Mass transport into the interior of biofilms and biological aggregates is a critical factor that affects their metabolic activity. In this study, we demonstrated the utility of a simple procedure that combines confocal reflection microscopy and fluorescent confocal laser scanning microscopy to visually explain the effects of biofilm structure on mass transport.   

How neurons convert the presence of factors at their axon terminals into signals that affect mechanisms in their cell bodies is unknown, but retrograde axonal transport of the factors themselves may be involved. Nerve growth factor (NGF) and leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) have previously been shown to produce changes in cell bodies of sympathetic neurons when applied to their peripheral neurites, and it is well established that NGF is retrogradely transported along sympathetic axons. In this study we show that 125I-LIF applied to terminal neurites of rat sympathetic neurons in compartmented cultures is retrogradely transported, but at a much lower level compared to the retrograde transport of 125I-NGF. Transport of 125I-LIF was competed by cotreatment with unlabeled LIF and was blocked by cotreatment with dinitrophenol. The rate of 125I-LIF transport was independent of NGF concentration. However, both 125I-LIF and 125I-NGF transport was reduced by pretreating neurons with LIF. SDS-PAGE analysis showed that retrogradely transported radiolabel which accumulated in cell body-containing extracts following transport of both 125I-LIF and 125I-NGF consisted of intact as well as partially processed species. Radiolabel also accumulated in the medium bathing the cell bodies and migrated near the dye front on SDS-PAGE, implying that both factors were extensively degraded and released by the neurons. These results are consistent with the suggestion that the retrograde transport of LIF, as thought for NGF, may be important for retrograde signaling mechanisms. PMID:7512056

Data pertaining to nonmotion factors affecting ride quality of transport aircraft were obtained as part of NASA in-house and sponsored research studies carried out onboard commuter-airline and research aircraft. From these data, quantitative effects on passenger discomfort of seat width, seat legroom, change in cabin pressure, and cabin noise are presented. Visual cue effects are also discussed.

This paper provides an overview of main problems affecting the development of North Korean regions. It recognizes the importance of transport and logistics as key factors in regional economic growth. A critical overview of main economic areas in terms of market size, industrial specializations, acce...

The structure and composition of the oocyst wall are primary factors determining the survival of Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts outside the host. An external polymer matrix (glycocalyx) may mediate interactions with environmental surfaces and, thus, affect the transport of oocysts in water, soil, an...

The environmental concern and availability of fuels are greatly affecting the trends of fuels for transportation vehicles. Biodiesel is one of the options as alternative transport fuel. This can be produced from straight vegetable oils (SVOs), oils extracted from various plant species and animal fats. Amongst many resources, availability and cost economy are the major factors affecting the large scale production of the biodiesels. The transesterification is one of the production processes for biodiesel, but incomplete esterification of all fatty acids in the starting material, lengthy purification methods such as water washing, relatively long reaction times, contamination and separation difficulties associated with co-production of glycerol and saponification of the starting material unde...

Coal log pipeline (CLP) is an emerging technology for long-distance transportation of coal that has many potential advantages over conventional modes of coal transportation including truck, unit train, and slurry pipelines. For CLP to be technically and economically feasible, the coal logs must be water-resistant and wear-resistant. No more than 3% of weight loss due to wear can be tolerated during pipeline transport. This paper gives data that suggest that such logs can be produced by compaction in a mold. Various factors that affect coal-log wear resistance are described, and methods to produce high-quality logs are discussed. Both laboratory and field tests data are used.

Various mechanisms can influence the intestinal absorption and oral bioavailability of drugs. The barrier effects of efflux transporters may be one of the critical factors limiting the bioavailability of certain drugs. It has been reported that multidrug resistance-associated protein 2 (Mrp2) is expressed in the mucosal membrane of the epithelium of the small intestine and secretes various drugs into the jejunum lumen. However, it is possible that total intestinal secretion of Mrp2 substrates is accounted for the contribution of Mrp2 and other transporter(s) to the intestinal secretion of Mrp2 substrates. In this study, we found that phenolsulfonphthalein and pravastatin, both Mrp2 substrates, are transported by different transport systems in the intestine. These results suggest that contribution of transporters to the drug transport may be a critical factor affecting drug disposition and drug–drug interaction. In addition to evaluating the substrate specificity of a transporter, it is important to be aware of the contribution of a transporter to drug disposition.   

The concentration of urea in milk (MUC) has emerged as a potentially useful tool to predict urinary N excretion. Various factors may affect the relationship between MUC and urinary N excretion, including transport characteristics of urea from blood to milk and vice versa. The main objective of this study was to test whether substantial transport of urea from milk to blood exists in lactating dairy cattle. The subobjectives were (1) to assess the effects of various urea gradient levels between blood and milk on urea transport from milk to blood and (2) to test the occurrence of urea transport between different compartments of the mammary gland such as the cistern and the alveoli. Urea transport was studied in 2 multiparous lactating Holstein-Friesian cows (36.0+/-6.18kg of milk/d; mean +/- ...

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the primary cause of vision loss in elderly people of western European ancestry. Genetic, dietary, and environmental factors affect tissue concentrations of macular xanthophylls (MXs) within retinal cell types manifesting AMD pathology. In this article we review the history and state of science on the putative role of the MXs (lutein, zeaxanthin, and meso-zeaxanthin) in AMD and report findings on AMD-associated genes encoding enzymes, transporters, ligands, and receptors affecting or affected by MXs. We then use this context to discuss emerging research opportunities that offer promise for meaningful investigation and inference in the field. PMID:23053548

This paper presents cost effective measures to reduce CO2 emissions in the air freight sector. One door-to-door transport chain is studied in detail from a Scandinavian city to a city in southern Europe. The transport chain was selected by a group of representatives from the air freight sector in order to encompass general characteristics within the sector. Three different ways of shipping air cargo are studied, i.e., by air freighter, as belly freight (in passenger aircrafts) and trucking. CO2 emissions are calculated for each part of the transport chain and its relative importance towards the total amount CO2 emitted during the whole transport chain is shown. It is confirmed that the most CO2 emitting part of the transport chain is the actual flight and that it is in the take-off and climbing phases that most fuel are burned. It is also known that the technical development of aircraft implies a reduction in fuel consumption for each new generation of aircraft. Thus, the aircraft manufacturers have an important role in this development. Having confirmed these observations, this paper focuses on other factors that significantly affects the fuel consumption. Analyzed factors are, e.g., optimization of speed and altitude, traffic management, congestion on and around the airfields, tankering, "latest acceptance time" for goods and improving the load factor. The different factors relative contribution to the total emission levels for the transport chain has been estimated.

Background Outborn infants born at community hospitals and transported to tertiary neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) for treatment account for 20% of all tertiary NICU admissions in Canada. Little is known about variations in their outcomes. The Transport Risk Index of Physiologic Stability (TRIPS) is a validated score of neonatal physiological status that can identify differences between transport teams' outcomes.Objective To examine regional variations in outcomes among outborn infants transported to Canadian tertiary NICUs using TRIPS.Design and Methods Transport teams prospectively collected data for all outborn infants admitted to 25 Canadian NICUs during 2006 to 2007. Singleton outborn infants ? 32 weeks' gestation admitted to NICUs for at least 24 hours who died or who were transferred to another NICU within 24 hours were examined for overall incidence of mortality, major morbidity, and change in TRIPS score.Results Complete transport data were available for 2313 (72.9%) of 3193 eligible infants. There were significant variations in interhospital and interprovincial outcomes. Factors significantly affecting change in TRIPS score were gender, pretransport TRIPS score, composition of transport team and distance traveled.Conclusion Significant variation exists in transport outcomes in Canada. Further investigation is required to optimize infant transport systems, processes, and clinical care. PMID:22918675

Abnormal fetal growth increases the risk for perinatal complications and predisposes for the development of obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease later in life. Emerging evidence suggests that changes in placental amino acid transport directly contribute to altered fetal growth. However, the molecular mechanisms regulating placental amino acid transport are largely unknown. Herein, we combined siRNA mediated silencing approaches with protein expression/localization and functional studies in cultured primary human trophoblast cells to test the hypothesis that mammalian target of rapamycin Complex 1 (mTORC1) and 2 (mTORC2) regulate amino acid transporters by post-translational mechanisms. Silencing of mTORC1 or mTORC2 markedly decreased basal System A and System L amino acid transport activity but had no effect on growth factor stimulated amino acid uptake. Simultaneous silencing of mTORC1 and 2 completely inhibited both basal and growth factor stimulated amino acid transport activity. In contrast, mTOR silencing had no effect on serotonin transport. mTORC1 or mTORC2 silencing markedly decreased the plasma membrane expression of specific System A (SNAT 2, SLC38A2) and System L (LAT 1, SLC7A5) transporter isoforms without affecting global protein expression. In conclusion, mTORC1 and mTORC2 regulate human trophoblast amino acid transporters by modulating the cell surface abundance of specific transporter isoforms. This is the first report showing regulation of amino acid transport by mTORC2. Because placental mTOR activity and amino acid transport are decreased in human intrauterine growth restriction our data are consistent with the possibility that dysregulation of placental mTOR plays an important role in the development of abnormal fetal growth. PMID:23165769

Road planning practice relies almost exclusively on parameters related to traffic factors, such as private vehicle speeds and volumes. In many developing countries the requirements for public transport and non-motorised transport are not explicitly integrated into the planning process, despite the fact that these form the primary mode of transport for the majority of the population. This affects the mobility opportunities for these sectors of the population and contributes to poor road safety, especially with regards to pedestrians. The research outlined in the paper posits that, in order to assess the usage and needs of the road holistically, other factors related to the adjacent land uses, socio-economic characteristics of the population the road serves, and the environmental context wit...

ABSTRACT: Aim:- The aim of this analysis was to know whether these three cytokine polymorphisms, including interleukin-6 (IL-6; -572 G/C), tumour necrosis factor- (TNF-; -308 G/A), and IL-10 (-592 A/C) have an effect on baseline peritoneal transport property and longitudinal evolution of peritoneal function. Methods:- A total of 141 stable peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients with mean treatment duration of 84.4--34.2-months were enrolled. We genotyped these three cytokine polymorphisms, together with clinical parameters that were included as factors affecting longitudinal change of property of peritoneal transport over the first 3-year period after commencing therapy. Results:- There was no significant association between genotypes and baseline peritoneal transport property. The -592 A/C pol...

Abstract in spanish Con el objeto de determinar los factores iniciales que pueden afectar la sobrevivencia de postlarvas de camarón durante el proceso de larvicultura, se muestrearon tres laboratorios ubicados en la costa Atlántica de Colombia, cubriendo 71 lotes de nauplios en un período de 10 meses durante 1996. Para cada lote de nauplios se hizo seguimiento de variables cualitativas (origen, modo de transporte, presencia de bacterias en el agua de transporte) y variables cuantitativas (more) (tiempo y densidad de transporte, características de la calidad del agua, proporciones de cada estadío y deformidad de los nauplios). Las variables calidad del agua y densidad (nauplios/l) se evaluaron durante los procesos de empaque, transporte, recepción, aclimatación y siembra de los nauplios en finca. Para evaluar la relación entre las variables cualitativas y la sobrevivencia en larvicultura, se hizo un análisis de varianza de varios factores, mientras que para las variables cuantitativas se desarrolló un modelo de regresión múltiple. Las variables con influencia significativa (P Abstract in english In order to identify initial factors that can affect shrimp postlarvae survival during larval rearing, three larval rearing facilities from the Caribbean coast of Colombia were sampled for 71 nauplii batches during 10 months of 1996. For each batch, qualitative variables (origin, transportation mode, presence of bacteria in transport water) and quantitative variables (transportation time and density, physicochemical parameters of the water, proportion of each nauplii stag (more) e and of deformed nauplii) were monitored. Water quality and density (nauplii/l) variables were monitored during the whole process of nauplii packing, transport, reception, acclimatization and stocking. To evaluate the relationship between qualitative variables and larval rearing survival, a multiple factor variance analysis was run, while, for quantitative variables, a stepwise multiple regression model was developed. Variables with significative (P

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a fatal genetic disease caused by mutations in the CFTR (cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator) gene, which regulates chloride and water transport across all epithelia and affects multiple organs, including the lungs. Here we report an in vitro directed differentiation protocol for generating functional CFTR-expressing airway epithelia from human embryonic stem cells. Carefully timed treatment by exogenous growth factors that mimic endoderm developmental pathways in vivo followed by air-liquid interface culture results in maturation of patches of tight junctionâ??????coupled differentiated airway epithelial cells that demonstrate active CFTR transport function. As a proof of concept, treatment of CF patient induced pluripotent stem cellâ??????derived...

Abstract in english Aerosol size distributions from 6 to 700 nm were measured simultaneously at an urban background site and a roadside station in Oporto. The particle number concentration was higher at the traffic exposed site, where up to 90% of the size spectrum was dominated by the nucleation mode. Larger aerosol mode diameters were observed in the urban background site possibly due to the coagulation processes or uptake of gases during transport. Factor analysis has shown that road traf (more) fic and the neighbour stationary sources localised upwind affect the urban area thought intra-regional pollutant transport.

  As the importance of drug transporters in the clinical pharmacokinetics of drugs is recognized, genetic polymorphisms of drug transporters have emerged as one of the determinant factors to produce the inter-individual variability of pharmacokinetics. Many clinical studies have shown the influence of genetic polymorphisms of drug transporters on the pharmacokinetics and subsequent pharmacological and toxicological effects of drugs. The functional change in a transporter in clearance organs such as liver and kidney affects the drug concentration in the blood circulation, while that in the pharmacological or toxicological target can alter the local concentration at the target sites without changing its plasma concentration. As for the transporters for organic anions, some single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) or haplotypes occurring with high frequency in organic anion transporting polypeptide (OATP) 1B1, multidrug resistance 1 (MDR1), and breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP) have been extensively investigated in both human clinical studies and in vitro functional assays.    We introduce some examples showing the relationship between haplotypes in transporters and pharmacokinetics and pharmacological effects of drugs. We also discuss how to predict the effect of functional changes in drug transporters caused by genetic polymorphisms on the pharmacokinetics of drugs from in vitro data.   

...Affecting Transportation of Agricultural Commodities and Farm Supplies AGENCY: Federal Motor...in the transportation of agricultural commodities and farm supplies. Section 32101 of...certain carriers transporting agricultural commodities and farm supplies and section...

Nitrogen (N) is an essential macronutrient and an important factor limiting agricultural productivity. N deficient or excess conditions often occur during the cotton growth season and incorrect N application may affect cotton fiber yield and quality. Here, the influence of N stress on the cotton fiber proteome was investigated by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry. The results indicated that N application rate affects nitrogen accumulation in fiber cells and fiber length. The proteins differentially expressed during N stress were mainly related to plant carbohydrate metabolism, cell wall component synthesis and transportation, protein/amino acid metabolism, antioxidation and hormone metabolism. The most abundant proteins were C metabolism-related. Ten days post anthe...

Nowadays the development of bioenergy in Russian Karelia is hindered by various factors. However, the development of modern cut-to-length harvesting techniques, available wood resources and Russian customs policy have created opportunities to export forest chips from Russian Karelia to Finland. An important factor for the export is the total supply cost of Russian forest chips to Finland. This depends to a large degree on the costs of transportation of the forest chips. In this study the efficiency and costs of cross-border transportation of forest chips were analysed and compared with the efficiency and costs of transportation of forest chips of Finnish origin. Data collected from various companies involved in forest chip production and their supply from Russia to Finland were used to calculate the costs of cross-border transportation of forest chips and to estimate the average productivity of chip trucks delivering from Russia to Finland. These outputs were compared with the transportation costs and productivity of chip trucks within Finland and Russia. Truck drivers involved in cross-border transportation of forest chips were also interviewed to determine factors affecting the efficiency of forest chips transportation. In addition, the quality characteristics of the Russian forest chips being supplied to Finland were analysed. Analysis of transportation costs showed that the highest costs for the 80 km reference distance are those within Finland - 4.7 euro/loose m3, the costs on the cross-border route studied, from Lendery (Republic of Karelia) to Lieksa (Finland) through the Inari border crossing point, are 3.4 euro/loose m3 and transportation costs within Russia are 3.5 euro/loose m3. Transportation costs as a proportion of the total supply costs were highest for forest chips imported from Russia at 26%, whereas in Finland and Russia they were 23% and 19% respectively. According to the results of the interviews, bad road conditions and idle time on the border were recognized as the main factors decreasing the efficiency of cross-border transportation. Analysis of the quality characteristics of forest chips exported from Russia to Finland did not reveal major differences compared to forest chips of Finnish origin. If the factors mentioned above are adequately taken into account in the decision-making process, this should improve the efficiency of forest chips export from Russian Karelia to Finland as well as its cost-competitiveness with other competing fuels. (orig.)

The Bureau of Mines publication provides locational, geological, and operational data in abstracted format for about 200 mineral deposits representing 16 commodities that are considered to be important to the economies of the United States and Arizona. Each of these commodities is discussed in terms of its history, physical and chemical properties, uses, and occurrence in Arizona. Institutional and infrastructural factors that affect mineral development in Arizona are also presented. These factors include regulation, taxation, and availability of utilities, transportation, and mineral processing facilities.

Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) may affect the transport of pollutants from incineration residues when landfilled or used in geotechnical construction. The leaching of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) from municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) bottom ash and air pollution control residue (APC) from the incineration of waste wood was investigated. Factors affecting the mobility of DOC were studied in a reduced 26-1 experimental design. Controlled factors were treatment with ultrasonic radiation, full carbonation (addition of CO2 until the pH was stable for 2.5h), liquid-to-solid (L/S) ratio, pH, leaching temperature and time.Full carbonation, pH and the L/S ratio were the main factors controlling the mobility of DOC in the bottom ash. Approximately 60weight-% of the total organic carbon (T...

A theoretical rationale, which could help in the investigation of mechanobiological factors affecting periprosthetic tissue healing, is still an open problem. We used a parametric sensitivity analysis to extend a theoretical model based on reactive transport and computational cell biology. The numerical experimentation involved the drill hole, the haptotactic and chemotactic migrations, and the initial concentration of an anabolic growth factor. Output measure was the mineral fraction in tissue surrounding a polymethymethacrylate (PMMA) canine implant (stable loaded implant, non-critical gap). Increasing growth factor concentration increased structural matrix synthesis. A cell adhesion gradient resulted in heterogeneous bone distribution and a growth factor gradient resulted in homogeneous bone distribution in the gap. This could explain the radial variation of bone density from the implant surface to the drill hole, indicating less secure fixation. This study helps to understand the relative importance of various host and clinical factors influencing bone distribution and resulting implant fixation.

Spintronics is the ability of injecting, manipulating and detecting electron spins into solid state systems. Molecular-electronics investigates the possibility of making electronic devices using organic molecules. Traditionally these two burgeoning areas have lived separate lives, but recently a growing number of experiments have indicated a possible pathway towards their integration. This is the playground for molecular-spintronics, where spin-polarized currents are carried through molecules, and in turn they can affect the state of the molecule. We review the most recent advances in molecular-spintronics. In particular we discuss how a fully quantitative theory for spin-transport in nanostructures can offer fundamental insights into the main factors affecting spin-transport at the molecular level, and can help in designing novel concept devices.

In Japan, bus transportation with resident participation increases in areas where conventional bus services are not provided. Resident participation is based upon social capital, which consists of companionship, participation, trust and reciprocity. However there have been no studies about relation between bus services with resident' participation and using social capital. This research attempts to clarify factors that influence attitude of residents to participation in bus transportation using the "social capital" concept. Questionnaire-based research is conducted in an area where bus service with resident participation is under planning. This research focuses on securing funds and supplying the bus in management of bus transportation service. Our analysis indicates that social capital affected to burden charge for the bus from all residents and willingness to participate as volunteer driver.   

The hydrology, sediment, and pesticide transport components of the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) were evaluated on the northern San Joaquin Valley watershed of California. The Nash Sutcliffe coefficients for monthly stream flow and sediment load ranged from 0.49 to 0.99 over the watershed during the study period of 1992 to 2005. The calibrated SWAT model was applied to simulate fate and transport processes of two organophosphate pesticides of diazinon and chlorpyrifos at watershed scale. The model generated satisfactory predictions of dissolved pesticide loads relative to the monitoring data. The model also showed great success in capturing spatial patterns of dissolved diazinon and chlorpyrifos loads according to the soil properties and landscape morphology over the large agricultural watershed. This study indicated that curve number was the major factor influencing the hydrology while pesticide fate and transport were mainly affected by surface runoff and pesticide application timing in the study area.

After the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear plant on 26 April 1986, much of Europe was affected by radioactive pollution. The first releases were transported toward Scandinavia, where most of the fallout was attributable to wet deposition. This study analyzes the synoptic scale and mesoscale meteorological conditions influencing the transport, and the meteorological factors related to the observed fallout in southern Finland. The study focuses on the role of rainfall in the final deposition onto the ground, studied using weather radar data. The results demonstrate that, although the large scale transport from Chernobyl could be roughly estimated by simple methods using routine synoptic data, sonic essential smaller-scale features could not be understood before an isentropic trajectory analysis, together with the conceptual model of a cyclone and its related conveyor belts, was applied. The main result of the study was the good correlation between the radioactive fallout and the corresponding areal distribution of rainfall measured by a weather radar.

Recently several articles have been published that question the appropriateness of the distribution coefficient, Rd, concept to quantify radionuclide migration. Several distinct issues are raised by various critics. In this paper I provide some perspective on issues surrounding the modeling of nuclide retardation. The first section defines adsorption terminology and discusses various adsorption processes. The next section describes five commonly used adsorption conceptual models, specifically emphasizing what attributes that affect adsorption are explicitly accommodated in each model. I also review efforts to incorporate each adsorption model into performance assessment transport computer codes. The five adsorption conceptual models are (1) the constant Rd model, (2) the parametric Rd model, (3) isotherm adsorption models, (4) mass-action adsorption models, and (5) surface-complexation with electrostatics models. The final section discusses the adequacy of the distribution ratio concept, the adequacy of transport calculations that rely on constant retardation factors and the status of incorporating sophisticated adsorption models into transport codes.

This dissertation explores the impact of gasoline prices and transportation policies on consumer behavior through three separate channels: (1) by affecting the relative operating costs of the vehicles in a household's garage, (2) through stimulation of vehicle purchases due to the Cash-for-Clunkers policy, and (3) due to the availability and accessibility of high quality public transportation. Each of these channels is explored in a separate chapter. The first chapter presents a discrete-continuous household vehicle bundle model, where the household's choice of vehicles and vehicle miles traveled (VMT) is affected by gasoline prices and household and vehicle characteristics. I employ a revealed preference approach that allows for an unlimited choice set, within household vehicle substitution, vehicle specific fixed effects, and unobserved consumer heterogeneity. I use detailed micro-data from the National Household Transportation Survey (NHTS) 2001 and 2009 to explore how different research assumptions affect how elastic households appear to the researcher. The second chapter analyzes the impact of the Cash-for-Clunkers policy implemented in fall 2009 on vehicle demand, overall emissions, gasoline demand, and job creation. We employ a difference-in-difference estimation technique, using Canada as the control group, and find that the policy overpriced the reduction of emissions relative to other emissions reductions policies. Finally, the third chapter explores how the availability of public transportation affects how sensitive individuals are to gasoline prices. Through the use of regressions and the NHTS 2001 dataset, we find that living in a city with good public transportation allows individuals to substitute a portion of their VMT, specifically in commuting, from private to public transit options, thus increasing their sensitivity to gasoline prices. We find that a gasoline tax in conjunction with an improvement in public transportation infrastructure could significantly reduce gasoline demand more than just a gasoline tax alone. There are many factors that affect gasoline and vehicle demand- public policies, household heterogeneity, public transportation availability, and prices. This dissertation explores how different research assumptions and techniques can change how responsive individuals appear to gasoline prices, and analyzes the impact of different transportation policies on overall gasoline and vehicle demand.

Abstract in spanish Se hace una revisión sobre el metabolismo del hierro en la que se abordan su absorción y los factores que la afectan, su transporte, captación celular, almacenamiento y excreción. Se tratan los mecanismos que intervienen en la homeostasis intracelular de este mineral y se exponen los requerimientos nutricionales de los principales grupos de riesgo que desarrollan una deficiencia de este micronutriente Abstract in english A review is made on iron metabolism in which iron absorption, factors affecting this process, iron transportation, cell uptake, storage and excretion are dealt with. The mechanisms acting in the intracellular homeostasis of this mineral and the nutritional requirements of the main risk groups that develop an iron deficiency are set forth

Smolt transportation on the Snake and Columbia Rivers has been under nearly continuous study for 25 years. Most controversy surrounds transport of spring/summer chinook, so most analyses and discussion are devoted to that species. Sockeye migrate at the same time as spring/summer chinook as do the earliest of the fall chinook. Therefore, action taken o spring/summer chinook will also affect sockeye and fall chinook. Many factors influenced transportation study results including population structure change -- the shift from nearly all wild fish to nearly all hatchery fish; new dams; the number of turbines at Snake River dams alone increased from 3 in 1968 to 24 by 1979; installation of juvenile fish pass facilities; and calamitous natural events such as the 1977 drought. All the above had negative effects on the survival of wild fish in general and on transport test results specifically, except that when smolts were transported from the upper dam their survival was not influenced by new or existing structures downstream from the transport site.

Based on findings of field studies in five Javanese cities in Indonesia, this paper looks at a hierarchy of settlements and investigates what aspects of urban development and the transport sector most influences transport policy-making and planning in the country. The paper highlights the presence of a community hierarchy within these settlements with consonant trip-making patterns and the widespread mis-use of certain transport modes. The paper cross-relates observed transport problems and policy issues diagnosed from the five Javanese cities with an earlier prepared national agenda of urban transport policy issues and problems. This is done with a view to arriving at more sensitive policy and planning responses nationwide for cities of different kinds in Indonesia. The paper commences with an explanation of the settlement hierarchy and community structure employed by Indonesian government planners. An attempt is then made to relate this hierarchy and structure to the five cities studied. Within this context, factors affecting urban transport are discussed and tabulated against the above cities settlement hierarchy. These include aspects of: settlement size, structure and area; settlement development policy, urban for, density and topography; and travel and transport characteristics. An attempt is made to match this settlement hierarchy (and its constituent community structure) with a conceptualized hierarchy of transport modes, simultaneously investigating: the relationship between urban communities and assigned road hierarchies; community-based travel demand and trip-making characteristics; and the relationship between travel, speed and distance. From this an assessment is made of the performance and current use and mis-use of such transport modes.

The aim of this work is the experimental determination of effective transport properties of porous media consisting of compacted pieces of cardboard and polyethylene (PE). The proposed method itself is more general and can be applied to many different materials and contexts. Three major transport properties were determined: porosity, tortuosity factor and permeability. Three parameters characterizing the media were varied over a wide range: the bulk density, the size of the elements entering the mix, and the proportion of cardboard and PE in the mix. The properties were measured by means of a specially designed experimental device based on miscible gas tracing. The porosity and tortuosity factor were simultaneously determined by parametric identification, based on the experimental sample output response to an inlet gas concentration step change compared to the results of a direct numerical model. Permeability was calculated in the standard way from the measurement of the pressure drop across the sample. The reproducibility of the measurements was very good. It was found that changing the material density of the medium significantly affects all three structural properties. When the bulk density is varied between 300 and 900 kg m(-3), the tortuosity factor varies in a range as large as 18-8 and the permeability decreases by a ratio of 2-3. The tortuosity factor shows unusual variation, characterized by a decrease when density is increased above 500 kg m(-3). The size of the elements does not significantly affect the structural properties of the medium in the range of parameters studied. PMID:18947990

Leak-path factors (LPFs) were calculated for the Nuclear Materials Storage Facility (NMSF) located in the Plutonium Facility, Building 41 at the Los Alamos National Laboratory Technical Area 55. In the unlikely event of an accidental fire powerful enough to fail a container holding actinides, the subsequent release of oxides, modeled as PuO{sub 2} aerosols, from the facility and into the surrounding environment was predicted. A 1-h nondestructive assay (NDA) laboratory fire accident was simulated with the MELCOR severe accident analysis code. Fire-driven air movement along with wind-driven air infiltration transported a portion of these actinides from the building. This fraction is referred to as the leak-path factor. The potential effect of smoke aerosol on the transport of the actinides was investigated to verify the validity of neglecting the smoke as conservative. The input model for the NMSF consisted of a system of control volumes, flow pathways, and surfaces sufficient to model the thermal-hydraulic conditions within the facility and the aerosol transport data necessary to simulate the transport of PuO{sub 2} particles. The thermal-hydraulic, heat-transfer, and aerosol-transport models are solved simultaneously with data being exchanged between models. A MELCOR input model was designed such that it would reproduce the salient features of the fire per the corresponding CFAST calculation. Air infiltration into and out of the facility would be affected strongly by wind-driven differential pressures across the building. Therefore, differential pressures were applied to each side of the building according to guidance found in the ASHRAE handbook using a standard-velocity head equation with a leading multiplier to account for the orientation of the wind with the building. The model for the transport of aerosols considered all applicable transport processes, but the deposition within the building clearly was dominated by gravitational settling.

The factors affecting the stability of a heavy crude oil-in-water emulsion stabilized by sodium carbonate (Na2CO3) as a natural surfactant were studied. An Iranian heavy crude oil, namely West Paydar, was used as the oil phase of the emulsions. Tap water was used as the aqueous phase. Various concentrations of sodium chloride were employed to study the effect of aqueous phase salinity on the stability and interfacial tension of the emulsions. The stability and viscosity of O/W emulsions and their viability for the transportation of heavy crude oil through the pipeline were investigated. The diverse factors affecting the properties of emulsions were investigated. The study reveals that the stability of the oil-in-water emulsions was increased versus surfactant concentration due a decrease i...

Part I of this study deals with the primary energy consumption and CO(2)eq emissions of a 350tonnes/h construction and demolition waste (CDW) recycling facility, taking into account incorporated, operation and transportation impacts. It concludes that the generated impacts are mostly concentrated in operation and transportation, and that the impacts prevented through material recycling can be up to one order of magnitude greater than those generated. However, the conditions considered for the plant's operation and related transportation system may, and very likely will, vary in the near future, which will affect its environmental performance. This performance is particularly affected by the plant's installed capacity, transportation fuel and input CDW mass. In spite of the variations in overall primary energy and CO(2)eq balances, the prevented impacts are always higher than the generated impacts, at least by a factor of three and maybe even as high as 16times in particular conditions. The analysis indicates environmental performance for variations in single parameters, except for the plant's capacity, which was considered to vary simultaneously with all the others. Extreme best and worst scenarios were also generated to fit the results into extreme limits. PMID:23020927

...natural or manmade factors affecting its continued existence...warranted due to any of the factors listed under section...consequence of physical, physiological, ecological or behavioral...Natural or Manmade Factors Affecting Its Existence...

...approach affect consumer adoption...contribution factor, if we were...contribution factor would have...a system affect states...residential consumers and enterprise...contribution factor was applied...to enable consumers to make informed choices...

...Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will hold a meeting of the Aviation Security...Transportation Security Administration (TSA-28), 601 12th Street South, Arlington...Homeland Security, via the Administrator of TSA on matters affecting civil aviation...

Eukaryotic cells store neutral lipids and cholesteryl esters in cytoplasmic lipid droplets (LDs), which are generated from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Accumulating lines of evidence have indicated that Golgi-to-ER–retrograde transport mediated by COPI-coated vesicles under the control of Arf small GTPases is implicated in LD formation and utilization. However, the detailed mechanism underlying the regulation of lipid homeostasis by COPI-dependent transport has been poorly understood. Here we show that LD deposition and the cellular triacylglycerol content are significantly increased by siRNA-mediated depletion of not only ?-COP (a subunit of the COPI coat complex) but also GBF1 (a guanine nucleotide exchange factor for Arfs), Arf4 and Arf5 (class II Arfs), and ArfGAP1-ArfGAP3 (GTPase-activating proteins for Arfs). Although a previous proteomic study suggested the presence of COPI subunits and Arfs on LDs, we have failed to show that components of the GBF1-Arf-COPI-ArfGAP retrograde transport machinery are directly associated with and closely apposed to LDs. Furthermore, although recent studies suggested that COPI-mediated transport and GBF1 participated in delivery of adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL) onto the LD surface, we have found that depletion of ?-COP or GBF1 does not affect association of ATGL with LDs or ATGL-mediated lipolysis. On the basis of these results, we propose other mechanisms how the GBF1-Arf-COPI-ArfGAP transport machinery is implicated in the regulation of lipid homeostasis.   

Globalization, greenhouse gas emissions and energy concerns, emerging vehicle technologies, and improved statistical modeling capabilities make the present moment an opportune time to revisit aggregate vehicle miles traveled (VMT), energy consumption, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions forecasting for passenger transportation. Using panel data for the 48 continental states during the period 1998-2008, the authors develop simultaneous equation models for predicting VMT on different road functional classes and examine how different technological solutions and changes in fuel prices can affect passenger VMT. Moreover, a random coefficient panel data model is developed to estimate the influence of various factors (such as demographics, socioeconomic variables, fuel tax, and capacity) on the to...

Carpenter syndrome is an autosomal-recessive multiple-congenital-malformation disorder characterized by multisuture craniosynostosis and polysyndactyly of the hands and feet; many other clinical features occur, and the most frequent include obesity, umbilical hernia, cryptorchidism, and congenital heart disease. Mutations of RAB23, encoding a small GTPase that regulates vesicular transport, are present in the majority of cases. Here, we describe a disorder caused by mutations in multiple epidermal-growth-factor-like-domains 8 (MEGF8), which exhibits substantial clinical overlap with Carpenter syndrome but is frequently associated with abnormal left-right patterning. We describe five affected individuals with similar dysmorphic facies, and three of them had either complete situs inversus, d...

Abstract Mice deficient either in subtypes of immune cells, cytokines or lytic pathways have been subjected to chemical carcinogenesis by methylcholanthrene to evaluate whether these components of the immune system affect tumor development. Inbred mice of the same genotype but from different sources differed in tumor development in magnitude comparable to that previously attributed to differences in immunocompetence. This suggested that genetic drift between separate inbred colonies of mice and/or environmental factors (e.g., transport of the animals) influenced carcinogenesis. Therefore, littermates were used as control in subsequent experiments. Although deficiency of T-cells, NKT-cells, perforin, Fas-ligand, TNF--receptor failed to reveal significant differences in tumor development, th...

Highlights of work performed under this contract include completion of indoor air studies at an experimental house on the university campus, publication and submission for publication of nation-wide measurements of thoron and thoron daughters, commissioning of an aerosol spectrometer (matching funds provided by NMIMT), and completion of a three-year radon study of housing in Socorro, NM, using passive monitors. Current work centers on a comparison of indoor and outdoor radioactivity and ion measurements, mathematical modeling of radon transport through heterogeneous media, and modeling of physical factors affecting indoor thoron and its daughters.

Data are presented for 32 elements (Li, Be, B, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ge, As, Rb, Sr, Y, Zr, Mo, Ag, Cd, Sb, Cs, Ba, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Hf, Tl, Pb, Bi) in organic-rich surface soils in Norway, based on samples from 464 sites. By considering geographical distributions based on isopleths, results from factor analysis, and ANOVA of median values from 12 different geographical regions, the contributions from natural and anthropogenic sources are estimated for each element. Long-range atmospheric transport of pollutants from areas out of Norway is a dominant source for Cd, Sb, Pb, and Bi and also a strongly contributing factor for Zn, As, Mo, and Tl. Also V, Ni, Cu, and Ge are somewhat affected, but other factors dominate for these elements. Local point sources of pollution provide sig...

Grass-cutting ants (Atta vollenweideri) carry fragments that can be many times heavier and longer than the ants themselves and it is important for them to avoid falling over during load transport. To investigate whether the energetic costs of transport are affected by the need to maintain stability, the rate of CO(2) production was measured in both unladen workers and workers carrying standardized paper fragments of different size and shape. We tested: (1) the effect of mass by comparing workers carrying either light or heavy fragments of the same size, and (2) the effect of shape by comparing short and long fragments of the same mass. Consistent with previous studies, metabolic rate increased but running speed remained constant when ants carried heavier fragments. The net cost of transport (normalized to the total mass of ant and fragment) was the same for heavy and light fragments, and did not differ from the costs of carrying a unit body mass. Ants carrying long fragments showed similar metabolic rates but ran significantly slower than ants carrying short fragments. As a consequence, net cost of transport was significantly higher for long fragments than for short ones, and higher than the costs of carrying a unit body mass. The observed reduction in running speed is likely a result of the ants' need to maintain stability. When the absolute costs of transport were compared, smaller ants required more energy to carry heavier and longer fragments than larger workers, but the opposite was found for lighter and shorter fragments. The absolute costs of transport per unit fragment mass suggest that it is energetically advantageous for a colony to allocate smaller workers for the transport of small fragments and larger workers for large fragments. The present results underline the importance of biomechanical factors for the understanding of leaf-cutting ant foraging strategies. PMID:22162864

Abstract in english Air pollutants emitted in a city may reach neighbouring areas. This paper describes and applies a methodology for estimating the CO transported from the City of Buenos Aires (CBA) to neighbouring districts. The methodology is applicable only for inert pollutants. This preliminary evaluation shows that 32% of CO annually emitted is transported to the de la Plata River. The smallest fraction (7.5% of annual emission) goes to the district of Avellaneda. The main factors cont (more) rolling the outflow flux of CO are evaluated and their relative importance is discussed. It is also evaluated that the CO emissions in the CBA may contribute to 8h-CO background concentrations in the Metropolitan Area of Buenos Aires (MABA) with more than 10% of the Air Quality Standard. The districts of the MABA located west and northwest the CBA are the more affected by the CO emitted in the CBA.

The recovery of sodium lactate from model solutions by ED (electrodialysis) was studied using a sequential experimental procedure so as to assess the main engineering parameters (i.e. ion transport numbers in solution and electro-membranes, effective solute and water transport numbers, effective membrane surface area, surface resistances and limiting current intensity) affecting ED stack design and/or optimization. Of the major factors that determine the performance of this ED process, Omega (the current efficiency) was about 88% in the constant-current region, while epsilon (the specific energy consumption) increased from 0.14 to 0.31 kWh x kg(-1) for a solute recovery yield of 95% and j (current density) increasing from 112 to 337 A x m(-2). The specific-resistance values of the anion- or cation-exchange membranes were found to be five or two times greater respectively than those extracted from literature and measured in aqueous NaCl solutions. PMID:15003107

Optimization of water management in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) and in direct methanol fuel cells (DMFC) is a very important factor for the achievement of high performances and long lifetime. A good hydration of the electrolyte membrane is essential for high proton conductivity; on the contrary water in excess may lead to electrode flooding and severe reduction in performances. Many studies on water transport across the gas diffusion layer (GDL) have been carried out to improve these components; anyway efforts in this field are affected by lack of effective experimental methods. The present work reports an experimental investigation with the purpose to determine the global coefficient of water transport across different diffusion layers under real operating conditions. ...

The present review focuses on the differential regulation and differential expression, as well as the possible differential functionality, of avian calbindin-D28k in the three major calcium-transporting tissues: intestine, eggshell gland (ESG) and kidney. Special emphasis is given to their relationships with fast growth and with the laying of long clutches, i.e., unbroken sequences of eggs, separated by one or more days, as affected by the three major regulators, cholecalciferol (vitamin D3), gonadal activity, and intra- or extracellular calcium or its fluxes. The accumulated evidence suggests that intestinal calbindin mostly depends on vitamin D3, ESG calbindin appears to depend on calcium-transport-related factor (s) and to lesser extent also on gonadal activity; whereas renal calbindin partly depends on vitamin D3 and extracellular calcium.   

In the present study, we analyze the effects of ethanol on the Golgi structure and membrane transport in differentiated PC12 cells, which are used as a model of neurons. Chronic exposure to moderate doses of ethanol induces Golgi fragmentation, a common characteristic of many neurodegenerative diseases. Alcohol impaired the lateral linking of stacks without causing microtubule damage. Extensive immunocytochemical and western blot analyses of representative Golgi proteins showed that few, but important, proteins are significantly affected. Thus, alcohol exposure induced a significant ER-to-Golgi transport delay, the retention of the GTPase Rab1 in the Golgi membranes and the accumulation of tethering factor p115 in the cytosol. These modifications would explain the observed fragmentation. T...

The life of a fluorescent lamp is determined by the life of the coated coil electrode, so factors affecting the loss of electrode emitter material are of great interest to the lamp manufacturers. The authors combined the experimental and theoretical efforts to address this issue. They have developed one-dimensional analytical transport models describing the loss of barium, the key emitter ingredient, from the electrodes. The spatial distributions of neutral barium in the presence and absence of discharges are analyzed. Ionization of barium is accounted for. To make reliable estimations of barium loss, the spatial distributions of both barium density and temperature are required. Experimental measurements using laser absorption and induced fluorescence have provided such spatial information. In this presentation, various aspects of model validation, extraction of transport coefficients and determination of barium loss will be discussed.

Abstract in portuguese Avaliou-se o desempenho fotossintético de plantas de Salvinia natans L. expostas a água de esgoto rica em cromo (Cr) e zinco (Zn). O acúmulo de Cr e Zn em altos níveis afetou o transporte fotossintético de elétrons. O transporte de elétrons mediado pelo fotossistema (FS) II aumentou nas plantas expostas ao esgoto rico em Cr, observando-se o oposto nas plantas expostas ao esgoto rico em Zn. O transporte de elétrons mediado pelo FS I aumentou nas plantas expostas ao (more) esgoto rico tanto em Cr como em Zn. A eficiência do FS II (Fv/Fm) avaliada por fluorescência não variou significativamente em resposta ao Cr, porém reduziu-se nas plantas expostas ao esgoto rico em Zn, em comparação com as plantas-controle. O aumento do transporte cíclico de elétrons associado ao FS I acarretou em aumento do gradiente transtilacoidal de prótons (DpH) que, por seu turno, esteve associado com o potencial de fotofosforilação para suportar as necessidades adicionais de ATP sob condições de estresse. O potencial de assimilação do carbono foi decrescido, conforme se deduz da menor atividade da Rubisco (EC 4.1.1.39). As alterações no transporte fotossintético de elétrons afetaram o status redox do estroma e acarretou variações nos níveis de componentes estromais, como nucleotídeos de piridina, nas plantas expostas ao esgoto rico em Cr e Zn. Nas plantas de Salvinia expostas ao Cr, as alterações no desempenho fotossintético foram primariamente resultantes de um declínio da eficiência de assimilação do carbono, enquanto nas plantas expostas ao esgoto rico em Zn tanto a eficiência de assimilação do carbono como o transporte de elétrons comprometeram igualmente o desempenho fotossintético. Abstract in english Investigations were carried out to evaluate alterations in photosynthetic performance of Salvinia natans (L.) exposed to chromium (Cr) and zinc (Zn) rich wastewater. Accumulation of high levels of Cr and Zn in plants affected photosynthetic electron transport. Photosystem- (PS) II-mediated electron transport was enhanced in plants exposed to Cr rich wastewater while a decline was observed in Zn-exposed plants. Photosystem-I-mediated electron transport increased in plants (more) exposed to Cr and Zn rich wastewater. Efficiency of photosystem II (Fv/Fm) measured by fluorescence did not show any significant change in Cr-exposed plants but a decrease was observed in Zn-exposed plants as compared to the control. The enhancement in PS I-induced cyclic electron transport in Cr and Zn exposed plants led to a build up of the transthylakoidal proton gradient (DpH) which subsequently helped in maintaining the photophosphorylation potential to meet the additional requirement of ATP under stress. The carbon assimilation potential was adversely affected as evident from the decrease in Rubisco (EC 4.1.1.39) activity. The alterations in photosynthetic electron transport affected stromal redox status and induced variations in the level of stromal components such as pyridine nucleotides in plants exposed to Cr and Zn rich wastewater. The present investigations revealed that alteration in the photosynthetic efficiency of Salvinia exposed to Cr could primarily be the result of a decline in carbon assimilation efficiency relative to light-mediated photosynthetic electron transport, though in the case of Zn-exposed plants both these factors were affected equally.

...2010-10-01 false Longitudinal joint factor (E) for steel pipe. 192.113 Section 192.113 Transportation ...Design § 192.113 Longitudinal joint factor (E ) for steel pipe. The longitudinal joint factor to be used in the...

In this study, we applied Bayesian networks to prioritize the factors that influence hazardous material (Hazmat) transportation accidents. The Bayesian network structure was built based on expert knowledge using Dempster-Shafer evidence theory, and the structure was modified based on a test for conditional independence. We collected and analyzed 94 cases of Chinese Hazmat transportation accidents to compute the posterior probability of each factor using the expectation-maximization learning algorithm. We found that the three most influential factors in Hazmat transportation accidents were human factors, the transport vehicle and facilities, and packing and loading of the Hazmat. These findings provide an empirically supported theoretical basis for Hazmat transportation corporations to take...

Abstract in spanish La movilidad de personas y mercancías en los espacios metropolitanos se ve afectada por múltiples factores. La mayor parte de los trabajos que analizan cambios en la movilidad se centran en los impactos que tiene la evolución de las redes de transporte. Sin embargo, aquí la atención se pone en factores como el nuevo modelo productivo, el desarrollo de las tecnologías de la información y las comunicaciones o los cambios sociodemo-gráficos y culturales. Todos ellos (more) tienen repercusiones directas sobre la movilidad, pero también indirectas, a través del nuevo modelo territorial que inducen. Aunque sus efectos en la movilidad son complejos, las tendencias apuntan a un modelo insostenible, con un incremento de los desplazamientos, sus distancias, los tiempos empleados y sobre todo del uso del automóvil Abstract in english The mobility of people and goods in metropolitan areas is affected by multiple factors. Most research that analyses changes in mobility focuses on the impacts generated by transport network development. In contrast, this article looks at factors such as the new production model, the development of information and communication technologies, and socio-demographic and cultural transformations. These all have direct, also indirect, repercussions on mobility and the new terri (more) torial model that they bring about. Although their effects on mobility are complex and asymmetric, the trends point towards an unsustainable model, with an increase in journeys, distances, times and, above all, vehicle use

The fatty-acid-binding protein-2 (FABP2) gene has been proposed as a candidate gene for diabetes because the encoded protein is involved in fatty acid absorption and therefore may affect insulin sensitivity and glucose metabolism. The rare haplotype (B) of its promoter was shown to be associated with a lower risk for type 2 diabetes. The aim of this study was to investigate whether a polymorphism in the FABP2 promoter does affect the metabolic response to either an medium-chain triacylglycerol (MCT) or an long-chain triacylglycerol (LCT) diet, which were suggested to differ in transport mechanisms, in affinity to FABP2, in activating transcription factors binding to the FABP2 promoter and in their effects on insulin sensitivity. We studied 82 healthy male subjects varying in the FABP2 prom...

To provide a basis for system design and analytical study of cohesive plug flow transportation, this work considers the conveying of coal powder as a single plug in 2 inch and 4 inch vertical pipes. The pressure drop and the plug velocity were measured at low air velocities and plug lengths. The results for the plug lengths studied show that the pressure drop increases linearly as the plug length increases and is not affected by air flow rates. The plug velocity varies little with the plug length as it is largely controlled by the air velocity. A model based on solid mechanics for predicting the pressure drop was tested and shows good agreement with the experimental data. This study indicates that the plug stability is affected by many factors such as initial bed length, powder properties and pipe diameter. For the effect of the pipe diameter, the maximum plug length decreases as the pipe diameter increases.

Increased ammonium (NH(4)(+)/NH(3)) in the brain is a significant factor in the pathophysiology of hepatic encephalopathy, which involves altered glutamatergic neurotransmission. In glial cell cultures and brain slices, glutamate uptake either decreases or increases following acute ammonium exposure but the factors responsible for the opposing effects are unknown. Excitatory amino acid transporter isoforms EAAT1, EAAT2 and EAAT3 were expressed in Xenopus oocytes to study effects of ammonium exposure on their individual function. Ammonium increased EAAT1- and EAAT3-mediated [(3)H]-glutamate uptake and glutamate transport currents but had no effect on EAAT2. The maximal EAAT3-mediated glutamate transport current was increased but the apparent affinities for glutamate and Na(+) were unaltered. Ammonium did not affect EAAT3-mediated transient currents, indicating that EAAT3 surface expression was not enhanced. The ammonium-induced stimulation of EAAT3 increased with increasing extracellular pH, suggesting that the gaseous form NH(3) mediates the effect. An ammonium-induced intracellular alkalinization was excluded as the cause of the enhanced EAAT3 activity because I) ammonium acidified the oocyte cytoplasm, II) intracellular pH buffering with MOPS did not reduce the stimulation, and III) ammonium enhanced pH-independent cysteine transport. Our data suggest that the ammonium-elicited uptake stimulation is not caused by intracellular alkalinization or changes in the concentrations of co-transported ions but may be due to a direct effect on EAAT1/EAAT3. We predict that EAAT isoform-specific effects of ammonium combined with cell-specific differences in EAAT isoform expression may explain the conflicting reports on ammonium-induced changes in glial glutamate uptake.

Thermal heat transport in the core (r/a [le] 0.5) of beam-heated TFTR plasmas vanes by more than a factor of five between L-mode and supershot plasmas for the same I[sub p], B[sub T], and P[sub b]. Operationally, this variation is strongly correlated with the particle recycling coefficient of the carbon-carbon composite inner bumper limiter. The mechanisms underlying this correlation are not understood. This paper describes studies of the edge ion temperature, which is an important parameter if [tau][sub E] is controlled by ion temperature gradient driven turbulence. We find that a edge electron temperature scales simply with power per electron, irrespective of the recycling state of the limiter. By contrast, the scaling of edge ion temperature is strongly affected by the recycling state of the limiter. Much higher edge ion temperatures are attained in low-recycling plasmas for the same power per particle. In addition, perturbative studies of recycling effects on transport have been carried out by puffing in large amounts of helium into a supershot plasma. The local core transport coefficients increase on a transport time scale ([approximately]100 ms), much faster than the current relaxation time scale. This suggests that the current profile is not responsible for the favorable energy confinement of supershot plasmas relative to L-mode plasmas.

A long-term record (1900--1993) of streamflow, sediment, and metal transport was simulated for an urbanized watershed, the Aberjona River watershed, located near Boston, Mass. The approach is an innovative procedure that includes the use of a watershed-specific contaminant transport model. The input to the program is hourly precipitation; the output is hourly streamflow, sediment, and metal fluxes. Hourly precipitation was available for part of the record. For time periods for which only daily precipitation data were available, the data were disaggregated into hourly values. The effects of urbanization on streamflow were simulated by adjusting the timing of river flood routing and the area contributing to different flow components. Variations in industrial water withdrawals were also considered. Sediment core data were utilized to estimate changes in source metal concentrations in time. The long-term record that was generated confirms that urbanization can account for a flashier river response including larger peaks in streamflow and sediment transport. Metal transport was affected by changes in metal source characteristics as well as hydrologic factors.

In recent years, much progress has been made in observing CO2 distributions from space. However, the use of these observations to infer source/sink distributions in inversion studies continues to be complicated by difficulty in quantifying atmospheric transport model errors. We will present results from several different experiments designed to quantify different aspects of transport error using the Goddard Earth Observing System, Version 5 (GEOS-5) Atmospheric General Circulation Model (AGCM). In the first set of experiments, an ensemble of simulations is constructed using perturbations to parameters in the model s moist physics and turbulence parameterizations that control sub-grid scale transport of trace gases. Analysis of the ensemble spread and scales of temporal and spatial variability among the simulations allows insight into how parameterized, small-scale transport processes influence simulated CO2 distributions. In the second set of experiments, atmospheric tracers representing model error are constructed using observation minus analysis statistics from NASA's Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA). The goal of these simulations is to understand how errors in large scale dynamics are distributed, and how they propagate in space and time, affecting trace gas distributions. These simulations will also be compared to results from NASA's Carbon Monitoring System Flux Pilot Project that quantified the impact of uncertainty in satellite constrained CO2 flux estimates on atmospheric mixing ratios to assess the major factors governing uncertainty in global and regional trace gas distributions.

The hydrology, sediment, and pesticide transport components of the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) were evaluated on the northern San Joaquin Valley watershed of California. The Nash-Sutcliffe coefficients for monthly stream flow and sediment load ranged from 0.49 to 0.99 over the watershed during the study period of 1992-2005. The calibrated SWAT model was applied to simulate fate and transport processes of two organophosphate pesticides of diazinon and chlorpyrifos at watershed scale. The model generated satisfactory predictions of dissolved pesticide loads relative to the monitoring data. The model also showed great success in capturing spatial patterns of dissolved diazinon and chlorpyrifos loads according to the soil properties and landscape morphology over the large agricultural watershed. This study indicated that curve number was the major factor influencing the hydrology while pesticide fate and transport were mainly affected by surface runoff and pesticide application and in the study area. - Major factors governing the instream loads of organophosphate pesticides are magnitude and timing of surface runoff and pesticide application.

Contents: Factors that may influence responses of the U.S. transportation sector to policies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions; Implications of long-term climatic changes for transportation in Canada; Review of technological and policy options for mit...

HUMAN FACTORS OF FLIGHT DECK CHECKLISTi. THE NORMAL CHECKLIST ... as one of the probable causes of two air transport accidents by the National Transportation .... Automation“ . ... The Airframe Manufacturer.................. 3.2.2.

...providers of health care services, but also by changes...at which those services are accessed and...captures the many factors that affect insurance...general trends in health care costs and spending...and other factors affecting health...

... opposed to men. Are there any factors that affect how females do in recovering from the surgery ... let me ask you, speaking of factors that affect recovering, it sounds like perhaps in the female ...

...of food or otherwise affecting the characteristics...material used in the production of containers and...packed in the container. Affecting the characteristics...safety, the following factors shall be considered...diet; (3) Safety factors which, in the...

...TRADE COMMISSION [Investigation No. 332-524] Brazil: Competitive Factors Affecting U.S. and Brazilian...the Committee in investigation No. 332-524, Brazil: Competitive Factors In Brazil Affecting U.S. and Brazilian Agricultural...

The impact of acute altitude exposure on pulmonary function is variable. A large inter-individual variability in the changes in forced expiratory flows (FEFs) is reported with acute exposure to altitude, which is suggested to represent an interaction between several factors influencing bronchial tone such as changes in gas density, catecholamine stimulation, and mild interstitial edema. This study examined the association between FEF variability, acute mountain sickness (AMS) and various blood markers affecting bronchial tone (endothelin-1, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), catecholamines, angiotensin II) in 102 individuals rapidly transported to the South Pole (2835?m). The mean FEF between 25 and 75% (FEF25?75) and blood markers were recorded at sea level and after the second ni...

The bases for the microbiological nature of certain soils to suppress plant diseases caused by soil pathogens are well established. However, the microbial origin of the suppressiveness does not exclude edaphic factors and soil-management strategies, which need to be studied under field conditions. With respect to abiotic factors, we investigated the importance of potassium (K) selectivity on soil conduciveness and suppressiveness to banana wilt (positive or negative disease expression) caused by soil fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense in Sorribas field plots (transported volcanic soils) from the Canary Islands that are naturally affected by Fusarium wilt. To facilitate comparison among sites, soil K variables were normalized using Z scores and tested by one-way analysis of variance w...

Variable selection is fundamental to high-dimensional statistical modeling in diverse fields of sciences. In our health study, different statistical methods are applied to analyze trauma annual data, collected by 30 General Hospitals in Greece. The dataset consists of 6334 observations and 111 factors that include demographic, transport, and clinical data. The statistical methods employed in this work are the nonconcave penalized likelihood methods, Smoothly Clipped Absolute Deviation, Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator, and Hard, the maximum partial likelihood estimation method, and the best subset variable selection, adjusted to Cox's proportional hazards model and used to detect possible risk factors, which affect the length of stay in a hospital. A variety of different sta...

The factors affecting vortex growth in convectively stable protoplanetary disks are explored using numerical simulations of a two-dimensional anelastic-gas model which includes baroclinic vorticity production and radiative cooling. The baroclinic feedback, where anomalous temperature gradients produce vorticity through the baroclinic term and vortices then reinforce these temperature gradients, is found to be an important process in the rate of growth of vortices in the disk. Factors which strengthen the baroclinic feedback include fast radiative cooling, high thermal diffusion, and large radial temperature gradients in the background temperature. When the baroclinic feedback is sufficiently strong, anticyclonic vortices form from initial random perturbations and maintain their strength for the duration of the simulation, for over 600 orbital periods. Based on both simulations and a simple vortex model, we find that the local angular momentum transport due to a single vortex may be inward or outward, dependin...

The rapid advance of cockpit automation in the last decade has outstripped the ability of the human factors profession to understand the changes in human functions required. High technology cockpits require less physical (observable) workload, but are highly demanding of cognitive functions such as planning, alternative selection, and monitoring. Furthermore, automation creates opportunity for new and more serious forms of human error, and many pilots are concerned about the possibility of complacency affecting their performance. On the positive side, the equipment works as advertized with high reliability, offering highly efficient, computer-based flight. These findings from the cockpit studies probably apply equally to other industries, such as nuclear power production, other modes of transportation, medicine, and manufacturing, all of which traditionally have looked to aviation for technological leadership. The challenge to the human factors profession is to aid designers, operators, and training departments in exploiting the positive side of automation, while seeking solutions to the negative side. Viewgraphs are given.

Mineral oil is the major energy source in Western society. Production, transport and distribution of oil and oil products cause serious contamination problems of water, air and soil. The present thesis studies the natural biodegradation processes in the soil environment which can remove contamination by oil products and creosote. The main physical/chemical processes determining the distribution of organic contaminants between the soil solid, aqueous and vapour phase are discussed. Then a short introduction to soil microbiology and environmental factors important for biodegradation is given. There is a discussion of engineered and natural bioremediation methods and the problems related to scaling up laboratory experiments to field scale remediation. Bioremediation will seldom remove the contaminants completely; a residue remains. Factors affecting the level of residual contamination and the consequences for contaminant availability are discussed. Finally, the main findings of the work are summarized and recommendations for further research are given. 111 refs., 41 figs., 19 tabs.

Electronic transport properties of out-of-plane graphene nanoribbon intersections have been investigated by using computational method. The inter-distance between two graphene nanoribbons is found to affect the transport properties strongly and its affection can be neglected for larger ones, even under an external bias. Wider graphene nanoribbons will bring stronger interaction into the system, and result in more transmission dips. Moreover, the stacking configuration between two graphene nanoribbons is found to be crucial for the electronic transport under an external bias, as it can affect the electronic transport strongly near the charge neutral point.

Several new N-(8-quinolyl)-substituted diamide compounds were synthesized from ?-amino acids and their Cu(II) transport abilities as carriers through liquid membranes were investigated. The Cu(II) transport ability of the carrier is affected by the ?-substituent of the amino acid. Diamides derived from alanine and phenylalanine have good Cu(II) transport abilities.   

Significant progress has been made toward our understanding of the basic principle of nucleocytoplasmic transport, and the structure of transport factors, as well as the diversity of nucleocytoplasmic transport pathways. This review outlines the current knowledge of transport, and discusses the problems that remain as to how eukaryotic cells acquire additional levels for the regulation of gene expression from a diversity of nucleocytoplasmic transport pathways.   

Tethering factors are organelle-specific multisubunit protein complexes that identify, along with Rab guanosine triphosphatases, transport vesicles and trigger their SNARE-mediated fusion of specific transport vesicles with the target membranes. Little is known about how tethering factors discriminate between different trafficking pathways, which may converge at the same organelle. In this paper, we describe a phosphorylation-based switch mechanism, which allows the homotypic vacuole fusion protein sorting effector subunit Vps41 to operate in two distinct fusion events, namely endosome–vacuole and AP-3 vesicle–vacuole fusion. Vps41 contains an amphipathic lipid-packing sensor (ALPS) motif, which recognizes highly curved membranes. At endosomes, this motif is inserted into the lipid bilayer and masks the binding motif for the ? subunit of the AP-3 complex, Apl5, without affecting the Vps41 function in endosome–vacuole fusion. At the much less curved vacuole, the ALPS motif becomes available for phosphorylation by the resident casein kinase Yck3. As a result, the Apl5-binding site is exposed and allows AP-3 vesicles to bind to Vps41, followed by specific fusion with the vacuolar membrane. This multifunctional tethering factor thus discriminates between trafficking routes by switching from a curvature-sensing to a coat recognition mode upon phosphorylation.

A review of recent literature on the transport of organic and mineral colloids in soils demonstrated the role of such factors as the extrema of water flow velocities, the anisotropy of physical properties, and the presence of preferential water flows in macropores and fissures. In unsaturated soils, the concentration of colloids at the gas-water interphace and the amphiphilicity of their surface are of great importance. The transfer of “living collids” (bacteria and viruses) is mainly due to the convection mechanism; however, of great importance are the entrapping of microorganisms in fine pores, their adsorption (adhesion), their concentration on the gas-water interphace, their sedimentation, and the affecting chemical factors, such as the ionic strength and the pH of the solution. The effect of biological factors is related to the size of cells, chemotaxic mobility, and the growth and reproduction of the microbial biomass. The focal points of recent studies on colloid transport are considered: the study of mechanisms of colloid mobilization under different conditions, the improvement of methods for the direct observation of colloid migration (micromodels, computer tomography, etc.), and the possibility of quantitative description of the entrapping of colloidal particles in soil pores.

The objective of the present work was to study the effects of an early-life stress (maternal separation, MS) in the excitatory/inhibitory ratio as a potential factor contributing to the ageing process, and the purported normalizing effects of chronic treatment with the antidepressant venlafaxine. MS induced depressive-like behaviour in the Porsolt forced swimming test that was reversed by venlafaxine, and that persisted until senescence. Aged MS rats showed a downregulation of vesicular glutamate transporter 1 and 2 (VGlut1 and VGlut2) and GABA transporter (VGAT) and increased expression of excitatory amino acid transporter 2 (EAAT2) in the hippocampus. Aged rats showed decreased expression of glutamic acid decarboxylase 65 (GAD65), while the excitatory amino acid transporter 1 (EAAT1) was affected only by stress. Glutamate receptor subunits NR1 and NR2A and GluR4 were upregulated in stressed rats, and this effect was reversed by venlafaxine. NR2B, GluR1 and GluR2/3 were not affected by either stress or age. MS, both in young and aged rats, induced an increase in the circulating levels of corticosterone. Corticosterone induced an increase glutamate and a decrease in GABA release in hippocampal slices, which was reversed by venlafaxine. Chronic treatment with corticosterone recapitulated the main biochemical findings observed in MS. The different effects that chronic stress exerts in young and adult animals on expression of proteins responsible for glutamate/GABA cycling may explain the involvement of glucocorticoids in ageing-related diseases. Modulation of glutamate/GABA release may be a relevant component of the therapeutic action of antidepressants, such as venlafaxine. PMID:22245561

Thick, segmented scintillating detectors, consisting of 2D matrices of scintillator crystals separated by optically opaque septal walls, hold considerable potential for significantly improving the performance of megavoltage (MV) active matrix, flat-panel imagers (AMFPIs). Initial simulation studies of the radiation transport properties of segmented detectors have indicated the possibility of significant improvement in DQE compared to conventional MV AMFPIs based on phosphor screen detectors. It is therefore interesting to investigate how the generation and transport of secondary optical photons affect the DQE performance of such segmented detectors. One effect that can degrade DQE performance is optical Swank noise (quantified by the optical Swank factor I(opt)), which is induced by depth-dependent variations in optical gain. In this study, Monte Carlo simulations of radiation and optical transport have been used to examine I(opt) and zero-frequency DQE for segmented CsI:Tl and BGO detectors at different thicknesses and element-to-element pitches. For these detectors, I(opt) and DQE were studied as a function of various optical parameters, including absorption and scattering in the scintillator, absorption at the top reflector and septal walls, as well as scattering at the side surfaces of the scintillator crystals. The results indicate that I(opt) and DQE are only weakly affected by absorption and scattering in the scintillator, as well as by absorption at the top reflector. However, in some cases, these metrics were found to be significantly degraded by absorption at the septal walls and scattering at the scintillator side surfaces. Moreover, such degradations are more significant for detectors with greater thickness or smaller element pitch. At 1.016 mm pitch and with optimized optical properties, 40 mm thick segmented CsI:Tl and BGO detectors are predicted to provide DQE values of approximately 29% and 42%, corresponding to improvement by factors of approximately 29 and 42, respectively, compared to that of conventional MV AMFPIs. PMID:19673222

Sugar maple is among the most widespread and abundant canopy tree species in eastern North America, and is increasing in abundance in the American midwest; yet recent surveys indicate it is declining throughout much of eastern Canada. A number of factors have been cited as causing or contributing to this decline, including both gaseous air pollutants and acidic deposition. The authors hypothesized that ozone has the potential to act as a predisposing factor for sugar maple decline by affecting net carbon gain, carbon allocation, and carbohydrate reserves, resulting in reduced growth and vigor of sugar maple trees. To test this, 1 yr old sugar maple seedlings were fumigated in open top chambers with charcoal-filtered (ozone free) air, ambient ozone, or ambient ozone {plus minus} 15%. Leaf area, biomass, root:shoot ratio, and instantaneous photosynthetic rate, all potential indicators of short term ozone damage, were not significantly affected by a five month exposure to these ozone levels. Ozone may reduce levels of carbohydrate storage in roots, or alter transport of photosynthate from leaves to root, thereby increasing overwintering mortality or reducing spring growth; results of experiments to test these hypotheses will be presented. The genotype of an individual may also affect its response to ozone, and the relative sensitivity of populations may vary among geographic sites. They will also present preliminary data related to geographic patterns of susceptibility to ozone among sugar maple populations.

Numerous risks associated with transport and handling of livestock cause bruising and poor welfare to animals. Variables having an influence on the level of bruising under Namibian transport conditions include animal factors (breed type, age, sex, condition and subcutaneous fat cover), pre-transport handling (re-branding of animals), transport related risks (loading density, animals lying down during transit) and lairage factors (fit of truck floor to off-loading ramp, moving to holding pen, pen size and minimum temperatures). Although no single factor was the dominant driver of bruise prevalence; load density, gravel roads, and cattle running after disembarking had a cumulative effect on bruising. Surprisingly, transport duration (3 vs 8h) had minimal effect. The overall incidence of bruising is high, with the highest levels on the hips, around the butt and pin areas. In the event of animals transported to slaughter in the central areas of Namibia, conditions surrounding transport are more important than the distance transported or journey duration. PMID:22571972

Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) may affect the transport of pollutants from incineration residues when landfilled or used in geotechnical construction. The leaching of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) from municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) bottom ash and air pollution control residue (APC) from the incineration of waste wood was investigated. Factors affecting the mobility of DOC were studied in a reduced 2{sup 6-1} experimental design. Controlled factors were treatment with ultrasonic radiation, full carbonation (addition of CO{sub 2} until the pH was stable for 2.5 h), liquid-to-solid (L/S) ratio, pH, leaching temperature and time. Full carbonation, pH and the L/S ratio were the main factors controlling the mobility of DOC in the bottom ash. Approximately 60 weight-% of the total organic carbon (TOC) in the bottom ash was available for leaching in aqueous solutions. The L/S ratio and pH mainly controlled the mobilization of DOC from the APC residue. About 93 weight-% of TOC in the APC residue was, however, not mobilized at all, which might be due to a high content of elemental carbon. Using the European standard EN 13 137 for determination of total organic carbon (TOC) in MSWI residues is inappropriate. The results might be biased due to elemental carbon. It is recommended to develop a TOC method distinguishing between organic and elemental carbon.

The theoretical hole transport characteristics (Hall and drift mobilities, and effective Hall factor) are reported for the cubic phase of p-type GaN. These characteristics are calculated using the “relaxation time approximation” as a function of temperature. The calculations show that the dominant lattice scattering mechanism for holes is the acoustic deformation potential. In the calculation of the scattering rate for ionized impurity mechanism, the activation energy of 120 or 250 meV is used at different compensation ratios of given acceptor concentrations. Comparing the scattering time in these activation energies, it is found that the activation energy difference is negligible at high compensation ratios. We determined the anisotropy factors separately, due to the anisotropy of the energy surface for heavy- and light-hole bands, and these parameters are taken into account in the Hall factor calculations. The Hall factors are very important when we attempt to compare the calculated drift mobility with measured Hall ones. The theoretical Hall mobilities at total hole concentrations of 3.5 × 1015 and 3.5 × 1016 cm-3 are about 312 and 225 cm2V-1s-1, respectively, with the activation energy of 120 meV and the compensation ratio of 0.5 at 300 K. It is found that Hall mobilities are strongly affected by the compensation ratios. The obtained effective Hall factor in the cubic phase of GaN is in the range of 1.4 (T=120 K) to 1.8 (T=400 K).   

...more of the five following factors: (1) The present or...other natural or manmade factors affecting its continued existence...consequence of physical, physiological, ecological, and behavioral factors.'' Under the DPS...

Factors affecting the efflciency of a Geiger-Muller counter are given, and the experimental techniques used to measure each of these factors are described. The values obtained for each factor are shown in graphic and tabular form. (J.S.R.)

...share and other factors may indicate...would or could exercise a major controlling...Federal contracting factor alone that is...of variables affecting small business participation in the Federal...Federal contracting factor in the size...

...will have no choice but to close...all of the factors that go into...to produce consumer products abroad...one year. Factors to be considered...manufacturing process factors which could affect compliance...down; (iv) Consumer...

The photovoltaic properties of large grained polycrystalline silicon solar cells are mainly affected by the presence of dislocations. Both the recombination of carriers at dislocation (which degrades the photocurrent) and the transport of carriers along the dislocation cores crossing the junction (which increases the dark current) are taken into account. The influence of the density N_dis and recombination activity S_d of dislocations on the short circuit current density J_sc, open circuit voltage V_oc, fill factor FF, and efficiency ? are computed. The computed values are compared to experimental results. Les propriétés photovoltaïques des cellules solaires au silicium multicristallin à gros grains, sont principalement affectées par la présence de dislocations. Nous nous intéressons plus particulièrement à la recombinaison des porteurs de charges aux dislocations qui affecte en premier lieu le photocourant et au transport des charges le long du cœur des dislocations traversant la jonction et qui est responsable de l'augmentation du courant d'obscurité. Nous avons modélisé l'influence de la densité de dislocations N_dis et de leur activité recombinante S_d sur les principaux paramètres photovoltaïques (le courant de court-circuit J_sc, la tension de circuit ouvert V_oc, le facteur de forme FF, et le rendement ?). Le modèle est ensuite confronté aux résultats expérimentaux.

Sulfobromophthalein (BSP) is used to study hepatobiliary excretory function. BSP is conjugated with glutathione (GSH), whereas its dibrominated analog disulfobromophthalein (DBSP) is not conjugated with GSH prior to biliary excretion. In addition, both BSP and DBSP are transported into hepatocytes via organic anion-transporting polypeptides and excreted into bile via multidrug resistance-associated protein 2 (Mrp2). Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) is a transcription factor that under basal conditions is targeted for proteasomal degradation in the cytosol by kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (Keap1). Electrophilic and oxidative stress facilitate Nrf2 nuclear translocation and subsequent induction of cytoprotective genes, including GSH synthetic enzymes, GSH-S-transferases (Gsts), and Mrp transporters. The current study determined whether varying the amount of Nrf2 activation would effect the elimination of BSP and DBSP. Male wild-type (WT), Nrf2-null, and Keap1-knockdown (Keap1-kd) mice were administered BSP or DBSP. Within 30 min, Nrf2-null mice excreted 25%, WT mice 52%, and Keap1-kd mice 80% of the injected BSP. Liver GSH content was not altered by BSP. The biliary excretion of GSH and messenger RNA (mRNA) expression of major Gsts were directly proportional to the amount of Nrf2. Moreover, BSP-GSH conjugation activity in the liver of Nrf2-null and Keap1-kd mice was 42% and 237% of WT mice, respectively. In contrast to BSP, there were no differences in biliary excretion or plasma disappearance of DBSP among the three genotypes, suggesting that the modest differences in Mrp2 mRNA expression among genotypes do not affect BSP or DBSP biliary excretion. Collectively, these results indicate that increased biliary excretion of BSP, and possibly other compounds, is due to Nrf2-induced Gst mRNA expression and enzyme activity. PMID:19246623

The transport and fate of waste constituents in geologic media is dependent on physical and chemical processes that govern the distribution of constituents between the solid, geologic, stationary phase and an aqueous, mobile phase. This distribution often is quantified, at thermodynamic equilibrium by an empirically determined parameter called the distribution coefficient (Kd). Kd's can be used effectively to summarize the chemical factors that affect transport efficiency of ground-water constituents. Strontium distribution coefficients (Kd's) were measured for 21 surficial and 17 sedimentary interbed samples collected from sediment cores from selected sites at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) to help assess the variability of strontium Kd's at the INEEL as part of an ongoing investigation of strontium chemical-transport properties. Batch experimental techniques were used to determine strontium Kd's of the sediments. Measured strontium Kd's of th e surficial and interbedded sediments ranged from 26{+-}1 to 328{+-}41 milliliters per gram. These results indicate significant variability in the strontium sorptive capacities of surficial and interbedded sediments at the INEEL. Some of this variability can be attributed to physical and chemical properties of the sediment; other variability may be due to compositional changes in the equilibrated solutions after being mixed with the sediment.

Evidence of aerosol intercontinental transport (ICT) is both widespread and compelling. Model simulations suggest that ICT could significantly affect regional air quality and climate, but the broad inter-model spread of results underscores a need of constraining model simulations with measurements. Satellites have inherent advantages over in situ measurements to characterize aerosol ICT, because of their spatial and temporal coverage. Significant progress in satellite remote sensing of aerosol properties during the Earth Observing System (EOS) era offers opportunity to increase quantitative characterization and estimates of aerosol ICT, beyond the capability of pre-EOS era satellites that could only qualitatively track aerosol plumes. EOS satellites also observe emission strengths and injection heights of some aerosols, aerosol precursors, and aerosol-related gases, which can help characterize aerosol ICT. After an overview of these advances, we review how the current generation of satellite measurements have been used to (1) characterize the evolution of aerosol plumes (e.g., both horizontal and vertical transport, and properties) on an episodic basis, (2) understand the seasonal and inter-annual variations of aerosol ICT and their control factors, (3) estimate the export and import fluxes of aerosols, and (4) evaluate and constrain model simulations. Substantial effort is needed to further explore an integrated approach using measurements from on-orbit satellites (e.g., A-Train synergy) for observational characterization and model constraint of aerosol intercontinental transport and to develop advanced sensors for future missions.

CAirTOX has been developed as a spreadsheet model to assist in making a risk assessment of toxic air emissions. With CAirTOX, one can address how contaminants released to an air basin can lead to contamination of soil, food, surface water, and sediments. The modeling effort includes a multimedia transport and transformation model, exposure scenario models, and efforts to quantify uncertainty in multimedia, multiple-pathway exposure assessments. The multimedia transport and transformation model is a steady-state, but non-equilibrium model that can be used to assess concentrations of contaminants released continuously to air. In Part 1, the authors describe the multimedia transport and transformation model used to determine the fate of air emissions. In Part 2, they describe inputs and data needs for CAirTOX and the development of a set of landscape factors, which can be used to represent regional air basin/water-shed systems in California. In Part 3, they describe the multiple-pathway exposure scenarios and exposure algorithms. In Part 4, they compare the HRA approach and results and the CAirTOX exposure equations. In Part 5, they consider model sensitivity and uncertainty to determine how variability and uncertainty in model inputs affects the precision, accuracy, and credibility of the model output.

Two lactate/proton cotransporter isoforms (monocarboxylate transporters, MCT1 and MCT4) are present in the plasma (sarcolemmal) membranes of skeletal muscle. Both isoforms are symports and are involved in both muscle pH and lactate regulation. Accordingly, sarcolemmal MCT isoform expression may play an important role in exercise performance. Acute exercise alters human MCT content, within the first 24 h from the onset of exercise. The regulation of MCT protein expression is complex after acute exercise, since there is not a simple concordance between changes in mRNA abundance and protein levels. In general, exercise produces greater increases in MCT1 than in MCT4 content. Chronic exercise also affects MCT1 and MCT4 content, regardless of the initial fitness of subjects. On the basis of cross-sectional studies, intensity would appear to be the most important factor regulating exercise-induced changes in MCT content. Regulation of skeletal muscle MCT1 and MCT4 content by a variety of stimuli inducing an elevation of lactate level (exercise, hypoxia, nutrition, metabolic perturbations) has been demonstrated. Dissociation between the regulation of MCT content and lactate transport activity has been reported in a number of studies, and changes in MCT content are more common in response to contractile activity, whereas changes in lactate transport capacity typically occur in response to changes in metabolic pathways. Muscle MCT expression is involved in, but is not the sole determinant of, muscle H(+) and lactate anion exchange during physical activity. PMID:22012699

The article deals with data on causes of high noise levels in Kazakhstan cities and on role of transport noise in urban environment. Development of all kinds of transport, traffic routes caused humans exposure to intense noise levels. Traffic contents and intensity appeared to be major factors changing noise mode of city transport traffic. PMID:23120906

Paper presented at the 28th Annual Southern African Transport Conference 6 - 9 July 2009 "Sustainable Transport", CSIR International Convention Centre, Pretoria, South Africa. , In addition to a number of other factors (social, economic, etc) sustainable transport requires the sustainable supply and us...

Numerous authors have examined the influence of collection, transport, storage and extraction methods on the composition and toxicity of contaminated sediments and have shown that all factors may individually affect sediment toxicity. The relative importance and possible interactions of these toxicity altering factors has not yet been studied. In this study replicate samples were collected from a small area (5 m{sup 2}) of metal-contaminated sediment using a grab (Van Veen) and a (hand) core sampler. An equal number of replicates of each type of sample was immediately stored (in the field) under a N{sub 2} or aerobic atmosphere at 4 C. For each of the 4 subgroups the influence of the following pore water extraction procedures on sample toxicity were assessed: squeezing versus centrifugation, extraction at 4 C versus 25 C and filtered (0.45--2.7 {micro}m) versus non-filtered. The toxicity of each of the resulting pore waters was evaluated with the 24h Thamnotoxkit{trademark} F test (Thamnocephalus platyurus) and/or the 10 day Hyalella azteca assay. A total of 84 toxicity tests were performed. The relative importance of each of the factors on the toxicity of the sediment pore waters was assessed using multivariate ordination and classification techniques. In general, sample storage (i.e. N{sub 2} or aerobic conditions) was the most important factor changing the toxicity of the pore waters up to 5-fold. The sampling procedure affected the toxicity with a factor 2--3 and the influence of the extraction techniques was shown to be minimal. The results of this multifactoral study will be discussed in the context of existing guidelines for the toxicity assessment of freshwater sediments.

Steric factors affecting the mass transfer of Pb(II) and Cu(II) in mesocellular silica foams (MSU-F-S) functionalized with multi- (mono-, di-, tri-) amine groups and nano-magnetite were investigated through batch experiments. We observed that neither the sorption capacities nor the sorption rates were linearly proportional to the number of amine groups introduced to a ligand. Unexpectedly, the tri-amine grafted samples exhibited lower affinity for both metal cations. These results are mainly attributed to two important steric factors, pore blockage and a conformational change of available amine groups. The relatively large pore size (?30nm) of MSU-F-S could enable various functional molecules such as amines and nano-magnetite to be effectively loaded within the pores. However, their excessive densities in the limited pore structure could have adverse effects on the transport of metal ions into the mesopores. An intraparticle diffusion model was applied to elucidate the mechanisms involved in the sorption process. Our results showed that the diffusional mass transfer into the mesopores was significantly inhibited in tri-amine grafted samples. The present findings further the understanding of steric effects on the transport of cationic metals into functionalized mesoporous silica and designing efficient sorbents. PMID:22985819

It is widely accepted that riverbank filtration (RBF) can provide substantial reductions in the concentrations of both microbial and chemical contaminants while providing more consistent water quality to subsequent treatment processes. Factors such as experimental scale, subsurface heterogeneity, and variable flow paths and fluxes have made it difficult to relate laboratory outcomes to field performance. Field studies have been plagued with inadequate consideration of ground water flow, reliance on unproven "surrogate" parameters, non-detects at the extraction well, and limited sampling. As a result, a treatment-technique type of approach has been utilized to describe subsurface and operational conditions that result in effective RBF. While it is generally understood that parameters such as ionic strength, the presence of natural organic matter (NOM), and media size and shape characteristics affect pathogen transport in porous media, one major limiting factor in the development of regulatory credits and predictive models is the lack of understanding of the concurrent effects of such parameters. To provide guidance for assessing the efficacy of RBF processes, the present investigation is focused on evaluating the concurrent effects of these parameters on pathogen transport in RBF environments. This work details the complete outcomes of a factorial experimental investigation of the concurrent impacts of the four parameters: ionic strength, NOM concentration, grain size, and uniformity coefficient on pathogen and surrogate transport in porous media. Duplicate column studies have been conducted to evaluate the transport of Cryptosporidium oocysts and Salmonella typhimurium bacteria in saturated sandy environments; PR772 bacteriophage, and 4.5 ?m and 1.5 ?m microspheres are also being used as surrogates for pathogen transport. The strain of Salmonella was selected due to the direct link to human illness in the Grand River watershed. Preliminary results indicate that ionic strength effects are greater than NOM effects. Grain size also significantly impacts pathogen transport. Experiments conducted at rates relevant to both GWUDI and conventional filtration systems have indicated that removals of 4.5 ?m microspheres appear to be somewhat reliable surrogate indicators of oocyst removal. No apparent correlation between oocyst removals and removals of bacteria (Bacillus spores) was observed, underscoring that relying on assumed correlation between removals of surrogate parameters target organisms may not be appropriate during RBF investigations.

Abstract Macrophages represent major cellular targets of various drugs, especially antibiotics and anti-viral drugs. Factors that may govern intracellular accumulation of drugs in these cells, especially those related to activity of drug transporters, are consequently likely important to consider. The present study was therefore designed to extensively characterize expression of solute carrier (SLC) and ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters in primary human macrophages generated from blood monocytes. Using quantitative polymerase chain reaction assays, these cells were found to exhibit very high or high levels of mRNA expression of concentrative nucleoside transporter (CNT) 3, equilibrative nucleoside transporter 3, monocarboxylate transporter (MCT) 1, MCT4, peptide/histidine transporter...

Recently recharged water (defined here as groundwater resource to nonpoint-source nitrate contamination. Understanding at the appropriate scale the interactions of natural and anthropogenic controlling factors that influence nitrate occurrence in recently recharged groundwater is critical to support best management and policy decisions that are often made at the aquifer to subaquifer scale. New logistic regression models were developed using data from the U.S. Geological Survey's National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) program and National Water Information System for 17 principal aquifers of the U.S. to identify important source, transport, and attenuation factors that control nonpoint source nitrate concentrations greater than relative background levels in recently recharged groundwater and were used to predict the probability of detecting elevated nitrate in areas beyond the sampling network. Results indicate that dissolved oxygen, crops and irrigated cropland, fertilizer application, seasonally high water table, and soil properties that affect infiltration and denitrification are among the most important factors in predicting elevated nitrate concentrations. Important differences in controlling factors and spatial predictions were identified in the principal aquifer and national-scale models and support the conclusion that similar spatial scales are needed between informed groundwater management and model development.

Matrix diffusion is of great importance in delaying radionuclides escaping from a deep geologic repository, on their way to the biosphere. There are, however, poorly understood mechanisms related to transport in pores with charged pore surfaces. Ions are affected by this charge and may be repelled or attracted by it. The rate of transport may be reduced, or even enhanced, as a result of this. Transport of ions is studied by traditional diffusion experiments, but mainly by a faster electrical conductivity method. With this method the pore connectivity, the formation factor variability and its relation to the porosity, as well as the surface conductivity are investigated. The method is compared. with traditional diffusion experiments, and an in-situ application is suggested and qualitatively tested. Furthermore, surface diffusion is studied by evaluating literature data and recently developed diffusion models. The pore connectivity reached to a depth of at least 15 cm in the rocks studied. The formation factor did not generally decrease with increasing sample length. It was also found that not only cations in the free pore water add to the electrical conductivity, but also at least part of those sorbed to the pore surfaces of the minerals. This surface conductivity influences the determination of the formation factor in low ionic strength pore waters, and was also found to be a function of the formation factor. It was furthermore dependent on the type of ion at the surface, giving for example a higher conductivity for Na{sup +} than for Cs{sup +}. It is not fully understood which part of the sorbed ions that are mobile. A simple model was developed assigning the mobile ions to the diffuse layer, and this model explained experimental data for diffusion of Cs{sup +} in clay well. This is contradicted by surface conductivity measurements that have shown that most mobile ions are found behind the Stern layer. The in-situ formation factor determination method seems promising. The most critical parameter is the pore water conductivity, which is difficult to determine in-situ. Furthermore, in low salinity ground water the surface conductivity must be considered, since the formation factor may otherwise be overestimated.

The 4 papers in the report deal with the following areas: the transport of non-nuclear toxic and dangerous wastes in the United Kingdom; the transport system of dangerous products as a risk factor for the future: the computer-aided information program on hazardous materials; a validation study of the INTERTRAN model for assessing risks of transportation accidents: road transport of uranium hexafluoride; modifying the regulation for small radioactive package transit through the Mont Blanc tunnel-assessment of the health and economic impact.

A number of factors were explored to analyze how they interact to yield the increasing transport capacity in differentiating cell populations. These factors include the number of functional transporters in the population, the distribution of these transporters among the individual cells, the Na/sup +/ chemical gradient, the transmembrane potential, the pathways and activities of these pathways for efflux of glucoside, and cell-cell coupling between accumulating and non-accumulating cells. 35 references, 9 figures, 2 tables. (ACR)

Onion may contribute to the health effects associated with high fruit and vegetable consumption. A considerable amount of onion production ends up as waste that might find use in foods. Onion byproduct has not yet been explored for potential health benefits. The aim of this study is to elucidate the safety and potential role of onion byproducts in affecting risk markers of cardiovascular disease (CVD). For that purpose, the effects of an onion byproduct, Allium cepa L. cepa 'Recas' (OBP), and its two derived fractions, an ethanolic extract (OE) and a residue (OR), on the distribution of plasma lipids and on factors affecting cholesterol metabolism in healthy rats have been investigated. The OBP or its fractions did not significantly reduce cholesterol or down-regulate hepatic 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase (Hmgcr) gene expression. The OR even had the effect of increasing plasma triacylglycerides (TAG) and cholesterol in the very low density lipoprotein (VLDL-C) fraction. Neither total bile acids nor total primary or secondary bile acids were significantly affected by feeding rats the OBP or its fractions. Principal component analysis combining all markers revealed that the controls could be completely separated from OBP, OE, and OR groups in the scores plot and also that OE and OR groups were separated. Plasma lipids and bile acid excretion were the discriminating loading factors for separating OE and OR but also contributed to the separation of onion-fed animals and controls. It was concluded that the onion byproduct did not present significant beneficial effects on individual markers related to plasma lipid transport in this healthy rat model but that onion byproduct contains factors with the ability to modulate plasma lipids and lipoprotein levels.

Knowledge of dose at the target site is a fundamental starting point in making interspecies dosimetric comparisons. To the extent that information is available on the effective dose of a compound, the confidence in risk assessments is increased. To facilitate judgments about effects determined in animals relative to likelihood of risk associated with human exposure to ozone (O3), a mathematical dosimetry model has been developed for interspecies comparisons. The model incorporates the major factors affecting the absorption of O3 in the respiratory tract: the morphology of the respiratory tract, the route, depth and rate of breathing, physicochemical properties of O3, the physical and chemical processes which govern gas transport, and the physicochemical properties of the lining fluids and tissue material of the airways and gas exchange units. Also discussed are the application of the dosimetry model for examining age-dependent susceptibility to O3 and the potential usefulness of such models for relating microdosimetry to microtoxicology.

For low temperature polymer fuel cells, carbon supporting material is an important factor that may affect the performance of supported electrocatalysts owing to interactions and surface reactivity. In this research, we design a well-arranged structure of graphene-Vulcan carbon composite to prepare highly dispersed 40 wt.% PtRu electrocatalysts. The Vulcan carbon is added as a nano spacer to enhance electrocatalytic activities of the PtRu catalysts in a methanol oxidation and fuel cell performance resulting in its higher utilization efficiency. The results show that Vulcan carbon is effectively designed to array of graphene sheets, resulting in more triple-phase boundaries available for electrochemical reaction and better mass transport in the catalyst layer.

Recent changes in the natural gas transportation program have resulted in greater freedom for local distributors to contract for gas supplies. The authors examine a sample of recent long-term contracts to determine the relation between the initial price in the contract and other factors, such as the nonprice terms of the agreement and market conditions, as measured by a corresponding spot price. Non-price contractual terms are classified as affecting the future flexibility of the parties to adjust either the price or the quantities to be taken. Data envelopment analysis is used to calculate a performance index for each contract. The method can be used by state public utility regulators to focus attention on particular contracts in discussions with utility managers.

Harvester ants, Pogonomyrmex owyheei Cole, irradiated with 3.5 kR to 268 kR of /sup 137/Cs gamma radiation, were maintained at simulated summer (27/sup 0/C) and winter (7/sup 0/C) temperature regimes. After thirty days, the cool series was warmed to 27/sup 0/C and observed for mortality along with the warm series. Though mortality was delayed in the cool series, each series reached 50% mortality at similar rates. Because the harvester ant is extremely tolerant to radiation and experimental rates used far exceed possible environmental exposure, it is unlikely that ant colonies dwelling among low-level nuclear waste storage sites will be deleteriously affected by radiation. This species has the capability of tunneling to a depth well within the range of some buried waste. Since these harvester ants are potential transporters of buried waste, they should be considered as a biotic factor in radioactive waste management operations in semi-arid regions.

This presentation evaluated several issues regarding the use of diluent as a blending agent with Canadian bitumen. Heavy and viscous crude oils are commonly diluted with condensates and gasolines. This improves field processing, transportability in pipelines and acceptability in markets and refineries. The demand for such diluent is increasing because of the large amounts of heavy oil and bitumen currently produced in Canada. The current tenable price of diluents has meant that a wide range of diluent sources and components are finding their way into the Canadian diluent supply stream. This has raised concerns regarding diluent performance and the affect on blended crude oils. The cost of diluent is among the most controllable expense associated with most bitumen production projects. Market factors were considered in this presentation, such as supply demand; price and infrastructure; operational processing and blending issues; diluent quality and component variability; and downstream issues such as refinery processing and production. tabs., figs.

Here we present a biofuel cell that can turn glucose and starch into electric energy. Compartmentalized with a Nafion® membrane, the cell oxidizes biofuels and reduces O2 in the anolyte and catholyte, respectively. Glucose is oxidized by glucose oxidase (GOx), and the released electrons are transported to the anode by 1,4-benzoquinone (BZQ). Oxygen is reduced by laccase (Lac) that receives electrons from the cathode carried by 2,2'-azino-bis(3- ethylbenothiazoline-6-sulfonate) (ABTS). When starch is fed, amylase is added in the anolyte for saccharification. The cell can generate a power density of ca. 50 ?W/cm2 at 25°C rapidly, even with a starch fuel. In this paper, we will detail the factors that affect the cell performances and demonstrate the biofuel cell's niche in electronic devices.   

Transferrin (Tf) is a glycoprotein responsible for iron transport in the human body. Physiologically in reaction with Concanavalin A, Tf occurs in four distinct variants Tf1, Tf2, Tf3 (apo-Tf) and Tf4. It was reported recently that Tf is changing, particularly during acute phase response, taking place among others in end-stage renal disease. In this study, we wanted to find the answer to three main questions: firstly, how Tf is changing in patients treated with maintenance haemodialysis (mHD), secondly, whether there are any Tf changes in the course of mHD treatment, and thirdly, what factors can affect Tf microheterogeneity in these patients. Studies were performed on 80 haemodialysed patients and 21 healthy volunteers. The Tf concentration was determined by the rocket immunoelectrophores...

We investigate through analysis and experiment how pore geometry, topology, and the physics and chemistry of mineral-fluid and fluid-fluid interactions affect the flow of fluids through consolidated/partially consolidated porous media. Our approach is to measure fluid permeability and electrical conductivity of rock samples using single and multiple fluid phases that can be frozen in place (wetting and nonwetting) over a range of pore pressures. These experiments are analyzed in terms of the microphysics and microchemistry of the processes involved to provide a theoretical basis for the macroscopic constitutive relationships between fluid-flow and geophysical properties that we develop. The purpose of these experiments and their analyses is to advance the understanding of the mechanisms and factors that control fluid transport in porous media. This understanding is important in characterizing porous media properties and heterogeneities before simulating and monitoring the progress of complex flow processes at the field scale in permeable media.

The Arctic Ocean has been greatly affected by climate change. Future predications show an even more drastic reduction of the ice cap which will open new areas for the exploration of natural resources and maritime transportation. Shipping through the Arctic Ocean via the Northern Sea Route (NSR) could save about 40% of the sailing distance from Asia (Yokohama) to Europe (Rotterdam) compared to the traditional route via the Suez Canal. However, a 40% reduction in distance using the NSR does not mean a corresponding 40% in cost savings due to many factors, including: higher building costs for ice-classed ships, non-regularity and slower speeds, navigation difficulties and greater risks, as well as the need for extra ice breaker service. The main purpose of this study is to investigate the eco...

In many cases of radioactive and hazardous waste management, some members of the general public perceive that human health risks associated with the wastes are higher than the calculated risks. Calculated risks are projections that have been derived from models, and it is these risks that are usually used as the basis for waste management. However, for various reasons, the calculated risks are often considered by the public as too low or inappropriate. The reasons that calculated risks are not perceived as accurate and the factors that affect these perceptions are explored in this paper. Also discussed are the impacts related to the perceived and calculated health risks: what they are, and if and how they differ. The kinds of potential impacts examined are health effects, land value changes, and social, transportation, and economic effects. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications of incorporating these different risk perspectives in decisions on waste management.

The research baselines established for acid rain in the 1980s position scientists and policy makers to evaluate the environmental effectiveness of the acid rain control program and to test the variety of scientific hypotheses made regarding the chemical, transport and biological processes involved in acidic deposition. Several new research questions have evolved. How effective are the emissions reductions? What is the residual risk? How have ecological recovery rates been affected and what other environmental factors influence recovery? What are the critical requirements to measure ecological change including the extent and rate while also capturing the extent and severity of emerging ecological stressors (such as watershed nitrogen saturation)? These and other questions are currently being synthesized within and outside of EPA to develop a long-term strategy to provide guidance to emerging research and monitoring issues.

A two-band model involving the A- and B-valence bands was adopted to analyze the temperature-dependent Hall effect measured on p-type ZnO. The hole transport characteristics (mobilities and effective Hall factor) are calculated using the “relaxation time approximation” as a function of temperature. It is shown that the lattice scattering by the acoustic deformation potential is predominant. In the calculation of the scattering rate for ionized impurity mechanism, an activation energy of 100 or 170 meV is used at different compensation ratios between donor and acceptor concentrations. The theoretical Hall mobility at an acceptor concentration of 7×1018 cm3 is about 70 cm2 V?1 s?1 with the activation energy of 100 meV and the compensation ratio of 0.8 at 300 K. We also found that the compensation ratios conspicuously affected the Hall mobilities.   

Adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) is essential to its effectiveness and avoidance of the development of drug-resistant HIV strains. Many studies have been undertaken on factors affecting adherence to ART; however, there is little information about Laos. Hence, this qualitative study examines barriers to and facilitators of adherence specific to this context. In-depth interviews and focus group discussions were undertaken with 43 people living with HIV (PLHIV) currently on ART across 2 hospitals in Laos: Setthathirath hospital in the capital Vientiane and Savannakhet Province hospital. Interviews were based on semistructured question guides and were undertaken in Lao, translated into English and audio-recorded for later analysis. Major barriers to adherence reported by participants included transport costs, distance to the hospital, and stigma and discrimination. Key facilitators discussed were the perceived benefits of medication, social support, and the acceptance of HIV status. PMID:22535549

The spherical graphite fuel elements (graphite balls) are transported into and out of the core in high-temperature gas-cooled pebble bed reactors (HTGR) by a fuel handling system (FHS) during plant operation. In order to control the reactor, it is necessary to have information on the location and movement of the graphite balls at various points of the FHS. In this paper, a new through-transmission eddy current testing probe has been put forward to detect the graphite balls. The probe's electromagnetic finite element model (FEM) has been established so as to study the factors affecting the performance of the probe. On this basis, electromagnetic detection parameters and probe designs have been optimised. According to the results of analysis, a bidirectional detector for the fuel ball handli...

Decarbonising transport is proving to be one of today's major challenges for the global automotive industry due to many factors such as the increase in greenhouse gas and particulate emissions affecting not only the climate but also humans, the increase in pollution, rapid oil depletion, issues with energy security and dependency from foreign sources and population growth. For more than a century, our society has been dependent upon oil, and major breakthroughs in low- and ultra-low carbon technologies and vehicles are urgently required. This review paper highlights the current status of hybrid, battery and fuel cell electric vehicles from an electrochemical and market point of view. The review paper also discusses the advantages and disadvantages of using each technology in the automotive...

Climate change and variability may have an impact on the occurrence of food safety hazards at various stages of the food chain, from primary production through to consumption. There are multiple pathways through which climate related factors may impact food safety including: changes in temperature and precipitation patterns, increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, ocean warming and acidification, and changes in contaminants' transport pathways among others. Climate change may also affect socio-economic aspects related to food systems such as agriculture, animal production, global trade, demographics and human behaviour which all influence food safety. This paper reviews the potential impacts of predicted changes in climate on food contamination and food safety at vario...

Stable isotope ratio measurements for carbon (C) and chlorine (Cl) can be used to elucidate the processes affecting transformation and transportation of chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons (CAHs) in the environment. Methods recently developed in our laboratory for isotopic analysis of CAHs have been applied to laboratory measurements of the kinetic isotope effects associated with aerobic degradation of dichloromethane (DCM) and with both anaerobic and aerobic cometabolic degradation of trichlomethene (TCE) in batch and column microbial cultures. These experimental determinations of fractionation factors are crucial for understanding the behavior of CAHs in complex natural systems, where the extent of biotransformation can be masked by dispersion and volatilization. We have also performed laboratory investigations of kinetic isotope effects accompanying evaporation of CAHs, as well as field investigations of natural attenuation and in situ remediation of CAHs in a number of contaminated shallow aquifers at sites operated by the federal government and the private sector.

Hepcidin can regulate cell irons' efflux transport. The expression of hepcidin can be influenced by the body signals (such as serum ferritin and erythropoietin levels) as well as inflammation, hypoxia and other disease states. These stimulus activate the signaling pathway of BMP-the SMAD, the JAK-STAT and HIF1 through the liver parenchymal cell surface type I transmembrane glycoprotein of HFE, transferrin receptor 1, 2, hepcidin regulatory proteins, thereby changing the hepcidin gene transcription, regulating the expression levels of hepcidin. However, the molecular mechanism that regulate hepcidin expression is unclear. From the signal factors that affect hepcidin expression and signaling pathways involved in its expression, the latest research progress on regulatory mechanism of hepcidin are summarized. PMID:22931678

Drought and salt are major abiotic stresses that adversely affect crop productivity. Thus, identification of factors that confer resistance to these stresses would pave way to increasing agricultural productivity. When grown on soil in green house longer than 5 weeks, transgenic Arabidopsis plants that overexpress an ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter, AtABCG36/AtPDR8, produced higher shoot biomass and less chlorotic leaves than the wild-type. We investigated whether the improved growth of AtABCG36-overexpressing plants was due to their improved resistance to abiotic stresses, and found that AtABCG36-overexpressing plants were more resistant to drought and salt stress and grew to higher shoot fresh weight (FW) than the wild-type. On the contrary, T-DNA insertional knockout lines were m...

The small intestine is an organ responsible for nutrient absorption, barrier functions, signal recognition/transduction, and the production of bioactive compounds. These functions are known to be regulated by such factors as hormones and cytokines, but substances contained in the daily diet are also thought to play roles as major modulators of intestinal functions. Intestinal epithelial cells (IECs), which form a monolayer covering the inside surface of the intestinal tract, are particularly important in this modulation, because they directly interact with intestinal contents, including food substances, their digests, and gut microbial components. Using cell-based in vitro assays, we investigated the food-IEC interactions at the cellular and molecular levels, and found that a variety of food substances affected the transporter activity, tight junction permeability, metabolic enzyme expression, immune functions, and so on. Modulation of the intestinal functions by dietary substances is therefore essential to promote health.   

Summary In response to nutrient limitation in the environment, the global transcriptional regulator CodY modulates various pathways in low G+C Gram-positive bacteria. In Bacillus subtilis CodY triggers adaptation to starvation by secretion of proteases coupled to the expression of amino acid transporters. Furthermore, it is involved in modulating survival strategies like sporulation, motility, biofilm formation, and CodY is also known to affect virulence factor production in pathogenic bacteria. In this study, the role of CodY in Bacillus cereus ATCC 14579, the enterotoxin-producing type strain, is investigated. A marker-less deletion mutant of codY (codY) was generated in B.-cereus and the transcriptome changes were surveyed using DNA microarrays. Numerous genes involved in biofilm format...

How microgravitational space environments affect aging is not well understood. We observed that, in Caenorhabditis elegans, spaceflight suppressed the formation of transgenically expressed polyglutamine aggregates, which normally accumulate with increasing age. Moreover, the inactivation of each of seven genes that were down-regulated in space extended lifespan on the ground. These genes encode proteins that are likely related to neuronal or endocrine signaling: acetylcholine receptor, acetylcholine transporter, choline acetyltransferase, rhodopsin-like receptor, glutamate-gated chloride channel, shaker family of potassium channel, and insulin-like peptide. Most of them mediated lifespan control through the key longevity-regulating transcription factors DAF-16 or SKN-1 or through dietary-restriction signaling, singly or in combination. These results suggest that aging in C. elegans is slowed through neuronal and endocrine response to space environmental cues. PMID:22768380

UV photochemical vapor generation (photo-CVG) as sample introduction was first adapted for determination of ultratrace cobalt by atomic fluorescence spectrometry (AFS). Cobalt volatile species can be generated when the buffer system of formic acid and formate containing Co (II) is exposed to UV radiation. The generated gaseous products were separated from liquid phase within a gas-liquid separator and then transported to AFS for determination of cobalt. Factors affecting the efficiency of photo-CVG were investigated in detail, including type and concentration of low molecular weight (LMW) organic acid, buffer system, UV irradiation time, reaction temperature, carrier gas flow rate and hydrogen flow rate. With 4% (v/v) HCOOH and 0.4molL^-^1 HCOONa buffer solution, 150s irradiation time and ...

Recent concerns regarding environmental contamination have necessitated the development of appropriate technologies to assess the presence and mobility of metals in soil and estimate possible ways to decrease the level of soil metal contamination. Phytoremediation is an emerging technology that may be used to cleanup contaminated soils. Successful application of phytoremediation, however, depends upon various factors that must be carefully investigated and properly considered for specific site conditions. To efficiently affect the metal removal from contaminated soils we used the ability of plants to accumulate different metals and agricultural practices to improve soil quality and enhance plant biomass. Pot experiments were conducted to study metal transport through bulk soil to the rhizosphere and stimulate transfer of the metals to be more available for plants' form. The aim of the experimental study was also to find fertilizers that could enhance uptake of metals and their removal from contaminated soil.

Abstract Aims: Chronic metabolic impairment and oxidative stress are associated with the pathogenesis of axonal dysfunction in a growing number of neurodegenerative conditions. To investigate the intertwining of both noxious factors, we have chosen the mouse model of adrenoleukodystrophy (X-ALD), which exhibits axonal degeneration in spinal cords and motor disability. The disease is caused by loss of function of the ABCD1 transporter, involved in the import and degradation of very long-chain fatty acids (VLCFA) in peroxisomes. Oxidative stress due to VLCFA excess appears early in the neurodegenerative cascade. Results: In this study, we demonstrate by redox proteomics that oxidative damage to proteins specifically affects five key enzymes of glycolysis and TCA (Tricarboxylic acid) cycle in...

Background: Arterial blood samples are sensitive to bias because of the physiological properties of blood. Several errors can occur in the preanalytical phase leading to incorrect diagnosis and improper treatment of patients. Collection of a blood specimen, as well as its handling and transport, belong to the key factors to affect the accuracy and good quality of clinical laboratory analysis. Methods: The aim of this study was to validate the effect of different sample volumes on the blood gas, electrolyte and lactate values using 3mL Rapidlyte plastic syringes with filter cap and Rapidlab 865 blood gas analyser. Also, the stability of blood gas analyser parameters with different sample volume was studied. Results: No substantial change in blood gas, electrolyte and lactate parameters was ...

Fracture/matrix (F/M) interaction is a key factor affecting flow and transport in unsaturated fractured rocks. In classic continuum approaches (Warren and Root, 1963), it is assumed that flow occurs through all the connected fractures and is uniformly distributed over the entire fracture area, which generally gives a relatively large F/M interaction. However, fractures seem to have limited interaction with the surrounding matrix at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, as suggested by geochemical nonequilibrium between the perched water (resulting mainly from fracture flow) and pore water in the rock matrix. Because of the importance of the F/M interaction and related issues, there is a critical need to develop new approaches to accurately consider the interaction reduction inferred from field data at the Yucca Mountain site. Motivated by this consideration, they have developed an active fracture model based on the hypothesis that not all connected fractures actively conduct water in unsaturated fractured rocks.

The International Conference on the Ecological Impact of Acid Precipitation attracted 300 scientists from 17 countries and included the following six main sessions: transport and deposition, movement through vegetation and direct effects on vegetation, impact on soil and indirect effects on vegetation, effects on water quality, effects on aquatic biota, and integrated studies. The chemical composition of rain is affected by atmospheric pollution. As the rain filters down to groundwater supplies it is further modified by chemical interactions with vegetation and the soil. Catchment hydrology is a crucial factor, and the new Henriksen's Acidification Predictor diagram for lakes received much attention. This diagram summarized the hydrochemical conditions observed in numerous lakes in terms of pH in precipitation and Ca and Mg in river runoff. A number of research priorities were set, including an increasing focus on the aluminum set free by soil processes and integrated studies with a holistic view.

Cutaneous tissue is the first barrier against outdoor insults. The outer most layer of the skin, the stratum corneum (SC), is formed by corneocytes embedded in a lipid matrix (cholesterol, ceramide and fatty acids). Therefore, the regulation of lipids and, in particular, of cholesterol homeostasis in the skin is of great importance. ABCA1 is a membrane transporter responsible for cholesterol efflux and plays a key role in maintaining cellular cholesterol levels. Among the many factors that have been associated with skin diseases, the environmental stressor cigarette smoke has been recently studied. In the present study, we demonstrate that ABCA1 expression in human cells (HaCaT) was increased (both mRNA and protein levels) after CS exposure. This effect was mediated by the inhibition of NFkB (aldehydes adducts formation) that allows the translocation of liver X receptor (LXR). These findings suggest that passive smoking may play a role in skin cholesterol levels and thus affect cutaneous tissues functions. PMID:20957101

This paper discusses the use of laboratory drag measurements and filter operating data to analyze factors affecting dustcake flow resistance in a hot-gas filter at the Power Systems Development Facility (PSDF). The hot-gas filter is a Siemens-Westinghouse two-tier candle filter system that is collecting coal gasification ash from a KBR Transport Gasifier. Operating experience with this system has shown that the flow resistance of the dustcake is responsible for most of the pressure drop across the hot-gas filter, and the pressure drop varies substantially with the type of coal being gasified and the operating conditions of the gasifier and filter systems. To analyze factors affecting dustcake drag, samples of gasification ash from various coals and various operating conditions were resuspended in a laboratory test apparatus, and the drag was measured as the dust was collected on a sintered metal filter. The lab-measured drag values were compared to actual values of transient drag determined from the increase in pressure drop, the inlet dust loading, and the face velocity in the hot-gas filter. After correcting the lab drag data to hot-gas filter conditions, good agreement was achieved between the lab measurements and the hot-gas filter transient drag values. Both types of measurements showed that drag was strongly influenced by coal type and carbon content.

Films of ethyl cellulose (EC) and water-soluble hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC) can be used for extended release coatings in oral formulations. The permeability and microstructure of free EC/HPC films with 30% w/w HPC were studied to investigate effects of EC molecular weight. Phase separation during film spraying and subsequent HPC leaching after immersion in aqueous media cause pore formation in such films. It was found that sprayed films were porous throughout the bulk of the film after water immersion. The molecular weight affected HPC leaching, pore morphology and film permeability; increasing the molecular weight resulted in decreasing permeability. A model to distinguish the major factors contributing to diffusion retardation in porous films showed that the trend in permeability was determined predominantly by factors associated with the geometry and arrangement of pores, independent of the diffusing species. The film with the highest molecular weight did, however, show an additional contribution from pore wall/permeant interactions. In addition, rapid drying and increasing molecular weight resulted in smaller pores, which suggest that phase separation kinetics affects the final microstructure of EC/HPC films. Thus, the molecular weight influences the microstructural features of pores, which are crucial for mass transport in EC/HPC films. PMID:23159668

Transport processes represent important life-sustaining elements in all humans. These include mass transfer processes, including gas exchange in the lungs, transport across capillaries and alveoli, transport across the kidneys, and transport across cell membranes. These mass transfer processes affect how oxygen and carbon dioxide are exchanged in your bloodstream, how metabolic waste products are removed from your blood, how nutrients are transported to tissues, and how all cells function throughout the body. A discussion of kidney dialysis and gas exchange mechanisms is included. Another elem

The ability of soil moisture to affect precipitation (SM-P) can be dissected into the ability of soil moisture to affect evapotranspiration (ET; SM-ET) and the ability of ET to affect precipitation (ET-P). SM-ET is a local process that is relatively easy to quantify, but ET-P includes nonlocal atmospheric processes and is more complex. Here, ET-P is quantified both locally and remotely with a back-trajectory method for water vapor transport, using corrected reanalysis data. It is found that, for SM-P and ET-P, local impact is greater than that from remote for most land areas with significant local impacts. By examining the responses of the three metrics (SM-ET, ET-P, and SM-P) to climate variations over different climate regimes, we show that SM-ET is the principal factor that determines the spatial pattern and variation of SM-P. For climatologically wet regions, SM-ET and SM-P are higher during dry periods, and vice versa for climatologically dry regions. All three metrics show highest values over the transitional zones.

The GLOBEC Germany program (2002–2007) had the ambitious goal to resolve the processes impacting the recruitment dynamics ofBalticsprat (Sprattus sprattus L.) by examining various factors affecting early life history stages. At the start of the research program, a number of general recruitmenthypotheses were formulated, i.e. focusing on (1) predation, (2) food availability, (3) physical parameters, (4) the impact of current systems, and finally (5) the importance of top-down vs bottom-up effects. The present study synthesizes the results of field sampling (2002 and 2003), laboratory experiments, and modeling studies to re-evaluate these hypotheses for the Balticsprat stock. Recruitment success was quite different in the 2 years investigated. Despite a lower spawning stock biomass in 2003, the total number of recruits was almost 2-fold higher that year compared to 2002. The higher recruitment success in 2003 could be attributed to enhanced survival success during the post-larval/juvenile stage, a life phase that appears to be critical for recruitment dynamics. In the state of the Baltic ecosystem during the period of investigation, we consider bottom-up control (e.g. temperature, prey abundance) to be more important than top-down control (predation mortality). This ranking in importance does not vary seasonally. Prevailing water circulation patterns and the transport dynamics of larval cohorts have a strong influence on spratrecruitment success. Pronounced transport to coastal areas is detrimental for year-class strength particularly at high sprat stock sizes. A suggested mechanism is density-dependant regulation of survival via intra- and inter-specific competition for prey in coastal areas. A documented change in larval vertical migration behavior between the early 1990s and early 2000s increased the transport potential to the coast, strengthening the coupling between inter-annual differences in the magnitude and direction of wind-driven surface currents and year-to-year changes in reproductive success. However,due to the strong linkages and feed-back loops in the Baltic Sea food web, the most robust projections of the future strength of the Balticsprat stock will need to take into account climate-driven changes in both abiotic (e.g., drift trajectories) and biotic (trophodynamic) factors. Although our understanding ofprocesses affecting pre-recruit (larval) growth and survival has been advanced by the integrated research conducted within the GLOBECGermany program, key mechanisms potentially affecting life stages outside of the spawning basins remain to be explored including the dynamics of coastal habitats of juveniles and the feeding and overwintering grounds of adults

Insulin performs unique functions within the CNS. Produced nearly exclusively by the pancreas, insulin crosses the blood-brain barrier (BBB) using a saturable transporter, affecting feeding and cognition through CNS mechanisms largely independent of glucose utilization. Whereas peripheral insulin acts primarily as a metabolic regulatory hormone, CNS insulin has an array of effects on brain that may more closely resemble the actions of the ancestral insulin molecule. Brain endothelial cells (BECs), the cells that form the vascular BBB and contain the transporter that translocates insulin from blood to brain, are themselves regulated by insulin. The insulin transporter is altered by physiological and pathological factors including hyperglycemia and the diabetic state. The latter can lead to BBB disruption. Pericytes, pluripotent cells in intimate contact with the BECs, protect the integrity of the BBB and its ability to transport insulin. Most of insulin's known actions within the CNS are mediated through two canonical pathways, the phosphoinositide-3 kinase (PI3)/Akt and Ras/mitogen activated kinase (MAPK) cascades. Resistance to insulin action within the CNS, sometimes referred to as diabetes mellitus type III, is associated with peripheral insulin resistance, but it is possible that variable hormonal resistance syndromes exist so that resistance at one tissue bed may be independent of that at others. CNS insulin resistance is associated with Alzheimer's disease, depression, and impaired baroreceptor gain in pregnancy. These aspects of CNS insulin action and the control of its entry by the BBB are likely only a small part of the story of insulin within the brain. PMID:22820012

The use of a variety of pesticides has increased dramatically during the past decades to improve agricultural efficiency and productivity. However, these agricultural chemicals are often washed to surface waters by runoff and leached through the vadose zone to ground water, thereby polluting waters and threatening human health as well as aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. It is of particular importance to develop effective modeling tools to assess the induced nonpoint source pollution, to regulate the use of agricultural pesticides, and to circumvent further deterioration in water quality. Different physically-based pesticide transport models, ranging from simple analytical models to semidiscrete and more rigorous numerical models, are discussed. In particular, the effects of use of pesticides on their occurrence and distribution in surface and subsurface environments are examined in this study. A windows-based integrated pesticide transport model (IPTM) is used to simulate three-phase pesticide transport and transformation and quantify spatial and temporal distributions in a coupled canopy-soil system as well as pesticide loading potential to the adjacent surface water through surface runoff and erosion. Five different pesticides (diazinon, 2,4-D acid, DBCP, simazine, and lindane) are examined. It is found that occurrence and distribution of pesticides in the environment are closely related to their use and determined by a series of pesticide transport and transformation processes. The occurrence and use of pesticides follow extremely complex and dynamic patterns that are affected by numerous factors related to their use and properties, hydrology, and agricultural activities. It is also found that changes in pesticide use (application quantity, frequency, timing, and method) may result in distinct environmental fate of pesticides in terms of their occurrence extent as well as spatial and temporal distributions.

Heterojunction with intrinsic thin layer or ``HIT'' solar cells are considered favorable for large-scale manufacturing of solar modules, as they combine the high efficiency of crystalline silicon (c-Si) solar cells, with the low cost of amorphous silicon technology. In this article, based on experimental data published by Sanyo, we simulate the performance of a series of HIT cells on N-type crystalline silicon substrates with hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) emitter layers, to gain insight into carrier transport and the general functioning of these devices. Both single and double HIT structures are modeled, beginning with the initial Sanyo cells having low open circuit voltages but high fill factors, right up to double HIT cells exhibiting record values for both parameters. The one-dimensional numerical modeling program ``Amorphous Semiconductor Device Modeling Program'' has been used for this purpose. We show that the simulations can correctly reproduce the electrical characteristics and temperature dependence for a set of devices with varying I-layer thickness. Under standard AM1.5 illumination, we show that the transport is dominated by the diffusion mechanism, similar to conventional P/N homojunction solar cells, and tunneling is not required to describe the performance of state-of-the art devices. Also modeling has been used to study the sensitivity of N-c-Si HIT solar cell performance to various parameters. We find that the solar cell output is particularly sensitive to the defect states on the surface of the c-Si wafer facing the emitter, to the indium tin oxide/P-a-Si:H front contact barrier height and to the band gap and activation energy of the P-a-Si:H emitter, while the I-a-Si:H layer is necessary to achieve both high Voc and fill factor, as it passivates the defects on the surface of the c-Si wafer. Finally, we describe in detail for most parameters how they affect current transport and cell properties.

The Barton Springs zone, which comprises the Barton Springs segment of the Edwards aquifer and the watersheds to the west that contribute to its recharge, is in south-central Texas, an area with rapid growth in population and increasing amounts of land area affected by development. During November 2008-March 2010, an investigation of factors affecting the fate and transport of nutrients and bacteria in the Barton Springs zone was conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. The primary objectives of the study were to characterize occurrence of nutrients and bacteria in the Barton Springs zone under a range of flow conditions; to improve understanding of the interaction between surface-water quality and groundwater quality; and to evaluate how factors such as streamflow variability and dilution affect the fate and transport of nutrients and bacteria in the Barton Springs zone. The USGS collected and analyzed water samples from five streams (Barton, Williamson, Slaughter, Bear, and Onion Creeks), two groundwater wells (Marbridge and Buda), and the main orifice of Barton Springs in Austin, Texas. During the period of the study, during which the hydrologic conditions transitioned from exceptional drought to wetter than normal, water samples were collected routinely (every 3 to 4 weeks) from the streams, wells, and spring and, in response to storms, from the streams and spring. All samples were analyzed for major ions, nutrients, the bacterium Escherichia coli, and suspended sediment. During the dry period, the geochemistry of groundwater at the two wells and at Barton Springs was dominated by flow from the aquifer matrix and was relatively similar and unchanging at the three sites. At the onset of the wet period, when the streams began to flow, the geochemistry of groundwater samples from the Marbridge well and Barton Springs changed rapidly, and concentrations of most major ions and nutrients and densities of Escherichia coli became more similar to those of samples from the streams relative to concentrations and densities during the dry period. Geochemical modeling indicated that the proportion of Barton Springs discharge composed of stream recharge increased from about 0-8 percent during the dry period to about 80 percent during the wet period. The transition from exceptional drought to wetter-than-normal conditions resulted in a number of marked changes that highlight factors affecting the fate and transport of nutrients and bacteria and the strong influence of stream recharge on water quality in the Barton Springs segment of the Edwards aquifer and had a pronounced effect on the fate of nitrogen species. Organic nitrogen loaded to and stored in soils during the dry period was nitrified to nitrate when the soils were rewetted, resulting in elevated concentrations of nitrate plus nitrite in streams as these constituents were progressively leached during continued wet weather. Estimated mean monthly loads of organic nitrogen and nitrate plus nitrite in stream recharge and Barton Springs discharge, which were relatively low and constant during the dry period, increased during the wet period. Loads of organic nitrogen, on average, were about six times greater in stream recharge than in Barton Springs discharge, indicating that organic nitrogen likely was being converted to nitrate within the aquifer. Loads of total nitrogen (organic nitrogen plus ammonia and nitrate plus nitrite) in stream recharge (162 kilograms per day) and in Barton Springs discharge (157 kilograms per day) for the period of the investigation were not significantly different. Dilution was not an important factor affecting concentrations of nitrate plus nitrite in the streams or in Barton Springs during the period of this investigation: Concentrations of nitrate plus nitrite did not decrease in streams with increasing stream discharge, and nitrate plus nitrite concentrations measured at Barton

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Paper presented at the 22nd Annual Southern African Transport Conference 14 - 16 July 2003 "National issues affecting the movement of people and goods - strategic approaches", CSIR International Convention Centre, Pretoria, South Africa. ABSTRACT: The measurement of performance, or performance ...

Transport processes are the hallmark of functioning kidney. Various nephrotoxicants disrupt the transport processes to manifest nephrotoxicity. Of several nephrotoxicants, mercuric chloride (HgCl2) depletes the reduced glutathione (GSH) in kidney and has been observed to affect the in vitro p-aminohippurate (PAH) transport by basolateral (BL) membrane vesicles. The role of renal nonprotein sulfhydryls such as, reduced GSH has been demonstrated to affect the PAH transport by BL membrane vesicles. The role of protein sulfhydryls in transport process of PAH by BL membrane is not known. Due to mercury mediated effects on sulfhydryls, the effects of protein-sulfhydryls (???SH) modifying reagents in the current study were investigated on PAH transport by BL membrane. It was observed that modific...

Iron status affects cognitive and physical performance in humans. Recent evidence indicates that iron balance is a tightly regulated process affected by a series of factors other than diet, to include hypoxia. Hypoxia has profound effects on iron absorpti...

...including recent trends in production, consumption, and...description of the competitive factors affecting the agricultural sector...such areas as costs of production, technology, domestic...the principal measures affecting China's...

One or more of the Following Statements may affect this Document. This document has been ... affect different consumers in different ways. Small users, ... burn this fuel as the fuel of choice. ..... business and marketing factors. In any case, the ...

...feel that the loan was a good choice? Are there things they wish...originator compensation rules) affect the business practices of...brokers? c. How do these factors affect the choices presented to consumers? 11. The Bureau has...

Our research project is motivated by the observations that conventional characterization approaches capture only a fraction of heterogeneity affecting field-scale transport, and that conventional modeling approaches, which use this sparse data, typically do not successfully predict long term plume behavior with sufficient accuracy to guide remedial strategies. Our working hypotheses are that improved prediction of contaminant transport can be achieved using a dual-domain transport approach and field-scale characterization approaches.

As all we know, pollution is a serious actual problem that affects our society. Maritime transport is responsible of part of that pollution and with this purpose; measure to be taken in the logistical and maritime transport field is to reduce ships emissions. Air pollution is not the only problem, b...

In this study, the effect on thin film growth due to an anomalous electron transport, found in high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS), has been investigated for the case of a planar circular magnetron. An important consequence of this type of transport is that it affects the way ions are b...

Many explosive-related compounds (ERCs) are found near the soil-atmospheric surface in sites containing buried explosive devices, such as landmines and unexploded ordnance, detonation-residual, and munitions residues from explosive manufacturing facilities. Accurate assessment of the fate and transport processes is essential for predicting their movement to the surface, groundwater, or any other important environmental compartment. The transport processes controlling the direction and magnitude of the movement, and chemical and physical processes controlling the fate of the chemicals vary with environmental conditions. This research addresses the effect of variable rainfall, evaporation, temperature, and solar radiation on fate and transport of 2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene (TNT), 2,4-Dinitrotoluene (DNT), and other related chemicals in partially saturated soil. Experiments have been conducted in a laboratory-scale 3D SoilBed placed inside an environmental chamber equipped with rainfall and solar radiation simulators, and temperature control settings. The SoilBed was packed with a sandy soil. Experiments have been conducted by burying a TNT/DNT source, simulating a landmine, and applying different rainfall and light radiation cycles while monitoring DNT, TNT, and other related ERCs solute concentrations temporally and spatially within the SoilBed. Experiments include different source characteristics, rainfall intensities, temperatures, and radiation cycles to evaluate their effect on the detection and movement of ERC in soils in both aqueous and vapor phases. Temporal and spatial data has been analyzed comparatively and quantitatively. Comparative analysis was developed using surfer®- and voxler®-generated images and 3D visualization models applying spatial interpolation and masking methods. Single and multi-variable statistical analysis has been employed to determine the most important factors affecting the fate, transport and detection of ERC near soil-atmospheric surfaces. Results show that rainfall, radiation, and temperature variations influence the presence, transport, and concentrations of TNT and DNT near the soil surface. Higher concentrations are observed near the end of rainfall events, both in the aqueous and gaseous phases. Higher rainfall intensity results in higher presence and concentrations. Lower TNT and DNT concentrations than their solubility limit indicate rate-limited mass transfer, dissolution limitations, and dilution processes. Radiation events and higher atmospheric temperatures result in greater presence and concentrations of DNT and TNT, indicating influence of these factors on fate and transport processes. TNT degradation by-products measured mostly in the upper segments of the SoilBed, suggest degradation processes resulting from radiation-induced conditions near the soil-atmospheric surface. Although the ERC source consists of equal mass of TNT and DNT, greater detection density and concentrations are observed for DNT. A generalized linear mixed statistical model has been applied to quantify the effect of environmental conditions on ERC detection and concentrations. The statistical analysis indicates that rainfall events and related water contents are the most influential factors affecting the presence and concentrations of ERCs in the aqueous and gaseous phase. Solar radiation, and related heat flux, is the second most influential parameter. Although atmospheric temperature influence the presence and concentration of ERCs in soils, it is the least influential parameter.

Many engineering processes such as hydraulic conveying, transportation of food products and development of fuels using coal/water slurries involve solid-liquid (slurry) flows in pipes. The objective of the present research is to investigate the effect of particle size and concentration on the pressure drop and the transitional Reynolds number from laminar to turbulent flow in a homogeneous slurry. The slurry consists of chloroform and silica gel of matched index of refraction to allow Laser-Doppler anemometer measurements of the velocity profiles and turbulence intensity. Particles with volume median diameters of 96 ..mu..m and 210 ..mu..m were employed in the present experiments. The solid concentration was varied from zero to 30 percent by volume. Pressure drop and velocity distribution measurements were made in a fully developed slurry flow for Reynolds numbers from 1200 and 30,000. The data clearly illustrates the inadequacy of the Bingham plastic and Power law models to describe slurry flows. The results indicated that the universal logarithmic law of velocity distribution is valid in the case of slurry flow with a decrease of the von Karman constant k and increase in the turbulent boundary factor as the solid concentration increases. The von Karman constant and the turbulent boundary factor are affected by the particle size. The characteristic shapes of the curves relating the friction factor and Reynolds number depends on the size of the particles. Particle size has a dominant influence on the turbulence characteristics of the flow. Increasing solids concentration reduces the turbulence intensity.

In designing a package for transporting hazardous or radioactive materials, there are a number of components whose design can lead to the success or failure to meet regulatory requirements for Type B packages. One of these components is the impact limiter. The primary purpose of the impact limiter is to protect the package and its contents from sudden deceleration. It can also act as a thermal barrier. The package is protected by the impact limiter`s ability to act as an energy absorber. The crush strength of most impact limiting materials is determined by a standard quasistatic (QS) method. However it has been observed that there are a number of factors that affect crush strength. The material being used as an impact limiter may appear incompressible because of one or more of these factors. Factors that determine compressive strength of impact limiter materials are; the material density; the thickness of the impact limiter material. There must be adequate material to absorb the impact and not go into lockup, lockup up occurs when the free volume of the material is eliminated and the crush strength sharply increases; the angle of impact; and the loading rate and operating temperature. All of these are interactive and therefore difficult to model. It is the intent of tests discussed in this paper to determine the dependency of crush strength to loading rate and angle of impact to the basic grain direction of two different densities of four impact limiting materials.

Pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE) is a multisystem disorder characterized by ectopic mineralization of connective tissues with primary manifestations in the skin, eyes, and cardiovascular system. The classic forms of PXE are due to mutations in the ABCC6 gene that encodes the ABCC6 protein, a putative transmembrane transporter expressed primarily in the liver and the kidneys. PXE-like clinical findings have been encountered in association with vitamin K-dependent coagulation factor deficiency, an autosomal recessive disorder that is due to mutations in either the GGCX or VKORC1 genes. In this study, we investigated a family with two siblings with characteristic features of PXE and vitamin K-dependent coagulation factor deficiency. Mutation analysis identified two GGCX mutations in the affected individuals (p. R83W and p.Q374X); however, no mutations in either ABCC6 or VKORC1 could be found. GGCX encodes a gamma-glutamyl carboxylase necessary for activation of both coagulation factors in the liver and matrix gla protein, which, in fully carboxylated form, is able to prevent ectopic mineralization. Analysis of skin by specific antibodies demonstrated that matrix gla protein was found predominantly in undercarboxylated form and was associated with the mineralized areas in the patients' lesional skin. These observations pathomechanistically suggest that, in our patients, reduced carboxylase activity results in a reduction of matrix gla protein carboxylation, thus allowing peripheral mineralization to occur. Our findings also confirm GGCX as the second gene locus causing PXE. PMID:19116367

Methamphetamine (METH) is an addictive and neurotoxic psychostimulant widely abused in the USA and throughout the world. When administered in large doses, METH can cause depletion of striatal dopamine terminals, with preservation of midbrain dopaminergic neurons. Because alterations in the expression of transcription factors that regulate the development of dopaminergic neurons might be involved in protecting these neurons after toxic insults, we tested the possibility that their expression might be affected by toxic doses of METH in the adult brain. Male Sprague-Dawley rats pretreated with saline or increasing doses of METH were challenged with toxic doses of the drug and euthanized two weeks later. Animals that received toxic METH challenges showed decreases in dopamine levels and reductions in tyrosine hydroxylase protein concentration in the striatum. METH pretreatment protected against loss of striatal dopamine and tyrosine hydroxylase. In contrast, METH challenges caused decreases in dopamine transporters in both saline- and METH-pretreated animals. Interestingly, METH challenges elicited increases in dopamine transporter mRNA levels in the midbrain in the presence but not in the absence of METH pretreatment. Moreover, toxic METH doses caused decreases in the expression of the dopamine developmental factors, Shh, Lmx1b, and Nurr1, but not in the levels of Otx2 and Pitx3, in saline-pretreated rats. METH pretreatment followed by METH challenges also decreased Nurr1 but increased Otx2 and Pitx3 expression in the midbrain. These findings suggest that, in adult animals, toxic doses of METH can differentially influence the expression of transcription factors involved in the developmental regulation of dopamine neurons. The combined increases in Otx2 and Pitx3 expression after METH preconditioning might represent, in part, some of the mechanisms that served to protect against METH-induced striatal dopamine depletion observed after METH preconditioning. PMID:21547080