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Sample records for aggregating partially resolved

  1. Performance of concrete with partial replacement of fine aggregates ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The study investigated the level of replacement of fine aggregate with waste glass that will result in optimal compressive strength. A total of 36 cubes were cast. 6 cubes without waste glass (control) and 30 cubes containing waste glass as partial replacement for fine aggregates at 15%, 25%, 35%, 45%, and 50%.

  2. Compressive strength performance of OPS lightweight aggregate concrete containing coal bottom ash as partial fine aggregate replacement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Muthusamy, K.; Mohamad Hafizuddin, R.; Mat Yahaya, F.; Sulaiman, M. A.; Syed Mohsin, S. M.; Tukimat, N. N.; Omar, R.; Chin, S. C.

    2018-04-01

    Concerns regarding the negative impact towards environment due to the increasing use of natural sand in construction industry and dumping of industrial solid wastes namely coal bottom ash (CBA) and oil palm shell (OPS) has resulted in the development of environmental friendly lightweight concrete. The present study investigates the effect of coal bottom ash as partial fine aggregate replacement towards workability and compressive strength of oil palm shell lightweight aggregate concrete (OPS LWAC). The fresh and mechanical properties of this concrete containing various percentage of coal bottom ash as partial fine aggregate replacement were investigated. The result was compared to OPS LWAC with 100 % sand as a control specimen. The concrete workability investigated by conducting slump test. All specimens were cast in form of cubes and water cured until the testing age. The compressive strength test was carried out at 7 and 28 days. The finding shows that integration of coal bottom ash at suitable proportion enhances the strength of oil palm shell lightweight aggregate concrete.

  3. Concrete manufactured with crushed asphalt as partial replacement of natural aggregates

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    L. Coppola

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available The paper focuses on the reuse of crushed asphalt (GA as a partial replacement (up to 20% of natural aggregates for concrete manufacture. Addition of GA aggregates produced a positive effect on workability loss. The GA mixes, however, showed a significant tendency to bleed and segregate at the highest replacement percentage applied. GA led to a decrease of compressive strength in concrete (with respect to that of the reference concrete up to 50% due to the weakness of the cement paste / recycled aggregate interface. To compensate for this negative effect, a reduction of w/c for the GA concretes was necessary. A decrease of w/c allowed the GA concretes to show drying shrinkage values substantially similar to those of reference concrete with the same cement factor. The experimental results confirmed the possibility of partial substitution (max. 15% of natural aggregates with crushed asphalt for making concrete.

  4. The durability of concrete containing recycled tyres as a partial replacement of fine aggregate

    Science.gov (United States)

    Syamir Senin, Mohamad; Shahidan, Shahiron; Syazani Leman, Alif; Othman, Nurulain; Shamsuddin, Shamrul-mar; Ibrahim, M. H. W.; Zuki, S. S. Mohd

    2017-11-01

    Nowadays, uncontrolled disposal of waste materials such as tyres can affect the environment. Therefore, careful management of waste disposal must be done in order to conserve the environment. Waste tyres can be use as a replacement for both fine aggregate and coarse aggregate in the production of concrete. This research was conducted to assess the durability of concrete containing recycled tyres which have been crushed into fine fragments to replace fine aggregate in the concrete mix. This study presents an overview of the use of waste rubber as a partial replacement of natural fine aggregate in a concrete mix. 36 concrete cubes measuring 100mm × 100mm × 100mm and 12 concrete cubes measuring 150mm × 150mm × 150mm were prepared and added with different percentages of rubber from recycled tyres (0%, 3%, 5% and 7%) as fine aggregate replacement. The results obtained show that the replacement of fine aggregate with 7% of rubber recorded a compressive strength of 43.7MPa while the addition of 3% of rubber in the concrete sample recorded a high compressive strength of 50.8MPa. This shows that there is a decrease in the strength and workability of concrete as the amount of rubber used a replacement for fine aggregate in concrete increases. On the other hand, the water absorption test indicated that concrete which contains rubber has better water absorption ability. In this study, 3% of rubber was found to be the optimal percentage as a partial replacement for fine aggregate in the production of concrete.

  5. Time-resolved luminescence of Eu2+-aggregate centers in CsBr crystals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zorenko, Yu.V.; Turchak, R.M.; Voznjak, T.I.; Stryganjuk, G.B.

    2005-01-01

    The luminescence of Eu 2+ -V Cs dipole centers and CsEuBr 3 aggregate centers, as well as the features of the energy transfer to these centers by excitons have been studied in CsBr:Eu crystals by means of investigation of the time-resolved emission spectra and luminescence decay kinetics under excitation by synchrotron radiation at RT. (copyright 2005 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

  6. Structure and dynamics of olefin radical cation aggregates. Time-resolved fluorescence detected magnetic resonance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Desrosiers, M.F.; Trifunac, A.D.

    1986-01-01

    The time-resolved EPR spectra and thus the structure and dynamics of transient hydrocarbon radical cations are obtained by the pulse radiolysis-fluorescence detected magnetic resonance (FDMR) technique. Here the authors report the observation of short-lived radical cations from olefins. FDMR-EPR spectra of radical cations from tetramethylethylene and cyclohexadiene are illustrated. The olefin radical cations, FDMR spectra are concentration-dependent, since dimerization with neutral molecules takes place at higher (>10 -2 M) olefin concentration. Rate constants for the dimerization reaction are derived and the effect of solvent viscosity on aggregate formation is demonstrated. By monitoring the further reactions of dimer cations the authors have obtained EPR evidence for previously unobserved higher-order (multimer) radical cation aggregates of olefins. 16 references, 5 figures

  7. The ribosome can prevent aggregation of partially folded protein intermediates: studies using the Escherichia coli ribosome.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bani Kumar Pathak

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Molecular chaperones that support de novo folding of proteins under non stress condition are classified as chaperone 'foldases' that are distinct from chaperone' holdases' that provide high affinity binding platform for unfolded proteins and prevent their aggregation specifically under stress conditions. Ribosome, the cellular protein synthesis machine can act as a foldase chaperone that can bind unfolded proteins and release them in folding competent state. The peptidyl transferase center (PTC located in the domain V of the 23S rRNA of Escherichia coli ribosome (bDV RNA is the chaperoning center of the ribosome. It has been proposed that via specific interactions between the RNA and refolding proteins, the chaperone provides information for the correct folding of unfolded polypeptide chains. RESULTS: We demonstrate using Escherichia coli ribosome and variants of its domain V RNA that the ribosome can bind to partially folded intermediates of bovine carbonic anhydrase II (BCAII and lysozyme and suppress aggregation during their refolding. Using mutants of domain V RNA we demonstrate that the time for which the chaperone retains the bound protein is an important factor in determining its ability to suppress aggregation and/or support reactivation of protein. CONCLUSION: The ribosome can behave like a 'holdase' chaperone and has the ability to bind and hold back partially folded intermediate states of proteins from participating in the aggregation process. Since the ribosome is an essential organelle that is present in large numbers in all living cells, this ability of the ribosome provides an energetically inexpensive way to suppress cellular aggregation. Further, this ability of the ribosome might also be crucial in the context that the ribosome is one of the first chaperones to be encountered by a large nascent polypeptide chains that have a tendency to form partially folded intermediates immediately following their synthesis.

  8. Properties of Concrete with Tire Derived Aggregate Partially Replacing Coarse Aggregates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Siringi, Gideon; Abolmaali, Ali; Aswath, Pranesh B

    2015-01-01

    Tire derived aggregate (TDA) has been proposed as a possible lightweight replacement for mineral aggregate in concrete. The role played by the amount of TDA replacing coarse aggregate as well as different treatment and additives in concrete on its properties is examined. Conventional concrete (without TDA) and concrete containing TDA are compared by examining their compressive strength based on ASTM C39, workability based on ASTM C143, splitting tensile strength based on ASTM C496, modulus of rupture (flexural strength) based on ASTM C78, and bond stress based on ASTM C234. Results indicate that while replacement of coarse aggregates with TDA results in reduction in strength, it may be mitigated with addition of silica fume to obtain the desired strength. The greatest benefit of using TDA is in the development of a higher ductile product while utilizing recycled TDA.

  9. Time-resolved small angle neutron scattering measurements of asphaltene nanoparticle aggregation kinetics in incompatible crude oil mixtures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mason, Thomas G.; Lin, Min Y.

    2003-01-01

    We use time-resolved-small angle neutron scattering to study the kinetics of asphaltene nanoparticle aggregation in incompatible crude oil mixtures. We induce asphaltene aggregation by mixing asphaltene-rich Syrian crude oil (SACO) with a paraffinic British crude oil and observe the scattered neutron intensity, I, as a function of wave number, q, over times, t, ranging from twenty minutes to about a week. We observe a growth in I at low q as the nanoscale asphaltenes agglomerate into microscale aggregates and interpret this growth as an increase in surface scattering from the aggregates. We fit I(q,t) to an empirical model and measure the growth in the power-law exponent, α, associated with the low-q logarithmic slope of I(q). We define a time, τ α , associated with the first appearance of the aggregates when α>3; τ α increases as a function of the volume fraction, φ m , of SACO in the mixture. The surface scattering intensity initially increases and then saturates at long times when the aggregate structures no longer evolve at the length scales we probe. Based on this saturation, we define a time scale, τ I , which is larger than τ α but has essentially the same dependence on φ m . We interpret τ α (φ m ) and τ I (φ m ) in terms of a simple aggregation model based on diffusion-limited kinetics and a repulsive potential barrier that models the effective solvent quality

  10. Properties of Concrete with Tire Derived Aggregate Partially Replacing Coarse Aggregates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Siringi, Gideon; Abolmaali, Ali; Aswath, Pranesh B.

    2015-01-01

    Tire derived aggregate (TDA) has been proposed as a possible lightweight replacement for mineral aggregate in concrete. The role played by the amount of TDA replacing coarse aggregate as well as different treatment and additives in concrete on its properties is examined. Conventional concrete (without TDA) and concrete containing TDA are compared by examining their compressive strength based on ASTM C39, workability based on ASTM C143, splitting tensile strength based on ASTM C496, modulus of rupture (flexural strength) based on ASTM C78, and bond stress based on ASTM C234. Results indicate that while replacement of coarse aggregates with TDA results in reduction in strength, it may be mitigated with addition of silica fume to obtain the desired strength. The greatest benefit of using TDA is in the development of a higher ductile product while utilizing recycled TDA. PMID:26161440

  11. Properties of Concrete with Tire Derived Aggregate Partially Replacing Coarse Aggregates

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gideon Siringi

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Tire derived aggregate (TDA has been proposed as a possible lightweight replacement for mineral aggregate in concrete. The role played by the amount of TDA replacing coarse aggregate as well as different treatment and additives in concrete on its properties is examined. Conventional concrete (without TDA and concrete containing TDA are compared by examining their compressive strength based on ASTM C39, workability based on ASTM C143, splitting tensile strength based on ASTM C496, modulus of rupture (flexural strength based on ASTM C78, and bond stress based on ASTM C234. Results indicate that while replacement of coarse aggregates with TDA results in reduction in strength, it may be mitigated with addition of silica fume to obtain the desired strength. The greatest benefit of using TDA is in the development of a higher ductile product while utilizing recycled TDA.

  12. Correlation functions for fully or partially state-resolved reactive scattering calculations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Manthe, Uwe; Welsch, Ralph

    2014-01-01

    Flux correlation functions and the quantum transition state concept are important tools for the accurate description of polyatomic reaction processes. Combined with the multi-configurational time-dependent Hartree approach, they facilitate rigorous full-dimensional calculations of cumulative and initial-state selected reaction probabilities for six atom reactions. In recent work [R. Welsch, F. Huarte-Larrañaga, and U. Manthe, J. Chem. Phys. 136, 064117 (2012)], an approach which allows one to calculate also state-to-state reaction probabilities within the quantum transition state concept has been introduced. This article presents further developments. Alternative generalized flux correlation functions are introduced and discussed. Equations for the calculation of fully state-resolved differential cross section using arbitrary definitions of the body fixed frame are derived. An approach for the efficient calculation of partially state-resolved observables as a function of the collision energy is introduced. Finally, numerical test studying the D + H 2 reaction illustrate important aspects of the formalism

  13. Resolving the paradox for protein aggregation diseases: a common mechanism for aggregated proteins to initially attack membranes without needing aggregates [v1; ref status: indexed, http://f1000r.es/221

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Haina Qin

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available Paradoxically, aggregation of specific proteins is characteristic of many human diseases and aging, yet aggregates have been found to be unnecessary for initiating pathogenesis. Here we determined the NMR topology and dynamics of a helical mutant in a membrane environment transformed from the 125-residue cytosolic all-β MSP by the ALS-causing P56S mutation. Unexpectedly, despite its low hydrophobicity, the P56S major sperm protein (MSP domain becomes largely embedded in the membrane environment with high backbone rigidity. Furthermore it is composed of five helices with amphiphilicity comparable to those of the partly-soluble membrane toxin mellitin and α-synuclein causing Parkinson's disease. Consequently, the mechanism underlying this chameleon transformation becomes clear: by disrupting the specific tertiary interaction network stabilizing the native all-β MSP fold to release previously-locked amphiphilic segments, the P56S mutation acts to convert the classic MSP fold into a membrane-active protein that is fundamentally indistinguishable from mellitin and α-synuclein which are disordered in aqueous solution but spontaneously partition into membrane interfaces driven by hydrogen-bond energetics gained from forming α-helix in the membrane environments. As segments with high amphiphilicity exist in all proteins, our study successfully resolves the paradox by deciphering that the proteins with a higher tendency to aggregate have a stronger potential to partition into membranes through the same mechanism as α-synuclein to initially attack membranes to trigger pathogenesis without needing aggregates. This might represent the common first step for various kinds of aggregated proteins to trigger familiar, sporadic and aging diseases. Therefore the homeostasis of aggregated proteins in vivo is the central factor responsible for a variety of human diseases including aging. The number and degree of the membrane attacks by aggregated proteins may

  14. Surface properties and aggregate morphology of partially fluorinated carboxylate-type anionic gemini surfactants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yoshimura, Tomokazu; Bong, Miri; Matsuoka, Keisuke; Honda, Chikako; Endo, Kazutoyo

    2009-11-01

    Three anionic homologues of a novel partially fluorinated carboxylate-type anionic gemini surfactant, N,N'-di(3-perfluoroalkyl-2-hydroxypropyl)-N,N'-diacetic acid ethylenediamine (2C(n)(F) edda, where n represents the number of carbon atoms in the fluorocarbon chain (4, 6, and 8)) were synthesized. In these present gemini surfactants, the relatively small carboxylic acid moieties form hydrophilic head groups. The surface properties or structures of the aggregates of these surfactants are strongly influenced by the nonflexible fluorocarbons and small head groups; this is because these surfactants have a closely packed molecular structure. The equilibrium surface tension properties of these surfactants were measured at 298.2K for various fluorocarbon chain lengths. The plot of the logarithm of the critical micelle concentration (cmc) against the fluorocarbon chain lengths for 2C(n)(F) edda (n=4, 6, and 8) showed a minimum for n=6. Furthermore, the lowest surface tension of 2C(6)(F) edda at the cmc was 16.4mNm(-1). Such unique behavior has not been observed even in the other fluorinated surfactants. Changes in the shapes and sizes of these surfactant aggregate with concentration were investigated by dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The TEM micrographs showed that in an aqueous alkali solution, 2C(n)(F) edda mainly formed aggregates with stringlike (n=4), cagelike (n=6), and distorted bilayer structures (n=8). The morphological changes in the aggregates were affected by the molecular structure composed of nonflexible fluorocarbon chains and flexible hydrocarbon chains.

  15. A vertically resolved model for phytoplankton aggregation

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    pellets (Smith et al 1998), or in large, fast-settling aggregates, which are often ...... the Arabian Sea, and its ability to graze upon natural assemblages of diatoms e.g. off the ... the amount and quality of food that supplies benthic organisms.

  16. Preventing disulfide bond formation weakens non-covalent forces among lysozyme aggregates.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vijay Kumar Ravi

    Full Text Available Nonnative disulfide bonds have been observed among protein aggregates in several diseases like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, cataract and so on. The molecular mechanism by which formation of such bonds promotes protein aggregation is poorly understood. Here in this work we employ previously well characterized aggregation of hen eggwhite lysozyme (HEWL at alkaline pH to dissect the molecular role of nonnative disulfide bonds on growth of HEWL aggregates. We employed time-resolved fluorescence anisotropy, atomic force microscopy and single-molecule force spectroscopy to quantify the size, morphology and non-covalent interaction forces among the aggregates, respectively. These measurements were performed under conditions when disulfide bond formation was allowed (control and alternatively when it was prevented by alkylation of free thiols using iodoacetamide. Blocking disulfide bond formation affected growth but not growth kinetics of aggregates which were ∼50% reduced in volume, flatter in vertical dimension and non-fibrillar in comparison to control. Interestingly, single-molecule force spectroscopy data revealed that preventing disulfide bond formation weakened the non-covalent interaction forces among monomers in the aggregate by at least ten fold, thereby stalling their growth and yielding smaller aggregates in comparison to control. We conclude that while constrained protein chain dynamics in correctly disulfide bonded amyloidogenic proteins may protect them from venturing into partial folded conformations that can trigger entry into aggregation pathways, aberrant disulfide bonds in non-amyloidogenic proteins (like HEWL on the other hand, may strengthen non-covalent intermolecular forces among monomers and promote their aggregation.

  17. performance of concrete with partial replacement of fine aggregates

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    user

    aggregate with waste glass that will result in optimal compressive strength. A total of 36 cubes were ... to achieve the required strength and durability. The fine aggregate is ..... Ceramic Foundation Annual Technical Report, pp. 143-147. 2000.

  18. CO partial pressure dependence of the kinetics of melting of HbS aggregates studied in high concentration phosphate buffer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aroutiounian, Svetlana

    2002-10-01

    Deoxygenated sickle cell hemoglobin (HbS) monomers enter the polymer phase either by incorporation into a critical nucleus, through heterogeneous nucleation and or through linear growth of the polymers when the concentration of monomers exceeds the solubility. CO-bound, R-state HbS monomers do not polymerize. Thus, polymer melting is enhanced by binding of carbon monoxide (CO) to HbS polymerized monomers. In our study, the melting of HbS aggregates mediated by dilution and CO binding to polymerized monomers is observed with time-resolved extinction spectroscopy. The CO partial pressure (pCO) dependence of the kinetics of melting is studied for pCO = 0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1 atm with difference progress curves. A phenomenological description with slow and fast relaxation modes reveals a variable relaxation time near the pCO=0.5 due to competition of kinetic mechanisms. The slow component increases with increasing pCO. It has a positive intercept due to the combined action of dilution of the sample and CO-ligation. The pCO dependence is near linear due to non-cooperative CO binding. Significant slowing down of aged samples, most likely due to gelation, is observed. As possible mechanism for variable relaxation time near pCO=0.5atm the fractional percolation threshold is discussed. This work was supported by NIH grant HL58091 (awarded to Daniel. B. Kim-Shapiro).

  19. Influence of limestone waste as partial replacement material for sand and marble powder in concrete properties

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Omar M. Omar

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available Green concrete are generally composed of recycling materials as hundred or partial percent substitutes for aggregate, cement, and admixture in concrete. Limestone waste is obtained as a by-product during the production of aggregates through the crushing process of rocks in rubble crusher units. Using quarry waste as a substitute of sand in construction materials would resolve the environmental problems caused by the large-scale depletion of the natural sources of river and mining sands. This paper reports the experimental study undertaken to investigate the influence of partial replacement of sand with limestone waste (LSW, with marble powder (M.P as an additive on the concrete properties. The replacement proportion of sand with limestone waste, 25%, 50%, and 75% were practiced in the concrete mixes except in the concrete mix. Besides, proportions of 5%, 10% and 15% marble powder were practiced in the concrete mixes. The effects of limestone waste as fine aggregate on several fresh and hardened properties of the concretes were investigated. The investigation included testing of compressive strength, indirect tensile strength, flexural strength, modulus of elasticity, and permeability. It was found that limestone waste as fine aggregate enhanced the slump test of the fresh concretes. But the unit weight concretes were not affected. However, the good performance was observed when limestone waste as fine aggregate was used in presence of marble powder.

  20. Capital-energy complementarity in aggregate energy-economic analysis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hogan, W.W.

    1979-10-01

    The interplay between capital and energy will affect the outcome of energy-policy initiatives. A static model clarifies the interpretation of the conflicting empirical evidence on the nature of this interplay. This resolves an apparent conflict between engineering and economc interpretations and points to an additional ambiguity that can be resolved by distinguishing between policy issues at aggregated and disaggregated levels. Restrictions on aggregate energy use should induce reductions in the demand for capital and exacerbate the economic impacts of the energy policy. 32 references.

  1. Utilization of fly ash as partial sand replacement in oil palm shell lightweight aggregate concrete

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nazrin Akmal, A. Z. Muhammad; Muthusamy, K.; Mat Yahaya, F.; Hanafi, H. Mohd; Nur Azzimah, Z.

    2017-11-01

    Realization on the increasing demand for river sand supply in construction sector has inspired the current research to find alternative material to reduce the use of natural sand in oil palm shell lightweight aggregate concrete (OPS LWAC) production. The existence of fly ash, a by-product generated from coal power plant, which pose negative impact to the environment when it is disposed as waste, were used in this research. The effect of fly ash content as partial sand replacement towards workability and compressive strength of OPS lightweight aggregate concrete were investigated. Four concrete mixes containing various percentage of fly ash that are 0%, 10%, 20% and 30% by weight of sand were used in the experimental work. All mixes were cast in form of cubes before subjected to water curing until the testing age. Compressive strength test were conducted at 1, 3, 7 and 28 days. The finding shows that the workability of the OPS LWAC decreases when more fly ash are used as sand replacement. It was found that adding of 10% fly ash as sand replacement content resulted in better compressive strength of OPS LWAC, which is higher than the control mix.

  2. Recycling ground granulated blast furnace slag as cold bonded artificial aggregate partially used in self-compacting concrete.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gesoğlu, Mehmet; Güneyisi, Erhan; Mahmood, Swara Fuad; Öz, Hatice Öznur; Mermerdaş, Kasım

    2012-10-15

    Ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS), a by-product from iron industry, was recycled as artificial coarse aggregate through cold bonding pelletization process. The artificial slag aggregates (ASA) replaced partially the natural coarse aggregates in production of self-compacting concrete (SCC). Moreover, as being one of the most widely used mineral admixtures in concrete industry, fly ash (FA) was incorporated as a part of total binder content to impart desired fluidity to SCCs. A total of six concrete mixtures having various ASA replacement levels (0%, 20%, 40%, 60%, and 100%) were designed with a water-to-binder (w/b) ratio of 0.32. Fresh properties of self-compacting concretes (SCC) were observed through slump flow time, flow diameter, V-funnel flow time, and L-box filling height ratio. Compressive strength of hardened SCCs was also determined at 28 days of curing. It was observed that increasing the replacement level of ASA resulted in decrease in the amount of superplasticizer to achieve a constant slump flow diameter. Moreover, passing ability and viscosity of SCC's enhanced with increasing the amount of ASA in the concrete. The maximum compressive strength was achieved for the SCC having 60% ASA replacement. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. Spatially resolved Raman spectroscopy study of transformed zones in magnesia-partially-stabilized zirconia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Davskardt, R.H.; Veirs, D.K.; Ritchie, R.O.

    1989-01-01

    Raman vibrational spectroscopy provides an effective phase characterization technique in materials systems containing particle dispersions of the tetragonal and monoclinic polymorphs of zirconia, each of which yields a unique Raman spectrum. An investigation is reported to assess a novel, spatially resolved Raman spectroscopy system in the study of transformed zones surrounding cracks in partially stabilized MgO-ZrO 2 (PSZ). The experimental arrangement uses an imaging (two-dimensional) photomultiplier tube to produce a one-dimensional Raman profile of phase compositions along a slitlike laser beam without translation of either the sample or the laser beam and without scanning the spectrometer. Results from phase characterization studies of the size, frontal morphology, and extent of transformation of transformation zones surrounding cracks produced under monotonic and cyclic loading conditions are presented

  4. Partial molar volumes and partial molar adiabatic compressibilities of a short chain perfluorosurfactant: Sodium heptafluorobutyrate in aqueous solutions at different temperatures

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Blanco, Elena [Group of Biophysics and Interfaces, Department of Applied Physics, Faculty of Physics, University of Santiago de Compostela, E-15782 Santiago de Compostela (Spain); Ruso, Juan M. [Group of Biophysics and Interfaces, Department of Applied Physics, Faculty of Physics, University of Santiago de Compostela, E-15782 Santiago de Compostela (Spain)]. E-mail: faruso@usc.es; Prieto, Gerardo [Group of Biophysics and Interfaces, Department of Applied Physics, Faculty of Physics, University of Santiago de Compostela, E-15782 Santiago de Compostela (Spain); Sarmiento, Felix [Group of Biophysics and Interfaces, Department of Applied Physics, Faculty of Physics, University of Santiago de Compostela, E-15782 Santiago de Compostela (Spain)

    2005-12-15

    Density and ultrasound measurements of sodium heptafluorobutyrate in aqueous solutions at T = (283.15, 288.15, 293.15, 298.15, 303.15, 308.15, 313.15, 318.15, and 323.15) K have been obtained. From these results partial molar volumes and isentropic partial molar adiabatic compressibilities were calculated. Deviations from the Debye-Hueckel limiting law provide evidence for limited association at lower concentrations. The change of the partial molar volume and isentropic partial molar adiabatic compressibility upon aggregation was calculated. Variations of the change of partial molar volumes and isentropic partial molar adiabatic compressibility upon aggregation are discussed in terms of temperature.

  5. Partial molar volumes and partial molar adiabatic compressibilities of a short chain perfluorosurfactant: Sodium heptafluorobutyrate in aqueous solutions at different temperatures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Blanco, Elena; Ruso, Juan M.; Prieto, Gerardo; Sarmiento, Felix

    2005-01-01

    Density and ultrasound measurements of sodium heptafluorobutyrate in aqueous solutions at T = (283.15, 288.15, 293.15, 298.15, 303.15, 308.15, 313.15, 318.15, and 323.15) K have been obtained. From these results partial molar volumes and isentropic partial molar adiabatic compressibilities were calculated. Deviations from the Debye-Hueckel limiting law provide evidence for limited association at lower concentrations. The change of the partial molar volume and isentropic partial molar adiabatic compressibility upon aggregation was calculated. Variations of the change of partial molar volumes and isentropic partial molar adiabatic compressibility upon aggregation are discussed in terms of temperature

  6. Characterization of network structure in stereoEEG data using consensus-based partial coherence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ter Wal, Marije; Cardellicchio, Pasquale; LoRusso, Giorgio; Pelliccia, Veronica; Avanzini, Pietro; Orban, Guy A; Tiesinga, Paul He

    2018-06-06

    Coherence is a widely used measure to determine the frequency-resolved functional connectivity between pairs of recording sites, but this measure is confounded by shared inputs to the pair. To remove shared inputs, the 'partial coherence' can be computed by conditioning the spectral matrices of the pair on all other recorded channels, which involves the calculation of a matrix (pseudo-) inverse. It has so far remained a challenge to use the time-resolved partial coherence to analyze intracranial recordings with a large number of recording sites. For instance, calculating the partial coherence using a pseudoinverse method produces a high number of false positives when it is applied to a large number of channels. To address this challenge, we developed a new method that randomly aggregated channels into a smaller number of effective channels on which the calculation of partial coherence was based. We obtained a 'consensus' partial coherence (cPCOH) by repeating this approach for several random aggregations of channels (permutations) and only accepting those activations in time and frequency with a high enough consensus. Using model data we show that the cPCOH method effectively filters out the effect of shared inputs and performs substantially better than the pseudo-inverse. We successfully applied the cPCOH procedure to human stereotactic EEG data and demonstrated three key advantages of this method relative to alternative procedures. First, it reduces the number of false positives relative to the pseudo-inverse method. Second, it allows for titration of the amount of false positives relative to the false negatives by adjusting the consensus threshold, thus allowing the data-analyst to prioritize one over the other to meet specific analysis demands. Third, it substantially reduced the number of identified interactions compared to coherence, providing a sparser network of connections from which clear spatial patterns emerged. These patterns can serve as a starting

  7. Recycling of waste glass as a partial replacement for fine aggregate in concrete.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ismail, Zainab Z; Al-Hashmi, Enas A

    2009-02-01

    Waste glass creates serious environmental problems, mainly due to the inconsistency of waste glass streams. With increasing environmental pressure to reduce solid waste and to recycle as much as possible, the concrete industry has adopted a number of methods to achieve this goal. The properties of concretes containing waste glass as fine aggregate were investigated in this study. The strength properties and ASR expansion were analyzed in terms of waste glass content. An overall quantity of 80 kg of crushed waste glass was used as a partial replacement for sand at 10%, 15%, and 20% with 900 kg of concrete mixes. The results proved 80% pozzolanic strength activity given by waste glass after 28 days. The flexural strength and compressive strength of specimens with 20% waste glass content were 10.99% and 4.23%, respectively, higher than those of the control specimen at 28 days. The mortar bar tests demonstrated that the finely crushed waste glass helped reduce expansion by 66% as compared with the control mix.

  8. Changes of red blood cell aggregation parameters in a long-term follow-up of splenectomy, spleen-autotransplantation and partial or subtotal spleen resections in a canine model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miko, Iren; Nemeth, Norbert; Peto, Katalin; Furka, Andrea; Toth, Laszlo; Furka, Istvan

    2017-01-01

    Decrease or loss in splenic filtration function may influence the hemorheological state. To follow-up the long-term effects of splenectomy, spleen autotransplantation and spleen resections on red blood cell aggregation in a canine model. Beagle dogs were subjected to control (n = 6), splenectomy (SE, n = 4), spleen autotransplantation (AU, Furka's spleen-chip method, n = 8) or partial and subtotal spleen resection (n = 4/each) groups, and followed-up for 18 postoperative (p.o.) months. Erythrocyte aggregation was determined in parallel by light-transmittance aggregometry (Myrenne MA-1 aggregometer) and syllectometry (LoRRca). Erythrocyte aggregation decreased three months after splenectomy, with lower aggregation index and elongated aggregation time. It was more or less associated with relatively lower hematocrit and fibrinogen concentration. However, in autotransplantated animals a relatively higher fibrinogen did not increase the aggregation markedly. Spleen resection resulted in the most controversial red blood cell aggregation findings, and it seems, that the degree of the resection is an influencing factor. Splenectomy alters erythrocyte aggregation, spleen autotransplantation can be useful to preserve filtration function. However, the degree of restoration shows individual differences with a kind of 'functional periodicity'. Spleen resection controversially influences erythrocyte aggregation parameters. The subtotal resection is supposed to be worse than spleen autotransplantation.

  9. Changes in precipitation isotope-climate relationships from temporal grouping and aggregation of weekly-resolved USNIP data: impacts on paleoclimate and environmental applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Akers, P. D.; Welker, J. M.

    2015-12-01

    Spatial variations in precipitation isotopes have been the focus of much recent research, but relatively less work has explored changes at various temporal scales. This is partly because most spatially-diverse and long-term isotope databases are offered at a monthly resolution, while daily or event-level records are spatially and temporally limited by cost and logistics. A subset of 25 United States Network for Isotopes in Precipitation (USNIP) sites with weekly-resolution in the east-central United States was analyzed for site-specific relationships between δ18O and δD (the local meteoric water line/LMWL), δ18O and surface temperature, and δ18O and precipitation amount. Weekly data were then aggregated into monthly and seasonal data to examine the effect of aggregation on correlation and slope values for each of the relationships. Generally, increasing aggregation improved correlations (>25% for some sites) due to a reduced effect of extreme values, but estimates on regression variable error increased (>100%) because of reduced sample sizes. Aggregation resulted in small, but significant drops (5-25%) in relationship slope values for some sites. Weekly data were also grouped by month and season to explore changes in relationships throughout the year. Significant subannual variability exists in slope values and correlations even for sites with very strong overall correlations. LMWL slopes are highest in winter and lowest in summer, while the δ18O-surface temperature relationship is strongest in spring. Despite these overall trends, a high level of month-to-month and season-to-season variability is the norm for these sites. Researchers blindly applying overall relationships drawn from monthly-resolved databases to paleoclimate or environmental research risk assuming these relationships apply at all temporal resolutions. When possible, researchers should match the temporal resolution used to calculate an isotopic relationship with the temporal resolution of

  10. Aggregate size and architecture determine biomass activity for one-stage partial nitritation and anammox

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Vlaeminck, S.; Terada, Akihiko; Smets, Barth F.

    2010-01-01

    to the inoculation and operation of the reactors. Fluorescent in-situ hybridization (FISH) was applied on aggregate sections to quantify AerAOB and AnAOB, as well as to visualize the aggregate architecture. The activity balance of the aggregates was calculated as the nitrite accumulation rate ratio (NARR), i...... and nitrite sources (NARR, > 1.7). Large A and C aggregates were granules capable of autonomous nitrogen removal (NARR, 0.6 to 1.1) with internal AnAOB zones surrounded by an AerAOB rim. Around 50% of the autotrophic space in these granules consisted of AerAOB- and AnAOB-specific EPS. Large B aggregates were...... thin film-like nitrite sinks (NARR,

  11. Relationship between soil aggregate strength, shape and porosity for soils under different long-term management

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Munkholm, Lars Juhl; Heck, Richard J; Deen, Bill

    2016-01-01

    were mouldboard ploughing (MP) and no-tillage (NT). The soil coreswere exposed to a drop shatter test and airdried before separation into different size fractions. Ten aggregates fromthe 4–9.2mmsize fraction per core sample (i.e. 320 in all)were X-ray micro-CT scanned. The size, shape and porosity...... porosity and more rounded aggregates than the continuous corn rotation. Surprisingly, therewas no treatment effect on X-ray micro-CT resolvable porosities. Aggregate strength decreased with both total and X-ray micro-CT resolvable porosity even though the correlations were weak. Significant correlation...

  12. Coordinating choice in partial cooperative equilibrium

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Mallozzi, L.; Tijs, S.H.

    2009-01-01

    In this paper we consider symmetric aggregative games and investigate partial cooperation between a portion of the players that sign a cooperative agreement and the rest of the players. Existence results of partial cooperative equilibria are obtained when the players who do not sign the agreement

  13. Understanding curcumin-induced modulation of protein aggregation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ahmad, Basir; Borana, Mohanish S; Chaudhary, Ankur P

    2017-07-01

    Curcumin, a diarylheptanoid compound, found in spice turmeric is known to alter the aggregation of proteins and reduce the toxicity of the aggregates. This review looks at the molecular basis of modulating protein aggregation and toxicity of the aggregates. Foremost, we identify the interaction of curcumin and its derivatives with proteins/peptides and the effect of their interaction on the conformational stability and unfolding/folding pathway(s). The unfolding/folding processes generate partially folded/unfolded intermediate, which serve as aggregation precursor state. Secondly, we discuss the effect of curcumin binding on the kinetics parameters of the aggregation process, which give information about the mechanism of the aggregation inhibition. We describe, in addition, that curcumin can accelerate/promote fibril formation by binding to oligomeric intermediate(s) accumulated in the aggregation pathway. Finally, we discuss the correlation of curcumin-induced monomeric and/or oligomeric precursor states with aggregate structure and toxicity. On the basis of these discussions, we propose a model describing curcumin-induced inhibition/promotion of formation of amyloid-like fibrils. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. View-sharing in keyhole imaging: Partially compressed central k-space acquisition in time-resolved MRA at 3.0 T

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hadizadeh, Dariusch R.; Gieseke, Juergen; Beck, Gabriele; Geerts, Liesbeth; Kukuk, Guido M.; Bostroem, Azize; Urbach, Horst; Schild, Hans H.; Willinek, Winfried A.

    2011-01-01

    Introduction: Time-resolved contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance (MR) angiography (CEMRA) of the intracranial vasculature has proved its clinical value for the evaluation of cerebral vascular disease in cases where both flow hemodynamics and morphology are important. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a combination of view-sharing with keyhole imaging to increase spatial and temporal resolution of time-resolved CEMRA at 3.0 T. Methods: Alternating view-sharing was combined with randomly segmented k-space ordering, keyhole imaging, partial Fourier and parallel imaging (4DkvsMRA). 4DkvsMRA was evaluated using varying compression factors (80-100) resulting in spatial resolutions ranging from (1.1 x 1.1 x 1.4) to (0.96 x 0.96 x 0.95) mm 3 and temporal resolutions ranging from 586 ms/dynamic scan - 288 ms/dynamic scan in three protocols in 10 healthy volunteers and seven patients (17 subjects). DSA correlation was available in four patients with cerebral arteriovenous malformations (cAVMs) and one patient with cerebral teleangiectasia. Results: 4DkvsMRA was successfully performed in all subjects and showed clear depiction of arterial and venous phases with diagnostic image quality. At the maximum view-sharing compression factor (=100), a 'flickering' artefact was observed. Conclusion: View-sharing in keyhole imaging allows for increased spatial and temporal resolution in time-resolved MRA.

  15. View-sharing in keyhole imaging: Partially compressed central k-space acquisition in time-resolved MRA at 3.0 T

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hadizadeh, Dariusch R., E-mail: Dariusch.Hadizadeh@ukb.uni-bonn.de [University of Bonn, Department of Radiology, Sigmund-Freud-Strasse 25, 53127 Bonn (Germany); Gieseke, Juergen [University of Bonn, Department of Radiology, Sigmund-Freud-Strasse 25, 53127 Bonn (Germany); Philips Healthcare, Best (Netherlands); Beck, Gabriele; Geerts, Liesbeth [Philips Healthcare, Best (Netherlands); Kukuk, Guido M. [University of Bonn, Department of Radiology, Sigmund-Freud-Strasse 25, 53127 Bonn (Germany); Bostroem, Azize [Department of Neurosurgery, Sigmund-Freud-Strasse 25, 53127 Bonn, Deutschland (Germany); Urbach, Horst; Schild, Hans H.; Willinek, Winfried A. [University of Bonn, Department of Radiology, Sigmund-Freud-Strasse 25, 53127 Bonn (Germany)

    2011-11-15

    Introduction: Time-resolved contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance (MR) angiography (CEMRA) of the intracranial vasculature has proved its clinical value for the evaluation of cerebral vascular disease in cases where both flow hemodynamics and morphology are important. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a combination of view-sharing with keyhole imaging to increase spatial and temporal resolution of time-resolved CEMRA at 3.0 T. Methods: Alternating view-sharing was combined with randomly segmented k-space ordering, keyhole imaging, partial Fourier and parallel imaging (4DkvsMRA). 4DkvsMRA was evaluated using varying compression factors (80-100) resulting in spatial resolutions ranging from (1.1 x 1.1 x 1.4) to (0.96 x 0.96 x 0.95) mm{sup 3} and temporal resolutions ranging from 586 ms/dynamic scan - 288 ms/dynamic scan in three protocols in 10 healthy volunteers and seven patients (17 subjects). DSA correlation was available in four patients with cerebral arteriovenous malformations (cAVMs) and one patient with cerebral teleangiectasia. Results: 4DkvsMRA was successfully performed in all subjects and showed clear depiction of arterial and venous phases with diagnostic image quality. At the maximum view-sharing compression factor (=100), a 'flickering' artefact was observed. Conclusion: View-sharing in keyhole imaging allows for increased spatial and temporal resolution in time-resolved MRA.

  16. Effect of fly ash on the strength of porous concrete using recycled coarse aggregate to replace low-quality natural coarse aggregate

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arifi, Eva; Cahya, Evi Nur; Christin Remayanti, N.

    2017-09-01

    The performance of porous concrete made of recycled coarse aggregate was investigated. Fly ash was used as cement partial replacement. In this study, the strength of recycled aggregate was coMPared to low quality natural coarse aggregate which has high water absorption. Compression strength and tensile splitting strength test were conducted to evaluate the performance of porous concrete using fly ash as cement replacement. Results have shown that the utilization of recycled coarse aggregate up to 75% to replace low quality natural coarse aggregate with high water absorption increases compressive strength and splitting tensile strength of porous concrete. Using fly ash up to 25% as cement replacement improves compressive strength and splitting tensile strength of porous concrete.

  17. Quasi-Species and Aggregate Dynamics

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Eriksson, Anders; Görnerup, Olof; Jacobi, Martin Nilsson

    2005-01-01

    a partial differential equation that describes the system. We find that the relative prevalence of fast and slow replicators is determined by the relative strength of selection at the aggregate level to the selection strength at the molecular level. The analysis is concluded by a preliminary treatment...

  18. Pressure effects on the structure, kinetic, and thermodynamic properties of heat-induced aggregation of protein studied by FT-IR spectroscopy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Taniguchi, Y [Applied Chemistry Department, Ritsumeikan University, Kusatsu, Shiga 525-8577 (Japan); Okuno, A [Research Department 3, Central Research, Bridgestone Co. Kodaira, Tokyo 187-8531 (Japan); Kato, M, E-mail: taniguti@sk.ritsumei.ac.j [Pharmaceutical Sciences Department, Ritsumeikan University, Kusatsu, Shiga 525-8577 (Japan)

    2010-03-01

    Pressure can retrain the heat-induced aggregation and dissociate the heat-induced aggregates. We observed the aggregation-preventing pressure effect and the aggregates-dissociating pressure effect to characterize the heat-induced aggregation of equine serum albumin (ESA) by FT-IR spectroscopy. The results suggest the {alpha}-helical structure collapses at the beginning of heat-induced aggregation through the swollen structure, and then the rearrangement of structure to the intermolecular {beta}-sheet takes place through partially unfolded structure. We determined the activation volume for the heat-induced aggregation ({Delta}V'' = +93 ml/mol) and the partial molar volume difference between native state and heat-induced aggregates ({Delta}V=+32 ml/mol). This positive partial molar volume difference suggests that the heat-induced aggregates have larger internal voids than the native structure. Moreover, the positive volume change implies that the formation of the intermolecular {beta}-sheet is unfavorable under high pressure.

  19. Acid resistance of quaternary blended recycled aggregate concrete

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    K Jagannadha Rao

    2018-06-01

    Full Text Available The possibility of reusing the aggregate from demolished structures in fresh concrete, in order to reduce the CO2 impact on the environment [23] and to preserve natural resources, was explored worldwide and it is established that recycled aggregates can be used as a partial replacement of natural aggregates. Due to its potential to be used in eco-friendly structures and shortage of supply of natural aggregates in some parts of the world, there is an increasing interest in using the recycled aggregate. The durability aspects are also of equal concern along with the strength and economy of any material to be used in the construction. Studies reveal that the behaviour of ternary and quaternary blended concretes is superior from durability point of view compared to conventional concrete. Therefore a study is conducted to assess the acid resistance of recycled aggregate based Quaternary Blended Cement Concrete (QBCC of two grades M40 and M60. Fly ash and silica fume are fixed at 20% and 10% respectively from the previous studies while two percentages of Nano silica (2 and 3% were used along with the cement to obtain QBCC. Three percentages of recycled aggregates as partial replacement of conventional aggregate (0%, 50% and 75% were used in this study. Two different acids (HCL and H2SO4 with different concentrations (3 and 5% were used in this study. Acid resistance of QBCC with Recycled Concrete Aggregate (RCA is assessed in terms of visual appearance, weight loss, and compressive strength loss by destructive and non-destructive tests at regular intervals for a period of 56 days. The test results showed marginal weight loss and strength loss in both M40 and M60 grades of concretes. The Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity (UPV results show that the quality of QBCC is good even after being subjected to acid exposure. Keywords: Recycled concrete aggregate (RCA, Quaternary blended cement concrete (QBCC, Acid resistance, Ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV, Mineral

  20. Molecular Mechanism of the Early Stage of Amyloidogenic Hexapeptides (NFGAIL) Aggregation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shi Bi-Yun; Zhou Bo; Cai Zhuo-Wei; Yang Zai-Xing; Xiu Peng

    2013-01-01

    Peptides/proteins aggregation can give rise to pathological conditions of many human diseases. Small partially ordered oligomers formed in the early stage of aggregation, rather than mature fibrils, are thought to be the main toxicity agent for the living cell. Thus, understanding the pathway and the underlying physical mechanism in the early stage of aggregation is very important for prevention and treatment of these protein functional diseases. Herein we use all-atom molecular dynamics simulations to study the aggregation of four NFGAIL hexapeptides (NFGAIL peptide is a core segment of human islet amyloid polypeptide and exhibits similar aggregation kinetics as the full-length polypeptide). We observe that the peptide monomers in water mainly adopt non-structural coil configurations; the four peptides which are randomly placed in water aggregate spontaneously to partially ordered oligomer (β-sheets) through dimerization or trimerization, with the dimerization predominated. Both parallel and anti-parallel β-sheets are observed. The hydrophobic interactions drive the initial peptides associations, and the subsequent conformational fluctuations promote the formation of more hydrogen bonds between the dangling hydrogen sites in the main chains of peptides. (interdisciplinary physics and related areas of science and technology)

  1. Physical and mechanical properties of mortars containing PET and PC waste aggregates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hannawi, Kinda; Kamali-Bernard, Siham; Prince, William

    2010-11-01

    Non-biodegradable plastic aggregates made of polycarbonate (PC) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) waste are used as partial replacement of natural aggregates in mortar. Various volume fractions of sand 3%, 10%, 20% and 50% are replaced by the same volume of plastic. This paper investigates the physical and mechanical properties of the obtained composites. The main results of this study show the feasibility of the reuse of PC and PET waste aggregates materials as partial volume substitutes for natural aggregates in cementitious materials. Despite of some drawbacks like a decrease in compressive strength, the use of PC and PET waste aggregates presents various advantages. A reduction of the specific weight of the cementitious materials and a significant improvement of their post-peak flexural behaviour are observed. The calculated flexural toughness factors increase significantly with increasing volume fraction of PET and PC-aggregates. Thus, addition of PC and PET plastic aggregates in cementitious materials seems to give good energy absorbing materials which is very interesting for several civil engineering applications like structures subjected to dynamic or impact efforts. The present study has shown quite encouraging results and opened new way for the recycling of PC waste aggregate in cement and concrete composites. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Aggregates in monoclonal antibody manufacturing processes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vázquez-Rey, María; Lang, Dietmar A

    2011-07-01

    Monoclonal antibodies have proved to be a highly successful class of therapeutic products. Large-scale manufacturing of pharmaceutical antibodies is a complex activity that requires considerable effort in both process and analytical development. If a therapeutic protein cannot be stabilized adequately, it will lose partially or totally its therapeutic properties or even cause immunogenic reactions thus potentially further endangering the patients' health. The phenomenon of protein aggregation is a common issue that compromises the quality, safety, and efficacy of antibodies and can happen at different steps of the manufacturing process, including fermentation, purification, final formulation, and storage. Aggregate levels in drug substance and final drug product are a key factor when assessing quality attributes of the molecule, since aggregation might impact biological activity of the biopharmaceutical. In this review it is analyzed how aggregates are formed during monoclonal antibody industrial production, why they have to be removed and the manufacturing process steps that are designed to either minimize or remove aggregates in the final product. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  3. Resolving intramolecular-distortion changes induced by the partial fluorination of pentacene adsorbed on Cu(111)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Franco-Cañellas, Antoni; Wang, Qi; Broch, Katharina; Shen, Bin; Gerlach, Alexander; Bettinger, Holger F.; Duhm, Steffen; Schreiber, Frank

    2018-04-01

    We experimentally quantify the molecular bending of a partially fluorinated pentacene (PEN) compound, namely 2,3,9,10-tetrafluoropentacene (F4PEN), adsorbed on Cu(111). By means of the x-ray standing wave (XSW) technique, we directly measure the adsorption distance of three inequivalent carbon sites, the fluorine atoms as well as the total and backbone carbon average adsorption distances. The precise positioning of different sites within the carbon core allows us to resolve two adsorption behaviors, namely a PEN-like strong coupling between the backbone and the substrate, and a repulsive interaction involving the fluorinated short molecular edges, which are 0.91 ±0.09 Å above the central benzene ring. This finding is further supported by additional electronic and in-plane-structure measurements, thus showing that the selective fluorination of a PEN molecule has only a local conformational effect and it is not sufficient to modify its interface properties. Yet, in the multilayer regime, the electronic and growth properties of the film differ completely from those of PEN and its perfluorinated derivative.

  4. Acceleration of tropical cyclogenesis by self-aggregation feedbacks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Muller, Caroline J; Romps, David M

    2018-03-20

    Idealized simulations of tropical moist convection have revealed that clouds can spontaneously clump together in a process called self-aggregation. This results in a state where a moist cloudy region with intense deep convection is surrounded by extremely dry subsiding air devoid of deep convection. Because of the idealized settings of the simulations where it was discovered, the relevance of self-aggregation to the real world is still debated. Here, we show that self-aggregation feedbacks play a leading-order role in the spontaneous genesis of tropical cyclones in cloud-resolving simulations. Those feedbacks accelerate the cyclogenesis process by a factor of 2, and the feedbacks contributing to the cyclone formation show qualitative and quantitative agreement with the self-aggregation process. Once the cyclone is formed, wind-induced surface heat exchange (WISHE) effects dominate, although we find that self-aggregation feedbacks have a small but nonnegligible contribution to the maintenance of the mature cyclone. Our results suggest that self-aggregation, and the framework developed for its study, can help shed more light into the physical processes leading to cyclogenesis and cyclone intensification. In particular, our results point out the importance of the longwave radiative cooling outside the cyclone.

  5. The alkali-aggregate reaction - concrete microstructure evolution

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Regourd, M.; Hornain, H.; Poitevin, P.

    1981-01-01

    The alkali-aggregate reaction has been studied by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray analysis, electron probe microanalysis, and X-ray diffraction in concretes containing glass aggregates or hornfels and greywacke aggregates. The surface reaction of the natural aggregates in alkaline solutions has been analysed by X-ray photo-electron spectrometry. The study of concretes with glass aggregates stored at 20 degrees Celcius and 100 percent relative humidity has revealed, irrespective of alkali content and type of cement, the formation of a gel containing SiO 2 , Na 2 O, CaO, MgO and Al 2 O 3 . Under heat and pressure (210 degrees Celcius at MPa for 48 hours), the gel crystallizes and yields silicates not very different from tobermorite found in autoclaved normal concretes but cotaining Na and K in solid solutions. The alkali reaction in two natural aggregate concretes, is also shown by the formation of gels and silicate crystals. The progressive structuring of the gels in silicate crystals is promoted by an increase in temperature. Ettringite and Ca(OH) 2 reinforce the alkali-aggregate reaction which may be looked upon as a hydration reaction, partially of the pozzolanic type

  6. Spatial capture–recapture with partial identity: An application to camera traps

    Science.gov (United States)

    Augustine, Ben C.; Royle, J. Andrew; Kelly, Marcella J.; Satter, Christopher B.; Alonso, Robert S.; Boydston, Erin E.; Crooks, Kevin R.

    2018-01-01

    Camera trapping surveys frequently capture individuals whose identity is only known from a single flank. The most widely used methods for incorporating these partial identity individuals into density analyses discard some of the partial identity capture histories, reducing precision, and, while not previously recognized, introducing bias. Here, we present the spatial partial identity model (SPIM), which uses the spatial location where partial identity samples are captured to probabilistically resolve their complete identities, allowing all partial identity samples to be used in the analysis. We show that the SPIM outperforms other analytical alternatives. We then apply the SPIM to an ocelot data set collected on a trapping array with double-camera stations and a bobcat data set collected on a trapping array with single-camera stations. The SPIM improves inference in both cases and, in the ocelot example, individual sex is determined from photographs used to further resolve partial identities—one of which is resolved to near certainty. The SPIM opens the door for the investigation of trapping designs that deviate from the standard two camera design, the combination of other data types between which identities cannot be deterministically linked, and can be extended to the problem of partial genotypes.

  7. Resolving the paradox for protein aggregation diseases: NMR structure and dynamics of the membrane-embedded P56S-MSP causing ALS imply a common mechanism for aggregation-prone proteins to attack membranes [v2; ref status: indexed, http://f1000r.es/3zl

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Haina Qin

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available Paradoxically, aggregation of specific proteins is characteristic of many human diseases and aging, yet aggregates have increasingly been found to be unnecessary for initiating pathogenesis. Here we determined the NMR topology and dynamics of a helical mutant in a membrane environment transformed from the 125-residue cytosolic all-β MSP domain of vesicle-associated membrane protein-associated protein B (VAPB by the ALS-causing P56S mutation. Despite its low hydrophobicity, the P56S major sperm protein (MSP domain becomes largely embedded in the membrane environment with high backbone rigidity. Furthermore it is composed of five helices with amphiphilicity comparable to those of the partly-soluble membrane toxin mellitin and α-synuclein causing Parkinson's disease. Consequently, the mechanism underlying this chameleon transformation becomes clear: by disrupting the specific tertiary interaction network stabilizing the native all-β MSP fold to release previously-locked amphiphilic segments, the P56S mutation acts to convert the classic MSP fold into a membrane-active protein that is fundamentally indistinguishable from mellitin and α-synuclein which are disordered in aqueous solution but spontaneously partition into membrane interfaces driven by hydrogen-bond energetics gained from forming α-helix in the membrane environments. As segments with high amphiphilicity exist in all proteins, our study successfully resolves the paradox by deciphering that the proteins with a higher tendency to aggregate have a stronger potential to partition into membranes through the same mechanism as α-synuclein to initially attack membranes to trigger pathogenesis without needing aggregates. This might represent the common first step for various kinds of aggregated proteins to trigger familiar, sporadic and aging diseases. Therefore the homeostasis of aggregated proteins in vivo is the central factor responsible for a variety of human diseases including aging

  8. Aggregate Size and Architecture Determine Microbial Activity Balance for One-Stage Partial Nitritation and Anammox

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Vlaeminck, S.E.; Terada, Akihiko; Smets, Barth F.

    2010-01-01

    by the anoxic nitrite consumption rate. The smallest reactor A, B, and C aggregates were nitrite sources (NARR, > 1.7). Large reactor A and C aggregates were granules capable of autonomous nitrogen removal (NARR, 0.6 to 1.1) with internal AnAOB zones surrounded by an AerAOB rim. Around 50% of the autotrophic......AOB-rich aggregates (reactors B and C). The hypothesized granulation pathways include granule replication by division and budding and are driven by growth and/or decay based on species-specific physiology and by hydrodynamic shear and mixing....

  9. Contrasting self-aggregation over land and ocean surfaces

    Science.gov (United States)

    Inda Diaz, H. A.; O'Brien, T. A.

    2017-12-01

    The spontaneous organization of convection into clusters, or self-aggregation, demonstrably changes the nature and statistics of precipitation. While there has been much recent progress in this area, the processes that control self-aggregation are still poorly understood. Most of the work to date has focused on self-aggregation over ocean-like surfaces, but it is particularly pressing to understand what controls convective aggregation over land, since the associated change in precipitation statistics—between non-aggregated and aggregated convection—could have huge impacts on society and infrastructure. Radiative-convective equilibrium (RCE), has been extensively used as an idealized framework to study the tropical atmosphere. Self-aggregation manifests in numerous numerical models of RCE, nevertheless, there is still a lack of understanding in how it relates to convective organization in the observed world. Numerous studies have examined self-aggregation using idealized Cloud Resolving Models (CRMs) and General Circulation Models over the ocean, however very little work has been done on RCE and self-aggregation over land. Idealized models of RCE over ocean have shown that aggregation is sensitive to sea surface temperature (SST), more intense precipitation occurs in aggregated systems, and a variety of feedbacks—such as surface flux, cloud radiative, and upgradient moisture transport— contribute to the maintenance of aggregation, however it is not clear if these results apply over land. Progress in this area could help relate understanding of self-aggregation in idealized simulations to observations. In order to explore the behavior of self-aggregation over land, we use a CRM to simulate idealized RCE over land. In particular, we examine the aggregation of convection and how it compares with aggregation over ocean. Based on previous studies, where a variety of different CRMs exhibit a SST threshold below which self-aggregation does not occur, we hypothesize

  10. Sustainable normal and high strength recycled aggregate concretes using crushed tested cylinders as coarse aggregates

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bilal S. Hamad

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available The paper reports on a research program that was designed at the American University of Beirut (AUB to investigate the fresh and hardened mechanical properties of a high performance concrete mix produced with partial or full substitution of crushed natural lime-stone aggregates with recycled aggregates from crushed tested cylinders in batching plants. Choosing crushed cylinders as source of recycling would result in reusing portion of the waste products of the concrete production industry. An extensive concrete batching and testing program was conducted to achieve two optimum normal and high strength concrete mixes. The variables were the nominal concrete strength (28 or 60 MPa and the percentage replacement of natural coarse aggregates with recycled aggregates from crushed tested cylinders (0, 20, 40, 60, 80, or 100%. Normal strength tested cylinders were used as source of the recycled aggregates for the normal strength concrete (NSC mix and high strength tested cylinders were used for the high strength concrete (HSC mix. Tests on the trial batches included plastic state slump and hardened state mechanical properties including cylinder compressive strength, cylinder splitting tensile strength, modulus of elasticity, and standard beams flexural strength. The results indicated no significant effect on the slump and around 10% average reduction in the hardened mechanical properties for both investigated levels of concrete compressive strength.

  11. Time-resolved fluorescence quenching studies of sodium lauryl ether sulfate micelles

    OpenAIRE

    Friedrich, Leidi C.; Silva, Volnir O.; Moreira Jr, Paulo F.; Tcacenco, Celize M.; Quina, Frank H.

    2013-01-01

    Aggregation numbers (N Ag) of micelles of the commercial anionic detergent sodium lauryl ether sulfate (SLES), with an average of two ethylene oxide subunits, were determined at 30 and 40º C by the time-resolved fluorescence quenching method with pyrene as the fluorescent probe and the N-hexadecylpyridinium ion as the quencher. The added-salt dependent growth of SLES micelles (γ = 0.11-0.15, where γ is the slope of a plot of log aggregation number vs. log [Yaq] and [Yaq] is the sodium counter...

  12. Influence of silica fume on mechanical and physical properties of recycled aggregate concrete

    OpenAIRE

    Çakır, Özgür; Sofyanlı, Ömer Özkan

    2015-01-01

    Several studies related to sustainable concrete construction have encouraged development of composite binders, involving Portland cement, industrial by-products, and concrete mixes with partial replacement of natural aggregate with recycled aggregate. In this paper, the effects of incorporating silica fume (SF) in the concrete mix design to improve the quality of recycled aggregates in concrete are presented. Portland cement was replaced with SF at 0%, 5% and 10%. Specimens were manufactured ...

  13. Novel magnetic cross-linked lipase aggregates for improving the resolution of (R, S)-2-octanol.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Ying; Guo, Chen; Liu, Chun-Zhao

    2015-03-01

    Novel magnetic cross-linked lipase aggregates were fabricated by immobilizing the cross-linked lipase aggregates onto magnetic particles with a high number of -NH2 terminal groups using p-benzoquinone as the cross-linking agent. At the optimal fabrication conditions, 100% of immobilization efficiency and 139% of activity recovery of the magnetic cross-linked lipase aggregates were achieved. The magnetic cross-linked lipase aggregates were able to efficiently resolve (R, S)-2-octanol, and retained 100% activity and 100% enantioselectivity after 10 cycles of reuse, whereas the cross-linked lipase aggregates only retained about 50% activity and 70% enantioselectivity due to insufficient cross-linking. These results provide a great potential for industrial applications of the magnetic cross-linked lipase aggregates. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  14. Boundary-layer diabatic processes, the virtual effect, and convective self-aggregation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, D.

    2017-12-01

    The atmosphere can self-organize into long-lasting large-scale overturning circulations over an ocean surface with uniform temperature. This phenomenon is referred to as convective self-aggregation and has been argued to be important for tropical weather and climate systems. Here we use a 1D shallow water model and a 2D cloud-resolving model (CRM) to show that boundary-layer diabatic processes are essential for convective self-aggregation. We will show that boundary-layer radiative cooling, convective heating, and surface buoyancy flux help convection self-aggregate because they generate available potential energy (APE), which sustains the overturning circulation. We will also show that evaporative cooling in the boundary layer (cold pool) inhibits convective self-aggregation by reducing APE. Both the shallow water model and CRM results suggest that the enhanced virtual effect of water vapor can lead to convective self-aggregation, and this effect is mainly in the boundary layer. This study proposes new dynamical feedbacks for convective self-aggregation and complements current studies that focus on thermodynamic feedbacks.

  15. Recycled aggregates in concrete production: engineering properties and environmental impact

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Seddik Meddah Mohammed

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Recycled concrete aggregate is considered as the most abundant and used secondary aggregate in concrete production, other types of solid waste are also being used in concrete for specific purposes and to achieve some desired properties. Recycled aggregates and particularly, recycled concrete aggregate substantially affect the properties and mix design of concrete both at fresh and hardened states since it is known by high porosity due to the adhered layer of old mortar on the aggregate which results in a high water absorption of the recycled secondary aggregate. This leads to lower density and strength, and other durability related properties. The use of most recycled aggregate in concrete structures is still limited to low strength and non-structural applications due to important drop in strength and durability performances generated. Embedding recycled aggregates in concrete is now a current practice in many countries to enhance sustainability of concrete industry and reduce its environmental impacts. The present paper discusses the various possible recycled aggregates used in concrete production, their effect on both fresh and hardened properties as well as durability performances. The economic and environmental impacts of partially or fully substituting natural aggregates by secondary recycled aggregates are also discussed.

  16. Local atomic structure of Fe/Cr multilayers: Depth-resolved method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Babanov, Yu. A.; Ponomarev, D. A.; Devyaterikov, D. I.; Salamatov, Yu. A.; Romashev, L. N.; Ustinov, V. V.; Vasin, V. V.; Ageev, A. L.

    2017-10-01

    A depth-resolved method for the investigation of the local atomic structure by combining data of X-ray reflectivity and angle-resolved EXAFS is proposed. The solution of the problem can be divided into three stages: 1) determination of the element concentration profile with the depth z from X-ray reflectivity data, 2) determination of the X-ray fluorescence emission spectrum of the element i absorption coefficient μia (z,E) as a function of depth and photon energy E using the angle-resolved EXAFS data Iif (E , ϑl) , 3) determination of partial correlation functions gij (z , r) as a function of depth from μi (z , E) . All stages of the proposed method are demonstrated on a model example of a multilayer nanoheterostructure Cr/Fe/Cr/Al2O3. Three partial pair correlation functions are obtained. A modified Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm and a regularization method are applied.

  17. A Method Based on Intuitionistic Fuzzy Dependent Aggregation Operators for Supplier Selection

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fen Wang

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Recently, resolving the decision making problem of evaluation and ranking the potential suppliers have become as a key strategic factor for business firms. In this paper, two new intuitionistic fuzzy aggregation operators are developed: dependent intuitionistic fuzzy ordered weighed averaging (DIFOWA operator and dependent intuitionistic fuzzy hybrid weighed aggregation (DIFHWA operator. Some of their main properties are studied. A method based on the DIFHWA operator for intuitionistic fuzzy multiple attribute decision making is presented. Finally, an illustrative example concerning supplier selection is given.

  18. Non-contact measurement of partial gas pressure and distribution of elemental composition using energy-resolved neutron imaging

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. S. Tremsin

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Neutron resonance absorption imaging is a non-destructive technique that can characterize the elemental composition of a sample by measuring nuclear resonances in the spectrum of a transmitted beam. Recent developments in pixelated time-of-flight imaging detectors coupled with pulsed neutron sources pose new opportunities for energy-resolved imaging. In this paper we demonstrate non-contact measurements of the partial pressure of xenon and krypton gases encapsulated in a steel pipe while simultaneously passing the neutron beam through high-Z materials. The configuration was chosen as a proof of principle demonstration of the potential to make non-destructive measurement of gas composition in nuclear fuel rods. The pressure measured from neutron transmission spectra (∼739 ± 98 kPa and ∼751 ± 154 kPa for two Xe resonances is in relatively good agreement with the pressure value of ∼758 ± 21 kPa measured by a pressure gauge. This type of imaging has been performed previously for solids with a spatial resolution of ∼ 100 μm. In the present study it is demonstrated that the high penetration capability of epithermal neutrons enables quantitative mapping of gases encapsulate within high-Z materials such as steel, tungsten, urania and others. This technique may be beneficial for the non-destructive testing of bulk composition of objects (such as spent nuclear fuel assemblies and others containing various elements opaque to other more conventional imaging techniques. The ability to image the gaseous substances concealed within solid materials also allows non-destructive leak testing of various containers and ultimately measurement of gas partial pressures with sub-mm spatial resolution.

  19. Aggregation of bovine serum albumin upon cleavage of its disulfide bonds, studied by the time-resolved small-angle X-ray scattering technique with synchrotron radiation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ueki, Tatzuo; Inoko, Yoji; Hiragi, Yuzuru; Kataoka, Mikio; Amemiya, Yoshiyuki; Izumi, Yoshinobu; Tagawa, Hiroyuki; Muroga, Yoshio

    1985-11-01

    A rapid mixing system of the stopped-flow type, used with small-angle X-ray scattering equipment using synchrotron radiation, is described. The process of aggregation of bovine serum albumin was traced with a time interval of 50s, initiated upon cleavage of its disulfide bonds by reduction with dithiothreitol. The results indicate that a 218-fold molar excess of dithiothreitol over the number of moles of disulfide bonds in bovine serum albumin is sufficient to initiate the reaction immediately after mixing, which reaches equilibrium in about 15 min. On the other hand, half this amount is not sufficient to initiate the reaction, so that the reaction is delayed by about 150s. Such a single-shot time-resolved experiment showed that experiments with a time interval of 100 ms are possible with repeated multi-shot runs. 26 refs.; 8 figs.

  20. Aggregation of bovine serum albumin upon cleavage of its disulfide bonds, studied by the time-resolved small-angle X-ray scattering technique with synchrotron radiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ueki, Tatzuo; Inoko, Yoji; Izumi, Yoshinobu; Tagawa, Hiroyuki; Muroga, Yoshio

    1985-01-01

    A rapid mixing system of the stopped-flow type, used with small-angle X-ray scattering equipment using synchrotron radiation, is described. The process of aggregation of bovine serum albumin was traced with a time interval of 50 s, initiated upon cleavage of its disulfide bonds by reduction with dithiothreitol. The results indicate that a 218-fold molar excess of dithiothreitol over the number of moles of disulfide bonds in bovine serum albumin is sufficient to initiate the reaction immediately after mixing, which reaches equilibrium in about 15 min. On the other hand, half this amount is not sufficient to initiate the reaction, so that the reaction is delayed by about 150 s. Such a single-shot time-resolved experiment showed that experiments with a time interval of 100 ms are possible with repeated multi-shot runs. (Auth.)

  1. Absolute configuration and enantiomeric composition of partially resolved mandelic, atrolactic and lactic acids by {sup 1}H NMR of their (S)-2-methylbutyl esters

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Andrade, Francisco A. da C.; Mendes, Maricleide P. de L.; Fonseca, Neuracy C. da, E-mail: fandrade@ufba.br [Universidade Federal da Bahia (UFBA), Salvador, BA (Brazil). Instituto de Quimica. Departamento de Quimica Organica

    2013-06-15

    The mandelic, atrolactic and lactic acid esters of the (S)-2-methyl-1-butanol were examined as diastereomeric derivatives for the stereochemical analysis of the mentioned acids by {sup 1}H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) at 300 MHz. The diastereomeric esters showed distinctive signals in the methylenic absorption range (O-CH{sub 2}-CH) of the alcoholic moieties. By spectral analysis at this region, absolute configurations were attributed, chemical shifts of the correspondent pro-(R) and pro-(S) hydrogens from the methylene group of the alcohol moiety were assigned and enantiomeric compositions were determined for the original partially resolved acids. (author)

  2. Co-existence of free and self-trapped excitons in J-aggregates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Malyukin, Yu.V.; Lebedenko, A.N.; Sorokin, A.V.; Yefimova, S.L.

    2005-01-01

    Nature of excited electronic states of amphi-PIC J-aggregates, which are the source of the self-trapping states, have been investigated using low-temperature site-selective, time-resolved spectroscopy techniques. The self-trapping states are shown to evolve from the delocalized exciton states within the J-band. The strongly localized electronic states located on the low-frequency edge of the J-band, are not able to form polaronic states and, hence, the polaronic relaxation process is particularly collective one. The exciton self-trapping is more effective in J-aggregates with strong disorder, requires overcoming a self-trapping barrier

  3. Utilization of Construction Waste Tiles as a Replacement for Fine Aggregates in Concrete

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. A. Adekunle

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Ceramic wastes are found to be suitable for usage as substitution for fine and coarse aggregates in concrete production. This study is an investigation into the utilization of waste tiles as partial replacement for fine and coarse aggregates in concrete. The control mix and other mixes containing cement, water, granite and partial replacement for sand with crushed tiles (in 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% proportions were cast, cubed, cured and crushed. Also, another mix containing cement, water, sand and partial replacement of granite with crushed tiles (in 25%, 50% and 75% proportions were cast, cubed, cured and crushed. The specimens were tested for their respective compressive strengths using the Universal Testing Machine (UTM on the 7th, 14th, 21st and 28th days of curing. At 28 days, the compressive strength value of 5% of fine-waste tiles replacement was 20.12 N/mm2 while that of 10%, 15% and 20% were 14.24 N/mm2, 11.04 N/mm2 and 10.12 N/mm2 respectively. Moreover, at 28 days, the compressive strength of 25% of coarse-waste tiles replacement shows an increase to 22.45 N/mm2 while that of 50% and 75% were 18.4 N/mm2 and 12.2 N/mm2 respectively. Thus it can be concluded that fine aggregates can be substituted at 5% waste tiles while coarse aggregates can be substituted at 25% waste tiles.>/p>

  4. Natural aggregate totally replacement by mechanically treated concrete waste

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Junak Jozef

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents the results obtained from the research focused on the utilization of crushed concrete waste aggregates as a partial or full replacement of 4/8 and 8/16 mm natural aggregates fraction in concrete strength class C 16/20. Main concrete characteristics such as workability, density and compressive strength were studied. Compressive strength testing intervals for samples with recycled concrete aggregates were 2, 7, 14 and 28 days. The amount of water in the mixtures was indicative. For mixture resulting consistency required slump grade S3 was followed. Average density of all samples is in the range of 2250 kg/m3 to 2350 kg/m3. The highest compressive strength after 28 days of curing, 34.68 MPa, reached sample, which contained 100% of recycled material in 4/8 mm fraction and 60% of recycled aggregates in 8/16 mm fraction. This achieved value was only slightly different from the compressive strength 34.41 MPa of the reference sample.

  5. Impact of smart metering data aggregation on distribution system state estimation

    OpenAIRE

    Chen, Qipeng; Kaleshi, Dritan; Fan, Zhong; Armour, Simon

    2016-01-01

    Pseudo medium/low voltage (MV/LV) transformer loads are usually used as partial inputs to the distribution system state estimation (DSSE) in MV systems. Such pseudo load can be represented by the aggregation of smart metering (SM) data. This follows the government restriction that distribution network operators (DNOs) can only use aggregated SM data. Therefore, we assess the subsequent performance of the DSSE, which shows the impact of this restriction - it affects the voltage angle estimatio...

  6. Influence of hydrostatic pressure on dynamics and spatial distribution of protein partial molar volume: time-resolved surficial Kirkwood-Buff approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Isseki; Tasaki, Tomohiro; Nakada, Kyoko; Nagaoka, Masataka

    2010-09-30

    The influence of hydrostatic pressure on the partial molar volume (PMV) of the protein apomyoglobin (AMb) was investigated by all-atom molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Using the time-resolved Kirkwood-Buff (KB) approach, the dynamic behavior of the PMV was identified. The simulated time average value of the PMV and its reduction by 3000 bar pressurization correlated with experimental data. In addition, with the aid of the surficial KB integral method, we obtained the spatial distributions of the components of PMV to elucidate the detailed mechanism of the PMV reduction. New R-dependent PMV profiles identified the regions that increase or decrease the PMV under the high pressure condition. The results indicate that besides the hydration in the vicinity of the protein surface, the outer space of the first hydration layer also significantly influences the total PMV change. These results provide a direct and detailed picture of pressure induced PMV reduction.

  7. Utilisation of iron ore tailings as aggregates in concrete

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Francis Atta Kuranchie

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Sustainable handling of iron ore tailings is of prime concern to all stakeholders who are into iron ore mining. This study seeks to add value to the tailings by utilising them as a replacement for aggregates in concrete. A concrete mix of grade 40 MPa was prepared in the laboratory with water–cement ratio of 0.5. The concrete were cured for 1, 2, 3, 7, 14 and 28 days. The properties of the concrete such as workability, durability, density, compressive strength and indirect tensile strength were tested. A controlled mix of concrete was also prepared in similar way using conventional materials and the results were compared with the tailings concrete. It was found that the iron ore tailings may be utilised for complete replacement for conventional aggregates in concrete. The iron ore tailings aggregates concrete exhibited a good mechanical strength and even in the case of compressive strength, there was an improvement of 11.56% over conventional aggregates concrete. The indirect tensile strength did not improve against the control mix due high content of fines in the tailings aggregates but showed 4.8% improvement compared with the previous study where the conventional fine aggregates was partially replaced by 20% with iron ore tailings.

  8. Computational study of aggregation mechanism in human lysozyme[D67H].

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dharmeshkumar Patel

    Full Text Available Aggregation of proteins is an undesired phenomena that affects both human health and bioengineered products such as therapeutic proteins. Finding preventative measures could be facilitated by a molecular-level understanding of dimer formation, which is the first step in aggregation. Here we present a molecular dynamics (MD study of dimer formation propensity in human lysozyme and its D67H variant. Because the latter protein aggregates while the former does not, they offer an ideal system for testing the feasibility of the proposed MD approach which comprises three stages: i partially unfolded conformers involved in dimer formation are generated via high-temperature MD simulations, ii potential dimer structures are searched using docking and refined with MD, iii free energy calculations are performed to find the most stable dimer structure. Our results provide a detailed explanation for how a single mutation (D67H turns human lysozyme from non-aggregating to an aggregating protein. Conversely, the proposed method can be used to identify the residues causing aggregation in a protein, which can be mutated to prevent it.

  9. Mass transfer processes in crystalline aggregates containing a fluid phase

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Visser, H.J.M.

    1999-01-01

    Understanding mass transfer processes in porous crystalline aggregates containing a fluid phase is of major importance for modelling partially molten regions of the Earth's mantle, such as those under mid-ocean spreading ridges. Despite the fact that mid-ocean ridges can be considered the

  10. Mass transfer processes in crystalline aggregates containing a fluid phase

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Visser, H.J.M.

    1999-01-01

    Understanding mass transfer processes in porous crystalline aggregates containing a fluid phase is of major importance for modelling partially molten regions of the Earth's mantle, such as those under mid-ocean spreading ridges. Despite the fact that mid-ocean ridges can be considered the simplest

  11. Excitation relaxation and structure of TPPS4 J-aggregates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kelbauskas, L.; Bagdonas, S.; Dietel, W.; Rotomskis, R.

    2003-01-01

    The energy relaxation kinetics and the structure of the J-aggregates of water-soluble porphyrin 5,10,15,20-tetrasulphonatophenyl porphine (TPPS 4 ) were investigated in aqueous medium by means of time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy and confocal laser-scanning fluorescence microscopy. The excitation of the J-aggregates, at excitation intensities higher than ∼10 15 photons/cm 2 per pulse, results in a remarkable decrease of the fluorescence quantum yield and in the appearance of an additional, non-exponential energy relaxation channel with a decay constant that depends on the excitation intensity. This relaxation mechanism was attributed to the exciton single-singlet annihilation. The exciton lifetime in the absence of the annihilation was calculated to be ∼150 ps. Using exciton annihilation theory, the exciton migration within the J-aggregates could be characterized by determining the exciton diffusion constant (1.8±0.9) 10 -3 cm 2 /s and the hopping time (1.2±0.6) ps. Using the experimental data, the size of the J-aggregate could be evaluated and was seen to yield at least 20 TPPS 4 molecules per aggregate. It was shown by means of confocal fluorescence laser scanning microscopy that TPPS 4 does self-associate in polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) at acidic pH forming molecular macro-assemblies on a scale of ∼1 μm in PVA matrices

  12. Shaping the growth behaviour of biofilms initiated from bacterial aggregates

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Melaugh, Gavin; Hutchison, Jaime; Kragh, Kasper Nørskov

    2016-01-01

    Bacterial biofilms are usually assumed to originate from individual cells deposited on a surface. However, many biofilm-forming bacteria tend to aggregate in the planktonic phase so that it is possible that many natural and infectious biofilms originate wholly or partially from pre-formed cell ag...

  13. Application of Glass Fiber Waste Polypropylene Aggregate in Lightweight Concrete – thermal properties

    Science.gov (United States)

    Citek, D.; Rehacek, S.; Pavlik, Z.; Kolisko, J.; Dobias, D.; Pavlikova, M.

    2018-03-01

    Actual paper focus on thermal properties of a sustainable lightweight concrete incorporating high volume of waste polypropylene aggregate as partial substitution of natural aggregate. In presented experiments a glass fiber reinforced polypropylene (GFPP) which is a by-product of PP tubes production, partially substituted fine natural silica aggregate in 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 mass %. Results were compared with a reference concrete mix without plastic waste in order to quantify the effect of GFPP use on concrete properties. Main material physical parameters were studied (bulk density, matrix density without air content, and particle size distribution). Especially a thermal transport and storage properties of GFPP were examined in dependence on compaction time. For the developed lightweight concrete, thermal properties were accessed using transient impulse technique, where the measurement was done in dependence on moisture content (from the fully water saturated state to dry state). It was found that the tested lightweight concrete should be prospective construction material possessing improved thermal insulation function and the reuse of waste plastics in concrete composition was beneficial both from the environmental and financial point of view.

  14. Wetting of nonconserved residue-backbones: A feature indicative of aggregation associated regions of proteins.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pradhan, Mohan R; Pal, Arumay; Hu, Zhongqiao; Kannan, Srinivasaraghavan; Chee Keong, Kwoh; Lane, David P; Verma, Chandra S

    2016-02-01

    Aggregation is an irreversible form of protein complexation and often toxic to cells. The process entails partial or major unfolding that is largely driven by hydration. We model the role of hydration in aggregation using "Dehydrons." "Dehydrons" are unsatisfied backbone hydrogen bonds in proteins that seek shielding from water molecules by associating with ligands or proteins. We find that the residues at aggregation interfaces have hydrated backbones, and in contrast to other forms of protein-protein interactions, are under less evolutionary pressure to be conserved. Combining evolutionary conservation of residues and extent of backbone hydration allows us to distinguish regions on proteins associated with aggregation (non-conserved dehydron-residues) from other interaction interfaces (conserved dehydron-residues). This novel feature can complement the existing strategies used to investigate protein aggregation/complexation. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  15. Intra-aggregate CO2 enrichment: a modelling approach for aerobic soils

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schlotter, D.; Schack-Kirchner, H.

    2013-02-01

    CO2 concentration gradients inside soil aggregates, caused by the respiration of soil microorganisms and fungal hyphae, might lead to variations in the soil solution chemistry on a mm-scale, and to an underestimation of the CO2 storage. But, up to now, there seems to be no feasible method for measuring CO2 inside natural aggregates with sufficient spatial resolution. We combined a one-dimensional model for gas diffusion in the inter-aggregate pore space with a cylinder diffusion model, simulating the consumption/production and diffusion of O2 and CO2 inside soil aggregates with air- and water-filled pores. Our model predicts that for aerobic respiration (respiratory quotient = 1) the intra-aggregate increase in the CO2 partial pressure can never be higher than 0.9 kPa for siliceous, and 0.1 kPa for calcaric aggregates, independent of the level of water-saturation. This suggests that only for siliceous aggregates CO2 produced by aerobic respiration might cause a high small-scale spatial variability in the soil solution chemistry. In calcaric aggregates, however, the contribution of carbonate species to the CO2 transport should lead to secondary carbonates on the aggregate surfaces. As regards the total CO2 storage in aerobic soils, both siliceous and calcaric, the effect of intra-aggregate CO2 gradients seems to be negligible. To assess the effect of anaerobic respiration on the intra-aggregate CO2 gradients, the development of a device for measuring CO2 on a mm-scale in soils is indispensable.

  16. Energy transfer between the Eu2+ dipole and aggregate centers in CsBr:Eu crystals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zorenko, Yu.; Turchak, R.; Voznjak, T.

    2007-01-01

    The energy transfer between the Eu 2+ -V Cs dipole centers and presumable CsEuBr 3 aggregate centers has been studied in CsBr:Eu crystals by means of investigation of their time-resolved emission spectra and luminescence decay kinetics at 300 K

  17. Effect of porosity on physical properties of lightweight cement composite with foamed glass aggregate

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kurpińska Marzena

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper reports on a study of physical properties of lightweight cement composite. We investigate the possibility of replacing traditional aggregate with Granulated Ash Aggregate (GAA and above all with Granulated Expanded Glass Aggregate (GEGA. For this purpose, 15 specimens of different percentage share of each aggregate in total aggregate volume were tested: 0%, 25%, 50%, 75% or 100% of foam glass aggregate (GEGA partially replaced by ash aggregate (GAA content in the cement composite. The water-cement ratio was constant and equal to w/c=0.5. Three grain sizes were analyzed: 2mm, 4mm (both GEGA and 8mm (GAA. Numerical simulations of concrete specimen behavior under static loading were conducted with the implementation of elastic plastic model of each component. The study shows a significant impact of grain type and size on physical properties of lightweight concrete. Due to lower density of foamed glass aggregate, specimens shows various apparent density and porosity, which affect concrete properties. Compressive strength of concrete decreases with the increase in foam glass aggregate content; however specimens show different workability and in consequence porosity of lightweight concrete.

  18. Properties of cold-bonded lightweight artificial aggregate containing bottom ash with different curing regime

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mohamad Ibrahim, Norlia; Nizar Ismail, Khairul; Che Amat, Roshazita; Mohamad Ghazali, Mohamad Iqbal

    2018-03-01

    Cold-bonded pelletizing technique is frequently used in aggregate manufacturing process as it can minimise the energy consumption. It has contributed to both economical and environmental advantages because it helps to reduce the gas emissions problems. Bottom ash collected from municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) plant was selected as raw material in this study and was utilised as a partial replacement for cement for artificial aggregate production. Several percentage of ash replacement was selected ranged from 10 to 50%. Aggregate pellets were subjected to different types of curing condition which is room-water (RW), room-room (RR), oven-room (OR) and oven-water (OW) condition. Properties of aggregate pellets were examined to obtain its density, water absorption, aggregate impact value (AIV) and specific gravity (SG). The results indicated that the most efficient curing regime is by exposing the aggregate in RW condition. The optimum aggregate was selected at 20% where it has satisfied the required density of 739.5kg/m3, and classified as strong aggregate with AIV 14. However, the water absorption of aggregate increased proportionately with the increment of ash content.

  19. The molecular aggregation of pyronin Y in natural bentonite clay suspension

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Meral, Kadem; Yilmaz, Nuray; Kaya, Mehmet; Tabak, Ahmet; Onganer, Yavuz

    2011-01-01

    The molecular aggregation and spectroscopic properties of Pyronin Y (PyY) in the suspension containing natural bentonite clay were studied using molecular absorption, steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy techniques. Interaction between the clay particles and the cationic dye compounds in aqueous solution resulted in significant changes in spectral properties of PyY compared to its molecular behavior in deionized water at the same concentration. These changes were due to the formation of dimer and aggregate of PyY in the clay suspension as well as the presence of the dye monomer. The H-type aggregates of PyY in the clay suspension were identified by the observation of a blue-shifted absorption band of the dye compared to that of its monomer. In spite of diluted dye concentrations, the H-aggregate of PyY in the clay suspension was formed. The intensive aggregation in the clay suspension attributed to the localized high dye concentration on the negatively charged clay surfaces. Adsorption sites of PyY on the clay particles were discussed by deconvulated absorption and excitation spectra. Fluorescence spectroscopy studies revealed that the fluorescence intensity of PyY in the clay suspension is decreased by H-aggregates drastically. Moreover, the presence of H-aggregates in the clay suspension resulted in the decrease of fluorescence lifetime and quantum yield of PyY compared to those in deionized water. - Highlights: → Molecular behavior of PyY adsorbed on clay surface was followed spectroscopically. → H-aggregates of PyY in the clay suspension were formed at very low dye concentrations. → The intensive H-aggregate structure drastically reduced the fluorescence intensity of PyY. → The fluorescence lifetime and quantum yield of PyY in the clay suspension was discussed.

  20. Specification aggregate quarry expansion: a case study demonstrating sustainable management of natural aggregate resources

    Science.gov (United States)

    Langer, William H.; Tucker, M.L.

    2003-01-01

    Many countries, provinces, territories, or states in the European Union, Australia, Canada, the United States, and elsewhere have begun implementing sustainability programs, but most of those programs stop short of sustainable management of aggregate resources. Sustainable practices do not always have to be conducted under the title of sustainability. This case study describes how Lafarge, a large multinational construction materials supplier, implemented the principles of sustainability even though there was an absence of existing local government policies or procedures addressing sustainable resource management. Jefferson County, Colorado, USA, is one of three counties in the six-county Denver, Colorado, region that has potentially available sources of crushed stone. Crushed stone comprises 30 percent of the aggregate produced in the area and plays a major role in regional aggregate resource needs. Jefferson County is home to four of the five crushed stone operations in the Denver region. Lafarge operates one of those four quarries. Lafarge recently proposed to expand its reserves by exchanging company-owned land for existing dedicated open space land adjacent to their quarry but owned by Jefferson County. A similar proposal submitted about 10 years earlier had been denied. Contrary to the earlier proposal, which was predicated on public relations, the new proposal was predicated on public trust. Although not explicitly managed under the moniker of sustainability, Lafarge used basic management principles that embody the tenets of sustainability. To achieve the goals of sustainable aggregate management where no governmental policies existed, Lafarge not only assumed their role of being a responsible corporate and environmental member of the community, but also assumed the role of facilitator to encourage and enable other stakeholders to responsibly resolve legitimate concerns regarding the Lafarge quarry proposal. Lafarge successfully presented an enlightened

  1. A Nonlinear Dynamic Subscale Model for Partially Resolved Numerical Simulation (PRNS)/Very Large Eddy Simulation (VLES) of Internal Non-Reacting Flows

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shih, Tsan-Hsing; Liu, nan-Suey

    2010-01-01

    A brief introduction of the temporal filter based partially resolved numerical simulation/very large eddy simulation approach (PRNS/VLES) and its distinct features are presented. A nonlinear dynamic subscale model and its advantages over the linear subscale eddy viscosity model are described. In addition, a guideline for conducting a PRNS/VLES simulation is provided. Results are presented for three turbulent internal flows. The first one is the turbulent pipe flow at low and high Reynolds numbers to illustrate the basic features of PRNS/VLES; the second one is the swirling turbulent flow in a LM6000 single injector to further demonstrate the differences in the calculated flow fields resulting from the nonlinear model versus the pure eddy viscosity model; the third one is a more complex turbulent flow generated in a single-element lean direct injection (LDI) combustor, the calculated result has demonstrated that the current PRNS/VLES approach is capable of capturing the dynamically important, unsteady turbulent structures while using a relatively coarse grid.

  2. Electrical conductivity of partially-molten olivine aggregate and melt interconnectivity in the oceanic upper mantle

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laumonier, Mickael; Frost, Dan; Farla, Robert; Katsura, Tomoo; Marquardt, Katharina

    2016-04-01

    A consistent explanation for mantle geophysical anomalies such as the Lithosphere-Astenosphere Boundary (LAB) relies on the existence of little amount of melt trapped in the solid peridotite. Mathematical models have been used to assess the melt fraction possibly lying at mantle depths, but they have not been experimentally checked at low melt fraction (Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Spain) containing various amount of basaltic (MORB-like composition) melt (0 to 100%) at upper mantle conditions. We used the MAVO 6-ram press (BGI) combined with a Solartron gain phase analyser to acquire the electrical resistance of the sample at pressure of 1.5 GPa and temperature up to 1400°C. The results show the increase of the electrical conductivity with the temperature following an Arrhenius law, and with the melt fraction, but the effect of pressure between 1.5 and 3.0 GPa was found negligible at a melt fraction of 0.5 vol.%. The conductivity of a partially molten aggregate fits the modified Archie's law from 0.5 to 100 vol.%. At melt fractions of 0.25, 0.15 and 0.0 vol.%, the EC value deviates from the trend previously defined, suggesting that the melt is no longer fully interconnected through the sample, also supported by chemical mapping. Our results extend the previous results obtained on mixed system between 1 and 10% of melt. Since the melt appears fully interconnected down to very low melt fraction (0.5 vol.%), we conclude that (i) only 0.5 to 1 vol.% of melt is enough to explain the LAB EC anomaly, lower than previously determined; and (ii) deformation is not mandatory to enhance electrical conductivity of melt-bearing mantle rocks.

  3. Graph Theory and Ion and Molecular Aggregation in Aqueous Solutions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Choi, Jun-Ho; Lee, Hochan; Choi, Hyung Ran; Cho, Minhaeng

    2018-04-01

    In molecular and cellular biology, dissolved ions and molecules have decisive effects on chemical and biological reactions, conformational stabilities, and functions of small to large biomolecules. Despite major efforts, the current state of understanding of the effects of specific ions, osmolytes, and bioprotecting sugars on the structure and dynamics of water H-bonding networks and proteins is not yet satisfactory. Recently, to gain deeper insight into this subject, we studied various aggregation processes of ions and molecules in high-concentration salt, osmolyte, and sugar solutions with time-resolved vibrational spectroscopy and molecular dynamics simulation methods. It turns out that ions (or solute molecules) have a strong propensity to self-assemble into large and polydisperse aggregates that affect both local and long-range water H-bonding structures. In particular, we have shown that graph-theoretical approaches can be used to elucidate morphological characteristics of large aggregates in various aqueous salt, osmolyte, and sugar solutions. When ion and molecular aggregates in such aqueous solutions are treated as graphs, a variety of graph-theoretical properties, such as graph spectrum, degree distribution, clustering coefficient, minimum path length, and graph entropy, can be directly calculated by considering an ensemble of configurations taken from molecular dynamics trajectories. Here we show percolating behavior exhibited by ion and molecular aggregates upon increase in solute concentration in high solute concentrations and discuss compelling evidence of the isomorphic relation between percolation transitions of ion and molecular aggregates and water H-bonding networks. We anticipate that the combination of graph theory and molecular dynamics simulation methods will be of exceptional use in achieving a deeper understanding of the fundamental physical chemistry of dissolution and in describing the interplay between the self-aggregation of solute

  4. Graph Theory and Ion and Molecular Aggregation in Aqueous Solutions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Choi, Jun-Ho; Lee, Hochan; Choi, Hyung Ran; Cho, Minhaeng

    2018-04-20

    In molecular and cellular biology, dissolved ions and molecules have decisive effects on chemical and biological reactions, conformational stabilities, and functions of small to large biomolecules. Despite major efforts, the current state of understanding of the effects of specific ions, osmolytes, and bioprotecting sugars on the structure and dynamics of water H-bonding networks and proteins is not yet satisfactory. Recently, to gain deeper insight into this subject, we studied various aggregation processes of ions and molecules in high-concentration salt, osmolyte, and sugar solutions with time-resolved vibrational spectroscopy and molecular dynamics simulation methods. It turns out that ions (or solute molecules) have a strong propensity to self-assemble into large and polydisperse aggregates that affect both local and long-range water H-bonding structures. In particular, we have shown that graph-theoretical approaches can be used to elucidate morphological characteristics of large aggregates in various aqueous salt, osmolyte, and sugar solutions. When ion and molecular aggregates in such aqueous solutions are treated as graphs, a variety of graph-theoretical properties, such as graph spectrum, degree distribution, clustering coefficient, minimum path length, and graph entropy, can be directly calculated by considering an ensemble of configurations taken from molecular dynamics trajectories. Here we show percolating behavior exhibited by ion and molecular aggregates upon increase in solute concentration in high solute concentrations and discuss compelling evidence of the isomorphic relation between percolation transitions of ion and molecular aggregates and water H-bonding networks. We anticipate that the combination of graph theory and molecular dynamics simulation methods will be of exceptional use in achieving a deeper understanding of the fundamental physical chemistry of dissolution and in describing the interplay between the self-aggregation of solute

  5. Computational design and biophysical characterization of aggregation-resistant point mutations for γD crystallin illustrate a balance of conformational stability and intrinsic aggregation propensity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sahin, Erinc; Jordan, Jacob L; Spatara, Michelle L; Naranjo, Andrea; Costanzo, Joseph A; Weiss, William F; Robinson, Anne Skaja; Fernandez, Erik J; Roberts, Christopher J

    2011-02-08

    γD crystallin is a natively monomeric eye-lens protein that is associated with hereditary juvenile cataract formation. It is an attractive model system as a multidomain Greek-key protein that aggregates through partially folded intermediates. Point mutations M69Q and S130P were used to test (1) whether the protein-design algorithm RosettaDesign would successfully predict mutants that are resistant to aggregation when combined with informatic sequence-based predictors of peptide aggregation propensity and (2) how the mutations affected relative unfolding free energies (ΔΔG(un)) and intrinsic aggregation propensity (IAP). M69Q was predicted to have ΔΔG(un) ≫ 0, without significantly affecting IAP. S130P was predicted to have ΔΔG(un) ∼ 0 but with reduced IAP. The stability, conformation, and aggregation kinetics in acidic solution were experimentally characterized and compared for the variants and wild-type (WT) protein using circular dichroism and intrinsic fluorescence spectroscopy, calorimetric and chemical unfolding, thioflavin-T binding, chromatography, static laser light scattering, and kinetic modeling. Monomer secondary and tertiary structures of both variants were indistinguishable from WT, while ΔΔG(un) > 0 for M69Q and ΔΔG(un) < 0 for S130P. Surprisingly, despite being the least conformationally stable, S130P was the most resistant to aggregation, indicating a significant decrease of its IAP compared to WT and M69Q.

  6. Archean Earth Atmosphere Fractal Haze Aggregates: Light Scattering Calculations and the Faint Young Sun Paradox

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boness, D. A.; Terrell-Martinez, B.

    2010-12-01

    As part of an ongoing undergraduate research project of light scattering calculations involving fractal carbonaceous soot aggregates relevant to current anthropogenic and natural sources in Earth's atmosphere, we have read with interest a recent paper [E.T. Wolf and O.B Toon,Science 328, 1266 (2010)] claiming that the Faint Young Sun paradox discussed four decades ago by Carl Sagan and others can be resolved without invoking heavy CO2 concentrations as a greenhouse gas warming the early Earth enough to sustain liquid water and hence allow the origin of life. Wolf and Toon report that a Titan-like Archean Earth haze, with a fractal haze aggregate nature due to nitrogen-methane photochemistry at high altitudes, should block enough UV light to protect the warming greenhouse gas NH3 while allowing enough visible light to reach the surface of the Earth. To test this hypothesis, we have employed a rigorous T-Matrix arbitrary-particle light scattering technique, to avoid the simplifications inherent in Mie-sphere scattering, on haze fractal aggregates at UV and visible wavelenths of incident light. We generate these model aggregates using diffusion-limited cluster aggregation (DLCA) algorithms, which much more closely fit actual haze fractal aggregates than do diffusion-limited aggregation (DLA) algorithms.

  7. Amplification of Chirality through Self-Replication of Micellar Aggregates in Water

    KAUST Repository

    Bukhriakov, Konstantin

    2015-03-17

    We describe a system in which the self-replication of micellar aggregates results in a spontaneous amplification of chirality in the reaction products. In this system, amphiphiles are synthesized from two "clickable" fragments: a water-soluble "head" and a hydrophobic "tail". Under biphasic conditions, the reaction is autocatalytic, as aggregates facilitate the transfer of hydrophobic molecules to the aqueous phase. When chiral, partially enantioenriched surfactant heads are used, a strong nonlinear induction of chirality in the reaction products is observed. Preseeding the reaction mixture with an amphiphile of one chirality results in the amplification of this product and therefore information transfer between generations of self-replicating aggregates. Because our amphiphiles are capable of catalysis, information transfer, and self-assembly into bounded structures, they present a plausible model for prenucleic acid "lipid world" entities. © 2015 American Chemical Society.

  8. Energy- and angled-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy of negative ions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pegg, D.J.; Thompson, J.S.; Compton, R.N.; Alton, G.D.

    1988-01-01

    Energy- and angle-resolved photoelectron detachment spectroscopy is currently being used to investigate the structure of negative ions and their interaction with radiation. Measurements of the electron affinity of the Ca atom and the partial cross sections for photodetachment of the metastable negative ion, He - (1s2s2p 4 P), are reported. 5 refs., 5 figs

  9. Effectiveness of partially soluble photosensitizer in photodynamic microbiological inactivation: a curcumin example

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pratavieira, Sebastião.; Matroodi, Fatima; Pinto-Júnior, Fabio Francisco; Rastelli, Alessandra Nara Souza; Bagnato, Vanderlei S.; Guimarães, Francisco E. G.

    2017-07-01

    We show that partial solubility of a photosensitizer is not necessarily a bad property when dealing with microbiological control. The presence of curcumin aggregates in solution may present advantages with respect the photoand chemical stability.

  10. Influence of silica fume on mechanical and physical properties of recycled aggregate concrete

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Özgür Çakır

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available Several studies related to sustainable concrete construction have encouraged development of composite binders, involving Portland cement, industrial by-products, and concrete mixes with partial replacement of natural aggregate with recycled aggregate. In this paper, the effects of incorporating silica fume (SF in the concrete mix design to improve the quality of recycled aggregates in concrete are presented. Portland cement was replaced with SF at 0%, 5% and 10%. Specimens were manufactured by replacing natural aggregates with recycled aggregates. Two size fractions (4/12 mm and 8/22 mm as recycled aggregates were used and four series of concrete mixtures were produced. In all concrete mixtures, a constant water/binder ratio at 0.50 was used and concrete mixtures with a target initial slump of S4 class (16–21 cm were prepared. Concrete properties were evaluated by means of compressive strength, tensile splitting strength, water absorption and ultrasonic pulse velocity and it was found that, using 10% SF as a cement replacement for recycled aggregate concretes enhanced the mechanical and physical properties of concrete. At all the test ages the tensile splitting strength gain of the natural aggregate concrete mixture (NA with and without SF was higher than that of the recycled concrete mixtures. Continuous and significant improvement in the tensile splitting strength of recycled aggregate concretes incorporating SF was observed. Similar to compressive strength test results, concrete incorporating 10% SF and containing 4/12 mm fraction recycled aggregates showed better performance among recycled aggregate concretes.

  11. Thermal properties of light-weight concrete with waste polypropylene aggregate

    Science.gov (United States)

    Záleská, Martina; Pokorný, Jaroslav; Pavlíková, Milena; Pavlík, Zbyšek

    2017-07-01

    Thermal properties of a sustainable light-weight concrete incorporating high volume of waste polypropylene as partial substitution of natural aggregate were studied in the paper. Glass fiber reinforced polypropylene (GFPP), a by-product of PP tubes production, partially substituted fine natural silica aggregate in 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 mass%. In order to quantify the effect of GFPP use on concrete properties, a reference concrete mix without plastic waste was studied as well. For the applied GFPP, bulk density, matrix density, and particle size distribution were measured. Specific attention was paid to thermal transport and storage properties of GFPP that were examined in dependence on compaction time. For the developed light-weight concrete, thermal properties were accessed using transient impulse technique, whereas the measurement was done in dependence on moisture content, from the dry state to fully water saturated state. Additionally, the investigated thermal properties were plotted as function of porosity. The tested light-weight concrete was found to be prospective construction material possessing improved thermal insulation function. Moreover, the reuse of waste plastics in concrete composition was beneficial both from the environmental and financial point of view considering plastics low biodegradability and safe disposal.

  12. Facilitated aggregation of FG nucleoporins under molecular crowding conditions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Milles, Sigrid; Huy Bui, Khanh; Koehler, Christine; Eltsov, Mikhail; Beck, Martin; Lemke, Edward A

    2013-02-01

    Intrinsically disordered and phenylalanine-glycine-rich nucleoporins (FG Nups) form a crowded and selective transport conduit inside the NPC that can only be transited with the help of nuclear transport receptors (NTRs). It has been shown in vitro that FG Nups can assemble into two distinct appearances, amyloids and hydrogels. If and how these phenomena are linked and if they have a physiological role still remains unclear. Using a variety of high-resolution fluorescence and electron microscopic (EM) tools, we reveal that crowding conditions mimicking the NPC environment can accelerate the aggregation and amyloid formation speed of yeast and human FG Nups by orders of magnitude. Aggregation can be inhibited by NTRs, providing a rationale on how the cell might control amyloid formation of FG Nups. The superb spatial resolving power of EM also reveals that hydrogels are enlaced amyloid fibres, and these findings have implications for existing transport models and for NPC assembly.

  13. Anaerobic Nitrogen Turnover by Sinking Diatom Aggregates at Varying Ambient Oxygen Levels

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Peter eStief

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available In the world’s oceans, even relatively low oxygen (O2 levels inhibit anaerobic nitrogen cycling by free-living microbes. Sinking organic aggregates, however, might provide oxygen-depleted microbial hotspots in otherwise oxygenated surface waters. Here we show that sinking diatom aggregates can host anaerobic nitrogen cycling at ambient O2 levels well above the hypoxic threshold. Aggregates were produced from the ubiquitous diatom Skeletonema marinoi and the natural microbial community of seawater. Microsensor profiling through the center of sinking aggregates revealed internal anoxia at ambient 40% air saturation (~100 µmol O2 L-1 and below. Accordingly, anaerobic nitrate turnover inside the aggregates was evident within this range of ambient O2 levels. In incubations with 15N-labeled nitrate, individual Skeletonema aggregates produced NO2- (up to 10.7 nmol N h-1 per aggregate, N2 (up to 7.1 nmol N h-1, NH4+ (up to 2.0 nmol N h-1, and N2O (up to 0.2 nmol N h-1. Intriguingly, nitrate stored inside the diatom cells served as an additional, internal nitrate source for N2 production, which may partially uncouple anaerobic nitrate turnover by diatom aggregates from direct ambient nitrate supply. Sinking diatom aggregates can contribute directly to fixed-nitrogen loss in low-oxygen environments in the ocean and vastly expand the ocean volume in which anaerobic nitrogen turnover is possible, despite relatively high ambient O2 levels. Depending on the extent of intracellular nitrate consumption during the sinking process, diatom aggregates may also be involved in the long-distance export of nitrate to the deep ocean.

  14. Energy transfer in aggregated CuInS2/ZnS core-shell quantum dots deposited as solid films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gardelis, S; Georgiadou, D; Travlos, A; Nassiopoulou, A G; Fakis, M; Droseros, N

    2017-01-01

    We report on the morphology and optical properties of CuInS 2 /ZnS core-shell quantum dots in solid films by means of AFM, SEM, HRTEM, steady state and time-resolved photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. The amount of aggregation of the CuInS 2 /ZnS QDs was controlled by changing the preparation conditions of the films. A red-shift of the PL spectrum of CuInS 2 /ZnS core-shell quantum dots, deposited as solid films on silicon substrates, is observed upon increasing the amount of aggregation. The presence of larger aggregates was found to lead to a larger PL red-shift. Besides, as the degree of aggregation increased, the PL decay became slower. We attribute the observed PL red-shift to energy transfer from the smaller to the larger dots within the aggregates, with the emission being realized via a long decay recombination mechanism (100–200 ns), the origin of which is discussed. (paper)

  15. Time-resolved small-angle neutron scattering of a micelle-to-vesicle transition

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Egelhaaf, S U [Institut Max von Laue - Paul Langevin (ILL), 38 -Grenoble (France); Schurtenberger, P [Eidgenoessische Technische Hochschule, Zurich (Switzerland)

    1997-04-01

    Amphiphilic molecules spontaneously self-assemble in solution to form a variety of aggregates. Only limited information is available on the kinetics of the structural transitions as well as on the existence of non-equilibrium or metastable states. Aqueous mixtures of lecithin and bile salt are very interesting biological model-systems which exhibit a spontaneous transition from polymer-like mixed micelles to vesicles upon dilution. The small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) instrument D22, with its very high neutron flux and the broad range of scattering vectors covered in a single instrumental setting, allowed us for the first time to perform time-resolved scattering experiments in order to study the micelle-to-vesicle transition. The temporal evolution of the aggregate structures were followed and detailed information was obtained even on molecular length-scales. (author). 5 refs.

  16. Properties of lightweight aggregate concrete prepared with PVC granules derived from scraped PVC pipes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kou, S C; Lee, G; Poon, C S; Lai, W L

    2009-02-01

    This paper aims to investigate the fresh and hardened properties of lightweight aggregate concretes that are prepared with the use of recycled plastic waste sourced from scraped PVC pipes to replace river sand as fine aggregates. A number of laboratory prepared concrete mixes were tested, in which river sand was partially replaced by PVC plastic waste granules in percentages of 0%, 5%, 15%, 30% and 45% by volume. Two major findings are identified. The positive side shows that the concrete prepared with a partial replacement by PVC was lighter (lower density), was more ductile (greater Poisson's ratios and reduced modulus of elasticity), and had lower drying shrinkage and higher resistance to chloride ion penetration. The negative side reveals that the workability, compressive strength and tensile splitting strength of the concretes were reduced. The results gathered would form a part of useful information for recycling PVC plastic waste in lightweight concrete mixes.

  17. Manipulation resolves non-trivial structure of corrole monolayer on Ag(111)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tebi, Stefano; Serrano, Giulia; Koch, Reinhold; Müllegger, Stefan; Aldahhak, Hazem; Rauls, Eva; Schmidt, Wolf Gero; Schöfberger, Wolfgang

    2016-01-01

    Non-trivial arrangement of molecules within a molecular network complicates structure determination due to interdigitation, partial overlap, or stacking. We demonstrate that combined imaging and lateral manipulation with a scanning tunneling microscope resolves the intricate structure of a molecular network in two-dimensions in a straightforward manner. The network, formed by a monolayer of 5,10,15-tris(pentafluorophenyl)-corrole molecules on Ag(111), is manipulated for the first time with single-molecule precision. Our results reveal a shingle-like packing of partially overlapping corrole molecules. Density functional theory calculations support our findings. (paper)

  18. On evolving deformation microstructures in non-convex partially damaged solids

    KAUST Repository

    Gurses, Ercan; Miehe, Christian

    2011-01-01

    . These microstructures can be resolved by use of relaxation techniques associated with the construction of convex hulls. We propose a particular relaxation method for partially damaged solids and investigate it in one- and multi-dimensional settings. To this end, we

  19. A synergistic aggregation pheromone component in the banana weevil Cosmopolites sordidus Germar 1824 (Coleoptera: Curculionidae).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cerda, H; Mori, K; Nakayama, T; Jaffe, K

    1998-01-01

    Cosmopolites sordidus is an important pest on banana plantations worldwide. The chemistry of the aggregation pheromone of this insect has been recently resolved and here we present the first evidence from field trails that sordidin, a compound from the male released aggregation pheromone, attracts significant number of weevils only if host plant odors are also present. Sordidin attracts few insects when it is presented without the host plant tissue. However, the attractiveness of host plant tissue increases more than tenfold when it is presented simultaneously with sordidin in field traps. We confirm experimentally that sordidin may be used as part of a system for mass trapping and monitoring this insect.

  20. Grain-resolving simulations of settling cohesive sediment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vowinckel, Bernhard; Whithers, Jade; Meiburg, Eckart; Luzzatto-Fegiz, Paolo

    2017-11-01

    Cohesive sediment is ubiquitous in natural environments such as rivers, lakes and coastal ecosystems. For this type of sediment, we can no longer ignore the short-range attractive forces that result in flocculation of aggregates much larger than the individual grain size. Hence, understanding the complex dynamics of the interplay between flocculated sediment and the ambient fluid is of prime interest for managing aquatic environments, although a comprehensive understanding of these phenomena is still lacking. In the present study, we address this issue by carrying out grain-resolved simulations of cohesive particles settling under gravity using the Immersed Boundary Method. We present a computational model formulation to accurately resolve the process of flocculation. The cohesive model is then applied to a complex test case. A randomly distributed ensemble of 1261 polydisperse particles is released in a tank of quiescent fluid. Subsequently, particles start to settle, thereby replacing fluid at the bottom of the tank, which induces a counter flow opposing the settling direction. This mechanism will be compared to experimental studies from the literature, as well as to the non-cohesive counterpart to assessthe impact of flocculation on sedimentation.

  1. Effects of Convective Aggregation on Radiative Cooling and Precipitation in a CRM

    Science.gov (United States)

    Naegele, A. C.; Randall, D. A.

    2017-12-01

    In the global energy budget, the atmospheric radiative cooling (ARC) is approximately balanced by latent heating, but on regional scales, the ARC and precipitation rates are inversely related. We use a cloud-resolving model to explore how the relationship between precipitation and the ARC is affected by convective aggregation, in which the convective activity is confined to a small portion of the domain that is surrounded by a much larger region of dry, subsiding air. Sensitivity tests show that the precipitation rate and ARC are highly sensitive to both SST and microphysics; a higher SST and 1-moment microphysics both act to increase the domain-averaged ARC and precipitation rates. In all simulations, both the domain-averaged ARC and precipitation rates increased due to convective aggregation, resulting in a positive temporal correlation. Furthermore, the radiative effect of clouds in these simulations is to decrease the ARC. This finding is consistent with our observational results of the cloud effect on the ARC, and has implications for convective aggregation and the geographic extent in which it can occur.

  2. Leaching assessment of concrete made of recycled coarse aggregate: physical and environmental characterisation of aggregates and hardened concrete.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Galvín, A P; Agrela, F; Ayuso, J; Beltrán, M G; Barbudo, A

    2014-09-01

    Each year, millions of tonnes of waste are generated worldwide, partially through the construction and demolition of buildings. Recycling the resulting waste could reduce the amount of materials that need to be manufactured. Accordingly, the present work has analysed the potential reuse of construction waste in concrete manufacturing by replacing the natural aggregate with recycled concrete coarse aggregate. However, incorporating alternative materials in concrete manufacturing may increase the pollutant potential of the product, presenting an environmental risk via ground water contamination. The present work has tested two types of concrete batches that were manufactured with different replacement percentages. The experimental procedure analyses not only the effect of the portion of recycled aggregate on the physical properties of concrete but also on the leaching behaviour as indicative of the contamination degree. Thus, parameters such as slump, density, porosity and absorption of hardened concrete, were studied. Leaching behaviour was evaluated based on the availability test performed to three aggregates (raw materials of the concrete batches) and on the diffusion test performed to all concrete. From an environmental point of view, the question of whether the cumulative amount of heavy metals that are released by diffusion reaches the availability threshold was answered. The analysis of concentration levels allowed the establishment of different groups of metals according to the observed behaviour, the analysis of the role of pH and the identification of the main release mechanisms. Finally, through a statistical analysis, physical parameters and diffusion data were interrelated. It allowed estimating the relevance of porosity, density and absorption of hardened concrete on diffusion release of the metals in study. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Neutrophil derived LTB4 induces macrophage aggregation in response to encapsulated Streptococcus iniae infection.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    William J B Vincent

    Full Text Available Immune cells sense and react to a multitude of factors including both host and microbe-derived signals. Understanding how cells translate these cues into particular cellular behaviors is a complex yet critical area of study. We have previously shown that both neutrophils and macrophages are important for controlling the fish pathogen Streptococcus iniae. Here, we report both host and bacterial determinants leading to the formation of organized macrophage aggregates as part of the host inflammatory response in a subset of infected larvae. Streptococcal capsule was a required signal for aggregate formation. Macrophage aggregation coincided with NFκB activity, and the formation of these aggregates is mediated by leukotriene B4 (LTB4 produced by neutrophils. Depletion, inhibition, or genetic deletion of leukotriene A4 hydrolase (Lta4h, which catalyzes the last step in LTB4 synthesis, resulted in the absence of macrophage aggregation. Larvae with impaired neutrophil function also had impaired macrophage aggregation; however, aggregate formation was partially rescued with the addition of exogenous LTB4. Neutrophil-specific expression of lta4h was sufficient to rescue macrophage aggregation in Lta4h-deficient larvae and increased host survival following infection. In summary, our findings highlight a novel innate immune response to infection in which specific bacterial products drive neutrophils that modulate macrophage behavior through eicosanoid signaling.

  4. Recovery of MSWI and soil washing residues as concrete aggregates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sorlini, Sabrina; Abbà, Alessandro; Collivignarelli, Carlo

    2011-02-01

    The aim of the present work was to study if municipal solid waste incinerator (MSWI) residues and aggregates derived from contaminated soil washing could be used as alternative aggregates for concrete production. Initially, chemical, physical and geometric characteristics (according to UNI EN 12620) of municipal solid waste incineration bottom ashes and some contaminated soils were evaluated; moreover, the pollutants release was evaluated by means of leaching tests. The results showed that the reuse of pre-treated MSWI bottom ash and washed soil is possible, either from technical or environmental point of view, while it is not possible for the raw wastes. Then, the natural aggregate was partially and totally replaced with these recycled aggregates for the production of concrete mixtures that were characterized by conventional mechanical and leaching tests. Good results were obtained using the same dosage of a high resistance cement (42.5R calcareous Portland cement instead of 32.5R); the concrete mixture containing 400 kg/m(3) of washed bottom ash and high resistance cement was classified as structural concrete (C25/30 class). Regarding the pollutants leaching, all concrete mixtures respected the limit values according to the Italian regulation. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Rydberg aggregates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wüster, S.; Rost, J.-M.

    2018-02-01

    We review Rydberg aggregates, assemblies of a few Rydberg atoms exhibiting energy transport through collective eigenstates, considering isolated atoms or assemblies embedded within clouds of cold ground-state atoms. We classify Rydberg aggregates, and provide an overview of their possible applications as quantum simulators for phenomena from chemical or biological physics. Our main focus is on flexible Rydberg aggregates, in which atomic motion is an essential feature. In these, simultaneous control over Rydberg-Rydberg interactions, external trapping and electronic energies, allows Born-Oppenheimer surfaces for the motion of the entire aggregate to be tailored as desired. This is illustrated with theory proposals towards the demonstration of joint motion and excitation transport, conical intersections and non-adiabatic effects. Additional flexibility for quantum simulations is enabled by the use of dressed dipole-dipole interactions or the embedding of the aggregate in a cold gas or Bose-Einstein condensate environment. Finally we provide some guidance regarding the parameter regimes that are most suitable for the realization of either static or flexible Rydberg aggregates based on Li or Rb atoms. The current status of experimental progress towards enabling Rydberg aggregates is also reviewed.

  6. ppcor: An R Package for a Fast Calculation to Semi-partial Correlation Coefficients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Seongho

    2015-11-01

    Lack of a general matrix formula hampers implementation of the semi-partial correlation, also known as part correlation, to the higher-order coefficient. This is because the higher-order semi-partial correlation calculation using a recursive formula requires an enormous number of recursive calculations to obtain the correlation coefficients. To resolve this difficulty, we derive a general matrix formula of the semi-partial correlation for fast computation. The semi-partial correlations are then implemented on an R package ppcor along with the partial correlation. Owing to the general matrix formulas, users can readily calculate the coefficients of both partial and semi-partial correlations without computational burden. The package ppcor further provides users with the level of the statistical significance with its test statistic.

  7. Mechanical and radiation shielding properties of mortars with additive fine aggregate mine waste

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gallala, Wissem; Hayouni, Yousra; Gaied, Mohamed Essghaier; Fusco, Michael; Alsaied, Jasmin; Bailey, Kathryn; Bourham, Mohamed

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: • Effectiveness of mine waste as additive fine aggregate has been investigated. • Experimental results are verified by computationally from composition of synthesized samples. • Work focuses on shielding materials for nuclear systems including spent fuel storage and drycasks. - Abstract: Incorporation of barite-fluorspar mine waste (BFMW) as a fine aggregate additive has been investigated for its effect on the mechanical and shielding properties of cement mortar. Several mortar mixtures were prepared with different proportions of BFMW ranging from 0% to 30% as fine aggregate replacement. Cement mortar mixtures were evaluated for density, compressive and tensile strengths, and gamma ray radiation shielding. The results revealed that the mortar mixes containing 25% BFMW reaches the highest compressive strength values, which exceeded 50 MPa. Evaluation of gamma-ray attenuation was both measured by experimental tests and computationally calculated using MicroShield software package, and results have shown that using BFMW aggregates increases attenuation coefficient by about 20%. These findings have demonstrated that the mine waste can be suitably used as partial replacement aggregate to improve radiation shielding as well as to reduce the mortar and concrete costs.

  8. Numerical Investigation on Absorption Enhancement of Black Carbon Aerosols Partially Coated With Nonabsorbing Organics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Xiaolin; Mao, Mao; Yin, Yan; Wang, Bin

    2018-01-01

    This study numerically evaluates the effects of aerosol microphysics, including coated volume fraction of black carbon (BC), shell/core ratio, and size distribution, on the absorption enhancement (Eab) of polydisperse BC aggregates partially coated by organics, which is calculated by the exact multiple-sphere T-matrix method. The coated volume fraction of BC plays a substantial role in determining the absorption enhancement of partially coated BC aggregates, which typically have an Eab in the range of 1.0-2.0 with a larger value for larger coated volume fraction of BC as the shell/core ratio, BC geometry, and size distribution are fixed. The shell/core ratio, BC geometry, and size distribution have little impact on the Eab of coated BC with small coated volume fraction of BC, while they become significant for large coated volume fraction of BC. The Eab of partially coated BC particles can be slightly less than 1.0 for the large BC in the accumulation mode exhibiting large shell/core ratio and small coated volume fraction of BC, indicating that the absorption shows even slight decrease relative to uncoated BC particles. For partially coated BC aggregates in the accumulation and coarse modes, the refractive index uncertainties of BC result in the Eab differences of less than 9% and 2%, respectively, while those of organics can induce larger variations with the maximum differences up to 22% and 18%, respectively. Our study indicates that accounting for particle coating microphysics, particularly the coated volume fraction of BC, can potentially help to understand the differences in observations of largely variable absorption enhancements over various regions.

  9. Comparative Study on Carbonated and Non-Carbonated Recycled Aggregate Concrete with Glass Powder as Partial Replacement for OPC

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Abhishek Patil

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Recycled aggregates (RA possess the ability to be recycled, if undesirable properties are counteracted viz, porous mortar attached to it, with high water absorption and low density, this technique, accelerated carbonation can be one such to technique to counteract undesirable properties of RA, replacement of 20% of cement by glass powder assists in reducing w/c ratio[1][6] when used in concrete[2] suppress ASR reaction[1], this paper explains a new possibility of recycling concrete, work done and findings for improvising Recycled aggregate concrete (RAC and exploring the feasibility for use of RA in the near future.

  10. Boosting the Amount of Molecular Information Through Polarized Resolved Resonance Raman Scattering

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hassing, Søren

    2017-01-01

    and near-infrared absorption spectroscopy, i.e. only the spectral distribution is analysed. The goal of the present chapter is to demonstrate that the amount of molecular information (also for solutions and powders) can be increased considerably by analysing also the polarization of the Raman and resonance...... Ramanscattered light. The goal is achieved through: (1) a discussion of the basic properties of Raman scattering with special focus on polarization and polarization dispersion. The discussion includes the rotational invariants of Raman tensors, the non-commuting generator approach to molecular symmetry as a tool...... for construction of state and Raman tensors for single molecules and dimers and higher aggregates and thereby predict the polarization; (2) a discussion of two illustrative case studies: Case study 1: Aggregation of haemoglobin in red blood cells (RBC); and Case study 2: In vitro polarization resolved RRS study...

  11. Progranulin inhibits platelet aggregation and prolongs bleeding time in rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Al-Yahya, A M; Al-Masri, A A; El Eter, E A; Hersi, A; Lateef, R; Mawlana, O

    2018-05-01

    Several adipokines secreted by adipose tissue have an anti-thrombotic and anti-atherosclerotic function. Recently identified adipokine progranulin was found to play a protective role in atherosclerosis. Bearing in mind the central role of platelets in inflammation and atherosclerosis, we aimed, in this study, to examine the effect of progranulin on platelet function and coagulation profile in rats. Healthy male albino Wistar rats weighing (250-300 g) were divided into 4 groups. Three groups were given increasing doses of progranulin (0.001 µg, 0.01 µg, and 0.1 µg) intraperitoneally, while the control group received phosphate-buffered saline (PBS). Bleeding time, prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time and platelet aggregation responses to adenosine diphosphate and arachidonic acid were assessed. Administration of progranulin resulted in a significant inhibition of platelet aggregation in response to both adenosine diphosphate, and arachidonic acid. Bleeding time, prothrombin time and activated partial thromboplastin time were significantly prolonged in all groups that received progranulin, in particular, the 0.1 µg dose, in comparison to the control group. This preliminary data is first suggesting that the antiplatelet and anticoagulant action of progranulin could have a physiological protective function against thrombotic disorders associated with obesity and atherosclerosis. However, these results merit further exploration.

  12. On the characterization of intermediates in the isodesmic aggregation pathway of hen lysozyme at alkaline pH.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vijay Kumar Ravi

    Full Text Available Protein aggregation leading to formation of amyloid fibrils is a symptom of several diseases like Alzheimer's, type 2 diabetes and so on. Elucidating the poorly understood mechanism of such phenomena entails the difficult task of characterizing the species involved at each of the multiple steps in the aggregation pathway. It was previously shown by us that spontaneous aggregation of hen-eggwhite lysozyme (HEWL at room temperature in pH 12.2 is a good model to study aggregation. Here in this paper we investigate the growth kinetics, structure, function and dynamics of multiple intermediate species populating the aggregation pathway of HEWL at pH 12.2. The different intermediates were isolated by varying the HEWL monomer concentration in the 300 nM-0.12 mM range. The intermediates were characterized using techniques like steady-state and nanosecond time-resolved fluorescence, atomic force microscopy and dynamic light scattering. Growth kinetics of non-fibrillar HEWL aggregates were fitted to the von Bertalanffy equation to yield a HEWL concentration independent rate constant (k = (6.6 ± 0.6 × 10(-5 s(-1. Our results reveal stepwise changes in size, molecular packing and enzymatic activity among growing HEWL aggregates consistent with an isodesmic aggregation model. Formation of disulphide bonds that crosslink the monomers in the aggregate appear as a unique feature of this aggregation. AFM images of multiple amyloid fibrils emanating radially from amorphous aggregates directly confirmed that on-pathway fibril formation was feasible under isodesmic polymerization. The isolated HEWL aggregates are revealed as polycationic protein nanoparticles that are robust at neutral pH with ability to take up non-polar molecules like ANS.

  13. Robustness of the Process of Nucleoid Exclusion of Protein Aggregates in Escherichia coli

    Science.gov (United States)

    Neeli-Venkata, Ramakanth; Martikainen, Antti; Gupta, Abhishekh; Gonçalves, Nadia; Fonseca, Jose

    2016-01-01

    on aggregate positioning differs between conditions, causing aggregate numbers at midcell to differ in cell division events, which will affect the degree of asymmetries in the partitioning of aggregates between cells of future generations. Finally, we find that aggregate segregation to the cell poles is most pronounced in cells with mid-sized nucleoids. We conclude that the energy-free process of the midcell exclusion of aggregates partially loses effectiveness under stressful conditions. PMID:26728194

  14. Quality Assessment of Mixed and Ceramic Recycled Aggregates from Construction and Demolition Wastes in the Concrete Manufacture According to the Spanish Standard.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rodríguez-Robles, Desirée; García-González, Julia; Juan-Valdés, Andrés; Morán-Del Pozo, Julia Mª; Guerra-Romero, Manuel I

    2014-08-13

    Construction and demolition waste (CDW) constitutes an increasingly significant problem in society due to the volume generated, rendering sustainable management and disposal problematic. The aim of this study is to identify a possible reuse option in the concrete manufacturing for recycled aggregates with a significant ceramic content: mixed recycled aggregates (MixRA) and ceramic recycled aggregates (CerRA). In order to do so, several tests are conducted in accordance with the Spanish Code on Structural Concrete (EHE-08) to determine the composition in weight and physic-mechanical characteristics (particle size distributions, fine content, sand equivalent, density, water absorption, flakiness index, and resistance to fragmentation) of the samples for the partial inclusion of the recycled aggregates in concrete mixes. The results of these tests clearly support the hypothesis that this type of material may be suitable for such partial replacements if simple pretreatment is carried out. Furthermore, this measure of reuse is in line with European, national, and regional policies on sustainable development, and presents a solution to the environmental problem caused by the generation of CDW.

  15. Quality Assessment of Mixed and Ceramic Recycled Aggregates from Construction and Demolition Wastes in the Concrete Manufacture According to the Spanish Standard

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Desirée Rodríguez-Robles

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available Construction and demolition waste (CDW constitutes an increasingly significant problem in society due to the volume generated, rendering sustainable management and disposal problematic. The aim of this study is to identify a possible reuse option in the concrete manufacturing for recycled aggregates with a significant ceramic content: mixed recycled aggregates (MixRA and ceramic recycled aggregates (CerRA. In order to do so, several tests are conducted in accordance with the Spanish Code on Structural Concrete (EHE-08 to determine the composition in weight and physic-mechanical characteristics (particle size distributions, fine content, sand equivalent, density, water absorption, flakiness index, and resistance to fragmentation of the samples for the partial inclusion of the recycled aggregates in concrete mixes. The results of these tests clearly support the hypothesis that this type of material may be suitable for such partial replacements if simple pretreatment is carried out. Furthermore, this measure of reuse is in line with European, national, and regional policies on sustainable development, and presents a solution to the environmental problem caused by the generation of CDW.

  16. Partial Measurements and the Realization of Quantum-Mechanical Counterfactuals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paraoanu, G. S.

    2011-07-01

    We propose partial measurements as a conceptual tool to understand how to operate with counterfactual claims in quantum physics. Indeed, unlike standard von Neumann measurements, partial measurements can be reversed probabilistically. We first analyze the consequences of this rather unusual feature for the principle of superposition, for the complementarity principle, and for the issue of hidden variables. Then we move on to exploring non-local contexts, by reformulating the EPR paradox, the quantum teleportation experiment, and the entanglement-swapping protocol for the situation in which one uses partial measurements followed by their stochastic reversal. This leads to a number of counter-intuitive results, which are shown to be resolved if we give up the idea of attributing reality to the wavefunction of a single quantum system.

  17. Effect of Partial Replacement of Sand With Quarry Dust on the ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This work investigated the effect of partial replacement of sand with quarry dust on the compressive strength, flexural strength, split tensile strength and water absorption of sandcrete blocks. River sand was replaced with quarry dust at percentages ranging from 0 to 40 at cement/combined aggregate ratio of 1: 6. The blocks ...

  18. Stability of J-aggregated species in an indocarbocyanine dye in Langmuir–Blodgett Films

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Debnath, Pintu [Thin film and Nanoscience Laboratory, Department of Physics, Tripura University, Suryamaninagar 799022, Tripura (India); Chakraborty, Santanu [Department of Physics, NIT Agartala, Jiraniya 799046, Tripura (India); Deb, Subrata [Department of Physics, Women' s College, Agartala 799001, Tripura (India); Nath, Jayasree [Department of Chemistry, Tripura University, Suryamaninagar 799022, Tripura (India); Dey, Bapi; Bhattacharjee, D. [Thin film and Nanoscience Laboratory, Department of Physics, Tripura University, Suryamaninagar 799022, Tripura (India); Hussain, Syed Arshad, E-mail: sa_h153@hotmail.com [Thin film and Nanoscience Laboratory, Department of Physics, Tripura University, Suryamaninagar 799022, Tripura (India)

    2016-11-15

    Here, the stability behaviour of J-aggregate of an indocarbocyanine dye 1,1′-Dioctadecyl-3,3,3′,3′-Tetramethylindocarbocynine perchlorate (DiI) in fatty acid mixed (X{sub DiI}=0.4) Langmuir–Blodgett (LB) films under different condition was reported. Surface pressure–area per molecule (π–A) isotherm measurement suggest that the molecular interaction between the constituent molecules changes with subphase temperature. UV–vis absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) were used to study the stability behaviour. It has been observed that prominent J-aggregate of DiI occurred in the mixed films at subphase temperature 15 °C. With the passage of time as well as post heat treatment DiI J-aggregate decayed to excimer in both mono- and multilayer LB films. Total transition from J-aggregate to excimer occurred in monolayer films, whereas, the transition was partial in multilayer films. The stability of DiI J-aggregate in monolayer films was increased by two ways – (i) depositing the DiI-SA mixed LB films at higher surface pressure, (ii) exposing the films at 50 °C for 5 min. It has been observed that after heat treatment the DiI J-aggregate remained almost stable even after 200 days. AFM investigations gave the compelling visual evidences of the same.

  19. Determinants of Current Account Deficit in Turkey: The Conditional and Partial Granger Causality Approach

    OpenAIRE

    YURDAKUL, Funda; CEVHER, Erdogan

    2015-01-01

    This study aims to reveal the causality relations between the macro aggregates that affect current deficit using conditional and partial Granger causality test. Current deficit/GDP, growth rate, real effective exchange rate, direct foreign capital investment, openness, and energy import were selected as variables for this purpose. 2003.1-2014.2 quarterly data for Turkey’s economy were used for analysis. The results of the conditional and partial Granger causality test demonstrate that real ef...

  20. In situ imaging of ultra-fast loss of nanostructure in nanoparticle aggregates

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Egan, Garth C. [Department of Materials Science, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742 (United States); Sullivan, Kyle T.; LaGrange, Thomas; Reed, Bryan W. [Physical and Life Sciences Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, 7000 East Avenue, Livermore, California 94550 (United States); Zachariah, Michael R., E-mail: mrz@umd.edu [Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742 (United States); Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742 (United States)

    2014-02-28

    The word “nanoparticle” nominally elicits a vision of an isolated sphere; however, the vast bulk of nanoparticulate material exists in an aggregated state. This can have significant implications for applications such as combustion, catalysis, and optical excitation, where particles are exposed to high temperature and rapid heating conditions. In such environments, particles become susceptible to morphological changes which can reduce surface area, often to the detriment of functionality. Here, we report on thermally-induced coalescence which can occur in aluminum nanoparticle aggregates subjected to rapid heating (10{sup 6}–10{sup 11} K/s). Using dynamic transmission electron microscopy, we observed morphological changes in nanoparticle aggregates occurring in as little as a few nanoseconds after the onset of heating. The time-resolved probes reveal that the morphological changes initiate within 15 ns and are completed in less than 50 ns. The morphological changes were found to have a threshold temperature of about 1300 ± 50 K, as determined by millisecond-scale experiments with a calibrated heating stage. The temperature distribution of aggregates during laser heating was modeled with various simulation approaches. The results indicate that, under rapid heating conditions, coalescence occurs at an intermediate temperature between the melting points of aluminum and the aluminum oxide shell, and proceeds rapidly once this threshold temperature is reached.

  1. Time-resolved fluorescence quenching studies of sodium lauryl ether sulfate micelles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Friedrich, Leidi C.; Silva, Volnir O.; Quina, Frank H.; Moreira Junior, Paulo F.; Tcacenco, Celize M.

    2013-01-01

    Aggregation numbers (N Ag ) of micelles of the commercial anionic detergent sodium lauryl ether sulfate (SLES), with an average of two ethylene oxide subunits, were determined at 30 and 40 deg C by the time-resolved fluorescence quenching method with pyrene as the fluorescent probe and the N-hexadecylpyridinium ion as the quencher. The added-salt dependent growth of SLES micelles (γ = 0.11-0.15, where γ is the slope of a plot of log aggregation number vs. log [Y aq ] and [Y aq ] is the sodium counterion concentration free in the intermicellar aqueous phase) is found to be significantly lower than that of sodium alkyl sulfate micelles (γ ca. 0.25), a difference attributed to the larger headgroup size of SLES. The I 1 /I 3 vibronic intensity ratio and the rate constant for intramicellar quenching of pyrene show that the pyrene solubilization microenvironment and the intramicellar microviscosity are insensitive to micelle size or the presence of added salt. (author)

  2. Time-resolved fluorescence quenching studies of sodium lauryl ether sulfate micelles

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Friedrich, Leidi C.; Silva, Volnir O.; Quina, Frank H., E-mail: quina@usp.br [Universidade de Sao Paulo (USP), Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil). Instituto de Quimica; Moreira Junior, Paulo F. [Universidade de Sao Paulo (USP), Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil). Escola Politecnica. Departamento de Engenharia Quimica; Tcacenco, Celize M. [Fundacao Instituto de Ensino para Osasco (FIEO/UNIFIEO), SP (Brazil). Centro Universitario FIEO. Centro de Estudos Quimicos

    2013-02-15

    Aggregation numbers (N{sub Ag}) of micelles of the commercial anionic detergent sodium lauryl ether sulfate (SLES), with an average of two ethylene oxide subunits, were determined at 30 and 40 deg C by the time-resolved fluorescence quenching method with pyrene as the fluorescent probe and the N-hexadecylpyridinium ion as the quencher. The added-salt dependent growth of SLES micelles ({gamma} = 0.11-0.15, where {gamma} is the slope of a plot of log aggregation number vs. log [Y{sub aq}] and [Y{sub aq}] is the sodium counterion concentration free in the intermicellar aqueous phase) is found to be significantly lower than that of sodium alkyl sulfate micelles ({gamma} ca. 0.25), a difference attributed to the larger headgroup size of SLES. The I{sub 1}/I{sub 3} vibronic intensity ratio and the rate constant for intramicellar quenching of pyrene show that the pyrene solubilization microenvironment and the intramicellar microviscosity are insensitive to micelle size or the presence of added salt. (author)

  3. Quality Assessment of Mixed and Ceramic Recycled Aggregates from Construction and Demolition Wastes in the Concrete Manufacture According to the Spanish Standard †

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rodríguez-Robles, Desirée; García-González, Julia; Juan-Valdés, Andrés; Pozo, Julia Mª Morán-del; Guerra-Romero, Manuel I

    2014-01-01

    Construction and demolition waste (CDW) constitutes an increasingly significant problem in society due to the volume generated, rendering sustainable management and disposal problematic. The aim of this study is to identify a possible reuse option in the concrete manufacturing for recycled aggregates with a significant ceramic content: mixed recycled aggregates (MixRA) and ceramic recycled aggregates (CerRA). In order to do so, several tests are conducted in accordance with the Spanish Code on Structural Concrete (EHE-08) to determine the composition in weight and physic-mechanical characteristics (particle size distributions, fine content, sand equivalent, density, water absorption, flakiness index, and resistance to fragmentation) of the samples for the partial inclusion of the recycled aggregates in concrete mixes. The results of these tests clearly support the hypothesis that this type of material may be suitable for such partial replacements if simple pretreatment is carried out. Furthermore, this measure of reuse is in line with European, national, and regional policies on sustainable development, and presents a solution to the environmental problem caused by the generation of CDW. PMID:28788164

  4. Slow aggregation of lysozyme in alkaline pH monitored in real time employing the fluorescence anisotropy of covalently labelled dansyl probe.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Homchaudhuri, Lopamudra; Kumar, Satish; Swaminathan, Rajaram

    2006-04-03

    The onset of hen egg white lysozyme aggregation on exposure to alkaline pH of 12.2 and subsequent slow growth of soluble lysozyme aggregates (at 298 K) was directly monitored by steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence anisotropy of covalently attached dansyl probe over a period of 24 h. The rotational correlation time accounting for tumbling of lysozyme in solution (40 microM) increased from approximately 3.6 ns (in pH 7) to approximately 40ns on exposure to pH 12.2 over a period of 6 h and remained stable thereafter. The growth of aggregates was strongly concentration dependent, irreversible after 60 min and inhibited by the presence of 0.9 M l-arginine in the medium. The day old aggregates were resistant to denaturation by 6 M guanidine.HCl. Our results reveal slow segmental motion of the dansyl probe in day old aggregates in the absence of L-arginine (0.9 M), but a much faster motion in its presence, when growth of aggregates is halted.

  5. Marine Synechococcus Aggregation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Neuer, S.; Deng, W.; Cruz, B. N.; Monks, L.

    2016-02-01

    Cyanobacteria are considered to play an important role in the oceanic biological carbon pump, especially in oligotrophic regions. But as single cells are too small to sink, their carbon export has to be mediated by aggregate formation and possible consumption by zooplankton producing sinking fecal pellets. Here we report results on the aggregation of the ubiquitous marine pico-cyanobacterium Synechococcus as a model organism. We first investigated the mechanism behind such aggregation by studying the potential role of transparent exopolymeric particles (TEP) and the effects of nutrient (nitrogen or phosphorus) limitation on the TEP production and aggregate formation of these pico-cyanobacteria. We further studied the aggregation and subsequent settling in roller tanks and investigated the effects of the clays kaolinite and bentonite in a series of concentrations. Our results show that despite of the lowered growth rates, Synechococcus in nutrient limited cultures had larger cell-normalized TEP production, formed a greater volume of aggregates, and resulted in higher settling velocities compared to results from replete cultures. In addition, we found that despite their small size and lack of natural ballasting minerals, Synechococcus cells could still form aggregates and sink at measureable velocities in seawater. Clay minerals increased the number and reduced the size of aggregates, and their ballasting effects increased the sinking velocity and carbon export potential of aggregates. In comparison with the Synechococcus, we will also present results of the aggregation of the pico-cyanobacterium Prochlorococcus in roller tanks. These results contribute to our understanding in the physiology of marine Synechococcus as well as their role in the ecology and biogeochemistry in oligotrophic oceans.

  6. Flexural Behaviour Of Reinforced Concrete Beams Containing Expanded Glass As Lightweight Aggregates

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Khatib Jamal

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available The flexural properties of reinforced concrete beams containing expanded glass as a partial fine aggregate (sand replacement are investigated. Four concrete mixes were employed to conduct this study. The fine aggregate was replaced with 0%, 25%, 50% and 100% (by volume expanded glass. The results suggest that the incorporation of 50% expanded glass increased the workability of the concrete. The compressive strength was decreasing linearly with the increasing amount of expanded glass. The ductility of the concrete beam significantly improved with the incorporation of the expanded glass. However, the load-carrying capacity of the beam and load at which the first crack occurs was reduced. It was concluded that the inclusion of expanded glass in structural concrete applications is feasible.

  7. Aggregation of Trp > Glu point mutants of human gamma-D crystallin provides a model for hereditary or UV-induced cataract.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Serebryany, Eugene; Takata, Takumi; Erickson, Erika; Schafheimer, Nathaniel; Wang, Yongting; King, Jonathan A

    2016-06-01

    Numerous mutations and covalent modifications of the highly abundant, long-lived crystallins of the eye lens cause their aggregation leading to progressive opacification of the lens, cataract. The nature and biochemical mechanisms of the aggregation process are poorly understood, as neither amyloid nor native-state polymers are commonly found in opaque lenses. The βγ-crystallin fold contains four highly conserved buried tryptophans, which can be oxidized to more hydrophilic products, such as kynurenine, upon UV-B irradiation. We mimicked this class of oxidative damage using Trp→Glu point mutants of human γD-crystallin. Such substitutions may represent a model of UV-induced photodamage-introduction of a charged group into the hydrophobic core generating "denaturation from within." The effects of Trp→Glu substitutions were highly position dependent. While each was destabilizing, only the two located in the bottom of the double Greek key fold-W42E and W130E-yielded robust aggregation of partially unfolded intermediates at 37°C and pH 7. The αB-crystallin chaperone suppressed aggregation of W130E, but not W42E, indicating distinct aggregation pathways from damage in the N-terminal vs C-terminal domain. The W130E aggregates had loosely fibrillar morphology, yet were nonamyloid, noncovalent, showed little surface hydrophobicity, and formed at least 20°C below the melting temperature of the native β-sheets. These features are most consistent with domain-swapped polymerization. Aggregation of partially destabilized crystallins under physiological conditions, as occurs in this class of point mutants, could provide a simple in vitro model system for drug discovery and optimization. © 2016 The Protein Society.

  8. Hemoglobin concentration determination based on near infrared spatially resolved transmission spectra

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Linna; Li, Gang; Lin, Ling

    2016-10-01

    Spatially resolved diffuse reflectance spectroscopy method has been proved to be more effective than single point spectroscopy method in the experiment to predict the concentration of the Intralipid diluted solutions. However, Intralipid diluted solution is simple, cannot be the representative of turbid liquids. Blood is a natural and meaningful turbid liquid, more complicate. Hemoglobin is the major constituent of the whole blood. And hemoglobin concentration is commonly used in clinical medicine to diagnose many diseases. In this paper, near infrared spatially resolved transmission spectra (NIRSRTS) and Partial Least Square Regression (PLSR) were used to predict the hemoglobin concentration of human blood. The results showed the prediction ability for hemoglobin concentration of the proposed method is better than single point transmission spectroscopy method. This paper demonstrated the feasibility of the spatially resolved diffuse reflectance spectroscopy method for practical liquid composition analysis. This research provided a new thinking of practical turbid liquid composition analysis.

  9. Properties of concretes produced with waste concrete aggregate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Topcu, Ilker Bekir; Sengel, Selim

    2004-01-01

    An environmentally friendly approach to the disposal of waste materials, a difficult issue to cope with in today's world, would only be possible through a useful recycling process. For this reason, we suggest that clearing the debris from destroyed buildings in such a way as to obtain waste concrete aggregates (WCA) to be reused in concrete production could well be a partial solution to environmental pollution. For this study, the physical and mechanical properties along with their freeze-thaw durability of concrete produced with WCAs were investigated and test results presented. While experimenting with fresh and hardened concrete, mixtures containing recycled concrete aggregates in amounts of 30%, 50%, 70%, and 100% were prepared. Afterward, these mixtures underwent freeze-thaw cycles. As a result, we found out that C16-quality concrete could be produced using less then 30% C14-quality WCA. Moreover, it was observed that the unit weight, workability, and durability of the concretes produced through WCA decreased in inverse proportion to their endurance for freeze-thaw cycle

  10. Interface-Resolving Simulation of Collision Efficiency of Cloud Droplets

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Lian-Ping; Peng, Cheng; Rosa, Bodgan; Onishi, Ryo

    2017-11-01

    Small-scale air turbulence could enhance the geometric collision rate of cloud droplets while large-scale air turbulence could augment the diffusional growth of cloud droplets. Air turbulence could also enhance the collision efficiency of cloud droplets. Accurate simulation of collision efficiency, however, requires capture of the multi-scale droplet-turbulence and droplet-droplet interactions, which has only been partially achieved in the recent past using the hybrid direct numerical simulation (HDNS) approach. % where Stokes disturbance flow is assumed. The HDNS approach has two major drawbacks: (1) the short-range droplet-droplet interaction is not treated rigorously; (2) the finite-Reynolds number correction to the collision efficiency is not included. In this talk, using two independent numerical methods, we will develop an interface-resolved simulation approach in which the disturbance flows are directly resolved numerically, combined with a rigorous lubrication correction model for near-field droplet-droplet interaction. This multi-scale approach is first used to study the effect of finite flow Reynolds numbers on the droplet collision efficiency in still air. Our simulation results show a significant finite-Re effect on collision efficiency when the droplets are of similar sizes. Preliminary results on integrating this approach in a turbulent flow laden with droplets will also be presented. This work is partially supported by the National Science Foundation.

  11. CdTe aggregates in KBr crystalline matrix

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bensouici, A.; Plaza, J.L.; Dieguez, E.; Halimi, O.; Boudine, B.; Addala, S.; Guerbous, L.; Sebais, M.

    2009-01-01

    In this work, we report the experimental results on the fabrication and optical characterization of Czochralski (Cz) grown KBr single crystals doped with CdTe crystallites. The results of the optical absorption have shown two bands, the first one located at 250 nm demonstrates the incorporation of cadmium atoms in the KBr host followed by a partial chemical decomposition of CdTe, the second band located at 585 nm shows an optical response of CdTe aggregates. Photoluminescence spectra at room temperature before annealing showed a band located at 520 nm (2.38 eV), with a blue shift from the bulk gap of 0.82 eV (E g (CdTe)=1.56 eV). While the photoluminescence spectra after annealing at 600 deg. C showed a band situated at 640 nm (1.93 eV), these bands are due to band-to-band transitions of CdTe nanocrystals with a blue shift from the bulk gap at 0.38 eV. Blue shift in optical absorption and photoluminescence spectra confirm nanometric size of dopant. X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectra have shown the incorporation of CdTe aggregates in KBr.

  12. CdTe aggregates in KBr crystalline matrix

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bensouici, A., E-mail: bensouicia@yahoo.f [Laboratory of Crystallography, Department of Physics, Mentouri-Constantine University, Constantine 25000 (Algeria); Plaza, J.L., E-mail: joseluis.plaza@uam.e [Crystal Growth Laboratory (CGL), Departamento de Fisica de Materiales, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Madrid (Spain); Dieguez, E. [Crystal Growth Laboratory (CGL), Departamento de Fisica de Materiales, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Madrid (Spain); Halimi, O.; Boudine, B.; Addala, S. [Laboratory of Crystallography, Department of Physics, Mentouri-Constantine University, Constantine 25000 (Algeria); Guerbous, L. [Centre de recherche nucleaire d' Alger (CRNA), Alger 16000 (Algeria); Sebais, M. [Laboratory of Crystallography, Department of Physics, Mentouri-Constantine University, Constantine 25000 (Algeria)

    2009-09-15

    In this work, we report the experimental results on the fabrication and optical characterization of Czochralski (Cz) grown KBr single crystals doped with CdTe crystallites. The results of the optical absorption have shown two bands, the first one located at 250 nm demonstrates the incorporation of cadmium atoms in the KBr host followed by a partial chemical decomposition of CdTe, the second band located at 585 nm shows an optical response of CdTe aggregates. Photoluminescence spectra at room temperature before annealing showed a band located at 520 nm (2.38 eV), with a blue shift from the bulk gap of 0.82 eV (E{sub g} (CdTe)=1.56 eV). While the photoluminescence spectra after annealing at 600 deg. C showed a band situated at 640 nm (1.93 eV), these bands are due to band-to-band transitions of CdTe nanocrystals with a blue shift from the bulk gap at 0.38 eV. Blue shift in optical absorption and photoluminescence spectra confirm nanometric size of dopant. X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectra have shown the incorporation of CdTe aggregates in KBr.

  13. Defining and systematic analyses of aggregation indices to evaluate degree of calcium oxalate crystal aggregation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chaiyarit, Sakdithep; Thongboonkerd, Visith

    2017-12-01

    Crystal aggregation is one of the most crucial steps in kidney stone pathogenesis. However, previous studies of crystal aggregation were rarely done and quantitative analysis of aggregation degree was handicapped by a lack of the standard measurement. We thus performed an in vitro assay to generate aggregation of calcium oxalate monohydrate (COM) crystals with various concentrations (25-800 µg/ml) in saturated aggregation buffer. The crystal aggregates were analyzed by microscopic examination, UV-visible spectrophotometry, and GraphPad Prism6 software to define a total of 12 aggregation indices (including number of aggregates, aggregated mass index, optical density, aggregation coefficient, span, number of aggregates at plateau time-point, aggregated area index, aggregated diameter index, aggregated symmetry index, time constant, half-life, and rate constant). The data showed linear correlation between crystal concentration and almost all of these indices, except only for rate constant. Among these, number of aggregates provided the greatest regression coefficient (r=0.997; pr=0.993; pr=‑0.993; pr=0.991; p<0.001 for both). These five indices are thus recommended as the most appropriate indices for quantitative analysis of COM crystal aggregation in vitro.

  14. Sustainable aggregates production : green applications for aggregate by-products.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-06-01

    Increased emphasis in the construction industry on sustainability and recycling requires production of : aggregate gradations with lower dust (cleaner aggregates) and smaller maximum sizeshence, increased : amount of quarry by-products (QBs). QBs ...

  15. Changes on aggregation in mine waste amended with biochar and marble mud

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ángeles Muñoz, María; Guzmán, Jose; Zornoza, Raúl; Moreno-Barriga, Fabián; Faz, Ángel; Lal, Rattan

    2016-04-01

    Mining activities have produced large amounts of wastes over centuries accumulated in tailing ponds in Southeast Spain. Applications of biochar may have a high potential for reclamation of degraded soils. Distribution, size and stability of aggregates are important indices of soil physical quality. However, research data on aggregation processes at amended mining tailings with biochar are scanty. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the effects of seven different treatments involving biochar and marble mud (MM) on the aggregation in mine waste (MW). Seven different treatments were tested after 90 days of incubation in the laboratory. These treatments were the mix of MW and: biochar from solid pig manure (PM), biochar from cotton crop residues (CR), biochar from municipal solid waste (MSW), marble mud (MM), PM+MM, CR+MM, MSW+MM and control without amendment. High sand percentages were identified in the MW. The biochars made from wastes (PM, CR, MSW) were obtained through pyrolysis of feedstocks. The water stability of soil aggregates was studied. The data on total aggregation were corrected for the primary particles considering the sandy texture of the MW. Moreover, partial aggregation was determined for each fraction and the mean weight diameter (MWD) of aggregates was computed. Soil bulk density and total porosity were also determined. No significant differences were observed in total aggregation and MWD among treatments including the control. For the size range of >4.75 mm, there were significant differences in aggregates > 4.75 mm between CR+MM in comparison with that for CT. There were also significant differences between MSW and PM+MM for the 1-0.425 mm fraction, and between CT and MM and CR for 0.425-0.162 mm aggregate size fractions. Therefore, CR-derived biochar applied with MM enhanced stability of macro-aggregates. Furthermore, soil bulk density was also the lowest bulk density and total porosity the highest for the CR-derived biochar

  16. Aggregation-induced chemical reactions: acid dissociation in growing water clusters.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Forbert, Harald; Masia, Marco; Kaczmarek-Kedziera, Anna; Nair, Nisanth N; Marx, Dominik

    2011-03-23

    Understanding chemical reactivity at ultracold conditions, thus enabling molecular syntheses via interstellar and atmospheric processes, is a key issue in cryochemistry. In particular, acid dissociation and proton transfer reactions are ubiquitous in aqueous microsolvation environments. Here, the full dissociation of a HCl molecule upon stepwise solvation by a small number of water molecules at low temperatures, as relevant to helium nanodroplet isolation (HENDI) spectroscopy, is analyzed in mechanistic detail. It is found that upon successive aggregation of HCl with H(2)O molecules, a series of cyclic heteromolecular structures, up to and including HCl(H(2)O)(3), are initially obtained before a precursor state for dissociation, HCl(H(2)O)(3)···H(2)O, is observed upon addition of a fourth water molecule. The latter partially aggregated structure can be viewed as an "activated species", which readily leads to dissociation of HCl and to the formation of a solvent-shared ion pair, H(3)O(+)(H(2)O)(3)Cl(-). Overall, the process is mostly downhill in potential energy, and, in addition, small remaining barriers are overcome by using kinetic energy released as a result of forming hydrogen bonds due to aggregation. The associated barrier is not ruled by thermal equilibrium but is generated by athermal non-equilibrium dynamics. These "aggregation-induced chemical reactions" are expected to be of broad relevance to chemistry at ultralow temperature much beyond HENDI spectroscopy.

  17. Conformational targeting of fibrillar polyglutamine proteins in live cells escalates aggregation and cytotoxicity.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Erik Kvam

    2009-05-01

    Full Text Available Misfolding- and aggregation-prone proteins underlying Parkinson's, Huntington's and Machado-Joseph diseases, namely alpha-synuclein, huntingtin, and ataxin-3 respectively, adopt numerous intracellular conformations during pathogenesis, including globular intermediates and insoluble amyloid-like fibrils. Such conformational diversity has complicated research into amyloid-associated intracellular dysfunction and neurodegeneration. To this end, recombinant single-chain Fv antibodies (scFvs are compelling molecular tools that can be selected against specific protein conformations, and expressed inside cells as intrabodies, for investigative and therapeutic purposes.Using atomic force microscopy (AFM and live-cell fluorescence microscopy, we report that a human scFv selected against the fibrillar form of alpha-synuclein targets isomorphic conformations of misfolded polyglutamine proteins. When expressed in the cytoplasm of striatal cells, this conformation-specific intrabody co-localizes with intracellular aggregates of misfolded ataxin-3 and a pathological fragment of huntingtin, and enhances the aggregation propensity of both disease-linked polyglutamine proteins. Using this intrabody as a tool for modulating the kinetics of amyloidogenesis, we show that escalating aggregate formation of a pathologic huntingtin fragment is not cytoprotective in striatal cells, but rather heightens oxidative stress and cell death as detected by flow cytometry. Instead, cellular protection is achieved by suppressing aggregation using a previously described intrabody that binds to the amyloidogenic N-terminus of huntingtin. Analogous cytotoxic results are observed following conformational targeting of normal or polyglutamine-expanded human ataxin-3, which partially aggregate through non-polyglutamine domains.These findings validate that the rate of aggregation modulates polyglutamine-mediated intracellular dysfunction, and caution that molecules designed to

  18. Inhibition of Platelet Aggregation by Supernates from Stored Red Blood Cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    450 μl of blood or 450 μl of platelet rich plasma (PRP) was mixed with 225 μl of supernate plus 225 μl of Tyrode’s buffer and incubated for ten... platelet counts, prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time, fibrinogen, fibrin split products, and FVIII:Rag also measured 30 minutes...RTO-MP-HFM-182 22 - 1 Inhibition of Platelet Aggregation by Supernates from Stored Red Blood Cells Dr. Steve J. McFaul, LT Frederick A

  19. Influence of Aggregate Wettability with Different Lithology Aggregates on Concrete Drying Shrinkage

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yuanchen Guo

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The correlation of the wettability of different lithology aggregates and the drying shrinkage of concrete materials is studied, and some influential factors such as wettability and wetting angle are analyzed. A mercury porosimeter is used to measure the porosities of different lithology aggregates accurately, and the pore size ranges that significantly affect the drying shrinkage of different lithology aggregate concretes are confirmed. The pore distribution curve of the different coarse aggregates is also measured through a statistical method, and the contact angle of different coarse aggregates and concrete is calculated according to the linear fitting relationship. Research shows that concrete strength is determined by aggregate strength. Aggregate wettability is not directly correlated with concrete strength, but wettability significantly affects concrete drying shrinkage. In all types’ pores, the greatest impacts on wettability are capillary pores and gel pores, especially for the pores of the size locating 2.5–50 nm and 50–100 nm two ranges.

  20. RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN SOIL MICROBIAL BIOMASS, AGGREGATE STABILITY AND AGGREGATE ASSOCIATED-C: A MECHANISTIC APPROACH

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Patrizia Guidi

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available For the identification of C pools involved in soil aggregation, a physically-based aggregate fractionation was proposed, and  additional pretreatments were used in the measurement of the 1-2 mm aggregate stability in order to elucidate the relevance of the role of soil microorganisms with respect to the different aggregate breakdown mechanisms. The study was carried out on three clay loam Regosols, developed on calcareous shales, known history of organic cultivation.Our results showed that the soil C pool controlling the process of stabilisation of aggregates was related to the microbial community. We identified the resistance to fast wetting as the major mechanism of aggregate stability driven by microorganims. The plausible hypothesis is that organic farming promotes fungi growth, improving water repellency of soil aggregates by fungal hydrophobic substances. By contrast, we failed in the identification of C pools controlling the formation of aggregates, probably because of the disturbance of mechanical tillage which contributes to the breakdown of soil aggregates.The physically-based aggregate fractionation proposed in this study resulted useful in the  mechanistically understanding of the role of microorganisms in soil aggregation and it might be suggested for studying the impact of management on C pools, aggregates properties and their relationships in agricultural soils.

  1. Demonstration of partial pitch 2-bladed wind turbine

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kim, Taeseong; Zahle, Frederik; Troldborg, Niels

    -sections on the blade as well as fully resolved rotor simulations, and finally simulations coupling HAWC2 with EllipSys3D, investigating the behaviors of the rotor at standstill, has been performed. For the WP3, the state-of-the art aeroelastic analysis tool, HAWC2, has been updated in order to consider the partial......This is the final report for the EUDP project performed from January 2012 to December 2015. The main objective for the project was to demonstrate the potential of the partial pitch two-bladed (PP-2B) technology. DTU Wind Energy took a responsibility for three workpackages (WPs) among 6 WPs which...... were aerodynamic evaluation of partial pitch technology (WP2), aeroelastic analysis of two-bladed turbine (WP3) and On-site testing (WP4). For the WP2, a comprehensive set of 3D CFD simulations including the gap between inner and outer part of the blade and vortex generators (VGs) of both cross...

  2. Binding and relaxation behavior of Coumarin-153 in lecithin-taurocholate mixed micelles: A time resolved fluorescence spectroscopic study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chakrabarty, Debdeep; Chakraborty, Anjan; Seth, Debabrata; Hazra, Partha; Sarkar, Nilmoni

    2005-09-01

    The microenvironment of the bile salt-lecithin mixed aggregates has been investigated using steady state and picosecond time resolved fluorescence spectroscopy. The steady state spectra show that the polarity of the bile salt is higher compared to lecithin vesicles or the mixed aggregates. We have observed slow solvent relaxation in bile salt micelles and lecithin vesicles. The solvation time is gradually slowed down due to gradual addition of the bile salt in lecithin vesicles. Addition of bile salt leads to the tighter head group packing in lecithin. Thus, mobility of the water molecules becomes slower and consequently the solvation time is also retarded. We have observed bimodal slow rotational relaxation time in all these systems.

  3. Influence of aggregate and supplementary cementitious materials on the properties of hydrated lime (CL90s mortars

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. Pavía

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available Hydrated lime is a historic material currently used in conservation. It hardens slowly by carbonation slowing construction however, supplementary cementitious materials accelerate hardening enhancing strength. Hydrated-lime mortars with rice husk ash–RHA-; ground granulated blastfurnace slag–GGBS- and increasing amounts of two aggregates were studied. Increasing aggregate lowered strength as interfacial zones proliferate; it lowered hygric properties and raised water demand. Aggregate content/composition didn’t affect the high water retention. For the higher aggregate contents (90 days, limestone mortars are c.20% stronger than silica mortars while the (1:1 silica sand mortars are 56% stronger in flexion. Additions increased strength with little impact on hygric properties. GGBS increased strength c.six times. RHA increased strength with little impact on hygric properties due to its great specific surface and high water-demand increasing porosity. GGBS and RHA properties ruling hydrate production and the kinetics of the pozzolanic reaction are considered partially responsible for the mortar property variation.

  4. Patterns of [PSI+] aggregation allow insights into cellular organization of yeast prion aggregates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tyedmers, Jens

    2012-01-01

    The yeast prion phenomenon is very widespread and mounting evidence suggests that it has an impact on cellular regulatory mechanisms related to phenotypic responses to changing environments. Studying the aggregation patterns of prion amyloids during different stages of the prion life cycle is a first key step to understand major principles of how and where cells generate, organize and turn-over prion aggregates. The induction of the [PSI+] state involves the actin cytoskeleton and quality control compartments such as the Insoluble Protein Deposit (IPOD). An initially unstable transitional induction state can be visualized by overexpression of the prion determinant and displays characteristic large ring- and ribbon-shaped aggregates consisting of poorly fragmented bundles of very long prion fibrils. In the mature prion state, the aggregation pattern is characterized by highly fragmented, shorter prion fibrils that form aggregates, which can be visualized through tagging with fluorescent proteins. The number of aggregates formed varies, ranging from a single large aggregate at the IPOD to multiple smaller ones, depending on several parameters discussed. Aggregate units below the resolution of light microscopy that are detectable by fluorescence correlation spectroscopy are in equilibrium with larger aggregates in this stage and can mediate faithful inheritance of the prion state. Loss of the prion state is often characterized by reduced fragmentation of prion fibrils and fewer, larger aggregates. PMID:22449721

  5. Aloe emodin, an anthroquinone from Aloe vera acts as an anti aggregatory agent to the thermally aggregated hemoglobin

    Science.gov (United States)

    Furkan, Mohammad; Alam, Md Tauqir; Rizvi, Asim; Khan, Kashan; Ali, Abad; Shamsuzzaman; Naeem, Aabgeena

    2017-05-01

    Aggregation of proteins is a physiological process which contributes to the pathophysiology of several maladies including diabetes mellitus, Huntington's and Alzheimer's disease. In this study we have reported that aloe emodin (AE), an anthroquinone, which is one of the active components of the Aloe vera plant, acts as an inhibitor of hemoglobin (Hb) aggregation. Hb was thermally aggregated at 60 °C for four days as evident by increased thioflavin T and ANS fluorescence, shifted congo red absorbance, appearance of β sheet structure, increase in turbidity and presence of oligomeric aggregates. Increasing concentration of AE partially reverses the aggregation of the model heme protein (hemoglobin). The maximum effect of AE was observed at 100 μM followed by saturation at 125 μM. The results were confirmed by UV-visible spectrometry, intrinsic fluorescence, ThT, ANS, congo red assay as well as transmission electron microscopy (TEM). These results were also supported by fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and circular dichroism (CD) which shows the disappearance of β sheet structure and appearance of α helices. This study will serve as baseline for translatory research and the development of AE based therapeutics for diseases attributed to protein aggregation.

  6. Effect of aggregate graining compositions on skid resistance of Exposed Aggregate Concrete pavement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wasilewska, Marta; Gardziejczyk, Wladysław; Gierasimiuk, Pawel

    2018-05-01

    The paper presents the evaluation of skid resistance of EAC (Exposed Aggregate Concrete) pavements which differ in aggregate graining compositions. The tests were carried out on concrete mixes with a maximum aggregate size of 8 mm. Three types of coarse aggregates were selected depending on their resistance to polishing which was determined on the basis of the PSV (Polished Stone Value). Basalt (PSV 48), gabbro (PSV 50) and trachybasalt (PSV 52) aggregates were chosen. For each type of aggregate three graining compositions were designed, which differed in the content of coarse aggregate > 4mm. Their content for each series was as follows: A - 38%, B - 50% and C - 68%. Evaluation of the skid resistance has been performed using the FAP (Friction After Polishing) test equipment also known as the Wehner/Schulze machine. Laboratory method enables to compare the skid resistance of different types of wearing course under specified conditions simulating polishing processes. In addition, macrotexture measurements were made on the surface of each specimen using the Elatexure laser profile. Analysis of variance showed that at significance level α = 0.05, aggregate graining compositions as well as the PSV have a significant influence on the obtained values of the friction coefficient μm of the tested EAC pavements. The highest values of the μm have been obtained for EAC with the lowest amount of coarse aggregates (compositions A). In these cases the resistance to polishing of the aggregate does not significantly affect the friction coefficients. This is related to the large areas of cement mortar between the exposed coarse grains. Based on the analysis of microscope images, it was observed that the coarse aggregates were not sufficiently exposed. It has been proved that PSV significantly affected the coefficient of friction in the case of compositions B and C. This is caused by large areas of exposed coarse aggregate. The best parameters were achieved for the EAC pavements

  7. Concrete produced with recycled aggregates

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J. J. L. Tenório

    Full Text Available This paper presents the analysis of the mechanical and durable properties of recycled aggregate concrete (RAC for using in concrete. The porosity of recycled coarse aggregates is known to influence the fresh and hardened concrete properties and these properties are related to the specific mass of the recycled coarse aggregates, which directly influences the mechanical properties of the concrete. The recycled aggregates were obtained from construction and demolition wastes (CDW, which were divided into recycled sand (fine and coarse aggregates. Besides this, a recycled coarse aggregate of a specific mass with a greater density was obtained by mixing the recycled aggregates of the CDW with the recycled aggregates of concrete wastes (CW. The concrete was produced in laboratory by combining three water-cement ratios, the ratios were used in agreement with NBR 6118 for structural concretes, with each recycled coarse aggregates and recycled sand or river sand, and the reference concrete was produced with natural aggregates. It was observed that recycled aggregates can be used in concrete with properties for structural concrete. In general, the use of recycled coarse aggregate in combination with recycled sand did not provide good results; but when the less porous was used, or the recycled coarse aggregate of a specific mass with a greater density, the properties of the concrete showed better results. Some RAC reached bigger strengths than the reference concrete.

  8. Evaluating Lightning-generated NOx (LNOx) Parameterization based on Cloud Top Height at Resolutions with Partially-resolved Convection for Upper Tropospheric Chemistry Studies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wong, J.; Barth, M. C.; Noone, D. C.

    2012-12-01

    Lightning-generated nitrogen oxides (LNOx) is an important precursor to tropospheric ozone production. With a meteorological time-scale variability similar to that of the ozone chemical lifetime, it can nonlinearly perturb tropospheric ozone concentration. Coupled with upper-air circulation patterns, LNOx can accumulate in significant amount in the upper troposphere with other precursors, thus enhancing ozone production (see attached figure). While LNOx emission has been included and tuned extensively in global climate models, its inclusions in regional chemistry models are seldom tested. Here we present a study that evaluates the frequently used Price and Rind parameterization based on cloud-top height at resolutions that partially resolve deep convection using the Weather Research and Forecasting model with Chemistry (WRF-Chem) over the contiguous United States. With minor modifications, the parameterization is shown to generate integrated flash counts close to those observed. However, the modeled frequency distribution of cloud-to-ground flashes do not represent well for storms with high flash rates, bringing into question the applicability of the intra-cloud/ground partitioning (IC:CG) formulation of Price and Rind in some studies. Resolution dependency also requires attention when sub-grid cloud-tops are used instead of the originally intended grid-averaged cloud-top. LNOx passive tracers being gathered by monsoonal upper tropospheric anticyclone.

  9. Charge-density-wave partial gap opening in quasi-2D KMo 6O 17 purple bronze studied by angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Valbuena, M. A.; Avila, J.; Pantin, V.; Drouard, S.; Guyot, H.; Asensio, M. C.

    2006-05-01

    Low dimensional (LD) metallic oxides have been a subject of continuous interest in the last two decades, mainly due to the electronic instabilities that they present at low temperatures. In particular, charge density waves (CDW) instabilities associated with a strong electron-phonon interaction have been found in Molybdenum metallic oxides such as KMo 6O 17 purple bronze. We report an angle resolved photoemission (ARPES) study from room temperature (RT) to T ˜40 K well below the Peierls transition temperature for this material, with CDW transition temperature TCDW ˜120 K. We have focused on photoemission spectra along ΓM high symmetry direction as well as photoemission measurements were taken as a function of temperature at one representative kF point in the Brillouin zone in order to look for the characteristic gap opening after the phase transition. We found out a pseudogap opening and a decrease in the density of states near the Fermi energy, EF, consistent with the partial removal of the nested portions of the Fermi surface (FS) at temperature below the CDW transition. In order to elucidate possible Fermi liquid (FL) or non-Fermi liquid (NFL) behaviour we have compared the ARPES data with that one reported on quasi-1D K 0.3MoO 3 blue bronze.

  10. Graph Aggregation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Endriss, U.; Grandi, U.

    Graph aggregation is the process of computing a single output graph that constitutes a good compromise between several input graphs, each provided by a different source. One needs to perform graph aggregation in a wide variety of situations, e.g., when applying a voting rule (graphs as preference

  11. p53 Aggregates penetrate cells and induce the co-aggregation of intracellular p53.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Karolyn J Forget

    Full Text Available Prion diseases are unique pathologies in which the infectious particles are prions, a protein aggregate. The prion protein has many particular features, such as spontaneous aggregation, conformation transmission to other native PrP proteins and transmission from an individual to another. Protein aggregation is now frequently associated to many human diseases, for example Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease or type 2 diabetes. A few proteins associated to these conformational diseases are part of a new category of proteins, called prionoids: proteins that share some, but not all, of the characteristics associated with prions. The p53 protein, a transcription factor that plays a major role in cancer, has recently been suggested to be a possible prionoid. The protein has been shown to accumulate in multiple cancer cell types, and its aggregation has also been reproduced in vitro by many independent groups. These observations suggest a role for p53 aggregates in cancer development. This study aims to test the «prion-like» features of p53. Our results show in vitro aggregation of the full length and N-terminally truncated protein (p53C, and penetration of these aggregates into cells. According to our findings, the aggregates enter cells using macropinocytosis, a non-specific pathway of entry. Lastly, we also show that once internalized by the cell, p53C aggregates can co-aggregate with endogenous p53 protein. Together, these findings suggest prion-like characteristics for p53 protein, based on the fact that p53 can spontaneously aggregate, these aggregates can penetrate cells and co-aggregate with cellular p53.

  12. Multilevel LMDI decomposition of changes in aggregate energy consumption. A cross country analysis in the EU-27

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fernández González, P.; Landajo, M.; Presno, M.J.

    2014-01-01

    This paper aims at analysing the factors behind the change in aggregate energy consumption in the EU-27, also identifying differences between member states. The logarithmic-mean Divisia index method (LMDI) is applied to multiplicatively decompose, at the country level, the variation in aggregate energy consumption in the EU-27 member states for the 2001–2008 period. We also analyse the sensitivity of the results when several aggregation levels are considered, with energy intensity used as the criterion to aggregate countries. This allows us to check robustness of results, also enabling an improved understanding of both inter and intra-unit effects. Results indicate that improvements in energy efficiency in the EU-27 were not enough to overcome the pressure of European economic activity on aggregate energy consumption. Mediterranean countries, and especially former communist states, increased their energy consumptions, most of them favoured by structural change. The analysis also reveals that the impact of intra-group movements on aggregate energy consumption is partially offset when moving from higher to lower aggregation levels. - Highlights: • Increase in EU-27 aggregate energy consumption is decomposed through LMDI at 3 levels. • We present the subgroup activity effect and we demonstrate its nulls consequences. • Structural and intensity group effects lose influence when moving to a higher level. • R and D, quality energies, efficient technologies, are main tools to lower energy consumption. • Structural effect: “Green” attitudes and changes in consumer choices, also necessary

  13. Information Aggregation in Organizations

    OpenAIRE

    Schulte, Elisabeth

    2006-01-01

    This dissertation contributes to the analysis of information aggregation procedures within organizations. Facing uncertainty about the consequences of a collective decision, information has to be aggregated before making a choice. Two main questions are addressed. Firstly, how well is an organization suited for the aggregation of decision-relevant information? Secondly, how should an organization be designed in order to aggregate information efficiently? The main part deals with information a...

  14. Congo red and protein aggregation in neurodegenerative diseases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Frid, Petrea; Anisimov, Sergey V; Popovic, Natalija

    2007-01-01

    Congo red is a commonly used histological dye for amyloid detection. The specificity of this staining results from Congo red's affinity for binding to fibril proteins enriched in beta-sheet conformation. Unexpectedly, recent investigations indicate that the dye also possesses the capacity to interfere with processes of protein misfolding and aggregation, stabilizing native protein monomers or partially folded intermediates, while reducing concentration of more toxic protein oligomers. Inhibitory effects of Congo red upon amyloid toxicity may also range from blockade of channel formation and interference with glycosaminoglycans binding or immune functions, to the modulation of gene expression. Particularly, Congo red exhibits ameliorative effect in models of neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Huntington's and prion diseases. Another interesting application of Congo red analogues is the development of imaging probes. Based on their small molecular size and penetrability through blood-brain barrier, Congo red congeners can be used for both antemortem and in vivo visualization and quantification of brain amyloids. Therefore, understanding mechanisms involved in dye-amyloidal fibril binding and inhibition of aggregation will provide instructive guides for the design of future compounds, potentially useful for monitoring and treating neurodegenerative diseases.

  15. Optical spectroscopy and system–bath interactions in molecular aggregates with full configuration interaction Frenkel exciton model

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Seibt, Joachim; Sláma, Vladislav; Mančal, Tomáš, E-mail: mancal@karlov.mff.cuni.cz

    2016-12-20

    Highlights: • Standard Frenkel exciton model is extended to include inter-band coupling. • It is formally linked with configuration interaction method of quantum chemistry. • Spectral shifts due to inter-band coupling are found in molecular aggregates. • Effects of peak amplitude redistribution in two-dimensional spectra are found. - Abstract: Standard application of the Frenkel exciton model neglects resonance coupling between collective molecular aggregate states with different number of excitations. These inter-band coupling terms are, however, of the same magnitude as the intra-band coupling between singly excited states. We systematically derive the Frenkel exciton model from quantum chemical considerations, and identify it as a variant of the configuration interaction method. We discuss all non-negligible couplings between collective aggregate states, and provide compact formulae for their calculation. We calculate absorption spectra of molecular aggregate of carotenoids and identify significant band shifts as a result of inter-band coupling. The presence of inter-band coupling terms requires renormalization of the system–bath coupling with respect to standard formulation, but renormalization effects are found to be weak. We present detailed discussion of molecular dimer and calculate its time-resolved two-dimensional Fourier transformed spectra to find weak but noticeable effects of peak amplitude redistribution due to inter-band coupling.

  16. A Novel Method to Quantify Soil Aggregate Stability by Measuring Aggregate Bond Energies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Efrat, Rachel; Rawlins, Barry G.; Quinton, John N.; Watts, Chris W.; Whitmore, Andy P.

    2016-04-01

    Soil aggregate stability is a key indicator of soil quality because it controls physical, biological and chemical functions important in cultivated soils. Micro-aggregates are responsible for the long term sequestration of carbon in soil, therefore determine soils role in the carbon cycle. It is thus vital that techniques to measure aggregate stability are accurate, consistent and reliable, in order to appropriately manage and monitor soil quality, and to develop our understanding and estimates of soil as a carbon store to appropriately incorporate in carbon cycle models. Practices used to assess the stability of aggregates vary in sample preparation, operational technique and unit of results. They use proxies and lack quantification. Conflicting results are therefore drawn between projects that do not provide methodological or resultant comparability. Typical modern stability tests suspend aggregates in water and monitor fragmentation upon exposure to an un-quantified amount of ultrasonic energy, utilising a laser granulometer to measure the change in mean weight diameter. In this project a novel approach has been developed based on that of Zhu et al., (2009), to accurately quantify the stability of aggregates by specifically measuring their bond energies. The bond energies are measured operating a combination of calorimetry and a high powered ultrasonic probe, with computable output function. Temperature change during sonication is monitored by an array of probes which enables calculation of the energy spent heating the system (Ph). Our novel technique suspends aggregates in heavy liquid lithium heteropolytungstate, as opposed to water, to avoid exposing aggregates to an immeasurable disruptive energy source, due to cavitation, collisions and clay swelling. Mean weight diameter is measured by a laser granulometer to monitor aggregate breakdown after successive periods of calculated ultrasonic energy input (Pi), until complete dispersion is achieved and bond

  17. Confinement of Aggregation-Induced Emission Molecular Rotors in Ultrathin Two-Dimensional Porous Organic Nanosheets for Enhanced Molecular Recognition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dong, Jinqiao; Li, Xu; Zhang, Kang; Di Yuan, Yi; Wang, Yuxiang; Zhai, Linzhi; Liu, Guoliang; Yuan, Daqiang; Jiang, Jianwen; Zhao, Dan

    2018-03-21

    Despite the rapid development of molecular rotors over the past decade, it still remains a huge challenge to understand their confined behavior in ultrathin two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials for molecular recognition. Here, we report an all-carbon, 2D π-conjugated aromatic polymer, named NUS-25, containing flexible tetraphenylethylene (TPE) units as aggregation-induced emission (AIE) molecular rotors. NUS-25 bulk powder can be easily exfoliated into micrometer-sized lamellar freestanding nanosheets with a thickness of 2-5 nm. The dynamic behavior of the TPE rotors is partially restricted through noncovalent interactions in the ultrathin 2D nanosheets, which is proved by comparative experimental studies including AIE characteristics, size-selective molecular recognition, and theoretical calculations of rotary energy barrier. Because of the partially restricted TPE rotors, NUS-25 nanosheets are highly fluorescent. This property allows NUS-25 nanosheets to be used as a chemical sensor for the specific detection of acenaphthylene among a series of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) via fluorescent quenching mechanism. Further investigations show that NUS-25 nanosheets have much higher sensitivity and selectivity than their stacked bulk powder and other similar polymers containing dynamic TPE rotors. The highly efficient molecular recognition can be attributed to the photoinduced electron transfer (PET) from NUS-25 nanosheets to acenaphthylene, which is investigated by time-resolved photoluminescence measurements (TRPL), excitation and emission spectra, and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Our findings demonstrate that confinement of AIE molecular rotors in 2D nanomaterials can enhance the molecular recognition. We anticipate that the material design strategy demonstrated in this study will inspire the development of other ultrathin 2D nanomaterials equipped with smart molecular machines for various applications.

  18. Curcumin Attenuates Amyloid-β Aggregate Toxicity and Modulates Amyloid-β Aggregation Pathway.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thapa, Arjun; Jett, Stephen D; Chi, Eva Y

    2016-01-20

    The abnormal misfolding and aggregation of amyloid-β (Aβ) peptides into β-sheet enriched insoluble deposits initiates a cascade of events leading to pathological processes and culminating in cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease (AD). In particular, soluble oligomeric/prefibrillar Aβ have been shown to be potent neurotoxins. The naturally occurring polyphenol curcumin has been shown to exert a neuroprotective effect against age-related neurodegenerative diseases such as AD. However, its protective mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the effects of curcumin on the aggregation of Aβ40 as well as Aβ40 aggregate induced neurotoxicity. Our results show that the curcumin does not inhibit Aβ fibril formation, but rather enriches the population of "off-pathway" soluble oligomers and prefibrillar aggregates that were nontoxic. Curcumin also exerted a nonspecific neuroprotective effect, reducing toxicities induced by a range of Aβ conformers, including monomeric, oligomeric, prefibrillar, and fibrillar Aβ. The neuroprotective effect is possibly membrane-mediated, as curcumin reduced the extent of cell membrane permeabilization induced by Aβ aggregates. Taken together, our study shows that curcumin exerts its neuroprotective effect against Aβ induced toxicity through at least two concerted pathways, modifying the Aβ aggregation pathway toward the formation of nontoxic aggregates and ameliorating Aβ-induced toxicity possibly through a nonspecific pathway.

  19. Recycled aggregates concrete: aggregate and mix properties

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    González-Fonteboa, B.

    2005-09-01

    Full Text Available This study of structural concrete made with recycled concrete aggregate focuses on two issues: 1. The characterization of such aggregate on the Spanish market. This involved conducting standard tests to determine density, water absorption, grading, shape, flakiness and hardness. The results obtained show that, despite the considerable differences with respect to density and water absorption between these and natural aggregates, on the whole recycled aggregate is apt for use in concrete production. 2. Testing to determine the values of basic concrete properties: mix design parameters were established for structural concrete in non-aggressive environments. These parameters were used to produce conventional concrete, and then adjusted to manufacture recycled concrete aggregate (RCA concrete, in which 50% of the coarse aggregate was replaced by the recycled material. Tests were conducted to determine the physical (density of the fresh and hardened material, water absorption and mechanical (compressive strength, splitting tensile strength and modulus of elasticity properties. The results showed that, from the standpoint of its physical and mechanical properties, concrete in which RCA accounted for 50% of the coarse aggregate compared favourably to conventional concrete.

    Se aborda el estudio de hormigones estructurales fabricados con áridos reciclados procedentes de hormigón, incidiéndose en dos aspectos: 1. Caracterización de tales áridos, procedentes del mercado español. Para ello se llevan a cabo ensayos de densidad, absorción, granulometría, coeficiente de forma, índice de lajas y dureza. Los resultados obtenidos han puesto de manifiesto que, a pesar de que existen diferencias notables (sobre todo en cuanto a densidad y absorción con los áridos naturales, las características de los áridos hacen posible la fabricación de hormigones. 2. Ensayos sobre propiedades básicas de los hormigones: se establecen parámetros de dosificaci

  20. Towards General Temporal Aggregation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Boehlen, Michael H.; Gamper, Johann; Jensen, Christian Søndergaard

    2008-01-01

    associated with the management of temporal data. Indeed, temporal aggregation is complex and among the most difficult, and thus interesting, temporal functionality to support. This paper presents a general framework for temporal aggregation that accommodates existing kinds of aggregation, and it identifies...

  1. Evaluation of using crushed brick as coarse aggregate in concrete layer within rigid highway pavement

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alwash Ali

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Most of the present studies related to the field of highway pavement construction technique tend to make use of the local available materials as substitutes for the imported and necessary materials for some of the practical application. For this reason this research aims at looking for the prospect of used locally available aggregate such as crushed clay bricks for the aim of producing proper concrete with suitable thermal and mechanical properties. Experimental investigations have been carried out to asses the effect of partial replacement of coarse aggregate by free manually crushed Brick with percentages (10, 20, 30 and 40% of virgin coarse aggregate in concrete mix for highway rigid pavement. While the percentage (0% replacement represent reference mix. Mix proportion based on the target of compressive strength for all replacement percentage of (33 MPa at (28 days to achieve AASHTO requirement for highway concrete rigid pavement .The results of flexural strength, modulus of elasticity, density and thermal conductivity refers to better performance (less thickness of concrete layer with large spacing between contraction or expansion joints and less stresses due to warping induced concrete layer for concrete mix with 20% crushed brick as replacement of coarse aggregate.

  2. Controlled family study of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa: evidence of shared liability and transmission of partial syndromes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Strober, M; Freeman, R; Lampert, C; Diamond, J; Kaye, W

    2000-03-01

    Lifetime rates of full and partial anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa were determined in first-degree relatives of diagnostically pure proband groups and relatives of matched, never-ill comparison subjects. Rates of each eating disorder were obtained for 1,831 relatives of 504 probands on the basis of personal structured clinical interviews and family history. Best-estimate diagnoses based on all available information were rendered without knowledge of proband status and pedigree identity. Only definite and probable diagnoses were considered. Whereas anorexia nervosa was rare in families of the comparison subjects, full and partial syndromes of anorexia nervosa aggregated in female relatives of both anorexic and bulimic probands. For the full syndrome of anorexia nervosa, the relative risks were 11.3 and 12.3 in female relatives of anorexic and bulimic probands, respectively. Bulimia nervosa was more common than anorexia nervosa in female relatives of comparison subjects, but it, too, aggregated in the families of ill probands; the corresponding relative risks for bulimia nervosa were 4.2 and 4.4 for female relatives of anorexic and bulimic probands, respectively. When partial syndromes of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa were considered, relative risks fell by one-half in each group of ill probands. Both anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are familial. Their cross-transmission in families suggests a common, or shared, familial diathesis. The additional observation that familial aggregation and cross-transmission extend to milder phenotypes suggests the validity of their inclusion in a continuum of familial liability.

  3. Evaluation of articulation of Turkish phonemes after removable partial denture application

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Özbeki Murat

    2003-01-01

    Full Text Available In this study, the adaptation of patients to removable partial dentures was evaluated related to articulation of Turkish phonemes. Articulation of /t,d,n,l,r/, /g,k/, /b,p,m/ and /s,z,Õ,v,f,y,j,h,c/ phonemes were evaluated by three speech pathologists, on records taken from 15 patients before the insertion of a removable partial denture, just after insertion, and one week later. The test consisted of evaluation of phoneme articulation of independent syllables in terms of distortion, omission, substitution, mass effect, hypernasality and hyponasality. Data were evaluated with Cochrane Q, McNemar and Kruskal-Wallis tests. The results showed that for some phonemes, problems in articulation occurred after the insertion of a removable partial denture while for others a significant amelioration was observed after the insertion of a removable partial denture. In general, problems in articulation of evaluated phonemes were resolved after one week of use.

  4. Visualizing the quality of partially accruing data for use in decision making.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eaton, Julia; Painter, Ian; Olson, Don; Lober, William B

    2015-01-01

    Secondary use of clinical health data for near real-time public health surveillance presents challenges surrounding its utility due to data quality issues. Data used for real-time surveillance must be timely, accurate and complete if it is to be useful; if incomplete data are used for surveillance, understanding the structure of the incompleteness is necessary. Such data are commonly aggregated due to privacy concerns. The Distribute project was a near real-time influenza-like-illness (ILI) surveillance system that relied on aggregated secondary clinical health data. The goal of this work is to disseminate the data quality tools developed to gain insight into the data quality problems associated with these data. These tools apply in general to any system where aggregate data are accrued over time and were created through the end-user-as-developer paradigm. Each tool was developed during the exploratory analysis to gain insight into structural aspects of data quality. Our key finding is that data quality of partially accruing data must be studied in the context of accrual lag-the difference between the time an event occurs and the time data for that event are received, i.e. the time at which data become available to the surveillance system. Our visualization methods therefore revolve around visualizing dimensions of data quality affected by accrual lag, in particular the tradeoff between timeliness and completion, and the effects of accrual lag on accuracy. Accounting for accrual lag in partially accruing data is necessary to avoid misleading or biased conclusions about trends in indicator values and data quality.

  5. Proteins aggregation and human diseases

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hu, Chin-Kun

    2015-01-01

    Many human diseases and the death of most supercentenarians are related to protein aggregation. Neurodegenerative diseases include Alzheimer's disease (AD), Huntington's disease (HD), Parkinson's disease (PD), frontotemporallobar degeneration, etc. Such diseases are due to progressive loss of structure or function of neurons caused by protein aggregation. For example, AD is considered to be related to aggregation of Aβ40 (peptide with 40 amino acids) and Aβ42 (peptide with 42 amino acids) and HD is considered to be related to aggregation of polyQ (polyglutamine) peptides. In this paper, we briefly review our recent discovery of key factors for protein aggregation. We used a lattice model to study the aggregation rates of proteins and found that the probability for a protein sequence to appear in the conformation of the aggregated state can be used to determine the temperature at which proteins can aggregate most quickly. We used molecular dynamics and simple models of polymer chains to study relaxation and aggregation of proteins under various conditions and found that when the bending-angle dependent and torsion-angle dependent interactions are zero or very small, then protein chains tend to aggregate at lower temperatures. All atom models were used to identify a key peptide chain for the aggregation of insulin chains and to find that two polyQ chains prefer anti-parallel conformation. It is pointed out that in many cases, protein aggregation does not result from protein mis-folding. A potential drug from Chinese medicine was found for Alzheimer's disease. (paper)

  6. Proteins aggregation and human diseases

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Chin-Kun

    2015-04-01

    Many human diseases and the death of most supercentenarians are related to protein aggregation. Neurodegenerative diseases include Alzheimer's disease (AD), Huntington's disease (HD), Parkinson's disease (PD), frontotemporallobar degeneration, etc. Such diseases are due to progressive loss of structure or function of neurons caused by protein aggregation. For example, AD is considered to be related to aggregation of Aβ40 (peptide with 40 amino acids) and Aβ42 (peptide with 42 amino acids) and HD is considered to be related to aggregation of polyQ (polyglutamine) peptides. In this paper, we briefly review our recent discovery of key factors for protein aggregation. We used a lattice model to study the aggregation rates of proteins and found that the probability for a protein sequence to appear in the conformation of the aggregated state can be used to determine the temperature at which proteins can aggregate most quickly. We used molecular dynamics and simple models of polymer chains to study relaxation and aggregation of proteins under various conditions and found that when the bending-angle dependent and torsion-angle dependent interactions are zero or very small, then protein chains tend to aggregate at lower temperatures. All atom models were used to identify a key peptide chain for the aggregation of insulin chains and to find that two polyQ chains prefer anti-parallel conformation. It is pointed out that in many cases, protein aggregation does not result from protein mis-folding. A potential drug from Chinese medicine was found for Alzheimer's disease.

  7. Experimental Study of Self-Compacting Mortar Incorporating Recycled Glass Aggregate

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Awetehagn Tuaum

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available This experimental research is focused on the development of self-compacting mortar incorporating recycled glass aggregate (SCM-RGA as partial substitution of fine aggregate (wt 0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40% and 50%. The fresh and hardened mechanical properties as well as durability of SCM-RGA mixes were investigated. Limestone powder (LP was used as filler that constitutes 20% of the powder volume to reduce the amount of cement. The SCM-RGA mixtures were designed based on Japanese mix design method. The experimental test results showed that the slump flow of SCM-RGA mixes decreased and V-funnel flow time increased when the content of recycled glass aggregate (RGA increased. The bulk density, compressive strength, flexural strength, water absorption and sorptivity of SCM-RGA mixes were decreased as RGA content increased. Moreover, the accelerated mortar bar test results showed that the expansion due to alkali–silica reaction (ASR of SCM-RGA mixes increased as the content of RGA increased although the expansion of all mixes were within acceptable limit and potentially innocuous. In conclusion, up to 30% of RGA can be successfully integrated in SCM mixes that offers comparable strength performance, sorptivity enhancement and without long term detrimental ASR effect, and thus, contributes towards sustainable solid waste management, conservation of natural resources and environmental protection.

  8. Dynamic Control of Plasmon-Exciton Coupling in Au Nanodisk–J-Aggregate Hybrid Nanostructure Arrays

    KAUST Repository

    Zheng, Yue Bing; Juluri, Bala Krishna; Jensen, Linlin; Jensen, Lasse; Huang, Tony Jun

    2009-01-01

    We report the dynamic control of plasmon-exciton coupling in Au nanodisk arrays adsorbed with J-aggregate molecules by incident angle of light. The angle-resolved spectra of an array of bare Au nanodisks exhibit continuous shifting of localized surface plasmon resonances. This characteristic enables the production of real-time, controllable spectral overlaps between molecular and plasmonic resonances, and the efficient measurement of plasmon-exciton coupling as a function of wavelength with one or fewer nanodisk arrays. Experimental observations of varying plasmon-exciton coupling match with coupled dipole approximation calculations.

  9. Dansyl-labeled cholic acid as a tool to build speciation diagrams for the aggregation of bile acids.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gomez-Mendoza, Miguel; Marin, M Luisa; Miranda, Miguel A

    2012-12-27

    Bile acids (BAs) are a family of natural steroids biosynthesized from cholesterol in the liver that tend to form aggregates in solution. A fluorescent derivative of cholic acid, namely 3α-Dns-ChA, was employed as a reporter to establish the speciation diagrams of the most abundant BAs that can be found mainly in three microenvironments, solution, and primary and secondary aggregates. The developed methodology is based on the analysis of the combined steady-state and time-resolved experiments performed on 3α-Dns-ChA whose emission behavior was found to be strongly medium dependent. In particular, speciation diagrams of sodium glycocholate (NaGCh), sodium taurocholate (NaTCh), sodium chenodeoxycholate (NaCDCh), sodium glycochenodeoxycholate (NaGCDCh), sodium deoxycholate (NaDCh), and sodium ursodeoxycholate (NaUDCh) were successfully built up.

  10. EBV+ HHV-8+ Multicentric Castleman Disease With Plasmablastic Aggregates in an HIV+ Man: An Evolving Clinicopathologic Entity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shivane, Aditya; Pearce, Amy; Khatib, Nadia; Smith, Mark E F

    2018-06-01

    We report a case of EBV+ and HHV-8+ multicentric Castleman disease with plasmablastic aggregates in an HIV-positive individual. A 41-year-old man presented in early 2015 with fevers, sweats, weight loss, intractable itching, and on subsequent testing was found to be HIV positive. Investigations showed cervical lymphadenopathy and splenomegaly. He was treated for HIV and his symptoms resolved. His symptoms recurred in January 2016, and a provisional diagnosis of multicentric Castleman disease was entertained. The HHV-8 (human herpesvirus-8) and EBV (Epstein-Barr virus) viral load was elevated. A left supraclavicular lymph node core biopsy was performed, which showed features of multicentric Castleman disease with plasmablastic aggregates that are EBV (EBER) and HHV-8 positive. He responded well to rituximab treatment and remains well with no symptoms at recent follow-up.

  11. Denitrification in Soil Aggregate Analogues-Effect of Aggregate Size and Oxygen Diffusion

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Steffen Schlüter

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Soil-borne nitrous oxide (N2O emissions have a high spatial and temporal variability which is commonly attributed to the occurrence of hotspots and hot moments for microbial activity in aggregated soil. Yet there is only limited information about the biophysical processes that regulate the production and consumption of N2O on microscopic scales in undisturbed soil. In this study, we introduce an experimental framework relying on simplified porous media that circumvents some of the complexities occuring in natural soils while fully accounting for physical constraints believed to control microbial activity in general and denitrification in particular. We used this framework to explore the impact of aggregate size and external oxygen concentration on the kinetics of O2 consumption, as well as CO2 and N2O production. Model aggregates of different sizes (3.5 vs. 7 mm diameter composed of porous, sintered glass were saturated with a defined growth medium containing roughly 109 cells ml−1 of the facultative anaerobic, nosZ-deficient denitrifier Agrobacterium tumefaciens with N2O as final denitrification product and incubated at five different oxygen levels (0–13 vol-%. We demonstrate that the onset of denitrification depends on the amount of external oxygen and the size of aggregates. Smaller aggregates were better supplied with oxygen due to a larger surface-to-volume ratio, which resulted in faster growth and an earlier onset of denitrification. In larger aggregates, the onset of denitrification was more gradual, but with comparably higher N2O production rates once the anoxic aggregate centers were fully developed. The normalized electron flow from the reduced carbon substrate to N-oxyanions (edenit-/etotal- ratio could be solely described as a function of initial oxygen concentration in the headspace with a simple, hyperbolic model, for which the two empirical parameters changed with aggregate size in a consistent way. These findings confirm the

  12. Leibniz's theory of bodies: monadic aggregates, phenomena, or both?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christina Schneider

    2001-12-01

    Full Text Available Leibniz's conception of bodies seems to be a puzzling theory. Bodies are seen as aggregates of monads and as wellfounded phenomena. This has initiated controversy and unending discussions. The paper attempts to resolve the apparent inconsistencies by a new and formally spirited reconstruction of Leibniz's theory of monads and perception, on the one hand, and a (re-formulation and precisation of his concept of preestablished harmony, on the other hand. Preestablished harmony is modelled basically as a covariation between the monadic and the ideal realm.A concepção leibniziana dos corpos parece ser uma teoria enigmática. Corpos são vistos como agregados de mônadas e como fenômenos bem fundados. Isso deu origem a controvérsias e a discussões intermináveis. Este artigo tenta resolver as aparentes inconsistências por meio de uma reconstrução nova e formalmente inspirada da teoria da Leibniz das mônadas e da percepção, por um lado, e uma (reformulação mais precisa de seu conceito de harmonia pré-estabelecida, por outro lado. A harmonia pré-estabelecida é modelada basicamente como uma covariação entre o reino monádico e ideal.

  13. Effect of the Aggregate Size on Strength Properties of Recycled Aggregate Concrete

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ma Kang

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available The study on preparation technology of recycled concrete with economical and technical feasibility has gained more serious attention in each country due to its involvement and effect on the environment protection and the sustainable development of human society. In this study, we conducted a control variable test to investigate and assess the influence of the aggregate size on the strength characteristics of concrete with different diameters of recycled aggregates. Concrete with recycled aggregates of 5∼15 mm (A, 15∼20 mm (B, 20∼30 mm (C, and their combinations were subjected to a series of unconfined pressure tests after curing for 28 days. Based on the results obtained from the tests, an effort was made to study the relationship between the mechanical characteristics of recycled aggregate concrete and aggregate particle size. Also, a regression model of recycled concrete was proposed to predict the elasticity modulus and to adjust the design of mixture proportion. It is believed that these experiment results would contribute to adjust the remediation mixture for recycling plants by considering the influence of recycled aggregate size.

  14. Oil-Price Shocks: Beyond Standard Aggregate Demand/Aggregate Supply Analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elwood, S. Kirk

    2001-01-01

    Explores the problems of portraying oil-price shocks using the aggregate demand/aggregate supply model. Presents a simple modification of the model that differentiates between production and absorption of goods, which enables it to better reflect the effects of oil-price shocks on open economies. (RLH)

  15. Charge-density-wave partial gap opening in quasi-2D KMo6O17 purple bronze studied by angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Valbuena, M.A.; Avila, J.; Pantin, V.; Drouard, S.; Guyot, H.; Asensio, M.C.

    2006-01-01

    Low dimensional (LD) metallic oxides have been a subject of continuous interest in the last two decades, mainly due to the electronic instabilities that they present at low temperatures. In particular, charge density waves (CDW) instabilities associated with a strong electron-phonon interaction have been found in Molybdenum metallic oxides such as KMo 6 O 17 purple bronze. We report an angle resolved photoemission (ARPES) study from room temperature (RT) to T ∼40 K well below the Peierls transition temperature for this material, with CDW transition temperature T CDW ∼120 K. We have focused on photoemission spectra along ΓM high symmetry direction as well as photoemission measurements were taken as a function of temperature at one representative k F point in the Brillouin zone in order to look for the characteristic gap opening after the phase transition. We found out a pseudogap opening and a decrease in the density of states near the Fermi energy, E F , consistent with the partial removal of the nested portions of the Fermi surface (FS) at temperature below the CDW transition. In order to elucidate possible Fermi liquid (FL) or non-Fermi liquid (NFL) behaviour we have compared the ARPES data with that one reported on quasi-1D K 0.3 MoO 3 blue bronze

  16. Photo-induced reorganization of molecular packing of amphi-PIC J-aggregates (single J-aggregate spectroscopy)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Malyukin, Yu.V.; Sorokin, A.V.; Yefimova, S.L.; Lebedenko, A.N.

    2005-01-01

    Confocal luminescence microscopy has been used to excite and collect luminescence from single amphi-PIC J-aggregate. Two types of J-aggregates have been revealed in the luminescence image: bead-like J-aggregates, which diameter is less than 1 μm and rod-like ones, which length is about 3 μm and diameter is less than 1 μm. It has been found that single rod-like and bead-like J-aggregates exhibit different luminescence bands with different decay parameters. At the off-resonance blue tail excitation, the J-aggregate exciton luminescence disappeared within a certain time period and a new band appeared, which cannot be attributed to the monomer emission. The luminescence image shows that the J-aggregate is not destroyed. However, J-aggregate storage in darkness does not recover its exciton luminescence

  17. Studies on recycled aggregates-based concrete.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rakshvir, Major; Barai, Sudhirkumar V

    2006-06-01

    Reduced extraction of raw materials, reduced transportation cost, improved profits, reduced environmental impact and fast-depleting reserves of conventional natural aggregates has necessitated the use of recycling, in order to be able to conserve conventional natural aggregate. In this study various physical and mechanical properties of recycled concrete aggregates were examined. Recycled concrete aggregates are different from natural aggregates and concrete made from them has specific properties. The percentages of recycled concrete aggregates were varied and it was observed that properties such as compressive strength showed a decrease of up to 10% as the percentage of recycled concrete aggregates increased. Water absorption of recycled aggregates was found to be greater than natural aggregates, and this needs to be compensated during mix design.

  18. Heated probe diagnostic inside of the gas aggregation nanocluster source

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kolpakova, Anna; Shelemin, Artem; Kousal, Jaroslav; Kudrna, Pavel; Tichy, Milan; Biederman, Hynek; Surface; Plasma Science Team

    2016-09-01

    Gas aggregation cluster sources (GAS) usually operate outside common working conditions of most magnetrons and the size of nanoparticles created in GAS is below that commonly studied in dusty plasmas. Therefore, experimental data obtained inside the GAS are important for better understanding of process of nanoparticles formation. In order to study the conditions inside the gas aggregation chamber, special ``diagnostic GAS'' has been constructed. It allows simultaneous monitoring (or spatial profiling) by means of optical emission spectroscopy, mass spectrometry and probe diagnostic. Data obtained from Langmuir and heated probes map the plasma parameters in two dimensions - radial and axial. Titanium has been studied as an example of metal for which the reactive gas in the chamber starts nanoparticles production. Three basic situations were investigated: sputtering from clean titanium target in argon, sputtering from partially pre-oxidized target and sputtering with oxygen introduced into the discharge. It was found that during formation of nanoparticles the plasma parameters differ strongly from the situation without nanoparticles. These experimental data will support the efforts of more realistic modeling of the process. Czech Science Foundation 15-00863S.

  19. Constraints on nanomaterial structure from experiment and theory: reconciling partial representations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mlinar, Vladan

    2015-01-01

    To facilitate the design and optimization of nanomaterials for a given application it is necessary to understand the relationship between structure and physical properties. For large nanomaterials, there is imprecise structural information so the full structure is only resolved at the level of partial representations. Here we show how to reconcile partial structural representations using constraints from structural characterization measurements and theory to maximally exploit the limited amount of data available from experiment. We determine a range of parameter space where predictive theory can be used to design and optimize the structure. Using an example of variation of chemical composition profile across the interface of two nanomaterials, we demonstrate how, given experimental and theoretical constraints, to find a region of structure-parameter space within which computationally explored partial representations of the full structure will have observable real-world counterparts. (paper)

  20. Effect of Coating Palm Oil Clinker Aggregate on the Engineering Properties of Normal Grade Concrete

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fuad Abutaha

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Palm oil clinker (POC is a waste material generated in large quantities from the palm oil industry. POC, when crushed, possesses the potential to serve as an aggregate for concrete production. Experimental investigation on the engineering properties of concrete incorporating POC as aggregate and filler material was carried out in this study. POC was partially and fully used to replace natural coarse aggregate. The volumetric replacements used were 0%, 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, and 100%. POC, being highly porous, negatively affected the fresh and hardened concrete properties. Therefore, the particle-packing (PP method was adopted to measure the surface and inner voids of POC coarse aggregate in the mixtures at different substitution levels. In order to enhance the engineering properties of the POC concrete, palm oil clinker powder (POCP was used as a filler material to fill up and coat the surface voids of POC coarse, while the rest of the mix constituents were left as the same. Fresh and hardened properties of the POC concrete with and without coating were determined, and the results were compared with the control concrete. The results revealed that coating the surface voids of POC coarse with POCP significantly improved the engineering properties as well as the durability performance of the POC concrete. Furthermore, using POC as an aggregate and filler material may reduce the continuous exploitation of aggregates from primary sources. Also, this approach offers an environmental friendly solution to the ongoing waste problems associated with palm oil waste material.

  1. An exact approach for aggregated formulations

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gamst, Mette; Spoorendonk, Simon; Røpke, Stefan

    Aggregating formulations is a powerful approach for problems to take on tractable forms. Aggregation may lead to loss of information, i.e. the aggregated formulation may be an approximation of the original problem. In branch-and-bound context, aggregation can also complicate branching, e.g. when...... optimality cannot be guaranteed by branching on aggregated variables. We present a generic exact solution method to remedy the drawbacks of aggregation. It combines the original and aggregated formulations and applies Benders' decomposition. We apply the method to the Split Delivery Vehicle Routing Problem....

  2. Protein aggregate turbidity: Simulation of turbidity profiles for mixed-aggregation reactions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hall, Damien; Zhao, Ran; Dehlsen, Ian; Bloomfield, Nathaniel; Williams, Steven R; Arisaka, Fumio; Goto, Yuji; Carver, John A

    2016-04-01

    Due to their colloidal nature, all protein aggregates scatter light in the visible wavelength region when formed in aqueous solution. This phenomenon makes solution turbidity, a quantity proportional to the relative loss in forward intensity of scattered light, a convenient method for monitoring protein aggregation in biochemical assays. Although turbidity is often taken to be a linear descriptor of the progress of aggregation reactions, this assumption is usually made without performing the necessary checks to provide it with a firm underlying basis. In this article, we outline utilitarian methods for simulating the turbidity generated by homogeneous and mixed-protein aggregation reactions containing fibrous, amorphous, and crystalline structures. The approach is based on a combination of Rayleigh-Gans-Debye theory and approximate forms of the Mie scattering equations. Crown Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Aggregates from mineral wastes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Baic Ireneusz

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The problem concerning the growing demand for natural aggregates and the need to limit costs, including transportation from remote deposits, cause the increase in growth of interest in aggregates from mineral wastes as well as in technologies of their production and recovery. The paper presents the issue related to the group of aggregates other than natural. A common name is proposed for such material: “alternative aggregates”. The name seems to be fully justified due to adequacy of this term because of this raw materials origin and role, in comparison to the meaning of natural aggregates based on gravel and sand as well as crushed stones. The paper presents characteristics of the market and basic application of aggregates produced from mineral wastes, generated in the mining, power and metallurgical industries as well as material from demolished objects.

  4. Non-invasive localization of organic matter in soil aggregates using SR-μCT

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peth, Stephan; Mordhorst, Anneka; Chenu, Claire; Uteau Puschmann, Daniel; Garnier, Patricia; Nunan, Naoise; Pot, Valerie; Beckmann, Felix; Ogurreck, Malte

    2014-05-01

    Knowledge of the location of soil organic matter (SOM) and its spatial association to soil structure is an important step in improving modeling approaches for simulating organic matter turnover processes. Advanced models for carbon mineralization are able to account for the 3D distribution of SOM which is assumed to influence mineralisation. However, their application is still limited by the fact that no method exists to non-invasively determine the 3D spatial distribution of SOM in structured soils. SR-based X-ray microtomography (SR-µCT) is an advanced and promising tool in gaining knowledge on the 3-dimensional organization of soil phases (minerals, organic matter, water, air) which on a voxel level could be implemented into spatially explicit models. However, since the contrast of linear attenuation coefficients of soil organic matter on the one hand and mineral components and water on the other hand are relatively low, especially when materials are finely dispersed, organic matter within the soil pore space is often not resolved in ordinary X-ray absorption contrast imaging. To circumvent this problem we have developed a staining procedure for organic matter using Osmium-tetroxide since Osmium is an element with an absorption edge at a higher X-ray energy level. Osmium is known from transmission electron microscopy analysis (TEM) to stain organic matter specifically and irreversibly while having an absorption edge at approximately 74 keV. We report on the application of a novel Osmium vapor staining method to analyze differences in organic matter content and identify small scale spatial distribution of SOM in soil aggregates. To achieve this we have taken soil aggregate samples (6-8 mm across) obtained from arable soils differing in soil management. Aggregate samples were investigated by synchrotron-based X-ray microtomography (SR-µCT) after staining the sample with Osmium-tetroxide (OsO4) vapor. We utilized the monochromatic X-ray beam to locate osmium

  5. Aggregated Computational Toxicology Online Resource

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — Aggregated Computational Toxicology Online Resource (AcTOR) is EPA's online aggregator of all the public sources of chemical toxicity data. ACToR aggregates data...

  6. Aggregation and pH-temperature phase behavior for aggregates of an IgG2 antibody.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sahin, Erinc; Weiss, William F; Kroetsch, Andrew M; King, Kevin R; Kessler, R Kendall; Das, Tapan K; Roberts, Christopher J

    2012-05-01

    Monomer unfolding and thermally accelerated aggregation kinetics to produce soluble oligomers or insoluble macroscopic aggregates were characterized as a function of pH for an IgG2 antibody using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and size-exclusion chromatography (SEC). Aggregate size was quantified via laser light scattering, and aggregate solubility via turbidity and visual inspection. Interestingly, nonnative oligomers were soluble at pH 5.5 above approximately 15°C, but converted reversibly to visible/insoluble particles at lower temperatures. Lower pH values yielded only soluble aggregates, whereas higher pH resulted in insoluble aggregates, regardless of the solution temperature. Unlike the growing body of literature that supports the three-endotherm model of IgG1 unfolding in DSC, the results here also illustrate limitations of that model for other monoclonal antibodies. Comparison of DSC with monomer loss (via SEC) from samples during thermal scanning indicates that the least conformationally stable domain is not the most aggregation prone, and that a number of the domains remain intact within the constituent monomers of the resulting aggregates. This highlights continued challenges with predicting a priori which domain(s) or thermal transition(s) is(are) most relevant for product stability with respect to aggregation. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  7. Healthcare Teams Neurodynamically Reorganize When Resolving Uncertainty

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ronald Stevens

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available Research on the microscale neural dynamics of social interactions has yet to be translated into improvements in the assembly, training and evaluation of teams. This is partially due to the scale of neural involvements in team activities, spanning the millisecond oscillations in individual brains to the minutes/hours performance behaviors of the team. We have used intermediate neurodynamic representations to show that healthcare teams enter persistent (50–100 s neurodynamic states when they encounter and resolve uncertainty while managing simulated patients. Each of the second symbols was developed situating the electroencephalogram (EEG power of each team member in the contexts of those of other team members and the task. These representations were acquired from EEG headsets with 19 recording electrodes for each of the 1–40 Hz frequencies. Estimates of the information in each symbol stream were calculated from a 60 s moving window of Shannon entropy that was updated each second, providing a quantitative neurodynamic history of the team’s performance. Neurodynamic organizations fluctuated with the task demands with increased organization (i.e., lower entropy occurring when the team needed to resolve uncertainty. These results show that intermediate neurodynamic representations can provide a quantitative bridge between the micro and macro scales of teamwork.

  8. The Utilisation of Shredded PET as Aggregate Replacement for Interlocking Concrete Block

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mokhtar, M.; Kaamin, M.; Sahat, S.; Hamid, N. B.

    2018-03-01

    The consumption of plastic has grown substantially all over the world in recent years and this has created huge quantities of plastic-based waste. Plastic waste is now a serious environmental threat to the modern way of living, although steps were taken to reduce its consumption. This creates substantial garbage every day, which is much unhealthy. Plastic bottles such as Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) was use as the partially component in this making of interlocking blocks concrete. This project investigates the strength and workability of the interlocking block concrete by replacing course aggregate with % PET. The suitability of recycled plastics (PET) as course aggregate in interlocking block concrete and its advantages are discussed here. Moreover, there were more benefits when using interlocking block than using conventional block such as it easy for construction because they are aligning, easy to place, high speed stacking and they offer more resistance to shear and buildings would be even stronger. Based on the test perform, the failure parameter were discussed .From the compressive strength test result, it shows that the strength of concrete block decreased with increased of PET used. From the results, it shows that higher compressive strength was found with 5% natural course aggregate replaced with PET compared to other percentages.

  9. Clinical prediction in defined populations: a simulation study investigating when and how to aggregate existing models

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Glen P. Martin

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Clinical prediction models (CPMs are increasingly deployed to support healthcare decisions but they are derived inconsistently, in part due to limited data. An emerging alternative is to aggregate existing CPMs developed for similar settings and outcomes. This simulation study aimed to investigate the impact of between-population-heterogeneity and sample size on aggregating existing CPMs in a defined population, compared with developing a model de novo. Methods Simulations were designed to mimic a scenario in which multiple CPMs for a binary outcome had been derived in distinct, heterogeneous populations, with potentially different predictors available in each. We then generated a new ‘local’ population and compared the performance of CPMs developed for this population by aggregation, using stacked regression, principal component analysis or partial least squares, with redevelopment from scratch using backwards selection and penalised regression. Results While redevelopment approaches resulted in models that were miscalibrated for local datasets of less than 500 observations, model aggregation methods were well calibrated across all simulation scenarios. When the size of local data was less than 1000 observations and between-population-heterogeneity was small, aggregating existing CPMs gave better discrimination and had the lowest mean square error in the predicted risks compared with deriving a new model. Conversely, given greater than 1000 observations and significant between-population-heterogeneity, then redevelopment outperformed the aggregation approaches. In all other scenarios, both aggregation and de novo derivation resulted in similar predictive performance. Conclusion This study demonstrates a pragmatic approach to contextualising CPMs to defined populations. When aiming to develop models in defined populations, modellers should consider existing CPMs, with aggregation approaches being a suitable modelling

  10. Embryo aggregation does not improve the development of interspecies somatic cell nuclear transfer embryos in the horse.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gambini, Andrés; De Stéfano, Adrián; Jarazo, Javier; Buemo, Carla; Karlanian, Florencia; Salamone, Daniel Felipe

    2016-09-01

    The low efficiency of interspecies somatic cell nuclear transfer (iSCNT) makes it necessary to investigate new strategies to improve embryonic developmental competence. Embryo aggregation has been successfully applied to improve cloning efficiency in mammals, but it remains unclear whether it could also be beneficial for iSCNT. In this study, we first compared the effect of embryo aggregation over in vitro development and blastocyst quality of porcine, bovine, and feline zona-free (ZF) parthenogenetic (PA) embryos to test the effects of embryo aggregation on species that were later used as enucleated oocytes donors in our iSCNT study. We then assessed whether embryo aggregation could improve the in vitro development of ZF equine iSCNT embryos after reconstruction with porcine, bovine, and feline ooplasm. Bovine- and porcine-aggregated PA blastocysts had significantly larger diameters compared with nonaggregated embryos. On the other hand, feline- and bovine-aggregated PA embryos had higher blastocyst cell number. Embryo aggregation of equine-equine SCNT was found to be beneficial for embryo development as we have previously reported, but the aggregation of three ZF reconstructed embryos did not improve embryo developmental rates on iSCNT. In vitro embryo development of nonaggregated iSCNT was predominantly arrested around the stage when transcriptional activation of the embryonic genome is reported to start on the embryo of the donor species. Nevertheless, independent of embryo aggregation, equine blastocyst-like structures could be obtained in our study using domestic feline-enucleated oocytes. Taken together, these results reported that embryo aggregation enhance in vitro PA embryo development and embryo quality but effects vary depending on the species. Embryo aggregation also improves, as expected, the in vitro embryo development of equine-equine SCNT embryos; however, we did not observe positive effects on equine iSCNT embryo development. Among oocytes

  11. A Partially Observed Markov Decision Process for Dynamic Pricing

    OpenAIRE

    Yossi Aviv; Amit Pazgal

    2005-01-01

    In this paper, we develop a stylized partially observed Markov decision process (POMDP) framework to study a dynamic pricing problem faced by sellers of fashion-like goods. We consider a retailer that plans to sell a given stock of items during a finite sales season. The objective of the retailer is to dynamically price the product in a way that maximizes expected revenues. Our model brings together various types of uncertainties about the demand, some of which are resolvable through sales ob...

  12. Protein kinase C involvement in the acetylcholine release reduction induced by amyloid-beta(25-35) aggregates on neuromuscular synapses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tomàs, Marta; Garcia, Neus; Santafé, Manuel M; Lanuza, Maria; Tomàs, Josep

    2009-01-01

    Using intracellular recording of the diaphragm muscle of adult rats, we have investigated the short-term functional effects of amyloid-beta (Abeta(25-35) peptide aggregates on the modulation of acetylcholine (ACh) release and the involvement of protein kinase C (PKC). The non-aggregated form of this peptide does not change the evoked and spontaneous transmitter release parameters on the neuromuscular synapse. However, the aggregated form of Abeta(25-35) acutely interferes with evoked quantal ACh release (approximately 40% reduction) when synaptic activity in the ex vivo neuromuscular preparation is maintained by low frequency (1 Hz) electrical stimulation. This effect is partially dependent on the activity of PKC that may have a permissive action. The end result of Abeta(25-35) is in opposition to the PKC-dependent maintenance effect on ACh release manifested in active synapses.

  13. Kinetics of aggregation with choice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ben-Naim, E; Krapivsky, P L

    2016-12-01

    We generalize the ordinary aggregation process to allow for choice. In ordinary aggregation, two random clusters merge and form a larger aggregate. In our implementation of choice, a target cluster and two candidate clusters are randomly selected and the target cluster merges with the larger of the two candidate clusters. We study the long-time asymptotic behavior and find that as in ordinary aggregation, the size density adheres to the standard scaling form. However, aggregation with choice exhibits a number of different features. First, the density of the smallest clusters exhibits anomalous scaling. Second, both the small-size and the large-size tails of the density are overpopulated, at the expense of the density of moderate-size clusters. We also study the complementary case where the smaller candidate cluster participates in the aggregation process and find an abundance of moderate clusters at the expense of small and large clusters. Additionally, we investigate aggregation processes with choice among multiple candidate clusters and a symmetric implementation where the choice is between two pairs of clusters.

  14. Kinetic Behaviors of Catalysis-Driven Growth of Three-Species Aggregates on Base of Exchange-Driven Aggregations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sun Yunfei; Chen Dan; Lin Zhenquan; Ke Jianhong

    2009-01-01

    We propose a solvable aggregation model to mimic the evolution of population A, asset B, and the quantifiable resource C in a society. In this system, the population and asset aggregates themselves grow through self-exchanges with the rate kernels K 1 (k, j) = K 1 kj and K 2 (k, j) = K 2 kj, respectively. The actions of the population and asset aggregations on the aggregation evolution of resource aggregates are described by the population-catalyzed monomer death of resource aggregates and asset-catalyzed monomer birth of resource aggregates with the rate kernels J 1 (k, j) = J 1 k and J 2 (k, j) = J 2 k, respectively. Meanwhile, the asset and resource aggregates conjunctly catalyze the monomer birth of population aggregates with the rate kernel I 1 (k, i, j) = I 1 ki μ j η , and population and resource aggregates conjunctly catalyze the monomer birth of asset aggregates with the rate kernel I 2 (k, i, j) = I 2 ki v j η . The kinetic behaviors of species A, B, and C are investigated by means of the mean-field rate equation approach. The effects of the population-catalyzed death and asset-catalyzed birth on the evolution of resource aggregates based on the self-exchanges of population and asset appear in effective forms. The coefficients of the effective population-catalyzed death and the asset-catalyzed birth are expressed as J 1e = J 1 /K 1 and J 2e = J 2 /K 2 , respectively. The aggregate size distribution of C species is found to be crucially dominated by the competition between the effective death and the effective birth. It satisfies the conventional scaling form, generalized scaling form, and modified scaling form in the cases of J 1e 2e , J 1e = J 2e , and J 1e > J 2e , respectively. Meanwhile, we also find the aggregate size distributions of populations and assets both fall into two distinct categories for different parameters μ, ν, and η: (i) When μ = ν = η = 0 and μ = ν = 0, η = 1, the population and asset aggregates obey the generalized

  15. Resolved magnetic-field structure and variability near the event horizon of Sagittarius A.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnson, Michael D; Fish, Vincent L; Doeleman, Sheperd S; Marrone, Daniel P; Plambeck, Richard L; Wardle, John F C; Akiyama, Kazunori; Asada, Keiichi; Beaudoin, Christopher; Blackburn, Lindy; Blundell, Ray; Bower, Geoffrey C; Brinkerink, Christiaan; Broderick, Avery E; Cappallo, Roger; Chael, Andrew A; Crew, Geoffrey B; Dexter, Jason; Dexter, Matt; Freund, Robert; Friberg, Per; Gold, Roman; Gurwell, Mark A; Ho, Paul T P; Honma, Mareki; Inoue, Makoto; Kosowsky, Michael; Krichbaum, Thomas P; Lamb, James; Loeb, Abraham; Lu, Ru-Sen; MacMahon, David; McKinney, Jonathan C; Moran, James M; Narayan, Ramesh; Primiani, Rurik A; Psaltis, Dimitrios; Rogers, Alan E E; Rosenfeld, Katherine; SooHoo, Jason; Tilanus, Remo P J; Titus, Michael; Vertatschitsch, Laura; Weintroub, Jonathan; Wright, Melvyn; Young, Ken H; Zensus, J Anton; Ziurys, Lucy M

    2015-12-04

    Near a black hole, differential rotation of a magnetized accretion disk is thought to produce an instability that amplifies weak magnetic fields, driving accretion and outflow. These magnetic fields would naturally give rise to the observed synchrotron emission in galaxy cores and to the formation of relativistic jets, but no observations to date have been able to resolve the expected horizon-scale magnetic-field structure. We report interferometric observations at 1.3-millimeter wavelength that spatially resolve the linearly polarized emission from the Galactic Center supermassive black hole, Sagittarius A*. We have found evidence for partially ordered magnetic fields near the event horizon, on scales of ~6 Schwarzschild radii, and we have detected and localized the intrahour variability associated with these fields. Copyright © 2015, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

  16. Research on Judgment Aggregation Based on Logic

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Li Dai

    2014-05-01

    Full Text Available Preference aggregation and judgment aggregation are two basic research models of group decision making. And preference aggregation has been deeply studied in social choice theory. However, researches of social choice theory gradually focus on judgment aggregation which appears recently. Judgment aggregation focuses on how to aggregate many consistent logical formulas into one, from the perspective of logic. We try to start with judgment aggregation model based on logic and then explore different solutions to problem of judgment aggregation.

  17. Velocity-Resolved LES (VR-LES) technique for simulating turbulent transport of high Schmidt number passive scalars

    Science.gov (United States)

    Verma, Siddhartha; Blanquart, Guillaume; P. K. Yeung Collaboration

    2011-11-01

    Accurate simulation of high Schmidt number scalar transport in turbulent flows is essential to studying pollutant dispersion, weather, and several oceanic phenomena. Batchelor's theory governs scalar transport in such flows, but requires further validation at high Schmidt and high Reynolds numbers. To this end, we use a new approach with the velocity field fully resolved, but the scalar field only partially resolved. The grid used is fine enough to resolve scales up to the viscous-convective subrange where the decaying slope of the scalar spectrum becomes constant. This places the cutoff wavenumber between the Kolmogorov scale and the Batchelor scale. The subgrid scale terms, which affect transport at the supergrid scales, are modeled under the assumption that velocity fluctuations are negligible beyond this cutoff wavenumber. To ascertain the validity of this technique, we performed a-priori testing on existing DNS data. This Velocity-Resolved LES (VR-LES) technique significantly reduces the computational cost of turbulent simulations of high Schmidt number scalars, and yet provides valuable information of the scalar spectrum in the viscous-convective subrange.

  18. Crosslinked enzyme aggregates of hydroxynitrile lyase partially purified from Prunus dulcis seeds and its application for the synthesis of enantiopure cyanohydrins.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yildirim, Deniz; Tükel, S Seyhan; Alagöz, Dilek

    2014-01-01

    Hydroxynitrile lyases are powerful catalysts in the synthesis of enantiopure cyanohydrins which are key synthons in the preparations of a variety of important chemicals. The response surface methodology including three-factor and three-level Box-Behnken design was applied to optimize immobilization of hydroxynitrile lyase purified partially from Prunus dulcis seeds as crosslinked enzyme aggregates (PdHNL-CLEAs). The quadratic model was developed for predicting the response and its adequacy was validated with the analysis of variance test. The optimized immobilization parameters were initial glutaraldehyde concentration, ammonium sulfate saturation concentration, and crosslinking time, and the response was relative activity of PdHNL-CLEA. The optimal conditions were determined as initial glutaraldehyde concentration of 25% w/v, ammonium sulfate saturation concentration of 43% w/v, and crosslinking time of 18 h. The preparations of PdHNL-CLEA were examined for the synthesis of (R)-mandelonitrile, (R)-2-chloromandelonitrile, (R)-3,4-dihydroxymandelonitrile, (R)-2-hydroxy-4-phenyl butyronitrile, (R)-4-bromomandelonitrile, (R)-4-fluoromandelonitrile, and (R)-4-nitromandelonitrile from their corresponding aldehydes and hydrocyanic acid. After 96-h reaction time, the yield-enantiomeric excess values (%) were 100-99, 100-21, 100-99, 83-91, 100-99, 100-72, and 100-14%, respectively, for (R)-mandelonitrile, (R)-2-chloromandelonitrile, (R)-3,4-dihydroxymandelonitrile, (R)-2-hydroxy-4-phenyl butyronitrile, (R)-4-bromomandelonitrile, (R)-4-fluoromandelonitrile, and (R)-4-nitromandelonitrile. The results show that PdHNL-CLEA offers a promising potential for the preparation of enantiopure (R)-mandelonitrile, (R)-3,4-dihydroxymandelonitrile, (R)-2-hydroxy-4-phenyl butyronitrile, and (R)-4-bromomandelonitrile with a high yield and enantiopurity. © 2014 American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

  19. Heating of Porous Icy Dust Aggregates

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sirono, Sin-iti [Earth and Environmental Sciences, Nagoya University, Tikusa-ku, Furo-cho, Nagoya 464-8601 (Japan)

    2017-06-10

    At the beginning of planetary formation, highly porous dust aggregates are formed through coagulation of dust grains. Outside the snowline, the main component of an aggregate is H{sub 2}O ice. Because H{sub 2}O ice is formed in amorphous form, its thermal conductivity is extremely small. Therefore, the thermal conductivity of an icy dust aggregate is low. There is a possibility of heating inside an aggregate owing to the decay of radionuclides. It is shown that the temperature increases substantially inside an aggregate, leading to crystallization of amorphous ice. During the crystallization, the temperature further increases sufficiently to continue sintering. The mechanical properties of icy dust aggregates change, and the collisional evolution of dust aggregates is affected by the sintering.

  20. Dynamic Tuning of Plasmon-Exciton Coupling in Arrays of Nanodisk-J-aggregate Complexes

    KAUST Repository

    Zheng, Yue Bing

    2010-07-21

    Figure Presented Dynamic tuning of plasmon-exclton resonant coupling in arrays of nanodisk-J-aggregate complexes is demonstrated. The angle-resolved spectra of an array of bare gold nanodisks exhibit continuous shifting of localized surface plasmon resonance. This characteristic enables the production of real-time, controllable spectral overlap between molecular resonance and plasmóme resonance. The resonant interaction strength as a function of spectral overlap is explored and the coupling strength changes with the incident angle of a probe light, in accord with simulations based on coupled dipóle approximation method. © 2010 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  1. GENERAL: Kinetic Behaviors of Catalysis-Driven Growth of Three-Species Aggregates on Base of Exchange-Driven Aggregations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Yun-Fei; Chen, Dan; Lin, Zhen-Quan; Ke, Jian-Hong

    2009-06-01

    We propose a solvable aggregation model to mimic the evolution of population A, asset B, and the quantifiable resource C in a society. In this system, the population and asset aggregates themselves grow through self-exchanges with the rate kernels K1(k, j) = K1kj and K2(k, j) = K2kj, respectively. The actions of the population and asset aggregations on the aggregation evolution of resource aggregates are described by the population-catalyzed monomer death of resource aggregates and asset-catalyzed monomer birth of resource aggregates with the rate kernels J1(k, j) = J1k and J2(k, j) = J2k, respectively. Meanwhile, the asset and resource aggregates conjunctly catalyze the monomer birth of population aggregates with the rate kernel I1(k, i, j) = I1kiμjη, and population and resource aggregates conjunctly catalyze the monomer birth of asset aggregates with the rate kernel I2(k, i, j) = I2kivjη. The kinetic behaviors of species A, B, and C are investigated by means of the mean-field rate equation approach. The effects of the population-catalyzed death and asset-catalyzed birth on the evolution of resource aggregates based on the self-exchanges of population and asset appear in effective forms. The coefficients of the effective population-catalyzed death and the asset-catalyzed birth are expressed as J1e = J1/K1 and J2e = J2/K2, respectively. The aggregate size distribution of C species is found to be crucially dominated by the competition between the effective death and the effective birth. It satisfies the conventional scaling form, generalized scaling form, and modified scaling form in the cases of J1e J2e, respectively. Meanwhile, we also find the aggregate size distributions of populations and assets both fall into two distinct categories for different parameters μ, ν, and η: (i) When μ = ν = η = 0 and μ = ν = 0, η = 1, the population and asset aggregates obey the generalized scaling forms; and (ii) When μ = ν = 1, η = 0, and μ = ν = η = 1, the

  2. Application of mid-infrared free-electron laser tuned to amide bands for dissociation of aggregate structure of protein.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kawasaki, Takayasu; Yaji, Toyonari; Ohta, Toshiaki; Tsukiyama, Koichi

    2016-01-01

    A mid-infrared free-electron laser (FEL) is a linearly polarized, high-peak powered pulse laser with tunable wavelength within the mid-infrared absorption region. It was recently found that pathogenic amyloid fibrils could be partially dissociated to the monomer form by the irradiation of the FEL targeting the amide I band (C=O stretching vibration), amide II band (N-H bending vibration) and amide III band (C-N stretching vibration). In this study, the irradiation effect of the FEL on keratin aggregate was tested as another model to demonstrate an applicability of the FEL for dissociation of protein aggregates. Synchrotron radiation infrared microscopy analysis showed that the α-helix content in the aggregate structure decreased to almost the same level as that in the monomer state after FEL irradiation tuned to 6.06 µm (amide I band). Both irradiations at 6.51 µm (amide II band) and 8.06 µm (amide III band) also decreased the content of the aggregate but to a lesser extent than for the irradiation at the amide I band. On the contrary, the irradiation tuned to 5.6 µm (non-absorbance region) changed little the secondary structure of the aggregate. Scanning-electron microscopy observation at the submicrometer order showed that the angular solid of the aggregate was converted to non-ordered fragments by the irradiation at each amide band, while the aggregate was hardly deformed by the irradiation at 5.6 µm. These results demonstrate that the amide-specific irradiation by the FEL was effective for dissociation of the protein aggregate to the monomer form.

  3. Model for amorphous aggregation processes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stranks, Samuel D.; Ecroyd, Heath; van Sluyter, Steven; Waters, Elizabeth J.; Carver, John A.; von Smekal, Lorenz

    2009-11-01

    The amorphous aggregation of proteins is associated with many phenomena, ranging from the formation of protein wine haze to the development of cataract in the eye lens and the precipitation of recombinant proteins during their expression and purification. While much literature exists describing models for linear protein aggregation, such as amyloid fibril formation, there are few reports of models which address amorphous aggregation. Here, we propose a model to describe the amorphous aggregation of proteins which is also more widely applicable to other situations where a similar process occurs, such as in the formation of colloids and nanoclusters. As first applications of the model, we have tested it against experimental turbidimetry data of three proteins relevant to the wine industry and biochemistry, namely, thaumatin, a thaumatinlike protein, and α -lactalbumin. The model is very robust and describes amorphous experimental data to a high degree of accuracy. Details about the aggregation process, such as shape parameters of the aggregates and rate constants, can also be extracted.

  4. A comparative study on the aggregating effects of guanidine thiocyanate, guanidine hydrochloride and urea on lysozyme aggregation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Emadi, Saeed, E-mail: emadi@iasbs.ac.ir; Behzadi, Maliheh

    2014-08-08

    Highlights: • Lysozyme aggregated in guanidine thiocyanate (1.0 and 2.0 M). • Lysozyme aggregated in guanidine hydrochloride (4 and 5 M). • Lysozyme did not aggregated at any concentration (0.5–5 M) of urea. • Unfolding pathway is more important than unfolding per se in aggregation. - Abstract: Protein aggregation and its subsequent deposition in different tissues culminate in a diverse range of diseases collectively known as amyloidoses. Aggregation of hen or human lysozyme depends on certain conditions, namely acidic pH or the presence of additives. In the present study, the effects on the aggregation of hen egg-white lysozyme via incubation in concentrated solutions of three different chaotropic agents namely guanidine thiocyanate, guanidine hydrochloride and urea were investigated. Here we used three different methods for the detection of the aggregates, thioflavin T fluorescence, circular dichroism spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy. Our results showed that upon incubation with different concentrations (0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, 5.0 M) of the chemical denaturants, lysozyme was aggregated at low concentrations of guanidine thiocyanate (1.0 and 2.0 M) and at high concentrations of guanidine hydrochloride (4 and 5 M), although no fibril formation was detected. In the case of urea, no aggregation was observed at any concentration.

  5. Interactions between Rotavirus and Suwannee River Organic Matter: Aggregation, Deposition, and Adhesion Force Measurement

    KAUST Repository

    Gutierrez, Leonardo

    2012-08-21

    Interactions between rotavirus and Suwannee River natural organic matter (NOM) were studied by time-resolved dynamic light scattering, quartz crystal microbalance, and atomic force microscopy. In NOM-containing NaCl solutions of up to 600 mM, rotavirus suspension remained stable for over 4 h. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) measurement for interaction force decay length at different ionic strengths showed that nonelectrostatic repulsive forces were mainly responsible for eliminating aggregation in NaCl solutions. Aggregation rates of rotavirus in solutions containing 20 mg C/L increased with divalent cation concentration until reaching a critical coagulation concentration of 30 mM CaCl2 or 70 mM MgCl2. Deposition kinetics of rotavirus on NOM-coated silica surface was studied using quartz crystal microbalance. Experimental attachment efficiencies for rotavirus adsorption to NOM-coated surface in MgCl2 solution were lower than in CaCl2 solution at a given divalent cation concentration. Stronger adhesion force was measured for virus-virus and virus-NOM interactions in CaCl2 solution compared to those in MgCl2 or NaCl solutions at the same ionic strength. This study suggested that divalent cation complexation with carboxylate groups in NOM and on virus surface was an important mechanism in the deposition and aggregation kinetics of rotavirus. © 2012 American Chemical Society.

  6. Study of Compressive Strength of Concrete with Coal Power Plant Fly Ash as Partial Replacement of Cement and Fine Aggregate

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    FAREED AHMED MEMON

    2010-10-01

    Full Text Available This research study comprises of concrete cubes made with Ordinary Portland Cement and with different configurations of fly ash by replacing cement and fine aggregate. To achieve the aim of this study, total 81 concrete cubes were cast. Among 81 cubes, 9 cubes were made with normal concrete, 36 cubes were made by replacing 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% of fine aggregate with fly ash and 36 cubes were made by replacing 10%, 25%, 50%, and 75% of cement with fly ash. The cubes were 6\\" x 6\\" in cross-section, and the mix design was aimed for 5000 psi. After proper curing of all 81 cubes, they were tested at 3, 7 and 28 days curing age. The cubes were tested in Forney Universal Testing Machine. By analyzing the test results of all the concrete cubes, the following main findings have been drawn. The compressive strength of concrete cubes made by replacing 100 % fine aggregate by fly ash was higher than the concrete cubes made with Ordinary Portland Cement at all 3, 7 and 28 days curing ages. On the other hand, the compressive strength of concrete cubes made by replacing 10 % and 25 % cement by fly ash was slightly lower than the concrete cubes made with Ordinary Portland Cement at all curing ages, whereas, the compressive strength of concrete cubes made by replacing 50 % and 75 % of cement by fly ash were quite lower than the concrete cubes made with Ordinary Portland Cement at all curing ages.

  7. Influence of granitic aggregates from Northeast Brazil on the alkali-aggregate reaction

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gomes Neto, David de Paiva; Santana, Rodrigo Soares de; Barreto, Ledjane Silva, E-mail: pvgomes@uol.com.br [Universidade Federal de Sergipe (UFS), Sao Cristovao, SE (Brazil). Dept. de Ciencias dos Materiais e Engenharia; Conceicao, Herbert; Lisboa, Vinicios Anselmo Carvalho [Universidade Federal de Sergipe (UFS), Sao Cristovao, SE (Brazil). Dept. de Geologia

    2014-08-15

    The alkali-aggregate reaction (AAR) in concrete structures is a problem that has concerned engineers and researchers for decades. This reaction occurs when silicates in the aggregates react with the alkalis, forming an expanded gel that can cause cracks in the concrete and reduce its lifespan. The aim of this study was to characterize three coarse granitic aggregates employed in concrete production in northeastern Brazil, correlating petrographic analysis with the kinetics of silica dissolution and the evolution of expansions in mortar bars, assisted by SEM/EDS, XRD, and EDX. The presence of grains showing recrystallization into individual microcrystalline quartz subgrains was associated with faster dissolution of silica and greater expansion in mortar bars. Aggregates showing substantial deformation, such as stretched grains of quartz with strong undulatory extinction, experienced slower dissolution, with reaction and expansion occurring over longer periods that could not be detected using accelerated tests with mortar bars. (author)

  8. An improved partial bundle method for linearly constrained minimax problems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chunming Tang

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, we propose an improved partial bundle method for solving linearly constrained minimax problems. In order to reduce the number of component function evaluations, we utilize a partial cutting-planes model to substitute for the traditional one. At each iteration, only one quadratic programming subproblem needs to be solved to obtain a new trial point. An improved descent test criterion is introduced to simplify the algorithm. The method produces a sequence of feasible trial points, and ensures that the objective function is monotonically decreasing on the sequence of stability centers. Global convergence of the algorithm is established. Moreover, we utilize the subgradient aggregation strategy to control the size of the bundle and therefore overcome the difficulty of computation and storage. Finally, some preliminary numerical results show that the proposed method is effective.

  9. Fractal Aggregates in Tennis Ball Systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sabin, J.; Bandin, M.; Prieto, G.; Sarmiento, F.

    2009-01-01

    We present a new practical exercise to explain the mechanisms of aggregation of some colloids which are otherwise not easy to understand. We have used tennis balls to simulate, in a visual way, the aggregation of colloids under reaction-limited colloid aggregation (RLCA) and diffusion-limited colloid aggregation (DLCA) regimes. We have used the…

  10. A Functional Reference Architecture for Aggregators

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bondy, Daniel Esteban Morales; Heussen, Kai; Gehrke, Oliver

    2015-01-01

    Aggregators are considered to be a key enabling technology for harvesting power system services from distributed energy resources (DER). As a precondition for more widespread use of aggregators in power systems, methods for comparing and validating aggregator designs must be established. This paper...... proposes a functional reference architecture for aggregators to address this requirement....

  11. Aggregation server for grid-integrated vehicles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kempton, Willett

    2015-05-26

    Methods, systems, and apparatus for aggregating electric power flow between an electric grid and electric vehicles are disclosed. An apparatus for aggregating power flow may include a memory and a processor coupled to the memory to receive electric vehicle equipment (EVE) attributes from a plurality of EVEs, aggregate EVE attributes, predict total available capacity based on the EVE attributes, and dispatch at least a portion of the total available capacity to the grid. Power flow may be aggregated by receiving EVE operational parameters from each EVE, aggregating the received EVE operational parameters, predicting total available capacity based on the aggregated EVE operational parameters, and dispatching at least a portion of the total available capacity to the grid.

  12. Sand Cement Brick Containing Recycled Concrete Aggregate as Fine-Aggregate Replacement

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sheikh Khalid Faisal

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Nowadays, the usage amount of the concrete is increasing drastically. The construction industry is a huge consumer of natural consumer. It is also producing the huge wastage products. The usage of concrete has been charged to be not environmentally friendly due to depletion of reserve natural resources, high energy consumption and disposal issues. The conservation of natural resources and reduction of disposal site by reuse and recycling waste material was interest possibilites. The aim of this study is to determine the physical and mechanical properties of sand cement brick containing recycled concrete aggregate and to determine the optimum mix ratio containing recycled concrete aggregate. An experiment done by comparing the result of control specimen using 100% natural sand with recycled concrete aggregate replacement specimen by weight for 55%, 65%, and 75%. The sample was tested under density, compressive strength, flexural strength and water absorption to study the effect of using recycled concrete aggregate on the physical and mechanical properties of bricks. The result shows that the replacement of natural sand by recycled concrete aggregate at the level of 55% provide the highest compressive and flexural strength compared to other percentage and control specimen. However, if the replacement higher than 55%, the strength of brick was decreased for compressive and flexural strength, respectively. The relationship of compressive-flexural strength is determined from statistical analysis and the predicted result can be obtained by using equation ff,RCA = 0.5375 (fc0.3272.

  13. The indexing ambiguity in serial femtosecond crystallography (SFX) resolved using an expectation maximization algorithm.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Haiguang; Spence, John C H

    2014-11-01

    Crystallographic auto-indexing algorithms provide crystal orientations and unit-cell parameters and assign Miller indices based on the geometric relations between the Bragg peaks observed in diffraction patterns. However, if the Bravais symmetry is higher than the space-group symmetry, there will be multiple indexing options that are geometrically equivalent, and hence many ways to merge diffraction intensities from protein nanocrystals. Structure factor magnitudes from full reflections are required to resolve this ambiguity but only partial reflections are available from each XFEL shot, which must be merged to obtain full reflections from these 'stills'. To resolve this chicken-and-egg problem, an expectation maximization algorithm is described that iteratively constructs a model from the intensities recorded in the diffraction patterns as the indexing ambiguity is being resolved. The reconstructed model is then used to guide the resolution of the indexing ambiguity as feedback for the next iteration. Using both simulated and experimental data collected at an X-ray laser for photosystem I in the P63 space group (which supports a merohedral twinning indexing ambiguity), the method is validated.

  14. Synthesis of new N-heteroaromatic attached tetraphenylethene based luminogens having aggregation induced emission and their applications in organic light emitting diodes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Odabas, Serhat [Department of Chemistry, Middle East Technical University, 06800 Ankara (Turkey); The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK), Marmara Research Center, Institute of Chemical Technology, P.K. 21, 41470 Gebze, Kocaeli (Turkey); Tekin, Emine [The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK), Marmara Research Center, Material Institute, P.K. 21, 41470 Gebze, Kocaeli (Turkey); Turksoy, Figen, E-mail: figen.turksoy@tubitak.gov.tr [The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK), Marmara Research Center, Institute of Chemical Technology, P.K. 21, 41470 Gebze, Kocaeli (Turkey); Tanyeli, Cihangir, E-mail: tanyeli@metu.edu.tr [Department of Chemistry, Middle East Technical University, 06800 Ankara (Turkey)

    2016-08-15

    Aggregation induced emission is an auxiliary property that can eliminate the aggregation caused quenching effect. It is a common undesired emission characteristic of most bulky aromatic molecules. Tetraphenylethene, with its unique features, is the most commonly studied molecule having aggregation induced emission property. In this work four N heteroaromatic attached tetraphenylethene derivatives were synthesized via inexpensive C–N bond formation reactions. The synthesized luminogens showed good thermal properties, having high Td values between 366 °C and 505 °C. All four tetraphenylethene derivatives exhibited excellent aggregation induced emission properties and there was an up to 200-fold increase in their fluorescence intensities. According to the time-resolved emission decay experimental analyses, all four luminogens showed two relaxation pathways in a THF – water mixture (10–90%). Non-doped turquoise and light green OLED devices using the synthesized luminogens as a light emitting layer exhibited a maximum brightness up to 2600 cd/m{sup 2}, a maximum current efficiency up to 3.6 cd/A, turn-on voltages between 7.0 and 10.0 V, and external quantum efficiencies up to 1.5%. - Highlights: • A series of N-heterocyclic attached tetraphenylethene cored luminogens are synthesized and characterized. • Excellent thermal and aggregation induced emission properties are observed. • OLEDs are fabricated using synthesized luminogens as non-doped emitting layers.

  15. Varicella-zoster virus induces the formation of dynamic nuclear capsid aggregates

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lebrun, Marielle [University of Liege (ULg), GIGA-Infection Immunity and Inflammation, Laboratory of Virology and Immunology, Liege (Belgium); Thelen, Nicolas; Thiry, Marc [University of Liege (ULg), GIGA-Neurosciences, Laboratory of Cellular and Tissular Biology, Liege (Belgium); Riva, Laura; Ote, Isabelle; Condé, Claude; Vandevenne, Patricia [University of Liege (ULg), GIGA-Infection Immunity and Inflammation, Laboratory of Virology and Immunology, Liege (Belgium); Di Valentin, Emmanuel [University of Liege (ULg), GIGA-Viral Vectors Platform, Liege (Belgium); Bontems, Sébastien [University of Liege (ULg), GIGA-Infection Immunity and Inflammation, Laboratory of Virology and Immunology, Liege (Belgium); Sadzot-Delvaux, Catherine, E-mail: csadzot@ulg.ac.be [University of Liege (ULg), GIGA-Infection Immunity and Inflammation, Laboratory of Virology and Immunology, Liege (Belgium)

    2014-04-15

    The first step of herpesviruses virion assembly occurs in the nucleus. However, the exact site where nucleocapsids are assembled, where the genome and the inner tegument are acquired, remains controversial. We created a recombinant VZV expressing ORF23 (homologous to HSV-1 VP26) fused to the eGFP and dually fluorescent viruses with a tegument protein additionally fused to a red tag (ORF9, ORF21 and ORF22 corresponding to HSV-1 UL49, UL37 and UL36). We identified nuclear dense structures containing the major capsid protein, the scaffold protein and maturing protease, as well as ORF21 and ORF22. Correlative microscopy demonstrated that the structures correspond to capsid aggregates and time-lapse video imaging showed that they appear prior to the accumulation of cytoplasmic capsids, presumably undergoing the secondary egress, and are highly dynamic. Our observations suggest that these structures might represent a nuclear area important for capsid assembly and/or maturation before the budding at the inner nuclear membrane. - Highlights: • We created a recombinant VZV expressing the small capsid protein fused to the eGFP. • We identified nuclear dense structures containing capsid and procapsid proteins. • Correlative microscopy showed that the structures correspond to capsid aggregates. • Procapsids and partial capsids are found within the aggregates of WT and eGFP-23 VZV. • FRAP and FLIP experiments demonstrated that they are dynamic structures.

  16. Characterization of Concrete made with Recycled Aggregate from Ceramic Sanitary Ware

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Medina, C.

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available This study examined the possibility of reusing the ceramic wastes of sanitary ware as coarse aggregate, in partial substitution (15, 20 y 25 % of natural coarse aggregates. Firstly, the characterization of recycled coarse ceramic aggregate was carried out subsequently proceeded to establish the parameters of dosage and manufacture of different concretes. Lastly, tests were conducted using these mixes to characterize physical and mechanical, and a study was carried out to identify the crystalline phases. Results showed that as the substitution proportion increased, the mechanical properties of the concrete improved, whilst physical properties remained practically constant. In view of these results, we conclude that it is possible to use this type of ceramic waste as coarse aggregate when mixing concrete destined for structural purposes.

    En este estudio se plantea la posibilidad de reutilizar los residuos cerámicos de sanitarios como árido grueso sustituyendo de forma parcial (15, 20 y 25 % al árido grueso natural. Para ello, se llevó a cabo la caracterización del árido cerámico reciclado y posteriormente se procedió a establecer los parámetros de dosificación y fabricación de los distintos hormigones. Finalmente, se realizó sobre los mismos unos ensayos de caracterización de las propiedades físicas y mecánicas, y un estudio de las fases cristalinas. Los resultados indican que a medida que se aumenta el porcentaje de sustitución se ven mejoradas las propiedades mecánicas de estos, mientras que las propiedades físicas se mantienen prácticamente constantes. A la vista de estos resultados se puede concluir que es posible la utilización de este tipo de residuo cerámico como árido grueso en la elaboración de hormigones con fines estructurales.

  17. Precipitation in partially stabilized zirconia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bansal, G.K.

    1975-01-01

    Transmission electron microscopy was used to study the substructure of partially stabilized ZrO 2 (PSZ) samples, i.e., 2-phase systems containing both cubic and monoclinic modifications of zirconia, after various heat treatments. Monoclinic ZrO 2 exists as (1) isolated grains within the polycrystalline aggregate (a grain- boundary phase) and (2) small plate-like particles within cubic grains. These intragranular precipitates are believed to contribute to the useful properties of PSZ via a form of precipitation hardening. These precipitates initially form as tetragonal ZrO 2 , with a habit plane parallel to the brace 100 brace matrix planes. The orientation relations between the tetragonal precipitates and the cubic matrix are brace 100 brace/sub matrix/ 2 parallel brace 100 brace /sub precipitate/ or (001)/sub precipitate/ and broken bracket 100 broken bracket/sub matrix/ 2 parallel broken bracket 100 broken bracket/sub precipitate/ or [001]/sub precipitate/. (U.S.)

  18. Observing Convective Aggregation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Holloway, Christopher E.; Wing, Allison A.; Bony, Sandrine; Muller, Caroline; Masunaga, Hirohiko; L'Ecuyer, Tristan S.; Turner, David D.; Zuidema, Paquita

    2017-11-01

    Convective self-aggregation, the spontaneous organization of initially scattered convection into isolated convective clusters despite spatially homogeneous boundary conditions and forcing, was first recognized and studied in idealized numerical simulations. While there is a rich history of observational work on convective clustering and organization, there have been only a few studies that have analyzed observations to look specifically for processes related to self-aggregation in models. Here we review observational work in both of these categories and motivate the need for more of this work. We acknowledge that self-aggregation may appear to be far-removed from observed convective organization in terms of time scales, initial conditions, initiation processes, and mean state extremes, but we argue that these differences vary greatly across the diverse range of model simulations in the literature and that these comparisons are already offering important insights into real tropical phenomena. Some preliminary new findings are presented, including results showing that a self-aggregation simulation with square geometry has too broad distribution of humidity and is too dry in the driest regions when compared with radiosonde records from Nauru, while an elongated channel simulation has realistic representations of atmospheric humidity and its variability. We discuss recent work increasing our understanding of how organized convection and climate change may interact, and how model discrepancies related to this question are prompting interest in observational comparisons. We also propose possible future directions for observational work related to convective aggregation, including novel satellite approaches and a ground-based observational network.

  19. What favors convective aggregation and why?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Muller, Caroline; Bony, Sandrine

    2015-07-01

    The organization of convection is ubiquitous, but its physical understanding remains limited. One particular type of organization is the spatial self-aggregation of convection, taking the form of cloud clusters, or tropical cyclones in the presence of rotation. We show that several physical processes can give rise to self-aggregation and highlight the key features responsible for it, using idealized simulations. Longwave radiative feedbacks yield a "radiative aggregation." In that case, sufficient spatial variability of radiative cooling rates yields a low-level circulation, which induces the upgradient energy transport and radiative-convective instability. Not only do vertically integrated radiative budgets matter but the vertical profile of cooling is also crucial. Convective aggregation is facilitated when downdrafts below clouds are weak ("moisture-memory aggregation"), and this is sufficient to trigger aggregation in the absence of longwave radiative feedbacks. These results shed some light on the sensitivity of self-aggregation to various parameters, including resolution or domain size.

  20. Loss of keratin K2 expression causes aberrant aggregation of K10, hyperkeratosis, and inflammation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fischer, Heinz; Langbein, Lutz; Reichelt, Julia; Praetzel-Wunder, Silke; Buchberger, Maria; Ghannadan, Minoo; Tschachler, Erwin; Eckhart, Leopold

    2014-10-01

    Keratin K2 is one of the most abundant structural proteins of the epidermis; however, its biological significance has remained elusive. Here we show that suprabasal type II keratins, K1 and K2, are expressed in a mutually exclusive manner at different body sites of the mouse, with K2 being confined to the ear, sole, and tail skin. Deletion of K2 caused acanthosis and hyperkeratosis of the ear and the tail epidermis, corneocyte fragility, increased transepidermal water loss, and local inflammation in the ear skin. The loss of K2 was partially compensated by upregulation of K1 expression. However, a significant portion of K2-deficient suprabasal keratinocytes lacked a regular cytoskeleton and developed massive aggregates of the type I keratin, K10. Aggregate formation, but not hyperkeratosis, was suppressed by the deletion of both K2 and K10, whereas deletion of K10 alone caused clumping of K2 in ear skin. Taken together, this study demonstrates that K2 is a necessary and sufficient binding partner of K10 at distinct body sites of the mouse and that unbalanced expression of these keratins results in aggregate formation.

  1. Curcumin inhibits aggregation of alpha-synuclein.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pandey, Neeraj; Strider, Jeffrey; Nolan, William C; Yan, Sherry X; Galvin, James E

    2008-04-01

    Aggregation of amyloid-beta protein (Abeta) is a key pathogenic event in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Curcumin, a constituent of the Indian spice Turmeric is structurally similar to Congo Red and has been demonstrated to bind Abeta amyloid and prevent further oligomerization of Abeta monomers onto growing amyloid beta-sheets. Reasoning that oligomerization kinetics and mechanism of amyloid formation are similar in Parkinson's disease (PD) and AD, we investigated the effect of curcumin on alpha-synuclein (AS) protein aggregation. In vitro model of AS aggregation was developed by treatment of purified AS protein (wild-type) with 1 mM Fe3+ (Fenton reaction). It was observed that the addition of curcumin inhibited aggregation in a dose-dependent manner and increased AS solubility. The aggregation-inhibiting effect of curcumin was next investigated in cell culture utilizing catecholaminergic SH-SY5Y cell line. A model system was developed in which the red fluorescent protein (DsRed2) was fused with A53T mutant of AS and its aggregation examined under different concentrations of curcumin. To estimate aggregation in an unbiased manner, a protocol was developed in which the images were captured automatically through a high-throughput cell-based screening microscope. The obtained images were processed automatically for aggregates within a defined dimension of 1-6 microm. Greater than 32% decrease in mutant alpha-synuclein aggregation was observed within 48 h subsequent to curcumin addition. Our data suggest that curcumin inhibits AS oligomerization into higher molecular weight aggregates and therefore should be further explored as a potential therapeutic compound for PD and related disorders.

  2. Charge-density-wave partial gap opening in quasi-2D KMo{sub 6}O{sub 17} purple bronze studied by angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Valbuena, M.A. [LURE, Centre Universitaire Paris-Sud, Bat. 209D, B.P. 34, 91898 Orsay Cedex (France); Avila, J. [Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid, ICMM - CSIC, 28049 Madrid (Spain); Synchrotron SOLEIL, L' Orme des Merisiers, Saint-Aubin - B.P. 48, 91192 GIF-SUR-YVETTE Cedex (France); Pantin, V. [LURE, Centre Universitaire Paris-Sud, Bat. 209D, B.P. 34, 91898 Orsay Cedex (France); Drouard, S. [LEPES-CENES, B.P. 166x, 38042 Grenoble, Cedex 9 (France); Guyot, H. [LEPES-CENES, B.P. 166x, 38042 Grenoble, Cedex 9 (France); Asensio, M.C. [Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid, ICMM - CSIC, 28049 Madrid (Spain) and Synchrotron SOLEIL, L' Orme des Merisiers, Saint-Aubin - B.P. 48, 91192 GIF-SUR-YVETTE Cedex (France)]. E-mail: asensio@synchrotron-soleil.fr

    2006-05-30

    Low dimensional (LD) metallic oxides have been a subject of continuous interest in the last two decades, mainly due to the electronic instabilities that they present at low temperatures. In particular, charge density waves (CDW) instabilities associated with a strong electron-phonon interaction have been found in Molybdenum metallic oxides such as KMo{sub 6}O{sub 17} purple bronze. We report an angle resolved photoemission (ARPES) study from room temperature (RT) to T {approx}40 K well below the Peierls transition temperature for this material, with CDW transition temperature T {sub CDW} {approx}120 K. We have focused on photoemission spectra along {gamma}M high symmetry direction as well as photoemission measurements were taken as a function of temperature at one representative k {sub F} point in the Brillouin zone in order to look for the characteristic gap opening after the phase transition. We found out a pseudogap opening and a decrease in the density of states near the Fermi energy, E {sub F}, consistent with the partial removal of the nested portions of the Fermi surface (FS) at temperature below the CDW transition. In order to elucidate possible Fermi liquid (FL) or non-Fermi liquid (NFL) behaviour we have compared the ARPES data with that one reported on quasi-1D K{sub 0.3}MoO{sub 3} blue bronze.

  3. Structural differences in the two agonist binding sites of the Torpedo nicotinic acetylcholine receptor revealed by time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Martinez, K. L.; Corringer, P. J.; Edelstein, S. J.

    2000-01-01

    The nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) from Torpedo marmorata carries two nonequivalent agonist binding sites at the αδ and αγ subunit interfaces. These sites have been characterized by time-resolved fluorescence with the partial nicotinic agonist dansyl-C6-choline (Dnscho). When bound...

  4. Platelet activation and aggregation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Maria Sander; Larsen, O H; Christiansen, Kirsten

    2013-01-01

    This study introduces a new laboratory model of whole blood platelet aggregation stimulated by endogenously generated thrombin, and explores this aspect in haemophilia A in which impaired thrombin generation is a major hallmark. The method was established to measure platelet aggregation initiated...

  5. Negative pressure wound therapy for partial-thickness burns.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dumville, Jo C; Munson, Christopher; Christie, Janice

    2014-12-15

    A burn wound is a complex and evolving injury, with both local and systemic consequences. Burn treatments include a variety of dressings, as well as newer strategies, such as negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT), which, by means of a suction force that drains excess fluids from the burn, tries to promote the wound healing process and minimise progression of the burn wound. To assess the effectiveness of NPWT for people with partial-thickness burns. We searched the Cochrane Wounds Group Specialised Register (searched 04 September 2014); The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (The Cochrane Library 2014, Issue 8). All randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and controlled clinical trials (CCTs) that evaluated the safety and effectiveness of NPWT for partial-thickness burns. Two review authors used standardised forms, and extracted the data independently. We assessed each trial for risk of bias, and resolved differences by discussion. One RCT, that was an interim report, satisfied the inclusion criteria. We undertook a narrative synthesis of results, as the absence of data and poor reporting precluded us from carrying out any formal statistical analysis. The trial was at high risk of bias. There was not enough evidence available to permit any conclusions to be drawn regarding the use of NPWT for treatment of partial-thickness burn wounds.

  6. Role of Multicellular Aggregates in Biofilm Formation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kasper N. Kragh

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available In traditional models of in vitro biofilm development, individual bacterial cells seed a surface, multiply, and mature into multicellular, three-dimensional structures. Much research has been devoted to elucidating the mechanisms governing the initial attachment of single cells to surfaces. However, in natural environments and during infection, bacterial cells tend to clump as multicellular aggregates, and biofilms can also slough off aggregates as a part of the dispersal process. This makes it likely that biofilms are often seeded by aggregates and single cells, yet how these aggregates impact biofilm initiation and development is not known. Here we use a combination of experimental and computational approaches to determine the relative fitness of single cells and preformed aggregates during early development of Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms. We find that the relative fitness of aggregates depends markedly on the density of surrounding single cells, i.e., the level of competition for growth resources. When competition between aggregates and single cells is low, an aggregate has a growth disadvantage because the aggregate interior has poor access to growth resources. However, if competition is high, aggregates exhibit higher fitness, because extending vertically above the surface gives cells at the top of aggregates better access to growth resources. Other advantages of seeding by aggregates, such as earlier switching to a biofilm-like phenotype and enhanced resilience toward antibiotics and immune response, may add to this ecological benefit. Our findings suggest that current models of biofilm formation should be reconsidered to incorporate the role of aggregates in biofilm initiation.

  7. Pre-aggregation for Probability Distributions

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Timko, Igor; Dyreson, Curtis E.; Pedersen, Torben Bach

    Motivated by the increasing need to analyze complex uncertain multidimensional data (e.g., in order to optimize and personalize location-based services), this paper proposes novel types of {\\em probabilistic} OLAP queries that operate on aggregate values that are probability distributions...... and the techniques to process these queries. The paper also presents the methods for computing the probability distributions, which enables pre-aggregation, and for using the pre-aggregated distributions for further aggregation. In order to achieve good time and space efficiency, the methods perform approximate...... multidimensional data analysis that is considered in this paper (i.e., approximate processing of probabilistic OLAP queries over probability distributions)....

  8. Discrete stochastic charging of aggregate grains

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matthews, Lorin S.; Shotorban, Babak; Hyde, Truell W.

    2018-05-01

    Dust particles immersed in a plasma environment become charged through the collection of electrons and ions at random times, causing the dust charge to fluctuate about an equilibrium value. Small grains (with radii less than 1 μm) or grains in a tenuous plasma environment are sensitive to single additions of electrons or ions. Here we present a numerical model that allows examination of discrete stochastic charge fluctuations on the surface of aggregate grains and determines the effect of these fluctuations on the dynamics of grain aggregation. We show that the mean and standard deviation of charge on aggregate grains follow the same trends as those predicted for spheres having an equivalent radius, though aggregates exhibit larger variations from the predicted values. In some plasma environments, these charge fluctuations occur on timescales which are relevant for dynamics of aggregate growth. Coupled dynamics and charging models show that charge fluctuations tend to produce aggregates which are much more linear or filamentary than aggregates formed in an environment where the charge is stationary.

  9. Prediction of the aggregation propensity of proteins from the primary sequence: aggregation properties of proteomes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Castillo, Virginia; Graña-Montes, Ricardo; Sabate, Raimon; Ventura, Salvador

    2011-06-01

    In the cell, protein folding into stable globular conformations is in competition with aggregation into non-functional and usually toxic structures, since the biophysical properties that promote folding also tend to favor intermolecular contacts, leading to the formation of β-sheet-enriched insoluble assemblies. The formation of protein deposits is linked to at least 20 different human disorders, ranging from dementia to diabetes. Furthermore, protein deposition inside cells represents a major obstacle for the biotechnological production of polypeptides. Importantly, the aggregation behavior of polypeptides appears to be strongly influenced by the intrinsic properties encoded in their sequences and specifically by the presence of selective short regions with high aggregation propensity. This allows computational methods to be used to analyze the aggregation properties of proteins without the previous requirement for structural information. Applications range from the identification of individual amyloidogenic regions in disease-linked polypeptides to the analysis of the aggregation properties of complete proteomes. Herein, we review these theoretical approaches and illustrate how they have become important and useful tools in understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying protein aggregation. Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  10. Customer Aggregation: An Opportunity for Green Power?

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Holt, E.; Bird, L.

    2001-02-26

    We undertook research into the experience of aggregation groups to determine whether customer aggregation offers an opportunity to bring green power choices to more customers. The objectives of this report, therefore, are to (1) identify the different types of aggregation that are occurring today, (2) learn whether aggregation offers an opportunity to advance sales of green power, and (3) share these concepts and approaches with potential aggregators and green power advocates.

  11. Replacement of Fine Aggregate by using Recyclable Materials in Paving Blocks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koganti, Shyam Prakash; Hemanthraja, Kommineni; Sajja, Satish

    2017-08-01

    Cement concrete paving blocks are precast hard products complete out of cement concrete. The product is made in various sizes and shapes like square, round and rectangular blocks of different dimensions with designs for interlocking of adjacent tiles blocks. Several Research Works have been carried out in the past to study the possibility of utilizing waste materials and industrial byproducts in the manufacturing of paver blocks. Various industrial waste materials like quarry dust, glass powder, ceramic dust and coal dust are used as partial replacement of fine aggregate and assessed the strength parameters and compared the profit percentages after replacement with waste materials. Quarry dust can be replaced by 20% and beyond that the difference in strength is not much higher but considering cost we can replace upto 40% so that we can get a profit of almost 10%. Similarly we can replace glass powder and ceramic dust by 20% only beyond that there is decrement in strength and even with 20% replacement we can get 1.34 % and 2.42% of profit. Coal dust is not suitable for alternative material as fine aggregate as it reduces the strength.

  12. Gas-phase laser synthesis of aggregation-free, size-controlled hydroxyapatite nanoparticles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bapat, Parimal V.; Kraft, Rebecca; Camata, Renato P.

    2012-01-01

    Nanophase hydroxyapatite (HA) is finding applications in many areas of biomedical research, including bone tissue engineering, drug delivery, and intracellular imaging. Details in chemical composition, crystal phase makeup, size, and shape of HA nanoparticles play important roles in achieving the favorable biological responses required in these applications. Most of the nanophase HA synthesis techniques involve solution-based methods that exhibit substantial aggregation of particles upon precipitation. Typically these methods also have limited control over the particle size and crystal phase composition. In this study, we describe the gas-phase synthesis of aggregation-free, size-controlled HA nanoparticles with mean size in the 20–70 nm range using laser ablation followed by aerosol electrical mobility classification. Nanoparticle deposits with adjustable number concentration were obtained on solid substrates. Particles were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and X-ray diffraction. Samples are well represented by log-normal size distributions with geometric standard deviation σ g ≈ 1.2. The most suitable conditions for HA nanoparticle formation at a laser fluence of 5 J/cm 2 were found to be a temperature of 800 °C and a partial pressure of water of 160 mbar.

  13. Transportation and utilization of aggregates for road construction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fladvad, Marit; Wigum, Børge Johannes; Aurstad, Joralf

    2017-04-01

    Road construction relies on non-renewable aggregate resources as the main construction material. Sources for high-quality aggregate resources are scattered, and requirements for aggregate quality can cause long transport distances between quarry and road construction site. In European countries, the average aggregate consumption per capita is 5 tonnes per year (European Aggregates Association, 2016), while the corresponding figure for Norway is 11 tonnes (Neeb, 2015). Half the Norwegian aggregate production (sand, gravel and crushed rock) is used for road construction. In Norway, aggregate resources have been considered abundant. However, stricter requirement for aggregate quality, and increased concern for sustainability and environmental issues have spurred focus on reduction of transport lengths through better utilization of local aggregate materials. In this research project, information about pavement design and aggregate quality requirements were gathered from a questionnaire sent to selected experts from the World Road Organization (PIARC), European Committee for Standardization (CEN), and Nordic Road Association (NVF). The gathered data was compared to identify differences and similarities for aggregate use in the participating countries. Further, the data was compared to known data from Norway regarding: - amount of aggregates required for a road structure - aggregate transport lengths and related costs A total of 18 countries participated in the survey, represented by either road authorities, research institutions, or contractors. There are large variations in practice for aggregate use among the represented countries, and the selection of countries is sufficient to illustrate a variety in pavement designs, aggregate sizes, and quality requirements for road construction. There are considerable differences in both pavement thickness and aggregate sizes used in the studied countries. Total thicknesses for pavement structures varies from 220 mm to 2400 mm

  14. Reusing recycled aggregates in structural concrete

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kou, Shicong

    The utilization of recycled aggregates in concrete can minimize environmental impact and reduce the consumption of natural resources in concrete applications. The aim of this thesis is to provide a scientific basis for the possible use of recycled aggregates in structure concrete by conducting a comprehensive programme of laboratory study to gain a better understanding of the mechanical, microstructure and durability properties of concrete produced with recycled aggregates. The study also explored possible techniques to of improve the properties of recycled aggregate concrete that is produced with high percentages (≧ 50%) of recycled aggregates. These techniques included: (a) using lower water-to-cement ratios in the concrete mix design; (b) using fly ash as a cement replacement or as an additional mineral admixture in the concrete mixes, and (c) precasting recycled aggregate concrete with steam curing regimes. The characteristics of the recycled aggregates produced both from laboratory and a commercially operated pilot construction and demolition (C&D) waste recycling plant were first studied. A mix proportioning procedure was then established to produce six series of concrete mixtures using different percentages of recycled coarse aggregates with and without the use of fly ash. The water-to-cement (binder) ratios of 0.55, 0.50, 0.45 and 0.40 were used. The fresh properties (including slump and bleeding) of recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) were then quantified. The effects of fly ash on the fresh and hardened properties of RAC were then studied and compared with those RAC prepared with no fly ash addition. Furthermore, the effects of steam curing on the hardened properties of RAC were investigated. For micro-structural properties, the interfacial transition zones of the aggregates and the mortar/cement paste were analyzed by SEM and EDX-mapping. Moreover, a detailed set of results on the fracture properties for RAC were obtained. Based on the experimental

  15. Spontaneous aggregation of humic acid observed with AFM at different pH.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Colombo, Claudio; Palumbo, Giuseppe; Angelico, Ruggero; Cho, Hyen Goo; Francioso, Ornella; Ertani, Andrea; Nardi, Serenella

    2015-11-01

    Atomic force microscopy in contact (AFM-C) mode was used to investigate the molecular dynamics of leonardite humic acid (HA) aggregate formed at different pH values. HA nanoparticles dispersed at pH values ranging from 2 to 12 were observed on a mica surface under dry conditions. The most clearly resolved and well-resulted AFM images of single particle were obtained at pH 5, where HA appeared as supramolecular particles with a conic shape and a hole in the centre. Those observations suggested that HA formed under these conditions exhibited a pseudo-amphiphilic nature, with secluded hydrophobic domains and polar subunits in direct contact with hydrophilic mica surface. Based on molecular simulation methods, a lignin-carbohydrate complex (LCC) model was proposed to explain the HA ring-like morphology. The LCC model optimized the parameters of β-O-4 linkages between 14 units of 1-4 phenyl propanoid, and resulted in an optimized structure comprising 45-50 linear helical molecules looped spirally around a central cavity. Those results added new insights on the adsorption mechanism of HA on polar surfaces as a function of pH, which was relevant from the point of view of natural aggregation in soil environment. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Use of plastic waste (poly-ethylene terephthalate) in asphalt concrete mixture as aggregate replacement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hassani, Abolfazl; Ganjidoust, Hossein; Maghanaki, Amir Abedin

    2005-08-01

    One of the environmental issues in most regions of Iran is the large number of bottles made from poly-ethylene terephthalate (PET) deposited in domestic wastes and landfills. Due to the high volume of these bottles, more than 1 million m3 landfill space is needed for disposal every year. The purpose of this experimental study was to investigate the possibility of using PET waste in asphalt concrete mixes as aggregate replacement (Plastiphalt) to reduce the environmental effects of PET disposal. For this purpose the mechanical properties of plastiphalt mixes were compared with control samples. This study focused on the parameters of Marshall stability, flow, Marshall quotient (stability-to-flow ratio) and density. The waste PET used in this study was in the form of granules of about 3 mm diameter which would replace (by volume) a portion of the mineral coarse aggregates of an equal size (2.36-4.75 mm). In all prepared mixes the determined 6.6% optimum bitumen content was used. In this investigation, five different percentages of coarse aggregate replacement were used. The results showed that the aggregate replacement of 20% by volume with PET granules would result in a reduction of 2.8% in bulk compacted mix density. The value of flow in the plastiphalt mix was lower than that of the control samples. The results also showed that when PET was used as partial aggregate replacement, the corresponding Marshall stability and Marshall quotient were almost the same as for the control samples. According to most of specification requirement, these results introduce an asphalt mix that has properties that makes it suitable for practical use and furthermore, the recycling of PET for asphalt concrete roads helps alleviate an environmental problem and saves energy.

  17. Aggregated particles caused by instrument artifact

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pierce, Ashley M.; Loría-Salazar, S. Marcela; Arnott, W. Patrick; Edwards, Grant C.; Miller, Matthieu B.; Gustin, Mae S.

    2018-04-01

    Previous studies have indicated that superaggregates, clusters of aggregates of soot primary particles, can be formed in large-scale turbulent fires. Due to lower effective densities, higher porosity, and lower aerodynamic diameters, superaggregates may pass through inlets designed to remove particles 2.5 µm in aerodynamic diameter were collected on 36 out of 158 sample days. On preliminary analysis, it was thought that these aggregated particles were superaggregates, depositing past PM10 (particles wind speeds, as well as the use of generators on site. Samples with aggregated particles, referred to as aggregates, were analyzed using a scanning electron microscope for size and shape and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy was used for elemental analysis. It was determined, based on the high amounts of aluminum present in the aggregate samples, that a sampling artifact associated with the sample inlet and prolonged, high wind events was the probable reason for the observed aggregates.

  18. The alkali–aggregate reaction for various aggregates used in concrete

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Calderón, V.

    2010-09-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this work is to contribute to the knowledge of the interactions between aggregates and the components of the interstitial phase of concrete and to determine whether those aggregates that are subsequently used in the manufacture of concrete are reagents and are therefore likely to undergo a progressive deterioration of their initial properties. An initial petrographic study of each aggregate is performed in order to be able to determine its subsequent behaviour and reactivity under the influence of various factors. The potential reactivity of different silicaceous aggregates (slates, gneiss, hornfels, granites, quartzite and serpentine is then determined by a chemical method for evaluating the potential reactivity of aggregates and an accelerated method in mortar specimens, and finally the surface reactivity is investigated. The results of these studies suggest that some aggregates are able to react with the components of the interstitial phase of concrete. The existence of this kind of interaction is confirmed by the results of the surface investigations before and after the basic reaction.

    Este trabajo pretende contribuir al conocimiento de las reacciones de interacción entre los áridos y los componentes de la fase intersticial del hormigón y determinar si estos áridos, empleados posteriormente en la fabricación del hormigón, son reactivos y por tanto susceptibles de provocar una disminución progresiva de sus propiedades iniciales. Para la caracterización de cada árido se ha realizado un estudio petrográfico, fundamental a la hora de determinar su posterior comportamiento en términos de reactividad frente a diversos factores. Seguidamente, se ha analizado la reactividad potencial de diferentes áridos silicatados (pizarras, gneis, corneanas, granitos, cuarcita y serpentina mediante los dos métodos normalizados existentes: el método químico para la determinación de la reactividad potencial de áridos y

  19. Benchmarking the stochastic time-dependent variational approach for excitation dynamics in molecular aggregates

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chorošajev, Vladimir [Department of Theoretical Physics, Faculty of Physics, Vilnius University, Sauletekio 9-III, 10222 Vilnius (Lithuania); Gelzinis, Andrius; Valkunas, Leonas [Department of Theoretical Physics, Faculty of Physics, Vilnius University, Sauletekio 9-III, 10222 Vilnius (Lithuania); Department of Molecular Compound Physics, Center for Physical Sciences and Technology, Sauletekio 3, 10222 Vilnius (Lithuania); Abramavicius, Darius, E-mail: darius.abramavicius@ff.vu.lt [Department of Theoretical Physics, Faculty of Physics, Vilnius University, Sauletekio 9-III, 10222 Vilnius (Lithuania)

    2016-12-20

    Highlights: • The Davydov ansatze can be used for finite temperature simulations with an extension. • The accuracy is high if the system is strongly coupled to the environmental phonons. • The approach can simulate time-resolved fluorescence spectra. - Abstract: Time dependent variational approach is a convenient method to characterize the excitation dynamics in molecular aggregates for different strengths of system-bath interaction a, which does not require any additional perturbative schemes. Until recently, however, this method was only applicable in zero temperature case. It has become possible to extend this method for finite temperatures with the introduction of stochastic time dependent variational approach. Here we present a comparison between this approach and the exact hierarchical equations of motion approach for describing excitation dynamics in a broad range of temperatures. We calculate electronic population evolution, absorption and auxiliary time resolved fluorescence spectra in different regimes and find that the stochastic approach shows excellent agreement with the exact approach when the system-bath coupling is sufficiently large and temperatures are high. The differences between the two methods are larger, when temperatures are lower or the system-bath coupling is small.

  20. Information Aggregation and Investment Decisions

    OpenAIRE

    Christian Hellwig; Aleh Tsyvinski; Elias Albagli

    2010-01-01

    This paper studies an environment in which information aggregation interacts with investment decisions. The first contribution of the paper is to develop a tractable model of such interactions. The second contribution is to solve the model in closed form and derive a series of implications that result from the interplay between information aggregation and the value of market information for the firms' decision problem. We show that the model generates an information aggregation wedge between ...

  1. The Multivariate Regression Statistics Strategy to Investigate Content-Effect Correlation of Multiple Components in Traditional Chinese Medicine Based on a Partial Least Squares Method.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peng, Ying; Li, Su-Ning; Pei, Xuexue; Hao, Kun

    2018-03-01

    Amultivariate regression statisticstrategy was developed to clarify multi-components content-effect correlation ofpanaxginseng saponins extract and predict the pharmacological effect by components content. In example 1, firstly, we compared pharmacological effects between panax ginseng saponins extract and individual saponin combinations. Secondly, we examined the anti-platelet aggregation effect in seven different saponin combinations of ginsenoside Rb1, Rg1, Rh, Rd, Ra3 and notoginsenoside R1. Finally, the correlation between anti-platelet aggregation and the content of multiple components was analyzed by a partial least squares algorithm. In example 2, firstly, 18 common peaks were identified in ten different batches of panax ginseng saponins extracts from different origins. Then, we investigated the anti-myocardial ischemia reperfusion injury effects of the ten different panax ginseng saponins extracts. Finally, the correlation between the fingerprints and the cardioprotective effects was analyzed by a partial least squares algorithm. Both in example 1 and 2, the relationship between the components content and pharmacological effect was modeled well by the partial least squares regression equations. Importantly, the predicted effect curve was close to the observed data of dot marked on the partial least squares regression model. This study has given evidences that themulti-component content is a promising information for predicting the pharmacological effects of traditional Chinese medicine.

  2. Production of lightweight aggregates from washing aggregate sludge and fly ash

    Science.gov (United States)

    González-Corrochano, Beatriz; Alonso-Azcárate, Jacinto; Rodas, Magdalena

    2010-05-01

    Increasing generation of wastes is one of the main environmental problems in industrialised countries. Heat treatment at high temperatures can convert some types of wastes into ceramic products with a wide range of microstructural features and properties (Bethanis et al., 2004). A lightweight aggregate (LWA) is a granular material with a bulk density (bd) not exceeding 1.20 g/cm3 or with a particle density not exceeding 2.00 g/cm3 (UNE-EN-13055-1, 2003). They have become a focus of interest because the low particle density and the low bulk density entail a decrease in the load transmitted to the ground, and less work and effort are required to transport them (De' Gennaro et al., 2004). The benefits associated with these low densities, which are due to the formation of voids and pores, are very good thermal and acoustic insulation and materials with a good resistance to fire (Benbow, 1987; Fakhfakh et al., 2007). The objective was to recycle fly ash, used motor oil from cars and mineral wastes from washing aggregate sludge, in order to obtain a usable material such as lightweight aggregates, and also to ensure that they are of good quality for different applications. Raw materials have been physically, chemically and mineralogically characterized. On the basis of the results obtained, they were mixed, milled to a grain size of less than 200 μm (Yasuda, 1991), formed into pellets, pre-heated for 5 min and sintered in a rotary kiln at 1150°C, 1175°C, 1200°C and 1225°C for 10 and 15 min at each temperature (Theating). Effects of raw material characteristics, heating temperature and dwell time on the following LWAs properties were determined: loss on ignition (LOI), bloating index (BI), loose bulk density (bd), apparent and dry particle density (ad, dd), voids (H), water absorption (WA24h) and compressive strength (S). The products obtained were lightweight aggregates in accordance with norm UNE-EN-13055-1 (bd ≤1.20 g/cm3 or particle density ≤2.00 g/cm3). LWAs

  3. DURABILITY OF GREEN CONCRETE WITH TERNARY CEMENTITIOUS SYSTEM CONTAINING RECYCLED AGGREGATE CONCRETE AND TIRE RUBBER WASTES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    MAJID MATOUQ ASSAS

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available All over the world billions of tires are being discarded and buried representing a serious ecological threat. Up to now a small part is recycled and millions of tires are just stockpiled, landfilled or buried. This paper presents results about the properties and the durability of green concrete contains recycled concrete as a coarse aggregate with partial replacement of sand by tire rubber wastes for pavement use. Ternary cementious system, Silica fume, Fly ash and Cement Kiln Dust are used as partial replacement of cement by weight. Each one replaced 10% of cement weight to give a total replacement of 30%. The durability performance was assessed by means of water absorption, chloride ion permeability at 28 and 90 days, and resistance to sulphuric acid attack at 1, 7, 14 and 28 days. Also to the compression behaviors for the tested specimens at 7, 14, 28 and 90 days were detected. The results show the existence of ternary cementitious system, silica fly ash and Cement Kiln Dust minimizes the strength loss associated to the use of rubber waste. In this way, up to 10% rubber content and 30% ternary cementious system an adequate strength class value (30 MPa, as required for a wide range of common structural uses, can be reached both through natural aggregate concrete and recycled aggregate concrete. Results also show that, it is possible to use rubber waste up to 15% and still maintain a high resistance to acid attack. The mixes with 10%silica fume, 10% fly ash and 10% Cement Kiln Dust show a higher resistance to sulphuric acid attack than the reference mix independently of the rubber waste content. The mixes with rubber waste and ternary cementious system was a lower resistance to sulphuric acid attack than the reference mix.

  4. Internal water curing with Liapor aggregates

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lura, Pietro

    2005-01-01

    Internal water curing is a very efficient way to counteract self-desiccation and autogenous shrinkage in high performance concrete, thereby reducing the likelihood of early-age cracking. This paper deals with early-age volume changes and moisture transport in lightweight aggregate concrete realized...... with wet lightweight aggregates. Lightweight aggregate concrete mixtures with different degree of saturation and different particle size of the lightweight aggregates were studied and compared to normal weight concrete. Autogenous deformations, selfinduced stresses in fully restrained conditions, elastic...

  5. Fly ash aggregates. Vliegaskunstgrind

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1983-03-01

    A study has been carried out into artificial aggregates made from fly ash, 'fly ash aggregates'. Attention has been drawn to the production of fly ash aggregates in the Netherlands as a way to obviate the need of disposal of fly ash. Typical process steps for the manufacturing of fly ash aggregates are the agglomeration and the bonding of fly ash particles. Agglomeration techniques are subdivided into agitation and compaction, bonding methods into sintering, hydrothermal and 'cold' bonding. In sintering no bonding agent is used. The fly ash particles are more or less welded together. Sintering in general is performed at a temperature higher than 900 deg C. In hydrothermal processes lime reacts with fly ash to a crystalline hydrate at temperatures between 100 and 250 deg C at saturated steam pressure. As a lime source not only lime as such, but also portland cement can be used. Cold bonding processes rely on reaction of fly ash with lime or cement at temperatures between 0 and 100 deg C. The pozzolanic properties of fly ash are used. Where cement is applied, this bonding agent itself contributes also to the strength development of the artificial aggregate. Besides the use of lime and cement, several processes are known which make use of lime containing wastes such as spray dry absorption desulfurization residues or fluid bed coal combustion residues. (In Dutch)

  6. Application of life cycle assessment to production processes of environmentally sustainable concrete, prepared with artificial aggregates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vaccaro, R.; Colangelo, F.; Palumbo, M.; Cioffi, R.

    2005-01-01

    This paper is about the application of Life Cycle Assessment (L.C.A.) on environmentally sustainable concrete production processes. The goal of this experimentations is to assess environmental impact and energy demand related to concrete production, by using, in different admixtures, natural and artificial aggregates, belonging from treatments of different kind of industrial wastes characterized by very small particle sizes. Particular attention was concentrated on the utilization of fine fraction since it is difficult to recover in usual fields of recycling (i.e. aggers, crowl spaces, etc.). This study follows the approach from cradle to cradle. This experimentation was conducted in relation to four concrete admixtures produced, one of them containing only natural aggregate, and the other ones obtained by substituting the 10% of aggregate respectively with inert wastes as construction and demolition waste (CeD waste). cement kiln dust (CKD) and marble sludge. For all admixtures six different end-life scenarios have been proposed, one of them considers all materials transported in landfill while the other ones consider a partial transportation on landfill (15%) and a recycle of the 85% of wastes obtained after demolition of structures [it

  7. Macrophage triggering by aggregated immunoglobulins. II. Comparison of IgE and IgG aggregates or immune complexes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pestel, J; Dessaint, J P; Joseph, M; Bazin, H; Capron, A

    1984-01-01

    Macrophages incubated with complexed or aggregated IgE released beta-glucuronidase (beta-G) within 30 min. In contrast in the presence of aggregated or complexed IgG, macrophages liberated equivalent amount of beta-G only after 6 h incubation. In addition the rapid macrophage stimulation induced by aggregated IgE was also followed by a faster 3H-glucosamine incorporation when compared to the delayed activation caused by aggregated IgG. However, macrophages stimulated either by IgG or by IgE oligomers produced the same percentage of plasminogen activator at 24 h. In contrast, while the interaction between macrophages and aggregated IgE was only followed by a peak of cyclic GMP and a beta-G release during the first 30 min of incubation, the interaction between macrophages and IgG oligomers was accompanied by a simultaneous increase of cyclic GMP and AMP nucleotides and by an absence of beta-G exocytosis. Moreover, the beta-G release induced by aggregated IgE was increased when macrophages were preincubated with aggregated IgG. This additive effect was not observed in the reverse situation. Finally macrophages activated by IgG oligomers were demonstrated to exert a cytotoxic effect on tumour cells and to kill schistosomula in the presence of a low level of complement. Taken together these results underline the peculiar ability of aggregated or complexed IgE to trigger rapidly the macrophage activation compared to aggregated IgG and can explain the important role of complexed IgE in some macrophage dependent cytotoxicity mechanisms (i.e. in parasitic diseases). PMID:6088135

  8. Quality control of Photosystem II: reversible and irreversible protein aggregation decides the fate of Photosystem II under excessive illumination

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yasusi eYamamoto

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available In response to excessive light, the thylakoid membranes of higher plant chloroplasts show dynamic changes including the degradation and reassembly of proteins, a change in the distribution of proteins, and large-scale structural changes such as unstacking of the grana. Here, we examined the aggregation of light-harvesting chlorophyll-protein complexes and Photosystem II core subunits of spinach thylakoid membranes under light stress with 77K chlorophyll fluorescence; aggregation of these proteins was found to proceed with increasing light intensity. Measurement of changes in the fluidity of thylakoid membranes with fluorescence polarization of diphenylhexatriene showed that membrane fluidity increased at a light intensity of 500–1,000 µmol photons m-2 s-1, and decreased at very high light intensity (1,500 µmol photons m-2 s-1. The aggregation of light-harvesting complexes at moderately high light intensity is known to be reversible, while that of Photosystem II core subunits at extremely high light intensity is irreversible. It is likely that the reversibility of protein aggregation is closely related to membrane fluidity: increases in fluidity should stimulate reversible protein aggregation, whereas irreversible protein aggregation might decrease membrane fluidity. When spinach leaves were pre-illuminated with moderately high light intensity, the qE component of non-photochemical quenching and the optimum quantum yield of Photosystem II increased, indicating that Photosystem II/ light-harvesting complexes rearranged in the thylakoid membranes to optimize Photosystem II activity. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that the thylakoids underwent partial unstacking under these light stress conditions. Thus, protein aggregation is involved in thylakoid dynamics and regulates photochemical reactions, thereby deciding the fate of Photosystem II.

  9. Microfluidic magnetic switching valves based on aggregates of magnetic nanoparticles: Effects of aggregate length and nanoparticle sizes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jiemsakul, Thanakorn [National Nanotechnology Center (NANOTEC), National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), 111 Thailand Science Park, Thanon Phahonyothin, Tambon Khlong Nueng, Amphoe Khlong Luang, Pathum Thani 12120 (Thailand); Manakasettharn, Supone, E-mail: supone@nanotec.or.th [National Nanotechnology Center (NANOTEC), National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), 111 Thailand Science Park, Thanon Phahonyothin, Tambon Khlong Nueng, Amphoe Khlong Luang, Pathum Thani 12120 (Thailand); Kanharattanachai, Sivakorn; Wanna, Yongyuth [College of Nanotechnology, King Mongkut' s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, Chalongkrung Road, Bangkok 10520 (Thailand); Wangsuya, Sujint [College of Nanotechnology, King Mongkut' s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, Chalongkrung Road, Bangkok 10520 (Thailand); Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, 272 Rama VI Road, Ratchathewi District, Bangkok 10400 (Thailand); Pratontep, Sirapat [College of Nanotechnology, King Mongkut' s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, Chalongkrung Road, Bangkok 10520 (Thailand)

    2017-01-15

    We demonstrate microfluidic switching valves using magnetic nanoparticles blended within the working fluid as an alternative microfluidic flow control in microchannels. Y-shaped microchannels have been fabricated by using a CO{sub 2} laser cutter to pattern microchannels on transparent poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) sheets covered with thermally bonded transparent polyvinyl chloride (PVC) sheets. To examine the performance of the microfluidic magnetic switching valves, an aqueous magnetic nanoparticle suspension was injected into the microchannels by a syringe pump. Neodymium magnets were then employed to attract magnetic nanoparticles and form an aggregate that blocked the microchannels at a required position. We have found that the maximum volumetric flow rate of the syringe pump that the magnetic nanoparticle aggregate can withstand scales with the square of the external magnetic flux density. The viscosity of the fluid exhibits dependent on the aggregate length and the size of the magnetic nanoparticles. This microfluidic switching valve based on aggregates of magnetic nanoparticles has strong potentials as an on-demand flow control, which may help simplifying microfluidic channel designs. - Highlights: • We demonstrate microfluidic switching valves based on aggregates of magnetic particles. • Maximum flow rate that the aggregate can withstand scales with the square of the external magnetic flux density. • Aggregates with smaller magnetic nanoparticle size can withstand higher flow rate. • Aggregate length exhibits a linear dependence with flow resistance of a viscous fluid.

  10. Properties of concrete containing foamed concrete block waste as fine aggregate replacement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Muthusamy, K.; Budiea, A. M. A.; Zaidan, A. L. F.; Rasid, M. H.; Hazimmah, D. S.

    2017-11-01

    Environmental degradation due to excessive sand mining dumping at certain places and disposal of foamed concrete block waste from lightweight concrete producing industry are issues that should be resolved for a better and cleaner environment of the community. Thus, the main intention of this study is to investigate the potential of foamed concrete block waste as partial sand replacement in concrete production. The foamed concrete waste (FCW) used in this research that were supplied by a local lightweight concrete producing industry. The workability and compressive strength of concrete containing various percentage of foamed concrete waste as partial sand replacement has been investigated. Prior to the use, the foamed concrete waste were crushed to produce finer particles. Six concrete mixes containing various content of crushed foamed concrete waste that are 0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40% and 50% were used in this experimental work. Then the prepared specimens were placed in water curing until the testing age. Compressive strength test and flexural strength tests were conducted at 7, 14 and 28 days. The result shows that integration of crushed foamed concrete waste as partial sand replacement in concrete reduces the mix workability. It is interesting to note that both compressive strength and flexural strength of concrete improves when 30% crushed foamed concrete waste is added as partial sand replacement.

  11. Macroeconomic susceptibility, inflation, and aggregate supply

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hawkins, Raymond J.

    2017-03-01

    We unify aggregate-supply dynamics as a time-dependent susceptibility-mediated relationship between inflation and aggregate economic output. In addition to representing well various observations of inflation-output dynamics this parsimonious formalism provides a straightforward derivation of popular representations of aggregate-supply dynamics and a natural basis for economic-agent expectations as an element of inflation formation. Our formalism also illuminates questions of causality and time-correlation that challenge central banks for whom aggregate-supply dynamics is a key constraint in their goal of achieving macroeconomic stability.

  12. Aggregated recommendation through random forests.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Heng-Ru; Min, Fan; He, Xu

    2014-01-01

    Aggregated recommendation refers to the process of suggesting one kind of items to a group of users. Compared to user-oriented or item-oriented approaches, it is more general and, therefore, more appropriate for cold-start recommendation. In this paper, we propose a random forest approach to create aggregated recommender systems. The approach is used to predict the rating of a group of users to a kind of items. In the preprocessing stage, we merge user, item, and rating information to construct an aggregated decision table, where rating information serves as the decision attribute. We also model the data conversion process corresponding to the new user, new item, and both new problems. In the training stage, a forest is built for the aggregated training set, where each leaf is assigned a distribution of discrete rating. In the testing stage, we present four predicting approaches to compute evaluation values based on the distribution of each tree. Experiments results on the well-known MovieLens dataset show that the aggregated approach maintains an acceptable level of accuracy.

  13. Microbial properties of soil aggregates created by earthworms and other factors: spherical and prismatic soil aggregates from unreclaimed post-mining sites

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Frouz, J.; Kristufek, V.; Liveckova, M.; van Loo, D.; Jacobs, P.; Van Hoorebeke, L. [Charles University of Prague, Prague (Czech Republic). Inst. of Environmental Studies

    2011-01-15

    Soil aggregates between 2 and 5 mm from 35- and 45-year-old unreclaimed post-mining sites near Sokolov (Czech Republic) were divided into two groups: spherical and prismatic. X-ray tomography indicated that prismatic aggregates consisted of fragments of claystone bonded together by amorphous clay and roots while spherical aggregates consisted of a clay matrix and organic fragments of various sizes. Prismatic aggregates were presumed to be formed by plant roots and physical processes during weathering of Tertiary mudstone, while earthworms were presumed to contribute to the formation of spherical aggregates. The effects of drying and rewetting and glucose addition on microbial respiration, microbial biomass, and counts of bacteria in these aggregates were determined. Spherical aggregates contained a greater percentage of C and N and a higher C-to-N ratio than prismatic ones. The C content of the particulate organic matter was also higher in the spherical than in the prismatic aggregates. Although spherical aggregates had a higher microbial respiration and biomass, the growth of microbial biomass in spherical aggregates was negatively correlated with initial microbial biomass, indicating competition between bacteria. Specific respiration was negatively correlated with microbial biomass. Direct counts of bacteria were higher in spherical than in prismatic aggregates. Bacterial numbers were more stable in the center than in the surface layers of the aggregates. Transmission electron microscopy indicated that bacteria often occurred as individual cells in prismatic aggregates but as small clusters of cells in spherical aggregates. Ratios of colony forming units (cultivatable bacteria) to direct counts were higher in spherical than in prismatic aggregates. Spherical aggregates also contained faster growing bacteria.

  14. Glycation precedes lens crystallin aggregation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Swamy, M.S.; Perry, R.E.; Abraham, E.C.

    1987-01-01

    Non-enzymatic glycosylation (glycation) seems to have the potential to alter the structure of crystallins and make them susceptible to thiol oxidation leading to disulfide-linked high molecular weight (HMW) aggregate formation. They used streptozotocin diabetic rats during precataract and cataract stages and long-term cell-free glycation of bovine lens crystallins to study the relationship between glycation and lens crystallin aggregation. HMW aggregates and other protein components of the water-soluble (WS) and urea-soluble (US) fractions were separated by molecular sieve high performance liquid chromatography. Glycation was estimated by both [ 3 H]NaBH 4 reduction and phenylboronate agarose affinity chromatography. Levels of total glycated protein (GP) in the US fractions were about 2-fold higher than in the WS fractions and there was a linear increase in GP in both WS and US fractions. This increase was parallelled by a corresponding increase in HMW aggregates. Total GP extracted by the affinity method from the US fraction showed a predominance of HMW aggregates and vice versa. Cell-free glycation studies with bovine crystallins confirmed the results of the animals studies. Increasing glycation caused a corresponding increase in protein insolubilization and the insoluble fraction thus formed also contained more glycated protein. It appears that lens protein glycation, HMW aggregate formation, and protein insolubilization are interrelated

  15. Reuse of industrial sludge as construction aggregates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tay, J H; Show, K Y; Hong, S Y

    2001-01-01

    Industrial wastewater sludge and dredged marine clay are high volume wastes that needed enormous space at landfill disposal sites. Due to the limitation of land space, there is an urgent need for alternative disposal methods for these two wastes. This study investigates the possibility of using the industrial sludge in combination with marine clay as construction aggregates. Different proportions of sludge and clay were made into round and angular aggregates. It was found that certain mix proportions could provide aggregates of adequate strength, comparable to that of conventional aggregates. Concrete samples cast from the sludge-clay aggregates yield compressive strengths in the range of 31.0 to 39.0 N/mm2. The results showed that the round aggregates of 100% sludge and the crush aggregates of sludge with up to 20% clay produced concrete of compressive strengths which are superior to that of 38.0 N/mm2 for conventional aggregate. The study indicates that the conversion of high volume wastes into construction materials is a potential option for waste management.

  16. Approaches to Aggregation and Decision Making-A Health Economics Approach: An ISPOR Special Task Force Report [5].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Phelps, Charles E; Lakdawalla, Darius N; Basu, Anirban; Drummond, Michael F; Towse, Adrian; Danzon, Patricia M

    2018-02-01

    The fifth section of our Special Task Force report identifies and discusses two aggregation issues: 1) aggregation of cost and benefit information across individuals to a population level for benefit plan decision making and 2) combining multiple elements of value into a single value metric for individuals. First, we argue that additional elements could be included in measures of value, but such elements have not generally been included in measures of quality-adjusted life-years. For example, we describe a recently developed extended cost-effectiveness analysis (ECEA) that provides a good example of how to use a broader concept of utility. ECEA adds two features-measures of financial risk protection and income distributional consequences. We then discuss a further option for expanding this approach-augmented CEA, which can introduce many value measures. Neither of these approaches, however, provide a comprehensive measure of value. To resolve this issue, we review a technique called multicriteria decision analysis that can provide a comprehensive measure of value. We then discuss budget-setting and prioritization using multicriteria decision analysis, issues not yet fully resolved. Next, we discuss deliberative processes, which represent another important approach for population- or plan-level decisions used by many health technology assessment bodies. These use quantitative information on CEA and other elements, but the group decisions are reached by a deliberative voting process. Finally, we briefly discuss the use of stated preference methods for developing "hedonic" value frameworks, and conclude with some recommendations in this area. Copyright © 2018 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Silt-clay aggregates on Mars

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Greeley, R.

    1979-01-01

    Viking observations suggest abundant silt and clay particles on Mars. It is proposed that some of these particles agglomerate to form sand size aggregates that are redeposited as sandlike features such as drifts and dunes. Although the binding for the aggregates could include salt cementation or other mechanisms, electrostatic bonding is considered to be a primary force holding the aggregates together. Various laboratory experiments conducted since the 19th century, and as reported here for simulated Martian conditions, show that both the magnitude and sign of electrical charges on windblown particles are functions of particle velocity, shape and composition, atmospheric pressure, atmospheric composition, and other factors. Electrical charges have been measured for saltating particles in the wind tunnel and in the field, on the surfaces of sand dunes, and within dust clouds on earth. Similar, and perhaps even greater, charges are proposed to occur on Mars, which could form aggregates of silt and clay size particles. Electrification is proposed to occur within Martian dust clouds, generating silt-clay aggregates which would settle to the surface where they may be deposited in the form of sandlike structures. By analog, silt-clay dunes are known in many parts of the earth where silt-clay aggregated were transported by saltation and deposited as 'sand.' In these structures the binding forces were later destroyed, and the particles reassumed the physical properties of silt and clay, but the sandlike bedding structure within the 'dunes' was preserved. The bedding observed in drifts at the Viking landing site is suggested to result from a similar process involving silt-clay aggregates on Mars

  18. Aggregating and Disaggregating Flexibility Objects

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Siksnys, Laurynas; Valsomatzis, Emmanouil; Hose, Katja

    2015-01-01

    In many scientific and commercial domains we encounter flexibility objects, i.e., objects with explicit flexibilities in a time and an amount dimension (e.g., energy or product amount). Applications of flexibility objects require novel and efficient techniques capable of handling large amounts...... and aiming at energy balancing during aggregation. In more detail, this paper considers the complete life cycle of flex-objects: aggregation, disaggregation, associated requirements, efficient incremental computation, and balance aggregation techniques. Extensive experiments based on real-world data from...

  19. Resolution in partially accomodative esotropia during occlusion treatment for amblyopia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koc, F; Ozal, H; Yasar, H; Firat, E

    2006-03-01

    To evaluate alignment changes in partially accommodative esotropia during occlusion treatment for amblyopia. Changes at the deviation angles of 63 partially accommodative esotropia patients, who had occlusion treatment for amblyopia, were evaluated retrospectively. Mean deviation angle at the start of therapy without glasses was 45 PD (10-90 PD) and became 27 PD (5-70 PD) after at least 2 months with glasses. During 12 (2-36) months of occlusion period, mean manifest deviation angle with glasses decreased to 11 PD (0-50) (P amblyopia resolved in 71.5% of the cases. After termination of amblyopia treatment 24 (38%) cases had surgery for the residual deviation but if we had planned surgery before amblyopia treatment, 81% of the patients would have had surgery. Should amblyopia be treated initially or should we operate first in patients with strabismus and amblyopia together? Our research suggests that we should not hurry to operate in high hypermetropic partially accommodative cases, which have amblyopia and a long-term history of strabismus. Initial amblyopia treatment in these cases allows time for resolution of the nonaccomodative component in strabismus and can significantly decrease the necessity for surgery.

  20. CPAD, Curated Protein Aggregation Database: A Repository of Manually Curated Experimental Data on Protein and Peptide Aggregation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thangakani, A Mary; Nagarajan, R; Kumar, Sandeep; Sakthivel, R; Velmurugan, D; Gromiha, M Michael

    2016-01-01

    Accurate distinction between peptide sequences that can form amyloid-fibrils or amorphous β-aggregates, identification of potential aggregation prone regions in proteins, and prediction of change in aggregation rate of a protein upon mutation(s) are critical to research on protein misfolding diseases, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, as well as biotechnological production of protein based therapeutics. We have developed a Curated Protein Aggregation Database (CPAD), which has collected results from experimental studies performed by scientific community aimed at understanding protein/peptide aggregation. CPAD contains more than 2300 experimentally observed aggregation rates upon mutations in known amyloidogenic proteins. Each entry includes numerical values for the following parameters: change in rate of aggregation as measured by fluorescence intensity or turbidity, name and source of the protein, Uniprot and Protein Data Bank codes, single point as well as multiple mutations, and literature citation. The data in CPAD has been supplemented with five different types of additional information: (i) Amyloid fibril forming hexa-peptides, (ii) Amorphous β-aggregating hexa-peptides, (iii) Amyloid fibril forming peptides of different lengths, (iv) Amyloid fibril forming hexa-peptides whose crystal structures are available in the Protein Data Bank (PDB) and (v) Experimentally validated aggregation prone regions found in amyloidogenic proteins. Furthermore, CPAD is linked to other related databases and resources, such as Uniprot, Protein Data Bank, PUBMED, GAP, TANGO, WALTZ etc. We have set up a web interface with different search and display options so that users have the ability to get the data in multiple ways. CPAD is freely available at http://www.iitm.ac.in/bioinfo/CPAD/. The potential applications of CPAD have also been discussed.

  1. Light-induced aggregation of microbial exopolymeric substances.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Luni; Xu, Chen; Zhang, Saijin; Lin, Peng; Schwehr, Kathleen A; Quigg, Antonietta; Chiu, Meng-Hsuen; Chin, Wei-Chun; Santschi, Peter H

    2017-08-01

    Sunlight can inhibit or disrupt the aggregation process of marine colloids via cleavage of high molecular weight compounds into smaller, less stable fragments. In contrast, some biomolecules, such as proteins excreted from bacteria can form aggregates via cross-linking due to photo-oxidation. To examine whether light-induced aggregation can occur in the marine environment, we conducted irradiation experiments on a well-characterized protein-containing exopolymeric substance (EPS) from the marine bacterium Sagitulla stellata. Our results show that after 1 h sunlight irradiation, the turbidity level of soluble EPS was 60% higher than in the dark control. Flow cytometry also confirmed that more particles of larger sized were formed by sunlight. In addition, we determined a higher mass of aggregates collected on filter in the irradiated samples. This suggests light can induce aggregation of this bacterial EPS. Reactive oxygen species hydroxyl radical and peroxide played critical roles in the photo-oxidation process, and salts assisted the aggregation process. The observation that Sagitulla stellata EPS with relatively high protein content promoted aggregation, was in contrast to the case where no significant differences were found in the aggregation of a non-protein containing phytoplankton EPS between the dark and light conditions. This, together with the evidence that protein-to-carbohydrate ratio of aggregates formed under light condition is significantly higher than that formed under dark condition suggest that proteins are likely the important component for aggregate formation. Light-induced aggregation provides new insights into polymer assembly, marine snow formation, and the fate/transport of organic carbon and nitrogen in the ocean. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Kinetics of inclusion body formation and its correlation with the characteristics of protein aggregates in Escherichia coli.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Arun K Upadhyay

    Full Text Available The objective of the research was to understand the structural determinants governing protein aggregation into inclusion bodies during expression of recombinant proteins in Escherichia coli. Recombinant human growth hormone (hGH and asparaginase were expressed as inclusion bodies in E.coli and the kinetics of aggregate formation was analyzed in details. Asparaginase inclusion bodies were of smaller size (200 nm and the size of the aggregates did not increase with induction time. In contrast, the seeding and growth behavior of hGH inclusion bodies were found to be sequential, kinetically stable and the aggregate size increased from 200 to 800 nm with induction time. Human growth hormone inclusion bodies showed higher resistance to denaturants and proteinase K degradation in comparison to those of asparaginase inclusion bodies. Asparaginase inclusion bodies were completely solubilized at 2-3 M urea concentration and could be refolded into active protein, whereas 7 M urea was required for complete solubilization of hGH inclusion bodies. Both hGH and asparaginase inclusion bodies showed binding with amyloid specific dyes. In spite of its low β-sheet content, binding with dyes was more prominent in case of hGH inclusion bodies than that of asparaginase. Arrangements of protein molecules present in the surface as well as in the core of inclusion bodies were similar. Hydrophobic interactions between partially folded amphiphillic and hydrophobic alpha-helices were found to be one of the main determinants of hGH inclusion body formation. Aggregation behavior of the protein molecules decides the nature and properties of inclusion bodies.

  3. Kinetics of Inclusion Body Formation and Its Correlation with the Characteristics of Protein Aggregates in Escherichia coli

    Science.gov (United States)

    Upadhyay, Arun K.; Murmu, Aruna; Singh, Anupam; Panda, Amulya K.

    2012-01-01

    The objective of the research was to understand the structural determinants governing protein aggregation into inclusion bodies during expression of recombinant proteins in Escherichia coli. Recombinant human growth hormone (hGH) and asparaginase were expressed as inclusion bodies in E.coli and the kinetics of aggregate formation was analyzed in details. Asparaginase inclusion bodies were of smaller size (200 nm) and the size of the aggregates did not increase with induction time. In contrast, the seeding and growth behavior of hGH inclusion bodies were found to be sequential, kinetically stable and the aggregate size increased from 200 to 800 nm with induction time. Human growth hormone inclusion bodies showed higher resistance to denaturants and proteinase K degradation in comparison to those of asparaginase inclusion bodies. Asparaginase inclusion bodies were completely solubilized at 2–3 M urea concentration and could be refolded into active protein, whereas 7 M urea was required for complete solubilization of hGH inclusion bodies. Both hGH and asparaginase inclusion bodies showed binding with amyloid specific dyes. In spite of its low β-sheet content, binding with dyes was more prominent in case of hGH inclusion bodies than that of asparaginase. Arrangements of protein molecules present in the surface as well as in the core of inclusion bodies were similar. Hydrophobic interactions between partially folded amphiphillic and hydrophobic alpha-helices were found to be one of the main determinants of hGH inclusion body formation. Aggregation behavior of the protein molecules decides the nature and properties of inclusion bodies. PMID:22479486

  4. The effect of electrolytes on the aggregation kinetics of titanium dioxide nanoparticle aggregates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shih Yanghsin; Zhuang Chengming; Tso Chihping; Lin Chenghan

    2012-01-01

    Metal oxide nanoparticles (NPs) are receiving increasing attention due to their increased industrial production and potential hazardous effect. The process of aggregation plays a key role in the fate of NPs in the environment and the resultant health risk. The aggregation of commercial titanium dioxide NP powder (25 nm) was investigated with various environmentally relevant solution chemistries containing different concentrations of monovalent (Na + , K + ) and divalent (Ca 2+ ) electrolytes. Titanium dioxide particle size increased with the increase in ion concentration. The stability of titanium dioxide also depended on the ionic composition. Titanium dioxide aggregated to a higher degree in the presence of divalent cations than monovalent ones. The attachment efficiency of NPs was constructed through aggregation kinetics data, from which the critical coagulation concentrations for the various electrolytes are determined (80, 19, and 1 meq/L for Na + , K + , and Ca 2+ , respectively). Our results suggest that titanium dioxide NP powders are relatively unstable in water and could easily be removed by adding multivalent cations so hazardous potentials decrease in aquatic environment.

  5. Aggregated particles caused by instrument artifact

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. M. Pierce

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Previous studies have indicated that superaggregates, clusters of aggregates of soot primary particles, can be formed in large-scale turbulent fires. Due to lower effective densities, higher porosity, and lower aerodynamic diameters, superaggregates may pass through inlets designed to remove particles  <  2.5 µm in aerodynamic diameter (PM2.5. Ambient particulate matter samples were collected at Peavine Peak, NV, USA (2515 m northwest of Reno, NV, USA from June to November 2014. The Teledyne Advanced Pollution Instrumentation (TAPI 602 BetaPlus particulate monitor was used to collect PM2.5 on two filter types. During this time, aggregated particles  >  2.5 µm in aerodynamic diameter were collected on 36 out of 158 sample days. On preliminary analysis, it was thought that these aggregated particles were superaggregates, depositing past PM10 (particles  <  10 µm in aerodynamic diameter pre-impactors and PM2.5 cyclones. However, further analysis revealed that these aggregated particles were dissimilar to superaggregates observed in previous studies, both in morphology and in elemental composition. To determine if the aggregated particles were superaggregates or an instrument artifact, samples were investigated for the presence of certain elements, the occurrence of fires, high relative humidity and wind speeds, as well as the use of generators on site. Samples with aggregated particles, referred to as aggregates, were analyzed using a scanning electron microscope for size and shape and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy was used for elemental analysis. It was determined, based on the high amounts of aluminum present in the aggregate samples, that a sampling artifact associated with the sample inlet and prolonged, high wind events was the probable reason for the observed aggregates.

  6. Concrete Waste Recycling Process for High Quality Aggregate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ishikura, Takeshi; Fujii, Shin-ichi

    2008-01-01

    Large amount of concrete waste generates during nuclear power plant (NPP) dismantling. Non-contaminated concrete waste is assumed to be disposed in a landfill site, but that will not be the solution especially in the future, because of decreasing tendency of the site availability and natural resources. Concerning concrete recycling, demand for roadbeds and backfill tends to be less than the amount of dismantled concrete generated in a single rural site, and conventional recycled aggregate is limited of its use to non-structural concrete, because of its inferior quality to ordinary natural aggregate. Therefore, it is vital to develop high quality recycled aggregate for general uses of dismantled concrete. If recycled aggregate is available for high structural concrete, the dismantling concrete is recyclable as aggregate for industry including nuclear field. Authors developed techniques on high quality aggregate reclamation for large amount of concrete generated during NPP decommissioning. Concrete of NPP buildings has good features for recycling aggregate; large quantity of high quality aggregate from same origin, record keeping of the aggregate origin, and little impurities in dismantled concrete such as wood and plastics. The target of recycled aggregate in this development is to meet the quality criteria for NPP concrete as prescribed in JASS 5N 'Specification for Nuclear Power Facility Reinforced Concrete' and JASS 5 'Specification for Reinforced Concrete Work'. The target of recycled aggregate concrete is to be comparable performance with ordinary aggregate concrete. The high quality recycled aggregate production techniques are assumed to apply for recycling for large amount of non-contaminated concrete. These techniques can also be applied for slightly contaminated concrete dismantled from radiological control area (RCA), together with free release survey. In conclusion: a technology on dismantled concrete recycling for high quality aggregate was developed

  7. Spatially resolved x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy of beryllium capsule implosions at the NIF

    Science.gov (United States)

    MacDonald, M. J.; Bishel, D. T.; Saunders, A. M.; Scott, H. A.; Kyrala, G.; Kline, J.; MacLaren, S.; Thorn, D. B.; Yi, S. A.; Zylstra, A. B.; Falcone, R. W.; Doeppner, T.

    2017-10-01

    Beryllium ablators used in indirectly driven inertial confinement fusion implosions are doped with copper to prevent preheat of the cryogenic hydrogen fuel. Here, we present analysis of spatially resolved copper K- α fluorescence spectra from the beryllium ablator layer. It has been shown that K- α fluorescence spectroscopy can be used to measure plasma conditions of partially ionized dopants in high energy density systems. In these experiments, K-shell vacancies in the copper dopant are created by the hotspot emission at stagnation, resulting in K-shell fluorescence at bang time. Spatially resolved copper K- α emission spectra are compared to atomic kinetics and radiation code simulations to infer density and temperature profiles. This work was supported by the US DOE under Grant No. DE-NA0001859, under the auspices of the US DOE by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract No. DE-AC52-07NA27344, and by Los Alamos National Laboratory under contract DE-AC52-06NA52396.

  8. Cholesterol impairment contributes to neuroserpin aggregation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Giampietro, Costanza; Lionetti, Maria Chiara; Costantini, Giulio; Mutti, Federico; Zapperi, Stefano; La Porta, Caterina A. M.

    2017-03-01

    Intraneural accumulation of misfolded proteins is a common feature of several neurodegenerative pathologies including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, and Familial Encephalopathy with Neuroserpin Inclusion Bodies (FENIB). FENIB is a rare disease due to a point mutation in neuroserpin which accelerates protein aggregation in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Here we show that cholesterol depletion induced either by prolonged exposure to statins or by inhibiting the sterol reg-ulatory binding-element protein (SREBP) pathway also enhances aggregation of neuroserpin proteins. These findings can be explained considering a computational model of protein aggregation under non-equilibrium conditions, where a decrease in the rate of protein clearance improves aggregation. Decreasing cholesterol in cell membranes affects their biophysical properties, including their ability to form the vesicles needed for protein clearance, as we illustrate by a simple mathematical model. Taken together, these results suggest that cholesterol reduction induces neuroserpin aggregation, even in absence of specific neuroserpin mutations. The new mechanism we uncover could be relevant also for other neurodegenerative diseases associated with protein aggregation.

  9. Influence of bagasse ash and recycled concrete aggregate on hardened properties of high-strength concrete

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    P. Rattanachu

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available This research aimed to use of bagasse ash as a cement replacement in high-strength recycled aggregate concrete (HS-RAC. Crushed limestone was replaced with 100% recycled concrete aggregate (RCA and the ground bagasse ash (GBA was used to partially replace ordinary Portland cement (OPC at 20, 35 and 50%wt of binder to cast HS-RAC. The results indicated that the replacing of crushed limestone with RCA had a negative impact on the properties of the concrete. Increasing the amount of GBA in HS-RAC resulted in a decrease in density and an increase in the volume of permeable pore space. The concrete mixtures prepared with 20%wt GBA replacement of OPC promoted greater the compressive strength than the conventional concrete (CT concrete at 90 days or more. HS-RAC with GBA (up to 50% was more durable in terms of chloride ion penetration resistance, although it had lower compressive strength than the CT concrete.

  10. Mechanical properties of recycled concrete with demolished waste concrete aggregate and clay brick aggregate

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zheng, Chaocan; Lou, Cong; Du, Geng; Li, Xiaozhen; Liu, Zhiwu; Li, Liqin

    2018-06-01

    This paper presents an experimental investigation on the effect of the replacement of natural coarse aggregate (NCA) with either recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) or recycled clay brick aggregate (RBA) on the compressive strengths of the hardened concrete. Two grades (C25 and C50) of concrete were investigated, which were achieved by using different water-to-cement ratios. In each grade concrete five different replacement rates, 0%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% were considered. In order to improve the performance of the recycled aggregates in the concrete mixes, the RCA and RBA were carefully sieved by using the optimal degradation. In this way the largest reduction in the 28-day compressive strength was found to be only 7.2% and 9.6% for C25 and C50 recycled concrete when the NCA was replaced 100% by RCA, and 11% and 13% for C25 and C50 recycled concrete when the NCA was replaced 100% by RBA. In general, the concrete with RCA has better performance than the concrete with RBA. The comparison of the present experimental results with those reported in literature for hardened concrete with either RCA or RBA demonstrates the effectiveness in improving the compressive strength by using the optimal gradation of recycled aggregates.

  11. Compressive strength improvement for recycled concrete aggregate

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohammed Dhiyaa

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Increasing amount of construction waste and, concrete remnants, in particular pose a serious problem. Concrete waste exist in large amounts, do not decay and need long time for disintegration. Therefore, in this work old demolished concrete is crashed and recycled to produce recycled concrete aggregate which can be reused in new concrete production. The effect of using recycled aggregate on concrete compressive strength has been experimentally investigated; silica fume admixture also is used to improve recycled concrete aggregate compressive strength. The main parameters in this study are recycled aggregate and silica fume admixture. The percent of recycled aggregate ranged from (0-100 %. While the silica fume ranged from (0-10 %. The experimental results show that the average concrete compressive strength decreases from 30.85 MPa to 17.58 MPa when the recycled aggregate percentage increased from 0% to 100%. While, when silica fume is used the concrete compressive strength increase again to 29.2 MPa for samples with 100% of recycled aggregate.

  12. Comments on comet shapes and aggregation processes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hartmann, W.K.

    1989-01-01

    An important question for a comet mission is whether comet nuclei preserve information clarifying aggregation processes of planetary matter. New observational evidence shows that Trojan asteroids, as a group, display a higher fraction of highly-elongated objects than the belt. More recently evidence has accumulated that comet nuclei, as a group, also display highly-elongated shapes at macro-scale. This evidence comes from the several comets whose nuclear lightcurves or shapes have been well studied. Trojans and comet nuclei share other properties. Both groups have extremely low albedos and reddish-to neutral-black colors typical of asteroids of spectral class D, P, and C. Both groups may have had relatively low collision frequencies. An important problem to resolve with spacecraft imaging is whether these elongated shapes are primordial, or due to evolution of the objects. Two hypotheses that might be tested by a combination of global-scale and close-up imaging from various directions are: (1) The irregular shapes are primordial and related to the fact that these bodies have had lower collision frequencies than belt asteroids; or (2) The irregular shapes may be due to volatile loss

  13. Pore structure of natural and regenerated soil aggregates

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Naveed, Muhammad; Arthur, Emmanuel; de Jonge, Lis Wollesen

    2014-01-01

    Quantitative characterization of aggregate pore structure can reveal the evolution of aggregates under different land use and management practices and their effects on soil processes and functions. Advances in X-ray Computed Tomography (CT) provide powerful means to conduct such characterization....... This study examined aggregate pore structure of three differently managed same textured Danish soils (mixed forage cropping, MFC; mixed cash cropping, MCC; cereal cash cropping, CCC) for (i) natural aggregates, and (ii) aggregates regenerated after 20 months of incubation. In total, 27 aggregates (8-16 mm...... pore diameter of 200 and 170 Hm, respectively. Pore shape analysis indicated that CCC and MFC aggregates had an abundance of rounded and elongated pores, respectively, and those of MCC were in-between CCC and MFC. Aggregate pore structure development in the lysimeters was nearly similar irrespective...

  14. Ratio-Based Gradual Aggregation of Data

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Iftikhar, Nadeem

    2012-01-01

    cause data management and data storage issues. However, non-flexible and ineffective means of data aggregation not only reduce performance of database queries but also lead to erroneous reporting. This paper presents flexible and effective ratio-based methods for gradual data aggregation in databases....... Gradual data aggregation is a process that reduces data volume by converting the detailed data into multiple levels of summarized data as the data gets older. This paper also describes implementation strategies of the proposed methods based on standard database technology.......Majority of databases contain large amounts of data, gathered over long intervals of time. In most cases, the data is aggregated so that it can be used for analysis and reporting purposes. The other reason of data aggregation is to reduce data volume in order to avoid over-sized databases that may...

  15. Aggregation of flexible polyelectrolytes: Phase diagram and dynamics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tom, Anvy Moly; Rajesh, R; Vemparala, Satyavani

    2017-10-14

    Similarly charged polymers in solution, known as polyelectrolytes, are known to form aggregated structures in the presence of oppositely charged counterions. Understanding the dependence of the equilibrium phases and the dynamics of the process of aggregation on parameters such as backbone flexibility and charge density of such polymers is crucial for insights into various biological processes which involve biological polyelectrolytes such as protein, DNA, etc. Here, we use large-scale coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations to obtain the phase diagram of the aggregated structures of flexible charged polymers and characterize the morphology of the aggregates as well as the aggregation dynamics, in the presence of trivalent counterions. Three different phases are observed depending on the charge density: no aggregation, a finite bundle phase where multiple small aggregates coexist with a large aggregate and a fully phase separated phase. We show that the flexibility of the polymer backbone causes strong entanglement between charged polymers leading to additional time scales in the aggregation process. Such slowing down of the aggregation dynamics results in the exponent, characterizing the power law decay of the number of aggregates with time, to be dependent on the charge density of the polymers. These results are contrary to those obtained for rigid polyelectrolytes, emphasizing the role of backbone flexibility.

  16. Nickel aggregates produced by radiolysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Marignier, J.L.; Belloni, J.

    1988-01-01

    Nickel aggregates with subcolloidal size and stable in water have been synthesized by inhibiting the corrosion by the medium. The protective effect of the surfactant is discussed in relation with the characteristics of various types of polyvinyl alcohol studied. The reactivity of aggregates towards oxidizing compounds, nitro blue tetrazolium, methylene blue, silver ions, oxygen, methylviologen, enables an estimation of the redox potential of nickel aggregates (E = - 04 ± 0.05 V). It has been applied to quantitative analysis of the particles in presence of nickel ions. 55 refs [fr

  17. Aggregation in concentrated protein solutions: Insights from rheology, neutron scattering and molecular simulations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Castellanos, Maria Monica

    -angle neutron scattering experiments were used to characterize the antibody aggregates responsible for this non-Newtonian response. From the neutron scattering data, a weak barrier leading to reversible aggregation is identified. Therefore, proteins aggregate weakly after colliding hydrodynamically, unless they find a favorable contact with high binding energy. Two types of antibody aggregates were identified: oligomers with average radius of gyration of ˜10 nm, and fractal aggregates larger than ˜ 0.1 microm formed by a reaction-limited aggregation process. A characteristic upturn in the scattered intensity at low wavevector and a low shear viscosity increase are observed in aggregated protein solutions. These features are removed by filtering with a 0.2 microm filter, which also eliminates the submicron fractal aggregates. Biophysical characterization supports the conclusions from the rheology and neutron scattering experiments. Finally, molecular dynamics simulations were used to understand the effects of disulfide bonds on the conformational stability of serum albumin. Changes in disulfide bonds in the native structure could lead to partial unfolding, and the formation of aggregates through inter-molecular disulfide bonds. Therefore, it is important to understand the role of each disulfide bond on the structure and dynamics of the protein. After removing disulfide bonds, changes occur in the dynamic correlations between different residues, and the secondary and tertiary structure of albumin. However, not all disulfide bonds affect the conformation of the protein, suggesting that other interactions are more relevant to keep the stability in certain regions. Removal of all disulfide bonds using molecular dynamics is proposed as a practical prescreening tool to identify disulfide bonds that are important for the conformational stability. As a result, some disulfide bonds can be mutated without affecting the conformation of the protein.

  18. Response of partially premixed flames to acoustic velocity and equivalence ratio perturbations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, K.T.; Lee, J.G.; Quay, B.D.; Santavicca, D.A. [Center for Advanced Power Generation, Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA (United States)

    2010-09-15

    This article describes an experimental investigation of the forced response of a swirl-stabilized partially premixed flame when it is subjected to acoustic velocity and equivalence ratio fluctuations. The flame's response is analyzed using phase-resolved CH{sup *} chemiluminescence images and flame transfer function (FTF) measurements, and compared with the response of a perfectly premixed flame under acoustic perturbations. The nonlinear response of the partially premixed flame is manifested by a partial extinction of the reaction zone, leading to rapid reduction of flame surface area. This nonlinearity, however, is observed only when the phase difference between the acoustic velocity and the equivalence ratio at the combustor inlet is close to zero. The condition, {delta}{phi}{sub {phi}}'-V'{approx}0 , indicates that reactant mixtures with high equivalence ratio impinge on the flame front with high velocity, inducing large fluctuations of the rate of heat release. It is found that the phase difference between the acoustic velocity and equivalence ratio nonuniformities is a key parameter governing the linear/nonlinear response of a partially premixed flame, and it is a function of modulation frequency, inlet velocity, fuel injection location, and fuel injector impedance. The results presented in this article will provide insight into the response of a partially premixed flame, which has not been well explored to date. (author)

  19. Low temperature time resolved photoluminescence in ordered and disordered Cu{sub 2}ZnSnS{sub 4} single crystals

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Raadik, Taavi, E-mail: taavi.raadik@ttu.ee [Department of Materials Science, Tallinn University of Technology, Ehitajate tee 5, 19086 Tallinn (Estonia); Krustok, Jüri; Kauk-Kuusik, M.; Timmo, K.; Grossberg, M. [Department of Materials Science, Tallinn University of Technology, Ehitajate tee 5, 19086 Tallinn (Estonia); Ernits, K. [crystalsol OÜ, Akadeemia tee 15a, 12618 Tallinn (Estonia); Bleuse, J. [CEA-CNRS-UGA group “Nanophysique et Semiconducteurs”, Univ. Grenoble Alpes, INAC-PHELIQS, CEA, INAC-PHELIQS, CNRS, PLUM, F-38000 Grenoble (France)

    2017-03-01

    In this work we performed time-resolved micro-photoluminescence (TRPL) studies of Cu{sub 2}ZnSnS{sub 4} (CZTS) single crystals grown in molten KI salt. The order/disorder degree of CZTS was varied by the thermal post treatment temperature. Photoluminescence spectra measured at T=8 K showed an asymmetric band with a peak position of 1.33 eV and 1.27 eV for partially ordered and disordered structures, respectively. Thermal activation energies were found to be E{sub T} {sub (PO)} =65±9 meV for partially ordered and E{sub T(PD)} =27±4 meV for partially disordered. These low activation energy values indicating to the defect cluster recombination model for both partially ordered and disordered structures. TRPL was measured for both crystals and their decay curves were fitted with a stretched exponential function, in order to describe the charge carriers’ recombination dynamics at low temperature.

  20. Aggregation Algorithms in Heterogeneous Tables

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Titus Felix FURTUNA

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available The heterogeneous tables are most used in the problem of aggregation. A solution for this problem is to standardize these tables of figures. In this paper, we proposed some methods of aggregation based on the hierarchical algorithms.

  1. Small file aggregation in a parallel computing system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Faibish, Sorin; Bent, John M.; Tzelnic, Percy; Grider, Gary; Zhang, Jingwang

    2014-09-02

    Techniques are provided for small file aggregation in a parallel computing system. An exemplary method for storing a plurality of files generated by a plurality of processes in a parallel computing system comprises aggregating the plurality of files into a single aggregated file; and generating metadata for the single aggregated file. The metadata comprises an offset and a length of each of the plurality of files in the single aggregated file. The metadata can be used to unpack one or more of the files from the single aggregated file.

  2. A mobile system for a comprehensive online-characterization of nanoparticle aggregates based on wide-angle light scattering and laser-induced incandescence

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Huber, Franz J. T.; Will, Stefan, E-mail: stefan.will@fau.de [Lehrstuhl für Technische Thermodynamik (LTT), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Erlangen 91058 (Germany); Erlangen Graduate School in Advanced Optical Technologies (SAOT), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Erlangen 91052 (Germany); Cluster of Excellence Engineering of Advanced Materials (EAM), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Erlangen 91052 (Germany); Altenhoff, Michael [Lehrstuhl für Technische Thermodynamik (LTT), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Erlangen 91058 (Germany); Erlangen Graduate School in Advanced Optical Technologies (SAOT), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Erlangen 91052 (Germany)

    2016-05-15

    A mobile demonstrator for the comprehensive online-characterization of gas-borne nanoparticle aggregates is presented. Two optical measurement techniques are combined, both utilizing a pulsed Nd:YAG laser as light source. Aggregate size and fractal dimension are measured by Wide-Angle Light Scattering (WALS). An ellipsoidal mirror images elastically scattered light from scattering angles between 10° and 165° onto a CCD-camera chip resulting in an almost complete scattering diagram with high angular resolution. Primary particle size and volume fraction are measured by time-resolved Laser-Induced Incandescence (TiRe-LII). Here, particles are heated up to about 3000 K by the short laser pulse, the enhanced thermal radiation signal is detected with gated photomultiplier tubes. Analysis of the signal decay time and maximum LII-signal allows for the determination of primary particle diameter and volume fraction. The performance of the system is demonstrated by combined measurements on soot nanoparticle aggregates from a soot aerosol generator. Particle and aggregate sizes are varied by using different equivalence ratios of the combustion in the generator. Soot volume fraction can be adjusted by different levels of dilution with air. Online-measurements were carried out demonstrating the favorable performance of the system and the potential for industrial applications such as process control and product development. The particle properties obtained are confirmed through transmission electron microscopy analysis on representative samples.

  3. A mobile system for a comprehensive online-characterization of nanoparticle aggregates based on wide-angle light scattering and laser-induced incandescence

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huber, Franz J. T.; Will, Stefan; Altenhoff, Michael

    2016-01-01

    A mobile demonstrator for the comprehensive online-characterization of gas-borne nanoparticle aggregates is presented. Two optical measurement techniques are combined, both utilizing a pulsed Nd:YAG laser as light source. Aggregate size and fractal dimension are measured by Wide-Angle Light Scattering (WALS). An ellipsoidal mirror images elastically scattered light from scattering angles between 10° and 165° onto a CCD-camera chip resulting in an almost complete scattering diagram with high angular resolution. Primary particle size and volume fraction are measured by time-resolved Laser-Induced Incandescence (TiRe-LII). Here, particles are heated up to about 3000 K by the short laser pulse, the enhanced thermal radiation signal is detected with gated photomultiplier tubes. Analysis of the signal decay time and maximum LII-signal allows for the determination of primary particle diameter and volume fraction. The performance of the system is demonstrated by combined measurements on soot nanoparticle aggregates from a soot aerosol generator. Particle and aggregate sizes are varied by using different equivalence ratios of the combustion in the generator. Soot volume fraction can be adjusted by different levels of dilution with air. Online-measurements were carried out demonstrating the favorable performance of the system and the potential for industrial applications such as process control and product development. The particle properties obtained are confirmed through transmission electron microscopy analysis on representative samples.

  4. ALPHA-SYNUCLEIN STRUCTURE, AGGREGATION AND MODULATORS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pinakin K. Makwana

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Alpha-synuclein is an intrinsically unstructured protein, involved in various neurodegenerative disorders. In vitro/in vivo experiments, as well as genetic mutation studies establish a direct link between alphasynuclein and synucleinopathies. Due to its natively unfolded state, alpha synuclein can adopt numerous conformations upon interaction with its partners and cellular factors, offering explanation for its diverse interactions. Aggregated form of alpha-synuclein has been observed in the brain of patients with synucleinopathies, a hallmark of neurodegeneration, and cell death has been attributed to aggregation induced toxicity. The process of aggregation involves nucleation, followed by intermediate oligomeric states, and finally the fibrillar amyloids. Of the various conformations/species that alpha-synuclein assumes before it transforms into mature amyloid fibrils, the oligomeric species is the most toxic. Thus, an effective way to limit disease progression is by modifying/slowing down protein aggregation/deposition in the brain. Various small natural products, synthetic chemicals, peptides and antibodies specific to alpha-synuclein have been designed/identified to reduce its rate of aggregation. Unfortunately, not even a handful of the molecules have cleared the clinical trials. Even today, medications available for Parkinson’s patients are mostly the drugs that adjust for loss of dopamine in the brain, and hence do not stop the progression of the disease or cure the symptoms. Thus, more molecular level studies are warranted to fully elucidate the process of alpha-synuclein aggregation, which in turn could help in identifying novel therapeutics and preventives. The present review summarizes the insights gained into the structure, in vitro aggregation and inhibitors/modulators of alpha-synuclein aggregation, that can be used to design better and effective inhibitors against the diseases.

  5. Aggregating todays data for tomorrows science: a geological use case

    Science.gov (United States)

    Glaves, H.; Kingdon, A.; Nayembil, M.; Baker, G.

    2016-12-01

    Geoscience data is made up of diverse and complex smaller datasets that, when aggregated together, build towards what is recognised as `big data'. The British Geological Survey (BGS), which acts as a repository for all subsurface data from the United Kingdom, has been collating these disparate small datasets that have been accumulated from the activities of a large number of geoscientists over many years. Recently this picture has been further complicated by the addition of new data sources such as near real-time sensor data, and industry or community data that is increasingly delivered via automatic donations. Many of these datasets have been aggregated in relational databases to form larger ones that are used to address a variety of issues ranging from development of national infrastructure to disaster response. These complex domain-specific SQL databases deliver effective data management using normalised subject-based database designs in a secure environment. However, the isolated subject-oriented design of these systems inhibits efficient cross-domain querying of the datasets. Additionally, the tools provided often do not enable effective data discovery as they have problems resolving the complex underlying normalised structures. Recent requirements to understand sub-surface geology in three dimensions have led BGS to develop new data systems. One such solution is PropBase which delivers a generic denormalised data structure within an RDBMS to store geological property data. Propbase facilitates rapid and standardised data discovery and access, incorporating 2D and 3D physical and chemical property data, including associated metadata. It also provides a dedicated web interface to deliver complex multiple data sets from a single database in standardised common output formats (e.g. CSV, GIS shape files) without the need for complex data conditioning. PropBase facilitates new scientific research, previously considered impractical, by enabling property data

  6. Intermediate conformation between native β-sheet and non-native α-helix is a precursor of trifluoroethanol-induced aggregation of Human Carbonic Anhydrase-II

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gupta, Preeti; Deep, Shashank

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • HCAII forms amyloid-like aggregates at moderate concentration of trifluoroethanol. • Protein adopts a state between β-sheet and α-helix at moderate % of TFE. • Hydrophobic surface(s) of partially structured conformation forms amyloid. • High % of TFE induces stable α-helical state preventing aggregation. - Abstract: In the present work, we examined the correlation between 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol (TFE)-induced conformational transitions of human carbonic anhydrase II (HCAII) and its aggregation propensity. Circular dichroism data indicates that protein undergoes a transition from β-sheet to α-helix on addition of TFE. The protein was found to aggregate maximally at moderate concentration of TFE at which it exists somewhere between β-sheet and α-helix, probably in extended non-native β-sheet conformation. Thioflavin-T (ThT) and Congo-Red (CR) assays along with fluorescence microscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) data suggest that the protein aggregates induced by TFE possess amyloid-like features. Anilino-8-naphthalene sulfonate (ANS) binding studies reveal that the exposure of hydrophobic surface(s) was maximum in intermediate conformation. Our study suggests that the exposed hydrophobic surface and/or the disruption of the structural features protecting a β-sheet protein might be the major reason(s) for the high aggregation propensity of non-native intermediate conformation of HCAII

  7. Mechanical Dissociation of Platelet Aggregates in Blood Stream

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hoore, Masoud; Fedosov, Dmitry A.; Gompper, Gerhard; Complex; Biological Fluids Group Team

    2017-11-01

    von Willebrand factor (VWF) and platelet aggregation is a key phenomenon in blood clotting. These aggregates form critically in high shear rates and dissolve reversibly in low shear rates. The emergence of a critical shear rate, beyond which aggregates form and below which they dissolve, has an interesting impact on aggregation in blood flow. As red blood cells (RBCs) migrate to the center of the vessel in blood flow, a RBC free layer (RBC-FL) is left close to the walls into which the platelets and VWFs are pushed back from the bulk flow. This margination process provides maximal VWF-platelet aggregation probability in the RBC-FL. Using mesoscale hydrodynamic simulations of aggregate dynamics in blood flow, it is shown that the aggregates form and grow in RBC-FL wherein shear rate is high for VWF stretching. By growing, the aggregates penetrate to the bulk flow and get under order of magnitude lower shear rates. Consequently, they dissolve and get back into the RBC-FL. This mechanical limitation for aggregates prohibits undesired thrombosis and vessel blockage by aggregates, while letting the VWFs and platelets to aggregate close to the walls where they are actually needed. The support by the DFG Research Unit FOR 1543 SHENC and CPU time Grant by the Julich Supercomputing Center are acknowledged.

  8. Learning about individuals' health from aggregate data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Colbaugh, Rich; Glass, Kristin

    2017-07-01

    There is growing awareness that user-generated social media content contains valuable health-related information and is more convenient to collect than typical health data. For example, Twitter has been employed to predict aggregate-level outcomes, such as regional rates of diabetes and child poverty, and to identify individual cases of depression and food poisoning. Models which make aggregate-level inferences can be induced from aggregate data, and consequently are straightforward to build. In contrast, learning models that produce individual-level (IL) predictions, which are more informative, usually requires a large number of difficult-to-acquire labeled IL examples. This paper presents a new machine learning method which achieves the best of both worlds, enabling IL models to be learned from aggregate labels. The algorithm makes predictions by combining unsupervised feature extraction, aggregate-based modeling, and optimal integration of aggregate-level and IL information. Two case studies illustrate how to learn health-relevant IL prediction models using only aggregate labels, and show that these models perform as well as state-of-the-art models trained on hundreds or thousands of labeled individuals.

  9. Efficient clustering aggregation based on data fragments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Ou; Hu, Weiming; Maybank, Stephen J; Zhu, Mingliang; Li, Bing

    2012-06-01

    Clustering aggregation, known as clustering ensembles, has emerged as a powerful technique for combining different clustering results to obtain a single better clustering. Existing clustering aggregation algorithms are applied directly to data points, in what is referred to as the point-based approach. The algorithms are inefficient if the number of data points is large. We define an efficient approach for clustering aggregation based on data fragments. In this fragment-based approach, a data fragment is any subset of the data that is not split by any of the clustering results. To establish the theoretical bases of the proposed approach, we prove that clustering aggregation can be performed directly on data fragments under two widely used goodness measures for clustering aggregation taken from the literature. Three new clustering aggregation algorithms are described. The experimental results obtained using several public data sets show that the new algorithms have lower computational complexity than three well-known existing point-based clustering aggregation algorithms (Agglomerative, Furthest, and LocalSearch); nevertheless, the new algorithms do not sacrifice the accuracy.

  10. Customer Aggregation: An Opportunity for Green Power?; TOPICAL

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Holt, E.; Bird, L.

    2001-01-01

    We undertook research into the experience of aggregation groups to determine whether customer aggregation offers an opportunity to bring green power choices to more customers. The objectives of this report, therefore, are to (1) identify the different types of aggregation that are occurring today, (2) learn whether aggregation offers an opportunity to advance sales of green power, and (3) share these concepts and approaches with potential aggregators and green power advocates

  11. The Multivariate Regression Statistics Strategy to Investigate Content-Effect Correlation of Multiple Components in Traditional Chinese Medicine Based on a Partial Least Squares Method

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ying Peng

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Amultivariate regression statisticstrategy was developed to clarify multi-components content-effect correlation ofpanaxginseng saponins extract and predict the pharmacological effect by components content. In example 1, firstly, we compared pharmacological effects between panax ginseng saponins extract and individual saponin combinations. Secondly, we examined the anti-platelet aggregation effect in seven different saponin combinations of ginsenoside Rb1, Rg1, Rh, Rd, Ra3 and notoginsenoside R1. Finally, the correlation between anti-platelet aggregation and the content of multiple components was analyzed by a partial least squares algorithm. In example 2, firstly, 18 common peaks were identified in ten different batches of panax ginseng saponins extracts from different origins. Then, we investigated the anti-myocardial ischemia reperfusion injury effects of the ten different panax ginseng saponins extracts. Finally, the correlation between the fingerprints and the cardioprotective effects was analyzed by a partial least squares algorithm. Both in example 1 and 2, the relationship between the components content and pharmacological effect was modeled well by the partial least squares regression equations. Importantly, the predicted effect curve was close to the observed data of dot marked on the partial least squares regression model. This study has given evidences that themulti-component content is a promising information for predicting the pharmacological effects of traditional Chinese medicine.

  12. Concrete manufacture with un-graded recycled aggregates

    OpenAIRE

    Richardson, Alan; Coventry, Kathryn; Graham, Sue

    2009-01-01

    Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether concrete that includes un-graded recycled aggregates can be manufactured to a comparable strength to concrete manufactured from virgin aggregates. \\ud \\ud Design/methodology/approach – A paired comparison test was used to evaluate the difference between concrete made with virgin aggregates (plain control) and concrete including recycled waste. Un-graded construction demolition waste and un-graded ground glass were used as aggregate...

  13. Coupling of aggregation and immunogenicity in biotherapeutics: T- and B-cell immune epitopes may contain aggregation-prone regions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kumar, Sandeep; Singh, Satish K; Wang, Xiaoling; Rup, Bonita; Gill, Davinder

    2011-05-01

    Biotherapeutics, including recombinant or plasma-derived human proteins and antibody-based molecules, have emerged as an important class of pharmaceuticals. Aggregation and immunogenicity are among the major bottlenecks during discovery and development of biotherapeutics. Computational tools that can predict aggregation prone regions as well as T- and B-cell immune epitopes from protein sequence and structure have become available recently. Here, we describe a potential coupling between aggregation and immunogenicity: T-cell and B-cell immune epitopes in therapeutic proteins may contain aggregation-prone regions. The details of biological mechanisms behind this observation remain to be understood. However, our observation opens up an exciting potential for rational design of de-immunized novel, as well as follow on biotherapeutics with reduced aggregation propensity.

  14. Aggregation Kinetics of Hematite Particles in the Presence of Outer Membrane Cytochrome OmcA of Shewanella oneidenesis MR-1

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sheng, Anxu [Peking Univ., Beijing (China). College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering; Liu, Feng [Peking Univ., Beijing (China). College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering; Shi, Liang [China Univ. of Geoscience in Wuhan, Hubei (China). Dept. of Biological Sciences and Technology; Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Liu, Juan [Peking Univ., Beijing (China). College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering

    2016-09-20

    The aggregation behavior of 9, 36, and 112 nm hematite particles was studied in the presence of OmcA, a bacterial extracellular protein, in aqueous dispersions at pH 5.7 through time-resolved dynamic light scattering, electrophoretic mobility, and circular dichroism spectra, respectively. At low salt concentration, the attachment efficiencies of hematite particles in all sizes first increased, then decreased, and finally remained stable with the increase of OmcA concentration, indicating the dominant interparticle interaction changed along with the increase in the protein-to-particle ratio. Nevertheless, at high salt concentration, the attachment efficiencies of all hematite samples gradually decreased with increasing OmcA concentration, which can be attributed to increasing steric force. Additionally, the aggregation behavior of OmcA-hematite conjugates was more correlated to total particle-surface area than primary particle size. It was further established that OmcA could stabilize hematite nanoparticles more efficiently than bovine serum albumin (BSA), a model plasma protein, due to the higher affinity of OmcA to hematite surface. This study highlighted the effects of particle properties, solution conditions, and protein properties on the complicated aggregation behavior of protein-nanoparticle conjugates in aqueous environments.

  15. Detection of ubiquitinated huntingtin species in intracellular aggregates

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Katrin eJuenemann

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Protein conformation diseases, including polyglutamine diseases, result from the accumulation and aggregation of misfolded proteins. Huntington’s disease is one of nine diseases caused by an expanded polyglutamine repeat within the affected protein and is hallmarked by intracellular inclusion bodies composed of aggregated N-terminal huntingtin fragments and other sequestered proteins. Fluorescence microscopy and filter trap assay are conventional methods to study protein aggregates, but cannot be used to analyze the presence and levels of post-translational modifications of aggregated huntingtin such as ubiquitination. Ubiquitination of proteins can be a signal for degradation and intracellular localization, but also affects protein activity and protein-protein interactions. The function of ubiquitination relies on its mono- and polymeric isoforms attached to protein substrates. Studying the ubiquitination pattern of aggregated huntingtin fragments offers an important possibility to understand huntingtin degradation and aggregation processes within the cell. For the identification of aggregated huntingtin and its ubiquitinated species, solubilization of the cellular aggregates is mandatory. Here we describe methods to identify post-translational modifications such as ubiquitination of aggregated mutant huntingtin. This approach is specifically described for use with mammalian cell culture and is suitable to study other disease-related proteins prone to aggregate.

  16. Microstructural characterization of concrete prepared with recycled aggregates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guedes, Mafalda; Evangelista, Luís; de Brito, Jorge; Ferro, Alberto C

    2013-10-01

    Several authors have reported the workability, mechanical properties, and durability of concrete produced with construction waste replacing the natural aggregate. However, a systematic microstructural characterization of recycled aggregate concrete has not been reported. This work studies the use of fine recycled aggregate to replace fine natural aggregate in the production of concrete and reports the resulting microstructures. The used raw materials were natural aggregate, recycled aggregate obtained from a standard concrete, and Portland cement. The substitution extent was 0, 10, 50, and 100 vol%; hydration was stopped at 9, 24, and 96 h and 28 days. Microscopy was focused on the cement/aggregate interfacial transition zone, enlightening the effect of incorporating recycled aggregate on the formation and morphology of the different concrete hydration products. The results show that concretes with recycled aggregates exhibit typical microstructural features of the transition zone in normal strength concrete. Although overall porosity increases with increasing replacement, the interfacial bond is apparently stronger when recycled aggregates are used. An addition of 10 vol% results in a decrease in porosity at the interface with a corresponding increase of the material hardness. This provides an opportunity for development of increased strength Portland cement concretes using controlled amounts of concrete waste.

  17. Partial migration and transient coexistence of migrants and residents in animal populations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singh, Navinder J; Leonardsson, Kjell

    2014-01-01

    Partial migration, whereby a proportion of the population migrates, is common across the animal kingdom. Much of the focus in the literature has been on trying to explain the underlying mechanisms for the coexistence of migrants and residents. In addition, there has been an increasing number of reports on the prevalence and frequency of partially migratory populations. One possible explanation for the occurrence of partial migration, which has received no attention in the literature, is that of 'transient coexistence' during the invasion phase of a superior behaviour. In this study we develop a theoretical basis for explaining partial migration as a transient coexistence and derive a method to predict the frequency of residents and migrants in partially migrating populations. This method is useful to predict the frequencies of migrants and residents in a small set of populations as a complementing hypothesis to 'an Evolutionary Stable Strategy (ESS)'. We use the logistic growth equation to derive a formula for predicting the frequencies of residents and migrants. We also use simulations and empirical data from white perch (Morone americana), moose (Alces alces) and red deer (Cervus elaphus) to demonstrate our approach. We show that the probability of detecting partial migration due to transient coexistence depends upon a minimum number of tracked or marked individuals for a given number of populations. Our approach provides a starting point in searching for explanations to the observed frequencies, by contrasting the observed pattern with both the predicted transient and the uniform random pattern. Aggregating such information on observed patterns (proportions of migrants and residents) may eventually lead to the development of a quantitative theory for the equilibrium (ESS) populations as well.

  18. Partial migration and transient coexistence of migrants and residents in animal populations.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Navinder J Singh

    Full Text Available Partial migration, whereby a proportion of the population migrates, is common across the animal kingdom. Much of the focus in the literature has been on trying to explain the underlying mechanisms for the coexistence of migrants and residents. In addition, there has been an increasing number of reports on the prevalence and frequency of partially migratory populations. One possible explanation for the occurrence of partial migration, which has received no attention in the literature, is that of 'transient coexistence' during the invasion phase of a superior behaviour. In this study we develop a theoretical basis for explaining partial migration as a transient coexistence and derive a method to predict the frequency of residents and migrants in partially migrating populations. This method is useful to predict the frequencies of migrants and residents in a small set of populations as a complementing hypothesis to 'an Evolutionary Stable Strategy (ESS'. We use the logistic growth equation to derive a formula for predicting the frequencies of residents and migrants. We also use simulations and empirical data from white perch (Morone americana, moose (Alces alces and red deer (Cervus elaphus to demonstrate our approach. We show that the probability of detecting partial migration due to transient coexistence depends upon a minimum number of tracked or marked individuals for a given number of populations. Our approach provides a starting point in searching for explanations to the observed frequencies, by contrasting the observed pattern with both the predicted transient and the uniform random pattern. Aggregating such information on observed patterns (proportions of migrants and residents may eventually lead to the development of a quantitative theory for the equilibrium (ESS populations as well.

  19. Glycerol-Induced Aggregation of the Oligomeric L-Asparaginase II from E. coli Monitored with ATR-FTIR

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Koba Adeishvili

    2001-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract: In this paper attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy has been employed for the study of the structural composition of aggregates of the oligomeric L-asparaginase II from E.coli formed in the presence of glycerol after the induction of refolding of the protein. Apart from the perfect coincidence of the secondary structure composition of EcA2 as determined by FTIR and crystallography [1], it has also been shown that secondary structure of protein in asparaginase deposits is similar to that of the native conformation: 20.7% extended, 22.3% disordered, 31.4% helix and 25.6% turn/bend/β sheet. Certain structural similarities in the range of experimental error was observed for all three protein deposits presented in this paper, indicating a common structural basis for the composition of this types of aggregates. It is concluded that in the constitution of such precipitates, a partially folded (molten globule like state(s is involved, and its stabilisation is a key factor leading to the aggregation. The results presented in this paper might serve to be a good explanation and an excellent basis for the fundamental theory of protein (oligomers precipitation by osmotic substances.

  20. Crystallography and Molecular Arrangement of Polymorphic Monolayer J-Aggregates of a Cyanine Dye: Multiangle Polarized Light Fluorescence Optical Microscopy Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prokhorov, Valery V; Pozin, Sergey I; Perelygina, Olga M; Mal'tsev, Eugene I

    2018-04-24

    The molecular orientation in monolayer J-aggregates of 3,3-di(γ-sulfopropyl)-5,5-dichlorotiamonomethinecyanine dye has been precisely estimated using improved linear polarization measurements in the fluorescence microscope in which a multiangle set of polarization data is obtained using sample rotation. The estimated molecular orientation supplemented with the previously established crystallographic constraints based on the analysis of the well-developed two-dimensional J-aggregate shapes unambiguously indicate the staircase type of molecular arrangement for striplike J-aggregates with the staircases oriented along strips. The molecular transition dipoles are inclined at an angle of ∼25° to the strip direction, whereas the characteristic strip vertex angle ∼45° is formed by the [100] and [1-10] directions of the monoclinic unit cell. Measurements of the geometry of partially unwound tubes and their polarization properties support the model of tube formation by close-packed helical winding of flexible monolayer strips. In the tubes, the long molecular axes are oriented at a small angle in the range of 5-15° to the normal to the tube axis providing low bending energy. At a nanoscale, high-resolution atomic force microscopy imaging of J-aggregate monolayers reveals a complex quasi-one-dimensional organization.

  1. Collective Rationality in Graph Aggregation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Endriss, U.; Grandi, U.; Schaub, T.; Friedrich, G.; O'Sullivan, B.

    2014-01-01

    Suppose a number of agents each provide us with a directed graph over a common set of vertices. Graph aggregation is the problem of computing a single “collective” graph that best represents the information inherent in this profile of individual graphs. We consider this aggregation problem from the

  2. Environmental Impact Of The Use Of Contaminated Sediments As Partial Replacement Of The Aggregate Used In Road Construction

    Science.gov (United States)

    The Indiana Harbor Canal (IHC) is a waterway extensively polluted with heavy metals and petroleum. Since there are limited disposal options for the petroleum-contaminated sediments (PCSs) of the canal, the environmental impact of IHC dewatered sediment when used as partial repla...

  3. Sequence dependent aggregation of peptides and fibril formation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hung, Nguyen Ba; Le, Duy-Manh; Hoang, Trinh X.

    2017-09-01

    Deciphering the links between amino acid sequence and amyloid fibril formation is key for understanding protein misfolding diseases. Here we use Monte Carlo simulations to study the aggregation of short peptides in a coarse-grained model with hydrophobic-polar (HP) amino acid sequences and correlated side chain orientations for hydrophobic contacts. A significant heterogeneity is observed in the aggregate structures and in the thermodynamics of aggregation for systems of different HP sequences and different numbers of peptides. Fibril-like ordered aggregates are found for several sequences that contain the common HPH pattern, while other sequences may form helix bundles or disordered aggregates. A wide variation of the aggregation transition temperatures among sequences, even among those of the same hydrophobic fraction, indicates that not all sequences undergo aggregation at a presumable physiological temperature. The transition is found to be the most cooperative for sequences forming fibril-like structures. For a fibril-prone sequence, it is shown that fibril formation follows the nucleation and growth mechanism. Interestingly, a binary mixture of peptides of an aggregation-prone and a non-aggregation-prone sequence shows the association and conversion of the latter to the fibrillar structure. Our study highlights the role of a sequence in selecting fibril-like aggregates and also the impact of a structural template on fibril formation by peptides of unrelated sequences.

  4. 21 CFR 1303.11 - Aggregate production quotas.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 9 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Aggregate production quotas. 1303.11 Section 1303.11 Food and Drugs DRUG ENFORCEMENT ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE QUOTAS Aggregate Production and Procurement Quotas § 1303.11 Aggregate production quotas. (a) The Administrator shall determine...

  5. [Evaluation of Image Quality of Readout Segmented EPI with Readout Partial Fourier Technique].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yoshimura, Yuuki; Suzuki, Daisuke; Miyahara, Kanae

    Readout segmented EPI (readout segmentation of long variable echo-trains: RESOLVE) segmented k-space in the readout direction. By using the partial Fourier method in the readout direction, the imaging time was shortened. However, the influence on image quality due to insufficient data sampling is concerned. The setting of the partial Fourier method in the readout direction in each segment was changed. Then, we examined signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), and distortion ratio for changes in image quality due to differences in data sampling. As the number of sampling segments decreased, SNR and CNR showed a low value. In addition, the distortion ratio did not change. The image quality of minimum sampling segments is greatly different from full data sampling, and caution is required when using it.

  6. Purification and characterization of a platelet aggregation inhibitor and anticoagulant Cc 5_NTase, CD 73-like, from Cerastes cerastes venom.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saoud, Samah; Chérifi, Fatah; Benhassine, Traki; Laraba-Djebari, Fatima

    2017-05-01

    The present study is the first attempt to report the characterization of a nucleotidase from Cerastes cerastes venom. A 70 kDa 5'-nucleotidase (Cc-5'NTase) was purified to homogeneity. The amino acid sequence of Cc-5'NTase displayed high homology with many nucleotidases. Its activity was optimal at pH 7 with a specific hydrolytic activity toward mono-, di-, and triphosphate adenylated nucleotides. Cc-5'NTase preferentially hydrolyzed ADP and obeyed Michaelis-Menten kinetics. Among the metals and inhibitors tested, Ni 2+ and Mg 2+ completely potentiated enzyme activity, whereas EGTA, PMSF, iodoacetamide, vanillic acid, vanillyl mandelic acid, and 1,10-phenanthroline partially abolished its activity. Cc-5'NTase was not lethal for mice at 5 mg/kg and exhibited in vivo anticoagulant effect. It also dose-dependently inhibited adenosine diphosphate-induced platelet aggregation by converting adenosine diphosphate to adenosine and prohibited arachidonic acid-induced aggregation but was not effective on fibrinogen-induced aggregation. Cc-5'NTase could be a good tool as pharmacological molecule in thrombosis diagnostic and/or therapy. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  7. Time-resolved small-angle x-ray scattering study of the early stage of amyloid formation of an apomyoglobin mutant

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ortore, Maria Grazia; Spinozzi, Francesco; Vilasi, Silvia; Sirangelo, Ivana; Irace, Gaetano; Shukla, Anuj; Narayanan, Theyencheri; Sinibaldi, Raffaele; Mariani, Paolo

    2011-12-01

    The description of the fibrillogenesis pathway and the identification of “on-pathway” or “off-pathway” intermediates are key issues in amyloid research as they are concerned with the mechanism for onset of certain diseases and with therapeutic treatments. Recent results on the fibril formation process revealed an unexpected complexity both in the number and in the types of species involved, but the early aggregation events are still largely unknown, mainly because of their experimental inaccessibility. To provide information on the early stage events of self-assembly of an amyloidogenic protein, during the so-called lag phase, stopped-flow time-resolved small angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) experiments were performed. Using a global fitting analysis, the structural and aggregation properties of the apomyoglobin W7FW14F mutant, which is monomeric and partly folded at acidic pH but forms amyloid fibrils after neutralization, were derived from the first few milliseconds onward. SAXS data indicated that the first aggregates appear in less than 20 ms after the pH jump to neutrality and further revealed the simultaneous presence of diverse species. In particular, worm-like unstructured monomers, very large assemblies, and elongated particles were detected, and their structural features and relative concentrations were derived as a function of time on the basis of our model. The final results show that, during the lag phase, early assembling occurs due to the presence of transient monomeric species very prone to association and through successive competing aggregation and rearrangement processes leading to coexisting on-pathway and off-pathway transient species.

  8. Neutron strength functions: the link between resolved resonances and the optical model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moldauer, P.A.

    1980-01-01

    Neutron strength functions and scattering radii are useful as energy and channel radius independent parameters that characterize neutron scattering resonances and provide a connection between R-matrix resonance analysis and the optical model. The choice of R-matrix channel radii is discussed, as are limitations on the accuracies of strength functions. New definitions of the p-wave strength function and scattering radius are proposed. For light nuclei, where strength functions display optical model energy variations over the resolved resonances, a doubly reduced partial neutron width is introduced for more meaningful statistical analyses of widths. The systematic behavior of strength functions and scattering radii is discussed

  9. Convective heat transfer analysis in aggregates rotary drum reactor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Le Guen, Laurédan; Huchet, Florian; Dumoulin, Jean; Baudru, Yvan; Tamagny, Philippe

    2013-01-01

    Heat transport characterisation inside rotary drum dryer has a considerable importance linked to many industrial applications. The present paper deals with the heat transfer analysis from experimental apparatus installed in a large-scale rotary drum reactor applied to the asphalt materials production. The equipment including in-situ thermal probes and external visualization by mean of infrared thermography gives rise to the longitudinal evaluation of inner and external temperatures. The assessment of the heat transfer coefficients by an inverse methodology is resolved in order to accomplish a fin analysis of the convective mechanism inside baffled (or flights) rotary drum. The results are discussed and compared with major results of the literature. -- Highlights: ► A thermal and flow experimentation is performed on a large-scale rotary drum. ► Four working points is chosen in the frame of asphalt materials production. ► Evaluation of the convective transfer mechanisms is calculated by inverse method. ► The drying stage is performed in the combustion area. ► Wall/aggregates heat exchanges have a major contribution in the heating stage

  10. Aggregation and charging of sulfate and amidine latex particles in the presence of oxyanions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sugimoto, Takuya; Cao, Tianchi; Szilagyi, Istvan; Borkovec, Michal; Trefalt, Gregor

    2018-08-15

    Electrophoretic mobility and time resolved light scattering are used to measure the effect on charging and aggregation of amidine and sulfate latex particles of different oxyanions namely, phosphate, arsenate, sulfate, and selenate. In the case of negatively charged sulfate latex particles oxyanions represent the coions, while they represent counterions in the case of the positively charged amidine latex. Repulsive interaction between the sulfate latex surface and the coions results in weak ion specific effects on the charging and aggregation. On the other hand the interaction of oxyanions with the amidine latex surface is highly specific. The monovalent dihydrogen phosphate ion strongly adsorbs to the positively charged surface and reverses the charge of the particle. This charge reversal leads also to the restabilization of the amidine latex suspension at the intermediate phosphate concentrations. In the case of dihydrogen arsenate the adsorption to amidine latex surface is weaker and no charge reversal and restabilization occurs. Similar differences are seen between the sulfate and selenate analogues, where selenate adsorbs more strongly to the surface as compared to the sulfate ion and invokes charge reversal. The present results indicate that ion specificity is much more pronounced in the case of counterions. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Mechanical properties of concrete containing recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) and ceramic waste as coarse aggregate replacement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khalid, Faisal Sheikh; Azmi, Nurul Bazilah; Sumandi, Khairul Azwa Syafiq Mohd; Mazenan, Puteri Natasya

    2017-10-01

    Many construction and development activities today consume large amounts of concrete. The amount of construction waste is also increasing because of the demolition process. Much of this waste can be recycled to produce new products and increase the sustainability of construction projects. As recyclable construction wastes, concrete and ceramic can replace the natural aggregate in concrete because of their hard and strong physical properties. This research used 25%, 35%, and 45% recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) and ceramic waste as coarse aggregate in producing concrete. Several tests, such as concrete cube compression and splitting tensile tests, were also performed to determine and compare the mechanical properties of the recycled concrete with those of the normal concrete that contains 100% natural aggregate. The concrete containing 35% RCA and 35% ceramic waste showed the best properties compared with the normal concrete.

  12. Logic-based aggregation methods for ranking student applicants

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Milošević Pavle

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, we present logic-based aggregation models used for ranking student applicants and we compare them with a number of existing aggregation methods, each more complex than the previous one. The proposed models aim to include depen- dencies in the data using Logical aggregation (LA. LA is a aggregation method based on interpolative Boolean algebra (IBA, a consistent multi-valued realization of Boolean algebra. This technique is used for a Boolean consistent aggregation of attributes that are logically dependent. The comparison is performed in the case of student applicants for master programs at the University of Belgrade. We have shown that LA has some advantages over other presented aggregation methods. The software realization of all applied aggregation methods is also provided. This paper may be of interest not only for student ranking, but also for similar problems of ranking people e.g. employees, team members, etc.

  13. Topics in Probabilistic Judgment Aggregation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Guanchun

    2011-01-01

    This dissertation is a compilation of several studies that are united by their relevance to probabilistic judgment aggregation. In the face of complex and uncertain events, panels of judges are frequently consulted to provide probabilistic forecasts, and aggregation of such estimates in groups often yield better results than could have been made…

  14. Thermophoretic aggregation of particles in a protoplanetary disc

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Francis J.

    2018-04-01

    Thermophoresis causes particles to move down a temperature gradient to a cooler region of a neutral gas. An example is the temperature gradient in the gas around a large cold object, such as an aggregate of particles, cooled by radiation in a protoplanetary disc. Particles near this aggregate move down the temperature gradient to the aggregate, equivalent to the particles being attracted to it by an inter-particle thermophoretic force. This force is proportional to the temperature difference between gas and aggregate, to the gas density and to the cross-section of the aggregate. The force can be large. For example, calculations based on the equations of motion of the interacting particles show that it can be large enough in an optically thin environment to increase the rate of aggregation by up to six orders of magnitude when an aggregate radius lies between 0.1 μm and 1 mm. From 1 mm to about 10 cm aggregates drift inwards through the gas too quickly for the thermophoretic attraction to increase aggregation significantly; so they grow slowly, causing an observed accumulation of particles at these sizes. Particles above 10 cm move more quickly, causing aggregation due to collisions, but also causing fragmentation. However, calculations show that fragmenting particles and bouncing particles in inelastic collisions often have low enough relative velocities that thermophoresis brings them together again. This allows particles to grow above 1 m, which is otherwise difficult to explain.

  15. Towards constraint-based aggregation of energy flexibilities

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Valsomatzis, Emmanouil; Pedersen, Torben Bach; Abello, Alberto

    2016-01-01

    present the problem of aggregating energy flexibilities taking into account grid capacity limitations and introduce a heuristic aggregation technique. We show through an experimental setup that our proposed technique, compared to a baseline approach, not only leads to a valid unit commitment result......The aggregation of energy flexibilities enables individual producers and/or consumers with small loads to directly participate in the emerging energy markets. On the other hand, aggregation of such flexibilities might also create problems to the operation of the electrical grid. In this paper, we...

  16. Aspects Concerning the Use of Recycled Concrete Aggregates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Robu, I.; Mazilu, C.; Deju, R.

    2016-11-01

    Natural aggregates (gravel and crushed) are essential non-renewable resources which are used for infrastructure works and civil engineering. Using recycled concrete aggregates (RCA) is a matter of high priority in the construction industry worldwide. This paper presents a study on the use of recycled aggregates, from a concrete of specified class, to acquire new cement concrete with different percentages of recycled aggregates.

  17. SHAPE CHARACTERIZATION OF CONCRETE AGGREGATE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jing Hu

    2011-05-01

    Full Text Available As a composite material, the performance of concrete materials can be expected to depend on the properties of the interfaces between its two major components, aggregate and cement paste. The microstructure at the interfacial transition zone (ITZ is assumed to be different from the bulk material. In general, properties of conventional concrete have been found favoured by optimum packing density of the aggregate. Particle size is a common denominator in such studies. Size segregation in the ITZ among the binder particles in the fresh state, observed in simulation studies by concurrent algorithm-based SPACE system, additionally governs density as well as physical bonding capacity inside these shell-like zones around aggregate particles. These characteristics have been demonstrated qualitatively pertaining also after maturation of the concrete. Such properties of the ITZs have direct impact on composite properties. Despite experimental approaches revealed effects of aggregate grain shape on different features of material structure (among which density, and as a consequence on mechanical properties, it is still an underrated factor in laboratory studies, probably due to the general feeling that a suitable methodology for shape characterization is not available. A scientific argument hindering progress is the interconnected nature of size and shape. Presently, a practical problem preventing shape effects to be emphasized is the limitation of most computer simulation systems in concrete technology to spherical particles. New developments at Delft University of Technology will make it possible in the near future to generate jammed states, or other high-density fresh particle mixtures of non-spherical particles, which thereupon can be subjected to hydration algorithms. This paper will sketch the outlines of a methodological approach for shape assessment of loose (non-embedded aggregate grains, and demonstrate its use for two types of aggregate, allowing

  18. An exact approach for aggregated formulations

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gamst, Mette; Spoorendonk, Simon

    Aggregating formulations is a powerful approach for transforming problems into taking more tractable forms. Aggregated formulations can, though, have drawbacks: some information may get lost in the aggregation and { put in a branch-and-bound context { branching may become very di_cult and even....... The paper includes general considerations on types of problems for which the method is of particular interest. Furthermore, we prove the correctness of the procedure and consider how to include extensions such as cutting planes and advanced branching strategies....

  19. THE PANCHROMATIC HUBBLE ANDROMEDA TREASURY. III. MEASURING AGES AND MASSES OF PARTIALLY RESOLVED STELLAR CLUSTERS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Beerman, Lori C.; Johnson, L. Clifton; Fouesneau, Morgan; Dalcanton, Julianne J.; Weisz, Daniel R.; Williams, Ben F. [Department of Astronomy, University of Washington, Box 351580, Seattle, WA 98195 (United States); Seth, Anil C. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112 (United States); Bell, Eric F. [Department of Astronomy, University of Michigan, 500 Church Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 (United States); Bianchi, Luciana C. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218 (United States); Caldwell, Nelson [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Dolphin, Andrew E. [Raytheon Company, 1151 East Hermans Road, Tucson, AZ 85756 (United States); Gouliermis, Dimitrios A. [Zentrum fuer Astronomie, Institut fuer Theoretische Astrophysik, Universitaet Heidelberg, Albert-Ueberle-Strasse 2, D-69120 Heidelberg (Germany); Kalirai, Jason S. [Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218 (United States); Larsen, Soren S. [Department of Astrophysics, IMAPP, Radboud University Nijmegen, P.O. Box 9010, NL-6500 GL Nijmegen (Netherlands); Melbourne, Jason L. [Caltech Optical Observatories, Division of Physics, Mathematics and Astronomy, Mail Stop 301-17, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Rix, Hans-Walter [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Astronomie, Koenigstuhl 17, D-69117 Heidelberg (Germany); Skillman, Evan D., E-mail: beermalc@astro.washington.edu [Department of Astronomy, University of Minnesota, 116 Church Street SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455 (United States)

    2012-12-01

    The apparent age and mass of a stellar cluster can be strongly affected by stochastic sampling of the stellar initial mass function (IMF), when inferred from the integrated color of low-mass clusters ({approx}<10{sup 4} M {sub Sun }). We use simulated star clusters to show that these effects are minimized when the brightest, rapidly evolving stars in a cluster can be resolved, and the light of the fainter, more numerous unresolved stars can be analyzed separately. When comparing the light from the less luminous cluster members to models of unresolved light, more accurate age estimates can be obtained than when analyzing the integrated light from the entire cluster under the assumption that the IMF is fully populated. We show the success of this technique first using simulated clusters, and then with a stellar cluster in M31. This method represents one way of accounting for the discrete, stochastic sampling of the stellar IMF in less massive clusters and can be leveraged in studies of clusters throughout the Local Group and other nearby galaxies.

  20. Single particle detection and characterization of synuclein co-aggregation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Giese, Armin; Bader, Benedikt; Bieschke, Jan; Schaffar, Gregor; Odoy, Sabine; Kahle, Philipp J.; Haass, Christian; Kretzschmar, Hans

    2005-01-01

    Protein aggregation is the key event in a number of human diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. We present a general method to quantify and characterize protein aggregates by dual-colour scanning for intensely fluorescent targets (SIFT). In addition to high sensitivity, this approach offers a unique opportunity to study co-aggregation processes. As the ratio of two fluorescently labelled components can be analysed for each aggregate separately in a homogeneous assay, the molecular composition of aggregates can be studied even in samples containing a mixture of different types of aggregates. Using this method, we could show that wild-type α-synuclein forms co-aggregates with a mutant variant found in familial Parkinson's disease. Moreover, we found a striking increase in aggregate formation at non-equimolar mixing ratios, which may have important therapeutic implications, as lowering the relative amount of aberrant protein may cause an increase of protein aggregation leading to adverse effects

  1. Live Cell Characterization of DNA Aggregation Delivered through Lipofection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mieruszynski, Stephen; Briggs, Candida; Digman, Michelle A; Gratton, Enrico; Jones, Mark R

    2015-05-27

    DNA trafficking phenomena, such as information on where and to what extent DNA aggregation occurs, have yet to be fully characterised in the live cell. Here we characterise the aggregation of DNA when delivered through lipofection by applying the Number and Brightness (N&B) approach. The N&B analysis demonstrates extensive aggregation throughout the live cell with DNA clusters in the extremity of the cell and peri-nuclear areas. Once within the nucleus aggregation had decreased 3-fold. In addition, we show that increasing serum concentration of cell media results in greater cytoplasmic aggregation. Further, the effects of the DNA fragment size on aggregation was explored, where larger DNA constructs exhibited less aggregation. This study demonstrates the first quantification of DNA aggregation when delivered through lipofection in live cells. In addition, this study has presents a model for alternative uses of this imaging approach, which was originally developed to study protein oligomerization and aggregation.

  2. Retiring the Short-Run Aggregate Supply Curve

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elwood, S. Kirk

    2010-01-01

    The author argues that the aggregate demand/aggregate supply (AD/AS) model is significantly improved--although certainly not perfected--by trimming it of the short-run aggregate supply (SRAS) curve. Problems with the SRAS curve are shown first for the AD/AS model that casts the AD curve as identifying the equilibrium level of output associated…

  3. Experimental test of the viscous anisotropy hypothesis for partially molten rocks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qi, Chao; Kohlstedt, David L; Katz, Richard F; Takei, Yasuko

    2015-10-13

    Chemical differentiation of rocky planets occurs by melt segregation away from the region of melting. The mechanics of this process, however, are complex and incompletely understood. In partially molten rocks undergoing shear deformation, melt pockets between grains align coherently in the stress field; it has been hypothesized that this anisotropy in microstructure creates an anisotropy in the viscosity of the aggregate. With the inclusion of anisotropic viscosity, continuum, two-phase-flow models reproduce the emergence and angle of melt-enriched bands that form in laboratory experiments. In the same theoretical context, these models also predict sample-scale melt migration due to a gradient in shear stress. Under torsional deformation, melt is expected to segregate radially inward. Here we present torsional deformation experiments on partially molten rocks that test this prediction. Microstructural analyses of the distribution of melt and solid reveal a radial gradient in melt fraction, with more melt toward the center of the cylinder. The extent of this radial melt segregation grows with progressive strain, consistent with theory. The agreement between theoretical prediction and experimental observation provides a validation of this theory.

  4. Measurement of platelet aggregation, independently of patient platelet count

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Vinholt, P J; Frederiksen, H; Hvas, A-M

    2017-01-01

    with collagen-related peptide). Platelet aggregation had a negative predictive value of 100% for a bleeding tendency among patients. Conclusion The established platelet aggregation assay was applicable for thrombocytopenic patients, and improved the identification of bleeding risk.......Essentials •Platelet function may influence bleeding risk in thrombocytopenia, but useful tests are needed. •A flow cytometric platelet aggregation test independent of the patient platelet count was made. •Platelet aggregation was reduced in thrombocytopenic patients with hematological cancer....... •High platelet aggregation ruled out bleeding tendency in thrombocytopenic patients. Summary Background Methods for testing platelet aggregation in thrombocytopenia are lacking. Objective To establish a flow-cytometric test of in vitro platelet aggregation independently of the patient's platelet count...

  5. Environmentalism and natural aggregate mining

    Science.gov (United States)

    Drew, L.J.; Langer, W.H.; Sachs, J.S.

    2002-01-01

    Sustaining a developed economy and expanding a developing one require the use of large volumes of natural aggregate. Almost all human activity (commercial, recreational, or leisure) is transacted in or on facilities constructed from natural aggregate. In our urban and suburban worlds, we are almost totally dependent on supplies of water collected behind dams and transported through aqueducts made from concrete. Natural aggregate is essential to the facilities that produce energy-hydroelectric dams and coal-fired powerplants. Ironically, the utility created for mankind by the use of natural aggregate is rarely compared favorably with the environmental impacts of mining it. Instead, the empty quarries and pits are seen as large negative environmental consequences. At the root of this disassociation is the philosophy of environmentalism, which flavors our perceptions of the excavation, processing, and distribution of natural aggregate. The two end-member ideas in this philosophy are ecocentrism and anthropocentrism. Ecocentrism takes the position that the natural world is a organism whose arteries are the rivers-their flow must not be altered. The soil is another vital organ and must not be covered with concrete and asphalt. The motto of the ecocentrist is "man must live more lightly on the land." The anthropocentrist wants clean water and air and an uncluttered landscape for human use. Mining is allowed and even encouraged, but dust and noise from quarry and pit operations must be minimized. The large volume of truck traffic is viewed as a real menace to human life and should be regulated and isolated. The environmental problems that the producers of natural aggregate (crushed stone and sand and gravel) face today are mostly difficult social and political concerns associated with the large holes dug in the ground and the large volume of heavy truck traffic associated with quarry and pit operations. These concerns have increased in recent years as society's demand for

  6. GEN1 from a thermophilic fungus is functionally closely similar to non-eukaryotic junction-resolving enzymes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Freeman, Alasdair D J; Liu, Yijin; Déclais, Anne-Cécile; Gartner, Anton; Lilley, David M J

    2014-12-12

    Processing of Holliday junctions is essential in recombination. We have identified the gene for the junction-resolving enzyme GEN1 from the thermophilic fungus Chaetomium thermophilum and expressed the N-terminal 487-amino-acid section. The protein is a nuclease that is highly selective for four-way DNA junctions, cleaving 1nt 3' to the point of strand exchange on two strands symmetrically disposed about a diagonal axis. CtGEN1 binds to DNA junctions as a discrete homodimer with nanomolar affinity. Analysis of the kinetics of cruciform cleavage shows that cleavage of the second strand occurs an order of magnitude faster than the first cleavage so as to generate a productive resolution event. All these properties are closely similar to those described for bacterial, phage and mitochondrial junction-resolving enzymes. CtGEN1 is also similar in properties to the human enzyme but lacks the problems with aggregation that currently prevent detailed analysis of the latter protein. CtGEN1 is thus an excellent enzyme with which to engage in biophysical and structural analysis of eukaryotic GEN1. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  7. Properties of palm oil fuel ash cement sand brick containing pulverized cockle shell as partial sand replacement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mat Aris, S.; Muthusamy, K.; Uzer, A.; Ahmad, S. Wan

    2018-04-01

    Environmental pollution caused by the disposal of solid wastes generated from both palm oil industry and cockle shell trade has motivated researches to explore the potential of these wastes. Integrating these wastes in production of construction material is one of the ways to reduce amount of waste thrown at dumping area. Thus, the present investigation investigates the performance of palm oil fuel ash (POFA) cement sand brick containing pulverized cockle shell as partial fine aggregate replacement. All mixes used contain 20% of POFA as partial cement replacement. Total of six mixes were prepared by adding a range of pulverized cockle shell that is 0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40% and 50% as partial sand replacement. The mixes were prepared in form of brick. All the water cured samples were tested for compressive strength and flexural strength until 28 days. Findings show that brick produced using 20% pulverized cockle shell exhibit the highest compressive strength and flexural strength also the lowest water absorption value.

  8. Thioflavin T templates amyloid β(1-40) conformation and aggregation pathway

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Di Carlo, Maria Giovanna; Minicozzi, Velia; Foderà, Vito

    2015-01-01

    Aβ(1-40) peptide supramolecular assembly and fibril formation processes are widely recognized to have direct implications in the progression of Alzheimer's disease. The molecular basis of this biological process is still unknown and there is a strong need of developing effective strategies...... in turn rests on the reliability of the probe/labels involved. Here we present evidences of the effect of Thioflavin T (ThT), a worldwide used fluorescent dye to monitor amyloid growth, on the Aβ(1-40) conformation, stability and aggregation. By combining experimental information and Molecular Dynamics...... simulation results, we show that the presence of ThT in solution affects peptide conformation inducing peculiar supramolecular association. In particular ThT interactions with specific Aβ(1-40) residues promote a rigid partially-folded conformation which shifts the balance between different species...

  9. Evaluation of Colemanite Waste as Aggregate Hot Mix Asphalt Concrete

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nihat MOROVA

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available In this study usability of waste colemanite which is obtained after cutting block colemanite for giving proper shape to blocks as an aggregate in hot mix asphalt. For this aim asphalt concrete samples were prepared with four different aggregate groups and optimum bitumen content was determined. First of all only limestone was used as an aggregate. After that, only colemanite aggregate was used with same aggregate gradation. Then, the next step of the study, Marshall samples were produced by changing coarse and fine aggregate gradation as limestone and colemanite and Marshall test were conducted. When evaluated the results samples which produced with only limestone aggregate gave the maximum Marshall Stability value. When handled other mixture groups (Only colemanite, colemanite as coarse aggregate-limestone as fine aggregate, colemanite as fine aggregate-limestone as coarse aggregate all groups were verified specification limits. As a result, especially in areas where there is widespread colemanite waste, if transportation costs did not exceed the cost of limestone, colemanite stone waste could be used instead of limestone in asphalt concrete mixtures as fine aggregate

  10. Effects of vegetation restoration on the aggregate stability and distribution of aggregate-associated organic carbon in a typical karst gorge region

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tang, F. K.; Cui, M.; Lu, Q.; Liu, Y. G.; Guo, H. Y.; Zhou, J. X.

    2015-08-01

    Changes in soil utilization significantly affect aggregate stability and aggregate-associated soil organic carbon (SOC). A field investigation and indoor analysis were conducted in order to study the soil aggregate stability and organic carbon distribution in the water-stable aggregates (WSA) of the bare land (BL), grassland (GL), shrubland (SL), and woodland (WL) in a typical karst gorge region. The results indicated that the BL, GL, SL, and WL were dominated by particles with sizes > 5 mm under dry sieving treatment, and that the soil aggregate contents of various sizes decreased as the particle size decreased. In addition, the BL, GL, SL, and WL were predominantly comprised of WSA sieving treatment, and that the WSA contents initially increased, then decreased, and then increased again as the particle size decreased. Furthermore, at a soil depth of 0-60 cm, the mean weight diameter (MWD), geometrical mean diameter (GMD), and fractal dimensions (D) of the dry aggregates and water-stable aggregates in the different types of land were ranked, in descending order, as WL > GL > SL > BL. The contents of WSA > 0.25 mm, MWD and GMD increased significantly, in that order, and the percentage of aggregate destruction (PAD) and fractal dimensions decreased significantly as the soil aggregate stability improved. The results of this study indicated that, as the SOC contents increased after vegetation restoration, the average SOC content of WL was 2.35, 1.37, and 1.26 times greater than that in the BL, GL, and SL, respectively. The total SOC and SOC associated in WSA of various sizes were the highest at a soil depth of 0-20 cm. In addition, the SOC contents of the WSA increased as the soil aggregate sizes decreased. The SOC contents of the WSA aggregates aggregate SOC contents. The woodland and grassland facilitated WSA stability and SOC protection, thus, promoting the natural restoration of vegetation by reducing artificial disturbances could effectively restore the ecology

  11. The Mechanisms of Aberrant Protein Aggregation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cohen, Samuel; Vendruscolo, Michele; Dobson, Chris; Knowles, Tuomas

    2012-02-01

    We discuss the development of a kinetic theory for understanding the aberrant loss of solubility of proteins. The failure to maintain protein solubility results often in the assembly of organized linear structures, commonly known as amyloid fibrils, the formation of which is associated with over 50 clinical disorders including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. A true microscopic understanding of the mechanisms that drive these aggregation processes has proved difficult to achieve. To address this challenge, we apply the methodologies of chemical kinetics to the biomolecular self-assembly pathways related to protein aggregation. We discuss the relevant master equation and analytical approaches to studying it. In particular, we derive the underlying rate laws in closed-form using a self-consistent solution scheme; the solutions that we obtain reveal scaling behaviors that are very generally present in systems of growing linear aggregates, and, moreover, provide a general route through which to relate experimental measurements to mechanistic information. We conclude by outlining a study of the aggregation of the Alzheimer's amyloid-beta peptide. The study identifies the dominant microscopic mechanism of aggregation and reveals previously unidentified therapeutic strategies.

  12. Salt-induced aggregation of stiff polyelectrolytes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fazli, Hossein; Mohammadinejad, Sarah; Golestanian, Ramin

    2009-01-01

    Molecular dynamics simulation techniques are used to study the process of aggregation of highly charged stiff polyelectrolytes due to the presence of multivalent salt. The dominant kinetic mode of aggregation is found to be the case of one end of one polyelectrolyte meeting others at right angles, and the kinetic pathway to bundle formation is found to be similar to that of flocculation dynamics of colloids as described by Smoluchowski. The aggregation process is found to favor the formation of finite bundles of 10-11 filaments at long times. Comparing the distribution of the cluster sizes with the Smoluchowski formula suggests that the energy barrier for the aggregation process is negligible. Also, the formation of long-lived metastable structures with similarities to the raft-like structures of actin filaments is observed within a range of salt concentration.

  13. Suspensions of colloidal particles and aggregates

    CERN Document Server

    Babick, Frank

    2016-01-01

    This book addresses the properties of particles in colloidal suspensions. It has a focus on particle aggregates and the dependency of their physical behaviour on morphological parameters. For this purpose, relevant theories and methodological tools are reviewed and applied to selected examples. The book is divided into four main chapters. The first of them introduces important measurement techniques for the determination of particle size and interfacial properties in colloidal suspensions. A further chapter is devoted to the physico-chemical properties of colloidal particles—highlighting the interfacial phenomena and the corresponding interactions between particles. The book’s central chapter examines the structure-property relations of colloidal aggregates. This comprises concepts to quantify size and structure of aggregates, models and numerical tools for calculating the (light) scattering and hydrodynamic properties of aggregates, and a discussion on van-der-Waals and double layer interactions between ...

  14. Time-resolved x-ray diffraction analysis of the experimental dehydration of serpentine at high pressure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Inoue, Toru; Yoshimi, Isamu; Yamada, Akihiro; Kikegawa, Takumi

    2009-01-01

    Time-resolved, in situ X-ray diffraction analysis was used to determine the dehydration rate and kinetics of serpentine during experimental dehydration at high pressures. The capsule used comprises a diamond sleeve fitted with Au or Pt lids in order to provide high-quality, time-resolved X-ray diffraction data. Antigorite quickly dehydrated to enstatite + forsterite + fluid within 2 h at 650degC below ∼6 GPa. Avrami modeling of the results and SEM observations of the partially dehydrated sample revealed that the nucleation rate was quite high for enstatite but low for forsterite, showing incubation periods of ∼10 min before appearing. The crystallization of these minerals is controlled largely by the composition of the fluid generated from serpentine dehydration. The dehydration boundary determined below 6 GPa in the present study is consistent with the results of previous phase equilibrium studies. This study indicates that serpentine in a subducting slab dehydrates rapidly below 6 GPa when the slab intersects the dehydration boundary conditions. (author)

  15. Path coupling and aggregate path coupling

    CERN Document Server

    Kovchegov, Yevgeniy

    2018-01-01

    This book describes and characterizes an extension to the classical path coupling method applied to statistical mechanical models, referred to as aggregate path coupling. In conjunction with large deviations estimates, the aggregate path coupling method is used to prove rapid mixing of Glauber dynamics for a large class of statistical mechanical models, including models that exhibit discontinuous phase transitions which have traditionally been more difficult to analyze rigorously. The book shows how the parameter regions for rapid mixing for several classes of statistical mechanical models are derived using the aggregate path coupling method.

  16. Entanglement dynamics of J-aggregate systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Thilagam, A, E-mail: Thilagam.Lohe@unisa.edu.au [Information Technology, Engineering and the Environment, Mawson Institute, University of South Australia, South Australia 5095 (Australia)

    2011-04-01

    The entanglement dynamics of one-dimensional J-aggregate systems are examined using entanglement measures such as the von Neumann entropy and Wootters concurrence. The effect of dispersion and resonance terms associated with the exciton-phonon interaction are analyzed using Green's function formalism. A probability propagator term, derived using the Markovian approximation, presents J-aggregate systems as potential channels for large scale energy propagation for a select range of parameters. We highlight the role of a critical number of coherently coupled monomer sites and two-exciton states in determining superradiance in J-aggregate systems.

  17. Strain-dependent profile of misfolded prion protein aggregates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morales, Rodrigo; Hu, Ping Ping; Duran-Aniotz, Claudia; Moda, Fabio; Diaz-Espinoza, Rodrigo; Chen, Baian; Bravo-Alegria, Javiera; Makarava, Natallia; Baskakov, Ilia V; Soto, Claudio

    2016-02-15

    Prions are composed of the misfolded prion protein (PrP(Sc)) organized in a variety of aggregates. An important question in the prion field has been to determine the identity of functional PrP(Sc) aggregates. In this study, we used equilibrium sedimentation in sucrose density gradients to separate PrP(Sc) aggregates from three hamster prion strains (Hyper, Drowsy, SSLOW) subjected to minimal manipulations. We show that PrP(Sc) aggregates distribute in a wide range of arrangements and the relative proportion of each species depends on the prion strain. We observed a direct correlation between the density of the predominant PrP(Sc) aggregates and the incubation periods for the strains studied. The relative presence of PrP(Sc) in fractions of different sucrose densities was indicative of the protein deposits present in the brain as analyzed by histology. Interestingly, no association was found between sensitivity to proteolytic degradation and aggregation profiles. Therefore, the organization of PrP molecules in terms of the density of aggregates generated may determine some of the particular strain properties, whereas others are independent from it. Our findings may contribute to understand the mechanisms of strain variation and the role of PrP(Sc) aggregates in prion-induced neurodegeneration.

  18. Balancing energy flexibilities through aggregation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Valsomatzis, Emmanouil; Hose, Katja; Pedersen, Torben Bach

    2014-01-01

    One of the main goals of recent developments in the Smart Grid area is to increase the use of renewable energy sources. These sources are characterized by energy fluctuations that might lead to energy imbalances and congestions in the electricity grid. Exploiting inherent flexibilities, which exist...... in both energy production and consumption, is the key to solving these problems. Flexibilities can be expressed as flex-offers, which due to their high number need to be aggregated to reduce the complexity of energy scheduling. In this paper, we discuss balance aggregation techniques that already during...... aggregation aim at balancing flexibilities in production and consumption to reduce the probability of congestions and reduce the complexity of scheduling. We present results of our extensive experiments....

  19. Recycled Concrete as Aggregate for Structural Concrete Production

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mirjana Malešev

    2010-04-01

    Full Text Available A comparative analysis of the experimental results of the properties of fresh and hardened concrete with different replacement ratios of natural with recycled coarse aggregate is presented in the paper. Recycled aggregate was made by crushing the waste concrete of laboratory test cubes and precast concrete columns. Three types of concrete mixtures were tested: concrete made entirely with natural aggregate (NAC as a control concrete and two types of concrete made with natural fine and recycled coarse aggregate (50% and 100% replacement of coarse recycled aggregate. Ninety-nine specimens were made for the testing of the basic properties of hardened concrete. Load testing of reinforced concrete beams made of the investigated concrete types is also presented in the paper. Regardless of the replacement ratio, recycled aggregate concrete (RAC had a satisfactory performance, which did not differ significantly from the performance of control concrete in this experimental research. However, for this to be fulfilled, it is necessary to use quality recycled concrete coarse aggregate and to follow the specific rules for design and production of this new concrete type.

  20. SHAPE ANALYSIS OF FINE AGGREGATES USED FOR CONCRETE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Huan He

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Fine aggregate is one of the essential components in concrete and significantly influences the material properties. As parts of natures, physical characteristics of fine aggregate are highly relevant to its behaviors in concrete. The most of previous studies are mainly focused on the physical properties of coarse aggregate due to the equipment limitations. In this paper, two typical fine aggregates, i.e. river sand and crushed rock, are selected for shape characterization. The new developed digital image analysis systems are employed as the main approaches for the purpose. Some other technical methods, e.g. sieve test, laser diffraction method are also used for the comparable references. Shape characteristics of fine aggregates with different origins but in similar size ranges are revealed by this study. Compared with coarse aggregate, fine grains of different origins generally have similar shape differences. These differences are more significant in surface texture properties, which can be easily identified by an advanced shape parameter: bluntness. The new image analysis method is then approved to be efficient for the shape characterization of fine aggregate in concrete.

  1. Self-aggregation of magnetic semiconductor EuS nanocrystals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tanaka, Atsushi; Hasegawa, Yasuchika; Kamikubo, Hironari; Kataoka, Mikio; Kawai, Tsuyoshi

    2009-01-01

    Controlled formation of aggregates having organized structure of cube-shaped EuS nanocrystals is reported. The EuS aggregates in liquid media (methanol) were obtained by means of van der Waals interaction between EuS nanocrystals. The packing structure of the EuS aggregates is characterized with transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and small angle X-ray scattering measurements (SAXS). TEM image indicates the EuS nanocrystals form self-aggregated 2D orthogonal lattice structure. The diffraction peak of (111) of SAXS profile shows that the cube-shaped EuS form 3D cubic superlattice. We successfully demonstrated that the aggregates of cube-shaped EuS nanocrystals formed cubic stacking structure.

  2. Effects of Elevated Temperature on Concrete with Recycled Coarse Aggregates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salau, M. A.; Oseafiana, O. J.; Oyegoke, T. O.

    2015-11-01

    This paper discusses the effects of heating temperatures of 200°C, 400°C and 600°C each for 2 hours at a heating rate of 2.5°C/min on concrete with the content of Natural Coarse Aggregates (NCA) partially replaced with Recycled Coarse Aggregates (RCA), obtained from demolished building in the ratio of 0%, 15% and 30%.There was an initial drop in strength from 100°C to 200°C which is suspected to be due to the relatively weak interfacial bond between the RCA and the hardened paste within the concrete matrix;a gradual increase in strength continued from 200°C to 450°C and steady drop occurred again as it approached 600°C.With replacement proportion of 0%, 15% and 30% of NCA and exposure to peak temperature of 600°C, a relative concrete strength of 23.6MPa, 25.3MPa and 22.2MPa respectively can be achieved for 28 days curing age. Furthermore, RAC with 15% NCA replacement when exposed to optimum temperature of 450°C yielded high compressive strength comparable to that of control specimen (normal concrete). In addition, for all concrete samples only slight surface hairline cracks were noticed as the temperature approached 400°C. Thus, the RAC demonstrated behavior just like normal concrete and may be considered fit for structural use.

  3. Modelling The Effects of Aggregate Size on Alkali Aggregate Reaction Expansion

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    N. Z. Sekrane

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available This work aims at developing models to predict the potential expansion of concrete containing alkali-reactive aggregates. The paper gives measurements in order to provide experimental data concerning the effect of particle size of an alkali-reactive siliceous limestone on mortar expansion. Results show that no expansion was measured on the mortars using small particles (0.5-1.0 mm while the particles (1.0–2.0 mm gave the largest expansions (0.217%. Two models are proposed, the first one studies the correlations between the measured expansions and the size of aggregates, the second one calculates the thickness of the porous zone necessary to take again all the volume of the gel created.

  4. Doubly robust estimation of generalized partial linear models for longitudinal data with dropouts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Huiming; Fu, Bo; Qin, Guoyou; Zhu, Zhongyi

    2017-12-01

    We develop a doubly robust estimation of generalized partial linear models for longitudinal data with dropouts. Our method extends the highly efficient aggregate unbiased estimating function approach proposed in Qu et al. (2010) to a doubly robust one in the sense that under missing at random (MAR), our estimator is consistent when either the linear conditional mean condition is satisfied or a model for the dropout process is correctly specified. We begin with a generalized linear model for the marginal mean, and then move forward to a generalized partial linear model, allowing for nonparametric covariate effect by using the regression spline smoothing approximation. We establish the asymptotic theory for the proposed method and use simulation studies to compare its finite sample performance with that of Qu's method, the complete-case generalized estimating equation (GEE) and the inverse-probability weighted GEE. The proposed method is finally illustrated using data from a longitudinal cohort study. © 2017, The International Biometric Society.

  5. Model of fractal aggregates induced by shear

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wan Zhanhong

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available It is an undoubted fact that particle aggregates from marine, aerosol, and engineering systems have fractal structures. In this study, fractal geometry is used to describe the morphology of irregular aggregates. The mean-field theory is employed to solve coagulation kinetic equation of aggregates. The Taylor-expansion method of moments in conjunction with the self-similar fractal characteristics is used to represent the particulate field. The effect of the target fractal dimensions on zeroth-order moment, second-order moment, and geometric standard deviation of the aggregates is explored. Results show that the developed moment method is an efficient and powerful approach to solving such evolution equations.

  6. Towards Better Understanding of Concrete Containing Recycled Concrete Aggregate

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hisham Qasrawi

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available The effect of using recycled concrete aggregates (RCA on the basic properties of normal concrete is studied. First, recycled aggregate properties have been determined and compared to those of normal aggregates. Except for absorption, there was not a significant difference between the two. Later, recycled aggregates were introduced in concrete mixes. In these mixes, natural coarse aggregate was partly or totally replaced by recycled aggregates. Results show that the use of recycled aggregates has an adverse effect on the workability and air content of fresh concrete. Depending on the water/cement ratio and on the percent of the normal aggregate replaced by RCA, the concrete strength is reduced by 5% to 25%, while the tensile strength is reduced by 4% to 14%. All results are compared with previous research. As new in this research, the paper introduces a simple formula for the prediction of the modulus of elasticity of RCA concrete. Furthermore, the paper shows the variation of the air content of RAC.

  7. Microbial Ecology of Soil Aggregation in Agroecosystems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hofmockel, K. S.; Bell, S.; Tfailly, M.; Thompson, A.; Callister, S.

    2017-12-01

    Crop selection and soil texture influence the physicochemical attributes of the soil, which structures microbial communities and influences soil C cycling storage. At the molecular scale, microbial metabolites and necromass alter the soil environment, which creates feedbacks that influence ecosystem functions, including soil C accumulation. By integrating lab to field studies we aim to identify the molecules, organisms and metabolic pathways that control carbon cycling and stabilization in bioenergy soils. We investigated the relative influence of plants, microbes, and minerals on soil aggregate ecology at the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research experiment. Sites in WI and MI, USA have been in corn and switchgrass cropping systems for a decade. By comparing soil aggregate ecology across sites and cropping systems we are able to test the relative importance of plant, microbe, mineral influences on soil aggregate dynamics. Soil microbial communities (16S) differ in diversity and phylogeny among sites and cropping systems. FT-ICR MS revealed differences in the molecular composition of water-soluble fraction of soil organic matter for cropping systems and soil origin for both relative abundance of assigned formulas and biogeochemical classes of compounds. We found the degree of aggregation, measured by mean weighted diameter of aggregate fractions, is influenced by plant-soil interactions. Similarly, the proportion of soil aggregate fractions varied by both soil and plant factors. Differences in aggregation were reflected in differences in bacterial, but not fungal community composition across aggregate fractions, within each soil. Scanning electron microscopy revealed stark differences in mineral-organic interactions that influence the microbial niche and the accessibility of substrates within the soil. The clay soils show greater surface heterogeneity, enabling interactions with organic fraction of the soil. This is consistent with molecular data that reveal differences

  8. Effects of Combined Application of Biogas Slurry and Chemical Fertilizer on Soil Aggregation and C/N Distribution in an Ultisol

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zheng, Xuebo; Fan, Jianbo; Xu, Lei; Zhou, Jing

    2017-01-01

    Unreasonable use of chemical fertilizer (CF) on agricultural soil leads to massive losses of soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN) in tropical and subtropical areas, where soil conditions are unfavorable for aggregate formation. This study evaluated the effects of combined application of biogas slurry (BS) plus CF on soil aggregation and aggregate—associated C/N concentration and storage in an Ultisol. Six treatments included: no fertilizer (T1), CF only (T2), partial (15% (T3), 30% (T4) and 45% (T5)) substitution of TN with BS and BS only (T6). Soil mechanical—stable aggregates (MSAs) formation and stability as well as MSAs—associated C/N concentration and storage were observed in different aggregate sizes (>5, 5–2, 2–1, 1.0–0.5, 0.50–0.25 and 5 mm significantly increased with BS substitution (T5), while the proportions of MSAs 1.0–0.5 mm, MSAs 0.50–0.25 mm and MSAs 0.5 mm that constituted 72–82% of MSAs. Stepwise regression analysis showed that MSAs >5 mm, SOC in MSAs >5 mm and TN in MSAs >5 mm were the dominant variables affecting aggregate stability. Meanwhile SOC in MSAs <0.25 mm and TN in MSAs 2–1 mm were independent variables affecting SOC and TN concentrations in bulk soils. Therefore, certain rate of combined application of BS plus CF is an effective, eco—friendly way to improve soil quality in an Ultisol. PMID:28125647

  9. Cooperative structural transitions in amyloid-like aggregation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Steckmann, Timothy; Bhandari, Yuba R.; Chapagain, Prem P.; Gerstman, Bernard S.

    2017-04-01

    Amyloid fibril aggregation is associated with several horrific diseases such as Alzheimer's, Creutzfeld-Jacob, diabetes, Parkinson's, and others. Although proteins that undergo aggregation vary widely in their primary structure, they all produce a cross-β motif with the proteins in β-strand conformations perpendicular to the fibril axis. The process of amyloid aggregation involves forming myriad different metastable intermediate aggregates. To better understand the molecular basis of the protein structural transitions and aggregation, we report on molecular dynamics (MD) computational studies on the formation of amyloid protofibrillar structures in the small model protein ccβ, which undergoes many of the structural transitions of the larger, naturally occurring amyloid forming proteins. Two different structural transition processes involving hydrogen bonds are observed for aggregation into fibrils: the breaking of intrachain hydrogen bonds to allow β-hairpin proteins to straighten, and the subsequent formation of interchain H-bonds during aggregation into amyloid fibrils. For our MD simulations, we found that the temperature dependence of these two different structural transition processes results in the existence of a temperature window that the ccβ protein experiences during the process of forming protofibrillar structures. This temperature dependence allows us to investigate the dynamics on a molecular level. We report on the thermodynamics and cooperativity of the transformations. The structural transitions that occurred in a specific temperature window for ccβ in our investigations may also occur in other amyloid forming proteins but with biochemical parameters controlling the dynamics rather than temperature.

  10. Aggregate formation in 3D turbulent-like flows

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Dominguez, A.; Aartrijk, van M.; Castello, Del L.; Clercx, H.J.H.; Geurts, B.; Clercx, H

    2006-01-01

    Aggregate formation is an important process in industrial and environ mental turbulent flows. Two examples in the environmental area, where turbulent aggregate formation takes place, are raindrop formation in clouds and Marine Snow (aggregate) formation in the upper layer in the oceans. The

  11. Engineering Performance of Polyurethane Bonded Aggregates

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Haimin WU

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available In this paper the engineering performance of polyurethane (PUR bonded aggregate were studied. The engineering performance, including compressive and flexural mechanical properties, void ratio, and coefficient of permeability were determined through laboratory tests. Moreover, the effects of two different curing conditions on the compressive strength properties of a PUR bonded aggregate were also evaluated. The compressive strengths of PUR bonded aggregates were found to be lower than that of conventional porous concrete, which is a commonly used cushion material. However, experimental results indicated a higher void ratio and coefficient of permeability, lower elasticity modulus, better toughness, and stronger adaptability to flexural deformation compared to porous concrete. Consequently, PUR bonded aggregate is a better solution than porous concrete when used as the cushion material of a geomembrane surface barrier for a high rock-fill dam.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ms.23.2.15798

  12. SHAPE ANALYSIS OF FINE AGGREGATES USED FOR CONCRETE

    OpenAIRE

    HE, Huan; Courard, Luc; Pirard, Eric; Michel, Frédéric

    2016-01-01

    Fine aggregate is one of the essential components in concrete and significantly influences the material properties. As parts of natures, physical characteristics of fine aggregate are highly relevant to its behaviors in concrete. The most of previous studies are mainly focused on the physical properties of coarse aggregate due to the equipment limitations. In this paper, two typical fine aggregates, i.e. river sand and crushed rock, are selected for shape characterization. The new developed d...

  13. McSnow: A Monte-Carlo Particle Model for Riming and Aggregation of Ice Particles in a Multidimensional Microphysical Phase Space

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brdar, S.; Seifert, A.

    2018-01-01

    We present a novel Monte-Carlo ice microphysics model, McSnow, to simulate the evolution of ice particles due to deposition, aggregation, riming, and sedimentation. The model is an application and extension of the super-droplet method of Shima et al. (2009) to the more complex problem of rimed ice particles and aggregates. For each individual super-particle, the ice mass, rime mass, rime volume, and the number of monomers are predicted establishing a four-dimensional particle-size distribution. The sensitivity of the model to various assumptions is discussed based on box model and one-dimensional simulations. We show that the Monte-Carlo method provides a feasible approach to tackle this high-dimensional problem. The largest uncertainty seems to be related to the treatment of the riming processes. This calls for additional field and laboratory measurements of partially rimed snowflakes.

  14. Probabilistic Analysis of Structural Member from Recycled Aggregate Concrete

    Science.gov (United States)

    Broukalová, I.; Šeps, K.

    2017-09-01

    The paper aims at the topic of sustainable building concerning recycling of waste rubble concrete from demolition. Considering demands of maximising recycled aggregate use and minimising of cement consumption, composite from recycled concrete aggregate was proposed. The objective of the presented investigations was to verify feasibility of the recycled aggregate cement based fibre reinforced composite in a structural member. Reliability of wall from recycled aggregate fibre reinforced composite was assessed in a probabilistic analysis of a load-bearing capacity of the wall. The applicability of recycled aggregate fibre reinforced concrete in structural applications was demonstrated. The outcomes refer to issue of high scatter of material parameters of recycled aggregate concretes.

  15. Liver tissue engineering based on aggregate assembly: efficient formation of endothelialized rat hepatocyte aggregates and their immobilization with biodegradable fibres

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pang, Y; Shinohara, M; Komori, K; Sakai, Y; Montagne, K

    2012-01-01

    To realize long-term in vitro culture of hepatocytes at a high density while maintaining a high hepatic function for aggregate-based liver tissue engineering, we report here a novel culture method whereby endothelialized rat hepatocyte aggregates were formed using a PDMS microwell device and cultured in a perfusion bioreactor by introducing spacers between aggregates to improve oxygen and nutrient supply. Primary rat hepatocyte aggregates around 100 µm in diameter coated with human umbilical vein endothelial cells were spontaneously and quickly formed after 12 h of incubation, thanks to the continuous supply of oxygen by diffusion through the PDMS honeycomb microwell device. Then, the recovered endothelialized rat hepatocyte aggregates were mixed with biodegradable poly-l-lactic acid fibres in suspension and packed into a PDMS-based bioreactor. Perfusion culture of 7 days was successfully achieved with more than 73.8% cells retained in the bioreactor. As expected, the fibres acted as spacers between aggregates, which was evidenced from the enhanced albumin production and more spherical morphology compared with fibre-free packing. In summary, this study shows the advantages of using PDMS-based microwells to form heterotypic aggregates and also demonstrates the feasibility of spacing tissue elements for improving oxygen and nutrient supply to tissue engineering based on modular assembly. (paper)

  16. Aggregate formation in 3D turbulent-like flows

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Dominguez, A.; Clercx, H.J.H.

    2006-01-01

    Aggregate formation is an important process in industrial and environmental turbulent flows. In oceans turbulence play an important role on Marine Snow (aggregate) formation. For a proper description, the study of aggregate formation in turbulent flows requires a particle based model i.e. following

  17. The proteome of neurofilament-containing protein aggregates in blood

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rocco Adiutori

    2018-07-01

    Full Text Available Protein aggregation in biofluids is a poorly understood phenomenon. Under normal physiological conditions, fluid-borne aggregates may contain plasma or cell proteins prone to aggregation. Recent observations suggest that neurofilaments (Nf, the building blocks of neurons and a biomarker of neurodegeneration, are included in high molecular weight complexes in circulation. The composition of these Nf-containing hetero-aggregates (NCH may change in systemic or organ-specific pathologies, providing the basis to develop novel disease biomarkers. We have tested ultracentrifugation (UC and a commercially available protein aggregate binder, Seprion PAD-Beads (SEP, for the enrichment of NCH from plasma of healthy individuals, and then characterised the Nf content of the aggregate fractions using gel electrophoresis and their proteome by mass spectrometry (MS. Western blot analysis of fractions obtained by UC showed that among Nf isoforms, neurofilament heavy chain (NfH was found within SDS-stable high molecular weight aggregates. Shotgun proteomics of aggregates obtained with both extraction techniques identified mostly cell structural and to a lesser extent extra-cellular matrix proteins, while functional analysis revealed pathways involved in inflammatory response, phagosome and prion-like protein behaviour. UC aggregates were specifically enriched with proteins involved in endocrine, metabolic and cell-signalling regulation. We describe the proteome of neurofilament-containing aggregates isolated from healthy individuals biofluids using different extraction methods.

  18. Influence of velocity gradient on optimisation of the aggregation process and properties of formed aggregates. Part 2. Quantification of the influence of agitation intensity and time on the properties of formed aggregates

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Polášek, Pavel

    2011-01-01

    Roč. 59, č. 3 (2011), s. 196-205 ISSN 0042-790X R&D Projects: GA ČR GA103/07/1016 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z20600510 Keywords : inline high density suspension (IHDS) formation process * aggregation phases * aggregate properties * compactness * relative density of aggregates Subject RIV: BK - Fluid Dynamics Impact factor: 0.340, year: 2011

  19. Soil aggregation under different management systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cibele Mascioli Rebello Portella

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available Considering that the soil aggregation reflects the interaction of chemical, physical and biological soil factors, the aim of this study was evaluate alterations in aggregation, in an Oxisol under no-tillage (NT and conventional tillage (CT, since over 20 years, using as reference a native forest soil in natural state. After analysis of the soil profile (cultural profile in areas under forest management, samples were collected from the layers 0-5, 5-10, 10-20 and 20-40 cm, with six repetitions. These samples were analyzed for the aggregate stability index (ASI, mean weighted diameter (MWD, mean geometric diameter (MGD in the classes > 8, 8-4, 4-2, 2-1, 1-0.5, 0.5-0.25, and < 0.25 mm, and for physical properties (soil texture, water dispersible clay (WDC, flocculation index (FI and bulk density (Bd and chemical properties (total organic carbon - COT, total nitrogen - N, exchangeable calcium - Ca2+, and pH. The results indicated that more intense soil preparation (M < NT < PC resulted in a decrease in soil stability, confirmed by all stability indicators analyzed: MWD, MGD, ASI, aggregate class distribution, WDC and FI, indicating the validity of these indicators in aggregation analyses of the studied soil.

  20. Aggregation of natively folded proteins: a theoretical approach

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Trovato, Antonio; Maritan, Amos; Seno, Flavio

    2007-01-01

    The reliable identification of β-aggregating stretches in protein sequences is essential for the development of therapeutic agents for Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, as well as other pathological conditions associated with protein deposition. While the list of aggregation related diseases is growing, it has also been shown that many proteins that are normally well behaved can be induced to aggregate in vitro. This fact suggests the existence of a unified framework that could explain both folding and aggregation. By assuming this universal behaviour, we have recently introduced an algorithm (PASTA: prediction of amyloid structure aggregation), which is based on a sequence-specific energy function derived from the propensity of two residue types to be found paired in neighbouring strands within β-sheets in globular proteins. The algorithm is able to predict the most aggregation-prone portions of several proteins initially unfolded, in excellent agreement with experimental results. Here, we apply the method to a set of proteins which are known to aggregate, but which are natively folded. The quality of the prediction is again very high, corroborating the hypothesis that the amyloid structure is stabilized by the same physico-chemical determinants as those operating in folded proteins

  1. Protein aggregation and misfolding: good or evil?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pastore, Annalisa; Temussi, Pierandrea

    2012-06-01

    Protein aggregation and misfolding have important implications in an increasing number of fields ranging from medicine to biology to nanotechnology and material science. The interest in understanding this field has accordingly increased steadily over the last two decades. During this time the number of publications that have been dedicated to protein aggregation has increased exponentially, tackling the problem from several different and sometime contradictory perspectives. This review is meant to summarize some of the highlights that come from these studies and introduce this topical issue on the subject. The factors that make a protein aggregate and the cellular strategies that defend from aggregation are discussed together with the perspectives that the accumulated knowledge may open.

  2. Protein aggregation and misfolding: good or evil?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pastore, Annalisa; Temussi, Pierandrea

    2012-01-01

    Protein aggregation and misfolding have important implications in an increasing number of fields ranging from medicine to biology to nanotechnology and material science. The interest in understanding this field has accordingly increased steadily over the last two decades. During this time the number of publications that have been dedicated to protein aggregation has increased exponentially, tackling the problem from several different and sometime contradictory perspectives. This review is meant to summarize some of the highlights that come from these studies and introduce this topical issue on the subject. The factors that make a protein aggregate and the cellular strategies that defend from aggregation are discussed together with the perspectives that the accumulated knowledge may open. (topical review)

  3. Characterization of fine aggregates in concrete by different experimental approaches

    OpenAIRE

    He, Huan; Courard, Luc; Pirard, Eric; Michel, Frédéric

    2011-01-01

    Being its major component, aggregate can occupy up to three-quarter of the volume of concrete. The structure of aggregate formed in hardened state impacts largely on mechanical and durability properties of concrete. On another hand, physical characteristics of aggregate are primarily assumed to be relevant to granular behavior of aggregate. Therefore, characterization of aggregate is of high relevance to concrete studies. In this study, different types of fine aggregate used in concrete, name...

  4. Efficient external memory structures for range-aggregate queries

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Agarwal, P.K.; Yang, J.; Arge, L.

    2013-01-01

    We present external memory data structures for efficiently answering range-aggregate queries. The range-aggregate problem is defined as follows: Given a set of weighted points in Rd, compute the aggregate of the weights of the points that lie inside a d-dimensional orthogonal query rectangle. The...

  5. Cellular Handling of Protein Aggregates by Disaggregation Machines.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mogk, Axel; Bukau, Bernd; Kampinga, Harm H

    2018-01-18

    Both acute proteotoxic stresses that unfold proteins and expression of disease-causing mutant proteins that expose aggregation-prone regions can promote protein aggregation. Protein aggregates can interfere with cellular processes and deplete factors crucial for protein homeostasis. To cope with these challenges, cells are equipped with diverse folding and degradation activities to rescue or eliminate aggregated proteins. Here, we review the different chaperone disaggregation machines and their mechanisms of action. In all these machines, the coating of protein aggregates by Hsp70 chaperones represents the conserved, initializing step. In bacteria, fungi, and plants, Hsp70 recruits and activates Hsp100 disaggregases to extract aggregated proteins. In the cytosol of metazoa, Hsp70 is empowered by a specific cast of J-protein and Hsp110 co-chaperones allowing for standalone disaggregation activity. Both types of disaggregation machines are supported by small Hsps that sequester misfolded proteins. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. Signature of an aggregation-prone conformation of tau

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eschmann, Neil A.; Georgieva, Elka R.; Ganguly, Pritam; Borbat, Peter P.; Rappaport, Maxime D.; Akdogan, Yasar; Freed, Jack H.; Shea, Joan-Emma; Han, Songi

    2017-03-01

    The self-assembly of the microtubule associated tau protein into fibrillar cell inclusions is linked to a number of devastating neurodegenerative disorders collectively known as tauopathies. The mechanism by which tau self-assembles into pathological entities is a matter of much debate, largely due to the lack of direct experimental insights into the earliest stages of aggregation. We present pulsed double electron-electron resonance measurements of two key fibril-forming regions of tau, PHF6 and PHF6*, in transient as aggregation happens. By monitoring the end-to-end distance distribution of these segments as a function of aggregation time, we show that the PHF6(*) regions dramatically extend to distances commensurate with extended β-strand structures within the earliest stages of aggregation, well before fibril formation. Combined with simulations, our experiments show that the extended β-strand conformational state of PHF6(*) is readily populated under aggregating conditions, constituting a defining signature of aggregation-prone tau, and as such, a possible target for therapeutic interventions.

  7. Growth hormone aggregates in the rat adenohypophysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Farrington, M.; Hymer, W. C.

    1990-01-01

    Although it has been known for some time that GH aggregates are contained within the rat anterior pituitary gland, the role that they might play in pituitary function is unknown. The present study examines this issue using the technique of Western blotting, which permitted visualization of 11 GH variants with apparent mol wt ranging from 14-88K. Electroelution of the higher mol wt variants from gels followed by their chemical reduction with beta-mercaptoethanol increased GH immunoassayability by about 5-fold. With the blot procedure we found 1) that GH aggregates greater than 44K were associated with a 40,000 x g sedimentable fraction; 2) that GH aggregates were not present in glands from thyroidectomized rats, but were in glands from the thyroidectomized rats injected with T4; 3) that GH aggregates were uniquely associated with a heavily granulated somatotroph subpopulation isolated by density gradient centrifugation; and 4) that high mol wt GH forms were released from the dense somatotrophs in culture, since treatment of the culture medium with beta-mercaptoethanol increased GH immunoassayability by about 5-fold. Taken together, the results show that high mol wt GH aggregates are contained in secretory granules of certain somatotrophs and are also released in aggregate form from these cells in vitro.

  8. Aggregate Supply and Potential Output

    OpenAIRE

    Razin, Assaf

    2004-01-01

    The New-Keynesian aggregate supply derives from micro-foundations an inflation-dynamics model very much like the tradition in the monetary literature. Inflation is primarily affected by: (i) economic slack; (ii) expectations; (iii) supply shocks; and (iv) inflation persistence. This paper extends the New Keynesian aggregate supply relationship to include also fluctuations in potential output, as an additional determinant of the relationship. Implications for monetary rules and to the estimati...

  9. Targeting Protein Aggregation for the Treatment of Degenerative Diseases

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eisele, Yvonne S.; Monteiro, Cecilia; Fearns, Colleen; Encalada, Sandra E.; Wiseman, R. Luke; Powers, Evan T.; Kelly, Jeffery W.

    2015-01-01

    The aggregation of specific proteins is hypothesized to underlie several degenerative diseases, collectively called amyloid disorders. However, the mechanistic connection between the process of protein aggregation and tissue degeneration is not yet fully understood. Here, we review current and emerging strategies to ameliorate aggregation-associated degenerative disorders, with a focus on disease-modifying strategies that prevent the formation of and/or eliminate protein aggregates. Persuasive pharmacologic and genetic evidence now support protein aggregation as the cause of post-mitotic tissue dysfunction or loss. However, a more detailed understanding of the factors that trigger and sustain aggregate formation, as well as the structure-activity relationships underlying proteotoxicity are needed to develop future disease-modifying therapies. PMID:26338154

  10. Extending Practical Pre-Aggregation in On-Line Analytical Processing

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pedersen, Torben Bach; Jensen, Christian Søndergaard; Dyreson, Curtis E.

    On-Line Analytical Processing (OLAP) based on a dimensional view of data is being used increasingly in traditional business applications as well as in applications such as health care for the purpose of analyzing very large amounts of data. Pre-aggregation, the prior materialization of aggregate...... select combinations of aggregates and then re-use these for efficiently computing other aggregates. However, this re-use of aggregates is contingent on the dimension hierarchies and the relationships between facts and dimensions satisfying stringent constraints. This severely limits the scope...

  11. Aggregate assessments support improved operational decision making

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bauer, R.

    2003-01-01

    At Darlington Nuclear aggregate assessment of plant conditions is carried out in support of Operational Decision Making. This paper discusses how aggregate assessments have been applied to Operator Workarounds leading to improved prioritisation and alignment of work programs in different departments. As well, aggregate assessment of plant and human performance factors has been carried out to identify criteria which support conservative decision making in the main control room during unit transients. (author)

  12. Aggregated nanoplatelets: optical properties and optically induced deaggregation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jayabalan, J; Singh, Asha; Chari, Rama; Srivastava, Himanshu; Srivastava, A K; Mukhopadhyay, P K; Oak, S M

    2008-01-01

    A study of aggregation and laser-induced deaggregation of silver nanospheres and nanoplatelets in colloidal form is presented. Changes in the extinction spectrum caused by aggregation are explained using a two-particle approximation. In the case of platelets, controlled laser irradiation is shown to reverse the aggregation process.

  13. Aggregated nanoplatelets: optical properties and optically induced deaggregation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jayabalan, J; Singh, Asha; Chari, Rama [Laser Physics Application Division, Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology, Indore 452013 (India); Srivastava, Himanshu; Srivastava, A K [Indus Synchrotrons Utilization Division, Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology, Indore 452013 (India); Mukhopadhyay, P K; Oak, S M [Solid State Laser Division, Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology, Indore 452013 (India)], E-mail: jjaya@cat.ernet.in

    2008-11-05

    A study of aggregation and laser-induced deaggregation of silver nanospheres and nanoplatelets in colloidal form is presented. Changes in the extinction spectrum caused by aggregation are explained using a two-particle approximation. In the case of platelets, controlled laser irradiation is shown to reverse the aggregation process.

  14. Viral Aggregation: Impact on Virus Behavior in the Environment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gerba, Charles P; Betancourt, Walter Q

    2017-07-05

    Aggregates of viruses can have a significant impact on quantification and behavior of viruses in the environment. Viral aggregates may be formed in numerous ways. Viruses may form crystal like structures and aggregates in the host cell during replication or may form due to changes in environmental conditions after virus particles are released from the host cells. Aggregates tend to form near the isoelectric point of the virus, under the influence of certain salts and salt concentrations in solution, cationic polymers, and suspended organic matter. The given conditions under which aggregates form in the environment are highly dependent on the type of virus, type of salts in solution (cation, anion. monovalent, divalent) and pH. However, virus type greatly influences the conditions when aggregation/disaggregation will occur, making predictions difficult under any given set of water quality conditions. Most studies have shown that viral aggregates increase the survival of viruses in the environment and resistance to disinfectants, especially with more reactive disinfectants. The presence of viral aggregates may also result in overestimation of removal by filtration processes. Virus aggregation-disaggregation is a complex process and predicting the behavior of any individual virus is difficult under a given set of environmental circumstances without actual experimental data.

  15. A brief review of the construction aggregates market

    Science.gov (United States)

    Willett, Jason Christopher

    2012-01-01

    The U.S. Geological Survey defines the construction aggregates industry as those companies that mine and process crushed stone and/or construction sand and gravel. Aggregates have been used from the earliest times of our civilization for a variety of purposes - construction being the major use. As construction aggregates, crushed stone and construction sand and gravel are the basic raw materials used to build the foundation for modern society. The widespread use of construction aggregates is the result of their general availability throughout the country and around the world along with their relatively low cost. Although construction aggregates have a low unit value, their widespread use makes them major contributors to, and indicators of, the economic well-being of the nation.

  16. PE859, a novel tau aggregation inhibitor, reduces aggregated tau and prevents onset and progression of neural dysfunction in vivo.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michiaki Okuda

    Full Text Available In tauopathies, a neural microtubule-associated protein tau (MAPT is abnormally aggregated and forms neurofibrillary tangle. Therefore, inhibition of the tau aggregation is one of the key approaches for the treatment of these diseases. Here, we have identified a novel tau aggregation inhibitor, PE859. An oral administration of PE859 resulted in the significant reduction of sarkosyl-insoluble aggregated tau along with the prevention of onset and progression of the motor dysfunction in JNPL3 P301L-mutated human tau transgenic mice. These results suggest that PE859 is useful for the treatment of tauopathies.

  17. Strength of masonry blocks made with recycled concrete aggregates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matar, Pierre; Dalati, Rouba El

    The idea of recycling concrete of demolished buildings aims at preserving the environment. Indeed, the reuse of concrete as aggregate in new concrete mixes helped to reduce the expenses related to construction and demolition (C&D) waste management and, especially, to protect the environment by reducing the development rate of new quarries. This paper presents the results of an experimental study conducted on masonry blocks containing aggregates resulting from concrete recycling. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of recycled aggregates on compressive strength of concrete blocks. Tests were performed on series of concrete blocks: five series each made of different proportions of recycled aggregates, and one series of reference blocks exclusively composed of natural aggregates. Tests showed that using recycled aggregates with addition of cement allows the production of concrete blocks with compressive strengths comparable to those obtained on concrete blocks made exclusively of natural aggregates.

  18. Electronic structure and partial charge distribution of Doxorubicin in different molecular environments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Poudel, Lokendra; Wen, Amy M; French, Roger H; Parsegian, V Adrian; Podgornik, Rudolf; Steinmetz, Nicole F; Ching, Wai-Yim

    2015-05-18

    The electronic structure and partial charge of doxorubicin (DOX) in three different molecular environments-isolated, solvated, and intercalated in a DNA complex-are studied by first-principles density functional methods. It is shown that the addition of solvating water molecules to DOX, together with the proximity to and interaction with DNA, has a significant impact on the electronic structure as well as on the partial charge distribution. Significant improvement in estimating the DOX-DNA interaction energy is achieved. The results are further elucidated by resolving the total density of states and surface charge density into different functional groups. It is concluded that the presence of the solvent and the details of the interaction geometry matter greatly in determining the stability of DOX complexation. Ab initio calculations on realistic models are an important step toward a more accurate description of the long-range interactions in biomolecular systems. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  19. Do chemical gradients within soil aggregates reflect plant/soil interactions?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krüger, Jaane; Hallas, Till; Kinsch, Lena; Stahr, Simon; Prietzel, Jörg; Lang, Friederike

    2016-04-01

    As roots and hyphae often accumulate at the surface of soil aggregates, their formation and turnover might be related to the bioavailability especially of immobile nutrients like phosphorus. Several methods have been developed to obtain specific samples from aggregate surfaces and aggregate cores and thus to investigate differences between aggregate shell and core. However, these methods are often complex and time-consuming; therefore most common methods of soil analysis neglect the distribution of nutrients within aggregates and yield bulk soil concentrations. We developed a new sequential aggregate peeling method to analyze the distribution of different nutrients within soil aggregates (4-20 mm) from four forest sites (Germany) differing in concentrations of easily available mineral P. Aggregates from three soil depths (Ah, BwAh, Bw) were isolated, air-dried, and peeled with a sieving machine performing four sieving levels with increasing sieving intensity. This procedure was repeated in quadruplicate, and fractions of the same sample and sieving level were pooled. Carbon and N concentration, citric acid-extractable PO4 and P, as well as total element concentrations (P, K, Mg, Ca, Al, Fe) were analyzed. Additionally, synchrotron-based P K-edge XANES spectroscopy was applied on selected samples to detect P speciation changes within the aggregates. The results reveal for most samples a significantly higher C and N concentration at the surface compared to the interior of the aggregates. Carbon and N gradients get more pronounced with increasing soil depth and decreasing P status of study sites. This might be explained by lower aggregate turnover rates of subsoil horizons and intense bioturbation on P-rich sites. This assumption is also confirmed by concentrations of citric acid-extractable PO4 and P: gradients within aggregates are getting more pronounced with increasing soil depth and decreasing P status. However, the direction of these gradients is site

  20. Procedure for Validation of Aggregators Providing Demand Response

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bondy, Daniel Esteban Morales; Gehrke, Oliver; Thavlov, Anders

    2016-01-01

    of small heterogeneous resources that are geographically distributed. Therefore, a new test procedure must be designed for the aggregator validation. This work proposes such a procedure and exemplifies is with a study case. The validation of aggregators is essential if aggregators are to be integrated...... succesfully into the power system....

  1. Cast Partial Denture versus Acrylic Partial Denture for Replacement of Missing Teeth in Partially Edentulous Patients

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pramita Suwal

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Aim: To compare the effects of cast partial denture with conventional all acrylic denture in respect to retention, stability, masticatory efficiency, comfort and periodontal health of abutments. Methods: 50 adult partially edentulous patient seeking for replacement of missing teeth having Kennedy class I and II arches with or without modification areas were selected for the study. Group-A was treated with cast partial denture and Group-B with acrylic partial denture. Data collected during follow-up visit of 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year by evaluating retention, stability, masticatory efficiency, comfort, periodontal health of abutment. Results: Chi-square test was applied to find out differences between the groups at 95% confidence interval where p = 0.05. One year comparison shows that cast partial denture maintained retention and stability better than acrylic partial denture (p< 0.05. The masticatory efficiency was significantly compromising from 3rd month to 1 year in all acrylic partial denture groups (p< 0.05. The comfort of patient with cast partial denture was maintained better during the observation period (p< 0.05. Periodontal health of abutment was gradually deteriorated in all acrylic denture group (p

  2. Turbulent breakage of ductile aggregates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marchioli, Cristian; Soldati, Alfredo

    2015-05-01

    In this paper we study breakage rate statistics of small colloidal aggregates in nonhomogeneous anisotropic turbulence. We use pseudospectral direct numerical simulation of turbulent channel flow and Lagrangian tracking to follow the motion of the aggregates, modeled as sub-Kolmogorov massless particles. We focus specifically on the effects produced by ductile rupture: This rupture is initially activated when fluctuating hydrodynamic stresses exceed a critical value, σ>σ(cr), and is brought to completion when the energy absorbed by the aggregate meets the critical breakage value. We show that ductile rupture breakage rates are significantly reduced with respect to the case of instantaneous brittle rupture (i.e., breakage occurs as soon as σ>σ(cr)). These discrepancies are due to the different energy values at play as well as to the statistical features of energy distribution in the anisotropic turbulence case examined.

  3. Continuum-level modelling of cellular adhesion and matrix production in aggregates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Geris, Liesbet; Ashbourn, Joanna M A; Clarke, Tim

    2011-05-01

    Key regulators in tissue-engineering processes such as cell culture and cellular organisation are the cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions. As mathematical models are increasingly applied to investigate biological phenomena in the biomedical field, it is important, for some applications, that these models incorporate an adequate description of cell adhesion. This study describes the development of a continuum model that represents a cell-in-gel culture system used in bone-tissue engineering, namely that of a cell aggregate embedded in a hydrogel. Cell adhesion is modelled through the use of non-local (integral) terms in the partial differential equations. The simulation results demonstrate that the effects of cell-cell and cell-matrix adhesion are particularly important for the survival and growth of the cell population and the production of extracellular matrix by the cells, concurring with experimental observations in the literature.

  4. Temporal aggregation in first order cointegrated vector autoregressive

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    la Cour, Lisbeth Funding; Milhøj, Anders

    2006-01-01

    We study aggregation - or sample frequencies - of time series, e.g. aggregation from weekly to monthly or quarterly time series. Aggregation usually gives shorter time series but spurious phenomena, in e.g. daily observations, can on the other hand be avoided. An important issue is the effect of ...... of aggregation on the adjustment coefficient in cointegrated systems. We study only first order vector autoregressive processes for n dimensional time series Xt, and we illustrate the theory by a two dimensional and a four dimensional model for prices of various grades of gasoline....

  5. Partitioning of red blood cell aggregates in bifurcating microscale flows

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaliviotis, E.; Sherwood, J. M.; Balabani, S.

    2017-03-01

    Microvascular flows are often considered to be free of red blood cell aggregates, however, recent studies have demonstrated that aggregates are present throughout the microvasculature, affecting cell distribution and blood perfusion. This work reports on the spatial distribution of red blood cell aggregates in a T-shaped bifurcation on the scale of a large microvessel. Non-aggregating and aggregating human red blood cell suspensions were studied for a range of flow splits in the daughter branches of the bifurcation. Aggregate sizes were determined using image processing. The mean aggregate size was marginally increased in the daughter branches for a range of flow rates, mainly due to the lower shear conditions and the close cell and aggregate proximity therein. A counterintuitive decrease in the mean aggregate size was apparent in the lower flow rate branches. This was attributed to the existence of regions depleted by aggregates of certain sizes in the parent branch, and to the change in the exact flow split location in the T-junction with flow ratio. The findings of the present investigation may have significant implications for microvascular flows and may help explain why the effects of physiological RBC aggregation are not deleterious in terms of in vivo vascular resistance.

  6. A comparative transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy and spatially resolved micropillar compression study of the yttria partially stabilised zirconia - porcelain interface in dental prosthesis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lunt, Alexander J.G., E-mail: alexander.lunt@chch.ox.ac.uk [Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford, Oxfordshire OX1 3PJ (United Kingdom); Mohanty, Gaurav, E-mail: gaurav.mohanty@empa.ch [EMPA Materials Science & Technology, Feuerwerkerstrasse 39, CH-3602 Thun (Switzerland); Ying, Siqi, E-mail: siqi.ying@eng.ox.ac.uk [Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford, Oxfordshire OX1 3PJ (United Kingdom); Dluhoš, Jiří, E-mail: jiri.dluhos@tescan.cz [TESCAN Brno, s.r.o., Libušina tř. 1, 623 00 Brno-Kohoutovice (Czech Republic); Sui, Tan, E-mail: tan.sui@eng.ox.ac.uk [Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford, Oxfordshire OX1 3PJ (United Kingdom); Neo, Tee K., E-mail: neophyte@singnet.com.sg [Specialist Dental Group, Mount Elizabeth Orchard, 3 Mount Elizabeth, #08-03/08-08/08-10, 228510 (Singapore); Michler, Johann, E-mail: johann.michler@empa.ch [EMPA Materials Science & Technology, Feuerwerkerstrasse 39, CH-3602 Thun (Switzerland); Korsunsky, Alexander M., E-mail: alexander.korsunsky@eng.ox.ac.uk [Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford, Oxfordshire OX1 3PJ (United Kingdom)

    2015-12-01

    μm. - Highlights: • Cross section of yttria partially stabilised zirconia (YPSZ)–porcelain prosthesis • Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy shows 2–6 μm elemental diffusion zone. • Transmission electron microscopy shows voids in near interface porcelain. • Complex near interface YPSZ microstructure shows grains embedded in porcelain. • Spatially resolved micropillar compression reveals modulus and strength variation.

  7. Demography and movement patterns of leopard sharks (Triakis semifasciata) aggregating near the head of a submarine canyon along the open coast of southern California, USA

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nosal, D.C.; Cartamil, D.C.; Long, J.W.; Luhrmann, M.; Wegner, N.C.; Graham, J.B.

    2013-01-01

    The demography, spatial distribution, and movement patterns of leopard sharks (Triakis semifasciata) aggregating near the head of a submarine canyon in La Jolla, California, USA, were investigated to resolve the causal explanations for this and similar shark aggregations. All sharks sampled from the aggregation site (n=140) were sexually mature and 97.1 % were female. Aerial photographs taken during tethered balloon surveys revealed high densities of milling sharks of up to 5470 sharks ha-1. Eight sharks were each tagged with a continuous acoustic transmitter and manually tracked without interruption for up to 48 h. Sharks exhibited strong site-fidelity and were generally confined to a divergence (shadow) zone of low wave energy, which results from wave refraction over the steep bathymetric contours of the submarine canyon. Within this divergence zone, the movements of sharks were strongly localized over the seismically active Rose Canyon Fault. Tracked sharks spent most of their time in shallow water (≤2 m for 71.0 % and ≤10 m for 95.9 % of time), with some dispersing to deeper (max: 53.9 m) and cooler (min: 12.7 °C) water after sunset, subsequently returning by sunrise. These findings suggest multiple functions of this aggregation and that the mechanism controlling its formation, maintenance, and dissolution is complex and rooted in the sharks' variable response to numerous confounding environmental factors.

  8. Molecular origin of polyglutamine aggregation in neurodegenerative diseases.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    2005-08-01

    Full Text Available Expansion of polyglutamine (polyQ tracts in proteins results in protein aggregation and is associated with cell death in at least nine neurodegenerative diseases. Disease age of onset is correlated with the polyQ insert length above a critical value of 35-40 glutamines. The aggregation kinetics of isolated polyQ peptides in vitro also shows a similar critical-length dependence. While recent experimental work has provided considerable insights into polyQ aggregation, the molecular mechanism of aggregation is not well understood. Here, using computer simulations of isolated polyQ peptides, we show that a mechanism of aggregation is the conformational transition in a single polyQ peptide chain from random coil to a parallel beta-helix. This transition occurs selectively in peptides longer than 37 glutamines. In the beta-helices observed in simulations, all residues adopt beta-strand backbone dihedral angles, and the polypeptide chain coils around a central helical axis with 18.5 +/- 2 residues per turn. We also find that mutant polyQ peptides with proline-glycine inserts show formation of antiparallel beta-hairpins in their ground state, in agreement with experiments. The lower stability of mutant beta-helices explains their lower aggregation rates compared to wild type. Our results provide a molecular mechanism for polyQ-mediated aggregation.

  9. Product Aggregation Bias as a Specification Error in Demand Systems

    OpenAIRE

    George C. Davis

    1997-01-01

    Inherent in all demand studies is some form of product aggregation which can lead to product aggregation bias. This article develops a simple procedure for incorporating product aggregation bias in demand systems that permits testing of product aggregation bias with a standard likelihood ratio test. An empirical illustration of the procedure demonstrates the importance of proper product aggregation. Copyright 1997, Oxford University Press.

  10. Piecewise Polynomial Aggregation as Preprocessing for Data Numerical Modeling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dobronets, B. S.; Popova, O. A.

    2018-05-01

    Data aggregation issues for numerical modeling are reviewed in the present study. The authors discuss data aggregation procedures as preprocessing for subsequent numerical modeling. To calculate the data aggregation, the authors propose using numerical probabilistic analysis (NPA). An important feature of this study is how the authors represent the aggregated data. The study shows that the offered approach to data aggregation can be interpreted as the frequency distribution of a variable. To study its properties, the density function is used. For this purpose, the authors propose using the piecewise polynomial models. A suitable example of such approach is the spline. The authors show that their approach to data aggregation allows reducing the level of data uncertainty and significantly increasing the efficiency of numerical calculations. To demonstrate the degree of the correspondence of the proposed methods to reality, the authors developed a theoretical framework and considered numerical examples devoted to time series aggregation.

  11. H- and J-aggregate behavior in polymeric semiconductors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Spano, Frank C; Silva, Carlos

    2014-01-01

    Aggregates of conjugated polymers exhibit two classes of fundamental electronic interactions: those occurring within a given chain and those occurring between chains. The impact of such excitonic interactions on the photophysics of polymer films can be understood using concepts of J- and H-aggregation originally developed by Kasha and coworkers to treat aggregates of small molecules. In polymer assemblies, intrachain through-bond interactions lead to J-aggregate behavior, whereas interchain Coulombic interactions lead to H-aggregate behavior. The photophysics of common emissive conjugated polymer films are determined by a competition between intrachain, J-favoring interactions and interchain, H-favoring interactions. We review formalisms describing absorption and photoluminescence lineshapes, based on intra- and intermolecular excitonic coupling, electron-vibrational coupling, and correlated energetic disorder. Examples include regioregular polythiophenes, pheneylene-vinylenes, and polydiacetylene.

  12. Effect of protein-surfactant interactions on aggregation of β-lactoglobulin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hansted, Jon G; Wejse, Peter L; Bertelsen, Hans; Otzen, Daniel E

    2011-05-01

    The milk protein β-lactoglobulin (βLG) dominates the properties of whey aggregates in food products. Here we use spectroscopic and calorimetric techniques to elucidate how anionic, cationic and non-ionic surfactants interact with bovine βLG and modulate its heat-induced aggregation. Alkyl trimethyl ammonium chlorides (xTAC) strongly promote aggregation, while sodium alkyl sulfates (SxS) and alkyl maltopyranosides (xM) reduce aggregation. Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) binds to non-aggregated βLG in several steps, but reduction of aggregation was associated with the first binding step, which occurs far below the critical micelle concentration. In contrast, micellar concentrations of xMs are required to reduce aggregation. The ranking order for reduction of aggregation (normalized to their tendency to self-associate) was C10-C12>C8>C14 for SxS and C8>C10>C12>C14>C16 for xM. xTAC promote aggregation in the same ranking order as xM reduce it. We conclude that SxS reduce aggregation by stabilizing the protein's ligand-bound state (the melting temperature t(m) increases by up to 10°C) and altering its charge potential. xM monomers also stabilize the protein's ligand-bound state (increasing t(m) up to 6°C) but in the absence of charged head groups this is not sufficient by itself to prevent aggregation. Although micelles of both anionic and non-ionic surfactants destabilize βLG, they also solubilize unfolded protein monomers, leaving them unavailable for protein-protein association and thus inhibiting aggregation. Cationic surfactants promote aggregation by a combination of destabilization and charge neutralization. The food compatible surfactant sodium dodecanoate also inhibited aggregation well below the cmc, suggesting that surfactants may be a practical way to modulate whey protein properties. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. Time-resolved vibrational spectroscopy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tokmakoff, Andrei [Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States); Champion, Paul [Northeastern Univ., Boston, MA (United States); Heilweil, Edwin J. [National Inst. of Standards and Technology (NIST), Boulder, CO (United States); Nelson, Keith A. [Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States); Ziegler, Larry [Boston Univ., MA (United States)

    2009-05-14

    This document contains the Proceedings from the 14th International Conference on Time-Resolved Vibrational Spectroscopy, which was held in Meredith, NH from May 9-14, 2009. The study of molecular dynamics in chemical reaction and biological processes using time-resolved spectroscopy plays an important role in our understanding of energy conversion, storage, and utilization problems. Fundamental studies of chemical reactivity, molecular rearrangements, and charge transport are broadly supported by the DOE's Office of Science because of their role in the development of alternative energy sources, the understanding of biological energy conversion processes, the efficient utilization of existing energy resources, and the mitigation of reactive intermediates in radiation chemistry. In addition, time-resolved spectroscopy is central to all fiveof DOE's grand challenges for fundamental energy science. The Time-Resolved Vibrational Spectroscopy conference is organized biennially to bring the leaders in this field from around the globe together with young scientists to discuss the most recent scientific and technological advances. The latest technology in ultrafast infrared, Raman, and terahertz spectroscopy and the scientific advances that these methods enable were covered. Particular emphasis was placed on new experimental methods used to probe molecular dynamics in liquids, solids, interfaces, nanostructured materials, and biomolecules.

  14. Aggregate complexes of HIV-1 induced by multimeric antibodies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stieh, Daniel J; King, Deborah F; Klein, Katja; Liu, Pinghuang; Shen, Xiaoying; Hwang, Kwan Ki; Ferrari, Guido; Montefiori, David C; Haynes, Barton; Pitisuttithum, Punnee; Kaewkungwal, Jaranit; Nitayaphan, Sorachai; Rerks-Ngarm, Supachai; Michael, Nelson L; Robb, Merlin L; Kim, Jerome H; Denny, Thomas N; Tomaras, Georgia D; Shattock, Robin J

    2014-10-02

    Antibody mediated viral aggregation may impede viral transfer across mucosal surfaces by hindering viral movement in mucus, preventing transcytosis, or reducing inter-cellular penetration of epithelia thereby limiting access to susceptible mucosal CD4 T cells and dendritic cells. These functions may work together to provide effective immune exclusion of virus from mucosal tissue; however little is known about the antibody characteristics required to induce HIV aggregation. Such knowledge may be critical to the design of successful immunization strategies to facilitate viral immune exclusion at the mucosal portals of entry. The potential of neutralizing and non-neutralizing IgG and IgA monoclonals (mAbs) to induce HIV-1 aggregation was assessed by Dynamic light scattering (DLS). Although neutralizing and non-neutralizing IgG mAbs and polyclonal HIV-Ig efficiently aggregated soluble Env trimers, they were not capable of forming viral aggregates. In contrast, dimeric (but not monomeric) IgA mAbs induced stable viral aggregate populations that could be separated from uncomplexed virions. Epitope specificity influenced both the degree of aggregation and formation of higher order complexes by dIgA. IgA purified from serum of uninfected RV144 vaccine trial responders were able to efficiently opsonize viral particles in the absence of significant aggregation, reflective of monomeric IgA. These results collectively demonstrate that dIgA is capable of forming stable viral aggregates providing a plausible basis for testing the effectiveness of aggregation as a potential protection mechanism at the mucosal portals of viral entry.

  15. Optimal policies for aggregate recycling from decommissioned forest roads.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thompson, Matthew; Sessions, John

    2008-08-01

    To mitigate the adverse environmental impact of forest roads, especially degradation of endangered salmonid habitat, many public and private land managers in the western United States are actively decommissioning roads where practical and affordable. Road decommissioning is associated with reduced long-term environmental impact. When decommissioning a road, it may be possible to recover some aggregate (crushed rock) from the road surface. Aggregate is used on many low volume forest roads to reduce wheel stresses transferred to the subgrade, reduce erosion, reduce maintenance costs, and improve driver comfort. Previous studies have demonstrated the potential for aggregate to be recovered and used elsewhere on the road network, at a reduced cost compared to purchasing aggregate from a quarry. This article investigates the potential for aggregate recycling to provide an economic incentive to decommission additional roads by reducing transport distance and aggregate procurement costs for other actively used roads. Decommissioning additional roads may, in turn, result in improved aquatic habitat. We present real-world examples of aggregate recycling and discuss the advantages of doing so. Further, we present mixed integer formulations to determine optimal levels of aggregate recycling under economic and environmental objectives. Tested on an example road network, incorporation of aggregate recycling demonstrates substantial cost-savings relative to a baseline scenario without recycling, increasing the likelihood of road decommissioning and reduced habitat degradation. We find that aggregate recycling can result in up to 24% in cost savings (economic objective) and up to 890% in additional length of roads decommissioned (environmental objective).

  16. Teaching Aggregate Demand and Supply Models

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wells, Graeme

    2010-01-01

    The author analyzes the inflation-targeting model that underlies recent textbook expositions of the aggregate demand-aggregate supply approach used in introductory courses in macroeconomics. He shows how numerical simulations of a model with inflation inertia can be used as a tool to help students understand adjustments in response to demand and…

  17. The mean-size dependence of the exchange narrowing in molecular J-aggregates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen Yulu; Zhao Jijun

    2011-01-01

    The effect of segment-size fluctuations on exchange narrowing in a molecular J-aggregate of site-energy disordered distributions is studied using a one-dimensional Frenkel-exciton model. It is found that the segment-size disorder leads to the width of the absorption spectra deviating from the scaling law, σ 4/3 of the site-energy disordered standard deviation σ, being suitable for the system only with the site-energy disorder. In larger σ, the segment-size disorder has little influence on the linear absorption spectra. With increasing segment mean-length, the absorption line width monotonically increases, and then approaches a saturated value. By comparing a system of larger mean-length segment with a smaller one, both with the same segment-size disorder, it is found that the absorption line width of the former is broadened, and the exchange narrowing effect is reduced. The present result shows that the correlation effect can be partially maintained for the system with larger mean-length segment. -- Research Highlights: → Segment fluctuations affect the exchange narrowing of molecular J-aggregates. → The width of the absorption spectra is found to deviate from the scaling law. → Increase in segment size causes increase in the width and then saturates. → Exchange narrowing is reduced for larger mean-size segment. → Correlation can be kept partly in the larger size segment.

  18. Kinetics of a Migration-Driven Aggregation-Fragmentation Process

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    ZHUANG You-Yi; LIN Zhen-Quan; KE Jian-Hong

    2003-01-01

    We propose a reversible model of the migration-driven aggregation-fragmentation process with the sym-metric migration rate kernels K(k;j) = K'(k;j) = λkjv and the constant aggregation rates I1, I2 and fragmentationrates J1, J2. Based on the mean-field theory, we investigate the evolution behavior of the aggregate size distributions inseveral cases with different values of index v. We find that the fragmentation reaction plays a more important role in the kinetic behaviors of the system than the aggregation and migration. When J1 = 0 and J2 = 0, the aggregate sizedistributions ak(t) and bk(t) obey the conventional scaling law, while when J1 > 0 and J2 > 0, they obey the modifiedscaling law with an exponential scaling function. The total mass of either species remains conserved.

  19. Platelet aggregation following trauma

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Windeløv, Nis A; Sørensen, Anne M; Perner, Anders

    2014-01-01

    We aimed to elucidate platelet function in trauma patients, as it is pivotal for hemostasis yet remains scarcely investigated in this population. We conducted a prospective observational study of platelet aggregation capacity in 213 adult trauma patients on admission to an emergency department (ED...... severity score (ISS) was 17; 14 (7%) patients received 10 or more units of red blood cells in the ED (massive transfusion); 24 (11%) patients died within 28 days of trauma: 17 due to cerebral injuries, four due to exsanguination, and three from other causes. No significant association was found between...... aggregation response and ISS. Higher TRAP values were associated with death due to cerebral injuries (P 

  20. Utilization of unbound aggregates for road construction

    OpenAIRE

    Fladvad, Marit

    2017-01-01

    Crushed rock aggregate is a non-renewable resource of great interest in road construction and other branches of the construction industry. To prevent resource scarcity, utilization of aggregates should be considered carefully. © 2016 Norsk Bergforening

  1. Comparative environmental assessment of natural and recycled aggregate concrete.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marinković, S; Radonjanin, V; Malešev, M; Ignjatović, I

    2010-11-01

    Constant and rapid increase in construction and demolition (C&D) waste generation and consumption of natural aggregate for concrete production became one of the biggest environmental problems in the construction industry. Recycling of C&D waste represents one way to convert a waste product into a resource but the environment benefits through energy consumption, emissions and fallouts reductions are not certain. The main purpose of this study is to determine the potentials of recycled aggregate concrete (concrete made with recycled concrete aggregate) for structural applications and to compare the environmental impact of the production of two types of ready-mixed concrete: natural aggregate concrete (NAC) made entirely with river aggregate and recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) made with natural fine and recycled coarse aggregate. Based on the analysis of up-to-date experimental evidence, including own tests results, it is concluded that utilization of RAC for low-to-middle strength structural concrete and non-aggressive exposure conditions is technically feasible. The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is performed for raw material extraction and material production part of the concrete life cycle including transport. Assessment is based on local LCI data and on typical conditions in Serbia. Results of this specific case study show that impacts of aggregate and cement production phases are slightly larger for RAC than for NAC but the total environmental impacts depend on the natural and recycled aggregates transport distances and on transport types. Limit natural aggregate transport distances above which the environmental impacts of RAC can be equal or even lower than the impacts of NAC are calculated for the specific case study. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Experimental investigation on the properties of concrete containing post-consumer plastic waste as coarse aggregate replacement

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zasiah TAFHEEM

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available The consumption of various forms of plastic has been increased in recent days due to the boost in industrialization and other human activities. Most of the plastic wastes are abandoned and require large landfill area for storage. More importantly, the low biodegradability of plastic poses a serious threat to environment protection issue. Various methods have been followed for the disposal of plastic in an attempt to reduce the negative impact of the plastic on the environment. Recently, various types of plastic have been incorporated in concrete to minimize the exposure of plastic to the environment. The aim of this study is to investigate the properties of concrete containing polyethylene terephthalate (PET, and high density polyethylene (HDPE plastic that were used as partial replacement of coarse aggregate (CA. In this study, four compositions of stone aggregate(S: plastic waste ratios have been used by volume basis: 100% S: 0% Plastic (control concrete, 90% S: 10% PET, 90% S: 10% HDPE, and 90% S: 5% PET+5% HDPE. The effects of waste plastic addition on the mechanical properties of concrete are presented in this paper. Test results reveal that minimum reduction in compressive strength has been found 35% in case of 10% PET plastic replaced concrete whereas splitting tensile strength for 10% PET replaced concrete has been increased by 21% while compared to control concrete. In addition, fresh unit weight of concrete containing plastic waste has been decreased by 4% in comparison to control concrete.

  3. An overview of aggregate resources in the United States

    Science.gov (United States)

    Langer, William H.; Scott, P.W.; Bristow, C.M.

    2002-01-01

    In 2000 the USA produced about 2.7 billion tonnes of aggregate worth about $13.7 billion. Both crushed stone and sand and gravel are produced in virtually every State, although limited quantities are available in the Gulf Coastal Plain, the Colorado Plateau , the Wyoming Basin and the Great Plains. Prices vary depending on the product and location. Most aggregates are transported by road, and minor amounts by railroad, barge on navigable inland channels, and through the Great Lake ports. Imports and exports of aggregates are very minor. A major amount f crushed stone aggregates is consumed by concrete aggregate. Recycled aggregates account for about 8% of total demand, although the amount recycled is thought to be increasing. Current issues facing the inductry unclude the differences in quality specifications between States, adjusting to the increasing concern for the impact of aggregate mining on the environmentm, health issues from particulate matter and crystalline silica, and the complexity of obtaining permits for extraction. Redcustion in the number od companies extracting aggregrates is likely to occur through acquisitions.

  4. Time-resolved energy spectrum of a pseudospark-produced high-brightness electron beam

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Myers, T.J.; Ding, B.N.; Rhee, M.J.

    1992-01-01

    The pseudospark, a fast low-pressure gas discharge between a hollow cathode and a planar anode, is found to be an interesting high-brightness electron beam source. Typically, all electron beam produced in the pseudospark has the peak current of ∼1 kA, pulse duration of ∼50 ns, and effective emittance of ∼100 mm-mrad. The energy information of this electron beam, however, is least understood due to the difficulty of measuring a high-current-density beam that is partially space-charge neutralized by the background ions produced in the gas. In this paper, an experimental study of the time-resolved energy spectrum is presented. The pseudospark produced electron beam is injected into a vacuum through a small pinhole so that the electrons without background ions follow single particle motion; the beam is sent through a negative biased electrode and the only portion of beam whose energy is greater than the bias voltage can pass through the electrode and the current is measured by a Faraday cup. The Faraday cup signals with various bias voltage are recorded in a digital oscilloscope. The recorded waveforms are then numerically analyzed to construct a time-resolved energy spectrum. Preliminary results are presented

  5. Implications Of Aggregate Demand Elasticity For The Phillips Curve

    OpenAIRE

    Ben L. Kyer; Gary E. Maggs

    2004-01-01

    While the general relationship between the aggregate supply curve and the Phillips curve is recognized, the importance of aggregate demand and, in particular, aggregate demand elasticity, for the inflation-unemployment relationship has been untreated. We believe, however, that the elasticity of aggregate demand with respect to the general price level does have some significance for the short-run Phillips curve since, on a general level, the economy's equilibrium price level, inflation rate, r...

  6. Characterisation of crude oil components, asphaltene aggregation and emulsion stability by means of near infrared spectroscopy and multivariate analysis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Aske, Narve

    2002-06-01

    Effective separation of water-in-crude oil emulsions is a central challenge for the oil industry on the Norwegian Continental Shelf, especially with the future increase in subsea and even down-hole processing of well fluids. The mechanisms and properties governing emulsion stability are far from fully understood but the indigenous surface active crude oil components are believed to play a major role. In this work a thorough physico-chemical characterisation of a set of crude oils originating from a variety of production fields has been performed. Crude oil properties responsible for emulsion stability were identified by use of multivariate analysis techniques like partial least squares regression (PLS) and principal component analysis (PCA). Interfacial elasticity along with both asphaltene content and asphaltene aggregation state were found to be main contributors to emulsion stability. Information on a crude oils ability to form elastic crude oil-water interfaces was found to be especially crucial when discussing emulsion stability. However, measured values of interfacial elasticity were highly dependent on asphaltene aggregation state. Several experimental techniques was utilised and partly developed for the crude oil characterisation. A high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) scheme was developed for SARA-fractionation of crude oils and an oscillating pendant drop tensiometer was used for characterisation of interfacial rheological properties. For emulsion stability a cell for determining the stability as a function of applied electric fields was used. In addition, near infrared spectroscopy (NIR) was used throughout the work both for chemical and physical characterisation of crude oils and model systems. High pressure NIR was used to study the aggregation of asphaltenes by pressure depletion. A new technique for detection of asphaltene aggregation onset pressures based on NIR combined with PCA was developed. It was also found that asphaltene aggregation is

  7. A novel approach using flexible scheduling and aggregation to optimize demand response in the developing interactive grid market architecture

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Reihani, Ehsan; Motalleb, Mahdi; Thornton, Matsu; Ghorbani, Reza

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • Designing a DR market to increase renewable resources and decrease air pollution. • Explaining two economic models for DR market for selling available DR quantities. • Optimal allocating DR quantity to houses under each DR aggregator control. • Proposing a discomfort cost function for residential DR resources. • Performing a sensitivity analysis on discomfort cost function coefficients. - Abstract: With the increasing presence of intermittent renewable energy generation sources, variable control over loads and energy storage devices on the grid become even more important to maintain this balance. Increasing renewable energy penetration depends on both technical and economic factors. Distribution system consumers can contribute to grid stability by controlling residential electrical device power consumed by water heaters and battery storage systems. Coupled with dynamic supply pricing strategies, a comprehensive system for demand response (DR) exist. Proper DR management will allow greater integration of renewable energy sources partially replacing energy demand currently met by the combustion of fossil-fuels. An enticing economic framework providing increased value to consumers compensates them for reduced control of devices placed under a DR aggregator. Much work has already been done to develop more effective ways to implement DR control systems. Utilizing an integrated approach that combines consumer requirements into aggregate pools, and provides a dynamic response to market and grid conditions, we have developed a mathematical model that can quantify control parameters for optimum demand response and decide which resources to switch and when. In this model, optimization is achieved as a function of cost savings vs. customer comfort using mathematical market analysis. Two market modeling approaches—the Cournot and SFE—are presented and compared. A quadratic function is used for presenting the cost function of each DRA (Demand

  8. Time resolved techniques: An overview

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Larson, B.C.; Tischler, J.Z.

    1990-06-01

    Synchrotron sources provide exceptional opportunities for carrying out time-resolved x-ray diffraction investigations. The high intensity, high angular resolution, and continuously tunable energy spectrum of synchrotron x-ray beams lend themselves directly to carrying out sophisticated time-resolved x-ray scattering measurements on a wide range of materials and phenomena. When these attributes are coupled with the pulsed time-structure of synchrotron sources, entirely new time-resolved scattering possibilities are opened. Synchrotron beams typically consist of sub-nanosecond pulses of x-rays separated in time by a few tens of nanoseconds to a few hundred nanoseconds so that these beams appear as continuous x-ray sources for investigations of phenomena on time scales ranging from hours down to microseconds. Studies requiring time-resolution ranging from microseconds to fractions of a nanosecond can be carried out in a triggering mode by stimulating the phenomena under investigation in coincidence with the x-ray pulses. Time resolution on the picosecond scale can, in principle, be achieved through the use of streak camera techniques in which the time structure of the individual x-ray pulses are viewed as quasi-continuous sources with ∼100--200 picoseconds duration. Techniques for carrying out time-resolved scattering measurements on time scales varying from picoseconds to kiloseconds at present and proposed synchrotron sources are discussed and examples of time-resolved studies are cited. 17 refs., 8 figs

  9. Scalable privacy-preserving big data aggregation mechanism

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dapeng Wu

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available As the massive sensor data generated by large-scale Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs recently become an indispensable part of ‘Big Data’, the collection, storage, transmission and analysis of the big sensor data attract considerable attention from researchers. Targeting the privacy requirements of large-scale WSNs and focusing on the energy-efficient collection of big sensor data, a Scalable Privacy-preserving Big Data Aggregation (Sca-PBDA method is proposed in this paper. Firstly, according to the pre-established gradient topology structure, sensor nodes in the network are divided into clusters. Secondly, sensor data is modified by each node according to the privacy-preserving configuration message received from the sink. Subsequently, intra- and inter-cluster data aggregation is employed during the big sensor data reporting phase to reduce energy consumption. Lastly, aggregated results are recovered by the sink to complete the privacy-preserving big data aggregation. Simulation results validate the efficacy and scalability of Sca-PBDA and show that the big sensor data generated by large-scale WSNs is efficiently aggregated to reduce network resource consumption and the sensor data privacy is effectively protected to meet the ever-growing application requirements.

  10. Effect of natural antioxidants on the aggregation and disaggregation ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Conclusion: High antioxidant activities were positively correlated with the inhibition of Aβ aggregation, although not with the disaggregation of pre-formed Aβ aggregates. Nevertheless, potent antioxidants may be helpful in treating Alzheimer's disease. Keywords: Alzheimer's disease, β-Amyloid, Aggregation, Disaggregation ...

  11. Green frame aggregation scheme for Wi-Fi networks

    KAUST Repository

    Alaslani, Maha S.

    2015-07-01

    Frame aggregation is a major enhancement in the IEEE 802.11 family to boost the network performance. The increasing awareness about energy efficiency motivates the re-think of frame aggregation design. In this paper, we propose a novel Green Frame Aggregation (GFA) scheduling scheme that optimizes the aggregate size based on channel quality in order to minimize the consumed energy. GFA selects an optimal sub-frame size that satisfies the loss constraint for real-time applications as well as the energy budget of the ideal channel. This scheme is implemented and evaluated using a testbed deployment. The experimental analysis shows that GFA outperforms the conventional frame aggregation methodology in terms of energy efficiency by about 6x in the presence of severe interference conditions. Moreover, GFA outperforms the static frame sizing method in terms of network goodput while maintaining the same end-to-end latency.

  12. Programming spiders, bots, and aggregators in Java

    CERN Document Server

    Heaton, Jeff

    2006-01-01

    The content and services available on the web continue to be accessed mostly through direct human control. But this is changing. Increasingly, users rely on automated agents that save them time and effort by programmatically retrieving content, performing complex interactions, and aggregating data from diverse sources. Programming Spiders, Bots, and Aggregators in Java teaches you how to build and deploy a wide variety of these agents-from single-purpose bots to exploratory spiders to aggregators that present a unified view of information from multiple user accounts. You will quickly build on

  13. Recycled concrete aggregate in portland cement concrete.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-01-01

    Aggregates can be produced by crushing hydraulic cement concrete and are known as recycled concrete : aggregates (RCA). This report provides results from a New Jersey Department of Transportation study to identify : barriers to the use of RCA in new ...

  14. Determination of the dynamic elastic constants of recycled aggregate concrete

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsoumani, A. A.; Barkoula, N.-M.; Matikas, T. E.

    2015-03-01

    Nowadays, construction and demolition waste constitutes a major portion of the total solid waste production in the world. Due to both environmental and economical reasons, an increasing interest concerning the use of recycled aggregate to replace aggregate from natural sources is generated. This paper presents an investigation on the properties of recycled aggregate concrete. Concrete mixes are prepared using recycled aggregates at a substitution level between 0 and 100% of the total coarse aggregate. The influence of this replacement on strengthened concrete's properties is being investigated. The properties estimated are: density and dynamic modulus of elasticity at the age of both 7 and 28 days. Also, flexural strength of 28 days specimens is estimated. The determination of the dynamic elastic modulus was made using the ultrasonic pulse velocity method. The results reveal that the existence of recycled aggregates affects the properties of concrete negatively; however, in low levels of substitution the influence of using recycled aggregates is almost negligible. Concluding, the controlled use of recycled aggregates in concrete production may help solve a vital environmental issue apart from being a solution to the problem of inadequate concrete aggregates.

  15. Effects of internal mixing and aggregate morphology on optical properties of black carbon using a discrete dipole approximation model

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    B. V. Scarnato

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available According to recent studies, internal mixing of black carbon (BC with other aerosol materials in the atmosphere alters its aggregate shape, absorption of solar radiation, and radiative forcing. These mixing state effects are not yet fully understood. In this study, we characterize the morphology and mixing state of bare BC and BC internally mixed with sodium chloride (NaCl using electron microscopy and examine the sensitivity of optical properties to BC mixing state and aggregate morphology using a discrete dipole approximation model (DDSCAT. DDSCAT is flexible in simulating the geometry and refractive index of particle aggregates. DDSCAT predicts a higher mass absorption coefficient (MAC, lower single scattering albedo (SSA, and higher absorption Angstrom exponent (AAE for bare BC aggregates that are lacy rather than compact. Predicted values of SSA at 550 nm range between 0.16 and 0.27 for lacy and compact aggregates, respectively, in agreement with reported experimental values of 0.25 ± 0.05. The variation in absorption with wavelength does not adhere precisely to a power law relationship over the 200 to 1000 nm range. Consequently, AAE values depend on the wavelength region over which they are computed. The MAC of BC (averaged over the 200–1000 nm range is amplified when internally mixed with NaCl (100–300 nm in radius by factors ranging from 1.0 for lacy BC aggregates partially immersed in NaCl to 2.2 for compact BC aggregates fully immersed in NaCl. The SSA of BC internally mixed with NaCl is higher than for bare BC and increases with the embedding in the NaCl. Internally mixed BC SSA values decrease in the 200–400 nm wavelength range, a feature also common to the optical properties of dust and organics. Linear polarization features are also predicted in DDSCAT and are dependent on particle size and morphology. This study shows that DDSCAT predicts complex morphology and mixing state dependent aerosol optical properties that have

  16. Recycled aggregates in concrete production: engineering properties and environmental impact

    OpenAIRE

    Seddik Meddah Mohammed

    2017-01-01

    Recycled concrete aggregate is considered as the most abundant and used secondary aggregate in concrete production, other types of solid waste are also being used in concrete for specific purposes and to achieve some desired properties. Recycled aggregates and particularly, recycled concrete aggregate substantially affect the properties and mix design of concrete both at fresh and hardened states since it is known by high porosity due to the adhered layer of old mortar on the aggregate which ...

  17. Axial Changes of Catalyst Structure and Temperature in a Fixed-Bed Microreactor During Noble Metal Catalysed Partial Oxidation of Methane

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hannemann, S.; Grunwaldt, Jan-Dierk; Kimmerle, B.

    2009-01-01

    The catalytic partial oxidation of methane (CPO) over flame-made 2.5%Rh-2.5%Pt/Al2O3 and 2.5%Rh/Al2O3 in 6%CH4/3%O-2/He shows the potential of in situ studies using miniaturized fixed-bed reactors, the importance of spatially resolved studies and its combination with infrared thermography and on-...

  18. Linkages between aggregate formation, porosity and soil chemical properties

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Regelink, I.C.; Stoof, C.R.; Rousseva, S.; Weng, L.; Lair, G.J.; Kram, P.; Nikolaidis, N.P.; Kercheva, M.; Banwart, S.; Comans, R.N.J.

    2015-01-01

    Linkages between soil structure and physical–chemical soil properties are still poorly understood due to the wide size-range at which aggregation occurs and the variety of aggregation factors involved. To improve understanding of these processes, we collected data on aggregate fractions, soil

  19. Effect of homogenisation in formation of thermally induced aggregates in a non- and low- fat milk model system with microparticulated whey proteins

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Celigueta Torres, Isabel; Nieto, Gema; Nylander, Tommy

    2017-01-01

    in the formation of protein aggregates were studied by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and the final complexes visualised by darkfield microscopy. Homogenisation of non-fat milk systems led to partial adsorption of caseins onto microparticles, independently of the type of microparticle. On the contrary...... are responsible for the formation of heat-induced aggregates that influence the texture and sensory characteristics of the final product. The formation of heat-induced complexes was studied in non- and low-fat milk model systems, where microparticulated whey protein (MWP) was used as fat replacer. Five MWP types......, homogenisation of low-fat milk resulted in preferential adsorption of caseins onto fat globules, rather than onto microparticles. Further heating of the milk, led to the formation of heat induced complexes with different sizes and characteristics depending on the type of MWP and the presence or not of fat...

  20. Development of advanced, non-toxic, synthetic radiation shielding aggregate

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mudgal, Manish; Chouhan, Ramesh Kumar; Verma, Sarika; Amritphale, Sudhir Sitaram; Das, Satyabrata [CSIR-Advanced Materials and Processes Research Institute, Bhopal (India); Shrivastva, Arvind [Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd. (NPCIL), Mumbai (India)

    2018-04-01

    For the first time in the world, the capability of red mud waste has been explored for the development of advanced synthetic radiation shielding aggregate. Red mud, an aluminium industry waste consists of multi component, multi elemental characteristics. In this study, red mud from two different sources have been utilized. Chemical formulation and mineralogical designing of the red mud has been done by ceramic processing using appropriate reducing agent and additives. The chemical analysis, SEM microphotographs and XRD analysis confirms the presence of multi-component, multi shielding and multi-layered phases in both the different developed advance synthetic radiation shielding aggregate. The mechanical properties, namely aggregate impact value, aggregate crushing value and aggregate abrasion value have also been evaluated and was compared with hematite ore aggregate and found to be an excellent material useful for making advanced radiation shielding concrete for the construction of nuclear power plants and other radiation installations.

  1. Familial Aggregation of Insomnia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jarrin, Denise C; Morin, Charles M; Rochefort, Amélie; Ivers, Hans; Dauvilliers, Yves A; Savard, Josée; LeBlanc, Mélanie; Merette, Chantal

    2017-02-01

    There is little information about familial aggregation of insomnia; however, this type of information is important to (1) improve our understanding of insomnia risk factors and (2) to design more effective treatment and prevention programs. This study aimed to investigate evidence of familial aggregation of insomnia among first-degree relatives of probands with and without insomnia. Cases (n = 134) and controls (n = 145) enrolled in a larger epidemiological study were solicited to invite their first-degree relatives and spouses to complete a standardized sleep/insomnia survey. In total, 371 first-degree relatives (Mage = 51.9 years, SD = 18.0; 34.3% male) and 138 spouses (Mage = 55.5 years, SD = 12.2; 68.1% male) completed the survey assessing the nature, severity, and frequency of sleep disturbances. The dependent variable was insomnia in first-degree relatives and spouses. Familial aggregation was claimed if the risk of insomnia was significantly higher in the exposed (relatives of cases) compared to the unexposed cohort (relatives of controls). The risk of insomnia was also compared between spouses in the exposed (spouses of cases) and unexposed cohort (spouses of controls). The risk of insomnia in exposed and unexposed biological relatives was 18.6% and 10.4%, respectively, yielding a relative risk (RR) of 1.80 (p = .04) after controlling for age and sex. The risk of insomnia in exposed and unexposed spouses was 9.1% and 4.2%, respectively; however, corresponding RR of 2.13 (p = .28) did not differ significantly. Results demonstrate evidence of strong familial aggregation of insomnia. Additional research is warranted to further clarify and disentangle the relative contribution of genetic and environmental factors in insomnia. © Sleep Research Society 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Sleep Research Society. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail journals.permissions@oup.com.

  2. Disturbance Elimination for Partial Discharge Detection in the Spacer of Gas-Insulated Switchgears

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Guoming Wang

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available With the increasing demand for precise condition monitoring and diagnosis of gas-insulated switchgears (GISs, it has become a challenge to improve the detection sensitivity of partial discharge (PD induced in the GIS spacer. This paper deals with the elimination of the capacitive component from the phase-resolved partial discharge (PRPD signal generated in GIS spacers based on discrete wavelet transform (WT. Three types of typical insulation defects were simulated using PD cells. The single PD pulses were detected and were further used to determine the optimal mother wavelet. As a result, the bior6.8 was selected to decompose the PD signal into 8 levels and the signal energy at each level was calculated. The decomposed components related with capacitive disturbance were discarded, whereas those associated with PD were de-noised by a threshold and a thresholding function. Finally, the PRPD signals were reconstructed using the de-noised components.

  3. Effect of shear rate on aggregate size and structure in the process of aggregation and at steady state

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Bubáková, Petra; Pivokonský, Martin; Filip, Petr

    2013-01-01

    Roč. 235, February (2013), s. 540-549 ISSN 0032-5910 R&D Projects: GA ČR GAP105/11/0247 Institutional support: RVO:67985874 Keywords : aggregation * aggregate size * fractal dimension * shear rate * steady state * time evolution Subject RIV: BK - Fluid Dynamics Impact factor: 2.269, year: 2013

  4. Time-resolved spectroscopy in synchrotron radiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rehn, V.; Stanford Univ., CA

    1980-01-01

    Synchrotron radiation (SR) from large-diameter storage rings has intrinsic time structure which facilitates time-resolved measurements form milliseconds to picoseconds and possibly below. The scientific importance of time-resolved measurements is steadily increasing as more and better techniques are discovered and applied to a wider variety of scientific problems. This paper presents a discussion of the importance of various parameters of the SR facility in providing for time-resolved spectroscopy experiments, including the role of beam-line optical design parameters. Special emphasis is placed on the requirements of extremely fast time-resolved experiments with which the effects of atomic vibrational or relaxation motion may be studied. Before discussing the state-of-the-art timing experiments, we review several types of time-resolved measurements which have now become routine: nanosecond-range fluorescence decay times, time-resolved emission and excitation spectroscopies, and various time-of-flight applications. These techniques all depend on a short SR pulse length and a long interpulse period, such as is provided by a large-diameter ring operating in a single-bunch mode. In most cases, the pulse shape and even the stability of the pulse shape is relatively unimportant as long as the pulse length is smaller than the risetime of the detection apparatus, typically 1 to 2 ns. For time resolution smaller than 1 ns, the requirements on the pulse shape become more stringent. (orig./FKS)

  5. Building Representative-Based Data Aggregation Tree in Wireless Sensor Networks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yanfei Zheng

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Data aggregation is an essential operation to reduce energy consumption in large-scale wireless sensor networks (WSNs. A compromised node may forge an aggregation result and mislead base station into trusting a false reading. Efficient and secure aggregation scheme is critical in WSN applications due to the stringent resource constraints. In this paper, we propose a method to build up the representative-based aggregation tree in the WSNs such that the sensing data are aggregated along the route from the leaf cell to the root of the tree. In the cinema of large-scale and high-density sensor nodes, representative-based aggregation tree can reduce the data transmission overhead greatly by directed aggregation and cell-by-cell communications. It also provides security services including the integrity, freshness, and authentication, via detection mechanism in the cells.

  6. Performance of Uplink Carrier Aggregation in LTE-Advanced Systems

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wang, Hua; Rosa, Claudio; Pedersen, Klaus

    2010-01-01

    Carrier aggregation (CA) has been proposed to aggregate two or more component carriers (CCs) to support a much wider transmission bandwidth for LTE-Advanced systems. With carrier aggregation, it is possible to schedule a user equipment (UE) on multiple component carriers simultaneously. In this p...

  7. Aggregation and fibrillation of bovine serum albumin

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Holm, NK; Jespersen, SK; Thomassen, LV

    2007-01-01

    The all-alpha helix multi-domain protein bovine serum albumin (BSA) aggregates at elevated temperatures. Here we show that these thermal aggregates have amyloid properties. They bind the fibril-specific dyes Thioflavin T and Congo Red, show elongated although somewhat worm-like morphology...

  8. Characterization and modeling of thermal diffusion and aggregation in nanofluids.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gharagozloo, Patricia E.; Goodson, Kenneth E. (Stanford University, Stanford, CA)

    2010-05-01

    Fluids with higher thermal conductivities are sought for fluidic cooling systems in applications including microprocessors and high-power lasers. By adding high thermal conductivity nanoscale metal and metal oxide particles to a fluid the thermal conductivity of the fluid is enhanced. While particle aggregates play a central role in recent models for the thermal conductivity of nanofluids, the effect of particle diffusion in a temperature field on the aggregation and transport has yet to be studied in depth. The present work separates the effects of particle aggregation and diffusion using parallel plate experiments, infrared microscopy, light scattering, Monte Carlo simulations, and rate equations for particle and heat transport in a well dispersed nanofluid. Experimental data show non-uniform temporal increases in thermal conductivity above effective medium theory and can be well described through simulation of the combination of particle aggregation and diffusion. The simulation shows large concentration distributions due to thermal diffusion causing variations in aggregation, thermal conductivity and viscosity. Static light scattering shows aggregates form more quickly at higher concentrations and temperatures, which explains the increased enhancement with temperature reported by other research groups. The permanent aggregates in the nanofluid are found to have a fractal dimension of 2.4 and the aggregate formations that grow over time are found to have a fractal dimension of 1.8, which is consistent with diffusion limited aggregation. Calculations show as aggregates grow the viscosity increases at a faster rate than thermal conductivity making the highly aggregated nanofluids unfavorable, especially at the low fractal dimension of 1.8. An optimum nanoparticle diameter for these particular fluid properties is calculated to be 130 nm to optimize the fluid stability by reducing settling, thermal diffusion and aggregation.

  9. Temperature dependence of erythrocyte aggregation in vitro by backscattering nephelometry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sirko, Igor V.; Firsov, Nikolai N.; Ryaboshapka, Olga M.; Priezzhev, Alexander V.

    1997-05-01

    We apply backscattering nephelometry technique to register the alterations of the scattering signal from a whole blood sample due to appearance or disappearance of different types of erythrocyte aggregates in stasis and under controlled shear stress. The measured parameters are: the characteristic times of linear and 3D aggregates formation, and the strength of aggregates of different types. These parameters depend on the sample temperature in the range of 2 divided by 50 degrees C. Temporal parameters of the aggregation process strongly increase at temperature 45 degrees C. For samples of normal blood the aggregates strength parameters do not significantly depend on the sample temperature, whereas for blood samples from patients suffering Sjogren syndrome we observe high increase of the strength of 3D and linear aggregates and decrease of time of linear aggregates formation at low temperature of the sample. This combination of parameters is opposite to that observed in the samples of pathological blood at room temperature. Possible reasons of this behavior of aggregation state of blood and explanation of the observed effects will be discussed.

  10. Biogenic silica dissolution in diatom aggregates: insights from reactive transport modelling

    KAUST Repository

    Moriceau, B

    2014-12-15

    © Inter-Research 2014. Diatom aggregates contribute significantly to the vertical sinking flux of particulate matter in the ocean. These fragile structures form a specific microhabitat for the aggregated cells, but their internal chemical and physical characteristics remain largely unknown. Studies on the impact of aggregation on the Si cycle led to apparent inconsistency. Despite a lower biogenic silica (bSiO2) dissolution rate and diffusion of the silicic acid (dSi) being similar in aggregates and in sea-water, dSi surprisingly accumulates in aggregates. A reaction-diffusion model helps to clarify this incoherence by reconstructing dSi accumulation measured during batch experiments with aggregated and non-aggregated Skeletonema marinoi and Chaetoceros decipiens. The model calculates the effective bSiO2 dissolution rate as opposed to the experimental apparent bSiO2 dissolution rate, which is the results of the effective dissolution of bSiO2 and transport of dSi out of the aggregate. In the model, dSi transport out of the aggregate is modulated by alternatively considering retention (decrease of the dSi diffusion constant) and adsorption (reversible chemical bonds between dSi and the aggregate matrix) processes. Modelled bSiO2 dissolution is modulated by the impact of dSi concentration inside aggregates and diatom viability, as enhanced persistence of metabolically active diatoms has been observed in aggregates. Adsorption better explains dSi accumulation within and outside aggregates, raising the possible importance of dSi travelling within aggregates to the deep sea (potentially representing 20% of the total silica flux). The model indicates that bSiO2 dissolution is effectively decreased in aggregates mainly due to higher diatom viability but also to other parameters discussed herein.

  11. The Effect of Zeolite on Aggregate Stability Indices

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    F. Sohrab

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Soil structural stability affects the profitability and sustainability of agricultural systems. Particle size distribution (PSD and aggregate stability are the important characteristics of soil. Aggregate stability has a significant impact on the development of the root system, water and carbon cycle and soil resistance against soil erosion. Soil aggregate stability, defined as the ability of the aggregates to remain intact when subject to a given stress, is an important soil property that affects the movement and storage of water, aeration, erosion, biological activity and growth of crops. Dry soil aggregate stability (Mean Weight Diameter (MWD, Geometric Mean Diameter (GMD and Wet Aggregate Stability (WAS are important indices for evaluating soil aggregate stability.To improve soil physical properties, including modifying aggregate, using various additives (organic, inorganic and chemicals, zeolites are among what has been studied.According to traditional definition, zeolites are hydratealuminosilicates of alkaline and alkaline-earth minerals. Their structure is made up of a framework of[SiO4]−4 and [AlO4]−5 tetrahedron linked to each other's cornersby sharing oxygen atoms. The substitution of Si+4 by Al+3 intetrahedral sites results inmore negative charges and a high cation exchange capacity.Zeolites, as natural cation exchangers, are suitable substitutes to remove toxic cations. Among the natural zeolites,Clinoptilolite seems to be the most efficient ion exchanger and ion-selective material forremoving and stabilizing heavy metals.Due to theexisting insufficient technical information on the effects of using different levels of zeolite on physical properties of different types of soils in Iran, the aim of this research was to assess the effects of two different types of zeolite (Clinoptilolite natural zeolite, Z4, and Synthetic zeolite, A4 on aggregate stability indicesof soil. Materials and Methods: In this study at first

  12. 21 CFR 1303.13 - Adjustments of aggregate production quotas.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 9 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Adjustments of aggregate production quotas. 1303.13 Section 1303.13 Food and Drugs DRUG ENFORCEMENT ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE QUOTAS Aggregate Production and Procurement Quotas § 1303.13 Adjustments of aggregate production quotas. (a) The...

  13. Temperature dependence of the partially localized state in a 2D molecular nanoporous network

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Piquero-Zulaica, Ignacio, E-mail: ipiquerozulaica@gmail.com [Centro de Física de Materiales (CSIC/UPV-EHU)—Materials Physics Center, Manuel Lardizabal 5, 20018 San Sebastián (Spain); Nowakowska, Sylwia [Department of Physics, University of Basel, Klingelbergstrasse 82, 4056 Basel (Switzerland); Ortega, J. Enrique [Centro de Física de Materiales (CSIC/UPV-EHU)—Materials Physics Center, Manuel Lardizabal 5, 20018 San Sebastián (Spain); Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC), Manuel Lardizabal 4, 20018 San Sebastián (Spain); Departamento Física Aplicada I, Universidad del País Vasco, 20018 San Sebastián (Spain); Stöhr, Meike [Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, 9747 AG Groningen (Netherlands); Gade, Lutz H. [Anorganisch-Chemisches Institut, Universität Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 270, 69120 Heidelberg (Germany); Jung, Thomas A. [Laboratory for Micro- and Nanotechnology, Paul Scherrer Institute, 5232 Villigen (Switzerland); Lobo-Checa, Jorge, E-mail: jorge.lobo@csic.es [Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Aragón (ICMA), CSIC-Universidad de Zaragoza, E-50009 Zaragoza (Spain); Departamento de Física de la Materia Condensada, Universidad de Zaragoza, E-50009 Zaragoza (Spain)

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: • A state of a 2D porous network is demonstrated to originate from the Shockley state. • The temperature evolution of both states is followed by means of ARPES. • Identical energy shifts are observed for both states, proving their common origin. - Abstract: Two-dimensional organic and metal-organic nanoporous networks can scatter surface electrons, leading to their partial localization. Such quantum states are related to intrinsic surface states of the substrate material. We further corroborate this relation by studying the thermally induced energy shifts of the electronic band stemming from coupled quantum states hosted in a metal-organic array formed by a perylene derivative on Cu(111). We observe by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES), that both, the Shockley and the partially localized states, shift by the same amount to higher binding energies upon decreasing the sample temperature, providing evidence of their common origin. Our experimental approach and results further support the use of surface states for modelling these systems, which are expected to provide new insight into the physics concerning partially confined electronic states: scattering processes, potential barrier strengths, excited state lifetimes or the influence of guest molecules.

  14. An Asymmetrical Glycerol Diether Bolalipid with Protonable Phosphodimethylethanolamine Headgroup: The Impact of pH on Aggregation Behavior and Miscibility with DPPC

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Thomas Markowski

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Investigations regarding the self-assembly of (bolaphospholipids in aqueous media are crucial to understand the complex relationship between chemical structure of lipids and the shape and size of their aggregates in water. Here, we introduce a new asymmetrical glycerol diether bolaphospholipid, the compound Me2PE-Gly(2C16C32-OH. This bolalipid contains a long (C32 ω-hydroxy alkyl chain bond to glycerol in the sn-3 position, a C16 alkyl chain at the sn-2 position, and a protonable phosphodimethylethanolamine (Me2PE headgroup at the sn-1 position of the glycerol. The aggregation behavior of this bolalipid was studied as a function of temperature and pH using transmission electron microscopy (TEM, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC, and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR spectroscopy. We show that this bolalipid aggregates into condensed lamellar sheets in acidic milieu and in large sheet-like aggregates at neutral pH-value. By contrast, at a pH-value of 10, where the Me2PE headgroup is only partially protonated, small lipid disks with diameter 50–100 nm were additionally found. Moreover, the miscibility of this asymmetrical bolalipid with the bilayer-forming phosphatidylcholine DPPC was investigated by means of DSC and TEM. The incorporation of bolalipids into phospholipid membranes could result in stabilized liposomes applicable for drug delivery purposes. We show that mixtures of DPPC and Me2PE-Gly(2C16C32-OH form large lamellar aggregates at pH of 5, 7, and 10. However, closed lipid vesicles (liposomes with an increased thermal stability were not found.

  15. Commercial Building Tenant Energy Usage Aggregation and Privacy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Livingston, Olga V.; Pulsipher, Trenton C.; Anderson, David M.; Wang, Na

    2014-10-31

    A growing number of building owners are benchmarking their building energy use. This requires the building owner to acquire monthly whole-building energy usage information, which can be challenging for buildings in which individual tenants have their own utility meters and accounts with the utility. Some utilities and utility regulators have turned to aggregation of customer energy use data (CEUD) as a way to give building owners whole-building energy usage data while protecting customer privacy. Meter profile aggregation adds a layer of protection that decreases the risk of revealing CEUD as the number of meters aggregated increases. The report statistically characterizes the similarity between individual energy usage patterns and whole-building totals at various levels of meter aggregation.

  16. Multivalent scaffolds induce galectin-3 aggregation into nanoparticles

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Candace K. Goodman

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available Galectin-3 meditates cell surface glycoprotein clustering, cross linking, and lattice formation. In cancer biology, galectin-3 has been reported to play a role in aggregation processes that lead to tumor embolization and survival. Here, we show that lactose-functionalized dendrimers interact with galectin-3 in a multivalent fashion to form aggregates. The glycodendrimer–galectin aggregates were characterized by dynamic light scattering and fluorescence microscopy methodologies and were found to be discrete particles that increased in size as the dendrimer generation was increased. These results show that nucleated aggregation of galectin-3 can be regulated by the nucleating polymer and provide insights that improve the general understanding of the binding and function of sugar-binding proteins.

  17. Determinants of Aggregate Agricultural Productivity among High ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development ... Determinants of Aggregate Agricultural Productivity among High External Input Technology Farms in a ... of aggregate agricultural productivity in an environment where policy on ... to increase the farm sizes through re-examination of the existing land laws.

  18. Monitoring the Aggregation of Dansyl Chloride in Acetone through Fluorescence Measurements

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    FANG,Yu; YIN,Yi-Qing; 等

    2002-01-01

    The aggregation of dansyl chloride (DNS-Cl) in acetone has been studied in detail by steady-state fluorescence techniques.It has been demonstrated that DNS-Cl is stable in acetone during purification and aggregation study processes.The aggregates are not solvolyzed in acetone,and do not take part n any chemical reactions either.It has been found that DNS-Cl tends to aggregate even when its concentration is much lower than its solubility in acetone.The aggregation is reversible,and both the aggregation and the deaggregation are very slow processes.Introduction of SDS has a positive effect upon the formation and stabilization of the aggregates.

  19. Monitoring the Aggregation of Dansyl Chloride in Acetone through Fluorescence Measurements

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    FANG,Yu(房喻); YIN,Yi-Qing(尹艺青); HU,Dao-Dao(胡道道); GAO,Gai-Ling(高改玲)

    2002-01-01

    The aggregation of dansyl chloride (DNS-Cl) in acetone has been studied in detail by steady-state fluorescence techniques. It has been demonstrated that DNS-Cl is stable in acetone during purification and aggregation study processes. The aggregates are not solvolyzed in acetone, and do not take part in any chemical reactions either. It has been found that DNS-Cl tends to aggregate even when its concentration is much lower than its solubility in acetone. The aggregation is reversible, and both the aggregation and the deaggregation are very slow processes.Introduction of SDS has a positive effect upon the formation and stabilization of the aggregates.

  20. Nano-aggregates: emerging delivery tools for tumor therapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sharma, Vinod Kumar; Jain, Ankit; Soni, Vandana

    2013-01-01

    A plethora of formulation techniques have been reported in the literature for site-specific targeting of water-soluble and -insoluble anticancer drugs. Along with other vesicular and particulate carrier systems, nano-aggregates have recently emerged as a novel supramolecular colloidal carrier with promise for using poorly water-soluble drugs in molecular targeted therapies. Nano-aggregates possess some inherent properties such as size in the nanometers, high loading efficiency, and in vivo stability. Nano-aggregates can provide site-specific drug delivery via either a passive or active targeting mechanism. Nano-aggregates are formed from a polymer-drug conjugated amphiphilic block copolymer. They are suitable for encapsulation of poorly water-soluble drugs by covalent conjugation as well as physical encapsulation. Because of physical encapsulation, a maximum amount of drug can be loaded in nano-aggregates, which helps to achieve a sufficiently high drug concentration at the target site. Active transport can be achieved by conjugating a drug with vectors or ligands that bind specifically to receptors being overexpressed in the tumor cells. In this review, we explore synthesis and tumor targeting potential of nano-aggregates with active and passive mechanisms, and we discuss various characterization parameters, ex vivo studies, biodistribution studies, clinical trials, and patents.

  1. Entrapment of Aβ1-40 peptide in unstructured aggregates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Corsale, C; Carrotta, R; Mangione, M R; Vilasi, S; Provenzano, A; Bulone, D; San Biagio, P L; Cavallaro, G

    2012-01-01

    Recognizing the complexity of the fibrillogenesis process provides a solid ground for the development of therapeutic strategies aimed at preventing or inhibiting protein-protein aggregation. Under this perspective, it is meaningful to identify the possible aggregation pathways and their relative products. We found that Aβ-peptide dissolved in a pH 7.4 solution at small peptide concentration and low ionic strength forms globular aggregates without typical amyloid β-conformation. ThT binding kinetics was used to monitor aggregate formation. Circular dichroism spectroscopy, AFM imaging, static and dynamic light scattering were used for structural and morphological characterization of the aggregates. They appear stable or at least metastable with respect to fiber growth, therefore appearing as an incidental product in the pathway of fibrillogenesis. (paper)

  2. A study of concrete properties using phyllite as coarse aggregates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Adom-Asamoah, Mark; Afrifa, Russell Owusu

    2010-01-01

    Nowadays, industrial activities generate a huge amount of waste. One such activity is underground mining which generates phyllite wastes that are recycled as coarse aggregates for use in concrete production. Aggregate use in concrete is dependent on availability. This paper reports of an experimental study on some of the physical and mechanical properties of phyllite aggregate concrete as compared to granite (conventional) aggregate concrete. The obtained physical and mechanical properties of both aggregates for specific gravity, water absorption (%), dry density, aggregate impact value (%), aggregate crushing value (%), 10% fines, elongation index (%), flakiness index (%) and Los Angeles abrasion values satisfied minimum requirements for aggregates suitable for concrete production. Five mixes of concrete mix proportions designated M1, M2, M3, M4 and M5 were cast using phyllite and granite aggregates. A total of 400 concrete cubes and 210 modulus of rupture beams were cast and cured by total submerging in water for ages 3, 7, 14, 28, 56, 90, 180 and 360 days before compression and bending tests were performed. The results show that the trends in the development of compressive and bending strengths of plain phyllite concrete were similar to those in granite (conventional) aggregate concrete. However the compressive and bending strengths of phyllite concrete mixes were on the average 15-20% lower than those of the corresponding granite concrete mixes at all ages. The same concrete mix proportions gave lower concrete classes for phyllite compared to granite with the exception of the lowest grade. This was probably because the flakiness and elongation properties coupled with reactive materials in phyllite aggregates affect the absorption and bond characteristics of its concrete.

  3. Particle aggregation at the edges of anticyclonic eddies and implications for distribution of biomass

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. Samuelsen

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available Acoustic measurements show that the biomass of zooplankton and mesopelagic fish is redistributed by mesoscale variability and that the signal extends over several hundred meters depth. The mechanisms governing this distribution are not well understood, but influences from both physical (i.e. redistribution and biological processes (i.e. nutrient transport, primary production, active swimming, etc. are likely. This study examines how hydrodynamic conditions and basic vertical swimming behavior act to distribute biomass in an anticyclonic eddy. Using an eddy-resolving 2.3 km-resolution physical ocean model as forcing for a particle-tracking module, particles representing passively floating organisms and organisms with vertical swimming behavior are released within an eddy and monitored for 20 to 30 days. The role of hydrodynamic conditions on the distribution of biomass is discussed in relation to the acoustic measurements. Particles released close to the surface tend, in agreement with the observations, to accumulate around the edge of the eddy, whereas particles released at depth gradually become distributed along the isopycnals. After a month they are displaced several hundreds meters in the vertical with the deepest particles found close to the eddy center and the shallowest close to the edge. There is no evidence of aggregation of particles along the eddy rim in the last simulation. The model results points towards a physical mechanism for aggregation at the surface, however biological processes cannot be ruled out using the current modeling tool.

  4. 40 CFR 63.1408 - Aggregate batch vent stream provisions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 11 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 true Aggregate batch vent stream provisions... § 63.1408 Aggregate batch vent stream provisions. (a) Emission standards. Owners or operators of aggregate batch vent streams at a new or existing affected source shall comply with either paragraph (a)(1...

  5. Biomass round bales infield aggregation logistic scenarios

    Science.gov (United States)

    Biomass bales often need to be aggregated (collected into groups and transported) to a field-edge stack for temporary storage for feedlots or processing facilities. Aggregating the bales with the least total distance involved is a goal of producers and bale handlers. Several logistics scenarios for ...

  6. Quenching of acridine orange fluorescence by salts in aqueous solutions: Effects of aggregation and charge transfer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Amado, A.M. [Departamento de Física, FFCLRP, USP (Brazil); Ramos, A.P. [Departamento de Química, FFCLRP, USP (Brazil); Silva, E.R. [Departamento de Física, FFCLRP, USP (Brazil); Borissevitch, I.E., E-mail: iouribor@usp.br [Departamento de Física, FFCLRP, USP (Brazil)

    2016-10-15

    Acridine orange (AO) is widely applied in biology and medicine as a fluorescence probe, an intracellular pH indicator, and a photosensitizer in photodynamic therapy due to its adequate spectroscopic characteristics and high affinity to biological structures. Being introduced in an organism, AO is dispersed in blood plasma characterized by high ionic strength (ca. 0.36 M in humans). We have investigated the effect of ionic strength upon AO spectral characteristics and fluorescence quenching. The effect of pH on these characteristics was also tested. Salts quench AO fluorescence, the quenching constant (k{sub q}) increasing with the AO concentration. Salts stimulate AO aggregation, the process depending weakly on the salt origin. On the other hand, k{sub q} does depend on the salt anion origin, increasing as the anion oxidation potential decreases, and is virtually independent of the cation origin. This means that at least two different mechanisms of the AO fluorescence quenching by salts exist: fluorescence intensity decrease due to AO aggregation and quenching by partial electron transfer from salt anion to AO molecule in its singlet excited state (the exciplex formation).

  7. Trust-aware recommendation for improving aggregate diversity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Haifeng; Bai, Xiaomei; Yang, Zhuo; Tolba, Amr; Xia, Feng

    2015-10-01

    Recommender systems are becoming increasingly important and prevalent because of the ability of solving information overload. In recent years, researchers are paying increasing attention to aggregate diversity as a key metric beyond accuracy, because improving aggregate recommendation diversity may increase long tails and sales diversity. Trust is often used to improve recommendation accuracy. However, how to utilize trust to improve aggregate recommendation diversity is unexplored. In this paper, we focus on solving this problem and propose a novel trust-aware recommendation method by incorporating time factor into similarity computation. The rationale underlying the proposed method is that, trustees with later creation time of trust relation can bring more diverse items to recommend to their trustors than other trustees with earlier creation time of trust relation. Through relevant experiments on publicly available dataset, we demonstrate that the proposed method outperforms the baseline method in terms of aggregate diversity while maintaining almost the same recall.

  8. Stay connected: Electrical conductivity of microbial aggregates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Cheng; Lesnik, Keaton Larson; Liu, Hong

    2017-11-01

    The discovery of direct extracellular electron transfer offers an alternative to the traditional understanding of diffusional electron exchange via small molecules. The establishment of electronic connections between electron donors and acceptors in microbial communities is critical to electron transfer via electrical currents. These connections are facilitated through conductivity associated with various microbial aggregates. However, examination of conductivity in microbial samples is still in its relative infancy and conceptual models in terms of conductive mechanisms are still being developed and debated. The present review summarizes the fundamental understanding of electrical conductivity in microbial aggregates (e.g. biofilms, granules, consortia, and multicellular filaments) highlighting recent findings and key discoveries. A greater understanding of electrical conductivity in microbial aggregates could facilitate the survey for additional microbial communities that rely on direct extracellular electron transfer for survival, inform rational design towards the aggregates-based production of bioenergy/bioproducts, and inspire the construction of new synthetic conductive polymers. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Compressive strength and resistance to chloride ion penetration and carbonation of recycled aggregate concrete with varying amount of fly ash and fine recycled aggregate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sim, Jongsung; Park, Cheolwoo

    2011-11-01

    Construction and demolition waste has been dramatically increased in the last decade, and social and environmental concerns on the recycling have consequently been increased. Recent technology has greatly improved the recycling process for waste concrete. This study investigates the fundamental characteristics of concrete using recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) for its application to structural concrete members. The specimens used 100% coarse RCA, various replacement levels of natural aggregate with fine RCA, and several levels of fly ash addition. Compressive strength of mortar and concrete which used RCA gradually decreased as the amount of the recycled materials increased. Regardless of curing conditions and fly ash addition, the 28 days strength of the recycled aggregate concrete was greater than the design strength, 40 MPa, with a complete replacement of coarse aggregate and a replacement level of natural fine aggregate by fine RCA up to 60%. The recycled aggregate concrete achieved sufficient resistance to the chloride ion penetration. The measured carbonation depth did not indicate a clear relationship to the fine RCA replacement ratio but the recycled aggregate concrete could also attain adequate carbonation resistance. Based on the results from the experimental investigations, it is believed that the recycled aggregate concrete can be successfully applied to structural concrete members. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Recurrent Partial Words

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Francine Blanchet-Sadri

    2011-08-01

    Full Text Available Partial words are sequences over a finite alphabet that may contain wildcard symbols, called holes, which match or are compatible with all letters; partial words without holes are said to be full words (or simply words. Given an infinite partial word w, the number of distinct full words over the alphabet that are compatible with factors of w of length n, called subwords of w, refers to a measure of complexity of infinite partial words so-called subword complexity. This measure is of particular interest because we can construct partial words with subword complexities not achievable by full words. In this paper, we consider the notion of recurrence over infinite partial words, that is, we study whether all of the finite subwords of a given infinite partial word appear infinitely often, and we establish connections between subword complexity and recurrence in this more general framework.

  11. Temporal aggregation in first order cointegrated vector autoregressive models

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    La Cour, Lisbeth Funding; Milhøj, Anders

    We study aggregation - or sample frequencies - of time series, e.g. aggregation from weekly to monthly or quarterly time series. Aggregation usually gives shorter time series but spurious phenomena, in e.g. daily observations, can on the other hand be avoided. An important issue is the effect of ...... of aggregation on the adjustment coefficient in cointegrated systems. We study only first order vector autoregressive processes for n dimensional time series Xt, and we illustrate the theory by a two dimensional and a four dimensional model for prices of various grades of gasoline...

  12. Automatic analysis of microscopic images of red blood cell aggregates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Menichini, Pablo A.; Larese, Mónica G.; Riquelme, Bibiana D.

    2015-06-01

    Red blood cell aggregation is one of the most important factors in blood viscosity at stasis or at very low rates of flow. The basic structure of aggregates is a linear array of cell commonly termed as rouleaux. Enhanced or abnormal aggregation is seen in clinical conditions, such as diabetes and hypertension, producing alterations in the microcirculation, some of which can be analyzed through the characterization of aggregated cells. Frequently, image processing and analysis for the characterization of RBC aggregation were done manually or semi-automatically using interactive tools. We propose a system that processes images of RBC aggregation and automatically obtains the characterization and quantification of the different types of RBC aggregates. Present technique could be interesting to perform the adaptation as a routine used in hemorheological and Clinical Biochemistry Laboratories because this automatic method is rapid, efficient and economical, and at the same time independent of the user performing the analysis (repeatability of the analysis).

  13. Feasibility Study on Manufacturing Lightweight Aggregates from Water Purification Sludge

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peng, Ching-Fang; Chen, How-Ji

    2018-02-01

    This study mainly discussed the feasibility of manufacturing lightweight aggregates from water purification sludge in Taiwan. They were analysed for the physical and chemical composition before the sintering test for lightweight aggregates in a laboratory. Then the physical and mechanical properties of the synthesized aggregates were assessed. The result showed that the chemical composition of sludge in the water purification plants was within the appropriate range for manufacturing lightweight aggregate as proposed in the literature. The sintering test demonstrated that the particle density of aggregates from the ten types of water purification sludge were mostly less than 1.8 g/cm3. In addition, the dry unit weight, the organic impurity, the ignition loss, and other characteristics of synthesized aggregates met the requirement of CNS standards, while its water absorption and crushing strength also fulfilled the general commercial specifications. Therefore, reclamation of water purification sludge for production of lightweight aggregate is indeed feasible.

  14. Time-resolved absorption measurements on OMEGA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jaanimagi, P.A.; DaSilva, L.; Delettrez, J.; Gregory, G.G.; Richardson, M.C.

    1986-01-01

    Time-resolved measurements of the incident laser light that is scattered and/or refracted from targets irradiated by the 24 uv-beam OMEGA laser at LLE, have provided some interesting features related to time-resolved absorption. The decrease in laser absorption characteristic of irradiating a target that implodes during the laser pulse has been observed. The increase in absorption expected as the critical density surface moves from a low to a high Z material in the target has also been noted. The detailed interpretation of these results is made through comparisons with simulation using the code LILAC, as well as with streak data from time-resolved x-ray imaging and spectroscopy. In addition, time and space-resolved imaging of the scattered light yields information on laser irradiation uniformity conditions on the target. The report consists of viewgraphs

  15. Engineering a fibrocartilage spectrum through modulation of aggregate redifferentiation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Murphy, Meghan K; Masters, Taylor E; Hu, Jerry C; Athanasiou, Kyriacos A

    2015-01-01

    Expanded costochondral cells provide a clinically relevant cell source for engineering both fibrous and hyaline articular cartilage. Expanding chondrocytes in a monolayer results in a shift toward a proliferative, fibroblastic phenotype. Three-dimensional aggregate culture may, however, be used to recover chondrogenic matrix production. This study sought to engineer a spectrum of fibrous to hyaline neocartilage from a single cell source by varying the duration of three-dimensional culture following expansion. In third passage porcine costochondral cells, the effects of aggregate culture duration were assessed after 0, 8, 11, 14, and 21 days of aggregate culture and after 4 subsequent weeks of neocartilage formation. Varying the duration of aggregate redifferentiation generated a spectrum of fibrous to hyaline neocartilage. Within 8 days of aggregation, proliferation ceased, and collagen and glycosaminoglycan production increased, compared with monolayer cells. In self-assembled neocartilage, type II-to-I collagen ratio increased with increasing aggregate duration, yet glycosaminoglycan content varied minimally. Notably, 14 days of aggregate redifferentiation increased collagen content by 25%, tensile modulus by over 110%, and compressive moduli by over 50%, compared with tissue formed in the absence of redifferentiation. A spectrum of fibrous to hyaline cartilage was generated using a single, clinically relevant cell source, improving the translational potential of engineered cartilage.

  16. Vocal Fold Mucus Aggregation in Persons with Voice Disorders

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bonilha, Heather Shaw; White, Lisa; Kuckhahn, Kelsey; Gerlach, Terri Treman; Deliyski, Dimitar D.

    2012-01-01

    Mucus aggregation on the vocal folds is a common finding from laryngeal endoscopy. Patients with voice disorders report the presence of mucus aggregation. Patients also report that mucus aggregation causes them to clear their throat, a behavior believed to be harmful to vocal fold mucosa. Even though clinicians and patients report and discuss…

  17. A model for bacterial colonization of sinking aggregates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bearon, R N

    2007-01-01

    Sinking aggregates provide important nutrient-rich environments for marine bacteria. Quantifying the rate at which motile bacteria colonize such aggregations is important in understanding the microbial loop in the pelagic food web. In this paper, a simple analytical model is presented to predict the rate at which bacteria undergoing a random walk encounter a sinking aggregate. The model incorporates the flow field generated by the sinking aggregate, the swimming behavior of the bacteria, and the interaction of the flow with the swimming behavior. An expression for the encounter rate is computed in the limit of large Péclet number when the random walk can be approximated by a diffusion process. Comparison with an individual-based numerical simulation is also given.

  18. Convective Self-Aggregation in Numerical Simulations: A Review

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wing, Allison A.; Emanuel, Kerry; Holloway, Christopher E.; Muller, Caroline

    Organized convection in the tropics occurs across a range of spatial and temporal scales and strongly influences cloud cover and humidity. One mode of organization found is ``self-aggregation,'' in which moist convection spontaneously organizes into one or several isolated clusters despite spatially homogeneous boundary conditions and forcing. Self-aggregation is driven by interactions between clouds, moisture, radiation, surface fluxes, and circulation, and occurs in a wide variety of idealized simulations of radiative-convective equilibrium. Here we provide a review of convective self-aggregation in numerical simulations, including its character, causes, and effects. We describe the evolution of self-aggregation including its time and length scales and the physical mechanisms leading to its triggering and maintenance, and we also discuss possible links to climate and climate change.

  19. Rules for aggregated satisfaction with work commutes

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Suzuki, Haruna; Fujii, Satoshi; Gärling, Tommy; Ettema, Dick|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/114422729; Olsson, Lars E.; Friman, Margareta

    In general trips frequently entail several stages varying in mode, duration, and other factors. In some way travelers aggregate their satisfaction with the stages to satisfaction with the whole trip. In this paper we address the question of how this aggregation is made. We use data from a Swedish

  20. Recycled Concrete as Aggregate for Structural Concrete Production

    OpenAIRE

    Mirjana Malešev; Vlastimir Radonjanin; Snežana Marinković

    2010-01-01

    A comparative analysis of the experimental results of the properties of fresh and hardened concrete with different replacement ratios of natural with recycled coarse aggregate is presented in the paper. Recycled aggregate was made by crushing the waste concrete of laboratory test cubes and precast concrete columns. Three types of concrete mixtures were tested: concrete made entirely with natural aggregate (NAC) as a control concrete and two types of concrete made with natural fine and recycle...

  1. Management of a facial partial thickness chemical burn in a dog caused by bleach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kawalilak, Lukas T; Fransson, Boel A; Alessio, Terri L

    2017-03-01

    To describe the management and successful outcome of a late-recognition partial thickness bleach burn to the face and corneas of a dog. A 1-year-old male neutered Fox Terrier mix breed dog was evaluated for sloughing facial epithelium 5 days after coming into contact with an 8.25% household bleach cleaning solution. Severe erythema, edema, and crusting were noted around the muzzle and margins of both eyes, with moderate to severe alopecia in these areas. A partially detached, partial thickness eschar was present on the muzzle, while a firmly attached eschar was present in the region of both frontal sinuses. These injuries were consistent with a focal, superficial, and partial thickness chemical burn. Multiple ocular abnormalities, the most concerning of which was corneal ulceration, were also present. The patient's wounds were managed conservatively with limited surgical debridement of the affected epithelium 11 and 22 days after the initial exposure. Topical ocular medications, corneal debridement, and a superficial keratectomy were also used. All lesions resolved completely by 84 days postexposure, with no residual effects on the patient's quality of life. Chemical burns caused by contact with alkaline agents such as bleach (sodium hypochlorite) result in extensive necrosis of the skin and underlying structures. This is the first report of management alkaline facial burns in a dog. If inadequate or delayed hydrotherapy following exposure has resulted in superficial partial thickness burns, conservative management can be successful when traditional treatments, especially bandaging, are not feasible. © Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Society 2017.

  2. An Outline of Data Aggregation Security in Heterogeneous Wireless Sensor Networks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boubiche, Sabrina; Boubiche, Djallel Eddine; Bilami, Azzedine; Toral-Cruz, Homero

    2016-04-12

    Data aggregation processes aim to reduce the amount of exchanged data in wireless sensor networks and consequently minimize the packet overhead and optimize energy efficiency. Securing the data aggregation process is a real challenge since the aggregation nodes must access the relayed data to apply the aggregation functions. The data aggregation security problem has been widely addressed in classical homogeneous wireless sensor networks, however, most of the proposed security protocols cannot guarantee a high level of security since the sensor node resources are limited. Heterogeneous wireless sensor networks have recently emerged as a new wireless sensor network category which expands the sensor nodes' resources and capabilities. These new kinds of WSNs have opened new research opportunities where security represents a most attractive area. Indeed, robust and high security level algorithms can be used to secure the data aggregation at the heterogeneous aggregation nodes which is impossible in classical homogeneous WSNs. Contrary to the homogeneous sensor networks, the data aggregation security problem is still not sufficiently covered and the proposed data aggregation security protocols are numberless. To address this recent research area, this paper describes the data aggregation security problem in heterogeneous wireless sensor networks and surveys a few proposed security protocols. A classification and evaluation of the existing protocols is also introduced based on the adopted data aggregation security approach.

  3. An Outline of Data Aggregation Security in Heterogeneous Wireless Sensor Networks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sabrina Boubiche

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available Data aggregation processes aim to reduce the amount of exchanged data in wireless sensor networks and consequently minimize the packet overhead and optimize energy efficiency. Securing the data aggregation process is a real challenge since the aggregation nodes must access the relayed data to apply the aggregation functions. The data aggregation security problem has been widely addressed in classical homogeneous wireless sensor networks, however, most of the proposed security protocols cannot guarantee a high level of security since the sensor node resources are limited. Heterogeneous wireless sensor networks have recently emerged as a new wireless sensor network category which expands the sensor nodes’ resources and capabilities. These new kinds of WSNs have opened new research opportunities where security represents a most attractive area. Indeed, robust and high security level algorithms can be used to secure the data aggregation at the heterogeneous aggregation nodes which is impossible in classical homogeneous WSNs. Contrary to the homogeneous sensor networks, the data aggregation security problem is still not sufficiently covered and the proposed data aggregation security protocols are numberless. To address this recent research area, this paper describes the data aggregation security problem in heterogeneous wireless sensor networks and surveys a few proposed security protocols. A classification and evaluation of the existing protocols is also introduced based on the adopted data aggregation security approach.

  4. An Outline of Data Aggregation Security in Heterogeneous Wireless Sensor Networks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boubiche, Sabrina; Boubiche, Djallel Eddine; Bilami, Azzedine; Toral-Cruz, Homero

    2016-01-01

    Data aggregation processes aim to reduce the amount of exchanged data in wireless sensor networks and consequently minimize the packet overhead and optimize energy efficiency. Securing the data aggregation process is a real challenge since the aggregation nodes must access the relayed data to apply the aggregation functions. The data aggregation security problem has been widely addressed in classical homogeneous wireless sensor networks, however, most of the proposed security protocols cannot guarantee a high level of security since the sensor node resources are limited. Heterogeneous wireless sensor networks have recently emerged as a new wireless sensor network category which expands the sensor nodes’ resources and capabilities. These new kinds of WSNs have opened new research opportunities where security represents a most attractive area. Indeed, robust and high security level algorithms can be used to secure the data aggregation at the heterogeneous aggregation nodes which is impossible in classical homogeneous WSNs. Contrary to the homogeneous sensor networks, the data aggregation security problem is still not sufficiently covered and the proposed data aggregation security protocols are numberless. To address this recent research area, this paper describes the data aggregation security problem in heterogeneous wireless sensor networks and surveys a few proposed security protocols. A classification and evaluation of the existing protocols is also introduced based on the adopted data aggregation security approach. PMID:27077866

  5. The structure of microbial community in aggregates of a typical chernozem aggregates under contrasting variants of its agricultural use

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ivanova, E. A.; Kutovaya, O. V.; Tkhakakhova, A. K.; Chernov, T. I.; Pershina, E. V.; Markina, L. G.; Andronov, E. E.; Kogut, B. M.

    2015-11-01

    The taxonomic structure of microbiomes in aggregates of different sizes from typical chernozems was investigated using sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. The aggregate fractions of 7 mm obtained by sieving of the soil samples at natural moisture were used for analysis. The highest prokaryote biomass (bacteria, archaea) was determined in the fractions permanent black fallow > permanent winter wheat. The greatest number of fungi was recorded in the fraction wheat. The system of agricultural use affected more significantly the structure of the prokaryote community in the chernozem than the size of aggregate fractions did. The most diverse microbial community was recorded in the soil samples of the fallow; the statistically significant maximums of the Shannon diversity indices and indices of phylogenetic diversity (PD) were recorded in the fractions <0.25 and 2-5 mm from the fallow soil. On the whole, the fine soil fractions (<0.25 mm) were characterized by higher diversity indices in comparison with those of the coarser aggregate fractions.

  6. On the ability of PAMAM dendrimers and dendrimer/DNA aggregates to penetrate POPC model biomembranes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ainalem, Marie-Louise; Campbell, Richard A; Khalid, Syma; Gillams, Richard J; Rennie, Adrian R; Nylander, Tommy

    2010-06-03

    Poly(amido amine) (PAMAM) dendrimers have previously been shown, as cationic condensing agents of DNA, to have high potential for nonviral gene delivery. This study addresses two key issues for gene delivery: the interaction of the biomembrane with (i) the condensing agent (the cationic PAMAM dendrimer) and (ii) the corresponding dendrimer/DNA aggregate. Using in situ null ellipsometry and neutron reflection, parallel experiments were carried out involving dendrimers of generations 2 (G2), 4 (G4), and 6 (G6). The study demonstrates that free dendrimers of all three generations were able to traverse supported palmitoyloleoylphosphatidylcholine (POPC) bilayers deposited on silica surfaces. The model biomembranes were elevated from the solid surfaces upon dendrimer penetration, which offers a promising new way to generate more realistic model biomembranes where the contact with the supporting surface is reduced and where aqueous cavities are present beneath the bilayer. The largest dendrimer (G6) induced partial bilayer destruction directly upon penetration, whereas the smaller dendrimers (G2 and G4) leave the bilayer intact, so we propose that lower generation dendrimers have greater potential as transfection mediators. In addition to the experimental observations, coarse-grained simulations on the interaction between generation 3 (G3) dendrimers and POPC bilayers were performed in the absence and presence of a bilayer-supporting negatively charged surface that emulates the support. The simulations demonstrate that G3 is transported across free-standing POPC bilayers by direct penetration and not by endocytosis. The penetrability was, however, reduced in the presence of a surface, indicating that the membrane transport observed experimentally was not driven solely by the surface. The experimental reflection techniques were also applied to dendrimer/DNA aggregates of charge ratio = 0.5, and while G2/DNA and G4/DNA aggregates interact with POPC bilayers, G6/DNA

  7. Experimental research on durability of recycled aggregate concrete under freeze- thaw cycles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheng, Yanqiu; Shang, Xiaoyu; Zhang, Youjia

    2017-07-01

    The freeze-thaw durability of recycled aggregate concrete has significance for the concrete buildings in the cold region. In this paper, the rapid freezing and thawing cycles experience on recycle aggregate concrete was conducted to study on the effects of recycle aggregate amount, water-binder ratio and fly ash on freeze-thaw durability of recycle aggregate concrete. The results indicates that recycle aggregate amount makes the significant influence on the freeze-thaw durability. With the increase of recycled aggregates amount, the freeze-thaw resistance for recycled aggregate concrete decreases. Recycled aggregate concrete with lower water cement ratio demonstrates better performance of freeze-thaw durability. It is advised that the amount of fly ash is less than 30% for admixture of recycled aggregates in the cold region.

  8. Two-Step Amyloid Aggregation: Sequential Lag Phase Intermediates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Castello, Fabio; Paredes, Jose M.; Ruedas-Rama, Maria J.; Martin, Miguel; Roldan, Mar; Casares, Salvador; Orte, Angel

    2017-01-01

    The self-assembly of proteins into fibrillar structures called amyloid fibrils underlies the onset and symptoms of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. However, the molecular basis and mechanism of amyloid aggregation are not completely understood. For many amyloidogenic proteins, certain oligomeric intermediates that form in the early aggregation phase appear to be the principal cause of cellular toxicity. Recent computational studies have suggested the importance of nonspecific interactions for the initiation of the oligomerization process prior to the structural conversion steps and template seeding, particularly at low protein concentrations. Here, using advanced single-molecule fluorescence spectroscopy and imaging of a model SH3 domain, we obtained direct evidence that nonspecific aggregates are required in a two-step nucleation mechanism of amyloid aggregation. We identified three different oligomeric types according to their sizes and compactness and performed a full mechanistic study that revealed a mandatory rate-limiting conformational conversion step. We also identified the most cytotoxic species, which may be possible targets for inhibiting and preventing amyloid aggregation.

  9. Aggregation in charged nanoparticles solutions induced by different interactions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Abbas, S.; Kumar, Sugam; Aswal, V. K., E-mail: vkaswal@barc.gov.in [Solid State Physics Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai 400 085 (India); Kohlbrecher, J. [Laboratory for Neutron Scattering, Paul Scherrer Institut, CH-5232 PSI Villigen (Switzerland)

    2016-05-23

    Small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) has been used to study the aggregation of anionic silica nanoparticles as induced through different interactions. The nanoparticle aggregation is induced by addition of salt (NaCl), cationic protein (lysozyme) and non-ionic surfactant (C12E10) employing different kind of interactions. The results show that the interaction in presence of salt can be explained using DLVO theory whereas non-DLVO forces play important role for interaction of nanoparticles with protein and surfactant. The presence of salt screens the repulsion between charged nanoparticles giving rise to a net attraction in the DLVO potential. On the other hand, strong electrostatic attraction between nanoparticle and oppositely charged protein leads to protein-mediated nanoparticle aggregation. In case of non-ionic surfactant, the relatively long-range attractive depletion interaction is found to be responsible for the particle aggregation. Interestingly, the completely different interactions lead to similar kind of aggregate morphology. The nanoparticle aggregates formed are found to have mass fractal nature having a fractal dimension (~2.5) consistent with diffusion limited type of fractal morphology in all three cases.

  10. Acetylcholinesterase triggers the aggregation of PrP 106-126

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pera, M.; Roman, S.; Ratia, M.; Camps, P.; Munoz-Torrero, D.; Colombo, L.; Manzoni, C.; Salmona, M.; Badia, A.; Clos, M.V.

    2006-01-01

    Acetylcholinesterase (AChE), a senile plaque component, promotes amyloid-β-protein (Aβ) fibril formation in vitro. The presence of prion protein (PrP) in Alzheimer's disease (AD) senile plaques prompted us to assess if AChE could trigger the PrP peptides aggregation as well. Consequently, the efficacy of AChE on the PrP peptide spanning-residues 106-126 aggregation containing a coumarin fluorescence probe (coumarin-PrP 106-126) was studied. Kinetics of coumarin-PrP 106-126 aggregation showed a significant increase of maximum size of aggregates (MSA), which was dependent on AChE concentration. AChE-PrP 106-126 aggregates showed the tinctorial and optical amyloid properties as determined by polarized light and electronic microscopy analysis. A remarkable inhibition of MSA was obtained with propidium iodide, suggesting that AChE triggers PrP 106-126 and Aβ aggregation through a similar mechanism. Huprines (AChE inhibitors) also significantly decreased MSA induced by AChE as well, unveiling the potential interest for some AChE inhibitors as a novel class of potential anti-prion drugs

  11. Aggregation of Frenkel defects under irradiation: a mesoscopic approach

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Soppe, W.; Kotomin, E.

    1993-08-01

    The radiation-induced aggregation of Frenkel defects in solids is studied in terms of a mesoscopic approach. The asymmetry in elastic interactions between mobile interstitials (I-I) and between interstitials and vacancies (I-V) plays a decisive role in the aggregation of similar defects. The conditions for defect aggregation are studied in detail for NaCl crystals. The critical dose rate for aggregation has been calculated as a function of the temperature as well as the aggregation rate as a function of temperature and dose rate. Furthermore, the role of deep traps (like impurities and di-vacancies), reducing the mobility of interstitials, and the role of dislocations serving as sinks for interstitials, are studied. The aggregation appears to reach a maximum at a distinct temperature which is in agreement both with experiment and the Jain-Lidiard theory. The model also predicts a shift of this maximum towards lower temperatures if the dose rate is decreased. The consequences of the model for the disposal of nuclear waste in rock salt formations, are briefly discussed. (orig.)

  12. [Composition and stability of soil aggregates in hedgerow-crop slope land].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pu, Yu-Lin; Lin, Chao-Wen; Xie, De-Ti; Wei, Chao-Fu; Ni, Jiu-Pai

    2013-01-01

    Based on a long-term experiment of using hedgerow to control soil and water loss, this paper studied the composition and stability of soil aggregates in a hedgerow-crop slope land. Compared with those under routine contour cropping, the contents of > 0.25 mm soil mechanical-stable and water-stable aggregates under the complex mode hedgerow-crop increased significantly by 13.3%-16.1% and 37.8% -55.6%, respectively. Under the complex mode, the contents of > 0.25 mm soil water-stable aggregates on each slope position increased obviously, and the status of > 0.25 mm soil water-stable aggregates being relatively rich at low slope and poor at top slope was improved. Planting hedgerow could significantly increase the mean mass diameter and geometric mean diameter of soil aggregates, decrease the fractal dimension of soil aggregates and the destruction rate of > 0.25 mm soil aggregates, and thus, increase the stability and erosion-resistance of soil aggregates in slope cropland. No significant effects of slope and hedgerow types were observed on the composition, stability and distribution of soil aggregates.

  13. Protein aggregation studied by forward light scattering and light transmission analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Penzkofer, A.; Shirdel, J.; Zirak, P.; Breitkreuz, H.; Wolf, E.

    2007-12-01

    The aggregation of the circadian blue-light photo-receptor cryptochrome from Drosophila melanogaster (dCry) is studied by transmission and forward light scattering measurement in the protein transparent wavelength region. The light scattering in forward direction is caused by Rayleigh scattering which is proportional to the degree of aggregation. The light transmission through the samples in the transparent region is reduced by Mie light scattering in all directions. It depends on the degree of aggregation and the monomer volume fill factor of the aggregates (less total scattering with decreasing monomer volume fill factor of protein globule) allowing a distinction between tightly packed protein aggregation (monomer volume fill factor 1) and loosely packed protein aggregation (monomer volume fill factor less than 1). An increase in aggregation with temperature, concentration, and blue-light exposure is observed. At a temperature of 4 °C and a protein concentration of less than 0.135 mM no dCry aggregation was observed, while at 24 °C and 0.327 mM gelation occurred (loosely packed aggregates occupying the whole solution volume).

  14. Total organic carbon in aggregates as a soil recovery indicator

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luciene Maltoni, Katia; Rodrigues Cassiolato, Ana Maria; Amorim Faria, Glaucia; Dubbin, William

    2015-04-01

    The soil aggregation promotes physical protection of organic matter, preservation of which is crucial to improve soil structure, fertility and ensure the agro-ecosystems sustainability. The no-tillage cultivation system has been considered as one of the strategies to increase total soil organic carbono (TOC) contents and soil aggregation, both are closely related and influenced by soil management systems. The aim of this study was to evaluate the distribution of soil aggregates and the total organic carbon inside aggregates, with regard to soil recovery, under 3 different soil management systems, i.e. 10 and 20 years of no-tillage cultivation as compared with soil under natural vegetation (Cerrado). Undisturbed soils (0-5; 5-10; and 10-20 cm depth) were collected from Brazil, Central Region. The soils, Oxisols from Cerrado, were collected from a field under Natural Vegetation-Cerrado (NV), and from fields that were under conventional tillage since 1970s, and 10 and 20 years ago were changed to no-tillage cultivation system (NT-10; NT-20 respectively). The undisturbed samples were sieved (4mm) and the aggregates retained were further fractionated by wet sieving through five sieves (2000, 1000, 500, 250, and 50 μm) with the aggregates distribution expressed as percentage retained by each sieve. The TOC was determined, for each aggregate size, by combustion (Thermo-Finnigan). A predominance of aggregates >2000 μm was observed under NV treatment (92, 91, 82 %), NT-10 (64, 73, 61 %), and NT-20 (71, 79, 63 %) for all three depths (0-5; 5-10; 10-20 cm). In addition greater quantities of aggregates in sizes 1000, 500, 250 and 50 μm under NT-10 and NT-20 treatments, explain the lower aggregate stability under these treatments compared to the soil under NV. The organic C concentration for NV in aggregates >2000 μm was 24,4; 14,2; 8,7 mg/g for each depth (0-5; 5-10; 10-20 cm, respectively), higher than in aggregates sized 250-50 μm (7,2; 5,5; 4,4 mg/g) for all depths

  15. Partial Averaged Navier-Stokes approach for cavitating flow

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, L; Zhang, Y N

    2015-01-01

    Partial Averaged Navier Stokes (PANS) is a numerical approach developed for studying practical engineering problems (e.g. cavitating flow inside hydroturbines) with a resonance cost and accuracy. One of the advantages of PANS is that it is suitable for any filter width, leading a bridging method from traditional Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) to direct numerical simulations by choosing appropriate parameters. Comparing with RANS, the PANS model will inherit many physical nature from parent RANS but further resolve more scales of motion in great details, leading to PANS superior to RANS. As an important step for PANS approach, one need to identify appropriate physical filter-width control parameters e.g. ratios of unresolved-to-total kinetic energy and dissipation. In present paper, recent studies of cavitating flow based on PANS approach are introduced with a focus on the influences of filter-width control parameters on the simulation results

  16. Particle Aggregation During Fe(III) Bioreduction in Nontronite

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jaisi, D. P.; Dong, H.; Hi, Z.; Kim, J.

    2005-12-01

    This study was performed to evaluate the rate and mechanism of particle aggregation during bacterial Fe (III) reduction in different size fractions of nontronite and to investigate the role of different factors contributing to particle aggregation. To achieve this goal, microbial Fe(III) reduction experiments were performed with lactate as an electron donor, Fe(III) in nontronite as an electron acceptor, and AQDS as an electron shuttle in bicarbonate buffer using Shewanella putrefaceins CN32. These experiments were performed with and without Na- pyrophosphate as a dispersant in four size fractions of nontronite (0.12-0.22, 0.41-0.69, 0.73-0.96 and 1.42-1.8 mm). The rate of nontronite aggregation during the Fe(III) bioreduction was measured by analyzing particle size distribution using photon correlation spectroscopy (PCS) and SEM images analysis. Similarly, the changes in particle morphology during particle aggregation were determined by analyses of SEM images. Changes in particle surface charge were measured with electrophoretic mobility analyzer. The protein and carbohydrate fraction of EPS produced by cells during Fe(III) bioreduction was measured using Bradford and phenol-sulfuric acid extraction method, respectively. In the presence of the dispersant, the extent of Fe(III) bioreduction was 11.5-12.2% within the first 56 hours of the experiment. There was no measurable particle aggregation in control experiments. The PCS measurements showed that the increase in the effective diameter (95% percentile) was by a factor of 3.1 and 1.9 for particle size of 0.12-0.22 mm and 1.42-1.80 mm, respectively. The SEM image analyses also gave the similar magnitude of increase in particle size. In the absence of the dispersant, the extent of Fe(III) bioreduction was 13.4-14.5% in 56 hours of the experiment. The rate of aggregation was higher than that in the presence of the dispersant. The increase in the effective diameter (95% percentile) was by a factor of 13.6 and 4.1 for

  17. Three-dimensional shape analysis of coarse aggregates: New techniques for and preliminary results on several different coarse aggregates and reference rocks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Erdogan, S.T.; Quiroga, P.N.; Fowler, D.W.; Saleh, H.A.; Livingston, R.A.; Garboczi, E.J.; Ketcham, P.M.; Hagedorn, J.G.; Satterfield, S.G.

    2006-01-01

    The shape of aggregates used in concrete is an important parameter that helps determine many concrete properties, especially the rheology of fresh concrete and early-age mechanical properties. This paper discusses the sample preparation and image analysis techniques necessary for obtaining an aggregate particle image in 3-D, using X-ray computed tomography, which is then suitable for spherical harmonic analysis. The shapes of three reference rocks are analyzed for uncertainty determination via direct comparison to the geometry of their reconstructed images. A Virtual Reality Modeling Language technique is demonstrated that can give quick and accurate 3-D views of aggregates. Shape data on several different kinds of coarse aggregates are compared and used to illustrate potential mathematical shape analyses made possible by the spherical harmonic information

  18. The evaluation of the factors that cause aggregation during recombinant expression in E. coli is simplified by the employment of an aggregation-sensitive reporter

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Martinez Lucia

    2006-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The yields of soluble recombinant proteins expressed in bacteria are often low due to the tendency of the heterologous proteins to form aggregates. Therefore, aggregation reporters have been envisaged to simplify the comparison among different expression conditions and to speed up the identification of suitable protocols that improve the solubility. The probe we used is composed by an IbpAB promoter specifically activated by protein aggregates fused to a sequence coding the β-galactosidase, the activity of which becomes, therefore, indicative of the aggregation degree. Results The collected data show that the probe is reliable in terms of reproducibility inside a range of experimental conditions and faster and more sensitive than the analysis methods based on SDS-PAGE and successive western blot. The β-galactosidase probe was useful to identify which parameters could influence the aggregation of the model proteins and to set up an optimized expression protocol. The effect of growth temperature, induction modality, co-expression with molecular chaperones and addition of osmolytes on the accumulation of aggregates were evaluated following the β-galactosidase activity. Interestingly, a significant correlation was observed between estimated decreased aggregation and higher yields of soluble protein. We also compared a set of expression vectors with various regulative features and found that the single characteristics, like promoter, copy number or polymerase, were not relevant for controlling the recombinant protein aggregation whilst the crucial factor resulted being the total expression rate of the system. Conclusion The aggregation reporter used in our experiments represents a useful tool to evaluate the different factors that can be modulated to optimize a recombinant expression protocol. Furthermore, the rapid estimation of the aggregation degree enables to discriminate this from other causes responsible for scarce

  19. Aggregation process, application to nuclear multifragmentation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Garcia, Jean-Baptiste

    1995-01-01

    It is depicted an aggregation model (applied to nuclear multifragmentation) which I have elaborated and validated. This model contains an aggregation procedure, allowing one to determine the aggregation state of a given system. It takes into account spatial and kinetic nucleonic information, as well as in-medium effects. It is made of several energetic linkage criterions, all based on a single quantity: the energy of a system computed in its center of mass frame. This procedure has been applied to nuclear physics, assuming nucleus as a mix of two Fermi gas, interacting via the Yukawa potential (plus Coulomb in between protons) and obeying to a classical exclusion principle. The general trends of the model match with those of nuclear physics. Moreover, two comparisons between the model and nuclear multifragmentation experiments (ALADIN, then FOPI) exhibit nice agreements. The FOPI one, shows that fragments are bound to be formed at the beginning of the expansion phase (Au + Au at 150 MeV/nuc, for central collisions). This work ends with a study of the main ingredients included in the model. It reveals that in-medium effects, exclusion principle as well as the shape of the potential have a non negligible influence on the studied nuclear aggregation process. (author) [fr

  20. Light scattering method to measure red blood cell aggregation during incubation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grzegorzewski, B.; Szołna-Chodór, A.; Baryła, J.; DreŻek, D.

    2018-01-01

    Red blood cell (RBC) aggregation can be observed both in vivo as well as in vitro. This process is a cause of alterations of blood flow in microvascular network. Enhanced RBC aggregation makes oxygen and nutrients delivery difficult. Measurements of RBC aggregation usually give a description of the process for a sample where the state of a solution and cells is well-defined and the system reached an equilibrium. Incubation of RBCs in various solutions is frequently used to study the effects of the solutions on the RBC aggregation. The aggregation parameters are compared before and after incubation while the detailed changes of the parameters during incubation remain unknown. In this paper we have proposed a method to measure red blood cell aggregation during incubation based on the well-known technique where backscattered light is used to assess the parameters of the RBC aggregation. Couette system consisting of two cylinders is adopted in the method. The incubation is observed in the Couette system. In the proposed method following sequence of rotations is adapted. Two minutes rotation is followed by two minutes stop. In this way we have obtained a time series of back scattered intensity consisting of signals respective for disaggregation and aggregation. It is shown that the temporal changes of the intensity manifest changes of RBC aggregation during incubation. To show the ability of the method to assess the effect of incubation time on RBC aggregation the results are shown for solutions that cause an increase of RBC aggregation as well as for the case where the aggregation is decreased.

  1. Imposing resolved turbulence in CFD simulations

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gilling, L.; Sørensen, Niels N.

    2011-01-01

    In large‐eddy simulations, the inflow velocity field should contain resolved turbulence. This paper describes and analyzes two methods for imposing resolved turbulence in the interior of the domain in Computational Fluid Dynamics simulations. The intended application of the methods is to impose...

  2. Bifenthrin activates homotypic aggregation in human T-cell lines.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hoffman, Nataly; Tran, Van; Daniyan, Anthony; Ojugbele, Olutosin; Pryor, Stephen C; Bonventre, Josephine A; Flynn, Katherine; Weeks, Benjamin S

    2006-03-01

    Here, we addressed the concern that, despite the lack of overt toxicity, exposure to low levels of the common household pyrethroid pesticide, bifenthrin, could cause harm to the immune system. To do this, we measure the effect of bifenthrin on phytohemagglutinin (PHA) activation of homotypic aggregation in human T-cell lines. The human CD4+ H9, and Jurkat cell lines and the human promonocyte U937 cell line, were exposed to varying concentrations of bifenthrin. Cell viability was determined using the AlmarBlue Toxicity Assay. Concentrations of bifenthrin which did not reduce cell viability were determined and these concentrations were tested for the effect of bifenthrin on PHA-mediated homotypic aggregation. Blocking antibodies to ICAM and LFA-1 were used to disrupt aggregation and a nonspecific IgG was used as a control. Bifenthrin was found to be nontoxic at concentrations ranging from 10(-4) to 10(-13) M. Bifenthrin did not inhibit PHA induced cell aggregation in all cell lines tested. However, at 10(-4) M, bifenthrin to form aggregates stimulated homotypic aggregation in the H9 and Jurkat T-cell lines. The bifenthrin-induced aggregate formation, like that seen with PHA, was blocked by treating the cells with antibodies to either LFA-1 or ICAM. The results here show that bifenthrin activates T-cell function by stimulating ICAM/LFA-1 mediated homotypic aggregation. This data suggests that exposure to bifenthrin, even at "acceptable" limits, can increase the risk for and frequency of inflammatory responses and diseases such as asthma.

  3. Calcium binding to beta-2-microglobulin at physiological pH drives the occurrence of conformational changes which cause the protein to precipitate into amorphous forms that subsequently transform into amyloid aggregates.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sukhdeep Kumar

    Full Text Available Using spectroscopic, calorimetric and microscopic methods, we demonstrate that calcium binds to beta-2-microglobulin (β2m under physiological conditions of pH and ionic strength, in biological buffers, causing a conformational change associated with the binding of up to four calcium atoms per β2m molecule, with a marked transformation of some random coil structure into beta sheet structure, and culminating in the aggregation of the protein at physiological (serum concentrations of calcium and β2m. We draw attention to the fact that the sequence of β2m contains several potential calcium-binding motifs of the DXD and DXDXD (or DXEXD varieties. We establish (a that the microscopic aggregation seen at physiological concentrations of β2m and calcium turns into actual turbidity and visible precipitation at higher concentrations of protein and β2m, (b that this initial aggregation/precipitation leads to the formation of amorphous aggregates, (c that the formation of the amorphous aggregates can be partially reversed through the addition of the divalent ion chelating agent, EDTA, and (d that upon incubation for a few weeks, the amorphous aggregates appear to support the formation of amyloid aggregates that bind to the dye, thioflavin T (ThT, resulting in increase in the dye's fluorescence. We speculate that β2m exists in the form of microscopic aggregates in vivo and that these don't progress to form larger amyloid aggregates because protein concentrations remain low under normal conditions of kidney function and β2m degradation. However, when kidney function is compromised and especially when dialysis is performed, β2m concentrations probably transiently rise to yield large aggregates that deposit in bone joints and transform into amyloids during dialysis related amyloidosis.

  4. Optical network scaling: roles of spectral and spatial aggregation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arık, Sercan Ö; Ho, Keang-Po; Kahn, Joseph M

    2014-12-01

    As the bit rates of routed data streams exceed the throughput of single wavelength-division multiplexing channels, spectral and spatial traffic aggregation become essential for optical network scaling. These aggregation techniques reduce network routing complexity by increasing spectral efficiency to decrease the number of fibers, and by increasing switching granularity to decrease the number of switching components. Spectral aggregation yields a modest decrease in the number of fibers but a substantial decrease in the number of switching components. Spatial aggregation yields a substantial decrease in both the number of fibers and the number of switching components. To quantify routing complexity reduction, we analyze the number of multi-cast and wavelength-selective switches required in a colorless, directionless and contentionless reconfigurable optical add-drop multiplexer architecture. Traffic aggregation has two potential drawbacks: reduced routing power and increased switching component size.

  5. Coagulation efficiency and aggregate formation in marine phytoplankton

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kiørboe, Thomas; Andersen, K.P.; Dam, H.G.

    1990-01-01

    , and even nutrient replete cells are significantly sticky. Stickiness is highest (> 10-1) for S. costatum cells in the transition between the exponential and the stationary growth phase. The implications for phytoplankton aggregate formation and subsequent sedimentation in the sea of these two different......Flocculation of phytoplankters into large, rapidly sinking aggregates has been implicated as a mechanism of vertical transport of phytoplankton to the sea floor which could have global significance. The formation rate of phytoplankton aggregates depends on the rate at which single cells collide...... and demonstrate that three species of diatoms grown in the laboratory (Phaeodactylum tricornutum, Thalassiosira pseudonana, Skeletonema costatum) are indeed significantly sticky and form aggregates upon collison. The dependency of stickiness on nutrient limitation and growth was studied in the two latter species...

  6. Study on Concrete Containing Recycled Aggregates Immersed in Epoxy Resin

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adnan Suraya Hani

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available In recent decades, engineers have sought a more sustainable method to dispose of concrete construction and demolition waste. One solution is to crush this waste concrete into a usable gradation for new concrete mixes. This not only reduces the amount of waste entering landfills but also alleviates the burden on existing sources of quality natural concrete aggregates. There are too many kinds of waste but here constructions waste will be the priority target that should be solved. It could be managed by several ways such as recycling and reusing the concrete components, and the best choice of these components is the aggregate, because of the ease process of recycle it. In addition, recycled aggregates and normal aggregates were immersed in epoxy resin and put in concrete mixtures with 0%, 5%, 10% and 20% which affected the concrete mixtures properties. The strength of the concrete for both normal and recycled aggregates has increased after immersed the aggregates in epoxy resin. The percentage of water absorption and the coefficient of water permeability decreased with the increasing of the normal and the recycled aggregates immersed in epoxy resin. Generally the tests which have been conducted to the concrete mixtures have a significant results after using the epoxy resin with both normal and recycled aggregates.

  7. Petrography study on altered flint aggregate by alkali-silica reaction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bulteel, D.; Rafai, N.; Degrugilliers, P.; Garcia-Diaz, E.

    2004-01-01

    The aim of our study is to improve our understanding of an alkali-silica reaction (ASR) via petrography. We used a chemical concrete subsystem: flint aggregate, portlandite and KOH. The altered flint aggregate is followed by optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) before and after acid treatment at different intervals. After acid treatment, the observations showed an increase in aggregate porosity and revealed internal degradation of the aggregate. This degradation created amorphous zones. Before acid treatment, the analyses on polished sections by scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) enabled visualization of K + and Ca 2+ penetration into the aggregate. The appearance of amorphous zones and penetration of positive ions into the aggregate are correlated with the increase in the molar fraction of silanol sites. This degradation is specific to the alkali-silica reaction

  8. Mechanical Properties of Steel Fiber Reinforced all Lightweight Aggregate Concrete

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Y. M.; Li, J. Y.; Zhen, Y.; Nie, Y. N.; Dong, W. L.

    2018-05-01

    In order to study the basic mechanical properties and failure characteristics of all lightweight aggregate concrete with different volume of steel fiber (0%, 1%, 2%), shale ceramsite is used as light coarse aggregate. The shale sand is made of light fine aggregate and mixed with different volume of steel fiber, and the mix proportion design of all lightweight aggregate concrete is carried out. The cubic compressive strength, axial compressive strength, flexural strength, splitting strength and modulus of elasticity of steel fiber all lightweight aggregate concrete were studied. Test results show that the incorporation of steel fiber can restrict the cracking of concrete, improve crack resistance; at the same time, it shows good plastic deformation ability and failure morphology. It lays a theoretical foundation for further research on the application of all lightweight aggregate concrete in structural systems.

  9. Prey aggregation is an effective olfactory predator avoidance strategy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Asa Johannesen

    2014-05-01

    Full Text Available Predator–prey interactions have a major effect on species abundance and diversity, and aggregation is a well-known anti-predator behaviour. For immobile prey, the effectiveness of aggregation depends on two conditions: (a the inability of the predator to consume all prey in a group and (b detection of a single large group not being proportionally easier than that of several small groups. How prey aggregation influences predation rates when visual cues are restricted, such as in turbid water, has not been thoroughly investigated. We carried out foraging (predation experiments using a fish predator and (dead chironomid larvae as prey in both laboratory and field settings. In the laboratory, a reduction in visual cue availability (in turbid water led to a delay in the location of aggregated prey compared to when visual cues were available. Aggregated prey suffered high mortality once discovered, leading to better survival of dispersed prey in the longer term. We attribute this to the inability of the dead prey to take evasive action. In the field (where prey were placed in feeding stations that allowed transmission of olfactory but not visual cues, aggregated (large groups and semi-dispersed prey survived for longer than dispersed prey—including long term survival. Together, our results indicate that similar to systems where predators hunt using vision, aggregation is an effective anti-predator behaviour for prey avoiding olfactory predators.

  10. Flocculation kinetics and aggregate structure of kaolinite mixtures in laminar tube flow.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vaezi G, Farid; Sanders, R Sean; Masliyah, Jacob H

    2011-03-01

    Flocculation is commonly used in various solid-liquid separation processes in chemical and mineral industries to separate desired products or to treat waste streams. This paper presents an experimental technique to study flocculation processes in laminar tube flow. This approach allows for more realistic estimation of the shear rate to which an aggregate is exposed, as compared to more complicated shear fields (e.g. stirred tanks). A direct sampling method is used to minimize the effect of sampling on the aggregate structure. A combination of aggregate settling velocity and image analysis was used to quantify the structure of the aggregate. Aggregate size, density, and fractal dimension were found to be the most important aggregate structural parameters. The two methods used to determine aggregate fractal dimension were in good agreement. The effects of advective flow through an aggregate's porous structure and transition-regime drag coefficient on the evaluation of aggregate density were considered. The technique was applied to investigate the flocculation kinetics and the evolution of the aggregate structure of kaolin particles with an anionic flocculant under conditions similar to those of oil sands fine tailings. Aggregates were formed using a well controlled two-stage aggregation process. Detailed statistical analysis was performed to investigate the establishment of dynamic equilibrium condition in terms of aggregate size and density evolution. An equilibrium steady state condition was obtained within 90 s of the start of flocculation; after which no further change in aggregate structure was observed. Although longer flocculation times inside the shear field could conceivably cause aggregate structure conformation, statistical analysis indicated that this did not occur for the studied conditions. The results show that the technique and experimental conditions employed here produce aggregates having a well-defined, reproducible structure. Copyright © 2011

  11. Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (ATCC 53103) and platelet aggregation in vitro.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Korpela, R; Moilanen, E; Saxelin, M; Vapaatalo, H

    1997-06-17

    Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG is an experimentally and clinically well documented probiotic used in different dairy products. The present study aimed to investigate the safety aspects of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, particularly with respect to platelet aggregation, the initiating event in thrombosis. Platelet rich plasma was separated from the blood of healthy volunteers, and the effects of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (ATCC 53103), Lactobacillus rhamnosus (ATCC 7469) and Enterococcus faecium T2L6 in different dilutions on spontaneous, ADP- and adrenaline-induced aggregation were tested. The bacteria did not influence spontaneous aggregation. Only Enterococcus faecium T2L6 enhanced the adrenaline-induced aggregation, with a less clear effect on ADP-induced aggregation.

  12. Pan-Antarctic analysis aggregating spatial estimates of Adélie penguin abundance reveals robust dynamics despite stochastic noise.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Che-Castaldo, Christian; Jenouvrier, Stephanie; Youngflesh, Casey; Shoemaker, Kevin T; Humphries, Grant; McDowall, Philip; Landrum, Laura; Holland, Marika M; Li, Yun; Ji, Rubao; Lynch, Heather J

    2017-10-10

    Colonially-breeding seabirds have long served as indicator species for the health of the oceans on which they depend. Abundance and breeding data are repeatedly collected at fixed study sites in the hopes that changes in abundance and productivity may be useful for adaptive management of marine resources, but their suitability for this purpose is often unknown. To address this, we fit a Bayesian population dynamics model that includes process and observation error to all known Adélie penguin abundance data (1982-2015) in the Antarctic, covering >95% of their population globally. We find that process error exceeds observation error in this system, and that continent-wide "year effects" strongly influence population growth rates. Our findings have important implications for the use of Adélie penguins in Southern Ocean feedback management, and suggest that aggregating abundance across space provides the fastest reliable signal of true population change for species whose dynamics are driven by stochastic processes.Adélie penguins are a key Antarctic indicator species, but data patchiness has challenged efforts to link population dynamics to key drivers. Che-Castaldo et al. resolve this issue using a pan-Antarctic Bayesian model to infer missing data, and show that spatial aggregation leads to more robust inference regarding dynamics.

  13. On evolving deformation microstructures in non-convex partially damaged solids

    KAUST Repository

    Gurses, Ercan

    2011-06-01

    The paper outlines a relaxation method based on a particular isotropic microstructure evolution and applies it to the model problem of rate independent, partially damaged solids. The method uses an incremental variational formulation for standard dissipative materials. In an incremental setting at finite time steps, the formulation defines a quasi-hyperelastic stress potential. The existence of this potential allows a typical incremental boundary value problem of damage mechanics to be expressed in terms of a principle of minimum incremental work. Mathematical existence theorems of minimizers then induce a definition of the material stability in terms of the sequential weak lower semicontinuity of the incremental functional. As a consequence, the incremental material stability of standard dissipative solids may be defined in terms of weak convexity notions of the stress potential. Furthermore, the variational setting opens up the possibility to analyze the development of deformation microstructures in the post-critical range of unstable inelastic materials based on energy relaxation methods. In partially damaged solids, accumulated damage may yield non-convex stress potentials which indicate instability and formation of fine-scale microstructures. These microstructures can be resolved by use of relaxation techniques associated with the construction of convex hulls. We propose a particular relaxation method for partially damaged solids and investigate it in one- and multi-dimensional settings. To this end, we introduce a new isotropic microstructure which provides a simple approximation of the multi-dimensional rank-one convex hull. The development of those isotropic microstructures is investigated for homogeneous and inhomogeneous numerical simulations. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Synthetic food additive dye "Tartrazine" triggers amorphous aggregation in cationic myoglobin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Al-Shabib, Nasser Abdulatif; Khan, Javed Masood; Khan, Mohd Shahnawaz; Ali, Mohd Sajid; Al-Senaidy, Abdulrahman M; Alsenaidy, Mohammad A; Husain, Fohad Mabood; Al-Lohedan, Hamad A

    2017-05-01

    Protein aggregation, a characteristic of several neurodegenerative diseases, displays vast conformational diversity from amorphous to amyloid-like aggregates. In this study, we have explored the interaction of tartrazine with myoglobin protein at two different pHs (7.4 and 2.0). We have utilized various spectroscopic techniques (turbidity, Rayleigh light scattering (RLS), intrinsic fluorescence, Congo Red and far-UV CD) along with microscopy techniques i.e. atomic force microscopy (AFM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to characterize the tartrazine-induced aggregation in myoglobin. The results showed that higher concentrations of tartrazine (2.0-10.0mM) induced amorphous aggregation in myoglobin at pH 2.0 via electrostatic interactions. However, tartrazine was not able to induce aggregation in myoglobin at pH 7.4; because of strong electrostatic repulsion between myoglobin and tartrazine at this pH. The tartrazine-induced amorphous aggregation process is kinetically very fast, and aggregation occurred without the formation of a nucleus. These results proposed that the electrostatic interaction is responsible for tartrazine-induced amorphous aggregation. This study may help in the understanding of mechanistic insight of aggregation by tartrazine. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Environmental suitability of recycled concrete aggregate in highways : [research summary].

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-01-01

    Natural highway aggregate is a finite resource that with continued use in construction : activities but some good quality aggregates used in existing concrete structures may be : re-used to replace with the natural aggregate. Due to the repair or rep...

  16. ICM: an Integrated Compartment Method for numerically solving partial differential equations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yeh, G.T.

    1981-05-01

    An integrated compartment method (ICM) is proposed to construct a set of algebraic equations from a system of partial differential equations. The ICM combines the utility of integral formulation of finite element approach, the simplicity of interpolation of finite difference approximation, and the flexibility of compartment analyses. The integral formulation eases the treatment of boundary conditions, in particular, the Neumann-type boundary conditions. The simplicity of interpolation provides great economy in computation. The flexibility of discretization with irregular compartments of various shapes and sizes offers advantages in resolving complex boundaries enclosing compound regions of interest. The basic procedures of ICM are first to discretize the region of interest into compartments, then to apply three integral theorems of vectors to transform the volume integral to the surface integral, and finally to use interpolation to relate the interfacial values in terms of compartment values to close the system. The Navier-Stokes equations are used as an example of how to derive the corresponding ICM alogrithm for a given set of partial differential equations. Because of the structure of the algorithm, the basic computer program remains the same for cases in one-, two-, or three-dimensional problems.

  17. The role of alginate in Azotobacter vinelandii aggregation in submerged culture

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Edith Coronado

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available The culture of strain LA21, a non-mucoid strain of Azotobacter vinelandii derivative of ATCC 9046, revealed that alginate is not necessary for aggregate formation. In fact, the non-mucoid strain LA21 developed aggregates significantly larger than those of the mucoid strain (ATCC 9046, which suggests that alginate has a detrimental effect on the aggregate size, due to its properties as a surface active agent. Treating the aggregates with a protease caused a decrease in the equivalent diameter of the structures, suggesting the participation of extracellular proteins in the aggregation. Key words: Aggregation; Azotobacter vinelandii; alginate; mutant strain; mucoid.

  18. Knowledge Extraction from Atomically Resolved Images.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vlcek, Lukas; Maksov, Artem; Pan, Minghu; Vasudevan, Rama K; Kalinin, Sergei V

    2017-10-24

    Tremendous strides in experimental capabilities of scanning transmission electron microscopy and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) over the past 30 years made atomically resolved imaging routine. However, consistent integration and use of atomically resolved data with generative models is unavailable, so information on local thermodynamics and other microscopic driving forces encoded in the observed atomic configurations remains hidden. Here, we present a framework based on statistical distance minimization to consistently utilize the information available from atomic configurations obtained from an atomically resolved image and extract meaningful physical interaction parameters. We illustrate the applicability of the framework on an STM image of a FeSe x Te 1-x superconductor, with the segregation of the chalcogen atoms investigated using a nonideal interacting solid solution model. This universal method makes full use of the microscopic degrees of freedom sampled in an atomically resolved image and can be extended via Bayesian inference toward unbiased model selection with uncertainty quantification.

  19. [Inhibitory mechanism of ifenprodil tartrate on rabbit platelet aggregation].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Irino, O; Saitoh, K; Hayashi, T; Ohkubo, K

    1985-05-01

    The effects of dl-erythro-4-benzyl-alpha-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-beta-methyl-l-piperidine-eth anol tartrate (ifenprodil tartrate) on rabbit platelet aggregation in vitro and ex vivo were studied. Ifenprodil tartrate inhibited platelet aggregation in vitro induced by ADP, collagen and epinephrine. It also inhibited 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) uptake into platelets and 5-HT release from platelets. Since these inhibitory effects of ifenprodil tartrate on the functions of rabbit platelets were similar to the effects of imipramine, the effects of ifenprodil tartrate may be due to the stabilizing action of ifenprodil tartrate on the platelet membrane. The platelet aggregation by ADP was significantly inhibited in rabbits after oral administration of ifenprodil tartrate, the maximal plasma level of ifenprodil being reached at 20 ng/ml ex vivo, while the maximal level was only 1/40 of the minimal concentration of ifenprodil tartrate necessary to inhibit platelet aggregation in vitro. These results indicate that factors other than ifenprodil tartrate acting directly on the platelets (e.g., PGI2 which is an endogenous inhibitor of platelet aggregation) are involved in inducing the inhibitory effects of ifenprodil tartrate on platelet aggregation ex vivo. The effects of ifenprodil tartrate on both PGI2 release from the aorta and the inhibitory effects of PGI2 on platelet aggregation in vitro were investigated: PGI2 was found to intensify the inhibitory effects of ifenprodil tartrate on platelet aggregation in vitro, but there was little effect, if any, on PGI2 release. Therefore, it is considered that the ex vivo effects of ifenprodil tartrate might be due to its interaction with endogenous PGI2 in the blood.

  20. Formation of thermally induced aggregates of the soya globulin beta-conglycinin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mills, E N; Huang, L; Noel, T R; Gunning, A P; Morris, V J

    2001-06-11

    The effect of ionic strength (I) on the formation of thermally induced aggregates by the 7S globular storage protein of soya, beta-conglycinin, has been studied using atomic force microscopy. Aggregates were only apparent when I> or =0.1, and had a fibrous appearance, with a height (diameter) of 8-11 nm. At high ionic strength (I=1.0) the aggregates appeared to associate into clumps. When aggregate formation was studied at I=0.2, it was clear that aggregation only began at temperatures above the main thermal transition for the protein at 75 degrees C, as determined by differential scanning calorimetry. This coincided with a small change in secondary structure, as indicated by circular dichroism spectroscopy, suggesting that a degree of unfolding was necessary for aggregation to proceed. Despite prolonged heating the size of the aggregates did not increase indefinitely, suggesting that certain beta-conglycinin isoforms were able to act as chain terminators. At higher protein concentrations (1% w/v) the linear aggregates appeared to form large macroaggregates, which may be the precursors of protein gel formation. The ability of beta-conglycinin to form such distinctive aggregates is discussed in relation to the presence of acidic inserts in certain of the beta-conglycinin subunits, which may play an important role in limiting aggregate length.