UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The objectives of this study were to quantify the effect of 16 ppm of dietary monensin on milk production and composition of dairy cows, and to investigate factors having a potential impact on this...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

During the treatment of neonatal apnea, formula-fed infants, compared to breastfed infants, show nearly three-fold increase in clearance of caffeine, a substrate...Full Text Available

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Although it has been established that lead is transferred in milk from mother to suckling offspring, the physiological processes and parameters involved are not well understood. Single i.v. doses (0.2 mg/kg) or p.o. doses (2 mg/kg) of radiolabeled lead were administered to lactating and nonlactating female mice, and lead concentrations in blood, plasma, and milk were determined during a 21-day period. Large differences in lead elimination were observed between lactating and nonlactation mice. A significant fraction (25%) of the initial maternal dose (absorbed dose) was transferred to the suckling pups. The ratio of lead concentration in milk to lead concentration in plasma was found to be nearly constant over time. However, the milk-to-blood concentration ratios decreased during the same period. Furthermore, the concentration of lead in milk exceeded the plasma concentration by a ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The project is intended to yield information on the transfer factors describing the transfer of ingested radionuclides to breast milk for the following elements: antimony, cerium, chromium, cobalt, gallium, lanthanum, molybdenum, niobium, radium, ruthenium, silver, thorium, titanium, and uranium. Those yet unknown or poorly known transfer factors are required in order to be able to develop a reliable model for description and assessment of the transfer of the radionuclides and the possibly resulting hazardous doses to infants, and for subsequent formulation of recommendations for radiological protection of the population. (orig./CB)

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

1. One hundred and thirty-two antidromically identified paraventricular (PV) and supraoptic (SO) neurones were studied during milk ejection evoked by the suckling of the young, in thirty-four lactating...Full Text Available

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Calcium and phosphorus were mainly responsible for reducing the gastrointestinal absorption of lead in human subjects. The effect of calcium was greater than phosphorus, and their combined effect was more than additive. Increasing weights of calcium and phosphorus progressively reduced lead absorption. The relationship between absorption and increasing weights could be described by two negative exponentials. These effects could be explained if lead competed with calcium and phosphorus for common transport mechanisms in the gut. Milk was also found to reduce lead absorption. Adding milk to the diet of people with low dietary calcium intake could reduce the possibility of increased absorption of ingested lead.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Most prior climate change assessments for U.S. agriculture have focused on major world food crops such as wheat and maize. While useful from a national and global perspective, these results are not particularly relevant to the Northeastern U.S. agriculture economy, which is dominated by dairy milk production, and high-value horticultural crops such as apples (Malus domestica), grapes (vitis vinifera), sweet corn (Zea mays var. rugosa), cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata), and maple syrup (sugar maple, Acer saccharum). We used statistically downscaled climate projections generated by the HadCM3 atmosphere-ocean general circulation model, run with Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change future emissions scenarios Alfi (higher) and B1 (lower), to evaluate several climate thresholds of direct relevance to agriculture in the region. A longer (frostfree) growing season could create new opportunities for farmers with enough capital to take risks on new crops ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Operations at the Savannah River Site (SRS) result in releases of small amounts of radioactive materials to the atmosphere and to the Savannah River. For regulatory compliance purposes, potential offsite radiological doses are estimated annually using computer models that follow U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Regulatory Guides. Within the regulatory guides, default values are provided for many of the dose model parameters but the use of site-specific values by the applicant is encouraged. A detailed survey of land and water use parameters was conducted in 1991 and is being updated here. These parameters include local characteristics of meat, milk and vegetable production; river recreational activities; and meat, milk and vegetable consumption rates as well as other human usage parameters required in the SRS dosimetry models. In addition, the preferred elemental bioaccumulation factors and transfer ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The project is intended to yield information on the transfer factors describing the transfer of ingested radionuclides to breast milk for the following elements: antimony, cerium, chromium, cobalt, gallium, lanthanum, molybdenum, niobium, radium, ruthenium, silver, thorium, titanium, and uranium. Those yet unknown or poorly known transfer factors are required in order to be able to develop a reliable model for description and assessment of the transfer of the radionuclides and the possibly resulting hazardous doses to infants, and for subsequent formulation of recommendations for radiological protection of the population. (orig./CB) [German] Ziel des Projektes ist die Ermittlung von Transferfaktoren fuer den Uebergang von Radionukliden aus der Nahrung der Muetter in die Muttermilch fuer die Elemente Antimon, Cer, Chrom, Cobalt, Gallium, Lanthan, Molybdaen, Niob, Radium, Ruthenium, Silber, Thorium, Titan und Uran. Um die ...

Wastenet

decline is due to EC measures introduced to control milk production (milk quotas, reduction in herd

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

We evaluated the role of tea and coffee and substances added (sugar/honey, creamers, and milk) on endometrial cancer risk in a population-based case?control study in six counties in New Jersey, including 417 cases and 395 controls. Multivariate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were computed using unconditional logistic regression. There was a moderate inverse association with coffee consumption, with an adjusted OR of 0.65 (95% CI: 0.36?1.17) for women who reported more than two cups/day of coffee compared to none. Tea consumption appeared to increase risk (OR: 1.93; 95% CI: 1.08?3.45), but after including the variables sugar/honey and cream/milk added to tea in the model, the risk estimate was attenuated and no longer statistically significant (OR: 1.77; 95% CI: 0.96?3.2...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

A method for enrichment of the ppb level of cadmium in water by using the coagulation of soybean protein by adding acids or its complex-forming character with heavy metal ions was investigated. After adding fixed amounts of soybean milk and 2% sodium diethyldithiocarbamate(DDTC) aqueous solution and a suitable amount of delta-gluconic lactone (delta-GL) to a sample solution, the mixture was heated to boiling in order to coagulate the protein. The coagulum(soybean curd) was separated from the suspension by centrifugation and burned to ashes with a low temperature plasma asher. Then the cadmium enriched in it was determined by atomic absorption spectrometry. Various factors such as the pH of the sample solution, the amounts of soybean milk and the collection additives, and the concentration of NaCl in the sample solution on the recovery of cadmium were examined systematically. The best recovery was obtained under the ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The ECOSYS model is used to estimate ingestion dose in the ARGOS and RODOS decision support systems for nuclear emergency management. It is recommended that nation-specific values for several parameters are used in the model. However, this is generally overlooked when the systems are used in practice. We have estimated first year ingestion doses in two scenarios with wet and dry deposition of 137Cs, using the ECOSYS model. We calculated doses for each country using national dietary data while keeping all other parameters at their default values. These dose calculations were then used to estimate the variation in ingestion doses resulting from the variation in the diets only. The dietary data demonstrated that the average consumption of milk, meat and vegetables varied by a factor of 2-4 am...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Analysis of the pattern of the chromosomal localization of quantitative trait loci (QTLs) is necessary for comprehensively understanding their functions. The chromosomal localization of QTLs controlling milk production traits has been studied in cattle chromosomes. The distribution of QTLs between chromosomes has proved to be binomial. Their distribution along each chromosome was, in general, uniform, except for the QTLs controlling the somatic cell score (SCS), which tended towards telomeric location. However, there are chromosomes either enriched with or particularly poor in QTLs. The QTL distribution patters are the most similar for the milk yield (M) and milk protein yield (P) and for milk fat yield (F) and milk fat content (%F). The pattern of the SCS QTLs stands out among those of ot...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

AbstractMilk residues and performance were evaluated in lactating cows that were fed up to 10 times the recommended dose of monensin. Following an acclimatization period of 14 d, during...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

In the State Laboratory of North Rhine-Westphalia for Food, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Chemistry (Chemisches Landesuntersuchungsamt), more than 600 individual human milk samples have been analyzed...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

To determine the N-acetyl-B-D-glucosaminidase (NAGase) and B-glucuronidase (B-Gase) activities in mastitic milk, basic enzyme assay conditions, distribution of NAGase and B-Gase, comparison of their...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Increased oxidative stress is associated with perinatal asphyxia and respiratory distress in the newborn period. Induction of nuclear factor erythroid 2 p45-related factor (Nrf2) has been shown to decrease...Full Text Available

Science.gov (United States)

exposed to persistent saltwater intrusion, a major factor in the decline of marsh ecosystems. The resulting increase in salinity from persistent flooding due to ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The dose-dependent transfer of [sup 203]Pb to milk and uptake in suckling rats and mice during a three-day nursing period was studied. On day 14 of lactation, the dams were administered a single intravenous dose of lead, labelled with [sup 203]Pb, in four or five doses from 0.0005 to 2.0 mg Pb/kg b.wt. There was a linear relationship between Pb levels in plasma and milk of both species. The Pb milk: plasma ratios at 24 hr after administration were 119 and 89 in mice and rats, respectively. At 72 hr the Pb milk: plasma ratio had decreased to 72 in mice and 35 in rats. The tissue levels of lead in the suckling rats and mice were also linearly correlated with lead concentration in milk at 72 hr, showing that milk could be used as an indicator of lead exposure to the suckling offspring. It is concluded that lead is transported into rat and mouse ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Analysis of Sr-90 in milk and tap water has been conducted in New York City since 1954. The milk sample analyzed is a monthly composite of pasteurized milk purchased daily at retail stores. The monthly Sr-90 to calcium ratios for New York City since the inception of the sampling progam in 1954 through 1981 are tabulated. Samples of New York City tap water are taken daily so that by the end of the month, approximately 100 liters have been collected. Data on Sr-90 since the inception of the program are presented. The available Cs-137 data expressed as the Cs-137 to Sr-90 ratio are given. A graphical presentation of the New York City Sr-90 data is also shown.

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

When casein, a milk protein, is hydrolyzed, it renders human foods that contain it (e.g., hypoallergenic infant formula, cheeses) distasteful to many people. This rejection...Full Text Available

Science.gov (United States)

Global meat and milk consumption is exponentially increasing due to population growth, urbanization and changes in lifestyle in the developing world. This is an excellent opportunity for developing countries to improve the livestock sector by using technological advances. Biotechnology is one of the avenues for improved production in the "Livestock revolution". Biotechnology developments applied to livestock health, nutrition, breeding and reproduction are improving with a reasonable pace in developing countries. Simple bio-techniques such as artificial insemination have been well implemented in many parts of the developing world. However, advanced technologies including transgenic plant vaccines, marker assisted selection, solid state fermentation for the production of fibrolytic enzymes, transgenic fodders, embryo transfer and animal cloning are confined largely to research organizations. Some developing countries such as Taiwan, China and ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Vascular permeability factor (VPF) is an Mr 40-kD protein that has been purified from the conditioned medium of guinea pig line 10 tumor cells grown in vitro, and increases fluid permeability from blood...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Variant alleles of the mannose binding lectin (MBL) gene are associated with increased susceptibility to infection and polymorphisms of tumour necrosis factor and lymphotoxin alpha genes (TNF, LTA)...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Veterinarians and farmers employing multivalent killed vaccines in lactating dairy cows have reported transient losses in milk production. Few studies have quantified this loss. In this report, effects...Full Text Available

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Program decisions by symphony orchestra management are influenced by various factors. To examine these factors, we create an objective index of the propensity of a symphony orchestra to perform the standard repertoire. We use regression analysis to examine factors that influence programming decisions of 64 US symphony orchestras in 2006?2007, including public and private sources of funding. We find that increased funding from ticket sales, endowments, and local government increases the likelihood that an orchestra will perform nonstandard repertoire. In addition, the results suggest that a symphony orchestra?s music director does not have a significant impact on the degree of program conventionality.

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

BackgroundProfessionalism is a critical quality for physicians to possess. Physician professionalism has received increased attention in recent years, with many authorities suggesting...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Background:Prolonged mechanical ventilation is increasingly common. It is expensive and associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Our objective is to comprehensively characterize...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

BackgroundAs long-term nursing home care is likely to increase with the aging of the population, identifying chronic medical conditions is of particular interest. Although need factors...Full Text Available

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Human breast milk samples collected in 2007?2008 from four countries, Vietnam (Hanoi), China (Beijing), Korea (Seoul) and Japan (Sendai, Kyoto and Takayama), were analyzed for persistent organic pollutants (POPs) such as dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane and its metabolites (DDTs), chlordane-related compounds (CHLs), hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs), hexachlorobenzene (HCB), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). Comparing with previous surveys, the present study indicates that the DDTs in breast milk from China and Vietnam had gradually decreased during the last decade, but were still 5?10 times higher than those in other nations. The ratios of p,p?-DDE/p,p?-DDT and o,p?-DDT/p,p?-DDT were higher in Beijing than in the other countries, suggesting that there...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Good performance in extended lactations of dairy cattle may have a beneficial effect on food costs, health, and fertility. Because data for extended lactation performance is scarce, lactation persistency has been suggested as a suitable selection criterion. Persistency phenotypes were calculated in several ways: P1 was yield relative to an approximate peak, P2 was the slope after peak production, and P3 was a measure derived to be phenotypically uncorrelated to yield and calculated as a function of linear regressions on test-day deviations of days in milk. Phenotypes P1, P2, and P3 were calculated for sires as solutions estimated from a random regression model fitted to milk yield. Because total milk yield, calculated as the sum of daily sire solutions, was correlated to P1 and P2 (r=0.30 ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The catalytic performance of alkaline-treated zeolite H-ZSM-5 in the conversion of methanol to gasoline has been studied. After treatment with 0.20M NaOH, the total conversion capacity increased by a factor of 3.3, and the selectivity towards the gasoline fraction increased by a factor of 1.7. Physical characterization indicated the formation of mesopores and improved crystallinity.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This paper represents a parametric study of the amplification factor to account for rebound effects in the Energy Balance Method. Of the 66 distinct cases we chose for our parametric study, the amplification factor of 1.1 seems sufficient except in four borderline cases where the carbon steel pipes are small or have very small gaps between the pipes and the pipe whip restraints. We conclude that the amplification factor generally decreases as the parameters gap size, hinge-to-break distance and overhang increase.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Immunoassays are versatile analytical techniques that had a leading role in various clinical applications, during the last four decades. The studies carried out by Rosalyn Yalow, Solomon Berson and Roger Ekins in the 1960s gave a breakthrough in the development of this novel analytical method. Sensitivity up to femtomolar concentrations, high specificity and universal application to different classes of molecular species made immunoassay a very useful tool in analytical investigation. The expertise acquired by immunochemists in producing antibodies against any antigen and the ability of radiochemists in labeling the antigens with "1"2"5I without affecting the active site are the two main factors responsible for the above development. There are concerns about the safety and health of humans due to the high-level contamination of environment by pesticides, industrial compounds and metals, anabolic steroids in milk and meat products, and presence ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Human exposure to perchlorate is commonplace because it is a contaminant of drinking water, certain foods, and breast milk. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) conducted a perchlorate risk...Full Text Available

Science.gov (United States)

... its infancy. However, the geological record of many fossil fungi is well established (Elsik, 1996; Kalgutkar and Jansonius, ... 1988). A comprehensive account of the history of fossil fungi, and the impor...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Tetracycline-resistant Lactococcus lactis strains originally isolated from Polish raw milk were analyzed for the ability to transfer their antibiotic resistance genes in vitro, using...Full Text Available

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dairy products doubly labeled with 45Ca and 47Ca were used to evaluate an extrinsic labeling procedure for calcium bioavailability determination. Nonfat milk, yogurt, and fresh cheese curd were prepared from caprine milk that was intrinsically labeled with 45Ca. The products were then labeled extrinsically with 47Ca and administered to rats by gavage. The 47Ca to 45Ca ratio in bone and teeth averaged about 1.00 with either milk, yogurt, or CaCl2, but the ratio was about 1.04 when dosed with cheese curd. Ca absorption, determined by whole-body counting of 47Ca, was lower (P less than 0.05) in cheese curd (59%) than in either milk (69%), yogurt (72%), or CaCl2 (72%). Expressed as percent of dose, the absorption of 47Ca was highly correlated with bone 47Ca (r = 0.973) and with bone 45Ca (r = 0.946). Correlation between tibia 47Ca and tibia 45Ca was r = 0.923. For the dairy products tested, our results ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

BackgroundThere are 146 million underweight children in the developing world, which contribute to up to half of the world's child deaths. In high burden regions for malnutrition,...Full Text Available

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

In many applications, the experimenter has limited options about what factor combinations can be chosen for a designed study. Consider a screening study for a production process involving five input factors whose levels have been previously established. The goal of the study is to understand the effect of each factor on the response, a variable that is expensive to measure and results in destruction of the part. From an inventory of available parts with known factor values, we wish to identify a best collection of factor combinations with which to estimate the factor effects. Though the observational nature of the study cannot establish a causal relationship involving the response and the factors, the study can increase understanding of the underlying process. The study can also help determine where investment should be ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Reverse osmosis is a simple process and has relatively high decontamination factor compared to other processes used for the treatment of radioactive liquid waste. Furthermore the quantity of secondary waste of this process is small. In this study, test solution containing nine elements such as cesium, strontium, cobalt etc. in chloride forms are treated by reverse osmosis. Permeate rate decreases as the increase of osmotic pressure of feed solution and is expressed by linear equation. Decontamination factor of cations of univalency is more than ten, and about one tenth of that of bivalency. Decontamination factors of all the elements used in this experiment are approximately estimated using the solution-diffusion model.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Visceral hypersensitivity is currently considered a key pathophysiological mechanism involved in pain perception in large subgroups of patients with functional gastrointestinal disorders, including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). In IBS, visceral hypersensitivity has been described in 20%?90% of patients. The contribution of the central nervous system and psychological factors to visceral hypersensitivity in patients with IBS may be significant, although still debated. Peripheral factors have gained increasing attention following the recognition that infectious enteritis may trigger the development of persistent IBS symptoms, and the identification of mucosal immune, neural, endocrine, microbiological, and intestinal permeability abnormalities. Growing evidence suggests that these factors ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Strategies to combine aspirated marrow cells with scaffolds to treat connective tissue defects are gaining increasing clinical attention and use. In situations such as large defects where initial...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

It has become increasing clear that alterations in cellular metabolism have a key role in the generation and maintenance of cancer. Some of the metabolic changes can be attributed to the activation...Full Text Available

Science.gov (United States)

Spontaneous radiation by an atom in a Rydberg state is inhibited by use of parallel conducting planes to eliminate the vacuum modes at the transition frequency. Spontaneous radiation emission is observed to turn off abruptly at the cutoff frequency of the waveguidelike structure, and the natural lifetime is measured to increase by a factor of at least 20.

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

BackgroundStress fractures are a significant problem among athletes and soldiers and may result in devastating complications or even permanent handicap. Genetic factors may increase...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

BackgroundInvasive Staphylococcus aureus infection is increasingly recognised as an important cause of serious sepsis across the developing world, with mortality...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Objectives. The inescapable relationship between chronic inflammation and carcinogenesis has long been established. Our objective was to investigate COX-2 and NF-κB...Full Text Available

Science.gov (United States)

The biological age (BA) of the majority of the liquidators of the consequences of the radiation accidents in the Navy and of the liquidators of the Chernobyl' APS accident exceeds the medium standard and the DBA (due BA). The index of the BA can be a characteristic of the influence of the social-hygienic factors on the health condition of the Special Risk Subunit--the liquidators of the consequences of the radiation accidents. It was established, that the radiation influence concerns to the factors dramatically increasing the BA and the rate of senescence of the liquidators of the consequences of the radiation accidents. PMID:21809627

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Within 20 min after intraperitoneal injection of Salmonella enteritidis endotoxin in rats, blood platelet-activating factor (PAF) increased from 4.3 +/- 1.3 to 13.7 +/- 2.0 ng/ml (P less than 0.01)...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

In monocytes, sulfatide, a lipid from Mycobacterium tuberculosis, blocked priming for enhanced release of superoxide (O2-) by the macrophage activating factors lipopolysaccharide, gamma interferon,...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Although trefoil factor 1 (TFF1; previously named pS2) is abnormally expressed in about 50% of human breast tumors, its physiopathological role in this disease has been poorly studied. Moreover,...Full Text Available

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The effects of temperature and the use of macroreticular resins were studied in lithium isotope separation by an ion-exchange method. The isotope separation factors obtained decreased by increasing the temperature, and the factors for macroreticular resins were identical with those for the usual gel-type resins. However, the performance of isotope separation per unit band length in displacement chromatography was found to be improved by increasing the temperature and using macroreticular resins, because accelerating the interphase mass transfer caused the reduction of HETP (Height Equivalent to a Theoretical Plate).

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

SZI global distribution due to biogeochemical cycle in environment reservoirs has been studied. It is shown that during the operation of nuclear fuel cycle facilities and at a modern level of the decontamination factor the SZI concentration in some natural media (soil, the Earth biosphere, ocean mixing layer) will increase by 4-5 orders. Recommended gradual increase of the decontamnation factor in time for conserving the SZI concentration level not exceeding one order in comparison with modern one is given. At that to the end of the century the decontamination factor must be of an order of 1 x 10U in the case of SZI intake to the ocean mixing layer and of 1 x 10V in the case of its intake to the atmosphere.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The Moessbauer emission spectrum of "2"4"1Am metal was investigated for influences of radiation self damage. Samples were kept continuously for 230 h at 4.2 K and spectra were taken each 10 to 20 h. No change in f-factor was observed, while the linewidth increased monotonically and reached saturation after approximately 180 h. The original width could be reproduced by a brief warming to room temperature. The increase in width reflects the change in quadrupole interaction due to the creation of lattice defects. The constancy of the f-factor indicates that the basic crystalline structure is retained.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The need to increase efficiency of volumetric receivers for use in solar power plants by reducing reradiation losses and increasing the ``volumetric effect`` has promoted the idea of a receiver with tapered ducts. These seems to be very promising since higher efficiency and considerable saving of material can be achieved, as compared to conventional receivers perforated with ducts of constant cross-section. A finite element program is being developed to calculate stationary heat transfer in the tapered ducts by free and forced convection in the gas flow, conduction in walls and in the gas, and solar and thermal radiation. Gas and wall temperatures are considered to be varying only in the flow direction. In order to perform the highly nonlinear calculations of radiative exchange, the exact knowledge of the view factors is necessary. The aim of the present work is to evaluate analytically the view factors ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Abstract Background The increase in the incidence of atopic dermatitis (AD) in developed countries has been related to familiar and environmental factors. This survey was undertaken to investigate the family background, birthweight and the home environment of children suffering from AD in order to point out the possible factors that provoke the development of the disease. Methods The study uses data collected by means of self-administered questionnaires and discusses 461 cases of children (age 0-12) with active skin signs of AD. The control group comprised of 343 children (age 0-12) with no skin signs or positive lifetime history of AD. Associations between familiar and various home environmental factors and the risk of AD were calculated by means of odds ratios. Results There were statist...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The properties of negative-ion beams are very important for designing negative-ion apparatus and applications of negative-ion beams, especially, electron detachment cross-sections at the interaction between negative-ion beams and gas particles in the transport system, and secondary-electron emission factors when negative ions are incident on solid surfaces. These properties of negative-ion beams were investigated experimentally as a function of the ion energy under 50 keV. The single electron detachment cross-sections are almost constant in the other of 10"-"1"5 cm"2 in this energy range, but double electron detachment cross-sections increase in proportion to the ion velocity and much smaller than the single one. As for the secondary-electron emission factor, the emission factors for negative-ion beam are found to be larger by 1 than those for positive-ion beams. (author).

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The distribution of lead in lactating mice and suckling offspring was studied with whole body autoradiography at 4 and 24 h after a single intravenous injection of {sup 203}Pb (50 mmol Pb/kg) to the dams. In the lactating mice on day 14 of lactation, the highest uptake of radioactivity at 4 h after administration was recorded in renal cortex, skeleton and liver. A high uptake was also evident in the mannary gland. At 24 h after administration, the radioactivity had decreased in most organs except in the skeleton. In the suckling pups, exposed to lead only via dams` milk for 24 h, the highest level of radioactivity was present in the intestinal mucosa and a much lower level of radioactivity was present in the skeleton. The mammary glands from mice given three daily intravenous injections of 240 {mu}mol Pb/kg were examined with X-ray microanalysis. At 4 h after the last injection, lead was found associated with casein micelles both inside the alveolar cell and in the ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Experimental investigation of heat transfer and friction factor characteristics of circular tube fitted with full-length helical screw element of different twist ratio, and helical screw inserts with spacer length 100, 200, 300 and 400mm have been studied with uniform heat flux under laminar flow condition. The experimental data obtained are verified with those obtained from plain tube published data. The effect of spacer length on heat transfer augmentation and friction factor, and the effect of twist ratio on heat transfer augmentation and friction factor have been presented separately. The decrease in Nusselt number for the helical twist with spacer length is within 10% for each subsequent 100mm increase in spacer length. The decrease in friction factor is nearly two times lower than the full length helical twist at low Reynolds number, and four times lower than the full length ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Mycoplasma infections of small ruminants are known to exist in the Mediterranean region, Asia, Africa and cause significant economic impacts but little is known of the Mycoplasma spp. in sheep and goats in the Middle East. During the period of 2002-2003, 104 flocks of local sheep and goats (17 sheep, 27 goat and 60 mixed flocks) were surveyed for the occurrence of mycoplasma infections in Northern Jordan. The clinical signs seen in the studied flocks were, to varying degrees, mastitis in sheep and goats, arthritis, mainly in kids, and pneumonia in both sheep and goats of most age groups. Small ruminant farms were sampled and pooled milk samples and nasal swabs were collected for culture and isolation of mycoplasma. Mycoplasmas were isolated from 17 (26%) of the 62 milk samples and 12 (3.9%...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The report addresses the application of reverse osmosis to the treatment of radioactive liquid waste, focusing on the effects of non-radioactive cations and anions, existing in radioactive waste, on the removal of radioactive nuclides. The bivalent cations are generally about ten times as high in decontamination factor as monovalent ones. In the case of anions, the factor of SO{sub 4}{sup 2-} is about ten times that of Cl{sup -} while that of NO{sub 3}{sup -} is somewhat smaller than that of Cl{sup -}. During permeation through membrane, anions tend to accompany cations, and the decontamination factor of accompanying ions is found to increase with that of the paring ions. These results indicate that if one can select components that will remain in the liquid waste, one should consider their effects on the efficiency of its treatment. Furthermore, the interaction between two anions or between two cations ...

Science.gov (United States)

Experience in the diagnosis and treatment of infertility has led to an increased understanding of the prominent role male factors play in many couples' inability to conceive. While many forms of male factor infertility are amenable to treatment, for some patients there is no corrective therapy available. For this reason, a great deal of attention has been focused on developing technologies for semen processing and sperm utilization in cases of decreased semen quality. One area of research is the development of more sophisticated methods of assessing sperm function, as well as methods of sperm preparation. Progress is also being made in the application of technologies such as intrauterine insemination and in vitro fertilization in the treatment of male factor infertility. Such developments have improved prospects for fertility among patients suffering from decreased semen quality, as well as those ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The unsteady flow and heat transfer are simulated using LES and DNS for a channel with two angled ribs as a vee-shaped vortex generator to augment heat transfer. The vortex generators are attached on the bottom wall of the channel and their angles in respect to the main flow are between 10"o and 30"o. The Prandtl number is 0.71 and the Reynolds numbers based on the inflow velocity and the height of channel are from 200 to 2000. Based on the results of this work, the variations of the Nusselt number, pressure coefficient, bulk temperature, friction factor and Colburn factor with the Reynolds numbers and the incidence angles are provided. The relation between the key parameters of the velocity (friction factor f) and thermal (Colburn factor J) boundary layers is calculated for all cases and their values are compared with the predicted values by the Chilton-Colburn analogy. A comparison between the DNS and ...

Environmental Research Database

DescriptionInefficient utilisation of dietary nitrogen (N) by animals results in the excretion of N in varying forms, with adverse environmental consequences. Grass silage is a major component of the diet of ruminant livestock in the UK, but the protein in silage is very highly degraded as a result of the ensilage process. This results in poor capture of the silage N by rumen microbes leading to overall poor utilisation for the synthesis of milk or meat. As a result, significant quantities of dietary N are [continued...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The article tries to assess the radiation effects as objectively as possible. In conclusion, some steps that should be taken in future are listed, as e.g.: continuous monitoring of the radioactivity levels in air and soil, and recording of data for complete information. Further, investigation and assessment of radiation exposure of children, especially in regions most heavily affected; radioactivity monitoring of the food and milk given to children, and scientific research into the problem by pediatrists, and determination of maximum acceptable radiation doses. (orig./HSCH).

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Shiga toxin (Stx)-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) strains are a diverse group of food-borne pathogens with various levels of virulence for humans. In this study, we describe the use...Full Text Available

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Measurements of the humeral cortical thickness demonstrate that generalised osteoporosis in female Bantu commences in the fifth decade and gradually increases until, in the ninth decade, all subjects are osteoporotic. The combined cortical thickness (CCT) of the humerus in young adults is very similar to that found previously in a white London population and the loss of cortex with age is very similar. It is concluded that the known low incidence of femoral neck fracture in Bantu is not due to a lower incidence of generalised osteoporosis but to environmental factors. The chief environmental factor postulated is the greater amount of physical work performed by the Bantu. A more careful mode of walking is suggested as a subsidiary cause. (orig.).

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The heat transfer a characteristics and friction factor in the horizontal double pipes of flat tubes with full length helical screw element of different twist ratio and helical screw inserts with different spacer length are investigated. Cold and hot water are used as working fluid in tube side and shell side respectively. The experiments covered a range of Reynolds numbers 5.7 x 10{sup 2} {<=} Re {<=} 1.31 x 10{sup 3}. The effect of spacer length on the heat transfer augmentation and friction factor and the effect of twist ratio on heat transfer augmentation and friction factor have been presented separately. The study shows that, the Nusslet number (Nu) and friction factor (f) decrease with the increase of S or Y for flat tube. The comparison between the data of present plain circular with that of previous plain circular tube showed a good agreement between them but ...

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In the hypothetical event of a severe accident in a Light Water Reactor, scenarios in which the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) fails and the core melt mixture (called corium) relocates into the reactor cavity, cannot be excluded. The viscosity (in fact, corium rheological behaviour) plays a major role in many phenomena such as core melt down, discharge from reactor pressure vessel, interaction with structural materials (concrete,...) and spreading in a core-catcher. For these reasons, it is important to be able to predict the rheological behaviour of corium melts of different compositions (essentially based on UO{sub 2}, ZrO{sub 2}, Fe{sub x}O{sub y} and Fe for in-vessel scenarios, plus SiO{sub 2} and CaO for ex-vessel scenarios) at temperatures above solidus temperature. In the case of corium-concrete mixtures, the increase of viscosity depends not only on the increase of particles in the melts but also on the increase of ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Abstract Male infertility continues to be a clinical challenge of increasing significance. While male factors such as decreased semen quality are responsible for 25% of all infertility issues, the etiology of suboptimal semen quality is poorly understood. Many physiological, environmental, and genetic factors have been implicated, including oxidative stress. Oxidative stress is induced by reactive oxygen species (ROS), or free radicals, and although ROS are required for critical aspects of sperm function, excessive levels of ROS can negatively impact sperm quality. The origin of ROS generation, and the etiologies of increased ROS in men with suboptimal sperm quality have only recently been elucidated, offering multiple targets for potential therapy. Here, we present a critical review of th...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Industrial effects have long been significant factors in wage inequality. Previous research indicates that wage differentials across industries were increasing through the mid 1980s. Using more recent data, however, we find that the level of inter-industry wage dispersion declined by 36% from 1986 to 2002 despite the continued trend towards increasing inequality in the labor force. This decline in inter-industry wage dispersion is evident across gender and educational groups. Using multilevel growth curve models, our multivariate results indicate that the decline is only weakly related to industrial changes in education, occupation or even productivity despite the fact that the latter variable had been a critical factor in the prior period. Indicators of globalization and downsizing also d...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The ruthenium decontamination factor in Purex process falls quickly with recycles of TBP. So it is necessary to change the chemical states of RuNO complexes in order to improve DF_R_u in the uranium purification cycle. The retention of RuNO complexes in TBP-kerosenelaurohydroxamic acid is observed to be quite large in our previous work. Therefore, water-soluble short chain hydroxamic acid is used as complexing agent to decrease the distribution coefficient of Ru. Hydroxamic acid can transform RuNO complexes into in-extractable species by TBP-kerosene in certain conditions. The result of cascade experiment indicates that the ruthenium decontamination can be increased by a factor of 40-50. Acidity has more influence on the effect of pretreatment. The higher acidity is, the worse the effect will be. The pretreatment is first carried out in low acidic solution, then extractive acidity is increased. In this ...

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CT colonography (CTC) is increasingly advocated as an effective initial screening tool for colorectal cancer. Nowadays, policy-makers are increasingly interested in cost-effectiveness issues. A number of studies assessing the cost-effectiveness of CTC have been published to date. The majority of findings indicate that CTC is probably not cost-effective when colonoscopy is available, but this conclusion is sensitive to a number of key parameters. This review discusses the findings of these studies, and considers those factors which most influence final conclusions, notably intervention costs, compliance rates, effectiveness of colonoscopy, and the assumed prevalence and natural history of diminutive advanced polyps. (orig.)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Neuron-restrictive silencer factor (NRSF) binds its consensus element to repress the transcription of various genes. The dominant-negative form (dnNRSF) has a hypertrophic effect on cardiogenesis through an unidentified mechanism. We examined the involvement of transient receptor potential (TRP) channel proteins, using transgenic mice overexpressing dnNRSF (dnNRSF mice). Electrophoretic mobility-shift assays revealed an interaction between NRSF and a neuron-restrictive silencer element-like sequence in intron 4 of TRPC1 genomic DNA. According to RT-PCR and Western analyses, TRPC1 was up-regulated in dnNRSF mouse heart. Transient overexpression of TRPC1 in HEK 293T cells increased the activity of the nuclear factor in activated T cells (NFAT) promoter and stimulated store-operated Ca"2"+ channel (SOCC)-mediated Ca"2"+ entry. Transfection of TRPC1 into primary cardiomyocytes increased NFAT activity, ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

In this study based on the mass transfer theory, experiments for the evaporation rates depending on various conditions were carried out through the operation of the existing Natural Evaporation Facility in KAERI. Evaporation media were made of the cotton and polyester. Air circulation in the facility was forced by exhausting fans. The evaporation rate and the decontamination factor were calculated by the result of experiment. The evaporation rate increased as the flow rate of air supply, the feed rate of liquid waste, and the temperature of supplied air increased. As for the humility of supplied air, the evaporation rate was getting higher as the humidity was getting lower. As the result of this study, operation conditions of the Natural Evaporation Facility are optimized as follows; The air temperature above 8C .deg., the air humidity below 70%, the air flow rate 1.14-1.47 m/sec, and the liquid waste feed rate 4.6l/hr.m"2. ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Purpose.To report the increased production of extracellular transforming growth factor β-induced protein (TGFBIp) by human corneal epithelial cells (HCECs) after induction...Full Text Available

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

In clause it is shown a method optimization of brake of forces in view of a bias road it is established, that in mountain conditions of loss of coupling weight of automobiles than 2-3 times concerning flat conditions therma are more. The degree of use of coupling weight in result use of a regulator of brake forces very much increases also efficiency of brake systems such a kind of automobiles is provided with definition of optimum factor of coupling at which value of loss of coupling weight is provided minimal

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

BackgroundTristetraprolin (TTP/ZFP36) family proteins have anti-inflammatory activity by binding to and destabilizing pro-inflammatory mRNAs such as Tnf mRNA, and represent a potential...Full Text Available

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

One of the most effective removing processes of iodine species is what is called ''Iodox Process'', which contains oxidation and absorption of iodine species by highly concentrated nitric acid. The result of fundamental test with bubble column in this process had been reported. Present paper describes the fundamental experiment by the use of packed column. This experiment has been carried out to clear the effect of feed gas flow rate, nitric acid flow rate, nitric acid concentration, and methyl iodide concentration on removal efficiency of methyl iodide. The following results were obtained. The decontamination factor of methyl iodide (DF) increases exponentially with nitric acid concentration, which agrees with the result obtained by using the bubble column. The factor is in inverse proportion to feed gas flow rate, and is also almost independent of nitric acid flow rate and methyl iodide concentration. The relation between ...

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An experimental study of forced convection heat transfer at the inner tube wall of a double pipe heat exchanger with coiled wire inserts as heat transfer augmentation devices was performed over a turbulent flow region. The test results from twelve augmented tubes with inserts of different combinations of wire diameters (0.813, 1.016 and 1.575 mm) and pitches (2.82, 3.63, 5.08 and 8.47 mm) indicate that the turbulence promoters studied improve heat transfer by a factor of 1.4 to 2.24 compared with a smooth tube, although at a cost of 10-30 times increase in friction factor. A formula for presenting dimensionless exergy losses in a tubular heat exchanger is derived first and then the thermohydrodynamic optimum instead of economic optimum is found by minimizing the exergy losses in the system. From the heat transfer improvement number defined, it is observed that coiled wire turbulence promoters are more effective at Reynolds ...

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Increase in power utility loads in industrialized countries, as well as developing countries, demands a higher level of transmission line voltage. Radio interference (RI) problems have been determined to be a limiting factor in selecting the size of transmission line conductors. Transmission line noise is primarily caused by corona discharges in the immediate vicinity of the conductor. It has been observed that discharges occur during both half-cycles of the applied voltage, but positive corona is usually predominant at AM radio frequencies range with practical high-voltage and extra high-voltage transmission lines. The corona radio noise effect is highly dependent upon the presence of particles on the surface of the conductor and the increase of the electrical gradient beyond the breakdown value of the air. Therefore, corona radio noise varies significantly with the weather and atmospheric conditions and generally ...

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The factors influencing premixed burning and the importance of premixed burning on the exhaust emissions from a small high-speed direct-injection diesel engine were investigated. The characteristics of premixed and diffusion burning were examined using a single-zone heat-release analysis. The mass of fuel burned in premixed combustion was found to be linearly related to the product of engine speed and ignition-delay time and to be essentially independent of the total amount of fuel injected. Accordingly, the premixed-burned fraction increased with increasing engine speed, with decreasing fuel-air ratio and with retarding injection timing. The hydrocarbon emissions did not correlate well with the premixed-burned fraction. In contrast, the oxides of nitrogen emissions were found to increase with decreasing premixed-burned fraction, indicating that diffusion burning, and not premixed burning, is the ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The key factors of enzymatic lysis of cells are the interaction between the enzyme and the cell - catalytic and non-catalytic adsorption of enzyme on cell surface. Here, the studies of lysis of intact Escherichia coli cells by chicken egg white lysozyme were performed. It was found that the ionic strength has a dual effect onto the system. On the one hand, the desorption constant of the enzyme increases with the increase of the solution ionic strength, which results in a better enzyme performance. On the other hand, due to the higher osmosis, the cell lysis rate decreases with the increasing of ionic strength of the system. It was found that pH 8.6 and 30mM NaCl are optimal conditions for lysis of E. coli cells by lysozyme.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Cognitive decline has been described in elderly patients with schizophrenia, but the underlying pathology remains unknown. Some studies report increases in plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, but there is no evidence for an increased risk for Alzheimer's disease (AD) in elderly schizophrenics. Models of a decreased cerebral reserve suggest that increases in AD-related neuropathology below the threshold for a neuropathological diagnosis could be related to dementia severity in elderly schizophrenia patients. We tested this hypothesis in 110 autopsy specimens of schizophrenia patients, without a neuropathological diagnosis of AD or other neurodegenerative disorders. Furthermore, we assessed the effects of apolipoprotein E (ApoE) status, a known genetic risk factor for AD. Measures of densit...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The bioavailability of lead was studied in rats fed various baby foods (Babymix-turkey, Babymix-vegetables, Frutolino-fruit, Frutamix-bananas, Babyron-S-26, Truefood), cow's milk, bread, liver and standard rat diet. Lead absorption was determined by measuring the whole body retention of "2"0"3Pb 6 days after a single oral application. Highest absorption values ranging from 17 to 20% were obtained in animals fed cow's milk and fruit foods. Rats on other human diets absorbed between 3 and 8% of the radioactive lead dose. Only in animals on rat diet lead absorption was below 1%. It is concluded that rats fed human diets show absorption values similar to those in humans. This might indicate that the bioavailability of lead is primarily dependent on dietary habits. This experimental model, if confirmed by further work, might be useful for obtaining preliminary data on the bioavailability of metals from various foods.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoogenstraaten's heating rate method has generally been considered as a reliable method for determining thermoluminescence trapping parameters of first order glow peaks. However, experience has shown that in some cases the deviation between the heating rate method and glow curve fitting method can be quite significant (considering only the linear part of the heating rate plot, of course). In this study it is shown that one of the main reasons for this deviation can be a systematic increase of a temperature lag between the measured and real temperature of the sample with increasing heating rate. It appears that this systematic increase of the temperature lag affects the method in the range of low heating rates (linear part of the heating rates plots) more than has been previously realised. The effect of the temperature lag on Hoogenstraaten's heating rate method is a decrease in activation energy and frequency ...

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The effects of mouse epidermal growth factor (EGF) on bone formation and resorption were examined in male mice. EGF administration (2-200 ng.g-1.day-1 ip for 7 days) induced a dose-dependent rise in plasma EGF levels that remained within physiological range. Histomorphometric analysis of caudal vertebrae showed that EGF (20 and 200 ng.g-1.day-1) reduced the endosteal matrix and mineral appositional rates after 5 days of treatment as measured by double (3H)proline labeling and double tetracycline labeling, respectively. This effect was transitory and was not observed after 7 days of EGF administration. EGF administered for 7 days induced a dose-dependent increase in the periosteal osteoblastic and tetracycline double-labeled surfaces. At high dosage (200 ng.g-1.day-1) EGF administration increased the osteoclastic surface and the number of acid phosphatase-stained osteoclasts, although plasma calcium remained normal. The ...

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Reinjection of spent geothermal brine is a common means of disposing of geothermal effluents and maintaining reservoir pressures. Contrary to the predictions of two-fluid models (two-viscosity) of nonisothermal injection, an increase of injectivity, with continued injection, is often observed. Injectivity enhancement and thermally-affected pressure transients are particularly apparent in short-term injection tests at the Los Azufres Geothermal Field, Mexico. During an injection test, it is not uncommon to observe that after an initial pressure increase, the pressure decreases with time. As this typically occurs far below the pressure at which hydraulic fracturing is expected, some other mechanism for increasing the near-bore permeability must explain the observed behavior. This paper focuses on calculating the magnitude of the near-bore permeability changes observed in several nonisothermal injection tests conducted at the ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The concentrations of Cd, Co, Cr, Fe, Mo, Ni, Se, Ti, V and Zn in biological fluids, human blood serum and market milk were determined by neutron activation analysis, with enrichment by coprecipitation. The pre-concentration of these trace elements was accomplished by converting the dissolved trace metal ions into their pyrrolidinedithiocarbamate (1-pyrrolidinecarbodithioate) chelates, followed by coprecipitation with a metal carrier such as Ni, Pb or Bi. The coprecipitation was carried out prior to irradiation for the short-lived nuclides (V, Ti and Se) and after irradiation for the other elements. The validity of the method was checked using certified biological reference materials; the concentrations of trace elements found by the proposed method agreed well with the published certified data. The limits of detection for Cd, Co, Cr, Fe, Mo, Ni, Se (obtained through the long-lived isotope "7"5Se) and Zn under the present experimental conditions were found to be 5, ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The core bypass flow in a prismatic very high temperature reactor (VHTR) is an important design consideration and can have considerable impact on the condition of reactor core internals including fuels. The interstitial gaps are an inherent presence in the reactor core because of tolerances in manufacturing the blocks and the inexact nature of their installation. Furthermore, the geometry of the graphite blocks changes over the lifetime of the reactor because of thermal expansion and irradiation damage. The occurrence of hot spots in the core and lower plenum and hot streaking in the lower plenum (regions of very hot gas flow) are affected by bypass flow. In the present study, three-dimensional computational fluid dynamic (CFD) calculations of a typical prismatic VHTR are conducted to better understand bypass flow phenomena and establish an evaluation method for the reactor core using the commercial CFD code FLUENT. Parametric calculations changing several factors ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

With the increase of cross-Strait economic activity, the interaction between Taiwanese business people and the Chinese government has gradually changed. As Taiwanese investment grew in volume, so did the number and frequency of contacts between the parties; a more institutionalised form regulating these contacts was established as a result. Nowadays Taiwanese businessmen have become an identifiable factor in Chinese governmental policy implementation; the process also has far-reaching implications. This paper argues that Taiwanese capital has become a Chinese governmental security asset and examines the importance of this factor when discussing conventional government/business interaction. This paper concludes that a superior national interest guides the warm welcome given by the Chinese g...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The small pilot facility of a cyclone type suspension incineration system of radioactive waste was set up in order to evaluate the decontamination efficiency of a high efficiency ceramic filter. The evaluation was made by use of /sup 54/Mn, /sup 59/Fe, /sup 60/Co, /sup 65/Zn and /sup 137/Cs. 1. The decontamination factor by one line of ceramic filter for every species were over 10/sup 5/. 2. The decontamination factor increased by one oder when water vapor exists in off-gas. The same tendency was also observed when iron dioxide existed at the incineration of cation exchange resin.

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An effect of load conditions on Corrosion Fatigue Crack Propagation (CFCP) behavior of High Performance Steel (HPS) under seawater environment was investigated. Fatigue crack propagation tests under several load conditions including stress ratio and load frequency were conducted in air and 3.5% NaCl solution environments. Corrosion/fatigue ratio factor, C/F, particularly was defined to analyze the effect of such conditions. As shown in the results, a decrease of load ratio and frequency leads to an increase of C/F factor. Consequently, under lower loading frequency and stress ratio, the seawater condition causes much more significant effect on CFCP behavior of HPS.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Obesity is associated with increased susceptibility to dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, and hypertension, a combination of traits that comprise the traditional definition of the metabolic syndrome. Recent evidence suggests that obesity is also associated with the development of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Despite the high prevalence of obesity and its related conditions, their etiologies and pathophysiology remains unknown. Both genetic and environmental factors contribute to the development of obesity and NAFLD. Previous genetic analysis of high-fat, diet-induced obesity in C57BL/6J (B6) and A/J male mice using a panel of B6-ChrA/J/NaJ chromosome substitution strains (CSSs) demonstrated that 17 CSSs conferred resistance to high-fat, diet-induced obesity. One of these CSS st...

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An easy and simple method for gamma assay of large multi-gamma lines samples was introduced in this work. This method performs the assay using point source calibration. The correction factors for volume and self-attenuation are experimentally deduced from the spectra of different thicknesses samples utilizing the following two simple well known facts: large and small samples of the same homogenous material have identical specific activities; the self-attenuation of gamma line decreases as its energy increases. The method was successfully applied to naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM) large samples. This method does not require complicated mathematical procedures. Neither sample matrix data nor detector unit composition is needed.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

An easy and simple method for gamma assay of large multi gamma lines samples was introduced in this work. This method performs the assay using point source calibration. The correction factors for volume and self-attenuation are experimentally deduced from the spectra of different thicknesses samples utilizing the following tow simple well known facts: Large and small samples of the same homogenous material have identical activities; the self attenuation of gamma line decreases as its energy increases. The method was successfully applied to NORM (Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material) large samples. This method doesn't require complicated mathematical procedures. Neither sample matrix data nor detector unit composition is needed. (author)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The assessment and control of fetal exposure to radiation in the workplace is an issue that is complicated by both biological and political/social ramifications. As a result of the dramatic increase in the number of women employed as radiation workers during the past 10 years, many facilities using radioactive materials have instituted fetal protection programs with special requirements for female radiation workers. It is necessary, however, to ensure that any fetal protection program be developed in such a way as to be nondiscriminatory. A study has been initiated whose purpose is to balance the political/social and the biological ramifications associated with occupational protection of the developing embryo/fetus. Several considerations are involved in properly balancing these factors. These considerations include appropriate methods of declaring the pregnancy, training workers, controlling the dose to the embryo/fetus, measuring and ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Available in abstract form only. Full text of publication follows: The uncertainties of decommissioning costs increase high due to several conditions. Decommissioning cost estimation depends on the complexity of nuclear installations, its site-specific physical and radiological inventories. Therefore, the decommissioning costs of nuclear research facilities must be estimated in accordance with the detailed sub-tasks and resources by the tasks of decommissioning activities. By selecting the classified activities and resources, costs are calculated by the items and then the total costs of all decommissioning activities are reshuffled to match with its usage and objectives. And the decommissioning cost of nuclear research facilities is calculated by applying a unit cost factor method on which classification of decommissioning works fitted with the features and specifications of decommissioning objects and establishment of composition ...

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Net heats of reaction were measured in an isothermal calorimeter for both single phase (organic) and two phase (organic and aqueous) TBP/HNO{sub 3} reacting solutions at temperatures above 100 C. The oxidation rate constant was determined to be 5.4E-4 min{sup {minus}1} at 110 C for an open ``vented`` system as compared to 1.33 E-3 min{sup {minus}1} in the closed system. The heat released per unit material oxidized was also reduced. The oxidation in both phases was found to be first order in nitric acid and pseudo-zero order in butylnitrate and water. The hydrolysis (esterification) rate constant determined by Nichols` (1.33E-3 min{sup {minus}1}) fit the experimental data from this work well. Forced evaporation of the volatile components by the product gases from oxidation resulted in a cooling mechanism which more than balanced the heat from the oxidation reaction in the two-phased systems. Rate expressions were derived and rate constants determined for both the single and two phase ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

A 2-stage cold (non-tritium) PMR system was tested with the ITER mix in 61 days of continuous operation. No decrease in performance was observed over the duration of the test. Decontamination factor (DF) was found to increase with decreasing inlet rate. Decontamination factors in excess of 1.4x10"5 were obtained, but the exact value of the highest DF could not be determined because of analysis limitations. Results of the 61-day test were used to design a 2-stage PMR system for use in tritium testing. The PMR system was scaled up by a factor of 6 and built into a glovebox in the Tritium Systems Test Assembly (TSTA) of the Los Alamos National Laboratory. This system is approximately 1/5"t"h of the expected full ITER scale. The ITER mix was injected into the PMR system for 31 hours, during which 4.5 g of tritium were processed. The 1"s"t stage had DF =200 and the 2"n"d stage had DF=2.9x10"6. The overall ...

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Many assays for oncogenic transformation have been developed ranging from those in established rodent cell lines where morphological alteration is scored, to those in human cells growing in nude mice where tumor invasiveness is scored. In general, systems that are most quantitaive are also the least relevant in terms of human carcinogenesis and human risk estimation. The development of cell culture systems has made it possible to assess at the cellular level the oncogenic potential of a variety of chemical, physical and viral agents. Cell culture systems afford the opportunity to identify factors and conditions that may prevent or enhance cellular transformation by radiation and chemicals. Permissive and protective factors in radiation-induced transformation include thyroid hormone and the tumor promoter TPA that increase the transformation incidence for a given dose of radiation, and retinoids, selenium, vitamin E, and ...

Science.gov (United States)

Metabolic engineering of photosynthetic organisms is required for utilization of light energy and for reducing carbon emissions.Control of transcriptional regulators is a powerful approach for changing cellular dynamics, because a set of genes is concomitantly regulated. Here, we show that overexpression of a group 2 ? factor, SigE, enhances the expressions of sugar catabolic genes in the unicellular cyanobacterium, Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. Transcriptome analysis revealed that genes for the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway and glycogen catabolism are induced by overproduction of SigE. Immunoblotting showed that protein levels of sugar catabolic enzymes, such as glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase, glycogen phosphorylase, and isoamylase, are increased. Glycogen levels are reduced in the SigE-overexpressing strain grown under light. Metabolome analysis revealed that metabolite levels of the TCA cycle and ...

Science.gov (United States)

New interest by Australians in the state of rural education requires new understanding of factors affecting rural education and its related issues. Educational programs have not been flexible enough to cope with rural diversity, a key element in the milieu. Standards such as "equality of opportunity" and "uniformity" have been misapplied to rural Australian education, which is made distinctive by the inter-relatedness of many factors. Three dimensions of isolation are discussed: (1) types of isolation (geographic, cultural, social, and professional isolation); (2) ways of coping with isolation (understanding isolation, developing a sense of community, developing awareness of options, training the isolated, application, and technology); and (3) conditions affecting educational changes in isolated communities (social and political climate, pedagogy, finance, and incentives for change). All these concerns focus on the issue of local control. ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A custom-built graphite-coated transmission ionization chamber is compared to the VacuDAP 2001 (VacuTec, Dresden, Germany), which has transparent conductive electrodes. A study was made of the dependence of response on x-ray tube potential for both types of chamber under identical conditions of exposure using over-table and under-table x-ray tubes. Since the calibration factor is the dose-area product of the radiation incident on the patient per chamber reading, it depends on the intrinsic response of the chamber as well as the effect of material in the beam between the x-ray tube and patient. Differences of about 20% were measured between the intrinsic and the over-table calibration factors and between the over-table and the under-table calibration factors for both chambers. The VacuDAP display is specifically calibrated for the over-table condition and would overstate the actual DAP in the under-table case. The intrinsic ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pyrolysis of Greek fir wood samples in a fluidized bed reactor was studied. The experimental conditions selected control the yield of gaseous, liquid and solid products. The factors examined were: pyrolysis temperature, mean particle size, pressure, residence time of volatiles, lignin content of biomass and moisture content. The experiments were performed on the basis of a 12-run Plackett-Burman fractional factorial design. Statistical analysis of the data showed that the pyrolysis temperature is the main factor affecting the distribution of the yields of liquids, their phenolic fraction and gases in the range of experimental conditions tested. Empirical expressions were obtained from linear regression giving the yields of liquids, phenols and gases in terms of temperature. The maximum predicted yields were 56 and 12 wt.% on a moisture-free basis at 520 C and 545 C for liquids and phenols, respectively. The yield of gases ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

In the 80's, because of the oil crisis, the Natural Gas (NG) appeared as a fuel with a great potential for Diesel replacement in Heavy Duty Vehicles. At that time, PETROBRAS with other companies have developed partial conversion technologies from Diesel to NG, known as 'Dual Fuel'. Engine dynamometer and vehicle bus tests have been developed to verify its technical and economical viability. Because of several factors, the Dual Fuel Program did not advance and the experience was interrupted. At the same time, other experiences using NG Otto Cycle bus engines, manufactured in Brazil, have been conducted, mainly at Sao Paulo, nevertheless, without expansion. Currently, factors as increase of the NG converted light vehicles fleet; the NG excess in the National Market, which has contributed to the NG distribution net expansion; the Environmental Legislature in vigor, that continuously determine lower ...

Science.gov (United States)

The purpose of this study was to prepare recombinant human epidermal growth factor (rhEGF) collagen sponges for topical applications and investigate the effects of different types of crosslinked collagen sponges as platforms for the controlled release of rhEGF. The microstructure and the drug release rates of collagen sponges were modified through treatment with different types (glutaraldehyde (GTA), genipin and 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide (EDC)), different concentrations of crosslinking agents and various preparation conditions. A controlled release profile was observed for the crosslinked collagen sponges as compared to the non-crosslinked ones. The results indicated that the GTA crosslinked sponges have the most potent controlling effect. As the amount of GTA increased, a greater rigidity of the collagen sponge structure combined with a lower hydrophilicity was observed, leading to a decreased drug release rate and an ...

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Connective tissue in biopsy specimens taken from the lower part of the uterine cervix in 40 pregnant women at various gestational ages was compared to that in similar biopsy specimens from 15 nonpregnant women. The concentrations of collagen, sulfated glycosaminoglycans, and hyaluronic acid decreased during pregnancy. At the gestational age of 10 weeks, the collagen concentration was 70%, and at term 30%, of that in the nonpregnant cervix. After delivery, no further decrease was observed. The extractability of collagen increased during pregnancy, as well as during labor. Also, the water concentration increased. An increase in the collagenolytic activity was observed with advancing gestational age. The 2,4-dinitrophenyl-Pro-Gln-Gly-Ile-Ala-Gly-Gin-D-Arg hydrolytic activity (collagenase) and the concentration of leukocyte elastase increased gradually by a factor of 10. The physiologic ...

Science.gov (United States)

Hypercholesterolemia

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Individuals with sickle cell disease (SCD) demonstrate an increased susceptibility to invasive bacterial infections (IBI). The most common organisms causing IBI are Streptococcus pneumoniae, nontyphi Salmonella species and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib). IBI are the most common causes of death in children below 5 years of age with SCD. Increased susceptibility to IBI is because of several factors including dysfunctional antibody production and opsonophagocytosis as well as defective splenic clearance. Early diagnosis of Hib and pneumococcal infections combined with antibiotic prophylaxis and immunization programs, could lead to significant improvements in mortality, especially in Africa. Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2010;55:401-406. Copyright 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The factors affecting the rate of silica leaching in alkaline aqueous media from surface silanized, nanoporous, amorphous, silica gels and from silanized silica gels that have been modified with polyamines to form the previously reported silica polyamine composites (SPCs), BP-1 and BP-2 have been investigated. Silanization with alkyl trichlorosilanes slows the rate of silica leaching relative to the unmodified silica gels. The use of bulkier aryl silanes somewhat decreases the silica leaching under the same conditions. Interestingly, after modification of the silanized silica with poly(allylamine) (PAA) to make BP-1, the leaching increases, but subsequent modification of the SPC with chloroacetic acid to make BP-2, quenches this increase. A mechanism explaining these results is discussed. ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The distribution of Lipiodol in the liver and lungs following arterial or portal injection was studied in normal (n=55) and cirrhotic rats (n=20). Using magnified xeroradiography and radioisotope labeled tracers, it was found that Lipiodol was deposited mainly in the liver and lung after either arterial or portal administration. In control rats after arterial injection, deposits in the lung peaked after 2 hours and gradually declined over 48 hours; whereas after portal injection, the deposit steadily increased for 48 hours. Twenty-five percent of cirrhotic rats demonstrated a Lipiodol-induced miliary pattern in the lung. An increased number of portosystemic shunts in cirrhotic rats was also noted. These results suggest that cirrhosis of the liver may be a potential risk factor for developing pulmonary complications after Lipiodol administration. (orig.).

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Using the method of statistic planning of an experiment, the SrSO_4 desulfurization process has been studied in the case of reductive roasting of celestine with the use blast-furnace coke. The main factors that determine the rate of the SrSO_4 desulfurization are the roasting temperature and charge components dispersity. The desulfurization rate increases proportionally to the increase in the roasting temperature and dispersity of the reaction mixture components. To decrease the SrSO_4 desulfurization and the concentration of sulfur-containing components in gases released at rather a high celestine reduction rate, the roasting is recommended to proceed at the temperature of 1100 to 1150 deg, in this case it is necessary to limit the content of small (less than 3.2 mm) fractions of reagents.

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In several vertebrate classes, the M?ller glia are capable of de-differentiating, proliferating, and acquiring a progenitor-like state in response to acute retinal injury or in response to exogenous growth factors. Our previous study has shown that M?ller cells can be activated and de-differentiated into retinal progenitors during Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) rats' degeneration, although the limited proliferation cannot maintain retinal function. We now report that rat retinal stem cells (rSCs) transplanted into RCS rats slowed the progression of retinal morphological degeneration and prevented the functional disruption. Further, we found that retinal progenitor cells labeled with Chx10 were increased significantly after rSCs transplantation, and most of them are mainly from activated M...

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Using a sample of Uruguayan manufacturing establishments we analyze employment, capital, and productivity dynamics over a period of currency appreciation; changes in trade policy; and changes in the institutional setting of wage negotiations. As the relative capital-labor price ratio fell, capital intensity increased. At the same time, there was an increase in labor and total factor productivity. Creation and destruction rates were relatively high and pervasive over time, sectors, establishment size, and establishment age, with exits explaining a sizeable part of destruction rates. Most of the excess reallocation was due to movements -within- rather than -between- sectors. Thus, high reallocation rates were linked to establishment-level heterogeneity rather than aggregate shocks.

Science.gov (United States)

We hypothesize that the mushroom-derived active compound may be a potential strategy for increasing survival in response to influenza virus (H1N1) infection through the stimulation of host innate immune response. The validity of the hypothesis can be tested by immune response to influenza infection as seen through survival percentage, virus clearance, weight loss, natural killer cell cytotoxicity, Tumor Necrosis Factor-? (TNF-?) and Interferon-gamma (IFN-?) levels, lytic efficiency in the spleens of mice and inducible nitric oxide synthase mRNA expressions in RAW 264.7 murine macrophage cells. The hypothesis may improve people's quality of life, reduce the medical cost of our healthcare system and eliminate people's fears of influenza outbreak. PMID:21660092

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The processes of lung growth, injury, and repair are characterized by alterations in fibroblast synthesis and interstitial distribution of extracellular matrix components. Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta), which is postulated to play a role in modulating lung repair, alters the distribution of several matrix components such as collagen and fibronectin. We studied the effect of TGF-beta on the synthesis and distribution of the various glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) and whether these effects may explain its role in lung repair. Human diploid lung fibroblasts (IMR-90) were exposed to various concentrations of TGF-beta (0-5 nM) for variable periods of time (0-18 h). Newly synthesized GAGs were labeled with either (3H)glucosamine or (35S)sulfate. Individual GAGs were separated by size exclusion chromatography after serial enzymatic and chemical digestions and quantitated using scintillation counting. There was a dose-dependent increase in total ...

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This study was initiated to provide empirical data and analyses on the dam passage timing, travel rate, survival, and life history variation of fall Chinook salmon that are produced in the Clearwater River. The area of interest for this study focuses on the lower four miles of the Clearwater River and its confluence with the Snake River because this is an area where many fish delay their seaward migration. The goal of the project is to increase our understanding of the environmental and biological factors that affect juvenile life history of fall Chinook salmon in the Clearwater River. The following summaries are provided for each of the individual chapters in this report.

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Factors influencing the rooting-potential of stem cuttings of conifers were studied for the purpose of improving methods of rapid vegetative propagation. Within the bounds of hereditary limits, root regeneration depends, to a considerable extent, on the qualities of rooting-media, date of cutting excision, age and physiological conditions of the stock plant, age of the cutting-wood, its position on the plant, and chemical treatment. Hardwood cuttings, which have a relatively high content of endogenous auxin and carbohydrates, and morphological root initials, gave the best results. This method made it possible to increase the growth rate of cuttings 2.5-5 times that of cuttings taken from shoots of current growth. (Refs. 21).

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This investigation concerns the nonlinear dynamics of heat transfer from a surface using an upstream eddy promoter. A numerical model is developed for the coupled fluid flow and heat transfer process based on a modified MacCormack scheme. Numerical simulations are carried out to determine the response and heat transfer enhancement due to the promoter. The average heat transfer from a cavity floor is seen to be increased by a factor of approximately five over the unpromoted'' flow. Another interesting feature of the study is the nonlinear viscous flow dynamics from the cylinder-wall interaction which differ significantly from the familiar cylinder-free stream patterns.

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It is noted that the existence of cosmic-ray semidiurnal anisotropy of interplanetary origin has generally been attributed to the symmetrically rising density gradients perpendicular to the solar equatorial plane. An increase in the magnitude of the semidiurnal anisotropy of cosmic rays during the years 1973-1975 by a factor of 2 is in theory expected to be associated with larger magnitudes of the heliolatitudinal density gradients. The distribution of cosmic-ray intensity in the heliolatitude range + or - 7.25 deg obtained using the data of the Deep River neutron monitor is shown not to support the density gradient hypothesis. The presence of symmetrical gradients at higher heliolatitudes, however, cannot be ruled out.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

In Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) imaging, contrast is dependent on the emission of radiofrequency waves by atomic nuclei, balanced by several parameters. The high information content of NMR images is due to the multiplicity of its parameters. However, this advantage introduces a difficulty in the interpretation of the contrast. There are three contrast parameters for each tissue: hydrogen nuclei density; relaxation time T1; relaxation time T2. Contrast may be enhanced towards any of these parameters by increasing the emission of radiowaves by atomic nuclei using particular pulse sequences.

Science.gov (United States)

A new simple multi-well plate-based assay to determine monocyte differentiation-inducing activity was developed. It is based on the increase of macrophage adherence after the induction of monocyte differentiation. The assay was conducted using a human monocytic leukemia cell line, THP-1, treated with either 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate or cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interferon-gamma. This method is sensitive and easy to perform, especially in case of analyzing a large number of samples. PMID:17920620

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There is increasing pressure to operate laboratory facilities in environmentally and financially sustainable ways. A key factor in achieving this goal is careful consideration of how energy is used by the buildings' ventilation system, both for conditioning air supplied to the laboratories and the energy used moving air through the building. Traditionally, laboratory energy use is treated as an engineering concern within the scope of the building's overall design and operation. However, this approach limits the involvement of key stakeholders in many important decisions and can lead to unexpected safety concerns for the laboratory's users. We believe that a broad view of the parties affected by a laboratory building's operations is necessary to avoid having the various stakeholders working...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Objective: To explore the feasibility of real-time monitoring exposure dose and image quality by using the data stored in the DICOM image archive of direct digital radiography system. Methods: Model TO. 16 was exposed, the current increased gradually from 0.5 to 125 mAs. The displayed number of model A( diameter 11.1 mm), D (diameter 4.0 mm) and J( diameter 0.7 mm) were recorded, and the detect factors (H_T) was also calculated. Images were sent to workstation before the end of DR examination. An automatic procedure was implemented to extract dose data and exposure parameters from the DICOM header file. Maximum, minimum and 3rd quartile values were preinstalled. Mean values exceeding the threshold trigger alarm signal to guide radiologist to explore the cause. Results: When the current of point A was less than 10 mAs and the current of point D and J were less than 16 mAs, the detect factor (H_T) ...

Science.gov (United States)

Background: Accountability demands are increasingly pushing school leaders to explore more data and do more sophisticated analyses. Data-driven decision making (DDDM) has become an emerging field of practice for school leadership and a central focus of education policy and practice. Purpose: This study examined principals' DDDM practices and identified the factors influencing DDDM using the theoretical frame of information use environments. Participants: Participants were 183 public high school principals in a Midwestern state. Research Design: The research design was cross-sectional survey research. Data Collection and Analysis: Survey instruments were developed and administered to principals. Structural equation modeling was conducted to determine what factors significantly affect principals' DDDM practices in different leadership dimensions. Findings: Principals used data more frequently in instructional and organization ...

Science.gov (United States)

A dialyzable factor(s) in human serum is known to stimulate gonococcal oxygen consumption. Its effect on other human pathogens was investigated. A 10% serum solution increased peak O2 consumption for Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus to 157% (P less than 0.05) and 199% (P less than 0.02), respectively, of their O2 consumption when suspended in Hanks balanced salt solution, compared with a 356% increase for Neisseria gonorrhoeae with serum. Dialyzed serum lacked stimulatory capacity. Bacteria, serum, and neutrophils are often incubated to evaluate neutrophil bactericidal activity. Samples of 10(8) N. gonorrhoeae, S. aureus, and E. coli turned resazurin colorless (anaerobic conditions, Eh less than -42 mV) after 7.4, 13.3, and 15.1 min, respectively. Because neutrophil formation of reactive oxygen intermediates requires ambient O2, the effect of live bacteria and serum on this process was explored. After 5 min of ...

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... dose rates inhalation iodine 134 krypton 88 nuclear decay quality factor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

We examined the effect of the trophic protein, nerve growth factor (NGF), on cultures of fetal rat neostriatum and basal forebrain-medial septal area (BF-MS) to define its role in brain development. Treatment of cultures with NGF resulted in an increase in the specific activity of the cholinergic enzyme choline acetyltransferase (CAT) in both brain areas. CAT was immunocytochemically localized to neurons. In the BF-MS, NGF treatment elicited a marked increase in staining intensity and an apparent increase in the number of CAT-positive neurons. Moreover, treatment of BF-MS cultures with NGF increased the activity of acetylcholinesterase, suggesting that the cholinergic neuron as a whole was affected. To begin defining mechanisms of action of NGF in the BF-MS, we detected NGF receptors by two independent methods. Receptors were localized to two different cellular populations: ...

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Various control procedures have been suggested for reducing foodborne infectious diseases. Receiving considerable attention is irradiation. This report estimates the medical and wage (or productivity) benefits associated with prevention of five human diseases transmitted by beef, pork, and chicken. (These diseases can also be transmitted by other vectors, such as eggs, milk, and pets. But these sources are not included in the analysis.) All of these foodborne infectious diseases - salmonellosis, campylobacteriosis, trichinosis, tapeworm, and toxoplasmosis - could be significantly reduced by irradiating meat and poultry. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has just approved irradiation of pork to prevent trichinosis (50FR 29658-59) and is considering approval of irradiation of chicken to kill Salmonella. 22 references.

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This evaluation has for object to inform about the levels in carbon 14 in the environment of the factories of La Hague. Two sectors were differentiated on one hand the terrestrial environment, and on the other hand the marine environment. The investigations concerned first and foremost food products stemming as the vegetable culture (vegetables) or individual breeding (milk, eggs) but also foodstuffs stemming from the local agriculture (cereal). In touch with the second sector, the marine environment, the sampling concerned the accessible products of the sea by all and those locally marketed (fishes, molluscs, shellfishes). The different results are presented in tables. (N.C.)

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As part of the United States Department of Agricultures (USDA) National Food and Nutrient Analysis Program (NFNAP), food composition data for vitamin D in the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference are being updated and expanded, focusing on high priority foods and validated analytical methodology. A lack of certified reference materials and analytical methods validated for these key foods required the development of five matrix-specific control composite materials (CC) (canned salmon and vitamin D3 fortified cereal, orange juice, milk, and cheese). Each of six experienced laboratories (research and commercial) analyzed vitamin D3 in five subsamples of each CC in five separate analytical batches, with one subsample of each material in each run. Research laboratories perform...

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The reference method used to analyse polychlorodibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorodibenzofurans (PCDFs) and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (dl-PCBs) is chromatography with high resolution mass spectrometry (GC-HRMS). It is interesting to check the suitability of screening methods that are faster and less expensive. Different matrices (milk, fish oil, chicken compound feed, pork tissue, chicken tissue, sepiolitic clay, whole egg and herring tissue) were analysed in the frame of the European project DIFFERENCE1. One of the aims of this project is to optimise screening methods. The CALUX bio-assay was one of the screening techniques used. This paper presents the extraction and purification methods used for the analyses. The CALUX results for dioxins and for dl-PCBs were compared to the corresponding GC-HRMS results.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The crystallite size and orientation in molybdenum films prepared by magnetron sputtering at a low rate of typical 1 (angstrom)s and a pressure of 0.45 Pa was investigated by X-ray diffraction and texture analysis. The surface topography was studied using atomic force microscopy. Increasing the film thickness from 20 nm to 3 microm, the films show a turnover from a (110) fiber texture to a (211) mosaic-like texture. In the early state of growth (20 nm thickness) the development of dome-like structures on the surface is observed. The number of these structures increases with film thickness, whereas their size is weakly influenced. The effect of texture turnover is reduced by increasing the deposition rate by a factor of six, and it is absent for samples mounted above the center of the magnetron source. The effect of texture turnover is related to the bombardment of the films with high energetic argon ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect of compost addition to soil on fractionation and bioavailability of Cu, Mn, and Zn to four crops. Soils growing Swiss chard (Beta vulgaris var. cicla L.) and basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) were amended (by volume) with 0, 20, 40, and 60% Source-Separated Municipal Solid Waste (SS-MSW) compost, and dill (Anethum graveolens L.) and peppermint (Mentha X piperita L.) were amended with 0, 20, 40, and 60% of high-Cu manure compost (by volume). The SS-MSW compost applications increased the concentration of Cu and Zn in all fractions, increased Mn in acid extractable (ACID), iron and manganese oxides (FeMnOX), and organic matter (OM) fractions, but decreased slightly exchangeable-Mn. Addition of 60% high-Cu manure compost to the soil increased Cu EXCH, ACID, FeMnOX, and OM fractions, but decreased EXCH-Mn, and did not change EXCH-Zn. Addition of both composts to soil reduced ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Swirling flow in a direct injection diesel engine was measured by a laser doppler velocimeter. Piston cavity diameter and top clearance volume were changed as factors affecting swirling flow to study the distribution of swirling flow speed. When using the same intake port and changing the opening ratio of piston cavity, the distribution of swirling flow speed was different by the cavity during intake process but these agree just after opening intake valve and then become again different by cavity. When increasing top clearance and decreasing compression ratio, the axial symmetry of flow during commpression process increases. When changing piston cavity, and also when changing intake port, the mean swirling ratio in inside and outside areas of combustion chamber has common tendency to increase and decrease respectively. The mean swirling flow in the combustion chamber may be capable to be predicted by ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The barrier glow discharge between two planar electrodes, covered with dielectric, is studied under high-voltage pulsed power supply. Wide applications of such type of discharges, in particular, for ozone production, stimulated a number of investigations in this direction. In this work we investigated the dependence of ozone concentration on the duration and the rate of pulse rise of the applied voltage. The thyristor converter circuit with the shortening of input pulses on the base of the saturable throttle was used for the realization of this task. The output pulses with amplitude up to 15 kV, repetition frequency of 1 kHz, pulse duration of 0.3 #mu#s (or 7 #mu#s) and the rate of pulse rise of 0.1 #mu#s were generated with this scheme. Measurements of the ozone concentration produced in the air mixture have shown that its value increased by factor two with variation of the rate of pulse rise from 0.5 #mu#s to 0.1 #mu#s (for pulse duration of ...

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Perforated thermoplastic masks are used to provide patients immobilization. This procedure inserts a material in the path of the radiation beam, that attenuates and modifies the beam fluence and flatness. The present study evaluates the increase in skin dose as a result of using thermoplastic masks. Relative doses were measured on the surface of a solid water phantom, in the presence and absence of masks. These masks were stretched according to deformation patterns observed in clinical routine. The measurements were obtained with a plane-parallel chamber (Markus type 23343) and radiochromic film (EBT Gafchromic) for 6MV X-rays from a linear accelerator, and for a radiation beam from a cobalt therapy unit. The results showed that thermoplastic masks, whose thickness varied between 2 and 3 mm, increased the dose on the surface by a factor of 3. Due to the variations in the skin dose distribution, clinical procedures were ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Neutron semiconductor detectors for neutron counting and neutron radiography have an increasing importance. Simple silicon neutron detectors are combination of a planar diode with a layer of an appropriate neutron converter such as 6LiF. These devices have limited detection efficiency of not more than 5%. The detection efficiency can be increased by creating a 3D microstructure of dips, trenches or pores in the detector and filling it with a neutron converter. The first results related to the development of such devices are presented. Silicon detectors were fabricated with pyramidal dips on the surface covered with 6LiF and then irradiated by thermal neutrons. Pulse height spectra of the energy deposited in the sensitive volume were compared with simulations. The detection efficiency of these devices was about 6.3%. Samples with different column sizes were fabricated to study the electrical properties of 3D structures. Charge collection ...

Science.gov (United States)

A factor produced by plerocercoids of the tapeworm Spirometra mansonoides is similar to human growth hormone (hGH) in that it stimulates body growth, binds to hGH receptors, cross-reacts with anti-hGH antibodies, and has lactogenic and insulin-like activities. The purpose of this study was to determine whether plerocercoid growth factor (PGF) is similar to hGH in expressing diabetogenic activity in the genetically obese (ob/ob) mouse. To determine an effective dose for use in the obese mice, the ability of daily injections of PGF to stimulate growth of phenotypically normal mice of the same strain was assessed in a 10-day weight gain assay. Injections of PGF stimulated a dose-dependent weight gain (r = 0.83) and 25 ng eq/day of PGF stimulated a response not significantly different from that produced by 100 micrograms of bovine growth hormone/day. Diabetogenicity was assessed using fasting blood glucose and glucose tolerance tests in obese mice ...

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In this study based on the mass transfer theory, experiments for the evaporation rates depending on various conditions were carried out through the operation of the existing Natural Evaporation Facility in KAERI. Evaporation media were made of the cotton and polyester. Air circulation in the facility was forced by exhausting fans. The evaporation rate and the decontamination factor were calculated by the result of experiment. The evaporation rate increased as the flow rate of air supply, the feed rate of liquid waste, and the temperature of supplied air increased. As for the humility of supplied air, the evaporation rate was getting higher as the humidity was getting lower. As the result of this study, operation conditions of the Natural Evaporation Facility are optimized as follows; The air temperature above 8C .deg., the air humidity below 70%, the air flow rate 1.14-1.47 m/sec, and the liquid waste feed rate ...

Science.gov (United States)

Many factors such as poverty, ineffective institutions and environmental regulations may prevent developing countries from managing how natural resources are extracted to meet a strong market demand. Extraction for some resources has reached such proportions that evidence is measurable from space. We present recent evidence of the global demand for a single commodity and the ecosystem destruction resulting from commodity extraction, recorded by satellites for one of the most biodiverse areas of the world. We find that since 2003, recent mining deforestation in Madre de Dios, Peru is increasing nonlinearly alongside a constant annual rate of increase in international gold price (?18%/yr). We detect that the new pattern of mining deforestation (1915 ha/year, 2006-2009) is outpacing that of nearby settlement deforestation. We show that gold price is linked with exponential increases in Peruvian national ...

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

BACKGROUND: The aetiologies of glioma and meningioma tumors are largely unknown. Although reproductive hormones are thought to influence the risk of these tumors, epidemiologic data are not supportive of this hypothesis; however, few cohort studies have published on this topic. We examined the relation between reproductive factors and risk of glioma and meningioma among women in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC).METHODS: After a mean of 8.4 years of follow-up, 193 glioma and 194 meningioma were identified among 276,212 women. Information on reproductive factors and hormone use was collected at baseline. Cox proportional hazard regression was used to determine hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). RESULTS: No associations were observed between glioma or meningioma risk and reproductive factors, including age at menarche, parity, age at first birth, menopausal status, and ...

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A radioactive Waste Incineration System (WIS) with suspension combustion is noticed as effective volume reduction technology of low level radiactive wastes that are increasing every year. In order to demonstrate the decontamination efficiency of ceramic filter used on WIS, this test has been carried out with the test facilities as joint research of Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry (CRIEPI) and Sumitomo Heavy Industries, Ltd. Miscellaneous combustible waste and power resin, to which 5 nuclides (Mn-54, Fe-59, Co-60, Zn-65, Cs-137) were added, were used as samples for incineration. As the result of the test, it was verified that Decontamination Factor (DF) of the single stage ceramic filter was usually kept over 10/sup 5/ for every nuclide, and from the results of above DF, over 10/sup 8/ is expected for real commercial plant as a total system. Therefore, it is realized that the off-gas clean up system of the WIS composed of ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Cholestatic liver injury induced by alpha-naphthylisothiocyanate (ANIT) is provoked by injury to intrahepatic bile ducts and the progression of hepatic necrosis requires the procoagulant protein tissue factor (TF) and extrahepatic cells including neutrophils. Recent studies have shown that myeloid cell TF contributes to neutrophil activation. We tested the hypothesis that myeloid cell TF contributes to neutrophil activation in ANIT-treated mice. TF activity in liver homogenates increased significantly in TF^f^l^o^x^/^f^l^o^x mice treated with ANIT, but not in TF^f^l^o^x^/^f^l^o^x/LysMCre mice (TFD^M^y^e^l^o^i^d mice), which have reduced TF expression in monocytes/macrophages and neutrophils. Myeloid cell-specific TF deficiency did not alter expression of the chemokines KC or MIP-2 but redu...

CERN Document Server

Utilizing form factors calculated within the light-cone sum rules, we have evaluated the decay branching ratios of $B_s\\to \\phi\\gamma$ and $B_s\\to \\phi \\ell^+\\ell^-$ in a single universal extra dimension model (UED), which is viewed as one of the alternative theories beyond the standard model (SM). For the decay $B_s \\to \\phi \\ell^+\\ell^-$, the dilepton invariant mass spectra, the forward-backward asymmetry, and double lepton polarization are also calculated. For each case, we compared the obtained results with predictions of the SM. In lower values of the compactification factor 1/R, the only parameter in this model, we see the considerable discrepancy between the UED and SM models. However, when 1/R increases, the results of UED tend to diminish and at $1/R = 1000 \\mathrm{GeV}$, two models have approximately the same predictions. Compared with data from CDF of $B_s \\to \\phi \\mu^+ \\mu^-$, the 1/R tends to ...

Science.gov (United States)

A population of female civil servants in Rome, Italy, was investigated to determine the prevalence of symptomatic and asymptomatic gallstone disease and to define the associated factors. Field activities started in February 1981 and concluded in April 1982. Diagnosis was assessed by real time ultrasonography. Prevalence of gallstone disease increased with age from 2.5% in the 20- to 29-year-old age group to 25.0% in the 60- to 64-year-old age group, based on both presence of gallstones and history of cholecystectomy. Only one third of the women with gallstones had complained of at least one episode of biliary pain in the last five years. Frequency of "minor" dyspeptic symptoms was not different between women with and those without gallstones. In a multiple logistic function analysis, a positive association was found between age, body mass index, parity, and prevalence of gallstone disease. No association was demonstrated between the presence of ...

Science.gov (United States)

We report a new measurement of the exclusive electroproduction reaction {gamma}*p{yields}{pi}{sup 0}p to explore the evolution from soft nonperturbative physics to hard processes via the Q{sup 2} dependence of the magnetic (M{sub 1+}), electric (E{sub 1+}), and scalar (S{sub 1+}) multipoles in the N{yields}{delta} transition. 9000 differential cross section data points cover W from threshold to 1.4 GeV/c{sup 2}, 4{pi} center-of-mass solid angle, and Q{sup 2} from 3 to 6 GeV{sup 2}/c{sup 2}, the highest yet achieved. It is found that the magnetic form factor G{sub M}* decreases with Q{sup 2} more steeply than the proton magnetic form factor, the ratio E{sub 1+}/M{sub 1+} is small and negative, indicating strong helicity nonconservation, and the ratio S{sub 1+}/M{sub 1+} is negative, while its magnitude increases with Q{sup 2}.

Science.gov (United States)

Endoreduplication represents a cell cycle variant during which multiple rounds of DNA replication occur without subsequent chromosome separation and cytokinesis, resulting into a cellular increase of the DNA content. Although the DNA ploidy level of cells is controlled by external stimuli such as light, currently limited knowledge is available on how environmental signals regulate the endoreduplication cycle at the molecular level. Previously, we have demonstrated that the conversion from the mitotic cell cycle into an endoreduplication cycle is mediated by the atypical E2F transcription factor DEL1 that operates as a repressor of endocycle onset. Here, we identified DEL1 as a transcriptional target of the classical E2Fb and E2Fc transcription factors that antagonistically control DEL1 transcript levels through competition for a single E2F cis-acting binding site. Correspondingly with the reported opposite effect of light ...

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In this paper, we report on a series of experiments designed to study the influence of plasma nitriding on the mechanical properties of austenitic stainless steel. Plasma nitriding experiments were conducted on AISI 304L steel in a temperature range of 375-475 C using pulsed-DC plasma with different N{sub 2}-H{sub 2} gas mixtures and treatment times. Firstly the formation and the microstructure of the modified layer will be highlighted followed by the results of hardness measurement, adhesion testing, wear resistance and fatigue life tests. The modified surface was analyzed directly after plasma nitriding as well as using a depth profiling method. The microhardness after plasma nitriding is increased up to 19 GPa, that is a factor of five higher compared to the untreated material (3.3 GPa). The adhesion is examined by Rockwell indentation and scratch test. No delamination of the treated layer could be observed. The wear rate after plasma ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

After a long period of stagnation in the UK, Europe and the USA, there is now a real expectation that new nuclear plants will be under construction shortly. Several factors have contributed to this change of position in the UK: the growing realisation that effective action is needed to offset greenhouse gas emissions; higher prices for fossil fuels; increasing reliance on overseas supplies of oil and gas; the limitations of wind and wave power and distribution; security of supply; the gradual realisation in the deregulated electricity generation market that nuclear power is competitive and the pending closure of most of the UK's nuclear fleet within less than 15 years. All these factors have led to a reversal of the UK Government's attitude to nuclear power, which has now ruled in favour of allowing a new generation of nuclear plants being built. This paper summarises some of the arguments that have led to this decision and ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The 9.50 GHz electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectra of unirradiated and "6"0Co #gamma#-ray irradiated cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum L. Maton, Zingiberaceae), ginger ((Zingiber officinale Rosc., Zingiberaceae), and saffron (Crocus sativus L., Iridaceae) have been investigated at room temperature. All unirradiated spices presented a weak resonance line with g-factors around free-electron ones. After #gamma#-ray irradiation at an absorbed dose of up to 11.3 kGy, the presence of EPR spectra whose amplitude increase monotonously with the absorbed dose has been noticed with all spices. A 100 "oC isothermal annealing of 11.3 kGy irradiated samples has shown a differential reduction of amplitude of various components that compose initial spectra, but even after 3.6 h of thermal treatment, the remaining amplitude represents no less then 30% of the initial ones. The same peculiarities have been noticed after 83 days storage at room temperature ...

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The working hypothesis of the research was that the soil of boreal forests is a large carbon store and the amount of C is still increasing in young soils, like in the forest soils of Finland, which makes these soils important sinks for atmospheric CO{sub 2}. Since the processes defining the soil C balance, primary production of plants and decomposition, are dependent on environmental factors and site properties, it was assumed that the organic carbon pool in the soil is also dependent on the same factors. The soil C store is therefore likely to change in response to climatic warming. The aim of this research was to estimate the C balance of forest soil in Finland and predict changes in the balance in response to changes in climatic conditions. To achieve the aim (1) intensive empirical experimentation on the density of C in different pools in the soil and on fluxes between the pools was done was done, (2) the effect of site ...

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From a macroscopic point of view, corrosion of Zn alloy coated steel sheet occurs by the coating preceding corrosion mechanism; microscopically, however, the coated layer corrosion velocity in the tip of corrosion is different. In order to find the main factors of under-film corrosion of Zn and Zn-Fe alloy coatings in the salt water spray atmospheric exposure test, the correlation between point inflation-exfoliation width and chlorine penetration behavior, point adhesion, and the difference in chlorine penetration behavior due to alloy coating components were investigated. Consequently, the following results were obtained: 1. The better correlation was observed between chlorine penetration distance and point inflation-point exfoliation width. 2. The durability of coating against chlorine penetration improved by increase in point adhesion and Zn content in the coating layer. 3. Zn-Fe (10-20%) alloy coating showed better durability against ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A pyrochemical process has been introduced and utilized so that the transmutation of spent PWR fuel in PEACER can produce mainly low and intermediate level waste for near surface disposal. Major radioactive nuclides from PEACER pyroprocessing are composed of TRU and LLFP. In this study, the requirement for the final waste from PEACER is evaluated based on the methodology for establishment of waste acceptance criteria. Also, sensitivity analysis for several input parameters is conducted in order to determine acceptable decontamination factor (DF) and LLFP removal efficiency and to find out input parameter that extremely have an effect on DF. As a result of the study, LLFP removal efficiency, especially Sr-90 and Tc-99, is proved to be a major nuclide which contributes to annual dose by human intrusion scenario rather than TRU DF. More than 98.5% of LLFP have to be removed to meet below dose constraint within the DF more than 5.0E + 03. Besides, because of the ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Techniques for reducing computation time in 3D photon dose calculations are addressed with specific emphasis given to the convolution/superposition approach. A single polyenergetic superposition model calculating absorbed dose per incident photon fluence (Gy cm"2) was developed in terms of TERMA and a total energy deposition kernel (a total point spread function). A novel approach was devised for reducing calculation time. The method, named the CF method, was based on the use of a conventional, fast model (here a modified power-law method was used) for the generation of 3D dose distributions on a fine dose matrix. Superposition calculations were carried out on a coarse matrix and calculation speed was increased simply by reducing the number of calculations. A set of correction factors was derived on the coarse grid from the ratio of the dose values from superposition to those from the conventional algorithm. These were interpolated onto the ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The influence of serum, IGF-1 and TGF-#beta# on the differentiation of preadipocytes was examined in primary cultures of porcine adipose tissue cells. In serum-supplemented or serum-free, IGF-1 (1 and 10 nM) had no effect on total cell number. However, IGF-1 (10nM) increased adipocyte number only in serum-supplemented (1% pig serum) cultures, whereas TGF-#beta# (15 pm) reduced the adipocyte number in the presence and absence of IGF-1. Replication of preadipocytes was analyzed with a ["3H] thymidine assay. Preadipocyte proliferation (cpm in adipocyte fraction) was increased by IGF-1 (10nM) only in cultures containing pig serum. TGF-#beta# had no effect on preadipocyte proliferation specifically, but slightly increased total ["3H] thymidine incorporation in cultures with serum. Glycerol phosphate dehydrogenase (GPDH) specific activity was decreased by adding TGF-#beta# to serum-free cultures but TGF-#beta# had little effect ...

Science.gov (United States)

MnO2 in pyrolusite can react with SO2 in flue gas and obtain by-product MnSO4 x H2O. A pilot scale jet bubbling reactor was applied in this work. Different factors affecting both SO2 absorption efficiency and Mn2+ extraction rate have been investigated, these factors include temperature of inlet gas flue, ration of liquid/solid mass flow rate (L/S), pyrolusite grade, and SO2 concentration in the inlet flue gas. In the meantime, the procedure of purification of absorption liquid was also discussed. Experiment results indicated that the increase of temperature from 30 to 70 K caused the increase of SO2 absorption efficiency from 81.4% to 91.2%. And when SO2 concentration in the inlet flue gas increased from 500 to 3000 ppm, SO2 absorption efficiency and Mn2+ extraction rate decreased from 98.1% to 82.2% and from 82.8% to 61.7%, respectively. The content of MnO2 in pyrolusite had a ...

Science.gov (United States)

... TITLE (Indlude Security Classifkcation) Human Factors in Network Security 12. ... FIELD GROUP SUBGROUP Human Factors, Network, Security 19. ...

Science.gov (United States)

It has been proposed that the gastrointestinal tract environment containing high levels of neuroendocrine hormones is important for gut-derived Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections. In this study, we report that the hormone norepinephrine increases P. aeruginosa PA14 growth, virulence factor production, invasion of HCT-8 epithelial cells, and swimming motility in a concentration-dependent manner. Transcriptome analysis of P. aeruginosa exposed to 500 microM, but not 50 microM, norepinephrine for 7 h showed that genes involved in the regulation of the virulence determinants pyocyanin, elastase, and the Pseudomonas quinolone signal (PQS, 2-heptyl-3-hydroxy-4-quinolone) were upregulated. The production of rhamnolipids, which are also important in P. aeruginosa infections, was not significantly altered in suspension cultures upon exposure to 500 microM norepinephrine but decreased on semisolid surfaces. Swarming motility, a phenotype that is directly ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The genetically significant dose (GSD), per Caput mean bone marrow dose (CMD), leukemia significant dose (LSD) and malignancy significant dose (MSD) from medical diagnostic X-ray examinations in Japan were estimated based on a 1979 nationwide survey of randomly sampled hospitals and clinics. The population risk estimates were carried out using the resultant values of GSD, LSD and MSD. In the risk estimates, the significant factors, namely, the relative child expectancy, the leukemia significant factor and the malignancy significant factor, for patients were assumed to be same as those of general population. The risk factors used were 185 x 10"-"6 rad"-"1 for genetic risk of all generations, 20 x 10"-"6 rad"-"1 for fatal leukemia and 165 x 10"-"6 rad"-"1 for fatal malignant diseases, respectively. The resultant annual population doses per person were 15 mrad (0.15 mGy) for GSD, 107 mrad (1.07 mGy) for ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This paper discusses the application of a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) code (FLUENT) to predict temperature and velocity profiles, and particle trajectories in an industrial fired by a low NO{sub x} pulverized coal swirl burner. The predictions of the code were compared to experimental measurements of gas temperature, particle size distribution, and particle velocities. The diagnostics employed were a suction pyrometer and a Particle Counter Sizer Velocimeter Probe (PCSV-P). Good agreement was found between the temperature predictions and the measurements. In situ particle size distributions were predicted accurately using the Baum and Street model with a swelling factor of zero. The numerical modeling indicated that the Type II flow issued from the burner could be transformed into Type III flow, by eliminating swirl from the primary air stream, which provided the preferred particle trajectories and increased the combustion efficiency.

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Tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-?) antagonist drugs have been associated with increased risk of tuberculosis (TB). Tuberculin skin test (TST) is the most frequently used tool for identification of latent TB infection. We herein aimed to analyse the effect of TNF-? antagonists on the TST responses in a prospective study. The study group consisted of 182 patients (99 female, 83 male) who received TNF-? antagonists for various rheumatic disorders. All patients were evaluated with TST along with other parameters on the day of referral and on the 12th month visit. For those patients with a response of <5?mm induration at the initial evaluation, the TST was repeated to observe the booster effect. Out of 182 patients, 87 patients (48%) had a negative (0?4?mm) and 95 (52%) had a positive (?5?mm)...

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We have obtained optically clear samples of LuAP:Ce from the Institute of Physical Research, Ashtarak, Armenia, measuring up to 5x5x40 mm{sup 3}. The photo electron yield for a number of theses samples was measured with a Philips XP2020Q photomultiplier tube, and 556 photo electrons per MeV was obtained for the best samples. This is comparable to what is obtained from BGO crystals under the same condition, but a factor of 5 less than what is obtained with an LSO sample of similar dimensions. The light in LuAP:Ce increases with cerium concentration between 0.13 and 0.47%.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

This paper describes an experiment which has been performed with a somewhat different philosophy in its approach as compared to previous work. (a) The trigger threshold energy was increased by more than a factor of ten on previous experiments reducing the dilution effect of many lower energy showers known not to produce tachyons. 1673 shower were recorded. (b) The exposure time was made longer than previous experiments in order to obtain a reasonably large statistical sample at the higher threshold. Observations were made between February 1979 and June 1980, the total live time being 9768 hours. (c) Records of the detector output amplitude for the 480#mu#s lead time were integrated point by point as is sometimes done in radio astronomy, this gives the integrated energy deposition within the detector.

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Studies of CWF preparation at laboratory scale have been carried out using the type and amount of additives and coal content as process variables. Other factors such as particle size, time and rate of stirring were kept constant. CWF with 45 wt% of dry solids, heating value of 5,475 BTU/lb, and stable without the evidence of sedimentation for 9 weeks have been obtained using carboxy methyl cellulose (CMC) as the additive. Low coal content and low heating value can be increased by hydrothermal process on the elevated temperature and pressure. By this process, CWF with dry solid of 55 wt% and a heating value of 7,125 BTU/lb could be obtained. 6 refs., 8 figs., 2 tabs.

Science.gov (United States)

A brief discussion on the effects of moisture on the quality of metallurgical coke was presented. Factors affecting the moisture content of coke were discussed. The adsorption of moisture by coke at 20/sup 0/C and 120-130/sup 0/C and the desorption of moisture from coke at 200/sup 0/C were investigated with respect to dynamics. It was concluded that the moisture content of coke should not be used as a rejection index, but should be used for computations by the user. Also, it was determined that work should continue to achieve a coke moisture range of 4-6%. The desorption of moisture from coke is an order of magnitude greater at 200/sup 0/C than at 20/sup 0/C, and increases with temperature.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Ozone is the most important regional-scale air pollutant causing risks for vegetation and human health in many parts of the world. Ozone impacts on yield and quality of crops and pastures depend on precursor emissions, atmospheric transport and leaf uptake and on the plant?s biochemical defence capacity, all of which are influenced by changing climatic conditions, increasing atmospheric CO2 and altered emission patterns. In this article, recent findings about ozone effects under current conditions and trends in regional ozone levels and in climatic factors affecting the plant?s sensitivity to ozone are reviewed in order to assess implications of these developments for future regional ozone risks. Based on pessimistic IPCC emission scenarios for many cropland regions elevated mean ozone lev...

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A three-dimensional mathematical thermo-fluid model coupling the electrochemical kinetics with fluid dynamics was developed to simulate the heat and mass transfer in planar anode-supported solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC). The internal reforming reactions and electrochemical reactions of carbon monoxide and hydrogen in the porous anode layer were analyzed. The temperature, species mole fraction, current density, overpotential loss and other performance parameters of the single cell unit were obtained by a commercial CFD code (Fluent) and external sub-routine. Results show that the current density produced by electrochemical reactions of carbon monoxide cannot be ignored, the cathode overpotential loss is the biggest one among the three overpotential losses, and that the proper decrease of the operating voltage leads to the increase of the current density, PEN structure temperature, fuel utilization factor, fuel efficiency and power output of the ...

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Since the fluoroscopic image during nasoenteral tube placements is used for guidance and not for diagnosis, a lower contrast image with increased quantum mottle can be easily tolerated. The three methods to reduce the radiation dose rate investigated consisted of removing camera from the image intensifier output phosphor, and setting the fluoroscopic mA to the minimum value so that the kVp could be maximized. Fluoroscopic frozen video frames of a clinical tube insertion comparing the images with and without the dose-saving techniques are presented. Measurements of the radiation dose rates using a Plexiglas phantom show that the dose for patient and staff during fluoroscopic-guided nasoenteral tube placements can be reduced by over a factor of 10 without significantly adversely affecting the actual placement procedure. (author).

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Methods for improving the sensitivity of scintillation cells for radon concentration measurements were studied with emphasis on improving light collection efficiency. This allows the length and hence the volume of the cell to be increased. Variables studied were choice of scintillator material, its method of application and thickness, length of cell, cell material, type and configuration of reflectors, choice of photomultipliers, and factors affecting background. Response from various areas of the cell surface was studied with an alpha source and with radon filling. Coating the window with phosphor was found to be counter-productive. The optimum results obtained were with the inside of the cell (other than the window) covered with a thick layer of ZnS(Ag), or with a thick layer of reflective material coated with a thin layer of phosphor. With it, a 10 cm diameter plexiglass cell can be extended to at least 50 cm length without difficulty from ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Summary Modern society all over the world depends on information and communication technology (ICT); and security of supply with ICT is an important location factor. In times of increasing anonymity, which makes us more and more dependent on public services such as emergency supports (emergency organizations), communication is existential. Communication also plays an important role for a good functioning of economy and industry, in the course of shorter production and storage times. The usage of ICT is taken for granted. However, the modern society's use of ICT is profoundly dependent on the public power supply. Particularly in highly industrialized countries like e.g. Austria, the ICT sector requires about 10% of the total electric energy demand. One third of these 10% is estimated to be ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Within the framework of the Bianchi type-IX homogeneous space, we set up a system of coupled equations for the cosmic scale factors, scalar field, and radiative energy density. At the tree level, the equations are written in a self-consistent, Hartree-Fock form. For phi"4 theory, the system of nine first-order differential equations is solved numerically for a varying ratio of the energy of anisotropy to the vacuum energy. As the vacuum energy increases, there appears to be less reheating, since the energy of anisotropy is more efficiently converted into isotropic expansion. If the energy of anisotropy is large enough, the inflationary phase is prevented. In this case, a series of cosmological phase transitions will take place each time the square of the effective mass changes its sign.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The clinical use of "1"8F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography in monitoring anticancer treatment is expanding. At the same time a number of radiotracers aiming to image different aspects of tumour biology such as proliferation and apoptosis are being developed. However, the factors determining changes of radiotracer uptake parameters in response to treatment are not well understood. In many cases, cellularity may be the primary determinant of changes of FDG uptake and may confound the interpretation of metabolic changes. Early imaging assessments have in some cases showed transient increases of uptake parameters, commonly termed 'flares', which are likely to be unaffected by cellularity and directly reflect pharmacodynamics at a cellular level. In this review a number of settings where molecular imaging 'flares' have been described are discussed. Such changes may often be clinically informative and warrant careful study as ...

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Magnesium alloys show a high specific strength and are therefore increasingly used for light-weight constructions in transportation industry.{sup [1,2]} To predict the behaviour of the material under the influence of cyclic loading it is vital to understand the fatigue behaviour of magnesium alloys. Only when understood properly, it is possible to fully apply the potential weight reduction by using magnesium alloys. A very important aspect in fatigue of magnesium alloys is the influence of a corrosive media and elevated temperatures, of which both are relevant in automotive applications. These two factors tend to have deleterious effects on magnesium alloys and therefore also have to be considered in investigations on the fatigue behaviour of magnesium alloys. (Abstract Copyright [2004], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Smoking during pregnancy is widely known to increase health risks to the foetus, and understanding the quitting process during pregnancy is essential in order to realise national government targets. Qualitative studies have been used in order to gain a greater understanding of the quitting process and the objective of this systematic review was to examine and evaluate qualitative studies that have investigated the psychological and social factors around women attempting to quit smoking during pregnancy. Electronic databases and journals were searched with seven articles included in this review. The findings demonstrated that women were aware of the health risks to the foetus associated with smoking; however knowledge of potential health risks was not sufficient to motivate them to quit. Se...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

During the past few decades, the basic assumption of agroclimatic zoning, i.e., that agroclimatic conditions remain relatively stable, has been shattered by ongoing climate change. The first aim of this study was to develop a tool that would allow for effective analysis of various agroclimatic indicators and their dynamics under climate change conditions for a particular region. The results of this effort were summarized in the AgriClim software package, which provides users with a wide range of parameters essential for the evaluation of climate-related stress factors in agricultural crop production. The software was then tested over an area of 114,000?km2 in Central Europe. We have found that by 2020, the combination of increased air temperature and changes in the amount and distribution ...

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Abstract Background: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a highly prevalent condition, is independently associated with increased risks of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) and metabolic syndrome. It is unclear, however, if the severity of OSA has any impact on glycemic control among patients with T2D. We therefore aimed to determine the independent association between OSA severity and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) in patients with T2D. Methods: This was an observational cross-sectional study of 52 consecutive patients attending the diabetes obesity clinic between January 2008 to February 2010 with risk factors for sleep apnea and who underwent polysomnography study. Clinical, demographic, and lifestyle data were recorded using a questionnaire. Results: Prevalence of OSA in this clini...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The environmental impact caused by local people (ecological footprint of consumption, EFc) and the actual environmental impact that the ecosystem burdens (ecological footprint of production, EFp) in West Jilin Province, Northeast China from 1986 to 2006 were evaluated by using ecological footprint (EF) method. And the major driving forces of EFc and EFp were analyzed by STIRPAT model. Both EFc and EFp showed increasing trends in 1986?2006, accompanied by decreasing ecological deficits but expanding ecological overshoots. Population (P), GDP per capita (A 1), quadratic term of GDP per capita (A 2), urbanization (T a1), and quadratic term of urbanization (T a2) were important influencing factors of EFc, among which T a2 and T a1 were the most dominate driving forces of EFc. A 1, A 2 and T a2...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Exposure to urban air pollution is an independent risk factor for increased cardiovascular diseases. Heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of vascular dysfunction and cardiovascular diseases. This study has been designed to determine whether inhalation of urban air induces HSP70 expression in the lung and blood as well as the association of HSP70 and air pollution-induced vascular dysfunction. Apolipoprotein E (Apo-E) deficient mice were exposed to diesel exhaust (DE) either acutely (3 days, 200 or 400 g/m3 for 6 h/day) or chronically (7 weeks, 200 or 400 g/m3 for 6 h/day). HSP70 was measured in the lung using immunohistochemistry, and in the plasma by ELISA. Abdominal aorta rings were used to determine vascular functional responses. Chronic DE-exposure incr...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Some models anticipate that liberalized agricultural trade will lead to increased crop diversity, while other models make the opposite claim. These positions were explored in southwestern British Columbia, Canada where, between 1992 and 1998, government subsidies and other measures designed to protect horticultural farmers were lifted, exposing these farmers to foreign competition. Public hearings on the future of agriculture provided an opportunity to tap the knowledge and experience of people affected by this transition. Analysis of transcripts from these hearings, which was confirmed by industry data, shows that trade liberalization has led to the loss of the local fruit and vegetable processing industry. Stakeholders saw the loss as a major factor affecting the choice of crops grown lo...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Active contrast material extravasation can be recognized with conventional CT scanners, though it has been considered a rare finding. Helical CT seems to increase the detection rate and especially to boost the radiologist's confidence in this diagnosis. Though active bleeding is defined in severely-injured subjects requiring urgent intervention and may be associated with findings of hypovolaemic shock, it should not be considered itself as a negative prognostic factor. Contrast extravasation is due to ongoing hemorrhage and its detection is critical for urged treatment. Accurate anatomical location permits to choose surgical management or transcatheter embolization and thus decreases time consumption for precis e bleeding site identification.

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The increasing use of quantum-chemical methods in catalysis has underscored the importance of developing and improving semiempirical approximations oriented toward calculations of the total energy and geometry, offering a means for examining intermolecular interactions. In this article a general approach is proposed, using weighting factors for certain regions of distances, i.e., introducing different parametrization into the various regions. A scheme designated MINDO/3-HB is presented as an extension of the MINDO/3 scheme to the region of hydrogen bonds and ..pi..-complexes of olefins with Broensted acid centers (BACs). Examples of cluster calculations are given for the adsorption of ammonia, pyridine, ethylene, and ethanol on the BACs of zeolites. In the example of the process of zeolite synthesis, the possibilities of the cluster approach are discussed for calculations related to the formation of catalysts.

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The sediment content of the Yellow River is resulted from the interactions of natural, economic, and social factors, so it includes some evolutive information of the Yellow River Basin system. Sediment contents from 1952 to 2007 on Toudaoguai, Tongguan, Huayuankou and Lijin sections along the river are chosen as the study time series, and correlation dimensions (D 2), Kolmogorov entropies (K 2), and Hurst indexes (H) of the time series were calculated. Correlation dimensions on Toudaoguai, Tongguan, Huayuankou, and Lijin sections are 3.24, 5.69, 6.57 and 7.34 respectively, and the Kolmogorov entropies are 0.13, 0.37, 0.40 and 0.38 respectively, which indicates that the systems controlled by different sections along the Yellow River are chaotic systems and the chaotic degrees increase gradu...