Sample records for released large quantities

  1. The Dynamics of Pheromone Gland Synthesis and Release: a Paradigm Shift for Understanding Sex Pheromone Quantity in Female Moths.

    PubMed

    Foster, Stephen P; Anderson, Karin G; Casas, Jérôme

    2018-05-10

    Moths are exemplars of chemical communication, especially with regard to specificity and the minute amounts they use. Yet, little is known about how females manage synthesis and storage of pheromone to maintain release rates attractive to conspecific males and why such small amounts are used. We developed, for the first time, a quantitative model, based on an extensive empirical data set, describing the dynamical relationship among synthesis, storage (titer) and release of pheromone over time in a moth (Heliothis virescens). The model is compartmental, with one major state variable (titer), one time-varying (synthesis), and two constant (catabolism and release) rates. The model was a good fit, suggesting it accounted for the major processes. Overall, we found the relatively small amounts of pheromone stored and released were largely a function of high catabolism rather than a low rate of synthesis. A paradigm shift may be necessary to understand the low amounts released by female moths, away from the small quantities synthesized to the (relatively) large amounts catabolized. Future research on pheromone quantity should focus on structural and physicochemical processes that limit storage and release rate quantities. To our knowledge, this is the first time that pheromone gland function has been modeled for any animal.

  2. 40 CFR 273.37 - Response to releases.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 273.37 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) SOLID WASTES (CONTINUED) STANDARDS FOR UNIVERSAL WASTE MANAGEMENT Standards for Large Quantity Handlers of Universal Waste § 273.37... of universal wastes and other residues from universal wastes. (b) A large quantity handler of...

  3. An assessment of potential weather effects due to operation of the Space Orbiting Light Augmentation Reflector Energy System (SOLARES)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Allen, N. C.

    1978-01-01

    Implementation of SOLARES will input large quantities of heat continuously into a stationary location on the Earth's surface. The quantity of heat released by each of the SOlARES ground receivers, having a reflector orbit height of 6378 km, exceeds by 30 times that released by large power parks which were studied in detail. Using atmospheric models, estimates are presented for the local weather effects, the synoptic scale effects, and the global scale effects from such intense thermal radiation.

  4. Large scale preparation of high mannose and paucimannose N-glycans from soybean proteins by oxidative release of natural glycans (ORNG).

    PubMed

    Zhu, Yuyang; Yan, Maomao; Lasanajak, Yi; Smith, David F; Song, Xuezheng

    2018-07-15

    Despite the important advances in chemical and chemoenzymatic synthesis of glycans, access to large quantities of complex natural glycans remains a major impediment to progress in Glycoscience. Here we report a large-scale preparation of N-glycans from a kilogram of commercial soy proteins using oxidative release of natural glycans (ORNG). The high mannose and paucimannose N-glycans were labeled with a fluorescent tag and purified by size exclusion and multidimensional preparative HPLC. Side products are identified and potential mechanisms for the oxidative release of natural N-glycans from glycoproteins are proposed. This study demonstrates the potential for using the ORNG approach as a complementary route to synthetic approaches for the preparation of multi-milligram quantities of biomedically relevant complex glycans. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. An Analysis of the Second Project High Water Data

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Woodbridge, David D.; Lasater, James A.; Fultz, Bennett M.; Clark, Richard E.; Wylie, Nancy

    1963-01-01

    Early in 1962 NASA established "Project High Water" to investigate the sudden release of large quantities of water into the upper atmosphere. The primary objectives of these experiments were to obtain information on the behavior of liquids released in the ionosphere and the localized effects on the ionosphere produced by the injection of large quantities of water. The data obtained in the two (2) Project High Water experiments have yielded an extensive amount of information concerning the complex phenomena associated with the sudden release of liquids in the Ionosphere. The detailed analysis of data obtained during the second Project High Water experiment (i.e., the third Saturn I vehicle test or SA-3) presented in this report demonstrates that the objectives of the Project High Water were achieved. In addition, the Project High Water has provided essential information relevant to a number of problems vital to manned explorations of space.

  6. Volcanic gases create air pollution on the Island of Hawai’i

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Sutton, J.; Elias, T.

    1993-01-01

    The current eruption of Kilauea produces large quantities of volcanic gases that contribute to "volcanic air pollution." In this article we discuss the nature of the gases released from Kilauea, hoe we study them, and what happened to the gases in the environment after they are released. 

  7. Large trees losing out to drought

    Treesearch

    Michael G. Ryan

    2015-01-01

    Large trees provide many ecological services in forests. They provide seeds for reproduction and food, habitat for plants and animals, and shade for understory vegetation. Older trees and forests store large quantities of carbon, tend to release more water to streams than their more rapidly growing younger counterparts, and provide wood for human use. Mature...

  8. Indicators: Algal Toxins (microcystin)

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    Algal toxins are toxic substances released by some types of algae (phytoplankton) when they are present in large quantities (blooms) and decay or degrade. High nutrient levels and warm temperatures often result in favorable conditions for algae blooms.

  9. Asbestos release from whole-building demolition of buildings with asbestos-containing material.

    PubMed

    Perkins, Robert A; Hargesheimer, John; Fourie, Walter

    2007-12-01

    The whole-building demolition method, which entails one-or two-story buildings pushed down by heavy equipment, loaded into trucks, and hauled away, is generally the most cost-effective means to remove small buildings. For taller buildings, a crane and wrecking ball may be used initially to reduce the height of the building. Demolitions might release asbestos fibers from friable asbestos-containing material (ACM). Fibers also might be released from nominally nonfriable ACM (Categories I and II nonfriable ACM) if it becomes friable after rough handling throughout the whole-building demolition process. This paper reports on asbestos air monitoring from two demolition projects involving ACM. In one building, Category II nonfriable ACM was present because it could not be removed safely prior to demolition. Both projects had large quantities of gypsum wallboard with ACM joint compound and ACM flooring. One building had large quantities of ACM spray-on ceiling material. During the demolitions personal air monitoring of the workers and area air monitoring downwind and around the sites were conducted. The monitoring found the concentrations of fibers detected by phase contrast microscopy were generally well below the permissible exposure limits (PEL) of workers. Electron microcopy analysis of samples at or near the PEL indicated most of the fibers were not asbestos, and the actual asbestos exposure was often below the detection limit of the procedure. The buildings were kept wet with fire hoses during the demolition and that required large quantities of water, 20,000-60,000 gal/day (75-225 m(3)/day). Earlier studies found little asbestos release from buildings containing only nonfriable ACM demolished by this method. This project found a negligible release of asbestos fibers, despite the presence of nonfriable materials that might become friable, such as ACM joint compound and spray-on ACM ceiling coating.

  10. 40 CFR 355.33 - What release quantities of EHSs and CERCLA hazardous substances trigger the emergency release...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 27 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false What release quantities of EHSs and..., EMERGENCY PLANNING, AND COMMUNITY RIGHT-TO-KNOW PROGRAMS EMERGENCY PLANNING AND NOTIFICATION Emergency Release Notification Who Must Comply § 355.33 What release quantities of EHSs and CERCLA hazardous...

  11. ABOVEGROUND BIOMASS DISTRIBUTION OF US EASTERN HARDWOOD FORESTS AND THE USE OF LARGE TREES AS AN INDICATOR OF FOREST DEVELOPMENT

    EPA Science Inventory

    Past clearing and harvesting of the deciduous hardwood forests of eastern USA released large amount of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, but through recovery and regrowth these forests are now accumulating atmospheric carbon (C). This study examined quantities and distribution ...

  12. Estimating combustion of large downed woody debris from residual white ash

    Treesearch

    Alistair M. S. Smith; Andrew T. Hudak

    2005-01-01

    The production of residual white ash patches within wildfires represents near-complete combustion of the available fuel and releases a considerable quantity of gases to the atmosphere. These patches are generally produced from combustion of large downed woody debris (LDWD) such as fallen trees and snags. However, LDWD are generally ignored in calculations of fuel...

  13. Comparison of metal release from various metallic biomaterials in vitro.

    PubMed

    Okazaki, Yoshimitsu; Gotoh, Emiko

    2005-01-01

    To investigate the metal release of each base and alloying elements in vitro, SUS316L stainless steel, Co-Cr-Mo casting alloy, commercially pure Ti grade 2, and Ti-6Al-4V, V-free Ti-6Al-7Nb and Ti-15Zr-4Nb-4Ta alloys were immersed in various solutions, namely, alpha-medium, PBS(-), calf serum, 0.9% NaCl, artificial saliva, 1.2 mass% L-cysteine, 1 mass% lactic acid and 0.01 mass% HCl for 7d. The difference in the quantity of Co released from the Co-Cr-Mo casting alloy was relatively small in all the solutions. The quantities of Ti released into alpha-medium, PBS(-), calf serum, 0.9% NaCl and artificial saliva were much lower than those released into 1.2% L-cysteine, 1% lactic acid and 0.01% HCl. The quantity of Fe released from SUS316L stainless steel decreased linearly with increasing pH. On the other hand, the quantity of Ti released from Ti materials increased with decreasing pH, and it markedly attenuated at pHs of approximately 4 and higher. The quantity of Ni released from stainless steel gradually decreased with increasing pH. The quantities of Al released from the Ti-6Al-4V and Ti-6Al-7Nb alloys gradually decreased with increasing pH. A small V release was observed in calf serum, PBS(-), artificial saliva, 1% lactic acid, 1.2% l-cysteine and 0.01% HCl. The quantity of Ti released from the Ti-15Zr-4Nb-4Ta alloy was smaller than those released from the Ti-6Al-4V and Ti-6Al-7Nb alloys in all the solutions. In particular, it was approximately 30% or smaller in 1% lactic acid, 1.2% L-cysteine and 0.01% HCl. The quantity of (Zr + Nb + Ta) released was also considerably lower than that of (Al + Nb) or (Al + V) released. Therefore, the Ti-15Zr-4Nb-4Ta alloy with its low metal release in vitro is considered advantageous for long-term implants. Copyright 2004 Elsevier Ltd.

  14. 40 CFR 302.8 - Continuous releases.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... that the release is continuous and stable in quantity and rate; (2) Change in the normal range. If... section, continuous and stable in quantity and rate. (b) Definitions. The following definitions apply to... conditions during the preceding year. Only releases that are both continuous and stable in quantity and rate...

  15. PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS AND HEALTH EFFECTS OF AEROSOLS FROM COLLAPSED BUILDINGS

    EPA Science Inventory

    Airborne pollutants can rise to extreme levels when large buildings fall down. The terrorist attack on New York's World Trade Center (WTC) towers caused the release of an enormous quantity of pulverized building materials and combustion products into the local environment. Partic...

  16. 40 CFR 273.33 - Waste management.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... immediately closed after removal): (i) Sorting batteries by type; (ii) Mixing battery types in one container... Waste management. (a) Universal waste batteries. A large quantity handler of universal waste must manage universal waste batteries in a way that prevents releases of any universal waste or component of a universal...

  17. 40 CFR 273.33 - Waste management.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... immediately closed after removal): (i) Sorting batteries by type; (ii) Mixing battery types in one container... Waste management. (a) Universal waste batteries. A large quantity handler of universal waste must manage universal waste batteries in a way that prevents releases of any universal waste or component of a universal...

  18. 40 CFR 273.33 - Waste management.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... immediately closed after removal): (i) Sorting batteries by type; (ii) Mixing battery types in one container... Waste management. (a) Universal waste batteries. A large quantity handler of universal waste must manage universal waste batteries in a way that prevents releases of any universal waste or component of a universal...

  19. 40 CFR 273.33 - Waste management.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... immediately closed after removal): (i) Sorting batteries by type; (ii) Mixing battery types in one container... Waste management. (a) Universal waste batteries. A large quantity handler of universal waste must manage universal waste batteries in a way that prevents releases of any universal waste or component of a universal...

  20. A PRELIMINARY EXPOSURE ASSESSMENT OF MICROCYSTINS FROM CONSUMPTION OF DRINKING WATER IN THE UNITED STATES (Journal Article)

    EPA Science Inventory

    Cyanotoxins can cause adverse human and ecological health effects. Large quantities of cyanotoxins can be released into water bodies during or immediately following freshwater cyanobacteria blooms, also known as harmful algal blooms (HABs). HABs exhibit complicated temporal and...

  1. A reaction-diffusion model of the Darien Gap Sterile Insect Release Method

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Alford, John G.

    2015-05-01

    The Sterile Insect Release Method (SIRM) is used as a biological control for invasive insect species. SIRM involves introducing large quantities of sterilized male insects into a wild population of invading insects. A fertile/sterile mating produces offspring that are not viable and the wild insect population will eventually be eradicated. A U.S. government program maintains a permanent sterile fly barrier zone in the Darien Gap between Panama and Columbia to control the screwworm fly (Cochliomyia Hominivorax), an insect that feeds off of living tissue in mammals and has devastating effects on livestock. This barrier zone is maintained by regular releases of massive quantities of sterilized male screwworm flies from aircraft. We analyze a reaction-diffusion model of the Darien Gap barrier zone. Simulations of the model equations yield two types of spatially inhomogeneous steady-state solutions representing a sterile fly barrier that does not prevent invasion and a barrier that does prevent invasion. We investigate steady-state solutions using both phase plane methods and monotone iteration methods and describe how barrier width and the sterile fly release rate affects steady-state behavior.

  2. DETERMINATION OF SYNTHETIC MUSK COMPOUNDS IN MUNICIPAL WASTEWATER AND ESTIMATING BIOTA EXPOSURE IN THE RECEIVING WATERS

    EPA Science Inventory

    Synthetic musk compounds are consumer chemicals manufactured as fragrance materials and consumed in very large quantities worldwide. Due to their high usage and release, they have become ubiquitous in the environment. The U.S. EPA (Las Vegas) developed surface water monitoring me...

  3. LEVELS OF SYNTHETIC MUSKS COMPOUNDS IN MUNICIPAL WASTEWATER FOR ESTIMATING BIOTA EXPOSURE IN RECEIVING WATERS

    EPA Science Inventory

    Synthetic musk compounds are consumer chemicals manufactured as fragrance materials and consumed in very large quantities worldwide. Due to their high use and release, they have become ubiquitous in the environment. We analyzed water samples from the confluence of three municipal...

  4. Massive impact-induced release of carbon and sulfur gases in the early Earth's atmosphere

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Marchi, S.; Black, B. A.; Elkins-Tanton, L. T.; Bottke, W. F.

    2016-09-01

    Recent revisions to our understanding of the collisional history of the Hadean and early-Archean Earth indicate that large collisions may have been an important geophysical process. In this work we show that the early bombardment flux of large impactors (>100 km) facilitated the atmospheric release of greenhouse gases (particularly CO2) from Earth's mantle. Depending on the timescale for the drawdown of atmospheric CO2, the Earth's surface could have been subject to prolonged clement surface conditions or multiple freeze-thaw cycles. The bombardment also delivered and redistributed to the surface large quantities of sulfur, one of the most important elements for life. The stochastic occurrence of large collisions could provide insights on why the Earth and Venus, considered Earth's twin planet, exhibit radically different atmospheres.

  5. Human interleukin for DA cells or leukemia inhibitory factor is released by Vero cells in human embryo coculture.

    PubMed

    Papaxanthos-Roche, A; Taupin, J L; Mayer, G; Daniel, J Y; Moreau, J F

    1994-09-01

    In the light of the newly discovered implications of human interleukin for DA cells and leukemia inhibitory factor in embryology, we searched for the presence of this soluble cytokine in the supernatant of Vero cell coculture systems. Using a bioassay as well as a specific ELISA, we demonstrated that Vero cells are able to release large quantities of human interleukin for DA cells and leukemia inhibitory factor in the embryo-growing medium of such cocultures.

  6. Polymer Nanosheet Containing Star-Like Copolymers: A Novel Scalable Controlled Release System.

    PubMed

    Cao, Peng-Fei; de Leon, Al; Rong, Lihan; Yin, Ke-Zhen; Abenojar, Eric C; Su, Zhe; Tiu, Brylee David B; Exner, Agata A; Baer, Eric; Advincula, Rigoberto C

    2018-04-26

    Poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL)-based nanomaterials, such as nanoparticles and liposomes, have exhibited great potential as controlled release systems, but the difficulties in large-scale fabrication limit their practical applications. Among the various methods being developed to fabricate polymer nanosheets (PNSs) for different applications, such as Langmuir-Blodgett technique and layer-by-layer assembly, are very effort consuming, and only a few PNSs can be obtained. In this paper, poly(ε-caprolactone)-based PNSs with adjustable thickness are obtained in large quantity by simple water exposure of multilayer polymer films, which are fabricated via a layer multiplying coextrusion method. The PNS is also demonstrated as a novel controlled guest release system, in which release kinetics are adjustable by the nanosheet thickness, pH values of the media, and the presence of protecting layers. Theoretical simulations, including Korsmeyer-Peppas model and Finite-element analysis, are also employed to discern the observed guest-release mechanisms. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  7. Large-scale generation of cell-derived nanovesicles

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jo, W.; Kim, J.; Yoon, J.; Jeong, D.; Cho, S.; Jeong, H.; Yoon, Y. J.; Kim, S. C.; Gho, Y. S.; Park, J.

    2014-09-01

    Exosomes are enclosed compartments that are released from cells and that can transport biological contents for the purpose of intercellular communications. Research into exosomes is hindered by their rarity. In this article, we introduce a device that uses centrifugal force and a filter with micro-sized pores to generate a large quantity of cell-derived nanovesicles. The device has a simple polycarbonate structure to hold the filter, and operates in a common centrifuge. Nanovesicles are similar in size and membrane structure to exosomes. Nanovesicles contain intracellular RNAs ranging from microRNA to mRNA, intracellular proteins, and plasma membrane proteins. The quantity of nanovesicles produced using the device is 250 times the quantity of naturally secreted exosomes. Also, the quantity of intracellular contents in nanovesicles is twice that in exosomes. Nanovesicles generated from murine embryonic stem cells can transfer RNAs to target cells. Therefore, this novel device and the nanovesicles that it generates are expected to be used in exosome-related research, and can be applied in various applications such as drug delivery and cell-based therapy.

  8. CERCLA and EPCRA Continuous Release Reporting

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    Congress established reportable quantities for Superfund hazardous substances. A continuous release of a hazardous substance is defined as being without interruption or abatement and stable in quantity and rate.

  9. The stability of the stratospheric ozone layer during the end-Permian eruption of the Siberian Traps.

    PubMed

    Beerling, David J; Harfoot, Michael; Lomax, Barry; Pyle, John A

    2007-07-15

    The discovery of mutated palynomorphs in end-Permian rocks led to the hypothesis that the eruption of the Siberian Traps through older organic-rich sediments synthesized and released massive quantities of organohalogens, which caused widespread O3 depletion and allowed increased terrestrial incidence of harmful ultraviolet-B radiation (UV-B, 280-315nm; Visscher et al. 2004 Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 101, 12952-12956). Here, we use an extended version of the Cambridge two-dimensional chemistry-transport model to evaluate quantitatively this possibility along with two other potential causes of O3 loss at this time: (i) direct effects of HCl release by the Siberian Traps and (ii) the indirect release of organohalogens from dispersed organic matter. According to our simulations, CH3Cl released from the heating of coals alone caused comparatively minor O3 depletion (5-20% maximum) because this mechanism fails to deliver sufficiently large amounts of Cl into the stratosphere. The unusual explosive nature of the Siberian Traps, combined with the direct release of large quantities of HCl, depleted the model O3 layer in the high northern latitudes by 33-55%, given a main eruptive phase of less than or equal to 200kyr. Nevertheless, O3 depletion was most extensive when HCl release from the Siberian Traps was combined with massive CH3Cl release synthesized from a large reservoir of dispersed organic matter in Siberian rocks. This suite of model experiments produced column O3 depletion of 70-85% and 55-80% in the high northern and southern latitudes, respectively, given eruption durations of 100-200kyr. On longer eruption time scales of 400-600kyr, corresponding O3 depletion was 30-40% and 20-30%, respectively. Calculated year-round increases in total near-surface biologically effective (BE) UV-B radiation following these reductions in O3 layer range from 30-60 (kJm(-2)d(-1))BE up to 50-100 (kJm(-2)d(-1))BE. These ranges of daily UV-B doses appear sufficient to exert mutagenic effects on plants, especially if sustained over tens of thousands of years, unlike either rising temperatures or SO2 concentrations.

  10. 75 FR 32987 - Orders Limiting Scheduled Operations at John F. Kennedy International Airport and Newark Liberty...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-06-10

    ... points in Europe canceled due to volcanic ash from April 27 through October 30, 2010. This policy is...- 7143; e-mail: [email protected] . SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Background On April 14, 2010, an eruption of the Eyjafjallaj[ouml]kull volcano in Iceland began releasing large quantities of volcanic ash into...

  11. Are MUPs a Toxic Waste Disposal System?

    PubMed

    Kwak, Jae; Strasser, Eva; Luzynski, Ken; Thoß, Michaela; Penn, Dustin J

    2016-01-01

    Male house mice produce large quantities of major urinary proteins (MUPs), which function to bind and transport volatile pheromones, though they may also function as scavengers that bind and excrete toxic compounds ('toxic waste hypothesis'). In this study, we demonstrate the presence of an industrial chemical, 2,4-di-tert-butylphenol (DTBP), in the urine of wild-derived house mice (Mus musculus musculus). Addition of guanidine hydrochloride to male and female urine resulted in an increased release of DTBP. This increase was only observed in the high molecular weight fractions (HMWF; > 3 kDa) separated from male or female urine, suggesting that the increased release of DTBP was likely due to the denaturation of MUPs and the subsequent release of MUP-bound DTBP. Furthermore, when DTBP was added to a HMWF isolated from male urine, an increase in 2-sec-butyl-4,5-dihydrothiazole (SBT), the major ligand of MUPs and a male-specific pheromone, was observed, indicating that DTBP was bound to MUPs and displaced SBT. These results suggest that DTBP is a MUP ligand. Moreover, we found evidence for competitive ligand binding between DTBP and SBT, suggesting that males potentially face a tradeoff between eliminating toxic wastes versus transporting pheromones. Our findings support the hypothesis that MUPs bind and eliminate toxic wastes, which may provide the most important fitness benefits of excreting large quantities of these proteins.

  12. Emergency planning and preparedness for the deliberate release of toxic industrial chemicals.

    PubMed

    Russell, David; Simpson, John

    2010-03-01

    Society in developed and developing countries is hugely dependent upon chemicals for health, wealth, and economic prosperity, with the chemical industry contributing significantly to the global economy. Many chemicals are synthesized, stored, and transported in vast quantities and classified as high production volume chemicals; some are recognized as being toxic industrial chemicals (TICs). Chemical accidents involving chemical installations and transportation are well recognized. Such chemical accidents occur with relative frequency and may result in large numbers of casualties with acute and chronic health effects as well as fatalities. The large-scale production of TICs, the potential for widespread exposure and significant public health impact, together with their relative ease of acquisition, makes deliberate release an area of potential concern. The large numbers of chemicals, together with the large number of potential release scenarios means that the number of possible forms of chemical incident are almost infinite. Therefore, prior to undertaking emergency planning and preparedness, it is necessary to prioritize risk and subsequently mitigate. This is a multi-faceted process, including implementation of industrial protection layers, substitution of hazardous chemicals, and relocation away from communities. Residual risk provides the basis for subsequent planning. Risk-prioritized emergency planning is a tool for identifying gaps, enhancing communication and collaboration, and for policy development. It also serves to enhance preparedness, a necessary prelude to preventing or mitigating the public health risk to deliberate release. Planning is an iterative and on-going process that requires multi-disciplinary agency input, culminating in the formation of a chemical incident plan complimentary to major incident planning. Preparedness is closely related and reflects a state of readiness. It is comprised of several components, including training and exercising. Toxicologists have a role to play in developing syndromic surveillance, recognizing clinical presentation of chemical incidents, developing toxicological datasheets, and the requisition and stockpiling of medical countermeasures. The chemical industry is global and many chemicals are synthesized and transported in vast quantities. Many of these chemicals are toxic and readily available, necessitating the need for identifying and assessing hazard and risks and subsequently planning and preparing for the deliberate release of TICs.

  13. An overview of the Gold King Mine Release and its Transport ...

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    On August 5, 2015, a large acidic mine pool trapped behind a collapsed mine structure and rock debris in the Gold King Mine (GKM) was accidently breached releasing approximately 11.3 million liters (3 million gallons) of low pH (~3) metal contaminated mine drainage into a small tributary in the headwaters of the Animas River in southwestern Colorado. The release introduced approximately 490,000 kg of dissolved and particulate metals over a 12-hour period into the Animas River at Silverton, CO, located 13 km downstream from the mine. The mine effluent contained 2,900 kg of dissolved metals. Most of the released metals were eroded from the old waste pile outside the mine entrance and within Cement Creek by the rushing water. The release introduced large quantities of particulate aluminum, iron, manganese, lead, copper, arsenic and zinc to the Animas River, of which 15,000 kg was in dissolved form To be presented at the New Mexico Water Institute Symposium, 2nd Annual Conference on Environmental Conditionsof the Animas and San Juan Watersheds with Emphasis on Gold King Mine and Other Mine Waste Issues.

  14. Gas release and conductivity modification studies

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Linson, L. M.; Baxter, D. C.

    1979-01-01

    The behavior of gas clouds produced by releases from orbital velocity in either a point release or venting mode is described by the modification of snowplow equations valid in an intermediate altitude regime. Quantitative estimates are produced for the time dependence of the radius of the cloud, the average internal energy, the translational velocity, and the distance traveled. The dependence of these quantities on the assumed density profile, the internal energy of the gas, and the ratio of specific heats is examined. The new feature is the inclusion of the effect of the large orbital velocity. The resulting gas cloud models are used to calculate the characteristics of the field line integrated Pedersen conductivity enhancements that would be produced by the release of barium thermite at orbital velocity in either the point release or venting modes as a function of release altitude and chemical payload weight.

  15. Tough Composite Hydrogels with High Loading and Local Release of Biological Drugs.

    PubMed

    Li, Jianyu; Weber, Eckhard; Guth-Gundel, Sabine; Schuleit, Michael; Kuttler, Andreas; Halleux, Christine; Accart, Nathalie; Doelemeyer, Arno; Basler, Anne; Tigani, Bruno; Wuersch, Kuno; Fornaro, Mara; Kneissel, Michaela; Stafford, Alexander; Freedman, Benjamin R; Mooney, David J

    2018-05-01

    Hydrogels are under active development for controlled drug delivery, but their clinical translation is limited by low drug loading capacity, deficiencies in mechanical toughness and storage stability, and poor control over the drug release that often results in burst release and short release duration. This work reports a design of composite clay hydrogels, which simultaneously achieve a spectrum of mechanical, storage, and drug loading/releasing properties to address the critical needs from translational perspectives. The clay nanoparticles provide large surface areas to adsorb biological drugs, and assemble into microparticles that are physically trapped within and toughen hydrogel networks. The composite hydrogels demonstrate feasibility of storage, and extended release of large quantities of an insulin-like growth factor-1 mimetic protein (8 mg mL -1 ) over four weeks. The release rate is primarily governed by ionic exchange and can be upregulated by low pH, which is typical for injured tissues. A rodent model of Achilles tendon injury is used to demonstrate that the composite hydrogels allow for highly extended and localized release of biological drugs in vivo, while demonstrating biodegradation and biocompatibility. These attributes make the composite hydrogel a promising system for drug delivery and regenerative medicine. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  16. Improving the drug release of Naproxen Sodium tablets by preparing granules and tablets with a preferred mixing ratio of hydrates.

    PubMed

    Bär, David; Debus, Heiko; Grune, Christian; Tosch, Stephan; Fischer, Wolfgang; Mäder, Karsten; Imming, Peter

    2017-12-01

    Naproxen is a typical and well-known analgesic classified as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) and is commercialized as tablets or liquid-filled capsules. Naproxen is typically used asa sodium salt because of its better processability compared to Naproxen free acid. This entails hygroscopicity and gives rise to the existence of four different hydrates, which show polymorphic and pseudopolymorphic properties. Solid dosage forms containing Naproxen Sodium often have to be processed in an applicable dosage form by granulation and tablet compression. During granulation, Naproxen Sodium will be in contact with water and is exposed to the drop and rise in temperature and to mechanical stress. The result could be a mixture of different hydrates of Naproxen Sodium. This study showed that a modified designed fluid bed granulation was not affected by differences in the mixing ratio of hydrates when using different water contents after spraying and at the end with the finished granules. Here, X-ray diffraction combined with Rietveld refinement was used to analyze the ratio of the hydrates and its identity. All granulation batches showed a large amount of Naproxen Sodium Monohydrate (>87%) and no differences could be observed during tablet compression. Quantities of other hydrates were negligibly small. Furthermore, this study also demonstrated the influence of tablet compression by transforming the hydrates of the granules. In addition to Naproxen Sodium Monohydrate, a large quantity of amorphous structures has also been found. Rietveld evaluation combined with the preliminary studies of the raw hydrates provided conclusions on the drug release of the tablets containing hydrates of Naproxen Sodium which were influenced by tablet compression. Fast drug release was obtained when a maximum water content of about 21% was used after spraying during granulation, independently of the final water content of the finished granules. A maximum water content of less than 21% after spraying yielded a high quantity of amorphous components after tablet compression and thus worsened the drug release. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  17. 40 CFR 68.39 - Documentation.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ..., and the rationale for selection; assumptions shall include use of any administrative controls and any... include the anticipated effect of the controls and mitigation on the release quantity and rate. (b) For... administrative controls and any mitigation that were assumed to limit the quantity that could be released...

  18. 40 CFR 68.39 - Documentation.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ..., and the rationale for selection; assumptions shall include use of any administrative controls and any... include the anticipated effect of the controls and mitigation on the release quantity and rate. (b) For... administrative controls and any mitigation that were assumed to limit the quantity that could be released...

  19. 40 CFR 68.39 - Documentation.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ..., and the rationale for selection; assumptions shall include use of any administrative controls and any... include the anticipated effect of the controls and mitigation on the release quantity and rate. (b) For... administrative controls and any mitigation that were assumed to limit the quantity that could be released...

  20. 40 CFR 68.39 - Documentation.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ..., and the rationale for selection; assumptions shall include use of any administrative controls and any... include the anticipated effect of the controls and mitigation on the release quantity and rate. (b) For... administrative controls and any mitigation that were assumed to limit the quantity that could be released...

  1. 40 CFR 68.39 - Documentation.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ..., and the rationale for selection; assumptions shall include use of any administrative controls and any... include the anticipated effect of the controls and mitigation on the release quantity and rate. (b) For... administrative controls and any mitigation that were assumed to limit the quantity that could be released...

  2. 76 FR 9665 - Designation, Reportable Quantities, and Notification; Notification Requirements

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-02-22

    ... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY 40 CFR Part 302 [EPA-HQ-SFUND-2010-1068; FRL-9268-8] Designation, Reportable Quantities, and Notification; Notification Requirements AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency... knowledge of any release (other than a federally permitted release or application of a pesticide) for the...

  3. Evaluation and comparison of quantity and pattern of fluoride release from orthodontic adhesives: an in vitro study.

    PubMed

    Regalla, Ravindra Reddy; Jadav, Chandulal; Babu, Devatha Ashok; Sriram, Roopa Rani S; Sriram, Sanjay Krishna; Kattimani, Vivekanand S

    2014-01-01

    Orthodontic treatment has gained popularity since beginning of era of dentistry. Now a day, everyone is conscious about their appearance, smile and function. During orthodontic treatment use of brackets and adhesives are common. The bonding of brackets will cause demineralization which requires the fluoridation. So the study has been under- taken to analyze the pattern of fluoride release by commercially available adhesive bonding material for the prevention of demineralization. To evaluate and compare the clinical significance of quantity and pattern of fluoride release from three commercially available adhesives. To assess the pattern of fluoride release and quantity, to reduce the decalcification of enamel around orthodontic brackets and bands during treatment and to prevent further use of topical fluoride both office and self-use agents for prevention of demineralization/for remineralization. The comparison of quantity and pattern of fluoride release study involved commercially available bonding adhesives. They are: Group I--resin reinforced glass Ionomer light cure material (OrthoLC), Group II--fluoride releasing composite resin material (Excel) and Group III--conventional composite (Relay-a-bond) evaluated on 78 freshly extracted premolar teeth divided into three groups consisting 26 specimens in each group. The prepared specimens were stored in artificial saliva at 37°C in an incubator for subsequent fluoride analysis using ORION ion selective electrode coupled with ionalyzer 901. Fluoride analysis made at 24 hours intervals for first 3 consecutive days and thereafter at the end of 10th, 17th, 24th and 31st day of bonding. The data obtained were tabulated and interpreted by statistical analysis using 't' test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). The quantity of fluoride release in groups I and II was significant even at the end of 31st day. The one-way AVOVA showed intra and inter group significance in the quantity of fluoride release. But group III with zero fluoride release with significant decalcification on enamel which requires external use of topical fluorides. The pattern of fluoride released was 3.06 ppm for group I and 2.01 ppm for group II and was declined sharply after 24 hours; and continued to decline in subsequent weeks. Mean quantity of fluoride release by group I was 15.08 ppm were as group II was 9.02 ppm over the test period of 31 days. At the end of 31st day the group I bonding adhesive was releasing considerable amount of fluoride compared to group II whereas group III was nil. At all the periods inter and intra group mean values were highly significant. And group III acted as base line or control group as it was non-fluoride releasing material. Both the fluoride releasing adhesive bond material are useful to reduce the risk of demineralization and further prevent the usage of topical fluoride application and reduce cost and clinical visiting time for both patient and clinician.

  4. Groundwater drainage from fissures as a source for lahars

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

    Johnson, P. J.; Valentine, G. A.; Stauffer, P. H.

    One mechanism for generating lahars at volcanoes experiencing unrest is the disruption of internal aquifers. These disruptions can trigger releases of large quantities of groundwater. An example of such aquifer disruption occurred at Nevado del Huila Volcano, Colombia, during February and April 2007 when large fractures formed across the summit area of the volcano and lahars were emitted from them. Previous work interpreted that lahar volumes could not be accounted for by melted glacial snow or precipitation, and by elimination suggested that the primary water source was groundwater. Conceptual models have been developed for perched, confined aquifers that have beenmore » heated and pressurized by magma intrusions, followed by sudden pressure release and water emission during fracture formation. In this paper, we consider an alternative end member wherein water release from large fissures at volcanoes is driven by simple gravity drainage. We apply numerical modeling to quantify water discharge from the porous medium surrounding a fissure with a low-elevation free exit. If a long fracture with high vertical extent (on the order of hundreds of meters) intersects a highly connected saturated porous medium, large volumes (on order 10 3 m 3/m of crack length) of water may be released within tens of minutes. The drainage rates from the model may be adequate to account for the Nevado del Huila events if the medium surrounding the crack contains a large volume of water and has high horizontal permeability. Finally, this simple but poorly understood mechanism can present a hazard on its own or compound other processes releasing water from volcanoes.« less

  5. Groundwater drainage from fissures as a source for lahars

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Johnson, P. J.; Valentine, G. A.; Stauffer, P. H.; Lowry, C. S.; Sonder, I.; Pulgarín, B. A.; Santacoloma, C. C.; Agudelo, A.

    2018-04-01

    One mechanism for generating lahars at volcanoes experiencing unrest is the disruption of internal aquifers. These disruptions can trigger releases of large quantities of groundwater. An example of such aquifer disruption occurred at Nevado del Huila Volcano, Colombia, during February and April 2007 when large fractures formed across the summit area of the volcano and lahars were emitted from them. Previous work interpreted that lahar volumes could not be accounted for by melted glacial snow or precipitation, and by elimination suggested that the primary water source was groundwater. Conceptual models have been developed for perched, confined aquifers that have been heated and pressurized by magma intrusions, followed by sudden pressure release and water emission during fracture formation. We consider an alternative end member wherein water release from large fissures at volcanoes is driven by simple gravity drainage. We apply numerical modeling to quantify water discharge from the porous medium surrounding a fissure with a low-elevation free exit. If a long fracture with high vertical extent (on the order of hundreds of meters) intersects a highly connected saturated porous medium, large volumes (on order 103 m3/m of crack length) of water may be released within tens of minutes. The drainage rates from the model may be adequate to account for the Nevado del Huila events if the medium surrounding the crack contains a large volume of water and has high horizontal permeability. This simple but poorly understood mechanism can present a hazard on its own or compound other processes releasing water from volcanoes.

  6. Groundwater drainage from fissures as a source for lahars

    DOE PAGES

    Johnson, P. J.; Valentine, G. A.; Stauffer, P. H.; ...

    2018-03-22

    One mechanism for generating lahars at volcanoes experiencing unrest is the disruption of internal aquifers. These disruptions can trigger releases of large quantities of groundwater. An example of such aquifer disruption occurred at Nevado del Huila Volcano, Colombia, during February and April 2007 when large fractures formed across the summit area of the volcano and lahars were emitted from them. Previous work interpreted that lahar volumes could not be accounted for by melted glacial snow or precipitation, and by elimination suggested that the primary water source was groundwater. Conceptual models have been developed for perched, confined aquifers that have beenmore » heated and pressurized by magma intrusions, followed by sudden pressure release and water emission during fracture formation. In this paper, we consider an alternative end member wherein water release from large fissures at volcanoes is driven by simple gravity drainage. We apply numerical modeling to quantify water discharge from the porous medium surrounding a fissure with a low-elevation free exit. If a long fracture with high vertical extent (on the order of hundreds of meters) intersects a highly connected saturated porous medium, large volumes (on order 10 3 m 3/m of crack length) of water may be released within tens of minutes. The drainage rates from the model may be adequate to account for the Nevado del Huila events if the medium surrounding the crack contains a large volume of water and has high horizontal permeability. Finally, this simple but poorly understood mechanism can present a hazard on its own or compound other processes releasing water from volcanoes.« less

  7. The Impact of Pollution Prevention on Toxic Environmental Releases from U.S. Manufacturing Facilities.

    PubMed

    Ranson, Matthew; Cox, Brendan; Keenan, Cheryl; Teitelbaum, Daniel

    2015-11-03

    Between 1991 and 2012, the facilities that reported to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) Program conducted 370,000 source reduction projects. We use this data set to conduct the first quasi-experimental retrospective evaluation of how implementing a source reduction (pollution prevention) project affects the quantity of toxic chemicals released to the environment by an average industrial facility. We use a differences-in-differences methodology, which measures how implementing a source reduction project affects a facility's releases of targeted chemicals, relative to releases of (a) other untargeted chemicals from the same facility, or (b) the same chemical from other facilities in the same industry. We find that the average source reduction project causes a 9-16% decrease in releases of targeted chemicals in the year of implementation. Source reduction techniques vary in effectiveness: for example, raw material modification causes a large decrease in releases, while inventory control has no detectable effect. Our analysis suggests that in aggregate, the source reduction projects carried out in the U.S. since 1991 have prevented between 5 and 14 billion pounds of toxic releases.

  8. Atmospheric Hg emissions from preindustrial gold and silver extraction in the Americas: a reevaluation from lake-sediment archives.

    PubMed

    Engstrom, Daniel R; Fitzgerald, William F; Cooke, Colin A; Lamborg, Carl H; Drevnick, Paul E; Swain, Edward B; Balogh, Steven J; Balcom, Prentiss H

    2014-06-17

    Human activities over the last several centuries have transferred vast quantities of mercury (Hg) from deep geologic stores to actively cycling earth-surface reservoirs, increasing atmospheric Hg deposition worldwide. Understanding the magnitude and fate of these releases is critical to predicting how rates of atmospheric Hg deposition will respond to future emission reductions. The most recently compiled global inventories of integrated (all-time) anthropogenic Hg releases are dominated by atmospheric emissions from preindustrial gold/silver mining in the Americas. However, the geophysical evidence for such large early emissions is equivocal, because most reconstructions of past Hg-deposition have been based on lake-sediment records that cover only the industrial period (1850-present). Here we evaluate historical changes in atmospheric Hg deposition over the last millennium from a suite of lake-sediment cores collected from remote regions of the globe. Along with recent measurements of Hg in the deep ocean, these archives indicate that atmospheric Hg emissions from early mining were modest as compared to more recent industrial-era emissions. Although large quantities of Hg were used to extract New World gold and silver beginning in the 16th century, a reevaluation of historical metallurgical methods indicates that most of the Hg employed was not volatilized, but rather was immobilized in mining waste.

  9. Potassium iodide as a thyroid blocker--Three Mile Island to today.

    PubMed

    Halperin, J A

    1989-05-01

    The Three Mile Island (TMI) nuclear emergency in the U.S. in March 1979 marked the first occasion when use of potassium iodide (KI) was considered for thyroid blocking of the population in the vicinity of a potentially serious release of fission products from a nuclear power reactor. In face of a demand that could not be satisfied by commercial supplies of low-dose KI drug products from the U.S. pharmaceutical industry, the Food and Drug Administration directed the manufacture and stockpiling of sufficient quantities of saturated solution of potassium iodide (SSKI) to provide protection for one million people in the event of a large-scale release of radioiodines. Although the drug was not used, the experience of producing, stockpiling, and making ready for use a large quantity of the drug resulted in significant public policy, regulatory, and logistical issues. A number of these issues have been resolved through scientific debate and consensus, development of official guidance regarding the proper role of KI in nuclear emergencies, and the approval of New Drug Applications for KI products specifically intended for thyroid blocking in nuclear emergencies. Other issues regarding broad-scale implementation of the guidelines remain today. This paper traces the history of the development and implementation of the use of KI from pre-TMI to the present.

  10. Climate change and the permafrost carbon feedback

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Schuur, E.A.G.; McGuire, A. David; Schädel, C.; Grosse, G.; Harden, J.W.; Hayes, D.J.; Hugelius, G.; Koven, C.D.; Kuhry, P.; Lawrence, D.M.; Natali, Susan M.; Olefeldt, David; Romanovsky, V.E.; Schaefer, K.; Turetsky, M.R.; Treat, C.C.; Vonk, J.E.

    2015-01-01

    Large quantities of organic carbon are stored in frozen soils (permafrost) within Arctic and sub-Arctic regions. A warming climate can induce environmental changes that accelerate the microbial breakdown of organic carbon and the release of the greenhouse gases carbon dioxide and methane. This feedback can accelerate climate change, but the magnitude and timing of greenhouse gas emission from these regions and their impact on climate change remain uncertain. Here we find that current evidence suggests a gradual and prolonged release of greenhouse gas emissions in a warming climate and present a research strategy with which to target poorly understood aspects of permafrost carbon dynamics.

  11. Climate change and the permafrost carbon feedback.

    PubMed

    Schuur, E A G; McGuire, A D; Schädel, C; Grosse, G; Harden, J W; Hayes, D J; Hugelius, G; Koven, C D; Kuhry, P; Lawrence, D M; Natali, S M; Olefeldt, D; Romanovsky, V E; Schaefer, K; Turetsky, M R; Treat, C C; Vonk, J E

    2015-04-09

    Large quantities of organic carbon are stored in frozen soils (permafrost) within Arctic and sub-Arctic regions. A warming climate can induce environmental changes that accelerate the microbial breakdown of organic carbon and the release of the greenhouse gases carbon dioxide and methane. This feedback can accelerate climate change, but the magnitude and timing of greenhouse gas emission from these regions and their impact on climate change remain uncertain. Here we find that current evidence suggests a gradual and prolonged release of greenhouse gas emissions in a warming climate and present a research strategy with which to target poorly understood aspects of permafrost carbon dynamics.

  12. A high-yield procedure for isolation of metaphase chromosomes from root tips of Vicia faba L.

    PubMed

    Doležel, J; Cíhalíková, J; Lucretti, S

    1992-08-01

    A new method is described for the isolation of large quantities of Vicia faba metaphase chromosomes. Roots were treated with 2.5 mM hydroxyurea for 18 h to accumulate meristem tip cells at the G1/S interface. After release from the block, the cells re-entered the cell cycle with a high degree of synchrony. A treatment with 2.5 μM amiprophos-methyl (APM) was used to accumulate mitotic cells in metaphase. The highest metaphase index (53.9%) was achieved when, 6 h after the release from the hydroxyurea block, the roots were exposed to APM for 4 h. The chromosomes were released from formaldehyde-fixed root tips by chopping with a scalpel in LB01 lysis buffer. Both the quality and the quantity of isolated chromosomes, examined microscopically and by flow cytometry, depended on the extent of the fixation. The best results were achieved after fixation with 6% formaldehyde for 30 min. Under these conditions, 1 · 10(6) chromosomes were routinely obtained from 30 root tips. The chromosomes were morphologically intact and suitable both for high-resolution chromosome studies and for flow-cytometric analysis and sorting. After the addition of hexylene glycol, the chromosome suspensions could be stored at 4° C for six months without any signs of deterioration.

  13. Quantification and Evidence for Mechanically Metered Release of Pygidial Secretions in Formic Acid-Producing Carabid Beetles

    PubMed Central

    Will, Kipling W.; Gill, Aman S.; Lee, Hyeunjoo; Attygalle, Athula B.

    2010-01-01

    This study is the first to measure the quantity of pygidial gland secretions released defensively by carabid beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) and to accurately measure the relative quantity of formic acid contained in their pygidial gland reservoirs and spray emissions. Individuals of three typical formic acid producing species were induced to repeatedly spray, ultimately exhausting their chemical compound reserves. Beetles were subjected to faux attacks using forceps and weighed before and after each ejection of chemicals. Platynus brunneomarginatus (Mannerheim) (Platynini), P. ovipennis (Mannerheim) (Platynini) and Calathus ruficollis Dejean (Sphodrini), sprayed average quantities with standard error of 0.313 ± 0.172 mg, 0.337 ± 0.230 mg, and 0.197 ± 0.117 mg per spray event, respectively. The quantity an individual beetle released when induced to spray tended to decrease with each subsequent spray event. The quantity emitted in a single spray was correlated to the quantity held in the reservoirs at the time of spraying for beetles whose reserves are greater than the average amount emitted in a spray event. For beetles with a quantity less than the average amount sprayed in reserve there was no significant correlation. For beetles comparable in terms of size, physiological condition and gland reservoir fullness, the shape of the gland reservoirs and musculature determined that a similar effort at each spray event would mechanically meter out the release so that a greater amount was emitted when more was available in the reservoir. The average percentage of formic acid was established for these species as 34.2%, 73.5% and 34.1% for for P. brunneomarginatus, P. ovipennis and C. ruficollis, respectively. The average quantities of formic acid released by individuals of these species was less than two-thirds the amount shown to be lethal to ants in previously published experiments. However, the total quantity from multiple spray events from a single individual could aggregate to quantities at or above the lethal level, and lesser quantities are known to act as ant alarm pheromones. Using a model, one directed spray of the formic acid and hydrocarbon mix could spread to an area of 5–8 cm diameter and persisted for 9–22 seconds at a threshold level known to induce alarm behaviors in ants. These results show that carabid defensive secretions may act as a potent and relatively prolonged defense against ants or similar predators even at a sub-lethal dose. PMID:20575743

  14. Reporting medical information: effects of press releases and newsworthiness on medical journal articles' visibility in the news media.

    PubMed

    Stryker, Jo Ellen

    2002-11-01

    Characteristics defining newsworthiness of journal articles appearing in JAMA and NEJM were examined to determine if they affect visibility in the news media. It was also hypothesized that press releases affected the amount of news coverage of a journal article due to the fact that the most newsworthy journal articles are selected for press releases. Journal articles (N = 95) were coded for characteristics believed to describe the "newsworthiness" of journal articles. Quantity of news coverage of the journal articles was estimated using the LEXIS-NEXIS database. Bivariate associations were examined using one-way analysis of variance, and multivariate analyses utilized OLS regression. Characteristics of the newsworthiness of medical journal articles predicted their visibility in newspapers. The issuing of press releases also predicted newspaper coverage. However, press releases predicted newspaper coverage largely because more newsworthy journal articles had accompanying press releases rather than because the press release itself was influential. Journalists report on medical information that is topical, stratifies risk based on demographic and lifestyle variables, and has lifestyle rather than medical implications. Medical journals issue press releases for articles that possess the characteristics journalists are looking for, thereby further highlighting their importance.

  15. Secretory vesicles of immune cells contain only a limited number of interleukin 6 molecules.

    PubMed

    Verboogen, Daniëlle R J; Ter Beest, Martin; Honigmann, Alf; van den Bogaart, Geert

    2018-05-01

    Immune cells communicate by releasing large quantities of cytokines. Although the mechanisms of cytokine secretion are increasingly understood, quantitative knowledge of the number of cytokines per vesicle is still lacking. Here, we measured with quantitative microscopy the release rate of vesicles potentially carrying interleukin-6 (IL-6) in human dendritic cells. By comparing this to the total secreted IL-6, we estimate that secretory vesicles contain about 0.5-3 IL-6 molecules, but with a large spread among cells/donors. Moreover, IL-6 did not accumulate within most cells, indicating that synthesis and not trafficking is the bottleneck for IL-6 production. IL-6 accumulated in the Golgi apparatus only in ~ 10% of the cells. Understanding how immune cells produce cytokines is important for designing new immunomodulatory drugs. © 2018 The Authors. FEBS Letters published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Federation of European Biochemical Societies.

  16. A method for release and multiple strand amplification of small quantities of DNA from endospores of the fastidious bacterium Pasteuria penetrans.

    PubMed

    Mauchline, T H; Mohan, S; Davies, K G; Schaff, J E; Opperman, C H; Kerry, B R; Hirsch, P R

    2010-05-01

    To establish a reliable protocol to extract DNA from Pasteuria penetrans endospores for use as template in multiple strand amplification, thus providing sufficient material for genetic analyses. To develop a highly sensitive PCR-based diagnostic tool for P. penetrans. An optimized method to decontaminate endospores, release and purify DNA enabled multiple strand amplification. DNA purity was assessed by cloning and sequencing gyrB and 16S rRNA gene fragments obtained from PCR using generic primers. Samples indicated to be 100%P. penetrans by the gyrB assay were estimated at 46% using the 16S rRNA gene. No bias was detected on cloning and sequencing 12 housekeeping and sporulation gene fragments from amplified DNA. The detection limit by PCR with Pasteuria-specific 16S rRNA gene primers following multiple strand amplification of DNA extracted using the method was a single endospore. Generation of large quantities DNA will facilitate genomic sequencing of P. penetrans. Apparent differences in sample purity are explained by variations in 16S rRNA gene copy number in Eubacteria leading to exaggerated estimations of sample contamination. Detection of single endospores will facilitate investigations of P. penetrans molecular ecology. These methods will advance studies on P. penetrans and facilitate research on other obligate and fastidious micro-organisms where it is currently impractical to obtain DNA in sufficient quantity and quality.

  17. Release of nitric oxide during the T cell-independent pathway of macrophage activation

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

    Beckerman, K.P.; Rogers, H.W.; Corbett, J.A.

    1993-02-01

    Immunodeficient mice are remarkably resistant to Listeria monocytogenes (LM) infection. The authors examined the role that nitric oxide (NO) plays in the CB-17/lcr SCID (SCID) response to LM. SCID spleen cells produced large quantities of NO (as measured by nitrite formation) when incubated in the presence of heat-killed LM. NO produced large quantities of nitrite in response to LM, but only in the presence of IFN-[gamma]. The production of NO induced by LM was not affected by neutralizing antibodies to TNF or IL-1. The production of NO was inhibited by addition of either of two inhibitors of NO synthase, N[supmore » G]-monomethyl arginine, or aminoguanidine. In a different situation, NK cells that were stimulated by TNF and Listeria products to release IFN-[gamma] did not produce NO. Macrophages cultured with IFN-[gamma] killed live LM. This increased killing of LM was significantly inhibited by amino-guanidine. In vivo, administration of aminoguanidine resulted in a marked increase in the mortality and spleen bacterial loads of LM-infected SCID or immunocompetent control mice. It is concluded that NO is a critical effector molecule of T cell-independent natural resistence of LM as studied in the SCID mouse, and that the NO-mediated response is essential for both SCID and immunocompetent host to survive after LM infection. 37 refs., 7 figs.« less

  18. 40 CFR 723.50 - Chemical substances manufactured in quantities of 10,000 kilograms or less per year, and chemical...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... quantities of 10,000 kilograms or less per year, and chemical substances with low environmental releases and... Chemical substances manufactured in quantities of 10,000 kilograms or less per year, and chemical... in quantities of 10,000 kilograms or less per year. (ii) Chemical substances with low environmental...

  19. Biochemical, hydrological and mechanical behaviors of high food waste content MSW landfill: Liquid-gas interactions observed from a large-scale experiment.

    PubMed

    Zhan, Liang-Tong; Xu, Hui; Chen, Yun-Min; Lan, Ji-Wu; Lin, Wei-An; Xu, Xiao-Bing; He, Pin-Jing

    2017-10-01

    The high food waste content (HFWC) MSW at a landfill has the characteristics of rapid hydrolysis process, large leachate production rate and fast gas generation. The liquid-gas interactions at HFWC-MSW landfills are prominent and complex, and still remain significant challenges. This paper focuses on the liquid-gas interactions of HFWC-MSW observed from a large-scale bioreactor landfill experiment (5m×5m×7.5m). Based on the connected and quantitative analyses on the experimental observations, the following findings were obtained: (1) The high leachate level observed at Chinese landfills was attributed to the combined contribution from the great quantity of self-released leachate, waste compression and gas entrapped underwater. The contribution from gas entrapped underwater was estimated to be 21-28% of the total leachate level. (2) The gas entrapped underwater resulted in a reduction of hydraulic conductivity, decreasing by one order with an increase in gas content from 13% to 21%. (3) The "breakthrough value" in the gas accumulation zone was up to 11kPa greater than the pore liquid pressure. The increase of the breakthrough value was associated with the decrease of void porosity induced by surcharge loading. (4) The self-released leachate from HFWC-MSW was estimated to contribute to over 30% of the leachate production at landfills in Southern China. The drainage of leachate with a high organic loading in the rapid hydrolysis stage would lead to a loss of landfill gas (LFG) potential of 13%. Based on the above findings, an improved method considering the quantity of self-released leachate was proposed for the prediction of leachate production at HFWC-MSW landfills. In addition, a three-dimensional drainage system was proposed to drawdown the high leachate level and hence to improve the slope stability of a landfill, reduce the hydraulic head on a bottom liner and increase the collection efficiency for LFG. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  20. [Effect of the interaction of microorganisms and iron oxides on arsenic releasing into groundwater in Chinese Loess].

    PubMed

    Xie, Yun-Yun; Chen, Tian-Hu; Zhou, Yue-Fei; Xie, Qiao-Qin

    2013-10-01

    A large part of groundwater in the Chinese Loess Plateau area is characterized by high arsenic concentration. Anaerobic bacteria have been considered to play key roles in promoting arsenic releasing from loess to groundwater. However, this hypothesis remains unconfirmed. Based on modeling experiments, this study investigated the speciation of arsenic in loess, and then determined the release rates and quantities of arsenic with the mediation of anaerobic bacteria. The results showed that arsenic contents in loess were between 23 mg.kg-1 and 30 mg.kg-1. No obvious arsenic content difference among loess samples was observed. The ratios for specific adsorbed, iron oxides co-precipitated and silicate co-precipitated arsenic were 37.76% , 36. 15% and 25. 69% , respectively. Indigenous microorganisms, dissimilatory iron reducing bacteria (DIRB) and sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB) could all promote the release of arsenic from loess. Organic matters highly affected the release rates. More than 100 mg.L-1 sodium lactate was required for all bacterial experiments to facilitate obvious arsenic release. Considering the redox condition in loess, the contribution of SRB to arsenic release in loess area was less feasible than that of DIRB and indigenous microorganisms.

  1. New Imidazole-based High Nitrogen Energetic Materials

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Windler, G. Kenneth; Leonard, Philip; Schulze, Maxwell; Hartline, Ernest

    2017-06-01

    Energetic materials derive their power from energy release, usually in the form of gaseous products. The type and quantity of these products contribute to performance and detonation parameters. In particular, high-nitrogen materials produce large quantities of elemental nitrogen, and can be tuned via molecular structure for suitability as propellants (gas generators) or explosives. In this work, the five-membered nitrogen heterocycle imidazole is used as a substrate for a variety of high-nitrogen materials. Substitution of the imidazole ring directly with nitro-, azido-, diazo-, and tetrazole moieties allows for tunable properties of the resultant energetic material. Properties can be further tailored by salt formation at the acidic proton(s) on the molecules. The various combinations of these derivatives are presented, along with the substitution effects on physical, chemical, and explosive properties.

  2. Controlling a hurricane by altering its internal climate

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mardhekar, D.

    2010-09-01

    Atmospheric hazards, like the fury of a hurricane, can be controlled by altering its internal climate. The hurricane controlling technique suggested is eco-friendly, compatible with hurricane size, has a sound scientific base and is practically possible. The key factor is a large scale dilution of the hurricane fuel, vapour, in the eye wall and spiral rain bands where condensation causing vapor volume reduction (a new concept which can be explained by Avogadro's law) and latent heat release drive the storm. This can be achieved by installing multiple storage tanks containing dry liquefied air on the onshore and offshore coastal regions and islands, preferably underground, in the usual path of a hurricane. Each storage tank is designed to hold and release dry liquefied air of around 100,000 tons. Satellite tracking of hurricanes can locate the eye wall and the spiral rain bands. The installed storage tanks coming under these areas will rapidly inject dry air in huge quantities thereby diluting the vapour content of the vapour-rich air in the eye wall and in the spiral rain bands. This will result in reduced natural input of vapour-rich air, reduced release of latent heat, reduced formation of the low pressure zone due to condensation and volume reduction of the vapor, expansion of the artificially introduced dry air as it goes up occupying a larger space with the diluted fuel, absorption of energy from the system by low temperature of the artificially introduced air. It will effect considerable condensation of the vapor near the sea surface thus further starving the hurricane of its fuel in its engine. Seeding materials, or microscopic dust as suggested by Dr. Daniel Rosenfeld in large quantities may also be introduced via the flow of the injected dry air in order to enhance the hurricane controlling ability. All the above factors are in favour of retarding the hurricane's wind speed and power. The sudden weakening of hurricane Lili was found to be partially caused by the natural input of drier air. We are artificially introducing completely dry air in large quantities (perhaps the dry air release is from 100,000 tons X 50 tanks or 100 tanks or even more tanks, whatever comes under the defined areas) and that too along with seeding materials if required. Importantly, these mega introductions are directly into the proper areas of a hurricane. Optionally, the dry air introduction may be done anywhere in the core of a hurricane. We can even tame a hurricane in a controlled manner by controlling the volumes of the release of the dry gas, the seeding materials and the locations of the release so that fresh water in the form of rains can come on land simultaneously limiting the destruction. Most importantly the dissipation of the hurricanes hitting the coastal regions can be effectively accelerated to control the destruction by introducing the dry air from the coastal region tanks. Here the land effect and simultaneous introduction of the dry air will give a synergic effect.

  3. Reportable Quantities Federal Register Notices

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act regulation designates specific substances as hazardous; identifies the quantity of substances which, when released, requires notification; and sets forth the notification requirements.

  4. Inventory of Engineered Nanoparticle-Containing Consumer Products Available in the Singapore Retail Market and Likelihood of Release into the Aquatic Environment.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Yuanyuan; Leu, Yu-Rui; Aitken, Robert J; Riediker, Michael

    2015-07-24

    Consumer products containing engineered nanoparticles (ENP) are already entering the marketplace. This leads, inter alia, to questions about the potential for release of ENP into the environment from commercial products. We have inventoried the prevalence of ENP-containing consumer products in the Singapore market by carrying out onsite assessments of products sold in all major chains of retail and cosmetic stores. We have assessed their usage patterns and estimated release factors and emission quantities to obtain a better understanding of the quantities of ENP that are released into which compartments of the aquatic environment in Singapore. Products investigated were assessed for their likelihood to contain ENP based on the declaration of ENP by producers, feature descriptions, and the information on particle size from the literature. Among the 1,432 products investigated, 138 were "confirmed" and 293 were "likely" to contain ENP. Product categories included sunscreens, cosmetics, health and fitness, automotive, food, home and garden, clothing and footwear, and eyeglass/lens coatings. Among the 27 different types of nanomaterials identified, SiO2 was predominant, followed by TiO2 and ZnO, Carbon Black, Ag, and Au. The amounts of ENP released into the aquatic system, which was estimated on the basis of typical product use, ENP concentration in the product, daily use quantity, release factor, and market share, were in the range of several hundred tons per year. As these quantities are likely to increase, it will be important to further study the fate of ENP that reach the aquatic environment in Singapore.

  5. Inventory of Engineered Nanoparticle-Containing Consumer Products Available in the Singapore Retail Market and Likelihood of Release into the Aquatic Environment

    PubMed Central

    Zhang, Yuanyuan; Leu, Yu-Rui; Aitken, Robert J.; Riediker, Michael

    2015-01-01

    Consumer products containing engineered nanoparticles (ENP) are already entering the marketplace. This leads, inter alia, to questions about the potential for release of ENP into the environment from commercial products. We have inventoried the prevalence of ENP-containing consumer products in the Singapore market by carrying out onsite assessments of products sold in all major chains of retail and cosmetic stores. We have assessed their usage patterns and estimated release factors and emission quantities to obtain a better understanding of the quantities of ENP that are released into which compartments of the aquatic environment in Singapore. Products investigated were assessed for their likelihood to contain ENP based on the declaration of ENP by producers, feature descriptions, and the information on particle size from the literature. Among the 1,432 products investigated, 138 were “confirmed” and 293 were “likely” to contain ENP. Product categories included sunscreens, cosmetics, health and fitness, automotive, food, home and garden, clothing and footwear, and eyeglass/lens coatings. Among the 27 different types of nanomaterials identified, SiO2 was predominant, followed by TiO2 and ZnO, Carbon Black, Ag, and Au. The amounts of ENP released into the aquatic system, which was estimated on the basis of typical product use, ENP concentration in the product, daily use quantity, release factor, and market share, were in the range of several hundred tons per year. As these quantities are likely to increase, it will be important to further study the fate of ENP that reach the aquatic environment in Singapore. PMID:26213957

  6. Characterization and simulation of the quantity and quality of water in the Highland Lakes, Texas, 1983-92

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Raines, Timothy H.; Rast, Walter

    1999-01-01

    Results from the simulations indicate that saline inflows to the Highland Lakes similar to those of the releases from Natural Dam Salt Lake during 1987–89 are unlikely to cause large increases in future concentrations of dissolved solids, chloride, and sulfate in the Highland Lakes. The results also indicate that high-salinity water will continue to be diluted as it is transported downstream through the Highland Lakes, even during extended dry periods.

  7. TNT equivalency study for space shuttle (EOS). Volume 1: Management summary report

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wolfe, R. R.

    1971-01-01

    The existing TNT equivalency criterion for LO2/LH2 propellant is reevaluated. It addresses the static, on-pad phase of the space shuttle launch operations and was performed to determine whether the use of a TNT equivalency criterion lower than that presently used (60%) could be substantiated. The large quantity of propellant on-board the space shuttle, 4 million pounds, was considered of prime importance to the study. A qualitative failure analysis of the space shuttle (EOS) on the launch pad was made because it was concluded that available test data on the explosive yield of LO2/LH2 propellant was insufficient to support a reduction in the present TNT equivalency value, considering the large quantity of propellant used in the space shuttle. The failure analysis had two objectives. The first was to determine whether a failure resulting in the total release of propellant could occur. The second was to determine whether, if such a failure did occur, ignition could be delayed long enough to allow the degree of propellant mixing required to produce an explosion of 60% TNT equivalency since the explosive yield of this propellant is directly related to the quantities of LH2 and LO2 mixed at the time of the explosion.

  8. Polymeric nanoparticles loaded with the 3,5,3'-triiodothyroacetic acid (Triac), a thyroid hormone: factorial design, characterization, and release kinetics.

    PubMed

    Dos Santos, Karen C; da Silva, Maria Fatima Gf; Pereira-Filho, Edenir R; Fernandes, Joao B; Polikarpov, Igor; Forim, Moacir R

    2012-01-01

    This present investigation deals with the development and optimization of polymeric nanoparticle systems loaded with 3,5,3'-triiodothyroacetic acid (Triac). A 2(11-6) fractional factorial design and another 2(2) factorial design were used to study the contrasts on particle size distribution, morphology, surface charge, drug content, entrapment efficiency, and in vitro drug release profiles. The independent variables were the concentration of Triac, type and quantity of both polymer and oil, quantity of Span™ 60 and Tween® 80, volume of solvent and water, and velocity of both magnetic stirring and the transfer of the organic phase into the aqueous solution. The results of optimized formulations showed a narrow size distribution with a polydispersity index lower than 0.200. The particle sizes were on average 159.6 nm and 285.6 nm for nanospheres and nanocapsules, respectively. The zeta potential was higher than 20 mV (in module) and the entrapment efficiency was nearly 100%. A high-performance liquid chromatography method was developed, validated, and efficiently applied to Triac quantification in colloidal suspension. The main independent variables were the type and quantity of the polymer and oil. In vitro drug release profile depicted several features to sustain Triac release. Different formulations showed various release rates indicating an interaction between Triac and other formulation compounds such as polymer and/or oil quantity. Two different models were identified (biexponential and monoexponential) that allowed the control of both the release rate and Triac concentration. Thus, the prepared nanoparticles described here may be of clinical importance in delivering Triac for thyroid treatment.

  9. Empirical estimates to reduce modeling uncertainties of soil organic carbon in permafrost regions: a review of recent progress and remaining challenges

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Mishra, U.; Jastrow, J.D.; Matamala, R.; Hugelius, G.; Koven, C.D.; Harden, Jennifer W.; Ping, S.L.; Michaelson, G.J.; Fan, Z.; Miller, R.M.; McGuire, A.D.; Tarnocai, C.; Kuhry, P.; Riley, W.J.; Schaefer, K.; Schuur, E.A.G.; Jorgenson, M.T.; Hinzman, L.D.

    2013-01-01

    The vast amount of organic carbon (OC) stored in soils of the northern circumpolar permafrost region is a potentially vulnerable component of the global carbon cycle. However, estimates of the quantity, decomposability, and combustibility of OC contained in permafrost-region soils remain highly uncertain, thereby limiting our ability to predict the release of greenhouse gases due to permafrost thawing. Substantial differences exist between empirical and modeling estimates of the quantity and distribution of permafrost-region soil OC, which contribute to large uncertainties in predictions of carbon–climate feedbacks under future warming. Here, we identify research challenges that constrain current assessments of the distribution and potential decomposability of soil OC stocks in the northern permafrost region and suggest priorities for future empirical and modeling studies to address these challenges.

  10. Development of a new esomeprazole delayed release gastro-resistant pellet formulation with improved storage stability.

    PubMed

    Barmpalexis, Panagiotis; Grypioti, Agni

    2018-06-01

    This study describes the development of a new esomeprazole (ESO) delayed release gastro-resistant formulation with improved storage stability. A three-step (drug-, sub(seal)- and enteric-) coating process was employed with the aid of a fluid bed coater. Several formulation factors (namely, size and quantity of starting non-pareil sugar spheres, binder quantity during drug-layering, sub(seal)-coating polymer type, and quantity and enteric coating quantity) were evaluated and the whole process was modeled with the aid of feed-forward back-propagation artificial neural networks (ANNs). Results showed that the selection of small-sized starting spheres (45/60 mesh size) leads to pellet agglomeration, while as sub(seal)-coating weight gain increases a reduction in ESO dissolution rate is observed. The enteric-coating applied (Eudragit L30D-55) showed good gastro-resistant performance in both 0.1 N HCl and pH 4.5 media, while immediate release profiles with more than 85% of ESO being released in less than 30 min were obtained. The effect of cellulose-based sub(seal)-coating polymers, (namely, hydroxypropyl cellulose and hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose) on formulation's storage stability at 40 ± 2 °C/75 ± 5%RH indicated that only hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose was able to stabilize ESO delayed-release formulations in terms of assay, dissolution, impurities, and gastro-resistance performance. Finally, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis revealed smooth and homogeneous external surface/coating layers in all three levels (drug-, sub(seal)-, and enteric- coating), while x-ray diffraction showed no polymorphic transformations.

  11. Does the performance of wet granulation and tablet hardness affect the drug dissolution profile of carvedilol in matrix tablets?

    PubMed

    Košir, Darjan; Ojsteršek, Tadej; Vrečer, Franc

    2018-06-14

    Wet granulation is mostly used process for manufacturing matrix tablets. Compared to the direct compression method, it allows for a better flow and compressibility properties of compression mixtures. Granulation, including process parameters and tableting, can influence critical quality attributes (CQAs) of hydrophilic matrix tablets. One of the most important CQAs is the drug release profile. We studied the influence of granulation process parameters (type of nozzle and water quantity used as granulation liquid) and tablet hardness on the drug release profile. Matrix tablets contained HPMC K4M hydrophilic matrix former and carvedilol as a model drug. The influence of selected HPMC characteristics on the drug release profile was also evaluated using two additional HPMC batches. For statistical evaluation, partial least square (PLS) models were generated for each time point of the drug release profile using the same number of latent factors. In this way, it was possible to evaluate how the importance of factors influencing drug dissolution changes in dependence on time throughout the drug release profile. The results of statistical evaluation show that the granulation process parameters (granulation liquid quantity and type of nozzle) and tablet hardness significantly influence the release profile. On the other hand, the influence of HPMC characteristics is negligible in comparison to the other factors studied. Using a higher granulation liquid quantity and the standard nozzle type results in larger granules with a higher density and lower porosity, which leads to a slower drug release profile. Lower tablet hardness also slows down the release profile.

  12. 7 CFR 760.810 - Qualifying 2005, 2006, or 2007 quantity crop losses.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... containment or release of the water; or (9) If losses could be attributed to conditions occurring outside of... 7 Agriculture 7 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Qualifying 2005, 2006, or 2007 quantity crop losses... Disaster Program § 760.810 Qualifying 2005, 2006, or 2007 quantity crop losses. (a) To receive benefits...

  13. Regeneration and tritium recovery from the large JET neutral injection cryopump system after the FTE

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

    Obert, W.; Bell, A.; Davies, J.

    1992-12-01

    Neutral Beam Injection (NBI) was used to introduce tritium into the plasma for the First Tritium Experiment In addition to the decisive advantage of depositing the tritium into the centre of the plasma, the use of NBI also minimized the total quantity of tritium introduced into the Torus and the contamination of the vacuum vessel. However, because of the relatively low gas efficiency of the positive ion injection system approximately 95% of the total quantity of tritium introduced was pumped by the large condensation cryopumps which form an integral part of the injector. Several hardware and associated software changes weremore » implemented in order to making provision for possible fault scenarios during operation with tritium and to ensure complete regeneration of the tritium from the cryopumps. The tritium released after all subsequent regeneration`s has been monitored carefully in order to determine the amount of tritium retained by the black anodized liquid nitrogen panel surfaces of the cryopump and to compare it with experiments at TSTA on JET samples before the FTE.« less

  14. Regeneration and tritium recovery from the large JET neutral injection cryopump system after the FTE. [First Tritium Experiment (FTE)

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

    Obert, W.; Bell, A.; Davies, J.

    1992-01-01

    Neutral Beam Injection (NBI) was used to introduce tritium into the plasma for the First Tritium Experiment In addition to the decisive advantage of depositing the tritium into the centre of the plasma, the use of NBI also minimized the total quantity of tritium introduced into the Torus and the contamination of the vacuum vessel. However, because of the relatively low gas efficiency of the positive ion injection system approximately 95% of the total quantity of tritium introduced was pumped by the large condensation cryopumps which form an integral part of the injector. Several hardware and associated software changes weremore » implemented in order to making provision for possible fault scenarios during operation with tritium and to ensure complete regeneration of the tritium from the cryopumps. The tritium released after all subsequent regeneration's has been monitored carefully in order to determine the amount of tritium retained by the black anodized liquid nitrogen panel surfaces of the cryopump and to compare it with experiments at TSTA on JET samples before the FTE.« less

  15. Modeling Volcanic Eruption Parameters by Near-Source Internal Gravity Waves.

    PubMed

    Ripepe, M; Barfucci, G; De Angelis, S; Delle Donne, D; Lacanna, G; Marchetti, E

    2016-11-10

    Volcanic explosions release large amounts of hot gas and ash into the atmosphere to form plumes rising several kilometers above eruptive vents, which can pose serious risk on human health and aviation also at several thousands of kilometers from the volcanic source. However the most sophisticate atmospheric models and eruptive plume dynamics require input parameters such as duration of the ejection phase and total mass erupted to constrain the quantity of ash dispersed in the atmosphere and to efficiently evaluate the related hazard. The sudden ejection of this large quantity of ash can perturb the equilibrium of the whole atmosphere triggering oscillations well below the frequencies of acoustic waves, down to much longer periods typical of gravity waves. We show that atmospheric gravity oscillations induced by volcanic eruptions and recorded by pressure sensors can be modeled as a compact source representing the rate of erupted volcanic mass. We demonstrate the feasibility of using gravity waves to derive eruption source parameters such as duration of the injection and total erupted mass with direct application in constraining plume and ash dispersal models.

  16. Modeling Volcanic Eruption Parameters by Near-Source Internal Gravity Waves

    PubMed Central

    Ripepe, M.; Barfucci, G.; De Angelis, S.; Delle Donne, D.; Lacanna, G.; Marchetti, E.

    2016-01-01

    Volcanic explosions release large amounts of hot gas and ash into the atmosphere to form plumes rising several kilometers above eruptive vents, which can pose serious risk on human health and aviation also at several thousands of kilometers from the volcanic source. However the most sophisticate atmospheric models and eruptive plume dynamics require input parameters such as duration of the ejection phase and total mass erupted to constrain the quantity of ash dispersed in the atmosphere and to efficiently evaluate the related hazard. The sudden ejection of this large quantity of ash can perturb the equilibrium of the whole atmosphere triggering oscillations well below the frequencies of acoustic waves, down to much longer periods typical of gravity waves. We show that atmospheric gravity oscillations induced by volcanic eruptions and recorded by pressure sensors can be modeled as a compact source representing the rate of erupted volcanic mass. We demonstrate the feasibility of using gravity waves to derive eruption source parameters such as duration of the injection and total erupted mass with direct application in constraining plume and ash dispersal models. PMID:27830768

  17. Nickel Ion Release from Three Types of Nickel-titanium-based Orthodontic Archwires in the As-received State and After Oral Simulation

    PubMed Central

    Ramazanzadeh, Barat Ali; Ahrari, Farzaneh; Sabzevari, Berahman; Habibi, Samaneh

    2014-01-01

    Background and aims. This study aimed to investigate release of nickel ion from three types of nickel-titanium-based wires in the as-received state and after immersion in a simulated oral environment. Materials and methods. Forty specimens from each of the single-strand NiTi (Rematitan "Lite"), multi-strand NiTi (SPEED Supercable) and Copper NiTi (Damon Copper NiTi) were selected. Twenty specimens from each type were used in the as-received state and the others were kept in deflected state at 37ºC for 2 months followed by autoclave sterilization. The as-received and recycled wire specimens were immersed in glass bottles containing 1.8 mL of artificial saliva for 28 days and the amount of nickel ion released into the electrolyte was determined using atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Results. The single-strand NiTi released the highest quantity of nickel ion in the as-received state and the multi-strand NiTi showed the highest ion release after oral simulation. The quantity of nickelion released from Damon Copper NiTi was the lowest in both conditions. Oral simulation followed by sterilization did not have a significant influence on nickel ion release from multi-strand NiTi and Damon Copper NiTi wires, but single-strand NiTi released statistically lower quantities of nickel ion after oral simulation. Conclusion. The multi-strand nature of Supercable did not enhance the potential of corrosion after immersion in the simulated oral environment. In vitro use of nickel-titanium-based archwires followed by sterilization did not significantly increase the amount of nickel ion released from these wires. PMID:25093049

  18. Stand-off detection of plant-produced volatile organic compounds using short-range Raman LIDAR

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Johnson, Lewis; Barnett, Cleon; Brown, Christopher; Crawford, Devron; Tumlinson, James

    2004-03-01

    Several plant species release volatile organic compounds (VOCs) when under stresses such as herbivore feeding attack. The release of these plant-produced VOCs (i.e. terpenes) triggers the release of active biochemical defenses, which target the attacker. In some cases, the VOCs send cues to nearby carnivorous predators to attract them to the feeding herbivore. Volatile compounds are released both locally by damaged leaves and systemically by the rest of the plant. These compounds are released in large quantities, which facilitate detection of pests in the field by parasitoids. Detecting the plant"s VOC emissions as a function of various parameters (e.g. ambient temperature, atmospheric nitrogen levels, etc.) is essential to designing effective biological control systems. In addition these VOC releases may serve as early warning indicator of chemo-bio attacks. By combining Raman spectroscopy techniques with Laser Remote Sensing (LIDAR) systems, we are developing a Standoff detection system. Initial results indicate that is it possible to detect and differentiate between various terpenes, plant species, and other chemical compounds at distances greater than 12 meters. Currently, the system uses the 2nd harmonic of a Nd:YAG; however plans are underway to improve the Raman signal by moving the illumination wavelength into the solar-blind UV region. We report on our initial efforts of designing and characterizing this in a laboratory proof of concept system. We envision that this effort will lead to the design of a portable field-deployable system to rapidly characterize, with a high spatial resolution, large crops and other fields.

  19. The in vitro release of cytokines and growth factors from fibrin membranes produced through horizontal centrifugation.

    PubMed

    Lourenço, Emanuelle Stellet; Mourão, Carlos Fernando de Almeida Barros; Leite, Paulo Emílio Corrêa; Granjeiro, José Mauro; Calasans-Maia, Mônica Diuana; Alves, Gutemberg Gomes

    2018-05-01

    Platelet-rich fibrin membranes are biomaterials widely used for therapeutic purposes, and canonically produced through the processing of peripheral blood with fixed-angle rotor centrifuges. In this work, we evaluate the in vitro stability and release of cytokines and growth factors when these biomaterials are produced with a horizontal swing-out clinical centrifuge. Membranes produced from the blood of 14 donors were morphologically evaluated by scanning electron microscopy and fluorescence microscopy, and their stability was assessed by photographic recording after incubation in culture medium for up to 28 days. The release of 27 cytokines and growth factors was monitored for three weeks through a multiparametric immunoassay. The fibrin membranes presented complex three-dimensional structure with a high density of nucleated cells. A large release of growth factors [platelet derived growth factor, fibroblastic growth factor (bFGF), and vascular endothelial growth factor] was detected in the first 24 h, followed by time-dependent decay, maintaining significant concentrations after three weeks. Both anti-inflammatory and pro-inflammatory cytokines presented different release peaks, maintaining high rates of elution for up to 21 days. Chemokines of relevance in tissue repair [RANTES, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF)] were also produced in large quantities throughout the experimental period. The present results demonstrate that blood-derived fibrin membranes with high structural stability and cell content can be generated by horizontal centrifugation, being able of a prolonged production/release of growth factors and pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 106A: 1373-1380, 2018. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  20. Potential radiological impact of tornadoes on the safety of Nuclear Fuel Services' West Valley Fuel Reprocessing Plant. 2. Reentrainment and discharge of radioactive materials

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

    Davis, W Jr

    1981-07-01

    This report describes results of a parametric study of quantities of radioactive materials that might be discharged by a tornado-generated depressurization on contaminated process cells within the presently inoperative Nuclear Fuel Services' (NFS) fuel reprocessing facility near West Valley, New York. The study involved the following tasks: determining approximate quantities of radioactive materials in the cells and characterizing particle-size distribution; estimating the degree of mass reentrainment from particle-size distribution and from air speed data presented in Part 1; and estimating the quantities of radioactive material (source term) released from the cells to the atmosphere. The study has shown that improperlymore » sealed manipulator ports in the Process Mechanical Cell (PMC) present the most likely pathway for release of substantial quantities of radioactive material in the atmosphere under tornado accident conditions at the facility.« less

  1. EPCRA Section 304

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    Overview of emergency release notification requirements under Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act. If an accidental chemical release exceeds the applicable minimal reportable quantity, the facility must notify SERCs and the NRC.

  2. Reducing the Use of Agrochemicals: A Simple Experiment

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Vidal, M. M.; Filipe, Olga M. S.; Costa, M. C. Cruz

    2006-01-01

    An experiment was performed on polymeric-based controlled-release agrochemicals that minimize leaching into groundwater while maintaining an adequate quantity for the desired agrochemical benefits. Gelatin gel containing inorganic Phosphorous provides controlled-release of an agrochemical where release curves show a linear relationship between…

  3. 19 CFR 4.38 - Release of cargo.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... for release without submission of paper documents after reviewing the entry data submitted... imported. (1) Where the cargo arrives by vessel, the report shall consist of the following data elements... following data elements: (i) Air waybill number; (ii) Quantity released; (iii) Entry number (including filer...

  4. 19 CFR 4.38 - Release of cargo.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... for release without submission of paper documents after reviewing the entry data submitted... imported. (1) Where the cargo arrives by vessel, the report shall consist of the following data elements... following data elements: (i) Air waybill number; (ii) Quantity released; (iii) Entry number (including filer...

  5. 19 CFR 4.38 - Release of cargo.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... for release without submission of paper documents after reviewing the entry data submitted... imported. (1) Where the cargo arrives by vessel, the report shall consist of the following data elements... following data elements: (i) Air waybill number; (ii) Quantity released; (iii) Entry number (including filer...

  6. 19 CFR 4.38 - Release of cargo.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... for release without submission of paper documents after reviewing the entry data submitted... imported. (1) Where the cargo arrives by vessel, the report shall consist of the following data elements... following data elements: (i) Air waybill number; (ii) Quantity released; (iii) Entry number (including filer...

  7. 19 CFR 4.38 - Release of cargo.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... for release without submission of paper documents after reviewing the entry data submitted... imported. (1) Where the cargo arrives by vessel, the report shall consist of the following data elements... following data elements: (i) Air waybill number; (ii) Quantity released; (iii) Entry number (including filer...

  8. A primary estimate of global PCDD/F release based on the quantity and quality of national economic and social activities.

    PubMed

    Wang, Bin; Fiedler, Heidelore; Huang, Jun; Deng, Shubo; Wang, Yujue; Yu, Gang

    2016-05-01

    The correlations between polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) releases and factors relevant to human social-economic activities (HSEAs) were analyzed. The multiple linear regression model was successfully developed to estimate the total global PCDD/F release. The PCDD/F releases significantly correlated with population, area, GDP and GNI, suggesting that "quantity" of HSEAs have significantly contributed to the PCDD/F releases. On another aspect, advanced technologies are usually adopted in developed countries/regions, and hence reduce the PCDD/F release. The significant correlation between PCDD/F release and CO2 emission implies the potential of simultaneous reduction of CO2 emission and PCDD/F release. The total global PCDD/F release from 196 countries/regions was estimated to be 100.4 kg-TEQ yr(-1). The estimated annual PCDD/F release per unit area ranged from 0.007 to 28 mg-TEQ km(-2). Asia is estimated to have the highest PCDD/F release of 47.1 kg-TEQ yr(-1), almost half of the total world release. Oceania is estimated to have the smallest total release but the largest per-capita release. For the developed areas, such as Europe and North America, the PCDD/F release per unit GDP is lower, while for Africa, it is much higher. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Decay of cacti and carbon cycling

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Garvie, Laurence A. J.

    2006-03-01

    Cacti contain large quantities of Ca-oxalate biominerals, with C derived from atmospheric CO2. Their death releases these biominerals into the environment, which subsequently transform to calcite via a monohydrocalcite intermediate. Here, the fate of Ca-oxalates released by plants in arid environments is investigated. This novel and widespread form of biomineralization has unexpected consequences on C cycling and calcite accumulation in areas with large numbers of cacti. The magnitude of this mineralization is revealed by studying the large columnar cactus Carnegiea gigantea (Engelm.) Britton and Rose in southwestern Arizona (locally called the saguaro). A large C. gigantea contains on the order of 1×105 g of the Ca-oxalate weddellite—CaC2O4·2H2O. In areas with high C. gigantea density, there is an estimated 40 g Catm m-2 sequestered in Ca-oxalates. Following the death of the plant, the weddellite transforms to calcite on the order to 10-20 years. In areas with high saguaro density, there is an estimated release of up to 2.4 g calcite m-2 year-1 onto the desert soil. Similar transformation mechanisms occur with the Ca-oxalates that are abundant in the majority of cacti. Thus, the total atmospheric C returned to the soil of areas with a high number density of cacti is large, suggesting that there may be a significant long-term accumulation of atmospheric C in these soils derived from Ca-oxalate biominerals. These findings demonstrate that plant decay in arid environments may have locally significant impacts on the Ca and inorganic C cycles.

  10. Decay of cacti and carbon cycling.

    PubMed

    Garvie, Laurence A J

    2006-03-01

    Cacti contain large quantities of Ca-oxalate biominerals, with C derived from atmospheric CO(2). Their death releases these biominerals into the environment, which subsequently transform to calcite via a monohydrocalcite intermediate. Here, the fate of Ca-oxalates released by plants in arid environments is investigated. This novel and widespread form of biomineralization has unexpected consequences on C cycling and calcite accumulation in areas with large numbers of cacti. The magnitude of this mineralization is revealed by studying the large columnar cactus Carnegiea gigantea (Engelm.) Britton and Rose in southwestern Arizona (locally called the saguaro). A large C. gigantea contains on the order of 1 x 10(5) g of the Ca-oxalate weddellite-CaC(2)O(4) x 2H(2)O. In areas with high C. gigantea density, there is an estimated 40 g C(atm) m(-2) sequestered in Ca-oxalates. Following the death of the plant, the weddellite transforms to calcite on the order to 10-20 years. In areas with high saguaro density, there is an estimated release of up to 2.4 g calcite m(-2) year(-1) onto the desert soil. Similar transformation mechanisms occur with the Ca-oxalates that are abundant in the majority of cacti. Thus, the total atmospheric C returned to the soil of areas with a high number density of cacti is large, suggesting that there may be a significant long-term accumulation of atmospheric C in these soils derived from Ca-oxalate biominerals. These findings demonstrate that plant decay in arid environments may have locally significant impacts on the Ca and inorganic C cycles.

  11. Atmospheric anomalies in summer 1908: Water in the atmosphere

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gladysheva, O. G.

    2011-10-01

    A gigantic noctilucent cloud field was formed and different solar halos were observed after the Tunguska catastrophe. To explain these anomalous phenomena, it is necessary to assume that a large quantity of water was carried into the atmosphere, which indicates that the Tunguska cosmic body was of a comet origin. According to rough estimates, the quantity of water that is released into the atmosphere as a result of a cosmic body's destruction is more than 1010 kg. The observation of a flying object in an area with a radius of ≥700 km makes it possible to state that the Tunguska cosmic body looked like a luminous coma with a diameter not smaller than ≥10 km and became visible at heights of >500 km. The assumption that the Tunguska cosmic body started disintegrating at a height of ˜1000 km explains the formation of an area where its mater diffused and formed a luminous area above Europe.

  12. Human monocytes and gingival fibroblasts release tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-1 alpha and interleukin-6 in response to particulate and soluble fractions of Prevotella melaninogenica and Fusobacterium nucleatum.

    PubMed

    Rossano, F; Rizzo, A; Sanges, M R; Cipollaro de L'Ero, G; Tufano, M A

    1993-01-01

    In this study we provide evidence that structural and soluble components of periodontopathogenic bacteria, such as Prevotella melaninogenica and Fusobacterium nucleatum, induce the release of cytokines in vitro known to cause in vivo necrotic inflammatory phenomena and bone resorption (tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-1 alpha and interleukin-6). Human monocytes and gingival fibroblasts were cultivated in vitro in the presence of both particulate and soluble bacterial fractions. A dose-dependent production of tumor necrosis factor-alpha by monocytes and gingival fibroblasts was observed in the presence of fractions of P. melaninogenica and F. nucleatum. Interleukin-1 alpha was produced in approximately the same quantities in the presence of soluble fractions of either P. melaninogenica or F. nucleatum, but in greater quantities in response to particulate fractions of P. melaninogenica. Monocytes released larger amounts of interleukin-1 alpha (about 3000 pg/ml) than gingival fibroblasts (about 1500 pg/ml). Interleukin-6 was released in greater quantities by monocytes in the presence of the pellet fraction of P. melaninogenica (about 5.5 ng/ml), but gingival fibroblasts released larger amounts of interleukin-6, especially in the presence of particulate and soluble components of F. nucleatum (about 12 ng/ml). The ability to induce the release of these cytokines notably increases the pathogenic potential of the bacteria involved in the damage of periodontal tissue.

  13. Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant - An Overview of the Current Efforts to Stabilize the Chornobyl Shelter and Establish an Environmentally Safe Site

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

    Couch, Daniel P.; Gronier, Serge; Heriot, Ian D.

    2005-08-08

    Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant ? An Overview of the Current Efforts to Stabilize the Chornobyl Shelter and Establish an Environmentally Safe Site Abstract?The 1986 accident at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine resulted in the destruction of the reactor core and most of the reactor building. The Chornobyl accident released an enormous quantity of radionuclides into the environment, significantly contaminating a large region around the plant. Within seven months of the accident, the damaged Unit 4 was encased in a massive concrete and steel enclosure known as the Shelter. Deterioration of the Shelter over time poses increasing risks. Themore » Shelter is subject to structural damage or collapse due to wind, snow loading, or seismic activity. Collapse could lead to the release of radioactive fallout. Leakage of rainwater into the Shelter has caused the accumulation of a large quantity of highly radioactive liquid, corrosion of extremely contaminated nuclear fuel debris, and creation of hazardous radioactive dust. To address these concerns, the government of Ukraine, the G7 nations, and additional donor countries adopted the Shelter Implementation Plan (SIP) in 1997. The SIP's objectives are to reduce the risk and potential consequences of accidental collapse of the Shelter; improve nuclear, industrial and environmental safety; and develop a long-term strategy for conversion to an environmentally safe site. Implementation of the SIP has made significant progress that will lead to the construction of a new confinement facility by 2009. (Full paper available by contacting lead author, Dan Couch)« less

  14. Atmospheric pressure, density, temperature and wind variations between 50 and 200 km

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Justus, C. G.; Woodrum, A.

    1972-01-01

    Data on atmospheric pressure, density, temperature and winds between 50 and 200 km were collected from sources including Meteorological Rocket Network data, ROBIN falling sphere data, grenade release and pitot tube data, meteor winds, chemical release winds, satellite data, and others. These data were analyzed by a daily difference method and results on the distribution statistics, magnitude, and spatial structure of the irregular atmospheric variations are presented. Time structures of the irregular variations were determined by the analysis of residuals from harmonic analysis of time series data. The observed height variations of irregular winds and densities are found to be in accord with a theoretical relation between these two quantities. The latitude variations (at 50 - 60 km height) show an increasing trend with latitude. A possible explanation of the unusually large irregular wind magnitudes of the White Sands MRN data is given in terms of mountain wave generation by the Sierra Nevada range about 1000 km west of White Sands. An analytical method is developed which, based on an analogy of the irregular motion field with axisymmetric turbulence, allows measured or model correlation or structure functions to be used to evaluate the effective frequency spectra of scalar and vector quantities of a spacecraft moving at any speed and at any trajectory elevation angle.

  15. RMP Guidance for Offsite Consequence Analysis

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    Offsite consequence analysis (OCA) consists of a worst-case release scenario and alternative release scenarios. OCA is required from facilities with chemicals above threshold quantities. RMP*Comp software can be used to perform calculations described here.

  16. 40 CFR 273.17 - Response to releases.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 273.17 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) SOLID WASTES (CONTINUED) STANDARDS FOR UNIVERSAL WASTE MANAGEMENT Standards for Small Quantity Handlers of Universal Waste § 273.17... of universal wastes and other residues from universal wastes. (b) A small quantity handler of...

  17. Planar blast scaling with condensed-phase explosives in a shock tube

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

    Jackson, Scott L

    2011-01-25

    Blast waves are strong shock waves that result from large power density deposition into a fluid. The rapid energy release of high-explosive (HE) detonation provides sufficiently high power density for blast wave generation. Often it is desirable to quantify the energy released by such an event and to determine that energy relative to other reference explosives to derive an explosive-equivalence value. In this study, we use condensed-phase explosives to drive a blast wave in a shock tube. The explosive material and quantity were varied to produce blast waves of differing strengths. Pressure transducers at varying lengths measured the post-shock pressure,more » shock-wave arrival time and sidewall impulse associated with each test. Blast-scaling concepts in a one-dimensional geometry were then used to both determine the energy release associated with each test and to verify the scaling of the shock position versus time, overpressure versus distance, and impulse. Most blast scaling measurements to-date have been performed in a three-dimensional geometry such as a blast arena. Testing in a three-dimensional geometry can be challenging, however, as spherical shock-wave symmetry is required for good measurements. Additionally, the spherical wave strength decays rapidly with distance and it can be necessary to utilize larger (several kg) quantities of explosive to prevent significant decay from occurring before an idealized blast wave has formed. Such a mode of testing can be expensive, require large quantities of explosive, and be limited by both atmospheric conditions (such as rain) and by noise complaints from the population density near the test arena. Testing is possible in more compact geometries, however. Non-planar blast waves can be formed into a quasi-planar shape by confining the shock diffraction with the walls of a shock tube. Regardless of the initial form, the wave shape will begin to approximate a planar front after successive wave reflections from the tube walls. Such a technique has previously been used to obtain blast scaling measurements in the planar geometry with gaseous explosives and the condensed-phase explosive nitroguanidine. Recently, there has been much interest in the blast characterization of various non-ideal high explosive (NIHE) materials. With non-ideals, the detonation reaction zone is significantly larger (up to several cm for ANFO) than more ideal explosives. Wave curvature, induced by charge-geometry, can significantly affect the energy release associated with NIHEs. To measure maximum NIHE energy release accurately, it is desirable to minimize any such curvature and, if possible, to overdrive the detonation shock to ensure completion of chemical reactions ahead of the sonic locus associated with the reaction zone. This is achieved in the current study through use of a powerful booster HE and a charge geometry consisting of short cylindrical lengths of NIHE initiated along the charge centerline.« less

  18. VizieR Online Data Catalog: Tully-Fisher relation for SDSS galaxies (Reyes+, 2011)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Reyes, R.; Mandelbaum, R.; Gunn, J. E.; Pizagno, J.; Lackner, C. N.

    2012-05-01

    In this paper, we derive scaling relations between photometric observable quantities and disc galaxy rotation velocity Vrot or Tully-Fisher relations (TFRs). Our methodology is dictated by our purpose of obtaining purely photometric, minimal-scatter estimators of Vrot applicable to large galaxy samples from imaging surveys. To achieve this goal, we have constructed a sample of 189 disc galaxies at redshifts z<0.1 with long-slit Hα spectroscopy from Pizagno et al. (2007, Cat. J/AJ/134/945) and new observations. By construction, this sample is a fair subsample of a large, well-defined parent disc sample of ~170000 galaxies selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 7 (SDSS DR7). (4 data files).

  19. Influence of poloxamers on the dissolution performance and stability of controlled-release formulations containing Precirol ATO 5.

    PubMed

    Jannin, V; Pochard, E; Chambin, O

    2006-02-17

    Lipid excipients are usually used for the development of sustained-release formulations. When used in relatively high quantities, Precirol ATO 5 imparts sustained-release properties to solid oral dosage forms, by forming a lipid matrix. To control or adjust the drug release kinetics from such lipid matrix however, one must often resort to complementary ingredients or techniques. This study investigates the influence of poloxamers (Lutrol) included in lipid matrices composed of glyceryl palmitostearate (Precirol ATO 5) on their dissolution performance and their stability. The addition of these hydrophilic polymers in the lipid matrix increased the amount of theophylline released thanks to the swelling of the hydrophilic polymer and the creation of a porous network into the inert lipid matrix. The grade and the quantity of Lutrol could modulate the extent of drug release. Theophylline was released mainly by the matrix erosion but also by diffusion through the pores as suggested by the Peppas' model. Moreover, the addition of Lutrol enhanced the stability during storage. The theophylline release was quite steady after 6 months in different conditions (temperature and humidity). Thus, the mixture of glyceryl palmitostearate and poloxamers is an approach with many advantages for the development of controlled-release formulations by capsule molding.

  20. Source of released carbon fibers

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bell, V. L.

    1979-01-01

    The potential for the release of carbon fibers from aircraft crashes/fires is addressed. Simulation of the conditions of aircraft crash fires in order to predict the quantities and forms of fibrous materials which might be released from civilian aircraft crashes/fires is considered. Figures are presented which describe some typical fiber release test activities together with some very preliminary results of those activities. The state of the art of carbon fiber release is summarized as well as some of the uncertainties concerning accidental fiber release.

  1. Final Rule: Extremely Hazardous Substance List and Threshold Planning Quantities; Emergency Planning and Release Notification Requirements (52 FR 13378)

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    April 22, 1987: This FR established the list of extremely hazardous substances (EHSs) and their threshold planning quantities (TPQs). Also codified reporting and notification requirements for facilities with EHS. Do not use for current compliance purposes.

  2. Cis-Acting Pathways Selectively Enforce the Non-Immunogenicity of Shed Placental Antigen for Maternal CD8 T Cells

    PubMed Central

    Tay, Chin-Siean; Tagliani, Elisa; Collins, Mary K.; Erlebacher, Adrian

    2013-01-01

    Maternal immune tolerance towards the fetus and placenta is thought to be established in part by pathways that attenuate T cell priming to antigens released from the placenta into maternal blood. These pathways remain largely undefined and their existence, at face value, seems incompatible with a mother's need to maintain a functional immune system during pregnancy. A particular conundrum is evident if we consider that maternal antigen presenting cells, activated in order to prime T cells to pathogen-derived antigens, would also have the capacity to prime T cells to co-ingested placental antigens. Here, we address this paradox using a transgenic system in which placental membranes are tagged with a strong surrogate antigen (ovalbumin). We find that although a remarkably large quantity of acellular ovalbumin-containing placental material is released into maternal blood, splenic CD8 T cells in pregnant mice bearing unmanipulated T cell repertoires are not primed to ovalbumin even if the mice are intravenously injected with adjuvants. This failure was largely independent of regulatory T cells, and instead was linked to the intrinsic characteristics of the released material that rendered it selectively non-immunogenic, potentially by sequestering it from CD8α+ dendritic cells. The release of ovalbumin-containing placental material into maternal blood thus had no discernable impact on CD8 T cell priming to soluble ovalbumin injected intravenously during pregnancy, nor did it induce long-term tolerance to ovalbumin. Together, these results outline a major pathway governing the maternal immune response to the placenta, and suggest how tolerance to placental antigens can be maintained systemically without being detrimental to host defense. PMID:24391885

  3. Linear Free Energy Correlations for Fission Product Release from the Fukushima-Daiichi Nuclear Accident

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

    Abrecht, David G.; Schwantes, Jon M.

    This paper extends the preliminary linear free energy correlations for radionuclide release performed by Schwantes, et al., following the Fukushima-Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident. Through evaluations of the molar fractionations of radionuclides deposited in the soil relative to modeled radionuclide inventories, we confirm the source of the radionuclides to be from active reactors rather than the spent fuel pool. Linear correlations of the form ln χ = -α (ΔG rxn°(T C))/(RT C)+β were obtained between the deposited concentration and the reduction potential of the fission product oxide species using multiple reduction schemes to calculate ΔG° rxn(T C). These models allowedmore » an estimate of the upper bound for the reactor temperatures of T C between 2130 K and 2220 K, providing insight into the limiting factors to vaporization and release of fission products during the reactor accident. Estimates of the release of medium-lived fission products 90Sr, 121mSn, 147Pm, 144Ce, 152Eu, 154Eu, 155Eu, 151Sm through atmospheric venting and releases during the first month following the accident were performed, and indicate large quantities of 90Sr and radioactive lanthanides were likely to remain in the damaged reactor cores.« less

  4. Linear free energy correlations for fission product release from the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear accident.

    PubMed

    Abrecht, David G; Schwantes, Jon M

    2015-03-03

    This paper extends the preliminary linear free energy correlations for radionuclide release performed by Schwantes et al., following the Fukushima-Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident. Through evaluations of the molar fractionations of radionuclides deposited in the soil relative to modeled radionuclide inventories, we confirm the initial source of the radionuclides to the environment to be from active reactors rather than the spent fuel pool. Linear correlations of the form In χ = −α ((ΔGrxn°(TC))/(RTC)) + β were obtained between the deposited concentrations, and the reduction potentials of the fission product oxide species using multiple reduction schemes to calculate ΔG°rxn (TC). These models allowed an estimate of the upper bound for the reactor temperatures of TC between 2015 and 2060 K, providing insight into the limiting factors to vaporization and release of fission products during the reactor accident. Estimates of the release of medium-lived fission products 90Sr, 121mSn, 147Pm, 144Ce, 152Eu, 154Eu, 155Eu, and 151Sm through atmospheric venting during the first month following the accident were obtained, indicating that large quantities of 90Sr and radioactive lanthanides were likely to remain in the damaged reactor cores.

  5. P2Pro(RSM) : a computerized management tool for implementing DOE's authorized release process for radioactive scrap metals.

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

    Arnish, J.; Chen, S. Y.; Kamboj, S.

    1999-07-22

    Within the next few decades, several hundred thousand tons of metal and several million cubic meters of concrete are expected to be removed from nuclear facilities across the US Department of Energy (DOE) complex as a result of decontamination and decommissioning (D&D) activities. These materials, together with large quantities of tools, equipment, and other items that are commonly recovered from site cleanup or D&D activities, constitute non-real properties that warrant consideration for release from regulatory control for reuse or recycle, as permitted and practiced under current DOE policy. The provisions for implementing this policy are contained in the Draft Handbookmore » for Controlling Release for Reuse or Recycle of Non-Real Property Containing Residual Radioactive Material published by DOE in 1997 and distributed to DOE Field Offices for interim use and implementation. This manual describes a computer management tool, P2Pro(RSM), that implements the first 5 steps of the 10-step process stipulated by the Handbook. P2Pro(RSM) combines an easy-to-use Windows interface with a comprehensive database to facilitate the development of authorized release limits for non-real property.« less

  6. Disasters and Impact of Sleep Quality and Quantity on National Guard Medical Personnel

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2018-04-30

    Impact of Sleep Quality & Quantity on National Guard Medical Personnel Sb. GRANT NUMBER Sc. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR(S) Sd. PROJECT NUMBER...Std. 239.18 Adobe Professional 7 .0 Approved for Public Release ~••Unlmlted Disasters & Impact of Sleep Quality & Quantity on National Guard...College of Nursing 4/11/2018 6 Methods • Measures • Critical skills questions • Medication calculations +Licensed • Basic Life Support (BLS

  7. 19 CFR 132.13 - Quotas after opening.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... Customs custody until Headquarters has determined the quantity entitled to the quota rate. (ii) Absolute. Except as provided for in § 142.21 (e)(2) and (g) of this chapter, absolute quota merchandise shall not... merchandise shall not be released until Customs has determined the quantity entitled to absolute quota status...

  8. 19 CFR 132.13 - Quotas after opening.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... Customs custody until Headquarters has determined the quantity entitled to the quota rate. (ii) Absolute. Except as provided for in § 142.21 (e)(2) and (g) of this chapter, absolute quota merchandise shall not... merchandise shall not be released until Customs has determined the quantity entitled to absolute quota status...

  9. Technology Evaluation for the Big Spring Water Treatment System at the Y-12 National Security Complex, Oak Ridge, Tennessee

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

    Becthel Jacobs Company LLC

    2002-11-01

    The Y-12 National Security Complex (Y-12 Complex) is an active manufacturing and developmental engineering facility that is located on the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Oak Ridge Reservation. Building 9201-2 was one of the first process buildings constructed at the Y-12 Complex. Construction involved relocating and straightening of the Upper East Fork Poplar Creek (UEFPC) channel, adding large quantities of fill material to level areas along the creek, and pumping of concrete into sinkholes and solution cavities present within the limestone bedrock. Flow from a large natural spring designated as ''Big Spring'' on the original 1943 Stone & Webster Buildingmore » 9201-2 Field Sketch FS6003 was captured and directed to UEFPC through a drainpipe designated Outfall 51. The building was used from 1953 to 1955 for pilot plant operations for an industrial process that involved the use of large quantities of elemental mercury. Past operations at the Y-12 Complex led to the release of mercury to the environment. Significant environmental media at the site were contaminated by accidental releases of mercury from the building process facilities piping and sumps associated with Y-12 Complex mercury handling facilities. Releases to the soil surrounding the buildings have resulted in significant levels of mercury in these areas of contamination, which is ultimately transported to UEFPC, its streambed, and off-site. Bechtel Jacobs Company LLC (BJC) is the DOE-Oak Ridge Operations prime contractor responsible for conducting environmental restoration activities at the Y-12 Complex. In order to mitigate the mercury being released to UEFPC, the Big Spring Water Treatment System will be designed and constructed as a Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act action. This facility will treat the combined flow from Big Spring feeding Outfall 51 and the inflow now being processed at the East End Mercury Treatment System (EEMTS). Both discharge to UEFPC adjacent to Bldg. 9201-2. The EEMTS treats mercury-contaminated groundwater that collects in sumps in the basement of Bldg. 9201-2. A pre-design study was performed to investigate the applicability of various treatment technologies for reducing mercury discharges at Outfall 51 in support of the design of the Big Spring Water Treatment System. This document evaluates the results of the pre-design study for selection of the mercury removal technology for the treatment system.« less

  10. 40 CFR 372.10 - Recordkeeping.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... COMMUNITY RIGHT-TO-KNOW PROGRAMS TOXIC CHEMICAL RELEASE REPORTING: COMMUNITY RIGHT-TO-KNOW General....25 applies for each toxic chemical. (iii) Documentation supporting the calculations of the quantity of each toxic chemical released to the environment or transferred to an off-site location. (iv...

  11. 40 CFR 372.10 - Recordkeeping.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... COMMUNITY RIGHT-TO-KNOW PROGRAMS TOXIC CHEMICAL RELEASE REPORTING: COMMUNITY RIGHT-TO-KNOW General....25 applies for each toxic chemical. (iii) Documentation supporting the calculations of the quantity of each toxic chemical released to the environment or transferred to an off-site location. (iv...

  12. Fact Sheet: Clean Air Act Section 112(r): Accidental Release Prevention / Risk Management Plan Rule

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    EPA is required to publish regulations and guidance for chemical accident prevention at facilities that pose the greatest risk of harm from accidental releases of regulated flammable and toxic substances above threshold quantities.

  13. Enhancement of In Vivo Anticancer Effect of Cisplatin by Incorporation Inside Carbon Nanohorns

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yudasaka, Masako; Ajima, Kumiko; Murakami, Tatsuya; Mizoguchi, Yoshikazu; Tsuchida, Kunihiro; Ichihashi, Toshinari; Iijima, Sumio

    2009-03-01

    We have been studying potential applications of single-wall carbon nanohorns (SWNHs) to drug delivery systems. SWNHs are multiply functionalized with proteins, magnetites, tumor targeting molecules, and others. Various drugs are easily incorporated, and the incorporated drugs are slowly released. Almost no acute toxicity of SWNHs was found through various animal tests. We show in this report that anticancer effect of cisplatin was enhanced by incorporation inside SWNHs (CDDP@SWNH) as evidenced by in vivo tests: CDDP@SWNH was locally injected to tumors subcutaneously transplanted on mice. CDDP@SWNH inhibited the tumor growth more effectively than CDDP. This anticancer enhancement was achieved by large CDDP-quantity incorporated inside SWNH, slow release of CDDP from SWNH, long-term stay of SWNHs at the tumor sites, and an anticancer effect of SWNH itself [1].[3pt] [1] K. Ajima et al. ACSNano, 10(2008)2057-2064.

  14. 40 CFR 302.8 - Continuous releases.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... PLANNING, AND COMMUNITY RIGHT-TO-KNOW PROGRAMS DESIGNATION, REPORTABLE QUANTITIES, AND NOTIFICATION § 302.8... sensitive populations and ecosystems within a one-mile radius of the facility or vessel (e.g., elementary schools, hospitals, retirement communities, or wetlands). (iv) For each hazardous substance release...

  15. Flavor release and perception in hard candy: influence of flavor compound-flavor solvent interactions.

    PubMed

    Schober, Amanda L; Peterson, Devin G

    2004-05-05

    The release kinetics of l-menthol dissolved in propylene glycol (PG), Miglyol, or 1,8-cineole (two common odorless flavor solvents differing in polarity and a hydrophobic flavor compound) were monitored from a model aqueous system via atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry (APCI-MS). Breath analysis was also conducted via APCI-MS to monitor release of l-menthol from hard candy that used PG and Miglyol for l-menthol incorporation. The quantities of l-menthol released when dissolved in PG or Miglyol from the model aqueous system were found to be similar and overall significantly greater in comparison to when dissolved in 1,8-cineole. Analogous results were reported by the breath analysis of hard candy. The release kinetics of l-menthol from PG or Miglyol versus from 1,8-cineole were notably more rapid and higher in quantity. Results from the sensory time-intensity study also indicated that there was no perceived difference in the overall cooling intensity between the two flavor solvent delivery systems (PG and Miglyol).

  16. Tire-wear particles as a source of zinc to the environment

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Councell, T.B.; Duckenfield, K.U.; Landa, E.R.; Callender, E.

    2004-01-01

    Tire-tread material has a zinc (Zn) content of about 1 wt %. The quantity of tread material lost to road surfaces by abrasion has not been well characterized. Two approaches were used to assess the magnitude of this nonpoint source of Zn in the U.S. for the period 1936-1999. In the first approach, tread-wear rates from the automotive engineering literature were used in conjunction with vehicle distance-driven data from the U.S. Department of Transportation to determine Zn releases. A second approach calculated this source term from the volume of tread lost during lifetime tire wear. These analyses showed that the quantity of Zn released by tire wear in the mid-1990s was of the same magnitude as that released from waste incineration. For 1999, the quantity of Zn released by tire wear in the U.S. is estimated to be 10 000-11 000 metric tons. A specific case study focused on Zn sources and sinks in an urban-suburban watershed (Lake Anne) in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area for a time period of the late 1990s. The atmospheric flux of total Zn (wet deposition) to the watershed was 2 ??g/cm2/yr. The flux of Zn to the watershed estimated from tire wear was 42 ??g/cm2/yr. The measured accumulation rate of total Zn in age-dated sediment cores from Lake Anne was 27 ??g/cm2/yr. These data suggest that tire-wear Zn inputs to urban-suburban watersheds can be significantly greater than atmospheric inputs, although the watershed appears to retain appreciable quantities of vehicular Zn inputs.

  17. Transition in Gas Turbine Engine Control System Architecture: Modular, Distributed, Embedded

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2009-08-01

    Design + Development + Certification + Procurement + Life Cycle Cost = Net Savings for our Customers Approved for Public Release 16 Economic ...Supporting Small Quantity Electronics Need Broadly Applicable High Temperature Electronics Supply Base Approved for Public Release 17 Economic ...rc ec ures Approved for Public Release 18 Economic Drivers for New FADEC Designs FADEC Implementation Time Pacing Engine Development Issues • FADEC

  18. Temperature and atmospheric CO2 concentration estimates through the PETM using triple oxygen isotope analysis of mammalian bioapatite

    PubMed Central

    Gehler, Alexander; Pack, Andreas

    2016-01-01

    The Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) is a remarkable climatic and environmental event that occurred 56 Ma ago and has importance for understanding possible future climate change. The Paleocene–Eocene transition is marked by a rapid temperature rise contemporaneous with a large negative carbon isotope excursion (CIE). Both the temperature and the isotopic excursion are well-documented by terrestrial and marine proxies. The CIE was the result of a massive release of carbon into the atmosphere. However, the carbon source and quantities of CO2 and CH4 greenhouse gases that contributed to global warming are poorly constrained and highly debated. Here we combine an established oxygen isotope paleothermometer with a newly developed triple oxygen isotope paleo-CO2 barometer. We attempt to quantify the source of greenhouse gases released during the Paleocene–Eocene transition by analyzing bioapatite of terrestrial mammals. Our results are consistent with previous estimates of PETM temperature change and suggest that not only CO2 but also massive release of seabed methane was the driver for CIE and PETM. PMID:27354522

  19. Recombinant MUC1 mucin with a breast cancer-like O-glycosylation produced in large amounts in Chinese-hamster ovary cells.

    PubMed Central

    Bäckström, Malin; Link, Thomas; Olson, Fredrik J; Karlsson, Hasse; Graham, Rosalind; Picco, Gianfranco; Burchell, Joy; Taylor-Papadimitriou, Joyce; Noll, Thomas; Hansson, Gunnar C

    2003-01-01

    We have developed an expression system for the production of large quantities of recombinant MUC1 mucin in CHO-K1 (Chinese-hamster ovary K1) cells. The extracellular part of human MUC1, including 16 MUC1 tandem repeats, was produced as a fusion protein with murine IgG Fc, with an intervening enterokinase cleavage site for the removal of the Fc tail. Stable MUC1-IgG-producing CHO-K1 clones were generated and were found to secrete MUC1-IgG into the culture medium. After adaptation to suspension culture in protein-free medium in a bioreactor, the fusion protein was secreted in large quantities (100 mg/l per day) into the culture supernatant. From there, MUC1 could be purified to homogeneity using a two-step procedure including enterokinase cleavage and ion-exchange chromatography. Capillary liquid chromatography MS of released oligosaccharides from CHO-K1-produced MUC1 identified the main O-glycans as Galbeta1-3GalNAc (core 1) and mono- and di-sialylated core 1. The glycans occupied on average 4.3 of the five potential O-glycosylation sites in the tandem repeats, as determined by nano-liquid chromatography MS of partially deglycosylated Clostripain-digested protein. A very similar O-glycan profile and site occupancy was found in MUC1-IgG produced in the breast carcinoma cell line T47D, which has O-glycosylation typical for breast cancer. In contrast, MUC1-IgG produced in another breast cancer cell line, MCF-7, showed a more complex pattern with both core 1- and core 2-based O-glycans. This is the first reported production of large quantities of recombinant MUC1 with a breast cancer-like O-glycosylation that could be used for the immunotherapy of breast cancer. PMID:12950230

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

    Coony, F.M.; Howe, D.B.; Voigt, L.J.

    The purpose of this report is to fulfill the reporting requirements of US Department of Energy (DOE) Order 5484.1, Environmental Protection, Safety, and Health Protection Information Reporting Requirements. Quantities of airborne and liquid wastes discharged by Westinghouse Hanford Company (Westinghouse Hanford) in the 200 Areas, 600 Area, and 1100 Area in 1987 are presented in this report. Also, quantities of solid wastes stored and buried by Westinghouse Hanford in the 200 Areas are presented in this report. The report is also intended to demonstrate compliance with Westinghouse Hanford administrative control limit (ACL) values for radioactive constituents and with applicable guidelinesmore » and standards for nonradioactive constituents. The summary of airborne release data, liquid discharge data, and solid waste management data for calendar year (CY) 1987 and CY 1986 are presented in Table ES-1. Data values for 1986 are cited in Table ES-1 to show differences in releases and waste quantities between 1986 and 1987. 19 refs., 3 figs., 19 tabs.« less

  1. Determining quantity and quality of retained oil in mature marly chalk and marlstone of the Cretaceous Niobrara Formation by low-temperature hydrous pyrolysis

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Lewan, Michael; Sonnenfeld, Mark D.

    2017-01-01

    Low-temperature hydrous pyrolysis (LTHP) at 300°C (572°F) for 24 h released retained oils from 12- to 20-meshsize samples of mature Niobrara marly chalk and marlstone cores. The released oil accumulated on the water surface of the reactor, and is compositionally similar to oil produced from the same well. The quantities of oil released from the marly chalk and marlstone by LTHP are respectively 3.4 and 1.6 times greater than those determined by tight rock analyses (TRA) on aliquots of the same samples. Gas chromatograms indicated this difference is a result of TRA oils losing more volatiles and volatilizing less heavy hydrocarbons during collection than LTHP oils. Characterization of the rocks before and after LTPH by programmable open-system pyrolysis (HAWK) indicate that under LTHP conditions no significant oil is generated and only preexisting retained oil is released. Although LTHP appears to provide better predictions of quantity and quality of retained oil in a mature source rock, it is not expected to replace the more time and sample-size efficacy of TRA. However, LTHP can be applied to composited samples from key intervals or lithologies originally recognized by TRA. Additional studies on duration, temperature, and sample size used in LTHP may further optimize its utility.

  2. Mathematical model of CO2 release during milk fermentation using natural kefir grains.

    PubMed

    Goršek, Andreja; Ritonja, Jožef; Pečar, Darja

    2018-03-12

    Milk fermentation takes place in the presence of various micro-organisms, producing a variety of dairy products. The oldest of them is kefir, which is usually produced by the fermentation of milk with kefir grains. Carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), as one of the process products, also contributes to the characteristic flavor of kefir. The amount of CO 2 generated during fermentation depends on bioprocessing conditions and may change, which is not desirable at the industrial level. In this study we developed a simplified mathematical model of CO 2 release in the milk-fermentation process. An intuitive approach based on superposition and experimental analysis was used for the modeling. The chemical system studied was considered as a two-input (temperature, rotational frequency of the stirrer) one-output (CO 2 concentration) dynamic system. Based on an analysis of CO 2 release transients in the case of non-simultaneous stepwise changed input quantities, two differential equations were defined that describe the influence of the two input quantities on the output quantity. The simulation results were verified by experiments. The proposed model can be used for a comprehensive analysis of the process that is being studied and for the design and synthesis of advanced control systems, which will ensure a controlled CO 2 release at the industrial level. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.

  3. Anomalies in Proposed Regulations for the Release of Redundant Material from Nuclear and Non-nuclear Industries

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

    Menon, S.

    Now that increasing numbers of nuclear power stations are reaching the end of their commercially useful lives, the management of the large quantities of very low level radioactive material that arises during their decommissioning has become a major subject of discussion, with very significant economic implications. Much of this material can, in an environmentally advantageous manner, be recycled for reuse without radiological restrictions. Much larger quantities--2-3 orders of magnitude larger--of material, radiologically similar to the candidate material for recycling from the nuclear industry, arise in non-nuclear industries like coal, fertilizer, oil and gas, mining, etc. In such industries, naturally occurringmore » radioactivity is artificially concentrated in products, by-products or waste to form TENORM (Technologically Enhanced Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material). It is only in the last decade that the international community has become aware of the prevalence of T ENORM, specially the activity levels and quantities arising in so many nonnuclear industries. The first reaction of international organizations seems to have been to propose ''double'' standards for the nuclear and non-nuclear industries, with very stringent release criteria for radioactive material from the regulated nuclear industry and up to a hundred times more liberal criteria for the release/exemption of TENORM from the as yet unregulated non-nuclear industries. There are, however, many significant strategic issues that need to be discussed and resolved. An interesting development, for both the nuclear and non-nuclear industries, is the increased scientific scrutiny that the populations of naturally high background dose level areas of the world are being subject to. Preliminary biological studies have indicated that the inhabitants of such areas, exposed to many times the permitted occupational doses for nuclear workers, have not shown any differences in cancer mortality, life expectancy, chromosome aberrations or immune function, in comparison with those living in normal background areas. The paper discusses these and other strategic issues regarding the management of nuclear and non-nuclear radioactive material, underlining the need for consistency in regulatory treatment.« less

  4. Fertilization effects on Tifton 85 bermudagrass quantity and quality

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Most fertilization recommendations for forage bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon L.) are based on extensive research with ‘Coastal’ bermudagrass which is grown throughout the Southeastern United States since its release in 1943. Tifton 85, having higher yields and better forage quality, was released in...

  5. MERCURY CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE ENVIRONMENT FROM HISTORIC MINING PRACTICES

    EPA Science Inventory

    Significant quantities of mercury have been released to the environment as a result of historic precious metal mining. Many gold and silver deposits are enriched in mercury, which is released during mining and processing activities. Historically in the U.S., although a modern ...

  6. Hydrosilylated Porous Silicon Particles Function as an Intravitreal Drug Delivery System for Daunorubicin

    PubMed Central

    Hartmann, Kathrin I.; Nieto, Alejandra; Wu, Elizabeth C.; Freeman, William R.; Kim, Jae Suk; Chhablani, Jay; Sailor, Michael J.

    2013-01-01

    Abstract Purpose To evaluate in vivo ocular safety of an intravitreal hydrosilylated porous silicon (pSi) drug delivery system along with the payload of daunorubicin (DNR). Methods pSi microparticles were prepared from the electrochemical etching of highly doped, p-type Si wafers and an organic linker was attached to the Si-H terminated inner surface of the particles by thermal hydrosilylation of undecylenic acid. DNR was bound to the carboxy terminus of the linker as a drug-loading strategy. DNR release from hydrosilylated pSi particles was confirmed in the excised rabbit vitreous using liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization–multistage mass spectrometry. Both empty and DNR-loaded hydrosilylated pSi particles were injected into the rabbit vitreous and the degradation and safety were studied for 6 months. Results The mean pSi particle size was 30×46×15 μm with an average pore size of 15 nm. Drug loading was determined as 22 μg per 1 mg of pSi particles. An ex vivo drug release study showed that intact DNR was detected in the rabbit vitreous. An in vivo ocular toxicity study did not reveal clinical or pathological evidence of any toxicity during a 6-month observation. Hydrosilylated pSi particles, either empty or loaded with DNR, demonstrated a slow elimination kinetics from the rabbit vitreous without ocular toxicity. Conclusions Hydrosilylated pSi particles can host a large quantity of DNR by a covalent loading strategy and DNR can be slowly released into the vitreous without ocular toxicity, which would appear if an equivalent quantity of free drug was injected. PMID:23448595

  7. In vitro fluoride release from a different kind of conventional and resin modified glass-ionomer cements.

    PubMed

    Selimović-Dragaš, Mediha; Hasić-Branković, Lajla; Korać, Fehim; Đapo, Nermin; Huseinbegović, Amina; Kobašlija, Sedin; Lekić, Meliha; Hatibović-Kofman, Šahza

    2013-08-01

    Fluoride release is important characteristic of glass-ionomer cements. Quantity of fluoride ions released from the glass-ionomer cements has major importance in definition of their biological activity. The objectives of this study were to define the quantity of fluoride ions released from the experimental glass-ionomer cements and to define the effect of fluoride ions released from the experimental glass-ionomer cements on their cytotoxicity. Concentrations of the fluoride ions released in the evaluated glass-ionomer cements were measured indirectly, by the fluoride-selective WTW, F500 electrode potential, combined with reference R503/D electrode. Statistical analyses of F-ion concentrations released by all glass-ionomers evaluated at two time points, after 8 and after 24 hours, show statistically higher fluoride releases from RMGICs: Vitrebond, Fuji II LC and Fuji Plus, when compared to conventional glass-ionomer cements: Fuji Triage, Fuji IX GP Fast and Ketac Silver, both after 8 and after 24 hours. Correlation coefficient between concentrations of fluoride ion released by evaluated glass-ionomer cements and cytotoxic response of UMR-106 osteoblast cell-line are relatively high, but do not reach levels of biological significance. Correlation between concentrations of fluoride ion released and cytotoxic response of NIH3T3 mouse fibroblast cell line after 8 hours is high, positive and statistically significant for conventional GICs, Fuji Triage and Fuji IX GP Fast, and RMGIC, Fuji II LC. Statistically significant Correlation coefficient between concentrations of fluoride ion released and cytotoxic response of NIH3T3 cell line after 24 hours is defined for RMGIC Fuji II LC only.

  8. Material flows of mobile phones and accessories in Nigeria: Environmental implications and sound end-of-life management options

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

    Osibanjo, Oladele; Nnorom, Innocent Chidi

    Presently, Nigeria is one of the fastest growing Telecom markets in the world. The country's teledensity increased from a mere 0.4 in 1999 to 10 in 2005 following the liberalization of the Telecom sector in 2001. More than 25 million new digital mobile lines have been connected by June 2006. Large quantities of mobile phones and accessories including secondhand and remanufactured products are being imported to meet the pent-up demand. This improvement in mobile telecom services resulted in the preference of mobile telecom services to fixed lines. Consequently, the contribution of fixed lines decreased from about 95% in year 2000more » to less than 10% in March 2005. This phenomenal progress in information technology has resulted in the generation of large quantities of electronic waste (e-waste) in the country. Abandoned fixed line telephone sets estimated at 120,000 units are either disposed or stockpiled. Increasing quantities of waste mobile phones estimated at 8 million units by 2007, and accessories will be generated. With no material recovery facility for e-waste and/or appropriate solid waste management infrastructure in place, these waste materials end up in open dumps and unlined landfills. These practices create the potential for the release of toxic metals and halocarbons from batteries, printed wiring boards, liquid crystal display and plastic housing units. This paper presents an overview of the developments in the Nigerian Telecom sector, the material in-flow of mobile phones, and the implications of the management practices for wastes from the Telecom sector in the country.« less

  9. A field study of solid rocket exhaust impacts on the near-field environment

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Anderson, B. J.; Keller, Vernon W.

    1990-01-01

    Large solid rocket motors release large quantities of hydrogen chloride and aluminum oxide exhaust during launch and testing. Measurements and analysis of the interaction of this material with the deluge water spray and other environmental factors in the near field (within 1 km of the launch or test site) are summarized. Measurements of mixed solid and liquid deposition (typically 2 normal HCl) following space shuttle launches and 6.4 percent scale model tests are described. Hydrogen chloride gas concentrations measured in the hours after the launch of STS 41D and STS 51A are reported. Concentrations of 9 ppm, which are above the 5 ppm exposure limits for workers, were detected an hour after STS 51A. A simplified model which explains the primary features of the gas concentration profiles is included.

  10. Statistical optimisation of diclofenac sustained release pellets coated with polymethacrylic films.

    PubMed

    Kramar, A; Turk, S; Vrecer, F

    2003-04-30

    The objective of the present study was to evaluate three formulation parameters for the application of polymethacrylic films from aqueous dispersions in order to obtain multiparticulate sustained release of diclofenac sodium. Film coating of pellet cores was performed in a laboratory fluid bed apparatus. The chosen independent variables, i.e. the concentration of plasticizer (triethyl citrate), methacrylate polymers ratio (Eudragit RS:Eudragit RL) and the quantity of coating dispersion were optimised with a three-factor, three-level Box-Behnken design. The chosen dependent variables were cumulative percentage values of diclofenac dissolved in 3, 4 and 6 h. Based on the experimental design, different diclofenac release profiles were obtained. Response surface plots were used to relate the dependent and the independent variables. The optimisation procedure generated an optimum of 40% release in 3 h. The levels of plasticizer concentration, quantity of coating dispersion and polymer to polymer ratio (Eudragit RS:Eudragit RL) were 25% w/w, 400 g and 3/1, respectively. The optimised formulation prepared according to computer-determined levels provided a release profile, which was close to the predicted values. We also studied thermal and surface characteristics of the polymethacrylic films to understand the influence of plasticizer concentration on the drug release from the pellets.

  11. Formulation, in vitro evaluation and study of variables on tri-layered gastro-retentive delivery system of diltiazem HCl.

    PubMed

    Raut Desai, Shilpa; Rohera, Bhagwan D

    2014-03-01

    Tri-layered floating tablets using only one grade of polyethylene oxide (PEO) would enable easy manufacturing, reproducibility and controlled release for highly soluble drugs. To evaluate the potential of PEO as a sole polymer for the controlled release and to study the effect of formulation variables on release and gastric retention of highly soluble Diltiazem hydrochloride (DTZ). Tablets were compressed with middle layer consisting of drug and polymer while outer layers consisted of polymer with sodium bicarbonate. Design of formulation to obtain 12 h, zero-order release and rapid floatation was done by varying the grades, quantity of PEO and sodium bicarbonate. Dissolution data were fitted in drug release models and swelling/erosion studies were undertaken to verify the drug release mechanism. Effect of formulation variables and tablet surface morphology using scanning electron microscopy were studied. The optimized formula passed the criteria of USP dissolution test I and exhibited floating lag-time of 3-4 min. Drug release was faster from low molecular weight (MW) PEO as compared to high MW. With an increase in the amount of sodium bicarbonate, faster buoyancy was achieved due to the increased CO2 gas formation. Drug release followed zero-order and gave a good fit to the Korsmeyer-Peppas model, which suggested that drug release was due to diffusion through polymer swelling. Zero-order, controlled release profile with the desired buoyancy can be achieved by using optimum formula quantities of sodium bicarbonate and polymer. The tri-layered system shows promising delivery of DTZ, and possibly other water-soluble drugs.

  12. Large-scale volcano-ground ice interactions on Mars

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Squyres, S. W.; Wilhelms, D.E.; Moosman, A.C.

    1987-01-01

    The process of volcano-ground ice interaction on Mars is investigated by thermodynamic calculations and observations of Viking Orbiter images. We develop a numerical model of volcano-ground ice interaction that includes heat transport by conduction, radiation from the surface, heat transfer to the atmosphere, and H2O phase changes in an ice-rich permafrost. We consider eruption of lava flows over permafrost, and intrusion of sills into permafrost. For eruption of lava over permafrost, most of the heat in the flow is lost by radiation and atmospheric effects. The amount of H2O liquid and vapor produced is small, and its removal would not be sufficient to cause collapse that would lower the surface of the lava flow below the surrounding terrain. For intrusion of a sill, most of the heat in the sill eventually goes into H2O phase changes, producing much larger amounts of water that could have profound geomorphic and geochemical effects. Approximate meltwater discharge rates are calculated for both extrusive and intrusive interactions. We examine two large regions of large-scale volcano-ground ice interactions. Near Aeolis Mensae, intrusion of a complex of dikes and sills into ice-rich ground has produced substantial melting, with mobilization and flow of material. This interaction probably also produced large quantities of palagonite tuff and breccia. Morphologic evidence for progressive fluidization implies that meltwater was stored beneath the surface for some time, and that most of the release of water and volcanic mudflow took place late in the interaction. Northeast of Hellas, several large channels emanate from the area near the volcano Hadriaca Patera. If genetically related to the volcanic activity, large collapse features at the sources of some channels must have originated due to heat from large buried magma bodies. A channel emerging directly from the base of Hadriaca Patera may have originated from release of heat from thick extruded material. Other small channels in the region results from heat released from surface lava flows. Inferred channel discharges may be compared to discharge rates calculated for lava-ground ice interactions. Such comparisons show that meltwater probably accumulated beneath the surface and then was released rapidly, with a discharge rate limited by soil permeability. Volcano-ground ice interaction has been a widespread and important geologic process on Mars, and may be the primary source of palagonites making up the ubiquitous Martian dust. ?? 1987.

  13. The acute response of pericytes to muscle-damaging eccentric contraction and protein supplementation in human skeletal muscle.

    PubMed

    De Lisio, Michael; Farup, Jean; Sukiennik, Richard A; Clevenger, Nicole; Nallabelli, Julian; Nelson, Brett; Ryan, Kelly; Rahbek, Stine K; de Paoli, Frank; Vissing, Kristian; Boppart, Marni D

    2015-10-15

    Skeletal muscle pericytes increase in quantity following eccentric exercise (ECC) and contribute to myofiber repair and adaptation in mice. The purpose of the present investigation was to examine pericyte quantity in response to muscle-damaging ECC and protein supplementation in human skeletal muscle. Male subjects were divided into protein supplement (WHY; n = 12) or isocaloric placebo (CHO; n = 12) groups and completed ECC using an isokinetic dynamometer. Supplements were consumed 3 times/day throughout the experimental time course. Biopsies were collected prior to (PRE) and 3, 24, 48, and 168 h following ECC. Reflective of the damaging protocol, integrin subunits, including α7, β1A, and β1D, increased (3.8-fold, 3.6-fold and 3.9-fold, respectively, P < 0.01) 24 h post-ECC with no difference between supplements. Pericyte quantity did not change post-ECC. WHY resulted in a small, but significant, decrease in ALP(+) pericytes when expressed as a percentage of myonuclei (CHO 6.8 ± 0.3% vs. WHY 5.8 ± 0.3%, P < 0.05) or per myofiber (CHO 0.119 ± 0.01 vs. WHY 0.098 ± 0.01, P < 0.05). The quantity of myonuclei expressing serum response factor and the number of pericytes expressing serum response factor, did not differ as a function of time post-ECC or supplement. These data demonstrate that acute muscle-damaging ECC increases α7β1 integrin content in human muscle, yet pericyte quantity is largely unaltered. Future studies should focus on the capacity for ECC to influence pericyte function, specifically paracrine factor release as a mechanism toward pericyte contribution to repair and adaptation postexercise. Copyright © 2015 the American Physiological Society.

  14. Uronic Acid Products Release from Enzymically Active Cell Wall from Tomato Fruit and Its Dependency on Enzyme Quantity and Distribution 1

    PubMed Central

    Huber, Donald J.; Lee, James H.

    1988-01-01

    Isolated cell wall from tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. cv Rutgers) fruit released polymeric (degree of polymerization [DP] > 8), oligomeric, and monomeric uronic acids in a reaction mediated by bound polygalacturonase (PG) (EC 3.2.1.15). Wall autolytic capacity increased with ripening, reflecting increased levels of bound PG; however, characteristic oligomeric and monomeric products were recovered from all wall isolates exhibiting net pectin release. The capacity of wall from fruit at early ripening (breaker, turning) to generate oligomeric and monomeric uronic acids was attributed to the nonuniform ripening pattern of the tomato fruit and, consequently, a locally dense distribution of enzyme in wall originating from those fruit portions at more temporally advanced stages of ripening. Artificial autolytically active wall, prepared by permitting solubilized PG to bind to enzymically inactive wall from maturegreen fruit, released products which were similar in size characteristics to those recovered from active wall isolates. Extraction of wall-bound PG using high concentrations of NaCl (1.2 molar) did not attenuate subsequent autolytic activity but greatly suppressed the production of oligomeric and monomeric products. An examination of water-soluble uronic acids recovered from ripe pericarp tissue disclosed the presence of polymeric and monomeric uronic acids but only trace quantities of oligomers. The significance in autolytic reactions of enzyme quantity and distribution and their possible relevance to in vivo pectin degradation will be discussed. PMID:16666191

  15. Structure-function relationships in sapwood water transport and storage.

    Treesearch

    Barbara L. Gartner; Frederick C. Meinzer

    2005-01-01

    Primary production by plants requires the loss of substantial quantities of water when the stomata are open for carbon assimilation. The delivery of that water to the leaves occurs through the xylem. The structure, condition, and quantity of the xylem control not only the transport efficiency but also the release of water from storage. For example, if there is high...

  16. In vitro fluoride release from a different kind of conventional and resin modified glass-ionomer cements

    PubMed Central

    Selimović-Dragaš, Mediha; Hasić-Branković, Lajla; Korać, Fehim; Đapo, Nermin; Huseinbegović, Amina; Kobašlija, Sedin; Lekić, Meliha; Hatibović-Kofman, Šahza

    2013-01-01

    Fluoride release is important characteristic of glass-ionomer cements. Quantity of fluoride ions released from the glass-ionomer cements has major importance in definition of their biological activity. The objectives of this study were to define the quantity of fluoride ions released from the experimental glass-ionomer cements and to define the effect of fluoride ions released from the experimental glass-ionomer cements on their cytotoxicity. Concentrations of the fluoride ions released in the evaluated glass-ionomer cements were measured indirectly, by the fluoride-selective WTW, F500 electrode potential, combined with reference R503/D electrode. Statistical analyses of F-ion concentrations released by all glass-ionomers evaluated at two time points, after 8 and after 24 hours, show statistically higher fluoride releases from RMGICs: Vitrebond, Fuji II LC and Fuji Plus, when compared to conventional glass-ionomer cements: Fuji Triage, Fuji IX GP Fast and Ketac Silver, both after 8 and after 24 hours. Correlation coefficient between concentrations of fluoride ion released by evaluated glass-ionomer cements and cytotoxic response of UMR-106 osteoblast cell-line are relatively high, but do not reach levels of biological significance. Correlation between concentrations of fluoride ion released and cytotoxic response of NIH3T3 mouse fibroblast cell line after 8 hours is high, positive and statistically significant for conventional GICs, Fuji Triage and Fuji IX GP Fast, and RMGIC, Fuji II LC. Statistically significant Correlation coefficient between concentrations of fluoride ion released and cytotoxic response of NIH3T3 cell line after 24 hours is defined for RMGIC Fuji II LC only. PMID:23988173

  17. Effects of Nitrogen Addition on Litter Decomposition and CO2 Release: Considering Changes in Litter Quantity

    PubMed Central

    Li, Hui-Chao; Hu, Ya-Lin; Mao, Rong; Zhao, Qiong; Zeng, De-Hui

    2015-01-01

    This study aims to evaluate the impacts of changes in litter quantity under simulated N deposition on litter decomposition, CO2 release, and soil C loss potential in a larch plantation in Northeast China. We conducted a laboratory incubation experiment using soil and litter collected from control and N addition (100 kg ha−1 year−1 for 10 years) plots. Different quantities of litter (0, 1, 2 and 4 g) were placed on 150 g soils collected from the same plots and incubated in microcosms for 270 days. We found that increased litter input strongly stimulated litter decomposition rate and CO2 release in both control and N fertilization microcosms, though reduced soil microbial biomass C (MBC) and dissolved inorganic N (DIN) concentration. Carbon input (C loss from litter decomposition) and carbon output (the cumulative C loss due to respiration) elevated with increasing litter input in both control and N fertilization microcosms. However, soil C loss potentials (C output–C input) reduced by 62% in control microcosms and 111% in N fertilization microcosms when litter addition increased from 1 g to 4 g, respectively. Our results indicated that increased litter input had a potential to suppress soil organic C loss especially for N addition plots. PMID:26657180

  18. [Characteristics of dissolved organic carbon release under inundation from typical grass plants in the water-level fluctuation zone of the Three Gorges Reservoir area].

    PubMed

    Tan, Qiu-Xia; Zhu, Boi; Hua, Ke-Ke

    2013-08-01

    The water-level fluctuation zone of the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) exposes in spring and summer, then, green plants especially herbaceous plants grow vigorously. In the late of September, water-level fluctuation zone of TGR goes to inundation. Meanwhile, annually accumulated biomass of plant will be submerged for decaying, resulting in organism decomposition and release a large amount of dissolved organic carbon (DOC). This may lead to negative impacts on water environment of TGR. The typical herbaceous plants from water-level fluctuation zone were collected and inundated in the laboratory for dynamic measurements of DOC concentration of overlying water. According to the determination, the DOC release rates and fluxes have been calculated. Results showed that the release process of DOC variation fitted in a parabolic curve. The peak DOC concentrations emerge averagely in the 15th day of inundation, indicating that DOC released quickly with organism decay of herbaceous plant. The release process of DOC could be described by the logarithm equation. There are significant differences between the concentration of DOC (the maximum DOC concentration is 486.88 mg x L(-1) +/- 35.97 mg x L(-1) for Centaurea picris, the minimum is 4.18 mg x L(-1) +/- 1.07 mg x L(-1) for Echinochloacrus galli) and the release amount of DOC (the maximum is 50.54 mg x g(-1) for Centaurea picris, the minimum is 6.51 mg x g(-1) for Polygonum hydropiper) due to different characteristics of plants, especially, the values of C/N of herbaceous plants. The cumulative DOC release quantities during the whole inundation period were significantly correlated with plants' C/N values in linear equations.

  19. Study on Fuel Cell Network System Considering Reduction in Fuel Cell Capacity Using Load Leveling and Heat Release Loss

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Obara, Shin'ya; Kudo, Kazuhiko

    Reduction in fuel cell capacity linked to a fuel cell network system is considered. When the power demand of the whole network is small, some of the electric power generated by the fuel cell is supplied to a water electrolysis device, and hydrogen and oxygen gases are generated. Both gases are compressed with each compressor and they are stored in cylinders. When the electric demand of the whole network is large, both gases are supplied to the network, and fuel cells are operated by these hydrogen and oxygen gases. Furthermore, an optimization plan is made to minimize the quantity of heat release of the hot water piping that connects each building. Such an energy network is analyzed assuming connection of individual houses, a hospital, a hotel, a convenience store, an office building, and a factory. Consequently, compared with the conventional system, a reduction of 46% of fuel cell capacity is expected.

  20. Intake of radioactive materials as assessed by the duplicate diet method in Fukushima.

    PubMed

    Sato, Osamu; Nonaka, Shunkichi; Tada, Jun Ichiro

    2013-12-01

    A large quantity of radioactive materials was released from Reactor-II of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (F-1 NPP). People living in the area affected by the release are concerned about internal exposures from the daily intakes of contaminated foodstuffs. In order to assess whether the people should be concerned, Co-op Fukushima (Consumer Co-operative in Fukushima Prefecture) conducted a broad survey of radiocaesium in daily meals for which local inhabitants voluntarily provided a set of duplicate meals. Analyses by the duplicate diet method were conducted from November 2011 to March 2012 and from June 2012 to September 2012, each covering 100 families throughout the prefecture. Among the 200 meals thus analysed, 12 were found to have (134)Cs and/or (137)Cs concentrations exceeding 1 Bq kg(-1). Even with the largest radiocaesium value in our survey, daily consumption of such meals throughout a year gave an annual committed effective dose that did not exceed 0.1 mSv.

  1. Human gastrin-releasing peptide gene is located on chromosome 18.

    PubMed

    Naylor, S L; Sakaguchi, A Y; Spindel, E; Chin, W W

    1987-01-01

    Gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP), a bombesin-like peptide, increases plasma levels of gastrin, pancreatic polypeptide, glucagon, gastric inhibitory peptide, and insulin. GRP is produced in large quantities by small-cell lung cancer and acts as a growth factor for these cells. To determine if chromosomal changes in small-cell lung cancer are related to the expression of GRP, we chromosomally mapped the gene using human-mouse somatic cell hybrids. Twenty hybrids, characterized for human chromosomes, were analyzed by Southern filter hybridization of DNA digested with EcoRI. Human DNA cut with EcoRI yields a major band of 6.8 kb and a minor band of 11.3 kb. The 6.8 kb band segregated concordantly with chromosome 18 and the marker peptidase A. The chromosome 3 abnormalities seen in small-cell lung cancer do not correlate with the chromosomal location of GRP, suggesting that the elevated expression of this gene may be due to mechanisms other than chromosomal rearrangement.

  2. Electron donor preference of a reductive dechlorinating consortium

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Lorah, M.M.; Majcher, E.; Jones, E.; Driedger, G.; Dworatzek, S.; Graves, D.

    2005-01-01

    A wetland sediment-derived microbial consortium was developed by the USGS and propagated in vitro to large quantities by SiREM Laboratory for use in bioaugmentation applications. The consortium had the capacity to completely dechlorinate 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethene, tetrachloroethylene, trichloroethylene, 1,1,2-trichloroethane, cis- and trans-1,2-dichoroethylene, 1.1-dichloroethylene, 1,2-dichloroethane, vinyl chloride, carbon tetrachloride and chloroform. A suite of electron donors with characteristics useful for bioaugmentation applications was tested. The electron donors included lactate (the donor used during WBC-2 development), ethanol, chitin (Chitorem???), hydrogen releasing compound (HRC???), emulsified vegetable oil (Newman Zone???), and hydrogen gas. Ethanol, lactate, and chitin were particularly effective with respect to stimulating, supporting, and sustaining reductive dechlorination of the broad suite of chemicals that WBC-2 biodegraded. Chitorem??? was the most effective "slow release" electron donor tested. This is an abstract of a paper presented at the Proceedings of the 8th International In Situ and On-Site Bioremediation Symposium (Baltimore, MD 6/6-9/2005).

  3. Miniature bulge test and energy release rate in HIPed aluminum/aluminum interfacial fracture

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

    Liu, C.; Lovato, M. L.; Clarke, K. D.

    We summarize the development of a technique of using miniature bulge test combined with three-dimensional digital image correlation (3D-DIC) for measuring energy release rate or fracture toughness of bimaterial interface of thin metal foils. Furthermore, the energy release rate associated with the HIPed aluminum/aluminum interfacial delamination is determined experimentally using the proposed technique. Detailed discussions of the schemes of preparing and conducting the bulge test, and computing various quantities required for the determination of the energy release rate are presented.

  4. Miniature bulge test and energy release rate in HIPed aluminum/aluminum interfacial fracture

    DOE PAGES

    Liu, C.; Lovato, M. L.; Clarke, K. D.; ...

    2017-10-13

    We summarize the development of a technique of using miniature bulge test combined with three-dimensional digital image correlation (3D-DIC) for measuring energy release rate or fracture toughness of bimaterial interface of thin metal foils. Furthermore, the energy release rate associated with the HIPed aluminum/aluminum interfacial delamination is determined experimentally using the proposed technique. Detailed discussions of the schemes of preparing and conducting the bulge test, and computing various quantities required for the determination of the energy release rate are presented.

  5. Iodine-131 Releases from Radioactive Lanthanum Processing at the X-10 Site in Oak Ridge, Tennessee (1944-1956)- An Assessment of Quantities released, Off-Site Radiation Doses, and Potential Excess Risks of Thyroid Cancer, Volume 1

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

    Apostoaei, A.I.; Burns, R.E.; Hoffman, F.O.

    1999-07-01

    In the early 1990s, concern about the Oak Ridge Reservation's past releases of contaminants to the environment prompted Tennessee's public health officials to pursue an in-depth study of potential off-site health effects at Oak Ridge. This study, the Oak Ridge dose reconstruction, was supported by an agreement between the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the State of Tennessee, and was overseen by a 12-member panel appointed by Tennessee's Commissioner of Health. One of the major contaminants studied in the dose reconstruction was radioactive iodine, which was released to the air by X-10 (now called Oak Ridge National Laboratory) asmore » it processed spent nuclear reactor fuel from 1944 through 1956. The process recovered radioactive lanthanum for use in weapons development. Iodine concentrates in the thyroid gland so health concerns include various diseases of the thyroid, such as thyroid cancer. The large report, ''Iodine-131 Releases from Radioactive Lanthanum Processing at the X-10 Site in Oak Ridge, Tennessee (1944-1956) - An Assessment of Quantities Released, Off-site Radiation Doses, and Potential Excess Risks of Thyroid Cancer,'' is in two volumes. Volume 1 is the main body of the report, and Volume 1A, which has the same title, consists of 22 supporting appendices. Together, these reports serve the following purposes: (1) describe the methodologies used to estimate the amount of iodine-131 (I-131) released; (2) evaluate I-131's pathway from air to vegetation to food to humans; (3) estimate doses received by human thyroids; (4) estimate excess risk of acquiring a thyroid cancer during ones lifetime; and (5) provide equations, examples of historical documents used, and tables of calculated values. Results indicate that females born in 1952 who consumed milk from a goat pastured a few miles east of X-10 received the highest doses from I-131 and would have had the highest risks of contracting thyroid cancer. Doses from cow's milk are considerably less . Detailed dose and risk estimates, and associated uncertainties, for other contaminants studied for the Oak Ridge dose reconstruction are presented in several other technical reports. One way to easily locate them in OSTI's Information Bridge is by searching the ''report number field'' for the number DOE/OR/21981*. Be sure to place the asterisk after the base number so your search can list the complete series of reports related to Oak Ridge Dose Reconstruction.« less

  6. Identification of coronal heating events in 3D simulations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kanella, Charalambos; Gudiksen, Boris V.

    2017-07-01

    Context. The solar coronal heating problem has been an open question in the science community since 1939. One of the proposed models for the transport and release of mechanical energy generated in the sub-photospheric layers and photosphere is the magnetic reconnection model that incorporates Ohmic heating, which releases a part of the energy stored in the magnetic field. In this model many unresolved flaring events occur in the solar corona, releasing enough energy to heat the corona. Aims: The problem with the verification and quantification of this model is that we cannot resolve small scale events due to limitations of the current observational instrumentation. Flaring events have scaling behavior extending from large X-class flares down to the so far unobserved nanoflares. Histograms of observable characteristics of flares show powerlaw behavior for energy release rate, size, and total energy. Depending on the powerlaw index of the energy release, nanoflares might be an important candidate for coronal heating; we seek to find that index. Methods: In this paper we employ a numerical three-dimensional (3D)-magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulation produced by the numerical code Bifrost, which enables us to look into smaller structures, and a new technique to identify the 3D heating events at a specific instant. The quantity we explore is the Joule heating, a term calculated directly by the code, which is explicitly correlated with the magnetic reconnection because it depends on the curl of the magnetic field. Results: We are able to identify 4136 events in a volume 24 × 24 × 9.5 Mm3 (I.e., 768 × 786 × 331 grid cells) of a specific snapshot. We find a powerlaw slope of the released energy per second equal to αP = 1.5 ± 0.02, and two powerlaw slopes of the identified volume equal to αV = 1.53 ± 0.03 and αV = 2.53 ± 0.22. The identified energy events do not represent all the released energy, but of the identified events, the total energy of the largest events dominate the energy release. Most of the energy release happens in the lower corona, while heating drops with height. We find that with a specific identification method large events can be resolved into smaller ones, but at the expense of the total identified energy releases. The energy release that cannot be identified as an event favors a low energy release mechanism. Conclusions: This is the first step to quantitatively identify magnetic reconnection sites and measure the energy released by current sheet formation.

  7. KSC-2014-4230

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2014-09-25

    CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, crew chief Mark Smith of URS looks out the side door down at the Bambi Bucket. Securely strapped to the helicopter floor, his position allows him to tell the pilot precisely when to release the water over the target. Firefighters respond to wildfires with teams on the ground and in the air. The most up-to-date tools include helicopters that use Bambi Buckets large quantities of water. NASA Flight Operations teams are training to perfect the skills needed to ensure they are ready to use tools, such as the Bambi Bucket, in the event of an out-of-control blaze at the spaceport. Photo credit: NASA/Frankie Martin

  8. Explosion Hazards Associated with Spills of Large Quantities of Hazardous Materials. Phase I

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1974-10-01

    quantities of hazardous material such as liquified natural gas ( LNG ), liquified petroleum gils (LPG), or ethylene. The principal results are (1) a...associated with spills of large quantities of hazardous material such as liquified natural gas ( LNG ), liquified petroleum gas (LPG), or ethylene. The...liquified natural gas ( LNG ). Unfortunately, as the quantity of material shipped at one time increases, so does the potential hazard associated with

  9. A summary description of the flammable gas tank safety program

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

    Johnson, G.D.; Sherwood, D.J.

    1994-10-01

    Radioactive liquid waste may produce hydrogen as result of the interaction of gamma radiation and water. If the waste contains organic chelating agents, additional hydrogen as well as nitrous oxide and ammonia may be produced by thermal and radiolytic decomposition of these organics. Several high-level radioactive liquid waste storage tanks, located underground at the Hanford Site in Washington State, are on a Flammable Gas Watch List. Some contain waste that produces and retains gases until large quantities of gas are released rapidly to the tank vapor space. Tanks nearly-filled to capacity have relatively little vapor space; therefore if the wastemore » suddenly releases a large amount of hydrogen and nitrous oxide, a flammable gas mixture could result. The most notable example of a Hanford waste tank with a flammable gas problem is tank 241-SY-101. Upon occasion waste stored in this tank has released enough flammable gas to burn if an ignition source had been present inside of the tank. Several, other Hanford waste tanks exhibit similar behavior although to a lesser magnitude. Because this behavior was hot adequately-addressed in safety analysis reports for the Hanford Tank Farms, an unreviewed safety question was declared, and in 1990 the Flammable Gas Tank Safety Program was established to address this problem. The purposes of the program are a follows: (1) Provide safety documents to fill gaps in the safety analysis reports, and (2) Resolve the safety issue by acquiring knowledge about gas retention and release from radioactive liquid waste and developing mitigation technology. This document provides the general logic and work activities required to resolve the unreviewed safety question and the safety issue of flammable gas mixtures in radioactive liquid waste storage tanks.« less

  10. EPA issues interim final waste minimization guidance

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

    Bergeson, L.L.

    1993-08-01

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released a new and detailed interim final guidance to assist hazardous waste generators in certifying they have a waste minimization program in place under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). EPA's guidance identifies the basic elements of a waste minimization program in place that, if present, will allow people to certify they have implemented a program to reduce the volume and toxicity of hazardous waste to the extent economically practical. The guidance is directly applicable to generators of 1000 or more kilograms per month of hazardous waste, or large-quantity generators, and tomore » owners and operators of hazardous waste treatment, storage or disposal facilities who manage their own hazardous waste on site. Small-quantity generators that generate more than 100 kilograms, but less than 1,000 kilograms, per month of hazardous waste are not subject to the same program in place certification requirement. Rather, they must certify on their manifests that they have made a good faith effort to minimize their waste generation.« less

  11. Variability in evaluating environmental impacts of treated wood.

    Treesearch

    Stan Lebow; Paul Cooper; Patricia. Lebow

    2004-01-01

    Preservative treated wood contains components that may be toxic to non-target organisms if released into the environment in sufficient quantities. Numerous studies have been conducted to determine the rate of preservative release from treated wood and/or the extent of their subsequent accumulation in the environment. These studies have produced a wide range of results...

  12. Variability in evaluating environmental impacts of treated wood.

    Treesearch

    Stan T. Lebow; Paul Cooper; Patricia K. Lebow

    2004-01-01

    Preservative-treated wood contains components that may be toxic to non-target organisms if released into the environment in sufficient quantities. Numerous studies have been conducted to determine the rate of preservative release from treated wood and/or the extent of their subsequent accumulation in the environment. These studies have produced a wide range of results...

  13. Report: EPA Should Update Guidance to Address the Release of Potentially Harmful Quantities of Asbestos That Can Occur Under EPA’s Asbestos Demolition Standard

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    Report #15-P-0168, June 16, 2015. Under the EPA's asbestos demolition standard, demolishing buildings that are structurally unsound and in imminent danger of collapse can release enough asbestos into the environment to pose a potential risk to human health

  14. The Release of Nanosilver from Consumer Products Used in the Home

    PubMed Central

    Benn, Troy; Cavanagh, Bridget; Hristovski, Kiril; Posner, Jonathan D.; Westerhoff, Paul

    2016-01-01

    Nanosilver has become one of the most widely used nanomaterials in consumer products because of its antimicrobial properties. Public concern over the potential adverse effects of nanosilver's environmental release has prompted discussion of federal regulation. In this paper, we assess several classes of consumer products for their silver content and potential to release nanosilver into water, air, or soil. Silver was quantified in a shirt, a medical mask and cloth, toothpaste, shampoo, detergent, a towel, a toy teddy bear, and two humidifiers. Silver concentrations ranged from 1.4 to 270,000 μg Ag g product−1. Products were washed in 500 mL of tap water to assess the potential release of silver into aqueous environmental matrices (wastewater, surface water, saliva, etc.). Silver was released in quantities up to 45 μg Ag g product−1, and size fractions were both larger and smaller than 100 nm. Scanning electron microscopy confirmed the presence of nanoparticle silver in most products as well as in the wash water samples. Four products were subjected to a toxicity characterization leaching procedure to assess the release of silver in a landfill. The medical cloth released an amount of silver comparable to the toxicity characterization limit. This paper presents methodologies that can be used to quantify and characterize silver and other nanomaterials in consumer products. The quantities of silver in consumer products can in turn be used to estimate real-world human and environmental exposure levels. PMID:21284285

  15. Numerical Simulation of an Industrial Cumulus Affected by Heat, Moisture, and CCN Released from an Oil Refinery.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Guan, S.; Reuter, G. W.

    1996-08-01

    Large oil refineries emit heat, vapor, and cloud condensation nuclei (CCN), all of which can affect the formation of cloud and precipitation. This study quantities the relative contributions of the three factors on cloud development in calm wind conditions using an axisymmetric cloud model. The factor separation technique is applied to isolate the net contributions of waste heat, vapor, and CCN on the rainfall of a cumulus developing in the industrial plume. The mutual-interactive contributions of two or three of the factors are also computed.The simulations for midlatitude and tropical conditions indicate that the sensible heat provides the major stimulus for cloud development and rain formation. The pure contribution of the industrial CCN is to enhance the condensation, causing an increase in the mass of total cloud water. The simulation results indicate that mutual interactions between waste heat and industrial CCN are large for both cases considered.

  16. Biological effects of cesium-137 injected in beagle dogs of different ages

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

    Nikula, K.J.; Muggenburg, B.A.; Griffith, W.C.

    1995-12-01

    The toxicity of cesium-137 ({sup 137}Cs) in the Beagle dog was investigated at the Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) as part of a program to evaluate the biological effects of internally deposited radionuclides. The toxicity and health effects of {sup 137}Cs are important to understand because {sup 137}Cs is produced in large amounts in light-water nuclear reactors. Large quantities of cesium radioisotopes have entered the human food chain as a result of atmospheric nuclear weapons test, and additional cesium radioisotopes were released during the Chernobyl accident. Although the final analyses are not complete, three findings are significant: older dogs dies significantlymore » earlier than juvenile and young adult dogs; greater occurrence of sarcomas in the cesium-137 injected dogs; the major nonneoplastic effect in dogs surviving beyond 52 d appears to be testicular atrophy.« less

  17. Examination of synovial fluid hyaluronan quantity and quality in stifle joints of dogs with osteoarthritis.

    PubMed

    Venable, Rachel O; Stoker, Aaron M; Cook, Cristi R; Cockrell, Mary K; Cook, James L

    2008-12-01

    To determine the quantity (concentration) and quality (molecular weight) of synovial fluid hyaluronan with respect to presence and severity of osteoarthritis in stifle joints of dogs. 21 purpose-bred dogs and 6 clinically affected large-breed dogs (cranial cruciate ligament [CrCL] disease with secondary osteoarthritis). Research dogs underwent arthroscopic surgery in 1 stifle joint to induce osteoarthritis via CrCL transection (CrCLt; n=5 stifle joints), femoral condylar articular cartilage groove creation (GR; 6), or meniscal release (MR; 5); 5 had sham surgery (SH) performed. Contralateral stifle joints (n=21) were used as unoperated control joints. Synovial fluid was obtained from research dogs at time 0 and 12 weeks after surgery and from clinically affected dogs prior to surgery. All dogs were assessed for lameness, radiographic signs of osteoarthritis, and pathologic findings on arthroscopy as well as for quantity and quality of hyaluronan. Clinically affected dogs had significantly greater degrees of pathologic findings, compared with dogs with surgically induced osteoarthritis (ie, those with CrCLt, GR, and MR stifle joints), and with respect to lameness scores, radiographic signs of osteoarthritis, pathologic findings on arthroscopy, and synovial fluid hyaluronan concentration. Synovial fluid from stifle joints of dogs with surgically induced osteoarthritis had hyaluronan bands at 35 kd on western blots that synovial fluid from SH and clinically affected stifle joints did not. Synovial fluid hyaluronan quantity and quality were altered in stifle joints of dogs with osteoarthritis, compared with control stifle joints. A specific hyaluronan protein fragment may be associated with early pathologic changes in affected joints.

  18. Hydrogen release from 800 MeV proton-irradiated tungsten

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Oliver, B. M.; Venhaus, T. J.; Causey, R. A.; Garner, F. A.; Maloy, S. A.

    2002-12-01

    Tungsten irradiated in spallation neutron sources, such as those proposed for the accelerator production of tritium (APT) project, will contain large quantities of generated helium and hydrogen gas. Tungsten used in proposed fusion reactors will also be exposed to neutrons, and the generated protium will be accompanied by deuterium and tritium diffusing in from the plasma-facing surface. The release kinetics of these gases during various off-normal scenarios involving loss of coolant and after heat-induced rises in temperature are of particular interest for both applications. To determine the release kinetics of hydrogen from tungsten, tungsten rods irradiated with 800 MeV protons in the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE) to high exposures as part of the APT project have been examined. Hydrogen evolution from the tungsten has been measured using a dedicated mass-spectrometer system by subjecting the specimens to an essentially linear temperature ramp from ˜300 to ˜1500 K. Release profiles are compared with predictions obtained using the Tritium Migration Analysis Program (TMAP4). The measurements show that for high proton doses, the majority of the hydrogen is released gradually, starting at about 900 K and reaching a maximum at about 1400 K, where it drops fairly rapidly. Comparisons with TMAP show quite reasonable agreement using a trap energy of 1.4 eV and a trap density of ˜7%. There is a small additional release fraction occurring at ˜550 K, which is believed to be associated with low-energy trapping at or near the surface, and, therefore, was not included in the bulk TMAP model.

  19. RCRA/UST, superfund, and EPCRA hotline training module. Introduction to toxics release inventory: Estimating releases (EPCRA section 313; 40 CFR part 372). Updated as of November 1995

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

    NONE

    1996-03-01

    The module provides an overview of general techniques that owners and operators of reporting facilities may use to estimate their toxic chemical releases. It exlains the basic release estimation techniques used to determine the chemical quantities reported on the Form R and uses those techniques, along with fundamental chemical or physical principles and properties, to estimate releases of listed toxic chemicals. It converts units of mass, volume, and time. It states the rules governing significant figures and rounding techniques, and references general and industry-specific estimation documents.

  20. Polyester Textiles as a Source of Microplastics from Households: A Mechanistic Study to Understand Microfiber Release During Washing.

    PubMed

    Hernandez, Edgar; Nowack, Bernd; Mitrano, Denise M

    2017-06-20

    Microplastic fibers make up a large proportion of microplastics found in the environment, especially in urban areas. There is good reason to consider synthetic textiles a major source of microplastic fibers, and it will not diminish since the use of synthetic fabrics, especially polyester, continues to increase. In this study we provide quantitative data regarding the size and mass of microplastic fibers released from synthetic (polyester) textiles during simulated home washing under controlled laboratory conditions. Consideration of fabric structure and washing conditions (use of detergents, temperature, wash duration, and sequential washings) allowed us to study the propensity of fiber shedding in a mechanistic way. Thousands of individual fibers were measured (number, length) from each wash solution to provide a robust data set on which to draw conclusions. Among all the variables tested, the use of detergent appeared to affect the total mass of fibers released the most, yet the detergent composition (liquid or powder) or overdosing of detergent did not significantly influence microplastic release. Despite different release quantities due to the addition of a surfactant (approximately 0.025 and 0.1 mg fibers/g textile washed, without and with detergent, respectively), the overall microplastic fiber length profile remained similar regardless of wash condition or fabric structure, with the vast majority of fibers ranging between 100 and 800 μm in length irrespective of wash cycle number. This indicates that the fiber staple length and/or debris encapsulated inside the fabric from the yarn spinning could be directly responsible for releasing stray fibers. This study serves as a first look toward understanding the physical properties of the textile itself to better understand the mechanisms of fiber shedding in the context of microplastic fiber release into laundry wash water.

  1. Hypsometric amplification and routing moderation of Greenland ice sheet meltwater release

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    van As, Dirk; Mikkelsen, Andreas Bech; Holtegaard Nielsen, Morten; Box, Jason E.; Claesson Liljedahl, Lillemor; Lindbäck, Katrin; Pitcher, Lincoln; Hasholt, Bent

    2017-06-01

    Concurrent ice sheet surface runoff and proglacial discharge monitoring are essential for understanding Greenland ice sheet meltwater release. We use an updated, well-constrained river discharge time series from the Watson River in southwest Greenland, with an accurate, observation-based ice sheet surface mass balance model of the ˜ 12 000 km2 ice sheet area feeding the river. For the 2006-2015 decade, we find a large range of a factor of 3 in interannual variability in discharge. The amount of discharge is amplified ˜ 56 % by the ice sheet's hypsometry, i.e., area increase with elevation. A good match between river discharge and ice sheet surface meltwater production is found after introducing elevation-dependent transit delays that moderate diurnal variability in meltwater release by a factor of 10-20. The routing lag time increases with ice sheet elevation and attains values in excess of 1 week for the upper reaches of the runoff area at ˜ 1800 m above sea level. These multi-day routing delays ensure that the highest proglacial discharge levels and thus overbank flooding events are more likely to occur after multi-day melt episodes. Finally, for the Watson River ice sheet catchment, we find no evidence of meltwater storage in or release from the en- and subglacial environments in quantities exceeding our methodological uncertainty, based on the good match between ice sheet runoff and proglacial discharge.

  2. Dynamic Electrochemical Control of Cell Capture-and-Release Based on Redox-Controlled Host-Guest Interactions.

    PubMed

    Gao, Tao; Li, Liudi; Wang, Bei; Zhi, Jun; Xiang, Yang; Li, Genxi

    2016-10-18

    Artificial control of cell adhesion on smart surface is an on-demand technique in areas ranging from tissue engineering, stem cell differentiation, to the design of cell-based diagnostic system. In this paper, we report an electrochemical system for dynamic control of cell catch-and-release, which is based on the redox-controlled host-guest interaction. Experimental results reveal that the interaction between guest molecule (ferrocene, Fc) and host molecule (β-cyclodextrin, β-CD) is highly sensitive to electrochemical stimulus. By applying a reduction voltage, the uncharged Fc can bind to β-CD that is immobilized at the electrode surface. Otherwise, it is disassociated from the surface as a result of electrochemical oxidation, thus releasing the captured cells. The catch-and-release process on this voltage-responsive surface is noninvasive with the cell viability over 86%. Moreover, because Fc can act as an electrochemical probe for signal readout, the integration of this property has further extended the ability of this system to cell detection. Electrochemical signal has been greatly enhanced for cell detection by introducing branched polymer scaffold that are carrying large quantities of Fc moieties. Therefore, a minimum of 10 cells can be analyzed. It is anticipated that such redox-controlled system can be an important tool in biological and biomedical research, especially for electrochemical stimulated tissue engineering and cell-based clinical diagnosis.

  3. Controlled long-term release of small peptide hormones using a new microporous polypropylene polymer: its application for vasopressin in the Brattleboro rat and potential perinatal use

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

    Kruisbrink, J.; Boer, G.J.

    1984-12-01

    Based on drug release by microporous hollow fibers and the recent introduction of microporous polymers, a new technique was developed for controlled delivery of peptides. Small-diameter microporous polypropylene tubing, lumen-loaded with microgram quantities of vasopressin, and coated with collodion, releases vasopressin after in vitro immersion slowly (1-100 ng/d) and constantly for months. The mechanism of pseudo-zero-order delivery is based on high adsorption of vasopressin, keeping the void volume concentration of dissolved vasopressin constant, which is consequently a constant driving force of outward diffusion. The collodion coating prevents the entry of proteinaceous compounds which would result in rapid desorption of vasopressin.more » The present delivery module provides a lasting release for other peptides as well (lysine-vasopressin, oxytocin, alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone and, to a lesser extent, Met-enkephalin). The microporous polymer-collodion device is biocompatible and, loaded with vasopressin, successfully alleviates the diabetes insipidus of Brattleboro rats deficient for vasopressin. Subcutaneous implantation normalized diuresis for a period of 60 d and constant urine vasopressin excretion is observed. When the commercially available osmotic minipump is too large for implantation, the small size of the present controlled-delivery system allows peptide treatment of young and immature laboratory rats, even if located in utero.« less

  4. System and process for polarity swing assisted regeneration of gas selective capture liquids

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

    Heldebrant, David J.; Tegrotenhuis, Ward E.; Freeman, Charles J.

    A polarity swing-assisted regeneration (PSAR) process is disclosed for improving the efficiency of releasing gases chemically bound to switchable ionic liquids. Regeneration of the SWIL involves addition of a quantity of non-polar organic compound as an anti-solvent to destabilize the SWIL, which aids in release of the chemically bound gas. The PSAR decreases gas loading of a SWIL at a given temperature and increases the rate of gas release compared to heating in the absence of anti-solvent.

  5. Assessment of plutonium in the Savannah River Site environment. Revision 1

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

    Carlton, W.H.; Evans, A.G.; Geary, L.A.

    1992-12-31

    Plutonium in the Savannah River Site Environment is published as a part of the Radiological Assessment Program (RAP). It is the fifth in a series of eight documents on individual radioisotopes released to the environment as a result of Savannah River Site (SRS) operations. These are living documents, each to be revised and updated on a two-year schedule. This document describes the sources of plutonium in the environment, its release from SRS, environmental transport and ecological concentration of plutonium, and the radiological impact of SRS releases to the environment. Plutonium exists in the environment as a result of above-ground nuclearmore » weapons tests, the Chernobyl accident, the destruction of satellite SNAP 9-A, plane crashes involving nuclear weapons, and small releases from reactors and reprocessing plants. Plutonium has been produced at SRS during the operation of five production reactors and released in small quantities during the processing of fuel and targets in chemical separations facilities. Approximately 0.6 Ci of plutonium was released into streams and about 12 Ci was released to seepage basins, where it was tightly bound by clay in the soil. A smaller quantity, about 3.8 Ci, was released to the atmosphere. Virtually all releases have occurred in F- and H-Area separation facilities. Plutonium concentration and transport mechanisms for the atmosphere, surface water, and ground water releases have been extensively studied by Savannah River Technology Center (SRTC) and ecological mechanisms have been studied by Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (SREL). The overall radiological impact of SRS releases to the offsite maximum individual can be characterized by a total dose of 15 mrem (atmospheric) and 0.18 mrem (liquid), compared with the dose of 12,960 mrem from non-SRS sources during the same period of time (1954--1989). Plutonium releases from SRS facilities have resulted in a negligible impact to the environment and the population it supports.« less

  6. Bioinspired nanovalves with selective permeability and pH sensitivity

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zheng, Z.; Huang, X.; Schenderlein, M.; Moehwald, H.; Xu, G.-K.; Shchukin, D. G.

    2015-01-01

    Biological systems with controlled permeability and release functionality, which are among the successful examples of living beings to survive in evolution, have attracted intensive investigation and have been mimicked due to their broad spectrum of applications. We present in this work, for the first time, an example of nuclear pore complexes (NPCs)-inspired controlled release system that exhibits on-demand release of angstrom-sized molecules. We do so in a cost-effective way by stabilizing porous cobalt basic carbonates as nanovalves and realizing pH-sensitive release of entrapped subnano cargo. The proof-of-concept work also consists of the establishment of two mathematical models to explain the selective permeability of the nanovalves. Finally, gram-sized (or larger) quantities of the bio-inspired controlled release system can be synthesized through a scaling-up strategy, which opens up opportunities for controlled release of functional molecules in wider practical applications.Biological systems with controlled permeability and release functionality, which are among the successful examples of living beings to survive in evolution, have attracted intensive investigation and have been mimicked due to their broad spectrum of applications. We present in this work, for the first time, an example of nuclear pore complexes (NPCs)-inspired controlled release system that exhibits on-demand release of angstrom-sized molecules. We do so in a cost-effective way by stabilizing porous cobalt basic carbonates as nanovalves and realizing pH-sensitive release of entrapped subnano cargo. The proof-of-concept work also consists of the establishment of two mathematical models to explain the selective permeability of the nanovalves. Finally, gram-sized (or larger) quantities of the bio-inspired controlled release system can be synthesized through a scaling-up strategy, which opens up opportunities for controlled release of functional molecules in wider practical applications. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c4nr06378c

  7. Calculating Time-Integral Quantities in Depletion Calculations

    DOE PAGES

    Isotalo, Aarno

    2016-06-02

    A method referred to as tally nuclides is presented for accurately and efficiently calculating the time-step averages and integrals of any quantities that are weighted sums of atomic densities with constant weights during the step. The method allows all such quantities to be calculated simultaneously as a part of a single depletion solution with existing depletion algorithms. Some examples of the results that can be extracted include step-average atomic densities and macroscopic reaction rates, the total number of fissions during the step, and the amount of energy released during the step. Furthermore, the method should be applicable with several depletionmore » algorithms, and the integrals or averages should be calculated with an accuracy comparable to that reached by the selected algorithm for end-of-step atomic densities. The accuracy of the method is demonstrated in depletion calculations using the Chebyshev rational approximation method. Here, we demonstrate how the ability to calculate energy release in depletion calculations can be used to determine the accuracy of the normalization in a constant-power burnup calculation during the calculation without a need for a reference solution.« less

  8. A novel method for estimating methane emissions from underground coal mines: The Yanma coal mine, China

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ji, Zhong-Min; Chen, Zhi-Jian; Pan, Jie-Nan; Niu, Qing-He

    2017-12-01

    As the world's largest coal producer and consumer, China accounts for a relatively high proportion of methane emissions from coal mines. Several estimation methods had been established for the coal mine methane (CMM) emission. However, with large regional differences, various reservoir formation types of coalbed methane (CBM) and due to the complicated geological conditions in China, these methods may be deficient or unsuitable for all the mining areas (e.g. Jiaozuo mining area). By combing the CMM emission characteristics and considering the actual situation of methane emissions from underground coal mine, we found that the methane pre-drainage is a crucial reason creating inaccurate evaluating results for most estimation methods. What makes it so essential is the extensive pre-drainage quantity and its irrelevance with annual coal production. Accordingly, the methane releases were divided into two categories: methane pre-drainage and methane release during mining. On this basis, a pioneering method for estimating CMM emissions was proposed. Taking the Yanma coal mine in the Jiaozuo mining area as a study case, the evaluation method of the pre-drainage methane quantity was established after the correlation analysis between the pre-drainage rate and time. Thereafter, the mining activity influence factor (MAIF) was first introduced to reflect the methane release from the coal and rock seams around where affected by mining activity, and the buried depth was adopted as the predictor of the estimation for future methane emissions. It was verified in the six coal mines of Jiaozuo coalfield (2011) that the new estimation method has the minimum errors of 12.11%, 9.23%, 5.77%, -5.20%, -8.75% and 4.92% respectively comparing with other methods. This paper gives a further insight and proposes a more accurate evaluation method for the CMM emissions, especially for the coal seams with low permeability and strong tectonic deformation in methane outburst coal mines.

  9. The impact of antibacterial handsoap constituents on the dynamics of triclosan dissolution from dry sand.

    PubMed

    Koehler, Daniel A; Strevett, Keith A; Papelis, Charalambos; Kibbey, Tohren C G

    2017-11-01

    Triclosan has been widely used as an antibacterial agent in consumer and industrial products, and large quantities continue to be discharged to natural waters annually. The focus of this work was on studying the dynamics of triclosan dissolution following evaporative drying. Warm weather can cause the water in intermittent streams or the unsaturated zone to evaporate, causing nonvolatile compounds to form solid precipitates. Because dissolution of precipitates is a relatively slow process, the dynamics of dissolution following evaporation may play an important role in controlling the release of contaminants to the environment. The specific purpose of the work was to explore the effects of surfactant co-contaminants from an industrial antibiotic handsoap on the dissolution dynamics of triclosan. The work used a fiber optic-based optical cell to conduct stirred-batch dissolution experiments for sands coated with different mass loadings of triclosan. Results show that the presence of surfactants from the hand soap not only increase the apparent equilibrium solubility, but also increase the rate of approach to equilibrium. A model describing the dissolution process was developed, and was found to be consistent with experimental data. Results of the work suggest that even small solubility enhancement by surfactant co-contaminants may have a significant impact on dissolution dynamics. Because waters containing significant quantities of triclosan are also among those most likely to contain surfactant co-contaminants, it is likely that the release of triclosan to the environment following evaporation may be faster in many cases than would be predicted from experiments based on pure triclosan. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Remedial investigation/feasibility study report for Lower Watts Bar Reservoir Operable Unit

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

    NONE

    1995-03-01

    This document is the combined Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study Report for the lower Watts Bar Reservoir (LWBR) Operable Unit (OU). The LWBR is located in Roane, Rhea, and Meigs counties, Tennessee, and consists of Watts Bar Reservoir downstream of the Clinch river. This area has received hazardous substances released over a period of 50 years from the US Department of Energy`s Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR), a National Priority List site established under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). As required by this law, the ORR and all off-site areas that have received contaminants, including LWBR, mustmore » be investigated to determine the risk to human health and the environment resulting from these releases, the need for any remedial action to reduce these risks, and the remedial actions that are most feasible for implementation in this OU. Contaminants from the ORR are primarily transported to the LWBR via the Clinch River. There is little data regarding the quantities of most contaminants potentially released from the ORR to the Clinch River, particularly for the early years of ORR operations. Estimates of the quantities released during this period are available for most radionuclides and some inorganic contaminants, indicating that releases 30 to 50 years ago were much higher than today. Since the early 1970s, the release of potential contaminants has been monitored for compliance with environmental law and reported in the annual environmental monitoring reports for the ORR.« less

  11. Feedback in low-mass galaxies in the early Universe.

    PubMed

    Erb, Dawn K

    2015-07-09

    The formation, evolution and death of massive stars release large quantities of energy and momentum into the gas surrounding the sites of star formation. This process, generically termed 'feedback', inhibits further star formation either by removing gas from the galaxy, or by heating it to temperatures that are too high to form new stars. Observations reveal feedback in the form of galactic-scale outflows of gas in galaxies with high rates of star formation, especially in the early Universe. Feedback in faint, low-mass galaxies probably facilitated the escape of ionizing radiation from galaxies when the Universe was about 500 million years old, so that the hydrogen between galaxies changed from neutral to ionized-the last major phase transition in the Universe.

  12. Mars low albedo regions: Possible map of near-surface

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Huguenin, R. L.

    1987-01-01

    A freeze/thaw desorption mechanism is proposed in certain low albedo areas which could be the factor that instigated dust storms. It is widely accepted that the bulk of the episodic gas evolution (not necessarily the oxygen release) experienced during the humidification process in the Viking Gas Exhange Experiment (GEX) was caused by a familiar process in which more polar H2O molecules replace large quantities of other preadsorbed gas molecules on adsorption sites. The author suggests that a similar process could produce high pore pressures in soil that could disrupt the soil and eject dust at high velocity. The author also argued that association of sites of dust storms initiated with high thermal inertial areas may simply reflect repeated dust depletion.

  13. The recovered energy advantage; Unique new turboexpander makes use of pressure reduction

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

    Not Available

    1989-03-01

    The oil and gas industry does not just produce energy. The industry also consumes large quantities of energy in transporting hydrocarbons to the customer. A convenient, inexpensive source of usable energy would represent a distinct economical advantage to any phase of the industry. Smaller, more flexible and more affordable turboexpanders offer just such an advantage at many application points from the wellhead to the customer. This paper describes the turboexpander, a simple machine in which fluid or gas at high pressure is expanded to achieve a lower pressure. The released energy drives a turbine wheel and generates power or mechanicalmore » work. A turbo charger on a gasoline or diesel engine is a common example of a turboexpander.« less

  14. A small quantity of sodium arsenite will kill large cull hardwoods

    Treesearch

    Francis M. Rushmore

    1956-01-01

    Although it is well known that sodium arsenite is an effective silvicide, forestry literature contains little information about the minimum quantities of this chemical that are required to kill large cull trees. Such information would be of value because if small quantities of a chemical will produce satisfactory results, small holes or frills in the tree will hold it...

  15. Can hi-jacking hypoxia inhibit extracellular vesicles in cancer?

    PubMed

    Lowry, Michelle C; O'Driscoll, Lorraine

    2018-06-01

    Increasing evidence indicates that extracellular vesicles (EVs) are key players in undesirable cell-cell communication in cancer. However, the release of EVs is not unique to cancer cells; normal cells release EVs to perform physiological roles. Thus, selective inhibition of EV release from cancer cells is desirable. Hypoxia contributes to tumour development and aggressiveness. EV quantities and thus undesirable communications are substantially increased in hypoxia. Targeting hypoxia could selectively inhibit EV release from tumour cells without disturbing physiologically relevant EVs. The unfavourable association between hypoxia and EV release is evident in multiple tumour types; therefore, targeting hypoxia could have a broad therapeutic benefit. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Rapid releases of metal salts and nutrients following the deposition of volcanic ash into aqueous environments

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jones, Morgan T.; Gislason, Sigurður R.

    2008-08-01

    Deposition of volcanic ash into aqueous environments leads to dissolution of adsorbed metal salts and aerosols, increasing the bioavailability of key nutrients. Volcanogenic fertilization events could increase marine primary productivity, leading to a drawdown of atmospheric CO 2. Here we conduct flow-through experiments on unhydrated volcanic ash samples from a variety of locations and sources, measuring the concentrations and fluxes of elements into de-ionized water and two contrasting ocean surface waters. Comparisons of element fluxes show that dissolution of adsorbed surface salts and aerosols dominates over glass dissolution, even in sustained low pH conditions. These surface ash-leachates appear unstable, decaying in situ even if kept unhydrated. Volcanic ash from recent eruptions is shown to have a large fertilization potential in both fresh and saline water. Fluorine concentrations are integral to bulk dissolution rates and samples with high F concentrations display elevated fluxes of some nutrients, particularly Fe, Si, and P. Bio-limiting micronutrients are released in large quantities, suggesting that subsequent biological growth will be limited by macronutrient availability. Importantly, acidification of surface waters and high fluxes of toxic elements highlights the potential of volcanic ash-leachates to poison aqueous environments. In particular, large pH changes can cause undersaturation of CaCO 3 polymorphs, damaging populations of calcifying organisms. Deposition of volcanic ash can both fertilize and/or poison aqueous environments, causing significant changes to surface water chemistry and biogeochemical cycles.

  17. A large mantle water source for the northern San Andreas Fault System: A ghost of subduction past

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Kirby, Stephen H.; Wang, Kelin; Brocher, Thomas M.

    2014-01-01

    Recent research indicates that the shallow mantle of the Cascadia subduction margin under near-coastal Pacific Northwest U.S. is cold and partially serpentinized, storing large quantities of water in this wedge-shaped region. Such a wedge probably formed to the south in California during an earlier period of subduction. We show by numerical modeling that after subduction ceased with the creation of the San Andreas Fault System (SAFS), the mantle wedge warmed, slowly releasing its water over a period of more than 25 Ma by serpentine dehydration into the crust above. This deep, long-term water source could facilitate fault slip in San Andreas System at low shear stresses by raising pore pressures in a broad region above the wedge. Moreover, the location and breadth of the water release from this model gives insights into the position and breadth of the SAFS. Such a mantle source of water also likely plays a role in the occurrence of Non-Volcanic Tremor (NVT) that has been reported along the SAFS in central California. This process of water release from mantle depths could also mobilize mantle serpentinite from the wedge above the dehydration front, permitting upward emplacement of serpentinite bodies by faulting or by diapiric ascent. Specimens of serpentinite collected from tectonically emplaced serpentinite blocks along the SAFS show mineralogical and structural evidence of high fluid pressures during ascent from depth. Serpentinite dehydration may also lead to tectonic mobility along other plate boundaries that succeed subduction, such as other continental transforms, collision zones, or along present-day subduction zones where spreading centers are subducting.

  18. Determination of silver nanoparticle release from antibacterial fabrics into artificial sweat

    PubMed Central

    2010-01-01

    Silver nanoparticles have been used in numerous commercial products, including textiles, to prevent bacterial growth. Meanwhile, there is increasing concern that exposure to these nanoparticles may cause potential adverse effects on humans as well as the environment. This study determined the quantity of silver released from commercially claimed nanosilver and laboratory-prepared silver coated fabrics into various formulations of artificial sweat, each made according to AATCC, ISO and EN standards. For each fabric sample, the initial amount of silver and the antibacterial properties against the model Gram-positive (S. aureus) and Gram-negative (E. coli) bacteria on each fabric was investigated. The results showed that silver was not detected in some commercial fabrics. Furthermore, antibacterial properties of the fabrics varied, ranging from 0% to greater than 99%. After incubation of the fabrics in artificial sweat, silver was released from the different fabrics to varying extents, ranging from 0 mg/kg to about 322 mg/kg of fabric weight. The quantity of silver released from the different fabrics was likely to be dependent on the amount of silver coating, the fabric quality and the artificial sweat formulations including its pH. This study is the unprecedented report on the release of silver nanoparticles from antibacterial fabrics into artificial sweat. This information might be useful to evaluate the potential human risk associated with the use of textiles containing silver nanoparticles. PMID:20359338

  19. Metal exposures from aluminum cookware: An unrecognized public health risk in developing countries.

    PubMed

    Weidenhamer, Jeffrey D; Fitzpatrick, Meghann P; Biro, Alison M; Kobunski, Peter A; Hudson, Michael R; Corbin, Rebecca W; Gottesfeld, Perry

    2017-02-01

    Removing lead from gasoline has resulted in decreases in blood lead levels in most of the world, but blood lead levels remain elevated in low and middle-income countries compared to more developed countries. Several reasons for this difference have been investigated, but few studies have examined the potential contribution from locally-made aluminum cookware. In a previous study of cookware from a single African country, Cameroon, artisanal aluminum cookware that is made from scrap metal released significant quantities of lead. In this study, 42 intact aluminum cookware items from ten developing countries were tested for their potential to release lead and other metals during cooking. Fifteen items released ≥1 microgram of lead per serving (250mL) when tested by boiling with dilute acetic acid for 2h. One pot, from Viet Nam, released 33, 1126 and 1426 micrograms per serving in successive tests. Ten samples released >1 microgram of cadmium per serving, and fifteen items released >1 microgram of arsenic per serving. The mean exposure estimate for aluminum was 125mg per serving, more than six times the World Health Organization's Provisional Tolerable Weekly Intake of 20mg/day for a 70kg adult, and 40 of 42 items tested exceeded this level. We conducted preliminary assessments of three potential methods to reduce metal leaching from this cookware. Coating the cookware reduced aluminum exposure per serving by >98%, and similar reductions were seen for other metals as well. Potential exposure to metals by corrosion during cooking may pose a significant and largely unrecognized public health risk which deserves urgent attention. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Development of a Charged-Particle Accumulator Using an RF Confinement Method

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2007-03-12

    antiparticles (antiprotons and positrons), and to produce a large quantity of antimatter . Antihydrogen atoms have recently been produced using Penning...ultimate goal is to trap a large number of antiparticles and to produce a large quantity of antimatter . 15. SUBJECT TERMS 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF

  1. Stimulus-secretion coupling in chromaffin cells isolated from bovine adrenal medulla

    PubMed Central

    Schneider, Allan S.; Herz, Ruth; Rosenheck, Kurt

    1977-01-01

    Bovine adrenal chromaffin cells were isolated by removal of the cortex and sequential collagenase digestion of the medulla. The catecholamine secretory function of these cells was characterized with respect to acetylcholine stimulation, cation requirements, and cytoskeletal elements. The dose-response curve for stimulated release had its half-maximum value at 10-5 M acetylcholine, and maximum secretion was on the average 7 times that of control basal secretion. The differential release of epinephrine versus norepinephrine after stimulation with 0.1 mM acetylcholine occurred in proportion to their distribution in the cell suspension. The cholinergic receptors were found to be predominantly nicotinic. The kinetics of catecholamine release were rapid, with significant secretion occurring in less than 60 sec and 85% of maximum secretion within 5 min. A critical requirement for calcium in the extracellular medium was demonstrated, and 80% of maximum secretion was achieved at physiologic calcium concentrations. Stimulation by excess potassium (65 mM KCl) also induced catecholamine secretion which differed from acetylcholine stimulation in being less potent, in having a different dependence on calcium concentration, and in its response to the local anesthetic tetracaine. Tetracaine, which is thought to inhibit membrane cation permeability, was able to block acetylcholine-stimulated but not KCl-stimulated secretion. The microtubule disrupting agent vinblastine was able to block catecholamine release whereas the microfilament disrupter cytochalasin B had little effect. The results show the isolated bovine chromaffin cells to be viable, functioning, and available in large quantity. These cells now provide an excellent system for studying cell surface regulation of hormone and neurotransmitter release. PMID:270738

  2. Cell wall polysaccharides released during the alcoholic fermentation by Schizosaccharomyces pombe and S. japonicus: quantification and characterization.

    PubMed

    Domizio, P; Liu, Y; Bisson, L F; Barile, D

    2017-02-01

    The present work demonstrates that yeasts belonging to the Schizosaccharomyces genus release a high quantity of polysaccharides of cell wall origin starting from the onset of the alcoholic fermentation. By the end of the alcoholic fermentation, all of the Schizosaccharomyces yeast strains released a quantity of polysaccharides approximately 3-7 times higher than that released by a commercial Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast strain under the same fermentative conditions of synthetic juice. A higher content of polysaccharide was found in media fermented by Schizosaccharomyces japonicus with respect to that of Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Some of the strains evaluated were also able to produce high levels of pyruvic acid, which has been shown to be an important compound for color stability of wine. The presence of strains with different malic acid consumption patterns along with high polysaccharide release would enable production of naturally modified wines with enhanced mouth feel and reduced acidity. The chemical analysis of the released polysaccharides demonstrated divergence between the two yeast species S. pombe and S. japonicus. A different mannose/galactose ratio and a different percentage of proteins was observed on the polysaccharides released by S. pombe as compared to S. japonicus. Analysis of the proteins released in the media revealed the presence of a glycoprotein with a molecular size around 32-33 kDa only for the species S. japonicus. Mass spectrometry analysis of carbohydrate moieties showed similar proportions among the N-glycan chains released in the media by both yeast species but differences between the two species were also observed. These observations suggest a possible role of rapid MALDI-TOF screening of N-glycans compositional fingerprint as a taxonomic tool for this genus. Polysaccharides release in the media, in particular galactomannoproteins in significant amounts, could make these yeasts particularly interesting also for the industrial production of exogenous polysaccharide preparations. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Cell wall polysaccharides released during the alcoholic fermentation by Schizosaccharomyces pombe and S. japonicus: quantification and characterization

    PubMed Central

    Domizio, P.; Liu, Y.; Bisson, L.F.; Barile, D.

    2016-01-01

    The present work demonstrates that yeasts belonging to the Schizosaccharomyces genus release a high quantity of polysaccharides of cell wall origin starting from the onset of the alcoholic fermentation. By the end of the alcoholic fermentation, all of the Schizosaccharomyces yeast strains released a quantity of polysaccharides approximately 3-7 times higher than that released by a commercial Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast strain under the same fermentative conditions of synthetic juice. A higher content of polysaccharide was found in media fermented by Schizosaccharomyces japonicus with respect to that of Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Some of the strains evaluated were also able to produce high levels of pyruvic acid, which has been shown to be an important compound for color stability of wine. The presence of strains with different malic acid consumption patterns along with high polysaccharide release would enable production of naturally modified wines with enhanced mouth feel and reduced acidity. The chemical analysis of the released polysaccharides demonstrated divergence between the two yeast species S. pombe and S. japonicus. A different mannose/galactose ratio and a different percentage of proteins was observed on the polysaccharides released by S. pombe as compared to S. japonicus. Analysis of the proteins released in the media revealed the presence of a glycoprotein with a molecular size around 32-33 kDa only for the species S. japonicus. Mass spectrometry analysis of carbohydrate moieties showed similar proportions among the N-glycan chains released in the media by both yeast species but differences between the two species were also observed. These observations suggest a possible role of rapid MALDI-TOF screening of N-glycans compositional fingerprint as a taxonomic tool for this genus. Polysaccharides release in the media, in particular galactomannoproteins in significant amounts, could make these yeasts particularly interesting also for the industrial production of exogenous polysaccharide preparations. PMID:27697163

  4. On the mechanism of tachyphylaxis to tyramine in the isolated rat heart

    PubMed Central

    Axelrod, J.; Gordon, Edna; Hertting, G.; Kopin, I. J.; Potter, L. T.

    1962-01-01

    Tyramine was shown to release [3H]-catecholamines from an isolated rat heart previously perfused with [3H]-noradrenaline. With successive injections of tyramine the amount of [3H]-catecholamine released fell progressively and there was a parallel decrease in the increment of amplitude and rate of contraction of the heart. Reserpinized hearts were shown to take up less [3H]-noradrenaline than normal hearts. Release of radioactivity and loss of responsiveness to tyramine occurred more rapidly in the reserpinized heart. In the same preparation the uptake of [14C]-tyramine exceeded the quantity of the noradrenaline released. ImagesFig. 4 PMID:13863453

  5. Estimating air chemical emissions from research activities using stack measurement data.

    PubMed

    Ballinger, Marcel Y; Duchsherer, Cheryl J; Woodruff, Rodger K; Larson, Timothy V

    2013-03-01

    Current methods of estimating air emissions from research and development (R&D) activities use a wide range of release fractions or emission factors with bases ranging from empirical to semi-empirical. Although considered conservative, the uncertainties and confidence levels of the existing methods have not been reported. Chemical emissions were estimated from sampling data taken from four research facilities over 10 years. The approach was to use a Monte Carlo technique to create distributions of annual emission estimates for target compounds detected in source test samples. Distributions were created for each year and building sampled for compounds with sufficient detection frequency to qualify for the analysis. The results using the Monte Carlo technique without applying a filter to remove negative emission values showed almost all distributions spanning zero, and 40% of the distributions having a negative mean. This indicates that emissions are so low as to be indistinguishable from building background. Application of a filter to allow only positive values in the distribution provided a more realistic value for emissions and increased the distribution mean by an average of 16%. Release fractions were calculated by dividing the emission estimates by a building chemical inventory quantity. Two variations were used for this quantity: chemical usage, and chemical usage plus one-half standing inventory. Filters were applied so that only release fraction values from zero to one were included in the resulting distributions. Release fractions had a wide range among chemicals and among data sets for different buildings and/or years for a given chemical. Regressions of release fractions to molecular weight and vapor pressure showed weak correlations. Similarly, regressions of mean emissions to chemical usage, chemical inventory, molecular weight, and vapor pressure also gave weak correlations. These results highlight the difficulties in estimating emissions from R&D facilities using chemical inventory data. Air emissions from research operations are difficult to estimate because of the changing nature of research processes and the small quantity and wide variety of chemicals used. Analysis of stack measurements taken over multiple facilities and a 10-year period using a Monte Carlo technique provided a method to quantify the low emissions and to estimate release fractions based on chemical inventories. The variation in release fractions did not correlate well with factors investigated, confirming the complexities in estimating R&D emissions.

  6. Lipoprotein Uptake by Neuronal Growth Cones in Vitro

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ignatius, Michael J.; Shooter, Eric M.; Pitas, Robert E.; Mahley, Robert W.

    1987-05-01

    Macrophages that rapidly enter injured peripheral nerve synthesize and secrete large quantities of apolipoprotein E. This protein may be involved in the redistribution of lipid, including cholesterol released during degeneration, to the regenerating axons. To test this postulate, apolipoprotein E-associated lipid particles released from segments of injured rat sciatic nerve and apolipoprotein E-containing lipoproteins from plasma were used to determine whether sprouting neurites, specifically their growth cones, possessed lipoprotein receptors. Pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells, which can be stimulated to produce neurites in vitro, were used as a model system. Apolipoprotein E-containing lipid particles and lipoproteins, which had been labeled with fluorescent dye, were internalized by the neurites and their growth cones; the unmetabolized dye appeared to be localized to the lysosomes. The rapid rate of accumulation in the growth cones precludes the possibility of orthograde transport of the fluorescent particles from the PC12 cell bodies. Thus, receptor-mediated lipoprotein uptake is performed by the apolipoprotein B,E(LDL) (low density lipoprotein) receptors, and in the regenerating peripheral nerve apolipoprotein E may deliver lipids to the neurites and their growth cones for membrane biosynthesis.

  7. Nature's Notebook Provides Phenology Observations for NASA Juniper Phenology and Pollen Transport Project

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Luval, J. C.; Crimmins, T. M.; Sprigg, W. A.; Levetin, E.; Huete, A.; Nickovic, S.; Prasad, A.; Vukovic, A.; VandeWater, P. K.; Budge, A. M.; hide

    2014-01-01

    Phenology Network has been established to provide national wide observations of vegetation phenology. However, as the Network is still in the early phases of establishment and growth, the density of observers is not yet adequate to sufficiently document the phenology variability over large regions. Hence a combination of satellite data and ground observations can provide optimal information regarding juniperus spp. pollen phenology. MODIS data was to observe Juniperus supp. pollen phenology. The MODIS surface reflectance product provided information on the Juniper supp. cone formation and cone density. Ground based observational records of pollen release timing and quantities were used as verification. Approximately 10, 818 records of juniper phenology for male cone formation Juniperus ashei., J. monosperma, J. scopulorum, and J. pinchotti were reported by Nature's Notebook observers in 2013 These observations provided valuable information for the analysis of satellite images for developing the pollen concentration masks for input into the PREAM (Pollen REgional Atmospheric Model) pollen transport model. The combination of satellite data and ground observations allowed us to improve our confidence in predicting pollen release and spread, thereby improving asthma and allergy alerts.

  8. Blast investigation by fast multispectral radiometric analysis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Devir, A. D.; Bushlin, Y.; Mendelewicz, I.; Lessin, A. B.; Engel, M.

    2011-06-01

    Knowledge regarding the processes involved in blasts and detonations is required in various applications, e.g. missile interception, blasts of high-explosive materials, final ballistics and IED identification. Blasts release large amount of energy in short time duration. Some part of this energy is released as intense radiation in the optical spectral bands. This paper proposes to measure the blast radiation by a fast multispectral radiometer. The measurement is made, simultaneously, in appropriately chosen spectral bands. These spectral bands provide extensive information on the physical and chemical processes that govern the blast through the time-dependence of the molecular and aerosol contributions to the detonation products. Multi-spectral blast measurements are performed in the visible, SWIR and MWIR spectral bands. Analysis of the cross-correlation between the measured multi-spectral signals gives the time dependence of the temperature, aerosol and gas composition of the blast. Farther analysis of the development of these quantities in time may indicate on the order of the detonation and amount and type of explosive materials. Examples of analysis of measured explosions are presented to demonstrate the power of the suggested fast multispectral radiometric analysis approach.

  9. Summary of combined treatment under endoscope on 70 esophagus cancer inpatients

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Cheng; Nong, Meilong; Li, Laisheng; Jia, Fang; Hao, Runchun

    1993-03-01

    We announce with satisfaction that combined treatment on 70 inpatients who suffered esophageal cancer in its middle or late course is perfectly successful. The combined methods include phototherapy, microwave therapy, and anticarcinogen local injection. The results are as follows: CR 3 cases, holds 4.3% of the total inpatients; PR 36 cases, 51.4%; MR 24 cases, 34.3%; NR 7 cases, 10%; the total effective rate 90%. Splendid results of treatment on enlarging the canal, improving dysphagia, and releasing obstruction have been obtained. The dysphagic grade increased from 66 to 148, the grade of esophagostenosis from 64 to 147, and the obstruction releasing rate is 69 out of 70 (that is 98.6%). The histological observation after treatment shows that 59/62 inpatients being reported as having cancer cells appear to have retrogression accompanied with a few or large quantities of necrotic cancer cells, and 3 inpatients were changed to negative reaction. No obvious poisoning or side effects arose. The combined treatment is more advantageous on those of old age or the physically weak and those who cannot stand for an operation, radiotherapy, or normal chemotherapy.

  10. Questions and Answers on Release Notification Requirements and Reportable Quantity Adjustments

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    Guidance on complying with the reporting requirements under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (section 103), and the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (section 304).

  11. Glucose-driven chemo-mechanical autonomous drug-release system with multi-enzymatic amplification toward feedback control of blood glucose in diabetes.

    PubMed

    Munkhjargal, Munkhbayar; Hatayama, Kohdai; Matsuura, Yuki; Toma, Koji; Arakawa, Takahiro; Mitsubayashi, Kohji

    2015-05-15

    A second-generation novel chemo-mechanical autonomous drug release system, incorporating various improvements over our first-generation system, was fabricated and evaluated. Enhanced oxygen uptake by the enzyme membrane of the organic engine was facilitated by optimizing the quantity of enzyme immobilizer, PVA-SbQ, and by hydrophobizing the membrane surface. Various quantities of PVA-SbQ were evaluated in the organic engine by measuring the decompression rate, with 1.5 mg/cm(2) yielding optimum results. When fluororesin was used as a hydrophobizing coating, the time to reach the peak decompression rate was shortened 2.3-fold. The optimized elements of the system were evaluated as a unit, first in an open loop and then in a closed loop setting, using a mixture of glucose solution (25 mmol/L), ATP and MgCI2 with glucose hexokinase enzyme (HK) as a glucose reducer. In conclusion, feedback-control of physiologically relevant glucose concentration was demonstrated by the second-generation drug release system without any requirement for external energy. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. Protein crystal growth in microgravity review of large scale temperature induction method: Bovine insulin, human insulin and human α-interferon

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Long, Marianna M.; Bishop, John Bradford; Delucas, Lawrence J.; Nagabhushan, Tattanhalli L.; Reichert, Paul; Smith, G. David

    1997-01-01

    The Protein Crystal Growth Facility (PCF) is space-flight hardware that accommodates large scale protein crystal growth experiments using temperature change as the inductive step. Recent modifications include specialized instrumentation for monitoring crystal nucleation with laser light scattering. This paper reviews results from its first seven flights on the Space Shuttle, the last with laser light scattering instrumentation in place. The PCF's objective is twofold: (1) the production of high quality protein crystals for x-ray analysis and subsequent structure-based drug design and (2) preparation of a large quantity of relatively contaminant free crystals for use as time-release protein pharmaceuticals. The first three Shuttle flights with bovine insulin constituted the PCF's proof of concept, demonstrating that the space-grown crystals were larger and diffracted to higher resolution than their earth-grown counterparts. The later four PCF missions were used to grow recombinant human insulin crystals for x-ray analysis and continue productions trials aimed at the development of a processing facility for crystalline recombinant a-interferon.

  13. Effects of environmental radiation on testes and spermatogenesis in wild large Japanese field mice (Apodemus speciosus) from Fukushima

    PubMed Central

    Okano, Tsukasa; Ishiniwa, Hiroko; Onuma, Manabu; Shindo, Junji; Yokohata, Yasushi; Tamaoki, Masanori

    2016-01-01

    The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) accident that occurred after the Great East Japan Earthquake in March 2011 released large quantities of radionuclides to the environment. The long-term effects of radioactive cesium (Cs) on biota are of particular concern. We investigated the accumulation of radioactive Cs derived from the FDNPP accident, and chronic effects of environmental radionuclides on male reproduction, in the large Japanese field mouse (Apodemus speciosus). In 2013 and 2014, wild mice were captured at 2 sites in Fukushima Prefecture and at 2 control sites that were distant from Fukushima. Although the median concentrations of 134Cs and 137Cs in the mice from Fukushima exceeded 4,000 Bq/kg, there were no significant differences in the apoptotic cell frequencies or the frequencies of morphologically abnormal sperm among the capture sites. Thus, we conclude that radiation did not cause substantial male subfertility in Fukushima during 2013 and 2014, and radionuclide pollution levels in the study sites would not be detrimental to spermatogenesis of the wild mice in Fukushima. PMID:27005329

  14. Method for ultra-trace cesium isotope ratio measurements from environmental samples using thermal ionization mass spectrometry

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

    Snow, Mathew S.; Snyder, Darin C.; Mann, Nick R.

    2015-05-01

    135Cs/ 137Cs isotope ratios can provide the age, origin and history of environmental Cs contamination. Relatively high precision 135Cs/ 137Cs isotope ratio measurements from samples containing femtogram quantities of 137Cs are needed to accurately track contamination resuspension and redistribution following environmental 137Cs releases; however, mass spectrometric analyses of environmental samples are limited by the large quantities of ionization inhibitors and isobaric interferences which are present at relatively high concentrations in the environment. We report a new approach for Cs purification from environmental samples. An initial ammonium molybdophosphate-polyacrylonitrile (AMP-PAN) column provides a robust method for extracting Cs under a wide varietymore » of sample matrices and mass loads. Cation exchange separations using a second AMP-PAN column result in more than two orders of magnitude greater Cs/Rb separation factors than commercially available strong cation exchangers. Coupling an AMP-PAN cation exchanging step to a microcation column (AG50W resin) enables consistent 2-4% (2σ) measurement errors for samples containing 3-6,000 fg 137Cs, representing the highest precision 135Cs/ 137Cs ratio measurements currently reported for soil samples at the femtogram level.« less

  15. Soluble interleukin 2 receptors are released from activated human lymphoid cells in vitro

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

    Rubin, L.A.; Kurman, C.C.; Fritz, M.E.

    1985-11-01

    With the use of an enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent assay to measure soluble human interleukin 2 receptors (IL 2R), certain human T cell leukemia virus I (HTLV I)-positive T cell lines were found to spontaneously release large quantities of IL 2R into culture supernatants. This was not found with HTLV I-negative and IL 2 independent T cell lines, and only one of seven B cell-derived lines examined produced small amounts of IL 2R. In addition to this constitutive production of soluble IL 2R by certain cell lines, normal human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) could be induced to release soluble IL 2Rmore » by plant lectins, the murine monoclonal antibody OKT3, tetanus toxoid, and allogeneic cells. Such activated cells also expressed cellular IL 2R measurable in detergent solubilized cell extracts. The generation of cellular and supernatant IL 2R was: dependent on cellular activation, rapid, radioresistant (3000 rad), and inhibited by cycloheximide treatment. NaDodSO4-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis of soluble IL 2R demonstrated molecules of apparent Mr = 35,000 to 40,000, and 45,000 to 50,000, respectively, somewhat smaller than the mature surface receptor on these cells. The release of soluble IL 2R appears to be a characteristic marker of T lymphocyte activation and might serve an immunoregulatory function during both normal and abnormal cell growth and differentiation.« less

  16. Differences in the involvement of prostanoids from Kupffer cells in the mediation of anaphylatoxin C5a-, zymosan-, and lipopolysaccharide-dependent hepatic glucose output and flow reduction.

    PubMed

    Pestel, Sabine; Schlaf, Gerald; Götze, Otto; Jungermann, Kurt; Schieferdecker, Henrike L

    2003-12-01

    Various inflammatory stimuli such as anaphylatoxin C5a, zymosan, and lipopolysaccharides (LPSs) have been reported both to enhance glucose output in the perfused rat liver and to induce prostanoid (ie, prostaglandin and thromboxane) release from Kupffer cells, the resident liver macrophages. Because prostanoids can enhance glucose output from hepatocytes, it was the aim of this study to compare the possible roles of prostanoids released after C5a, zymosan, and LPS in the mediation of hepatic glucose output. In perfused livers both C5a and zymosan immediately enhanced glucose output, reduced flow, and induced prostanoid overflow into the hepatic vein, but with different quantities and kinetics. Only the C5a-induced but not the zymosan-induced effects were abrogated by inhibitors of prostanoid signaling as the prostanoid synthesis inhibitor indomethacin and the thromboxane receptor antagonist daltroban. In contrast to C5a and zymosan, LPS had no effect on glucose output, flow rate, or prostanoid overflow. In isolated Kupffer cells, C5a and zymosan induced maximal release of prostaglandins D(2) and E(2) and of thromboxane A(2) within a period of 0 to 2 minutes and 5 to 15 minutes, respectively. In pulse-chase experiments, maximal prostanoid release was already observed after 2 minutes of continuous stimulation with C5a, but only after 10 to 15 minutes of continuous stimulation with zymosan. LPS-dependent prostanoid release was not seen before 1 hour. Thus, even though C5a, zymosan, and LPS induced prostanoid release from Kupffer cells, only C5a quickly regulated hepatic glucose metabolism in a prostanoid-dependent manner (due to the kinetics and quantities of prostanoids released).

  17. Polymeric films loaded with vitamin E and aloe vera for topical application in the treatment of burn wounds.

    PubMed

    Pereira, Gabriela Garrastazu; Guterres, Sílvia Stanisçuaki; Balducci, Anna Giulia; Colombo, Paolo; Sonvico, Fabio

    2014-01-01

    Burns are serious traumas related to skin damage, causing extreme pain and possibly death. Natural drugs such as Aloe vera and vitamin E have been demonstrated to be beneficial in formulations for wound healing. The aim of this work is to develop and evaluate polymeric films containing Aloe vera and vitamin E to treat wounds caused by burns. Polymeric films containing different quantities of sodium alginate and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) were characterized for their mechanical properties and drug release. The polymeric films, which were produced, were thin, flexible, resistant, and suitable for application on damaged skin, such as in burn wounds. Around 30% of vitamin E acetate was released from the polymeric films within 12 hours. The in vivo experiments with tape stripping indicated an effective accumulation in the stratum corneum when compared to a commercial cream containing the same quantity of vitamin E acetate. Vitamin E acetate was found in higher quantities in the deep layers of the stratum corneum when the film formulation was applied. The results obtained show that the bioadhesive films containing vitamin E acetate and Aloe vera could be an innovative therapeutic system for the treatment of burns.

  18. Polymeric Films Loaded with Vitamin E and Aloe vera for Topical Application in the Treatment of Burn Wounds

    PubMed Central

    Pereira, Gabriela Garrastazu; Guterres, Sílvia Stanisçuaki; Balducci, Anna Giulia; Colombo, Paolo

    2014-01-01

    Burns are serious traumas related to skin damage, causing extreme pain and possibly death. Natural drugs such as Aloe vera and vitamin E have been demonstrated to be beneficial in formulations for wound healing. The aim of this work is to develop and evaluate polymeric films containing Aloe vera and vitamin E to treat wounds caused by burns. Polymeric films containing different quantities of sodium alginate and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) were characterized for their mechanical properties and drug release. The polymeric films, which were produced, were thin, flexible, resistant, and suitable for application on damaged skin, such as in burn wounds. Around 30% of vitamin E acetate was released from the polymeric films within 12 hours. The in vivo experiments with tape stripping indicated an effective accumulation in the stratum corneum when compared to a commercial cream containing the same quantity of vitamin E acetate. Vitamin E acetate was found in higher quantities in the deep layers of the stratum corneum when the film formulation was applied. The results obtained show that the bioadhesive films containing vitamin E acetate and Aloe vera could be an innovative therapeutic system for the treatment of burns. PMID:24524083

  19. Investigation of CO2 precursors in roasted coffee.

    PubMed

    Wang, Xiuju; Lim, Loong-Tak

    2017-03-15

    Two CO 2 formation pathways (chlorogenic acid (CGA) degradation and Maillard reaction) during coffee roasting were investigated. CGA is shown not a major contributor to CO 2 formation, as heating of this compound under typical roasting conditions did not release a large quantity of CO 2 . However, heating of a CGA moiety, caffeic acid, resulted in high yield of CO 2 (>98%), suggesting that CGA hydrolysis could be the rate limiting step for CO 2 formation from CGA. A large amount of CO 2 was detected from glycine-sucrose model system under coffee roasting conditions, implying the importance of Maillard reactions in CO 2 formation. Further studies on the heating of various components isolated from green coffee beans showed that CO 2 was generated from various green coffee components, including water insoluble proteins and polysaccharides. Around 50% of CO 2 was formed from thermal reactions of lower molecular weight compounds that represent ∼25% by weight in green coffee. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Subchronic toxicity studies on 1,3,5-trinitrobenzene, l,3-dinitrobenzene, and tetryl in rats. Final report, 15 January 1992-20 September 1994

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

    Reddy, T.V.; Daniel, F.B.; Robinson, M.

    Nitroaromatics, such as 1 ,3-dinitrobenzene (DNB), 1 ,3,5-trinitrobenzene (TN B), and N-methyl-N,2,4,6-tetranitroaniline (tetryl), have been detected as environmental contaminants of groundwater and soil near production sites and in some instances at military test grounds. DNB is formed as a by-product during 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) production. It is also formed through photochemical oxidative degradation of 2,4- dinitrotoluene a by-product released into the environment from TNT manufacturing (Spanggord et.al., 1980). DNB and TNB are not easily biodegradable, persist in the environment, eventually leach out, and contaminate groundwater near waste disposal sites. Tetryl is an explosive that has been in use, largely for militarymore » purposes, since 1906. Wastewaters and soil at the original production sites and other plants devoted to munitions assembly, contain large quantities of these compounds (Walsh and Jenkins, 1992).« less

  1. Methane measurement by the Pioneer Venus large probe neutral mass spectrometer

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Donahue, T. M.; Hodges, R. R., Jr.

    1992-01-01

    The Pioneer Venus Large Probe Mass Spectrometer detected a large quantity of methane as it descended below 20 km in the atmosphere of Venus. Terrestrial methane and Xe-136, both originating in the same container and flowing through the same plumbing, were deliberately released inside the mass spectrometer for instrumental reasons. However, the Xe-136 did not exhibit behavior similar to methane during Venus entry, nor did CH4 in laboratory simulations. The CH4 was deuterium poor compared to Venus water and hydrogen. While the inlet to the mass spectrometer was clogged with sulfuric acid droplets, significant deuteration of CH4 and its H2 progeny was observed. Since the only source of deuterium identifiable was water from sulfuric acid, we have concluded that we should correct the HDO/H2O ratio in Venus water from 3.2 x 10(exp -2) to (5 plus or minus 0.7) x 10(exp -2). When the probe was in the lower atmosphere, transfer of deuterium from Venus HDO and HD to CH4 can account quantitatively for the deficiencies recorded in HDO and HD below 10 km, and consequently, the mysterious gradients in water vapor and hydrogen mixing ratios we have reported. The revision in the D/H ratio reduces the mixing ratio of water vapor (and H2) reported previously by a factor of 3.2/5. We are not yet able to say whether the methane detected was atmospheric or an instrumental artifact. If it was atmospheric, its release must have been episodic and highly localized. Otherwise, the large D/H ratio in Venus water and hydrogen could not be maintained.

  2. Methane measurement by the Pioneer Venus large probe neutral mass spectrometer

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Donahue, T. M.; Hodges, R. R., Jr.

    1992-12-01

    The Pioneer Venus Large Probe Mass Spectrometer detected a large quantity of methane as it descended below 20 km in the atmosphere of Venus. Terrestrial methane and Xe-136, both originating in the same container and flowing through the same plumbing, were deliberately released inside the mass spectrometer for instrumental reasons. However, the Xe-136 did not exhibit behavior similar to methane during Venus entry, nor did CH4 in laboratory simulations. The CH4 was deuterium poor compared to Venus water and hydrogen. While the inlet to the mass spectrometer was clogged with sulfuric acid droplets, significant deuteration of CH4 and its H2 progeny was observed. Since the only source of deuterium identifiable was water from sulfuric acid, we have concluded that we should correct the HDO/H2O ratio in Venus water from 3.2 x 10-2 to (5 plus or minus 0.7) x 10-2. When the probe was in the lower atmosphere, transfer of deuterium from Venus HDO and HD to CH4 can account quantitatively for the deficiencies recorded in HDO and HD below 10 km, and consequently, the mysterious gradients in water vapor and hydrogen mixing ratios we have reported. The revision in the D/H ratio reduces the mixing ratio of water vapor (and H2) reported previously by a factor of 3.2/5. We are not yet able to say whether the methane detected was atmospheric or an instrumental artifact. If it was atmospheric, its release must have been episodic and highly localized. Otherwise, the large D/H ratio in Venus water and hydrogen could not be maintained.

  3. Using Machine Learning to Predict MCNP Bias

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

    Grechanuk, Pavel Aleksandrovi

    For many real-world applications in radiation transport where simulations are compared to experimental measurements, like in nuclear criticality safety, the bias (simulated - experimental k eff) in the calculation is an extremely important quantity used for code validation. The objective of this project is to accurately predict the bias of MCNP6 [1] criticality calculations using machine learning (ML) algorithms, with the intention of creating a tool that can complement the current nuclear criticality safety methods. In the latest release of MCNP6, the Whisper tool is available for criticality safety analysts and includes a large catalogue of experimental benchmarks, sensitivity profiles,more » and nuclear data covariance matrices. This data, coming from 1100+ benchmark cases, is used in this study of ML algorithms for criticality safety bias predictions.« less

  4. Heme and blood-feeding parasites: friends or foes?

    PubMed Central

    2010-01-01

    Hemoparasites, like malaria and schistosomes, are constantly faced with the challenges of storing and detoxifying large quantities of heme, released from their catabolism of host erythrocytes. Heme is an essential prosthetic group that forms the reactive core of numerous hemoproteins with diverse biological functions. However, due to its reactive nature, it is also a potentially toxic molecule. Thus, the acquisition and detoxification of heme is likely to be paramount for the survival and establishment of parasitism. Understanding the underlying mechanism involved in this interaction could possibly provide potential novel targets for drug and vaccine development, and disease treatment. However, there remains a wide gap in our understanding of these mechanisms. This review summarizes the biological importance of heme for hemoparasite, and the adaptations utilized in its sequestration and detoxification. PMID:21087517

  5. Control of hepatocyte metabolism by sympathetic and parasympathetic hepatic nerves.

    PubMed

    Püschel, Gerhard P

    2004-09-01

    More than any other organ, the liver contributes to maintaining metabolic equilibrium of the body, most importantly of glucose homeostasis. It can store or release large quantities of glucose according to changing demands. This homeostasis is controlled by circulating hormones and direct innervation of the liver by autonomous hepatic nerves. Sympathetic hepatic nerves can increase hepatic glucose output; they appear, however, to contribute little to the stimulation of hepatic glucose output under physiological conditions. Parasympathetic hepatic nerves potentiate the insulin-dependent hepatic glucose extraction when a portal glucose sensor detects prandial glucose delivery from the gut. In addition, they might coordinate the hepatic and extrahepatic glucose utilization to prevent hypoglycemia and, at the same time, warrant efficient disposal of excess glucose. Copyright 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

  6. Characteristics and management of flowback/produced water from hydraulically fractured wells in California - findings from the California SB 4 assessment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Varadharajan, C.; Cooley, H.; Heberger, M. G.; Stringfellow, W. T.; Domen, J. K.; Sandelin, W.; Camarillo, M. K.; Jordan, P. D.; Reagan, M. T.; Donnelly, K.; Birkholzer, J. T.; Long, J. C. S.

    2015-12-01

    As part of a recent assessment of well stimulation in California, we analyzed the hazards and potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing (the primary form of well stimulation in California) on water resources, which included an analysis of the quantity and quality of flowback/produced water generated, current management and disposal practices, associated potential release mechanisms and transport pathways that can lead to contaminants being released into the environment, and practices to mitigate or avoid impacts from produced water on water resources. The wastewater returned after stimulation includes "recovered fluids" (flowback fluids collected into tanks following stimulation, but before the start of production) and "produced water" (water extracted with oil and gas during production). In contrast to hydraulic fracturing in regions with primarily gas production, the quantities of recovered fluids from hydraulically fractured wells in California are small in comparison to the fluids injected (typically <5%), and large quantities of produced water are generated. Our analysis indicates some fraction of returning fracturing fluids is likely present in produced water from wells that have been hydraulically fractured. Chemical measurements of recovered fluids show that some samples can contain high levels of some contaminants, including total carbohydrates (indicating the presence of guar, a component of fracturing fluid), total dissolved solids (TDS), trace elements and naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM). Data on produced water chemistry are more limited. In California, produced water is typically managed via pipelines and disposed or reused in many ways. A majority of produced water from hydraulically fractured wells in California is disposed in percolation pits, many of which may lie in areas with good groundwater quality. Some of the remaining produced water is injected into Class II wells; although a few of the wells are under review or have been shut down since they were injecting into aquifers. Other methods of management of produced water include reuse for irrigation and discharge into sewer systems. Each of these disposal and reuse methods presents its own unique set of concerns that need to be considered together, in designing a produced water management plan.

  7. Interactions of GRF(1-29)NH2 with plasma proteins and their effects on the release of the peptide from a PLAGA matrix.

    PubMed

    Mariette, B; Coudane, J; Vert, M

    2005-09-02

    The administration of the GRF(1-29)NH2 Growth Hormone Releasing Hormone analog is known as relevant of the concept of drug delivery system using a bioresorbable matrix. However, the release of this peptide from poly(dl-lactic acid-co-glycolic acid) matrices is affected by its insolubility at neutral in salted media and in plasma as well. In order to investigate the origin and the nature of the insolubility in these media in more details, the precipitates collected when the peptide was set in contact with saline, isotonic pH=7.4 phosphate buffer and plasma were analyzed by various techniques, namely weighting, gel chromatography, 1D- and 2D-immunoelectrophoresis, and dialysis to discern the soluble from the insoluble or aggregated fractions. It is shown that precipitation in protein-free salted media is due to a salting out phenomenon complemented by the neutralization of the solubilizing electrostatic charges in the isotonic buffer. In contrast, the precipitation in plasma is due to inter polyelectrolyte-type complexation that involved polyanionic proteins having a rather low isoelectric point like albumin, transferin, haptoglobulin and IgG immunoglobulins. When a rather large quantity of GRF(1-29)NH2 was entrapped in bioresorbable pellets working at a percolating regime after subcutaneous implantation in rats, the peptide was slowly released despite the complexation with plasma proteins. However only a very small part of the peptide was found in blood, this small part being still large enough to cause a detectable increase of the circulating growth hormone concentration. Attempts made to increase the solubility of the peptide in plasma were successful when the peptide was combined with arginine, an amino acid known to promote the poor hormonal activity of injected GRF(1-29)NH2 solutions under clinical conditions.

  8. 40 CFR 273.38 - Off-site shipments.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ....38 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) SOLID WASTES (CONTINUED) STANDARDS FOR UNIVERSAL WASTE MANAGEMENT Standards for Large Quantity Handlers of Universal Waste § 273.38 Off-site shipments. (a) A large quantity handler of universal waste is prohibited from sending or...

  9. 40 CFR 273.38 - Off-site shipments.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ....38 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) SOLID WASTES (CONTINUED) STANDARDS FOR UNIVERSAL WASTE MANAGEMENT Standards for Large Quantity Handlers of Universal Waste § 273.38 Off-site shipments. (a) A large quantity handler of universal waste is prohibited from sending or...

  10. 40 CFR 273.38 - Off-site shipments.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ....38 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) SOLID WASTES (CONTINUED) STANDARDS FOR UNIVERSAL WASTE MANAGEMENT Standards for Large Quantity Handlers of Universal Waste § 273.38 Off-site shipments. (a) A large quantity handler of universal waste is prohibited from sending or...

  11. 40 CFR 273.38 - Off-site shipments.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ....38 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) SOLID WASTES (CONTINUED) STANDARDS FOR UNIVERSAL WASTE MANAGEMENT Standards for Large Quantity Handlers of Universal Waste § 273.38 Off-site shipments. (a) A large quantity handler of universal waste is prohibited from sending or...

  12. 40 CFR 273.38 - Off-site shipments.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ....38 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) SOLID WASTES (CONTINUED) STANDARDS FOR UNIVERSAL WASTE MANAGEMENT Standards for Large Quantity Handlers of Universal Waste § 273.38 Off-site shipments. (a) A large quantity handler of universal waste is prohibited from sending or...

  13. Permafrost slowly exhales methane

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Herndon, Elizabeth M.

    2018-04-01

    Permafrost soils store vast quantities of organic matter that are vulnerable to decomposition under a warming climate. Recent research finds that methane release from thawing permafrost may outpace carbon dioxide as a major contributor to global warming over the next century.

  14. Dioxin and Dioxin-Like Compounds Toxic Equivalency Information

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    EPA requires that, in addition to the total grams released for the entire dioxin and dioxin-like compounds category, TRI facilities must report the quantity for each individual member on a new Form R Schedule 1.

  15. Use of MODIS Satellite Images and an Atmospheric Dust Transport Model to Evaluate Juniperus spp. Pollen Phenology and Dispersal

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Luvall, J. C.; Sprigg, W. A.; Levetin, E.; Huete, A.; Nickovic, S.; Pejanovic, G. A.; Vukovic, A.; VandeWater, P. K.; Myers, O. B.; Budge, A. M.; hide

    2011-01-01

    Pollen can be transported great distances. Van de Water et. al. reported Juniperus spp. pollen was transported 200-600 km. Hence local observations of plant phenology may not be consistent with the timing and source of pollen collected by pollen sampling instruments. The DREAM (Dust REgional Atmospheric Model) is a verified model for atmospheric dust transport modeling using MODIS data products to identify source regions and quantities of dust. We are modifying the DREAM model to incorporate pollen transport. Pollen release will be estimated based on MODIS derived phenology of Juniperus spp. communities. Ground based observational records of pollen release timing and quantities will be used as verification. This information will be used to support the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Environmental Public Health Tracking Program and the State of New Mexico environmental public health decision support for asthma and allergies alerts.

  16. You Can Run, But You Can't Hide Juniper Pollen Phenology and Dispersal

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Luvall, Jeffrey C.

    2013-01-01

    Pollen can be transported great distances. Van de Water et. al., 2003 reported Juniperus spp. pollen was transported 200-600 km. Hence local observations of plant phenology may not be consistent with the timing and source of pollen collected by pollen sampling instruments. The DREAM (Dust REgional Atmospheric Model, Nickovic et al. 2001) is a verified model for atmospheric dust transport modeling using MODIS data products to identify source regions and quantities of dust. We are modified the DREAM model to incorporate pollen transport. Pollen release is estimated based on MODIS derived phenology of Juniperus spp. communities. Ground based observational records of pollen release timing and quantities are used as verification. This information will be used to support the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Environmental Public Health Tracking Program and the State of New Mexico environmental public health decision support for asthma and allergies alerts.

  17. 77 FR 16679 - Emergency Planning and Notification; Emergency Planning and List of Extremely Hazardous...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-03-22

    ...The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or the Agency) is taking final action to revise the manner for applying the threshold planning quantities (TPQs) for those extremely hazardous substances (EHSs) that are non-reactive solid chemicals in solution. This revision allows facilities subject to the Emergency Planning requirements that have a non-reactive solid EHS in solution, to first multiply the amount of the solid chemical in solution on-site by 0.2 before determining if this quantity equals or exceeds the lower published TPQ. This change is based on data that shows less potential for non-reactive solid chemicals in solution to remain airborne and dispersed beyond a facility's fence line in the event of an accidental release. Previously, EPA assumed that 100% of non-reactive solid chemicals in solution could become airborne and dispersed beyond the fenceline in the event of an accidental release.

  18. Atmospheric Impact of Large Methane Emissions and the Gulf Oil Spill

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bhattacharyya, S.; Cameron-Smith, P. J.; Bergmann, D. J.

    2010-12-01

    A vast quantity of a highly potent greenhouse gas, methane, is locked in the solid phase as methane clathrates in ocean sediments and underneath permafrost regions. Clathrates are ice-like deposits containing a mixture of water and gas (mostly methane) which are stable under high pressure and low temperatures. Current estimates are about 1600 - 2000 GtC present in oceans and about 400GtC in Arctic permafrost (Archer et al. 2009). This is about 4000 times that of current annual emissions. In a warming climate, increase in ocean temperatures could rapidly destabilize the geothermal gradient which in turn could lead to dissociation of the clathrates and release of methane into the ocean and subsequently into the atmosphere as well. This could result in a number of effects including strong greenhouse heating, increased surface ozone, reduced stratospheric ozone, and intensification of the Arctic ozone hole. Many of the effects in the chemistry of the atmosphere are non-linear. In this paper, we present a parametric study of the effect of large scale methane release to the atmosphere. To that end we use the CESM (Community Earth System Model) version 1 with fully active coupled atmosphere-ocean-land model together with super-fast atmospheric chemistry module to simulate the response to increasing CH4 by 2, 3, 10 and 100 times that of the present day. We have also conducted a parametric study of the possible impact of gaseous emissions from the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, which is a proxy for future clathrate releases. This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344.

  19. Biogeochemical transformations of mercury in solid waste landfills and pathways for release.

    PubMed

    Lee, Sung-Woo; Lowry, Gregory V; Hsu-Kim, Heileen

    2016-02-01

    Mercury (Hg) is present in a variety of solid wastes including industrial wastes, household products, consumer electronics, and medical wastes, some of which can be disposed in conventional landfills. The presence of this neurotoxic metal in landfills is a concern due to the potential for it to leach or volatilize from the landfill and impact local ecosystems. The objective of this review is to describe general practices for the disposal of mercury-bearing solid wastes, summarize previous studies on the release of mercury from landfills, and delineate the expected transformations of Hg within landfill environments that would influence transport of Hg via landfill gas and leachate. A few studies have documented the emissions of Hg as landfill gas, primarily as gaseous elemental Hg(0) and smaller amounts as methylated Hg species. Much less is known regarding the release of Hg in leachate. Landfill conditions are unique from other subsurface environments in that they can contain water with very high conductivity and organic carbon concentration. Landfills also experience large changes in redox potential (and the associated microbial community) that greatly influence Hg speciation, transformations, and mobilization potential. Generally, Hg is not likely to persist in large quantities as dissolved species, since Hg(0) tends to evolve in the gas phase and divalent Hg(ii) sorbs strongly to particulate phases including organic carbon and sulfides. However, Hg(ii) has the potential to associate with or form colloidal particles that can be mobilized in porous media under high organic carbon conditions. Moreover, the anaerobic conditions within landfills can foster the growth of microorganisms that produced monomethyl- and dimethyl-Hg species, the forms of mercury with high potential for bioaccumulation. Much advancement has recently been made in the mercury biogeochemistry research field, and this study seeks to incorporate these findings for landfill settings.

  20. An assessment of the radiological impact of the Windscale reactor fire, October 1957.

    PubMed

    Crick, M J; Linsley, G S

    1984-11-01

    On the 10th and 11 October 1957 a fire in the No 1 Pile at the Windscale establishment in Cumbria led to an uncontrolled release of activity to the atmosphere. The resultant cloud subsequently dispersed and radionuclides could be detected over England, Wales and parts of northern Europe. The extensive environmental measurements which were made during and after the release enabled a fairly accurate estimate to be made of the radiation doses to the most exposed individuals in the local population. Until recently, no estimates of the population dose resulting from the release had been published. This paper describes assessments which have been made by the NRPB of the population or collective dose from the release and of the possible associated health impact. In addition to the fission products that escaped, radionuclides were released from materials undergoing irradiation in the pile at the time of the fire. The assessment has included the results of a review of previously unpublished data which established the quantity of these nuclides released and considers their impact on both individual and population doses. The collective effective dose equivalent commitment from the release is estimated to have been 2.0 x 10(3) man Sv. The route of exposure which contributed the most to the collective dose was the inhalation pathway. Iodine-131 was the most important radionuclide, contributing nearly all of the collective dose to the thyroid and a large part of the collective effective dose. Polonium-210 and caesium-137 also made significant contributions; that from caesium-137 came in the longer term via external irradiation from ground deposits and the ingestion of contaminated foodstuffs. The methodology used in the study has been validated to a certain degree by comparing the predicted levels of individual thyroid activity and those measured directly in the weeks following the accident in London, Leeds and Cumbria.

  1. Particles, sweat, and tears: a comparative study on bioaccessibility of ferrochromium alloy and stainless steel particles, the pure metals and their metal oxides, in simulated skin and eye contact.

    PubMed

    Hedberg, Yolanda; Midander, Klara; Wallinder, Inger Odnevall

    2010-07-01

    Ferrochromium alloys are manufactured in large quantities and placed on the global market for use as master alloys (secondary raw materials), primarily for stainless steel production. Any potential human exposure to ferrochromium alloy particles is related to occupational activities during production and use, with 2 main exposure routes, dermal contact and inhalation and subsequent digestion. Alloy and reference particles exposed in vitro in synthetic biological fluids relevant for these main exposure routes have been investigated in a large research effort combining bioaccessibility; chemical speciation; and material, surface, and particle characteristics. In this paper, data for the dermal exposure route, including skin and eye contact, will be presented and discussed. Bioaccessibility data have been generated for particles of a ferrochromium alloy, stainless steel grade AISI 316L, pure Fe, pure Cr, iron(II,III)oxide, and chromium(III)oxide, upon immersion in artificial sweat (pH 6.5) and artificial tear (pH 8.0) fluids for various time periods. Measured released amounts of Fe, Cr, and Ni are presented in terms of average Fe and Cr release rates and amounts released per amount of particles loaded. The results are discussed in relation to bulk and surface composition of the particles. Additional information, essential to assess the bioavailability of Cr released, was generated by determining its chemical speciation and by providing information on its complexation and oxidation states in both media investigated. The effect of differences in experimental temperature, 30 degrees C and 37 degrees C, on the extent of metal release in artificial sweat is demonstrated. Iron was the preferentially released element in all test media and for all time periods and iron-containing particles investigated. The extent of metal release was highly pH dependent and was also dependent on the medium composition. Released amounts of Cr and Fe were very low (close to the limit of detection, <0.008% of particles released or dissolved as iron or chromium) for the alloy particles (ferrochromium alloy and stainless steel), the pure Cr particles, and the metal oxide particles. The released fraction of Cr (Cr/[Cr + Fe]) varied with the material investigated, the test medium, and the exposure time and cannot be predicted from either the bulk or the surface composition. Chromium was released as noncomplexed Cr(III) and in addition in very low concentrations (<3 microg/L). Nickel released was under the limit of detection (0.5 microg/L), except for ultrafine stainless steel particles (<10 microg/L). It is evident that media chemistry and material properties from a bulk and surface perspective, as well as other particle characteristics, and the chemical speciation of released metals have to be considered when assessing any potential hazard or risk induced by sparingly soluble metal or alloy particles. (c) 2010 SETAC.

  2. Assessment of toxic and endocrine potential of substances migrating from selected toys and baby products.

    PubMed

    Szczepańska, Natalia; Namieśnik, Jacek; Kudłak, Błażej

    2016-12-01

    Analysis of literature data shows that there is limited information about the harmful biological effects of mixture of compounds from the EDC group that are released from the surface of toys and objects intended for children and infants. One of the tools that can be used to obtain such information is appropriate bioanalytical tests. The aim of this research involved determining whether tests that use living organisms as an active element (Vibrio fischeri-Microtox®, Heterocypris incongruens-Ostrocodtoxkit F™ and the XenoScreen YES/YAS™ test of oestrogenic/androgenic activity) can be a tool for estimating the combined toxic effects induced by xenobiotics released from objects intended for children. To reproduce the conditions to which objects are exposed during their use, liquids with a composition corresponding to that of human bodily fluids (artificial sweat and saliva) were used. This research focused on the main parameters influencing the intensification of the migration process (temperature, contact time and composition of the extraction mixture). The studies aimed to estimate the endocrine potential of the extracts showed that compounds released from the surface of studied objects exhibit antagonistic androgenic activity. While on the basis of the results of Microtox® test, one can state that the largest quantity of toxic compounds are released in the first 2 h of using the object. The FTIR spectra analyses confirmed that no degradation of polymeric material took place. On the basis of the results obtained, it was unanimously concluded that contact of the object with bodily fluids may result in the release of a large number of xenobiotics, which has disadvantageous effects on the metabolic processes of the indicator organisms.

  3. Seasonal and temporal variation in release of antibiotics in hospital wastewater: estimation using continuous and grab sampling.

    PubMed

    Diwan, Vishal; Stålsby Lundborg, Cecilia; Tamhankar, Ashok J

    2013-01-01

    The presence of antibiotics in the environment and their subsequent impact on resistance development has raised concerns globally. Hospitals are a major source of antibiotics released into the environment. To reduce these residues, research to improve knowledge of the dynamics of antibiotic release from hospitals is essential. Therefore, we undertook a study to estimate seasonal and temporal variation in antibiotic release from two hospitals in India over a period of two years. For this, 6 sampling sessions of 24 hours each were conducted in the three prominent seasons of India, at all wastewater outlets of the two hospitals, using continuous and grab sampling methods. An in-house wastewater sampler was designed for continuous sampling. Eight antibiotics from four major antibiotic groups were selected for the study. To understand the temporal pattern of antibiotic release, each of the 24-hour sessions were divided in three sub-sampling sessions of 8 hours each. Solid phase extraction followed by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was used to determine the antibiotic residues. Six of the eight antibiotics studied were detected in the wastewater samples. Both continuous and grab sampling methods indicated that the highest quantities of fluoroquinolones were released in winter followed by the rainy season and the summer. No temporal pattern in antibiotic release was detected. In general, in a common timeframe, continuous sampling showed less concentration of antibiotics in wastewater as compared to grab sampling. It is suggested that continuous sampling should be the method of choice as grab sampling gives erroneous results, it being indicative of the quantities of antibiotics present in wastewater only at the time of sampling. Based on our studies, calculations indicate that from hospitals in India, an estimated 89, 1 and 25 ng/L/day of fluroquinolones, metronidazole and sulfamethoxazole respectively, might be getting released into the environment per 100 hospital beds.

  4. Large-scale preparation of plasmid DNA.

    PubMed

    Heilig, J S; Elbing, K L; Brent, R

    2001-05-01

    Although the need for large quantities of plasmid DNA has diminished as techniques for manipulating small quantities of DNA have improved, occasionally large amounts of high-quality plasmid DNA are desired. This unit describes the preparation of milligram quantities of highly purified plasmid DNA. The first part of the unit describes three methods for preparing crude lysates enriched in plasmid DNA from bacterial cells grown in liquid culture: alkaline lysis, boiling, and Triton lysis. The second part describes four methods for purifying plasmid DNA in such lysates away from contaminating RNA and protein: CsCl/ethidium bromide density gradient centrifugation, polyethylene glycol (PEG) precipitation, anion-exchange chromatography, and size-exclusion chromatography.

  5. DSCOVR EPIC L2 Atmospheric Correction (MAIAC) Data Release Announcement

    Atmospheric Science Data Center

    2018-06-22

    ... several atmospheric quantities including cloud mask and aerosol optical depth (AOD) required for atmospheric correction. The parameters ... is a useful complementary dataset to MODIS and VIIRS global aerosol products.   Information about the DSCOVR EPIC Atmospheric ...

  6. 40 CFR 273.33 - Waste management.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 26 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Waste management. 273.33 Section 273...) STANDARDS FOR UNIVERSAL WASTE MANAGEMENT Standards for Large Quantity Handlers of Universal Waste § 273.33 Waste management. (a) Universal waste batteries. A large quantity handler of universal waste must manage...

  7. A nuclear wind/solar oil-shale system for variable electricity and liquid fuels production

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

    Forsberg, C.

    2012-07-01

    The recoverable reserves of oil shale in the United States exceed the total quantity of oil produced to date worldwide. Oil shale contains no oil, rather it contains kerogen which when heated decomposes into oil, gases, and a carbon char. The energy required to heat the kerogen-containing rock to produce the oil is about a quarter of the energy value of the recovered products. If fossil fuels are burned to supply this energy, the greenhouse gas releases are large relative to producing gasoline and diesel from crude oil. The oil shale can be heated underground with steam from nuclear reactorsmore » leaving the carbon char underground - a form of carbon sequestration. Because the thermal conductivity of the oil shale is low, the heating process takes months to years. This process characteristic in a system where the reactor dominates the capital costs creates the option to operate the nuclear reactor at base load while providing variable electricity to meet peak electricity demand and heat for the shale oil at times of low electricity demand. This, in turn, may enable the large scale use of renewables such as wind and solar for electricity production because the base-load nuclear plants can provide lower-cost variable backup electricity. Nuclear shale oil may reduce the greenhouse gas releases from using gasoline and diesel in half relative to gasoline and diesel produced from conventional oil. The variable electricity replaces electricity that would have been produced by fossil plants. The carbon credits from replacing fossil fuels for variable electricity production, if assigned to shale oil production, results in a carbon footprint from burning gasoline or diesel from shale oil that may half that of conventional crude oil. The U.S. imports about 10 million barrels of oil per day at a cost of a billion dollars per day. It would require about 200 GW of high-temperature nuclear heat to recover this quantity of shale oil - about two-thirds the thermal output of existing nuclear reactors in the United States. With the added variable electricity production to enable renewables, additional nuclear capacity would be required. (authors)« less

  8. National Archive of Marine Seismic Surveys (NAMSS): A USGS-Boem Partnership to Provide Free and Easy Access to Previously Proprietary Seismic Reflection Data on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Triezenberg, P. J.; Hart, P. E.; Childs, J. R.

    2014-12-01

    The National Archive of Marine Seismic Surveys (NAMSS) was established by the USGS in 2004 in an effort to rescue marine seismic reflection profile data acquired largely by the oil exploration industry throughout the US outer continental shelf (OCS). It features a Web interface for easy on-line geographic search and download. The commercial value of these data had decreased significantly because of drilling moratoria and newer acquisition technology, and large quantities were at risk of disposal. But, the data still had tremendous value for scientific research and education purposes, and an effort was undertaken to ensure that the data were preserved and publicly available. More recently, the USGS and Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) have developed a partnership to make similarly available a much larger quantity of 2D and 3D seismic data acquired by the U.S. government for assessment of resources in the OCS. Under Federal regulation, BOEM is required to publicly release all processed geophysical data, including seismic profiles, acquired under an exploration permit, purchased and retained by BOEM, no sooner than 25 years after issuance of the permit. Data acquired prior to 1989 are now eligible for release. Currently these data are distributed on CD or DVD, but data discovery can be tedious. Inclusion of these data within NAMSS vastly increases the amount of seismic data available for research purposes. A new NAMSS geographical interface provides easy and intuitive access to the data library. The interface utilizes OpenLayers, Mapnik, and the Django web framework. In addition, metadata capabilities have been greatly increased using a PostgresSQL/PostGIS database incorporating a community-developed ISO-compliant XML template. The NAMSS database currently contains 452 2D seismic surveys comprising 1,645,956 line km and nine 3D seismic surveys covering 9,385 square km. The 2D data holdings consist of stack, migrated and depth sections, most in SEG-Y format.

  9. Dental enamel cells express functional SOCE channels

    PubMed Central

    Nurbaeva, Meerim K.; Eckstein, Miriam; Concepcion, Axel R.; Smith, Charles E.; Srikanth, Sonal; Paine, Michael L.; Gwack, Yousang; Hubbard, Michael J.; Feske, Stefan; Lacruz, Rodrigo S.

    2015-01-01

    Dental enamel formation requires large quantities of Ca2+ yet the mechanisms mediating Ca2+ dynamics in enamel cells are unclear. Store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE) channels are important Ca2+ influx mechanisms in many cells. SOCE involves release of Ca2+ from intracellular pools followed by Ca2+ entry. The best-characterized SOCE channels are the Ca2+ release-activated Ca2+ (CRAC) channels. As patients with mutations in the CRAC channel genes STIM1 and ORAI1 show abnormal enamel mineralization, we hypothesized that CRAC channels might be an important Ca2+ uptake mechanism in enamel cells. Investigating primary murine enamel cells, we found that key components of CRAC channels (ORAI1, ORAI2, ORAI3, STIM1, STIM2) were expressed and most abundant during the maturation stage of enamel development. Furthermore, inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor (IP3R) but not ryanodine receptor (RyR) expression was high in enamel cells suggesting that IP3Rs are the main ER Ca2+ release mechanism. Passive depletion of ER Ca2+ stores with thapsigargin resulted in a significant raise in [Ca2+]i consistent with SOCE. In cells pre-treated with the CRAC channel blocker Synta-66 Ca2+ entry was significantly inhibited. These data demonstrate that enamel cells have SOCE mediated by CRAC channels and implicate them as a mechanism for Ca2+ uptake in enamel formation. PMID:26515404

  10. Dental enamel cells express functional SOCE channels.

    PubMed

    Nurbaeva, Meerim K; Eckstein, Miriam; Concepcion, Axel R; Smith, Charles E; Srikanth, Sonal; Paine, Michael L; Gwack, Yousang; Hubbard, Michael J; Feske, Stefan; Lacruz, Rodrigo S

    2015-10-30

    Dental enamel formation requires large quantities of Ca(2+) yet the mechanisms mediating Ca(2+) dynamics in enamel cells are unclear. Store-operated Ca(2+) entry (SOCE) channels are important Ca(2+) influx mechanisms in many cells. SOCE involves release of Ca(2+) from intracellular pools followed by Ca(2+) entry. The best-characterized SOCE channels are the Ca(2+) release-activated Ca(2+) (CRAC) channels. As patients with mutations in the CRAC channel genes STIM1 and ORAI1 show abnormal enamel mineralization, we hypothesized that CRAC channels might be an important Ca(2+) uptake mechanism in enamel cells. Investigating primary murine enamel cells, we found that key components of CRAC channels (ORAI1, ORAI2, ORAI3, STIM1, STIM2) were expressed and most abundant during the maturation stage of enamel development. Furthermore, inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor (IP3R) but not ryanodine receptor (RyR) expression was high in enamel cells suggesting that IP3Rs are the main ER Ca(2+) release mechanism. Passive depletion of ER Ca(2+) stores with thapsigargin resulted in a significant raise in [Ca(2+)]i consistent with SOCE. In cells pre-treated with the CRAC channel blocker Synta-66 Ca(2+) entry was significantly inhibited. These data demonstrate that enamel cells have SOCE mediated by CRAC channels and implicate them as a mechanism for Ca(2+) uptake in enamel formation.

  11. Utilization of 134Cs/137Cs in the environment to identify the reactor units that caused atmospheric releases during the Fukushima Daiichi accident

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chino, Masamichi; Terada, Hiroaki; Nagai, Haruyasu; Katata, Genki; Mikami, Satoshi; Torii, Tatsuo; Saito, Kimiaki; Nishizawa, Yukiyasu

    2016-08-01

    The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power reactor units that generated large amounts of airborne discharges during the period of March 12-21, 2011 were identified individually by analyzing the combination of measured 134Cs/137Cs depositions on ground surfaces and atmospheric transport and deposition simulations. Because the values of 134Cs/137Cs are different in reactor units owing to fuel burnup differences, the 134Cs/137Cs ratio measured in the environment was used to determine which reactor unit ultimately contaminated a specific area. Atmospheric dispersion model simulations were used for predicting specific areas contaminated by each dominant release. Finally, by comparing the results from both sources, the specific reactor units that yielded the most dominant atmospheric release quantities could be determined. The major source reactor units were Unit 1 in the afternoon of March 12, 2011, Unit 2 during the period from the late night of March 14 to the morning of March 15, 2011. These results corresponded to those assumed in our previous source term estimation studies. Furthermore, new findings suggested that the major source reactors from the evening of March 15, 2011 were Units 2 and 3 and that the dominant source reactor on March 20, 2011 temporally changed from Unit 3 to Unit 2.

  12. Utilization of (134)Cs/(137)Cs in the environment to identify the reactor units that caused atmospheric releases during the Fukushima Daiichi accident.

    PubMed

    Chino, Masamichi; Terada, Hiroaki; Nagai, Haruyasu; Katata, Genki; Mikami, Satoshi; Torii, Tatsuo; Saito, Kimiaki; Nishizawa, Yukiyasu

    2016-08-22

    The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power reactor units that generated large amounts of airborne discharges during the period of March 12-21, 2011 were identified individually by analyzing the combination of measured (134)Cs/(137)Cs depositions on ground surfaces and atmospheric transport and deposition simulations. Because the values of (134)Cs/(137)Cs are different in reactor units owing to fuel burnup differences, the (134)Cs/(137)Cs ratio measured in the environment was used to determine which reactor unit ultimately contaminated a specific area. Atmospheric dispersion model simulations were used for predicting specific areas contaminated by each dominant release. Finally, by comparing the results from both sources, the specific reactor units that yielded the most dominant atmospheric release quantities could be determined. The major source reactor units were Unit 1 in the afternoon of March 12, 2011, Unit 2 during the period from the late night of March 14 to the morning of March 15, 2011. These results corresponded to those assumed in our previous source term estimation studies. Furthermore, new findings suggested that the major source reactors from the evening of March 15, 2011 were Units 2 and 3 and that the dominant source reactor on March 20, 2011 temporally changed from Unit 3 to Unit 2.

  13. Preliminary assessment of the health and environmental impacts of transporting M55 rockets from Lexington-Blue Grass Depot activity, Anniston Army depot, and Umatilla depot activity to alternative disposal facilities

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

    Carnes, S.A.; Breck, J.E.; Copenhaver, E.D.

    1986-03-01

    This assessment discusses the potential health and environmental impacts of transporting M55 rockets filled with nerve agent GB or VX from various existing Army storage depots to alternative Army depots for disposal. The origin depots include Anniston Army Depot in Alabama, Lexington-Blue Grass Depot Activity in Kentucky, and Umatilla Depot Activity in Oregon. The destination depots include Pine Bluff Arsenal in Arkansas, Tooele Army Depot in Utah, and the facility on Johnston Island in the central Pacific Ocean. This assessment considers the possible impacts of normal transport operations and of two postulated accident scenarios on the air quality, ground andmore » surface water, aquatic ecology, terrestrial ecology, human health, and cultural and socioeconomic resources of the various transport corridors involved. The impacts of these scenarios are assessed for truck, train, and air transport for each orgin-destination pair. The analysis considers three basic scenario during transport: (1) normal operations with no atmospheric release of nerve agent; (2) a minor agent spill (the contents of one rocket being released to the biosphere); and (3) a worst-case accident involving the release of a large, specified quantity of nerve agent to the biosphere. The extremely low probabilities of such accidents, which are reported elsewhere, are noted.« less

  14. Characteristic odor of Osmoderma eremita identified as a male-released pheromone.

    PubMed

    Larsson, Mattias C; Hedin, Jonas; Svensson, Glenn P; Tolasch, Till; Francke, Wittko

    2003-03-01

    Osmoderma eremita (Scopoli) is an endangered scarab beetle living in hollow trees. It has mainly been known for its characteristic odor, typically described as a fruity, peachlike or plumlike aroma. The odor emanating from a single beetle can sometimes be perceived from a distance of several meters. In this paper, we show that the characteristic odor from O. eremita is caused by the compound (R)-(+)-gamma-decalactone, released in large quantities mainly or exclusively by male beetles. Antennae from male and female beetles responded in a similar way to (R)-(+)-gamma-decalactone in electroantennographic recordings. Field trapping experiments showed that (R)-(+)-gamma-decalactone is a pheromone attracting female beetles. Lactones similar to (R)-(+)-gamma-decalactone are frequently used as female-released sex pheromones by phytophagous scarabs. This is, however, the first evidence of a lactone used as a male-produced pheromone in scarab beetles. We propose that the strong signal from males is a sexually selected trait used to compete for females and matings. The signal could work within trees but also act as a guide to tree hollows, which are an essential resource for O. eremita. Males may, thus, attract females dispersing from their natal tree by advertising a suitable habitat. This signal could also be exploited by other males searching for tree hollows or for females, which would explain the catch of several males in our traps.

  15. Utilization of 134Cs/137Cs in the environment to identify the reactor units that caused atmospheric releases during the Fukushima Daiichi accident

    PubMed Central

    Chino, Masamichi; Terada, Hiroaki; Nagai, Haruyasu; Katata, Genki; Mikami, Satoshi; Torii, Tatsuo; Saito, Kimiaki; Nishizawa, Yukiyasu

    2016-01-01

    The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power reactor units that generated large amounts of airborne discharges during the period of March 12–21, 2011 were identified individually by analyzing the combination of measured 134Cs/137Cs depositions on ground surfaces and atmospheric transport and deposition simulations. Because the values of 134Cs/137Cs are different in reactor units owing to fuel burnup differences, the 134Cs/137Cs ratio measured in the environment was used to determine which reactor unit ultimately contaminated a specific area. Atmospheric dispersion model simulations were used for predicting specific areas contaminated by each dominant release. Finally, by comparing the results from both sources, the specific reactor units that yielded the most dominant atmospheric release quantities could be determined. The major source reactor units were Unit 1 in the afternoon of March 12, 2011, Unit 2 during the period from the late night of March 14 to the morning of March 15, 2011. These results corresponded to those assumed in our previous source term estimation studies. Furthermore, new findings suggested that the major source reactors from the evening of March 15, 2011 were Units 2 and 3 and that the dominant source reactor on March 20, 2011 temporally changed from Unit 3 to Unit 2. PMID:27546490

  16. Effects of chemical composition on the corrosion of dental alloys.

    PubMed

    Galo, Rodrigo; Ribeiro, Ricardo Faria; Rodrigues, Renata Cristina Silveira; Rocha, Luís Augusto; de Mattos, Maria da Glória Chiarello

    2012-01-01

    The aim of this study was to determine the effect of the oral environment on the corrosion of dental alloys with different compositions, using electrochemical methods. The corrosion rates were obtained from the current-potential curves and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The effect of artificial saliva on the corrosion of dental alloys was dependent on alloy composition. Dissolution of the ions occurred in all tested dental alloys and the results were strongly dependent on the general alloy composition. Regarding the alloys containing nickel, the Ni-Cr and Ni-Cr-Ti alloys released 0.62 mg/L of Ni on average, while the Co-Cr dental alloy released ions between 0.01 and 0.03 mg/L of Co and Cr, respectively.The open-circuit potential stabilized at a higher level with lower deviation (standard deviation: Ni-Cr-6Ti = 32 mV/SCE and Co-Cr = 54 mV/SCE). The potenciodynamic curves of the dental alloys showed that the Ni-based dental alloy with >70 wt% of Ni had a similar curve and the Co-Cr dental alloy showed a low current density and hence a high resistance to corrosion compared with the Ni-based dental alloys. Some changes in microstructure were observed and this fact influenced the corrosion behavior for the alloys. The lower corrosion resistance also led to greater release of nickel ions to the medium. The quantity of Co ions released from the Co-Cr-Mo alloy was relatively small in the solutions. In addition, the quantity of Cr ions released into the artificial saliva from the Co-Cr alloy was lower than Cr release from the Ni-based dental alloys.

  17. 2-[(Hydroxymethyl)amino]ethanol in water as a preservative: Study of formaldehyde released by Taguchi's method

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wisessirikul, W.; Loykulnant, S.; Montha, S.; Fhulua, T.; Prapainainar, P.

    2016-06-01

    This research studied the quantity of free formaldehyde released from 2- [(hydroxymethyl)amino]ethanol (HAE) in DI water and natural rubber latex mixture using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) technique. The quantity of formaldehyde retained in the solution was cross-checked by using titration technique. The investigated factors were the concentration of preservative (HAE), pH, and temperature. Taguchi's method was used to design the experiments. The number of experiments was reduced to 16 experiments from all possible experiments by orthogonal arrays (3 factors and 4 levels in each factor). Minitab program was used as a tool for statistical calculation and for finding the suitable condition for the preservative system. HPLC studies showed that higher temperature and higher concentration of the preservative influence the amount of formaldehyde released. It was found that conditions at which formaldehyde was released in the lowest amount were 1.6%w/v HAE, 4 to 40 °C, and the original pH. Nevertheless, the pH value of NR latex should be more than 10 (the suitable pH value was found to be 13). This preservative can be used to replace current preservative systems and can maintain the quality of latex for long-term storage. Use of the proposed preservative system was also shown to have reduced impact on the toxicity of the environment.

  18. Membrane vesicles in sea water: heterogeneous DNA content and implications for viral abundance estimates

    PubMed Central

    Biller, Steven J; McDaniel, Lauren D; Breitbart, Mya; Rogers, Everett; Paul, John H; Chisholm, Sallie W

    2017-01-01

    Diverse microbes release membrane-bound extracellular vesicles from their outer surfaces into the surrounding environment. Vesicles are found in numerous habitats including the oceans, where they likely have a variety of functional roles in microbial ecosystems. Extracellular vesicles are known to contain a range of biomolecules including DNA, but the frequency with which DNA is packaged in vesicles is unknown. Here, we examine the quantity and distribution of DNA associated with vesicles released from five different bacteria. The average quantity of double-stranded DNA and size distribution of DNA fragments released within vesicles varies among different taxa. Although some vesicles contain sufficient DNA to be visible following staining with the SYBR fluorescent DNA dyes typically used to enumerate viruses, this represents only a small proportion (<0.01–1%) of vesicles. Thus DNA is packaged heterogeneously within vesicle populations, and it appears that vesicles are likely to be a minor component of SYBR-visible particles in natural sea water compared with viruses. Consistent with this hypothesis, chloroform treatment of coastal and offshore seawater samples reveals that vesicles increase epifluorescence-based particle (viral) counts by less than an order of magnitude and their impact is variable in space and time. PMID:27824343

  19. Potential radiological impact of tornadoes on the safety of Nuclear Fuel Services' West Valley Fuel Reprocessing Plant. Volume I. Tornado effects on head-end cell airflow

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

    Holloway, L.J.; Andrae, R.W.

    1981-09-01

    This report describes results of a parametric study of the impacts of a tornado-generated depressurization on airflow in the contaminated process cells within the presently inoperative Nuclear Fuel Services fuel reprocessing facility near West Valley, NY. The study involved the following tasks: (1) mathematical modeling of installed ventilation and abnormal exhaust pathways from the cells and prediction of tornado-induced airflows in these pathways; (2) mathematical modeling of individual cell flow characteristics and prediction of in-cell velocities induced by flows from step 1; and (3) evaluation of the results of steps 1 and 2 to determine whether any of the pathwaysmore » investigated have the potential for releasing quantities of radioactively contaminated air from the main process cells. The study has concluded that in the event of a tornado strike, certain pathways from the cells have the potential to release radioactive materials of the atmosphere. Determination of the quantities of radioactive material released from the cells through pathways identified in step 3 is presented in Part II of this report.« less

  20. 2004 Toxic Chemical Release Inventory Report for the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act of 1986, Title III, Section 313

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

    M. Stockton

    2006-01-15

    Section 313 of Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) specifically requires facilities to submit a Toxic Chemical Release Inventory Report (Form R) to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and state agencies if the owners and operators manufacture, process, or otherwise use any of the listed toxic chemicals above listed threshold quantities. EPA compiles this data in the Toxic Release Inventory database. Form R reports for each chemical over threshold quantities must be submitted on or before July 1 each year and must cover activities that occurred at the facility during the previous year. For reporting year 2004, Losmore » Alamos National Laboratory (LANL or the Laboratory) submitted Form R reports for lead compounds, nitric acid, and nitrate compounds as required under the EPCRA Section 313. No other EPCRA Section 313 chemicals were used in 2004 above the reportable thresholds. This document provides a description of the evaluation of EPCRA Section 313 chemical use and threshold determinations for LANL for calendar year 2004, as well as background information about data included on the Form R reports.« less

  1. Studies related to the development of the Viking 1975 labeled release experiment

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Devincenzi, D. L.; Deal, P. H.

    1976-01-01

    The labeled release life detection experiment on the Viking 1975 Mars mission is based on the concept that microorganisms will metabolize radioactive organic substrates in a nutrient medium and release radioactive carbon dioxide. Several experiments, using laboratory equipment, were carried out to evaluate various aspects of the concept. Results indicate: (1) label is released by sterilization-treated soil, (2) substantial quantities of label are retained in solution under basic conditions, (3) the substrate used, as well as position of label in the molecule, affect release of label, (4) label release is depressed by radiolytic decomposition of substrates, and (5) About 100,000 organisms are required to produce a detectable response. These results, suggest additional areas for testing, add to the data base for interpretation of flight results, and have significance for broader application of this technique for assessing microbial activity.

  2. 75 FR 5120 - United States, et al. v. Stericycle, Inc., et al.; Proposed Final Judgment and Competitive Impact...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-02-01

    ... services for Large Quantity Generator (``LQG'') customers in the states of Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and...; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Omaha, Nebraska; and Booneville, Missouri; LQG customer contracts associated with... collection and treatment services for large quantity generator (``LQG'') customers. The resulting combination...

  3. 77 FR 18099 - Special Conditions: Dassault Aviation, Model Falcon 7X Airplanes; Seats With Inflatable Shoulder...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-03-27

    ... rely on electronic sensors for signaling and a stored gas canister for inflation. These same devices... shoulder strap will not release hazardous quantities of gas or particulate matter into the cabin. 11. The...

  4. A PERMEABLE REACTIVE BARRIER FOR TREATMENT OF HEAVY METALS

    EPA Science Inventory

    Historical storage of ore concentrate containing sulfide minerals at an industrial site in British Columbia, Canada has resulted in widespread contamination of the underlying soil and groundwater. The oxidation of sulfide minerals has released significant quantities of heavy met...

  5. Eurasian Tree Sparrows, Risk for H5N1 Virus Spread and Human Contamination through Buddhist Ritual: An Experimental Approach

    PubMed Central

    Gutiérrez, Ramona Alikiiteaga; Sorn, San; Nicholls, John M.; Buchy, Philippe

    2011-01-01

    Background The Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N1 virus has dramatically spread throughout Southeast Asia since its first detection in 1997. Merit Release Birds, such as the Eurasian Tree Sparrow, are believed to increase one's positive karma when kissed and released during Buddhist rituals. Since these birds are often in close contact with both poultry and humans, we investigated their potential role in the spread of H5N1 virus. Methodology/Principal Findings Seven series of experiments were conducted in order to investigate the possible interactions between inoculated and exposed birds, including sparrow/sparrow, sparrow/chicken, duck/sparrow. Daily and post-mortem samples collected were tested for H5N1 virus by real-time RT-PCR and egg inoculation. When directly inoculated, Eurasian Tree Sparrows were highly susceptible to the H5N1 virus, with a fatality rate approaching 100% within 5 days post-inoculation. Although transmission of fatal infection between sparrows did not occur, seroconversion of the exposed birds was observed. Up to 100% chickens exposed to inoculated sparrows died of H5N1 infection, depending on the caging conditions of the birds, while a fatality rate of 50% was observed on sparrows exposed to infected ducks. Large quantities of H5N1 virus were detected in the sparrows, particularly in their feathers, from which infectious particles were recovered. Conclusions/Significance Our study indicates that under experimental conditions, Eurasian Tree Sparrows are susceptible to H5N1 infection, either by direct inoculation or by contact with infected poultry. Their ability to transmit H5N1 infection to other birds is also demonstrated, suggesting that the sparrows may play a role in the dissemination of the virus. Finally, the presence of significant quantities of H5N1 virus on sparrows' feathers, including infectious particles, would suggest that Merit Release Birds represent a risk for human contamination in countries where avian influenza virus is circulating and where this religious ritual is practiced. PMID:22164310

  6. Development of novel electrospun dual-drug fiber mats loaded with a combination of ampicillin and metronidazole.

    PubMed

    Schkarpetkin, Dennis; Reise, Markus; Wyrwa, Ralf; Völpel, Andrea; Berg, Albrecht; Schweder, Martina; Schnabelrauch, Matthias; Watts, David C; Sigusch, Bernd W

    2016-08-01

    Our study was performed with the aim of preparing electrospun polylactide fibers with a combination of ampicillin (AMP) and metronidazole (MNZ) and investigating their drug release behavior and the antibacterial effect on Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans and other oral pathogens. AMP and MNZ were integrated as a combination in two separate fibers (dual fiber mats - DFW mix) of electrospun PLA fiber mats by means of multijet electrospinning and in a single fiber (single fiber mats - SFW mix). HPLC (high-performance liquid chromatography) was used to measure the released drug quantities. Agar diffusion tests were used to determine the antibacterial effect of the eluates on A. actinomycetemcomitans, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Porphyromonas gingivalis and Enterococcus faecalis. The neutral red test was made to examine the cytocompatibility of the eluates with human gingival fibroblasts (hGFs). The release of the active agents varied with the antibiotic concentrations initially used in the fiber mats, but also with the distribution of the active agents in one or two fibers. Of the total quantity of MNZ (AMP), the SFW mix fiber mats released >60% (>70%) within a span of 5min, and 76% (71%) after 96h. With these drug concentrations released by the fiber mats (≥5m%), an antibacterial effect was achieved on A. actinomycetemcomitans and on all other species tested. Fiber mats and their eluates have no cytotoxic influence on human gingival fibroblasts (hGFs). Electrospun AMP/MNZ-loaded polymer fibers are a potential drug delivery system for use in periodontal and endodontic infections. Copyright © 2016 The Academy of Dental Materials. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Physiochemical properties of experimental nano-hybrid MTA

    PubMed Central

    Akhavan Zanjani, V; Tabari, K; Sheikh-Al-Eslamian, SM; Abrandabadi, AN

    2017-01-01

    Introduction: Development of new pulp capping agents has paved the way towards the preservation of pulp vitality, which is an important goal in restorative dentistry. This study sought to assess the calcium ion release, pH and setting of mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) Angelus, an experimental formulation of nano-hybrid MTA containing nano-SiO2, nano-Al2O3 and nano-TiO2 and MTA Angelus plus nano-oxides. Methods: In this experimental study, five specimens from each material were placed in polypropylene tubes and immersed in a flask containing deionized distilled water. The quantity of calcium ions released into the solution from each material was measured at 15 minutes, one hour, and 24 hours by using atomic absorption spectroscopy. The pH of the solutions was measured by using a pH meter at the respective time points. The setting time was also assessed by using a Gilmore needle. Data were analyzed by using repeated measure ANOVA. Results: The quantity of released calcium ions was not significantly different among the groups (P=0.060). All materials were alkaline and the pH at 24 hours was significantly higher than the other two time points in all groups (P<0.001). The experimental group had the shortest and the MTA Angelus had the longest setting time. All materials were alkaline and capable of releasing calcium. Addition of nanoparticles to MTA Angelus significantly decreased the setting time but had no effect on the release of calcium ions or pH. Abbreviations: MTA = mineral trioxide aggregate, VPT = vital pulp therapy PMID:29075348

  8. The submarine volcano eruption at the island of El Hierro: physical-chemical perturbation and biological response

    PubMed Central

    Fraile-Nuez, E.; González-Dávila, M.; Santana-Casiano, J. M.; Arístegui, J.; Alonso-González, I. J.; Hernández-León, S.; Blanco, M. J.; Rodríguez-Santana, A.; Hernández-Guerra, A.; Gelado-Caballero, M. D.; Eugenio, F.; Marcello, J.; de Armas, D.; Domínguez-Yanes, J. F.; Montero, M. F.; Laetsch, D. R.; Vélez-Belchí, P.; Ramos, A.; Ariza, A. V.; Comas-Rodríguez, I.; Benítez-Barrios, V. M.

    2012-01-01

    On October 10 2011 an underwater eruption gave rise to a novel shallow submarine volcano south of the island of El Hierro, Canary Islands, Spain. During the eruption large quantities of mantle-derived gases, solutes and heat were released into the surrounding waters. In order to monitor the impact of the eruption on the marine ecosystem, periodic multidisciplinary cruises were carried out. Here, we present an initial report of the extreme physical-chemical perturbations caused by this event, comprising thermal changes, water acidification, deoxygenation and metal-enrichment, which resulted in significant alterations to the activity and composition of local plankton communities. Our findings highlight the potential role of this eruptive process as a natural ecosystem-scale experiment for the study of extreme effects of global change stressors on marine environments. PMID:22768379

  9. Heavy Metal Pollution from Gold Mines: Environmental Effects and Bacterial Strategies for Resistance.

    PubMed

    Fashola, Muibat Omotola; Ngole-Jeme, Veronica Mpode; Babalola, Olubukola Oluranti

    2016-10-26

    Mining activities can lead to the generation of large quantities of heavy metal laden wastes which are released in an uncontrolled manner, causing widespread contamination of the ecosystem. Though some heavy metals classified as essential are important for normal life physiological processes, higher concentrations above stipulated levels have deleterious effects on human health and biota. Bacteria able to withstand high concentrations of these heavy metals are found in the environment as a result of various inherent biochemical, physiological, and/or genetic mechanisms. These mechanisms can serve as potential tools for bioremediation of heavy metal polluted sites. This review focuses on the effects of heavy metal wastes generated from gold mining activities on the environment and the various mechanisms used by bacteria to counteract the effect of these heavy metals in their immediate environment.

  10. Heavy Metal Pollution from Gold Mines: Environmental Effects and Bacterial Strategies for Resistance

    PubMed Central

    Fashola, Muibat Omotola; Ngole-Jeme, Veronica Mpode; Babalola, Olubukola Oluranti

    2016-01-01

    Mining activities can lead to the generation of large quantities of heavy metal laden wastes which are released in an uncontrolled manner, causing widespread contamination of the ecosystem. Though some heavy metals classified as essential are important for normal life physiological processes, higher concentrations above stipulated levels have deleterious effects on human health and biota. Bacteria able to withstand high concentrations of these heavy metals are found in the environment as a result of various inherent biochemical, physiological, and/or genetic mechanisms. These mechanisms can serve as potential tools for bioremediation of heavy metal polluted sites. This review focuses on the effects of heavy metal wastes generated from gold mining activities on the environment and the various mechanisms used by bacteria to counteract the effect of these heavy metals in their immediate environment. PMID:27792205

  11. Bubble generation during transformer overload

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

    Oommen, T.V.

    1990-03-01

    Bubble generation in transformers has been demonstrated under certain overload conditions. The release of large quantities of bubbles would pose a dielectric breakdown hazard. A bubble prediction model developed under EPRI Project 1289-4 attempts to predict the bubble evolution temperature under different overload conditions. This report details a verification study undertaken to confirm the validity of the above model using coil structures subjected to overload conditions. The test variables included moisture in paper insulation, gas content in oil, and the type of oil preservation system. Two aged coils were also tested. The results indicated that the observed bubble temperatures weremore » close to the predicted temperatures for models with low initial gas content in the oil. The predicted temperatures were significantly lower than the observed temperatures for models with high gas content. Some explanations are provided for the anomalous behavior at high gas levels in oil. It is suggested that the dissolved gas content is not a significant factor in bubble evolution. The dominant factor in bubble evolution appears to be the water vapor pressure which must reach critical levels before bubbles can be released. Further study is needed to make a meaningful revision of the bubble prediction model. 8 refs., 13 figs., 11 tabs.« less

  12. Runaway chemical reaction exposes community to highly toxic chemicals.

    PubMed

    Kaszniak, Mark; Vorderbrueggen, John

    2008-11-15

    The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) conducted a comprehensive investigation of a runaway chemical reaction at MFG Chemical (MFG) in Dalton, Georgia on April 12, 2004 that resulted in the uncontrolled release of a large quantity of highly toxic and flammable allyl alcohol and allyl chloride into the community. Five people were hospitalized and 154 people required decontamination and treatment for exposure to the chemicals. This included police officers attempting to evacuate the community and ambulance personnel who responded to 911 calls from residents exposed to the chemicals. This paper presents the findings of the CSB report (U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB), Investigation Report: Toxic Chemical Vapor Cloud Release, Report No. 2004-09-I-GA, Washington DC, April 2006) including a discussion on tolling practices; scale-up of batch reaction processes; Process Safety Management (PSM) and Risk Management Plan (RMP) implementation; emergency planning by the company, county and the city; and emergency response and mitigation actions taken during the incident. The reactive chemical testing and atmospheric dispersion modeling conducted by CSB after the incident and recommendations adopted by the Board are also discussed.

  13. HONO fluxes from soil surfaces: an overview

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wu, Dianming; Sörgel, Matthias; Tamm, Alexandra; Ruckteschler, Nina; Rodriguez-Caballero, Emilio; Cheng, Yafang; Pöschl, Ulrich; Weber, Bettina

    2016-04-01

    Gaseous nitrous acid (HONO) contributes up to 80% of atmospheric hydroxyl (OH) radicals and is also linked to health risks through reactions with tobacco smoke forming carcinogens. Field and modeling results suggested a large unknown HONO source in the troposphere during daytime. By measuring near ground HONO mixing ratio, up to 30% of HONO can be released from forest, rural and urban ground as well as snow surfaces. This source has been proposed to heterogeneous reactions of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) on humic acid surfaces or nitric acid photolysis. Laboratory studies showed that HONO emissions from bulk soil samples can reach 258 ng m-2 s-1 (in term of nitrogen), which corresponding to 1.1 × 1012 molecules cm-2 s-1and ˜ 100 times higher than most of the field studies, as measured by a dynamic chamber system. The potential mechanisms for soil HONO emissions include chemical equilibrium of acid-base reaction and gas-liquid partitioning between soil nitrite and HONO, but the positive correlation of HONO fluxes with pH (largest at neutral and slightly alkaline) points to the dominance of the formation process by ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB). In general soil surface acidity, nitrite concentration and abundance of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria mainly regulate the HONO release from soil. A recent study showed that biological soil crusts in drylands can also emit large quantities of HONO and NO, corresponding to ˜20% of global nitrogen oxide emissions from soils under natural vegetation. Due to large concentrations of microorganisms in biological soil crusts, particularly high HONO and NO emissions were measured after wetting events. Considering large areas of arid and arable lands as well as peatlands, up to 70% of global soils are able to emitting HONO. However, the discrepancy between large soil HONO emissions measured in lab and low contributions of HONO flux from ground surfaces in field as well as the role of microorganisms should be further investigated.

  14. Significance of microbial asynchronous anabolism to soil carbon dynamics driven by litter inputs

    PubMed Central

    Fan, Zhaosheng; Liang, Chao

    2015-01-01

    Soil organic carbon (SOC) plays an important role in the global carbon cycle. However, it remains largely unknown how plant litter inputs impact magnitude, composition and source configuration of the SOC stocks over long term through microbial catabolism and anabolism, mostly due to uncoupled research on litter decomposition and SOC formation. This limits our ability to predict soil system responses to changes in land-use and climate. Here, we examine how microbes act as a valve controlling carbon sequestrated from plant litters versus released to the atmosphere in natural ecosystems amended with plant litters varying in quantity and quality. We find that litter quality – not quantity – regulates long-term SOC dynamics under different plausible scenarios. Long-term changes in bulk SOC stock occur only when the quality of carbon inputs causes asynchronous change in a microbial physiological trait, defined as “microbial biosynthesis acceleration” (MBA). This is the first theoretical demonstration that the response of the SOC stocks to litter inputs is critically determined by the microbial physiology. Our work suggests that total SOC at an equilibrium state may be an intrinsic property of a given ecosystem, which ultimately is controlled by the asynchronous MBA between microbial functional groups. PMID:25849864

  15. Significance of microbial asynchronous anabolism to soil carbon dynamics driven by litter inputs

    DOE PAGES

    Fan, Zhaosheng; Liang, Chao

    2015-04-02

    Soil organic carbon (SOC) plays an important role in the global carbon cycle. However, it remains largely unknown how plant litter inputs impact magnitude, composition and source configuration of the SOC stocks over long term through microbial catabolism and anabolism, mostly due to uncoupled research on litter decomposition and SOC formation. This limits our ability to predict soil system responses to changes in land-use and climate. Here, we examine how microbes act as a valve controlling carbon sequestrated from plant litters versus released to the atmosphere in natural ecosystems amended with plant litters varying in quantity and quality. We findmore » that litter quality – not quantity – regulates long-term SOC dynamics under different plausible scenarios. Long-term changes in bulk SOC stock occur only when the quality of carbon inputs causes asynchronous change in a microbial physiological trait, defined as ‘‘microbial biosynthesis acceleration’’ (MBA). This is the first theoretical demonstration that the response of the SOC stocks to litter inputs is critically determined by the microbial physiology. Our work suggests that total SOC at an equilibrium state may be an intrinsic property of a given ecosystem, which ultimately is controlled by the asynchronous MBA between microbial functional groups.« less

  16. METHODOLOGY AND CALCULATIONS FOR THE ASSIGNMENT OF WASTE GROUPS FOR THE LARGE UNDERGROUND WASTE STORAGE TANKS AT THE HANFORD SITE

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

    WEBER RA

    2009-01-16

    The Hanford Site contains 177 large underground radioactive waste storage tanks (28 double-shell tanks and 149 single-shell tanks). These tanks are categorized into one of three waste groups (A, B, and C) based on their waste and tank characteristics. These waste group assignments reflect a tank's propensity to retain a significant volume of flammable gases and the potential of the waste to release retained gas by a buoyant displacement gas release event. Assignments of waste groups to the 177 double-shell tanks and single-shell tanks, as reported in this document, are based on a Monte Carlo analysis of three criteria. Themore » first criterion is the headspace flammable gas concentration following release of retained gas. This criterion determines whether the tank contains sufficient retained gas such that the well-mixed headspace flammable gas concentration would reach 100% of the lower flammability limit if the entire tank's retained gas were released. If the volume of retained gas is not sufficient to reach 100% of the lower flammability limit, then flammable conditions cannot be reached and the tank is classified as a waste group C tank independent of the method the gas is released. The second criterion is the energy ratio and considers whether there is sufficient supernatant on top of the saturated solids such that gas-bearing solids have the potential energy required to break up the material and release gas. Tanks that are not waste group C tanks and that have an energy ratio < 3.0 do not have sufficient potential energy to break up material and release gas and are assigned to waste group B. These tanks are considered to represent a potential induced flammable gas release hazard, but no spontaneous buoyant displacement flammable gas release hazard. Tanks that are not waste group C tanks and have an energy ratio {ge} 3.0, but that pass the third criterion (buoyancy ratio < 1.0, see below) are also assigned to waste group B. Even though the designation as a waste group B (or A) tank identifies the potential for an induced flammable gas release hazard, the hazard only exists for specific operations that can release the retained gas in the tank at a rate and quantity that results in reaching 100% of the lower flammability limit in the tank headspace. The identification and evaluation of tank farm operations that could cause an induced flammable gas release hazard in a waste group B (or A) tank are included in other documents. The third criterion is the buoyancy ratio. This criterion addresses tanks that are not waste group C double-shell tanks and have an energy ratio {ge} 3.0. For these double-shell tanks, the buoyancy ratio considers whether the saturated solids can retain sufficient gas to exceed neutral buoyancy relative to the supernatant layer and therefore have buoyant displacement gas release events. If the buoyancy ratio is {ge} 1.0, that double-shell tank is assigned to waste group A. These tanks are considered to have a potential spontaneous buoyant displacement flammable gas release hazard in addition to a potential induced flammable gas release hazard. This document categorizes each of the large waste storage tanks into one of several categories based on each tank's waste characteristics. These waste group assignments reflect a tank's propensity to retain a significant volume of flammable gases and the potential of the waste to release retained gas by a buoyant displacement event. Revision 8 is the annual update of the calculations of the flammable gas Waste Groups for DSTs and SSTs.« less

  17. Using Emergent and Internal Catchment Data to Elucidate the Influence of Landscape Structure and Storage State on Hydrologic Response in a Piedmont Watershed

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Putnam, S. M.; Harman, C. J.

    2017-12-01

    Many studies have sought to unravel the influence of landscape structure and catchment state on the quantity and composition of water at the catchment outlet. These studies run into issues of equifinality where multiple conceptualizations of flow pathways or storage states cannot be discriminated against on the basis of the quantity and composition of water alone. Here we aim to parse out the influence of landscape structure, flow pathways, and storage on both the observed catchment hydrograph and chemograph, using hydrometric and water isotope data collected from multiple locations within Pond Branch, a 37-hectare Piedmont catchment of the eastern US. This data is used to infer the quantity and age distribution of water stored and released by individual hydrogeomorphic units, and the catchment as a whole, in order to test hypotheses relating landscape structure, flow pathways, and catchment storage to the hydrograph and chemograph. Initial hypotheses relating internal catchment properties or processes to the hydrograph or chemograph are formed at the catchment scale. Data from Pond Branch include spring and catchment discharge measurements, well water levels, and soil moisture, as well as three years of high frequency precipitation and surface water stable water isotope data. The catchment hydrograph is deconstructed using hydrograph separation and the quantity of water associated with each time-scale of response is compared to the quantity of discharge that could be produced from hillslope and riparian hydrogeomorphic units. Storage is estimated for each hydrogeomorphic unit as well as the vadose zone, in order to construct a continuous time series of total storage, broken down by landscape unit. Rank StorAge Selection (rSAS) functions are parameterized for each hydrogeomorphic unit as well as the catchment as a whole, and the relative importance of changing proportions of discharge from each unit as well as storage in controlling the variability in the catchment chemograph is explored. The results suggest that the quantity of quickflow can be accounted for by direct precipitation onto < 5.2% of the catchment area, representing a zero-order swale plus the riparian area. rSAS modeling suggests that quickflow is largely composed of pre-event, stored water, generated through a process such as groundwater ridging.

  18. Effects of ammonia and hydrogen sulfide on physical and biochemical properties of the claw horn of Holstein cows

    PubMed Central

    Higuchi, Hidetoshi; Kurumado, Hisatoshi; Mori, Maya; Degawa, Aiko; Fujisawa, Hideyo; Kuwano, Atsutoshi; Nagahata, Hajime

    2009-01-01

    The effects of ammonia and hydrogen sulfide on the physical and biochemical properties of the claw horn of Holstein cows were evaluated. Significant (P < 0.05, 0.01) decreases in hardness and elasticity were found in claw horns soaked in ammonia (NH3) and hydrogen sulfide (H2S) solutions compared with those that were soaked in water for 12, 24, and 48 h. Water absorption rate, as a indicator of permeability barrier function, increased significantly (P < 0.05) over time during the soaking period and was found to be dependent on the concentrations of NH3 and H2S in the solutions. The contents of ceramide, the main lipid component for the permeability barrier system of the stratum corneum, were significantly decreased in claw horns soaked in NH3 and H2S solutions compared with the values before soaking. Quantities of eluted protein released from claw horns treated with NH3 and H2S solutions were approximately 20 times and 30 to 40 times greater than those released from claw horns treated with water alone. Interestingly, the quantities of cytokeratin 10, the main cytoskeletal protein of the stratum corneum, eluted from claw horns treated with NH3 and H2S solutions were markedly greater than the quantity released from horns soaked in water. Our results suggest that abnormal changes in the physical property of claw horn caused by NH3 and H2S treatment are due to disruption of the biochemical property of the claw horn induced by these chemical agents derived from slurry. PMID:19337390

  19. [Effects of small hydropower substitute fuel project on forest ecosystem services].

    PubMed

    Yu, Hai Yan; Zha, Tong Gang; Nie, Li Shui; Lyu, Zhi Yuan

    2016-10-01

    Based on the Forest Ecosystem Services Assessment Standards (LY/T 1721-2008) issued by the State Forestry Administration, this paper evaluated four key functions of forest ecosystems, i.e., water conservation, soil conservation, carbon fixation and oxygen release, and nutrient accumulation. Focusing on the project area of Majiang County in Guizhou Province, this study provided some quantitative evidence that the implementation of the small hydropower substituting fuel project had positive effects on the values and material quantities of ecosystem service functions. The results showed that the small hydropower substituting fuel project had a significant effect on the increase of forest ecosystem services. Water conservation quantity of Pinus massoniana and Cupressus funebris plantations inside project area was 20662.04 m 3 ·hm -2 ·a -1 , 20.5% higher than outside project area, with soil conservation quantity of 119.1 t·hm -2 ·a -1 , 29.7% higher than outside project area, carbon fixation and oxygen release of 220.49 t·hm -2 ·a -1 , 40.2% higher than outside project area, and forest tree nutrition accumulation of 3.49 t·hm -2 ·a -1 , 48.5% higher than outside project area. Small hydropower substituting fuel project for increasing the quota of forest ecosystem service function value was in the order of carbon fixation and oxygen release function (71400 yuan·hm -2 ·a -1 ) > water conservation function (60100 yuan·hm -2 ·a -1 ) > tree nutrition accumulation function (13800 yuan·hm -2 ·a -1 ) > soil conservation function (8100 yuan·hm -2 ·a -1 ). Small hydropower substituting fuel project played an important role for improving the forest ecological service function value and realizing the sustainable development of forest.

  20. Quantifying gas emissions from the “Millennium Eruption” of Paektu volcano, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea/China

    PubMed Central

    Iacovino, Kayla; Ju-Song, Kim; Sisson, Thomas; Lowenstern, Jacob; Kuk-Hun, Ri; Jong-Nam, Jang; Kun-Ho, Song; Song-Hwan, Ham; Oppenheimer, Clive; Hammond, James O. S.; Donovan, Amy; Liu, Kosima W.; Kum-Ran, Ryu

    2016-01-01

    Paektu volcano (Changbaishan) is a rhyolitic caldera that straddles the border between the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and China. Its most recent large eruption was the Millennium Eruption (ME; 23 km3 dense rock equivalent) circa 946 CE, which resulted in the release of copious magmatic volatiles (H2O, CO2, sulfur, and halogens). Accurate quantification of volatile yield and composition is critical in assessing volcanogenic climate impacts but is challenging, particularly for events before the satellite era. We use a geochemical technique to quantify volatile composition and upper bounds to yields for the ME by examining trends in incompatible trace and volatile element concentrations in crystal-hosted melt inclusions. We estimate that the ME could have emitted as much as 45 Tg of S to the atmosphere. This is greater than the quantity of S released by the 1815 eruption of Tambora, which contributed to the “year without a summer.” Our maximum gas yield estimates place the ME among the strongest emitters of climate-forcing gases in the Common Era. However, ice cores from Greenland record only a relatively weak sulfate signal attributed to the ME. We suggest that other factors came into play in minimizing the glaciochemical signature. This paradoxical case in which high S emissions do not result in a strong glacial sulfate signal may present a way forward in building more generalized models for interpreting which volcanic eruptions have produced large climate impacts. PMID:28138521

  1. Quantifying gas emissions from the "Millennium Eruption" of Paektu volcano, Democratic People's Republic of Korea/China.

    PubMed

    Iacovino, Kayla; Ju-Song, Kim; Sisson, Thomas; Lowenstern, Jacob; Kuk-Hun, Ri; Jong-Nam, Jang; Kun-Ho, Song; Song-Hwan, Ham; Oppenheimer, Clive; Hammond, James O S; Donovan, Amy; Liu, Kosima W; Kum-Ran, Ryu

    2016-11-01

    Paektu volcano (Changbaishan) is a rhyolitic caldera that straddles the border between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and China. Its most recent large eruption was the Millennium Eruption (ME; 23 km 3 dense rock equivalent) circa 946 CE, which resulted in the release of copious magmatic volatiles (H 2 O, CO 2 , sulfur, and halogens). Accurate quantification of volatile yield and composition is critical in assessing volcanogenic climate impacts but is challenging, particularly for events before the satellite era. We use a geochemical technique to quantify volatile composition and upper bounds to yields for the ME by examining trends in incompatible trace and volatile element concentrations in crystal-hosted melt inclusions. We estimate that the ME could have emitted as much as 45 Tg of S to the atmosphere. This is greater than the quantity of S released by the 1815 eruption of Tambora, which contributed to the "year without a summer." Our maximum gas yield estimates place the ME among the strongest emitters of climate-forcing gases in the Common Era. However, ice cores from Greenland record only a relatively weak sulfate signal attributed to the ME. We suggest that other factors came into play in minimizing the glaciochemical signature. This paradoxical case in which high S emissions do not result in a strong glacial sulfate signal may present a way forward in building more generalized models for interpreting which volcanic eruptions have produced large climate impacts.

  2. Quantity discounts on a virtual good: The results of a massive pricing experiment at King Digital Entertainment

    PubMed Central

    Levitt, Steven D.; List, John A.; Neckermann, Susanne; Nelson, David

    2016-01-01

    We report on a natural field experiment on quantity discounts involving more than 14 million consumers. Implementing price reductions ranging from 9–70% for large purchases, we found remarkably little impact on revenue, either positively or negatively. There was virtually no increase in the quantity of customers making a purchase; all the observed changes occurred for customers who already were buyers. We found evidence that infrequent purchasers are more responsive to discounts than frequent purchasers. There was some evidence of habit formation when prices returned to pre-experiment levels. There also was some evidence that consumers contemplating small purchases are discouraged by the presence of extreme quantity discounts for large purchases. PMID:27382146

  3. Use of MODIS Satellite Images and an Atmospheric Dust Transport Model to Evaluate Juniperus spp. Pollen Phenology and Dispersal

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Luvall, Jeffrey C.

    2011-01-01

    Pollen can be transported great distances. Van de Water et. al. reported Juniperus spp. pollen was transported 200-600 km. Hence local obse rvations of plant phenology may not be consistent with the timing and source of pollen collected by pollen sampling instruments. The DREAM (Dust REgional Atmospheric Model, Nickovic et al. 2001) is a verified model for atmospheric dust transport modeling using MODIS data produ cts to identify source regions and quantities of dust. We are modifyi ng the DREAM model to incorporate pollen transport. Pollen release wi ll be estimated based on MODIS derived phenology of Juniperus spp. communities. Ground based observations records of pollen release timing and quantities will be used as verification. This information will be used to support the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention?s Nat ional Environmental Public Health Tracking Program and the State of New Mexico environmental public health decision support for asthma and allergies alerts.

  4. Use of MODIS Satellite Images and an Atmospheric Dust Transport Model To Evaluate Juniperus spp. Pollen Phenology and Dispersal

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Luvall, J. C.; Sprigg, W. A.; Levetin, Estelle; Huete, Alfredo; Nickovic, S.; Pejanovic, G. A.; Vukovic, A.; VandeWater, P. K.; Myers, O. B.; Budge, A. M.; hide

    2011-01-01

    Pollen can be transported great distances. Van de Water et. al., 2003 reported Juniperus spp. pollen was transported 200-600 km. Hence local observations of plant phenology may not be consistent with the timing and source of pollen collected by pollen sampling instruments. The DREAM (Dust REgional Atmospheric Model, Nickovic et al. 2001) is a verified model for atmospheric dust transport modeling using MODIS data products to identify source regions and quantities of dust. We are modifying the DREAM model to incorporate pollen transport. Pollen release will be estimated based on MODIS derived phenology of Juniperus spp. communities. Ground based observational records of pollen release timing and quantities will be used as verification. This information will be used to support the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Environmental Public Health Tracking Program and the State of New Mexico environmental public health decision support for asthma and allergies alerts.

  5. Growing Large Quantities of Containerized Seedlings

    Treesearch

    Tim Pittman

    2002-01-01

    The sowing of large quantities of longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) seed into trays depends on the quality of the seed and the timing of seed sowing. This can be accomplished with mechanization. Seed quality is accomplished by using a gravity table. Tray filling can be accomplished by using a ribbon-type soil mixer and an automated tray-filling...

  6. An effective and simple procedure to isolate abundant quantities of biologically active chemopreventive lunasin-protease inhibitor concentrate (LPIC) from soybean

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Lunasin is a 5-kDa soybean bioactive peptide with demonstrated anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties. The use of lunasin as a chemopreventive agent in large-scale animal studies and human clinical trials is hampered by the paucity of large quantities of lunasin. Recently, purification methods...

  7. Pore Water Transport of Enterococci out of Beach Sediments

    PubMed Central

    Phillips, Matthew C.; Solo-Gabriele, Helena M.; Reniers, Adrianus J. H. M.; Wang, John D.; Kiger, Russell T.; Abdel-Mottaleb, Noha

    2011-01-01

    Enterococci are used to evaluate the safety of beach waters and studies have identified beach sands as a source of these bacteria. In order to study and quantify the release of microbes from beach sediments, flow column systems were built to evaluate flow of pore water out of beach sediments. Results show a peak in enterococci (average of 10% of the total microbes in core) released from the sand core within one pore water volume followed by a marked decline to below detection. These results indicate that few enterococci are easily removed and that factors other than simple pore water flow control the release of the majority of enterococci within beach sediments. A significantly larger quantity and release of enterococci were observed in cores collected after a significant rain event suggesting the influx of fresh water can alter the release pattern as compared to cores with no antecedent rainfall. PMID:21945015

  8. A modified SILCS contraceptive diaphragm for long-term controlled release of the HIV microbicide dapivirine.

    PubMed

    Major, Ian; Boyd, Peter; Kilbourne-Brook, Maggie; Saxon, Gene; Cohen, Jessica; Malcolm, R Karl

    2013-07-01

    There is considerable interest in developing new multipurpose prevention technologies to address women's reproductive health needs. This study describes an innovative barrier contraceptive device--based on the SILCS diaphragm--that also provides long-term controlled release of the lead candidate anti-HIV microbicide dapivirine. Diaphragm devices comprising various dapivirine-loaded polymer spring cores overmolded with a nonmedicated silicone elastomer sheath were fabricated by injection molding processes. In vitro release testing, thermal analysis and mechanical characterization were performed on the devices. A diaphragm device containing a polyoxymethylene spring core loaded with 10% w/w dapivirine provided continuous and controlled release of dapivirine over a 6-month period, with a mean in vitro daily release rate of 174 mcg/day. The mechanical properties of the new diaphragm were closely matched to the SILCS diaphragm. The study demonstrates proof of concept for a dapivirine-releasing diaphragm with daily release quantities potentially capable of preventing HIV transmission. In discontinuous clinical use, release of dapivirine may be readily extended over 1 or more years. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. RANKL release from self-assembling nanofiber hydrogels for inducing osteoclastogenesis in vitro.

    PubMed

    Xing, James Z; Lu, Lei; Unsworth, Larry D; Major, Paul W; Doschak, Michael R; Kaipatur, Neelambar R

    2017-02-01

    To develop a nanofiber hydrogel (NF-hydrogel) for sustained and controlled release of the recombinant receptor activator of NF-kB ligand; (RANKL) and to characterize the release kinetics and bioactivity of the released RANKL. Various concentrations of fluorescently-labelled RANKL protein were added to NF-hydrogels, composed of Acetyl-(Arg-Ala-Asp-Ala) 4 -CONH 2 [(RADA) 4 ] of different concentrations, to investigate the resulting in vitro release rates. The nano-structures of NF-hydrogel, with and without RANKL, were determined using atomic force microscopy (AFM). Released RANKL was further analyzed for changes in secondary and tertiary structure using CD spectroscopy and fluorescent emission spectroscopy, respectively. Bioactivity of released RANKL protein was determined using NFATc1 gene expression and tartrate resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) activity of osteoclast cells as biomarkers. NF-hydrogel concentration dependent sustained release of RANKL protein was measured at concentrations between 0.5 and 2%(w/v). NF-hydrogel at 2%(w/v) concentration exhibited a sustained and slow-release of RANKL protein up to 48h. Secondary and tertiary structure analyses confirmed no changes to the RANKL protein released from NF-hydrogel in comparison to native RANKL. The results of NFATc1 gene mRNA expression and TRAP activities of osteoclast, showed that the release process did not affect the bioactivity of released RANKL. This novel study is the first of its kind to attempt in vitro characterization of NF-hydrogel based delivery of RANKL protein to induce osteoclastogenesis. We have shown the self-assembling NF-hydrogel peptide system is amenable to the sustained and controlled release of RANKL locally; that could in turn increase local concentration of RANKL to induce osteoclastogenesis, for application to the controlled mobilization of tooth movement in orthodontic procedures. Orthodontic tooth movement (OTM) occurs through controlled application of light forces to teeth, facilitating the required changes in the surrounding alveolar bone through the process of bone remodelling. The RANKL system regulates alveolar bone remodelling and controls root resorption during OTM. The use of exogenous RANKL to accelerate OTM has not been attempted to date because large quantities of RANKL for systemic therapy may subsequently cause serious systemic loss of skeletal bone. The controlled and sustained local release of RANKL from a carrier matrix could maximize its therapeutic benefit whilst minimizing systemic side effects. In this study a NF-hydrogel was used for sustained and controlled release of RANKL and the release kinetics and biofunctionality of the released RANKL was characterized. Our results provide fundamental insight for further investigating the role of RANKL NF-hydrogel release systems for inducing osteoclastogenesis in vivo. Copyright © 2016 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. What reaches the antenna? How to calibrate odor flux and ligand-receptor affinities.

    PubMed

    Andersson, Martin N; Schlyter, Fredrik; Hill, Sharon Rose; Dekker, Teun

    2012-06-01

    Physiological studies on olfaction frequently ignore the airborne quantities of stimuli reaching the sensory organ. We used a gas chromatography-calibrated photoionization detector to estimate quantities released from standard Pasteur pipette stimulus cartridges during repeated puffing of 27 compounds and verified how lack of quantification could obscure olfactory sensory neuron (OSN) affinities. Chemical structure of the stimulus, solvent, dose, storage condition, puff interval, and puff number all influenced airborne quantities. A model including boiling point and lipophilicity, but excluding vapor pressure, predicted airborne quantities from stimuli in paraffin oil on filter paper. We recorded OSN responses of Drosophila melanogaster, Ips typographus, and Culex quinquefasciatus, to known quantities of airborne stimuli. These demonstrate that inferred OSN tuning width, ligand affinity, and classification can be confounded and require stimulus quantification. Additionally, proper dose-response analysis shows that Drosophila AB3A OSNs are not promiscuous, but highly specific for ethyl hexanoate, with other earlier proposed ligands 10- to 10 000-fold less potent. Finally, we reanalyzed published Drosophila OSN data (DoOR) and demonstrate substantial shifts in affinities after compensation for quantity and puff number. We conclude that consistent experimental protocols are necessary for correct OSN classification and present some simple rules that make calibration, even retroactively, readily possible.

  11. Reactor for producing large particles of materials from gases

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Flagan, Richard C. (Inventor); Alam, Mohammed K. (Inventor)

    1987-01-01

    A method and apparatus is disclosed for producing large particles of material from gas, or gases, containing the material (e.g., silicon from silane) in a free-space reactor comprised of a tube (20) and controlled furnace (25). A hot gas is introduced in the center of the reactant gas through a nozzle (23) to heat a quantity of the reactant gas, or gases, to produce a controlled concentration of seed particles (24) which are entrained in the flow of reactant gas, or gases. The temperature profile (FIG. 4) of the furnace is controlled for such a slow, controlled rate of reaction that virtually all of the material released condenses on seed particles and new particles are not nucleated in the furnace. A separate reactor comprised of a tube (33) and furnace (30) may be used to form a seed aerosol which, after passing through a cooling section (34) is introduced in the main reactor tube (34) which includes a mixer (36) to mix the seed aerosol in a controlled concentration with the reactant gas or gases.

  12. CFD model simulation of LPG dispersion in urban areas

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pontiggia, Marco; Landucci, Gabriele; Busini, Valentina; Derudi, Marco; Alba, Mario; Scaioni, Marco; Bonvicini, Sarah; Cozzani, Valerio; Rota, Renato

    2011-08-01

    There is an increasing concern related to the releases of industrial hazardous materials (either toxic or flammable) due to terrorist attacks or accidental events in congested industrial or urban areas. In particular, a reliable estimation of the hazardous cloud footprint as a function of time is required to assist emergency response decision and planning as a primary element of any Decision Support System. Among the various hazardous materials, the hazard due to the road and rail transportation of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is well known since large quantities of LPG are commercialized and the rail or road transportation patterns are often close to downtown areas. Since it is well known that the widely-used dispersion models do not account for the effects of any obstacle like buildings, tanks, railcars, or trees, in this paper a CFD model has been applied to simulate the reported consequences of a recent major accident involving an LPG railcar rupture in a congested urban area (Viareggio town, in Italy), showing both the large influence of the obstacles on LPG dispersion as well as the potentials of CFD models to foresee such an influence.

  13. Recovery of ammonia in digestates of calf manure through a struvite precipitation process using unconventional reagents.

    PubMed

    Siciliano, A; De Rosa, S

    2014-01-01

    Land spreading of digestates causes the discharge of large quantities of nutrients into the environment, which contributes to eutrophication and depletion of dissolved oxygen in water bodies. For the removal of ammonia nitrogen, there is increasing interest in the chemical precipitation of struvite, which is a mineral that can be reused as a slow-release fertilizer. However, this process is an expensive treatment of digestate because large amounts of magnesium and phosphorus reagents are required. In this paper, a struvite precipitation-based process is proposed for an efficient recovery of digestate nutrients using low-cost reagents. In particular, seawater bittern, a by-product of marine salt manufacturing and bone meal, a by-product of the thermal treatment of meat waste, have been used as low-cost sources of magnesium and phosphorus, respectively. Once the operating conditions are defined, the process enables the removal of more than 90% ammonia load, the almost complete recovery of magnesium and phosphorus and the production of a potentially valuable precipitate containing struvite crystals.

  14. Plutonium

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Clark, David L.; Hecker, Siegfried S.; Jarvinen, Gordon D.; Neu, Mary P.

    The element plutonium occupies a unique place in the history of chemistry, physics, technology, and international relations. After the initial discovery based on submicrogram amounts, it is now generated by transmutation of uranium in nuclear reactors on a large scale, and has been separated in ton quantities in large industrial facilities. The intense interest in plutonium resulted fromthe dual-use scenario of domestic power production and nuclear weapons - drawing energy from an atomic nucleus that can produce a factor of millions in energy output relative to chemical energy sources. Indeed, within 5 years of its original synthesis, the primary use of plutonium was for the release of nuclear energy in weapons of unprecedented power, and it seemed that the new element might lead the human race to the brink of self-annihilation. Instead, it has forced the human race to govern itself without resorting to nuclear war over the past 60 years. Plutonium evokes the entire gamut of human emotions, from good to evil, from hope to despair, from the salvation of humanity to its utter destruction. There is no other element in the periodic table that has had such a profound impact on the consciousness of mankind.

  15. Novel approach for a PTX/VEGF dual drug delivery system in cardiovascular applications-an innovative bulk and surface drug immobilization.

    PubMed

    Wulf, Katharina; Teske, Michael; Matschegewski, Claudia; Arbeiter, Daniela; Bajer, Dalibor; Eickner, Thomas; Schmitz, Klaus-Peter; Grabow, Niels

    2018-06-01

    The successive incorporation of several drugs into the polymeric bulk of implants mostly results in loss of considerable quantity of one drug, and/or the loss in quality of the coating and also in changes of drug release time points. A dual drug delivery system (DDDS) based on poly-L-lactide (PLLA) copolymers combining the effective inhibition of smooth muscle cell proliferation while simultaneously promoting re-endothelialization was successfully developed. To overcome possible antagonistic drug interactions and the limitation of the polymeric bulk material as release system for dual drugs, a novel concept which combines the bulk and surface drug immobilization for a DDDS was investigated. The advantage of this DDDS is that the bulk incorporation of fluorescein diacetate (FDAc) (model drug for paclitaxel (PTX)) via spray coating enhanced the subsequent cleavable surface coupling of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) via the crosslinker bissulfosuccinimidyl suberate (BS 3 ). In the presence of the embedded FDAc, the VEGF loading and release are about twice times higher than in absence. Furthermore, the DDDS combines the diffusion drug delivery (FDAc or PTX) and the chemical controlled drug release, VEGF via hydrolysable ester bonds, without loss in quantity and quality of the drug release curves. Additionally, the performed in vitro biocompatibility study showed the bimodal influences of PTX and VEGF on human endothelial EA.hy926 cells. In conclusion, it was possible to show the feasibility to develop a novel DDDS which has a high potential for the medical application due to the possible easy and short modification of a polymer-based PTX delivery system.

  16. Biennial Hazardous Waste Report

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    Federal regulations require large quantity generators to submit a report (EPA form 8700-13A/B) every two years regarding the nature, quantities and disposition of hazardous waste generated at their facility.

  17. 43 CFR 414.3 - Storage and Interstate Release Agreements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ...; potential environmental impacts and potential effects on threatened and endangered species; comments from... date certain, the consuming entity will: (i) Notify the storing entity to develop a specific quantity... be consistent with its State's laws. (9) The agreement must include a description of: (i) The actions...

  18. 43 CFR 414.3 - Storage and Interstate Release Agreements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ...; potential environmental impacts and potential effects on threatened and endangered species; comments from... date certain, the consuming entity will: (i) Notify the storing entity to develop a specific quantity... be consistent with its State's laws. (9) The agreement must include a description of: (i) The actions...

  19. 43 CFR 414.3 - Storage and Interstate Release Agreements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ...; potential environmental impacts and potential effects on threatened and endangered species; comments from... date certain, the consuming entity will: (i) Notify the storing entity to develop a specific quantity... be consistent with its State's laws. (9) The agreement must include a description of: (i) The actions...

  20. 43 CFR 414.3 - Storage and Interstate Release Agreements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ...; potential environmental impacts and potential effects on threatened and endangered species; comments from... date certain, the consuming entity will: (i) Notify the storing entity to develop a specific quantity... be consistent with its State's laws. (9) The agreement must include a description of: (i) The actions...

  1. Evaluation Of Demercurization Efficiency Of Chlor-Alkali Production In Pavlodar City, Kazakhstan

    EPA Science Inventory

    Mercury pollution in Pavlodar, a city in northeastern Kazakhstan, is the result of chlor-alkali chemical plant operations in 1975-1993, where chlorine production capacity was approximately 100,000 tons per year. The total quantity of metallic mercury released into the environmen...

  2. 40 CFR 273.13 - Waste management.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... immediately closed after removal): (i) Sorting batteries by type; (ii) Mixing battery types in one container... Waste management. (a) Universal waste batteries. A small quantity handler of universal waste must manage universal waste batteries in a way that prevents releases of any universal waste or component of a universal...

  3. 40 CFR 273.13 - Waste management.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... immediately closed after removal): (i) Sorting batteries by type; (ii) Mixing battery types in one container... Waste management. (a) Universal waste batteries. A small quantity handler of universal waste must manage universal waste batteries in a way that prevents releases of any universal waste or component of a universal...

  4. 40 CFR 273.13 - Waste management.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... immediately closed after removal): (i) Sorting batteries by type; (ii) Mixing battery types in one container... Waste management. (a) Universal waste batteries. A small quantity handler of universal waste must manage universal waste batteries in a way that prevents releases of any universal waste or component of a universal...

  5. 40 CFR 273.13 - Waste management.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... immediately closed after removal): (i) Sorting batteries by type; (ii) Mixing battery types in one container... Waste management. (a) Universal waste batteries. A small quantity handler of universal waste must manage universal waste batteries in a way that prevents releases of any universal waste or component of a universal...

  6. Statistical Characterization of 18650-Format Lithium-Ion Cell Thermal Runaway Energy Distributions

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Walker, William Q.; Rickman, Steven; Darst, John; Finegan, Donal; Bayles, Gary; Darcy, Eric

    2017-01-01

    Effective thermal management systems, designed to handle the impacts of thermal runaway (TR) and to prevent cell-to-cell propagation, are key to safe operation of lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery assemblies. Critical factors for optimizing these systems include the total energy released during a single cell TR event and the fraction of the total energy that is released through the cell casing vs. through the ejecta material. A unique calorimeter was utilized to examine the TR behavior of a statistically significant number of 18650-format Li-ion cells with varying manufacturers, chemistries, and capacities. The calorimeter was designed to contain the TR energy in a format conducive to discerning the fractions of energy released through the cell casing vs. through the ejecta material. Other benefits of this calorimeter included the ability to rapidly test of large quantities of cells and the intentional minimization of secondary combustion effects. High energy (270 Wh/kg) and moderate energy (200 Wh/kg) 18650 cells were tested. Some of the cells had an imbedded short circuit (ISC) device installed to aid in the examination of TR mechanisms under more realistic conditions. Other variations included cells with bottom vent (BV) features and cells with thin casings (0.22 1/4m). After combining the data gathered with the calorimeter, a statistical approach was used to examine the probability of certain TR behavior, and the associated energy distributions, as a function of capacity, venting features, cell casing thickness and temperature.

  7. Microsatellite Variations of Elite Setaria Varieties Released during Last Six Decades in China.

    PubMed

    Jia, Guanqing; Liu, Xiaotong; Schnable, James C; Niu, Zhengang; Wang, Chunfang; Li, Yuhui; Wang, Shujun; Wang, Suying; Liu, Jinrong; Guo, Erhu; Zhi, Hui; Diao, Xianmin

    2015-01-01

    Crop improvement is a multifaceted micro-evolutionary process, involving changes in breeding approaches, planting configurations and consumption preferences of human beings. Recent research has started to identify the specific genes or genomic regions correlate to improved agronomic traits, however, an apparent blank between the genetic structure of crop elite varieties and their improving histories in diverse modern breeding programs is still in existence. Foxtail millet (Setaria italica) was one of the earliest cereal crops to be domesticated and served as a staple crop for early civilizations in China, where it is still widely grown today. In the present trial, a panel of foxtail millet elite varieties, which were released in the last sixty years in different geographical regions of China, was characterized using microsatellite markers (SSRs). A clear separation of two subpopulations corresponding to the two eco-geographical regions of foxtail millet production in China was identified by the dataset, which also indicated that in more recently released elite varieties, large quantities of accessions have been transferred from spring-sowing to summer-sowing ecotypes, likely as a result of breeding response to planting configurations. An association mapping study was conducted to identify loci controlling traits of major agronomic interest. Furthermore, selective sweeps involved in improvement of foxtail millet were identified as multi-diverse minor effect loci controlling different agronomic traits during the long-term improvement of elite varieties. Our results highlight the effect of transition of planting configuration and breeding preference on genetic evolvement of crop species.

  8. Microsatellite Variations of Elite Setaria Varieties Released during Last Six Decades in China

    PubMed Central

    Schnable, James C.; Niu, Zhengang; Wang, Chunfang; Li, Yuhui; Wang, Shujun; Wang, Suying; Liu, Jinrong; Guo, Erhu; Zhi, Hui; Diao, Xianmin

    2015-01-01

    Crop improvement is a multifaceted micro-evolutionary process, involving changes in breeding approaches, planting configurations and consumption preferences of human beings. Recent research has started to identify the specific genes or genomic regions correlate to improved agronomic traits, however, an apparent blank between the genetic structure of crop elite varieties and their improving histories in diverse modern breeding programs is still in existence. Foxtail millet (Setaria italica) was one of the earliest cereal crops to be domesticated and served as a staple crop for early civilizations in China, where it is still widely grown today. In the present trial, a panel of foxtail millet elite varieties, which were released in the last sixty years in different geographical regions of China, was characterized using microsatellite markers (SSRs). A clear separation of two subpopulations corresponding to the two eco-geographical regions of foxtail millet production in China was identified by the dataset, which also indicated that in more recently released elite varieties, large quantities of accessions have been transferred from spring-sowing to summer-sowing ecotypes, likely as a result of breeding response to planting configurations. An association mapping study was conducted to identify loci controlling traits of major agronomic interest. Furthermore, selective sweeps involved in improvement of foxtail millet were identified as multi-diverse minor effect loci controlling different agronomic traits during the long-term improvement of elite varieties. Our results highlight the effect of transition of planting configuration and breeding preference on genetic evolvement of crop species. PMID:25932649

  9. Discovery of Newer Therapeutic Leads for Prostate Cancer

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2009-06-01

    promising plant extracts and then prepare large-scale quantities of the plant extracts using supercritical fluid extraction techniques and use this...quantities of the plant extracts using supercritical fluid extraction techniques. Large scale plant collections were conducted for 14 of the top 20...material for bioassay-guided fractionation of the biologically active constituents using modern chromatography techniques. The chemical structures of

  10. An Overview of the Regulation of Low Dose Radiation in the Nuclear and Non-nuclear Industries

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

    Menon, Shankar; Valencia, Luis; Teunckens, Lucien

    Now that increasing numbers of nuclear power stations are reaching the end of their commercially useful lives, the management of the large quantities of very low level radioactive material that arises during their decommissioning has become a major subject of discussion, with very significant economic implications. Much of this material can, in an environmentally advantageous manner, be recycled for reuse without radiological restrictions. Much larger quantities--2-3 orders of magnitude larger--of material, radiologically similar to the candidate material for recycling from the nuclear industry, arise in non-nuclear industries like coal, fertilizer, oil and gas, mining, etc. In such industries, naturally occurringmore » radioactivity is artificially concentrated in products, by-products or waste to form TENORM (Technologically Enhanced Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material). It is only in the last decade that the international community has become aware of the prevalence of TENORM, specially the activity levels and quantities arising in so many non-nuclear industries. The first reaction of international organizations seems to have been to propose different standards for the nuclear and non-nuclear industries, with very stringent release criteria for radioactive material from the regulated nuclear industry and up to thirty to a hundred times more liberal criteria for the release/exemption of TENORM from the as yet unregulated non-nuclear industries. There are significant strategic issues that need to be discussed and resolved. Some examples of these are: - Disposal aspects of long-lived nuclides, - The use of radioactive residues in building materials, - Commercial aspects of differing and discriminating criteria in competing power industries in a world of deregulated electric power production. Of even greater importance is the need for the discussion of certain basic issues, such as - The quantitative risk levels of exposure to ionizing radiation, - The need for in-depth studies on populations of the naturally high background dose level areas of the world, - The validity of the various calculation codes currently used to arrive at mass specific clearance levels for redundant material. The paper discusses these and other strategic issues regarding the management of redundant low radiation material from both the nuclear and non-nuclear industries, underlining the need for consistency in regulatory treatment.« less

  11. Observed chlorine concentrations during Jack Rabbit I and Lyme Bay field experiments

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hanna, Steven; Chang, Joseph; Huq, Pablo

    2016-01-01

    As part of planning for a series of field experiments where large quantities (up to 20 tons) of pressurized liquefied chlorine will be released, observations from previous chlorine field experiments are analyzed to estimate the ranges of chlorine concentrations expected at various downwind distances. In five field experiment days during the summer 2010 Jack Rabbit I (JR I) field trials, up to two tons of chlorine were released and concentrations were observed at distances, x, from 25 to 500 m. In the 1927 Lyme Bay (LB) experiments, there were four days of trials, where 3-10 tons of chlorine were released in about 15 min from the back of a ship. Concentrations were sampled at LB from four ships sailing across the cloud path at downwind distances in the range from about 350 to 3000 m. Thus, the distances from which JR I concentrations were available slightly overlapped the LB distances. One-minute arc-maximum chlorine concentrations, C (g/m3), were analyzed from four JR I trials and two LB trials. Normalized concentrations (Cu/Q) were plotted versus x (m), where u (m/s) is measured wind speed at heights of 2-10 m and Q (g/s) is continuous mass release rate. It is found that the JR I and LB Cu/Q observations smoothly merge with each other and fall along a line with approximate slope of -2 at distances beyond about 200 m (i.e., Cu/Q is proportional to x-2). At x < 200 m, where dense gas effects are more important, the slope is less (about -1.5). Most of the data points are within a factor of two of the "best-fit" line.

  12. Metal organic frameworks as a drug delivery system for flurbiprofen.

    PubMed

    Al Haydar, Muder; Abid, Hussein Rasool; Sunderland, Bruce; Wang, Shaobin

    2017-01-01

    Metal organic frameworks (MOFs) have attracted more attention in the last decade because of a suitable pore size, large surface area, and high pore volume. Developing biocompatible MOFs such as the MIL family as a drug delivery system is possible. Flurbiprofen (FBP), a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agent, is practically insoluble in aqueous solution, and, therefore, needs suitable drug delivery systems. Different biocompatible MOFs such as Ca-MOF and Fe-MILs (53, 100, and 101) were synthesized and employed for FBP delivery. A sample of 50 mg of each MOF was mixed and stirred for 24 h with 10 mL of 5 mg FBP in acetonitrile (40%) in a sealed container. The supernatant of the mixture after centrifuging was analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography to determine the loaded quantity of FBP on the MOF. The overnight-dried solid material after centrifuging the mixture was analyzed for loading percent using X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance, and FBP release profile. The loading values of FBP were achieved at 10.0%±1%, 20%±0.8%, 37%±2.3%, and 46%±3.1% on Ca-MOF, Fe-MIL-53, Fe-MIL-101, and Fe-MIL-100, respectively. The FBP release profiles were investigated in a phosphate buffer solution at pH 7.4. The total release of the FBP after 2 days was obtained at 72.9, 75.2, 78.3, and 90.3% for Ca-MOF, Fe-MIL-100, Fe-MIL-53, and Fe-MIL-101, respectively. The MOFs are shown to be a promising drug delivery option for FBP with a significant loading percent and relatively prolonged drug release.

  13. The Role of Deposition in Limiting the Hazard Extent of Dense-Gas Plumes

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

    Dillon, M B

    2008-01-29

    Accidents involving release of large (multi-ton) quantities of toxic industrial chemicals often yield far fewer fatalities and causalities than standard, widely-used assessment and emergency response models predict. While recent work has suggested that models should incorporate the protection provided by buildings, more refined health effect methodologies, and more detailed consideration of the release process; investigations into the role of deposition onto outdoor surfaces has been lacking. In this paper, we examine the conditions under which dry deposition may significantly reduce the extent of the downwind hazard zone. We provide theoretical arguments that in congested environments (e.g. suburbs, forests), deposition tomore » vertical surfaces (such as building walls) may play a significant role in reducing the hazard zone extent--particularly under low-wind, stable atmospheric conditions which are often considered to be the worst-case scenario for these types of releases. Our analysis suggests that in these urban or suburban environments, the amount of toxic chemicals lost to earth's surface is typically a small fraction of overall depositional losses. For isothermal gases such as chlorine, the degree to which the chemicals stick to (or react with) surfaces (i.e. surface resistance) is demonstrated to be a key parameter controlling hazard extent (the maximum distance from the release at which hazards to human health are expected). This analysis does not consider the depositional effects associated with particulate matter or gases that undergo significant thermal change in the atmosphere. While no controlled experiments were available to validate our hypothesis, our analysis results are qualitatively consistent with the observed downwind extent of vegetation damage in two chlorine accidents.« less

  14. Design, development, and initial operation of BabyScan: An in-vivo counter for children around Fukushima

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bronson, Frazier; Hayano, Ryugo; Oginni, Babatunde; Jaderstrom, Henrik; Ilie, Gabriela; Yamanaka, Shunji; Muramatsu, Isamu

    2015-06-01

    The Fukushima Dai-ichi accident has released large quantities of radionuclides, including 131I, 134Cs, and 137Cs. These radionuclides, when inhaled or ingested, cause internal dose to the individual. Whole Body Counting [WBC], also known as in-vivo counting is a common method to assess internal radioactivity as a tool to evaluate internal dose. The FastScan WBC system was widely used following the Chernobyl and the Fukushima accidents for in-vivo measurements of the population. Although the FastScan was designed for adults, it was successfully used for children by having them stand on a small stool. However small children and infants cannot stand, and have a much lower quantity of radioactive cesium. That required the development of a much more sensitive WBC system, called the BabyScan. A very important element of the project was to make the unit look esthetically pleasing, while not compromising performance. The steel shield was enclosed in a molded fiberglass exterior skin, whereas a carbon-fiber liner was used on the interior, to keep the background low. The system was calibrated using MCNP; on-site testing with phantoms confirmed the adequacy of the mathematical efficiency calibrations. The system has a Minimum Detectable Activity with a 4-min measurement of approximately 20 Bq for infants approximately 10 kg in weight, and 40 Bq for children approximately 30 kg in weight. The 40K that is naturally present is also reliably detected at the appropriate quantity for infants as small as 6 kg. Data from the first 365 subjects counted showed that 40K was detected in all of them, and that there was no 134Cs or 137Cs above the MDA levels.

  15. Geology and occurrence of ground water in Lyon County, Minnesota

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Rodis, Harry G.

    1963-01-01

    Large quantities of ground water are available from melt-water channels in the county. Moderate quantities, adequate for domestic and small industrial needs, are available from many of the small isolated deposits of sand and gravel in the till. Small quantities of ground water, adequate only for domestic supply, generally can be obtained from Cretaceous sandstone.

  16. Quantity Representation in Children and Rhesus Monkeys: Linear Versus Logarithmic Scales

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Beran, Michael J.; Johnson-Pynn, Julie S.; Ready, Christopher

    2008-01-01

    The performances of 4- and 5-year-olds and rhesus monkeys were compared using a computerized task for quantity assessment. Participants first learned two quantity anchor values and then responded to intermediate values by classifying them as similar to either the large anchor or the small anchor. Of primary interest was an assessment of where the…

  17. Anaerobic biotransformation of organoarsenical pesticides monomethylarsonic acid and dimethylarsinic acid

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Sierra-Alvarez, R.; Yenal, U.; Feld, J.A.; Kopplin, M.; Gandolfi, A.J.; Garbarino, J.R.

    2006-01-01

    Monomethylarsonic acid (MMAV) and dimethylarsinic acid (DMAV) are extensively utilized as pesticides, introducing large quantities of arsenic into the environment. Once released into the environment, these organoarsenicals are subject to microbial reactions. Aerobic biodegradation of MMAV and DMAV has been evaluated, but little is known about their fate in anaerobic environments. The objective of this study was to evaluate the biotransformation of MMAV and DMAV in anaerobic sludge. Biologically mediated conversion occurred under methanogenic or sulfate-reducing conditions but not in the presence of nitrate. Monomethylarsonous acid (MMAIII) was consistently observed as an important metabolite of MMAV degradation, and it was recovered in molar yields ranging from 5 to 47%. The main biotransformation product identified from DMAV metabolism was MMAV, which was recovered in molar yields ranging from 8 to 65%. The metabolites indicate that reduction and demethylation are important steps in the anaerobic bioconversion of MMAV and DMAV, respectively. ?? 2006 American Chemical Society.

  18. A discrete element model for damage and fracture of geomaterials under fatigue loading

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gao, Xiaofeng; Koval, Georg; Chazallon, Cyrille

    2017-06-01

    Failure processes in geomaterials (concrete, asphalt concrete, masonry, etc.) under fatigue loading (repeated moving loads, cycles of temperature, etc.) are responsible for most of the dysfunctions in pavements, brick structures, etc. In the beginning of the lifetime of a structure, the material presents only inner defects (micro cracks, voids, etc.). Due to the effect of the cyclic loading, these small defects tend to grow in size and quantity which damage the material, reducing its stiffness. With a relatively high number of cycles, these growing micro cracks become large cracks, which characterizes the fracture behavior. From a theoretical point of view, both mechanisms are treated differently. Fracture is usually described locally, with the propagation of cracks defined by the energy release rate at the crack tip; damage is usually associated to non-local approaches. In the present work, damage and fracture mechanics are combined in a local discrete element approach.

  19. Inadequately Treated Wastewater as a Source of Human Enteric Viruses in the Environment

    PubMed Central

    Okoh, Anthony I.; Sibanda, Thulani; Gusha, Siyabulela S.

    2010-01-01

    Human enteric viruses are causative agents in both developed and developing countries of many non-bacterial gastrointestinal tract infections, respiratory tract infections, conjunctivitis, hepatitis and other more serious infections with high morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised individuals such as meningitis, encephalitis and paralysis. Human enteric viruses infect and replicate in the gastrointestinal tract of their hosts and are released in large quantities in the stools of infected individuals. The discharge of inadequately treated sewage effluents is the most common source of enteric viral pathogens in aquatic environments. Due to the lack of correlation between the inactivation rates of bacterial indicators and viral pathogens, human adenoviruses have been proposed as a suitable index for the effective indication of viral contaminants in aquatic environments. This paper reviews the major genera of pathogenic human enteric viruses, their pathogenicity and epidemiology, as well as the role of wastewater effluents in their transmission. PMID:20644692

  20. Heat pretreatment eliminates spurious butyrylcholinesterase enhancement of endotoxin levels in the kinetic chromogenic assay.

    PubMed

    Brawner, Andrew; Hinrichs, Steven H; Larson, Marilynn A; Lockridge, Oksana

    2016-04-05

    The kinetic chromogenic endotoxin assay measures the release of p-nitroaniline from the chromogenic peptide substrate Ac-IEAR-pNA. As part of our project to purify large quantities of human butyrylcholinesterase (HuBChE), we evaluated pure HuBChE for endotoxin levels. We found that HuBChE contributed up to 90% of the yellow p-nitroaniline product in a standard endotoxin assay through the catalytic hydrolysis of Ac-IEAR-pNA with a rate constant of 0.016 min(-1) and a Km of 2.9 mM in potassium phosphate buffer pH 7.0 at 24 °C. Thus, endotoxin concentrations for native BChE are artificially high in the kinetic chromogenic assay. Destruction of HuBChE catalytic activity by boiling yields endotoxin concentrations that more accurately reflect the endotoxin concentration in purified HuBChE preparations. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Slurry growth, gas retention, and flammable gas generation by Hanford radioactive waste tanks: Synthetic waste studies, FY 1991

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

    Bryan, S.A.; Pederson, L.R.; Ryan, J.L.

    1992-08-01

    Of 177 high-level waste storage tanks on the Hanford Site, 23 have been placed on a safety watch list because they are suspected of producing flammable gases in flammable or explosive concentrate. One tankin particular, Tank 241-SY-101 (Tank 101-SY), has exhibited slow increases in waste volume followed by a rapid decrease accompanied by venting of large quantities of gases. The purpose of this study is to help determine the processes by which flammable gases are produced, retained, and eventually released from Tank 101-SY. Waste composition data for single- and double-shell waste tanks on the flammable gas watch listare critically reviewed.more » The results of laboratory studies using synthetic double-shell wastes are summarized, including physical and chemical properties of crusts that are formed, the stoichiometry and rate ofgas generation, and mechanisms responsible for formation of a floating crust.« less

  2. The stable isotopic compositions of indigenous carbon-bearing components in EETA 79001

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hartmetz, C. P.; Wright, I. P.; Pillinger, C. T.

    1992-01-01

    It is now widely accepted that the most likely source of SNC meteorites is Mars. An oblique impact on Mars, or vaporization of permafrost, by an impactor seem to be the most likely ejection mechanisms capable of accelerating material to the 5 km/s velocity needed to overcome the gravitational field of Mars. These ejection mechanisms involve a large shock event in the SNC class, the shergottites EETA 79001 and ALHA 77055 are the most likely shocked samples, in which whole rock pressures of 35 to 45 GPa have been estimated. Martian weathering products have also been identified in EETA 79001. Here, the author started a series of analyses of EETA 79001 using a high-sensitivity static mass spectrometer capable of measuring sub-nanogram quantities of carbon. Recent measurements of lithology C confirm that the shock-implanted atmospheric CO2 is released during the 1100 to 1200 C step.

  3. Nitric oxide-dependent neutrophil recruitment: role in nasal secretion.

    PubMed

    Cardell, L O; Agustí, C; Nadel, J A

    2000-12-01

    Leukotriene B4 (LTB4), an inflammatory mediator, is a potent chemoattractant for neutrophils that plays an important role in nasal secretion via release of elastase. Nitric oxide (NO) is an important modulator of leucocyte-endothelial cell interactions, endogenously produced in large quantities in the paranasal sinuses. To examine the role of NO in LTB4-stimulated nasal secretion. A newly-developed method for isolating and superfusing a nasal segment in dogs was used. Instillation of LTB4 into the nasal segment caused a time-dependent increase in the volume of airway fluid and in the recruitment of neutrophils. N(G)-nitro-L-arginine-methylester (L-NAME), an inhibitor of NO synthase, prevented LTB4-induced neutrophil recruitment and nasal secretion. These studies show that NO modulates LTB4-induced neutrophil recruitment and subsequent fluid secretion in the nose, and they suggest a therapeutic role for NO inhibitors in modulating neutrophil-dependent nasal secretion.

  4. Research on the Electro-explosive Behaviors and the Ignition Performances of Energetic Igniters

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Yong; Jia, Xin; Wang, Liu; Zhou, Bin; Shen, Ruiqi

    2018-01-01

    This article describes the electro-explosive behaviors and the ignition performances of energetic igniters based on the combination of polysilicon film with Al/CuO nanoenergetic multilayer films (nEMFs).The ultra-high-speed framing camera images show that melting first occurs at the V-type angles and then expands to the entire bridge. The Al/CuO nEMF is heated and fired from below, forced to form lots of flyers with different sizes, ejected with the expansion of polysilicon plasma, and reacts exothermically to release a large quantity of energy. Furthermore, temperature diagnosis results demonstrate higher temperature products of energetic igniters. Ignition experiment at a standoff of 1.5 mm results show that the average firing voltage and the variance of energetic igniters are 28.50 V and 0.96, whereas those of polysilicon igniters are 32.05 V and 1.94.

  5. Sill intrusion driven fluid flow and vent formation in volcanic basins: Modeling rates of volatile release and paleoclimate effects

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Iyer, Karthik; Schmid, Daniel

    2016-04-01

    Evidence of mass extinction events in conjunction with climate change occur throughout the geological record and may be accompanied by pronounced negative carbon isotope excursions. The processes that trigger such globally destructive changes are still under considerable debate. These include mechanisms such as poisoning from trace metals released during large volcanic eruptions (Vogt, 1972), CO2 released from lava degassing during the formation of Large Igneous Provinces (LIPs) (Courtillot and Renne, 2003) and CH4 release during the destabilization of sub-seafloor methane (Dickens et al., 1995), to name a few. Thermogenic methane derived from contact metamorphism associated with magma emplacement and cooling in sedimentary basins has been recently gaining considerable attention as a potential mechanism that may have triggered global climate events in the past (e.g. Svensen and Jamtveit, 2010). The discovery of hydrothermal vent complexes that are spatially associated with such basins also supports the discharge of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere (e.g. Jamtveit et al., 2004; Planke et al., 2005; Svensen et al., 2006). A previous study that investigated this process using a fluid flow model (Iyer et al., 2013) suggested that although hydrothermal plume formation resulting from sill emplacement may indeed release large quantities of methane at the surface, the rate at which this methane is released into the atmosphere is too slow to trigger, by itself, some of the negative δ13C excursions observed in the fossil record over short time scales observed in the fossil record. Here, we reinvestigate the rates of gas release during sill emplacement in a case study from the Harstad Basin off-shore Norway with a special emphasis on vent formation. The presented study is based on a seismic line that crosses multiple sill structures emplaced around 55 Ma within the Lower Cretaceous sediments. A single well-defined vent complex is interpreted above the termination of the main sill in the region. We use a 2D, hybrid FEM/FVM model that solves for fully compressible fluid flow to quantify the thermogenic release and transport of methane and to evaluate flow patterns within these systems. Additionally, vent formation in the model is implemented by simple fracture criteria that modify the permeability structure when the fluid pressure exceeds a threshold determined by the lithostatic pressure. The model with fracture formation is able to reproduce a single vent complex at the observed location above the main sill tip. This is very different from hydrothermal plume formation elsewhere in the region and occurs over short time scales (hundreds of years) and results in fluid focusing in that region. The rate of degassing and the resulting negative δ13C excursion from the vent model is then compared to models where only hydrothermal plume formation results in gas transportation. Lastly, variations in the amount of gas liberated in the system are investigated based on kerogen type and other mineral reactions such as limestone decarbonation and halite breakdown in the affected source rock.

  6. Annual Greenhouse Gas (CO2, CH4, and N2O) Fluxes Via Ebullition from a Temperate Emergent Wetland

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mcnicol, G.; Sturtevant, C. S.; Knox, S. H.; Baldocchi, D. D.; Silver, W. L.

    2014-12-01

    Quantifying wetland greenhouse gas exchange is necessary to evaluate their potential for mitigating climate change via carbon sequestration. However measuring greenhouse gas fluxes of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O) in wetlands is difficult due to high spatial and temporal variability, and multiple transport pathways of emission. Transport of biogenic soil gas via highly sporadic ebullition (bubbling) events is often ignored or quantified poorly in wetland greenhouse gas budgets, but can rapidly release large volumes of gas to the atmosphere. To quantify a robust annual ebullition flux we measured rates continuously for a year (2013-2014) using custom-built chambers deployed in a restored emergent wetland located in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, CA. We combined ebullition flux rates with observations of gas concentrations to estimate annual ebullition emissions of CO2, CH4, and N2O and compare flux rates to whole-ecosystem exchange of CO2 and CH4 measured simultaneously by eddy covariance.Mean ebullition flux rates were 18.3 ± 5.6 L m-2 yr-1. Ebullition CH4 concentrations were very high and ranged from 23-76 % with a mean of 47 ± 2.9 %; CO2 concentrations were lower and ranged from 0.7-6.6 % with a mean of 2.8 ± 0.3 %; N2O concentrations were below atmospheric concentrations and ranged from 130-389 ppb(v) with a mean of 257 ± 13 ppb(v). We calculated well-constrained annual ebullition fluxes of: 6.2 ± 1.9 g CH4 m-2 yr-1, 1.0 ± 0.3 g CO2 m-2 yr-1 and 9.3 ± 2.8 mg N2O m-2 yr-1. Methane emissions via ebullition were very large, representing 15-25 % of total wetland CH4 emissions measured at this site, whereas ebullition released only relatively small quantities of CO2 and N2O. Our results demonstrate that large releases of CH4 via ebullition from open water surfaces can be a significant component of restored wetland greenhouse gas budgets.

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

    Petitpas, Guillaume; Whitesides, Russel

    UQHCCI_2 propagates the uncertainties of mass-average quantities (temperature, heat capacity ratio) and the output performances (IMEP, heat release, CA50 and RI) of a HCCI engine test bench using the pressure trace, and intake and exhaust molar fraction and IVC temperature distributions, as inputs (those inputs may be computed using another code UQHCCI_2, or entered independently).

  8. Arsenic activation neutron detector

    DOEpatents

    Jacobs, E.L.

    1980-01-28

    A detector of bursts of neutrons from a deuterium-deuteron reaction includes a quantity of arsenic adjacent a gamma detector such as a scintillator and photomultiplier tube. The arsenic is activated by the 2.5-MeV neutrons to release gamma radiation which is detected to give a quantitative representation of detected neutrons.

  9. Arsenic activation neutron detector

    DOEpatents

    Jacobs, Eddy L.

    1981-01-01

    A detector of bursts of neutrons from a deuterium-deuteron reaction includes a quantity of arsenic adjacent a gamma detector such as a scintillator and photomultiplier tube. The arsenic is activated by the 2.5 Mev neutrons to release gamma radiation which is detected to give a quantitative representation of detected neutrons.

  10. Effects of fire on chaparral soils in Arizona and California and postfire management implications

    Treesearch

    Leonard F. DeBano

    1989-01-01

    Wildfires and prescribed burns are common throughout Arizona and California chaparral. Predicting fire effects requires understanding fire behavior, estimating soil heating, and predicting changes in soil properties. Substantial quantities of some nutrients, particularly nitrogen and phosphorus, are lost directly during combustion. Highly available nutrients released...

  11. Decay of Fire-Caused snags in Ocala Sand Pine

    Treesearch

    Kenneth W. Outcalt

    2003-01-01

    Sand pine (Pinus clausa) scrub is adapted to, and regenerated by, periodic stand-replacement wildfire, which consumes the understory and kills the overstory. The heat of the fire opens the serotinous cones of Ocala sand pine (P. clausa var. clausa), releasing quantities of seed that reestablish the overstory,...

  12. 40 CFR 373.1 - General requirement.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... PLANNING, AND COMMUNITY RIGHT-TO-KNOW PROGRAMS REPORTING HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCE ACTIVITY WHEN SELLING OR... and at which any hazardous substance was stored for one year or more, known to have been released, or... the type and quantity of such hazardous substance and notice of the time at which such storage...

  13. A collagenolytic streptomycete.

    PubMed

    Mukhopadhyay, R P; Chandra, A L

    1996-11-01

    A soil streptomycete (Streptomyces sp. A11) degraded collagen isolated from bovine Achilles tendon, calf skin, human placenta, carp swim bladder and rat tail tendon and released appreciable quantities of hydroxyproline. It also degraded hide powder and vegetable tanned leather. The organism was taxonomically characterized, compared with allied species, identified and designated as Streptomyces wartii.

  14. A Collaborative Study of Disproportionate Chemical Risks in Seven Delaware Communities

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dryden, O.; Goldman, G. T.; White, R.; Moore, D.; Roberts, M.; Thomas, J.; Johnson, C.

    2017-12-01

    Studies have found that, compared to national averages, a significantly greater percentage of Blacks (African-Americans), Latinos (Hispanics), and people at or near poverty levels tend to live near industrial facilities that use large quantities of toxic chemicals and present a risk of major chemical disasters with potentially severe consequences for nearby communities. The Union of Concerned Scientists, the Environmental Justice Health Alliance for Chemical Policy Reform, and Delaware Concerned Residents for Environmental Justice collaborated on a study to examine the potential for cumulative impacts from health and safety risks for seven Delaware communities with a percentage of people of color and/or poverty levels greater than the Delaware average located along an industrial corridor in the northern portion of Delaware's New Castle County. These risks include close proximity to major industrial sources, as well as facilities that use large quantities of toxic, flammable or explosive chemicals and pose a high risk of a major chemical release or catastrophic incident. Additionally, proximity to contaminated waste sites was assessed, as well as the risk of cancer and potential for respiratory disease impacts from exposure to toxic air pollution. We found that people in these seven communities face a substantial cumulative health risk from exposure to toxic air pollution, proximity to polluting industrial facilities and hazardous chemical facilities, as well as contaminated waste sites. These health risks are substantially greater when compared to a wealthier and predominantly White Delaware community and for Delaware as a whole. Significant and expedited improvements in regulatory and public policy are needed at the national, state, and municipal levels to address the health and well-being of at-risk communities in Delaware and elsewhere.

  15. Coupling Evapotranspiration and Watershed Storage to Assess the Impact of Forest Disturbance on Low Flows

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Brena Naranjo, J.; Stahl, K.; Weiler, M.

    2009-05-01

    Low flows are important for water-supply planning and design, and maintenance of quantity and quality of water for irrigation, recreation, and fish and wildlife conservation. There have been concerns recently that climate warming and land cover changes due to an unprecedented pine beetle epidemic in British Columbia, Canada, may cause a deterioration of water quantity during low flow periods and at certain times may become a hazard to ecosystem and to water management schemes. A study to characterize the sensitivity of the low flow regimes was performed for several mainly forested catchments located within the Fraser River basin. Here, summer low flows are maintained through the release of water from groundwater and riparian storage, lakes and wetlands, but are reduced by high evapotranspiration rates in the catchments. Since evapotranspiration in British Columbia accounts around 40% of the precipitation, the first part of this work was focused on the assessment of the relationship between the potential evapotranspiration (PET) and the actual evapotranspiration (AET) for undisturbed and disturbed landscapes which is expected to influence the hydrological behavior during the low-flow season. Through its influence on evapotranspiration, forest age appears to play an important role in the water balance. The second part of the study implemented a forest age dependent calculation of AET into a parsimonious water balance model, which was applied to simulate the sensitivity of the flow regimes of 15 non regulated watersheds to changes after the beginning of the pine beetle epidemic at a large scale. The model input was derived from disaggregated gridded 30-year climate normals. Since the geologic and topographic properties are first order controls on water storage and release of the examined catchments a framework for regionalization of these properties into ungauged catchments was developed. Furthermore, the interaction between forest disturbance and evapotranspiration may help to predict the magnitude and timing response of low flows -among others- to environmental changes as well as the temporal scales of biogeochemical cycling.

  16. When soils become sediments: Large-scale storage of soils in sandpits and lakes and the impact of reduction kinetics on heavy metals and arsenic release to groundwater.

    PubMed

    Vink, Jos P M; van Zomeren, Andre; Dijkstra, Joris J; Comans, Rob N J

    2017-08-01

    Simulating the storage of aerobic soils under water, the chemical speciation of heavy metals and arsenic was studied over a long-term reduction period. Time-dynamic and redox-discrete measurements in reactors were used to study geochemical changes. Large kinetic differences in the net-complexation quantities of heavy metals with sulfides was observed, and elevated pore water concentrations remained for a prolonged period (>1 year) specifically for As, B, Ba, Co, Mo, and Ni. Arsenic is associated to the iron phases as a co-precipitate or sorbed fraction to Fe-(hydr)oxides, and it is being released into solution as a consequence of the reduction of iron. The composition of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in reducing pore water was monitored, and relative contributions of fulvic, humic and hydrophylic compounds were measured via analytical batch procedures. Quantitative and qualitative shifts in organic compounds occur during reduction; DOM increased up to a factor 10, while fulvic acids become dominant over humic acids which disappear altogether as reduction progresses. Both the hydrophobic and hydrophilic fractions increase and may even become the dominant fraction. Reactive amorphous and crystalline iron phases, as well as dissolved FeII/FeIII speciation, were measured and used as input for the geochemical model to improve predictions for risk assessment to suboxic and anaerobic environments. The release of arsenic is related to readily reducible iron fractions that may be identified by 1 mM CaCl 2 extraction procedure. Including DOM concentration shifts and compositional changes during reduction significantly improved model simulations, enabling the prediction of peak concentrations and identification of soils with increased emission risk. Practical methods are suggested to facilitate the practice of environmentally acceptable soil storage under water. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Old Geology and New Geology

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2003-01-01

    [figure removed for brevity, see original site]

    Released 28 May 2003

    Mangala Vallis one of the large outflow channels that channeled large quantities of water into the northern lowlands, long ago on geological timescales. This valley is one of the few in the southern hemisphere, as well as one of the few west of the Tharsis bulge. A closer look at the channel shows more recent weathering of the old water channel: the walls of the channel show small, dark slope streaks that form in dusty areas; and much of the surrounding terrain has subtle linear markings trending from the upper left to the lower right, which are probably features sculpted and streamlined by the wind. Geology still shapes the surface of Mars today, but its methods over the eons have changed.

    Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -6, Longitude 209.6 East (150.4 West). 19 meter/pixel resolution.

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

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

  18. Active screen cage pulsed dc discharge for implanting copper in polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zaka-ul-Islam, Mujahid; Naeem, Muhammad; Shafiq, Muhammad; Sitara; Jabbar Al-Rajab, Abdul; Zakaullah, Muhammad

    2017-07-01

    Polymers such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) are widely used in artificial organs where long-term anti-bacterial properties are required to avoid bacterial proliferation. Copper or silver ion implantation on the polymer surface is known as a viable method to generate long-term anti-bacterial properties. Here, we have tested pulsed DC plasma with copper cathodic cage for the PTFE surface treatment. The surface analysis of the treated specimens suggests that the surface, structural properties, crystallinity and chemical structure of the PTFE have been changed, after the plasma treatment. The copper release tests show that copper ions are released from the polymer at a slow rate and quantity of the released copper increases with the plasma treatment time.

  19. Water-resources investigations in North Dakota; fiscal year 1984

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Hall, L.A.; Kuzniar, R.K.

    1984-01-01

    The U.S. Geological Survey, through its Water Resources Division, investigates the occurrence, quantity, quality, distribution, and movement of the surface and underground water that composes the Nation's water resources. This publication contains a brief description of the ongoing investigations of the North Dakota District.Much of the Geological Survey program is conducted in cooperation with other Federal agencies and several state agencies. The publications resulting from the program are listed periodically in a miscellaneous release titled, "Water Resources Investigations of the U.S. Geological Survey, 19XX." The last such release was issued in 1982. They are also listed in a monthly nationwide release titled, "New Publications of the Geological Survey, List XXX--Publications issued in month 19XX."

  20. A Catalog of Quasar Properties from the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, Zhi-Fu; Pan, Da-Sheng; Pang, Ting-Ting; Huang, Yong

    2018-01-01

    Using the quasars with z em < 0.9 from the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey, we measure the spectral characteristics, including continuum and emission lines, around the Hβ and Hα spectral regions, which are lacking in Quasar Data Release 12 (DR12Q). We estimate the virial black hole mass from broad Hα and/or Hβ, and infer quasar redshifts from [O III] λ5007 emission lines. All the measurements and derived quantities are publicly available. A comparison between [O III] λ5007 redshifts and the visual inspection redshifts included in DR12Q indicates that the visual inspection redshifts are robust. We find that the full widths at half maximum of the broad Hα are consistent with those of the broad Hβ, while both the equivalent widths and line luminosities of the broad Hα are obviously larger than the corresponding quantities of the broad Hβ. We also find that there is an obviously systematic offset between the Hβ and Hα based mass if they are inferred from the empirical relationships in the literature. Using our large quasar sample, we have improved the Hβ and Hα based mass estimators by minimizing the difference between the Hβ- and Hα-based masses. For the black hole mass estimator (Equation (1)), we find that the coefficients (a, b) = (7.00, 0.50) for Hα and (a, b) = (6.96, 0.50) for Hβ are the best choices.

  1. Toward responsible development and effective risk management of nano-enabled products in the U.S. construction industry

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    West, Gavin H.; Lippy, Bruce E.; Cooper, Michael R.; Marsick, Daniel; Burrelli, Leonard G.; Griffin, Kelsey N.; Segrave, Alan M.

    2016-02-01

    The global construction sector is experiencing major improvements to building materials used in large quantities through commercial applications of nanotechnology. Nano-enabled construction products hold great promise for energy efficiency and resource conservation, but risk assessments lag as new products emerge. This paper presents results from an inventory, survey, and exposure assessment conducted by the authors and explores these findings in the broader context of evolving research trends and responsible development of nanotechnology. An inventory of 458 reportedly nano-enabled construction products provided insight into product availability, potential exposures, and deficiencies in risk communication that are barriers to adoption of proactive safety measures. Seasoned construction trainers surveyed were largely unaware of the availability of nano-enabled construction products. Exposure assessment demonstrated the effectiveness of ventilation to reduce exposures during mechanical abrasion of photocatalytic tiles containing titanium dioxide (TiO2). Dissociated particles of TiO2 just above the nanoscale (138 nm) were detected in the debris collected during cutting of the tiles, but measurements were below recommended exposure limits for TiO2. Exposure assessments remain scarce, and toxicological understanding primarily pertains to unincorporated nanomaterials; less is known about the occupational risks of nano-enabled construction products across their life cycle. Further research is needed to characterize and quantify exposure to debris released from nanocomposite materials for realistic risk assessment, and to ascertain how nanocomposite matrices, fillers, and degradation forces interact to affect release dynamics. Improving risk communication strategies and implementing safe work practices will cultivate responsible development of nanotechnology in construction, as will multidisciplinary research efforts.

  2. Characteristics of streamflow and ground-water conditions in the Boise River Valley, Idaho

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Thomas, C.A.; Dion, N.P.

    1974-01-01

    The quantity, quality, and distribution in time of streamflow in Boise River below Lucky Peak Lake are drastically affected by storage reservoirs, diversions for irrigation, and by domestic, industrial, and agricultural wastes. Reservoirs usually fill during the nonirrigation season, and streamflow for several miles below Lucky Peak Lake is very low, sometimes less than 10 cubic feet per second (0.28 cubic meters per second). On November 18-19, 1971, when the gates at Lucky Peak Dam were closed, inflow to the Boise River in the study reach totaled 1010 ft3 /s. Practically all inflow was discharged ground water. During the growing season, several thousands of ft3 /s are released from Lucky Peak Lake, but diversions reduce the flows to near zero below some large diversion points in the study reach. Characteristics of streamflow are described by duration curves, duration hydrographs, and low-flow and high-flow frequency curves.Water released from Lucky Peak Lake is of excellent quality. Dissolved solids are usually less than 80 milligrams per liter. Discharged ground water increases the dissolved solids in the river downstream to 400 milligrams per liter or more when dilution from Lucky Peak Lake is slight. Other measures of water quality likewise show the deterioration in a downstream direction in the study reach.

  3. An innovative method for the preparation of high API-loaded hollow spherical granules for use in controlled-release formulation.

    PubMed

    Asada, Takumi; Kobiki, Mitsuaki; Ochiai, Yasushi; Iwao, Yasunori; Itai, Shigeru

    2017-05-15

    The aim of this study was to prepare controlled-release (CR) granules with suitable particle strength, flowability, particle size distribution (PSD) and density characteristics for blending with other excipients. We also wanted these CR granules to contain large quantities of active pharmaceutical ingredient (API). A high shear mixer was used to mix an API with various polymers at various feed ratios, and the resulting granulated materials were sprayed with solvent. The wet granules were dried using a fluidized bed dryer to give CR granules. The API content of the granules was determined to be 95wt%. The granules were found to be spherical in shape with smooth surfaces by scanning electron microscopy. The inner structure of each granule was determined to be hollow by X-ray computed tomography, highlighting the unusual mechanism of this granulation process. The PSD of the granules was found to be dependent on that of the constituent polymer, and a narrow PSD was obtained by adjusting the PSD of the polymer. The dissolution profile of the granules was also dependent on the constituent polymer. Taken together, these results show that we have successfully developed a new manufacturing technology for the simple and low-cost preparation of ideal CR granules. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. GaAs photovoltaics and optoelectronics using releasable multilayer epitaxial assemblies.

    PubMed

    Yoon, Jongseung; Jo, Sungjin; Chun, Ik Su; Jung, Inhwa; Kim, Hoon-Sik; Meitl, Matthew; Menard, Etienne; Li, Xiuling; Coleman, James J; Paik, Ungyu; Rogers, John A

    2010-05-20

    Compound semiconductors like gallium arsenide (GaAs) provide advantages over silicon for many applications, owing to their direct bandgaps and high electron mobilities. Examples range from efficient photovoltaic devices to radio-frequency electronics and most forms of optoelectronics. However, growing large, high quality wafers of these materials, and intimately integrating them on silicon or amorphous substrates (such as glass or plastic) is expensive, which restricts their use. Here we describe materials and fabrication concepts that address many of these challenges, through the use of films of GaAs or AlGaAs grown in thick, multilayer epitaxial assemblies, then separated from each other and distributed on foreign substrates by printing. This method yields large quantities of high quality semiconductor material capable of device integration in large area formats, in a manner that also allows the wafer to be reused for additional growths. We demonstrate some capabilities of this approach with three different applications: GaAs-based metal semiconductor field effect transistors and logic gates on plates of glass, near-infrared imaging devices on wafers of silicon, and photovoltaic modules on sheets of plastic. These results illustrate the implementation of compound semiconductors such as GaAs in applications whose cost structures, formats, area coverages or modes of use are incompatible with conventional growth or integration strategies.

  5. Development of a 2nd Generation Decision Support Tool to Optimize Resource and Energy Recovery for Municipal Solid Waste

    EPA Science Inventory

    In 2012, EPA’s Office of Research and Development released the MSW decision support tool (MSW-DST) to help identify strategies for more sustainable MSW management. Depending upon local infrastructure, energy grid mix, population density, and waste composition and quantity, the m...

  6. 9 CFR 113.108 - Clostridium Novyi Bacterin-Toxoid.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... serial found unsatisfactory by any prescribed test shall not be released. (a) Purity test. Final... words and terms shall mean: (i) International antitoxin unit. (I.U.) That quantity of Alpha Antitoxin... chloride in each 100 ml of distilled water; adjusting the pH to 7.2; autoclaving at 121 °C for 25 minutes...

  7. 78 FR 22850 - 36(b)(1) Arms Sales Notification

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-04-17

    ... million * As defined in Section 47(6) of the Arms Export Control Act. (iii) Description and Quantity or... software continues to be modified via a pre-planned product improvement (P3I) program in order to improve its counter- countermeasure capabilities. No software source code or algorithms will be released. The...

  8. Controlled Release Drug Delivery via Polymeric Microspheres: A Neat Application of the Spherical Diffusion Equation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ormerod, C. S.; Nelson, M.

    2017-01-01

    Various applied mathematics undergraduate skills are demonstrated via an adaptation of Crank's axisymmetric spherical diffusion model. By the introduction of a one-parameter Heaviside initial condition, the pharmaceutically problematic initial mass flux is attenuated. Quantities germane to the pharmaceutical industry are examined and the model is…

  9. 78 FR 38298 - Ross Stores, Inc. et al., Provisional Acceptance of a Settlement Agreement and Order

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-06-26

    ... Agreement and the Order in a press release or other public notice (including but not limited to social media... series of various styles, models, and quantities of children's upper outerwear products with drawstrings..., the following: Children's Apparel Network, Ltd. (Children's Apparel) Young Hearts hooded sweater; Byer...

  10. Use of Tenebrio molitor (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) powder to enhance artificial diet formulations for Coleomegilla maculata (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae)

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    The predatory lady beetle Coleomegilla maculata has potential to control several arthropod pests on crop plants in greenhouses and high tunnels. However, an effective artificial diet is needed in order to mass produce C. maculata in sufficient quantities for augmentative releases. The objectives of ...

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

    Isotalo, Aarno

    A method referred to as tally nuclides is presented for accurately and efficiently calculating the time-step averages and integrals of any quantities that are weighted sums of atomic densities with constant weights during the step. The method allows all such quantities to be calculated simultaneously as a part of a single depletion solution with existing depletion algorithms. Some examples of the results that can be extracted include step-average atomic densities and macroscopic reaction rates, the total number of fissions during the step, and the amount of energy released during the step. Furthermore, the method should be applicable with several depletionmore » algorithms, and the integrals or averages should be calculated with an accuracy comparable to that reached by the selected algorithm for end-of-step atomic densities. The accuracy of the method is demonstrated in depletion calculations using the Chebyshev rational approximation method. Here, we demonstrate how the ability to calculate energy release in depletion calculations can be used to determine the accuracy of the normalization in a constant-power burnup calculation during the calculation without a need for a reference solution.« less

  12. Improvement in lipids extraction processes for biodiesel production from wet microalgal pellets grown on diammonium phosphate and sodium bicarbonate combinations.

    PubMed

    Shah, Syed Hasnain; Raja, Iftikhar Ahmed; Mahmood, Qaisar; Pervez, Arshid

    2016-08-01

    Biomass productivity and growth kinetics for microalgae grown on sodium bicarbonate and diammonium phosphate were investigated. Different carbon and nitrogen ratios have shown different growth rates and biomass productivity and C:N ratio 50:10 as mgL(-1) has shown the best production than all. For effective lipids extraction from biomass thermolysis and sonolysis were carried out from wet biomass. Sonolysis at 2.3W intensity for 5min has released 8.58mg at neutral pH. More quantity of lipids was extracted when extraction was made at pH 4 and 10 which resulted 9mg and 9.28mg lipids respectively. Thermal treatment at 100°C for 10min has released 12.82mg lipid at neutral pH. In the same thermolysis at pH 4 and 10 more quantity of lipids was extracted which were 15.16mg and 14.81mg respectively. Finally transesterified lipids were analyzed through GC-MS for FAME composition analysis. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Combining U.S.-based prioritization tools to improve screening level accountability for environmental impact: the case of the chemical manufacturing industry.

    PubMed

    Zhou, Xiaoying; Schoenung, Julie M

    2009-12-15

    There are two quantitative indicators that are most widely used to assess the extent of compliance of industrial facilities with environmental regulations: the quantity of hazardous waste generated and the amount of toxics released. These indicators, albeit useful in terms of some environmental monitoring, fail to account for direct or indirect effects on human and environmental health, especially when aggregating total quantity of releases for a facility or industry sector. Thus, there is a need for a more comprehensive approach that can prioritize a particular chemical (or industry sector) on the basis of its relevant environmental performance and impact on human health. Accordingly, the objective of the present study is to formulate an aggregation of tools that can simultaneously capture multiple effects and several environmental impact categories. This approach allows us to compare and combine results generated with the aid of select U.S.-based quantitative impact assessment tools, thereby supplementing compliance-based metrics such as data from the U.S. Toxic Release Inventory. A case study, which presents findings for the U.S. chemical manufacturing industry, is presented to illustrate the aggregation of these tools. Environmental impacts due to both upstream and manufacturing activities are also evaluated for each industry sector. The proposed combinatorial analysis allows for a more robust evaluation for rating and prioritizing the environmental impacts of industrial waste.

  14. Quantity and Quality of Computer Use and Academic Achievement: Evidence from a Large-Scale International Test Program

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cheema, Jehanzeb R.; Zhang, Bo

    2013-01-01

    This study looked at the effect of both quantity and quality of computer use on achievement. The Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2003 student survey comprising of 4,356 students (boys, n = 2,129; girls, n = 2,227) was used to predict academic achievement from quantity and quality of computer use while controlling for…

  15. Unleashing Empirical Equations with "Nonlinear Fitting" and "GUM Tree Calculator"

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lovell-Smith, J. W.; Saunders, P.; Feistel, R.

    2017-10-01

    Empirical equations having large numbers of fitted parameters, such as the international standard reference equations published by the International Association for the Properties of Water and Steam (IAPWS), which form the basis of the "Thermodynamic Equation of Seawater—2010" (TEOS-10), provide the means to calculate many quantities very accurately. The parameters of these equations are found by least-squares fitting to large bodies of measurement data. However, the usefulness of these equations is limited since uncertainties are not readily available for most of the quantities able to be calculated, the covariance of the measurement data is not considered, and further propagation of the uncertainty in the calculated result is restricted since the covariance of calculated quantities is unknown. In this paper, we present two tools developed at MSL that are particularly useful in unleashing the full power of such empirical equations. "Nonlinear Fitting" enables propagation of the covariance of the measurement data into the parameters using generalized least-squares methods. The parameter covariance then may be published along with the equations. Then, when using these large, complex equations, "GUM Tree Calculator" enables the simultaneous calculation of any derived quantity and its uncertainty, by automatic propagation of the parameter covariance into the calculated quantity. We demonstrate these tools in exploratory work to determine and propagate uncertainties associated with the IAPWS-95 parameters.

  16. Formulation of bi-layer matrix tablets of tramadol hydrochloride: Comparison of rate retarding ability of the incorporated hydrophilic polymers.

    PubMed

    Arif, Hasanul; Al-Masum, Abdullah; Sharmin, Florida; Reza, Selim; Sm Islam, Sm Ashraful

    2015-05-01

    Bi-layer tablets of tramadol hydrochloride were prepared by direct compression technique. Each tablet contains an instant release layer with a sustained release layer. The instant release layer was found to release the initial dose immediately within minutes. The instant release layer was combined with sustained release matrix made of varying quantity of Methocel K4M, Methocel K15MCR and Carbomer 974P. Bi-layer tablets were evaluated for various physical tests including weight variation, thickness and diameter, hardness and percent friability. Drug release from bi-layer tablet was studied in acidic medium and buffer medium for two and six hours respectively. Sustained release of tramadol hydrochloride was observed with a controlled fashion that was characteristic to the type and extent of polymer used. % Drug release from eight-hour dissolution study was fitted with several kinetic models. Mean dissolution time (MDT) and fractional dissolution values (T25%, T50% and T80%) were also calculated as well, to compare the retarding ability of the polymers. Methocel K15MCR was found to be the most effective in rate retardation of freely water-soluble tramadol hydrochloride compared to Methocel K4M and Capbomer 974P, when incorporated at equal ratio in the formulation.

  17. OrganoRelease - A framework for modeling the release of organic chemicals from the use and post-use of consumer products.

    PubMed

    Tao, Mengya; Li, Dingsheng; Song, Runsheng; Suh, Sangwon; Keller, Arturo A

    2018-03-01

    Chemicals in consumer products have become the focus of recent regulatory developments including California's Safer Consumer Products Act. However, quantifying the amount of chemicals released during the use and post-use phases of consumer products is challenging, limiting the ability to understand their impacts. Here we present a comprehensive framework, OrganoRelease, for estimating the release of organic chemicals from the use and post-use of consumer products given limited information. First, a novel Chemical Functional Use Classifier estimates functional uses based on chemical structure. Second, the quantity of chemicals entering different product streams is estimated based on market share data of the chemical functional uses. Third, chemical releases are estimated based on either chemical product categories or functional uses by using the Specific Environmental Release Categories and EU Technological Guidance Documents. OrganoRelease connects 19 unique functional uses and 14 product categories across 4 data sources and provides multiple pathways for chemical release estimation. Available user information can be incorporated in the framework at various stages. The Chemical Functional Use Classifier achieved an average accuracy above 84% for nine functional uses, which enables the OrganoRelease to provide release estimates for the chemical, mostly using only the molecular structure. The results can be can be used as input for methods estimating environmental fate and exposure. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. A systematic study of the release of bisphenol A by orthodontic materials and its biological effects.

    PubMed

    Halimi, Abdelali; Benyahia, Hicham; Bahije, Loubna; Adli, Hanane; Azeroual, Mohamed-Faouzi; Zaoui, Fatima

    2016-12-01

    Bisphenol A (BPA) is a synthetic chemical substance used as a starting ingredient in the manufacturing process of a number or orthodontic materials. It is a well-known endocrine disruptor with low estrogenic properties. The aim of this investigation is to present a systematic review regarding the issue of bisphenol A release by orthodontic materials and its impact in orthodontics. A systematic analysis was performed by electronic search (between 1936 and 2015) on several data bases. The search was limited by using several specific key-words in two languages, English and French. Two investigators selected the responses, which met the selection criteria. Of the 376 studies found, only 21 met our selection criteria: 11 of these dealt with the release of bisphenol by orthodontic materials and 10 in vitro studies described the effects of BPA leaching from orthodontic materials on human and murine cells. The rate of BPA release was well below the daily tolerable intake (DTI) (50mg/kg/day in 2006, then 50μg/kg/day in 2015) according to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). Theoretical exposure to BPA was 11,000 times lower than recommendations. However, other studies have shown the presence of BPA and of monomers released in large quantities at very low doses. The effects of observed BPA varied significantly (toxic and carcinogenic potential) while some studies found no effects at all. The relatively small number of studies dealing with the release of Bisphenol A by orthodontic materials, apart from orthodontic materials and their significant biological effects, has led to the absence of standard protocols and has hindered precise determination of released BPA. Moreover, the lack of coherence between the various methodological approaches and variations in the experimental protocols have resulted in a low level of proof regarding the impact of BPA by orthodontic materials. Through this study, the authors encourage clinicians to observe the following recommendations designed to reduce the amount of BPA released by materials used in orthodontics: keep the tip of the light-curing lamp as close as possible to the composite and perform indirect rather than direct light-curing; Pumice-polish the composite after bonding so as to reduce the potential amount of BPA released; reduce exposure by brushing or rinsing with a mouthwash during the first hour after bonding; follow a standardized, reproducible and expert-validated research protocol aimed at better understanding of BPA release. Copyright © 2016 CEO. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  19. Weathering of a carbon nanotube/epoxy nanocomposite under UV light and in water bath: impact on abraded particles

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schlagenhauf, Lukas; Kianfar, Bahareh; Buerki-Thurnherr, Tina; Kuo, Yu-Ying; Wichser, Adrian; Nüesch, Frank; Wick, Peter; Wang, Jing

    2015-11-01

    Weathering processes can influence the surface properties of composites with incorporated nanoparticles. These changes may affect the release behavior of nanoparticles when an abrasion process is applied. Therefore, the influence of two different weathering processes, immersion in water and exposure to UV light, on the properties of abraded particles from a carbon nanotube (CNT)/epoxy nanocomposite was investigated. The investigation included the measurement of the weathering impact on the surface chemistry of the exposed samples, the particle size of abraded particles, the quantity of exposed CNTs in the respirable part of the abraded particles, and the toxicity of abraded particles, measured by in vitro toxicity tests using the THP-1 monocyte-derived macrophages. The results showed that weathering by immersion in water had no influence on the properties of abraded particles. The exposure to UV light caused a degradation of the epoxy on the surface, followed by delamination of an approx. 2.5 μm thick layer. An increased quantity of exposed CNTs in abraded particles was not found; on the contrary, longer UV exposure times decreased the released fraction of CNTs from 0.6% to 0.4%. The toxicity tests revealed that abraded particles from the nanocomposites did not induce additional acute cytotoxic effects compared to particles from the neat epoxy.Weathering processes can influence the surface properties of composites with incorporated nanoparticles. These changes may affect the release behavior of nanoparticles when an abrasion process is applied. Therefore, the influence of two different weathering processes, immersion in water and exposure to UV light, on the properties of abraded particles from a carbon nanotube (CNT)/epoxy nanocomposite was investigated. The investigation included the measurement of the weathering impact on the surface chemistry of the exposed samples, the particle size of abraded particles, the quantity of exposed CNTs in the respirable part of the abraded particles, and the toxicity of abraded particles, measured by in vitro toxicity tests using the THP-1 monocyte-derived macrophages. The results showed that weathering by immersion in water had no influence on the properties of abraded particles. The exposure to UV light caused a degradation of the epoxy on the surface, followed by delamination of an approx. 2.5 μm thick layer. An increased quantity of exposed CNTs in abraded particles was not found; on the contrary, longer UV exposure times decreased the released fraction of CNTs from 0.6% to 0.4%. The toxicity tests revealed that abraded particles from the nanocomposites did not induce additional acute cytotoxic effects compared to particles from the neat epoxy. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c5nr05387k

  20. Risk analysis for dry snow slab avalanche release by skier triggering

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    McClung, David

    2013-04-01

    Risk analysis is of primary importance for skier triggering of avalanches since human triggering is responsible for about 90% of deaths from slab avalanches in Europe and North America. Two key measureable quantities about dry slab avalanche release prior to initiation are the depth to the weak layer and the slope angle. Both are important in risk analysis. As the slope angle increases, the probability of avalanche release increases dramatically. As the slab depth increases, the consequences increase if an avalanche releases. Among the simplest risk definitions is (Vick, 2002): Risk = (Probability of failure) x (Consequences of failure). Here, these two components of risk are the probability or chance of avalanche release and the consequences given avalanche release. In this paper, for the first time, skier triggered avalanches were analyzed from probability theory and its relation to risk for both the D and . The data consisted of two quantities : (,D) taken from avalanche fracture line profiles after an avalanche has taken place. Two data sets from accidentally skier triggered avalanches were considered: (1) 718 for and (2) a set of 1242 values of D which represent average values along the fracture line. The values of D were both estimated (about 2/3) and measured (about 1/3) by ski guides from Canadian Mountain Holidays CMH). I also analyzed 1231 accidentally skier triggered avalanches reported by CMH ski guides for avalanche size (representing destructive potential) on the Canadian scale. The size analysis provided a second analysis of consequences to verify that using D. The results showed that there is an intermediate range of both D and with highest risk. ForD, the risk (product of consequences and probability of occurrence) is highest for D in the approximate range 0.6 m - 1.0 m. The consequences are low for lower values of D and the chance of release is low for higher values of D. Thus, the highest product is in the intermediate range. For slope angles, the risk analysis showed there are two ranges: ˜ 320; × 460for which risk is lowest. In this case, both the range of and the consequences vary by about a factor of two so the probability of release dominates the risk analysis to yield low risk at the tails of the distribution of with highest risk in the middle (330 - 450) of the expected range (250 - 550).

  1. Statistical Characterization of Commercial 18650-Format Lithium-Ion Cell Thermal Runaway Behavior Based on Calorimetric Testing Results

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Walker, William; Darst, John; Finegan, Donal; Bayles, Gary; Johnson, Kenneth; Darcy, Eric; Rickman, Steven

    2018-01-01

    Effective thermal management systems, designed to handle the impacts of thermal runaway (TR) and to prevent cell-to-cell propagation, are key to safe operation of lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery assemblies. Critical factors for optimizing these systems include the total energy released during a single cell TR event and the fraction of the total energy that is released through the cell casing vs. through the ejecta material. A unique calorimeter was utilized to examine the TR behavior of a statistically significant number of 18650-format Li-ion cells with varying manufacturers, chemistries, and capacities. The calorimeter was designed to contain the TR energy in a format conducive to discerning the fractions of energy released through the cell casing vs. through the ejecta material. Other benefits of this calorimeter included the ability to rapidly test of large quantities of cells and the intentional minimization of secondary combustion effects. High energy (270 Wh kg-1) and moderate energy (200 Wh kg-1) 18650 cells were tested. Some of the cells had an imbedded short circuit (ISC) device installed to aid in the examination of TR mechanisms under more realistic conditions. Other variations included cells with bottom vent (BV) features and cells with thin casings (0.22 l(1/4)m). After combining the data gathered with the calorimeter, a statistical approach was used to examine the probability of certain TR behavior, and the associated energy distributions, as a function of capacity, venting features, cell casing thickness and temperature.?

  2. Microscopic and infrared spectroscopic comparison of the underwater adhesives produced by germlings of the brown seaweed species Durvillaea antarctica and Hormosira banksii.

    PubMed

    Dimartino, Simone; Savory, David M; Fraser-Miller, Sara J; Gordon, Keith C; McQuillan, A James

    2016-04-01

    Adhesives from marine organisms are often the source of inspiration for the development of glues able to create durable bonds in wet environments. In this work, we investigated the adhesive secretions produced by germlings of two large seaweed species from the South Pacific, Durvillaea antarctica, also named 'the strongest kelp in the word', and its close relative Hormosira banksii The comparative analysis was based on optical and scanning electron microscopy imaging as well as Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and principal component analysis (PCA). For both species, the egg surface presents peripheral vesicles which are released soon after fertilization to discharge a primary adhesive. This is characterized by peaks representative of carbohydrate molecules. A secondary protein-based adhesive is then secreted in the early developmental stages of the germlings. Energy dispersive X-ray, FTIR and PCA indicate that D. antarctica secretions also contain sulfated moieties, and become cross-linked with time, both conferring strong adhesive and cohesive properties. On the other hand, H. banksii secretions are complemented by the putative adhesive phlorotannins, and are characterized by a simple mechanism in which all constituents are released with the same rate and with no apparent cross-linking. It is also noted that the release of adhesive materials appears to be faster and more copious in D. antarctica than in H. banksii Overall, this study highlights that both quantity and quality of the adhesives matter in explaining the superior attachment ability of D. antarctica. © 2016 The Author(s).

  3. Thermochemical emission and transformation of chlorinated paraffins in inert and oxidizing atmospheres.

    PubMed

    Xin, Shanzhi; Gao, Wei; Wang, Yawei; Jiang, Guibin

    2017-10-01

    Chlorinated paraffins (CPs) generally function as flame retardants and plasticizers in various materials. They are most likely to be processed by thermal processes during the entire life cycle. However, data on the formation and emission of CPs during thermal processes are still not fully understood. In this study, we simulated industrial thermal processes to investigate the emission of medium-chain chlorinated paraffins (MCCPs) and short-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs) using commercial CP52 as the feedstock. We found that CP52 decomposed very easily at 210-320 °C. The decomposition of CPs generated large quantities of MCCPs and SCCPs. These remained in the residue at low temperature (∼200 °C) and were gradually released into the gas phase at higher temperatures. MCCPs and SCCPs were not detected in either the residue or the gas phase when the temperature exceeded 400 °C. However, considerable concentrations of aromatic and chlorinated aromatic hydrocarbons (Cl-PAHs) were identified in the gas phase, and they were formed as the amount of SCCPs and MCCPs decreased. Cl-PAHs were dominated by low-chlorinated chlorobenzenes, polychlorinated biphenyls, and polychlorinated naphthalenes. Oxygen promoted the release and decomposition of SCCPs in the gas phase. The results of the present study revealed the release of MCCPs and SCCPs and their synergistic emission with Cl-PAHs when CPs were subjected to heat. This work may also provide data for developing multiple techniques to control the emission of CPs and Cl-PAHs. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Microscopic and infrared spectroscopic comparison of the underwater adhesives produced by germlings of the brown seaweed species Durvillaea antarctica and Hormosira banksii

    PubMed Central

    Savory, David M.; McQuillan, A. James

    2016-01-01

    Adhesives from marine organisms are often the source of inspiration for the development of glues able to create durable bonds in wet environments. In this work, we investigated the adhesive secretions produced by germlings of two large seaweed species from the South Pacific, Durvillaea antarctica, also named ‘the strongest kelp in the word’, and its close relative Hormosira banksii. The comparative analysis was based on optical and scanning electron microscopy imaging as well as Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and principal component analysis (PCA). For both species, the egg surface presents peripheral vesicles which are released soon after fertilization to discharge a primary adhesive. This is characterized by peaks representative of carbohydrate molecules. A secondary protein-based adhesive is then secreted in the early developmental stages of the germlings. Energy dispersive X-ray, FTIR and PCA indicate that D. antarctica secretions also contain sulfated moieties, and become cross-linked with time, both conferring strong adhesive and cohesive properties. On the other hand, H. banksii secretions are complemented by the putative adhesive phlorotannins, and are characterized by a simple mechanism in which all constituents are released with the same rate and with no apparent cross-linking. It is also noted that the release of adhesive materials appears to be faster and more copious in D. antarctica than in H. banksii. Overall, this study highlights that both quantity and quality of the adhesives matter in explaining the superior attachment ability of D. antarctica. PMID:27122179

  5. A non-aggressive, highly efficient, enzymatic method for dissociation of human brain-tumors and brain-tissues to viable single-cells.

    PubMed

    Volovitz, Ilan; Shapira, Netanel; Ezer, Haim; Gafni, Aviv; Lustgarten, Merav; Alter, Tal; Ben-Horin, Idan; Barzilai, Ori; Shahar, Tal; Kanner, Andrew; Fried, Itzhak; Veshchev, Igor; Grossman, Rachel; Ram, Zvi

    2016-06-01

    Conducting research on the molecular biology, immunology, and physiology of brain tumors (BTs) and primary brain tissues requires the use of viably dissociated single cells. Inadequate methods for tissue dissociation generate considerable loss in the quantity of single cells produced and in the produced cells' viability. Improper dissociation may also demote the quality of data attained in functional and molecular assays due to the presence of large quantities cellular debris containing immune-activatory danger associated molecular patterns, and due to the increased quantities of degraded proteins and RNA. Over 40 resected BTs and non-tumorous brain tissue samples were dissociated into single cells by mechanical dissociation or by mechanical and enzymatic dissociation. The quality of dissociation was compared for all frequently used dissociation enzymes (collagenase, DNase, hyaluronidase, papain, dispase) and for neutral protease (NP) from Clostridium histolyticum. Single-cell-dissociated cell mixtures were evaluated for cellular viability and for the cell-mixture dissociation quality. Dissociation quality was graded by the quantity of subcellular debris, non-dissociated cell clumps, and DNA released from dead cells. Of all enzymes or enzyme combinations examined, NP (an enzyme previously not evaluated on brain tissues) produced dissociated cell mixtures with the highest mean cellular viability: 93 % in gliomas, 85 % in brain metastases, and 89 % in non-tumorous brain tissue. NP also produced cell mixtures with significantly less cellular debris than other enzymes tested. Dissociation using NP was non-aggressive over time-no changes in cell viability or dissociation quality were found when comparing 2-h dissociation at 37 °C to overnight dissociation at ambient temperature. The use of NP allows for the most effective dissociation of viable single cells from human BTs or brain tissue. Its non-aggressive dissociative capacity may enable ambient-temperature shipping of tumor pieces in multi-center clinical trials, meanwhile being dissociated. As clinical grade NP is commercially available it can be easily integrated into cell-therapy clinical trials in neuro-oncology. The high quality viable cells produced may enable investigators to conduct more consistent research by avoiding the experimental artifacts associated with the presence dead cells or cellular debris.

  6. Volatile Halogenated Organic Compounds Released to Seawater from Temperate Marine Macroalgae

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gschwend, Philip M.; Macfarlane, John K.; Newman, Kathleen A.

    1985-03-01

    Volatile halogenated organic compounds synthesized by various industrial processes are troublesome pollutants because they are persistent in terrestrial ecosystems and because they may be present in sufficient quantities to alter the natural atmospheric cycles of the halogens. Certain of these compounds, including polybromomethanes and several previously unobserved alkyl monohalides and dihalides, appear to be natural products of the marine environment. A variety of temperate marine macroalgae (the brown algae Ascophyllum nodosum and Fucus vesiculosis, the green algae Enteromorpha linza and Ulva lacta, and the red alga Gigartina stellata) not only contain volatile halogenated organic compounds but also release them to seawater at rates of nanograms to micrograms of each compound per gram of dry algae per day. The macroalgae may be an important source of bromine-containing material released to the atmosphere.

  7. Zero-gravity quantity gaging system

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1989-01-01

    The Zero-Gravity Quantity Gaging System program is a technology development effort funded by NASA-LeRC and contracted by NASA-JSC to develop and evaluate zero-gravity quantity gaging system concepts suitable for application to large, on-orbit cryogenic oxygen and hydrogen tankage. The contract effective date was 28 May 1985. During performance of the program, 18 potential quantity gaging approaches were investigated for their merit and suitability for gaging two-phase cryogenic oxygen and hydrogen in zero-gravity conditions. These approaches were subjected to a comprehensive trade study and selection process, which found that the RF modal quantity gaging approach was the most suitable for both liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen applications. This selection was made with NASA-JSC concurrence.

  8. DETERMINING THE LARGE-SCALE ENVIRONMENTAL DEPENDENCE OF GAS-PHASE METALLICITY IN DWARF GALAXIES

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

    Douglass, Kelly A.; Vogeley, Michael S., E-mail: kelly.a.douglass@drexel.edu

    2017-01-10

    We study how the cosmic environment affects galaxy evolution in the universe by comparing the metallicities of dwarf galaxies in voids with dwarf galaxies in more dense regions. Ratios of the fluxes of emission lines, particularly those of the forbidden [O iii] and [S ii] transitions, provide estimates of a region’s electron temperature and number density. From these two quantities and the emission line fluxes [O ii] λ 3727, [O iii] λ 4363, and [O iii] λλ 4959, 5007, we estimate the abundance of oxygen with the direct T{sub e}  method. We estimate the metallicity of 42 blue, star-forming voidmore » dwarf galaxies and 89 blue, star-forming dwarf galaxies in more dense regions using spectroscopic observations from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 7, as reprocessed in the MPA-JHU value-added catalog. We find very little difference between the two sets of galaxies, indicating little influence from the large-scale environment on their chemical evolution. Of particular interest are a number of extremely metal-poor dwarf galaxies that are less prevalent in voids than in the denser regions.« less

  9. Low altitude unmanned aerial vehicle for characterising remediation effectiveness following the FDNPP accident.

    PubMed

    Martin, P G; Payton, O D; Fardoulis, J S; Richards, D A; Yamashiki, Y; Scott, T B

    2016-01-01

    On the 12th of March 2011, The Great Tōhoku Earthquake occurred 70 km off the eastern coast of Japan, generating a large 14 m high tsunami. The ensuing catalogue of events over the succeeding 12 d resulted in the release of considerable quantities of radioactive material into the environment. Important to the large-scale remediation of the affected areas is the accurate and high spatial resolution characterisation of contamination, including the verification of decontaminated areas. To enable this, a low altitude unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with a lightweight gamma-spectrometer and height normalisation system was used to produce sub-meter resolution maps of contamination. This system provided a valuable method to examine both contaminated and remediated areas rapidly, whilst greatly reducing the dose received by the operator, typically in localities formerly inaccessible to ground-based survey methods. The characterisation of three sites within Fukushima Prefecture is presented; one remediated (and a site of much previous attention), one un-remediated and a third having been subjected to an alternative method to reduce emitted radiation dose. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  10. 41 CFR 102-75.130 - If hazardous substance activity took place on the property, what specific information must an...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... Regulations System (Continued) FEDERAL MANAGEMENT REGULATION REAL PROPERTY 75-REAL PROPERTY DISPOSAL Utilization of Excess Real Property Title Report § 102-75.130 If hazardous substance activity took place on... quantity of such hazardous substance and the time at which such storage, release, or disposal took place...

  11. Water extractable phosphorus in animal manure and manure compost: quantities, characteristics, and temporal changes

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Water extractable phosphorus (WEP) in manure and manure compost is widely used as an indicator of P release to runoff from manures and composts that are land applied. A survey of 600 manures and composts was conducted to assess trends in WEP related to manure and compost types from sources in Pennsy...

  12. Decay Of Fire-Caused snags in Ocala Sand Pine

    Treesearch

    Kenneth W. Outcalt

    2003-01-01

    Sand pine (Pinus clausa) scrub is adapted to. and regenerated by, periodic stand-replacement wildfire, which consumes the understory and kills the overstory. The heat of the fire opens the serotinous cones of Ocala sand pine (P. clausa var. clausa), releasing quantities of seed that reestablish the overstory, while the understory regenerates by sprouting or from soil-...

  13. Water and the Forest Service

    Treesearch

    James Sedell; Maitland Sharpe; Daina Dravnieks Apple; Max Copenhagen; Mike Furniss

    2000-01-01

    Public concern about adequate supplies of clean water led to the establishment in 1891 of federally protected forest reserves. The Forest Service Natural Resources Agenda is refocusing the agency on its original purpose. This report focuses on the role of forests in water supply—including quantity, quality, timing of release, flood reductions and low flow augmentation...

  14. Chapter 14: Evaluating the Leaching of Biocides from Preservative-Treated Wood Products

    Treesearch

    Stan T. Lebow

    2014-01-01

    Leaching of biocides is an important consideration in the long term durability and any potential for environmental impact of treated wood products. This chapter discusses factors affecting biocide leaching, as well as methods of evaluating rate and quantity of biocide released. The extent of leaching is a function of preservative formulation, treatment methods, wood...

  15. 9 CFR 113.109 - Clostridium Sordellii Bacterin-Toxoid.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... prescribed in this section. A serial found unsatisfactory by any prescribed test shall not be released. (a... following words and terms shall mean: (i) International antitoxin unit. (I.U.) That quantity of antitoxin... distilled water; adjusting the pH to 7.2; autoclaving at 121 °C for 25 minutes; and storing at 4 °C until...

  16. Permeability measurements on new and equitemperature snow

    Treesearch

    R. A. Sommerfeld; J. R. Rocchio

    1993-01-01

    During the month of February, between 46 and 53% of the land area of the northern hemisphere is snow covered. Continental snowpacks act as chemical reservoirs; pollutants can accumulate in the pack over the entire winter and are released during a relatively short spring melt period. Interactions between the snow and the atmosphere can change the quantities of different...

  17. Effect of inflammatory conditions and H2O2 on bare and coated Ti-6Al-4V surfaces: Corrosion behavior, metal ion release and Ca-P formation under long-term immersion in DMEM

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Höhn, Sarah; Virtanen, Sannakaisa

    2015-12-01

    The surface oxide film and calcium-phosphate (Ca-P) formation on Ti-6Al-4V during long-term immersion in biological environments play a decisive role for the biocompatibility of the implant. Hence, the aim of the study was to evaluate the corrosion resistance, metal ion release and Ca-P formation in DMEM under physiological conditions at pH values of 7.4 and in comparison under simulated inflammatory conditions with pH 5 and in presence of H2O2. Furthermore, the influence of the immersion conditions was investigated on different surface treatments: on bare Ti-6Al-4V, after anodization, and for TiO2 nanoparticle (NP) and hydroxyapatite (HA)-incorporated TiO2-NP coatings. In the absence of H2O2, the impedance response indicated a stable thin oxide film and Ca-P formation after 28 days or 56 days depending on the coating, while under inflammatory conditions the Ca-P formation on the surface is time-delayed and dissolution of the anodized oxide layer as well as selective etching of the β-phase and phase boundaries in case of the bare alloy occur. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), however, indicates a good general corrosion behavior in all cases. The quantities of Ti, Al and V released from the bare and coated Ti-6Al-4V alloy markedly increased with decreasing pH (pH ≤ 5). Although the rapid increase of metal release was observed for all samples at pH 5, the quantities were significantly higher for the bare and anodized alloy than after coating with TiO2-NP or HA.

  18. 2008 Toxic Chemical Release Inventory 2008 Toxic Chemical Release Inventory Community Right-to-Know Act of 1986, Title III, Section 313

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

    Ecology and Air Quality Group

    2009-10-01

    For reporting year 2008, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) submitted a Form R report for lead as required under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to- Know Act (EPCRA) Section 313. No other EPCRA Section 313 chemicals were used in 2008 above the reportable thresholds. This document was prepared to provide a description of the evaluation of EPCRA Section 313 chemical use and threshold determinations for LANL for calendar year 2008, as well as to provide background information about data included on the Form R reports. Section 313 of EPCRA specifically requires facilities to submit a Toxic Chemical Release Inventory Reportmore » (Form R) to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and state agencies if the owners and operators manufacture, process, or otherwise use any of the listed toxic chemicals above listed threshold quantities. EPA compiles this data in the Toxic Release Inventory database. Form R reports for each chemical over threshold quantities must be submitted on or before July 1 each year and must cover activities that occurred at the facility during the previous year. In 1999, EPA promulgated a final rule on persistent bioaccumulative toxics (PBTs). This rule added several chemicals to the EPCRA Section 313 list of toxic chemicals and established lower reporting thresholds for these and other PBT chemicals that were already reportable. These lower thresholds became applicable in reporting year 2000. In 2001, EPA expanded the PBT rule to include a lower reporting threshold for lead and lead compounds. Facilities that manufacture, process, or otherwise use more than 100 lb of lead or lead compounds must submit a Form R.« less

  19. Study of Polyolefines Waste Thermo-Destruction in Large Laboratory and in Industrial Installations

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2014-12-15

    coke ”–waste after thermo-destruction carried out on the module No 2 showed an content to 46.1% of ash [20]. This ash content indicates a very large... coke (post-production waste) from the wastes thermo-destruction on 2 modules of vertical modular installation for thermo-destruction of used polymer...of receivedwaste water, the quantity of received coke , the quantity of gaseous product in periods of carrying out installation work before (first

  20. Fukushima derived radiocesium in subsistence-consumed northern fur seal and wild celery

    DOE PAGES

    Ruedig, Elizabeth; Duncan, Colleen; Dickerson, Bobette; ...

    2015-11-28

    In July 2014, our investigative team traveled to St. Paul Island, Alaska to measure concentrations of radiocesium in wild-caught food products, primarily northern fur seal (Callorhinus ursinus). The 2011 Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident released radiocesium into the atmosphere and into the western Pacific Ocean; other investigators have detected Fukushima-derived radionuclides in a variety of marine products harvested off the western coast of North America. We tested two subsistence-consumed food products from St. Paul Island, Alaska for Fukushima-derived radionuclides: 54 northern fur seal, and nine putchki (wild celery, Angelica lucida) plants. Individual northern fur seal samples were below minimummore » detectable activity concentrations of 137Cs and 134Cs, but when composited, northern fur seal tissues tested positive for trace quantities of both isotopes. Radiocesium was detected at an activity concentration of 37.2 mBq 134Cs kg -1 f.w. (95% CI: 35.9–38.5) and 141.2 mBq 137Cs kg -1f.w. (95% CI: 135.5–146.8). The measured isotopic ratio, decay-corrected to the date of harvest, was 0.26 (95% CI: 0.25–0.28). The Fukushima nuclear accident released 134Cs and 137Cs in roughly equal quantities, but by the date of harvest in July 2014, this ratio was 0.2774, indicating that this population of seals has been exposed to small quantities of Fukushima-derived radiocesium. Activity concentrations of both 134Cs and 137Cs in putchki were below detection limits, even for composited samples. Northern fur seal is known to migrate between coastal Alaska and Japan and the trace 134Cs in northern fur seal tissue suggests that the population under study had been minimally exposed Fukushima-derived radionuclides. Despite this inference, the radionuclide quantities detected are small and no impact is expected as a result of the measured radiation exposure, either in northern fur seal or human populations consuming this species.« less

  1. Fukushima derived radiocesium in subsistence-consumed northern fur seal and wild celery

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

    Ruedig, Elizabeth; Duncan, Colleen; Dickerson, Bobette

    In July 2014, our investigative team traveled to St. Paul Island, Alaska to measure concentrations of radiocesium in wild-caught food products, primarily northern fur seal (Callorhinus ursinus). The 2011 Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident released radiocesium into the atmosphere and into the western Pacific Ocean; other investigators have detected Fukushima-derived radionuclides in a variety of marine products harvested off the western coast of North America. We tested two subsistence-consumed food products from St. Paul Island, Alaska for Fukushima-derived radionuclides: 54 northern fur seal, and nine putchki (wild celery, Angelica lucida) plants. Individual northern fur seal samples were below minimummore » detectable activity concentrations of 137Cs and 134Cs, but when composited, northern fur seal tissues tested positive for trace quantities of both isotopes. Radiocesium was detected at an activity concentration of 37.2 mBq 134Cs kg -1 f.w. (95% CI: 35.9–38.5) and 141.2 mBq 137Cs kg -1f.w. (95% CI: 135.5–146.8). The measured isotopic ratio, decay-corrected to the date of harvest, was 0.26 (95% CI: 0.25–0.28). The Fukushima nuclear accident released 134Cs and 137Cs in roughly equal quantities, but by the date of harvest in July 2014, this ratio was 0.2774, indicating that this population of seals has been exposed to small quantities of Fukushima-derived radiocesium. Activity concentrations of both 134Cs and 137Cs in putchki were below detection limits, even for composited samples. Northern fur seal is known to migrate between coastal Alaska and Japan and the trace 134Cs in northern fur seal tissue suggests that the population under study had been minimally exposed Fukushima-derived radionuclides. Despite this inference, the radionuclide quantities detected are small and no impact is expected as a result of the measured radiation exposure, either in northern fur seal or human populations consuming this species.« less

  2. Fukushima derived radiocesium in subsistence-consumed northern fur seal and wild celery.

    PubMed

    Ruedig, Elizabeth; Duncan, Colleen; Dickerson, Bobette; Williams, Michael; Gelatt, Thomas; Bell, Justin; Johnson, Thomas E

    2016-02-01

    In July 2014, our investigative team traveled to St. Paul Island, Alaska to measure concentrations of radiocesium in wild-caught food products, primarily northern fur seal (Callorhinus ursinus). The 2011 Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident released radiocesium into the atmosphere and into the western Pacific Ocean; other investigators have detected Fukushima-derived radionuclides in a variety of marine products harvested off the western coast of North America. We tested two subsistence-consumed food products from St. Paul Island, Alaska for Fukushima-derived radionuclides: 54 northern fur seal, and nine putchki (wild celery, Angelica lucida) plants. Individual northern fur seal samples were below minimum detectable activity concentrations of (137)Cs and (134)Cs, but when composited, northern fur seal tissues tested positive for trace quantities of both isotopes. Radiocesium was detected at an activity concentration of 37.2 mBq (134)Cs kg(-1) f.w. (95% CI: 35.9-38.5) and 141.2 mBq (137)Cs kg(-1) f.w. (95% CI: 135.5-146.8). The measured isotopic ratio, decay-corrected to the date of harvest, was 0.26 (95% CI: 0.25-0.28). The Fukushima nuclear accident released (134)Cs and (137)Cs in roughly equal quantities, but by the date of harvest in July 2014, this ratio was 0.2774, indicating that this population of seals has been exposed to small quantities of Fukushima-derived radiocesium. Activity concentrations of both (134)Cs and (137)Cs in putchki were below detection limits, even for composited samples. Northern fur seal is known to migrate between coastal Alaska and Japan and the trace (134)Cs in northern fur seal tissue suggests that the population under study had been minimally exposed Fukushima-derived radionuclides. Despite this inference, the radionuclide quantities detected are small and no impact is expected as a result of the measured radiation exposure, either in northern fur seal or human populations consuming this species. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  3. Astroinformatics in the Age of LSST: Analyzing the Summer 2012 Data Release

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Borne, Kirk D.; De Lee, N. M.; Stassun, K.; Paegert, M.; Cargile, P.; Burger, D.; Bloom, J. S.; Richards, J.

    2013-01-01

    The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) will image the visible southern sky every three nights. This multi-band, multi-epoch survey will produce a torrent of data, which traditional methods of object-by-object data analysis will not be able to accommodate. Thus the need for new astroinformatics tools to visualize, simulate, mine, and analyze this quantity of data. The Berkeley Center for Time-Domain Informatics (CTDI) is building the informatics infrastructure for generic light curve classification, including the innovation of new algorithms for feature generation and machine learning. The CTDI portal (http://dotastro.org) contains one of the largest collections of public light curves, with visualization and exploration tools. The group has also published the first calibrated probabilistic classification catalog of 50k variable stars along with a data exploration portal called http://bigmacc.info. Twice a year, the LSST collaboration releases simulated LSST data, in order to aid software development. This poster also showcases a suite of new tools from the Vanderbilt Initiative in Data-instensive Astrophysics (VIDA), designed to take advantage of these large data sets. VIDA's Filtergraph interactive web tool allows one to instantly create an interactive data portal for fast, real-time visualization of large data sets. Filtergraph enables quick selection of interesting objects by easily filtering on many different columns, 2-D and 3-D representations, and on-the-fly arithmetic calculations on the data. It also makes sharing the data and the tool with collaborators very easy. The EB/RRL Factory is a neural-network based variable star classifier, which is designed to quickly identify variable stars in a variety of classes from LSST light curve data (currently tuned to Eclipsing Binaries and RR Lyrae stars), and to provide likelihood-based orbital elements or stellar parameters as appropriate. Finally the LCsimulator software allows one to create simulated light curves of multiple types of variable stars based on an LSST cadence.

  4. qPCR standard operating procedure for measuring microorganisms in dust from dwellings in large cohort studies.

    PubMed

    Scherer, Emeline; Rocchi, Steffi; Reboux, Gabriel; Vandentorren, Stéphanie; Roussel, Sandrine; Vacheyrou, Mallory; Raherison, Chantal; Millon, Laurence

    2014-01-01

    The aim of the present study was to assess performance, feasibility and relevance of a Standard Operational Procedure (SOP) for large-scale use in the microbial analysis of children's indoor environments. We analyzed dust settled on Electrostatic Dust Fall Collectors (EDCs) by using qPCR which targeted 6 molds, 3 bacteria and 1 mite, chosen for their involvement in allergic or inflammatory processes. Six types of commercialized electrostatic wipes were tested for their releasing capacity of fungal DNA from fungal spores captured by the wipes. Specificity, repeatability and detection limits of the qPCR procedure were tested using calibrated microbial suspensions. The feasibility and relevance of this sampling and analysis method were assessed in a 75-home pilot study. Our result showed that one specific make of wipe was more effective than the others in releasing fungal DNA. qPCR procedure showed good repeatability. The quantification limit was about 5 fg DNA/μL for all species except Penicillium chrysogenum (0.5 fg DNA/μL) and Dermatophagoïdes pteronyssinus (10 fg DNA/μL). No cross-reactivity was observed. DNA concentrations in the 53/75 homes participating in the pilot study were between 0 and 24 625, 0 and 69 738 equivalent cells per cm(2) for the fungi and bacteria, and between 0 and 1 equivalent mites per cm(2) for D. pteronyssinus. Using the SOP described, we were able to classify the 53 dwellings from the least to the most contaminated according to the quantity of DNA measured for each species. Our SOP measured fungi, bacteria and mites using a cost-efficient, discreet and well-accepted sampling method with just one qPCR tool. The whole procedure can be used for microbial analysis in large cohort studies such as the ELFE study ("Etude Longitudinale Française depuis l'Enfance") and could help improve our understanding of the interactions between the environment, allergic diseases and child development. © 2013.

  5. Antibacterial modification of an injectable, biodegradable, non-cytotoxic block copolymer-based physical gel with body temperature-stimulated sol-gel transition and controlled drug release.

    PubMed

    Wang, Xiaowen; Hu, Huawen; Wang, Wenyi; Lee, Ka I; Gao, Chang; He, Liang; Wang, Yuanfeng; Lai, Chuilin; Fei, Bin; Xin, John H

    2016-07-01

    Biomaterials are being extensively used in various biomedical fields; however, they are readily infected with microorganisms, thus posing a serious threat to the public health care. We herein presented a facile route to the antibacterial modification of an important A-B-A type biomaterial using poly (ethylene glycol) methyl ether (mPEG)- poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL)-mPEG as a typical model. Inexpensive, commercial bis(2-hydroxyethyl) methylammonium chloride (DMA) was adopted as an antibacterial unit. The effective synthesis of the antibacterial copolymer mPEG-PCL-∼∼∼-PCL-mPEG (where ∼∼∼ denotes the segment with DMA units) was well confirmed by FTIR and (1)H NMR spectra. At an appropriate modification extent, the DMA unit could render the copolymer mPEG-PCL-∼∼∼-PCL-mPEG highly antibacterial, but did not largely alter its fascinating intrinsic properties including the thermosensitivity (e.g., the body temperature-induced sol-gel transition), non-cytotoxicity, and controlled drug release. A detailed study on the sol-gel-sol transition behavior of different copolymers showed that an appropriate extent of modification with DMA retained a sol-gel-sol transition, despite the fact that a too high extent caused a loss of sol-gel-sol transition. The hydrophilic and hydrophobic balance between mPEG and PCL was most likely broken upon a high extent of quaternization due to a large disturbance effect of DMA units at a large quantity (as evidenced by the heavily depressed PCL segment crystallinity), and thus the micelle aggregation mechanism for the gel formation could not work anymore, along with the loss of the thermosensitivity. The work presented here is highly expected to be generalized for synthesis of various block copolymers with immunity to microorganisms. Light may also be shed on understanding the phase transition behavior of various multiblock copolymers. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. Endotoxins and other sepsis triggers.

    PubMed

    Opal, Steven M

    2010-01-01

    Endotoxin, or more accurately termed bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS), is recognized as the most potent microbial mediator implicated in the pathogenesis of sepsis and septic shock. Yet despite its discovery well over a century ago, the fundamental role of circulating endotoxin in the blood of most patients with septic shock remains enigmatic and a subject of considerable controversy. LPS is the most prominent 'alarm molecule' sensed by the host's early warning system of innate immunity presaging the threat of invasion of the internal milieu by Gram-negative bacterial pathogens. In small doses within a localized tissue space, LPS signaling is advantageous to the host in orchestrating an appropriate antimicrobial defense and bacterial clearance mechanisms. Conversely, the sudden release of large quantities of LPS into the bloodstream is clearly deleterious to the host, initiating the release of a dysregulated and potentially lethal array of inflammatory mediators and procoagulant factors in the systemic circulation. The massive host response to this single bacterial pattern recognition molecule is sufficient to generate diffuse endothelial injury, tissue hypoperfusion, disseminated intravascular coagulation and refractory shock. Numerous attempts to block endotoxin activity in clinical trials with septic patients have met with inconsistent and largely negative results. Yet the groundbreaking discoveries within the past decade into the precise molecular basis for LPS-mediated cellular activation and tissue injury has rekindled optimism that a new generation of therapies that specifically disrupt LPS signaling might succeed. Other microbial mediators found in Gram-positive bacterial and viral and fungal pathogens are now appreciated to activate many of the same host defense networks induced by LPS. This information is providing novel interventions in the continuing effots to improve the care of septic patients. Copyright 2010 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  7. Root cultures of Hypericum perforatum subsp. angustifolium elicited with chitosan and production of xanthone-rich extracts with antifungal activity.

    PubMed

    Tocci, Noemi; Simonetti, Giovanna; D'Auria, Felicia Diodata; Panella, Simona; Palamara, Anna Teresa; Valletta, Alessio; Pasqua, Gabriella

    2011-08-01

    Hypericum perforatum is a well-known medicinal plant which contains a wide variety of metabolites, including xanthones, which have a wide range of biological properties, including antifungal activity. In the present study, we evaluated the capability of roots regenerated from calli of H. perforatum subsp. angustifolium to produce xanthones. Root biomass was positively correlated with the indole-3-butyric acid concentration, whereas a concentration of 1 mg l(-1) was the most suitable for the development of roots. High auxin concentrations also inhibited xanthone accumulation. Xanthones were produced in large amounts, with a very stable trend throughout the culture period. When the roots were treated with chitosan, the xanthone content dramatically increased, peaking after 7 days. Chitosan also induced a release of these metabolites into the culture. The maximum accumulation (14.26 ± 0.62 mg g(-1) dry weight [DW]) and release (2.64 ± 0.13 mg g(-1) DW) of xanthones were recorded 7 days after treatment. The most represented xanthones were isolated, purified, and spectroscopically characterized. Antifungal activity of the total root extracts was tested against a broad panel of human fungal pathogen strains (30 Candida species, 12 Cryptococcus neoformans, and 16 dermatophytes); this activity significantly increased when using chitosan. Extracts obtained after 7 days of chitosan treatment showed high antifungal activity (mean minimum inhibitory concentration of 83.4, 39.1, and 114 μg ml(-1) against Candida spp., C. neoformans, and dermatophytes, respectively). Our results suggest that root cultures can be considered as a potential tool for large-scale production of extracts with stable quantities of xanthones.

  8. Pavlovian Conditioning of Rat Mucosal Mast Cells to Secrete Rat Mast Cell Protease II

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    MacQueen, Glenda; Marshall, Jean; Perdue, Mary; Siegel, Shepard; Bienenstock, John

    1989-01-01

    Antigen (egg albumin) injections, which stimulate mucosal mast cells to secrete mediators, were paired with an audiovisual cue. After reexposure to the audiovisual cue, a mediator (rat mast cell protease II) was measured with a sensitive and specific assay. Animals reexposed to only the audiovisual cue released a quantity of protease not significantly different from animals reexposed to both the cue and the antigen; these groups released significantly more protease than animals that had received the cue and antigen in a noncontingent manner. The results support a role for the central nervous system as a functional effector of mast cell function in the allergic state.

  9. Spray drying of silica microparticles for sustained release application with a new sol-gel precursor.

    PubMed

    Wang, Bifeng; Friess, Wolfgang

    2017-10-30

    A new precursor, tetrakis(2-methoxyethyl) orthosilicate (TMEOS) was used to fabricate microparticles for sustained release application, specifically for biopharmaceuticals, by spray drying. The advantages of TMEOS over the currently applied precursors are its water solubility and hydrolysis at moderate pH without the need of organic solvents or catalyzers. Thus a detrimental effect on biomolecular drug is avoided. By generating spray-dried silica particles encapsulating the high molecular weight model compound FITC-dextran 150 via the nano spray dryer Büchi-90, we demonstrated how formulation parameters affect and enable control of drug release properties. The implemented strategies to regulate release included incorporating different quantities of dextrans with varying molecular weight as well as adjusting the pH of the precursor solution to modify the internal microstructures. The addition of dextran significantly altered the released amount, while the release became faster with increasing dextran molecular weight. A sustained release over 35days could be achieved with addition of 60 kD dextran. The rate of FITC-Dextran 150 release from the dextran 60 containing particles decreased with higher precursor solution pH. In conclusion, the new precursor TMEOS presents a promising alternative sol-gel technology based carrier material for sustained release application of high molecular weight biopharmaceutical drugs. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. Development of a fast, lean and agile direct pelletization process using experimental design techniques.

    PubMed

    Politis, Stavros N; Rekkas, Dimitrios M

    2017-04-01

    A novel hot melt direct pelletization method was developed, characterized and optimized, using statistical thinking and experimental design tools. Mixtures of carnauba wax (CW) and HPMC K100M were spheronized using melted gelucire 50-13 as a binding material (BM). Experimentation was performed sequentially; a fractional factorial design was set up initially to screen the factors affecting the process, namely spray rate, quantity of BM, rotor speed, type of rotor disk, lubricant-glidant presence, additional spheronization time, powder feeding rate and quantity. From the eight factors assessed, three were further studied during process optimization (spray rate, quantity of BM and powder feeding rate), at different ratios of the solid mixture of CW and HPMC K100M. The study demonstrated that the novel hot melt process is fast, efficient, reproducible and predictable. Therefore, it can be adopted in a lean and agile manufacturing setting for the production of flexible pellet dosage forms with various release rates easily customized between immediate and modified delivery.

  11. The role of a detailed aqueous phase source release model in the LANL area G performance assessment

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

    Vold, E.L.; Shuman, R.; Hollis, D.K.

    1995-12-31

    A preliminary draft of the Performance Assessment for the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) low-level radioactive waste disposal facility at Area G is currently being completed as required by Department of Energy orders. A detailed review of the inventory data base records and the existing models for source release led to the development of a new modeling capability to describe the liquid phase transport from the waste package volumes. Nuclide quantities are sorted down to four waste package release categories for modeling: rapid release, soil, concrete/sludge, and corrosion. Geochemistry for the waste packages was evaluated in terms of the equilibriummore » coefficients, Kds, and elemental solubility limits, Csl, interpolated from the literature. Percolation calculations for the base case closure cover show a highly skewed distribution with an average of 4 mm/yr percolation from the disposal unit bottom. The waste release model is based on a compartment representation of the package efflux, and depends on package size, percolation rate or Darcy flux, retardation coefficient, and moisture content.« less

  12. EVALUATING THE ACCOTINK CREEK RESTORATION PROJECT FOR IMPROVING WATER QUALITY, IN-STREAM HABITAT, AND BANK STABILITY

    EPA Science Inventory

    Increased urbanization results in a larger percentage of connected impervious areas and can contribute large quantities of stormwater runoff and significant quantities of debris and pollutants (e.g., litter, oils, microorganisms, sediments, nutrients, organic matter, and heavy me...

  13. The release of nickel and other trace elements from electric kettles and coffee machines.

    PubMed

    Berg, T; Petersen, A; Pedersen, G A; Petersen, J; Madsen, C

    2000-03-01

    The release of nickel, chromium and lead from electric kettles to water under conditions simulating regular household use was investigated. Ten out of 26 kettles sold on the Danish market released more than 50 micrograms/l nickel to water, whereas neither lead nor chromium was released in any significant amount. Fifty micrograms/l of nickel in water was chosen as the threshold of action, because concentrations below this value were considered unlikely to provide outbreaks of eczema for those consumers suffering from contact allergy to nickel, who are also sensitive to the content of nickel in the diet. This first part of the study was followed up by a dialogue between the kettle producers and the Danish authorities, leading to a change of construction or design for those kettles that did not comply with the criteria. As a follow-up study another ten kettles were studied to check whether compliance was improved. Two of these ten kettles still released more than 50 micrograms/l nickel to water under the test conditions. These two kettles, however, were subsequently withdrawn from the market. Coffee machines tested similarly did not release aluminium, lead, chromium or nickel in quantities of any significance.

  14. Formation of Cucurbit[8]uril-Based Supramolecular Hydrogel Beads Using Droplet-Based Microfluidics.

    PubMed

    Xu, Xuejiao; Appel, Eric A; Liu, Xin; Parker, Richard M; Scherman, Oren A; Abell, Chris

    2015-09-14

    Herein we describe the use of microdroplets as templates for the fabrication of uniform-sized supramolecular hydrogel beads, assembled by supramolecular cross-linking of functional biopolymers with the macrocyclic host molecule, cucurbit[8]uril (CB[8]). The microdroplets were formed containing diluted hydrogel precursors in solution, including the functional polymers and CB[8], in a microfluidic device. Subsequent evaporation of water from collected microdroplets concentrated the contents, driving the formation of the CB[8]-mediated host-guest ternary complex interactions and leading to the assembly of condensed three-dimensional polymeric scaffolds. Rehydration of the dried particles gave monodisperse hydrogel beads. Their equilibrium size was shown to be dependent on both the quantity of material loaded and the dimensions of the microfluidic flow focus. Fluorescein-labeled dextran was used to evaluate the efficacy of the hydrogel beads as a vector for controlled cargo release. Both passive, sustained release (hours) and triggered, fast release (minutes) of the FITC-dextran was observed, with the rate of sustained release dependent on the formulation. The kinetics of release was fitted to the Ritger-Peppas controlled release equation and shown to follow an anomalous (non-Fickian) transport mechanism.

  15. Controlled-rate freezer cryopreservation of highly concentrated peripheral blood mononuclear cells results in higher cell yields and superior autologous T-cell stimulation for dendritic cell-based immunotherapy.

    PubMed

    Buhl, Timo; Legler, Tobias J; Rosenberger, Albert; Schardt, Anke; Schön, Michael P; Haenssle, Holger A

    2012-11-01

    Availability of large quantities of functionally effective dendritic cells (DC) represents one of the major challenges for immunotherapeutic trials against infectious or malignant diseases. Low numbers or insufficient T-cell activation of DC may result in premature termination of treatment and unsatisfying immune responses in clinical trials. Based on the notion that cryopreservation of monocytes is superior to cryopreservation of immature or mature DC in terms of resulting DC quantity and immuno-stimulatory capacity, we aimed to establish an optimized protocol for the cryopreservation of highly concentrated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) for DC-based immunotherapy. Cryopreserved cell preparations were analyzed regarding quantitative recovery, viability, phenotype, and functional properties. In contrast to standard isopropyl alcohol (IPA) freezing, PBMC cryopreservation in an automated controlled-rate freezer (CRF) with subsequent thawing and differentiation resulted in significantly higher cell yields of immature and mature DC. Immature DC yields and total protein content after using CRF were comparable with results obtained with freshly prepared PBMC and exceeded results of standard IPA freezing by approximately 50 %. While differentiation markers, allogeneic T-cell stimulation, viability, and cytokine profiles were similar to DC from standard freezing procedures, DC generated from CRF-cryopreserved PBMC induced a significantly higher antigen-specific IFN-γ release from autologous effector T cells. In summary, automated controlled-rate freezing of highly concentrated PBMC represents an improved method for increasing DC yields and autologous T-cell stimulation.

  16. The phase transformation of methane caused by pressure change during its rising from seepage, revealed by video observation and acoustic reflection data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Aoyama, D.; Aoyama, C.

    2014-12-01

    The plume comes out to the surface of the water, and methane is released for low water temperature and low temperature in the Arctic Ocean by the atmosphere. Methane released by the atmosphere is combined with oxygen and becomes carbon dioxide and the water, and the greenhouse effect is higher in 20 times than carbon dioxide. If quantity of the methane plume is quantified, I may estimate the quantity of existing methane underground and can estimate the scale of methane melting into it in seawater. The methane plume solved in seawater is one element of the carbon cycle. It is important that I elucidate this element in thinking about the carbon cycle of the wide sense. However, there is not the report that I showed quantitatively how much methane melts into it in seawater a year from the methane plume. Therefore, in this article, I identified an aspect of gush methane as it by the sound data with the fishfinder and by a gush picture of the methane plume. With that in mind, I quantified the quantity of the methane plume. As a result, the following things became clear. The methane hydrate grain to gush out from a gush mouth is a solid at the bottom of the sea direct top. In this sea area, methane of 7.7*104m3 per unit area gushes out. In addition, the sea area where 6.3*106m3 gushed out existed.

  17. The production of multiprotein complexes in insect cells using the baculovirus expression system.

    PubMed

    Abdulrahman, Wassim; Radu, Laura; Garzoni, Frederic; Kolesnikova, Olga; Gupta, Kapil; Osz-Papai, Judit; Berger, Imre; Poterszman, Arnaud

    2015-01-01

    The production of a homogeneous protein sample in sufficient quantities is an essential prerequisite not only for structural investigations but represents also a rate-limiting step for many functional studies. In the cell, a large fraction of eukaryotic proteins exists as large multicomponent assemblies with many subunits, which act in concert to catalyze specific activities. Many of these complexes cannot be obtained from endogenous source material, so recombinant expression and reconstitution are then required to overcome this bottleneck. This chapter describes current strategies and protocols for the efficient production of multiprotein complexes in large quantities and of high quality, using the baculovirus/insect cell expression system.

  18. Advance information on the supply of pulpwood in survey unit #1

    Treesearch

    L.F. Eldredge; Southern Forest Survey Staff

    1935-01-01

    This report presents information concerning the quantity of pulpwood in survey unit #1, Florida. The geographic location of this unit which includes twenty-one counties in the northeastern part of the state is shown in Figure 1. The boundary of the Ocala National Forest. The data given in this release are preliminary and are subject to correction and modification when...

  19. TREX13 Data Analysis/Modeling

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2018-03-29

    www.apl.washington.edu 29 Mar 2018 To: Dr. Robert H. Headrick Office of Naval Research (Code 322) 875 North Randolph Street Arlington, VA 22203-1995...Benjamin Blake Naval Research Laboratory Defense Technical Information Center DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT A. Approved for public release; distribution is... quantitatively impact sound behavior. To gain quantitative knowledge, TREX13 was designed to contemporaneously measure acoustics quantities and environmental

  20. Chemotherapeutic potential of curcumin-bearing microcells against hepatocellular carcinoma in model animals

    PubMed Central

    Farazuddin, Mohammad; Dua, Bhavyata; Zia, Qamar; Khan, Aijaz Ahmad; Joshi, Beenu; Owais, Mohammad

    2014-01-01

    Curcumin (diferuloylmethane) is found in large quantities in the roots of Curcuma longa. It possesses strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, and inhibits chemically-induced carcinogenesis in the skin, forestomach, colon, and liver. Unfortunately, the poor bioavailability and hydrophobicity of curcumin pose a major hurdle to its use as a potent anticancer agent. To circumvent some of these problems, we developed a novel, dual-core microcell formulation of curcumin. The encapsulation of curcumin in microcells increases its solubility and bioavailability, and facilitates slow release kinetics over extended periods. Besides being safe, these formulations do not bear any toxicity constraints, as revealed by in vitro and in vivo studies. Histopathological analysis revealed that curcumin-bearing microcells helped in regression of hepatocellular carcinoma and the maintenance of cellular architecture in liver tissue. Free curcumin had a very mild effect on cancer suppression. Empty (sham) microcells and microparticles failed to inhibit cancer cells. The novel curcumin formulation was found to suppress hepatocellular carcinoma efficiently in Swiss albino mice. PMID:24627632

  1. Characterization of epibenthic and demersal megafauna at Mississippi Canyon 252 shortly after the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill.

    PubMed

    Valentine, Marla M; Benfield, Mark C

    2013-12-15

    The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill resulted in the release of a large quantity of oil and gas into the northern Gulf of Mexico from a bathypelagic source. Due to a lack of pre-spill quantitative data the baseline condition of the communities near the spill site is unknown. This makes it difficult to determine the impact of the spill on deepwater megafauna. Remotely operated vehicles were used to quantify megafauna at five study sites during August and September 2010:2000 m north, west, south, and east, and 500 m north of the Macondo well. Comparisons of animal abundances indicated that 2000 m-N and 2000 m-W had the greatest taxonomic richness and highest abundances while 2000 m-E had slightly lower values. In contrast 500 m-N and 2000 m-S had the lowest taxonomic richness and abundances. Our study also suggests that certain taxa were potentially more resistant or sensitive to the spill. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Silicon halide-alkali metal flames as a source of solar grade silicon

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Olsen, D. B.; Miller, W. J.

    1979-01-01

    The feasibility of using alkali metal-silicon halide diffusion flames to produce solar-grade silicon in large quantities and at low cost is demonstrated. Prior work shows that these flames are stable and that relatively high purity silicon can be produced using Na + SiCl4 flames. Silicon of similar purity is obtained from Na + SiF4 flames although yields are lower and product separation and collection are less thermochemically favored. Continuous separation of silicon from the byproduct alkali salt was demonstrated in a heated graphite reactor. The process was scaled up to reduce heat losses and to produce larger samples of silicon. Reagent delivery systems, scaled by a factor of 25, were built and operated at a production rate of 0.5 kg Si/h. Very rapid reactor heating rates are observed with wall temperatures reaching greater than 2000 K. Heat release parameters were measured using a cooled stainless steel reactor tube. A new reactor was designed.

  3. Glycoconjugates as Mediators of Nitric Oxide Production upon Exposure to Bacterial Spores by Macrophages

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lahiani, Mohamed; Soderberg, Lee; Tarasenko, Olga

    2011-06-01

    Phagocytes generate nitric oxide (NO) in large quantities to combat bacteria. The spore-producing Gram-positive organisms of Bacillus cereus family are causative agents from mild to a life threatening infection in humans and domestic animals. Our group have shown that glycoconjugates (GCs) activate macrophages and enhance killing of Bacillus spores. In this investigation, we will explore the effect of different GCs structures on NO production. The objective of this study is to study effects of GCs 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 on NO release upon exposure to B. cereus and Bacillus anthracis spores by macrophages. Our results demonstrated that GCs activated macrophages and increased NO production using studied GCs ligands compared to macrophage only (p<0.001). GC2 and GC8 were able to further increase NO production in macrophages compared to the B. anthracis spores treated macrophages (p<0.001). Our finding suggests that GCs could be used as potential mediators of NO production in macrophages to fight B. anthracis and other pathogens.

  4. Assessment of Trace Metals in Soil, Vegetation and Rodents in Relation to Metal Mining Activities in an Arid Environment.

    PubMed

    Méndez-Rodríguez, Lia C; Alvarez-Castañeda, Sergio Ticul

    2016-07-01

    Areas where abandoned metal-extraction mines are located contain large quantities of mineral wastes derived from environmentally unsafe mining practices. These wastes contain many pollutants, such as heavy metals, which could be released to the environment through weathering and leaching, hence becoming an important source of environmental metal pollution. This study evaluates differences in the levels of lead, iron, nickel, manganese, copper and cadmium in rodents sharing the same type of diet under different microhabitat use in arid areas with past mining activities. Samples of soil, roots, branches and seeds of Palo Adán (Fouquieria diguetii) and specimens of two rodent species (Chaetodipus arenarius and C. spinatus) were collected in areas with impact from past metal mining activities as well as from areas with no mining impact. Both rodent species mirrored nickel and iron levels in soil and seeds, as well as lead levels in soil; however, C. arenarius accumulated higher levels of manganese, copper and cadmium.

  5. A statistical inference for concentrations of benzo[a]pyrene partially measured in the ambient air of an industrial city in Korea

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kim, Yongku; Seo, Young-Kyo; Baek, Sung-Ok

    2013-12-01

    Although large quantities of air pollutants are released into the atmosphere, they are partially monitored and routinely assessed for their health implications. This paper proposes a statistical model describing the temporal behavior of hazardous air pollutants (HAPs), which can have negative effects on human health. Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) is selected for statistical modeling. The proposed model incorporates the linkage between BaP and meteorology and is specifically formulated to identify meteorological effects and allow for seasonal trends. The model is used to estimate and forecast temporal fields of BaP conditional on observed (or forecasted) meteorological conditions, including temperature, precipitation, wind speed, and air quality. The effects of BaP on human health are examined by characterizing health indicators, namely the cancer risk and the hazard quotient. The model provides useful information for the optimal monitoring period and projection of future BaP concentrations for both industrial and residential areas in Korea.

  6. Process-based control of HAPs emissions from drying wood flakes.

    PubMed

    Banerjee, Sujit; Pendyala, Krishna; Buchanan, Mike; Yang, Rallming; Abu-Daabes, Malyuba; Otwell, Lawrence P E

    2006-04-01

    Industrial wood flake drying generates methanol, formaldehyde, and other hazardous air pollutants (HAPs). A simple theoretical model shows that particles smaller than 400 microm will begin to thermally degrade and release disproportionately large quantities of HAPs. This is confirmed in full-scale practice where particles smaller than 500 microm show visible signs of charring. Laboratory measurement of the activation energy for the breakdown of wood tissue into methanol and formaldehyde led to a value of about 17 kcal/mol. The apparent activation energy measured in the field was higher. This result was obtained under nonisothermal conditions and is biased high by the fines fraction of the furnish, which is exposed to elevated temperatures. It is proposed that a combination of screening out the fines fraction smaller than 500 microm and reducing the dryer inlet temperature will substantially reduce emissions, possibly to the point where control devices can be downsized or eliminated. Our findings allow these HAPs reductions to be semiquantitatively estimated.

  7. PC-SEAPAK user's guide, version 4.0

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mcclain, Charles R.; Fu, Gary; Darzi, Michael; Firestone, James K.

    1992-01-01

    PC-SEAPAK is designed to provide a complete and affordable capability for processing and analysis of NOAA Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) and Nimbus-7 Coastal Zone Color Scanner (CZCS) data. Since the release of version 3.0 over a year ago, significant revisions were made to the AVHRR and CZCS programs and to the statistical data analysis module, and a number of new programs were added. This new version has 114 procedures listed in its menus. The package continues to emphasize user-friendliness and interactive data analysis. Additionally, because the scientific goals of the ocean color research being conducted have shifted to larger space and time scales, batch processing capabilities were enhanced, allowing large quantities of data to be easily ingested and analyzed. The development of PC-SEAPAK was paralled by two other activities that were influential and assistive: the global CZCS processing effort at GSFC and the continued development of VAX-SEAPAK. SEAPAK incorporates the instrument calibration and support all levels of data available from the CZCS archive.

  8. Gravity flows associated with flood events and carbon burial: Taiwan as instructional source area.

    PubMed

    Liu, James T; Kao, Shuh-Ji; Huh, Chih-An; Hung, Chin-Chang

    2013-01-01

    Taiwan's unique setting allows it to release disproportionately large quantities of fluvial sediment into diverse dispersal systems around the island. Earthquakes, lithology, topography, cyclone-induced rainfall, and human disturbance play major roles in the catchment dynamics. Deep landslides dominate the sediment-removal process on land, giving fluvial sediment distinct geochemical signals. Extreme conditions in river runoff, sediment load, nearshore waves and currents, and the formation of gravity flows during typhoon events can be observed within short distances. Segregation of fresh biomass and clastic sediment occurs during the marine transport process, yet turbidity currents in the Gaoping Submarine Canyon carry woody debris. Strong currents in the slope and back-arc basin of the Okinawa Trough disperse fine-grained sediments rapidly and widely. Temporal deposition and remobilization may occur when the shallow Taiwan Strait acts as a receptacle. Taiwan can therefore serve as a demonstration of the episodic aspect of the source-to-sink pathway to both the coastal and deep-ocean environments.

  9. Comparative morphology of zebra (Dreissena polymorpha) and quagga (Dreissena bugensis) mussel sperm: Light and electron microscopy

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Walker, G.K.; Black, M.G.; Edwards, C.A.

    1996-01-01

    Adult zebra (Dreissena polymorpha) and quagga (Dreissena bugensis) mussels were induced to release large quantities of live spermatozoa by the administration of 5-hydroxytryptamine (serotonin). Sperm were photographed alive using phase-contrast microscopy and were fixed subsequently with glutaraldehyde followed by osmium tetroxide for eventual examination by transmission or scanning electron microscopy. The sperm of both genera are of the ect-aquasperm type. Their overall dimensions and shape allow for easy discrimination at the light and scanning electron microscopy level. Transmission electron microscopy of the cells reveals a barrel-shaped nucleus in zebra mussel sperm and an elongated nucleus in quagga mussel sperm. In both species, an acrosome is cradled in a nuclear fossa. The ultrastructure of the acrosome and axial body, however, is distinctive for each species. The structures of the midpiece are shown, including a unique mitochondrial "skirt" that includes densely packed parallel cristae and extends in a narrow sheet from the mitochondria.

  10. The plasma separation process as a pre-cursor for large scale radioisotope production

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stevenson, Nigel R.

    2001-07-01

    Radioisotope production generally employs either accelerators or reactors to convert stable (usually enriched) isotopes into the desired product species. Radioisotopes have applications in industry, environmental sciences, and most significantly in medicine. The production of many potentially useful radioisotopes is significantly hindered by the lack of availability or by the high cost of key enriched stable isotopes. To try and meet this demand, certain niche enrichment processes have been developed and commercialized. Calutrons, centrifuges, and laser separation processes are some of the devices and techniques being employed to produce large quantities of selective enriched stable isotopes. Nevertheless, the list of enriched stable isotopes in sufficient quantities remains rather limited and this continues to restrict the availability of many radioisotopes that otherwise could have a significant impact on society. The Plasma Separation Process is a newly available commercial technique for producing large quantities of a wide range of enriched isotopes and thereby holds promise of being able to open the door to producing new and exciting applications of radioisotopes in the future.

  11. Rapid Ovary Mass-Isolation (ROMi) to Obtain Large Quantities of Drosophila Egg Chambers for Fluorescent In Situ Hybridization.

    PubMed

    Jambor, Helena; Mejstrik, Pavel; Tomancak, Pavel

    2016-01-01

    Isolation of large quantities of tissue from organisms is essential for many techniques such as genome-wide screens and biochemistry. However, obtaining large quantities of tissues or cells is often the rate-limiting step when working in vivo. Here, we present a rapid method that allows the isolation of intact, single egg chambers at various developmental stages from ovaries of adult female Drosophila flies. The isolated egg chambers are amenable for a variety of procedures such as fluorescent in situ hybridization, RNA isolation, extract preparation, or immunostaining. Isolation of egg chambers from adult flies can be completed in 5 min and results, depending on the input amount of flies, in several milliliters of material. The isolated egg chambers are then further processed depending on the exact requirements of the subsequent application. We describe high-throughput in situ hybridization in 96-well plates as example application for the mass-isolated egg chambers.

  12. Trafficking of glucose, lactate, and amyloid-β from the inferior colliculus through perivascular routes

    PubMed Central

    Ball, Kelly K; Cruz, Nancy F; Mrak, Robert E; Dienel, Gerald A

    2010-01-01

    Metabolic brain imaging is widely used to evaluate brain function and disease, and quantitative assays require local retention of compounds used to register changes in cellular activity. As labeled metabolites of [1- and 6-14C]glucose are rapidly released in large quantities during brain activation, this study evaluated release of metabolites and proteins through perivascular fluid flow, a pathway that carries solutes from brain to peripheral lymphatic drainage sites. Assays with [3,4-14C]glucose ruled out local oxidation of glucose-derived lactate as a major contributor of label loss. Brief infusion of [1-14C]glucose and -[14C]lactate into the inferior colliculus of conscious rats during acoustic stimulation labeled the meninges, consistent with perivascular clearance of [14C]metabolites from interstitial fluid. Microinfusion of Evans blue albumin and amyloid-β1−40 (Aβ) caused perivascular labeling in the inferior colliculus, labeled the surrounding meninges, and Aβ-labeled-specific blood vessels in the caudate and olfactory bulb and was deposited in cervical lymph nodes. Efflux of extracellular glucose, lactate, and Aβ into perivascular fluid pathways is a normal route for clearance of material from the inferior colliculus that contributes to underestimates of brain energetics. Convergence of ‘watershed' drainage to common pathways may facilitate perivascular amyloid plaque formation and pathway obstruction in Alzheimer's disease. PMID:19794399

  13. Linking Plant Nutritional Status to Plant-Microbe Interactions

    PubMed Central

    Carvalhais, Lilia C.; Dennis, Paul G.; Fan, Ben; Fedoseyenko, Dmitri; Kierul, Kinga; Becker, Anke; von Wiren, Nicolaus; Borriss, Rainer

    2013-01-01

    Plants have developed a wide-range of adaptations to overcome nutrient limitation, including changes to the quantity and composition of carbon-containing compounds released by roots. Root-associated bacteria are largely influenced by these compounds which can be perceived as signals or substrates. Here, we evaluate the effect of root exudates collected from maize plants grown under nitrogen (N), phosphate (P), iron (Fe) and potassium (K) deficiencies on the transcriptome of the plant growth promoting rhizobacterium (PGPR) Bacillus amyloliquefaciens FZB42. The largest shifts in gene expression patterns were observed in cells exposed to exudates from N-, followed by P-deficient plants. Exudates from N-deprived maize triggered a general stress response in FZB42 in the exponential growth phase, which was evidenced by the suppression of numerous genes involved in protein synthesis. Exudates from P-deficient plants induced bacterial genes involved in chemotaxis and motility whilst exudates released by Fe and K deficient plants did not cause dramatic changes in the bacterial transcriptome during exponential growth phase. Global transcriptional changes in bacteria elicited by nutrient deficient maize exudates were significantly correlated with concentrations of the amino acids aspartate, valine and glutamate in root exudates suggesting that transcriptional profiling of FZB42 associated with metabolomics of N, P, Fe and K-deficient maize root exudates is a powerful approach to better understand plant-microbe interactions under conditions of nutritional stress. PMID:23874669

  14. Carbon dioxide scrubbing capabilities of two new nonpowered technologies.

    PubMed

    Norfleet, William; Horn, Wayne

    2003-01-01

    Current guidance for survivors aboard a disabled submarine (DISSUB) recommends the use of the "stir-and-fan" method of carbon dioxide (CO2) scrubbing in which the contents of canisters of lithium hydroxide (LiOH) are dispersed onto horizontal surfaces. This technique is objectionable because it releases large quantities of fine, caustic LiOH dust and it utilizes LiOH inefficiently. This report presents the results of laboratory studies of the CO2 scrubbing capabilities of two new products that might improve on "stir-and-fan": the Battelle Curtain (BC) and the Micropore Reactive Plastic Curtain (RPC). Experiments took place within a sealed hyperbaric chamber. CO2 was added to the chamber at a known mass flow that reproduced what might be encountered in a "worst-case" DISSUB scenario. Natural convection alone circulated gas within the chamber. The mass of BCs or RPCs necessary to limit CO2 to 3% for about 2 days was determined. The total scrubbing capacity (mass of CO2 scrubbed per unit mass of agent) of the BC was 0.756 +/- 0.012 (mean +/- SD), and the comparable value for the RPC was 0.808 +/- 0.007. Both products provided a scrubbing capacity that is close to the stoichiometric limit of the reaction (0.919). Neither product released sufficient caustic dust to prevent handling by a trained individual wearing no personal protective equipment.

  15. Phospholipid sources for adrenic acid mobilization in RAW 264.7 macrophages. Comparison with arachidonic acid.

    PubMed

    Guijas, Carlos; Astudillo, Alma M; Gil-de-Gómez, Luis; Rubio, Julio M; Balboa, María A; Balsinde, Jesús

    2012-11-01

    Cells metabolize arachidonic acid (AA) to adrenic acid (AdA) via 2-carbon elongation reactions. Like AA, AdA can be converted into multiple oxygenated metabolites, with important roles in various physiological and pathophysiological processes. However, in contrast to AA, there is virtually no information on how the cells regulate the availability of free AdA for conversion into bioactive products. We have used a comparative lipidomic approach with both gas chromatography and liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry to characterize changes in the levels of AA- and AdA-containing phospholipid species in RAW 264.7 macrophage-like cells. Incubation of the cells with AA results in an extensive conversion to AdA but both fatty acids do not compete with each other for esterification into phospholipids. AdA but not AA, shows preference for incorporation into phospholipids containing stearic acid at the sn-1 position. After stimulation of the cells with zymosan, both AA and AdA are released in large quantities, albeit AA is released to a greater extent. Finally, a variety of phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylinositol molecular species contribute to AA; however, AdA is liberated exclusively from phosphatidylcholine species. Collectively, these results identify significant differences in the cellular utilization of AA and AdA by the macrophages, suggesting non-redundant biological actions for these two fatty acids. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. A new approach to hazardous materials transportation risk analysis: decision modeling to identify critical variables.

    PubMed

    Clark, Renee M; Besterfield-Sacre, Mary E

    2009-03-01

    We take a novel approach to analyzing hazardous materials transportation risk in this research. Previous studies analyzed this risk from an operations research (OR) or quantitative risk assessment (QRA) perspective by minimizing or calculating risk along a transport route. Further, even though the majority of incidents occur when containers are unloaded, the research has not focused on transportation-related activities, including container loading and unloading. In this work, we developed a decision model of a hazardous materials release during unloading using actual data and an exploratory data modeling approach. Previous studies have had a theoretical perspective in terms of identifying and advancing the key variables related to this risk, and there has not been a focus on probability and statistics-based approaches for doing this. Our decision model empirically identifies the critical variables using an exploratory methodology for a large, highly categorical database involving latent class analysis (LCA), loglinear modeling, and Bayesian networking. Our model identified the most influential variables and countermeasures for two consequences of a hazmat incident, dollar loss and release quantity, and is one of the first models to do this. The most influential variables were found to be related to the failure of the container. In addition to analyzing hazmat risk, our methodology can be used to develop data-driven models for strategic decision making in other domains involving risk.

  17. Mussel-inspired functionalization of electrochemically exfoliated graphene: Based on self-polymerization of dopamine and its suppression effect on the fire hazards and smoke toxicity of thermoplastic polyurethane.

    PubMed

    Cai, Wei; Wang, Junling; Pan, Ying; Guo, Wenwen; Mu, Xiaowei; Feng, Xiaming; Yuan, Bihe; Wang, Xin; Hu, Yuan

    2018-06-15

    The suppression effect of graphene in the fire hazards and smoke toxicity of polymer composites has been seriously limited by both mass production and weak interfacial interaction. Though the electrochemical preparation provides an available approach for mass production, exfoliated graphene could not strongly bond with polar polymer chains. Herein, mussel-inspired functionalization of electrochemically exfoliated graphene was successfully processed and added into polar thermoplastic polyurethane matrix (TPU). As confirmed by SEM patterns of fracture surface, functionalized graphene possessing abundant hydroxyl could constitute a forceful chains interaction with TPU. By the incorporation of 2.0 wt % f-GNS, peak heat release rate (pHRR), total heat release (THR), specific extinction area (SEA), as well as smoke produce rate (SPR) of TPU composites were approximately decreased by 59.4%, 27.1%, 31.9%, and 26.7%, respectively. A probable mechanism of fire retardant was hypothesized: well-dispersed f-GNS constituted tortuous path and hindered the exchange process of degradation product with barrier function. Large quantities of degradation product gathered round f-GNS and reacted with flame retardant to produce the cross-linked and high-degree graphited residual char. The simple functionalization for electrochemically exfoliated graphene impels the application of graphene in the fields of flame retardant composites. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. An RNA ligase-mediated method for the efficient creation of large, synthetic RNAs

    PubMed Central

    Stark, Martha R.; Pleiss, Jeffrey A.; Deras, Michael; Scaringe, Stephen A.; Rader, Stephen D.

    2006-01-01

    RNA ligation has been a powerful tool for incorporation of cross-linkers and nonnatural nucleotides into internal positions of RNA molecules. The most widely used method for template-directed RNA ligation uses DNA ligase and a DNA splint. While this method has been used successfully for many years, it suffers from a number of drawbacks, principally, slow and inefficient product formation and slow product release, resulting in a requirement for large quantities of enzyme. We describe an alternative technique catalyzed by T4 RNA ligase instead of DNA ligase. Using a splint design that allows the ligation junction to mimic the natural substrate of RNA ligase, we demonstrate several ligation reactions that appear to go nearly to completion. Furthermore, the reactions generally go to completion within 30 min. We present data evaluating the relative importance of various parameters in this reaction. Finally, we show the utility of this method by generating a 128-nucleotide pre-mRNA from three synthetic oligoribonucleotides. The ability to ligate synthetic or in vitro transcribed RNA with high efficiency has the potential to open up areas of RNA biology to new functional and biophysical investigation. In particular, we anticipate that site-specific incorporation of fluorescent dyes into large RNA molecules will yield a wealth of new information on RNA structure and function. PMID:16983143

  19. Evidence of Influence of Human Activities and Volcanic Eruptions on Environmental Perchlorate from a 300-Year Greenland Ice Core Record.

    PubMed

    Cole-Dai, Jihong; Peterson, Kari Marie; Kennedy, Joshua Andrew; Cox, Thomas S; Ferris, David G

    2018-06-26

    A 300-year (1700-2007) chronological record of environmental perchlorate, reconstructed from high-resolution analysis of a central Greenland ice core, shows that perchlorate levels in the post-1980 atmosphere were two-to-three times those of the pre-1980 environment. While this confirms recent reports of increased perchlorate in Arctic snow since 1980 compared with the levels for the prior decades (1930-1980), the longer Greenland record demonstrates that the Industrial Revolution and other human activities, which emitted large quantities of pollutants and contaminants, did not significantly impact environmental perchlorate, as perchlorate levels remained stable throughout the eighteenth, nineteenth, and much of the twentieth centuries. The increased levels since 1980 likely result from enhanced atmospheric perchlorate production, rather than from direct release from perchlorate manufacturing and applications. The enhancement is probably influenced by the emission of organic chlorine compounds in the last several decades. Prior to 1980, no significant long-term temporal trends in perchlorate concentration are observed. Brief (a few years) high concentration episodes appear frequently over an apparently stable and low background (~1 ng kg‒1). Several such episodes coincide in time with large explosive volcanic eruptions including the 1912 Novarupta/Katmai eruption in Alaska. It appears that atmospheric perchlorate production is impacted by large eruptions in both high and low latitudes, but not by small eruptions and non-explosive degassing.

  20. In vitro evaluation of suspoemulsions for in situ-forming polymeric microspheres and controlled release of progesterone.

    PubMed

    Turino, Ludmila N; Mariano, Rodolfo N; Mengatto, Luciano N; Luna, Julio A

    2015-01-01

    One possibility to obtain a higher dose of drug in a lower formulation volume can be by using of saturated quantity of drug in one of the phases of an emulsion. These formulations are called suspoemulsions (S/O/W). When a hydrophobic polymer is added to the organic phase of suspoemulsions, these formulations can be used to entrap the drug inside microspheres after in situ precipitation of the polymer-drug-excipients mix. In this work, performance and stability of progesterone suspensions in triacetin as organic phase of suspoemulsions were evaluated. These formulations were compared with O/W emulsions. Mathematical models were used to study in vitro release profiles. The results confirmed that S/O/W systems could be an attractive alternative to O/W formulations for the entrapment of progesterone inside poly(d,l-lactide-co-glycolide) microspheres. Diffusive-based models fit the in vitro release of progesterone from in situ-formed microspheres. For longer release periods, a time-dependent diffusion coefficient was successfully estimated.

  1. Good Housekeeping Implementation for Improving Efficiency in Cassava Starch Industry (Case Study : Margoyoso District, Pati Regency)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Aji, Wijayanto Setyo; Purwanto; Suherman, S.

    2018-02-01

    Cassava starch industry is one of the leading small-medium enterprises (SMEs) in Pati Regency. Cassava starch industry released waste that reduces the quantity of final product and potentially contamined the environment. This study was conducted to observe the feasibility of good housekeeping implementation to reduce waste and at the same time improve efficiency of production process. Good housekeeping opportunities are consideration by three aspect, technical, economy and environmental. Good housekeeping opportunities involved water conservation and waste reduction. These included reuse of water in washing process, improving workers awareness in drying section and packaging section. Implementation of these opportunities can reduce water consumption, reduce wastewater and solid waste generation also increased quantity of final product.

  2. Quantity, Revisited: An Object-Oriented Reusable Class

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Funston, Monica Gayle; Gerstle, Walter; Panthaki, Malcolm

    1998-01-01

    "Quantity", a prototype implementation of an object-oriented class, was developed for two reasons: to help engineers and scientists manipulate the many types of quantities encountered during routine analysis, and to create a reusable software component to for large domain-specific applications. From being used as a stand-alone application to being incorporated into an existing computational mechanics toolkit, "Quantity" appears to be a useful and powerful object. "Quantity" has been designed to maintain the full engineering meaning of values with respect to units and coordinate systems. A value is a scalar, vector, tensor, or matrix, each of which is composed of Value Components, each of which may be an integer, floating point number, fuzzy number, etc., and its associated physical unit. Operations such as coordinate transformation and arithmetic operations are handled by member functions of "Quantity". The prototype has successfully tested such characteristics as maintaining a numeric value, an associated unit, and an annotation. In this paper we further explore the design of "Quantity", with particular attention to coordinate systems.

  3. Variability and Maintenance of Turbulence in the Very Stable Boundary Layer

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mahrt, Larry

    2010-04-01

    The relationship of turbulence quantities to mean flow quantities, such as the Richardson number, degenerates substantially for strong stability, at least in those studies that do not place restrictions on minimum turbulence or non-stationarity. This study examines the large variability of the turbulence for very stable conditions by analyzing four months of turbulence data from a site with short grass. Brief comparisons are made with three additional sites, one over short grass on flat terrain and two with tall vegetation in complex terrain. For very stable conditions, any dependence of the turbulence quantities on the mean wind speed or bulk Richardson number becomes masked by large scatter, as found in some previous studies. The large variability of the turbulence quantities is due to random variations and other physical influences not represented by the bulk Richardson number. There is no critical Richardson number above which the turbulence vanishes. For very stable conditions, the record-averaged vertical velocity variance and the drag coefficient increase with the strength of the submeso motions (wave motions, solitary waves, horizontal modes and numerous more complex signatures). The submeso motions are on time scales of minutes and not normally considered part of the mean flow. The generation of turbulence by such unpredictable motions appears to preclude universal similarity theory for predicting the surface stress for very stable conditions. Large variation of the stress direction with respect to the wind direction for the very stable regime is also examined. Needed additional work is noted.

  4. Effect of low-molecular-weight organic acids on kinetics release and fractionation of phosphorus in some calcareous soils of western Iran.

    PubMed

    Taghipour, M; Jalali, M

    2013-07-01

    Organic acid has been related to nutrient mobilization, mainly in phosphorus (P) insoluble utilization, and therefore enhances P bioavailability. In this study, we examined the effect of low-molecular-weight organic acids (malic, citric, and oxalic acids) on P release of some calcareous soils from western Iran. Fractionation and speciation of P in the soil solution were studied at the initial and final P release. Significantly different quantities of P were extracted by the organic acids. On average the maximum (1,554.9 mg kg(-1)) and the minimum (1,260.5 mg kg(-1)) P were extracted by 10 mM oxalic and malic acid, respectively. Power equation described well P release. In the initial stage of P release, the solution samples in soils were supersaturated with respect to hydroxyapatite and β-TCP. At the end of P release, all solutions were undersaturated with phosphate minerals. The percentage of Fe-Al oxide fraction generally increased after P release, while carbonate and residual P fractions were decreased in all organic acids. Compared with the native soils, adding malic and citric acids had no effect on Fe-Al oxide fraction, but oxalic acid significantly reduced this fraction.

  5. Localized Health News Releases and Community Newspapers: A Method for Rural Health Promotion.

    PubMed

    Young, Rachel; Willis, Erin; Stemmle, John; Rodgers, Shelly

    2015-07-01

    Newspaper health stories often originate with news releases from health organizations. Tailoring news releases to a particular mass media outlet increases the possibility that the release will result in a published story. This study describes a 2-year effort to promote coverage of health through dissemination of localized health news releases to newspapers. Each newspaper received stories tailored to that community. Localized elements of stories included local headlines and local data. Nearly half of newspapers in our study (48.2%) published at least one of our health news stories, and 541 health news stories were published as a result of the project. We also examined which types of newspapers were most likely to publish health news stories. Newspapers in rural versus suburban and urban areas were more likely to publish health news stories, as were midsized newspapers. In addition, rural newspapers were more likely than urban newspapers to publish stories about aging, specifically arthritis and heart disease. Our findings indicate that tailoring health news releases with local information and targeting releases to align with newspaper audience demographics could increase the quantity and quality of health-promoting information available to rural residents, who experience disparities in health care access and health outcomes. © 2015 Society for Public Health Education.

  6. Multiple response optimization of processing and formulation parameters of Eudragit RL/RS-based matrix tablets for sustained delivery of diclofenac.

    PubMed

    Elzayat, Ehab M; Abdel-Rahman, Ali A; Ahmed, Sayed M; Alanazi, Fars K; Habib, Walid A; Sakr, Adel

    2017-11-01

    Multiple response optimization is an efficient technique to develop sustained release formulation while decreasing the number of experiments based on trial and error approach. Diclofenac matrix tablets were optimized to achieve a release profile conforming to USP monograph, matching Voltaren ® SR and withstand formulation variables. The percent of drug released at predetermined multiple time points were the response variables in the design. Statistical models were obtained with relative contour diagrams being overlaid to predict process and formulation parameters expected to produce the target release profile. Tablets were prepared by wet granulation using mixture of equivalent quantities of Eudragit RL/RS at overall polymer concentration of 10-30%w/w and compressed at 5-15KN. Drug release from the optimized formulation E4 (15%w/w, 15KN) was similar to Voltaren, conformed to USP monograph and found to be stable. Substituting lactose with mannitol, reversing the ratio between lactose and microcrystalline cellulose or increasing drug load showed no significant difference in drug release. Using dextromethorphan hydrobromide as a model soluble drug showed burst release due to higher solubility and formation of micro cavities. A numerical optimization technique was employed to develop a stable consistent promising formulation for sustained delivery of diclofenac.

  7. EVALUATING THE ACCOTINK CREEK URBAN STREAM RESTORATION PROJECT FOR IMPROVING WATER QUALITY, IN-STREAM HABITAT, AND BANK STABILITY

    EPA Science Inventory

    Increased urbanization results in a larger percentage of connected impervious areas and can contribute large quantities of stormwater runoff and significant quantities of debris and pollutants (e.g., litter, oils, microorganisms, sediments, nutrients, organic matter, and heavy me...

  8. Influence of pre-injection control parameters on main-injection fuel quantity for an electronically controlled double-valve fuel injection system of diesel engine

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Song, Enzhe; Fan, Liyun; Chen, Chao; Dong, Quan; Ma, Xiuzhen; Bai, Yun

    2013-09-01

    A simulation model of an electronically controlled two solenoid valve fuel injection system for a diesel engine is established in the AMESim environment. The accuracy of the model is validated through comparison with experimental data. The influence of pre-injection control parameters on main-injection quantity under different control modes is analyzed. In the spill control valve mode, main-injection fuel quantity decreases gradually and then reaches a stable level because of the increase in multi-injection dwell time. In the needle control valve mode, main-injection fuel quantity increases with rising multi-injection dwell time; this effect becomes more obvious at high-speed revolutions and large main-injection pulse widths. Pre-injection pulse width has no obvious influence on main-injection quantity under the two control modes; the variation in main-injection quantity is in the range of 1 mm3.

  9. Residual monomers and degree of conversion of partially bioresorbable fiber-reinforced composite.

    PubMed

    Väkiparta, Marju; Puska, Mervi; Vallittu, Pekka K

    2006-01-01

    The aim of this study was to evaluate the total quantity of residual monomer (bis-phenyl glycidyl dimethacrylate, i.e. Bis-GMA, and triethylene glycol dimethacrylate, i.e. TEGDMA), residual monomer release into water and the degree of monomer conversion (DC%) of glass fiber-reinforced composites (FRC) with a partially bioresorbable polymer matrix. Another aim was to find out whether the curing mode affects the quantity of residual monomer and degree of conversion. Glass fibers were preimpregnated with a bioresorbable poly(hydroxyproline) amide and non-resorbable Bis-GMA-TEGDMA resin system. Specimens were immersed in water for 1, 3 or 7 days (37 degrees C) to determine the quantity of leached residual monomers, or in the solvent tetrahydrofuran for 3 days to determine the total quantity of residual monomers by high performance liquid chromatography. DC% was measured by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The quantity of residual monomer of the specimens decreased when the specimens contained glass fibers, and/or poly(hydroxyproline) amide, and/or when it was post-cured. The majority of the residual monomers were leached out during the first 24 h of immersion in water. The DC% of the specimens increased when post-cured. Also glass fibers in the composite increased the DC% in contrast to Bis-GMA-TEGDMA resin only. In conclusion, use of poly(hydroxyproline) amide as a sizing of the glass fibers in FRC does not increase the quantity of residual monomers. These results suggest that this new kind of partially bioresorbable FRC has potential for biomedical applications.

  10. Do Social Conditions Affect Capuchin Monkeys' (Cebus apella) Choices in a Quantity Judgment Task?

    PubMed

    Beran, Michael J; Perdue, Bonnie M; Parrish, Audrey E; Evans, Theodore A

    2012-01-01

    Beran et al. (2012) reported that capuchin monkeys closely matched the performance of humans in a quantity judgment test in which information was incomplete but a judgment still had to be made. In each test session, subjects first made quantity judgments between two known options. Then, they made choices where only one option was visible. Both humans and capuchin monkeys were guided by past outcomes, as they shifted from selecting a known option to selecting an unknown option at the point at which the known option went from being more than the average rate of return to less than the average rate of return from earlier choices in the test session. Here, we expanded this assessment of what guides quantity judgment choice behavior in the face of incomplete information to include manipulations to the unselected quantity. We manipulated the unchosen set in two ways: first, we showed the monkeys what they did not get (the unchosen set), anticipating that "losses" would weigh heavily on subsequent trials in which the same known quantity was presented. Second, we sometimes gave the unchosen set to another monkey, anticipating that this social manipulation might influence the risk-taking responses of the focal monkey when faced with incomplete information. However, neither manipulation caused difficulty for the monkeys who instead continued to use the rational strategy of choosing known sets when they were as large as or larger than the average rate of return in the session, and choosing the unknown (riskier) set when the known set was not sufficiently large. As in past experiments, this was true across a variety of daily ranges of quantities, indicating that monkeys were not using some absolute quantity as a threshold for selecting (or not) the known set, but instead continued to use the daily average rate of return to determine when to choose the known versus the unknown quantity.

  11. Rapid adenosine release in the nucleus tractus solitarii during defence response in rats: real-time measurement in vivo

    PubMed Central

    Dale, Nicholas; Gourine, Alexander V; Llaudet, Enrique; Bulmer, David; Thomas, Teresa; Spyer, K Michael

    2002-01-01

    We have measured the release of adenosine and inosine from the dorsal surface of the brainstem and from within the nucleus tractus solitarii (NTS) during the defence response evoked by hypothalamic stimulation in the anaesthetised rat. At the surface of the brainstem, only release of inosine was detected on hypothalamic defence area stimulation. This inosine signal was greatly reduced by addition of the ecto-5′-nucleotidase inhibitor α,β-methylene ADP (200 μM), suggesting that the inosine arose from adenosine that was produced in the extracellular space by the prior release of ATP. By placing a microelectrode biosensor into the NTS under stereotaxic control we have recorded release of adenosine within this nucleus. By contrast to the brainstem surface, a fast increase in adenosine, accompanied only by a much smaller change in inosine levels, was seen following stimulation of the hypothalamic defence area. The release of adenosine following hypothalamic stimulation was mainly confined to a narrow region of the NTS some 500 μm in length around the level of the obex. Interestingly the release of adenosine was depletable: when the defence reaction was evoked at short time intervals, much less adenosine was released on the second stimulus. Our novel techniques have given unprecedented real-time measurement and localisation of adenosine release in vivo and demonstrate that adenosine is released at the right time and in sufficient quantities to contribute to the cardiovascular components of the defence reaction. PMID:12356888

  12. Nebulization Reflux Concentrator

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cofer, Wesley R., III; Collins, V. G.

    1986-01-01

    Nebulization reflux concentrator extracts and concentrates trace quantities of water-soluble gases for subsequent chemical analysis. Hydrophobic membrane and nebulizing nozzles form scrubber for removing trace quantities of soluble gases or other contaminants from atmosphere. Although hydrophobic membrane virtually blocks all transport of droplets, it offers little resistance to gas flow; hence, device permits relatively large volumes of gas scrubbed efficiently with very small volumes of liquid. This means analyzable quantities of contaminants concentrate in extracting solutions in much shorter times than with conventional techniques.

  13. The long journey of botulinum neurotoxins into the synapse.

    PubMed

    Rummel, Andreas

    2015-12-01

    Botulinum neurotoxins (BoNT) cause the disease botulism, a flaccid paralysis of the muscle. They are also very effective, widely used medicines applied locally in sub-nanogram quantities. BoNTs are released together with several non-toxic, associated proteins as progenitor toxin complexes (PCT) by Clostridium botulinum to become highly potent oral poisons ingested via contaminated food. They block the neurotransmission in susceptible animals and humans already in nanogram quantities due to their specific ability to enter motoneurons and to cleave only selected neuronal proteins involved in neuroexocytosis. BoNTs have developed a sophisticated strategy to passage the gastrointestinal tract and to be absorbed in the intestine of the host to finally attack neurons. A non-toxic non-hemagglutinin (NTNHA) forms a binary complex with BoNT to protect it from gastrointestinal degradation. This binary M-PTC is one component of the bi-modular 14-subunit ∼760 kDa large progenitor toxin complex. The other component is the structurally and functionally independent dodecameric hemagglutinin (HA) complex which facilitates the absorption on the intestinal epithelium by glycan binding. Subsequent to its transcytosis the HA complex disrupts the tight junction of the intestinal barrier from the basolateral side by binding to E-cadherin. Now, the L-PTC can also enter the circulation by paracellular routes in much larger quantities. From here, the dissociated BoNTs reach the neuromuscular junction and accumulate via interaction with polysialo gangliosides, complex glycolipids, on motoneurons at the neuromuscular junction. Subsequently, additional specific binding to luminal segments of synaptic vesicles proteins like SV2 and synaptotagmin leads to their uptake. Finally, the neurotoxins shut down the synaptic vesicle cycle, which they had exploited before to enter their target cells, via specific cleavage of soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor (SNARE) proteins, which constitute the core components of the cellular membrane fusion machinery. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Rebamipide delivered by brushite cement enhances osteoblast and macrophage proliferation.

    PubMed

    Pujari-Palmer, Michael; Pujari-Palmer, Shiuli; Engqvist, Håkan; Karlsson Ott, Marjam

    2015-01-01

    Many of the bioactive agents capable of stimulating osseous regeneration, such as bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) or prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), are limited by rapid degradation, a short bioactive half-life at the target site in vivo, or are prohibitively expensive to obtain in large quantities. Rebamipide, an amino acid modified hydroxylquinoline, can alter the expression of key mediators of bone anabolism, cyclo-oxygenase 2 (COX-2), BMP-2 and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), in diverse cell types such as mucosal and endothelial cells or chondrocytes. The present study investigates whether Rebamipide enhances proliferation and differentiation of osteoblasts when delivered from brushite cement. The reactive oxygen species (ROS) quenching ability of Rebampide was tested in macrophages as a measure of bioactivity following drug release incubation times, up to 14 days. Rebamipide release from brushite occurs via non-fickian diffusion, with a rapid linear release of 9.70% ± 0.37% of drug per day for the first 5 days, and an average of 0.5%-1% per day thereafter for 30 days. Rebamipide slows the initial and final cement setting time by up to 3 and 1 minute, respectively, but does not significantly reduce the mechanical strength below 4% (weight percentage). Pre-osteoblast proliferation increases by 24% upon exposure to 0.4 uM Rebamipide, and by up to 73% when Rebamipide is delivered via brushite cement. Low doses of Rebamipide do not adversely affect peak alkaline phosphatase activity in differentiating pre-osteoblasts. Rebamipide weakly stimulates proliferation in macrophages at low concentrations (118 ± 7.4% at 1 uM), and quenches ROS by 40-60%. This is the first investigation of Rebamipide in osteoblasts.

  15. Rebamipide Delivered by Brushite Cement Enhances Osteoblast and Macrophage Proliferation

    PubMed Central

    Pujari-Palmer, Michael; Pujari-Palmer, Shiuli; Engqvist, Håkan; Karlsson Ott, Marjam

    2015-01-01

    Many of the bioactive agents capable of stimulating osseous regeneration, such as bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) or prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), are limited by rapid degradation, a short bioactive half-life at the target site in vivo, or are prohibitively expensive to obtain in large quantities. Rebamipide, an amino acid modified hydroxylquinoline, can alter the expression of key mediators of bone anabolism, cyclo-oxygenase 2 (COX-2), BMP-2 and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), in diverse cell types such as mucosal and endothelial cells or chondrocytes. The present study investigates whether Rebamipide enhances proliferation and differentiation of osteoblasts when delivered from brushite cement. The reactive oxygen species (ROS) quenching ability of Rebampide was tested in macrophages as a measure of bioactivity following drug release incubation times, up to 14 days. Rebamipide release from brushite occurrs via non-fickian diffusion, with a rapid linear release of 9.70% ±0.37% of drug per day for the first 5 days, and an average of 0.5%-1% per day thereafter for 30 days. Rebamipide slows the initial and final cement setting time by up to 3 and 1 minute, respectively, but does not significantly reduce the mechanical strength below 4% (weight percentage). Pre-osteoblast proliferation increases by 24% upon exposure to 0.4uM Rebamipide, and by up to 73% when Rebamipide is delivered via brushite cement. Low doses of Rebamipide do not adversely affect peak alkaline phosphatase activity in differentiating pre-osteoblasts. Rebamipide weakly stimulates proliferation in macrophages at low concentrations (118 ±7.4% at 1uM), and quenches ROS by 40-60%. This is the first investigation of Rebamipide in osteoblasts. PMID:26023912

  16. Residues of lead, cadmium, and arsenic in livers of Mexican free-tailed bats

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

    Thies, M.; Gregory, D.

    Since 1936, the size of the summer population of Mexican free-tailed bats, Tadarida brasiliensisat Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico, declined from an estimated 8.7 million to 700,000 in 1991. This decline has been attributed primarily to human disturbance and the heavy agricultural use of organochlorine pesticides. Members of this species forage extensively over heavily agricultural areas, feeding on insects potentially contaminated with high levels of insecticides and trace metals. However, contamination from elements such as lead, cadmium, and arsenic have not been examined. The accumulation of these elements in wild vertebrates is often a primary reflection of contamination of the foodmore » supply. The presence of elemental contaminants in body tissues of bats is poorly documented. The objectives of this study were to examine and compare lead, cadmium, and arsenic contamination in livers of adult T. Brasiliensis from Carlsbad Caverns and Vickery Cave, a maternity colony in northwestern Oklahoma. Lead, cadmium, and arsenic were specifically selected because of their documented toxic and/or reproductive effects and their potential availability to this species. Large quantities of tetraethyl lead have been released into the environment and other lead compounds continue to be released by industrial manufacturing and petroleum refinement processes. Cadmium is used in a number of industrial processes such as metal plating and fabrication of alloys and is released from phosphate fertilizers and combusted coals. Teratogenicity appears to be greater for cadmium than for other elements. Arsenical compounds have been commonly used as herbicides and defoliants. These compounds have been demonstrated to cause abnormal embryonic development, degenerative tissue changes, cancer, chromosomal damage, and death in domestic animals.« less

  17. Increasing coastal slump activity impacts the release of sediment and organic carbon into the Arctic Ocean

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ramage, Justine L.; Irrgang, Anna M.; Morgenstern, Anne; Lantuit, Hugues

    2018-03-01

    Retrogressive thaw slumps (RTSs) are among the most active thermokarst landforms in the Arctic and deliver a large amount of material to the Arctic Ocean. However, their contribution to the organic carbon (OC) budget is unknown. We provide the first estimate of the contribution of RTSs to the nearshore OC budget of the Yukon Coast, Canada, and describe the evolution of coastal RTSs between 1952 and 2011 in this area. We (1) describe the evolution of RTSs between 1952 and 2011; (2) calculate the volume of eroded material and stocks of OC mobilized through slumping, including soil organic carbon (SOC) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC); and (3) estimate the OC fluxes mobilized through slumping between 1972 and 2011. We identified RTSs using high-resolution satellite imagery from 2011 and geocoded aerial photographs from 1952 and 1972. To estimate the volume of eroded material, we applied spline interpolation on an airborne lidar dataset acquired in July 2013. We inferred the stocks of mobilized SOC and DOC from existing related literature. Our results show a 73 % increase in the number of RTSs and 14 % areal expansion between 1952 and 2011. In the study area, RTSs displaced at least 16.6×106 m3 of material, 53 % of which was ice, and mobilized 145.9×106 kg of OC. Between 1972 and 2011, 49 RTSs displaced 8.6×103 m3 yr-1 of material, adding 0.6 % to the OC flux released by coastal retreat along the Yukon Coast. Our results show that the contribution of RTSs to the nearshore OC budget is non-negligible and should be included when estimating the quantity of OC released from the Arctic coast to the ocean.

  18. Early Mars serpentinization-derived CH4 reservoirs, H2 induced warming and paleopressure evolution

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lasue, J.; Chassefiere, E.; Langlais, B.; Quesnel, Y.

    2016-12-01

    CH4 has been observed on Mars both by remote sensing and in situ during the past 15 years. Early Mars serpentinization is one possible abiotic mechanism that could not only produce methane, but also explain the observed Martian remanent magnetic field. Assuming a cold early Mars, a cryosphere could trap such CH4 as clathrates in stable form at depth. We recently estimated the maximum storage capacity of such clathrate layer to be about 2x1019 to 2x1020 moles of methane. Such reservoirs may be stable or unstable, depending on many factors that are poorly constrained: major and sudden geological events such as the Tharsis bulge formation, the Hellas impact or the martian polar wander, could have destabilized the clathrates early in the history of the planet and released large quantities of gas in the atmosphere. Here we estimate the associated amounts of serpentinization-derived CH4 stored in the cryosphere that have been released to the atmosphere at the end of the Noachian and the beginning of the Hesperian. Due to rapid clathrate dissociation and photochemical conversion of CH4 to H2, these episodes of massive CH4 release may have resulted in transient H2-rich atmospheres, at typical levels of 10-20% in a background 1-2 bar CO2 atmosphere. We propose that the early Mars cryosphere had a sufficient CH4 storage capacity to have maintained H2-rich transient atmospheres during a total time period up to several Myr or tens of Myr, having potentially contributed - by collision-induced heating effect of atmospheric H2 - to the formation of valley networks during the late Noachian and early Hesperian.

  19. Are Sediments a Source of Fukushima Radiocesium for Marine Fauna in Coastal Japan?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, C.; Fisher, N. S.; Baumann, Z.

    2016-02-01

    The Fukushima nuclear power plant accident in 2011 resulted in the largest accidental release of artificial radionuclides into the world's oceans. Among the fission products released in large quantities, 137Cs has the greatest potential for long-term impacts on marine biota and human consumers of seafood. In particular, some species of bottom fish near Fukushima were very contaminated and had higher radiocesium (134Cs and 137Cs) levels than pelagic fish in the same area, sometimes exceeding Japanese safety limits >4 years after the accident. Benthic invertebrates, many being prey items for bottom fish, show the same slow decrease in radiocesium as sediments, suggesting that contaminated sediment could be a source of radiocesium for benthic fauna. We evaluated the binding of 137Cs to sediments (Kd found to be 44-60 ml g-1) and found that bioturbation by the polychaete Nereis succinea greatly increased the initial release rate of Cs to overlying seawater. We also assessed the bioavailability of dissolved and sediment-bound Cs for deposit-feeding polychaetes, and its subsequent transfer to crabs and fish, and measured the influence of water temperature on Cs accumulation in fish. Assimilation efficiency (AE) of ingested 137Cs ranged from 16% in polychaetes ingesting sediments to 79% in fish ingesting worms. Efflux rate constants ranged from 5% d-1 for killifish to 40% d-1 for polychaetes. Animal absorption and retention of dissolved 137Cs were also measured. These parameters are used to model radiocesium bioaccumulation and trophic transfer in benthic food chains. Our results are consistent with the idea that sediments can be an important source of Cs for benthic food chains and help explain why some species of bottom fish remained more contaminated than pelagic fish in Japanese coastal waters.

  20. Corrosion-induced release of the main alloying constituents of manganese-chromium stainless steels in different media.

    PubMed

    Herting, Gunilla; Wallinder, Inger Odnevall; Leygraf, Christofer

    2008-09-01

    The main focus of this paper is the assessment of release rates of chromium, nickel, iron and manganese from manganese-chromium stainless steel grades of low nickel content. The manganese content varied between 9.7 and 1.5 wt% and the corresponding nickel content between 1 and 5 wt%. All grades were exposed to artificial rain and two were immersed in a synthetic body fluid of similar pH but of different composition and exposure conditions. Surface compositional studies were performed using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) in parallel to correlate the metal release process with changes in surface oxide properties. All grades, independent of media, revealed a time-dependent metal release process with a preferential low release of iron and manganese compared to nickel and chromium while the chromium content of the surface oxide increased slightly. Manganese was detected in the surface oxide of all grades, except the grade of the lowest manganese bulk content. No nickel was observed in the outermost surface oxide. Stainless steel grades of the lowest chromium content (approximately 16 wt%) and highest manganese content (approximately 7-9 wt%), released the highest quantity of alloy constituents in total, and vice versa. No correlation was observed between the release rate of manganese and the alloy composition. Released main alloy constituents were neither proportional to the bulk alloy composition nor to the surface oxide composition.

  1. Co-delivery of cisplatin and doxorubicin from calcium phosphate beads/matrix scaffolds for osteosarcoma therapy.

    PubMed

    Hess, Ulrike; Shahabi, Shakiba; Treccani, Laura; Streckbein, Philipp; Heiss, Christian; Rezwan, Kurosch

    2017-08-01

    Bone substitute materials with a controlled drug release ability can fill cavities caused by the resection of bone tumours and thereby combat any leftover bone cancer cells. The combined release of different cytostatics seems to enhance their toxicity. In this study, calcium phosphate beads and matrix scaffolds are combined for a long-term co-delivery of cis-diamminedichloroplatinum (cisplatin, CDDP) and doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX) as clinical relevant model drugs. Tricalcium phosphate/alginate beads as additional drug carrier are produced by droplet extrusion with ionotropic gelation and incorporated in scaffold matrix by freeze gelation without sintering. CDDP shows a short burst release while DOX has a continuous release measurable over the entire study period of 40days. Drug release from matrix is decreased by ~30% compared to release from beads. Nevertheless, all formulations follow the Korsmeyer-Peppas release kinetic model and show Fickian diffusion. Cytotoxic activity was conducted on MG-63 osteosarcoma cells after 1, 4, and 7days with WST-1 cell viability assay. Co-loaded composites enhance activity towards MG-63 cells up to ~75% toxicity while reducing the released drug quantity. The results suggest that co-loaded beads/matrix scaffolds are highly promising for osteosarcoma therapy due to synergistic effects over a long period of more than a month. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. Comparative release studies on suppositories using the basket, paddle, dialysis tubing and flow-through cell methods I. Acetaminophen in a lipophilic base suppository.

    PubMed

    Hori, Seiichi; Kawada, Tsubasa; Kogure, Sanae; Yabu, Shinako; Mori, Kenji; Akimoto, Masayuki

    2017-02-01

    The release characteristics of lipophilic suppositories containing acetaminophen (AAP) were examined using four types of dissolution methods: the basket, paddle, dialysis tubing (DT) and flow-through cell (FTC) methods. The suitability of each apparatus for quality control in AAP compounded suppositories was evaluated using statistical procedures. More than 80% of the drug was released over 60 min in all the release methods studied, with the exception of the basket method. Reproducible and faster release was achieved using the paddle method at 100 and 200 rpm, whereas poor release occurred with the basket method. The mean dissolution time (MDT), maximum dissolved quantity of AAP at the end of the sampling time (Q) and dissolution efficiency (DE) were calculated by model-independent methods. The FTC method with a single chamber used in this study was also appreciable for AAP suppositories (Q of 100%, MDT of 71-91 min and DE of 75-80%). The DT apparatus is considered similar to the FTC apparatus from a quality control perspective for judging the release properties of lipophilic base suppositories containing AAP. However, even the single chamber FTC used in this study has potential as an in vitro drug release test for suppositories. The comparative dissolution method is expected to become one of the valuable tools for selecting an adequate dissolution test.

  3. Release of engineered nanomaterials from personal care products throughout their life cycle

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Keller, Arturo A.; Vosti, William; Wang, Hongtao; Lazareva, Anastasiya

    2014-07-01

    The impetus for this study was to provide release estimates that can serve to improve predictions of engineered nanomaterial (ENM) exposure for risk assessment. We determined the likely release of ENMs from personal care products (PCPs) through a consumer survey on use and disposal habits, and research on the types and quantities of ENMs in PCPs. Our estimates show that in the US zinc oxide (ZnO), with 1,800-2,100 mt yr-1, and titanium dioxide (TiO2), with 870-1,000 mt yr-1, represent 94 % of ENMs released into the environment or landfills from the use of PCPs. Around 36-43 % of ENMs from PCPs were estimated to end up in landfills, 24-36 % released to soils, 0.7-0.8 % to air, and 28-32 % to water bodies. ENMs in sunscreen represent around 81-82 % of total release, from ZnO and TiO2 as UV blockers, followed by facial moisturizer (7.5 %), foundation (5.7 %), and hair coloring products (3.1 %). Daily care products such as body wash, shampoo, and conditioner had by far the highest per capita and total use, but contributed little to the ENM release estimates as these products generally contain little or no ENMs. However, if ENMs are incorporated into these daily care products, this may substantially increase ENM release.

  4. Optimizing basin-scale coupled water quantity and water quality man-agement with stochastic dynamic programming

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Davidsen, Claus; Liu, Suxia; Mo, Xingguo; Engelund Holm, Peter; Trapp, Stefan; Rosbjerg, Dan; Bauer-Gottwein, Peter

    2015-04-01

    Few studies address water quality in hydro-economic models, which often focus primarily on optimal allocation of water quantities. Water quality and water quantity are closely coupled, and optimal management with focus solely on either quantity or quality may cause large costs in terms of the oth-er component. In this study, we couple water quality and water quantity in a joint hydro-economic catchment-scale optimization problem. Stochastic dynamic programming (SDP) is used to minimize the basin-wide total costs arising from water allocation, water curtailment and water treatment. The simple water quality module can handle conservative pollutants, first order depletion and non-linear reactions. For demonstration purposes, we model pollutant releases as biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and use the Streeter-Phelps equation for oxygen deficit to compute the resulting min-imum dissolved oxygen concentrations. Inelastic water demands, fixed water allocation curtailment costs and fixed wastewater treatment costs (before and after use) are estimated for the water users (agriculture, industry and domestic). If the BOD concentration exceeds a given user pollution thresh-old, the user will need to pay for pre-treatment of the water before use. Similarly, treatment of the return flow can reduce the BOD load to the river. A traditional SDP approach is used to solve one-step-ahead sub-problems for all combinations of discrete reservoir storage, Markov Chain inflow clas-ses and monthly time steps. Pollution concentration nodes are introduced for each user group and untreated return flow from the users contribute to increased BOD concentrations in the river. The pollutant concentrations in each node depend on multiple decision variables (allocation and wastewater treatment) rendering the objective function non-linear. Therefore, the pollution concen-tration decisions are outsourced to a genetic algorithm, which calls a linear program to determine the remainder of the decision variables. This hybrid formulation keeps the optimization problem computationally feasible and represents a flexible and customizable method. The method has been applied to the Ziya River basin, an economic hotspot located on the North China Plain in Northern China. The basin is subject to severe water scarcity, and the rivers are heavily polluted with wastewater and nutrients from diffuse sources. The coupled hydro-economic optimiza-tion model can be used to assess costs of meeting additional constraints such as minimum water qual-ity or to economically prioritize investments in waste water treatment facilities based on economic criteria.

  5. Effect of indirect non-thermal plasma on particle size distribution and composition of diesel engine particles

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Linbo, GU; Yixi, CAI; Yunxi, SHI; Jing, WANG; Xiaoyu, PU; Jing, TIAN; Runlin, FAN

    2017-11-01

    To explore the effect of the gas source flow rate on the actual diesel exhaust particulate matter (PM), a test bench for diesel engine exhaust purification was constructed, using indirect non-thermal plasma technology. The effects of different gas source flow rates on the quantity concentration, composition, and apparent activation energy of PM were investigated, using an engine exhaust particle sizer and a thermo-gravimetric analyzer. The results show that when the gas source flow rate was large, not only the maximum peak quantity concentrations of particles had a large drop, but also the peak quantity concentrations shifted to smaller particle sizes from 100 nm to 80 nm. When the gas source flow rate was 10 L min-1, the total quantity concentration greatly decreased where the removal rate of particles was 79.2%, and the variation of the different mode particle proportion was obvious. Non-thermal plasma (NTP) improved the oxidation ability of volatile matter as well as that of solid carbon. However, the NTP gas source rate had little effects on oxidation activity of volatile matter, while it strongly influenced the oxidation activity of solid carbon. Considering the quantity concentration and oxidation activity of particles, a gas source flow rate of 10 L min-1 was more appropriate for the purification of particles.

  6. Reexamination of the calculation of two-center, two-electron integrals over Slater-type orbitals. II. Neumann expansion of the exchange integrals

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lesiuk, Michał; Moszynski, Robert

    2014-12-01

    In this paper we consider the calculation of two-center exchange integrals over Slater-type orbitals (STOs). We apply the Neumann expansion of the Coulomb interaction potential and consider calculation of all basic quantities which appear in the resulting expression. Analytical closed-form equations for all auxiliary quantities have already been known but they suffer from large digital erosion when some of the parameters are large or small. We derive two differential equations which are obeyed by the most difficult basic integrals. Taking them as a starting point, useful series expansions for small parameter values or asymptotic expansions for large parameter values are systematically derived. The resulting expansions replace the corresponding analytical expressions when the latter introduce significant cancellations. Additionally, we reconsider numerical integration of some necessary quantities and present a new way to calculate the integrand with a controlled precision. All proposed methods are combined to lead to a general, stable algorithm. We perform extensive numerical tests of the introduced expressions to verify their validity and usefulness. Advances reported here provide methodology to compute two-electron exchange integrals over STOs for a broad range of the nonlinear parameters and large angular momenta.

  7. Testing of transition-region models: Test cases and data

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Singer, Bart A.; Dinavahi, Surya; Iyer, Venkit

    1991-01-01

    Mean flow quantities in the laminar turbulent transition region and in the fully turbulent region are predicted with different models incorporated into a 3-D boundary layer code. The predicted quantities are compared with experimental data for a large number of different flows and the suitability of the models for each flow is evaluated.

  8. The influence of soil type and altered lignin biosynthesis on the physiology, growth and carbon allocation in Populus tremuloides

    Treesearch

    Jessica E. Hancock; Kate L. Bradley; Christian P. Giardina; Kurt S. Pregitzer

    2008-01-01

    Plants influence soil carbon (C) formation through the quality and quantity of C released to soil. Soil type, in turn can modify a plant's influence on soil through effects on plant production, tissue quality and regulation of soil C decomposition and stabilization. Wild-type aspen and three transgenic aspen lines expressing reduced stem lignin concentrations and/...

  9. Preparative purification of a high-mannose type N-glycan from soy bean agglutinin by hydrazinolysis and tyrosinamide derivatization.

    PubMed

    Evers, D L; Hung, R L; Thomas, V H; Rice, K G

    1998-12-15

    The N-linked oligosaccharide from soy bean agglutinin (Man9) was isolated on a preparative scale following derivatization with Boc-tyrosine. The procedure utilized preparative hydrazinolysis to release the oligosaccharide and yielded multi-micromol quantities of Boc-tyrosine-Man9 which was characterized by 1H NMR and ES-MS. Copyright 1998 Academic Press.

  10. Are we expecting too much from print media? An analysis of newspaper coverage of the 2002 Canadian healthcare reform debate.

    PubMed

    Collins, Patricia A; Abelson, Julia; Pyman, Heather; Lavis, John N

    2006-07-01

    News media effects on their audiences are complex. Four commonly cited effects are: informing audiences; agenda-setting; framing; and persuading. The release in autumn 2002 of two reports on options for reforming Canada's healthcare system attracted widespread media attention. We explored the potential for each of the four media effects by examining Canadian newspaper representation of this healthcare policy debate. Clippings were gathered from regional and national newspapers. Two data collection methodologies were employed: the first involved two staggered "constructed weeks" designed to capture thematic news framing styles; the second collected "intensive" or episodic coverage immediately following the report releases. Health reform articles with a financing and/or delivery focus were included. Using a codebook, articles were coded to track article characteristics, tone, healthcare sector and reform themes, and key actors. A greater quantity of episodic (n=341 clippings) versus thematic coverage (n=77) was documented. Coverage type did not vary significantly by newspaper, reporting source (e.g., staff reporter versus staff editorialist) or article type (e.g., news versus letter). Thematic articles were significantly shorter in length compared to episodic clippings. Episodic coverage tended to have a positive tone, while thematic coverage ranged in tone. Most coverage was general in scope. Sector-specific coverage favoured physician and hospital care--the two providers accorded privileged financing arrangements under Canada's universal, provincially administered health-insurance plans. Coverage of healthcare financing arrangements favoured broad discussions of publicly financed healthcare, federal-provincial governmental relations, and the Canada Health Act that governs provincial plans. Governmental actors and the political institutions that they represent were the dominant actors. Professional associations were also visible, but played a less dominant role. Given its non-specific scope, it is unclear how informative this coverage was. The large quantity and short duration of the episodic coverage, and the preponderance of governmental actors, suggests these newspapers acted as conduits for the policy agenda. Differences in framing styles were observed by coverage type, newspaper, reporting source, article length and type of article. Finally, the dominance of governmental actors provided these actors with numerous opportunities to persuade the public.

  11. Climate change and peak demand for electricity: Evaluating policies for reducing peak demand under different climate change scenarios

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Anthony, Abigail Walker

    This research focuses on the relative advantages and disadvantages of using price-based and quantity-based controls for electricity markets. It also presents a detailed analysis of one specific approach to quantity based controls: the SmartAC program implemented in Stockton, California. Finally, the research forecasts electricity demand under various climate scenarios, and estimates potential cost savings that could result from a direct quantity control program over the next 50 years in each scenario. The traditional approach to dealing with the problem of peak demand for electricity is to invest in a large stock of excess capital that is rarely used, thereby greatly increasing production costs. Because this approach has proved so expensive, there has been a focus on identifying alternative approaches for dealing with peak demand problems. This research focuses on two approaches: price based approaches, such as real time pricing, and quantity based approaches, whereby the utility directly controls at least some elements of electricity used by consumers. This research suggests that well-designed policies for reducing peak demand might include both price and quantity controls. In theory, sufficiently high peak prices occurring during periods of peak demand and/or low supply can cause the quantity of electricity demanded to decline until demand is in balance with system capacity, potentially reducing the total amount of generation capacity needed to meet demand and helping meet electricity demand at the lowest cost. However, consumers need to be well informed about real-time prices for the pricing strategy to work as well as theory suggests. While this might be an appropriate assumption for large industrial and commercial users who have potentially large economic incentives, there is not yet enough research on whether households will fully understand and respond to real-time prices. Thus, while real-time pricing can be an effective tool for addressing the peak load problems, pricing approaches are not well suited to ensure system reliability. This research shows that direct quantity controls are better suited for avoiding catastrophic failure that results when demand exceeds supply capacity.

  12. Causality between expansion of seismic cloud and maximum magnitude of induced seismicity in geothermal field

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mukuhira, Yusuke; Asanuma, Hiroshi; Ito, Takatoshi; Häring, Markus

    2016-04-01

    Occurrence of induced seismicity with large magnitude is critical environmental issues associated with fluid injection for shale gas/oil extraction, waste water disposal, carbon capture and storage, and engineered geothermal systems (EGS). Studies for prediction of the hazardous seismicity and risk assessment of induced seismicity has been activated recently. Many of these studies are based on the seismological statistics and these models use the information of the occurrence time and event magnitude. We have originally developed physics based model named "possible seismic moment model" to evaluate seismic activity and assess seismic moment which can be ready to release. This model is totally based on microseismic information of occurrence time, hypocenter location and magnitude (seismic moment). This model assumes existence of representative parameter having physical meaning that release-able seismic moment per rock volume (seismic moment density) at given field. Seismic moment density is to be estimated from microseismic distribution and their seismic moment. In addition to this, stimulated rock volume is also inferred by progress of microseismic cloud at given time and this quantity can be interpreted as the rock volume which can release seismic energy due to weakening effect of normal stress by injected fluid. Product of these two parameters (equation (1)) provide possible seismic moment which can be released from current stimulated zone as a model output. Difference between output of this model and observed cumulative seismic moment corresponds the seismic moment which will be released in future, based on current stimulation conditions. This value can be translated into possible maximum magnitude of induced seismicity in future. As this way, possible seismic moment can be used to have feedback to hydraulic stimulation operation in real time as an index which can be interpreted easily and intuitively. Possible seismic moment is defined as equation (1), where D is seismic moment density (Mo/m3) and V stim is stimulated rock volume (m3). Mopossible = D ∗ V stim(1) We applied this conceptual model to real microseismic data set from Basel EGS project where several induced seismicity with large magnitude occurred and brought constructive damage. Using the hypocenter location determined by the researcher of Tohoku Univ., Japan and moment magnitude estimated from Geothermal Explorers Ltd., operating company, we were able to estimate reasonable seismic moment density meaning that one representative parameter exists and can characterize seismic activity at Basel at each time step. With stimulated rock volume which was also inferred from microseismic information, we estimated possible seismic moment and assess the difference with observed value. Possible seismic moment significantly increased after shut-in when the seismic cloud (stimulated zone) mostly progressed, resulting that the difference with the observed cumulative seismic moment automatically became larger. This suggests that there is moderate seismic moment which will be released in near future. In next few hours, the largest event actually occurred. Therefore, our proposed model was successfully able to forecast occurrence of the large events. Furthermore, best forecast of maximum magnitude was Mw 3 level and the largest event was Mw 3.41, showing reasonable performance in terms of quantitative forecast in magnitude. Our attempt to assess the seismic activity from microseismic information was successful and it also suggested magnitude release can be correlate with the expansion of seismic cloud as the definition of possible seismic moment model indicates. This relationship has been observed in microseismic observational study and several previous study also suggested their correlation with stress released rock volume. Our model showed harmonic results with these studies and provide practical method having clear physical meaning to assess the seismic activity in real time, based on microseismic data.

  13. Magnitude and intensity: Measures of earthquake size and severity

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Spall, Henry

    1982-01-01

    Earthquakes can be measured in terms of either the amount of energy they release (magnitude) or the degree of ground shaking they cause at a particular locality (intensity).  Although magnitude and intensity are basically different measures of an earthquake, they are frequently confused by the public and new reports of earthquakes.  Part of the confusion probably arises from the general similarity of scales used express these quantities.  The various magnitude scales represent logarithmic expressions of the energy released by an earthquake.  Magnitude is calculated from the record made by an earthquake on a calibrated seismograph.  There are no upper or lower limits to magnitude, although no measured earthquakes have exceeded magnitude 8.9.

  14. 76 FR 21299 - Emergency Planning and Notification; Emergency Planning and List of Extremely Hazardous...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-04-15

    ...EPA is proposing to revise the manner by which the regulated community would apply the threshold planning quantities (TPQs) for those extremely hazardous substances (EHSs) that are non-reactive solid chemicals in solution form. Specifically, facilities with a solid EHS in solution would be subject to the Emergency Planning requirements if the amount of the solid chemical on-site, when multiplied by 0.2, equaled or exceeded the lower published TPQ, based on data that shows less potential for the solid chemical in solution to remain airborne in the event of an accidental release. Previously, EPA assumed that 100% of the chemical could become airborne in the event of an accidental release.

  15. Application of sensitivity-analysis techniques to the calculation of topological quantities

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gilchrist, Stuart

    2017-08-01

    Magnetic reconnection in the corona occurs preferentially at sites where the magnetic connectivity is either discontinuous or has a large spatial gradient. Hence there is a general interest in computing quantities (like the squashing factor) that characterize the gradient in the field-line mapping function. Here we present an algorithm for calculating certain (quasi)topological quantities using mathematical techniques from the field of ``sensitivity-analysis''. The method is based on the calculation of a three dimensional field-line mapping Jacobian from which all the present topological quantities of interest can be derived. We will present the algorithm and the details of a publicly available set of libraries that implement the algorithm.

  16. Constraining the Maximum Mass of Neutron Stars from Multi-messenger Observations of GW170817

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Margalit, Ben; Metzger, Brian D.

    2017-12-01

    We combine electromagnetic (EM) and gravitational-wave (GW) information on the binary neutron star (NS) merger GW170817 in order to constrain the radii {R}{ns} and maximum mass {M}\\max of NSs. GW170817 was followed by a range of EM counterparts, including a weak gamma-ray burst (GRB), kilonova (KN) emission from the radioactive decay of the merger ejecta, and X-ray/radio emission consistent with being the synchrotron afterglow of a more powerful off-axis jet. The type of compact remnant produced in the immediate merger aftermath, and its predicted EM signal, depend sensitively on the high-density NS equation of state (EOS). For a soft EOS that supports a low {M}\\max , the merger undergoes a prompt collapse accompanied by a small quantity of shock-heated or disk-wind ejecta, inconsistent with the large quantity ≳ {10}-2 {M}⊙ of lanthanide-free ejecta inferred from the KN. On the other hand, if {M}\\max is sufficiently large, then the merger product is a rapidly rotating supramassive NS (SMNS), which must spin down before collapsing into a black hole. A fraction of the enormous rotational energy necessarily released by the SMNS during this process is transferred to the ejecta, either into the GRB jet (energy {E}{GRB}) or the KN ejecta (energy {E}{ej}), also inconsistent with observations. By combining the total binary mass of GW170817 inferred from the GW signal with conservative upper limits on {E}{GRB} and {E}{ej} from EM observations, we constrain the likelihood probability of a wide range of previously allowed EOSs. These two constraints delineate an allowed region of the {M}\\max {--}{R}{ns} parameter space, which, once marginalized over NS radius, places an upper limit of {M}\\max ≲ 2.17 {M}⊙ (90%), which is tighter or arguably less model-dependent than other current constraints.

  17. Investigation of storage-phosphor autoradiography for the rapid quantitative screening of air filters for emergency response purposes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gallardo, Athena Marie

    Past nuclear accidents, such as Chernobyl, resulted in a large release of radionuclides into the atmosphere. Radiological assessment of the vicinity of the site of the incident is vital to assess the exposure levels and dose received by the population and workers. Therefore, it is critical to thoroughly understand the situation and risks associated with a particular event in a timely manner in order to properly manage the event. Current atmospheric radiological assessments of alpha emitting radioisotopes include acquiring large quantities of air samples, chemical separation of radionuclides, sample mounting, counting through alpha spectrometry, and analysis of the data. The existing methodology is effective, but time consuming and labor intensive. Autoradiography, and the properties of phosphor imaging films, may be used as an additional technique to facilitate and expedite the alpha analysis process in these types of situations. Although autoradiography is not as sensitive to alpha radiation as alpha spectrometry, autoradiography may benefit alpha analysis by providing information about the activity as well as the spatial distribution of radioactivity in the sample under investigation. The objective for this research was to develop an efficient method for quantification and visualization of air filter samples taken in the aftermath of a nuclear emergency through autoradiography using 241Am and 239Pu tracers. Samples containing varying activities of either 241Am or 239Pu tracers were produced through microprecipitation and assayed by alpha spectroscopy. The samples were subsequently imaged and an activity calibration curve was produced by comparing the digital light units recorded from the image to the known activity of the source. The usefulness of different phosphor screens was examined by exposing each type of film to the same standard nuclide for varying quantities of time. Unknown activity samples created through microprecipiation containing activities of either 241Am or 239Pu as well as air filters doped with beta and alpha emitting nuclides were imaged and activities were determined by comparing the image to the activity calibration curve.

  18. Cytoprotection by Endogenous Zinc in the Vertebrate Retina

    PubMed Central

    Anastassov, Ivan; Ripps, Harris; Chappell, Richard L.

    2014-01-01

    Our recent studies have shown that endogenous zinc, co-released with glutamate from the synaptic terminals of vertebrate retinal photoreceptors, provides a feedback mechanism that reduces calcium entry and the concomitant vesicular release of glutamate. We hypothesized that zinc feedback may serve to protect the retina from glutamate excitotoxicity, and conducted in vivo experiments on the retina of the skate (Raja erinacea) to determine the effects of removing endogenous zinc by chelation. These studies showed that removal of zinc by injecting the zinc chelator histidine results in inner retinal damage similar to that induced by the glutamate receptor agonist kainic acid. In contrast, when an equimolar quantity of zinc followed the injection of histidine, the retinal cells were unaffected. Our results are a good indication that zinc, co-released with glutamate by photoreceptors, provides an auto-feedback system that plays an important cytoprotective role in the retina. PMID:24286124

  19. Behavior of helium gas atoms and bubbles in low activation 9Cr martensitic steels

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hasegawa, Akira; Shiraishi, Haruki; Matsui, Hideki; Abe, Katsunori

    1994-09-01

    The behavior of helium-gas release from helium-implanted 9Cr martensitic steels (500 appm implanted at 873 K) during tensile testing at 873 K was studied. Modified 9Cr-1Mo, low-activation 9Cr-2W and 9Cr-0.5V were investigated. Cold-worked AISI 316 austenitic stainless steel was also investigated as a reference which was susceptible helium embrittlement at high temperature. A helium release peak was observed at the moment of rupture in all the specimens. The total quantity of helium released from these 9Cr steels was in the same range but smaller than that of 316CW steel. Helium gas in the 9Cr steels should be considered to remain in the matrix at their lath-packets even if deformed at 873 K. This is the reason why the martensitic steels have high resistance to helium embrittlement.

  20. Development of an ANN optimized mucoadhesive buccal tablet containing flurbiprofen and lidocaine for dental pain.

    PubMed

    Hussain, Amjad; Syed, Muhammad Ali; Abbas, Nasir; Hanif, Sana; Arshad, Muhammad Sohail; Bukhari, Nadeem Irfan; Hussain, Khalid; Akhlaq, Muhammad; Ahmad, Zeeshan

    2016-06-01

    A novel mucoadhesive buccal tablet containing flurbiprofen (FLB) and lidocaine HCl (LID) was prepared to relieve dental pain. Tablet formulations (F1-F9) were prepared using variable quantities of mucoadhesive agents, hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose (HPMC) and sodium alginate (SA). The formulations were evaluated for their physicochemical properties, mucoadhesive strength and mucoadhesion time, swellability index and in vitro release of active agents. Release of both drugs depended on the relative ratio of HPMC:SA. However, mucoadhesive strength and mucoadhesion time were better in formulations, containing higher proportions of HPMC compared to SA. An artificial neural network (ANN) approach was applied to optimise formulations based on known effective parameters (i.e., mucoadhesive strength, mucoadhesion time and drug release), which proved valuable. This study indicates that an effective buccal tablet formulation of flurbiprofen and lidocaine can be prepared via an optimized ANN approach.

  1. Evaluation of a Class of Simple and Effective Uncertainty Methods for Sparse Samples of Random Variables and Functions

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

    Romero, Vicente; Bonney, Matthew; Schroeder, Benjamin

    When very few samples of a random quantity are available from a source distribution of unknown shape, it is usually not possible to accurately infer the exact distribution from which the data samples come. Under-estimation of important quantities such as response variance and failure probabilities can result. For many engineering purposes, including design and risk analysis, we attempt to avoid under-estimation with a strategy to conservatively estimate (bound) these types of quantities -- without being overly conservative -- when only a few samples of a random quantity are available from model predictions or replicate experiments. This report examines a classmore » of related sparse-data uncertainty representation and inference approaches that are relatively simple, inexpensive, and effective. Tradeoffs between the methods' conservatism, reliability, and risk versus number of data samples (cost) are quantified with multi-attribute metrics use d to assess method performance for conservative estimation of two representative quantities: central 95% of response; and 10 -4 probability of exceeding a response threshold in a tail of the distribution. Each method's performance is characterized with 10,000 random trials on a large number of diverse and challenging distributions. The best method and number of samples to use in a given circumstance depends on the uncertainty quantity to be estimated, the PDF character, and the desired reliability of bounding the true value. On the basis of this large data base and study, a strategy is proposed for selecting the method and number of samples for attaining reasonable credibility levels in bounding these types of quantities when sparse samples of random variables or functions are available from experiments or simulations.« less

  2. How tobacco companies have used package quantity for consumer targeting.

    PubMed

    Persoskie, Alexander; Donaldson, Elisabeth A; Ryant, Chase

    2018-05-31

    Package quantity refers to the number of cigarettes or amount of other tobacco product in a package. Many countries restrict minimum cigarette package quantities to avoid low-cost packs that may lower barriers to youth smoking. We reviewed Truth Tobacco Industry Documents to understand tobacco companies' rationales for introducing new package quantities, including companies' expectations and research regarding how package quantity may influence consumer behaviour. A snowball sampling method (phase 1), a static search string (phase 2) and a follow-up snowball search (phase 3) identified 216 documents, mostly from the 1980s and 1990s, concerning cigarettes (200), roll-your-own tobacco (9), smokeless tobacco (6) and 'smokeless cigarettes' (1). Companies introduced small and large packages to motivate brand-switching and continued use among current users when faced with low market share or threats such as tax-induced price increases or competitors' use of price promotions. Companies developed and evaluated package quantities for specific brands and consumer segments. Large packages offered value-for-money and matched long-term, heavy users' consumption rates. Small packages were cheaper, matched consumption rates of newer and lighter users, and increased products' novelty, ease of carrying and perceived freshness. Some users also preferred small packages as a way to try to limit consumption or quit. Industry documents speculated about many potential effects of package quantity on appeal and use, depending on brand and consumer segment. The search was non-exhaustive, and we could not assess the quality of much of the research or other information on which the documents relied. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

  3. Property of Fluctuations of Sales Quantities by Product Category in Convenience Stores.

    PubMed

    Fukunaga, Gaku; Takayasu, Hideki; Takayasu, Misako

    2016-01-01

    The ability to ascertain the extent of product sale fluctuations for each store and locality is indispensable to inventory management. This study analyzed POS data from 158 convenience stores in Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan and found a power scaling law between the mean and standard deviation of product sales quantities for several product categories. For the statistical domains of low sales quantities, the power index was 1/2; for large sales quantities, the power index was 1, so called Taylor's law holds. The value of sales quantities with changing power indixes differed according to product category. We derived a Poissonian compound distribution model taking into account fluctuations in customer numbers to show that the scaling law could be explained theoretically for most of items. We also examined why the scaling law did not hold in some exceptional cases.

  4. Jeffamine derivatized TentaGel beads and poly(dimethylsiloxane) microbead cassettes for ultrahigh-throughput in situ releasable solution-phase cell-based screening of one-bead-one-compound combinatorial small molecule libraries.

    PubMed

    Townsend, Jared B; Shaheen, Farzana; Liu, Ruiwu; Lam, Kit S

    2010-09-13

    A method to efficiently immobilize and partition large quantities of microbeads in an array format in microfabricated poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) cassette for ultrahigh-throughput in situ releasable solution-phase cell-based screening of one-bead-one-compound (OBOC) combinatorial libraries is described. Commercially available Jeffamine triamine T-403 (∼440 Da) was derivatized such that two of its amino groups were protected by Fmoc and the remaining amino group capped with succinic anhydride to generate a carboxyl group. This resulting trifunctional hydrophilic polymer was then sequentially coupled two times to the outer layer of topologically segregated bilayer TentaGel (TG) beads with solid phase peptide synthesis chemistry resulting in beads with increased loading capacity, hydrophilicity, and porosity at the outer layer. We have found that such bead configuration can facilitate ultrahigh-throughput in situ releasable solution-phase screening of OBOC libraries. An encoded releasable OBOC small molecule library was constructed on Jeffamine derivatized TG beads with library compounds tethered to the outer layer via a disulfide linker and coding tags in the interior of the beads. Compound-beads could be efficiently loaded (5-10 min) into a 5 cm diameter Petri dish containing a 10,000-well PDMS microbead cassette, such that over 90% of the microwells were each filled with only one compound-bead. Jurkat T-lymphoid cancer cells suspended in Matrigel were then layered over the microbead cassette to immobilize the compound-beads. After 24 h of incubation at 37 °C, dithiothreitol was added to trigger the release of library compounds. Forty-eight hours later, MTT reporter assay was used to identify regions of reduced cell viability surrounding each positive bead. From a total of about 20,000 beads screened, 3 positive beads were detected and physically isolated for decoding. A strong consensus motif was identified for these three positive compounds. These compounds were resynthesized and found to be cytotoxic (IC(50) 50-150 μM) against two T-lymphoma cell lines and less so against the MDA-MB 231 breast cancer cell line. This novel ultrahigh-throughput OBOC releasable method can potentially be adapted to many existing 96- or 384-well solution-phase cell-based or biochemical assays.

  5. Jeffamine Derivatized TentaGel Beads and PDMS Microbead Cassettes for Ultra-high Throughput in situ Releasable Solution-Phase Cell-based Screening of OBOC Combinatorial Small Molecule Libraries

    PubMed Central

    Townsend, Jared B.; Shaheen, Farzana; Liu, Ruiwu; Lam, Kit S.

    2011-01-01

    A method to efficiently immobilize and partition large quantities of microbeads in an array format in microfabricated polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) cassette for high-throughput in situ releasable solution-phase cell-based screening of one-bead-one-compound (OBOC) combinatorial libraries is described. Commercially available Jeffamine triamine T-403 (∼440 Da) was derivatized such that two of its amino groups were protected by Fmoc and the remaining amino group capped with succinic anhydride to generate a carboxyl group. This resulting tri-functional hydrophilic polymer was then sequentially coupled two times to the outer layer of topologically segregated bilayer TentaGel (TG) beads with solid phase peptide synthesis chemistry, resulting in beads with increased loading capacity, hydrophilicity and porosity at the outer layer. We have found that such bead configuration can facilitate ultra high-throughput in situ releasable solution-phase screening of OBOC libraries. An encoded releasable OBOC small molecule library was constructed on Jeffamine derivatized TG beads with library compounds tethered to the outer layer via a disulfide linker and coding tags in the interior of the beads. Compound-beads could be efficiently loaded (5-10 minutes) into a 5 cm diameter Petri dish containing a 10,000-well PDMS microbead cassette, such that over 90% of the microwells were each filled with only one compound-bead. Jurkat T-lymphoid cancer cells suspended in Matrigel® were then layered over the microbead cassette to immobilize the compound-beads. After 24 hours of incubation at 37°C, dithiothreitol was added to trigger the release of library compounds. Forty-eight hours later, MTT reporter assay was used to identify regions of reduced cell viability surrounding each positive bead. From a total of about 20,000 beads screened, 3 positive beads were detected and physically isolated for decoding. A strong consensus motif was identified for these three positive compounds. These compounds were re-synthesized and found to be cytotoxic (IC50 50-150 μM) against two T-lymphoma cell lines and less so against the MDA-MB 231 breast cancer cell line. This novel ultra high-throughput OBOC releasable method can potentially be adapted to many existing 96- or 384-well solution-phase cell-based or biochemical assays. PMID:20593859

  6. Role of Candida species from HIV infected children in enamel caries lesions: an in vitro study.

    PubMed

    Charone, Senda; Portela, Maristela Barbosa; Martins, Karol de Oliveira; Soares, Rosangela Maria; Castro, Gloria Fernanda

    2017-01-01

    This study analyzed the capacity of Candida spp. from dental biofilm of HIV infected (HIV+) children to demineralize primary molar enamel in vitro by Transversal Microhardness (TMH), Polarized Light Microscopy (PLM) and the quantity of calcium ions (Ca2+) released from the enamel. Candida spp. samples were isolated from the supragingival biofilm of HIV+ children. A hundred and forty (140) enamel blocks were randomly assigned to six groups: biofilm formed by C. albicans (Group 1); mixed biofilm formed by C. albicans and C. tropicalis (Group 2); mixed biofilm formed by C. albicans and C. parapsilosis (Group 3); mixed biofilm formed by C. albicans, C. parapsilosis and C. glabrata (Group 4); biofilm formed by C. albicans ATCC (Group 5) and medium without Candida (Group 6). Enamel blocks from each group were removed on days 3, 5, 8 and 15 after biofilm formation to evaluate the TMH and images of enamel were analyzed by PLM. The quantity of Ca2+ released, from Groups 1 and 6, was determined using an Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. The SPSS program was used for statistical analysis and the significance level was 5%. TMH showed a gradual reduction in enamel hardness (p<0.05) from the 1st to 15th day, but mainly five days after biofilm formation in all groups. The PLM showed superficial lesions indicating an increase in porosity. C. albicans caused the release of Ca2+ into suspension during biofilm formation. Candida species from dental biofilm of HIV+ children can cause demineralization of primary enamel in vitro.

  7. Role of Candida species from HIV infected children in enamel caries lesions: an in vitro study

    PubMed Central

    CHARONE, Senda; PORTELA, Maristela Barbosa; MARTINS, Karol de Oliveira; SOARES, Rosangela Maria; CASTRO, Gloria Fernanda

    2017-01-01

    Abstract Objectives This study analyzed the capacity of Candida spp. from dental biofilm of HIV infected (HIV+) children to demineralize primary molar enamel in vitro by Transversal Microhardness (TMH), Polarized Light Microscopy (PLM) and the quantity of calcium ions (Ca2+) released from the enamel. Material and Methods Candida spp. samples were isolated from the supragingival biofilm of HIV+ children. A hundred and forty (140) enamel blocks were randomly assigned to six groups: biofilm formed by C. albicans (Group 1); mixed biofilm formed by C. albicans and C. tropicalis (Group 2); mixed biofilm formed by C. albicans and C. parapsilosis (Group 3); mixed biofilm formed by C. albicans, C. parapsilosis and C. glabrata (Group 4); biofilm formed by C. albicans ATCC (Group 5) and medium without Candida (Group 6). Enamel blocks from each group were removed on days 3, 5, 8 and 15 after biofilm formation to evaluate the TMH and images of enamel were analyzed by PLM. The quantity of Ca2+ released, from Groups 1 and 6, was determined using an Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. The SPSS program was used for statistical analysis and the significance level was 5%. Results TMH showed a gradual reduction in enamel hardness (p<0.05) from the 1st to 15th day, but mainly five days after biofilm formation in all groups. The PLM showed superficial lesions indicating an increase in porosity. C. albicans caused the release of Ca2+ into suspension during biofilm formation. Conclusion Candida species from dental biofilm of HIV+ children can cause demineralization of primary enamel in vitro. PMID:28198976

  8. Bioreactors for removing methyl bromide following contained fumigations

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Miller, L.G.; Baesman, S.M.; Oremland, R.S.

    2003-01-01

    Use of methyl bromide (MeBr) as a quarantine, commodity, or structural fumigant is under scrutiny because its release to the atmosphere contributes to the depletion of stratospheric ozone. A closed-system bioreactor consisting of 0.5 L of a growing culture of a previously described bacterium, strain IMB-1, removed MeBr (> 110 ??mol L-1) from recirculating air. Strain IMB-1 grew slowly to high cell densities in the bioreactor using MeBr as its sole carbon and energy source. Bacterial oxidation of MeBr produced CO2 and hydrobromic acid (HBr), which required continuous neutralization with NaOH for the system to operate effectively. Strain IMB-1 was capable of sustained oxidation of large amounts of MeBr (170 mmol in 46 d). In an open-system bioreactor (10-L fermenter), strain IMB-1 oxidized a continuous supply of MeBr (220 ??mol L-1 in air). Growth was continuous, and 0.5 mol of MeBr was removed from the air supply in 14 d. The specific rate of MeBr oxidation was 7 ?? 10-16 mol cell-1 h-1. Bioreactors such as these can therefore be used to remove large quantities of contaminant MeBr, which opens the possibility of biodegradation as a practical means for its disposal.

  9. Multi-trophic level response to extreme metal contamination from gold mining in a subarctic lake.

    PubMed

    Thienpont, Joshua R; Korosi, Jennifer B; Hargan, Kathryn E; Williams, Trisha; Eickmeyer, David C; Kimpe, Linda E; Palmer, Michael J; Smol, John P; Blais, Jules M

    2016-08-17

    Giant Mine, located in the city of Yellowknife (Northwest Territories, Canada), is a dramatic example of subarctic legacy contamination from mining activities, with remediation costs projected to exceed $1 billion. Operational between 1948 and 2004, gold extraction at Giant Mine released large quantities of arsenic and metals from the roasting of arsenopyrite ore. We examined the long-term ecological effects of roaster emissions on Pocket Lake, a small lake at the edge of the Giant Mine lease boundary, using a spectrum of palaeoenvironmental approaches. A dated sedimentary profile tracked striking increases (approx. 1700%) in arsenic concentrations coeval with the initiation of Giant Mine operations. Large increases in mercury, antimony and lead also occurred. Synchronous changes in biological indicator assemblages from multiple aquatic trophic levels, in both benthic and pelagic habitats, indicate dramatic ecological responses to extreme metal(loid) contamination. At the peak of contamination, all Cladocera, a keystone group of primary consumers, as well as all planktonic diatoms, were functionally lost from the sediment record. No biological recovery has been inferred, despite the fact that the bulk of metal(loid) emissions occurred more than 50 years ago, and the cessation of all ore-roasting activities in Yellowknife in 1999. © 2016 The Author(s).

  10. INTEGRATED CHEMICAL INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES ...

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    A central regulatory mandate of the Environmental Protection Agency, spanning many Program Offices and issues, is to assess the potential health and environmental risks of large numbers of chemicals released into the environment, often in the absence of relevant test data. Models for predicting potential adverse effects of chemicals based primarily on chemical structure play a central role in prioritization and screening strategies yet are highly dependent and conditional upon the data used for developing such models. Hence, limits on data quantity, quality, and availability are considered by many to be the largest hurdles to improving prediction models in diverse areas of toxicology. Generation of new toxicity data for additional chemicals and endpoints, development of new high-throughput, mechanistically relevant bioassays, and increased generation of genomics and proteomics data that can clarify relevant mechanisms will all play important roles in improving future SAR prediction models. The potential for much greater immediate gains, across large domains of chemical and toxicity space, comes from maximizing the ability to mine and model useful information from existing toxicity data, data that represent huge past investment in research and testing expenditures. In addition, the ability to place newer “omics” data, data that potentially span many possible domains of toxicological effects, in the broader context of historical data is the means for opti

  11. Preparing for radiological assessments in the event of a tornado strike at Argonne National Lab. -East

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

    Goodkind, M.E.; Klimczak, C.A.; Munyon, W.J.

    1993-01-01

    Argonne National Laboratory-East (ANL) is a Department of Energy (DOE)-owned, contractor-operated national laboratory located 22 miles southwest of downtown Chicago on a wooded, 1700-acre site. The principal nuclear facilities at ANL include a large fast neutron source (Intense Pulse Neutron Source) in which high-energy protons strike a uranium target to produce neutrons for research studies; [sup 60]Co irradiation sources; chemical and metallurgical plutonium laboratories, some of which are currently being decommissioned; several large hot cell facilities designed for work with multicurie quantities of actinide elements and irradiated reactor fuel materials; a few small research reactors currently in different phases ofmore » being decommissioned; and a variety of research laboratories handling many different sources in various chemical and physical forms. The hazards analysis for the ANL site shows that tornado strikes are a serious threat. The site has been struck twice in the past 20 yr, receiving only minor building damage and no release of radioactivity to the environment. Although radioactive materials in general are handled in areas that provide good tornado protection, ANL is prepared to address the problems that would occur should there be a loss of control of radioactive materials due to severe building damage.« less

  12. Sinkhole formation and hydrogeological situation at the salt mining area of Solotvyno, Ukraine

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stoeckl, L.; Banks, V.

    2017-12-01

    In Solotvyno, Ukraine, several salt mines were unexpectedly flooded in the recent past. As a result, dozens of sinkholes formed and are still forming with diameters up to 250 m. A one month advisory mission by the European Commission was launched in fall 2016 to conduct a risk assessment. The former mining area is situated in close vicinity to the river Theiss, which is the largest contributory of the largest river in Europe: the Danube. As river contamination by the release of large quantities of saltwater would lead to an international disaster, hydrogeological measurements were taken on-site to study the system. Saturated (hyper-saline) water as well as fresh surface and groundwater were encountered in different locations of the former mining area. Water samples were analyzed for chemistry and stable isotopes at BGR revealing insight into groundwater flow dynamics. Satellite imaging and interferometric synthetic aperture radar (SAR) were applied to study ground movements and evaluate the risk of further collapses. A resulting conceptual model explains the processes of sinkhole formation as well as the natural restoration of the salt dome prior to mining operations. This study shows the advantage of an interdisciplinary approach to conduct a risk assessment in the case of large mine collapses.

  13. Multi-trophic level response to extreme metal contamination from gold mining in a subarctic lake

    PubMed Central

    Korosi, Jennifer B.; Hargan, Kathryn E.; Williams, Trisha; Eickmeyer, David C.; Kimpe, Linda E.; Palmer, Michael J.; Smol, John P.; Blais, Jules M.

    2016-01-01

    Giant Mine, located in the city of Yellowknife (Northwest Territories, Canada), is a dramatic example of subarctic legacy contamination from mining activities, with remediation costs projected to exceed $1 billion. Operational between 1948 and 2004, gold extraction at Giant Mine released large quantities of arsenic and metals from the roasting of arsenopyrite ore. We examined the long-term ecological effects of roaster emissions on Pocket Lake, a small lake at the edge of the Giant Mine lease boundary, using a spectrum of palaeoenvironmental approaches. A dated sedimentary profile tracked striking increases (approx. 1700%) in arsenic concentrations coeval with the initiation of Giant Mine operations. Large increases in mercury, antimony and lead also occurred. Synchronous changes in biological indicator assemblages from multiple aquatic trophic levels, in both benthic and pelagic habitats, indicate dramatic ecological responses to extreme metal(loid) contamination. At the peak of contamination, all Cladocera, a keystone group of primary consumers, as well as all planktonic diatoms, were functionally lost from the sediment record. No biological recovery has been inferred, despite the fact that the bulk of metal(loid) emissions occurred more than 50 years ago, and the cessation of all ore-roasting activities in Yellowknife in 1999. PMID:27534958

  14. The threats from oil spills: now, then, and in the future.

    PubMed

    Jernelöv, Arne

    2010-01-01

    The ongoing oil spill from the blown-out well by the name of Macondo, drilled by the ill-fated rig Deepwater Horizon, has many features in common with another blowout in the Mexican Gulf that happened three decades ago. Then the oil gushed out from the Ixtoc I well drilled by the Sedco 135-F semi-submersible rig. In the years between these catastrophes, the source and nature of oil spills have undergone large changes. Huge spills from tankers that ran aground or collided used to be what caught the headlines and caused large ecological damage. The number and size of such accidental spills have decreased significantly. Instead, spills from ageing, ill-maintained or sabotaged pipelines have increased, and places like Arctic Russia, the Niger Delta, and the northwestern Amazon have become sites of reoccurring oil pollution. As for blowouts, there is no clear trend with regard to the number of incidences or amounts of spilled oil, but deepwater blowouts are much harder to cap and thus tend to go on longer and result in the release of larger quantities of oil. Also, oil exploration and extraction is moving into ever-deeper water and into stormier and icier seas, increasing potential risks. The risk for reoccurring spills like the two huge Mexican Gulf ones is eminent and must be reduced.

  15. A Functional Model for Management of Large Scale Assessments.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Banta, Trudy W.; And Others

    This functional model for managing large-scale program evaluations was developed and validated in connection with the assessment of Tennessee's Nutrition Education and Training Program. Management of such a large-scale assessment requires the development of a structure for the organization; distribution and recovery of large quantities of…

  16. Chemical Waste Management for the Conditionally Exempt Small Quantity Generator

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zimmer, Steven W.

    1999-06-01

    Management of hazardous chemical wastes generated as a part of the curriculum poses a significant task for the individual responsible for maintaining compliance with all rules and regulations from the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Transportation while maintaining the principles of OSHA's Lab Standard and the Hazard Communication Standard. For schools that generate relatively small quantities of waste, an individual can effectively manage the waste program without becoming overly burdened by the EPA regulations required for those generating large quantities of waste, if given the necessary support from the institution.

  17. Stilbene production in cell cultures of Vitis vinifera L. cvs Red Globe and Michele Palieri elicited by methyl jasmonate.

    PubMed

    Santamaria, A R; Antonacci, D; Caruso, G; Cavaliere, C; Gubbiotti, R; Lagana, A; Valletta, A; Pasqua, G

    2010-09-01

    Cell cultures obtained from Vitis vinifera cvs Michele Palieri and Red Globe were cultured in order to stimulate stilbene production. In the calli, stilbene production peaked at day 22 of culture for both cultivars; the main compound was trans-piceid, followed by cis-piceid. Methyl jasmonate, which was added to cell suspensions in the first half of the exponential growth phase, enhanced stilbene accumulation, producing mainly trans-piceid and epsilon-viniferin. Other stilbenoids, though in lower quantities, were identified by liquid chromatography/positive electrospray mass spectrometry. epsilon-Viniferin and trans-resveratrol were the main compounds released into the culture medium. The total quantity of stilbenes was genotype dependent, with a better response found for the cv Red Globe.

  18. Doctor shopping of opioid analgesics relative to benzodiazepines: A pharmacoepidemiological study among 11.7 million inhabitants in the French countries.

    PubMed

    Ponté, Camille; Lepelley, Marion; Boucherie, Quentin; Mallaret, Michel; Lapeyre Mestre, Maryse; Pradel, Vincent; Micallef, Joëlle

    2018-06-01

    The abuse of prescription opioids and its subsequent consequences is an important public concern particularly in the USA. The literature on opioid analgesic abuse is scarce. We assess the extent and risk of opioid analgesics abuse relative to benzodiazepines (BZD) using the doctor shopping method, taken into account the pharmacological characteristics (dosage, route of administration, extended or immediate release). We used SNIIRAM database covering 11.7 million inhabitants. All individuals with at least one reimbursement for non-injectable opioid analgesic or BZD in 2013 were included. Opioids for mild to moderate pain and for moderately severe to severe pain were studied. The Doctor Shopping Quantity (DSQ) is the quantity obtained by overlapping prescriptions from several prescribers. The Doctor Shopping Indicator (DSI) is the DSQ divided by the total dispensed quantity. The strong opioid analgesics have the highest DSI (2.79%) versus 2.06% for BZD hypnotics. Flunitrazepam ranked first according to its DSI (13.2%), followed by morphine (4%), and zolpidem (2.2%). The three-strong opioids having the highest DSI were morphine, oxycodone and fentanyl (respectively 4%, 1.7% and 1.5%). The highest DSI was observed for the highest dosages of morphine (DSI = 8.4% for 200 mg) and oxycodone (DSI = 2.8% for 80 mg). The highest DSI for fentanyl was described with nasal and transmucosal forms (4.1% and 3.3% respectively). The highest DSI for morphine was described for extended-release (4.1%). There is a need to reinforce surveillance systems to track opioid misuse and to increase awareness of healthcare professionals. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. Optimizing Prednisolone Loading into Distiller's Dried Grain Kafirin Microparticles, and In vitro Release for Oral Delivery.

    PubMed

    Lau, Esther T L; Johnson, Stuart K; Williams, Barbara A; Mikkelsen, Deirdre; McCourt, Elizabeth; Stanley, Roger A; Mereddy, Ram; Halley, Peter J; Steadman, Kathryn J

    2017-05-19

    Kafirin microparticles have potential as colon-targeted delivery systems because of their ability to protect encapsulated material from digestive processes of the upper gastrointestinal tract (GIT). The aim was to optimize prednisolone loading into kafirin microparticles, and investigate their potential as an oral delivery system. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to predict the optimal formulation of prednisolone loaded microparticles. Prednisolone release from the microparticles was measured in simulated conditions of the GIT. The RSM models were inadequate for predicting the relationship between starting quantities of kafirin and prednisolone, and prednisolone loading into microparticles. Compared to prednisolone released in the simulated gastric and small intestinal conditions, no additional drug release was observed in simulated colonic conditions. Hence, more insight into factors affecting drug loading into kafirin microparticles is required to improve the robustness of the RSM model. This present method of formulating prednisolone-loaded kafirin microparticles is unlikely to offer clinical benefits over commercially available dosage forms. Nevertheless, the overall amount of prednisolone released from the kafirin microparticles in conditions simulating the human GIT demonstrates their ability to prevent the release of entrapped core material. Further work developing the formulation methods may result in a delivery system that targets the lower GIT.

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

    Wu, C

    Purpose: To implement a novel, automatic, institutional customizable DVH quantities evaluation and PDF report tool on Philips Pinnacle treatment planning system (TPS) Methods: An add-on program (P3DVHStats) is developed by us to enable automatic DVH quantities evaluation (including both volume and dose based quantities, such as V98, V100, D2), and automatic PDF format report generation, for EMR convenience. The implementation is based on a combination of Philips Pinnacle scripting tool and Java language pre-installed on each Pinnacle Sun Solaris workstation. A single Pinnacle script provide user a convenient access to the program when needed. The activated script will first exportmore » DVH data for user selected ROIs from current Pinnacle plan trial; a Java program then provides a simple GUI interface, utilizes the data to compute any user requested DVH quantities, compare with preset institutional DVH planning goals; if accepted by users, the program will also generate a PDF report of the results and export it from Pinnacle to EMR import folder via FTP. Results: The program was tested thoroughly and has been released for clinical use at our institution (Pinnacle Enterprise server with both thin clients and P3PC access), for all dosimetry and physics staff, with excellent feedback. It used to take a few minutes to use MS-Excel worksheet to calculate these DVH quantities for IMRT/VMAT plans, and manually save them as PDF report; with the new program, it literally takes a few mouse clicks in less than 30 seconds to complete the same tasks. Conclusion: A Pinnacle scripting and Java language based program is successfully implemented, customized to our institutional needs. It is shown to dramatically reduce time and effort needed for DVH quantities computing and EMR reporting.« less

  1. Spatially resolved heat release rate measurements in turbulent premixed flames

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

    Ayoola, B.O.; Kaminski, C.F.; Balachandran, R.

    Heat release rate is a fundamental property of great importance for the theoretical and experimental elucidation of unsteady flame behaviors such as combustion noise, combustion instabilities, and pulsed combustion. Investigations of such thermoacoustic interactions require a reliable indicator of heat release rate capable of resolving spatial structures in turbulent flames. Traditionally, heat release rate has been estimated via OH or CH radical chemiluminescence; however, chemiluminescence suffers from being a line-of-sight technique with limited capability for resolving small-scale structures. In this paper, we report spatially resolved two-dimensional measurements of a quantity closely related to heat release rate. The diagnostic technique usesmore » simultaneous OH and CH{sub 2}O planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF), and the pixel-by-pixel product of the OH and CH{sub 2}O PLIF signals has previously been shown to correlate well with local heat release rates. Results from this diagnostic technique, which we refer to as heat release rate imaging (HR imaging), are compared with traditional OH chemiluminescence measurements in several flames. Studies were performed in lean premixed ethylene flames stabilized between opposed jets and with a bluff body. Correlations between bulk strain rates and local heat release rates were obtained and the effects of curvature on heat release rate were investigated. The results show that the heat release rate tends to increase with increasing negative curvature for the flames investigated for which Lewis numbers are greater than unity. This correlation becomes more pronounced as the flame gets closer to global extinction.« less

  2. Release and Removal of Microorganisms from Land-Deposited Animal Waste and Animal Manures: A Review of Data and Models.

    PubMed

    Blaustein, Ryan A; Pachepsky, Yakov A; Shelton, Daniel R; Hill, Robert L

    2015-09-01

    Microbial pathogens present a leading cause of impairment to rivers, bays, and estuaries in the United States, and agriculture is often viewed as the major contributor to such contamination. Microbial indicators and pathogens are released from land-applied animal manure during precipitation and irrigation events and are carried in overland and subsurface flow that can reach and contaminate surface waters and ground water used for human recreation and food production. Simulating the release and removal of manure-borne pathogens and indicator microorganisms is an essential component of microbial fate and transport modeling regarding food safety and water quality. Although microbial release controls the quantities of available pathogens and indicators that move toward human exposure, a literature review on this topic is lacking. This critical review on microbial release and subsequent removal from manure and animal waste application areas includes sections on microbial release processes and release-affecting factors, such as differences in the release of microbial species or groups; bacterial attachment in turbid suspensions; animal source; animal waste composition; waste aging; manure application method; manure treatment effect; rainfall intensity, duration, and energy; rainfall recurrence; dissolved salts and temperature; vegetation and soil; and spatial and temporal scale. Differences in microbial release from liquid and solid manures are illustrated, and the influential processes are discussed. Models used for simulating release and removal and current knowledge gaps are presented, and avenues for future research are suggested. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

  3. Metal lost and found: dissipative uses and releases of copper in the United States 1975-2000.

    PubMed

    Lifset, Reid J; Eckelman, Matthew J; Harper, E M; Hausfather, Zeke; Urbina, Gonzalo

    2012-02-15

    Metals are used in a variety of ways, many of which lead to dissipative releases to the environment. Such releases are relevant from both a resource use and an environmental impact perspective. We present a historical analysis of copper dissipative releases in the United States from 1975 to 2000. We situate all dissipative releases in copper's life cycle and introduce a conceptual framework by which copper dissipative releases may be categorized in terms of intentionality of use and release. We interpret our results in the context of larger trends in production and consumption and government policies that have served as drivers of intentional copper releases from the relevant sources. Intentional copper releases are found to be both significant in quantity and highly variable. In 1975, for example, the largest source of intentional releases was from the application of copper-based pesticides, and this decreased more than 50% over the next 25 years; all other sources of intentional releases increased during that period. Overall, intentional copper releases decreased by approximately 15% from 1975 to 2000. Intentional uses that are unintentionally released such as copper from roofing, increased by the same percentage. Trace contaminant sources such as fossil fuel combustion, i.e., sources where both the use and the release are unintended, increased by nearly 50%. Intentional dissipative uses are equivalent to 60% of unintentional copper dissipative releases and more than five times that from trace sources. Dissipative copper releases are revealed to be modest when compared to bulk copper flows in the economy, and we introduce a metric, the dissipation index, which may be considered an economy-wide measure of resource efficiency for a particular substance. We assess the importance of dissipative releases in the calculation of recycling rates, concluding that the inclusion of dissipation in recycling rate calculations has a small, but discernible, influence, and should be included in such calculations. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Component Release and Mechanical Properties of Endodontic Sealers following Incorporation of Antimicrobial Agents.

    PubMed

    Gjorgievska, Elizabeta S; Nicholson, John W; Coleman, Nichola J; Booth, Samantha; Dimkov, Aleksandar; Hurt, Andrew

    2017-01-01

    Root canal sealers with antimicrobial activity are highly beneficial; therefore, their antimicrobial properties could be improved by incorporation of antimicrobial agents. In the present study, the release of the quaternary ammonium compounds from endodontic sealers admixed with either benzalkonium chloride (BC) or cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) at loadings of 2% wt was monitored. The effect of these additives on the compressive strengths and their release from the sealers was determined after 1 and 4 weeks. All of the materials studied were found to be capable of releasing antimicrobial additive in useful quantities. The release of CPC occurred to a statistically significant greater extent than BC for all materials. The addition of both BC and CPC generally decreased the compressive strength of all the endodontic sealers, with the exception of CPC in AH Plus, where the compressive strength was significantly increased. This suggests that, for these endodontic sealers, the antimicrobial additives alter the setting chemistry. AH Plus is an epoxy-based material cured with an amine, and in this case the increase in compressive strength with CPC is attributed to an enhanced cure reaction with this system. In all other cases, the additive inhibited the cure reaction to a greater or lesser extent.

  5. Blood, sweat, tears and success of technology transfer long-term controlled-release of herbicides

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

    Van Voris, P.; Cataldo, D.A.; Burton, F.G.

    The problems encountered, the technical difficulties that had to be overcome, and the successful transfer of technology related to controlled-release of pesticides is reviewed. Research on control-release of pesticides to date has resulted in products designed to extend bioactivity for periods of several days, months, or at most, several years. However, research supported by the U.S. Department of Energy directed toward solving problems associated with plant-root penetration through caps and liners engineered to minimize leaching or movement of buried nuclear and chemical wastes has resulted in development of a long-term controlled-release herbicide delivery system designed to stop root growth formore » periods of up to 100 years. Through the unique combination of polymers with a herbicidally active dinitroaniline, a cylindrical pellet was developed that continuously releases a herbicide for a period of up to 100 years. Equilibrium concentration of the herbicide in soil adjacent to the pellet and the bioactive lifetime of the device can be adjusted by changing the size of the pellet; the type of polymer; the type, quality, and quantity of carrier; and/or the concentration and type of dinitroaniline was used.« less

  6. Impacts of microalgae pre-treatments for improved anaerobic digestion: thermal treatment, thermal hydrolysis, ultrasound and enzymatic hydrolysis.

    PubMed

    Ometto, Francesco; Quiroga, Gerardo; Pšenička, Pavel; Whitton, Rachel; Jefferson, Bruce; Villa, Raffaella

    2014-11-15

    Anaerobic digestion (AD) of microalgae is primarily inhibited by the chemical composition of their cell walls containing biopolymers able to resist bacterial degradation. Adoption of pre-treatments such as thermal, thermal hydrolysis, ultrasound and enzymatic hydrolysis have the potential to remove these inhibitory compounds and enhance biogas yields by degrading the cell wall, and releasing the intracellular algogenic organic matter (AOM). This work investigated the effect of four pre-treatments on three microalgae species, and their impact on the quantity of soluble biomass released in the media and thus on the digestion process yields. The analysis of the composition of the soluble COD released and of the TEM images of the cells showed two main degradation actions associated with the processes: (1) cell wall damage with the release of intracellular AOM (thermal, thermal hydrolysis and ultrasound) and (2) degradation of the cell wall constituents with the release of intracellular AOM and the solubilisation of the cell wall biopolymers (enzymatic hydrolysis). As a result of this, enzymatic hydrolysis showed the greatest biogas yield increments (>270%) followed by thermal hydrolysis (60-100%) and ultrasounds (30-60%). Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. A Directory of Human Performance Models for System Design (Defence Research Group Panel 8 on the Defence Applications of Human and Bio-Medical Sciences)

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1992-12-27

    quantities, but they are not continuously dependent on these quantities. This pure open-loop programmed-control-like behaviour is called precognitive . Like...and largely accomplished by the precognitive action and then may be completed with compeisatory eor-reducuon operations. 304. A quasilinear or

  8. Variation of organic matter quantity and quality in streams at Critical Zone Observatory watersheds

    Treesearch

    Matthew P. Miller; Elizabeth W. Boyer; Diane M. McKnight; Michael G. Brown; Rachel S. Gabor; Carolyn Hunsaker; Lidiia Iavorivska; Shreeram Inamdar; Dale W. Johnson; Louis A. Kaplan; Henry Lin; William H. McDowell; Julia N. Perdrial

    2016-01-01

    The quantity and chemical composition of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in surface waters influence ecosystem processes and anthropogenic use of freshwater. However, despite the importance of understanding spatial and temporal patterns in DOM, measures of DOM quality are not routinely included as part of large-scale ecosystem monitoring programs and variations in...

  9. Toll-Like Receptor 4 Engagement Mediates Prolyl Endopeptidase Release from Airway Epithelia via Exosomes.

    PubMed

    Szul, Tomasz; Bratcher, Preston E; Fraser, Kyle B; Kong, Michele; Tirouvanziam, Rabindra; Ingersoll, Sarah; Sztul, Elizabeth; Rangarajan, Sunil; Blalock, J Edwin; Xu, Xin; Gaggar, Amit

    2016-03-01

    Proteases are important regulators of pulmonary remodeling and airway inflammation. Recently, we have characterized the enzyme prolyl endopeptidase (PE), a serine peptidase, as a critical protease in the generation of the neutrophil chemoattractant tripeptide Pro-Gly-Pro (PGP) from collagen. However, PE has been characterized as a cytosolic enzyme, and the mechanism mediating PE release extracellularly remains unknown. We examined the role of exosomes derived from airway epithelia as a mechanism for PE release and the potential extracellular signals that regulate the release of these exosomes. We demonstrate a specific regulatory pathway of exosome release from airway epithelia and identify PE as novel exosome cargo. LPS stimulation of airway epithelial cells induces release of PE-containing exosomes, which is significantly attenuated by small interfering RNA depletion of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4). These differences were recapitulated upon intratracheal LPS administration in mice competent versus deficient for TLR4 signaling. Finally, sputum samples from subjects with cystic fibrosis colonized with Pseudomonas aeruginosa demonstrate elevated exosome content and increased PE levels. This TLR4-based mechanism highlights the first report of nonstochastic release of exosomes in the lung and couples TLR4 activation with matrikine generation. The increased quantity of these proteolytic exosomes in the airways of subjects with chronic lung disease highlights a new mechanism of injury and inflammation in the pathogenesis of pulmonary disorders.

  10. Lack of in vitro-in vivo correlation for a UC781-releasing vaginal ring in macaques.

    PubMed

    McConville, Christopher; Smith, James M; McCoy, Clare F; Srinivasan, Priya; Mitchell, James; Holder, Angela; Otten, Ron A; Butera, Salvatore; Doncel, Gustavo F; Friend, David R; Malcolm, R Karl

    2015-02-01

    This study describes the preclinical development of a matrix-type silicone elastomer vaginal ring device designed to provide controlled release of UC781, a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor. Testing of both human- and macaque-sized rings in a sink condition in vitro release model demonstrated continuous UC781 release in quantities considered sufficient to maintain vaginal fluid concentrations at levels 82-860-fold higher than the in vitro IC50 (2.0 to 10.4 nM) and therefore potentially protect against mucosal transmission of HIV. The 100-mg UC781 rings were well tolerated in pig-tailed macaques, did not induce local inflammation as determined by cytokine analysis and maintained median concentrations in vaginal fluids of UC781 in the range of 0.27 to 5.18 mM during the course of the 28-day study. Analysis of residual UC781 content in rings after completion of both the in vitro release and macaque pharmacokinetic studies revealed that 57 and 5 mg of UC781 was released, respectively. The pharmacokinetic analysis of a 100-mg UC781 vaginal ring in pig-tailed macaques showed poor in vivo-in vitro correlation, attributed to the very poor solubility of UC781 in vaginal fluid and resulting in a dissolution-controlled drug release mechanism rather than the expected diffusion-controlled mechanism.

  11. Thermoresponsive core-shell magnetic nanoparticles for combined modalities of cancer therapy.

    PubMed

    Purushotham, S; Chang, P E J; Rumpel, H; Kee, I H C; Ng, R T H; Chow, P K H; Tan, C K; Ramanujan, R V

    2009-07-29

    Thermoresponsive polymer-coated magnetic nanoparticles loaded with anti-cancer drugs are of considerable interest for novel multi-modal cancer therapies. Such nanoparticles can be used for magnetic drug targeting followed by simultaneous hyperthermia and drug release. Gamma-Fe(2)O(3) iron oxide magnetic nanoparticles (MNP) with average sizes of 14, 19 and 43 nm were synthesized by high temperature decomposition. Composite magnetic nanoparticles (CNP) of 43 nm MNP coated with the thermoresponsive polymer poly-n-isopropylacrylamide (PNIPAM) were prepared by dispersion polymerization of n-isopropylacrylamide monomer in the presence of the MNP. In vitro drug release of doxorubicin-(dox) loaded dehydrated CNP at temperatures below and above the lower critical solution temperature of PNIPAM (34 degrees C) revealed a weak dependence of drug release on swelling behavior. The particles displayed Fickian diffusion release kinetics; the maximum dox release at 42 degrees C after 101 h was 41%. In vitro simultaneous hyperthermia and drug release of therapeutically relevant quantities of dox was achieved, 14.7% of loaded dox was released in 47 min at hyperthermia temperatures. In vivo magnetic targeting of dox-loaded CNP to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in a buffalo rat model was studied by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and histology. In summary, the good in vitro and in vivo performance of the doxorubicin-loaded thermoresponsive polymer-coated magnetic nanoparticles suggests considerable promise for applications in multi-modal treatment of cancer.

  12. Biomaterials differentially regulate Src kinases and phosphoinositide 3-kinase-γ in polymorphonuclear leukocyte primary and tertiary granule release

    PubMed Central

    Cohen, Hannah Caitlin; Frost, Dustin C.; Lieberthal, Tyler Jacob; Li, Lingjun; Kao, W. John

    2018-01-01

    In the foreign body response, infiltrating PMNs exocytose granule subsets to influence subsequent downstream inflammatory and wound healing events. In previous studies, we found that PMNs cultured on poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-containing hydrogels (i.e., PEG and gelatin + PEG hydrogels) had enhanced primary granule release, yet similar tertiary granule release compared with PMNs cultured on polydimethylsiloxane or tissue culture polystyrene. PMN primary granules contain microbicidal proteins and proteases, which can potentially injure bystander cells, degrade the extracellular matrix, and promote inflammation. Here, we sought to understand the mechanism of the enhanced primary granule release from PMNs on PEG hydrogels. We found that primary granule release from PMNs on PEG hydrogels was adhesion mediated and involved Src family kinases and PI3K-γ. The addition of gelatin to PEG hydrogels did not further enhance PMN primary granule release. Using stable-isotope dimethyl labeling-based shotgun proteomics, we identified many serum proteins – including Ig gamma constant chain region proteins and alpha-1-acid glycoprotein 1 – that were absorbed/adsorbed in higher quantities on PEG hydrogels than on TCPS, and may be involved in mediating PMN primary granule release. Ultimately, this mechanistic knowledge can be used to direct inflammation and wound healing following biomaterial implantation to promote a more favorable healing response. PMID:25736495

  13. A cost-effective protocol for the over-expression and purification of fully-functional and more stable Erwinia chrisanthemi ligand-gated ion channel

    PubMed Central

    Elberson, Benjamin W.; Whisenant, Ty E.; Cortes, D. Marien; Cuello, Luis G.

    2017-01-01

    The Erwinia chrisanthemi ligand-gated ion channel, ELIC, is considered an excellent structural and functional surrogate for the whole pentameric ligand-gated ion channel family. Despite its simplicity, ELIC is structurally capable of undergoing ligand-dependent activation and a concomitant desensitization process. To determine at the molecular level the structural changes underlying ELIC’s function, it is desirable to produce large quantities of protein. This protein should be properly folded, fully-functional and amenable to structural determinations. In the current paper, we report a completely new protocol for the expression and purification of milligram quantities of fully-functional, more stable and crystallizable ELIC. The use of an autoinduction media and inexpensive detergents during ELIC extraction, in addition to the high-quality and large quantity of the purified channel, are the highlights of this improved biochemical protocol. PMID:28279818

  14. Large-scale purification of 90Sr from nuclear waste materials for production of 90Y, a therapeutic medical radioisotope.

    PubMed

    Wester, Dennis W; Steele, Richard T; Rinehart, Donald E; DesChane, Jaquetta R; Carson, Katharine J; Rapko, Brian M; Tenforde, Thomas S

    2003-07-01

    A major limitation on the supply of the short-lived medical isotope 90Y (t1/2 = 64 h) is the available quantity of highly purified 90Sr generator material. A radiochemical production campaign was therefore undertaken to purify 1,500 Ci of 90Sr that had been isolated from fission waste materials. A series of alkaline precipitation steps removed all detectable traces of 137Cs, alpha emitters, and uranium and transuranic elements. Technical obstacles such as the buildup of gas pressure generated upon mixing large quantities of acid with solid 90Sr carbonate were overcome through safety features incorporated into the custom-built equipment used for 90Sr purification. Methods are described for analyzing the chemical and radiochemical purity of the final product and for accurately determining by gravimetry the quantities of 90Sr immobilized on stainless steel filters for future use.

  15. Lagrangian and Eulerian description of bed-load particle kinematics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ballio, Francesco; Sadabadi, Seyed Abbas Hosseini; Pokrajac, Dubravka; Radice, Alessio

    2016-04-01

    The motion of bed-load sediment particles transported by a flow can be analyzed within a Lagrangian or an Eulerian framework. In the former case, we consider the particles as individual objects in motion and we study their kinematic properties. The latter approach is instead referred to suitably chosen control volumes. Quantities describing sediment motion in the two frameworks are different, and the relationships among the two approaches are not straightforward. In this work, we intend to discuss the kinematic properties of sediment transport: first, a set of quantities is univocally defined; then, relationships among different representations are explored. Proof-of-concept results presented in the study are from a recent experiment involving weak bed-load sediment transport, where the moving particles were released over a fixed rough bed. The bulk flow velocity was 1.4 times the critical value for incipient particle motion, and particles were mostly moving by rolling and sliding, with limited saltation. The particle motion was filmed from the top and the measurements were conducted by image-based methods, obtaining extensive samples of virtually-instantaneous quantities.

  16. The Effect of a Novel form of Extended-Release Gabapentin on Pain and Sleep in Fibromyalgia Subjects: An Open-Label Pilot Study.

    PubMed

    North, James M; Hong, Kyung-Soo J; Rauck, Richard L

    2016-07-01

    We assessed the efficacy and safety of extended-release gabapentin in a 15-week, open-label, single-arm, single-center study in patients with fibromyalgia (FM). Subjects with documented diagnosis of FM were allowed to participate in the study. We opened enrollment to those who have tried and failed gabapentinoids such as gabapentin or pregabalin due to side effects. Subjects with autoimmune conditions, and or taking opioids for management of their FM pain, were excluded from the study. Subjects were given an extended-release gabapentin starter pack and treated for total of 12 weeks. The primary study endpoint of pain relief was measured using Numeric Pain Rating System (NPRS) scores, and secondary study endpoints were measured with Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ), Patient's Global Impression of Change (PGIC), and Medical Outcome Sleep questionnaires (MOS). A total of 34 subjects were enrolled and 29 subjects completed the starter pack (85%). Patients reported significant pain relief on NPRS by end of 4 weeks (P < 0.0001) on NPRS. Subjects also reported similar magnitude of improvements in FM and its impact on daily life by end of 4 weeks on FIQ (P < 0.0001). Survey of MOS showed our subjects reporting improved sleep quantity (on average, 1.2 hours over baseline) with gradual and statistically significant improvement in quality. Improvements in primary and secondary measurements were reflected in PGIC, with significant improvement in patient's impression of FM by week 8. Small sample size, geographical bias, relatively short duration of treatment, and single-arm study without control group. Extended-release gabapentin relieved FM pain symptoms and improved quality-of-life for the FM subjects studied. Subjects reported improvements in both quantity and quality of sleep. © 2015 World Institute of Pain.

  17. Measuring Concentrations of Particulate 140La in the Air

    DOE PAGES

    Okada, Colin E.; Kernan, Warnick J.; Keillor, Martin E.; ...

    2016-05-01

    Air sampling systems were deployed to measure the concentration of radioactive material in the air during the Full-Scale Radiological Dispersal Device experiments. The air samplers were positioned 100-600 meters downwind of the release point. The filters were collected immediately and analyzed in the field. Quantities for total activity collected on the air filters are reported along with additional information to compute the average or integrated air concentrations.

  18. Weathering of a carbon nanotube/epoxy nanocomposite under UV light and in water bath: impact on abraded particles.

    PubMed

    Schlagenhauf, Lukas; Kianfar, Bahareh; Buerki-Thurnherr, Tina; Kuo, Yu-Ying; Wichser, Adrian; Nüesch, Frank; Wick, Peter; Wang, Jing

    2015-11-28

    Weathering processes can influence the surface properties of composites with incorporated nanoparticles. These changes may affect the release behavior of nanoparticles when an abrasion process is applied. Therefore, the influence of two different weathering processes, immersion in water and exposure to UV light, on the properties of abraded particles from a carbon nanotube (CNT)/epoxy nanocomposite was investigated. The investigation included the measurement of the weathering impact on the surface chemistry of the exposed samples, the particle size of abraded particles, the quantity of exposed CNTs in the respirable part of the abraded particles, and the toxicity of abraded particles, measured by in vitro toxicity tests using the THP-1 monocyte-derived macrophages. The results showed that weathering by immersion in water had no influence on the properties of abraded particles. The exposure to UV light caused a degradation of the epoxy on the surface, followed by delamination of an approx. 2.5 μm thick layer. An increased quantity of exposed CNTs in abraded particles was not found; on the contrary, longer UV exposure times decreased the released fraction of CNTs from 0.6% to 0.4%. The toxicity tests revealed that abraded particles from the nanocomposites did not induce additional acute cytotoxic effects compared to particles from the neat epoxy.

  19. Large scale EMF in current sheets induced by tearing modes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mizerski, Krzysztof A.

    2018-02-01

    An extension of the analysis of resistive instabilities of a sheet pinch from a famous work by Furth et al (1963 Phys. Fluids 6 459) is presented here, to study the mean electromotive force (EMF) generated by the developing instability. In a Cartesian configuration and in the presence of a current sheet first the boundary layer technique is used to obtain global, matched asymptotic solutions for the velocity and magnetic field and then the solutions are used to calculate the large-scale EMF in the system. It is reported, that in the bulk the curl of the mean EMF is linear in {{j}}0\\cdot {{B}}0, a simple pseudo-scalar quantity constructed from the large-scale quantities.

  20. Non-symbolic arithmetic in adults and young children.

    PubMed

    Barth, Hilary; La Mont, Kristen; Lipton, Jennifer; Dehaene, Stanislas; Kanwisher, Nancy; Spelke, Elizabeth

    2006-01-01

    Five experiments investigated whether adults and preschool children can perform simple arithmetic calculations on non-symbolic numerosities. Previous research has demonstrated that human adults, human infants, and non-human animals can process numerical quantities through approximate representations of their magnitudes. Here we consider whether these non-symbolic numerical representations might serve as a building block of uniquely human, learned mathematics. Both adults and children with no training in arithmetic successfully performed approximate arithmetic on large sets of elements. Success at these tasks did not depend on non-numerical continuous quantities, modality-specific quantity information, the adoption of alternative non-arithmetic strategies, or learned symbolic arithmetic knowledge. Abstract numerical quantity representations therefore are computationally functional and may provide a foundation for formal mathematics.

  1. Property of Fluctuations of Sales Quantities by Product Category in Convenience Stores

    PubMed Central

    Fukunaga, Gaku; Takayasu, Hideki; Takayasu, Misako

    2016-01-01

    The ability to ascertain the extent of product sale fluctuations for each store and locality is indispensable to inventory management. This study analyzed POS data from 158 convenience stores in Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan and found a power scaling law between the mean and standard deviation of product sales quantities for several product categories. For the statistical domains of low sales quantities, the power index was 1/2; for large sales quantities, the power index was 1, so called Taylor’s law holds. The value of sales quantities with changing power indixes differed according to product category. We derived a Poissonian compound distribution model taking into account fluctuations in customer numbers to show that the scaling law could be explained theoretically for most of items. We also examined why the scaling law did not hold in some exceptional cases. PMID:27310915

  2. Methyl jasmonate as an allelopathic agent: sagebrush inhibits germination of a neighboring tobacco, Nicotiana attenuata.

    PubMed

    Preston, Catherine A; Betts, Hazel; Baldwi, Ian T

    2002-11-01

    Artemisia tridentata ssp. tridentata is the dominant and defining shrub in the Great Basin Desert, with well-documented allelopathic tendencies that have generally been ascribed to its most abundantly released secondary metabolites. However, as a minor component, sagebrush releases a highly biologically active substance, methyljasmonate (MeJA), which is known to function as both a germination inhibitor and promoter in laboratory studies. Nicotiana attenuata is a tobacco species native to the Great Basin Desert and grows in newly burned juniper-sagebrush habitats for 2-3 yr following a fire. With a combination of field and laboratory studies, we examined the role of MeJA release from sagebrush by both air and water transport in inhibiting N. attenuata seed germination. We demonstrated that sagebrush interacts allelopathically with the seed bank of N. attenuata through its release of MeJA. In the field, seeds buried 0-40 cm from sagebrush plants for 4 months in net bags had significantly reduced germination compared to seeds buried similarly but protected in plastic bags. Moreover, germination on soils collected from underneath sagebrush plants was reduced by 60% compared to seeds placed on soils collected between sagebrush plants or outside of the sagebrush population. Exposure to A. tridentata seeds and seedlings did not affect N. attenuata germination, suggesting that established sagebrush plants only influence the tobacco's seed bank. In the laboratory, exposure of seeds to sagebrush emissions resulted in germination delays of up to 6 d. Exposure to volatile and aqueous MeJA also inhibited germination of N. attenuata seeds at quantities that are released naturally by sagebrush: 3.5 microg/hr and 1.12 microg/seed cup (56 ng/seed), respectively. A. tridentata seeds were significantly more resistant to MeJA, being inhibited at 336 microg MeJA (16.8 microg/seed), 300 times greater than the level of aqueous MeJA required to inhibit N. attenuata seeds. MeJA inhibited N. attenuata germination regardless of the seed's dormancy state and the specific epimer (trans- or cis-) of MeJA. Germination on sagebrush chaff that had been heated to reduce MeJA content was negatively correlated with the amount of MeJA remaining in the chaff. Germination of a nondormant, conspecific tobacco, N. trigonophylla, which grows in the same area but is not associated with fire, is less sensitive than N. attenuata to the extracts of sagebrush litter, but similarly sensitive to MeJA. Additionally, four of five other tobacco species that are not known to be associated with sagebrush are less sensitive to MeJA, suggesting an evolved sensitivity to MeJA. To determine the proportion of germination inhibition of a sagebrush extract that could be attributed to MeJA, we serially diluted sagebrush extracts with water and restored the quantity of MeJA of the original extract by adding appropriate quantities of synthetic MeJA; 16-60% of the inhibitory activity of the original extract could be attributed to the MeJA. We conclude that MeJA release from sagebrush plays an allelopathic role for N. attenuata seed banks, but other unidentified compounds are also involved.

  3. Lipid-induced toxicity stimulates hepatocytes to release angiogenic microparticles that require Vanin-1 for uptake by endothelial cells

    PubMed Central

    Povero, Davide; Eguchi, Akiko; Niesman, Ingrid R.; Andronikou, Nektaria; de Mollerat du Jeu, Xavier; Mulya, Anny; Berk, Michael; Lazic, Milos; Thapaliya, Samjana; Parola, Maurizio; Patel, Hemal H.; Feldstein, Ariel E.

    2014-01-01

    Angiogenesis is a key pathological feature of experimental and human steatohepatitis, a common chronic liver disease that is associated with obesity. We demonstrated that hepatocytes generated a type of membrane-bound vesicle, microparticles, in response to conditions that mimicked the lipid accumulation that occurs in the liver in some forms of steatohepatitis and that these microparticles promoted angiogenesis. When applied to an endothelial cell line, medium conditioned by murine hepatocytes or a human hepatocyte cell line exposed to saturated free fatty acids induced migration and tube formation, two processes required for angiogenesis. Medium from hepatocytes in which caspase 3 was inhibited or medium in which the microparticles were removed by ultracentrifugation lacked proangiogenic activity. Isolated hepatocyte-derived microparticles induced migration and tube formation of an endothelial cell line in vitro and angiogenesis in mice, processes that depended on internalization of microparticles. Microparticle internalization required the interaction of the ectoenzyme Vanin-1 (VNN1), an abundant surface protein on the microparticles, with lipid raft domains of endothelial cells. Large quantities of hepatocyte-derived microparticles were detected in the blood of mice with diet-induced steatohepatitis, and microparticle quantity correlated with disease severity. Genetic ablation of caspase 3 or RNA interference directed against VNN1 protected mice from steatohepatitis-induced pathological angiogenesis in the liver and resulted in a loss of the proangiogenic effects of microparticles. Our data identify hepatocyte-derived microparticles as critical signals that contribute to angiogenesis and liver damage in steatohepatitis and suggest a therapeutic target for this condition. PMID:24106341

  4. Observations of iodine monoxide in the Arctic troposphere

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zielcke, Johannes; Lampel, Johannes; Frieß, Udo; Sihler, Holger; Netcheva, Stoyka; Platt, Ulrich

    2014-05-01

    A unique feature of the polar troposphere is the strong impact of halogen photochemistry, in which reactive halogen species are responsible for ozone depletion as well as the oxidation of elemental mercury and dimethyl sulfide. The sources, however, as well as release and recycling mechanisms of these halogen species are far from being completely understood, especially the role of chlorine and iodine compounds. For iodine, which is thought to be produced either by organic precursors or inorganic processes, one curious issue is the difference of its role in the two polar regions, the Arctic and the Antarctic. Satellite observations show significant quantities of IO in large areas of Antarctica and the surrounding ocean and comparatively no IO in the Arctic. This is in concordance with some ground-based remote sensing observations in Antarctica, whereas publications of IO mixing ratios or upper limits from the Arctic are seldom. This strong hemispheric dichotomy may however not be the whole picture. Here we present data from ground-based MAX-DOAS observations in the Arctic. Long-term measurements from Alert, Canada (82N) spanning the period from 2007 until 2013 indicate elevated and significant quantities of IO in the troposphere in late spring and early summer comparable to ground-based observations in Antarctica. This is backed up by ship-borne MAX-DOAS measurements in Baffin Bay during summer 2010, which also show elevated and significant amounts of IO. Furthermore the interaction of IO and BrO will be shown, as well as the influence of meteorological parameters and the data will be compared to other measurements.

  5. Development of an Mg-Based Alloy with High Hydriding and Dehydriding Rates and Large Hydrogen Storage Capacity by Adding TaF5.

    PubMed

    Kwak, Young Jun; Lee, Seong Ho; Song, Myoung Youp

    2018-09-01

    A sample with a composition of 95 wt% Mg + 5 wt% TaF5 (named Mg-5TaF5) was prepared by reactive mechanical grinding. The activation of Mg-5TaF5 was not necessary, and Mg-5TaF5 had an effective hydrogen storage capacity (the quantity of hydrogen absorbed for 60 min) larger than 5 wt%. At the first cycle (n = 1), the sample absorbed 4.50 wt% H for 10 min and 5.06 wt% H for 60 min at 593 K under 12 bar H2. At n = 1, the sample desorbed 1.58 wt% H for 10 min and 4.93 wt% H for 60 min at 593 K under 1.0 bar H2. The Mg-5TaF5 sample dehydrided at n = 3 contained MgF2 and Ta2H. The hydriding-dehydriding cycling of the sample, which forms MgF2 and Ta2H by reaction with hydrogen, is considered to produce defects on the surface of and inside the Mg particles, to create clean surfaces, and to reduce the particle size of Mg, due to the repetition of expansion with hydrogen absorption and contraction with hydrogen release. Mg-5TaF5 had a higher hydriding rate and a higher dehydriding rate after an incubation period and greater quantities of hydrogen absorbed and desorbed for 60 min than Mg-10TaF5, Mg-10MnO, or Mg-10Fe2O3.

  6. Seal carrion is a predictable resource for coastal ecosystems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Quaggiotto, Maria-Martina; Barton, Philip S.; Morris, Christopher D.; Moss, Simon E. W.; Pomeroy, Patrick P.; McCafferty, Dominic J.; Bailey, David M.

    2018-04-01

    The timing, magnitude, and spatial distribution of resource inputs can have large effects on dependent organisms. Few studies have examined the predictability of such resources and no standard ecological measure of predictability exists. We examined the potential predictability of carrion resources provided by one of the UK's largest grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) colonies, on the Isle of May, Scotland. We used aerial (11 years) and ground surveys (3 years) to quantify the variability in time, space, quantity (kg), and quality (MJ) of seal carrion during the seal pupping season. We then compared the potential predictability of seal carrion to other periodic changes in food availability in nature. An average of 6893 kg of carrion •yr-1 corresponding to 110.5 × 103 MJ yr-1 was released for potential scavengers as placentae and dead animals. A fifth of the total biomass from dead seals was consumed by the end of the pupping season, mostly by avian scavengers. The spatial distribution of carcasses was similar across years, and 28% of the area containing >10 carcasses ha-1 was shared among all years. Relative standard errors (RSE) in space, time, quantity, and quality of carrion were all below 34%. This is similar to other allochthonous-dependent ecosystems, such as those affected by migratory salmon, and indicates high predictability of seal carrion as a resource. Our study illustrates how to quantify predictability in carrion, which is of general relevance to ecosystems that are dependent on this resource. We also highlight the importance of carrion to marine coastal ecosystems, where it sustains avian scavengers thus affecting ecosystem structure and function.

  7. Hazardous Substance Release Reporting Under CERCLA, EPCR {section}304 and DOE Emergency Management System (EMS) and DOE Occurrence Reporting Requirements. Environmental Guidance

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

    Traceski, T.T.

    1994-06-01

    Releases of various substances from DOE facilities may be subject to reporting requirements under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) and the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA), as well as DOE`s internal ``Occurrence Reporting and Processing of Operations Information`` and the ``Emergency Management System`` (EMS). CERCLA and EPCPA are Federal laws that require immediate reporting of a release of a Hazardous Substance (HS) and an Extremely Hazardous Substance (EHS), respectively, in a Reportable Quantity (RQ) or more within a 24-hour period. This guidance uses a flowchart, supplemental information, and tables to provide an overview ofmore » the process to be followed, and more detailed explanations of the actions that must be performed, when chemical releases of HSs, EHSs, pollutants, or contaminants occur at DOE facilities. This guidance should be used in conjunction with, rather than in lieu of, applicable laws, regulations, and DOE Orders. Relevant laws, regulations, and DOE Orders are referenced throughout this guidance.« less

  8. Methane release from the southern Brazilian margin during the last glacial.

    PubMed

    Portilho-Ramos, R C; Cruz, A P S; Barbosa, C F; Rathburn, A E; Mulitza, S; Venancio, I M; Schwenk, T; Rühlemann, C; Vidal, L; Chiessi, C M; Silveira, C S

    2018-04-13

    Seafloor methane release can significantly affect the global carbon cycle and climate. Appreciable quantities of methane are stored in continental margin sediments as shallow gas and hydrate deposits, and changes in pressure, temperature and/or bottom-currents can liberate significant amounts of this greenhouse gas. Understanding the spatial and temporal dynamics of marine methane deposits and their relationships to environmental change are critical for assessing past and future carbon cycle and climate change. Here we present foraminiferal stable carbon isotope and sediment mineralogy records suggesting for the first time that seafloor methane release occurred along the southern Brazilian margin during the last glacial period (40-20 cal ka BP). Our results show that shallow gas deposits on the southern Brazilian margin responded to glacial-interglacial paleoceanographic changes releasing methane due to the synergy of sea level lowstand, warmer bottom waters and vigorous bottom currents during the last glacial period. High sea level during the Holocene resulted in an upslope shift of the Brazil Current, cooling the bottom waters and reducing bottom current strength, reducing methane emissions from the southern Brazilian margin.

  9. Metal release profiles of orthodontic bands, brackets, and wires: an in vitro study.

    PubMed

    Wendl, B; Wiltsche, H; Lankmayr, E; Winsauer, H; Walter, A; Muchitsch, A; Jakse, N; Wendl, M; Wendl, T

    2017-11-01

    The present study evaluated the temporal release of Co Cr, Mn, and Ni from the components of a typical orthodontic appliance during simulated orthodontic treatment. Several commercially available types of bands, brackets, and wires were exposed to an artificial saliva solution for at least 44 days and the metals released were quantified in regular intervals using inductively coupled plasma quadrupole mass spectrometry (ICP-MS, Elan DRC+, Perkin Elmer, USA). Corrosion products encountered on some products were investigated by a scanning electron microscope equipped with an energy dispersive X-ray microanalyzer (EDX). Bands released the largest quantities of Co, Cr, Mn, and Ni, followed by brackets and wires. Three different temporal metal release profiles were observed: (1) constant, though not necessarily linear release, (2) saturation (metal release stopped after a certain time), and (3) an intermediate release profile that showed signs of saturation without reaching saturation. These temporal metal liberation profiles were found to be strongly dependent on the individual test pieces. The corrosion products which developed on some of the bands after a 6-month immersion in artificial saliva and the different metal release profiles of the investigated bands were traced back to different attachments welded onto the bands. The use of constant release rates will clearly underestimate metal intake by the patient during the first couple of days and overestimate exposure during the remainder of the treatment which is usually several months long. While our data are consistent with heavy metal release by orthodontic materials at levels well below typical dietary intake, we nevertheless recommend the use of titanium brackets and replacement of the band with a tube in cases of severe Ni or Cr allergy.

  10. Dendrimer brain uptake and targeted therapy for brain injury in a large animal model of hypothermic circulatory arrest.

    PubMed

    Mishra, Manoj K; Beaty, Claude A; Lesniak, Wojciech G; Kambhampati, Siva P; Zhang, Fan; Wilson, Mary A; Blue, Mary E; Troncoso, Juan C; Kannan, Sujatha; Johnston, Michael V; Baumgartner, William A; Kannan, Rangaramanujam M

    2014-03-25

    Treatment of brain injury following circulatory arrest is a challenging health issue with no viable therapeutic options. Based on studies in a clinically relevant large animal (canine) model of hypothermic circulatory arrest (HCA)-induced brain injury, neuroinflammation and excitotoxicity have been identified as key players in mediating the brain injury after HCA. Therapy with large doses of valproic acid (VPA) showed some neuroprotection but was associated with adverse side effects. For the first time in a large animal model, we explored whether systemically administered polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers could be effective in reaching target cells in the brain and deliver therapeutics. We showed that, upon systemic administration, hydroxyl-terminated PAMAM dendrimers are taken up in the brain of injured animals and selectively localize in the injured neurons and microglia in the brain. The biodistribution in other major organs was similar to that seen in small animal models. We studied systemic dendrimer-drug combination therapy with two clinically approved drugs, N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) (attenuating neuroinflammation) and valproic acid (attenuating excitotoxicity), building on positive outcomes in a rabbit model of perinatal brain injury. We prepared and characterized dendrimer-NAC (D-NAC) and dendrimer-VPA (D-VPA) conjugates in multigram quantities. A glutathione-sensitive linker to enable for fast intracellular release. In preliminary efficacy studies, combination therapy with D-NAC and D-VPA showed promise in this large animal model, producing 24 h neurological deficit score improvements comparable to high dose combination therapy with VPA and NAC, or free VPA, but at one-tenth the dose, while significantly reducing the adverse side effects. Since adverse side effects of drugs are exaggerated in HCA, the reduced side effects with dendrimer conjugates and suggestions of neuroprotection offer promise for these nanoscale drug delivery systems.

  11. Dendrimer Brain Uptake and Targeted Therapy for Brain Injury in a Large Animal Model of Hypothermic Circulatory Arrest

    PubMed Central

    2015-01-01

    Treatment of brain injury following circulatory arrest is a challenging health issue with no viable therapeutic options. Based on studies in a clinically relevant large animal (canine) model of hypothermic circulatory arrest (HCA)-induced brain injury, neuroinflammation and excitotoxicity have been identified as key players in mediating the brain injury after HCA. Therapy with large doses of valproic acid (VPA) showed some neuroprotection but was associated with adverse side effects. For the first time in a large animal model, we explored whether systemically administered polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers could be effective in reaching target cells in the brain and deliver therapeutics. We showed that, upon systemic administration, hydroxyl-terminated PAMAM dendrimers are taken up in the brain of injured animals and selectively localize in the injured neurons and microglia in the brain. The biodistribution in other major organs was similar to that seen in small animal models. We studied systemic dendrimer–drug combination therapy with two clinically approved drugs, N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) (attenuating neuroinflammation) and valproic acid (attenuating excitotoxicity), building on positive outcomes in a rabbit model of perinatal brain injury. We prepared and characterized dendrimer-NAC (D-NAC) and dendrimer-VPA (D-VPA) conjugates in multigram quantities. A glutathione-sensitive linker to enable for fast intracellular release. In preliminary efficacy studies, combination therapy with D-NAC and D-VPA showed promise in this large animal model, producing 24 h neurological deficit score improvements comparable to high dose combination therapy with VPA and NAC, or free VPA, but at one-tenth the dose, while significantly reducing the adverse side effects. Since adverse side effects of drugs are exaggerated in HCA, the reduced side effects with dendrimer conjugates and suggestions of neuroprotection offer promise for these nanoscale drug delivery systems. PMID:24499315

  12. Importance of the autumn overturn and anoxic conditions in the hypolimnion for the annual methane emissions from a temperate lake.

    PubMed

    Encinas Fernández, Jorge; Peeters, Frank; Hofmann, Hilmar

    2014-07-01

    Changes in the budget of dissolved methane measured in a small temperate lake over 1 year indicate that anoxic conditions in the hypolimnion and the autumn overturn period represent key factors for the overall annual methane emissions from lakes. During periods of stable stratification, large amounts of methane accumulate in anoxic deep waters. Approximately 46% of the stored methane was emitted during the autumn overturn, contributing ∼80% of the annual diffusive methane emissions to the atmosphere. After the overturn period, the entire water column was oxic, and only 1% of the original quantity of methane remained in the water column. Current estimates of global methane emissions assume that all of the stored methane is released, whereas several studies of individual lakes have suggested that a major fraction of the stored methane is oxidized during overturns. Our results provide evidence that not all of the stored methane is released to the atmosphere during the overturn period. However, the fraction of stored methane emitted to the atmosphere during overturn may be substantially larger and the fraction of stored methane oxidized may be smaller than in the previous studies suggesting high oxidation losses of methane. The development or change in the vertical extent and duration of the anoxic hypolimnion, which can represent the main source of annual methane emissions from small lakes, may be an important aspect to consider for impact assessments of climate warming on the methane emissions from lakes.

  13. Modeling and identifying the sources of radiocesium contamination in separate sewerage systems.

    PubMed

    Pratama, Mochamad Adhiraga; Yoneda, Minoru; Yamashiki, Yosuke; Shimada, Yoko; Matsui, Yasuto

    2018-05-01

    The Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant accident released radiocesium in large amounts. The released radionuclides contaminated much of the surrounding environment, including sewers in urban areas of Fukushima prefecture. In this study we attempted to identify and quantify the sources of radiocesium contamination in separate sewerage systems and developed a compartment model based on the Radionuclide Migration in Urban Environments and Drainage Systems (MUD) model. Measurements of the time-dependent radiocesium concentration in sewer sludge combined with meteorological, demographic, and radiocesium dietary intake data indicated that rainfall-derived inflow and infiltration (RDII) and human excretion were the chief contributors of radiocesium contamination in a separate sewerage system. The quantities of contamination derived from RDII and human excretion were calculated and used in the modified MUD model to simulate radiocesium contamination in sewers in three urban areas in Fukushima prefecture: Fukushima, Koriyama, and Nihonmatsu Cities. The Nash efficiency coefficient (0.88-0.92) and determination coefficient (0.89-0.93) calculated in an evaluation of our compartment model indicated that the model produced satisfactory results. We also used the model to estimate the total volume of sludge with radiocesium concentrations in excess of the clearance level, based on the number of months elapsed after the accident. Estimations by our model suggested that wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in Fukushima, Koriyama, and Nihonmatsu generated about 1,750,000m 3 of radioactive sludge in total, a level in good agreement with the real data. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS) for extended-release and long-acting opioid analgesics: considerations for palliative care practice.

    PubMed

    Gudin, Jeffrey

    2012-06-01

    Prescription opioid analgesics are an essential treatment option for patients with moderate to severe pain. Over the last decade the increased medical use of these agents has contributed to a public health epidemic of abuse, addiction, and overdose-related deaths. These medications remain mainstays in both primary care and pain management practices. As palliative services are incorporated at earlier stages of the disease process and the number of individuals with chronic illness increases, palliative care specialists may encounter an increasing number of patients with opioid abuse and addiction problems. Extended-release (ER) and long-acting (LA) opioid formulations are administered to patients with moderate to severe chronic pain requiring around-the-clock analgesia. Given the large quantity of active ingredient contained within some dosage strengths, this medication class is associated with serious risks when taken improperly. In response to growing reports of abuse and overdose deaths, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the need for a risk mitigation strategy for the entire class of medication. The class-wide Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) for ER/LA opioids will emphasize prescriber training and patient education to ensure that the therapeutic benefits outweigh the risks of addiction, unintentional overdose, and death. As primary care, pain management, and palliative care clinicians often encounter patients who require ER/LA opioids, an understanding of the suggested requirements and potential impact of this regulation is essential.

  15. Biodegradable Chitosan Magnetic Nanoparticle Carriers for Sub-Cellular Targeting Delivery of Artesunate for Efficient Treatment of Breast Cancer

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Subramanian, Natesan; Abimanyu, Sugumaran; Vinoth, Jeevanesan; Sekar, Ponnusamy Chandra

    2010-12-01

    Artesunate is a semi-synthetic derivative of artemisinin, the active principle extracted from Artemisia annua. It possesses good anti-proliferative activity and anti-angiogenic activity with very low toxicity to normal healthy cells. The drawback of most cancer drugs is their inability to accumulate selectively in the cancerous cells. So, large quantities of doses have to be administered to get the required therapeutic concentration in the target site and it resulted in many serious side effects due to the exposure of healthy cells to higher concentrations of cytotoxic drugs. The problem may be solved by selectively and quantitatively accumulating the drug at target site using magnetic nanoparticles guided by an externally applied magnetic field. A modest attempt has been made in this present study, the artesunate magnetic nanoparticle was successfully formulated using two forms of chitosan and evaluated for its in-vitro characteristics like surface morphology, particle size and distribution, zeta potential, magnetic susceptibility, encapsulation efficiency, loading capacity and in-vitro drug release. The synthesized magnetite size was 73 nm and the size of developed magnetic nanoparticles of artesunate was in the range of 90 to 575 nm. Acetic acid soluble chitosan at low concentration exhibit highest encapsulation efficiency and drug loading whereas increase in water soluble chitosan concentration increases the encapsulation efficiency and drug loading in formulations. The developed chitosan magnetic nanoparticles of artesunate shows better release characteristics and may be screened for its in-vivo breast cancer activity.

  16. Calcium Stearate as an Effective Alternative to Poly(vinyl alcohol) in Poly-Lactic-co-Glycolic Acid Nanoparticles Synthesis.

    PubMed

    Cella, Claudia; Gerges, Irini; Milani, Paolo; Lenardi, Cristina; Argentiere, Simona

    2017-02-13

    Poly(d,l-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles (NPs) are among the most studied systems for drug and gene targeting. So far, the synthesis of stable and uniform PLGA NPs has involved the use of a large excess of polyvinyl surfactants such as poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), whose removal requires multistep purification procedures of high ecological and economic impact. Hence the development of environment-friendly and cost-effective synthetic procedures for the synthesis of PLGA NPs would effectively boost their use in clinics. This work aims to address this issue by investigating more efficacious alternatives to the so far employed polyvinyl surfactants. More specifically, we developed an innovative synthetic process to achieve stable and uniformly distributed PLGA NPs that involves the use of calcium stearate (CSt), gaining benefits of its high biocompatibility and efficacy at low concentrations and avoiding consequently expensive purification steps. With the help of minimum quantities of polysorbate 60 and sorbitane monostearate, CSt-stabilized PLGA NPs with different sizes and structures were synthesized. The influence of CSt on the encapsulation efficiency of bioactive molecules has been also investigated. The effective encapsulation of both hydrophobic (curcumin) and hydrophilic (fibrinogen labeled with Alexa647) biomolecules into NPs was demonstrated by confocal microscopy, and their release quantified by spectrofluorimetric analyses. Finally, degradation and cytotoxicity studies showed that CSt stabilized NPs were stable under physiological conditions and with good biocompatibility, thus looking promising for further investigation as controlled release devices.

  17. 3D Inversion of Induced Polarization Data From Borehole Measurements to Map Subsurface Contaminations of Tetrachloroethylene and Trichloroethylene.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Briggs, V. A.; Sogade, J.; Minsley, B.; Lambert, M.; Coles, D.; Repert, P.; Morgan, F.; Rossabi, J.; Riha, B.

    2003-12-01

    The purpose of this study is to image contaminant plumes of tetrachloroethylene (PCE) and Trichloroethylene (TCE) in a subsurface environment. PCE and TCE have been used in the metals fabrication industry since the start of the second word war and subsequently millions of tons of these chemicals have been released in to the environment. Once in the water supply these contaminants are difficult to remove and can be toxic at the part per billion level. Remediation at the source of many of these contaminated sites, in the form of vapour extraction, can effectively remove alot of the chemicals but without techniques to delineate the size and shape of the contaminated zone, or to monitor the effectiveness of the remediation effort, it is difficult to quantify the remediation success. Using complex resistivity methods it is possible to determine the spatial extent and concentration of these chemicals due to their effect on the pore space chemistry. Even at parts per billion the contaminantas can significantly alter the IP signature enabling detection. Data were collected from a site in South Carolina where these chemcals are known to have been released in large quantities from the 1950's through to the 1980's. Induced Polarization data were measured in a multi-borehole environment to ensure good data coverage. Data is inverted using a 3D finite difference bi-conjugate gradient method and correlated to ground truth boreholes within the region of interest.

  18. Occurrence and fate of acrylamide in water-recycling systems and sludge in aggregate industries.

    PubMed

    Junqua, Guillaume; Spinelli, Sylvie; Gonzalez, Catherine

    2015-05-01

    Acrylamide is a hazardous substance having irritant and toxic properties as well as carcinogen, mutagen, and impaired fertility possible effects. Acrylamide might be found in the environment as a consequence of the use of polyacrylamides (PAMs) widely added as a flocculant for water treatment. Acrylamide is a monomer used to produce polyacrylamide (PAM) polymers. This reaction of polymerization can be incomplete, and acrylamide molecules can be present as traces in the commercial polymer. Thus, the use of PAMs may generate a release of acrylamide in the environment. In aggregate industries, PAM is widely involved in recycling process and water reuse (aggregate washing). Indeed, these industries consume large quantities of water. Thus, European and French regulations have favored loops of recycling of water in order to reduce water withdrawals. The main goal of this article is to study the occurrence and fate of acrylamide in water-recycling process as well as in the sludge produced by the flocculation treatment process in aggregate production plants. Moreover, to strengthen the relevance of this article, the objective is also to demonstrate if the recycling system leads to an accumulation effect in waters and sludge and if free acrylamide could be released by sludge during their storage. To reach this objective, water sampled at different steps of recycling water process has been analyzed as well as different sludge corresponding to various storage times. The obtained results reveal no accumulation effect in the water of the water-recycling system nor in the sludge.

  19. Estimation of post-Katrina debris volume: An example from coastal Mississippi: Chapter 3E in Science and the storms-the USGS response to the hurricanes of 2005

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Hansen, Mark; Howd, Peter; Sallenger, Asbury; Wright, C. Wayne; Lillycrop, Jeff

    2007-01-01

    Hurricane Katrina severely impacted coastal Mississippi, creating large quantities of building and vegetation debris. This paper summarizes techniques to estimate vegetation and nonvegetation debris quantities from light detection and ranging (lidar) data and presents debris volume results for Harrison County, Miss.

  20. 7 CFR 201.33 - Seed in bulk or large quantities; seed for cleaning or processing.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... quantities; seed for cleaning or processing. (a) In the case of seed in bulk, the information required under... seeds. (b) Seed consigned to a seed cleaning or processing establishment, for cleaning or processing for... pertaining to such seed show that it is “Seed for processing,” or, if the seed is in containers and in...

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