UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The world's oceans contain a complex mixture of micro-organisms that are for the most part, uncharacterized both genetically and biochemically. We report here a metagenomic study of the marine planktonic...Full Text Available

Environmental Research Database

ObjectivesThe specific objectives of the research are to: 1. Determine the concentrations of N2O, NO and NO2 in tropical coastal waters in relation to nutrients and salinities. 2. Determine, with excess nitrate present, the potential for nitrate reduction and denitrification in sediments along tropical estuaries, and whether NO, NO2, N2O, N2 or NH4+ are significant products. 3. Establish the balance between denitrification, nitrate ammonification and anammox in tropical estuarine sediments, relative to [continued...]DescriptionThe coastal zone is extremely important in the biogeochemical processes which control the natural cycle of elements of the Earth. In particular, the coastal zone contributes significantly to the nitrogen cycle, removing nitrogen washed in from the land by rivers and so reducing its fertilizing impact on the coastal seas. However, these removal processes, ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Summary The objective of this study was to quantify the genetic diversity among breeds under evaluation for tropical adaptability traits that affect the performance of beef cattle at the USDA/ARS SubTropical Agricultural Research Station (STARS) near Brooksville, FL, USA. Twenty-six microsatellite loci were used to estimate parameters of genetic diversity among the breeds American Brahman, Angus, Senepol and Romosinuano; the latter was comprised of two distinct bloodlines (Costa Rican and Venezuelan). Genotypes of 47 animals from each of these STARS herds were analysed for genetic diversity and genetic distance. Using two methods, the greatest genetic distance was detected between the Costa Rican line of Romosinuano and the Senepol. Gene diversity ranged between 0.64 (Costa Rican line of R...

Science.gov (United States)

Language: English ...

Science.gov (United States)

Apr 3, 2002 ... Global Tropospheric Experiment (GTE) PEM Tropics Summary.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Present and potential future changes to the global environment have important implications for marine pollution and for the air-sea exchange of both anthropogenic and natural substances. This report addresses three issues related to the potential impact of global change on the air-sea exchange of chemicals: Global change and the air-sea transfer of the nutrients nitrogen and iron. Global change and the air-sea exchange of gases. Oceanic responses to radiative and oxidative changes in the atmosphere. The deposition of atmospheric anthropogenic nitrogen has probably increased biological productivity in coastal regions along many continental margins. Atmospheric deposition of new nitrogen may also have increased productivity somewhat in mid-ocean regions. The projected future increases of nitrogen oxide emissions from Asia, Africa and South America will provide significant increases in the rate of deposition of oxidized nitrogen to the central North Pacific, the equatorial ...

Science.gov (United States)

This dissertation evaluates recent proposals to include tropical deforestation into international climate change mitigation strategies. The research ... ...

Science.gov (United States)

Title: Illicit Crops in Tropical America: Deforestation, Landslides, and the Terrestrial Carbon Stocks. Author: Lopez-Rodriguez, Sara R.; Blanco-Libreros, Juan F. ...

Science.gov (United States)

Abstract: The NASA Landsat Pathfinder Humid Tropical Deforestation Project mapped global deforestation for the humid tropics. Data sets from both the TM ...

Science.gov (United States)

PMID:6429572

KoreaScience (Korea)

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Science.gov (United States)

... in the southeast Caribbean. Cetology 49: 1-15. Watkins, W.A., ... H., S. Brennan, and D. Grover. 1991. Distribution and behavior of male sperm whales ...

Science.gov (United States)

... Harbor Township Vineland Voorhees Pediatric Partner Hospitals AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center- City Campus, Atlantic City AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center - ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The Atlantic Wind Test Site was established in 1980 as a laboratory to facilitate the evaluation and demonstration of wind energy systems and equipment. This annual report describes its organization and management, facilities, major projects, and the outlook for the future. Major projects include wind diesel; AWTS-IREQ collaboration; remote community data acquisition; lagerwey test program; Alaska Energy Authority Project; public education; Atlantic Orient Corporation 15/50 Project; and the soft VAWT project.

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Background and AimsThere has been little previous work on the toughness of the laminae of monocots in tropical lowland rain forest (TLRF) despite the potential importance of greater...Full Text Available

Science.gov (United States)

This article addresses land-cover and land-use dynamics from the perspective of regional science and

Environmental Research Database

SummaryIntended Outputs: Documentation demonstrating an improved biophysical understanding of the role of forests on low flows in the arid zone regions of India through the development and outputs from hydrological models such as Hyluc and SWAT.A documented analysis of the impacts on the poor of historical and current water management policies, including the investigation through PRA techniques of people's perceptions and beliefs of land-use/hydrological interactions, and the implications o [continued...]ObjectivesTo establish a better understanding of forest impacts on low flows and the social impact of water resources management in arid zone regions of India, and to develop tools which allow this improved understanding to be disseminated directly to stakeholders.DescriptionProject Background: Reducing river flows and groundwater tables, especially during the dry season, constitutes a major problem causing great hardship to large numbers of rural and urban poor ...

Science.gov (United States)

... recognized in the genus in which one inhabits forest litter and the other inhabits streams (Verdade, 2005). The forest litter species deposit their eggs in humid habitats, with ... ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

BackgroundExpansion of aquaculture is seriously limited by reductions in fish oil (FO) supply for aquafeeds. Terrestrial alternatives such as vegetable oils (VO) have been investigated...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Dengue, a major public health problem throughout subtropical and tropical regions, is an acute infectious disease characterized by biphasic fever, headache, pain in various parts of the body, prostration,...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

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

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Abstract Question: How do the diversity, size structure, and spatial pattern of woody species in a temperate (Mediterranean climate) forest compare to temperate and tropical forests? Location: Mixed evergreen coastal forest in the Santa Cruz Mountains, California, USA. Methods: We mapped, tagged, identified, and measured all woody stems (?1 cm diameter) in a 6-ha forest plot, following Center for Tropical Forest Science protocols. We compared patterns to those found in 14 tropical and 12 temperate forest plots. Results: The forest is dominated by Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) and three species of Fagaceae (Quercus agrifolia, Q. parvula var. shrevei, and Lithocarpus densiflorus), and includes 31 woody species and 8180 individuals. Much of the diversity was in small-diameter shrubs,...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

This study investigates the turnover of polysaccharides by heterotrophic bacterioplankton in the northern Bay of Biscay, a productive marine system on the continental margin of the temperate Atlantic Ocean. Bacterial biomass production (BBP) near the surface ranged from 0.5 to 25.7 nmol C L?1 h?1 during small phytoplankton blooms in May and June that occurred after the main spring bloom. A direct relationship between BBP and total polysaccharides strongly suggests the dependence of bacterial growth on the availability of semi-labile organic matter. Concentrations of combined glucose as well as rate constants of extracellular glucosidase activity and glucose uptake were determined to estimate the actual carbon fluxes from bacterial polysaccharide turnover. Results reveal that ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Abstract The Brazilian Atlantic Forest is one of the richest biodiversity hotspots of the world. Paleoclimatic models have predicted two large stability regions in its northern and central parts, whereas southern regions might have suffered strong instability during Pleistocene glaciations. Molecular phylogeographic and endemism studies show, nevertheless, contradictory results: although some results validate these predictions, other data suggest that paleoclimatic models fail to predict stable rainforest areas in the south. Most studies, however, have surveyed species with relatively high dispersal rates whereas taxa with lower dispersion capabilities should be better predictors of habitat stability. Here, we have used two land planarian species as model organisms to analyse the patterns ...

Science.gov (United States)

The summertime tropical cyclogenesis rate per unit area in the eastern Pacific ocean is arguably higher than in any other location in the world. Many if not most of these cyclones form from African easterly waves which cross Central America into the Pacific. Of order 25% of these waves intensify into cyclones. A significant fraction of east Pacific tropical cyclones undergoes landfall on the Mexican coast. Those which do not, generally dissipate over cold ocean waters north of the east Pacific intertropical convergence zone, often not far from land. The layer of warm ocean water which supports the development of east Pacific cyclones is unusually shallow and is structured by anticyclonic vortices which form by various processes and propagate slowly to the west. These vortices locally deepen the oceanic mixed layer and support stronger convection than their surroundings, possibly promoting cyclogenesis and cyclone intensification. Cyclones ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Abstract: Environmental synergisms may pose the greatest threat to tropical biodiversity. Using recently updated data sets from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, we evaluated the incidence of perceived threats to all known mammal, bird, and amphibian species in tropical forests. Vulnerable, endangered, and extinct species were collectively far more likely to be imperiled by combinations of threats than expected by chance. Among 45 possible pairwise combinations of 10 different threats, 69%, 93%, and 71% were significantly more frequent than expected for threatened mammals, birds, and amphibians, respectively, even with a stringent Bonferroni-corrected probability value (p= 0.003). Based on this analysis, we identified five key environmental synergisms in t...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Seed dispersal involves several complex stages that can be affected by multiple peripheral processes. Thus, a major dispersal event can be followed by secondary dispersal, which can reduce density-dependent mortality and consolidate the dispersal phase. But predation events can also follow, and predation of seeds in feces is particularly interesting because it can heavily alter the fate of seeds dispersed through vertebrate guts. Our review of 20 cases involving this kind of interaction found that research has chiefly been in tropical and subtropical areas (85% of cases), suggesting that it is a minor phenomenon at higher latitudes. However, the small size of both the seeds and predators involved may have caused this process to go unnoticed outside the tropics. We tested the presence of pr...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

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

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

AbstractThe tick-borne protozoan parasite Theileria annulata causes a debilitating disease of cattle called Tropical Theileriosis. The parasite predominantly invades...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Deforestation is rapidly transforming primary forests across the tropics into human-dominated landscapes. Consequently, conservationists need to understand how different taxa respond and adapt to these...Full Text Available

Science.gov (United States)

The global problem concerning contamination of the environment because of human activities is increasing. Most of the environmental contaminants are chemical by-products and heavy metals such as lead (Pb). Lead released into the environment makes its way into the air, soil and water. Lead contribute...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Forest research on fast growing Eucalyptus hybrids in the Congo, using coppice shoots for propagation, is described. The hybrids can grow 20 ft in 15 months and it is suggested that the application of such methods in Britain may increase the growth rates of hardwoods such as oak or walnut.

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The search for cancer treatment continues to be a global effort. As part of this global effort, many natural products have been tested against cancer cell lines, mostly from tropically located plants....Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

BackgroundThe continued depletion of tropical rainforests and fragmentation of natural habitats has led to significant ecological changes which place most top carnivores under heavy...Full Text Available

Environmental Research Database

DescriptionChamber studies have shown that biogenic organic compounds, including isoprene, are capable of producing secondary organic aerosol in significant quantities. This is surprising as isoprene and its photo-oxidation products have relatively high vapour pressures. However, it is very important as isoprene has the largest global emissions flux of any biogenic hydrocarbon, most of which is in the tropics. Despite this, secondary organic aerosol has been poorly studied in tropical regions with only [continued...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

This is a preliminary study on the sound absorption properties of two tropical hardwoods, Light Red Meranti and Ramin, and their wood-polymer composites. Sound absorption is measured using a standing wave apparatus. The samples are of one thickness (7 mm) and cut longitudinally. Wood-polymer composites are made by impregnating the samples with methyl methacrylate which is polymerized in situ through #gamma#-irradiation. Both woods and their composites are better sound absorbers at higher sound frequencies. With partial impregnation, the absorption coefficients are improved upon particularly in the region between 1-3 kHz. (author).

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The compressive and bending strengths of a local tropical wood (Kapur-Dryobalanop sp.) were improved significantly by suitable impregnation of polymeric monomers (methylmethacrylate, methylmethacrylate - 5% dioxane and vinyl acetate) into the wood cellular structure and subsequent irradiation to form a wood-polymer composite. Statistical analysis revealed a linear relationship between increase in the strengths and the percentage of polymer impregnated. Fractographic analysis of the impact fractured surfaces under the scanning electron microscope showed the nature of the wood-polymer interface, which could account for the increase in the compressive and bending strengths. (author).

Science.gov (United States)

Throughout much of the 1980s, deforestation in Brazil eliminated more than 15,000 square kilometers (9000 square miles) per year. That pace has only increased through the 90s and into the 21st century. Brazil is also home to more than a quarter of Earths tropical forests. Considering that the band of lush green that circles the globe through many equatorial nations is fundamental to the overall health of the whole planets environment, careful monitoring of forest health in the tropics is essential. Tropical forests act as major carbon sinks, places where ambient carbon dioxide in the atmosphere can be absorbed by growing things and sequestered for years. Definitive evidence shows that excess carbon dioxide can contribute to the greenhouse effect and speed global warming. Similarly, tropical forests also act as a primary producer of oxygen. In the respiration process that absorbs gaseous carbon dioxide, ...

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Recent technological developments have facilitated intensified searches for genetic markers under selection in nonmodel species. Here, we present an approach for the identification of candidate gene variation in nonmodel organisms. We report on the characterization of 82 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and on the development of a specific genotyping assay for 30 SNPs in 18 candidate genes for growth and reproduction in Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua). These markers can be used for scanning natural populations for signatures of selection in both contemporary and archived historical samples, for example in retrospective studies assessing the effects of environmental changes, such as increasing temperatures, and selection imposed by high fishing pressure. Furthermore, these gene markers may be of interest to aquaculture, serving as a starting point for linking phenotypic traits important for productivity with genotypes and potentially be of use for marker-assisted ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Invasive weeds have threatened the integrity of ecosystems throughout the world. They affect not only the species diversity of native areas but also their biological integrity. In India, a number of invasive exotic weeds have been reported but some viz. Parthenium hysterophorus, Lantana camara and Ageratum conyzoides, especially those from tropical America are troublesome and have caused adverse ecological, economic and social impact. These weeds can be seen growing in different landscapes but are luxuriantly localized in unattended forests and cultivated areas. Parthenium hysterophorus (Asteraceae, commonly known as congress grass) is perhaps the most troublesome and noxious weed of urban and rural India. Besides rapidly colonizing areas replacing the native vegetation, it is also known t...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Leaf litterfall, litter decomposition and nutrient return through litterfall of three dominant species, i.e. Quercus serrata, Schima wallichi and Lithocarpus dealbata were studied in different months throughout the year to assess the input and release of nutrient in the forest soil of a sub-tropical mixed oak forest of Manipur, northeastern India. Oaks in northeastern region of India are economically important species for the production of Tasar silk. The monthly litterfall ranged from 25.6 g?m?2 (July) to 198.0 g?m?2 (February) and annual litterfall was 1093.8g?m?2 in the forest site. At initial month (on November 3), the concentrations of N and C were the highest in L. dealbata, followed by Q. serrata and lowest in S. wallichi, whereas lignin and cellulose concentrations at initial month...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wood polymer composite (WPC) specimens were produced by impregnating a tropical wood with methyl methacrylate and subsequently polymerised by ..gamma..-irradiation. Beam specimens of varying weight percentages of polymer were then subjected to a three point bend creep test under a constant load condition, for 250, 300 and 350 N. A Norton-Bailey (power law) mathematical model was used to describe the creep behavior, with the creep components determined by a nonlinear regression analysis. Significant creep improvements were obtained from the composite specimens as compared to the untreated wood specimens. Results indicated that maximum creep resistance is obtained when the amount of polymer loading exceeded 30%. An interfacial interaction between the polymer and the wood cell wall was used to account for the behavior of the increase in the creep resistance.

Wastenet

...htm Waste Framework Directive 75/442/EEC (amended by Directive 91/156/EEC) and Waste Management Planning http://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/plans/index.htm Selected EC commissioned/supported projects including LCA IPP Pilot Product exercise on mobile phones and on tropical garden furniture http://ec.europa.eu/environment/ipp/pilot.htm \\

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is the etiologic agent of adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL), HTLV-1-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP), and other diseases....Full Text Available

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The use of WPC as an important insulating material is studied by determining its dielectric constant. The variation of dielectric constant with moisture content is also investigated. Preliminary results show that all untreated woods studied have a higher dielectric constant than their polymer composites with the exception of Kapur and Keruing. It is therefore postulated that the presence of polymers has led to a decrease in the number of polarizable units. Such a material may be useful commercially. (author).

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The Terra Nova offshore oil project is described, with emphasis on the construction of the Terra Nova Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel, the first such vessel constructed for the harsh environment of the North Atlantic off Newfoundland, the site of an oil field that is expected to produce 125,000 to 150,000 barrels of oil per day starting in 2001. The vessel has a double-hull, made of 3,000 tons of reinforced steel to protect it from ice in the form of massive icebergs or crusty 'packs'. The vessel has the world's largest quick release turret, meaning that the vessel can be quickly disconnected from its turret and mooring in the event of an encroaching iceberg, and then reconnected in an environmentally sound way. Apart from its extremely rugged construction, protecting the FPSO vessel against icebergs is accomplished by way of 'hosing down' (by melting by powerful streams of water) or ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The specific goals of this research are to (1) determine daily and seasonal variability of seawater pCO{sub 2} partial pressure of CO{sub 2} and NO{sub 3} in Middle Atlantic Bight (MAB) waters; (2) estimate seasonal CO{sub 2} fluxes between the MAB shelf and the atmosphere; and (3) determine the primary controls of surface seawater pCO{sub 2} in this coastal system. During the first phase of the DOE-OMP (1992-1995) we developed the Submersible Autonomous Moored Instrument for CO{sub 2} (SAMI-CO{sub 2}) which is designed to measure seawater CO{sub 2} on ocean moorings for extended periods.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Mate choice copying was mostly described as a strategy employed by females to assess the quality of potential mates, but also males can copy other males? mate choice. An open question in this context is whether and how copying males evaluate sperm competition risk, as mating with a female that has already copulated with another male obviously sets the stage for intense sperm competition (i.e., in species with internal fertilization). Using the livebearing Atlantic molly (Poecilia mexicana) as a model, we asked (a) whether males of that species indeed copy other males? choices, and if they do so, (b) whether copying males strategically adjust their behavior to sperm competition risk. We used an approach where focal males could first choose to associate with a large or a small stimulus femal...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

This paper provides a systematic empirical analysis of the role of the housing market in the macroeconomy in the US and the euro area. First, it establishes some stylised facts concerning key variables in the housing market on the two sides of the Atlantic, such as real house prices, residential investment and mortgage debt. It then presents evidence from Structural Vector Autoregressions (SVAR) by focusing on the effects of monetary policy, credit supply and housing demand shocks on the housing market and the broader economy. The analysis shows that similarities outweigh differences as far as the housing market is concerned. The empirical evidence suggests a stronger role for housing in the transmission of monetary policy shocks in the US. The evidence is less clear-cut for housing demand...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The Jeanne d`Arc Basin is located 320 km offshore in the Grand Banks of Newfoundland. It is a Mesozoic failed-rift basin with recoverable oil reserves of about 2 billion barrels. Its huge Hibernia Field will be in production by late 1997. The basin has been reappraised using sequence stratigraphic concepts, and renewed exploration in the area is expected. The Upper Jurassic - Lower Cretaceous sedimentary accumulation in the Basin was formed by the extensional tectonics that created the North Atlantic Ocean. The sedimentary packages were placed in chronostratigraphic order by calibrating the biostratigraphy of the Oxfordian to Maastrichtian section to the detailed ammonite zonation from the North Sea.

Environmental Research Database

ObjectivesObjectives Not AvailableDescriptionAbstract Not Available

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ninety-five nests of Centris (Heterocentris) terminata Smith were collected in trap nests, during November/2001 and January/2003, at two fragments (PZGV e CFO-UFBA) of secondary Atlantic Forest, in Salvador, Bahia State (13 deg 01' W and 38 deg 30' S). The highest nest frequencies occurred from December to February (summer), with no nests foundations from August to October (winter - early spring). Two-hundred eight adults emerged from 347 brood cells, being 164 males and 116 females (1: 0.42). During the study period sex ratio was male biased ({chi}{sup 2} = 9.342; gl = 10; P < 0.05). C. terminata nested in holes with diameters 6, 8, 10 mm, but 84,2% were constructed in 8 and 10 mm. nests had one to seven cells arranged in a linear series with the cell's partitions built with a mixture of sand and resin or oil. Male is significantly smaller than female, which emerges from the first cells constructed. Immature mortality occurred in ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

We carried out a feeding study in rats aimed at extending our aboservations of contaminant-induced immunosuppression in harbour seals. Two herring batches were freeze-dried, supplemented and fed to female adult PVG rats for a period of 4 1/2 months. Daily contaminant intakes of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) toxic equivalents (TEQ) were estimated to be 0.3 ng/kg body weight and 1.6 ng/kg in the Atlantic and Baltic groups, respectively. At the end of the feeding experiment, no contaminant-related changes in spleen CD{sub 4}{sup +}/CD{sub 8}{sup +} cellularity, natural killer cell activity, or mitogen-induced proliferative responses of thymus or spleen cells could be detected. However, total thymocyte numbers and thymus CD{sub 4}{sup +}/CD{sub 8}{sup +} ratios were reduced in the Baltic group. A novel model was established to assess the specific T-cell response to rat cytomegalovirus (RCMV). When applied to the feeding study, no differences between the ...

Science.gov (United States)

In previous molecular phylogenetic analyses of the freshwater mussel family Unionidae (Bivalvia: Unionoida), the Afrotropical genus Coelatura had been recovered in various positions, generally indicating a paraphyletic Unionidae. However that result was typically poorly supported and in conflict with morphology-based analyses. We set out to test the phylogenetic position of Coelatura by sampling tropical lineages omitted from previous studies. Forty-one partial 28S nuclear rDNA and partial COI mtDNA sequences (1130 total aligned nucleotides) were analyzed separately and in combination under both maximum parsimony and likelihood, as well as Bayesian inference. There was significant phylogenetic incongruence between the character sets (partition homogeneity test, p<0.01), but a novel heuristic for comparing bootstrap values among character sets analyzed separately and in combination illustrated that the observed conflict was due to homoplasy rather than separate ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Current projections of the response of the biosphere to global climatic change indicate as much as 50% to 90% spatial displacement of extratropical biomes. The mechanism of spatial shift could be dominated by either (1) competitive displacement of northern biomes by southern biomes, or (2) drought-induced dieback of areas susceptible to change. The current suite of global biosphere models cannot distinguish between these two processes, thus determining the need for a mechanistically based biome model. The model is in an early stage of development and will require several enhancements, including explicit simulation of potential evapotranspiration, extension to boreal and tropical biomes, a shift from steady-state to transient dynamics, and validation on other continents.

Environmental Research Database

DescriptionRoot-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.) are major nematode pests of most tropical crops, making roots less efficient at withdrawing nutrients and water from soil, sometimes causing the total failure of crops grown by resource-poor farmers in Africa. Nematicides are some of the most toxic products used in crop protection, and are inappropriate or too expensive for use on most crops in Africa and there is an urgent need for new methods of nematode management. The fungus Pochonia chlamydosporia is [continued...

Wastenet

...The RSPB: Birds by family: Owls E-mail to a friendE-newsletterContact us Home England Northern Ireland Scotland Wales About Overview Awards & recognition Contact ...Birds by family PrintHome Birds and wildlife Bird guide Birds by family Owls Owls Owls are specialised birds with round heads and rather flat ...or dished faces, with forward-facing eyes and a short, hooked bill. Most are nocturnal or crepuscular (active at dawn and dusk)... Owls are found all over the temperate and tropical parts of the world. Barn owl With heart shaped face, buff back ...

Science.gov (United States)

The C isotopic composition of CH4 emissions are strongly influenced by the pathway of CH4 formation. Contrary to data from other freshwater systems, soil gas and surface flux measurements made in the tropical rain forests of Puerto Rico strongly suggest that CH4 produced in these environments was derived from CO2 reduction, rather than from acetate consumption. This study explored the effects of bacterial competition for acetate, pH, and soil structure on the pathways of CH4 formation in tropical rain forest soils. Our goal was to test two principal hypotheses: (1) ferric iron-reducing bacteria out-competed methanogens for acetate, resulting in greater CO2 reduction rather than aceticlastic methanogenesis, and (2) the low pH of tropical rain forest soils favors CO2 reduction rather than aceticlastic methanogenesis. In addition, this study also investigated the effect of destroying soil aggregate structure on the pathways ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Global climate policy initiatives are now being proposed to compensate tropical forest nations for reducing carbon emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD). These proposals have the potential to include developing countries more actively in international greenhouse gas mitigation and to address a substantial share of the world's emissions which come from tropical deforestation. For such a policy to be viable it must have a credible benchmark against which emissions reduction can be calculated. This benchmark, sometimes termed a baseline or reference emissions scenario, can be based directly on historical emissions or can use historical emissions as input for business as usual projections. Here, we review existing data and methods that could be used to measure historical deforestation and forest degradation reference scenarios including FAO (Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations) national statistics ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This paper reports the estimates concerning the atmospheric carbon dioxide absorption and storage by living plants all over the world. It is necessary to decrease atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations for avoiding global warming. As living plants absorb carbon dioxide by photosynthesis and accumulate carbon in their bodies, they can play an important role to remove atmospheric carbon dioxide. Literatures describing distribution areas, biomass values and net primary productivity (NPP) of forests, marine plants and microorganisms were collected. Examining those data, the biomass and NPP of forests, marine plants and microorganisms can be summarized as follows: (1) Forest biomass and their NPP of the world. The world's forest area is recently estimated as 4 billion hectares, and their biomass is about 400 billion tons of carbon which is equal to 2/3 of the total atmospheric carbon. The NPP of the world's forest is estimated as 25-35 billion tons C/year. (2) Mean ...

KoreaScience (Korea)

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Science.gov (United States)

Samples dredged from the sediment mounds have a unique chemistry and mineralogy which reveals details of the hydrothermal processes that produce these deposits. The mounds form primarily by deposition of Fe, Mn and Si from hydrothermal fluids which circulate through the basalt crust and the overlying sediments. The Mn, Fe and Si are strongly fractionated in the process; the Fe and Si precipitate within the mounds under slightly reducing conditions as nontronite, while the Mn is deposited as Mn oxyhydroxides at the seawater-sediment interface. The nontronite is exceptionally well crystallized, and contains less than 200 ppm Al. The Mn minerals, todorokite and birnessite, also have exceptional crystallinity and the distribution of trace elements Cu, Ni, Zn, Co, Ca and Ba in these phases agrees with predictions made on the basis of models of their crystal structure. The environment of deposition which produces this suite of minerals - slow percolation of hydrothermal fluids through ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The Crown of the Continent is one of the premiere ecosystems in North America containing Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, the Bob Marshall-Great Bear-Scapegoat Wilderness Complex in Montana, various Provincial Parks in British Columbia and Alberta, several national and state forest lands in the USA, and Crown Lands in Canada. The region is also the headwater source for three of the continent's great rivers: Columbia, Missouri and Saskatchewan that flow to the Pacific, Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, respectively. While the region has many remarkably pristine headwater streams and receiving rivers, there are many pending threats to water quality and quantity. One of the most urgent threats comes from the coal and gas fields in the northern part of the Crown of the Continent, where coal deposits are proposed for mountain-top removal and open-pit mining operations. This will have significant effects on the waters of the region, its native plants and ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The relative abundance and variation of Cr, Co, Cd and Pb in Ascophyllum nodosum and intertidal surface sediments from six locations around the coast were assessed over six seasons. Higher Cd and Pb levels in Galway Docks and Cork Harbour were attributed to localised inputs of these metals from municipal and domestic waste, while at a reference site (Ballyconneely), high algal Cr concentrations were considered a function of geological setting rather than anthropogenic loading. Little seasonal variation was observed, with the exception of higher Co levels in plants in winter, associated with growth dynamics and increased fluvial inputs. In comparison with previously published data for metals in A. nodosum from the North Atlantic, with the exception of localised hot spots, the Irish coastline is still a relatively pristine environment. A. nodosum may be successfully and easily used as a biomonitor of metal contamination in coastal waters. - This paper provides ...

Science.gov (United States)

Throughout much of the 1980s, deforestation in Brazil eliminated more than 15,000 square kilometers (9000 square miles) of forest per year. Data gathered by several satellites in the Landsat series of spacecraft shows enormous tracts of forest disappearing in Rondonia, Brazil from 1975 through 2001. The human phenomenon of deforestation starts, especially in the dense tropical forests of Brazil, when systematic cutting of a road opens new territory to potential deforestation by penetrating into new areas. Clearing of vegetation along the sides of those roads then tends to fan out to create a pattern akin to a fish skeleton. As new paths appear in the woods, more areas become vulnerable. Finally, the spaces between the skeletal bones fall to defoliation.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Phytoplankton community composition, density, and succession were studied in tropical commercial ponds with euryhaline tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon Fabricius) using green-water technology at two different stocking densities [T1 10 post-larvae (PL) m?2 and T2 15 PL m?2] in one grow-out season (May?October 2005) in Leganes, Iloilo, Philippines. Weekly qualitative and quantitative analyses of phytoplankton were done along with physicochemical analyses of the pond waters. A total of 103 taxa belonging to nine different algal classes were observed. Of these classes, the Chlorophyceae, Cyanophyceae and Bacillariophyceae constituted the great bulk of the phytoplankton population. The two treatments did not show any significant differences in the growth pattern of phytoplankton over time and in t...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A section of the northern margin of the Guineo-Congolian rain forest of the Central African Republic is studied to determine to what extent deforestation is evolving. Three sites are presented to highlight the diversity in local environmental settings at the northern margin of the closed equatorial rain forest: the contiguous equatorial rain forest, the boundary between the closed rain forest and the grasslands, and a predominantly secondary grassland environment. Proven image processing procedures for determining land cover and vegetation vigor were applied to Landsat MSS data to determine land cover characteristics and identify alterations in land cover that indicate potentially degraded forest environments. Land cover was independently assessed using spectral signatures determined from a statistical clustering routine. The images presented and image analyses contribute insights and information to an ongoing effort to determine more reliable data on the status of global ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Over 300 delegates participated in this scientific meeting to celebrate the career of the late Professor Tony Hart, who was Head of Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Liverpool, from 1986 until his death in September 2007. The meeting, which was opened by Professor James Stewart (Head, School of Infection and Host Defence, University of Liverpool) and closed by Professor Bernard Brabin (Head of the Child Health Group, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine), captured some of the major elements that distinguished Tony Harts remarkable career. These included: broad research interests spanning both human and veterinary medicine; the ability to conduct both clinical and basic science research with equal skill and vigour; and his phenomenal mentorship of postgraduate students. Eac...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

In order to quantify the biomass burning emissions, the main atmospheric pollution source of tropical and subtropical regions, we carried out the analysis of ashes that are also formed during these fires. To this end, we developed analytical methods to characterize the composition of savannah grass burning ashes by using X-ray fluorescence for mineral elements and microanalysis for C, H, O and N. Samples used in this work have been collected during laboratory combustion experiments, with chemically well-defined natural savannah grasses from Ivory Coasts and South Africa. The reproducibility and efficiency of different developed procedures have been studies. The analytical relative precision is generally better than 5%. This development has allowed to establish, for the first time, the global mass balance of ashes resulting from savannah grass burning. (authors). 16 refs., 3 figs., 8 tabs.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Often ecologists and natural resource managers can easily access data on invasive species occurrence across a region. Yet, collecting species abundance data over a large area is arguably more important for decision making, but inherently costly, so methods which can provide robust information at low-cost are particularly valuable. Studies of species distribution often use occurrence data to build models of the environmental niche. Environmental suitability derived from such models may be used to predict the potential distributions of species. The ability of such models to predict spatial patterns in abundance have recently been demonstrated. Here we tested the relationship of environmental suitability with local abundance of an aquatic invasive species, olive hymenachne (Hymenachne amplexi...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Abstract Satellite measurements and numerical forecast model reanalysis data are used to compute an updated estimate of the cloud radiative effect on the global multi-annual mean radiative energy budget of the atmosphere and surface. The cloud radiative cooling effect through reflection of short wave radiation dominates over the long wave heating effect, resulting in a net cooling of the climate system of - 21 Wm-2. The short wave radiative effect of cloud is primarily manifest as a reduction in the solar radiation absorbed at the surface of - 53 Wm-2. Clouds impact long wave radiation by heating the moist tropical atmosphere (up to around 40 Wm-2 for global annual means) while enhancing the radiative cooling of the atmosphere over other regions, in particular higher latitudes and sub-trop...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

ABSTRACT We present evidence that differences in soil seedbank persistence among pioneer plants in the cloud forest of Monteverde, Costa Rica, are influenced by differences in seed chemical defense. We used extracted seed chemicals from Bocconia frutescens (Papaveraceae), Guettarda poasana (Rubiaceae), Phytolacca rivinoides (Phytolaccaceae), Urera elata (Urticaceae), Cecropia polyphlebia (Cecropiaceae), and Witheringia meiantha (Solanaceae) to assess seed chemical defense in two ways: (1) a plant pathogen inhibition assay using Pythium irregulare; and (2) a brine shrimp toxicity assay using Artemia salina. The combined performance of each species in the two assays positively correlated with seedbank persistence. In the pathogen assay, mycelium growth was reduced when Pythium was cultured o...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

This study concerns the thermotolerance of spores of mesophilic fungi isolated from a tropical semi-arid habitat subject to dry season fire in the Western Ghats, southern India. Among 25 species of Ascomycota isolated from leaf litter, nine were able to grow after incubation in a drying oven for 2h at 100degreeC; the spores of two of these species survived 2h incubation at 110degreeC, and one survived exposure to 115degreeC for 2h. The range of thermotolerance among mesophilic fungi isolated from the leaf litter was surprising: filamentous fungi from other habitats, including species that colonize scorched vegetation after fires and thermophilic forms occurring in self-heating plant composts, cannot survive even brief exposure to such high temperatures. It is possible that the exceptional ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

When we perceive a visual object, we implicitly or explicitly associate it with an object category we know. Recent research has shown that the visual system can use local, informative image fragments...Full Text Available

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The Gulf of California represents one of the most productive and unique marginal seas in the world. The mouth of the Gulf captures warm equatorial water while annual wind patterns assure major upwelling of nutrient-rich water leading to a rich marine biota. These conditions have created a wide array of tropical through warm temperate carbonate environments. The most unusual of these environments is located in the La Paz region of Baja California Sur where tropical-subtropical water temperatures and low rainfall have allowed growth of corals, calcareous red algae, and other shelled invertebrates to form a carbonate bank environment. Sampling and mapping transacts in shallow bays north of La Paz and on the adjacent Espiritu Santo island have revealed a full spectrum of subenvironments including mangrove bordered, terrigenous mud dominated coastal zones, which grade into carbonate tidal flats. In addition, single coral heads as well as incipient ...

CERN Document Server

Real-time digital libraries based on widely distributed, high performance management of large-data-objects

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

A method for ranking interval objects is proposed and analyzed; the characteristics of those objects are represented by pessimistic, optimistic, and most probable estimates. The method is based on the approximation of the binary probability preference relation by the binary median preference relation. The method is verified using statistical modeling (the Monte Carlo method). The proposed approach can be used for ranking nonreusable and reusable objects.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Objective was to develop a glass utilizing the silica waste material from geothermal energy production, and to supply local artists with this glass to make artistic objects. A glass composed of 93% indigenous Hawaiian materials was developed; 24 artists made 110 objects from this glass. A market was found for art objects made from this material.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Problems of classification and regression estimation in which objects are represented by multidimensional arrays of features are considered. Many practical statements can be reduced to such problems, for example, the popular approach to the description of images as a set of patches and a set of descriptors in each patch or the description of an object in the form of a set of distances from it to certain support objects selected based on a set of features. For solving problems concerning the objects thus described, a generalization of the relevance vector model is proposed. In this generalization, specific regularization coefficients are defined for each dimension of the multidimensional array of the object description; the resultant regularization coefficient for a given element in the mul...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Two criteria, geologic stability and barrier effectiveness, form the basis of the Subseabed Disposal Program's site qualification plan to evaluate the ocean basins and identify those regions having characteristics most favorable for containment of radioactive waste. Stability criteria are used to define those regions least likely to be disturbed by tectonic forces or oceanographic changes during the lifetime of a waste repository. Barrier criteria define those lithologies most likely to form an effective barrier to the release of radionuclides. Two north Pacific regions and three north Atlantic regions (PAC I and II and ATL I, II, and III, respectively) have thus far been selected for further investigation based on the site qualification plan. The PAC I region, centered on the Shatsky Rise in the northwest Pacific, has been subdivided into areas and locations on the basis of an exhaustive review of data available in the archives of national and ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Soon there will be only 14 states in two compacts that are able to dispose of Low Level Waste (LLW): the Northwest and Rocky Mountain compact with disposal options in Richland, Washington, and the Atlantic compact with disposal options in Barnwell, South Carolina. How do states not in one of the two compacts dispose of their LLW? The Off-Site Source Recovery Project can take possession and dispose of some of the unwanted transuranic sources at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). However, there will be no path forward for states outside of the two compacts for disposal of their non-transuranic LLW. A solution that has been much discussed, debated and researched, but has not been put into wide scale practice, is the borehole disposal concept. It is the author's position that companies that drill and explore for oil have been disposing of sources in borehole-like structures for years. It should be noted that these companies are not purposely disposing of ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This paper reports on the first U.S. tanker converted to a floating production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) unit which takes up station in Gombe-Beta field off Gabon by Dec. 1. FPSO Ocean Producer will work under a 3 year, day rate contract let late in 1990 by Amoco-Gabon Bombe Marin co., a unit of Amoco Production Co. (OGJ, Dec. 24, 1990, p. 27). Gombe-Beta field is in the Atlantic Ocean about 70 miles south of Port Gentil, Gabon. Ocean Producer will be moored in 50 ft of water 3.7 miles off Gabon, with Bombe-Beta's unmanned production platform about 820 ft astern. The vessel will be held in position by a disconnectable, asymmetric, six point, spread mooring system, It is owned and operated by Oceaneering International Services Ltd. (OISL). Affiliate Oceaneering Production Systems (OPS) converted the 78,061 dwt oil tanker MT Baltimore Sea at a capital cost of $25 million at Gulf Copper Manufacturing Corp.'s Port Arthur, Tex., shipyard. Both ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Atlantic Richfield Company, together with Bechtel Group, Inc. and Combustion Engineering, have conducted a study since August 1979 for the Electric Power Research Institute to: (1) develop guidelines for the electric utility industry to assess the technical and economic applicability of coal-oil mixtures (COM) to existing fossil fuel plants, and (2) assess the market potential and cost of preparation for a commercially produced COM fuel suitable for use by electric utility entities. This report is the compilation of work done for the second task. Results from Task 1 are reported separately. Reported here is a methodology for the estimation of coal-oil mixture pricing. Components included in the pricing estimate are raw materials costs, transportation and manufacturing cost components, with capital recovery treated according to both public (utility) and private financing guidelines. A detailed base case using a specific plant size, feedstock pricing, COM ...

Science.gov (United States)

The effect of aerosol on clouds poses one of the largest uncertainties in estimating the anthropogenic contribution to climate change. Small human-induced perturbations to cloud characteristics via aerosol pathways can create a change in the top-of-atmosphere radiative forcing of hundreds of Wm-2. Here we focus on links between aerosol and deep convective clouds of the Atlantic and Pacific Intertropical Convergence Zones, noting that the aerosol environment in each region is entirely different. The tops of these vertically developed clouds consisting of mostly ice can reach high levels of the atmosphere, overshooting the lower stratosphere and reaching altitudes greater than 16 km. We show a link between aerosol, clouds and the free atmosphere wind profile that can change the magnitude and sign of the overall climate radiative forcing. We find that increased aerosol loading is associated with taller cloud towers and anvils. The taller clouds reach levels of ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

This final report for the Swiss Federal Office of Energy looks at the possibilities for improved waste water utilization in the Lavey-les-Bains thermal spa, Switzerland. According to the regulations in force, the temperature of the waste water rejected into the Rhone river shall not exceed 30 "oC, what is currently not the case. Also the operational cost shall be reduced and the waste water quality improved. The installations are presented. From the two geothermal wells, mineral water comes out at an average flow rate of 940 l/min and a temperature of 63 "oC. Actual waste water data are reported. The measured thermal water consumption data, including seasonal variations, are analysed by computerized simulation and measures to reduce the consumed volume by the optimization of internal procedures are evaluated. Measures to reduce the quantity of the rejected free chlorine are discussed. Several possible adaptations of the existing space heating, domestic water heating and pools' heating ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sodium silicate is vacuum impregnated in bauxite waste (red mud) at room temperature to develop ceramics of mechanical properties comparable to the sintered ceramics. For a concentration up to 10% the fracture toughness increases from 0.12 MNm"-"3"/"2 to 0.9 MNm"-"3"/"2, and the compressive strength from 7 MNm"-"2 to 30 MNm"-"2. The mechanical properties do not deteriorate, when soaked in water for an entire week. The viscosity and the concentration of the silicate solution are crucial, both for the success of the fabrication and the economics of the process. Similar successful results have been obtained for bauxite and lime stone, even though the latter has poor weathering properties. With scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive analysis, an attempt is made to identify the crystals formed in the composite, which are responsible for the strength. The process is an economic alternative to the sintered ceramics in the construction industry in the tropical ...

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This paper reports thermal comfort and indoor air quality (IAQ) studies of an under-floor air-conditioning (UFAC) system in a hot and humid climate. Thermal comfort parameters were measured at pre-determined grid points within an imaginary plane to predict the air flow pattern of the supply air jet as well as to determine the occurrence of thermal stratification in the office space. Fanger's thermal comfort index was also computed to detect the occupants' thermal sensation. Besides, the concentration levels of dust and carbon dioxide were recorded with the intention to examine the quality of the indoor air. Statistical methods were applied to derive the relationship between air velocity and the other parameters as mentioned earlier. The main findings from the study revealed reasonable level of acceptability of IAQ associated with the UFAC system. However, occupants are likely to experience localised thermal discomfort near the supply diffusers due to the existence of ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Emissions of nitric oxide from soils of equatorial rain forest were measured in the Dimonika Natural Park (4 degrees 30'S, 12 degrees 30'E) in the Mayombe Forest in Congo. Three research campaigns were carried out in June and July 1991 and in February 1992. Fluxes were measured by dynamic chamber techniques using a chemiluminescence instrument Scintrex LMA3. NO fluxes measured on natural soils are in between 5 and 17x10[sup 9] molecules cm[sup -2]s[sup -1]; they are of the same order of magnitude as those observed in similar tropical forest media. Soil treatment experiments show that the auto-decomposition of HNO[sub 2] in these acid soils (pH 4) (chemodenitrification) is a potentially important cause of nitric oxide production in this type of ecosystem. Nitrous acid comes from autotrophic nitrification all the year around, and also from biological denitrification, shown by N[sub 2]O emissions, during the rainy season. The regulation of NO release ...

Science.gov (United States)

Antibodies to Ehrlichia canis were detected by indirect immunofluorescence in sera from 233 of 2,077 (11%) military working dogs in various locations throughout the world and from 535 of 938 (57%) civilian dogs in the United States during a 1-year period of study. Overall, E canis infection rates ranged from 13% in the tropical and temperate zones below 45 degrees N to 8% in the cold zone north of 45 degrees N latitude. The highest antibody prevalence rate (24%) was found among a select population of dogs stationed between 40 degrees and 45 degrees north latitude (Japan and Okinawa). The seropositive military dogs did not have clinical signs of ehrlichiosis, thus indicating that the predominant form of infection was subclinical. On the other hand, 216 (23%) of the seropositive civilian dogs had various signs of the disease. The difference was attributed to the fact that the sera from civilian dogs were submitted by practitioners who suspected the disease. ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

This paper introduces a robust searching hybrid evolutionary algorithm to solve the multi-objective Distribution Feeder Reconfiguration (DFR). The main objective of the DFR is to minimize the real power loss, deviation of the nodes' voltage, the number of switching operations, and balance the loads on the feeders. Because of the fact that the objectives are different and no commensurable, it is difficult to solve the problem by conventional approaches that may optimize a single objective. This paper presents a new approach based on norm3 for the DFR problem. In the proposed method, the objective functions are considered as a vector and the aim is to maximize the distance (norm2) between the objective function vector and the worst objective function vector while the constraints are met. Since the proposed DFR is a multi ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to identify patterns of brain activation elicited by erotic visual stimuli in patients treated with either Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

To understand the function of edges in perception of moving objects, we defined four questions to answer. Is the focus point in visual motion detection of a moving object: (1) the body or the edge of...Full Text Available

Environmental Research Database

ObjectivesObjectives Not AvailableDescriptionA collaborative study of the anaerobic treatment of wastes containing recalcitrant and inhibitory compounds using the SERC Anaerobic facility, in particular biomass structure, monitoring and control, catabolism and toxicity, pre-acidification and microbial growth and mesophilic and thermophilic lignocellulose degradation.~%~

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Background and objectives: The objective of this study was to describe the prevalence of ocular fundus pathology in the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort (CRIC) study, a multicenter, longitudinal study...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The looming potential of deformable alignment tools to play an integral role in adaptive radiotherapy suggests a need for objective assessment of these complex algorithms. Previous studies in this area...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

We studied multi-joint coordination during tasks of transporting real and imaginary objects with two arms. One of the arms was unexpectedly arrested in one third of trials performed. In the...Full Text Available

CERN Document Server

This paper describes a new method, HGV2C, for pattern analysis. The HGV2C method involves the construction of a computer ego (CE) based on an individual object that can be either a part of the system under analysis or a newly created object based on a certain hypothesis. The CE provides a capability to analyze data from a specific standpoint, e.g. from a viewpoint of a certain object. The CE is constructed from two identical copies of a query object, and its functioning mechanism involves: a hypothesis-parameter (HP) and infothyristor (IT). HP is a parameter that is introduced into an existing set of parameters. The HP value for one of the clones of a query object is set to equal 1, whereas for another clone it is greater than 1. The IT is based on the previously described algorithm of iterative averaging and performs three functions: 1) computation of a similarity matrix for the ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

ObjectivesThe objectives of this study were to describe the levels of daily spiritual experiences in community-dwelling older adults, to compare levels of spiritual...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Objective:The main objective of this work was to study the antipyretic and antibacterial activity of C. erectus (Buch.-Ham.) Verdcourt leaf extract in an...Full Text Available

Science.gov (United States)

Understanding the detailed mechanics of these systems and their place in the general picture of binary star evolution are the dual objectives of this ...

Scientific Electronic Library Online (English)

Abstract in english We consider the three dimensional electromagnetic inverse scattering problem of determining information about a buried coated object from a knowledge of the electric and magnetic fields measured on the surface of the earth corresponding to time harmonic electric dipoles as incident fields. We assume that the buried object is a perfect conductor that is (possibly) partially coated by a thin dielectric layer. No a priori assumption is made on the extent of the coating, i.e. (more) the object can be fully coated, partially coated or not coated at all. We present an algorithm based on the linear sampling method and reciprocity gap functional for reconstructing the shape of the scattering obstacle together with an estimate of the surface impedance of the coating.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sixty-seven unresolved objects with flat blue spectra that had no apparent features on the plates of the Case Low-Dispersion Northern Sky Survey have been observed at higher dispersion and to shorter wavelengths in order to determine their nature. The following classifications are proposed: 20 low-redshift QSOs (z greater than 1.7), two Seyfert 2 galaxies, 23 stars, and two variable objects. The spectra obtained for the remaining 20 objects were flat with no obvious features, but noisy, and these will need further observation. 5 references.

Science.gov (United States)

... Title : Military Working Dog Procurements. ... Our primary objective was to determine whether recent procurements of military working dogs by the ...

Science.gov (United States)

... projects that will result in the reduction of energy consumption in compliance with the objectives set forth in the Army Facilities Energy Plan, without ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The first objective is to utilize reservoir characterization and advanced technologies to optimize the design of a carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) project for the South Cowden Unit (SCU) located in Ector County, Texas. The SCU is a mature, relatively small, shallow shelf carbonate unit nearing, waterflood depletion. The second objective is to demonstrate the performance and economic viability of the project in the field. This report includes work on the reservoir characterization and project design objective and the demonstration project objective.

Science.gov (United States)

Main purpose of mapping observations of the cloud is to make clear the mechanism of star formation and star evolution. Scientific objectives are summarized ...

Science.gov (United States)

... order probabilistic modelling, multisensor monitoring of ... object recognition, image registration and point ... of the Berkeley Continuous Media Toolkit. ...

Science.gov (United States)

The chemical analysis of lipids of Prochloron isolated from several hosts is discussed. The object

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A summary is given of the 1983 NRPB-GS1 Report on the 'Radiological protection objectives for the disposal of solid radioactive wastes'. The two principal difficulties in applying the ICRP system of dose limitation to some solid waste disposal methods are outlined. Despite these difficulties three radiological protection objectives for waste disposal were recommended based on the same fundamental principle as ICRP recommendations.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The present study consisted of two experiments to compare new word learning in healthy young (N = 11) and older (N = 17) adults within an explicit learning paradigm. Experiment 1 investigated the new name learning for familiar objects, while Experiment 2 investigated learning names and descriptions for unfamiliar objects. Participants attended five learning sessions over 5 consecutive days, during which they viewed objects with novel names with/without descriptions. The older adults were as accurate as the young adults when recalling and recognizing new names during the learning sessions. With respect to response times, the older adults were as rapid as the young adults at recognizing the new names for the familiar objects, but were slower during the follow-up sessions. The older adults we...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

We introduce a novel search technique that can identify trans-Neptunian objects in three to five exposures of a pointing within a single Hubble Space Telescope (HST) orbit. The process is fast enough to allow the discovery of candidates soon after the data are available. This allows sufficient time to schedule follow-up observations with HST within a month. We report the discovery of 14 slow-moving objects found within 50 of the ecliptic in archival data taken with the Wide Field Channel of the Advanced Camera for Surveys. The luminosity function of these objects is consistent with previous ground-based and space-based results. We show evidence that the size distribution of both high and low inclination populations is similar for objects smaller than 100 km, as expected from collisional evolution models, while their size distribution differs for brighter objects. We suggest that the ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

A system for real-time neutron radiography of moving objects is described. It comprise a source adapted to generate a continuous uninterrupted series of neutron pulses. Each pulse has a predetermined peak power and duration compatible with the framing times of a real-time video imaging system. A transporter moves an object to be examined to bring sequentially position selected portions of the object in the path of the pulses. Where the object itself has moving components, pulses are sequentially incident on the object. According to any dissimilarities, the object will alter the intensity of the neutrons passing therethrough. In order to record separately the changes in the neutron intensity, for each pulse, an imager is positioned to receive the neutron beam pulses which have been altered by their passage through the object and produce ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Demands for electric power system, which include not only minimization of generation cost but also protection of environmental condition and maintenance of transmission security, have been diversified The priority of these objectives may change according to load change, weather, and other conditions. Since these objectives are usually in a trade-off relationship and generally non-commensurable, it is difficult to handle by conventional optimization of a single objective function. This report describes multi-objective scheduling of thermal power system. The adaptability of three performance indicies, such as economic efficiency, NO{sub x} emission, and transmission security, to operators are defined by membership functions in fuzzy set theory. coordinated solution in which the adaptability of operators is maximized can be obtained by maximizing the fuzzy decision-making function composed of the ...

Science.gov (United States)

Staggered arrays of dimples printed on opposite surfaces of a cooling channel is formulated numerically and optimized with hybrid multi-objective evolutionary algorithm and Pareto optimal front. As Pareto optimal front produces a set of optimal solutions, the trends of objective functions with design variables are predicted by hybrid multi-objective evolutionary algorithm. The problem is defined by three non-dimensional geometric design variables composed of dimpled channel height, dimple print diameter, dimple spacing, and dimple depth, to maximize heat transfer rate compromising with pressure drop. Twenty designs generated by Latin hypercube sampling were evaluated by Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes solver and the evaluated objectives were used to construct Pareto optimal front through hybrid multi-objective evolutionary algorithm. The optimum designs were grouped by k-means ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This paper reported on a study in which designs for Chinese and Indian fixed-dome anaerobic digesters were modified in an effort to produce smaller and more affordable digesters. While these types of systems are common in tropical regions of developing countries, they have not been used in colder climates because of the low biogas yield during the winter months. Although there is evidence that sufficient biogas production can be maintained in colder temperatures through design and operational changes, there is a lack of knowledge about the seasonal changes in the composition of the microbial communities in ambient temperature digesters. More knowledge is needed to design and operate systems for maximum biogas yield in temperate climates. The purpose of this study was to cultivate a microbial community that maximizes biogas production at psychrophilic temperatures. The study was conducted on a 300 gallon experimental anaerobic digester on the campus of Ohio State ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Total mercury (THg), methylmercury (MeHg) and 22 other trace elements were measured in ice algae, three species of zooplankton, mixed zooplankton samples, Arctic cod (Boreogadus saida), ringed seals (Phoca hispida) and eight species of seabirds to examine the trophodynamics of these metals in an Arctic marine food web. All samples were collected in 1998 in the Northwater Polynya (NOW) located between Ellesmere Island and Greenland in Baffin Bay. THg and MeHg were found to biomagnify through the NOW food web, based on significant positive relationships between log THg and log MeHg concentrations vs. #delta# "1"5N muscle and liver . The slope of these relationships for muscle THg and MeHg concentrations (slope = 0.197 and 0.223, respectively) were similar to those reported for other aquatic food webs. The food web behavior of THg and #delta# "1"5N appears constant, regardless of trophic state (eutrophic vs. oligotrophic), latitude (Arctic vs. tropical) or salinity ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aerosols affect the radiative energy budget on both the regional and global scales. The wavelength-dependent aerosol optical depth (AOD) is a fundamental determinant of the amount by which extra-terrestrial incoming sunlight and outgoing terrestrial radiation are being attenuated in the atmosphere. The present study addresses the influence of local waste burning on aerosol characteristics, black carbon (BC) aerosol mass concentration and spectral solar irradiance using ground-based measurements over the tropical urban environment of Hyderabad, India. AOD has been observed to be maximum during burning days compared to normal days. Aerosol size spectra suggest bimodal distributions during pre-and post-burning periods and trimodal distributions during burning periods. Angstrom wavelength exponent estimated from spectral variation of AOD suggested dominance of accumulation mode particle loading during burning days compared to normal days. Diurnal variation of BC on ...

Science.gov (United States)

Two separate studies address the major issues of deforestation in developing countries, namely, Does deforestation seriously impair the soil-plant system. and How can a steady supply of wood fuels be guaranteed with diminishing natural forest. In Chapter 1, twenty-six cross-sectional and time series studies of soil properties in the US and ten countries between the tropics were examined to determine the changes associated with deforestation in soil organic C, total N, exchangeable Ca, Mg, and K, cation exchange capacity, available P, bulk density, and pH. Deforestation was associated with significant changes in these soil properties. Only bulk density and avaiable P showed any tendency to return to pre-clearing levels. Differences in soil response to deforestation according to climate and age of parent material were related to temperature, rainfall, vegetation, soil acidity, and organic matter production and decomposition on each site. In Chapter 2, a ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The green mussel Perna viridis and the clam Ruditapes philippinarum have been frequently used as biomonitors of coastal contamination in subtropical and tropical waters, yet the physiological processes controlling metal uptake in these bivalves are unknown. Assimilation efficiency (AE) is an important physiological parameter quantifying metal bioavailability from ingested food. The authors determined the AEs of Cd, CR, and Zn in these bivalves feeding on five species of phytoplankton and one natural section. The influences of the cytoplasmic distribution of metals in the algal cells and the digestive physiology of bivalves on metal AEs were also examined. Among the three metals, Zn was generally assimilated at the highest efficiency, i.e., 21 to 36% in the mussels and 29 to 59% in the clams. Cr was the least assimilated metal, with AEs being 10 to 16% in the mussels and 11 to 24% in the clams. The AEs of Cd and Zn in the clams were 1.8 to 4.7 and 1.1 to 1.9 times ...

Science.gov (United States)

The aim of our experiment was the testing of effects of common ammunition on usable and slightly accessible biological tissue thereby to create fundamental simple biological model for trials of wounded ballistic. Like objective tissue was elected biological material - pork and beef hind-limbs, pork head, pork bodily cavity. It was discovered that objective tissue is able to react to singles types of shots in all spectrum results namely simple smooth penetration wound as well as splintery fracture in dependence on kind of using ammunition. Pork hind-limb was evaluated like the most suitable biological material for given object. PMID:17172163

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The object of this work is to develop and optimize a new type of light-emitting diode (LED) with a wire-shaped, cylindrical geometry.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

In this article, self-organizing-map-based video object segmentation is proposed, assuming that either Y-quantification or HSV-quantification can be systematically selected. Given a video sequence, the value of the probability density function for each component value is calculated according to a kernel estimation at the first frame. Some areas randomly chosen from the background are then examined, using each component value, to judge whether or not they include the target object. The quantification is determined so that the frequency of occurrence of false extractions can be reduced. The data presented to the maps are generated based on the selected quantification. Experimental results show that the proposed method recognizes the target object well.

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Background and ObjectivePulsed dye laser (PDL) treatment of cutaneous vascular lesions is associated with variable and unpredictable efficacy. Thus, alternative treatment...Full Text Available

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

It is shown that vacuum instabilities possibly arising because of tachyons do not contradict any experimental evidence, and therefore that no objection against tachyon existence can be found even on this ground. (Auth.).

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Objective:The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between truancy and escalation of substance use during adolescence and to explore potential mechanisms of this relationship.Method:Using...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

AbstractObjective: This study examined the effectiveness of a telephone-based referral-care management (TBR-CM) intervention on psychiatric health...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Background/Objective:Tarlov cysts or spinal perineurial cysts are uncommon lesions. These are mostly incidental findings on magnetic resonance imaging or myelograms. The...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

OBJECTIVE--The study was performed to examine the influence of the exposure to magnetic fields in the potrooms of an electrolysis plant on the occurrence of musculoskeletal symptoms among the employees....Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

AbstractObjectiveTo estimate the prevalence and identify the determinants of non-prescription use of antibiotics for children in Mongolia.MethodsA...Full Text Available

Environmental Research Database

ObjectivesTo determine what biodiversity data is held by record centres for the South Downs Lifescapes pilot area and the format in which it is stored.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The third list of objects in the Second Byurakan Spectral Sky Survey is presented. The list contains 94 objects and 12 blue stars. The data given include the equatorial coordinates to within a minute of arc for the epoch 1950, the angular dimensions in seconds of arc, and visual estimates of the blue apparent magnitude B. The objects are described, giving their morphological and spectral features and approximate values of the red shifts of the galaxies. The distribution of the objects in the survey region, which is centered on right ascension 08h00m, declination +59 deg 00 arcmin, with respect to their types is given. Six close binary systems are found among the selected galaxies.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The inverse problem of interpreting the SS 433 optical light curves is solved for a geometrically thick model accretion disk around the compact relativistic object: most likely a black hole.

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Objective. We aim to investigate whether centenarians are significantly more resilient than younger elders and whether resilience significantly contributes to exceptional longevity....Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The objective of this study was to determine the direct actions of nitroprusside and nitroglycerin on the pulmonary vascular bed in the intactchest dog. These widely used nitrogen oxide-containing vasodilator...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

ObjectiveTo assess whether 17 alpha-hydroxyprogesterone caproate reduces the rate of preterm birth in women carrying triplets.MethodsFull Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Rationale and ObjectivesSample-size estimation is an important consideration when planning a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) study. The aim of this work was...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

ObjectiveTo examine the extent to which the regional and neighborhood distribution of HIV in Tanzania is caused by the differential distribution of individual correlates...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

OBJECTIVE: New surgical procedures designed to assist in the treatment of peritoneal surface malignancy were sought. BACKGROUND: Decisions regarding the treatment of cancer depend on the anatomic location...Full Text Available

Science.gov (United States)

... Materials (PREM) Synopsis of Program: The objective of PREM is to enhance diversity in materials ... careers in materials research.The Partnerships for Research and Education in Materials (PREM ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

ObjectivesTo assess the magnitude of cigarette smuggling after the market opened in Taiwan.MethodsReview of tobacco industry documents for references...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

BackgroundBisphenol A (BPA) is widely used in the manufacture of polycarbonate plastics, including infant formula bottles.ObjectivesBased on the...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

ObjectiveNeuralgic amyotrophy (NA) is a distinct clinical syndrome that is characterized by the acute onset of shoulder and arm pain, weakness, and sensory loss. The purpose of this...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

ObjectiveCOMBINE is the largest study of pharmacotherapy for alcoholism in the United States to date, designed to answer questions about the benefits of combining...Full Text Available

Science.gov (United States)

(e.g. enclosed cooktop with built in emissions capture and treatment) . " Test hardware in laboratory, reduced pressure and analog habitat. " Objective 1. ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

ObjectiveFamily-centered bedside rounds (FCBR) are recommended to improve trainee education, patient outcomes, and family satisfaction. However, bedside teaching...Full Text Available

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved installation having a pressurized fluid circuit incorporating fluidic brakes for restricting fluid flow through a breach of the installation. (author).

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The study design included an in vivo laboratory study. The objective of the study is to quantify the kinematics of the lumbar spinous processes in asymptomatic patients during un-restricted functional...Full Text Available

Science.gov (United States)

... objective of this research work were to 1 ... function of experimentally manipulated dogs to define ... Escherichia coli; Sepsis; Military medicine; Medical ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to characterize the sensorineural hearing losses of a group of children and adults along three parameters important to the...Full Text Available

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The following topics are discussed: program goal and objectives, program organization, and program status. Current program projects are described. (MHR)

Science.gov (United States)

... This Level 2 analysis will be somewhat less detailed, but experience in other fields including pipe whip 4 , locomotive dynamics, and nuclear fuel ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

ObjectiveTo evaluate the effect of moderate aerobic physical activity in water on fetal cardiotocography patterns in sedentary pregnant women.MethodIn...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Background and objectives: Despite potential significance of fatigue and its underlying components in the occurrence of cardiovascular diseases, epidemiologic data showing the link are virtually limited....Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The objective of the present work was to formulate the enteric minitablets of isoniazid by cold extrusion method. The minitablets were prepared using isoniazid, hydroxylpropylmethylcellulose phthalate...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

ObjectiveAngiography remains a critical component for diagnostic imaging and therapeutic intervention in peripheral arterial disease (PAD). The goal of this study...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

BackgroundThere is no data documenting the existence of a risk of infection transmission in ambulatory healthcare settings but concern remains. Our objective was to determine the...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

ObjectiveTo determine whether accounting for the time dynamics of diabetes exposure will change the risk estimates for colorectal cancer.Full Text Available

Science.gov (United States)

The objectives of the Phase-I research address the development of mechanics- based structural integrity analysis methodologies for composite sandwich panels ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A scheme for controlling multimanipulator systems is presented. The control objective is to coordinate the manipulators to perform parts-matching tasks such as screwing a nut onto a bolt. The task of moving a rigid object can be treated as a special case. Two secondary control objectives internal force control and load distribution can be accomplished within the structure of the control law. The internal force control mechanism keeps the internal forces on the object being manipulated at a desirable level. The load distribution mechanism distributes control effort to each manipulator according to a weighting factor. It is also shown that the control algorithm has a modular structure which facilitates its implementation on a multiprocessor computer. The scheme was tested on a planar scara type dual-manipulator system. A series of experimental results is included to demonstrate the system performance ...

Science.gov (United States)

The goal of this effort Composability, Provability, Reusability (CPR) for Survivability is to address the problem of composition of survivable systems. The particular objective of this project is to construct a formal specification of the Java Virtual Mac...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

ObjectiveTo determine whether specific aspects of impulsivity (response disinhibition, inability to delay gratification, inattention) differ between healthy and...Full Text Available

Science.gov (United States)

... being designed for projected Minotaur IV launch load environments, with design objectives of light weight, integrated vibration isolation, low shock ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

OBJECTIVE: To review the body of international literature regarding lung surfactant supplements in order to determine: 1) the current knowledge of the antenatal routes of administration of surfactant...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Background/Objectives:Imaging technology is an important part of the diagnosis and management of spinal trauma. Indications and findings in post-traumatic imaging of the vertebral...Full Text Available

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Restructuring of power system has changed the traditional planning objectives and introduced challenges in the field of Transmission Expansion Planning (TEP). Due to these changes, new approaches and criteria are needed for transmission planning in deregulated environment. Therefore, in this paper, a dynamic expansion methodology is presented using a multi-objective optimization framework. Investment cost, congestion cost and reliability are considered in the optimization as three objectives. To overcome the difficulties in solving the non-convex and mixed integer nature of the optimization problems, a Non-Dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm (NSGA II) approach is used followed by a fuzzy decision making analysis to obtain the final optimal solution. The planning methodology has been demonstrated on the IEEE 24-bus test system and north-east of Iran national 400 kV transmission grid to show the feasibility and capabilities ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

ObjectiveTo develop a simple summary risk score for the prediction of Alzheimer disease in elderly persons based on their vascular risk profiles.DesignFull Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of a program to improve hypertension control practices in primary care. DESIGN: Retrospective quasi-experimental study. SETTING: Three hospital-based family...Full Text Available

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

My proposed econometric solution to the forward-bias puzzle provoked several comments. Those comments raise three primary objections to my solution. (1) It suffers from multicollinearity, miss-specification and other serious econometric problems. (2) My key test equation is a tautology or identity. (3) My econometric solution has nothing to do with either the forward-bias puzzle or uncovered interest parity. This is my reply to those objections.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The quantitative imaging of a phase object using 16 keV x-rays is reported. The theoretical basis of the techniques is presented along with its implementation using a synchrotron x-ray source. It is found that the phase image is in quantitative agreement with independent measurements of the object. 13 refs., 5 figs.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Correlation characteristics of quantum noise on the shadow radiation image (RI) of the object under nondestructive testing are studied. Mathematical model of RI occasional distortions is derived. The model takes into account the parameters of object under testing and of radiation beam by radiation quanta flux density. The results obtained can be used as a component in the process of investigation of various radiation testing systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The original purpose of this research was an investigation into the use of slow space charge waves on weakly relativistic electron beams for ion acceleration. The work had three main objectives namely, the development of a suitable ion injector, the growth and study of the properties of slow space charge waves on an electron beam, and a combination of the two components parts into a suitable proof of principle demonstration of the wave accelerator. This work focusses on the first two of these objectives.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Consol R D is conducting a three-year program to characterize process and product streams from direct coal liquefaction process development projects. The program objectives are two-field: (1) to obtain and provide appropriate samples of coal liquids for the evaluation of analytical methodology, and (2) to support ongoing DOE-sponsored coal liquefaction process development efforts. The two broad objectives have considerable overlap and together serve to provide a bridge between process development and analytical chemistry.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

In this paper, finite-difference time-domain method is used to research the transient electromagnetic pulse (EMP) coupling to the cylinder object which is shielded in another shielding cavity with a hole numerically. The different coupling effectiveness of three transient EMP is simulated. The distribution of the electric field in the shielding cavity and the current on the cavity are researched. The shielding effectiveness is evaluated. (authors)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

We have begun the ExploreNEOs project in which we observe some 700 Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) at 3.6 and 4.5 ?m with the Spitzer Space Telescope in its Warm Spitzer mode. From these measurements and catalog optical photometry we derive albedos and diameters of the observed targets. The overall goal of our ExploreNEOs program is to study the history of near-Earth space by deriving the physical properties of a large number of NEOs. In this paper, we describe both the scientific and technical construction of our ExploreNEOs program. We present our observational, photometric, and thermal modeling techniques. We present results from the first 101 targets observed in this program. We find that the distribution of albedos in this first sample is quite broad, probably indicating a wide range of compositions within the NEO population. Many objects smaller than 1 km have high albedos (?>0.35), but few objects larger than 1 km have ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Experiments were conducted in controlled growth chambers to evaluate how increase in CO{sub 2} concentration affected sucrose metabolizing enzymes, especially sucrose phosphate synthase (SPS; EC 2.4.1.14) and sucrose synthase (SS; EC 2.4.1.13), as well as carbon metabolism and partitioning in a tropical epiphytic orchid species (Oncidium goldiana). Response of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco; EC 4.1.1.39) to elevated CO{sub 2} was determined along with dry mass production, photosynthesis rate, chlorophyll content, total nitrogen and total soluble protein content. After 60 days of growth, there was a 80% and 150% increase in dry mass production in plants grown at 750 and 1100 {mu} l{sup -}1 CO{sub 2}, respectively, compared with those grown at ambient CO{sub 2} (about 370 {mu} l{sup -}1). A similar increase in photosynthesis rate was detected throughout the growth period when measured under growth CO{sub 2} conditions. Concomitantly, there ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The high spatial resolution of state-of-the-art commercial satellite imagery provides a good basis for recognising and monitoring even small-scale structural changes within nuclear facilities and for planning of routine and/or challenge inspections of nuclear sites. Despite the advantages of the improved spatial resolution some problems exist that may make the interpretation of the changes more difficult: Firstly, the results of the change analysis can be very complex and unclear at a glance. Secondly, shadow formation and off-nadir images due to different sensor and solar conditions at the acquisition times can cause false signals or overlap real changes. In view to the fast-growing amount of data from different sensor types there are then some requirements of an effective change detection procedure for safeguards purposes: i. The techniques involved should possess a certain amount of robustness in terms of small misregistration errors, different atmospheric conditions at the ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This sampling and analysis plan (SAP) identifies characterization objectives pertaining to sample collection, laboratory analytical evaluation, and reporting requirements for vapor samples obtained during the operation of mixer pumps in tank 241-AZ-101. The primary purpose of the mixer pump test (MPT) is to demonstrate that the two 300 horsepower mixer pumps installed in tank 241-AZ-101 can mobilize the settled sludge so that it can be retrieved for treatment and vitrification. Sampling will be performed in accordance with Tank 241-AZ-101 Mixer Pump Test Data Quality Objective (Banning 1999) and Data Quality Objectives for Regulatory Requirements for Hazardous and Radioactive Air Emissions Sampling and Analysis (Mulkey 1999). The sampling will verify if current air emission estimates used in the permit application are correct and provide information for future air permit applications.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

One of the significant factors of neutron radiographic image degradation is scattering blur from the object. A practical method is described to enhance image quality by eliminating the overlapping of scattered thermal neutrons component from the objects in ETRR-2 neutron radiography facility, using aluminum Gd-coated antiscatter grid. The MCNP code was used to determine the optimum grid dimensions that will reduce the scattered thermal neutrons from the object. An experiment was performed to determine the optimum grid height and irradiation time that gives the best image with acceptable geometric unsharpness. Using the MCNP code it was found that 97% of the scattered neutrons were removed by the grid. The wall dimensions and Gd coating are so small that the facility resolution cannot detect the image pattern superposition on the film.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The original objective of our EMSP research was to design, develop, and test new in situ field permeameters for use in spatial variability studies of unsaturated hydraulic properties. We initially focused on activities related to development and testing of techniques for inverting permeameter data, development of numerical tools for data inversion, error evaluation for permeameter design, and permeameter component design. However, the results of error evaluations for permeameter design caused us to redirect our research, and reformulate our research objectives. We discovered that small, simple measurement errors lead to significant bias in the estimated hydraulic properties and their spatial statistics. Our reformulated research objective became the evaluation of the origin, impact and relevance of spatial bias in field-and laboratory-estimated unsaturate hydraulic properties, with an emphasis on spatial statistics and the ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

As part of three ongoing research projects, the Gas Research Institute (GRI) is studying the natural gas industry`s impacts on wetlands and how to manage operations so that impacts can be minimized or eliminated. The objective of the first project is to gain a better understanding of the causes and processes of wetland loss in the Louisiana deltaic plain and what role gas pipeline canals play in wetland loss. On the basis of information gathered from the first projects, management and mitigation implications for pipeline construction and maintenance will be evaluated. The objective of the second project is to assess the floral and faunal communities on existing rights-of-way (ROWs) that pass through numerous types of wetlands across the United States. The emphasis of the project is on pipelines that were installed within the past five years. The objective of the third project is to evaluate the administrative, ...

CERN Document Server

We extend a previous result [Phys. Rev. Lett. 105, 090403 (2010)] on Casimir repulsion between a plate with a hole and a cylinder centered above it to geometries in which the central object can no longer be treated as a point dipole. We show through numerical calculations that as the distance between the plate and central object decreases, there is an intermediate regime in which the repulsive force increases dramatically. Beyond this, the force rapidly switches over to attraction as the separation decreases further to zero, in line with the proximity force approximation. We demonstrate that this effect can be understood as a competition between an increased repulsion due to a larger polarizability of the central object interacting with increased fringing fields near the edge of the plate, and attractive forces due primarily to the nonzero thickness of the plate. In comparison with our previous work, we find that using the ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This project is concerned with the kinetics and mechanisms of aromatic oxidation and soot and fullerenes formation in flames. The objective of the aromatics oxidation work is to identify and measure the concentration of important intermediates and products in benzene oxidation, and to determine reaction mechanisms and kinetics properties consistent with the behavior seen in flames. The research on soot formation is concerned primarily with the particle inception stages, but the work includes study of soot structure at all stages of growth in order to obtain mechanistic information from evidence of growth steps recorded in the structure of the particles. The ultimate objective is to understand how nascent soot particles are formed from high molecular weight compounds, including the roles of planar and curved PAH and the relationship between soot and fullerenes. The objective of the proposed research on fullerenes is to ...

Environmental Research Database

ObjectivesThe practical exploitation of tidal stream energy is limited by man's activities in coastal waters: navigation, fishing and~%~leisure pursuits. It is important therefore to make the best use of the sites, which are available. The main objective of the~%~Proposed study is to assess the limits imposed by waves on the performance of tidal stream rotors, and to investigate way:~%~in which these limits might be related by refinements in rotor design and the control of operating conditions. Secondary~ [continued...]DescriptionHorizontal aids wind turbines have been recognised as one of the most successful renewable energy saving devices. The use of the similar concept as a 'tidy stream rotor' in offshore environment appears to be even more compelling. However, the application of this concept will require the confirmation of various operational and environmental limitations due to complexities of offshore environment compared to those of on ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

In this paper, we have designed power system stabilizer (PSS) using object-oriented method. There are several types of power system stabilizer, A proportional-integral (PI) controller is very simple for practical implementation. Therefore it has been widely employed by the industry. The methods of obtaining the gains (Ki,Kp) of PI controller are root-locus method and sub-optimal regulator approach. But these methods are cannot be applicable to nonlinear system and faulted power system. So we proposed a new method which can be applied to nonlinear system by numerical analysis method. The method of dynamic system simulation by numerical method is very difficult and complex. We proposed flexible simulation method for complex power system analysis using object-oriented programming (OOP) and applied to PI controller design. (author). 7 refs., 14 figs., 2 tabs.

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The primary objective of our study is to describe urinary symptoms in women treated for endometrial cancer. We performed a cross-sectional survey of women who had undergone surgical treatment...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Objectives. This study determined to what extent lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) populations have been studied over the past 20 years of public health research.Methods....Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Background and objectives: The severity of anemia at which to initiate erythropoiesis-stimulating agent (ESA) treatment in nondialysis chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients is unclear. Risk of mortality,...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

ObjectiveTo investigate and to quantify the relationship between hospital costs and health outcomes for patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in Veterans Health Administration...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of concha bullosa and nasal septal deviation and their potential relationships to maxillary sinusitis. 883 CT scans taken at Creighton University...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

ContextMusic and surgery.ObjectiveTo determine the effect of live classical piano music on vital signs of patients undergoing ophthalmic surgery.DesignRetrospective...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Objective. Cervical cancer patients who had an abandoned radical hysterectomy were evaluated for preoperative clinical predictors, complication rates, and outcomes. Study...Full Text Available

Science.gov (United States)

Overview  Package   Class  Use  Tree  Deprecated  Index  Help   PREV CLASS   NEXT CLASS FRAMES    NO FRAMES SUMMARY:  INNER | FIELD | CONSTR | METHOD DETAIL:  FIELD | CONSTR | METHOD gov.nih.nci.dc.database Class SearchCriteria java.lang.Object |

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Objectives To evaluate the extent to which intensive care units participating in the initial Keystone ICU project sustained reductions in rates of catheter related bloodstream infections.Design...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) represent a major public health problem in the country, cause patients enormous suffering, and cost the nation billions of dollars annually. Demographic, sociological,...Full Text Available

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The second list of objects in the Second Biurakan Spectral Sky Survey of the region centered on alpha 09h50m, delta +55 deg 00 arcmin is given. The list contains data on 110 objects and galaxies of a peculiar physical nature and 24 blue stars. The observations were made with the 40-52 arcsec Schmidt telescope of the Biurakan Astrophysical Observatory with a set of three objective prisms using Kodak IIIaJ and IIIaF emulsions sensitized in nitrogen. The area is found to contain 20 quasar candidates and four Seyfert galaxies, 27 blue stellar objects, 24 galaxies with an appreciable ultraviolet continuum, and 39 emission galaxies without appreciable ultraviolet radiation. The surface brightness of the quasars and Seyferts on the considered area down to the limiting magnitude 19.5 M is more than 1.5 per square degree with allowance for the already known quasars. The surface density of emission galaxies is ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

OBJECTIVES: To reassess the risk of leukaemia associated with residential exposure near high voltage transmission electric lines of 49 kV and above in view of the recent publications. METHODS: Through...Full Text Available