Study on Strength and Microstructure of Cement-Based Materials Containing Combination Mineral Admixtures

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Meijuan Rao

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The compressive strength of complex binders containing two or three blended mineral admixtures in terms of glass powder (GP, limestone powder (LP, and steel slag powder (SP was determined by a battery solution type compressive testing machine. The morphology and microstructure characteristics of complex binder hydration products were also studied by microscopic analysis methods, such as XRD, TG-DTA, and SEM. The mechanical properties of the cement-based materials were analyzed to reveal the most appropriate mineral admixture type and content. The early sample strength development with GP was very slow, but it rapidly grew at later stages. The micro aggregate effect and pozzolanic reaction mutually occurred in the mineral admixture. In the early stage, the micro aggregate effect reduced paste porosity and the small particles connected with the cement hydration products to enhance its strength. In the later stage, the pozzolanic reaction of some components in the complex powder occurred and consumed part of the calcium hydroxide to form C-S-H gel, thus improving the hydration environment. Also, the produced C-S-H gel made the structure more compact, which improved the structure’s strength.

Behavior of passive admixture in a vortical hydrodynamic field

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R.O.Bobrov

2006-01-01

Full Text Available The motion of passive admixture of spherical particles in the stationary hydrodynamic field of a swirling flow is studied. A spherical particle of a given mass in the hydrodynamic field of a swirling flow is located on a certain circular orbit, where the centrifugal force is compensated by the radial drag force due to the sink. This leads to the separation of the host fluid and admixture. A theory of Brownian motion of admixture in dilute solutions with a non-uniform flow is constructed.

Archaic admixture in human history.

Science.gov (United States)

Wall, Jeffrey D; Yoshihara Caldeira Brandt, Debora

2016-12-01

Modern humans evolved in Southern or Eastern Africa, and spread from there across the rest of the world. As they expanded across Africa and Eurasia, they encountered other hominin groups. The extent to which modern and 'archaic' human groups interbred is an area of active research, and while we know that modern humans interbred with Neanderthals and Denisovans, there is not yet agreement on how many admixture events there were or on how much Neanderthal or Denisovan DNA can be found in contemporary genomes. Here we review what is known about archaic admixture in human history, with a focus on what has been discovered in the past 2 years. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Utilization of black liquor as concrete admixture and set retarder aid

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Samar A. El-Mekkawi

2011-04-01

Full Text Available The utilization of black liquor, produced by the pulp and paper industry in Egypt, as a workability aid and set retarder admixture has been investigated. This approach may help eliminate the environmentally polluting black liquor waste. It also provides a low cost by-product, which can be widely used in the construction industry. The properties of black liquor and its performance on concrete at two different ratios of water to cement have been studied. The results revealed that black liquor from rice straw pulp increases concrete workability, improves compaction, and reduces honeycombing. Moreover, it retards the initial and final set time and enhances uniform compaction. The effect of incorporating small portions of silica fume has been investigated. The ageing effect of this material over a period of one year, to determine its safe storage period, has been studied. Finally, this admixture was found to comply with the relevant Egyptian standards.

Practical handling of AIO admixtures – Guidelines on Parenteral Nutrition, Chapter 10

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Stanga, Z.

2009-11-01

Full Text Available All-in-one admixtures (AIO-admixtures provide safe, effective and low-risk PN (parenteral nutrition for practically all indications and applications. Water, energy (carbohydrates and lipids, amino acids, vitamins and trace elements are infused together with PN either as industrially-manufactured AIO admixtures provided as two- or three-chamber bags (shelf life usually more than 12 months completed with electrolytes and micronutrients where appropriate or as individually compounded ready-to-use AIO admixtures (compounding, usually prepared by a pharmacy on either a daily or weekly basis and stored at 2–8°C. Physico-chemical and microbial stability of an AIO admixture is essential for the safety and effectiveness of patient-specific PN, and its assurance requires specialist pharmaceutical knowledge. The stability should be documented for an application period of 24 (–48 hours. It is advisable to offer a limited selection of different PN regimes in each hospital. For reasons of drug and medication safety, PN admixtures prepared for individual patients must be correctly labelled and specifications for storage conditions must also be followed during transport. Monitoring is required where applicable. Micronutrients are usually administered separately to AIO admixtures. In case compatibility and stability have been well documented trace elements and/or combination preparations including water-soluble or water-soluble/fat soluble vitamin supplements can be added to PN admixtures under strict aseptic conditions. AIO admixtures are usually not used as vehicles for drugs (incompatibilities.

Influence of chloride admixtures on cement matrix durability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sheikh, I.A.; Zamorani, E.; Serrini, G.

1989-01-01

The influence of various inorganic salts, as chloride admixtures to Portland cement, on the mechanical properties and the durability of the matrix has been studied. The salts used in this study are chromium, nickel and cadmium chlorides. Improved compressive strength values are obtained which have been correlated to the stable metal hydroxide formation in high pH environment. Under static water conditions at 50 0 C, hydrolyzed chloride ions exhibit adverse effects on the matrix durability through rapid release of calcium as calcium chloride in the initial period of leaching. On the contrary, enhanced matrix durability is obtained on long term leaching in the case of cement containing chromium chloride

Early hydration cement Effect of admixtures superplasticizers

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Puertas, F.

2001-06-01

Full Text Available Early hydration of portland cement with superplasticizer admixtures of different nature has been studied. These admixtures were: one based on melamine synthetic, other based on vinyl copolymer and other based on polyacrylate copolymers. The dosage of the formers were constant (1% weigth of cement and for the third, the influence of admixture dosage was also evaluated, giving dosage values among 1-0.3%. The pastes obtained were studied by conduction calorimetry, XRD and FTIR. Also the apparent fluidity was determined by "Minislump" test. The main results obtained were: a superplasticizers admixtures used, regardless of their nature and for the polycarboxilate one the dosage, retard the silicate hydration (specially, alite phase, b The ettringite formation is affected by the nature of the admixture. cA relationship between the dosage of admixture based on polycarboxilates and the time at the acceleration has been established. A lineal relation (y = 11.03 + 16.05x was obtained. From these results is possible to know, in function of dosage admixture, the time when the masive hydration products and the setting times are produced. Also the total heat releases in these reactions is independent of the nature and dosage of admixture, saying that in all cases the reactions are the same.

En el presente trabajo se ha estudiado la hidratación inicial de un cemento portland aditivado con superplastificantes de diferente naturaleza. Dichos aditivos fueron: uno basado en melaminas sintéticas, otro en copolímeros vinilicos y otro en policarboxilatos. La dosificación de los dos primeros se fijó constante en 1% en peso con relación al cemento, mientras que para el tercero se evaluó, también, la influencia de la dosificación, tomando proporciones desde el 1% hasta el 0,3%. Las pastas obtenidas se estudiaron por: calorimetría de conducción, DRX y FTIR. También se determinó la fluidez de la pasta a través del ensayo del "Minislump ". Los

Genome-wide population structure and admixture analysis reveals weak differentiation among Ugandan goat breeds.

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Onzima, R B; Upadhyay, M R; Mukiibi, R; Kanis, E; Groenen, M A M; Crooijmans, R P M A

2018-02-01

Uganda has a large population of goats, predominantly from indigenous breeds reared in diverse production systems, whose existence is threatened by crossbreeding with exotic Boer goats. Knowledge about the genetic characteristics and relationships among these Ugandan goat breeds and the potential admixture with Boer goats is still limited. Using a medium-density single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) panel, we assessed the genetic diversity, population structure and admixture in six goat breeds in Uganda: Boer, Karamojong, Kigezi, Mubende, Small East African and Sebei. All the animals had genotypes for about 46 105 SNPs after quality control. We found high proportions of polymorphic SNPs ranging from 0.885 (Kigezi) to 0.928 (Sebei). The overall mean observed (H O ) and expected (H E ) heterozygosity across breeds was 0.355 ± 0.147 and 0.384 ± 0.143 respectively. Principal components, genetic distances and admixture analyses revealed weak population sub-structuring among the breeds. Principal components separated Kigezi and weakly Small East African from other indigenous goats. Sebei and Karamojong were tightly entangled together, whereas Mubende occupied a more central position with high admixture from all other local breeds. The Boer breed showed a unique cluster from the Ugandan indigenous goat breeds. The results reflect common ancestry but also some level of geographical differentiation. admixture and f 4 statistics revealed gene flow from Boer and varying levels of genetic admixture among the breeds. Generally, moderate to high levels of genetic variability were observed. Our findings provide useful insights into maintaining genetic diversity and designing appropriate breeding programs to exploit within-breed diversity and heterozygote advantage in crossbreeding schemes. © 2018 The Authors. Animal Genetics published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Stichting International Foundation for Animal Genetics.

Study of distribution coefficients of admixtures in tellurium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuchar, L.; Drapala, J.; Kuchar, L. jr.

1986-01-01

Limit areas of tellurium-admixture binary systems were studied and the values determined of steady-state distribution coefficients of admixtures. A second order polynomial was used to express equations of solidus and liquidus curves for Te-Se, Te-S, Te-Hg systems; the curves are graphically represented. The most effective method for preparing high-purity tellurium is zonal melting with material removal. (M.D.). 4 figs., 4 tabs., 16 refs

Patterns of admixture and population structure in native populations of Northwest North America.

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Paul Verdu

2014-08-01

Full Text Available The initial contact of European populations with indigenous populations of the Americas produced diverse admixture processes across North, Central, and South America. Recent studies have examined the genetic structure of indigenous populations of Latin America and the Caribbean and their admixed descendants, reporting on the genomic impact of the history of admixture with colonizing populations of European and African ancestry. However, relatively little genomic research has been conducted on admixture in indigenous North American populations. In this study, we analyze genomic data at 475,109 single-nucleotide polymorphisms sampled in indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest in British Columbia and Southeast Alaska, populations with a well-documented history of contact with European and Asian traders, fishermen, and contract laborers. We find that the indigenous populations of the Pacific Northwest have higher gene diversity than Latin American indigenous populations. Among the Pacific Northwest populations, interior groups provide more evidence for East Asian admixture, whereas coastal groups have higher levels of European admixture. In contrast with many Latin American indigenous populations, the variance of admixture is high in each of the Pacific Northwest indigenous populations, as expected for recent and ongoing admixture processes. The results reveal some similarities but notable differences between admixture patterns in the Pacific Northwest and those in Latin America, contributing to a more detailed understanding of the genomic consequences of European colonization events throughout the Americas.

Effects of Mineral Admixtures, Water Binder Ratio and Curing on ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Suitable addition of mineral admixtures like fly ash (FA), silica fume (SF), metakaolin (MK) etc., in concrete improves strength and durability characteristics of concrete. This paper presents the laboratory investigation on the effects of mineral admixtures and water binder ratio on compressive strength is discussed. The study ...

Toxicity of coal fly ash (CFA) and toxicological response of switchgrass in mycorrhiza-mediated CFA-soil admixtures.

Science.gov (United States)

Awoyemi, Olushola M; Dzantor, E Kudjo

2017-10-01

Increasing support for the use of Coal fly ash (CFA) in agriculture has necessitated a better understanding of the effects of the CFA in various cropping schemes. Experiments were conducted to assess mutagenic response of a mutant strain of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (TA100) to varying concentrations of CFA-water extracts, determine oxidative stress in switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) at varying levels of CFA-soil admixtures, and evaluate mycorrhiza-mediated modulation of oxidative stress responses of CFA-grown switchgrass. The TA100 exposed to 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20% and 25% (w/v) CFA-water extracts elicited significant (p CFA-soil admixtures at 7.5% and 15% (w/w) significantly (p CFA/soil). Under the same conditions, activities of glutathione peroxidase (GPx) decreased by 75.9% and 66.9%. In contrast to the antioxidant enzyme activities, levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) an indicator of lipid peroxidation increased significantly (p CFA-soil admixtures with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), Rhizophaga clarus enhanced the activities of both SOD and GPx in the switchgrass, while it significantly (p CFA (at concentrations considered to be non-mutagenic against TA100) as soil amendment produced concentration-dependent oxidative stress responses in switchgrass; however, inoculation of the CFA-soil admixtures with AMF significantly modulated the oxidative stress responses. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effect of Mixing Time and Storage Condition on Characterization of Heparinoid Admixtures with Corticosteroids.

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Sugiyama, Ikumi; Takahashi, Namiki; Sadzuka, Yasuyuki

2016-01-01

In dermatologic therapy, several external preparations formulated as ointments or creams are prescribed. And they are often admixture to improve patient compliance. In this study, we prepared admixtures of moisturizer with steroids and examined their usability and the amount of principal agent in formulations, particularly focusing on the moisturizer content. Four heparinoid semisolid formulations were selected: Hirudoid ® soft ointment 0.3% (Formulation A) and 3 generic agents [(Besoften ® oil-based cream 0.3% (Formulation B), Kuradoido ® ointment 0.3% (Formulation C), and Hepadaerm ointment 0.3% (Formulation D)], and Antebate ® ointment 0.05% (Formulation E) were used as steroids. Formulation A and B are water-in-oil emulsions, and Formulation C and D are oil-in-water emulsions. Admixtures looked like to be mixed uniformly by visual observation. In the examination of heparinoid amount, admixture A+E and B+E were mixed uniformly. On the other hand, admixture C+E was remarkable un-uniformly. It was speculated that the emulsification of formulation C was broken. The phenomenon was supported by the result of malleability. After 8 weeks storage, the heparinoid ratio in each formulation could be expressed as follows: Admixture B≥Admixture A>Admixture C=Admixture D. A suitable storage temperature was 4°C. The results of physicochemical data analysis reveal the formulations composed of water-in-oil cream, i.e., Formulation A and Formulation B, to be the optimal choices for mixing with steroid ointments. Mixing time and storage conditions may be optimized to solve pharmaceutical problems. Moreover, understanding the emulsion type and character of semisolid formulations can expand the range of formulation options.

A genetic atlas of human admixture history.

Science.gov (United States)

Hellenthal, Garrett; Busby, George B J; Band, Gavin; Wilson, James F; Capelli, Cristian; Falush, Daniel; Myers, Simon

2014-02-14

Modern genetic data combined with appropriate statistical methods have the potential to contribute substantially to our understanding of human history. We have developed an approach that exploits the genomic structure of admixed populations to date and characterize historical mixture events at fine scales. We used this to produce an atlas of worldwide human admixture history, constructed by using genetic data alone and encompassing over 100 events occurring over the past 4000 years. We identified events whose dates and participants suggest they describe genetic impacts of the Mongol empire, Arab slave trade, Bantu expansion, first millennium CE migrations in Eastern Europe, and European colonialism, as well as unrecorded events, revealing admixture to be an almost universal force shaping human populations.

A Spatial Framework for Understanding Population Structure and Admixture.

Science.gov (United States)

Bradburd, Gideon S; Ralph, Peter L; Coop, Graham M

2016-01-01

Geographic patterns of genetic variation within modern populations, produced by complex histories of migration, can be difficult to infer and visually summarize. A general consequence of geographically limited dispersal is that samples from nearby locations tend to be more closely related than samples from distant locations, and so genetic covariance often recapitulates geographic proximity. We use genome-wide polymorphism data to build "geogenetic maps," which, when applied to stationary populations, produces a map of the geographic positions of the populations, but with distances distorted to reflect historical rates of gene flow. In the underlying model, allele frequency covariance is a decreasing function of geogenetic distance, and nonlocal gene flow such as admixture can be identified as anomalously strong covariance over long distances. This admixture is explicitly co-estimated and depicted as arrows, from the source of admixture to the recipient, on the geogenetic map. We demonstrate the utility of this method on a circum-Tibetan sampling of the greenish warbler (Phylloscopus trochiloides), in which we find evidence for gene flow between the adjacent, terminal populations of the ring species. We also analyze a global sampling of human populations, for which we largely recover the geography of the sampling, with support for significant histories of admixture in many samples. This new tool for understanding and visualizing patterns of population structure is implemented in a Bayesian framework in the program SpaceMix.

Stability investigation of total parenteral nutrition admixture prepared in a hospital pharmacy

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Mirković Dušica

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Background/Aim. In the cases when nutrition of patients can not be orally nor enterally performed, parenteral nutrition is a method of the therapy that provides more successful and rapid recovery. In that way, hospitalization can be significantly shorter, healing costs reduced and mortality minimized. Total parenteral nutrition (TPN admixtures are the most complex systems which contain amino acids, carbohydrates, lipid emulsion, macroelectrolytes (Na+, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Cl-, SO42-, PO43-, oligoelements, hydro- and liposoluble vitamines, heparin, insulin and water. Concerning the mentioned complexity, special attention should be payed to physicochemical and microbiological stability of a mixture, because of interactions among components, that can be very hard to analyze. The aim of this study was to investigate the problem of stability of TPN admixtures prepared in a hospital pharmacy. Methods. Admixture TPN was aseptically prepared in laminar air - flow environment on the basis of the specified order in supplementing components and additives to basic solutions. Solutions were kept in sterile multicompartment ethylene-vinyl-acetate bags. After preparation and slow homogenization, TPN admixtures were submitted to physicochemical and microbiological stability analyses in various period of time. The assessment of physical stability of TPN admixture was done on the basis of visual inspection, determination of pH value and measuring of particle size. The investigation of sterility and pyrogenic test were performed according to Ph. Yug. V regulations. Results. Physico-chemical and microbiological analyses were applied and no significant changes in visual sense, pH value and droplet size stability of the TPN admixture were observed during the period of 60 hours. The lipid droplets were smaller in size than 5 μm, that is the most common pharmacopoeia requirement. Conclusion. The results of our study confirmed that a TPN admixture prepared in a hospital

Neandertal admixture in Eurasia confirmed by maximum-likelihood analysis of three genomes.

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Lohse, Konrad; Frantz, Laurent A F

2014-04-01

Although there has been much interest in estimating histories of divergence and admixture from genomic data, it has proved difficult to distinguish recent admixture from long-term structure in the ancestral population. Thus, recent genome-wide analyses based on summary statistics have sparked controversy about the possibility of interbreeding between Neandertals and modern humans in Eurasia. Here we derive the probability of full mutational configurations in nonrecombining sequence blocks under both admixture and ancestral structure scenarios. Dividing the genome into short blocks gives an efficient way to compute maximum-likelihood estimates of parameters. We apply this likelihood scheme to triplets of human and Neandertal genomes and compare the relative support for a model of admixture from Neandertals into Eurasian populations after their expansion out of Africa against a history of persistent structure in their common ancestral population in Africa. Our analysis allows us to conclusively reject a model of ancestral structure in Africa and instead reveals strong support for Neandertal admixture in Eurasia at a higher rate (3.4-7.3%) than suggested previously. Using analysis and simulations we show that our inference is more powerful than previous summary statistics and robust to realistic levels of recombination.

The influence of shrinkage reducing admixtures on plastic shrinkage

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Mora, J.

2003-12-01

Full Text Available Shrinkage reducing admixtures (SRAs are viable alternatives for reducing plastic shrinkage cracking in concrete. The objective of the present paper is to study early age plastic shrinkage in restrained concrete elements, where three different SRAs have been used. The influence of the admixture is analyzed through the following measurements: capillary pressure, evaporation, temperature evolution, crack evolution and settlement. The tests for studying the cracking and deformation were made on two different configurations (i.e., restrained prisms with reduced cross-section and restrained panel, in a wind tunnel, with controlled wind temperature and velocity. The conclusions obtained indicate the viability of the use of this type of admixture and the usefulness of the test methods.

Los aditivos reductores de retracción (SRAs se plantean, hoy en día, como una alternativa viable para reducir la fisuración por retracción plástica. El objetivo del presente artículo es conocer mejor y predecir el comportamiento a primeras edades de la retracción plástica en elementos estructurales coaccionados, a los que se les ha añadido diversos aditivos reductores de retracción (tres tipos diferentes. Esta influencia se analiza a través de las siguientes propiedades: presión capilar, evaporación, evolución de temperaturas, evolución de fisuración, y deformaciones verticales de asentamiento. Los ensayos para estudiar la fisuración y las deformaciones se han realizado sobre diferentes configuraciones (prisma restringido con estrangulamiento y panel restringido, en un túnel de viento, con temperaturas y velocidades de viento controladas. Las conclusiones obtenidas señalan la viabilidad del empleo de este tipo de aditivos y la bondad de los métodos experimentales utilizados.

A genetic atlas of human admixture history

Science.gov (United States)

Hellenthal, Garrett; Busby, George B.J.; Band, Gavin; Wilson, James F.; Capelli, Cristian

2014-01-01

Modern genetic data combined with appropriate statistical methods have the potential to contribute substantially to our understanding of human history. We have developed an approach that exploits the genomic structure of admixed populations to date and characterize historical mixture events at fine scales. We used this to produce an atlas of worldwide human admixture history, constructed using genetic data alone and encompassing over 100 events occurring over the past 4,000 years. We identify events whose dates and participants suggest they describe genetic impacts of the Mongol Empire, Arab slave trade, Bantu expansion, first millennium CE migrations in eastern Europe, and European colonialism, as well as unrecorded events, revealing admixture to be an almost universal force shaping human populations. PMID:24531965

Experimental Study on Durability Improvement of Fly Ash Concrete with Durability Improving Admixture

OpenAIRE

Quan, Hong-zhu; Kasami, Hideo

2014-01-01

In order to improve the durability of fly ash concrete, a series of experimental studies are carried out, where durability improving admixture is used to reduce drying shrinkage and improve freezing-thawing resistance. The effects of durability improving admixture, air content, water-binder ratio, and fly ash replacement ratio on the performance of fly ash concrete are discussed in this paper. The results show that by using durability improving admixture in nonair-entraining fly ash concrete,...

Diffusion Decay Coefficient for Chloride Ions of Concrete Containing Mineral Admixtures

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Jae-Im Park

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The diffusion coefficient for chloride ions and the diffusion decay coefficient for chloride ions are essential variables for a service life evaluation of concrete structures. They are influenced by water-binder ratio, exposure condition, curing temperature, cement type, and the type and use of mineral admixture. Mineral admixtures such as ground granulated blast furnace slag, fly ash, and silica fume have been increasingly used to improve resistance against chloride ions penetration in concrete structures built in an offshore environment. However, there is not enough measured data to identify the statistical properties of diffusion decay coefficient for chloride ions in concrete using mineral admixtures. This paper is aimed at evaluating the diffusion decay coefficient for chloride ions of concrete using ordinary Portland cement or blended cement. NT BUILD 492 method, an electrophoresis experiment, was used to measure the diffusion coefficient for chloride ions with ages. It was revealed from the test results that the diffusion decay coefficient for chloride ions was significantly influenced by W/B and the replacement ratio of mineral admixtures.

A Novel Admixture-Based Pharmacogenetic Approach to Refine Warfarin Dosing in Caribbean Hispanics.

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Jorge Duconge

Full Text Available This study is aimed at developing a novel admixture-adjusted pharmacogenomic approach to individually refine warfarin dosing in Caribbean Hispanic patients.A multiple linear regression analysis of effective warfarin doses versus relevant genotypes, admixture, clinical and demographic factors was performed in 255 patients and further validated externally in another cohort of 55 individuals.The admixture-adjusted, genotype-guided warfarin dosing refinement algorithm developed in Caribbean Hispanics showed better predictability (R2 = 0.70, MAE = 0.72mg/day than a clinical algorithm that excluded genotypes and admixture (R2 = 0.60, MAE = 0.99mg/day, and outperformed two prior pharmacogenetic algorithms in predicting effective dose in this population. For patients at the highest risk of adverse events, 45.5% of the dose predictions using the developed pharmacogenetic model resulted in ideal dose as compared with only 29% when using the clinical non-genetic algorithm (p<0.001. The admixture-driven pharmacogenetic algorithm predicted 58% of warfarin dose variance when externally validated in 55 individuals from an independent validation cohort (MAE = 0.89 mg/day, 24% mean bias.Results supported our rationale to incorporate individual's genotypes and unique admixture metrics into pharmacogenetic refinement models in order to increase predictability when expanding them to admixed populations like Caribbean Hispanics.ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01318057.

Spanish genetic admixture is associated with larger V(O2) max decrement from sea level to 4338 m in Peruvian Quechua.

Science.gov (United States)

Brutsaert, Tom D; Parra, Esteban J; Shriver, Mark D; Gamboa, Alfredo; Palacios, Jose-Antonio; Rivera, Maria; Rodriguez, Ivette; León-Velarde, Fabiola

2003-08-01

Quechua in the Andes may be genetically adapted to altitude and able to resist decrements in maximal O2 consumption in hypoxia (DeltaVo2 max). This hypothesis was tested via repeated measures of Vo2 max (sea level vs. 4338 m) in 30 men of mixed Spanish and Quechua origins. Individual genetic admixture level (%Spanish ancestry) was estimated by using ancestry-informative DNA markers. Genetic admixture explained a significant proportion of the variability in DeltaVo2 max after control for covariate effects, including sea level Vo2 max and the decrement in arterial O2 saturation measured at Vo2 max (DeltaSpO2 max) (R2 for admixture and covariate effects approximately 0.80). The genetic effect reflected a main effect of admixture on DeltaVo2 max (P = 0.041) and an interaction between admixture and DeltaSpO2 max (P = 0.018). Admixture predicted DeltaVo2 max only in subjects with a large DeltaSpO2 max (P = 0.031). In such subjects, DeltaVo2 max was 12-18% larger in a subgroup of subjects with high vs. low Spanish ancestry, with least squares mean values (+/-SE) of 739 +/- 71 vs. 606 +/- 68 ml/min, respectively. A trend for interaction (P = 0.095) was also noted between admixture and the decrease in ventilatory threshold at 4338 m. As previously, admixture predicted DeltaVo2 max only in subjects with a large decrease in ventilatory threshold. These findings suggest that the genetic effect on DeltaVo2 max depends on a subject's aerobic fitness. Genetic effects may be more important (or easier to detect) in athletic subjects who are more likely to show gas-exchange impairment during exercise. The results of this study are consistent with the evolutionary hypothesis and point to a better gas-exchange system in Quechua.

Shrinkage Reducing Admixture for Concrete

OpenAIRE

ECT Team, Purdue

2007-01-01

Concrete shrinkage cracking is a common problem in all types of concrete structures, especially for structures and environments where the cracks are prevalent and the repercussions are most severe. A liquid shrinkage reducing admixture for concrete, developed by GRACE Construction Products and ARCO Chemical Company, that reduces significantly the shrinkage during concrete drying and potentially reduces overall cracking over time.

Investigation of Mechanism of Action of Modifying Admixtures Based on Products of Petrochemical Synthesis on Concrete Structure

Science.gov (United States)

Tukhareli, V. D.; Tukhareli, A. V.; Cherednichenko, T. F.

2017-11-01

The creation of composite materials for generating structural elements with the desired properties has always been and still remains relevant. The basis of a modern concrete technology is the creation of a high-quality artificial stone characterized by low defectiveness and structure stability. Improving the quality of concrete compositions can be achieved by using chemical admixtures from local raw materials which is a very promising task of modern materials’ science for creation of a new generation of concretes. The new generation concretes are high-tech, high-quality, multicomponent concrete mixes and compositions with admixtures that preserve the required properties in service under all operating conditions. The growing complexity of concrete caused by systemic effects that allow you to control the structure formation at all stages of the technology ensures the obtaining of composites with "directional" quality, compositions, structure and properties. The possibility to use the organic fraction of oil refining as a multifunctional hydrophobic-plasticizing admixture in the effective cement concrete is examined.

Effects of Shrinkage Reducing Agent and Expansive Admixture on the Volume Deformation of Ultrahigh Performance Concrete

OpenAIRE

Anshuang, Su; Ling, Qin; Shoujie, Zhang; Jiayang, Zhang; Zhaoyu, Li

2017-01-01

This paper investigated the influences of shrinkage reducing agent and expansive admixture on autogenous and drying shrinkage of ultrahigh performance concrete (UHPC) containing antifoaming admixture. The shrinkage reducing agent was used at dosage of 0.5%, 1%, and 2% and the expansive admixture was used at dosage of 2% to 4% by mass of cementitious material. The results show that the air content of UHPC increases with the higher addition of shrinkage reducing agent and expansive admixtures. ...

Strength characteristics of light weight concrete blocks using mineral admixtures

Science.gov (United States)

Bhuvaneshwari, P.; Priyadharshini, U.; Gurucharan, S.; Mithunram, B.

2017-07-01

This paper presents an experimental study to investigate the characteristics of light weight concrete blocks. Cement was partially replaced with mineral admixtures like Fly ash (FA), limestone powder waste (LPW), Rice husk ash (RHA), sugarcane fiber waste (SCW) and Chrysopogonzizanioides (CZ). The maximum replacement level achieved was 25% by weight of cement and sand. Total of 56 cubes (150 mm x 150 mm x150 mm) and 18 cylinders (100mmφ and 50mm depth) were cast. The specimens being (FA, RHA, SCW, LPW, CZ, (FA-RHA), (FA-LPW), (FA-CZ), (LPW-CZ), (FA-SCW), (RHA-SCW)).Among the different combination, FA,FA-SCW,CZ,FA-CZ showed enhanced strength and durability, apart from achieving less density.

Admixture mapping of African-American women in the AMBER Consortium identifies new loci for breast cancer and estrogen-receptor subtypes

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Edward Antonio Ruiz-Narvaez

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Recent genetic admixture coupled with striking differences in incidence of estrogen receptor (ER breast cancer subtypes, as well as severity, between women of African and European ancestry, provides an excellent rationale for performing admixture mapping in African American women with breast cancer risk. We performed the largest breast cancer admixture mapping study with in African American women to identify novel genomic regions associated with the disease. We conducted a genome-wide admixture scan using 2,624 autosomal ancestry informative markers (AIMs in 3,629 breast cancer cases (including 1,968 ER-positive, 1093 ER-negative and 601 triple-negative and 4,658 controls from the African American Breast Cancer Epidemiology and Risk (AMBER Consortium, a collaborative study of four large geographically different epidemiological studies of breast cancer in African American women. We used an independent case-control study to test for SNP association in regions with genome-wide significant admixture signals. We found two novel genome-wide significant regions of excess African ancestry, 4p16.1 and 17q25.1, associated with ER-positive breast cancer. Two regions known to harbor breast cancer variants, 10q26 and 11q13, were also identified with excess of African ancestry. Fine-mapping of the identified genome-wide significant regions suggests the presence of significant genetic associations with ER-positive breast cancer in 4p16.1 and 11q13. In summary, we identified three novel genomic regions associated with breast cancer risk by ER status, suggesting that additional previously unidentified variants may contribute to the racial differences in breast cancer risk in the African American population.

Validation of the polysemen admixture on viability and acrosomal morphology of boar spermatozoa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ogbuewu IP

2007-07-01

Full Text Available Semen were collected using artificial vagina (AV, from 5 large white boars aged 2-2.5 years twice a week for 16 weeks in each of the two seasons, early rainy (ER and late rainy (LR seasons, to determine the effects of multiple semen pool admixture on the viability and acrosomal morphology. The semen qualities studied were sperm motility, live sperm and sperm concentration, while the acrosomal parameters includes normal apical ridge (NAR, damaged apical ridge (DAR, missing apical ridge (MAR and loose apical ridge (LAC. There were no significant (P>0.05 seasonal effects. Three-boar semen admixture gave the highest percentage NAR, motility, live sperm concentration and least DAR and LAC, although these were not significantly (P>0.05 different from the 2-boar semen admixture. The result of this study suggests that 3-boar semen admixture is most suitable for use in artificial insemination program.

A Novel Admixture-Based Pharmacogenetic Approach to Refine Warfarin Dosing in Caribbean Hispanics

Science.gov (United States)

Claudio-Campos, Karla; Rivera-Miranda, Giselle; Bermúdez-Bosch, Luis; Renta, Jessicca Y.; Cadilla, Carmen L.; Cruz, Iadelisse; Feliu, Juan F.; Vergara, Cunegundo; Ruaño, Gualberto

2016-01-01

Aim This study is aimed at developing a novel admixture-adjusted pharmacogenomic approach to individually refine warfarin dosing in Caribbean Hispanic patients. Patients & Methods A multiple linear regression analysis of effective warfarin doses versus relevant genotypes, admixture, clinical and demographic factors was performed in 255 patients and further validated externally in another cohort of 55 individuals. Results The admixture-adjusted, genotype-guided warfarin dosing refinement algorithm developed in Caribbean Hispanics showed better predictability (R2 = 0.70, MAE = 0.72mg/day) than a clinical algorithm that excluded genotypes and admixture (R2 = 0.60, MAE = 0.99mg/day), and outperformed two prior pharmacogenetic algorithms in predicting effective dose in this population. For patients at the highest risk of adverse events, 45.5% of the dose predictions using the developed pharmacogenetic model resulted in ideal dose as compared with only 29% when using the clinical non-genetic algorithm (pwarfarin dose variance when externally validated in 55 individuals from an independent validation cohort (MAE = 0.89 mg/day, 24% mean bias). Conclusions Results supported our rationale to incorporate individual’s genotypes and unique admixture metrics into pharmacogenetic refinement models in order to increase predictability when expanding them to admixed populations like Caribbean Hispanics. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01318057 PMID:26745506

Techniques and methods of characterization of admixtures for the concrete

OpenAIRE

Palacios, M.; Sierra, C.; Puertas, F.

2003-01-01

Admixtures are defined as those products that are incorporated in the moment of the process of mixture of the concrete in a quantity not bigger than 5 by mass of the cement %, with relationship to the cement content in the concrete, with object of modifying the properties of the mixture in .state fresh and/or hardened. The behaviour of the admixtures depends on its chemical and ionic composition, the organic functional groups present, and the structure of the polymer and the distribution of m...

Hydration of mineral shrinkage-compensating admixture for concrete : an experimental and numerical study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Chen, Wei; Brouwers, H.J.H.

2012-01-01

The use of shrinkage-compensating admixture in concrete has been proven to be an effective way to mitigate the shrinkage of concrete. The hydration of a shrinkage-compensating admixture in cement paste and concrete is investigated in this paper with numerical simulation and experimental study. An

Complex Patterns of Admixture across the Indonesian Archipelago

Science.gov (United States)

Hudjashov, Georgi; Karafet, Tatiana M.; Lawson, Daniel J.; Downey, Sean; Savina, Olga; Sudoyo, Herawati; Lansing, J. Stephen; Hammer, Michael F.; Cox, Murray P.

2017-01-01

Abstract Indonesia, an island nation as large as continental Europe, hosts a sizeable proportion of global human diversity, yet remains surprisingly undercharacterized genetically. Here, we substantially expand on existing studies by reporting genome-scale data for nearly 500 individuals from 25 populations in Island Southeast Asia, New Guinea, and Oceania, notably including previously unsampled islands across the Indonesian archipelago. We use high-resolution analyses of haplotype diversity to reveal fine detail of regional admixture patterns, with a particular focus on the Holocene. We find that recent population history within Indonesia is complex, and that populations from the Philippines made important genetic contributions in the early phases of the Austronesian expansion. Different, but interrelated processes, acted in the east and west. The Austronesian migration took several centuries to spread across the eastern part of the archipelago, where genetic admixture postdates the archeological signal. As with the Neolithic expansion further east in Oceania and in Europe, genetic mixing with local inhabitants in eastern Indonesia lagged behind the arrival of farming populations. In contrast, western Indonesia has a more complicated admixture history shaped by interactions with mainland Asian and Austronesian newcomers, which for some populations occurred more than once. Another layer of complexity in the west was introduced by genetic contact with South Asia and strong demographic events in isolated local groups. PMID:28957506

Tests of fit of historically-informed models of African American Admixture.

Science.gov (United States)

Gross, Jessica M

2018-02-01

African American populations in the U.S. formed primarily by mating between Africans and Europeans over the last 500 years. To date, studies of admixture have focused on either a one-time admixture event or continuous input into the African American population from Europeans only. Our goal is to gain a better understanding of the admixture process by examining models that take into account (a) assortative mating by ancestry in the African American population, (b) continuous input from both Europeans and Africans, and (c) historically informed variation in the rate of African migration over time. We used a model-based clustering method to generate distributions of African ancestry in three samples comprised of 147 African Americans from two published sources. We used a log-likelihood method to examine the fit of four models to these distributions and used a log-likelihood ratio test to compare the relative fit of each model. The mean ancestry estimates for our datasets of 77% African/23% European to 83% African/17% European ancestry are consistent with previous studies. We find admixture models that incorporate continuous gene flow from Europeans fit significantly better than one-time event models, and that a model involving continuous gene flow from Africans and Europeans fits better than one with continuous gene flow from Europeans only for two samples. Importantly, models that involve continuous input from Africans necessitate a higher level of gene flow from Europeans than previously reported. We demonstrate that models that take into account information about the rate of African migration over the past 500 years fit observed patterns of African ancestry better than alternative models. Our approach will enrich our understanding of the admixture process in extant and past populations. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Effects of lithium nitrate admixture on early-age cement hydration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Millard, M.J.; Kurtis, K.E.

2008-01-01

Although the benefits of lithium admixtures for mitigation of alkali-silica reaction (ASR) have been well documented, the potential ancillary effects of lithium compounds on cement and concrete remain largely uncharacterized. To examine the effects of the most common lithium admixture - lithium nitrate - on early-age behavior, the admixture was introduced at dosages of 0% to 400% of the recommended dosage to six cements of varying composition and to a cement-fly ash blend. Behavior was examined by isothermal calorimetry and measurements of chemical shrinkage, autogenous shrinkage, and setting time. Results indicate that lithium nitrate accelerates the early hydration of most cements but may retard hydration after 24 h. In the lowest alkali cement tested, set times were shortened in the presence of lithium nitrate by 15-22%. Higher dosages appeared to increase autogenous shrinkage after 40 days. The replacement of cement by Class F fly ash at 20% by weight appeared to diminish the early acceleration effects, but later hydration retardation and autogenous shrinkage were still observed

Population Genomics of sub-saharan Drosophila melanogaster: African diversity and non-African admixture.

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John E Pool

Full Text Available Drosophila melanogaster has played a pivotal role in the development of modern population genetics. However, many basic questions regarding the demographic and adaptive history of this species remain unresolved. We report the genome sequencing of 139 wild-derived strains of D. melanogaster, representing 22 population samples from the sub-Saharan ancestral range of this species, along with one European population. Most genomes were sequenced above 25X depth from haploid embryos. Results indicated a pervasive influence of non-African admixture in many African populations, motivating the development and application of a novel admixture detection method. Admixture proportions varied among populations, with greater admixture in urban locations. Admixture levels also varied across the genome, with localized peaks and valleys suggestive of a non-neutral introgression process. Genomes from the same location differed starkly in ancestry, suggesting that isolation mechanisms may exist within African populations. After removing putatively admixed genomic segments, the greatest genetic diversity was observed in southern Africa (e.g. Zambia, while diversity in other populations was largely consistent with a geographic expansion from this potentially ancestral region. The European population showed different levels of diversity reduction on each chromosome arm, and some African populations displayed chromosome arm-specific diversity reductions. Inversions in the European sample were associated with strong elevations in diversity across chromosome arms. Genomic scans were conducted to identify loci that may represent targets of positive selection within an African population, between African populations, and between European and African populations. A disproportionate number of candidate selective sweep regions were located near genes with varied roles in gene regulation. Outliers for Europe-Africa F(ST were found to be enriched in genomic regions of locally

Population Genomics of Sub-Saharan Drosophila melanogaster: African Diversity and Non-African Admixture

Science.gov (United States)

Pool, John E.; Corbett-Detig, Russell B.; Sugino, Ryuichi P.; Stevens, Kristian A.; Cardeno, Charis M.; Crepeau, Marc W.; Duchen, Pablo; Emerson, J. J.; Saelao, Perot; Begun, David J.; Langley, Charles H.

2012-01-01

Drosophila melanogaster has played a pivotal role in the development of modern population genetics. However, many basic questions regarding the demographic and adaptive history of this species remain unresolved. We report the genome sequencing of 139 wild-derived strains of D. melanogaster, representing 22 population samples from the sub-Saharan ancestral range of this species, along with one European population. Most genomes were sequenced above 25X depth from haploid embryos. Results indicated a pervasive influence of non-African admixture in many African populations, motivating the development and application of a novel admixture detection method. Admixture proportions varied among populations, with greater admixture in urban locations. Admixture levels also varied across the genome, with localized peaks and valleys suggestive of a non-neutral introgression process. Genomes from the same location differed starkly in ancestry, suggesting that isolation mechanisms may exist within African populations. After removing putatively admixed genomic segments, the greatest genetic diversity was observed in southern Africa (e.g. Zambia), while diversity in other populations was largely consistent with a geographic expansion from this potentially ancestral region. The European population showed different levels of diversity reduction on each chromosome arm, and some African populations displayed chromosome arm-specific diversity reductions. Inversions in the European sample were associated with strong elevations in diversity across chromosome arms. Genomic scans were conducted to identify loci that may represent targets of positive selection within an African population, between African populations, and between European and African populations. A disproportionate number of candidate selective sweep regions were located near genes with varied roles in gene regulation. Outliers for Europe-Africa FST were found to be enriched in genomic regions of locally elevated cosmopolitan

PCE and BNS admixture adsorption in sands with different composition and particle size distribution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alonso, M.M.; Martínez-Gaitero, R.; Gismera-Diez, S.; Puertas, F.

2017-01-01

The choice of a superplasticiser (SP) for concrete is of great complexity, as it is well known that properties of the end product are related to admixture and its compatibility with concrete components. Very few studies have been conducted on the compatibility between SPs and the sand of mortars and concretes, however. Practical experience has shown that sand fineness and mineralogical composition affect water demand and admixture consumption. Clay-containing sand has been found also to adsorb SPs, reducing the amount available in solution for adsorption by the cement. This study analysed the isotherms for PCE and BNS superplasticiser adsorption on four sands with different fineness and compositions commonly used to prepare mortars and concretes. BNS-based SP did not adsorb on sands, while PCE-based admixtures exhibited variable adsorption depending on different factors. The adsorption curves obtained revealed that the higher the sand fineness, the finer the particle size distribution and the higher the clay material, the greater was PCE admixture adsorption/ consumption. [es

PCE and BNS admixture adsorption in sands with different composition and particle size distribution

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. M. Alonso

2017-02-01

Full Text Available The choice of a superplasticiser (SP for concrete is of great complexity, as it is well known that properties of the end product are related to admixture and its compatibility with concrete components. Very few studies have been conducted on the compatibility between SPs and the sand of mortars and concretes, however. Practical experience has shown that sand fineness and mineralogical composition affect water demand and admixture consumption. Clay-containing sand has been found also to adsorb SPs, reducing the amount available in solution for adsorption by the cement. This study analysed the isotherms for PCE and BNS superplasticiser adsorption on four sands with different fineness and compositions commonly used to prepare mortars and concretes. BNS-based SP did not adsorb on sands, while PCE-based admixtures exhibited variable adsorption depending on different factors. The adsorption curves obtained revealed that the higher the sand fineness, the finer the particle size distribution and the higher the clay material, the greater was PCE admixture adsorption/ consumption.

ADSORPTION OF CHROMIUM (VI FROM AQUEOUS SOLUTIONS BY DIFFERENT ADMIXTURES – A BATCH EQUILIBRIUM TEST STUDY

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K. SHIVA PRASHANTH KUMAR

2014-08-01

Full Text Available Wide variety of inorganic compounds such as nutrients and trace metals, organic chemicals, radioactive contaminants and pathogens are commonly present as contaminants in the groundwater. Migration of contaminants in soil involves important mechanisms such as molecular diffusion, dispersion under physical processes, adsorption, precipitation and oxidation - reduction under chemical processes and biodegradation under biological process. Cr (VI is a major and dangerous contaminant as per the ground water is concerned. There are numerous research work carried out with concentrated efforts by the researchers towards removal of Cr (VI contaminant from aqueous solutions. There are few studies relevant to Cr (VI removal with respect to utilization of low cost admixtures and also soil type. In the present study, different low cost admixtures like rice husk (RH, shredded tyre (ST and fly ash (FA are used to understand the performance in removal of Cr (VI from aqueous solution and also two different soil types are used along with the admixture. The results are discussed in terms of sorption capacity and performance of individual admixture and combination of admixture with soil in removal of contaminant. The fly ash, rice husk and shredded tyre admixtures are used and the results revealed that the shredded tyre showed higher performance in removal of contaminant concentration. Also, the soil which has more fine particle content (size<0.075 mm IS sieve showed reasonable reduction in concentration of contaminant at the lower levels of contaminant initial concentration. The sorption capacity results of Cr (VI contaminant, treated with various admixtures are further validated with the published work of other investigators. The shredded tyre (ST showed more adsorption capacity, i.e., 3.283 mg/g at pH of 4.8. For other admixtures, adsorption capacity value is varying in the range of 0.07 mg/g to 1.7 mg/g. Only in case of activated alumina and modified saw dust

Analisis Kuat Tekan Beton Dengan Bahan Tambah Reduced Water Dan Accelerated Admixture

OpenAIRE

Rahmat, Rahmat; Hendriyani, Irna; Anwar, Moh. Syaiful

2016-01-01

Concrete consist of: cement mortar, coarse aggregate, fine aggregate, water, and addictive materials. The main ingredient in manufacturing of concrete: rock material that called as aggregates. Aggregate has an important role on the quality of the concrete. Various types and trademarks for admixture of concrete that can be used as addictive of the concrete mix with specific purpose. The study aims to determine the effect of the added material of Reduced Water and Accelerated Admixture (Bestmit...

Admixture analysis and stocking impact assessment in brown trout ( Salmo trutta ), estimated with incomplete baseline data

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Michael Møller; Eg Nielsen, Einar; Bekkevold, Dorte

2001-01-01

the populations contributing to admixture. We applied the method to analyse the genetic contribution of domesticated brown trout (Salmo trutta) in samples of anadromous trout from two stocked populations with no genetic data available before stocking. Further, we estimated population level admixture proportions...... by the mean of individual admixture coefficients. This method proved more informative than a multidimensional scaling analysis of individual-based genetic distances and assignment tests. The results showed almost complete absence of stocked, domesticated trout in samples of trout from the rivers. Consequently......, stocking had little effect on improving fisheries. In one population, the genetic contribution by domesticated trout was small, whereas in the other population, some genetic impact was suggested. Admixture in this sample of anadromous trout despite absence of stocked domesticated trout could be because...

ANALYSIS OF PROPERTIES OF CONCRETE USING DRIED BANANA PEEL POWDER AS ADMIXTURE

OpenAIRE

Vishal Gadgihalli; MeenaY.R; Sindhu Shankar; Raghavendra Prasad Havanje Dinakar

2017-01-01

Ingredients other than cement, water& aggregates that import a specific quality to either plastic(fresh)mix or the hardened concrete (ASTMC 496) is called concrete admixture. In this paper analysis of properties of concrete using banana peel as admixture is studied and verified the strength of concrete and temperature emitted due to chemical reaction to the normal Portland cement. As banana’s peel is rich in natural fiber and it is well known source of potassium. The flexural strength of conc...

The influence of oxygen admixture concentration on microdeformation behavior of niobium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ivantsov, V.I.

2004-01-01

The microplasticity behavior of solid solutions Nb-O (relative residual deformations ε = 2 centre dot 10 -7 ...10 -4 ) in dependence on oxygen admixture concentration (C = 0,06...1,4 at.% O) was studied. The values of microplastic deformation parameters (precision elastic limit σ E , micro yield stress σ A and elastic module E) of pure niobium and solid solutions Nb-O were determinated. The empiric correlation of dependence σ E and σ A versus oxygen concentration were got. It was discussed the mechanism of oxygen admixture influence on stage nature of microflow and deformation hardening of niobium

Effects of drying conditions, admixtures and specimen size on shrinkage strains

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Al-Saleh, Saleh A.; Al-Zaid, Rajeh Z.

2006-01-01

The paper presents the results of an experimental investigation on the effects of drying conditions, specimen size and presence of plasticizing admixture on the development of shrinkage strains. The measurements are taken in a harsh (50 deg. C and 5% R.H.) and a moderate environment (28 deg. C and 50% R.H.). The results include strain development at various levels of cross sections of concrete prisms. The drying conditions are found to be the dominant parameter affecting the shrinkage strain development particularly in specimens of smaller sizes. The effect of plasticizing admixture on shrinkage strains is negligible

The influence of compound admixtures on the properties of high-content slag cement

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dongxu, L.; Xuequan, W.; Jinlin, S.; Yujiang, W.

2000-01-01

Based on the activation theory of alkali and sulfate, the influence of compound admixtures on the properties of high-content slag cement was studied by testing the strength, pore structure, hydrates, and microstructure, Test results show that compound admixtures can obviously improve the properties of high-content slag cement. The emphasis of the present research is two-fold: substituting gypsum with anhydrite and calcining gypsum. These both can improve early and later performance.

Admixture patterns and genetic differentiation in negrito groups from West Malaysia estimated from genome-wide SNP data.

Science.gov (United States)

Jinam, Timothy A; Phipps, Maude E; Saitou, Naruya

2013-01-01

Southeast Asia houses various culturally and linguistically diverse ethnic groups. In Malaysia, where the Malay, Chinese, and Indian ethnic groups form the majority, there exist minority groups such as the "negritos" who are believed to be descendants of the earliest settlers of Southeast Asia. Here we report patterns of genetic substructure and admixture in two Malaysian negrito populations (Jehai and Kensiu), using ~50,000 genome-wide single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data. We found traces of recent admixture in both the negrito populations, particularly in the Jehai, with the Malay through principal component analysis and STRUCTURE analysis software, which suggested that the admixture was as recent as one generation ago. We also identified significantly differentiated nonsynonymous SNPs and haplotype blocks related to intracellular transport, metabolic processes, and detection of stimulus. These results highlight the different levels of admixture experienced by the two Malaysian negritos. Delineating admixture and differentiated genomic regions should be of importance in designing and interpretation of molecular anthropology and disease association studies. Copyright © 2013 Wayne State University Press, Detroit, Michigan 48201-1309.

Prestressed concrete bridge beams with microsilica admixture : final report.

Science.gov (United States)

1998-01-01

Microsilica fume admixture in concrete beams was used in two coastal bridges to reduce chloride permeability. Cylinders were cast from the beam mixture for strength and permeability tests. : The fabricator found no problems with making these beams, e...

Analysis of admixture and genetic structure of two Native American groups of Southern Argentinean Patagonia.

Science.gov (United States)

Sala, Andrea; Corach, Daniel

2014-03-01

Argentinean Patagonia is inhabited by people that live principally in urban areas and by small isolated groups of individuals that belong to indigenous aboriginal groups; this territory exhibits the lowest population density of the country. Mapuche and Tehuelche (Mapudungun linguistic branch), are the only extant Native American groups that inhabit the Argentinean Patagonian provinces of Río Negro and Chubut. Fifteen autosomal STRs, 17 Y-STRs, mtDNA full length control region sequence and two sets of Y and mtDNA-coding region SNPs were analyzed in a set of 434 unrelated individuals. The sample set included two aboriginal groups, a group of individuals whose family name included Native American linguistic root and urban samples from Chubut, Río Negro and Buenos Aires provinces of Argentina. Specific Y Amerindian haplogroup Q1 was found in 87.5% in Mapuche and 58.82% in Tehuelche, while the Amerindian mtDNA haplogroups were present in all the aboriginal sample contributors investigated. Admixture analysis performed by means of autosomal and Y-STRs showed the highest degree of admixture in individuals carrying Mapuche surnames, followed by urban populations, and finally by isolated Native American populations as less degree of admixture. The study provided novel genetic information about the Mapuche and Tehuelche people and allowed us to establish a genetic correlation among individuals with Mapudungun surnames that demonstrates not only a linguistic but also a genetic relationship to the isolated aboriginal communities, representing a suitable proxy indicator for assessing genealogical background.

Research on curing behavior of concrete with anti-frost admixtures at subzero temperature

Science.gov (United States)

Ionov, Yulian; Kramar, Ludmila; Kirsanova, Alena; Kolegova, Irina

2017-01-01

The purpose of this paper is research on curing behavior of cold-weather concrete with anti-frost admixtures. During the study derivative thermal and X-ray phase analyses were performed and tests were carried out according to the standard GOST technique. The research results obtained reveal the peculiarities of cement hydration and concrete curing at subzero temperatures. The influence of subzero temperatures and anti-frost admixtures on hydrated phases of hardened cement paste and concrete strength formation was studied. It is found that cold-weather concrete does not cure at subzero temperatures, but when defrosting it attains 80 to 85% of its grade strength by the 28th day. Concrete achieves its grade strength when curing in normal conditions in 60 days only. Freezing concrete with anti-frost admixtures results in increase of calcium hydroxide content in hardened cement paste immediately when produced and has increased tendency of concrete to carbonation.

Development of admixture mapping panels for African Americans from commercial high-density SNP arrays

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dunston Georgia M

2010-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Admixture mapping is a powerful approach for identifying genetic variants involved in human disease that exploits the unique genomic structure in recently admixed populations. To use existing published panels of ancestry-informative markers (AIMs for admixture mapping, markers have to be genotyped de novo for each admixed study sample and samples representing the ancestral parental populations. The increased availability of dense marker data on commercial chips has made it feasible to develop panels wherein the markers need not be predetermined. Results We developed two panels of AIMs (~2,000 markers each based on the Affymetrix Genome-Wide Human SNP Array 6.0 for admixture mapping with African American samples. These two AIM panels had good map power that was higher than that of a denser panel of ~20,000 random markers as well as other published panels of AIMs. As a test case, we applied the panels in an admixture mapping study of hypertension in African Americans in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. Conclusions Developing marker panels for admixture mapping from existing genome-wide genotype data offers two major advantages: (1 no de novo genotyping needs to be done, thereby saving costs, and (2 markers can be filtered for various quality measures and replacement markers (to minimize gaps can be selected at no additional cost. Panels of carefully selected AIMs have two major advantages over panels of random markers: (1 the map power from sparser panels of AIMs is higher than that of ~10-fold denser panels of random markers, and (2 clusters can be labeled based on information from the parental populations. With current technology, chip-based genome-wide genotyping is less expensive than genotyping ~20,000 random markers. The major advantage of using random markers is the absence of ascertainment effects resulting from the process of selecting markers. The ability to develop marker panels informative for ancestry from

HLA class I variation controlled for genetic admixture in the Gila River Indian Community of Arizona: a model for the Paleo-Indians.

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, R C; McAuley, J E

1992-01-01

The genetic distribution of the HLA class I loci is presented for 619 "full blooded" Pima and Tohono O'odham Native Americans (Pimans) in the Gila River Indian Community. Variation in the Pimans is highly restricted. There are only three polymorphic alleles at the HLA-A locus, *A2, *A24, and *A31, and only 10 alleles with a frequency greater than 0.01 at HLA-B where *Bw48 (0.187), *B35 (0.173), and the new epitope *BN21 (0.143) have the highest frequencies. Two and three locus disequilibria values and haplotype frequencies are presented. Ten three-locus haplotypes account for more than 50% of the class I variation, with *A24 *BN21 *Cw3 (0.085) having the highest frequency. Gm allotypes demonstrate that little admixture from non-Indian populations has entered the Community since the 17th century when Europeans first came to this area. As a consequence many alleles commonly found in Europeans and European Americans are efficient markers for Caucasian admixture, while the "private" Indian alleles, *BN21 and *Bw48, can be used to measure Native American admixture in Caucasian populations. It is suggested that this distribution in "full blooded" Pimans approximates that of the Paleo-Indian migrants who first entered the Americas between 20,000 and 40,000 years ago.

Effects of Leaching Behavior of Calcium Ions on Compression and Durability of Cement-Based Materials with Mineral Admixtures

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, An; Chao, Sao-Jeng; Lin, Wei-Ting

2013-01-01

Leaching of calcium ions increases the porosity of cement-based materials, consequently resulting in a negative effect on durability since it provides an entry for aggressive harmful ions, causing reinforcing steel corrosion. This study investigates the effects of leaching behavior of calcium ions on the compression and durability of cement-based materials. Since the parameters influencing the leaching behavior of cement-based materials are unclear and diverse, this paper focuses on the influence of added mineral admixtures (fly ash, slag and silica fume) on the leaching behavior of calcium ions regarding compression and durability of cemented-based materials. Ammonium nitrate solution was used to accelerate the leaching process in this study. Scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis, and thermogravimetric analysis were employed to analyze and compare the cement-based material compositions prior to and after calcium ion leaching. The experimental results show that the mineral admixtures reduce calcium hydroxide quantity and refine pore structure through pozzolanic reaction, thus enhancing the compressive strength and durability of cement-based materials. PMID:28809247

Elements-admixtures of fluorite. Research technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fayziev, A.R.

2002-01-01

Present article is devoted to elements-admixtures of fluorite and research techniques used. As a material for researches the mono mineral samples of fluorite of various geologic deposits and ores were used. The determination of sodium and potassium was conducted by means of flame photometry. Strontium, uranium, thorium, lead and rubidium were determined by means of quantitative X-ray spectroscopic analysis. The barium analysis was conducted by means of quantitative method. The manganese analysis was conducted by means of electron paramagnetic resonance.

On the use of crystalline admixtures in cement based construction materials: from porosity reducers to promoters of self healing

Science.gov (United States)

Ferrara, Liberato; Krelani, Visar; Moretti, Fabio

2016-08-01

The project detailed in this paper aims at a thorough characterization of the effects of crystalline admixtures, currently employed as porosity reducing admixtures, on the self-healing capacity of the cementitious composites, i.e. their capacity to completely or partially re-seal cracks and, in case, also exhibit recovery of mechanical properties. The problem has been investigated with reference to both a normal strength concrete (NSC) and a high performance fibre reinforced cementitious composite (HPFRCC). In the latter case, the influence of flow-induced fibre alignment has also been considered in the experimental investigation. With reference to either 3-point (for NSC) or 4-point (for HPFRCC) bending tests performed up to controlled crack opening and up to failure, respectively before and after exposure/conditioning recovery of stiffness and stress bearing capacity has been evaluated to assess the self-healing capacity. In a durability-based design framework, self-healing indices to quantify the recovery of mechanical properties will also be defined. In NSC, crystalline admixtures are able to promote up to 60% of crack sealing even under exposure to open air. In the case of HPFRCCs, which would already feature autogenous healing capacity because of their peculiar mix compositions, the synergy between the dispersed fibre reinforcement and the action of the crystalline admixture has resulted in a likely ‘chemical pre-stressing’ of the same reinforcement, from which the recovery of mechanical performance of the material has greatly benefited, up to levels even higher than the performance of the virgin un-cracked material.

Radiological impact of cement, concrete and admixtures in Spain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chinchon-Paya, S.; Piedecausa, B.; Hurtado, S.; Sanjuan, M.A.; Chinchon, S.

2011-01-01

It has been analyzed samples of portland cement (PC) with and without admixtures, samples of calcium aluminate cement (CAC) with different content of Al 2 O 3 and specimens of concrete made with PC and CAC using High Resolution Gamma Spectrometry. The activity concentration index (I) is much less than 0.5 mSv y -1 for all the concrete specimens according to the Radiation protection document 112 of the European Commission. The PC without admixtures (CEM I 52,5 R) and the PC with addition of limestone (CEM II/BL 32,5 N) also have an I value much lower than 0.5 and the PC with the addition of fly ash and blast furnace slag (CEM IV/B (V) 32,5 N and III/A 42.5 N/SR) have an I value close to 0.6. The I value of the CAC used in the manufacture of structural precast concrete is of the order of 1 mSv y -1 . Some of the CAC used in refractory concrete reaches a value close to 2 mSv y -1 . - Highlights: → The activity values (I) of spanish portland cement and admixtures studied are similar to those described by other authors. → For the first time in scientific publications we have shown results of several calcium aluminate cements (CAC). → CAC used in structural concrete has an approximate I value = 1 (similar to blast furnace slag and fly ash). → One type of CAC with Al 2 O 3 content of 51% used in refractory concretes has a value of I = 2.

Cuba: exploring the history of admixture and the genetic basis of pigmentation using autosomal and uniparental markers.

Science.gov (United States)

Marcheco-Teruel, Beatriz; Parra, Esteban J; Fuentes-Smith, Evelyn; Salas, Antonio; Buttenschøn, Henriette N; Demontis, Ditte; Torres-Español, María; Marín-Padrón, Lilia C; Gómez-Cabezas, Enrique J; Alvarez-Iglesias, Vanesa; Mosquera-Miguel, Ana; Martínez-Fuentes, Antonio; Carracedo, Angel; Børglum, Anders D; Mors, Ole

2014-07-01

We carried out an admixture analysis of a sample comprising 1,019 individuals from all the provinces of Cuba. We used a panel of 128 autosomal Ancestry Informative Markers (AIMs) to estimate the admixture proportions. We also characterized a number of haplogroup diagnostic markers in the mtDNA and Y-chromosome in order to evaluate admixture using uniparental markers. Finally, we analyzed the association of 16 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with quantitative estimates of skin pigmentation. In the total sample, the average European, African and Native American contributions as estimated from autosomal AIMs were 72%, 20% and 8%, respectively. The Eastern provinces of Cuba showed relatively higher African and Native American contributions than the Western provinces. In particular, the highest proportion of African ancestry was observed in the provinces of Guantánamo (40%) and Santiago de Cuba (39%), and the highest proportion of Native American ancestry in Granma (15%), Holguín (12%) and Las Tunas (12%). We found evidence of substantial population stratification in the current Cuban population, emphasizing the need to control for the effects of population stratification in association studies including individuals from Cuba. The results of the analyses of uniparental markers were concordant with those observed in the autosomes. These geographic patterns in admixture proportions are fully consistent with historical and archaeological information. Additionally, we identified a sex-biased pattern in the process of gene flow, with a substantially higher European contribution from the paternal side, and higher Native American and African contributions from the maternal side. This sex-biased contribution was particularly evident for Native American ancestry. Finally, we observed that SNPs located in the genes SLC24A5 and SLC45A2 are strongly associated with melanin levels in the sample.

Effectiveness of shrinkage-reducing admixtures on Portland pozzolan cement concrete

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Videla, C.

2005-06-01

Full Text Available Drying shrinkage causes tensile stress in restrained concrete members. Since all structural elements are subject to some degree of restraint, drying shrinkage is regarded to be one of the main causes of concrete cracking. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of SRA in reducing drying shrinkage strain in Portland pozzolan cement concrete. The major variables examined included slump, admixture type and dose, and specimen size. The measured results indicate that any of the admixtures used in the study significantly reduced shrinkage. Concrete manufactured with shrinkage reducing admixtures shrank an average of 43% less than concrete without admixtures. As a rule, the higher the dose of admixture, the higher was its shrinkage reduction performance. The experimental results were compared to the shrinkage strain estimated with the ACI 209, CEB MC 90, B3, GL 2000, Sakata 1993 and Sakata 2001 models. Although none of these models was observed to accurately describe the behaviour of Portland pozzolan cement concrete with shrinkage reducing admixtures, the Sakata 2001 model, with a weighted coefficient of variation of under 30%, may be regarded to be roughly adequate.

La retracción por secado es un fenómeno intrínseco del hormigón que produce tensiones de tracción en elementos restringidos de hormigón. Puesto que todos los elementos presentan algún grado de retracción, se considera a la retracción por secado como una de las principales causas de agrietamiento en proyectos de construcción en hormigón. Por lo tanto, el objetivo de esta investigación fue evaluar la efectividad de los aditivos reductores de retracción (SRA en hormigones fabricados con cemento Portland puzolánico. Las variables principales estudiadas incluyen el asentamiento de cono de Abrams, marca y dosis de aditivo reductor de retracción, y tamaño de espécimen de hormigón. Los resultados obtenidos permiten concluir que el uso de

Genome-wide scan of 29,141 African Americans finds no evidence of directional selection since admixture.

Science.gov (United States)

Bhatia, Gaurav; Tandon, Arti; Patterson, Nick; Aldrich, Melinda C; Ambrosone, Christine B; Amos, Christopher; Bandera, Elisa V; Berndt, Sonja I; Bernstein, Leslie; Blot, William J; Bock, Cathryn H; Caporaso, Neil; Casey, Graham; Deming, Sandra L; Diver, W Ryan; Gapstur, Susan M; Gillanders, Elizabeth M; Harris, Curtis C; Henderson, Brian E; Ingles, Sue A; Isaacs, William; De Jager, Phillip L; John, Esther M; Kittles, Rick A; Larkin, Emma; McNeill, Lorna H; Millikan, Robert C; Murphy, Adam; Neslund-Dudas, Christine; Nyante, Sarah; Press, Michael F; Rodriguez-Gil, Jorge L; Rybicki, Benjamin A; Schwartz, Ann G; Signorello, Lisa B; Spitz, Margaret; Strom, Sara S; Tucker, Margaret A; Wiencke, John K; Witte, John S; Wu, Xifeng; Yamamura, Yuko; Zanetti, Krista A; Zheng, Wei; Ziegler, Regina G; Chanock, Stephen J; Haiman, Christopher A; Reich, David; Price, Alkes L

2014-10-02

The extent of recent selection in admixed populations is currently an unresolved question. We scanned the genomes of 29,141 African Americans and failed to find any genome-wide-significant deviations in local ancestry, indicating no evidence of selection influencing ancestry after admixture. A recent analysis of data from 1,890 African Americans reported that there was evidence of selection in African Americans after their ancestors left Africa, both before and after admixture. Selection after admixture was reported on the basis of deviations in local ancestry, and selection before admixture was reported on the basis of allele-frequency differences between African Americans and African populations. The local-ancestry deviations reported by the previous study did not replicate in our very large sample, and we show that such deviations were expected purely by chance, given the number of hypotheses tested. We further show that the previous study's conclusion of selection in African Americans before admixture is also subject to doubt. This is because the FST statistics they used were inflated and because true signals of unusual allele-frequency differences between African Americans and African populations would be best explained by selection that occurred in Africa prior to migration to the Americas. Copyright © 2014 The American Society of Human Genetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Genomic Evidence of Widespread Admixture from Polar Bears into Brown Bears during the Last Ice Age.

Science.gov (United States)

Cahill, James A; Heintzman, Peter D; Harris, Kelley; Teasdale, Matthew D; Kapp, Joshua; Soares, Andre E R; Stirling, Ian; Bradley, Daniel; Edwards, Ceiridwen J; Graim, Kiley; Kisleika, Aliaksandr A; Malev, Alexander V; Monaghan, Nigel; Green, Richard E; Shapiro, Beth

2018-05-01

Recent genomic analyses have provided substantial evidence for past periods of gene flow from polar bears (Ursus maritimus) into Alaskan brown bears (Ursus arctos), with some analyses suggesting a link between climate change and genomic introgression. However, because it has mainly been possible to sample bears from the present day, the timing, frequency, and evolutionary significance of this admixture remains unknown. Here, we analyze genomic DNA from three additional and geographically distinct brown bear populations, including two that lived temporally close to the peak of the last ice age. We find evidence of admixture in all three populations, suggesting that admixture between these species has been common in their recent evolutionary history. In addition, analyses of ten fossil bears from the now-extinct Irish population indicate that admixture peaked during the last ice age, whereas brown bear and polar bear ranges overlapped. Following this peak, the proportion of polar bear ancestry in Irish brown bears declined rapidly until their extinction. Our results support a model in which ice age climate change created geographically widespread conditions conducive to admixture between polar bears and brown bears, as is again occurring today. We postulate that this model will be informative for many admixing species pairs impacted by climate change. Our results highlight the power of paleogenomics to reveal patterns of evolutionary change that are otherwise masked in contemporary data.

Performance of alusilica as mineral admixture in cementitious systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chi, Lin; Jensen, Ole Mejlhede

2016-01-01

This paper presents a preliminary study of the effect of alusilica (ALS) as a mineral admixture on the fresh properties and development of mechanical properties of cementitious systems. Cement was substituted with ALS with the ratio of 10% during grinding or blended during mixing. The produced ALS...

Chemical, Mechanical, and Durability Properties of Concrete with Local Mineral Admixtures under Sulfate Environment in Northwest China.

Science.gov (United States)

Nie, Qingke; Zhou, Changjun; Shu, Xiang; He, Qiang; Huang, Baoshan

2014-05-13

Over the vast Northwest China, arid desert contains high concentrations of sulfate, chloride, and other chemicals in the ground water, which poses serious challenges to infrastructure construction that routinely utilizes portland cement concrete. Rapid industrialization in the region has been generating huge amounts of mineral admixtures, such as fly ash and slags from energy and metallurgical industries. These industrial by-products would turn into waste materials if not utilized in time. The present study evaluated the suitability of utilizing local mineral admixtures in significant quantities for producing quality concrete mixtures that can withstand the harsh chemical environment without compromising the essential mechanical properties. Comprehensive chemical, mechanical, and durability tests were conducted in the laboratory to characterize the properties of the local cementitious mineral admixtures, cement mortar and portland cement concrete mixtures containing these admixtures. The results from this study indicated that the sulfate resistance of concrete was effectively improved by adding local class F fly ash and slag, or by applying sulfate resistance cement to the mixtures. It is noteworthy that concrete containing local mineral admixtures exhibited much lower permeability (in terms of chloride ion penetration) than ordinary portland cement concrete while retaining the same mechanical properties; whereas concrete mixtures made with sulfate resistance cement had significantly reduced strength and much increased chloride penetration comparing to the other mixtures. Hence, the use of local mineral admixtures in Northwest China in concrete mixtures would be beneficial to the performance of concrete, as well as to the protection of environment.

Performance of alusilica as mineral admixture in cementitious systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chi, Lin; Jensen, Ole Mejlhede

admixture in concrete. The project has been carried out in cooperation with the company alufluor (Helsingborg, Sweden), and MSc Ebbe Skyum Jøns. The application of ALS was investigated as partial cement substitution in mortar. A total of three mortar mixtures were produced: 1) reference, i...... procedure. On the fresh mortar air content was measured by the pressure method, ASTM C231/C231M-14 and the flow was measured by ASTM C1437-13. Casting was done in standard mortar molds 4×4×16 cm3. After demolding, each mortar specimen was weighed over and under water to evaluate their homogeneity and air....... On hardened samples air content was additionally measured by point counting. The inclusion of ALS in the mortar as a mineral admixture with the cement substitution ratio of 10% resulted in a higher air content and lower flowability in comparison with the reference mortar. Compared with blending ALS during...

Behavior of passive admixture in a vortical hydrodynamic field

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bobrov, R.O.; Kyrylyuk, A.V; Zatovsky, A.V.

2006-01-01

The motion of passive admixture of spherical particles in the stationary hydrodynamic field of a swirling flow is studied. A spherical particle of a given mass in the hydrodynamic field of a swirling flow is located on a certain circular orbit, where the centrifugal force is compensated by the

Learning with Admixture: Modeling, Optimization, and Applications in Population Genetics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Cheng, Jade Yu

2016-01-01

the foundation for both CoalHMM and Ohana. Optimization modeling has been the main theme throughout my PhD, and it will continue to shape my work for the years to come. The algorithms and software I developed to study historical admixture and population evolution fall into a larger family of machine learning...... geneticists strive to establish working solutions to extract information from massive volumes of biological data. The steep increase in the quantity and quality of genomic data during the past decades provides a unique opportunity but also calls for new and improved algorithms and software to cope...... including population splits, effective population sizes, gene flow, etc. Since joining the CoalHMM development team in 2014, I have mainly contributed in two directions: 1) improving optimizations through heuristic-based evolutionary algorithms and 2) modeling of historical admixture events. Ohana, meaning...

Shrinkage-reducing admixtures and early-age desiccation in cement pastes and mortars

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bentz, D. P.; Geiker, Mette Rica; Hansen, Kurt Kielsgaard

2001-01-01

Fundamental studies of the early-age desiccation of cement-based materials with and without a shrinkage-reducing admixture (SRA) have been performed. Studies have been conducted under both sealed and drying conditions. Physical measurements include mass loss, surface tension, X-ray absorption to ...... to low w/c ratio concretes undergoing self-desiccation, in addition to their normal usage to reduce drying shrinkage.......Fundamental studies of the early-age desiccation of cement-based materials with and without a shrinkage-reducing admixture (SRA) have been performed. Studies have been conducted under both sealed and drying conditions. Physical measurements include mass loss, surface tension, X-ray absorption...

Influence of Curing Conditions on Long-Term Compressive Strength of Mortars with Accelerating Admixtures

Science.gov (United States)

Pizoń, Jan; Łaźniewska-Piekarczyk, Beata

2017-10-01

One of disadvantages of accelerating admixtures usage is possibility of significant decline of long-term compressive strength of concrete in comparison to non-modified one. Described tests were intended to define scale of lowered long-term compressive strength of mortars caused by accelerating admixtures in different curing conditions. Portland cement and blended cement with ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) addition and four types of non-chloride accelerating agents were used. Compressive strength was tested after 7 up to 360 days. Curing conditions were designed to simulate probable conditions close to reality. Such conditions are simulation of internal concrete elements, external elements cast on start of summer and external elements cast on start of winter. Results had shown that it is invalid to state that every accelerating admixture will cause drop of long-term compressive strength in every conditions and for every cement type. Change of curing conditions even after a long time (in this case half of the year) leads to significant differences in compression strength.

Effect of an admixture from Agave americana on the physical and mechanical properties of plaster

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ochoa, J. C.

2013-03-01

Full Text Available Physical and mechanical properties of a plaster paste added with an organic admixture, of the leaves of Agave americana, were studied. Plastic consistency behavior was evaluated and the water/gypsum(w/g ratio was determined for each dosage of the admixture. Admixtur eeffect on setting was evaluated too. The chemical transformation of the hemihydrated form to gypsum (dihydrated form was studied using a novel technique based on a moisture analyzer by halogen light. Flexural and compressive strengths were measured. The results show that ,for the same consistency, accordingly mechanical strengths were improved too. The setting times were increased which would enhance the application time of plaster and would reduce plastic shrinkage, common problems in this type of material. The changes in these physical properties not substantially affect the final mechanical strengths.

Se estudiaron algunas propiedades físicas y mecánicas de pastas de yeso de construcción adicionadas con un aditivo de origen orgánico, producto de las hojas de la planta Agave americana. Se evaluó el comportamiento plástico de la pasta mediante ensayos de consistencia y se determinó, para cada dosificación, su relación agua/ yeso (a/y. Se evaluó la incidencia del aditivo en los tiempos de fraguado. La transformación química del hemihidrato a yeso dihidrato se estudió mediante una novedosa técnica basada en un analizador de humedad por luz halógena. Se midieron las resistencias mecánicas a flexo-tracción y a compresión. Los resultados del estudio muestran que, para una misma consistencia, se mejoran las resistencias mecánicas. Los tiempos de fraguado de la pasta se aumentaron lo que ayudaría mejorar los tiempos de aplicación del yeso y a disminuir las retracciones plásticas. Las modificaciones de estas propiedades físicas no afectan considerablemente las resistencias mecánicas finales.

Genetic admixture and population substructure in Guanacaste Costa Rica.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhaoming Wang

2010-10-01

Full Text Available The population of Costa Rica (CR represents an admixture of major continental populations. An investigation of the CR population structure would provide an important foundation for mapping genetic variants underlying common diseases and traits. We conducted an analysis of 1,301 women from the Guanacaste region of CR using 27,904 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs genotyped on a custom Illumina InfiniumII iSelect chip. The program STRUCTURE was used to compare the CR Guanacaste sample with four continental reference samples, including HapMap Europeans (CEU, East Asians (JPT+CHB, West African Yoruba (YRI, as well as Native Americans (NA from the Illumina iControl database. Our results show that the CR Guanacaste sample comprises a three-way admixture estimated to be 43% European, 38% Native American and 15% West African. An estimated 4% residual Asian ancestry may be within the error range. Results from principal components analysis reveal a correlation between genetic and geographic distance. The magnitude of linkage disequilibrium (LD measured by the number of tagging SNPs required to cover the same region in the genome in the CR Guanacaste sample appeared to be weaker than that observed in CEU, JPT+CHB and NA reference samples but stronger than that of the HapMap YRI sample. Based on the clustering pattern observed in both STRUCTURE and principal components analysis, two subpopulations were identified that differ by approximately 20% in LD block size averaged over all LD blocks identified by Haploview. We also show in a simulated association study conducted within the two subpopulations, that the failure to account for population stratification (PS could lead to a noticeable inflation in the false positive rate. However, we further demonstrate that existing PS adjustment approaches can reduce the inflation to an acceptable level for gene discovery.

Portland cement hydration in the presence of admixtures: black gram pulse and superplasticizer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Viveka Nand Dwivedi

2008-12-01

Full Text Available Effect of admixtures such as black gram pulse (BGP and sulfonated naphthalene based superplasticizer (SP on the hydration of Portland cement has been studied. The hydration characteristics of OPC in the presence of BGP and SP were studied with the help of non evaporable water content determinations, calorimetric method, Mössbauer spectroscopic and atomic force microscopic techniques. Results have shown that both BGP and SP get adsorbed at the surface of cement and its hydration products. The hydration of Portland cement is retarded in the presence of both the admixtures and nanosize hydration products are formed.

A Generic Procedure for the Assessment of the Effect of Concrete Admixtures on the Sorption of Radionuclides on Cement: Concept and Selected Results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Glaus, M.A.; Laube, A.; Van Loon, L.R.

2004-01-01

A screening procedure is proposed for the assessment of the effect of concrete admixtures on the sorption of radionuclides by cement. The procedure is both broad and generic, and can thus be used as input for the assessment of concrete admixtures which might be used in the future. The experimental feasibility and significance of the screening procedure are tested using selected concrete admixtures: i.e. sulfonated naphthalene-formaldehyde condensates, lignosulfonates, and a plasticiser used at PSI for waste conditioning. The effect of these on the sorption properties of Ni(II), Eu(III) and Th(IV) in cement is investigated using crushed Hardened Cement Paste (HCP), as well as cement pastes prepared in the presence of these admixtures. Strongly adverse effects on the sorption of the radionuclides tested are observed only in single cases, and under extreme conditions: i.e. at high ratios of concrete admixtures to HCP, and at low ratios of HCP to cement pore water. Under realistic conditions, both radionuclide sorption and the sorption of isosaccharinic acid (a strong complexant produced in cement-conditioned wastes containing cellulose) remain unaffected by the presence of concrete admixtures, which can be explained by the sorption of them onto the HCP. The pore-water concentrations of the concrete admixtures tested are thereby reduced to levels at which the formation of radionuclide complexes is no longer of importance. Further, the Langmuir sorption model, proposed for the sorption of concrete admixtures on HCP, suggests that the HCP surface does not become saturated, at least for those concrete admixtures tested. (author)

A Generic Procedure for the Assessment of the Effect of Concrete Admixtures on the Sorption of Radionuclides on Cement: Concept and Selected Results

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Glaus, M.A.; Laube, A.; Van Loon, L.R

2004-03-01

A screening procedure is proposed for the assessment of the effect of concrete admixtures on the sorption of radionuclides by cement. The procedure is both broad and generic, and can thus be used as input for the assessment of concrete admixtures which might be used in the future. The experimental feasibility and significance of the screening procedure are tested using selected concrete admixtures: i.e. sulfonated naphthalene-formaldehyde condensates, lignosulfonates, and a plasticiser used at PSI for waste conditioning. The effect of these on the sorption properties of Ni(II), Eu(III) and Th(IV) in cement is investigated using crushed Hardened Cement Paste (HCP), as well as cement pastes prepared in the presence of these admixtures. Strongly adverse effects on the sorption of the radionuclides tested are observed only in single cases, and under extreme conditions: i.e. at high ratios of concrete admixtures to HCP, and at low ratios of HCP to cement pore water. Under realistic conditions, both radionuclide sorption and the sorption of isosaccharinic acid (a strong complexant produced in cement-conditioned wastes containing cellulose) remain unaffected by the presence of concrete admixtures, which can be explained by the sorption of them onto the HCP. The pore-water concentrations of the concrete admixtures tested are thereby reduced to levels at which the formation of radionuclide complexes is no longer of importance. Further, the Langmuir sorption model, proposed for the sorption of concrete admixtures on HCP, suggests that the HCP surface does not become saturated, at least for those concrete admixtures tested. (author)

Genetic admixture of eight Mexican indigenous populations: based on five polymarker, HLA-DQA1, ABO, and RH loci.

Science.gov (United States)

Buentello-Malo, Leonora; Peñaloza-Espinosa, Rosenda I; Salamanca-Gómez, Fabio; Cerda-Flores, Ricardo M

2008-01-01

This study explores the genetic admixture of eight Mexican indigenous populations (Otomi-Ixmiquilpan, Otomi-Actopan, Tzeltales, Nahua-Milpa-Alta, Nahua-Xochimilco, Nahua-Zitlala, Nahua-Ixhuatlancillo, and Nahua-Coyolillo) on the basis of five PCR-based polymorphic DNA loci (LDLR, GYPA, HBGG, D7S8, GC), HLA_DQA1, and the blood groups ABO and Rh (CcDEe). Among the indigenous populations, the highest gene frequencies for O and D were 0.9703 and 1.000 for Zitlala (State of Guerrero) and 0.9955 and 0.9414 for Tzeltales (State of Chiapas), respectively. Maximum likelihood estimates of admixture components yield a trihybrid model with Amerindian (assuming that Nahua-Zitlala is the most representative indigenous population), Spanish, and African ancestry with the admixture proportions: 93.03, 6.03, and 0.94 for Tzeltales, and 28.99, 44.03, and 26.98 for Coyolillo. A contribution of the ancestral populations of Ixhuatlancillo, Actopan, Ixmiquilpan, Milpa-Alta, and Xochimilco were found with the following average of admixture proportions: 75.84, 22.50, and 1.66. The findings herein demonstrate that the genetic admixture of the Mexican indigenous populations who at present speak the same Amer-Indian language can be differentiated and that the majority of them have less ancestral indigenous contribution than those considered as Mestizo populations.

Extensive Admixture and Selective Pressure Across the Sahel Belt

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Triska, P.; Soares, P.; Patin, E.; Fernandes, V.; Černý, Viktor; Pereira, L.

2015-01-01

Roč. 7, č. 12 (2015), s. 3484-3495 ISSN 1759-6653 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA13-37998S Institutional support: RVO:67985912 Keywords : genome-wide diversity * admixture * selection * Sahel Subject RIV: AC - Archeology, Anthropology, Ethnology Impact factor: 4.098, year: 2015 http://gbe.oxfordjournals.org/content/7/12/3484.full.pdf+html

North African populations carry the signature of admixture with Neandertals

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sánchez-Quinto, Federico; Botigué, Laura R.; Civit, Sergi

2012-01-01

One of the main findings derived from the analysis of the Neandertal genome was the evidence for admixture between Neandertals and non-African modern humans. An alternative scenario is that the ancestral population of non-Africans was closer to Neandertals than to Africans because of ancient popu...

Preparation of briquettes on the basis of desintegrated phyto-materials and the admixture of fine-grained coal and coke

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jakabský Štefan

2002-03-01

Full Text Available The contribution deals with the preparation of small-diameter briquettes on the basis of desintegrated phyto-materials and the admixture of coal and coke. The phyto-materials are classified as a dry biomass that can be, on the one hand, the wastes from wood-working industry,(sawdust, chips, bark, etc. or dried mass from the plant production and, on the other hand, the mass of quick-growing plants cultivated on special plantations. In present time this renewable energy resource attracts attention by its heating value ranging from 10 to 16 MJ.kg-1 (EkoWATT, 2001, a low ash content of 0.5 – 6.5 % and by a low sulphur content in a water free sample of 0.05 –0.12 %.As a phyto-material the spruce sawdusts having a grain size of –2 mm were used. The admixture of brown coal, hard coal and coke with a grain size of 0.040 mm was added to the sawdust and in such way prepared mixtures were subjected to briquetting with the aim to obtain small-diameter briquettes. The influence of admixtures amount on the density, and the suitable briquetting press have been studied. A saleability of briquettes on the basis of phyto-materials is conditioned by their density that must be higher than 1,000 kg.m-3. Thus, an adding of denser material with a relatively high calorific value would enable to attain the required density as well as to retain and/or to improve the main utility properties, i.e. calorific value and ash content.The adding evinces itself in an enhancement of briquetting press, but also density of obtained briquettes is often much higher that required by the market. It was showed that in the case of clear spruce sawdust the density of 1,059 kg.m-3 under the briquetting press of 250 MPa can be attained. According to other results, an admixture of brown coal is not very favourable because briquetting press exceeds the value of 300 MPa. As to hard coal adding, the presses under 250 MPa were achieved at the content of 25 – 30 %. The density of these

What Causes Birth Order-Intelligence Patterns? The Admixture Hypothesis, Revived.

Science.gov (United States)

Rodgers, Joseph Lee

2001-01-01

Describes why birth order interests both parents and researchers, discussing what really causes apparent birth order effects on intelligence, examining problems with using cross-sectional intelligence data, and noting how to move beyond cross-sectional inferences. Explains the admixture hypothesis, which finds that family size is much more…

Ancestry, admixture and fitness in Colombian genomes

Science.gov (United States)

Rishishwar, Lavanya; Conley, Andrew B.; Wigington, Charles H.; Wang, Lu; Valderrama-Aguirre, Augusto; King Jordan, I.

2015-01-01

The human dimension of the Columbian Exchange entailed substantial genetic admixture between ancestral source populations from Africa, the Americas and Europe, which had evolved separately for many thousands of years. We sought to address the implications of the creation of admixed American genomes, containing novel allelic combinations, for human health and fitness via analysis of an admixed Colombian population from Medellin. Colombian genomes from Medellin show a wide range of three-way admixture contributions from ancestral source populations. The primary ancestry component for the population is European (average = 74.6%, range = 45.0%–96.7%), followed by Native American (average = 18.1%, range = 2.1%–33.3%) and African (average = 7.3%, range = 0.2%–38.6%). Locus-specific patterns of ancestry were evaluated to search for genomic regions that are enriched across the population for particular ancestry contributions. Adaptive and innate immune system related genes and pathways are particularly over-represented among ancestry-enriched segments, including genes (HLA-B and MAPK10) that are involved in defense against endemic pathogens such as malaria. Genes that encode functions related to skin pigmentation (SCL4A5) and cutaneous glands (EDAR) are also found in regions with anomalous ancestry patterns. These results suggest the possibility that ancestry-specific loci were differentially retained in the modern admixed Colombian population based on their utility in the New World environment. PMID:26197429

THEORY OF ACTIVE HITTINGS IS IN PROCESSES OF ELECTRO-COAGULATION THE ADMIXTURES IN WATER TECHNOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

В.В. Березуцький

2012-10-01

Full Text Available  In the article theoretical bases of electro-coagulation of admixtures are examined in a water technological environment with the use of theory of the active hittings, which are based on the results of the executed researches and analysis of scientific information. Application of theory of the active hittings is in coagulation, provides high efficiency of process of extraction of admixtures from water environments during minimization of energy consumption and expenses of materials.

Historical introgression drives pervasive mitochondrial admixture between two species of pelagic sharks.

Science.gov (United States)

Corrigan, Shannon; Maisano Delser, Pierpaolo; Eddy, Corey; Duffy, Clinton; Yang, Lei; Li, Chenhong; Bazinet, Adam L; Mona, Stefano; Naylor, Gavin J P

2017-05-01

We use a genomic sampling of both nuclear and mitochondrial DNA markers to examine a pattern of genetic admixture between Carcharhinus galapagensis (Galapagos sharks) and Carcharhinus obscurus (dusky sharks), two well-known and closely related sharks that have been recognized as valid species for more than 100years. We describe widespread mitochondrial-nuclear discordance in which these species are readily distinguishable based on 2152 nuclear single nucleotide polymorphisms from 910 independent autosomal regions, but show pervasive mitochondrial admixture. The species are superficially morphologically cryptic as adults but show marked differences in internal anatomy, as well as niche separation. There was no indication of ongoing hybridization between the species. We conclude that the observed mitochondrial-nuclear discordance is likely due to historical mitochondrial introgression following a range expansion. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Palm Kernel Husk Ash (PKHA) as an Admixture (Accelerator) in ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This study was carried out to determine the suitability of PKHA as an admixture, while still retaining the compressive strength characteristics. Results revealed that the setting time of the mixture of the PKHA and cement cube decreases as the percentage of the PKHA increases as compared to the setting time of pure cement ...

New biodegradable air-entraining admixture based on LAS for cement-based composites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mendes, J.C.; Moro, T.K.; Dias, L.S.; Campos, P.A.M.; Silva, G.J.B.; Peixoto, R.A.F.; Cury, A.A.

2016-01-01

The active principle of Air Entraining Admixtures (AEA) are surfactants, analogously to washing up liquids. Washing up (or dishwashing) liquids are widely available products, relatively inexpensive, non-toxic and biodegradable, thus presenting smaller environmental impact. Therefore, the present work proposes the use of a biodegradable surfactant comprised in washing up liquids, Linear Alkylbenzene Sulfonate (LAS), as sustainable air entraining agent for cement-based composites. In this sense, a performance evaluation of the proposed AEA is carried out, by comparing the properties of mortars with proposed AEA, commercial AEA and ones without any admixture. Through the physical, mechanical and microstructural analysis, it was possible to determine the efficiency of the proposed AEA, as well as its optimum range of dosage. As a result, we seek to contribute to the technical development of cement-based composites in Brazil and in the world. (author)

Effect of Dolomite as Expansive Agent and Shrinkage Reducing Admixture in Self-Compacting Shrinkage – Compensating Concrete

OpenAIRE

Qosai Sahib Radi Marshdi; Ahlam Hamid Jasim; Haider Abass Obeed

2018-01-01

The principle of using expansive agents has been recommended to manufacture shrinkage compensating concrete provided that an adequate wet curing is carried out. On the other hand, shrinkage-reducing admixture (SRA) in the concrete mixes, has been more recently suggested to reduce the risk of cracking in concrete structures caused by drying shrinkage. This paper is devoted to the study of the influence of complex modifier in the form of superplasticizer, shrinkage reducing admixture and e...

Multilocus Bayesian Estimates of Intra-Oceanic Genetic Differentiation, Connectivity, and Admixture in Atlantic Swordfish (Xiphias gladius L..

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Brad L Smith

Full Text Available Previous genetic studies of Atlantic swordfish (Xiphias gladius L. revealed significant differentiation among Mediterranean, North Atlantic and South Atlantic populations using both mitochondrial and nuclear DNA data. However, limitations in geographic sampling coverage, and the use of single loci, precluded an accurate placement of boundaries and of estimates of admixture. In this study, we present multilocus analyses of 26 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs within 10 nuclear genes to estimate population differentiation and admixture based on the characterization of 774 individuals representing North Atlantic, South Atlantic, and Mediterranean swordfish populations. Pairwise FST values, AMOVA, PCoA, and Bayesian individual assignments support the differentiation of swordfish inhabiting these three basins, but not the current placement of the boundaries that separate them. Specifically, the range of the South Atlantic population extends beyond 5°N management boundary to 20°N-25°N from 45°W. Likewise the Mediterranean population extends beyond the current management boundary at the Strait of Gibraltar to approximately 10°W. Further, admixture zones, characterized by asymmetric contributions of adjacent populations within samples, are confined to the Northeast Atlantic. While South Atlantic and Mediterranean migrants were identified within these Northeast Atlantic admixture zones no North Atlantic migrants were identified respectively in these two neighboring basins. Owing to both, the characterization of larger number of loci and a more ample spatial sampling coverage, it was possible to provide a finer resolution of the boundaries separating Atlantic swordfish populations than previous studies. Finally, the patterns of population structure and admixture are discussed in the light of the reproductive biology, the known patterns of dispersal, and oceanographic features that may act as barriers to gene flow to Atlantic swordfish.

Standard test method for initial screening of corrosion inhibiting admixtures for steel in concrete

CERN Document Server

American Society for Testing and Materials. Philadelphia

2007-01-01

1.1 This test method covers a procedure for determining the effects of chemical admixtures on the corrosion of metals in concrete. This test method can be used to evaluate materials intended to inhibit chloride-induced corrosion of steel in concrete. It can also be used to evaluate the corrosivity of admixtures by themselves or in a chloride environment. This test is not applicable for emulsions. 1.2 &solely-SI-units; 1.3 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.

Secondary Contact and Admixture between Independently Invading Populations of the Western Corn Rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera in Europe

Science.gov (United States)

Bermond, Gérald; Ciosi, Marc; Lombaert, Eric; Blin, Aurélie; Boriani, Marco; Furlan, Lorenzo; Toepfer, Stefan; Guillemaud, Thomas

2012-01-01

The western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), is one of the most destructive pests of corn in North America and is currently invading Europe. The two major invasive outbreaks of rootworm in Europe have occurred, in North-West Italy and in Central and South-Eastern Europe. These two outbreaks originated from independent introductions from North America. Secondary contact probably occurred in North Italy between these two outbreaks, in 2008. We used 13 microsatellite markers to conduct a population genetics study, to demonstrate that this geographic contact resulted in a zone of admixture in the Italian region of Veneto. We show that i) genetic variation is greater in the contact zone than in the parental outbreaks; ii) several signs of admixture were detected in some Venetian samples, in a Bayesian analysis of the population structure and in an approximate Bayesian computation analysis of historical scenarios and, finally, iii) allelic frequency clines were observed at microsatellite loci. The contact between the invasive outbreaks in North-West Italy and Central and South-Eastern Europe resulted in a zone of admixture, with particular characteristics. The evolutionary implications of the existence of a zone of admixture in Northern Italy and their possible impact on the invasion success of the western corn rootworm are discussed. PMID:23189184

Influence of the calcium concentration in the presence of organic phosphorus on the physicochemical compatibility and stability of all-in-one admixtures for neonatal use

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de Sousa Valeria

2009-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Preterm infants need high amounts of calcium and phosphorus for bone mineralization, which is difficult to obtain with parenteral feeding due to the low solubility of these salts. The objective of this study was to evaluate the physicochemical compatibility of high concentrations of calcium associated with organic phosphate and its influence on the stability of AIO admixtures for neonatal use. Methods Three TPN admixture formulas were prepared in multilayered bags. The calcium content of the admixtures was adjusted to 0, 46.5 or 93 mg/100 ml in the presence of a fixed organic phosphate concentration as well as lipids, amino acids, inorganic salts, glucose, vitamins and oligoelements at pH 5.5. Each admixture was stored at 4°C, 25°C or 37°C and evaluated over a period of 7 days. The physicochemical stability parameters evaluated were visual aspect, pH, sterility, osmolality, peroxide formation, precipitation, and the size of lipid globules. Results Color alterations occurred from the first day on, and reversible lipid film formation from the third day of study for the admixtures stored at 25°C and 37°C. According to the parameters evaluated, the admixtures were stable at 4°C; and none of them presented precipitated particles due to calcium/phosphate incompatibility or lipid globules larger than 5 μm, which is the main parameter currently used to evaluate lipid emulsion stability. The admixtures maintained low peroxide levels and osmolarity was appropriate for parenteral administration. Conclusion The total calcium and calcium/phosphorus ratios studied appeared not to influence the physicochemical compatibility and stability of AIO admixtures.

Effect of additives with common cation on the radiolysis of ammonium, sodium and potassium nitrates in admixtures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kulkarni, S.P.; Garg, A.N.

1988-01-01

Gamma radiolysis of admixtures of NH 4 NO 3 , NaNO 3 and KNO 3 with additive salts having common cation has been studied over a wide range of nitrate salt concentration and absorbed dose. Radiolytic decomposition of nitrate salt depends on the concentration of nitrate in the admixture as well as the total absorbed dose. G(NO 2 - ) values calculated on the basis of electron fraction of the nitrate salt decrease with the increase in mol% of the nitrate salt in somewhat exponential manner. In (NaNO 3 + Na 2 SO 4 ) and (KNO 3 + KX, where X = Cl, Br, I) systems decomposition was found to increase linearly with the absorbed dose in the composition range of 20-100 mol%. The additives seem to exhibit sensitization effect causing extra decomposition by the energy transfer process in solid state. The efficiency of energy transfer depends on the nature of added salt, concentration of the nitrate in admixture and absorbed dose. (author)

Aerosol Characteristics of Admixture of Budesonide Inhalation Suspension with a Beta2-Agonist, Procaterol

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Toshiko Itazawa

2013-01-01

Conclusions: There is a possibility that admixture might influence of aerodynamic characteristics of procaterol, but not budesonide. In vivo data will be needed for the clinical implications of our findings.

Techniques and methods of characterization of admixtures for the concrete

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Palacios, M.

2003-03-01

Full Text Available Admixtures are defined as those products that are incorporated in the moment of the process of mixture of the concrete in a quantity not bigger than 5 by mass of the cement %, with relationship to the cement content in the concrete, with object of modifying the properties of the mixture in .state fresh and/or hardened. The behaviour of the admixtures depends on its chemical and ionic composition, the organic functional groups present, and the structure of the polymer and the distribution of molecular weight of the different polymers. In the present work the techniques and methods of characterization physical-chemistry, chemistry and ionic, structural, as well as of the polymers that constitute this admixtures, are described. A lot of techniques have been employed like: ionic chromatography, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-VIS, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR, Fourier transform Raman spectroscopy (FT-Raman, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (¹H-RMN and ¹³C-RMN, gel permeation chromatography (GPC. Two commercial admixtures have been selected to carry out this characterization, a superplastificant based on policarboxilates, and a reducer of the shrinkage based on polipropilenglycol.

RESUMEN Se definen los aditivos como aquellos productos que son incorporados en el momento del amasado del hormigón en una cantidad no mayor del 5% en masa, con relación al contenido de cemento en el hormigón, con objeto de modificar las propiedades de la mezcla en estado fresco y/o endurecido. El comportamiento de los aditivos depende de su composición química e iónica, de los grupos funcionales orgánicos presentes, de la estructura del polímero y de la distribución de pesos moleculares de los diferentes polímeros que lo constituyen. En el presente trabajo se describen diferentes técnicas y métodos de caracterización físico-química, química e iónica, estructural, así como de los polímeros que

A Study on the Reuse of Plastic Concrete Using Extended Set-Retarding Admixtures

Science.gov (United States)

Lobo, Colin; Guthrie, William F.; Kacker, Raghu

1995-01-01

The disposal of ready mixed concrete truck wash water and returned plastic concrete is a growing concern for the ready mixed concrete industry. Recently, extended set-retarding admixtures, or stabilizers, which slow or stop the hydration of portland cement have been introduced to the market. Treating truck wash-water or returned plastic concrete with stabilizing admixtures delays its setting and hardening, thereby facilitating the incorporation of these typically wasted materials in subsequent concrete batches. In a statistically designed experiment, the properties of blended concrete containing stabilized plastic concrete were evaluated. The variables in the study included (1) concrete age when stabilized, (2) stabilizer dosage, (3) holding period of the treated (stabilized) concrete prior to blending with fresh ingredients, and (4) amount of treated concrete in the blended batch. The setting time, strength, and drying shrinkage of the blended concretes were evaluated. For the conditions tested, batching 5 % treated concrete with fresh material did not have a significant effect on the setting time, strength, or drying shrinkage of the resulting blended concrete. Batching 50 % treated concrete with fresh materials had a significant effect on the setting characteristics of the blended cocnrete, which in turn affected the water demand to maintain slump. The data suggests that for a known set of conditions, the stabilizer dosage can be optimized within a relatively narrow range to produce desired setting characteristics. The strength and drying shrinkage of the blended concretes were essentially a function of the water content at different sampling ages and the relationship followed the general trend of control concrete. PMID:29151762

A Study on the Reuse of Plastic Concrete Using Extended Set-Retarding Admixtures.

Science.gov (United States)

Lobo, Colin; Guthrie, William F; Kacker, Raghu

1995-01-01

The disposal of ready mixed concrete truck wash water and returned plastic concrete is a growing concern for the ready mixed concrete industry. Recently, extended set-retarding admixtures, or stabilizers, which slow or stop the hydration of portland cement have been introduced to the market. Treating truck wash-water or returned plastic concrete with stabilizing admixtures delays its setting and hardening, thereby facilitating the incorporation of these typically wasted materials in subsequent concrete batches. In a statistically designed experiment, the properties of blended concrete containing stabilized plastic concrete were evaluated. The variables in the study included (1) concrete age when stabilized, (2) stabilizer dosage, (3) holding period of the treated (stabilized) concrete prior to blending with fresh ingredients, and (4) amount of treated concrete in the blended batch. The setting time, strength, and drying shrinkage of the blended concretes were evaluated. For the conditions tested, batching 5 % treated concrete with fresh material did not have a significant effect on the setting time, strength, or drying shrinkage of the resulting blended concrete. Batching 50 % treated concrete with fresh materials had a significant effect on the setting characteristics of the blended cocnrete, which in turn affected the water demand to maintain slump. The data suggests that for a known set of conditions, the stabilizer dosage can be optimized within a relatively narrow range to produce desired setting characteristics. The strength and drying shrinkage of the blended concretes were essentially a function of the water content at different sampling ages and the relationship followed the general trend of control concrete.

Phenomenological model of sintering of oxide nuclear fuel with doping admixtures

Science.gov (United States)

Baranov, V. G.; Devyatko, Yu. N.; Tenishev, A. V.; Khomyakov, O. V.

2015-12-01

It is shown that a change in the linear dimension of compacted UO2 in the sintering process is associated with its plastic yielding under the action of the forces of residual stress and capillary forces. From the curves of sintering of a fuel with doping admixtures in various gaseous media, its rate of creep is reduced.

Tracing the origin of the east-west population admixture in the Altai region (Central Asia.

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Mercedes González-Ruiz

Full Text Available A recent discovery of Iron Age burials (Pazyryk culture in the Altai Mountains of Mongolia may shed light on the mode and tempo of the generation of the current genetic east-west population admixture in Central Asia. Studies on ancient mitochondrial DNA of this region suggest that the Altai Mountains played the role of a geographical barrier between West and East Eurasian lineages until the beginning of the Iron Age. After the 7th century BC, coinciding with Scythian expansion across the Eurasian steppes, a gradual influx of East Eurasian sequences in Western steppes is detected. However, the underlying events behind the genetic admixture in Altai during the Iron Age are still unresolved: 1 whether it was a result of migratory events (eastward firstly, westward secondly, or 2 whether it was a result of a local demographic expansion in a 'contact zone' between European and East Asian people. In the present work, we analyzed the mitochondrial DNA lineages in human remains from Bronze and Iron Age burials of Mongolian Altai. Here we present support to the hypothesis that the gene pool of Iron Age inhabitants of Mongolian Altai was similar to that of western Iron Age Altaians (Russia and Kazakhstan. Thus, this people not only shared the same culture (Pazyryk, but also shared the same genetic east-west population admixture. In turn, Pazyryks appear to have a similar gene pool that current Altaians. Our results further show that Iron Age Altaians displayed mitochondrial lineages already present around Altai region before the Iron Age. This would provide support for a demographic expansion of local people of Altai instead of westward or eastward migratory events, as the demographic event behind the high population genetic admixture and diversity in Central Asia.

Tracing the origin of the east-west population admixture in the Altai region (Central Asia).

Science.gov (United States)

González-Ruiz, Mercedes; Santos, Cristina; Jordana, Xavier; Simón, Marc; Lalueza-Fox, Carles; Gigli, Elena; Aluja, Maria Pilar; Malgosa, Assumpció

2012-01-01

A recent discovery of Iron Age burials (Pazyryk culture) in the Altai Mountains of Mongolia may shed light on the mode and tempo of the generation of the current genetic east-west population admixture in Central Asia. Studies on ancient mitochondrial DNA of this region suggest that the Altai Mountains played the role of a geographical barrier between West and East Eurasian lineages until the beginning of the Iron Age. After the 7th century BC, coinciding with Scythian expansion across the Eurasian steppes, a gradual influx of East Eurasian sequences in Western steppes is detected. However, the underlying events behind the genetic admixture in Altai during the Iron Age are still unresolved: 1) whether it was a result of migratory events (eastward firstly, westward secondly), or 2) whether it was a result of a local demographic expansion in a 'contact zone' between European and East Asian people. In the present work, we analyzed the mitochondrial DNA lineages in human remains from Bronze and Iron Age burials of Mongolian Altai. Here we present support to the hypothesis that the gene pool of Iron Age inhabitants of Mongolian Altai was similar to that of western Iron Age Altaians (Russia and Kazakhstan). Thus, this people not only shared the same culture (Pazyryk), but also shared the same genetic east-west population admixture. In turn, Pazyryks appear to have a similar gene pool that current Altaians. Our results further show that Iron Age Altaians displayed mitochondrial lineages already present around Altai region before the Iron Age. This would provide support for a demographic expansion of local people of Altai instead of westward or eastward migratory events, as the demographic event behind the high population genetic admixture and diversity in Central Asia.

Population admixture, biological invasions and the balance between local adaptation and inbreeding depression

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Verhoeven, K.J.F.; Macel, M.; Wolfe, L.M.; Biere, A.

2011-01-01

When previously isolated populations meet and mix, the resulting admixed population can benefit from several genetic advantages, including increased genetic variation, the creation of novel genotypes and the masking of deleterious mutations. These admixture benefits are thought to play an important

Advectional enhancement of eddy diffusivity under parametric disorder

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goldobin, Denis S

2010-01-01

Frozen parametric disorder can lead to the appearance of sets of localized convective currents in an otherwise stable (quiescent) fluid layer heated from below. These currents significantly influence the transport of an admixture (or any other passive scalar) along the layer. When the molecular diffusivity of the admixture is small in comparison to the thermal one, which is quite typical in nature, disorder can enhance the effective (eddy) diffusivity by several orders of magnitude in comparison to the molecular diffusivity. In this paper, we study the effect of an imposed longitudinal advection on the delocalization of convective currents, both numerically and analytically, and report a subsequent drastic boost of the effective diffusivity for weak advection.

INFLUENCE OF BACKGROUND AIR ON MICROBIAL-CONTAMINATION DURING SIMULATED IV-ADMIXTURE PREPARATION

NARCIS (Netherlands)

VANDOORNE, H; BAKKER, JH; MEEVIS, RF; MARSKAMP, A

The effect of the cleanliness of environmental air on the microbial contamination of a simulated i.v.-admixture during its preparation by aseptic transfer was studied under three conditions: (i) in a laminar air flow (LAF) bench situated in a class 1000 clean room, (ii) in an LAF bench in a

Admixture mapping of end stage kidney disease genetic susceptibility using estimated mutual information ancestry informative markers

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Geiger Dan

2010-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The question of a genetic contribution to the higher prevalence and incidence of end stage kidney disease (ESKD among African Americans (AA remained unresolved, until recent findings using admixture mapping pointed to the association of a genomic locus on chromosome 22 with this disease phenotype. In the current study we utilize this example to demonstrate the utility of applying a multi-step admixture mapping approach. Methods A multi-step case only admixture mapping study, consisted of the following steps was designed: 1 Assembly of the sample dataset (ESKD AA; 2 Design of the estimated mutual information ancestry informative markers (n = 2016 screening panel 3; Genotyping the sample set whose size was determined by a power analysis (n = 576 appropriate for the initial screening panel; 4 Inference of local ancestry for each individual and identification of regions with increased AA ancestry using two different ancestry inference statistical approaches; 5 Enrichment of the initial screening panel; 6 Power analysis of the enriched panel 7 Genotyping of additional samples. 8 Re-analysis of the genotyping results to identify a genetic risk locus. Results The initial screening phase yielded a significant peak using the ADMIXMAP ancestry inference program applying case only statistics. Subgroup analysis of 299 ESKD patients with no history of diabetes yielded peaks using both the ANCESTRYMAP and ADMIXMAP ancestry inference programs. The significant peak was found on chromosome 22. Genotyping of additional ancestry informative markers on chromosome 22 that took into account linkage disequilibrium in the ancestral populations, and the addition of samples increased the statistical significance of the finding. Conclusions A multi-step admixture mapping analysis of AA ESKD patients replicated the finding of a candidate risk locus on chromosome 22, contributing to the heightened susceptibility of African Americans to develop non

Application of a polycarboxylate ether admixture in RCC dam construction[ACI SP-239

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Asmus, S.M.F.; Christensen, B.J.; Varley, N.J. [BASF Construction Chemicals Asia Pacific, Shanghai (China)

2006-07-01

Chemical admixtures are used in dam construction to improve plasticity of the dry materials mixture over time. Roller compacted concrete (RCC) has been used on many dam projects in China. However, the use of RCC has frequently resulted in water reduction problems. This paper provided details of an admixture based on polycarboxylate ether (PCE) which was developed to improve the quality of RCC constructions at the JinHong dam in China. Use of the polymer at the JinHong dam resulted in a vibration sensitive concrete that was sustained over time. Under identical mix-design and compaction conditions in the laboratory, specific gravity of the RCC was increased from 2417 kg/m{sup 3} to 2463 kg/m{sup 3}. The high specific gravity of the material resulted in satisfactory strength data from the dam project. The key-ratio of the splitting tensile strength versus compressive strength was higher than 8 per cent in all cases. A key advantage of the tailored PCE-RCC was the short Vebe times sustained over elapsed time in the RCC. Without additional compaction or vibration efforts, the specific density of RCC was better than conventional admixture technologies. The reduced viscosity provided cement paste films which formed on the surface of each layer of the RCC, which resulted in better bonding between the layers. It was concluded that the new PCE polymer is compatible with alternative retarder systems, which contributes to more extensive setting times under strict hydration regimes. 7 refs., 4 tabs., 4 figs.

Inferring genome-wide patterns of admixture in Qataris using fifty-five ancestral populations

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Omberg Larsson

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Populations of the Arabian Peninsula have a complex genetic structure that reflects waves of migrations including the earliest human migrations from Africa and eastern Asia, migrations along ancient civilization trading routes and colonization history of recent centuries. Results Here, we present a study of genome-wide admixture in this region, using 156 genotyped individuals from Qatar, a country located at the crossroads of these migration patterns. Since haplotypes of these individuals could have originated from many different populations across the world, we have developed a machine learning method "SupportMix" to infer loci-specific genomic ancestry when simultaneously analyzing many possible ancestral populations. Simulations show that SupportMix is not only more accurate than other popular admixture discovery tools but is the first admixture inference method that can efficiently scale for simultaneous analysis of 50-100 putative ancestral populations while being independent of prior demographic information. Conclusions By simultaneously using the 55 world populations from the Human Genome Diversity Panel, SupportMix was able to extract the fine-scale ancestry of the Qatar population, providing many new observations concerning the ancestry of the region. For example, as well as recapitulating the three major sub-populations in Qatar, composed of mainly Arabic, Persian, and African ancestry, SupportMix additionally identifies the specific ancestry of the Persian group to populations sampled in Greater Persia rather than from China and the ancestry of the African group to sub-Saharan origin and not Southern African Bantu origin as previously thought.

Studies on the Effect of Rice Husk Ash as Cement Admixture * M.U ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

acer

Studies on the Effect of Rice Husk Ash as Cement Admixture. *. 1. M.U Dabai,. 1 ... production of durable concrete and at the same time it is a ... indigenous and waste, materials in concrete. One .... (4.08%). The Iron oxide may be from laterite.

Statistical and Detailed Analysis on Fiber Reinforced Self-Compacting Concrete Containing Admixtures- A State of Art of Review

Science.gov (United States)

Athiyamaan, V.; Mohan Ganesh, G.

2017-11-01

Self-Compacting Concrete is one of the special concretes that have ability to flow and consolidate on its own weight, completely fill the formwork even in the presence of dense reinforcement; whilst maintaining its homogeneity throughout the formwork without any requirement for vibration. Researchers all over the world are developing high performance concrete by adding various Fibers, admixtures in different proportions. Various different kinds Fibers like glass, steel, carbon, Poly propylene and aramid Fibers provide improvement in concrete properties like tensile strength, fatigue characteristic, durability, shrinkage, impact, erosion resistance and serviceability of concrete[6]. It includes fundamental study on fiber reinforced self-compacting concrete with admixtures; its rheological properties, mechanical properties and overview study on design methodology statistical approaches regarding optimizing the concrete performances. The study has been classified into seven basic chapters: introduction, phenomenal study on material properties review on self-compacting concrete, overview on fiber reinforced self-compacting concrete containing admixtures, review on design and analysis of experiment; a statistical approach, summary of existing works on FRSCC and statistical modeling, literature review and, conclusion. It is so eminent to know the resent studies that had been done on polymer based binder materials (fly ash, metakaolin, GGBS, etc.), fiber reinforced concrete and SCC; to do an effective research on fiber reinforced self-compacting concrete containing admixtures. The key aim of the study is to sort-out the research gap and to gain a complete knowledge on polymer based Self compacting fiber reinforced concrete.

Admixture analysis of the diagnostic subtypes of social anxiety disorder: implications for the DSM-V.

Science.gov (United States)

Aderka, Idan M; Nickerson, Angela; Hofmann, Stefan G

2012-06-01

Much controversy exists regarding diagnostic subtypes of social anxiety disorder (SAD). The present study used admixture analysis to examine whether individuals with generalized and nongeneralized SAD belong to the same or different populations of origin. This can inform diagnostic subtyping of SAD in the forthcoming DSM-V. Treatment-seeking individuals with generalized SAD (n = 154) and nongeneralized SAD (n = 48) completed a battery of questionnaires. Based on participants' responses to the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS), we estimated log likelihood and chi-square goodness-of-fit for models with 1, 2, 3, or 4 populations of origin, and compared models using forward stepwise estimation and maximum likelihood ratio tests. Admixture analyses suggested that the two diagnostic subtypes of SAD belong to the same underlying population of origin. In addition, observable differences in depression, general anxiety, and comorbidity were no longer significant when controlling for social anxiety severity. Our sample was recruited in the U.S. and was a treatment-seeking sample. Future studies should examine whether our results generalize to different cultures, and community samples. Support for qualitative differences between SAD subtypes was not found. Rather, our findings support the notion that the diagnostic subtypes of SAD differ quantitatively, and that SAD exists on a continuum of severity. This finding informs diagnostic subtyping of SAD in the forthcoming DSM-V. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The effect of structured triglycerides on the kinetic stability of total nutrient admixtures.

Science.gov (United States)

Balogh, Judit; Bubenik, Júlia; Dredán, Judit; Csempesz, Ferenc; Kiss, Dorottya; Zelkó, Romána

2005-10-05

The physical stability of two types of total parenteral nutrient (TPN) admixtures was studied as a function of storage time and temperature. One of them contained only structured triglycerides and the other exclusively long-chain triglycerides as lipid components. Droplet size of the mixtures was followed by photon correlation spectroscopy for 10 days. Zeta potential and dynamic surface tension measurements were carried out to evaluate the possible changes in the charge and interfacial surface tension of the emulsion droplets during the storage. pH values were monitored in order to follow the possible decomposition processes in the course of storage. Droplet size of emulsions prepared with lipids containing exclusively long-chain triglycerides showed remarkable increase after 4 days of storage in contrast with that of the mixtures containing structured lipids. The obtained results indicate that besides the advantageous metabolic effects of structured triglycerides, their application is recommended to improve the physical stability of TPN admixtures.

African ancestry and its correlation to type 2 diabetes in African Americans: a genetic admixture analysis in three U.S. population cohorts.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ching-Yu Cheng

Full Text Available The risk of type 2 diabetes is approximately 2-fold higher in African Americans than in European Americans even after adjusting for known environmental risk factors, including socioeconomic status (SES, suggesting that genetic factors may explain some of this population difference in disease risk. However, relatively few genetic studies have examined this hypothesis in a large sample of African Americans with and without diabetes. Therefore, we performed an admixture analysis using 2,189 ancestry-informative markers in 7,021 African Americans (2,373 with type 2 diabetes and 4,648 without from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study, the Jackson Heart Study, and the Multiethnic Cohort to 1 determine the association of type 2 diabetes and its related quantitative traits with African ancestry controlling for measures of SES and 2 identify genetic loci for type 2 diabetes through a genome-wide admixture mapping scan. The median percentage of African ancestry of diabetic participants was slightly greater than that of non-diabetic participants (study-adjusted difference = 1.6%, P<0.001. The odds ratio for diabetes comparing participants in the highest vs. lowest tertile of African ancestry was 1.33 (95% confidence interval 1.13-1.55, after adjustment for age, sex, study, body mass index (BMI, and SES. Admixture scans identified two potential loci for diabetes at 12p13.31 (LOD = 4.0 and 13q14.3 (Z score = 4.5, P = 6.6 × 10(-6. In conclusion, genetic ancestry has a significant association with type 2 diabetes above and beyond its association with non-genetic risk factors for type 2 diabetes in African Americans, but no single gene with a major effect is sufficient to explain a large portion of the observed population difference in risk of diabetes. There undoubtedly is a complex interplay among specific genetic loci and non-genetic factors, which may both be associated with overall admixture, leading to the observed ethnic differences in diabetes

Effect of Admixtures on the Yield Stresses of Cement Pastes under High Hydrostatic Pressures.

Science.gov (United States)

Yim, Hong Jae; Kim, Jae Hong; Kwon, Seung Hee

2016-03-02

When cement-based materials are transported at a construction site, they undergo high pressures during the pumping process. The rheological properties of the materials under such high pressures are unknown, and estimating the workability of the materials after pumping is a complex problem. Among various influential factors on the rheology of concrete, this study investigated the effect of mineral and chemical admixtures on the high-pressure rheology. A rheometer was fabricated that could measure the rheological properties while maintaining a high pressure to simulate the pumping process. The effects of superplasticizer, silica fume, nanoclay, fly ash, or ground granulated blast furnace slag were investigated when mixed with two control cement pastes. The water-to-cement ratios were 0.35 and 0.50.

Effect of Admixtures on the Yield Stresses of Cement Pastes under High Hydrostatic Pressures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hong Jae Yim

2016-03-01

Full Text Available When cement-based materials are transported at a construction site, they undergo high pressures during the pumping process. The rheological properties of the materials under such high pressures are unknown, and estimating the workability of the materials after pumping is a complex problem. Among various influential factors on the rheology of concrete, this study investigated the effect of mineral and chemical admixtures on the high-pressure rheology. A rheometer was fabricated that could measure the rheological properties while maintaining a high pressure to simulate the pumping process. The effects of superplasticizer, silica fume, nanoclay, fly ash, or ground granulated blast furnace slag were investigated when mixed with two control cement pastes. The water-to-cement ratios were 0.35 and 0.50.

Assessment of anti-factor Xa activity of heparin in binary parenteral nutrition admixtures for premature neonates.

Science.gov (United States)

Foinard, A; Perez, M; Barthélémy, C; Lannoy, D; Flamein, F; Storme, L; Tournoys, A; Décaudin, B; Odou, P

2015-07-01

An in vitro study was carried out to determine the anti-Xa activity of heparin in binary parenteral nutrition (BPN) admixtures for premature neonates in our neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) after a 24-hour infusion, as well as to assess drug interaction with a 50% glucose solution. Two types of bags were prepared: (1) BPN admixtures (composition defined in the NICU) including sodium heparin at 77 UI/mL and (2) bags containing only G50% with sodium heparin at 193 UI/mL. The anti-Xa activity of heparin was measured in bags at T0, after the 24-hour infusion and in eluates at the outlet of the infusion line after 24hours, using a validated chromogenic anti-Xa method. Comparisons of the mean concentration observed with the theoretical value for anti-Xa activity were performed with the Student t-test. Mean values of anti-Xa activity do not differ significantly from the values expected for all conditions. We found a slight variation in anti-Xa activity when infused over 24hours for both types of bags, with and without in-line filtration, showing that heparin remains stable during this infusion period in both BPN admixtures and G50%. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Performance Using Bamboo Fiber Ash Concrete as Admixture Adding Superplasticizer

Science.gov (United States)

Vasudevan, Gunalaan

2017-06-01

The increasing demand on natural resources for housing provisions in developing countries have called for sourcing and use of sustainable local materials for building and housing delivery. Natural materials to be considered sustainable for building construction should be ‘green’ and obtained from local sources, including rapidly renewable plant materials like palm fronds and bamboo, recycled materials and other products that are reusable and renewable. Each year, tens of millions of tons of bamboo are utilized commercially, generating a vast amount of waste. Besides that, bamboo fiber is easy availability, low density, low production cost and satisfactory mechanical properties. One solution is to activate this waste by using it as an additive admixture in concrete to keep it out of landfills and save money on waste disposal. The research investigates the mechanical and physical properties of bamboo fiber powder in a blended Portland cement. The structural value of the bamboo fiber powder in a blended Portland cement was evaluated with consideration for its suitability in concrete. Varied percentage of bamboo fiber powder (BFP) at 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20% as an admixture in 1:2:4 concrete mixes. The workability of the mix was determined through slump; standard consistency test was carried on the cement. Compressive strength of hardened cured (150 x 150 x 150) mm concrete cubes at 7days, 14days and 28days were tested.

The origin of early age expansions induced in cementitious materials containing shrinkage reducing admixtures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sant, Gaurav; Lothenbach, Barbara; Juilland, Patrick; Le Saout, Gwenn; Weiss, Jason; Scrivener, Karen

2011-01-01

Studies on the early-age shrinkage behavior of cement pastes, mortars, and concretes containing shrinkage reducing admixtures (SRAs) have indicated these mixtures frequently exhibit an expansion shortly after setting. While the magnitude of the expansion has been noted to be a function of the chemistry of the cement and the admixture dosage; the cause of the expansion is not clearly understood. This investigation uses measurements of autogenous deformation, X-ray diffraction, pore solution analysis, thermogravimetry, and scanning electron microscopy to study the early-age properties and describe the mechanism of the expansion in OPC pastes made with and without SRA. The composition of the pore solution indicates that the presence of the SRA increases the portlandite oversaturation level in solution which can result in higher crystallization stresses which could lead to an expansion. This observation is supported by deformation calculations for the systems examined.

On polluted by admixtures plasma cloud state diagnostics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Temko, S.W.; Temko, K.W.; Kuz'min, S.K.

1993-01-01

The state of bounded plasma is dependent on perturbations which are caused from changing of inner and outer thermodynamical parameters. The authors describe interactions in a plasma cloud by potential functions. Potential functions are mathematical models of real interactions of particles with each others and with ionized cloud surface. Potential functions define potential energy of corresponding interactions at ionized cloud. Potential functions are sums of far-action and near-action potentials. An ionized cloud is formed under action of inner, outer and surface forces nearly connected with each others. The result of the indicated forces joint action is geometrical form and dimensions of the weakly ionized plasma cloud. Geometrical form of the cloud and its dimensions are able to be changed. They consider only the small changing of small perturbations type. Surface geometrical form and dimensions of the cloud are not given a priori. They are to be obtained by self-consistent problem solving. The self-consistent problem is solved by space non-linear statistical thermodynamics proposed before by the authors. They use abstract potential theory, distribution theory, results by N.M. Krylov and N.N. Bogoljubov and known N.N. Bogoljubov methods of statistical physics. To choose potential functions, their numerical parameters, surface form and dimensions of the cloud, they use optimal experiment planning, likelihood method, Monte-Carlo, directed random search and computer experiment methods. To be likelihood function they used free energy of ionized cloud with admixtures. They refuse describing single particle behavior at small volume. They consider particles to be washed spots and describe particles by distributions. According to R. Feinman it is lawful. Bounded plasma state is described by vector-density of particles distribution. Term distribution is used in Sobolev-Schwartc sence. To precipitate admixtures is effective ultrasound coagulation

[Accuracy, precision and speed of parenteral nutrition admixture bags manufacturing: comparison between automated and manual methods].

Science.gov (United States)

Zegbeh, H; Pirot, F; Quessada, T; Durand, T; Vételé, F; Rose, A; Bréant, V; Aulagner, G

2011-01-01

The parenteral nutrition admixture (PNA) manufacturing in hospital pharmacy is realized by aseptic transfer (AT) or sterilizing filtration (SF). The development of filling systems for PNA manufacturing requires, without standard, an evaluation comparing to traditional methods of SF. The filling accuracy of automated AT and SF was evaluated by mass and physical-chemistry tests in repeatability conditions (identical composition of PNA; n=five bags) and reproducibility conditions (different composition of PNA; n=57 bags). For each manufacturing method, the filling precision and the average time for PNA bags manufacturing were evaluated starting from an identical composition and volume PNA (n=five trials). Both manufacturing methods did not show significant difference of accuracy. Precision of both methods was lower than limits generally admitted for acceptability of mass and physical-chemistry tests. However, the manufacturing time for SF was superior (five different binary admixtures in five bags) or inferior (one identical binary admixture in five bags) to time recorded for automated AT. We show that serial manufacturing of PNA bags by SF with identical composition is faster than automated AT. Nevertheless, automated AT is faster than SF in variable composition of PNA. The manufacturing method choice will be motivate by the nature (i. e., variable composition or not) of the manufactured bags. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Rectification cleaning AsCl3 from the admixture of oxygen

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Maznitska O. V.

2008-06-01

Full Text Available The process of the rectification cleaning of three-chlorous arsenic from the admixtures of products of his hydrolysis in the atmosphere of chlorous hydrogen has been considered in the article. Dependence of coefficient of relative volatility a three-chlorous arsenic from his concentration in muriatic solution is explored. The conduct of coefficient of relative volatility with concentrations of HCl and AsCl3 is compared. Saving of equalization of balance and equalization of working curve of column at such conduct of process of rectification is shown.

Independent introductions and admixtures have contributed to adaptation of European maize and its American counterparts.

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Jean-Tristan Brandenburg

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Through the local selection of landraces, humans have guided the adaptation of crops to a vast range of climatic and ecological conditions. This is particularly true of maize, which was domesticated in a restricted area of Mexico but now displays one of the broadest cultivated ranges worldwide. Here, we sequenced 67 genomes with an average sequencing depth of 18x to document routes of introduction, admixture and selective history of European maize and its American counterparts. To avoid the confounding effects of recent breeding, we targeted germplasm (lines directly derived from landraces. Among our lines, we discovered 22,294,769 SNPs and between 0.9% to 4.1% residual heterozygosity. Using a segmentation method, we identified 6,978 segments of unexpectedly high rate of heterozygosity. These segments point to genes potentially involved in inbreeding depression, and to a lesser extent to the presence of structural variants. Genetic structuring and inferences of historical splits revealed 5 genetic groups and two independent European introductions, with modest bottleneck signatures. Our results further revealed admixtures between distinct sources that have contributed to the establishment of 3 groups at intermediate latitudes in North America and Europe. We combined differentiation- and diversity-based statistics to identify both genes and gene networks displaying strong signals of selection. These include genes/gene networks involved in flowering time, drought and cold tolerance, plant defense and starch properties. Overall, our results provide novel insights into the evolutionary history of European maize and highlight a major role of admixture in environmental adaptation, paralleling recent findings in humans.

Utilization of black liquor as concrete admixture and set retarder aid

OpenAIRE

El-Mekkawi, Samar A.; Ismail, Ibrahim M.; El-Attar, Mohammed M.; Fahmy, Alaa A.; Mohammed, Samia S.

2011-01-01

The utilization of black liquor, produced by the pulp and paper industry in Egypt, as a workability aid and set retarder admixture has been investigated. This approach may help eliminate the environmentally polluting black liquor waste. It also provides a low cost by-product, which can be widely used in the construction industry. The properties of black liquor and its performance on concrete at two different ratios of water to cement have been studied. The results revealed that black liquor f...

Nuclear Species-Diagnostic SNP Markers Mined from 454 Amplicon Sequencing Reveal Admixture Genomic Structure of Modern Citrus Varieties

Science.gov (United States)

Curk, Franck; Ancillo, Gema; Ollitrault, Frédérique; Perrier, Xavier; Jacquemoud-Collet, Jean-Pierre; Garcia-Lor, Andres; Navarro, Luis; Ollitrault, Patrick

2015-01-01

Most cultivated Citrus species originated from interspecific hybridisation between four ancestral taxa (C. reticulata, C. maxima, C. medica, and C. micrantha) with limited further interspecific recombination due to vegetative propagation. This evolution resulted in admixture genomes with frequent interspecific heterozygosity. Moreover, a major part of the phenotypic diversity of edible citrus results from the initial differentiation between these taxa. Deciphering the phylogenomic structure of citrus germplasm is therefore essential for an efficient utilization of citrus biodiversity in breeding schemes. The objective of this work was to develop a set of species-diagnostic single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers for the four Citrus ancestral taxa covering the nine chromosomes, and to use these markers to infer the phylogenomic structure of secondary species and modern cultivars. Species-diagnostic SNPs were mined from 454 amplicon sequencing of 57 gene fragments from 26 genotypes of the four basic taxa. Of the 1,053 SNPs mined from 28,507 kb sequence, 273 were found to be highly diagnostic for a single basic taxon. Species-diagnostic SNP markers (105) were used to analyse the admixture structure of varieties and rootstocks. This revealed C. maxima introgressions in most of the old and in all recent selections of mandarins, and suggested that C. reticulata × C. maxima reticulation and introgression processes were important in edible mandarin domestication. The large range of phylogenomic constitutions between C. reticulata and C. maxima revealed in mandarins, tangelos, tangors, sweet oranges, sour oranges, grapefruits, and orangelos is favourable for genetic association studies based on phylogenomic structures of the germplasm. Inferred admixture structures were in agreement with previous hypotheses regarding the origin of several secondary species and also revealed the probable origin of several acid citrus varieties. The developed species-diagnostic SNP

A comprehensive overview about the influence of different admixtures and additives on the properties of alkali-activated fly ash

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rashad, Alaa M.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • PVA fiber changed the impact failure mode from brittle pattern to ductile pattern. • Superplasticizer of lignosulphonates-based improved the workability. • Slag in AAFA decreased workability and increased shrinkage and compressive strength. • MK in AAFA improved workability and compressive strength and prolonged setting time. • 5% Gypsum in AAFA increased compressive strength, but FGDG decreased it. - Abstract: The development of new binders, as an alternative to Portland cement (PC), by alkaline activation, is a current researchers interest. Alkali-activated fly ash (AAFA) binder is obtained by a manufacturing process less energy-intensive than PC and involves lower greenhouse gasses emission. Utilizing AAFA system as binder material can limit the consumption of virgin materials (limestone and sand) required in PC manufacture. AAFA belongs to be prospective material in the field of Civil Engineering where it can resist aggressive acids, resist sulfate attacks, resist aggregate alkali reaction, and resist elevated temperatures. Researchers have employed different fibers, chemical admixtures, mineral admixtures, additives and other materials in AAFA system aiming to modify special properties of this system. This paper presents a comprehensive overview of the previous works carried out on using different admixtures and additives in AAFA system

Enhanced Engine Control for Emergency Operation

Science.gov (United States)

Litt, Jonathan S.

2012-01-01

C-MAPSS40k engine simulation has been developed and is available to the public. The authenticity of the engine performance and controller enabled the development of realistic enhanced control modes through controller modification alone. Use of enhanced control modes improved stability and control of an impaired aircraft. - Fast Response is useful for manual manipulation of the throttles - Use of Fast Response improved stability as part of a yaw rate feedback system. - Use of Overthrust shortened takeoff distance, but was generally useful in flight, too. Initial lack of pilot familiarity resulted in discomfort, especially with yaw rate feedback, but that was the only drawback, overall the pilot found the enhanced modes very helpful.

Combined Use of Shrinkage Reducing Admixture and CaO in Cement Based Materials

Science.gov (United States)

Tittarelli, Francesca; Giosuè, Chiara; Monosi, Saveria

2017-10-01

The combined addition of a Shrinkage-Reducing Admixture (SRA) with a CaO-based expansive agent (CaO) has been found to have a synergistic effect to improve the dimensional stability of cement based materials. In this work, aimed to further investigate the effect, mortar and self-compacting concrete specimens were prepared either without admixtures, as reference, or with SRA alone and/or CaO. Their performance was compared in terms of compressive strength and free shrinkage measurements. Results showed that the synergistic effect in reducing shrinkage is confirmed in the specimens manufactured with SRA and CaO. In order to clarify this phenomenon, the effect of SRA on the hydration of CaO as well as cement was evaluated through different techniques. The obtained results show that SRA induces a finer microstructure of the CaO hydration products and a retarding effect on the microstructure development of cement based materials. A more deformable mortar or concrete, due to the delay in microstructure development by SRA, coupled with a finer microstructure of CaO hydration products could allow higher early expansion, which might contribute in contrasting better the successive drying shrinkage.

Variants for HDL-C, LDL-C, and triglycerides identified from admixture mapping and fine-mapping analysis in African American families.

Science.gov (United States)

Shetty, Priya B; Tang, Hua; Feng, Tao; Tayo, Bamidele; Morrison, Alanna C; Kardia, Sharon L R; Hanis, Craig L; Arnett, Donna K; Hunt, Steven C; Boerwinkle, Eric; Rao, Dabeeru C; Cooper, Richard S; Risch, Neil; Zhu, Xiaofeng

2015-02-01

Admixture mapping of lipids was followed-up by family-based association analysis to identify variants for cardiovascular disease in African Americans. The present study conducted admixture mapping analysis for total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglycerides. The analysis was performed in 1905 unrelated African American subjects from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute's Family Blood Pressure Program (FBPP). Regions showing admixture evidence were followed-up with family-based association analysis in 3556 African American subjects from the FBPP. The admixture mapping and family-based association analyses were adjusted for age, age(2), sex, body mass index, and genome-wide mean ancestry to minimize the confounding caused by population stratification. Regions that were suggestive of local ancestry association evidence were found on chromosomes 7 (low-density lipoprotein cholesterol), 8 (high-density lipoprotein cholesterol), 14 (triglycerides), and 19 (total cholesterol and triglycerides). In the fine-mapping analysis, 52 939 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were tested and 11 SNPs (8 independent SNPs) showed nominal significant association with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (2 SNPs), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (4 SNPs), and triglycerides (5 SNPs). The family data were used in the fine-mapping to identify SNPs that showed novel associations with lipids and regions, including genes with known associations for cardiovascular disease. This study identified regions on chromosomes 7, 8, 14, and 19 and 11 SNPs from the fine-mapping analysis that were associated with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglycerides for further studies of cardiovascular disease in African Americans. © 2014 American Heart Association, Inc.

Variants for HDL-C, LDL-C and Triglycerides Identified from Admixture Mapping and Fine-Mapping Analysis in African-American Families

Science.gov (United States)

Shetty, Priya B.; Tang, Hua; Feng, Tao; Tayo, Bamidele; Morrison, Alanna C.; Kardia, Sharon L.R.; Hanis, Craig L.; Arnett, Donna K.; Hunt, Steven C.; Boerwinkle, Eric; Rao, D.C.; Cooper, R.S.; Risch, Neil; Zhu, Xiaofeng

2015-01-01

Background Admixture mapping of lipids was followed-up by family-based association analysis to identify variants for cardiovascular disease in African-Americans. Methods and Results The present study conducted admixture mapping analysis for total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and triglycerides. The analysis was performed in 1,905 unrelated African-American subjects from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute’s Family Blood Pressure Program. Regions showing admixture evidence were followed-up with family-based association analysis in 3,556 African-American subjects from the FBPP. The admixture mapping and family-based association analyses were adjusted for age, age2, sex, body-mass-index, and genome-wide mean ancestry to minimize the confounding due to population stratification. Regions that were suggestive of local ancestry association evidence were found on chromosomes 7 (LDL-C), 8 (HDL-C), 14 (triglycerides) and 19 (total cholesterol and triglycerides). In the fine-mapping analysis, 52,939 SNPs were tested and 11 SNPs (8 independent SNPs) showed nominal significant association with HDL-C (2 SNPs), LDL-C (4 SNPs) and triglycerides (5 SNPs). The family data was used in the fine-mapping to identify SNPs that showed novel associations with lipids and regions including genes with known associations for cardiovascular disease. Conclusions This study identified regions on chromosomes 7, 8, 14 and 19 and 11 SNPs from the fine-mapping analysis that were associated with HDL-C, LDL-C and triglycerides for further studies of cardiovascular disease in African-Americans. PMID:25552592

Determining ancestry proportions in complex admixture scenarios in South Africa using a novel proxy ancestry selection method.

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Emile R Chimusa

Full Text Available Admixed populations can make an important contribution to the discovery of disease susceptibility genes if the parental populations exhibit substantial variation in susceptibility. Admixture mapping has been used successfully, but is not designed to cope with populations that have more than two or three ancestral populations. The inference of admixture proportions and local ancestry and the imputation of missing genotypes in admixed populations are crucial in both understanding variation in disease and identifying novel disease loci. These inferences make use of reference populations, and accuracy depends on the choice of ancestral populations. Using an insufficient or inaccurate ancestral panel can result in erroneously inferred ancestry and affect the detection power of GWAS and meta-analysis when using imputation. Current algorithms are inadequate for multi-way admixed populations. To address these challenges we developed PROXYANC, an approach to select the best proxy ancestral populations. From the simulation of a multi-way admixed population we demonstrate the capability and accuracy of PROXYANC and illustrate the importance of the choice of ancestry in both estimating admixture proportions and imputing missing genotypes. We applied this approach to a complex, uniquely admixed South African population. Using genome-wide SNP data from over 764 individuals, we accurately estimate the genetic contributions from the best ancestral populations: isiXhosa [Formula: see text], ‡Khomani SAN [Formula: see text], European [Formula: see text], Indian [Formula: see text], and Chinese [Formula: see text]. We also demonstrate that the ancestral allele frequency differences correlate with increased linkage disequilibrium in the South African population, which originates from admixture events rather than population bottlenecks.The collective term for people of mixed ancestry in southern Africa is "Coloured," and this is officially recognized in South

Heterogeneity in genetic admixture across different regions of Argentina.

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Sergio Avena

Full Text Available The population of Argentina is the result of the intermixing between several groups, including Indigenous American, European and African populations. Despite the commonly held idea that the population of Argentina is of mostly European origin, multiple studies have shown that this process of admixture had an impact in the entire Argentine population. In the present study we characterized the distribution of Indigenous American, European and African ancestry among individuals from different regions of Argentina and evaluated the level of discrepancy between self-reported grandparental origin and genetic ancestry estimates. A set of 99 autosomal ancestry informative markers (AIMs was genotyped in a sample of 441 Argentine individuals to estimate genetic ancestry. We used non-parametric tests to evaluate statistical significance. The average ancestry for the Argentine sample overall was 65% European (95%CI: 63-68%, 31% Indigenous American (28-33% and 4% African (3-4%. We observed statistically significant differences in European ancestry across Argentine regions [Buenos Aires province (BA 76%, 95%CI: 73-79%; Northeast (NEA 54%, 95%CI: 49-58%; Northwest (NWA 33%, 95%CI: 21-41%; South 54%, 95%CI: 49-59%; p<0.0001] as well as between the capital and immediate suburbs of Buenos Aires city compared to more distant suburbs [80% (95%CI: 75-86% versus 68% (95%CI: 58-77%, p = 0.01]. European ancestry among individuals that declared all grandparents born in Europe was 91% (95%CI: 88-94% compared to 54% (95%CI: 51-57% among those with no European grandparents (p<0.001. Our results demonstrate the range of variation in genetic ancestry among Argentine individuals from different regions in the country, highlighting the importance of taking this variation into account in genetic association and admixture mapping studies in this population.

Heterogeneity in Genetic Admixture across Different Regions of Argentina

Science.gov (United States)

Avena, Sergio; Via, Marc; Ziv, Elad; Pérez-Stable, Eliseo J.; Gignoux, Christopher R.; Dejean, Cristina; Huntsman, Scott; Torres-Mejía, Gabriela; Dutil, Julie; Matta, Jaime L.; Beckman, Kenneth; Burchard, Esteban González; Parolin, María Laura; Goicoechea, Alicia; Acreche, Noemí; Boquet, Mariel; Ríos Part, María Del Carmen; Fernández, Vanesa; Rey, Jorge; Stern, Mariana C.; Carnese, Raúl F.; Fejerman, Laura

2012-01-01

The population of Argentina is the result of the intermixing between several groups, including Indigenous American, European and African populations. Despite the commonly held idea that the population of Argentina is of mostly European origin, multiple studies have shown that this process of admixture had an impact in the entire Argentine population. In the present study we characterized the distribution of Indigenous American, European and African ancestry among individuals from different regions of Argentina and evaluated the level of discrepancy between self-reported grandparental origin and genetic ancestry estimates. A set of 99 autosomal ancestry informative markers (AIMs) was genotyped in a sample of 441 Argentine individuals to estimate genetic ancestry. We used non-parametric tests to evaluate statistical significance. The average ancestry for the Argentine sample overall was 65% European (95%CI: 63–68%), 31% Indigenous American (28–33%) and 4% African (3–4%). We observed statistically significant differences in European ancestry across Argentine regions [Buenos Aires province (BA) 76%, 95%CI: 73–79%; Northeast (NEA) 54%, 95%CI: 49–58%; Northwest (NWA) 33%, 95%CI: 21–41%; South 54%, 95%CI: 49–59%; pcapital and immediate suburbs of Buenos Aires city compared to more distant suburbs [80% (95%CI: 75–86%) versus 68% (95%CI: 58–77%), p = 0.01]. European ancestry among individuals that declared all grandparents born in Europe was 91% (95%CI: 88–94%) compared to 54% (95%CI: 51–57%) among those with no European grandparents (p<0.001). Our results demonstrate the range of variation in genetic ancestry among Argentine individuals from different regions in the country, highlighting the importance of taking this variation into account in genetic association and admixture mapping studies in this population. PMID:22506044

Polar and brown bear genomes reveal ancient admixture and demographic footprints of past climate change

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Webb; Schuster, Stephan C.; Welch, Andreanna J.; Ratan, Aakrosh; Bedoya-Reina, Oscar C.; Zhao, Fangqing; Kim, Hie Lim; Burhans, Richard C.; Drautz, Daniela I.; Wittekindt, Nicola E.; Tomsho, Lynn P.; Ibarra-Laclette, Enrique; Herrera-Estrella, Luis; Peacock, Elizabeth; Farley, Sean; Sage, George K.; Rode, Karyn D.; Obbard, Martyn E.; Montiel, Rafael; Bachmann, Lutz; Ingólfsson, Ólafur; Aars, Jon; Mailund, Thomas; Wiig, Øystein; Talbot, Sandra L.; Lindqvist, Charlotte

2012-01-01

Polar bears (PBs) are superbly adapted to the extreme Arctic environment and have become emblematic of the threat to biodiversity from global climate change. Their divergence from the lower-latitude brown bear provides a textbook example of rapid evolution of distinct phenotypes. However, limited mitochondrial and nuclear DNA evidence conflicts in the timing of PB origin as well as placement of the species within versus sister to the brown bear lineage. We gathered extensive genomic sequence data from contemporary polar, brown, and American black bear samples, in addition to a 130,000- to 110,000-y old PB, to examine this problem from a genome-wide perspective. Nuclear DNA markers reflect a species tree consistent with expectation, showing polar and brown bears to be sister species. However, for the enigmatic brown bears native to Alaska's Alexander Archipelago, we estimate that not only their mitochondrial genome, but also 5–10% of their nuclear genome, is most closely related to PBs, indicating ancient admixture between the two species. Explicit admixture analyses are consistent with ancient splits among PBs, brown bears and black bears that were later followed by occasional admixture. We also provide paleodemographic estimates that suggest bear evolution has tracked key climate events, and that PB in particular experienced a prolonged and dramatic decline in its effective population size during the last ca. 500,000 years. We demonstrate that brown bears and PBs have had sufficiently independent evolutionary histories over the last 4–5 million years to leave imprints in the PB nuclear genome that likely are associated with ecological adaptation to the Arctic environment.

Polar and brown bear genomes reveal ancient admixture and demographic footprints of past climate change.

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Webb; Schuster, Stephan C; Welch, Andreanna J; Ratan, Aakrosh; Bedoya-Reina, Oscar C; Zhao, Fangqing; Kim, Hie Lim; Burhans, Richard C; Drautz, Daniela I; Wittekindt, Nicola E; Tomsho, Lynn P; Ibarra-Laclette, Enrique; Herrera-Estrella, Luis; Peacock, Elizabeth; Farley, Sean; Sage, George K; Rode, Karyn; Obbard, Martyn; Montiel, Rafael; Bachmann, Lutz; Ingólfsson, Olafur; Aars, Jon; Mailund, Thomas; Wiig, Oystein; Talbot, Sandra L; Lindqvist, Charlotte

2012-09-04

Polar bears (PBs) are superbly adapted to the extreme Arctic environment and have become emblematic of the threat to biodiversity from global climate change. Their divergence from the lower-latitude brown bear provides a textbook example of rapid evolution of distinct phenotypes. However, limited mitochondrial and nuclear DNA evidence conflicts in the timing of PB origin as well as placement of the species within versus sister to the brown bear lineage. We gathered extensive genomic sequence data from contemporary polar, brown, and American black bear samples, in addition to a 130,000- to 110,000-y old PB, to examine this problem from a genome-wide perspective. Nuclear DNA markers reflect a species tree consistent with expectation, showing polar and brown bears to be sister species. However, for the enigmatic brown bears native to Alaska's Alexander Archipelago, we estimate that not only their mitochondrial genome, but also 5-10% of their nuclear genome, is most closely related to PBs, indicating ancient admixture between the two species. Explicit admixture analyses are consistent with ancient splits among PBs, brown bears and black bears that were later followed by occasional admixture. We also provide paleodemographic estimates that suggest bear evolution has tracked key climate events, and that PB in particular experienced a prolonged and dramatic decline in its effective population size during the last ca. 500,000 years. We demonstrate that brown bears and PBs have had sufficiently independent evolutionary histories over the last 4-5 million years to leave imprints in the PB nuclear genome that likely are associated with ecological adaptation to the Arctic environment.

An investigation of the effect of some gaseous admixtures on the ionization currents in the air in the discharge chambers of the proportional counter type

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berdowska, E.; Zastawny, A.

1981-01-01

Voltage-current characteristics of the ionization discharge in chambers of the proportional counter filled with air with admixtures of CO, CO 2 , CH 4 and H 2 O have been investigated. It was found that in the transition region between dependent and self-maintained discharge the characteristics change sufficiently for detection of the presence of those admixtures in the air. (author)

Enhancement and prediction of modulus of elasticity of palm kernel shell concrete

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alengaram, U. Johnson; Mahmud, Hilmi; Jumaat, Mohd Zamin

2011-01-01

Research highlights: → Micro-pores of size 16-24 μm were found on the outer surface of palm kernel shell. → Infilling of pores by mineral admixtures was evident. → Sand content influenced both modulus of elasticity and compressive strength. → Proposed equation predicts modulus of elasticity within ±1.5 kN/mm 2 of test results. -- Abstract: This paper presents results of an investigation conducted to enhance and predict the modulus of elasticity (MOE) of palm kernel shell concrete (PKSC). Scanning electron microscopic (SEM) analysis on palm kernel shell (PKS) was conducted. Further, the effect of varying sand and PKS contents and mineral admixtures (silica fume and fly ash) on compressive strength and MOE was investigated. The variables include water-to-binder (w/b) and sand-to-cement (s/c) ratios. Nine concrete mixes were prepared, and tests on static and dynamic moduli of elasticity and compressive strength were conducted. The SEM result showed presence of large number of micro-pores on PKS. The mineral admixtures uniformly filled the micro-pores on the outer surface of PKS. Further, the increase in sand content coupled with reduction in PKS content enhanced the compressive strength and static MOE: The highest MOE recorded in this investigation, 11 kN/mm 2 , was twice that previously published. Moreover, the proposed equation based on CEB/FIP code formula appears to predict the MOE close to the experimental values.

Admixture mapping in the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos reveals regions of genetic associations with blood pressure traits.

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Tamar Sofer

Full Text Available Admixture mapping can be used to detect genetic association regions in admixed populations, such as Hispanics/Latinos, by estimating associations between local ancestry allele counts and the trait of interest. We performed admixture mapping of the blood pressure traits systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP, DBP, mean arterial pressure (MAP, and pulse pressure (PP, in a dataset of 12,116 participants from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL. Hispanics/Latinos have three predominant ancestral populations (European, African, and Amerindian, for each of which we separately tested local ancestry intervals across the genome. We identified four regions that were significantly associated with a blood pressure trait at the genome-wide admixture mapping level. A 6p21.31 Amerindian ancestry association region has multiple known associations, but none explained the admixture mapping signal. We identified variants that completely explained this signal. One of these variants had p-values of 0.02 (MAP and 0.04 (SBP in replication testing in Pima Indians. A 11q13.4 Amerindian ancestry association region spans a variant that was previously reported (p-value = 0.001 in a targeted association study of Blood Pressure (BP traits and variants in the vitamin D pathway. There was no replication evidence supporting an association in the identified 17q25.3 Amerindian ancestry association region. For a region on 6p12.3, associated with African ancestry, we did not identify any candidate variants driving the association. It may be driven by rare variants. Whole genome sequence data may be necessary to fine map these association signals, which may contribute to disparities in BP traits between diverse populations.

A single-tube 27-plex SNP assay for estimating individual ancestry and admixture from three continents.

Science.gov (United States)

Wei, Yi-Liang; Wei, Li; Zhao, Lei; Sun, Qi-Fan; Jiang, Li; Zhang, Tao; Liu, Hai-Bo; Chen, Jian-Gang; Ye, Jian; Hu, Lan; Li, Cai-Xia

2016-01-01

A single-tube multiplex assay of a small set of ancestry-informative markers (AIMs) for effectively estimating individual ancestry and admixture is an ideal forensic tool to trace the population origin of an unknown DNA sample. We present a newly developed 27-plex single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) panel with highly robust and balanced differential power to perfectly assign individuals to African, European, and East Asian ancestries. Evaluating 968 previously described intercontinental AIMs from three HapMap population genotyping datasets (Yoruban in Ibadan, Nigeria (YRI); Utah residents with Northern and Western European ancestry from the Centre de'Etude du Polymorphism Humain (CEPH) collection (CEU); and Han Chinese in Beijing, China (CHB)), the best set of markers was selected on the basis of Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (p > 0.00001), population-specific allele frequency (two of three δ values >0.5), according to linkage disequilibrium (r (2) ancestry of the 11 populations in the HapMap project. Then, we tested the 27-plex SNP assay with 1164 individuals from 17 additional populations. The results demonstrated that the SNP panel was successful for ancestry inference of individuals with African, European, and East Asian ancestry. Furthermore, the system performed well when inferring the admixture of Eurasians (EUR/EAS) after analyzing admixed populations from Xinjiang (Central Asian) as follows: Tajik (68:27), Uyghur (49:46), Kirgiz (40:57), and Kazak (36:60). For individual analyses, we interpreted each sample with a three-ancestry component percentage and a population match probability sequence. This multiplex assay is a convenient and cost-effective tool to assist in criminal investigations, as well as to correct for the effects of population stratification for case-control studies.

Laboratory Evaluation of Expedient Low-Temperature Admixtures for Runway Craters in Cold Weather

Science.gov (United States)

2014-10-01

it consists of a pre- blend of Type III Portland cement (calcium sulfoaluminate [CSA] cement with some small amount of admixtures for workability...more information on similar crater repair methods, equipment, and materials used by the U.S. Ar- my, see Center for Army Lessons Learned (2011). ERDC...all measurements with a TA Instrument TAM Air isothermal calorimeter operated at 23°C. To capture the initial wetting of the cement and early-age

Investigations regarding the mass budget in the propagation of a passive admixture from a line source; Untersuchungen zur Stoffbilanz bei der Ausbreitung einer passiven Beimengung aus einer Linienquelle

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wenzel, A. [Brandenburgische Technische Univ. Cottbus (Germany). Inst. fuer Boden-, Luft- und Gewaesserschutz

1998-01-01

Under stationary conditions, passive admixtures are transported by advection and by vertical as well as horizontal turbulent diffusion. The importance of individual contributions for the exchange of passive admixtures emanating from a straight line source with a constant source strength under neutral stratification conditions is discussed. For this purpose, all terms of the mass budget for a control volume around a straight line source are calculated using a stochastic Lagrange model (LS), whose properties are discussed. As a test for the LS model, the vertical and horizontal mass flows in the soil layer are simulated and compared with SANA data. The mass flows calculated for the propagation of a passive admixture from a line source are evaluated regarding their share of the mass budget. (orig.) [Deutsch] Unter stationaeren Bedingungen erfolgt der Transport von passiven Beimengungen durch Advektion sowie vertikale und horizontale turbulente Diffusion. Die Bedeutung der einzelnen Beitraege fuer den Austausch von passiven Beimengungen, die von einer geraden Linienquelle mit konstanter Quellstaerke unter neutralen Schichtungsbedingungen ausgehen, wird diskutiert. Dazu werden mit einem Lagrangeschen stochastischen (LS) Modell, dessen Eigenschaften besprochen werden, alle Terme der Stoffbilanz fuer ein Kontrollvolumen um eine gerade Linienquelle berechnet. Als Test fuer das LS-Modell werden die vertikalen und die horizontalen Stofffluesse in der Bodenschicht simuliert und mit SANA-Daten verglichen. Die fuer die Ausbreitung einer passiven Beimengung von einer Linienquelle berechneten Massenfluesse, werden hinsichtlich ihres Anteils an der Stoffbilanz ausgewertet. (orig.)

Quality assessment of total parenteral nutrition admixtures by the use of fractional factorial design

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mirković Dušica

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Background/Aim. Parenteral nutrition as a specific aspect of providing nutritients still remains a permanent topic of both theoretical and experimental research. Total parenteral nutrition (TPN admixtures have complex contents making difficult to maintain their stability. The most critical parameter is the diameter of a lipid droplet, i.e. droplet size distribution. It is recommended that droplet size should not be more than 5

Sociocultural behavior, sex-biased admixture, and effective population sizes in Central African Pygmies and non-Pygmies.

Science.gov (United States)

Verdu, Paul; Becker, Noémie S A; Froment, Alain; Georges, Myriam; Grugni, Viola; Quintana-Murci, Lluis; Hombert, Jean-Marie; Van der Veen, Lolke; Le Bomin, Sylvie; Bahuchet, Serge; Heyer, Evelyne; Austerlitz, Frédéric

2013-04-01

Sociocultural phenomena, such as exogamy or phylopatry, can largely determine human sex-specific demography. In Central Africa, diverging patterns of sex-specific genetic variation have been observed between mobile hunter-gatherer Pygmies and sedentary agricultural non-Pygmies. However, their sex-specific demography remains largely unknown. Using population genetics and approximate Bayesian computation approaches, we inferred male and female effective population sizes, sex-specific migration, and admixture rates in 23 Central African Pygmy and non-Pygmy populations, genotyped for autosomal, X-linked, Y-linked, and mitochondrial markers. We found much larger effective population sizes and migration rates among non-Pygmy populations than among Pygmies, in agreement with the recent expansions and migrations of non-Pygmies and, conversely, the isolation and stationary demography of Pygmy groups. We found larger effective sizes and migration rates for males than for females for Pygmies, and vice versa for non-Pygmies. Thus, although most Pygmy populations have patrilocal customs, their sex-specific genetic patterns resemble those of matrilocal populations. In fact, our results are consistent with a lower prevalence of polygyny and patrilocality in Pygmies compared with non-Pygmies and a potential female transmission of reproductive success in Pygmies. Finally, Pygmy populations showed variable admixture levels with the non-Pygmies, with often much larger introgression from male than from female lineages. Social discrimination against Pygmies triggering complex movements of spouses in intermarriages can explain these male-biased admixture patterns in a patrilocal context. We show how gender-related sociocultural phenomena can determine highly variable sex-specific demography among populations, and how population genetic approaches contrasting chromosomal types allow inferring detailed human sex-specific demographic history.

Effect of mineral admixtures on kinetic property and compressive strength of self Compacting Concrete

Science.gov (United States)

Jagalur Mahalingasharma, Srishaila; Prakash, Parasivamurthy; Vishwanath, K. N.; Jawali, Veena

2017-06-01

This paper presents experimental investigations made on the influence of chemical, physical, morphological and mineralogical properties of mineral admixtures such as fly ash, ground granulate blast furnace slag, metakaoline and micro silica used as a replacement of cement in self compacting concrete on workability and compressive strength. Nineteen concrete mixes were cast by replacing with cement by fly ash or ground granulated blast furnace slag as binary blend at 30%, 40%, 50% and with addition of micro silica and metakaoline at 10% as a ternary blend with fly ash, ground granulated blast furnace slag and obtained results were compare with control mix. Water powder ratio 0.3 and super plasticizer dosage 1% of cementitious material was kept constant for all the mixes. The self compacting concrete tested for slump flow, V-funnel, L-Box, J-Ring, T50, and compressive strength on concrete cube were determined at age of 3, 7, 28, 56, 90 days.

Development of an eco-friendly Ultra-High Performance Concrete (UHPC) with efficient cement and mineral admixtures uses

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Yu, R.; Spiesz, P.R.; Brouwers, H.J.H.

2015-01-01

This paper addresses the development of an eco-friendly Ultra-High Performance Concrete (UHPC) with efficient cement and mineral admixtures uses are investigated. The modified Andreasen & Andersen particle packing model is utilized to achieve a densely compacted cementitious matrix. Fly ash (FA),

Genome-wide admixture and association study of subclinical atherosclerosis in the Women's Interagency HIV Study (WIHS.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aditi Shendre

Full Text Available Cardiovascular disease (CVD is a major comorbidity among HIV-infected individuals. Common carotid artery intima-media thickness (cCIMT is a valid and reliable subclinical measure of atherosclerosis and is known to predict CVD. We performed genome-wide association (GWA and admixture analysis among 682 HIV-positive and 288 HIV-negative Black, non-Hispanic women from the Women's Interagency HIV study (WIHS cohort using a combined and stratified analysis approach. We found some suggestive associations but none of the SNPs reached genome-wide statistical significance in our GWAS analysis. The top GWAS SNPs were rs2280828 in the region intergenic to mediator complex subunit 30 and exostosin glycosyltransferase 1 (MED30 | EXT1 among all women, rs2907092 in the catenin delta 2 (CTNND2 gene among HIV-positive women, and rs7529733 in the region intergenic to family with sequence similarity 5, member C and regulator of G-protein signaling 18 (FAM5C | RGS18 genes among HIV-negative women. The most significant local European ancestry associations were in the region intergenic to the zinc finger and SCAN domain containing 5D gene and NADH: ubiquinone oxidoreductase complex assembly factor 1 (ZSCAN5D | NDUF1 pseudogene on chromosome 19 among all women, in the region intergenic to vomeronasal 1 receptor 6 pseudogene and zinc finger protein 845 (VN1R6P | ZNF845 gene on chromosome 19 among HIV-positive women, and in the region intergenic to the SEC23-interacting protein and phosphatidic acid phosphatase type 2 domain containing 1A (SEC23IP | PPAPDC1A genes located on chromosome 10 among HIV-negative women. A number of previously identified SNP associations with cCIMT were also observed and included rs2572204 in the ryanodine receptor 3 (RYR3 and an admixture region in the secretion-regulating guanine nucleotide exchange factor (SERGEF gene. We report several SNPs and gene regions in the GWAS and admixture analysis, some of which are common across HIV-positive and

Natural re-colonization and admixture of wolves (Canis lupus) in the US Pacific Northwest: challenges for the protection and management of rare and endangered taxa.

Science.gov (United States)

Hendricks, Sarah A; Schweizer, Rena M; Harrigan, Ryan J; Pollinger, John P; Paquet, Paul C; Darimont, Chris T; Adams, Jennifer R; Waits, Lisette P; vonHoldt, Bridgett M; Hohenlohe, Paul A; Wayne, Robert K

2018-06-07

Admixture resulting from natural dispersal processes can potentially generate novel phenotypic variation that may facilitate persistence in changing environments or result in the loss of population-specific adaptations. Yet, under the US Endangered Species Act, policy is limited for management of individuals whose ancestry includes a protected taxon; therefore, they are generally not protected under the Act. This issue is exemplified by the recently re-established grey wolves of the Pacific Northwest states of Washington and Oregon, USA. This population was likely founded by two phenotypically and genetically distinct wolf ecotypes: Northern Rocky Mountain (NRM) forest and coastal rainforest. The latter is considered potentially threatened in southeast Alaska and thus the source of migrants may affect plans for their protection. To assess the genetic source of the re-established population, we sequenced a ~ 300 bp portion of the mitochondrial control region and ~ 5 Mbp of the nuclear genome. Genetic analysis revealed that the Washington wolves share ancestry with both wolf ecotypes, whereas the Oregon population shares ancestry with NRM forest wolves only. Using ecological niche modelling, we found that the Pacific Northwest states contain environments suitable for each ecotype, with wolf packs established in both environmental types. Continued migration from coastal rainforest and NRM forest source populations may increase the genetic diversity of the Pacific Northwest population. However, this admixed population challenges traditional management regimes given that admixture occurs between an adaptively distinct ecotype and a more abundant reintroduced interior form. Our results emphasize the need for a more precise US policy to address the general problem of admixture in the management of endangered species, subspecies, and distinct population segments.

Man-machine enhancements to existing FFTF control panels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miller, E.M.

1984-01-01

FFTF Project enhanced existing control panels with tape and labels to mitigate operator problems and to incorporate the guidance of NUREG-0700. The enhancements grouped displays and controls into meaningful units and labelled controls and displays to facilitate their identification and efficient use. The enhancements were inexpensive and well received by the facility's operations staff

Admixture into and within sub-Saharan Africa

Science.gov (United States)

Busby, George BJ; Band, Gavin; Si Le, Quang; Jallow, Muminatou; Bougama, Edith; Mangano, Valentina D; Amenga-Etego, Lucas N; Enimil, Anthony; Apinjoh, Tobias; Ndila, Carolyne M; Manjurano, Alphaxard; Nyirongo, Vysaul; Doumba, Ogobara; Rockett, Kirk A; Kwiatkowski, Dominic P; Spencer, Chris CA

2016-01-01

Similarity between two individuals in the combination of genetic markers along their chromosomes indicates shared ancestry and can be used to identify historical connections between different population groups due to admixture. We use a genome-wide, haplotype-based, analysis to characterise the structure of genetic diversity and gene-flow in a collection of 48 sub-Saharan African groups. We show that coastal populations experienced an influx of Eurasian haplotypes over the last 7000 years, and that Eastern and Southern Niger-Congo speaking groups share ancestry with Central West Africans as a result of recent population expansions. In fact, most sub-Saharan populations share ancestry with groups from outside of their current geographic region as a result of gene-flow within the last 4000 years. Our in-depth analysis provides insight into haplotype sharing across different ethno-linguistic groups and the recent movement of alleles into new environments, both of which are relevant to studies of genetic epidemiology. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.15266.001 PMID:27324836

Measurement of ozone production scaling in a helium plasma jet with oxygen admixture

Science.gov (United States)

Sands, Brian; Ganguly, Biswa

2012-10-01

Capillary dielectric barrier plasma jet devices that generate confined streamer-like discharges along a rare gas flow can produce significant quantities of reactive oxygen species with average input powers ranging from 100 mW to >1 W. We have measured spatially-resolved ozone production in a He plasma jet with O2 admixture concentrations up to 5% using absorption spectroscopy of the O3 Hartley band system. A 20-ns risetime, 10-13 kV positive unipolar voltage pulse train was used to power the discharge, with pulse repetition rates varied from 1-20 kHz. The discharge was operated in a transient glow mode to scale the input power by adjusting the gap width between the anode and downstream cathodic plane. Peak ozone number densities in the range of 10^16 - 10^17 cm-3 were measured. At a given voltage, the density of ozone increased monotonically up to 3% O2 admixture (6 mm gap) as the peak discharge current decreased by an order of magnitude. Ozone production increased with distance from the capillary, consistent with observations by other groups. Atomic oxygen production inferred from O-atom 777 nm emission intensity did not scale with ozone as the input power was increased. The spatial distribution of ozone and scaling with input power will be presented.

Genomic Characterization of Interspecific Hybrids and an Admixture Population Derived from Panicum amarum × P. virgatum

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christopher Heffelfinger

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Switchgrass ( L. and its relatives are regarded as top bioenergy crop candidates; however, one critical barrier is the introduction of useful genetic diversity and the development of new cultivars and hybrids. Combining genomes from related cultivars and species provides an opportunity to introduce new traits. In switchgrass, a breeding advantage would be achieved by combining the genomes of intervarietal ecotypes or interspecific hybrids. The recovery of wide crosses, however, is often tedious and may involve complicated embryo rescue and numerous backcrosses. Here, we demonstrate a straightforward approach to wide crosses involving the use of a selectable transgene for recovery of interspecific [ cv. Alamo × Ell var or Atlantic Coastal Panicgrass (ACP] F hybrids followed by backcrossing to generate a nontransgenic admixture population. A nontransgenic herbicide-sensitive (HbS admixture population of 83 FBC progeny was analyzed by genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS to characterize local ancestry, parental contribution, and patterns of recombination. These results demonstrate a widely applicable breeding strategy that makes use of transgenic selectable resistance to identify and recover true hybrids.

Genetic structure and admixture between Bayash Roma from northwestern Croatia and general Croatian population: evidence from Bayesian clustering analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Novokmet, Natalija; Galov, Ana; Marjanović, Damir; Škaro, Vedrana; Projić, Petar; Lauc, Gordan; Primorac, Dragan; Rudan, Pavao

2015-01-01

The European Roma represent a transnational mosaic of minority population groups with different migration histories and contrasting experiences in their interactions with majority populations across the European continent. Although historical genetic contributions of European lineages to the Roma pool were investigated before, the extent of contemporary genetic admixture between Bayash Roma and non-Romani majority population remains elusive. The aim of this study was to assess the genetic structure of the Bayash Roma population from northwestern Croatia and the general Croatian population and to investigate the extent of admixture between them. A set of genetic data from two original studies (100 Bayash Roma from northwestern Croatia and 195 individuals from the general Croatian population) was analyzed by Bayesian clustering implemented in STRUCTURE software. By re-analyzing published data we intended to focus for the first time on genetic differentiation and structure and in doing so we clearly pointed to the importance of considering social phenomena in understanding genetic structuring. Our results demonstrated that two population clusters best explain the genetic structure, which is consistent with social exclusion of Roma and the demographic history of Bayash Roma who have settled in NW Croatia only about 150 years ago and mostly applied rules of endogamy. The presence of admixture was revealed, while the percentage of non-Croatian individuals in general Croatian population was approximately twofold higher than the percentage of non-Romani individuals in Roma population corroborating the presence of ethnomimicry in Roma.

Childhood trauma is associated with a specific admixture of affective, anxiety, and psychosis symptoms cutting across traditional diagnostic boundaries

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Nierop, M.; Viechtbauer, W.; Gunther, N.; van Zelst, C.; de Graaf, R.; ten Have, M.; van Dorsselaer, S.; Bak, M.; van Winkel, R.; Bruggeman, Richard; Wiersma, Durk; Cahn, Wiepke; Kahn, Rene S.; de Haan, Lieuwe; Meijer, Carin J.; Myin-Germeys, Inez; van Os, Jim

2015-01-01

Background. Meta-analyses link childhood trauma to depression, mania, anxiety disorders, and psychosis. It is unclear, however, whether these outcomes truly represent distinct disorders following childhood trauma, or that childhood trauma is associated with admixtures of affective, psychotic,

Childhood trauma is associated with a specific admixture of affective, anxiety, and psychosis symptoms cutting across traditional diagnostic boundaries

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Nierop, M; Viechtbauer, W; Gunther, N; van Zelst, C; de Graaf, R; Ten Have, M; van Dorsselaer, S; Bak, M; van Winkel, R; Cahn, W

BACKGROUND: Meta-analyses link childhood trauma to depression, mania, anxiety disorders, and psychosis. It is unclear, however, whether these outcomes truly represent distinct disorders following childhood trauma, or that childhood trauma is associated with admixtures of affective, psychotic,

Effect of polycarboxylate admixture structure on cement paste rheology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aranda, M. A. G.

2007-06-01

Full Text Available The purpose of the present study was to analyze the effect of the structural differences in four polycarboxylate and polyether admixtures on the rheological properties of cement pastes with different chemical and mineralogical compositions and different active additions (CEM I 42.5 R, CEM I 52.5 R, CEM I 52.5 N/SR, CEM II/AV 42.5R, CEM II/B-L 32.5 R, CEM III/B 32.5R, BL I 52.5R and CAC – European standard EN 197-1:2000. The results of the minislump test concurred with the variations observed in the values of the rheological parameters (shear stress and plastic viscosity. The structural characteristic of the admixtures found to play the most prominent role in their fluidizing effect was the proportion of carboxylate (CG and polyether (EG group components. In cements characteristics such as fineness and the C3A/calcium sulphate and C3S/C3A ratios were also observed to be essential to admixture effectiveness. In this regard, the rheological parameters varied most widely in CEM I 52.5N/SR pastes and least in BL I 52.5R cement pastes. Of the additioned cements, the CEM III/B 32.5R pastes, which contained granulated blast furnace slag, showed the highest rises in flowability. Finally, the fluidizing effect of polycarboxylate superplasticizers was much more intense in calcium aluminate cements, although flowability declined rapidly in this material.El objetivo de este trabajo ha sido estudiar el efecto de las diferencias estructurales de cuatro aditivos basados en policarboxilatos y poliéteres sobre las propiedades reológicas de pastas de cemento con diferente composición química, mineralógica y con distintas adiciones activas (CEM I 42,5 R, CEM I 52,5 R, CEM I 52,5 N/SR, CEM II/AV 42,5R, CEM II/ B-L 32,5 R, CEM III/B 32,5R, BL I 52,5R y CAC - Norma EN 197-1:2000. Los resultados obtenidos sobre la fluidez de la pasta en el ensayo del “Minislump” coinciden con la evolución de los valores de los parámetros reológicos (esfuerzo de

Quality assessment of total parenteral nutrition admixtures by the use of fractional factorial design

OpenAIRE

Mirković, Dušica; Ibrić, Svetlana; Antunović, Mirjana

2013-01-01

Background/Aim. Parenteral nutrition as a specific aspect of providing nutritients still remains a permanent topic of both theoretical and experimental research. Total parenteral nutrition (TPN) admixtures have complex contents making difficult to maintain their stability. The most critical parameter is the diameter of a lipid droplet, i.e. droplet size distribution. It is recommended that droplet size should not be more than 5 m and that the presence of greater droplets should not exceed th...

Secondary Control for Voltage Quality Enhancement in Microgrids

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Savaghebi, Mehdi; Jalilian, Alireza; Vasquez, Juan Carlos

2012-01-01

In this paper, a hierarchical control scheme is proposed for enhancement of sensitive load bus (SLB) voltage quality in microgrids. The control structure consists of primary and secondary levels. The primary control level comprises distributed generators (DGs) local controllers. Each of these con......In this paper, a hierarchical control scheme is proposed for enhancement of sensitive load bus (SLB) voltage quality in microgrids. The control structure consists of primary and secondary levels. The primary control level comprises distributed generators (DGs) local controllers. Each...

Genetic structure of South African Nguni (Zulu) sheep populations reveals admixture with exotic breeds.

Science.gov (United States)

Selepe, Mokhethi Matthews; Ceccobelli, Simone; Lasagna, Emiliano; Kunene, Nokuthula Winfred

2018-01-01

The population of Zulu sheep is reported to have declined by 7.4% between 2007 and 2011 due to crossbreeding. There is insufficient information on the genetic diversity of the Zulu sheep populations in the different area of KwaZulu Natal where they are reared. The study investigated genetic variation and genetic structure within and among eight Zulu sheep populations using 26 microsatellite markers. In addition, Damara, Dorper and South African Merino breeds were included to assess the genetic relationship between these breeds and the Zulu sheep. The results showed that there is considerable genetic diversity among the Zulu sheep populations (expected heterozygosity ranging from 0.57 to 0.69) and the level of inbreeding was not remarkable. The structure analysis results revealed that Makhathini Research Station and UNIZULU research station share common genetic structure, while three populations (Nongoma, Ulundi and Nquthu) had some admixture with the exotic Dorper breed. Thus, there is a need for sustainable breeding and conservation programmes to control the gene flow, in order to stop possible genetic dilution of the Zulu sheep.

Genetic structure of South African Nguni (Zulu sheep populations reveals admixture with exotic breeds.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mokhethi Matthews Selepe

Full Text Available The population of Zulu sheep is reported to have declined by 7.4% between 2007 and 2011 due to crossbreeding. There is insufficient information on the genetic diversity of the Zulu sheep populations in the different area of KwaZulu Natal where they are reared. The study investigated genetic variation and genetic structure within and among eight Zulu sheep populations using 26 microsatellite markers. In addition, Damara, Dorper and South African Merino breeds were included to assess the genetic relationship between these breeds and the Zulu sheep. The results showed that there is considerable genetic diversity among the Zulu sheep populations (expected heterozygosity ranging from 0.57 to 0.69 and the level of inbreeding was not remarkable. The structure analysis results revealed that Makhathini Research Station and UNIZULU research station share common genetic structure, while three populations (Nongoma, Ulundi and Nquthu had some admixture with the exotic Dorper breed. Thus, there is a need for sustainable breeding and conservation programmes to control the gene flow, in order to stop possible genetic dilution of the Zulu sheep.

Admixture in Latin America: Geographic Structure, Phenotypic Diversity and Self-Perception of Ancestry Based on 7,342 Individuals

Science.gov (United States)

Ruiz-Linares, Andrés; Adhikari, Kaustubh; Acuña-Alonzo, Victor; Quinto-Sanchez, Mirsha; Jaramillo, Claudia; Arias, William; Fuentes, Macarena; Pizarro, María; Everardo, Paola; de Avila, Francisco; Gómez-Valdés, Jorge; León-Mimila, Paola; Hunemeier, Tábita; Ramallo, Virginia; Silva de Cerqueira, Caio C.; Burley, Mari-Wyn; Konca, Esra; de Oliveira, Marcelo Zagonel; Veronez, Mauricio Roberto; Rubio-Codina, Marta; Attanasio, Orazio; Gibbon, Sahra; Ray, Nicolas; Gallo, Carla; Poletti, Giovanni; Rosique, Javier; Schuler-Faccini, Lavinia; Salzano, Francisco M.; Bortolini, Maria-Cátira; Canizales-Quinteros, Samuel; Rothhammer, Francisco; Bedoya, Gabriel; Balding, David; Gonzalez-José, Rolando

2014-01-01

The current genetic makeup of Latin America has been shaped by a history of extensive admixture between Africans, Europeans and Native Americans, a process taking place within the context of extensive geographic and social stratification. We estimated individual ancestry proportions in a sample of 7,342 subjects ascertained in five countries (Brazil, Chile, Colombia, México and Perú). These individuals were also characterized for a range of physical appearance traits and for self-perception of ancestry. The geographic distribution of admixture proportions in this sample reveals extensive population structure, illustrating the continuing impact of demographic history on the genetic diversity of Latin America. Significant ancestry effects were detected for most phenotypes studied. However, ancestry generally explains only a modest proportion of total phenotypic variation. Genetically estimated and self-perceived ancestry correlate significantly, but certain physical attributes have a strong impact on self-perception and bias self-perception of ancestry relative to genetically estimated ancestry. PMID:25254375

Admixture in Latin America: geographic structure, phenotypic diversity and self-perception of ancestry based on 7,342 individuals.

Science.gov (United States)

Ruiz-Linares, Andrés; Adhikari, Kaustubh; Acuña-Alonzo, Victor; Quinto-Sanchez, Mirsha; Jaramillo, Claudia; Arias, William; Fuentes, Macarena; Pizarro, María; Everardo, Paola; de Avila, Francisco; Gómez-Valdés, Jorge; León-Mimila, Paola; Hunemeier, Tábita; Ramallo, Virginia; Silva de Cerqueira, Caio C; Burley, Mari-Wyn; Konca, Esra; de Oliveira, Marcelo Zagonel; Veronez, Mauricio Roberto; Rubio-Codina, Marta; Attanasio, Orazio; Gibbon, Sahra; Ray, Nicolas; Gallo, Carla; Poletti, Giovanni; Rosique, Javier; Schuler-Faccini, Lavinia; Salzano, Francisco M; Bortolini, Maria-Cátira; Canizales-Quinteros, Samuel; Rothhammer, Francisco; Bedoya, Gabriel; Balding, David; Gonzalez-José, Rolando

2014-09-01

The current genetic makeup of Latin America has been shaped by a history of extensive admixture between Africans, Europeans and Native Americans, a process taking place within the context of extensive geographic and social stratification. We estimated individual ancestry proportions in a sample of 7,342 subjects ascertained in five countries (Brazil, Chile, Colombia, México and Perú). These individuals were also characterized for a range of physical appearance traits and for self-perception of ancestry. The geographic distribution of admixture proportions in this sample reveals extensive population structure, illustrating the continuing impact of demographic history on the genetic diversity of Latin America. Significant ancestry effects were detected for most phenotypes studied. However, ancestry generally explains only a modest proportion of total phenotypic variation. Genetically estimated and self-perceived ancestry correlate significantly, but certain physical attributes have a strong impact on self-perception and bias self-perception of ancestry relative to genetically estimated ancestry.

Standard test method for determining effects of chemical admixtures on corrosion of embedded steel reinforcement in concrete exposed to chloride environments

CERN Document Server

American Society for Testing and Materials. Philadelphia

2007-01-01

1.1 This test method covers a procedure for determining the effects of chemical admixtures on the corrosion of metals in concrete. This test method can be used to evaluate materials intended to inhibit chloride-induced corrosion of steel in concrete. It can also be used to evaluate the corrosivity of admixtures in a chloride environment. 1.2 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as the standard. The values given in parentheses are for information only. 1.3 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.

Admixture of Eastern and Western European Red Deer Lineages as a Result of Postglacial Recolonization of the Czech Republic (Central Europe).

Science.gov (United States)

Krojerová-Prokešová, Jarmila; Barančeková, Miroslava; Koubek, Petr

2015-01-01

Due to a restriction of the distributional range of European red deer (Cervus elaphus L.) during the Quaternary and subsequent recolonization of Europe from different refugia, a clear phylogeographical pattern in genetic structure has been revealed using mitochondrial DNA markers. In Central Europe, 2 distinct, eastern and western, lineages of European red deer are present; however, admixture between them has not yet been studied in detail. We used mitochondrial DNA (control region and cytochrome b gene) sequences and 22 microsatellite loci from 522 individuals to investigate the genetic diversity of red deer in what might be expected to be an intermediate zone. We discovered a high number of unique mtDNA haplotypes belonging to each lineage and high levels of genetic diversity (cyt b H = 0.867, D-loop H = 0.914). The same structuring of red deer populations was also revealed by microsatellite analysis, with results from both analyses thus suggesting a suture zone between the 2 lineages. Despite the fact that postglacial recolonization of Central Europe by red deer occurred more than 10000 years ago, the degree of admixture between the 2 lineages is relatively small, with only 10.8% admixed individuals detected. Direct translocations of animals by humans have slightly blurred the pattern in this region; however, this blurring was more apparent when using maternally inherited markers than nuclear markers. © The American Genetic Association 2015. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Admixture analysis of age of onset in generalized anxiety disorder.

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Rhebergen, Didi; Aderka, Idan M; van der Steenstraten, Ira M; van Balkom, Anton J L M; van Oppen, Patricia; Stek, Max L; Comijs, Hannie C; Batelaan, Neeltje M

2017-08-01

Age of onset is a marker of clinically relevant subtypes in various medical and psychiatric disorders. Past research has also reported that age of onset in generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is clinically significant; but, in research to date, arbitrary cut-off ages have been used. In the present study, admixture analysis was used to determine the best fitting model for age of onset distribution in GAD. Data were derived from 459 adults with a diagnosis of GAD who took part in the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety (NESDA). Associations between age of onset subtypes, identified by admixture analysis, and sociodemographic, clinical, and vulnerability factors were examined using univariate tests and multivariate logistic regression analyses. Two age of onset distributions were identified: an early-onset group (24 years of age and younger) and a late-onset group (greater than 24 years of age). Multivariate analysis revealed that early-onset GAD was associated with female gender (OR 2.1 (95%CI 1.4-3.2)), higher education (OR 1.1 (95%CI 1.0-1.2)), and higher neuroticism (OR 1.4 (95%CI 1.1-1.7)), while late-onset GAD was associated with physical illnesses (OR 1.3 (95%CI 1.1-1.7)). Study limitations include the possibility of recall bias given that age of onset was assessed retrospectively, and an inability to detect a possible very-late-onset GAD subtype. Collectively, the results of the study indicate that GAD is characterized by a bimodal age of onset distribution with an objectively determined early cut-off at 24 years of age. Early-onset GAD is associated with unique factors that may contribute to its aetiology; but, it does not constitute a more severe subtype compared to late-onset GAD. Future research should use 24 years of age as the cut-off for early-onset GAD to when examining the clinical relevance of age of onset for treatment efficacy and illness course. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Admixtures of shell and cluster states in 18F

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sakuda, Toshimi; Nemoto, Fumiki; Nagata, Sinobu.

1976-01-01

The properties of the low-lying T=0 positive-parity levels in 18 F are shown to be well understood by considering admixtures of 2p shell-model states and ''4p-2h'' states with alpha-cluster structures. In order to represent the ''4p-2h'' states, α- 14 N cluster model is introduced. By this model, weak coupling features and coupling between shell and cluster states are well described. The binding energies of the ground 1 + and the lowest 3 + levels are reproduced by the couplings with the ''4p-2h'' cluster states. On the other hand, weak coupling features of ''4p-2h'' cluster states are disturbed to some extent. As a result, the energy spectrum, E2-transition rates and reduced α-widths of all T=0 positive-parity levels below 7 MeV excitation energy are systematically reproduced. (auth.)

The influence of the admixture of the fullerene C60 on the strength properties of aluminum and copper under shock-wave loading

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bezruchko, G S; Razorenov, S V; Popov, M Y

2014-01-01

Hugoniot elastic limit (HEL) and dynamic (spall) strength measurements of pressed aluminum and copper samples with an admixture of the fullerene C60 with 2-5 wt% under shock-wave loading were carried out. The peak pressure in the shock-wave was equal to 6 GPa. The measurements of the elastic-plastic and strength properties were based on the recording and the subsequent analysis of the sample free surface velocity histories, recorded by Velocity Interferometric System for Any Reflection (VISAR). It was found that the admixture of 5 wt% fullerene in aluminum samples led to an increase of the Hugoniot elastic limit for aluminum samples by a factor of ten. The copper samples with the admixture of 2 wt% fullerene also demonstrated an increase of the Hugoniot elastic limit in comparison with commercial copper. The measured values of the Hugoniot elastic limit were equal to 0.82-1.56 GPa for aluminum samples and 1.35-3.46 GPa for copper samples, depending on their porosity. As expected, the spall strength of the samples with fullerene decreased by about three times in comparison with the undoped samples as a result of the influence of the solid fullerene particles which were concentrators of tension stresses in the material under dynamic fracture.

Systemic lupus erythematosus in a multi-ethnic cohort (LUMINA) XXXII: [corrected] contributions of admixture and socioeconomic status to renal involvement.

Science.gov (United States)

Alarcón, G S; Bastian, H M; Beasley, T M; Roseman, J M; Tan, F K; Fessler, B J; Vilá, L M; McGwin, G

2006-01-01

Renal involvement in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is more frequent in minorities. We examined whether genetic or socioeconomic status (SES) explain these disparities in a large multiethnic (Hispanics from Texas and Puerto Rico, African Americans and Caucasians) SLE cohort. Renal involvement was defined as WHO Class II-V and/or proteinuria (> 0.5 g/24 h or 3+) attributable to SLE and/or abnormal urinary sediment, proteinuria 2+, elevated serum creatinine/ decreased creatinine clearance twice, 6 months apart present any time over the course of the disease. Ancestry informative markers (AIMS) were used to define the admixture proportions in each patient and group. Logistic regression models were examined to determine the percentage variance (R2) in renal involvement related to ethnicity that is explained by socio-economic status (SES) and admixture (adjusting for age, gender and disease duration, basic model). Four-hundred and fifty-nine (out of 575) patients were included; renal involvement occurred in 44.6% Texas Hispanics, 11.3% Puerto Rico Hispanics, 45.8% African Americans, 18.3% Caucasians. SES accounted for 14.5% of the variance due to ethnicity (after adjusting for basic model variables), admixture 36.8% and both, 12.2%; 45.9% of the variance remained unexplained. Alternative models for decreased glomerula filtration rate and end-stage renal disease were comparable in the distribution of the explanatory variables. Our data indicate that genetic factors appear to be more important than SES in explaining the ethnic disparities in the occurrence of renal involvement.

Variation in genetic admixture and population structure among Latinos: the Los Angeles Latino eye study (LALES

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Le Marchand Loic

2009-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Population structure and admixture have strong confounding effects on genetic association studies. Discordant frequencies for age-related macular degeneration (AMD risk alleles and for AMD incidence and prevalence rates are reported across different ethnic groups. We examined the genomic ancestry characterizing 538 Latinos drawn from the Los Angeles Latino Eye Study [LALES] as part of an ongoing AMD-association study. To help assess the degree of Native American ancestry inherited by Latino populations we sampled 25 Mayans and 5 Mexican Indians collected through Coriell's Institute. Levels of European, Asian, and African descent in Latinos were inferred through the USC Multiethnic Panel (USC MEP, formed from a sample from the Multiethnic Cohort (MEC study, the Yoruba African samples from HapMap II, the Singapore Chinese Health Study, and a prospective cohort from Shanghai, China. A total of 233 ancestry informative markers were genotyped for 538 LALES Latinos, 30 Native Americans, and 355 USC MEP individuals (African Americans, Japanese, Chinese, European Americans, Latinos, and Native Hawaiians. Sensitivity of ancestry estimates to relative sample size was considered. Results We detected strong evidence for recent population admixture in LALES Latinos. Gradients of increasing Native American background and of correspondingly decreasing European ancestry were observed as a function of birth origin from North to South. The strongest excess of homozygosity, a reflection of recent population admixture, was observed in non-US born Latinos that recently populated the US. A set of 42 SNPs especially informative for distinguishing between Native Americans and Europeans were identified. Conclusion These findings reflect the historic migration patterns of Native Americans and suggest that while the 'Latino' label is used to categorize the entire population, there exists a strong degree of heterogeneity within that population, and that

Variation in genetic admixture and population structure among Latinos: the Los Angeles Latino eye study (LALES).

Science.gov (United States)

Shtir, Corina J; Marjoram, Paul; Azen, Stanley; Conti, David V; Le Marchand, Loic; Haiman, Christopher A; Varma, Rohit

2009-11-10

Population structure and admixture have strong confounding effects on genetic association studies. Discordant frequencies for age-related macular degeneration (AMD) risk alleles and for AMD incidence and prevalence rates are reported across different ethnic groups. We examined the genomic ancestry characterizing 538 Latinos drawn from the Los Angeles Latino Eye Study [LALES] as part of an ongoing AMD-association study. To help assess the degree of Native American ancestry inherited by Latino populations we sampled 25 Mayans and 5 Mexican Indians collected through Coriell's Institute. Levels of European, Asian, and African descent in Latinos were inferred through the USC Multiethnic Panel (USC MEP), formed from a sample from the Multiethnic Cohort (MEC) study, the Yoruba African samples from HapMap II, the Singapore Chinese Health Study, and a prospective cohort from Shanghai, China. A total of 233 ancestry informative markers were genotyped for 538 LALES Latinos, 30 Native Americans, and 355 USC MEP individuals (African Americans, Japanese, Chinese, European Americans, Latinos, and Native Hawaiians). Sensitivity of ancestry estimates to relative sample size was considered. We detected strong evidence for recent population admixture in LALES Latinos. Gradients of increasing Native American background and of correspondingly decreasing European ancestry were observed as a function of birth origin from North to South. The strongest excess of homozygosity, a reflection of recent population admixture, was observed in non-US born Latinos that recently populated the US. A set of 42 SNPs especially informative for distinguishing between Native Americans and Europeans were identified. These findings reflect the historic migration patterns of Native Americans and suggest that while the 'Latino' label is used to categorize the entire population, there exists a strong degree of heterogeneity within that population, and that it will be important to assess this heterogeneity

A Hidden Markov Model Approach for Simultaneously Estimating Local Ancestry and Admixture Time Using Next Generation Sequence Data in Samples of Arbitrary Ploidy.

Science.gov (United States)

Corbett-Detig, Russell; Nielsen, Rasmus

2017-01-01

Admixture-the mixing of genomes from divergent populations-is increasingly appreciated as a central process in evolution. To characterize and quantify patterns of admixture across the genome, a number of methods have been developed for local ancestry inference. However, existing approaches have a number of shortcomings. First, all local ancestry inference methods require some prior assumption about the expected ancestry tract lengths. Second, existing methods generally require genotypes, which is not feasible to obtain for many next-generation sequencing projects. Third, many methods assume samples are diploid, however a wide variety of sequencing applications will fail to meet this assumption. To address these issues, we introduce a novel hidden Markov model for estimating local ancestry that models the read pileup data, rather than genotypes, is generalized to arbitrary ploidy, and can estimate the time since admixture during local ancestry inference. We demonstrate that our method can simultaneously estimate the time since admixture and local ancestry with good accuracy, and that it performs well on samples of high ploidy-i.e. 100 or more chromosomes. As this method is very general, we expect it will be useful for local ancestry inference in a wider variety of populations than what previously has been possible. We then applied our method to pooled sequencing data derived from populations of Drosophila melanogaster on an ancestry cline on the east coast of North America. We find that regions of local recombination rates are negatively correlated with the proportion of African ancestry, suggesting that selection against foreign ancestry is the least efficient in low recombination regions. Finally we show that clinal outlier loci are enriched for genes associated with gene regulatory functions, consistent with a role of regulatory evolution in ecological adaptation of admixed D. melanogaster populations. Our results illustrate the potential of local ancestry

Genetic origin, admixture, and asymmetry in maternal and paternal human lineages in Cuba

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Martínez-Fuentes Antonio

2008-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Before the arrival of Europeans to Cuba, the island was inhabited by two Native American groups, the Tainos and the Ciboneys. Most of the present archaeological, linguistic and ancient DNA evidence indicates a South American origin for these populations. In colonial times, Cuban Native American people were replaced by European settlers and slaves from Africa. It is still unknown however, to what extent their genetic pool intermingled with and was 'diluted' by the arrival of newcomers. In order to investigate the demographic processes that gave rise to the current Cuban population, we analyzed the hypervariable region I (HVS-I and five single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs in the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA coding region in 245 individuals, and 40 Y-chromosome SNPs in 132 male individuals. Results The Native American contribution to present-day Cubans accounted for 33% of the maternal lineages, whereas Africa and Eurasia contributed 45% and 22% of the lineages, respectively. This Native American substrate in Cuba cannot be traced back to a single origin within the American continent, as previously suggested by ancient DNA analyses. Strikingly, no Native American lineages were found for the Y-chromosome, for which the Eurasian and African contributions were around 80% and 20%, respectively. Conclusion While the ancestral Native American substrate is still appreciable in the maternal lineages, the extensive process of population admixture in Cuba has left no trace of the paternal Native American lineages, mirroring the strong sexual bias in the admixture processes taking place during colonial times.

Stability of total nutrient admixtures with lipid injectable emulsions in glass versus plastic packaging.

Science.gov (United States)

Driscoll, David F; Silvestri, Anthony P; Bistrian, Bruce R; Mikrut, Bernard A

2007-02-15

The physical stability of two emulsions compounded as part of a total nutrient admixture (TNA) was studied in lipids packaged in either glass or plastic containers. Five weight-based adult TNA formulations that were designed to meet the full nutritional needs of adults with body weights between 40 and 80 kg were studied. Triplicate preparations of each TNA were assessed over 30 hours at room temperature by applying currently proposed United States Pharmacopeia (USP) criteria for mean droplet diameter, large-diameter tail, and globule-size distribution (GSD) for lipid injectable emulsions. In accordance with conditions set forth in USP chapter 729, the higher levels of volume-weighted percent of fat exceeding 5 microm (PFAT(5)) should not exceed 0.05% of the total lipid concentration. Significant differences were noted among TNA admixtures based on whether the lipid emulsion product was manufactured in glass or plastic. The plastic-contained TNAs failed the proposed USP methods for large-diameter fat globules in all formulations from the outset, and 60% had significant growth in large-diameter fat globules over time. In contrast, glass-contained TNAs were stable throughout and in all cases would have passed proposed USP limits. Certain lipid injectable emulsions packaged in plastic containers have baseline abnormal GSD profiles compared with those packaged in glass containers. When used to compound TNAs, the abnormal profile worsens and produces less stable TNAs than those compounded with lipid injectable emulsions packaged in glass containers.

Northern range expansion of European populations of the wasp spider Argiope bruennichi is associated with global warming-correlated genetic admixture and population-specific temperature adaptations.

Science.gov (United States)

Krehenwinkel, Henrik; Tautz, Diethard

2013-04-01

Poleward range expansions are observed for an increasing number of species, which may be an effect of global warming during the past decades. However, it is still not clear in how far these expansions reflect simple geographical shifts of species ranges, or whether new genetic adaptations play a role as well. Here, we analyse the expansion of the wasp spider Argiope bruennichi into Northern Europe during the last century. We have used a range-wide sampling of contemporary populations and historical specimens from museums to trace the phylogeography and genetic changes associated with the range shift. Based on the analysis of mitochondrial, microsatellite and SNP markers, we observe a higher level of genetic diversity in the expanding populations, apparently due to admixture of formerly isolated lineages. Using reciprocal transplant experiments for testing overwintering tolerance, as well as temperature preference and tolerance tests in the laboratory, we find that the invading spiders have possibly shifted their temperature niche. This may be a key adaptation for survival in Northern latitudes. The museum samples allow a reconstruction of the invasion's genetic history. A first, small-scale range shift started around 1930, in parallel with the onset of global warming. A more massive invasion of Northern Europe associated with genetic admixture and morphological changes occurred in later decades. We suggest that the latter range expansion into far Northern latitudes may be a consequence of the admixture that provided the genetic material for adaptations to new environmental regimes. Hence, global warming could have facilitated the initial admixture of populations and this resulted in genetic lineages with new habitat preferences. © 2013 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Conserving and enhancing biological control of nematodes.

Science.gov (United States)

Timper, Patricia

2014-06-01

Conservation biological control is the modification of the environment or existing practices to protect and enhance antagonistic organisms to reduce damage from pests. This approach to biological control has received insufficient attention compared with inundative applications of microbial antagonists to control nematodes. This review provides examples of how production practices can enhance or diminish biological control of plant-parasitic nematodes and other soilborne pests. Antagonists of nematodes can be enhanced by providing supplementary food sources such as occurs when organic amendments are applied to soil. However, some organic amendments (e.g., manures and plants containing allelopathic compounds) can also be detrimental to nematode antagonists. Plant species and genotype can strongly influence the outcome of biological control. For instance, the susceptibility of the plant to the nematode can determine the effectiveness of control; good hosts will require greater levels of suppression than poor hosts. Plant genotype can also influence the degree of rhizosphere colonization and antibiotic production by antagonists, as well the expression of induced resistance by plants. Production practices such as crop rotation, fallow periods, tillage, and pesticide applications can directly disrupt populations of antagonistic organisms. These practices can also indirectly affect antagonists by reducing their primary nematode host. One of the challenges of conservation biological control is that practices intended to protect or enhance suppression of nematodes may not be effective in all field sites because they are dependent on indigenous antagonists. Ultimately, indicators will need to be identified, such as the presence of particular antagonists, which can guide decisions on where it is practical to use conservation biological control. Antagonists can also be applied to field sites in conjunction with conservation practices to improve the consistency, efficacy, and

Investigation of parity admixtures in nuclear states by measuring the β-γ directional correlation of the 203Hg → 203Tl decay

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dydak, F.

1972-01-01

As a consequence of a weak nucleon-nucleon interaction parity admixtures in nuclear states give rise to a small forward-backward asymmetry of γ-quanta with respect to the direction of β-particle emission. A highly accurate arrangement using four β- and two γ-detectors has been developed to determine the odd Legendre term A cos(theta) in the β-γ directional correlation of the cascade decay 203 Hg→ 203 Tl as well as a control value which should be zero. The electronic equipment is a specially designed nanosecond system. The sources were prepared by means of a mass separator. Possible systematic distortions of the experimental data were carefully examined. A generalized least squares fit method symmetric in all variables was deduced for a correct data evaluation. The measurements yielded the coefficient A 1 = -(2,7+-0,7).10 -4 and the control value +(0,7+-0,8).10 -4 . (author)

Barrier erosion control test plan: Gravel mulch, vegetation, and soil water interactions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Waugh, W.J.; Link, S.O. (Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (USA))

1988-07-01

Soil erosion could reduce the water storage capacity of barriers that have been proposed for the disposal of near-surface waste at the US Department of Energy's Hanford Site. Gravel mixed into the top soil surface may create a self-healing veneer that greatly retards soil loss. However, gravel admixtures may also enhance infiltration of rainwater, suppress plant growth and water extraction, and lead to the leaching of underlying waste. This report describes plans for two experiments that were designed to test hypotheses concerning the interactive effects of surface gravel admixtures, revegetation, and enhanced precipitation on soil water balance and plant abundance. The first experiment is a factorial field plot set up on the site selected as a soil borrow area for the eventual construction of barriers. The treatments, arranged in a a split-split-plot design structure, include two densities of gravel admix, a mixture of native and introduced grasses, and irrigation to simulate a wetter climate. Changes in soil water storage and plant cover are monitored with neutron moisture probes and point intercept sampling, respectively. The second experiment consists of an array of 80 lysimeters containing several different barrier prototypes. Surface treatments are similar to the field-plot experiment. Drainage is collected from a valve at the base of each lysimeter tube, and evapotranspiration is estimated by subtraction. The lysimeters are also designed to be coupled to a whole-plant gas exchange system that will be used to conduct controlled experiments on evapotranspiration for modeling purposes. 56 refs., 6 figs., 8 tabs.

Stability of i.v. admixture containing metoclopramide, diphenhydramine hydrochloride, and dexamethasone sodium phosphate in 0.9% sodium chloride injection.

Science.gov (United States)

Kintzel, Polly E; Zhao, Ting; Wen, Bo; Sun, Duxin

2014-12-01

The chemical stability of a sterile admixture containing metoclopramide 1.6 mg/mL, diphenhydramine hydrochloride 2 mg/mL, and dexamethasone sodium phosphate 0.16 mg/mL in 0.9% sodium chloride injection was evaluated. Triplicate samples were prepared and stored at room temperature without light protection for a total of 48 hours. Aliquots from each sample were tested for chemical stability immediately after preparation and at 1, 4, 8, 24, and 48 hours using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis. Metoclopramide, diphenhydramine hydrochloride, and dexamethasone sodium phosphate were selectively monitored using multiple-reaction monitoring. Samples were diluted differently for quantitation using three individual LC-MS/MS methods. To determine the drug concentration of the three compounds in the samples, three calibration curves were constructed by plotting the peak area or the peak area ratio versus the concentration of the calibration standards of each tested compound. Apixaban was used as an internal standard. Linearity of the calibration curve was evaluated by the correlation coefficient r(2). Constituents of the admixture of metoclopramide 1.6 mg/mL, diphenhydramine hydrochloride 2 mg/mL, and dexamethasone sodium phosphate 0.16 mg/mL in 0.9% sodium chloride injection retained more than 90% of their initial concentrations over 48 hours of storage at room temperature without protection from light. The observed variability in concentrations of these three compounds was within the limits of assay variability. An i.v. admixture containing metoclopramide 1.6 mg/mL, diphenhydramine hydrochloride 2 mg/mL, and dexamethasone sodium phosphate 0.16 mg/mL in 0.9% sodium chloride injection was chemically stable for 48 hours when stored at room temperature without light protection. Copyright © 2014 by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Inc. All rights reserved.

History Shaped the Geographic Distribution of Genomic Admixture on the Island of Puerto Rico

Science.gov (United States)

Via, Marc; Gignoux, Christopher R.; Roth, Lindsey A.; Fejerman, Laura; Galanter, Joshua; Choudhry, Shweta; Toro-Labrador, Gladys; Viera-Vera, Jorge; Oleksyk, Taras K.; Beckman, Kenneth; Ziv, Elad; Risch, Neil

2011-01-01

Contemporary genetic variation among Latin Americans human groups reflects population migrations shaped by complex historical, social and economic factors. Consequently, admixture patterns may vary by geographic regions ranging from countries to neighborhoods. We examined the geographic variation of admixture across the island of Puerto Rico and the degree to which it could be explained by historic and social events. We analyzed a census-based sample of 642 Puerto Rican individuals that were genotyped for 93 ancestry informative markers (AIMs) to estimate African, European and Native American ancestry. Socioeconomic status (SES) data and geographic location were obtained for each individual. There was significant geographic variation of ancestry across the island. In particular, African ancestry demonstrated a decreasing East to West gradient that was partially explained by historical factors linked to the colonial sugar plantation system. SES also demonstrated a parallel decreasing cline from East to West. However, at a local level, SES and African ancestry were negatively correlated. European ancestry was strongly negatively correlated with African ancestry and therefore showed patterns complementary to African ancestry. By contrast, Native American ancestry showed little variation across the island and across individuals and appears to have played little social role historically. The observed geographic distributions of SES and genetic variation relate to historical social events and mating patterns, and have substantial implications for the design of studies in the recently admixed Puerto Rican population. More generally, our results demonstrate the importance of incorporating social and geographic data with genetics when studying contemporary admixed populations. PMID:21304981

Improving the geotechnical behavior of sand through cohesive admixtures

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Mohie eldin Mohamed Afify Elmashad

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Irrigation projects in Egypt have been facing tremendous challenges, mostly is the scarcity of irrigation water. The current research presents the effect of different cohesive admixture on the conductivity of siliceous sand in general and its other geotechnical properties. Two different types of conventional swelling clay from (Toshka, 6th of October as well as bentonite were used to construct the irrigation canals and embankment. The results indicated that increase in the plasticity properties of the treated soil also decrease the permeability and infiltration. Moreover, the dry density of 2.08 t/m3 was obtained from sand and 20% 6th of October mixture, also the CBR of 31.20% were obtained from sand and 8% 6th of October mixture. Increasing the bentonite ratio increases the cohesion and decreasing the permeability. The swelling ratios of sand 6th of October Clay mixture is equal to 0.28%, and the fictitious stress at which the swelling ratio is nil, is equal to 16 kPa. Keywords: Sand, Swelling clay, Bentonite, Compaction test, Consolidation test, Triaxial test

Numerical study on characteristics of radio-frequency discharge at atmospheric pressure in argon with small admixtures of oxygen

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Wang, Yinan; Liu, Yue

2017-07-01

In this paper, a 1D fluid model is developed to study the characteristics of a discharge in argon with small admixtures of oxygen at atmospheric pressure. This model consists of a series of equations, including continuity equations for electrons, positive ions, negative ions and neutral particles, the energy equation, and the Poisson equation for electric potential. Special attention has been paid to the electron energy dissipation and the mechanisms of electron heating, while the admixture of oxygen is in the range of 0.1%-0.6%. It is found that when the oxygen-to-argon ratio grows, the discharge is obviously divided into three stages: electron growth, electron reduction and the electron remaining unchanged. Furthermore, the cycle-averaged electric field, electron temperature, electron Ohmic heating, electron collisionless heating, electron energy dissipation and the net electron production are also studied in detail, and when the oxygen-to-argon ratio is relatively larger (R = 0.6%), double value peaks of electron Ohmic heating appear in the sheath. According to the results of the numerical simulation, various oxygen-to-argon ratios result in different amounts of electron energy dissipation and electron heating.

Genetic admixture estimates by Alu elements in Afro-Colombian and Mestizo populations from Antioquia, Colombia.

Science.gov (United States)

Gómez-Pérez, Luis; Alfonso-Sánchez, Miguel A; Pérez-Miranda, Ana M; García-Obregón, Susana; Builes, Juan J; Bravo, Maria L; De Pancorbo, Marian M; Peña, José A

2010-08-01

This work was intended to gain insights into the admixture processes occurring in Latin American populations by examining the genetic profiles of two ethnic groups from Antioquia (Colombia). To analyse the genetic variability, eight Alu insertions were typed in 64 Afro-Colombians and a reference group of 34 Hispanics (Mestizos). Admixture proportions were estimated using the Weighted Least Squares and the Gene Identity methods. The usefulness of the Alu elements as Ancestry Informative Markers (AIMs) was evaluated through differences in weighted allelic frequencies (delta values) and by hierarchical analysis of the molecular variance (AMOVA). The Afro-Colombian gene pool was largely determined by the African component (88.5-88.8%), but the most prominent feature was the null contribution of European genes. Mestizos were characterized by a major European component (60.0-63.8%) and a comparatively low proportion of Amerindian (19.2-20.7%) and African (17.0-19.3%) genes. Five of the Alu loci examined (ACE, APO, FXIIIB, PV92 and TPA25) showed an adequate resolving power to differentiate between continental groups, as indicated by delta values and AMOVA results. The peculiarity of the Afro-Colombian gene pool seems to be associated with intense genetic drift episodes that occurred in isolated communities founded by small groups of runaway slaves. ACE, APO, FXIIIB, PV92 and TPA25 could be efficiently utilized in studies dealing with demographic history and biogeographical ancestry in human populations.

The effect of chemical admixtures and mineral additives on the properties of self-compacting mortars

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mustafa Sahmaran; Heru Ari Christianto; Ismail Ozgur Yaman [Middle East Technical University, Ankara (Turkey). Department of Civil Engineering

2006-05-15

Mortar serves as the basis for the workability properties of self-compacting concrete (SCC) and these properties could be assessed by self-compacting mortars (SCM). In fact, assessing the properties of SCM is an integral part of SCC design. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of various mineral additives and chemical admixtures in producing SCMs. For this purpose, four mineral additives (fly ash, brick powder, limestone powder, and kaolinite), three superplasticizers (SP), and two viscosity modifying admixtures (VMA) were used. Within the scope of the experimental program, 43 mixtures of SCM were prepared keeping the amount of mixing water and total powder content (Portland cement and mineral additives) constant. Workability of the fresh mortar was determined using mini V-funnel and mini slump flow tests. The setting time of the mortars, were also determined. The hardened properties that were determined included ultrasonic pulse velocity and strength determined at 28 and 56 days. It was concluded that among the mineral additives used, fly ash and limestone powder significantly increased the workability of SCMs. On the other hand, especially fly ash significantly increased the setting time of the mortars, which can, however, be eliminated through the use of ternary mixtures, such as mixing fly ash with limestone powder. The two polycarboxyl based SPs yield approximately the same workability and the melamine formaldehyde based SP was not as effective as the other two.

Fast admixture analysis and population tree estimation for SNP and NGS data

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Cheng, Jade Yu; Mailund, Thomas; Nielsen, Rasmus

2017-01-01

assumption for identifying ancestry components correctly and for inferring the correct tree. In most cases, ancestry components are inferred correctly, although sample sizes and times since admixture can influence the results. We show that the popular Gaussian approximation tends to perform poorly under......-calling associated with Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) data. We also present a new method for estimating population trees from ancestry components using a Gaussian approximation. Using coalescence simulations of diverging populations, we explore the adequacy of the STRUCTURE-style models and the Gaussian...... extreme divergence scenarios e.g. with very long branch lengths, but the topologies of the population trees are accurately inferred in all scenarios explored. The new methods are implemented together with appropriate visualization tools in the software package Ohana....

Used cooking oil as a green chemical admixture in concrete

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Salmia, B; Sidek, L M; Hidayah, B; Muda, Zakaria Che; Alam, Md Ashraful

2013-01-01

According to National Statistics Approximately 1.35 billion gallons of used oil are generated yearly. With the increasing of the concrete usage, a more cost effective and economic new type of admixtures may give positive impacts on the Malaysian construction building as well as worldwide concrete usage. To objective of this is study is to investigate the effect of used cooking oil in terms of slump test, compressive strength test and rebound hammer. By adding the used cooking oil to the concrete, it increases the slump value from 4% to 72%. And the compressive strength have an increment from 1% to 16.8%. The used cooking oil obtains the optimum contribution to the concrete mix proportion of containing used cooking oil of 1.50% from the cement content. The result of used cooking oil from experimental program of slump value and compressive strength proved that used cooking oil have positive effects on replacement of commercially available superplasticizer.

Optimal Cement Mixtures Containing Mineral Admixtures under Multiple and Conflicting Criteria

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nitza M. García

2018-01-01

Full Text Available In modern construction industry, fabrication of sustainable concrete has turned the decision-making process into a challenging endeavor. One alternative is using fly ash and nanostructured silica as cement replacements. In these modern mixtures, proper concrete bulk density, percentage of voids, and compressive strength normally cannot be optimized individually. Hereby, a decision-making strategy on the replacement of those components is presented while taking into account those three performance measurements. The relationships among those components upon concrete fabrication required a design of experiments of mixtures to characterize those mineral admixtures. This approach integrates different objective functions that are in conflict and obtains the best compromise mixtures for the performance measures being considered. This optimization strategy permitted to recommend the combined use of fly ash and nanosilica to improve the concrete properties at its early age.

Material and Structural Performance Evaluations of Hwangtoh Admixtures and Recycled PET Fiber-Added Eco-Friendly Concrete for CO₂ Emission Reduction.

Science.gov (United States)

Koo, Bon-Min; Kim, Jang-Ho Jay; Kim, Sung-Bae; Mun, Sungho

2014-08-19

In order to reduce carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions and produce an eco-friendly construction material, a type of concrete that uses a minimal amount of cement, yet still retains equivalent properties to ordinary cement concrete, has been developed and studied all over the world. Hwangtoh, a type of red clay broadly deposited around the world, has traditionally been considered an eco-friendly construction material, with bonus advantages of having health and cost benefits. Presently, Hwangtoh is not commonly used as a modern construction material due to properties such as low strength and high rates of shrinkage cracking. Recent studies, however, have shown that Hwangtoh can be used as a mineral admixture to improve the strength of concrete. In addition, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fibers recycled from PET bottle waste can be used to control shrinkage cracks in Hwangtoh concrete. Therefore, in this study, performance verification is conducted on newly developed Hwangtoh concrete mixed with short recycled PET fibers. The results show that Hwangtoh concrete has compressive strength, elastic modulus, and pH properties that are similar to these features in ordinary cement concrete. The properties of carbonation depth and creep strain of Hwangtoh concrete, however, are larger and smaller, respectively, than in ordinary cement concrete. According to flexural tests, reinforced concrete (RC) specimens cast with Hwangtoh admixtures (with and without PET fibers) possess similar or better capacities than ordinary RC specimens. The addition of PET fibers significantly improves the structural ductility of RC specimens under normal environmental conditions. However, the implementations of the concrete in aggressive environment must be carefully considered, since a previous study result indicates degradation of its durability performance in aggressive environments, such as seawater [1]. The results of this study validate the possibility of using eco-friendly Hwangtoh concrete

Enhanced Master Controller Unit Tester

Science.gov (United States)

Benson, Patricia; Johnson, Yvette; Johnson, Brian; Williams, Philip; Burton, Geoffrey; McCoy, Anthony

2007-01-01

The Enhanced Master Controller Unit Tester (EMUT) software is a tool for development and testing of software for a master controller (MC) flight computer. The primary function of the EMUT software is to simulate interfaces between the MC computer and external analog and digital circuitry (including other computers) in a rack of equipment to be used in scientific experiments. The simulations span the range of nominal, off-nominal, and erroneous operational conditions, enabling the testing of MC software before all the equipment becomes available.

The Effect of a Plasticizing Admixture on the Properties of Hardened Concrete

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anastasija Abasova

2012-11-01

Full Text Available Concrete is material obtained mixing matrix material, coarse and small aggregates and water along with additives acquiring necessary properties of hardening. The quality and properties of raw material used for manufacturing concrete, V/C ratio and the uniformity of the compaction of the mixture lead to the fundamental properties of concrete. The compressive strength of concrete is one of the most important properties of concrete. The article deals with the impact of plasticizers on the structural properties of concrete choosing an optimal content of additives. Concrete plasticizers increasing the content of additive increase the strength of samples, the density and ultrasonic pulse of velocity and decrease absorption. Test results have revealed that a plasticizing admixture under dosing or overdosing can reduce the properties of concrete.

Genetic variation and racial admixture in the Miskito of the southern Mosquito Shore, Nicaragua

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jorge Azofeifa

1998-03-01

Full Text Available A survey of the electrophoretic variation at eleven loci -red blood cell enzymes, hemoglobins and serum proteins- was performed on a sample of 59 Miskitos stemming from the southernmost part of the Mosquito shore of Nicaragua. Seven loci, ALB, a-, b-, d-globins, LDHA, LDHB, and TPI were monomorphic; AP1, CP, HP and TF were polymorphic representing a proportion of polymorphic loci (P of 0.364 and an average heterozygosity (H of 0.077. Both values are within a range covered by ten Chibchan tribes of Costa Rica and Panama evaluated for the same loci -(P = 0.364-0.182; (H = 0.104-0.052-. The data allowed an estimation of minimum (ml = 0.0, mean (mm = 7.34 and maximum (ms = 21.9 percentages of racial admixture with blacks. For comparison, admixture was also calculated from the data -mainly blood groups- of a previous survey performed in 1960 by A. Matson and his group on a sample of a region near the border between Nicaragua and Honduras; results (ml = 6.05, (mm = 11.0 and (ms = 18.1. The values showed no statistical difference, for the mean estimates, under the assumption that the non-Indian alleles are Poisson-distributed (P=0.42. The documentation of what is supposed to be the beginning of the racial admixture of the Miskito with blacks in 1641 permitted the calculation of the rate of admixture per generation -generation length: 27 years-; its maximum value lies between 1.68 and 1.91 percent. These results indicate that the Miskito gene pool has a preponderance of features characteristic of Amerindian populations.Se estudió la variación electroforética de 11 loci que codifican para enzimas eritrocíticas, globinas y proteínas séricas en una muestra de 59 indígenas misquitos originarios de la región sur de la Mosquitia de Nicaragua. Siete loci, ALB, a-, ò-y d-globinas, LDHA, LDHB y TPI fueron monomórficos, mientras que AP1, CP, HP y TF fueron polimórficos. Esto se traduce en una proporción de loci polimórficos (P de 0.364 y una

Material and Structural Performance Evaluations of Hwangtoh Admixtures and Recycled PET Fiber-Added Eco-Friendly Concrete for CO2 Emission Reduction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bon-Min Koo

2014-08-01

Full Text Available In order to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2 emissions and produce an eco-friendly construction material, a type of concrete that uses a minimal amount of cement, yet still retains equivalent properties to ordinary cement concrete, has been developed and studied all over the world. Hwangtoh, a type of red clay broadly deposited around the world, has traditionally been considered an eco-friendly construction material, with bonus advantages of having health and cost benefits. Presently, Hwangtoh is not commonly used as a modern construction material due to properties such as low strength and high rates of shrinkage cracking. Recent studies, however, have shown that Hwangtoh can be used as a mineral admixture to improve the strength of concrete. In addition, polyethylene terephthalate (PET fibers recycled from PET bottle waste can be used to control shrinkage cracks in Hwangtoh concrete. Therefore, in this study, performance verification is conducted on newly developed Hwangtoh concrete mixed with short recycled PET fibers. The results show that Hwangtoh concrete has compressive strength, elastic modulus, and pH properties that are similar to these features in ordinary cement concrete. The properties of carbonation depth and creep strain of Hwangtoh concrete, however, are larger and smaller, respectively, than in ordinary cement concrete. According to flexural tests, reinforced concrete (RC specimens cast with Hwangtoh admixtures (with and without PET fibers possess similar or better capacities than ordinary RC specimens. The addition of PET fibers significantly improves the structural ductility of RC specimens under normal environmental conditions. However, the implementations of the concrete in aggressive environment must be carefully considered, since a previous study result indicates degradation of its durability performance in aggressive environments, such as seawater [1]. The results of this study validate the possibility of using eco

Material and Structural Performance Evaluations of Hwangtoh Admixtures and Recycled PET Fiber-Added Eco-Friendly Concrete for CO2 Emission Reduction

Science.gov (United States)

Koo, Bon-Min; Kim, Jang-Ho Jay; Kim, Sung-Bae; Mun, Sungho

2014-01-01

In order to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and produce an eco-friendly construction material, a type of concrete that uses a minimal amount of cement, yet still retains equivalent properties to ordinary cement concrete, has been developed and studied all over the world. Hwangtoh, a type of red clay broadly deposited around the world, has traditionally been considered an eco-friendly construction material, with bonus advantages of having health and cost benefits. Presently, Hwangtoh is not commonly used as a modern construction material due to properties such as low strength and high rates of shrinkage cracking. Recent studies, however, have shown that Hwangtoh can be used as a mineral admixture to improve the strength of concrete. In addition, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fibers recycled from PET bottle waste can be used to control shrinkage cracks in Hwangtoh concrete. Therefore, in this study, performance verification is conducted on newly developed Hwangtoh concrete mixed with short recycled PET fibers. The results show that Hwangtoh concrete has compressive strength, elastic modulus, and pH properties that are similar to these features in ordinary cement concrete. The properties of carbonation depth and creep strain of Hwangtoh concrete, however, are larger and smaller, respectively, than in ordinary cement concrete. According to flexural tests, reinforced concrete (RC) specimens cast with Hwangtoh admixtures (with and without PET fibers) possess similar or better capacities than ordinary RC specimens. The addition of PET fibers significantly improves the structural ductility of RC specimens under normal environmental conditions. However, the implementations of the concrete in aggressive environment must be carefully considered, since a previous study result indicates degradation of its durability performance in aggressive environments, such as seawater [1]. The results of this study validate the possibility of using eco-friendly Hwangtoh concrete

Genomic regions associated with susceptibility to Barrett's esophagus and esophageal adenocarcinoma in African Americans: The cross BETRNet admixture study.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiangqing Sun

Full Text Available Barrett's esophagus (BE and esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC are far more prevalent in European Americans than in African Americans. Hypothesizing that this racial disparity in prevalence might represent a genetic susceptibility, we used an admixture mapping approach to interrogate disease association with genomic differences between European and African ancestry.Formalin fixed paraffin embedded samples were identified from 54 African Americans with BE or EAC through review of surgical pathology databases at participating Barrett's Esophagus Translational Research Network (BETRNet institutions. DNA was extracted from normal tissue, and genotyped on the Illumina OmniQuad SNP chip. Case-only admixture mapping analysis was performed on the data from both all 54 cases and also on a subset of 28 cases with high genotyping quality. Haplotype phases were inferred with Beagle 3.3.2, and local African and European ancestries were inferred with SABER plus. Disease association was tested by estimating and testing excess European ancestry and contrasting it to excess African ancestry.Both datasets, the 54 cases and the 28 cases, identified two admixture regions. An association of excess European ancestry on chromosome 11p reached a 5% genome-wide significance threshold, corresponding to -log10(P = 4.28. A second peak on chromosome 8q reached -log10(P = 2.73. The converse analysis examining excess African ancestry found no genetic regions with significant excess African ancestry associated with BE and EAC. On average, the regions on chromosomes 8q and 11p showed excess European ancestry of 15% and 20%, respectively.Chromosomal regions on 11p15 and 8q22-24 are associated with excess European ancestry in African Americans with BE and EAC. Because GWAS have not reported any variants in these two regions, low frequency and/or rare disease associated variants that confer susceptibility to developing BE and EAC may be driving the observed European ancestry

Unbinned model-independent measurements with coherent admixtures of multibody neutral D meson decays

Science.gov (United States)

Poluektov, Anton

2018-02-01

Various studies of Standard Model parameters involve measuring the properties of a coherent admixture of {D} ^0 and {\\overline{D}^0 states. A typical example is the determination of the Unitarity Triangle angle γ in the decays B→ DK, D→ {K^0_S} π^+ π^-. A model-independent approach to perform this measurement is proposed that has superior statistical sensitivity than the well-established method involving binning of the D→ {K^0_S} π^+ π^- decay phase space. The technique employs Fourier analysis of the complex phase difference between {D} ^0 and {\\overline{D}^0 decay amplitudes and can easily be generalised to other similar measurements, such as studies of charm mixing or determination of the angle β from {{B} ^0} → D h^0 decays.

Influence of Shrinkage-Reducing Admixtures on the Development of Plastic Shrinkage Cracks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lura, Pietro; Pease, Bradley Justin; Mazzotta, Guy

2007-01-01

The term plastic shrinkage cracking is generally used to describe cracks that form between the time when concrete is placed and the time when concrete sets. This paper discusses how the evaporation of water causes concave menisci to form on the surface of fresh concrete. These menisci cause both...... settlement of the concrete and tensile stress development in the surface of the concrete, which increase the potential for development of plastic shrinkage cracks. Specifically, this paper studies the development of plastic shrinkage cracks in mortars containing a commercially available shrinkage-reducing...... admixture (SRA). Mortars containing SRA show fewer and narrower plastic shrinkage cracks than plain mortars when exposed to the same environmental conditions. It is proposed that the lower surface tension of the pore fluid in the mortars containing SRA results in less evaporation, reduced settlement...

Disentangling the Impact of Control-Enhancing Mechanisms on Firm Performance

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zattoni, Alessandro; Pedersen, Torben

2011-01-01

shareholders to expropriate minority shareholders. The aim of this article is to contribute to the current debate investigating the implications of these control-enhancing mechanisms on firm performance. To reach this purpose, we collected ownership data on the (100) largest listed companies per capitalization......Governance scholars and investors traditionally advocate against the use of control enhancing mechanisms, i.e. mechanisms aimed at separating voting and cash flow rights. These mechanisms may, in fact, determine a deviation from the proportionality principle and may encourage large and controlling...... in five European countries (i.e. France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK). Then we tested the consequences of control-enhancing mechanisms for firm performance using 2SLS regression models. Our results show that (i) mechanisms that lock-in control do have a direct and negative impact on firm performance...

Rapid morphological changes, admixture and invasive success in populations of Ring-necked parakeets (Psittacula krameri) established in Europe

OpenAIRE

Le Gros , Ariane; Samadi , Sarah; Zuccon , Dario; Cornette , Raphaël; Braun , Michael P.; Senar , Juan Carlos; Clergeau , Philippe

2016-01-01

International audience; The Ring-necked parakeet (Psittacula krameri), native of Asia and Africa, is a very successful invasive species in Europe: it has been present there for over 50 years. A recent study showed that European invasive populations occupy a colder climatic niche than in their native range but the establishment of this tropical species in temperate regions remains unexplained. Two main hypotheses may explain the success of Ring-necked parakeet in Europe: admixture between indi...

Power system stability enhancement using facts controllers: a review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abido, M. A

2009-01-01

In recent years, power demand has increased substantially while the expansion of power generation and transmission has been severely limited due to limited resources and environmental restrictions. As a consequence, some transmission lines are heavily loaded and the system stability becomes a power transfer-limiting factor. Flexible AC transmission systems (FACTS) controllers have been mainly used for solving various power system steady state control problems. However, recent studies reveal that FACTS controllers could be employed to enhance power system stability in addition to their main function of power flow control. The literature shows an increasing interest in this subject for the last two decades, where the enhancement of system stability using FACTS controllers has been extensively investigated. This paper presents a comprehensive review on the research and developments in the power system stability enhancement using FACTS damping controllers. Several technical issues related to FACTS installations have been highlighted and performance comparison of different FACTS controllers has been discussed. In addition, some of the utility experience, real-world installations, and semiconductor technology development have been reviewed and summarized. Applications of FACTS to other power system studies have also been discussed. About two hundred twenty seven research publications have been classified and appended for a quick reference. (author)

Probing background ionization: positive streamers with varying pulse repetition rate and with a radioactive admixture

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nijdam, S; Van Veldhuizen, E M; Ebert, U; Wormeester, G

2011-01-01

Positive streamers need a source of free electrons ahead of them to propagate. A streamer can supply these electrons by itself through photo-ionization, or the electrons can be present due to external background ionization. Here we investigate the effects of background ionization on streamer propagation and morphology by changing the gas composition and the repetition rate of the voltage pulses, and by adding a small amount of radioactive 85 Kr. We find that the general morphology of a positive streamer discharge in high-purity nitrogen depends on background ionization: at lower background ionization levels the streamers branch more and have a more feather-like appearance. This is observed both when varying the repetition rate and when adding 85 Kr, though side branches are longer with the radioactive admixture. But velocities and minimal diameters of streamers are virtually independent of the background ionization level. In air, the inception cloud breaks up into streamers at a smaller radius when the repetition rate and therefore the background ionization level is higher. When measuring the effects of the pulse repetition rate and of the radioactive admixture on the discharge morphology, we found that our estimates of background ionization levels are consistent with these observations; this gives confidence in the estimates. Streamer channels generally do not follow the paths of previous discharge channels for repetition rates of up to 10 Hz. We estimate the effect of recombination and diffusion of ions and free electrons from the previous discharge and conclude that the old trail has largely disappeared at the moment of the next voltage pulse; therefore the next streamers indeed cannot follow the old trail.

Grouting aid for controlling the separation of water for cement grout for grouting vertical tendons in nuclear concrete pressure vessels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schupack, M.

1976-01-01

Considerable testing and development work has led to grouting procedures which can successfully grout 60 m and taller tendons in containment structures. The exaggerated water separation phenomena of strand tendons can be controlled by chemical admixtures using proper mixing and pumping procedures. Experience with both vertical six-bar tendons and large capacity strand type tendons are described. History, development work, characteristics of grout using the admixtures, mixing and pumping procedure, full scale tests and practical applications are included. (author)

Admixture mapping of 15,280 African Americans identifies obesity susceptibility loci on chromosomes 5 and X.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ching-Yu Cheng

2009-05-01

Full Text Available The prevalence of obesity (body mass index (BMI > or =30 kg/m(2 is higher in African Americans than in European Americans, even after adjustment for socioeconomic factors, suggesting that genetic factors may explain some of the difference. To identify genetic loci influencing BMI, we carried out a pooled analysis of genome-wide admixture mapping scans in 15,280 African Americans from 14 epidemiologic studies. Samples were genotyped at a median of 1,411 ancestry-informative markers. After adjusting for age, sex, and study, BMI was analyzed both as a dichotomized (top 20% versus bottom 20% and a continuous trait. We found that a higher percentage of European ancestry was significantly correlated with lower BMI (rho = -0.042, P = 1.6x10(-7. In the dichotomized analysis, we detected two loci on chromosome X as associated with increased African ancestry: the first at Xq25 (locus-specific LOD = 5.94; genome-wide score = 3.22; case-control Z = -3.94; and the second at Xq13.1 (locus-specific LOD = 2.22; case-control Z = -4.62. Quantitative analysis identified a third locus at 5q13.3 where higher BMI was highly significantly associated with greater European ancestry (locus-specific LOD = 6.27; genome-wide score = 3.46. Further mapping studies with dense sets of markers will be necessary to identify the alleles in these regions of chromosomes X and 5 that may be associated with variation in BMI.

Physicochemical stable standard all-in-one parenteral nutrition admixtures for infants and children in accordance with the ESPGHAN/ESPEN guidelines.

Science.gov (United States)

De Cloet, Joeri; Van Biervliet, Stephanie; Van Winckel, Myriam

2018-05-01

Because there are almost no standard all-in-one parenteral nutrition admixtures available for infants and children, the aim was to develop standard two-compartment parenteral nutrition bags for different weight categories based on the ESPGHAN/ESPEN (European Society of Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition/European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism) guidelines. The 1 g/kg/d lipid version for the 3 to 10 kg weight category (PED1) was assessed for short- and long-term physicochemical stability with the ability to add additional electrolytes (PED1+E). The lipid compartment A and the all-in-one admixture of A + B + vitamins + trace elements were assessed physically by visual inspection, Sudan red test, pH measurement, and lipid droplet size distribution. Chemical stability for compartment A was evaluated by quantitative analyses of non-esterified fatty acids and peroxide content. The glucose-amino acid-electrolyte compartment B was evaluated physically by visual inspection, measuring particle contamination and pH. Chemical stability was assessed by discoloration, quantitative analyses of glucose, and the amino acids L-cysteine, L-tyrosine, and L-tryptophan. No phase separation or coalescence occurred, and the mean droplet size diameter did not exceed 0.5 µm. Peroxide content and non-esterified fatty acids concentration of compartment A remained well below the limit of acceptation. No precipitation was detected for compartment B; only a slight yellow discoloration was noted at 80 d. Concentrations of glucose, L-tyrosine, and L-tryptophan remained stable; only L-cysteine decreased significantly from its initial concentration. The two-compartment PED1 and PED1+E admixtures are stable up to 80 d 2° to 8°C + 24 h room temperature (RT) with an additional 7 d 2° to 8°C + 48 h RT after mixing and addition of vitamins and trace elements. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The shaping of modern human immune systems by multiregional admixture with archaic humans.

Science.gov (United States)

Abi-Rached, Laurent; Jobin, Matthew J; Kulkarni, Subhash; McWhinnie, Alasdair; Dalva, Klara; Gragert, Loren; Babrzadeh, Farbod; Gharizadeh, Baback; Luo, Ma; Plummer, Francis A; Kimani, Joshua; Carrington, Mary; Middleton, Derek; Rajalingam, Raja; Beksac, Meral; Marsh, Steven G E; Maiers, Martin; Guethlein, Lisbeth A; Tavoularis, Sofia; Little, Ann-Margaret; Green, Richard E; Norman, Paul J; Parham, Peter

2011-10-07

Whole genome comparisons identified introgression from archaic to modern humans. Our analysis of highly polymorphic human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I, vital immune system components subject to strong balancing selection, shows how modern humans acquired the HLA-B*73 allele in west Asia through admixture with archaic humans called Denisovans, a likely sister group to the Neandertals. Virtual genotyping of Denisovan and Neandertal genomes identified archaic HLA haplotypes carrying functionally distinctive alleles that have introgressed into modern Eurasian and Oceanian populations. These alleles, of which several encode unique or strong ligands for natural killer cell receptors, now represent more than half the HLA alleles of modern Eurasians and also appear to have been later introduced into Africans. Thus, adaptive introgression of archaic alleles has significantly shaped modern human immune systems.

Control of Eolian soil erosion from waste site surface barriers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ligotke, M.W.

1994-11-01

Physical models were tested in a wind tunnel to determine optimum surface-ravel admixtures for protecting silt-loam soil from erosion by, wind and saltating, sand stresses. The tests were performed to support the development of a natural-material surface barrier for and waste sites. Plans call for a 2-m deep silt-loam soil reservoir to retain infiltrating water from rainfall and snowmelt. The objective of the study was to develop a gravel admixture that would produce an erosion-resistant surface layer during, periods of extended dry climatic stress. Thus, tests were performed using simulated surfaces representing dry, unvegetated conditions present just after construction, after a wildfire, or during an extended drought. Surfaces were prepared using silt-loam soil mixed with various grades of sand and Travel. Wind-induced surface shear stresses were controlled over the test surfaces, as were saltating, sand mass flow rates and intensities. Tests were performed at wind speeds that approximated and exceeded local 100-year peak gust intensities. Surface armors produced by pea gravel admixtures were shown to provide the best protection from wind and saltating sand stresses. Compared with unprotected silt-loam surfaces, armored surfaces reduced erosion rates by more than 96%. Based in part on wind tunnel results, a pea gravel admixture of 15% will be added to the top 1 in of soil in a prototype barrier under construction in 1994. Field tests are planned at the prototype site to provide data for comparison with wind tunnel results

Properties of Calcium Acetate Manufactured with Etching Waste Solution and Limestone Sludge as a Cementitious High-Early-Strength Admixture

OpenAIRE

Kim, Deuck-Mo; Ryu, Hwa-Sung; Shin, Sang-Heon; Park, Won-Jun

2016-01-01

Concrete is one of the most widely used construction materials. There are several methods available to improve its performance, with one of them being the use of high-early-strength admixtures (HESAs). Typical HESAs include calcium nitrate, calcium chloride, and calcium formate (CF). Industrial by-products, such as acetic acid and lime stone sludge (LSS), can be used together to produce calcium acetate (CA), which can subsequently be used as a cementitious HESA. In this study, calcium carbona...

Unbinned model-independent measurements with coherent admixtures of multibody neutral D meson decays

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Poluektov, Anton [University of Warwick, Department of Physics, Coventry (United Kingdom)

2018-02-15

Various studies of Standard Model parameters involve measuring the properties of a coherent admixture of D{sup 0} and D{sup 0} states. A typical example is the determination of the Unitarity Triangle angle γ in the decays B → DK, D → K{sup 0}{sub S}π{sup +}π{sup -}. A model-independent approach to perform this measurement is proposed that has superior statistical sensitivity than the well-established method involving binning of the D → K{sup 0}{sub S}π{sup +}π{sup -} decay phase space. The technique employs Fourier analysis of the complex phase difference between D{sup 0} and D{sup 0} decay amplitudes and can easily be generalised to other similar measurements, such as studies of charm mixing or determination of the angle β from B{sup 0} → Dh{sup 0} decays. (orig.)

Genetic admixture, social-behavioural factors and body composition are associated with blood pressure differently by racial-ethnic group among children.

Science.gov (United States)

Klimentidis, Y C; Dulin-Keita, A; Casazza, K; Willig, A L; Allison, D B; Fernandez, J R

2012-02-01

Cardiovascular disease has a progressively earlier age of onset, and disproportionately affects African Americans (AAs) in the United States. It has been difficult to establish the extent to which group differences are due to physiological, genetic, social or behavioural factors. In this study, we examined the association between blood pressure and these factors among a sample of 294 children, identified as AA, European American or Hispanic American. We use body composition, behavioural (diet and physical activity) and survey-based measures (socio-economic status and perceived racial discrimination), as well as genetic admixture based on 142 ancestry informative markers (AIMs) to examine associations with systolic and diastolic blood pressure. We find that associations differ by ethnic/racial group. Notably, among AAs, physical activity and perceived racial discrimination, but not African genetic admixture, are associated with blood pressure, while the association between blood pressure and body fat is nearly absent. We find an association between blood pressure and an AIM near a marker identified by a recent genome-wide association study. Our findings shed light on the differences in risk factors for elevated blood pressure among ethnic/racial groups, and the importance of including social and behavioural measures to grasp the full genetic/environmental aetiology of disparities in blood pressure.

Detecting directional selection in the presence of recent admixture in African-Americans.

Science.gov (United States)

Lohmueller, Kirk E; Bustamante, Carlos D; Clark, Andrew G

2011-03-01

We investigate the performance of tests of neutrality in admixed populations using plausible demographic models for African-American history as well as resequencing data from African and African-American populations. The analysis of both simulated and human resequencing data suggests that recent admixture does not result in an excess of false-positive results for neutrality tests based on the frequency spectrum after accounting for the population growth in the parental African population. Furthermore, when simulating positive selection, Tajima's D, Fu and Li's D, and haplotype homozygosity have lower power to detect population-specific selection using individuals sampled from the admixed population than from the nonadmixed population. Fay and Wu's H test, however, has more power to detect selection using individuals from the admixed population than from the nonadmixed population, especially when the selective sweep ended long ago. Our results have implications for interpreting recent genome-wide scans for positive selection in human populations. © 2011 by the Genetics Society of America

Enhanced pid vs model predictive control applied to bldc motor

Science.gov (United States)

Gaya, M. S.; Muhammad, Auwal; Aliyu Abdulkadir, Rabiu; Salim, S. N. S.; Madugu, I. S.; Tijjani, Aminu; Aminu Yusuf, Lukman; Dauda Umar, Ibrahim; Khairi, M. T. M.

2018-01-01

BrushLess Direct Current (BLDC) motor is a multivariable and highly complex nonlinear system. Variation of internal parameter values with environment or reference signal increases the difficulty in controlling the BLDC effectively. Advanced control strategies (like model predictive control) often have to be integrated to satisfy the control desires. Enhancing or proper tuning of a conventional algorithm results in achieving the desired performance. This paper presents a performance comparison of Enhanced PID and Model Predictive Control (MPC) applied to brushless direct current motor. The simulation results demonstrated that the PSO-PID is slightly better than the PID and MPC in tracking the trajectory of the reference signal. The proposed scheme could be useful algorithms for the system.

Bilingualism and Musicianship Enhance Cognitive Control

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Scott R. Schroeder

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Learning how to speak a second language (i.e., becoming a bilingual and learning how to play a musical instrument (i.e., becoming a musician are both thought to increase executive control through experience-dependent plasticity. However, evidence supporting this effect is mixed for bilingualism and limited for musicianship. In addition, the combined effects of bilingualism and musicianship on executive control are unknown. To determine whether bilingualism, musicianship, and combined bilingualism and musicianship improve executive control, we tested 219 young adults belonging to one of four groups (bilinguals, musicians, bilingual musicians, and controls on a nonlinguistic, nonmusical, visual-spatial Simon task that measured the ability to ignore an irrelevant and misinformative cue. Results revealed that bilinguals, musicians, and bilingual musicians showed an enhanced ability to ignore a distracting cue relative to controls, with similar levels of superior performance among bilinguals, musicians, and bilingual musicians. These results indicate that bilingualism and musicianship improve executive control and have implications for educational and rehabilitation programs that use music and foreign language instruction to boost cognitive performance.

Bilingualism and Musicianship Enhance Cognitive Control.

Science.gov (United States)

Schroeder, Scott R; Marian, Viorica; Shook, Anthony; Bartolotti, James

2016-01-01

Learning how to speak a second language (i.e., becoming a bilingual) and learning how to play a musical instrument (i.e., becoming a musician) are both thought to increase executive control through experience-dependent plasticity. However, evidence supporting this effect is mixed for bilingualism and limited for musicianship. In addition, the combined effects of bilingualism and musicianship on executive control are unknown. To determine whether bilingualism, musicianship, and combined bilingualism and musicianship improve executive control, we tested 219 young adults belonging to one of four groups (bilinguals, musicians, bilingual musicians, and controls) on a nonlinguistic, nonmusical, visual-spatial Simon task that measured the ability to ignore an irrelevant and misinformative cue. Results revealed that bilinguals, musicians, and bilingual musicians showed an enhanced ability to ignore a distracting cue relative to controls, with similar levels of superior performance among bilinguals, musicians, and bilingual musicians. These results indicate that bilingualism and musicianship improve executive control and have implications for educational and rehabilitation programs that use music and foreign language instruction to boost cognitive performance.

Guilt enhances the sense of control and drives risky judgments.

Science.gov (United States)

Kouchaki, Maryam; Oveis, Christopher; Gino, Francesca

2014-12-01

In the present studies, we investigate the hypothesis that guilt influences risk taking by enhancing one's sense of control. Across multiple inductions of guilt, we demonstrate that experimentally induced guilt enhances optimism about risks for the self (Study 1), preferences for gambles versus guaranteed payoffs (Studies 2, 4, and 6), and the likelihood that one will engage in risk-taking behaviors (Study 5). In addition, we demonstrate that guilt enhances the sense of control over uncontrollable events, an illusory control (Studies 3, 4, and 5), and found that a model with illusory control as a mediator is consistent with the data (Studies 5 and 6). We also found that a model with feelings of guilt as a mediator but not generalized negative affect fits the data (Study 4). Finally, we examined the relative explanatory power of different appraisals and found that appraisals of illusory control best explain the influence of guilt on risk taking (Study 6). These results provide the first empirical demonstration of the influence of guilt on sense of control and risk taking, extend previous theorizing on guilt, and more generally contribute to the understanding of how specific emotions influence cognition and behavior. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.

The effect of low-NOx combustion on residual carbon in fly ash and its adsorption capacity for air entrainment admixtures in concrete

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Kim Hougaard; Jensen, Anker Degn; Dam-Johansen, Kim

2010-01-01

been combusted in an entrained flow reactor to test the impact of changes in operating conditions and fuel type on the AEA adsorption of ash and NOx formation. Increased oxidizing conditions, obtained by improved fuel-air mixing or higher excess air, decreased the AEA requirements of the produced ash......Fly ash from pulverized coal combustion contains residual carbon that can adsorb the air-entraining admixtures (AEAs) added to control the air entrainment in concrete. This is a problem that has increased by the implementation of low-NOx combustion technologies. In this work, pulverized fuel has...... by up to a factor of 25. This was due to a lower carbon content in the ash and a lower specific AEA adsorptivity of the carbon. The latter was suggested to be caused by changes in the adsorption properties of the unburned char and a decreased formation of soot, which was found to have a large AEA...

Video game training enhances cognitive control in older adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Anguera, J A; Boccanfuso, J; Rintoul, J L; Al-Hashimi, O; Faraji, F; Janowich, J; Kong, E; Larraburo, Y; Rolle, C; Johnston, E; Gazzaley, A

2013-09-05

Cognitive control is defined by a set of neural processes that allow us to interact with our complex environment in a goal-directed manner. Humans regularly challenge these control processes when attempting to simultaneously accomplish multiple goals (multitasking), generating interference as the result of fundamental information processing limitations. It is clear that multitasking behaviour has become ubiquitous in today's technologically dense world, and substantial evidence has accrued regarding multitasking difficulties and cognitive control deficits in our ageing population. Here we show that multitasking performance, as assessed with a custom-designed three-dimensional video game (NeuroRacer), exhibits a linear age-related decline from 20 to 79 years of age. By playing an adaptive version of NeuroRacer in multitasking training mode, older adults (60 to 85 years old) reduced multitasking costs compared to both an active control group and a no-contact control group, attaining levels beyond those achieved by untrained 20-year-old participants, with gains persisting for 6 months. Furthermore, age-related deficits in neural signatures of cognitive control, as measured with electroencephalography, were remediated by multitasking training (enhanced midline frontal theta power and frontal-posterior theta coherence). Critically, this training resulted in performance benefits that extended to untrained cognitive control abilities (enhanced sustained attention and working memory), with an increase in midline frontal theta power predicting the training-induced boost in sustained attention and preservation of multitasking improvement 6 months later. These findings highlight the robust plasticity of the prefrontal cognitive control system in the ageing brain, and provide the first evidence, to our knowledge, of how a custom-designed video game can be used to assess cognitive abilities across the lifespan, evaluate underlying neural mechanisms, and serve as a powerful tool

Ring-enhancement pattern on contrast-enhanced CT predicts adenosquamous carcinoma of the pancreas: a matched case-control study.

Science.gov (United States)

Imaoka, Hiroshi; Shimizu, Yasuhiro; Mizuno, Nobumasa; Hara, Kazuo; Hijioka, Susumu; Tajika, Masahiro; Tanaka, Tsutomu; Ishihara, Makoto; Ogura, Takeshi; Obayashi, Tomohiko; Shinagawa, Akihide; Sakaguchi, Masafumi; Yamaura, Hidekazu; Kato, Mina; Niwa, Yasumasa; Yamao, Kenji

2014-01-01

Adenosquamous carcinoma of the pancreas (ASC) is a rare malignant neoplasm of the pancreas, exhibiting both glandular and squamous differentiation. However, little is known about its imaging features. This study examined the imaging features of pancreatic ASC. We evaluated images of contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) and endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS). As controls, solid pancreatic neoplasms matched in a 2:1 ratio to ASC cases for age, sex and tumor location were also evaluated. Twenty-three ASC cases were examined, and 46 solid pancreatic neoplasms (43 pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas, two pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors and one acinar cell carcinoma) were matched as controls. Univariate analysis demonstrated significant differences in the outline and vascularity of tumors on contrast-enhanced CT in the ASC and control groups (P outline, cystic changes, and the ring-enhancement pattern on contrast-enhanced CT were seen to have significant predictive powers by stepwise forward logistic regression analysis (P = 0.044, P = 0.010, and P = 0.001, respectively). Of the three, the ring-enhancement pattern was the most useful, and its predictive diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value for diagnosis of ASC were 65.2%, 89.6%, 75.0% and 84.3%, respectively. These results demonstrate that presence of the ring-enhancement pattern on contrast-enhanced CT is the most useful predictive factor for ASC. Copyright © 2014 IAP and EPC. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Proposal for an experiment at the SIN: determination of D-state admixture in deuterons with the aid of π+-d scattering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gruebler, W.; Koenig, V.; Schmelzbach, P.A.; Stammbach, T.

A double scatter experiment is proposed in which the tensor polarization of the recoil deuterons is measured in the forwards direction. It is noted that using a relatively simple measurement arrangement and a short measurement time, the D-state admixture in deuterons can be determined very precisely. The experimental facilities and arrangments, structural predictions, estimate of collision rates and measurement time, background, possible improvements, and the equipment and financing are discussed. 3 references

Chemical composition, effective atomic number and electron density study of trommel sieve waste (TSW), Portland cement, lime, pointing and their admixtures with TSW in different proportions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kurudirek, Murat; Aygun, Murat; Erzeneoglu, Salih Zeki

2010-01-01

The trommel sieve waste (TSW) which forms during the boron ore production is considered to be a promising building material with its use as an admixture with Portland cement and is considered to be an alternative radiation shielding material, also. Thus, having knowledge on the chemical composition and radiation interaction properties of TSW as compared to other building materials is of importance. In the present study, chemical compositions of the materials used have been determined using a wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometer (WDXRFS). Also, TSW, some commonly used building materials (Portland cement, lime and pointing) and their admixtures with TSW have been investigated in terms of total mass attenuation coefficients (μ/ρ), photon interaction cross sections (σ t ), effective atomic numbers (Z eff ) and effective electron densities (N e ) by using X-rays at 22.1, 25 keV and γ-rays at 88 keV photon energies. Possible conclusions were drawn with respect to the variations in photon energy and chemical composition.

The effect of the pairing interaction on the energies of isobar analogue resonances in {sup 112-124}Sb and isospin admixture in {sup 100-124}Sn isotopes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Babacan, Tahsin [Department of Physics, Celal Bayar University, Manisa (Turkey); Salamov, Djavad [Department of Physics, Anadolu University, Eskisehir (Turkey); Kuecuekbursa, Atalay [Department of Physics, Dumlupinar University, Kuetahya (Turkey); Babacan, Halil [Department of Physics, Celal Bayar University, Manisa (Turkey); Maras, Ismail [Department of Physics, Celal Bayar University, Manisa (Turkey); Aygoer, Hasan A [Department of Physics, Celal Bayar University, Manisa (Turkey); Uenal, Arslan [Department of Physics, Dumlupinar University, Kuetahya (Turkey)

2004-06-01

In the present study, the effect of the pairing interaction and the isovector correlation between nucleons on the properties of the isobar analogue resonances (IAR) in {sup 112-124}Sb isotopes and the isospin admixture in {sup 100-124}Sn isotopes is investigated within the framework of the proton-neutron quasi-particle random phase approximation (pnQRPA). The form of the interaction strength parameter is related to the shell-model potential by restoring the isotopic invariance of the nuclear part of the total Hamiltonian. In this respect, the isospin admixtures in the {sup 100-124}Sn isotopes are calculated, and the dependence of the differential cross section and the volume integral J{sub F} for the Sn({sup 3}He,t)Sb reactions at E({sup 3}He) =200 MeV occurring by the excitation of IAR on mass number A is examined. Our results show that the calculated value for the isospin mixing in the {sup 100}Sn isotope is in good agreement with Colo et al's estimates (4-5%), and the obtained values for the volume integral change within the error range of the value reported by Fujiwara et al (53 {+-} 5 MeV fm{sup 3}). Moreover, it is concluded that although the differential cross section of the isobar analogue resonance for the ({sup 3}He,t) reactions is not sensitive to pairing correlations between nucleons, a considerable effect on the isospin admixtures in N {approx} Z isotopes can be seen with the presence of these correlations.

Enhancement of EAST plasma control capabilities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xiao, Bingjia, E-mail: bjxiao@ipp.ac.cn [Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei (China); School of Nuclear Science and Technology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei (China); Yuan, Qiping; Luo, Zhengping; Huang, Yao; Liu, Lei; Guo, Yong; Pei, Xiaofang; Chen, Shuliang [Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei (China); Humphreys, D.A.; Hyatt, A.W. [General Atomics, P.O. Box 85608, San Diego, CA 92186-5608 (United States); Mueller, Dennis [Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton, NJ (United States); Calabró, G.; Crisanti, F. [ENEA UnitàTecnicaFusione, C.R. Frascati, Via E. Fermi 45, 00044 Frascati, Roma (Italy); Albanese, R.; Ambrosino, R. [CREATE, Università di Napoli Federicao II, Università di Cassino and Università di Napoli Parthenope, Via Claudio 19, 80125 Napoli (Italy)

2016-11-15

Highlights: • Parallel plasma equilibrium reconstruction using GPU for real-time control on EAST. • Vertical control using Bang-bang + PID method to improve the response and minimize the oscillation caused by the latency. • Quasi-snow flake divertor plasma configuration has been demonstrated on EAST. - Abstract: In order to improve the plasma control performance and enhance the capability for advanced plasma control, new algorithms such as PEFIT/ISOFLUX plasma shape feedback control, quasi-snowflake plasma shape development and vertical control under new vertical control power supply, have been implemented and experimentally tested and verified in EAST 2014 campaign. P-EFIT is a rewritten version of EFIT aiming at fast real-time equilibrium reconstruction by using GPU for parallelized computation. Successful control using PEFIT/ISOFLUX was established in dedicated experiment. Snowfldivertor plasma shape has the advantage of spreading heat over the divertor target and a quasi-snowflake (QSF) configuration was achieved in discharges with I{sub p} = 0.25 MA and B{sub t} = 1.8T, κ∼1.9, by plasma position feedback control. The shape feedback control to achieve QSF shape has been preliminary implemented by using PEFIT and the initial experimental test has been done. For more robust vertical instability control, the inner coil (IC) and its power supply have been upgraded. A new control algorithm with the combination of Bang-bang and PID controllers has been developed. It is shown that new vertical control power supply together with the new control algorithms results in higher vertical controllability.

Copy number variations and genetic admixtures in three Xinjiang ethnic minority groups.

Science.gov (United States)

Lou, Haiyi; Li, Shilin; Jin, Wenfei; Fu, Ruiqing; Lu, Dongsheng; Pan, Xinwei; Zhou, Huaigu; Ping, Yuan; Jin, Li; Xu, Shuhua

2015-04-01

Xinjiang is geographically located in central Asia, and it has played an important historical role in connecting eastern Eurasian (EEA) and western Eurasian (WEA) people. However, human population genomic studies in this region have been largely underrepresented, especially with respect to studies of copy number variations (CNVs). Here we constructed the first CNV map of the three major ethnic minority groups, the Uyghur, Kazakh and Kirgiz, using Affymetrix Genome-Wide Human SNP Array 6.0. We systematically compared the properties of CNVs we identified in the three groups with the data from representatives of EEA and WEA. The analyses indicated a typical genetic admixture pattern in all three groups with ancestries from both EEA and WEA. We also identified several CNV regions showing significant deviation of allele frequency from the expected genome-wide distribution, which might be associated with population-specific phenotypes. Our study provides the first genome-wide perspective on the CNVs of three major Xinjiang ethnic minority groups and has implications for both evolutionary and medical studies.

Enhancing training in the main control room

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McGuigan, K.; O'Leary, K.; Canavan, K.

2004-01-01

In 2003 Pickering B Nuclear of Ontario Power Generation installed a Desktop Simulator (DTS) in the Main Control Room (MCR) for training purposes. This paper will outline why this training enhancement was undertaken and the approach taken to secure its use in an active MCR environment while minimizing distractions to plant operations. (author)

PULSE MODULATION POWER AMPLIFIER WITH ENHANCED CASCADE CONTROL METHOD

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

1998-01-01

a single local feedback path A (7) with a lowpass characteristic and local forward blocks B¿1? or B (3, 4). The leads to a much improved system with a very low sensitivity to errors in the switching power stage. In the second preferred embodiment of the invention the control structure is extended...... and feedback path A to determine stable self-oscillating conditions. An implemented 250W example MECC digital power amplifier has proven superior performance in terms of audio performance (0.005 % distortion, 115 dB dynamic range) and efficiency (92 %).......A digital switching power amplifier with Multivariable Enhanced Cascade Controlled (MECC) includes a modulator, a switching power stage and a low pass filter. In the first preferred embodiment an enhanced cascade control structure local to the switching power stage is added, characterised by having...

Genotyping by sequencing reveals the interspecific C. maxima / C. reticulata admixture along the genomes of modern citrus varieties of mandarins, tangors, tangelos, orangelos and grapefruits.

Science.gov (United States)

Oueslati, Amel; Salhi-Hannachi, Amel; Luro, François; Vignes, Hélène; Mournet, Pierre; Ollitrault, Patrick

2017-01-01

The mandarin horticultural group is an important component of world citrus production for the fresh fruit market. This group formerly classified as C. reticulata is highly polymorphic and recent molecular studies have suggested that numerous cultivated mandarins were introgressed by C. maxima (the pummelos). C. maxima and C. reticulata are also the ancestors of sweet and sour oranges, grapefruit, and therefore of all the "small citrus" modern varieties (mandarins, tangors, tangelos) derived from sexual hybridization between these horticultural groups. Recently, NGS technologies have greatly modified how plant evolution and genomic structure are analyzed, moving from phylogenetics to phylogenomics. The objective of this work was to develop a workflow for phylogenomic inference from Genotyping By Sequencing (GBS) data and to analyze the interspecific admixture along the nine citrus chromosomes for horticultural groups and recent varieties resulting from the combination of the C. reticulata and C. maxima gene pools. A GBS library was established from 55 citrus varieties, using the ApekI restriction enzyme and selective PCR to improve the read depth. Diagnostic polymorphisms (DPs) of C. reticulata/C. maxima differentiation were identified and used to decipher the phylogenomic structure of the 55 varieties. The GBS approach was powerful and revealed 30,289 SNPs and 8,794 Indels with 12.6% of missing data. 11,133 DPs were selected covering the nine chromosomes with a higher density in genic regions. GBS combined with the detection of DPs was powerful for deciphering the "phylogenomic karyotypes" of cultivars derived from admixture of the two ancestral species after a limited number of interspecific recombinations. All the mandarins, mandarin hybrids, tangelos and tangors analyzed displayed introgression of C. maxima in different parts of the genome. C. reticulata/C. maxima admixture should be a major component of the high phenotypic variability of this germplasm opening

[Contact and admixture-the relationship between Dongxiang population and their language viewed from Y chromosomes].

Science.gov (United States)

Wen, Shao-Qing; Xie, Xiao-Dong; Xu, Dan

2013-06-01

Dongxiang is one of special ethnic groups of Gansu Province. Their language is one of the Mongolian languages of Altai language family. And their origin has long been controversial. The results of Cluster analyses (multidimensional scaling analysis, dendrograms, principal component analyses, and networks) of Dongxiang population and other ethnic groups indicated that Dongxiang people is much closer to the Central Asian ethnic groups than to the other Mongolian. Admixture analyses also confirmed the result. This suggests that Dongxiang people did not descend from Mongolian, but from the Central Asian ethnic groups that have spoken Persian or Turkic language. This mismatch between paternal genetic lineage and language classification might be explained by the elite-dominance model. The ancestral populations of Dongxiang could be the Central Asian ethnic groups assimilated by Mongolian in language and culture.

In vitro stability of low-concentration ziconotide alone or in admixtures in intrathecal pumps.

Science.gov (United States)

Dupoiron, Denis; Richard, Hélène; Chabert-Desnot, Vincent; Devys, Catherine; Leynia, Pierre; Boisdron-Celle, Michèle

2014-07-01

Ziconotide is often administered in combination with other analgesics via an intrathecal pump. Studies have established that ziconotide is stable when delivered alone in high concentrations. No stability data are available, however, for ziconotide given in low concentrations and/or with other analgesics as usually occurs in clinical oncology practice. The objective of this study was to assess the in vitro stability of ziconotide alone and combined with other analgesics in intrathecal pumps at 37 °C, as well as in syringes at 5 °C, to evaluate conditions for storing and transporting preparations. Various ziconotide concentrations (0.1, 0.25, 0.5, and 0.75 μg/mL) were combined with an admixture of ropivacaine (7.5 mg/mL), morphine (7.5 mg/mL), and clonidine (15 μg/mL) in 20-mL intrathecal pumps at 37 °C and in syringes at 5 °C. Solutions of ziconotide alone in concentrations of 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, and 1 μg/mL were introduced into pumps at 37 °C and syringes at 5 °C. Assays were performed using ultra high pressure liquid chromatography. In admixtures, mean ziconotide concentrations decreased linearly to 53.4% (± 3.33%) of baseline after 35 days. When ziconotide was introduced alone in pumps at 37 °C, the residual concentration on day 31 was 35.54% (± 0.04%) with 0.25 μg/mL, 39.37% (± 0.15%) with 0.5 μg/mL, and 44.49% (± 0.18%) with 1 μg/mL. Ziconotide alone or combined with the other analgesics was stable in syringes stored at 5 °C. The preparations complied with the prescriptions, with a mean error of less than 10%, except with the lowest ziconotide concentration (0.1 μg/mL). At the low ziconotide concentrations studied, the degradation of ziconotide admixed with other drugs was linear and only weakly influenced by the baseline concentration. Linear regression with intrapolation to 30 days showed that the degradation of ziconotide admixed with other drugs was consistent with previously published data. © 2014 International Neuromodulation Society.

Enhancing Raman signals with an interferometrically controlled AFM tip

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oron-Carl, Matti; Krupke, Ralph

2013-01-01

We demonstrate the upgrade of a commercial confocal Raman microscope into a tip-enhanced Raman microscope/spectroscopy system (TERS) by integrating an interferometrically controlled atomic force microscope into the base of an existing upright microscope to provide near-field detection and thus signal enhancement. The feasibility of the system is demonstrated by measuring the Raman near-field enhancement on thin PEDOT:PSS films and on carbon nanotubes within a device geometry. An enhancement factor of 2–3 and of 5–6 is observed, respectively. Moreover, on a nanotube device we show local conductivity measurement and its correlation to Raman and topography recordings. Upgrading an existing upright confocal Raman microscope in the demonstrated way is significantly cheaper than purchasing a complete commercial TERS system. (paper)

The rheological behavior of disperse systems for 3D print-ing in constrcution: the problem of control and possibility of «nano» tools application

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Slavcheva Galina Stanislavovna

2018-06-01

Full Text Available The paper considers the problem of creating a wider class of building materials used for 3D printing. From the point of view of classical rheology of disperse systems, the application of 3D printing technology in construction has been analyzed. Theoretical analysis of the models of rheological behavior is performed according to state of their structure and the dynamic of the 3D printing processes such as mixing, pumping, extrusion, multilayer casting and structural built-up in the printing layers. The main factors and criteria for the stability of heterogeneous disperse systems in dynamic and static 3D printing processes have been identified. The general scientific concept for optimization of admixtures for 3D printable materials has been developed in terms of viscosity, consistency, and parameters of flocculation and structural built-up. The technological tools to control rheological behavior of visco-plastic admixtures are identified in all stages of 3D printing. The relevant considerations include the concentration, size, morphology, chemical and mineralogical composition, the physical and chemical activity of the solid phase’s surface, and the ionic composition, viscosity, and density of the liquid phase. It is shown that the practical engineering solutions to control the rheology, structure formation, properties of 3D printing admixtures and materials must be based on traditional factors as well as with the use of «nano» tools. According to the nanotechnological principle «bottom-up», a set of «nano» tools is proposed to control such admixture properties as extrudability, formability, and buildability. In conclusion the scientific and technical tasks to be researched have been formulated.

An experimental study of the combustion characteristics of groundnut shell and waste paper admixture briquettes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

O. A. Oyelaran

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The study was undertaken to assess the heat released of briquettes produced from waste paper and groundnut shell admixture in five mixing ratios (90:10; 80:20; 70:30; 60:40; and 50:50. The briquettes were prepared on an existing motorized briquetting machine. The suitability of briquetted fuel as domestic fuel was studied in terms of flame propagation, afterglow, calorific value, and utilized heat, after sun drying the prepared briquettes for nineteen (19 days. The results of propagation rate and afterglow obtained for all the six compositions are satisfactory they range between 0.13 to 0.14 and 365 to 380 respectively. These energy values obtained for the whole samples are sufficient enough to produce heat required for household cooking and small scale industrial cottage applications. Finally it was observed that composition variation affects the properties of the briquettes.

Development of cement material using inorganic additives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Toyohara, Masumitsu; Satou, Tatsuaki; Wada, Mikio; Ishii, Tomoharu; Matsuo, Kazuaki.

1997-01-01

Inorganic admixtures to enhance the fluidity of cement material was developed. These admixtures turned into easy to immobilize the miscellaneous radioactive waste using cement material. It was found that the ζ potential of cement particles was directly proportional to the content of the inorganic admixtures in cement paste and the particles of cement were dispersed at the high ζ potential. The condensed sodium phosphate, which was the main component of the inorganic admixtures, retarded the dissolution of Ca 2+ ion from the cement, and generated the colloids by incorporating dissolved Ca 2+ ion. The cement material containing the inorganic admixtures was found to have the same mechanical strength and adsorption potential of radionuclides in comparison to normal cement materials. It was confirmed that the cement material containing the inorganic admixture was effectively filled gaps of miscellaneous radioactive waste. (author)

Financial Control Measures and the Enhancement of Administrative ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This study was focused on the determination of the relationship between financial control measures and enhancement of administrative effectiveness of secondary school Principals in Akwa Ibom State. The choice of this topic was necessitated by the fact that despite the continuous personnel auditing conducted in the ...

Strategies for Enhancing Nonlinear Internal Model Control of pH Processes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hu, Qiuping.; Rangaiah, G.P. [The National University of Singapore, Singapore (Singapore). Dept. of Chemical and Environmental Engineering

1999-02-01

Control of neutralization processes is very difficult due to nonlinear dynamics, different types of disturbances and modeling errors. The objective of the paper is to evaluate two strategies (augmented internal model control, AuIMC and adaptive internal model control, AdIMC) for enhancing pH control by nonlinear internal model control (NIMC). A NIMC controller is derived directly form input output linearization. The AuIMC is composed of NIMC and an additional loop through which the difference between the process and model outputs is fed back and added to the input of the controller. For the AdIMC, and adaptive law with two tuning parameters is proposed for estimating the unknown parameter. Both AuIMC and AdIMC are extensively tested via simulation for pH neutralization. The theoretical and simulation results show that both the proposed strategies can reduce the effect of modeling errors and disturbances, and thereby enhance the performance of NIMC for pH processes. (author)

Design and Demonstration of Emergency Control Modes for Enhanced Engine Performance

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Yuan; Litt, Jonathan S.; Guo, Ten-Huei

2013-01-01

A design concept is presented for developing control modes that enhance aircraft engine performance during emergency flight scenarios. The benefits of increased engine performance to overall vehicle survivability during these situations may outweigh the accompanied elevated risk of engine failure. The objective involves building control logic that can consistently increase engine performance beyond designed maximum levels based on an allowable heightened probability of failure. This concept is applied to two previously developed control modes: an overthrust mode that increases maximum engine thrust output and a faster response mode that improves thrust response to dynamic throttle commands. This paper describes the redesign of these control modes and presents simulation results demonstrating both enhanced engine performance and robust maintenance of the desired elevated risk level.

Enhancing damping of gas bearings using linear parameter-varying control

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Theisen, Lukas Roy Svane; Niemann, Hans Henrik; Galeazzi, Roberto

2017-01-01

systems to regulate the injection pressure of the fluid. Due to the strong dependencies of system performance on system parameters, the sought controller should be robust over a large range of operational conditions. This paper addresses the damping enhancement of controllable gas bearings through robust...... control approaches. Through an extensive experimental campaign the paper evaluates two robust controllers, a linear parametervarying (LPV) controller and ∞ controller, on their capability to guarantee stability and performance of a gas bearing across the large operational envelopes in rotational speed...

Design and control of a linearity-enhanced SMA actuator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Son, Hyung-Min; Tak, Chul-Gon; Lee, Yun-Jung; Kang, Seok-Won; Nam, Tae-Hyun; Kim, Jae-Il

2010-01-01

For the accurate and dexterous operation of mechanical systems, continuous-type actuation, rather than on/off-type actuation, is an indispensable function. However, conventional Ti-Ni alloys present difficulties for continuous positioning control, due to their hysteretic and abruptly changing relationship between strain and temperature. Therefore, this paper proposes a new linearity-enhanced SMA actuator using a temperature-gradient annealed alloy and an inverse hysteresis controller. In comparative experiments, the proposed controller and alloy exhibit superior performance for continuous actuation.

Integration of Bass Enhancement and Active Noise Control System in Automobile Cabin

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Liang Wang

2008-01-01

Full Text Available With the advancement of digital signal processing technologies, consumers are more concerned with the quality of multimedia entertainment in automobiles. In order to meet this demand, an audio enhancement system is needed to improve bass reproduction and cancel engine noise in the cabins. This paper presents an integrated active noise control system that is based on frequency-sampling filters to track and extract the bass information from the audio signal, and a multifrequency active noise equalizer to tune the low-frequency engine harmonics to enhance the bass reproduction. In the noise cancellation mode, a maximum of 3 dB bass enhancement can be achieved with significant noise suppression, while higher bass enhancement can be achieved in the bass enhance mode. The results show that the proposed system is effective for solving both the bass audio reproduction and the noise control problems in automobile cabins.

Enhanced Performance Controller Design for Stochastic Systems by Adding Extra State Estimation onto the Existing Closed Loop Control

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhou, Yuyang; Zhang, Qichun; Wang, Hong

2016-08-30

To enhance the performance of the tracking property , this paper presents a novel control algorithm for a class of linear dynamic stochastic systems with unmeasurable states, where the performance enhancement loop is established based on Kalman filter. Without changing the existing closed loop with the PI controller, the compensative controller is designed to minimize the variances of the tracking errors using the estimated states and the propagation of state variances. Moreover, the stability of the closed-loop systems has been analyzed in the mean-square sense. A simulated example is included to show the effectiveness of the presented control algorithm, where encouraging results have been obtained.

Progress of admixtures and quality of concrete. 2. ; Approaches to ultra-high-strength concrete. Konwa zairyo no shinpo to concrete no hinshitsu. 2. ; Chokokyodo concrete eno approach

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kawai, T. (Shimizu Construction Co. Ltd., Tokyo (Japan)); Abe, M. (Building Research Institute, Tsukuba (Japan))

1994-02-15

Ultra-high-strength concrete of 600 kgf/cm[sup 2] or more is reviewed. MDF (macro defect free) cement, spheroidal cement and mechanically stabilized cement have been developed for ultra-high-strength concrete, however, in general, DSP (densified system containing homogeneously arranged ultra-fine particles) technique is now usual in which a water-cement ratio is reduced by use of advanced air entraining and water reducing agents and cured concrete is densified by use of ultra-fine particles as admixture. Four kinds of substances such as naphthalene system and polycarboxylic acid system are used as air entraining and water reducing agents, and silica fume is used as ultra-fine particle admixture which can be effectively replaced with blast furnace slag or fly ash. Various use examples of ultra-high-strength concrete such as an ocean platform are found in the world, however, only some examples such as a PC truss bridge and the main tower of a PC cable stayed bridge in Japan. 22 refs., 10 figs., 2 tabs.

Phylogeographic Analyses of American Black Bears (Ursus americanus) Suggest Four Glacial Refugia and Complex Patterns of Postglacial Admixture.

Science.gov (United States)

Puckett, Emily E; Etter, Paul D; Johnson, Eric A; Eggert, Lori S

2015-09-01

Studies of species with continental distributions continue to identify intraspecific lineages despite continuous habitat. Lineages may form due to isolation by distance, adaptation, divergence across barriers, or genetic drift following range expansion. We investigated lineage diversification and admixture within American black bears (Ursus americanus) across their range using 22 k single nucleotide polymorphisms and mitochondrial DNA sequences. We identified three subcontinental nuclear clusters which we further divided into nine geographic regions: Alaskan (Alaska-East), eastern (Central Interior Highlands, Great Lakes, Northeast, Southeast), and western (Alaska-West, West, Pacific Coast, Southwest). We estimated that the western cluster diverged 67 ka, before eastern and Alaskan divergence 31 ka; these divergence dates contrasted with those from the mitochondrial genome where clades A and B diverged 1.07 Ma, and clades A-east and A-west diverged 169 ka. We combined estimates of divergence timing with hindcast species distribution models to infer glacial refugia for the species in Beringia, Pacific Northwest, Southwest, and Southeast. Our results show a complex arrangement of admixture due to expansion out of multiple refugia. The delineation of the genomic population clusters was inconsistent with the ranges for 16 previously described subspecies. Ranges for U. a. pugnax and U. a. cinnamomum were concordant with admixed clusters, calling into question how to order taxa below the species level. Additionally, our finding that U. a. floridanus has not diverged from U. a. americanus also suggests that morphology and genetics should be reanalyzed to assess taxonomic designations relevant to the conservation management of the species. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution. All rights reserved.For permissions please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Enhanced attention to context: An intervention that increases perceived control in mild depression.

Science.gov (United States)

Msetfi, R M; Brosnan, L; Cavus, H A

2016-01-01

People perceive that they have control over events to the extent that the same events do not occur outside of their control, randomly, in the environment or context. Therefore, perceived control should be enhanced if there is a large contrast between one's own control and the control that the context itself seems to exert over events. Given that depression is associated with low perceived control, we tested the hypothesis that enhanced attentional focus to context will increase perceived control in people with and without depression. A total of 106 non-depressed and mildly depressed participants completed a no control zero-contingency task with low and high outcome probability conditions. In the experimental context-focus group, participants were instructed to attend to the context, whereas in the control group, participants were instructed to attend to their thoughts. Irrespective of attentional focus, non-depressed participants displayed illusory control. However, people with mild depression responded strongly to the attention focus manipulation. In the control group, they evidenced low perceived control with classic depressive realism effects. In the experimental group, when asked to focus on the context in which events took place, participants with mild depression displayed enhanced perceived control or illusory control, similar to non-depressed participants. Findings are discussed in relation to whether depression effects on perceived control represent tendencies towards realism or attentional aspects of depressive thoughts.

Experimental Study on Modification of Concrete with Asphalt Admixture

Science.gov (United States)

Bołtryk, Michał; Małaszkiewicz, Dorota; Pawluczuk, Edyta

2017-10-01

Durability of engineering structures made of cement concrete with high compressive strength is a very vital issue, especially when they are exposed to different aggressive environments and dynamic loads. Concrete resistance to weathering actions and chemical attack can be improved by combined chemical and mechanical modification of concrete microstructure. Asphalt admixture in the form of asphalt paste (AP) was used for chemical modification of cement composite microstructure. Concrete structure was formed using special technology of compaction. A stand for vibro-vibropressing with regulated vibrator force and pressing force was developed. The following properties of the modified concrete were tested: compressive strength, water absorption, freeze-thaw resistance, scaling resistance in the presence of de-icing agents, chloride migration, resistance to CO2 and corrosion in aggressive solutions. Corrosion resistance was tested alternately in 1.8% solutions of NH4Cl, MgSO4, (NH2)2CO and CaCl2, which were altered every 7 days; the experiment lasted 9.5 months. Optimum compaction parameters in semi-industrial conditions were determined: ratio between piston stress (Qp ) and external top vibrator force (Po ) in the range 0.4÷-0.5 external top vibrator force 4 kN. High strength concretes with compressive strength fcm = 60÷70 MPa, very low water absorption (barrier formed in pores of cement hydrates against dioxide and chloride ions. Concrete specimens containing AP 4% c.m. and consolidated by vibro-vibropressing method proved to be practically resistant to highly corrosive environment. Vibro-vibropressing compaction technology of concrete modified with AP can be applied in prefabrication plants to produce elements for road, bridge and hydraulic engineering constructions.

ADVANCED COMPRESSOR ENGINE CONTROLS TO ENHANCE OPERATION, RELIABILITY AND INTEGRITY

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gary D. Bourn; Jess W. Gingrich; Jack A. Smith

2004-03-01

This document is the final report for the ''Advanced Compressor Engine Controls to Enhance Operation, Reliability, and Integrity'' project. SwRI conducted this project for DOE in conjunction with Cooper Compression, under DOE contract number DE-FC26-03NT41859. This report addresses an investigation of engine controls for integral compressor engines and the development of control strategies that implement closed-loop NOX emissions feedback.

Power system security enhancement through direct non-disruptive load control

Science.gov (United States)

Ramanathan, Badri Narayanan

The transition to a competitive market structure raises significant concerns regarding reliability of the power grid. A need to build tools for security assessment that produce operating limit boundaries for both static and dynamic contingencies is recognized. Besides, an increase in overall uncertainty in operating conditions makes corrective actions at times ineffective leaving the system vulnerable to instability. The tools that are in place for stability enhancement are mostly corrective and suffer from lack of robustness to operating condition changes. They often pose serious coordination challenges. With deregulation, there have also been ownership and responsibility issues associated with stability controls. However, the changing utility business model and the developments in enabling technologies such as two-way communication, metering, and control open up several new possibilities for power system security enhancement. This research proposes preventive modulation of selected loads through direct control for power system security enhancement. Two main contributions of this research are the following: development of an analysis framework and two conceptually different analysis approaches for load modulation to enhance oscillatory stability, and the development and study of algorithms for real-time modulation of thermostatic loads. The underlying analysis framework is based on the Structured Singular Value (SSV or mu) theory. Based on the above framework, two fundamentally different approaches towards analysis of the amount of load modulation for desired stability performance have been developed. Both the approaches have been tested on two different test systems: CIGRE Nordic test system and an equivalent of the Western Electric Coordinating Council test system. This research also develops algorithms for real-time modulation of thermostatic loads that use the results of the analysis. In line with some recent load management programs executed by utilities, two

Enhancing the NCSU PULSTAR reactor control room with human factors considerations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Glover, B.L.; Pupons, D.E.; Perez, P.B.

1993-01-01

The North Carolina PULSTAR research reactor was constructed to support teaching, training, and research. The training provided is not limited to academic students but encompasses plant operators, managers, engineers, designers, and supporting organizations in the nuclear industry. Our facility is under-going design changes to maximize teaching effectiveness and continued safe operation by providing current technology in the control room. The opportunity for the enhancements is a result of the generosity of neighboring utilities and the US Department of Energy instrumentation upgrade funds. Our objective, to provide a control room environment that conforms to selected industry practices, required human factors input. A human factors course, offered jointly between the industrial engineering and the psychology departments, included the PULSTAR control room enhancement as a case study

Genetic structure, relationships and admixture with wild relatives in native pig breeds from Iberia and its islands.

Science.gov (United States)

Gama, Luis T; Martínez, Amparo M; Carolino, Inês; Landi, Vincenzo; Delgado, Juan V; Vicente, Antonio A; Vega-Pla, José L; Cortés, Oscar; Sousa, Conceição O

2013-06-14

Native pig breeds in the Iberian Peninsula are broadly classified as belonging to either the Celtic or the Mediterranean breed groups, but there are other local populations that do not fit into any of these groups. Most of the native pig breeds in Iberia are in danger of extinction, and the assessment of their genetic diversity and population structure, relationships and possible admixture between breeds, and the appraisal of conservation alternatives are crucial to adopt appropriate management strategies. A panel of 24 microsatellite markers was used to genotype 844 animals representing the 17 most important native swine breeds and wild populations existing in Portugal and Spain and various statistical tools were applied to analyze the results. Genetic diversity was high in the breeds studied, with an overall mean of 13.6 alleles per locus and an average expected heterozygosity of 0.80. Signs of genetic bottlenecks were observed in breeds with a small census size, and population substructure was present in some of the breeds with larger census sizes. Variability among breeds accounted for about 20% of the total genetic diversity, and was explained mostly by differences among the Celtic, Mediterranean and Basque breed groups, rather than by differences between domestic and wild pigs. Breeds clustered closely according to group, and proximity was detected between wild pigs and the Mediterranean cluster of breeds. Most breeds had their own structure and identity, with very little evidence of admixture, except for the Retinto and Entrepelado varieties of the Mediterranean group, which are very similar. Genetic influence of the identified breed clusters extends beyond the specific geographical areas across borders throughout the Iberian Peninsula, with a very sharp transition from one breed group to another. Analysis of conservation priorities confirms that the ranking of a breed for conservation depends on the emphasis placed on its contribution to the between- and

Robust algebraic image enhancement for intelligent control systems

Science.gov (United States)

Lerner, Bao-Ting; Morrelli, Michael

1993-01-01

Robust vision capability for intelligent control systems has been an elusive goal in image processing. The computationally intensive techniques a necessary for conventional image processing make real-time applications, such as object tracking and collision avoidance difficult. In order to endow an intelligent control system with the needed vision robustness, an adequate image enhancement subsystem capable of compensating for the wide variety of real-world degradations, must exist between the image capturing and the object recognition subsystems. This enhancement stage must be adaptive and must operate with consistency in the presence of both statistical and shape-based noise. To deal with this problem, we have developed an innovative algebraic approach which provides a sound mathematical framework for image representation and manipulation. Our image model provides a natural platform from which to pursue dynamic scene analysis, and its incorporation into a vision system would serve as the front-end to an intelligent control system. We have developed a unique polynomial representation of gray level imagery and applied this representation to develop polynomial operators on complex gray level scenes. This approach is highly advantageous since polynomials can be manipulated very easily, and are readily understood, thus providing a very convenient environment for image processing. Our model presents a highly structured and compact algebraic representation of grey-level images which can be viewed as fuzzy sets.

SVC control enhancement applying self-learning fuzzy algorithm for islanded microgrid

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hossam Gabbar

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Maintaining voltage stability, within acceptable levels, for islanded Microgrids (MGs is a challenge due to limited exchange power between generation and loads. This paper proposes an algorithm to enhance the dynamic performance of islanded MGs in presence of load disturbance using Static VAR Compensator (SVC with Fuzzy Model Reference Learning Controller (FMRLC. The proposed algorithm compensates MG nonlinearity via fuzzy membership functions and inference mechanism imbedded in both controller and inverse model. Hence, MG keeps the desired performance as required at any operating condition. Furthermore, the self-learning capability of the proposed control algorithm compensates for grid parameter’s variation even with inadequate information about load dynamics. A reference model was designed to reject bus voltage disturbance with achievable performance by the proposed fuzzy controller. Three simulations scenarios have been presented to investigate effectiveness of proposed control algorithm in improving steady-state and transient performance of islanded MGs. The first scenario conducted without SVC, second conducted with SVC using PID controller and third conducted using FMRLC algorithm. A comparison for results shows ability of proposed control algorithm to enhance disturbance rejection due to learning process.

Continuum random-phase approximation study of the incoherent μ--e- conversion rate and its spurious 1- admixture

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Papakonstantinou, P.; Wambach, J.; Kosmas, T.S.; Faessler, A.

2006-01-01

The incoherent transition strength of the exotic μ - -e - conversion in the 208 Pb nucleus is investigated by utilizing the continuum random-phase-approximation method, appropriate for the evaluation of the rate that goes to the continuum of the nuclear spectrum. We find that the contribution of resonances lying high in the continuum is not negligible. Special attention is paid to the detailed study of the pronounced 1 - contribution that according to previous calculations, dominates the overall incoherent rate in about all the nuclear targets. The spurious center-of-mass admixture to the partial rate originating from the 1 - excitations is explored, and its elimination is performed by correcting properly the dipole operators. The results found this way show that the greatest portion of the total 1 - contribution to the incoherent rate is spurious

Genetic structure, divergence and admixture of Han Chinese, Japanese and Korean populations.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yuchen; Lu, Dongsheng; Chung, Yeun-Jun; Xu, Shuhua

2018-01-01

Han Chinese, Japanese and Korean, the three major ethnic groups of East Asia, share many similarities in appearance, language and culture etc., but their genetic relationships, divergence times and subsequent genetic exchanges have not been well studied. We conducted a genome-wide study and evaluated the population structure of 182 Han Chinese, 90 Japanese and 100 Korean individuals, together with the data of 630 individuals representing 8 populations wordwide. Our analyses revealed that Han Chinese, Japanese and Korean populations have distinct genetic makeup and can be well distinguished based on either the genome wide data or a panel of ancestry informative markers (AIMs). Their genetic structure corresponds well to their geographical distributions, indicating geographical isolation played a critical role in driving population differentiation in East Asia. The most recent common ancestor of the three populations was dated back to 3000 ~ 3600 years ago. Our analyses also revealed substantial admixture within the three populations which occurred subsequent to initial splits, and distinct gene introgression from surrounding populations, of which northern ancestral component is dominant. These estimations and findings facilitate to understanding population history and mechanism of human genetic diversity in East Asia, and have implications for both evolutionary and medical studies.

Performance of rice husk ash produced using a new technology as a mineral admixture in concrete

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nehdi, M.; Duquette, J.; El Damatty, A.

2003-01-01

This article investigates the use of a new technique for the controlled combustion of Egyptian rice husk to mitigate the environmental concerns associated with its uncontrolled burning and provide a supplementary cementing material for the local construction industry. The reactor used provides efficient combustion of rice husk in a short residency time via the suspension of processed particles by jets of a process air stream that is forced though stationary angled blades at high velocity. Investigations on the rice husk ash (RHA) thus produced included oxide analysis, X-ray diffraction, carbon content, grindability, water demand, pozzolanic activity index, surface area, and particle size distribution measurements. In addition, concrete mixtures incorporating various proportions of silica fume (SF) and Egyptian RHA (EG-RHA) produced at different combustion temperatures were made and compared. The workability, superplasticizer and air-entraining admixture requirements, and compressive strength at various ages of these concrete mixtures were evaluated, and their resistance to rapid chloride penetrability and deicing salt surface scaling were examined. Test results indicate that contrary to RHA produced using existing technology, the superplasticizer and air-entraining agent requirements did not increase drastically when the RHA developed in this study was used. Compressive strengths achieved by concrete mixtures incorporating the new RHA exceeded those of concretes containing similar proportions of SF. The resistance to surface scaling of RHA concrete was better than that of concrete containing similar proportions of SF. While the chloride penetrability was substantially decreased by RHA, it remained slightly higher than that achieved by SF concrete

Plastic shrinkage of mortars with shrinkage reducing admixture and lightweight aggregates studied by neutron tomography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wyrzykowski, Mateusz; Trtik, Pavel; Münch, Beat; Weiss, Jason; Vontobel, Peter; Lura, Pietro

2015-01-01

Water transport in fresh, highly permeable concrete and rapid water evaporation from the concrete surface during the first few hours after placement are the key parameters influencing plastic shrinkage cracking. In this work, neutron tomography was used to determine both the water loss from the concrete surface due to evaporation and the redistribution of fluid that occurs in fresh mortars exposed to external drying. In addition to the reference mortar with a water to cement ratio (w/c) of 0.30, a mortar with the addition of pre-wetted lightweight aggregates (LWA) and a mortar with a shrinkage reducing admixture (SRA) were tested. The addition of SRA reduced the evaporation rate from the mortar at the initial stages of drying and reduced the total water loss. The pre-wetted LWA released a large part of the absorbed water as a consequence of capillary pressure developing in the fresh mortar due to evaporation

Plastic shrinkage of mortars with shrinkage reducing admixture and lightweight aggregates studied by neutron tomography

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wyrzykowski, Mateusz, E-mail: mateusz.wyrzykowski@empa.ch [Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Concrete and Construction Chemistry Laboratory, Dübendorf (Switzerland); Lodz University of Technology, Department of Building Physics and Building Materials, Lodz (Poland); Trtik, Pavel [Paul Scherrer Institute, Laboratory for Neutron Scattering and Imaging, Villigen (Switzerland); Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Concrete and Construction Chemistry Laboratory, Dübendorf (Switzerland); Münch, Beat [Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Concrete and Construction Chemistry Laboratory, Dübendorf (Switzerland); Weiss, Jason [Purdue University, School of Civil Engineering, West Lafayette (United States); Vontobel, Peter [Paul Scherrer Institute, Laboratory for Neutron Scattering and Imaging, Villigen (Switzerland); Lura, Pietro [Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Concrete and Construction Chemistry Laboratory, Dübendorf (Switzerland); ETH Zurich, Institute for Building Materials (IfB), Zurich (Switzerland)

2015-07-15

Water transport in fresh, highly permeable concrete and rapid water evaporation from the concrete surface during the first few hours after placement are the key parameters influencing plastic shrinkage cracking. In this work, neutron tomography was used to determine both the water loss from the concrete surface due to evaporation and the redistribution of fluid that occurs in fresh mortars exposed to external drying. In addition to the reference mortar with a water to cement ratio (w/c) of 0.30, a mortar with the addition of pre-wetted lightweight aggregates (LWA) and a mortar with a shrinkage reducing admixture (SRA) were tested. The addition of SRA reduced the evaporation rate from the mortar at the initial stages of drying and reduced the total water loss. The pre-wetted LWA released a large part of the absorbed water as a consequence of capillary pressure developing in the fresh mortar due to evaporation.

Cognitive control in auditory working memory is enhanced in musicians.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Karen Johanne Pallesen

Full Text Available Musical competence may confer cognitive advantages that extend beyond processing of familiar musical sounds. Behavioural evidence indicates a general enhancement of both working memory and attention in musicians. It is possible that musicians, due to their training, are better able to maintain focus on task-relevant stimuli, a skill which is crucial to working memory. We measured the blood oxygenation-level dependent (BOLD activation signal in musicians and non-musicians during working memory of musical sounds to determine the relation among performance, musical competence and generally enhanced cognition. All participants easily distinguished the stimuli. We tested the hypothesis that musicians nonetheless would perform better, and that differential brain activity would mainly be present in cortical areas involved in cognitive control such as the lateral prefrontal cortex. The musicians performed better as reflected in reaction times and error rates. Musicians also had larger BOLD responses than non-musicians in neuronal networks that sustain attention and cognitive control, including regions of the lateral prefrontal cortex, lateral parietal cortex, insula, and putamen in the right hemisphere, and bilaterally in the posterior dorsal prefrontal cortex and anterior cingulate gyrus. The relationship between the task performance and the magnitude of the BOLD response was more positive in musicians than in non-musicians, particularly during the most difficult working memory task. The results confirm previous findings that neural activity increases during enhanced working memory performance. The results also suggest that superior working memory task performance in musicians rely on an enhanced ability to exert sustained cognitive control. This cognitive benefit in musicians may be a consequence of focused musical training.

Lidar-Enhanced Wind Turbine Control: Past, Present, and Future: Preprint

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Scholbrock, Andrew; Fleming, Paul; Wright, Alan; Wang, Na; Schlipf, David; Johnson, Kathryn

2016-07-01

This paper will look at the development of lidar-enhanced controls and how they have been used for turbine load reduction with pitch actuation, as well as increased energy production with improved yaw control. Ongoing work will also be discussed to show that combining pitch and torque control using feedforward nonlinear model predictive control can lead to both reduced loads and increased energy production. Future work is also proposed on extending individual wind turbine controls to the wind plant level and determining how lidars can be used for control methods to further lower the cost of wind energy by minimizing wake impacts in a wind farm.

Worldwide Patterns of Ancestry, Divergence, and Admixture in Domesticated Cattle

Science.gov (United States)

Decker, Jared E.; McKay, Stephanie D.; Rolf, Megan M.; Kim, JaeWoo; Molina Alcalá, Antonio; Sonstegard, Tad S.; Hanotte, Olivier; Götherström, Anders; Seabury, Christopher M.; Praharani, Lisa; Babar, Masroor Ellahi; Correia de Almeida Regitano, Luciana; Yildiz, Mehmet Ali; Heaton, Michael P.; Liu, Wan-Sheng; Lei, Chu-Zhao; Reecy, James M.; Saif-Ur-Rehman, Muhammad; Schnabel, Robert D.; Taylor, Jeremy F.

2014-01-01

The domestication and development of cattle has considerably impacted human societies, but the histories of cattle breeds and populations have been poorly understood especially for African, Asian, and American breeds. Using genotypes from 43,043 autosomal single nucleotide polymorphism markers scored in 1,543 animals, we evaluate the population structure of 134 domesticated bovid breeds. Regardless of the analytical method or sample subset, the three major groups of Asian indicine, Eurasian taurine, and African taurine were consistently observed. Patterns of geographic dispersal resulting from co-migration with humans and exportation are recognizable in phylogenetic networks. All analytical methods reveal patterns of hybridization which occurred after divergence. Using 19 breeds, we map the cline of indicine introgression into Africa. We infer that African taurine possess a large portion of wild African auroch ancestry, causing their divergence from Eurasian taurine. We detect exportation patterns in Asia and identify a cline of Eurasian taurine/indicine hybridization in Asia. We also identify the influence of species other than Bos taurus taurus and B. t. indicus in the formation of Asian breeds. We detect the pronounced influence of Shorthorn cattle in the formation of European breeds. Iberian and Italian cattle possess introgression from African taurine. American Criollo cattle originate from Iberia, and not directly from Africa with African ancestry inherited via Iberian ancestors. Indicine introgression into American cattle occurred in the Americas, and not Europe. We argue that cattle migration, movement and trading followed by admixture have been important forces in shaping modern bovine genomic variation. PMID:24675901

Inductively coupled plasma--atomic emission spectroscopy: an evaluation of the use of nitrogen--argon admixtures as plasma discharge atmospheres

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zalewski, J.C.

1979-01-01

The effects of the use of nitrogen in either the plasma coolant or aerosol carrier gas flows on the physical and spectrochemical properties of the inductively coupled plasma (ICP) were examined. While the plasma operated with nitrogen in the coolant flow exhibited a stability comparable to that of the argon plasma, the use of nitrogen in the aerosol carrier gas flow resulted in a plasma that was less stable. The detection limits obtained for the three plasmas exhibited a similar trend. In addition, the use of nitrogen--argon admixtures in the plasma coolant gas flow yielded an increase in both the net analyte and the background emission intensities when the corresponding argon and nitrogen--argon plasmas were operated under various conditions. Furthermore, the effect of aluminum on the Ca II (393.4 nm) spectral line was reported for the 1000/1 Al/Ca molar ratio. At an observation height of 15 mm, the signal depressions were 4 and 14% for the nitrogen--argon and the argon plasmas, respectively. The above experimental evidence suggested that the operation of the ICP with an Ar--N 2 coolant gas might be hotter than the argon plasma currently in use in this laboratory. The demountable plasma torch designed in collaboration with K. Olson yielded detection limits for 15 elements and 19 spectral lines that were approximately within a factor of two of those obtained with the torch of fused quartz design. The design also appeared to offer a more readily initiated plasma discharge. The experimental evidence presented supports the utilization of nitrogen--argon admixtures in the plasma coolant gas flow as alternate discharge atmospheres for inductively coupled plasma--atomic emission spectroscopy. In contrast, the experimental evidence shows that there is a deterioration in both physical and spectrochemical properties of plasmas operated with a nitrogen aerosol carrier gas

Estimation of admixture of twelve quark bag state in sup 4 He nucleus

CERN Document Server

Mosallem, A M

2002-01-01

The p sup 4 He elastic scattering at the energy range from 0.695 to 393 GeV is analyzed in the framework of the Glauber theory. The Glauber amplitudes were evaluated using isospin-averaged nucleon-nucleon amplitudes and the sup 4 He wave function as a superposition of the Gaussian functions. The values of the calculated differential cross sections usually exceed the experimental ones. In order to overcome the discrepancy, it is assumed following to the paper by L. G. Dakno and N. N. Nikolaev that the ground state wave function of sup 4 He has an admixture of a twelve quark bag. Neglecting all transition amplitudes, the p - 12q bag scattering amplitude was chosen in a simple Gaussian form.The inclusion of the 12q bag leads to decreasing the p sup 4 He differential cross section and to a shift of the dip position to a large values of t what is needed for a successful description of the experimental data. While fitting the data it is found that the weight of the 12q bag state in the ground state of the sup 4 He ...

Enhanced robust fractional order proportional-plus-integral controller based on neural network for velocity control of permanent magnet synchronous motor.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Bitao; Pi, YouGuo

2013-07-01

The traditional integer order proportional-integral-differential (IO-PID) controller is sensitive to the parameter variation or/and external load disturbance of permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM). And the fractional order proportional-integral-differential (FO-PID) control scheme based on robustness tuning method is proposed to enhance the robustness. But the robustness focuses on the open-loop gain variation of controlled plant. In this paper, an enhanced robust fractional order proportional-plus-integral (ERFOPI) controller based on neural network is proposed. The control law of the ERFOPI controller is acted on a fractional order implement function (FOIF) of tracking error but not tracking error directly, which, according to theory analysis, can enhance the robust performance of system. Tuning rules and approaches, based on phase margin, crossover frequency specification and robustness rejecting gain variation, are introduced to obtain the parameters of ERFOPI controller. And the neural network algorithm is used to adjust the parameter of FOIF. Simulation and experimental results show that the method proposed in this paper not only achieve favorable tracking performance, but also is robust with regard to external load disturbance and parameter variation. Crown Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Stainless and Galvanized Steel, Hydrophobic Admixture and Flexible Polymer-Cement Coating Compared in Increasing Durability of Reinforced Concrete Structures

Science.gov (United States)

Tittarelli, Francesca; Giosuè, Chiara; Mobili, Alessandra

2017-08-01

The use of stainless or galvanized steel reinforcements, a hydrophobic admixture or a flexible polymer-cement coating were compared as methods to improve the corrosion resistance of sound or cracked reinforced concrete specimens exposed to chloride rich solutions. The results show that in full immersion condition, negligible corrosion rates were detected in all cracked specimens, except those treated with the flexible polymer-cement mortar as preventive method against corrosion and the hydrophobic concrete specimens. High corrosion rates were measured in all cracked specimens exposed to wet-dry cycles, except for those reinforced with stainless steel, those treated with the flexible polymer-cement coating as restorative method against reinforcement corrosion and for hydrophobic concrete specimens reinforced with galvanized steel reinforcements.

Color and Contrast Enhancement by Controlled Piecewise Affine Histogram Equalization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jose-Luis Lisani

2012-10-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a simple contrast enhancement algorithm based on histogram equalization (HE. The proposed algorithm performs a piecewise affine transform of the intensity levels of a digital image such that the new cumulative distribution function will be approximately uniform (as with HE, but where the stretching of the range is locally controlled to avoid brutal noise enhancement. We call this algorithm Piecewise Affine Equalization (PAE. Several experiments show that, in general, the new algorithm improves HE results.

Establishment of Systematic Design Control/Configuration Management Processes to Enhance Engineering Capability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Inagaki, T.; Hamada, T.; Ihara, T.

2016-01-01

Full text: After the accident of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in 2011, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) launched various measures to enhance plant safety and safety culture of its employees. One of the important aspects of these measures is to enhance engineering capability and TEPCO is conducting actions to establish systematic design control and configuration management processes as an important foundation of such engineering capability. This paper describes how TEPCO is establishing systematic configuration management processes from three aspects, i.e., design requirement and bases management, facility configuration control, and configuration change management. It also provides brief information of the IT systems that are being introduced and will support the systematic design control and configuration management processes. (author

Controls to validate plasma samples for cell free DNA quantification

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pallisgaard, Niels; Spindler, Karen-Lise Garm; Andersen, Rikke Fredslund

2015-01-01

, are diverging due to methodological differences with lack of standardisation and definition of sensitivity. The new biological information has not yet come into routine use. The present study presents external standardisation by spiking with non-human DNA fragments to control for loss of DNA during sample...... preparation and measurement. It also suggests a method to control for admixture of DNA from normal lymphocytes by utilizing the unique immunoglobulin gene rearrangement in the B-cells. The results show that this approach improves the quality of the analysis and lowers the risk of falsely increased values...

Enhanced Voltage Control of VSC-HVDC Connected Offshore Wind Farms Based on Model Predictive Control

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Guo, Yifei; Gao, Houlei; Wu, Qiuwei

2018-01-01

This paper proposes an enhanced voltage control strategy (EVCS) based on model predictive control (MPC) for voltage source converter based high voltage direct current (VSCHVDC) connected offshore wind farms (OWFs). In the proposed MPC based EVCS, all wind turbine generators (WTGs) as well...... as the wind farm side VSC are optimally coordinated to keep voltages within the feasible range and reduce system power losses. Considering the high ratio of the OWF collector system, the effects of active power outputs of WTGs on voltage control are also taken into consideration. The predictive model of VSC...

Genetic admixture studies on four in situ evolved, two migrant and twenty-one ethnic populations of Tamil Nadu, south India.

Science.gov (United States)

Suhasini, G; Sonaa, E; Shila, S; Srikumari, C R; Jayaraman, G; Ramesh, A

2011-08-01

We analysed the genetic structure of ≈ 1000 samples representing 27 ethnic groups settled in Tamil Nadu, south India, derived from two linguistic families (Dravidians and Indo-Europeans) representing four religious groups (Hinduism, Islam, Christianity and Jainism) using 11 mtDNA markers. Out of 27 ethnic groups, four are in situ populations (Anglo-Indian, Labbai Muslim, Nadar Christian and south Indian Jain) and two are migrants (Gypsy and north Indian Jain) from north India to Tamil Nadu, and 21 are native ethnic groups. Six of the markers we used were monomorphic (HaeIII663, HpaI3592, AluI5176, AluI7025, AluI13262, 9-bp deletion) and five markers were polymorphic (DdeI10394, AluI10397, HinfI12308, HincII13259 and HaeIII16517). Haplogroup frequencies, genetic affinities and admixture analysis are based on the genotype data of polymorphic markers observed in these populations. Haplogroup frequencies indicate that various ethnic groups entered Tamil Nadu during different time periods. Genetic affinities and admixture estimates revealed that the ethnic groups possessing advanced knowledge of farming cluster in a branch (C), and could be the late arrived settlers as agriculture, was introduced to this region at about 5 to 3 thousand years ago. In situ ethnic groups appear to have arisen at various times as a result of the prevailing dominant socio-cultural forces. Hierarchical Hindu caste system created many ethnic groups in the history of its existence; some of them became isolated for considerable period of time. Over all, among Tamil ethnic groups, in spite of caste systems' rigidity, built in flexibility in the system in the form of hypergamy and hypogamy had allowed maternal gene flow between them.

Structural Investigations of Portland Cement Components, Hydration, and Effects of Admixtures by Solid-State NMR Spectroscopy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Skibsted, Jørgen Bengaard; Andersen, Morten D.; Jakobsen, Hans Jørgen

2006-01-01

for the C-S-H phase formed during hydration. It will be demonstrated that Al3+ and flouride guest-ions in the anhydrous and hydrated calcium silicates can be studied in detail by 27Al and 19F MAS NMR, thereby providing information on the local structure and the mechanisms for incorporation of these ions......Solid-state, magic-angle spinning (MAS) NMR spectroscopy represents a valuable tool for structural investigations on the nanoscale of the most important phases in anhydrous and hydrated Portland cements and of various admixtures. This is primarily due to the fact that the method reflects the first......- and second-coordination spheres of the spin nucleus under investigation while it is less sensitive to long-range order. Thus, crystalline as well as amorphous phases can be detected in a quantitative manner by solid-state NMR. In particular the structure of the calcium-silicate-hydrate (C-S-H) phase have...

ASSESSMENT OF A WIND TURBINE INTELLIGENT CONTROLLER FOR ENHANCED ENERGY PRODUCTION AND POLLUTION REDUCTION

Science.gov (United States)

This study assessed the enhanced energy production which is possible when variable-speed wind turbines are electronically controlled by an intelligent controller for efficiency optimization and performance improvement. The control system consists of three fuzzy- logic controllers...

Application and Evaluation of Control Modes for Risk-Based Engine Performance Enhancements

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Yuan; Litt, Jonathan S.; Sowers, T. Shane; Owen, A. Karl; Guo, Ten-Huei

2015-01-01

The engine control system for civil transport aircraft imposes operational limits on the propulsion system to ensure compliance with safety standards. However, during certain emergency situations, aircraft survivability may benefit from engine performance beyond its normal limits despite the increased risk of failure. Accordingly, control modes were developed to improve the maximum thrust output and responsiveness of a generic high-bypass turbofan engine. The algorithms were designed such that the enhanced performance would always constitute an elevation in failure risk to a consistent predefined likelihood. This paper presents an application of these risk-based control modes to a combined engine/aircraft model. Through computer and piloted simulation tests, the aim is to present a notional implementation of these modes, evaluate their effects on a generic airframe, and demonstrate their usefulness during emergency flight situations. Results show that minimal control effort is required to compensate for the changes in flight dynamics due to control mode activation. The benefits gained from enhanced engine performance for various runway incursion scenarios are investigated. Finally, the control modes are shown to protect against potential instabilities during propulsion-only flight where all aircraft control surfaces are inoperable.

Control Strategies for Islanded Microgrid using Enhanced Hierarchical Control Structure with Multiple Current-Loop Damping Schemes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Han, Yang; Shen, Pan; Zhao, Xin

2017-01-01

In this paper, the modeling, controller design, and stability analysis of the islanded microgrid (MG) using enhanced hierarchical control structure with multiple current loop damping schemes is proposed. The islanded MG is consisted of the parallel-connected voltage source inverters using LCL...... output filters, and the proposed control structure includes: the primary control with additional phase-shift loop, the secondary control for voltage amplitude and frequency restoration, the virtual impedance loops which contains virtual positive- and negative-sequence impedance loops at fundamental...... frequency, and virtual variable harmonic impedance loop at harmonic frequencies, and the inner voltage and current loop controllers. A small-signal model for the primary and secondary controls with additional phase-shift loop is presented, which shows an over-damped feature from eigenvalue analysis...

Magnetic moments of multiquark systems and restraints upon the six-quark admixture to the deuteron wave functions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kondratyuk, L.A.; Krivoruchenko, M.I.; Shchepkin, M.G.

1986-01-01

The magnetic moment of the six-quark bag with the deuteron quantum numbers is calculated in the chiral bag model taking into account the gluonic and the pionic corrections. For the six-quark bag radius R 6q =1.18-1.38 fm (corresponding to the nucleon bag radius R 3q =0.8-1.0 fm) the magnetic moment equals m D 6q =1.17-1.23 nuclear magnetons. This result together with the deuteron magnetic momentum data provides a restraint upon the six-quark bag admixture in the deuteron P B < or approx. 3%. This value is a few times lower than the probability that two nucleons are in the range r < 1.4 fm. Therefore, it may be interpreted as an evidence for a considerable difference between the properties of the effective bag in the deuteron and of the MIT bag

Study on properties of mortar using silica fume and ground blast furnace slag. Silica fume oyobi koro slag funmatsu wo mochiita mortar no tokusei ni kansuru kenkyu

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shiiba, H; Honda, S; Araki, A [Fukuoka University, Fukuoka (Japan). Faculty of Engineering

1992-09-01

The effect of silica fume and ground blast furnace slag in concrete on the content of superplasticizer, and dynamic properties of hardened mortar with such admixtures were studied experimentally. Although the dependence of a flow value on the superplasticizer was dominated by kinds of superplasticizers, blast furnace slag enhanced the flow value resulting in a high fluidity. Adsorption of superplasticizers onto admixtures was dependent on kinds of superplasticizers, and adsorption onto blast furnace slag was 1.3-2 times that onto normal Portland cement (NPC). The compressive strength of mortar increased by mixing admixtures, while the bending strength was enhanced only by mixing silica fume. Mixing mortar was lower in dynamic elastic modulus than NPC mortar at the same compressive strength, and the velocity of supersonic wave in mortar was scarcely affected by mixing. 11 refs., 14 figs., 3 tabs.

Parameterization of light scattering for solving the inverse problem of determining the concentrations of the principal light scattering and absorbing admixtures in shelf waters

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vadim N. Pelevin

2001-12-01

Full Text Available A method for estimating the water backscattering coefficient was put forward on the basis of experimental data of diffuse attenuation coefficient for downwelling irradiance and irradiance reflectance. Calculations were carried out for open sea waters of different types and the spectral dependencies were found ("anomalous" spectra and explained. On this basis, a new model of light backscattering on particles in the sea is proposed. This model may be useful for modelling remote sensing reflectance spectra in order to solve the inverse problems of estimating the concentration of natural admixtures in shelf waters.

Flight Simulator Evaluation of Enhanced Propulsion Control Modes for Emergency Operation

Science.gov (United States)

Litt, Jonathan, S; Sowers, T.; Owen, A., Karl; Fulton, Christopher, E.; Chicatelli, Amy, K.

2012-01-01

This paper describes piloted evaluation of enhanced propulsion control modes for emergency operation of aircraft. Fast Response and Overthrust modes were implemented to assess their ability to help avoid or mitigate potentially catastrophic situations, both on the ground and in flight. Tests were conducted to determine the reduction in takeoff distance achievable using the Overthrust mode. Also, improvements in Dutch roll damping, enabled by using yaw rate feedback to the engines to replace the function of a stuck rudder, were investigated. Finally, pilot workload and ability to handle the impaired aircraft on approach and landing were studied. The results showed that improvement in all aspects is possible with these enhanced propulsion control modes, but the way in which they are initiated and incorporated is important for pilot comfort and perceived benefit.

Interethnic variability and admixture in Latin America - social implications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Francisco M Salzano

2004-09-01

Full Text Available Past and present attempts to classify and characterize the human biological variability are examined, considering the race concept, ethnic identification problems, assortative mating based on ethnicity, and historical genetics. In relation to the latter, a review is made of the methods presently available for admixture quantification and of previous studies aimed at the characterization of the parental continental contributions to Latin American populations, with emphasis in global evaluations of the Costa Rican and Brazilian gene pools. Finally, the question of racism and discrimination is considered, including the relation between human rights and affirmative actions. The right to equal opportunity should be strictly respected. Biological inequality has nothing to do with the ethical principle that someone’s position in a given society should be an accurate reflection of her/his individual ability. Rev. Biol. Trop. 52(3: 405-415. Epub 2004 Dic 15Son examinados los intentos pasados y presentes de clasificar y caracterizar a la variabilidad biológica humana, considerando el concepto de raza, los problemas de identificación étnica, el matrimonio selectivo basado en la etnicidad, y la historia genética. En relación con la última, se hace una revisión de los métodos disponibles actualmente para la cuantificación de la mezcla y de los estudios previos enfocados en la caracterización de la contribuciones parentales de origen continental a las poblaciones Latinoamericanas, con énfasis en las evaluaciones globales de los acervos genéticos de de Brasil y Costa Rica. Finalmente, se considera el tema del racismo y la discriminación, incluyendo la relación entre los derechos humanos y las acciones afirmativas. El derecho a iguales oportunidades debe ser estrictamente respetado. La inequidad biológica no tiene nada que ver con el principio ético de que la posición de cualquiera en una sociedad dada debe ser un reflejo exacto de sus

Admixture analysis of stocked brown trout populations using mapped microsatellite DNA markers: indigenous trout persist in introgressed populations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Michael Møller; Mensberg, Karen-Lise Dons

2009-01-01

, but resolution is low if genetic differentiation is weak. Here, we analyse stocked brown trout populations represented by historical (1943-1956) and contemporary (2000s) samples, where genetic differentiation between wild populations and stocked trout is weak (pair-wise F-ST of 0.047 and 0.053). By analysing...... a high number of microsatellite DNA markers (50) and making use of linkage map information, we achieve clear identification of admixed and non-admixed trout. Moreover, despite strong population-level admixture by hatchery strain trout in one of the populations (70.8%), non-admixed individuals...... nevertheless persist (7 out of 53 individuals). These remnants of the indigenous population are characterized by later spawning time than the majority of the admixed individuals. We hypothesize that isolation by time mediated by spawning time differences between wild and hatchery strain trout is a major factor...

Advanced tools for enhancing control room collaborations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abla, G.; Flanagan, S.M.; Peng, Q.; Burruss, J.R.; Schissel, D.P.

2006-01-01

The US National Fusion Collaboratory (NFC) project has been exploring a variety of computer and network technologies to develop a persistent, efficient, reliable and convenient collaborative environment for magnetic fusion research. One goal is to enhance remote and collocated team collaboration by integrating collaboration software tools into control room operations as well as with data analysis tools. To achieve this goal, the NFC recently introduced two new collaboration technologies into the DIII-D tokamak control room. The first technology is a high-resolution, large format Shared Display Wall (SDW). By creating a shared public display space and providing real time visual information about the multiple aspects of complex experiment activity, the large SDW plays an important role in increasing the rate of information dissemination and promoting interaction among team members. The second technology being implemented is the 'tokamak control room aware' Instant Messaging (IM) service. In addition to providing text-chat capabilities for research scientists, it enables them to automatically receive information about experiment operations and data analysis processes to remotely monitor the status of ongoing tokamak experiment. As a result, the IM service has become a unified portal interface for team collaboration and remote participation

Advanced tools for enhancing control room collaborations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Abla, G. [General Atomics, P.O. Box 85608, San Diego, CA 92186 5608 (United States)]. E-mail: abla@fusion.gat.com; Flanagan, S.M. [General Atomics, P.O. Box 85608, San Diego, CA 92186 5608 (United States); Peng, Q. [General Atomics, P.O. Box 85608, San Diego, CA 92186 5608 (United States); Burruss, J.R. [General Atomics, P.O. Box 85608, San Diego, CA 92186 5608 (United States); Schissel, D.P. [General Atomics, P.O. Box 85608, San Diego, CA 92186 5608 (United States)

2006-07-15

The US National Fusion Collaboratory (NFC) project has been exploring a variety of computer and network technologies to develop a persistent, efficient, reliable and convenient collaborative environment for magnetic fusion research. One goal is to enhance remote and collocated team collaboration by integrating collaboration software tools into control room operations as well as with data analysis tools. To achieve this goal, the NFC recently introduced two new collaboration technologies into the DIII-D tokamak control room. The first technology is a high-resolution, large format Shared Display Wall (SDW). By creating a shared public display space and providing real time visual information about the multiple aspects of complex experiment activity, the large SDW plays an important role in increasing the rate of information dissemination and promoting interaction among team members. The second technology being implemented is the 'tokamak control room aware' Instant Messaging (IM) service. In addition to providing text-chat capabilities for research scientists, it enables them to automatically receive information about experiment operations and data analysis processes to remotely monitor the status of ongoing tokamak experiment. As a result, the IM service has become a unified portal interface for team collaboration and remote participation.

Implications of the admixture process in skin color molecular assessment.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Caio Cesar Silva de Cerqueira

Full Text Available The understanding of the complex genotype-phenotype architecture of human pigmentation has clear implications for the evolutionary history of humans, as well as for medical and forensic practices. Although dozens of genes have previously been associated with human skin color, knowledge about this trait remains incomplete. In particular, studies focusing on populations outside the European-North American axis are rare, and, until now, admixed populations have seldom been considered. The present study was designed to help fill this gap. Our objective was to evaluate possible associations of 18 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs, located within nine genes, and one pseudogene with the Melanin Index (MI in two admixed Brazilian populations (Gaucho, N = 352; Baiano, N = 148 with different histories of geographic and ethnic colonization. Of the total sample, four markers were found to be significantly associated with skin color, but only two (SLC24A5 rs1426654, and SLC45A2 rs16891982 were consistently associated with MI in both samples (Gaucho and Baiano. Therefore, only these 2 SNPs should be preliminarily considered to have forensic significance because they consistently showed the association independently of the admixture level of the populations studied. We do not discard that the other two markers (HERC2 rs1129038 and TYR rs1126809 might be also relevant to admixed samples, but additional studies are necessary to confirm the real importance of these markers for skin pigmentation. Finally, our study shows associations of some SNPs with MI in a modern Brazilian admixed sample, with possible applications in forensic genetics. Some classical genetic markers in Euro-North American populations are not associated with MI in our sample. Our results point out the relevance of considering population differences in selecting an appropriate set of SNPs as phenotype predictors in forensic practice.

Experimental study on high strength concrete. 1. ; Basic properties of high strength mortar using various kinds of admixtures. Kokyodo concrete ni kansuru jikkenteki kenkyu. 1. ; Kakushu konwazai wo shiyoshita kokyodo moltar no kihonteki seijo

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shimizu, T; Uenishi, T; Hayashi, Y [Okumura Corp., Tokyo (Japan)

1990-10-09

The paper studies effects of various powders as admixtures used for high strength concrete of approximately 800-1400 kg/cm {sup 2} compressive strength with the use of mortar. The following are the results of the study: In order to obtain the required table flow values, high performance AE water reducing agent must be increased with an increase of a mixing rate of silica fume (SF). However, in case of mixing blast furnace slag powder or classified fly ash (SLG or FA), AE water reducing agent can be slightly decreased, with an increase of the mixing rate. In order to obtain the required amount of air, in case of mixing SF or FA, AE agent is needed to be more increased than in case of plain mortar, while AE agent is of the same quality as in the plain one. Besides, both compressive strength rate and drying shrinkage rate show characteristic behaviors according to kinds of admixtures and mixing ratio. 10 figs., 5 tabs.

Motivation enhances control of positive and negative emotional distractions.

Science.gov (United States)

Walsh, Amy T; Carmel, David; Harper, David; Grimshaw, Gina M

2018-01-03

Using cognitive control to ignore distractions is essential for successfully achieving our goals. In emotionally-neutral contexts, motivation can reduce interference from irrelevant stimuli by enhancing cognitive control. However, attention is commonly biased towards emotional stimuli, making them potent distractors. Can motivation aid control of emotional distractions, and does it do so similarly for positive and negative stimuli? Here, we examined how task motivation influences control of distraction from positive, negative, and neutral scenes. Participants completed a simple perceptual task while attempting to ignore task-irrelevant images. One group received monetary reward for fast and accurate task performance; another (control) group did not. Overall, both negative (mutilation) and positive (erotic) images caused greater slowing of responses than neutral images of people, but emotional distraction was reduced with reward. Crucially, despite the different motivational directions associated with negative and positive stimuli, reward reduced negative and positive distraction equally. Our findings suggest that motivation may encourage the use of a sustained proactive control strategy that can effectively reduce the impact of emotional distraction.

Observer enhanced control for spin-stabilized tethered formation in earth orbit

Science.gov (United States)

Guang, Zhai; Yuyang, Li; Liang, Bin

2018-04-01

This paper addresses the issues relevant to control of spin-stabilized tethered formation in circular orbit. Due to the dynamic complexities and nonlinear perturbations, it is challenging to promote the control precision for the formation deployment and maintenance. In this work, the formation dynamics are derived with considering the spinning rate of the central body, then major attention is dedicated to develop the nonlinear disturbance observer. To achieve better control performance, the observer-enhanced controller is designed by incorporating the disturbance observer into the control loop, benefits from the disturbance compensation are demonstrated, and also, the dependences of the disturbance observer performance on some important parameters are theoretically and numerically analyzed.

Lidar-Enhanced Wind Turbine Control: Past, Present, and Future

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Scholbrock, Andrew; Fleming, Paul; Schlipf, David; Wright, Alan; Johnson, Kathryn; Wang, Na

2016-08-01

The main challenges in harvesting energy from the wind arise from the unknown incoming turbulent wind field. Balancing the competing interests of reduction in structural loads and increasing energy production is the goal of a wind turbine controller to reduce the cost of producing wind energy. Conventional wind turbines use feedback methods to optimize these goals, reacting to wind disturbances after they have already impacted the wind turbine. Lidar sensors offer a means to provide additional inputs to a wind turbine controller, enabling new techniques to improve control methods, allowing a controller to actuate a wind turbine in anticipation of an incoming wind disturbance. This paper will look at the development of lidar-enhanced controls and how they have been used for various turbine load reductions with pitch actuation, as well as increased energy production with improved yaw control. Ongoing work will also be discussed to show that combining pitch and torque control using feedforward nonlinear model predictive control can lead to both reduced loads and increased energy production. Future work is also proposed on extending individual wind turbine controls to the wind plant level and determining how lidars can be used for control methods to further lower the cost of wind energy by minimizing wake impacts in a wind farm.

MR Damper Controlled Vibration Absorber for Enhanced Mitigation of Harmonic Vibrations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Felix Weber

2016-12-01

Full Text Available This paper describes a semi-active vibration absorber (SVA concept based on a real-time controlled magnetorheological damper (MR-SVA for the enhanced mitigation of structural vibrations due to harmonic disturbing forces. The force of the MR damper is controlled in real-time to generate the frequency and damping controls according to the behaviour of the undamped vibration absorber for the actual frequency of vibration. As stiffness and damping emulations in semi-active actuators are coupled quantities the control is formulated to prioritize the frequency control by the controlled stiffness. The control algorithm is augmented by a stiffness correction method ensuring precise frequency control when the desired control force is constrained by the semi-active restriction and residual force of the MR damper. The force tracking task is solved by a model-based feed forward with feedback correction. The MR-SVA is numerically and experimentally validated for the primary structure with nominal eigenfrequency and when de-tuning of −10%, −5%, +5% and +10% is present. Both validations demonstrate that the MR-SVA improves the vibration reduction in the primary structure by up to 55% compared to the passive tuned mass damper (TMD. Furthermore, it is shown that the MR-SVA with only 80% of tuned mass leads to approximately the same enhanced performance while the associated increased relative motion amplitude of the tuned mass is more than compensated be the reduced dimensions of the mass. Therefore, the MR-SVA is an appropriate solution for the mitigation of tall buildings where the pendulum mass can be up to several thousands of metric tonnes and space for the pendulum damper is limited.

Robust enhancement of high harmonic generation via attosecond control of ionization.

Science.gov (United States)

Bruner, Barry D; Krüger, Michael; Pedatzur, Oren; Orenstein, Gal; Azoury, Doron; Dudovich, Nirit

2018-04-02

High-harmonic generation (HHG) is a powerful tool to generate coherent attosecond light pulses in the extreme ultraviolet. However, the low conversion efficiency of HHG at the single atom level poses a significant practical limitation for many applications. Enhancing the efficiency of the process defines one of the primary challenges in the application of HHG as an advanced XUV source. In this work, we demonstrate a new mechanism, which in contrast to current methods, enhances the HHG conversion efficiency purely on a single particle level. We show that using a bichromatic driving field, sub-optical-cycle control and enhancement of the tunnelling ionization rate can be achieved, leading to enhancements in HHG efficiency by up to two orders of magnitude. Our method advances the perspectives of HHG spectroscopy, where isolating the single particle response is an essential component, and offers a simple route toward scalable, robust XUV sources.

Study of the proton momentum spectrum from deuteron fragmentation at 8.9 GeV/c and an estimate of admixture parameters for the six-quark state in deuteron

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ableev, V.G.; Abdushukurov, D.A.; Avramenko, S.A.

1982-01-01

Using a magnetic spectrometer with proportional chambers and Cherenkov counters, the momentum spectrum of protons emitted at angles below O.4 deg in the stripping reaction d+ 12 C → p+X has been measured at a deuteron momentum of 8.9 GeV/c for the proton momentum in the range of 3.56 GeV/c <= p <8.05 GeV/c (-206 MeV/c <= p*sub(parallel) <= 580 MeV/c in the deuteron rest system). From the analysis of the invariant cross sections the estimates of parameters of six-quark state admixture in a deuteron are obtained: the admixture-(3.1+-0.2)%, the average square radius of the six-cquark state-(0.87-0.10) Fm, a relative phase of two-nucleon and six-quark components-(61 deg +- 11 deg) for the two-nucleon Reid wave function with a soft core, respectively, =(4.3+-0.4)%, (0.95+-0.05) lm and (82 deg +- 6 deg) for the Paris potential wave function. In the proton momentum region of 296 MeV/c < p*sub(parallel) <= 378 MeV/c a peculiarity in the spectrum has been observed corresponding kinematically to the production of a dibaryon resonance with a mass ranging from 2.0 to 2.2 GeV

Genome-wide analysis in Brazilian Xavante Indians reveals low degree of admixture.

Science.gov (United States)

Kuhn, Patricia C; Horimoto, Andréa R V Russo; Sanches, José Maurício; Vieira Filho, João Paulo B; Franco, Luciana; Fabbro, Amaury Dal; Franco, Laercio Joel; Pereira, Alexandre C; Moises, Regina S

2012-01-01

Characterization of population genetic variation and structure can be used as tools for research in human genetics and population isolates are of great interest. The aim of the present study was to characterize the genetic structure of Xavante Indians and compare it with other populations. The Xavante, an indigenous population living in Brazilian Central Plateau, is one of the largest native groups in Brazil. A subset of 53 unrelated subjects was selected from the initial sample of 300 Xavante Indians. Using 86,197 markers, Xavante were compared with all populations of HapMap Phase III and HGDP-CEPH projects and with a Southeast Brazilian population sample to establish its population structure. Principal Components Analysis showed that the Xavante Indians are concentrated in the Amerindian axis near other populations of known Amerindian ancestry such as Karitiana, Pima, Surui and Maya and a low degree of genetic admixture was observed. This is consistent with the historical records of bottlenecks experience and cultural isolation. By calculating pair-wise F(st) statistics we characterized the genetic differentiation between Xavante Indians and representative populations of the HapMap and from HGDP-CEPH project. We found that the genetic differentiation between Xavante Indians and populations of Ameridian, Asian, European, and African ancestry increased progressively. Our results indicate that the Xavante is a population that remained genetically isolated over the past decades and can offer advantages for genome-wide mapping studies of inherited disorders.

Enhanced situation awareness and decision making for an intelligent reconfigurable reactor power controller

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kenney, S.J.; Edwards, R.M.

1996-01-01

A Learning Automata based intelligent reconfigurable controller has been adapted for use as a reactor power controller to achieve improved reactor temperature performance. The intelligent reconfigurable controller is capable of enforcing either a classical or an optimal reactor power controller based on control performance feedback. Four control performance evaluation measures: dynamically estimated average quadratic temperature error, power, rod reactivity and rod reactivity rate were developed to provide feedback to the control decision component of the intelligent reconfigurable controller. Fuzzy Logic and Neural Network controllers have been studied for inclusion in the bank of controllers that form the intermediate level of an enhanced intelligent reconfigurable reactor power controller (IRRPC). The increased number of alternatives available to the supervisory level of the IRRPC requires enhanced situation awareness. Additional performance measures have been designed and a method for synthesizing them into a single indication of the overall performance of the currently enforced reactor power controller has been conceptualized. Modification of the reward/penalty scheme implemented in the existing IRRPC to increase the quality of the supervisory level decision process has been studied. The logogen model of human memory (Morton, 1969) and individual controller design information could be used to allocate reward to the most appropriate controller. Methods for allocating supervisory level attention were also studied with the goal of maximizing learning rate

Optimization of nonlinear controller with an enhanced biogeography approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohammed Salem

2014-07-01

Full Text Available This paper is dedicated to the optimization of nonlinear controllers basing of an enhanced Biogeography Based Optimization (BBO approach. Indeed, The BBO is combined to a predator and prey model where several predators are used with introduction of a modified migration operator to increase the diversification along the optimization process so as to avoid local optima and reach the optimal solution quickly. The proposed approach is used in tuning the gains of PID controller for nonlinear systems. Simulations are carried out over a Mass spring damper and an inverted pendulum and has given remarkable results when compared to genetic algorithm and BBO.

[Effects of packaging forms on the stability of vitamin B1 and vitamin C in TPN admixtures].

Science.gov (United States)

Hashimoto, Daisuke; Iwahara, Ryosei; Sato, Hideki

2010-12-01

In order to reduce a microbial contamination and needle stick injuries that are associated with a mixing procedure in home parentera nutrition(HPN), nutrition(TPN)solution bags pre-mixed with trace elements may be provided in a form of outer packaging. On the other hand, a packaging form used to enclose the TPN bag after admixture may significantly affect the stability of vitamins. With a focus on possible decrease in vitamin B1 and C content, we investigated the effects of the packaging form. As a result, the TPN bag, which is packed in a light-resistant outer wrap of oxygen-barrier film with an oxygen absorbent under reduced pressure, suppressed a decrease in vitamin content most. However, the decrease in vitamin C content was observed when there was a long time-lag between a preparation and a packaging. We thought it was desirable to pack the TPN bag promptly after the preparation.

Controlled precipitation for enhanced dissolution rate of flurbiprofen: development of rapidly disintegrating tablets.

Science.gov (United States)

Essa, Ebtessam A; Elmarakby, Amira O; Donia, Ahmed M A; El Maghraby, Gamal M

2017-09-01

The aim of this work was to investigate the potential of controlled precipitation of flurbiprofen on solid surface, in the presence or absence of hydrophilic polymers, as a tool for enhanced dissolution rate of the drug. The work was extended to develop rapidly disintegrated tablets. This strategy provides simple technique for dissolution enhancement of slowly dissolving drugs with high scaling up potential. Aerosil was dispersed in ethanolic solution of flurbiprofen in the presence and absence of hydrophilic polymers. Acidified water was added as antisolvent to produce controlled precipitation. The resultant particles were centrifuged and dried at ambient temperature before monitoring the dissolution pattern. The particles were also subjected to FTIR spectroscopic, X-ray diffraction and thermal analyses. The FTIR spectroscopy excluded any interaction between flurbiprofen and excipients. The thermal analysis reflected possible change in the crystalline structure and or crystal size of the drug after controlled precipitation in the presence of hydrophilic polymers. This was further confirmed by X-ray diffraction. The modulation in the crystalline structure and size was associated with a significant enhancement in the dissolution rate of flurbiprofen. Optimum formulations were successfully formulated as rapidly disintegrating tablet with subsequent fast dissolution. Precipitation on a large solid surface area is a promising strategy for enhanced dissolution rate with the presence of hydrophilic polymers during precipitation process improving the efficiency.

Enhancement of control rod drive mechanism seating position detector for JRR-3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ohuchi, Satoshi; Kurumada, Osamu; Kamiishi, Eigo; Sato, Masayuki; Ikekame, Yoshinori; Wada, Shigeru

2016-06-01

The purpose of the control rod drive mechanism seating position detector for JRR-3 is one of methods for confirming the shutdown condition of the reactor and sending out the seat position signal to other systems. The detector has been utilizing more than 25 years with maintenance regularly. However, some troubles occurred recently. Moreover, the detector has already been discontinued, and it is confirmed that the successor detector is unsuitable for the control rod drive mechanism of JRR-3. Therefore, it was necessary to select the adequate detector to the control rod drive mechanism of JRR-3. Accordingly, we built a test device with the aim of verifying several detectors for integrity and function. At the time of the test for performance confirmation, it was occurred unexpected problems. Nevertheless, we devise improvement of the problems and took measures. Thus we were able to make adequate detector for JRR-3 and replace to enhanced detector. This paper reports the Enhanced of Control rod drive mechanism seating position detector. (author)

Algorithm Design and Validation for Adaptive Nonlinear Control Enhancement (ADVANCE) Technology Development for Resilient Flight Control, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — SSCI proposes to develop and test a framework referred to as the ADVANCE (Algorithm Design and Validation for Adaptive Nonlinear Control Enhancement), within which...

A spinner-integrated wind lidar for enhanced wind turbine control

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mikkelsen, Torben; Angelou, Nikolas; Hansen, Kasper Hjorth

2013-01-01

A field test with a continuous wave wind lidar (ZephIR) installed in the rotating spinner of a wind turbine for unimpeded preview measurements of the upwind approaching wind conditions is described. The experimental setup with the wind lidar on the tip of the rotating spinner of a large 80 m roto...... of the spinner lidar data, is investigated. Finally, the potential for enhancing turbine control and performance based on wind lidar preview measurements in combination with feed-forward enabled turbine controllers is discussed. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd....

Review for the improvement of low alkaline cement from viewpoint of hydration control

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Imoto, Harutake; Yamamoto, Takeshi; Hironaga, Michihiko

2006-01-01

It is concerns that high pH pore water from cementitious materials will become harmful to barrier system such as bedrock and buffer materials in the radioactive repository. Then sulpho-aluminate type low alkaline cement 'LAC' was developed. But LAC concrete has some problems on its workability and initial crack due to high reactability. It is necessary for LAC to be improved to avoid these problems. In this study, the conventional knowledge on reactability and hardened properties of sulpho-aluminate cement were reviewed from the viewpoint of hydration controlling. From the results, the recipe for the improvement of 'LAC' was investigated. Early hydration of sulpho-aluminate were delayed by the decreasement of calcium hydroxide quantity and increasement of calcium sulphate in cement. Retarder delayed hydration of sulpho-aluminate more than composition of cement. The effect of cement admixture on the early hydration of sulpho-aluminate cement were not reported. Blast furnace slag as cement admixture affect on the long-term hydration and strength development. So, it was guess that sulpho-aluminate type low alkaline cement 'LAC' have good strength development by controlling recipi of additional ratio of blast furnace slag and be-lite content in the sulpho-aluminate cement. (author)

Voltage-controlled colour-tunable microcavity OLEDs with enhanced colour purity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choy, Wallace C H; Niu, J H; Li, W L; Chui, P C

2008-01-01

The emission spectrum of single-unit voltage-controlled colour-tunable organic light emitting devices (OLEDs) has been theoretically and experimentally studied. Our results show that by introducing the microcavity structure, the colour purity of not only the destination colour but also the colour-tunable route can be enhanced, while colour purity is still an issue in typical single-unit voltage-controlled colour-tunable OLEDs. With the consideration of the periodical cycling of resonant wavelength and absorption loss of the metal electrodes, the appropriate change in the thickness of the microcavity structure has been utilized to achieve voltage-controlled red-to-green and red-to-blue colour-tunable OLEDs without adding dyes or other organic materials to the OLEDs

Controlled release of glaucocalyxin - a self-nanoemulsifying system from osmotic pump tablets with enhanced bioavailability.

Science.gov (United States)

Yanfei, Miao; Guoguang, Chen; Lili, Ren; Pingkai, Ouyang

2017-03-01

The purpose of this study was to develop a new formulation to enhance the bioavailability simultaneously with controlled release of glaucocalyxin A (GLA). In this study, controlled release of GLA was achieved by the osmotic release strategy taking advantage of the bioavailability enhancing capacity of self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery systems (SNEDDS). The formulation of GLA-SNEDDS was selected by the solubility and pseudoternary-phase diagrams studies. The prepared GLA-SNEDDS formulations were characterized for self-emulsification time, effect of pH and robustness to dilution, droplet size analysis and zeta potential. The optimized GLA-SNEDDS were used to prepare GLA-SNEDDS osmotic pump tablet via direct powder compression method. The effect of formulation variables on the release characteristic was investigated. GLA-SNEDDS osmotic pump tablets were administered to beagle dogs and their pharmacokinetics were compared to GLA and GLA-SNEDDS as a control. In vitro drug release studies indicated that the GLA-SNEDDS osmotic pump tablet showed sustained release profiles with 90% released within 12 h. Pharmacokinetic study showed steady blood GLA with prolonged T max and mean residence time (MRT), and enhanced bioavailability for GLA-SNEDDS osmotic pump tablet. It was concluded that simultaneous controlling on GLA release and enhanced bioavailability had been achieved by a combination of osmotic pump tablet and SNEDDS.

Enhanced Phase-Shifted Current Control for Harmonic Cancellation in Three-Phase Multiple Adjustable Speed Drive Systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Yang, Yongheng; Davari, Pooya; Zare, Firuz

2017-01-01

A phase-shifted current control can be employed to mitigate certain harmonics induced by the Diode Rectifiers (DR) and Silicon-Controlled Rectifiers (SCR) as the front-ends of multiple parallel Adjustable Speed Drive (ASD) systems. However, the effectiveness of the phase-shifted control relies...... on the loading condition of each drive unit as well as the number of drives in parallel. In order to enhance the harmonic cancellation by means of the phase-shifted current control, the currents drawn by the rectifiers should be maintained almost at the same level. Thus, this paper firstly analyzes the impact...... of unequal loading among the parallel drives, and a scheme to enhance the performance is introduced to improve the quality of the total grid current, where partial loading operation should be enabled. Simulation and experimental case studies on multidrive systems have demonstrated that the enhanced phase...

Enhanced Maritime Safety through Diagnosis and Fault Tolerant Control

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Blanke, Mogens

2001-01-01

Faults in steering, navigation instruments or propulsion machinery are serious on a marine vessel since the consequence could be loss of maneuvering ability, and imply risk of damage to vessel personnel or environment. Early diagnosis and accomodation of faults could enhance safety. Fault...... of properties of a falty system; means to determine remedial actions. The paper illustrates the techniques by two marine examples, sensor fusion for automatic steering and control of the main engine....

Controlling surface adsorption to enhance the selectivity of porphyrin based gas sensors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Evyapan, M., E-mail: mevyapan@gmail.com [Department of Physics, University of Balikesir, Balikesir, 10145 (Turkey); Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Sheffield, Mappin Building, S1 3JD (United Kingdom); Dunbar, A.D.F. [Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Sheffield, Mappin Building, S1 3JD (United Kingdom)

2016-01-30

Graphical abstract: The enhancement in the selectivity of the vapor sensing properties of free base porphyrin by controlling the size of the pores in the surface structure was carried out. It can be used as a size selective surface layer which limits the diffusion of analyte molecules into the sensor and in extreme cases stopping the diffusion completely. - Highlights: • Surface of a thin film takes and important part for its sensing characteristics. • A systematic surface modification was carried out in order to control the vapor accessibility. • Size dependant surfaces were fabricated. • Vapor diffusion through into thin film was controlled by modifying the surface structure. • Remarkable quantitative results showed the control on selectivity of the sensor by controlling the surface. - Abstract: This study reports an enhancement in the selectivity of the vapor sensing properties of free base porphyrin 5,10,15,20-tetrakis[3,4-bis(2-ethylhexyloxy)phenyl]-21H,23H-porphine (EHO) Langmuir–Schaefer (LS) films. These sensors respond by changing color upon adsorption of the analyte gas to the sensor surface. The enhanced selectivity is achieved by adding selective barrier layers of 4-tert-Butylcalix[4]arene, 4-tert-Butylcalix[6]arene and 4-tert-Butylcalix[8]arene embedded in PMMA (Poly(methyl methacrylate)) on top of the porphyrin sensor films to control the gaseous adsorption onto the sensor surface. The Langmuir properties of EHO, PMMA and calix[n]arene monolayers were investigated by surface pressure–area (Π–A) isotherms in order to determine the most efficient transfer pressure. Six layer EHO films were transferred onto glass and silicon substrates to investigate their optical and structural characteristics. The three different calix[n]arenes were embedded within PMMA layers to act as the selective barrier layers which were deposited on top of the six layer EHO films. The different calix[n]arene molecules vary in size and each was mixed with PMMA in

Semantically Enhanced Online Configuration of Feedback Control Schemes.

Science.gov (United States)

Milis, Georgios M; Panayiotou, Christos G; Polycarpou, Marios M

2018-03-01

Recent progress toward the realization of the "Internet of Things" has improved the ability of physical and soft/cyber entities to operate effectively within large-scale, heterogeneous systems. It is important that such capacity be accompanied by feedback control capabilities sufficient to ensure that the overall systems behave according to their specifications and meet their functional objectives. To achieve this, such systems require new architectures that facilitate the online deployment, composition, interoperability, and scalability of control system components. Most current control systems lack scalability and interoperability because their design is based on a fixed configuration of specific components, with knowledge of their individual characteristics only implicitly passed through the design. This paper addresses the need for flexibility when replacing components or installing new components, which might occur when an existing component is upgraded or when a new application requires a new component, without the need to readjust or redesign the overall system. A semantically enhanced feedback control architecture is introduced for a class of systems, aimed at accommodating new components into a closed-loop control framework by exploiting the semantic inference capabilities of an ontology-based knowledge model. This architecture supports continuous operation of the control system, a crucial property for large-scale systems for which interruptions have negative impact on key performance metrics that may include human comfort and welfare or economy costs. A case-study example from the smart buildings domain is used to illustrate the proposed architecture and semantic inference mechanisms.

Method for controlling boiling point distribution of coal liquefaction oil product

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, Raymond P.; Schmalzer, David K.; Wright, Charles H.

1982-12-21

The relative ratio of heavy distillate to light distillate produced in a coal liquefaction process is continuously controlled by automatically and continuously controlling the ratio of heavy distillate to light distillate in a liquid solvent used to form the feed slurry to the coal liquefaction zone, and varying the weight ratio of heavy distillate to light distillate in the liquid solvent inversely with respect to the desired weight ratio of heavy distillate to light distillate in the distillate fuel oil product. The concentration of light distillate and heavy distillate in the liquid solvent is controlled by recycling predetermined amounts of light distillate and heavy distillate for admixture with feed coal to the process in accordance with the foregoing relationships.

Control dynamics of interaction quenched ultracold bosons in periodically driven lattices

Science.gov (United States)

Mistakidis, Simeon; Schmelcher, Peter; Group of Fundamental Processes in Quantum Physics Team

2016-05-01

The out-of-equilibrium dynamics of ultracold bosons following an interaction quench upon a periodically driven optical lattice is investigated. It is shown that an interaction quench triggers the inter-well tunneling dynamics, while for the intra-well dynamics breathing and cradle-like processes can be generated. In particular, the occurrence of a resonance between the cradle and tunneling modes is revealed. On the other hand, the employed periodic driving enforces the bosons in the mirror wells to oscillate out-of-phase and to exhibit a dipole mode, while in the central well the cloud experiences a breathing mode. The dynamical behaviour of the system is investigated with respect to the driving frequency revealing a resonant behaviour of the intra-well dynamics. To drive the system in a highly non-equilibrium state an interaction quench upon the driving is performed giving rise to admixtures of excitations in the outer wells, an enhanced breathing in the center and an amplification of the tunneling dynamics. As a result of the quench the system experiences multiple resonances between the inter- and intra-well dynamics at different quench amplitudes. Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, SFB 925 ``Light induced dynamics and control of correlated quantum systems''.

Controller Parameter Optimization for Nonlinear Systems Using Enhanced Bacteria Foraging Algorithm

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. Rajinikanth

2012-01-01

Full Text Available An enhanced bacteria foraging optimization (EBFO algorithm-based Proportional + integral + derivative (PID controller tuning is proposed for a class of nonlinear process models. The EBFO algorithm is a modified form of standard BFO algorithm. A multiobjective performance index is considered to guide the EBFO algorithm for discovering the best possible value of controller parameters. The efficiency of the proposed scheme has been validated through a comparative study with classical BFO, adaptive BFO, PSO, and GA based controller tuning methods proposed in the literature. The proposed algorithm is tested in real time on a nonlinear spherical tank system. The real-time results show that, EBFO tuned PID controller gives a smooth response for setpoint tracking performance.

Are the PSI'→etasub(c)γ, PSI''→etasub(c)γ decays due to the gluon admixture

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shifman, M.A.; Vysotsky, M.I.

1980-01-01

A new method for estimating the radiative transitions between the excited 1 - charmonium levels and etasub(c) is proposed. The method is based on quantum chromodynamics plus the hypothesis of local duality and makes no reference to the standard potential picture. It is argued that the psi'(3.698) → etasub(c)γ decay is essentially due to gluon admixture in the psi' wave function. The most native analysis yields approximately 0.15 keV for the psi' → etasub(c)γ decay width, five times smaller than preliminary experimental data. The experimental number for GITA(psi' → etasub(c)γ)=0.7 keV can be reproduced only at a price of introducing a rather large psi''(3.772) → etasub(c)γ amplitude, GITA(psi'' → etasub(c)γ) approximately 1 keV. As a byproduct, a reliable prediction for the rho → πγ decay rate, GITA(rho → πγ) approximately 70 keV, is obtained in good agreement with recent measurement

IPCS: An integrated process control system for enhanced in-situ bioremediation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang, Y.F.; Wang, G.Q.; Huang, G.H.; Xiao, H.N.; Chakma, A.

2008-01-01

To date, there has been little or no research related to process control of subsurface remediation systems. In this study, a framework to develop an integrated process control system for improving remediation efficiencies and reducing operating costs was proposed based on physical and numerical models, stepwise cluster analysis, non-linear optimization and artificial neural networks. Process control for enhanced in-situ bioremediation was accomplished through incorporating the developed forecasters and optimizers with methods of genetic algorithm and neural networks modeling. Application of the proposed approach to a bioremediation process in a pilot-scale system indicated that it was effective in dynamic optimization and real-time process control of the sophisticated bioremediation systems. - A framework of process control system was developed to improve in-situ bioremediation efficiencies and reducing operating costs

Use of probabilistic weights to enhance linear regression myoelectric control.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Lauren H; Kuiken, Todd A; Hargrove, Levi J

2015-12-01

Clinically available prostheses for transradial amputees do not allow simultaneous myoelectric control of degrees of freedom (DOFs). Linear regression methods can provide simultaneous myoelectric control, but frequently also result in difficulty with isolating individual DOFs when desired. This study evaluated the potential of using probabilistic estimates of categories of gross prosthesis movement, which are commonly used in classification-based myoelectric control, to enhance linear regression myoelectric control. Gaussian models were fit to electromyogram (EMG) feature distributions for three movement classes at each DOF (no movement, or movement in either direction) and used to weight the output of linear regression models by the probability that the user intended the movement. Eight able-bodied and two transradial amputee subjects worked in a virtual Fitts' law task to evaluate differences in controllability between linear regression and probability-weighted regression for an intramuscular EMG-based three-DOF wrist and hand system. Real-time and offline analyses in able-bodied subjects demonstrated that probability weighting improved performance during single-DOF tasks (p linear regression control. Use of probability weights can improve the ability to isolate individual during linear regression myoelectric control, while maintaining the ability to simultaneously control multiple DOFs.

Plasma position and current control system enhancements for the JET ITER-like wall

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

De Tommasi, G. [Associazione EURATOM-ENEA-CREATE, Univ. di Napoli Federico II, Via Claudio 21, 80125 Napoli (Italy); Maviglia, F. [Associazione EURATOM-ENEA-CREATE, Via Claudio 21, 80125 Napoli (Italy); Neto, A.C. [Ass. EURATOM-IST, Instituto de Plasmas e Fusão Nuclear, IST, 1049-001 Lisboa (Portugal); Lomas, P.J.; McCullen, P.; Rimini, F.G. [Euratom-CCFE, Culham Science Centre, OX14 3DB Abingdon (United Kingdom)

2014-03-15

Highlights: • JET plasma position and current control system enhanced for the JET ITER like wall. • Vertical stabilization system enhanced to speed up its response and to withstand larger perturbations. • Improved termination management system. • Implementation of the current limit avoidance system. • Implementation of PFX-on-early-task. - Abstract: The upgrade of Joint European Torus (JET) to a new all-metal wall, the so-called ITER-like wall (ILW), has posed a set of new challenges regarding both machine operation and protection. The plasma position and current control (PPCC) system plays a crucial role in minimizing the possibility that the plasma could permanently damage the ILW. The installation of the ILW has driven a number of upgrades of the two PPCC components, namely the Vertical Stabilization (VS) system and the Shape Controller (SC). The VS system has been enhanced in order to speed up its response and to withstand larger perturbations. The SC upgrade includes three new features: an improved termination management system, the current limit avoidance system, and the PFX-on-early-task. This paper describes the PPCC upgrades listed above, focusing on the implementation issues and on the experimental results achieved during the 2011–12 JET experimental campaigns.

Enhancing Three-dimensional Movement Control System for Assemblies of Machine-Building Facilities

Science.gov (United States)

Kuzyakov, O. N.; Andreeva, M. A.

2018-01-01

Aspects of enhancing three-dimensional movement control system are given in the paper. Such system is to be used while controlling assemblies of machine-building facilities, which is a relevant issue. The base of the system known is three-dimensional movement control device with optical principle of action. The device consists of multi point light emitter and light receiver matrix. The processing of signals is enhanced to increase accuracy of measurements by switching from discrete to analog signals. Light receiver matrix is divided into four areas, and the output value of each light emitter in each matrix area is proportional to its luminance level. Thus, determing output electric signal value of each light emitter in corresponding area leads to determing position of multipoint light emitter and position of object tracked. This is done by using Case-based reasoning method, the precedent in which is described as integral signal value of each matrix area, coordinates of light receivers, which luminance level is high, and decision to be made in this situation.

Optimization of compressive strength in admixture-reinforced cement-based grouts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sahin Zaimoglu, A.

2007-12-01

Full Text Available The Taguchi method was used in this study to optimize the unconfined (7-, 14- and 28-day compressive strength of cement-based grouts with bentonite, fly ash and silica fume admixtures. The experiments were designed using an L16 orthogonal array in which the three factors considered were bentonite (0%, 0.5%, 1.0% and 3%, fly ash (10%, 20%, 30% and 40% and silica fume (0%, 5%, 10% and 20% content. The experimental results, which were analyzed by ANOVA and the Taguchi method, showed that fly ash and silica fume content play a significant role in unconfined compressive strength. The optimum conditions were found to be: 0% bentonite, 10% fly ash, 20% silica fume and 28 days of curing time. The maximum unconfined compressive strength reached under the above optimum conditions was 17.1 MPa.En el presente trabajo se ha intentado optimizar, mediante el método de Taguchi, las resistencias a compresión (a las edades de 7, 14 y 28 días de lechadas de cemento reforzadas con bentonita, cenizas volantes y humo de sílice. Se diseñaron los experimentos de acuerdo con un arreglo ortogonal tipo L16 en el que se contemplaban tres factores: la bentonita (0, 0,5, 1 y 3%, las cenizas volantes (10, 20, 30 y 40% y el humo de sílice (0, 5, 10 y 20% (porcentajes en peso del sólido. Los datos obtenidos se analizaron con mediante ANOVA y el método de Taguchi. De acuerdo con los resultados experimentales, el contenido tanto de cenizas volantes como de humo de sílice desempeña un papel significativo en la resistencia a compresión. Por otra parte, las condiciones óptimas que se han identificado son: 0% bentonita, 10% cenizas volantes, 20% humo de sílice y 28 días de tiempo de curado. La resistencia a compresión máxima conseguida en las anteriores condiciones era de 17,1 MPa.

Nanoscale control of Ag nanostructures for plasmonic fluorescence enhancement of near-infrared dyes

KAUST Repository

Xie, Fang

2013-05-23

Potential utilization of proteins for early detection and diagnosis of various diseases has drawn considerable interest in the development of protein-based detection techniques. Metal induced fluorescence enhancement offers the possibility of increasing the sensitivity of protein detection in clinical applications. We report the use of tunable plasmonic silver nanostructures for the fluorescence enhancement of a near-infrared (NIR) dye (Alexa Fluor 790). Extensive fluorescence enhancement of ∼2 orders of magnitude is obtained by the nanoscale control of the Ag nanostructure dimensions and interparticle distance. These Ag nanostructures also enhanced fluorescence from a dye with very high quantum yield (7.8 fold for Alexa Fluor 488, quantum efficiency (Qy) = 0.92). A combination of greatly enhanced excitation and an increased radiative decay rate, leading to an associated enhancement of the quantum efficiency leads to the large enhancement. These results show the potential of Ag nanostructures as metal induced fluorescence enhancement (MIFE) substrates for dyes in the NIR "biological window" as well as the visible region. Ag nanostructured arrays fabricated by colloidal lithography thus show great potential for NIR dye-based biosensing applications. [Figure not available: see fulltext.] © 2013 Tsinghua University Press and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.

High job control enhances vagal recovery in media work.

Science.gov (United States)

Lindholm, Harri; Sinisalo, Juha; Ahlberg, Jari; Jahkola, Antti; Partinen, Markku; Hublin, Christer; Savolainen, Aslak

2009-12-01

Job strain has been linked to increased risk of cardiovascular diseases. In modern media work, time pressures, rapidly changing situations, computer work and irregular working hours are common. Heart rate variability (HRV) has been widely used to monitor sympathovagal balance. Autonomic imbalance may play an additive role in the development of cardiovascular diseases. To study the effects of work demands and job control on the autonomic nervous system recovery among the media personnel. From the cross-sectional postal survey of the employees in Finnish Broadcasting Company (n = 874), three age cohorts (n = 132) were randomly selected for an analysis of HRV in 24 h electrocardiography recordings. In the middle-aged group, those who experienced high job control had significantly better vagal recovery than those with low or moderate control (P work rather than low demands seemed to enhance autonomic recovery in middle-aged media workers. This was independent of poor health habits such as smoking, physical inactivity or alcohol consumption.

Active control of electromagnetic radiation through an enhanced thermo-optic effect

Science.gov (United States)

Sheng, Chong; Liu, Hui; Zhu, Shining; Genov, Dentcho A.

2015-01-01

The control of electromagnetic radiation in transformation optical metamaterials brings the development of vast variety of optical devices. Of a particular importance is the possibility to control the propagation of light with light. In this work, we use a structured planar cavity to enhance the thermo-optic effect in a transformation optical waveguide. In the process, a control laser produces apparent inhomogeneous refractive index change inside the waveguides. The trajectory of a second probe laser beam is then continuously tuned in the experiment. The experimental results agree well with the developed theory. The reported method can provide a new approach toward development of transformation optical devices where active all-optical control of the impinging light can be achieved. PMID:25746689

Enhancing Carbon Reactivity in Mercury Control in Lignite-Fired Systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chad Wocken; Michael Holmes; John Pavlish; Jeffrey Thompson; Katie Brandt; Brandon Pavlish; Dennis Laudal; Kevin Galbreath; Michelle Olderbak

2008-06-30

This project was awarded through the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Energy Technology Laboratory Program Solicitation DE-PS26-03NT41718-01. The Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) led a consortium-based effort to resolve mercury (Hg) control issues facing the lignite industry. The EERC team-the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI); the URS Corporation; the Babcock & Wilcox Company; ADA-ES; Apogee; Basin Electric Power Cooperative; Otter Tail Power Company; Great River Energy; Texas Utilities; Montana-Dakota Utilities Co.; Minnkota Power Cooperative, Inc.; BNI Coal Ltd.; Dakota Westmoreland Corporation; the North American Coal Corporation; SaskPower; and the North Dakota Industrial Commission-demonstrated technologies that substantially enhanced the effectiveness of carbon sorbents to remove Hg from western fuel combustion gases and achieve a high level ({ge} 55% Hg removal) of cost-effective control. The results of this effort are applicable to virtually all utilities burning lignite and subbituminous coals in the United States and Canada. The enhancement processes were previously proven in pilot-scale and limited full-scale tests. Additional optimization testing continues on these enhancements. These four units included three lignite-fired units: Leland Olds Station Unit 1 (LOS1) and Stanton Station Unit 10 (SS10) near Stanton and Antelope Valley Station Unit 1 (AVS1) near Beulah and a subbituminous Powder River Basin (PRB)-fired unit: Stanton Station Unit 1 (SS1). This project was one of three conducted by the consortium under the DOE mercury program to systematically test Hg control technologies available for utilities burning lignite. The overall objective of the three projects was to field-test and verify options that may be applied cost-effectively by the lignite industry to reduce Hg emissions. The EERC, URS, and other team members tested sorbent injection technologies for plants equipped with electrostatic precipitators (ESPs) and

Genomic admixture tracks pulses of economic activity over 2,000 years in the Indian Ocean trading network.

Science.gov (United States)

Brucato, Nicolas; Kusuma, Pradiptajati; Beaujard, Philippe; Sudoyo, Herawati; Cox, Murray P; Ricaut, François-Xavier

2017-06-07

The Indian Ocean has long been a hub of interacting human populations. Following land- and sea-based routes, trade drove cultural contacts between far-distant ethnic groups in Asia, India, the Middle East and Africa, creating one of the world's first proto-globalized environments. However, the extent to which population mixing was mediated by trade is poorly understood. Reconstructing admixture times from genomic data in 3,006 individuals from 187 regional populations reveals a close association between bouts of human migration and trade volumes during the last 2,000 years across the Indian Ocean trading system. Temporal oscillations in trading activity match phases of contraction and expansion in migration, with high water marks following the expansion of the Silk Roads in the 5 th century AD, the rise of maritime routes in the 11 th century and a drastic restructuring of the trade network following the arrival of Europeans in the 16 th century. The economic fluxes of the Indian Ocean trade network therefore directly shaped exchanges of genes, in addition to goods and concepts.

Analysis of Environmental Impact for Concrete Using LCA by Varying the Recycling Components, the Compressive Strength and the Admixture Material Mixing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Taehyoung Kim

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Concrete is a type of construction material in which cement, aggregate, and admixture materials are mixed. When cement is produced, large amounts of substances that impact the environment are emitted during limestone extraction and clinker manufacturing. Additionally, the extraction of natural aggregate causes soil erosion and ecosystem destruction. Furthermore, in the process of transporting raw materials such as cement and aggregate to a concrete production company, and producing concrete in a batch plant, substances with an environmental impact are emitted into the air and water system due to energy use. Considering the fact that the process of producing concrete causes various environmental impacts, an assessment of various environmental impact categories is needed. This study used a life cycle assessment (LCA to evaluate the environmental impacts of concrete in terms of its global warming potential, acidification potential, eutrophication potential, ozone depletion potential, photochemical ozone creation potential, and abiotic depletion potential (GWP, AP, EP, ODP, POCP, ADP. The tendency was that the higher the strength of concrete, the higher the GWP, POCP, and ADP indices became, whereas the AP and EP indices became slightly lower. As the admixture mixing ratio of concrete increased, the GWP, AP, ODP, ADP, and POCP decreased, but EP index showed a tendency to increase slightly. Moreover, as the recycled aggregate mixing ratio of concrete increased, the AP, EP, ODP, and ADP decreased, while GWP and POCP increased. The GWP and POCP per unit compressed strength (1 MPa of high strength concrete were found to be about 13% lower than that for its normal strength concrete counterpart. Furthermore, in the case of AP, EP, ODP, and ADP per unit compressed strength (1 MPa, high-strength concrete was found to be about 10%~25% lower than its normal strength counterpart. Among all the environmental impact categories, ordinary cement was found to have

Enhanced Two-Stage Hierarchical Control for a Dual Mode WECS-Based Microgrid

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rasool M. Imran

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Along with the great benefits of utilizing renewable energy (e.g., wind energy in the power system, there are also some issues, such as increasing the uncertainty and reducing the system inertia. Communication-based centralized control has started to play a significant role in reacting to the aforementioned issues, especially for relatively small systems, such as microgrids. In this context, in this paper, an enhanced communication-based hierarchical control for a dual mode wind energy conversion system-based microgrid is modeled and investigated. The primary stage utilized the P-V/Q-f droop method, which is the preferred droop method to be used in microgrids when the line impedance is mainly resistive. The secondary stage relied on an enhanced methodology for compensating the deviations of voltage and frequency and improving the performance of the microgrid during small and large signal disturbances. Moreover, as this microgrid operates in a dual mode, the mode transition cases from grid-tied mode to autonomous mode and vice versa have been addressed. Thereafter, an improved control scheme for the unplanned outage transition and a modified control scheme for the pre-synchronization and reconnection transition were proposed. Finally, the proposed work was evaluated by the simulation results in MATLAB environment.

STUDY ON POZZOLANA ACTIVITY OF WHEAT STRAW ASH AS POTENTIAL ADMIXTURE FOR BLENDED CEMENTS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ondrej Jankovsky

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Wheat straw ash coming from combustion of packed wheat straw was studied as a potential pozzolana active admixture for blended cements. X-Ray fluorescence, X-Ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and energy dispersive spectroscopy were used to examine chemical and mineralogical composition, morphology and elemental distribution of a raw untreated ash. Due to high carbon content, the wheat straw ash was thermally treated for 2 hours at 700 °C and analyzed again using the same analytic techniques. Thermal treatment process was monitored using simultaneous thermal analysis and Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy. The pozzolana activity was assessed using Chapelle and Frattini tests. In the next step, wheat straw ash was used for preparation of blended cement pastes. The content of ash in the blends was 10, 15, and 20% by mass. For the hardened pastes, basic physical properties, mechanical parameters, and pore size distribution were measured. For fresh past mixes, workability was tested. Moreover, leachability of chlorides, nitrates, sulfates and alkalis from paste samples was studied. The experimentally obtained data pointed to the high pozzolana activity of wheat straw ash and sufficient mechanical properties of cement pastes with the ash content up to 20 mass% of cement. In summary, the analyzed waste product from biomass combustion was found to be applicable as a part of cement-based blended binder providing economic and environmental benefits for concrete industry.

Cognitive control in auditory working memory is enhanced in musicians

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pallesen, Karen Johanne; Brattico, Elvira; Bailey, Christopher J

2010-01-01

focus on task-relevant stimuli, a skill which is crucial to working memory. We measured the blood oxygenation-level dependent (BOLD) activation signal in musicians and non-musicians during working memory of musical sounds to determine the relation among performance, musical competence and generally...... hemisphere, and bilaterally in the posterior dorsal prefrontal cortex and anterior cingulate gyrus. The relationship between the task performance and the magnitude of the BOLD response was more positive in musicians than in non-musicians, particularly during the most difficult working memory task....... The results confirm previous findings that neural activity increases during enhanced working memory performance. The results also suggest that superior working memory task performance in musicians rely on an enhanced ability to exert sustained cognitive control. This cognitive benefit in musicians may...

Multi-level Control Framework for Enhanced Flexibility of Active Distribution Network

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nainar, Karthikeyan; Pokhrel, Basanta Raj; Pillai, Jayakrishnan Radhakrishna

2017-01-01

In this paper, the control objectives of future active distribution networks with high penetration of renewables and flexible loads are analyzed and reviewed. From a state of the art review, the important control objectives seen from the perspective of a distribution system operator are identifie......-ordination and management of the network assets at different voltage levels and geographical locations. The paper finally shows the applicability of the multi-level control architecture to some of the key challenges in the distribution system operation by relevant scenarios....... to be hosting capacity improvement, high reliable operation and cost effective network management. Based on this review and a state of the art review concerning future distribution network control methods, a multi-level control architecture is constructed for an active distribution network, which satisfies...... the selected control objectives and provides enhanced flexibility. The control architecture is supported by generation/load forecasting and distribution state estimation techniques to improve the controllability of the network. The multi-level control architecture consists of three levels of hierarchical...

Extracting CKM phases from angular distributions of $B_{d,s}$ decays into admixtures of CP eigenstates

CERN Document Server

Fleischer, Robert

1999-01-01

The time-dependent angular distributions of certain B/sub d, s/ decays into final states that are admixtures of CP-even and CP-odd configurations provide valuable information about CKM phases and hadronic parameters. We present the general formalism to accomplish this task, taking also into account penguin contributions, and illustrate it by considering a few specific decay modes. We give particular emphasis to the decay B/sub d/ to J/ psi rho /sup 0/, which can be combined with B/sub s/ to J/ psi phi to extract the B /sub d//sup 0/-B/sub d//sup 0/ mixing phase and-if penguin effects in the former mode should be sizeable-also the angle gamma of the unitarity triangle. As an interesting by-product, this strategy allows us to take into account also the penguin effects in the extraction of the B/sub s//sup 0/-B/sub s//sup 0/ mixing phase from B /sub s/ to J/ psi phi . Moreover, a discrete ambiguity in the extraction of the CKM angle beta can be resolved, and valuable insights into SU(3)-breaking effects can be o...

Hybrid photovoltaic system control for enhancing sustainable energy. Economic aspects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leva, Sonia; Roscia, Mariacristina; Zaninelli, Dario

2005-01-01

The paper introduces hybrid photovoltaic/diesel generation systems for supplying remote power plant taking into account the enhancement of sustainable energy on the economic point of view. In particular, a new monitoring and control device is presented in order to carry out the optimum energy flows and a cost evaluation is performed on a real plant showing the effect and weight of the economical sustainability and economical saving. (authors)

Argentine Population Genetic Structure: Large Variance in Amerindian Contribution

Science.gov (United States)

Seldin, Michael F.; Tian, Chao; Shigeta, Russell; Scherbarth, Hugo R.; Silva, Gabriel; Belmont, John W.; Kittles, Rick; Gamron, Susana; Allevi, Alberto; Palatnik, Simon A.; Alvarellos, Alejandro; Paira, Sergio; Caprarulo, Cesar; Guillerón, Carolina; Catoggio, Luis J.; Prigione, Cristina; Berbotto, Guillermo A.; García, Mercedes A.; Perandones, Carlos E.; Pons-Estel, Bernardo A.; Alarcon-Riquelme, Marta E.

2011-01-01

Argentine population genetic structure was examined using a set of 78 ancestry informative markers (AIMs) to assess the contributions of European, Amerindian, and African ancestry in 94 individuals members of this population. Using the Bayesian clustering algorithm STRUCTURE, the mean European contribution was 78%, the Amerindian contribution was 19.4%, and the African contribution was 2.5%. Similar results were found using weighted least mean square method: European, 80.2%; Amerindian, 18.1%; and African, 1.7%. Consistent with previous studies the current results showed very few individuals (four of 94) with greater than 10% African admixture. Notably, when individual admixture was examined, the Amerindian and European admixture showed a very large variance and individual Amerindian contribution ranged from 1.5 to 84.5% in the 94 individual Argentine subjects. These results indicate that admixture must be considered when clinical epidemiology or case control genetic analyses are studied in this population. Moreover, the current study provides a set of informative SNPs that can be used to ascertain or control for this potentially hidden stratification. In addition, the large variance in admixture proportions in individual Argentine subjects shown by this study suggests that this population is appropriate for future admixture mapping studies. PMID:17177183

Enhanced conflict-driven cognitive control by emotional arousal, not by valence.

Science.gov (United States)

Zeng, Qinghong; Qi, Senqing; Li, Miaoyun; Yao, Shuxia; Ding, Cody; Yang, Dong

2017-09-01

Emotion is widely agreed to have two dimensions, valence and arousal. Few studies have explored the effect of emotion on conflict adaptation by considering both of these, which could have dissociate influence. The present study aimed to fill the gap as to whether emotional valence and arousal would exert dissociable influence on conflict adaptation. In the experiments, we included positive, neutral, and negative conditions, with comparable arousal between positive and negative conditions. Both positive and negative conditions have higher arousal than neutral ones. In Experiment 1, by using a two-colour-word Flanker task, we found that conflict adaptation was enhanced in both positive and negative contexts compared to a neutral context. Furthermore, this effect still existed when controlling stimulus-response repetitions in Experiment 2, which used a four-colour-word Flanker task. The findings suggest emotional arousal enhances conflict adaptation, regardless of emotional valence. Thus, future studies should consider emotional arousal when studying the effect of emotion on conflict adaptation. Moreover, the unique role of the emotional context in conflict-driven cognitive control is emphasised.

Enhancement tuning and control for high dynamic range images in multi-scale locally adaptive contrast enhancement algorithms

Science.gov (United States)

Cvetkovic, Sascha D.; Schirris, Johan; de With, Peter H. N.

2009-01-01

For real-time imaging in surveillance applications, visibility of details is of primary importance to ensure customer confidence. If we display High Dynamic-Range (HDR) scenes whose contrast spans four or more orders of magnitude on a conventional monitor without additional processing, results are unacceptable. Compression of the dynamic range is therefore a compulsory part of any high-end video processing chain because standard monitors are inherently Low- Dynamic Range (LDR) devices with maximally two orders of display dynamic range. In real-time camera processing, many complex scenes are improved with local contrast enhancements, bringing details to the best possible visibility. In this paper, we show how a multi-scale high-frequency enhancement scheme, in which gain is a non-linear function of the detail energy, can be used for the dynamic range compression of HDR real-time video camera signals. We also show the connection of our enhancement scheme to the processing way of the Human Visual System (HVS). Our algorithm simultaneously controls perceived sharpness, ringing ("halo") artifacts (contrast) and noise, resulting in a good balance between visibility of details and non-disturbance of artifacts. The overall quality enhancement, suitable for both HDR and LDR scenes, is based on a careful selection of the filter types for the multi-band decomposition and a detailed analysis of the signal per frequency band.

Numerical analysis of the effect of plasma flow control on enhancing the aerodynamic characteristics of stratospheric screw propeller

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cheng Yufeng; Nie Wansheng

2012-01-01

Based on the body force aerodynamic actuation mechanism of dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma, the effect of plasma flow control on enhancing the aerodynamic characteristics of ten blade elements equably along the stratospheric screw propeller blade was numerical studied. Then the effect of plasma flow control enhancing the aerodynamic characteristics of stratospheric screw propeller was compared that by the blade element theory method. The results show that the flow separate phenomena will easily happen in the root region and top end region of screw propeller, and the blade elements in the root region of screw propeller may work on the negative attack angle condition. DBD plasma flow control can entirely restrain the faintish flow separate phenomena in middle region of screw propeller. Although DBD plasma flow control can not entirely restrain the badly flow separate phenomena in top end region of screw propeller, it also can enhance the aerodynamic characteristics of blade elements in these regions in same degree. But effect of DBD plasma flow control on enhancing the aerodynamic characteristics of the blade elements working on the negative attack angle condition is ineffectively. It can be concluded that DBD plasma flow control can enhance the aerodynamic characteristics of stratospheric screw propeller, the thrust of the whole propeller and the propeller efficiency in the case of plasma on will increases by a factor of 28.27% and 12.3% respectively compared with that in the case of plasma off studied. (authors)

An enhanced hierarchical control strategy for the Internet of Things-based home scale microgrid

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Guan, Yajuan; Quintero, Juan Carlos Vasquez; Guerrero, Josep M.

2017-01-01

As the intelligent control and detection technology improving, more and more smart devices/sensors can be used to increase the living standard. In order to integrate the Internet of Things (IoT) with microgrid (MG), an enhanced hierarchical control strategy for IoT-based home scale MG is proposed...

Active and Inactive Enhancers Cooperate to Exert Localized and Long-Range Control of Gene Regulation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Charlotte Proudhon

2016-06-01

Full Text Available V(DJ recombination relies on the presence of proximal enhancers that activate the antigen receptor (AgR loci in a lineage- and stage-specific manner. Unexpectedly, we find that both active and inactive AgR enhancers cooperate to disseminate their effects in a localized and long-range manner. Here, we demonstrate the importance of short-range contacts between active enhancers that constitute an Igk super-enhancer in B cells. Deletion of one element reduces the interaction frequency between other enhancers in the hub, which compromises the transcriptional output of each component. Furthermore, we establish that, in T cells, long-range contact and cooperation between the inactive Igk enhancer MiEκ and the active Tcrb enhancer Eβ alters enrichment of CBFβ binding in a manner that impacts Tcrb recombination. These findings underline the complexities of enhancer regulation and point to a role for localized and long-range enhancer-sharing between active and inactive elements in lineage- and stage-specific control.

Process for calcium xylonate production as a concrete admixture derived from in-situ fermentation of wheat straw pre-hydrolysate.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Xin; Zhou, Xuelian; Tang, Xiusheng; Xu, Yong

2018-08-01

One of the major obstacles in process of lignocellulosic biorefinery is the utilization of pre-hydrolysate from pre-treatment. Although lignocellulosic pre-hydrolysate can serve as an economic starting material for xylonic acid production, the advancement of xylonic acid or xylonate is still limited by further commercial value or applications. In the present study, xylose in the high concentration wheat straw pre-hydrolysate was first in-situ biooxidized to xylonate by Gluconobacter oxydans. To meet the needs of commercialization, crude powdered calcium xylonate was prepared by drying process and calcium xylonate content in the prepared crude product was more than 70%. Then, the calcium xylonate product was evaluated as concrete admixture without any complex purification steps and the results demonstrated that xylonate could improve the performance of concrete. Overall, the crude xylonate product directly produced from low-cost wheat straw pre-hydrolysate can potentially be developed as retarding reducer, which could subsequently benefit lignocellulosic biorefinery. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Control of ordered mesoporous titanium dioxide nanostructures formed using plasma enhanced glancing angle deposition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gibson, Des [Institute of Thin Films, Sensors & Imaging, Scottish Universities Physics Alliance, University of West of Scotland, Paisley, PA1 2BE (United Kingdom); Child, David, E-mail: david.child@uws.ac.uk [Institute of Thin Films, Sensors & Imaging, Scottish Universities Physics Alliance, University of West of Scotland, Paisley, PA1 2BE (United Kingdom); Song, Shigeng; Zhao, Chao [Institute of Thin Films, Sensors & Imaging, Scottish Universities Physics Alliance, University of West of Scotland, Paisley, PA1 2BE (United Kingdom); Alajiani, Yahya [Institute of Thin Films, Sensors & Imaging, Scottish Universities Physics Alliance, University of West of Scotland, Paisley, PA1 2BE (United Kingdom); Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Jazan University, Jazan (Saudi Arabia); Waddell, Ewan [Thin Film Solutions Ltd, West of Scotland Science Park, Glasgow, G20 0TH (United Kingdom)

2015-10-01

Three dimensional nanostructures of mesoporous (pore diameter between 2-50 nm) nanocrystalline titania (TiO{sub 2}) were produced using glancing angle deposition combined with plasma ion assisted deposition, providing plasma enhanced glancing angle deposition eliminating the need for post-annealing to achieve film crystallinity. Electron beam evaporation was chosen to deposit nanostructures at various azimuthal angles, achieving designed variation in three dimensional nanostructure. A thermionic broad beam hollow cathode plasma source was used to enhance electron beam deposition, with ability to vary in real time ion fluxes and energies providing a means to modify and control TiO{sub 2} nanostructure real time with controlled density and porosity along and lateral to film growth direction. Plasma ion assisted deposition was carried out at room temperature using a hollow cathode plasma source, ensuring low heat loading to the substrate during deposition. Plasma enhanced glancing angle TiO{sub 2} structures were deposited onto borosilicate microscope slides and used to characterise the effects of glancing angle and plasma ion energy distribution function on the optical and nanostructural properties. Variation in TiO{sub 2} refractive index from 1.40 to 2.45 (@ 550 nm) using PEGLAD is demonstrated. Results and analysis of the influence of plasma enhanced glancing angle deposition on evaporant path and resultant glancing angle deviation from standard GLAD are described. Control of mesoporous morphology is described, providing a means of optimising light trapping features and film porosity, relevant to applications such as fabrication of dye sensitised solar cells. - Highlights: • Plasma assistance during glancing angle deposition enables control of morphology. • Ion energy variation during glancing angle deposition varies columnar angle • Column thickness of glancing angle deposition dependant on ion current density • Ion current density variation during

Lipid globule size in total nutrient admixtures prepared in three-chamber plastic bags.

Science.gov (United States)

Driscoll, David F; Thoma, Andrea; Franke, Rolf; Klütsch, Karsten; Nehne, Jörg; Bistrian, Bruce R

2009-04-01

The stability of injectable lipid emulsions in three-chamber plastic (3CP) bags, applying the globule-size limits established by United States Pharmacopeia ( USP ) chapter 729, was studied. A total of five premixed total nutrient admixture (TNA) products packaged in 3CP bags from two different lipid manufacturers containing either 20% soybean oil or a mixture of soybean oil and medium-chain-triglyceride oil as injectable lipid emulsions were tested. Two low-osmolarity 3CP bags and three high-osmolarity 3CP bags were studied. All products were tested with the addition of trace elements and multivitamins. All additive conditions (with and without electrolytes) were tested in triplicate at time 0 (immediately after mixing) and at 6, 24, 30, and 48 hours after mixing; the bags were stored at 24-26 degrees C. All additives were equally distributed in each bag for comparative testing, applying both globule sizing methods outlined in USP chapter 729. Of the bags tested, all bags from one manufacturer were coarse emulsions, showing signs of significant growth in the large-diameter tail when mixed as a TNA formulation and failing the limits set by method II of USP chapter 729 from the outset and throughout the study, while the bags from the other manufacturer were fine emulsions and met these limits. Of the bags that failed, significant instability was noted in one series containing additional electrolytes. Injectable lipid emulsions provided in 3CP bags that did not meet the globule-size limits of USP chapter 729 produced coarser TNA formulations than emulsions that met the USP limits.

Online naphazoline quality control by micellar-enhanced spectrofluorimetry.

Science.gov (United States)

Peralta, Cecilia Mariana; Silva, Raúl Alejandro; Fernández, Liliana Patricia; Masi, Adriana Noemí

2011-01-01

The aim of this study was to develop a method for online spectrofluorimetric quality control of naphazoline (NPZ) in pharmaceuticals and raw drugs. A combination of a flow-injection analysis (FIA) system with micellar-enhanced fluorescence detection is presented as a powerful alternative for the rapid and sensitive analysis of naphazoline. Since NPZ shows low native fluorescence, the use of an anionic surfactant, such as sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS), provides a considerable enhancement of fluorescence intensity and the nature of the technique allows a possible and easy adaptation to a FIA system. Using λ(exc) = 280 nm and λ(em) = 326 nm, a good linear relationship (LOL) was obtained in the range 0.003-10 µg mL(-1) with a detection limit (LOD) of 3 × 10(-4) µg mL(-1) (s/n = 3). Parameters related to the nature of the analytical signal and to the FIA manifold were optimized. Satisfactory recoveries were obtained in the analysis of commercial pharmaceutical formulations. The proposed method is simple, accurate and allows for high-speed sampling and considerably shorter analysis times. In addition, it requires inexpensive equipment and reagents and has easy operational conditions and no side effects, thus avoiding environmental pollution through toxic waste. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Dynamic performance enhancement of microgrids by advanced sliding mode controller

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sofla, Mohammadhassan Abdollahi [Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Dept., University of Toledo, Ohio (United States); Gharehpetian, Gevorg B. [Electrical Engineering Dept., Amirkabir University of Technology, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2011-01-15

Dynamics are the most important problems in the microgrid operation. In the islanded microgrid, the mismatch of parallel operations of inverters during dynamics can result in the instability. This paper considers severe dynamics which can occur in the microgrid. Microgrid can have different configurations with different load and generation dynamics which are facing voltage disturbances. As a result, microgrid has many uncertainties and is placed in the distribution network where is full of voltage disturbances. Moreover, characteristics of the distribution network and distributed energy resources in the islanded mode make microgrid vulnerable and easily lead to instability. The main aim of this paper is to discuss the suitable mathematical modeling based on microgrid characteristics and to design properly inner controllers to enhance the dynamics of microgrid with uncertain and changing parameters. This paper provides a method for inner controllers of inverter-based distributed energy resources to have a suitable response for different dynamics. Parallel inverters in distribution networks were considered to be controlled by nonlinear robust voltage and current controllers. Theoretical prove beyond simulation results, reveal evidently the effectiveness of the proposed controller. (author)

A novel control strategy for enhancing the LVRT and voltage support capabilities of DFIG

Science.gov (United States)

Shen, Yangwu; Zhang, Bin; Liang, Liqing; Cui, Ting

2018-02-01

A novel integrated control strategy is proposed in this paper to enhance the low voltage ride through capacity for the double-fed induction generator by equipping an energy storage system. The energy storage system is installed into the DC-link capacitor of the DFIG and used to control the DC-link voltage during normal or transient operations. The energy storage device will absorb or compensate the power difference between the captured wind power and the power injected to the grid during the normal and transient period, and the grid side converter can be free from maintaining the voltage stability of the DC-link capacitor. Thus, the grid-side converter is changed to reactive power support while the rotor-side converter is used to control the maximum power production during normal operation. The grid-side converter and rotor-side converter will act as reactive power sources to further enhance the voltage support capability of double-fed induction generator during the transient period. Numerical Simulation are performed to validate the effectiveness of the proposed control designs.

Magnetic alignment of SWCNTs decorated with Fe3O4 to enhance mechanical properties of SC-15 epoxy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

O. Malkina

2013-04-01

Full Text Available We report significant improvement in mechanical properties of SC-15 epoxy when reinforced with decorated nanotubes and cured in a modest magnetic field. The chemical synthesis and field curing process is a low cost and relatively easy technique to impose strong magnetic anisotropy into the system without the need of a superconducting magnet. SWCNT(COOHs were decorated with Fe3O4 nanoparticles through a sonochemical oxidation process and then dispersed into SC-15 epoxy at 0.5 wt% loading. The admixture was cured for 6 hours in a magnetic field of 10 kOe followed by an additional 24 hours of post curing at room temperature. Control samples were prepared in a similar manner but without the application of the magnetic field. Mechanical tests performed on field-cured samples indicated that tensile strength and modulus increased by 62% and 40%. Most importantly, modulus of toughness, fracture strain, and modulus of resilience improved by 346%, 165%% and 170%, respectively. Such enhancement in mechanical properties was attributed to changes in polymer morphology, partial alignment of nanotubes in the field direction, and sliding at the polymer-nanotube interface. Detailed characterization of the system with XRD, TEM, DMA, and Magnetometry are described in the paper.

Active and Inactive Enhancers Cooperate to Exert Localized and Long-Range Control of Gene Regulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Proudhon, Charlotte; Snetkova, Valentina; Raviram, Ramya; Lobry, Camille; Badri, Sana; Jiang, Tingting; Hao, Bingtao; Trimarchi, Thomas; Kluger, Yuval; Aifantis, Iannis; Bonneau, Richard; Skok, Jane A

2016-06-07

V(D)J recombination relies on the presence of proximal enhancers that activate the antigen receptor (AgR) loci in a lineage- and stage-specific manner. Unexpectedly, we find that both active and inactive AgR enhancers cooperate to disseminate their effects in a localized and long-range manner. Here, we demonstrate the importance of short-range contacts between active enhancers that constitute an Igk super-enhancer in B cells. Deletion of one element reduces the interaction frequency between other enhancers in the hub, which compromises the transcriptional output of each component. Furthermore, we establish that, in T cells, long-range contact and cooperation between the inactive Igk enhancer MiEκ and the active Tcrb enhancer Eβ alters enrichment of CBFβ binding in a manner that impacts Tcrb recombination. These findings underline the complexities of enhancer regulation and point to a role for localized and long-range enhancer-sharing between active and inactive elements in lineage- and stage-specific control. Copyright © 2016 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Control of climatics environments to enhance reliability of electronics systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sekhon, K.S.

1979-01-01

The techniques to control temperature and humidity to reduce failures in semiconductor devices are presented. The maximum operating junction temperature affects the electronic system reliability, and the equation for the junction temperature of the device shows that internal and external thermal resistances affect component life. Junction temperature reductions up to 60 C were achieved by the development of heat pipes for microcircuits, which will enhance electronics life by 32 times. Humidity control by improved sealing and use of heaters to prevent moisture condensation proved difficult and costly, and high pressure dehydrators were heavy and expensive. Therefore, low pressure dehydrator was developed which is smaller, lighter, and less expensive. The development of low pressure dehumidifying system including test data is presented

Enhanced photoelectrochemical water splitting performance using morphology-controlled BiVO4 with W doping

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xin Zhao

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Nanostructures exhibit numerous merits to improve the efficiency in solar-to-energy conversion. These include shortened carrier collection pathways, an increased volume ratio between depletion layer and bulk, enhanced light capture due to multiple light scattering in nanostructures, and a high surface area for photochemical conversion reactions. In this study, we describe the synthesis of morphology-controlled W-doped BiVO4 by simply tuning the solvent ratio in precursor solutions. Planar and porous W-doped BiVO4 thin films were prepared and compared. The porous film, which exhibits increased surface area and enhanced light absorption, has displayed enhanced charge separation and interfacial charge injection. Our quantitative analysis showed an enhancement of about 50% of the photoelectrochemical performance for the porous structure compared to the planar structure. This enhancement is attributed to improved light absorption (13% increase, charge separation (14% increase, and interfacial charge injection (20% increase.

Active field control (AFC) -electro-acoustic enhancement system using acoustical feedback control

Science.gov (United States)

Miyazaki, Hideo; Watanabe, Takayuki; Kishinaga, Shinji; Kawakami, Fukushi

2003-10-01

AFC is an electro-acoustic enhancement system using FIR filters to optimize auditory impressions, such as liveness, loudness, and spaciousness. This system has been under development at Yamaha Corporation for more than 15 years and has been installed in approximately 50 venues in Japan to date. AFC utilizes feedback control techniques for recreation of reverberation from the physical reverberation of the room. In order to prevent coloration problems caused by a closed loop condition, two types of time-varying control techniques are implemented in the AFC system to ensure smooth loop gain and a sufficient margin in frequency characteristics to prevent instability. Those are: (a) EMR (electric microphone rotator) -smoothing frequency responses between microphones and speakers by changing the combinations of inputs and outputs periodically; (b) fluctuating-FIR -smoothing frequency responses of FIR filters and preventing coloration problems caused by fixed FIR filters, by moving each FIR tap periodically on time axis with a different phase and time period. In this paper, these techniques are summarized. A block diagram of AFC using new equipment named AFC1, which has been developed at Yamaha Corporation and released recently in the US, is also presented.

Electrical stimulation enhances sensory recovery: a randomized controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Wong, Joshua N; Olson, Jaret L; Morhart, Michael J; Chan, K Ming

2015-06-01

Brief postsurgical electrical stimulation (ES) has been shown to enhance peripheral nerve regeneration in animal models following axotomy and crush injury. However, whether this treatment is beneficial in humans with sensory nerve injury has not been tested. The goal of this study was to test the hypothesis that ES would enhance sensory nerve regeneration following digital nerve transection compared to surgery alone. Patients with complete digital nerve transection underwent epineurial nerve repair. After coaptation of the severed nerve ends, fine wire electrodes were implanted before skin closure. Postoperatively, patients were randomized to receiving either 1 hour of 20Hz continuous ES or sham stimulation in a double-blinded manner. Patients were followed monthly for 6 months by a blinded evaluator to monitor physiological recovery of spatial discrimination, pressure threshold, and quantitative small fiber sensory testing. Functional disability was measured using the Disability of Arm, Shoulder, and Hand questionnaire. A total of 36 patients were recruited, with 18 in each group. Those in the ES group showed consistently greater improvements in all sensory modalities by 5 to 6 months postoperatively compared to the controls. Although there was a trend of greater functional improvements in the ES group, it was not statistically significant (p > 0.01). Postsurgical ES enhanced sensory reinnervation in patients who sustained complete digital nerve transection. The conferred benefits apply to a wide range of sensory functions. © 2015 American Neurological Association.

Emotional and uncontrolled eating styles and chocolate chip cookie consumption. A controlled trial of the effects of positive mood enhancement.

Science.gov (United States)

Turner, Sally Ann; Luszczynska, Aleksandra; Warner, Lisa; Schwarzer, Ralf

2010-02-01

The study tested the effects of positive mood enhancement on chocolate chip cookie consumption in the context of emotional and uncontrolled eating styles. The relationship between emotional eating style and chocolate chip cookie intake was assumed to be mediated by uncontrolled eating style. Further, it was hypothesized that the effectiveness of the positive mood enhancement may be more salient among those who have effective control of their eating. In this experimental study, respondents (N=106, 70% women, aged 16-45 years old) were assigned by means of cluster randomization to the control or positive mood enhancement condition (a comedy movie clip). Compared to the control condition, positive mood enhancement resulted in consuming on average 53.86 kcal less. Relationships between emotional eating style and cookie intake were mediated by uncontrolled eating. Moderated mediation analysis indicated that the effect of a mediator (uncontrolled eating) on cookie intake was moderated by the group assignment. Positive mood enhancement resulted in eating on average 3.3 cookies less among individuals with a more controlled eating style. By contrast, among those who presented uncontrolled eating, positive mood enhancement led to consuming an average of 1.7 cookies more. 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Genetics, surnames, grandparents' nationalities, and ethnic admixture in Southern Brazil: Do the patterns of variation coincide?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

C.L. Dornelles

1999-06-01

Full Text Available A total of 2,708 individuals from the European-derived population of Rio Grande do Sul, divided into seven mesoregions, and of 226 individuals of similar origin from Santa Catarina were studied. Seventeen protein genetic systems, as well as grandparents' nationalities, individuals' surnames, and interethnic admixture were investigated. The alleles which presented the highest and lowest differences were GLO1*2 (16% and PGD*A (2%, respectively, but in general no significant genetic differences were found among mesoregions. The values observed were generally those expected for individuals of European descent, with the largest difference being a lower prevalence (34-39% of P*1. Significant heterogeneity among mesoregions was observed for the other variables considered, and was consistent with historical records. The Amerindian contribution to the gene pool of European-derived subjects in Rio Grande do Sul was estimated to be as high as 11%. Based on the four data sets, the most general finding was a tendency for a northeast-southwest separation of the populations studied. Seven significant phenotype associations between systems were observed at the 5% level (three at the 0.1% level. Of the latter, the two most interesting (since they were also observed in other studies were MNSs/Duffy and Rh/ACP.

Enhancements to inventory control procedures used at Koeberg nuclear power station

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barker, M.P.; Adams, A.R.

1991-01-01

In industry today, industrial engineers are forced to seek new and innovative ideas to reduce costs. This can often be accomplished by simplified or modernized operational procedures. With the advancement in computer technology, operational procedures can be enhanced. Despite the fact that Eskom's Koeberg nuclear power station is one of a kind in Africa, it, like most other industries requires a large stock holding capacity. There are currently 25 000 stock items in the Koeberg Stores Information System. Controlling all of these items is no minor task and management is continually trying to optimise the inventory control procedures. One of these procedures is described. 3 refs., 1 fig

tDCS over the left prefrontal cortex enhances cognitive control for positive affective stimuli.

Science.gov (United States)

Vanderhasselt, Marie-Anne; De Raedt, Rudi; Brunoni, Andre R; Campanhã, Camila; Baeken, Chris; Remue, Jonathan; Boggio, Paulo S

2013-01-01

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) is a neuromodulation technique with promising results for enhancing cognitive information processes. So far, however, research has mainly focused on the effects of tDCS on cognitive control operations for non-emotional material. Therefore, our aim was to investigate the effects on cognitive control considering negative versus positive material. For this sham-controlled, within-subjects study, we selected a homogeneous sample of twenty-five healthy participants. By using behavioral measures and event related potentials (ERP) as indexes, we aimed to investigate whether a single session of anodal tDCS of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) would have specific effects in enhancing cognitive control for positive and negative valenced stimuli. After tDCS over the left DLPFC (and not sham control stimulation), we observed more negative N450 amplitudes along with faster reaction times when inhibiting a habitual response to happy compared to sad facial expressions. Gender did not influence the effects of tDCS on cognitive control for emotional information. In line with the Valence Theory of side-lateralized activity, this stimulation protocol might have led to a left dominant (relative to right) prefrontal cortical activity, resulting in augmented cognitive control specifically for positive relative to negative stimuli. To verify that tDCS induces effects that are in line with all aspects of the well known Valence Theory, future research should investigate the effects of tDCS over the left vs. right DLPFC on cognitive control for emotional information.

PCE and BNS admixture adsorption in sands with different composition and particle size distribution; Adsorción de aditivos PCE y BNS en arenas con diferente composición y distribución de tamaño de partículas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Alonso, M.M.; Martínez-Gaitero, R.; Gismera-Diez, S.; Puertas, F.

2017-07-01

The choice of a superplasticiser (SP) for concrete is of great complexity, as it is well known that properties of the end product are related to admixture and its compatibility with concrete components. Very few studies have been conducted on the compatibility between SPs and the sand of mortars and concretes, however. Practical experience has shown that sand fineness and mineralogical composition affect water demand and admixture consumption. Clay-containing sand has been found also to adsorb SPs, reducing the amount available in solution for adsorption by the cement. This study analysed the isotherms for PCE and BNS superplasticiser adsorption on four sands with different fineness and compositions commonly used to prepare mortars and concretes. BNS-based SP did not adsorb on sands, while PCE-based admixtures exhibited variable adsorption depending on different factors. The adsorption curves obtained revealed that the higher the sand fineness, the finer the particle size distribution and the higher the clay material, the greater was PCE admixture adsorption/ consumption. [Spanish] La elección de un superplastificante (SP) para el hormigón es un proceso complejo, ya que las propiedades del producto final se relacionan con la naturaleza del aditivo y su compatibilidad con los componentes del hormigón. Sin embargo hay pocos estudios sobre la compatibilidad entre los SPs y arenas utilizadas en morteros y hormigones. En la práctica se ha demostrado que la finura y la composición mineralógica de la arena afectan a la demanda de agua y al consumo de SPs. Las arcillas que pueden encontrarse en las arenas pueden también adsorber aditivos, reduciendo la cantidad disponible en solución para la adsorción por el cemento. Se han analizado las isotermas de adsorción para SPs de tipo PCE y BNS en cuatro arenas de diferente finura y composicion comúnmente utilizado para preparar morteros y hormigones. El aditivo BNS no se adsorbe en las arenas, mientras que los PCE

The Unspoken Consequence of Command, Control Communications Technology: Enhanced Micromanagement by Risk-Averse Commanders

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Carozza, John

2004-01-01

.... However, along with its benefits, this command, control and communications (C3) network includes the dangerous consequence of eroding the autonomy of tactical command through enhanced micromanagement by risk-averse operational commanders...

Enhanced squeezing of a collective spin via control of its qudit subsystems.

Science.gov (United States)

Norris, Leigh M; Trail, Collin M; Jessen, Poul S; Deutsch, Ivan H

2012-10-26

Unitary control of qudits can improve the collective spin squeezing of an atomic ensemble. Preparing the atoms in a state with large quantum fluctuations in magnetization strengthens the entangling Faraday interaction. The resulting increase in interatomic entanglement can be converted into metrologically useful spin squeezing. Further control can squeeze the internal atomic spin without compromising entanglement, providing an overall multiplicative factor in the collective squeezing. We model the effects of optical pumping and study the tradeoffs between enhanced entanglement and decoherence. For realistic parameters we see improvements of ~10 dB.

Active and inactive enhancers co-operate to exert localized and long-range control of gene regulation

Science.gov (United States)

Proudhon, Charlotte; Snetkova, Valentina; Raviram, Ramya; Lobry, Camille; Badri, Sana; Jiang, Tingting; Hao, Bingtao; Trimarchi, Thomas; Kluger, Yuval; Aifantis, Iannis; Bonneau, Richard; Skok, Jane A

2016-01-01

V(D)J recombination relies on the presence of proximal enhancers that activate the antigen receptor (AgR) loci in a lineage and stage specific manner. Unexpectedly we find that both active and inactive AgR enhancers co-operate to disseminate their effects in a localized and long-range manner. Here we demonstrate the importance of short-range contacts between active enhancers that constitute an Igk super-enhancer in B cells. Deletion of one element reduces the interaction frequency between other enhancers in the hub, which compromises the transcriptional output of each component. We further establish that in T cells long-range contact and co-operation between the inactive Igk enhancer, MiEκ and the active Tcrb enhancer, Eβ, alters enrichment of CBFβ binding in a manner that impacts Tcrb recombination. These findings underline the complexities of enhancer regulation and point to a role for localized and long-range enhancer-sharing between active and inactive elements in lineage and stage specific control. PMID:27239026

Why self-controlled feedback enhances motor learning: Answers from electroencephalography and indices of motivation.

Science.gov (United States)

Grand, Kirk F; Bruzi, Alessandro T; Dyke, Ford B; Godwin, Maurice M; Leiker, Amber M; Thompson, Andrew G; Buchanan, Taylor L; Miller, Matthew W

2015-10-01

It was tested whether learners who choose when to receive augmented feedback while practicing a motor skill exhibit enhanced augmented feedback processing and intrinsic motivation, along with superior learning, relative to learners who do not control their feedback. Accordingly, participants were assigned to either self-control (Self) or yoked groups and asked to practice a non-dominant arm beanbag toss. Self participants received augmented feedback at their discretion, whereas Yoked participants were given feedback schedules matched to Self counterparts. Participants' visual feedback was occluded, and when they received augmented feedback, their processing of it was indexed with the electroencephalography-derived feedback-related negativity (FRN). Participants self-reported intrinsic motivation via the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (IMI) after practice, and completed a retention and transfer test the next day to index learning. Results partially support the hypothesis. Specifically, Self participants reported higher IMI scores, exhibited larger FRNs, and demonstrated better accuracy on the transfer test, but not on the retention test, nor did they exhibit greater consistency on the retention or transfer tests. Additionally, post-hoc multiple regression analysis indicated FRN amplitude predicted transfer test accuracy (accounting for IMI score). Results suggest self-controlled feedback schedules enhance feedback processing, which enhances the transfer of a newly acquired motor skill. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Formulation and Evaluation of Microspheres Based on Gelatin ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Formulation and Evaluation of Microspheres Based on Gelatin-Mucin Admixtures for the Rectal Delivery of Cefuroxime Sodium. K C Ofokansi, M U Adikwu. Abstract. Purpose: Swellable microspheres based on polymers or their admixtures are frequently employed as drug delivery systems to achieve a controlled release ...

Control technique for enhancing the stable operation of distributed generation units within a microgrid

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mehrasa, Majid; Pouresmaeil, Edris; Mehrjerdi, Hasan; Jørgensen, Bo Nørregaard; Catalão, João P.S.

2015-01-01

Highlights: • A control technique for enhancing the stable operation of distributed generation units is proposed. • Passivity-based control technique is considered to analyze the dynamic and steady-state behaviors. • The compensation of instantaneous variations in the reference current components is considered. • Simulation results confirm the performance of the control scheme within the microgrid. - Abstract: This paper describes a control technique for enhancing the stable operation of distributed generation (DG) units based on renewable energy sources, during islanding and grid-connected modes. The Passivity-based control technique is considered to analyze the dynamic and steady-state behaviors of DG units during integration and power sharing with loads and/or power grid, which is an appropriate tool to analyze and define a stable operating condition for DG units in microgrid technology. The compensation of instantaneous variations in the reference current components of DG units in ac-side, and dc-link voltage variations in dc-side of interfaced converters, are considered properly in the control loop of DG units, which is the main contribution and novelty of this control technique over other control strategies. By using the proposed control technique, DG units can provide the continuous injection of active power from DG sources to the local loads and/or utility grid. Moreover, by setting appropriate reference current components in the control loop of DG units, reactive power and harmonic current components of loads can be supplied during the islanding and grid-connected modes with a fast dynamic response. Simulation results confirm the performance of the control scheme within the microgrid during dynamic and steady-state operating conditions

Electrical, control and information systems in the Enhanced CANDU 6

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

De Grosbois, J.; Raiskums, G.; Soulard, M.

2011-01-01

This paper describes the electrical, control, and information system (EC and I) design feature improvements of the Enhanced CANDU 6 (EC6). These additional features are carefully integrated into the EC6 design platform, and are engineered with consideration of operational feedback, human factors, and leveraging the advantages of digital instrumentation and control (I and C) technology to create a coherent I and C architecture in support of safe and high performance operation. The design drivers for the selection of advanced features are also discussed. The EC6 nuclear power plant is a mid-sized Pressurized Heavy Water Reactor design, based on the highly successful CANDU 6 family of power plants, and upgraded to meet today's Canadian and international safety requirements and to satisfy Generation 3 design expectations. (author)

Radiosurgery for brain metastases: relationship of dose and pattern of enhancement to local control

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shiau, C.-Y.; Sneed, Penny K.; Shu, H.-K.G.; Lamborn, Kathleen R.; McDermott, Michael W.; Chang, Susan; Nowak, Peter; Petti, Paula L.; Smith, Vernon; Verhey, Lynn J.; Ho, Maria; Park, Elaine; Wara, William M.; Gutin, Philip H.; Larson, David A.

1997-01-01

Purpose: This study aimed to analyze dose, initial pattern of enhancement, and other factors associated with freedom from progression (FFP) of brain metastases after radiosurgery (RS). Methods and Materials: All brain metastases treated with gamma-knife RS at the University of California, San Francisco, from 1991 to 1994 were reviewed. Evaluable lesions were those with follow-up magnetic resonance or computed tomographic imaging. Actuarial FFP was calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method, measuring FFP from the date of RS to the first imaging study showing tumor progression. Controlled lesions were censored at the time of the last imaging study. Multivariate analyses were performed using a stepwise Cox proportional hazards model. Results: Of 261 lesions treated in 119 patients, 219 lesions in 100 patients were evaluable. Major histologies included adenocarcinoma (86 lesions), melanoma (77), renal cell carcinoma (21), and carcinoma not otherwise specified (17). The median prescribed RS dose was 18.5 Gy (range, 10-22) and the median tumor volume was 1.3 ml (range, 0.02-30.9). The initial pattern of contrast enhancement was homogeneous in 68% of lesions, heterogeneous in 12%, and ring-enhancing in 19%. The actuarial FFP was 82% at 6 months and 77% at 1 year for all lesions, and 93 and 90%, respectively, for 145 lesions receiving ≥ 18 Gy. Multivariate analysis showed that longer FFP was significantly associated with higher prescribed RS dose, a homogeneous pattern of contrast enhancement, and a longer interval between primary diagnosis and RS. Adjusted for these factors, adenocarcinomas had longer FFP than melanomas. No significant differences in FFP were noted among lesions undergoing RS for recurrence after prior radiotherapy (119 lesions), RS alone as initial treatment (45), or RS boost (55). Conclusion: A minimum prescribed radiosurgical dose ≥ 18 Gy yields excellent local control of brain metastases. The influence of pattern of enhancement on local control, a

An Enhanced Instantaneous Circulating Current Control for Reactive power and Harmonic Load Sharing in Islanded Microgrids

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lorzadeh, Iman; Askarian Abyaneh, Hossein; Savaghebi, Mehdi

2017-01-01

To address inaccurate load demand sharing problems among parallel inverter-interfaced voltage-controlled distributed generation (DG) units in islanded microgrids with different DG power ratings and mismatched feeder impedances, an enhanced voltage control scheme based on actively compensation of ...

Enhanced Control for Local Helicity Injection on the Pegasus ST

Science.gov (United States)

Pierren, C.; Bongard, M. W.; Fonck, R. J.; Lewicki, B. T.; Perry, J. M.

2017-10-01

Local helicity injection (LHI) experiments on Pegasus rely upon programmable control of a 250 MVA modular power supply system that drives the electromagnets and helicity injection systems. Precise control of the central solenoid is critical to experimental campaigns that test the LHI Taylor relaxation limit and the coupling efficiency of LHI-produced plasmas to Ohmic current drive. Enhancement and expansion of the present control system is underway using field programmable gate array (FPGA) technology for digital logic and control, coupled to new 10 MHz optical-to-digital transceivers for semiconductor level device communication. The system accepts optical command signals from existing analog feedback controllers, transmits them to multiple devices in parallel H-bridges, and aggregates their status signals for fault detection. Present device-level multiplexing/de-multiplexing and protection logic is extended to include bridge-level protections with the FPGA. An input command filter protects against erroneous and/or spurious noise generated commands that could otherwise cause device failures. Fault registration and response times with the FPGA system are 25 ns. Initial system testing indicates an increased immunity to power supply induced noise, enabling plasma operations at higher working capacitor bank voltage. This can increase the applied helicity injection drive voltage, enable longer pulse lengths and improve Ohmic loop voltage control. Work supported by US DOE Grant DE-FG02-96ER54375.

A non-invasive diffuse reflectance calibration-free method for absolute determination of exogenous biochemicals concentration in biological tissues

Science.gov (United States)

Lappa, Alexander V.; Kulikovskiy, Artem N.; Busarov, Oleg G.

2014-03-01

The paper presents a new method for distant non-destructive determination of concentration of light absorbing admixtures in turbid media. In particular, it is intended for non-invasive in vivo control of accumulation in patient tissues of various biochemicals introduced to the patients for chemotherapy, photodynamic therapy or diagnostics. It is require that the admixture absorption spectrum should have a clearly marked peak in the wavelength region where the pure medium one varies regularly. Fluorescence of admixtures is not required. The method uses the local diffuse reflectance spectroscopy with optical fiber probe including one emitting and two reading There are several features in the method: the value to be determined is absolute concentration of admixtures; the method needs no calibration measurements on phantoms; it needs no reference measurements on sample with zero admixture concentration; it uses a two parametric kinetic light propagation model and original algorithms to resolve direct and inverse tasks of radiation transport theory. Experimental testing passed with tissue equivalent phantoms and different admixtures, including a chlorine photosensitizer, showed accuracy under 10% in all cases.

Enhanced thermal expansion control rod drive lines for improving passive safety of fast reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Edelmann, M.; Baumann, W.; Kuechle, M.; Kussmaul, G.; Vaeth, W.; Bertram, A.

1992-01-01

The paper presents a device for increasing the thermal expansion effect of control rod drive lines on negative reactivity feedback in fast reactors. The enhanced thermal expansion of this device can be utilized for both passive rod drop and forced insertion of absorbers in unprotected transients, e.g. ULOF. In this way the reactor is automatically brought into a permanently subcritical state and temperatures are kept well below the boiling point of the coolant. A prototype of such a device called ATHENa (German: Shut-down by THermal Expansion of Na) is presently under construction and will be tested. The paper presents the principle, design features and thermal properties of ATHENs as well as results of reactor dynamics calculations of ULOF's for EFR with enhanced thermal expansion control rod drive lines. (author)

Tip-Enhanced Raman Scattering Microscopy: A Step toward Nanoscale Control of Intrinsic Molecular Properties

Science.gov (United States)

Yano, Taka-aki; Hara, Masahiko

2018-06-01

Tip-enhanced Raman scattering microscopy, a family of scanning probe microscopy techniques, has been recognized as a powerful surface analytical technique with both single-molecule sensitivity and angstrom-scale spatial resolution. This review covers the current status of tip-enhanced Raman scattering microscopy in surface and material nanosciences, including a brief history, the basic principles, and applications for the nanoscale characterization of a variety of nanomaterials. The focus is on the recent trend of combining tip-enhanced Raman scattering microscopy with various external stimuli such as pressure, voltage, light, and temperature, which enables the local control of the molecular properties and functions and also enables chemical reactions to be induced on a nanometer scale.

Enhanced photocurrent in thin-film amorphous silicon solar cells via shape controlled three-dimensional nanostructures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hilali, Mohamed M; Banerjee, Sanjay; Sreenivasan, S V; Yang Shuqiang; Miller, Mike; Xu, Frank

2012-01-01

In this paper, we have explored manufacturable approaches to sub-wavelength controlled three-dimensional (3D) nano-patterns with the goal of significantly enhancing the photocurrent in amorphous silicon solar cells. Here we demonstrate efficiency enhancement of about 50% over typical flat a-Si thin-film solar cells, and report an enhancement of 20% in optical absorption over Asahi textured glass by fabricating sub-wavelength nano-patterned a-Si on glass substrates. External quantum efficiency showed superior results for the 3D nano-patterned thin-film solar cells due to enhancement of broadband optical absorption. The results further indicate that this enhanced light trapping is achieved with minimal parasitic absorption losses in the deposited transparent conductive oxide for the nano-patterned substrate thin-film amorphous silicon solar cell configuration. Optical simulations are in good agreement with experimental results, and also show a significant enhancement in optical absorption, quantum efficiency and photocurrent. (paper)

A voltage-controlled ring oscillator using InP full enhancement-mode HEMT logic

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Du Rui; Dai Yang; Chen Yanling; Yang Fuhua, E-mail: ddrr@semi.ac.c [Research Center of Semiconductor Integration, Institute of Semiconductors, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100083 (China)

2009-03-15

A voltage-controlled ring oscillator (VCO) based on a full enhancement-mode InAlAs/InGaAs/InP high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) logic is proposed. An enhancement-mode HEMT (E-HEMT) is fabricated, whose threshold is demonstrated to be 10 mV. The model of the E-HEMT is established and used in the SPICE simulation of the VCO. The result proves that the full E-HEMT logic technology can be applied to the VCO. And compared with the HEMT DCFL technology, the complexity of our fabrication process is reduced and the reliability is improved.

tDCS over the left prefrontal cortex enhances cognitive control for positive affective stimuli.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marie-Anne Vanderhasselt

Full Text Available Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS is a neuromodulation technique with promising results for enhancing cognitive information processes. So far, however, research has mainly focused on the effects of tDCS on cognitive control operations for non-emotional material. Therefore, our aim was to investigate the effects on cognitive control considering negative versus positive material. For this sham-controlled, within-subjects study, we selected a homogeneous sample of twenty-five healthy participants. By using behavioral measures and event related potentials (ERP as indexes, we aimed to investigate whether a single session of anodal tDCS of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC would have specific effects in enhancing cognitive control for positive and negative valenced stimuli. After tDCS over the left DLPFC (and not sham control stimulation, we observed more negative N450 amplitudes along with faster reaction times when inhibiting a habitual response to happy compared to sad facial expressions. Gender did not influence the effects of tDCS on cognitive control for emotional information. In line with the Valence Theory of side-lateralized activity, this stimulation protocol might have led to a left dominant (relative to right prefrontal cortical activity, resulting in augmented cognitive control specifically for positive relative to negative stimuli. To verify that tDCS induces effects that are in line with all aspects of the well known Valence Theory, future research should investigate the effects of tDCS over the left vs. right DLPFC on cognitive control for emotional information.

Use of probabilistic weights to enhance linear regression myoelectric control

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Lauren H.; Kuiken, Todd A.; Hargrove, Levi J.

2015-12-01

Objective. Clinically available prostheses for transradial amputees do not allow simultaneous myoelectric control of degrees of freedom (DOFs). Linear regression methods can provide simultaneous myoelectric control, but frequently also result in difficulty with isolating individual DOFs when desired. This study evaluated the potential of using probabilistic estimates of categories of gross prosthesis movement, which are commonly used in classification-based myoelectric control, to enhance linear regression myoelectric control. Approach. Gaussian models were fit to electromyogram (EMG) feature distributions for three movement classes at each DOF (no movement, or movement in either direction) and used to weight the output of linear regression models by the probability that the user intended the movement. Eight able-bodied and two transradial amputee subjects worked in a virtual Fitts’ law task to evaluate differences in controllability between linear regression and probability-weighted regression for an intramuscular EMG-based three-DOF wrist and hand system. Main results. Real-time and offline analyses in able-bodied subjects demonstrated that probability weighting improved performance during single-DOF tasks (p < 0.05) by preventing extraneous movement at additional DOFs. Similar results were seen in experiments with two transradial amputees. Though goodness-of-fit evaluations suggested that the EMG feature distributions showed some deviations from the Gaussian, equal-covariance assumptions used in this experiment, the assumptions were sufficiently met to provide improved performance compared to linear regression control. Significance. Use of probability weights can improve the ability to isolate individual during linear regression myoelectric control, while maintaining the ability to simultaneously control multiple DOFs.

Influência da adição no comportamento reológico da pasta autoadensável de alto desempenho = Influence of admixture on the rheological behavior of high performance self-compacting paste

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Igor André Rodrigues Piovezam

2008-07-01

Full Text Available Esta pesquisa propõe o estudo da influência da área específica, forma e textura superficial das adições no comportamento reológico da pasta autoadensável de alto desempenho (PAAD. As adições selecionadas são o filer calcário e o filer basalto, por se tratarem de subprodutos industriais a fim de contribuir, desta forma, para o desenvolvimento sustentável. A pasta em estudo é constituída de cimento, sílica ativa, filer calcário ou filer basalto, água e aditivo superplastificante de última geração. São fixadas as relações água/cimento = 0,40 L kg-1, sílica ativa/cimento = 0,10 kg kg-1, e as relações filer/cimento e superplastificante/cimento são determinadas por meio de ensaios de cone de Marsh e de “mini-slump”. Os resultados mostram que, para as mesmas relações de filer/cimento, os teores de superplastificante para pasta com filer calcário são significativamente inferiores ao da pasta com filer basalto. A análise dos resultados permite concluir que a área específica, forma e textura superficial das adições influenciam significativamente o comportamento reológico das PAADs.This research proposes to study the influence of the specific area, mould and surface texture of admixtures on the rheological behavior ofhigh performance self-compacting paste (HPSCP. The selected admixtures are calcareous filler and basalt filler, which are industrial residues, thus contributing to sustainabledevelopment. The paste is made up of cement, silica fume, calcareous filler or basalt filler, water and superplasticizer additive. For this study, the water/cement ratios are fixed = 0.40L kg-1; silica fume/cement = 0.10 kg kg-1; the filler/cement and superplasticizer/cement ratios are determined through Marsh cone and mini-slump tests. The results show that for same filler/cement ratios, the ratios of superplasticizer to paste with calcareous filler are significantly lower than those of paste with basalt filler. The results show

Distributed Information and Control system reliability enhancement by fog-computing concept application

Science.gov (United States)

Melnik, E. V.; Klimenko, A. B.; Ivanov, D. Ya

2018-03-01

The paper focuses on the information and control system reliability issue. Authors of the current paper propose a new complex approach of information and control system reliability enhancement by application of the computing concept elements. The approach proposed consists of a complex of optimization problems to be solved. These problems are: estimation of computational complexity, which can be shifted to the edge of the network and fog-layer, distribution of computations among the data processing elements and distribution of computations among the sensors. The problems as well as some simulated results and discussion are formulated and presented within this paper.

An Islanding Microgrid Power Sharing Approach Using Enhanced Virtual Impedance Control Scheme

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

He, Jinwei; Li, Yun Wei; Guerrero, Josep M.

2013-01-01

In order to address the load sharing problem in islanding microgrids, this paper proposes an enhanced distributed generation (DG) unit virtual impedance control approach. The proposed method can realize accurate regulation of DG unit equivalent impedance at both fundamental and selected harmonic...... and PCC harmonic voltage compensation are achieved without using any fundamental and harmonic components extractions. Experimental results from a scaled single-phase microgrid prototype are provided to validate the feasibility of the proposed virtual impedance control approach....... frequencies. In contrast to conventional virtual impedance control methods, where only a line current feed-forward term is added to the DG voltage reference, the proposed virtual impedance at fundamental and harmonic frequencies is regulated using DG line current and point of common coupling (PCC) voltage...

Ab initio quantum-enhanced optical phase estimation using real-time feedback control

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Berni, Adriano; Gehring, Tobias; Nielsen, Bo Melholt

2015-01-01

of a quantum-enhanced and fully deterministic ab initio phase estimation protocol based on real-time feedback control. Using robust squeezed states of light combined with a real-time Bayesian adaptive estimation algorithm, we demonstrate deterministic phase estimation with a precision beyond the quantum shot...... noise limit. The demonstrated protocol opens up new opportunities for quantum microscopy, quantum metrology and quantum information processing....

Investigation of KIF6 Trp719Arg in a case-control study of myocardial infarction: a Costa Rican population.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lance A Bare

2010-09-01

Full Text Available The 719Arg allele of KIF6 (rs20455 was associated with coronary events in Caucasian participants of five prospective studies. We investigated whether this KIF6 variant was associated with non-fatal myocardial infarction (MI in a case-control study of an admixed population from the Central Valley of Costa Rica. Genotypes of the KIF6 variant were determined for 4,134 men and women. Cases (1,987 had survived a first MI; controls (2,147 had no history of MI and were matched to cases by age, sex, and area of residence. We tested the association between the KIF6 719Arg allele and non-fatal MI by conditional logistic regression and adjusted for admixture of founder populations.Compared with the reference Trp/Trp homozygotes, KIF6 719Arg carriers were not at significantly higher risk for non-fatal MI in this study after adjustment for traditional risk factors or admixture (OR= 1.12; 95%CI, 0.98-1.28. Heterozygotes of the KIF6 Trp719Arg variant were at increased risk of non-fatal MI: the adjusted odds ratio was 1.16 (95% confidence interval, 1.01-1.34, but this association would not be significant after a multiple testing correction.We found that carriers of the KIF6 719Arg allele were not at increased risk of non-fatal MI in a case-control study of Costa Ricans living in the Central Valley of Costa Rica.

A videotaped intervention to enhance child control and reduce anxiety of the pain of dental injections.

Science.gov (United States)

Weinstein, P; Raadal, M; Naidu, S; Yoshida, T; Kvale, G; Milgrom, P

2003-12-01

While the psychological literature shows that perceptions of uncontrollability contribute to anxiety and other pathologies, interventions that enhance perceived control have been shown to reduce anxiety. This study attempted to assess a brief videotape to enhance child perceived control in a dental setting. 101 children aged 7-9 years completed warm-up procedures and viewed either: a) the experimental intervention, a 2 minutes video of a dentist explaining what an injection will feel like and proposing hand raising as a signal mechanism; or b) the control condition, a 2 minutes video of Disneyland. Fear of dental injections was assessed on a 10 cm visual analogue scale before and after the intervention. In the experimental group there was a significant fear reduction from pre- to post-intervention, while this was not the case in the control group. Children with higher pre-existing levels of fear benefited more from the intervention than children with lower levels of fear. The results of this pilot study suggest that intervention packages that impact child control have promise in lowering anxiety.

Output-Feedback Control of a Chaotic MEMS Resonator for Oscillation Amplitude Enhancement

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexander Jimenez-Triana

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The present work addresses the problem of chaos control in an electrostatic MEMS resonator by using an output-feedback control scheme. One of the unstable orbits immersed in the chaotic attractor is stabilized in order to produce a sustained oscillation of the movable plate composing the microstructure. The orbit is carefully chosen so as to produce a high amplitude oscillation. This approach allows the enhancement of oscillation amplitude of the resonator at a reduced control effort, since the unstable orbit already exists in the system and it is not necessary to spend energy to create it. Realistic operational conditions of the MEMS are considered including parametric uncertainties in the model and constraints due to the difficulty in measuring the speed of the plates of the microstructure. A control law is constructed recursively by using the technique of backstepping. Finally, numerical simulations are carried out to confirm the validity of the developed control scheme and to demonstrate the effect of controlling orbits immersed in the chaotic attractor.

Corona discharge experiments in admixtures of N2 and CH4: a laboratory simulation of Titan's atmosphere

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Horvath, G; Skalny, J D; Klas, M; Zahoran, M; Mason, N J; Vladoiu, R; Manole, M

2009-01-01

A positive corona discharge fed by a N 2 : CH 4 mixture (98 : 2) at atmospheric pressure and ambient temperature has been studied as a laboratory mimic of the chemical processes occurring in the atmosphere of Titan, Saturn's largest moon. In situ measurements of UV and IR transmission spectra within the discharge have shown that the main chemical product is C 2 H 2 , produced by dissociation of CH 4 , with small but significant traces of ethane and HCN, all species that have been detected in Titan's atmosphere. A small amount (0.2%) of CH 4 was decomposed after 12 min of treatment requiring an average energy of 2.7 kWh g -1 . After 14 min the discharge was terminated due to the formation of a solid yellow deposit on the central wire electrode. Such a deposit is similar to that observed in other discharges and is believed to be an analogue of the aerosol and dust observed in Titan's atmosphere and is composed of chemical species commonly known as 'tholins'. We have also explored the electrical properties of the discharge. The admixture of methane into nitrogen caused an increase in the onset voltage of the discharge and consequently led to a reduction in the measured discharge current.

Incorporating the transverse profile of the wearing course into the control of the hot in-place recycling of asphalt concrete

Science.gov (United States)

Makowska, Michalina; Huuskonen-Snicker, Eeva; Alanaatu, Pauli; Aromaa, Kalle; Savarnya, Abhishek; Pellinen, Terhi; Das, Animesh

2018-05-01

The hot in-place recycling (HIR) of asphalt concrete (AC) is one of the least CO2 emissive reuse techniques. It allows for 100% reuse of material in-situ in the same application, at a reduced need for the material transport to and back from the construction site, as well as the reduced price in comparison with the fresh wearing course overlay. Finland uses the technique predominantly to fill wheel path ruts caused by the studded tire abrasion, to retain structural capacity and prevent hydroplaning. During the HIR process, the aged AC material is heated up in-situ, milled to the approximate depth of 40 mm, blended with fresh AC admixture and rejuvenator. However, the amount of the aged material and the amount of the aged bitumen that undergoes rejuvenation depends on the pavement transverse profile. The rut depth, width and shape determine the minimum volume of admixture necessary for refill during the process in order to retain the structural capacity, as well as the amount of the aged binder requiring rejuvenation. In favor of achieving homogenous rheological properties in the final product, the proportion between the aged binder and the fresh binder should be controlled, as it influences the required amount of rejuvenator. Therefore, the rut cross-sectional area and furthermore, the rut volume is one of the previously unrecognized or ignored major variables of the hot in-place recycling process in Finland that should be incorporated to the HIR process control. This article demonstrates the methodology of incorporating the transverse road profile measurements by 17 vehicle-mounted laser sensors into the calculation of required rejuvenator amounts. This can be done during the procurement preparation phase or during the paving work as a continuous in-situ process control. In the rheological optimization the apparent Newtonian viscosity concept and the rotational viscosity are utilized in the viscosity based blending equation, which then allows the use of oily

Acute Caffeine Consumption Enhances the Executive Control of Visual Attention in Habitual Consumers

Science.gov (United States)

Brunye, Tad T.; Mahoney, Caroline R.; Lieberman, Harris R.; Giles, Grace E.; Taylor, Holly A.

2010-01-01

Recent work suggests that a dose of 200-400mg caffeine can enhance both vigilance and the executive control of visual attention in individuals with low caffeine consumption profiles. The present study seeks to determine whether individuals with relatively high caffeine consumption profiles would show similar advantages. To this end, we examined…

The LWb blood group as a marker of prehistoric Baltic migrations and admixture.

Science.gov (United States)

Sistonen, P; Virtaranta-Knowles, K; Denisova, R; Kucinskas, V; Ambrasiene, D; Beckman, L

1999-06-01

Archaeological findings and historical records indicate frequent migrations and exchange of genetic material between populations in the Baltic Sea area. However, there have so far been very few attempts to trace migrations in this area using genetic markers. We have studied the Baltic populations with respect to exceptional variations in the frequencies of the Landsteiner-Wiener (LW) blood group. The frequency of the uncommon LWb gene was high in the Balts, around 6% among Latvians and Lithuanians, very low among the other western Europeans (0-0.1%) and apparently absent in Asiatic and African populations. From the Baltic region of peak frequency there was a regular decline of LWb incidence (a descending cline) in the neighboring populations: 4.0% in the Estonians, 2.9% in the Finns, 2. 2% in the Vologda Russians, and 2.0% in the Poles. Thus the distribution of LWb suggests considerable and extensive Baltic admixture, especially in the north and northeast direction. In Southern Sweden with an LWb frequency of 0.3%, the Baltic influence appeared slight, while in the population of the Swedish island Gotland in the middle of the Baltic Sea there was a significantly increased LWb frequency of 1.0% compared with that of Western European countries. The distinction of codominantly inherited LW antigenic forms, LWa and LWb (previously Nea), is known to be due to a single base substitution. Based on our population data, it is plausible that the expansion of this point mutation occurred only once during human history. Furthermore, our data indicate that the expansion of the LWb mutation occurred in Balts and that LWb can be considered a 'Baltic tribal marker', its presence in other populations being an indicator of the degree of Baltic genetic influence.

Development of Nano technology in High Performance Concrete

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nima Farzadnia; Abang Abdullah Abang Ali; Ramazan Demirboga; Demirboga, R.

2011-01-01

Concrete is the most widely used building material all around the world which has been undergoing many changes aligned with technological advancement. The most recent available type of concrete is high performance concrete which is produced by employing different admixtures both chemical and mineral to enhance mechanical properties and durability. Recently, technology has made it easy for scientist to study nano sized admixtures and their effect on microstructure of concrete. This paper reviews nano particles in cement composites and how they can improve different properties of concrete. (author)

Energy Conservation in an Office Building Using an Enhanced Blind System Control

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Edorta Carrascal-Lekunberri

2017-02-01

Full Text Available The two spaces office module is usually considered as a representative case-study to analyse the energetic improvement in office buildings. In this kind of buildings, the use of a model predictive control (MPC scheme for the climate system control provides energy savings over 15% in comparison to classic control policies. This paper focuses on the influence of solar radiation on the climate control of the office module under Belgian weather conditions. Considering MPC as main climate control, it proposes a novel distributed enhanced control for the blind system (BS that takes into account part of the predictive information of the MPC. In addition to the savings that are usually achieved by MPC, it adds a potential 15% improvement in global energy use with respect to the usually proposed BS hysteresis control. Moreover, from the simulation results it can be concluded that the thermal comfort is also improved. The proposed BS scheme increases the energy use ratio between the thermally activated building system (TABS and air-handling unit (AHU; therefore increasing the use of TABS and allowing economic savings, due to the use of more cost-effective thermal equipment.

Characterization of Greater Middle Eastern genetic variation for enhanced disease gene discovery.

Science.gov (United States)

Scott, Eric M; Halees, Anason; Itan, Yuval; Spencer, Emily G; He, Yupeng; Azab, Mostafa Abdellateef; Gabriel, Stacey B; Belkadi, Aziz; Boisson, Bertrand; Abel, Laurent; Clark, Andrew G; Alkuraya, Fowzan S; Casanova, Jean-Laurent; Gleeson, Joseph G

2016-09-01

The Greater Middle East (GME) has been a central hub of human migration and population admixture. The tradition of consanguinity, variably practiced in the Persian Gulf region, North Africa, and Central Asia, has resulted in an elevated burden of recessive disease. Here we generated a whole-exome GME variome from 1,111 unrelated subjects. We detected substantial diversity and admixture in continental and subregional populations, corresponding to several ancient founder populations with little evidence of bottlenecks. Measured consanguinity rates were an order of magnitude above those in other sampled populations, and the GME population exhibited an increased burden of runs of homozygosity (ROHs) but showed no evidence for reduced burden of deleterious variation due to classically theorized 'genetic purging'. Applying this database to unsolved recessive conditions in the GME population reduced the number of potential disease-causing variants by four- to sevenfold. These results show variegated genetic architecture in GME populations and support future human genetic discoveries in Mendelian and population genetics.

Vitamin D-enhanced eggs are protective of wintertime serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D in a randomized controlled trial of adults

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hayes, Aoife; Duffy, Sarah; O'Grady, Michael

2016-01-01

winter RCT in adults aged 45-70 y (n = 55) who were stratified into 3 groups and were requested to consume ≤2 eggs/wk (control group, in which status was expected to decline), 7 vitamin D3-enhanced eggs/wk, or seven 25(OH)D3-enhanced eggs/wk. Serum 25(OH)D was the primary outcome. Although...... there was no significant difference (P > 0.1; ANOVA) in the mean preintervention serum 25(OH)D in the 3 groups, it was ∼7-8 nmol/L lower in the control group than in the 2 groups who consumed vitamin D-enhanced eggs. With the use of an ANCOVA, in which baseline 25(OH)D was accounted for, vitamin D3-egg and 25(OH)D3-egg.......001), there was no change in the 2 groups who consumed vitamin D-enhanced eggs (P > 0.1 for both). Weekly consumption of 7 vitamin D-enhanced eggs has an important impact on winter vitamin D status in adults....

Tip-Enhanced Nano-Spectroscopy, Imaging, and Control: From Single Molecules to van der Waals Materials

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Kyoung-Duck

Photon-induced phenomena in molecules and other materials play a significant role in device applications as well as understanding their physical properties. While a range of device applications using organic and inorganic molecules and soft and hard materials have led striking developments in modern technologies, using bulk systems has reached the limit in their functions, performance, and regarding application range. Recently, low-dimensional systems have emerged as appealing resources for the advanced technologies based on their significantly improved functions and properties. Hence, understanding light-matter interactions at their natural length scale is of fundamental significance, in addition to the next generation device applications. This thesis demonstrates a range of new functions and behaviors of low-dimensional materials revealed and controlled by the advanced tip-enhanced near-field spectroscopy and imaging techniques exceeding the current instrumental limits. To understand the behaviors of zero-dimensional (0D) molecular systems in interacting environments, we explore new regimes in tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS) and scanning near-field optical microscopy (SNOM), revealing the fundamental nature of single-molecule dynamics and nanoscale spatial heterogeneity of biomolecules on the cell membranes. To gain insight into intramolecular properties and dynamic processes of single molecules, we use TERS at cryogenic temperatures. From temperature-dependent line narrowing and splitting, we investigate and quantify ultrafast vibrational dephasing, intramolecular coupling, and conformational heterogeneity. Through correlation analysis of fluctuations of individual modes, we observe rotational motion and spectral fluctuations of single-molecule. We extend single-molecule spectroscopy study into in situ nano-biomolecular imaging of cancer cells by developing in-liquid SNOM. We use a new mechanical resonance control, achieving a high-Q force sensing of the

Admixture of lime in connection with deep rotary cultivation for short rotation energy forest

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Danfors, B; Stambeck, A; Aasberg, G

1985-01-01

Spaghnum soils, which could be used for production of short rotation energy forests (Salix), require lime for the adjustment of the pH-level to obtain production at acceptable levels. It is necessary that the lime is distributed uniformly in the soil profile to a depth of at least 40-50 cm. The investigation has studied three methods of spreading and incorporating lime in the uppermost layer of soil. The first method concerned ploughing of peat soil with a conventional agricultural plough, the second method concerned rotovation with an agricutural rotovator to maximally 20 cm depth. In both cases the lime has been spread with a centrifugal broadcaster before the soil tillage. The third method implied simultaneous spreading of the lime and rotovation of the peat to a depth of maximally 50 cm, JTI has built and constructed a machine for this purpose. Ploughing as the only method of soil tillage of peat soils before planting of short rotation energy forests is rejected for two reasons. 1. Certain peat soils which have such mechanical properties that they immediately completely clog a plough. 2. The deficient distribution of lime in the ploughed layer. Rotovation with an agricultural rotovator has been done with good results. The delivery of lime in connection with the rotovation works well provided that the lime is dry. The peat is efficiently disintegrated and the lime gets a sufficiently uniform admixture. The cultivation depth, 40-50 cm, appears to be sufficient for the Salix plants to cope with the water supply during the summer. Limitations which should be discussed concern the cost of such an intensive and deep tillage of the peat.

The combination of colesevelam with sitagliptin enhances glycemic control in diabetic ZDF rat model

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Shang, Quan; Liu, Matthew K; Saumoy, Monica

2012-01-01

. In the present study, we tested whether adding sitagliptin (Januvia) (SIT), which prolongs bioactive GLP-1 half life, to COL would further enhance glycemic control. Male Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF) rats were assigned to four groups: diabetic model without treatment (the model), the model treated with 2% COL or 0...... to levels similar to the model. Histological examination of the pancreatic ß-cell islets showed that islet sizes were larger, proliferation enhanced, and cell apoptosis reduced in the COL+SIT but not the SIT alone group compared with the model. We hypothesize that the combination of COL with SIT extends...

Discovery of Enhanced Magnetoelectric Coupling through Electric Field Control of Two-Magnon Scattering within Distorted Nanostructures.

Science.gov (United States)

Xue, Xu; Zhou, Ziyao; Dong, Guohua; Feng, Mengmeng; Zhang, Yijun; Zhao, Shishun; Hu, Zhongqiang; Ren, Wei; Ye, Zuo-Guang; Liu, Yaohua; Liu, Ming

2017-09-26

Electric field control of dynamic spin interactions is promising to break through the limitation of the magnetostatic interaction based magnetoelectric (ME) effect. In this work, electric field control of the two-magnon scattering (TMS) effect excited by in-plane lattice rotation has been demonstrated in a La 0.7 Sr 0.3 MnO 3 (LSMO)/Pb(Mn 2/3 Nb 1/3 )-PbTiO 3 (PMN-PT) (011) multiferroic heterostructure. Compared with the conventional strain-mediated ME effect, a giant enhancement of ME effect up to 950% at the TMS critical angle is precisely determined by angular resolution of the ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) measurement. Particularly, a large electric field modulation of magnetic anisotropy (464 Oe) and FMR line width (401 Oe) is achieved at 173 K. The electric-field-controllable TMS effect and its correlated ME effect have been explained by electric field modulation of the planar spin interactions triggered by spin-lattice coupling. The enhancement of the ME effect at various temperatures and spin dynamics control are promising paradigms for next-generation voltage-tunable spintronic devices.

Pest species diversity enhances control of spider mites and whiteflies by a generalist phytoseiid predator

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Messelink, G.J.; Maanen, van R.; Holstein-Saj, van R.; Sabelis, M.W.; Janssen, A.

2010-01-01

To test the hypothesis that pest species diversity enhances biological pest control with generalist predators, we studied the dynamics of three major pest species on greenhouse cucumber: Western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande), greenhouse whitefly, Trialeurodes vaporariorum

Enhancing the stabilization of aircraft pitch motion control via intelligent and classical method

Science.gov (United States)

Lukman, H.; Munawwarah, S.; Azizan, A.; Yakub, F.; Zaki, S. A.; Rasid, Z. A.

2017-12-01

The pitching movement of an aircraft is very important to ensure passengers are intrinsically safe and the aircraft achieve its maximum stability. The equations governing the motion of an aircraft are a complex set of six nonlinear coupled differential equations. Under certain assumptions, it can be decoupled and linearized into longitudinal and lateral equations. Pitch control is a longitudinal problem and thus, only the longitudinal dynamics equations are involved in this system. It is a third order nonlinear system, which is linearized about the operating point. The system is also inherently unstable due to the presence of a free integrator. Because of this, a feedback controller is added in order to solve this problem and enhance the system performance. This study uses two approaches in designing controller: a conventional controller and an intelligent controller. The pitch control scheme consists of proportional, integral and derivatives (PID) for conventional controller and fuzzy logic control (FLC) for intelligent controller. Throughout the paper, the performance of the presented controllers are investigated and compared based on the common criteria of step response. Simulation results have been obtained and analysed by using Matlab and Simulink software. The study shows that FLC controller has higher ability to control and stabilize the aircraft's pitch angle as compared to PID controller.

Control, synchronization, and enhanced reliability of aperiodic oscillations in the Mercury Beating Heart system

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, Pawan; Parmananda, P.

2018-04-01

Experiments involving the Mercury Beating Heart (MBH) oscillator, exhibiting irregular (aperiodic) dynamics, are performed. In the first set of experiments, control over irregular dynamics of the MBH oscillator was obtained via a superimposed periodic voltage signal. These irregular (aperiodic) dynamics were recovered once the control was switched off. Subsequently, two MBH oscillators were coupled to attain synchronization of their aperiodic oscillations. Finally, two uncoupled MBH oscillators were subjected, repeatedly, to a common stochastic forcing, resulting in an enhancement of their mutual phase correlation.

Ultrasound monitoring of the influence of different accelerating admixtures and cement types for shotcrete on setting and hardening behaviour

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Belie, N. de; Grosse, C.U.; Kurz, J.; Reinhardt, H.-W.

2005-01-01

The possible use of ultrasound measurements for monitoring setting and hardening of mortar containing different accelerating admixtures for shotcrete was investigated. The sensitivity to accelerator type (alkaline aluminate or alkali-free) and dosage, and accelerator-cement compatibility were evaluated. Furthermore, a new automatic onset picking algorithm for ultrasound signals was tested. A stepwise increase of the accelerator dosage resulted in increasing values for the ultrasound pulse velocity at early ages. In the accelerated mortar no dormant period could be noticed before the pulse velocity started to increase sharply, indicating a quick change in solid phase connectivity. The alkaline accelerator had a larger effect than the alkali-free accelerator, especially at ages below 90 min. The effect of the alkali-free accelerator was at very early age more pronounced on mortar containing CEM I in comparison with CEM II, while the alkaline accelerator had a larger influence on mortar containing CEM II. The increase of ultrasound energy could be related to the setting phenomenon and the maximum energy was reached when the end of workability was approached. Only the alkaline accelerator caused a significant reduction in compressive strength and this for all the dosages tested

Intelligent Control of UPFC for Enhancing Transient Stability on Multi-Machine Power Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hassan Barati

2010-01-01

Full Text Available One of the benefit of FACTS devices is increase of stability in power systems with control active and reactive power at during the fault in power system. Although, the power system stabilizers (PSSs have been one of the most common controls used to damp out oscillations, this device may not produce enough damping especially to inter-area mode and therefore, there is an increasing interest in using FACTS devices to aid in damping of these oscillations. In This paper, UPFC is used for damping oscillations and to enhance the transient stability performance of power systems. The controller parameters are designed using an efficient version of the Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy control scheme. The function based Takagi-Sugeno-Kang (TSK fuzzy controller uses. For optimization parameters of fuzzy PI controller, the GA, PSO and HGAPSO algorithms are used. The computer simulation results, the effect of UPFC with conventional PI controller, fuzzy PI controller and intelligent controllers (GA, PSO and HGAPSO for damping the local-mode and inter-area mode of under large and small disturbances in the four-machine two-area power system evaluated and compared.

Individual-based assessment of population structure and admixture in Austrian, Croatian and German draught horses.

Science.gov (United States)

Druml, T; Curik, I; Baumung, R; Aberle, K; Distl, O; Sölkner, J

2007-02-01

All over Europe, the number of draught horses has decreased drastically during the last 50 years. As a prerequisite for efficient management decisions, we analysed the conservation status in Austrian (Noriker Carinthia - NC, Noriker Salzburg - NS), Croatian (Croatian Coldblood - C, Posavina horse - P) and German (Altmaerkisch Coldblood - A, Black Forest horse - BF, Mecklenburg Coldblood - M, Rhenish German Draught horse - R, Saxon Thuringa Coldblood - ST, Schleswig Draught horse - Sch, South German Coldblood - SG) draught horses (434) using multilocus genotypic information from 30 (effectively 27) microsatellite loci. Populations located in areas with less intensive agricultural production (C, NC, NS, P and SG) had greater diversity within the population and estimated effective population size than A, BF, Sch, M, R and ST populations. The PCA plots revealed that populations form five separate groups. The 'Noriker' group (NC, NS and SG) and the 'Rhenish' group (A, M, R and ST) were the most distinctive (pairwise F(ST) values ranged from 0.078 to 0.094). The 'Croatian' group (C and P) was in the centre, while the BF and Sch populations formed two out-groups. A posterior Bayesian analysis detected further differentiation, mainly caused by political and geographical factors. Thus, it was possible to separate the South German Coldblood from the Austrian Noriker population where no subpopulation structure was detected. The admixture analysis revealed imprecise classification between C and P populations. A small but notable separation of R from A, M and ST populations was detected, while Sch and BF populations remained as out-groups. The information obtained should aid in making efficient conservation decisions.

Structural control of metamaterial oscillator strength and electric field enhancement at terahertz frequencies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Keiser, G. R.; Seren, H. R.; Strikwerda, Andrew C.

2014-01-01

The design of artificial nonlinear materials requires control over internal resonant charge densities and local electric field distributions. We present a MM design with a structurally controllable oscillator strength and local electric field enhancement at terahertz frequencies. The MM consists...... of a split ring resonator (SRR) array stacked above an array of closed conducting rings. An in-plane, lateral shift of a half unit cell between the SRR and closed ring arrays results in an increase of the MM oscillator strength by a factor of 4 and a 40% change in the amplitude of the resonant electric field...

Can task-switching training enhance executive control functioning in children with attention deficit/-hyperactivity disorder?

Science.gov (United States)

Kray, Jutta; Karbach, Julia; Haenig, Susann; Freitag, Christine

2011-01-01

The key cognitive impairments of children with attention deficit/-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) include executive control functions such as inhibitory control, task-switching, and working memory (WM). In this training study we examined whether task-switching training leads to improvements in these functions. Twenty children with combined type ADHD and stable methylphenidate medication performed a single-task and a task-switching training in a crossover training design. The children were randomly assigned to one of two groups. One group started with the single-task training and then performed the task-switching training and the other group vice versa. The effectiveness of the task-switching training was measured as performance improvements (relative to the single-task training) on a structurally similar but new switching task and on other executive control tasks measuring inhibitory control and verbal WM as well as on fluid intelligence (reasoning). The children in both groups showed improvements in task-switching, that is, a reduction of switching costs, but not in performing the single-tasks across four training sessions. Moreover, the task-switching training lead to selective enhancements in task-switching performance, that is, the reduction of task-switching costs was found to be larger after task-switching than after single-task training. Similar selective improvements were observed for inhibitory control and verbal WM, but not for reasoning. Results of this study suggest that task-switching training is an effective cognitive intervention that helps to enhance executive control functioning in children with ADHD.

Heads, Shoulders, Elbows, Knees, and Toes: Modular Gdf5 Enhancers Control Different Joints in the Vertebrate Skeleton.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Hao; Capellini, Terence D; Schoor, Michael; Mortlock, Doug P; Reddi, A Hari; Kingsley, David M

2016-11-01

Synovial joints are crucial for support and locomotion in vertebrates, and are the frequent site of serious skeletal defects and degenerative diseases in humans. Growth and differentiation factor 5 (Gdf5) is one of the earliest markers of joint formation, is required for normal joint development in both mice and humans, and has been genetically linked to risk of common osteoarthritis in Eurasian populations. Here, we systematically survey the mouse Gdf5 gene for regulatory elements controlling expression in synovial joints. We identify separate regions of the locus that control expression in axial tissues, in proximal versus distal joints in the limbs, and in remarkably specific sub-sets of composite joints like the elbow. Predicted transcription factor binding sites within Gdf5 regulatory enhancers are required for expression in particular joints. The multiple enhancers that control Gdf5 expression in different joints are distributed over a hundred kilobases of DNA, including regions both upstream and downstream of Gdf5 coding exons. Functional rescue tests in mice confirm that the large flanking regions are required to restore normal joint formation and patterning. Orthologs of these enhancers are located throughout the large genomic region previously associated with common osteoarthritis risk in humans. The large array of modular enhancers for Gdf5 provide a new foundation for studying the spatial specificity of joint patterning in vertebrates, as well as new candidates for regulatory regions that may also influence osteoarthritis risk in human populations.

Enhancement of vortex induced forces and motion through surface roughness control

Science.gov (United States)

Bernitsas, Michael M [Saline, MI; Raghavan, Kamaldev [Houston, TX

2011-11-01

Roughness is added to the surface of a bluff body in a relative motion with respect to a fluid. The amount, size, and distribution of roughness on the body surface is controlled passively or actively to modify the flow around the body and subsequently the Vortex Induced Forces and Motion (VIFM). The added roughness, when designed and implemented appropriately, affects in a predetermined way the boundary layer, the separation of the boundary layer, the level of turbulence, the wake, the drag and lift forces, and consequently the Vortex Induced Motion (VIM), and the fluid-structure interaction. The goal of surface roughness control is to increase Vortex Induced Forces and Motion. Enhancement is needed in such applications as harnessing of clean and renewable energy from ocean/river currents using the ocean energy converter VIVACE (Vortex Induced Vibration for Aquatic Clean Energy).

Fog-computing concept usage as means to enhance information and control system reliability

Science.gov (United States)

Melnik, E. V.; Klimenko, A. B.; Ivanov, D. Ya

2018-05-01

This paper focuses on the reliability issue of information and control systems (ICS). The authors propose using the elements of the fog-computing concept to enhance the reliability function. The key idea of fog-computing is to shift computations to the fog-layer of the network, and thus to decrease the workload of the communication environment and data processing components. As for ICS, workload also can be distributed among sensors, actuators and network infrastructure facilities near the sources of data. The authors simulated typical workload distribution situations for the “traditional” ICS architecture and for the one with fogcomputing concept elements usage. The paper contains some models, selected simulation results and conclusion about the prospects of the fog-computing as a means to enhance ICS reliability.

Genetic algorithm-based fuzzy-PID control methodologies for enhancement of energy efficiency of a dynamic energy system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jahedi, G.; Ardehali, M.M.

2011-01-01

The simplicity in coding the heuristic judgment of experienced operator by means of fuzzy logic can be exploited for enhancement of energy efficiency. Fuzzy logic has been used as an effective tool for scheduling conventional PID controllers gain coefficients (F-PID). However, to search for the most desirable fuzzy system characteristics that allow for best performance of the energy system with minimum energy input, optimization techniques such as genetic algorithm (GA) could be utilized and the control methodology is identified as GA-based F-PID (GA-F-PID). The objective of this study is to examine the performance of PID, F-PID, and GA-F-PID controllers for enhancement of energy efficiency of a dynamic energy system. The performance evaluation of the controllers is accomplished by means of two cost functions that are based on the quadratic forms of the energy input and deviation from a setpoint temperature, referred to as energy and comfort costs, respectively. The GA-F-PID controller is examined in two different forms, namely, global form and local form. For the global form, all possible combinations of fuzzy system characteristics in the search domain are explored by GA for finding the fittest chromosome for all discrete time intervals during the entire operation period. For the local form, however, GA is used in each discrete time interval to find the fittest chromosome for implementation. The results show that the global form GA-F-PID and local form GA-F-PID control methodologies, in comparison with PID controller, achieve higher energy efficiency by lowering energy costs by 51.2%, and 67.8%, respectively. Similarly, the comfort costs for deviation from setpoint are enhanced by 54.4%, and 62.4%, respectively. It is determined that GA-F-PID performs better in local from than global form.

Composition and dosage of a multipartite enhancer cluster control developmental expression of Ihh (Indian hedgehog).

Science.gov (United States)

Will, Anja J; Cova, Giulia; Osterwalder, Marco; Chan, Wing-Lee; Wittler, Lars; Brieske, Norbert; Heinrich, Verena; de Villartay, Jean-Pierre; Vingron, Martin; Klopocki, Eva; Visel, Axel; Lupiáñez, Darío G; Mundlos, Stefan

2017-10-01

Copy number variations (CNVs) often include noncoding sequences and putative enhancers, but how these rearrangements induce disease is poorly understood. Here we investigate CNVs involving the regulatory landscape of IHH (encoding Indian hedgehog), which cause multiple, highly localized phenotypes including craniosynostosis and synpolydactyly. We show through transgenic reporter and genome-editing studies in mice that Ihh is regulated by a constellation of at least nine enhancers with individual tissue specificities in the digit anlagen, growth plates, skull sutures and fingertips. Consecutive deletions, resulting in growth defects of the skull and long bones, showed that these enhancers function in an additive manner. Duplications, in contrast, caused not only dose-dependent upregulation but also misexpression of Ihh, leading to abnormal phalanges, fusion of sutures and syndactyly. Thus, precise spatiotemporal control of developmental gene expression is achieved by complex multipartite enhancer ensembles. Alterations in the composition of such clusters can result in gene misexpression and disease.

Transient stability enhancement of wind farms connected to a multi-machine power system by using an adaptive ANN-controlled SMES

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Muyeen, S.M.; Hasanien, Hany M.; Al-Durra, Ahmed

2014-01-01

Highlights: • We present an ANN-controlled SMES in this paper. • The objective is to enhance transient stability of WF connected to power system. • The control strategy depends on a PWM VSC and DC–DC converter. • The effectiveness of proposed controller is compared with PI controller. • The validity of the proposed system is verified by simulation results. - Abstract: This paper presents a novel adaptive artificial neural network (ANN)-controlled superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES) system to enhance the transient stability of wind farms connected to a multi-machine power system during network disturbances. The control strategy of SMES depends mainly on a sinusoidal pulse width modulation (PWM) voltage source converter (VSC) and an adaptive ANN-controlled DC–DC converter using insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs). The effectiveness of the proposed adaptive ANN-controlled SMES is then compared with that of proportional-integral (PI)-controlled SMES optimized by response surface methodology and genetic algorithm (RSM–GA) considering both of symmetrical and unsymmetrical faults. For realistic responses, real wind speed data and two-mass drive train model of wind turbine generator system is considered in the analyses. The validity of the proposed system is verified by the simulation results which are performed using the laboratory standard dynamic power system simulator PSCAD/EMTDC. Notably, the proposed adaptive ANN-controlled SMES enhances the transient stability of wind farms connected to a multi-machine power system

Assessment of the MDNBR enhancement methodologies for the SMART control rods banks withdrawal event

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Soo Hyung; Chung, Young-Jong; Kim, Hee Cheol

2005-01-01

For an electricity generation and seawater desalination, a 330 MW System-integrated Modular Advanced ReacTor (SMART) was developed by KAERI. The safety level of the SMART is enhanced when compared to that of the typical commercial reactors, with the aid of an elimination of a large break loss of coolant accident by placing the major components of the primary system in a reactor vessel and the adoption of a new technology and a passive design concept into the safety system. However, the events related to reactivity and power distribution anomalies have been evaluated as vulnerable points when compared to the other initiating events in the SMART, since the reactivity worth of the control rods (CR) banks is quite large due to the boron free core concept. Especially, safety margins, i.e., minimum departure from nucleate boiling ratio (MDNBR), are significantly threatened during the CR banks withdrawal event. Therefore, MDNBR enhancement methodology for the CR banks withdrawal event should be considered to further enhance the safety level of the SMART design. Two methodologies have been suggested to enhance the MDNBR during the CR banks withdrawal event: the application of a DNBR trip function into a core protection system and a turbine trip delay methodology. Sensitivity studies are performed to evaluate the two MDNBR enhancement methodologies and show that the suggested methodologies could enhance the MDNBR during the CR banks withdrawal event of the SMART

Automatic control of the effluent turbidity from a chemically enhanced primary treatment with microsieving.

Science.gov (United States)

Väänänen, J; Memet, S; Günther, T; Lilja, M; Cimbritz, M; la Cour Jansen, J

2017-10-01

For chemically enhanced primary treatment (CEPT) with microsieving, a feedback proportional integral controller combined with a feedforward compensator was used in large pilot scale to control effluent water turbidity to desired set points. The effluent water turbidity from the microsieve was maintained at various set points in the range 12-80 NTU basically independent for a number of studied variations in influent flow rate and influent wastewater compositions. Effluent turbidity was highly correlated with effluent chemical oxygen demand (COD). Thus, for CEPT based on microsieving, controlling the removal of COD was possible. Thereby incoming carbon can be optimally distributed between biological nitrogen removal and anaerobic digestion for biogas production. The presented method is based on common automation and control strategies; therefore fine tuning and optimization for specific requirements are simplified compared to model-based dosing control.

Validation of enhanced stabilization of municipal solid waste under controlled leachate recirculation using FTIR and XRD.

Science.gov (United States)

Sethi, Sapna; Kothiyal, N C; Nema, Arvind K

2012-07-01

Leachate recirculation at neutral PH accompanied with buffer/nutrients addition has been used successfully in earlier stabilization of municipal solid waste in bioreactor landfills. In the present study, efforts were made to enhance the stabilization rate of municipal solid waste (MSW) and organic solid waste (OSW) in simulated landfill bioreactors by controlling the pH of recirculated leachate towards slightly alkaline side in absence of additional buffer and nutrients addition. Enhanced stabilization in waste samples was monitored with the help of analytical tools like Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD). Predominance of bands assigned to inorganic compounds and comparatively lower intensities of bands for organic compounds in the FTIR spectra of waste samples degraded with leachate recirculation under controlled pH confirmed higher rate of biodegradation and mineralization of waste than the samples degraded without controlled leachate recirculation. XRD spectra also confirmed to a greater extent of mineralization in the waste samples degraded under leachate recirculation with controlled pH. Comparison of XRD spectra of two types of wastes pointed out higher degree of mineralization in organic solid waste as compared to municipal solid waste.

Light storage in a doped solid enhanced by feedback-controlled pulse shaping

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beil, F.; Buschbeck, M.; Heinze, G.; Halfmann, T.

2010-01-01

We report on experiments dealing with feedback-controlled pulse shaping to optimize the efficiency of light storage by electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) in a Pr 3+ :Y 2 SiO 5 crystal. A learning loop in combination with an evolutionary algorithm permits the automatic determination of optimal temporal profiles of intensities and frequencies in the driving laser pulses (i.e., the probe and coupling pulses). As a main advantage, the technique finds optimal solutions even in the complicated multilevel excitation scheme of a doped solid, involving large inhomogeneous broadening. The learning loop experimentally determines optimal temporal intensity profiles of the coupling pulses for a given probe pulse. The optimized intensity pulse shapes enhance the light-storage efficiency in the doped solid by a factor of 2. The learning loop also determines a fast and efficient preparation pulse sequence, which serves to optically prepare the crystal prior to light-storage experiments. The optimized preparation sequence is 5 times faster than standard preparation sequences. Moreover, the optimized preparation sequence enhances the optical depth in the medium by a factor of 5. As a consequence, the efficiency of light storage also increases by another factor of 3. Our experimental data clearly demonstrate the considerable potential of feedback-controlled pulse shaping, applied to EIT-driven light storage in solid media.

Can task-switching training enhance executive control functioning in children with attention deficit/-hyperactivity disorder?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jutta eKray

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The key cognitive impairments of children with attention deficit/-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD include executive control functions such as inhibitory control, task switching, and working memory. In this training study we examined whether task-switching training leads to improvements in these functions. Twenty children with combined type ADHD and stable methylphenidate medication performed a single-task and a task-switching training in a crossover training design. The children were randomly assigned to one of two groups. One group started with the single-task training and then performed the task-switching training and the other group vice versa. The effectiveness of the task-switching training was measured as performance improvements (relative to the single-task training on a structurally similar but new switching task and on other executive control tasks measuring inhibitory control and verbal working memory as well as on fluid intelligence (reasoning. The children in both groups showed improvements in task switching, that is, a reduction of switching costs, but not in performing the single tasks across four training sessions. Moreover, the task-switching training lead to selective enhancements in task-switching performance, that is, the reduction of task-switching costs was found to be larger after task-switching than after single-task training. Similar selective improvements were observed for inhibitory control and verbal working memory, but not for reasoning. Results of this study suggest that task-switching training is an effective cognitive intervention that helps to enhance executive control functioning in children with ADHD.

Control of BTEX migration using a biologically enhanced permeable barrier

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Borden, R.C.; Goin, R.T.; Kao, C.M.

1997-01-01

A permeable barrier system, consisting of a line of closely spaced wells, was installed perpendicular to ground water flow to control the migration of a dissolved hydrocarbon plume. The wells were charged with concrete briquets that release oxygen and nitrate at a controlled rate, enhancing aerobic biodegradation in the downgradient aquifer. Laboratory batch reactor experiments were conducted to identify concrete mixtures that slowly released oxygen over an extended time period. A full-scale permeable barrier system using ORC was constructed at a gasoline-spill site. During the first 242 days of operation, total BTEX decreased from 17 to 3.4 mg/L and dissolved oxygen increased from 0.4 to 1.8 mg/L during transport through the barrier. Over time, BTEX treatment efficiencies declined, indicating the barrier system had become less effective in releasing oxygen and nutrients to the highly contaminated portion of the aquifer. Point dilution tests and sediment analyses performed at the conclusion of the project indicated that the aquifer in the vicinity of the remediation wells had been clogged by precipitation with iron minerals

Improved CO sub 2 enhanced oil recovery -- Mobility control by in-situ chemical precipitation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ameri, S.; Aminian, K.; Wasson, J.A.; Durham, D.L.

1991-06-01

The overall objective of this study has been to evaluate the feasibility of chemical precipitation to improve CO{sub 2} sweep efficiency and mobility control. The laboratory experiments have indicated that carbonate precipitation can alter the permeability of the core samples under reservoir conditions. Furthermore, the relative permeability measurements have revealed that precipitation reduces the gas permeability in favor of liquid permeability. This indicates that precipitation is occurring preferentially in the larger pores. Additional experimental work with a series of connected cores have indicated that the permeability profile can be successfully modified. However, Ph control plays a critical role in propagation of the chemical precipitation reaction. A numerical reservoir model has been utilized to evaluate the effects of permeability heterogeneity and permeability modification on the CO{sub 2} sweep efficiency. The computer simulation results indicate that the permeability profile modification can significantly enhance CO{sub 2} vertical and horizontal sweep efficiencies. The scoping studies with the model have further revealed that only a fraction of high permeability zones need to be altered to achieve sweep efficiency enhancement. 64 refs., 30 figs., 16 tabs.

Methylphenidate, modafinil, and caffeine for cognitive enhancement in chess: A double-blind, randomised controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Franke, Andreas G; Gränsmark, Patrik; Agricola, Alexandra; Schühle, Kai; Rommel, Thilo; Sebastian, Alexandra; Balló, Harald E; Gorbulev, Stanislav; Gerdes, Christer; Frank, Björn; Ruckes, Christian; Tüscher, Oliver; Lieb, Klaus

2017-03-01

Stimulants and caffeine have been proposed for cognitive enhancement by healthy subjects. This study investigated whether performance in chess - a competitive mind game requiring highly complex cognitive skills - can be enhanced by methylphenidate, modafinil or caffeine. In a phase IV, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 39 male chess players received 2×200mg modafinil, 2×20mg methylphenidate, and 2×200mg caffeine or placebo in a 4×4 crossover design. They played twenty 15-minute games during two sessions against a chess program (Fritz 12; adapted to players' strength) and completed several neuropsychological tests. Marked substance effects were observed since all three substances significantly increased average reflection time per game compared to placebo resulting in a significantly increased number of games lost on time with all three treatments. Treatment effects on chess performance were not seen if all games (n=3059) were analysed. Only when controlling for game duration as well as when excluding those games lost on time, both modafinil and methylphenidate enhanced chess performance as demonstrated by significantly higher scores in the remaining 2876 games compared to placebo. In conjunction with results from neuropsychological testing we conclude that modifying effects of stimulants on complex cognitive tasks may in particular result from more reflective decision making processes. When not under time pressure, such effects may result in enhanced performance. Yet, under time constraints more reflective decision making may not improve or even have detrimental effects on complex task performance. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. and ECNP. All rights reserved.

Admixture mapping and subsequent fine-mapping suggests a biologically relevant and novel association on chromosome 11 for type 2 diabetes in African Americans.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Janina M Jeff

Full Text Available Type 2 diabetes (T2D is a complex metabolic disease that disproportionately affects African Americans. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS have identified several loci that contribute to T2D in European Americans, but few studies have been performed in admixed populations. We first performed a GWAS of 1,563 African Americans from the Vanderbilt Genome-Electronic Records Project and Northwestern University NUgene Project as part of the electronic Medical Records and Genomics (eMERGE network. We successfully replicate an association in TCF7L2, previously identified by GWAS in this African American dataset. We were unable to identify novel associations at p5,000 African Americans. We identified 13 independent associations between TCIRG1, CHKA, and ALDH3B1 genes on chromosome 11 and T2D. Our results suggest a novel region on chromosome 11 identified by admixture mapping is associated with T2D in African Americans.

Impact of Micro Silica on the properties of High Volume Fly Ash Concrete (HVFA)

Science.gov (United States)

Sripragadeesh, R.; Ramakrishnan, K.; Pugazhmani, G.; Ramasundram, S.; Muthu, D.; Venkatasubramanian, C.

2017-07-01

In the current situation, to overcome the difficulties of feasible construction, concrete made with various mixtures of Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) and diverse mineral admixtures, is the wise choice for engineering construction. Mineral admixtures viz. Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GGBS), Meta kaolin (MK), Fly Ash (FA) and Silica Fume (SF) etc. are used as Supplementary Cementitious Materials (SCM) in binary and ternary blend cement system to enhance the mechanical and durability properties. Investigation on the effect of different replacement levels of OPC in M25 grade with FA + SF in ternary cement blend on the strength characteristics and beam behavior was studied. The OPC was partially replaced (by weight) with different combinations of SF (5%, 10%, 15%, 20% and 25%) and FA as 50% (High Volume Fly Ash - HVFA). The amount of FA addition is kept constant at 50% for all combinations. The compressive strength and tensile strength tests on cube and cylinder specimens, at 7 and 28 days were carried out. Based on the compressive strength results, optimum mix proportion was found out and flexural behaviour was studied for the optimum mix. It was found that all the mixes (FA + SF) showed improvement in compressive strength over that of the control mix and the mix with 50% FA + 10% SF has 20% increase over the control mix. The tensile strength was also increased over the control mix. Flexural behaviour also showed a significant improvement in the mix with FA and SF over the control mix.

A proof-of-principle simulation for closed-loop control based on preexisting experimental thalamic DBS-enhanced instrumental learning.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Ching-Fu; Yang, Shih-Hung; Lin, Sheng-Huang; Chen, Po-Chuan; Lo, Yu-Chun; Pan, Han-Chi; Lai, Hsin-Yi; Liao, Lun-De; Lin, Hui-Ching; Chen, Hsu-Yan; Huang, Wei-Chen; Huang, Wun-Jhu; Chen, You-Yin

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has been applied as an effective therapy for treating Parkinson's disease or essential tremor. Several open-loop DBS control strategies have been developed for clinical experiments, but they are limited by short battery life and inefficient therapy. Therefore, many closed-loop DBS control systems have been designed to tackle these problems by automatically adjusting the stimulation parameters via feedback from neural signals, which has been reported to reduce the power consumption. However, when the association between the biomarkers of the model and stimulation is unclear, it is difficult to develop an optimal control scheme for other DBS applications, i.e., DBS-enhanced instrumental learning. Furthermore, few studies have investigated the effect of closed-loop DBS control for cognition function, such as instrumental skill learning, and have been implemented in simulation environments. In this paper, we proposed a proof-of-principle design for a closed-loop DBS system, cognitive-enhancing DBS (ceDBS), which enhanced skill learning based on in vivo experimental data. The ceDBS acquired local field potential (LFP) signal from the thalamic central lateral (CL) nuclei of animals through a neural signal processing system. A strong coupling of the theta oscillation (4-7 Hz) and the learning period was found in the water reward-related lever-pressing learning task. Therefore, the theta-band power ratio, which was the averaged theta band to averaged total band (1-55 Hz) power ratio, could be used as a physiological marker for enhancement of instrumental skill learning. The on-line extraction of the theta-band power ratio was implemented on a field-programmable gate array (FPGA). An autoregressive with exogenous inputs (ARX)-based predictor was designed to construct a CL-thalamic DBS model and forecast the future physiological marker according to the past physiological marker and applied DBS. The prediction could further assist the design of

Nonlinear Synergetic Governor Controllers for Steam Turbine Generators to Enhance Power System Stability

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Xingbao Ju

2017-07-01

Full Text Available This paper proposes a decentralized nonlinear synergetic governor controller (NSGC for turbine generators to enhance power system stability by using synergetic control theory and the feedback linearization technique. The precise feedback linearization model of a turbine-generator with a steam valve control is obtained, at first, by using a feedback linearization technique. Then based on this model, a manifold is defined as a linear combination of the deviation of the rotor angle, speed deviation, and speed derivative. The control law of the proposed NSGC is deduced and the stability condition of the whole closed-loop system is subsequently analyzed. According to the requirement of the primary frequency regulation, an additional proportional integral (PI controller is designed to dynamically track the steady-state value of the rotor angle. Case studies are undertaken based on a single-machine infinite-bus system and the New England system, respectively. Simulation results show that the proposed NSGC can suppress the power oscillations and improve transient stability more effectively in comparison with the conventional proportional-integral-derivative (PID governor controller. Moreover, the proposed NSGC is robust to the variations of the system operating conditions.

Development of a panel of genome-wide ancestry informative markers to study admixture throughout the Americas.

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Joshua Mark Galanter

Full Text Available Most individuals throughout the Americas are admixed descendants of Native American, European, and African ancestors. Complex historical factors have resulted in varying proportions of ancestral contributions between individuals within and among ethnic groups. We developed a panel of 446 ancestry informative markers (AIMs optimized to estimate ancestral proportions in individuals and populations throughout Latin America. We used genome-wide data from 953 individuals from diverse African, European, and Native American populations to select AIMs optimized for each of the three main continental populations that form the basis of modern Latin American populations. We selected markers on the basis of locus-specific branch length to be informative, well distributed throughout the genome, capable of being genotyped on widely available commercial platforms, and applicable throughout the Americas by minimizing within-continent heterogeneity. We then validated the panel in samples from four admixed populations by comparing ancestry estimates based on the AIMs panel to estimates based on genome-wide association study (GWAS data. The panel provided balanced discriminatory power among the three ancestral populations and accurate estimates of individual ancestry proportions (R² > 0.9 for ancestral components with significant between-subject variance. Finally, we genotyped samples from 18 populations from Latin America using the AIMs panel and estimated variability in ancestry within and between these populations. This panel and its reference genotype information will be useful resources to explore population history of admixture in Latin America and to correct for the potential effects of population stratification in admixed samples in the region.

Nanoparticle enabled transdermal drug delivery systems for enhanced dose control and tissue targeting

Science.gov (United States)

Palmer, Brian C.; DeLouise, Lisa A.

2017-01-01

Transdermal drug delivery systems have been around for decades, and current technologies (e.g. patches, ointments, and creams) enhance the skin permeation of low molecular weight, lipophilic drugs that are efficacious at low doses. The objective of current transdermal drug delivery research is to discover ways to enhance skin penetration of larger, hydrophilic drugs and macromolecules for disease treatment and vaccination. Nanocarriers made of lipids, metals, or polymers have been successfully used to increase penetration of drugs or vaccines, control drug release, and target drugs to specific areas of skin in vivo. While more research is needed to identify the safety of nanocarriers, this technology has the potential to expand the use of transdermal routes of administration to a wide array of therapeutics. Here, we review the current state of nanoparticle skin delivery systems with special emphasis on targeting skin diseases. PMID:27983701

Nanoparticle-Enabled Transdermal Drug Delivery Systems for Enhanced Dose Control and Tissue Targeting.

Science.gov (United States)

Palmer, Brian C; DeLouise, Lisa A

2016-12-15

Transdermal drug delivery systems have been around for decades, and current technologies (e.g., patches, ointments, and creams) enhance the skin permeation of low molecular weight, lipophilic drugs that are efficacious at low doses. The objective of current transdermal drug delivery research is to discover ways to enhance skin penetration of larger, hydrophilic drugs and macromolecules for disease treatment and vaccination. Nanocarriers made of lipids, metals, or polymers have been successfully used to increase penetration of drugs or vaccines, control drug release, and target drugs to specific areas of skin in vivo. While more research is needed to identify the safety of nanocarriers, this technology has the potential to expand the use of transdermal routes of administration to a wide array of therapeutics. Here, we review the current state of nanoparticle skin delivery systems with special emphasis on targeting skin diseases.

The Enhancement of Nuclear Control and Emergency Preparedness Systems in KAERI

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Goan Yup; Lee, B. D.; Kim, J. S.; Park, H. J.

2008-12-01

The objective of this study is to foster international environment for peaceful nuclear technology based on the international transparency with respect to the control, management and surveillance system. In this regards, this study establishes, operates and upgrades the nuclear control and management information system of the KAERI that assumed the prerequisite means for Integrated Safeguards systems of the IAEA which is implemented from the July of 2008. It is also included the radiological emergency system that contains the safety information surveillance system in KAERI to meet the national legislative requirements. The nuclear control and management information system of the KAERI could be controlled and managed the accounting information of the nuclear facility with on-line manner. This system enhances transparency of accounting management of the KAERI in terms of effective ways for the Agency inspectors and national inspectors to implement the no-notice inspection under the Integrated Safeguards system. To complete the nuclear safety information collecting and monitoring system at EOF for KAERI, the real-time remote monitoring systems for RIPF, IMEF, PIEF were established. In addition, after the review of the abnormal condition of RMS data, the notification system for a radiation abnormal condition at nuclear facilities was operated. And also, the server of emergency management system was improved, the emergency situation notification system to all KAERI and KNF site was established

Characterization and formulation of a new eco-friendly hydraulic binder based on combination of inorganic and organic admixtures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Khudhair M.H.R.

2018-01-01

Full Text Available This work aims to valorize a mineral and natural resources such as the Limestone Fillers (F-Lime and the Natural Pozzolan (PN by incorporating them into the formulation matrix of cement or concrete. In order to minimize the CO2 emissions into the atmosphere, to reduce the energy and raw materials consumption and as well as, to improve the physical and mechanical properties in fresh cement paste and of mortar or concrete in the hardened state. In this present manuscript, we substituted the clinker by the combination between the F-Lime and NP at 40% by weight of cement with steps of 5% with the admixture of superplasticizers. The influences of the incorporation of these additions on physical and mechanical properties of mortar or concrete in the fresh cement paste and hardened state were evaluated. The obtained results by different formulations elaborated to show that the replacement a part of clinker by the mixing of F-Lime and PN has produced a new hydraulic binder eco-friendly and durable with improved physicochemical, physical and mechanical properties. These results show that we have succeeded to manufacture, characteristic and formulated of new ecofriendly hydraulic binder and sustainable with improved physical, chemical, and mechanical properties while minimizing greenhouse gas emissions on one hand and the reducing the energy raw materials consumption on the other hand.

Coaxial PCL/PVA electrospun nanofibers: osseointegration enhancer and controlled drug release device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Song, Wei; Shi, Tong; Ren, Weiping; Yu, Xiaowei; Markel, David C

2013-01-01

The failure of prosthesis after total joint replacement is mainly due to dysfunctional osseointegration and implant infection. There is a critical need for orthopedic implants that promote rapid osseointegration and prevent bacterial colonization, particularly when placed in bone compromised by disease or physiology of the patients. The aim of this study was to fabricate a novel coaxial electrospun polycaprolactone (PCL)/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) core-sheath nanofiber (NF) blended with both hydroxyapatite nanorods (HA) and type I collagen (Col) (PCL Col /PVA HA ). Doxycycline (Doxy) and dexamethasone (Dex) were successfully incorporated into the PCL Col /PVA HA NFs for controlled release. The morphology, surface hydrophilicity and mechanical properties of the PCL/PVA NF mats were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy, water contact angle and atomic force microscopy. The PCL Col /PVA HA NFs are biocompatible and enhance the adhesion and proliferation of murine pre-osteoblastic MC3T3 cells. The release of Doxy and Dex from coaxial PCL Col /PVA HA NFs showed more controlled release compared with the blended NFs. Using an ex vivo porcine bone implantation model we found that the PCL Col /PVA HA NFs bind firmly on the titanium rod surface and the NFs coating remained intact on the surface of titanium rods after pullout. No disruption or delamination was observed after the pullout test. These findings indicate that PCL Col /PVA HA NFs encapsulating drugs have great potential in enhancing implant osseointegration and preventing implant infection. (paper)

Coaxial PCL/PVA electrospun nanofibers: osseointegration enhancer and controlled drug release device.

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Wei; Yu, Xiaowei; Markel, David C; Shi, Tong; Ren, Weiping

2013-09-01

The failure of prosthesis after total joint replacement is mainly due to dysfunctional osseointegration and implant infection. There is a critical need for orthopedic implants that promote rapid osseointegration and prevent bacterial colonization, particularly when placed in bone compromised by disease or physiology of the patients. The aim of this study was to fabricate a novel coaxial electrospun polycaprolactone (PCL)/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) core-sheath nanofiber (NF) blended with both hydroxyapatite nanorods (HA) and type I collagen (Col) (PCL(Col)/PVA(HA)). Doxycycline (Doxy) and dexamethasone (Dex) were successfully incorporated into the PCL(Col)/PVA(HA) NFs for controlled release. The morphology, surface hydrophilicity and mechanical properties of the PCL/PVA NF mats were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy, water contact angle and atomic force microscopy. The PCL(Col)/PVA(HA) NFs are biocompatible and enhance the adhesion and proliferation of murine pre-osteoblastic MC3T3 cells. The release of Doxy and Dex from coaxial PCL(Col)/PVA(HA) NFs showed more controlled release compared with the blended NFs. Using an ex vivo porcine bone implantation model we found that the PCL(Col)/PVA(HA) NFs bind firmly on the titanium rod surface and the NFs coating remained intact on the surface of titanium rods after pullout. No disruption or delamination was observed after the pullout test. These findings indicate that PCL(Col)/PVA(HA) NFs encapsulating drugs have great potential in enhancing implant osseointegration and preventing implant infection.

Expected Enhancement of the Ship Monitoring and Control System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vinko Tomas

2012-10-01

Full Text Available The intemational legislation places strict requirements onthe safety of navigation and the marine environment. One ofthe solutions to the problem is to enhance the ship navigationcontrol and maintenance with extensive use of informationtechnology, which has largely contributed to the growth of communicationtechnology. On the basis of an analysis of ship systemsautomation in the past, this paper deals with the developmentsand improvements to be expected ill the near future.Four generations of shipboard automation are presented, includingthe characteristics and requirements that the automationof ship control and monitming systems must fulflll in orderto be classified under a particular generation. Fields of furtherenhancement are considered as these will be decisive in increasingthe efficiency of business operations and ship safety.For the pwpose of supporting the claims above, actual trends inthe development of standards, equipment and systems havebeen analysed as well as their impact Oil the ship owner and thecrew.

Fault ride-through enhancement using an enhanced field oriented control technique for converters of grid connected DFIG and STATCOM for different types of faults.

Science.gov (United States)

Ananth, D V N; Nagesh Kumar, G V

2016-05-01

With increase in electric power demand, transmission lines were forced to operate close to its full load and due to the drastic change in weather conditions, thermal limit is increasing and the system is operating with less security margin. To meet the increased power demand, a doubly fed induction generator (DFIG) based wind generation system is a better alternative. For improving power flow capability and increasing security STATCOM can be adopted. As per modern grid rules, DFIG needs to operate without losing synchronism called low voltage ride through (LVRT) during severe grid faults. Hence, an enhanced field oriented control technique (EFOC) was adopted in Rotor Side Converter of DFIG converter to improve power flow transfer and to improve dynamic and transient stability. A STATCOM is coordinated to the system for obtaining much better stability and enhanced operation during grid fault. For the EFOC technique, rotor flux reference changes its value from synchronous speed to zero during fault for injecting current at the rotor slip frequency. In this process DC-Offset component of flux is controlled, decomposition during symmetric and asymmetric faults. The offset decomposition of flux will be oscillatory in a conventional field oriented control, whereas in EFOC it was aimed to damp quickly. This paper mitigates voltage and limits surge currents to enhance the operation of DFIG during symmetrical and asymmetrical faults. The system performance with different types of faults like single line to ground, double line to ground and triple line to ground was applied and compared without and with a STATCOM occurring at the point of common coupling with fault resistance of a very small value at 0.001Ω. Copyright © 2015 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Enhancement of Muramyldipeptide (MDP) Immunostimulatory Activity by Controlled Multimerization on Dendrimers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, Nanna Skall; Boas, Ulrik; Heegaard, Peter M. H.

2011-01-01

Peptidoglycan is a widespread bacterial PAMP molecule and a powerful initiator of innate immune responses. It consists of repeating units of MDP, which as a monomer is only weakly immunostimulatory. Here, MDP-coupled dendrimers were prepared and investigated for stimulation of pig blood mononuclear...... cells. Compared to monomeric MDP, MDP-dendrimers induced a markedly enhanced production of IL-12 p40, IL-1β and IL-6 and completely down-regulated surface expression of B7 and MHC class II. These results suggest a possible novel strategy based on controlled multimerization of minimal PAMP motifs...... on dendrimers for preparing molecularly defined immunostimulators with predictable bioactivities....

Enhancing a sustainable healthy working life: design of a clustered randomized controlled trial

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Koolhaas Wendy

2010-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background To improve a sustainable healthy working life, we have developed the intervention 'Staying healthy at work', which endeavours to enhance work participation of employees aged 45 years and older by increasing their problem-solving capacity and stimulating their awareness of their role and responsibility towards a healthy working life. This research study aims to evaluate the process and the effectiveness of the intervention compared with care as usual. Methods/design The study is a cluster-randomized controlled trial design (randomized at the supervisor level, with a 1-year follow-up. Workers aged 45 years and older have been enrolled in the study. Workers in the intervention group are receiving the intervention 'Staying healthy at work'. The main focus of the intervention is to promote a healthy working life of ageing workers by: (1 changing workers awareness and behaviour, by emphasizing their own decisive role in attaining goals; (2 improving the supervisors' ability to support workers in taking the necessary action, by means of enhancing knowledge and competence; and (3 enhancing the use of the human resource professionals and the occupational health tools available within the organization. The supervisors in the intervention group have been trained how to present themselves as a source of support for the worker. Workers in the control group are receiving care as usual; supervisors in the control group have not participated in the training. Measurements have been taken at baseline and will be followed up at 3, 6 and 12 months. The primary outcome measures are vitality, work ability and productivity. The secondary outcomes measures include fatigue, job strain, work attitude, self-efficacy and work engagement. A process evaluation will be conducted at both the supervisor and the worker levels, and satisfaction with the content of the intervention will be assessed. Discussion The intervention 'Staying healthy at work' has the

An Enhanced Three-Level Voltage Switching State Scheme for Direct Torque Controlled Open End Winding Induction Motor

Science.gov (United States)

Kunisetti, V. Praveen Kumar; Thippiripati, Vinay Kumar

2018-01-01

Open End Winding Induction Motors (OEWIM) are popular for electric vehicles, ship propulsion applications due to less DC link voltage. Electric vehicles, ship propulsions require ripple free torque. In this article, an enhanced three-level voltage switching state scheme for direct torque controlled OEWIM drive is implemented to reduce torque and flux ripples. The limitations of conventional Direct Torque Control (DTC) are: possible problems during low speeds and starting, it operates with variable switching frequency due to hysteresis controllers and produces higher torque and flux ripple. The proposed DTC scheme can abate the problems of conventional DTC with an enhanced voltage switching state scheme. The three-level inversion was obtained by operating inverters with equal DC-link voltages and it produces 18 voltage space vectors. These 18 vectors are divided into low and high frequencies of operation based on rotor speed. The hardware results prove the validity of proposed DTC scheme during steady-state and transients. From simulation and experimental results, proposed DTC scheme gives less torque and flux ripples on comparison to two-level DTC. The proposed DTC is implemented using dSPACE DS-1104 control board interface with MATLAB/SIMULINK-RTI model.

ENHANCING THE STABILITY OF UNMANNED GROUND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES THROUGH COORDINATED CONTROL UNDER MU-SPLIT AND GUST OF WIND

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

FITRI YAKUB

2016-10-01

Full Text Available This study describes a comparative study of steering and yaw moment control manoeuvres in model predictive control (MPC and linear quadratic control approaches for path following unmanned vehicles for different control manoeuvres: two-wheel steering, four-wheel steering, and direct yaw moment control. We then propose MPC with a proportional-integral (PI controller for the coordination of active front steering (AFS and active braking system, which particularly highlights direct yaw moment control (DYC manoeuvres. Based on the known trajectory, we tested a vehicle at middle forward speed with the disturbance consideration of the road surface adhesion and the wind for a double lane change scenario in order to follow the desired trajectory as close as possible, minimizing tracking errors, and enhancing vehicle stability and drivability. We compared two different controllers; i MPC with PI of an AFS and, ii MPC with PI for coordination of AFS and DYC. The operation of the proposed integrated control is demonstrated in a Matlab simulation environment by manoeuvring the vehicle along the desired trajectory. Simulation results showed that the proposed method had yielded better tracking performances, and were able to enhance the vehicle’s stability at a given speed even under road surface coefficient and wind.

Human Computer Collaboration at the Edge: Enhancing Collective Situation Understanding with Controlled Natural Language

Science.gov (United States)

2016-09-06

conversational agent with information exchange disabled until the end of the experiment run. The meaning of the indicator in the top- right of the agent... Human Computer Collaboration at the Edge: Enhancing Collective Situation Understanding with Controlled Natural Language Alun Preece∗, William...email: PreeceAD@cardiff.ac.uk †Emerging Technology Services, IBM United Kingdom Ltd, Hursley Park, Winchester, UK ‡US Army Research Laboratory, Human

Implementation of an Enhanced Measurement Control Program for handling nuclear safety samples at WSRC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boler-Melton, C.; Holland, M.K.

1991-01-01

In the separation and purification of nuclear material, nuclear criticality safety (NCS) is of primary concern. The primary nuclear criticality safety controls utilized by the Savannah River Site (SRS) Separations Facilities involve administrative and process equipment controls. Additional assurance of NCS is obtained by identifying key process hold points where sampling is used to independently verify the effectiveness of production control. Nuclear safety measurements of samples from these key process locations provide a high degree of assurance that processing conditions are within administrative and procedural nuclear safety controls. An enhanced procedure management system aimed at making improvements in the quality, safety, and conduct of operation was implemented for Nuclear Safety Sample (NSS) receipt, analysis, and reporting. All procedures with nuclear safety implications were reviewed for accuracy and adequate detail to perform the analytical measurements safely, efficiently, and with the utmost quality. Laboratory personnel worked in a ''Deliberate Operating'' mode (a systematic process requiring continuous expert oversight during all phases of training, testing, and implementation) to initiate the upgrades. Thus, the effort to revise and review nuclear safety sample procedures involved a team comprised of a supervisor, chemist, and two technicians for each procedure. Each NSS procedure was upgraded to a ''Use Every Time'' (UET) procedure with sign-off steps to ensure compliance with each step for every nuclear safety sample analyzed. The upgrade program met and exceeded both the long and short term customer needs by improving measurement reliability, providing objective evidence of rigid adherence to program principles and requirements, and enhancing the system for independent verification of representative sampling from designated NCS points

Development of Vegetation-Pervious Concrete in Grid Beam System for Soil Slope Protection

Science.gov (United States)

Bao, Xiaohua; Liao, Wenyu; Dong, Zhijun; Wang, Shanyong; Tang, Waiching

2017-01-01

One of the most efficient and environmentally friendly methods for preventing a landslide on a slope is to vegetate it. Vegetation-pervious concretes have a promising potential for soil protection. In this study, the vegetation-pervious concrete with low alkalinity was developed and studied. Combined with a grid beam structure system, the stability and strength between the vegetation-pervious concrete and base soil are believed to be enhanced effectively. For improving plant adaptability, the alkalinity of concrete can be decreased innovatively by adding a self-designed admixture into the cement paste. The effects of the admixture content on alkalinity and compressive strength of the hardened pervious concrete were investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and compression test, respectively. Meanwhile, the permeability of the vegetation-pervious concrete was studied as well. Through comparing with ordinary pervious concrete, the effect of low alkaline pervious concrete on vegetation growth was investigated in a small-scale field for ten weeks. The test results indicated that the alkalinity of the cement samples decreased with the increase of admixture content, and the vegetation grew successfully on previous concrete. By increasing the admixture content to approximately 3.6%, the compressive strength of pervious concrete was more than 25 MPa. PMID:28772454

Nanoparticle-Enabled Transdermal Drug Delivery Systems for Enhanced Dose Control and Tissue Targeting

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Brian C. Palmer

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Transdermal drug delivery systems have been around for decades, and current technologies (e.g., patches, ointments, and creams enhance the skin permeation of low molecular weight, lipophilic drugs that are efficacious at low doses. The objective of current transdermal drug delivery research is to discover ways to enhance skin penetration of larger, hydrophilic drugs and macromolecules for disease treatment and vaccination. Nanocarriers made of lipids, metals, or polymers have been successfully used to increase penetration of drugs or vaccines, control drug release, and target drugs to specific areas of skin in vivo. While more research is needed to identify the safety of nanocarriers, this technology has the potential to expand the use of transdermal routes of administration to a wide array of therapeutics. Here, we review the current state of nanoparticle skin delivery systems with special emphasis on targeting skin diseases.

Energy performance and optimal control of air-conditioned buildings with envelopes enhanced by phase change materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhu Na; Wang Shengwei; Ma Zhenjun; Sun Yongjun

2011-01-01

Highlights: → Impact of PCM on the energy consumption and peak load demand as well as electricity cost of air-conditioned buildings. → Impact of load shifting control on energy consumption, peak load and electricity cost of air-conditioned PCM buildings. → Impact of demand limiting control on energy consumption, peak load and electricity cost of air-conditioned PCM buildings. → Energy/cost effects of different control strategies and use of PCM in energy-plus-demand-based pricing policy. → Energy/cost effects of different control strategies and use of PCM in time-based pricing policy. - Abstract: Studies are conducted to investigate the impacts of shape-stabilized phase change material (SSPCM) and different control strategies on the energy consumption and peak load demand as well as electricity cost of building air-conditioning systems at typical summer conditions in two climates (subtropical and dry continental climates). An office building using a typical variable air volume (VAV) air-conditioning system was selected and simulated as the reference building in this study. Its envelopes were enhanced by integrating the SSPCM layers into its walls while the air-conditioning system and other configurations of the building remained unchanged. The building system was tested under two typical weather conditions and two typical electricity pricing policies (i.e. time-based pricing and energy-plus-demand-based pricing). Test results show that the use of SSPCM in the building could reduce the building electricity cost significantly (over 11% in electricity cost reduction and over 20% in peak load reduction), under two pricing policies by using load shifting control and demand limiting control respectively. This paper presents the test results and the evaluation on the energy performance and the optimal control strategies of air-conditioned commercial buildings with envelopes enhanced by SSPCM.

A review of the interference of carbon containing fly ash with air entrainment in concrete

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Kim Hougaard; Jensen, Anker Degn; Skjøth-Rasmussen, Martin Skov

2008-01-01

may interfere with air entraining admixtures (AEAs) added to enhance air entrainment in concrete in order to increase its workability and resistance toward freezing and thawing conditions. The problem has increased with implementation of low-NOx combustion technologies. This review presents the past...

Exercise to Enhance Smoking Cessation: the Getting Physical on Cigarette Randomized Control Trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Prapavessis, Harry; De Jesus, Stefanie; Fitzgeorge, Lindsay; Faulkner, Guy; Maddison, Ralph; Batten, Sandra

2016-06-01

Exercise has been proposed as a useful smoking cessation aid. The purpose of the present study is to determine the effect of an exercise-aided smoking cessation intervention program, with built-in maintenance components, on post-intervention 14-, 26- and 56-week cessation rates. Female cigarette smokers (n = 413) participating in a supervised exercise and nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) smoking cessation program were randomized to one of four conditions: exercise + smoking cessation maintenance, exercise maintenance + contact control, smoking cessation maintenance + contact control or contact control. The primary outcome was continuous smoking abstinence. Abstinence differences were found between the exercise and equal contact non-exercise maintenance groups at weeks 14 (57 vs 43 %), 26 (27 vs 21 %) and 56 (26 vs 23.5 %), respectively. Only the week 14 difference approached significance, p = 0.08. An exercise-aided NRT smoking cessation program with built-in maintenance components enhances post-intervention cessation rates at week 14 but not at weeks 26 and 56.

A new fuzzy-disturbance observer-enhanced sliding controller for vibration control of a train-car suspension with magneto-rheological dampers

Science.gov (United States)

Nguyen, Sy Dzung; Choi, Seung-Bok; Nguyen, Quoc Hung

2018-05-01

Semi-active train-car suspensions are always impacted negatively by uncertainty and disturbance (UAD). In order to deal with this, we propose a novel optimal fuzzy disturbance observer-enhanced sliding mode controller (FDO-SMC) for magneto-rheological damper (MRD)-based semi-active train-car suspensions subjected to UAD whose variability rate may be high but bounded. The two main parts of the FDO-SMC are an adaptive sliding mode controller (ad-SMC) and an optimal fuzzy disturbance observer (op-FDO). As the first step, the initial structures of the sliding mode controller (SMC) and disturbance observer (DO) are built. Adaptive update laws for the SMC and DO are then set up synchronously via Lyapunov stability analysis. Subsequently, an optimal fuzzy system (op-FS) is designed to fully implement a parameter constraint mechanism so as to guarantee the system stability converging to the desired state even if the UAD variability rate increases in a given range. As a result, both the ad-SMC and op-FDO are formulated. It is shown from the comparative work with existing controllers that the proposed method provides the best vibration control capability with relatively low consumed power.

Connectivity-Enhanced Route Selection and Adaptive Control for the Chevrolet Volt: Preprint

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gonder, J.; Wood, E.; Rajagopalan, S.

2014-09-01

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory and General Motors evaluated connectivity-enabled efficiency enhancements for the Chevrolet Volt. A high-level model was developed to predict vehicle fuel and electricity consumption based on driving characteristics and vehicle state inputs. These techniques were leveraged to optimize energy efficiency via green routing and intelligent control mode scheduling, which were evaluated using prospective driving routes between tens of thousands of real-world origin/destination pairs. The overall energy savings potential of green routing and intelligent mode scheduling was estimated at 5% and 3% respectively. These represent substantial opportunities considering that they only require software adjustments to implement.

Enhancing operational safety

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wiebe, J S

1997-09-01

The presentation briefly considers the following aspects concerning enhancing operational safety of NPP: licensed control room supervision, reactivity changes, personnel access to control room, simulator training.

Properties of Calcium Acetate Manufactured with Etching Waste Solution and Limestone Sludge as a Cementitious High-Early-Strength Admixture

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Deuck-Mo Kim

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Concrete is one of the most widely used construction materials. There are several methods available to improve its performance, with one of them being the use of high-early-strength admixtures (HESAs. Typical HESAs include calcium nitrate, calcium chloride, and calcium formate (CF. Industrial by-products, such as acetic acid and lime stone sludge (LSS, can be used together to produce calcium acetate (CA, which can subsequently be used as a cementitious HESA. In this study, calcium carbonate and LSS were mixed with cement in weight ratios of 1 : 1, 1 : 1.5, and 1 : 2, and the properties of the as-produced CA were evaluated. CA and CF were mixed with cement in different weight ratios (0, 1, 2, and 3 wt% to obtain CA- and CF-mortars, respectively. The flow behavior, setting time, pH, and compressive strength of these mortars were evaluated, and their X-ray diffraction patterns were also analyzed. It was found that as the CF content in the CF-mortar increased, the initial strength of the mortar also increased. However, it impaired its long-term strength. On the other hand, when 1% CA was mixed with cement, satisfactory early and long-term strengths were achieved. Thus, CA, which is obtained from industrial by-products, can be an effective HESA.

Physical, thermal and mechanical study of MPC formulated with LG-MgO incorporating Phase Change Materials as admixture

Science.gov (United States)

Maldonado-Alameda, A.; Lacasta, A. M.; Giro-Paloma, J.; Chimenos, J. M.; Formosa, J.

2017-10-01

The high environmental impact generated by using of Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) has lead to the search for alternative materials in the field of civil and building engineering. In addition, there is a tendency to develop cements from industrial by-products, thus reducing pollution and emissions generated by their production. One of the best positioned cements to compete with OPC is Magnesium Phosphate Cement (MPC). The present work studies different dosages of MPC mortars formulated with low-grade MgO by-product (sustainable MPC) incorporating Microencapsulated Phase Change Materials (MPCM) and air entraining additive (AEA) as admixtures (Thermal Sustainable MPC) to improve the thermal behaviour of the material. The aim is developed a new eco-friendly material that leads to reducing energy consumption in buildings. The study is focused on the physical, thermal, and mechanical characterization of TS-MPC mortars to assess their potential use as a thermal prefabricated panel. The results allow to relate the amount of the MPCM and the additive percentage with the thermal and mechanical properties of the TS- MPC. Furthermore, is important to highlight the influence of MPCM not only in the thermal behaviour but also on the increase of the porosity. The experimental results show that the addition of both additives contributes substantially to the improvement of the thermal behaviour of the mortars and converts them on a suitable material to reduce thermal oscillations in buildings.

Controlling the resistivity gradient in aluminum-doped zinc oxide grown by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ponomarev, M.; Verheijen, M.A.; Keuning, W.; Sanden, van de M.C.M.; Creatore, M.

2012-01-01

Aluminum-doped ZnO (ZnO:Al) grown by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) generally exhibit a major drawback, i.e., a gradient in resistivity extending over a large range of film thickness. The present contribution addresses the plasma-enhanced CVD deposition of ZnO:Al layers by focusing on the control

Enhanced Control of Mercury and other HAPs by Innovative Modifications to Wet FGD Processes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hargrove, O.W.; Carey, T.R.; Richardson, C.F.; Skarupa, R.C.; Meserole, F.B.; Rhudy, R.G.; Brown, Thomas D.

1997-01-01

The overall objective of this project was to learn more about controlling emissions of hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) from coal-fired power plants that are equipped with wet flue gas desulfurization (FGD) systems. The project was included by FETC as a Phase I project in its Mega-PRDA program. Phase I of this project focused on three research areas. These areas in order of priority were: (1) Catalytic oxidation of vapor-phase elemental mercury; (2) Enhanced particulate-phase HAPs removal by electrostatic charging of liquid droplets; and (3) Enhanced mercury removal by addition of additives to FGD process liquor. Mercury can exist in two forms in utility flue gas--as elemental mercury and as oxidized mercury (predominant form believed to be HgCl 2 ). Previous test results have shown that wet scrubbers effectively remove the oxidized mercury from the gas but are ineffective in removing elemental mercury. Recent improvements in mercury speciation techniques confirm this finding. Catalytic oxidation of vapor-phase elemental mercury is of interest in cases where a wet scrubber exists or is planned for SO 2 control. If a loW--cost process could be developed to oxidize all of the elemental mercury in the flue gas, then the maximum achievable mercury removal across the existing or planned wet scrubber would increase. Other approaches for improving control of HAPs included a method for improving particulate removal across the FGD process and the use of additives to increase mercury solubility. This paper discusses results related only to catalytic oxidation of elemental mercury

Enhanced voltage-controlled magnetic anisotropy in magnetic tunnel junctions with an MgO/PZT/MgO tunnel barrier

Science.gov (United States)

Chien, Diana; Li, Xiang; Wong, Kin; Zurbuchen, Mark A.; Robbennolt, Shauna; Yu, Guoqiang; Tolbert, Sarah; Kioussis, Nicholas; Khalili Amiri, Pedram; Wang, Kang L.; Chang, Jane P.

2016-03-01

Compared with current-controlled magnetization switching in a perpendicular magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ), electric field- or voltage-induced magnetization switching reduces the writing energy of the memory cell, which also results in increased memory density. In this work, an ultra-thin PZT film with high dielectric constant was integrated into the tunneling oxide layer to enhance the voltage-controlled magnetic anisotropy (VCMA) effect. The growth of MTJ stacks with an MgO/PZT/MgO tunnel barrier was performed using a combination of sputtering and atomic layer deposition techniques. The fabricated MTJs with the MgO/PZT/MgO barrier demonstrate a VCMA coefficient, which is ˜40% higher (19.8 ± 1.3 fJ/V m) than the control sample MTJs with an MgO barrier (14.3 ± 2.7 fJ/V m). The MTJs with the MgO/PZT/MgO barrier also possess a sizeable tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) of more than 50% at room temperature, comparable to the control MTJs with an MgO barrier. The TMR and enhanced VCMA effect demonstrated simultaneously in this work make the MgO/PZT/MgO barrier-based MTJs potential candidates for future voltage-controlled, ultralow-power, and high-density magnetic random access memory devices.

Web-Based Education Prior to Outpatient Orthopaedic Surgery Enhances Early Patient Satisfaction Scores: A Prospective Randomized Controlled Study.

Science.gov (United States)

van Eck, Carola F; Toor, Aneet; Banffy, Michael B; Gambardella, Ralph A

2018-01-01

A good patient-surgeon relationship relies on adequate preoperative education and counseling. Several multimedia resources, such as web-based education tools, have become available to enhance aspects of perioperative care. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of an interactive web-based education tool on perioperative patient satisfaction scores after outpatient orthopaedic surgery. It was hypothesized that web-based education prior to outpatient orthopaedic surgery enhances patient satisfaction scores. Randomized controlled trial; Level of evidence, 1. All patients undergoing knee arthroscopy with meniscectomy, chondroplasty, or anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction or shoulder arthroscopy with rotator cuff repair were eligible for inclusion and were randomized to the study or control group. The control group received routine education by the surgeon, whereas the study group received additional web-based education. At the first postoperative visit, all patients completed the OAS CAHPS (Outpatient and Ambulatory Surgery Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems) survey. Differences in patient satisfaction scores between the study and control groups were determined with an independent t test. A total of 177 patients were included (104 [59%] males; mean age, 42 ± 14 years); 87 (49%) patients were randomized to receive additional web-based education. Total patient satisfaction score was significantly higher in the study group (97 ± 5) as compared with the control group (94 ± 8; P = .019), specifically for the OAS CAHPS core measure "recovery" (92 ± 13 vs 82 ± 23; P = .001). Age, sex, race, workers' compensation status, education level, overall health, emotional health, procedure type and complexity, and addition of a video did not influence patient satisfaction scores. Supplemental web-based patient education prior to outpatient orthopaedic surgery enhances patient satisfaction scores.

CTAB assisted hydrothermal preparation of YPO4:Tb3+ with controlled morphology, structure and enhanced photoluminescence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lai, Hua; Du, Ying; Zhao, Min; Sun, Kening; Yang, Lei

2014-01-01

Highlights: • A simple and convenient method toward fabrication of YPO 4 :Tb 3+ with controlled structures and morphologies was proposed. • The crucial role of CTAB during the fabrication process that acts as complexing reagent and inducing agent and the mechanism was discussed. • The addition of CTAB enhances the green emission in YPO 4 :Tb phosphors. -- Abstract: In this paper, we report a simple and convenient method toward fabrication of YPO 4 :Tb 3+ with controlled structures, morphologies and enhanced luminescent properties. By simply controlling the amount of the cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) during the hydrothermal process, tetragonal YPO 4 :Tb 3+ and hexagonal YPO 4 ·0.8H 2 O:Tb 3+ with nanoparticle and olive-like nanoparticle can be obtained, respectively. Meanwhile, we find that the structures and morphologies can affect their luminescent properties obviously and the intensity of the samples with hexagonal phase is evidently higher than that with tetragonal phase. The variation of crystal structures, morphologies of the samples are ascribed to the crucial role of CTAB during the fabrication process that acts as complexing reagent and inducing agent and the mechanism was also discussed. We believe the method reported here will open a novel approach to rare earth phosphates with multiple structures

Enhanced IMC based PID controller design for non-minimum phase (NMP) integrating processes with time delays.

Science.gov (United States)

Ghousiya Begum, K; Seshagiri Rao, A; Radhakrishnan, T K

2017-05-01

Internal model control (IMC) with optimal H 2 minimization framework is proposed in this paper for design of proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controllers. The controller design is addressed for integrating and double integrating time delay processes with right half plane (RHP) zeros. Blaschke product is used to derive the optimal controller. There is a single adjustable closed loop tuning parameter for controller design. Systematic guidelines are provided for selection of this tuning parameter based on maximum sensitivity. Simulation studies have been carried out on various integrating time delay processes to show the advantages of the proposed method. The proposed controller provides enhanced closed loop performances when compared to recently reported methods in the literature. Quantitative comparative analysis has been carried out using the performance indices, Integral Absolute Error (IAE) and Total Variation (TV). Copyright © 2017 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Quantifying the effectiveness of conservation measures to control the spread of anthropogenic hybridization in stream salmonids: a climate adaptation case study

Science.gov (United States)

Al-Chokhachy, Robert K.; Muhlfeld, Clint C.; Boyer, Matthew; Jones, Leslie A.; Steed, Amber; Kershner, Jeffrey L.

2014-01-01

Quantifying the effectiveness of management actions to mitigate the effects of changing climatic conditions (i.e., climate adaptation) can be difficult, yet critical for conservation. We used population genetic data from 1984 to 2011 to assess the degree to which ambient climatic conditions and targeted suppression of sources of nonnative Rainbow Trout Oncorhynchus mykiss have influenced the spread of introgressive hybridization in native populations of Westslope Cutthroat Trout O. clarkii lewisi. We found rapid expansion in the spatial distribution and proportion of nonnative genetic admixture in hybridized populations from 1984 to 2004, but minimal change since 2004. The spread of hybridization was negatively correlated with the number of streamflow events in May that exceeded the 75th percentile of historic flows (r = −0.98) and positively correlated with August stream temperatures (r = 0.89). Concomitantly, suppression data showed a 60% decline in catch per unit effort for fish with a high proportion of Rainbow Trout admixture, rendering some uncertainty as to the relative strength of factors controlling the spread of hybridization. Our results illustrate the importance of initiating management actions to mitigate the potential effects of climate change, even where data describing the effectiveness of such actions are initially limited but the risks are severe.

A 12-week commercial web-based weight-loss program for overweight and obese adults: randomized controlled trial comparing basic versus enhanced features.

Science.gov (United States)

Collins, Clare E; Morgan, Philip J; Jones, Penelope; Fletcher, Kate; Martin, Julia; Aguiar, Elroy J; Lucas, Ashlee; Neve, Melinda J; Callister, Robin

2012-04-25

The development and use of Web-based programs for weight loss is increasing rapidly, yet they have rarely been evaluated using randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Interestingly, most people who attempt weight loss use commercially available programs, yet it is very uncommon for commercial programs to be evaluated independently or rigorously. To compare the efficacy of a standard commercial Web-based weight-loss program (basic) versus an enhanced version of this Web program that provided additional personalized e-feedback and contact from the provider (enhanced) versus a wait-list control group (control) on weight outcomes in overweight and obese adults. This purely Web-based trial using a closed online user group was an assessor-blinded RCT with participants randomly allocated to the basic or enhanced 12-week Web-based program, based on social cognitive theory, or the control, with body mass index (BMI) as the primary outcome. We enrolled 309 adults (129/309, 41.8% male, BMI mean 32.3, SD 4 kg/m(2)) with 84.1% (260/309) retention at 12 weeks. Intention-to-treat analysis showed that both intervention groups reduced their BMI compared with the controls (basic: -0.72, SD 1.1 kg/m(2), enhanced: -1.0, SD 1.4, control: 0.15, SD 0.82; P 3.0, SD 4.1, control: 0.4, SD 2.3; P 3.0; P Web-based weight-loss program can be efficacious across a range of weight-related outcomes and lifestyle behaviors and achieve clinically important weight loss. Although the provision of additional personalized feedback did not facilitate greater weight loss after 12 weeks, the impact of superior participant retention on longer-term outcomes requires further study. Further research is required to determine the optimal mix of program features that lead to the biggest treatment impact over time. Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR): 12610000197033.

Enhanced Tobacco Control Initiative at Johns Hopkins Health System: Employee Fairness Perception.

Science.gov (United States)

Durrani, Shabnum; Lucik, Meg; Safeer, Richard

2018-02-01

Organizations often fail to establish a clear awareness of what employees consider fair when implementing changes to employee benefits in the workplace. In 2016, the Johns Hopkins Health System (JHHS) enhanced their tobacco control efforts. In addition to enhanced smoking cessation benefits, employees were offered an increased reduction in their insurance premiums if they were nonsmokers. To qualify for the reduction, employees participated in testing rather than relying on self-reporting as had been done in the past. The shift to testing prompted a concern by some senior management at JHHS who did not want employees to feel they were not trusted. As the program unfolded at JHHS, the four-component model of procedural justice was applied to provide a framework for reviewing the implementation of the new voluntary tobacco testing at JHHS from a fairness lens. The purpose of this article is to illustrate the application of the four-component procedural model of justice to the tobacco testing process at JHHS. As approximately 75% of employees participated in the program, the experience at JHHS can be instructive to other employers who are looking to implement changes in their workplaces and how to minimize unintended consequences with their employees.

Low-temperature plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition of 2-D MoS2 : Large area, thickness control and tuneable morphology

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sharma, A.; Verheijen, M.A.; Wu, L.; Karwal, S.; Vandalon, V.; Knoops, H.C.M.; Sundaram, R.S.; Hofmann, J.P.; Kessels, W.M.M.; Bol, A.A.

2018-01-01

Low-temperature controllable synthesis of monolayer-to-multilayer thick MoS2 with tuneable morphology is demonstrated by using plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD). The characteristic self-limiting ALD growth with a growth-per-cycle of 0.1 nm per cycle and digital thickness control down

Sensitivity enhancement in NMR of macromolecules by application of optimal control theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frueh, Dominique P.; Ito, Takuhiro; Li, J.-S.; Wagner, Gerhard; Glaser, Steffen J.; Khaneja, Navin

2005-01-01

NMR of macromolecules is limited by large transverse relaxation rates. In practice, this results in low efficiency of coherence transfer steps in multidimensional NMR experiments, leading to poor sensitivity and long acquisition times. The efficiency of coherence transfer can be maximized by design of relaxation optimized pulse sequences using tools from optimal control theory. In this paper, we demonstrate that this approach can be adopted for studies of large biological systems, such as the 800 kDa chaperone GroEL. For this system, the 1 H- 15 N coherence transfer module presented here yields an average sensitivity enhancement of 20-25% for cross-correlated relaxation induced polarization transfer (CRIPT) experiments

Cavity enhancement by controlled directional scattering

Science.gov (United States)

Winston, R.

1980-01-01

A method for designing cavity enclosures is presented that can be applied to the design of a nonimaging concentrator. The method maintains high transmission at the expense of some concentration in the presence of a gap between the reflector and the receiver. The slight loss of concentration may be partly offset by enhanced absorption of radiation by the receiver, resulting from the cavity effect.

Virtual Reality for Enhanced Ecological Validity and Experimental Control in the Clinical, Affective and Social Neurosciences

Science.gov (United States)

Parsons, Thomas D.

2015-01-01

An essential tension can be found between researchers interested in ecological validity and those concerned with maintaining experimental control. Research in the human neurosciences often involves the use of simple and static stimuli lacking many of the potentially important aspects of real world activities and interactions. While this research is valuable, there is a growing interest in the human neurosciences to use cues about target states in the real world via multimodal scenarios that involve visual, semantic, and prosodic information. These scenarios should include dynamic stimuli presented concurrently or serially in a manner that allows researchers to assess the integrative processes carried out by perceivers over time. Furthermore, there is growing interest in contextually embedded stimuli that can constrain participant interpretations of cues about a target’s internal states. Virtual reality environments proffer assessment paradigms that combine the experimental control of laboratory measures with emotionally engaging background narratives to enhance affective experience and social interactions. The present review highlights the potential of virtual reality environments for enhanced ecological validity in the clinical, affective, and social neurosciences. PMID:26696869

Performance of grid connected DFIG during recurring symmetrical faults using Internal Model Controller based Enhanced Field Oriented Control

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D.V.N.Ananth

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The modern grid rules forces DFIG to withstand and operate during single as well as multiple low voltage grid faults. The system must not lose synchronism during any type of fault for a given time period. This withstanding capacity is called low voltage ride through (LVRT. To improve performance during LVRT, enhanced field oriented control (EFOC method is adopted in rotor side converter. This method helps in improving power transfer capability during steady state and better dynamic and transient stability during abnormal conditions. In this technique, rotor flux reference change from synchronous speed to some smaller speed or zero during the fault for injecting current at the rotor slip frequency. In this process, DC-Offset component of flux is controlled beyond decomposing to a lower value during faults and maintaining it. This offset decomposition of flux will be oscillatory in conventional FOC, whereas in EFOC with internal model controller, flux can damp quickly not only for single fault but during multiple faults. This strategy can regulate stator and rotor current waveform to sinusoidal without distortion during and after fault. It has better damped torque oscillations, control in rotor speed and generator flux during and after fault. The fluctuations in DC bus voltage across capacitor are also controlled using proposed EFOC technique. The system performance with under-voltage grid fault of 30% and 60% of the rated voltage occurring at the point of common coupling during 1 to 1.25 and another fault between 1.6 to 1.85 seconds are analyzed using simulation studies.

Enhanced Photoelectrochemical Behavior of H-TiO2 Nanorods Hydrogenated by Controlled and Local Rapid Thermal Annealing.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Xiaodan; Estradé, Sonia; Lin, Yuanjing; Yu, Feng; Lopez-Conesa, Lluis; Zhou, Hao; Gurram, Sanjeev Kumar; Peiró, Francesca; Fan, Zhiyong; Shen, Hao; Schaefer, Lothar; Braeuer, Guenter; Waag, Andreas

2017-12-01

Recently, colored H-doped TiO 2 (H-TiO 2 ) has demonstrated enhanced photoelectrochemical (PEC) performance due to its unique crystalline core-disordered shell nanostructures and consequent enhanced conduction behaviors between the core-shell homo-interfaces. Although various hydrogenation approaches to obtain H-TiO 2 have been developed, such as high temperature hydrogen furnace tube annealing, high pressure hydrogen annealing, hydrogen-plasma assisted reaction, aluminum reduction and electrochemical reduction etc., there is still a lack of a hydrogenation approach in a controlled manner where all processing parameters (temperature, time and hydrogen flux) were precisely controlled in order to improve the PEC performance of H-TiO 2 and understand the physical insight of enhanced PEC performance. Here, we report for the first time a controlled and local rapid thermal annealing (RTA) approach to prepare hydrogenated core-shell H-TiO 2 nanorods grown on F:SnO 2 (FTO) substrate in order to address the degradation issue of FTO in the typical TiO 2 nanorods/FTO system observed in the conventional non-RTA treated approaches. Without the FTO degradation in the RTA approach, we systematically studied the intrinsic relationship between the annealing temperature, structural, optical, and photoelectrochemical properties in order to understand the role of the disordered shell on the improved photoelectrochemical behavior of H-TiO 2 nanorods. Our investigation shows that the improvement of PEC performance could be attributed to (i) band gap narrowing from 3.0 to 2.9 eV; (ii) improved optical absorption in the visible range induced by the three-dimensional (3D) morphology and rough surface of the disordered shell; (iii) increased proper donor density; (iv) enhanced electron-hole separation and injection efficiency due to the formation of disordered shell after hydrogenation. The RTA approach developed here can be used as a suitable hydrogenation process for TiO 2 nanorods

Enhanced Power Quality and Minimized Peak Current Control in An Inverter based Microgrid under Unbalanced Grid Faults

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Liu, Wenzhao; Guo, Xiaoqiang; Sulligoi, Giorgio

2016-01-01

The microgrid inverter experiences the power oscillations and current harmonics in case of the unbalanced grid voltage faults. However, there is a trade-off between power oscillations and current harmonics should be considered in three phase three wire inverter systems during the conventional fault...... ride through control. In order to solve this problem, a novel control strategy is proposed to enhance the output current quality while mitigating the active and reactive output power oscillations. Moreover, a simple current-limited control strategy can be achieved without the necessity of the voltage....../current positive/negative sequence extraction. Finally, the simulation tests of the conventional and proposed control solutions are carried out. The results verify the effectiveness of the proposed strategy....

Pragmatic Randomized, Controlled Trial of Patient Navigators and Enhanced Personal Health Records in CKD.

Science.gov (United States)

Navaneethan, Sankar D; Jolly, Stacey E; Schold, Jesse D; Arrigain, Susana; Nakhoul, Georges; Konig, Victoria; Hyland, Jennifer; Burrucker, Yvette K; Dann, Priscilla Davis; Tucky, Barbara H; Sharp, John; Nally, Joseph V

2017-09-07

Patient navigators and enhanced personal health records improve the quality of health care delivered in other disease states. We aimed to develop a navigator program for patients with CKD and an electronic health record-based enhanced personal health record to disseminate CKD stage-specific goals of care and education. We also conducted a pragmatic randomized clinical trial to compare the effect of a navigator program for patients with CKD with enhanced personal health record and compare their combination compared with usual care among patients with CKD stage 3b/4. Two hundred and nine patients from six outpatient clinics (in both primary care and nephrology settings) were randomized in a 2×2 factorial design into four-study groups: ( 1 ) enhanced personal health record only, ( 2 ) patient navigator only, ( 3 ) both, and ( 4 ) usual care (control) group. Primary outcome measure was the change in eGFR over a 2-year follow-up period. Secondary outcome measures included acquisition of appropriate CKD-related laboratory measures, specialty referrals, and hospitalization rates. Median age of the study population was 68 years old, and 75% were white. At study entry, 54% of patients were followed by nephrologists, and 88% were on renin-angiotensin system blockers. After a 2-year follow-up, rate of decline in eGFR was similar across the four groups ( P =0.19). Measurements of CKD-related laboratory parameters were not significantly different among the groups. Furthermore, referral for dialysis education and vascular access placement, emergency room visits, and hospitalization rates were not statistically significant different between the groups. We successfully developed a patient navigator program and an enhanced personal health record for the CKD population. However, there were no differences in eGFR decline and other outcomes among the study groups. Larger and long-term studies along with cost-effectiveness analyses are needed to evaluate the role of patient navigators

Effects of birthplace and individual genetic admixture on lung volume and exercise phenotypes of Peruvian Quechua.

Science.gov (United States)

Brutsaert, Tom D; Parra, Esteban; Shriver, Mark; Gamboa, Alfredo; Palacios, Jose-Antonio; Rivera, Maria; Rodriguez, Ivette; León-Velarde, Fabiola

2004-04-01

Forced vital capacity (FVC) and maximal exercise response were measured in two populations of Peruvian males (age, 18-35 years) at 4,338 m who differed by the environment in which they were born and raised, i.e., high altitude (Cerro de Pasco, Peru, BHA, n = 39) and sea level (Lima, Peru, BSL, n = 32). BSL subjects were transported from sea level to 4,338 m, and were evaluated within 24 hr of exposure to hypobaric hypoxia. Individual admixture level (ADMIX, % Spanish ancestry) was estimated for each subject, using 22 ancestry-informative genetic markers and also by skin reflectance measurement (MEL). Birthplace accounted for the approximately 10% larger FVC (P < 0.001), approximately 15% higher maximal oxygen consumption (VO(2)max, ml.min(-1).kg(-1)) (P < 0.001), and approximately 5% higher arterial oxygen saturation during exercise (SpO(2)) (P < 0.001) of BHA subjects. ADMIX was low in both study groups, averaging 9.5 +/- 2.6% and 2.1 +/- 0.3% in BSL and BHA subjects, respectively. Mean underarm MEL was significantly higher in the BSL group (P < 0.001), despite higher ADMIX. ADMIX was not associated with any study phenotype, but study power was not sufficient to evaluate hypotheses of genetic adaptation via the ADMIX variable. MEL and FVC were positively correlated in the BHA (P = 0.035) but not BSL (P = 0.335) subjects. However, MEL and ADMIX were not correlated across the entire study sample (P = 0.282). In summary, results from this study emphasize the importance of developmental adaptation to high altitude. While the MEL-FVC correlation may reflect genetic adaptation to high altitude, study results suggest that alternate (environmental) explanations be considered. Copyright 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Viscosidade cinemática de pastas cimentícias com incorporadores de ar avaliadas em diferentes temperaturas Kinematic viscosity of cement pastes with air-entrained admixtures evaluated in different temperatures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. C. O. Romano

2012-03-01

Full Text Available A presença de aditivos incorporadores de ar (AIA em suspensões cimentícias torna esses materiais sensíveis às etapas de processamento e às condições ambientais de preparo das composições. Diversos estudos têm sido reportados em literatura avaliando o efeito de incorporadores de ar nas propriedades de materiais cimentícios, sobretudo no estado endurecido. Porém o efeito da temperatura na incorporação de ar e nas propriedades reológicas dessas composições tem sido menos investigado, sendo este o objetivo do presente trabalho. Para tanto, foram avaliadas as características de pastas cimentícias, compostas por cimentos CPIIF ou CPIIE e dois tipos de AIA, em função da variação da temperatura. O conceito de viscosidade cinemática foi adotado na análise dos resultados para compensar diferenças de inércia das pastas com densidades distintas. Os resultados mostraram que o tipo de cimento, a presença do aditivo e a temperatura influenciaram significativamente na incorporação de ar e nas propriedades reológicas.Air-entrained admixtures (AEA makes the cementitious pastes very sensitive to the mix process, environmental conditions and, consequently modifies the final properties. Many studies have been found in literature evaluating the AEA effect on the material properties, mainly in the hardened state. However, the temperature effect in the air incorporation and rheological properties have been less investigated, and this has been the objective of our work. The properties of cementitious pastes formulated with CPIIE or CPIIF and different air-entrained admixtures were evaluated in distinct temperatures. Furthermore, the concept of kinematic viscosity was used in the analysis of the results to compensate the differences in the inertia of cement pastes with different densities. The results shown that the cement type, the additive presence and the temperature significantly affects the air incorporation and the rheological

The efficacy of a brief motivational enhancement education program on CPAP adherence in OSA: a randomized controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Lai, Agnes Y K; Fong, Daniel Y T; Lam, Jamie C M; Weaver, Terri E; Ip, Mary S M

2014-09-01

Poor adherence to CPAP treatment in OSA adversely affects the effectiveness of this therapy. This randomized controlled trial (RCT) examined the efficacy of a brief motivational enhancement education program in improving adherence to CPAP treatment in subjects with OSA. Subjects with newly diagnosed OSA were recruited into this RCT. The control group received usual advice on the importance of CPAP therapy and its care. The intervention group received usual care plus a brief motivational enhancement education program directed at enhancing the subjects' knowledge, motivation, and self-efficacy to use CPAP through the use of a 25-min video, a 20-min patient-centered interview, and a 10-min telephone follow-up. Self-reported daytime sleepiness adherence-related cognitions and quality of life were assessed at 1 month and 3 months. CPAP usage data were downloaded at the completion of this 3-month study. One hundred subjects with OSA (mean ± SD, age 52 ± 10 years; Epworth Sleepiness Scales [ESS], 9 ± 5; median [interquartile range] apnea-hypopnea index, 29 [20, 53] events/h) prescribed CPAP treatment were recruited. The intervention group had better CPAP use (higher daily CPAP usage by 2 h/d [Cohen d = 1.33, P motivational enhancement education in addition to usual care were more likely to show better adherence to CPAP treatment, with greater improvements in treatment self-efficacy and daytime sleepiness. ClinicalTrials.gov; No.: NCT01173406; URL: www.clinicaltrials.gov.

ENHANCE: Design and rationale of a randomized controlled trial for promoting enduring happiness & well-being.

Science.gov (United States)

Kushlev, Kostadin; Heintzelman, Samantha J; Lutes, Lesley D; Wirtz, Derrick; Oishi, Shigehiro; Diener, Ed

2017-01-01

Individuals who are higher in subjective well-being not only feel happier, they are more likely have fulfilling relationships, increased work performance and income, better physical health, and longer lives. Over the past several decades, the science of subjective well-being has produced insights into these benefits of happiness, and-recognizing their importance-has begun to examine the factors that lead to greater well-being, from cultivating strong relationships to pursuing meaningful goals. However, studies to date have typically focused on improving subjective well-being by intervening with singular constructs, using primarily college student populations, and were short-term in nature. Moreover, little is understood about the impact of a well-being treatment delivered online vs. in-person. In the present article, we describe a comprehensive intervention program including 3-month initial treatment followed by a 3-month follow-up, ENHANCE: Enduring Happiness and Continued Self-Enhancement. One-hundred and sixty participants will be recruited from two different sites to participate in one of two versions of ENHANCE: in-person (n=30) vs. wait-list control (n=30); or online (n=50) vs. wait-list control (n=50). Assessments will be completed at baseline, three months and six months. Our primary outcome is change in subjective well-being across treatment (3months) and follow-up (6months). Secondary outcomes include self-report and objective measures of health, as well as a psychological mediators (e.g., psychological needs) and moderators (e.g., personality) of treatment outcomes. We hope to provide researchers, practitioners, and individuals with an evidence-based treatment to improve happiness and subjective well-being. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Combination of mass spectrometry-based targeted lipidomics and supervised machine learning algorithms in detecting adulterated admixtures of white rice.

Science.gov (United States)

Lim, Dong Kyu; Long, Nguyen Phuoc; Mo, Changyeun; Dong, Ziyuan; Cui, Lingmei; Kim, Giyoung; Kwon, Sung Won

2017-10-01

The mixing of extraneous ingredients with original products is a common adulteration practice in food and herbal medicines. In particular, authenticity of white rice and its corresponding blended products has become a key issue in food industry. Accordingly, our current study aimed to develop and evaluate a novel discrimination method by combining targeted lipidomics with powerful supervised learning methods, and eventually introduce a platform to verify the authenticity of white rice. A total of 30 cultivars were collected, and 330 representative samples of white rice from Korea and China as well as seven mixing ratios were examined. Random forests (RF), support vector machines (SVM) with a radial basis function kernel, C5.0, model averaged neural network, and k-nearest neighbor classifiers were used for the classification. We achieved desired results, and the classifiers effectively differentiated white rice from Korea to blended samples with high prediction accuracy for the contamination ratio as low as five percent. In addition, RF and SVM classifiers were generally superior to and more robust than the other techniques. Our approach demonstrated that the relative differences in lysoGPLs can be successfully utilized to detect the adulterated mixing of white rice originating from different countries. In conclusion, the present study introduces a novel and high-throughput platform that can be applied to authenticate adulterated admixtures from original white rice samples. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Enhanced performance and control issues in JT-60U long pulse discharges

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sakamoto, Y

2005-01-01

Recent experimental results are reported on control issues involved in long timescales and enhanced performance in JT-60U. The control issues in neoclassical tearing mode (NTM) suppression in the weak shear plasma regime include background optimization through decreasing β p (L q /L p ) at the rational surface and active stabilization of NTMs using ECCD. By optimizing β p (L q /L p ), a condition of β N ∼ 2.5 was sustained for 10 times the current profile relaxation time and one of β N ∼ 2.4 with q min ∼ 1.5 was sustained for 2.8 times the current profile relaxation time, with nearly full non-inductive current drive. In addition, a condition of β N ∼ 3 was sustained for 5.5 s through stabilization of NTMs using ECCD, and an EC driven current nearly equal to the bootstrap current was required for complete stabilization. In the reversed shear plasma regime, the issue is the existence of the steady state solution with a large f BS value. By controlling the pressure gradient at the internal transport barrier through toroidal rotation to avoid the disruption, a large f BS value of approximately 75% was sustained for 2.7 times the current profile relaxation time, with nearly full non-inductive current drive, and a steady-state solution with a large f BS value is confirmed. The control issues for the edge pedestal and edge localized modes (ELMs) are control of the pedestal pressure and the energy loss through ELMs. The pedestal pressure increases by >40% through the change in toroidal rotation. The type of ELM can be controlled by toroidal rotation from type-I to grassy

Dendrimer-assisted controlled growth of carbon nanotubes for enhanced thermal interface conductance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Amama, Placidus B; Cola, Baratunde A; Sands, Timothy D; Xu, Xianfan; Fisher, Timothy S

2007-01-01

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) with systematically varied diameter distributions and defect densities were reproducibly grown from a modified catalyst structure templated in an amine-terminated fourth-generation poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimer by microwave plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition. Thermal interface resistances of the vertically oriented MWCNT arrays as determined by a photoacoustic technique reveal a strong correlation with the quality as assessed by Raman spectroscopy. This study contributes not only to the development of an active catalyst via a wet chemical route for structure-controlled MWCNT growth, but also to the development of efficient and low-cost MWCNT-based thermal interface materials with thermal interface resistances ≤10 mm 2 K W -1

Power system security enhancement with unified power flow controller under multi-event contingency conditions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Ravindra

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Power system security analysis plays key role in enhancing the system security and to avoid the system collapse condition. In this paper, a novel severity function is formulated using transmission line loadings and bus voltage magnitude deviations. The proposed severity function and generation fuel cost objectives are analyzed under transmission line(s and/or generator(s contingency conditions. The system security under contingency conditions is analyzed using optimal power flow problem. An improved teaching learning based optimization (ITLBO algorithm has been presented. To enhance the system security under contingency conditions in the presence of unified power flow controller (UPFC, it is necessary to identify an optimal location to install this device. Voltage source based power injection model of UPFC, incorporation procedure and optimal location identification strategy based on line overload sensitivity indexes are proposed. The entire proposed methodology is tested on standard IEEE-30 bus test system with supporting numerical and graphical results.

HIGHLY EFFECTIVE CHEMICAL MODIFIERS FOR PRODUCTION OF CONCRETES WITH PRE-SET PROPERTIES

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Tkach Evgeniya Vladimirovna

2012-10-01

Full Text Available The paper demonstrates the application of industrial by-products and recycled materials. Waterproofing admixtures improve the structure and the properties of the cement stone. Development and preparation of highly effective waterproofing modifiers of durable effect, as well as development of the process procedure parameters, including mixing, activation, heat treatment, etc. are to be implemented. The composition of waterproofing modifiers is to be fine-tuned to synergize the behaviour of various ingredients of cement systems to assure the substantial improvement of their strength, freeze- and corrosion resistance. Multi-functional waterproofing admixtures were used to produce highly effective modified concretes. The key idea of the new method of modifying cement-based building materials is that the waterproofing admixture concentration is to exceed 10% of the weight of the binding agent within the per-unit weight of the cement stone, given that its strength does not deteriorate. GKM-type modifier coupled with organo-mineral waterproofing admixture concentration agent GT-M may be recommended for mass use in the manufacturing of hydraulic concrete and reinforced concrete products. Overview of their practical implementation has proven that waterproofing modifier GKM-S, if coupled with waterproofing admixture concentration agent GT-M, improves the corrosion control inside the cement stone and makes it possible to manufacture durable concrete and reinforced concrete products that demonstrate pre-set physical and processing behaviour. Comprehensive concrete modification by modifier GKM-S and waterproofing admixture concentration agent GT-M may be regarded as one of the most ambitious methods of production of highly effective waterproof concretes.

EMPRESS: A European Project to Enhance Process Control Through Improved Temperature Measurement

Science.gov (United States)

Pearce, J. V.; Edler, F.; Elliott, C. J.; Rosso, L.; Sutton, G.; Andreu, A.; Machin, G.

2017-08-01

A new European project called EMPRESS, funded by the EURAMET program `European Metrology Program for Innovation and Research,' is described. The 3 year project, which started in the summer of 2015, is intended to substantially augment the efficiency of high-value manufacturing processes by improving temperature measurement techniques at the point of use. The project consortium has 18 partners and 5 external collaborators, from the metrology sector, high-value manufacturing, sensor manufacturing, and academia. Accurate control of temperature is key to ensuring process efficiency and product consistency and is often not achieved to the level required for modern processes. Enhanced efficiency of processes may take several forms including reduced product rejection/waste; improved energy efficiency; increased intervals between sensor recalibration/maintenance; and increased sensor reliability, i.e., reduced amount of operator intervention. Traceability of temperature measurements to the International Temperature Scale of 1990 (ITS-90) is a critical factor in establishing low measurement uncertainty and reproducible, consistent process control. Introducing such traceability in situ (i.e., within the industrial process) is a theme running through this project.

Automated measurement and control of concrete properties in a ready mix truck with VERIFI.

Science.gov (United States)

2014-02-01

In this research, twenty batches of concrete with six different mixture proportions were tested with VERIFI to evaluate 1) accuracy : and repeatability of VERIFI measurements, 2) ability of VERIFI to adjust slump automatically with water and admixtur...

Influence du type d’addition minérale sur les propriétés de transfert des Bétons AutoPlaçants Influence of the type of mineral admixtures on the transport properties of self compacting concrete

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Khelafi H.

2012-09-01

Full Text Available La formulation des bétons autoplaçants (BAP présente certaines spécificités dont un volume élevé de pâte et une quantité importante d’ajouts minéraux. Ces deux paramètres influencent sensiblement les propriétés de transfert de ces bétons. Dans ce travail, nous avons étudié l’influence de la nature et du pourcentage de plusieurs additions minérales sur certaines propriétés de transfert (la diffusion des ions chlore et la perméabilité au gaz des BAP. Trois différentes additions minérales ont été testées : des fillers calcaires, de la pouzzolane naturelle et des cendres volantes. Ensuite, nous avons cherché une probable relation analytique entre ces propriétés et la résistance à la compression de ces bétons. Au total, douze formulations ont été étudiées, elles couvrent trois différentes classes de résistances (30 MPa, 50 MPa et 70 MPa et quatre types de bétons: un béton ordinaire vibré, un BAP à base de pouzzolanes naturelles, un BAP à base de fillers calcaires et un BAP à base de cendres volantes. Les résultats montrent que la nature de l’addition minérale dans les BAP influe considérablement sur les propriétés de transferts de ces bétons. Après 28, 90 et 360 jours de cure, les BAP contenant de la pouzzolane naturelle représentent des performances très comparables à celles obtenues sur des BAP à base de cendres volantes et bien meilleures que celles obtenues sur des BAP formulés avec du filler calcaire. Indépendamment du type d’addition minérale, les résultats confirment l’existence d’une forte corrélation entre le développement de la résistance à la compression et les propriétés de transferts des BAP. Formulation of self compacting concrete (SCC has some specific characteristics including a high volume of paste and a large amount of mineral admixtures. These two parameters influence significantly the transport properties of SCC. In this work, we studied the influence of

Mechanism of enhancement of controllable secondary-electron emission from fast single electrons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lorikyan, M.P.; Kavalov, R.L.; Trofimchuk, N.N.; Arvanov, A.N.; Gavalyan, V.G.

For porous KCl films (density approximately 2 percent, thickness 50-400 μm), the controllable secondary electron emission (CSEE) from fast single electrons with energies of 0.7-2 MeV was studied. An electric field E of approximately 10 4 -10 5 V/cm was set up inside the porous films and the emission curves anti sigma = f(E) and the energy spectra of the secondary electrons were measured. The mean emission coefficient anti sigma increases with increasing E, reaching a value of anti sigma approximately equal to 230. Internal enhancement of CSEE under the action of the E field is explained by a process similar to the Townsend semi-self-maintained discharge in gases. The mean free path L/sub e/ of the secondary electrons estimated on the basis of this mechanism of CSEE enhancement is in good agreement with the L/sub e/ value obtained independently from the energy spectra of the secondary electrons. The report examines the effect of the first critical potential U/sub il/ and of the electron affinity of the dielectric α on the formation of CSEE from a porous dielectric film. The possibility of using such films in particle detectors is discussed

Enhancing clinical effectiveness of pre-radiotherapy workflow by using multidisciplinary-cooperating e-control and e-alerts: A SQUIRE-compliant quality-improving study.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Yung-Hsiang; Hung, Shih-Kai; Lee, Moon-Sing; Chiou, Wen-Yen; Lai, Chun-Liang; Shih, Yi-Ting; Yeh, Pei-Han; Lin, Yi-An; Tsai, Wei-Ta; Hsieh, Hui-Ling; Chen, Liang-Cheng; Huang, Li-Wen; Lin, Po-Hao; Liu, Dai-Wei; Hsu, Feng-Chun; Tsai, Shiang-Jiun; Liu, Jia-Chi; Chung, En-Seu; Lin, Hon-Yi

2017-06-01

Radiotherapy (RT) is useful in managing cancer diseases. In clinical practice, early initiation of RT is crucial for enhancing tumor control. But, delivering precise RT requires a series of pre-RT working processes in a tight staff-cooperation manner. In this regard, using information system to conduct e-control and e-alerts has been suggested to improve practice effectiveness; however, this effect is not well defined in a real-world RT setting.We designed an information system to perform e-control and e-alerts for the whole process of pre-RT workflow to shorten processing time, to improve overall staff satisfaction, and to enhance working confidence.A quality-improving study conducted in a large RT center.Externally validated data were retrospectively analyzed for comparison before (from Sep. 2012 to Dec. 2012, n = 223) and after (from Sep. 2013 to Dec. 2013, n = 240) implementation of pre-RT e-control and e-alerts.Applying the e-control with delay-working e-alerts in pre-RT workflow was the main intervention.Nine workstations were identified in pre-RT workflow. The primary outcome measure was the processing time in each pre-RT workstations before and after implementing the e-control and e-alerts. Secondary measures were staff-working confidence and near-missing cases during the process of pre-RT workflow.After implementing e-control, overall processing time of pre-RT workflow was shortened from 12.2 days to 8.9 days (P workflow. Clinical effectiveness, staff satisfaction, and working confidence are able to be enhanced obviously.

Proportional-Resonant Control of Doubly-Fed Induction Generator Wind Turbines for Low-Voltage Ride-Through Enhancement

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhan-Feng Song

2012-11-01

Full Text Available A novel control strategy is proposed in this paper for the rotor side converter (RSC of doubly-fed induction generator (DFIG-based wind power generation systems. It is supposed to enhance the low-voltage ride-through (LVRT capability of DFIGs during great-level grid voltage dips. The strategy consists of a proportional-resonant (PR controller and auxiliary PR controllers. The auxiliary controllers compensate the output voltage of the RSC in case of grid faults, thus limiting the rotor inrush current of DFIG and meeting the requirements of LVRT. Sequential-component decompositions of current are not required in the control system to improve the response of system. Since the resonant compensator is a double-side integrator, the auxiliary controllers can be simplified through coordinate transformation. The feasibility of the control strategy is validated by simulation on a 1.5 MW wind-turbine driven DFIG system. The impact of the RSC converter voltage rating on the LVRT capability of DFIG is investigated. Meanwhile, the influence of angular frequency detection and control parameters are also discussed. Compared with traditional vector control schemes based on PI current controllers, the presented control strategy effectively suppress rotor current and reduce oscillations of DFIG power and torque under grid faults.

Cloud-Enhanced Robotic System for Smart City Crowd Control

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Akhlaqur Rahman

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Cloud robotics in smart cities is an emerging paradigm that enables autonomous robotic agents to communicate and collaborate with a cloud computing infrastructure. It complements the Internet of Things (IoT by creating an expanded network where robots offload data-intensive computation to the ubiquitous cloud to ensure quality of service (QoS. However, offloading for robots is significantly complex due to their unique characteristics of mobility, skill-learning, data collection, and decision-making capabilities. In this paper, a generic cloud robotics framework is proposed to realize smart city vision while taking into consideration its various complexities. Specifically, we present an integrated framework for a crowd control system where cloud-enhanced robots are deployed to perform necessary tasks. The task offloading is formulated as a constrained optimization problem capable of handling any task flow that can be characterized by a Direct Acyclic Graph (DAG. We consider two scenarios of minimizing energy and time, respectively, and develop a genetic algorithm (GA-based approach to identify the optimal task offloading decisions. The performance comparison with two benchmarks shows that our GA scheme achieves desired energy and time performance. We also show the adaptability of our algorithm by varying the values for bandwidth and movement. The results suggest their impact on offloading. Finally, we present a multi-task flow optimal path sequence problem that highlights how the robot can plan its task completion via movements that expend the minimum energy. This integrates path planning with offloading for robotics. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first attempt to evaluate cloud-based task offloading for a smart city crowd control system.

Enhanced adhesion of osteoblastic cells on polystyrene films by independent control of surface topography and wettability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Seung Yun; Kim, Eung-Sam; Jeon, Gumhye; Choi, Kwan Yong; Kim, Jin Kon

2013-01-01

We independently controlled surface topography and wettability of polystyrene (PS) films by CF 4 and oxygen plasma treatments, respectively, to evaluate the adhesion and proliferation of human fetal osteoblastic (hFOB) cells on the films. Among the CF 4 plasma-treated PS films with the average surface roughness ranging from 0.9 to 70 nm, the highest adhesion of hFOB cells was observed on a PS film with roughness of ∼ 11 nm. When this film was additionally treated by oxygen plasma to provide a hydrophilic surface with a contact angle less than 10°, the proliferation of bone-forming cell was further enhanced. Thus, the plasma-based independent modification of PS film into an optimum nanotexture for human osteoblast cells could be appplied to materials used in bone tissue engineering. Highlights: ► New approach based on plasma treatment to independently control the surface topography and wettability ► The adhesion of human fetal osteoblast (hFOB) was enhanced on a surface with an average roughness of ∼ 11 nm. ► The adhesion and proliferation of hFOB was maximized when nanotextured surface became highly hydrophilic

Enhanced adhesion of osteoblastic cells on polystyrene films by independent control of surface topography and wettability

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yang, Seung Yun [National Creative Research Center for Block Copolymer Self-Assembly, Departments of Environmental Science and Engineering and Chemical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang, 790-784 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Eung-Sam [School of Interdisciplinary Bioscience and Bioengineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang, 790-784 (Korea, Republic of); Jeon, Gumhye [National Creative Research Center for Block Copolymer Self-Assembly, Departments of Environmental Science and Engineering and Chemical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang, 790-784 (Korea, Republic of); Choi, Kwan Yong, E-mail: kchoi@postech.ac.kr [School of Interdisciplinary Bioscience and Bioengineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang, 790-784 (Korea, Republic of); Department of Life Science, Division of Molecular and Life Science, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang, 790-784 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Jin Kon, E-mail: jkkim@postech.ac.kr [National Creative Research Center for Block Copolymer Self-Assembly, Departments of Environmental Science and Engineering and Chemical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang, 790-784 (Korea, Republic of)

2013-04-01

We independently controlled surface topography and wettability of polystyrene (PS) films by CF{sub 4} and oxygen plasma treatments, respectively, to evaluate the adhesion and proliferation of human fetal osteoblastic (hFOB) cells on the films. Among the CF{sub 4} plasma-treated PS films with the average surface roughness ranging from 0.9 to 70 nm, the highest adhesion of hFOB cells was observed on a PS film with roughness of ∼ 11 nm. When this film was additionally treated by oxygen plasma to provide a hydrophilic surface with a contact angle less than 10°, the proliferation of bone-forming cell was further enhanced. Thus, the plasma-based independent modification of PS film into an optimum nanotexture for human osteoblast cells could be appplied to materials used in bone tissue engineering. Highlights: ► New approach based on plasma treatment to independently control the surface topography and wettability ► The adhesion of human fetal osteoblast (hFOB) was enhanced on a surface with an average roughness of ∼ 11 nm. ► The adhesion and proliferation of hFOB was maximized when nanotextured surface became highly hydrophilic.

A neo-strategic planning approach to enhance local tobacco control programs.

Science.gov (United States)

Douglas, Malinda R; Carter, Sara Sally R; Wilson, Andrew P; Chan, Andie

2015-01-01

Research in tobacco control demonstrating best practices is widely disseminated; however, application at the local level is often difficult. Translating research into practice requires a concerted effort to develop an understanding of the evidence and how it can be applied within diverse contexts. A strategic planning infrastructure was developed to support the translation of evidence-based interventions into community practice. This paper highlights the strategic process of turning "know-what" into "know-how" to facilitate the strategic planning and implementation of tobacco control best practices at the local level. The purpose, people, process, and product strategies of knowledge management and translation provided a framework for the strategic planning infrastructure. The knowledge translation concepts of audience, motivations, and mechanisms were synergized in the neo-strategic planning component design. The participants were 20 community coalitions funded to implement local tobacco control programs. From 2004 to 2011, the strategic planners facilitated a cyclical process to translate research into practice using a trio of integrated tools, skill-building workshops on strategic planning, and grantee-driven technical assistance and consultation. In the short term, the usefulness of the strategic planning components to the programs was measured. The intermediate outcome was the successful movement of the community programs from the planning stage to the implementation stage. The achievement of community-level changes in planned tobacco control efforts was the overall outcome measure for the success of the local coalitions. Seventeen of 20 communities that began the planning process implemented strategic plans. All 17 of the programs implemented evidence-based practices, resulting in numerous tobacco-free policies, increased cessation, and increased support from the media and community. Bridging the gap between research and practice can enhance the practicality

Training Working Memory in Childhood Enhances Coupling between Frontoparietal Control Network and Task-Related Regions.

Science.gov (United States)

Barnes, Jessica J; Nobre, Anna Christina; Woolrich, Mark W; Baker, Kate; Astle, Duncan E

2016-08-24

Working memory is a capacity upon which many everyday tasks depend and which constrains a child's educational progress. We show that a child's working memory can be significantly enhanced by intensive computer-based training, relative to a placebo control intervention, in terms of both standardized assessments of working memory and performance on a working memory task performed in a magnetoencephalography scanner. Neurophysiologically, we identified significantly increased cross-frequency phase amplitude coupling in children who completed training. Following training, the coupling between the upper alpha rhythm (at 16 Hz), recorded in superior frontal and parietal cortex, became significantly coupled with high gamma activity (at ∼90 Hz) in inferior temporal cortex. This altered neural network activity associated with cognitive skill enhancement is consistent with a framework in which slower cortical rhythms enable the dynamic regulation of higher-frequency oscillatory activity related to task-related cognitive processes. Whether we can enhance cognitive abilities through intensive training is one of the most controversial topics of cognitive psychology in recent years. This is particularly controversial in childhood, where aspects of cognition, such as working memory, are closely related to school success and are implicated in numerous developmental disorders. We provide the first neurophysiological account of how working memory training may enhance ability in childhood, using a brain recording technique called magnetoencephalography. We borrowed an analysis approach previously used with intracranial recordings in adults, or more typically in other animal models, called "phase amplitude coupling." Copyright © 2016 Barnes et al.

Thalamocortical functional connectivity in Lennox-Gastaut syndrome is abnormally enhanced in executive-control and default-mode networks.

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Warren, Aaron E L; Abbott, David F; Jackson, Graeme D; Archer, John S

2017-12-01

To identify abnormal thalamocortical circuits in the severe epilepsy of Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS) that may explain the shared electroclinical phenotype and provide potential treatment targets. Twenty patients with a diagnosis of LGS (mean age = 28.5 years) and 26 healthy controls (mean age = 27.6 years) were compared using task-free functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The thalamus was parcellated according to functional connectivity with 10 cortical networks derived using group-level independent component analysis. For each cortical network, we assessed between-group differences in thalamic functional connectivity strength using nonparametric permutation-based tests. Anatomical locations were identified by quantifying spatial overlap with a histologically informed thalamic MRI atlas. In both groups, posterior thalamic regions showed functional connectivity with visual, auditory, and sensorimotor networks, whereas anterior, medial, and dorsal thalamic regions were connected with networks of distributed association cortex (including the default-mode, anterior-salience, and executive-control networks). Four cortical networks (left and right executive-control network; ventral and dorsal default-mode network) showed significantly enhanced thalamic functional connectivity strength in patients relative to controls. Abnormal connectivity was maximal in mediodorsal and ventrolateral thalamic nuclei. Specific thalamocortical circuits are affected in LGS. Functional connectivity is abnormally enhanced between the mediodorsal and ventrolateral thalamus and the default-mode and executive-control networks, thalamocortical circuits that normally support diverse cognitive processes. In contrast, thalamic regions connecting with primary and sensory cortical networks appear to be less affected. Our previous neuroimaging studies show that epileptic activity in LGS is expressed via the default-mode and executive-control networks. Results of the present study suggest that

Control of hydrocarbon radicals and film deposition by using an RF Whistler wave discharge

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mieno, Tetsu; Shoji, Tatsuo; Kadota, Kiyoshi.

1991-10-01

Production of hydrocarbon radicals is controlled by using an RF Whistler wave discharge in a low pressure region (∼0.1 Pa). Plasma density of 10 10 - 10 13 cm -3 , electron temperature of 2-20 eV is obtained for the discharge of admixture of Ar and small content of source gases (CH 4 , C 2 H 2 , CO). Spectroscopic measurement indicates that densities of CH and H radicals and deposition rate of amorphous carbon:H film increase with electron density, electron temperature and source gas pressure. The etching effect of H atoms influences on the deposition rate and a high deposition rate (90 μm/hr for CO/Ar discharge) is obtained even in a low neutral pressure discharge. (author)

Chaos Enhanced Differential Evolution in the Task of Evolutionary Control of Discrete Chaotic LOZI Map

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Roman Senkerik

2016-01-01

Full Text Available In this paper, evolutionary technique Differential Evolution (DE is used for the evolutionary tuning of controller parameters for the stabilization of selected discrete chaotic system, which is the two-dimensional Lozi map. The novelty of the approach is that the selected controlled discrete dissipative chaotic system is used within Chaos enhanced heuristic concept as the chaotic pseudo-random number generator to drive the mutation and crossover process in the DE. The idea was to utilize the hidden chaotic dynamics in pseudo-random sequences given by chaotic map to help Differential evolution algorithm in searching for the best controller settings for the same chaotic system. The optimizations were performed for three different required final behavior of the chaotic system, and two types of developed cost function. To confirm the robustness of presented approach, comparisons with canonical DE strategy and PSO algorithm have been performed.

Available transfer capability evaluation and enhancement using various FACTS controllers: Special focus on system security

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M. Venkateswara Rao

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Nowadays, because of the deregulation of the power industry the continuous increase of the load increases the necessity of calculation of available transfer capability (ATC of a system to analyze the system security. With this calculation, the scheduling of generator can be decided to decrease the system severity. Further, constructing new transmission lines, new substations are very cost effective to meet the increasing load and to increase the transfer capability. Hence, an alternative way to increase the transfer capability is use of flexible ac transmission system (FACTS controllers. In this paper, SSSC, STACOM and UPFC are considered to show the effect of these controllers in enhancing system ATC. For this, a novel current based modeling and optimal location strategy of these controllers are presented. The proposed methodology is tested on standard IEEE-30 bus and IEEE-57 bus test systems with supporting numerical and graphical results.

Vestibular control of standing balance is enhanced with increased cognitive load.

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McGeehan, Michael A; Woollacott, Marjorie H; Dalton, Brian H

2017-04-01

When cognitive load is elevated during a motor task, cortical inhibition and reaction time are increased; yet, standing balance control is often unchanged. This disconnect is likely explained by compensatory mechanisms within the balance system such as increased sensitivity of the vestibulomotor pathway. This study aimed to determine the effects of increased cognitive load on the vestibular control of standing balance. Participants stood blindfolded on a force plate with their head facing left and arms relaxed at their sides for two trials while exposed to continuous electrical vestibular stimulation (EVS). Participants either stood quietly or executed a cognitive task (double-digit arithmetic). Surface electromyography (EMG) and anterior-posterior ground-body forces (APF) were measured in order to evaluate vestibular-evoked balance responses in the frequency (coherence and gain) and time (cumulant density) domains. Total distance traveled for anterior-posterior center of pressure (COP) was assessed as a metric of balance variability. Despite similar distances traveled for COP, EVS-medial gastrocnemius (MG) EMG and EVS-APF coherence and EVS-TA EMG and EVS-MG EMG gain were elevated for multiple frequencies when standing with increased cognitive load. For the time domain, medium-latency peak amplitudes increased by 13-54% for EVS-APF and EVS-EMG relationships with the cognitive task compared to without. Peak short-latency amplitudes were unchanged. These results indicate that reliance on vestibular control of balance is enhanced when cognitive load is elevated. This augmented neural strategy may act to supplement divided cortical processing resources within the balance system and compensate for the acute neuromuscular modifications associated with increased cognitive demand.

Monitoring Processes in Visual Search Enhanced by Professional Experience: The Case of Orange Quality-Control Workers

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Antonino Visalli

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Visual search tasks have often been used to investigate how cognitive processes change with expertise. Several studies have shown visual experts' advantages in detecting objects related to their expertise. Here, we tried to extend these findings by investigating whether professional search experience could boost top-down monitoring processes involved in visual search, independently of advantages specific to objects of expertise. To this aim, we recruited a group of quality-control workers employed in citrus farms. Given the specific features of this type of job, we expected that the extensive employment of monitoring mechanisms during orange selection could enhance these mechanisms even in search situations in which orange-related expertise is not suitable. To test this hypothesis, we compared performance of our experimental group and of a well-matched control group on a computerized visual search task. In one block the target was an orange (expertise target while in the other block the target was a Smurfette doll (neutral target. The a priori hypothesis was to find an advantage for quality-controllers in those situations in which monitoring was especially involved, that is, when deciding the presence/absence of the target required a more extensive inspection of the search array. Results were consistent with our hypothesis. Quality-controllers were faster in those conditions that extensively required monitoring processes, specifically, the Smurfette-present and both target-absent conditions. No differences emerged in the orange-present condition, which resulted to mainly rely on bottom-up processes. These results suggest that top-down processes in visual search can be enhanced through immersive real-life experience beyond visual expertise advantages.

Monitoring Processes in Visual Search Enhanced by Professional Experience: The Case of Orange Quality-Control Workers.

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