A debris disk is a constituent of any planetary system surrounding a main sequence star. We study whether close stellar encounters can disrupt and strip a debris disk of its planetesimals in the expanding open cluster of its birth. Such stripping would affect the dust production and hence detectability of the disk. We tabulated the fractions of planetesimals stripped off during stellar flybys of miss distances between 100 and 1000 AU and for several mass ratios of the central to passing stars. We then estimated the numbers of close stellar encounters over the lifetime of several expanding open clusters characterized by their initial star densities. We found that a standard disk, with inner and outer radii of 40 and 100 AU, suffers no loss of planetesimals around a star born in a common embedded cluster with star density 20 000 pc^-3. In this environment, a disk loses >97% of its planetesimals around ...
The formation mechanism of the cold-rolled strip shape with high tension was studied. An advanced method to calculate the allowable variation of strip transverse profiles was established by the strip buckling criterion, which can be more properly used in cold rolling. With this method, the aim allowable variation of the product strip transverse profile and the required transverse profile range of incoming strips can be reached. Besides, this method has been successfully applied in a domestic tandem cold mill, and the transverse profile range of incoming strips suggested with this method is more practicable and complete. Consequently, the good performance is acquired.
AZ31 and experimental ZMA611 alloys were strip cast into 2 mm thick strips. The as-cast AZ31 alloy strip consists of columnar dendrites. On the other hand, as-cast ZMA611 alloy strip shows equiaxed dendritic structure through the thickness of strip. These alloys were subjected to various thermomechanical treatments and their tensile properties were evaluated. Strip cast AZ31 alloy in H24 condition has equivalent yield and tensile strengths with similar ductility compared to commercial ingot cast AZ31-H24 alloy, indicating that strip casting is a viable process for the fabrication of Mg alloy strips. The ZMA611 alloy has a large volume fraction of fine dispersoid particles in the microstructure, resulting from the beneficial effect of strip casting on microstructural refinement. It has been shown that ...
In this study, an apparatus suitable to photoacoustic (PA) imaging to measure blood-analysis and urinalysis is fabricated and its measurement scheme has been established for the first time. The PA imaging of urinalysis test strip, blood sugar test strip, and cholesterol test strip is performed. A calibration curve of PA measurement is obtained for a urine test strip. The detectivity is better than that obtained by an eye-measurement.
The prevailing severe shortage of animal feed in most of the developing countries could, to a considerable extent, be overcome through improved range management, which includes introduction of high yielding drought-resistant forage crops, development of adequate water conservation measures, and as far as possible growing annual forage crops on part of the vast areas of arable land currently left fallow each year. Year round measurements are essential for a good understanding of soil water and nutrients dynamics, which allow for adequate evaluation of pasture management alternatives. The methods most commonly used for moisture measurements in soil profiles are discussed because such measurements are likely to form an essential part of any investigation aimed at increasing animal feed production through the development of adequate pasture management practices. (author).
Canadian-based Anderson Group Company has developed an innovative round baler for harvesting a large variety of woody biomass. The baler was initially developed in 2005 in collaboration with the University Laval and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. The third generation BIOBALER{sup TM} is currently built, engineered and commercialized by Anderson. It can produce up to 40 bales/hr in short rotations woody crops such as willow and hybrid poplar. The unit can harvest brushes up to 125 mm in diameter. A standard tractor can pull the BIOBALER in fallow or abandoned land, under power transmission lines, and between planted trees. The patented BIOBALER includes a mulcher head attachment, a choice of long or short swivel tongue, a fixed chamber and an undercarriage frame.
A pilot cropland carbon sequestration program within north central Montana has allowed farmers to receive carbon credit for management adjustments associated with changing from tillage-based agricultural systems to no-till. Carbon credit can also be obtained by adopting conservation reserve, where cropland is planted into perennial vegetation. Summer fallowing is also considered within the crediting process as credit is not given in years that a field is left un-vegetated. The carbon sequestration program has been advocated as a means to mitigate climate change while providing an added source of income for Montana farmers. There is lack of data, however, pertaining to the percentage of lands within this region that have not converted to no-till management, lands under certain crop intensit...
The feasibility of using of current-biased superconducting strips for radiation detection is investigated. Narrow Ta strips are exposed to 5.5 MeV [alpha]-particle radiation and the rise-time of the induced voltage pulses is measured as function of temperature and bias current. The rise-time of the voltage signal strongly depends on the site on the strip which is hit by the [alpha]-particle. In order to determine the spatial resolution of a superconducting strip detector, position-sensitive measurements were performed. The maximum lateral resolution estimated so far is 25[mu]m in a 7[mu]m wide, 340 nm thick and 0.6 mm long Ta-strip. (orig.)
Simple hydroxamic acids have been shown to have useful applications in an Advanced Purex process for the reprocessing of irradiated nuclear fuel. They are especially suited to the separation of neptunium (IV) from uranium (VI) by the selective formation of a hydrophilic complex with Np(IV). U(VI) extraction in to 30% tributyl phosphate is unaffected. However, they have also been shown to be very fast reducing agents for Np(VI). The timescales of the reduction have been defined under a range of typical Purex Process conditions although the accurate determination of the reaction kinetics was not possible due to the rapidity of the reaction. U(VI) was shown not to be reduced. Therefore, Np(VI) can be efficiently reductively stripped when solvent phase (30% tributyl phosphate in odourless kerosene) solutions of Np(VI) and U(VI) are contacted with aqueous phase hydroxamic acid solutions. The slow reduction of plutonium (IV) to Pu(III) has also been observed and this is ...
The objective of this study is to develop a method to aid in the selection of an overburden handling system in surface coal mining. The selection procedure consists of three major parts. The first part is aimed at rating the equipment's potential to perform the environmental protection related activities and then integrating this rating into the system selection process. The second part is an engineering analysis of the design of pit layouts and the operation of alternative overburden handling systems. The third part consists of a cost and sensitivity analysis of alternative systems on different mining situations. Specifically, the work includes: (1) a Delphi study to determine the magnitude of the environmental impacts and to quantify the relationship between mining practices and environmental remedies, (2) a scoring model to set up an index of the relative capability of equipment to do the environmental protection related jobs, (3) an evaluation of the pit design and ...
In order to predict the effect of a fuel-coolant interaction after a hypothetical core-melt-down accident, a phenomenological model has been developed to describe the thermal and hydrodynamic behavior of a high-temperature molten jet when it interacts with saturated or subcooled water in a film boiling regime. The mechanisms of jet-material erosion were analyzed by Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities on the coherent column and by boundary layer stripping on the leading edge. The heat transfer coefficient, vapor-film thickness, and net steam generation, all of which strongly affect the jet-breakup behavior, were solved analytically. It was found that the jet breakup (or erosion) depends strongly on the steam generation from the jet/water interaction. The jet-breakup length (i.e., penetration distance) was found to be sensitive to the initial jet temperature, water subcooling, and the physical state of the ambient water. The jet-breakup length and ...
NASA needed a way to safely strip old paint and thermal protection material from reusable components from the Space Shuttle; to meet this requirement, Marshall Space Flight Center teamed with United Technologies' USBI Company and developed a stripping sys...
It is reported about the adsorptive stripping voltammetric determination of uranium, antimony, tin, vanadium and molybdenum using chloranilic acid as complex forming reagent. The determination limits are in the l{sup 1}-range. (orig.) [Deutsch] Es wird ueber die Bestimmung von Uran, Antimon, Zinn, Vanadium und Molybdaen durch Adsorptions-Stripping-Voltammetrie mit Chloranilsaeure als Komplexbildner berichtet. Die Bestimmungsgrenzen liegen im ng l{sup -1} Bereich. (orig.)
In this paper we describe the reconstruction strategies, the calibration procedures and the detector performance results from the latest CMS operation.
The aim of the classical multiple test strip is to perform routine chemical analysis in one single operation, yielding maximum diagnostic and prognostic information. A maximum of 10 test areas should not be exceeded. The efficiency of the currently marketed test strips is discussed and improvements within acceptable price limits are suggested. PMID:10841930
Together with an investigation on the deformation behavior of hot and cold rolled strip edge, the edge-drop control was explained in characteristics and result of application to the commercial mill by the tapered-crown work roll (WR) shifting mill. From a cold rolling experiment, three-dimensional material flow was known to be generated in the vicinity of edge also at the time of rolling the strip, and which generation influences that of edge-drop. Almost linearly relative to the flattened deformation of WR, the edge-drop enlarges with enlargement in that deformation. The number of stands to be applied to the tapered-crown WR shifting mill in the tandem cold mill is determined by the location as far as which the strip is to be controlled in edge-drop. In case of improving it to obtain the edge-drop-free strip, all the stands are required to be equipped with tapered-crown WR shifting mill. By applying a ...
The two model MP Tandem Van de Graaff accelerators at Brookhaven have been used in a four-stage accel-decel configuration to produce highly stripped low energy heavy ions. The performance in this mode of operation has now been substantially improved by modifications of the second accelerator. The inclined field acceleration tube electrodes at the exit of this accelerator were replaced by straight electrodes, the vacuum was improved and the maximum negative terminal potential was increased. Higher intensity beams of heavier highly stripped ions can now be produced at lower energies than before.
The design and first results from a Double Sided Silicon Strip Detector (DSSSD) recently installed at the Lund Nuclear Microprobe facility (NMP) are presented. The detector has 64 sector strips and 32 ring strips, which in combination give more than 2000 detector cells, each with characteristics comparable with a standard surface barrier detector (SBD). The detector has been tested both with radioactive sources and with different ion beams and energies. The most striking features are the high rate virtually pile-up free operation and also the possibility of detailed measurement of angular distributions.
The design and first results from a Double Sided Silicon Strip Detector (DSSSD) recently installed at the Lund Nuclear Microprobe facility (NMP) are presented. The detector has 64 sector strips and 32 ring strips, which in combination give more than 2000 detector cells, each with characteristics comparable with a standard surface barrier detector (SBD). The detector has been tested both with radioactive sources and with different ion beams and energies. The most striking features are the high rate virtually pile-up free operation and also the possibility of detailed measurement of angular distributions.
We report here results of an application of single-nucleon stripping reactions at high energies (65 MeV/u) in inverse kinematics to obtain spectroscopic factors. From measurements of the partial cross-sections for ground and excited states in residual nuclei formed in one-proton stripping reactions, single particle orbits and occupancies of light nuclei have been studied in the s-d shell. Single proton stripping cross-sections of {sup 25}Al and {sup 26,27,28}P on a Be target have been measured using the S800 spectrograph and the NaI(Tl) array at the NSCL. These results indicate that this technique may provide a general tool for the intermediate energy range analogous to transfer (pick-up) reactions at low-energy.
We report here results of an application of single-nucleon stripping reactions at high energies (65 MeV/u) in inverse kinematics to obtain spectroscopic factors. From measurements of the partial cross-sections for ground and excited states in residual nuclei formed in one-proton stripping reactions, single particle orbits and occupancies of light nuclei have been studied in the s-d shell. Single proton stripping cross-sections of "2"5Al and "2"6","2"7","2"8P on a Be target have been measured using the S800 spectrograph and the NaI(Tl) array at the NSCL. These results indicate that this technique may provide a general tool for the intermediate energy range analogous to transfer (pick-up) reactions at low-energy.
A multi-centre evaluation of the test strip analyser, Rapimat, was performed by four laboratories following the ECCLS 2nd draft guidelines for the evaluation of analysers in clinical chemistry. Using the Rapignost urine test strip with the test fields for bilirubin, urobilinogen, acetoacetate, ascorbic acid, glucose, protein, nitrite, pH and haemoglobin, the Rapimat was found to be analytically reliable in comparison with other, in most cases quantitative procedures. During the observation period of about 6 months no breakdown occurred in any laboratory. Interferences and sensitivity as discussed for the bilirubin and urobilinogen test field are more related to the test strip than to the instrument. Several improvements for further developments are suggested. This multi-centre study has shown that the ECCLS protocol is applicable to analytical procedures leading to discrete results. PMID:4056663
Plastic formability of cast magnesium alloy that were hot rolled after roll strip casting was investigated to ascertain the feasibility of semi-solid strip casting process of AZ31B magnesium alloy. Hot rolling and heat treatment conditions were changed to examine which conditions were appropriate for producing AZ31B wrought magnesium alloys after strip casting process. Microscopic observation of the crystals of the manufactured wrought magnesium alloys was performed. It has been found that a limiting drawing ratio of 2.7 was possible in a warm deep drawing test of the cast magnesium alloy sheets after being hot rolled. (orig.)
Abstract Background: Aution Max AX-4030, a test strip analyzer recently introduced to the market, represents an upgrade of the Aution Max AX-4280 widely employed for urinalysis. This new instrument model can allocate two different test strips at the same time. In the present study the two instruments have been compared together with the usage of Uriflet 9UB and the recently produced Aution Sticks 10PA urine strips, the latter presenting an additional test area for the measurement of urinary creatinine. Methods: Imprecision and correlation between instruments and strips have been evaluated for chemical-physical parameters. Accuracy was evaluated for protein, glucose and creatinine by comparing the semi-quantitative results to those obtained by quantitative methods. The well-known interference effect of high ascorbic acid levels on urine glucose test strip determination was ...
Effects of rolling conditions on warm deep drawability of cast magnesium alloy that were hot rolled after roll strip casting were investigated to ascertain the feasibility of twin-roll strip casting process of AZ31B magnesium alloy. Hot rolling and heat treatment conditions were changed to examine which conditions were appropriate for producing AZ31B wrought magnesium alloys after strip casting process. Microscopic observation of the crystals of the manufactured wrought magnesium alloys was performed. It has been found that a limiting drawing ratio of 2.7 was possible in a warm deep drawing test of the cast magnesium alloy sheets after being hot rolled. (orig.)
This document provides stakeholder evaluations on innovative technologies to be used in the remediation of volatile organic compounds from soils and ground water. The technologies evaluated are; in-well vapor stripping, in-situ bioremediation, and gas membrane separation.
The possibility of fabricating a superconductive vertex detector is discussed on the basis of a preliminary experiment. The experiment has shown that an indium strip 15 mm long, 20 ..mu..m wide and 0.1 ..mu..m thick is changed from the superconductive state to the normal state when struck by a single 5.4 MeV alpha particle.
In-situ air stripping employs horizontal wells to inject or sparge air into the ground water and vacuum extract VOC`S from vadose zone soils. The horizontal wells provide better access to the subsurface contamination, and the air sparging eliminates the need for surface ground water treatment systems and treats the subsurface in-situ. A full-scale demonstration was conducted at the Savannah River Plant in an area polluted with trichloroethylene and tetrachloroethylene. Results are described.
The internal-tracking-system (ITS) of the ALICE detector at LHC, consists of six concentrical barrels of silicon detectors. The outmost two layers are made of double-sided strip detectors (SSD). In the framework of a R and D, the characteristics and performances of these devices, manufactured by two different companies, associated with their designed read-out electronics, have been studied off- and in-beam at the SPS (CERN). The results are presented and discussed.
The performance of the leukocyte test area of the new multiple urine test strip, Multistix-10-SG, was evaluated in both field trials and model experiments. The detection limit was found to be adequate for routine purposes. Unspecific reactions are rare and generally indicated by the results of the other test areas. PMID:3572312
A portable barrier strip having retractable tire-puncture spikes for puncturing a vehicle tire. The tire-puncture spikes have an armed position for puncturing a tire and a retracted position for not puncturing a tire. The strip comprises a plurality of barrier blocks having the tire-puncture spikes removably disposed in a shaft that is rotatably disposed in each barrier block. The plurality of barrier blocks hare hingedly interconnected by complementary hinges integrally formed into the side of each barrier block which allow the strip to be rolled for easy storage and retrieval, but which prevent irregular or back bending of the strip. The shafts of adjacent barrier blocks are pivotally interconnected via a double hinged universal joint to accommodate irregularities in a roadway surface and to transmit torsional motion of the shaft from block to block. A single flexshaft cable is connected to the shaft ...
This report documents the technical development for a patent disclosure of a double-clad process for the continuous casting of thin-strip carbon steel. The fundamental idea of the disclosure is to form a product strip by depositing molten steel between two, cooled, clad strips of the same material. The claimed benefits include: (a) the conservation of energy in steel making through the elimination of soaking pits and reheat cycles, and (b) an improved surface on both sides of the as-cast product such that it will be suitable for direct feed to a cold-reduction mill. However, the process as conceived is not necessarily limited to the casting of carbon steel, but may be also applied to other metals and alloys. The work is described under three headings as follows. Preliminary Considerations and Scoping Analysis presents the basic idea of the double-clad, thin-strip casting process; the energy conservation ...
This is a process for manufacturing a semi-rigid, folding solar generator manufactured from several coated solar cells (Cics), which has at least two folding parts connected together so as to turn by hinges, characterized by the following stages of the process: a) On the back of matrix subsections, in order to cover the connector, carbon fibre strips are glued on, which project over the upper or lower edge of each matrix subsection. b) The projecting ends of adjacent carbon fiber strips are connected with two carbon fibre strips. c) At least two matrix subsections are fixed in separately manufactured carbon fiber frames, and d) the carbon fiber frames, together with the matrix subsections are connected via hinges to a solar generator.
A process is described for the recovery of uranium values from phosphoric acid utilizing an alkyl pyrophosphoric acid (Appa) primary extractant. After extracting the uranium from the phosphoric acid, the appa extractant is deactivated by heating and the uranium values stripped into a phosphoric acid strip solution containing ferric ion as a salting agent. The uranium values may then be re-extracted directly from this stripping solution without adjustment of its concentration into a dialkyl phosphoric acid trialkyl phosphine oxide synergistic extractant from which a relatively pure yellow cake is precipitated. A new procedure for preparing the requisite appa primary extractants is also disclosed.
We have succeeded in aligning self-assembled structures by using a lithographically defined stripe. The 140 nm wide by 100 nm high SiO{sub 2} strip is shown to guide the assembly of 500 nm latex spheres so that spheres are aligned along the strip and are in registration on either side of the strip. This method can be used to increase long-range ordering in magnetic storage systems without compromising the density. Inverse sphere Ni arrays were made by electrodeposition through the latex template. We also show that the hexagonal symmetry of the resulting inverse sphere Ni arrays can be simulated using the approach presented below.
We have succeeded in aligning self-assembled structures by using a lithographically defined stripe. The 140 nm wide by 100 nm high SiO_2 strip is shown to guide the assembly of 500 nm latex spheres so that spheres are aligned along the strip and are in registration on either side of the strip. This method can be used to increase long-range ordering in magnetic storage systems without compromising the density. Inverse sphere Ni arrays were made by electrodeposition through the latex template. We also show that the hexagonal symmetry of the resulting inverse sphere Ni arrays can be simulated using the approach presented below.
We have succeeded in aligning self-assembled structures by using a lithographically defined stripe. The 140nm wide by 100nm high SiO2 strip is shown to guide the assembly of 500nm latex spheres so that spheres are aligned along the strip and are in registration on either side of the strip. This method can be used to increase long-range ordering in magnetic storage systems without compromising the density. Inverse sphere Ni arrays were made by electrodeposition through the latex template. We also show that the hexagonal symmetry of the resulting inverse sphere Ni arrays can be simulated using the approach presented below.
The rolls and stand deflections induced by rolling force lead to a significant decrease in the radius prediction accuracy of the ring product in the in-plane roll-bending of strip. To precisely predict the deflections and control the radius, a new analytical model is developed. Numerical implementation is presented to solve the theoretical rolling force, the deflections as well as the inherent force-deflection relationship considering the interactions of the strip workpiece, the rolls and the stand. A series of profile measurements of the formed ring parts are made to assess the accuracy of the predicted deflections. Different control approaches are used in the experiments to validate the radius control model. The experimental results show that the model is reliable to control the radii wi...
Israel has faced the challenge presented by epidemic poliomyelitis by using different immunization strategies. In the 1950s, inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) helped to reduce the total burden of...Full Text Available
The beta titanium alloy, however, can be d_,_wn. _,plusor minus 0.010-inch_after the parts have been cold. Its availability in strip lengths and its good ...
The construction and use of a portable, microprocessor controlled anodic stripping voltameter for on-site simultaneous metal analysis of copper, lead and cadmium in tap water is discussed. The instrumental system is comprised of a programmable controller which permits keying in analytical parameters such as sparge time and plating time: a rotating cell for efficient oxygen removal and amalgam formation; and, data handling via a minicomputer or analog pen recorder. Plating and stripping potentials are controlled by a digital potentiostat; stripping is done using a staircase waveform with measurement of the current after a one msec delay. In this way charging current effects are minimized. Results of tap water analysis showed 3 +- 1 ..mu..g/L lead, 22 +- 0.3 ..mu..g/L copper, and less than 0.2 ..mu..g/L cadmium for a Berkeley, California tap water, and 1-1000 ..mu..g/L Cu, 1 -2 ..mu..g/L Pb for ten samples of Seattle, ...
The Micro-strip Metal Foil Detectors (MMFD) designed and used for the Beam Profile Monitoring (BPM) are discussed. The results obtained for the MMFDs produced by different technologies are presented. The MMFD deposited onto the 20 {mu}m thick Si-wafer has been used for the BPM of the 32 MeV alpha-particle beam at the MPIfK (Heidelberg) Tandem generator. Another MMFD with totally removed Si-wafer at the working area has been applied for the on-line X-ray BPM at the HASYLAB (DESY). One may conclude that the developed technology of the micro-strip metal detector manufacturing allows to provide non-destructive measurement of X-ray intensity distribution over area of up to 50 mm{sup 2} with an accuracy of 10-20 {mu}m with a possibility of its improvement by a factor 5. A sub-micron position resolution is expected by applying electron lithography for the strip pattern production.
A clinical laboratory evaluation was conducted on the Clinitek Auto 2000, the Super Aution Analyzer and the Urotron RL9 for the determination of glucose, protein, pH, blood, ketone-bodies and bilirubin....Full Text Available
Spray forming is an advanced materials processing technology that converts a bulk liquid metal to a near-net-shape solid by depositing atomized droplets onto a suitably shaped substrate. By combining rapid solidification processing with product shape control, spray forming can reduce manufacturing costs while improving product quality. De Laval nozzles offer an alternative method to the more conventional spray nozzle designs. Two applications are described: high-volume production of aluminum alloy strip, and the production of specialized tooling, such as injection molds and dies, for rapid prototyping.
In situ air stripping (ISAS) technology was developed to remediate soils and ground water contaminated with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) both above and below the water table. ISAS employs horizontal wells to inject (sparge) air into the ground water and vacuum extract VOCs from vadose zone soils. The innovation is creation of a system that combines two somewhat innovative technologies, air sparging and horizontal wells, with a baseline technology, soil vapor extraction, to produce a more efficient in situ remediation system.
The electron-capture processes of highly stripped ions of Fq+ (q=6,7,8) and Neq+ (q=7,8,9) in collisions with He atom were investigated using the energy-gain spectroscopy technique. A single dominant peak is observed in most of the energy-gain spectra except for the Ne7+ and Ne9+ spectra, in which two peaks are observed corresponding to the one-electron capture process into levels with different principal quantum number n.
High productivity and high quality slab machine have been recently required in continuous casting process to lower the cost of steel production. It is important to know the inflow behavior of mold powder between mold and solidified shell to develop higher-speed casting. The purpose in this study is to make clear she mechanism of lubrication between mold and solidified shell. Sn-5mass%Pb alloy and stearic acid were used as substituted of liquid steel and molten mold powder in the experiment simulated continuous casting machine. Direct observation on inflow behavior of mold powder was made experimentally by a digital video camera. The friction force between mold and solidified shell was measured by a load cell which was set under the mold. Mold powder flowed into the aperture between mold and solidified shell during both positive strip time period and negative strip time period and the amount of powder consumption in positive ...
The blinded study of CBUE (cytobacteriological urine examination) test strips was carried out in 100 patients (65 women, 35 men), mean age 85.52 +/- 6.28 years, admitted for a short stay in a geriatrics department. Urinary infection was present in 19% of the cases. Typical clinical signs (pollakiuria, dysuria, hematuria, burning upon voiding) were rare, less than 10%. General signs, such as deterioration of general status (65% of the cases) and loss of autonomy (53% of the cases), on the other hand, were predominant and their relatively unspecific nature required a reliable screening test for urinary infection. Good results of sensitivity (89.5%), specificity (98.7%), and the leukocytes/nitrites values, confirmed the validity of the urine test strip in hospitalized elderly patients. In addition, the negative predictive value of the combination leukocytes and nitrites (90.8%) would have prevented 71 samples from being sent to the laboratory for ...
This paper describes high speed rolling and gauge control in cold tandem mill for ultra-thin gauge strip at the Chiba Works of Kawasaki Steel Corporation. To improve the plate-out property of rolling oil, cationic polymeric coagulant was prepared. Rolling oil with cohesion independent of inorganic inclusions or phosphatide was developed, to improve the lubrication for cold rolling, remarkably. In addition, a low-cost Ti-enhanced work roll having high wear resistance and excellent grindability was developed. Rolling can be conducted at the optimal rolling roughness and operation can be performed at the highest rolling speed independent of the rolling treatment amount. Rolling speed at 2800 m/min was confirmed by developing the rolling oil with excellent lubrication and the work roll having high wear resistance. For the improvement of strip thickness accuracy at the steady state rolling, use of the backup roll as roller bearing was more effective ...
This document concerns the proposal to negotiate an amendment to an existing contract for the supply of thick 6 inch silicon micro-strip sensors for the CMS tracker. For the reasons explained in this document, the Finance Committee is invited to approve an amendment to an existing contract with HAMAMATSU PHOTONICS (CH) for the supply of 7 000 thick 6 inch silicon micro-strip sensors for the CMS tracker, for an amount of 3 248 000 euros (5 131 840 Swiss francs), not subject to revision, with an option for up to 11 000 additional sensors, for a maximum amount of 4 708 000 euros (7 438 640 Swiss francs), not subject to revision, bringing the total maximum amount of the amendment to 7 956 000 euros (12 570 480 Swiss francs) not subject to revision. This total maximum amount will be added to the initial contract amount of 415 835 000 Japanese yen (4 879 824 Swiss francs), not subject to revision. The amounts in Swiss francs have been calculated ...
The two-phase heat-transfer and pressure-drop characteristics of offset-strip-fin heat-exchanger geometries are examined using both experimental and analytical modeling techniques. Newly-obtained boiling-flow heat-transfer data are presented for two large-scale offset fin geometries at low-to-moderate wall-superheat conditions. Data for which nucleate boiling appeared to be completely suppressed were analyzed together with similar results for other offset fin surfaces to study the effects of channel dimensions on the convective evaporation component of the local heat transfer coefficient. Although these data were found to be well correlated in terms of modified forms of the F and Martinelli parameters used in previous studies of round-tube flows, a single F-factor correlation valid for all combinations of fin and channel dimensions did not appear to exist. The two-phase pressure-drop characteristics of offset-fin surfaces were found to be much different than those ...
At tandem cold rolling mills in Kawasaki Steel, by means of applying newly developed strip longitudinal (rolling) and transverse gauge control systems, high accuracy of thickness of within {+-}0.5 % has been achieved over the full length and full width of cold rolled strip, as gauge accuracy in a coil in longitudinal and transverse directions has become an extremely important quality control item in the manufacturing of cold rolled sheets due to the stricter quality requirements of customers, in recent years. The longitudinal gauge accuracy has been improved by the development of a high-response drive system for a mill mair motor, an all-stands gauge control system and a dynamic set-up control system. The transverse gauge accuracy has been improved by applying a one-side tapered work roll shifting method and the development of an edge drop control system in terms of the optimum use of an edge drop sensor. (author)
A multicentre evaluation of the urine test strip analyser Super Aution-4220 was carried out in six laboratories. The analytical performance of the instrument with regard to imprecision, linearity, detection limit, drift, carry-over and method comparison was studied. Using the Aution stick 8 test strip the pH, glucose, protein, ketones, bilirubin, blood, urobilinogen and leukocyte esterase were analysed. Specific gravity measurements were performed by refractive index method. Within-run and between-run imprecision determined at three levels of analyte were good. No carry-over was observed. Obtained results were linear through all the described analytical range. No significant drift was detected. Method comparison with some quantitative methods was performed and showed a good correlation with most of the analytes. The study of interferences showed minor interferences by common therapeutic drugs with the measurement of some analytes. During the ...
Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) causes relaxation in the opossum lower esophageal sphincter. The effects of dendroaspis natriuretic peptide (DNP) and other natriuretic peptides in the lower esophageal sphincter were not known. We measured the relaxation of transverse strips from the guinea pig lower esophageal sphincter caused by DNP, ANP, brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP), and a natriuretic peptide receptor-C agonist des[Gln^1^8, Ser^1^9, Gly^2^0, Leu^2^1, Gly^2^2]ANP(4-23) amide (cANF(4-23)) in vitro. In resting strips of the guinea pig lower esophageal sphincter DNP and BNP caused marked relaxations. Furthermore, in both sarafotoxin S6c and carbachol-contracted lower esophageal sphincter strips, DNP caused marked and BNP caused moderate, concentration-de...
In the present work, a rapid deposition anodic stripping voltammetry (ASV) for determination of uranium is presented. For this purpose, the uranyl hexacyanoferrate (K2UO2[Fe(CN)6]) is deposited electrochemically on a thin palladium-aluminum electrode (Pd-Al) from a UO22+ solution in the presence of K3Fe(CN)6. Then, the well stable (K2UO2[Fe(CN)6]) on the electrode was stripped by anodic differential pulse voltammetry for measuring the UO22+ ion concentration. The effect of operational parameters, including: concentration of K3Fe(CN)6, solution pH, deposition potential, and deposition time were studied. In optimum conditions, the calibration graph was linear in the concentration range 105-7 x 10-4 mol L-1 with a detection limit of 6.2 x 10-6 mol L-1. The influence of some concomitant ions in K2UO2[Fe(CN)6] formation was investigated. The proposed method was used for the rapid determination of uranium in some uranium mineral ores. (orig.)
Full text: Pigments possessing the ability to confer high solar reflectance have received considerable attention in recent years. The inorganic class of NIR reflective pigments are mainly metal oxides and are primarily employed in two applications: (i) visual camouflage and (ii) reducing heat build up. More than half of the solar radiation consists of near-infrared radiation (52%), the remaining being 43% visible light and 5% ultraviolet radiation. Over heating due to solar radiation negatively affects comfort in the built environment and contributes substantially to electrical consumption for air conditioning and release of green house gases. A pigment which has strong reflections in the NIR region (780-2500 nm) can be referred to as a 'cool' pigment. However, most of the NIR reflective inorganic pigments particularly yellow (eg. cadmium yellow, lead chromate, chrome titanate yellow etc.) contain toxic metals and hence their consumption is being limited. Replacing ...
To clarify the effect of electrostimulated deformation on the fine structure and mechanical properties of polycrystalline molybdenum the experiments on the flattening of wire 0.8 mm in diameter into a strip 0.4 mm thick and its further rolling to 0.1 mm thickness using the electric current of high density in the deformation zone and without it, are carried out. As a result of the electric current use the strip density has increased by more than 20%, the same plasticity being preserved. The changes above are explained by the transformations in the fine structure of the deformed metal, which are manifested in more uniform distribution of dislocations and impurities in the grain boundaries in wide angles of the disoriented subgrains.
A new interest in magnesium alloys has arisen since light-weight constructions have become more and more attractive. Products that are currently available are mostly cast, forged, and extruded. A cost-effective production of sheet metals will render new perspectives in the design of light-weight constructions. The development of new casting technologies like thin slab casting or strip casting with an in-line rolling process is expected to result in a shorter processing time featuring a high potential of saving energy, time, and cost. Particular attention is paid to the casting process parameters such as casting speed and solidification speed. This article deals with some aspects of a magnesium-adapted single-belt caster. Results of casting experiments and material examination are shown as well as some advices given concerning safety and handling of liquid magnesium. (orig.)
A urine leukocyte count of > or = 50/mm3 together with a bacterial count of > or = 10(5) colony-forming units (CFUs) per milliliter was used to define significant infection in 160 children with neurogenic bladder and evaluate the leukocyte and nitrite components of the Chemstrip 9 test. A Chemstrip 9 leukocyte reading of or = 500 leukocytes together with a positive nitrite reaction occurred in 18 children and had a sensitivity of 40% with a 100% positive predictive value for infection. Other combinations of Chemstrip 9 leukocyte and nitrite reactions were unhelpful or of uncertain value. Selection of up to three specimens from each patient increased the number of samples to 360 and provided general confirmation of the above conclusions. Nitrofurantoin may reduce the sensitivity of the nitrite strip reaction. PMID:8359003
The description of the high energy particle telescope NINA for the study of cosmic ray nuclei is presented. The instrument will be installed on board of the Resource 01 satellite and will fly on a polar orbit at 690 Km. The telescope consists on a pile of 16 detecting planes each of them is composed by two silicon strip detectors with perpendicular strips and has a total area of 60x60mm{sup 2}. The experiment goals are the study of cosmic ray protons and nuclei in the energy range 12-100 MeV/amu. It will be sensitive to the anomalous component and will also make the observation of the large solar flare events and geophysical phenomena as well. This experiment is the first step of the program RIM whose goal is the satellite study of anti particles in primary cosmic rays.
We study the one-phase Stefan problem on a semi-infinite strip x> or =0, with the convective boundary condition -KT/sub x/(0,t) = h[T/sub L/--T(0,t)]. Points of intrest include: a) behavior of the surface temperature T(0,t); b) asymptotic behavior as h#->#infinity; c) uniqueness, and d) bounds on the phase change front and total system energy.
... The composite ground floor is suitable for support to all types of wall construction and can be used equally well on strip footings or mini-pile foundations . The light steel edge beams provide the accurate template required for internal timber or light steel wall frames to minimise fitting time and eliminate rework. The floated slab surface will accept floor finishes directly and thermal insulation can be easily fitted beneath ...
Lithium (Li) plating-stripping reaction properties at the lithium phosphorus oxynitride glass electrolyte (LiPON)/copper thin film (Cu) interface is improved by the insertion of nano-thickness platinum (Pt) layer at the interface. The LiPON films are formed on mirror-polished lithium-ion conductive solid electrolyte sheets, and current collector thin films of Li, Cu-Pt multi layer, and Cu are formed on the LiPON films. The plating-stripping reactions at the LiPON/current collector films interface are carried out by galvanostatic and potential sweep measurements. Galvanostatic measurements reveal that Pt layer insertion reduces the overvoltage of the reaction and improves its coulomb efficiency. Also, cyclic voltammetry measurement suggests formation of Li-Pt alloys at higher voltages than 0 V (vs. Li/Li{sup +}) during the lithium plating process. Scanning electron microscopy observation clarifies that platinum insertion moderate non-uniform ...
Molybdenum is separated from molybdenum-containing activated charcoal or char also containing small amounts of uranium obtained as a by-product in uranium leaching processes by stripping with an alkaline solution to provide a molybdenum containing solution containing substantially less than 500 ppm u/sup 3/o/sup 8/.
The achievement of inner-shell photoionization of Zn-like Pd by means of two exploding foils is described. This resulted in the soft X-ray transition 3d94s2-3d104p at 46 A. It is shown that the photoionization of inner shell electrons in highly stripped ions can lead to X-ray transitions which may be candidates for X-ray lasers under 50 A.
Processes were developed that use lasers as manufacturing tools. These processes were stripping of insulation from cables and wires, machining of quartz, microdrilling and welding of reflective metals, and precision alignment of curved surfaces before machining. A technological basis also was formed which resulted in a process for automatic surface inspection of parts and aided development of machining processes for Kevlar parts.
Activities and results are reported of a project to investigate the application of remote sensing technology developed for the LACIE, AgRISTARS, Forestry and other NASA remote sensing projects for the environmental monitoring of strip mining, industrial pollution, and acid rain. Following a remote sensing workshop for EPA personnel, the EOD clustering algorithm CLASSY was selected for evaluation by EPA as a possible candidate technology. LANDSAT data acquired for a North Dakota test sight was clustered in order to compare CLASSY with other algorithms.
Experimentally it is found that at constant temperature the order-parameter relaxation time, tausub(..delta..), decreases with increasing power of the microwaves, coupled into a superconducting strip. If the same increase in critical current, that corresponds with a given power of the microwaves, is obtained by lowering the temperature, the decrease in tausub(..delta..) is smaller. This reflects the fact that quasiparticles are removed more efficiently from the gap edge by microwaves than by lowering the temperature in equilibrium. A modified time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau equation is shown to describe these results adequately.
The objectives of this report are: to demonstrate complete CSSX process flowsheet (proof of concept)--decontamination factor {ge} 40,000, and concentration factor {approx}15; Scientific and technical issues evaluated--stage efficiency, temperature control, hydraulic performance, long time (multi-day) operation, short-term shutdown, effect of solids, and recovery from Cs moving through strip section.
The continuous bioprocessing of simulated steam-stripped sulfite pulp mill evaporator condensates using Candida utilis to produce single cell protein has been studied. At 32 degrees C, processing can be conducted at space velocities of up to 0.43 hr/sup -1/ with over 90% removal of acetic acid present at an initial concentration of 2 g/liter. (Refs. 16).
Collisional-Radiative numerical models are commonly used to design or interpret experiments in atomic physics of laser-created plasmas, including X-ray laser studies. We describe our new code containing several options: average ion, more or less detailed configurations. It consists of an atomic data base coupled to subroutines evaluating ionic populations and emission and absorption coefficients. Numerical results are given to illustrate the capabilities of the code and to compare different models and types of approximation.
An assay method for ATP sulfurylase is presented which employs Na/sub 2/(35)SO/sub 4/ as a substrate and measures the production of labeled adenosine 5'-phosphosulfate and 3'-phosphoadenosine 5'-phosphosulfate by low-voltage, hanging paper strip electrophoresis. The method is applicable to crude bacterial or mammalian extracts and accurately measures picomole amounts of product(s). Na/sub 2/(/sup 75/)SeO/sub 4/ can also be employed as a substrate, if the unstable radioactive product, adenosine 5'-phosphoselenate, is converted to elemental /sup 75/Se degrees by inclusion of reduced glutathione in the reaction mixture. The same paper strip electrophoretic technique can then be used to separate /sup 75/Se degrees from the radiolabeled substrate. The method also has utility for measuring any direct reduction by crude microbial extracts of radioactive selenate to selenite, independent of ATP sulfurylase.
An extremely sensitive stripping voltammetric procedure for ultra-trace determination of iridium(III) is reported. The method is based on the interfacial accumulation of the iridium(III)-CTAB complex onto the glassy carbon electrode, followed by the catalytic reduction of the adsorbed complex in the presence of bromate. 0.3molL^-^1 acetate buffer pH 4.7+6.9x10^-^2molL^-^1 NaBrO3+2.7x10^-^5molL^-^1 cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB)+0.2molL^-^1 KCl was employed as the supporting electrolyte. The analytical procedure was verified by the analysis of the standard reference materials: Sea Water BCR-CRM 403 and Fresh Water NIST-SRM 1643d. The accuracy, expressed as relative error e%, was satisfactory, being lower than 6%, while precision as repeatability, expressed as relative standard deviat...
This report is in accordance with Phase I of the United States Department of Energy and Bureau of Mines Contract No. USDOE DE-AC01-77QQ90147. A thorough literature search was conducted and the current mining practice at nine coal stripping operations reviewed in detail. A review of the state of the art of blast design using current theory and practice is presented. Based upon this information, a series of recommendations are presented and a detailed test program is outlined for three operations. The recommendations to increase dragline productivity by improved blast design are directed at filling the bucket more quickly, with greater consistency and with a better fill factor: (a) overburden fragmentation, (b) muckpile displacements, and (c) blasting reliability. Recommended blast design concepts and operating procedures to provide the desired blast performance include: (1) Increase energy input per BCY by 40 to 100 percent and improve the effective powder ...
The front-end electronics system for the anode signals of the CMS Endcap Muon cathode strip chambers has about 183000 channels. The purposes of the anode front-end electronics are to acquire precise muon timing information for bunch crossing number identification at the Level-1 muon trigger system and to provide a coarse radial position of the muon track. Each anode channel consists of an input protection network, amplifier, shaper, constant-fraction discriminator, and a programmable delay. The essential parts of the electronics include a 16-channel amplifier-shaper-discriminator ASIC CMP16 and a 16-channel ASIC D16G providing programmable time delay. The ASIC CMP16 was optimized for the large cathode chamber size (up to 3 x 2.5 m2) and for the large input capacitance (up to 200 pf). The ASIC combines low power consumption (30 mW/channel) with good time resolution (2 - 3 ns). The del ay ASIC D16G makes possible the alignment of signals with an accuracy of 2.2 ns. ...
A study of two villages identified 55 woody perennial species that are maintained in contour strips across slopes and around fields in a subsistence farming system. These trees and shrubs produced fodder and firewood and reduced erosion hazards, allowing crop production on very steep slopes where it would otherwise be very difficult. Data on basic farm management, production of crops, etc. are discussed. The performance of the system is assessed and its strengths and weaknesses highlighted. It is suggested that several locally available medicinal plants could be incorporated into the system.
A car-borne NaI(Tl) spectrometric system was used together with a {sup 137}Cs source to obtain realistic data in the search for unshielded and semi-shielded orphan sources. The potassium-stripped counts (PSC) method was used to estimate the influence by the shielding on the detection ability. A reduction of about 5% in the critical distance was obtained for the semi-shielded source. A curve fitting method was also developed and evaluated. Results from the curve fitting method showed inferior ability to find the source compared to the PSC method. However, it can be a useful complementary tool, for characterisation of the source shielding, and estimation of the distance from the road.
A car-borne NaI(Tl) spectrometric system was used together with a "1"3"7Cs source to obtain realistic data in the search for unshielded and semi-shielded orphan sources. The potassium-stripped counts (PSC) method was used to estimate the influence by the shielding on the detection ability. A reduction of about 5% in the critical distance was obtained for the semi-shielded source. A curve fitting method was also developed and evaluated. Results from the curve fitting method showed inferior ability to find the source compared to the PSC method. However, it can be a useful complementary tool, for characterisation of the source shielding, and estimation of the distance from the road.
The ionization, excitation, and radiative recombination rates for highly stripped ions are cal- culated with Maxwellian and non-Maxwellian electron distribution functions of the type Cmexp(-vm/wm) (2<=m<=5) as encountered in laser-heated plasmas and certain types of turbulent plasmas. The direct-radiative-recombination rates are found to decrease by at most 30% as m is increased from 2 to 5. On the other hand, the ionization and excitation rates are found to be strongly reduced if the transition energy ? exceeds twice the local temperature kBTe. The effect of this on the distribution of energy levels and degrees of ionization in laser-produced plasmas could be important.
In Situ Bioremediation (ISB), which is the term used in this report for Gaseous Nutrient Injection for In Situ Bioremediation, remediates soils and ground water contaminated with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) both above and below the water table. ISB involves injection of air and nutrients (sparging and biostimulation) into the ground water and vacuum extraction to remove .VOCs from the vadose zone concomitant with biodegradation of VOCs. The innovation is in the combination of 3 emerging technologies, air stripping, horizontal wells, and bioremediation via gaseous nutrient injection with a baseline technology, soil vapor extraction, to produce a more efficient in situ remediation system.
A surface may provide a useful pumping action when able to retain adsorbed gas molecules for the duration of a given experiment. To fulfil this condition at room temperature, strong binding forces, as those resulting from chemical reactions, are required. Materials able to react with gases to form stable chemical compounds are called getters. The two main families of getters (evaporable and non-evaporable, or NEG) are presented and discussed. Special emphasis is placed on the NEG strips currently used for the vacuum systems of particle accelerators, and on the newly developed NEG thin-film coatings, in view of their possible future applications.
We study a generalization of the classical Riemannian Tonnetz to N-tone equally tempered scales (for all N) and arbitrary triads. We classify all the spaces that result. The torus turns out to be the most common possibility, especially as N grows. Other spaces include 2-simplices, tetrahedra boundaries, and the harmonic strip (in both its cylinder and Mobius band variants). The final and most exotic space we find is something we call a 'circle of tetrahedra boundaries'. These are the Tonnetze for spaces of triads which contain a tritone. They are closely related to Peck's Klein bottle Tonnetz.
Globular clusters are found usually in galaxies and they are an excellent tracer of dark matter. Long ago it was suggested that there may exist intracluster globular clusters (IGCs) bound to a galaxy cluster rather than to any single galaxy. Here we present a map showing the large scale distribution of globular clusters over the entire Virgo cluster. It shows that IGCs are found out to 5 million light years from the Virgo center, and that they are concentrated in several substructures much larger than galaxies. These objects might have been mostly stripped off from low-mass dwarf galaxies.
The characteristics and evolution of dwarf spheroidal galaxies (DSGs) are modeled on the basis of high-resolution CCD photometry obtained with the Canada-France-Hawaii telescope and reported by Kormendy (1986). The data and the results of core-parameter correlation studies are presented in extensive graphs and discussed. It is inferred that at least some DSGs are formed by the stripping of gas from dwarf spiral and irregular galaxies, although internal gas processes may also be important. The hypothesis that DSGs represent the faint end of the elliptical-galaxy sequence appears to be ruled out. 50 references.
Case studies are presented for treatment of refinery wastes in a pilot-scale thin-film evaporator, the removal of volatiles from industrial wastewater for two steam strippers, and the removal of semivolatiles from water by steam stripping followed by liquid-phase carbon adsorption. The report provides data on removal efficiency, air emissions, process residuals, treatment costs, and process limitations. Details on sampling and analytical procedures, quality assurance, and process data are contained in the Appendixes (Volume II).
Case studies are presented for treatment of refinery wastes in a pilot-scale thin-film evaporator, the removal of volatiles from industrial wastewater for two steam strippers, and the removal of semivolatiles from water by steam stripping followed by liquid-phase carbon adsorption. The report provides data on removal efficiency, air emissions, process residuals, treatment costs, and process limitations. Details on sampling and analytical procedures, quality assurance, and process data are contained in the Appendixes (Volume II).
The objective of this work is to improve the process for CO{sub 2} capture by alkanolamine absorption/stripping by developing an alternative solvent, aqueous K{sub 2}CO{sub 3} promoted by piperazine. Progress has been made in this reporting period on three subtasks. A simple thermodynamic model has been developed to represent the CO{sub 2} vapor pressure and speciation of the new solvent. A rate model has been formulated to predict the CO{sub 2} flux with these solutions under absorber conditions. A process and instrumentation diagram and process flow diagram have been prepared for modifications of the existing pilot plant system.
The bituminzation of decontamination and ion exchange resin stripping wastes with four grades of asphalt was investigated to determine the effects of asphalt type on the properties of the final products. All waste forms deformed readily under light loads indicating they would flow if not restrained. It was observed in all cases that product leaching rates increased as the hardness of the asphalt used to treat the waste increased. If bituminization is adopted for any Ontario Hydro aqueous radioactive wastes they should be treated with soft asphalt to obtain optimum leaching resistance and mechanical stability during interim storage should be provided by a corrosion resistant container.
In 1977 and 1978, workers at Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) developed and tested a process for the regeneration and reuse of silver mordenite, AgZ, used to trap iodine from the dissolver off-gas stream of a nuclear fuel reprocessing plant. We were requested by the Airborne Waste Management Program Office of the Department of Energy to perform a confirmatory recycle study using repeated loadings at about 150/sup 0/C with elemental iodine, each followed by a drying step at 300/sup 0/C, then by iodine removal using elemental hydrogen at 500/sup 0/C. The results of our study show that AgZ can be recycled. There was considerable difficulty in stripping the iodine at 500/sup 0/C.; however, this step went reasonably well at 550/sup 0/C or slightly higher, with no apparent loss in the iodine-loading capacity of the AgZ. Large releases of elemental iodine occurred during the drying stage and the early part of the stripping stage. Lead ...
We evaluate the neutrino fluxes to be expected from neutralino lightest supersymmetric particle (LSP) annihilations inside the Sun, within the minimal supersymmetric extension of the standard model with supersymmetry-breaking scalar and gaugino masses constrained to be universal at the grand unified theory scale [the constrained minimal supersymmetric standard model (CMSSM)]. We find that there are large regions of typical CMSSM (m_1_/_2,m_0) planes where the LSP density inside the Sun is not in equilibrium, so that the annihilation rate may be far below the capture rate. We show that neutrino fluxes are dependent on the solar model at the 20% level, and adopt the AGSS09 model of Serenelli et al. for our detailed studies. We find that there are large regions of the CMSSM (m_1_/_2,m_0) planes where the capture rate is not dominated by spin-dependent LSP-proton scattering, e.g., at large m_1_/_2 along the CMSSM coannihilation strip. We calculate neutrino fluxes above ...
The language used by chronic benign pain patients to characterize their pain complaint was analyzed to determine the best predictor of psychiatric disturbance. Using the 78 adjectives provided by the McGill Pain Questionnaire, the number of affective descriptors used was the best predictor of psychiatric disturbance. Addition of sensory descriptors either to augment the total number of descriptors used (magnitude) or as a pattern of sensory greater than affective or sensory less than affective failed to increase predictive strength. PMID:6877847
Two experiments used the McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ) to examine the affective dimension of pain in patients whose pain was secondary to malignancy. In experiment I, segregating groups of cancer patients on the basis of extreme scores (high versus low) on the MPQ failed to produce segregation on independent measures of affect and infirmity. This outcome contrasts with earlier work with chronic benign pain patients. Experiment II compared cancer pain patients matched with benign pain patients on intensity of pain report on the affective dimension of the MPQ. Cancer pain patients reported a reliably higher affective loading to their pain. These data suggest that cancer pain patients employ different criteria than benign pain patients in selecting affective pain descriptors. Possible explanations for this difference are discussed. PMID:7070825
Here, we show that the consequences of deficient micronutrient (β-carotene) intake during larval stages of Manduca sexta are carried across metamorphosis, affecting adult behaviour....Full Text Available
Various factors affecting the aggregation of Actinomyces naeslundii strain 12104 were studied. When the pH of glucose-supplemented growth medium fell below 5.5, the cells aggregated and formed microbial...Full Text Available
Knowledge of factors affecting variation in birth weight is especially important given the relationship of birth weight to neonatal and adult health. The present study utilises two large contemporary...Full Text Available
The urine test strip is the most common test used to detect ketones in veterinary patients, but it can underestimate the degree of ketonuria and hence, ketonemia. Additionally, adequate urine samples for analysis may be difficult to obtain from dehydrated animals. The standard method used to detect and monitor ketonemia in human medicine is measurement of serum or whole blood beta-hydroxybutyrate (?HOB). A point-of-care (POC) analyzer has been validated for this purpose in humans. This study compared the accuracy of the POC device to an enzymatic reaction laboratory method for measurement of ?HOB in dogs. Although the POC sensor tended to overestimate ?HOB concentrations, there was good correlation (R(2) = 0.96) and good agreement between the 2 methods with a bias +/- precision of 0.0860 +/- 0.3410 mmol/L ?HOB. The POC ?HOB sensor can be useful for assessing ketonemia in dogs. PMID:21119867
The evolution of intermediate and high mass stars is reviewed focusing on the interpretation of Pop I Cepheids. First, a summary is given of the classical results of stellar evolution theory for the main evolutionary phases (main sequence and core He-burning) all over the HR diagram, putting into evidence the various points of disagreement with current observational data. Second, models incorporating the effect of convective overshoot, are reviewed, and studies are presented on the rich, young clusters in the Large Magellanic Cloud, in which the models are compared with the observational data. Arguments are given to favor the adoption of models with convective overshoot instead of the classical ones. Third, new results are presented for pulsational models of the Cepheid stars, and the shape of the instability strip in the HR diagram, the number frequency-period distribution, and the mass discrepancy are discussed. 81 refs.
Summary 1. The EU -Nitrates Directive- (Directive 91/676/EEC) and the WFD (Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EEC) introduced a series of measures designed to reduce and prevent water pollution caused or induced by nitrates from agricultural sources. Therefore, there is an urgent requirement to control the nitrate concentration in freshwater. The objective of this paper was to verify the potential capacity of a specifically designed afforested riparian zone in removing the excess of nitrogen from river water. 2. A buffer zone was set with irrigation ditches, to produce a subsurface water flow carrying water from the study river through the buffer strip to drainage ditches. This experimental system enables the co-occurrence of two main processes: vegetation/microbial nitrogen uptake and deni...
Electron collisional data are required for population kinetics modeling and spectral predictions of highly ionized ions in high-temperature plasmas. Nickel-like ions are especially interesting for their potential use in soft X-ray laser schemes pumped by electron collisional excitation and recombination. For highly stripped ions of moderate to high Z, relativistic effects begin to play a role in the atomic-physics calculations. A relativistic multiconfigurational distored-wave model has been used for the calculation of electron excitation cross sections and rate coefficients between the 3s2 3p6 3d10 Ni-like Gd ground state and the singly excited states with an N-shell electron.
Polyethylene pipes and connections are being widely used in treated water distribution services. Migration of low molecular weight compounds from the polyethylene into the water can change its final quality. This paper is about the concentrations and identification of the migration compounds found in treated water after staying in contact with low and high-density polyethylene. Identification and quantification were carried out using CLSA (Closed Loop Stripping Analysis) extraction technique and gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (HRGC/HRMS). (Author) 12 refs.
A multiwire proportional counter type detector with thin slits instead of wires is presented. It can detect either charged particles (positive or negative) or radiation. The detector can be used as a counter or as an image converter. In radiography, it can replace photographic film or TV camera systems. It can also be used to measure particle or radiation energy. The slits which replace wires in the anode are introduced between two parallel microstrip conductors with different potentials. A quasi-polar electric field is produced between these strips. To obtain high fields, the slits are extremely narrow. Microstrips less than a micron can be obtained, giving structural dimensions of a few microns, i.e., 100 times smaller than the spacing in a classic wire anode.
Recent Kawasaki Steel's development on size and shape measurement techniques for hot steel rolling processes is reviewed. First, a precision enhancement technique for a laser distance meter is described, then its rugged structure necessary for measurement in such tough environment as hot rolling processes is described in detail. A plate length meters and an inter-stand sensors for a hot strip mill are shown as developed size measurement techniques. Furthermore, plate shape meters and laser profile gauges for H-beams are depicted as specific examples of shape measurement techniques. (author)
Time-differential magnetic moment measurements on the first-excited Isup(#pi#)=2"+ states in "2"0Ne and "2"4Mg with mean lives of 1.0 and 2.1 ps, respectively are described. The lifetime of the latter state was determined simultaneously. A special detection geometry was designed to improve the experimental #gamma#-ray anisotropy measured with finite-size detectors. For "2"0Ne also a time-integral measurement with charge-state separation was performed. The necessary electronics circuitry built to perform these complicated measurements and the plunger assembly with laser interferometer are also described. A magnetic moment measurement of "2"2Ne(2_1"+) with tau=5.0 ps and transient field measurements at low and high recoil velocities are reported. A discussion of possible extensions of the techniques are given. (Auth.).
A concentric reducer tube, which was a part of the top exit roughing hydraulic descaler in a hot strip mill failed prematurely under working pressure. A detailed metallurgical investigation comprising physical examination, optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and electron probe microanalysis was carried out to find out the genesis of the failure. Physical examination revealed cracks located symmetrically around the circumference of the tube that ran along its full length, up to the weld beads at both ends. Optical microscopy of etched samples revealed a banded ferrite-pearlite structure and the existence of forging folds near the change-in-section(160? fillets). Cracks were found to initiate from these forging folds. No structural abnormalities were found in the weld beads and...
The experimental details for measurements of the single event burnout (SEB) cross section of power MOSFET are described in case of ions irradiation of "1"6O, "3"5Cl, "7"9Br, and highly stripped charge state ion "1"2"7I, therefore the curves of the SEB cross section vs. linear energy transfer (LET) values were obtained. The measurements of the SEB cross section for 10 pieces devices of two types were carried out. The laws of the SEB at the different drain-source voltage V_D_S and different grid-source voltage V_G_S were demonstrated. The SEB cross section for "1"2"7I is higher than for "7"9Br by two orders of magnitude nearly at same condition. (authors)
Field-annealed Co-based amorphous ribbon (Metglas? 2705M) with a meander structure is fabricated by MEMS technology and the giant magnetoimpedance (GMI) effects are studied at different magnetic fields and frequencies. The maximum longitudinal GMI ratio of the ribbon is 193.7% and the magnetic field sensitivity is 17.4%/Oe. The maximum GMI ratio of the meander ribbon is much larger than the single strip ribbon mainly due to the larger change ratio of inductance L. The sensitivity of an output U reach up to 10 V/A and U thermal fluctuation is less than 15 mV in the temperature range of ?20 to 40?C. This meander shape ribbon can be considered as a good candidate for the GMI-based sensor fabrication.
A detailed study has been performed for estimating the orbital energies, positions and shifts of the Lyman lines of C5+, Al12+ and Ar17+ under strongly coupled plasma with a view to understand such line positions and shifts obtained in laser produced plasma experiments. The effect of strongly coupled plasma has been treated within the Ion Sphere (IS) model. Both non-relativistic and relativistic methods have been used for estimating the spectral properties. Theoretical estimates with IS model of the plasma are in conformity with the results of laser plasma experiments on these highly stripped ions. The experimental data for the systems have also been compared with the theoretical estimates using Debye screening model of the plasma with spatial confinements which gives additional restrictions to the wave functions at finite boundaries.
The energy levels, wavelengths, oscillator strengths, Auger rates and level-to-level dielectronic recombination rate coefficients describing dielectronic recombination into excited levels of Ne-like titanium from F-like low-lying states are calculated. Our calculations are based on Dr. R.D. Cowan's semi-relativistic mass-velocity and Darwin corrections are included in the Hamiltonian, and the distorted-wave model is used for the calculation of free electron wavefunctions. In order to set the recombination rate coefficients on a level by level basis, in a manner compatible with detailed level population kinetics modelling of highly-stripped ions in plasma, the dielectronic recombination rate coefficients as a function of free electron temperatures are given in an analytical form, which is not only very convenient in practice, but also hopefully accurate compared with the exactly calculated numerical results. (orig.).
A Process for yellow cake production from local Euxenite was developed in Bench Scale by using sulphuric acid digestion with simultaneously ion-exchange and solvent extraction purification steps. Uranium was then precipitated as uranium diuranate by ammonia solution. Equipment used in this process includes : digestion vessels, columnar ion-exchange, solvent extraction and precipitation units Ore feed to the process could be adjusted up to 2 kilogram per day (8 hours operation) with yellow cake product purity meet the requirement of Usaec standard of about 10-50 gram per day. Included in this experiment are the leaching characteristics of the ore, the design and construction of continuous columnar 4-cycle ion exchange unit, determination of the extraction and stripping stages of a gravity flow mixer-settler and the design and construction of continuous yellow cake precipitation unit with large grain size and high density product
Direct Flame Impingement involves the use of an array of very high-velocity flame jets impinging on a work piece to rapidly heat the work piece. The predominant mode of heat transfer is convection. Because of the locally high rate of heat transfer at the surface of the work piece, the refractory walls and exhaust gases of a DFI furnace are significantly cooler than in conventional radiant heating furnaces, resulting in high thermal efficiency and low NOx emissions. A DFI furnace is composed of a successive arrangement of heating modules through or by which the work piece is conveyed, and can be configured for square, round, flat, and curved metal shapes (e.g., billets, tubes, flat bars, and coiled bars) in single- or multi-stranded applications.
Manitoba Hydro's Ice Storm Management Program to reduce ice damage to overhead power lines in the voltage range of 8 kV to 115 kV is described. Overhead power lines are de-iced either by AC ice melting, which involves placing a three-phase short at a calculated point, or ice rolling, which is a process of mechanically stripping ice from conductors. Direct current heating and underground distribution systems are also accepted prevention measures. Advantages and disadvantages of each of these methods of de-icing are reviewed. Material for this paper has been extracted from a workshop manual prepared for the 1993 and 1998 Ice Storm Management workshops organized by Manitoba Hydro through the Canadian Electrical Association. 1 ref.
A body-centered cubic (bcc) Mg-12Li-9Al-1Zn (wt.%) alloy was fabricated in air by electrolysis from LiCl-KCl molten salt at 500 deg. C. Electrolytic deposition of Li atoms on cathode (Mg-Al-Zn alloy) and diffusion of the Li atoms formed the bcc Mg-Li-Al-Zn alloy with 12 wt.% Li and only 0.264 wt.% K. Low K concentration in the bcc Mg alloy strip after the electrolysis process resulted from 47% atomic size misfit between K and Mg atoms and low solubility of K in Mg matrix.
A body-centered cubic (bcc) Mg-12Li-9Al-1Zn (wt.%) alloy was fabricated in air by electrolysis from LiCl-KCl molten salt at 500degreeC. Electrolytic deposition of Li atoms on cathode (Mg-Al-Zn alloy) and diffusion of the Li atoms formed the bcc Mg-Li-Al-Zn alloy with 12wt.% Li and only 0.264wt.% K. Low K concentration in the bcc Mg alloy strip after the electrolysis process resulted from 47% atomic size misfit between K and Mg atoms and low solubility of K in Mg matrix.
The contribution of exchange processes (heavy stripping and substitution) into the amplitude of the 25-30 MeV #alpha#-particle elastic scattering by "1"2C and "4"0Ca nuclei is examined taking into account the distortion of plane waves of initial and finite particles. The eikonal approximation is used for accounting for distortions. The matrix elements of exchange processes are calculated. The results of calculations show that the Wronskian cutoff radii are close to those which have been obtained for calculation of exchange processes in the plane-wave approximation. The moduli of the values defining the contribution of exchange processes to the total S matrix are plotted. Also presented are Argand diagrams and angular distributions for both reactions. It has been established that the account for exchange processes improves the agreement of theoretical curves with the experiment in the whole range of angles, as compared with the optical model.
We propose a combined migration velocity analysis and imaging method based on Kirchhoff integral migration and reverse time migration, using the residual curvature analysis and layer stripping strategy to build the velocity model. This method improves the image resolution of Kirchhoff integral migration and reduces the computations of the reverse time migration. It combines the advantages of efficiency and accuracy of the two migration methods. Its application in tunnel seismic prediction shows good results. Numerical experiments show that the imaging results of reverse time migration are better than the imaging results of Kirchhoff integral migration in many aspects of tunnel prediction. Field data show that this method has efficient computations and can establish a reasonable velocity model and a high quality imaging section. Combination with geological information can make an accurate prediction of the front of the tunnel geological structure.
In order to increase the speed of photoelectric conversion, a linear CCD is applied as the photoelectric converter instead of the traditional photodiode. A white LED is used as the light source of the system. The color information of the urine test strip is transferred into the CCD through a reflecting optical system. It is then converted to digital signals by an A/D converter. The test results of urine analysis are obtained by a data processing system. An ARM microprocessor is selected as the CPU of the system and a CPLD is employed to provide a driving timing for the CCD drive and the A/D converter. Active HDL7.2 and Verilog HDL are used to simulate the driving timing of the CPLD. Experimental results show that the correctness rate of the test results is better than 90%. The system satisfies the requirements of the color information collection of urine analyzer.
The goal of the present study was to describe the clinical, haematological and ultrasonographic findings and treatment of 17 cattle with pyelonephritis. Fifteen cattle had an abnormal general condition, which varied in severity; five animals had signs of colic. The urine was brownish-red in 11 animals and cloudy in 13. Clumps of purulent material were seen in the urine of nine animals and clots of blood in two. The specific gravity was lower than normal in 13 animals and ranged from 1.005 to 1.020. A urine test strip revealed protein in 16 animals, blood in 16 and leukocytes in 12. Bacteriological examination of urine yielded Corynebacterium renale in 11 animals, Arcanobacter pyogenes in two and Escherichia coli in one. Rectal examination revealed abnormalities of the urinary tract in 11 a...
The objective of this work is to improve the process for CO{sub 2} capture by alkanolamine absorption/stripping by developing an alternative solvent, aqueous K{sub 2}CO{sub 3} promoted by piperazine. Thermodynamic modeling predicts that the heat of desorption of CO{sub 2} from 5m K+/2.5 PZ from 85 kJ/mole at 40 C to 30 kJ/mole at 120 C. Mass transfer modeling of this solvent suggests that carbonate and general salt concentration play a major role in catalyzing the rate of reaction of CO{sub 2} with piperazine. Stripper modeling suggests that with the multipressure stripper, the energy consumption with a generic solvent decreases by 15% as the heat of desorption is decreased from 23.8 to 18.5 kcal/gmol. A second pilot plant campaign with 5m K+/2.5 PZ was successfully completed.
The objective of this work is to improve the process for CO{sub 2} capture by alkanolamine absorption/stripping by developing an alternative solvent, aqueous K{sub 2}CO{sub 3} promoted by piperazine. Stripper modeling suggests the energy requirement with a simple stripper will be about the same for 5 m K{sup +}/2.5 m PZ and 7 m MEA. Modeling with a generic solvent shows that the optimum heat of CO{sub 2} desorption to minimize heat duty lies between 15 and 25 kcal/gmol. On-line pH and density measurements are effective indicators of loading and total alkalinity for the K+/PZ solvent. The baseline pilot plant campaign with 30% MEA has been started.
The objective of this work is to improve the process for CO{sub 2} capture by alkanolamine absorption/stripping by developing an alternative solvent, aqueous K{sub 2}CO{sub 3} promoted by piperazine. CO{sub 2} mass transfer rates are second order in piperazine concentration and increase with ionic strength. Modeling of stripper performance suggests that 5 m K{sup +}/2.5 m PZ will require 25 to 46% less heat than 7 m MEA. The first pilot plant campaign was completed on June 24. The CO{sub 2} penetration through the absorber with 20 feet of Flexipac{trademark} 1Y varied from 0.6 to 16% as the inlet CO{sub 2} varied from 3 to 12% CO{sub 2} and the gas rate varied from 0.5 to 3 kg/m{sup 2}-s.
Microbonding of the CMS Tracker Inner Barrel (TIB) and Tracker Inner Disks (TID) modules was shared among six different Italian Institutes. The organization devised and the infrastructure deployed to handle this task is illustrated. Microbonding specifications and procedures for the different types of TIB and TID modules are given. The tooling specially designed and developed for these types of modules is described. Experience of production is presented. Attained production rates are given. An analysis of the microbonding quality achieved is presented, based on bond strengths measured in sample bond pull tests as well as on rates of bonding failures. Italian Bonding Centers routinely performed well above minimum specifications and a very low global introduced failure rate, at the strip level, of only $\\sim$0.015 \\% is observed.
Cellulose sausage cellulose casings are used extensively in the manufacture of sausages in meat packaging. After stripping the meat, spent casings mainly contain cellulose and residual meat juice with salt, nitrate and nitrite. Disposal of spent sausage casings has serious economic and environmental concerns for the sausage industry. This work describes bioconversion of spent cellulose casings (SCC) into enzymes, lactic acid and ethanol by using cellulolytic fungi, lactobacillus and yeasts. The solid substrate cultivation (SSC) of Trichoderma reesei RUT C-30 on SCC and blends gave a maximum of 152 filter paper cellulase (FPase) activity and about 100 carboxymethylcellulase activity (CMCase)/g dry weight substrate. The SSC produced enzyme-rich casing with 50 FPase when directly mixed as suc...
Kawasaki Steel started the construction of an automatic steel strip coil transportation system in the 1980's. Presently, most of the in-plant transportation of hot-rolled or cold-rolled coils are automated. For establishing the automatic transportation, there were developed various technologies, such as, the optimum handling technology using artificial intelligence, the technology of preventing additional piling of coils on existing coils by using an ultrasonic wave and a laser beam. Through the improvements of these technologies, a full-automated transportation system has been achieved and the system has contributed substantially toward product quality assurance and cost reduction. This paper gives the changes in the automation technology of coil transportation in the automation of No. 3 finishing hot rolling mill, now having the latest automatic system, in Chiba Works. (author)
A clinical laboratory evaluation was conducted on the Clinitek Auto 2000, the Super Aution Analyzer and the Urotron RL9 for the determination of glucose, protein, pH, blood, ketone-bodies and bilirubin.Precision of the systems was tested using three commercial control urine materials, and reported as the percentage of times the instrument repeats a certain value. Good repeatability was obtained with all the instruments.Accuracy of the systems was evaluated by comparison with quantitative procedures, and to check agreement between methods yielding semi-quantitative and quantitative results, ranges of acceptability were defined, based on the criteria reported in a previous paper [2]. It was then found that 87.5 to 98.9% of results from the Urotron RL9 and the Clinitek Auto 2000 were acceptable. With the Super Aution Analyzer the level of agreement was apparently lower because of the higher number of concentration steps used by this instrument. PMID:18925198
Much theoretical and experimental efforts have been expended in recent years to study those atomic processes which are specially relevant to understanding high temperature laboratory plasmas. For magnetically confined fusion plasmas, the temperature range of interest spans from the hundreds of eV at plasma edges to 10 keV at the center of the plasma, where most of the impurity ions are nearly fully ionized. These highly stripped ions interact strongly with electrons in the plasma, leading to further excitation and ionization of the ions, as well as electron capture. Radiations are emitted during these processes, which easily escape to plasma container walls, thus cooling the plasma. One of the dominant modes of radiation emission has been identified with dielectronic recombination. This paper reviews this work.
Abstract Introduction.- Infection is the worst complication seen with inflatable penile prosthesis (IPP). Both the American Medical Systems (AMS) and Coloplast IPP have infection retardant coatings. AMS is coated at the factory with rifampicin and minocycline (InhibiZone). The Coloplast IPP has a hydrophilic coating covalently bonded to its components that will absorb any aqueous solution before implantation and provides increased surface lubricity to decrease bacterial adherence. Aim.- We tested several antibiotic dips comparing zones of inhibition (ZOI) against five commonly infecting bacteria with coated Coloplast implants. Results were compared with those ZOI created with strips of an AMS IPP precoated with InhibiZone. Methods.- Pieces of sterile Coloplast Titan IPP were dipped in (i) ...
Formulae are obtained for the angular correlation function of inelastically scattered ..cap alpha.. particles and ..gamma.. quanta of a pure EL multipolarity, which are emitted by an excited nucleus, in the case of exchange processes, if distortions are introduced into the eikonal approximation. The matrix element of the exchange processes is considered as a coherent sum of contributions from two mechanisms: replacement and stripping of a heavy particle. Concrete calculations are performed for the reaction /sup 12/C(..cap alpha.., ..cap alpha..'..gamma..)/sup 12/C. The obtained results show that the developed formalism enables one to get an agreement between the theoretical angular correlation functions with the experimental data at reasonable values of the calculation parameters.
A mobile gamma-ray scanning system has been developed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory for use in the U.S. Department of Energy's remedial action survey programs. The unit consists of NaI(Tl) detectors housed in a specially equipped van. The system is operator controlled through an on-board minicomputer with data output provided on the computer video screen, strip chart recorders, and an on-line printer. Data storage is provided on floppy disk. Multichannel analysis capabilities are included for qualitative radionuclide identification. A /sup 226/Ra-specific algorithm is currently employed to identify locations containing residual radium-bearing materials.
A mobile gamma-ray scanning system has been developed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory for use in the U.S. Department of Energy's remedial action survey programs. The unit consists of NaI(Tl) detectors housed in a specially equipped van. The system is operator controlled through an on-board minicomputer with data output provided on the computer video screen, strip chart recorders, and an on-line printer. Data storage is provided on floppy disk. Multichannel analysis capabilities are included for qualitative radionuclide identification. A "2"2"6Ra-specific algorithm is currently employed to identify locations containing residual radium-bearing materials.
Ecosystems worldwide are experiencing unprecedented nitrogen enrichment through fertilization and pollution. While longterm ecological consequences are difficult to predict, it seems that plants and animals adapted to nitrogen-limited environments are at particular risk from these changes. This report summarizes the limited body of literature which addresses this important topic. From a herbivoreAes perspective, fertilization increases the nutritional quality of host plant tissues. In some cases fertilization has lead to decreased production of defensive compounds. How this affects populations of insects is unclear because fertilization affects not only herbivores but their natural enemies. This report outlines how fertilization affects tree processes such as growth, photosynthesis, and production of defensive compounds. The many factors that affect insect repsonse to fertilization and the difficulties ...
The aim of this study was to evaluate the automated urine test strip analyzer Aution Max AX 4280 which uses strips able to measure 12 urinary parameters. For precision study, we considered glucose, protein, blood, leukocytes, nitrite, and pH and the four first were compared with usual methods: chemical measurement or microscopic examination. Reproducibility of the semi quantitative results was determined as the proportion of results falling into the same concentration range. Within-run reproducibility assessed using urine specimens were between 83% and 96%. Between day on quality controlled materials, it was higher (96%), and leukocytes were shared between two classes 250 and 500 cells/microL. For glucose and proteins, linearity was good and comparison with quantitative methods yielded high correlation. The false negative fraction was low and there was no false positive results. For blood, fraction of false positive was 7.5% for 0.3 mg/L of ...
The Savannah River Site (SRS) is a 310-square-mile United States Department of Energy nuclear facility located along the Savannah River near Aiken, South Carolina. During operations, which started in 1951, hazardous substances (chemicals and radionuclides) were released to the environment. The releases occurred as a result of inadvertent spills and waste disposal in unlined pits and basins which was common practice before environmental regulations existed. The hazardous substances have migrated to the vadose zone and groundwater in many areas of the SRS, resulting in 515 waste units that are required by environmental regulations, to undergo characterization and, if needed, remediation. In the initial years of the SRS environmental cleanup program (early 1990's), the focus was to use common technologies (such as pump and treat, air stripping, excavation and removal) that actively and tangibly removed contamination. Exclusive use of these technologies required ...
Cold deformation of YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 7-x}(phase 123, T{sub c} = 88.5-92 K) powders and strips causes partial decomposition of the 123 phase, a reduction in the degree of orthorhombicity of the structure up to almost complete degradation, and a decrease in T{sub c}. When they are deformed, yttrium high temperature superconductors acquire basal (001) (110) texture with high pole density (13-15 arbitrary units), low scattering angle ({+-} 6deg--7deg from the normal direction), and a weak preference for a, b or a + b in the rolling direction; traces of (139) orientations may also be found. This texture is known to be favourable for increasing j{sub k}. The combined effect of cold deformation and a carbon-containing binder leads, however, to a complete loss of superconductivity at 77 K or above. Depending on the regime of subsequent annealing, the following effects may be observed: degradation of the orthorhombic structure with a decrease in T{sub c}; ...
An experimental approach has been performed to ascertain the effectiveness of semi-solid strip casting using a horizontal twin roll caster. The demand for light-weight products with high strength has grown recently due to the rapid development of automobile and aircraft technology. One key to such development has been utilization of magnesium alloys, which can potentially reduce the total product weight. However, the problems of utilizing magnesium alloys are still mainly related to high manufacturing cost. One of the solutions to this problem is to develop magnesium casting-rolling technology in order to produce magnesium sheet products at competitive cost for commercial applications. In this experiment, magnesium alloy AZ31B was used to ascertain the effectiveness of semi-solid roll strip casting for producing magnesium alloy sheets. The temperature of the molten magnesium, and the roll speeds of the upper and lower rolls, (which could be ...
A simple and rapid laser fluorometric determination of trace and ultra trace level of uranium in a wide variety of low uranium content materials like soil, basic and ultra basic rocks, plant ash, coal fly ash and red mud samples is described. Interference studies of some common major, minor and trace elements likely to be present in different geological materials on uranium fluorescence are studied using different fluorescence enhancing reagents like sodium pyrophosphate, orthophosphoric acid, penta sodium tri-polyphosphate and sodium hexametaphosphate. The accurate determination of very low uranium content samples which are rich in iron, manganese and calcium, is possible only after the selective separation of uranium. Conditions suitable for the quantitative single step extraction of 25 ng to 20 #mu#g uranium with tri-n-octylphosphine oxide and single step quantitative stripping with dilute neutral sodium pyrophosphate, which also acts as fluorescence enhancing ...
The expanding plasma produced when an intense pulse of laser radiation is focused in vacuum onto a solid target has been used as a source of highly stripped ions for collision cross-section measurements. Usable fluxes of carbon nuclei at energies of a few hundred eV/charge have been obtained by irradiation of graphite with pulses of CO"2 laser radiation at a focused power density of 3 x 10_1_0 W/cm_2. Bombardment of aluminum and iron targets at comparable power levels have yielded ions of maximum charges of 9 and 16 respectively. A time-of-flight apparatus has been constructed to utilize the laser source for measurement of electron capture cross sections for highly stripped ions in gases at energies in the few hundred eV/charge range. Apertures collimate an ion beam from the plasma blowoff, and an electrostatic analyzer selects ions from the expanding plasma which have the same energy per charge. The beam is directed through a gas target cell, ...
Prototype tests conducted during the winter of 1989/90 have successfully demonstrated an economical design for air stripping volatile hydrocarbons from oily tanker ballast water. The prototype air stripper, developed for Alyeska's Ballast Water Treatment (BWT) facility in Valdez, Alaska, ran continuously for three months with an average removal of 88% of the incoming volatile organics. Initially designed to remove oil and grease compounds from tanker ballast water, the BWT system has been upgraded to a three-step process to comply with new, stringent regulations. The BWT biological oxidation process enhances the growth of bacteria present in the incoming ballast water through nutrient addition, aeration, and recirculation within a complete-mixed bioreactor. The average removal of BETX is over 95%, however, occassional upsets required the placement of a polishing air stripper downstream of the aeration tanks. Packed-tower air stripping ...
The commercial solid phase microextraction (SPME) fibers are not stable enough in organic solvent and tend to swell and strip off from the silica fiber in the high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) mobile phase, and therefore the application of SPME coupled online with HPLC is limited. In this study, an SPME fiber coated with single walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs), prepared by means of electrophoretic deposition, was coupled on line to HPLC for the determination of four endocrine-disrupting compounds, i.e. bisphenol A (BPA), estrone (E(1)), 17?-ethynylestradiol (EE(2)) and octylphenol (OP), in aqueous samples. The results showed that the SWCNTs coating on the prepared fiber did not swell and strip off from the platinum fiber throughout the experiment, thus indicating a high resistance to the HPLC mobile phase, the mixture of water and acetonitrile. The SWCNTs fiber had similar (for OP) or higher (for BPA, EE(2) and E(1)) extraction ...
Counter-current two-phase flows of air-water in narrow rectangular channels with offset-strip fins have been experimentally investigated in a 760 mm long and 100 mm wide test section with 3.0 and 5.0 mm gap widths. The two-phase flow regime, channel-average void fractions and two-phase pressure gradients were studied. Flow regime transition occurred at lower superficial velocities of air than in the channels without fins. In the bubbly and slug flow regimes, elongated bubbles rose along the subchannel formed by fins without lateral movement. The critical void fraction for the bubbly-to-slug transition was about 0.14 for the 3 mm gap channel and 0.2 for the 5 mm gap channel, respectively. Channel-average void fractions in the channels with fins were almost the same as those in the channels without fins. Void fractions increased as the gap width increased, especially at high superficial velocity of air. The presence of fins enhanced the two-phase distribution ...
After some observations about the tests of the research exposed in the literature, authors illustrate the tests for 142 patients divided into 5 groups: a) patients affected with acute viral hepatitis; b) patients affected with praegressa acute viral hepatitis; c) relatives of patients with acute viral hepatitis; d) volunteers; e) patients affected with chronic uraemia under dialisis periodic treatment. After the testing control, authors, conclude with an hipotesis: a possible epidemic function of faeces, urine saliva, in the passage of the acute viral hepatitis. PMID:488577
BACKGROUNDHirsutism is the presence of excess body or facial terminal (coarse) hair growth in females in a male-like pattern, affects 5–15% of women, and is an important...Full Text Available
The objective of this study was to evaluate how the vehicles of choice affect the pharmacokinetics of orally administered Fluoranthene [FLA] in rats. Fluoranthene is a member of the family of...Full Text Available
Selection of the appropriate radiation quality is an important aspect of optimisation for every clinical imaging task in radiology, since it affects both image quality and patient dose. Spreadsheet...Full Text Available
Recessive mutations of the early phase change (epc) gene in maize affect several aspects of plant development. These mutations were identified initially because of...Full Text Available
Mitochondria are the major sites where energy is produced in the cell. Functions of organs such as the heart which has high energy demand are seriously affected by dysfunction of mitochondria....Full Text Available
... 500 ppm, boron increases the 0.2% offset strength; results show that boron doping does not appreciably affect ultimate compressive strength; for 0 ...
IntroductionShoulder pain covers a wide range of problems and affects up to 20% of the population. It is not a specific diagnosis. Shoulder pain can be caused by problems with the...Full Text Available
Reference failures, and their increase in affectively negative conditions (known as affective reactivity of speech), are more frequently observed in schizophrenia patients than in normal controls, but no information is available comparing schizophrenia with depression, ie, a mental disorder closely linked to the concept of affective reactivity. To address this gap in the literature, the present study compared 24 schizophrenia inpatients, 21 unipolar depression inpatients and 21 normal controls. Two 10-minute conversational speech samples (1 on negative and 1 on positive memories) were collected from each patient. The transcripts of the audiotaped interviews were analyzed blindly for frequencies of 6 types of referential failures, employing the Communication Disturbances Index, adapted for ...
BackgroundHealth service databases of administrative type can be a useful tool for the study of progression of a disease, but the data reported in such sources could be affected...Full Text Available
ObjectiveTo investigate the prevalence of complicating and concurrent morbidities in older diabetic patients and to evaluate to what extent their occurrence affects the burden of...Full Text Available
Synthetic polymers and nanomaterials display selective phenotypic effects in cells and in the body that affect signal transduction mechanisms involved in inflammation, differentiation, proliferation,...Full Text Available
BACKGROUNDThe reproductive health of children born of infertile couples may be affected by infertility treatment or factors associated with infertility. We examined sexual maturation...Full Text Available
The purpose of this article is to critically review the available evidence pertaining to occupational, environmental, and individual factors that can affect the development of occupational asthma (OA)....Full Text Available
BackgroundChanges in levels of estradiol and progesterone that occur with the transition to reproductive senescence may influence nociception or affect.Full Text Available
The temporal synchrony of auditory and visual signals is known to affect the perception of an external event, yet it is unclear what neural mechanisms underlie the influence of temporal synchrony...Full Text Available
... System (CSRS) and the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS). ... retirement, thrift savings plan, annual and sick leave, severance pay and ...
The physical demands of performing on musical instruments can cause pain, sensory loss, and lack of coordination. Five cases illustrate common problems. Knowledge of the interaction between the technique...Full Text Available
Jan 22, 2011 ... Abstract: Land use changes and deforestation in tropical rainforests are among the major factors affecting the overall function of the global ...
BackgroundMalaria is one of the most important tropical diseases that affects people globally. The influence of environmental conditions in the patterns of temporal distribution...Full Text Available
Lichen striatus begins similarly to lichen planus, with small bumps (papules), but over a period of days expands to form a long streak or band of affected ...
Aging is a biological process that affects most cells, organisms and species. Human aging is associated with increased susceptibility to a variety of chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease,...Full Text Available
where I was in El Paso, I could always look up and see the smokestacks of the old Asarco smelter looming. The facility affected the city in more ways than that constant visual...
where I was in El Paso, I could always look up and see the smokestacks of the old Asarco smelter looming. The facility affected the city in more ways than that constant visual...
... 2. Help women become accepted by providing job-related training, creating flexible work groups with good climates, and encourage supervisors to ...
Periodontitis is an infectious process characterized by inflammation affecting the supporting structures of the teeth. Porphyromonas gingivalis is a major oral bacterial species implicated...Full Text Available
... content of the environment) are significant factors affecting the useful service life of adhesive bonded plastic composite sandwich panels at 650 F ...
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) persists as a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease and is characterized by the production of autoantibodies and immune complexes that affects multiple organs....Full Text Available
There is conflicting evidence about the effect of parental consanguinity on fetal growth. Previous studies have not always allowed for other factors that are known to affect birth weight, in particular,...Full Text Available
SummaryCongenital lobar emphysema (CLE) characterized by over distension and air-trapping in the affected lobe is one of the causes of infantile respiratory distress requiring...Full Text Available
... Deepwater Program is a 25-year, $24 billion plan to replace or modernize its fleet of vessels, aircraft, and information management capabilities. ...
Primary cardiac angiosarcoma is a rare cardiac tumor. The initial clinical course is often asymptomatic, and metastatic disease is present in a majority of affected patients at diagnosis. We present...Full Text Available
Sep 1, 2011 ... Title: Application of chloropicrin to Douglas-fir stumps to control laminated root rot does not affect infection or growth of regeneration 16 growing ...
Hypertension affects most hemodialysis patients and is often poorly controlled. Adequate control of blood pressure is difficult with conventional hemodialysis alone but is important to improve...Full Text Available
Aerosol particles are ubiquitous in the troposphere and exert an important influence on global climate and the environment. They affect climate through scattering, transmission, and absorption of...Full Text Available
Urinary tract infection (UTI) is a common problem in the female population. Women with diabetes mellitus are possibly at a higher risk. The usual medical therapy for UTI is antibiotic treatment. The aim of this study is to explore strategies employed by diabetic women for prevention and self-treatment of UTI. Forty-two women with diabetes mellitus who had experienced at least one episode of UTI in the last six months were included. Data collection included background information, questions about prevention and self-treatment strategies and a clinical examination to measure maximal urine flow, residual urine, a blood test evaluating diabetic control (HbA1c) and a urine test strip for determination of glucose, leucocytes, nitrite, blood, protein and pH. Thirty-five participants (83.3%) reported changes in daily routines like 'always keeping warm', 'increased fluid intake', 'good personal hygiene' as prevention strategies. Different herb and plant extracts were used ...
The Idaho Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center (INTEC) was home to nuclear fuel reprocessing activities for decades at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory. As a result of the reprocessing activities, INTEC has accumulated approximately one million gallons of acidic, radioactive, sodium-bearing waste (SBW). The purpose of this demonstration was to investigate a reforming technology, offered by ThermoChem Waste Remediation, LLC, (TWR) for treatment of SBW into a "road ready" waste form that would meet the waste acceptance criteria for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). TWR is the licensee of Manufacturing Technology Conservation International (MTCI) steam-reforming technology in the field of radioactive waste treatment. A non-radioactive simulated SBW was used based on the known composition of waste tank WM-180 at INTEC. Rhenium was included as a non-radioactive surrogate for technetium. Data was collected to determine the nature and ...
The Idaho Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center (INTEC) was home to nuclear fuel reprocessing activities for decades at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory. As a result of the reprocessing activities, INTEC has accumulated approximately one million gallons of acidic, radioactive, sodium-bearing waste (SBW). The purpose of this demonstration was to investigate a reforming technology, offered by ThermoChem Waste Remediation, LLC, (TWR) for treatment of SBW into a ''road ready'' waste form that would meet the waste acceptance criteria for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). TWR is the licensee of Manufacturing Technology Conservation International (MTCI) steam-reforming technology in the field of radioactive waste treatment. A non-radioactive simulated SBW was used based on the known composition of waste tank WM-180 at INTEC. Rhenium was included as a non-radioactive surrogate for technetium. Data was collected to ...
A compact, quasi-4? position sensitive silicon array, TIARA, designed to study direct reactions induced by radioactive beams in inverse kinematics is described here. The Transfer and Inelastic All-angle Reaction Array (TIARA) consists of 8 resistive charge division detectors forming an octagonal barrel around the target and a set of double-sided silicon-strip annular detectors positioned at each end of the barrel. The detector was coupled to the ?-ray array EXOGAM and the spectrometer VAMOS at the GANIL Laboratory to demonstrate the potential of such an apparatus with radioactive beams. The 14N(d,p)15N reaction, well known in direct kinematics, has been carried out in inverse kinematics for that purpose. The observation of the 15N ground state and excited states at 7.16 and 7.86 MeV is presented here as well as the comparison of the measured proton angular distributions with DWBA calculations. Transferred l-values are in very good agreement with both theoretical ...
The Idaho Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center (INTEC) was home to nuclear fuel reprocessing activities for decades at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory. As a result of the reprocessing activities, INTEC has accumulated approximately one million gallons of acidic, radioactive, sodium-bearing waste (SBW). The purpose of this demonstration was to investigate a reforming technology, offered by THORsm Treatment Technologies, LLC, for treatment of SBW into a "road ready" waste form that would meet the waste acceptance criteria for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). A non-radioactive simulated SBW was used based on the known composition of waste tank WM-180 at INTEC. Rhenium was included as a non-radioactive surrogate for technetium. Data was collected to determine the nature and characteristics of the product, the operability of the technology, the composition of the off-gases, and the fate of key radionuclides (cesium and technetium) and ...
The Idaho Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center (INTEC) was home to nuclear fuel reprocessing activities for decades at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory. As a result of the reprocessing activities, INTEC has accumulated approximately one million gallons of acidic, radioactive, sodium-bearing waste (SBW). The purpose of this demonstration was to investigate a reforming technology, offered by THORsm Treatment Technologies, LLC, for treatment of SBW into a ''road ready'' waste form that would meet the waste acceptance criteria for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). A non-radioactive simulated SBW was used based on the known composition of waste tank WM-180 at INTEC. Rhenium was included as a non-radioactive surrogate for technetium. Data was collected to determine the nature and characteristics of the product, the operability of the technology, the composition of the off-gases, and the fate of key radionuclides ...
The shallow Green River Formation oil shales in the southern part of Utah's Uinta Basin are potentially developable by strip mining or by subsurface techniques which take advantage of limited overburden. The resource of potential shale oil represented by the shallow deposits is evaluated in detail from corehole oil-yield data. Cross-sections are constructed to readily correlatable stratigraphic units selected to represent resources in the shallow shale. To define each unit, the thickness, average oil yield, and oil resource of each unit in each core are calculated. Contour maps constructed from these data define the resource variation across the shallow resource. By measuring areas enclosed in each resource unit within the defined limit of 200 feet (61 meters) of overburden, the resource represented by the shallow oil shale is evaluated. The total resource is measured as 4.9 billion barrels (779.1 billion liters) of potential shale oil at depths less than ...
Abstract The present work, regarding the determination of ultratrace Os(VIII), Ru(III) and Ir(III) in superficial waters is an interesting example of the possibility to simultaneously, or better sequentially determine each single element in real samples by voltammetry. The method is based on the catalytic current of the Os(VIII)- and Ru(III)-bromate systems by square wave voltammetry and on the Ir(III) determination by square wave catalytic adsorptive stripping voltammetry. 0.5-mol-L-1 acetate buffer pH-4.9+7.710-2-mol-L-1 NaBrO3 and 0.5-mol-L-1 acetate buffer pH-4.9+7.710-2-mol-L-1 NaBrO3+2.310-5-mol-L-1 cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) +0.2-mol-L-1 KCl were employed as the supporting electrolytes. The analytical procedure was verified by the analysis of the standard reference materi...
In a relativistic density-functional theory the importance of the transverse photon contribution to the exchange potential in the high-density regime is pointed out. A neutral atom /sup 92/U is studied and its orbital energies calculated in the present scheme are compared with previous calculations based on relativistic Hartree, Dirac-Slater, and Dirac-Fock schemes and with experimental values from (electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis) ESCA studies. The present scheme is also used to calculate the orbital and total energies of some highly stripped ions of the Li isoelectronic sequence which occur as impurities in controlled thermonuclear plasma. These energies are found to be in close agreement with more involved Dirac-Fock results. Also, the relativistic effects significantly increase in going from C/sup 3 +/ to W/sup 71 +/ because the electronic density reaches values for which relativistic effects become large.
In order to clarify a mechanism of melt-jet breakup and fragmentation entirely different from the mechanism of stripping, a series of experiments were carried out by using molten tin jets of 100 grams with initial temperatures from 250degC to 900degC. Molten tin jets with a small kinematic viscosity and a large thermal diffusivity were used to observe breakup and fragmentation of melt jets enhanced thermally and hydrodynamically. We observed jet columns with second-stage large-scale structures generated by the coalescence of large-scale structures recognized in the field of fluid mechanics. At a greater depth, the segmentation of jet columns between second-stage large-scale structures and the fragmentation of the segmented jet columns were observed. It is reasonable to consider that the segmentation and the fragmentation of jet columns are caused by the boiling of water hydrodynamically entrained within second-stage large-scale structures. (author)
We present high-precision time-series photometry of the classical delta Scuti star HD 144277 obtained with the MOST (Microvariability and Oscillations of STars) satellite in two consecutive years. The observed regular frequency patterns are investigated asteroseismologically. HD 144277 is a hot A-type star that is located on the blue border of the classical instability strip. While we mostly observe low radial order modes in classical delta Scuti stars, HD 144277 presents a different case. Its high observed frequencies, i.e., between 59.9c/d (693.9 microHz) and 71.1c/d (822.8microHz), suggest higher radial orders. We examine the progression of the regular frequency spacings from the low radial order to the asymptotic frequency region. Frequency analysis was performed using Period04 and SigSpec. The results from the MOST observing runs in 2009 and 2010 were compared to each other. The resulting frequencies were submitted to asteroseismic analysis. HD 144277 was ...
Changes in radiostrontium clearance (SrC) and bone formation (tetracycline labeling) were observed in the femurs of skeletally mature dogs following the various operative steps involved in bone screw fixation. Drilling, but not periosteal stripping, produced a small but statistically significant increase in SrC and endosteal bone formation in the distal third of the bone. Strontium clearance values equivalent to those produced by drilling alone were recorded after screw fixation at low or high torque (5 versus 20 inch pounds), as well as by the insertion of loosely fitting stainless steel implants. Bone formation (equals the percentage tetracycline-labeled trabecular bone surfaces) was increased by 30% when SrC values exceeded 3.5 ml/100 g bone/min, and the relationship was linear when SrC values ranged between 1.0 and 7.0 ml/100 g bone/min. The changes in SrC and bone formation one-week after bone screw application are primarily those associated with a response to ...
A new industrial process allowing to reach very high cooling rates in the cooling section after soaking of a continuous annealing line for steel sheets is presented. This process constitutes the successful conclusion of a long term research programme, jointly carried out at CRM and Arcelor Cockerill-Sambre for three years, including laboratory experiments, pilot scale trials and several industrial campaigns. It is running on from developments performed in the framework of the HOWAQ (Hot Water Quench) process. The process successively combines a moderate cooling step (600 deg C/s for 0.8 mm thick strips), in boiling water, and a faster cooling step (above 700 deg C/s), by impinging turbulent cold water in a box. Its main features are simplicity, resulting from advanced developments, soundness, flexibility and cooling homogeneity. As treated steel products are characterized by improved mechanical properties, outstanding surface quality (corrosion resistance) and ...
Proposed future space-based beam weapons systems will most probably require an intense neutral particle beam for effective operation across geomagnetic field lines. Such neutral beams can most efficiently be obtained by stripping excess electrons from negative ion beams. The objective of this work is to study the process of dissociative attachment of electrons. Specifically, to measure the cross sections for polar dissociation and dissociative attachment for production of H(-). It is suspected that these dissociative attachment cross sections for the production of H(-) from alkali hydrides are large. The insight gained from this study will be extremely helpful in the fabrication of high current density H(-) beam sources for use in the production of intense neutral hydrogen beams. A selection of alkali hydride molecules will be investigated in order to determine the largest cross sections for the production of H(-) by electron impact. The angular distribution of the ...
To examine and evaluate the predominant and common etiologic agent(s) of urinary tract infection (UTI) in Sukkur city and to determine their current antibiotic susceptibility/resistance trends. Nine hundred sixty six patients out of 1430 abnormal urine reports (showing significant abnormalities such as protein, pus, red cells) were asked to give second sample. The urine samples were examined by both urine test strip (Combur 10 Test, Roche) and microscopically (wet preparation) followed by culture and sensitivity. The culture sensitivity was done on urine samples of which bacterial numbers were estimated as more than 105CFU. The study was conducted at Safeway Diagnostic and Research Laboratory Sukkur and the Department of Microbiology, Shah Abdul Latif University Khairpur, Sindh from March 2001 to March 2003. Eight hundred fifty-two (88.2%) showed Escherichia spp followed by Klebsiella spp (6.9%) and proteus spp (4.9%). These showed 95%, 90%, 90% sensitivity to ...
The diffuse background light in the Coma cluster is measured using isodensity tracings of B, G, V, and R photographic plates taken with the Palomar 1.2-m Schmidt telescope. The isodensity contours are calibrated using the star profile derived by Kormendy (1973). Between 4 and 14 arc min from the center, the surface brightness of the diffuse light decreases from approximately 26 to approximately 28 G magnitudes arc sec"-"2. The total magnitude in this annulus is G = 11.22, which is approximately 45 percent of the light in galaxies alone, or approximately 30 percent of the total. This does little to alleviate the ''missing mass'' problem. The isodensity contours and the equivalent profile of the diffuse light closely parallel the distribution of light in galaxies, implying no strong mass segregation. However, the background light appears to be bluer than the galaxies. This is consistent with the hypothesis that the background consists of stars tidally stripped from ...
A comparative assessment of five different heat transfer configurations for operation in compact heat exchangers is presented. The configurations under consideration are four standaed heat exchanger surfaces - two plain fin, an offset strip and a louvered fin geometry - and one surface with so called vortex generators for heat transfer augmentation. In the case of the standard surfaces, the basic performance characteristics in the form of heat transfer and friction data versus the Reynolds number have been taken from published experimental results. In the case of the vortex generator surface, the performance characteristics have been derived from a numerical prediction of the flow and temperature field in a closely spaced parallel plate channel with vortex generators in the form of delta wings mounted on the channel walls. In comparison to the plain fin surfaces with a rectangular cross section, the vortex generator surface shows best performance characteristics ...
The operation of equipment in a mine produces a complex system which requires monitoring, simulation, analysis and reconciliation to ensure optimum production. The work described in the paper represents the initial steps in an overall program to enable optimization of production and equipment usage. Two areas of investigation are covered in some detail. The first concerns large haul trucks which accomplish much of the movement of minerals and wastes in many open pit mining operations. The monitoring of trucks in normal operation is described along with some of the results of such work. The second concerns draglines which are similarly important in moving overburden in many coal mines. A program of computer simulation of draglines is described. This shows the benefits of a simulation model which can be used to determine the effects of productivity of small changes in stripping procedure or dragline characteristics. The above investigations are placed in the context ...
This poster presentation dealt with a brief overview of the practices in effect in British Columbia related to metal leaching and acid mine drainage. The metals mined in the province include coal, gold, silver, copper, molybdenum, lead, and zinc. Some mines operate under the surface, while others are strip mines, etc. under a variety of climactic conditions and a host of different mining companies, such as Cominco, Placer Dome and Noranda. The primary objective is the prevention of negative environmental impacts on land and in the water. Salmon and other fish need to be protected. A secondary objective is the minimization of impacts on the biota, which requires a detailed study of ecological risks. The solution often lies in soil covering. To illustrate, the author described the situation at Huckleberry Mines Ltd. and the remedial action that was implemented, and discussed the results on the beavers. In conclusion, the author discussed the strategies implemented by ...
Gallium is present in surplus weapons-grade plutonium (WG-Pu) at a concentration of approximately 1 wt %. Plans are to dispose of surplus WG-Pu by converting it to UO{sub 2}-PuO{sub 2} mixed oxide (MOX) fuel and irradiating it in commercial power reactors. However, the presence of high concentrations of gallium in plutonium poses a potential corrosion problem during the process of MOX fuel irradiation. The batch experiments performed in this study were designed to measure the capability of the PUREX solvent extraction process to separate gallium from plutonium under idealized conditions. Radioactive tracing of the gallium with {sup 72}Ga enabled the accurate measurement of low concentrations of extractable gallium. The experiments approximated the proposed flowsheet for WG-Pu purification, except that only one stage was used for each process: extraction, scrubbing, and stripping. The gallium decontamination factor (DF) obtained after one extraction stage was about ...
We investigate the formation and evolution of dwarf galaxies in a high resolution, hydrodynamical cosmological simulation of a Milky Way sized halo and its environment. Our simulation includes gas cooling, star formation, supernova feedback, metal enrichment and UV heating. In total, 90 satellites and more than 400 isolated dwarf galaxies are formed in the simulation, allowing a systematic study of the internal and environmental processes that determine their evolution. We find that 95% of satellite galaxies are gas-free at z=0, and identify three mechanisms for gas loss: supernova feedback, tidal stripping, and photo-evaporation due to re-ionization. Gas-rich satellite galaxies are only found with total masses above ~ 5x10^9 solar masses. In contrast, for isolated dwarf galaxies, a total mass of ~ 10^9 solar masses constitutes a sharp transition; less massive galaxies are predominantly gas-free at z=0, more massive, isolated dwarf galaxies are often able to retain ...
A set of computer codes have been developed to produce spectral line shapes of highly stripped ions for a number of transitions in Hydrogenic, Helium-like and Lithium-like species. The choice of the transitions has been dictated largely by the laser compression experiments. The transitions of Hydrogenic species are: Lyman ..cap alpha..; Lyman ..beta..; Lyman ..gamma..; Lyman delta; Balmer ..cap alpha..; and Balmer ..beta... The transitions of Helium-like species are: 1s/sup 2/(/sup 1/S/sub 0/)-1s2p(/sup 1/P); 1s/sup 2/(/sup 1/S/sub 0/)-1s3p(/sup 1/P); 1s/sup 2/(/sup 1/S/sub 0/)-1s4p(/sup 1/P) and the associated dipole-forbidden components. The transitions of Lithium-like species are the entire n = 2 to n = 3 and n = 4 complexes.
The most recently developed control technologies in a hot strip mill are described. Preview AGC has been developed with a preview control synthesis. It controls roll gaps by using the previous information of disturbances. The disturbances which are concerned are derived from the rolling force, the roll gap and the thickness of a previous stand. The thickness accuracy and the availability of mill have been improved by this technology. An on-line roll grinding (ORG) system with an on-line roll profile meter (OPM) has been developed for the purpose of achieving schedule-free rolling. The ORG smooths the worn and roughed surface of a work roll and OPM can measure the profile of a revolving roll without contact. The data obtained by the OPM are given as feedback information to the ORG. As a result, grinding accuracy has been improved and rolling restriction on width has been relaxed widely. (author)
Stripping Voltammetry (SV) at microelectrodes has gained increased interest in the analysis of aqueous solutions due to its ability to analyze low concentrations (ppb) of electroactive metallic species in solution. Existing integrated circuit (IC) technology allows the inexpensive fabrication of microelectrodes with dimensions on the order of microns and with a high degree of uniformity and reproducibility. Additional circuitry, both multiplexing and signal conditioning, can be placed directly onto the sensor offering increased sensitivity and flexibility. Multi-element electrochemical sensors containing arrays of Pt, Au, and Ag electrodes and capable of individual measurement through built-in multiplexing or simultaneous measurement at the appropriate potential ranges for each individual electrode were fabricated using existing 2 micron IC technology. Results of simultaneous measurements of low concentrations of Cd, Pb, Cu, As, and Hg in solution indicate that ...
As part of on-going study of acid mine drainage (AMD), a comprehensive ecological risk assessment was conducted in the Leading Creek Watershed in southeast Ohio. The watershed is influenced by agriculture and active and abandoned coal-mining operations. This work presents a broad overview of several quantitative measures of hydrology and hydraulic watershed properties available for in risk assessment and evaluates their relation to metrics of ecology. Data analysis included statistical comparisons of metrics of ecology, ecotoxicology, water quality, and physically based parameters describing land use, geomorphology, flow, velocity, and particle size. A multiple regression analysis indicated that abandoned mining operations dominated impacts upon aquatic ecology. It also indicated low flow velocity measurements and a ratio of maximum velocity to average velocity at low flow where helpful in describing variation in macroinvertebrate Total Taxa scores. Other key parameters also identified ...
Promising approaches to produce higher alcohols, e.g., isobutanol, using Escherichia coli have been developed with successful results. Here, we translated the isobutanol process from shake flasks to a 1-L bioreactor in order to characterize three E. coli strains. With in situ isobutanol removal from the bioreactor using gas stripping, the engineered E. coli strain (JCL260) produced more than 50?g/L in 72?h. In addition, the isobutanol production by the parental strain (JCL16) and the high isobutanol-tolerant mutant (SA481) were compared with JCL260. Interestingly, we found that the isobutanol-tolerant strain in fact produced worse than either JCL16 or JCL260. This result suggests that in situ product removal can properly overcome isobutanol toxicity in E. coli cultures. The isobutanol prod...
The report details the results of a series of large-scale experiments where small coal fires were used to ignite conveyor belting at air velocities ranging from 0.76 m/s to 6.1 m/s. In the tests, electrical strip heaters imbedded within a pile of coal were used to heat the coal to a point of flaming ignition. The flaming coal subsequently ignited conveyor belting located approximately 5 to 10 cm above the coal pile. During the tests, temperature, CO, and smoke levels were continuously measured in order to determine both alarm time and level as the fire intensity progressed through the stages of smoldering coal, flame coal, and flaming coal plus flaming belt. Analysis of the data leads to certain conditions of air velocity and sensor alarm levels that are required for early detection of conveyor belt entry fires. Two nomographs are presented which define sensor alarm levels and sensor spacings as a function of belt entry cross-sectional area and belt entry air ...
A press formability of magnesium alloy sheet cannot be evaluated by only general characteristics in tensile test; tensile strength, elongation n-value and r-value. For example, AZ31-alloy elongates about 20% in room temperature but breaks easily at shallow stage in deep drawing, which is caused by little local elongation (local necking). Crystallographic restriction of slip deformation in this alloy produces high strength, which almost equal to macroscopic fracture strength. In press forming, the bending under high tension requires a large deformability. A great difference in the deformability between AZ31 magnesium alloy and a strain hardened A1100 Aluminum (only 5% in elongation) is shown by static bending test with V-notch. In a rolled plate of AZ31, a crack is produced by stress concentration and propagates with reduced load at all testing temperature up to 453 K. In contrast, the point of notch in A1100 is dulled by local plastic deformation with held load in a level through the ...
Binary mass transfer via Roche-lobe overflow (RLOF) is a key channel for producing stripped-envelope Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars and may be critical to account for SN Ib/c progenitors. RY Scuti is an extremely rare example of a massive binary star caught in this brief but important phase. Its toroidal nebula indicates equatorial mass loss during RLOF, while the mass-gaining star is apparently embedded in an opaque accretion disk. RY Scuti's toroidal nebula has two components: an inner ionised double-ring system, and an outer dust torus that is twice the size of the ionised rings. We present two epochs of Lband Keck NGS-AO images of the dust torus, plus three epochs of HST images of the ionised gas rings. Proper motions show that the inner ionised rings and the outer dust torus came from two separate ejection events roughly 130 and 250 yr ago. This suggests that RLOF in massive contact binaries can be accompanied by eruptive and episodic burst of mass loss, reminiscent of ...
Cross sections for excitation induced by electron collision between low-lying 1s{sup 2}2s{sup 2}2p{sup 5} and 1s{sup 2}2s2p{sup 6} states of f-like selenium and from these states to singly excited states with the excited electron occupying the M shell have been calculated by relativistic distorted-wave Born procedures. The GRASP{sup 2} code was used for the atomic structure calculations. The continuum orbitals for the construction of continuum states were computed in the distorted-wave approximation, in which the distorted-wave potential used was the spherically averaged potential of the nucleus plus the potential of the bound electrons of the bound state. The cross sections for excitations were computed first by a 233-level multiconfiguration Dirac-Fock (MCDF) configuration expansion and then by a 279-level MCDF configuration expansion. The latter procedure, which also took into account contributions from all the participating singly excited N-shell states, was found to be necessary ...
Specimen strips of pure alpha titanium and beta titanium alloy were exposed to a range of up to 46 deuterium plasma discharges in the Princeton Large Torus Tokamak (PLT) under simulated first wall conditions, and the amount of trapped deuterium in these specimens was measured, using carbon as a calibration standard for trapping. The Deuterium Nuclear Microprobe was used to study the total trapped deuterium and the deuterium depth distribution in the exposed materials before and after annealing at 373 and 423"0K. The Scanning Auger Microprobe was used to identify the effects of surface impurities on the deuterium distribution. Results indicate that about 20 to 40% of the incident deuterium was trapped by the surface and about 90% of the trapped deuterium remained in a 20A carbonaceous film deposited during plasma exposure. Annealing resulted in a gradual loss from the film. These results indicate the importance of impurity film formation which may play a dominating ...
The purpose of this text is to train engineers and technologists not just to understand corrosion but to control it. Materials selection, coatings, chemical inhibitors, cathodic and anodic protection, and equipment design are covered in separate chapters. High-temperature oxidation is discussed in the final two chapters ne on oxidation theory and one on controlling oxidation by alloying and with coatings. This book treats corrosion and high-temperature oxidation separately. Corrosion is divided into three groups: (1) chemical dissolution including uniform attack, (2) electrochemical corrosion from either metallurgical or environmental cells, and (3) stress-assisted corrosion. Corrosion is logically grouped according to mechanisms rather than arbitrarily separated into different types of corrosion as if they were unrelated. For those university students and industry personnel who approach corrosion theory very hesitantly, this text will present the electrochemical reactions responsible ...
The purpose of this text is to train engineers and technologists not just to understand corrosion but to control it. Materials selection, coatings, chemical inhibitors, cathodic and anodic protection, and equipment design are covered in separate chapters. High-temperature oxidation is discussed in the final two chapters ne on oxidation theory and one on controlling oxidation by alloying and with coatings. This book treats corrosion and high-temperature oxidation separately. Corrosion is divided into three groups: (1) chemical dissolution including uniform attack, (2) electrochemical corrosion from either metallurgical or environmental cells, and (3) stress-assisted corrosion. Corrosion is logically grouped according to mechanisms rather than arbitrarily separated into different types of corrosion as if they were unrelated. For those university students and industry personnel who approach corrosion theory very hesitantly, this text will present the electrochemical reactions responsible ...
The CMS detector (Compact Muon Solenoid) is under construction at one of the four proton-proton interaction points of the LHC (Large Hadron Collider) at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research (Geneva, Switzerland). The inner tracking system of the CMS experiment consisting of silicon detectors will have a diameter of 2.4 m and a length of 5.4 m representing the largest silicon tracker ever. About 15000 silicon strip modules create an active silicon area of 200 m2 to detect charged particles from proton collisions. They are placed on a rigid carbon fibre structure, providing stability within the working conditions of a 4 T solenoid magnetic field at ?10oC. Knowledge of the position of the silicon detectors at the level of 100 ?m is needed for an efficient pattern recognition of charged particle tracks. Metrology methods are used to survey tracker subdetectors and the integrated Laser Alignment System (LAS) provides absolute positioning of support ...
The circulation in microvascularized rib grafts has been compared with that in conventional rib grafts and in those augmented by a direct vascular bundle implantation into the bone grafts. A new experimental model has been designed to correlate vascular perfusion, bone scan patterns, tetracycline labeling, and histological findings in these bone grafts. Posterior microvascularized rib grafts were found to have a circulatory pattern identical to that of the normal rib. Failed microvascularized rib grafts were revascularized more slowly than conventional rib grafts. Vascular bundles implanted into rib grafts remained patent and increased the rate of revascularization. The stripping or preservation of periosteum had no observable effects on the rate or pattern of conventional rib graft revascularization. The circulation in rib grafts was accurately reflected in technetium 99 bone scans, as was the patency of the anastomoses of microvascularized rib grafts and of ...
Dynamical friction, or the rate for a satellite to decay its orbit in a host galaxy halo, is often severely overestimated when applying the ChandraSekhar's formula without correcting for the tidal loss of the satellite and the adiabactic growth of the host galaxy potential over the Hubble time. As a satellite decays to the inner and denser region of the host galaxy, the high ambient density boosts the exchange of energy and angular momentum between the satellite and the host, but on the other hand shrinks the Roche lobe of the satellite by tides. Eventually the processes of orbital decay and tidal stripping hang up altogether once the satellite is light enough. These competing processes can be modeled analytically for a satellite if we parametrize the massloss history by an empirical formula. We also take into account the adiabatic contraction of orbits due to growth of the potential well of the host galaxy. Observed dwarf galaxies often show a finite density core, ...
The objective of this work is to improve the process for CO{sub 2} capture by alkanolamine absorption/stripping by developing an alternative solvent, aqueous K{sub 2}CO{sub 3} promoted by piperazine. In Campaign 3 of the pilot plant, the overall mass transfer coefficient for the stripper with 7 m MEA decreased from 0.06 to 0.01 mol/(m{sup 3}.s.kPa) as the rich loading increased from 0.45 to 0.6 mol CO{sub 2}/mol MEA. Anion chromatography has demonstrated that nitrate and nitrite are major degradation products of MEA and PZ with pure oxygen. In measurements with the high temperature FTIR in 7 m MEA the MEA vapor pressure varied from 2 to 20 Pa at 35 to 70 C. In 2.5 m PZ the PZ vapor pressure varied from 0.2 to 1 Pa from 37 to 70 C.
A new model for fuel spray penetration (location of spray tip) is suggested and validated against available experimental data. Simple analytical expressions for fuel spray penetration are derived in two limiting cases: the initial stage and the two-phase flow regime. At the initial stage, the effects of droplet drag and entrainment of air are accounted for. In the case of the two-phase flow, it is assumed that the spray droplets have the same velocities as the entrained air. The characteristic time of droplet break-up in the spray is estimated for both bag and stripping break-up mechanisms. For realistic diesel spray parameters, the droplet break-up takes place almost immediately after the droplets leave the nozzle. This leads to a considerable shortening of the initial stage and a rapid conversion of the flow to the two-phase stage. This allows the analysis to be restricted to the two-phase flow approximation for this type of spray. The expressions for spray ...
The history of the urinary test papers does not being in the post-war period. As early as the 1880's some practitioners and pharmacists tried to replace the complicated wet-chemical procedures and apparatus by "dry chemistry." The first popular test paper for sugar and albumin originated in England in 1883. Dry reagents for proving hematuria have been available since the beginning of this century. Until the 1930s a wide palette of commercial urine tests with "modern" brand names was established. A methodological breakthrough was created by the spot test chemistry inaugurated by the Austrian, Fritz Feigl, about 1920. Using the capillary properties of filter paper in enhancing color reactions he founded a new area of analytical chemistry. Many of the pioneers were recruited from Jewish scientists. In this lecture is proposed that their emigration and banishment as well as the Second World War have stopped the development of urinary diagnostics on the European continent. In the post-war ...
Minimum weight design is an important criterion in aircraft and spacecraft because it allows either an increased pay-load or higher performance. As a result, the use of composite sandwich panels has grown due to their light weight and high rigidity. In order to further increase the efficiency of these structures, designers have used different materials in different shapes in the facesheets and in the core. One of the most recent innovations has been the use of a uniform net of carbon fibre/epoxy as the facesheets. In the present study, the optimal design of sandwich plates with heterogeneous, facesheets is treated. The plate mass is minimized, considering the first natural frequency and certain failure loads as constraints. Weight reduction is obtained by defining a nonuniform distribution of composite material in the facesheets. Initially, the facesheets are assumed to be constructed of composite strips in a regular pattern. During the optimization process, both ...
... All rickettsial diseases respond to treatment with antibiotics such as doxycycline and tetracycline As of 10 May, the Government of South Africa has reported 186 confirmed cases of RVF in humans, including 18 deaths, in Free State Province, Eastern Cape Province, Northern Cape Province, Western Cape, and North West Province. RVF is a viral disease that primarily affects animals (such as cattle, buffalo, sheep, goats and camels). The disease can also affect humans. The main mode of transmission of RVF ...
Eight patients with primary hyperparathyroidism were examined preoperative to locate the affected parathyroid glands. The localisation was done with technetium 99m and thallium 201. This new method seems to be of great value to locate preoperative the affected parathyroid glands. (R.B.).
BackgroundType 2 Diabetes mellitus (T2DM) affects persons of all ages, while also placing heavy economic burdens on national economies and healthcare systems. The study aims to investigate...Full Text Available
Within the tight binding framework, a study is made of how the disorder affects the electronic properties of A-15 compounds. In particular it is shown that for compounds of two transition metals in the A-15 structure, the vacancy formation affects the density of states only in the low energy region or in the high energy region, in opposition with the isolated chain model of Labbe and Friedel. It is concluded that interchain interactions are important. (U.K.).
This research proposes that the concept of emotional attachment, and specifically the independent constructs of psychological ownership and affective reaction, can help explain many of the endowment effect findings documented in the literature. We define these constructs and then test them across a set of nine studies in which we both replicate previous and generate new endowment effect findings, and then show that psychological ownership and affective reaction can mediate the effects. In doing so, we offer direct empirical support for the idea of emotional attachment as a driver of loss aversion while also providing practitioners and future endowment effect researchers with new insights about the psychological processes that underlie the endowment effect.
The effect of water shortage on growth and gas exchange of maize grown on sandy soil (SS) and clay soil was studied. The lower soil water content in the SS during vegetative growth stages did not affect plant height, above-ground biomass, and leaf area index (LAI). LAI reduction was observed on the SS during the reproductive stage due to early leaf senescence. Canopy and leaf gas exchanges, measured by eddy correlation technique and by a portable photosynthetic system, respectively, were affected by water stress and a greater reduction in net photosynthetic rate (A N) and stomatal conductance (g s) was observed on SS. Chlorophyll and carotenoids content was not affected by water shortage in either condition. Results support two main conclusions: (1) leaf photosynthetic capacity was unaffec...
Climate variability greatly affects animals through direct and indirect effects. Animals with slow reproductive adaptation to ecological changes such as large mammals are likely to have evolved mechanisms to anticipate early such impacts of climate variability on the environment. One of the adaptive mechanisms between reproductive costs and benefits in mammals affects parental investment through biases in sex ratio. Deer might be likely to show an early detection of climate variability because conception takes place in early autumn, but the main raising cost in deer concerns lactation, which takes place at the end of the following spring. The aim of this paper is to assess whether there is a relationship between global indices of climate variability such as El Ni?o-Southern Oscillation (EN...
The protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi is the etiologic agent of Chagas disease, a neglected tropical infection that affects millions of people in the Americas. Current chemotherapy...Full Text Available
Man-made endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) present a threat to biodiversity, even in remote areas. To date, numerous wildlife species have been affected by EDCs in the environment, but it is likely...Full Text Available
Ophthalmologic abnormalities have been described in patients with dementia, but the extent to which poor vision and treatment for visual disorders affect cognitive decline is not well defined. Linked...Full Text Available
Femur fractures typically affect elderly patients with multiple co-morbidities. Pain control can be difficult, requiring intensive nursing and physician care as elderly patients may manifest cardiovascular...Full Text Available
Tinea nigra is a superficial mycosis caused by Hortaea werneckii. It is an infrequent asymptomatic infection that affects human palms and soles, and is mostly observed in tropical...Full Text Available
Opinions on factors affecting public power systems are presented. Social, economic, and political factors are discussed in terms of their impact on public power. Competition with investor-owned utilities is the primary focus of the paper. Privatization and regulations are other issues discussed.
After lifestyle and behavioral measures to control overactive bladder, the mainstay of pharmacological treatment is the use of antimuscarinic therapy. Overactive bladder predominantly affects older...Full Text Available
FRAXA is one of a number of fragile sites in human chromosomes that are induced by agents like fluorodeoxyuridine (FdU) that affect intracellular thymidylate levels. FRAXA coincides with a >200...Full Text Available
The rolC gene of Agrobacterium rhizogenes, which drastically affects growth and development of transgenic plants, codes for a cytokinin-beta-glucosidase. Indeed, rolC protein expressed in Escherichia...Full Text Available
The gram-positive pathogen Streptococcus pyogenes was recently reported to possess a homologue of the luxS gene that is responsible for the production of autoinducer...Full Text Available
BackgroundWhile the gene flow in some organisms is strongly affected by physical barriers and geographical distance, other highly mobile species are able to overcome such constraints....Full Text Available
The challenge to our profession today is to improve the quality of oral health while overcoming both extrinsic and intrinsic factors which may adversely affect our progress toward this goal. The combined...Full Text Available
BackgroundDuring the last ten years, major advances have been made in characterizing and understanding the evolution of mitochondrial DNA, the most popular marker of molecular biodiversity....Full Text Available
Chronically elevated interleukin-6 (IL-6) affects lipid and lipoprotein metabolism. Individuals genetically predisposed to higher IL-6 secretion may be at risk of dyslipidemia, especially during the...Full Text Available
After more than a decade of the AIDS epidemic in Thailand, the number of children whose parents are living with HIV or have died from AIDS is increasing significantly and it has been reported that these...Full Text Available
Thyroid hormone is a critical regulator of growth, development and metabolism in virtually all tissues, and altered thyroid status affects many organs and systems. Although for many years testis...Full Text Available
BackgroundThe link between maternal factors and birth outcomes is well established. Substantial changes in society and medical care over time have influenced women's reproductive...Full Text Available
Hip fractures are associated with a high rate of mortality and profound temporary and sometimes permanent impairment of quality of life. Current guidelines indicate that surgeons should perform surgery...Full Text Available
In recent years, the interest in the use of bacteria for biological control of plant-pathogenic fungi has increased. We studied the possible side effects of coating barley seeds with the antagonistic...Full Text Available
Gas exchange between the plant and the environment is severely hampered when plants are submerged, leading to oxygen and energy deficits. A straightforward way to reduce these shortages of oxygen and...Full Text Available
Gonadal, adrenal, and thyroid hormones affect the brain directly, and the sensitivity to hormones begins in embryonic life with the appearance of hormone receptor sites in discrete populations of neurons....Full Text Available
Sperm competition occurs when 2 or more males copulate with a particular female during the same reproductive cycle, and their sperm compete to fertilize the female's available eggs. One strategy that...Full Text Available
BackgroundIn many of the European countries affected by Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), case clustering patterns have been observed. Most of these patterns have been interpreted...Full Text Available
Sparganosis is a rare parasitic infection affecting various organs, including the central nervous system, especially the lumbar epidural space. This report describes the identification of disease and...Full Text Available
Sexually-selected communication signals can be used by competing males to settle contests without incurring the costs of fighting. Steroid regulation of these signals can render them as reliable...Full Text Available
Leptin is involved in the endocrine control of energy expenditure and body weight regulation. Previous studies emphasize a relationship between hypoxic states and leptin concentrations. The aim of this...Full Text Available
BackgroundUnderstanding the interactions between ion channels and blockers remains an important goal that has implications for delineating the basic mechanisms of ion channel function...Full Text Available
From view on Organization Behavior theory, the concept, development and affecting factors of safety culture are introduced. The focuses are on the establishment, development and management practice for safety culture at Daya Bay NPP. A strong safety culture, also demonstrated, has contributed greatly to improving performance at Daya Bay
This paper addresses the major issues beginning teachers face in their first postings to rural areas in Australia. The issues go beyond pedagogy. Beginning teachers need to understand social factors affecting rural communities so they can link lessons to the realities experienced by students. Geographic isolation affects the provision of education in terms of time taken to travel, cost, terrain, and technology. Rural communities have groups that are socially isolated from each other and from the staff in schools. In order to teach effectively, teachers need to be aware of the social context of the community in which they live and work. Teachers in rural areas suffer from professional isolation and often confront teaching situations for which they have had little formal preparation. Communities in remote places often move quickly to adopt technological means to overcome their isolation. Teachers in rural areas need to identify and promote the ...
Though central to our understanding of how roots perform their vital function of scavenging water and solutes from the soil, no direct genetic evidence currently exists to support the foundational model...Full Text Available
A positive, genetic selection against the activity of the nitrogen regulatory (NTR) system was used to isolate insertion mutations affecting nitrogen regulation in Klebsiella aerogenes. Two classes...Full Text Available
Atypical antipsychotic medications have assumed growing importance for the treatment of bipolar disorder, an illness that affects approximately 1.2%–3.7% of the general population in a given...Full Text Available
Peripheral vascular diseases (PVD) are referred to as diseases affecting the blood vessels other than the heart and the brain. Interventional endovascular treatment whenever feasible has become the...Full Text Available
Rate of dehydration greatly affects desiccation tolerance of recalcitrant seeds. This effect is presumably related to two different stress vectors: direct mechanical or physical stress because of the...Full Text Available
Breast cancer is a progressive and potentially fatal disease that affects women of all ages. Like all progressive diseases, early and reliable diagnosis is the key for successful treatment and annihilation....Full Text Available
BACKGROUND:Canadian chronic pain prevalence estimates range from 11% to 66%, are affected by sampling and measurement bias, and largely represent urban settings.OBJECTIVES:To...Full Text Available
Orthologous positions of 55 genes associated with height in four human populations were located on the bovine genome. Single nucleotide polymorphisms close to eight of these genes were significantly...Full Text Available
Polyandrous mating is common, but the benefits for females of polyandry remain controversial. To test whether mating with multiple males affects female fitness, we compared lifetime components of fitness...Full Text Available
The phytochrome-mediated attachment of root tips of mung bean (Phaseolus aureus) and barley (Hordeum vulgare) to glass is affected by the prior exposure of hydrated...Full Text Available
We examine how the structure and function of indirect flight muscle (IFM) and the entire flight system of Drosophila melanogaster are affected by phosphorylation of the myosin regulatory light chain...Full Text Available
The epigenome consists of non–sequence-based modifications, such as DNA methylation, that are heritable during cell division and that may affect normal phenotypes and predisposition...Full Text Available
Objective:We examine the extent to which body weight affects three types of perceived interpersonal mistreatment, and evaluate whether these patterns vary by race,...Full Text Available
BackgroundSeasonal influenza A infection affects a significant cohort of the global population annually, resulting in considerable morbidity and mortality. Therapeutic strategies...Full Text Available
Subjective tinnitus, the phantom ringing or buzzing sensation that occurs in the absence of sound, affects 12–14% of adults; in some cases the tinnitus is so severe or disabling that...Full Text Available
Exposure of a group of horses to tetracycline-contaminated feed resulted in acute colitis and subsequent death in one horse and milder diarrhea in 3 others. The most severely affected animal demonstrated...Full Text Available
An organ-specific invertase deficiency affecting only the primary root system is described in the Oh 43 inbred maize (Zea mays). Invertases (acid and neutral/soluble and insoluble)...Full Text Available
The majority of diseases in the retina are caused by genetic mutations affecting the development and function of photoreceptor cells. The transcriptional networks directing these processes are regulated...Full Text Available
In a follow-up to our previously reported genome-wide association study of cutaneous basal cell carcinoma (BCC)1, we describe here several new susceptibility...Full Text Available
In our quest for novel genes required for the development of the embryonic peripheral nervous system (PNS), we have performed three genetic screens using MAb 22C10 as a marker of terminally differentiated...Full Text Available
PurposeRetinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a genetically heterogeneous disorder characterized by progressive loss of vision. The aim of this study was to identify the causative mutations...Full Text Available
Abstract in english The main objective of the research presented here is to relate anatomical features of wood species that affect the interactions between polymeric phases and performance of wood plastic composites (WPC). These interactions are related to the probable interlocking volume and surface area for stress transfer in a WPC. Composites were produced from different wood species and analyzed using SEM (scanning electron microscopy). Results showed that wood species with high interfac (more) ial areas may increase mechanical interlocking, reflected in the viscous constant of the Maxwell model. A complicating factor is that the relation of cell wall thickness-lumen diameter and the interconnectivity between wood cells in a wood, affect the potential for cell collapse. When wood cells collapse, the penetration of the thermoplastic into the wood structure is almost always ceased. The collapse of wood cells during extrusion-injection molding ...
The walleye dermal sarcoma is a mesenchymal tumor which seasonally affects up to 27% of adult walleye fish (Stizostedion vitreum). It arises multicentrically in the dermis, in which its development...Full Text Available
Aluminium (Al) toxicity, affecting around half of the world¿s arable land, severely hinders the ability of crop plants to utilize moisture and nutrients by restricting root growth and function. Among the cultivated cereals, rye is the most Al-tolerant and represents an important potential source of ...
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
Factors affecting the membrane filtration of food suspensions were studied for 58 foods and 13 membrane filters. Lot number within a brand, pore size (0.45 or 0.8 micrometer), and time elapsed before...Full Text Available
Objective:Parkinson disease (PD) may affect the autonomic nervous system and may cause constipation; however, few studies have explored constipation preceding the motor onset of...Full Text Available
A mechanistic understanding of fracture in human bone is critical to predicting fracture risk associated with age and disease. Despite extensive work, a mechanistic framework for describing how the underlying microstructure affects the failure mode in bone is lacking.
BackgroundMass treatment to trachoma endemic communities is a critical part of the World Health Organization SAFE strategy. However, non-participation may not be at random, affecting...Full Text Available
Female sexual promiscuity can have significant effects on male mating decisions because it increases the intensity of competition between ejaculates for fertilization. Because sperm production is costly,...Full Text Available
In this paper we report a case with primarily unspecific arthralgia after surgical therapy of hallux valgus deformity and consecutive reflex sympathetic dystrophy in which MR led to the diagnosis of Lyme disease. (orig.)
Retinal degenerative diseases, such as retinitis pigmentosa and Leber congenital amaurosis, are a leading cause of untreatable blindness with substantive impact on the quality of life of affected individuals...Full Text Available
In this study, our main objective was to determine whether energy restriction (ER) affects the rate of oxygen consumption of mice transiently or lastingly and whether metabolic rate plays a role in...Full Text Available
BackgroundLead poisoning affects many organs in the body. Lead inhibits δ-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (ALAD), an enzyme with two co-dominantly expressed alleles, ALAD1...Full Text Available
A field experiment was conducted during the summer of 1988 to test the hypothesis that water deficit affects the abscisic acid (ABA) and indole acetic acid (IAA) concentrations in cotton (Gossypium...Full Text Available
The phytochrome-mediated attachment of mung bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L., var. Oklahoma 612) root tips on glass is quickly affected by indoleactic acid and abscisic acid at concentrations...Full Text Available
Increased sensitivity to light-induced melatonin suppression characterizes some, but not all, patients with bipolar illness or seasonal affective disorder. The aim of this study was to test...Full Text Available
BackgroundDespite concerns that facilitating informed choice would decrease diabetes screening uptake, 'informed choice' invitations that increased knowledge did not affect attendance...Full Text Available
BackgroundGene regulation is a key mechanism in higher eukaryotic cellular processes. One of the major challenges in gene regulation studies is to identify regulators affecting the...Full Text Available
Bortezomib/PS-341/Velcade, a proteasome inhibitor, is widely used to treat multiple myeloma. While several mechanisms of the cytotoxicity of the drug were proposed, the actual mechanism remains elusive....Full Text Available
BackgroundThe hard clam, Mercenaria mercenaria, has been affected by severe mortality episodes associated with the protistan parasite QPX (Quahog Parasite Unknown)...Full Text Available
Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) affects approximately 31% of infants whose birth weight is between 501 and 1500 g. The ductus arteriosus is a blood vessel that allows blood to bypass the pulmonary vasculature...Full Text Available
Several examples of the 14-membered, para-bridged ring system of the cyclopeptide alkaloids have been synthesized via an active ester cyclization. The yield of monomeric cyclopeptide varied from 1 to 33% and was affected by the amino acid substitution pat...
Objectives. Thousands of Louisiana residents were asked to boil water because of widespread disruptions in electricity and natural gas services after Hurricane Rita. We sought to assess...Full Text Available
Chrysomelid leaf beetles use chemical defenses to overcome predatory attack and microbial infestation. Larvae of Chrysomela lapponica that feed on willow sequester plant-derived salicin...Full Text Available
Childhood cancer survivors often experience complications related to cancer and its treatment that may adversely affect quality of life and increase the risk of premature death. The purpose of this...Full Text Available
Understanding the mechanisms by which climate and predation patterns by top predators co-vary to affect community structure accrues added importance as humans exert growing influence over both climate...Full Text Available
Increasing numbers of human cowpox virus infections that are being observed and that particularly affect young non-vaccinated persons have renewed interest in this zoonotic disease. Usually causing...Full Text Available
The torque-velocity relationship is known to be affected by ageing, decreasing its protective role in the prevention of falls. Interindividual variability in this torque-velocity relationship is partly...Full Text Available
Fungi have long been known to affect human well being in various ways, including disease of essential crop plants, decay of stored foods with possible concomitant production of mycotoxins, superficial...Full Text Available
Female mammals are particularly sensitive to changes in food availability. The mechanisms that affect sexual behavior and food intake are closely related to one another; chief among the mechanisms...Full Text Available
"Fiddler's neck" is an irritant contact dermatitis that frequently affects violin and viola players. The etiology of the skin changes associated with this condition are probably attributable to a combination...Full Text Available
Fear learning is associated with changes in synapse strength in the lateral amygdala (LA). To examine changes in LA dendritic spine structure with learning, we used serial electron microscopy to re-construct...Full Text Available
On agar plates, daughter cells of Escherichia coli mutually slide and align side-by-side in parallel during the first round of binary fission. This phenomenon has been previously attributed...Full Text Available
For meadow voles, Microtus pennsylvanicus, seasonal differences exist in self-grooming and in odor preferences for conspecifics, two behaviors which facilitate sexual interactions...Full Text Available
Extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL) constitute a key antibiotic-resistance mechanism affecting Gram-negative bacteria, and also an excellent model for studying evolution in real time. A shift in...Full Text Available
Objective: To evaluate effects of epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) on the viability, membrane properties, and zinc distribution, with and without the presence of Zn2+, in human prostate...Full Text Available
Alcohol dependence (AD) is clinically and etiologically heterogeneous. The goal of this study was to explore AD subtypes among a sample of 1, 221 participants in the Irish Affected Sib Pair...Full Text Available
Heart failure affects nearly 6 million Americans, with a half-million new cases emerging each year. Whereas up to 50% of heart failure patients die of arrhythmia, the diverse mechanisms underlying...Full Text Available
BackgroundThe motivation for this study was to investigate how role stress among nurses could affect their job satisfaction and organizational commitment, and whether the job rotation...Full Text Available
The objective was to determine scrotal and testicular temperatures in rams and how they are affected by ambient temperature (10 degrees C vs 25 degrees C) and scrotal fleece (densely fleeced vs shaved)....Full Text Available
BackgroundPerfluorocarbons (PFC) are used to improve gas exchange in diseased lungs. PFC have been shown to affect various cell types. Thus, effects on alveolar type II (ATII) cells...Full Text Available
OBJECTIVEHormonal contraceptives may adversely affect bone mineral density . However, racial differences and the reversibility of these changes are poorly understood....Full Text Available
The electrical parameters that affect young seedling growth were investigated. Voltages ranging from 5 to 40 volts were applied longitudinally along the mesocotyl region of 4-day old Zea mays...Full Text Available
The report discusses the capabilities of equipment vendors to supply and install the quantity of flue gas desulfurization systems required to meet alternative standards for coal-fired steam generators. It analyzes limiting factors affecting supply capabilities (such as the availa...
The passage of a vascular-injected paramagnetic contrast reagent (CR) bolus through a region-of-interest affects tissue 1H2O relaxation and thus MR image intensity. For longitudinal...Full Text Available
Background:Continuous renal replacement therapy is used to manage fluid and solute imbalances in critically ill patients but may affect the clearance of concurrently administered...Full Text Available
In virtually all organisms, life expectancy is profoundly affected by caloric intake. For example, dietary restriction (DR; a feeding regimen of fewer calories compared to the ad libitum level without...Full Text Available
The hypothesis that the antiarrhythmic drug amiodarone slows down the heart rate by its inhibitory action on the intracellular conversion of thyroxine (T4) to 3,5,3' triiodothyronine (T3) was investigated....Full Text Available
BackgroundThe interactions between torus and several factors such as age, gender, and dental status have not been studied comprehensively. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of gender on the mandibular cortical index (MCI) and to investigate a possible association between torus mandibularis (TM) and MCI.MethodsThe study consisted of 189 consecutive patients referred to Department of Oral Diagnosis and Radiology of Hacettepe University within 30 workdays. Patients who did not have systemic disorders affecting bone density were included; and the age, gender, dental status and existing TM of the patients were recorded. Morphology of the mandibular inferior cortex was determined according to Klemitti's classification on panoramic radiographs.ResultsMCI was affected by age and gender (P 0.05).ConclusionIn the study population, MCI was affected by age and gender. As age increased, semilunar defects could be ...
BackgroundThough long known to affect smooth muscle biology, recent studies indicate that phosphodiesterase 5 (PDE5) is also expressed in myocardium. Recognizing that the regulation...Full Text Available
Using a ligature-induced model in type-2 Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF) rat and normoglycemic littermates, we investigated whether diabetes primarily affects periodontitis by enhancing bone loss...Full Text Available
BackgroundOsteoporosis affects over 200 million people worldwide, and represents a significant cost burden. Although guidelines are available for best practice in osteoporosis, evidence...Full Text Available
Certain structural and environmental factors other than technical combination of resources and firm size are hypothesized to affect medical practice output. Four groups of variables related to physician...Full Text Available
Carney-Stratakis syndrome, an inherited condition predisposing affected individuals to gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) and paraganglioma, is caused by germline mutations in succinate dehydrogenase...Full Text Available
DNA damage is a threat to genomic integrity in all living organisms. Plants and green algae are particularly susceptible to DNA damage especially that caused by UV light, due to their light dependency...Full Text Available
Background:We analyzed the effects of a docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) supplementation in patients affected with late onset Stargardt disease (STGD).Methods:DHA...Full Text Available
Background. It is currently recommended that diet of pregnant mothers contain 200–300 mg DHA/day. Aim. To determine whether DHA supplementation...Full Text Available
Ewing's sarcoma is the second most common bone malignancy affecting children and young adults. The prognosis is especially poor in metastatic or relapsed disease. The cell of origin remains elusive,...Full Text Available
We study how the microscale topography of a solid surface affects the apparent advancing and receding angles at the contact line of a liquid drop pinned to this surface. Photolithographic methods...Full Text Available
BackgroundWhite spot syndrome (WSS) is a viral disease that affects most of the commercially important shrimps and causes serious economic losses to the shrimp farming industry worldwide....Full Text Available
There is growing epidemiological and molecular evidence that ABO blood group affects host susceptibility to severe Plasmodium falciparum infection. The high frequency of common...Full Text Available
The opportunistic pathogenic yeast Candida albicans exhibits growth phase-dependent changes in cell surface hydrophobicity, which has been correlated with adhesion to host tissues....Full Text Available
The mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular regulated kinase (MAPK/ERK) pathway plays a key role in mediating estrogen actions in the brain and neuronal sensitization during inflammation....Full Text Available
Chondroitin sulphate (CS) is a glycosaminoglycan widely distributed in animal tissues, which has anti-inflammatory and chondroprotective properties. We reported previously that chondroitin 4-sulphate...Full Text Available
RNA is involved in a variety of chromatin modification events, ranging from large-scale structural rearrangements to subtle local affects. Here, we extend the evidence for RNA–chromatin interactions...Full Text Available
Studies on alcoholic liver injury mechanisms show a significant inhibition of the proteasome activity. To investigate this phenomenon, we isolated proteasome complexes from the liver of rats...Full Text Available
PurposeOcular surface disease following penetrating keratoplasty has been shown to increase patient morbidity and adversely affect graft survival. Five cases of dense central subepithelial...Full Text Available
The commissioning of four CANDU-600 reactors is discussed, with mention of some design features. The four are Point Lepreau, Gentilly-2, Wolsung and Cordoba reactors. The commissioning of Pickering-5 is also mentioned, and so are some events affecting other CANDU reactors.
Heavy ion tests of a switching converter using power MOSFETs have allowed us to identify the main parameters which affect the burnout sensitivity of these components. The differences between static and dynamic conditions are clarified in this paper. (author). 7 refs., 16 figs., 3 tabs.
Anemia commonly affects critically ill patients. The causes are multifactorial and include acute blood loss, blood loss from diagnostic testing and blunted red blood cell production. Blood transfusions...Full Text Available
Bhanja virus (BHAV) is pathogenic for young domestic ruminants and also for humans, causing fever and affections of the central nervous system. This generally neglected arbovirus of the family Bunyaviridae...Full Text Available
BackgroundSelenium is a trace element performing important biological functions in many organisms including humans. It usually affects organisms in a strictly dosage-dependent manner...Full Text Available
We have used a sintered glass bead core to simulate the spaces and surfaces of reservoir rock in studies of the bacterial plugging phenomenon that affects waterflood oil recovery operations. The passage...Full Text Available
BACKGROUND: DNA prenatal diagnosis for cystic fibrosis (CF) has been available for parents of affected children since late 1985. METHODS: Using anonymous questionnaires, we surveyed 395 parents of children...Full Text Available
Background: The causes of elevated B-Type natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels are multifactorial. Renal dysfunction has been shown to affect BNP levels in some studies and...Full Text Available
Many species introduced by humans for social and economic benefits have invaded new ranges by escaping from captivity. Such invasive species can negatively affect biodiversity and economies. Understanding...Full Text Available
BACKGROUND: Angiosarcoma of the scalp is a rare, aggressive, and deadly cancer that affects mainly elderly Caucasian men. OBJECTIVES: The insidious and masquerading presentation of angiosarcoma poses...Full Text Available
The incidence of arrhythmias after acute myocardial infarction of the inferior wall varies with the affected segment and increases when there is right ventricular involvement. This paper provides a...Full Text Available
ObjectiveThe purpose of this study is to identify the factors affecting the failure of trials (<50% pain reduction in pain for trial period) to improve success rate of spinal...Full Text Available
BackgroundCystic ovarian disease is an important cause of infertility that affects bovine, ovine, caprine and porcine species and even human beings. Alterations in the ovarian micro-environment...Full Text Available
BackgroundSocial isolation affects a significant proportion of older people and is associated with poor health outcomes. The current evidence base regarding the effectiveness of...Full Text Available
BackgroundBreast-feeding may affect the risk of developing allergy during childhood and may also cause exposure to immunotoxicants, such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), which...Full Text Available
Models of age-related effects on behavior predict that among short-lived species younger adults are more attractive and attracted to opposite-sex conspecifics than are older adults, whereas...Full Text Available
Objective:This study examined the role of cognitive factors—such as expectancies regarding the consequences of not drinking and perceptions of peer drinking—in...Full Text Available
BackgroundAdhesive Capsulitis (AC) affects patient of all ages, and stretching protocols are commonly prescribed for this condition. Dynamic splinting has been shown effective in...Full Text Available
The question of whether storage of red blood cells (RBCs) alters their capacity to deliver oxygen and affects patient outcomes remains in a state of clinical equipoise. Studies of the changes...Full Text Available
PurposeTo detail the highly variable ocular phenotypes of a French family affected with an autosomal dominantly inherited vitreoretinopathy and to identify the disease gene.MethodsSixteen...Full Text Available
BackgroundTraffic injuries can cause physical, psychological, and economical impairment, and affected individuals may also experience shortcomings in their post-accident care and...Full Text Available
Erectile dysfunction (ED) affects up to 50% of men between the ages of 40 and 70. Treatment with PDE-5 inhibitors is effective in the majority of men with ED. However, PDE-5 inhibitors are not effective...Full Text Available
Traditional approaches to the study of hormones and cognition have been primarily observational or correlational in nature. Because this work does not permit causal relationships to be identified,...Full Text Available
P granules are non-membrane-bound organelles found in the germ-line cytoplasm throughout Caenorhabditis elegans development. Like their “germ granule” counterparts in...Full Text Available
Cysticercosis is the most common parasitic infection affecting the central nervous system. Spinal neurocysticercosis (NCC) is very rare compared with intracranial NCC and requires more aggressive management...Full Text Available
The relationships between soil salinization and the zonal and provincial bioclimatic conditions, the lithological composition of the sediments, and the geomorphic features of the territory have been analyzed for the Southern federal okrug of Russia. It is shown that the lithological and geomorphic conditions (relief, salinity of parent materials, degree of drainage, and the depth of saline groundwater) play an important role in the distribution of salt-affected soils against the background of the more general regularities specified by the climate. The participation of salt-affected soils in the soil cover of the Southern federal okrug increases in the eastward direction from the forest-steppe zone to the semidesert zone in agreement with an increase in the aridity and continentality of the...
The visual impact of wind turbines is one of the main factors affecting public acceptance of wind parks. This paper evaluates the visual impact of a wind park in Chania, Crete, using the Spanish method of evaluation. The outcomes are combined with the psychometric testing of the residents by the use of questionnaires and with the values of the Spanish method about various scenarios concerning the size of the wind park (double, half, one wind turbine). The results of the study prove that the quantification of the potential visual impact could minimize this, apparently, main reason that affects public acceptance. (author)
Lupus pernio of the nose is the most characteristic cutaneous lesion of sarcoidosis. It is cosmetically disfiguring and can be the cause of significant morbidity. In particular, the affected skin is often red or purple due to increased vasculature. It is particularly resistant to both surgical and medical therapy. We describe a patient with lupus pernio affecting her nose, which showed a dramatic improvement following treatment with the pulse dye laser (PDL). A biopsy taken after treatment showed the continued presence of sarcoidal granulomas. We therefore feel that treatment with the PDL is an effective tool in improving the cosmetic appearance of lupus pernio, but does not influence the underlying disease process. PMID:11360426
Several enzymes of the metabolic pathways responsible for metabolism of cytosolic ribonucleotides and deoxyribonucleotides are located in mitochondria. Studies described in this paper suggest dysfunction of the mitochondria to affect these metabolic pathways and limit the available levels of cytosolic ribonucleotides and deoxyribonucleotides, which in turn can result in aberrant RNA and DNA synthesis. Mitochondrial dysfunction has been linked to genomic instability, and it is possible that the limiting effect of mitochondrial dysfunction on the levels of nucleotides and resulting aberrant RNA and DNA synthesis in part can be responsible for this link. This paper summarizes the parts of the metabolic pathways responsible for nucleotide metabolism that can be affected by mitochondrial dysfunction.
Beta-C trademark is a metastable beta titanium alloy which can be heat treated to achieve a good combination of properties such as tensile strength, fatigue strength, ductility and toughness, such as needed in aircraft fasteners. Variations in hot and cold processing parameters and solution heat treatment can affect the resultant grain structure which in turn affects subsequent aging response and mechanical properties. Several processing/heat treating routes on round bar are explored in this study to determine the effects on microstructure and various mechanical properties.
Typhoons Aere (2004) and Matsa (2005) caused high nephelometric turbidity in the Shihmen reservoir in northern Taiwan, jeopardizing the operation of the reservoir for several days, and ultimately impacting the living conditions and economy of the downstream residents. The torrential rains caused landslides and debris flows in upland areas, and flowed into riverbeds, likely contributing significantly to the suspended sediment yields in the reservoir. This investigation elucidates how upland landslides affect sediment attributes in the reservoir basin. Study methods including field observations, spatial analysis in GIS and aerial photo interpretation are adopted to trace the sediment sources and contributing factors to the landslide. Torrential rains induced landslides and debris-flows uplan...
The author discusses in detail the following topics: Compensation for domestic nuclear damage and for transfrontier nuclear damage - rule of formal equality of parties which belongs to the basic rule of civil law considering the position of domestic and foreign victims of a grave accident-juridical consequences of the preponderant role played by the state in the promotion, development and supervision of the nuclear industry-rationale for applying the concept of global limitation of liability in the law on nuclear liability and compensation - financial consequences of uncompensated nuclear damage, borne by the victims directly affected or spread over the whole community of the affected state? (HP)
Gaussian-process models are developed to detect genetic linkage using complete high-resolution maps of identity by descent between affected relative pairs. Approximations are given for the significance level and power of the likelihood-ratio test of no linkage and for likelihood-ratio confidence regions for trait loci. The sample sizes required to detect linkage by using different classes of affected relative pairs are compared, and the problem of combining data from different classes of relatives is discussed. 23 refs., 2 figs.
The detailed features of the calculated energy-level schemes and of the single-particle, orbit-occupancy properties of the low-lying levels of the N=50 isotones "8"0Zn, "8"1Ga, "8"2Ge, "8"3As, "8"4Se, "8"5Br, "8"6Kr, and "8"7Rb are presented and discussed. These results are obtained with a new effective Hamiltonian operator obtained empirically from an iterative fit to experimental energies taken from all experimentally studied (A=82--96) N=50 nuclei. The model space for the calculations consists of active 0f/sub 5/2/, 1p/sub 3/2/, 1p/sub 1/2/, and 0g/sub 9/2/ proton orbits relative to a nominal "7"8Ni core. This space is truncated internally by restricting the number of particles excited from the negative-parity orbits into the g/sub 9/2/ orbit to be no greater than four. The typical structures predicted for these lighter N=50 isotones are found to be dominated by well-mixed combinations of fp-orbit configurations, with the g/sub 9/2/ orbit playing a minor role in all but a few ...
Acetylcholine-rich synaptic vesicles were isolated from myenteric plexus-longitudinal muscle strips derived from the guinea pig ileum by the method of Dowe, Kilbinger, and Whittaker [J. Neurochem. 35, 993-1003 (1980)] using either unstimulated preparations or preparations field-stimulated at 1 Hz for 10 min using pulses of 1 ms duration and 10 V . cm-1 intensity. The organ bath contained either tetradeuterated (d4) choline (50 microM) or [3H]acetate (2 muCi . ml-1); d4 acetylcholine was measured by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. As with Torpedo electromotor cholinergic vesicle preparations made under similar conditions the distribution of newly synthesized (d4 or [3H]) acetylcholine in the zonal gradient from stimulated preparations was not identical with that of endogenous (d0, [1H]) acetylcholine, but corresponded to a subpopulation of denser vesicles (equivalent to the VP2 fraction from Torpedo) that had preferentially taken up newly synthesized ...
The extraction and recovery of cesium from simulated Purex waste solutions was successfully demonstrated in the pilot plant pulse column. Stable volumetric capacities as high as 670 gph/ft/sup 2/ (sum of both phases) were obtained for alkaline supernate-type waste; however, for efficient operation (transfer unit height - HTU -of two feet or less), the maximum throughput rate was limited to about 500 gph/ft/sup 2/. This rate could be achieved with feeds diluted to densities within 0.08 g/cc of the solvent density. Stable feed was prepared from simulated current, denitrated waste by addition of citric acid to complex the iron before neutralization to the desired operating pH of 7 to 8. Capacities of 500 gph/ft/sup 2/ were readily achieved with this feed, together with HTU's of 1.0 to 1.3 feet. Sodium extracted with the cesium was satisfactorily scrubbed from the solvent with a dilute citric acid solution. Scrub section sodium decontamination factors ...
Currently there are four different concept studies trying to optimise the detector for the requirements at the ILC. In three of these detector concepts a time projection chamber (TPC) is foreseen as the main tracking device. To achieve the intended spatial resolution of 100 {mu}m, micro pattern gas detectors (MPGD) are considered for gas amplification. The two different MPGDs discussed for the ILC TPC are Micro-Mesh Gaseous Detectors (Micromegas) and Gas Electron Multiplier foils (GEMs). The current thesis shows resolution studies with a TPC prototype equipped with a triple GEM readout structure. A hodoscope made up of silicon strip sensors gives a precision reference track, allowing an unbiased measurement of the spatial resolution. High statistics measurements have been conducted at the DESY test beam facility, which provides positrons with a tunable energy between 1 GeV and 6 GeV. Using the independent measurement of the hodoscope allows systematic studies of ...
In steel production lines such as pickling lines, cold rolling mills and coil processing lines, the needs for on-line continuous measurement of surface quality and property of products and on-line inspection of surface defects have become strong. This is because user requirements for the surface quality of various products have become severer than before and besides, expectations are running high on the side of manufacturers for higher speeds of production lines and higher quality by the adoption of automatic inspection. As for the measurement of surface quality, continuous measurements along the full length of a steel strip are required in order to overcome problems derived from off-line, batch measurements that cannot satisfy user's demands for quality assurance. As for surface defects detection, various kinds of methods have been practically applied to production lines. However, it is the matter of fact that performances of these methods are not ...
The advent of light metal alloys and advanced materials (polymer, composites, etc.) have brought the possibility of achieving important energy reductions into the full life cycle of these materials, especially in transportation applications. 1 These materials have gained acceptance in the aerospace industry but use of light metal alloys needs to gain wider acceptance in other commercial transportation areas. Among the main reasons for the relatively low use of these materials are the lack of manufacturability, insufficient mechanical properties, and increased material costs due to processing inefficiencies. Considering the enormous potential energy savings associated with the use of light metal alloys and advanced materials in transportation, there is a need to identify R&D opportunities in the fields of materials fabrication and forming aimed at developing materials with high specific mechanical properties combined with energy efficient processes and good manufacturability. ...
The UW-Penning Trap Mass Spectrometer (PTMs) is ideally suited for high precision measurements of atomic masses throughout the periodic table upon using highly-stripped ions. However, at the present time, this device has been applied extensively to the light elements ("1H, "2H, "3H, "3He, "4He, "1"2C, "1"3C, "1"4N, "1"6O) due to their fundamental importance. Atomic masses follow immediately from a comparison with some multiply-charged carbon ion, after correcting for the lost electrons and their corresponding binding energies. For instance, the most recent C"5"+/C"6"+ comparison yielded a discrepancy of -0.30(33) ppb, limited only by the magnetic field instability for a 40-h run. The initial emphasis on hydrogen has now produced a 1-ppb value for the proton's atomic mass and similar work with deuterium has yielded a 2.5-ppb value for the neutron's atomic mass. However, the most significant result is the "3H-"3He mass difference = 18,590.1(17) eV which is determined ...
A high power (200KV), intense current density, low emittance (71mmmrad), high brightness (8x10{sup 10}A/m rad) electron beam was generated in the 10cm long, high-voltage-resistive multi-gap hollow cathode pseudospark chamber filled with 15pa nitrogen and driven by an improved pulse line accelerator. The beam was ejected with the 1mm diameter, the 2.2KA beam current, and the 400ns pulse length, and could propagated 20cm in the drift tube. At a distance of 5cm from the anode it penetrated consecutively an acid-sensitive discoloring film and a 0.05mm-thick copper foil both stuck closely, left 0.6mm and 0.3mm holes on them, respectively. That 10 shots on an acid-sensitive film produced a hole of 1.6mm at 7cm downstream of anode showed its good repeatability. After 60 shots the pseudospark discharge chamber was disassembled and observed that almost no destructive damage traces left on the surfaces of its various electrodes and insulators. But on almost all the surfaces of changeable central ...
We report on a new experimental approach to the size estimation of the hot spot induced by ionizing particles in a Josephson tunnel junction. Here, in contrast to the case of a superconducting strip, it is possible to investigate the hot spot dynamics in absence of effects due to the heating induced by the bias current. The reported experiment is based on the motion of Abrikosov vortices, trapped in the thin films constituting the junction electrodes, under 5.6 MeV {alpha}-particle irradiation. The fast time evolution of a hot spot, combined with the presence of Abrikosov vortices, produces a change of the static magnetic field in the junction area and thus a change of the critical current value, I{sub c}. Measurements of I{sub c} during the {alpha}-particle irradiation and in presence of trapped Abrikosov vortices allow to determine the rate of appearance of those I{sub c} changes. The behavior of the average appearance rate as function of the Abrikosov vortices ...
Canadian oilfields are a prime breeding ground for talent, technology and industrial management. This paper described how Canadian talent was recognized in 2001 for three major projects which included a cold-ocean production platform in the Sea of Okhotsk in Siberia, a mountain pipeline project in South America, and an in-situ underground extraction technology in the oilsands of Alberta. The cold-ocean production platform project was recruited by Sakhalin Energy Investment Co., an international consortium originally led by Marathon Oil Co which is now led by Royal Dutch Shell. The oil production platform is stationed 16 kilometres offshore of Sakhalin Island in the Sea of Okhotsk. Sakhalin Energy bought and converted the Molikpaq, an innovative platform made in the 1980s for the Beaufort Sea by Gulf Canada Resources Ltd. The second project included Calgary's Hydroconsult EN3 Services Ltd. which was responsible for the construction of the 940-km GasAtacama 24-inch diameter ...
More than 80% of the people of Nepal are farmers and 90% of the farmers do farming for subsistence. Agricultural productions contribute about 50% of country's GDP. Agricultural sector has been categorized as the top priority sector since many years. The environment of the country has also deteriorated substantially by the unplanned and unscientific use of natural resources such as air, soil, water, air and forest. Fertility of the soil has also been declining and studies show that productions in mountains is decreasing at a rate of 40 Kg/ha. Yr (1). The Terai, a narrow strip of land in the south, is in heavy pressure due to over exploitation and population growth (both natural and migratory). Shallow groundwater (shallow tube wells) is the main source of drinking water in Terai (the lowland region of Nepal). A study conducted by Department of Water Supply and Sewerage (DWSS) showed that more than 55% of Terai tube wells are microbiologically contaminated (2). There ...
We consider a unified model of Fe ion acceleration in the solar corona. The model comprises charge-changing processes, Coulomb energy losses, and both regular and stochastic acceleration. At a given acceleration scenario, the type of acceleration is found to have a minor effect on the mean charge states, but the shapes of the charge-state distributions produced by regular acceleration and by stochastic acceleration are different. During a continual acceleration at coronal temperatures, iron ions typically follow rising trajectories on the charge-energy plane. These trajectories are situated below the mean equilibrium charge curve defined from the balance of ionization and recombination at fixed energy. During stopping, the iron ions cross the equilibrium charge curve and run through a series of charge states above the mean equilibrium charge at current energy, because the Coulomb deceleration rate significantly exceeds the rate of the ion recombination in a hot plasma. As a result, the ...
An evaluation of eastern shale oil as an asphalt additive to reduce oxidative age hardening and moisture susceptibility is being conducted. An eastern shale oil residue having a viscosity of 1.30 Pa`s at 60{degrees}C (140{degrees}F) was blended with three different petroleum-derived asphalts that are known to be very susceptible to oxidative aging. In addition, blends of the eastern shale oil residue and the petroleum-derived asphalts are being coated onto three different aggregates that are known to be susceptible to water stripping. The oxidative age hardening portion of this study is not complete at this time. To date, information has been obtained on the unaged samples and two of the aged petroleum-derived asphalts (AAD-1 and AAK-1). When complete, this data will include rheological data on the unaged, RTFO-aged, and the RTFO/PAV-aged samples and infrared data on the unaged and RTFO/PAV-aged samples. With respect to the rheological data, asphalt AAD-1 meets the ...
Cytochrome c, labeled with /sup 125/I, has been used by us for staining glycosaminoglycans (GAG) separated by electrophoresis on cellulose acetate strips. As GAG between 1-10 ng could be quantified by autoradiography and densitometry, the reagent is approximately 100-fold more sensitive than currently used non-radiolabeled stains. The authors extend now the use of radiolabeled cytochrome c to the quantification of PG transblotted to solid supports subsequent to separation on polyacrylamine slab gels. Dot blotting used for exploring optimal conditions for detecting PG indicated that because of low background positively charged Nylon 66 was superior to nitrocellulose. Increasing the positive charge of the staining reagent by cationization decreased background radiation even further so that 1 ng PG could be seen readily after 5 hrs of autoradiography. Use of cationized /sup 125/I-cytochrome c has been made in detecting PG of bovine fetal epiphyseal cartilage (> 1 x ...
From January 2008 to December 2009, 433 Streptococcus pneumoniae strains were examined to determine the serotype distribution and susceptibility to selected antibiotics. About 50% of them were invasive isolates. The strains were isolated from patients of all age groups and 33.55% were isolated from children below 5 years. The majority was isolated from blood (48.53%) and other sterile specimens (6.30%). Community acquired pneumonia (41.70%) is the most common diagnosis followed by sepsis (9.54%). Serotyping was done using Pneumotest Plus-Kit and antibiotic susceptibility pattern was determined by modified Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method and measurement of minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) using E-test strip. Ten most common serotypes were 19F (15.02%), 6B (10.62%), 19A (6.93%), 14 (6.70%), 1 (5.08%), 6A (5.08%), 23F (4.85%), 18C (3.93%), 3 (2.08%) and 5 (1.85%). Penicillin MIC ranged between ? 0.012-4 ?g/ml with MIC?? of 1 ?g/ml. Penicillin resistant rate is ...
A high resolution Compton telescope has been identified by the Gamma Ray Astronomy Program Working Group (GRAPWG) as the highest priority major mission in gamma ray astrophysics following GLAST. This mission should provide 25-100 times improved sensitivity, relative to CGRO and INTEGRAL, for MeV gamma ray lines. It must have good performance for narrow and broad lines and for discrete and diffuse emissions. Several instrumental approaches are being pursued to achieve these goals. We discuss issues relating to this mission including alternative detector concepts, instrumental configurations, and background reduction techniques. We have pursued the development of position-sensitive solid-state detectors (Ge, Si) for a high spectral resolution Compton telescope mission. A #approx#1 m2 germanium Compton telescope of position-sensitive germanium detectors was the basis for one of the GRAPWG concepts. Preliminary Monte Carlo estimates for the sensitivities of this instrument are encouraging. ...
Medetomidine and fentanyl-droperidol (Innovar-vet) were assessed over a three hour period in 80 healthy dogs. Following physical examination, electrocardiogram (ECG), arterial blood sample analysis, and dynamometer pressure threshold (analgesia score), the dogs were randomly assigned to one of four treatments: Miv--medetomidine (750 micrograms/M2) administered intravenously (IV), Mim--medetomidine (1000 micrograms/M2) administered intramuscularly (IM), Iiv--Innovar-vet IV (0.05 mL/kg) or Iim--Innovar-vet IM (0.1 mL/kg). All assessments were carried out by a single individual unaware of the treatment used. Objective assessments included temperature, heart and respiratory rates, analgesia score, arterial blood gases, acid-base and lactate levels. Subjective evaluation included degree of sedation, response to various clinical procedures, noise responsiveness, posture, and the incidence of side effects. Onset and duration of effect were also recorded. The ECG strips ...
The goal of the present study was to describe the clinical, haematological and ultrasonographic findings and treatment of 17 cattle with pyelonephritis. Fifteen cattle had an abnormal general condition, which varied in severity; five animals had signs of colic. The urine was brownish-red in 11 animals and cloudy in 13. Clumps of purulent material were seen in the urine of nine animals and clots of blood in two. The specific gravity was lower than normal in 13 animals and ranged from 1.005 to 1.020. A urine test strip revealed protein in 16 animals, blood in 16 and leukocytes in 12. Bacteriological examination of urine yielded Corynebacterium renale in 11 animals, Arcanobacter pyogenes in two and Escherichia coli in one. Rectal examination revealed abnormalities of the urinary tract in 11 animals; there was dilatation of the left ureter and/or enlargement of the left kidney in eight cases, and dilatation of the right ureter and/or enlargement of the right kidney in ...
N/C and S/C ratios show only minor differences between asphaltenes and coal on this basis, the asphaltenes continue to appear to be good surrogates for the characterization of organic acid rain precursors in coal. Alkylmethoxythiophene carboxylic acids (ATCA) are detected in all dichromate oxidation products analyzed to date. Relative concentrations of ATCA compounds are directly proportional to the sample`s bulk organic sulfur contents. Concentrations of ATCA compounds in oxidation products decrease upon repeated oxidation. This may indicate that the thiophenic groups tend to be located in external positions on the coal macromolecular structure and a high proportion of them can be stripped away with only one mild oxidation step. If true, this may make industrial-scale removal of organic sulfur easier than expected. Using analytical micropyrolysis-gas chromatography with a sulfur-selective flame photometric detector, it is possible to easily see a full distribution ...
A membrane process utilizing dialysis and selective complexation by water-soluble polymers has been developed. This process, termed affinity dialysis, has been shown to be selectively extract and concentrate both cations and anions in a manner similar to ion exchange or solvent extraction. The selective removal of calcium from sodium with selectivity of about 30, removal of chromate ion from dilute streams, and separation of transition metal ions such as Cu/Fe and Cu/Zn have all been successfully demonstrated. Effects of different polymers, polymer concentration, temperature, and flow rates have been studied. The effect of increased polymer concentration is to increase product concentration if appropriate changes in feed, polymer solution, and strip flow rates are made. A continuous polymer solution recycle and regeneration system has been constructed and operated with Cu/Zn and chromate/chloride feed streams. Removal of over 95% of the desired ion in one pass and ...
We have recently introduced several important improvements in the measurement of distillation curves for complex fluids. The modifications include a composition-explicit data channel for each distillate fraction (for both qualitative and quantitative analysis) and corrosivity assessment of each distillate fraction. The composition-explicit information is achieved with a new sampling approach that allows precise qualitative as well as quantitative analyses of each fraction, on the fly. We have applied the new method to a variety of fluids, including simple n-alkanes, rocket propellant, gasoline, jet fuels, and a hydrocarbon fluid made corrosive with dissolved hydrogen sulfide. In the current contribution, we present the application of the advanced distillation curve method to two samples of crude oil. A primary motivation behind the work is to precisely measure the distillation curves of these oils using our advanced distillation apparatus; these low uncertainty measurements of true ...
We have recently introduced several important improvements in the measurement of distillation curves for complex fluids. This new method is a significant improvement over current approaches, with features including a composition-explicit data channel for each distillate fraction (for both qualitative and quantitative analysis), trace chemical analysis of each distillate fraction, and a corrosivity assessment of each distillate fraction. In the present contribution, we present the application of the advanced distillation curve method to a bio-derived crude oil prepared from swine manure. One motivation behind the work was to precisely measure the distillation curve of the oil derived from swine manure with our advanced distillation apparatus and compare the bio-derived oil to traditional petroleum crude oils. Then, the information content of the bio-derived oil distillation was extended further with the composition-explicit data channel: gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), ...
Non-uniform radionuclide distribution in tumours will lead to a non-uniform absorbed dose. The aim of this study was to investigate how tumour control probability (TCP) depends on the radionuclide distribution in the tumour, both macroscopically and at the subcellular level. The absorbed dose in the cell nuclei of tumours was calculated for {sup 90}Y, {sup 177}Lu, {sup 103m}Rh and {sup 211}At. The radionuclides were uniformly distributed within the subcellular compartment and they were uniformly, normally or log-normally distributed among the cells in the tumour. When all cells contain the same amount of activity, the cumulated activities required for TCP = 0.99 (A-tilde{sub TCP=0.99}) were 1.5-2 and 2-3 times higher when the activity was distributed on the cell membrane compared to in the cell nucleus for {sup 103m}Rh and {sup 211}At, respectively. TCP for {sup 90}Y was not affected by different radionuclide distributions, whereas for {sup 177}Lu, it was slightly ...
The GntR-like protein NorG has been shown to affect Staphylococcus aureus genes involved in the resistance to quinolones and ?-lactams, such as those encoding the NorB and AbcA transporters. To identify the target genes regulated by NorG, we carried out transcriptional profiling assays using S. aureus RN6390 and its isogenic norG::cat mutant. Our data showed that NorG positively affected the transcription of global regulators mgrA, arlS, and sarZ. The three putative drug efflux pump genes most positively affected by NorG were the NorB efflux pump (5.1-fold), the MmpL-like protein SACOL2566 (5.2-fold), and the BcrA-like drug transporter SACOL2525 (5.7-fold). The S. aureus predicted MmpL protein showed 53% homology with the MmpL lipid transporter of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and the putative SACOL2525 protein showed 87% homology with the bacitracin drug transporter BcrA of Staphylococcus hominis. Two pump genes most ...
Three different magnetic regimes; aerial, surface and buried; each with three different forces, have been used to investigate their effects on the water contents and photosynthetic pigments of sweet basil plants (Ocimum basilicum L.). Two groups of sweet basil seeds, Ocimum basilicum L. have been cultivated, one under normal conditions and the second has been subdivided into three portion (aerial, surface and buried) to examine the effect of different magnetic forces coming from the three directions on the resulted plants. At all directions of magnets, water contents have been significantly affected by the magnetic forces. Chlorophyll A and carotene contents have been affected, as well, according to the three magnetic forces coming from soil surface regime only. Chlorophyll B did not significantly affected by differences magnetic forces in the three regimes, but it is affected by magnetism wherever its ...
The nation's wetlands are a valuable resource serving many important natural, industrial, commercial and recreational functions. Wetlands protect shore areas from waves and storms; act as storage areas for flood waters; remove waste from water by trapping soils or silt which settle to the bottom; improve water quality and reduce pollution; are a commercial breeding ground for fish and other foods; and provide space for recreation and habitat for wildlife. They also are located in prime industrial development areas. Recent wetlands losses have caused much public outcry, politicking and regulatory efforts to prevent this trend. During the '90s, the public will see efforts to strike a proper balance regarding wetlands use. Today, wetlands protection is a permitting issue for nearly every major industrial or commercial development and expansion project. Wetlands permit requirements affect a range of business entities. Any project that involves ...
Ingestion of HTO during oocyte maturation and continued during pre-implantation time was found to depress decidual response. At birth these offspring also showed a decrease in brain cell number. When HTO was given during pregnancy only, the offspring at birth showed a similar deficit in brain cell number. Even so, we could not demonstrate a gross deficit in oocyte maturation when HTO was ingested during sexual maturity only; however, when further continued during pregnancy, the measured newborn parameters were most severely affected. In this group, cell-multiplication in the cerebrum was severely decreased, protein synthesis was decreased, and somatic growth was also highly significantly decreased. These experiments indicate that even a short-term exposure to HTO during early pregnancy (pre-implantation) alters normal development to such an extent that it is still observable at birth. During embryonic development, HTO affected the rate of ...
the medium to long freezing range alloys of aluminum such as A356, A357, A206, 319 for example are known to exhibit dispersed porosity, which is recognized as a factor affecting ductility, fracture toughness, and fatigue resistance of light alloy castings. The local thermal environment, for example, temperature gradient and freezing from velocity, affect the mode of solidification which, along with alloy composition, heat treatment, oxide film occlusion, hydrogen content, and the extent to which the alloy contracts on solidification, combine to exert strong effects on the porosity formation in such alloys. In addition to such factors, the availability of liquid metal and its ability to flow through the partially solidified casting, which will be affect by the pressure in the liquid metal, must also be considered. The supply of molten metal will thus be controlled by the volume of the riser available for feeding the ...
In field O{sub 3}-enrichment experiments increased herbivore densities have been reported, which could be due to negatively affected host location behavior of natural enemies. We addressed the impact of doubling background O{sub 3} on the host location of the parasitoid Cotesia plutellae by conducting 24-h trials in an open-air O{sub 3}-fumigation system during two consecutive years. Two circles (radii 1.40 and 4.00 m) of Plutella xylostella-infested potted cabbage plants were placed in the O{sub 3} and ambient plots. Female wasps were released into each plot from the center, and observed 5 times over a 24-h period to assess their host location capability. Thereafter, plants were kept in laboratory conditions until larvae pupation to determine parasitism rates. No significant differences were detected between ambient and O{sub 3}-enriched environments either in the number of wasps found in the field, or in the percentages of parasitized larvae. This suggests that ...
The irradiation behavior of Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} under a fusion reactor environment was simulated by simultaneous irradiation of Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} by the triple ion beams and the respective single ion beams of O{sup 2+}, He{sup +} and H{sup +}. The microstructural changes in Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} caused by the irradiation were measured by FT-IR photoacoustic spectroscopy. The results suggest that the amount of TiO{sub 2} formed is proportional to the dpa and that the method of irradiation does not affect the dependence of formation of TiO{sub 2}. On the other hand, the amount of defects and/or radiolytic products generated by irradiation, which is considered to trap hydrogen near the surface, is found to be affected by the method of irradiation. Such phenomena are believed to affect the tritium release behavior from Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3}, and durability of Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} and compatibility of Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} with other ...
The irradiation behavior of Li_2TiO_3 under a fusion reactor environment was simulated by simultaneous irradiation of Li_2TiO_3 by the triple ion beams and the respective single ion beams of O"2"+, He"+ and H"+. The microstructural changes in Li_2TiO_3 caused by the irradiation were measured by FT-IR photoacoustic spectroscopy. The results suggest that the amount of TiO_2 formed is proportional to the dpa and that the method of irradiation does not affect the dependence of formation of TiO_2. On the other hand, the amount of defects and/or radiolytic products generated by irradiation, which is considered to trap hydrogen near the surface, is found to be affected by the method of irradiation. Such phenomena are believed to affect the tritium release behavior from Li_2TiO_3, and durability of Li_2TiO_3 and compatibility of Li_2TiO_3 with other components of the breeder blanket such as structural materials in the fusion ...
The classical phenomenon of position-effect variegation (PEV) is the mosaic expression that occurs when a chromosomal rearrangements moves a euchromatic gene near heterochromatin. A striking feature of this phenomenon is that genes far away from the junction with heterochromatin can be affected, as if the heterochromatic state {open_quotes}spreads.{close_quotes} We have investigated classical PEV of a Drosophila brown transgene affected by a heterochromatic junction {approximately} 60 kb away. PEV was enhanced when the transgene was locally duplicated using P transposase. Successive rounds of P transpose mutagenesis and phenotypic selection produced a series of PEV alleles with differences in phenotype that depended on transgene copy number and orientation. As for other examples of classical PEV, nearby heterochromatin was required for gene silencing. Modifications of classical PEV by alterations at a single site are unexpected, and these ...
The degradation status of outlet feeders in Wolsung unit 1 is analyzed using feeder thickness measurement data during overhaul period in 2000. DBs related to feeder thinning are made for parameters affecting dissolution rate and parameters affecting mass transfer rate. The initial thickness of feeder in Wolsung unit 1 is analyzed using initial thickness data of Wolsung unit 2, 3 and 4 as there are no initial thickness data of Wolsung unit 1. The initial thickness is varied as feeder diameter and bending degree, and CANDU feeders can be divided as 3 types for 2.5'' feeders and 3 types for 2'' feeders. The average initial thickness value for each type is defined as the initial thickness value of the type for Wolsung unit 1 feeders. Thinning rate is evaluated as the value dividing difference between initial thickness and minimum measured thickness by operation time. It is found that the distribution of thinning ...
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 ...
The colour, odour, flavour and texture of a breaded turkey escalope irradiated at doses of 2 and 4 kGy was assessed using a trained sensory panel. Irradiation did not affect raw appearance but during storage the irradiated breaded products became paler than the control samples. The off odour of the raw irradiated products was stronger than that of the unirradiated samples. Irradiation also affected the odour, flavour and texture of the cooked products. Although the trained panelists were able to detect significant differences between irradiated and unirradiated breaded turkey escalopes, the numerical differences between treatments were often quite small. It is possible that an untrained consumer group would be unable to detect these differences. Further research is needed with consumer groups to establish if irradiated breaded products are acceptable. (author). 10 refs, 3 tabs.
In this work, a new sol-gel auto-combustion method has been performed to synthesize single phase nickel ferrite nanocrystalline powders by using n-cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, as a cationic surfactant. The gels were prepared from ferric and nickel nitrates and citric acid. Ammonia was used as pH adjusting agent as well. The effects of the surfactant on the after combustion calcination process and the reduction of the resulting powder crystallite size which affects the magnetic properties of the material were investigated by XRD and DTA/TGA techniques. The results showed that the ignition of the gels in air have a self-propagating behavior. Addition of surfactant to the starting solution affected the crystallite size of the synthesized powders and their phase constitution. The crystallit...
Three classes of solar emanations, namely, photon radiation from solar flares, solar energetic particles, and inhomogeneities in the solar wind that drive magnetic storms, are examined, and their effects on humans and technological systems are discussed. Solar flares may disrupt radio communications in the HF and VLF ranges. Energetic particles pose a special hazard at low-earth orbit and above, where they can penetrate barriers such as spacesuits and aluminum and destroy cells and solid state electronics. Energetic solar particles also influence terrestrial radio waves propagating through polar regions. Magnetic storms may disturb the operation of navigation instruments, power lines and pipelines, and satellites; they give rise to ionospheric storms which affect radio communication at all latitudes. There is also a growing body of evidence that changes in the geomagnetic field affect biological systems. 3 refs.
Mood in humans is a complex phenomenon that integrates emotion (e.g. happiness and sadness), cognition, perception, ideation, and action in a coherent manner. In bipolar disorder extremes of mood (up or down) occur outside the normal range, in which all the above functions are coherently affected. Mood is controlled by a series of separate but interactive brain circuits that involve much of the brain, but particularly the limbic system. The question addressed in this paper is whether the coordination of all these separate systems into one coherent functional mood is mediated by non-linear dynamics acting between these systems as equal participants; or whether it is affected by a single master regulator controlling the others. The possible roles, as master regulators, of non-linear dynamica...
In recent years, cobia has become an emerging farmed species in Asia due to its quick growth and high economic value. This study collects biological and economic data affecting the economic performance of cobia farming in three countries, namely Taiwan, China, and Vietnam. The data are collected by questionnaire sampling and analyzed by multivariate statistical analysis in order to compare the key factors affecting the production and economy of cobia farming in these three countries. The results show that Taiwan, China, and Vietnam have significant differences in input intensities and profitability. China has the highest input intensity (3372.42?TWD/m3), as its high stocking density increases feed input. Taiwan has the highest unit input cost (103.44?TWD/kg), as the high quality of the pro...
The penetrance of Lebers hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) in families with primary mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations is very complex. Matrilineal and nuclear genetic background, as well as environmental factors, have been reported to be involved in different affected pedigrees. Here we describe two large Chinese families that show a striking difference in the penetrance of LHON, in which 53.3% and 15.0% of members were affected (Pin vivo mitochondrial oxidative metabolism as described in a previous study. Evolutionary analysis failed to indicate any putatively pathogenic mutation that cosegregated with G11778A in these two pedigrees. Our results suggest that the variable penetrance of LHON in the two Chinese families is independent of both their mtDNA haplotype background and a seconda...
Backgrounds and Aims The stem growth habit, determinate or indeterminate, of soybean, Glycine max, varieties affects various plant morphological and developmental traits. The objective of this study is to identify the effect of stem growth habit in soybean on the stomatal conductance of single leaves in relation to their leaf morphology in order to better understand the ecological and agronomic significance of this plant trait. Methods The stomatal conductance of leaves on the main stem was measured periodically under favourable field conditions to evaluate gmax, defined as the maximum stomatal conductance at full leaf expansion, for four varieties of soybean and their respective determinate or indeterminate near isogenic lines (NILs). Leaf morphological traits including stomatal density, ...
Endogenous opioid peptides (EOP) are molecules affecting many biological functions influencing productive and reproductive performance. They increase in stress conditions and interact with specific opioidergic receptors (OR): delta, kappa and mu. Several studies in other animal species suggest that they can also affect sperm cell motility. In fish the ionic external environment modulates the increase of intracellular calcium ion that is required to activate sperm motility after spawning. In mammals OR are functionally associated to calcium channels and in fishes calcium is highly required for fish sperm activation. In this study the presence of OR on spermatozoa of two Perciform fish, the sharpsnout seabream (Diplodus puntazzo, family Sparidae) and the European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labr...
The radiographic features of Ewing's sarcoma of the bones of the hands and feet are reviewed utilizing cases obtained from the Mayo Clinic patient files and the consultation files of Drs. D.C. Dahlin and K.K. Unni. This series consists of a total of 43 cases of pathologically proven Ewing's sarcoma involving the small bones of the hands and feet. The classic radiographic features of Ewing's sarcoma in the long bones, including lytic, permeative destruction, aggressive periosteal reaction, cortical violation, and a soft tissue mass, are also seen in the bones of the hands and feet, with similar frequency. These classic features are most commonly present in lesions affecting the short tubular bones. Lesions affecting the tarsal bones more often demonstrate atypical radiographic features. These atypical radiographic appearances may play a role in the reported delay in diagnosis of Ewing's sarcoma within the tarsal bones. (orig.)
Zooplankton tolerant to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) could be indirectly affected by UVR through interactions with UV-sensitive species in the same ecosystem. In Lake Giles, Pennsylvania, USA, the calanoid copepod Leptodiaptomus minutus is more UVR tolerant than the cohabiting species Daphnia catawba and Cyclops scutifer. We asked whether L. minutus is affected by UV-induced mortality of a food competitor (D. catawba) or a predator of its nauplii (C. scutifer). We conducted two in situ enclosure experiments with six treatments: L. minutus alone, L . minutus + Daphnia and L. minutus + Cyclops in the presence and absence of UVR. There were few differences in survival among treatments in Experiment 1, which had enhanced food and a cumulative UVR (320 nm) dose of 9.3 kJ m-2. In Experiment 2, wh...
Although cognitive performance in humans and experimental animals can be improved by administering omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), the neurochemical mechanisms underlying this effect remain uncertain. In general, nutrients or drugs that modify brain function or behavior do so by affecting synaptic transmission, usually by changing the quantities of particular neurotransmitters present within synaptic clefts or by acting directly on neurotransmitter receptors or signal-transduction molecules. We find that DHA also affects synaptic transmission in mammalian brain. Brain cells of gerbils or rats receiving this fatty acid manifest increased levels of phosphatides and of specific presynaptic or postsynaptic proteins. They also exhibit increased numbers of dendritic spines on post...
SummaryPurposeWomen with epilepsy have increased frequency of reproductive health problems compared to women without epilepsy. In puberty, reproductive hormonal changes during sexual maturation may affect epilepsy and induce the debut of seizures as indicated in some studies. On the other hand, epileptic activity affects sex hormone function, which may induce alterations in pubertal endocrine maturation and thereby menarche age. We wanted to investigate the relation between epilepsy and menarche age in a larger population of female epilepsy patients.MethodsA retrospective, questionnaire study of a cohort of 265 female outpatients from three Norwegian hospitals and 142 controls, aged 18-45 years was conducted. Parameters regarding epilepsy and reproductive health issues were registered. Per...
Animal studies demonstrated the powerful impact of maternal-infant social contact on the infant's physiological systems, yet the online effects of social interactions on the human infant's physiology remain poorly understood. Mothers and their 3-month old infants were observed during face-to-face interactions while cardiac output was collected from mother and child. Micro-analysis of the partners' behavior marked episodes of gaze, affect, and vocal synchrony. Time-series analysis showed that mother and infant coordinate heart rhythms within lags of less than 1s. Bootstrapping analysis indicated that the concordance between maternal and infant biological rhythms increased significantly during episodes of affect and vocal synchrony compared to non-synchronous moments. Humans, like other mamm...
The major bottleneck for popularization and utilization of the conventional mechanical valve pulse combustors is the self-priming mode of gas supply. An aerodynamic valve (as against mechanical valve) self-excited pulse combustor of the Helmholtz-type with continuous supply of gas and air was designed and a mathematical model was established in this paper. The theoretical model employed well-stirred reactor model and a single step Arrhenius chemistry, and took those factors which might affect the combustion stability into account. The factors include the variation of the mass rate of the reactants affected by the pressure in the combustion chamber, the convective and radiation heat loss in the combustion chamber, and the heat transfer and wall friction in the tailpipe. The effect of wall t...
Welded Ni-base alloys and Alloy 800 were exposed under metal dusting conditions at 600 C and 650 C for up to 6000 hours. Alloy 800 was attacked very strongly already in the first days and Alloy 600 also rather soon and widespread, on both materials attack started mainly in the heat affected zone. Several surface states of Alloy 600: brushed, ground, sand-blasted and pickled were tried only grinding caused a modest delay and decrease of metal dusting attack. Generally the attack was less widespread but deeper at 650 C than at 600 C, also for Alloy 601 and 602. The latter alloys show minor, mainly local attack, but especially the welds are affected. TIG welding led to better resistance than hand-welding. (Abstract Copyright [2003], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)
As evidence mounts that male genitalia can affect relative fertilisation success, the role that sexual selection has played in the rapid and divergent evolution of genitalia is becoming increasingly recognized. Unfortunately, the limited functional understanding of these complex structures and their interactions with the female reproductive tract often limit interpretation regarding their evolution. Here, we address this issue using the earwig Euborellia brunneri, where both the male intromittent organ and the female spermatheca are highly exaggerated in length yet structurally simple. In a double mating design, we use the sterile male technique to study how sperm precedence patterns are affected by male genital length, male age, and the size of the male sperm storage organ, the seminal ve...
This paper analyzes the diffusion of mobile telecommunications services in Vietnam and examines how telecommunications regulation and potential substitute/complement services affect the growth of the number of mobile telephone subscribers. Using a logistic diffusion model, it is found that fixed telephone services are a complement while data services have a negative relation to mobile telephone services in Vietnam. As for regulation, the policy of introducing competition has been found to be the most effective in influencing the adoption of mobile services. Another important result is that the estimated potential market is roughly 76% of the total population. The findings suggest that suitable regulation that guarantees competition in the mobile telecommunications market in a developing co...
Mining affects the environment in different ways depending on the physical context in which the mining occurs. In mining areas with an arid environment, mining affects plants? growth by changing the amount of available water. This paper discusses the effects of mining on two important determinants of plant growth?soil moisture and groundwater table (GWT)?which were investigated using an integrated approach involving a field sampling investigation with remote sensing (RS) and ground-penetrating radar (GPR). To calculate and map the distribution of soil moisture for a target area, we initially analyzed four models for regression analysis between soil moisture and apparent thermal inertia and finally selected a linear model for modeling the soil moisture at a depth 10?cm; the relative error o...
The effect of NaCl and Na_2SO_4 treatments on chlorophyll content, rate of "1"4C assimilation and products of photosynthesis in peanut (Arachish hypogaea L.) variety TMV-10 has been investigated. It was observed that chlorophyll content was affected mainly by NaCl, Na_2SO_4 treatment lowered the rate of photosynthetic "1"4CO_2 fixation. The analysis of labelled products revealed that the salts affect the carbon metabolism differently. The radioactivity was found to be accumulated in fractions of sugars and sugarphosphates in the leaves of NaCl treated plants. Na_2SO_4 treatment brought about considerable decline in labelling of sugars and an increase in labelling of amino acids and sugarphosphates. (orig.).
An increasing share of natural gas supplies distributed to residential appliances in the U.S. may come from liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports. The imported gas will be of a higher Wobbe number than domestic gas, and there is concern that it could produce more pollutant emissions at the point of use. This report will review recently undertaken studies, some of which have observed substantial effects on various appliances when operated on different mixtures of imported LNG. While we will summarize findings of major studies, we will not try to characterize broad effects of LNG, but describe how different components of the appliance itself will be affected by imported LNG. This paper considers how the operation of each major component of the gas appliances may be impacted by a switch to LNG, and how this local impact may affect overall safety, performance and pollutant emissions.
Mowing a meadow is an example of an equalizing process that reduces differences among species by removing aboveground biomass approximately 5?cm above ground. This regular disturbance that affects all plants prevents competitive exclusion of small species and thus allows coexistence of numerous species differing in shoot size. In this paper we search for the mechanism behind this by comparing the shoot biomass of 41 common species in dry and wet species-rich meadows in mown and recently abandoned plots in June (before mowing) and in October. We asked the following questions: i) Do the plants differ in proportion of biomass lost by mowing? ii) Are the mown plants able to compensate for biomass lost by mowing? iii) Is the compensatory ability of mown plants related to their size? iv) Is the ...
The helium releases were investigated in FBR fuel pins irradiated to high burn-up. The released amounts increased with the increase of burn-up, but no burn-up dependence of their release fraction to total amounts generated was seen. The contents of "2"4"1Am in fuel pellets affected the released amounts. The effect of released helium on the internal pressure in fuel pins was smaller in FBR fuel pins than in LWR fuel pins, but released helium in fuel pins containing increased amounts of "2"4"1Am, which are anticipated in future FBRs, is expected to affect the internal pressure.
Pots used for experiments conducted on plants grown in them create rooting environments that are affected by limited soil volume, which can affect various physiological processes, including transpiration, and plant growth. However, the applicability of results from pot experiments to the field has received limited attention. The objective of this study was to compare the growth and transpiration of maize (Zea mays L.) and winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) when grown in pots and field plots under various constant water deficits. The experiments were conducted under similar environmental conditions for both pots and plots. Transpirational responses at both transient (RTTr) and daily (RDTr) time scales to a decreasing fraction of available soil water (FASW) were analyzed. For a comparable F...
The effect of both dopant and neutron radiation on the optical and thermal properties of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) has been studied. The doped samples with Pb and Cd were irradiated with a 14 MeV-neutron fluence in the range 7-28.8 x 10"9 n/cm"2. The optical energy gap E_o_p exhibits a significant dependence on the type of additive and the neutron irradiation fluence. The specific heat at constant pressure C_p showed a nonmonotonical change with radiation fluence. The results of this study show that PVC:Pb behaves as a crystalline structure which is only slightly affected by neutron irradiation, while PVC:Cd is highly affected. (author).
Knowledge on environmental variability and how it is affected by disturbances is crucial for understanding patterns of biodiversity and determining adequate conservation strategies. The aim of this study is to assess environmental variability in patches undergoing post-fire vegetation recovery, identifying trends of change and their relevant drivers. We particularly evaluate: the value of three spectral indices derived from Landsat satellite data [Normalized Burn Ratio (NBR), Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Wetness Component of the Tasseled Cap Transformation (TCW)] for describing secondary succession; the effectiveness of three metrics (diversity, evenness and richness) as indicators of patch variability; and how thematic resolution can affect the perception of environme...
Irradiation processing of food in the prepackaged form may affect chemical and physical properties of the plastic packaging materials. The effect of #gamma#-irradiation doses (2.5-10.0 kGy) on polypropylene (PP)-based retortable food packaging materials, were investigated using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic analysis, which revealed the changes happening to these materials after irradiation. The mechanical properties decreased with irradiation while oxygen transmission rate (OTR) was not affected significantly. Colour measurement indicated that Nylon 6 containing multilayer films became yellowish after irradiation. Thermal characterization revealed the changes in percentage crystallinity.
Australian electricity markets and natural gas markets are undergoing rapid reform. Choosing among electricity generation modes is a key issue. Such choices are affected by expectations about the future structure of these markets and future technologies, and how they affect costs and emissions. In the research reported in this paper, the MARKAL model of the Australian energy system is used to evaluate the competitive position of natural gas fired combined cycle gas turbines (CCGTs) in the energy sector as a whole. Competing in the sector are large-scale electricity generation technologies such as refurbished existing coal fired stations and advanced forms of coal fired generation. The modelling incorporates new data on electricity supply technologies and options.
Phreatic groundwater pumping is affecting water availability for crops in areas with a shallow water table. This can reduce crop growth and so affect farm income. There is a need for a generic and transparent method to assess the agricultural damage caused by water table drawdown. This paper proposes such a method that consists of 'damage tables' relating agricultural production losses to the groundwater regime for different soil/crop combinations found in Northern Belgium. The damage tables are constructed based on numerous simulations with the agrohydrological model SWAP, in which the bottom boundary conditions are gradually changed to reflect different groundwater regimes. The credibility of the resulting metamodel is assessed in three ways: using (1) field data, (2) an existing local e...
Continuing high rates of acidic deposition in the eastern United States may lead to long-term effects on stream communities, because sensitive catchments are continuing to lose anions and cations. A two-year study of the effects of pH and associated water chemistry variables on detrital processing in three streams with different bedrock geology in the Monongahela National Forest, West Virginia were investigated. Leaf pack processing rates and macroinvertebrate colonization and microbial biomass (ATP concentration) on the packs in the three stream were compared. It was found that macroinvertebrate and microbial communities differed both among streams that differed in their capacity to buffer the effects of acidic precipitation and among years in the same stream; these differences in biotic communities were not large enough to affect rates of leaf processing between the two years of the study, but they did significantly affect processing rates ...
Abstract Hereditary primary hyperparathyroidism (HPT) may develop as a solitary endocrinopathy (FIHP) or as part of multiple endocrine neoplasia Type 1, multiple endocrine neoplasia Type 2A, or hereditary HPT-jaw tumor syndrome. Inactivating germline mutations of the tumor suppressor gene CDC73 account for 14 and 50% of all FIHP and HPT-JT patients, respectively, and have also been found in almost 20% of apparently sporadic parathyroid carcinoma patients. Although more than 60 independent germline mutations have been described, to date no rearrangement affecting the CDC73 locus has been identified. By means of multiplex-PCR we found a large germline deletion affecting the whole gene in a two-generation HPT-JT family. Subsequently array-CGH and specific PCR analysis determined that the muta...
Some models anticipate that liberalized agricultural trade will lead to increased crop diversity, while other models make the opposite claim. These positions were explored in southwestern British Columbia, Canada where, between 1992 and 1998, government subsidies and other measures designed to protect horticultural farmers were lifted, exposing these farmers to foreign competition. Public hearings on the future of agriculture provided an opportunity to tap the knowledge and experience of people affected by this transition. Analysis of transcripts from these hearings, which was confirmed by industry data, shows that trade liberalization has led to the loss of the local fruit and vegetable processing industry. Stakeholders saw the loss as a major factor affecting the choice of crops grown lo...
Results from a numerical model of axisymmetric solar cavity receivers are compared with experimental data for tests of a novel test bed receiver in the Saudi National Laboratories solar furnace. The computed energy transfer rates and temperatures are compared with the experimental data for different receiver geometries, aperture sizes, and operating conditions. In general, the agreement between the numerical model and the experimental data is better for the small-to-midsized apertures than for the large apertures. The analysis indicates that for the larger apertures, the convective heat losses are overpredicted. It also suggests that these losses could be better characterized. Sensitivity analyses show that both the total solar energy input rate and the convective heat-loss coefficient significantly affect the receiver thermal performance and that the distribution of the input solar flux significantly affects the temperature distribution in the ...
The brain imaging properties of /sup 99m/Tc glucoheptonate, /sup 99m/Tc pertechnetate, and /sup 99m/Tc DPTA are compared. Results demonstrate that optimum images are obtained at 90, 180, and 180 min., for /sup 99m/Tc GH, /sup 99m/Tc DTPA, and /sup 99m/Tc pertechnetate, respectively. The former two images are not affected by prior bone imaging with /sup 99m/Tc pyrophosphate, while /sup 99m/Tc pertechnetate images are adversely affected. /sup 99m/Tc glucoheptonate appears to be the superior agent for brain imaging, followed by /sup 99m/Tc DTPA and /sup 99m/Tc pertechnetate.
Maternal stress during pregnancy, particularly that combined with low socioeconomic status (SES), has been linked to an increased risk for impaired behavioural and emotional development and affective disorders in children. In animal models, acute periods of prenatal stress have profound effects on hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) function and behaviour. However, few studies have determined the impact of chronic exposure to stress in animal models. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of chronic maternal stress (CMS) during the 2nd half of pregnancy and nursing on growth, locomotor behaviour and HPA axis function in juvenile guinea pig offspring. Pregnant guinea pigs were exposed to a random combination of variable stressors every other day over the 2nd half of gestat...
The information given in the present report about the Chernobyl accident and its radiological consequences indicates a serious crisis of the international radiation community. The following signs of this crises can be discerned: The international radiation community did not recognize the real reasons of the accident for a long time. It could not make a correct assessment of the damage to the thyroid of the affected populations of Belarus, Russia and the Ukraine. Up to present time it rejects the reliable data on hereditary malformations. It is not able to accept reliable data on the increase in the incidence in all categories of people affected by the Chernobyl accident. The international radiation community supported the Soviet authorities in their attempts to play down the radiological consequences of the Chernobyl accident for a long time. (author)
Protein hydrogels were prepared by substituting ovalbumin with different concentrations of ethyl vinyl sulfone (EVS) or acrylic acid (AA) and crosslinking with divinyl sulfone (DVS). Fourier transform-infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopic studies confirmed the addition of EVS, AA, and DVS onto the protein. Swelling was assessed as a function of pH in the range of 2.5 to 9.4 and ionic strength. The elastic modulus of the gels was determined in shear and compression. Stress relaxation was assessed in compression. The substituent highly affected swelling and modulus with both hydrogels displaying non-Gaussian behavior in the range of hydrogel environments studied. Acrylic acid substituted ovalbumin exhibited a decreasing modulus with increasing swelling behaving as a polyelectrolyte with low added s...
Human impacts such as eutrophication, overexploitation and climate change currently threaten future global food and drinking water supplies. Consequently, it is important that we understand how anthropogenic resource (bottom-up) and consumer (top-down) manipulations affect aquatic food web structure and production. Future climate changes are predicted to increase the inputs of terrestrial dissolved organic carbon to lakes. These carbon subsidies can either increase or decrease total basal production in aquatic food webs, depending on bacterial competition with phytoplankton for nutrients. This study examines the effects of carbon subsidies (bottom-up) on a pelagic community exposed to different levels of top-down predation. We conducted a large scale mesocosm experiment in an oligotrophic ...
Frozen boiled shrimp and dried shrimp are among the high-value fishery products of Thailand. During the production of these products boiling is one of the most important steps that affects significantly the product physicochemical properties, especially the quantity and quality of proteins, which in turn affect other apparent properties perceived by consumers. The protein changes are, however, difficult to evaluate comparing to other typical physical properties of shrimp. The objective of this study was therefore to develop an artificial neural network (ANN) model to predict the protein changes of shrimp in terms of protein loss and protein denaturation as a function of the boiling conditions, namely, concentration of salt solution and boiling time, as well as a rather easily determined ch...
Background: Apheresis is a procedure to selectively obtain blood components. For the collection process citrate is routinely used. It inhibits coagulation by binding to ionized calcium and leads to metabolic alkalosis. Objective: Whether regular apheresis affects bone and mineral metabolism is unknown. The intention of this study was to investigate 1) the acute effects of apheresis on acid-base balance, bone and mineral metabolism and 2) to compare bone mineral density (BMD) at the lumbar spine and hip of donors to matched control subjects. Design: In this open, observational, single-center, cross-sectional study we enrolled 102 regular plasma and thrombocyte donors to pursue objective 1) and compared those to 102 matched controls (CTR) for objective 2). Results: Platelet donation led to s...
Data were collected on 154 adoptive families with gay/lesbian and straight adoptive parents (154 parent respondents and 210 adolescent respondents). This study was principally interested in factors affecting adolescent attachment including parent sexual orientation, adolescent and parent life satisfaction, and parent level of relationship satisfaction with their adopted child as well as other key parent, child and adoption characteristics. The results suggest that higher level of adopted adolescent attachment to parents is not related to adoptive parent sexual orientation. Adolescent attachment to parents is related to adolescent life satisfaction; parent level of relationship satisfaction with their adopted child, number of placements prior to adoption, and adolescent's current age. Adole...
Many species of entomophagous arthropods have been introduced either intentionally (through the practice of biological control) or unintentionally to new regions. We examine interactions of these aliens with their new environments in the context of rapid global change linked to human activity. We consider effects of such interactions on establishment and spread of the alien species and effects on indigenous biota and ecosystems. Major elements of global change that affect alien-environment interactions include landscape modifications by humans (e.g., cultivation, habitat loss and fragmentation) and increases in atmospheric CO2 and other gases resulting in climate change and other effects (e.g., changes in food quality for herbivores that affect higher trophic levels as well). Alien arthrop...
Psychological distress and postamputation pain were investigated in a sample of 582 males with long-term limb amputations (mean time since amputation 639.3 months, standard deviation 166.1; range 240-784 months). Prevalence of significant depressive symptoms (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale [HADS]-D score?8) was 32.0%, and 34.0% of respondents met the screening criterion for clinical anxiety (HADS-A score?8). Nearly one quarter (24.6%) of respondents reported significant post-traumatic psychological stress symptoms (Impact of Event Scale scores?35). In total, 87.8% experienced either phantom or residual limb pain. Affective distress scores differed according to the respondents' type of pain experience. Respondents who experienced residual limb pain reported significantly hig...
The literature of radiation damage measurements on cadmium zinc telluride (CZT), cadmium telluride (CT), and mercuric iodide (HgI{sub 2}) is reviewed and in the case of CZT supplemented by new alpha particle data. CZT strip detectors exposed to intermediate energy (1.3 MeV) proton fluences exhibit increased interstrip leakage after 10{sup 10} p/cm{sup 2} and significant bulk leakage after 10{sup 12} p/cm{sup 2}. CZT exposed to 200 MeV protons shows a two-fold loss in energy resolution after a fluence of 5 {times} 10{sup 9} p/cm{sup 2} in thick (3 mm) planar devices but little effect in 2 mm devices. No energy resolution effects were noted from moderated fission spectrum of neutrons after fluences up to 10{sup 10} n/cm{sup 2}, although activation was evident. Exposures of CZT to 5 MeV alpha particle at fluences up to 1.5 {times} 10{sup 10} {alpha}/cm{sup 2} produced a near linear decrease in peak position with fluence and increases in FWHM beginning at about 7.5 ...
The objective of this work is to improve the process for CO{sub 2} capture by alkanolamine absorption/stripping by developing an alternative solvent, aqueous K{sub 2}CO3 promoted by piperazine (PZ). Pilot plant testing was performed in a 16.8-inch ID absorber and stripper with recirculation of air and CO{sub 2}. Three solvents (7 m MEA, 5 m K{sup +}/2.5 m PZ, and 6.4 m K{sup +}/1.6 m PZ) were tested in four campaigns with three different absorber packings. Pilot plant testing established that 5 m K{sup +}/2.5 m PZ requires two times less packing than 7 m MEA and three times less packing than 6.4 m K{sup +}/1.6 m PZ. A rigorous model of the thermodynamics and mass transfer was developed in the RateSep{trademark} block of AspenPlus{reg_sign}. The double matrix stripper reduces energy consumption by 5 to 15%. The best K{sup +}/PZ solvent, 4 m K{sup +}/4 m PZ, and the best process configuration, double matrix stripper with a double intercooled absorber, requires ...
We analyze the O(N) symmetric #sigma#-model in four dimensions with and without external source in the large-N approximation. We show that tachyons appear in these models only if cut-off effects are neglected. Including these effects and incorporating the triviality of the #sigma#-model, we demonstrate that no tachyon pole exists. We discuss how our results affect recent ideas to circumvent the 'no-loose-corollary' for W_L W_L scattering. (orig.).
The early idea that a non-perturbative gluon condensate affects the spectrum of heavy quarks is revisited in the light of modern simulation techniques. We evaluate the low lying spectrum of bound states of two heavy quarks for large hypothetical quark mass, m_Q > m_b, using non-relativistic QCD and compare with other models to test the consistency.
The mechanism of lead transport is presented, and especially the particular similarities or dissimilarities between lead and calcium in this process. The absorption of these metals was determined cockerels, raised on a commercial diet or on a specified diet, using in vivo ligated loop procedure. The dose administered into the loop contained 0.5 #mu#Ci "2"0"3Pb (and/or 0.1 #mu#Ci "4"7Ca), and 0.01 mM lead acetate (and/or mM CaCl_2) in 0.5 ml 0.15 M NaCl,pH 6.5. It was shown that lead is rapidly taken up by the mucosal tissue, and slowly transferred into the body, whereas less calcium is retained by the tissue and the transfer of calcium is many times as effective as that for lead. They appear to respond in a similar manner to a low calcium intake and vitamin D treatment. Increasing luminal stable lead concentration significantly reduced the percentage of radiolead significantly reduced the percentage of radiolead absorbed, but did not affect the absorption of ...
The case of spontaneous radiation of channeled ultrarelativistic particles is considered when the dipolarity condition is not satisfied. The change of the particle longitudinal velocity affecting the maximum radiation frequency is included. The angular and frequency characteristics of the radiation for superhigh energies are studied for the first time. It is shown that there is an optimum energy at which the radiation density is maximum. The influence of the angle at which electrons enter a crystal and of the beam divergence on the radiation is investigated. The problem of quasichanneled particle radiation and also the radiation in axis-plane transitions are considered. (author).
Tow experiments were carried out in 1981 and 1982 growth seasons at the greenhouse of the department of agriculture for soils and water researches, atomic energy authority, at inshas, to investigate the responses of two mutation derived lines of sesame and the local cultivar giza 25 to the application of micro nutrients. The possible effect of radiation on germination and growth of sesame seed was also studied in a separate experiment conducted in 1985 season, at inshas.
This paper reviews the main studies on entrepreneurship conducted during the past two decades that are relevant for the understanding of various macroeconomic issues. I organize the discussion by distinguishing three groups of contributions. The first group includes studies whose main purpose is to understand the factors that affect the decision to become an entrepreneur. The second group includes studies that look at the aggregate and distributional implications of entrepreneurship for savings and investment. The third group deals with issues of economic development and growth.
Whooper swans habitat in the coastal regions of Denmark can be affected by wind turbine arrays on the coast. The planned array consists of 55 wind turbines very close to the swan breeding area. A possibility of moving the swans away from the windmill area would be to spread the preferred swan feeds (rape, potatoes) outside their present breeding ground. (EG) 14 refs.
Numerous studies have documented the general toxicity of the polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and a sizeable literature has accumulated concerning the toxic effects of PCBs on a variety of homeostatic systems. However, current information regarding the effects of PCBs on rhythmic endocrine function is quite limited. Thus, the present study was undertaken to determine whether circadian periodicity in pituitary-adrenal function is affected by exposure to PCBs.
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a monogenic disease characterized by a high variability of disease severity and outcome that points to the role of environmental factors and modulating genes that shape the course...Full Text Available
The metabolism of organic matter in the coastal regions of the ocean may significantly affect the oceanic carbon budget. This paper describes the high percentage (30%) of oceanic oxidation that occurs in coastal areas and the impact of this metabolism on the carbon cycle and climate of earth. Organic metabolism in the ocean appears to be a source of carbon dioxide release into the atmosphere. Oxidation in the coastal zone is of special interest, as it is likely influenced by anthropogenic activity. Recommendations for future research on this topic are proposed. 129 refs., 2 figs., 6 tabs.