usgs.gov/eMODIS) allows users direct access to eMODIS NDVI products for operational (near-real time) monitoring of vegetation conditions like drought, crop failure, insect infestation, and other threats, thus supporting subsequent early warning of famine and the targeting of vulnerable populations for insecure food situations.

Natural Products: An Alternative to Conventional Therapy for Dermatophytosis?

PubMed

Lopes, Graciliana; Pinto, Eugénia; Salgueiro, Lígia

2017-02-01

The increased incidence of fungal infections, associated with the widespread use of antifungal drugs, has resulted in the development of resistance, making it necessary to discover new therapeutic alternatives. Among fungal infections, dermatophytoses constitute a serious public health problem, affecting 20-25 % of the world population. Medicinal plants represent an endless source of bioactive molecules, and their volatile and non-volatile extracts are clearly recognized for being the historical basis of therapeutic health care. Because of this, the research on natural products with antifungal activity against dermatophytes has considerably increased in recent years. However, despite the recognized anti-dermatophytic potential of natural products, often advantageous face to commercial drugs, there is still a long way to go until their use in therapeutics. This review attempts to summarize the current status of anti-dermatophytic natural products, focusing on their mechanism of action, the developed pharmaceutical formulations and their effectiveness in human and animal models of infection.

NEW DISINFECTION BY-PRODUCT ISSUES: EMERGING DBP'S AND ALTERNATIVE ROUTES OF EXPOSURE

EPA Science Inventory

This paper discusses current issues with drinking water disinfection by-products (DBPs), which include emerging (unregulated) DBPs that can be formed at greater levels with alternative disinfectants (as compared to chlorine) and routes of human exposure (which include inhalation ...

NASA-Langley Web-Based Operational Real-time Cloud Retrieval Products from Geostationary Satellites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Palikonda, Rabindra; Minnis, Patrick; Spangenberg, Douglas A.; Khaiyer, Mandana M.; Nordeen, Michele L.; Ayers, Jeffrey K.; Nguyen, Louis; Yi, Yuhong; Chan, P. K.; Trepte, Qing Z.;

ALTERNATIVE FORMULATIONS TO REDUCE CFC USE IN U.S. EXEMPTED AND EXCLUSED AEROSOL PRODUCTS

EPA Science Inventory

The report examines products exempted and excluded from those affected by the 1978 ban on the use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) as aerosol propellants, the present consumption of CFCs still utilized for these products in the U.S., and alternative formulations which may be used to...

ALTERNATIVE FORMULATIONS TO REDUCE CFC USE IN U.S. EXEMPTED AND EXCLUDED AEROSOL PRODUCTS

EPA Science Inventory

The report examines products exempted and excluded from those affected by the 1978 ban on the use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) as aerosol propellants, the present consumption of CFCs still utilized for these products in the U.S., and alternative formulations which may be used to...

Alternative activation modifies macrophage resistance to Mycobacterium bovis.

PubMed

Castillo-Velázquez, Uziel; Aranday-Cortés, Elihú; Gutiérrez-Pabello, José A

2011-07-05

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of macrophage alternative activation in the intracellular pathogen natural disease resistance phenotype of the host. Macrophage monolayers from resistant (R) (3) or susceptible (S) (3) cattle donors were treated with 10 ng/ml of bovine recombinant IL-4 (rbIL-4), and infected with virulent and avirulent Mycobacterium bovis (MOI 10:1). Bactericidal assays were performed to assess the bacterial phagocytic index and intracellular survival. Total RNA was reverse transcribed and used to analyze the relative changes in gene expression of IL-10, IL-12, IL-18 IL-1β, TNF-α, MCP-1, MCP-2, IL-6, MIP-1, MIP-3, iNOS, ARGII and SLAM by real time PCR. Cell supernatants were collected and nitric oxide and arginase production was assessed. Apoptosis induction was measured by TUNEL. IL-4 treatment increased the phagocytic index in both R and S macrophages; however intracellular survival was augmented mainly in S macrophages. Alternative activation decreased gene expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, nitric oxide production and DNA fragmentation mainly in R macrophages. On the other hand, arginase production was not different between R and S macrophages. Alternative activation modifies the macrophage response against M. bovis. IL-4 treatment minimized the functional differences that exist between R and S macrophages. Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier B.V.

A real time quality control application for animal production by image processing.

PubMed

Sungur, Cemil; Özkan, Halil

2015-11-01

Standards of hygiene and health are of major importance in food production, and quality control has become obligatory in this field. Thanks to rapidly developing technologies, it is now possible for automatic and safe quality control of food production. For this purpose, image-processing-based quality control systems used in industrial applications are being employed to analyze the quality of food products. In this study, quality control of chicken (Gallus domesticus) eggs was achieved using a real time image-processing technique. In order to execute the quality control processes, a conveying mechanism was used. Eggs passing on a conveyor belt were continuously photographed in real time by cameras located above the belt. The images obtained were processed by various methods and techniques. Using digital instrumentation, the volume of the eggs was measured, broken/cracked eggs were separated and dirty eggs were determined. In accordance with international standards for classifying the quality of eggs, the class of separated eggs was determined through a fuzzy implication model. According to tests carried out on thousands of eggs, a quality control process with an accuracy of 98% was possible. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry.

MAG4 versus alternative techniques for forecasting active region flare productivity.

PubMed

Falconer, David A; Moore, Ronald L; Barghouty, Abdulnasser F; Khazanov, Igor

2014-05-01

MAG4 is a technique of forecasting an active region's rate of production of major flares in the coming few days from a free magnetic energy proxy. We present a statistical method of measuring the difference in performance between MAG4 and comparable alternative techniques that forecast an active region's major-flare productivity from alternative observed aspects of the active region. We demonstrate the method by measuring the difference in performance between the "Present MAG4" technique and each of three alternative techniques, called "McIntosh Active-Region Class," "Total Magnetic Flux," and "Next MAG4." We do this by using (1) the MAG4 database of magnetograms and major flare histories of sunspot active regions, (2) the NOAA table of the major-flare productivity of each of 60 McIntosh active-region classes of sunspot active regions, and (3) five technique performance metrics (Heidke Skill Score, True Skill Score, Percent Correct, Probability of Detection, and False Alarm Rate) evaluated from 2000 random two-by-two contingency tables obtained from the databases. We find that (1) Present MAG4 far outperforms both McIntosh Active-Region Class and Total Magnetic Flux, (2) Next MAG4 significantly outperforms Present MAG4, (3) the performance of Next MAG4 is insensitive to the forward and backward temporal windows used, in the range of one to a few days, and (4) forecasting from the free-energy proxy in combination with either any broad category of McIntosh active-region classes or any Mount Wilson active-region class gives no significant performance improvement over forecasting from the free-energy proxy alone (Present MAG4). Quantitative comparison of performance of pairs of forecasting techniques Next MAG4 forecasts major flares more accurately than Present MAG4 Present MAG4 forecast outperforms McIntosh AR Class and total magnetic flux.

Applications for Near-Real Time Satellite Cloud and Radiation Products

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Minnis, Patrick; Palikonda, Rabindra; Chee, Thad L.; Bedka, Kristopher M.; Smith, W.; Ayers, Jeffrey K.; Benjamin, Stanley; Chang, F.-L.; Nguyen, Louis; Norris, Peter;

Real Time Volcanic Cloud Products and Predictions for Aviation Alerts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Krotkov, Nickolay A.; Habib, Shahid; da Silva, Arlindo; Hughes, Eric; Yang, Kai; Brentzel, Kelvin; Seftor, Colin; Li, Jason Y.; Schneider, David; Guffanti, Marianne;

Water consumption footprint and land requirements of large-scale alternative diesel and jet fuel production.

PubMed

Staples, Mark D; Olcay, Hakan; Malina, Robert; Trivedi, Parthsarathi; Pearlson, Matthew N; Strzepek, Kenneth; Paltsev, Sergey V; Wollersheim, Christoph; Barrett, Steven R H

2013-01-01

Middle distillate (MD) transportation fuels, including diesel and jet fuel, make up almost 30% of liquid fuel consumption in the United States. Alternative drop-in MD and biodiesel could potentially reduce dependence on crude oil and the greenhouse gas intensity of transportation. However, the water and land resource requirements of these novel fuel production technologies must be better understood. This analysis quantifies the lifecycle green and blue water consumption footprints of producing: MD from conventional crude oil; Fischer-Tropsch MD from natural gas and coal; fermentation and advanced fermentation MD from biomass; and hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids MD and biodiesel from oilseed crops, throughout the contiguous United States. We find that FT MD and alternative MD derived from rainfed biomass have lifecycle blue water consumption footprints of 1.6 to 20.1 Lwater/LMD, comparable to conventional MD, which ranges between 4.1 and 7.4 Lwater/LMD. Alternative MD derived from irrigated biomass has a lifecycle blue water consumption footprint potentially several orders of magnitude larger, between 2.7 and 22 600 Lwater/LMD. Alternative MD derived from biomass has a lifecycle green water consumption footprint between 1.1 and 19 200 Lwater/LMD. Results are disaggregated to characterize the relationship between geo-spatial location and lifecycle water consumption footprint. We also quantify the trade-offs between blue water consumption footprint and areal MD productivity, which ranges from 490 to 4200 LMD/ha, under assumptions of rainfed and irrigated biomass cultivation. Finally, we show that if biomass cultivation for alternative MD is irrigated, the ratio of the increase in areal MD productivity to the increase in blue water consumption footprint is a function of geo-spatial location and feedstock-to-fuel production pathway.

DISINFECTION BY-PRODUCT FORMATION BY ALTERNATIVE DISINFECTANTS AND REMOVAL BY GRANULAR ACTIVATED CARBON

EPA Science Inventory

The effects of the use of the alternative disinfectants on the formation of halogenated disinfection by–products (DBPs) including total organic halide, trihalomethanes, haloacetic acids, haloacetonitriles, haloketones, chloral hydrate, and chloropicrin, were examined along ...

An Alternative Method for Computing Unit Costs and Productivity Ratios. AIR 1984 Annual Forum Paper.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Winstead, Wayland H.; And Others

An alternative measure for evaluating the performance of academic departments was studied. A comparison was made with the traditional manner for computing unit costs and productivity ratios: prorating the salary and effort of each faculty member to each course level based on the personal mix of course taught. The alternative method used averaging…

Perspectives and strategies of alternative methods used in the risk assessment of personal care products.

PubMed

Quantin, P; Thélu, A; Catoire, S; Ficheux, H

2015-11-01

Risk assessment for personal care products requires the use of alternative methods since animal testing is now totally banned. Some of these methods are effective and have been validated by the "European Union Reference Laboratory for alternatives to animal testing"; but there is still a need for development and implementation of methods for specific endpoints. In this review, we have focused on dermal risk assessment because it is the prime route of absorption and main target organ for personal care products. Within this field, various areas must be assessed: irritation, sensitisation and toxicokinetic. Personal care product behaviour after use by the consumer and potential effects on the environment are also discussed. The purpose of this review is to show evolution and the prospects of alternative methods for safety dermal assessment. Assessment strategies must be adapted to the different chemical classes of substances studied but also to the way in which they are used. Finally, experimental and theoretical technical parameters that may impact on measured effects have been identified and discussed. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Alternative majority-voting methods for real-time computing systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shin, Kang G.; Dolter, James W.

1989-01-01

Two techniques that provide a compromise between the high time overhead in maintaining synchronous voting and the difficulty of combining results in asynchronous voting are proposed. These techniques are specifically suited for real-time applications with a single-source/single-sink structure that need instantaneous error masking. They provide a compromise between a tightly synchronized system in which the synchronization overhead can be quite high, and an asynchronous system which lacks suitable algorithms for combining the output data. Both quorum-majority voting (QMV) and compare-majority voting (CMV) are most applicable to distributed real-time systems with single-source/single-sink tasks. All real-time systems eventually have to resolve their outputs into a single action at some stage. The development of the advanced information processing system (AIPS) and other similar systems serve to emphasize the importance of these techniques. Time bounds suggest that it is possible to reduce the overhead for quorum-majority voting to below that for synchronous voting. All the bounds assume that the computation phase is nonpreemptive and that there is no multitasking.

DISINFECTION BY-PRODUCT FORMATION BY ALTERNATIVE DISINFECTANTS AND REMOVAL BY GRANULAR ACTIVATED CARBON

EPA Science Inventory

The effects of the use of the alternative disinfectants on the formation of halogenated disinfection by-products (DBPS) including total organic halide, trihalomethanes, haloacetic acids, haloacentonitriles, haloketones, chloral hydrate, and chloropicrin, were examined along with ...

Method for Hot Real-Time Sampling of Gasification Products

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

Pomeroy, Marc D

The Thermochemical Process Development Unit (TCPDU) at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is a highly instrumented half-ton/day pilot scale plant capable of demonstrating industrially relevant thermochemical technologies from lignocellulosic biomass conversion, including gasification. Gasification creates primarily Syngas (a mixture of Hydrogen and Carbon Monoxide) that can be utilized with synthesis catalysts to form transportation fuels and other valuable chemicals. Biomass derived gasification products are a very complex mixture of chemical components that typically contain Sulfur and Nitrogen species that can act as catalysis poisons for tar reforming and synthesis catalysts. Real-time hot online sampling techniques, such as Molecular Beammore » Mass Spectrometry (MBMS), and Gas Chromatographs with Sulfur and Nitrogen specific detectors can provide real-time analysis providing operational indicators for performance. Sampling typically requires coated sampling lines to minimize trace sulfur interactions with steel surfaces. Other materials used inline have also shown conversion of sulfur species into new components and must be minimized. Sample line Residence time within the sampling lines must also be kept to a minimum to reduce further reaction chemistries. Solids from ash and char contribute to plugging and must be filtered at temperature. Experience at NREL has shown several key factors to consider when designing and installing an analytical sampling system for biomass gasification products. They include minimizing sampling distance, effective filtering as close to source as possible, proper line sizing, proper line materials or coatings, even heating of all components, minimizing pressure drops, and additional filtering or traps after pressure drops.« less

Quality of natural product clinical trials: a comparison of those published in alternative medicine versus conventional medicine journals.

PubMed

Cochrane, Zara Risoldi; Gregory, Philip; Wilson, Amy

2011-06-01

To compare the quality of natural product clinical trials published in alternative medicine journals versus those published in conventional medicine journals. Systematic search and review of the literature. Randomized controlled trials of natural products were included if they were published in English between 2003 and 2008. Articles were categorized by their journal of publication (alternative medicine versus conventional medicine). Two independent reviewers evaluated study quality using guidelines from the Cochrane Collaboration. The results with respect to the primary outcome (positive or negative) were also assessed. Thirty articles were evaluated, 15 published in alternative medicine journals and 15 in conventional medicine journals. Of articles published in alternative medicine journals, 33.33% (n = 5) were considered low quality, and none were considered high quality. Of articles published in conventional medicine journals, 26.67% (n = 4) were considered low quality and 6.67% (n = 1) were considered high quality. Two thirds of all trials reviewed were of unclear quality, due to inadequate reporting of information relating to the study's methodology. Similar proportions of positive and negative primary outcomes were found in alternative and conventional medicine journals, and low-quality articles were not more likely to report a positive primary outcome (Fisher's exact test, two-tailed p = .287). The quality of natural product randomized controlled trials was similar among alternative and conventional medicine journals. Efforts should be made to improve the reporting of natural product clinical trials for accurate determinations of study quality to be possible.

Ecological sustainability of alternative biomass feedstock production for environmental benefits and bioenergy

Treesearch

Ronald S., Jr. Zalesny; Jill A. Zalesny; Edmund O. Bauer

2007-01-01

The incorporation of intensive forestry with waste management fills a much-needed niche throughout numerous phytotechnology applications. There is a growing opportunity to incorporate sustainable recycling of waste waters as irrigation and fertilization for alternative biomass feedstock production systems. However, the success of short rotation woody crops is largely...

Impact of alternative environmental flow prescriptions on hydropower production and fish habitat suitability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ceola, Serena; Pugliese, Alessio; Castellarin, Attilio; Galeati, Giorgio

2015-04-01

Anthropogenic activities along streams and rivers are increasingly recognised to be a major concern for fluvial ecosystems. The management of water resources, by means of e.g. flow diversions and dams, for industrial, agricultural, water-supply, hydropower production and flood protection purposes induces significant changes to the natural streamflow regime of a river. Indeed, the river flow regime is known to be a major abiotic factor influencing fluvial ecosystems. An established approach aimed at preserving the behaviour and distribution of fluvial species relies on the definition of minimum streamflow requirements (i.e., environmental flows) downstream of dams and diversion structures. Such environmental flows are normally identified through methodologies that have an empirical nature and may not be representative of local ecological and hydraulic conditions. While the effect of imposing a minimum discharge release is easily predictable in terms of e.g. loss of hydropower production, the advantages in terms of species preferences are often poorly understood and seldom assessed. To analyse the interactions between flow releases and the behaviour and distribution of fluvial species (i.e., from periphyton, to benthic invertebrate and fish), one may use a habitat suitability curve, which is a fundamental tool capable of describing species preferences influenced by any generic environmental variable. The outcomes of a real case study applied to several Italian rivers, located in the Marche administrative district in Central Italy (∽10000km2), in which we quantitatively assess the effects of alternative environmental flow scenarios on the existing hydropower network and on two fish species that are quite abundant in the study area (i.e., Leuciscus cephalus cabeda and Barbus barbus plebejus), will be presented and discussed. The proposed analysis, which can be easily adapted to different riparian habitats and hydrological contexts, is a useful tool to guide the

Impact of Alternative Environmental Flow Prescriptions on Hydropower Production and Fish Habitat Suitability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Castellarin, A.; Ceola, S.; Pugliese, A.; Galeati, G. A.

2015-12-01

Anthropogenic activities along streams and rivers are increasingly recognized to be a major concern for fluvial ecosystems. The management of water resources, by means of e.g. flow diversions and dams, for industrial, agricultural, water-supply, hydropower production and flood protection purposes induces significant changes to the natural streamflow regime of a river. Indeed, the river flow regime is known to be a major abiotic factor influencing fluvial ecosystems. An established approach aimed at preserving the behaviour and distribution of fluvial species relies on the definition of minimum streamflow requirements (i.e., environmental flows) downstream of dams and diversion structures. Such environmental flows are normally identified through methodologies that have an empirical nature and may not be representative of local ecological and hydraulic conditions. While the effect of imposing a minimum discharge release is easily predictable in terms of e.g. loss of hydropower production, the advantages in terms of species preferences are often poorly understood and seldom assessed. To analyze the interactions between flow releases and the behaviour and distribution of fluvial species (i.e., from periphyton, to benthic invertebrate and fish), one may use a habitat suitability curve, which is a fundamental tool capable of describing species preferences influenced by any generic environmental variable. The outcomes of a real case study applied to several Italian rivers, located in the Marche administrative district in Central Italy (∽10000km2), in which we quantitatively assess the effects of alternative environmental flow scenarios on the existing hydropower network and on two fish species that are quite abundant in the study area (i.e., Leuciscus cephalus cabeda and Barbus barbus plebejus), will be presented and discussed. The proposed analysis, which can be easily adapted to different riparian habitats and hydrological contexts, is a useful tool to guide the

Real and hypothetical rewards

PubMed Central

Locey, Matthew L.; Jones, Bryan A.; Rachlin, Howard

2012-01-01

Laboratory studies of choice and decision making among real monetary rewards typically use smaller real rewards than those common in real life. When laboratory rewards are large, they are almost always hypothetical. In applying laboratory results meaningfully to real-life situations, it is important to know the extent to which choices among hypothetical rewards correspond to choices among real rewards and whether variation of the magnitude of hypothetical rewards affects behavior in meaningful ways. The present study compared real and hypothetical monetary rewards in two experiments. In Experiment 1, participants played a temporal discounting game that incorporates the logic of a repeated prisoner’s-dilemma (PD) type game versus tit-for-tat; choice of one alternative (“defection” in PD terminology) resulted in a small-immediate reward; choice of the other alternative (“cooperation” in PD terminology) resulted in a larger reward delayed until the following trial. The larger-delayed reward was greater for half of the groups than for the other half. Rewards also differed in type across groups: multiples of real nickels, hypothetical nickels or hypothetical hundred-dollar bills. All groups significantly increased choice of the larger delayed reward over the 40 trials of the experiment. Over the last 10 trials, cooperation was significantly higher when the difference between larger and smaller hypothetical rewards was greater. Reward type (real or hypothetical) made no significant difference in cooperation. In Experiment 2, real and hypothetical rewards were compared in social discounting – the decrease in value to the giver of a reward as social distance increases to the receiver of the reward. Social discount rates were well described by a hyperbolic function. Discounting rates for real and hypothetical rewards did not significantly differ. These results add to the evidence that results of experiments with hypothetical rewards validly apply in everyday

Analysis of Alternative Extensions of the Existing Production Tax Credit for Wind Generators

EIA Publications

2007-01-01

Requestor: Ms. Janice Mays, Chief Counsel, Committee on Ways & Means, U.S. House of Representatives This is a letter response requesting analysis of alternative extensions of the existing production tax credit (PTC) that would apply to wind generators only.

MAG4 versus alternative techniques for forecasting active region flare productivity

PubMed Central

Falconer, David A; Moore, Ronald L; Barghouty, Abdulnasser F; Khazanov, Igor

2014-01-01

MAG4 is a technique of forecasting an active region's rate of production of major flares in the coming few days from a free magnetic energy proxy. We present a statistical method of measuring the difference in performance between MAG4 and comparable alternative techniques that forecast an active region's major-flare productivity from alternative observed aspects of the active region. We demonstrate the method by measuring the difference in performance between the “Present MAG4” technique and each of three alternative techniques, called “McIntosh Active-Region Class,” “Total Magnetic Flux,” and “Next MAG4.” We do this by using (1) the MAG4 database of magnetograms and major flare histories of sunspot active regions, (2) the NOAA table of the major-flare productivity of each of 60 McIntosh active-region classes of sunspot active regions, and (3) five technique performance metrics (Heidke Skill Score, True Skill Score, Percent Correct, Probability of Detection, and False Alarm Rate) evaluated from 2000 random two-by-two contingency tables obtained from the databases. We find that (1) Present MAG4 far outperforms both McIntosh Active-Region Class and Total Magnetic Flux, (2) Next MAG4 significantly outperforms Present MAG4, (3) the performance of Next MAG4 is insensitive to the forward and backward temporal windows used, in the range of one to a few days, and (4) forecasting from the free-energy proxy in combination with either any broad category of McIntosh active-region classes or any Mount Wilson active-region class gives no significant performance improvement over forecasting from the free-energy proxy alone (Present MAG4). Key Points Quantitative comparison of performance of pairs of forecasting techniques Next MAG4 forecasts major flares more accurately than Present MAG4 Present MAG4 forecast outperforms McIntosh AR Class and total magnetic flux PMID:26213517

Alternative mass reference standards for direct analysis in real time mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Cody, Robert B; Dane, A John

2016-05-30

Mass spectra were acquired with the Direct Analysis in Real Time (DART®) ion source for an amine-terminated polyether used as positive-ion mass reference standards and for several fluorinated materials commonly used as negative-ion reference standards for mass spectrometry. A commercial time-of-flight mass spectrometer equipped with a DART ion source was used for all measurements. Mass reference standards deposited onto the sealed end of a glass melting point tube were suspended in the DART gas stream for analysis. A polyetheramine (Jeffamine® M-600) produced intense peaks corresponding to protonated molecules. Perfluorotributylamine (PFTBA), and perfluorotripentylamine, gave useful reference spectra for different m/z ranges. DART mass spectra of Ultramark 1621® resembled those previously reported for Fast Atom Bombardment (FAB) and Electrospray Ionization (ESI). Fomblin®Y, a fluorinated ether, was the most useful negative-ion reference standard of the materials tested. The material is commercially available, inexpensive, and provides reference peaks covering the m/z range 85 to >3000. Jeffamine-M600 was found to be a convenient alternative to polyethers such as polyethylene glycol (PEG) for DART positive-ion mass calibration. Fomblin Y was suitable for use as a negative-ion reference standard. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Effect of fertilization and irrigation on nursery production of hydrangea using alternative containers

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Container production of nursery plants using biodegradable containers has been studied in recent years as a sustainable alternative to traditional plastic containers. Plant growth and photosynthetic performance of Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Merritt’s Supreme’ were investigated in this study when they we...

23 CFR 710.505 - Real property donations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 23 Highways 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Real property donations. 710.505 Section 710.505...-WAY AND REAL ESTATE Property Acquisition Alternatives § 710.505 Real property donations. (a) Donations..., whichever is greater. All donations of property received prior to the approval of the NEPA document must...

The role of phonological alternation in speech production: evidence from Mandarin tone sandhi

PubMed Central

Politzer-Ahles, Stephen; Zhang, Jie

2014-01-01

We investigate the role of phonological alternation during speech production in Mandarin using implicit priming, a paradigm in which participants respond faster to words in sets that are phonologically homogeneous than in sets that are phonologically heterogeneous. We test whether priming is obtained when words in a set share the same tones at the underlying level but have different tones at the surface level-i.e., when the set includes a word that undergoes a phonological alternation which changes the tone. Sets that are heterogeneous at the surface level (in which the heterogeneity is due to a phonological operation) failed to elicit priming, as did sets that are heterogeneous at the underlying and surface levels (in which the heterogeneity is due to the lexical representations). This finding suggests that the phonological alternation was computed before the initiation of articulation, offering evidence that the progression from underlying phonological representations to articulatory execution may be mediated online by phonological input-to-output mapping. Furthermore, sets of words that are heterogeneous only at the surface level showed a different trend than sets of words that are heterogeneous at both levels, suggesting that both the surface and underlying levels of representation play a role during speech production. PMID:24967001

The 'bookshelf illusion'--a real-world Zöllner-type illusion?

PubMed

MacLin, Otto H; Peterson, Dwight J

2010-01-01

We discovered an interesting perceptual distortion in our office where an upright lamp in front of a bookshelf was noticeably curved to form several subtle S-shaped bends. We realized that the books in the bookshelf fell in a particular manner, leaning in alternative directions, which caused the straight lamp to appear bent, creating what may be a real-world example of the Zöllner illusion. Evidence for the production of the illusion diagrammatically and an explanation for the effect are provided.

A New Zenith Tropospheric Delay Grid Product for Real-Time PPP Applications over China.

PubMed

Lou, Yidong; Huang, Jinfang; Zhang, Weixing; Liang, Hong; Zheng, Fu; Liu, Jingnan

2017-12-27

Tropospheric delay is one of the major factors affecting the accuracy of electromagnetic distance measurements. To provide wide-area real-time high precision zenith tropospheric delay (ZTD), the temporal and spatial variations of ZTD with altitude were analyzed on the bases of the latest meteorological reanalysis product (ERA-Interim) provided by the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). An inverse scale height model at given locations taking latitude, longitude and day of year as inputs was then developed and used to convert real-time ZTD at GPS stations in Crustal Movement Observation Network of China (CMONOC) from station height to mean sea level (MSL). The real-time ZTD grid product (RtZTD) over China was then generated with a time interval of 5 min. Compared with ZTD estimated in post-processing mode, the bias and error RMS of ZTD at test GPS stations derived from RtZTD are 0.39 and 1.56 cm, which is significantly more accurate than commonly used empirical models. In addition, simulated real-time kinematic Precise Point Positioning (PPP) tests show that using RtZTD could accelerate the BDS-PPP convergence time by up to 32% and 65% in the horizontal and vertical components (set coordinate error thresholds to 0.4 m), respectively. For GPS-PPP, the convergence time using RtZTD can be accelerated by up to 29% in the vertical component (0.2 m).

Property Analysis of the Real-Time Uncalibrated Phase Delay Product Generated by Regional Reference Stations and Its Influence on Precise Point Positioning Ambiguity Resolution

PubMed Central

Zhang, Yong; Wang, Qing; Jiang, Xinyuan

2017-01-01

The real-time estimation of the wide-lane and narrow-lane Uncalibrated Phase Delay (UPD) of satellites is realized by real-time data received from regional reference station networks; The properties of the real-time UPD product and its influence on real-time precise point positioning ambiguity resolution (RTPPP-AR) are experimentally analyzed according to real-time data obtained from the regional Continuously Operating Reference Stations (CORS) network located in Tianjin, Shanghai, Hong Kong, etc. The results show that the real-time wide-lane and narrow-lane UPD products differ significantly from each other in time-domain characteristics; the wide-lane UPDs have daily stability, with a change rate of less than 0.1 cycle/day, while the narrow-lane UPDs have short-term stability, with significant change in one day. The UPD products generated by different regional networks have obvious spatial characteristics, thus significantly influencing RTPPP-AR: the adoption of real-time UPD products employing the sparse stations in the regional network for estimation is favorable for improving the regional RTPPP-AR up to 99%; the real-time UPD products of different regional networks slightly influence PPP-AR positioning accuracy. After ambiguities are successfully fixed, the real-time dynamic RTPPP-AR positioning accuracy is better than 3 cm in the plane and 8 cm in the upward direction. PMID:28534844

Property Analysis of the Real-Time Uncalibrated Phase Delay Product Generated by Regional Reference Stations and Its Influence on Precise Point Positioning Ambiguity Resolution.

PubMed

Zhang, Yong; Wang, Qing; Jiang, Xinyuan

2017-05-19

The real-time estimation of the wide-lane and narrow-lane Uncalibrated Phase Delay (UPD) of satellites is realized by real-time data received from regional reference station networks; The properties of the real-time UPD product and its influence on real-time precise point positioning ambiguity resolution (RTPPP-AR) are experimentally analyzed according to real-time data obtained from the regional Continuously Operating Reference Stations (CORS) network located in Tianjin, Shanghai, Hong Kong, etc. The results show that the real-time wide-lane and narrow-lane UPD products differ significantly from each other in time-domain characteristics; the wide-lane UPDs have daily stability, with a change rate of less than 0.1 cycle/day, while the narrow-lane UPDs have short-term stability, with significant change in one day. The UPD products generated by different regional networks have obvious spatial characteristics, thus significantly influencing RTPPP-AR: the adoption of real-time UPD products employing the sparse stations in the regional network for estimation is favorable for improving the regional RTPPP-AR up to 99%; the real-time UPD products of different regional networks slightly influence PPP-AR positioning accuracy. After ambiguities are successfully fixed, the real-time dynamic RTPPP-AR positioning accuracy is better than 3 cm in the plane and 8 cm in the upward direction.

21 CFR 610.68 - Exceptions or alternatives to labeling requirements for biological products held by the Strategic...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... requirements for biological products held by the Strategic National Stockpile. 610.68 Section 610.68 Food and... GENERAL BIOLOGICAL PRODUCTS STANDARDS Labeling Standards § 610.68 Exceptions or alternatives to labeling requirements for biological products held by the Strategic National Stockpile. (a) The appropriate FDA Center...

OceanNOMADS: Real-time and retrospective access to operational U.S. ocean prediction products

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harding, J. M.; Cross, S. L.; Bub, F.; Ji, M.

2011-12-01

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Operational Model Archive and Distribution System (NOMADS) provides both real-time and archived atmospheric model output from servers at the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) and National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) respectively (http://nomads.ncep.noaa.gov/txt_descriptions/marRutledge-1.pdf). The NOAA National Ocean Data Center (NODC) with NCEP is developing a complementary capability called OceanNOMADS for operational ocean prediction models. An NCEP ftp server currently provides real-time ocean forecast output (http://www.opc.ncep.noaa.gov/newNCOM/NCOM_currents.shtml) with retrospective access through NODC. A joint effort between the Northern Gulf Institute (NGI; a NOAA Cooperative Institute) and the NOAA National Coastal Data Development Center (NCDDC; a division of NODC) created the developmental version of the retrospective OceanNOMADS capability (http://www.northerngulfinstitute.org/edac/ocean_nomads.php) under the NGI Ecosystem Data Assembly Center (EDAC) project (http://www.northerngulfinstitute.org/edac/). Complementary funding support for the developmental OceanNOMADS from U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) through the Southeastern University Research Association (SURA) Model Testbed (http://testbed.sura.org/) this past year provided NODC the analogue that facilitated the creation of an NCDDC production version of OceanNOMADS (http://www.ncddc.noaa.gov/ocean-nomads/). Access tool development and storage of initial archival data sets occur on the NGI/NCDDC developmental servers with transition to NODC/NCCDC production servers as the model archives mature and operational space and distribution capability grow. Navy operational global ocean forecast subsets for U.S waters comprise the initial ocean prediction fields resident on the NCDDC production server. The NGI/NCDDC developmental server currently includes the Naval Research Laboratory Inter-America Seas

A New Model for Real-Time Regional Vertical Total Electron Content and Differential Code Bias Estimation Using IGS Real-Time Service (IGS-RTS) Products

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdelazeem, Mohamed; Çelik, Rahmi N.; El-Rabbany, Ahmed

2016-04-01

The international global navigation satellite system (GNSS) real-time service (IGS-RTS) products have been used extensively for real-time precise point positioning and ionosphere modeling applications. In this study, we develop a regional model for real-time vertical total electron content (RT-VTEC) and differential code bias (RT-DCB) estimation over Europe using the IGS-RTS satellite orbit and clock products. The developed model has a spatial and temporal resolution of 1°×1° and 15 minutes, respectively. GPS observations from a regional network consisting of 60 IGS and EUREF reference stations are processed in the zero-difference mode using the Bernese-5.2 software package in order to extract the geometry-free linear combination of the smoothed code observations. The spherical harmonic expansion function is used to model the VTEC, the receiver and the satellite DCBs. To validate the proposed model, the RT-VTEC values are computed and compared with the final IGS-global ionospheric map (IGS-GIM) counterparts in three successive days under high solar activity including one of an extreme geomagnetic activity. The real-time satellite DCBs are also estimated and compared with the IGS-GIM counterparts. Moreover, the real-time receiver DCB for six IGS stations are obtained and compared with the IGS-GIM counterparts. The examined stations are located in different latitudes with different receiver types. The findings reveal that the estimated RT-VTEC values show agreement with the IGS-GIM counterparts with root mean-square-errors (RMSEs) values less than 2 TEC units. In addition, RMSEs of both the satellites and receivers DCBs are less than 0.85 ns and 0.65 ns, respectively in comparison with the IGS-GIM.

21 CFR 809.11 - Exceptions or alternatives to labeling requirements for in vitro diagnostic products for human...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... requirements for in vitro diagnostic products for human use held by the Strategic National Stockpile. 809.11... (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IN VITRO DIAGNOSTIC PRODUCTS FOR HUMAN USE Labeling § 809.11 Exceptions or alternatives to labeling requirements for in vitro diagnostic products for human use held by the Strategic...

21 CFR 809.11 - Exceptions or alternatives to labeling requirements for in vitro diagnostic products for human...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... requirements for in vitro diagnostic products for human use held by the Strategic National Stockpile. 809.11... (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IN VITRO DIAGNOSTIC PRODUCTS FOR HUMAN USE Labeling § 809.11 Exceptions or alternatives to labeling requirements for in vitro diagnostic products for human use held by the Strategic...

Knowledge and acceptability of alternative HIV prevention bio-medical products among MSM who bareback.

PubMed

Nodin, N; Carballo-Diéguez, A; Ventuneac, A M; Balan, I C; Remien, R

2008-01-01

Condom use is the best available strategy to prevent HIV infection during sexual intercourse. However, since many people choose not to use condoms in circumstances in which HIV risk exists, alternatives to condom use for HIV prevention are needed. Currently there are several alternative bio-medical HIV-prevention products in different stages of development: microbicides, vaccines, post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). Seventy-two men who have sex with men (MSM) who took part in a study on Internet use and intentional condomless anal intercourse were asked about these four products during a semi-structured interview. The questions explored knowledge and acceptability of all the products and willingness to participate in microbicide and vaccine trials. Qualitative analysis of the data suggests that these men had virtually no knowledge of PrEP, very limited knowledge of microbicides, some information about PEP and considerably more knowledge about vaccines. Reactions towards the products were generally positive except for PrEP, for which reactions were polarized as either enthusiastic or negative. With the exception of PrEP, many men expressed willingness to use the products in the future. Most men would be willing to participate in trials for microbicides and vaccines if given basic reassurances. Concerns over negative side effects and preoccupation with possible infection were some of the motives given for non-willingness to participate in a vaccine trial. These results should inform the development of future trials of biomedical prevention products.

Status of IGS Ultra-Rapid Products for Real-Time Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ray, J.; Griffiths, J.

2008-12-01

Since November 2000 the International GNSS Service (IGS) has produced Ultra-rapid (IGU) products for near real-time and real-time applications. They include GPS orbits, satellite clocks, and Earth rotation parameters for a sliding 48-hr period. The first day of each update is based on the most recent GPS observational data from the IGS hourly tracking network. At the time of release, these observed products have an initial latency of 3 hr. The second day of each update consists of predictions. So the predictions between about 3 and 9 hr into the second half are relevant for true real-time uses. Originally updated twice daily, the IGU products since April 2004 have been issued four times per day, at 3, 9, 15, and 21 UTC. Up to seven Analysis Centers (ACs) contribute to the IGU combinations: Astronomical Institute of the University of Berne (AIUB), European Space Operations Center (ESOC), Geodetic Observatory Pecny (GOP), GeoForschungsZentrum (GFZ) Potsdam, Natural Resources Canada (NRC), Scripps Insitution of Oceanography (SIO), U.S. Naval Observatory (USNO). This redundancy affords a high measure of reliability and enhanced orbit accuracy. IGU orbit precision has improved markedly since late 2007. This is due to a combination of factors: decommissioning of the old, poorly behaved PRN29 in October 2007; upgraded procedures implemented by GOP around the same time, by SIO in spring 2008, and by USNO in June 2008; better handling of maneuvered satellites at the combination level starting June 2008; and stricter AC rejection criteria since July 2008. As a consequence, the weighted 1D RMS residual of the IGU orbit predictions over their first 6 hr is currently about 20 to 30 mm (after a Helmert transformation) compared to the IGS Rapid orbits, averaged over the constellation. The median residual is about 15 to 20 mm. When extended to the full 24 hr prediction period, the IGU orbit errors approximately double. Systematic rotational offsets are probably more important than

Near Real Time Operational Satellite Ocean Color Products From NOAA OSPO CoastWatch Okeanos System:: Status and Challenges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Banghua Yan, B.

2016-02-01

Near real-time (NRT) ocean color (OC) satellite operation products are generated and distributed in NOAA Okeanos Operational Product System, by using the CWAPS including the Multi-Sensor Level (MSL) 12 and the chlorophyll-a frontal algorithms. Current OC operational products include daily chlorophyll concentration (anomaly), water turbidity, remote sensing reflectance and chlorophyll frontal products from Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)/Aqua. The products have been widely applied to USA local and state ecosystem research, ecosystem observations, and fisheries managements for coastal and regional forecasting of ocean water quality, phytoplankton concentrations, and primary production. Users of the products have the National Ocean Service, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Weather Service, and Oceanic and Atmospheric Research. Recently, the OC products are being extended to S-NPP VIIRS to provide global NRT ocean color products to user community suh as National Weatrher Service for application for Global Data Assimilation System and Real-Time Ocean Forecast System. However, there remain some challenges in application of the products due to certain product quality and coverage issues. Recent efforts were made to provide a comprehensive web-based Quality Assurance (QA) tool for monitoring OC products quality in near real time mode, referring to http://www.ospo.noaa.gov/Products/ocean/color_new/color.htm. The new QA monitoring tool includes but not limited to the following advanced features applicable for MODIS/Aqua and NPP/VIIRS OC products: 1) Monitoring product quality in NRT mode; 2) Monitoring the availability and quality of OC products with time; 3) Detecting anomalous OC products due to low valid pixels and other quality issues. As an example, potential application and challenges of the ocean color products to oceanic oil spill detection are investigated. It is thus expected that the Okeanos ocean color operational system in

New biofuel alternatives: integrating waste management and single cell oil production.

PubMed

Martínez, Elia Judith; Raghavan, Vijaya; González-Andrés, Fernando; Gómez, Xiomar

2015-04-24

Concerns about greenhouse gas emissions have increased research efforts into alternatives in bio-based processes. With regard to transport fuel, bioethanol and biodiesel are still the main biofuels used. It is expected that future production of these biofuels will be based on processes using either non-food competing biomasses, or characterised by low CO₂ emissions. Many microorganisms, such as microalgae, yeast, bacteria and fungi, have the ability to accumulate oils under special culture conditions. Microbial oils might become one of the potential feed-stocks for biodiesel production in the near future. The use of these oils is currently under extensive research in order to reduce production costs associated with the fermentation process, which is a crucial factor to increase economic feasibility. An important way to reduce processing costs is the use of wastes as carbon sources. The aim of the present review is to describe the main aspects related to the use of different oleaginous microorganisms for lipid production and their performance when using bio-wastes. The possibilities for combining hydrogen (H₂) and lipid production are also explored in an attempt for improving the economic feasibility of the process.

New Biofuel Alternatives: Integrating Waste Management and Single Cell Oil Production

PubMed Central

Martínez, Elia Judith; Raghavan, Vijaya; González-Andrés, Fernando; Gómez, Xiomar

2015-01-01

Concerns about greenhouse gas emissions have increased research efforts into alternatives in bio-based processes. With regard to transport fuel, bioethanol and biodiesel are still the main biofuels used. It is expected that future production of these biofuels will be based on processes using either non-food competing biomasses, or characterised by low CO2 emissions. Many microorganisms, such as microalgae, yeast, bacteria and fungi, have the ability to accumulate oils under special culture conditions. Microbial oils might become one of the potential feed-stocks for biodiesel production in the near future. The use of these oils is currently under extensive research in order to reduce production costs associated with the fermentation process, which is a crucial factor to increase economic feasibility. An important way to reduce processing costs is the use of wastes as carbon sources. The aim of the present review is to describe the main aspects related to the use of different oleaginous microorganisms for lipid production and their performance when using bio-wastes. The possibilities for combining hydrogen (H2) and lipid production are also explored in an attempt for improving the economic feasibility of the process. PMID:25918941

Real-time product attribute control to manufacture antibodies with defined N-linked glycan levels.

PubMed

Zupke, Craig; Brady, Lowell J; Slade, Peter G; Clark, Philip; Caspary, R Guy; Livingston, Brittney; Taylor, Lisa; Bigham, Kyle; Morris, Arvia E; Bailey, Robert W

2015-01-01

Pressures for cost-effective new therapies and an increased emphasis on emerging markets require technological advancements and a flexible future manufacturing network for the production of biologic medicines. The safety and efficacy of a product is crucial, and consistent product quality is an essential feature of any therapeutic manufacturing process. The active control of product quality in a typical biologic process is challenging because of measurement lags and nonlinearities present in the system. The current study uses nonlinear model predictive control to maintain a critical product quality attribute at a predetermined value during pilot scale manufacturing operations. This approach to product quality control ensures a more consistent product for patients, enables greater manufacturing efficiency, and eliminates the need for extensive process characterization by providing direct measures of critical product quality attributes for real time release of drug product. © 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

26 CFR 1.1033(g)-1 - Condemnation of real property held for productive use in trade or business or for investment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... productive use in trade or business or for investment. 1.1033(g)-1 Section 1.1033(g)-1 Internal Revenue... (CONTINUED) Common Nontaxable Exchanges § 1.1033(g)-1 Condemnation of real property held for productive use... treat outdoor advertising displays as real property—(1) In general. Under section 1033(g)(3) of the Code...

26 CFR 1.1033(g)-1 - Condemnation of real property held for productive use in trade or business or for investment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... productive use in trade or business or for investment. 1.1033(g)-1 Section 1.1033(g)-1 Internal Revenue... (CONTINUED) Common Nontaxable Exchanges § 1.1033(g)-1 Condemnation of real property held for productive use... treat outdoor advertising displays as real property—(1) In general. Under section 1033(g)(3) of the Code...

26 CFR 1.1033(g)-1 - Condemnation of real property held for productive use in trade or business or for investment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... productive use in trade or business or for investment. 1.1033(g)-1 Section 1.1033(g)-1 Internal Revenue... (CONTINUED) Common Nontaxable Exchanges § 1.1033(g)-1 Condemnation of real property held for productive use... treat outdoor advertising displays as real property—(1) In general. Under section 1033(g)(3) of the Code...

26 CFR 1.1033(g)-1 - Condemnation of real property held for productive use in trade or business or for investment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... productive use in trade or business or for investment. 1.1033(g)-1 Section 1.1033(g)-1 Internal Revenue... (CONTINUED) Common Nontaxable Exchanges § 1.1033(g)-1 Condemnation of real property held for productive use... treat outdoor advertising displays as real property—(1) In general. Under section 1033(g)(3) of the Code...

Establishment Reality vs. Maintenance Reality: How Real Is Real Enough?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lindsay, E. D.; Murray, S.; Liu, D. K.; Lowe, D. B.; Bright, C. G.

2009-01-01

Remote and virtual laboratories are increasingly prevalent alternatives to the face-to-face laboratory experience; however, the question of their learning outcomes is yet to be fully investigated. There are many presumptions regarding the effectiveness of these approaches; foremost amongst these assumptions is that the experience must be "real" to…

Trade-offs mathematical modelling of 3DCE in new product development: real three dimensions and directions for development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ilhami, M. A.; Subagyo; Masruroh, N. A.

2018-04-01

In the last two decades, coordinating product, process, and supply chain has become the main focus in recent years as a growing body of research, which mathematical modelling is leading technique used in the early phase design. In this paper, we aim to conduct a comprehensive literature review of published paper and propose directions for future research, especially in mathematical modelling. Our findings exhibit fact that evidently there are only a few papers coordinate “real three dimensions”. The other papers, in fact, show simply two dimensions. Finally, some suggestions are proposed such as paying more attention to “real three dimensions” research-based and more focus on minimizing time to market, product life cycle consideration, and product rollover.

Bacterial cellulose production by Gluconacetobacter xylinus by employing alternative culture media.

PubMed

Jozala, Angela Faustino; Pértile, Renata Aparecida Nedel; dos Santos, Carolina Alves; de Carvalho Santos-Ebinuma, Valéria; Seckler, Marcelo Martins; Gama, Francisco Miguel; Pessoa, Adalberto

2015-02-01

Bacterial cellulose (BC) is used in different fields as a biological material due to its unique properties. Despite there being many BC applications, there still remain many problems associated with bioprocess technology, such as increasing productivity and decreasing production cost. New technologies that use waste from the food industry as raw materials for culture media promote economic advantages because they reduce environmental pollution and stimulate new research for science sustainability. For this reason, BC production requires optimized conditions to increase its application. The main objective of this study was to evaluate BC production by Gluconacetobacter xylinus using industry waste, namely, rotten fruits and milk whey, as culture media. Furthermore, the structure of BC produced at different conditions was also determined. The culture media employed in this study were composed of rotten fruit collected from the disposal of free markets, milk whey from a local industrial disposal, and their combination, and Hestrin and Schramm media was used as standard culture media. Although all culture media studied produced BC, the highest BC yield-60 mg/mL-was achieved with the rotten fruit culture. Thus, the results showed that rotten fruit can be used for BC production. This culture media can be considered as a profitable alternative to generate high-value products. In addition, it combines environmental concern with sustainable processes that can promote also the reduction of production cost.

MARVEL: A knowledge-based productivity enhancement tool for real-time multi-mission and multi-subsystem spacecraft operations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schwuttke, Ursula M.; Veregge, John, R.; Angelino, Robert; Childs, Cynthia L.

1990-10-01

The Monitor/Analyzer of Real-time Voyager Engineering Link (MARVEL) is described. It is the first automation tool to be used in an online mode for telemetry monitoring and analysis in mission operations. MARVEL combines standard automation techniques with embedded knowledge base systems to simultaneously provide real time monitoring of data from subsystems, near real time analysis of anomaly conditions, and both real time and non-real time user interface functions. MARVEL is currently capable of monitoring the Computer Command Subsystem (CCS), Flight Data Subsystem (FDS), and Attitude and Articulation Control Subsystem (AACS) for both Voyager spacecraft, simultaneously, on a single workstation. The goal of MARVEL is to provide cost savings and productivity enhancement in mission operations and to reduce the need for constant availability of subsystem expertise.

Changes in use of cigarettes and non-cigarette alternative products among college students.

PubMed

Loukas, Alexandra; Batanova, Milena; Fernandez, Alejandra; Agarwal, Deepti

2015-10-01

The present study examined change in use of various smoked and smokeless non-cigarette alternative products in a sample of college students, stratified by current, or past 30-day, cigarette smoking status. Participants were 698 students from seven four-year colleges in Texas. Participants completed two waves of online surveys regarding tobacco use, knowledge, and attitudes, with 14 months between each wave. The most prevalent products used by the entire sample at Wave 1 were cigarettes, followed by hookah, cigars/cigarillos/little cigars, and electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes). At Wave 2, prevalence of e-cigarette use surpassed use of cigars/cigarillos/little cigars. Snus and chew/snuff/dip were relatively uncommon at both waves. Examination of change in use indicated that e-cigarette use increased across time among both current cigarette smokers and non-cigarette smokers. Prevalence of current e-cigarette use doubled across the 14-month period to 25% among current smokers and tripled to 3% among non-cigarette smokers. Hookah use also increased across time, but only among non-cigarette smokers, whereas it decreased among current cigarette smokers. Use of all other non-cigarette alternatives remained unchanged across time. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine the socio-demographic predictors of Wave 2 e-cigarette use, the only product that increased in use among both current cigarette smokers and non-cigarette smokers. Results indicated that Wave 1 current cigarette use and Wave 1 current e-cigarette use, but not gender, age, or race/ethnicity, were significantly associated with Wave 2 e-cigarette use. Findings underscore the need to track changes in the use of non-cigarette alternatives and call for additional research examining the factors contributing to change in use. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An Analysis of Input/Output Paradigms for Real-Time Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-07-01

timing and concurrency aspects of real - time systems . This paper illustrates how to build a mathematical model of the schedulability of a real-time...various design alternatives. The primary characteristic that distinguishes real-time system from non- real - time systems is the importance of time. The

Flue gas desulfurization gypsum: Its effectiveness as an alternative bedding material for broiler production

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Flue gas desulfurization gypsum (FGDG) may be a viable low-cost alternative bedding material for broiler production. In order to evaluate FGD gypsum’s viability, three consecutive trials were conducted to determine its influence on live performance (body weight, feed consumption, feed efficiency, an...

Evaluation of alternative comonomers for the production of ASE and HASE thickeners.

PubMed

Moraes, Raul P; Graillat, Christian; Jeanson, Guillaume; Haw, Sarah; Favero, Cédrick; McKenna, Timothy F L

2010-12-01

Methyl methacrylate (MMA), n-butyl acrylate (BA) and 2-ethyl hexyl acrylate (EHA) were evaluated as alternatives to ethyl acrylate (EA) in the composition of methacrylic acid (MAA)-EA copolymers for the production of hydrophobically-modified alkali soluble emulsions (HASE). In addition, the impact of Sipomer BEM and PLEX 6954-0 as associative monomers (AM) on the properties of the final HASE products was evaluated. EHA gave reasonable results as a replacement comonomer for alkali soluble emulsion (ASE) synthesis and applications. However, it was not possible to obtain transparent thickened solutions without provoking significant flocculation losses during the synthesis of HASE products that incorporated EHA. MAA-BA and MAA-MMA formulations produced ASE and HASE copolymers with 0.5mol.% AM, which presented high transparency and viscosity levels. When comparing the two AM, it was found that the longer the hydrophobic tail, the higher the apparent viscosity, but the lower the transparency of the final product. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Alternative designs for petroleum product storage tanks for groundwater protection.

PubMed

Oke Adeleke, Samson

In developing countries, there are numerous occurrences of petroleum product spillage in groundwater. The current practice of burying storage tanks beneath the surface without adequate safety devices facilitates this phenomenon. Underground tanks rust and leak, and spilled petroleum products migrate downward. The movement of the oil in the soil depends on its viscosity and quantity, the permeability of the soil/rock, and the presence of fractures within the rock. The oil spreads laterally in the form of a thin pancake due to its lower specific gravity, and soluble components dissolve in water. The pollution plume of petroleum products and dissolved phases moves in the direction of groundwater flow in the aquifer within the pores of soil and sediments or along fractures in basement complex areas. Most communities reply heavily on groundwater for potable and industrial supplies. However, the sustainability of this resource is under threat in areas where there are filling stations as a result of significant groundwater contamination from petroleum product spillage. Drinking water becomes unpalatable when it contains petroleum products in low concentrations, and small quantities may contaminate large volumes of water. Considering the losses incurred from spillage, the cost of cleaning the aquifer, and the fact that total cleansing and attenuation is impossible, the need to prevent spillage and if it happens to prevent it from getting into the groundwater system is of paramount importance. This paper proposes alternative design procedures with a view to achieving these objectives.

Educational Telecommunications Alternatives for Alaska. Product 1.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilke, Jennifer L.; And Others

This study explores a wide variety of technical alternatives, from equipment needs and on-the-ground system design, to equipment operation and suggested applications for department activities, both now and in the future. Some suggested alternatives include (1) communication satellites, (2) one way audio transmission, (3) one and two way hard copy…

Cheese whey: A cost-effective alternative for hyaluronic acid production by Streptococcus zooepidemicus.

PubMed

Amado, Isabel R; Vázquez, José A; Pastrana, Lorenzo; Teixeira, José A

2016-05-01

This study focuses on the optimisation of cheese whey formulated media for the production of hyaluronic acid (HA) by Streptococcus zooepidemicus. Culture media containing whey (W; 2.1g/L) or whey hydrolysate (WH; 2.4 g/L) gave the highest HA productions. Both W and WH produced high yields on protein consumed, suggesting cheese whey is a good nitrogen source for S. zooepidemicus production of HA. Polysaccharide concentrations of 4.0 g/L and 3.2g/L were produced in W and WH in a further scale-up to 5L bioreactors, confirming the suitability of the low-cost nitrogen source. Cheese whey culture media provided high molecular weight (>3000 kDa) HA products. This study revealed replacing the commercial peptone by the low-cost alternative could reduce HA production costs by up to a 70% compared to synthetic media. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Real-Time Simulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1997-01-01

Coryphaeus Software, founded in 1989 by former NASA electronic engineer Steve Lakowske, creates real-time 3D software. Designer's Workbench, the company flagship product, is a modeling and simulation tool for the development of both static and dynamic 3D databases. Other products soon followed. Activation, specifically designed for game developers, allows developers to play and test the 3D games before they commit to a target platform. Game publishers can shorten development time and prove the "playability" of the title, maximizing their chances of introducing a smash hit. Another product, EasyT, lets users create massive, realistic representation of Earth terrains that can be viewed and traversed in real time. Finally, EasyScene software control the actions among interactive objects within a virtual world. Coryphaeus products are used on Silican Graphics workstation and supercomputers to simulate real-world performance in synthetic environments. Customers include aerospace, aviation, architectural and engineering firms, game developers, and the entertainment industry.

Quantitative detection of pork in commercial meat products by TaqMan® real-time PCR assay targeting the mitochondrial D-loop region.

PubMed

Kim, Miju; Yoo, Insuk; Lee, Shin-Young; Hong, Yeun; Kim, Hae-Yeong

2016-11-01

The TaqMan® real-time PCR assay using the mitochondrial D-loop region was developed for the quantitative detection of pork in processed meat products. The newly designed primers and probe specifically amplified pork without any cross-reactivity with non-target animal species. The limit of detection of the real-time PCR assay was 0.1pg of heat-treated pork meat and 0.1% (w/w) pork meat in beef and chicken meat mixtures. The quantitative real-time PCR assay was applied to analyze the pork meat content in 22 commercial processed meat products including jerkies, press hams, sausages, hamburger patties and steaks, grilled short rib patties, and nuggets. The developed real-time PCR method was able to detect pork meat in various types of processed meat products that declared the use of pork meat on their label. All processed meat products that declared no use of pork meat showed a negative result in the assay. The method developed in this study showed sensitivity and specificity in the quantification of pork meat in commercial processed meat products. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

UNAVCO Geodetic HIgh-Rate and Real-Time Products and Services: A next generation geodetic network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mattioli, G. S.; Mencin, D.; Meertens, C. M.; Feaux, K.; Looney, S.

2012-12-01

Recent advances in GPS technology and data processing are providing position estimates with centimeter-level precision at high-rate (1 Hz) and low latency (<1 s). These data will have the potential to improve our understanding in diverse areas of geophysics including properties of seismic, volcanic, magmatic and tsunami deformation sources, and moreover profoundly transforming rapid event characterization, early warning, as well as hazard mitigation and response. Other scientific and operational applications for high-rate GPS also include glacier and ice sheet motions, tropospheric modeling, and better constraints on the dynamics of space weather. UNAVCO, through community input and the recent Plate Boundary Observatory (PBO) NSF-ARRA Cascadia initiative, has nearly completed the process of upgrading a total of 373 PBO GPS sites to real-time high-rate capability and these streams are now being archived in our data center. In addition, UNAVCO hosted an NSF funded workshop in Boulder, CO on March 26-28, which brought together 70 participants representing a spectrum of research fields with a goal to develop a community plan for the use of real-time GPS data products within the UNAVCO and EarthScope communities. These data products are expected to improve and expand the use of real-time GPS data over the next decade. Additionally, in collaboration with NOAA, 74 of these stations will provide meteorological data in real-time, primarily to support watershed and flood analyses for regional early-warning systems related to NOAA's work with California Department of Water Resources. As part of this upgrade UNAVCO is also exploring making the 75 PBO borehole strainmeter sites, whose data are now collected with a latency of 24 hours, available in SEED format in real-time in the near future, providing an opportunity to combine high-rate surface positioning and strain data together.

Monitoring Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in real-time on oil and natural gas production sites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lupardus, R.; Franklin, S. B.

2017-12-01

Oil and Natural Gas (O&NG) development, production, infrastructure, and associated processing activities can be a substantial source of air pollution, yet relevant data and real-time quantification methods are lacking. In the current study, O&NG fugitive emissions of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) were quantified in real-time and used to determine the spatial and temporal windows of exposure for proximate flora and fauna. Eleven O&NG sites on the Pawnee National Grassland in Northeastern Colorado were randomly selected and grouped according to production along with 13 control sites from three geographical locations. At each site, samples were collected 25 m from the wellhead in NE, SE, and W directions. In each direction, two samples were collected with a Gasmet DX4040 gas analyzer every hour from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm (6 hours total), July to October, 2016 (N=864). VOC concentrations generally increased during the 6 hr. day with the exception of N2O and were predominately the result of O&NG production and not vehicle exhaust. Thirteen of 24 VOCs had significantly different levels between production groups, frequently above reference standards and at biologically relevant levels for flora and fauna. The most biologically relevant VOCs, found at concentrations exceeding time weighted average permissible exposure limits (TWA PELs), were benzene and acrolein. Generalized Estimating Equations (GEEs) measured the relative quality of statistical models predicting benzene concentrations on sites. The data not only confirms that O&NG emissions are impacting the region, but also that this influence is present at all sites, including controls. Increased real-time VOC monitoring on O&NG sites is required to identify and contain fugitive emissions and to protect human and environmental health.

Evaluation of the environmental performance of alternatives for polystyrene production in Brazil.

PubMed

Hansen, Adriana Petrella; da Silva, Gil Anderi; Kulay, Luiz

2015-11-01

The global demand for polystyrene is supposed to reach an overall baseline of 23.5 million tons by 2020. The market has experienced the effects of such growth, especially regarding the environmental performance of the production processes. In Brazil, renewable assets have been used to overcome the adverse consequences of this expansion. This study evaluates this issue for the production of Brazilian polystyrene resins, general-purpose polystyrene (GPPS) and high-impact polystyrene (HIPS). The effects of replacing fossil ethylene with a biobased alternative are also investigated. Life Cycle Assessment is applied for ten scenarios, with different technological approaches for renewable ethylene production and an alternative for obtaining bioethanol, which considers the export of electricity. The fossil GPPS and HIPS show a better performance than the partially renewable sources in terms of Climate Change (CC), Terrestrial Acidification (TA), Photochemical Oxidant Formation (POF), and Water Depletion (WD). The exception is Fossil Depletion (FD), a somewhat predictable result. The main environmental loads associated with the renewable options are related to the sugarcane production. Polybutadiene fails to provide greater additional impact to HIPS when compared to GPPS. With regard to obtaining ethylene from ethanol, Adiabatic Dehydration (AD) technology consumes less sugarcane than Adiabatic Dehydration at High Pressure (ADHP), which leads to gains in TA and POF. In contrast, ADHP was more eco-friendly for WD because of its lower water losses and in terms of CC because of the advantageous balance of fossil CO2(eq) at the agricultural stage and the lower consumption of natural gas in ethylene production. The electricity export is an auspicious environmental opportunity because it can counterbalance some of the negative impacts associated with the renewable route. According to a "cradle-to-grave" perspective, the partially renewable resins show a more favorable balance of

Integrating data mining technique and AHP in market analysis to propose new product development in real estate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yunita; Galinium, M.; Lukas

2017-01-01

New product development in real estate industry is a challenging process since it is related to long term concept and high cost. A newly proposed product development should meet customer need and their preferences which appropriate with customer buying power and company value. This research use data mining for profiling customer transaction and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method for product selection in new product development. This research utilizes Weka as data mining open source software to profiling data customers. The analysis correlated product preferences and profiling demography such as city, age, gender and occupation. Demography profiles gives description buying power and product preferences. The products proposed are based on customer profiles and rank of the product by AHP method. The product with the highest score will be proposed as new product development. Case studies of this research are real estate projects in Serang, Makassar, and Balikpapan. Makassar and Balikpapan are the project that already gained success and Serang is new project which new products development will be proposed to launch. Based on profiling and product preference of customer in Balikpapan, Makassar, and prospectus of Serang markets, new products development that will be proposed are house type of 120/200 m2 with price around Rp1.300.000.000 and house type of 71/120 m2 with price around Rp800.000.000. The markets of Serang and Balikpapan have similarities in profiles as urban city so the new products development will adopt the succeed story of Balikpapan project.

US adult tobacco users' absolute harm perceptions of traditional and alternative tobacco products, information-seeking behaviors, and (mis)beliefs about chemicals in tobacco products.

PubMed

Bernat, Jennifer K; Ferrer, Rebecca A; Margolis, Katherine A; Blake, Kelly D

2017-08-01

Harm perceptions about tobacco products may influence initiation, continued use, and cessation efforts. We assessed associations between adult traditional tobacco product use and absolute harm perceptions of traditional and alternative tobacco products. We also described the topics individuals looked for during their last search for information, their beliefs about chemicals in cigarettes/cigarette smoke, and how both relate to harm perceptions. We ran multivariable models with jackknife replicate weights to analyze data from the 2015 administration of the National Cancer Institute's Health Information National Trends Survey (N=3376). Compared to never users, individuals reported lower perceived levels of harm for products they use. Among current tobacco users, ethnicity, thinking about chemicals in tobacco, and information-seeking were all factors associated with tobacco product harm perceptions. In the full sample, some respondents reported searching for information about health effects and cessation and held misperceptions about the source of chemicals in tobacco. This study fills a gap in the literature by assessing the absolute harm perceptions of a variety of traditional and alternative tobacco products. Harm perceptions vary among tobacco products, and the relationship among tobacco use, information seeking, thoughts about chemicals in tobacco products, and harm perceptions is complex. Data suggest that some individuals search for information about health effects and cessation and hold misperceptions about chemicals in tobacco products. Future inquiry could seek to understand the mechanisms that contribute to forming harm perceptions and beliefs about chemicals in tobacco products. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

A Changing Number of Alternative States in the Boreal Biome: Reproducibility Risks of Replacing Remote Sensing Products.

PubMed

Xu, Chi; Holmgren, Milena; Van Nes, Egbert H; Hirota, Marina; Chapin, F Stuart; Scheffer, Marten

2015-01-01

Publicly available remote sensing products have boosted science in many ways. The openness of these data sources suggests high reproducibility. However, as we show here, results may be specific to versions of the data products that can become unavailable as new versions are posted. We focus on remotely-sensed tree cover. Recent studies have used this public resource to detect multi-modality in tree cover in the tropical and boreal biomes. Such patterns suggest alternative stable states separated by critical tipping points. This has important implications for the potential response of these ecosystems to global climate change. For the boreal region, four distinct ecosystem states (i.e., treeless, sparse and dense woodland, and boreal forest) were previously identified by using the Collection 3 data of MODIS Vegetation Continuous Fields (VCF). Since then, the MODIS VCF product has been updated to Collection 5; and a Landsat VCF product of global tree cover at a fine spatial resolution of 30 meters has been developed. Here we compare these different remote-sensing products of tree cover to show that identification of alternative stable states in the boreal biome partly depends on the data source used. The updated MODIS data and the newer Landsat data consistently demonstrate three distinct modes around similar tree-cover values. Our analysis suggests that the boreal region has three modes: one sparsely vegetated state (treeless), one distinct 'savanna-like' state and one forest state, which could be alternative stable states. Our analysis illustrates that qualitative outcomes of studies may change fundamentally as new versions of remote sensing products are used. Scientific reproducibility thus requires that old versions remain publicly available.

Interactive Visualization of Near Real-Time and Production Global Precipitation Mission Data Online Using CesiumJS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lammers, M.

2016-12-01

Advancements in the capabilities of JavaScript frameworks and web browsing technology make online visualization of large geospatial datasets viable. Commonly this is done using static image overlays, pre-rendered animations, or cumbersome geoservers. These methods can limit interactivity and/or place a large burden on server-side post-processing and storage of data. Geospatial data, and satellite data specifically, benefit from being visualized both on and above a three-dimensional surface. The open-source JavaScript framework CesiumJS, developed by Analytical Graphics, Inc., leverages the WebGL protocol to do just that. It has entered the void left by the abandonment of the Google Earth Web API, and it serves as a capable and well-maintained platform upon which data can be displayed. This paper will describe the technology behind the two primary products developed as part of the NASA Precipitation Processing System STORM website: GPM Near Real Time Viewer (GPMNRTView) and STORM Virtual Globe (STORM VG). GPMNRTView reads small post-processed CZML files derived from various Level 1 through 3 near real-time products. For swath-based products, several brightness temperature channels or precipitation-related variables are available for animating in virtual real-time as the satellite observed them on and above the Earth's surface. With grid-based products, only precipitation rates are available, but the grid points are visualized in such a way that they can be interactively examined to explore raw values. STORM VG reads values directly off the HDF5 files, converting the information into JSON on the fly. All data points both on and above the surface can be examined here as well. Both the raw values and, if relevant, elevations are displayed. Surface and above-ground precipitation rates from select Level 2 and 3 products are shown. Examples from both products will be shown, including visuals from high impact events observed by GPM constellation satellites.

Alternative delivery of male accessory gland products

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

To increase fertilization success, males transfer accessory gland products (Acps). Several species have evolved unconventional Acps transfer modes, meaning that Acps are transferred separately from the sperm. By surveying the sperm-free Acps transfer cases, we show that these animals have evolved a common strategy to deliver Acps: they all inject Acps directly through the partner’s body wall into the hemolymph. Our review of this mode of Acps transfer reveals another striking similarity: they all transfer sperm in packages or via the skin, which may leave little room for Acps transfer via the conventional route in seminal fluid. We synthesise the knowledge about the function, and the effects in the recipients, of the Acps found in the widely diverse taxa (including earthworms, sea slugs, terrestrial snails, scorpions and salamanders) that inject these substances. Despite the clearly independent evolution of the injection devices, these animals have evolved a common alternative strategy to get their partners to accept and/or use their sperm. Most importantly, the evolution of the injection devices for the delivery of Acps highlights how the latter are pivotal for male reproductive success and, hence, strongly influence sexual selection. PMID:24708537

Promotion of alternative-sized personal protective equipment.

PubMed

Flynn, Michael A; Keller, Brenna; DeLaney, Sheli C

2017-12-01

With more diversity in the workforce, companies are producing PPE such as hard hats, safety glasses, coveralls, foot protection, and safety harnesses for a larger range of body shapes and sizes. However, gray literature reports suggest that barriers exist to getting alternate sized PPE from the manufacturer to the workers who need it. The purpose of this study is to determine the extent to which alternative-sized PPE is marketed. A web-based review of seven major manufacturers of PPE was conducted to determine: (a) whether or not they offer alternative-sized products, (b) if these products are clearly labeled, and (c) if images used to display PPE are representative of a diverse workforce. Of the seven PPE manufacturers investigated, six had at least one product that was marketed as gender and/or size alternatives however, alternative sizes were more common for larger body types. Alternative-sized products rarely included size charts, and the models used to display PPE were overwhelmingly white males of average size. Despite the growing availability of alternative-sized PPE, it can be difficult to find these products, which suggests that they are rarely promoted or labeled as alternative-sized. Our study indicates that companies should expand their product lines and more aggressively market and promote these items. Guidance on how to properly fit their products would also be extremely helpful to the end-user. Manufacturers could improve the availability of alternative-sized PPE and increase their promotion of these products on their websites and in their catalogs. Individual companies and safety professionals may assist in this process by demonstrating demand for alternative-sized PPE. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

40 CFR 63.5987 - What are my alternatives for meeting the emission limits for tire cord production affected sources?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... the emission limits for tire cord production affected sources? 63.5987 Section 63.5987 Protection of... Pollutants: Rubber Tire Manufacturing Emission Limits for Tire Cord Production Affected Sources § 63.5987 What are my alternatives for meeting the emission limits for tire cord production affected sources? You...

Biohydrogen and biomethane production sustained by untreated matrices and alternative application of compost waste.

PubMed

Arizzi, Mariaconcetta; Morra, Simone; Pugliese, Massimo; Gullino, Maria Lodovica; Gilardi, Gianfranco; Valetti, Francesca

2016-10-01

Biohydrogen and biomethane production offers many advantages for environmental protection over the fossil fuels or the existing physical-chemical methods for hydrogen and methane synthesis. The aim of this study is focused on the exploitation of several samples from the composting process: (1) a mixture of waste vegetable materials ("Mix"); (2) an unmatured compost sample (ACV15); and (3) three types of green compost with different properties and soil improver quality (ACV1, ACV2 and ACV3). These samples were tested for biohydrogen and biomethane production, thus obtaining second generation biofuels and resulting in a novel possibility to manage renewable waste biomasses. The ability of these substrates as original feed during dark fermentation was assayed anaerobically in batch, in glass bottles, in order to determine the optimal operating conditions for hydrogen and/or methane production using "Mix" or ACV1, ACV2 or ACV3 green compost and a limited amount of water. Hydrogen could be produced with a fast kinetic in the range 0.02-2.45mLH2g(-1)VS, while methane was produced with a slower kinetic in the range 0.5-8mLCH4g(-1)VS. It was observed that the composition of each sample influenced significantly the gas production. It was also observed that the addition of different water amounts play a crucial role in the development of hydrogen or methane. This parameter can be used to push towards the alternative production of one or another gas. Hydrogen and methane production was detected spontaneously from these matrices, without additional sources of nutrients or any pre-treatment, suggesting that they can be used as an additional inoculum or feed into single or two-stage plants. This might allow the use of compost with low quality as soil improver for alternative and further applications. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Tobacco harm reduction: an alternative cessation strategy for inveterate smokers

PubMed Central

Rodu, Brad; Godshall, William T

2006-01-01

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 45 million Americans continue to smoke, even after one of the most intense public health campaigns in history, now over 40 years old. Each year some 438,000 smokers die from smoking-related diseases, including lung and other cancers, cardiovascular disorders and pulmonary diseases. Many smokers are unable – or at least unwilling – to achieve cessation through complete nicotine and tobacco abstinence; they continue smoking despite the very real and obvious adverse health consequences. Conventional smoking cessation policies and programs generally present smokers with two unpleasant alternatives: quit, or die. A third approach to smoking cessation, tobacco harm reduction, involves the use of alternative sources of nicotine, including modern smokeless tobacco products. A substantial body of research, much of it produced over the past decade, establishes the scientific and medical foundation for tobacco harm reduction using smokeless tobacco products. This report provides a description of traditional and modern smokeless tobacco products, and of the prevalence of their use in the United States and Sweden. It reviews the epidemiologic evidence for low health risks associated with smokeless use, both in absolute terms and in comparison to the much higher risks of smoking. The report also describes evidence that smokeless tobacco has served as an effective substitute for cigarettes among Swedish men, who consequently have among the lowest smoking-related mortality rates in the developed world. The report documents the fact that extensive misinformation about ST products is widely available from ostensibly reputable sources, including governmental health agencies and major health organizations. The American Council on Science and Health believes that strong support of tobacco harm reduction is fully consistent with its mission to promote sound science in regulation and in public policy, and to assist

Alternative Fuels Data Center: Renewable Natural Gas (Biomethane)

Science.gov Websites

Production Renewable Natural Gas (Biomethane) Production to someone by E-mail Share Alternative Fuels Data Center: Renewable Natural Gas (Biomethane) Production on Facebook Tweet about Alternative Fuels Data Center: Renewable Natural Gas (Biomethane) Production on Twitter Bookmark Alternative Fuels

Application of satellite-based rainfall and medium range meteorological forecast in real-time flood forecasting in the Mahanadi River basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nanda, Trushnamayee; Beria, Harsh; Sahoo, Bhabagrahi; Chatterjee, Chandranath

2016-04-01

Increasing frequency of hydrologic extremes in a warming climate call for the development of reliable flood forecasting systems. The unavailability of meteorological parameters in real-time, especially in the developing parts of the world, makes it a challenging task to accurately predict flood, even at short lead times. The satellite-based Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) provides an alternative to the real-time precipitation data scarcity. Moreover, rainfall forecasts by the numerical weather prediction models such as the medium term forecasts issued by the European Center for Medium range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) are promising for multistep-ahead flow forecasts. We systematically evaluate these rainfall products over a large catchment in Eastern India (Mahanadi River basin). We found spatially coherent trends, with both the real-time TRMM rainfall and ECMWF rainfall forecast products overestimating low rainfall events and underestimating high rainfall events. However, no significant bias was found for the medium rainfall events. Another key finding was that these rainfall products captured the phase of the storms pretty well, but suffered from consistent under-prediction. The utility of the real-time TRMM and ECMWF forecast products are evaluated by rainfall-runoff modeling using different artificial neural network (ANN)-based models up to 3-days ahead. Keywords: TRMM; ECMWF; forecast; ANN; rainfall-runoff modeling

MAISTAS: a tool for automatic structural evaluation of alternative splicing products.

PubMed

Floris, Matteo; Raimondo, Domenico; Leoni, Guido; Orsini, Massimiliano; Marcatili, Paolo; Tramontano, Anna

2011-06-15

Analysis of the human genome revealed that the amount of transcribed sequence is an order of magnitude greater than the number of predicted and well-characterized genes. A sizeable fraction of these transcripts is related to alternatively spliced forms of known protein coding genes. Inspection of the alternatively spliced transcripts identified in the pilot phase of the ENCODE project has clearly shown that often their structure might substantially differ from that of other isoforms of the same gene, and therefore that they might perform unrelated functions, or that they might even not correspond to a functional protein. Identifying these cases is obviously relevant for the functional assignment of gene products and for the interpretation of the effect of variations in the corresponding proteins. Here we describe a publicly available tool that, given a gene or a protein, retrieves and analyses all its annotated isoforms, provides users with three-dimensional models of the isoform(s) of his/her interest whenever possible and automatically assesses whether homology derived structural models correspond to plausible structures. This information is clearly relevant. When the homology model of some isoforms of a gene does not seem structurally plausible, the implications are that either they assume a structure unrelated to that of the other isoforms of the same gene with presumably significant functional differences, or do not correspond to functional products. We provide indications that the second hypothesis is likely to be true for a substantial fraction of the cases. http://maistas.bioinformatica.crs4.it/.

Real-Time Data Processing Systems and Products at the Alaska Earthquake Information Center

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruppert, N. A.; Hansen, R. A.

2007-05-01

The Alaska Earthquake Information Center (AEIC) receives data from over 400 seismic sites located within the state boundaries and the surrounding regions and serves as a regional data center. In 2007, the AEIC reported ~20,000 seismic events, with the largest event of M6.6 in Andreanof Islands. The real-time earthquake detection and data processing systems at AEIC are based on the Antelope system from BRTT, Inc. This modular and extensible processing platform allows an integrated system complete from data acquisition to catalog production. Multiple additional modules constructed with the Antelope toolbox have been developed to fit particular needs of the AEIC. The real-time earthquake locations and magnitudes are determined within 2-5 minutes of the event occurrence. AEIC maintains a 24/7 seismologist-on-duty schedule. Earthquake alarms are based on the real- time earthquake detections. Significant events are reviewed by the seismologist on duty within 30 minutes of the occurrence with information releases issued for significant events. This information is disseminated immediately via the AEIC website, ANSS website via QDDS submissions, through e-mail, cell phone and pager notifications, via fax broadcasts and recorded voice-mail messages. In addition, automatic regional moment tensors are determined for events with M>=4.0. This information is posted on the public website. ShakeMaps are being calculated in real-time with the information currently accessible via a password-protected website. AEIC is designing an alarm system targeted for the critical lifeline operations in Alaska. AEIC maintains an extensive computer network to provide adequate support for data processing and archival. For real-time processing, AEIC operates two identical, interoperable computer systems in parallel.

Nitrogen removal and intentional nitrous oxide production from reject water in a coupled nitritation/nitrous denitritation system under real feed-stream conditions.

PubMed

Weißbach, Max; Thiel, Paul; Drewes, Jörg E; Koch, Konrad

2018-05-01

A Coupled Aerobic-anoxic Nitrous Decomposition Operation (CANDO) was performed over five months to investigate the performance and dynamics of nitrogen elimination and nitrous oxide production from digester reject water under real feed-stream conditions. A 93% conversion of ammonium to nitrite could be maintained for adapted seed sludge in the first stage (nitritation). The second stage (nitrous denitritation), inoculated with conventional activated sludge, achieved a conversion of 70% of nitrite to nitrous oxide after only 12 cycles of operation. The development of an alternative feeding strategy and the addition of a coagulant (FeCl 3 ) facilitated stable operation and process intensification. Under steady-state conditions, nitrite was reliably eliminated and different nitrous oxide harvesting strategies were assessed. Applying continuous removal increased N 2 O yields by 16% compared to the application of a dedicated stripping phase. These results demonstrate the feasible application of the CANDO process for nitrogen removal and energy recovery from ammonia rich wastewater. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Strain Prioritization for Natural Product Discovery by a High-Throughput Real-Time PCR Method

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

Natural products offer unmatched chemical and structural diversity compared to other small-molecule libraries, but traditional natural product discovery programs are not sustainable, demanding too much time, effort, and resources. Here we report a strain prioritization method for natural product discovery. Central to the method is the application of real-time PCR, targeting genes characteristic to the biosynthetic machinery of natural products with distinct scaffolds in a high-throughput format. The practicality and effectiveness of the method were showcased by prioritizing 1911 actinomycete strains for diterpenoid discovery. A total of 488 potential diterpenoid producers were identified, among which six were confirmed as platensimycin and platencin dual producers and one as a viguiepinol and oxaloterpin producer. While the method as described is most appropriate to prioritize strains for discovering specific natural products, variations of this method should be applicable to the discovery of other classes of natural products. Applications of genome sequencing and genome mining to the high-priority strains could essentially eliminate the chance elements from traditional discovery programs and fundamentally change how natural products are discovered. PMID:25238028

Primary healthcare provider knowledge, beliefs and clinic-based practices regarding alternative tobacco products and marijuana: a qualitative study

PubMed Central

Bascombe, Ta Misha S.; Scott, Kimberly N.; Ballard, Denise; Smith, Samantha A.; Thompson, Winifred; Berg, Carla J.

2016-01-01

Use prevalence of alternative tobacco products and marijuana has increased dramatically. Unfortunately, clinical guidelines have focused on traditional cigarettes with limited attention regarding these emerging public health issues. Thus, it is critical to understand how healthcare professionals view this issue and are responding to it. This qualitative study explored knowledge, beliefs and clinic-based practices regarding traditional and alternative tobacco products (cigar-like products, smokeless tobacco, hookah, e-cigarettes) and marijuana among rural and urban Georgia primary healthcare providers. The sample comprised 20 healthcare providers in primary care settings located in the Atlanta Metropolitan area and rural southern Georgia who participated in semi-structured interviews. Results indicated a lack of knowledge about these products, with some believing that some products were less harmful than traditional cigarettes or that they may be effective in promoting cessation or harm reduction. Few reported explicitly assessing use of these various products in clinic. In addition, healthcare providers reported a need for empirical evidence to inform their clinical practice. Healthcare providers must systematically assess use of the range of tobacco products and marijuana. Evidence-based recommendations or information sources are needed to inform clinical practice and help providers navigate conversations with patients using or inquiring about these products. PMID:26802106

A comparative human health risk assessment of p-dichlorobenzene-based toilet rimblock products versus fragrance/surfactant-based alternatives.

PubMed

Aronson, Dallas B; Bosch, Stephen; Gray, D Anthony; Howard, Philip H; Guiney, Patrick D

2007-10-01

A comparison of the human health risk to consumers using one of two types of toilet rimblock products, either a p-dichlorobenzene-based rimblock or two newer fragrance/surfactant-based alternatives, was conducted. Rimblock products are designed for global use by consumers worldwide and function by releasing volatile compounds into indoor air with subsequent exposure presumed to be mainly by inhalation of indoor air. Using the THERdbASE exposure model and experimentally determined emission data, indoor air concentrations and daily intake values were determined for both types of rimblock products. Modeled exposure concentrations from a representative p-dichlorobenzene rimblock product are an order of magnitude higher than those from the alternative rimblock products due to its nearly pure composition and high sublimation rate. Lifetime exposure to p-dichlorobenzene or the subset of fragrance components with available RfD values is not expected to lead to non-cancer-based adverse health effects based on the exposure concentrations estimated using the THERdbASE model. A similar comparison of cancer-based effects was not possible as insufficient data were available for the fragrance components.

Methods for Characterization of Alternative RNA Splicing.

PubMed

Harvey, Samuel E; Cheng, Chonghui

2016-01-01

Quantification of alternative splicing to detect the abundance of differentially spliced isoforms of a gene in total RNA can be accomplished via RT-PCR using both quantitative real-time and semi-quantitative PCR methods. These methods require careful PCR primer design to ensure specific detection of particular splice isoforms. We also describe analysis of alternative splicing using a splicing "minigene" in mammalian cell tissue culture to facilitate investigation of the regulation of alternative splicing of a particular exon of interest.

The influence of base rates on correlations: An evaluation of proposed alternative effect sizes with real-world data.

PubMed

Babchishin, Kelly M; Helmus, Leslie-Maaike

2016-09-01

Correlations are the simplest and most commonly understood effect size statistic in psychology. The purpose of the current paper was to use a large sample of real-world data (109 correlations with 60,415 participants) to illustrate the base rate dependence of correlations when applied to dichotomous or ordinal data. Specifically, we examined the influence of the base rate on different effect size metrics. Correlations decreased when the dichotomous variable did not have a 50 % base rate. The higher the deviation from a 50 % base rate, the smaller the observed Pearson's point-biserial and Kendall's tau correlation coefficients. In contrast, the relationship between base rate deviations and the more commonly proposed alternatives (i.e., polychoric correlation coefficients, AUCs, Pearson/Thorndike adjusted correlations, and Cohen's d) were less remarkable, with AUCs being most robust to attenuation due to base rates. In other words, the base rate makes a marked difference in the magnitude of the correlation. As such, when using dichotomous data, the correlation may be more sensitive to base rates than is optimal for the researcher's goals. Given the magnitude of the association between the base rate and point-biserial correlations (r = -.81) and Kendall's tau (r = -.80), we recommend that AUCs, Pearson/Thorndike adjusted correlations, Cohen's d, or polychoric correlations should be considered as alternate effect size statistics in many contexts.

Use of electronic cigarettes and alternative tobacco products among Romanian adolescents.

PubMed

Nădăşan, Valentin; Foley, Kristie L; Pénzes, Melinda; Paulik, Edit; Mihăicuţă, Ştefan; Ábrám, Zoltán; Bálint, Jozsef; Urbán, Robert

2016-03-01

To assess socio-demographic and smoking-related correlates of e-cigarette and alternative tobacco products (ATPs) use in a multi-ethnic group of adolescents in Tîrgu Mures, Romania. The cross-sectional study included 1835 high school students from Tirgu Mures, Romania. Socio-demographic variables and data about smoking and e-cigarettes and ATP use were collected using an online questionnaire. Chi-square tests or one-way ANOVA were applied to compare never smokers, non-current smokers, and current smokers. Multiple logistic regression was conducted to determine the correlates of e-cigarettes and ATP use. The most frequently tried non-cigarette nicotine and tobacco products were e-cigarette (38.5 %), cigar (31.4 %) and waterpipe (21.1 %). Ever trying and current use of cigarettes were the most important correlates of e-cigarette and ATPs use. Sex, ethnicity, sensation seeking and perceived peer smoking were correlates of several ATPs use. The results of this study may inform the development of tailored tobacco control programs.

Interactive Visualization of Near Real Time and Production Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Mission Data Online Using CesiumJS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lammers, Matthew

2016-01-01

Advancements in the capabilities of JavaScript frameworks and web browsing technology make online visualization of large geospatial datasets viable. Commonly this is done using static image overlays, prerendered animations, or cumbersome geoservers. These methods can limit interactivity andor place a large burden on server-side post-processing and storage of data. Geospatial data, and satellite data specifically, benefit from being visualized both on and above a three-dimensional surface. The open-source JavaScript framework CesiumJS, developed by Analytical Graphics, Inc., leverages the WebGL protocol to do just that. It has entered the void left by the abandonment of the Google Earth Web API, and it serves as a capable and well-maintained platform upon which data can be displayed. This paper will describe the technology behind the two primary products developed as part of the NASA Precipitation Processing System STORM website: GPM Near Real Time Viewer (GPMNRTView) and STORM Virtual Globe (STORM VG). GPMNRTView reads small post-processed CZML files derived from various Level 1 through 3 near real-time products. For swath-based products, several brightness temperature channels or precipitation-related variables are available for animating in virtual real-time as the satellite-observed them on and above the Earths surface. With grid-based products, only precipitation rates are available, but the grid points are visualized in such a way that they can be interactively examined to explore raw values. STORM VG reads values directly off the HDF5 files, converting the information into JSON on the fly. All data points both on and above the surface can be examined here as well. Both the raw values and, if relevant, elevations are displayed. Surface and above-ground precipitation rates from select Level 2 and 3 products are shown. Examples from both products will be shown, including visuals from high impact events observed by GPM constellation satellites.

Bioethanol production from renewable sources as alternative valorization of waste of starting dates in south Algeria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mehani, Insaf; Bouchekima, Bachir

2018-05-01

The necessary reduction and progressive consumption of fossil fuels, whose scarcity is inevitable, involves mobilizing a set of alternatives. Renewable energy, including bio energy is an alternative to the depletion of fossil fuels and a way to fight against the harmful effects of pollution that undergoes the environment. In Algeria, the conditioning units of dates generate significant quantities of waste arising from sorting deviations. This biomass, until then considered as a waste with high impact on the environment can be transformed into high value added product. It is possible to develop common dates of low commercial value, and put on the local and international market a new generation of products with high added values such as bio ethanol. Besides its use in chemical synthesis, bio ethanol can be blended with gasoline to produce a clean fuel while improving the octane. The objective of the present work is to study the feasibility and productivity of generating bio ethanol in laboratory from the transformation of common date using anaerobic fermentation and distillation processes. After an alcoholic fermentation of the substrate of the date using bakery yeast at 30°C for 72 h, the distilled and rectified date juice generated the highest ethanol 88° with acceptable productions.

[Development and application of real-time PCR for identification and detection of horse meat in animal-origin products].

PubMed

Li, Nan; Wang, Jiahui; Shen, Qing; Han, Chunhui; Zhang, Jing; Li, Fengqin; Xu, Jin; Jiang, Tao

2013-11-01

To develop a real-time PCR method for identification and detection of domestic horse meat (Equus caballus) in animal-origin products. The primer and TaqMan-probe was designed and synthesized according to the EU reference laboratory and 87 bp fragments was amplified for horse ingredients. The specificity and sensitivity was tested by artificially spiked horse meat into other domestic meat, such as cattle, sheep, pork, chicken, duck and rabbit. 122 samples of cattle and sheep products were random collected in Beijing market and the detection of horse meat was carried out. The real-time PCR in this study has high specificity and sensitivity for horse meat. No cross-reaction was observed between the horse and sheep, pork, chicken, duck and rabbit meat. There was little cross reaction between horse and cattle when the CT value reach 33. 81. The method can detect 0.1% of horse meat mixed with other domestic animal-origin products. No horse meat ingredients were detected in 122 samples in this survey. There was no horse meat mixed into cattle and sheep products in Beijing marked.

Alternative Assessment--Can Real-World Skills Be Tested? Policy Briefs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Simon, Karen; Gregg, Soleil

Many educators are shifting their teaching strategies and approaches to include more emphasis on critical thinking skills, the communication of ideas, a variety of approaches to content emphasizing varied student learning styles, and the need to draw explicit connections among topics for retention of learning. Real-world assessment measures, then,…

Alternative Agricultural Enterprises. Production, Management & Marketing.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fox, Linda Kirk; And Others

These nine cooperative extension bulletins provide basic information on various alternative agricultural enterprises. Discussed in the first eight bulletins are the following topics: business ownership (sole proprietorship, partnership, incorporation, cooperatives); business and the family (goals, qualifications, ways of ensuring family support,…

Primary healthcare provider knowledge, beliefs and clinic-based practices regarding alternative tobacco products and marijuana: a qualitative study.

PubMed

Bascombe, Ta Misha S; Scott, Kimberly N; Ballard, Denise; Smith, Samantha A; Thompson, Winifred; Berg, Carla J

2016-06-01

Use prevalence of alternative tobacco products and marijuana has increased dramatically. Unfortunately, clinical guidelines have focused on traditional cigarettes with limited attention regarding these emerging public health issues. Thus, it is critical to understand how healthcare professionals view this issue and are responding to it. This qualitative study explored knowledge, beliefs and clinic-based practices regarding traditional and alternative tobacco products (cigar-like products, smokeless tobacco, hookah, e-cigarettes) and marijuana among rural and urban Georgia primary healthcare providers. The sample comprised 20 healthcare providers in primary care settings located in the Atlanta Metropolitan area and rural southern Georgia who participated in semi-structured interviews. Results indicated a lack of knowledge about these products, with some believing that some products were less harmful than traditional cigarettes or that they may be effective in promoting cessation or harm reduction. Few reported explicitly assessing use of these various products in clinic. In addition, healthcare providers reported a need for empirical evidence to inform their clinical practice. Healthcare providers must systematically assess use of the range of tobacco products and marijuana. Evidence-based recommendations or information sources are needed to inform clinical practice and help providers navigate conversations with patients using or inquiring about these products. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

A Statistical Review of Alternative Zinc and Copper Extraction from Mineral Fertilizers and Industrial By-Products.

PubMed

Cenciani de Souza, Camila Prado; Aparecida de Abreu, Cleide; Coscione, Aline Renée; Alberto de Andrade, Cristiano; Teixeira, Luiz Antonio Junqueira; Consolini, Flavia

2018-01-01

Rapid, accurate, and low-cost alternative analytical methods for micronutrient quantification in fertilizers are fundamental in QC. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu) content in mineral fertilizers and industrial by-products determined by the alternative methods USEPA 3051a, 10% HCl, and 10% H2SO4 are statistically equivalent to the standard method, consisting of hot-plate digestion using concentrated HCl. The commercially marketed Zn and Cu sources in Brazil consisted of oxides, carbonate, and sulfate fertilizers and by-products consisting of galvanizing ash, galvanizing sludge, brass ash, and brass or scrap slag. The contents of sources ranged from 15 to 82% and 10 to 45%, respectively, for Zn and Cu. The Zn and Cu contents refer to the variation of the elements found in the different sources evaluated with the concentrated HCl method as shown in Table 1. A protocol based on the following criteria was used for the statistical analysis assessment of the methods: F-test modified by Graybill, t-test for the mean error, and linear correlation coefficient analysis. In terms of equivalents, 10% HCl extraction was equivalent to the standard method for Zn, and the results of the USEPA 3051a and 10% HCl methods indicated that these methods were equivalents for Cu. Therefore, these methods can be considered viable alternatives to the standard method of determination for Cu and Zn in mineral fertilizers and industrial by-products in future research for their complete validation.

Functional and organic eggs as an alternative to conventional production: a conjoint analysis of consumers' preferences.

PubMed

Mesías, Francisco J; Martínez-Carrasco, Federico; Martínez, José M; Gaspar, Paula

2011-02-01

In the current context of growing consumer demand for foodstuffs that are healthy and safe and that are obtained in a manner respectful to the welfare of animals, the analysis of consumer preferences towards attributes of this type takes on particular importance. These trends are especially clear in the case of the consumption of eggs because of their strong negative association with cholesterol levels and their extremely intensive systems of production. The introduction of variants that are more in harmony with current consumer demands represents an interesting market alternative. The present study was aimed at investigating the preferences of Spanish consumers for these alternative types of egg that are entering the market. The survey was conducted with 361 consumers from October 2007 to March 2008. The conjoint analysis allowed us to estimate the relative importance of the main attributes that affect consumer preferences for eggs and to distinguish segments of consumers with similar preference profiles. It was found that price is the most important attribute determining consumer preferences, followed by the hens' feed and their rearing conditions. It was also found that only some groups of consumers are willing to pay the premium necessary for alternative methods of production. 2010 Society of Chemical Industry.

Exclusive diffractive production of real photons and vector mesons in a factorized Regge-pole model with nonlinear Pomeron trajectory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fazio, S.; Fiore, R.; Jenkovszky, L.; Lavorini, A.

2012-03-01

Exclusive diffractive production of real photons and vector mesons in ep collisions has been studied at HERA in a wide kinematic range. Here we present and discuss a Regge-type model of real photon production (deeply virtual Compton scattering), as well as production of vector mesons treated on the same footing by using an extension of a factorized Regge-pole model proposed earlier. The model has been fitted to the HERA data. Despite the very small number of the free parameters, the model gives a satisfactory description of the experimental data, both for the total cross section as a function of the photon virtuality Q2 or the energy W in the center of mass of the γ*p system, and the differential cross sections as a function of the squared four-momentum transfer t with fixed Q2 and W.

A Preliminary Examination of the Second Generation CMORPH Real-time Production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Joyce, R.; Xie, P.; Wu, S.

2017-12-01

The second generation CMORPH (CMORPH2) has started test real-time production of 30-minute precipitation estimates on a 0.05olat/lon grid over the entire globe, from pole-to-pole. The CMORPH2 is built upon the Kalman Filter based CMORPH algorithm of Joyce and Xie (2011). Inputs to the system include rainfall and snowfall rate retrievals from passive microwave (PMW) measurements aboard all available low earth orbit (LEO) satellites, precipitation estimates derived from infrared (IR) observations of geostationary (GEO) and LEO platforms, and precipitation simulations from the NCEP operational global forecast system (GFS). Inputs from the various sources are first inter-calibrated to ensure quantitative consistencies in representing precipitation events of different intensities through PDF calibration against a common reference standard. The inter-calibrated PMW retrievals and IR-based precipitation estimates are then propagated from their respective observation times to the target analysis time along the motion vectors of the precipitating clouds. Motion vectors are first derived separately from the satellite IR based precipitation estimates and the GFS precipitation fields. These individually derived motion vectors are then combined through a 2D-VAR technique to form an analyzed field of cloud motion vectors over the entire globe. The propagated PMW and IR based precipitation estimates are finally integrated into a single field of global precipitation through the Kalman Filter framework. A set of procedures have been established to examine the performance of the CMORPH2 real-time production. CMORPH2 satellite precipitation estimates are compared against the CPC daily gauge analysis, Stage IV radar precipitation over the CONUS, and numerical model forecasts to discover potential shortcomings and quantify improvements against the first generation CMORPH. Special attention has been focused on the CMORPH behavior over high-latitude areas beyond the coverage of the first

Grammatical Planning Units during Real-Time Sentence Production in Speakers with Agrammatic Aphasia and Healthy Speakers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Jiyeon; Yoshida, Masaya; Thompson, Cynthia K.

2015-01-01

Purpose: Grammatical encoding (GE) is impaired in agrammatic aphasia; however, the nature of such deficits remains unclear. We examined grammatical planning units during real-time sentence production in speakers with agrammatic aphasia and control speakers, testing two competing models of GE. We queried whether speakers with agrammatic aphasia…

Real estate investments demand strategic planning, objectives.

PubMed

Bermas, N F

1991-10-01

Real estate may present a great opportunity for institutions to positively affect their bottom lines. But it takes planning and foresight to achieve a solid real estate plan. In the following article, the author describes the process necessary to develop a program that goes beyond converting empty buildings into nursing homes. The process goes from identifying strategic objectives to examining financial alternatives and preparing an implementation plan.

PERTS: A Prototyping Environment for Real-Time Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liu, Jane W. S.; Lin, Kwei-Jay; Liu, C. L.

1993-01-01

PERTS is a prototyping environment for real-time systems. It is being built incrementally and will contain basic building blocks of operating systems for time-critical applications, tools, and performance models for the analysis, evaluation and measurement of real-time systems and a simulation/emulation environment. It is designed to support the use and evaluation of new design approaches, experimentations with alternative system building blocks, and the analysis and performance profiling of prototype real-time systems.

Special Section: Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM):Quiz on Complementary and Alternative Medicine

MedlinePlus

... Special Section CAM Quiz on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Past Issues / Winter 2009 Table of Contents For ... low back pain. True False Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) includes: Meditation Chiropractic Use of natural products, ...

Long-term influence of alternative forest management treatments on total ecosystem and wood product carbon storage

Treesearch

Joshua J. Puhlick; Aaron R. Weiskittel; Ivan J. Fernandez; Shawn Fraver; Laura S. Kenefic; Robert S. Seymour; Randall K. Kolka; Lindsey E. Rustad; John C. Brissette

2016-01-01

Developing strategies for reducing atmospheric CO2 is one of the foremost challenges facing natural resource professionals today. The goal of this study was to evaluate total ecosystem and harvested wood product carbon (C) stocks among alternative forest management treatments (selection cutting, shelterwood cutting, commercial clearcutting, and...

Linear programming: an alternative approach for developing formulations for emergency food products.

PubMed

Sheibani, Ershad; Dabbagh Moghaddam, Arasb; Sharifan, Anousheh; Afshari, Zahra

2018-03-01

To minimize the mortality rates of individuals affected by disasters, providing high-quality food relief during the initial stages of an emergency is crucial. The goal of this study was to develop a formulation for a high-energy, nutrient-dense prototype using linear programming (LP) model as a novel method for developing formulations for food products. The model consisted of the objective function and the decision variables, which were the formulation costs and weights of the selected commodities, respectively. The LP constraints were the Institute of Medicine and the World Health Organization specifications of the content of nutrients in the product. Other constraints related to the product's sensory properties were also introduced to the model. Nonlinear constraints for energy ratios of nutrients were linearized to allow their use in the LP. Three focus group studies were conducted to evaluate the palatability and other aspects of the optimized formulation. New constraints were introduced to the LP model based on the focus group evaluations to improve the formulation. LP is an appropriate tool for designing formulations of food products to meet a set of nutritional requirements. This method is an excellent alternative to the traditional 'trial and error' method in designing formulations. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

Name-letter branding under scrutiny: real products, new algorithms, and the probability of buying.

PubMed

Stieger, Stefan

2010-06-01

People like letters matching their own first and last name initials more than nonname letters. This name-letter effect has also been found for brands, i.e., people like brands resembling their own name letters (initial or first three). This has been termed name-letter branding effect. In the present study of 199 participants, ages 12 to 79 years, this name-letter branding effect was found for a modified design (1) using real products, (2) concentrating on product names rather than brand names, (3) using five different products for each letter of the Roman alphabet, (4) asking for the buying probability, and (5) using recently introduced algorithms, controlling for individual response tendencies (i.e., liking all letters more or less) and general normative popularity of particular letters (i.e., some letters are generally preferred more than other letters).

Alternative models of climatic effects on sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) productivity in Bristol Bay, Alaska, and the Fraser River, British Columbia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Adkison, M.; Peterman, R.; Lapointe, M.; Gillis, D.; Korman, J.

1996-01-01

We compare alternative models of sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) productivity (returns per spawner) using more than 30 years of catch and escapement data for Bristol Bay, Alaska, and the Fraser River, British Columbia. The models examined include several alternative forms of models that incorporate climatic influences as well as models not based on climate. For most stocks, a stationary stock-recruitment relationship explains very little of the interannual variation in productivity. In Bristol Bay, productivity co-varies among stocks and appears to be strongly related to fluctuations in climate. The best model for Bristol Bay sockeye involved a change in the 1970s in the parameters of the Ricker stock-recruitment curve; the stocks generally became more productive. In contrast, none of the models of Fraser River stocks that we examined explained much of the variability in their productivity.

Integrating landslide and liquefaction hazard and loss estimates with existing USGS real-time earthquake information products

USGS Publications Warehouse

Allstadt, Kate E.; Thompson, Eric M.; Hearne, Mike; Nowicki Jessee, M. Anna; Zhu, J.; Wald, David J.; Tanyas, Hakan

2017-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has made significant progress toward the rapid estimation of shaking and shakingrelated losses through their Did You Feel It? (DYFI), ShakeMap, ShakeCast, and PAGER products. However, quantitative estimates of the extent and severity of secondary hazards (e.g., landsliding, liquefaction) are not currently included in scenarios and real-time post-earthquake products despite their significant contributions to hazard and losses for many events worldwide. We are currently running parallel global statistical models for landslides and liquefaction developed with our collaborators in testing mode, but much work remains in order to operationalize these systems. We are expanding our efforts in this area by not only improving the existing statistical models, but also by (1) exploring more sophisticated, physics-based models where feasible; (2) incorporating uncertainties; and (3) identifying and undertaking research and product development to provide useful landslide and liquefaction estimates and their uncertainties. Although our existing models use standard predictor variables that are accessible globally or regionally, including peak ground motions, topographic slope, and distance to water bodies, we continue to explore readily available proxies for rock and soil strength as well as other susceptibility terms. This work is based on the foundation of an expanding, openly available, case-history database we are compiling along with historical ShakeMaps for each event. The expected outcome of our efforts is a robust set of real-time secondary hazards products that meet the needs of a wide variety of earthquake information users. We describe the available datasets and models, developments currently underway, and anticipated products. 

UNAVCO GPS High-Rate and Real-Time Products and Services: Building a next generation geodetic network.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mencin, David; Meertens, Charles; Mattioli, Glen; Feaux, Karl; Looney, Sara; Sievers, Charles; Austin, Ken

2013-04-01

Recent advances in GPS technology and data processing are providing position estimates with centimeter-level precision at high-rate (1-5 Hz) and low latency (<1 s). Broad community interest in these data is growing rapidly because these data will have the potential to improve our understanding in diverse areas of geophysics including properties of seismic, volcanic, magmatic and tsunami deformation sources, and moreover profoundly transforming rapid event characterization, early warning, as well as hazard mitigation and response. Other scientific and operational applications for high-rate GPS also include glacier and ice sheet motions, tropospheric modeling, and better constraints on the dynamics of space weather. UNAVCO, through community input and the recent Plate Boundary Observatory (PBO) NSF-ARRA Cascadia initiative, has nearly completed the process of upgrading a total of 373 PBO GPS sites to real-time high-rate capability and these streams are now being archived in the UNAVCO data center. Further, through the UNAVCO core proposal (GAGE), currently under review at NSF, UNAVCO has proposed upgrading a significant portion of the ~1100 GPS stations that PBO currently operates to real-time high-rate capability to address community science and operational needs. In addition, in collaboration with NOAA, 74 of these stations will provide meteorological data in real-time, primarily to support watershed and flood analyses for regional early-warning systems related to NOAA's work with California Department of Water Resources. In preparation for this increased emphasis on high-rate GPS data, UNAVCO hosted an NSF funded workshop in Boulder, CO on March 26-28, 2012, which brought together 70 participants representing a spectrum of research fields with a goal to develop a community plan for the use of real-time GPS data products within the UNAVCO and EarthScope communities. These data products are expected to improve and expand the use of real-time, high-rate GPS data over

Plain Talk about Alternative Assessment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cheek, Dennis W.

1993-01-01

Testing is a technology, a socially mediated, value-laden endeavor. Technologies embody trade-offs between what is desired and real-world constraints of cost, time, thought, and energy. Although alternative assessments offer exciting prospects for middle schools, these new forms must not be misused or naively accepted as defensible, consummate…

An alternative feedstock of corn meal for industrial fuel ethanol production: delignified corncob residue.

PubMed

Lei, Cheng; Zhang, Jian; Xiao, Lin; Bao, Jie

2014-09-01

Delignified corncob residue is an industrial solid waste from xylose production using corncob as feedstock. In this study, delignified corncob residue was used as the feedstock of ethanol production by simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) and the optimal fermentation performance was investigated under various operation conditions. The ethanol titer and yield reached 75.07 g/L and 89.38%, respectively, using a regular industrial yeast strain at moderate cellulase dosage and high solids loading. A uniform SSF temperature of 37°C at both prehydrolysis and SSF stages was tested. The fermentation performance and cost of delignified corncob residue and corn meal was compared as feedstock of ethanol fermentation. The result shows that the delignified corncob residue is competitive to corn meal as ethanol production feedstock. The study gives a typical case to demonstrate the potential of intensively processed lignocellulose as the alternative feedstock of corn meal for industrial fuel ethanol production. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Exact evaluations of some Meijer G-functions and probability of all eigenvalues real for the product of two Gaussian matrices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Santosh

2015-11-01

We provide a proof to a recent conjecture by Forrester (2014 J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 47 065202) regarding the algebraic and arithmetic structure of Meijer G-functions which appear in the expression for probability of all eigenvalues real for the product of two real Gaussian matrices. In the process we come across several interesting identities involving Meijer G-functions.

Alternative metrics for real-ear-to-coupler difference average values in children.

PubMed

Blumsack, Judith T; Clark-Lewis, Sandra; Watts, Kelli M; Wilson, Martha W; Ross, Margaret E; Soles, Lindsey; Ennis, Cydney

2014-10-01

Ideally, individual real-ear-to-coupler difference (RECD) measurements are obtained for pediatric hearing instrument-fitting purposes. When RECD measurements cannot be obtained, age-related average RECDs based on typically developing North American children are used. Evidence suggests that these values may not be appropriate for populations of children with retarded growth patterns. The purpose of this study was to determine if another metric, such as head circumference, height, or weight, can be used for prediction of RECDs in children. Design was a correlational study. For all participants, RECD values in both ears, head circumference, height, and weight were measured. The sample consisted of 68 North American children (ages 3-11 yr). Height, weight, head circumference, and RECDs were measured and were analyzed for both ears at 500, 750, 1000, 1500, 2000, 3000, 4000, and 6000 Hz. A backward elimination multiple-regression analysis was used to determine if age, height, weight, and/or head circumference are significant predictors of RECDs. For the left ear, head circumference was retained as the only statistically significant variable in the final model. For the right ear, head circumference was retained as the only statistically significant independent variable at all frequencies except at 2000 and 4000 Hz. At these latter frequencies, weight was retained as the only statistically significant independent variable after all other variables were eliminated. Head circumference can be considered as a metric for RECD prediction in children when individual measurements cannot be obtained. In developing countries where equipment is often unavailable and stunted growth can reduce the value of using age as a metric, head circumference can be considered as an alternative metric in the prediction of RECDs. American Academy of Audiology.

Real-time polymerase chain reaction in transfusion medicine: applications for detection of bacterial contamination in blood products.

PubMed

Dreier, Jens; Störmer, Melanie; Kleesiek, Knut

2007-07-01

Bacterial contamination of blood components, particularly of platelet concentrates (PCs), represents the greatest infectious risk in blood transfusion. Although the incidence of platelet bacterial contamination is approximately 1 per 2,000 U, the urgent need for a method for the routine screening of PCs to improve safety for patients had not been considered for a long time. Besides the culturing systems, which will remain the criterion standard, rapid methods for sterility screening will play a more important role in transfusion medicine in the future. In particular, nucleic acid amplification techniques (NATs) are powerful potential tools for bacterial screening assays. The combination of excellent sensitivity and specificity, reduced contamination risk, ease of performance, and speed has made real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology an appealing alternative to conventional culture-based testing methods. When using real-time PCR for the detection of bacterial contamination, several points have to be considered. The main focus is the choice of the target gene; the assay format; the nucleic acid extraction method, depending on the sample type; and the evaluation of an ideal sampling strategy. However, several factors such as the availability of bacterial-derived nucleic acid amplification reagents, the impracticability, and the cost have limited the use of NATs until now. Attempts to reduce the presence of contaminating nucleic acids from reagents in real-time PCR have been described, but none of these approaches have proven to be very effective or to lower the sensitivity of the assay. Recently, a number of broad-range NAT assays targeting the 16S ribosomal DNA or 23S ribosomal RNA for the detection of bacteria based on real-time technology have been reported. This review will give a short survey of current approaches to and the limitations of the application of real-time PCR for bacterial detection in blood components, with emphasis on the bacterial

PERTS: A Prototyping Environment for Real-Time Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liu, Jane W. S.; Lin, Kwei-Jay; Liu, C. L.

1991-01-01

We discuss an ongoing project to build a Prototyping Environment for Real-Time Systems, called PERTS. PERTS is a unique prototyping environment in that it has (1) tools and performance models for the analysis and evaluation of real-time prototype systems, (2) building blocks for flexible real-time programs and the support system software, (3) basic building blocks of distributed and intelligent real time applications, and (4) an execution environment. PERTS will make the recent and future theoretical advances in real-time system design and engineering readily usable to practitioners. In particular, it will provide an environment for the use and evaluation of new design approaches, for experimentation with alternative system building blocks and for the analysis and performance profiling of prototype real-time systems.

An Evaluation of Alternatives to Nitrites and Sulfites to Inhibit the Growth of Salmonella enterica and Listeria monocytogenes in Meat Products

PubMed Central

Lamas, Alexandre; Miranda, José Manuel; Vázquez, Beatriz; Cepeda, Alberto; Franco, Carlos Manuel

2016-01-01

In recent years, the use of nitrites and sulfites as food preservatives has been a cause for concern due to the health problems that these additives can cause in humans. Natural products have been studied as an alternative, but most of them have hardly been applied in the food industry for technological and economic reasons. In this sense, organic salts such as sodium acetate are a good alternative due to their affordability. Thus, this study evaluated the capacity of sodium nitrite, sodium sulfite, a sodium acetate product (TQI C-6000), and chitosan to inhibit two important foodborne pathogens, Salmonella enterica and Listeria monocytogenes. The MIC of each chemical was in vitro evaluated and their antibacterial action was subsequently checked in situ using minced meat as a food model. MIC values of sodium nitrite (10,000 mg/L) and sodium sulfite (50,000 mg/L) for Salmonella enterica were higher than the values allowed by legislation (450 mg/L for sulfites and 150 mg/L for nitrites). Additionally, the sodium acetate product caused the inhibition of Salmonella enterica and Listeria at a relative low quantity. The two foodborne pathogens were inhibited in the food model with 1% of the sodium acetate product. Additionally, there were no significant differences between sodium nitrite, sodium sulfite, and sodium acetate products in the inhibition of Salmonella enterica and Listeria monocytogenes in the food model. Thus, products based on sodium acetate can be an alternative to traditional preservatives in food products. PMID:28231169

An Evaluation of Alternatives to Nitrites and Sulfites to Inhibit the Growth of Salmonella enterica and Listeria monocytogenes in Meat Products.

PubMed

Lamas, Alexandre; Miranda, José Manuel; Vázquez, Beatriz; Cepeda, Alberto; Franco, Carlos Manuel

2016-10-31

In recent years, the use of nitrites and sulfites as food preservatives has been a cause for concern due to the health problems that these additives can cause in humans. Natural products have been studied as an alternative, but most of them have hardly been applied in the food industry for technological and economic reasons. In this sense, organic salts such as sodium acetate are a good alternative due to their affordability. Thus, this study evaluated the capacity of sodium nitrite, sodium sulfite, a sodium acetate product (TQI C-6000), and chitosan to inhibit two important foodborne pathogens, Salmonella enterica and Listeria monocytogenes . The MIC of each chemical was in vitro evaluated and their antibacterial action was subsequently checked in situ using minced meat as a food model. MIC values of sodium nitrite (10,000 mg/L) and sodium sulfite (50,000 mg/L) for Salmonella enterica were higher than the values allowed by legislation (450 mg/L for sulfites and 150 mg/L for nitrites). Additionally, the sodium acetate product caused the inhibition of Salmonella enterica and Listeria at a relative low quantity. The two foodborne pathogens were inhibited in the food model with 1% of the sodium acetate product. Additionally, there were no significant differences between sodium nitrite, sodium sulfite, and sodium acetate products in the inhibition of Salmonella enterica and Listeria monocytogenes in the food model. Thus, products based on sodium acetate can be an alternative to traditional preservatives in food products.

Improving AirNow Air Quality Products with NASA Near-Real-Time Remote Sensing Data (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dye, T.; Pasch, A. N.; DeWinter, J. L.; Haderman, M.; Szykman, J.; White, J. E.; van Donkelaar, A.; Martin, R.

2013-12-01

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) AirNow program provides the public with real-time and forecasted air quality conditions. Millions of people each day use it to protect their health. The AirNow program (http://www.airnow.gov), reports ground-level ozone (O3) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in a standardized index called the Air Quality Index (AQI). AirNow aggregates information from over 130 state, local, and federal air quality agencies and provides tools for over 2,000 agency staff responsible for monitoring, forecasting, and communicating local air quality. Each hour, AirNow systems generate thousands of maps and products. This presentation will describe how AirNow is benefiting from NASA's remote sensing data. We will describe two applications of NASA near-real-time remote sensing data within AirNow through case studies, focusing specifically on days when large spatial gradients in AQI and wildfire smoke impacts were observed. The first case study will show how AirNow is merging satellite-estimated PM2.5 concentrations into the AQI maps via the AirNow Satellite Data Processor (ASDP). AirNow derives these satellite estimates using NASA/NOAA satellite aerosol optical depth (AOD) retrievals and GEOS-Chem modeled ratios of surface PM2.5 concentrations to AOD. The second case study will show how NASA's Global Image Browse Services (GIBS) provides a near-real-time satellite product in AirNow-Tech for agency users to quickly identify smoke plumes and access air quality conditions in data-sparse areas during wildland fires.

Use of Real Time Satellite Infrared and Ocean Color to Produce Ocean Products

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roffer, M. A.; Muller-Karger, F. E.; Westhaver, D.; Gawlikowski, G.; Upton, M.; Hall, C.

2014-12-01

Real-time data products derived from infrared and ocean color satellites are useful for several types of users around the world. Highly relevant applications include recreational and commercial fisheries, commercial towing vessel and other maritime and navigation operations, and other scientific and applied marine research. Uses of the data include developing sampling strategies for research programs, tracking of water masses and ocean fronts, optimizing ship routes, evaluating water quality conditions (coastal, estuarine, oceanic), and developing fisheries and essential fish habitat indices. Important considerations for users are data access and delivery mechanisms, and data formats. At this time, the data are being generated in formats increasingly available on mobile computing platforms, and are delivered through popular interfaces including social media (Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter and others), Google Earth and other online Geographical Information Systems, or are simply distributed via subscription by email. We review 30 years of applications and describe how we develop customized products and delivery mechanisms working directly with users. We review benefits and issues of access to government databases (NOAA, NASA, ESA), standard data products, and the conversion to tailored products for our users. We discuss advantages of different product formats and of the platforms used to display and to manipulate the data.

Real-time PCR quantification of Vibrio parahaemolyticus in oysters using an alternative matrix.

PubMed

Kaufman, G E; Blackstone, G M; Vickery, M C L; Bej, A K; Bowers, J; Bowen, Michael D; Meyer, Richard F; DePaola, A

2004-11-01

This study examined the relationship between levels of total Vibrio parahaemolyticus found in oyster tissues and mantle fluid with the goal of using mantle fluid as a template matrix in a new quantitative real-time PCR assay targeting the thermolabile hemolysin (tlh) gene for the enumeration of total V. parahaemolyticus in oysters. Oysters were collected near Mobile Bay, Ala., in June, July, and September and tested immediately after collection and storage at 26 degrees C for 24 h. Initial experiments using DNA colony hybridization targeting tlh demonstrated that natural V. parahaemolyticus levels in the mantle fluid of individual oysters were strongly correlated (r = 0.85, P < 0.05) with the levels found in their tissues. When known quantities of cultured V. parahaemolyticus cells were added to real-time PCR reactions that contained mantle fluid and oyster tissue matrices separately pooled from multiple oysters, a strong linear correlation was observed between the real-time PCR cycle threshold and the log concentration of cells inoculated into each PCR reaction (mantle fluid: r = 0.98, P < 0.05; and oyster: r = 0.99, P < 0.05). However, the mantle fluid exhibited less inhibition of the PCR amplification than the homogenized oyster tissue. Analysis of natural V. parahaemolyticus populations in mantle fluids using both colony hybridization and real-time PCR demonstrated a significant (P < 0.05) but reduced correlation (r = -0.48) between the two methods. Reductions in the efficiency of the real-time PCR that resulted from low population densities of V. parahaemolyticus and PCR inhibitors present in the mantle fluid of some oysters (with significant oyster-to-oyster variation) contributed to the reduction in correlation between the methods that was observed when testing natural V. parahaemolyticus populations. The V. parahaemolyticus-specific real-time PCR assay used for this study could estimate elevated V. parahaemolyticus levels in oyster mantle fluid within 1 h

Municipal solid waste processing and separation employing wet torrefaction for alternative fuel production and aluminum reclamation.

PubMed

Mu'min, Gea Fardias; Prawisudha, Pandji; Zaini, Ilman Nuran; Aziz, Muhammad; Pasek, Ari Darmawan

2017-09-01

This study employs wet torrefaction process (also known as hydrothermal) at low temperature. This process simultaneously acts as waste processing and separation of mixed waste, for subsequent utilization as an alternative fuel. The process is also applied for the delamination and separation of non-recyclable laminated aluminum waste into separable aluminum and plastic. A 2.5-L reactor was used to examine the wet torrefaction process at temperatures below 200°C. It was observed that the processed mixed waste was converted into two different products: a mushy organic part and a bulky plastic part. Using mechanical separation, the two products can be separated into a granular organic product and a plastic bulk for further treatment. TGA analysis showed that no changes in the plastic composition and no intrusion from plastic fraction to the organic fraction. It can be proclaimed that both fractions have been completely separated by wet torrefaction. The separated plastic fraction product obtained from the wet torrefaction treatment also contained relatively high calorific value (approximately 44MJ/kg), therefore, justifying its use as an alternative fuel. The non-recyclable plastic fraction of laminated aluminum was observed to be delaminated and separated from its aluminum counterpart at a temperature of 170°C using an additional acetic acid concentration of 3%, leaving less than 25% of the plastic content in the aluminum part. Plastic products from both samples had high calorific values of more than 30MJ/kg, which is sufficient to be converted and used as a fuel. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Application of troposphere model from NWP and GNSS data into real-time precise positioning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilgan, Karina; Hadas, Tomasz; Kazmierski, Kamil; Rohm, Witold; Bosy, Jaroslaw

2016-04-01

The tropospheric delay empirical models are usually functions of meteorological parameters (temperature, pressure and humidity). The application of standard atmosphere parameters or global models, such as GPT (global pressure/temperature) model or UNB3 (University of New Brunswick, version 3) model, may not be sufficient, especially for positioning in non-standard weather conditions. The possible solution is to use regional troposphere models based on real-time or near-real time measurements. We implement a regional troposphere model into the PPP (Precise Point Positioning) software GNSS-WARP (Wroclaw Algorithms for Real-time Positioning) developed at Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences. The software is capable of processing static and kinematic multi-GNSS data in real-time and post-processing mode and takes advantage of final IGS (International GNSS Service) products as well as IGS RTS (Real-Time Service) products. A shortcoming of PPP technique is the time required for the solution to converge. One of the reasons is the high correlation among the estimated parameters: troposphere delay, receiver clock offset and receiver height. To efficiently decorrelate these parameters, a significant change in satellite geometry is required. Alternative solution is to introduce the external high-quality regional troposphere delay model to constrain troposphere estimates. The proposed model consists of zenith total delays (ZTD) and mapping functions calculated from meteorological parameters from Numerical Weather Prediction model WRF (Weather Research and Forecasting) and ZTDs from ground-based GNSS stations using the least-squares collocation software COMEDIE (Collocation of Meteorological Data for Interpretation and Estimation of Tropospheric Pathdelays) developed at ETH Zurich.

Applications of Near Real-Time Image and Fire Products from MODIS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmaltz, J. E.; Ilavajhala, S.; Teague, M.; Ye, G.; Masuoka, E.; Davies, D.; Murphy, K. J.; Michael, K.

2010-12-01

NASA’s MODIS Rapid Response Project (http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/) has been providing MODIS fire detections and imagery in near real-time since 2001. The Rapid Response system is part of the Land and Atmospheres Near-real time Capability for EOS (LANCE-MODIS) system. Current capabilities include providing MODIS imagery in true color and false color band combinations, a vegetation index, and temperature - in both uncorrected swath format and geographically corrected subset regions. The geographically-corrected subsets images cover the world's land areas and adjoining waters, as well as the entire Arctic and Antarctic. These data are available within a few hours of data acquisition. The images are accessed by large number of user communities to obtain a rapid, 250 meter-resolution overview of ground conditions for fire management, crop and famine monitoring and forecasting, disaster response (fires, oil spills, floods, storms), dust and aerosol monitoring, aviation (tracking volcanic ash), monitoring sea ice conditions, environmental monitoring, and more. In addition, the scientific community uses imagery to locate phenomena of interest prior to ordering and processing data and to support the day-to-day planning of field campaigns. The MODIS Rapid Response project has also been providing a near real-time data feed on fire locations and MODIS imagery subsets to the Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS) project (http://maps.geog.umd.edu/firms). FIRMS provides timely availability of fire location information, which is essential in preventing and fighting large forest/wild fires. Products are available through a WebGIS for visualizing MODIS hotspots and MCD45 Burned Area images, an email alerting tool to deliver fire data on daily/weekly/near real-time basis, active data downloads in formats such as shape, KML, CSV, WMS, etc., along with MODIS imagery subsets. FIRMS’ user base covers more than 100 countries and territories. A recent user

Alternate Reality Games as Learning Environments for Student Induction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whitton, Nicola; Jones, Rosie; Wilson, Scott; Whitton, Peter

2014-01-01

Alternate reality games (ARGs) are a relatively new form of collaborative game that make use of both the virtual and real worlds to engage players in a series of challenges within a compelling narrative. The Alternate Reality Games for Orientation, Socialisation and Induction (ARGOSI) project aimed to use this game format to provide an alternative…

The psychology of ‘regrettable substitutions’: Examining consumer judgements of Bisphenol A and its alternatives

PubMed Central

Scherer, Laura D.; Maynard, Andrew; Dolinoy, Dana C.; Fagerlin, Angela; Zikmund-Fisher, Brian J.

2018-01-01

Bisphenol A is a chemical used to make certain types of plastics and is found in numerous consumer products. Because scientific studies have raised concerns about Bisphenol A’s potential impact on human health, it has been removed from some (but not all) products. What many consumers do not know, however, is that Bisphenol A is often replaced with other, less-studied chemicals whose health implications are virtually unknown. This type of situation is known as a potential ‘regrettable substitution’, because the substitute material might actually be worse than the material that it replaces. Regrettable substitutions are a common concern among policymakers, and they are a real-world manifestation of the tension that can exist between the desire to avoid risk (known possible consequences that might or might not occur) and ambiguity (second-order uncertainty), which is itself aversive. In this article we examine how people make such trade-offs using the example of Bisphenol A. Using data from Study 1, we show that people have inconsistent preferences toward these alternatives and that choice is largely determined by irrelevant contextual factors such as the order in which the alternatives are evaluated. Using data from Study 2 we further demonstrate that when people are informed of the presence of substitute chemicals, labeling the alternative product as ‘free’ of Bisphenol A causes them to be significantly more likely to choose the alternative despite its ambiguity. We discuss the relevance of these findings for extant psychological theories as well as their implications for risk, policy and health communication. PMID:29386966

NASA Langley Atmospheric Science Data Centers Near Real-Time Data Products

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davenport, T.; Parker, L.; Rinsland, P. L.

2014-12-01

Over the past decade the Atmospheric Science Data Center (ASDC) at NASA Langley Research Center has archived and distributed a variety of satellite mission data sets. NASA's goal in Earth science is to observe, understand, and model the Earth system to discover how it is changing, to better predict change, and to understand the consequences for life on Earth. The ASDC has collaborated with Science Teams to accommodate emerging science users in the climate and modeling communities. The ASDC has expanded its original role to support operational usage by related Earth Science satellites, support land and ocean assimilations, support of field campaigns, outreach programs, and application projects for agriculture and energy industries to bridge the gap between Earth science research results and the adoption of data and prediction capabilities for reliable and sustained use in Decision Support Systems (DSS). For example; these products are being used by the community performing data assimilations to regulate aerosol mass in global transport models to improve model response and forecast accuracy, to assess the performance of components of a global coupled atmospheric-ocean climate model, improve atmospheric motion vector (winds) impact on numerical weather prediction models, and to provide internet-based access to parameters specifically tailored to assist in the design of solar and wind powered renewable energy systems. These more focused applications often require Near Real-Time (NRT) products. Generating NRT products pose their own unique set challenges for the ASDC and the Science Teams. Examples of ASDC NRT products and challenges will be discussed.

Early Sentence Productions of 3- and 4-Year-Old Children Who Use Augmentative and Alternative Communication

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Binger, Cathy; Kent-Walsh, Jennifer; King, Marika; Mansfield, Lindsay

2017-01-01

Purpose: This study investigated the early rule-based sentence productions of 3- and 4-year-old children with severe speech disorders who used single-meaning graphic symbols to communicate. Method: Ten 3- and 4-year-olds requiring the use of augmentative and alternative communication, who had largely intact receptive language skills, received…

Taking an alternative risk.

PubMed

Sveska, K J

1998-01-01

Pharmacists and other health care providers that recommend "alternative medicines" could be exposed to malpractice as well as product liability claims in the event a patient is either injured by or has treatment inappropriately delayed based on their recommendation of such medicine. For purposes of this article, it is assumed that alternative medicines are nonprescription (over-the-counter [OTC]) food supplements, vitamins, herbs or other substances contained in commercially available products. Many of these products are sold in pharmacies or health food stores and have not been clinically tested or do not have a scientific basis for the use for which they are recommended.

Paralinguistic mechanisms of production in human "beatboxing": a real-time magnetic resonance imaging study.

PubMed

Proctor, Michael; Bresch, Erik; Byrd, Dani; Nayak, Krishna; Narayanan, Shrikanth

2013-02-01

Real-time magnetic resonance imaging (rtMRI) was used to examine mechanisms of sound production by an American male beatbox artist. rtMRI was found to be a useful modality with which to study this form of sound production, providing a global dynamic view of the midsagittal vocal tract at frame rates sufficient to observe the movement and coordination of critical articulators. The subject's repertoire included percussion elements generated using a wide range of articulatory and airstream mechanisms. Many of the same mechanisms observed in human speech production were exploited for musical effect, including patterns of articulation that do not occur in the phonologies of the artist's native languages: ejectives and clicks. The data offer insights into the paralinguistic use of phonetic primitives and the ways in which they are coordinated in this style of musical performance. A unified formalism for describing both musical and phonetic dimensions of human vocal percussion performance is proposed. Audio and video data illustrating production and orchestration of beatboxing sound effects are provided in a companion annotated corpus.

Summary of Plutonium-238 Production Alternatives Analysis Final Report

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

James Werner; Wade E. Bickford; David B. Lord

The Team implemented a two-phase evaluation process. During the first phase, a wide variety of past and new candidate facilities and processing methods were assessed against the criteria established by DOE for this assessment. Any system or system element selected for consideration as an alternative within the project to reestablish domestic production of Pu-238 must meet the following minimum criteria: Any required source material must be readily available in the United States, without requiring the development of reprocessing technologies or investments in systems to separate material from identified sources. It must be cost, schedule, and risk competitive with existing baselinemore » technology. Any identified facilities required to support the concept must be available to the program for the entire project life cycle (notionally 35 years, unless the concept is so novel as to require a shorter duration). It must present a solution that can generate at least 1.5 Kg of Pu-238 oxide per year, for at least 35 years. It must present a low-risk, near-term solution to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s urgent mission need. DOE has implemented this requirement by eliminating from project consideration any alternative with key technologies at less than Technology Readiness Level 5. The Team evaluated the options meeting these criteria using a more detailed assessment of the reasonable facility variations and compared them to the preferred option, which consists of target irradiation at the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) and the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR), target fabrication and chemical separations processing at the ORNL Radiochemical Engineering Development Center, and neptunium 237 storage at the Materials and Fuels Complex at INL. This preferred option is consistent with the Records of Decision from the earlier National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) documentation« less

What is the real price of hydroelectric production on the Senegal River?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raso, Luciano; Bader, Jean-Claude; Malaterre, Pierre-Olivier

2014-05-01

Manantali is an annual reservoir on the Senegal River, located in Mali and serving Senegal and Mauritania. The reservoir is used to regulate the flow for hydroelectric production, in the face of the extremely variable seasonal climate of the region. Manantali has been operative for about 10 years now, exceeding the planned production capacity. The economic benefit comes at a price. Before the dam's construction, the annual flood was the basis of flood recession agriculture, traditionally practiced by the local population. Hydroelectric production requires a more regular flow; therefore flow peaks that used to create the flood are now dumped in the reservoir. Floods are reduced because the current reservoir management privileges hydroelectric production to flood recession agriculture. Moreover, the local water authority is evaluating the construction of 6 more reservoirs, which will enhance even further the controllability of the river flow. This study assesses the externalities of energy production for the agricultural production, quantifying the reduction of flooded surface when energy production is maximized, or alternatively, the loss energy production to maintain a minimum sustainable flood. In addition, we examine the system reliability against extreme events, and how a better use of hydrological information can improve the present reservoir management, in order to find a win-win solution. In this study we employ Stochastic Dual Dynamic Programming (SDDP) methodology. SDDP is a leaner version of Stochastic Dynamic Programming (SDP). SDDP does not suffer of the "curse of dimensionality", and therefore it can be applied to larger systems. In this application we include in the model: i) A semi-distributed hydrological model, ii) the reservoir, iii) the hydraulic routing process within the catchment and from the reservoir to the floodplain.

Alternative Remedies

MedlinePlus

... is called complementary medicine . Alternative remedies can include herbal medicines, vitamins, and folk remedies. Safety and Side Effects People often feel more comfortable taking herbal remedies, thinking that because these products are "natural," ...

Dynamic I/O Power Management for Hard Real-Time Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-01-01

recently emerged as an attractive alternative to inflexible hardware solutions. DPM for hard real - time systems has received relatively little attention...In particular, energy-driven I/O device scheduling for real - time systems has not been considered before. We present the first online DPM algorithm...which we call Low Energy Device Scheduler (LEDES), for hard real - time systems . LEDES takes as inputs a predetermined task schedule and a device-usage

OPTIMIZED REAL-TIME CONTROL OF COMBINED SEWERAGE SYSTEMS: TWO CASE STUDIES

EPA Science Inventory

The paper presents results of two case studies of Real-Time Control (RTC) alternatives evaluations that were conducted on portions of sewerage systems near Paris, France and in Quebec City, Canada, respectively. The studies were performed at real-scale demonstration sites. RTC ...

MODIS NDVI Change Detection Techniques and Products Used in the Near Real Time ForWarn System for Detecting, Monitoring, and Analyzing Regional Forest Disturbances

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Spruce, Joseph P.; Hargrove, William; Gasser, Jerry; Smoot, James; Kuper, Philip D.

2014-01-01

This presentation discusses MODIS NDVI change detection methods and products used in the ForWarn Early Warning System (EWS) for near real time (NRT) recognition and tracking of regionally evident forest disturbances throughout the conterminous US (CONUS). The latter has provided NRT forest change products to the forest health protection community since 2010, using temporally processed MODIS Aqua and Terra NDVI time series data to currently compute and post 6 different forest change products for CONUS every 8 days. Multiple change products are required to improve detectability and to more fully assess the nature of apparent disturbances. Each type of forest change product reports per pixel percent change in NDVI for a given 24 day interval, comparing current versus a given historical baseline NDVI. EMODIS 7 day expedited MODIS MOD13 data are used to obtain current and historical NDVIs, respectively. Historical NDVI data is processed with Time Series Product Tool (TSPT); and 2) the Phenological Parameters Estimation Tool (PPET) software. While each change products employ maximum value compositing (MVC) of NDVI, the design of specific products primarily differs in terms of the historical baseline. The three main change products use either 1, 3, or all previous years of MVC NDVI as a baseline. Another product uses an Adaptive Length Compositing (ALC) version of MVC to derive an alternative current NDVI that is the freshest quality NDVI as opposed to merely the MVC NDVI across a 24 day time frame. The ALC approach can improve detection speed by 8 to 16 days. ForWarn also includes 2 change products that improve detectability of forest disturbances in lieu of climatic fluctuations, especially in the spring and fall. One compares current MVC NDVI to the zonal maximum under the curve NDVI per pheno-region cluster class, considering all previous years in the MODIS record. The other compares current maximum NDVI to the mean of maximum NDVI for all previous MODIS years.

Modeling of Nitrous Oxide Production from Nitritation Reactors Treating Real Anaerobic Digestion Liquor.

PubMed

Wang, Qilin; Ni, Bing-Jie; Lemaire, Romain; Hao, Xiaodi; Yuan, Zhiguo

2016-04-29

In this work, a mathematical model including both ammonium oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and heterotrophic bacteria (HB) is constructed to predict N2O production from the nitritation systems receiving the real anaerobic digestion liquor. This is for the first time that N2O production from such systems was modeled considering both AOB and HB. The model was calibrated and validated using experimental data from both lab- and pilot-scale nitritation reactors. The model predictions matched the dynamic N2O, ammonium, nitrite and chemical oxygen demand data well, supporting the capability of the model. Modeling results indicated that HB are the dominant contributor to N2O production in the above systems with the dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration of 0.5-1.0 mg O2/L, accounting for approximately 75% of N2O production. The modeling results also suggested that the contribution of HB to N2O production decreased with the increasing DO concentrations, from 75% at DO = 0.5 mg O2/L to 25% at DO = 7.0 mg O2/L, with a corresponding increase of the AOB contribution (from 25% to 75%). Similar to HB, the total N2O production rate also decreased dramatically from 0.65 to 0.25 mg N/L/h when DO concentration increased from 0.5 to 7.0 mg O2/L.

Modeling of Nitrous Oxide Production from Nitritation Reactors Treating Real Anaerobic Digestion Liquor

PubMed Central

Wang, Qilin; Ni, Bing-Jie; Lemaire, Romain; Hao, Xiaodi; Yuan, Zhiguo

2016-01-01

In this work, a mathematical model including both ammonium oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and heterotrophic bacteria (HB) is constructed to predict N2O production from the nitritation systems receiving the real anaerobic digestion liquor. This is for the first time that N2O production from such systems was modeled considering both AOB and HB. The model was calibrated and validated using experimental data from both lab- and pilot-scale nitritation reactors. The model predictions matched the dynamic N2O, ammonium, nitrite and chemical oxygen demand data well, supporting the capability of the model. Modeling results indicated that HB are the dominant contributor to N2O production in the above systems with the dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration of 0.5–1.0 mg O2/L, accounting for approximately 75% of N2O production. The modeling results also suggested that the contribution of HB to N2O production decreased with the increasing DO concentrations, from 75% at DO = 0.5 mg O2/L to 25% at DO = 7.0 mg O2/L, with a corresponding increase of the AOB contribution (from 25% to 75%). Similar to HB, the total N2O production rate also decreased dramatically from 0.65 to 0.25 mg N/L/h when DO concentration increased from 0.5 to 7.0 mg O2/L. PMID:27125491

27 CFR 17.3 - Alternate methods or procedures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 27 Alcohol, Tobacco Products and Firearms 1 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Alternate methods or... PRODUCTS General Provisions § 17.3 Alternate methods or procedures. (a) General. The appropriate TTB officer may approve the use of an alternate method or procedure in lieu of a method or procedure...

Soft Expansion of Double-Real-Virtual Corrections to Higgs Production at N$^3$LO

DOE PAGES

Anastasiou, Charalampos; Duhr, Claude; Dulat, Falko; ...

2015-05-15

We present methods to compute higher orders in the threshold expansion for the one-loop production of a Higgs boson in association with two partons at hadron colliders. This process contributes to the N 3LO Higgs production cross section beyond the soft-virtual approximation. We use reverse unitarity to expand the phase-space integrals in the small kinematic parameters and to reduce the coefficients of the expansion to a small set of master integrals. We describe two methods for the calculation of the master integrals. The first was introduced for the calculation of the soft triple-real radiation relevant to N 3LO Higgs production.more » The second uses a particular factorization of the three body phase-space measure and the knowledge of the scaling properties of the integral itself. Our result is presented as a Laurent expansion in the dimensional regulator, although some of the master integrals are computed to all orders in this parameter.« less

Alternative Fuels Data Center

Science.gov Websites

and Vehicle Production Property Tax Incentive Alternative fuel production facilities, including biodiesel, biomass, biogas, and ethanol production facilities, may qualify for a reduced property tax rate -in electric vehicles or hybrid electric vehicles, also qualify. In addition, temporary property tax

Real-time Volcanic Cloud Products and Predictions for Aviation Alerts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krotkov, N. A.; Hughes, E. J.; da Silva, A. M., Jr.; Seftor, C. J.; Brentzel, K. W.; Hassinen, S.; Heinrichs, T. A.; Schneider, D. J.; Hoffman, R.; Myers, T.; Flynn, L. E.; Niu, J.; Theys, N.; Brenot, H. H.

2016-12-01

We will discuss progress of the NASA ASP project, which promotes the use of satellite volcanic SO2 (VSO2) and Ash (VA) data, and forecasting tools that enhance VA Decision Support Systems (DSS) at the VA Advisory Centers (VAACs) for prompt aviation warnings. The goals are: (1) transition NASA algorithms to NOAA for global NRT processing and integration into DSS at Washington VAAC for operational users and public dissemination; (2) Utilize Direct Broadcast capability of the Aura and SNPP satellites to process Direct Readout (DR) data at two high latitude locations in Finland and Fairbanks, Alaska to enhance VA DSS in Europe and at USGS's Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) and Alaska-VAAC; (3) Improve global Eulerian model-based VA/VSO2 forecasting and risk/cost assessments with Metron Aviation. Our global NRT OMI and OMPS data have been fully integrated into European Support to Aviation Control Service and NOAA operational web sites. We are transitioning OMPS processing to our partners at NOAA/NESDIS to integrate into operational processing environment. NASA's Suomi NPP Ozone Science Team, in conjunction with GSFC's Direct Readout Laboratory (DRL), have implemented Version 2 of the OMPS real-time DR processing package to generate VSO2 and VA products at the Geographic Information Network of Alaska (GINA) and the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI). The system provides real-time coverage over some of the most congested airspace and over many of the most active volcanoes in the world. The OMPS real time capability is now publicly available via DRL's IPOPP package. We use satellite observations to define volcanic source term estimates in the NASA GOES-5 model, which was updated allowing for the simulation of VA and VSO2 clouds. Column SO2 observations from SNPP/OMPS provide an initial estimate of the total cloud SO2 mass, and are used with backward transport analysis to make an initial cloud height estimate. Later VSO2 observations are used to "nudge" the SO2 mass

High-throughput fermentation screening for the yeast Yarrowia lipolytica with real-time monitoring of biomass and lipid production.

PubMed

Back, Alexandre; Rossignol, Tristan; Krier, François; Nicaud, Jean-Marc; Dhulster, Pascal

2016-08-23

Because the model yeast Yarrowia lipolytica can synthesize and store lipids in quantities up to 20 % of its dry weight, it is a promising microorganism for oil production at an industrial scale. Typically, optimization of the lipid production process is performed in the laboratory and later scaled up for industrial production. However, the scale-up process can be complicated by genetic modifications that are optimized for one set of growing conditions can confer a less-than-optimal phenotype in a different environment. To address this issue, small cultivation systems have been developed that mimic the conditions in benchtop bioreactors. In this work, we used one such microbioreactor system, the BioLector, to develop high-throughput fermentation procedures that optimize growth and lipid accumulation in Y. lipolytica. Using this system, we were able to monitor lipid and biomass production in real time throughout the culture duration. The BioLector can monitor the growth of Y. lipolytica in real time by evaluating scattered light; this produced accurate measurements until cultures reached an equivalent of OD600nm = 115 and a cell dry weight of 100 g L(-1). In addition, a lipid-specific fluorescent probe was applied which reliably monitored lipid production up to a concentration of 12 g L(-1). Through screening various growing conditions, we determined that a carbon/nitrogen ratio of 35 was the most efficient for lipid production. Further screening showed that ammonium chloride and glycerol were the most valuable nitrogen and carbon sources, respectively, for growth and lipid production. Moreover, a carbon concentration above 1 M appeared to impair growth and lipid accumulation. Finally, we used these optimized conditions to screen engineered strains of Y. lipolytica with high lipid-accumulation capability. The growth and lipid content of the strains cultivated in the BioLector were compared to those grown in benchtop bioreactors. To our knowledge, this is the

The Impact of Augmentative and Alternative Communication Intervention on the Speech Production of Individuals with Developmental Disabilities: A Research Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Millar, Diane C.; Light, Janice C.; Schlosser, Ralf W.

2006-01-01

Purpose: This article presents the results of a meta-analysis to determine the effect of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) on the speech production of individuals with developmental disabilities. Method: A comprehensive search of the literature published between 1975 and 2003, which included data on speech production before, during,…

Alternative silvicultural practices in Appalachian forest ecosystems: implications for species diversity, ecosystem resilience, and commercial timber production

Treesearch

Thomas R. Fox; Carola A. Haas; David W. Smith; David L. Loftis; Shepard M. Zedaker; Robert H. Jones; A.L. Hammett

2007-01-01

Increasing demands for timber and non-timber forest products often conflict with demands to maintain biodiversity and ecosystem processes. To examine tradeoffs between these goals, we implemented six alternative management systems using a stand-level, replicated experiment. The treatments included four silvicultural regeneration methods designed to sustain timber...

Probiotics production and alternative encapsulation methodologies to improve their viabilities under adverse environmental conditions.

PubMed

Coghetto, Chaline Caren; Brinques, Graziela Brusch; Ayub, Marco Antônio Záchia

2016-12-01

Probiotic products are dietary supplements containing live microorganisms producing beneficial health effects on the host by improving intestinal balance and nutrient absorption. Among probiotic microorganisms, those classified as lactic acid bacteria are of major importance to the food and feed industries. Probiotic cells can be produced using alternative carbon and nitrogen sources, such as agroindustrial residues, at the same time contributing to reduce process costs. On the other hand, the survival of probiotic cells in formulated food products, as well as in the host gut, is an essential nutritional aspect concerning health benefits. Therefore, several cell microencapsulation techniques have been investigated as a way to improve cell viability and survival under adverse environmental conditions, such as the gastrointestinal milieu of hosts. In this review, different aspects of probiotic cells and technologies of their related products are discussed, including formulation of culture media, and aspects of cell microencapsulation techniques required to improve their survival in the host.

7 CFR Appendix A to Part 225 - Alternate Foods for Meals

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... Used in the Summer Food Service Program? 1. An alternate protein product used in meals planned under..., manufacturers should provide information on: (1) The amount by weight of dry alternate protein product in the... meat alternates. B. How Are Alternate Protein Products Used in the Summer Food Service Program? 1...

7 CFR Appendix A to Part 225 - Alternate Foods for Meals

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... Used in the Summer Food Service Program? 1. An alternate protein product used in meals planned under..., manufacturers should provide information on: (1) The amount by weight of dry alternate protein product in the... meat alternates. B. How Are Alternate Protein Products Used in the Summer Food Service Program? 1...

7 CFR Appendix A to Part 225 - Alternate Foods for Meals

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... Used in the Summer Food Service Program? 1. An alternate protein product used in meals planned under..., manufacturers should provide information on: (1) The amount by weight of dry alternate protein product in the... meat alternates. B. How Are Alternate Protein Products Used in the Summer Food Service Program? 1...

7 CFR Appendix A to Part 225 - Alternate Foods for Meals

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... Used in the Summer Food Service Program? 1. An alternate protein product used in meals planned under..., manufacturers should provide information on: (1) The amount by weight of dry alternate protein product in the... meat alternates. B. How Are Alternate Protein Products Used in the Summer Food Service Program? 1...

7 CFR Appendix A to Part 225 - Alternate Foods for Meals

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... Used in the Summer Food Service Program? 1. An alternate protein product used in meals planned under..., manufacturers should provide information on: (1) The amount by weight of dry alternate protein product in the... meat alternates. B. How Are Alternate Protein Products Used in the Summer Food Service Program? 1...

Membrane technology as a promising alternative in biodiesel production: a review.

PubMed

Shuit, Siew Hoong; Ong, Yit Thai; Lee, Keat Teong; Subhash, Bhatia; Tan, Soon Huat

2012-01-01

In recent years, environmental problems caused by the use of fossil fuels and the depletion of petroleum reserves have driven the world to adopt biodiesel as an alternative energy source to replace conventional petroleum-derived fuels because of biodiesel's clean and renewable nature. Biodiesel is conventionally produced in homogeneous, heterogeneous, and enzymatic catalysed processes, as well as by supercritical technology. All of these processes have their own limitations, such as wastewater generation and high energy consumption. In this context, the membrane reactor appears to be the perfect candidate to produce biodiesel because of its ability to overcome the limitations encountered by conventional production methods. Thus, the aim of this paper is to review the production of biodiesel with a membrane reactor by examining the fundamental concepts of the membrane reactor, its operating principles and the combination of membrane and catalyst in the catalytic membrane. In addition, the potential of functionalised carbon nanotubes to serve as catalysts while being incorporated into the membrane for transesterification is discussed. Furthermore, this paper will also discuss the effects of process parameters for transesterification in a membrane reactor and the advantages offered by membrane reactors for biodiesel production. This discussion is followed by some limitations faced in membrane technology. Nevertheless, based on the findings presented in this review, it is clear that the membrane reactor has the potential to be a breakthrough technology for the biodiesel industry. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Development of real-time PCR tests for the detection of Tenebrio molitor in food and feed.

PubMed

Debode, Frédéric; Marien, Aline; Gérard, Amaury; Francis, Frédéric; Fumière, Olivier; Berben, Gilbert

2017-08-01

Insects are rich in proteins and could be an alternative source of proteins to feed animals and humans. Numerous companies have started the production of insects for feed purposes. In Europe, these processed animal proteins are not yet authorised by legislation as many questions still need to be answered concerning this 'novel food'. Authorisations will be possible when methods of authentication of the products are available. In this study we propose real-time PCR methods for the specific detection of the mealworm (Tenebriomolitor), one of the most widely used insects for food and feed production. Two PCR assays are proposed: the first based on the wingless gene and the second based on the cadherin gene. The PCR tests amplify fragments of 87 bp. These qualitative methods were tested according to several performance criteria. The specificity was tested on 34 insect species' DNA, but also on non-insect species including crustacean, mammals, birds and plants. The limit of detection was determined and was below 20 copies for the two PCR tests. The applicability of the tests was demonstrated by the analysis of real-life processed samples containing T. molitor.

7 CFR Appendix A to Part 226 - Alternate Foods for Meals

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... used in the Child and Adult Care Food Program? 1. An alternate protein product used in meals planned..., manufacturers should provide information on: (1) The amount by weight of dry alternate protein product in the... meat alternates. B. How are alternate protein products used in the Child and Adult Care Food Program? 1...

7 CFR Appendix A to Part 226 - Alternate Foods for Meals

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... used in the Child and Adult Care Food Program? 1. An alternate protein product used in meals planned..., manufacturers should provide information on: (1) The amount by weight of dry alternate protein product in the... meat alternates. B. How are alternate protein products used in the Child and Adult Care Food Program? 1...

7 CFR Appendix A to Part 226 - Alternate Foods for Meals

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... used in the Child and Adult Care Food Program? 1. An alternate protein product used in meals planned..., manufacturers should provide information on: (1) The amount by weight of dry alternate protein product in the... meat alternates. B. How are alternate protein products used in the Child and Adult Care Food Program? 1...

7 CFR Appendix A to Part 226 - Alternate Foods for Meals

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... used in the Child and Adult Care Food Program? 1. An alternate protein product used in meals planned..., manufacturers should provide information on: (1) The amount by weight of dry alternate protein product in the... meat alternates. B. How are alternate protein products used in the Child and Adult Care Food Program? 1...

7 CFR Appendix A to Part 226 - Alternate Foods for Meals

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... used in the Child and Adult Care Food Program? 1. An alternate protein product used in meals planned..., manufacturers should provide information on: (1) The amount by weight of dry alternate protein product in the... meat alternates. B. How are alternate protein products used in the Child and Adult Care Food Program? 1...

Women's attitudes towards the use of complementary and alternative medicine products during pregnancy.

PubMed

Frawley, J; Sibbritt, D; Broom, A; Gallois, C; Steel, A; Adams, J

2016-05-01

The aim of this study was to analyse women's attitudes towards the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) products during pregnancy. The study sample was obtained via the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health or ALSWH. A response rate of 79.2% (n = 1,835) was attained. Women who use herbal medicines (34.5%, n = 588) view CAM as a preventative measure, are looking for something holistic and are concerned about evidence of clinical efficacy when considering the use of these products during pregnancy. Women who use aromatherapy (17.4%, n = 319) and homoeopathy (13.3%, n = 244) want more personal control over their body and are concerned more about their own personal experience of the efficacy of CAM than clinical evidence of efficacy. As CAM use in pregnancy appears to be increasingly commonplace, insights into women's attitudes towards CAM are valuable for maternity healthcare providers.

Alternative Fuels

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-06-11

equipment when supplying jet fuel not practicable or cost effective Unclassified 5 erna ve ue s ocus Petroleum Crude Oil (declining discovery / production...on Jet A/A-1 Approved fuels, DXXXX Unclassified 6 JP-8/5 (Commercial Jet Fuel, ASTM Spec) DARPA Alternative Jet Fuels • Agricultural crop oils ...canola, jatropha, soy, palm , etc.) Alternative fuels – University of North Dakota EERC – UOP – General Electric (GE) t i o n C o s t t i o n C o s t

Use of Conventional and Alternative Tobacco and Nicotine Products Among a Sample of Canadian Youth.

PubMed

Czoli, Christine D; Hammond, David; Reid, Jessica L; Cole, Adam G; Leatherdale, Scott T

2015-07-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the use of conventional and alternative tobacco and nicotine products among secondary school students. Respondents were 44,163 grade 9-12 students who participated in Year 2 (2013-2014) of COMPASS, a cohort study of 89 purposefully sampled secondary schools in Ontario and Alberta, Canada. Past-month use of various tobacco and nicotine products was assessed, as well as correlates of use, using a generalized linear mixed effects model. Overall, 21.2% of the sample reported past-month use of any tobacco or nicotine product, with 7.2% reporting past-month use of e-cigarettes. E-cigarette users reported significantly greater prevalence of current use for all products. Students who were male, white, had more spending money, and had a history of tobacco use were more likely to report past-month use of e-cigarettes. Approximately one fifth of youth reported past-month use of a nicotine product, with e-cigarettes being the third most common product. Overall, the findings suggest a rapidly evolving nicotine market. Copyright © 2015 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Ecology of Fungus Gnats (Bradysia spp.) in Greenhouse Production Systems Associated with Disease-Interactions and Alternative Management Strategies.

PubMed

Cloyd, Raymond A

2015-04-09

Fungus gnats (Bradysia spp.) are major insect pests of greenhouse-grown horticultural crops mainly due to the direct feeding damage caused by the larvae, and the ability of larvae to transmit certain soil-borne plant pathogens. Currently, insecticides and biological control agents are being used successively to deal with fungus gnat populations in greenhouse production systems. However, these strategies may only be effective as long as greenhouse producers also implement alternative management strategies such as cultural, physical, and sanitation. This includes elimination of algae, and plant and growing medium debris; placing physical barriers onto the growing medium surface; and using materials that repel fungus gnat adults. This article describes the disease-interactions associated with fungus gnats and foliar and soil-borne diseases, and the alternative management strategies that should be considered by greenhouse producers in order to alleviate problems with fungus gnats in greenhouse production systems.

Ecology of Fungus Gnats (Bradysia spp.) in Greenhouse Production Systems Associated with Disease-Interactions and Alternative Management Strategies

PubMed Central

Cloyd, Raymond A.

2015-01-01

Fungus gnats (Bradysia spp.) are major insect pests of greenhouse-grown horticultural crops mainly due to the direct feeding damage caused by the larvae, and the ability of larvae to transmit certain soil-borne plant pathogens. Currently, insecticides and biological control agents are being used successively to deal with fungus gnat populations in greenhouse production systems. However, these strategies may only be effective as long as greenhouse producers also implement alternative management strategies such as cultural, physical, and sanitation. This includes elimination of algae, and plant and growing medium debris; placing physical barriers onto the growing medium surface; and using materials that repel fungus gnat adults. This article describes the disease-interactions associated with fungus gnats and foliar and soil-borne diseases, and the alternative management strategies that should be considered by greenhouse producers in order to alleviate problems with fungus gnats in greenhouse production systems. PMID:26463188

Integrating Exposure into Chemical Alternatives Assessment ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Most alternatives assessments (AA) published to date are largely hazard-based rankings, and as such may not represent a fully informed consideration of the advantages and disadvantages of possible alternatives. With an assessment goal of identifying an alternative chemical that is more sustainable, other attributes beyond hazard are also important, including exposure, risk, life-cycle impacts, performance, cost, and social responsibility. Building on the 2014 recommendations by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences to improve AA decisions by including comparative exposure assessment, the HESISustainable Chemical Alternatives Technical Committee, which consists of scientists from academia, industry, government, and NGOs, has developed a qualitative comparative exposure approach. Conducting such a comparison can screen for alternatives that are expected to have a higher exposure potential, which could trigger a higher-tiered, more quantitative exposure assessment on the alternatives being considered. This talk will demonstrate an approach for including chemical- and product-related exposure information in a qualitative AA comparison. Starting from existing hazard AAs, a series of four chemical-product application scenarios were examined to test the concept, to understand the effort required, and to determine the value of exposure data in AA decision-making. The group has developed a classification approach for ingredient and product parameters to support compariso

Advancing alternatives analysis: The role of predictive toxicology in selecting safer chemical products and processes.

PubMed

Malloy, Timothy; Zaunbrecher, Virginia; Beryt, Elizabeth; Judson, Richard; Tice, Raymond; Allard, Patrick; Blake, Ann; Cote, Ila; Godwin, Hilary; Heine, Lauren; Kerzic, Patrick; Kostal, Jakub; Marchant, Gary; McPartland, Jennifer; Moran, Kelly; Nel, Andre; Ogunseitan, Oladele; Rossi, Mark; Thayer, Kristina; Tickner, Joel; Whittaker, Margaret; Zarker, Ken

2017-09-01

Alternatives analysis (AA) is a method used in regulation and product design to identify, assess, and evaluate the safety and viability of potential substitutes for hazardous chemicals. It requires toxicological data for the existing chemical and potential alternatives. Predictive toxicology uses in silico and in vitro approaches, computational models, and other tools to expedite toxicological data generation in a more cost-effective manner than traditional approaches. The present article briefly reviews the challenges associated with using predictive toxicology in regulatory AA, then presents 4 recommendations for its advancement. It recommends using case studies to advance the integration of predictive toxicology into AA, adopting a stepwise process to employing predictive toxicology in AA beginning with prioritization of chemicals of concern, leveraging existing resources to advance the integration of predictive toxicology into the practice of AA, and supporting transdisciplinary efforts. The further incorporation of predictive toxicology into AA would advance the ability of companies and regulators to select alternatives to harmful ingredients, and potentially increase the use of predictive toxicology in regulation more broadly. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2017;13:915-925. © 2017 SETAC. © 2017 SETAC.

Chaperonin GroEL-GroES Functions as both Alternating and Non-Alternating Engines.

PubMed

Yamamoto, Daisuke; Ando, Toshio

2016-07-31

A double ring-shaped GroEL consisting of 14 ATPase subunits assists protein folding, together with co-chaperonin GroES. The dynamic GroEL-GroES interaction is actively involved in the chaperonin reaction. Therefore, revealing this dynamic interaction is a key to understanding the operation principle of GroEL. Nevertheless, how this interaction proceeds in the reaction cycle has long been controversial. Here, we directly imaged GroEL-GroES interaction in the presence of disulfide-reduced α-lactalbumin as a substrate protein using high-speed atomic force microscopy. This real-time imaging revealed the occurrence of primary, symmetric GroEL:GroES2 and secondary, asymmetric GroEL:GroES1 complexes. Remarkably, the reaction was observed to often branch into main and side pathways. In the main pathway, alternate binding and release of GroES occurs at the two rings, indicating tight cooperation between the two rings. In the side pathway, however, this cooperation is disrupted, resulting in the interruption of alternating rhythm. From various properties observed for both pathways, we provide mechanistic insight into the alternate and non-alternate operations of the two-engine system. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Characterizing the utility of the TMPA real-time product for hydrologic predictions over global river basins across scales

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, H.; Zhang, S.; Nijssen, B.; Zhou, T.; Voisin, N.; Sheffield, J.; Lee, K.; Shukla, S.; Lettenmaier, D. P.

2017-12-01

Despite its errors and uncertainties, the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis real-time product (TMPA-RT) has been widely used for hydrological monitoring and forecasting due to its timely availability for real-time applications. To evaluate the utility of TMPA-RT in hydrologic predictions, many studies have compared modeled streamflows driven by TMPA-RT against gauge data. However, because of the limited availability of streamflow observations in data sparse regions, there is still a lack of comprehensive comparisons for TMPA-RT based hydrologic predictions at the global scale. Furthermore, it is expected that its skill is less optimal at the subbasin scale than the basin scale. In this study, we evaluate and characterize the utility of the TMPA-RT product over selected global river basins during the period of 1998 to 2015 using the TMPA research product (TMPA-RP) as a reference. The Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC) model, which was calibrated and validated previously, is adopted to simulate streamflows driven by TMPA-RT and TMPA-RP, respectively. The objective of this study is to analyze the spatial and temporal characteristics of the hydrologic predictions by answering the following questions: (1) How do the precipitation errors associated with the TMPA-RT product transform into streamflow errors with respect to geographical and climatological characteristics? (2) How do streamflow errors vary across scales within a basin?

An immunomagnetic separation-real-time PCR system for the detection of Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris in fruit products.

PubMed

Wang, Zhouli; Cai, Rui; Yuan, Yahong; Niu, Chen; Hu, Zhongqiu; Yue, Tianli

2014-04-03

Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris is the most important spoilage species within the Alicyclobacillus genus and has become a major issue in the pasteurized fruit juice industry. The aim of this study was to develop a method combining immunomagnetic separation (IMS) with real-time PCR system (IMS-PCR) for rapid and specific detection of A. acidoterrestris in fruit products. A real-time PCR with the TaqMan system was designed to target the 16S rDNA genes with specific primer and probe set. The specificity of the assay was confirmed using 9 A. acidoterrestris strains and 21 non-A. acidoterrestris strains. The results indicated that no combination of the designed primers and probe was found in any Alicyclobacillus genus except A. acidoterrestris. The detection limit of the established IMS-PCR was less than 10CFU/mL and the testing process was accomplished in 2-3h. For the three types of samples (sterile water, apple juice and kiwi juice), the correlation coefficient of standard curves was greater than 0.991, and the calculated PCR efficiencies were from 108% to 109%. As compared with the standard culture method performed concurrently on the same set of samples, the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of IMS-PCR for 196 naturally contaminated fruit products were 90.0%, 98.3% and 97.5%, respectively. The results exhibited that the proposed IMS-PCR method was effective for the rapid detection of A. acidoterrestris in fruit products. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Real-Time PPP Based on the Coupling Estimation of Clock Bias and Orbit Error with Broadcast Ephemeris.

PubMed

Pan, Shuguo; Chen, Weirong; Jin, Xiaodong; Shi, Xiaofei; He, Fan

2015-07-22

Satellite orbit error and clock bias are the keys to precise point positioning (PPP). The traditional PPP algorithm requires precise satellite products based on worldwide permanent reference stations. Such an algorithm requires considerable work and hardly achieves real-time performance. However, real-time positioning service will be the dominant mode in the future. IGS is providing such an operational service (RTS) and there are also commercial systems like Trimble RTX in operation. On the basis of the regional Continuous Operational Reference System (CORS), a real-time PPP algorithm is proposed to apply the coupling estimation of clock bias and orbit error. The projection of orbit error onto the satellite-receiver range has the same effects on positioning accuracy with clock bias. Therefore, in satellite clock estimation, part of the orbit error can be absorbed by the clock bias and the effects of residual orbit error on positioning accuracy can be weakened by the evenly distributed satellite geometry. In consideration of the simple structure of pseudorange equations and the high precision of carrier-phase equations, the clock bias estimation method coupled with orbit error is also improved. Rovers obtain PPP results by receiving broadcast ephemeris and real-time satellite clock bias coupled with orbit error. By applying the proposed algorithm, the precise orbit products provided by GNSS analysis centers are rendered no longer necessary. On the basis of previous theoretical analysis, a real-time PPP system was developed. Some experiments were then designed to verify this algorithm. Experimental results show that the newly proposed approach performs better than the traditional PPP based on International GNSS Service (IGS) real-time products. The positioning accuracies of the rovers inside and outside the network are improved by 38.8% and 36.1%, respectively. The PPP convergence speeds are improved by up to 61.4% and 65.9%. The new approach can change the

MISR Near Real Time Products Available

Atmospheric Science Data Center

2014-09-04

... containing both Ellipsoid- and Terrain-projected radiance information, and the L2 Cloud Motion Vector (CMV) product containing ... The NRT versions of MISR data products employ the same retrieval algorithms as standard production, yielding equivalent science ... product is available in HDFEOS and BUFR format. For more information, please consult the MISR CMV DPS and Documentation for the ...

Alternative Certified Teachers and Children at Risk

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tissington, Laura D.; Grow, Amani

2007-01-01

Special education programs that serve at-risk students are facing very real personnel needs that colleges and universities alone cannot meet. Alternative certification programs (ACP) may help meet these needs. Effective university-school district partnership programs that include critical teaching training components may offer an attractive…

Finding alternatives to antibiotics

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The spread of antibiotic-resistant pathogens requires new treatments. The availability of new antibiotics has severely declined, and so alternatives to antibiotics need to be considered in both animal agriculture and human medicine. Products for disease prevention are different than products for d...

Evaluation of Generation Alternation Models in Evolutionary Robotics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oiso, Masashi; Matsumura, Yoshiyuki; Yasuda, Toshiyuki; Ohkura, Kazuhiro

For efficient implementation of Evolutionary Algorithms (EA) to a desktop grid computing environment, we propose a new generation alternation model called Grid-Oriented-Deletion (GOD) based on comparison with the conventional techniques. In previous research, generation alternation models are generally evaluated by using test functions. However, their exploration performance on the real problems such as Evolutionary Robotics (ER) has not been made very clear yet. Therefore we investigate the relationship between the exploration performance of EA on an ER problem and its generation alternation model. We applied four generation alternation models to the Evolutionary Multi-Robotics (EMR), which is the package-pushing problem to investigate their exploration performance. The results show that GOD is more effective than the other conventional models.

27 CFR 24.135 - Wine premises alternation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 27 Alcohol, Tobacco Products and Firearms 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Wine premises alternation..., DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY LIQUORS WINE Establishment and Operations Alternation § 24.135 Wine premises alternation. (a) General. The proprietor of a bonded winery or bonded wine cellar may alternate all or a...

21 CFR 201.26 - Exceptions or alternatives to labeling requirements for human drug products held by the Strategic...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... requirements for human drug products held by the Strategic National Stockpile. 201.26 Section 201.26 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) DRUGS: GENERAL LABELING General Labeling Provisions § 201.26 Exceptions or alternatives to labeling requirements for human...

Primary Healthcare Provider Knowledge, Beliefs and Clinic-Based Practices Regarding Alternative Tobacco Products and Marijuana: A Qualitative Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bascombe, Ta Misha S.; Scott, Kimberly N.; Ballard, Denise; Smith, Samantha A.; Thompson, Winifred; Berg, Carla J.

2016-01-01

Use prevalence of alternative tobacco products and marijuana has increased dramatically. Unfortunately, clinical guidelines have focused on traditional cigarettes with limited attention regarding these emerging public health issues. Thus, it is critical to understand how healthcare professionals view this issue and are responding to it. This…

7 CFR Appendix A to Part 220 - Alternate Foods for Meals

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... in the School Breakfast Program? 1. An alternate protein product used in meals planned under the food... an alternate protein product mix, manufacturers should provide information on: (1) The amount by weight of dry alternate protein product in the package; (2) Hydration instructions; and (3) instructions...

7 CFR Appendix A to Part 220 - Alternate Foods for Meals

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... in the School Breakfast Program? 1. An alternate protein product used in meals planned under the food... an alternate protein product mix, manufacturers should provide information on: (1) The amount by weight of dry alternate protein product in the package; (2) Hydration instructions; and (3) instructions...

Recommendation Method for Build-to-Order Products Considering Substitutability of Specifications and Stock Consumption Balance of Components

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shimoda, Atsushi; Kosugi, Hidenori; Karino, Takafumi; Komoda, Norihisa

This study focuses on a stock reduction method for build-to-order (BTO) products to flow surplus parts out to the market using sale by recommendation. A sale by recommendation is repeated in an each business negotiation using a recommended configuration selected from the inventory of parts to minimize the stock deficiency or excess at the end of a certain period of the production plan. The method is based on the potential of a customer specification to be replaced by an alternative one if the alternative one is close to the initial customer specification. A recommendation method is proposed that decides the recommended product configuration by balancing the part consumption so that the alternative specification of the configuration is close enough to the initial customer specification for substitutability. The method was evaluated by a simulation using real BTO manufacturing data and the result demonstrates that the unbalance of the consumption of parts inventory is improved.

23 CFR 710.509 - Functional replacement of real property in public ownership.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 23 Highways 1 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Functional replacement of real property in public ownership. 710.509 Section 710.509 Highways FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION RIGHT-OF-WAY AND ENVIRONMENT RIGHT-OF-WAY AND REAL ESTATE Property Acquisition Alternatives § 710.509...

Near-real-time global biomass burning emissions product from geostationary satellite constellation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Xiaoyang; Kondragunta, Shobha; Ram, Jessica; Schmidt, Christopher; Huang, Ho-Chun

2012-07-01

Near-real-time estimates of biomass burning emissions are crucial for air quality monitoring and forecasting. We present here the first near-real-time global biomass burning emission product from geostationary satellites (GBBEP-Geo) produced from satellite-derived fire radiative power (FRP) for individual fire pixels. Specifically, the FRP is retrieved using WF_ABBA V65 (wildfire automated biomass burning algorithm) from a network of multiple geostationary satellites. The network consists of two Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) which are operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Meteosat second-generation satellites (Meteosat-09) operated by the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites, and the Multifunctional Transport Satellite (MTSAT) operated by the Japan Meteorological Agency. These satellites observe wildfires at an interval of 15-30 min. Because of the impacts from sensor saturation, cloud cover, and background surface, the FRP values are generally not continuously observed. The missing observations are simulated by combining the available instantaneous FRP observations within a day and a set of representative climatological diurnal patterns of FRP for various ecosystems. Finally, the simulated diurnal variation in FRP is applied to quantify biomass combustion and emissions in individual fire pixels with a latency of 1 day. By analyzing global patterns in hourly biomass burning emissions in 2010, we find that peak fire season varied greatly and that annual wildfires burned 1.33 × 1012 kg dry mass, released 1.27 × 1010 kg of PM2.5 (particulate mass for particles with diameter <2.5 μm) and 1.18 × 1011kg of CO globally (excluding most parts of boreal Asia, the Middle East, and India because of no coverage from geostationary satellites). The biomass burning emissions were mostly released from forest and savanna fires in Africa, South America, and North America. Evaluation of

Recombinase Polymerase Amplification Assay-A Simple, Fast and Cost-Effective Alternative to Real Time PCR for Specific Detection of Feline Herpesvirus-1.

PubMed

Wang, Jianchang; Liu, Libing; Wang, Jinfeng; Sun, Xiaoxia; Yuan, Wanzhe

2017-01-01

Feline herpesvirus 1 (FHV-1), an enveloped dsDNA virus, is one of the major pathogens of feline upper respiratory tract disease (URTD) and ocular disease. Currently, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) remains the gold standard diagnostic tool for FHV-1 infection but is relatively expensive, requires well-equipped laboratories and is not suitable for field tests. Recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA), an isothermal gene amplification technology, has been explored for the molecular diagnosis of infectious diseases. In this study, an exo-RPA assay for FHV-1 detection was developed and validated. Primers targeting specifically the thymidine kinase (TK) gene of FHV-1 were designed. The RPA reaction was performed successfully at 39°C and the results were obtained within 20 min. Using different copy numbers of recombinant plasmid DNA that contains the TK gene as template, we showed the detection limit of exo-RPA was 102 copies DNA/reaction, the same as that of real time PCR. The exo-RPA assay did not cross-detect feline panleukopenia virus, feline calicivirus, bovine herpesvirus-1, pseudorabies virus or chlamydia psittaci, a panel of pathogens important in feline URTD or other viruses in Alphaherpesvirinae, demonstrating high specificity. The assay was validated by testing 120 nasal and ocular conjunctival swabs of cats, and the results were compared with those obtained with real-time PCR. Both assays provided the same testing results in the clinical samples. Compared with real time PCR, the exo-RPA assay uses less-complex equipment that is portable and the reaction is completed much faster. Additionally, commercial RPA reagents in vacuum-sealed pouches can tolerate temperatures up to room temperature for days without loss of activity, suitable for shipment and storage for field tests. Taken together, the exo-RPA assay is a simple, fast and cost-effective alternative to real time PCR, suitable for use in less advanced laboratories and for field detection of FHV-1

Recombinase Polymerase Amplification Assay—A Simple, Fast and Cost-Effective Alternative to Real Time PCR for Specific Detection of Feline Herpesvirus-1

PubMed Central

Wang, Jianchang; Liu, Libing; Wang, Jinfeng; Sun, Xiaoxia; Yuan, Wanzhe

2017-01-01

Feline herpesvirus 1 (FHV-1), an enveloped dsDNA virus, is one of the major pathogens of feline upper respiratory tract disease (URTD) and ocular disease. Currently, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) remains the gold standard diagnostic tool for FHV-1 infection but is relatively expensive, requires well-equipped laboratories and is not suitable for field tests. Recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA), an isothermal gene amplification technology, has been explored for the molecular diagnosis of infectious diseases. In this study, an exo-RPA assay for FHV-1 detection was developed and validated. Primers targeting specifically the thymidine kinase (TK) gene of FHV-1 were designed. The RPA reaction was performed successfully at 39°C and the results were obtained within 20 min. Using different copy numbers of recombinant plasmid DNA that contains the TK gene as template, we showed the detection limit of exo-RPA was 102 copies DNA/reaction, the same as that of real time PCR. The exo-RPA assay did not cross-detect feline panleukopenia virus, feline calicivirus, bovine herpesvirus-1, pseudorabies virus or chlamydia psittaci, a panel of pathogens important in feline URTD or other viruses in Alphaherpesvirinae, demonstrating high specificity. The assay was validated by testing 120 nasal and ocular conjunctival swabs of cats, and the results were compared with those obtained with real-time PCR. Both assays provided the same testing results in the clinical samples. Compared with real time PCR, the exo-RPA assay uses less-complex equipment that is portable and the reaction is completed much faster. Additionally, commercial RPA reagents in vacuum-sealed pouches can tolerate temperatures up to room temperature for days without loss of activity, suitable for shipment and storage for field tests. Taken together, the exo-RPA assay is a simple, fast and cost-effective alternative to real time PCR, suitable for use in less advanced laboratories and for field detection of FHV-1

Detection of adulterated murine components in meat products by TaqMan© real-time PCR.

PubMed

Fang, Xin; Zhang, Chi

2016-02-01

Using murine meat to substitute mutton has been identified as a new type of meat fraud in China, yet no detection method for murine species has been reported. Here, three kinds of rodent were used as target species to establish a murine-specific real-time PCR method of detection. The mitochondrial cytochrome b gene (cytb) of each target was sequenced and a TaqMan probe was designed based on the cytb. Simultaneously, an internal positive control (IPC) plasmid along with its respective probe were designed to monitor the PCR reaction. As a result, the duplex real-time PCR system was verified to be specific. The limit of detection (LOD) was lower than 1 pg of DNA per reaction and 0.1% murine contamination in meat mixtures. Standard curves were generated for a quantitative analysis. Thus, this study provided a new tool to control the quality of meat products for official and third-party laboratories. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Real-time Measurement of Epithelial Barrier Permeability in Human Intestinal Organoids.

PubMed

Hill, David R; Huang, Sha; Tsai, Yu-Hwai; Spence, Jason R; Young, Vincent B

2017-12-18

Advances in 3D culture of intestinal tissues obtained through biopsy or generated from pluripotent stem cells via directed differentiation, have resulted in sophisticated in vitro models of the intestinal mucosa. Leveraging these emerging model systems will require adaptation of tools and techniques developed for 2D culture systems and animals. Here, we describe a technique for measuring epithelial barrier permeability in human intestinal organoids in real-time. This is accomplished by microinjection of fluorescently-labeled dextran and imaging on an inverted microscope fitted with epifluorescent filters. Real-time measurement of the barrier permeability in intestinal organoids facilitates the generation of high-resolution temporal data in human intestinal epithelial tissue, although this technique can also be applied to fixed timepoint imaging approaches. This protocol is readily adaptable for the measurement of epithelial barrier permeability following exposure to pharmacologic agents, bacterial products or toxins, or live microorganisms. With minor modifications, this protocol can also serve as a general primer on microinjection of intestinal organoids and users may choose to supplement this protocol with additional or alternative downstream applications following microinjection.

Alternative Energy and Propulsion Power for Today’s US Military

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-05-05

the Problem ........................................................................................4 Real Illustrations of the Problem ...taken to reduce its grip on fossil fuels. Further Defining the Problem In 2006 testimony before the US Congress, a DoD representative stated that...necessities of our military.12 Real Illustrations of the Problem Warfighting commanders in the field are requesting alternatives to petroleum based energy. In

The Architecture of Chemical Alternatives Assessment.

PubMed

Geiser, Kenneth; Tickner, Joel; Edwards, Sally; Rossi, Mark

2015-12-01

Chemical alternatives assessment is a method rapidly developing for use by businesses, governments, and nongovernment organizations seeking to substitute chemicals of concern in production processes and products. Chemical alternatives assessment is defined as a process for identifying, comparing, and selecting safer alternatives to chemicals of concern (including those in materials, processes, or technologies) on the basis of their hazards, performance, and economic viability. The process is intended to provide guidance for assuring that chemicals of concern are replaced with safer alternatives that are not likely to be later regretted. Conceptually, the assessment methods are developed from a set of three foundational pillars and five common principles. Based on a number of emerging alternatives assessment initiatives, in this commentary, we outline a chemical alternatives assessment blueprint structured around three broad steps: Scope, Assessment, and Selection and Implementation. Specific tasks and tools are identified for each of these three steps. While it is recognized that on-going practice will further refine and develop the method and tools, it is important that the structure of the assessment process remain flexible, adaptive, and focused on the substitution of chemicals of concern with safer alternatives. © 2015 Society for Risk Analysis.

Accuracy of Single Frequency GPS Observations Processing In Near Real-time With Use of Code Predicted Products

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wielgosz, P. A.

In this year, the system of active geodetic GPS permanent stations is going to be estab- lished in Poland. This system should provide GPS observations for a wide spectrum of users, especially it will be a great opportunity for surveyors. Many of surveyors still use cheaper, single frequency receivers. This paper focuses on processing of single frequency GPS observations only. During processing of such observations the iono- sphere plays an important role, so we concentrated on the influence of the ionosphere on the positional coordinates. Twenty consecutive days of GPS data from 2001 year were processed to analyze the accuracy of a derived three-dimensional relative vec- tor position between GPS stations. Observations from two Polish EPN/IGS stations: BOGO and JOZE were used. In addition to, a new test station - IGIK was created. In this paper, the results of single frequency GPS observations processing in near real- time are presented. Baselines of 15, 27 and 42 kilometers and sessions of 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6 hours long were processed. While processing we used CODE (Centre for Orbit De- termination in Europe, Bern, Switzerland) predicted products: orbits and ionosphere info. These products are available in real-time and enable near real-time processing. Software Bernese v. 4.2 for Linux and BPE (Bernese Processing Engine) mode were used. These results are shown with a reference to dual frequency weekly solution (the best solution). Obtained GPS positional time and GPS baseline length dependency accuracy is presented for single frequency GPS observations.

Exceptions or alternatives to labeling requirements for products held by the Strategic National Stockpile. Final rule.

PubMed

2012-02-06

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is adopting as a final rule, without change, the interim final rule that issued regulations permitting FDA Center Directors to grant exceptions or alternatives to certain regulatory labeling requirements applicable to human drugs, biological products, or medical devices that are or will be included in the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS). FDA is taking this action to complete the rulemaking initiated with the interim final rule.

Evaluation of NWP-based Satellite Precipitation Error Correction with Near-Real-Time Model Products and Flood-inducing Storms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, X.; Anagnostou, E. N.; Schwartz, C. S.

2017-12-01

Satellite precipitation products tend to have significant biases over complex terrain. Our research investigates a statistical approach for satellite precipitation adjustment based solely on numerical weather simulations. This approach has been evaluated in two mid-latitude (Zhang et al. 2013*1, Zhang et al. 2016*2) and three topical mountainous regions by using the WRF model to adjust two high-resolution satellite products i) National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Climate Prediction Center morphing technique (CMORPH) and ii) Global Satellite Mapping of Precipitation (GSMaP). Results show the adjustment effectively reduces the satellite underestimation of high rain rates, which provides a solid proof-of-concept for continuing research of NWP-based satellite correction. In this study we investigate the feasibility of using NCAR Real-time Ensemble Forecasts*3 for adjusting near-real-time satellite precipitation datasets over complex terrain areas in the Continental United States (CONUS) such as Olympic Peninsula, California coastal mountain ranges, Rocky Mountains and South Appalachians. The research will focus on flood-inducing storms occurred from May 2015 to December 2016 and four satellite precipitation products (CMORPH, GSMaP, PERSIANN-CCS and IMERG). The error correction performance evaluation will be based on comparisons against the gauge-adjusted Stage IV precipitation data. *1 Zhang, Xinxuan, et al. "Using NWP simulations in satellite rainfall estimation of heavy precipitation events over mountainous areas." Journal of Hydrometeorology 14.6 (2013): 1844-1858. *2 Zhang, Xinxuan, et al. "Hydrologic Evaluation of NWP-Adjusted CMORPH Estimates of Hurricane-Induced Precipitation in the Southern Appalachians." Journal of Hydrometeorology 17.4 (2016): 1087-1099. *3 Schwartz, Craig S., et al. "NCAR's experimental real-time convection-allowing ensemble prediction system." Weather and Forecasting 30.6 (2015): 1645-1654.

Optimized Real-Time Control of Combined Sewerage Systems: Two Case Studies (Proceedings Paper)

EPA Science Inventory

The paper presents results of two case studies of Real-Time Control (RTC) alternatives evaluations that were conducted on portions of sewerage systems near Paris, France and in Quebec City, Canada, respectively. The studies were performed at real-scale demonstration sites. RTC al...

Infrared Drying as a Potential Alternative to Convective Drying for Biltong Production.

PubMed

Cherono, Kipchumba; Mwithiga, Gikuru; Schmidt, Stefan

2016-06-03

Two infrared systems set at an intensity of 4777 W/m 2 with peak emission wavelengths of 2.5 and 3.5 µm were used to produce biltong by drying differently pre-treated meat. In addition to meat texture and colour, the microbial quality of the biltong produced was assessed by quantifying viable heterotrophic microorganisms using a most probable number (MPN) method and by verifying the presence of presumptive Escherichia coli in samples produced using infrared and conventional convective drying. The two infrared drying systems reduced the heterotrophic microbial burden from 5.11 log 10 MPN/g to 2.89 log 10 MPN/g (2.5 µm) and 3.42 log 10 MPN/g (3.5 µm), respectively. The infrared systems achieved an up to one log higher MPN/g reduction than the convective system. In biltong samples produced by short wavelength (2.5 µm) infrared drying, E. coli was not detectable. This study demonstrates that the use of short wavelength infrared drying is a potential alternative to conventional convective drying by improving the microbiological quality of biltong products while at the same time delivering products of satisfactory quality.

Real-time computational photon-counting LiDAR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Edgar, Matthew; Johnson, Steven; Phillips, David; Padgett, Miles

2018-03-01

The availability of compact, low-cost, and high-speed MEMS-based spatial light modulators has generated widespread interest in alternative sampling strategies for imaging systems utilizing single-pixel detectors. The development of compressed sensing schemes for real-time computational imaging may have promising commercial applications for high-performance detectors, where the availability of focal plane arrays is expensive or otherwise limited. We discuss the research and development of a prototype light detection and ranging (LiDAR) system via direct time of flight, which utilizes a single high-sensitivity photon-counting detector and fast-timing electronics to recover millimeter accuracy three-dimensional images in real time. The development of low-cost real time computational LiDAR systems could have importance for applications in security, defense, and autonomous vehicles.

New Alternatives in Seafood Restructured Products.

PubMed

Moreno, Helena M; Herranz, Beatriz; Pérez-Mateos, Miriam; Sánchez-Alonso, Isabel; Borderías, Javier A

2016-01-01

A general overview, focusing on new trends in the different techniques used in restructured seafood product processing has been described in this work. Heat-induced gelation has been more widely studied in scientific literature than cold gelation technology. This latter technology includes the use of hydrocolloids (alginates and glucomannan) or enzymes (microbial transglutaminase) for making both raw and cooked restructured products. In restructuration processes, fortification processing with some functional ingredients is studied, giving as a result extra value to the products as well as increasing the variety of new seafood products. The process of alleviating heavy metals and organic pollutants from the raw material used has also been reviewed in the present paper.

Experimental Study of Sand Production and Mud Erosion Phenomena for Sand Mud Alternate Layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oyama, H.; Sato, T.

2014-12-01

Methane hydrates are crystalline, ice-like compounds under specific thermodynamic conditions. The existence of methane hydrates is confirmed in the Nankai Trough, an offshore area of Japan. Japan's Methane Hydrate Research and Development Program (MH21) has been under way at this area. In the early 2013, the world's first intentional gas production attempt from marine gas hydrate deposits was tried and accomplished in the Daini Atumi Knoll area of the Eastern Nankai Trough. For gas production, depressurization method has been considered as a promising gas production technique from methane hydrate reservoirs. However, considering of continuous gas production over a long period, there is still something to clarify. The methane hydrate crystals are very small and existed in the intergranular pores of sandy layer of turbidite sediments. When the intergranular methane hydrates will be dissociated, it is considered that dissociated gas and water flow will cause sand production and mud erosion phenomena of turbidite sediments. The production of framework sands into a well is one of the problems plaguing the gas because of its adverse effects on well productivity and equipment. If the eroded mud is accumulated in the pore space of sand, skin is generated and permeability becomes lower. In addition, mud erosion has a negative effect for the well stability. This research presents an experimental study to understand sand production and mud erosion phenomena for sand mud alternate layer. The aims of this study are to understand these phenomena and clarify driving forces. In our experiments, we used an artificial sedimentary core and performed experiments under various conditions. As the results, the driving forces of these phenomena are not dissociation gas flow but water flow through pore.

27 CFR 4.92 - Alternative names permitted for temporary use.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 27 Alcohol, Tobacco Products and Firearms 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Alternative names permitted for temporary use. 4.92 Section 4.92 Alcohol, Tobacco Products and Firearms ALCOHOL AND TOBACCO... Grape Variety Names § 4.92 Alternative names permitted for temporary use. The following alternative...

Estimating Demand for Alternatives to Cigarettes With Online Purchase Tasks

PubMed Central

O’Connor, Richard J.; June, Kristie M.; Bansal-Travers, Maansi; Rousu, Matthew C.; Thrasher, James F.; Hyland, Andrew; Cummings, K. Michael

2013-01-01

Objectives This study explored how advertising affects demand for cigarettes and potential substitutes, including snus, dissolvable tobacco, and medicinal nicotine. Methods A web-based experiment randomized 1062 smokers to see advertisements for alternative nicotine products or soft drinks, then complete a series of purchase tasks, which were used to estimate demand elasticity, peak consumption, and cross-price elasticity (CPE) for tobacco products. Results Lower demand elasticity and greater peak consumption were seen for cigarettes compared to all alternative products (p < .05). CPE did not differ across the alternative products (p ≤ .03). Seeing relevant advertisements was not significantly related to demand. Conclusions These findings suggest significantly lower demand for alternative nicotine sources among smokers than previously revealed. PMID:24034685

Estimating demand for alternatives to cigarettes with online purchase tasks.

PubMed

O'Connor, Richard J; June, Kristie M; Bansal-Travers, Maansi; Rousu, Matthew C; Thrasher, James F; Hyland, Andrew; Cummings, K Michael

2014-01-01

To explore how advertising affects demand for cigarettes and potential substitutes, including snus, dissolvable tobacco, and medicinal nicotine. A Web-based experiment randomized 1062 smokers to see advertisements for alternative nicotine products or soft drinks, then complete a series of purchase tasks, which were used to estimate demand elasticity, peak consumption, and cross-price elasticity (CPE) for tobacco products. Lower demand elasticity and greater peak consumption were seen for cigarettes compared to all alternative products (p < .05). CPE did not differ across the alternative products (p ≤ .03). Seeing relevant advertisements was not significantly related to demand. These findings suggest significantly lower demand for alternative nicotine sources among smokers than previously revealed.

75 FR 74620 - Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA): Home Warranty Companies' Payments to Real Estate...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-12-01

... interpretive rule concluded: (1) A payment by an HWC for marketing services performed by real estate brokers or... real estate broker or agent for marketing a home warranty product directly to particular homebuyers or... rule, payments for marketing services directed to particular homebuyers or sellers are considered to be...

The Use of OMPS Near Real Time Products in Volcanic Cloud Risk Mitigation and Smoke/Dust Air Quality Assessments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seftor, C. J.; Krotkov, N. A.; McPeters, R. D.; Li, J. Y.; Durbin, P. B.

2015-12-01

Near real time (NRT) SO2 and aerosol index (AI) imagery from Aura's Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) has proven invaluable in mitigating the risk posed to air traffic by SO2 and ash clouds from volcanic eruptions. The OMI products, generated as part of NASA's Land, Atmosphere Near real-time Capability for EOS (LANCE) NRT system and available through LANCE and both NOAA's NESDIS and ESA's Support to Aviation Control Service (SACS) portals, are used to monitor the current location of volcanic clouds and to provide input into Volcanic Ash (VA) advisory forecasts. NRT products have recently been developed using data from the Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite onboard the Suomi NPP platform; they are currently being made available through the SACS portal and will shortly be incorporated into the LANCE NRT system. We will show examples of the use of OMPS NRT SO2 and AI imagery to monitor recent volcanic eruption events. We will also demonstrate the usefulness of OMPS AI imagery to detect and track dust storms and smoke from fires, and how this information can be used to forecast their impact on air quality in areas far removed from their source. Finally, we will show SO2 and AI imagery generated from our OMPS Direct Broadcast data to highlight the capability of our real time system.

The impact of free trial acceptance on demand for alternative nicotine products: evidence from experimental auctions.

PubMed

Rousu, Matthew C; O'Connor, Richard J; Bansal-Travers, Maansi; Pitcavage, James M; Thrasher, James F

2015-06-11

This study explored the relationship between product trials and consumer demand for alternative nicotine products (ANP). An experimental auction was conducted with 258 adult smokers, wherein participants were randomly assigned to one of four experimental conditions. The participants received the opportunity to try, but did not have to accept, one of three relatively novel ST products (i.e., snus, dissolvable tobacco, or medicinal nicotine), or they were placed into a control group (i.e., no trial). All the participants then bid on all three of these products, as well as on cigarettes. We assessed interest in using ANP based on both trial of the product and bids placed for the products in the experimental auction. Fewer smokers were willing to try snus (44%) than dissolvable tobacco (64%) or medicine nicotine (68%). For snus, we find modest evidence suggesting that willingness to try is associated with greater demand for the product. For dissolvable tobacco or medicinal nicotine, we find no evidence that those who accept the product trial have higher demand for the product. Free trials of a novel ANP were not strongly associated with product demand, as assessed by willingness to pay. Given the debate over the potential for ANP to reduce the harm from smoking, these results are important in understanding the impact of free trial offers on adoption of ST product as a strategy to reduce harm from tobacco use.

27 CFR 19.26 - Alternate methods or procedures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 27 Alcohol, Tobacco Products and Firearms 1 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Alternate methods or... Provisions Alternate Methods Or Procedures and Experimental Operations § 19.26 Alternate methods or procedures. (a) General. The appropriate TTB officer may approve the use of an alternate method or procedure...

Alternative Land-Use Scenarios for Bioenergy Production in the U.S. and Brazil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Campbell, J. E.; Spak, S.; Tsao, C. C.; Mena, M.; Chen, Y.

2015-12-01

Agriculture is historically a dominant form of global environmental degradation, and the potential for increased future degradation may be enhanced by growing demand for biofuels. Here, we apply high-resolution cropland inventories and agronomic models to characterize land-use impacts and mitigation scenarios for bioenergy production in the U.S. and Brazil. In the U.S., our gridded historical cropland maps show potential for production in the U.S. on 68 Mha of abandoned croplands in the U.S. which is as much as 70% larger than previous estimates due to a reduction in aggregation effects. In Brazil, a critical land-use impact is associated with non-GHG air pollutants from the management and expansion of sugarcane feedstocks. Our bottom-up estimate for these Brazilian land-use emissions is seven times larger than estimated from remote-sensing data due to the improved spatial resolution of our approach. While current land-use policies in Brazil and the U.S. seek to reduce life-cycle biofuel emissions, these policies may not support the mitigation alternatives identified here.

On real-space Density Functional Theory for non-orthogonal crystal systems: Kronecker product formulation of the kinetic energy operator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharma, Abhiraj; Suryanarayana, Phanish

2018-05-01

We present an accurate and efficient real-space Density Functional Theory (DFT) framework for the ab initio study of non-orthogonal crystal systems. Specifically, employing a local reformulation of the electrostatics, we develop a novel Kronecker product formulation of the real-space kinetic energy operator that significantly reduces the number of operations associated with the Laplacian-vector multiplication, the dominant cost in practical computations. In particular, we reduce the scaling with respect to finite-difference order from quadratic to linear, thereby significantly bridging the gap in computational cost between non-orthogonal and orthogonal systems. We verify the accuracy and efficiency of the proposed methodology through selected examples.

An Alternative σ Factor, σ8, Controls Avermectin Production and Multiple Stress Responses in Streptomyces avermitilis.

PubMed

Sun, Di; Wang, Qian; Chen, Zhi; Li, Jilun; Wen, Ying

2017-01-01

Alternative σ factors in bacteria redirect RNA polymerase to recognize alternative promoters, thereby facilitating coordinated gene expression necessary for adaptive responses. The gene sig8 ( sav_741 ) in Streptomyces avermitilis encodes an alternative σ factor, σ 8 , highly homologous to σ B in Streptomyces coelicolor . Studies reported here demonstrate that σ 8 is an important regulator of both avermectin production and stress responses in S. avermitilis . σ 8 inhibited avermectin production by indirectly repressing expression of cluster-situated activator gene aveR , and by directly initiating transcription of its downstream gene sav_742 , which encodes a direct repressor of ave structural genes. σ 8 had no effect on cell growth or morphological differentiation under normal growth conditions. Growth of a sig8- deletion mutant was less than that of wild-type strain on YMS plates following treatment with heat, H 2 O 2 , diamide, NaCl, or KCl. sig8 transcription was strongly induced by these environmental stresses, indicating response by σ 8 itself. A series of σ 8 -dependent genes responsive to heat, oxidative and osmotic stress were identified by EMSAs, qRT-PCR and in vitro transcription experiments. These findings indicate that σ 8 plays an important role in mediating protective responses to various stress conditions by activating transcription of its target genes. Six σ 8 -binding promoter sequences were determined and consensus binding sequence BGVNVH-N 15 -GSNNHH (B: C, T or G, V: A, C or G, S: C or G, H: A, C or T, N: any nucleotide) was identified, leading to prediction of the σ 8 regulon. The list consists of 940 putative σ 8 target genes, assignable to 17 functional groups, suggesting the wide range of cellular functions controlled by σ 8 in S. avermitilis .

Aircraft interior noise reduction by alternate resonance tuning

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gottwald, James A.; Bliss, Donald B.

1990-01-01

The focus is on a noise control method which considers aircraft fuselages lined with panels alternately tuned to frequencies above and below the frequency that must be attenuated. An interior noise reduction called alternate resonance tuning (ART) is described both theoretically and experimentally. Problems dealing with tuning single paneled wall structures for optimum noise reduction using the ART methodology are presented, and three theoretical problems are analyzed. The first analysis is a three dimensional, full acoustic solution for tuning a panel wall composed of repeating sections with four different panel tunings within that section, where the panels are modeled as idealized spring-mass-damper systems. The second analysis is a two dimensional, full acoustic solution for a panel geometry influenced by the effect of a propagating external pressure field such as that which might be associated with propeller passage by a fuselage. To reduce the analysis complexity, idealized spring-mass-damper panels are again employed. The final theoretical analysis presents the general four panel problem with real panel sections, where the effect of higher structural modes is discussed. Results from an experimental program highlight real applications of the ART concept and show the effectiveness of the tuning on real structures.

Development of real-time PCR methods to quantify patulin-producing molds in food products.

PubMed

Rodríguez, Alicia; Luque, M Isabel; Andrade, María J; Rodríguez, Mar; Asensio, Miguel A; Córdoba, Juan J

2011-09-01

Patulin is a mycotoxin produced by different Penicillium and Aspergillus strains isolated from food products. To improve food safety, the presence of patulin-producing molds in foods should be quantified. In the present work, two real-time (RTi) PCR protocols based on SYBR Green and TaqMan were developed. Thirty four patulin producers and 28 non-producers strains belonging to different species usually reported in food products were used. The patulin production was tested by mycellar electrokinetic capillary electrophoresis (MECE) and high-pressure liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS). A primer pair F-idhtrb/R-idhtrb and the probe IDHprobe were designed from the isoepoxydon dehydrogenase (idh) gene, involved in patulin biosynthesis. The functionality of the developed method was demonstrated by the high linear relationship of the standard curves constructed with the idh gene copy number and Ct values for the different patulin producers tested. The ability to quantify patulin producers of the developed SYBR Green and TaqMan assays in artificially inoculated food samples was successful, with a minimum threshold of 10 conidia g(-1) per reaction. The developed methods quantified with high efficiency fungal load in foods. These RTi-PCR protocols, are proposed to be used to quantify patulin-producing molds in food products and to prevent patulin from entering the food chain. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Guide to Alternative Mortgage Instruments. Teachers Instructional Packet, TIP No. 4, Spring 1985.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Texas A and M Univ., College Station. Texas Real Estate Research Center.

Part of a series of classroom aids designed for real estate instructors, this instructional packet was developed to help real estate students understand the various alternative mortgage instruments, including their major advantages and disadvantages. First, an evaluation form for the packet is presented. Next, a summary presentation on four basic…

A comparative analysis of well-to-wheel primary energy demand and greenhouse gas emissions for the operation of alternative and conventional vehicles in Switzerland, considering various energy carrier production pathways

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yazdanie, Mashael; Noembrini, Fabrizio; Dossetto, Lionel; Boulouchos, Konstantinos

2014-03-01

This study provides a comprehensive analysis of well-to-wheel (WTW) primary energy demand and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for the operation of conventional and alternative passenger vehicle drivetrains. Results are determined based on a reference vehicle, drivetrain/production process efficiencies, and lifecycle inventory data specific to Switzerland. WTW performance is compared to a gasoline internal combustion engine vehicle (ICEV). Both industrialized and novel hydrogen and electricity production pathways are evaluated. A strong case is presented for pluggable electric vehicles (PEVs) due to their high drivetrain efficiency. However, WTW performance strongly depends on the electricity source. A critical electricity mix can be identified which divides optimal drivetrain performance between the EV, ICEV, and plug-in hybrid vehicle. Alternative drivetrain and energy carrier production pathways are also compared by natural resource. Fuel cell vehicle (FCV) performance proves to be on par with PEVs for energy carrier (EC) production via biomass and natural gas resources. However, PEVs outperform FCVs via solar energy EC production pathways. ICE drivetrains using alternative fuels, particularly biogas and CNG, yield remarkable WTW energy and emission reductions as well, indicating that alternative fuels, and not only alternative drivetrains, play an important role in the transition towards low-emission vehicles in Switzerland.

Use of MRF residue as alternative fuel in cement production.

PubMed

Fyffe, John R; Breckel, Alex C; Townsend, Aaron K; Webber, Michael E

2016-01-01

Single-stream recycling has helped divert millions of metric tons of waste from landfills in the U.S., where recycling rates for municipal solid waste are currently over 30%. However, material recovery facilities (MRFs) that sort the municipal recycled streams do not recover 100% of the incoming material. Consequently, they landfill between 5% and 15% of total processed material as residue. This residue is primarily composed of high-energy-content non-recycled plastics and fiber. One possible end-of-life solution for these energy-dense materials is to process the residue into Solid Recovered Fuel (SRF) that can be used as an alternative energy resource capable of replacing or supplementing fuel resources such as coal, natural gas, petroleum coke, or biomass in many industrial and power production processes. This report addresses the energetic and environmental benefits and trade-offs of converting non-recycled post-consumer plastics and fiber derived from MRF residue streams into SRF for use in a cement kiln. An experimental test burn of 118 Mg of SRF in the precalciner portion of the cement kiln was conducted. The SRF was a blend of 60% MRF residue and 40% post-industrial waste products producing an estimated 60% plastic and 40% fibrous material mixture. The SRF was fed into the kiln at 0.9 Mg/h for 24h and then 1.8 Mg/h for the following 48 h. The emissions data recorded in the experimental test burn were used to perform the life-cycle analysis portion of this study. The analysis included the following steps: transportation, landfill, processing and fuel combustion at the cement kiln. The energy use and emissions at each step is tracked for the two cases: (1) The Reference Case, where MRF residue is disposed of in a landfill and the cement kiln uses coal as its fuel source, and (2) The SRF Case, in which MRF residue is processed into SRF and used to offset some portion of coal use at the cement kiln. The experimental test burn and accompanying analysis indicate

Real-Time PPP Based on the Coupling Estimation of Clock Bias and Orbit Error with Broadcast Ephemeris

PubMed Central

Pan, Shuguo; Chen, Weirong; Jin, Xiaodong; Shi, Xiaofei; He, Fan

2015-01-01

Satellite orbit error and clock bias are the keys to precise point positioning (PPP). The traditional PPP algorithm requires precise satellite products based on worldwide permanent reference stations. Such an algorithm requires considerable work and hardly achieves real-time performance. However, real-time positioning service will be the dominant mode in the future. IGS is providing such an operational service (RTS) and there are also commercial systems like Trimble RTX in operation. On the basis of the regional Continuous Operational Reference System (CORS), a real-time PPP algorithm is proposed to apply the coupling estimation of clock bias and orbit error. The projection of orbit error onto the satellite-receiver range has the same effects on positioning accuracy with clock bias. Therefore, in satellite clock estimation, part of the orbit error can be absorbed by the clock bias and the effects of residual orbit error on positioning accuracy can be weakened by the evenly distributed satellite geometry. In consideration of the simple structure of pseudorange equations and the high precision of carrier-phase equations, the clock bias estimation method coupled with orbit error is also improved. Rovers obtain PPP results by receiving broadcast ephemeris and real-time satellite clock bias coupled with orbit error. By applying the proposed algorithm, the precise orbit products provided by GNSS analysis centers are rendered no longer necessary. On the basis of previous theoretical analysis, a real-time PPP system was developed. Some experiments were then designed to verify this algorithm. Experimental results show that the newly proposed approach performs better than the traditional PPP based on International GNSS Service (IGS) real-time products. The positioning accuracies of the rovers inside and outside the network are improved by 38.8% and 36.1%, respectively. The PPP convergence speeds are improved by up to 61.4% and 65.9%. The new approach can change the

The adenosine salvage pathway as an alternative to mitochondrial production of ATP in maturing mammalian oocytes.

PubMed

Scantland, Sara; Tessaro, Irene; Macabelli, Carolina H; Macaulay, Angus D; Cagnone, Gaël; Fournier, Éric; Luciano, Alberto M; Robert, Claude

2014-09-01

Although the oocyte is the largest cell in the body and an unavoidable phase in life, its physiology is still poorly understood, and other cell types provide little insight into its unique nature. Even basic cellular functions in the oocyte such as energy metabolism are not yet fully understood. It is known that the mitochondria of the female gamete exhibit an immature form characterized by limited energy production from glucose and oxidative phosphorylation. We show that the bovine oocyte uses alternative means to maintain ATP production during maturation, namely, the adenosine salvage pathway. Meiosis resumption is triggered by destruction of cyclic AMP by phosphodiesterases producing adenosine monophosphate that is converted into ATP by adenylate kinases and creatine kinases. Inhibition of these enzymes decreased ATP production, and addition of their substrates restored ATP production in denuded oocytes. Addition of phosphocreatine to the oocyte maturation medium influenced the phenotype of the resulting blastocysts. We propose a model in which adenylate kinases and creatine kinases act as drivers of ATP production from added AMP during oocyte maturation. © 2014 by the Society for the Study of Reproduction, Inc.

Application of alternative medicine in gastrointestinal cancer patients.

PubMed

Nikolić, Ivan; Smiljenić, Dragana; Kukić, Biljana; Bogdanović, Bogdan; Petrović, Tomislav; Ivković-Kapicl, Tatjana; Kozarski, Dejan; Djan, Igor

2012-11-01

[corrected] Alternative medicine is a set of therapeutic procedures which are no part of official practice. At present, the use of alternative medicine among cancer patients is significant and the purpose of this study was to get more information on the methods and products of alternative medicine. Thus, the aim of the study was to determine the frequency of the use of alternative medicine among gastrointestinal cancer patients. The research was conducted using an anonymous questionnaire in writing. We included 205 patients with the diagnosis of gastrointestinal malignancy in the study but the questionnaire was fulfilled by 193 patients and the presented data were based on their answers. The questions were about the sociodemographic characteristics of the patients, the reasons for their use of alternative medicine, and their information sources about alternative medicine. We divided existing alternative therapies into 6 categories: herbal therapy, special diets, psychotherapy, body-mind therapy, spiritual therapy, and other supplements. A total of 48 (24.9%) patients did not use any type of alternative therapy; 145 (75.1%) patients used at least one product and 124 (64.25%) patients used herbal preparations (beetroot juice was consumed by 110 [56.99%] patients); 136 (70.5%) patients were informed about alternative therapies by other patients; 145 (75.1%) used alternative medicine to increase the chances for cure; 88 (45.6%) of interviewed patients would like to participate in future research in this field. The use of alternative medicine is evidently significant among cancer patients. Further research should be conducted in order to find out interactions of these products with other drugs and potential advantages and disadvantages of this form of treatment.

Alternatives Reality: What to Expect from Future Allocations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sedlacek, Verne O.

2014-01-01

For well more than a decade, the "endowment model" of investing has been synonymous with increasing allocations to alternative investment strategies, defined largely as hedge funds, private real estate, private equity and venture capital and other, generally less liquid or illiquid strategies compared to public markets. This trend…

Expanding NASA's Land, Atmosphere Near real-time Capability for EOS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davies, D.; Michael, K.; Masuoka, E.; Ye, G.; Schmaltz, J. E.; Harrison, S.; Ziskin, D.; Durbin, P. B.; Protack, S.; Rinsland, P. L.; Slayback, D. A.; Policelli, F. S.; Olsina, O.; Fu, G.; Ederer, G. A.; Ding, F.; Braun, J.; Gumley, L.; Prins, E. M.; Davidson, C. C.; Wong, M. M.

2017-12-01

NASA's Land, Atmosphere Near real-time Capability for EOS (LANCE) is a virtual system that provides near real-time EOS data and imagery to meet the needs of scientists and application users interested in monitoring a wide variety of natural and man-made phenomena in near real-time. Over the last year: near real-time products and imagery from MOPITT, MISR, OMPS and VIIRS (Land and Atmosphere) have been added; the Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS) has been updated and LANCE has begun the process of integrating the Global NRT flood product. In addition, following the AMSU-A2 instrument anomaly in September 2016, AIRS-only products have replaced the NRT level 2 AIRS+AMSU products. This presentation provides a brief overview of LANCE, describes the new products that are recently available and contains a preview of what to expect in LANCE over the coming year. For more information visit: https://earthdata.nasa.gov/lance

Extraction and purification of high added value compounds from by-products of the winemaking chain using alternative/nonconventional processes/technologies.

PubMed

Yammine, Sami; Brianceau, Sylène; Manteau, Sébastien; Turk, Mohammad; Ghidossi, Rémy; Vorobiev, Eugène; Mietton-Peuchot, Martine

2018-05-24

Grape byproducts are today considered as a cheap source of valuable compounds since existent technologies allow the recovery of target compounds and their recycling. The goal of the current article is to explore the different recovery stages used by both conventional and alternative techniques and processes. Alternative pre-treatments techniques reviewed are: ultrasounds, pulsed electric fields and high voltage discharges. In addition, nonconventional solvent extraction under high pressure, specifically, supercritical fluid extraction and subcritical water extraction are discussed. Finally alternative purification technologies, for example membrane processing were also examined. The intent is to describe the mechanisms involved by these alternative technologies and to summarize the work done on the improvement of the extraction process of phenolic compounds from winery by-products. With a focus on the developmental stage of each technology, highlighting the research need and challenges to be overcome for an industrial implementation of these unitary operations in the overall extraction process. A critical comparison of conventional and alternative techniques will be reviewed for ethe pre-treatment of raw material, the diffusion of polyphenols and the purification of these high added value compounds. This review intends to give the reader some key answers (costs, advantages, drawbacks) to help in the choice of alternative technologies for extraction purposes.

Aiding alternatives assessment with an uncertainty-tolerant hazard scoring method.

PubMed

Faludi, Jeremy; Hoang, Tina; Gorman, Patrick; Mulvihill, Martin

2016-11-01

This research developed a single-score system to simplify and clarify decision-making in chemical alternatives assessment, accounting for uncertainty. Today, assessing alternatives to hazardous constituent chemicals is a difficult task-rather than comparing alternatives by a single definitive score, many independent toxicological variables must be considered at once, and data gaps are rampant. Thus, most hazard assessments are only comprehensible to toxicologists, but business leaders and politicians need simple scores to make decisions. In addition, they must balance hazard against other considerations, such as product functionality, and they must be aware of the high degrees of uncertainty in chemical hazard data. This research proposes a transparent, reproducible method to translate eighteen hazard endpoints into a simple numeric score with quantified uncertainty, alongside a similar product functionality score, to aid decisions between alternative products. The scoring method uses Clean Production Action's GreenScreen as a guide, but with a different method of score aggregation. It provides finer differentiation between scores than GreenScreen's four-point scale, and it displays uncertainty quantitatively in the final score. Displaying uncertainty also illustrates which alternatives are early in product development versus well-defined commercial products. This paper tested the proposed assessment method through a case study in the building industry, assessing alternatives to spray polyurethane foam insulation containing methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI). The new hazard scoring method successfully identified trade-offs between different alternatives, showing finer resolution than GreenScreen Benchmarking. Sensitivity analysis showed that different weighting schemes in hazard scores had almost no effect on alternatives ranking, compared to uncertainty from data gaps. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Detection of Nicotiana DNA in Tobacco Products Using a Novel Multiplex Real-Time PCR Assay.

PubMed

Korchinski, Katie L; Land, Adrian D; Craft, David L; Brzezinski, Jennifer L

2016-07-01

Establishing that a product contains tobacco is a requirement for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's regulation and/or prosecution of tobacco products. Therefore, a multiplex real-time PCR method was designed to determine if Nicotiana (tobacco) DNA is present in tobacco products. The PCR method simultaneously amplifies a 73 bp fragment of the cytochrome P450 monoxygenase CYP82E4 gene and 66 bp fragment in the nia-1 gene for nitrate reductase, which are detected using dual-labeled TaqMan probes. The assay is capable of detecting approximately 7.8 pg purified tobacco DNA, with a similar sensitivity for either gene target while incorporating an internal positive control (IPC). DNA was extracted from prepared tobacco products-including chewing tobacco, pipe tobacco, and snuff-or from the cut fill (no wrapper) of cigarettes and cigars. Of the 13 products analyzed, 12 were positive for both tobacco-specific markers and the IPC. DNA was also extracted from the fill of five varieties of herbal cigarettes, which were negative for both tobacco-specific gene targets and positive for the IPC. Our method expands on current assays by introducing a multiplex reaction, targeting two sequences in two different genes of interest, incorporating an IPC into the reaction, and lowering the LOD and LOQ while increasing the efficiency of the PCR.

Alternative medicine in the workplace.

PubMed

Lippin, R A

1996-01-01

Workplace settings are ripe for the application of alternative medical interventions for a variety of reasons. Included among them are a shared interest in prevention by both the occupational and alternative medicine communities, economic incentives by corporations as major purchasers of healthcare to reduce healthcare costs and improve employee productivity, and the willingness of corporations to be differentially creative in their approach to delivering and purchasing healthcare. This paper describes the US workforce in transition, provides an overview of occupational medicine including current programs and emerging issues, describes the current applications of alternative medicine interventions in the workplace, and argues for future expanded application of alternative medicine in workplace settings.

An alternative discourse of productive aging: A self-restrained approach in older Chinese people in Hong Kong.

PubMed

Luo, Minxia; Chui, Ernest Wing-Tak

2016-08-01

While Western discourses regarding productive aging emphasize individuals' contributions to economic productivity, the Confucian cultural heritage of the Chinese community may provide an alternative perspective. This qualitative study explores interpretations of what constitutes productive aging, based on a series of in-depth interviews with older Chinese people in Hong Kong. It shows that some of these individuals adopted a passive and indirect interpretation of productive aging, distinct from that found in Western countries. The Confucianism-based, collectivist, normative order underpinning Hong Kong society disposed these older people to adopting a self-restrained attitude with the aim of avoiding becoming a burden to others, especially family members. Such a tendency toward self-restraint or avoidance also encompassed a compromise between ideals and reality, with the older people opting to compromise their expectations of the younger generation as a whole, their adult children in particular, in terms of respect and reciprocity. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Emerging trends in alternative aviation fuels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Corbett, Cody

The days of petroleum-based aviation fuels are numbered. New regulations to be set in place in the coming years will force current fuels to be phased out in favor of cleaner fuels with less toxic emissions. The alternative fuel industry has already taken its foothold in other modes of transportation, and aviation will soon follow suit. Many companies have cropped up over the last decade, and a few have been around longer, that work hard to develop the alternative aviation fuels of the future. It is important, however, for the aviation community to know what to expect and when to expect it concerning alternative fuels. This study investigates where various companies in the alternative aviation fuel industry currently stand in their development and production processes, and how their products will affect aircraft owners and operators. By interviewing representatives from these companies and analyzing their responses to identify trends, an educated prediction can be made about where the industry is headed and when the aviation community can expect these fuel to be available. The findings of this study indicate that many companies are still in their developmental stages, with a few notable outliers, and that most of these companies expect to see production of their product by 2017. Also, the fuel manufacturers are dealing with all the legal hurdles regarding alternative fuels, so little to no effort will be required on the part of the consumer. These findings, along with their analysis, will enable the aviation community to make educated decisions concerning fuel and their aircraft, as well and do their part to help these beneficial fuels get to market.

21 CFR 640.120 - Alternative procedures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 7 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Alternative procedures. 640.120 Section 640.120 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) BIOLOGICS ADDITIONAL STANDARDS FOR HUMAN BLOOD AND BLOOD PRODUCTS Alternative Procedures § 640.120...

21 CFR 640.120 - Alternative procedures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 7 2011-04-01 2010-04-01 true Alternative procedures. 640.120 Section 640.120 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) BIOLOGICS ADDITIONAL STANDARDS FOR HUMAN BLOOD AND BLOOD PRODUCTS Alternative Procedures § 640.120...

Near-Real-Time Satellite Cloud Products for Icing Detection and Aviation Weather over the USA

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Minnis, Patrick; Smith, William L., Jr.; Nguyen, Louis; Murray, J. J.; Heck, Patrick W.; Khaiyer, Mandana M.

2003-01-01

A set of physically based retrieval algorithms has been developed to derive from multispectral satellite imagery a variety of cloud properties that can be used to diagnose icing conditions when upper-level clouds are absent. The algorithms are being applied in near-real time to the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) data over Florida, the Southern Great Plains, and the midwestern USA. The products are available in image and digital formats on the world-wide web. The analysis system is being upgraded to analyze GOES data over the CONUS. Validation, 24-hour processing, and operational issues are discussed.

Impacts of Satellite Orbit and Clock on Real-Time GPS Point and Relative Positioning.

PubMed

Shi, Junbo; Wang, Gaojing; Han, Xianquan; Guo, Jiming

2017-06-12

Satellite orbit and clock corrections are always treated as known quantities in GPS positioning models. Therefore, any error in the satellite orbit and clock products will probably cause significant consequences for GPS positioning, especially for real-time applications. Currently three types of satellite products have been made available for real-time positioning, including the broadcast ephemeris, the International GNSS Service (IGS) predicted ultra-rapid product, and the real-time product. In this study, these three predicted/real-time satellite orbit and clock products are first evaluated with respect to the post-mission IGS final product, which demonstrates cm to m level orbit accuracies and sub-ns to ns level clock accuracies. Impacts of real-time satellite orbit and clock products on GPS point and relative positioning are then investigated using the P3 and GAMIT software packages, respectively. Numerical results show that the real-time satellite clock corrections affect the point positioning more significantly than the orbit corrections. On the contrary, only the real-time orbit corrections impact the relative positioning. Compared with the positioning solution using the IGS final product with the nominal orbit accuracy of ~2.5 cm, the real-time broadcast ephemeris with ~2 m orbit accuracy provided <2 cm relative positioning error for baselines no longer than 216 km. As for the baselines ranging from 574 to 2982 km, the cm-dm level positioning error was identified for the relative positioning solution using the broadcast ephemeris. The real-time product could result in <5 mm relative positioning accuracy for baselines within 2982 km, slightly better than the predicted ultra-rapid product.

Peak oil demand: the role of fuel efficiency and alternative fuels in a global oil production decline.

PubMed

Brandt, Adam R; Millard-Ball, Adam; Ganser, Matthew; Gorelick, Steven M

2013-07-16

Some argue that peak conventional oil production is imminent due to physical resource scarcity. We examine the alternative possibility of reduced oil use due to improved efficiency and oil substitution. Our model uses historical relationships to project future demand for (a) transport services, (b) all liquid fuels, and (c) substitution with alternative energy carriers, including electricity. Results show great increases in passenger and freight transport activity, but less reliance on oil. Demand for liquids inputs to refineries declines significantly after 2070. By 2100 transport energy demand rises >1000% in Asia, while flattening in North America (+23%) and Europe (-20%). Conventional oil demand declines after 2035, and cumulative oil production is 1900 Gbbl from 2010 to 2100 (close to the U.S. Geological Survey median estimate of remaining oil, which only includes projected discoveries through 2025). These results suggest that effort is better spent to determine and influence the trajectory of oil substitution and efficiency improvement rather than to focus on oil resource scarcity. The results also imply that policy makers should not rely on liquid fossil fuel scarcity to constrain damage from climate change. However, there is an unpredictable range of emissions impacts depending on which mix of substitutes for conventional oil gains dominance-oil sands, electricity, coal-to-liquids, or others.

Real-time magnetic resonance imaging and electromagnetic articulography database for speech production research (TC)

PubMed Central

Narayanan, Shrikanth; Toutios, Asterios; Ramanarayanan, Vikram; Lammert, Adam; Kim, Jangwon; Lee, Sungbok; Nayak, Krishna; Kim, Yoon-Chul; Zhu, Yinghua; Goldstein, Louis; Byrd, Dani; Bresch, Erik; Ghosh, Prasanta; Katsamanis, Athanasios; Proctor, Michael

2014-01-01

USC-TIMIT is an extensive database of multimodal speech production data, developed to complement existing resources available to the speech research community and with the intention of being continuously refined and augmented. The database currently includes real-time magnetic resonance imaging data from five male and five female speakers of American English. Electromagnetic articulography data have also been presently collected from four of these speakers. The two modalities were recorded in two independent sessions while the subjects produced the same 460 sentence corpus used previously in the MOCHA-TIMIT database. In both cases the audio signal was recorded and synchronized with the articulatory data. The database and companion software are freely available to the research community. PMID:25190403

SHARPs - A Near-Real-Time Space Weather Data Product from HMI

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bobra, M.; Turmon, M.; Baldner, C.; Sun, X.; Hoeksema, J. T.

2012-12-01

A data product from the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) on the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), called Space-weather HMI Active Region Patches (SHARPs), is now available through the SDO Joint Science Operations Center (JSOC) and the Virtual Solar Observatory. SHARPs are magnetically active regions identified on the solar disk and tracked automatically in time. SHARP data are processed within a few hours of the observation time. The SHARP data series contains active region-sized disambiguated vector magnetic field data in both Lambert Cylindrical Equal-Area and CCD coordinates on a 12 minute cadence. The series also provides simultaneous HMI maps of the line-of-sight magnetic field, continuum intensity, and velocity on the same ~0.5 arc-second pixel grid. In addition, the SHARP data series provides space weather quantities computed on the inverted, disambiguated, and remapped data. The values for each tracked region are computed and updated in near real time. We present space weather results for several X-class flares; furthermore, we compare said space weather quantities with helioseismic quantities calculated using ring-diagram analysis.

Cloud-based Web Services for Near-Real-Time Web access to NPP Satellite Imagery and other Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Evans, J. D.; Valente, E. G.

2010-12-01

We are building a scalable, cloud computing-based infrastructure for Web access to near-real-time data products synthesized from the U.S. National Polar-Orbiting Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) Preparatory Project (NPP) and other geospatial and meteorological data. Given recent and ongoing changes in the the NPP and NPOESS programs (now Joint Polar Satellite System), the need for timely delivery of NPP data is urgent. We propose an alternative to a traditional, centralized ground segment, using distributed Direct Broadcast facilities linked to industry-standard Web services by a streamlined processing chain running in a scalable cloud computing environment. Our processing chain, currently implemented on Amazon.com's Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2), retrieves raw data from NASA's Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and synthesizes data products such as Sea-Surface Temperature, Vegetation Indices, etc. The cloud computing approach lets us grow and shrink computing resources to meet large and rapid fluctuations (twice daily) in both end-user demand and data availability from polar-orbiting sensors. Early prototypes have delivered various data products to end-users with latencies between 6 and 32 minutes. We have begun to replicate machine instances in the cloud, so as to reduce latency and maintain near-real time data access regardless of increased data input rates or user demand -- all at quite moderate monthly costs. Our service-based approach (in which users invoke software processes on a Web-accessible server) facilitates access into datasets of arbitrary size and resolution, and allows users to request and receive tailored and composite (e.g., false-color multiband) products on demand. To facilitate broad impact and adoption of our technology, we have emphasized open, industry-standard software interfaces and open source software. Through our work, we envision the widespread establishment of similar, derived, or interoperable systems for

The Cauchy-Schwarz Inequality and the Induced Metrics on Real Vector Spaces Mainly on the Real Line

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ramasinghe, W.

2005-01-01

It is very well known that the Cauchy-Schwarz inequality is an important property shared by all inner product spaces and the inner product induces a norm on the space. A proof of the Cauchy-Schwarz inequality for real inner product spaces exists, which does not employ the homogeneous property of the inner product. However, it is shown that a real…

40 CFR 211.206-1 - Real ear method.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 25 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Real ear method. 211.206-1 Section 211... PRODUCT NOISE LABELING Hearing Protective Devices § 211.206-1 Real ear method. (a) The value of sound... “Method for the Measurement of Real-Ear Protection of Hearing Protectors and Physical Attenuation of...

40 CFR 211.206-1 - Real ear method.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 24 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Real ear method. 211.206-1 Section 211... PRODUCT NOISE LABELING Hearing Protective Devices § 211.206-1 Real ear method. (a) The value of sound... “Method for the Measurement of Real-Ear Protection of Hearing Protectors and Physical Attenuation of...

40 CFR 211.206-1 - Real ear method.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 26 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Real ear method. 211.206-1 Section 211... PRODUCT NOISE LABELING Hearing Protective Devices § 211.206-1 Real ear method. (a) The value of sound... “Method for the Measurement of Real-Ear Protection of Hearing Protectors and Physical Attenuation of...

40 CFR 211.206-1 - Real ear method.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 25 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Real ear method. 211.206-1 Section 211... PRODUCT NOISE LABELING Hearing Protective Devices § 211.206-1 Real ear method. (a) The value of sound... “Method for the Measurement of Real-Ear Protection of Hearing Protectors and Physical Attenuation of...

40 CFR 211.206-1 - Real ear method.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 26 2012-07-01 2011-07-01 true Real ear method. 211.206-1 Section 211... PRODUCT NOISE LABELING Hearing Protective Devices § 211.206-1 Real ear method. (a) The value of sound... “Method for the Measurement of Real-Ear Protection of Hearing Protectors and Physical Attenuation of...

Alternative fuelds in urban fleets

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

Lindsay, T.

1994-12-31

In this presentation the author addresses four main objectives. They are to: discuss programs that are driving the introduction of alternative fuels into fleet operations in urban areas around the country; define alternative fuels; quantify the present use and future projections on alternative fuel vehicles (AVFs) in the Chicago metropolitan statistical area; and discuss benefits of increased use of alternative fuels in urban areas. Factors which touch on these points include: present domestic dependence on petroleum for autos, with usage exceeding production; the large populations in urban areas which do not meet Clean Air Standards; recent legislative initiatives which givemore » guidance and aid in the adoption of such strategies.« less

Global Near Real-Time MODIS and Landsat Flood Mapping and Product Delivery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Policelli, F. S.; Slayback, D. A.; Tokay, M. M.; Brakenridge, G. R.

2014-12-01

Flooding is the most destructive, frequent, and costly natural disaster faced by modern society, and is increasing in frequency and damage (deaths, displacements, and financial costs) as populations increase and climate change generates more extreme weather events. When major flooding events occur, the disaster management community needs frequently updated and easily accessible information to better understand the extent of flooding and coordinate response efforts. With funding from NASA's Applied Sciences program, we developed and are now operating a near real-time global flood mapping system to help provide flood extent information within 24-48 hours of events. The principal element of the system applies a water detection algorithm to MODIS imagery, which is processed by the LANCE (Land Atmosphere Near real-time Capability for EOS) system at NASA Goddard within a few hours of satellite overpass. Using imagery from both the Terra (10:30 AM local time overpass) and Aqua (1:30 PM) platforms allows the system to deliver an initial daily assessment of flood extent by late afternoon, and more robust assessments after accumulating cloud-free imagery over several days. Cloud cover is the primary limitation in detecting surface water from MODIS imagery. Other issues include the relatively coarse scale of the MODIS imagery (250 meters) for some events, the difficulty of detecting flood waters in areas with continuous canopy cover, confusion of shadow (cloud or terrain) with water, and accurately identifying detected water as flood as opposed to normal water extent. We are working on improvements to address these limitations. We have also begun delivery of near real time water maps at 30 m resolution from Landsat imagery. Although Landsat is not available daily globally, but only every 8 days if imagery from both operating platforms (Landsat 7 and 8) is accessed, it can provide useful higher resolution data on water extent when a clear acquisition coincides with an active

Diffusion of a new intermediate product in a simple 'classical-Schumpeterian' model.

PubMed

Haas, David

2018-05-01

This paper deals with the problem of new intermediate products within a simple model, where production is circular and goods enter into the production of other goods. It studies the process by which the new good is absorbed into the economy and the structural transformation that goes with it. By means of a long-period method the forces of structural transformation are examined, in particular the shift of existing means of production towards the innovation and the mechanism of differential growth in terms of alternative techniques and their associated systems of production. We treat two important Schumpeterian topics: the question of technological unemployment and the problem of 'forced saving' and the related problem of an involuntary reduction of real consumption per capita. It is shown that both phenomena are potential by-products of the transformation process.

Can Real-Time Data Also Be Climate Quality?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brewer, M.; Wentz, F. J.

2015-12-01

GMI, AMSR-2 and WindSat herald a new era of highly accurate and timely microwave data products. Traditionally, there has been a large divide between real-time and re-analysis data products. What if these completely separate processing systems could be merged? Through advanced modeling and physically based algorithms, Remote Sensing Systems (RSS) has narrowed the gap between real-time and research-quality. Satellite microwave ocean products have proven useful for a wide array of timely Earth science applications. Through cloud SST capabilities have enormously benefited tropical cyclone forecasting and day to day fisheries management, to name a few. Oceanic wind vectors enhance operational safety of shipping and recreational boating. Atmospheric rivers are of import to many human endeavors, as are cloud cover and knowledge of precipitation events. Some activities benefit from both climate and real-time operational data used in conjunction. RSS has been consistently improving microwave Earth Science Data Records (ESDRs) for several decades, while making near real-time data publicly available for semi-operational use. These data streams have often been produced in 2 stages: near real-time, followed by research quality final files. Over the years, we have seen this time delay shrink from months or weeks to mere hours. As well, we have seen the quality of near real-time data improve to the point where the distinction starts to blur. We continue to work towards better and faster RFI filtering, adaptive algorithms and improved real-time validation statistics for earlier detection of problems. Can it be possible to produce climate quality data in real-time, and what would the advantages be? We will try to answer these questions…

Improved Short-Term Clock Prediction Method for Real-Time Positioning.

PubMed

Lv, Yifei; Dai, Zhiqiang; Zhao, Qile; Yang, Sheng; Zhou, Jinning; Liu, Jingnan

2017-06-06

The application of real-time precise point positioning (PPP) requires real-time precise orbit and clock products that should be predicted within a short time to compensate for the communication delay or data gap. Unlike orbit correction, clock correction is difficult to model and predict. The widely used linear model hardly fits long periodic trends with a small data set and exhibits significant accuracy degradation in real-time prediction when a large data set is used. This study proposes a new prediction model for maintaining short-term satellite clocks to meet the high-precision requirements of real-time clocks and provide clock extrapolation without interrupting the real-time data stream. Fast Fourier transform (FFT) is used to analyze the linear prediction residuals of real-time clocks. The periodic terms obtained through FFT are adopted in the sliding window prediction to achieve a significant improvement in short-term prediction accuracy. This study also analyzes and compares the accuracy of short-term forecasts (less than 3 h) by using different length observations. Experimental results obtained from International GNSS Service (IGS) final products and our own real-time clocks show that the 3-h prediction accuracy is better than 0.85 ns. The new model can replace IGS ultra-rapid products in the application of real-time PPP. It is also found that there is a positive correlation between the prediction accuracy and the short-term stability of on-board clocks. Compared with the accuracy of the traditional linear model, the accuracy of the static PPP using the new model of the 2-h prediction clock in N, E, and U directions is improved by about 50%. Furthermore, the static PPP accuracy of 2-h clock products is better than 0.1 m. When an interruption occurs in the real-time model, the accuracy of the kinematic PPP solution using 1-h clock prediction product is better than 0.2 m, without significant accuracy degradation. This model is of practical significance

Views and Preferences for Nicotine Products as an Alternative to Smoking: A Focus Group Study of People Living with Mental Disorders

PubMed Central

Meurk, Carla; Ford, Pauline; Sharma, Ratika; Fitzgerald, Lisa; Gartner, Coral

2016-01-01

Aims and Background: People living with mental disorders experience a disproportionately higher burden of tobacco-related disease than the general population. Long-term substitution with less harmful nicotine products could reduce the tobacco-related harm among this population. This study investigated the views and preferences of people with mental health disorders about different nicotine products and their use as long-term substitutes for cigarettes. Methods: Semi-structured focus group discussion followed by a brief questionnaire. The discussion transcripts were analysed for content and themes and quantitative data summarised with descriptive statistics. Results: Twenty-nine participants took part in four focus groups. Vaping devices were the most acceptable nicotine products discussed; however preferences for nicotine products were individual and varied along aesthetic, pragmatic, sensory and symbolic dimensions. The concept of tobacco harm reduction was unfamiliar to participants, however they generally agreed with the logic of replacing cigarettes with less harmful nicotine products. Barriers to activating tobacco harm reduction included the symbolism of smoking and quitting; the importance placed on health; the consumer appeal of alternatives; and cost implications. Discussion and Conclusions: Engaging this population in tobacco harm reduction options will require communication that challenges black and white thinking (a conceptual framework in which smoking cigarettes or quitting all nicotine are the only legitimate options) as in practice this serves to support the continuance of smoking. Consumers should be encouraged to trial a range of nicotine products to find the most acceptable alternative to smoking that reduces health harms. Providing incentives to switch to nicotine products could help overcome barriers to using less harmful nicotine products among mental health consumers. PMID:27886046

U27 : real-time commercial vehicle safety & security monitoring final report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-12-01

Accurate real-time vehicle tracking has a wide range of applications including fleet management, drug/speed/law enforcement, transportation planning, traffic safety, air quality, electronic tolling, and national security. While many alternative track...

Fuel cells are a commercially viable alternative for the production of "clean" energy.

PubMed

Niakolas, Dimitris K; Daletou, Maria; Neophytides, Stylianos G; Vayenas, Constantinos G

2016-01-01

Fuel cells present a highly efficient and environmentally friendly alternative technology for decentralized energy production. The scope of the present study is to provide an overview of the technological and commercialization readiness level of fuel cells. Specifically, there is a brief description of their general advantages and weaknesses in correlation with various technological actions and political strategies, which are adopted towards their proper positioning in the global market. Some of the most important key performance indicators are also discussed, alongside with a few examples of broad commercialization. It is concluded that the increasing number of companies which utilize and invest on this technology, in combination with the supply chain improvements and the concomitant technological maturity and recognition, reinforce the fuel cell industry so as to become well-aligned for global success.

Real-time image-based B-mode ultrasound image simulation of needles using tensor-product interpolation.

PubMed

Zhu, Mengchen; Salcudean, Septimiu E

2011-07-01

In this paper, we propose an interpolation-based method for simulating rigid needles in B-mode ultrasound images in real time. We parameterize the needle B-mode image as a function of needle position and orientation. We collect needle images under various spatial configurations in a water-tank using a needle guidance robot. Then we use multidimensional tensor-product interpolation to simulate images of needles with arbitrary poses and positions using collected images. After further processing, the interpolated needle and seed images are superimposed on top of phantom or tissue image backgrounds. The similarity between the simulated and the real images is measured using a correlation metric. A comparison is also performed with in vivo images obtained during prostate brachytherapy. Our results, carried out for both the convex (transverse plane) and linear (sagittal/para-sagittal plane) arrays of a trans-rectal transducer indicate that our interpolation method produces good results while requiring modest computing resources. The needle simulation method we present can be extended to the simulation of ultrasound images of other wire-like objects. In particular, we have shown that the proposed approach can be used to simulate brachytherapy seeds.

27 CFR 27.221 - Alternate methods or procedures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 27 Alcohol, Tobacco Products and Firearms 1 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Alternate methods or... Miscellaneous Provisions § 27.221 Alternate methods or procedures. (a) Application. An importer who desires to use an alternate method or procedure in lieu of a method or procedure prescribed by this part must...

27 CFR 26.331 - Alternate methods or procedures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 27 Alcohol, Tobacco Products and Firearms 1 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Alternate methods or... Miscellaneous Provisions § 26.331 Alternate methods or procedures. (a) Application. A person bringing liquors into the United States from Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands who desires to use an alternate method or...

27 CFR 19.665 - Alternate methods or procedures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 27 Alcohol, Tobacco Products and Firearms 1 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Alternate methods or... General § 19.665 Alternate methods or procedures. (a) General. The appropriate TTB officer may approve the use of an alternate method or procedure that varies from the regulatory requirements in this subpart...

27 CFR 18.13 - Alternate methods or procedures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 27 Alcohol, Tobacco Products and Firearms 1 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Alternate methods or... and Miscellaneous Provisions § 18.13 Alternate methods or procedures. (a) General. The proprietor, on specific approval by the appropriate TTB officer, may use an alternate method or procedure in lieu of a...

A new diagnostic real-time PCR method for huanglongbing detection in citrus root tissue

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Citrus fibrous root tissue was evaluated as an alternative source material for Huanglongbing (HLB) diagnosis by real-time PCR using primer-probe set TXCChlb, developed in the present study based on 16S rDNA of “Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus” (CLas). Real-time PCR data obtained with DNA samples p...

New alternative energy pathway for chemical pulp mills: From traditional fibers to methane production.

PubMed

Rodriguez-Chiang, Lourdes; Vanhatalo, Kari; Llorca, Jordi; Dahl, Olli

2017-07-01

Chemical pulp mills have a need to diversify their end-product portfolio due to the current changing bio-economy. In this study, the methane potential of brown, oxygen delignified and bleached pulp were evaluated in order to assess the potential of converting traditional fibers; as well as microcrystalline cellulose and filtrates; to energy. Results showed that high yields (380mL CH 4 /gVS) were achieved with bleached fibers which correlates with the lower presence of lignin. Filtrates from the hydrolysis process on the other hand, had the lowest yields (253mL CH 4 /gVS) due to the high amount of acid and lignin compounds that cause inhibition. Overall, substrates had a biodegradability above 50% which demonstrates that they can be subjected to efficient anaerobic digestion. An energy and cost estimation showed that the energy produced can be translated into a significant profit and that methane production can be a promising new alternative option for chemical pulp mills. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evolution of biodegradation of deinking by-products used as alternative cover material.

PubMed

Aït-Benichou, Samah; Rodrigues Cabral, Alexandre; Teixeira Panarotto, Claudia

2008-01-01

Deinking by-products (DBP) have been used as alternative cover material for landfills and mine tailings. Since DBP is biodegradable because of its high cellulose and hemicellulose content, a laboratory experimental program was performed to monitor the evolution of biodegradation and changes in the physico-chemical and geotechnical properties of DBP samples submitted to accelerated biodegradation for 1460 days at 38 degrees C. The evolution of gas and leachate production was monitored in terms of both quality and quantity, which allowed for the calculation of mass loss with time. Under the conditions of the tests (no load applied), 19.6% of the mass was lost as gas, whereas 6.1% was leached out. The results show that biodegradation did not significantly alter the compaction behavior of DBP. The void ratio and water content increased significantly, while the volume of the samples slightly decreased. This seem to indicate that the porous structure of the samples was no longer the same after 1460 d of accelerated biodegradation. A slight increase in the relative density indicates that the organic/inorganic matter ratio increased. The results of permeability tests performed with samples at various stages of biodegradation and at various confining stresses show that the saturated hydraulic conductivity of recompacted biodegraded DBP decreased from 7 x 10(-7)cm/s to approximately 2 x 10(-7)cm/s, as biodegradation advanced.

Real three-dimensional objects: effects on mental rotation.

PubMed

Felix, Michael C; Parker, Joshua D; Lee, Charles; Gabriel, Kara I

2011-08-01

The current experiment investigated real three-dimensional (3D) objects with regard to performance on a mental rotation task and whether the appearance of sex differences may be mediated by experiences with spatially related activities. 40 men and 40 women were presented with alternating timed trials consisting of real-3D objects or two-dimensional illustrations of 3D objects. Sex differences in spatially related activities did not significantly influence the finding that men outperformed women on mental rotation of either stimulus type. However, on measures related to spatial activities, self-reported proficiency using maps correlated positively with performance only on trials with illustrations whereas self-reported proficiency using GPS correlated negatively with performance regardless of stimulus dimensionality. Findings may be interpreted as suggesting that rotating real-3D objects utilizes distinct but overlapping spatial skills compared to rotating two-dimensional representations of 3D objects, and real-3D objects can enhance mental rotation performance.

Trends in recombinant protein use in animal production.

PubMed

Gifre, Laia; Arís, Anna; Bach, Àlex; Garcia-Fruitós, Elena

2017-03-04

Recombinant technologies have made possible the production of a broad catalogue of proteins of interest, including those used for animal production. The most widely studied proteins for the animal sector are those with an important role in reproduction, feed efficiency, and health. Nowadays, mammalian cells and fungi are the preferred choice for recombinant production of hormones for reproductive purposes and fibrolytic enzymes to enhance animal performance, respectively. However, the development of low-cost products is a priority, particularly in livestock. The study of cell factories such as yeast and bacteria has notably increased in the last decades to make the new developed reproductive hormones and fibrolytic enzymes a real alternative to the marketed ones. Important efforts have also been invested to developing new recombinant strategies for prevention and therapy, including passive immunization and modulation of the immune system. This offers the possibility to reduce the use of antibiotics by controlling physiological processes and improve the efficacy of preventing infections. Thus, nowadays different recombinant fibrolytic enzymes, hormones, and therapeutic molecules with optimized properties have been successfully produced through cost-effective processes using microbial cell factories. However, despite the important achievements for reducing protein production expenses, alternative strategies to further reduce these costs are still required. In this context, it is necessary to make a giant leap towards the use of novel strategies, such as nanotechnology, that combined with recombinant technology would make recombinant molecules affordable for animal industry.

Key role of alternative oxidase in lovastatin solid-state fermentation.

PubMed

Pérez-Sánchez, Ailed; Uribe-Carvajal, Salvador; Cabrera-Orefice, Alfredo; Barrios-González, Javier

2017-10-01

Lovastatin is a commercially important secondary metabolite produced by Aspergillus terreus, either by solid-state fermentation or by submerged fermentation. In a previous work, we showed that reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation in idiophase positively regulates lovastatin biosynthetic genes. In addition, it has been found that lovastatin-specific production decreases with aeration in solid-state fermentation (SSF). To study this phenomenon, we determined ROS accumulation during lovastatin SSF, under high and low aeration conditions. Paradoxically, high aeration caused lower ROS accumulation, and this was the underlying reason of the aeration effect on lovastatin production. Looking for a mechanism that is lowering ROS production under those conditions, we studied alternative respiration. The alternative oxidase provides an alternative route for electrons passing through the electron transport chain to reduce oxygen. Here, we showed that an alternative oxidase (AOX) is expressed in SSF, and only during idiophase. It was shown that higher aeration induces higher alternative respiration (AOX activity), and this is a mechanism that limits ROS generation and keeps them within healthy limits and adequate signaling limits for lovastatin production. Indeed, the aox gene was induced in idiophase, i.e., at the time of ROS accumulation. Moreover, exogenous ROS (H 2 O 2 ), added to lovastatin solid-state fermentation, induced higher AOX activity. This suggests that high O 2 availability in SSF generates dangerously high ROS, so alternative respiration is induced in SSF, indirectly favoring lovastatin production. Conversely, alternative respiration was not detected in lovastatin-submerged fermentation (SmF), although exogenous ROS also induced relatively low AOX activity in SmF.

Real-Time Analysis of Magnetic Hyperthermia Experiments on Living Cells under a Confocal Microscope.

PubMed

Connord, Vincent; Clerc, Pascal; Hallali, Nicolas; El Hajj Diab, Darine; Fourmy, Daniel; Gigoux, Véronique; Carrey, Julian

2015-05-01

Combining high-frequency alternating magnetic fields (AMF) and magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) is an efficient way to induce biological responses through several approaches: magnetic hyperthermia, drug release, controls of gene expression and neurons, or activation of chemical reactions. So far, these experiments cannot be analyzed in real-time during the AMF application. A miniaturized electromagnet fitting under a confocal microscope is built, which produces an AMF of frequency and amplitude similar to the ones used in magnetic hyperthermia. AMF application induces massive damages to tumoral cells having incorporated nanoparticles into their lysosomes without affecting the others. Using this setup, real-time analyses of molecular events occurring during AMF application are performed. Lysosome membrane permeabilization and reactive oxygen species production are detected after only 30 min of AMF application, demonstrating they occur at an early stage in the cascade of events leading eventually to cell death. Additionally, lysosomes self-assembling into needle-shaped organization under the influence of AMF is observed in real-time. This experimental approach will permit to get a deeper insight into the physical, molecular, and biological process occurring in several innovative techniques used in nanomedecine based on the combined use of MNPs and high-frequency magnetic fields. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Guidelines for Implementing a Real Estate Cooperative Education Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pearson, Thomas R.

Background information and guidelines are provided for the development of cooperative education programs for real estate industry personnel. The first section outlines the operation of cooperative education programs and presents two organizational plans: the alternating plan, where students attend class full-time and work full-time during…

27 CFR 24.22 - Alternate method or procedure.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 27 Alcohol, Tobacco Products and Firearms 1 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Alternate method or... § 24.22 Alternate method or procedure. (a) General. The proprietor, on specific approval of the appropriate TTB officer as provided in this section, may use an alternate method or procedure in lieu of a...

Direct Analysis in Real Time Mass Spectrometry of Potential By-Products from Homemade Nitrate Ester Explosive Synthesis

PubMed Central

Sisco, Edward; Forbes, Thomas P.

2016-01-01

This work demonstrates the coupling of direct analysis in real time (DART) ionization with time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MS) in an off-axis configuration for the trace detection and analysis of potential partially nitrated and dimerized by-products of homemade nitrate ester explosive synthesis. Five compounds relating to the synthesis of nitroglycerin (NG) and pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN) were examined. Deprotonated ions and adducts with molecular oxygen, nitrite, and nitrate were observed in the mass spectral responses of these compounds. A global optimum temperature of 350 °C for the by-products investigated here, enabled single nanogram to sub nanogram trace detection. Matrix effects were examined through a series of mixtures containing one or more compounds (sugar alcohol precursors, by-products, and/or explosives) across a range of mass loadings. The explosives MS responses experienced competitive ionization in the presence of all by-products. The magnitude of this influence corresponded to both the degree of by-product nitration and the relative mass loading of the by-product to the explosive. This work provides a characterization of potential by-products from homemade nitrate ester synthesis, including matrix effects and potential challenges that might arise from the trace detection of homemade explosives (HMEs) containing impurities. Detection and understanding of HME impurities and complex mixtures may provide valuable information for the screening and sourcing of homemade nitrate ester explosives. PMID:26838397

Direct analysis in real time mass spectrometry of potential by-products from homemade nitrate ester explosive synthesis.

PubMed

Sisco, Edward; Forbes, Thomas P

2016-04-01

This work demonstrates the coupling of direct analysis in real time (DART) ionization with time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MS) in an off-axis configuration for the trace detection and analysis of potential partially nitrated and dimerized by-products of homemade nitrate ester explosive synthesis. Five compounds relating to the synthesis of nitroglycerin (NG) and pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN) were examined. Deprotonated ions and adducts with molecular oxygen, nitrite, and nitrate were observed in the mass spectral responses of these compounds. A global optimum temperature of 350 °C for the by-products investigated here enabled single nanogram to sub nanogram trace detection. Matrix effects were examined through a series of mixtures containing one or more compounds (sugar alcohol precursors, by-products, and/or explosives) across a range of mass loadings. The explosives MS responses experienced competitive ionization in the presence of all by-products. The magnitude of this influence corresponded to both the degree of by-product nitration and the relative mass loading of the by-product to the explosive. This work provides a characterization of potential by-products from homemade nitrate ester synthesis, including matrix effects and potential challenges that might arise from the trace detection of homemade explosives (HMEs) containing impurities. Detection and understanding of HME impurities and complex mixtures may provide valuable information for the screening and sourcing of homemade nitrate ester explosives. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Writing: Keeping It Real. Teacher to Teacher.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kist, Bill

When teaching writing to adult learners, teachers must achieve a balance between "content" and "mechanics." The first step is to assign "real" writing for "real" purposes. The next step is to teach the writing process more than the product and teach the place that correct "mechanics" (spelling,…

Ranking of options of real estate use by expert assessments mathematical processing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lepikhina, O. Yu; Skachkova, M. E.; Mihaelyan, T. A.

2018-05-01

The article is devoted to the development of the real estate assessment concept. In conditions of multivariate using of the real estate method based on calculating, the integral indicator of each variant’s efficiency is proposed. In order to calculate weights of criteria of the efficiency expert method, Analytic hierarchy process and its mathematical support are used. The method allows fulfilling ranking of alternative types of real estate use in dependence of their efficiency. The method was applied for one of the land parcels located on Primorsky district in Saint Petersburg.

Acquisition of Nominal Morphophonological Alternations in Russian

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tomas, Ekaterina; van de Vijver, Ruben; Demuth, Katherine; Petocz, Peter

2017-01-01

Morphophonological alternations can make target-like production of grammatical morphemes challenging due to changes in form depending on the phonological environment. This article explores the acquisition of morphophonological alternations involving the interacting patterns of vowel deletion and stress shift in Russian-speaking children (aged…

Alternative Fuel for Portland Cement Processing

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

Schindler, Anton K; Duke, Steve R; Burch, Thomas E

2012-06-30

The production of cement involves a combination of numerous raw materials, strictly monitored system processes, and temperatures on the order of 1500 °C. Immense quantities of fuel are required for the production of cement. Traditionally, energy from fossil fuels was solely relied upon for the production of cement. The overarching project objective is to evaluate the use of alternative fuels to lessen the dependence on non-renewable resources to produce portland cement. The key objective of using alternative fuels is to continue to produce high-quality cement while decreasing the use of non-renewable fuels and minimizing the impact on the environment. Burnmore » characteristics and thermodynamic parameters were evaluated with a laboratory burn simulator under conditions that mimic those in the preheater where the fuels are brought into a cement plant. A drop-tube furnace and visualization method were developed that show potential for evaluating time- and space-resolved temperature distributions for fuel solid particles and liquid droplets undergoing combustion in various combustion atmospheres. Downdraft gasification has been explored as a means to extract chemical energy from poultry litter while limiting the throughput of potentially deleterious components with regards to use in firing a cement kiln. Results have shown that the clinkering is temperature independent, at least within the controllable temperature range. Limestone also had only a slight effect on the fusion when used to coat the pellets. However, limestone addition did display some promise in regards to chlorine capture, as ash analyses showed chlorine concentrations of more than four times greater in the limestone infused ash as compared to raw poultry litter. A reliable and convenient sampling procedure was developed to estimate the combustion quality of broiler litter that is the best compromise between convenience and reliability by means of statistical analysis. Multi-day trial burns were

Diffusion of a new intermediate product in a simple ‘classical‐Schumpeterian’ model

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Abstract This paper deals with the problem of new intermediate products within a simple model, where production is circular and goods enter into the production of other goods. It studies the process by which the new good is absorbed into the economy and the structural transformation that goes with it. By means of a long‐period method the forces of structural transformation are examined, in particular the shift of existing means of production towards the innovation and the mechanism of differential growth in terms of alternative techniques and their associated systems of production. We treat two important Schumpeterian topics: the question of technological unemployment and the problem of ‘forced saving’ and the related problem of an involuntary reduction of real consumption per capita. It is shown that both phenomena are potential by‐products of the transformation process. PMID:29695874

The multi-year cumulative effects of alternative stocking rate and grazing management practices on pasture productivity and utilization efficiency.

PubMed

McCarthy, B; Delaby, L; Pierce, K M; McCarthy, J; Fleming, C; Brennan, A; Horan, B

2016-05-01

The production and utilization of increased quantities of high quality pasture is of paramount importance in pasture-based milk production systems. The objective of this study was to evaluate the cumulative effects of alternative integrated grazing strategies, incorporating alternative stocking rate (SR) and grazing severities, on pasture productivity and grazing efficiency over multiple years within farm systems using perennial ryegrass dominant pastures. Three whole-farm SR treatments were compared over 4 complete grazing seasons (2009 to 2012 inclusive): low (2.51 cows/ha; LSR), medium (2.92 cows/ha; MSR), and high (3.28 cows/ha; HSR). Each system had its own farmlet containing 18 paddocks and remained on the same treatment for the duration of the study. Stocking rate had a significant effect on all grazing variables with the exception of soil fertility status and sward density. Increased SR resulted in increased total annual net pasture accumulation, improved sward nutritive value, and increased grazed pasture utilization. Total annual net pasture accumulation was greatest in HSR [15,410kg of dry matter (DM)/ha], intermediate for MSR (14,992kg of DM/ha), and least for LSR (14,479kg of DM/ha) during the 4-yr study period. A linear effect of SR on net pasture accumulation was detected with an increase in net pasture accumulation of 1,164.4 (SE=432.7) kg of DM/ha for each 1 cow/ha increase in SR. Pregrazing pasture mass and height and postgrazing residual pasture mass and height were greatest for LSR, intermediate for the MSR, and lowest for the HSR. In comparison with the LSR, the imposition of a consistently increased grazing severity coupled with increased whole farm SR in MSR and HSR treatments arrested the decline in sward nutritive value, typically observed during mid-season. Incorporating the individual beneficial effects of SR on pasture accumulation, nutritive value, and utilization efficiency, total proportional energy (unité fourragère lait

Expanding NASA's Land, Atmosphere Near Real-Time Capability for EOS (LANCE)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davies, Diane; Michael, Karen; Masuoka, Ed; Ye, Gang; Schmaltz, Jeffrey; Harrison, Sherry; Ziskin, Daniel; Durbin, Phil B; Protack, Steve; Rinsland, Pamela Livingstone;

Real-time biscuit tile image segmentation method based on edge detection.

PubMed

Matić, Tomislav; Aleksi, Ivan; Hocenski, Željko; Kraus, Dieter

2018-05-01

In this paper we propose a novel real-time Biscuit Tile Segmentation (BTS) method for images from ceramic tile production line. BTS method is based on signal change detection and contour tracing with a main goal of separating tile pixels from background in images captured on the production line. Usually, human operators are visually inspecting and classifying produced ceramic tiles. Computer vision and image processing techniques can automate visual inspection process if they fulfill real-time requirements. Important step in this process is a real-time tile pixels segmentation. BTS method is implemented for parallel execution on a GPU device to satisfy the real-time constraints of tile production line. BTS method outperforms 2D threshold-based methods, 1D edge detection methods and contour-based methods. Proposed BTS method is in use in the biscuit tile production line. Copyright © 2018 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

LANCE in ECHO - Merging Science and Near Real-Time Data Search and Order

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kreisler, S.; Murphy, K. J.; Vollmer, B.; Lighty, L.; Mitchell, A. E.; Devine, N.

2012-12-01

NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) Data and Information System (EOSDIS) Land Atmosphere Near real-time Capability for EOS (LANCE) project provides expedited data products from the Terra, Aqua, and Aura satellites within three hours of observation. In order to satisfy latency requirements, LANCE data are produced with relaxed ancillary data resulting in a product that may have minor differences from its science quality counterpart. LANCE products are used by a number of different groups to support research and applications that require near real-time earth observations, such as disaster relief, hazard and air quality monitoring, and weather forecasting. LANCE elements process raw rate-buffered and/or session-based production datasets into higher-level products, which are freely available to registered users via LANCE FTP sites. The LANCE project also generates near real-time full resolution browse imagery from these products, which can be accessed through the Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS). In an effort to support applications and services that require timely access to these near real-time products, the project is currently implementing the publication of LANCE product metadata to the EOS ClearingHouse (ECHO), a centralized EOSDIS registry of EOS data. Metadata within ECHO is made available through an Application Program Interface (API), and applications can utilize the API to allow users to efficiently search and order LANCE data. Publishing near real-time data to ECHO will permit applications to access near real-time product metadata prior to the release of its science quality counterpart and to associate imagery from GIBS with its underlying data product.

Designing an Alternate Mission Operations Control Room

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Montgomery, Patty; Reeves, A. Scott

2014-01-01

The Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) is a multi-project facility that is responsible for 24x7 real-time International Space Station (ISS) payload operations management, integration, and control and has the capability to support small satellite projects and will provide real-time support for SLS launches. The HOSC is a service-oriented/ highly available operations center for ISS payloads-directly supporting science teams across the world responsible for the payloads. The HOSC is required to endure an annual 2-day power outage event for facility preventive maintenance and safety inspection of the core electro-mechanical systems. While complete system shut-downs are against the grain of a highly available sub-system, the entire facility must be powered down for a weekend for environmental and safety purposes. The consequence of this ground system outage is far reaching: any science performed on ISS during this outage weekend is lost. Engineering efforts were focused to maximize the ISS investment by engineering a suitable solution capable of continuing HOSC services while supporting safety requirements. The HOSC Power Outage Contingency (HPOC) System is a physically diversified compliment of systems capable of providing identified real-time services for the duration of a planned power outage condition from an alternate control room. HPOC was designed to maintain ISS payload operations for approximately three continuous days during planned HOSC power outages and support a local Payload Operations Team, International Partners, as well as remote users from the alternate control room located in another building.

Alternative Radioisotopes for Heat and Power Sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tinsley, T.; Sarsfield, M.; Rice, T.

Production of 238Pu requires considerable facilities including a nuclear reactor and reprocessing plants that are very expensive to build and operate. Thus, a more economical alternative is very attractive to the industry. There are many alternative radioisotopes that exist but few that satisfy the criteria of performance, availability and cost to produce. Any alternative to 238Pu must exist in a chemical form that is compatible with the materials required to safely encapsulate the heat source at the high temperatures of operation and potential launch failure scenarios. The chemical form must also have suitable thermal properties to ensure maximum energy conversion efficiencies when integrated into radioisotope thermoelectric generators over the required mission durations. In addition, the radiation dose must be low enough for operators during production and not so prohibitive that excessive shielding mass is required on the space craft. This paper will focus on the preferred European alternative of 241Am, and the issues that will need to be addressed.

Real Variable Inversion of Laplace Transforms: An Application in Plasma Physics.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bohn, C. L.; Flynn, R. W.

1978-01-01

Discusses the nature of Laplace transform techniques and explains an alternative to them: the Widder's real inversion. To illustrate the power of this new technique, it is applied to a difficult inversion: the problem of Landau damping. (GA)

Outlook for alternative energy sources. [aviation fuels

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Card, M. E.

1980-01-01

Predictions are made concerning the development of alternative energy sources in the light of the present national energy situation. Particular emphasis is given to the impact of alternative fuels development on aviation fuels. The future outlook for aircraft fuels is that for the near term, there possibly will be no major fuel changes, but minor specification changes may be possible if supplies decrease. In the midterm, a broad cut fuel may be used if current development efforts are successful. As synfuel production levels increase beyond the 1990's there may be some mixtures of petroleum-based and synfuel products with the possibility of some shale distillate and indirect coal liquefaction products near the year 2000.

[Analytical performances of real-time PCR by Abbott RealTime CMV with m2000 for the detection of cytomegalovirus in urine].

PubMed

De Monte, Anne; Cannavo, Isabelle; Caramella, Anne; Ollier, Laurence; Giordanengo, Valérie

2016-01-01

Congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is the leading cause of sensoneurinal disability due to infectious congenital disease. The diagnosis of congenital CMV infection is based on the search of CMV in the urine within the first two weeks of life. Viral culture of urine is the gold standard. However, the PCR is highly sensitive and faster. It is becoming an alternative choice. The objective of this study is the validation of real-time PCR by Abbott RealTime CMV with m2000 for the detection of cytomegalovirus in urine. Repeatability, reproducibility, detection limit and inter-sample contamination were evaluated. Urine samples from patients (n=141) were collected and analyzed simultaneously in culture and PCR in order to assess the correlation of these two methods. The sensitivity and specificity of PCR were also calculated. The Abbott RealTime CMV PCR in urine is an automated and sensitive method (detection limit 200 UI/mL). Fidelity is very good (standard deviation of repeatability: 0.08 to 0.15 LogUI/mL and reproducibility 0.18 LogUI/mL). We can note a good correlation between culture and Abbott RealTime CMV PCR (kappa 96%). When considering rapid culture as reference, real-time PCR was highly sensitive (100%) and specific (98.2%). The real-time PCR by Abbott RealTime CMV with m2000 is optimal for CMV detection in urine.

FMEA and consideration of real work situations for safer design of production systems.

PubMed

Lux, Aurélien; Mawo De Bikond, Johann; Etienne, Alain; Quillerou-Grivot, Edwige

2016-12-01

Production equipment designers must ensure the health and safety of future users; in this regard, they augment requirements for standardizing and controlling operator work. This contrasts with the ergonomic view of the activity, which recommends leaving operators leeway (margins for manoeuvre) in performing their task, while safeguarding their health. Following a brief analysis of design practices in the car industry, we detail how the Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) approach is implemented in this sector. We then suggest an adaptation that enables designers to consider real work situations. This new protocol, namely, work situation FMEA, allows experience feedback to be used to defend the health standpoint during designer project reviews, which usually only address quality and performance issues. We subsequently illustrate the advantage of this approach using two examples of work situations at car parts manufacturers: the first from the literature and the second from an in-company industrial project.

SMOS near-real-time soil moisture product: processor overview and first validation results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodríguez-Fernández, Nemesio J.; Muñoz Sabater, Joaquin; Richaume, Philippe; de Rosnay, Patricia; Kerr, Yann H.; Albergel, Clement; Drusch, Matthias; Mecklenburg, Susanne

2017-10-01

Measurements of the surface soil moisture (SM) content are important for a wide range of applications. Among them, operational hydrology and numerical weather prediction, for instance, need SM information in near-real-time (NRT), typically not later than 3 h after sensing. The European Space Agency (ESA) Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) satellite is the first mission specifically designed to measure SM from space. The ESA Level 2 SM retrieval algorithm is based on a detailed geophysical modelling and cannot provide SM in NRT. This paper presents the new ESA SMOS NRT SM product. It uses a neural network (NN) to provide SM in NRT. The NN inputs are SMOS brightness temperatures for horizontal and vertical polarizations and incidence angles from 30 to 45°. In addition, the NN uses surface soil temperature from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) Integrated Forecast System (IFS). The NN was trained on SMOS Level 2 (L2) SM. The swath of the NRT SM retrieval is somewhat narrower (˜ 915 km) than that of the L2 SM dataset (˜ 1150 km), which implies a slightly lower revisit time. The new SMOS NRT SM product was compared to the SMOS Level 2 SM product. The NRT SM data show a standard deviation of the difference with respect to the L2 data of < 0.05 m3 m-3 in most of the Earth and a Pearson correlation coefficient higher than 0.7 in large regions of the globe. The NRT SM dataset does not show a global bias with respect to the L2 dataset but can show local biases of up to 0.05 m3 m-3 in absolute value. The two SMOS SM products were evaluated against in situ measurements of SM from more than 120 sites of the SCAN (Soil Climate Analysis Network) and the USCRN (US Climate Reference Network) networks in North America. The NRT dataset obtains similar but slightly better results than the L2 data. In summary, the NN SMOS NRT SM product exhibits performances similar to those of the Level 2 SM product but it has the advantage of

Chemical alternatives to methyl bromide for Florida ornamental production

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

This project is a cooperative effort among USDA, ARS and University of Florida researchers, Florida in-ground ornamental producers, and fumigant industry representatives. Funding is provided through the USDA-ARS Area-wide Pest Management Program for Alternatives to Methyl Bromide. The ornamental i...

10 CFR Appendix I to Part 504 - Procedures for the Computation of the Real Cost of Capital

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 10 Energy 4 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Procedures for the Computation of the Real Cost of Capital I Appendix I to Part 504 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY (CONTINUED) ALTERNATE FUELS EXISTING POWERPLANTS Pt. 504, App. I Appendix I to Part 504—Procedures for the Computation of the Real Cost of Capital (a) The firm's real after-tax weighted average...

41 CFR 102-78.65 - What are Federal agencies' historic preservation responsibilities when disposing of real property...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... agencies' historic preservation responsibilities when disposing of real property under their control? 102... real property under their control? Federal agencies must— (a) To the extent practicable, establish and implement alternatives for historic properties, including adaptive use, that are not needed for current or...

41 CFR 102-78.65 - What are Federal agencies' historic preservation responsibilities when disposing of real property...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... agencies' historic preservation responsibilities when disposing of real property under their control? 102... real property under their control? Federal agencies must— (a) To the extent practicable, establish and implement alternatives for historic properties, including adaptive use, that are not needed for current or...

41 CFR 102-78.65 - What are Federal agencies' historic preservation responsibilities when disposing of real property...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... agencies' historic preservation responsibilities when disposing of real property under their control? 102... real property under their control? Federal agencies must— (a) To the extent practicable, establish and implement alternatives for historic properties, including adaptive use, that are not needed for current or...

41 CFR 102-78.65 - What are Federal agencies' historic preservation responsibilities when disposing of real property...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... agencies' historic preservation responsibilities when disposing of real property under their control? 102... real property under their control? Federal agencies must— (a) To the extent practicable, establish and implement alternatives for historic properties, including adaptive use, that are not needed for current or...

41 CFR 102-78.65 - What are Federal agencies' historic preservation responsibilities when disposing of real property...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... agencies' historic preservation responsibilities when disposing of real property under their control? 102... real property under their control? Federal agencies must— (a) To the extent practicable, establish and implement alternatives for historic properties, including adaptive use, that are not needed for current or...

Alternative tobacco use among college students: who is at highest risk?

PubMed

Enofe, Nosayaba; Berg, Carla J; Nehl, Eric J

2014-03-01

To examines smoking status, substance use, sociodemographics, and psychosocial characteristics in relation to alternative tobacco use among college students. Current tobacco use (cigarettes, cigar-like products, hookah, chew, snus) and correlates (sociodemographics, sensation-seeking, attitudes toward tobacco and smokers, social factors) were assessed among students aged 18-25 at 6 Southeastern US colleges using an online survey. Those who were younger, male, black, cigarette and marijuana users, and demonstrating at-risk psychosocial factors were at increased risk of alternative tobacco product use (p < .001). Among current smokers, never daily nondaily smokers were 3 times as likely as former daily non-daily smokers and daily smokers to use alternative tobacco products (p < .001). Important risk factors for alternative tobacco use included important sociodemographic and psychosocial characteristics.

High-level production of recombinant trypsin in transgenic rice cell culture through utilization of an alternative carbon source and recycling system.

PubMed

Kim, Nan-Sun; Yu, Hwa-Young; Chung, Nguyen-Duc; Kwon, Tae-Ho; Yang, Moon-Sik

2014-09-01

Productivity of recombinant bovine trypsin using a rice amylase 3D promoter has been studied in transgenic rice suspension culture. Alternative carbon sources were added to rice cell suspension cultures in order to improve the production of recombinant bovine trypsin. It was demonstrated that addition of alternative carbon sources such as succinic acid, fumaric acid and malic acid in the culture medium could increase the productivity of recombinant bovine trypsin 3.8-4.3-fold compared to those in the control medium without carbon sources. The highest accumulated trypsin reached 68.2 mg/L on day 5 in the culture medium with 40 mM fumaric acid. The feasibility of repeated use of the cells for recombinant trypsin production was tested in transgenic rice cell suspension culture with the culture medium containing the combination of variable sucrose concentration and 40 mM fumaric acid. Among the used combinations, the combination of 1% sucrose and 40 mM fumaric acid resulted in a yield of up to 53 mg/L five days after incubation. It also increased 31% (W/W) of dry cell weight and improved 43% of cell viability compared to that in control medium without sucrose. Based on these data, recycling of the trypsin production process with repeated 1% sucrose and 40 mM fumaric acid supplying-harvesting cycles was developed in flask scale culture. Recombinant bovine trypsin could be stably produced with a yield of up to 53-39 mg/L per cycle during five recycling cycles. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

40 CFR 75.48 - Petition for an alternative monitoring system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... method of ensuring an accurate assessment of operating hourly conditions on a real-time basis. (9) A...) Hourly test data for the alternative monitoring system at each required operating level and fuel type... continuous emissions monitoring system at each required operating level and fuel type. The fuel type...

40 CFR 75.48 - Petition for an alternative monitoring system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... method of ensuring an accurate assessment of operating hourly conditions on a real-time basis. (9) A...) Hourly test data for the alternative monitoring system at each required operating level and fuel type... continuous emissions monitoring system at each required operating level and fuel type. The fuel type...

40 CFR 75.48 - Petition for an alternative monitoring system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... method of ensuring an accurate assessment of operating hourly conditions on a real-time basis. (9) A...) Hourly test data for the alternative monitoring system at each required operating level and fuel type... continuous emissions monitoring system at each required operating level and fuel type. The fuel type...

40 CFR 75.48 - Petition for an alternative monitoring system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... method of ensuring an accurate assessment of operating hourly conditions on a real-time basis. (9) A...) Hourly test data for the alternative monitoring system at each required operating level and fuel type... continuous emissions monitoring system at each required operating level and fuel type. The fuel type...

40 CFR 75.48 - Petition for an alternative monitoring system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... method of ensuring an accurate assessment of operating hourly conditions on a real-time basis. (9) A...) Hourly test data for the alternative monitoring system at each required operating level and fuel type... continuous emissions monitoring system at each required operating level and fuel type. The fuel type...

Production of bacterial cellulose from alternate feedstocks

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

D. N. Thompson; M. A. Hamilton

2000-05-07

Production of bacterial cellulose by Acetobacter xylinum ATCC 10821 and 23770 in static cultures was tested from unamended food process effluents. Effluents included low- and high-solids potato effluents (LS and HS), cheese whey permeate (CW), and sugar beet raffinate (CSB). Strain 23770 produced 10% less cellulose from glucose than did 10821, and diverted more glucose to gluconate. Unamended HS, CW, and CSB were unsuitable for cellulose production by either strain, while LS was unsuitable for production by 10821. However, 23770 produced 17% more cellulose from LS than from glucose, indicating unamended LS could serve as a feedstock for bacterial cellulose.

Production of Bacterial Cellulose from Alternate Feedstocks

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

Thompson, David Neil; Hamilton, Melinda Ann

2000-05-01

Production of bacterial cellulose by Acetobacter xylinum ATCC 10821 and 23770 in static cultures was tested from unamended food process effluents. Effluents included low- and high-solids potato effluents (LS & HS), cheese whey permeate (CW), and sugar beet raffinate (CSB). Strain 23770 produced 10% less cellulose from glucose than did 10821, and diverted more glucose to gluconate. Unamended HS, CW, and CSB were unsuitable for cellulose production by either strain, while LS was unsuitable for production by 10821. However, 23770 produced 17% more cellulose from LS than from glucose, indicating unamended LS could serve as a feedstock for bacterial cellulose.

Real time infrared aerosol analyzer

DOEpatents

Johnson, Stanley A.; Reedy, Gerald T.; Kumar, Romesh

1990-01-01

Apparatus for analyzing aerosols in essentially real time includes a virtual impactor which separates coarse particles from fine and ultrafine particles in an aerosol sample. The coarse and ultrafine particles are captured in PTFE filters, and the fine particles impact onto an internal light reflection element. The composition and quantity of the particles on the PTFE filter and on the internal reflection element are measured by alternately passing infrared light through the filter and the internal light reflection element, and analyzing the light through infrared spectrophotometry to identify the particles in the sample.

Development of real-time monitors for gaseous formaldehyde. Final report, 1 December 1988-30 September 1989

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

Kelly, T.J.; Barnes, R.H.

1990-11-01

Two new methods for real-time measurement of gaseous formaldehyde have been developed. One is a spectroscopic method based on direct fluorescence detection of gaseous formaldehyde following excitation with UV light. This method has been developed to the prototype stage by modifications of a commercial fluorescence SO2 detector to convert it to formaldehyde detection. The prototype spectroscopic formaldehyde monitor exhibits a detection limit of <30 ppbv, with a time response of about one minute. The second method is based on derivatization of formaldehyde in aqueous solution to form a fluorescent product. The detection of fluorescent product was made more sensitive bymore » using intense 254 nm light from a mercury lamp for excitation, thereby allowing use of a simple and efficient glass coil scrubber for collection of gaseous formaldehyde. The wet chemical formaldehyde monitor incorportating these improvements exhibits a detection limit for gaseous formaldehyde of 0.2 ppbv and for aqueous formaldehyde of 0.2 micromolar with time response of about one minute, following a lag time of 2 minutes. Both instruments were tested in the laboratory with gaseous formaldehyde standards, and the aqueous scrubbing/analysis method was field tested by continuous operation over a 10-day period in which outdoor and indoor air were sampled for alternate half-hour periods. A comparison of real-time (aqueous scrubbing/analysis) and integrated measurements, using dinitrophenylhydrazine (DNPH) impingers, showed close agreement between the real-time and DNPH data, even at concentrations as low as 1 ppbv.« less

Land and Atmosphere Near-Real-Time Capability for Earth Observing System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Murphy, Kevin J.

2011-01-01

The past decade has seen a rapid increase in availability and usage of near-real-time data from satellite sensors. The EOSDIS (Earth Observing System Data and Information System) was not originally designed to provide data with sufficiently low latency to satisfy the requirements for near-real-time users. The EOS (Earth Observing System) instruments aboard the Terra, Aqua and Aura satellites make global measurements daily, which are processed into higher-level 'standard' products within 8-40 hours of observation and then made available to users, primarily earth science researchers. However, applications users, operational agencies, and even researchers desire EOS products in near-real-time to support research and applications, including numerical weather and climate prediction and forecasting, monitoring of natural hazards, ecological/invasive species, agriculture, air quality, disaster relief and homeland security. These users often need data much sooner than routine science processing allows, usually within 3 hours, and are willing to trade science product quality for timely access. While Direct Broadcast provides more timely access to data, it does not provide global coverage. In 2002, a joint initiative between NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration), NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), and the DOD (Department of Defense) was undertaken to provide data from EOS instruments in near-real-time. The NRTPE (Near Real Time Processing Effort) provided products within 3 hours of observation on a best-effort basis. As the popularity of these near-real-time products and applications grew, multiple near-real-time systems began to spring up such as the Rapid Response System. In recognizing the dependence of customers on this data and the need for highly reliable and timely data access, NASA's Earth Science Division sponsored the Earth Science Data and Information System Project (ESDIS)-led development of a new near-real-time system called

The Fundamental Uncertainty of Business: Real Options

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dyer, James S.

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the manner in which uncertainty is currently evaluated in business, with an emphasis on economic measures. In recent years, the accepted approach for the valuation of capital investment decisions has become one based on the theory of real options. From the standpoint of this workshop, the interesting aspect of real options is its focus on the flexibility of management to respond to changes in the environment as a feature of an alternative that has unique value, known as "option value." While this may not be surprising to most participants in this workshop, it does represent a radical change in traditional thinking about risk in business, where efforts have primarily been focused on the elimination of risk when possible.

Alternatives to Piloting Textbooks.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Muther, Connie

1985-01-01

Using short-term pilot programs to evaluate textbooks can lead to unreliable results and interfere with effective education. Alternative methods for evaluating textbook-based programs include obtaining documented analyses of competitors' products from sales agents, visiting districts using programs being considered, and examining publishers' own…

Glycerolysis with crude glycerine as an alternative 3 pretreatment for biodiesel production from grease trap 4 waste: Parametric study and energy analysis

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

This study reports the use of crude glycerine from biodiesel production in the glycerolysis process and presents the associated parametric and energy analyses. The potential of glycerolysis as an alternative pretreatment method for high free fatty acid (FFA) containing fats, oils and greases (FOGs) ...

The Economics of Alternative School Feeding Systems.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Payne, Norman E.; And Others

This study, based on data for the 1970-71 school year, develops a uniform method for comparing costs of alternative school feeding systems. The study attempted to determine relative costs of providing meals under alternative production and distribution systems, establish standards relating to food costs and labor efficiency that could be used in…

Optimizing Alternative Fumigant Applications for Ornamental Production in Florida

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

In Florida, cut flower and other ornamental crop producers have a very limited number of alternatives to methyl bromide for several reasons including the lack of registered herbicides available for these crops, and the need to control previously planted cultivars volunteering as weeds within the sam...

Alternate feedstocks and technologies for biodiesel production

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

U.S. biodiesel production is presently estimated at 800 million gallons annually, and this fuel is no longer a research curiosity - it is entering the nation’s fuel infrastructure. Some estimates are that production will reach nearly twice that value in the next 10 to 12 years. This would stress a...

Contribution of Near Real Time MODIS-Based Forest Disturbance Detection Products to a National Forest Threat Early Warning System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Spruce, Joseph; Hargrove, William; Gasser, Gerald; Smoot, James; Kuper, Philip

2011-01-01

U.S. forests occupy approx. 751 million acres (approx. 1/3 of total land). These forests are exposed to multiple biotic and abiotic threats that collectively damage extensive acreages each year. Hazardous forest disturbances can threaten human life and property, bio-diversity and water supplies. Timely regional forest monitoring products are needed to aid forest management and decision making by the US Forest Service and its state and private partners. Daily MODIS data products provide a means to monitor regional forest disturbances on a weekly basis. In response, we began work in 2006 to develop a Near Real Time (NRT) forest monitoring capability, based on MODIS NDVI data, as part of a national forest threat early warning system (EWS)

Grammatical Planning Units During Real-Time Sentence Production in Speakers With Agrammatic Aphasia and Healthy Speakers.

PubMed

Lee, Jiyeon; Yoshida, Masaya; Thompson, Cynthia K

2015-08-01

Grammatical encoding (GE) is impaired in agrammatic aphasia; however, the nature of such deficits remains unclear. We examined grammatical planning units during real-time sentence production in speakers with agrammatic aphasia and control speakers, testing two competing models of GE. We queried whether speakers with agrammatic aphasia produce sentences word by word without advanced planning or whether hierarchical syntactic structure (i.e., verb argument structure; VAS) is encoded as part of the advanced planning unit. Experiment 1 examined production of sentences with a predefined structure (i.e., "The A and the B are above the C") using eye tracking. Experiment 2 tested production of transitive and unaccusative sentences without a predefined sentence structure in a verb-priming study. In Experiment 1, both speakers with agrammatic aphasia and young and age-matched control speakers used word-by-word strategies, selecting the first lemma (noun A) only prior to speech onset. However, in Experiment 2, unlike controls, speakers with agrammatic aphasia preplanned transitive and unaccusative sentences, encoding VAS before speech onset. Speakers with agrammatic aphasia show incremental, word-by-word production for structurally simple sentences, requiring retrieval of multiple noun lemmas. However, when sentences involve functional (thematic to grammatical) structure building, advanced planning strategies (i.e., VAS encoding) are used. This early use of hierarchical syntactic information may provide a scaffold for impaired GE in agrammatism.

The costs of production of alternative jet fuel: A harmonized stochastic assessment.

PubMed

Bann, Seamus J; Malina, Robert; Staples, Mark D; Suresh, Pooja; Pearlson, Matthew; Tyner, Wallace E; Hileman, James I; Barrett, Steven

2017-03-01

This study quantifies and compares the costs of production for six alternative jet fuel pathways using consistent financial and technical assumptions. Uncertainty was propagated through the analysis using Monte Carlo simulations. The six processes assessed were HEFA, advanced fermentation, Fischer-Tropsch, aqueous phase processing, hydrothermal liquefaction, and fast pyrolysis. The results indicate that none of the six processes would be profitable in the absence of government incentives, with HEFA using yellow grease, HEFA using tallow, and FT revealing the lowest mean jet fuel prices at $0.91/liter ($0.66/liter-$1.24/liter), $1.06/liter ($0.79/liter-$1.42/liter), and $1.15/liter ($0.95/liter-$1.39/liter), respectively. This study also quantifies plant performance in the United States with a Renewable Fuel Standard policy analysis. Results indicate that some pathways could achieve positive NPV with relatively high likelihood under existing policy supports, with HEFA and FPH revealing the highest probability of positive NPV at 94.9% and 99.7%, respectively, in the best-case scenario. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Spousal concordance in the use of alternative tobacco products: A multi-country investigation.

PubMed

Roberts, Megan E; Banse, Rainer; Ebbeler, Christine; Ferketich, Amy K

2017-02-01

Married couples often share similar health-related characteristics and behaviors, including cigarette smoking status. Despite their rising popularity in the U.S., little research has examined the patterns of spousal concordance (SC) for alternative tobacco products (ATPs), such as e-cigarettes, cigars, and hookah. The purpose of this project was to examine the roles of age, gender, and culture in the strength of SC for these ATPs. Analyses focused on a diverse community sample of married individuals in Ohio, U.S. (N=278), but also examined patterns in Austria, Greece, Israel, the Netherlands, and Slovakia. All participants completed a survey in which they indicated both their own, and their spouse's ever-use of various tobacco products. For the U.S. sample, SC was highest for e-cigarettes, flavored e-cigarettes, flavored cigarettes, and hookah (ϕs=0.48- 0.61); SC appeared to be stronger among younger couples, and when there was only a small female vs. male differences in use. Similar patterns were found in the other countries, with a few key exceptions. In particular, there was low SC for e-cigarettes and flavored e-cigarettes in the other countries, where e-cigarettes had been federally regulated by the time of data collection. Overall, these findings have implications for the continued spreading popularity of these tobacco use behaviors. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Real-time Transmission and Distribution of NOAA Tail Doppler Radar Data and Other Data Products

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carswell, J.; Chang, P.; Robinson, D.; Gamache, J.; Hill, J.

2011-12-01

distribution in near real-time, include but are not limited to, the NOAA Lower Fuselage Radar reflectivity profiles, SFMR retrievals, flight level data, AXBT profiles and Imaging Wind and Rain Airborne Profiler data. The transmission and distribution of these data has a latency of only several seconds from initial acquisition on the aircraft to end users accessing the data through the Internet enabling end users to have a virtual seat on the aircraft and quick dissemination critical observations to the hurricane research, forecasting and modeling communities. In this presentation, the system capabilities and architecture will be described. Examples of the data products and data visualization tools (client applications) will be shown.

Towards a Cloud Computing Environment: Near Real-time Cloud Product Processing and Distribution for Next Generation Satellites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nguyen, L.; Chee, T.; Minnis, P.; Palikonda, R.; Smith, W. L., Jr.; Spangenberg, D.

2016-12-01

The NASA LaRC Satellite ClOud and Radiative Property retrieval System (SatCORPS) processes and derives near real-time (NRT) global cloud products from operational geostationary satellite imager datasets. These products are being used in NRT to improve forecast model, aircraft icing warnings, and support aircraft field campaigns. Next generation satellites, such as the Japanese Himawari-8 and the upcoming NOAA GOES-R, present challenges for NRT data processing and product dissemination due to the increase in temporal and spatial resolution. The volume of data is expected to increase to approximately 10 folds. This increase in data volume will require additional IT resources to keep up with the processing demands to satisfy NRT requirements. In addition, these resources are not readily available due to cost and other technical limitations. To anticipate and meet these computing resource requirements, we have employed a hybrid cloud computing environment to augment the generation of SatCORPS products. This paper will describe the workflow to ingest, process, and distribute SatCORPS products and the technologies used. Lessons learn from working on both AWS Clouds and GovCloud will be discussed: benefits, similarities, and differences that could impact decision to use cloud computing and storage. A detail cost analysis will be presented. In addition, future cloud utilization, parallelization, and architecture layout will be discussed for GOES-R.

Ectomycorrhizal fungi as an alternative to the use of chemical fertilisers in nursery production of Pinus pinaster.

PubMed

Sousa, Nadine R; Franco, Albina R; Oliveira, Rui S; Castro, Paula M L

2012-03-01

Addition of fertilisers is a common practice in nursery production of conifer seedlings. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi can be an alternative to the use of chemical fertilisers in the nursery production of Pinus pinaster. A greenhouse nursery experiment was conducted by inoculating seedlings obtained from seeds of P. pinaster plus trees with a range of compatible ECM fungi: (1) Thelephora terrestris, (2) Rhizopogon vulgaris, (3) a mixture of Pisolithus tinctorius and Scleroderma citrinum, and (4) a mixture of Suillus bovinus, Laccaria laccata and Lactarius deterrimus, using forest soil as substrate. Plant development was assessed at two levels of N-P-K fertiliser (0 or 600 mg/seedling). Inoculation with a mixture of mycelium from S. bovinus, L. laccata and L. deterrimus and with a mixture of spores of P. tinctorius and S. citrinum improved plant growth and nutrition, without the need of fertiliser. Results indicate that selected ECM fungi can be a beneficial biotechnological tool in nursery production of P. pinaster. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An assessment of potential degradation products in the gas-phase reactions of alternative fluorocarbons in the troposphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Niki, Hiromi

1990-01-01

Tropospheric chemical transformations of alternative hydrofluorocarbons (HCF's) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFC's) are governed by hydroxyl radical initiated oxidation processes, which are likely to be analogous to those known for alkanes and chloroalkanes. A schematic diagram is used to illustrate plausible reaction mechanisms for their atmospheric degradation, where R, R', and R'' denote the F- and/or Cl-substituted alkyl groups derived from HCF's and HCFC's subsequent th the initial H atom abstraction by HO radicals. At present, virtually no kinetic data exist for the majority of these reactions, particularly for those involving RO. Potential degradation intermediates and final products include a large variety of fluorine- and/or chlorine-containing carbonyls, acids, peroxy acids, alcohols, hydrogen peroxides, nitrates and peroxy nitrates, as summarized in the attached table. Probably atmospheric lifetimes of these compounds were also estimated. For some carbonyl and nitrate products shown in this table, there seem to be no significant gas-phase removal mechanisms. Further chemical kinetics and photochemical data are needed to quantitatively assess the atmospheric fate of HCF's and HCFC's, and of the degradation products postulated in this report.

A fractal comparison of real and Austrian business cycle models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mulligan, Robert F.

2010-06-01

Rescaled range and power spectral density analysis are applied to examine a diverse set of macromonetary data for fractal character and stochastic dependence. Fractal statistics are used to evaluate two competing models of the business cycle, Austrian business cycle theory and real business cycle theory. Strong evidence is found for antipersistent stochastic dependence in transactions money (M1) and components of the monetary aggregates most directly concerned with transactions, which suggests an activist monetary policy. Savings assets exhibit persistent long memory, as do those monetary aggregates which include savings assets, such as savings money (M2), M2 minus small time deposits, and money of zero maturity (MZM). Virtually all measures of economic activity display antipersistence, and this finding is invariant to whether the measures are adjusted for inflation, including real gross domestic product, real consumption expenditures, real fixed private investment, and labor productivity. This strongly disconfirms real business cycle theory.

Real-Time Interactive Tree Animation.

PubMed

Quigley, Ed; Yu, Yue; Huang, Jingwei; Lin, Winnie; Fedkiw, Ronald

2018-05-01

We present a novel method for posing and animating botanical tree models interactively in real time. Unlike other state of the art methods which tend to produce trees that are overly flexible, bending and deforming as if they were underwater plants, our approach allows for arbitrarily high stiffness while still maintaining real-time frame rates without spurious artifacts, even on quite large trees with over ten thousand branches. This is accomplished by using an articulated rigid body model with as-stiff-as-desired rotational springs in conjunction with our newly proposed simulation technique, which is motivated both by position based dynamics and the typical algorithms for articulated rigid bodies. The efficiency of our algorithm allows us to pose and animate trees with millions of branches or alternatively simulate a small forest comprised of many highly detailed trees. Even using only a single CPU core, we can simulate ten thousand branches in real time while still maintaining quite crisp user interactivity. This has allowed us to incorporate our framework into a commodity game engine to run interactively even on a low-budget tablet. We show that our method is amenable to the incorporation of a large variety of desirable effects such as wind, leaves, fictitious forces, collisions, fracture, etc.

Early Sentence Productions of 3- and 4-Year-Old Children Who Use Augmentative and Alternative Communication

PubMed Central

Kent-Walsh, Jennifer; King, Marika; Mansfield, Lindsay

2017-01-01

Purpose This study investigated the early rule-based sentence productions of 3- and 4-year-old children with severe speech disorders who used single-meaning graphic symbols to communicate. Method Ten 3- and 4-year-olds requiring the use of augmentative and alternative communication, who had largely intact receptive language skills, received instruction in producing up to four different semantic–syntactic targets using an Apple iPad with a communication app. A single-case, multiple-probe, across-targets design was used to assess the progress of each participant and target. Generalization to new vocabulary was assessed, and a subgroup also was taught to produce sentences using grammatical markers. Results Some targets (primarily possessor-entity) were mastered in the baseline phase, and the majority of the remaining targets were mastered during intervention. All four children who completed intervention for grammatical markers quickly learned to use the markers accurately. Conclusions Expressive language potential for preschoolers using graphic symbol–based augmentative and alternative communication systems should not be underestimated. With appropriate presentation and intervention techniques, some preschoolers with profound speech disorders can readily learn to produce rule-based messages via graphic symbols. PMID:28614575

Evaluation of Alternative Methods for Testing the Bioefficacy of Household Ambient Insecticide Products Against Aedes albopictus.

PubMed

Cassini, Rudi; Scremin, Mara; Contiero, Barbara; Drago, Andrea; Vettorato, Christian; Marcer, Federica; di Regalbono, Antonio Frangipane

2016-06-01

Ambient insecticides are receiving increasing attention in many developed countries because of their value in reducing mosquito nuisance. As required by the European Union Biocidal Products Regulation 528/2012, these devices require appropriate testing of their efficacy, which is based on estimating the knockdown and mortality rates of free-flying (free) mosquitoes in a test room. However, evaluations using free mosquitoes present many complexities. The performances of 6 alternative methods with mosquitoes held in 2 different cage designs (steel wire and gauze/plastic) with and without an operating fan for air circulation were monitored in a test room through a closed-circuit television system and were compared with the currently recommended method using free mosquitoes. Results for caged mosquitoes without a fan showed a clearly delayed knockdown effect, whereas outcomes for caged mosquitoes with a fan recorded higher mortality at 24 h, compared to free mosquitoes. Among the 6 methods, cages made of gauze and plastic operating with fan wind speed at 2.5-2.8 m/sec was the only method without a significant difference in results for free mosquitoes, and therefore appears as the best alternative to assess knockdown by ambient insecticides accurately.

Early Sentence Productions of 3- and 4-Year-Old Children Who Use Augmentative and Alternative Communication.

PubMed

Binger, Cathy; Kent-Walsh, Jennifer; King, Marika; Mansfield, Lindsay

2017-07-12

This study investigated the early rule-based sentence productions of 3- and 4-year-old children with severe speech disorders who used single-meaning graphic symbols to communicate. Ten 3- and 4-year-olds requiring the use of augmentative and alternative communication, who had largely intact receptive language skills, received instruction in producing up to four different semantic-syntactic targets using an Apple iPad with a communication app. A single-case, multiple-probe, across-targets design was used to assess the progress of each participant and target. Generalization to new vocabulary was assessed, and a subgroup also was taught to produce sentences using grammatical markers. Some targets (primarily possessor-entity) were mastered in the baseline phase, and the majority of the remaining targets were mastered during intervention. All four children who completed intervention for grammatical markers quickly learned to use the markers accurately. Expressive language potential for preschoolers using graphic symbol-based augmentative and alternative communication systems should not be underestimated. With appropriate presentation and intervention techniques, some preschoolers with profound speech disorders can readily learn to produce rule-based messages via graphic symbols.

Detection of viable Salmonella in ice cream by TaqMan real-time polymerase chain reaction assay combining propidium monoazide.

PubMed

Wang, Yuexia; Yang, Ming; Liu, Shuchun; Chen, Wanyi; Suo, Biao

2015-09-01

Real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) allows rapid detection of Salmonella in frozen dairy products, but it might cause a false positive detection result because it might amplify DNA from dead target cells as well. In this study, Salmonella-free frozen ice cream was initially inoculated with heat-killed Salmonella Typhimurium cells and stored at -18°C. Bacterial DNA extracted from the sample was amplified using TaqMan probe-based real-time PCR targeting the invA gene. Our results indicated that DNA from the dead cells remained stable in frozen ice cream for at least 20 days, and could produce fluorescence signal for real-time PCR as well. To overcome this limitation, propidium monoazide (PMA) was combined with real-time PCR. PMA treatment can effectively prevent PCR amplification from heat-killed Salmonella cells in frozen ice cream. The PMA real-time PCR assay can selectively detect viable Salmonella at as low as 10 3  CFU/mL. Combining 18 hours of pre-enrichment with the assay allows for the detection of viable Salmonella at 10 0  CFU/mL and avoiding the false-positive result of dead cells. The PMA real-time PCR assay provides an alternative specifically for detection of viable Salmonella in ice cream. However, when the PMA real-time PCR assay was evaluated in ice cream subjected to frozen storage, it obviously underestimated the contamination situation of viable Salmonella, which might lead to a false negative result. According to this result, the use of enrichment prior to PMA real-time PCR analysis remains as the more appropriate approach. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Hard Real-Time: C++ Versus RTSJ

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dvorak, Daniel L.; Reinholtz, William K.

2004-01-01

In the domain of hard real-time systems, which language is better: C++ or the Real-Time Specification for Java (RTSJ)? Although ordinary Java provides a more productive programming environment than C++ due to its automatic memory management, that benefit does not apply to RTSJ when using NoHeapRealtimeThread and non-heap memory areas. As a result, RTSJ programmers must manage non-heap memory explicitly. While that's not a deterrent for veteran real-time programmers-where explicit memory management is common-the lack of certain language features in RTSJ (and Java) makes that manual memory management harder to accomplish safely than in C++. This paper illustrates the problem for practitioners in the context of moving data and managing memory in a real-time producer/consumer pattern. The relative ease of implementation and safety of the C++ programming model suggests that RTSJ has a struggle ahead in the domain of hard real-time applications, despite its other attractive features.

27 CFR 18.13 - Alternate methods or procedures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 27 Alcohol, Tobacco Products and Firearms 1 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Alternate methods or procedures. 18.13 Section 18.13 Alcohol, Tobacco Products and Firearms ALCOHOL AND TOBACCO TAX AND TRADE BUREAU, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY LIQUORS PRODUCTION OF VOLATILE FRUIT-FLAVOR CONCENTRATE Administrative...

27 CFR 18.13 - Alternate methods or procedures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 27 Alcohol, Tobacco Products and Firearms 1 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Alternate methods or procedures. 18.13 Section 18.13 Alcohol, Tobacco Products and Firearms ALCOHOL AND TOBACCO TAX AND TRADE BUREAU, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY LIQUORS PRODUCTION OF VOLATILE FRUIT-FLAVOR CONCENTRATE Administrative...

27 CFR 18.13 - Alternate methods or procedures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 27 Alcohol, Tobacco Products and Firearms 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Alternate methods or procedures. 18.13 Section 18.13 Alcohol, Tobacco Products and Firearms ALCOHOL AND TOBACCO TAX AND TRADE BUREAU, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY LIQUORS PRODUCTION OF VOLATILE FRUIT-FLAVOR CONCENTRATE Administrative...

27 CFR 18.13 - Alternate methods or procedures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 27 Alcohol, Tobacco Products and Firearms 1 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Alternate methods or procedures. 18.13 Section 18.13 Alcohol, Tobacco Products and Firearms ALCOHOL AND TOBACCO TAX AND TRADE BUREAU, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY ALCOHOL PRODUCTION OF VOLATILE FRUIT-FLAVOR CONCENTRATE Administrative...

Resource Limitation Issues In Real-Time Intelligent Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Green, Peter E.

1986-03-01

This paper examines resource limitation problems that can occur in embedded AI systems which have to run in real-time. It does this by examining two case studies. The first is a system which acoustically tracks low-flying aircraft and has the problem of interpreting a high volume of often ambiguous input data to produce a model of the system's external world. The second is a robotics problem in which the controller for a robot arm has to dynamically plan the order in which to pick up pieces from a conveyer belt and sort them into bins. In this case the system starts with a continuously changing model of its environment and has to select which action to perform next. This latter case emphasizes the issues in designing a system which must operate in an uncertain and rapidly changing environment. The first system uses a distributed HEARSAY methodology running on multiple processors. It is shown, in this case, how the com-binatorial growth of possible interpretation of the input data can require large and unpredictable amounts of computer resources for data interpretation. Techniques are presented which achieve real-time operation by limiting the combinatorial growth of alternate hypotheses and processing those hypotheses that are most likely to lead to meaningful interpretation of the input data. The second system uses a decision tree approach to generate and evaluate possible plans of action. It is shown how the combina-torial growth of possible alternate plans can, as in the previous case, require large and unpredictable amounts of computer time to evalu-ate and select from amongst the alternative. The use of approximate decisions to limit the amount of computer time needed is discussed. The use of concept of using incremental evidence is then introduced and it is shown how this can be used as the basis of systems that can combine heuristic and approximate evidence in making real-time decisions.

Targeted gene panels and microbiota analysis provide insight into the effects of effects of alternative production diet formulations on channel catfish nutritional physiology

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The present research evaluated targeted gene panels and microbiota analysis to provide greater insight into the effects of alternatively-sourced dietary ingredients on production indices, gut health, changes in the gut microbiota and genes involved in the regulation of appetite, growth, metabolism, ...

Impacts of biofuels production alternatives on water quantity and quality in the Iowa River Basin

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wu, Y.; Liu, S.

2012-01-01

Corn stover as well as perennial grasses like switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) and miscanthus are being considered as candidates for the second generation biofuel feedstocks. However, the challenges to biofuel development are its effects on the environment, especially water quality. This study evaluates the long-term impacts of biofuel production alternatives (e.g., elevated corn stover removal rates and the potential land cover change) on an ecosystem with a focus on biomass production, soil erosion, water quantity and quality, and soil nitrate nitrogen concentration at the watershed scale. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) was modified for setting land cover change scenarios and applied to the Iowa River Basin (a tributary of the Upper Mississippi River Basin). Results show that biomass production can be sustained with an increased stover removal rate as long as the crop demand for nutrients is met with appropriate fertilization. Although a drastic increase (4.7–70.6%) in sediment yield due to erosion and a slight decrease (1.2–3.2%) in water yield were estimated with the stover removal rate ranging between 40% and 100%, the nitrate nitrogen load declined about 6–10.1%. In comparison to growing corn, growing either switchgrass or miscanthus can reduce sediment erosion greatly. However, land cover changes from native grass to switchgrass or miscanthus would lead to a decrease in water yield and an increase in nitrate nitrogen load. In contrast to growing switchgrass, growing miscanthus is more productive in generating biomass, but its higher water demand may reduce water availability in the study area.

Distribution Locational Real-Time Pricing Based Smart Building Control and Management

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

Hao, Jun; Dai, Xiaoxiao; Zhang, Yingchen

This paper proposes an real-virtual parallel computing scheme for smart building operations aiming at augmenting overall social welfare. The University of Denver's campus power grid and Ritchie fitness center is used for demonstrating the proposed approach. An artificial virtual system is built in parallel to the real physical system to evaluate the overall social cost of the building operation based on the social science based working productivity model, numerical experiment based building energy consumption model and the power system based real-time pricing mechanism. Through interactive feedback exchanged between the real and virtual system, enlarged social welfare, including monetary cost reductionmore » and energy saving, as well as working productivity improvements, can be achieved.« less

Alternative tobacco product use and smoking cessation among homeless youth in los angeles county.

PubMed

Tucker, Joan S; Shadel, William G; Golinelli, Daniela; Ewing, Brett

2014-11-01

Approximately 70% of homeless youth smoke cigarettes, but their use of alternative tobacco products (ATPs) is unknown. This paper reports on ATP use among past-month smokers in Los Angeles County, including whether it differs by demographic characteristics, homelessness severity, past-year quit attempts, and readiness to quit smoking. Given the growing popularity of e-cigarettes, we also report on perceptions of harm and reasons for using this product. We surveyed 292 unaccompanied homeless youth who were randomly sampled from street sites. Participants had smoked at least 100 cigarettes during their lifetime and 1 cigarette during the past month. Seventy-two percent of youth reported past-month ATP use (e-cigarettes = 51%; little cigars/cigarillos = 46%; hookah = 31%; other smokeless tobacco product = 24%; chewing tobacco/moist snuff = 19%). Current ATP use was unrelated to most demographic characteristics or having a past-year quit attempt. However, youth who planned to quit smoking in the next 30 days were significantly less likely to report current use of hookahs, other smokeless tobacco products, or e-cigarettes. Among lifetime e-cigarette users, the most common reasons for use included not having to go outside to smoke (38%) and being able to deal with situations or places where they cannot smoke (36%); it was less common to report using e-cigarettes to quit smoking (17%-18%). Dual use of ATPs among homeless youth smokers is common and is more likely among those who have no immediate plans to quit smoking. Effective and easily disseminable strategies for reducing all forms of tobacco use among homeless youth are urgently needed. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco 2014. This work is written by (a) US Government employee(s) and is in the public domain in the US.

Case for real-time systems development - Quo vadis?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Erb, Dona M.

1991-01-01

The paper focuses on the distinctive issues of computer-aided software engineering (CASE) products for the development of real-time systems. CASE technologies and associated standardization efforts are evolving from sets of conflicting interests. The majority of case products are intended for use in the development of management information systems. CASE products to support the development of large, complex real-time systems must provide additional capabilities. Generic concerns include the quality of the implementation of the required method for the phase of the system's development and whether the vendor is stable and committed to evolving the products in parallel with nonproprietary standards. The CASE market is undergoing considerable consolidation. The paper describes the major forces, cooperating entities, and remaining uncertainties that need to be weighed in near-term CASE procurements to limit risk of loss of investment in project time, trianing, and money.

Anaerobic digestion of residues from production and refining of vegetable oils as an alternative to conventional solutions.

PubMed

Torrijos, M; Thalla, Arun Kumar; Sousbie, P; Bosque, F; Delgenès, J P

2008-01-01

The purpose of this work was to study the anaerobic digestion of by-products generated during the production and refining of oil with the objective of proposing an alternative solution (methanisation) to the conventional solutions while reducing the energy consumption of fossil origin on refinery sites. The production of sunflower oil was taken as example. Glycerine from the production of biodiesel was also included in this study. The results show that glycerine has a high potential for methanisation because of its high methane potential (465 ml CH4/g VS) and high metabolization rates (0.42 g VS/g VSS.d). The use of oil cake as substrate for anaerobic digestion is not interesting because it has a low methane potential of 215 ml CH4/g VS only and because it is easily recovered in animal feed. Six residues have quite a high methane potential (465 to 850 ml CH4/g VS) indicating a good potential for anaerobic digestion. However, they contain a mixture of rapidly and slowly biodegradable organic matter and the loading rates must remain quite low (0.03 to 0.09 g VS/g VSS.d) to prevent any accumulation of slowly biodegradable solids in the digesters. IWA Publishing 2008.

Comparison of cryopreservation bags for hematopoietic progenitor cells using a WBC-enriched product.

PubMed

Dijkstra-Tiekstra, Margriet J; Hazelaar, Sandra; Gkoumassi, Effimia; Weggemans, Margienus; de Wildt-Eggen, Janny

2015-04-01

Hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPC) are stored in cryopreservation bags that are resistant to liquid nitrogen. Since Cryocyte bags of Baxter (B-bags) are no longer available, an alternative bag was sought. Also, the influence of freezing volume was studied. Miltenyi Biotec (MB)- and MacoPharma (MP)-bags passed the integrity tests without failure. Comparing MB- and MP-bags with B-bags, no difference in WBC recovery or viability was found when using a WBC-enriched product as a "dummy" HPC product. Further, a freezing volume of 30 mL resulted in better WBC recovery and viability than 60 mL. Additonal studies using real HPC might be necessary. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

10 CFR Appendix I to Part 504 - Procedures for the Computation of the Real Cost of Capital

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 10 Energy 4 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Procedures for the Computation of the Real Cost of Capital I Appendix I to Part 504 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY (CONTINUED) ALTERNATE FUELS EXISTING... parameters specified above are not obtainable, alternate parameters that closely correspond to those above...

10 CFR Appendix I to Part 504 - Procedures for the Computation of the Real Cost of Capital

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 10 Energy 4 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Procedures for the Computation of the Real Cost of Capital I Appendix I to Part 504 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY (CONTINUED) ALTERNATE FUELS EXISTING... obtainable, alternate parameters that closely correspond to those above may be used. This may include...

10 CFR Appendix I to Part 504 - Procedures for the Computation of the Real Cost of Capital

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 10 Energy 4 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Procedures for the Computation of the Real Cost of Capital I Appendix I to Part 504 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY (CONTINUED) ALTERNATE FUELS EXISTING... parameters specified above are not obtainable, alternate parameters that closely correspond to those above...

Modelling biogas production of solid waste: application of the BGP model to a synthetic landfill

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodrigo-Ilarri, Javier; Segura-Sobrino, Francisco

2013-04-01

Production of biogas as a result of the decomposition of organic matter included on solid waste landfills is still an issue to be understood. Reports on this matter are rarely included on the engineering construction projects of solid waste landfills despite it can be an issue of critical importance while operating the landfill and after its closure. This paper presents an application of BGP (Bio-Gas-Production) model to a synthetic landfill. The evolution in time of the concentrations of the different chemical compounds of biogas is studied. Results obtained show the impact on the air quality of different management alternatives which are usually performed in real landfills.

Electrochemical alternatives for drinking water disinfection.

PubMed

Martínez-Huitle, Carlos A; Brillas, Enric

2008-01-01

Chlorination is the most common method worldwide for the disinfection of drinking water. However, the identification of potentially toxic products from this method has encouraged the development of alternative disinfection technologies. Among them, electrochemical disinfection has emerged as one of the more feasible alternatives to chlorination. This article reviews electrochemical systems that can contribute to drinking water disinfection and underscores the efficiency of recently developed diamond films in chlorine-free electrochemical systems.

Electrochemical latent redox ratiometric probes for real-time tracking and quantification of endogenous hydrogen sulfide production in living cells.

PubMed

Manibalan, Kesavan; Mani, Veerappan; Chang, Pu-Chieh; Huang, Chih-Hung; Huang, Sheng-Tung; Marchlewicz, Kasper; Neethirajan, Suresh

2017-10-15

Hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S) was discovered as a third gasotransmitter in biological systems and recent years have seen a growing interest to understand its physiological and pathological functions. However, one major limiting factor is the lack of robust sensors to quantitatively track its production in real-time. We described a facile electrochemical assay based on latent redox probe approach for highly specific and sensitive quantification in living cells. Two chemical probes, Azido Benzyl ferrocene carbamate (ABFC) and N-alkyl Azido Benzyl ferrocene carbamate (NABFC) composed of azide trigger group were designed. H 2 S molecules specifically triggered the release of reporters from probes and the current response was monitored using graphene oxide film modified electrode as transducer. The detection limits are 0.32µM (ABFC) and 0.076µM (NABFC) which are comparable to those of current sensitive methods. The probes are successful in the determination of H 2 S spiked in whole human blood, fetal bovine serum, and E. coli. The continuous monitoring and quantification of endogenous H 2 S production in E. coli were successfully accomplished. This work lays first step stone towards real-time electrochemical quantification of endogenous H 2 S in living cells, thus hold great promise in the analytical aspects of H 2 S. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Use of complementary and alternative medicines during the third trimester.

PubMed

Pallivalapila, Abdul Rouf; Stewart, Derek; Shetty, Ashalatha; Pande, Binita; Singh, Rajvir; McLay, James S

2015-01-01

To estimate the prevalence, indications, and associated factors for complementary and alternative medicine use during the last trimester of pregnancy. A questionnaire survey was conducted of women with a live birth (N=700) admitted to the postnatal unit at the Royal Aberdeen Maternity Hospital, northeast Scotland. Outcome measures included: complementary and alternative medicine used; vitamins and minerals used; reasons for complementary and alternative medicine use; independent associated factors for use; views; and experiences. Descriptive and inferential statistical analysis was performed. The response rate was 79.6% of eligible women. Two thirds of respondents (61.4%) reported using complementary and alternative medicine, excluding vitamins and minerals, during the third trimester. Respondents reported using a total of 30 different complementary and alternative medicine modalities, of which oral herbal products were the most common (38% of respondents, 40 different products). The independent associated factors for complementary and alternative medicine use identified were: complementary and alternative medicine use before pregnancy (odds ratio [OR] 4.36, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.39-7.95, P<.001); a university education (OR 2.41, 95% CI 1.46-4.0, P=.001), and complementary and alternative medicine use by family or friends (OR 2.36, 95% CI 1.61-3.47, P<.001). There was no association with health care professional recommendations. Users were significantly more likely than nonusers to agree that complementary and alternative medicines were safer than prescribed medicines (P=.006), less likely to be associated with side effects (P≤.001), and could interfere with conventional medicines (P≤.001). Despite the majority of respondents, and notably users, being uncertain about their safety and effectiveness, complementary and alternative medicine modalities and complementary and alternative medicine products are widely used during the third trimester of

Implementation of and Ada real-time executive: A case study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Laird, James D.; Burton, Bruce A.; Koppes, Mary R.

1986-01-01

Current Ada language implementations and runtime environments are immature, unproven and are a key risk area for real-time embedded computer system (ECS). A test-case environment is provided in which the concerns of the real-time, ECS community are addressed. A priority driven executive is selected to be implemented in the Ada programming language. The model selected is representative of real-time executives tailored for embedded systems used missile, spacecraft, and avionics applications. An Ada-based design methodology is utilized, and two designs are considered. The first of these designs requires the use of vendor supplied runtime and tasking support. An alternative high-level design is also considered for an implementation requiring no vendor supplied runtime or tasking support. The former approach is carried through to implementation.

Physicochemical, agronomical and microbiological evaluation of alternative growing media for the production of rapini (Brassica rapa L.) microgreens.

PubMed

Di Gioia, Francesco; De Bellis, Palmira; Mininni, Carlo; Santamaria, Pietro; Serio, Francesco

2017-03-01

Peat-based mixes and synthetic mats are the main substrates used for microgreens production. However, both are expensive and non-renewable. Recycled fibrous materials may represent low-cost and renewable alternative substrates. Recycled textile-fiber (TF; polyester, cotton and polyurethane traces) and jute-kenaf-fiber (JKF; 85% jute, 15% kenaf-fibers) mats were characterized and compared with peat and Sure to Grow® (Sure to Grow, Beachwood, OH, USA; http://suretogrow.com) (STG; 100% polyethylene-terephthalate) for the production of rapini (Brassica rapa L.; Broccoletto group) microgreens. All substrates had suitable physicochemical properties for the production of microgreens. On average, microgreens fresh yield was 1502 g m -2 in peat, TF and JKF, and was 13.1% lower with STG. Peat-grown microgreen shoots had a higher concentration of K + and SO 4 2 - and a two-fold higher NO 3 - concentration [1959 versus 940 mg kg -1 fresh weight (FW)] than those grown on STG, TF and JKF. At harvest, substrates did not influence microgreens aerobic bacterial populations (log 6.48 CFU g -1 FW). Peat- and JKF-grown microgreens had higher yeast-mould counts than TF- and STG microgreens (log 2.64 versus 1.80 CFU g -1 FW). Peat-grown microgreens had the highest population of Enterobacteriaceae (log 5.46 ± 0.82 CFU g -1 ) and Escherichia coli (log 1.46 ± 0.15 CFU g -1 ). Escherichia coli was not detected in microgreens grown on other media. TF and JKF may be valid alternatives to peat and STG because both ensured a competitive yield, low nitrate content and a similar or higher microbiological quality. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

Near real time vapor detection and enhancement using aerosol adsorption

DOEpatents

Novick, Vincent J.; Johnson, Stanley A.

1999-01-01

A vapor sample detection method where the vapor sample contains vapor and ambient air and surrounding natural background particles. The vapor sample detection method includes the steps of generating a supply of aerosol that have a particular effective median particle size, mixing the aerosol with the vapor sample forming aerosol and adsorbed vapor suspended in an air stream, impacting the suspended aerosol and adsorbed vapor upon a reflecting element, alternatively directing infrared light to the impacted aerosol and adsorbed vapor, detecting and analyzing the alternatively directed infrared light in essentially real time using a spectrometer and a microcomputer and identifying the vapor sample.

Positron Production in Multiphoton Light-by-Light Scattering

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

Koffas, Thomas

2003-07-28

We present the results of an experimental study on e{sup +}e{sup -} pair production during the collision of a low emittance 46.6 GeV electron beam with terawatt laser pulses from a Nd:glass laser at 527 nm wavelength and with linear polarization. The experiment was conducted at the Final Focus Test Beam facility in the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center. Results with a 49.1 GeV electron beam are also included. A signal of 106 {+-} 14 positrons for the 46.6 GeV electron beam case and of 22 {+-} 10 positrons for the 49.1 GcV case above background, has been detected. We interpretmore » the positrons as the products of a two-step process during which laser photons are backscattered to high energy gamma photons that absorb in their turn several laser photons in order to produce a e{sup +}e{sup -} pair. The data compare well with the existing theoretical models. This is the first observation in the laboratory of inelastic Light-by-Light scattering with only real photons. Alternatively, the data are interpreted as a manifestation of the spontaneous breakdown of the vacuum under the influence of an intense external alternating electric field.« less

Do placebo based validation standards mimic real batch products behaviour? Case studies.

PubMed

Bouabidi, A; Talbi, M; Bouklouze, A; El Karbane, M; Bourichi, H; El Guezzar, M; Ziemons, E; Hubert, Ph; Rozet, E

2011-06-01

Analytical methods validation is a mandatory step to evaluate the ability of developed methods to provide accurate results for their routine application. Validation usually involves validation standards or quality control samples that are prepared in placebo or reconstituted matrix made of a mixture of all the ingredients composing the drug product except the active substance or the analyte under investigation. However, one of the main concerns that can be made with this approach is that it may lack an important source of variability that come from the manufacturing process. The question that remains at the end of the validation step is about the transferability of the quantitative performance from validation standards to real authentic drug product samples. In this work, this topic is investigated through three case studies. Three analytical methods were validated using the commonly spiked placebo validation standards at several concentration levels as well as using samples coming from authentic batch samples (tablets and syrups). The results showed that, depending on the type of response function used as calibration curve, there were various degrees of differences in the results accuracy obtained with the two types of samples. Nonetheless the use of spiked placebo validation standards was showed to mimic relatively well the quantitative behaviour of the analytical methods with authentic batch samples. Adding these authentic batch samples into the validation design may help the analyst to select and confirm the most fit for purpose calibration curve and thus increase the accuracy and reliability of the results generated by the method in routine application. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A discrete role for alternative oxidase under hypoxia to increase nitric oxide and drive energy production.

PubMed

Vishwakarma, Abhaypratap; Kumari, Aprajita; Mur, Luis A J; Gupta, Kapuganti Jagadis

2018-03-28

Alternative oxidase (AOX) is an integral part of the mitochondrial electron transport and can prevent reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nitric oxide (NO) production under non-stressed, normoxic conditions. Here we assessed the roles of AOX by imposing stress under normoxia in comparison to hypoxic conditions using AOX over expressing (AOX OE) and anti-sense (AOX AS) transgenic Arabidopsis seedlings and roots. Under normoxic conditions stress was induced with the defence elicitor flagellin (flg22). AOX OE reduced NO production whilst this was increased in AOX AS. Moreover AOX AS also exhibited an increase in superoxide and therefore peroxynitrite, tyrosine nitration suggesting that scavenging of NO by AOX can prevent toxic peroxynitrite formation under normoxia. In contrast, during hypoxia interestingly we found that AOX is a generator of NO. Thus, the NO produced during hypoxia, was enhanced in AOX OE and suppressed in AOX AS. Additionally, treatment of WT or AOX OE with the AOX inhibitor SHAM inhibited hypoxic NO production. The enhanced levels of NO correlated with expression of non-symbiotic haemoglobin, increased NR activity and ATP production. The ATP generation was suppressed in nia1,2 mutant and non symbiotic haemoglobin antisense line treated with SHAM. Taken together these results suggest that hypoxic NO generation mediated by AOX has a discrete role by feeding into the haemoglobin-NO cycle to drive energy efficiency under conditions of low oxygen tension. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

ALTERNATIVES FOR REDUCING INSECTICIDES ON COTTON AND CORN: ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT - SUPPLEMENT 2: PROCEDURES USED IN SETTING UP THE AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION MODEL

EPA Science Inventory

The procedures used in setting up the agricultural production model used in a study of alternatives for reducing insecticides on cotton and corn are described. The major analytical tool used is a spatial equilibrium model of U.S. agriculture. This is a linear programming model th...

Geomagnetic Observatory Data for Real-Time Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Love, J. J.; Finn, C. A.; Rigler, E. J.; Kelbert, A.; Bedrosian, P.

2015-12-01

The global network of magnetic observatories represents a unique collective asset for the scientific community. Historically, magnetic observatories have supported global magnetic-field mapping projects and fundamental research of the Earth's interior and surrounding space environment. More recently, real-time data streams from magnetic observatories have become an important contributor to multi-sensor, operational monitoring of evolving space weather conditions, especially during magnetic storms. In this context, the U.S. Geological Survey (1) provides real-time observatory data to allied space weather monitoring projects, including those of NOAA, the U.S. Air Force, NASA, several international agencies, and private industry, (2) collaborates with Schlumberger to provide real-time geomagnetic data needed for directional drilling for oil and gas in Alaska, (3) develops products for real-time evaluation of hazards for the electric-power grid industry that are associated with the storm-time induction of geoelectric fields in the Earth's conducting lithosphere. In order to implement strategic priorities established by the USGS Natural Hazards Mission Area and the National Science and Technology Council, and with a focus on developing new real-time products, the USGS is (1) leveraging data management protocols already developed by the USGS Earthquake Program, (2) developing algorithms for mapping geomagnetic activity, a collaboration with NASA and NOAA, (3) supporting magnetotelluric surveys and developing Earth conductivity models, a collaboration with Oregon State University and the NSF's EarthScope Program, (4) studying the use of geomagnetic activity maps and Earth conductivity models for real-time estimation of geoelectric fields, (5) initiating geoelectric monitoring at several observatories, (6) validating real-time estimation algorithms against historical geomagnetic and geoelectric data. The success of these long-term projects is subject to funding constraints

Detecting subsurface fluid leaks in real-time using injection and production rates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, Harpreet; Huerta, Nicolas J.

2017-12-01

CO2 injection into geologic formations for either enhanced oil recovery or carbon storage introduces a risk for undesired fluid leakage into overlying groundwater or to the surface. Despite decades of subsurface CO2 production and injection, the technologies and methods for detecting CO2 leaks are still costly and prone to large uncertainties. This is especially true for pressure-based monitoring methods, which require the use of simplified geological and reservoir flow models to simulate the pressure behavior as well as background noise affecting pressure measurements. In this study, we propose a method to detect the time and volume of fluid leakage based on real-time measurements of well injection and production rates. The approach utilizes analogies between fluid flow and capacitance-resistance modeling. Unlike other leak detection methods (e.g. pressure-based), the proposed method does not require geological and reservoir flow models to simulate the behavior that often carry significant sources of uncertainty; therefore, with our approach the leak can be detected with greater certainty. The method can be applied to detect when a leak begins by tracking a departure in fluid production rate from the expected pattern. The method has been tuned to detect the effect of boundary conditions and fluid compressibility on leakage. To highlight the utility of this approach we use our method to detect leaks for two scenarios. The first scenario simulates a fluid leak from the storage formation into an above-zone monitoring interval. The second scenario simulates intra-reservoir migration between two compartments. We illustrate this method to detect fluid leakage in three different reservoirs with varying levels of geological and structural complexity. The proposed leakage detection method has three novelties: i) requires only readily-available data (injection and production rates), ii) accounts for fluid compressibility and boundary effects, and iii) in addition to

Consequences of the ban of by-products from terrestrial animals in livestock feeding in Germany and the European Union: alternatives, nutrient and energy cycles, plant production, and economic aspects.

PubMed

Rodehutscord, M; Abel, H J; Friedt, W; Wenk, C; Flachowsky, G; Ahlgrimm, H J; Johnke, B; Kühl, R; Breves, G

2002-04-01

Consequences of the ban of meat and bone meal (MBM) and animal fat with regard to livestock feeding, cropping, ecology and economy where investigated with an inter-disciplinary approach for Germany and the European Union. Calculations were made for different production systems with pigs and poultry on the basis of statistical data for the production and for the feed markets as well as from requirement data for the respective species and production system. (1.) The ban of MBM from feeding caused a need for alternative protein sources. If all the amount of protein from MBM is to be replaced by soybean meal, in Germany and the EU about 0.30 and 2.30 x 10(6) t would be needed each year (supplementary amino acids not considered). Alternatively, doubling the grain legume acreage in Germany to about 420,000 ha would supply a similar amount of protein. A wider application of phase feeding with adjusted dietary amino acid concentrations, however, would allow for saving protein to an extent which is similar to the amount of protein that was contributed by MBM in recent years. Thus, the ban is a minor problem in terms of ensuring amino acid supply. (2.) However, alternative plant ingredients cannot compensate for the gap in P supply that is caused by the ban. An additional demand for inorganic feed phosphates of about 14,000 and 110,000 t per year is given in Germany and the EU, respectively. So far, this gap is filled almost completely by increased mining of rock phosphates. Alternatively, a general application of microbial phytase to all diets would largely fill this gap. Until the ban, MBM contributed to 57% of the supplementation of P that was needed for pigs and poultry. The ban of MBM makes large amounts of P irreversibly disappearing from the food chain. (3.) Energy from slaughter offal and cadavers can be utilized in different technologies, in the course of which the efficiency of energy utilisation depends on the technology applied. It is efficient in the cement work

From the Lab Bench: Know your alternative feed

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

A column was written to discuss the need to know the nutritive value of the alternative feed (by- or co-product feeds) that you are feeding to your cattle. Alternative feeds can come in different physical forms: being either wet or dry, finely ground, crumbly or pelleted. Distiller’s and brewer’s ...

A review of alternatives to di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate-containing medical devices in the neonatal intensive care unit

PubMed Central

Van Vliet, EDS; Reitano, EM; Chhabra, JS; Bergen, GP; Whyatt, RM

2012-01-01

Objective To conduct an extensive literature and toxicological database review on substitute compounds and available alternative medical products to replace polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and/or di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), and conduct a DEHP-medical inventory analysis at a large metropolitan neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Study Design A systematic search for DEHP-free alternative products was performed using online databases. An informal audit of a large metropolitan NICU was undertaken in 2005 and 2006; 21 products were identified that could potentially contain DEHP. Availability of DEHP-free alternatives was determined through company websites and phone interviews. Result Two alternative approaches are available for replacing DEHP in NICU medical products: (1) replacement by DEHP-free plasticizers; and (2) replacement of PVC entirely through the use of other polymers. Both approaches seem to provide less harmful substitutes to DEHP, but support PVC-free polymers as the preferred alternative. However, significant data gaps exist, particularly for the alternative polymers. In all, 10 out of 21 (48%) products in the NICU audit were DEHP-free; six consisted of alternative polymers and four of alternative plasticizers. Of the remaining 11 products, only three were available without DEHP at the time of the audit. Conclusion Because of significant data gaps, systematic toxicological testing of DEHP-free alternatives is imperative. Continued development of alternative products is also needed. PMID:21311501

Rational selection of alternative, environmentally compatible surfactants for biotechnological production of pharmaceuticals--a step toward green biotechnology.

PubMed

Straub, Jürg Oliver; Shearer, Russel; Studer, Martin

2014-09-01

The biotechnological production of pharmaceutical active substances needs ancillary substances. Surfactants are used at the end of the cell culture as a protection against potential viral or bacterial contamination and to lyse the producing cells for isolation and purification of the products. To find a replacement for a surfactant that had raised environmental concern, environmentally relevant data for potential alternatives were searched for in the literature. Significant data gaps were filled with additional tests: biodegradability, algal growth inhibition, acute daphnid immobilization and chronic daphnid reproduction toxicity, acute fish toxicity, and activated sludge respiration inhibition. The results were used to model removal in the wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) serving 3 biotechnological production sites in the Roche Group. Predicted environmental concentrations (PECs) were calculated using realistic amounts of surfactants and site-specific wastewater fluxes, modeled removals for the WWTPs and dilution factors by the respective receiving waters. Predicted no-effect concentrations (PNECs) were derived for WWTPs and for both fresh and marine receiving waters as the treated wastewater of 1 production site is discharged into a coastal water. This resulted in a spreadsheet showing PECs, PNECs, and PEC ÷ PNEC risk characterization ratios for the WWTPs and receiving waters for all investigated surfactants and all 3 sites. This spreadsheet now serves as a selection support for the biotechnological developers. This risk-based prioritization of surfactants is a step toward green biotechnological production. © 2014 SETAC.

Alternative Energy Science and Policy: Biofuels as a Case Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ammous, Saifedean H.

This dissertation studies the science and policy-making of alternative energy using biofuels as a case study, primarily examining the instruments that can be used to alleviate the impacts of climate change and their relative efficacy. Three case studies of policy-making on biofuels in the European Union, United States of America and Brazil are presented and discussed. It is found that these policies have had large unintended negative consequences and that they relied on Lifecycle Analysis studies that had concluded that increased biofuels production can help meet economic, energy and environmental goals. A close examination of these Lifecycle Analysis studies reveals that their results are not conclusive. Instead of continuing to attempt to find answers from Lifecycle Analyses, this study suggests an alternative approach: formulating policy based on recognition of the ignorance of real fuel costs and pollution. Policies to combat climate change are classified into two distinct approaches: policies that place controls on the fuels responsible for emissions and policies that target the pollutants themselves. A mathematical model is constructed to compare these two approaches and address the central question of this study: In light of an ignorance of the cost and pollution impacts of different fuels, are policies targeting the pollutants themselves preferable to policies targeting the fuels? It is concluded that in situations where the cost and pollution functions of a fuel are unknown, subsidies, mandates and caps on the fuel might result in increased or decreased greenhouse gas emissions; on the other hand, a tax or cap on carbon dioxide results in the largest decrease possible of greenhouse gas emissions. Further, controls on greenhouse gases are shown to provide incentives for the development and advancement of cleaner alternative energy options, whereas controls on the fuels are shown to provide equal incentives to the development of cleaner and dirtier

Alternative Work Schedules Increase Employee Satisfaction.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Turney, John R.; Cohen, Stanley L.

1983-01-01

Facets of alternative work schedules (AWS) are discussed: importance of employee control, possible negative consequences, AWS handbook, time monitoring systems, and treatment of exceptions. AWS' effect on productivity and motivation is examined. (SK)

Quality assessment of multi-GNSS real-time orbits and clocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaźmierski, Kamil; Sośnica, Krzysztof; Hadaś, Tomasz

2017-04-01

A continuously increasing number of satellites of Global Navigation Satellites Systems (GNSS) and their constant modernization allow improving the positioning accuracy and enables performing the GNSS measurements in challenging environments. The constant development of GNSS, among which GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and BeiDou can be distinguished, contributes to improvements in GNSS usage in areas desired by common users or GNSS community. The Multi-GNSS experiment (MGEX) of the International GNSS Service (IGS) has been established for tracking, collating and analyzing all available GNSS signals. Provided precise orbits and clocks do not allow users to process data in real-time due to the significant latency of provided products which may reach up to even 18 days. In order to satisfy needs of real-time users IGS Real-Time Service (RTS) was launched in 2013. The service is currently insufficient for Multi-GNSS applications as it provides products for GPS and GLONASS only. One of the publicly available real-time corrections for the all GNSS, including the new systems, are those provided by the Centre National d'etudes Spatiales (CNES). Presented works evaluate clocks and orbit corrections, i.e., the availability and quality of real-time products provided by CNES (mountpoint CLK93). As a decoder of the RTCM streams the BNC software v2.12 is used. All computations are performed using the GNSS-WARP software which is developed by Institute of Geodesy and Geoinformatics (IGG) at Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences (WUELS). The final products provided by the Center of Orbit Determination in Europe (CODE) are used for the evaluation of the real-time CNES orbits and clocks. Moreover, the Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR) data are employed as an independent way of the orbit quality assessment. The availability of the real-time corrections is at the level of about 90%, when excluding BeiDou, for which the availability is at the level of about 80%. The obtained results

An approach to real-time magnetic resonance imaging for speech production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Narayanan, Shrikanth; Nayak, Krishna; Byrd, Dani; Lee, Sungbok

2003-04-01

Magnetic resonance imaging has served as a valuable tool for studying primarily static postures in speech production. Now, recent improvements in imaging techniques, particularly in temporal resolution, are making it possible to examine the dynamics of vocal tract shaping during speech. Examples include Mady et al. (2001, 2002) (8 images/second, T1 fast gradient echo) and Demolin et al. (2000) (4-5 images/second, ultra fast turbo spin echo sequence). The present study uses a non 2D-FFT acquisition strategy (spiral k-space trajectory) on a GE Signa 1.5T CV/i scanner with a low-flip angle spiral gradient echo originally developed for cardiac imaging [Kerr et al. (1997), Nayak et al. (2001)] with reconstruction rates of 8-10 images/second. The experimental stimuli included English sentences varying the syllable position of /n, r, l/ (spoken by 2 subjects) and Tamil sentences varying among five liquids (spoken by one subject). The imaging parameters were the following: 15 deg flip angle, 20-interleaves, 6.7 ms TR, 1.88 mm resolution over a 20 cm FOV, 5 mm slice thickness, and 2.4 ms spiral readouts. Data show clear real-time movements of the lips, tongue and velum. Sample movies and data analysis strategies will be presented. Segmental durations, positions, and inter-articulator timing can all be quantitatively evaluated. [Work supported by NIH.

CALIOP near-real-time backscatter products compared to EARLINET data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grigas, T.; Hervo, M.; Gimmestad, G.; Forrister, H.; Schneider, P.; Preißler, J.; Tarrason, L.; O'Dowd, C.

2015-03-01

The expedited near-real-time Level 1.5 Cloud-Aerosol Lidar (Light Detection and Ranging) with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) products were evaluated against data from the ground-based European Aerosol Research Lidar Network (EARLINET). Over a period of three years, lidar data from 48 CALIOP overpasses with ground tracks within a 100 km distance from an operating EARLINET station were deemed suitable for analysis and they included a valid aerosol classification type (e.g. dust, polluted dust, clean marine, clean continental, polluted continental, mixed and/or smoke/biomass burning). For the complete dataset comprising both PBL and FT data, the correlation coefficient was 0.86, and when separated into separate layers, the PBL and FT correlation coefficients were 0.6 and 0.85 respectively. The presence of FT layers with high attenuated backscatter led to poor agreement in PBL backscatter profiles between the CALIOP and EARLINET measurements and prompted a further analysis filtering out such cases. However, the correlation coefficient value for the complete dataset decreased marginally from 0.86 to 0.84 while the PBL coefficient increased from 0.6 up to 0.65 and the FT coefficient also decreased from 0.85 to 0.79. For specific aerosol types, the correlation coefficient between CALIOP backscatter profiles and ground-based lidar data ranged from 0.37 for polluted continental aerosol in the planetary boundary layer (PBL) to 0.57 for dust in the free troposphere (FT). The results suggest different levels of agreement based on the location of the dominant aerosol layer and the aerosol type.

Microbubble responses to a similar mechanical index with different real-time perfusion imaging techniques.

PubMed

Porter, Thomas R; Oberdorfer, Joseph; Rafter, Patrick; Lof, John; Xie, Feng

2003-08-01

The purpose of this study was to determine differences in contrast enhancement and microbubble destruction rates with current commercially available low-mechanical index (MI) real-time perfusion imaging modalities. A tissue-mimicking phantom was developed that had vessels at 3 cm (near field) and 9 cm (far field) from a real-time transducer. Perfluorocarbon-exposed sonicated dextrose albumin microbubbles (PESDA) were injected proximal to a mixing chamber, and then passed through these vessels while the region was insonified with either pulses of alternating polarity with pulse inversion Doppler (PID) or pulses of alternating amplitude by power modulation (PM) at MIs of 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3. Effluent microbubble concentration, contrast intensity and the slope of digital contrast intensity vs. time were measured. Our results demonstrated that microbubble destruction already occurs with PID at an MI of 0.1. Contrast intensity seen with PID was less than with PM. Therefore, differences in contrast enhancement and microbubble destruction rates occur at a similar MI setting when using different real-time pulse sequence schemes.

27 CFR 72.61 - Alternative methods of sale.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 27 Alcohol, Tobacco Products and Firearms 2 2012-04-01 2011-04-01 true Alternative methods of sale... Administrative Sale or Disposition of Personal Property § 72.61 Alternative methods of sale. (a) Sale by auction... forfeited administratively may be sold, the Director or his delegate shall cause a notice of sale to be...

30 CFR 204.3 - What alternatives are available for marginal properties?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false What alternatives are available for marginal... MINERALS REVENUE MANAGEMENT ALTERNATIVES FOR MARGINAL PROPERTIES General Provisions § 204.3 What alternatives are available for marginal properties? If you have production from a marginal property, MMS and...

Real-time measurements of endogenous CO production from vascular cells using an ultrasensitive laser sensor.

PubMed

Morimoto, Y; Durante, W; Lancaster, D G; Klattenhoff, J; Tittel, F K

2001-01-01

Carbon monoxide (CO) has been implicated as a biological messenger molecule analogous to nitric oxide. A compact gas sensor based on a midinfrared laser absorption spectroscopy was developed for direct and real-time measurement of trace levels (in approximate pmol) of CO release by vascular cells. The midinfrared light is generated by difference frequency mixing of two nearinfrared lasers in a nonlinear optical crystal. A strong infrared absorption line of CO (4.61 microm) is chosen for convenient CO detection without interference from other gas species. The generation of CO from cultured vascular smooth muscle cells was detected every 20 s without any chemical modification to the CO. The sensitivity of the sensor reached 6.9 pmol CO. CO synthesis was measured from untreated control cells (0.25 nmol per 10(7) cells/h), sodium nitroprusside-treated cells (0.29 nmol per 10(7) cells/h), and hemin-treated cells (0.49 nmol per 10(7) cells/h). The sensor also detected decreases in CO production after the addition of the heme oxygenase (HO) inhibitor tin protoporphyrin-IX (from 0.49 to 0.02 nmol per 10(7) cells/h) and increases after the administration of the HO substrate hemin (from 0.27 to 0.64 nmol per 10(7) cells/h). These results demonstrate that midinfrared laser absorption spectroscopy is a useful technique for the noninvasive and real-time detection of trace levels of CO from biological tissues.

Real-time measurements of endogenous CO production from vascular cells using an ultrasensitive laser sensor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morimoto, Y.; Durante, W.; Lancaster, D. G.; Klattenhoff, J.; Tittel, F. K.

2001-01-01

Carbon monoxide (CO) has been implicated as a biological messenger molecule analogous to nitric oxide. A compact gas sensor based on a midinfrared laser absorption spectroscopy was developed for direct and real-time measurement of trace levels (in approximate pmol) of CO release by vascular cells. The midinfrared light is generated by difference frequency mixing of two nearinfrared lasers in a nonlinear optical crystal. A strong infrared absorption line of CO (4.61 microm) is chosen for convenient CO detection without interference from other gas species. The generation of CO from cultured vascular smooth muscle cells was detected every 20 s without any chemical modification to the CO. The sensitivity of the sensor reached 6.9 pmol CO. CO synthesis was measured from untreated control cells (0.25 nmol per 10(7) cells/h), sodium nitroprusside-treated cells (0.29 nmol per 10(7) cells/h), and hemin-treated cells (0.49 nmol per 10(7) cells/h). The sensor also detected decreases in CO production after the addition of the heme oxygenase (HO) inhibitor tin protoporphyrin-IX (from 0.49 to 0.02 nmol per 10(7) cells/h) and increases after the administration of the HO substrate hemin (from 0.27 to 0.64 nmol per 10(7) cells/h). These results demonstrate that midinfrared laser absorption spectroscopy is a useful technique for the noninvasive and real-time detection of trace levels of CO from biological tissues.

Alternatives to antibiotics for maximizing growth performance and feed efficiency in poultry: a review.

PubMed

Gadde, U; Kim, W H; Oh, S T; Lillehoj, Hyun S

2017-06-01

With the increase in regulations regarding the use of antibiotic growth promoters and the rise in consumer demand for poultry products from 'Raised Without Antibiotics' or 'No Antibiotics Ever' flocks, the quest for alternative products or approaches has intensified in recent years. A great deal of research has focused on the development of antibiotic alternatives to maintain or improve poultry health and performance. This review describes the potential for the various alternatives available to increase animal productivity and help poultry perform to their genetic potential under existing commercial conditions. The classes of alternatives described include probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, organic acids, enzymes, phytogenics, antimicrobial peptides, hyperimmune egg antibodies, bacteriophages, clay, and metals. A brief description of the mechanism of action, efficacy, and advantages and disadvantages of their uses are also presented. Though the beneficial effects of many of the alternatives developed have been well demonstrated, the general consensus is that these products lack consistency and the results vary greatly from farm to farm. Furthermore, their mode of action needs to be better defined. Optimal combinations of various alternatives coupled with good management and husbandry practices will be the key to maximize performance and maintain animal productivity, while we move forward with the ultimate goal of reducing antibiotic use in the animal industry.

Graph-based real-time fault diagnostics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Padalkar, S.; Karsai, G.; Sztipanovits, J.

1988-01-01

A real-time fault detection and diagnosis capability is absolutely crucial in the design of large-scale space systems. Some of the existing AI-based fault diagnostic techniques like expert systems and qualitative modelling are frequently ill-suited for this purpose. Expert systems are often inadequately structured, difficult to validate and suffer from knowledge acquisition bottlenecks. Qualitative modelling techniques sometimes generate a large number of failure source alternatives, thus hampering speedy diagnosis. In this paper we present a graph-based technique which is well suited for real-time fault diagnosis, structured knowledge representation and acquisition and testing and validation. A Hierarchical Fault Model of the system to be diagnosed is developed. At each level of hierarchy, there exist fault propagation digraphs denoting causal relations between failure modes of subsystems. The edges of such a digraph are weighted with fault propagation time intervals. Efficient and restartable graph algorithms are used for on-line speedy identification of failure source components.

Vegetable Oils as Alternative Solvents for Green Oleo-Extraction, Purification and Formulation of Food and Natural Products.

PubMed

Yara-Varón, Edinson; Li, Ying; Balcells, Mercè; Canela-Garayoa, Ramon; Fabiano-Tixier, Anne-Sylvie; Chemat, Farid

2017-09-05

Since solvents of petroleum origin are now strictly regulated worldwide, there is a growing demand for using greener, bio-based and renewable solvents for extraction, purification and formulation of natural and food products. The ideal alternative solvents are non-volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that have high dissolving power and flash point, together with low toxicity and less environmental impact. They should be obtained from renewable resources at a reasonable price and be easy to recycle. Based on the principles of Green Chemistry and Green Engineering, vegetable oils could become an ideal alternative solvent to extract compounds for purification, enrichment, or even pollution remediation. This review presents an overview of vegetable oils as solvents enriched with various bioactive compounds from natural resources, as well as the relationship between dissolving power of non-polar and polar bioactive components with the function of fatty acids and/or lipid classes in vegetable oils, and other minor components. A focus on simulation of solvent-solute interactions and a discussion of polar paradox theory propose a mechanism explaining the phenomena of dissolving polar and non-polar bioactive components in vegetable oils as green solvents with variable polarity.

Real-time interferometric diagnostics of rubidium plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Djotyan, G. P.; Bakos, J. S.; Kedves, M. Á.; Ráczkevi, B.; Dzsotjan, D.; Varga-Umbrich, K.; Sörlei, Zs.; Szigeti, J.; Ignácz, P.; Lévai, P.; Czitrovszky, A.; Nagy, A.; Dombi, P.; Rácz, P.

2018-03-01

A method of interferometric real-time diagnostics is developed and applied to rubidium plasma created by strong laser pulses in the femtosecond duration range at different initial rubidium vapor densities using a Michelson-type interferometer. A cosine fit with an exponentially decaying relative phase is applied to the obtained time-dependent interferometry signals to measure the density-length product of the created plasma and its recombination time constant. The presented technique may be applicable for real-time measurements of rubidium plasma dynamics in the AWAKE experiment at CERN, as well as for real-time diagnostics of plasmas created in different gaseous media and on surfaces of solid targets.

Alternative Fuels Data Center: Underwriters Laboratories Ethanol Dispenser

Science.gov Websites

alternate equivalent dispenser design to be submitted for approval. Each jurisdiction has its own process grant a waiver or variance on a case-by-case basis for alternative equivalent dispensers for mid- to procedures used to evaluate the product. The group of manufacturers and industry partners interested in

[Performance evaluation of Abbott RealTime HBV Quantification Kit for HBV viral load by real-time PCR].

PubMed

Kim, Myeong Hee; Cha, Choong Hwan; An, Dongheui; Choi, Sung Eun; Oh, Heung Bum

2008-04-01

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA quantification is necessary for starting and monitoring of antiviral therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis B. This study was intended to assess the clinical performance of Abbott RealTime HBV Quantification kit (Abbott Laboratories, USA). The performance was evaluated in terms of precision, linearity, detection sensitivity, cross-reactivity, and carry-over. A correlation with the Real-Q HBV Quantification kit (BioSewoom Inc., Korea) was also examined using serum samples from 64 patients diagnosed with chronic hepatitis B and underwent lamivudine therapy in Asan Medical Center. We verified the trueness of the system by comparing the outputs with the assigned values of the BBI panel (BBI Diagnostics, USA). Within-run and between-run coefficients of variation (CV) were 3.56-4.71% and 3.03-4.98%, respectively. Linearity was manifested ranging from 53 to 10(9)copies/mL and the detection sensitivity was verified to be 51 copies/mL. None of hepatitis C virus showed cross-reactivity. No cross-contamination occurred when negative and positive samples were alternatively placed in a row. It showed a good correlation with the Real-Q HBV (r(2)=0.9609) and the test results for the BBI panel were also well agreed to the assigned values (r(2)=0.9933). The performance of Abbott RealTime HBV Quantification kit was excellent; thus, it should be widely used in starting and monitoring of antiviral therapy in Korean patients with chronic hepatitis B.

Hazard assessment of nitrosamine and nitramine by-products of amine-based CCS: alternative approaches.

PubMed

Buist, H E; Devito, S; Goldbohm, R A; Stierum, R H; Venhorst, J; Kroese, E D

2015-04-01

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies are considered vital and economic elements for achieving global CO2 reduction targets, and is currently introduced worldwide (for more information on CCS, consult for example the websites of the International Energy Agency (http://www.iea.org/topics/ccs/) and the Global CCS Institute (http://www.globalccsinstitute.com/)). One prominent CCS technology, the amine-based post-combustion process, may generate nitrosamines and their related nitramines as by-products, the former well known for their potential mutagenic and carcinogenic properties. In order to efficiently assess the carcinogenic potency of any of these by-products this paper reviews and discusses novel prediction approaches consuming less time, money and animals than the traditionally applied 2-year rodent assay. For this, available animal carcinogenicity studies with N-nitroso compounds and nitramines have been used to derive carcinogenic potency values, that were subsequently used to assess the predictive performance of alternative prediction approaches for these chemicals. Promising cancer prediction models are the QSARs developed by the Helguera group, in vitro transformation assays, and the in vivo initiation-promotion, and transgenic animal assays. All these models, however, have not been adequately explored for this purpose, as the number of N-nitroso compounds investigated is yet too limited, and therefore further testing with relevant N-nitroso compounds is needed. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Real-time PCR in virology.

PubMed

Mackay, Ian M; Arden, Katherine E; Nitsche, Andreas

2002-03-15

The use of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in molecular diagnostics has increased to the point where it is now accepted as the gold standard for detecting nucleic acids from a number of origins and it has become an essential tool in the research laboratory. Real-time PCR has engendered wider acceptance of the PCR due to its improved rapidity, sensitivity, reproducibility and the reduced risk of carry-over contamination. There are currently five main chemistries used for the detection of PCR product during real-time PCR. These are the DNA binding fluorophores, the 5' endonuclease, adjacent linear and hairpin oligoprobes and the self-fluorescing amplicons, which are described in detail. We also discuss factors that have restricted the development of multiplex real-time PCR as well as the role of real-time PCR in quantitating nucleic acids. Both amplification hardware and the fluorogenic detection chemistries have evolved rapidly as the understanding of real-time PCR has developed and this review aims to update the scientist on the current state of the art. We describe the background, advantages and limitations of real-time PCR and we review the literature as it applies to virus detection in the routine and research laboratory in order to focus on one of the many areas in which the application of real-time PCR has provided significant methodological benefits and improved patient outcomes. However, the technology discussed has been applied to other areas of microbiology as well as studies of gene expression and genetic disease.

A Direct Comparison of Real-World and Virtual Navigation Performance in Chronic Stroke Patients.

PubMed

Claessen, Michiel H G; Visser-Meily, Johanna M A; de Rooij, Nicolien K; Postma, Albert; van der Ham, Ineke J M

2016-04-01

An increasing number of studies have presented evidence that various patient groups with acquired brain injury suffer from navigation problems in daily life. This skill is, however, scarcely addressed in current clinical neuropsychological practice and suitable diagnostic instruments are lacking. Real-world navigation tests are limited by geographical location and associated with practical constraints. It was, therefore, investigated whether virtual navigation might serve as a useful alternative. To investigate the convergent validity of virtual navigation testing, performance on the Virtual Tubingen test was compared to that on an analogous real-world navigation test in 68 chronic stroke patients. The same eight subtasks, addressing route and survey knowledge aspects, were assessed in both tests. In addition, navigation performance of stroke patients was compared to that of 44 healthy controls. A correlation analysis showed moderate overlap (r = .535) between composite scores of overall real-world and virtual navigation performance in stroke patients. Route knowledge composite scores correlated somewhat stronger (r = .523) than survey knowledge composite scores (r = .442). When comparing group performances, patients obtained lower scores than controls on seven subtasks. Whereas the real-world test was found to be easier than its virtual counterpart, no significant interaction-effects were found between group and environment. Given moderate overlap of the total scores between the two navigation tests, we conclude that virtual testing of navigation ability is a valid alternative to navigation tests that rely on real-world route exposure.

Conserving the Circus? An Alternative Approach to Teaching and Learning about Energy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brook, Angela J.; Wells, Peter

1988-01-01

Critiques the "energy circus," an approach to the introduction of ideas of energy transformation and conservation which is in common use in secondary schools. Identifies some practical and conceptual difficulties and outlines an alternative approach used in introducing ideas about energy using real devices and arrow notation. (CW)

Real-Time, Single-Step Bioassay Using Nanoplasmonic Resonator With Ultra-High Sensitivity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zhang, Xiang (Inventor); Chen, Fanqing Frank (Inventor); Su, Kai-Hang (Inventor); Wei, Qi-Huo (Inventor); Ellman, Jonathan A. (Inventor); Sun, Cheng (Inventor)

2014-01-01

A nanoplasmonic resonator (NPR) comprising a metallic nanodisk with alternating shielding layer(s), having a tagged biomolecule conjugated or tethered to the surface of the nanoplasmonic resonator for highly sensitive measurement of enzymatic activity. NPRs enhance Raman signals in a highly reproducible manner, enabling fast detection of protease and enzyme activity, such as Prostate Specific Antigen (paPSA), in real-time, at picomolar sensitivity levels. Experiments on extracellular fluid (ECF) from paPSA-positive cells demonstrate specific detection in a complex bio-fluid background in real-time single-step detection in very small sample volumes.

Real-time, single-step bioassay using nanoplasmonic resonator with ultra-high sensitivity

DOEpatents

Zhang, Xiang; Ellman, Jonathan A; Chen, Fanqing Frank; Su, Kai-Hang; Wei, Qi-Huo; Sun, Cheng

2014-04-01

A nanoplasmonic resonator (NPR) comprising a metallic nanodisk with alternating shielding layer(s), having a tagged biomolecule conjugated or tethered to the surface of the nanoplasmonic resonator for highly sensitive measurement of enzymatic activity. NPRs enhance Raman signals in a highly reproducible manner, enabling fast detection of protease and enzyme activity, such as Prostate Specific Antigen (paPSA), in real-time, at picomolar sensitivity levels. Experiments on extracellular fluid (ECF) from paPSA-positive cells demonstrate specific detection in a complex bio-fluid background in real-time single-step detection in very small sample volumes.

Brewer’s spent grain and corn steep liquor as alternative culture medium substrates for proteinase production by Streptomyces malaysiensis AMT-3

PubMed Central