International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Radioimmunotherapy (RIT) is a new treatment option for patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). Response to RIT currently remains difficult to predict using conventional prognostic factors and could be refined using functional imaging. The goal of this work is to evaluate the value of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) in predicting response to Yttrium 90-labeled monoclonal antibodies for patients with NHL. Thirty-five patients with NHL who had undergone 18F-FDG PET prior to RIT with either 90Y-ibritumomab tiuxetan (group A; n=17) or 90Y-epratuzumab tetraxetan (group B; n=18) were included in this retrospective study. Four functional criteria were determined for each tumour lesion in a given patient: maximum and mean standard uptake values (SUVmax and SUVmean), functional lesion volume (LVol) and total lesion glycolysis (TLG, product of the volume and ...

KoreaScience (Korea)

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UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

BackgroundReplication capacity (RC) of specific HIV isolates is occasionally blamed for unexpected treatment responses. However, the role of viral RC in response to antiretroviral...Full Text Available

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The response of MOS capacitors to low- and medium-energy x-ray irradiation is investigated as a function of gate material (TaSi or Al), oxide thickness, and electric field. Measured device response is compared with predictions based on discrete ordinates and Monte Carlo code simulations of dose enhancement effects, coupled with recent estimates of electron-hole recombination in MOS oxides. In comparisons of 10-keV x-ray and Co-60 irradiations of Al-gate MOS capacitors at an oxide electric field of 1 MV/cm, it is found that predictions and experiments agree to within better than 20 percent for oxide thicknesses ranging from 35 to 1060 nm. For capacitors having TaSi/Al gates, predictions and experiments agree to within better than 30 percent at 1 MV/cm, with the largest differences occurring for 35-nm gate oxides. At other electric fields, the disagreement between experiment and ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

In this study, ethanol organosolv pretreatment was investigated and optimized for the pretreatment of empty palm fruit bunch using (1) response surface methodology based on three-variable central composite design and (2) the combined severity parameters. The reaction parameters studied were sulfuric acid concentration (0.5-2.0%), reaction temperature (160-200^oC) and residence time (45-90min). Both models provide valuable and complementary informations: using combined severity parameters, very good predictions were obtained concerning xylan and lignin extraction whereas central composite design is the best model for glucose production. The optimal values of the variables were as the followings: sulfuric acid 2.0% w/w, 160^oC, 78min and the experimental values (96.0%) concerning glucose and...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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 ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Behavioral responses to labellar stimulation with 19 L-amino acids were predicted on the basis of electrophysiological responses of largest labellar hairs. With the exceptions alanine, aspartic...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Although the initiating factor(s) is unknown, it is now accepted that pulmonary sarcoidosis develops as a result of an over-stimulated local cellular immune response. Starting as a lymphocytic alveolitis,...Full Text Available

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A fully implicit compositional simulator was written to predict the drawdown and buildup responses for a single well in a gas condensate reservoir. The model uses the Redlich-Kwong equation of state to compute fluid properties and to determine phase equilibrium. The accuracy of the model predictions in the two-phase flow regime is tested using the results of a steady-state theory developed here. Two new correlating functions for transient flow - the reservoir integral and the sandface integral - are presented. The reservoir integral is shown to be a good liquid analogue during transient flow (drawdown). The sandface integral correlates with the liquid solution only in the slope. These two theoretical functions are shown to reduce to a computable pseudopressure function by using the results of the steady-state theory. The usefulness of this pseudopressure function for computing the permeability-thickness product and the skin ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

In response to oxidative stress, the transcription factor NF-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) controls the fate of cells through transcriptional upregulation of antioxidant response element (ARE)-bearing...Full Text Available

Science.gov (United States)

This study examined the psychometric properties of the Anti-fat Attitudes Scale (AFAS), a 5-item instrument developed by the authors to measure negative attitudes toward overweight individuals. A total of 4 studies were conducted among Canadian adolescents (n = 1,452) and university students (n = 424). Results suggested that the AFAS possessed a unidimensional factor structure and satisfactory reliability for both men and women. As predicted, men obtained higher scores than women on the AFAS, and antifat attitudes were positively associated with authoritarianism, homonegativity, and political conservatism. Participants who were overweight had lower scores on the AFAS than participants who were thin or average weight. Responses on the AFAS did not appear to be contaminated by social desirability bias. PMID:10457760

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

An overview of climatic factors and impact relative to river ice engineering and science is presented. An explanation of the fundamentals of climatic change is followed by a review of direct and indirect climatic influences that govern river ice breakup and related trends. Known responses of river ice to climatic change and potential future changes to ice breakup processes are described along with the probable ecological and socio-economic consequences of these changes. Changes in engineering approaches to accommodate the present ice regime and predicted changes in climatic variables that affect river ice processes and reduce the vulnerability of infrastructure and ecosystems to climatic change are examined. Future research on the links between river ice and stream ecology is suggested to identify ecological concerns that may result from changes in river ice regimes induced by climatic change. 60 refs., 3 figs.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Existing test procedures for measuring and rating thermal performance require the determination of the angular response of collectors in order to account for nonnormal incident beam irradiance. Angular response measurements for four different types of collectors, each type tested by three different laboratories, are presented and analyzed. Substantial differences, both within and between laboratories, are reported for the same type collectors. An analysis of the measurement procedure shows that experimentally determined angular response parameters are subject to relatively large uncertainties. The problem results to a large extent from measuring collector efficiencies at non-normal incident angles where measurement uncertainty is of the same order of magnitude as the efficiency reduction attributable to these off-normal angles. Other factors which can affect angular response ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This report describes the results of EPRI Program S404-28, titled Experimental Modeling of Eddy Current Response'', conducted by the Westinghouse Science and Technology Center (STC). The Westinghouse STC demonstrates that its mercury modeling technique provides an unique bridge between steam generator eddy current field inspection conditions and predictions obtained using recently developed analytical models. The mercury modeling technique was used systematically to explore factors which contribute to primary water stress corrosion cracking (PWSCC) sizing inaccuracy, including probe design, coil excitation frequency, crack length, and crack morphology. Two new proposed techniques for inverting crack lengths from eddy current data are compared with the technique commonly used in field data analysis for PWSCC. The performance of uniform field eddy current probes is compared with the performance of pancake ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

BackgroundWe have recently introduced a predictive framework for studying gene transcriptional regulation in simpler organisms using a novel supervised learning algorithm called...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

BackgroundProfessionalism is a difficult construct to define in medical students but aspects of this concept may be important in predicting the risk of postgraduate misconduct. For...Full Text Available

Science.gov (United States)

... turbine blade heat-transfer and study the heat-transfer augmentation in idealized geometry and its ... responsible for heat transfer augmentation. ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

ObjectiveTo determine whether erectile dysfunction (ED) predicts cardiovascular disease (CVD) beyond traditional risk factors.BackgroundFull Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) related therapies – mainly tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) such as erlotinib and gefitinib, but also monoclonal antibodies targeting EGFR, for example,...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

p53 plays a critical role in tumor suppression. As a transcription factor, in response to stress signals, p53 regulates its target genes and initiates stress responses, including cell cycle arrest,...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

SummaryActivating transcription factor 2 (ATF2) is regulated by JNK/p38 in response to stress. Here, we demonstrate that the protein kinase ATM phosphorylates ATF2 on serines...Full Text Available

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Eight patients, one male and seven females, with no pre-existing hypothalamic-pituitary disease, who developed symptoms of hypopituitarism following cranial irradiation for nasopharyngeal carcinoma were studied 5 years or more after radiotherapy. All were GH deficient. Four of the patients with no GH response during insulin tolerance tests (ITT) showed increased GH in response to synthetic human growth hormone releasing factor (GRF-44). Four patients had impaired cortisol responses to ITT, and gradual but diminished cortisol responses to ovine corticotrophin releasing factor (CRF-41). There was no significant difference between mean peak increments in response to ITT and those in response to CRF-41. TSH responses to TRH were delayed in five and absent in two patients; four of these had low free T4 ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The study of blocking factors requires in vitro assay of cell mediated immunity that parallels the in vivo response. By microcytotoxicity testing, progressor and immune peripheral blood lymphocytes...Full Text Available

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Background: EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor) and VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor) inhibitors confer clinical benefit in metastatic colorectal cancer when combined with chemotherapy. An emerging strategy to improve outcomes in rectal cancer is to integrate biologically active, targeted agents as triple therapy into chemoradiation protocols. Material and methods: cetuximab and bevacizumab have now been incorporated into phase I-II studies of preoperative chemoradiation therapy (CRT) for rectal cancer. The rationale of these combinations, early efficacy and toxicity data, and possible molecular predictors for tumor response are reviewed. Computerized bibliographic searches of Pubmed were supplemented with hand searches of reference lists and abstracts of ASCO and ASTRO meetings. Results: the combination of cetuximab and CRT can be safely applied without dose compromises of the respective treatment components. ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The thermal regime immediately downstream from bottom release reservoirs is often characterized by reduced diel and seasonal (winter warm/summer cool) conditions. These unusual thermal patterns have often been implicated as a primary factor underlying observed downstream changes in the species composition of aquatic macroinvertebrate communities. The potential mechanisms for selective elimination of benthic species by unusual thermal regimes has been reviewed. Although the effects of temperature on the rate and magnitude of larval growth and development has been included in the list of potential mechanisms, only recently have field studies below dams focused on this interrelationship. This study investigates the overall community structure as well as the seasonal pattern of larval growth and development for several univoltine species of insects in the Delaware River below or near the hypolimnetic discharge of the Cannonsville and Pepeacton dams. These dams, which ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

In response to European operating experience regarding Alloy 800 steam generator (SG) tube cracking, New Brunswick Power Nuclear (NBPN) recognized two important shortcomings in the industry SG technical support framework. First, information exchange networks between utilities with Alloy 800 SG tubing should be strengthened. Second and more importantly, there is a need for consistent industry guidance for Alloy 800 SG tubing degradation management, supported by clear technical bases. It is NBPN's perspective that this guidance can be improved immediately using the extensive amount of laboratory and field data that is available for Alloys 600, 690, and 800, and EPRI methodology developed to predict the performance of Alloy 690. NBPN has initiated the development of a performance-based inspection plan. This effort is based on demonstrated improvement factors for Alloy 800, defined by the EPRI approach, and described ...

CERN Document Server

We combine a limited number of accurately measured transition frequencies in hydrogen and deuterium, recent quantum electrodynamics (QED) calculations, and, as an essential additional ingredient, a generalized least-squares analysis, to obtain precise and optimal predictions for hydrogen and deuterium transition frequencies. Some of the predicted transition frequencies have relative uncertainties more than an order of magnitude smaller than that of the g-factor of the electron, which was previously the most accurate prediction of QED.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

With an objective to perform three-dimensional analysis with high accuracy in using the electromagnetic exploration method, characteristics in electromagnetic response were analyzed, and conditions for acquiring necessary data were discussed. The discussion defined a parameter called `response anomaly` which uses response from media to standardize response only from substances with abnormal resistivity. The receivers were located uniformly on the same plane, and the response anomaly was derived from electromagnetic response from each of the three horizontal and vertical components at each receiving point, which was expressed as a contour map. The parameter for the abnormal body was consisted of location and resistivity contrast with media. Discussions using the contour map were given on the response when these factors ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Sperm competition theory predicts that when males are certain of sperm competition, they should decrease sperm investment in matings with an increasing number of competing ejaculates. How males should...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

BackgroundThe binding of peptide fragments of antigens to class II MHC is a crucial step in initiating a helper T cell immune response. The identification of such peptide epitopes...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Rodent models have been extensively utilized to identify putative human immunotoxicants; however, even when immunotoxicity is established, uncertainty remains whether the effects are predictive of human...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Significant research has been devoted to predicting diagnosis, prognosis, and response to treatment using high-throughput assays. Rapid translation into clinical results hinges upon efficient access...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 ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The rapid growth in the use of in vitro methods for nanoparticle toxicity assessment has proceeded with limited consideration of the unique kinetics of these materials in solution. Particles in general and nanoparticles specifically, diffuse, settle and agglomerate in cell culture media as a function of several systemic and particle factors: media density and viscosity, particle size, shape and density. Cellular dose then is also a function of these factors as they determine the rate of transport of nanoparticles to cells in culture. Here we develop and apply the principles of particokinetics and dosimetry in vitro and outline an approach for simulation of nanoparticle particokinetics in cell culture systems. We illustrate that where equal mass concentrations (?g/ml) imply equal doses for dissimilar materials, the corresponding particle number or surface area concentration doses differ by orders of magnitude. When rates of diffusional and ...

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)

BackgroundParents of chronically ill children are at risk for a lower Health Related Quality of Life (HRQoL). Insight in the dynamics of factors influencing parental HRQoL is necessary...Full Text Available

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The reliability of outdoor radon concentration measurements using the track-etch technique is affected by the environmental conditions. Studies have been made to improve stability of nuclear tracks in detector material and to achieve a stable dosemeter response. A dosemeter was developed utilizing chemically etched MA-ND/alpha (CR-39) detector which is thermally insulated and protected against solar irradiation. The calibration showed that its response amounts to 0.21 {plus minus} 0.03 tracks m{sup -2}/Bqm{sup -3} day and was found to be in good agreement with theoretical prediction. (author).

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Background: Recent studies have developed a murine model of IgE-mediated food allergy based on oral coadministration of antigen and cholera toxin (CT) to establish a maximal response for studying immunopathogenic mechanisms and immunotherapeutic strategies. However, for studying subtle immunomodulating factors or factors effective during response initiation, this maximal response-based model is less suitable due to a lack of sensitivity. Therefore, in attempts to identify essential parameters to fine-tune the immune response towards a submaximal level, potentially more sensitive, we were interested in characterizing the individual effects of the parameters in the CT-based model: CT dose, antigen type and dose, and number of immunizations. Methods: BALB/c mice were orally sensitized weekly for 3 or 7 weeks with graded doses of CT and various food antigens ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The purpose of this prospective cohort study was to identify factors that place a dairy cow with uncomplicated milk fever (MF) at significant risk of becoming an alert downer cow (ADC) and to verify...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

BackgroundLipocalin 2 (Lcn2) is a bacteriostatic factor that may also modulate cellular function, however, little is known concerning the expression or role of Lcn2 in CNS inflammation....Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

BackgroundApolipoprotein E (ApoE), a cholesterol carrier associated with atherosclerosis, is a major risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD). The low-density lipoprotein receptor...Full Text Available

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A micro-mechanistic understanding of bone fracture thatencompasses how cracks interact with the underlying microstructure anddefines their local failure mode is lacking, despite extensive research nthe response of bone to a variety of factors like aging, loading, and/ordisease.

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

ObjectiveTo evaluate the risk factors that may be responsible for the development of contralateral reherniations from ipsilateral ones after open lumbar microdiscectomy (OLM), and...Full Text Available

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The LAHET code system calculations and experimental results for proton interactions with an energy <50 MeV are compared. For these energies, the theories behind the LAHET models are not applicable. Three quantities compared are (a) the magnitude of the neutron yield generated through proton interactions, (b) the energy and angular distributions of the resultant neutrons, and (c) the residual nuclei produced by proton interactions (spallation products). The comparisons are for protons incident on iron and copper, except in the case of the energy and angular distributions, which are calculated only for iron. The neutron yields predicted by LAHET agree with published measurements to within 50% for both materials. For iron, the predicted energy and angular distributions agree to within a factor of 3. Finally, the predicted spallation product yields of both materials agree with measurements to within a ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Altogether 99 029 men aged 40-59, employed on the Italian railroad system, were classified in three levels of physical activity at work and three levels of job responsibility and then followed up for...Full Text Available

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Rationale Hypothalamic?pituitary?adrenal axis dysregulation predicts poor clinical and biochemical response to antidepressants. Antiglucocorticoids have therapeutic benefits but most have a troublesome adverse event profile. Aspects of neuropsychological performance, notably working memory, are susceptible to corticosteroid modulation and are impaired in depression. Aspirin has been shown to attenuate the adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and cortisol response to physiological challenge suggesting its potential to act as an augmenting agent in depression. Objectives To examine the effect of sub-acute (300?mg daily for 7?days) aspirin pre-treatment on the cortisol awakening response and the effect of acute (600?mg) and sub-acute aspirin on the neuroendocrine and neuropsychological response...

Science.gov (United States)

We proposed and numerically investigated the influence of spatial symmetry on the terahertz frequency region response of composite planar metamaterials based on deformed split ring resonators. Compared with the original simple structures, the composite metamaterials with different spatial symmetries exhibited exotic electromagnetic properties. The electromagnetic response of a specific configuration with C4 symmetry was identical to the structure with simple lattice. Especially, for configurations with broken symmetry, very sharp Drude-like resonances with high quality factor were observed. The electric field and current distribution associated the resonances were analyzed for deep understanding of the underlying physical properties.

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

CERN Document Server

Recent studies have revealed a number of striking dependence patterns in high frequency stock price dynamics characterizing probabilistic interrelation between two consequent price increments x (push) and y (response) as described by the bivariate probability distribution P(x,y) [1,2,3,4]. There are two properties, the market mill asymmetries of P(x,y) and predictability due to nonzero z-shaped mean conditional response, that are of special importance. Main goal of the present paper is to put together a model reproducing both the z-shaped mean conditional response and the market mill asymmetry of P(x,y) with respect to the axis y=0. We develop a probabilistic model based on a multi-component ansatz for conditional distribution P(y|x) with push-dependent weights and means describing both properties. A relationship between the market mill asymmetry and predictability is discussed. A ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

We tested two approaches to forecast species distributions while balancing the impact of climate change against the inertia promoted by other influential factors that have been forecast as not changing. Given that mountain species are presumed to be more at risk due to climate warming, we selected an amphibian, a reptile, a bird, and a mammal species present in the Spanish mountains, to model their distributional response to climate change during this century. The climatic forecasts were made according to the general circulation models CGCM2 and ECHAM4 and to the A2 and B2 emission scenarios. We modelled the response of the species to spatial, topographic, human, and climatic variables separately. In our first approach, we compared each of these single-factor models using the Akaike Inform...

Science.gov (United States)

The health of professional bus drivers is a critical factor in their driving performance; any impairment may lead to undesired consequences. In an attempt to develop and prioritize health and wellness programs, this study investigates the factors significantly affecting the health conditions of professional bus drivers, as well as the strength of these factors. This study uses self-rated health as the examination measurement. This simple assessment is an inclusive measure of health status for judging health trajectory, and is highly associated with changes in functional ability, including perceived control over driving. This study evaluates driver responses of self-rated health with ordered response models that consider factors such as the driver reported health problems, physical and psychological conditions, demographic factors, driving ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The validation of the forecast model for early emergency response to nuclear accidents is evaluated by trace tests in atmosphere in Daya Bay nuclear power site. The simulation experiment of the Daya Bay nuclear power site shows that the particle spreading image and the time-integrated concentration distribution given by plume concentration prediction model can perform the variation of pathway of the pollutant transport, as well as the effects of topography on transport and diffusion of pollutants. The simulation of five trace tests in field shows that 59.1% of ratios between predicted results and observed results are within the range of 10, and 41% of ratios are within the range of 5 approximately. (authors)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Recognizing that a high percentage of transmission-line faults are single-phase to earth and temporary in nature, provides the impetus for considering single-pole switching as a means to enhance the reliability of EHV transmission systems. The effectiveness of single-pole switching schemes is largely determined by the speed with which the secondary arcs extinguish, and hence allow system restoration. Simulation techniques that enable better prediction of the faulted-system response are of obvious importance to the design and assessment of the various single-pole switching scheme applications. In this thesis, digital methods are developed to enable the faulted response of EHV systems to be simulated for a variety of different single-pole switching schemes. These include conventional single-pole switching, the hybrid method of autoreclosure, the neutral switched reactor, and the High Speed Grounding Switch implementations. ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The magnetization of ultrathin bcc Fe films (two and three monolayers) on MgO was measured and compared with the behavior predicted for a two-dimensional ferromagnet. The experiment indicated that no hysteresis was present in the magnetization. Instead, the magnetization at low temperature was affected by a marked field cooling effect. These observations lead to the conclusion that films of Fe on MgO of such thickness exhibit superparamagnetic behavior as if they were not entirely continuous. In contrast, films thicker than five monolayers exhibit a magnetic response close to that of bulk iron.

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

Science.gov (United States)

PMID:17729657

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

BACKGROUND: Calibration by inverse modelling was performed with the MACRO transport and fate model using long-term (>10 years) drainflow and isoproturon (IPU) data from western France. Two lack-of-fit (LOF) indices were used to control the inverse modelling: sum of squares (SS) and an alternative statistic called the vertical-horizontal distance integrator (VHDI), which is designed to account for offsets in observed and predicted arrival times of peak IPU concentration. With these data, SS was artificially inflated because it is limited to comparison of predicted and observed IPU concentrations that are concurrent in time. The LOFs were used along with the index of agreement (d) and the correlation coefficient (r) to ascertain the fit of the calibrated models. RESULTS: Predicted arrival ti...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Full text of publication follows:In order to practice a design-by-analysis of thermohydraulics design of BWR fuel rod bundles, the subchannel analysis would play a major role. There, the immediate concern is improvement in its predictive capability of CHF due in particular to the film dryout (boiling transition phenomena: BT) on the fuel rod surface. Constitutive equations in the subchannel analysis formulation are responsible for the quality of calculated results. The constitutive equations are a result of integration of the local and instantaneous description of two-phase flows over the subchannel control volume. In general, they are expressed in terms of subchannel-control-volume- as well as area-averaged two-phase flow state variables. In principle the information on local and instantaneous physical phenomena taking place inside subchannels must be counted for in the algebraic form of the equations on the basis of a more mechanistic ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Accurately predicting wind turbine blade loads and response is important for the proper design of wind turbines. The need to accurately predict both deterministic and stochastic blade loads is now widely recognized. Previous rotor code development and validation efforts at NREL have concentrated on prediction of deterministic and stochastic blade loads for rigid hub rotors. During the past year this effort was expanded for predicting blade and shaft loads for two-bladed teetering hub rotors. The NREL (formerly SERI) Teetering Rotor Analysis Program (STRAP), a derivative of the Force and Loads Analysis Program (FLAP), can include the effects of rotor undersling, delta-3 and the effects of a concentrated hub mass. The degrees of freedom include rotor teeter and symmetric and asymmetric rotor flap modes. A time-dependent, prescribed yaw motion can also be input to the code. Loads due ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Predicted by stochastic models and observed experimentally in a number of isomerization reactions, viscosity-induced solvent effects manifest themselves in a significant departure of the reaction rates from the values expected on the basis of transition state theory. These effects are well understood within the framework of stochastic models; however, the predictive power of such models is limited by the fact that their parameters are not readily available. Experiment and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations can provide such information and can serve as the testing grounds for various stochastic models. In real solvents, a change in viscosity is inevitably associated with variation of at least one of the three factors - temperature, pressure, or solvent identity, resulting in different solv...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Abstract Global mean temperature is predicted to increase by 2 7 C and precipitation to change across the globe by the end of this century. To quantify climate effects on ecosystem processes, a number of climate change experiments have been established around the world in various ecosystems. Despite these efforts, general responses of terrestrial ecosystems to changes in temperature and precipitation, and especially to their combined effects, remain unclear. We used meta analysis to synthesize ecosystem level responses to warming, altered precipitation, and their combination. We focused on plant growth and ecosystem carbon (C) balance, including biomass, net primary production (NPP), respiration, net ecosystem exchange (NEE), and ecosystem photosynthesis, synthesizing results from 85 studi...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

As an integral part of the Fast Test Reactor Vibration Program for Reactor Internals, the flow-induced vibrational characteristics of scaled Fast Test Reactor core internal and peripheral components were assessed under scaled and simulated prototype flow conditions in the Hydraulic Core Mockup. The Hydraulic Core Mockup, a 0.285 geometric scale model, was designed to model the vibrational and hydraulic characteristics of the Fast Test Reactor. Model component vibrational characteristics were measured and determined over a range of 36 percent to 111 percent of the scaled prototype design flow. Selected model and prototype components were shaker tested to establish modal characteristics. The dynamic response of the Hydraulic Core Mockup components exhibited no anomalous flow-rate dependent or modal characteristics, and prototype response predictions were adjudged acceptable.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

An energy transfer and conversion model for high-temperature solar cavity receivers has been developed using the transport behaviour of solar radiation as described by the spectral radiative exchange factors. A Monte-Carlo ray-tracing method coupled with optical properties was adopted, to predict radiation characteristics of the solar collector system by calculating radiative exchange factors. A cavity receiver with a plano-convexo quartz window was proposed, based upon the directional characteristics of the focal flux and the redistribution effect of the quartz window. Parametric studies on the windowed receiver provided a more uniform flux distribution, higher efficiency and lower loss than the windowless receivers. The predicted results serve as a design reference for the solar receiver...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pile foundations are extensively used to support off-shore and on-shore structures. Under dynamic loads, the behavior of single pile is well understood. However the soil-pile-soil interaction studies are confusing, on which account the analyses do not necessarily predict response of the systems which may match satisfactorily with the performances. In this paper, the nature of dynamic loads is described, and solutions for soil-pile and pile-soil-pile interaction solutions by several authors are presented and a critical evaluation is made.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The results of Sandia National Laboratories' participation in the NASA Planetary Definition and Design Program are summarized. Areas reported include the characterization of large area cadmium zinc telluride spectrometers and the application of simulation techniques to the prediction of device performance. Also investigated was the response of mercuric iodide devices in the region from 1 to 100 KeV. A literature study to determine the status or radiation damage measurements in room temperature semiconductor devices is also reported.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Spindle cell sarcomas consist of tumors with different biological features, of which distant metastasis is the most ominous sign for a poor prognosis. However, metastasis is difficult to predict on the basis of current histopathological analyses. We have identified actin filament-associated protein 1-like 1 (AFAP1L1) as a candidate for a metastasis-predicting marker from the gene expression profiles of 65 spindle cell sarcomas. A multivariate analysis determined that AFAP1L1 was an independent factor for predicting the occurrence of distant metastasis (P=0.0001), which was further confirmed in another set of 41 tumors by a quantitative mRNA expression analysis. Immunohistochemical staining using paraffin-embedded tumor tissues revealed that the metastasis-free rate was significantly better...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Research highlights: #-># The building occupancy affecting the cooling load prediction is studied. #-># PENN model is adopted in this study for predicting the building cooling load. #-># Statistical approach is adopted to result a less prejudice prediction performance. #-># Results show that occupancy data can significantly improve the prediction. -- Abstract: Building cooling load prediction is one of the key factors in the success of energy-saving measures. Many computational models available in the industry today have been developed from either forward or inverse modeling approaches. However, most of these models require extensive computer resources and involve lengthy computation. This paper discusses the use of data-driven intelligent approaches, a probabilistic entropy-based neural (PENN) model to predict the cooling load ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

During last decade, considerable interest has been focused to assess the influence of human activities on ecosystems. The increasing trend in the atmospheric concentration of CO{sub 2} has been predicted to continue till the next century and the amount of nitrogen deposition in the northern hemisphere has increased markedly. Substantial interest has been focused on predicting how these changes will affect on plants. Most boreal mire ecosystems are dominated by mosses of the genus Sphagnum, the litter of which constitutes the main component in the peat deposits and is an important CO{sub 2} sink via peat formation. Since virtually nothing was known about the growth response of peat mosses to elevated concentrations of CO{sub 2} and alerting changes in species composition were detected in the sensitive ombrotrophic mire vegetation under increased N deposition in central Europe, this study was established. Laboratory ...

Science.gov (United States)

The dynamic response characteristics of the VAWT rotor are important factors governing the safety and fatigue life of VAWT systems. The principal problems are the determination of critical rotor speeds (resonances) and the assessment of forced vibration response amplitudes. The solution to these problems is complicated by centrifugal and coriolis effects which can have substantial influence on rotor resonant frequencies and mode shapes. This paper will describe and discuss the primary tools now in use at Sandia National Laboratories for rotor analysis. These tools include a lumped springmass model (VAWTDYN) and also finite-element based approaches. The discussion will center on the accuracy and completeness of current capabilities and plans for future research.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

This report has been prepared in support of the industry effort to standardize nuclear plant designs. This document describes the Combustion Engineering, Inc. System 80+trademark Standard Design. This volume contain Chapter 18 -- Human Factors Engineering. Topics covered include: design team organization and responsibilities; design goals and design bases; design process and application to human factors engineering; functional task analysis; control room configuration; information presentation and panel layout evaluation; control and monitoring outside the main control room; and verification and validation.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

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)...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The g factors of the 2_1"+ states in sup(84,86,88)Sr have been deduced using the thin-foil transient field technique with the field calibration of the Rutgers group. The values are g("8"4Sr)= + 0.419(47), g("8"6Sr)= + 0.273(50) and g("8"8Sr)= + 1.15(17). The mean lifetimes of the 2_1"+ states in sup(86,88)Sr were determined by the Doppler-shift attenuation method to be 2.10(22) ps and 0.219(23) ps respectively. The g factor and lifetime results are compared with shell model and interacting boson model predictions. (author).

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.

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Aim To better define the indications for adrenalectomy for adrenal metastasis we have analysed factors predicting survival in our institutional series. Methods A consecutive series of 30 patients undergoing adrenalectomy for metastasis (1996-2007), excluding patients with simultaneous ipsilateral renal cell carcinoma (RCC), was studied. Metastases were regarded as synchronous (6 mo), depending on the interval after primary surgery. Survival was calculated from time of adrenalectomy and factors influencing survival were identified. Results The tumour diagnoses were RCC n = 9, malignant melanoma n = 5, non-small-cell lung cancer n = 5, colorectal carcinoma n = 4, foregut carcinoid n = 2, adrenocortical carcinoma, breast cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, urothelial c...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

BackgroundAlthough self-expandable metal stent (SEMS) insertion is widely used for relief of malignant colorectal obstructions, the immediate technical and clinical failure rates of SEMSs and the associated risk factors remain largely unknown. ObjectiveTo identify rates and factors predictive of technical and clinical failure of SEMSs when their use is attempted for the decompression of malignant colorectal obstruction. DesignRetrospective chart review. SettingA tertiary-care academic medical center in South Korea. PatientsThis study involved a total of 412 patients with malignant colorectal obstruction in whom SEMS insertion was attempted. InterventionPlacement of colonic SEMSs. Main Outcome MeasurementsTechnical success and immediate and long-term clinical success rates. ResultsTechnical...

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Transverse form factors have been extracted for the low-lying neutron hole (particle) states of /sup 207/Pb from inelastic-electron-scattering data. A systematic, multipolarity-and momentum-transfer-independent quenching of approx.55% in the transverse amplitude is observed when compared with single particle predictions for both electric and magnetic transitions. The magnitude of the observed effect is not readily explained by our present theoretical understanding of this nucleus.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

An original evaluating method of gain degradation has been found for neutron irradiated transistors. It establishes a correlation between degradation and the product of two coefficients: spectra factor and an electrical parameter which is measured or directly deduced from manufacturer's data. Equivalence for several type of spectra (fission, 14MeV and degradation sensitivity to electrical parameters values of individual components of a batch are obtained.

Science.gov (United States)

The ability of Yersinia pestis to forestall the mammalian innate immune response is a fundamental aspect of plague pathogenesis. In this study, we examined the effect of Ail, a 17-kDa outer membrane protein that protects Y. pestis against complement-mediated lysis, on bubonic plague pathogenesis in mice and rats. The Y. pestis ail mutant was attenuated for virulence in both rodent models. The attenuation was greater in rats than in mice, which correlates with the ability of normal rat serum, but not mouse serum, to kill ail-negative Y. pestis in vitro. Intradermal infection with the ail mutant resulted in an atypical, subacute form of bubonic plague associated with extensive recruitment of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN or neutrophils) to the site of infection in the draining lymph node and the formation of large purulent abscesses that contained the bacteria. Systemic spread and mortality were greatly attenuated, however, and a productive adaptive immune ...

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The performance of more than 3,000 offshore platforms in the Gulf of Mexico was observed during the passage of Hurricane Andrew in August 1992. This event provided an opportunity to test the procedures used for platform analysis and design. A global bias was inferred for overall platform capacity and loads in the Andrew Joint Industry Project (JIP) Phase 1. It was predicted that the pile foundations of several platforms should have failed, but did not. These results indicated that the biases specific to foundation failure modes may be higher than those of jacket failure modes. The biases in predictions of foundation failure modes were therefore investigated further in this study. The work included capacity analysis and calibration of predictions with the observed behavior for 3 jacket platforms and 3 caissons using Bayesian updating. Bias factors for two foundation failure modes, lateral shear and ...

Science.gov (United States)

Childhood anxiety is impairing and associated with later emotional disorders. Studying risk factors for child anxiety may allow earlier identification of at-risk children for prevention efforts. This study applied an ecological risk model to address how early childhood anxiety symptoms, child temperament, maternal anxiety and depression symptoms, violence exposure, and sociodemographic risk factors predict school-aged anxiety symptoms. This longitudinal, prospective study was conducted in a representative birth cohort (n = 1109). Structural equation modeling was used to examine hypothesized associations between risk factors measured in toddlerhood/preschool (age = 3.0 years) and anxiety symptoms measured in kindergarten (age = 6.0 years) and second grade (age = 8.0 years). Early child risk factors (anxiety symptoms and temperament) emerged as the most robust predictor for both ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Low expression of osmotically responsive genes 2 (LOS2) encodes an enolase (2-phospho-D-glycerate hydrolase, EC 4.2.1.11) that converts 2-phospho-D-glycerate (PGA) to phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) in the glycolytic pathway in Arabidopsis. Meanwhile, it is a transcriptional activator of cold-responsive gene, negatively controlling the expression of STZ/ZAT10, a zinc finger transcriptional repressor of cold-responsive gene from Arabidopsis. A novel LOS2 gene, designated PtrLOS2 (GenBank accession number GQ144341), was isolated from trifoliate orange [Poncirus trifoliata (L.) Raf.]. The PtrLOS2 cDNA is 1 662 bp in length with a 1 338 bp open reading frame (ORF), encoding a deduced 445 amino acid residue protein with a predicted molecular mass of 47.79 kDa and an isoelectric point of 5.54. The ded...

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The Flory model is applied to predict the isobaric expansion coefficients, {alpha}{sub P}, isentropic, {kappa}{sub S}, and isothermal, {kappa}{sub T}, compressibilities and speeds of sound, u, of the highly complex mixtures: hydroxyether + alkane, + dibutylether, + 1-butanol or + 2-methoxyethanol, 1-alkanol + alkane, and 1-alkanol + dibutylether. Predictions were obtained using the energetic parameter, {chi}{sub 12}, determined from values of excess enthalpies, H{sup E}, and from values of the excess isochoric internal energies, U{sub V}{sup E}, at equimolar composition. No meaningful differences exist between such predictions. Deviations between experimental and calculated values are lower than 2% for mixtures containing alkoxyethanols. Poorer results are obtained for 1-alkanol + dibutylether mixtures with deviations up to 5%. It is shown that predictions on {alpha}{sub P}, {kappa}{sub S}, {kappa}{sub ...

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Predictions for E2, M1, and M4 transition rates and moments, together with examples of transition-charge densities, are presented for states of N = 50 nuclei. These predictions are based on one-body spectroscopic amplitudes obtained from the wave functions of a new N = 50 shell-model calculation which incorporates the 0f/sub 5/2/, 1p/sub 3/2/, 1p/sub 1/2/, and 0g/sub 9/2/ single-particle orbits and an empirically determined effective Hamiltonian for this space. The predictions are compared with experimental data, first in order to evaluate how well the model space, as applied by this Hamiltonian, accounts for observations, and then to assess the importance of configurations excluded from the model space and to determine the values of the operator renormalizations (effective charges and effective g factors) which optimally map the theoretical results onto the corresponding experimental values.

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The predicted results of INDAC code were compared with measured {sup 3}H concentrations in air and pine-needle around the Wolsung site. The optimal sets of input data to INDAC were in addition selected by comparing the measured values with the predicted values of INDAC based on various conditions such as the release modes of effluents into the environment, the classification of wind classes, and the consideration of terrain. The predicted {sup 3}H concentrations in air and pine-needle were shown to have good agreement with measured values, although there are some limitations such as uncertainties in measured values, complex topology around the site, and the land-sea breeze effects. The assumption on the {sup 3}H behavior in vegetables or plants that the ratio of {sup 3}H concentration in plant water to {sup 3}H concentration in atmospheric water is 1/2 was shown to be conservative in terms of the audit calculation performed ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

We summarize the predictions of different models for total #gamma##gamma# cross-sections. The experimentally observed rise of #sigma#_#gamma#_#gamma# with s radical _#gamma#_#gamma#, faster than that for #sigma#_p_-_b_a_r_p, #sigma#_#gamma#_p is in agreement with the predictions of the Eikonalized Minijet Models as opposed to those of the Regge-Pomeron models. We then show that a measurement of #sigma#_#gamma#_#gamma# with an accuracy of < or approx. 8-9% (6-7%) is necessary to distinguish among different Regge-Pomeron type models (the different parameterisations of the EMM models) and a precision of < or approx. 20% is required to distinguish the predictions of the EMMs and of those models which treat 'photon like a proton', for the energy range 300< s radical_#gamma#_#gamma# <500 GeV. We further show that the difference in model predictions for #sigma#_#gamma#_#gamma# of about a ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

BackgroundHerpes simplex virus type-1 (HSV-1) infections can cause a number of diseases ranging from simple cold sores to dangerous keratitis and lethal encephalitis. The interaction...Full Text Available

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ABSTRACT-Here we identify release of annexin A2 into the culture medium in response to low dose X-ray radiation exposure and establish functional linkages to an established paracrine factor-mediated anchorage-independent growth response. Using a standard bicameral coculture model, we observe that annexin A2 levels associated with non-irradiated neighboring cells seeded in the lower chamber (annexin A2 silenced [shRNA] JB6 cells) are increased upon coculture with irradiated (10-50 cGy) JB6 cells seeded in the upper chamber, relative to coculture with sham exposed JB6 cells seeded in the upper chamber, suggesting that annexin A2 released into the medium is capable of communicating in a paracrine fashion. Using a previously established coculture model, we observed that the paracrine factor-mediated anchorage-independent growth response to low dose X-ray radiation is markedly reduced ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Purpose. We report a case of Ewing's sarcoma in the right distal femur in a 6-year-old male to demonstrate how dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DEMRI) findings predicted histopathology. Materials and methods. DEMRI was performed at presentation and during and after completion of chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Histopathologic studies were done at presentation, at 77 weeks (20 weeks after a pathological fracture), and from the en bloc resection at 104 weeks. Results. DEMRI predicted the early tumor response, absence of tumor recurrence, presence of necrosis and lack of fracture healing, confirmed by histopathology. Conclusion. DEMRI is a clinically useful tool in managing Ewing's sarcoma. (orig.)

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A detailed chemical kinetic reaction mechanism is developed to describe incineration of the chemical warfare nerve agent sarin (GB), based on commonly used principles of bond additivity and hierarchical reaction mechanisms. The mechanism is based on previous kinetic models of organophosphorus compounds such as TMP, DMMP and DIMP that are often used as surrogates to predict incineration of GB. Kinetic models of the three surrogates and GB are then used to predict their consumption in a perfectly stirred reactor fueled by natural gas to simulate incineration of these chemicals. Computed results indicate that DIMP is the only one of these surrogates that adequately describes combustion of GB under comparable conditions. The kinetic pathways responsible for these differences in reactivity are identified and discussed. The most important reaction in GB and DIMP that makes them more reactive than TMP or DMMP is found to be a ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Abstract Sperm competition theory predicts that under high risk of sperm competition, males will increase the number of sperm that they allocate to a female. This prediction has been supported by some experimental studies but not by others. Here, I conducted a meta-analysis to determine whether the increase in sperm allocation under high risk of sperm competition is a generalized response across taxa. I collected data from 39 studies and 37 species. Across taxa, males under a high risk of sperm competition respond by increasing their sperm allocation (mean effect size-=-0.32). Number of offspring did not explain a significant portion of the variation in effect sizes. A traditional meta-analysis (i.e. without phylogenetic information) described the variation among effect sizes better than a...

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The aim of this paper is to present and evaluate control strategies for adjustment and preservation of air quality, thermal and visual comfort for buildings' occupants while, simultaneously, energy consumption reduction is achieved. Fuzzy PID, fuzzy PD and adaptive fuzzy PD control methods are applied. The inputs to any controller are: the PMV index affecting thermal comfort, the CO{sub 2} concentration affecting indoor air quality and the illuminance level affecting visual comfort. The adaptive fuzzy PD controller adapts the inputs and outputs scaling factors and is based on a second order reference model. More specifically, the scaling factors are modified according to a sigmoid type function, in such a way that the measured variable to be as closer as possible to the reference model. The adaptive fuzzy PD controller is compared to a non-adaptive fuzzy PD and to an ON-OFF one. The comparison criteria are the energy required and the ...

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Woven Kevlar fabrics exhibit a number of beneficial mechanical properties which include strength, flexibility, and relatively low density. The desire to engineer or design Kevlar fabrics for specific applications has stimulated interest in the development of theoretical models which relate their effective mechanical properties to specific aspects of the fabric morphology and microstructure. In this work the author provides a theoretical investigation of the large deformation elastic response of a plane woven Kevlar fabric and compares these theoretical results with experimental data obtained from uniaxially loaded Kevlar fabrics. The theoretical analysis assumes the woven fabric to be a regular network of orthogonal interlaced yarns and the individual yarns are modeled as extensible elastica, thus coupling stretching and bending effects at the outset. This comparison of experiment with theory indicates that the deformation of woven fabric can be quite accurately ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

We model coral community response to bleaching and mass mortality events which are predicted to increase in frequency with climate change. The model was parameterized for the Arabian/Persian Gulf, but is generally applicable. We assume three species groups (Acropora, faviids, and Porites) in two life-stages each where the juveniles are in competition but the adults can enter a size-refuge in which they cannot be competitively displaced. An aggressive group (Acropora species) dominates at equilibrium, which is not reached due to mass mortality events that primarily disadvantage this group (compensatory mortality, >90% versus 25% in faviids and Porites) roughly every 15 years. Population parameters (N individuals, carrying capacity) were calculated from satellite imagery and in situ transect...

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This paper presents the results of the dynamic response analysis of the pipe-restraints system by the general purpose finite element program ADINA. The analysis was carried out for the pipe whip tests performed under the PWR-LOCA conditions using 4-in. test pipe. In the analysis, the test pipe was modeled by an assemblage of the beam elements with the isotropic elastic-plastic material properties and the restraints were represented by the truss elements with the nonlinear elastic material properties including gap effect. The following results are obtained through the analysis. (1) Pipe can be modeled with the beam elements, when the overhang length is short and, therefore, the flattening of a cross-section of pipe is small. (2) The steady state restraint force can be predicted by modeling the restraints with the truss elements.

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Current scientific knowledge of climate change and its global impact is summarized in the first four chapters. The earth's natural climate, greenhouse gases, climate prediction models, and impact of a warmer world on natural terrestrial ecosystems, agricultural ecosystems, and coastal regions are discussed. The possible impacts on Canada are described in chapter five, which considers forests, agriculture, water resources, fisheries, coastal zones, transportation, human health and well being, energy production and use, and global security. Chapter six considers ways to respond to climate change. These include enhancing knowledge of climate change, working toward a consensus on the need for action, global political response, the Canadian response, and the role of the individual. 15 refs., 35 figs.

Science.gov (United States)

Light composite sandwich panels are increasingly used in automobiles, ships and aircraft, because of the advantages they offer of high strength-to-weight ratios. However, the acoustical properties of these light and stiff structures can be less desirable than those of equivalent metal panels. These undesirable properties can lead to high interior noise levels. A number of researchers have studied the acoustical properties of honeycomb and foam sandwich panels. Not much work, however, has been carried out on foam-filled honeycomb sandwich panels. In this dissertation, governing equations for the forced vibration of asymmetric sandwich panels are developed. An analytical expression for modal densities of symmetric sandwich panels is derived from a sixth-order governing equation. A boundary element analysis model for the sound transmission loss of symmetric sandwich panels is proposed. Measurements of the modal density, total loss factor, radiation loss ...

Science.gov (United States)

In the course of previous composite structures test programs, the need for and the feasibility of developing analyses for scale-up effects has been demonstrated. The analysis techniques for scale-up effects fall into two categories. The first category pertains to developing analysis methods independently for a single, unique failure mode in composites, and using this compendium of analysis methods together with a global structural model to identify and predict the response and failure mode of full-scale built-up structures. The second category of scale-up effects pertains to similitude in structural validation testing. In this latter category, dimensional analysis is used to develop scale-up laws that enable extrapolation of sub-scale component test data to full-scale structures. This viewgraph presentation describes the approach taken and some developments accomplished in the first category of analysis for scale-up effects. Layup dependence of ...

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Recent industry advances in formation evaluation measurement-while-drilling (FEMWD) have been achieved in well log data acquisition quality and in geosteering drilling applications. This paper presents new technology as applied by Baker Hughes INTEQ which includes: geosteering techniques which help navigate through horizontally drilled reservoirs including improved quality dual propagation resistivity, neutron-porosity and formation-density measurements; predictive modeling of tool responses in reservoir geosteering applications; environmental computer modeling which aids interpretation, including tool eccentering; and new measurement enhancements.

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17 papers are presented. Topics covered include: the POG system - a new concept in the use of ANFO; demolition of a motorway bridge; presplit and smooth blasting; VIBReX - a predictive code for assessing the effect of blast design on ground vibration; ground vibrations from blasting; digital seismographs; human response to blasting and the effects on planning conditions; landform construction by restoration blasting; use of small diameter explosives; efficient priming; safety management in the explosives industry; and the law on packaging of explosives. Two papers have been abstracted separately.

Science.gov (United States)

Decadal-scale climate variations over the Pacific Ocean and its surroundings are strongly related to the so-called Pacific decadal oscillation (PDO) which is coherent with wintertime climate over North America and Asian monsoon, and have important impacts on marine ecosystems and fisheries. In a near-term climate prediction covering the period up to 2030, we require knowledge of the future state of internal variations in the climate system such as the PDO as well as the global warming signal. We perform sets of ensemble hindcast and forecast experiments using a coupled atmosphere-ocean climate model to examine the predictability of internal variations on decadal timescales, in addition to the response to external forcing due to changes in concentrations of greenhouse gases and aerosols, volcanic activity, and solar cycle variations. Our results highlight that an initialization of the upper-ocean state using historical ...

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There are many factors affecting diffusion bonding in order to obtain high quality joining. Therefore, in the beginning, we constructed diffusion bonding model based on void growth mechanism to predict bonding pressures and times. In addition, in order to compare theoretical values with experimental values, diffusion bonding tests were carried out by using commercial AZ31 magnesium alloy sheets with different grain sizes, 16 and 130 {mu}m. The present AZ31 alloys were successfully diffusion bonded at several conditions, and the bonding strength was more than 0.8 of each parent materials. The experimental bonding conditions in high quality joining, times and pressures, were good agreed with prediction analysis. (orig.)

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Summary 1.-The metabolic theory of ecology (MTE) predicts that, after correcting for body mass variation among organisms, the rates of most biological processes will vary as a universal function of temperature. However, empirical support for -universal temperature dependence- (UTD) is currently equivocal and based on studies of a limited number of traits. 2.-In many ectothermic animals, the rate at which females produce mature eggs is temperature dependent and may be an important factor in determining the costs of reproduction. 3.-We tested whether the rate of egg maturation in marine turtles varies with environmental temperature as predicted by MTE, using the time separating successive clutches of individual females to estimate the rate at which eggs are formed. We also assessed the pheno...

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Corrosion is said to be the most dominant factor which affects the physical life of ships and offshore structures. In order to secure the structural safety of ships and offshore structures, it is necessary to take measures to corrosion based on the prediction of condition of progressive corrosion. But such prediction is difficult because the behavior of corrosion`s progress is probabilistic. In this paper, probabilistic model, which could evaluate the degradation of coatings and the successive corrosion of steel members, was proposed in order to explain the tendency of the actual corrosion conditions of existing ships. Then, statistical inferences on the proposed model were made by applying the actual data on plate thickness measurements of Bulk Carriers` Cargo Hold. And validity of the proposed model was verified.

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 ...

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In this paper, the combustible value (i.e. 100-Ash) and combustible recovery of coal flotation concentrate were predicted by regression and artificial neural network based on proximate and group macerals analysis. The regression method shows that the relationships between (a) in (ash), volatile matter and moisture (b) in (ash), in (liptinite), fusinite and vitrinite with combustible value can achieve the correlation coefficients (R{sup 2}) of 0.8 and 0.79, respectively. In addition, the input sets of (c) ash, volatile matter and moisture (d) ash, liptinite and fusinite can predict the combustible recovery with the correlation coefficients of 0.84 and 0.63, respectively. Feed-forward artificial neural network with 6-8-12-11-2-1 arrangement for moisture, ash and volatile matter input set was capable to estimate both combustible value and combustible recovery with correlation of 0.95. It was shown that the proposed neural network model could ...

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A detailed experimental investigation of the application of fractal geometry concepts in determining the turbulent burning velocity in the wrinkled flame regime of turbulent premixed combustion was conducted. The fractal dimension and cutoff scales were determined for six different turbulent flames in the wrinkled flame regime, where the turbulence intensity, turbulent length scale, and equivalence ratio were varied. Unlike previous reports, it has proved possible to obtain the fractal dimension and inner and outer cutoffs from individual flame images. From this individual data, the pdf distributions of all three fractal parameters, along with the distribution of the predicted increase in surface area, may be determined. The analysis of over 300 flame images for each flame condition provided a sufficient sample size to accurately define the pdf distributions and their means. However, the predicted S{sub T}/S{sub L}, calculated using fractal ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Soil erodibility (the K factor in the Universal Soil Loss Equation, USLE) is an important index to measure soil susceptibility to water erosion, and an essential parameter needed for soil erosion prediction. To evaluate the appropriateness of the nomograph and other methods for estimating the K factor for the USLE and to develop a relationship for soil erodibility estimation for Chinese soils, a set of soil erodibility values was calculated using soil loss data from natural runoff plots at 13 sites in eastern China. The definition of soil erodibility in relation to the USLE was strictly followed. Comparing these measured values to those estimated using the nomograph method, the method adopted for the EPIC model and the formula of Shirazi and Boersma, we found that all these estimated soil ...

Science.gov (United States)

Enhanced heat transfer in curved rectangular channels depends on at least two geometric factors, the radius of curvature of the duct and the aspect ratio, which is the width/depth ratio of the duct. In this work, an expression for optimum aspect ratio is derived mathematically from a correlation that includes both aspect ratio and bend curvature parameters. Enhancement factors are developed that show optimal, near-optimal, and nonoptimal aspect ratios for curved rectangular ducts. Predicted enhancements are within 25% of published literature results for individual designs, two of which show heat transfer enhancement of 200% over that of a straight duct with turbulent flow. The theoretical maximum enhancement is shown to be about 480% over a straight-duct, turbulent-flow situation. This is not achievable in practice, but near-optimal solutions are achievable, yielding enhancements on the order of 200--300%.

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Evolutionary theory holds that aging is a consequence of the declining force of natural selection with age. We discuss here the evidence that among the causes of aging in complex multicellular organisms, such as mammals, is the antagonistically pleiotropic effects of the cellular responses that protect the organism from cancer. Cancer is relatively rare in young mammals, owing in large measure to the activity of tumor suppressor mechanisms. These mechanisms either protect the genome from damage and/or mutations, or they elicit cellular responses--apoptosis or senescence--that eliminate or prevent the proliferation of somatic cells at risk for neoplastic transformation.We focus here on the senescence response, reviewing its causes, regulation and effects. In addition, we describe recent data that support the idea that both senescence and apoptosis may indeed be the double-edged swords predicted by the ...

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The gas-solid reaction and breakthrough curves in the fixed-bed reactor are of great importance, and being influenced by a number of factors makes the prediction of these factors a difficult problem. In this study, the reaction rate between solid sorbents and hydrogen chloride gas at high temperature was first investigated. On the basis of a fixed-bed reactor, the experimental results were analyzed by the shrinking core model of diffusion and surface chemical reaction control. The results showed that reaction rates of two sorbents with hydrogen chloride gas were controlled by the combination of the surface chemical reaction and diffusion of product layers, and the reaction rates nearly keep constant within 15 h of the initial reaction period and then decrease gradually. The results of the breakthrough curves show that solid sorbents in the fixed-bed reactor are capable of reducing the HCl level to near-zero levels at ...

Science.gov (United States)

OBJECTIVE To identify patients with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) who will need antenatal insulin treatment (AIT) by using a risk-prediction tool based on maternal clinical and biochemical characteristics at diagnosis. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Data from 3,009 women attending the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital GDM Clinic, Australia, between 1995 and 2010 were studied. A risk engine was developed from significant factors identified for AIT using a logistic regression model. RESULTS A total of 51% of GDM patients required AIT. Ethnicity, gestation at diagnosis, HbA(1c), fasting and 60-min glucose oral glucose tolerance test, BMI, and diabetes family history were significant independent determinants of AIT. Notably, only 9% of the attributable risk for AIT can be explained by the clinical factors studied. A modeled risk-scoring system was therefore a poor predictor of AIT. CONCLUSIONS Baseline maternal characteristics ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Abstract Host-microorganism interactions in the intestinal tract are complex, and little is known about specific nonpathogenic microbial factors triggering host responses in the gut. In this study, mannose-specific interactions of Lactobacillus plantarum 299v with jejunal epithelium were investigated using an in situ pig Small Intestinal Segment Perfusion model. The effects of L. plantarum 299v wild-type strain were compared with those of two corresponding mutant strains either lacking the gene encoding for the mannose-specific adhesin (msa) or sortase (srtA; responsible for anchoring of cell surface proteins like Msa to the cell wall). A slight enrichment of the wild-type strain associated with the intestinal surface could be observed after 8 h of perfusion when a mixture of wild-type and...

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In the food, chemical and safety industry there is a demand for gas detectors for process control applications, like quality control of food or leakage control in chemical plants. Gas sensor array systems have the potential to be used in this areas, with the advantage of being also affordable systems compared to other systems like gaschromatographs (GC) or infrared detectors (NIR, FTIR). One of the main drawbacks of the gas sensors is their response to non interesting ambient factors like temperature, pressure and humidity. Metal oxide sensors (MOS) have a low ambient temperature and pressure dependency. Some of them (SnO + dopands) have some sensitivity to humidity. In many cases the response of the sensors is often non-linear, which implies a concentration dependant pattern of the samples. (orig.)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Purpose: To provide a feedwater control device capable of minimizing the adverse response of steam drum level at low power. Consitution: In order to perform feedwater control at low power by the substantial control of three factors, that is, main steam flow rate, feedwater flow rate and steam drum level, the main steam flow rate is determined from the reactor output and feedwater rate is determined from the changes in the feedwater temperature due to the mixing of waters in the reactor clean up system and feedwater. If a difference is resulted between these flow rates, a starting feedwater regulator is controlled instantly to eliminate the difference. The water level in the steam drum is used for amending the difference from the final set value of the drum water level, by which the adverse response of the steam drum level can be minimized. (Seki, T.).

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

There is increasing evidence that adolescence, like early life, is a sensitive period in which ongoing brain development can be influenced by environmental factors. This review describes our use of social instability as a model of mild adolescent social stress, its effects on social interactions and on hypothalamic?pituitary?adrenal function over the course of the procedure and in response to new stressors. The effects of social instability are sex-specific, with qualitative differences between the sexes on HPA function over the course of the stressor procedure, and with greater effects in males on behaviour observed during the social instability and greater effects in females on behavioural responses to drugs of abuse into adulthood, long after the stress exposure. The results from invest...

Science.gov (United States)

The effects of variable hardness, pH, alkalinity, humics, and suspended clay on the chemical speciation of copper and its toxicity to fathead minnow larvae in Lake Superior water were investigated. Two proposed methods (toxicity factors and chemical speciation) for predicting LC50 values in specific natural waters from laboratory toxicity data and the average site specific values of general water quality parameters were evaluated. The accuracy of the cupric ion-selective electrode in determining CU/sup +2/ activities in ambient and chemically altered Lake Superior water was also determined.

Science.gov (United States)

This paper reports that, to obtain better simulation results for a Canada deuterium uranium (CANDU) reactor operation, a new simulation method is developed that uses actual detector readings as a correction factor. Detector readings from a CANDU reactor are used to correct the calculated flux distribution during core calculation iterations. A suitable function is found to describe the relationship between the detector flux and the fluxes of mesh points around the detector. The new simulation method is tested by performing numerical calculations for the Wolsung reactor (a CANDU-600). The results show that the new method predicts the core state more accurately with fewer iterations.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

In a study of hitchhiking or contaminating insect pests on international cargo aircraft at Miami International Airport from 1998 to 1999, it was found that contamination rates were greatest, 23%, on cargo flights from Central America and much lower, near 5%, on flights from all other regions. We reanalyzed the study data to test for associations between contaminated flights and factors such as season, cargo type, and time of departure (night or day), and developed probabilistic models for predicting insect pest arrivals by region and pest risk levels. Significant (P

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

We investigate the quantum cosmology of spatially homogeneous models with compact spatial sections admitting a u(2) isometry algebra. The metric ansatz in these models is that of Bianchi type IX with two scale factors set to be equal. We apply the Hartle-Hawking no-boundary path integral prescription and find the semi-classical contributions to the wave function. Exact formulae are obtainable for certain contributions and otherwise the limits of large and small anisotropy (for the pure vacuum case) and large spatial volume or small anisotropy (for the case with a positive cosmological constant) are considered. For the pure vacuum case we find no rapidly oscillating semiclassical components in the wave function, and hence do not recover lorentzian space-time as a prediction of the no-boundary proposal. For the case with a cosmological constant the wave function does contain rapidly oscillating components and thus predicts ...

CERN Document Server

We examine the effect of a threshold bias on the power spectrum and the bispectrum in an ensemble of numerical simulations (Gaussian initial perturbations with power law spectra P(k) \\sim k^n, n=+1, 0, -1, -2) and compare our results with theoretical predictions. Our simulations are evolved sufficiently that on the scale where we apply the threshold the rms fluctuation has developed significantly into the nonlinear regime. Thus, predictions based on perturbation theory do not necessarily apply. Nevertheless, we find our results for the power spectrum, biased power simply amplified by a numerical factor, follow predicted trends, far beyond the regime where perturbation theory is expected to be valid. We find that the biased bispectrum continues to follow the so-called hierarchical form, with reduced three-point amplitude Q \\approx 1 in the strongly nonlinear regime, independent of initial spectrum. In ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Debris coolability in the lower plenum of the reactor pressure vessel is an important factor for evaluation of debris in-vessel retention. The debris coolability analysis module is developed for the accurate prediction of the safety margin of the present reactor vessels in a severe accident. The module calculates debris spreading and cooling through melting and solidification in combination with a temperature distribution and failure evaluation of the vessel wall. Debris spreading is solved by the explicit method on a quasi-three-dimensional scheme and debris coolability is solved on the basis of natural convection analysis. The calculation for spreading is compared with a water spreading experiment on the floor and the calculation for coolability is compared with a n-octadecane melting experiment in a rectangular vessel. The comparisons show capabilities for predictions of spearhead transportation in the debris spreading ...

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The development of attenuated response ({open_quotes}tolerance{close_quotes}) to daily ozone (O{sub 3}) exposures in the laboratory is well established in healthy adult volunteers. However, the capability of asthmatics to develop tolerance during multiday ozone exposures in unclear. We exposed 10 adult volunteers with mild asthma to 0.4 ppm O{sub 3} in filtered air for 3 h/d on 5 consecutive d. Two similar filtered-air exposures during the preceding week served as controls. Follow-up O{sub 3} exposures were performed 4 and 7 d after the most recent consecutive exposure. All exposures were performed in an environmental chamber at 31 {degrees}C and 35% relative humidity. The subjects performed moderate exercise (mean ventilation rate of 32 l/min) for 15 min of each half-hour. Responses were measured with spirometry and symptom evaluations before and after each exposure, and a bronchial reactivity test (methacholine challenge) was conducted after ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Recent studies have shown Y chromosome microdeletions associated with male infertility. The factors responsible for Y chromosome microdeletions in spermatozoa remain unresolved. However, the environmental pollutants are known to damage DNA in differentiating and maturing germ cells in the male reproductive tract. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of seminal hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) and its isomers, an environmental pollutant, in 50 fertile and 50 infertile males in relation to semen quality and the incidence of Y chromosome microdeletion in azoospermic factor (AZF) region. As compared to control, an increased HCH level and significantly decreased semen quality were observed in the infertile males. A positive significant association was found between sperm c...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Introduction The progressive growth of malignancies is accompanied by a decline in the immune response through mechanisms which are poorly understood. Apoptosis and induction of inflammation by tumor released cytokines as tumor escape mechanisms have been proposed to play an important role in colorectal carcinogenesis. Methods Expression of Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-?) was analyzed in colorectal cancer specimen and the cancer cell line HT-29 by immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR. TNF-? expression on protein and mRNA level were correlated with clinical characteristics and impact on survival. TNFR-1 was co-labelled with TNF-? and CD8+ cytotoxic T cells in immunofluorescence double staining experiments. Results: 94% (n?=?98/104) of the patients with CRC expressed TNF-?. High TNF-? express...

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)

ALLEYNE G., HANCOCK C. & HUGHES P. (2011) Chronic and non-communicable diseases: a critical challenge for nurses globally. International Nursing Review58, 328-331 Background:- Chronic and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are a growing and enormous challenge that faces countries across the world. Low- and middle-income countries are disproportionately affected. Contributory factors:- Three risk factors - tobacco use, poor diet (including excessive alcohol intake) and lack of physical activity - contribute to four major chronic diseases - cardiovascular, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes and some cancers, which are responsible for over 50% of deaths worldwide. Potential solutions:- International governmental and non-governmental agencies are becoming increasingly concerned and ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) is a highly conserved transcription factor that integrates signaling through the cAMP-dependent protein kinase A (PKA) in many eukaryotes. PKA plays a critical role in Dictyostelium development but no CREB homologue has been identified in this system. Here we show that Dictyostelium utilizes a CREB-like protein, BzpF, to integrate PKA signaling during late development. bzpF^- mutants produce compromised spores, which are extremely unstable and germination defective. Previously, we have found that BzpF binds the canonical CRE motif in vitro. In this paper, we determined the DNA binding specificity of BzpF using protein binding microarray (PBM) and showed that the motif with the highest specificity is a CRE-like sequence. BzpF is necessary to ...

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Artificial neural network analysis is found to be far superior to multiple regression when applied to the evaluation of trap quality in the Northern Kuqa Depression, a gas-rich depression of Tarim Basin in western China. This is because this technique can correlate the complex and non-linear relationship between trap quality and related geological factors, whereas multiple regression can only describe a linear relationship. However, multiple regression can work as an auxiliary tool, as it is suited to high-speed calculations and can indicate the degree of dependence between the trap quality and its related geological factors which artificial neural network analysis cannot. For illustration, we have investigated 30 traps in the Northern Kuqa Depression. For each of the traps, the values of 14 selected geological factors were all known. While geologists were also able to assign individual trap quality values to 27 traps, they ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-@b) has a crucial role in the differentiation of ectodermal cells to neural or epidermal precursors. TGF-@b and bone morphogenetic protein molecules (BMPs) are involved in many developmental processes, including cell proliferation and differentiation, apoptosis, mitotic arrest and intercellular interactions during morphogenesis. Additionally, the failure of central thymic tolerance mechanisms, leading to T cells with a skewed autoreactive response, is being described as a contributor in inflammatory processes in autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis. Since TGF-@b and BMP proteins are crucial for the development of the neural system and the thymus, as well as for the differentiation of T cells, it is essential to further investigate their role i...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

This chapter is an overview of total-ionizing-dose and single-event hardening techniques and should be used as a guide to a range of research publications. It should be stressed that there is no clear and simple route to a radiation-tolerant silicon integrated circuit. What works for one fabrication process may not work for another, and there are many complex interactions within individual processes and designs. The authors have attempted to highlight the most important factors and those process changes which should bring improved hardness. The main point is that radiation-hardening as a procedure must be approached in a methodical fashion and with a good understanding of the response mechanisms involved.

Science.gov (United States)

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.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The post (neutron) -irradiation high-temperature tensile and creep-rupture properties, deformation and fracture characteristics of austenitic alloys, particularly solution annealed Type 316 steel, are surveyed and correlated with the damage structures developed as a function of irradiation temperature (and dose). The mechanisms proposed to explain the irradiation-induced changes in properties and behaviour are summarised. The factors responsible for the observed differences in the post-irradiation and 'in-reactor' creep-rupture properties and behaviour of an austenitic steel are discussed in terms of the helium gas and stress driven growth of small intergranular bubbles and the atom plating associated with their growth and coalescence. (author).

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Twenty rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients with involvement of the cranio-cervical junction (CCJ) were given CT scan. In most cases the myelo-CT technique with the lumbar injection of small quantities of non-ionic contrast medium was adopted; CT easily diagnosed the horizontal and vertical dislocations on the CCJ, the bone strcture lesions and the inflammatory masses. A high frequency of medullary compressions was also found in these patients. Myelo-CT appears to be the technique of choice for the precise definition of the various factors responsible for the neurological complications found in RA of the CCJ.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

High quality "3"1P MR spectra (signal to noise ratio (S/N) approximately 18, 15 min acquisition for each spectrum) were consistently obtained with surface coils over a period of 6-week RT. Both transient and steady state alterations in metabolites in response to RT were found in this case. The transient changes occurred during the first 3 hr immediately after the 3rd fractionated RT, these changes include the transient elevation of the PCr resonance, a decrease in PDE and an increase in intracellular pH. The monitoring showed that the metabolites approached steady state approximately 2 hr after the fractionated radiation intervention, suggesting that in vivo MRS can be useful for studying the dynamics of tumor response to RT such as repair of potential lethal damage, growth delay, and reoxygenation etc. The steady-state MR spectra showed the net response to each intervention and can clinically be useful for ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Industrial facilities offer a wide variety of design challenges to engineers, including the mechanical engineers who design the HVAC, the process, exhaust, and other required mechanical systems; the mechanical contractors who install and maintain the systems (and who also may do design work); and the owners` engineers who are responsible for the day-to-day operation of their facilities. Along with the responsibility to see that all systems function as intended is the responsibility to ensure that all worker health concerns are addressed. These include heat stress avoidance and the proper control of harmful substances. The services of industrial hygienists may be required to ensure this. These may be independent consultants or the staff members of mechanical design firms. In addition, it is not unusual for major corporations that own manufacturing plants to have staff industrial hygienists. The accompanying sidebar presents ...

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We describe a model of damage in rf cavities and show how this damage can limit cavity operation. We first present a review of mechanisms that may or may not affect the ultimate fields that can be obtained in rf cavities, assuming that mechanical stress explains the triggers of rf breakdown events. We present a method of quantifying the surface damage caused by breakdown events in terms of the spectrum of field enhancement factors, Beta, for asperities on the surface. We then model an equilibrium that can develop between damage and conditioning effects, and show how this equilibrium can determine cavity performance and show experimental evidence for this mechanism. We define three functions that quantify damage, and explain how the parameters that determine this performance can be factored out and measured. We then show how this model can quantitatively explain the dependence of cavity performance on material, frequency, pulse length, gas, ...

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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 ...

Science.gov (United States)

To illustrate the implementation of a bottom-up approach to the study of culture in health disparities, this article describes the development of a cultural cancer screening scale (CCSS) using mixed methodologies. The aim was to identify cultural factors relevant to breast and cervical cancer screening, develop an instrument to assess them and examine its preliminary psychometric properties among Latin American (Latino) and non-Latino White (Anglo) women in Southern California. Seventy-eight Latino and Anglo women participated in semi-structured interviews, which were content coded based on Triandis' methods for the analysis of subjective culture. Based on the emerging cultural elements, items relevant to cancer screening were developed and pilot tested with 161 participants. After the instrument was refined, 314 Latino and Anglo women from various socioeconomic backgrounds completed the CCSS and data were factor analyzed resulting in five ...

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Intracapsular femoral neck fractures remain unsolved fractures even after improvement in techniques of diagnosis and internal fixation. Individuals who sustain displaced femoral neck fractures are at high risk of developing avascular necrosis and non-union. Although several methods for predicting the viability of femoral head have been reported, they are not effective or widely used because of unreliability, potential complications and technical difficulties. Dynamic MRI was introduced in the recent past as a simple, non-invasive technique to predict the femoral head viability after the femoral neck fractures. In this study role of dynamic MRI was studied in 30 patients with 31 intracapsular femoral neck fractures. Fractures were divided in to three types according to dynamic curve patterns on MRI evaluation and were followed up for 6 months to 2 years to observe the final outcome. Sensitivity, Specificity and the Accuracy of dynamic MRI in ...

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No abstract prepared.

Science.gov (United States)

PMID:16589753

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Investigations into sexual differentiation and pheromone response in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe are complicated by the need to first starve the cells of nitrogen. Most mating-related experiments are therefore performed on non-dividing cells. Here we overcome this problem by using two mutants that bypass the nutritional requirements and respond to the M-factor mating pheromone in rich medium. The first mutant lacks the cyr1 gene which encodes adenylate cyclase and these cells contain no measurable amounts of cAMP. When M-factor is added to a growing h+ cyr1- strain it causes a transient G1 arrest of cell division, transcription of mat1-Pm, and elongation of the cells to form shmoos. The second mutant contains the temperature-sensitive pat1-114 allele. At 30 degrees C this mutant was previously shown not only to bypass the nutritional signal but also to stop growing in a state derepressed for ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Abstract. Objective: Lapatinib (Tykerb, GW572016), a potent inhibitor of the catalytic activities of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) (ErbB2), inhibits population growth of selected EGFR and HER2 overexpressing cell lines. Previous studies with a small number of cell lines suggest a correlation between overexpression of EGFR and/or HER2 and sensitivity to growth inhibition by lapatinib; however, the precise determinants of lapatinib selectivity for tumour and/or other cells remain unclear. Materials and methods: To clarify the determinants of its selectivity in cultured cells, lapatinib-induced cell population growth inhibition and relative EGFR and HER2 protein expression were quantified in 61 different human tumour cell lines fro...

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Pulsatile hormone secretion is observed in almost every hormonal system. The frequency of episodic hormone release ranges from approximately 10 to 100 pulses in 24 hours. This temporal mode of secretion is an important feature of intercellular information transfer in addition to a dose-response dependent regulation. It has been demonstrated in a number of experiments that changes in the temporal pattern of pulsatile hormone secretion specifically regulate cellular and organ function and structure. Recent evidence links osteoporosis, a disease characterized by loss of bone mass and structure, to changes in the dynamics of pulsatile parathyroid hormone (PTH) secretion. In our study we applied nonlinear and linear time series prediction to characterize the secretory dynamics of PTH in both healthy human subjects and patients with osteoporosis. Osteoporotic patients appear to lack periods of high predictability found in normal ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The response of the reactive flow detector (RFD) toward organometallic compounds of several transition metals has been explored, and several of its strong elemental responses have been characterized in detail. The RFDs minimum detectable flow (measured in picograms of metal per second at S/N_p_-_t_-_p=2) is 0.1 for ruthenium, 3 for chromium, 10 for manganese, 5 for nickel, 15 for iron, and 2 for osmium. Typically, the linearity of response spans four orders of magnitude, with atomic selectivity of metal versus carbon ranging from 2 to 3 orders. Response quenching by co-eluting hydrocarbons is not observed. As a demonstration experiment, the common analysis of methylcyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl (MMT) in gasoline is carried out on an RFD system modified for dual-channel operation. The results show that dual-channel operation of the RFD can increase the native elemental selectivity of manganese ...

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The relative potencies of 20 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were studied in a chicken embryo hepatocyte system. The 20 congeners were selected according to a full 2{sup 4}-factorial design based on the principal properties of all 154 tetra- through heptachlorinated PCBs. The principal properties were obtained using principal component analysis (PCA) on a multitude of different physico-chemical properties of the PCBs. Toxic equivalency factors (TEFs) were determined for seven out of the twenty PCB congeners, viz. PCB{number_sign}41, PCB{number_sign}60, PCB{number_sign}78, PCB{number_sign}126, PCB{number_sign}169, PCB{number_sign}190, and PCB{number_sign}193, which elicit measurable catalytic ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) activity in the chicken hepatocytes. A multivariate quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) was developed by using partial least-squares to latent variables (PLS) in order to model the relationship between the set of ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), working with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), performed analyses to predict the response of various spent fuel transportation cask designs when exposed to a fire similar to that which occurred in the Howard Street railroad tunnel in downtown Baltimore, Maryland on July 18, 2001. The thermal performance of three different spent fuel cask designs (HOLTEC HI-STAR 100, TransNuclear TN-68, and NAC-LWT) was evaluated with the ANSYSR and COBRA-SFS analysis codes, utilizing boundary conditions for the tunnel fire obtained using NIST's Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) code. NRC Staff evaluated the potential for a release of radioactive material from each of the three transportation casks analyzed for the Baltimore tunnel fire scenario. The results of these analyses are described in detail in ...

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A modified boundary element approach was used to analyze the response of offshore piles subjected to external soil movements. The computer model employed to solve the pile-soil problem was able to model pile head and tip loading, and loading caused by lateral movement of soil. A nonlinear pile-soil interface element with the ability to represent a hardening or softening plastic response prior to reaching an ultimate state was incorporated. With the program, 4 failure modes can be determined: flow of the soil slide past an intact stationary pile; rotation of the pile with the soil at failure along the full pile length; translation of the pile with the sliding soil, resulting in failure of the supporting soil; and the long-pile mode, in which the maximum bending moment in the pile reaches the yield moment of the pile before complete development of the other 3 modes. Theoretical solutions for a realistic hypothetical offshore pile subjected to ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A new package for the air transport of hazardous materials is currently being developed in the Transportation Systems Department at Sandia National Laboratories. The baseline design has a unique impact limiter which uses layers of aluminum screen wire and aramid cloth fabric. A primary motivation for selecting this unusual combination of materials is the need for the impact limiter to not only limit the amount of load transmitted to the primary container but also remain in place during impact events so that it provides a thermal barrier during a subsequent fire. A series of uniaxial and confined compression tests indicated that the layered material does not behave like other well characterized materials. No existing constitutive models were able to satisfactorily capture the behavior of the layered material; thus, a new plasticity model was developed. The new material model was then used to characterize the response of air transport packages with layered impact ...

CERN Document Server

We report Sr, Pd and Ag abundances for a sample of metal-poor field giants and analyze a larger sample of Y, Zr, and Ba abundances. The [Y/Zr] and [Pd/Ag] abundance ratios are similar to those measured for the r-process-rich stars CS 22892-052 and CS 31082-001. The [Pd/Ag] ratio is larger than predicted from the solar-system r-process abundances. The constant[Y/Zr] and [Sr/Y] values in the field stars places strong limits on the contributions of the weak s-process and the main s-process to the light neutron-capture elements. Stars in the globular cluster M 15 possess lower [Y/Zr] values than the field stars. There is a large dispersion in [Y/Ba]. Because the r-process is responsible for the production of the heavy elements in the early Galaxy, these dispersions require varying light-to-heavy ratios in r-process yields.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The effects of the heating rate from 0.6 up to 50"oC.s"-"1 on the thermoluminescence of #alpha#-Al_2O_3:C are very intensive. The material rapidly loses its high sensitivity as the heating rate increases. The peak shape characteristics, peak maximum and full width at half maximum agree only qualitatively with those theoretically predicted. The trapping parameters calculated by the curve fitting method, the peak shape method, the variable heating rate method and the initial rise method, were found to decrease as the heating rate increases. The validity of the results are discussed in the framework of the kinetic models. (author).

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The probability of damage and the potential resulting hazards are analyzed for a representative rail shipping container for three severe rail accident scenarios. The scenarios are: (1) the rupture of closure bolts and resulting opening of closure lid due to a severe impact, (2) the puncture of container by an impacting rail-car coupler, and (3) the yielding of container due to side impact on a rigid uneven surface. The analysis results indicate that scenario 2 is a physically unreasonable event while the probabilities of a significant loss of containment in scenarios 1 and 3 are extremely small. Before assessing the potential risk for the last two scenarios, the uncertainties in predicting complex phenomena for rare, high- consequence hazards needs to be addressed using a rigorous methodology.

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A numerical package called RESID has been assembled to calculate the residual stresses in VAWT blades induced during cold forming. Using a strength of materials - elementary beam theory approach, RESID models the material response with a bilinear stress-strain curve, and the cross-sectional geometry with an array of area increments. Through an iterative solution procedure residual stresses are predicted for a specified final radius of curvature or applied bending moment. RESID results are compared to theoretical solutions for simple geometries and with MARC Finite element results for VAWT blade geometries. Calculating residual stress levels, determining acceptable residual stress levels, and a method of reducing residual stresses are discussed. A complete listing and sample run are included in the appendicies.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The objective of this study was to determine whether walking and running at different treadmill speeds resulted in different metabolic and cardiovascular responses in the vastus lateralis (VL) and lateral gastrocnemius (LG) by examining metabolite accumulation and tissue oxygen saturation. Ten healthy subjects (6 males, 4 females) completed a submaximal treadmill exercise test, beginning at 3.2?km?h?1 and increasing by 1.6?km?h?1 increments every 3?min until reaching 85% of age-predicted maximal heart rate. Muscle tissue oxygenation (SO2), total hemoglobin (HbT) and interstitial hydrogen ion concentration ([H+]) were calculated from near infrared spectra collected from VL and LG. The [H+] threshold for each muscle was determined using a simultaneous bilinear regression. Muscle and treadmil...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The Department of Energy has proposed a rulemaking process to set minimum standards for the efficiency of gas ranges under the National Appliance Energy Conservation Act (NAECA). The Gas Research Institute is compiling information on annual household range gas usage in order to prepare a response to the proposed rulemaking. The data base from the Northern Illinois Gas residential load study provides recent information (data taken from 1990 through 1992) over a comprehensive study of household types and appliance and user characteristics (150 variables noted for each household). The stated Objective is to study the Northern Illinois Gas residential load study data base and to evaluate its effectiveness in predicting annual household gas usage.

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A new band gap profile (exponential profile) for the active layer of the a-SiGe:H single junction cell has been designed and experimentally demonstrated. In this paper we compare its optical and electrical characteristics with the two more common profiles: the U- and V-shapes. As predicted by the simulations, the new profile combines the advantages of both profiles. Like the V-shape, the exponential shape reduces the amount of Ge in the i-layer, decreasing both the space charge defect density inside the i-layer and the recombination losses. It also improves the electric field. At the same time, the exponential shape generates the same current density as the U-shape.

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Discovery of better biomarkers for diagnosis, prognosis, and therapy-response prediction is the most critical task of a scientific quest aimed at developing newly designed, tailor-made therapies for patients with cancer. Consequently, a proteome wide analysis, in addition to genomic studies, is an absolute requirement for a complete functional understanding of tumor biology. Ultra-sensitive, high-performance Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FTICR) mass spectrometry (MS) currently holds an important role in fulfilling the demands of biomarker discovery. In this review, we describe the applicability of FTICR MS for breast cancer proteomics, particularly for the analysis of complex protein mixtures obtained from a limited number of cells typically available from clinical specimens.

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Ability to predict mechanical response of rock in three dimensions over the spatial and time scales of geologic interest would give the oil and gas industry the ability to reduce risk on prospects, improve pre-project initial reserve estimates, and lower operating costs. A program has recently been initiated, under the auspices of the Advanced Computational Technology Initiative (ACTI), to achieve such a computational technology breakthrough by adapting the unique advanced quasistatic finite element technology developed by Sandia to the mechanics applications important to exploration and production activities within the oil and gas industry. As a precursor to that program, in an effort to evaluate the feasibility of the approach, several complex geologic structures of interest were analyzed with the existing two-dimensional quasistatic finite element code, SANTOS, developed at Sandia. Examples are presented and discussed.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Fault symptoms of running gearboxes must be detected as early as possible to avoid serious accidents. Diverse advanced methods are developed for this challenging task. However, for multiwavelet transforms, the fixed basis functions independent of the input dynamic response signals will possibly reduce the accuracy of fault diagnosis. Meanwhile, for multiwavelet denoising technique, the universal threshold denoising tends to overkill important but weak features in gear fault diagnosis. To overcome the shortcoming, a novel method incorporating customized (i.e., signal-based) multiwavelet lifting schemes with sliding window denoising is proposed in this paper. On the basis of Hermite spline interpolation, various vector prediction and update operators with the desirable properties of biorthog...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Academic, government, and industrial field researchers have generated a significant database of field studies of the volatility of soil applied fumigants. However, limited work exists in validating physical models against field volatility data sets and fully exploring the volatility parametric response surface. Field studies quantifying atmospheric flux for soil fumigants 1,3-dichloropropene and chloropicrin are validated against the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA Salinity Laboratory) soil physics model CHAIN_2D that was modified specifically for agronomic uses of soil fumigants. Comparison between model predictions and field observations for six unique field trials in five different states indicate that CHAIN_2D effectively captures the magnitude and duration of fumigant em...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

ABSTRACT Drought is an important seedling mortality agent in dry and moist tropical forests, and more severe and frequent droughts are predicted in the future. The effect of drought on leaf gas exchange and seedling survival was tested in a dry-down experiment with four tree species from dry and moist forests in Bolivia. Seedlings were droughted and wilting stage and gas exchange were monitored. Drought led to a gradual reduction of photosynthesis and stomatal conductance over time, whereas respiration and photosynthetic water-use efficiency initially increased with drought and then declined. Seedlings gradually went through the different wilting stages, until they eventually died, but the trajectory differed for the four species. The strong relationship between wilting stage and photosynt...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Abstract When both sexes mate with multiple partners, theory predicts that males should adjust their investment in ejaculates in response to the risk and/or intensity of sperm competition. Here, we demonstrate that, in the harlequin beetle riding pseudoscorpion, Cordylochernes scorpioides, males use cues deposited on females by previous males to distinguish between virgin, once-mated, and multiply-mated females and adjust sperm allocation accordingly. Sperm number declined in direct proportion to the number of previous males, with virgin females receiving nearly three times more sperm than females exposed to three previous males. Given the lack of first-male sperm precedence in C.scorpioides, this pattern is not consistent with current sperm competition models and appears best explained by...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The purpose of pipe rupture studies in JAERI is to perform model tests on pipe whip, restraint behavior, jet impingement and jet thrust force, and to establish a computational method for analyzing these phenomena. This report presents the analytical results of 4-inch pipe whip tests under BWR LOCA conditions. Dynamic response analyses were performed using the general-purpose finite element program ADINA. The test pipe was modelled by straight beam elements and the four restraints were modelled by a single truss element. The analytical results were compared with the experimental results. Impact time and maximum total restraint force showed good agreement with experimental results. On the other hand, pipe strain and pipe deflection could not be predicted so well. The reason for this is that the sliding of the restraint during the pipe whip movement cannot be considered in the analyses.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The goals of the program include predicting the impact of proposed new generating facilities, evaluating proposed high voltage transmission lines, assessing the impact of existing generating facilities, forecasting future demand for electric power, and investigating numerous information gaps through a long-range research program. The Power Plant Assessment Division (PPAD) is responsible for all PSC licensing support, site specific research, and radiological monitoring. The list of reports summarizes information of over 190 technical publications that represent the Program`s formalized research and monitoring efforts over the last five years. Reports are listed in chronological order by topical heading.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) monthly data are analyzed, building on a previous study that investigated the influence of the El Nino/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) on US streamflow. Harmonic analysis is performed using data from 1,035 selected climatological stations, allowing observation of the biennial tendency in climate data. With the middle twelve months defined as the El Nino year (0), an idealized first harmonic fit to a 24-month ENSO composite is computed for each station. By plotting the first harmonic vectors of each station, regions of similar, or coherent, response are identified. The regions identified using PDSI data represent wet conditions in the Gulf of Mexico (Gm1 and GM2) and central (C) US, and dry conditions in the Pacific northwest (PNW) and northeast (NE) US. The PNW region exhibits the strongest interrelationship between ENSO and extreme drought events. Comparing PDSI data results with other hydroclimatic data (temperature, ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The problem of buried steelwork in cargo hold insulation has been investigated by several using empirical methods. These efforts have resulted in correction factors that serve as a useful aid in the complex task of estimating the K-value of a ship`s cargo holds for the correct dimensioning of the refrigeration plant. Today, the advent of the digital computer has established numerical methods of analysis as a common working tool among practicing engineers. For estimating the flow in cases of buried steelwork that cannot be handled by correction factors, this is an effective approach. This study is an analytical/numerical investigation of the effect that buried steelworks have on the heat leakage across cargo hold walls. It aims at providing enlightenment on the physical significance of the parameters influencing the problem and developing practically simple methods for predicting the heat leakage across the hold walls. The ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

We summarize the predictions of different models for total {gamma}{gamma} cross-sections. The experimentally observed rise of {sigma}{sub {gamma}}{sub {gamma}} with s radical {sub {gamma}}{sub {gamma}}, faster than that for {sigma}{sub p-barp}, {sigma}{sub {gamma}}{sub p} is in agreement with the predictions of the Eikonalized Minijet Models as opposed to those of the Regge-Pomeron models. We then show that a measurement of {sigma}{sub {gamma}}{sub {gamma}} with an accuracy of < or approx. 8-9% (6-7%) is necessary to distinguish among different Regge-Pomeron type models (the different parameterisations of the EMM models) and a precision of < or approx. 20% is required to distinguish the predictions of the EMMs and of those models which treat 'photon like a proton', for the energy range 300< s radical{sub {gamma}}{sub {gamma}} <500 GeV. We further show that the difference in ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

In the development of the man-made island siting technology of nuclear power plants, assessing the stability of the seawall against large ocean waves and earthquakes is indispensable. Concerning with the seismic stability of the seawall, prediction of the deformation like sliding and settlement of the seawall during earthquake including the armour units in front of the caisson becomes important factor. For this purpose, the authors have developed the two-dimensional DEM-FEM coupled analysis method (SEAWALL-2D) to predict the deformation of the seawall covered with the armour units during earthquake. In this method, movements of the armour units are calculated in DEM analysis part and deformation of the caisson, rubble moundsand seabed and back fill are calculated in FEM analysis part taking the nonlinearity of the soil materials based on the effective stress into account. Numerical simulations of dynamic centrifuge model ...

CERN Document Server

Empirical birthrate estimates for pulsar binaries depend on the fraction of sky subtended by the pulsar beam: the pulsar beaming fraction. This fraction depends on both the pulsar's opening angle and the misalignment angle between its spin and magnetic axes. Previous estimates use the average value for only two pulsars, i.e. PSRs B1913+16 and B1534+12. We explore how birthrate predictions depend on assumptions about opening angle and alignment, using empirically-motivated distributions to define an effective beaming correction factor, f_{b,eff}. For most known pulsars, we expect f_{b,eff} to be less than 6. We also calculate f_{b,eff} for PSRs J0737-3039A and J1141-6545, applying the currently available constraints for their beam geometry. Our median posterior birthrate predictions for tight PSR-NS binaries, wide PSR-NS binaries, and tight PSR-WD binaries are 89/Myr, 0.84/Myr, and 34/Myr, respectively. For pulsars with spin ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

This paper presents an overview of issues related to surface water contamination arising from uranium mining activities in the Alligator Rivers Region (ARR) of northern Australia, and a program of research and monitoring that must assess the potential and actual effects on ecosystem and human health. The program of assessing effects on aquatic ecosystems involves a four-tiered approach including the derivation of local water quality guideline trigger values, direct toxicity assessment of mine waters prior to their release, creekside or in situ monitoring for early warning of adverse effects during mine water release, and longer-term monitoring of macroinvertebrate and fish communities. Bioaccumulation in aquatic biota is also assessed, and is an issue of importance not only to ecosystem health, but also to the health of local Aboriginal people. The aquatic animals they consume represent potential sources of radiological dose, and as a result, a major component of the program to assess ...

Science.gov (United States)

The Process Waste Treatment Plant (PWTP) at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory is designed to remove radioactive contaminants, principally {sup 90}Sr, from process wastewater. Planned upgrades to the PWTP will use chabazite zeolite columns. Pilot-scale studies have shown that mass transfer zone lengths increase from 10 to about 30 cm as the superficial velocity increases from 5.5 to 22 cm/min. Calculations with a multicomponent equilibrium model showed that the distribution coefficient for strontium remains essentially constant over the process conditions, suggesting that a simple kinetic model (the Rosen long-bed solution) should adequately represent breakthrough behavior. Using a distribution coefficient of 4.87 L/g predicted by the equilibrium model, good agreement was found between experimental breakthrough curves and those calculated with the Rosen solution. This model allows prediction of bed depths and cycle times necessary to achieve the ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This report summarizes the major features of the advisory tool `TUNDTEMP`, developed to act as a decision support in the continuous steel casting process. `TUNDTEMP` provides a means to predict abnormal phenomena of temperature origin in the casting that may be difficult to foresee in practical situations. The heart of the system is a semi-empirical calculation model that yields an estimate of the evolution of the tundish temperature of the liquid steel on the basis of a few important casting factors. The user interface of the system is to a large extent based on the visual presentation of the simulated results. The system also contains an optional rule based mechanism that provides assistance in the result interpretation and, if wished, linguistically formulates action recommendations. A separate program has been built for the tuning of the calculation model and for maintenance of the system. At the end of the report, the different tuning ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The long-term health consequences of war service remain unclear, despite burgeoning scientific interest. A longitudinal cohort study of a random sample of Australian Vietnam veterans was designed to assess veterans' postwar physical and mental health 36 years after the war (2005-2006) and to examine its relation to Army service, combat, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) assessed 14 years previously (1990-1993). Prevalences in veterans (n = 450) were compared with those in the Australian general population. Veterans' Army service and data from the first assessments were evaluated using multivariate logistic regression prediction modeling. Veterans' general health and some health risk factors were poorer and medical consultation rates were higher than Australian population expectatio...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

High-K states in the region of 177Lu have been studied using multi-nucleon transfer reactions with 136Xe beams and Gammasphere. Results include identification of the predicted 5-quasiparticle K#pi# = 39/2 - isomer in 177Lu, a 7-quasiparticle K#pi# = 49/2 + isomer in 179Ta with an anomalously fast decay, and numerous other examples in a range of Yb close to stability. The results are discussed in the context of the expectations for multi-quasiparticle states near Z = 72 and the factors which may both govern isomer formation and also give an insight into K-purity, specifically chance degeneracies, and statistical mixing above the yrast line.

CERN Document Server

We study the renormalization group running of the tri-bimaximal mixing predicted by the two typical $S_4$ flavor models at leading order. Although the textures of the mass matrices are completely different, the evolution of neutrino mass and mixing parameters is found to display approximately the same pattern. For both normal hierarchy and inverted hierarchy spectrum, the quantum corrections to both atmospheric and reactor neutrino mixing angles are so small that can be neglected. The evolution of solar mixing angle $\\theta_{12}$ depends on $\\tan\\beta$ and mass spectrum, the deviation from its tri-bimaximal value could be large. Taking into account the renormalization group running effect, the neutrino spectrum is constrained by experimental data on $\\theta_{12}$ and the inverted hierarchy spectrum is disfavored for large $\\tan\\beta$. The evolution of light neutrino masses is approximately described by a common scaling factor.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

We present an innovative approach to estimating residential irrigation water demand for a large metropolitan area using GIS data, weather station data, and a water budget modeling approach commonly used by plant scientists and landscape management professionals. An important question addressed by our study is how a growing urban forest affects the overall irrigation water demand of a semiarid metropolitan area. To estimate the amount of water required by residential landscaping, we consider water demand to be a function of the areal extent of residential landscaping (i.e. tree/shrub or turf grass), the water-loss rate for different landscaping types, the efficiency with which the landscape is irrigated, and local climatic factors (i.e. reference evapotranspiration and precipitation). We es...

CERN Document Server

We study 1-loop effects for massless Dirac fields in two spatial dimensions, coupled to homogeneous electromagnetic backgrounds, both at zero and at finite temperature and density. In the case of a purely magnetic field, we analyze the relationship between the invariance of the theory under large gauge transformations, the appearance of Chern-Simons terms and of different Berry's phases. In the case of a purely electric background field, we show that the effective Lagrangian is independent of the chemical potential and of the temperature. More interesting: we show that the minimal conductivity, as predicted by the quantum field theory, is the right multiple of the conductivity quantum and is, thus, consistent with the value measured for graphene, with no extra factor of pi in the denominator.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

M-shell X-ray production cross sections for the light rare-earth elements of {sup 68}Er, {sup 7}Yb and {sup 71}Lu have been measured for incident {sup 4}He{sup +} ions in the energy range from 0.75 to 6 MeV. The measured X-ray production cross sections are compared to the predictions of the First Born approximation, the ECPSSR theory and the ECUSAR theory. A comparison of the ytterbium M-shell X-ray production cross sections with these theories is made for two different sets of fluorescence yields and Coster-Kronig factors that are further modified for multiple ionization.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Measurements are made on the principal magnetic susceptibilities and anisotropies of praseodymium selenate octahydrate single crystals in the temperature range 90 to 300 K. Although the effective magnetic moment is close to the free ion value, the anisotropy is quite high at room temperature. A least sequares fit of the Curie-Weiss law to the observed average susceptibility yields -36.5 K as the paramagnetic Curie temperature. An analysis of the results with a crystal field (CF) of D_4 symmetry, explains the observed results quite well. The CF and the spin-orbit interaction matrix is block diagonalized in the complete 33 dimensional basis of the "3H term in order to obtain the Stark energies and their eigenstates. Intermediate coupling effects are also considered. The ground state being a singlet, the g-factors are absent. Some predictions on the electronic heat capacity and the electronic quadrupole splitting are made in the light of the ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The role of shear in determining the ideal MHD stability properties of tokamaks is discussed. In particular, we assess the effects of low shear within the plasma upon pressure-driven modes. The standard ballooning theory is shown to break down, as the shear is reduced and the growth rate is shown to be an oscillatory function of n, the toroidal mode number, treated as a continuous parameter. The oscillations are shown to depend on both the pressure and safety-factor profiles. When the shear is sufficiently weak, the oscillations can result in bands of unstable n values which are present even when the standard ballooning theory predicts complete stability. These instabilities are named ''infernal modes.'' The occurrence of these instabilities at integer n is shown to be a sensitive function of q-axis, raising the possibility of a sharp onset as plasma parameters evolve. 20 refs., 31 figs.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The Level 1 probabilistic safety assessment (PSA) for Wolsong(WS) 2/3/4 nuclear power plant(NPPs) in design stage is performed using the methodologies being equivalent to PWR PSA. Accident sequence evaluation program (ASEF) human reliability analysis (HRA) procedure and technique for human error rate prediction (THERP) are used in HRA of WS 2/3/4 NPPs PSA. The purpose of this paper is to introduce the procedure and methodology of HRA in WS 2/3/4 NPPs PSA. Also, this paper describes the interim results of importance analysis for human actions modeled in WS 2/3/4 PSA and the findings and recommendations of administrative control of secondary control area from the view of human factors.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Intrinsic spherical aberrations of electron lenses have been the major resolution limiting factor in electron microscopes for several decades. While effective correctors have recently been implemented, an alternative to correct these aberrations is to circumvent them by scaling down lens dimensions by several orders of magnitude. We have fabricated electrostatic lenses exhibiting one micrometer diameter apertures and evaluated their beam forming properties against predictions from numerical ray tracing simulations. It turns out that it is routinely possible to shape a paraxial low-energy electron beam by such micron-sized lenses. Beam profiles have been measured both at a distant detector as well as in a plane close to the lens. It is shown that the lens can form a parallel beam extending ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

In this work, a comprehensive model has been developed for the absorption of carbon dioxide into promoted hot potassium carbonate solution. The model, which is based on penetration theory, incorporates an extensive set of important reactions and takes into account the coupling between mass transfer and chemical kinetics. The penetration theory provides an appropriate absorption rate and enhancement factor for the chemical absorption. Operating data for carbon dioxide absorption into DEA-hot potassium carbonate solution has been compared with model predictions. The impact of parameters such inlet temperature of lean solution, promoter concentration, liquid split fraction, hot feed location and type of promoter on the performance of a split-flow absorber have been examined. The use of other promoters is an efficient way to enhance the carbon dioxide absorption, which has been discussed in this paper.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

A linear diffusion model serves as the basis for determination of an effective radon diffusion coefficient in concrete. The coefficient was needed to later allow quantitative prediction of radon accumulation within and behind concrete walls after application of an impervious radon barrier. A resolution of certain discrepancies noted in the literature in the use of an effective diffusion coefficient to model diffusion of a radioactive gas through a porous medium is suggested. An outline of factors expected to affect the concrete physical structure and the effective diffusion coefficient of radon through it is also presented. Finally, a field method for evaluating effective radon diffusion coefficients in concrete is proposed and results of measurements performed on a concrete foundation wall are compared with similar published values of gas diffusion coefficients in concrete. (author).