Model Predictive Control for an Industrial SAG Mill

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ohan, Valeriu; Steinke, Florian; Metzger, Michael

2012-01-01

identication. When applied to MIMO systems we call this controller a MIMO-ARX based MPC. We use an industrial Semi-Autogenous Grinding (SAG) mill to illustrate the performance of this controller. SAG mills are the primary units in a grinding chain and also the most power consuming units. Therefore, improved...... control of SAG mills has the potential to signicantly improve eciency and reduce the specic energy consumption for mineral processes. Grinding circuits involving SAG mills are multivariate processes. Commissioning of a control system based on a classical single-loop controllers with logic is time...

Aging of concrete structures in nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Naus, D.J.; Pland, C.B.; Arndt, E.G.

1991-01-01

The Structural Aging (SAG) Program, sponsored by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC) and conducted by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), had the overall objective of providing the USNRC with an improved basis for evaluating nuclear power plant structures for continued service. The program consists of three technical tasks: materials property data base, structural component assessment/repair technology, and quantitative methodology for continued service determinations. Major accomplishments under the SAG Program during the first two years of its planned five-year duration have included: development of a Structural Materials Information Center and formulation of a Structural Aging Assessment Methodology for Concrete Structures in Nuclear Power Plants. 9 refs

Installation of the sag compensator for HANARO

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, H. K.; Jung, H. S.; Ahn, G. H.; Lim, I. C.

2008-01-01

Electric power is essential for all industrial plants and also for nuclear facilities. HANARO is a research reactor which produces a 30MW thermal power. HANARO is designed to be tripped automatically when interruptions or some extents of sags occur. HANARO has the reactor regulation system (RRS) and reactor protection system (RPS). HANARO is designed so as to tripped automatically by insertion of control absorber rods (CAR) and shut-off rods (SOR). When voltage or momentary interruption occurs, the reactor has an unwanted trip by insertion of CARs and SORs even though the process systems are still in operation. HANARO was experienced in a nuisance trip as often as the unexpected voltage sag and/or momentary interruption occurs. We installed the voltage sag compensator on the power supply for CARs and SORs so as to prevent an unwanted trip. We undertook voltage sag assessment of the AC coil contactor which is a component of the power supply unit for the SORs. The compensation time is determined to be less than 1 sec in consideration of the reactor safety. This paper is concerned with the impact of the momentary interruption on the reactor and the effect of the voltage sag compensator

A new approach to voltage sag detection based on wavelet transform

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gencer, Oezguer; Oeztuerk, Semra; Erfidan, Tarik [Kocaeli University, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Electrical Engineering, Veziroglu Kampuesue, Eski Goelcuek Yolu, Kocaeli (Turkey)

2010-02-15

In this work, a new voltage sag detection method based on wavelet transform is developed. Voltage sag detection algorithms, so far have proved their efficiency and computational ability. Using several windowing techniques take long computational times for disturbance detection. Also researchers have been working on separating voltage sags from other voltage disturbances for the last decade. Due to increasing power quality standards new high performance disturbance detection algorithms are necessary to obtain high power quality standards. For this purpose, the wavelet technique is used for detecting voltage sag duration and magnitude. The developed voltage sag detection algorithm is implemented with high speed microcontroller. Test results show that, the new approach provides very accurate and satisfactory voltage sag detection. (author)

Voltage sags impact on CAR and SOR of HANARO

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Hyung Kyoo; Jung, Hoan Sung; Wu, Jong Sup

2004-01-01

The combination of the unstable electric power and sensitive equipment may cause the nuisance of reactor trip. The reactor is tripped by the RRS and RPS during the occurrence of the voltage sags or momentary interruptions. We tested the components of RRS and RPS for the immunity from voltage sags and momentary interruptions. The tested components are DC power supply for CAR (control absorbed rod) of RRS and AC coil contactor for SOR (shut off rod) of RPS. We briefly describe the power quality standard for the voltage sags. This paper summarizes the magnitudes and durations of the voltage sags which impact on the CAR and SOR system

Research on uncertainty evaluation measure and method of voltage sag severity

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, X. N.; Wei, J.; Ye, S. Y.; Chen, B.; Long, C.

2018-01-01

Voltage sag is an inevitable serious problem of power quality in power system. This paper focuses on a general summarization and reviews on the concepts, indices and evaluation methods about voltage sag severity. Considering the complexity and uncertainty of influencing factors, damage degree, the characteristics and requirements of voltage sag severity in the power source-network-load sides, the measure concepts and their existing conditions, evaluation indices and methods of voltage sag severity have been analyzed. Current evaluation techniques, such as stochastic theory, fuzzy logic, as well as their fusion, are reviewed in detail. An index system about voltage sag severity is provided for comprehensive study. The main aim of this paper is to propose thought and method of severity research based on advanced uncertainty theory and uncertainty measure. This study may be considered as a valuable guide for researchers who are interested in the domain of voltage sag severity.

Voltage sags: Their impact on the utility and industrial customers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Davis, T.; Beam, G.E.; Melhorn, C.J.

1995-01-01

This paper describes the impact of voltage sags on the utility and industrial customers. Several utility measures are presented to minimize the customer's exposure to voltage sags. However, these measures cannot completely eliminate the impact of voltage sags on sensitive equipment. A case study is presented in this paper that includes measurement results that were used to characterize the voltage sags experienced on the utility system and in the industrial facility, simulation results that were used to develop area of vulnerability curves for the industrial facility, mitigation equipment that was employed to improve the sensitive equipment's ride through capability, and the lessons learned from the systems approach analysis

Transmission line sag calculations using interval mathematics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shaalan, H. [Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Washington, DC (United States)]|[US Merchant Marine Academy, Kings Point, NY (United States)

2007-07-01

Electric utilities are facing the need for additional generating capacity, new transmission systems and more efficient use of existing resources. As such, there are several uncertainties associated with utility decisions. These uncertainties include future load growth, construction times and costs, and performance of new resources. Regulatory and economic environments also present uncertainties. Uncertainty can be modeled based on a probabilistic approach where probability distributions for all of the uncertainties are assumed. Another approach to modeling uncertainty is referred to as unknown but bounded. In this approach, the upper and lower bounds on the uncertainties are assumed without probability distributions. Interval mathematics is a tool for the practical use and extension of the unknown but bounded concept. In this study, the calculation of transmission line sag was used as an example to demonstrate the use of interval mathematics. The objective was to determine the change in cable length, based on a fixed span and an interval of cable sag values for a range of temperatures. The resulting change in cable length was an interval corresponding to the interval of cable sag values. It was shown that there is a small change in conductor length due to variation in sag based on the temperature ranges used in this study. 8 refs.

Power conditioning using dynamic voltage restorers under different voltage sag types.

Science.gov (United States)

Saeed, Ahmed M; Abdel Aleem, Shady H E; Ibrahim, Ahmed M; Balci, Murat E; El-Zahab, Essam E A

2016-01-01

Voltage sags can be symmetrical or unsymmetrical depending on the causes of the sag. At the present time, one of the most common procedures for mitigating voltage sags is by the use of dynamic voltage restorers (DVRs). By definition, a DVR is a controlled voltage source inserted between the network and a sensitive load through a booster transformer injecting voltage into the network in order to correct any disturbance affecting a sensitive load voltage. In this paper, modelling of DVR for voltage correction using MatLab software is presented. The performance of the device under different voltage sag types is described, where the voltage sag types are introduced using the different types of short-circuit faults included in the environment of the MatLab/Simulink package. The robustness of the proposed device is evaluated using the common voltage sag indices, while taking into account voltage and current unbalance percentages, where maintaining the total harmonic distortion percentage of the load voltage within a specified range is desired. Finally, several simulation results are shown in order to highlight that the DVR is capable of effective correction of the voltage sag while minimizing the grid voltage unbalance and distortion, regardless of the fault type.

Responsive demand to mitigate slow recovery voltage sags

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Garcia-Valle, Rodrigo; da Silva, Luiz Carlos Pereira; Xu, Zhao

2012-01-01

, and reactive power reserve for peak load management through price responsive methods and also as energy providers through embedded generation technologies. This article introduces a new technology, called demand as voltagecontrolled reserve, which can help mitigation of momentary voltage sags. The technology...... faults. This article presents detailed models, discussion, and simulation tests to demonstrate the technical viability and effectiveness of the demand as voltage-controlled reserve technology for mitigating voltage sags....... can be provided by thermostatically controlled loads as well as other types of load. This technology has proven to be effective in distribution systems with a large composition of induction motors, when voltage sags present slow recovery characteristics because of the deceleration of the motors during...

Voltage Sag due to Pollution Induced Flashover Across Ceramic Insulator Strings

Science.gov (United States)

Reddy B, Subba; Goswami, Arup Kumar

2017-11-01

Voltage sag or voltage dips are significant to industrial reliability. There is a necessity to characterize the feeder level power quality (PQ) and the PQ performance among various utility companies. Contamination/pollution induced flashover is the ultimate consequence of the creeping discharges across the insulator strings which induce voltage sag. These have a severe threat on the safe and reliable operation of power systems. In the present work an attempt has been made to experimentally investigate the occurrence of voltage sag/dips during pollution induced flashovers. Results show significant dip/sag in the voltage magnitude during the flashover process.

Effects of balanced and unbalanced voltage sags on DC adjustable-speed drives

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pedra, Joaquin; Sainz, Luis; Corcoles, Felipe; Bergas, Joan [Department of Electrical Engineering, ETSEIB-UPC, Av. Diagonal, 647, 08028 Barcelona (Spain); de Blas, Alfredo [Department of Electrical Engineering, EUETIB-UPC, C. d' Urgell, 187, 08036 Barcelona (Spain)

2008-06-15

This paper analyzes the sensitivity of DC adjustable-speed drives to balanced and unbalanced voltage sags. The influence of sag type, depth, duration and phase-angle jump on DC drives is studied. The control of the DC drive has been taken into account to understand drive behavior in the presence of voltage sags. Two working modes of the DC motor are considered in the study: as a consumer load and as a regenerative load. When the DC motor works as a consumer load, the study shows that sag type and depth have a significant influence on drive behavior. However, the voltage sag can be ridden through if the rectifier firing angle is set correctly by the control. When the DC motor works as a regenerative load, the study shows the consequences of the three-phase rectifier commutation failure due to the voltage sag. (author)

Compensation for gravitational sag of bent mirror

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mao, Chengwen; Jiang, Hui; He, Yan; Liang, Dongxu; Lan, Xuying; Yan, Shuai [Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, CAS, Shanghai 201800 (China); Shu, De-ming [Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL 60439 (United States); Li, Aiguo, E-mail: aiguo.li@sinap.ac.cn [Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, CAS, Shanghai 201800 (China)

2017-05-01

The gravitational sag of aspheric bent mirrors with face-up or face-down geometry produces a nonnegligible optical error. As an effective compensation, width optimization is used to match the combined effects of the gravitational and bending moments. This method is described by analytical expressions and two calculation algorithms. The results of theoretical simulations and finite element analysis have proved that this method can reduce the slope error resulting from gravitational sag to the level of nano radians.

Compensation for gravitational sag of bent mirror

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mao, Chengwen; Jiang, Hui; He, Yan; Liang, Dongxu; Lan, Xuying; Yan, Shuai; Shu, De-ming; Li, Aiguo

2017-01-01

The gravitational sag of aspheric bent mirrors with face-up or face-down geometry produces a nonnegligible optical error. As an effective compensation, width optimization is used to match the combined effects of the gravitational and bending moments. This method is described by analytical expressions and two calculation algorithms. The results of theoretical simulations and finite element analysis have proved that this method can reduce the slope error resulting from gravitational sag to the level of nano radians.

Effects of symmetrical voltage sags on squirrel-cage induction motors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pedra, Joaquin; Sainz, Luis; Corcoles, Felipe [Department of Electrical Engineering, ETSEIB-UPC, Av. Diagonal, 647, 08028 Barcelona (Spain)

2007-10-15

This paper analyzes the symmetrical voltage sag consequences on the induction motor behavior when single- and double-cage models are considered, namely current and torque peaks, and speed loss. These effects depend on several variables like sag type, duration and depth. Voltage sag effects are studied by using single- and double-cage models for three motors of different rated power. The double-cage model always predicts torque and current peaks higher than those of the single-cage model. The single-cage model predicts that voltage sags can produce motor instability, whereas the double-cage model is always stable. Therefore, the double-cage model must be used for the simulation of the squirrel-cage induction motor, because the single-cage model can give erroneous results in some situations. (author)

Quantifying the gantry sag on linear accelerators and introducing an MLC-based compensation strategy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Du Weiliang; Gao Song; Wang Xiaochun; Kudchadker, Rajat J. [Department of Radiation Physics, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030 (United States)

2012-04-15

Purpose: Gantry sag is one of the well-known sources of mechanical imperfections that compromise the spatial accuracy of radiation dose delivery. The objectives of this study were to quantify the gantry sag on multiple linear accelerators (linacs), to investigate a multileaf collimator (MLC)-based strategy to compensate for gantry sag, and to verify the gantry sag and its compensation with film measurements. Methods: The authors used the Winston-Lutz method to measure gantry sag on three Varian linacs. A ball bearing phantom was imaged with megavolt radiation fields at 10 deg. gantry angle intervals. The images recorded with an electronic portal imaging device were analyzed to derive the radiation isocenter and the gantry sag, that is, the superior-inferior wobble of the radiation field center, as a function of the gantry angle. The authors then attempted to compensate for the gantry sag by applying a gantry angle-specific correction to the MLC leaf positions. The gantry sag and its compensation were independently verified using film measurements. Results: Gantry sag was reproducible over a six-month measurement period. The maximum gantry sag was found to vary from 0.7 to 1.0 mm, depending on the linac and the collimator angle. The radiation field center moved inferiorly (i.e., away from the gantry) when the gantry was rotated from 0 deg. to 180 deg. After the MLC leaf position compensation was applied at 90 deg. collimator angle, the maximum gantry sag was reduced to <0.2 mm. The film measurements at gantry angles of 0 deg. and 180 deg. verified the inferior shift of the radiation fields and the effectiveness of MLC compensation. Conclusions: The results indicate that gantry sag on a linac can be quantitatively measured using a simple phantom and an electronic portal imaging device. Reduction of gantry sag is feasible by applying a gantry angle-specific correction to MLC leaf positions at 90 deg. collimator angle.

Deriving Sight Distance on a Compound Sag and Circular Curve in a Three Dimensional Space

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chiu Liu, PhD, PE, PTOE

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Insufficient roadway sight distance (SD may become a contribution factor to traffic collisions or other unsafe traffic maneuvers. The sight distance (SD for a two-dimensional (2-d sag or circular curve has been addressed in detail in various traffic engineering literatures. Although three-dimensional (3-d compound sag and circular curves are often found along ramps, connectors, and mountain roads, the sight distances for these compound curves are yet to be analyzed on an exact analytic setting. By considering human-vehicle-roadway interaction, the formulas for computing the SD on a 3-d curve are derived the first time on a unified analytic framework. The 2-d sag curve SD can also be deduced from these derived formulas as special limiting cases. Practitioners can easily program these formulas or equations on a user-friendly Microsoft Excel spread sheet to calculate 3-d SD on most roadways with roadside clearance. This framework can be extended to estimate SD on roadways with obstacles partially blocking vehicle headlight beams. 6.

A rationale for the observed non-linearity in pressure tube creep sag with time in service

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sedran, P.J.

2013-01-01

In 2012, a paper was presented at the CNS SGC Conference which included an explanation for measured non-linear trends in Pressure Tube (PT) creep sag. The section of the 2012 paper covering this topic was revised and is presented as the main subject of this paper. The practical applications for the prediction of long-term Fuel Channel (FC) creep sag include the analysis of Calandria Tube - Liquid Injection Nozzle (CT-LIN) contact, and fuel passage and PT replacement assessments. The current practice for predicting FC creep sag in life cycle management applications is to use a linear model for creep sag versus time in service. However, PT sag measurements from the Point Lepreau Generating Station (PLGS) and Gentilly-2 (G-2) have displayed a non-linear trend with a creep sag rate that is decreasing with time in service. As an example, for PT F06 in PLGS, a 60% reduction in the nominal creep sag rate was observed for measurements taken 18 years apart. Subsequently, it was found that a 56% reduction in the creep sag rate for F06 over 18 years could be attributed to a fundamental geometric property of the PT creep sag profile. In addition, a further 1.6% decrease in the creep sag rate of the CT over the same period could be attributed to bending stress reductions due to the deformation of the CT. The resultant reduction in the PT creep sag rate for F06 was predicted to be 57.6%, closely matching the observed PT creep sag rate reduction of 60%. Therefore, this paper provides a rationale to explain the observed non-linear trends in PT creep sag, the use of which could benefit stations engaging in asset management as a means of FC life extension. This paper presents a summary of the worked performed to correlate the observed reductions in PT creep sag rate to the geometrical properties of the PT creep sag profile and the predicted bending stress reductions in the CT. (author)

The negative temperature coefficient resistivities of Ag2S-Ag core–shell structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu, Mingming; Liu, Dongzhi; Li, Wei; Zhou, Xueqin

2014-01-01

In this paper, the conductivity of silver nanoparticle films protected by 3-mercaptopropionic acid (Ag/MPA) has been investigated. When the nanoparticles were annealed in air at 200 °C, they converted to stable Ag 2 S-Ag core–shell structures. The mechanism for the formation of the Ag 2 S-Ag core–shell structures along with the compositional changes and the microstructural evolution of the Ag/MPA nanoparticles during the annealing process are discussed. It is proposed that the Ag 2 S-Ag core–shell structure was formed through a solid-state reduction reaction, in which the Ag + ions coming from Ag 2 S were reduced by sulfonate species and sulfur ions. The final Ag 2 S-Ag films display an exponentially decreased resistivity with increasing temperature from 25 to 170 °C. The negative temperature coefficient resistivity of Ag 2 S-Ag films can be adjusted by changing the S/Ag molar ratio used for the synthesis of the Ag/MPA nanoparticles, paving the way for the preparation of negative temperature-coefficient thermistors via printing technology for use in the electronics.

Voltage Sag Compensator for CAR and SOR of HANARO

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Hyung-Kyoo; Jung, Hoan-Sung; Wu, Jong-Sup

2007-01-01

HANARO is designed so as to be tripped automatically by insertion of control absorber rods(CAR) and shut-off rods(SOR) and the process systems, such as primary cooling system, secondary cooling system and reflector cooling system, etc., stop whenever the off-site power failure occurs, the reactor trips automatically. When voltage sag or momentary interruption occurs, the process systems are in operation but the reactor has an unwanted trip by insertion of CARs and SORs. We installed the voltage sag compensator on the power supply for CARs and SORs so as to prevent a nuisance trip. The compensated time is decided not to exceed 1 sec in consideration of reactor safety. This paper is concerned with the impact of the momentary interruption on the reactor and the effect of the voltage sag compensator

Impact of distributed generation in the probability density of voltage sags; Impacto da geracao distribuida na densidade de probabilidade de afundamentos de tensao

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ramos, Alessandro Candido Lopes [CELG - Companhia Energetica de Goias, Goiania, GO (Brazil). Generation and Transmission. System' s Operation Center], E-mail: alessandro.clr@celg.com.br; Batista, Adalberto Jose [Universidade Federal de Goias (UFG), Goiania, GO (Brazil)], E-mail: batista@eee.ufg.br; Leborgne, Roberto Chouhy [Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRS), Porto Alegre, RS (Brazil)], E-mail: rcl@ece.ufrgs.br; Emiliano, Pedro Henrique Mota, E-mail: ph@phph.com.br

2009-07-01

This article presents the impact of distributed generation in studies of voltage sags caused by faults in the electrical system. We simulated short-circuit-to-ground in 62 lines of 230, 138, 69 and 13.8 kV that are part of the electrical system of the city of Goiania, of Goias state . For each fault position was monitored the bus voltage of 380 V in an industrial consumer sensitive to such sags. Were inserted different levels of GD near the consumer. The simulations of a short circuit, with the monitoring bar 380 V, were performed again. A study using stochastic simulation Monte Carlo (SMC) was performed to obtain, at each level of GD, the probability curves and sags of the probability density and its voltage class. With these curves were obtained the average number of sags according to each class, that the consumer bar may be submitted annually. The simulations were performed using the Program Analysis of Simultaneous Faults - ANAFAS. In order to overcome the intrinsic limitations of the methods of simulation of this program and allow data entry via windows, a computational tool was developed in Java language. Data processing was done using the MATLAB software.

Allocation of Load-Loss Cost Caused by Voltage Sag

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, X.

2017-10-01

This paper focuses on the allocation of load-loss cost caused by voltage sag in the environment of electricity market. To compensate the loss of loads due to voltage sags, the load-loss cost is allocated to both sources and power consumers. On the basis of Load Drop Cost (LDC), a quantitative evaluation index of load-loss cost caused by voltage sag is identified. The load-loss cost to be allocated to power consumers themselves is calculated according to load classification. Based on the theory of power component the quantitative relation between sources and loads is established, thereby a quantitative calculation method for load-loss cost allocated to each source is deduced and the quantitative compensation from individual source to load is proposed. A simple five-bus system illustrates the main features of the proposed method.

Immunogenic Eimeria tenella glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored surface antigens (SAGs induce inflammatory responses in avian macrophages.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yock-Ping Chow

Full Text Available At least 19 glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI-anchored surface antigens (SAGs are expressed specifically by second-generation merozoites of Eimeria tenella, but the ability of these proteins to stimulate immune responses in the chicken is unknown.Ten SAGs, belonging to two previously defined multigene families (A and B, were expressed as soluble recombinant (r fusion proteins in E. coli. Chicken macrophages were treated with purified rSAGs and changes in macrophage nitrite production, and in mRNA expression profiles of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS and of a panel of cytokines were measured. Treatment with rSAGs 4, 5, and 12 induced high levels of macrophage nitric oxide production and IL-1β mRNA transcription that may contribute to the inflammatory response observed during E. tenella infection. Concomitantly, treatment with rSAGs 4, 5 and 12 suppressed the expression of IL-12 and IFN-γ and elevated that of IL-10, suggesting that during infection these molecules may specifically impair the development of cellular mediated immunity.In summary, some E. tenella SAGs appear to differentially modulate chicken innate and humoral immune responses and those derived from multigene family A (especially rSAG 12 may be more strongly linked with E. tenella pathogenicity associated with the endogenous second generation stages.

The influence of transformers, induction motors and fault resistance regarding propagation voltage sags

OpenAIRE

Jairo Blanco; Ruben Darío Leal; Jonathan Jacome; Johann F. Petit; Gabriel Ordoñez; Víctor Barrera

2011-01-01

This article presents an analysis of voltage sag propagation. The ATPDraw tool was selected for simulating the IEEE 34 node test feeder. It takes into account both voltage sags caused by electrical fault network, as well as voltage sag propagation characteristics caused by induction motor starting and transformer energising. The analysis was aimed at assessing the influence of transformer winding connections, the impedance of these transformers, lines and cables, summarising the...

CARACTERIZACIÓN DE LUMINARIAS TIPO HALURO METÁLICO ANTE EVENTOS SAG

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bonie Johana Restrepo Cuestas

Full Text Available Este artículo plantea una metodología para la caracterización de luminarias de haluro metálico, ante eventos sag. Inicialmente, se diseñó y construyó un generador de eventos sag. Luego, se planteó un esquema de pruebas, que fue utilizado para analizar el comportamiento de un tipo de luminarias de alta densidad de descarga tipo Metal Halide, ante eventos sag. Finalmente, tomando como referente el estándar SEMI F-47, se realizó la construcción de una curva característica que muestra la región de operación de la luminaria.

Gravity sag of sandwich panel assemblies as applied to precision cathode strip chamber structural design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Horvath, J.

1993-01-01

The relationship between gravity sag of a precision cathode strip chamber and its sandwich panel structural design is explored parametrically. An algorithm for estimating the dominant component of gravity sag is defined. Graphs of normalized gravity sag as a function of gap frame width and material, sandwich core edge filler width and material, panel skin thickness, gap height, and support location are calculated using the gravity sag algorithm. The structural importance of the sandwich-to-sandwich ''gap frame'' connection is explained

Improved detection of equine antibodies against Sarcocystis neurona using polyvalent ELISAs based on the parasite SnSAG surface antigens.

Science.gov (United States)

Yeargan, Michelle R; Howe, Daniel K

2011-02-28

Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) is a common neurologic disease of horses that is caused by the apicomplexan pathogen Sarcocystis neurona. To help improve serologic diagnosis of S. neurona infection, we have modified existing enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) based on the immunogenic parasite surface antigens SnSAG2, SnSAG3, and SnSAG4 to make the assays polyvalent, thereby circumventing difficulties associated with parasite antigenic variants and diversity in equine immune responses. Two approaches were utilized to achieve polyvalence: (1) mixtures of the individual recombinant SnSAGs (rSnSAGs) were included in single ELISAs; (2) a collection of unique SnSAG chimeras that fused protein domains from different SnSAG surface antigens into a single recombinant protein were generated for use in the ELISAs. These new assays were assessed using a defined sample set of equine sera and cerebrospinal fluids (CSFs) that had been characterized by Western blot and/or were from confirmed EPM horses. While all of the polyvalent ELISAs performed relatively well, the highest sensitivity and specificity (100%/100%) were achieved with assays containing the rSnSAG4/2 chimera (Domain 1 of SnSAG4 fused to SnSAG2) or using a mixture of rSnSAG3 and rSnSAG4. The rSnSAG4 antigen alone and the rSnSAG4/3 chimera (Domain 1 of SnSAG4 fused to Domain 2 of SnSAG3) exhibited the next best accuracy at 95.2% sensitivity and 100% specificity. Binding ratios and percent positivity (PP) ratios, determined by comparing the mean values for positive versus negative samples, showed that the most advantageous signal to noise ratios were provided by rSnSAG4 and the rSnSAG4/3 chimera. Collectively, our results imply that a polyvalent ELISA based on SnSAG4 and SnSAG3, whether as a cocktail of two proteins or as a single chimeric protein, can give optimal results in serologic testing of serum or CSF for the presence of antibodies against S. neurona. The use of polyvalent SnSAG ELISAs will

SagE induces highly effective protective immunity against Streptococcus iniae mainly through an immunogenic domain in the extracellular region.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Yun; Sun, Li; Xing, Ming-qing; Liu, Chun-sheng; Hu, Yong-hua

2013-11-12

Streptococcus iniae is a Gram-positive bacterium and a severe pathogen of a wide range of farmed fish. S. iniae possesses a virulence-associated streptolysin S cluster composed of several components, one of which is SagE. SagE a transmembrane protein with one major extracellular region named ECR. This study aimed to develop a SagE-based DNA candidate vaccine against streptococcosis and examine the immunoprotective mechanism of the vaccine. We constructed a DNA vaccine, pSagE, based on the sagE gene and examined its immunological property in a Japanese flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) model. The results showed that at 7 days post-vaccination, expression of SagE at transcription and translation levels was detected in the tissues of the vaccinated fish. After challenge with S. iniae at one and two months post-vaccination, pSagE-vaccinated fish exhibited relative percent survival (RPS) of 95% and 88% respectively. Immunological analysis showed that (i) pSagE significantly upregulated the expression of a wide range of immune genes, (ii) pSagE induced the production of specific serum antibodies that bound whole-cell S. iniae, and (iii) treatment of S. iniae with pSagE-induced antibodies blocked bacterial invasion of host cells. To localize the immunoprotective domain of SagE, the ECR-expressing DNA vaccine pSagEECR was constructed. Immunization analysis showed that flounder vaccinated with pSagEECR exhibited a RPS of 68%, and that pSagEECR induced serum antibody production and immune gene expression in a manner similar to, though to lower magnitudes than, those induced by pSagE. We in this study developed a DNA vaccine, pSagE, which induces highly protective immunity against S. iniae. The protective effect of pSagE is probably due to its ability to elicit systemic immune response, in particular that of the humoral branch, which leads to production of specific serum antibodies that impair bacterial infection. These results add insights to the immunoprotective mechanism

Multipurpose Compensation Scheme for Voltage Sag/Swell and Selective Harmonics Elimination in Distribution Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mustafa Inci

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Voltage harmonics, sag, and swell are the most harmful disturbances in distribution systems. This paper introduces a novel effective controller method for simultaneous compensation of both voltage sag/swell and voltage harmonics by using multifunctional dynamic voltage restorer. In proposed controller method called FFT with integrated ISRF, ISRF detects the magnitudes of voltage sag/swell quickly and precisely, and FFT extracts the selective components of voltage harmonics very effectively. The proposed method integrates the superior properties of ISRF and FFT methods. FFT integrated ISRF is applied for the first time to provide the compensation of both sag/swell and selective harmonics together. The proposed system has ability to compensate symmetrical/asymmetrical sag/swell and symmetrical/asymmetrical selective harmonics which are 5th, 7th, 11th and 13th. The controlled system is modelled in PSCAD/EMDTC and compared with conventional methods. The performance results verify that the proposed method compensates voltage disturbances effectively in the system.

The SnSAG merozoite surface antigens of Sarcocystis neurona are expressed differentially during the bradyzoite and sporozoite life cycle stages.

Science.gov (United States)

Gautam, A; Dubey, J P; Saville, W J; Howe, D K

2011-12-29

Sarcocystis neurona is a two-host coccidian parasite whose complex life cycle progresses through multiple developmental stages differing at morphological and molecular levels. The S. neurona merozoite surface is covered by multiple, related glycosylphosphatidylinositol-linked proteins, which are orthologous to the surface antigen (SAG)/SAG1-related sequence (SRS) gene family of Toxoplasma gondii. Expression of the SAG/SRS proteins in T. gondii and another related parasite Neospora caninum is life-cycle stage specific and seems necessary for parasite transmission and persistence of infection. In the present study, the expression of S. neurona merozoite surface antigens (SnSAGs) was evaluated in the sporozoite and bradyzoite stages. Western blot analysis was used to compare SnSAG expression in merozoites versus sporozoites, while immunocytochemistry was performed to examine expression of the SnSAGs in merozoites versus bradyzoites. These analyses revealed that SnSAG2, SnSAG3 and SnSAG4 are expressed in sporozoites, while SnSAG5 was appeared to be downregulated in this life cycle stage. In S. neurona bradyzoites, it was found that SnSAG2, SnSAG3, SnSAG4 and SnSAG5 were either absent or expression was greatly reduced. As shown for T. gondii, stage-specific expression of the SnSAGs may be important for the parasite to progress through its developmental stages and complete its life cycle successfully. Thus, it is possible that the SAG switching mechanism by these parasites could be exploited as a point of intervention. As well, the alterations in surface antigen expression during different life cycle stages may need to be considered when designing prospective approaches for protective vaccination. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Aging of concrete containment structures in nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Naus, D.J.; Oland, C.B.; Ellingwood, B.; Mori, Yasuhiro; Arndt, E.G.

1992-01-01

Concrete structures play a vital role in the safe operation of all light-water reactor plants in the US Pertinent concrete structures are described in terms of their importance design, considerations, and materials of construction. Degradation factors which can potentially impact the ability of these structures to meet their functional and performance requirements are identified. Current inservice inspection requirements for concrete containments are summarized. A review of the performance history of the concrete components in nuclear power plants is provided. A summary is presented. A summary is presented of the Structural Aging (SAG) Program being conducted at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory for the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The SAG Program is addressing the aging management of safety-related concrete structures in nuclear power plants for the purpose of providing improved bases for their continued service. The program consists of a management task and three technical tasks: materials property data base, structural component assessment/repair technologies, and quantitiative methodology for continued service conditions. Objectives and a summary of accomplishments under each of these tasks are presented

Antigenic evaluation of a recombinant baculovirus-expressed Sarcocystis neurona SAG1 antigen.

Science.gov (United States)

Gupta, G D; Lakritz, J; Saville, W J; Livingston, R S; Dubey, J P; Middleton, J R; Marsh, A E

2004-10-01

Sarcocystis neurona is the primary parasite associated with equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM). This is a commonly diagnosed neurological disorder in the Americas that infects the central nervous system of horses. Current serologic assays utilize culture-derived parasites as antigen. This method requires large numbers of parasites to be grown in culture, which is labor intensive and time consuming. Also, a culture-derived whole-parasite preparation contains conserved antigens that could cross-react with antibodies against other Sarcocystis species and members of Sarcocystidae such as Neospora spp., Hammondia spp., and Toxoplasma gondii. Therefore, there is a need to develop an improved method for the detection of S. neurona-specific antibodies. The sera of infected horses react strongly to surface antigen 1 (SnSAG1), an approximately 29-kDa protein, in immunoblot analysis, suggesting that it is an immunodominant antigen. The SnSAG1 gene of S. neurona was cloned, and recombinant S. neurona SAG1 protein (rSnSAG1-Bac) was expressed with the use of a baculovirus system. By immunoblot analysis, the rSnSAG1-Bac antigen detected antibodies to S. neurona from naturally infected and experimentally inoculated equids, cats, rabbit, mice, and skunk. This is the first report of a baculovirus-expressed recombinant S. neurona antigen being used to detect anti-S. neurona antibodies in a variety of host species.

Salivary agglutinin/DMBT1SAG expression is up-regulated in the presence of salivary gland tumors

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bikker, F J; van der Wal, J E; Ligtenberg, A J M

2004-01-01

Salivary agglutinin (SAG) is encoded by the gene Deleted in Malignant Brain Tumors 1 (DMBT1) and represents the salivary variant of DMBT1 (DMBT1(SAG)). While SAG is a bona fide anti-caries factor, DMBT1 was proposed as a candidate tumor-suppressor for brain, digestive tract, and lung cancer. Thou...

Continuing the service of aging concrete structures in nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Naus, D.J.; Oland, C.B.; Arndt, E.G.

1993-01-01

The (SAG) Structural Aging Program has the objective of preparing documentation to help provide criteria for use by the USNRC in evaluating requests for continuing the service of NPPs. The program consists of three tasks: Materials property data base, structural component assessment/repair technologies, and quantitative methodology for continued service determinations. These tasks are detailed in this report

Early Prediction of Transient Voltage Sags caused by Rotor Swings

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Weckesser, Johannes Tilman Gabriel; Jóhannsson, Hjörtur; Van Cutsem, Thierry

2014-01-01

The paper investigates various methods to predict voltage sags at load buses caused by large generator rotor swings and following a transient disturbance. Three different prediction methods are proposed, which all use real-time measurements from PMUs. One of the methods uses a slightly extended v...... version of the E-SIME method. The other two methods use Measurements and process them by recursive least square estimation. It is shown that the prediction method employing E-SIME allows the earliest detection of a critical voltage sag with satisfactory accuracy....

The Early Cambrian Mianyang-Changning Intracratonic Sag and Its Control on Petroleum Accumulation in the Sichuan Basin, China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shugen Liu

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The older and deeper hydrocarbon accumulations receive increasing attention across the world, providing more technical and commercial challenges to hydrocarbon exploration. We present a study of an asymmetrical, N-S striking intracratonic sag which developed across the Sichuan basin, south China, from Late Ediacaran to Early Cambrian times. The Mianyang-Changning intracratonic sag is ~50 km wide, with its steepest part in the basin center. In particular the eastern margin shows its greatest steepness. Five episodes in the evolutions of the sag can be recognized. It begins in the Late Ediacaran with an uplift and erosion correlated to Tongwan movement. Initial extension occurred during the Early Cambrian Maidiping period, when more strata of the Maidiping Formation were deposited across the sag. Subsequently, maximum extension occurred during the Early Cambrian Qiongzhusi period that resulted in 450–1700 m thick Maidiping-Canglangpu Formations being deposited in the sag. Then, the sag disappeared at the Longwangmiao period, as it was infilled by the sediments. The intracratonic sag has significant influence on the development of high-quality reservoirs in the Dengying and Longwangmiao Formations and source-rock of the Niutitang Formation. It thus indicates that a high probability for oil/gas accumulation exists along the intracratonic sag, across the central Sichuan basin.

A new trivalent SnSAG surface antigen chimera for efficient detection of antibodies against Sarcocystis neurona and diagnosis of equine protozoal myeloencephalitis.

Science.gov (United States)

Yeargan, Michelle; de Assis Rocha, Izabela; Morrow, Jennifer; Graves, Amy; Reed, Stephen M; Howe, Daniel K

2015-05-01

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) based on the SnSAG surface antigens of Sarcocystis neurona provide reliable detection of infection by the parasite. Moreover, accurate serodiagnosis of equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) is achieved with the SnSAG ELISAs by measuring antibodies in serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) to reveal active infection in the central nervous system. Two independent ELISAs based on recombinant (r)SnSAG2 or a chimeric fusion of SnSAG3 and SnSAG4 (rSnSAG4/3) are currently used together for EPM serodiagnosis to overcome varied antibody responses in different horses. To achieve reliable antibody detection with a single ELISA instead of 2 separate ELISAs, rSnSAG2 was fused with rSnSAG4/3 into a single trivalent protein, designated rSnSAG2/4/3. Paired serum and CSF from 163 horses were tested with all 3 ELISAs. When the consensus antibody titers obtained with the rSnSAG2 and rSnSAG4/3 ELISAs were compared to the single SAG2/4/3 ELISA titers, Spearman rank correlation coefficients of ρ = 0.74 and ρ = 0.90 were obtained for serum and CSF, respectively, indicating strong agreement between the tests. When the rSnSAG2 and rSnSAG4/3 consensus serum-to-CSF titer ratio was compared to the rSnSAG2/4/3 serum-to-CSF titer ratio, the Spearman correlation coefficient was ρ = 0.87, again signifying strong agreement. Importantly, comparing the diagnostic interpretation of the serum-to-CSF titer ratios yielded a Cohen kappa value of 0.77. These findings suggest that the single ELISA based on the trivalent rSnSAG2/4/3 will provide serologic and diagnostic results that are highly comparable to the consensus of the 2 independent ELISAs based on rSnSAG2 and rSnSAG4/3. © 2015 The Author(s).

Interest of retro-anal levator plate myorrhaphy in selected cases of descending perineum syndrome with positive anti-sagging test

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Beco Jacques

2008-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Levator plate sagging (LPS, usually called descending perineum syndrome, is one of the main defects encountered in perineology. This defect is classically associated with colo-proctologic functional troubles (dyschesia and anal incontinence but can also induce perineodynia, gynaecological and lower urinary tract symptoms. Methods A retrospective case series of nine female patients (mean age: 44.3 underwent an isolated retro-anal levator plate myorrhaphy (RLPM to treat symptomatic LPS confirmed by rectal examination and/or Perineocaliper®. An anti-sagging test (support of the posterior perineum must significantly improve the symptoms that were resistant to conservative treatment. The effect of the procedure on the symptoms of the 3 axes of the perineum (urological, colo-proctologic and gynecological and on perineodynia was evaluated during a follow up consultation more than 9 months after surgery. The effect of RLPM on the position of the anal margin and on the levator plate angle was studied using rectal examination, Perineocaliper® and retro-anal ultrasound. Results Before surgery, anti-sagging tests were positive for dyschesia, urinary urgency and pain. After a mean follow-up of 16.1 months, RLPM resolved or improved 2/2 cases of stress urinary incontinence, 3/5 of urinary urgency, 3/4 of dysuria, 3/3 of anal incontinence, 7/8 of dyschesia, 3/4 of cystocele, 4/5 of rectocele, 5/8 of dyspareunia and 6/7 of perineodynia. Rectal examination showed a complete suppression of sagging in 4 patients and an improvement in the 5 others. The mean reduction of perineal descent was 1.08 cm (extremes: 0–1.5. Using retro-anal ultrasound of the levator plate, the mean reduction of sagging was 12.67 degrees (extremes: 1 – 21. Conclusion Anti-sagging tests can be used before surgery to simulate the effect of RLPM. This surgical procedure seems to improve stress urinary incontinence, frequency, nocturia, urgency, dysuria, anal

The sagging rope sign in achondroplasia - different from Perthes' disease

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shingade, Viraj U.; Song, Hae-Ryong; Lee, Seok-Hyun; Suh, Seung-Woo; Oh, Chang-Wug; Hong, Jun-Seok

2006-01-01

The sagging rope sign is a radio-opaque line, seen on radiographs of the hips, with Perthes' disease. The main purpose of this study was to determine the incidence, cause and importance of this sign in achondroplasia, and to reveal how it differs from in Perthes' disease. Serial radiograms, along with 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional CT images were studied in 42 achondroplasic patients. Forty-two achondroplasic patients, reported at our institute (for routine outpatient consultation, spine surgeries, deformity corrections, limb-lengthening procedures) were included in this study. There were 26 males and 16 females. The sign was observed bilaterally, in all patients. Evaluation of CT images revealed spherical heads, with presence of circumferential overhang in all hips. This circumferential overhang, seen on 3-D CT scan, corresponded to the sagging rope sign on radiographs. Presence of the sagging rope sign in bilateral hips is a characteristic feature of achondroplasia. It usually appears before epiphyseal closure. Its cause, incidence, and nature differ from Perthes' disease, and its presence does not carry a bad prognosis in achondroplasia. (orig.)

Improving Energy Efficiency Via Optimized Charge Motion and Slurry Flow in Plant Scale Sag Mills

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Raj K. Rajamani

2006-07-21

A research team from the University of Utah is working to make inroads into saving energy in these SAG mills. In 2003, Industries of the Future Program of the Department of Energy tasked the University of Utah team to build a partnership between the University and the mining industry for the specific purpose of reducing energy consumption in SAG mills. A partnership was formed with Cortez Gold Mines, Outokumpu Technology, Kennecott Utah Copper Corporation, and Process Engineering Resources Inc. At Cortez Gold Operations the shell and pulp lifters of the semiautogenous grinding mill was redesigned. The redesigned shell lifter has been in operation for over three years and the redesigned pulp lifter has been in operation for over nine months now. This report summarizes the dramatic reductions in energy consumption. Even though the energy reductions are very large, it is safe to say that a 20% minimum reduction would be achieved in any future installations of this technology.

Synthesis, morphological control, and antibacterial properties of hollow/solid Ag2S/Ag heterodimers

KAUST Repository

Pang, Maolin; Hu, Jiangyong; Zeng, Huachun

2010-01-01

of this highly asymmetric dipolar composite, photocatalytic inactivation of Escherichia coli K-12 in the presence of the as-prepared Ag 2S/Ag heterodimers has been carried out under UV irradiation. The added Ag2S/Ag heterodimers show good chemical stability under

A novel current mode controller for a static compensator utilizing Goertzel algorithm to mitigate voltage sags

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Najafi, E.; Yatim, A.H.M.

2011-01-01

Research highlights: → We proposed a new current control method for STATCOM. → The current control method maintains a fixed switching frequency. → It also produces fewer harmonics compared to conventional hysteresis method. → A new voltage dip (sag) detection method was used in STATCOM. → The control method can mitigate voltage sag in each phase separately. -- Abstract: Static compensator (STATCOM) has been widely proposed for power quality and network stability improvement. It is easily connected in parallel to the electric network and has many advantages for electrical grids. It can improve network stability; power factor, power transfer rating and can avoid some disturbances such as sags and swells. Most of STATCOM controllers are based on voltage controllers that are based on balanced d-q transform. However, they are not thorough solutions for network disturbances since in most cases single-phase disturbances occur in electrical networks that cannot be avoided by the conventional controllers. Voltage mode controllers are also not capable of responding fast enough to the changes expected of a network system. This paper proposes a new current mode controller to overcome the mentioned problem. The approach uses a fixed frequency current controller to maintain voltage levels in voltage sags (dips). This approach is also simple and can be easily implemented by digitally. It has superior performance over conventional methods in terms of harmonic reduction in STATCOM output current. Another important factor for STATCOM effectiveness in sag mitigation is its sag detection method. This paper also introduces a new sag detection method based on Goertzel algorithm which is both effective and simple for practical applications. The simulation results presented illustrate the superiority of the proposed controller and sag detection algorithm to be utilized in the STATCOM.

Strains of Sarcocystis neurona exhibit differences in their surface antigens, including the absence of the major surface antigen SnSAG1.

Science.gov (United States)

Howe, Daniel K; Gaji, Rajshekhar Y; Marsh, Antoinette E; Patil, Bhagyashree A; Saville, William J; Lindsay, David S; Dubey, J P; Granstrom, David E

2008-05-01

A gene family of surface antigens is expressed by merozoites of Sarcocystis neurona, the primary cause of equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM). These surface proteins, designated SnSAGs, are immunodominant and therefore excellent candidates for development of EPM diagnostics or vaccines. Prior work had identified an EPM isolate lacking the major surface antigen SnSAG1, thus suggesting there may be some diversity in the SnSAGs expressed by different S. neurona isolates. Therefore, a bioinformatic, molecular and immunological study was conducted to assess conservation of the SnSAGs. Examination of an expressed sequence tag (EST) database revealed several notable SnSAG polymorphisms. In particular, the EST information implied that the EPM strain SN4 lacked the major surface antigen SnSAG1. The absence of this surface antigen from the SN4 strain was confirmed by both Western blot and Southern blot. To evaluate SnSAG polymorphisms in the S. neurona population, 14 strains were examined by Western blots using monospecific polyclonal antibodies against the four described SnSAGs. The results of these analyses demonstrated that SnSAG2, SnSAG3, and SnSAG4 are present in all 14 S. neurona strains tested, although some variance in SnSAG4 was observed. Importantly, SnSAG1 was not detected in seven of the strains, which included isolates from four cases of EPM and a case of fatal meningoencephalitis in a sea otter. Genetic analyses by PCR using gene-specific primers confirmed the absence of the SnSAG1 locus in six of these seven strains. Collectively, the data indicated that there is heterogeneity in the surface antigen composition of different S. neurona isolates, which is an important consideration for development of serological tests and prospective vaccines for EPM. Furthermore, the diversity reported herein likely extends to other phenotypes, such as strain virulence, and may have implications for the phylogeny of the various Sarcocystis spp. that undergo sexual stages

Cloning and characterisation of the sagA gene of Aspergillus nidulans: a gene which affects sensitivity to DNA-damaging agents.

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, G W; Hooley, P; Farrington, S M; Shawcross, S G; Iwanejko, L A; Strike, P

1999-03-01

Mutations within the sagA gene of Aspergillus nidulans cause sensitisation to DNA-damaging chemicals but have no effect upon spontaneous or damage-induced mutation frequency. The sagA gene was cloned on a 19-kb cosmid-derived fragment by functional complementation of a sagA1 sagC3 double mutant; subsequently, a fragment of the gene was also isolated on a 3.9-kb genomic subclone. Initial sequencing of a small section of the 19-kb fragment allowed the design of primers that were subsequently used in RTPCR experiments to show that this DNA is transcribed. A 277-bp fragment derived from the transcribed region was used to screen an A. nidulans cDNA library, resulting in the isolation of a 1.4-kb partial cDNA clone which had sequence overlap with the genomic sagA fragment. This partial cDNA was incomplete but appeared to contain the whole coding region of sagA. The sagA1 mutant was shown to possess two mutations; a G-T transversion and a+ 1 frameshift due to insertion of a T. causing disruption to the C-terminal region of the SagA protein. Translation of the sagA cDNA predicts a protein of 378 amino acids, which has homology to the Saccharomyces cerevisiae End3 protein and also to certain mammalian proteins capable of causing cell transformation.

Mitigation of Voltage Sags in CIGRE Low Voltage Distribution Network

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mustafa, Ghullam; Bak-Jensen, Birgitte; Mahat, Pukar

2013-01-01

Any problem in voltage in a power network is undesirable as it aggravates the quality of the power. Power electronic devices such as Voltage Source Converter (VSC) based Static Synchronous Compensator (STATCOM), Dynamic Voltage Restorer (DVR) etc. are commonly used for the mitigation of voltage p....... The compensation of voltage sags in the different parts of CIGRE distribution network is done by using the four STATCOM compensators already existing in the test grid. The simulations are carried out in DIgSILENT power factory software version 15.0.......Any problem in voltage in a power network is undesirable as it aggravates the quality of the power. Power electronic devices such as Voltage Source Converter (VSC) based Static Synchronous Compensator (STATCOM), Dynamic Voltage Restorer (DVR) etc. are commonly used for the mitigation of voltage...... problems in the distribution system. The voltage problems dealt with in this paper are to show how to mitigate voltage sags in the CIGRE Low Voltage (LV) test network and networks like this. The voltage sags, for the tested cases in the CIGRE LV test network are mainly due to three phase faults...

Complete characterization of voltage sags: an alternative to achieve energy quality

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zuniga Medina, Edgar Andres; Vasco Garcia, Carlos Andres

1992-01-01

In this paper, the meaning of the power quality and its negative influence in the automation processes are presented. Voltage sags, the problems they cause and a methodology to characterize the phenomenon are also presented. Once the problems associated with the different sensible loads connected to a power system are identified, the cause of the bad quality of the electrical energy provided those loads is then established; voltage sags are one of the most common phenomenon that requires characterization in order to diminish their negative impact on the industrial processes

Synthesis, morphological control, and antibacterial properties of hollow/solid Ag2S/Ag heterodimers

KAUST Repository

Pang, Maolin

2010-08-11

Ag2S and Ag are important functional materials that have received considerable research interest in recent years. In this work, we develop a solution-based synthetic method to combine these two materials into hollow/solid Ag2S/Ag heterodimers at room temperature. Starting from monodisperse Cu2O solid spheres, CuS hollow spheres can be converted from Cu2O through a modified Kirkendall process, and the obtained CuS can then be used as a solid precursor for preparation of the Ag2S/Ag heterodimers through ion exchange and photo-assisted reduction. We have found that formation of the Ag2S/Ag heterodimers is instantaneous, and the size of Ag nanocrystals on the hollow spheres of Ag2S can be controlled by changing the concentration and power of reducing agents in the synthesis. The growth of Ag nanoparticles on hollow spheres of Ag2S in the dimers is along the [111] direction of the silver crystal; the light absorption properties have also been investigated. Furthermore, coupling or tripling of Ag2S/Ag heterodimers into dumbbell-like trimers ((Ag 2S)2/Ag, linear) and triangular tetramers ((Ag 2S)3/Ag, coplanar) can also be attained at 60°C by adding the bidentate ligand ethylenediamine as a cross-linking agent. To test the applicability of this highly asymmetric dipolar composite, photocatalytic inactivation of Escherichia coli K-12 in the presence of the as-prepared Ag 2S/Ag heterodimers has been carried out under UV irradiation. The added Ag2S/Ag heterodimers show good chemical stability under prolonged UV irradiation, and no appreciable solid dissolution is found. Possible mechanisms regarding the enhanced antibacterial activity have also been addressed. © 2010 American Chemical Society.

Experimental testing of a SAG digital SILT application

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haapanen, P.; Maskuniitty, M.; Heikkinen, J.; Korhonen, J.

1995-10-01

A prototype dynamic testing harness for programmable automation systems has been specified and implemented at the Technical Research Centre of Finland (VTT). In order to get experience on the methodology and equipment for the testing of systems important to the safety of nuclear power plants, where the safety and reliability requirements often are very high, two different pilot systems have been tested. One system was an ABB Master application, which was loaned for testing from ABB Atom by Teollisuuden Voima Oy (TVO). Another system, loaned from Siemens AG(SAG) by IVO International Oy (IVO), was an application realized with SAG's digital SILT technology. The report describes the testing of the SAG application. The purpose of the testing was not to assess the pilot system, but to get experience in the testing methodology and find out the further development needs and potentials of the test methodology and equipment. The experience show that dynamic testing is one feasible way to get more confidence about the safety and reliability of a programmable system that would be hard to achieve by other means. It also shows that more development of the test harness is still needed, especially concerning the comparison of the obtained test response to the expected response provided by the logical model of the system. Also the user interface of the on-line part of the test harness needs development. Methods for generation of the test cases also need further development eg. for achieving statistical significance for the reliability estimates. (10 refs., 90 figs., 9 tabs.)

The sagging rope sign in achondroplasia - different from Perthes' disease

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shingade, Viraj U. [Korea University, Department of Paediatric Orthopaedics, College of Medicine, Guro Hospital, Seoul (Korea); Song, Hae-Ryong [Korea University, Department of Paediatric Orthopaedic Surgery, College of Medicine, Guro Hospital, Seoul (Korea); Lee, Seok-Hyun; Suh, Seung-Woo [Korea University, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, College of Medicine, Guro Hospital, Seoul (Korea); Oh, Chang-Wug [Kyungpook National University Hospital, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Daegu (Korea); Hong, Jun-Seok [Ansan Hospital, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Korea University, Ansan, Gyeonggi do (Korea)

2006-12-15

The sagging rope sign is a radio-opaque line, seen on radiographs of the hips, with Perthes' disease. The main purpose of this study was to determine the incidence, cause and importance of this sign in achondroplasia, and to reveal how it differs from in Perthes' disease. Serial radiograms, along with 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional CT images were studied in 42 achondroplasic patients. Forty-two achondroplasic patients, reported at our institute (for routine outpatient consultation, spine surgeries, deformity corrections, limb-lengthening procedures) were included in this study. There were 26 males and 16 females. The sign was observed bilaterally, in all patients. Evaluation of CT images revealed spherical heads, with presence of circumferential overhang in all hips. This circumferential overhang, seen on 3-D CT scan, corresponded to the sagging rope sign on radiographs. Presence of the sagging rope sign in bilateral hips is a characteristic feature of achondroplasia. It usually appears before epiphyseal closure. Its cause, incidence, and nature differ from Perthes' disease, and its presence does not carry a bad prognosis in achondroplasia. (orig.)

Gravity sag view of lateral radiography of the knee

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hidaka, Kuniyuki; Yanagawa, Yasuhiro; Kawamoto, Kiyosumi; Maeda, Daisuke; Komizu, Mitsuru

2007-01-01

The gravity sag view (GSV) is a lateral radiograph taken in the same position when the posterior sag sign is observed. The purpose of this study was to standardize the radiography technique for GSV by adjusting lateral rotation. To confirm the benchmark and correction angle (CA) for the GSV position, we assessed three-dimensional (3D) CT of the GSV position of the knee using normal volunteers. The benchmark is established at the 3-point of the leg and adjusting the CA of the knee is established by estimating from Rosenberg technique radiography. This helped not only to correct external rotation in the initial radiography but also to correct rotation for repeat radiography. Our method is quantitative and highly reproducible, and it increases the success rate in adjusting lateral radiography of the knee. (author)

Effect of voltage sags on digitally controlled line connected switched-mode power supplies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Török, Lajos; Munk-Nielsen, Stig

2012-01-01

Different voltage disorders like voltage fluctuations, sags, frequency variations may occur in the power supply networks due to different fault conditions. These deviations from normal operation affects in different ways the line connected devices. Standards were developed to protect and ensure...... of voltage sags is analyzed. Fault tolerant control algorithm was designed, implemented and is discussed. The fault conditions and their effects were investigated at different power levels....

Facile synthesis, structure, and properties of Ag{sub 2}S/Ag heteronanostructure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sadovnikov, S. I., E-mail: sadovnikov@ihim.uran.ru; Gusev, A. I. [Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Solid State Chemistry (Russian Federation)

2016-09-15

Ag{sub 2}S/Ag heteronanostructure has been produced by a simple one-stage chemical deposition from aqueous solutions of silver nitrate, sodium sulfide, and sodium citrate with the use of monochromatic light irradiation. For simultaneous synthesis of Ag{sub 2}S and Ag nanoparticles, deposition has been performed from reaction mixtures with reduced sodium sulfide concentration. The size of Ag{sub 2}S and Ag nanoparticles is 45–50 and 15–20 nm, respectively. It is established that in the contact layer between silver sulfide and silver, nonconducting α-Ag{sub 2}S acanthite transforms into superionic β-Ag{sub 2}S argentite under the action of external electric field. The scheme of the operation of a resistive switch based on an Ag{sub 2}S/Ag heteronanostructure is proposed. The UV–Vis optical absorption spectra of colloidal solutions of Ag{sub 2}S/Ag heteronanostructures have been studied.Graphical Abstract.

Doubly-Fed Induction Generator Control Under Voltage Sags

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Teodorescu, Remus; Blaabjerg, Frede; Lima, K.

2008-01-01

This paper proposes a new control technique to improve the fault-ride through capability of doubly fed induction generators (DFIG). In such generators the appearance of severe voltage sags at the coupling point make rise to high over currents at the rotor/stator windings, something that makes...

Detection and correction for EPID and gantry sag during arc delivery using cine EPID imaging.

Science.gov (United States)

Rowshanfarzad, Pejman; Sabet, Mahsheed; O'Connor, Daryl J; McCowan, Peter M; McCurdy, Boyd M C; Greer, Peter B

2012-02-01

Electronic portal imaging devices (EPIDs) have been studied and used for pretreatment and in-vivo dosimetry applications for many years. The application of EPIDs for dosimetry in arc treatments requires accurate characterization of the mechanical sag of the EPID and gantry during rotation. Several studies have investigated the effects of gravity on the sag of these systems but each have limitations. In this study, an easy experiment setup and accurate algorithm have been introduced to characterize and correct for the effect of EPID and gantry sag during arc delivery. Three metallic ball bearings were used as markers in the beam: two of them fixed to the gantry head and the third positioned at the isocenter. EPID images were acquired during a 360° gantry rotation in cine imaging mode. The markers were tracked in EPID images and a robust in-house developed MATLAB code was used to analyse the images and find the EPID sag in three directions as well as the EPID + gantry sag by comparison to the reference gantry zero image. The algorithm results were then tested against independent methods. The method was applied to compare the effect in clockwise and counter clockwise gantry rotations and different source-to-detector distances (SDDs). The results were monitored for one linear accelerator over a course of 15 months and six other linear-accelerators from two treatment centers were also investigated using this method. The generalized shift patterns were derived from the data and used in an image registration algorithm to correct for the effect of the mechanical sag in the system. The Gamma evaluation (3%, 3 mm) technique was used to investigate the improvement in alignment of cine EPID images of a fixed field, by comparing both individual images and the sum of images in a series with the reference gantry zero image. The mechanical sag during gantry rotation was dependent on the gantry angle and was larger in the in-plane direction, although the patterns were not

Mitigation of voltage sags in the distribution system with dynamic voltage restorer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Viglas, D.; Belan, A.

2012-01-01

Dynamic voltage restorer is a custom power device that is used to improve voltage sags or swells in electrical distribution system. The components of the Dynamic Voltage Restorer consist of injection transformers, voltage source inverter, passive filters and energy storage. The main function of the Dynamic voltage restorer is used to inject three phase voltage in series and in synchronism with the grid voltages in order to compensate voltage disturbances. This article deals with mitigation of voltage sags caused by three-phase short circuit. Dynamic voltage restorer is modelled in MATLAB/Simulink. (Authors)

Modelling voltage sag mitigation using dynamic voltage restorer and analyzing power quality issue

Science.gov (United States)

Ismail, Nor Laili; Hidzir, Hizrin Dayana Mohd; Thanakodi, Suresh; Nazar, Nazatul Shiema Moh; Ibrahim, Pungut; Ali, Che Ku Muhammad Sabri Che Ku

2018-02-01

Power quality problem which are arise due to a fault or a pulsed load can have caused an interruption of critical load. The modern power systems are becoming more sensitive to the quality of the power supplied by the utility company. Voltage sags and swells, flicker, interruptions, harmonic distortion and other distortion to the sinusoidal waveform are the examples of the power quality problems. The most affected due to these problems is industrial customers who use a lot of sensitive equipment. There has suffered a huge loss to these problems. Resulting of broken or damage equipment if voltage sag exceeds the sensitive threshold of the equipment. Thus, device such as Static Synchronous Compensator (STATCOM) and Dynamic Voltage Restorer (DVR) has been created to solve this problem among users. DVR is a custom power device that most effective and efficient. This paper intended to report the DVR operations during voltage sag compensation.

Advanced Control of the Dynamic Voltage Restorer for Mitigating Voltage Sags in Power Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dung Vo Tien

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The paper presents a vector control with two cascaded loops to improve the properties of Dynamic Voltage Restorer (DVR to minimize Voltage Sags on the grid. Thereby, a vector controlled structure was built on the rotating dq-coordinate system with the combination of voltage control and the current control. The proposed DVR control method is modelled using MATLAB-Simulink. It is tested using balanced/unbalanced voltage sags as well as fluctuant and distorted voltages. As a result, by using this controlling method, the dynamic characteristics of the system have been improved significantly. The system performed with higher accuracy, faster response and lower distortion in the voltage sags compensation. The paper presents real time experimental results to verify the performance of the proposed method in real environments.

Screening and identification of novel B cell epitopes of Toxoplasma gondii SAG1

OpenAIRE

Wang, Yanhua; Wang, Guangxiang; Zhang, Delin; Yin, Hong; Wang, Meng

2013-01-01

Background The identification of protein epitopes is useful for diagnostic purposes and for the development of peptide vaccines. In this study, the epitopes of Toxoplasma gondii SAG1 were identified using synthetic peptide techniques with the aid of bioinformatics. Findings Eleven peptides derived from T. gondii SAG1 were assessed by ELISA using pig sera from different time points after infection. Four (PS4, PS6, PS10 and PS11), out of the eleven peptides tested were recognized by all sera. T...

Screening and identification of novel B cell epitopes of Toxoplasma gondii SAG1.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yanhua; Wang, Guangxiang; Zhang, Delin; Yin, Hong; Wang, Meng

2013-04-30

The identification of protein epitopes is useful for diagnostic purposes and for the development of peptide vaccines. In this study, the epitopes of Toxoplasma gondii SAG1 were identified using synthetic peptide techniques with the aid of bioinformatics. Eleven peptides derived from T. gondii SAG1 were assessed by ELISA using pig sera from different time points after infection. Four (PS4, PS6, PS10 and PS11), out of the eleven peptides tested were recognized by all sera. Then, shorter peptides that were derived from PS4, PS6, PS10 and PS11 were predicted using bioinformatics and tested by experimentation. Four out of nine shorter peptides were identified successfully (amino acids 106-120, 166-180, 289-300 and 313-332). We have precisely located the epitopes of T. gondii SAG1 using pig sera collected at different time points after infection. The identified epitopes may be useful for the further study of epitope-based vaccines and diagnostic reagents.

Accurate antemortem diagnosis of equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) based on detecting intrathecal antibodies against Sarcocystis neurona using the SnSAG2 and SnSAG4/3 ELISAs.

Science.gov (United States)

Reed, S M; Howe, D K; Morrow, J K; Graves, A; Yeargan, M R; Johnson, A L; MacKay, R J; Furr, M; Saville, W J A; Williams, N M

2013-01-01

Recent work demonstrated the value of antigen-specific antibody indices (AI and C-value) to detect intrathecal antibody production against Sarcocystis neurona for antemortem diagnosis of equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM). The study was conducted to assess whether the antigen-specific antibody indices can be reduced to a simple serum : cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) titer ratio to achieve accurate EPM diagnosis. Paired serum and CSF samples from 128 horses diagnosed by postmortem examination. The sample set included 44 EPM cases, 35 cervical-vertebral malformation (CVM) cases, 39 neurologic cases other than EPM or CVM, and 10 non-neurologic cases. Antibodies against S. neurona were measured in serum and CSF pairs using the SnSAG2 and SnSAG4/3 (SnSAG2, 4/3) ELISAs, and the ratio of each respective serum titer to CSF titer was determined. Likelihood ratios and diagnostic sensitivity and specificity were calculated based on serum titers, CSF titers, and serum : CSF titer ratios. Excellent diagnostic sensitivity and specificity was obtained from the SnSAG2, 4/3 serum : CSF titer ratio. Sensitivity and specificity of 93.2 and 81.1%, respectively, were achieved using a ratio cutoff of ≤100, whereas sensitivity and specificity were 86.4 and 95.9%, respectively, if a more rigorous cutoff of ≤50 was used. Antibody titers in CSF also provided good diagnostic accuracy. Serum antibody titers alone yielded much lower sensitivity and specificity. The study confirms the value of detecting intrathecal antibody production for antemortem diagnosis of EPM, and they further show that the antigen-specific antibody indices can be reduced in practice to a simple serum : CSF titer ratio. Copyright © 2013 by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine.

Recombinant vaccines against T. gondii: comparison between homologous and heterologous vaccination protocols using two viral vectors expressing SAG1.

Science.gov (United States)

Mendes, Érica Araújo; Fonseca, Flavio G; Casério, Bárbara M; Colina, Janaína P; Gazzinelli, Ricardo Tostes; Caetano, Braulia C

2013-01-01

The use of recombinant viral vectors expressing T. gondii antigens is a safe and efficient approach to induce immune response against the parasite and a valuable tool for vaccine development. We have previously protected mice from toxoplasmosis by immunizing the animals with an adenovirus expressing the protein SAG1 (AdSAG1) of T. gondii. We are now looking for ways to improve the vaccination strategy and enhance protection. One limitation of homologous vaccinations (sequential doses of the same vector) is induction of anti-vector immune response that blocks cell transduction, restricts transgene expression and, consequently, compromises the overall outcome of vaccination. One way to avert the effects of anti-vector response is to use different viruses in prime and boost (heterologous vaccination). Bearing this in mind, we generated a modified Vaccinia Virus Ankara encoding SAG1 (MVASAG1), to be tested as boost agent after prime with AdSAG1. Although minor differences were observed in the magnitude of the anti-SAG1 immune response induced by each vaccination protocol, the heterologous immunization with AdSAG1 followed by MVASAG1 resulted in improved capacity to control brain cyst formation in a model of chronic toxoplasmosis in C57BL/6 mice.

Recombinant vaccines against T. gondii: comparison between homologous and heterologous vaccination protocols using two viral vectors expressing SAG1.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Érica Araújo Mendes

Full Text Available The use of recombinant viral vectors expressing T. gondii antigens is a safe and efficient approach to induce immune response against the parasite and a valuable tool for vaccine development. We have previously protected mice from toxoplasmosis by immunizing the animals with an adenovirus expressing the protein SAG1 (AdSAG1 of T. gondii. We are now looking for ways to improve the vaccination strategy and enhance protection. One limitation of homologous vaccinations (sequential doses of the same vector is induction of anti-vector immune response that blocks cell transduction, restricts transgene expression and, consequently, compromises the overall outcome of vaccination. One way to avert the effects of anti-vector response is to use different viruses in prime and boost (heterologous vaccination. Bearing this in mind, we generated a modified Vaccinia Virus Ankara encoding SAG1 (MVASAG1, to be tested as boost agent after prime with AdSAG1. Although minor differences were observed in the magnitude of the anti-SAG1 immune response induced by each vaccination protocol, the heterologous immunization with AdSAG1 followed by MVASAG1 resulted in improved capacity to control brain cyst formation in a model of chronic toxoplasmosis in C57BL/6 mice.

The influence of motor re-acceleration on voltage sags

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bollen, M.H.J.

1995-01-01

The assumption that a voltage sag is rectangular is not correct in a power system with large induction motor loads. The motors decelerate during the short circuit. After fault-clearing, they will accelerate again, drawing a high reactive current from the supply, causing a prolonged postfault voltage

Molecular analysis of Toxoplasma gondii Surface Antigen 1 (SAG1) gene cloned from Toxoplasma gondii DNA isolated from Javanese acute toxoplasmosis

Science.gov (United States)

Haryati, Sri; Agung Prasetyo, Afiono; Sari, Yulia; Dharmawan, Ruben

2018-05-01

Toxoplasma gondii Surface Antigen 1 (SAG1) is often used as a diagnostic tool due to its immunodominant-specific as antigen. However, data of the Toxoplasma gondii SAG1 protein from Indonesian isolate is limited. To study the protein, genomic DNA was isolated from a Javanese acute toxoplasmosis blood samples patient. A complete coding sequence of Toxoplasma gondii SAG1 was cloned and inserted into an Escherichia coli expression plasmid and sequenced. The sequencing results were subjected to bioinformatics analysis. The Toxoplasma gondii SAG1 complete coding sequences were successfully cloned. Physicochemical analysis revealed the 336 aa of SAG1 had 34.7 kDa of weight. The isoelectric point and aliphatic index were 8.4 and 78.4, respectively. The N-terminal methionine half-life in Escherichia coli was more than 10 hours. The antigenicity, secondary structure, and identification of the HLA binding motifs also had been discussed. The results of this study would contribute information about Toxoplasma gondii SAG1 and benefits for further works willing to develop diagnostic and therapeutic strategies against the parasite.

A robust and fast generic voltage sag detection technique

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

L. Dantas, Joacillo; Lima, Francisco Kleber A.; Branco, Carlos Gustavo C.

2015-01-01

In this paper, a fast and robust voltage sag detection algorithm, named VPS2D, is introduced. Using the DSOGI, the algorithm creates a virtual positive sequence voltage and monitories the fundamental voltage component of each phase. After calculating the aggregate value in the o:;3-reference fram...

Progress in research on aging of structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Naus, D.J.; Oland, C.B.; Ellingwood, B.; Mori, Y.; Arndt, E.G.

1991-01-01

The Structural Aging (SAG) Program is conducted for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The program has the overall objective of preparing an expandable handbook or report which will provide the NRC with potential structural safety issues and acceptance criteria for use in nuclear power plant evaluations for continued service. Initial focus of the program is on concrete and concrete-related materials which comprise the safety-related (Category I) structures in light-water reactor facilities. The program consists of a management task and three technical tasks: materials property data base, structural component assessment/repair technology, and quantitative methodology for continued service determinations. Objectives, background information, and accomplishments under each of these tasks are presented

Continentward-dipping detachment fault system and asymmetric rift structure of the Baiyun Sag, northern South China Sea

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Zhichao; Mei, Lianfu; Liu, Jun; Zheng, Jinyun; Chen, Liang; Hao, Shihao

2018-02-01

The rift architecture and deep crustal structure of the distal margin at the mid-northern margin of the South China Sea have been previously investigated by using deep seismic reflection profiles. However, one fundamental recurring problem in the debate is the extensional fault system and rift structure of the hyperextended rift basins (Baiyun Sag and Liwan Sag) within the distal margin because of the limited amount of seismic data. Based on new 3D seismic survey data and 2D seismic reflection profiles, we observe an array of fault blocks in the Baiyun Sag, which were tilted towards the ocean by extensional faulting. The extensional faults consistently dip towards the continent. Beneath the tilted fault blocks and extensional faults, a low-angle, high-amplitude and continuous reflection has been interpreted as the master detachment surface that controls the extension process. During rifting, the continentward-dipping normal faults evolved in a sequence from south to north, generating the asymmetric rift structure of the Baiyun Sag. The Baiyun Sag is separated from the oceanic domain by a series of structural highs that were uplifted by magmatic activity in response to the continental breakup at 33 Ma and a ridge jump to the south at 26-24 Ma. Therefore, we propose that magmatism played a significant role in the continental extension and final breakup in the South China Sea.

Evidence that antibodies against recombinant SnSAG1 of Sarcocystis neurona merozoites are involved in infection and immunity in equine protozoal myeloencephalitis.

Science.gov (United States)

Ellison, Siobhan; Witonsky, Sharon

2009-07-01

Sarcocystis neurona is the principal etiologic agent of equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM). An immunodominant protein of S. neurona, SnSAG-1, is expressed by the majority of S. neurona merozoites isolated from spinal tissues of horses diagnosed with EPM and may be a candidate for diagnostic tests and prophylaxis for EPM. Five horses were vaccinated with adjuvanted recombinant SnSAG1 (rSnSAG1) and 5 control (sham vaccinated) horses were vaccinated with adjuvant only. Serum was evaluated pre- and post-vaccination, prior to challenge, for antibodies against rSnSAG1 and inhibitory effects on the infectivity of S. neurona by an in vitro serum neutralization assay. The effect of vaccination with rSnSAG1 on in vivo infection by S. neurona was evaluated by challenging all the horses with S. neurona merozoites. Blinded daily examinations and 4 blinded neurological examinations were used to evaluate the presence of clinical signs of EPM. The 5 vaccinated horses developed serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) titers of SnSAG1, detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), post-vaccination. Post-vaccination serum from vaccinated horses was found to have an inhibitory effect on merozoites, demonstrated by in vitro bioassay. Following the challenge, the 5 control horses displayed clinical signs of EPM, including ataxia. While 4 of the 5 vaccinated horses did not become ataxic. One rSnSAG-1 vaccinated horse showed paresis in 1 limb with muscle atrophy. All horses showed mild, transient, cranial nerve deficits; however, disease did not progress to ataxia in rSnSAG-1 vaccinated horses. The study showed that vaccination with rSnSAG-1 produced antibodies in horses that neutralized merozoites when tested by in vitro culture and significantly reduced clinical signs demonstrated by in vivo challenge.

Energy Storage Characteristic Analysis of Voltage Sags Compensation for UPQC Based on MMC for Medium Voltage Distribution System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yongchun Yang

2018-04-01

Full Text Available The modular multilevel converter (MMC, as a new type of voltage source converter, is increasingly used because it is a distributed storage system. There are many advantages of using the topological structure of the MMC on a unified power quality controller (UPQC, and voltage sag mitigation is an important use of the MMC energy storage system for the power quality compensation process. In this paper, based on the analysis of the topology of the MMC, the essence of energy conversion in a UPQC of voltage sag compensation is analyzed; then, the energy storage characteristics are calculated and analyzed to determine the performance index of voltage sag compensation; in addition, the simulation method is used to verify the voltage sag compensation characteristics of the UPQC; finally, an industrial prototype of the UPQC based on an MMC for 10 kV of medium voltage distribution network has been developed, and the basic functions of UPQC have been tested.

Time-Domain Voltage Sag State Estimation Based on the Unscented Kalman Filter for Power Systems with Nonlinear Components

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rafael Cisneros-Magaña

2018-06-01

Full Text Available This paper proposes a time-domain methodology based on the unscented Kalman filter to estimate voltage sags and their characteristics, such as magnitude and duration in power systems represented by nonlinear models. Partial and noisy measurements from the electrical network with nonlinear loads, used as data, are assumed. The characteristics of voltage sags can be calculated in a discrete form with the unscented Kalman filter to estimate all the busbar voltages; being possible to determine the rms voltage magnitude and the voltage sag starting and ending time, respectively. Voltage sag state estimation results can be used to obtain the power quality indices for monitored and unmonitored busbars in the power grid and to design adequate mitigating techniques. The proposed methodology is successfully validated against the results obtained with the time-domain system simulation for the power system with nonlinear components, being the normalized root mean square error less than 3%.

Analysis of doubly-fed induction machine operating at motoring mode subjected to voltage sag

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Navneet Kumar

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Variable Speed (VS Pumped Storage Plants (PSP equipped with large asynchronous (Doubly-Fed Induction machines are emerging now in hydropower applications. Motoring mode of operation of Doubly-Fed Induction Machine (DFIM is essential and techno-economical in this application due to: (1 its uniqueness in active power controllability, (2 bulk power handing capability with less rated power converters in rotor circuit, and (3 integrating Renewable Energy Sources (RES. This paper investigates the performance of two DFIMs at different power ratings (2.2 kW and 2 MW under voltage sag with different attribute. The test results are analyzed in terms of the peaks in torque, speed, power taken and transient currents in rotor and stator circuits. During sag, stable region for DFIM operation along with speed and stator side reactive power input control is also illustrated. The negative effects of voltage sag are briefly discussed. MATLAB simulation is validated with experimentation. The various observations during simulation and experimental analysis are also supported by the theoretical explanations.

SVC or VSC for reduction of voltage sags and flicker. Trends in power electronics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Haeusler, M; Schnettler, A [ABB Calor Emag Schaltanlagen AG, Mannheim (Germany); Halvarsson, P [ABB Power Systems AB, Vaesteraas (Sweden)

1997-07-01

In the past complaints about insufficient power quality were often caused by flicker observed in the neighbourhood of industrial networks. Voltage sags due to faults in the power system pass, however, mostly unnoticed as not-so-common events. Now electronic controls are penetrating more and more in industry. Electronic controllers on factory machines - particularly those for variable speed motors - are vulnerable to voltage sags. A one-tenth second sag can cause a $200.000 downtime incident in a big factory. Therefore the demands on power quality are rising in industry as well. The costly separation in clean networks for residential areas and dirty networks for industrial grids is no perfect solution to avoid such problems. Static VAr Compensators (SVC) are traditionally one means to control the voltage in industrial networks. Because of the recent development of powerful gate turn-off semiconductor devices another type of converter has gained new interest for mitigation of system disturbances, the voltage-source converter (VSC). The characteristics of both types of power electronics in view of their possibilities for this application are presented. (orig.)

Simulation and experiment of a YBCO SMES prototype in voltage sag compensation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhu Jiahui; Yuan Weijia; Coombs, T.A.; Ming, Q.

2011-01-01

Research highlights: → YBCO conductors are used in SMES. → The SMES is successfully used to compensate voltage sag by both simulation and experiment. → A new control strategy for the power converter in the SMES. - Abstract: This paper gives a introduction of a SMES unit using 2G HTS wires. A complete SMES system including both superconducting coils and control circuit has been designed to operate at 77 K. Three single-phase H-bridge converters have been used in the control circuit. A loop control signal is sent out by using 32 fixed point Digital Signal Processor (DSP). The complete circuit has been both modelled in simulation and built experimentally. The results validate that this SMES successfully compensates a voltage sag in a power system.

Simulation and experiment of a YBCO SMES prototype in voltage sag compensation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhu Jiahui, E-mail: zhujiahui@epri.sgcc.com.c [China Electric Power Research Institute, No. 15 Xiaoying Rd(E), Qinghe, Beijing 100192 (China); Yuan Weijia; Coombs, T.A. [Electrical Engineering Division, Engineering Department, University of Cambridge, CB3 0FA (United Kingdom); Ming, Q. [China Electric Power Research Institute, No. 15 Xiaoying Rd(E), Qinghe, Beijing 100192 (China)

2011-03-15

Research highlights: {yields} YBCO conductors are used in SMES. {yields} The SMES is successfully used to compensate voltage sag by both simulation and experiment. {yields} A new control strategy for the power converter in the SMES. - Abstract: This paper gives a introduction of a SMES unit using 2G HTS wires. A complete SMES system including both superconducting coils and control circuit has been designed to operate at 77 K. Three single-phase H-bridge converters have been used in the control circuit. A loop control signal is sent out by using 32 fixed point Digital Signal Processor (DSP). The complete circuit has been both modelled in simulation and built experimentally. The results validate that this SMES successfully compensates a voltage sag in a power system.

Optimal Cable Tension Distribution of the High-Speed Redundant Driven Camera Robots Considering Cable Sag and Inertia Effects

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yu Su

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Camera robots are high-speed redundantly cable-driven parallel manipulators that realize the aerial panoramic photographing. When long-span cables and high maneuverability are involved, the effects of cable sags and inertias on the dynamics must be carefully dealt with. This paper is devoted to the optimal cable tension distribution (OCTD for short of the camera robots. Firstly, each fast varying-length cable is discretized into some nodes for computing the cable inertias. Secondly, the dynamic equation integrated with the cable inertias is set up regarding the large-span cables as catenaries. Thirdly, an iterative optimization algorithm is introduced for the cable tension distribution by using the dynamic equation and sag-to-span ratios as constraint conditions. Finally, numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the effects of cable sags and inertias on determining tensions. The results justify the convergence and effectiveness of the algorithm. In addition, the results show that it is necessary to take the cable sags and inertias into consideration for the large-span manipulators.

Over-expression of 60s ribosomal L23a is associated with cellular proliferation in SAG resistant clinical isolates of Leishmania donovani.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sanchita Das

Full Text Available Sodium antimony gluconate (SAG unresponsiveness of Leishmania donovani (Ld had effectively compromised the chemotherapeutic potential of SAG. 60s ribosomal L23a (60sRL23a, identified as one of the over-expressed protein in different resistant strains of L.donovani as observed with differential proteomics studies indicates towards its possible involvement in SAG resistance in L.donovani. In the present study 60sRL23a has been characterized for its probable association with SAG resistance mechanism.The expression profile of 60s ribosomal L23a (60sRL23a was checked in different SAG resistant as well as sensitive strains of L.donovani clinical isolates by real-time PCR and western blotting and was found to be up-regulated in resistant strains. Ld60sRL23a was cloned, expressed in E.coli system and purified for raising antibody in swiss mice and was observed to have cytosolic localization in L.donovani. 60sRL23a was further over-expressed in sensitive strain of L.donovani to check its sensitivity profile against SAG (Sb V and III and was found to be altered towards the resistant mode.This study reports for the first time that the over expression of 60sRL23a in SAG sensitive parasite decreases the sensitivity of the parasite towards SAG, miltefosine and paramomycin. Growth curve of the tranfectants further indicated the proliferative potential of 60sRL23a assisting the parasite survival and reaffirming the extra ribosomal role of 60sRL23a. The study thus indicates towards the role of the protein in lowering and redistributing the drug pressure by increased proliferation of parasites and warrants further longitudinal study to understand the underlying mechanism.

Optimum distributed generation placement with voltage sag effect minimization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Biswas, Soma; Goswami, Swapan Kumar; Chatterjee, Amitava

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► A new optimal distributed generation placement algorithm is proposed. ► Optimal number, sizes and locations of the DGs are determined. ► Technical factors like loss, voltage sag problem are minimized. ► The percentage savings are optimized. - Abstract: The present paper proposes a new formulation for the optimum distributed generator (DG) placement problem which considers a hybrid combination of technical factors, like minimization of the line loss, reduction in the voltage sag problem, etc., and economical factors, like installation and maintenance cost of the DGs. The new formulation proposed is inspired by the idea that the optimum placement of the DGs can help in reducing and mitigating voltage dips in low voltage distribution networks. The problem is configured as a multi-objective, constrained optimization problem, where the optimal number of DGs, along with their sizes and bus locations, are simultaneously obtained. This problem has been solved using genetic algorithm, a traditionally popular stochastic optimization algorithm. A few benchmark systems radial and networked (like 34-bus radial distribution system, 30 bus loop distribution system and IEEE 14 bus system) are considered as the case study where the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm is aptly demonstrated.

Potential need for re-definition of the highest priority recovery action in the Krsko SAG-1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bilic Zabric, T.; Basic, I.

2005-01-01

Replacement of old SG (Steam Generators) [7] and the characteristic of new ones throws the question of proper accident management strategy, which leans on philosophy that repair and recovery actions have first priority. In the current NPP Krsko SAMGs (Severe Accident Management Guidelines), water supply to the SG has priority over re-injection water into the core. NPP Krsko reconsidered the highest priority of SAG-1 (inject water to the SG), against the WOG (Westinghouse Owners Group) generic approach (inject water into the core) and potential revision of Severe Accident Phenomenology Evaluations using MAAP (Modular accident Analysis Program) 4.0.5 code. (author)

Study of southern CHAONAN sag lower continental slope basin deposition character in Northern South China Sea

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, Y.

2009-12-01

Northern South China Sea Margin locates in Eurasian plate,Indian-Australia plate,Pacific Plates.The South China Sea had underwent a complicated tectonic evolution in Cenozoic.During rifting,the continental shelf and slope forms a series of Cenozoic sedimentary basins,including Qiongdongnan basin,Pearl River Mouth basin,Taixinan basin.These basins fill in thick Cenozoic fluviolacustrine facies,transitional facies,marine facies,abyssal facies sediment,recording the evolution history of South China Sea Margin rifting and ocean basin extending.The studies of tectonics and deposition of depression in the Southern Chaonan Sag of lower continental slope in the Norther South China Sea were dealt with,based on the sequence stratigraphy and depositional facies interpretation of seismic profiles acquired by cruises of“China and Germany Joint Study on Marine Geosciences in the South China Sea”and“The formation,evolution and key issues of important resources in China marginal sea",and combining with ODP 1148 cole and LW33-1-1 well.The free-air gravity anomaly of the break up of the continental and ocean appears comparatively low negative anomaly traps which extended in EW,it is the reflection of passive margin gravitational effect.Bouguer gravity anomaly is comparatively low which is gradient zone extended NE-SW.Magnetic anomaly lies in Magnetic Quiet Zone at the Northern Continental Margin of the South China Sea.The Cenozoic sediments of lower continental slope in Southern Chaonan Sag can be divided into five stratum interface:SB5.5,SB10.5,SB16.5,SB23.8 and Hg,their ages are of Pliocene-Quaternary,late Miocene,middle Miocene,early Miocene,paleogene.The tectonic evolution of low continental slope depressions can be divided into rifting,rifting-depression transitional and depression stages,while their depositional environments change from river to shallow marine and abyssa1,which results in different topography in different stages.The topographic evolvement in the study

Application of Boost Converter for Ride-through Capability of Adjustable Speed Drives during Sag and Swell Conditions

OpenAIRE

S. S. Deswal; Ratna Dahiya; D. K. Jain

2008-01-01

Process control and energy conservation are the two primary reasons for using an adjustable speed drive. However, voltage sags are the most important power quality problems facing many commercial and industrial customers. The development of boost converters has raised much excitement and speculation throughout the electric industry. Now utilities are looking to these devices for performance improvement and reliability in a variety of areas. Examples of these include sags,...

Survey of the rubber tree genome reveals a high number of cysteine protease-encoding genes homologous to Arabidopsis SAG12.

Science.gov (United States)

Zou, Zhi; Liu, Jianting; Yang, Lifu; Xie, Guishui

2017-01-01

Arabidopsis thaliana SAG12, a senescence-specific gene encoding a cysteine protease, is widely used as a molecular marker for the study of leaf senescence. To date, its potential orthologues have been isolated from several plant species such as Brassica napus and Nicotiana tabacum. However, little information is available in rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis), a rubber-producing plant of the Euphorbiaceae family. This study presents the identification of SAG12-like genes from the rubber tree genome. Results showed that an unexpected high number of 17 rubber orthologues with a single intron were found, contrasting the single copy with two introns in Arabidopsis. The gene expansion was also observed in another two Euphorbiaceae plants, castor bean (Ricinus communis) and physic nut (Jatropha curcas), both of which contain 8 orthologues. In accordance with no occurrence of recent whole-genome duplication (WGD) events, most duplicates in castor and physic nut were resulted from tandem duplications. In contrast, the duplicated HbSAG12H genes were derived from tandem duplications as well as the recent WGD. Expression analysis showed that most HbSAG12H genes were lowly expressed in examined tissues except for root and male flower. Furthermore, HbSAG12H1 exhibits a strictly senescence-associated expression pattern in rubber tree leaves, and thus can be used as a marker gene for the study of senescence mechanism in Hevea.

Down-regulation of OsSAG12-1 results in enhanced senescence ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

2013-07-22

Jul 22, 2013 ... vides staple food nearly half of the world's population and accounts .... Healthy and fresh onion ... served domain comprising approximate 210 aa belongs to the peptidase ..... Lim PO, Kim HJ and Nam HG 2007 Leaf senescence. Annu. Rev. ... Effects of P(SAG12)-IPT gene expression on development and.

SAG2 locus genotyping of Toxoplasma gondii in meat products of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Jane

2011-10-12

Oct 12, 2011 ... restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis of SAG2 locus revealed that all of the samples belonged to genotype I. The detection of the parasite in uncooked meat and commercial meat products, and the high ratio of seropositive slaughtered animals, emphasis that the risk still exists for.

SAG/ROC-SCFβ-TrCP E3 Ubiquitin Ligase Promotes Pro-Caspase-3 Degradation as a Mechanism of Apoptosis Protection

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mingjia Tan

2006-12-01

Full Text Available Skp1-cullin-F-box protein (SCF is a multicomponent E3 ubiquitin (Ub ligase that ubiquitinates a number of important biologic molecules such as p27, β-catenin, and lκB for proteasomal degradation, thus regulating cell proliferation and survival. One SCF component, SAG/ROC2/Rbx2/Hrt2, a RING finger protein, was first identified as a redox-inducible protein, which, when overexpressed, inhibited apoptosis both in vitro and in vivo. We report here that sensitive to apoptosis gene (SAG, as well as its family member ROC1/Rbxi, bound to the proinactive form of caspase-3 (pro-caspase-3. Binding was likely mediated through F-box protein, β-transducin repeat-containing protein (β-TrCP, which binds to the first 38 amino acids of pro-caspase-3. Importantly, β-TrCP1 expression significantly shortened the protein half-life of pro-caspase-3, whereas expression of a dominant-negative β-TrCP1 mutant with the F-box domain deleted extended it. An in vitro ubiquitination assay showed that SAG/ROC-SCF -Trcp promoted ubiquitination of pro-caspase-3. Furthermore, endogenous levels of pro-caspase-3 were decreased by overexpression of SAG/ROC-SCFβ-TrCP E3 Ub ligases, but increased on siRNA silencing of SAG, regulator of cullin-1 (ROC1, or β-TrCPs, leading to increased apoptosis by etoposide and TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand through increased activation of caspase-3. Thus, pro-caspase-3 appears to be a substrate of SAG/ROC-SCFβ-TrCP E3 Ub ligase, which protects cells from apoptosis through increased apoptosis threshold by reducing the basal level of pro-caspase-3.

The Effects of Multi-Age Grouping on Young Children and Teacher Preparation.

Science.gov (United States)

Jensen, Melanie K.; Green, Virginia P.

1993-01-01

This literature review on the effects of multiage groupings (MAGs) in the primary grades supports their use and argues that children in MAGs perform as well academically as children in single-age groupings (SAGs) and develop better self-concept and school attitudes than children in SAGs. Expresses concerns over lack of training and support for…

Voltage Sag Mitigation and Load Reactive Power Compensation by UPQC

OpenAIRE

Ajitha, P; Jananisri, D

2014-01-01

This paper presents Unified Power Quality Conditioner(UPQC) that consist of series inverter and shunt inverter in back to back configuration which simultaneously compensate the power quality(PQ) problems of both voltage sag and load reactive power compensation . In this paper ,Neural network is tool which is considered for solving power quality problems. The simulation results from MATLAB/SIMULINK are discussed to validate the proposed method.

The rice OsSAG12-2 gene codes for a functional protease that ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

2016-07-11

Jul 11, 2016 ... Senescence is the final stage of plant development. Although ... Down-regulation of OsSAG12-1 in transgenic rice .... Plants were germinated on soil and grown for 15 days under normal conditions before taking photograph.

Evolution of depositional system and uraniferous characteristics of Damoguaihe formation in Kelulun sag

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Zhijie; Yu Xinghe; Zhang Chuanheng; Chen Zhankun

2005-01-01

Damoguaihe Formation, which is mainly of alluvial fan, fan delta and lacustrine depositional systems, is the target horizon for the prospecting of sandstone-type uranium deposit in Kelulun sag, Hailaer basin. According to the depositional environment and sediment characteristics, alluvial fan facies is subdivided into upper fan, middle fan and lower fan subfacies; the fan delta facies is subadivided into upper fan delta plain, lower fan delta plain, fan delta front and fan prodelta subfacies. At the northern edge of the sag occurred one fan delta and one alluvial fan, which can mutually transform one into another. The terrigenous coarse-grained clastic deposits in the study area provide favorable condition for the concentration of uranium and especially the main channels and distributary channels on the fan delta and alluvial fan are the most favorable sites for uranium concentration. (authors)

Influence of facial skin ageing characteristics on the perceived age in a Russian female population.

Science.gov (United States)

Merinville, E; Grennan, G Z; Gillbro, J M; Mathieu, J; Mavon, A

2015-10-01

The desire for a youthful look remains a powerful motivator in the purchase of cosmetics by women globally. To develop an anti-ageing solution that targets the need of end consumers, it is critical to understand which signs of ageing really matter to them and which influence their age perception. To date, such research has not been performed in a Russian population. The aim of this work was to identify the signs of ageing that contribute the most to an 'older' or 'younger' look for Russian women aged 40 years old and above. The age of 203 Russian female volunteers was estimated from their standard photographs by a total of 629 female naïve assessors aged 20-65 years old. Perceived age data were related to 23 facial skin features previously measured using linear correlation coefficients. Differences in average severity of the correlating skin ageing features were evaluated between women perceived older and women perceived younger than their chronological age. Volunteers' responses to a ranking question on their key ageing skin concerns previously collected were analysed to provide an additional view on facial ageing from the consumer perspective. Nine facial skin ageing features were found to correlate the most with perceived age out of the 23 measured. Such results showed the importance of wrinkles in the upper part of the face (crow's feet, glabellar, under eye and forehead wrinkles), but also wrinkles in the lower half of the face associated with facial sagging (upper lip, nasolabial fold). Sagging was confirmed of key importance to female volunteers aged 41-65 years old who were mostly concerned by the sagging of their jawline, ahead of under eye and crow's feet wrinkle. The severity of hyperpigmented spots, red and brown, was also found to contribute to perceived age although to a weaker extent. By providing a clear view on the signs of ageing really matter to Russian women who are aged 40 years old and above, this research offers key information for the

Control of hybrid fuel cell/energy storage distributed generation system against voltage sag

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hajizadeh, Amin; Golkar, Masoud Aliakbar [Electrical Engineering Department, K.N. Toosi University of Technology, Seyedkhandan, Dr. Shariati Ave, P.O. Box 16315-1355, Tehran (Iran)

2010-06-15

Fuel cell (FC) and energy storage (ES) based hybrid distributed power generation systems appear to be very promising for satisfying high energy and high power requirements of power quality problems in distributed generation (DG) systems. In this study, design of control strategy for hybrid fuel cell/energy storage distributed power generation system during voltage sag has been presented. The proposed control strategy allows hybrid distributed generation system works properly when a voltage disturbance occurs in distribution system and hybrid system stays connected to the main grid. Hence, modeling, controller design, and simulation study of a hybrid distributed generation system are investigated. The physical model of the fuel cell stack, energy storage and the models of power conditioning units are described. Then the control design methodology for each component of the hybrid system is proposed. Simulation results are given to show the overall system performance including active power control and voltage sag ride-through capability of the hybrid distributed generation system. (author)

Analysis the Transient Process of Wind Power Resources when there are Voltage Sags in Distribution Grid

Science.gov (United States)

Nhu Y, Do

2018-03-01

Vietnam has many advantages of wind power resources. Time by time there are more and more capacity as well as number of wind power project in Vietnam. Corresponding to the increase of wind power emitted into national grid, It is necessary to research and analyze in order to ensure the safety and reliability of win power connection. In national distribution grid, voltage sag occurs regularly, it can strongly influence on the operation of wind power. The most serious consequence is the disconnection. The paper presents the analysis of distribution grid's transient process when voltage is sagged. Base on the analysis, the solutions will be recommended to improve the reliability and effective operation of wind power resources.

Inrush Transient Current Analysis and Suppression of Photovoltaic Grid-Connected Inverters During Voltage Sag

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Li, Zhongyu; Zhao, Rende; Xin, Zhen

2016-01-01

The Inrush Transient Current (ITC) in the output of the photovoltaic grid-connected inverters is usually generated when grid voltage sag occurs, which can trigger the protection of the grid-connected inverters, and even destroy the semiconductor switches. Then, the grid-connected inverters...

Biological Mechanisms Underlying the Ultraviolet Radiation-Induced Formation of Skin Wrinkling and Sagging I: Reduced Skin Elasticity, Highly Associated with Enhanced Dermal Elastase Activity, Triggers Wrinkling and Sagging

Science.gov (United States)

Imokawa, Genji; Ishida, Koichi

2015-01-01

The repetitive exposure of skin to ultraviolet B (UVB) preferentially elicits wrinkling while ultraviolet A (UVA) predominantly elicits sagging. In chronically UVB or UVA-exposed rat skin there is a similar tortuous deformation of elastic fibers together with decreased skin elasticity, whose magnitudes are greater in UVB-exposed skin than in UVA-exposed skin. Comparison of skin elasticity with the activity of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) in the dermis of ovariectomized rats after UVB or UVA irradiation demonstrates that skin elasticity is more significantly decreased in ovariectomized rats than in sham-operated rats, which is accompanied by a reciprocal increase in elastase activity but not in the activities of collagenases I or IV. Clinical studies using animal skin and human facial skin demonstrated that topical treatment with a specific inhibitor or an inhibitory extract of skin fibroblast-derived elastase distinctly attenuates UVB and sunlight-induced formation of wrinkling. Our results strongly indicated that the upregulated activity of skin fibroblast-derived elastase plays a pivotal role in wrinkling and/or sagging of the skin via the impairment of elastic fiber configuration and the subsequent loss of skin elasticity. PMID:25856675

Mitigation of Unbalanced Voltage Sags and Voltage Unbalance in CIGRE Low Voltage Distribution Network

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mustafa, Ghullam; Bak-Jensen, Birgitte; Mahat, Pukar

2013-01-01

Any problem with voltage in a power network is undesirable as it aggravates the quality of the power. Power electronic devices such as Voltage Source Converter (VSC) based Static Synchronous Compensator (STATCOM) etc. can be used to mitigate the voltage problems in the distribution system...... to unbalanced faults. The compensation of unbalanced voltage sags and voltage unbalance in the CIGRE distribution network is done by using the four STATCOM compensators already existing in the test grid. The simulations are carried out in DIgSILENT power factory software version 15.0........ The voltage problems dealt with in this paper are to show how to mitigate unbalanced voltage sags and voltage unbalance in the CIGRE Low Voltage (LV) test network and net-works like this. The voltage unbalances, for the tested cases in the CIGRE LV test network are mainly due to single phase loads and due...

The account of sagging of wires at definition of specific potential factors of air High-Voltage Power Transmission Lines

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Suslov V.M.

2005-12-01

Full Text Available The opportunity approached is shown, but more exact as it is usually accepted, the account of sagging of wires at definition of specific potential factors air High-Voltage Power Transmission Lines. The technique of reception of analytical expressions is resulted. For an opportunity of comparison traditional expressions for specific potential factors are resulted also. Communication of the offered and traditional analytical expressions is shown. Offered analytical expressions are not difficult for programming on a personal computer of any class and besides they allow to make an estimation of an error of traditional expressions by means of parallel definition of specific potential factors by both ways.

Modelling of V-Hz and vector controlled ASDs in PSCAD/EMTDC for voltage sag studies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vegunta, S.C. [TNEI Services Ltd, Manchester M1 2PW (United Kingdom); Milanovic, J.V. [School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering of The University of Manchester, PO Box 88, Manchester M60 1QD (United Kingdom); Djokic, S.Z. [School of Engineering of The University of Edinburgh, The King' s Buildings, Mayfield Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JL (United Kingdom)

2010-01-15

This paper deals with modelling and performance of adjustable speed drives (ASDs) subjected to voltage disturbances in electric supply. The aim of this study was to develop appropriate models of typical ASD and investigate their sensitivity to voltage disturbances under various practical modes of operation and control. Accordingly, scalar controlled open and closed loop volts-hertz (V-Hz) and vector controlled closed loop ASDs are modelled in PSCAD/EMTDC environment, and their performance in the presence of voltage disturbances is investigated under typical operating and loading conditions. The drive sensitivity to three-phase, two-phase and single-phase voltage sags and short interruptions was assessed, and the findings are discussed in the paper. Depending on the type of drive control, type of voltage sag, applied load torque and adjusted speed, various sensitivity curves were established and analyzed. (author)

Delayed expression of SAGs correlates with longevity in CMS wheat plants compared to its fertile plants.

Science.gov (United States)

Semwal, Vimal Kumar; Singh, Bhupinder; Khanna-Chopra, Renu

2014-04-01

Reproductive sinks regulate monocarpic senescence in crop plants. Monocarpic senescence was studied in wheat fertile (cv. HW 2041) and its isonuclear cytoplasmic male sterile (CMS) line. CMS plants exhibited slower rate of senescence accompanied by longer green leaf area duration and slower deceleration in chlorophyll, protein content, PN and rubisco content coupled with lower protease activities than fertile (F) plants. CMS plants also exhibited lower ROS levels and less membrane damage than F plants. CMS plants maintained better antioxidant defense, less oxidative damage in chloroplast and higher transcript levels of both rbcL and rbcS genes during senescence than F plants. F plants exhibited early induction and higher expression of SAGs like serine and cysteine proteases, glutamine synthetases GS1 and GS2, WRKY53 transcription factor and decline in transcript levels of CAT1 and CAT2 genes than CMS plants. Hence, using genetically fertile and its CMS line of wheat it is confirmed that delayed senescence in the absence of reproductive sinks is linked with slower protein oxidation, rubisco degradation and delayed activation of SAGs. Better antioxidant defense in chloroplasts at later stages of senescence was able to mitigate the deleterious effects of ROS in CMS plants. We propose that delayed increase in ROS in cytoplasmic male sterile wheat plants resulted in delayed activation of WRKY53, SAGs and the associated biochemical changes than fertile plants.

A new analysis of Mars "Special Regions": findings of the second MEPAG Special Regions Science Analysis Group (SR-SAG2).

Science.gov (United States)

Rummel, John D; Beaty, David W; Jones, Melissa A; Bakermans, Corien; Barlow, Nadine G; Boston, Penelope J; Chevrier, Vincent F; Clark, Benton C; de Vera, Jean-Pierre P; Gough, Raina V; Hallsworth, John E; Head, James W; Hipkin, Victoria J; Kieft, Thomas L; McEwen, Alfred S; Mellon, Michael T; Mikucki, Jill A; Nicholson, Wayne L; Omelon, Christopher R; Peterson, Ronald; Roden, Eric E; Sherwood Lollar, Barbara; Tanaka, Kenneth L; Viola, Donna; Wray, James J

2014-11-01

A committee of the Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group (MEPAG) has reviewed and updated the description of Special Regions on Mars as places where terrestrial organisms might replicate (per the COSPAR Planetary Protection Policy). This review and update was conducted by an international team (SR-SAG2) drawn from both the biological science and Mars exploration communities, focused on understanding when and where Special Regions could occur. The study applied recently available data about martian environments and about terrestrial organisms, building on a previous analysis of Mars Special Regions (2006) undertaken by a similar team. Since then, a new body of highly relevant information has been generated from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (launched in 2005) and Phoenix (2007) and data from Mars Express and the twin Mars Exploration Rovers (all 2003). Results have also been gleaned from the Mars Science Laboratory (launched in 2011). In addition to Mars data, there is a considerable body of new data regarding the known environmental limits to life on Earth-including the potential for terrestrial microbial life to survive and replicate under martian environmental conditions. The SR-SAG2 analysis has included an examination of new Mars models relevant to natural environmental variation in water activity and temperature; a review and reconsideration of the current parameters used to define Special Regions; and updated maps and descriptions of the martian environments recommended for treatment as "Uncertain" or "Special" as natural features or those potentially formed by the influence of future landed spacecraft. Significant changes in our knowledge of the capabilities of terrestrial organisms and the existence of possibly habitable martian environments have led to a new appreciation of where Mars Special Regions may be identified and protected. The SR-SAG also considered the impact of Special Regions on potential future human missions to Mars, both as locations of

Semi-Active Control of Three-Dimensional Vibrations of an Inclined Sag Cable with Magnetorheological Dampers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhou, Q.; Nielsen, Søren R.K.; Qu, W. L.

2006-01-01

Three-dimensional semi-active vibration control of an inclined sag cable with discrete magnetorheological (MR) dampers is investigated in this paper using the finite difference method (FDM). A modified Dahl model is used to describe the dynamic property of MR damper. The nonlinear equations...

Control Method Stretches Suspensions by Measuring the Sag of Strands in Cable-Stayed Bridges

Science.gov (United States)

Bętkowski, Piotr

2017-10-01

In the article is described the method that allows on evaluation and validation of measurement correctness of dynamometers (strain gauges, tension meters) used in systems of suspensions. Control of monitoring devices such as dynamometers is recommended in inspections of suspension bridges. Control device (dynamometer) works with an anchor, and the degree of this cooperation could have a decisive impact on the correctness of the results. Method, which determines the stress in the strand (cable), depending on the sag of stayed cable, is described. This method can be used to control the accuracy of measuring devices directly on the bridge. By measuring the strand sag, it is possible to obtain information about the strength (force) which occurred in the suspension cable. Digital camera is used for the measurement of cable sag. Control measurement should be made independently from the controlled parameter but should verify this parameter directly (it is the best situation). In many cases in practice the controlled parameter is not designation by direct measurement, but the calculations, i.e. relation measured others parameters, as in the method described in the article. In such cases occurred the problem of overlapping error of measurement of intermediate parameters (data) and the evaluation of the reliability of the results. Method of control calculations made in relation to installed in the bridge measuring devices is doubtful without procedure of uncertainty estimation. Such an assessment of the accuracy can be performed using the interval numbers. With the interval numbers are possible the analysis of parametric relationship accuracy of the designation of individual parameters and uncertainty of results. Method of measurements, relations and analytical formulas, and numerical example can be found in the text of the article.

Can aging be programmed?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kowald, Axel; Kirkwood, Thomas B. L.

2016-01-01

The evolution of the aging process has long been a biological riddle, because it is difficult to explain the evolution of a trait that has apparently no benefit to the individual. Over 60 years ago, Medawar realized that the force of natural selection declines with chronological age because...... of unavoidable environmental risks. This forms the basis of the mainstream view that aging arises as a consequence of a declining selection pressure to maintain the physiological functioning of living beings forever. Over recent years, however, a number of articles have appeared that nevertheless propose...... the existence of specific aging genes; that is, that the aging process is genetically programmed. If this view were correct, it would have serious implications for experiments to understand and postpone aging. Therefore, we studied in detail various specific proposals why aging should be programmed. We find...

NPP Krsko Aging Management Program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Glaser, B.; Spiler, J.

2002-01-01

As a part of Periodic Safety Review Program (PSR) NEK will review and perform some activities related to Equipment Qualification (EQ) and Aging Management Program (AMP). (EQ) and AMP are safety factors, which need to be assessed during PSR. The goal of PSR and AMP is to determine aging effects and give the conclusion whether the plant has been managed to control aging related degradations and that safety margins are maintained. The parallel goal is also to establish AMP for future plant operation and provide basis for possible Life Extension Program. NEK will develop NEK Aging and Life Cycle Management Program, similar by format and content to one determined by License Renewal program. The bases are in 10CFR54, and NEI 95-10 Industry Guidelines for 10 CFR 54 implementation. The process of establishment the AMP is to be done in two steps. The first step is dealing with SSC's (Systems Structures and Components) scoping and screening and identification of TLAA's (Time Limited Aging Analyses). That means, that a database of all SSC's and TLAA's will be created and then evaluated within AMP program. Based on the scope in first phase an evaluation will be performed in step two. NEK will maintain AMP program as a living program that may be also used for Life Extension and Life Cycle Management. This paper will present and describe AMP, scoping and screening process and the results achieved through the first phase of the project.(author)

Cytokine Gene Expression in Response to SnSAG1 in Horses with Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis

Science.gov (United States)

Spencer, Jennifer A.; Deinnocentes, Patricia; Moyana, Edith M.; Guarino, Anthony J.; Ellison, Siobhan E.; Bird, R. Curtis; Blagburn, Byron L.

2005-01-01

Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) is a neurologic syndrome seen in horses from the Americas and is mainly caused by Sarcocystis neurona. Recently, a 29-kDa surface antigen from S. neurona merozoites was identified as being highly immunodominant on a Western blot. This antigen has been sequenced and cloned, and the expressed protein has been named SnSAG1. In a previous study, cell-mediated immune responses to SnSAG1 were shown to be statistically significantly reduced in horses with EPM in comparison to EPM-negative control horses. It therefore appears as though the parasite is able to induce immunosuppression towards parasite-derived antigens as parasite-specific responses are decreased. Isolated peripheral blood lymphocytes from 21 EPM (cerebrospinal fluid [CSF] Western blot)-negative horses with no clinical signs and 21 horses with clinical signs of EPM (CSF Western blot positive) were cocultured with SnSAG1 for 48 and 72 h, and the effect on cytokine production was investigated by means of reverse transcriptase PCR. Cytokines assayed include gamma interferon (IFN-γ), tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin (IL)-2, IL-4, and IL-6. β-Actin was used as the housekeeping gene. A Wilcoxon signed-rank test of the findings indicated that there was a statistically significant decrease in IFN-γ production after 48 h in culture for samples from horses with clinical disease. There was also a statistically significant increase in IL-4 production after 72 h in culture for samples from horses with EPM. These results further support the notion that this parasite is able to subvert the immune system in horses with clinical disease. PMID:15879026

The bacteria binding glycoprotein salivary agglutinin (SAG/gp340) activates complement via the lectin pathway

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Leito, Jelani T. D.; Ligtenberg, Antoon J. M.; van Houdt, Michel; van den Berg, Timo K.; Wouters, Diana

2011-01-01

Salivary agglutinin (SAG), also known as gp-340 and Deleted in Malignant Brain Tumours 1, is a glycoprotein that is present in tears, lung fluid and mucosal surfaces along the gastrointestinal tract. It is encoded by the Deleted in Malignant Brain Tumours 1 gene, a member of the Scavenger Receptor

An Enhanced LVRT Scheme for DFIG-based WECSs under Both Balanced and Unbalanced Grid Voltage Sags

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mohammadi, Jafar; Afsharnia, Saeed; Ebrahimzadeh, Esmaeil

2017-01-01

reactive power into the grid. The passive compensator is based on a three-phase stator damping resistor (SDR) located in series with the stator windings. The proposed scheme decreases the negative effects of grid voltage sags in the DFIG system including the rotor over-currents, electromagnetic torque...

Comparison of the effects of SAG-M and whole-blood transfusions on postoperative suppression of delayed hypersensitivity

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Hans Jørgen; Hammer, J H; Moesgaard, F

1991-01-01

The influence of perioperative whole-blood transfusion and transfusion with erythrocyte suspension (SAG-M blood) on postoperative depression of cell-mediated immunity (CMI) was investigated in 67 patients who underwent elective resection for colorectal cancer. Cell-mediated immunity was assessed...

Acute viral hepatitis in adults. Comparison of the radioimmunoassay and counterimmunoelectrophoresis methods of detecting HB/sub s/Ag

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wenzel, R.P.; Teates, C.D.; Galapon, Q.; Barczak, R.; Ling, C.M.; Overby, L.R.

1975-01-01

The radioimmunoassay (RIA) and counterimmunoelectrophoretic (CIE) methods were compared in detecting hepatitis B antigen (HB/sub s/Ag) in 407 acute and 336 convalescent sera of adults with viral hepatitis. The CIE method demonstrated that 41 percent of acute and 28 percent of 14- to 17-day serum specimens were HB/sub s/Ag-positive. The RIA method demonstrated seropositivity in 60 percent of acute and 56 percent of convalescent specimens (P less than .001). Eighty-four percent of coded specimens initially positive for HB/sub s/Ag by RIA were found to have subtype antigenic determinants d or y; 92 percent of the HB/sub s/Ag-negative controls were negative for subtype antigens, confirming the specificity of the RIA test. RIA subtyping data corroborated earlier work with immunodiffusion techniques. (U.S.)

Nuclear plant aging research program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eissenberg, D.M.

1987-01-01

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research, has established the Nuclear Plant Aging Research (NPAR) program in its Division of Engineering Technology. Principal contractors for this program include Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, and Pacific Northwest Laboratory. The program goals are: to identify and characterize time-dependent degradation (aging) of nuclear plant safety-related electrical and mechanical components which could lead to loss of safety function; to identify and recommend methods for detecting and trending aging effects prior to loss of safety function so that timely maintenance can be implemented; and to recommend maintenance practices for mitigating the effects of aging. Research activities include prioritization of system and component aging in nuclear plants, characterization of aging degradation of specific components including identification of functional indicators useful for trending degradation, and testing of practical methods and devices for measuring the functional indicators. Aging assessments have been completed on electric motors, snubbers, motor-operated valves, and check valves. Testing of trending methods and devices for motor-operated valves and check valves is in progress

Active Aging Promotion: Results from the Vital Aging Program

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mariagiovanna Caprara

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Active aging is one of the terms in the semantic network of aging well, together with others such as successful, productive, competent aging. All allude to the new paradigm in gerontology, whereby aging is considered from a positive perspective. Most authors in the field agree active aging is a multidimensional concept, embracing health, physical and cognitive fitness, positive affect and control, social relationships and engagement. This paper describes Vital Aging, an individual active aging promotion program implemented through three modalities: Life, Multimedia, and e-Learning. The program was developed on the basis of extensive evidence about individual determinants of active aging. The different versions of Vital Aging are described, and four evaluation studies (both formative and summative are reported. Formative evaluation reflected participants’ satisfaction and expected changes; summative evaluations yielded some quite encouraging results using quasi-experimental designs: those who took part in the programs increased their physical exercise, significantly improved their diet, reported better memory, had better emotional balance, and enjoyed more cultural, intellectual, affective, and social activities than they did before the course, thus increasing their social relationships. These results are discussed in the context of the common literature within the field and, also, taking into account the limitations of the evaluations accomplished.

Active aging promotion: results from the vital aging program.

Science.gov (United States)

Caprara, Mariagiovanna; Molina, María Ángeles; Schettini, Rocío; Santacreu, Marta; Orosa, Teresa; Mendoza-Núñez, Víctor Manuel; Rojas, Macarena; Fernández-Ballesteros, Rocío

2013-01-01

Active aging is one of the terms in the semantic network of aging well, together with others such as successful, productive, competent aging. All allude to the new paradigm in gerontology, whereby aging is considered from a positive perspective. Most authors in the field agree active aging is a multidimensional concept, embracing health, physical and cognitive fitness, positive affect and control, social relationships and engagement. This paper describes Vital Aging, an individual active aging promotion program implemented through three modalities: Life, Multimedia, and e-Learning. The program was developed on the basis of extensive evidence about individual determinants of active aging. The different versions of Vital Aging are described, and four evaluation studies (both formative and summative) are reported. Formative evaluation reflected participants' satisfaction and expected changes; summative evaluations yielded some quite encouraging results using quasi-experimental designs: those who took part in the programs increased their physical exercise, significantly improved their diet, reported better memory, had better emotional balance, and enjoyed more cultural, intellectual, affective, and social activities than they did before the course, thus increasing their social relationships. These results are discussed in the context of the common literature within the field and, also, taking into account the limitations of the evaluations accomplished.

A sagging along the eastern Chianti Mts., Italy

Science.gov (United States)

Coltorti, M.; Ravani, S.; Cornamusini, G.; Ielpi, A.; Verrazzani, F.

2009-11-01

A deep-seated gravitational slope deformation (DGSD) affects the eastern side of the Chianti Mts. Ridge. It develops in an N-S to NW-SE direction and is > 10 km wide and 3-4 km long. This area corresponds to the eastern side of a main antiform, characterised by east-verging folds and thrusts involving bedrock of the Mesozoic-Paleogene Tuscan Units, particularly sandstones containing interlayered highly fractured and deformed Ligurian rocks (shales and limestones with olistostromes). The foot of the slope is characterised by tilted Plio-Pleistocene deposits unconformably sealing the bedrock structures as folds, thrusts and faults. The most significant morphological features are a main escarpment, trenches, several secondary and counter-slope escarpments that together indicate large-scale gravitational phenomena. The main escarpment is responsible for the headward retreat of the slope, and is deeply segmented by numerous arcuate niches that reveal differential movements of single blocks. The DGSD is also dissected by SW-NE trending streams that often deepen inside the N-S trenches. Minor landslides due to local instability are also present. At the foot of the slope, the older continental Pliocene deposits of the Upper Valdarno Basin crop out. Although tilted by tectonic movements, the deposits have not been severely affected by gravitational deformations. This indicates that the movement is a typical sagging, a large landslide at an embryonic stage, affecting the upper part of the slope but not reaching the valley bottom. The deformations are absorbed in the rock mass which is also partially drained by stream incision that prevents high pore pressure. The occurrence of down-slope and down-movement facing escarpments and up-slope and up-movement facing counter-slope escarpments indicate a sagging characterised by a listric spoon-shaped geometry. The DGSD has a style similar to crustal extensional tectonics such as Morton and Black's crustal attenuation model. Although

Analysis of changes in sagging type ST-T segment induced by exercise. Assessment of regional myocardial blood flow using quantitative 13NH3 positron emission tomography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Watanabe, Takuya; Akutsu, Yasushi; Okazaki, Osamu

1995-01-01

Regional myocardial blood flow (RMBF) associated with exercise-induced ST depression was assessed using 13 NH 3 positron emission tomography (PET) to determine the significance of horizontal and sagging type ST segments. The subjects were 25 patients with angina pectoris, 25 patients with myocardial infarction, and 5 healthy male volunteers. Eleven regions of interests (ROI) were prepared to calculate RMBF. ST segments were unchanged in 27 patients (Group A) and were depressed in 23 patients (Group B). A 10% increase in RMBF was significantly observed in Group A (74.1%) than Group B (34.8%). In Group B, ST depression was divided into horizontal type (8 patients) and sagging type (15 patients). According to the type of ST depression, RMBF was increased by 10% or more in 50% (4/8) for horizontal type and in 26.7% (4/15) for sagging type. These findings suggested that unfavorable increase in RMBF in stenosiss-related coronary vessels may contribute to the development of ST depression induced by exercise. A constant increase in RMBF in all ROIs, including those with unfavorable RMBF increase, may be involved in the occurrence of horizontal type ST depression; sagging type ST depression may, however, occur by an increased difference in blood flow between unfavorable and favorable RMBF. (N.K.)

Characterizing Facial Skin Ageing in Humans: Disentangling Extrinsic from Intrinsic Biological Phenomena

Science.gov (United States)

Trojahn, Carina; Dobos, Gabor; Lichterfeld, Andrea; Blume-Peytavi, Ulrike; Kottner, Jan

2015-01-01

Facial skin ageing is caused by intrinsic and extrinsic mechanisms. Intrinsic ageing is highly related to chronological age. Age related skin changes can be measured using clinical and biophysical methods. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether and how clinical characteristics and biophysical parameters are associated with each other with and without adjustment for chronological age. Twenty-four female subjects of three age groups were enrolled. Clinical assessments (global facial skin ageing, wrinkling, and sagging), and biophysical measurements (roughness, colour, skin elasticity, and barrier function) were conducted at both upper cheeks. Pearson's correlations and linear regression models adjusted for age were calculated. Most of the measured parameters were correlated with chronological age (e.g., association with wrinkle score, r = 0.901) and with each other (e.g., residual skin deformation and wrinkle score, r = 0.606). After statistical adjustment for age, only few associations remained (e.g., mean roughness (R z) and luminance (L *),  β = −0.507, R 2 = 0.377). Chronological age as surrogate marker for intrinsic ageing has the most important influence on most facial skin ageing signs. Changes in skin elasticity, wrinkling, sagging, and yellowness seem to be caused by additional extrinsic ageing. PMID:25767806

Characterizing Facial Skin Ageing in Humans: Disentangling Extrinsic from Intrinsic Biological Phenomena

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carina Trojahn

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Facial skin ageing is caused by intrinsic and extrinsic mechanisms. Intrinsic ageing is highly related to chronological age. Age related skin changes can be measured using clinical and biophysical methods. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether and how clinical characteristics and biophysical parameters are associated with each other with and without adjustment for chronological age. Twenty-four female subjects of three age groups were enrolled. Clinical assessments (global facial skin ageing, wrinkling, and sagging, and biophysical measurements (roughness, colour, skin elasticity, and barrier function were conducted at both upper cheeks. Pearson’s correlations and linear regression models adjusted for age were calculated. Most of the measured parameters were correlated with chronological age (e.g., association with wrinkle score, r=0.901 and with each other (e.g., residual skin deformation and wrinkle score, r=0.606. After statistical adjustment for age, only few associations remained (e.g., mean roughness (Rz and luminance (L*,  β=-0.507, R2=0.377. Chronological age as surrogate marker for intrinsic ageing has the most important influence on most facial skin ageing signs. Changes in skin elasticity, wrinkling, sagging, and yellowness seem to be caused by additional extrinsic ageing.

METODOLOGÍA GENERAL PARA CORRELACIONAR SAGS CON EVENTOS AMBIENTALES U OPERATIVOS DEL SISTEMA DE DISTRIBUCIÓN

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alejandro Castillo Guasca

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Es de gran importancia conocer cuáles son las causas  para que se presenten sags en las barrajes de distribución, debido a que la afectación sobre los clientes industriales es de carácter relevante. Por esta razón se planteó  una metodología para buscar la correlación existente entre sags y los eventos ambientales u operativos del sistema de distribución. A manera de ejemplo, se aplicó en tres subestaciones, las cuales se encuentran ubicadas en diferentes sectores de la ciudad. Para el desarrollo de esta metodología, se realizó la correlación de los datos mediante la implementación de tablas dinámicas y programación en Access, donde se evidenció qué tipo de eventos son los que tienen un mayor impacto sobre los clientes. De acuerdo a los resultados obtenidos se sugiere algunas recomendaciones para mitigar este tipo de eventos en el sistema de distribución.

Timing of Hydrocarbon Fluid Emplacement in Sandstone Reservoirs in Neogene in Huizhou Sag, Southern China Sea, by Authigenic Illite 40Ar- 39Ar Laser Stepwise Heating

Science.gov (United States)

Hesheng, Shi; Junzhang, Zhu; Huaning, Qiu; yu, Shu; Jianyao, Wu; Zulie, Long

Timing of oil or gas emplacements is a new subject in isotopic geochronology and petroleum geology. Hamilton et al. expounded the principle of the illite K-Ar age: Illite is often the last or one of the latest mineral cements to form prior to hydrocarbon accumulation. Since the displacement of formation water by hydrocarbons will cause silicate diagenesis to cease, K-Ar ages for illite will constrain the timing of this event, and also constrain the maximum age of formation of the trap structure. In this study, the possibility of authigenic illites 40Ar- 39Ar dating has been investigated. The illite samples were separated from the Tertiary sandstones in three rich oil reservoir belts within the Huizhou sag by cleaning, fracturing by cycled cooling-heating, soxhlet-extraction with solvents of benzene and methanol and separating with centrifugal machine. If oil is present in the separated samples, ionized organic fragments with m/e ratios of 36 to 40 covering the argon isotopes will be yielded by the ion source of a mass spectrometer, resulting in wrong argon isotopic analyses and wrong 40Ar- 39Ar ages. The preliminary experiments of illite by heating did show the presence of ionized organic fragments with m/e ratios of 36 to 44. In order to clean up the organic gases completely and obtain reliable analysis results, a special purification apparatus has been established by Qiu et al. and proved valid by the sequent illite analyses. All the illite samples by 40Ar- 39Ar IR-laser stepwise heating yield stair-up age spectra in lower laser steps and plateaux in higher laser steps. The youngest apparent ages corresponding to the beginning steps are reasonable to be interpreted for the hydrocarbon accumulation ages. The weighted mean ages of the illites from the Zhuhai and Zhujiang Formations are (12.1 ± 1.1) Ma and (9.9 ± 1.2) Ma, respectively. Therefore, the critical emplacement of petroleum accumulation in Zhujiang Formation in Huizhou sag took place in ca 10 Ma. Late

Performance Improvement of DFIG Wind Turbine Using Series Grid-Side Converter under Unbalanced Grid Voltage and Voltage Sag Conditions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Shokri, Yunes; Ebrahimzadeh, Esmaeil; Lesani, Hamid

2014-01-01

under unbalanced grid voltage and small voltage sag conditions without needing additional DC link capacitor or energy storage unlike other methods. The control system includes negative and positive sequence controllers which make the stator voltage balanced and keep it constant at the nominal value...

A data base for aging of structural materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oland, C.B.; Naus, D.J.; Jerath, S.

1993-01-01

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC) initiated a Structural Aging (SAG) Program at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The objective of the program is to provide assistance in identifying potential structural safety issues and to establish acceptance criteria for use in nuclear power plant evaluations for continued service. One of the main parts of the program focuses on the development of a Structural Materials Information Center where long-term and environment-dependent material properties are being collected and assembled into a data base. This data base is presented in two complementary formats. The Structural Materials Handbook is an expandable, hard-copy reference document that contains the complete data base for each material. The Structural Materials Electronic Data Base is accessible using an IBM-compatible personal computer. This paper presents an overview of the Structural Materials Information Center and briefly describes the features of the handbook and the electronic data base. In addition, a proposed method for using the data base to establish current property values for materials in existing concrete structures and to estimate the future performance of these materials is also presented. (author)

Episodic normal faulting and magmatism during the syn-spreading stage of the Baiyun sag in Pearl River Mouth Basin: response to the multi-phase seafloor spreading of the South China Sea

Science.gov (United States)

Deng, Peng; Mei, Lianfu; Liu, Jun; Zheng, Jinyun; Liu, Minghui; Cheng, Zijie; Guo, Fengtai

2018-03-01

Considerable post-breakup extensional deformation is recorded in the continental margins of the South China Sea (SCS). To recognize the nature and origin of the significant deformation during the syn-spreading stage (32-15.5 Ma) in the SCS, we comprehensively analyzed the geometry and kinematics of the faults and contemporaneous magmas in the Baiyun sag, northern margin of the SCS, using high-resolution regional three-dimensional seismic data. The kinematic analyses indicate that the faults in the Baiyun sag are recently formed following the onset of seafloor spreading in the SCS. The faults exhibit multiple episodes of growth history, with three active episodes, 32-29, 23.8-21 and 18.5-16.5 Ma, separated by periods of inactivity. Four volcanic groups comprising 98 volcanic mounds have been identified and described, located separately in the northwestern, the central, the southeastern and the northern slope areas. The occurrence of multiple palaeo-seafloors, complemented by the biostratigraphic and K-Ar dating data, reveals multiple extrusive events of the syn-spreading magmas in the Baiyun sag, with three active periods of 23.8-21, 18.5-17.5 and 17.5-16.5 Ma. This study confirms that the normal faulting has a shared genetic origin with the contemporaneous magmatism during the syn-spreading stage in the deep-offshore Baiyun sag, northern margin of the SCS. The episodic fault growth and magmatic extrusive events reveal that the Baiyun sag has undergone at least three episodic tectonic events during the syn-spreading stage, which evolved in response to the multi-stage seafloor spreading of the SCS.

Thermal-history reconstruction of the Baiyun Sag in the deep-water area of the Pearl River Mouth Basin, northern South China Sea

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, Xiaoyin; Yang, Shuchun; Hu, Shengbiao

2017-11-01

The Baiyun Sag, located in the deep-water area of the northern South China Sea, is the largest and deepest subbasin in the Pearl River Mouth Basin and one of the most important hydrocarbon-accumulation depression areas in China. Thermal history is widely thought to be of great importance in oil and gas potential assessment of a basin as it controls the timing of hydrocarbon generation and expulsion from the source rock. In order to unravel the paleo-heat flow of the Baiyun Sag, we first analyzed tectonic subsidence of 55 pseudo-wells constructed based on newly interpreted seismic profiles, along with three drilled wells. We then carried out thermal modeling using the multi-stage finite stretching method and calibrated the results using collected present-day vitrinite reflectance data and temperature data. Results indicate that the first and second heating of the Baiyun Sag after 49 Ma ceased at 33.9 Ma and 23 Ma. Reconstructed average basal paleoheat flow values at the end of the rifting periods are 57.7-86.2 mW/m2 and 66.7-97.3 mW/m2, respectively. Following the last heating period at 23 Ma, the study area has undergone a persistent thermal attenuation phase, and basal heat flow has cooled down to 64.0-79.2 mW/m2 at present.

A data base for aging of structural materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oland, C.B.; Naus, D.J.; Jerath, S.

1993-01-01

USNRC initiated a Structural Aging (SAG) Program ORNL. The objective of the program is to provide assistance in identifying potential structural safety issues and to establish acceptance criteria for use in nuclear power plant evaluations for continued service. One main part focuses on the development of a Structural Materials Information Center where long-term and environment-dependent material properties are being collected and assembled into a data base. This data base is presented in two complementary formats. The Structural Materials Handbook is an expandable, hard-copy reference document that contains the complete data base for each material. The Structural Materials Electronic Data Base is accessible using an IBM-compatible personal computer. This paper presents an overview of the Structural Materials Information Center and briefly describes the features of the handbook and the electronic data base. In addition, a proposed method for using the data base to establish current property values for materials in existing concrete structures and to estimate the future performance of these materials is also presented

Ethnography of a Sustainable Agriculture Program: A Case Study of a Social Movement's Inception and Growth on a University Campus

Science.gov (United States)

Triana, Benjamin

2016-01-01

This ethnography documents how the message of sustainability was interpreted and communicated through a sustainable agricultural (SAG) program at an American higher education institution. The ethnography documents the evolution of the program as the program tackled obstacles and accomplished its goals during the initial phases of the program's…

Avaliação do antígeno SAG2a recombinante de Toxoplasma gondii como um potencial marcador diagnóstico para Toxoplasmose humana aguda

OpenAIRE

Béla, Samantha Ribeiro

2007-01-01

Proteínas recombinantes têm sido utilizadas para o diagnóstico sorológico da infecção por Toxoplasma gondii para diferenciar entre as fases aguda e crônica da toxoplasmose. Neste estudo, foi avaliada a reatividade de anticorpos IgG e IgG1 através de imunoensaios em soros de pacientes com toxoplasmose aguda e crônica dirigidos contra dois antígenos recombinantes clonados e expressos em E. coli, SAG2A (molécula recombinante total) e SAG2A(DELTA) (molécula recombinante deletada do...

Sagging Eye Syndrome or Nemaline Rod Myopathy? Divergence Insufficiency with Levator Dehiscence as an Overlapping Symptom between Two Diagnoses

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Stephanie S. L. Cheung

2017-01-01

Full Text Available A 78-year-old woman complained of gradual, painless onset of horizontal binocular diplopia associated with progressive axial weakness. Physical examination revealed esotropia that was greater at distance than at near vision, bilateral levator dehiscence, and normal abducting saccadic speeds. Given the age of the patient and compatible clinical findings, the diagnosis of Sagging Eye Syndrome (SES was made. However, further work-up with a muscle biopsy suggested Sporadic Late-Onset Nemaline Myopathy (SLONM as the cause of her progressive muscle weakness. Although rare, external ophthalmoplegia has been described in the literature as a presenting symptom in SLONM. To elucidate the pathological mechanism for the patient’s diplopia, an MRI of the orbits was performed, which revealed findings consistent with SES. This case aims to highlight the importance of integrating clinical findings during the diagnostic process and serves as a reminder that diplopia can be a common symptom for an uncommon diagnosis.

Nuclear Plant Aging Research (NPAR) program plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1991-06-01

A comprehensive Nuclear Plant Aging Research (NPAR) Program was implemented by the US NRC office of Nuclear Regulatory Research in 1985 to identify and resolve technical safety issues related to the aging of systems, structures, and components in operating nuclear power plants. This is Revision 2 to the Nuclear Plant Aging Research Program Plant. This planes defines the goals of the program the current status of research, and summarizes utilization of the research results in the regulatory process. The plan also describes major milestones and schedules for coordinating research within the agency and with organizations and institutions outside the agency, both domestic and foreign. Currently the NPAR Program comprises seven major areas: (1) hardware-oriented engineering research involving components and structures; (2) system-oriented aging interaction studies; (3) development of technical bases for license renewal rulemaking; (4) determining risk significance of aging phenomena; (5) development of technical bases for resolving generic safety issues; (6) recommendations for field inspection and maintenance addressing aging concerns; (7) and residual lifetime evaluations of major LWR components and structures. The NPAR technical database comprises approximately 100 NUREG/CR reports by June 1991, plus numerous published papers and proceedings that offer regulators and industry important insights to aging characteristics and aging management of safety-related equipment. Regulatory applications include revisions to and development of regulatory guides and technical specifications; support to resolve generic safety issues; development of codes and standards; evaluation of diagnostic techniques; (e.g., for cables and valves); and technical support for development of the license renewal rule. 80 refs., 25 figs., 10 tabs

The Mars Astrobiology Explorer-Cacher (MAX-C): a potential rover mission for 2018. Final report of the Mars Mid-Range Rover Science Analysis Group (MRR-SAG) October 14, 2009.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-03-01

This report documents the work of the Mid-Range Rover Science Analysis Group (MRR-SAG), which was assigned to formulate a concept for a potential rover mission that could be launched to Mars in 2018. Based on programmatic and engineering considerations as of April 2009, our deliberations assumed that the potential mission would use the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) sky-crane landing system and include a single solar-powered rover. The mission would also have a targeting accuracy of approximately 7 km (semimajor axis landing ellipse), a mobility range of at least 10 km, and a lifetime on the martian surface of at least 1 Earth year. An additional key consideration, given recently declining budgets and cost growth issues with MSL, is that the proposed rover must have lower cost and cost risk than those of MSL--this is an essential consideration for the Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group (MEPAG). The MRR-SAG was asked to formulate a mission concept that would address two general objectives: (1) conduct high priority in situ science and (2) make concrete steps toward the potential return of samples to Earth. The proposed means of achieving these two goals while balancing the trade-offs between them are described here in detail. We propose the name Mars Astrobiology Explorer-Cacher(MAX-C) to reflect the dual purpose of this potential 2018 rover mission.

Subsidence transition during the post-rift stage of the Dongpu Sag, Bohai Bay Basin, NE China: A new geodynamic model

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Han; Wang, Xin-Wen; Yan, Dan-Ping; Qiu, Liang

2018-06-01

The Dongpu Sag, located in the Bohai Bay Basin, NE China, is a Cenozoic continental rift basin. The post-rift evolution of the Dongpu Sag is associated with the development of petroleum reservoirs and has implications for Neogene-Quaternary basin evolution along the eastern margin of Eurasia. To determine the nature and origin of post-rift subsidence in the Dongpu Sag, we apply backstripping, modified strain-rate inversion, and revised finite extension modelling techniques, using data from 14 real and synthetic wells that are intersected by three seismic lines. Our results reveal discrepancies by subsidence based on backstripping of well data (the observed subsidence) minus that predicted by modified strain-rate inversion and revised finite extension modelling (the predicted subsidence). During the Miocene, the observed subsidence was smaller than the predicted subsidence, leaving negative discrepancies referred to here as "insufficient subsidence" ranging from -343 to -96 m. In contrast, during the Pliocene-Quaternary the observed subsidence was greater than the predicted subsidence by +123 to +407 m, which left positive discrepancies referred to as "over-sufficient subsidence". Therefore, we infer a transition from insufficient to over-sufficient subsidence during the post-rift stage. Normal faulting that started at ca. 5.3 Ma is estimated to have produced only ∼20% of the over-sufficient subsidence. Therefore, the remaining over-sufficient subsidence, as well as the preceding insufficient subsidence and the transition between the two, were likely controlled by lithosphere processes. We propose a new tectonic model in which variations in the conditions (e.g. rate, direction, and angle) associated with subduction of the Pacific plate resulted in a change of heat flow decreasing from a linear to a curvilinear pattern, leading to a transition from insufficient to over-sufficient subsidence.

Effectiveness of the Vital Aging program to promote active aging in Mexican older adults

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mendoza-Ruvalcaba NM

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Neyda Ma Mendoza-Ruvalcaba,1 Rocío Fernández-Ballesteros2 1Health Sciences Department, University of Guadalajara, University Center of Tonalá, Tonalá, Jalisco, Mexico; 2Department of Biological and Health Psychology, Autonomous University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain Introduction: Aging is not only a population phenomenon but also an experience and an individual reality. Vital Aging® is a program that considers active aging as the lifelong adaptation process of maximizing health and independence, physical and cognitive functioning, positive affect regulation and control, and social engagement. Through its different versions and editions, it has demonstrated being an effective program to promote active aging. The aim of this study is to determine the effectiveness of the “face-to-face” and “combined” versions of the program to promote active aging in Mexican older adults trial. Methods: Seventy-six older adults aged 60 years and over participated in a quasi-experimental study and were recruited in a senior center to participate in the two experimental conditions: Vital Aging face-to-face (VA-FF (n=35 and Vital Aging combined (VA-C; multimedia/face-to-face (n=15, and the remaining 26 adults were assigned to a control group. Pretest and posttest assessments were performed after the theoretical–practical intervention. Mean differences and size effects were calculated for estimating the effect of the program. Results: At the end of the study, participants showed improvements in the active aging outcome measures. Positive effects were observed in the frequency of intellectual, cultural – artistic, and social activities, perceptions of aging, satisfaction with social relationships, and self-efficacy for aging. Additionally, those who participated in VA-FF showed better memory performance, meta-memory, and a trend to report less memory problems, while older persons in VA-C showed a trend to have better life satisfaction. No effects were

Effectiveness of the Vital Aging program to promote active aging in Mexican older adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Mendoza-Ruvalcaba, Neyda Ma; Fernández-Ballesteros, Rocío

2016-01-01

Aging is not only a population phenomenon but also an experience and an individual reality. Vital Aging ® is a program that considers active aging as the lifelong adaptation process of maximizing health and independence, physical and cognitive functioning, positive affect regulation and control, and social engagement. Through its different versions and editions, it has demonstrated being an effective program to promote active aging. The aim of this study is to determine the effectiveness of the "face-to-face" and "combined" versions of the program to promote active aging in Mexican older adults trial. Seventy-six older adults aged 60 years and over participated in a quasi-experimental study and were recruited in a senior center to participate in the two experimental conditions: Vital Aging face-to-face (VA-FF) (n=35) and Vital Aging combined (VA-C; multimedia/face-to-face) (n=15), and the remaining 26 adults were assigned to a control group. Pretest and posttest assessments were performed after the theoretical-practical intervention. Mean differences and size effects were calculated for estimating the effect of the program. At the end of the study, participants showed improvements in the active aging outcome measures. Positive effects were observed in the frequency of intellectual, cultural - artistic, and social activities, perceptions of aging, satisfaction with social relationships, and self-efficacy for aging. Additionally, those who participated in VA-FF showed better memory performance, meta-memory, and a trend to report less memory problems, while older persons in VA-C showed a trend to have better life satisfaction. No effects were observed in physical activity, frequency of social relationships, and subjective health. Findings show that the Vital Aging program in face-to-face and combined versions encourages active aging in Mexican older persons. These results are in general similar to those found in editions performed in Spain, revealing its consistency

Effectiveness of the Vital Aging program to promote active aging in Mexican older adults

Science.gov (United States)

Mendoza-Ruvalcaba, Neyda Ma; Fernández-Ballesteros, Rocío

2016-01-01

Introduction Aging is not only a population phenomenon but also an experience and an individual reality. Vital Aging® is a program that considers active aging as the lifelong adaptation process of maximizing health and independence, physical and cognitive functioning, positive affect regulation and control, and social engagement. Through its different versions and editions, it has demonstrated being an effective program to promote active aging. The aim of this study is to determine the effectiveness of the “face-to-face” and “combined” versions of the program to promote active aging in Mexican older adults trial. Methods Seventy-six older adults aged 60 years and over participated in a quasi-experimental study and were recruited in a senior center to participate in the two experimental conditions: Vital Aging face-to-face (VA-FF) (n=35) and Vital Aging combined (VA-C; multimedia/face-to-face) (n=15), and the remaining 26 adults were assigned to a control group. Pretest and posttest assessments were performed after the theoretical–practical intervention. Mean differences and size effects were calculated for estimating the effect of the program. Results At the end of the study, participants showed improvements in the active aging outcome measures. Positive effects were observed in the frequency of intellectual, cultural – artistic, and social activities, perceptions of aging, satisfaction with social relationships, and self-efficacy for aging. Additionally, those who participated in VA-FF showed better memory performance, meta-memory, and a trend to report less memory problems, while older persons in VA-C showed a trend to have better life satisfaction. No effects were observed in physical activity, frequency of social relationships, and subjective health. Conclusion Findings show that the Vital Aging program in face-to-face and combined versions encourages active aging in Mexican older persons. These results are in general similar to those found in

Diagnostic value of a Rec-ELISA using Toxoplasma gondii recombinant SporoSAG, BAG1, and GRA1 proteins in murine models infected orally with tissue cysts and oocysts.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mert Döşkaya

Full Text Available Toxoplasma gondii causes congenital toxoplasmosis in newborns resulting with fetal anomalies. Determining the initiation time of infection is very important for pregnant women and current serological assays have drawbacks in distinguishing the recently acute toxoplasmosis. Diagnosis of recently acute infection may be improved by using stage specific antigens in serological assays. In the present study, the diagnostic value of sporozoite specific SporoSAG, bradyzoite specific BAG1 proteins and GRA1 protein expressed by all forms of the parasite have been evaluated ELISA using sera systematically collected from mice administered orally with tissue cyst and oocysts. The anti-SporoSAG IgM antibodies in sera obtained from mice infected with oocysts peaked significantly at days 1, 10, and 15 (P<0.01. The anti-BAG1 IgM antibodies in sera obtained from mice infected with tissue cysts peaked significantly at days 15, 40, and 120 (P<0.05. The anti-GRA1 IgM antibodies in sera obtained from mice infected with oocysts peaked significantly at days 2, 10, and 40 (P<0.01. The anti-GRA1 IgM antibodies in sera obtained from mice infected with tissue cysts peaked significantly only at day 40 (P<0.05. The anti-SporoSAG, anti-BAG1, and anti-GRA1 IgG titers of mice showed significant increases at day 40 (P<0.05 and decrement started for only anti-GRA1 IgG at day 120. The presence of anti-SporoSAG IgM and IgG antibodies can be interpreted as recently acute infection between days 10-40 because IgM decreases at day 40. Similarly, presence of anti-BAG1 IgM and absence of IgG can be evaluated as a recently acute infection that occurred 40 days before because IgG peaks at day 40. A peak in anti-GRA1 antibody level at first testing and reduction in consecutive sample can be considered as an infection approximately around day 40 or prior. Overall, recombinant SporoSAG, BAG1 and GRA1 proteins can be accepted as valuable diagnostic markers of recently acute toxoplasmosis.

Biodegradation and detoxification of melanoidin from distillery effluent using an aerobic bacterial strain SAG{sub 5} of Alcaligenes faecalis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Santal, Anita Rani, E-mail: anita.gangotra@gmail.com [Department of Microbiology, Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak-124001, Haryana (India); Singh, N.P. [Centre for Biotechnology, Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak-124001, Haryana (India); Saharan, Baljeet Singh [Department of Microbiology, Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra-136119, Haryana (India)

2011-10-15

Highlights: {yields} The Alcaligenes faecalis strain SAG{sub 5} decolorizes 72.6 {+-} 0.56% of melanoidins. {yields} The decolorization was achieved at pH 7.5 and temperature 37 {sup o}C on 5th day. {yields} The distillery effluent after biological treatment is environmentally safe. - Abstract: Distillery effluent retains very dark brown color even after anaerobic treatment due to presence of various water soluble, recalcitrant and coloring compounds mainly melanoidins. In laboratory conditions, melanoidin decolorizing bacteria was isolated and optimized the cultural conditions at various incubation temperatures, pH, carbon sources, nitrogen sources and combined effect of both carbon and nitrogen sources. The optimum decolorization (72.6 {+-} 0.56%) of melanoidins was achieved at pH 7.5 and temperature 37 {sup o}C on 5th day of cultivation. The toxicity evaluation with mung bean (Vigna radiata) revealed that the raw distillery effluent was environmentally highly toxic as compared to biologically treated distillery effluent, which indicated that the effluent after bacterial treatment is environmentally safe. This proves to be novel biological treatment technique for biodegradation and detoxification of melanoidin from distillery effluent using the bacterial strain SAG{sub 5}.

A pre-Paleogene unconformity surface of the Sikeshu Sag, Junggar Basin: Lithological, geophysical and geochemical implications for the transportation of hydrocarbons

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaoyue Gao

2013-11-01

Full Text Available The unconformity surface at the bottom of the Paleogene is one of the most important migration pathways in the Sikeshu Sag of the Junggar Basin, which consists of three layers: upper coarse clastic rock, lower weathering crust and leached zone. The upper coarse clastic rock is characterized by higher density and lower SDT and gamma-ray logging parameters, while the lower weathering crust displays opposite features. The transport coefficient of the unconformity surface is controlled by its position in respect to the basal sandstone; it is higher in the ramp region but lower in the adjacent uplifted and sag areas. The content of saturated hydrocarbons increases with the decrease of the content of non-hydrocarbons and asphaltenes. The content of benzo[c] carbazole decreases as the content of benzo[a] carbazole and [alkyl carbazole]/[alkyl + benzo carbazole] increases. This suggests that the unconformity surface is an efficient medium for the transportation of hydrocarbons.

An Overview of Quality Programs that Support Transition-Aged Youth

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christopher M. Kalinyak

2016-12-01

Full Text Available This article provides a concise overview of several programs that deliver services to transition-aged youth, ages 14–29. Included are family support, the Assisting Unaccompanied Children and Youth program, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration services, the wraparound approach, intensive home-based treatment, multisystemic therapy, foster care, independent living, mentoring, the Steps to Success program, the Jump on Board for Success program, the Options program, the Positive Action program, the Transition to Success model, and the Transition to Independence Program. Primary focus is placed upon the usefulness of each of the programs in facilitating successful outcomes for transition-aged youth.

The impacts of voltage sags in industrial electric systems; Os impactos dos afundamentos de tensao em sistemas eletricos industriais

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Maia, Reinaldo Moreira [Moinhos Vera Cruz, Santa Luzia, MG (Brazil); Silva, Selenio Rocha [Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, MG (Brazil)

2010-10-15

The sensitiveness increasing of industrial equipment related to the perturbation of electric grid, resulting in losses to the productive chain, turns the energy quality in the subject more discussed by the electrical community. In this study case on the problems caused by voltage sags to equipment of an industrial plant from the food sector, it is presented the identification process and the adopted solutions. (author)

Continuing the service of safety-related concrete structures in nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Naus, D.J.; Oland, C.B.; Ellingwood, B.R.; Mori, Y.; Arndt, E.G.

1993-01-01

The Structural Aging (SAG) Program is addressing the aging management of safety-related concrete structures in nuclear power plants (NPPs) for the purpose of providing improved technical bases for their continued service. The program consists of three technical tasks: materials property data base, structural component assessment/repair technologies, and quantitative methodologies for continued service determinations. Recent accomplishments under each of these tasks are summarized

The clinical experience and efficacy of bipolar radiofrequency with fractional photothermolysis for aged Asian skin.

Science.gov (United States)

Akita, Hirotaka; Sasaki, Ryosuke; Yokoyama, Yusuke; Negishi, Kei; Matsunaga, Kayoko

2014-10-01

Bipolar radiofrequency (RF) technology is developed based on fractional thermolysis, and the literature concerning the efficacy of the rejuvenation and treatment of acne scars has been reported in Europe and the United States of America. Therefore, we examined bipolar RF treatment using fractional thermolysis to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the treatment of Asian photo-aging skin, particularly 'wrinkles' and 'sagging.' Ten Japanese women (mean age: 58.6, skin type III-IV) received three fractional bipolar RF treatments every 4-6 weeks. For the objective evaluation, we evaluated the improvement of the wrinkles on the forehead, lateral canthus (crow's feet) and lower eyelid, and the sagging of the nasolabial fold using digital photographs captured using Visia(™) . For the subjective evaluation, the participants were asked to describe the improvements observed in the wrinkles on the forehead, lateral canthus (crow's feet) and lower eyelid, and sagging nasolabial fold and to evaluate the level pain experienced using a 10-point VAS score. The objective evaluation in each category showed significant improvements in the wrinkles on the lateral canthus (crow's feet) and lower eyelid. As for the nasolabial fold, 60% of the subjects showed improvements, scoring from good to excellent (51-100% improvement), although there was a little improvement of the wrinkle on the forehead. Similar improvements were observed in the subjective evaluation. During each treatment, oedema and erythema were observed in all participants, but the oedema disappeared the following day in all cases. However, mild erythema persisted for an average of 3.1 days. Micro debris disappeared after an average of 5.2 days. The participants were satisfied, as we allowed them to apply make-up the next day. There were no other severe adverse reactions observed during the treatment. The 10-point VAS score was 3.8, and no participants dropped out due to discomfort. Little improvement was observed in

Preparing the Workforce for Healthy Aging Programs: The Skills for Healthy Aging Resources and Programs (SHARP) Model

Science.gov (United States)

Frank, Janet C.; Altpeter, Mary; Damron-Rodriguez, JoAnn; Driggers, Joann; Lachenmayr, Susan; Manning, Colleen; Martinez, Dana M.; Price, Rachel M.; Robinson, Patricia

2014-01-01

Current public health and aging service agency personnel have little training in gerontology, and virtually no training in evidence-based health promotion and disease management programs for older adults. These programs are rapidly becoming the future of our community-based long-term care support system. The purpose of this project was to develop…

The effect of tectonic evolution on lacustrine syn-rift sediment patters in Qikou Sag, Bohaiwan Basin, eastern China

Science.gov (United States)

Liao, Y.; Wang, H.; Xu, W.

2013-12-01

Normal fault arrays and associated relay ramps between two overlapping en-echelon normal faults are well known to control the deposition and distribution of sediments in alluvial, fluvial and deltaic systems in rift settings. The influence of transfer zones or relay ramps on sediment routes and dispersal patterns in subaqueous (deeper marine/lacustrine), however, is barely studied and hence less clear. Previous experimental studies indicate that subaqueous relay ramps may act as sediment transportation pathways if certain conditions are available. In this study, we integrate detailed structural and stratigraphic analysis with three-dimensional seismic data and limited well log data from the Qikou Sag to examine the tectonic evolution and the syn-rift sediment patterns response to fault growth and linkage in an active rift setting. Qikou Sag is located at the center of Huanghua Depression, Bohaiwan Basin of eastern China. Structurally, it is a typical continental rift basin characterized by a linked system of two NEE-SWW-striking half-grabens and one E-W-striking graben. Qikou sag is filled with Eocene-Oligocene syn-rift sediments and Miocene to Quaternary post-rift sediments. The Eocene-Oligocene rifting stage can be divided into early rifting period (43-36.5 Ma, the third member and second member of Shahejie Formation, Es3 and Es2), stable rifting period (36.5-29Ma, the first member of Shaehejie Formation, Es1) and fault-depressed diversionary period (29-24.6Ma, the Dongying Formation, Ed). This study focus on the early syn-rift, the third and second member of Shehejie Formation, which is mostly dark-grey mudstone interbedded with fine to coarse-grained sandstone deposited by large-scale turbidity currents in deep-lake. In particular, we use a combination of thickness variability and facies distributions, onlap patterns within a high-resolution sequence stratigraphic framework, integrated with structural geometry, fault activity and subsidence history analysis to

The NPP Isar comprehensive Aging Management Program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zander, Andre; Ertl, Stefan

2012-01-01

The majority of System, Structure and Components (SSC) in a nuclear power plants are designed to experience a service life, which is far above the intended design life. In most cases, only a small percentage of SSCs are subject to significant aging effects, which may affect the integrity or the function of the component. The process of aging management (AM) has the objective to monitor and control degradation effects which may compromise safety functions of the plant. And furthermore, to ensure, that testing and maintenance programs sufficiently provide preventive measures to control degradation effects. Safety-related aspects and the targeted high availability of the power plant as well as the requirements stipulated by German regulatory authorities prompted the operator of NPP ISAR to introduce an aging surveillance program. The NPP Isar as well as the German NPPs has to be following in the scope of aging management the KTA 1403 guideline. The NPP Isar surveillance program based on the KTA 1403 guideline covers the following aspects: - Scoping and screening of safety relevant Systems, Structures and Components (SSC); - Identification of possible degradation mechanisms for safety relevant SSC; - Ensure, that testing and maintenance programs sufficiently provide preventive measures to control degradation effects; - Transferability check of industry experience (internal and external events); - Annual preparation of an AM status report. (author)

Sag compensation system for assembly of MDT-chambers for the ATLAS experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barashkov, A.V.; Glonti, G.L.; Gongadze, A.L.; Evtukhovich, P.G.; Il'yushenko, E.N.; Kotov, S.A.; Kruchonok, V.G.; Tskhadadze, Eh.G.; Chepurnov, V.F.; Shelkov, G.A.

2005-01-01

The description of a system of the devices created for compensation of the gravitational deflection of the drift chamber during its assembly is presented. By means of this system during stage-by-stage gluing of layers of tube drift detectors to the chamber the transversal deflection considerably decreases and by that high accuracy of mutual position of separate tubes is provided. The devices were applied at assembly of 74 MDT-chambers of the ATLAS experiment. Design values of deformation of the chambers as well as the results of measurement of transversal deflections obtained during the assembly with the use of the system of sag compensation are given. Testing of chambers on the X-ray tomograph at CERN has shown that the accuracy of the positions of separate signal wires inside the assembled chambers is within the limits of the required 20 μm

Aging of perennial cells and organ parts according to the programmed aging paradigm.

Science.gov (United States)

Libertini, Giacinto; Ferrara, Nicola

2016-04-01

If aging is a physiological phenomenon-as maintained by the programmed aging paradigm-it must be caused by specific genetically determined and regulated mechanisms, which must be confirmed by evidence. Within the programmed aging paradigm, a complete proposal starts from the observation that cells, tissues, and organs show continuous turnover: As telomere shortening determines both limits to cell replication and a progressive impairment of cellular functions, a progressive decline in age-related fitness decline (i.e., aging) is a clear consequence. Against this hypothesis, a critic might argue that there are cells (most types of neurons) and organ parts (crystalline core and tooth enamel) that have no turnover and are subject to wear or manifest alterations similar to those of cells with turnover. In this review, it is shown how cell types without turnover appear to be strictly dependent on cells subjected to turnover. The loss or weakening of the functions fulfilled by these cells with turnover, due to telomere shortening and turnover slowing, compromises the vitality of the served cells without turnover. This determines well-known clinical manifestations, which in their early forms are described as distinct diseases (e.g., Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, age-related macular degeneration, etc.). Moreover, for the two organ parts (crystalline core and tooth enamel) without viable cells or any cell turnover, it is discussed how this is entirely compatible with the programmed aging paradigm.

Influence of the Self-Perception of Old Age on the Effect of a Healthy Aging Program.

Science.gov (United States)

Mendoza-Núñez, Víctor Manuel; Sarmiento-Salmorán, Elia; Marín-Cortés, Regulo; Martínez-Maldonado, María de la Luz; Ruiz-Ramos, Mirna

2018-05-07

It has been shown that health programs are useful for the prevention and control of chronic diseases in community-dwelling older people; however, a negative self-perception of old age could have an effect on the results. Therefore, our aim was to evaluate the effect of a healthy aging program linked to self-perception of old age in Mexican community-dwelling older people. A pre-test/post-test single-group design study was conducted in a convenience sample of 64 older people who undertook the entire healthy aging program workshop (five months’ duration). We measured self-perception of old age, efficacy of self-care, blood glucose concentration, anthropometric measures, and blood pressure before and after the workshop. A statistically significant decrease in blood glucose concentration was observed (baseline 136 ± 50 vs. post-intervention, 124 ± 45 ± 29 mg/dL, p self-perception, we found that this difference was only maintained in the subgroup of older adults with a positive self-perception of old age. Our findings suggest that the self-perception of old age influences the effect of healthy aging programs on the health of community-dwelling older people.

Distributed Low Voltage Ride-Through Operation of Power Converters in Grid-Connected Microgrids under Voltage Sags

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhao, Xin; Meng, Lexuan; Dragicevic, Tomislav

2015-01-01

it can make the MG a contributor in smooth ride through the faults. In this paper, a reactive power support strategy using droop controlled converters is proposed to aid MG riding through three phase symmetrical voltage sags. In such a case, the MGs should inject reactive power to the grid to boost...... the voltage in all phases at AC common bus. However, since the line admittances from each converter to point of common coupling (PCC) are not identical, the injected reactive power may not be equally shared. In order to achieve low voltage ride through (LVRT) capability along with a good power sharing...

Bio indication of water quality in the Bogota Sabane using fuzzy logic sagging and aquatic micro invertebrates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gutierrez, Juan David; Riss Wolfgang; Ospina Rodolfo

2002-01-01

An application of the Sagging-type fuzzy logic to calculate biological water quality in Bogota, Colombia is presented 28 sites corresponding to 9 watersheds in the Bogota area were used. The organisms selected were: Leptoceridae and Hidrobiosidae as indicators of clean waters, Planariidae and Amphipoda as indicators of polluted waters and Psychodida and Syrphidae as indicators of highly polluted waters Chironomids were also included. In order to prove the degree of reliability of Sugeno-type fuzzy logic, the results obtained were compared with values for the Cfq index, and a highly significant correlation was obtained

Mitigation of voltage sag, swell and power factor correction using solid-state transformer b

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M.R. Banaei

2014-09-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a novel topology of solid-state transformer (SST. In the design process, the AC/DC, DC/AC and AC/AC converters have been integrated to achieve higher efficiency. To obtain higher efficiency from other SST with DC-link topologies, the AC/DC and DC/AC converters have been integrated in one matrix converter. The proposed SST performs typical functions and has advantages such as power factor correction, voltage sag and swell elimination, voltage flicker reduction and protection capability in fault situations. In addition, it has other benefits such as light weight, low volume and elimination of hazardous liquid dielectrics because it uses medium frequency transformer. The operation and some performances of the proposed SST have been verified by the simulation results.

Application of quality assurance program to safety related aging equipment or components

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Papaiya, N.C.

1990-01-01

This paper addresses how quality assurance programs and their criteria are applied to safety related and aging equipment or components used in commercial nuclear plant applications. The QA Programs referred to are 10CFR50 Appendix B and EPRI NP-5652. The QA programs as applicable are applied to equipment/component aging qualification, preventive maintenance, surveillance testing and procurement engineering. The intent of this paper is not the technical issues, methods and research of aging. The paper addresses QA program's application to age-related equipment or components in safety related applications. Quality Assurance Program 10CFR50 Appendix B applies to all safety related aging components or equipment related to the qualification program and associated preventive maintenance and surveillance testing programs. Quality Assurance involvement with procurement engineering for age-related commercial grade items supports EPRI NP-5652 and assures that the dedicated OGI is equal to the item purchased as a basic component to 10CFR50 Appendix B requirements

Mesozoic to Cenozoic tectonic transition process in Zhanhua Sag, Bohai Bay Basin, East China

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Yanjun; Wu, Zhiping; Lu, Shunan; Li, Xu; Lin, Chengyan; Huang, Zheng; Su, Wen; Jiang, Chao; Wang, Shouye

2018-04-01

The Zhanhua sag is part of the Bohai Bay intracontinental basin system that has developed since the Mesozoic in East China. The timing of this basin system coincides with the final assembly of East Asia and the development of Western Pacific-type plate margin. Here we use 3-D seismic and core log data to investigate the evolution of this basin and discuss its broad tectonic settings. Our new structural study of Zhanhua sag suggests that there are four major tectonic transitions occurred in the Bohai Bay Basin during Mesozoic and Cenozoic: (1) The first tectonic transition was from stable Craton to thrusting during the Triassic, mainly caused by the South China Block's subduction northward beneath the North China Block, which induced the formation of the NW-striking thrust faults. (2) The second tectonic transition was mainly characterized by a change from compression to extension, which can be further divided into two-stages. At the first stage, two episodes of NW-SE shortening occurred in East Asia during Early-Middle Jurassic and Late Jurassic-earliest Cretaceous, respectively. At the second stage, the extension and left-lateral shearing took place during Early Cretaceous while compression occurred during Late Cretaceous. The NW-striking thrust faults changed to normal faults and the NNE-striking left-lateral strike-slip faults started to influence the eastern part of the basin. (3) The third transition occurred when the NW-SE extension and NNE-striking right-lateral shearing started to form during Paleogene, and the peak deformation happen around 40 Ma due to the change of the subduction direction of Pacific Plate relative to Eurasia Plate. The NE-striking normal faults are the main structure, and the pre-existing NNE-striking strike-slip faults changed from left-lateral to right-lateral. (4) The fourth transition saw the regional subsidence during Neogene, which was probably caused by the India-Asia "Hard collision" between 25 and 20 Ma.

Usefulness of Toxoplasma gondii recombinant antigens (GRA1, GRA7 and SAG1) in an immunoglobulin G avidity test for the serodiagnosis of toxoplasmosis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pietkiewicz, H; Hiszczyńska-Sawicka, E; Kur, J

2007-01-01

The precise diagnosis of an acute and recent Toxoplasma infection in pregnant women and the newborn child is important before treatment. This study describes a new Toxoplasma gondii IgG avidity test based on a combination of recombinant GRA1, GRA7 and SAG1 antigens and shows that this test is use...

The role of fluid migration system in hydrocarbon accumulation in Maichen Sag, Beibuwan Basin

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Hongyu; Yang, Jinxiu; Wu, Feng; Chen, Wei; Liu, Qianqian

2018-02-01

Fluid migration system is of great significance for hydrocarbon accumulation, including the primary migration and secondary migration. In this paper, the fluid migration system is analysed in Maichen Sag using seismic, well logging and core data. Results show that many factors control the hydrocarbon migration process, including hydrocarbon generation and expulsion period from source rocks, microfractures developed in the source rocks, the connected permeable sand bodies, the vertical faults cutting into/through the source rocks and related fault activity period. The spatial and temporal combination of these factors formed an effective network for hydrocarbon expulsion and accumulation, leading to the hydrocarbon reservoir distribution at present. Generally, a better understanding of the hydrocarbon migration system can explain the present status of hydrocarbon distribution, and help select future target zones for oil and gas exploration.

Voltage sag influence on fatigue life of the drivetrain of fixed speed wind turbines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Veluri, Badrinath; Santos-Martin, David; Jensen, Henrik Myhre

2011-01-01

Occurrence of voltage sags due to electrical grid faults and other network disturbances generate transients of the generator electromagnetic torque which result in significant high stresses and noticeable vibrations for the wind turbine mechanical system and may also have a detrimental effect...... on the fatigue life of important drivetrain components. The high penetration of wind energy in the electrical grids demands new requirements for the operation of wind energy conversion systems. Although fixed speed wind turbine technology is nowadays replaced by variable speed wind turbines. In some countries...... by the stator flux oscillations which cause high transients of the generator electromagnetic torque. This paper focuses in estimating the resulting significant stresses transients due to the electromagnetic torque transients, which transmits to the wind turbine mechanical system that may have a detrimental...

Summary of JAPEIC age program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miyoshi, S.; Maeda, N.; Yamaguchi, A.

1992-01-01

Japan Power Engineering and Inspection Corporation (JAPEIC) is a statutory foundation charged with responsibility of enhancing thermal and nuclear power plant quality. JAPEIC performs construction and pre-service inspections as well as periodic inspections of many types of power plants including nuclear, gas turbine and internal combustion systems. In 1987 a research center was established to permit the systematic examination of advanced inspection technologies. One of the Structural Materials in Use for commercial Nuclear Power Plants provides the link to this workshop. The project is also referred to as the Aging General Evaluation (AGE) project. The AGE project is a six year, multi-task effort addressing material condition monitoring. One set of tasks emphasizes instrumentation simulation tasks to aid in application and utilization. All tasks are in their initial phases. The program is described in this paper

Aging and immortality: quasi-programmed senescence and its pharmacologic inhibition.

Science.gov (United States)

Blagosklonny, Mikhail V

2006-09-01

While ruling out programmed aging, evolutionary theory predicts a quasi-program for aging, a continuation of the developmental program that is not turned off, is constantly on, becoming hyper-functional and damaging, causing diseases of aging. Could it be switched off pharmacologically? This would require identification of a molecular target involved in cell senescence, organism aging and diseases of aging. Notably, cell senescence is associated with activation of the TOR (target of rapamycin) nutrient- and mitogen-sensing pathway, which promotes cell growth, even though cell cycle is blocked. Is TOR involved in organism aging? In fact, in yeast (where the cell is the organism), caloric restriction, rapamycin and mutations that inhibit TOR all slow down aging. In animals from worms to mammals caloric restrictions, life-extending agents, and numerous mutations that increase longevity all converge on the TOR pathway. And, in humans, cell hypertrophy, hyper-function and hyperplasia, typically associated with activation of TOR, contribute to diseases of aging. Theoretical and clinical considerations suggest that rapamycin may be effective against atherosclerosis, hypertension and hyper-coagulation (thus, preventing myocardial infarction and stroke), osteoporosis, cancer, autoimmune diseases and arthritis, obesity, diabetes, macula-degeneration, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. Finally, I discuss that extended life span will reveal new causes for aging (e.g., ROS, 'wear and tear', Hayflick limit, stem cell exhaustion) that play a limited role now, when quasi-programmed senescence kills us first.

Evaluation of a real-time PCR assay based on the single-copy SAG1 gene for the detection of Toxoplasma gondii.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Haijie; Huang, Bin; Zhuo, Xunhui; Chen, Xueqiu; Du, Aifang

2013-11-08

Real-time PCR-based detection of Toxoplasma gondii is very sensitive and convenient for diagnosing toxoplasmosis. However, the performance of the PCR assays could be influenced by the target gene chosen. Here we evaluate a real-time PCR assay using double-stranded DNA dyes (SYBR(®) Green I assay) with a new set of primers targeting the SAG1 gene for the fast and specific detection of T. gondii. The assay showed higher sensitivity than conventional PCR protocols using T. gondii DNA as template. The detection limit of the developed real-time PCR assay was in the order of 1 tachyzoite. The assay was also assessed by experimentally infected mice and showed positive results for blood (25%), spleen (50%) and lung (50%) as early as 1 dpi. The specificity of the assay was confirmed by using DNA from Neospora caninum, Escherichia coli, Babesia bovis, Trypanosoma brucei, Cryptosporidium parvum, and Toxocara canis. Assay applicability was successfully tested in blood samples collected from slaughtered pigs. These results indicate that, based on SYBR(®) green I, the quantitative SAG1 assay may also be useful in the study of the pathogenicity, immunoprophylaxis, and treatment of T. gondii. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Investigation on the Performance of UPQC-Q for Voltage Sag Mitigation and PQ Improvement at a Critical Load Point

OpenAIRE

Basu, Malabika; Das, S. P.; Dubey, Gopal

2008-01-01

The unified power quality conditioner (UPQC) is one of the major custom power solutions, which is capable of mitigating the effect of supply voltage sag at the load end or at the point of common coupling (PCC) in a distributed network. It also prevents the propagation of the load current harmonics to the utility and improves the input power factor of the load. The control of series compensator (SERC) of the UPQC is such that it injects voltage in quadrature advance to the supply current. Thus...

NEPO cable system aging management programs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Toman, G.

2002-01-01

Full text: Cable polymer aging and condition monitoring is being studied in detail under the Nuclear Energy Plant Optimization Program (NEPO) that is co-sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy and EPRI. Significant advances in modeling of polymer aging and condition monitoring have occurred and continue to be developed. The activities include: Analysis of the linearity of the Arrhenius model to room temperature; Development of a wear-out technique for determining remaining life of cable polymers; Determination of the aging fragility point for composite EPR/CSPE insulation with respect to LOCA function; Development of visual/tactile training aids for cable assessment; Development of a totally new nuclear magnetic resonance condition monitoring technique; Assessment of existing techniques with regard to repeatability, accuracy and ease of use. Through use of highly precise oxygen consumption experiments, the linearity of the Arrhenius model is being evaluated. In these experiments, polymer is placed in vials with a known amount of oxygen and aged at much lower temperatures than is possible with standard accelerated aging techniques. aging results are possible at room temperature. The technique is being applied to commonly used insulation and jacket polymers. The wear-out technique allows highly non-linear aging behavior to be made linear. The wearout point of a polymer is determined through high-rate aging and use of a condition monitoring technique to establish the end point. Then, micro-samples of cable that have been naturally aged are subjected to high rate aging to the same end point. The ratio of the remaining high rate aging period to the total high rate aging time provides a linear indication of the remaining service time. Initial screening of nuclear plant cable systems can use visual/tactile techniques to identify cable that has aged significantly. Training aids have been developed by developing sets of specimens with accelerated aging ranging from none

Current source converter based D-STATCOM for voltage sag mitigation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Singh Moirangthem Deben

2015-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a novel method of realizing one of the custom power controllers, the distribution static synchronous compensator (D-STATCOM using current source converter (CSC topology. Almost all the custom power controllers such as dynamic voltage restorer (DVR, unified power quality conditioner (UPQC including D-STATCOM are generally designed and implemented by using voltage source converters (VSC and not much research publications with CSC based approach has been reported over the last one decade. Since the D-STATCOM is a current injection device, its performance can be improved when realized by a current-source converter which can generate a controllable current directly at its output terminals and offers many advantageous features. In this paper, an attempt has been made to study the performance of a CSC based D-STATCOM suitable for use in the power distribution system in order to mitigate voltage sag and improve power quality. The proposed model uses a three leg CSC whose switching strategy is based on sinusoidal pulse width modulation (SPWM. The model has been simulated in the Matlab/Simulink environment. The results of the simulation runs under steady state and dynamic load perturbation provide excellent voltage and current waveforms that support the justification of the proposed model.

An overview of the Structural Aging Program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Naus, D.J.; Arndt, E.G.

1992-01-01

The structural Aging Program is conducted at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The program has the overall objective of preparing an expandable handbook or report which will provide NRC with potential structural safety issues and acceptance criteria for use in nuclear power plant evaluations for continued service. Initial focus of the program is on concrete and concrete-related materials which comprise safety-related (Category I) structures in light-water reactor facilities. The program is organized into four tasks: Task S.1 -- Program Management, Task S.2 -- Materials Property Data Base, Task S.3 -- Structural Component Assessment/Repair Technology, and Task S.4 -- Quantitative Methodology for Continued Service Determinations. Objectives, background information, and accomplishments under each of these tasks are presented

Figures of merit for measuring aging management program effectiveness

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Knudson, R.; Sciacca, F.; Walsh, R.; Zigler, G.

1991-01-01

One of the requirements for nuclear plant license renewal may be the establishment and demonstration of an effective aging management program. An analysis of both qualitative and quantitative information will be required to define the contents of this aging management program. The authors propose two quantitative figures of merit, Mean Event Detection Frequency and Mean Renewal Rate, that can be used to compare the effectiveness of various inspection, surveillance, test, and monitoring (ISTM) activities for aging mitigation. An example showing the relative effectiveness of an enhanced Loose Parts Monitoring System with current ISTM activities for steam generators and reactor internals is provided. (author)

Aging Educational Program to Reduce Ageism: Intergenerational Approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shima Sum

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Ageing brings different experiences for individuals. Any individual learn about ageing from childhood whatever formal or informal. No matter they learn, what and how they learn is important. This study aimed to assess impact of an educational program on ageism in those people lower 20 years of age. Methods: This interventional study was conducted among school and university students of Babol city, Mazandaran province, Iran. Study was carried out in two stages. First 373 participants (187 school students and 186 university undergraduate students under age of 20 who recruited form Babol department of education and Babol University of Medical Sciences went under study of assessing attitudes toward ageing. In the second stage, courses on lifespan human development were delivered in 10 workshops for 151 people. Sampling method was stratified randomly from different age groups.  Workshops consisted of lecturing, discussion, watching movie, reading pamphlets and having conversations with experienced older adults. Data was gathered by a questionnaire consisting of demographic characteristics and The Fraboni Scale of Ageism. Results: The mean of ageism score among school and university students were 49.93 ± 9.25 and 46.96 ± 7.64 respectively. There was statistically significant difference between two groups in ageism scores (p = 0.001 so that ageism was higher among school students However after implementation of education program, ageism score reduced for all 151 students from 46.92 ± 7.82 to 45.85 ± 7.79 which was statistically significant (p = 0.001. Conclusion: Educational program to reduce ageism is beneficial and could reduce the level of ageism. Suggestions for educators to combat ageism are provided.

Design of a MEMS Capacitive Comb-drive Micro-accelerometer with Sag Optimization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

B. D. PANT

2009-10-01

Full Text Available The current paper presents an optimization study for the designing of a highly sensitive inertial grade capacitive accelerometer based on comb-drive actuation and sensing. The proof mass, suspension system (beams or tethers, stators and rotors have to be realized through an HAR (high aspect ratio DRIE (deep reactive ion etching process for which process optimization has already been done at our laboratory. As the proof mass is a bulk micro-machined structure having a mass in milligram range, the optimum positioning of the tethers on the proof mass is important to have minimum sag, necessary to reduce the off-axis sensitivity. The optimization for the positioning of the tethers has been carried out using a commercial software tool ANSYSTM Multiphysics. The accelerometer has been modeled analytically to predict its characteristics. The dependency of sensitivity on the dimensions of the suspension beams (tethers has also been verified using the above FEM software tool. The present device has been designed to deliver a high sensitivity of 13.6 mV/g/V for low-g applications.

Physical simulation of gas reservoir formation in the Liwan 3-1 deep-water gas field in the Baiyun sag, Pearl River Mouth Basin

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gang Gao

2015-01-01

Full Text Available To figure out the process and controlling factors of gas reservoir formation in deep-waters, based on an analysis of geological features, source of natural gas and process of reservoir formation in the Liwan 3-1 gas field, physical simulation experiment of the gas reservoir formation process has been performed, consequently, pattern and features of gas reservoir formation in the Baiyun sag has been found out. The results of the experiment show that: ① the formation of the Liwan 3-1 faulted anticline gas field is closely related to the longstanding active large faults, where natural gas is composed of a high proportion of hydrocarbons, a small amount of non-hydrocarbons, and the wet gas generated during highly mature stage shows obvious vertical migration signs; ② liquid hydrocarbons associated with natural gas there are derived from source rock of the Enping & Zhuhai Formation, whereas natural gas comes mainly from source rock of the Enping Formation, and source rock of the Wenchang Formation made a little contribution during the early Eocene period as well; ③ although there was gas migration and accumulation, yet most of the natural gas mainly scattered and dispersed due to the stronger activity of faults in the early period; later as fault activity gradually weakened, gas started to accumulate into reservoirs in the Baiyun sag; ④ there is stronger vertical migration of oil and gas than lateral migration, and the places where fault links effective source rocks with reservoirs are most likely for gas accumulation; ⑤ effective temporal-spatial coupling of source-fault-reservoir in late stage is the key to gas reservoir formation in the Baiyun sag; ⑥ the nearer the distance from a trap to a large-scale fault and hydrocarbon source kitchen, the more likely gas may accumulate in the trap in late stage, therefore gas accumulation efficiency is much lower for the traps which are far away from large-scale faults and hydrocarbon source

Effects of aging on action-intentional programming.

Science.gov (United States)

Shoraka, Ali R; Otzel, Dana M; M Zilli, Eduardo; Finney, Glen R; Doty, Leilani; Falchook, Adam D; Heilman, Kenneth M

2018-03-01

Action-intentional programs control "when" we initiate, inhibit, continue, and stop motor actions. The purpose of this study was to learn if there are changes in the action-intentional system with healthy aging, and if these changes are asymmetrical (right versus left upper limb) or related to impaired interhemispheric communication. We administered tests of action-intention to 41 middle-aged and older adults (61.9 ± 12.3 years). Regression analyses revealed that older age predicted a decrement in performance for tests of crossed motor response inhibition as well as slower motor initiation with the left hand. Changes in action-intention with aging appear to be related to alterations of interhemispheric communication and/or age-related right hemisphere dysfunction; however, further research is needed to identify the mechanisms for age-related changes in the brain networks that mediate action-intention.

Response (re-)programming in aging: a kinematic analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Bellgrove, M A; Phillips, J G; Bradshaw, J L; Gallucci, R M

1998-05-01

Age-related motor slowing may reflect either motor programming deficits, poorer movement execution, or mere strategic preferences for online guidance of movement. We controlled such preferences, limiting the extent to which movements could be programmed. Twenty-four young and 24 older adults performed a line drawing task that allowed movements to be prepared in advance in one case (i.e., cue initially available indicating target location) and not in another (i.e., no cue initially available as to target location). Participants connected large or small targets illuminated by light-emitting diodes upon a graphics tablet that sampled pen tip position at 200 Hz. Older adults had a disproportionate difficulty initiating movement when prevented from programming in advance. Older adults produced slower, less efficient movements, particularly when prevented from programming under greater precision requirements. The slower movements of older adults do not simply reflect a preference for online control, as older adults have less efficient movements when forced to reprogram their movements. Age-related motor slowing kinematically resembles that seen in patients with cerebellar dysfunction.

A low-angle normal fault and basement structures within the Enping Sag, Pearl River Mouth Basin: Insights into late Mesozoic to early Cenozoic tectonic evolution of the South China Sea area

Science.gov (United States)

Ye, Qing; Mei, Lianfu; Shi, Hesheng; Shu, Yu; Camanni, Giovanni; Wu, Jing

2018-04-01

The basement structure of the Cenozoic Enping Sag, within the Pearl River Mouth Basin on the northern margin of South China Sea, is revealed by borehole-constrained high-quality 3D seismic reflection data. Such data suggest that the Enping Sag is bounded in the north by a low-angle normal fault. We interpret this low-angle normal fault to have developed as the result of the reactivation of a pre-existing thrust fault part of a pre-Cenozoic thrust system. This is demonstrated by the selective reactivation of the pre-existing thrust and by diffuse contractional deformation recognized from the accurate analysis of basement reflections. Another significant result of this study is the finding of some residual rift basins within the basement of the Enping Sag. Both the thrust system and the residual basins are interpreted to have developed after the emplacement of continental margin arc-related granitoids (J3-K1) that define the basement within the study area. Furthermore, seismic sections show that the pre-existing residual rift basins are offset by the main thrust fault and they are both truncated by the Tg unconformity. These structural relationships, interpreted in the frame of previous studies, help us to reconstruct a six-event structural evolution model for the Enping Sag from the late Mesozoic to the early Cenozoic. In particular, we interpret the residual rift basins to have formed as the result of back-arc extension due to the slab roll-back of the Paleo-Pacific Plate subduction in the early K2. The thrust system has recorded a compressional event in the late K2 that followed the back-arc extension in the SCS area. The mechanism of this compressional event is still to be clarified, and might be related to continuous subduction of the Paleo-Pacific Plate or to the continent-continent collision between a micro-continental block and the South China margin.

Extension of the Accurate Voltage-Sag Fault Location Method in Electrical Power Distribution Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Youssef Menchafou

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Accurate Fault location in an Electric Power Distribution System (EPDS is important in maintaining system reliability. Several methods have been proposed in the past. However, the performances of these methods either show to be inefficient or are a function of the fault type (Fault Classification, because they require the use of an appropriate algorithm for each fault type. In contrast to traditional approaches, an accurate impedance-based Fault Location (FL method is presented in this paper. It is based on the voltage-sag calculation between two measurement points chosen carefully from the available strategic measurement points of the line, network topology and current measurements at substation. The effectiveness and the accuracy of the proposed technique are demonstrated for different fault types using a radial power flow system. The test results are achieved from the numerical simulation using the data of a distribution line recognized in the literature.

Effectiveness of the Vital Aging program to promote active aging in Mexican older adults

OpenAIRE

Mendoza-Ruvalcaba, Neyda Ma; Fern?ndez-Ballesteros, Roc?o

2016-01-01

Neyda Ma Mendoza-Ruvalcaba,1 Rocío Fernández-Ballesteros2 1Health Sciences Department, University of Guadalajara, University Center of Tonalá, Tonalá, Jalisco, Mexico; 2Department of Biological and Health Psychology, Autonomous University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain Introduction: Aging is not only a population phenomenon but also an experience and an individual reality. Vital Aging® is a program that considers active aging as the lifelong ada...

EDF ageing management program of nuclear components: a safety and economical issue

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Faidy, C.

2005-01-01

Ageing management of Nuclear Power Plants is an essential issue for utilities, in term of safety and availability and corresponding economical consequences. Practically all nuclear countries have developed a systematic program to deal with ageing of components on their plants. This paper presents the ageing management program developed by EDF and that are compared with different other approaches in other countries (IAEA guidelines and GALL report). The paper presents a general overview of the programs, the major results, recommendations and conclusions. (author)

A Taiwan Study Abroad Program on Aging, Culture, and Healthcare

Science.gov (United States)

Hou, Su-I

2018-01-01

This article introduces a Taiwan Study Abroad program on aging, culture, and healthcare. The program is a short-term academic summer program (6 credits) to bring U.S. students to Taiwan. During 2011 ~ 2015, a total of four groups including over 54 students and faculty members participated. This program partnered with multiple universities,…

Basis for snubber aging research: Nuclear Plant Aging Research Program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, D.P.; Palmer, G.R.; Werry, E.V.; Blahnik, D.E.

1990-01-01

This report describes a research plan to address the safety concerns of aging in snubbers used on piping and equipment in commercial nuclear power plants. The work is to be performed under Phase 2 of the Snubber Aging Study of the Nuclear Plant Aging Research Program of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission with the Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) as the prime contractor. Research conducted by PNL under Phase 1 provided an initial assessment of snubber operating experience and was primarily based on a review of licensee event reports. The work proposed is an extension of Phase 1 and includes research at nuclear power plants and in test laboratories. Included is technical background on the design and use of snubbers in commercial nuclear power applications; the primary failure modes of both hydraulic and mechanical snubbers are discussed. The anticipated safety, technical, and regulatory benefits of the work, along with concerns of the NRC and the utilities, are also described. 21 refs., 7 figs., 1 tab

Quality of life in institutionalized elderly undergoing an active aging program

OpenAIRE

Magalhães, Carlos Pires; Rebelo, Flávia Marisa Ramalho; Anes, Eugénia

2016-01-01

Living with quality is a growing concern of the old population. There is an increasing institutionalization of the elderly, and it is in this context that active aging programs assume relevance, allowing the elderly the contact with experiences that allow them to age with quality of life, by maintaining their autonomy and promoting their physical, mental and emotional well-being. This study aims to assess the quality of life of institutionalized elderly undergoing to an active aging program. ...

Voltage profile program for the Kennedy Space Center electric power distribution system

Science.gov (United States)

1976-01-01

The Kennedy Space Center voltage profile program computes voltages at all busses greater than 1 Kv in the network under various conditions of load. The computation is based upon power flow principles and utilizes a Newton-Raphson iterative load flow algorithm. Power flow conditions throughout the network are also provided. The computer program is designed for both steady state and transient operation. In the steady state mode, automatic tap changing of primary distribution transformers is incorporated. Under transient conditions, such as motor starts etc., it is assumed that tap changing is not accomplished so that transformer secondary voltage is allowed to sag.

Ageing management program of wires for Atucha II Nuclear Power Plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zorrilla, J.; Antonaccio, E.; Luraschi, C.; Simionato, E.; Nieto, H.

2012-01-01

Electrical cables constitute one of the most important components of NPP in terms o maintenance, safety and availability of the plant. Due to their large extension (thousands of kilometers) it is impossible to fully replace them and aging management becomes essential for long term operation of NPP. Since Atucha II is under construction there was a good opportunity to establish and implement a holistic cable aging management program from the beginning according to the state of the art in this field. The scope of this program involves safety related cables, including EQ cables and non EQ cables as well. Due to the diversity of the installed cables is impossible to address an aging management program of every single specimen. However it is possible to establish 'cables families' of similar aging behavior based on insulation and jacket material, manufacture, etc Several aging management strategies were set for the different 'cables families'. These strategies include cables deposit in plant, elaboration of procedures of visual and tactile inspection, NDE techniques, etc Currently the aging management program is being implemented covering topic such as: Cable screening and grouping. Review of EQ documentation and conventional qualification information referring to the installed cables. Establishment of base line of condition monitoring techniques. Calibration and set up of test parameters for NDE techniques. Aging mechanism characterization and determination of. Design construction and installation of cable deposit in plant (author)

A Force Method Model for Dynamic Analysis of Flat-Sag Cable Structures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xing Ma

2009-01-01

Full Text Available A new force method is proposed for analysing the dynamic behaviour of oscillating cables with small sags. The accepted dynamic model of such cables reduces to a partial differential equation (the equation of motion and an integral equation (the compatibility equation. In the paper, D’Alembert’s travelling wave solution is applied to the partial differential equation (PDE. Substituting the solution into the compatibility and boundary conditions, the governing equation is obtained in terms of the dynamic tension increment. This equation has been named the force method dynamic equation (FMDE. In this way the infinite-degree-of-freedom dynamic system is effectively simplified to a system with only one unknown. Explicit solutions for both single-span and multi-span cable systems are derived. The natural frequencies obtained from the FMDE are shown to be identical to those deduced using the conventional displacement method (DM. Nonlinear governing equations are developed by considering the effect of quadratic and cubic displacement terms. Finally, two examples are presented to illustrate the accuracy of the proposed force method for single and multi-span cable systems subjected to harmonic forces.

Ageing management program for reactor components in HANARO

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cho, Yeong-Garp; Wu, Sang-Ik; Lee, Jung-Hee; Ryu, Jeong-Soo; Park, Yong-Chul; Wu, Jong-Sup; Jun, Byung Jin

2003-01-01

The HANARO, an open-tank-in-pool type research reactor of 30MWth power in Korea, has operated for 8 years since its initial criticality in February of 1995. The reactor power has been gradually increased to 24 MWth through the service period. Therefore the reactor age is very young from the viewpoint of the ageing effect on the reactor structure and components by neutron irradiation considering the expected reactor lifetime. But, we have a few programs to manage the ageing from the aspect of design lifetime of reactor components. This paper summarizes the overall progress and plan for the ageing management for the reactor components including lifetime extension and design improvement, remote measurements and in-service inspections. The shutoff units and control absorber units have aged more rapidly than other structures or components because the number of rod drop cycles was higher than expected at the design stage. The system commissioning tests, periodic performance tests, and weekly operation for the stable supply of medical radioisotopes overriding the normal cycle operation have contributed to the high frequency of rod drop. Therefore, we have instituted a program to extend the lifetime of the shutoff units and the control absorber units. This program includes an endurance test to verify the performance for the extended number of drops and the management of shutdown methods to minimize the drop cycles for both the shutoff units and the control absorber units. The program also includes the design improvement of the damper mechanism of the control absorber units to reduce the impact force caused by rod drop. The inner shell of the reflector vessel surrounding the core is the most critical part from the viewpoint of neutron irradiation. The periodic measurement of the dimensional change in the vertical straightness of the inner shell is considered as one of the in-service inspections. We developed a few tools and verified the performance to measure the

Structural aging program status report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Naus, D.J.; Oland, C.B.; Ellingwood, B.; Graves, H.L. III

1994-01-01

Research is being conducted at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory under Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC) sponsorship to address aging management of safety-related concrete structures. Documentation is being prepared to provide the USNRC with potential structural safety issues and acceptance criteria for use in continued service evaluations of nuclear power plants. Program accomplishments have included development of the Structural Materials Information Center containing data and information on the time variation of 144 material properties under the influence of pertinent environmental stressors or aging factors, performance assessments of reinforced concrete structures in several United Kingdom nuclear power facilities, evaluation of European and North American repair practices for concrete, an evaluation of factors affecting the corrosion of metals embedded in concrete, and application of the time-dependent reliability methodology to reinforced concrete flexure and shear structural elements to investigate the role of in-service inspection and repair on their probability of failure

Utilization of aging program results in plant inspections

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gunther, W.; Fullwood, R.

1989-01-01

Research conducted under the auspices of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission Nuclear Plant Aging Research (NPAR) Program has resulted in a large data base of component and system operating experience. This data base has been used to determine equipment aging susceptibility and the potential for equipment aging to impact plant safety and reliability. Methods of detecting and mitigating component and system aging have also been identified. This paper discusses how the NPAR results could be used to focus inspection activities on age-sensitive components and systems and on the specific modes and mechanisms of age degradation. These activities range from the regular inspections conducted by resident inspectors to extensive special inspections such as the Safety System Functional Inspection typically conducted by a team of inspectors. 5 refs., 3 figs., 1 tab

Utilization of aging program results in plant inspections

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gunther, W.; Fullwood, R.

1988-01-01

Research conducted under the auspices of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission Nuclear Plant Aging Research (NPAR) Program has resulted in a large data base of component and system operating experience. This data base has been used to determine equipment aging susceptibility and the potential for equipment aging to impact plant safety and reliability. Methods of detecting and mitigating component and system aging have also been identified. This paper discusses how the NPAR results could be used to focus inspection activities on age-sensitive components and systems and on the specific modes and mechanisms of age degradation. These activities range from the regular inspections conducted by resident inspectors to extensive special inspections such as the Safety System Functional Inspection typically conducted by a team of inspectors. 5 refs., 3 figs., 1 tab

Nuclear Plant Aging Research (NPAR) program plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1985-07-01

The nuclear plant aging research described in this plan is intended to resolve issues related to the aging and service wear of equipment and systems at commercial reactor facilities and their possible impact on plant safety. Emphasis has been placed on identification and characterization of the mechansims of material and component degradation during service and evaluation of methods of inspection, surveillance, condition monitoring and maintenance as means of mitigating such effects. Specifically the goals of the program are as follows: (1) to identify and characterize aging and service wear effects which, if unchecked, could cause degradation of structures, components, and systems and thereby impair plant safety; (2) to identify methods of inspection, surveillance and monitoring, or of evaluating residual life of structures, components, and systems, which will assure timely detection of significant aging effects prior to loss of safety function; and (3) to evaluate the effectiveness of storage, maintenance, repair and replacement practices in mitigating the rate and extent of degradation caused by aging and service wear

Drowning unconformity of lacustrine rift basins: A case study from the Dongying Sag in Bohai Bay Basin, China

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, R.; Fan, J.

2015-12-01

The concept of drowning unconformity of lacustrine rift basins was proposed in this paper. This paper utilized 3D seismic data, well-log and the principles methods associated with structural geology, sedimentology and geochemistry, to analyze the drowning unconformity and discuss the origins of drowning unconformity in Dongying Sag in Bohai Bay Basin.Researching on it is not only important for a better understanding of tectonic evolution, palaeogeography and sedimentation of hydrocarbon source rocks, but also a vital guiding significance for the exploration of beach-bar sandstone reservoirs and shale oil.1. The concept of drowning unconformity of lacustrine rift basins is defined. With the consequences of rapid tectonic subsidence in basin, the sharp rise of lake-level and the increased rate of accommodation(A) in basin exceeded the rate of sediment supply(S),namely A>>S, the basin suddenly transformed into deep-water settings from shallow-water settings with sudden change of sediment transport and sediment dispersal patterns. 2.The sequence surface between Sha4 and Sha3 Member of Shahejie Formation is the drowning unconformity(43.5Ma). There are the sedimentary association of the reefs in shallow lacustrine, beach-bar sandstones and glutenite fan bodies under the surface. By contrast, there are the sedimentary association of deep-lake oil shales and shales over the surface. The drowning unconformity in Dongying Sag is a tectonic revolution surface which is changed from extensional tectonics to transtensional tectonics and it is also the surface of discontinuity from shallow lacustrine to deep lacustrine. The responses to sudden changes appeared in the parameters of geophysics, geochemistry and paleontology. 3. With the penetration of India into Asia plate in NNE trending,the subduction zones of Pacific Plate retreated. It caused the rapid downwelling of asthenospheric mantle, followed by the extensive drowning unconformity.

Results from the Nuclear Plant Aging Research Program: Their use in inspection activities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gunther, W.; Taylor, J.

1990-09-01

The US NCR's Nuclear Plant Aging Research (NPAR) Program has determined the susceptibility to aging of components and systems, and the potential for aging to impact plant safety and availability. The NPAR Program also identified methods for detecting and mitigating aging in components. This report describes the NPAR results which can enhance NRC inspection activities. Recommendations are provided for communicating pertinent information to NRC inspectors. These recommendations are based on a detailed assessment of the NRC's Inspection Program, and feedback from resident and regional inspectors as described within. Examples of NPAR report summaries and aging inspection guides for components and systems are included. 13 refs., 3 figs., 4 tabs

Precipitation formation in recrystallized nickel-plated non-sag tungsten wire

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lai, Z.H.

1994-01-01

It is well established that some metals, such as palladium and nickel, can easily penetrate into tungsten by fast diffusion via crystal defects such as grain boundaries and dislocations. As a result of the fast penetration of these so called activators the recrystallization temperature of heavily drawn non-sag tungsten wire can be lower from about 2,000 C to about 1,000 C, thus the application of the tungsten wire, serving as reinforcement material in metal matrix composites used at high temperatures, is limited. An interesting question is in which form these activators exist in the recrystallized tungsten wire. It is generally believed that W-Ni intermediate compounds could form in the recrystallized material, presumably at grain boundaries. The free energy difference between the pure tungsten fibbers and the precipitating W(Ni) solid solution was suggested as the chemical driving force which governed the recrystallization process. The presence of nickel in small particles had also been observed in recrystallized grains of nickel plated tungsten wires using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and secondary ion mass spectroscopy. These particles were considered to be nickel rich precipitates. However, a detailed investigation of the precipitation process has not been reported. In the present work an investigation of the structure, composition and distribution of nickel rich particles precipitated in recrystallized grains of nickel plated heavily drawn non-sage tungsten wires was carried out using analytical electron microscopy (AEM)

Redefining face contour with a novel anti-aging cosmetic product: an open-label, prospective clinical study.

Science.gov (United States)

Garre, Aurora; Martinez-Masana, Gemma; Piquero-Casals, Jaime; Granger, Corinne

2017-01-01

Skin aging is accelerated by multiple extrinsic factors: ultraviolet radiation, smoking and pollution increase oxidative activity, damaging cellular and extracellular components such as DNA, proteins, and lipids. With age, collagen and hyaluronic acid levels decline, resulting in loss of elasticity and moisture of the skin. Over time this damage leads to characteristic signs that make the skin look older: altered facial contour, sagging skin, wrinkles, and an uneven complexion. This study evaluated the anti-aging effects of a new facial cream formulated with carnosine, Alteromonas ferment extract, crosspolymer hyaluronic acid, and a tripeptide. An open-label intra-individual study to assess the anti-aging efficacy of the investigational product in 33 women aged 45 to 65 years. The product was applied twice daily for 56 days. Facial contour and skin deformation, elasticity, hydration, and complexion were measured with specialized equipment at baseline and days 28 and 56. Additionally, subjects completed questionnaires at days 28 and 56 on the perceived efficacy and cosmetic characteristics of the product. After 56 days of use of the investigational product, a redefining effect was observed, with a significant decrease in sagging jawline (7%). Skin was significantly more hydrated (12%), firmer (29%), and more elastic (20%) ( P <0.001 for all). On complexion assessment, skin texture (a measure of skin smoothness) and spots (brown and red skin lesions) also improved significantly (12% and 6% decrease, respectively). In the subjective self-evaluation, the majority of subjects reported that the skin was visibly tightened and more elastic, flexible, and moisturized (91%, 88%, 91%, and 90%, respectively). The product was well tolerated with no adverse events reported during the study. This new cosmetic product demonstrated anti-aging effects after 56 days of use, most notably a redefined facial contour and improved complexion. It is a safe and effective anti-aging product.

Severe accident management program at Cofrentes Nuclear Power Plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Borondo, L.; Serrano, C.; Fiol, M.J.; Sanchez, A.

2000-01-01

Cofrentes Nuclear Power Plant (GE BWR/6) has implemented its specific Severe Accident Management Program within this year 2000. New organization and guides have been developed to successfully undertake the management of a severe accident. In particular, the Technical Support Center will count on a new ''Severe Accident Management Team'' (SAMT) which will be in charge of the Severe Accident Guides (SAG) when Control Room Crew reaches the Emergency Operation Procedures (EOP) step that requires containment flooding. Specific tools and training have also been developed to help the SAMT to mitigate the accident. (author)

Results from the Nuclear Plant Aging Research Program: Their use in inspection activities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gunther, W.; Taylor, J. (Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (USA))

1990-09-01

The US NCR's Nuclear Plant Aging Research (NPAR) Program has determined the susceptibility to aging of components and systems, and the potential for aging to impact plant safety and availability. The NPAR Program also identified methods for detecting and mitigating aging in components. This report describes the NPAR results which can enhance NRC inspection activities. Recommendations are provided for communicating pertinent information to NRC inspectors. These recommendations are based on a detailed assessment of the NRC's Inspection Program, and feedback from resident and regional inspectors as described within. Examples of NPAR report summaries and aging inspection guides for components and systems are included. 13 refs., 3 figs., 4 tabs.

Investigation of age-related decline of microfibril-associated glycoprotein-1 in human skin through immunohistochemistry study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zheng Q

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Qian Zheng, Siming Chen, Ying Chen, John Lyga, Russell Wyborski, Uma SanthanamGlobal Research and Development, Avon Products Inc., Suffern, New York, USAAbstract: During aging, the reduction of elastic and collagen fibers in dermis can lead to skin atrophy, fragility, and aged appearance, such as increased facial wrinkling and sagging. Microfibril-associated glycoprotein-1 (MAGP-1 is an extracellular matrix protein critical for elastic fiber assembly. It integrates and stabilizes the microfibril and elastin matrix network that helps the skin to endure mechanical stretch and recoil. However, the observation of MAGP-1 during skin aging and its function in the dermis has not been established. To better understand age-related changes in the dermis, we investigated MAGP-1 during skin aging and photoaging, using a combination of in vitro and in vivo studies. Gene expression by microarray was performed using human skin biopsies from young and aged female donors. In addition, immunofluorescence analysis on the MAGP-1 protein was performed in dermal fibroblast cultures and in human skin biopsies. Specific antibodies against MAGP-1 and fibrillin-1 were used to examine protein expression and extracellular matrix structure in the dermis via biopsies from donors of multiple age groups. A reduction of the MAGP-1 gene and protein levels were observed in human skin with increasing age and photoexposure, indicating a loss of the functional MAGP-1 fiber network and a lack of structural support in the dermis. Loss of MAGP-1 around the hair follicle/pore areas was also observed, suggesting a possible correlation between MAGP-1 loss and enlarged pores in aged skin. Our findings demonstrate that a critical “pre-elasticity” component, MAGP-1, declines with aging and photoaging. Such changes may contribute to age-related loss of dermal integrity and perifollicular structural support, which may lead to skin fragility, sagging, and enlarged pores

"I am active": effects of a program to promote active aging.

Science.gov (United States)

Mendoza-Ruvalcaba, Neyda Ma; Arias-Merino, Elva Dolores

2015-01-01

Active aging involves a general lifestyle strategy that allows preservation of both physical and mental health during the aging process. "I am Active" is a program designed to promote active aging by increased physical activity, healthy nutritional habits, and cognitive functioning. The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of this program. Sixty-four healthy adults aged 60 years or older were recruited from senior centers and randomly allocated to an experimental group (n=31) or a control group (n=33). Baseline, post-test, and 6-month follow-up assessments were performed after the theoretical-practical intervention. Effect sizes were calculated. At the conclusion of the program, the experimental group showed significant improvement compared with the control group in the following domains: physical activity (falls risk, balance, flexibility, self-efficacy), nutrition (self-efficacy and nutritional status), cognitive performance (processing speed and self-efficacy), and quality of life (general, health and functionality, social and economic status). Although some declines were reported, improvements at follow-up remained in self-efficacy for physical activity, self-efficacy for nutrition, and processing speed, and participants had better nutritional status and quality of life overall. Our findings show that this program promotes improvements in domains of active aging, mainly in self-efficacy beliefs as well as in quality of life in healthy elders.

Genesis and distribution pattern of carbonate cements in lacustrine deep-water gravity-flow sandstone reservoirs in the third member of the Shahejie Formation in the Dongying Sag, Jiyang Depression, Eastern China

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Yang, Tian; Cao, Yingchang; Friis, Henrik

2018-01-01

The lacustrine deep-water gravity-flow sandstone reservoirs in the third member of the Shahejie Formation are the main exploration target for hydrocarbons in the Dongying Sag, Eastern China. Carbonate cementation is responsible for much of the porosity and permeability reduction in the lacustrine...

Biological Mechanisms Underlying the Ultraviolet Radiation-Induced Formation of Skin Wrinkling and Sagging II: Over-Expression of Neprilysin Plays an Essential Role

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Genji Imokawa

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Our previous studies strongly indicated that the up-regulated activity of skin fibroblast-derived elastase plays a pivotal role in wrinkling and/or sagging of the skin via the impairment of elastic fiber configuration and the subsequent loss of skin elasticity. Fortunately, we succeeded in identifying human skin fibroblast-derived elastase as a previously known enzyme, neprilysin or neutral endopeptidase (NEP. We have also characterized epithelial-mesenchymal paracrine cytokine interactions between UVB-exposed-keratinocytes and dermal fibroblasts and found that interleukin-1α and granulocyte macrophage colony stimulatory factor (GM-CSF are intrinsic cytokines secreted by UVB-exposed keratinocytes that stimulate the expression of neprilysin by fibroblasts. On the other hand, direct UVA exposure of human fibroblasts significantly stimulates the secretion of IL-6 and also elicits a significant increase in the gene expression of matrix metallo-protease(MMP-1 as well as neprilysin (to a lesser extent, which is followed by distinct increases in their protein and enzymatic activity levels. Direct UVA exposure of human keratinocytes also stimulates the secretion of IL-6, IL-8 and GM-CSF but not of IL-1 and endothelin-1. These findings suggest that GM-CSF secreted by UVA-exposed keratinocytes as well as IL-6 secreted by UVA-exposed dermal fibroblasts play important and additional roles in UVA-induced sagging and wrinkling by up-regulation of neprilysin and MMP-1, respectively, in dermal fibroblasts.

“I am active”: effects of a program to promote active aging

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mendoza-Ruvalcaba NM

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Neyda Ma Mendoza-Ruvalcaba,1 Elva Dolores Arias-Merino2 1Health Sciences Department, University of Guadalajara, University Center of Tonala Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico; 2Public Health Department, University of Guadalajara, University Center of Health Sciences, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico Background: Active aging involves a general lifestyle strategy that allows preservation of both physical and mental health during the aging process. “I am Active” is a program designed to promote active aging by increased physical activity, healthy nutritional habits, and cognitive functioning. The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of this program. Methods: Sixty-four healthy adults aged 60 years or older were recruited from senior centers and randomly allocated to an experimental group (n=31 or a control group (n=33. Baseline, post-test, and 6-month follow-up assessments were performed after the theoretical–practical intervention. Effect sizes were calculated. Results: At the conclusion of the program, the experimental group showed significant improvement compared with the control group in the following domains: physical activity (falls risk, balance, flexibility, self-efficacy, nutrition (self-efficacy and nutritional status, cognitive performance (processing speed and self-efficacy, and quality of life (general, health and functionality, social and economic status. Although some declines were reported, improvements at follow-up remained in self-efficacy for physical activity, self-efficacy for nutrition, and processing speed, and participants had better nutritional status and quality of life overall. Conclusion: Our findings show that this program promotes improvements in domains of active aging, mainly in self-efficacy beliefs as well as in quality of life in healthy elders. Keywords: active aging, successful aging, intervention program, randomized controlled trial

Seroprevalence of antibody to NcSAG1 antigen of Neospora caninum in cattle from Western Java, Indonesia.

Science.gov (United States)

Ichikawa-Seki, Madoka; Guswanto, Azirwan; Allamanda, Puttik; Mariamah, Euis Siti; Wibowo, Putut Eko; Nishikawa, Yoshifumi

2016-01-01

Neospora caninum can cause fetal abortion and neonatal mortality in cattle, and is a cause of economic concern worldwide. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of Neospora caninum-specific antibodies in cattle from Western Java, Indonesia. Serum samples from 991 cattle from 21 locations were tested for antibodies to N. caninum by using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) on the basis of recombinant NcSAG1. The overall seroprevalence was 16.6%, ranging from 0 to 87.5% in the sampled locations. The results of this study indicate latent infection rates of sampled animals were different in each location. Further studies are necessary to elucidate the relationship between N. caninum infection and abortion in cattle, and to identify risk factors for infection in high-prevalence environments.

Structural aging program -- a summary of activities, results, and conclusions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Naus, D.J.; Oland, C.B.; Ellingwood, B.R.

1997-01-01

Research has been conducted by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory to address aging management of nuclear power plant concrete structures. The purpose was to identify potential structural safety issues and acceptance criteria for use in continued service assessments. Primary program accomplishments have included formulation of a Structural Materials Information Center that contains data and information on the time variation of material properties under the influence of pertinent environmental stressors and aging factors for 144 materials, an aging assessment methodology to identify critical structures and degradation factors that can potentially impact their performance, guidelines and evaluation criteria for use in condition assessments of reinforced concrete structures, and a reliability-based methodology for current condition assessments and estimations of future performance of reinforced concrete nuclear power plant structures. In addition, the Structural Aging Program conducted in-depth evaluations of several nondestructive evaluation and repair-related technologies to develop guidance on their applicability

An anthropogenic origin of the "Sirente crater," Abruzzi, Italy

Science.gov (United States)

Speranza, Fabio; Sagnotti, Leonardo; Rochette, Pierre

2004-04-01

In this paper, we review the recent hypothesis, based mostly on geomorphological features, that a ~130 m-wide sag pond, surrounded by a saddle-shaped rim from the Sirente plain (Abruzzi, Italy), is the first-discovered meteoritic crater of Italy. Sub-circular depressions (hosting ponds), with geomorphological features and size very similar to those exhibited by the main Sirente sag, are exposed in other neighboring intermountain karstic plains from Abruzzi. We have sampled present day soils from these sag ponds and from the Sirente sags (both the main "crater" and some smaller ones, recently interpreted as a crater field) and various Abruzzi paleosols from excavated trenches with an age range encompassing the estimated age of the "Sirente crater." For all samples, we measured the magnetic susceptibility and determined the Ni and Cr contents of selected specimens. The results show that the magnetic susceptibility values and the geochemical composition are similar for all samples (from Sirente and other Abruzzi sags) and are both significantly different from the values reported for soils contaminated by meteoritic dust. No solid evidence pointing at an impact origin exists, besides the circular shape and rim of the main sag. The available observations and data suggest that the "Sirente crater," together with analogous large sags in the Abruzzi intermountain plains, have to be attributed to the historical phenomenon of "transumanza" (seasonal migration of sheep and shepherds), a custom that for centuries characterized the basic social-economical system of the Abruzzi region. Such sags were excavated to provide water for millions of sheep, which spent summers in the Abruzzi karstic high pasture lands, on carbonatic massifs deprived of natural superficial fresh water. Conversely, the distribution of the smaller sags from the Sirente plain correlates with the local pattern of the calcareous bedrock and, together with the characteristics of their internal structure, are

Using systematic aging assessments to improve effectiveness of plant maintenance programs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Watson, P.; Yang, J.X.; Dam, R.F.; Nickerson, J.H.

2003-01-01

Nuclear plant equipment aging assessment studies provided by AECL include life assessments, condition assessments or systematic assessments of maintenance. AECL has developed several tools to apply the results of aging assessment studies to improve the effectiveness of actual plant maintenance programs. The Systematic Assessment of Maintenance and the SYSTMS tool generate maintenance tasks for a system. The System Maintenance Datastore tool assesses the maintenance resources on a system basis, and can thus quantify the savings realized by optimizing the maintenance program. Long term trends in condition-based maintenance due to component aging can be predicted, and resource savings due to optimum timing of component replacement or general plant refurbishment can be quantified. The System based Adaptive Maintenance Process ensures the maintenance program is continually updated to reflect the latest plant equipment condition and maintenance strategy information. (author)

DG Allocation Based on Reliability, Losses and Voltage Sag Considerations: an expert system approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sahar Abdel Moneim Moussa

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Expert System (ES as a branch of Artificial Intelligence (AI methodology can potentially help in solving complicated power system problems. This may be more appropriate methodology than conventional optimization techniques when contradiction between objectives appears in reaching the optimum solution. When this contradiction is the hindrance in reaching the required system operation through the application of traditional methods ES can give a hand in such case. In this paper, the  knowledge- based ES technique is proposed to reach near-optimum solution which is further directed to the optimum solution through particle swarm optimization (PSO technique. This idea is known as Hybrid-Expert-System (HES. The proposed idea is used in getting the optimum allocation of a number of distributed generation (DG units on Distribution System (DS busbars taking into consideration three issues; reliability, voltage sag, and line losses. Optimality is assessed on the economic basis by calculating money benefits (or losses resulting from DG addition considering the three aforementioned issues. The effectiveness of the proposed technique is ascertained through example.

Ageing Management Programs for Electrical Cables in Slovak NPPs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rovny, Karol

2012-01-01

One of the key factors, which are negatively affecting the operational safety of nuclear power plants, is the process of ageing. The need for the elimination of these ageing related damages is self-evident and naturally of the highest priority, to preserve the operational safety and reliability. Keeping in mind the safety and reliability of operated devices, and on the other hand the effort to maximize the device utilization, it is recommended to introduce and implement the programs for the monitoring and management of ageing of individual systems, structures and components (SSC). These shall ensure the possibility to monitor and evaluate the effects of degeneration processes on the selected SSC's , to monitor the trends in the parameters measured and ensure the adoption of appropriate corrective actions in real time. The number of nuclear reactors, which are exceeding the originally assumed operational longevity, as defined by original project documentation, is rapidly increasing. It is to no surprise that the demand for their extended operational longevity is increasing hand in hand with the strengthening safety and regulatory requirements worldwide. Each nuclear power plant consists of, among others, kilometers and miles of electric and I and C cables. Their task is irreplaceable, and their excellent condition is vital for the safety and reliability of seamless power plant operation. Thus it is critical and essential to recognize and monitor the real performance of the cables, and to implement programs, which monitor their actual condition. A successful implementation of ageing programs is a cornerstone of safe power plant operations in a long run. The focus of this presented paper is the defined approach, stated goals, and the results achieved in the area of cable ageing and longevity monitoring in the environment of Slovak nuclear power plants.

Aging research program at the LaCrosse nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

DiBenedetto, P.A.; Goller, K.R.; Sideris, T.

1988-01-01

A research program on the time-dependent, environmentally and operationally induced degradation of components, systems and structures---that is aging---is being conducted at the LaCrosse Boiling Water Reactor (LACBWR) nuclear power plant. In the spring of 1987, Dairyland Power Cooperative, the owner/licensee of the LACBWR plant announced that it was permanently shutting down this plant and intended to decommission it. Shortly thereafter, Dairyland entered into an agreement with DiBenedetto Associates (DBA) to be the exclusive agent and manager of the Aging Research Program (ARP). Wyle Laboratories is the primary supporting contractor to DBA in this effort

Canadian programs on understanding and managing aging degradation of nuclear power plant components

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chadha, J.A.; Pachner, J.

1989-06-01

Maintaining adequate safety and reliability of nuclear power plants and nuclear power plant life assurance and life extension are growing in importance as nuclear plants get older. Age-related degradation of plant components is complex and not fully understood. This paper provides an overview of the Canadian approach and the main activities and their results towards understanding and managing age-related degradation of nuclear power plant components, structures and systems. A number of pro-active programs have been initiated to anticipate, detect and mitigate potential aging degradation at an early stage before any serious impact on plant safety and reliability. These programs include Operational Safety Management Program, Nuclear Plant Life Assurance Program, systematic plant condition assessment, refurbishment and upgrading, post-service examination and testing, equipment qualification, research and development, and participation in the IAEA programs on safety aspects of nuclear power plant aging and life extension. A regulatory policy on nuclear power plants is under development and will be based on the domestic as well as foreign and international studies and experience

In the Age of Web: Typed Functional-First Programming Revisited

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tomas Petricek

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Most programming languages were designed before the age of web. This matters because the web changes many assumptions that typed functional language designers take for granted. For example, programs do not run in a closed world, but must instead interact with (changing and likely unreliable services and data sources, communication is often asynchronous or event-driven, and programs need to interoperate with untyped environments. In this paper, we present how the F# language and libraries face the challenges posed by the web. Technically, this comprises using type providers for integration with external information sources and for integration with untyped programming environments, using lightweight meta-programming for targeting JavaScript and computation expressions for writing asynchronous code. In this inquiry, the holistic perspective is more important than each of the features in isolation. We use a practical case study as a starting point and look at how F# language and libraries approach the challenges posed by the web. The specific lessons learned are perhaps less interesting than our attempt to uncover hidden assumptions that no longer hold in the age of web.

Análisis multirresolución del motor trifásico de inducción sometido a huecos de tensión Triphasic induction motor multiresolution analysis on voltage sags

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M.G Macri

2012-04-01

Full Text Available Este documento presenta los resultados del estudio realizado de la descomposición wavelet multinivel 1D de las señales perturbadas del par electromagnético y de la velocidad del eje del motor trifásico de inducción, cuando este es sometido a diferentes tipologías de huecos de tensión según la caracterización ABC, Bollen (2000. Los huecos de tensión trifásicos (3 variables son analizados indirectamente en el efecto producido en una variable perturbada (el par electromagnético o la velocidad del eje que contiene indirectamente información del tipo de hueco de tensión trifásico producido en el estator. El estudio analiza el efecto de los siete diferentes tipos de huecos de tensión, considerando también la influencia de la duración y tensión retenida. Para cada caso se obtiene un vector cuyos elementos son los niveles de energía wavelet en los distintos niveles de descomposición de la variable analizada, mostrando que la forma en que se distribuye la energía de la señal 1D en los distintos niveles de descomposición establece una firma única para cada caso. Esta forma de descripción de los huecos de tensión producidos en el estator, basada en la descomposición multinivel de una variable perturbada, reduce la cantidad de variables a analizar y permite posteriormente la clasificación de las perturbaciones empleando técnicas de inteligencia artificial; es ventajosa pues el almacenamiento de los vectores de niveles de energía de aproximación en las bases de datos emplea menor cantidad de espacio que la necesaria para una señal temporal, y empleando una DWT reversible es posible, además, reconstruir la variable de estado temporal.This document presents the study results of the wavelet 1D multi-level decomposition of perturbed electromagnetic torque and shaft speed signals, of the three-phase induction motor, when it is subjected to different types of voltage sags, as characterization ABC, Bollen (2000. The three

“I am active”: effects of a program to promote active aging

Science.gov (United States)

Mendoza-Ruvalcaba, Neyda Ma; Arias-Merino, Elva Dolores

2015-01-01

Background Active aging involves a general lifestyle strategy that allows preservation of both physical and mental health during the aging process. “I am Active” is a program designed to promote active aging by increased physical activity, healthy nutritional habits, and cognitive functioning. The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of this program. Methods Sixty-four healthy adults aged 60 years or older were recruited from senior centers and randomly allocated to an experimental group (n=31) or a control group (n=33). Baseline, post-test, and 6-month follow-up assessments were performed after the theoretical–practical intervention. Effect sizes were calculated. Results At the conclusion of the program, the experimental group showed significant improvement compared with the control group in the following domains: physical activity (falls risk, balance, flexibility, self-efficacy), nutrition (self-efficacy and nutritional status), cognitive performance (processing speed and self-efficacy), and quality of life (general, health and functionality, social and economic status). Although some declines were reported, improvements at follow-up remained in self-efficacy for physical activity, self-efficacy for nutrition, and processing speed, and participants had better nutritional status and quality of life overall. Conclusion Our findings show that this program promotes improvements in domains of active aging, mainly in self-efficacy beliefs as well as in quality of life in healthy elders. PMID:26005337

Regulatory Aspect of an Ageing Management Program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Basic, I.; Zabric, I.; Savli, S.

2006-01-01

The aspects of plant ageing management (AM) gained increasing attention over the last ten years. Numerous technical studies have been performed to study the impact of ageing mechanisms on the safe and reliable operation of nuclear power plants. National research activities have been initiated or are in progress to provide the technical basis for decision making processes. The long-term operation of nuclear power plants is influenced by economic considerations, the socio-economic environment including public acceptance, developments in research and the regulatory framework, the availability of technical infrastructure to maintain and service the systems, structures and components as well as qualified personnel. Besides national activities there are a number of international activities in particular under the umbrella of the IAEA, the OECD and the EU. The paper will provide the summary on Nuclear Plant Life Management (PLIM) (or Ageing Management Program (AMP)) and Plant Life Extension (PLEX) development in USA and European countries. Also, insights from such effort currently performing in Slovenia will be discussed.(author)

Generic aging management programs for license renewal of BWR reactor coolant systems components

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shah, V.N.; Liu, Y.Y.

2002-01-01

The paper reviews the existing generic aging management programs (AMPs) for the reactor coolant system (RCS) components in boiling water reactors (BWRs), including the reactor pressure vessel and internals, the reactor recirculation system, and the connected piping. These programs have been evaluated in the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) report, Generic Aging Lessons Learned (GALL), NUREG-1801, for their use in the license renewal process to manage several aging effects, including loss of material, crack initiation and growth, loss of fracture toughness, loss of preload, wall thinning, and cumulative fatigue damage. The program evaluation includes a review of ten attributes (scope of program, preventive actions, parameters monitored/inspected, detection of aging effects, monitoring and trending, acceptance criteria, corrective actions, confirmative process, administrative control, and operating experience) for their effectiveness in managing a specific aging effect in a given component(s). The generic programs are based on the ASME Section XI inservice inspection requirements; industry guidelines for inspection and evaluation of aging effects in BWR reactor vessel, internals, and recirculation piping; monitoring and control of BWR water chemistry; and operating experience as reported in the USNRC generic communications and industry reports. The review concludes that all generic AMPs are acceptable for managing aging effects in BWR RCS components during an extended period of operation and do not need further evaluation. However, the plant-specific programs for managing aging in certain RCS components during an extended period of operation do require further evaluation. For some plant-specific AMPs, the GALL report recommends an aging management activity to verify their effectiveness. An example of such an activity is a one-time inspection of Class 1 small-bore piping to ensure that service-induced weld cracking is not occurring in the piping. Several of

Generic Aging Management Programs for License Renewal of BWR Reactor Coolant System Components

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shah, V.N.; Liu, Y.Y.

2002-01-01

The paper reviews the existing generic aging management programs (AMPs) for the reactor coolant system (RCS) components in boiling water reactors (BWRs), including the reactor pressure vessel and internals, the reactor recirculation system, and the connected piping. These programs have been evaluated in the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) report, Generic Aging Lessons Learned (GALL), NUREG-1801, for their use in the license renewal process to manage several aging effects, including loss of material, crack initiation and growth, loss of fracture toughness, loss of preload, wall thinning, and cumulative fatigue damage. The program evaluation includes a review of ten attributes (scope of program, preventive actions, parameters monitored/inspected, detection of aging effects, monitoring and trending, acceptance criteria, corrective actions, confirmative process, administrative control, and operating experience) for their effectiveness in managing a specific aging effect in a given component(s). The generic programs are based on the ASME Section XI inservice inspection requirements; industry guidelines for inspection and evaluation of aging effects in BWR reactor vessel, internals, and recirculation piping; monitoring and control of BWR water chemistry; and operating experience as reported in the USNRC generic communications and industry reports. The review concludes that all generic AMPs are acceptable for managing aging effects in BWR RCS components during an extended period of operation and do not need further evaluation. However, the plant-specific programs for managing aging in certain RCS components during an extended period of operation do require further evaluation. For some plant-specific AMPs, the GALL report recommends an aging management activity to verify their effectiveness. An example of such an activity is a one-time inspection of Class 1 small-bore piping to ensure that service-induced weld cracking is not occurring in the piping. Several of

An aging management program focused on the full utilization of existing licenses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Esselman, Thomas C.; McDevitt, Robert

2004-01-01

An Aging Management Enhancement Program has been developed to identify and mitigate the risk and uncertainties that unusual, accelerated, or previously unanticipated aging of Systems, Structures, and Components pose to the continued long term safe, economic, and reliable operation of nuclear facilities. This paper defines a process intended to enhance the understanding and control of the aging of systems, structures, and components (SSCs). The program is selective and proactive. It largely employs the experience and knowledge of personnel that have hands-on responsibility for engineering, maintaining, and operating the facility. The identification of SSCs and associated age related degradation mechanisms (ARDMs) that present future vulnerabilities to a plant allow focused actions to be implemented to remedy or abate the risk prior to the aging degradation adversely impacting plant operation. Selection of structures and components susceptible to accelerated aging degradation and appropriate remedial corrective and/or preventive actions are based on a recognized need to achieve a balance between plant safety, plant economics, and plant reliability. (author)

Health and Aging Policy Fellows Program: Shaping a Healthy Future for Older Americans.

Science.gov (United States)

Pincus, Harold Alan; Pike, Kathleen M; Spaeth-Rublee, Brigitta; Elinson, Lynn

2017-09-01

As the size of the elderly population increases, so do the challenges of and barriers to high-quality, affordable health care. The Health and Aging Policy Fellows (HAPF) Program is designed to provide health and aging professionals with the skills and experience to help lead the effort in reducing these barriers and shaping a healthy and productive future for older Americans. Since its inception in 2008, the program has affected not only the fellows who participate, but also the field of health and aging policy. Work needs to be done to sustain this program so that more fellows can participate and sound policies for the elderly population can continue to be shaped and improved. This report describes the HAPF Program, including its background (rationale, description, partners, progress, effect), lessons learned, challenges and solutions, and policy implications. © 2017, Copyright the Authors Journal compilation © 2017, The American Geriatrics Society.

Effect of short-term research training programs on medical students' attitudes toward aging.

Science.gov (United States)

Jeste, Dilip V; Avanzino, Julie; Depp, Colin A; Gawronska, Maja; Tu, Xin; Sewell, Daniel D; Huege, Steven F

2018-01-01

Strategies to build a larger workforce of physicians dedicated to research on aging are needed. One method to address this shortage of physician scientists in geriatrics is short-term training in aging research for early-stage medical students. The authors examined the effects of two summer research training programs, funded by the National Institutes of Health, on medical students' attitudes toward aging, using the Carolina Opinions on Care of Older Adults (COCOA). The programs combined mentored research, didactics, and some clinical exposure. In a sample of 134 participants, COCOA scores improved significantly after completion of the research training program. There was a significant interaction of gender, such that female students had higher baseline scores than males, but this gender difference in COCOA scores was attenuated following the program. Four of the six COCOA subscales showed significant improvement from baseline: early interest in geriatrics, empathy/compassion, attitudes toward geriatrics careers, and ageism.

Determinación de la relación entre descargas atmosféricas y perturbaciones de corta duración (sags y sobretensiones)

OpenAIRE

Murillo Sánchez, Oscar Javier

2012-01-01

Se muestra el desarrollo y los resultados de una metodología propuesta para la determinación de la correlación entre descargas eléctricas atmosféricas detectadas y registradas en una zona y los hundimientos de tensión (sags) registrados en el sistema de distribución asociado. Como ejemplo de aplicación se usa información del sistema de localización de rayos WWLLN (wwlln.net), el Sistema de información de Descarga SID (propiedad de ISA. S.A. E.S.P.) y las mediciones de calidad de potencia de C...

Demographic Trends of Adults in New York City Opioid Treatment Programs--An Aging Population.

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Benjamin; Polydorou, Soteri; Ferris, Rosie; Blaum, Caroline S; Ross, Stephen; McNeely, Jennifer

2015-01-01

The population of adults accessing opioid treatment is growing older, but exact estimates vary widely, and little is known about the characteristics of the aging treatment population. Further, there has been little research regarding the epidemiology, healt h status, and functional impairments in this population. To determine the utilization of opioid treatment services by older adults in New York City. This study used administrative data from New York State licensed drug treatment programs to examine overall age trends and characteristics of older adults in opioid treatment programs in New York City from 1996 to 2012. We found significant increases in utilization of opioid treatment programs by older adults in New York City. By 2012, those aged 50-59 made up the largest age group in opioid treatment programs. Among older adults there were notable shifts in demographic background including gender and ethnicity, and an increase in self-reported impairments. More research is needed to fully understand the specific characteristics and needs of older adults with opioid dependence.

20 CFR 422.510 - Applications and related forms used in the health insurance for the aged program.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... health insurance for the aged program. 422.510 Section 422.510 Employees' Benefits SOCIAL SECURITY... forms used in the health insurance for the aged program. (a) Application forms. The following forms are prescribed for use in applying for entitlement to benefits under the health insurance for the aged program...

Aging mitigation and improved programs for nuclear service diesel generators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoopingarner, K.R.; Zaloudek, F.R.

1989-12-01

Recent NRC sponsored aging research work on nuclear service diesel generators has resulted in a recommendation that an improved engine management program should be adopted for aging mitigation and reliability improvement. The center of attention should be to ensure diesel-generator operational readiness. This report emphasizes a ''healthy engine concept'' and recommends parameters to be monitored to determine engine condition. The proposed program and approach recommended in this report represent balanced management where diesel generator testing, inspections, monitoring, trending, training, and maintenance all have appropriate importance. Fast-starting and fast-loading test of nuclear service diesels causes very rapid wear of certain engine components. This report documents this aging and wear mechanism and recommends ways to largely eliminate this unique aging stressor. Current periodic intrusive maintenance and engine overhaul practice have been found to be less favorable for safety assurance than engine overhauls based on monitoring and trending results or on a need to correct specific engine defects. This report recommends that the periodic overhaul requirements be re-evaluated. Diesel generator research on aging and wear is sponsored by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research. The research reported in this report was conducted by Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL), which is operated for the Department of Energy by Battelle Memorial Institute. 23 refs., 3 figs., 8 tabs

Does Islamic spiritual program lead to successful aging? A randomized clinical trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Moeini, Mahin; Sharifi, Somaye; Zandiyeh, Zahra

2016-01-01

Successful aging is a pattern of aging that has gained much attention during recent years. One factor that has a negative impact on successful aging variables is hypertension. The phenomenon of aging when accompanied with hypertension promotes spiritual needs. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of the Islamic spiritual program on successful aging in elderly patients with hypertension who were referred to health centers of Isfahan, Iran, in 2014. This study was a randomized clinical trial. The participants (52 elderly patients with hypertension) were randomly divided into experimental and control groups. While the control group received training related to health promotion, the Islamic spiritual program was implemented in the experimental group for eight sessions in two health centers of Isfahan. The data collection tools consisted of the 12-item General Health Questionnaire developed by Goldberg and the satisfaction with life scale developed by Diener. The questionnaires were completed in three steps; pretest, posttest, and follow-up (1-month). Data were analyzed using SPSS statistical software version 20 and Chi-square, independent t-test, and repeated measures ANOVA. Statistical tests showed that the mean score of general health and life satisfaction of the experiment group had a meaningful difference from that of the control group in the posttest stage (P < 0.001). This difference was also meaningful in the follow-up stage (P < 0.001). The results of the study indicated the effectiveness of an Islamic spiritual program on successful aging variables.

A healthy aging program for older adults: effects on self-efficacy and morale.

Science.gov (United States)

Scult, Matthew; Haime, Vivian; Jacquart, Jolene; Takahashi, Jonathan; Moscowitz, Barbara; Webster, Ann; Denninger, John W; Mehta, Darshan H

2015-01-01

As of 2012, 810 million people worldwide were older than 60 y, accounting for 11% of the population. That number is expected to rise to 2 billion by 2050 or to 22% of the overall population. As a result, a growing need exists to understand the factors that promote mental and physical health in older populations. The purpose of this study was to develop a healthy aging program for older adults and to measure the changes from baseline to the end of the program in participants' relevant psychosocial outcomes (ie, self-efficacy and morale). The study's healthy aging mind-body intervention (MBI) was adapted from the Relaxation Response Resiliency Program (3RP) at the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine, which incorporates elements from the fields of stress management, cognitive behavioral therapy, and positive psychology. That program was modified with examples and exercises targeted to an older population and evaluated in the current single-arm pilot study. The program took place at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). The 9-wk healthy aging MBI was developed for participants aged 65 y and older. Fifty-one older adults from the surrounding community participated in the study's groups. A new intervention group began the program every 3 mo, with a maximum of 12 individuals per group. For each group, the MBI consisted of weekly 90-min sessions for 9 consecutive wk, directed by a psychologist. The program included sessions that taught participants (1) a variety of methods to elicit the relaxation response (RR), (2) the practice of adaptive coping and cognitions, (3) behaviors necessary to create a healthy lifestyle, and (4) methods of building social support. The research team chose to focus on 2 psychological variables of interest for aging populations: morale and self-efficacy. The study used 2 questionnaires to measure those outcomes, the Philadelphia Geriatric Center Morale Scale (PGCMS), a multidimensional measure of the psychological state of older

NRC Research Program on Plant Aging: Listing and summaries of reports issued through June 1991

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kondic, N.N.; Hill, E.L.

1991-07-01

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission is conducting the Nuclear Plant Aging Research (NPAR) Program. This is a comprehensive hardware-oriented engineering research program focused on understanding the aging mechanisms of components and systems in nuclear power plants. The NPAR program also focuses on methods for simulating and monitoring the aging-related degradation of these components and systems. In addition, it provides recommendations for effective maintenance to manage aging and for the implementation of the research results in the regulatory process. This document contains a listing and index of reports generated in the NPAR Program that were issued through June 1991 and summaries of those reports. Each summary describes the elements of the research covered in the report and outlines the significant results. For the convenience of the user, the reports are indexed by personal author, corporate author, and subject. 102 refs

NRC research program on plant aging: Listing and summaries of reports issued through July 1992

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kondic, N.N.

1992-09-01

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission is conducting the Nuclear Plant Aging Research (NPAR) Program. This is a comprehensive hardware-oriented engineering research program focused on understanding the aging mechanisms of components and systems in nuclear power plants. The NPAR program also focuses on methods for simulating and monitoring the aging-related degradation of these components and systems. In addition, it provides recommendations for effective maintenance to manage aging and for implementation of the research results in the regulatory process. This document contains a listing and index of reports generated in the NPAR Program that were issued through July 1992 and summaries of those reports. Each summary describes the elements of the research covered in the report and outlines the significant results. For the convenience of the user, the reports are indexed by personal author, corporate author, and subject

NRC research program on plant aging: Listing and summaries of reports issued through May 1990

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kondic, N.N.; Hill, E.L.

1990-07-01

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission is conducting the Nuclear Plant Aging Research (NPAR) Program. This is a comprehensive hardware-oriented engineering research program focused on understanding the aging mechanisms of components and systems in nuclear plants. The NPAR program also focuses on methods for simulating and monitoring the aging-related degradation of these components and systems. In addition, it provides recommendations for effective maintenance to manage aging and for the implementation of the research results in the regulatory process. This document contains a listing and index of reports generated in the NPAR Program that were issued through May 1990 and summaries of those reports. Each summary describes the elements of the research covered in the report and outlines the significant results. For the convenience of the user, the reports are indexed by personal author, corporate author, and subject

Arthritis, Rheumatism and Aging Medical Information System Post-Marketing Surveillance Program.

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, G

2001-05-01

The Arthritis, Rheumatism, and Aging Post-Marketing Surveillance Program (ARAMIS-PMS) is a collection of multicenter, prospective, noninterventional, observational longitudinal studies of patients with rheumatic diseases. The ARAMIS-PMS program aims to study patients in normal clinical setting to evaluate the real-life effectiveness, toxicity, and cost effectiveness of various medications used to treat rheumatic diseases.

A pilot project of an online cross-age tutoring program: crescent school virtual learning (vLearning).

Science.gov (United States)

Chow, Ronald

2016-11-01

Traditional classroom teaching is the standard of education. However, there may be some students who feel uncomfortable approaching their teachers and may feel more at ease if they ask for assistance from their peers. There are two types of student-to-student tutoring methods that are supplements to classroom learning: peer tutoring between same-age students and cross-age tutoring between different-age children. Cross-age tutoring programs in which the tutor is 2-3 years older than the tutee have been reported to be more effective than those between same-age students in promoting student responsibility, empowerment and academic performance. A pilot online cross-age tutoring program was launched in September 2014 at Crescent School. A new website was designed, created and implemented with the permission and regular monitoring of the Student Services faculty for the online program - Crescent School Virtual Learning (vLearning). The program was well received and will undergo evaluation in the future.

Reliability Analysis of RSG-GAS Primary Cooling System to Support Aging Management Program

Science.gov (United States)

Deswandri; Subekti, M.; Sunaryo, Geni Rina

2018-02-01

Multipurpose Research Reactor G.A. Siwabessy (RSG-GAS) which has been operating since 1987 is one of the main facilities on supporting research, development and application of nuclear energy programs in BATAN. Until now, the RSG-GAS research reactor has been successfully operated safely and securely. However, because it has been operating for nearly 30 years, the structures, systems and components (SSCs) from the reactor would have started experiencing an aging phase. The process of aging certainly causes a decrease in reliability and safe performances of the reactor, therefore the aging management program is needed to resolve the issues. One of the programs in the aging management is to evaluate the safety and reliability of the system and also screening the critical components to be managed.One method that can be used for such purposes is the Fault Tree Analysis (FTA). In this papers FTA method is used to screening the critical components in the RSG-GAS Primary Cooling System. The evaluation results showed that the primary isolation valves are the basic events which are dominant against the system failure.

Interprofessional education in practice: Evaluation of a work integrated aged care program.

Science.gov (United States)

Lawlis, Tanya; Wicks, Alison; Jamieson, Maggie; Haughey, Amy; Grealish, Laurie

2016-03-01

Health professional clinical education is commonly conducted in single discipline modes, thus limiting student collaboration skills. Aged care residential facilities, due to the chronic and complex health care needs of residents, provide an ideal placement to provide a collaborative experience. Interprofessional education is widely acknowledged as the pedagogical framework through which to facilitate collaboration. The aim of the evaluation was to assess student attitudes towards collaboration after active involvement in an interprofessional education program. Students studying nursing, occupational therapy, and aged care were invited to complete a version of the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale before and after participating in a three-week pilot interprofessional program. A positive change in student attitudes towards other health professionals and the importance of working in interprofessional teams was reported with significant differences between two statements indicated: Learning with health-care students before qualifications would improve relationships after qualifications; and I learned a lot from the students from the other disciplines. The innovative pilot project was found to enhance student learning in interprofessional teams and the aged care environment. Further development of this and similar interprofessional programs is required to develop sustainable student projects that have health benefits for residents in aged care residential facilities. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Redefining face contour with a novel anti-aging cosmetic product: an open-label, prospective clinical study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Garre A

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Aurora Garre,1 Gemma Martinez-Masana,1 Jaime Piquero-Casals,2 Corinne Granger1 1Innovation and Development, ISDIN S.A., Barcelona, Spain; 2Dermik Clinic, Barcelona, Spain Background: Skin aging is accelerated by multiple extrinsic factors: ultraviolet radiation, smoking and pollution increase oxidative activity, damaging cellular and extracellular components such as DNA, proteins, and lipids. With age, collagen and hyaluronic acid levels decline, resulting in loss of elasticity and moisture of the skin. Over time this damage leads to characteristic signs that make the skin look older: altered facial contour, sagging skin, wrinkles, and an uneven complexion. This study evaluated the anti-aging effects of a new facial cream formulated with carnosine, Alteromonas ferment extract, crosspolymer hyaluronic acid, and a tripeptide. Methods: An open-label intra-individual study to assess the anti-aging efficacy of the investigational product in 33 women aged 45 to 65 years. The product was applied twice daily for 56 days. Facial contour and skin deformation, elasticity, hydration, and complexion were measured with specialized equipment at baseline and days 28 and 56. Additionally, subjects completed questionnaires at days 28 and 56 on the perceived efficacy and cosmetic characteristics of the product. Results: After 56 days of use of the investigational product, a redefining effect was observed, with a significant decrease in sagging jawline (7%. Skin was significantly more hydrated (12%, firmer (29%, and more elastic (20% (P<0.001 for all. On complexion assessment, skin texture (a measure of skin smoothness and spots (brown and red skin lesions also improved significantly (12% and 6% decrease, respectively. In the subjective self-evaluation, the majority of subjects reported that the skin was visibly tightened and more elastic, flexible, and moisturized (91%, 88%, 91%, and 90%, respectively. The product was well tolerated with no adverse events reported

Geologic-seismic models, prediction of shallow-water lacustrine delta sandbody and hydrocarbon potential in the Late Miocene, Huanghekou Sag, Bohai Bay Basin, northern China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hao Liu

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The Huanghekou Sag is located at the southeast part of the Bohai Bay Basin, northern China. Large-scale shallow lake delta developed in the Neogene provided suitable geological conditions for the formation of a subtle oil-gas reservoir in this area. The key for analyzing sandstone reservoir and sedimentary facies is by using seismic attributes (amplitude to establish the relationship between lithology combination and seismic attributes. The lower unit of Late Miocene Minghuazhen Formation at the BZ34 block in the Huanghekou Sag was subdivided into 10 parasequence sets (PSS. Thicker sandstones mainly occurred in PSS1 and PSS10, whereas thin sandstones are mostly observed within other parasequence sets. This study presents statistics and analyses of lithology, i.e., statistics of root-mean-square (RMS amplitude and lithology of well locations in different parasequence sets of the study area, as well as 1-D forward seismic models of 7 types of lithology combinations, the establishment of a spatial distribution of 2-D sandbody, forward seismic models etc. Our study indicates that high amplitude peaks correspond to thicker sandbodies, while low amplitude indicates non-development of sandbodies (generally less than 2 m, and medium amplitude agrees well with large sets of mudstones interbedded with medium and thinner sandstones. Different sand–mudstone combinations genetically reflect a combination of multiple micro-facies, therefore, amplitude features can predict sandbodies as well as facies characteristics.

AGING WATER INFRASTRUCTURE RESEARCH PROGRAM: ADDRESSING THE CHALLENGE THROUGH INNOVATION

Science.gov (United States)

A driving force behind the Sustainable Water Infrastructure (SI) initiative and the Aging Water Infrastructure (AWI) research program is the Clean Water and Drinking Water Infrastructure Gap Analysis. In this report, EPA estimated that if operation, maintenance, and capital inves...

Role of EPA in Asset Management Research – The Aging Water Infrastructure Research Program

Science.gov (United States)

This slide presentation provides an overview of the EPA Office of Research and Development’s Aging Water infrastructure Research Program (AWIRP). The research program origins, goals, products, and plans are described. The research program focuses on four areas: condition asses...

Aging degradation of cast stainless steel: status and program

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chopra, O.K.; Ayrault, G.

1983-10-01

A program has been initiated to investigate the significance of in-service embrittlement of cast duplex stainless steels under light-water reactor operating conditions. The existing data are reviewed to determine the critical parameters that control the aging behavior and to define the objectives and scope of the investigation. The test matrices for microstructural studies and mechanical property measurements are presented. The initial experimental effort is focussed on characterizing the microstructure of long-term, low-temperature aged material. Specimens from three heats of cast CF-8 and CF-8M stainless steel aged for up to 70,000 h at 300, 350, and 400/sup 0/C were obtained from George Fisher Ltd., of Switzerland. Initial analyses reveal the formation of three different types of precipitates which are not ..cap alpha..'. An FCC phase, similar to the M/sub 23/C/sub 6/ precipitates, was present in all the long-term aged material. 15 references, 10 figures, 2 tables.

Aging degradation of cast stainless steel: status and program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chopra, O.K.; Ayrault, G.

1983-10-01

A program has been initiated to investigate the significance of in-service embrittlement of cast duplex stainless steels under light-water reactor operating conditions. The existing data are reviewed to determine the critical parameters that control the aging behavior and to define the objectives and scope of the investigation. The test matrices for microstructural studies and mechanical property measurements are presented. The initial experimental effort is focussed on characterizing the microstructure of long-term, low-temperature aged material. Specimens from three heats of cast CF-8 and CF-8M stainless steel aged for up to 70,000 h at 300, 350, and 400 0 C were obtained from George Fisher Ltd., of Switzerland. Initial analyses reveal the formation of three different types of precipitates which are not α'. An FCC phase, similar to the M 23 C 6 precipitates, was present in all the long-term aged material. 15 references, 10 figures, 2 tables

Model development for prediction and mitigation of dissolved oxygen sags in the Athabasca River, Canada

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Martin, Nancy, E-mail: nancy@ualberta.ca [Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada T6G 2W2 (Canada); McEachern, Preston [Tervita Corporation, AB (Canada); Yu, Tong; Zhu, David Z. [Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada T6G 2W2 (Canada)

2013-01-15

Northern rivers exposed to high biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) loads are prone to dissolved oxygen (DO) sags in winter due to re-aeration occurring within limited open water leads. Additionally, photosynthesis is reduced by decreased daylight hours, inability of solar radiation to pass through ice, and slower algal growth in winter. The low volumetric flow decreases point-source dilution while their travel time increases. The Athabasca River in Alberta, Canada, has experienced these sags which may affect the aquatic ecosystem. A water quality model for an 800 km reach of this river was customized, calibrated, and validated specifically for DO and the factors that determine its concentration. After validation, the model was used to assess the assimilative capacity of the river and mitigation measures that could be deployed. The model reproduced the surface elevation and water temperature for the seven years simulated with mean absolute errors of < 15 cm and < 0.9 °C respectively. The ice cover was adequately predicted for all seven winters, and the simulation of nutrients and phytoplankton primary productivity were satisfactory. The DO concentration was very sensitive to the sediment oxygen demand (SOD), which represented about 50% of the DO sink in winter. The DO calibration was improved by implementing an annual SOD based on the BOD load. The model was used to estimate the capacity of the river to assimilate BOD loads in order to maintain a DO concentration of 7 mg/L, which represents the chronic provincial guideline plus a buffer of 0.5 mg/L. The results revealed the maximum assimilative BOD load of 8.9 ton/day at average flow conditions, which is lower than the maximum permitted load. In addition, the model predicted a minimum assimilative flow of about 52 m{sup 3}/s at average BOD load. Climate change scenarios could increase the frequency of this low flow. A three-level warning-system is proposed to manage the BOD load proactively at different river

Transformation of miniature potted rose (Rosa hybrida cv. Linda) with P( SAG12 )-ipt gene delays leaf senescence and enhances resistance to exogenous ethylene.

Science.gov (United States)

Zakizadeh, Hedayat; Lütken, Henrik; Sriskandarajah, Sridevy; Serek, Margrethe; Müller, Renate

2013-02-01

KEY MESSAGE : The P ( SAG12 ) -ipt gene was transferred to miniature rose, as the first woody species, resulting in increased ethylene resistance due to specific up-regulation of the ipt gene under senescence promoting conditions. Transgenic plants of Rosa hybrida 'Linda' were obtained via transformation with Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain harboring the binary vector pSG529(+) containing the P( SAG12 )-ipt construct. A. tumefaciens strains AGL1, GV3850 and LBA4404 (containing P(35S)-INTGUS gene) were used for transformation of embryogenic callus, but transgenic shoots were obtained only when AGL1 was applied. The highest transformation frequency was 10 % and it was achieved when half MS medium was used for the dilution of overnight culture of Agrobacterium. Southern blot confirmed integration of 1-6 copies of the nptII gene into the rose genome in the tested lines. Four transgenic lines were obtained which were morphologically true-to-type and indistinguishable from Wt shoots while they were in in vitro cultures. Adventitious root induction was more difficult in transgenic shoots compared to the Wt shoots, however, one of the transgenic lines (line 6) was rooted and subsequently analyzed phenotypically. The ipt expression levels were determined in this line after exposure to exogenous ethylene (3.5 μl l(-1)) and/or darkness. Darkness resulted in twofold up-regulation of ipt expression, whereas darkness combined with ethylene caused eightfold up-regulation in line 6 compared to Wt plants. The transgenic line had significantly higher content of chlorophyll at the end of the treatment period compared to Wt plants.

Light Water Reactor Sustainability Program: Evaluation of Localized Cable Test Methods for Nuclear Power Plant Cable Aging Management Programs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Glass, Samuel W. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Fifield, Leonard S. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Hartman, Trenton S. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

2016-05-30

This Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) milestone report describes progress to date on the investigation of nondestructive test (NDE) methods focusing particularly on local measurements that provide key indicators of cable aging and damage. The work includes a review of relevant literature as well as hands-on experimental verification of inspection capabilities. As NPPs consider applying for second, or subsequent, license renewal (SLR) to extend their operating period from 60 years to 80 years, it important to understand how the materials installed in plant systems and components will age during that time and develop aging management programs (AMPs) to assure continued safe operation under normal and design basis events (DBE). Normal component and system tests typically confirm the cables can perform their normal operational function. The focus of the cable test program is directed toward the more demanding challenge of assuring the cable function under accident or DBE. Most utilities already have a program associated with their first life extension from 40 to 60 years. Regrettably, there is neither a clear guideline nor a single NDE that can assure cable function and integrity for all cables. Thankfully, however, practical implementation of a broad range of tests allows utilities to develop a practical program that assures cable function to a high degree. The industry has adopted 50% elongation at break (EAB) relative to the un-aged cable condition as the acceptability standard. All tests are benchmarked against the cable EAB test. EAB is a destructive test so the test programs must apply an array of other NDE tests to assure or infer the overall set of cable’s system integrity. These cable NDE programs vary in rigor and methodology. As the industry gains experience with the efficacy of these programs, it is expected that implementation practice will converge to a more common approach. This report addresses the range of local NDE cable tests that are

NRC research program on plant aging: Listing and abstracts of reports issued through February 1, 1989

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kondic, N.N.

1989-08-01

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission is conducting the Nuclear Plant Aging Research (NPAR) Program. This is a comprehensive hardware-oriented program focused on understanding the aging mechanisms of components and systems in nuclear plants. The NPAR Program also focuses on methods for simulating and monitoring the aging-related degradation of these components and systems. This document contains a listing and index of reports generated in the NPAR Program that were issued through February 1, 1989, and abstracts of those reports. Each abstract describes the elements of the research covered in the report and outlines the significant results. For the convenience of the user, the reports are indexed by personal author, corporate author, and subject

Development Program for Natural Aging Aluminum Casting Alloys

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dr. Geoffrey K. Sigworth

2004-05-14

A number of 7xx aluminum casting alloys are based on the ternary Al-Zn-Mg system. These alloys age naturally to high strength at room temperature. A high temperature solution and aging treatment is not required. Consequently, these alloys have the potential to deliver properties nearly equivalent to conventional A356-T6 (Al-Si-Mg) castings, with a significant cost saving. An energy savings is also possible. In spite of these advantages, the 7xx casting alloys are seldom used, primarily because of their reputation for poor castibility. This paper describes the results obtained in a DOE-funded research study of these alloys, which is part of the DOE-OIT ''Cast Metals Industries of the Future'' Program. Suggestions for possible commercial use are also given.

An algorithm for reduction of extracted power from photovoltaic strings in grid-tied photovoltaic power plants during voltage sags

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tafti, Hossein Dehghani; Maswood, Ali Iftekhar; Pou, Josep

2016-01-01

strings should be reduced during voltage sags. In this paper, an algorithm is proposed for determining the reference voltage of the PV string which results in a reduction of the output power to a certain amount. The proposed algorithm calculates the reference voltage for the dc/dc converter controller......, based on the characteristics of the power-voltage curve of the PV string and therefore, no modification is required in the the controller of the dc/dc converter. Simulation results on a 50-kW PV string verified the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm in reducing the power from PV strings under......Due to the high penetration of the installed distributed generation units in the power system, the injection of reactive power is required for the medium-scale and large-scale grid-connected photovoltaic power plants (PVPPs). Because of the current limitation of the grid-connected inverter...

Comprehensive Reactive Power Support of DFIG Adapted to Different Depth of Voltage Sags

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yangwu Shen

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The low voltage ride-through (LVRT capability of the doubly-fed induction generator (DFIG significantly impacts upon the integration of wind power into the power grid. This paper develops a novel comprehensive control strategy to enhance the LVRT and reactive power support capacities of the DFIG by installing the energy storage system (ESS. The ESS is connected to the DC-link capacitor of the DFIG and used to regulate the DC-link voltage during normal or fault operations. The unbalanced power between the captured wind power and the power injected to the grid during the transient process is absorbed or compensated by the ESS. The rotor-side converter (RSC is used to control the maximum power production and the grid-side converter (GSC is used to control the reactive power before participating in the voltage support. When the supply voltage continues to drop, the rotor speed is increased by controlling the RSC to realize the LVRT capability and help the GSC further enhance the reactive power support capability. The capacity of the GSC is dedicated to injecting the reactive power to the grid. An auxiliary transient pitch angle controller is proposed to protect the generator’s over speed. Both RSC and GSC act as reactive power sources to further enhance the voltage support capability with serious voltage sags. Simulations based on a single-machine infinite-bus power system verify the effectiveness of the developed comprehensive control strategy.

Programs of Active Aging – A Relation between BMI and Triglycerides

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Samuel Honório

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Objective: To enhance the importance of physical activity programs for elderly and their influence on BMI and triglycerides. Methods: The sample consisted of 91 elderly individuals, 63 females and 28 males aged between 65 and 78 years of age. All seniors practice water activities, including swimming and gymnastics. Were analyzed with respect to two aspects: BMI, Triglycerides and practice time, seniors who were physically active at least 2 months, and seniors who maintained habits of physical activity between 2 and 6 months and still accumulated 30 or more minutes of other activities. We have established contingency tables were confronted where the variables described in the analysis. Results: It was found that elderly who maintained physical activity programs were broader outnumbered those who were overweight and obesity rates in Table I of BMI, and lower triglycerides values. Conclusions: We concluded therefore that physical activity programs that contemplate 2 or more hours per week, duly organized and systematized constitute a positive factor in combating inactivity and turn into a more active and cheerful elderly.

76 FR 74834 - Interim Staff Guidance on Aging Management Program for Steam Generators

Science.gov (United States)

2011-12-01

... for Steam Generators AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission. ACTION: Interim staff guidance; issuance... (LR-ISG), LR-ISG-2011-02, ``Aging Management Program for Steam Generators.'' This LR-ISG provides the...) document, NEI 97-06, ``Steam Generator Program Guidelines,'' (NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and...

Fifth harmonic and sag impact on PMSG wind turbines with a balancing new strategy for capacitor voltages

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seixas, M.; Melício, R.; Mendes, V.M.F.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Impact on wind turbines due to fifth harmonic and sag content. • Converter topologies considered are two-level and three-level ones. • Controllers are based on PI and fractional-order methods. • New control strategy for the selection of output voltage vectors. • Balancing voltages in the DC-link capacitors. - Abstract: This paper deals with the computing simulation of the impact on permanent magnet synchronous generator wind turbines due to fifth harmonic content and grid voltage decrease. Power converter topologies considered in the simulations are the two-level and the three-level ones. The three-level converters are limited by unbalance voltages in the DC-link capacitors. In order to lessen this limitation, a new control strategy for the selection of the output voltage vectors is proposed. Controller strategies considered in the simulation are respectively based on proportional integral and fractional-order controllers. Finally, a comparison between the results of the simulations with the two controller strategies is presented in order to show the main advantage of the proposed strategy

A new human IgG avidity test, using mixtures of recombinant antigens (rROP1, rSAG2, rGRA6), for the diagnosis of difficult-to-identify phases of toxoplasmosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Drapała, Dorota; Holec-Gąsior, Lucyna; Kur, Józef; Ferra, Bartłomiej; Hiszczyńska-Sawicka, Elżbieta; Lautenbach, Dariusz

2014-07-01

The preliminary diagnostic utility of two mixtures of Toxoplasma gondii recombinant antigens (rROP1+rSAG2 and rROP1+rGRA6) in IgG ELISA and IgG avidity test has been evaluated. A total of 173 serum samples from patients with toxoplasmosis and seronegative people were examined. The sensitivity of IgG ELISA for rROP1+rSAG2 and rROP1+rGRA6 was 91.1% and 76.7%, respectively, while the reactivity for sera from patients where acute toxoplasmosis was suspected was higher, at 100% and 95.4%, respectively, than for people with chronic infection, at 88.2% and 70.6%. In this study a different trend in avidity maturation of IgG antibodies for two mixtures of proteins in comparison with native antigen was observed. The results suggest that a new IgG avidity test using the mixtures of recombinant antigens may be useful for the diagnosis of difficult-to-identify phases of toxoplasmosis. For this reason, selected mixtures after the additional tests on groups of sera with well-defined dates of infection could be used as a better alternative to the native antigens of the parasite in the serodiagnosis of human T. gondii infection. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Los huevos falsos (SAGs facilitan el comportamiento social de emergencia en las crías de la tortuga laúd Dermochelys coriacea (Testudines: Dermochelyidae

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Juan Patiño-Martinez

2010-09-01

Full Text Available La emergencia de las crías de tortuga laúd eclosionadas en los nidos profundos desde la arena hasta la superficie de la playa ocurre sin ayuda parental y es el primer gran desafío de supervivencia en su ciclo de vida. Este estudio, desarrollado en la costa Caribe colombiana, describe el comportamiento social de emergencia de neonatos y evalúa el efecto de la traslocación de los nidos en los patrones temporales de emergencia. Se propone por primera vez que el espacio liberado por la deshidratación de falsos huevos (SAGs en la nidada, representa una ventaja reproductiva al facilitar el agrupamiento de los neonatos en un espacio muy limitado y favorecer la sincronía de la emergencia. El tiempo medio registrado para la emergencia en grupo fue de 3.3 días, variando entre uno y seis días. La traslocación de los nidos no afectó el patrón temporal de emergencia que fue predominantemente nocturno (77.77% en nidos naturales y 81.65% en trasladados. Los picos máximos de emergencias a la superficie coincidieron con los periodos de menor temperatura ambiental exterior (22:00h-06:00h. La ventaja selectiva de este patrón temporal y de la emergencia sincrónica está probablemente relacionada con las mayores tasas de depredación y mortalidad por hipertermia observadas durante el día.False eggs (SAGs facilitate social post-hatching emergence behaviour in Leatherback turtles Dermochelys coriacea (Testudines: Dermochelyidae nests. Hatchling emergence to the beach surface from deep sand nests occurs without parental care. Social behaviour among siblings is crucial to overcome this first challenge in sea turtles life. This study, carried out at the Caribbean coast of Colombia, describes the emergence social behaviour of hatchlings from eight nests, and assess the nests translocation effects on temporal patterns of emergence. For the first time, we propose that space released by dehydration of shelled albumen globes (SAGs at the top of the clutch

Final Report Inspection of Aged/Degraded Containments Program.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Naus, Dan J [ORNL; Ellingwood, B R [Georgia Institute of Technology; Oland, C Barry [ORNL

2005-09-01

The Inspection of Aged/Degraded Containments Program had primary objectives of (1) understanding the significant factors relating corrosion occurrence, efficacy of inspection, and structural capacity reduction of steel containments and liners of reinforced concrete containments; (2) providing the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC) reviewers a means of establishing current structural capacity margins or estimating future residual structural capacity margins for steel containments, and concrete containments as limited by liner integrity; (3) providing recommendations, as appropriate, on information to be requested of licensees for guidance that could be utilized by USNRC reviewers in assessing the seriousness of reported incidences of containment degradation; and (4) providing technical assistance to the USNRC (as requested) related to concrete technology. Primary program accomplishments have included development of a degradation assessment methodology; reviews of techniques and methods for inspection and repair of containment metallic pressure boundaries; evaluation of high-frequency acoustic imaging, magnetostrictive sensor, electromagnetic acoustic transducer, and multimode guided plate wave technologies for inspection of inaccessible regions of containment metallic pressure boundaries; development of a continuum damage mechanics-based approach for structural deterioration; establishment of a methodology for reliability-based condition assessments of steel containments and liners; and fragility assessments of steel containments with localized corrosion. In addition, data and information assembled under this program has been transferred to the technical community through review meetings and briefings, national and international conference participation, technical committee involvement, and publications of reports and journal articles. Appendix A provides a listing of program reports, papers, and publications; and Appendix B contains a listing of

Intrauterine growth restriction programs an accelerated age-related increase in cardiovascular risk in male offspring

Science.gov (United States)

Dasinger, John Henry; Intapad, Suttira; Backstrom, Miles A.; Carter, Anthony J.

2016-01-01

Placental insufficiency programs an increase in blood pressure associated with a twofold increase in serum testosterone in male growth-restricted offspring at 4 mo of age. Population studies indicate that the inverse relationship between birth weight and blood pressure is amplified with age. Thus, we tested the hypothesis that intrauterine growth restriction programs an age-related increase in blood pressure in male offspring. Growth-restricted offspring retained a significantly higher blood pressure at 12 but not at 18 mo of age compared with age-matched controls. Blood pressure was significantly increased in control offspring at 18 mo of age relative to control counterparts at 12 mo; however, blood pressure was not increased in growth-restricted at 18 mo relative to growth-restricted counterparts at 12 mo. Serum testosterone levels were not elevated in growth-restricted offspring relative to control at 12 mo of age. Thus, male growth-restricted offspring no longer exhibited a positive association between blood pressure and testosterone at 12 mo of age. Unlike hypertension in male growth-restricted offspring at 4 mo of age, inhibition of the renin-angiotensin system with enalapril (250 mg/l for 2 wk) did not abolish the difference in blood pressure in growth-restricted offspring relative to control counterparts at 12 mo of age. Therefore, these data suggest that intrauterine growth restriction programs an accelerated age-related increase in blood pressure in growth-restricted offspring. Furthermore, this study suggests that the etiology of increased blood pressure in male growth-restricted offspring at 12 mo of age differs from that at 4 mo of age. PMID:27147668

Programs of Active Aging – A Relation between BMI and Triglycerides

OpenAIRE

Samuel Honório; Marco Batista; Júlio Martins; João Cardoso; Miguel Dias; Bruno Ferreira

2014-01-01

Objective: To enhance the importance of physical activity programs for elderly and their influence on BMI and triglycerides. Methods: The sample consisted of 91 elderly individuals, 63 females and 28 males aged between 65 and 78 years of age. All seniors practice water activities, including swimming and gymnastics. Were analyzed with respect to two aspects: BMI, Triglycerides and practice time, seniors who were physically active at least 2 months, and seniors who maintained habits of physical...

Quality of life in institutionalized elderly undergoing an active aging program

OpenAIRE

Magalhães, Carlos; Anes, Eugénia; Rebelo, Flávia

2017-01-01

Introduction: Living with quality is a growing concern of the old population. There is an increasing institutionalization of the elderly, and it is in this context that active aging programs assume relevance, allowing the elderly the contact with experiences that allow them to age with quality of life, by maintaining their autonomy and promoting their physical, mental and emotional well-being. Objective: To evaluate the quality of life (QOL) of institutionalized elderly undergoing to an ac...

Core evidence of paleoseismic events in Paleogene deposits of the Shulu Sag in the Bohai Bay Basin, east China, and their petroleum geologic significance

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, Lijing; Jiang, Zaixing; Liu, Hui; Kong, Xiangxin; Li, Haipeng; Jiang, Xiaolong

2015-10-01

The Shulu Sag, located in the southwestern corner of the Jizhong Depression, Bohai Bay Basin of east China, is a NE-SW trending, elongate Cenozoic half-graben basin. The lowermost part of the third member of the Shahejie Formation in this basin is characterized by continental rudstone and calcilutite to calcisiltite facies. Based on core observation and regional geologic analysis, seismites are recognized in these lacustrine deposits, which include soft-sediment deformation structures (sedimentary dikes, hydraulic shattering, diapir structures, convolute lamination, load-flame structures, ball-and-pillow structures, loop bedding, and subsidence structures), synsedimentary faults, and seismoturbidites. In addition, mixed-source rudstones, consisting of the Paleozoic carbonate clasts and in situ calcilutite clasts in the lowermost submember of Shahejie 3, appear in the seismites, suggesting an earthquake origin. A complete representative vertical sequence in the lowermost part of the third member found in well ST1H located in the central part of the Shulu Sag shows, from the base to the top: underlying undeformed layers, synsedimentary faults, liquefied carbonate rocks, allogenetic seismoturbidites, and overlying undeformed layers. Seismites are widely distributed around this well and there are multiple sets of stacked seismites separated by undeformed sediment. The nearby NW-trending Taijiazhuang fault whose fault growth index is from 1.1 to 1.8 and the NNE-trending Xinhe fault with a fault growth index of 1.3-1.9 may be the source of the instability to create the seismites. These deformed sedimentary layers are favorable for the accumulation of oil and gas; for example, sedimentary dikes can cut through many layers and serve as conduits for fluid migration. Sedimentary faults and fractures induced by earthquakes can act as oil and gas migration channels or store petroleum products as well. Seismoturbidites and mixed-source rudstones are excellent reservoirs due to

Protective role of female gender in programmed accelerated renal aging in the rat.

Science.gov (United States)

Pijacka, Wioletta; Clifford, Bethan; Tilburgs, Chantal; Joles, Jaap A; Langley-Evans, Simon; McMullen, Sarah

2015-04-01

The aging kidney exhibits a progressive decline in glomerular filtration rate, accompanied by inflammatory and oxidative damage. We hypothesized that accelerated, age-related progression of renal injury is ovarian hormones-dependant. To address this we used an established model of developmentally programmed accelerated renal aging in the rat, superimposed by ovariectomy to assess interactions between ovarian hormones and the aging process. Under our experimental conditions, we found that kidney function worsens with age, that is GFR reduces over 18 month analyzed time-course and this was worsened by fetal exposure to maternal low-protein diet and absence of estrogen. Reduction in GFR was followed by increases in albuminuria, proteinuria, inflammatory markers, and tissue carbonyls, all suggesting inflammatory response and oxidative stress. This was associated with changes in AGTR2 expression which was greater at 18 months of age compared to earlier time points, but in MLP offspring only. Our studies show an influence of ovarian hormones on programmed accelerated renal aging and the AGTR2 across the lifespan. The main findings are that ovariectomy is a risk factor for increased aging-related renal injury and that this and oxidative damage might be related to changes in AGTR2 expression. © 2015 The Authors. Physiological Reports published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of the American Physiological Society and The Physiological Society.

Aging as an evolvability-increasing program which can be switched off by organism to mobilize additional resources for survival.

Science.gov (United States)

Skulachev, Maxim V; Severin, Fedor F; Skulachev, Vladimir P

2015-01-01

During the last decade, several pieces of convincing evidence were published indicating that aging of living organisms is programmed, being a particular case of programmed death of organism (phenoptosis). Among them, the following observations can be mentioned. (1) Species were described that show negligible aging. In mammals, the naked mole rat is the most impressive example. This is a rodent of mouse size living at least 10-fold longer than a mouse and having fecundity higher than a mouse and no agerelated diseases. (2) In some species with high aging rate, genes responsible for active organization of aging by poisoning of the organism with endogenous metabolites have been identified. (3) In women, standard deviations divided by the mean are the same for age of menarche (an event controlled by the ontogenetic program) and for age of menopause (an aging-related event). (4) Inhibitors of programmed cell death (apoptosis and necrosis) retard and in certain cases even reverse the development of age-dependent pathologies. (5) In aging species, the rate of aging is regulated by the individual which responds by changes in this rate to changes in the environmental conditions. In this review, we consider point (5) in detail. Data are summarized suggesting that inhibition of aging rate by moderate food restriction can be explained assuming that such restriction is perceived by the organism as a signal of future starvation. In response to this dramatic signal, the organism switches off such an optional program as aging, mobilizing in such a way additional reserves for survival. A similar explanation is postulated for geroprotective effects of heavy muscle work, a lowering or a rise in the external temperature, small amounts of metabolic poisons (hormesis), low doses of radiation, and other deleterious events. On the contrary, sometimes certain positive signals can prolong life by inhibiting the aging program in individuals who are useful for the community (e

School Age Center Connections: Site-Based Management Strategies for Implementation of Quality Programs.

Science.gov (United States)

Willis, Dahna R.

This paper describes the outcomes of a practicum that initiated site-based-management strategies to support the consistent implementation of a quality school-age child-care program. Implemented at a multisite child-care center, the program sought to enhance staff members' job satisfaction and maximize their opportunities for professional growth…

Modeling the Impact of Uganda's Safe Male Circumcision Program: Implications for Age and Regional Targeting.

Science.gov (United States)

Kripke, Katharine; Vazzano, Andrea; Kirungi, William; Musinguzi, Joshua; Opio, Alex; Ssempebwa, Rhobbinah; Nakawunde, Susan; Kyobutungi, Sheila; Akao, Juliet N; Magala, Fred; Mwidu, George; Castor, Delivette; Njeuhmeli, Emmanuel

2016-01-01

Uganda aims to provide safe male circumcision (SMC) to 80% of men ages 15-49 by 2016. To date, only 2 million men have received SMC of the 4.2 million men required. In response to age and regional trends in SMC uptake, the country sought to re-examine its targets with respect to age and subnational region, to assess the program's progress, and to refine the implementation approach. The Decision Makers' Program Planning Tool, Version 2.0 (DMPPT 2.0), was used in conjunction with incidence projections from the Spectrum/AIDS Impact Module (AIM) to conduct this analysis. Population, births, deaths, and HIV incidence and prevalence were used to populate the model. Baseline male circumcision prevalence was derived from the 2011 AIDS Indicator Survey. Uganda can achieve the most immediate impact on HIV incidence by circumcising men ages 20-34. This group will also require the fewest circumcisions for each HIV infection averted. Focusing on men ages 10-19 will offer the greatest impact over a 15-year period, while focusing on men ages 15-34 offers the most cost-effective strategy over the same period. A regional analysis showed little variation in cost-effectiveness of scaling up SMC across eight regions. Scale-up is cost-saving in all regions. There is geographic variability in program progress, highlighting two regions with low baseline rates of circumcision where additional efforts will be needed. Focusing SMC efforts on specific age groups and regions may help to accelerate Uganda's SMC program progress. Policy makers in Uganda have already used model outputs in planning efforts, proposing males ages 10-34 as a priority group for SMC in the 2014 application to the Global Fund's new funding model. As scale-up continues, the country should also consider a greater effort to expand SMC in regions with low MC prevalence.

Modeling the Impact of Uganda's Safe Male Circumcision Program: Implications for Age and Regional Targeting.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Katharine Kripke

Full Text Available Uganda aims to provide safe male circumcision (SMC to 80% of men ages 15-49 by 2016. To date, only 2 million men have received SMC of the 4.2 million men required. In response to age and regional trends in SMC uptake, the country sought to re-examine its targets with respect to age and subnational region, to assess the program's progress, and to refine the implementation approach.The Decision Makers' Program Planning Tool, Version 2.0 (DMPPT 2.0, was used in conjunction with incidence projections from the Spectrum/AIDS Impact Module (AIM to conduct this analysis. Population, births, deaths, and HIV incidence and prevalence were used to populate the model. Baseline male circumcision prevalence was derived from the 2011 AIDS Indicator Survey. Uganda can achieve the most immediate impact on HIV incidence by circumcising men ages 20-34. This group will also require the fewest circumcisions for each HIV infection averted. Focusing on men ages 10-19 will offer the greatest impact over a 15-year period, while focusing on men ages 15-34 offers the most cost-effective strategy over the same period. A regional analysis showed little variation in cost-effectiveness of scaling up SMC across eight regions. Scale-up is cost-saving in all regions. There is geographic variability in program progress, highlighting two regions with low baseline rates of circumcision where additional efforts will be needed.Focusing SMC efforts on specific age groups and regions may help to accelerate Uganda's SMC program progress. Policy makers in Uganda have already used model outputs in planning efforts, proposing males ages 10-34 as a priority group for SMC in the 2014 application to the Global Fund's new funding model. As scale-up continues, the country should also consider a greater effort to expand SMC in regions with low MC prevalence.

[Evaluation of nutritional status of school-age children after implementation of "Nutrition Improvement Program" in rural area in Hunan, China].

Science.gov (United States)

Deng, Zhu-Juan; Mao, Guang-Xu; Wang, Yu-Jun; Liu, Li; Chen, Yan

2016-09-01

To investigate the nutritional status of school-age children in rural area in Hunan, China from 2012 to 2015 and to evaluate the effectiveness of the "Nutrition Improvement Program for Compulsory Education Students in Rural Area" (hereinafter referred to as "Nutrition Improvement Program"). The nutritional status of school-age children aged 6-14 years was evaluated after the implementation of the "Nutrition Improvement Program" and the changing trend of the children's nutritional status was analyzed. The statistical analysis was performed on the monitoring data of the school-age children aged 6-14 years in rural area in Hunan, China from 2012 to 2015, which came from "The Nutrition and Health Status Monitoring and Evaluation System of Nutrition Improvement Program for Compulsory Education Students in Rural Area". In 2015, female students aged 6-7 years in rural area in Hunan, China had a significantly greater body length than the rural average in China (PNutrition Improvement Program", the prevalence rate of growth retardation decreased (PNutrition Improvement Program" has achieved some success, but the nutritional status of school-age children has not improved significantly. Overweight/obesity and malnutrition are still present. Therefore, to promote the nutritional status of school-age children it is recommended to improve the measures for the "Nutrition Improvement Program".

76 FR 60937 - Draft License Renewal Interim Staff Guidance LR-ISG-2011-02; Aging Management Program for Steam...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-09-30

...-2011-02; Aging Management Program for Steam Generators AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission. ACTION... License Renewal Interim Staff Guidance (LR-ISG), LR-ISG-2011-02, ``Aging Management Program for Steam... using Revision 3 of NEI 97-06 to manage steam generator aging. The Draft LR-ISG revises the NRC staff's...

The application of apatite fission track analysis to hydrocarbon exploration of Yanqi basin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu Fuqiang; Liu Jiaduo; He Mingxi; Chen Gang

2000-01-01

The author introduces the method and principle of AFTA, i.e. annealing characteristics. Through analysing the AFT data of the six Jurassic samples from the Well Bonan-1 and the Well Yancan-1 in the Yanqi Basin, the authors conclude that in the north sag, the thickness of Cenozoic group was generally more than 2000 meters, the north sag was situated in Cenozoic compensation geothermal district, and the maximum palaeo-temperature of the middle-lower Jurassic was about 70-110 degree C in late Cenozoic; while in the south sag, the thickness of Cenozoic group was generally less than 1500 meters, the south sag was situated in Cenozoic deficient geothermal district, and the maximum palaeo-temperature of the lower middle lower Jurassic was about 80-110 degree C in latest Jurassic. The AFT ages show that in the north sag, the uplift event took place in late Cretaceous, while in the south sag, the uplift event took place in early Cretaceous. Therefore the main uplift event of the Yanqi Basin took place in Cretaceous period, and the uplift of the south was earlier than that of the north

Secondary recrystallization in non-sag W filament wires -- On the possible role of relative grain boundary character distribution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Samajdar, I.; Watte, P.; Mertens, F.

1999-01-01

Non-Sag tungsten (W) wire is indispensable for the lighting industry. For the necessary creep resistance, large elongated grains are considered as the desired microstructure. These large grains are obtained by primary and secondary recrystallization. In the present study an effort has been made to characterize and to understand the origin of such large elongated grains. In secondary recrystallization, often called abnormal grain growth, a few of the grains grow massive. The mechanisms of normal and abnormal grain growth are essentially the same, involving high angle boundary migration and driven by the reduction of surface energy. The abnormal grain growth can be visualized as a growth advantage for a few of the grains or growth disadvantage for the majority. Such an advantage/disadvantage may be caused by (1) differences in grain size and/or (2) differences in grain boundary character distribution (GBCD). In other words, a grain may grow massive if it has large size and/or possibilities of more favorable (i.e., of higher mobility) grain boundaries with the matrix grains

A review of electric cable aging effects and monitoring programs for plant license renewal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lofaro, R.J.

1999-01-01

As commercial nuclear power plants approach the end of their original license period, some utilities are considering the possibility of license renewal. The requirements for applying for license renewal are specified in the License Renewal Rule, which is in Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 54 (10 CFR54). Among the requirements specified in the rule is the performance of an Integrated Plant Assessment (IPA) which identifies and lists structures and components subject to an aging management review. The intent of this requirement is to ensure that aging degradation will not adversely affect plant safety during the license renewal period. The aging management review includes an identification of the aging effects and monitoring programs for components within the scope of the rule. Among the components within the scope are electric cables since they are passive, long-lived components that are not replaced on a periodic basis. This paper examines the aging causes and effects of electric cables, along with the programs that are typically used to ensure that proper aging management practices are in place to monitor and mitigate the effects of aging on electric cables

Artificial Neural Networks and Gene Expression Programing based age estimation using facial features

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Baddrud Z. Laskar

2015-10-01

Full Text Available This work is about estimating human age automatically through analysis of facial images. It has got a lot of real-world applications. Due to prompt advances in the fields of machine vision, facial image processing, and computer graphics, automatic age estimation via faces in computer is one of the dominant topics these days. This is due to widespread real-world applications, in areas of biometrics, security, surveillance, control, forensic art, entertainment, online customer management and support, along with cosmetology. As it is difficult to estimate the exact age, this system is to estimate a certain range of ages. Four sets of classifications have been used to differentiate a person’s data into one of the different age groups. The uniqueness about this study is the usage of two technologies i.e., Artificial Neural Networks (ANN and Gene Expression Programing (GEP to estimate the age and then compare the results. New methodologies like Gene Expression Programing (GEP have been explored here and significant results were found. The dataset has been developed to provide more efficient results by superior preprocessing methods. This proposed approach has been developed, tested and trained using both the methods. A public data set was used to test the system, FG-NET. The quality of the proposed system for age estimation using facial features is shown by broad experiments on the available database of FG-NET.

Program of active aging in a rural Mexican community: a qualitative approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mendoza-Núñez Víctor

2007-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Education is one of the key elements in the promotion of a thorough paradigm for active aging. The aim of this study is to analyze factors that contribute the empowerment of older adults in a rural Mexican community and, thus, promote active aging. Methods The study was conducted in a rural Mexican community (Valle del Mezquital, based on an action-research paradigm. One hundred and fifty-five elderly subjects with elementary school education participated in a formal training program promoting gerontological development and health education. Participants in turn became coordinators of mutual-help groups (gerontological nucleus in Mexico. In-depth interviews were carried out to assess the empowerment after training for active aging. Results It was found that there was an increasing feeling of empowerment, creativity and self-fulfillment among participants. Among the main factors that positively influenced training of the elderly toward active aging were the teaching of gerontology topics themselves; besides, their motivation, the self-esteem, the increased undertaking of responsibility, the feeling of belonging to the group, and the sharing of information based on personal experience and on gerontological knowledge. Conclusion The main factors that contribute to empowerment of older adults in a rural Mexican community for participate in active aging programs are the training and teaching of gerontology topics themselves; besides, their interest, experience and involvement.

Program of active aging in a rural Mexican community: a qualitative approach.

Science.gov (United States)

de la Luz Martínez-Maldonado, María; Correa-Muñoz, Elsa; Mendoza-Núñez, Víctor Manuel

2007-10-03

Education is one of the key elements in the promotion of a thorough paradigm for active aging. The aim of this study is to analyze factors that contribute the empowerment of older adults in a rural Mexican community and, thus, promote active aging. The study was conducted in a rural Mexican community (Valle del Mezquital), based on an action-research paradigm. One hundred and fifty-five elderly subjects with elementary school education participated in a formal training program promoting gerontological development and health education. Participants in turn became coordinators of mutual-help groups (gerontological nucleus) in Mexico. In-depth interviews were carried out to assess the empowerment after training for active aging. It was found that there was an increasing feeling of empowerment, creativity and self-fulfillment among participants. Among the main factors that positively influenced training of the elderly toward active aging were the teaching of gerontology topics themselves; besides, their motivation, the self-esteem, the increased undertaking of responsibility, the feeling of belonging to the group, and the sharing of information based on personal experience and on gerontological knowledge. The main factors that contribute to empowerment of older adults in a rural Mexican community for participate in active aging programs are the training and teaching of gerontology topics themselves; besides, their interest, experience and involvement.

Candu Energy's Aging and Obsolescence Program and its Application to Operating Facilities and New Plant Design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dam, R.; Gold, R.; McCrea, L.

2012-01-01

While plant aging is inevitable, predictable and 'graceful 'aging' behavior can be achieved through the implementation of a comprehensive and integrated Plant Life Management (PLiM) program. Despite organizations like the IAEA and INPO placing more emphasis on equipment reliability, there is still a lack of completely integrated programs in the industry as evidenced by: - Piece-meal, often crisis-driven, implementation comprising many different, partial solutions; - Duplication of effort often seen when different groups work in 'silos'. A strategy which fits with existing plant processes and programs, and which coordinates a broad range of equipment reliability activities is key to achieving the desired results. An example of such a program is the Aging and Obsolescence Program (AOP). AOP follows application of INPO AP-913 guidance for equipment reliability. The program is augmented to include single point vulnerability identification, unified approach to short and long lived components, risk management, spare parts management, and the identification and resolution of obsolescence issues. The systematic nature of the program provides the needed foundation to old and new stations alike. For existing operating stations some of the key uses include outage interval extension, reduced forced outages, and/or outage time reduction, any of which can translate into improving plant performance, competitiveness, and significant dollars saved. Program elements applied to new plant design are commensurate with the industry direction to 'design for reliability', and has allowed Candu Energy to learn and to improve upon what it can offer to operating stations. This paper intends to describe the basic elements of Candu Energy's Aging and Obsolescence Program and will share some of the experience having applied it to existing operating stations, consider applications to support expanding regulatory requirements, and describe the integration into the design of new plants, promoting

“I am active”: effects of a program to promote active aging

OpenAIRE

Mendoza-Ruvalcaba NM; Arias-Merino ED

2015-01-01

Neyda Ma Mendoza-Ruvalcaba,1 Elva Dolores Arias-Merino2 1Health Sciences Department, University of Guadalajara, University Center of Tonala Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico; 2Public Health Department, University of Guadalajara, University Center of Health Sciences, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico Background: Active aging involves a general lifestyle strategy that allows preservation of both physical and mental health during the aging process. “I am Active” is a program designed...

Full length channel Pressure Tube sagging under completely voided full length pressure tube of an Indian PHWR

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Negi, Sujay, E-mail: negi.sujay@gmail.com [Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee 247667 (India); Kumar, Ravi, E-mail: ravikfme@gmail.com [Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee 247667 (India); Majumdar, P., E-mail: pmajum@barc.gov.in [Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai 400085 (India); Mukopadhyay, D., E-mail: dmukho@barc.gov.in [Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai 400085 (India)

2017-03-15

Highlights: • At 16 kW/m input, thermal stability was attained at 595 °C, without PT-CT contact. • At 20 kW/m step input, PT-CT contact occurred at 637 °C near bottom-center of the tube. • PT integrity was maintained throughout the experiment. - Abstract: An experimental investigation was conducted to simulate the sagging behavior of a full length Pressure Tube of a channel of 220 MWe Indian PHWR. The investigation aimed to recreate a condition resembling Loss of Coolant Accident (LOCA) with Emergency Core Cooling System (ECCS) failure in a nuclear power plant. A full length channel assembly immersed in moderator was subjected to electrical resistance heating of Pressure Tube (PT) to simulate the residual heat after shutting down of reactor. The temperature of PT started rising and the contact between PT and CT was established at the center of the tube where average bottom temperature was 637 °C. The integrity of PT was maintained throughout the experiment and the PT heat up was arrested on contact with the CT due to transfer of heat to the moderator.

Quantification of the gravity-dependent change in the C-arm image center for image compensation in fluoroscopic spinal neuronavigation.

Science.gov (United States)

Hariri, S; Abbasi, H R; Chin, S; Steinberg, G; Shahidi, R

2001-01-01

In the quest to develop a viable, frameless spinal navigation system, many researchers are utilizing the C-arm fluoroscope. However, there is a significant problem with the C-arm that must be quantified: the gravity-dependent sag effect resulting from the geometry of the C-arm and aggravated by the inequity of weight at each end of the C-arm. This study quantified the C-arm sag effect, giving researchers the protocol and data needed to develop a program that accounts for this distortion. The development of spinal navigation algorithms that account for the C-arm sag effect should produce a more accurate spinal navigation system.

Anti-aging and filling efficacy of six types hyaluronic acid based dermo-cosmetic treatment: double blind, randomized clinical trial of efficacy and safety.

Science.gov (United States)

Nobile, Vincenzo; Buonocore, Daniela; Michelotti, Angela; Marzatico, Fulvio

2014-12-01

Human skin aging is a multifactorial and complex biological process affecting the different skin constituents. Even if the skin aging mechanism is not yet fully unravelled is evident that epidermis loses the principal molecule responsible for binding and retaining water molecules, resulting in loss of skin moisture and accounting for some of the most striking alterations of the aged skin. This Study investigated the cosmetic filling efficacy of Fillerina® in decreasing the skin aging signs and in improving facial volume deficiencies. A placebo-controlled, double-blind, randomized clinical trial was carried out on 40 healthy female subjects showing mild to moderate clinical signs of skin aging. The effect of the treatment on skin surface and on face volumes was assessed both in the short-term (3 h after a single product application) and in the long-term (7, 14, and 30 days after continuative daily use). Three hours after a single application and after 7, 14, and 30 days of treatment the lips volume was increased by 8.5%, 11.3%, 12.8%, and 14.2%. After 7, 14, and 30 days: (1) skin sagging of the face contours was decreased by -0.443 ± 0.286, -1.124 ± 0.511, and -1.326 ± 0.649 mm, respectively; (2) skin sagging of the cheekbones contours was decreased by -0.989 ± 0.585, -2.500 ± 0.929, and -2.517 ± 0.927 mm, respectively; (3) cheekbones volume was increased by 0.875 ± 0.519, 2.186 ± 0.781, and 2.275 ± 0.725 mm, respectively; (4) wrinkle volume was decreased by -11.3%, -18.4%, and -26.3%, respectively; and (5) wrinkle depth was decreased by -8.4%, -14.5%, and -21.8% respectively. This study demonstrated the positive filling effect of Fillerina® in decreasing the clinical signs of skin aging and in improving the face volumes. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The Managers’ Experiential Learning of Program Planning in Active Ageing Learning Centers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chun-Ting Yeh

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Planning older adult learning programs is really a complex work. Program planners go through different learning stages and accumulate experiences to be able to undertake the task alone. This study aimed to explore the experiential learning process of older adult learning program planners who work in the Active Ageing Learning Centers (AALCs. Semi-structure interviews were conducted with seven program planners. The findings of this study were identified as follows. 1 Before being a program planner, the participants’ knowledge results from grasping and transforming experience gained from their family, their daily lives and past learning experiences; 2 after being a program planner, the participants’ experiential learning focused on leadership, training in the institute, professional development, as well as involvement in organizations for elderly people; and 3 the participants’ experiential learning outcomes in the older adult learning program planning include: their ability to reflect on the appropriateness and fulfillment of program planning, to apply theoretical knowledge and professional background in the field, and to make plans for future learning and business strategies.

Increasing the minimum age of marriage program to improve maternal and child health in Indonesia

Science.gov (United States)

Anjarwati

2017-08-01

The objective of the article is to review the importance of understanding the adolescent reproductive health, especially the impact of early marriage to have commitment for health maintenance by increasing the minimum age of marriage. There are countless studies describing the impact of pregnancy at a very young age, the risk that young people must understand to support the program of increasing minimum age of marriage in Indonesia. Increasing the minimum age of marriage is as one of the government programs in improving maternal and child health. It also supports the Indonesian government's program about a thousand days of life. It is required that teens understand the impact of early marriage to prepare for optimal health for future generations. The maternal mortality rate and infant mortality rate in Indonesia is still high because health is not optimal since the early period of pregnancy. These studies reveal that the increased number of early marriages leads to rising divorce rate, maternal mortality rate, and infant mortality and intensifies the risk of cervical cancer. The increase in early marriage is mostly attributed to unwanted pregnancy. It is revealed that early marriage increases the rate of pregnancy at too young an age with the risk of maternal and child health in Indonesia.

Complex exercise rehabilitation program for women of the II period of age with metabolic syndrome

OpenAIRE

Lee, Eun-Ok; Olga, Kozyreva

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to develop a complex exercise program integrating Eastern and Western complex exercise rehabilitation programs in order to examine the effects of it on the human body with the subjects for women of the II period of mature age with metabolic syndrome. The subjects of this study are 60 II period of mature aged women with metabolic syndrome living in G City, and the experimental group conducted Taekwon-aerobic exercise, European rehabilitation gymnastics, gym ball e...

[Evaluating programs for preparation to old age: some theoretical thoughts and a practical example (author's transl)].

Science.gov (United States)

Schneider, H D

1977-07-01

In the first part methodically satisfactory experimental designs for evaluating programs for preparation to old age on the basis of Cambell & Stanely (1963) are sketched including conditions which hinder the realization of the ideal notions. In the second part an experiment for comparing two preparatory courses to old age using different methods of instruction is described. It was observed that the more demanding teaching method resulted in more anxiety for old age. This led to the conclusion, that programs for preparation to old age should be planned as a sequence of several units in which the mastering of the new ideas may be learned and in which this learning process may be supervised.

Active Aging Promotion: Results from the Vital Aging Program

OpenAIRE

Caprara, Mariagiovanna; Molina, María Ángeles; Schettini, Rocío; Santacreu, Marta; Orosa, Teresa; Mendoza-Núñez, Víctor Manuel; Rojas, Macarena; Fernández-Ballesteros, Rocío

2013-01-01

Active aging is one of the terms in the semantic network of aging well, together with others such as successful, productive, competent aging. All allude to the new paradigm in gerontology, where by aging is considered from a positive perspective. Most authors in the field agree active aging is a multidimensional concept, embracing health, physical and cognitive fitness, positive affect and control, social relationships and engagement. This paper describes Vital Aging, an individual activ...

Overweight and obesity in school children aged 5 to 11 years participating in food assistance programs in Mexico.

Science.gov (United States)

Cuevas-Nasu, Lucía; Hernández-Prado, Bernardo; Shamah-Levy, Teresa; Monterrubio, Eric A; Morales-Ruan, María del Carmen; Moreno-Macías, Lidia B

2009-01-01

To determine the association between overweight and obesity among Mexican school-aged children and participation in the Liconsa milk and the School Breakfast food assistance programs. Data from 15 003 school-aged children included in the Mexican National Health and Nutrition Survey 2006 (ENSANUT 2006) were analyzed. Information on body mass index (BMI) and participation in food assistance programs was obtained. Descriptive analyses were conducted and logistic regression models were adjusted. Prevalence of overweight and obesity was 17.3% and 9%, respectively. No significant association between overweight and obesity and participation in Liconsa was found. Among school-aged children in the middle socioeconomic status quintile, those enrolled in the School Breakfast program were more likely to be overweight than those not enrolled (OR= 1.6, 95% CI 1.1, 2.3). We found no association between the Liconsa and the School Breakfast programs and overweight or obesity in school-aged children.

Maternal nutrient restriction in baboon programs later-life cellular growth and respiration of cultured skin fibroblasts: a potential model for the study of aging-programming interactions.

Science.gov (United States)

Salmon, Adam B; Dorigatti, Jonathan; Huber, Hillary F; Li, Cun; Nathanielsz, Peter W

2018-05-25

Compelling data exist for programming of chronic later-life diseases and longevity by perinatal developmental programming challenges. Understanding mechanisms by which life course health trajectory and longevity are set is fundamental to understanding aging. Appropriate approaches are needed to determine programming effects on cellular function. We have developed a baboon model in which control mothers eat ad libitum while a second group eat 70% of the global diet fed controls, leading to male and female offspring intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). We have shown that IUGR suffer from acceleration of several age-related physiological declines. Here, we report on a skin-derived fibroblast model with potential relevance for mechanistic studies on how IUGR impacts aging. Fibroblasts were cultured from the skin biopsies taken from adult baboons from control and IUGR cohorts. IUGR-derived fibroblasts grew in culture less well than controls and those derived from male, but not female, IUGR baboons had a significant reduction in maximum respiration rate compared to control-derived fibroblasts. We also show that relative levels of several mitochondrial protein subunits, including NDUFB8 and cytochrome c oxidase subunit IV, were reduced in IUGR-derived fibroblasts even after serial passaging in culture. The lower levels of electron transport system components provide potential mechanisms for accelerated life course aging in the setting of programmed IUGR. This observation fits with the greater sensitivity of males compared with females to many, but not all, outcomes in response to programming challenges. These approaches will be powerful in the determination of programming-aging interactions.

Active LifestyLe Rehabilitation interventions in aging spinal cord injury (ALLRISC): a multicentre research program.

Science.gov (United States)

van der Woude, L H V; de Groot, S; Postema, K; Bussmann, J B J; Janssen, T W J; Post, M W M

2013-06-01

With today's specialized medical care, life expectancy of persons with a spinal cord injury (SCI) has considerably improved. With increasing age and time since injury, many individuals with SCI, however, show a serious inactive lifestyle, associated with deconditioning and secondary health conditions (SHCs) (e.g. pressure sores, urinary and respiratory tract infections, osteoporosis, upper-extremity pain, obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease) and resulting in reduced participation and quality of life (QoL). Avoiding this downward spiral, is crucial. To understand possible deconditioning and SHCs in persons aging with a SCI in the context of active lifestyle, fitness, participation and QoL and to examine interventions that enhance active lifestyle, fitness, participation and QoL and help prevent some of the SHCs. A multicentre multidisciplinary research program (Active LifestyLe Rehabilitation Interventions in aging Spinal Cord injury, ALLRISC) in the setting of the long-standing Dutch SCI-rehabilitation clinical research network. ALLRISC is a four-study research program addressing inactive lifestyle, deconditioning, and SHCs and their associations in people aging with SCI. The program consists of a cross-sectional study (n = 300) and three randomized clinical trials. All studies share a focus on fitness, active lifestyle, SHCs and deconditioning and outcome measures on these and other (participation, QoL) domains. It is hypothesized that a self-management program, low-intensity wheelchair exercise and hybrid functional electrical stimulation-supported leg and handcycling are effective interventions to enhance active life style and fitness, help to prevent some of the important SHCs in chronic SCI and improve participation and QoL. ALLRISC aims to provide evidence-based preventive components of a rehabilitation aftercare system that preserves functioning in aging persons with SCI.

Nuclear Plant Aging Research (NPAR) program plan: Components, systems, and structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1987-09-01

The nuclear plant aging research described in this plan is intended to resolve issues related to the aging and service wear of equipment and systems and major components at commercial reactor facilities and their possible impact on plant safety. Emphasis has been placed on identification and characterization of the mechanisms of material and component degradation during service and evaluation of methods of inspection, surveillance, condition monitoring, and maintenance as means of mitigating such effects. Specifically, the goals of the program are as follows: (1) to identify and characterize aging and service wear effects which, if unchecked, could cause degradation of equipment, a systems, and major components and thereby impair plant safety; (2) to identify methods of inspection, surveillance, and monitoring, or of evaluating residual life of equipment, systems, and major components, which will ensure timely detection of significant aging effects prior to loss of safety function; and (3) to evaluate the effectiveness of storage, maintenance, repair, and replacement practices in mitigating the rate and extent of degradation caused by aging and service wear

Application and the importance of aging management within the PLiM/PLEx programs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cojan, Mihai

2004-01-01

The PLiM/PLEx Program applied to the Cernavoda NPP has the goal of ensuring the lifetime target of the plant and its extension in conditions of a continuous, secure and reliable operation by fulfilling at the same time the general licensing requirements as established by the regulation authority CNCAN. The aging management is, according to the organization model, a systematic process implying the following activities specific to the operation: - Planning: Coordination of the aging management activities; - Exploitation: Controlling the aging mechanisms; - Testing: Detection and evaluation of the aging effects; - Maintenance: Controlling the aging effects. All these are interdependent with specific activities in INR Pitesti, related to the research and development which are key elements for controlling effectively the aging process. The model of organizing the aging management developed in this work is applied to the Cernavoda NPP Unit 1

A 12-Week Exercise Therapy Program in Middle-Aged Patients With Degenerative Meniscus Tears

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Stensrud, Silje; Roos, Ewa M.; Risberg, May Arna

2012-01-01

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 STUDY DESIGN: Case Series. BACKGROUND: Exercise is a viable treatment alternative to arthroscopic partial meniscectomy in patients with degenerative meniscus tears. No study has reported in detail type of exercises, progres......Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 STUDY DESIGN: Case Series. BACKGROUND: Exercise is a viable treatment alternative to arthroscopic partial meniscectomy in patients with degenerative meniscus tears. No study has reported in detail type of exercises......, progression, tolerance, and potential benefit from an exercise therapy program in these patients who have not had surgery. This study describes a progressive exercise therapy program aiming at improving neuromuscular function and muscle strength in middle-aged patients with degenerative meniscus tears...... had undergone surgery. DISCUSSION: The described neuromuscular- and strength-training program should be considered for rehabilitation of middle-aged individuals with degenerative meniscus tears. Head-to-head comparison of programs in a randomized design is however needed to be able to answer...

Vitamin D prenatal programming of childhood metabolomics profiles at age 3 y

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Blighe, Kevin; Chawes, Bo L; Kelly, Rachel S

2017-01-01

was to analyze the programming role of in utero vitamin D exposure on children's metabolomics profiles.Design: First, unsupervised clustering was done with plasma metabolomics profiles from a case-control subset of 245 children aged 3 y with and without asthma from the Vitamin D Antenatal Asthma Reduction Trial...... children can be clustered into distinct biologically meaningful groups by their metabolomics profiles. The clusters differed in concentrations of inflammatory mediators, and cluster membership was influenced by in utero vitamin D exposure, suggesting a prenatal programming role of vitamin D on the child...

Alzheimer's disease and natural cognitive aging may represent adaptive metabolism reduction programs.

Science.gov (United States)

Reser, Jared Edward

2009-02-28

The present article examines several lines of converging evidence suggesting that the slow and insidious brain changes that accumulate over the lifespan, resulting in both natural cognitive aging and Alzheimer's disease (AD), represent a metabolism reduction program. A number of such adaptive programs are known to accompany aging and are thought to have decreased energy requirements for ancestral hunter-gatherers in their 30s, 40s and 50s. Foraging ability in modern hunter-gatherers declines rapidly, more than a decade before the average terminal age of 55 years. Given this, the human brain would have been a tremendous metabolic liability that must have been advantageously tempered by the early cellular and molecular changes of AD which begin to accumulate in all humans during early adulthood. Before the recent lengthening of life span, individuals in the ancestral environment died well before this metabolism reduction program resulted in clinical AD, thus there was never any selective pressure to keep adaptive changes from progressing to a maladaptive extent.Aging foragers may not have needed the same cognitive capacities as their younger counterparts because of the benefits of accumulated learning and life experience. It is known that during both childhood and adulthood metabolic rate in the brain decreases linearly with age. This trend is thought to reflect the fact that children have more to learn. AD "pathology" may be a natural continuation of this trend. It is characterized by decreasing cerebral metabolism, selective elimination of synapses and reliance on accumulating knowledge (especially implicit and procedural) over raw brain power (working memory). Over decades of subsistence, the behaviors of aging foragers became routinized, their motor movements automated and their expertise ingrained to a point where they no longer necessitated the first-rate working memory they possessed when younger and learning actively. Alzheimer changes selectively and

Aging as Evolution-Facilitating Program and a Biochemical Approach to Switch It Off

Science.gov (United States)

Skulachev, Vladimir P.

A concept is presented considering aging of living organisms as a final step of their ontogenetic program. It is assumed that such an aging program was invented by biological evolution to facilitate the evolutionary process. Indications are summarized suggesting that controlled production of toxic forms of oxygen (so called reactive oxygen species) by respiring intracellular organelles (mitochondria) is an obligatory component of the aging program. First results of a research project devoted to an attempt to interrupt aging program by antioxidants specifically addressed to mitochondria have been described. Within the framework of the project, antioxidants of a new type (SkQ) were synthesized. SkQs are composed of (i) plastoquinone (an antioxidant moiety), (ii) a penetrating cation, and (iii) a decane or pentane linker. Using planar bilayer phospholipid membranes, we selected SkQ derivatives of the highest penetrability, namely plastoquinonyl decyl triphenylphosphonium (SkQ1), plastoquinonyl decyl rhodamine 19 (SkQR1), and methylplastoquinonyl decyl triphenylphosphonium (SkQ3). Anti- and prooxidant properties of these substances and also of ubiquinonyl-decyl-triphenylphosphonium (MitoQ) were tested in isolated mitochondria. Micromolar concentrations of cationic quinones are found to be very strong prooxidants, but in the lower (sub-micromolar) concentrations they display antioxidant activity which decreases in the series SkQ1 = SkQR1 > SkQ3 > MitoQ. Thus, the window between the anti- and prooxidant effects is the smallest for MitoQ and the largest for SkQ1 and SkQR1. SkQ1 is rapidly reduced by complex III of the mitochondrial respiratory chain, i.e. it is a rechargeable antioxidant. Extremely low concentrations of SkQ1 and SkQR1 completely arrest the H2O2-induced apoptosis in human fibroblasts and HeLa cells (for SkQ1, C 1/2 = 8 · 10-9M). Higher concentrations of SkQ1 are required to block necrosis initiated by reactive oxygen species (ROS). In mice, SkQ1

Garrison Institute on Aging – Lubbock Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP Provides Services to South Plains, Texas

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joan eBlackmon

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The Texas Tech University Health Sciences (TTUHSC Garrison Institute on Aging (GIA was established to promote healthy aging through cutting edge research on Alzheimer ’s disease (AD and other diseases of aging, through innovative educational and community outreach opportunities for students, clinicians, researchers, health care providers, and the public. The GIA sponsors the Lubbock Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP. According to RSVP Operates Handbook, RSVP is one of the largest volunteer efforts in the nation. Through this program, volunteer skills and talents can be matched to assist with community needs. It is a federally funded program under the guidance of the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS and Senior Corps (SC. Volunteers that participate in RSVP provide service in the following areas: food security, environmental awareness building and education, community need-based volunteer programs, and veteran services.

Cyclophilin D links programmed cell death and organismal aging in Podospora anserina.

Science.gov (United States)

Brust, Diana; Daum, Bertram; Breunig, Christine; Hamann, Andrea; Kühlbrandt, Werner; Osiewacz, Heinz D

2010-10-01

Cyclophilin D (CYPD) is a mitochondrial peptidyl prolyl-cis,trans-isomerase involved in opening of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP). CYPD abundance increases during aging in mammalian tissues and in the aging model organism Podospora anserina. Here, we show that treatment of the P. anserina wild-type with low concentrations of the cyclophilin inhibitor cyclosporin A (CSA) extends lifespan. Transgenic strains overexpressing PaCypD are characterized by reduced stress tolerance, suffer from pronounced mitochondrial dysfunction and are characterized by accelerated aging and induction of cell death. Treatment with CSA leads to correction of mitochondrial function and lifespan to that of the wild-type. In contrast, PaCypD deletion strains are not affected by CSA within the investigated concentration range and show increased resistance against inducers of oxidative stress and cell death. Our data provide a mechanistic link between programmed cell death (PCD) and organismal aging and bear implications for the potential use of CSA to intervene into biologic aging. © 2010 The Authors Aging Cell © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd/Anatomical Society of Great Britain and Ireland.

Keep Your Brain Fit! A Psychoeducational Training Program for Healthy Cognitive Aging: A Feasibility Study

Science.gov (United States)

Reijnders, Jennifer; van Heugten, Caroline; van Boxtel, Martin

2015-01-01

A psychoeducational face-to-face training program (Keep Your Brain Fit!) was developed to support the working population in coping with age-related cognitive changes and taking proactive preventive measures to maintain cognitive health. A feasibility study was conducted to test the training program presented in a workshop format. Participants…

Summary and conclusions of a program addressing aging of nuclear power plant concrete structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Naus, D.J.; Oland, C.B.; Hookham, C.J.; Graves, H.L. III

1999-01-01

Research has been conducted by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory to address aging management of nuclear power plant concrete structures. The purpose was to identify potential structural safety issues and acceptance criteria for use in continued service assessments. The focus of this program was on structural integrity rather than on leaktightness or pressure retention of concrete structures. Primary program accomplishments include formulation of a Structural Materials Information Center that contains data and information on the time variation of material properties under the influence of pertinent environmental stressors and aging factors for 144 materials, an aging assessment methodology to identify critical structures and degradation factors that can potentially impact their performance, guidelines and evaluation criteria for use in condition assessments of reinforced concrete structures, and a reliability-based methodology for current condition assessments and estimations of future performance of reinforced concrete nuclear power plant structures. In addition, in-depth evaluations were conducted of several nondestructive evaluation and repair-related technologies to develop guidance on their applicability. (orig.)

Staphylococcal superantigens; toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 and enterotoxins in pediatric otitis media effusion: a brief report

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Noorbakhsh S

2013-03-01

Full Text Available Background: Staphylococcal superantigens (SAg's may have some role in otitis media with effusion (OME. The aim of this study was the search of staphylococcal SAg's in middle ear effusion of children with OME.  Methods: This cross sectional-analytic study was done in ENT & pediatric wards upon 64 children with otitis media with effusion (OME between 1-15 years, (mean age=7.42+4 years of Rasoul Akram University Hospital, Tehran, Iran in 2009-2011. Fifty six percent (36 of cases were male, 43.8% (28 were female. Staphylococcal SAg's; Toxic Shock Syndrome Toxin-1 (TSST-1, Staphylococcal enterotoxin A, B, C, D (Enzyme immune assay, AB Cam, USA were detected in middle ear effusion samples after conventional culture.Results: None type of SAg's found in 39% of OME cases, enterotoxin B found in: 22%; enterotoxin A: 17%, enterotoxin C: 15.6%, enterotoxin D: 12.5%, Toxic Shock Syndrome Toxin-1 (TSST-1: 7.8% Mean age of cases with positive TSST-1, enterotoxin A, B, C, and D was: 1, 5, 8.6, 9.6 and 9.6 years respectively. Positive TSST had no agreement with positive enterotoxin A and C but had weak agreement with type B and D. Mean age of cases with positive TSST was one years which had significant difference with (7.9 years in cases with negative TSST test (P<0.0001.Conclusion: At least one or more type of staphylococcal toxins had found in middle ear effusion of 70% of OME cases with negative culture for Staphylococcus aureus. Even in culture negative cases, staphylococcal toxins might have some immunologic role in middle ear effusion forming. Finding the SAg's (at least one type are important for treatment of immunosuppressive or corticosteroid in cases with resistant OME.

Towards assuring the continued performance of safety-related concrete structures in nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Naus, D.J.; Oland, C.B.; Ellingwood, B.; Mori, Y.; Arndt, E.G.

1993-01-01

The Structural Aging (SAG) Program is addressing the aging management of safety-related concrete structures in nuclear power plants for the purpose of providing improved technical bases for their continued service. Pertinent concrete structures are described in terms of their importance, design considerations, and materials of construction. Degradation factors which can potentially impact the ability of these structures to meet their functional and performance requirements are identified. A review of the performance history of the concrete components in nuclear power plants is provided. Accomplishments of the SLAG Program are summarized, i.e., development of the structural materials information center, development of a structural aging assessment methodology, evaluation of models for predicting the remaining life of in-service concrete, review of in-service inspection methods, and development of a methodology for reliability-based condition assessment and life prediction of concrete structures. On-going activities are also described

Does aging need its own program, or is the program of development quite sufficient for it? Stationary cell cultures as a tool to search for anti-aging factors.

Science.gov (United States)

Khokhlov, Alexander N

2013-02-01

According to our conception, the aging process is caused by cell proliferation restriction-induced accumulation of various macromolecular defects (mainly DNA damage) in cells of a mature organism or in a cell population. In the case of cell cultures, the proliferation restriction is related to so-called contact inhibition and to the Hayflick's limit, while in the case of multicellular organisms, it is related to the appearance, in the process of differentiation, of organs and tissues consisting of postmitotic and very slowly dividing cells. It is assumed that the proliferation of intact cells prevents accumulation of various errors in a cell population. However, the continuous propagation of all the cells in a multicellular organism is absolutely incompatible with its normal functioning. Thus, the program of development, when it generates postmitotic or slowly dividing cells, automatically leads also to the onset of the aging process (mortality increase with age). Therefore, any additional special program for aging simply becomes unnecessary. This, however, doesn't reject, for some organisms, the reasonability of programmed death, which makes possible the elimination of harmful, from the species point of view, individuals. It is also very important to emphasize that increase or decrease of an organism's lifespan under the effects of various external factors is not always necessarily related to modification of the aging process, though the experimental results in the field are usually interpreted in just this way. I called the experimental-gerontological models similar to the Hayflick's model "correlative", since they are based on some correlations only and not related necessarily to the gist of the aging phenomenon. So, for the Hayflick's model, it is the relationship between population doubling level and donor age, between population doubling potential and species lifespan, between some cell changes in vivo and in vitro, and so forth. If the rationale of the

Hydrocarbon migration and accumulation in the Upper Cretaceous Qingshankou Formation, Changling Sag, southern Songliao Basin: Insights from integrated analyses of fluid inclusion, oil source correlation and basin modelling

Science.gov (United States)

Dong, Tian; He, Sheng; Wang, Dexi; Hou, Yuguang

2014-08-01

The Upper Cretaceous Qingshankou Formation acts as both the source and reservoir sequence in the Changling Sag, situated in the southern end of the Songliao Basin, northeast China. An integrated approach involving determination of hydrocarbon charging history, oil source correlation and hydrocarbon generation dynamic modeling was used to investigate hydrocarbon migration processes and further predict the favorable targets of hydrocarbon accumulations in the Qingshankou Formation. The hydrocarbon generation and charge history was investigated using fluid inclusion analysis, in combination with stratigraphic burial and thermal modeling. The source rocks began to generate hydrocarbons at around 82 Ma and the hydrocarbon charge event occurred from approximately 78 Ma to the end of Cretaceous (65.5 Ma) when a large tectonic uplift took place. Correlation of stable carbon isotopes of oils and extracts of source rocks indicates that oil was generated mainly from the first member of Qingshankou Formation (K2qn1), suggesting that hydrocarbon may have migrated vertically. Three dimensional (3D) petroleum system modeling was used to evaluate the processes of secondary hydrocarbon migration in the Qingshankou Formation since the latest Cretaceous. During the Late Cretaceous, hydrocarbon, mainly originated from the Qianan depression, migrated laterally to adjacent structural highs. Subsequent tectonic inversion, defined as the late Yanshan Orogeny, significantly changed hydrocarbon migration patterns, probably causing redistribution of primary hydrocarbon reservoirs. In the Tertiary, the Heidimiao depression was buried much deeper than the Qianan depression and became the main source kitchen. Hydrocarbon migration was primarily controlled by fluid potential and generally migrated from relatively high potential areas to low potential areas. Structural highs and lithologic transitions are potential traps for current oil and gas exploration. Finally, several preferred hydrocarbon

Alzheimer's disease and natural cognitive aging may represent adaptive metabolism reduction programs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Reser Jared

2009-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract The present article examines several lines of converging evidence suggesting that the slow and insidious brain changes that accumulate over the lifespan, resulting in both natural cognitive aging and Alzheimer's disease (AD, represent a metabolism reduction program. A number of such adaptive programs are known to accompany aging and are thought to have decreased energy requirements for ancestral hunter-gatherers in their 30s, 40s and 50s. Foraging ability in modern hunter-gatherers declines rapidly, more than a decade before the average terminal age of 55 years. Given this, the human brain would have been a tremendous metabolic liability that must have been advantageously tempered by the early cellular and molecular changes of AD which begin to accumulate in all humans during early adulthood. Before the recent lengthening of life span, individuals in the ancestral environment died well before this metabolism reduction program resulted in clinical AD, thus there was never any selective pressure to keep adaptive changes from progressing to a maladaptive extent. Aging foragers may not have needed the same cognitive capacities as their younger counterparts because of the benefits of accumulated learning and life experience. It is known that during both childhood and adulthood metabolic rate in the brain decreases linearly with age. This trend is thought to reflect the fact that children have more to learn. AD "pathology" may be a natural continuation of this trend. It is characterized by decreasing cerebral metabolism, selective elimination of synapses and reliance on accumulating knowledge (especially implicit and procedural over raw brain power (working memory. Over decades of subsistence, the behaviors of aging foragers became routinized, their motor movements automated and their expertise ingrained to a point where they no longer necessitated the first-rate working memory they possessed when younger and learning actively. Alzheimer

The effect of pre-storage cooling on 2,3-DPG levels in red cells stored in SAG-M.

Science.gov (United States)

Llohn, Abid Hussain; Vetlesen, Annette; Fagerhol, Magne Kristoffer; Kjeldsen-Kragh, Jens

2005-10-01

The concentration of red cell 2,3-DPG (2,3-diphosphoglycerate) rapidly decreases during storage. A favourable effect on red cell 2,3-DPG has been demonstrated by rapid cooling of whole blood prior to storage. In our study we have investigated how different methods of cooling whole blood immediately after donation effect 2,3-DPG levels during storage. Thirty-six whole blood units (in 6 groups) of 450 ml were collected in 63 ml CPD. SAG-M was used as preservative solution for red cell concentrates (RCC). The units in one group were cooled down at ambient temperature, while units in the other groups were cooled down rapidly by different ways immediately after bleeding. Samples from the whole blood units were collected at various days during storage for 2,3-DPG measurements. The decline in 2,3-DPG during the first two weeks of storage was significantly slower in the groups which were cooled down rapidly to 17-18 degrees C within 1h after bleeding (all p

Promoting Well-Being in Old Age: The Psychological Benefits of Two Training Programs of Adapted Physical Activity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Antonella Delle Fave

2018-05-01

Full Text Available In the last few decades, the relationship between physical conditions and mental health has increasingly attracted the interest of researchers and professionals across disciplines. This relationship is especially relevant in old age, as the challenges posed by aging at various levels represent crucial concerns for policy makers. Due to the remarkable increase in life expectancy across countries, sustainable prevention strategies are needed to help individuals preserve psychophysical well-being in old age. In particular, the regular practice of a moderately intense physical activity is recommended by the World Health Organization to enhance balance, prevent falls, strengthen muscles, and promote psychophysical well-being. Daily physical exercise represents a beneficial and low-cost strategy, easily accessible to the general population and potentially customizable to specific needs through brief training programs. Based on these premises, the present research aimed at longitudinally evaluating mental well-being among 58 Italian people aged 67–85, who were involved in two Adapted Physical Activity (APA training programs. Inclusion criteria for participation comprised high autonomy levels in daily activities, no cognitive impairment, sedentary habits or only occasional performance of moderate physical activity. Based on physical and functional assessment, 39 participants joined a program of adapted motor activity (PoliFit; Study 1, while 19 participants attended a variant program specifically designed for people with osteoporosis (OsteoFit; Study 2. Well-being dimensions were assessed through the Mental Health Continuum-Short Form, the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire and the Satisfaction with Life Scale. Physical functioning were evaluated before and after the programs through the Short Physical Performance Battery and the Handgrip Dynamometer Jamar Test. Findings highlighted that, besides physical benefits, participants reported significantly

Implications of new ^{40}Ar/^{39}Ar age of Mallapur Intrusives on the chronology and evolution of the Kaladgi Basin, Dharwar Craton, India

Science.gov (United States)

Pillai, Shilpa Patil; Pande, Kanchan; Kale, Vivek S.

2018-04-01

The Kaladgi Basin on the northern edge of the Dharwar craton has characters diverse from the other epicratonic Purana basins of Peninsular India. Sedimentological studies in the basin have established the presence of three cycles of flooding separated by an event of intra-basinal deformation accompanied by low grade incipient metamorphism. The overall structural configuration of the basin indicates its development by supracrustal extension accompanied by shearing in a trans-tensional regime during the Mesoproterozoic. This was followed by sagging that yielded Neoproterozoic sedimentation in a successor nested basin. ^{40}Ar/^{39}Ar dating of an intrusive mafic dyke along the axial plane of a fold has yielded a plateau age of 1154{± }4 Ma. This helps constraint the age of the various events during the evolution of this basin.

Ageing Management Program Database

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Basic, I.; Vrbanic, I.; Zabric, I.; Savli, S.

2008-01-01

The aspects of plant ageing management (AM) gained increasing attention over the last ten years. Numerous technical studies have been performed to study the impact of ageing mechanisms on the safe and reliable operation of nuclear power plants. National research activities have been initiated or are in progress to provide the technical basis for decision making processes. The long-term operation of nuclear power plants is influenced by economic considerations, the socio-economic environment including public acceptance, developments in research and the regulatory framework, the availability of technical infrastructure to maintain and service the systems, structures and components as well as qualified personnel. Besides national activities there are a number of international activities in particular under the umbrella of the IAEA, the OECD and the EU. The paper discusses the process, procedure and database developed for Slovenian Nuclear Safety Administration (SNSA) surveillance of ageing process of Nuclear power Plant Krsko.(author)

Endogenous coresidence and program incidence: South Africa's Old Age Pension.

Science.gov (United States)

Hamoudi, Amar; Thomas, Duncan

2014-07-01

We investigate whether living arrangements respond to an arguably exogenous shift in the distribution of power in family economic decision-making. In the early 1990s, the South African Old Age Pension was expanded to cover most black South Africans above a sex-specific age cut-off resulting in a substantial increase in the income of older South Africans and potentially their say in the economic decisions of their families. Beneficiaries of the program are more likely to coreside with adults who have less human capital as measured by height and education. Since height and education are fixed for adults, this cannot be an effect of the pension income but reflects selective changes in living arrangements resulting from the pension. The findings highlight the endogeneity of living arrangements and illustrate the potential value of moving beyond theory and data that are confined to a spatially determined definition of the household.

An educational video program to increase aging services technology awareness among older adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Tam, Joyce W; Van Son, Catherine; Dyck, Dennis; Schmitter-Edgecombe, Maureen

2017-08-01

Aging services technologies (ASTs), health technology that meets the needs of seniors, are being underutilized due to a lack of awareness. This study evaluated a video-based educational program to increase AST awareness. Two hundred and thirty-one older adults completed AST measures pre- and post-program. Participants endorsed significantly improved AST knowledge and attitude and a lower level of perceived stigma post-program. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that a greater reduction in stigma post-program and a higher number of physical/cognitive needs supported by ASTs at baseline were significant predictors of a greater increase in expressed intention to use ASTs following the video program. Furthermore, individuals living in their own homes, with a lower level of education, fewer physical and/or cognitive needs supported by ASTs at baseline, and greater functional limitations were found to be more likely to report a significant reduction in perceived stigma post-program. Four-week follow-up data from 75 individuals showed stable program gains. Program feedback was positive. The current findings provide support for the utility of the AST videos. The educational materials used in this study can be used clinically or for public health education to increase awareness and adoption of ASTs. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The High/Scope Perry Preschool Program: Cost-Benefit Analysis Using Data from the Age-40 Followup

Science.gov (United States)

Belfield, Clive R.; Nores, Milagros; Barnett, Steve; Schweinhart, Lawrence

2006-01-01

This paper presents an updated cost-benefit analysis of the High/Scope Perry preschool Program, using data on individuals aged 40. Children were randomly assigned to a treatment or control group. Program costs are compared against treatment impacts on educational resources, earnings, criminal activity, and welfare receipt. Net present values are…

Evaluation of T2-weighted versus short-tau inversion recovery sagittal sequences in the identification and localization of canine intervertebral disc extrusion with low-field magnetic resonance imaging.

Science.gov (United States)

Housley, Daniel; Caine, Abby; Cherubini, Giunio; Taeymans, Olivier

2017-07-01

Sagittal T2-weighted sequences (T2-SAG) are the foundation of spinal protocols when screening for the presence of intervertebral disc extrusion. We often utilize sagittal short-tau inversion recovery sequences (STIR-SAG) as an adjunctive screening series, and experience suggests that this combined approach provides superior detection rates. We hypothesized that STIR-SAG would provide higher sensitivity than T2-SAG in the identification and localization of intervertebral disc extrusion. We further hypothesized that the parallel evaluation of paired T2-SAG and STIR-SAG series would provide a higher sensitivity than could be achieved with either independent sagittal series when viewed in isolation. This retrospective diagnostic accuracy study blindly reviewed T2-SAG and STIR-SAG sequences from dogs (n = 110) with surgically confirmed intervertebral disc extrusion. A consensus between two radiologists found no significant difference in sensitivity between T2-SAG and STIR-SAG during the identification of intervertebral disc extrusion (T2-SAG: 92.7%, STIR-SAG: 94.5%, P = 0.752). Nevertheless, STIR-SAG accurately identified intervertebral disc extrusion in 66.7% of cases where the evaluation of T2-SAG in isolation had provided a false negative diagnosis. Additionally, one radiologist found that the parallel evaluation of paired T2-SAG and STIR-SAG series provided a significantly higher sensitivity than T2-SAG in isolation, during the identification of intervertebral disc extrusion (T2-SAG: 78.2%, paired T2-SAG, and STIR-SAG: 90.9%, P = 0.017). A similar nonsignificant trend was observed when the consensus of both radiologists was taken into consideration (T2-SAG: 92.7%, paired T2-SAG, and STIR-SAG = 97.3%, P = 0.392). We therefore conclude that STIR-SAG is capable of identifying intervertebral disc extrusion that is inconspicuous in T2-SAG, and that STIR-SAG should be considered a useful adjunctive sequence during preliminary sagittal screening for intervertebral disc

Modeling the Impact of Uganda’s Safe Male Circumcision Program: Implications for Age and Regional Targeting

Science.gov (United States)

Kripke, Katharine; Vazzano, Andrea; Kirungi, William; Musinguzi, Joshua; Opio, Alex; Ssempebwa, Rhobbinah; Nakawunde, Susan; Kyobutungi, Sheila; Akao, Juliet N.; Magala, Fred; Mwidu, George; Castor, Delivette

2016-01-01

Background Uganda aims to provide safe male circumcision (SMC) to 80% of men ages 15–49 by 2016. To date, only 2 million men have received SMC of the 4.2 million men required. In response to age and regional trends in SMC uptake, the country sought to re-examine its targets with respect to age and subnational region, to assess the program’s progress, and to refine the implementation approach. Methods and Findings The Decision Makers’ Program Planning Tool, Version 2.0 (DMPPT 2.0), was used in conjunction with incidence projections from the Spectrum/AIDS Impact Module (AIM) to conduct this analysis. Population, births, deaths, and HIV incidence and prevalence were used to populate the model. Baseline male circumcision prevalence was derived from the 2011 AIDS Indicator Survey. Uganda can achieve the most immediate impact on HIV incidence by circumcising men ages 20–34. This group will also require the fewest circumcisions for each HIV infection averted. Focusing on men ages 10–19 will offer the greatest impact over a 15-year period, while focusing on men ages 15–34 offers the most cost-effective strategy over the same period. A regional analysis showed little variation in cost-effectiveness of scaling up SMC across eight regions. Scale-up is cost-saving in all regions. There is geographic variability in program progress, highlighting two regions with low baseline rates of circumcision where additional efforts will be needed. Conclusion Focusing SMC efforts on specific age groups and regions may help to accelerate Uganda’s SMC program progress. Policy makers in Uganda have already used model outputs in planning efforts, proposing males ages 10–34 as a priority group for SMC in the 2014 application to the Global Fund’s new funding model. As scale-up continues, the country should also consider a greater effort to expand SMC in regions with low MC prevalence. PMID:27410234

Development of the Aging Management Program for HVAC Systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cho, Hong Seok; Lee, Dong Min; Lee, Jang Wook; Cho, Ki Hyun; Cho, Sang Bum; Choi, Sang Hoon

2008-01-01

The HVAC(heating, ventilation and air conditioning) systems in nuclear power plants are consisted of fan, damper, duct, filter and cooling coil, which is equipped in the safety-related building such as main control room, auxiliary building and containment building. These systems are designed to maintain the required ambient air temperature in all plant areas for the comfort and safety of personnel and for environmental requirement of equipment and to ensure that the gaseous radioactivity emission to the environment is kept below permissible discharge limits. The purpose of this study is to establish the inspection plan to ensure that touch up parts of the duct are sound and to develop the aging management program for maintaining effectively HVAC systems

Health benefits of aerobic training programs in adults aged 70 and over: a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Bouaziz, Walid; Vogel, Thomas; Schmitt, Elise; Kaltenbach, Georges; Geny, Bernard; Lang, Pierre Olivier

Aging is intrinsically associated with a progressive decline in muscle strength and mass, and aerobic capacity. This contributes to reduced mobility and impaired quality of life (QoL) among seniors. Regular physical activity, and more particularly aerobic training (AT), has demonstrated benefits on adults' health. The aim of this review was to assess the current level of evidence regarding the health benefits of AT in the population aged 70 years and over. A comprehensive, systematic database search for manuscripts was performed. Two reviewers independently assessed interventional studies for potential inclusion. Cardiovascular, metabolic, functional, cognitive, and QoL outcomes were targeted. Fifty-three studies were included totalling 2051 seniors aged 70 years and over. Studies selected were divided into 5 categories according to their main outcomes: cardiovascular function (34 studies), metabolic outcomes (26 studies), functional fitness (19 studies), cognitive functions (8 studies), and QoL (3 studies). With a good level of evidence but a wide heterogeneity between study designs, a significant and beneficial effect of AT was measured on the 5 outcomes. For QoL results showed a significant but slighter improvement. This systematic review highlights the benefits of AT on seniors' health outcome such as cardiovascular, functional, metabolic, cognitive, and QoL outcomes although the optimal program remains unclear. When more studies regarding this specific population are needed to determine the most favourable exercise program, clinicians should nevertheless encourage older adults over 70 to participate in AT programs to favour active and healthy ageing. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Dissemination and implementation of "Aging Well and Healthily": A health-education and exercise program for older adults

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Westhoff, M.H.; Hopman-Rock, M.

2002-01-01

The article describes the dissemination and implementation of the Aging Well and Healthily (AWH) program in the Netherlands. In the period 1997-1999 this process was monitored by means of telephone interviews with 263 participants, 28 peer educators, and 13 organizers. The program participants were

Geophysical Prediction Technology Based on Organic Carbon Content in Source Rocks of the Huizhou Sag, the South China Sea

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yang Wei

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Due to the high exploration cost, limited number of wells for source rocks drilling and scarce test samples for the Total Organic Carbon Content (TOC in the Huizhou sag, the TOC prediction of source rocks in this area and the assessment of resource potentials of the basin are faced with great challenges. In the study of TOC prediction, predecessors usually adopted the logging assessment method, since the data is only confined to a “point” and the regional prediction of the source bed in the seismic profile largely depends on the recognition of seismic facies, making it difficult to quantify TOC. In this study, we combined source rock geological characteristics, logging and seismic response and built the mathematical relation between quasi TOC curve and seismic data based on the TOC logging date of a single well and its internal seismic attribute. The result suggested that it was not purely a linear relationship that was adhered to by predecessors, but was shown as a complicated non-linear relationship. Therefore, the neural network algorithm and SVMs were introduced to obtain the optimum relationship between the quasi TOC curve and the seismic attribute. Then the goal of TOC prediction can be realized with the method of seismic inversion.

Inquiry-Based Science and Technology Enrichment Program for Middle School-Aged Female Students

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Hanna

2016-01-01

This study investigates the effects of an intensive 1-week Inquiry-Based Science and Technology Enrichment Program (InSTEP) designed for middle school-aged female students. InSTEP uses a guided/open inquiry approach that is deepened and redefined as eight sciences and engineering practices in the Next Generation Science Standards, which aimed at…

Aging research

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ross, D.F. Jr.

1988-01-01

The USNRC Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research has developed a program for nuclear plant aging research (NPAR) to achieve an understanding of nuclear plant aging, its potential effects on safety, and methods for its detection and mitigation, sufficient for addressing safety and regulatory issues and supporting regulatory decisions on issues. Specifically, the NRC has aggressive research and regulatory programs associated with aging effects on piping, steam generators, containments, structures, and electrical and mechanical systems and components. In addition to safety assessment for the original license period for nuclear power plants, this aging information will be extremely useful in providing technical bases for efficient and effective regulation associated with possible license extension. This paper discusses the major activities of USNRC sponsored aging research program and recommends an approach to manage and handle aging at nuclear power plants

75 FR 31702 - Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Age in Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Assistance from...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-06-04

... Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Age in Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Assistance from the Environmental... environmental exposure risks to children (targeting a specific age group) are taking actions based on... significant'' as defined under Executive Order 12866, and (2) concerns an environmental health or safety risk...

What makes age diverse teams effective? Results from a six-year research program.

Science.gov (United States)

Wegge, J; Jungmann, F; Liebermann, S; Shemla, M; Ries, B C; Diestel, S; Schmidt, K-H

2012-01-01

Based on a new model of productivity in age diverse tams, findings from a six-year research program are reported in which data from more than 745 natural teams with 8,848 employees in three different fields (car production, administrative work, financial services) were collected. Moreover, central assumptions of this model were tested with a representative survey of the German workforce (N = 2,000). Results support both significant advantages and disadvantages for age-mixed teams. Based on the findings, the following preconditions for the effectiveness of age diverse teams are identified: high task complexity, low salience and high appreciation of age diversity, a positive team climate, low age-discrimination, ergonomic design of work places, and the use of age differentiated leadership. Based on these insights, we developed a new training for supervisors, which addresses the aforementioned aspects and seeks to improve team performance and health of team members. It was found that the training reduces age stereotypes, team conflicts and enhances innovation. Thus, we can conclude that effective interventions for a successful integration of elderly employees in work groups are available and that combinations of measures that address ergonomic design issues, team composition and leadership are to be strongly recommended for practice.

A comprehensive study of the mechanical performance of gantry, EPID and the MLC assembly in Elekta linacs during gantry rotation.

Science.gov (United States)

Rowshanfarzad, P; Riis, H L; Zimmermann, S J; Ebert, M A

2015-07-01

In radiotherapy treatments, it is crucial to monitor the performance of linear accelerator (linac) components, including gantry, collimation system and electronic portal imaging device (EPID) during arc deliveries. In this study, a simple EPID-based measurement method is suggested in conjunction with an algorithm to investigate the stability of these systems at various gantry angles with the aim of evaluating machine-related errors in treatments. The EPID sag, gantry sag, changes in source-to-detector distance (SDD), EPID and collimator skewness, EPID tilt and the sag in leaf bank assembly owing to linac rotation were separately investigated by acquisition of 37 EPID images of a simple phantom with 5 ball bearings at various gantry angles. A fast and robust software package was developed for automated analysis of the image data. Nine Elekta AB (Stockholm, Sweden) linacs of different models and number of years in service were investigated. The average EPID sag was within 2 mm for all tested linacs. Some machines showed >1-mm gantry sag. Changes in the SDD values were within 1.3 cm. EPID skewness and tilt values were <1° in all machines. The maximum sag in multileaf collimator leaf bank assemblies was around 1 mm. A meaningful correlation was found between the age of the linacs and their mechanical performance. Conclusions and Advances in knowledge: The method and software developed in this study provide a simple tool for effective investigation of the behaviour of Elekta linac components with gantry rotation. Such a comprehensive study has been performed for the first time on Elekta machines.

Randomized controlled trial of a healthy brain ageing cognitive training program: effects on memory, mood, and sleep.

Science.gov (United States)

Diamond, Keri; Mowszowski, Loren; Cockayne, Nicole; Norrie, Louisa; Paradise, Matthew; Hermens, Daniel F; Lewis, Simon J G; Hickie, Ian B; Naismith, Sharon L

2015-01-01

With the rise in the ageing population and absence of a cure for dementia, cost-effective prevention strategies for those 'at risk' of dementia including those with depression and/or mild cognitive impairment are urgently required. This study evaluated the efficacy of a multifaceted Healthy Brain Ageing Cognitive Training (HBA-CT) program for older adults 'at risk' of dementia. Using a single-blinded design, 64 participants (mean age = 66.5 years, SD = 8.6) were randomized to an immediate treatment (HBA-CT) or treatment-as-usual control arm. The HBA-CT intervention was conducted twice-weekly for seven weeks and comprised group-based psychoeducation about cognitive strategies and modifiable lifestyle factors pertaining to healthy brain ageing, and computerized cognitive training. In comparison to the treatment-as-usual control arm, the HBA-CT program was associated with improvements in verbal memory (p = 0.03), self-reported memory (p = 0.03), mood (p = 0.01), and sleep (p = 0.01). While the improvements in memory (p = 0.03) and sleep (p = 0.02) remained after controlling for improvements in mood, only a trend in verbal memory improvement was apparent after controlling for sleep. The HBA-CT program improves cognitive, mood, and sleep functions in older adults 'at risk' of dementia, and therefore offers promise as a secondary prevention strategy.

Methodology of aging management in structures, systems and components of a nuclear power plant and its application to a pilot program in Laguna Verde

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jarvio C, G.; Fernandez S, G.

2009-10-01

From its origin the nuclear power plants confront the effects of time and of environment, giving as result the aging of its structures, systems and components. In this document the general process is described for the establishment of Aging Management Program developed by IAEA. Following the program methodology is guaranteed that a nuclear power plant manages the aging effects appropriately and to make decisions for its solution, assuring the characteristic functions of structures, systems and components of same nuclear power plant. On the other hand, the implantation of an aging management program constitutes the base for development of a licence renovation program, like it can be the specific case of the Central Laguna Verde Units 1 and 2. (Author)

Social representations of elderly female participants in an educational training program regarding active aging

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Helio Marconi Gerth

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Numerous strategies have been employed as a means to promote health to the older population. It is believed that information is the primary tool in achieving this goal. Therefore, we used the text “Active aging: a policy framework” as a reference point. Objective: To identify the social representation of a group of elderly women who underwent educational training regarding active aging and to assess their response to this methodological approach, in order to develop an actual educational program for the elderly for future use. Method: This training was performed during six meetings, realized twice a week for one hour each day, which utilized the popular education as the pedagogic theory. The group assessed in this study was composed of 10 elderly women, between 60 and 80 years of age, who attended a community exercise program offered by the city of Sorocaba, São Paulo, Brazil. Data were obtained during individual semi-structured interviews. Since this trial consists of a transversal, exploratory, and qualitative study, data were organized and analyzed according to the theoretical reference discourse of collective subject, based on the theory of social representation and analysis of content. Results: The methodology was well accepted by the participants, who responded positively to the method and believed to have learned new information regarding the topics covered. New knowledge was constructed by exchanging ideas and experiences. The method favors networking, strengthens friendship bonds, stimulates physical activity, and promotes healthy habits. Conclusion: The methodology was appropriate for the population studied. Participants really enjoyed the program and recommend that other people attend it.

Bulk Electrical Cable Non-Destructive Examination Methods for Nuclear Power Plant Cable Aging Management Programs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Glass, Samuel W. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Jones, Anthony M. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Fifield, Leonard S. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Hartman, Trenton S. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

2016-09-01

This Pacific Northwest National Laboratory milestone report describes progress to date on the investigation of nondestructive test methods focusing particularly on bulk electrical test methods that provide key indicators of cable aging and damage. The work includes a review of relevant literature as well as hands-on experimental verification of inspection capabilities. As nuclear power plants consider applying for second, or subsequent, license renewal to extend their operating period from 60 years to 80 years, it is important to understand how the materials installed in plant systems and components will age during that time and develop aging management programs to assure continued safe operation under normal and design basis events (DBE). Normal component and system tests typically confirm the cables can perform their normal operational function. The focus of the cable test program, however, is directed toward the more demanding challenge of assuring the cable function under accident or DBE. The industry has adopted 50% elongation at break (EAB) relative to the un-aged cable condition as the acceptability standard. All tests are benchmarked against the cable EAB test. EAB, however, is a destructive test so the test programs must apply an array of other nondestructive examination (NDE) tests to assure or infer the overall set of cable’s system integrity. Assessment of cable integrity is further complicated in many cases by vendor’s use of dissimilar material for jacket and insulation. Frequently the jacket will degrade more rapidly than the underlying insulation. Although this can serve as an early alert to cable damage, direct test of the cable insulation without violating the protective jacket becomes problematic. This report addresses the range of bulk electrical NDE cable tests that are or could be practically implemented in a field-test situation with a particular focus on frequency domain reflectometry (FDR). The FDR test method offers numerous advantages

The Living with a Red Dwarf / Goldiloks Program: The Activity-Rotation-Age Relationships of M and K Dwarfs

Science.gov (United States)

Engle, Scott; Guinan, Edward Francis

2018-01-01

Over the past several years, the database of M dwarfs with determined ages has continually expanded, allowing us to furnish Activity-Rotation-Age Relationships as part of the Living with a Red Dwarf program. We have now begun to expand this successful program to also cover K dwarfs - the Goldiloks program. Both M and K dwarfs suffer from the same limitation - due to their long lifetimes and very slow nuclear evolution, the best method for determining ages for a large number of M and K dwarf targets is through “magnetic tracers” such as X-UV activity levels and stellar rotation rates. We report on the current results of our relationships: deriving photometric rotation rates; gathering X-UV measures with HST, IUE Chandra and XMM (both proposed by us, and archival); and assessing their impacts on our understanding of the evolutions and habitability of these stellar types.We gratefully acknowledge the support from NSF/RUI Grant AST 1009903, Chandra Grant GO-13200633, HST Grants GO-12124X and GO-13020X.

Developing a Treatment Program for Obesity in Preschool Age Children: Preliminary Data

OpenAIRE

Boles, Richard E.; Scharf, Cynthia; Stark, Lori J.

2010-01-01

We developed and tested the feasibility of a behavioral intervention that utilizes clinic and home visitations to reduce overweight in preschool children above the 95th BMI percentile. Five families of preschool children ages 2 to 5 years with a BMI above the 95th percentile and one overweight parent were enrolled in a 24-week behavioral weight management program. Phase I, Intensive Treatment included 12 weekly sessions, alternating group-based clinic sessions and home settings. Phase II, Mai...

Investing in organisational culture: nursing students' experience of organisational learning culture in aged care settings following a program of cultural development.

Science.gov (United States)

Grealish, Laurie; Henderson, Amanda

2016-10-01

Concerns around organisational learning culture limit nursing student placements in aged care settings to first year experiences. Determine the impact of an extended staff capacity building program on students' experiences of the organisational learning culture in the aged care setting. Pre and post-test design. A convenience sample of first, second and third year Bachelor of Nursing students attending placements at three residential aged care facilities completed the Clinical Learning Organisational Culture Survey. Responses between the group that attended placement before the program (n = 17/44; RR 38%) and the group that attended following the program (n = 33/72; RR 45%) were compared. Improvements were noted in the areas of recognition, accomplishment, and influence, with decreases in dissatisfaction. Organisational investment in building staff capacity can produce a positive learning culture. The aged care sector offers a rich learning experience for students when staff capacity to support learning is developed.

Effectiveness of Cognitive-behavioral Program on Pain and Fear in School-aged Children Undergoing Intravenous Placement.

Science.gov (United States)

Hsieh, Yi-Chuan; Cheng, Su-Fen; Tsay, Pei-Kwei; Su, Wen-Jen; Cho, Yen-Hua; Chen, Chi-Wen

2017-12-01

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of cognitive-behavioral program on pain and medical fear in hospitalized school-aged children receiving intravenous (IV) placement. This study used an quasi-experimental design. Thirty-five participants were assigned to the experimental group and 33 to the control group in the acute internal medicine ward of a children's hospital. The cognitive-behavioral program entailed having the patients read an educational photo book about IV placement before the procedure and having them watch their favorite music video during the procedure. The outcome measures were numeric rating scales for pain intensity and fear during the procedure. After applying the cognitive-behavioral program, the mean scores on pain and fear decreased in the experimental group. However, the difference in pain intensity between these two groups was nonsignificant. The intensity of fear in the experimental group was significantly lower than that in the control group. In this study, the cognitive-behavioral program used with school-aged hospitalized children promoted less fear during IV placement. The results of this study can serve as a reference for empirical nursing care and as care guidance for clinical IV injections involving children. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Effectiveness of Cognitive-behavioral Program on Pain and Fear in School-aged Children Undergoing Intravenous Placement

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yi-Chuan Hsieh, RN, MSN

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Summary: Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of cognitive-behavioral program on pain and medical fear in hospitalized school-aged children receiving intravenous (IV placement. Methods: This study used an quasi-experimental design. Thirty-five participants were assigned to the experimental group and 33 to the control group in the acute internal medicine ward of a children's hospital. The cognitive-behavioral program entailed having the patients read an educational photo book about IV placement before the procedure and having them watch their favorite music video during the procedure. The outcome measures were numeric rating scales for pain intensity and fear during the procedure. Results: After applying the cognitive-behavioral program, the mean scores on pain and fear decreased in the experimental group. However, the difference in pain intensity between these two groups was nonsignificant. The intensity of fear in the experimental group was significantly lower than that in the control group. Conclusion: In this study, the cognitive-behavioral program used with school-aged hospitalized children promoted less fear during IV placement. The results of this study can serve as a reference for empirical nursing care and as care guidance for clinical IV injections involving children. Keywords: children, fear, needle, pain

School-based sleep education program improves sleep and academic performance of school-age children.

Science.gov (United States)

Gruber, Reut; Somerville, Gail; Bergmame, Lana; Fontil, Laura; Paquin, Soukaina

2016-05-01

The objective of this study was to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of a school-based sleep education program aimed at improving the sleep and academic performance of school-age children. Using a community-based participatory research approach, we created a school-based sleep education program, "Sleep for Success"™ (SFS), composed of four distinct modules that addressed the children, their family and community, the school staff, and decision makers within the school setting. Implementation was carried out in three elementary schools. Seventy-one students participated in the evaluation of the program. The effectiveness of the SFS program was evaluated using non-randomized controlled before-and-after study groups (intervention and control) assessed over two time points (pre- and post-program implementation). Before (baseline) and after implementation, sleep and academic performance were measured using actigraphy and report card marks, respectively. In the intervention group, true sleep was extended by 18.2 min per night, sleep efficiency improved by 2.3%, and sleep latency was shortened by 2.3 min, and report card grades in mathematics and English improved significantly. No changes were noted in the control group. Participation in the sleep education program was associated with significant improvements in children's sleep and academic performance. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

An Analysis of Factors Affecting Mature Age Students' Academic Success in Undergraduate Nursing Programs: A Critical Literature Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Hayden, Lisa J; Jeong, Sarah Y; Norton, Carol A

2016-01-01

The population of mature age students entering university nursing programs has steadily increased in both Australia and worldwide. The objective of the literature review was to explore how mature age students perform academically and to analyse the factors associated with their academic performance in nursing programs. A literature search was conducted in the following databases: CINAHL, ProQuest, Medline, Cochrane, Mosby's Index, Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI), and Scopus. Twenty-six (26) research papers published between 2000 and 2014 have met the selection criteria of this review. The key themes identified include; 1) ambiguity in definition of mature age and academic success, 2) age and academic success, 3) intrinsic factors (life experiences, emotional intelligence, and motivation and volition), and 4) extrinsic factors (peer, academic and family support; and learning style, components of the modules and mode of delivery). Current literature provides evidence that mature age nursing students perform at a higher level within the methodological issues discussed in this paper. Future research is warranted to advance the understanding of the complex relationship between extrinsic and intrinsic factors of mature age students and their academic success in higher education. Nursing educators will benefit from novel evidence, ideas and opportunities to explore and implement in nursing education.

Self-assessment and goal-setting is associated with an improvement in interviewing skills.

Science.gov (United States)

Hanley, Kathleen; Zabar, Sondra; Charap, Joseph; Nicholson, Joseph; Disney, Lindsey; Kalet, Adina; Gillespie, Colleen

2014-01-01

Describe the relationship between medical students' self-assessment and goal-setting (SAGS) skills and development of interviewing skills during the first-year doctoring course. 157 first-year medical students completed three two-case standardized patient (SP) interviews. After each of the first two, students viewed videotapes of their interview, completed a SAGS worksheet, and reviewed a selected tape segment in a seminar. SAGS was categorized into good and poor quality and interviewing skills were rated by trained raters. SAGS improved over time (37% good week 1 vs. 61% good week 10). Baseline SAGS and interviewing skills were not associated. Initial SAGS quality was associated with change in interviewing skills - those with poor-quality SAGS demonstrated a decrease and those with good-quality SAGS demonstrated an increase in scores by 17 weeks (ANOVA F=4.16, p=0.024). For students whose SAGS skills were good at both week 1 and 10, interviewing skills declined in weeks 1-10 and then increased significantly at week 17. For those whose SAGS remained 'poor' in weeks 1-10, interviewing skills declined in weeks 10-17. In general, the quality of students' SAGS improved over time. Poor baseline SAGS skills and failure to improve were associated with a decrease in interviewing skills at 17 weeks. For students with better SAGS, interviewing skills increased at week 17. Improvement in SAGS skills was not associated with improved interviewing skills. Understanding structured self-assessment skills helps identify student characteristics that influence progressive mastery of communication skills and therefore may inform curriculum and remediation tailoring.

The Streptococcus pyogenes serotype M49 Nra-Ralp3 transcriptional regulatory network and its control of virulence factor expression from the novel eno ralp3 epf sagA pathogenicity region.

Science.gov (United States)

Kreikemeyer, Bernd; Nakata, Masanobu; Köller, Thomas; Hildisch, Hendrikje; Kourakos, Vassilios; Standar, Kerstin; Kawabata, Shigetada; Glocker, Michael O; Podbielski, Andreas

2007-12-01

Many Streptococcus pyogenes (group A streptococcus [GAS]) virulence factor- and transcriptional regulator-encoding genes cluster together in discrete genomic regions. Nra is a central regulator of the FCT region. Previous studies exclusively described Nra as a transcriptional repressor of adhesin and toxin genes. Here transcriptome and proteome analysis of a serotype M49 GAS strain and an isogenic Nra mutant of this strain revealed the complete Nra regulon profile. Nra is active in all growth phases tested, with the largest regulon in the transition phase. Almost exclusively, virulence factor-encoding genes are repressed by Nra; these genes include the GAS pilus operon, the capsule synthesis operon, the cytolysin-mediated translocation system genes, all Mga region core virulence genes, and genes encoding other regulators, like the Ihk/Irr system, Rgg, and two additional RofA-like protein family regulators. Surprisingly, our experiments revealed that Nra additionally acts as a positive regulator, mostly for genes encoding proteins and enzymes with metabolic functions. Epidemiological investigations revealed strong genetic linkage of one particular Nra-repressed regulator, Ralp3 (SPy0735), with a gene encoding Epf (extracellular protein factor from Streptococcus suis). In a serotype-specific fashion, this ralp3 epf gene block is integrated, most likely via transposition, into the eno sagA virulence gene block, which is present in all GAS serotypes. In GAS serotypes M1, M4, M12, M28, and M49 this novel discrete genetic region is therefore designated the eno ralp3 epf sagA (ERES) pathogenicity region. Functional experiments showed that Epf is a novel GAS plasminogen-binding protein and revealed that Ralp3 activity counteracts Nra and MsmR regulatory activity. In addition to the Mga and FCT regions, the ERES region is the third discrete chromosomal pathogenicity region. All of these regions are transcriptionally linked, adding another level of complexity to the known

Acetyl aspartic acid, a novel active ingredient, demonstrates potential to improve signs of skin ageing: from consumer need to clinical proof.

Science.gov (United States)

Mavon, A

2015-10-01

The megatrend of population ageing is leading to a growing demand for "anti-ageing" treatments, especially to prevent or treat skin ageing. Facing an increasing offer, consumers are choosing more and more skin care products supported by a scientific rationale, active ingredients and clinical proof of efficacy. Considering consumer expectations, this research led to the discovery of acetyl aspartic acid (A-A-A), a novel active ingredient to improve sagging skin and loss of skin firmness. This supplement is featuring seven manuscripts aiming at presenting the research and investigations from consumer insights, discovery of A-A-A, its in vitro activity confirmation, safety assessment, formulation and its dermal absorption to the clinical proof of efficacy, investigated through two pilots' double bind randomized and placebo controlled studies on photo-aged skin. This extensive research enabled us to discover A-A-A, as an active ingredient with potential to repair sign of skin ageing and supported by clinical proof of efficacy. This active ingredient will be soon launched in a commercial innovative skin care range, delivering desirable anti-wrinkle and skin lifting benefits. © 2015 Society of Cosmetic Scientists and the Société Française de Cosmétologie.

Relationship between Mineral and Organic Matter in Shales: The Case of Shahejie Formation, Dongying Sag, China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiang Zeng

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Types of organic matter and mineral associations and microstructures of shales can reflect the depositional mechanism and sedimentary environment. Therefore, analysis of organic matter and mineral associations is a prerequisite for research on fine-grained sedimentary rocks. Shales from the Eocene Shahejie Formation in the Dongying Sag of China were selected to classify their lithofacies and to investigate the characteristics of their organic matter and mineral associations. This analysis identified six lithofacies (e.g., laminated shales and massive mudstones; in all the lithofacies, clay minerals exhibit a positive correlation with detrital minerals, thus indicating that they were derived from the same source. The comprehensive analysis of mineral and organic matter associations reveals that detrital minerals were deposited with low-hydrogen index (HI OM. The deposition of detrital minerals was mainly a physical process. Clay minerals can undergo deposition in one of two ways due to their surface charge: they can either aggregate with high-HI OM via chemical deposition, thus forming organic-rich laminae, or they can be deposited together with low-HI OM via physical deposition, thus forming clay-rich laminae or a massive matrix. Carbonate minerals, which often coexist with high-HI OM, are biological sediments. The analysis of the sedimentary characteristics of these organic matter and mineral associations indicates that the sedimentary processes differ between various lithofacies: e.g., the discontinuous laminated shale represents the product of biophysical processes. Differences in depositional mechanisms are also present in each sub-member. Therefore, it is important to analyze the properties of minerals and organic matter, as well as their associations, to more deeply understand the classification of lithofacies and the depositional processes of shales and mudstones.

Effects of contact-based mental illness stigma reduction programs: age, gender, and Asian, Latino, and White American differences.

Science.gov (United States)

Wong, Eunice C; Collins, Rebecca L; Cerully, Jennifer L; Yu, Jennifer W; Seelam, Rachana

2018-03-01

Mental illness stigma disproportionately affects help seeking among youth, men, and ethnic minorities. As part of a comprehensive statewide initiative to reduce mental illness stigma and discrimination in California, a broad set of contact-based educational programs were widely disseminated. This study examined whether the effects of contact-based educational programs varied depending on the age, gender, and race-ethnicity of participants. Participants (N = 4122) attended a contact-based educational program that was delivered as part of the statewide initiative to reduce mental illness stigma and discrimination. Self-administered surveys assessing beliefs, attitudes, and intentions toward mental illnesses and treatment were conducted immediately before and after participation in contact-based educational programs. Participant age, gender, and race-ethnicity significantly moderated pre-post changes in mental illness stigma. Although all groups exhibited significant pre-post changes across most of the stigma domains assessed, young adults, females, and Asian and Latino American participants reported larger improvements compared to older adults, males, and Whites, respectively. Findings suggest that contact-based educational programs can achieve immediate reductions in mental illness stigma across a variety of sociodemographic groups and may particularly benefit young adults and racial-ethnic minorities. Further research is needed to assess whether contact-based educational programs can sustain longer-term changes and aid in the reduction of disparities in mental illness stigma and treatment.

Analyzing best practices in employee health management: how age, sex, and program components relate to employee engagement and health outcomes.

Science.gov (United States)

Terry, Paul E; Grossmeier, Jessica; Mangen, David J; Gingerich, Stefan B

2013-04-01

Examine the influence of employee health management (EHM) best practices on registration, participation, and health behavior change in telephone-based coaching programs. Individual health assessment data, EHM program data, and health coaching participation data were analyzed for associations with coaching program enrollment, active participation, and risk reduction. Multivariate analyses occurred at the individual (n = 205,672) and company levels (n = 55). Considerable differences were found in how age and sex impacted typical EHM evaluation metrics. Cash incentives for the health assessment were associated with more risk reduction for men than for women. Providing either a noncash or a benefits-integrated incentive for completing the health assessment, or a noncash incentive for lifestyle management, strengthened the relationship between age and risk reduction. In EHM programs, one size does not fit all. These results can help employers tailor engagement strategies for their specific population.

What is role of sex and age differences in marital conflict and stress of patients under Cardiac Rehabilitation Program?

Science.gov (United States)

Komasi, Saeid; Saeidi, Mozhgan

2016-05-01

To investigate the role of sex and age differences in marital conflict and stress of patients who were under cardiac rehabilitation (CR) program. The data of this cross-sectional study were collected from the database of the CR Department of Imam Ali Hospital, Kermanshah, Iran. The demographics and medical data of 683 persons were collected from January 2003 and January 2010 using medical records, the Beck Anxiety Inventory, the Beck Depression Inventory, the Hudson's Index of Marital Stress, and the Structured Clinical Interview for axis I disorders. Data were analyzed through Analysis of Covariance and Bonferroni test. About 74.8% of the subjects were male. After adjustment for age, educational level, anxiety, and depression-the findings showed that women in CR program had a higher level of marital stress compared to men (54.75 ± 2.52 vs. 49.30 ± 0.89; P = 0.042). Furthermore, it was revealed that women who aged 56-65 years and more experienced higher level of marital stress compared to younger patients (P age groups in male patients (P > 0.050). Marital conflict and stress threaten healthiness of women who aged 56-65 years more prominently than does in males or younger patients. Regarding the effect of marital stress on recurrence of the disease and cardiac-related morbidity and mortality in women, providing effective education and interventions to this group of patients, especially older women and even their spouses could be one of the useful objectives of CR programs.

Gender differences in the relative age effect among US olympic development program youth soccer players.

Science.gov (United States)

Vincent, John; Glamser, Francis D

2006-04-01

A large body of research has shown that a disproportionate number of elite youth male soccer players competing in age-segmented competition are born early in the selection year. The advantage of being born early in a cohort has been termed the "relative age effect". Although there has been an exponential growth in women's soccer, few studies have examined the relative age effect in female youth soccer. This study compared the relative age effect of 1,344 female and male youth soccer players considered by the US Olympic Development Program (ODP), in 2001, to be the most talented soccer players born in 1984. The birth dates were taken from the women's state and regional ODP, and national team rosters, and were analysed using basic descriptive statistics and chi-square tests. Results revealed only a marginal relative age effect for female ODP regional and national team players and no relative age effect for female ODP state team players. In comparison, a strong relative age effect was found in male state, regional and national team players. The results suggest that there are gender differences in the relative age effect of 17-year-old elite female and male soccer players. The gender differences may be explained by a complex interaction of biological and maturational differences with socialization influences.

Self-assessment and goal-setting is associated with an improvement in interviewing skills

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kathleen Hanley

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Purpose: Describe the relationship between medical students’ self-assessment and goal-setting (SAGS skills and development of interviewing skills during the first-year doctoring course. Method: 157 first-year medical students completed three two-case standardized patient (SP interviews. After each of the first two, students viewed videotapes of their interview, completed a SAGS worksheet, and reviewed a selected tape segment in a seminar. SAGS was categorized into good and poor quality and interviewing skills were rated by trained raters. Results: SAGS improved over time (37% good week 1 vs. 61% good week 10. Baseline SAGS and interviewing skills were not associated. Initial SAGS quality was associated with change in interviewing skills – those with poor-quality SAGS demonstrated a decrease and those with good-quality SAGS demonstrated an increase in scores by 17 weeks (ANOVA F=4.16, p=0.024. For students whose SAGS skills were good at both week 1 and 10, interviewing skills declined in weeks 1–10 and then increased significantly at week 17. For those whose SAGS remained ‘poor’ in weeks 1–10, interviewing skills declined in weeks 10–17. Conclusions: In general, the quality of students’ SAGS improved over time. Poor baseline SAGS skills and failure to improve were associated with a decrease in interviewing skills at 17 weeks. For students with better SAGS, interviewing skills increased at week 17. Improvement in SAGS skills was not associated with improved interviewing skills. Understanding structured self-assessment skills helps identify student characteristics that influence progressive mastery of communication skills and therefore may inform curriculum and remediation tailoring.

Study of shale reservoir nanometer-sized pores in Member 1 of Shahejie Formation in JX area, Liaozhong sag

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Yong; Zhang, Yu; Wen, Yiming

2018-02-01

The microscopic pore structure is the key of the shale reservoir study; however, traditional Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) methods cannot identify the irregular morphology caused by mechanical polishing. In this work, Scanning Electron Microscopy combined argon ion polishing technology was taken to study the characteristics of shale reservoir pores of Member 1 of Shahejie Formation (E3s1) located in JX1-1 area of Liaozhong Sag. The results show that pores between clay platelets, intraplatelet pores within clay aggregates and organic-matter pores are very rich in the area and with good pore connectivity, so these types of pores are of great significance for oil-gas exporation. Pores between clay platelets are formed by directional or semi-directional contact between edge and surface, edge and edge or surface and surface of laminated clay minerals, whose shapes are linear, mesh, and irregular with the size of 500 nm to 5 μm. The intraplatelet pores within clay aggregates are formed in the process of the transformation and compaction of clay minerals, whose shapes are usually linear with the width of 30 to 500 nm and the length of 2 to 50 μm. The organic-matter pores are from the process of the conversion from organic matters to the hydrocarbon under thermal evolution, whose shapes are gneissic, irregular, pitted and elliptical with the size of 100 nm to 2 μm. This study is of certain guiding significance to selecting target zones, evaluating resource potential and exploring & developing of shale gas in this region.

A Randomized Controlled Trial of a Parent Training and Emotion Socialization Program for Families of Hyperactive Preschool-Aged Children

Science.gov (United States)

Herbert, Sharonne D.; Harvey, Elizabeth A.; Roberts, Jasmin L.; Wichowski, Kayla; Lugo-Candelas, Claudia I.

2013-01-01

The present study evaluated the effectiveness of a parent training and emotion socialization program designed specifically for hyperactive preschoolers. Participants were 31 preschool-aged children whose parents were randomly assigned to a parent training (PT) or waitlist (WL) control group. PT parents took part in a 14-week parenting program that…

Age differences in heroin and prescription opioid abuse among enrolees into opioid treatment programs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fong Chunki

2011-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background In the United States, among those entering opioid treatment programs (OTPs, prescription opioid (PO abusers tend to be younger than heroin users. Admissions of older persons to OTPs have been increasing, and it is important to understand typical patterns of use among those older enrolees. Methods To disentangle the effect of age on recent heroin and PO abuse 29,114 enrolees into 85 OTPs were surveyed across 34 states from 2005-2009. OTPs where PO use was prevalent were oversampled. Results Mean age was 34; 28% used heroin only. Younger enrolees had increased odds of using POs relative to using heroin only but mixed model analysis showed that much of the total variability in type of use was attributed to variation in age between OTPs rather than within OTPs. Conclusions Organizational and cultural phenomena (e.g., OTP characteristics must be examined to better understand the context of individual characteristics (e.g., age. If nesting of enrolees within OTPs is ignored, then associations that primarily operate at the OTP level may be misinterpreted as exclusively dependent on individuals.

The effects of cardiac rehabilitation program on exercise capacity and coronary risk factors in CABG Patients aged 45-65

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rahim Mirnasuri

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Background : Cardiovascular diseases (CVD are the most common cause of mortalily and inability. In Iran, one third of mortality causes are coronary heart diseases. So, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of a Cardiac Rehabilitation program (CR on exercise capacity (VO2max and coronary risk factors in CABG patients aged 45-65 . Materials and Methods: Of 36 CABG patients randomly selected from Hamadan Shahid Beheshti hospital, 18 subjects as experimental group (with mean age 54.57±6.26 years and weight 72.14±10.83 kg participated in CR program, and 18 subjects as control group (with mean age 57.64±4.75 years and weight 76.5±12 kg without participation in any exercise and CR program participated in this study based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. CR program was an eight-week involving warm-up, aerobic exercises and cool-down. Variables including: anthropometrics measurements and exercise capacity (VO2max, and also coronary risk factors such as body mass index (BMI, waist-hip ratio (WHR, systolic blood pressure (SBP, diastolic blood pressure (DBP, fasting blood sugar (FBS, total cholesterol (TC, triglyceride (TG, low-density lipoprotein (LDL, high-density lipoprotein (HDL, LDL-HDL ratio (LHR, body fat percent (BFP were determined at the first and the last week of CR program in both groups. Results: Statistical analysis by independent t-test indicated that after program, there was a significant difference between 2 groups in VO2max, BMI, WHR, SBP, DBP, TC, TG, LDL, LHR (P<0.05, but there was no significant difference between the 2 groups in FBS, HDL, BFP. Conclusion: The CR program of the present study indicated a significant effect on exercise capacity and some coronary risk factors profile in CABG patients of 45-65 and can it be considered as a suitable program for CABG patients.

Preparing for Humans at Mars, MPPG Updates to Strategic Knowledge Gaps and Collaboration with Science Missions

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Baker, John; Wargo, Michael J.; Beaty, David

2013-01-01

The Mars Program Planning Group (MPPG) was an agency wide effort, chartered in March 2012 by the NASA Associate Administrator for Science, in collaboration with NASA's Associate Administrator for Human Exploration and Operations, the Chief Scientist, and the Chief Technologist. NASA tasked the MPPG to develop foundations for a program-level architecture for robotic exploration of Mars that is consistent with the President's challenge of sending humans to the Mars system in the decade of the 2030s and responsive to the primary scientific goals of the 2011 NRC Decadal Survey for Planetary Science. The Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group (MEPAG) also sponsored a Precursor measurement Strategy Analysis Group (P-SAG) to revisit prior assessments of required precursor measurements for the human exploration of Mars. This paper will discuss the key results of the MPPG and P-SAG efforts to update and refine our understanding of the Strategic Knowledge Gaps (SKGs) required to successfully conduct human Mars missions.

The Effect of an 8-Week Tai Chi Exercise Program on Physical Functional Performance in Middle-Aged Women.

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Zacharia, Susan; Taylor, E Laurette; Hofford, Craig W; Brittain, Danielle R; Branscum, Paul W

2015-08-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of an 8-week Tai Chi Chih exercise program on physical functional performance (PFP) among women aged 45 to 65 years. A quasi-experimental design with a nonequivalent comparison group was used. Forty-one healthy inactive women were assigned to either an intervention group (n = 19) or a comparison group (n = 19). A 60-min Tai Chi Chih exercise class was conducted twice a week for 8 weeks. PFP was measured at baseline and postintervention using the Continuous Scale Physical Functional Performance-10 (CS-PFP 10). Between-group differences were analyzed using one-way analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). After participating in the 8-week program, intervention group participants showed greater improvement in the CS-PFP measures (p .06). However, the comparison group had little changes. The findings from this study suggest that participation in an 8-week Tai Chi Chih exercise program can improve PFP in healthy, community-dwelling middle-aged women. © The Author(s) 2013.

Changes in the Proliferative Program Limit Astrocyte Homeostasis in the Aged Post-Traumatic Murine Cerebral Cortex.

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Heimann, Gábor; Canhos, Luisa L; Frik, Jesica; Jäger, Gabriele; Lepko, Tjasa; Ninkovic, Jovica; Götz, Magdalena; Sirko, Swetlana

2017-08-01

Aging leads to adverse outcomes after traumatic brain injury. The mechanisms underlying these defects, however, are not yet clear. In this study, we found that astrocytes in the aged post-traumatic cerebral cortex develop a significantly reduced proliferative response, resulting in reduced astrocyte numbers in the penumbra. Moreover, experiments of reactive astrocytes in vitro reveal that their diminished proliferation is due to an age-related switch in the division mode with reduced cell-cycle re-entry rather than changes in cell-cycle length. Notably, reactive astrocytes in vivo and in vitro become refractory to stimuli increasing their proliferation during aging, such as Sonic hedgehog signaling. These data demonstrate for the first time that age-dependent, most likely intrinsic changes in the proliferative program of reactive astrocytes result in their severely hampered proliferative response to traumatic injury thereby affecting astrocyte homeostasis. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press.

Effectiveness of a video-based aging services technology education program for health care professionals.

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Weakley, Alyssa; Tam, Joyce W; Van Son, Catherine; Schmitter-Edgecombe, Maureen

2017-01-19

Health care professionals (HCPs) are a critical source of recommendations for older adults. Aging services technologies (ASTs), which include devices to support the health-care needs of older adults, are underutilized despite evidence for improving functional outcomes and safety and reducing caregiver burden and health costs. This study evaluated a video-based educational program aimed at improving HCP awareness of ASTs. Sixty-five HCPs viewed AST videos related to medication management, daily living, and memory. Following the program, participants' objective and perceived AST knowledge improved, as did self-efficacy and anticipated AST engagement. About 95% of participants stated they were more likely to recommend ASTs postprogram. Participants benefitted equally regardless of years of experience or previous AST familiarity. Furthermore, change in self-efficacy and perceived knowledge were significant predictors of engagement change. Overall, the educational program was effective in improving HCPs' awareness of ASTs and appeared to benefit all participants regardless of experience and prior knowledge.

The Streptococcus pyogenes Serotype M49 Nra-Ralp3 Transcriptional Regulatory Network and Its Control of Virulence Factor Expression from the Novel eno ralp3 epf sagA Pathogenicity Region▿ †

Science.gov (United States)

Kreikemeyer, Bernd; Nakata, Masanobu; Köller, Thomas; Hildisch, Hendrikje; Kourakos, Vassilios; Standar, Kerstin; Kawabata, Shigetada; Glocker, Michael O.; Podbielski, Andreas

2007-01-01

Many Streptococcus pyogenes (group A streptococcus [GAS]) virulence factor- and transcriptional regulator-encoding genes cluster together in discrete genomic regions. Nra is a central regulator of the FCT region. Previous studies exclusively described Nra as a transcriptional repressor of adhesin and toxin genes. Here transcriptome and proteome analysis of a serotype M49 GAS strain and an isogenic Nra mutant of this strain revealed the complete Nra regulon profile. Nra is active in all growth phases tested, with the largest regulon in the transition phase. Almost exclusively, virulence factor-encoding genes are repressed by Nra; these genes include the GAS pilus operon, the capsule synthesis operon, the cytolysin-mediated translocation system genes, all Mga region core virulence genes, and genes encoding other regulators, like the Ihk/Irr system, Rgg, and two additional RofA-like protein family regulators. Surprisingly, our experiments revealed that Nra additionally acts as a positive regulator, mostly for genes encoding proteins and enzymes with metabolic functions. Epidemiological investigations revealed strong genetic linkage of one particular Nra-repressed regulator, Ralp3 (SPy0735), with a gene encoding Epf (extracellular protein factor from Streptococcus suis). In a serotype-specific fashion, this ralp3 epf gene block is integrated, most likely via transposition, into the eno sagA virulence gene block, which is present in all GAS serotypes. In GAS serotypes M1, M4, M12, M28, and M49 this novel discrete genetic region is therefore designated the eno ralp3 epf sagA (ERES) pathogenicity region. Functional experiments showed that Epf is a novel GAS plasminogen-binding protein and revealed that Ralp3 activity counteracts Nra and MsmR regulatory activity. In addition to the Mga and FCT regions, the ERES region is the third discrete chromosomal pathogenicity region. All of these regions are transcriptionally linked, adding another level of complexity to the known

The Enhanced Aussie Optimism Positive Thinking Skills Program: Assessing the relationship between internalising symptoms and family functioning in children aged 9-11 years of age

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Patricia eKennedy

2015-04-01

Full Text Available The family context plays a critical role in the health of the child. This was the first study to examine the usefulness of the General Functioning subscale of the Family Assessment Device (FAD-GF in assessing family functioning and its relationship to internalising symptoms in school-aged children aged between 9 and 11 years of age. Eight hundred and forty-seven Year 4 and 5 students from 13 schools (607 intervention students, and 240 control students participated in the Aussie Optimism Positive Thinking Skills Program (AO-PTS - a universal school-based program targeting internalising symptoms. Students rated how ‘healthy’ they perceived their family to be at pre-test and at 6-month follow-up. Although some aspects of validity and reliability could be improved, results indicated that perceptions of family functioning at pre-test were predictive of internalising symptoms at the 6-month follow-up. The FAD-GF therefore showed promise as a potential measure of family functioning for children as young as nine years old. Regardless of children’s pre-test levels of perceived family functioning, no intervention effects were found on the anxiety and depression scales; this finding suggests that child perceptions of family functioning may act as a general protective factor against internalising symptomology.

The heptanucleotide motif GAGACGC is a key component of a cis-acting promoter element that is critical for SnSAG1 expression in Sarcocystis neurona.

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Gaji, Rajshekhar Y; Howe, Daniel K

2009-07-01

The apicomplexan parasite Sarcocystis neurona undergoes a complex process of intracellular development, during which many genes are temporally regulated. The described study was undertaken to begin identifying the basic promoter elements that control gene expression in S. neurona. Sequence analysis of the 5'-flanking region of five S. neurona genes revealed a conserved heptanucleotide motif GAGACGC that is similar to the WGAGACG motif described upstream of multiple genes in Toxoplasma gondii. The promoter region for the major surface antigen gene SnSAG1, which contains three heptanucleotide motifs within 135 bases of the transcription start site, was dissected by functional analysis using a dual luciferase reporter assay. These analyses revealed that a minimal promoter fragment containing all three motifs was sufficient to drive reporter molecule expression, with the presence and orientation of the 5'-most heptanucleotide motif being absolutely critical for promoter function. Further studies should help to identify additional sequence elements important for promoter function and for controlling gene expression during intracellular development by this apicomplexan pathogen.

Diversity of Sarcocystis spp shed by opossums in Brazil inferred with phylogenetic analysis of DNA coding ITS1, cytochrome B, and surface antigens.

Science.gov (United States)

Valadas, Samantha Y O B; da Silva, Juliana I G; Lopes, Estela Gallucci; Keid, Lara B; Zwarg, Ticiana; de Oliveira, Alice S; Sanches, Thaís C; Joppert, Adriana M; Pena, Hilda F J; Oliveira, Tricia M F S; Ferreira, Helena L; Soares, Rodrigo M

2016-05-01

Although few species of Sarcocystis are known to use marsupials of the genus Didelphis as definitive host, an extensive diversity of alleles of surface antigen genes (sag2, sag3, and sag4) has been described in samples of didelphid opossums in Brazil. In this work, we studied 25 samples of Sarcocystis derived from gastrointestinal tract of opossums of the genus Didelphis by accessing the variability of sag2, sag3, sag4, gene encoding cytochrome b (cytB) and first internal transcribed spacer (ITS1). Reference samples of Sarcocystis neurona (SN138) and Sarcocystis falcatula (SF1) maintained in cell culture were also analyzed. We found four allele variants of cytB, seven allele variants of ITS1, 10 allele variants of sag2, 13 allele variants of sag3, and 6 allele variants of sag4. None of the sporocyst-derived sequences obtained from Brazilian opossums revealed 100% identity to SN138 at cytB gene, nor to SN138 or SF1 at ITS1 locus. In addition, none of the sag alleles were found identical to either SF1 or SN138 homologous sequences, and a high number of new sag allele types were found other than those previously described in Brazil. Out of ten sag2 alleles, four are novel, while eight out of 13 sag3 alleles are novel and one out of six sag4 alleles is novel. Further studies are needed to clarify if such a vast repertoire of allele variants of Sarcocystis is the consequence of re-assortments driven by sexual exchange, in order to form individuals with highly diverse characteristics, such as pathogenicity, host spectrum, among others or if it only represents allele variants of different species with different biological traits. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Semantic acquisition games harnessing manpower for creating semantics

CERN Document Server

Šimko, Jakub

2014-01-01

A comprehensive and extensive review of state-of-the-art in semantics acquisition game (SAG) design A set of design patterns for SAG designers A set of case studies (real SAG projects) demonstrating the use of SAG design patterns

[Elaboration of Criteria and Indicators to Develop and Evaluate Programs of Healthy Aging in the Workplace].

Science.gov (United States)

Mateo Rodríguez, Inmaculada; Daponte Codina, Antonio; Bernal Solano, Mariola; Sánchez Pérez, M José

2015-10-01

In the actual context of population ageing and extension of working age, programs for health promotion at the workplace are a key and necessary tool to promote an active and healthy ageing. This work presents the methodological process followed to elaborate a checklist tool, within the framework of the European project Progress, that contributes to orientate planning, implementation and evaluation of good practices in this field, to be applicable to a variety of programs, countries and workplaces. A Delphi technique has been applied in three rounds in which experts in the area from five European countries participated. A questionnaire created from a list of criteria and indicators was adapted throughout the rounds, with the use of webmail, to the evaluation of interventions in the field of interest. Through processes of assessment and consensus, criteria and indicators most relevant were prioritized. From the nine starting criteria and after the implementation of the technique, four key criteria were prioritized: relevance: 62, adequacy to objective: 57, innovation: 50 and guarantee of quality: 41. Using this group of criteria and indicators, a checklist was designed containing the key information that should be collected for planning, implementation and evaluation of good practices in interventions in this field. The checklist tool helps to systematize the global methodology for the implementation of interventions which could be very useful for persons responsible of programmes to promote active and healthy ageing in the workplace.

A dual-directional light-control film with a high-sag and high-asymmetrical-shape microlens array fabricated by a UV imprinting process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lin, Ta-Wei; Liao, Yunn-Shiuan; Chen, Chi-Feng; Yang, Jauh-Jung

2008-01-01

A dual-directional light-control film with a high-sag and high-asymmetric-shape long gapless hexagonal microlens array fabricated by an ultra-violent (UV) imprinting process is presented. Such a lens array is designed by ray-tracing simulation and fabricated by a micro-replication process including gray-scale lithography, electroplating process and UV curing. The shape of the designed lens array is similar to that of a near half-cylindrical lens array with a periodical ripple. The measurement results of a prototype show that the incident lights using a collimated LED with the FWHM of dispersion angle, 12°, are diversified differently in short and long axes. The numerical and experimental results show that the FWHMs of the view angle for angular brightness in long and short axis directions through the long hexagonal lens are about 34.3° and 18.1° and 31° and 13°, respectively. Compared with the simulation result, the errors in long and short axes are about 5% and 16%, respectively. Obviously, the asymmetric gapless microlens array can realize the aim of the controlled asymmetric angular brightness. Such a light-control film can be used as a power saving screen compared with convention diffusing film for the application of a rear projection display

75 FR 31738 - Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Age in Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Assistance From...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-06-04

... and Advancement Act Section 12(d) of the National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act of 1995... federally funded program. II. Rulemaking History EPA first proposed regulations implementing the Age... small entities. Small entities include small businesses, small organizations, and small governmental...

Molecular characterisation and the protective immunity evaluation of Eimeria maxima surface antigen gene.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Tingqi; Huang, Jingwei; Li, Yanlin; Ehsan, Muhammad; Wang, Shuai; Zhou, Zhouyang; Song, Xiaokai; Yan, Ruofeng; Xu, Lixin; Li, Xiangrui

2018-05-30

Coccidiosis is recognised as a major parasitic disease in chickens. Eimeria maxima is considered as a highly immunoprotective species within the Eimeria spp. family that infects chickens. In the present research, the surface antigen gene of E. maxima (EmSAG) was cloned, and the ability of EmSAG to stimulate protection against E. maxima was evaluated. Prokaryotic and eukaryotic plasmids expressing EmSAG were constructed. The EmSAG transcription and expression in vivo was performed based on the RT-PCR and immunoblot analysis. The expression of EmSAG in sporozoites and merozoites was detected through immunofluorescence analyses. The immune protection was assessed based on challenge experiments. Flow cytometry assays were used to determine the T cell subpopulations. The serum antibody and cytokine levels were evaluated by ELISA. The open reading frame (ORF) of EmSAG gene contained 645 bp encoding 214 amino acid residues. The immunoblot and RT-PCR analyses indicated that the EmSAG gene were transcribed and expressed in vivo. The EmSAG proteins were expressed in sporozoite and merozoite stages of E. maxima by the immunofluorescence assay. Challenge experiments showed that both pVAX1-SAG and the recombinant EmSAG (rEmSAG) proteins were successful in alleviating jejunal lesions, decreasing loss of body weight and the oocyst ratio. Additionally, these experiments possessed anticoccidial indices (ACI) of more than 170. Higher percentages of CD4 + and CD8 + T cells were detected in both EmSAG-inoculated birds than those of the negative control groups (P maxima.

Rural Development Policies and Sustainable Land Use in the Hillside Areas of Honduras: a Quantitave Livelihoods

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jansen, H.G.P.; Pender, J.; Damon, A.; Schipper, R.A.

2006-01-01

The survey was a research collaboration between International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), Wageningen University and Research Center (WUR), and the National Program for Sustainable Rural Development (PRONADERS) of the Honduran Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (SAG).The data were

What is role of sex and age differences in marital conflict and stress of patients under Cardiac Rehabilitation Program?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Saeid Komasi

2016-05-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: To investigate the role of sex and age differences in marital conflict and stress of patients who were under cardiac rehabilitation (CR program. METHODS: The data of this cross-sectional study were collected from the database of the CR Department of Imam Ali Hospital, Kermanshah, Iran. The demographics and medical data of 683 persons were collected from January 2003 and January 2010 using medical records, the Beck Anxiety Inventory, the Beck Depression Inventory, the Hudson’s Index of Marital Stress, and the Structured Clinical Interview for axis I disorders. Data were analyzed through Analysis of Covariance and Bonferroni test. RESULTS: About 74.8% of the subjects were male. After adjustment for age, educational level, anxiety, and depression-the findings showed that women in CR program had a higher level of marital stress compared to men (54.75 ± 2.52 vs. 49.30 ± 0.89; P = 0.042. Furthermore, it was revealed that women who aged 56-65 years and more experienced higher level of marital stress compared to younger patients (P < 0.050; however, no significant difference was observed between different age groups in male patients (P > 0.050. CONCLUSION: Marital conflict and stress threaten healthiness of women who aged 56-65 years more prominently than does in males or younger patients. Regarding the effect of marital stress on recurrence of the disease and cardiac-related morbidity and mortality in women, providing effective education and interventions to this group of patients, especially older women and even their spouses could be one of the useful objectives of CR programs. 

Practical examples of how knowledge management is addressed in Point Lepreau heat transport ageing management programs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Slade, J.; Gendron, T.; Greenlaw, G.

2009-01-01

In the mid-1990s, New Brunswick Power Nuclear implemented a Management System Process Model at the Point Lepreau Generating Station that provides the basic elements of a knowledge management program. As noted by the IAEA, the challenge facing the nuclear industry now is to make improvements in knowledge management in areas that are more difficult to implement. Two of these areas are: increasing the value of existing knowledge, and converting tacit knowledge to explicit knowledge (knowledge acquisition). This paper describes some practical examples of knowledge management improvements in the Point Lepreau heat transport system ageing management program. (author)

Predictors of anemia among haitian children aged 6 to 59 months and women of childbearing age and their implications for programming.

Science.gov (United States)

Heidkamp, Rebecca A; Ngnie-Teta, Ismael; Ayoya, Mohamed Ag A; Stoltzfus, Rebecca J; Mamadoultaibou, Aissa; Durandisse, Emmanuela Blain; Pierre, Joseline Marhone

2013-12-01

The Haitian National Nutrition Policy prioritizes prevention and treatment of anemia among mothers and young children, but there are few available data to support planning for scale-up of anemia interventions. To describe the prevalence and predictors of anemia among Haitian women (15 to 49 years) and children (6 to 59 months) and to draw implications for national nutrition programming. Descriptive and univariate analyses and multivariate logistic regression models were performed using data from the nationally representative Haitian Demographic Health Survey 2005/06. The prevalence of mild (hemoglobin 11.0 to 11.9 g/dL), moderate (hemoglobin 8.0 to 10.9 g/dL), and severe (hemoglobin education level, p = .022) were different from those in rural women (wealth quintile, p < .05; employment, p = .003). Anemia in urban and rural children aged 6 to 59 months increased with child age (p < .05) and maternal anemia status (p = .004; p < .001). Female sex (p = .007) and maternal overweight (p = .009) were associated with reduced risk of anemia in rural children only. Anemia among Haitian young children and women of childbearing age is a severe public health problem. The findings suggest the need for context-specific rural and urban strategies, reinforcement of anemia prevention in health services reaching women of childbearing age, and targeted interventions for young children.

Effects of a self-esteem intervention program on school-age children.

Science.gov (United States)

Dalgas-Pelish, Peggy

2006-01-01

Self-esteem is essential for school-aged children's optimum health. High self-esteem is linked to increased school performance, improved health, and productive behavior. This study reports on the effects of a four-lesson self-esteem enhancement program for six groups of 5th and 6th grade children (N=98). The interactive lessons dealt with an overview of self-esteem, media influences, hiding emotions, and changes in self-esteem. Using a pre-test/ post-test design, Coopersmith's Self-Esteem Inventory (SEI) was used to measure self-esteem. The self-esteem subscales dealing with general and social areas were found to significantly increase over time (pself-esteem score. Mean scores showed that children who had friends had more significant changes than those who did not have friends. Children with lower socioeconomic status had lower scores at both the pre and post testing with significance in the general and social subscales. No significance was found related to racial group, family make-up, or the number of household chores or activities. This study supports the effectiveness of a self-esteem enhancement program for girls, those children with friends, and those in lower socioeconomic status. Future research is needed to understand what contributes to the self-esteem of children who report that they do not have friends.

The influence of the program of prophylaxis of flat foot on the biomechanics characteristics of foot of children of pre-school age

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Bychuk I.O.

2011-02-01

Full Text Available In the article is defined linear and angular biomechanics descriptions of children's foot of senior preschool age. It is analysed the dynamics and increase of the explored indexes during realization of the program of prophylaxis of flat foot in the teaching process. In experiment took part teachers and instructors of physical culture; control and experimental group consist of 20 children at the age of 5-6 years old. Efficiency of the offered program of prophylaxis of flat foot is proved.

Publications - GMC 164 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

Science.gov (United States)

Staines St. 10-09-23, Nora Fed #1, Sag Delta 33-12-16, Sag Delta #1, Kavik #1, BF-47 #1, OCS Y-0804-1 , Nora Fed #1, Sag Delta 33-12-16, Sag Delta #1, Kavik #1, BF-47 #1, OCS Y-0804-1 (Orion #1), OCS Y-0334

Vitamin D prenatal programming of childhood metabolomics profiles at age 3 y.

Science.gov (United States)

Blighe, Kevin; Chawes, Bo L; Kelly, Rachel S; Mirzakhani, Hooman; McGeachie, Michael; Litonjua, Augusto A; Weiss, Scott T; Lasky-Su, Jessica A

2017-10-01

Background: Vitamin D deficiency is implicated in a range of common complex diseases that may be prevented by gestational vitamin D repletion. Understanding the metabolic mechanisms related to in utero vitamin D exposure may therefore shed light on complex disease susceptibility. Objective: The goal was to analyze the programming role of in utero vitamin D exposure on children's metabolomics profiles. Design: First, unsupervised clustering was done with plasma metabolomics profiles from a case-control subset of 245 children aged 3 y with and without asthma from the Vitamin D Antenatal Asthma Reduction Trial (VDAART), in which pregnant women were randomly assigned to vitamin D supplementation or placebo. Thereafter, we analyzed the influence of maternal pre- and postsupplement vitamin D concentrations on cluster membership. Finally, we used the metabolites driving the clustering of children to identify the dominant metabolic pathways that were influential in each cluster. Results: We identified 3 clusters of children characterized by 1 ) high concentrations of fatty acids and amines and low maternal postsupplement vitamin D (mean ± SD; 27.5 ± 11.0 ng/mL), 2 ) high concentrations of amines, moderate concentrations of fatty acids, and normal maternal postsupplement vitamin D (34.0 ± 14.1 ng/mL), and 3 ) low concentrations of fatty acids, amines, and normal maternal postsupplement vitamin D (35.2 ± 15.9 ng/mL). Adjusting for sample storage time, maternal age and education, and both child asthma and vitamin D concentration at age 3 y did not modify the association between maternal postsupplement vitamin D and cluster membership ( P = 0.0014). Maternal presupplement vitamin D did not influence cluster membership, whereas the combination of pre- and postsupplement concentrations did ( P = 0.03). Conclusions: Young children can be clustered into distinct biologically meaningful groups by their metabolomics profiles. The clusters differed in concentrations of

The structural aging assessment program: ranking methodology for CANDU nuclear generating station concrete components

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Philipose, K.E.; Muhkerjee, P.K.; McColm, E.J.

1997-01-01

Most of the major structural components in CANDU nuclear generating stations are constructed of reinforced concrete. Although passive in nature, these structures perform many critical safety functions in the operation of each facility. Aging can affect the structural capacity and integrity of structures. The reduction in capacity due to aging is not addressed in design codes. Thus a program is warranted to monitor the aging of safety-related CANDU plant structures and to prioritize those that require maintenance and repairs. Prioritization of monitoring efforts is best accomplished by focusing on those structures judged to be the most critical to plant performance and safety. The safety significance of each sub-element and its degradation with time can be evaluated using a numerical rating system. This will simplify the utility's efforts, thereby saving maintenance costs while providing a higher degree of assurance that performance is maintained. This paper describes the development of a rating system (ranking procedure) as part of the Plant Life Management of CANDU generating station concrete structures and illustrates its application to an operating plant. (author)

"Home of Younger Skin" (HOYS) program: Defining the change in apparent skin age after facial treatment with botulinum toxin and dermal fillers.

Science.gov (United States)

Goodman, Greg J; Roberts, Stefania

2012-01-01

Objective and subjective scales estimating improvement in both clinical studies and clinical practice are becoming more mainstream. However, the use of a system to analyze improvement in aging with a multiplicity of treatments would be useful. The purpose of this study was to use a recently developed educative and patient self-assessment program ("Home of Younger Skin", HOYS) for assessment of the effect of facial treatment with neurotoxins and filling agents in terms of decreasing apparent age. Four patients underwent facial treatments with neurotoxins and dermal fillers by an experienced blinded physician and were assessed twice utilizing an age analysis program (HOYS), once before and then 6 weeks after completion of treatment. The four patients showed an average reduction in apparent facial age of 7.5 years. The individual "regions" differed in their reductions. The upper face showed a decline of 13.5 years, the periorbital region 9.25 years, the mid face 4.5 years, and the lower face 12.25 years. Use of this previously validated self-assessment program may prove to be a useful measure of patient-reported improvement with treatment.

Astrobiology and the Human Exploration of Mars

Science.gov (United States)

Levine, Joel S.; Garvin, James B.; Drake, B. G.; Beaty, David

2010-01-01

In March 2007, the Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group (MEPAG) chartered the Human Exploration of Mars Science Analysis Group (HEM-SAG), co-chaired by J. B. Garvin and J. S. Levine and consisting of about 30 Mars scientists from the U.S. and Europe. HEM-SAG was one of a half dozen teams charted by NASA to consider the human exploration of Mars. Other teams included: Mars Entry, Descent and Landing, Human Health and Performance, Flight and Surface Systems, and Heliospheric/Astrophysics. The results of these Mars teams and the development of an architecture for the human exploration of Mars were summarized in two recent publications: Human Exploration of Mars Design Reference Architecture 5.0, NASA Special Publication-2009-566 (B. G. Drake, Editor), 100 pages, July 2009 and Human Exploration of Mars Design Reference Architecture 5.0, NASA Special Publication-2009-566 Addendum (B. G. Drake, Editor), 406 pages, July 2009. This presentation summarizes the HEM-SAG conclusions on astrobiology and the search for life on Mars by humans.

SU-E-I-51: Use of Blade Sequences in Cervical Spine MR Imaging for Eliminating Motion, Truncation and Flow Artifacts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mavroidis, P [University of Texas Health Science Center, UTHSCSA, San Antonio, TX (United States); Lavdas, E; Kostopoulos, S; Ninos, C; Strikou, A; Glotsos, D; Vlachopoulou, A; Oikonomou, G [Technological Education Institute of Athens, Athens, Athens (Greece); Economopoulos, N [General University Hospital ATTIKON, Athens, Athens (Greece); Roka, V [Health Center of Farkadona, Trikala (Greece); Sakkas, G [Center for Research and Technology of Thessaly, Trikala (Greece); Tsagkalis, A; Batsikas, G [IASO Thessalias Hospital, Larissa (Greece); Statkahis, S [Cancer Therapy and Research Center, San Antonio, TX (United States); Papanikolaou, N [University of Texas HSC SA, San Antonio, TX (United States)

2014-06-01

Purpose: To assess the efficacy of the BLADE technique to eliminate motion, truncation, flow and other artifacts in Cervical Spine MRI compared to the conventional technique. To study the ability of the examined sequences to reduce the indetention and wrap artifacts, which have been reported in BLADE sagittal sequences. Methods: Forty consecutive subjects, who had been routinely scanned for cervical spine examination using four different image acquisition techniques, were analyzed. More specifically, the following pairs of sequences were compared: a) T2 TSE SAG vs. T2 TSE SAG BLADE and b) T2 TIRM SAG vs. T2 TIRM SAG BLADE. A quantitative analysis was performed using the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) and relative contrast (ReCon) measures. A qualitative analysis was also performed by two radiologists, who graded seven image characteristics on a 5-point scale (0:non-visualization; 1:poor; 2:average; 3:good; 4:excellent). The observers also evaluated the presence of image artifacts (motion, truncation, flow, indentation). Results: Based on the findings of the quantitative analysis, the ReCON values of the CSF (cerebrospinal fluid)/SC (spinal cord) between TIRM SAG and TIRM SAG BLADE were found to present statistical significant differences (p<0.001). Regarding motion and truncation artifacts, the T2 TSE SAG BLADE was superior compared to the T2 TSE SAG and the T2 TIRM SAG BLADE was superior compared to the T2 TIRM SAG. Regarding flow artifacts, T2 TIRM SAG BLADE eliminated more artifacts compared to the T2 TIRM SAG. Conclusion: The use of BLADE sequences in cervical spine MR examinations appears to be capable of potentially eliminating motion, pulsatile flow and trancation artifacts. Furthermore, BLADE sequences are proposed to be used in the standard examination protocols based on the fact that a significantly improved image quality could be achieved.

ICESag37, a Novel Integrative and Conjugative Element Carrying Antimicrobial Resistance Genes and Potential Virulence Factors in Streptococcus agalactiae.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Kaixin; Xie, Lianyan; Han, Lizhong; Guo, Xiaokui; Wang, Yong; Sun, Jingyong

2017-01-01

ICE Sag37 , a novel integrative and conjugative element carrying multidrug resistance and potential virulence factors, was characterized in a clinical isolate of Streptococcus agalactiae . Two clinical strains of S. agalactiae , Sag37 and Sag158, were isolated from blood samples of new-borns with bacteremia. Sag37 was highly resistant to erythromycin and tetracycline, and susceptible to levofloxacin and penicillin, while Sag158 was resistant to tetracycline and levofloxacin, and susceptible to erythromycin. Transfer experiments were performed and selection was carried out with suitable antibiotic concentrations. Through mating experiments, the erythromycin resistance gene was found to be transferable from Sag37 to Sag158. Sma I-PFGE revealed a new Sma I fragment, confirming the transfer of the fragment containing the erythromycin resistance gene. Whole genome sequencing and sequence analysis revealed a mobile element, ICE Sag37 , which was characterized using several molecular methods and in silico analyses. ICE Sag37 was excised to generate a covalent circular intermediate, which was transferable to S. agalactiae . Inverse PCR was performed to detect the circular form. A serine family integrase mediated its chromosomal integration into rumA , which is a known hotspot for the integration of streptococcal ICEs. The integration site was confirmed using PCR. ICE Sag37 carried genes for resistance to multiple antibiotics, including erythromycin [ erm(B) ], tetracycline [ tet(O) ], and aminoglycosides [ aadE, aphA , and ant(6) ]. Potential virulence factors, including a two-component signal transduction system ( nisK/nisR ), were also observed in ICE Sag37 . S1-PFGE analysis ruled out the existence of plasmids. ICE Sag37 is the first ICE Sa2603 family-like element identified in S. agalactiae carrying both resistance and potential virulence determinants. It might act as a vehicle for the dissemination of multidrug resistance and pathogenicity among S. agalactiae .

SU-E-I-51: Use of Blade Sequences in Cervical Spine MR Imaging for Eliminating Motion, Truncation and Flow Artifacts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mavroidis, P; Lavdas, E; Kostopoulos, S; Ninos, C; Strikou, A; Glotsos, D; Vlachopoulou, A; Oikonomou, G; Economopoulos, N; Roka, V; Sakkas, G; Tsagkalis, A; Batsikas, G; Statkahis, S; Papanikolaou, N

2014-01-01

Purpose: To assess the efficacy of the BLADE technique to eliminate motion, truncation, flow and other artifacts in Cervical Spine MRI compared to the conventional technique. To study the ability of the examined sequences to reduce the indetention and wrap artifacts, which have been reported in BLADE sagittal sequences. Methods: Forty consecutive subjects, who had been routinely scanned for cervical spine examination using four different image acquisition techniques, were analyzed. More specifically, the following pairs of sequences were compared: a) T2 TSE SAG vs. T2 TSE SAG BLADE and b) T2 TIRM SAG vs. T2 TIRM SAG BLADE. A quantitative analysis was performed using the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) and relative contrast (ReCon) measures. A qualitative analysis was also performed by two radiologists, who graded seven image characteristics on a 5-point scale (0:non-visualization; 1:poor; 2:average; 3:good; 4:excellent). The observers also evaluated the presence of image artifacts (motion, truncation, flow, indentation). Results: Based on the findings of the quantitative analysis, the ReCON values of the CSF (cerebrospinal fluid)/SC (spinal cord) between TIRM SAG and TIRM SAG BLADE were found to present statistical significant differences (p<0.001). Regarding motion and truncation artifacts, the T2 TSE SAG BLADE was superior compared to the T2 TSE SAG and the T2 TIRM SAG BLADE was superior compared to the T2 TIRM SAG. Regarding flow artifacts, T2 TIRM SAG BLADE eliminated more artifacts compared to the T2 TIRM SAG. Conclusion: The use of BLADE sequences in cervical spine MR examinations appears to be capable of potentially eliminating motion, pulsatile flow and trancation artifacts. Furthermore, BLADE sequences are proposed to be used in the standard examination protocols based on the fact that a significantly improved image quality could be achieved

Multivalent Soluble Antigen Arrays Exhibit High Avidity Binding and Modulation of B Cell Receptor-Mediated Signaling to Drive Efficacy against Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis.

Science.gov (United States)

Hartwell, Brittany L; Pickens, Chad J; Leon, Martin; Berkland, Cory

2017-06-12

A pressing need exists for antigen-specific immunotherapies (ASIT) that induce selective tolerance in autoimmune disease while avoiding deleterious global immunosuppression. Multivalent soluble antigen arrays (SAgA PLP:LABL ), consisting of a hyaluronic acid (HA) linear polymer backbone cografted with multiple copies of autoantigen (PLP) and cell adhesion inhibitor (LABL) peptides, are designed to induce tolerance to a specific multiple sclerosis (MS) autoantigen. Previous studies established that hydrolyzable SAgA PLP:LABL , employing a degradable linker to codeliver PLP and LABL, was therapeutic in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) in vivo and exhibited antigen-specific binding with B cells, targeted the B cell receptor (BCR), and dampened BCR-mediated signaling in vitro. Our results pointed to sustained BCR engagement as the SAgA PLP:LABL therapeutic mechanism, so we developed a new version of the SAgA molecule using nonhydrolyzable conjugation chemistry, hypothesizing it would enhance and maintain the molecule's action at the cell surface to improve efficacy. "Click SAgA" (cSAgA PLP:LABL ) uses hydrolytically stable covalent conjugation chemistry (Copper-catalyzed Azide-Alkyne Cycloaddition (CuAAC)) rather than a hydrolyzable oxime bond to attach PLP and LABL to HA. We explored cSAgA PLP:LABL B cell engagement and modulation of BCR-mediated signaling in vitro through flow cytometry binding and calcium flux signaling assays. Indeed, cSAgA PLP:LABL exhibited higher avidity B cell binding and greater dampening of BCR-mediated signaling than hydrolyzable SAgA PLP:LABL . Furthermore, cSAgA PLP:LABL exhibited significantly enhanced in vivo efficacy compared to hydrolyzable SAgA PLP:LABL , achieving equivalent efficacy at one-quarter of the dose. These results indicate that nonhydrolyzable conjugation increased the avidity of cSAgA PLP:LABL to drive in vivo efficacy through modulated BCR-mediated signaling.

MAIT cells launch a rapid, robust and distinct hyperinflammatory response to bacterial superantigens and quickly acquire an anergic phenotype that impedes their cognate antimicrobial function: Defining a novel mechanism of superantigen-induced immunopathology and immunosuppression.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christopher R Shaler

2017-06-01

develop a molecular signature consistent with exhaustion and failure to participate in antimicrobial defense. Accordingly, they upregulate lymphocyte-activation gene 3 (LAG-3, T cell immunoglobulin and mucin-3 (TIM-3, and/or programmed cell death-1 (PD-1, and acquire an anergic phenotype that interferes with their cognate function against Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli; vi MAIT cell hyperactivation and anergy co-utilize a signaling pathway that is governed by p38 and MEK1/2. Collectively, our findings demonstrate a pathogenic, rather than protective, role for MAIT cells during infection. Furthermore, we propose a novel mechanism of SAg-associated immunosuppression in humans. MAIT cells may therefore provide an attractive therapeutic target for the management of both early and late phases of severe SAg-mediated illnesses.

Nuclear plant aging research program activities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eissenberg, D.M.

1986-01-01

The objective of this program is to provide recommendations for use by NRC regarding the availability and capability of diagnostic methods for assuring the operational readiness of NPP safety systems and components

Manipulation of Innate and Adaptive Immunity by Staphylococcal Superantigens

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Stephen W. Tuffs

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Staphylococcal superantigens (SAgs constitute a family of potent exotoxins secreted by Staphylococcus aureus and other select staphylococcal species. SAgs function to cross-link major histocompatibility complex (MHC class II molecules with T cell receptors (TCRs to stimulate the uncontrolled activation of T lymphocytes, potentially leading to severe human illnesses such as toxic shock syndrome. The ubiquity of SAgs in clinical S. aureus isolates suggests that they likely make an important contribution to the evolutionary fitness of S. aureus. Although the apparent redundancy of SAgs in S. aureus has not been explained, the high level of sequence diversity within this toxin family may allow for SAgs to recognize an assorted range of TCR and MHC class II molecules, as well as aid in the avoidance of humoral immunity. Herein, we outline the major diseases associated with the staphylococcal SAgs and how a dysregulated immune system may contribute to pathology. We then highlight recent research that considers the importance of SAgs in the pathogenesis of S. aureus infections, demonstrating that SAgs are more than simply an immunological diversion. We suggest that SAgs can act as targeted modulators that drive the immune response away from an effective response, and thus aid in S. aureus persistence.

“Home of Younger Skin” (HOYS program: Defining the change in apparent skin age after facial treatment with botulinum toxin and dermal fillers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Goodman GJ

2012-08-01

Full Text Available Greg J Goodman, Stefania RobertsSouth Yarra, Melbourne, Victoria, AustraliaBackground: Objective and subjective scales estimating improvement in both clinical studies and clinical practice are becoming more mainstream. However, the use of a system to analyze improvement in aging with a multiplicity of treatments would be useful. The purpose of this study was to use a recently developed educative and patient self-assessment program (“Home of Younger Skin”, HOYS for assessment of the effect of facial treatment with neurotoxins and filling agents in terms of decreasing apparent age.Methods: Four patients underwent facial treatments with neurotoxins and dermal fillers by an experienced blinded physician and were assessed twice utilizing an age analysis program (HOYS, once before and then 6 weeks after completion of treatment.Results: The four patients showed an average reduction in apparent facial age of 7.5 years. The individual “regions” differed in their reductions. The upper face showed a decline of 13.5 years, the periorbital region 9.25 years, the mid face 4.5 years, and the lower face 12.25 years.Conclusion: Use of this previously validated self-assessment program may prove to be a useful measure of patient-reported improvement with treatment.Keywords: HOYS, rejuvenation, botulinum toxin, fillers, laser, aging

Examining the Benefits and Barriers of Instructional Gardening Programs to Increase Fruit and Vegetable Intake among Preschool-Age Children

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kristen L. Davis

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Research exists on using instructional gardening programs with school age children as a means of improving dietary quality and for obesity prevention. This article examines the potential use of instructional gardens in childcare settings to improving fruit and vegetable intake in young children. A qualitative study was conducted with childcare providers. Participants (n=20 were recruited via e-mails, letters, and follow-up phone calls. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and coded to identify themes within two areas (1 childcare providers perceptions of children’s fruit and vegetable consumption and (2 components necessary to initiate or improve instructional gardening programs. Themes associated with provider’s perceptions of child fruit and vegetable consumption included benefits of consumption, willingness to try fruits and vegetables, meeting recommendations, and influence of the home and childcare environments on child eating. Benefits, barriers, and resources needed were identified as themes related to starting or improving instructional gardening programs. Benefits to gardening with preschoolers are consistent with those found in school-age populations. While several barriers exist, resources are available to childcare providers to address these barriers. Increased knowledge and awareness of resources are necessary to improve the success of gardening programs in the childcare setting with the goal of improving child diet quality.

Examining the Benefits and Barriers of Instructional Gardening Programs to Increase Fruit and Vegetable Intake among Preschool-Age Children.

Science.gov (United States)

Davis, Kristen L; Brann, Lynn S

2017-01-01

Research exists on using instructional gardening programs with school age children as a means of improving dietary quality and for obesity prevention. This article examines the potential use of instructional gardens in childcare settings to improving fruit and vegetable intake in young children. A qualitative study was conducted with childcare providers. Participants ( n = 20) were recruited via e-mails, letters, and follow-up phone calls. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and coded to identify themes within two areas (1) childcare providers perceptions of children's fruit and vegetable consumption and (2) components necessary to initiate or improve instructional gardening programs. Themes associated with provider's perceptions of child fruit and vegetable consumption included benefits of consumption, willingness to try fruits and vegetables, meeting recommendations, and influence of the home and childcare environments on child eating. Benefits, barriers, and resources needed were identified as themes related to starting or improving instructional gardening programs. Benefits to gardening with preschoolers are consistent with those found in school-age populations. While several barriers exist, resources are available to childcare providers to address these barriers. Increased knowledge and awareness of resources are necessary to improve the success of gardening programs in the childcare setting with the goal of improving child diet quality.

[Effects of a Mobile Web-based Pregnancy Health Care Educational Program for Mothers at an Advanced Maternal Age].

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Hee Jung; Kim, Il Ok

2015-06-01

This study was conducted to develop a mobile web-based pregnancy health care educational program for mothers who were at an advanced maternal age (AMA) and to verify the effects of the program on pregnancy health care. This program was developed using a web-based teaching-learning system design model and composed of 10 subject areas. This research was a quasi-experimental study using a non-equivalent control group pretest-posttest time serial design and data were collected from April 2 to May 3, 2014. To verify the effects of the program, it was used for 2 weeks with 30 AMA mothers (experimental group). For the control group, a classroom education booklet for pregnant women used with 31 AMA mothers. The experimental group having participated in program had statistically significantly higher scores for knowledge (t=3.76, pcare, compared to the control group. The results of the program indicate that a Mobile web-based pregnancy health care educational program is effective in meeting the needs of AMA mothers and can be used as the prenatal educational program for AMA mothers and is appropriate as an educational media for theses mothers.

Effects of Short Forest Bathing Program on Autonomic Nervous System Activity and Mood States in Middle-Aged and Elderly Individuals

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Chia-Pin; Lin, Chia-Min; Tsai, Ming-Jer; Tsai, Yu-Chieh; Chen, Chun-Yu

2017-01-01

The present study investigated changes in autonomic nervous system activity and emotions after a short (2 h) forest bathing program in the Xitou Nature Education Area (XNEA), Taiwan. One hundred and twenty-eight (60.0 ± 7.44 years) middle-aged and elderly participants were recruited. Physiological responses, pulse rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, heart rate variability (HRV), and psychological indices were measured before and after the program. We observed that pulse rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure were significantly lower after the program, which indicated physiological benefits from stress recovery. The Profile of Mood States negative mood subscale scores of “tension-anxiety”, “anger-hostility”, “fatigue-inertia”, “depression-dejection”, and “confusion-bewilderment” were significantly lower, whereas the positive mood subscale score of “vigor-activity” was higher. Furthermore, participants exhibited significantly lower anxiety levels according to the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. However, changes in sympathetic and parasympathetic nerve activity were nonsignificant. Our study determined that the short forest bathing program is a promising therapeutic method for enhancing heart rate and blood pressure functions as well as an effective psychological relaxation strategy for middle-aged and elderly individuals. PMID:28792445

Effects of Short Forest Bathing Program on Autonomic Nervous System Activity and Mood States in Middle-Aged and Elderly Individuals.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Chia-Pin; Lin, Chia-Min; Tsai, Ming-Jer; Tsai, Yu-Chieh; Chen, Chun-Yu

2017-08-09

The present study investigated changes in autonomic nervous system activity and emotions after a short (2 h) forest bathing program in the Xitou Nature Education Area (XNEA), Taiwan. One hundred and twenty-eight (60.0 ± 7.44 years) middle-aged and elderly participants were recruited. Physiological responses, pulse rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, heart rate variability (HRV), and psychological indices were measured before and after the program. We observed that pulse rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure were significantly lower after the program, which indicated physiological benefits from stress recovery. The Profile of Mood States negative mood subscale scores of "tension-anxiety", "anger-hostility", "fatigue-inertia", "depression-dejection", and "confusion-bewilderment" were significantly lower, whereas the positive mood subscale score of "vigor-activity" was higher. Furthermore, participants exhibited significantly lower anxiety levels according to the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. However, changes in sympathetic and parasympathetic nerve activity were nonsignificant. Our study determined that the short forest bathing program is a promising therapeutic method for enhancing heart rate and blood pressure functions as well as an effective psychological relaxation strategy for middle-aged and elderly individuals.

Effects of Short Forest Bathing Program on Autonomic Nervous System Activity and Mood States in Middle-Aged and Elderly Individuals

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chia-Pin Yu

2017-08-01

Full Text Available The present study investigated changes in autonomic nervous system activity and emotions after a short (2 h forest bathing program in the Xitou Nature Education Area (XNEA, Taiwan. One hundred and twenty-eight (60.0 ± 7.44 years middle-aged and elderly participants were recruited. Physiological responses, pulse rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, heart rate variability (HRV, and psychological indices were measured before and after the program. We observed that pulse rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure were significantly lower after the program, which indicated physiological benefits from stress recovery. The Profile of Mood States negative mood subscale scores of “tension-anxiety”, “anger-hostility”, “fatigue-inertia”, “depression-dejection”, and “confusion-bewilderment” were significantly lower, whereas the positive mood subscale score of “vigor-activity” was higher. Furthermore, participants exhibited significantly lower anxiety levels according to the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. However, changes in sympathetic and parasympathetic nerve activity were nonsignificant. Our study determined that the short forest bathing program is a promising therapeutic method for enhancing heart rate and blood pressure functions as well as an effective psychological relaxation strategy for middle-aged and elderly individuals.

HIV Testing Among Young People Aged 16-24 in South Africa: Impact of Mass Media Communication Programs.

Science.gov (United States)

Do, Mai; Figueroa, Maria Elena; Lawrence Kincaid, D

2016-09-01

Knowing one's serostatus is critical in the HIV prevention, care and treatment continuum. This study examines the impact of communication programs on HIV testing in South Africa. Data came from 2204 young men and women aged 16-24 who reported to be sexually active in a population based survey. Structural equation modeling was used to test the directions and causal pathways between communication program exposure, HIV testing discussion, and having a test in the last 12 months. Bivariate and multivariate probit regressions provided evidence of exogeneity of communication exposure and the two HIV-related outcomes. One in three sampled individuals had been tested in the last 12 months. Communication program exposure only had an indirect effect on getting tested by encouraging young people to talk about testing. The study suggests that communication programs may create an environment that supports open HIV-related discussions and may have a long-term impact on behavior change.

Themes of rural health and aging from a program of research.

Science.gov (United States)

Congdon, J G; Magilvy, J K

2001-01-01

The culture and diversity of rural life and limitations of rural health systems to meet the changing health needs of an aging population lead to problems of obtaining appropriate care in rural America. In a program of nursing research involving three ethnographic studies in rural Colorado, transitions of older adults across differing levels of heath care were explored. The sample totaled 425 participants, of whom 25% were Hispanic. Five major themes emerged: circles of formal and informal care; integration of faith, spirituality, and family with health status; crisis nature of health care transitions; nursing homes as a housing option; and changing spirit of traditional rural nursing. Recommendations for providers included making their practices congruent with rural culture, being fully informed of available resources, facilitating acceptable health care decisions, and integrating physical, mental, and spiritual health care for elders and their families.

Epidemiological aspects of Toxoplasma gondii infection in riverside communities in the Southern Brazilian Amazon

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Sérgio Neto Vitaliano

2015-06-01

Full Text Available INTRODUCTION: Toxoplasma gondii infection is widely prevalent in humans and other animals worldwide. Information on the prevalence of T. gondii infection is scarce in some regions of Brazil, including riverside communities along the Amazon River basin. M METHODS: The prevalence of T. gondii in 231 people, aged 1-85 years, who were living in four riverside communities along the Purus River, Lábrea, State of Amazonas, Brazil, was determined. Antibodies against T. gondii were assayed using a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA kit. The hearts and brains of 50 chickens, which were raised free-range in the communities, were pooled according to the community of origin and bioassayed in mice. The isolates were genotyped using polymorphisms at 12 nuclear markers (SAG1, 5' and 3'-SAG2, alt.SAG2, SAG3, BTUB, GRA6, c22-8, c29-2, L358, PK1, Apico and CS3. RESULTS: The overall seroprevalence of T. gondii was 56.7% (131/231. IgG antibodies were presented by 117 (89.3% and IgM by 14 (10.7% of the 131 positive individuals. No association between age group and gender with prevalence was observed (chi-square test, p > 0.05; however, the comparison between localities showed that the seroprevalence of T. gondii was significantly lower among the individuals living in the Boca do Ituxi (p < 0.05 community. Five isolates of T. gondii were obtained in the mouse bioassay, and genotyping revealed two complete genotypes that had not been described previously and three mixed isolates. CONCLUSIONS: These results support previous findings that T. gondii population genetics are highly diverse in Brazil and that T. gondii infection is active in these riverside communities.

Fission track analysis and evolution of mesozoic-paleozoic hydrocarbon resource-rocks headed in Northern Jiangsu-South Yellow sea basin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu Hong; Cai Qianzhong; Sun Heqing; Guo Zhenxuan; Yan Guijing; Dai Jing; Liu Dongying

2008-01-01

Fission track data of different geologic epoches from Binhai salient, Yancheng sag, Haian sag, Baiju sag, Gaoyou sag, Hongze sag and Jinhu sag of northern Jiangsu basin and seismic data from Laoshan uplift in South Yellow Sea basin and evolution of Paleozoic hydrocarbon resource-rocks headed in the Northern Jiangsu-South Yellow Sea basin were studied. Results indicate that Binhai salient uplifted in 38-15 Ma, forming 'structure uplifting model', Paleozoic hydrocarbon resource-rocks have the appearance of 'different layers but identical mature, different layers but identical temperature' with Laoshan uplift. All sags have the characters of 'long time heating model', and sedimentations in Cenozoic were exploited by 2 km. Mesozoic-Paleozoic hydrocarbon resource- rocks of Laoshan uplift get ahead of 10 km. Structure evolution was compared with Binhai salient. According to the modeling results of secondary hydrocarbon generation, Mesozoic-Paleozoic hydrocarbon resource-rocks of Laoshan uplift have the good reservoir potentiality and probably become an important new window for sea oil and gas exploration. (authors)

Refurbishment, Modernization and Ageing Management Program of The 3MW TRIGA Mark-II Research Reactor of Bangladesh

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Salam, M. A.

2013-01-01

by the installation of a high performance neutron powder diffractometer at the radial beam port-2 of the reactor. Although preventive and predictive maintenance, periodic testing, in-service inspection and other mitigation measures were practiced in few systems of the BAEC RR facility, these were not enough to mitigate the ageing related degradation of N-16 decay tank, shell and tube heat exchanger and radial beam port-1. It was understood that if effective ageing management program were started effectively from the beginning of the reactor, refurbishment activities could be minimized. As well as life of the reactor could be enhanced without any hurdle tasks. Basis on these understanding ROMU submitted an IAEA TC Project (BGD1012) titled 'Implementing an Ageing Management Program for RR'. Under this project an effective ageing management program has commenced on January, 2012 for the BAEC RR to enhance life and ensure safe operation of the reactor. This paper will describe chronologically refurbishment activities and experience for different affected systems, required resources and management and lessons learned from these tasks. It will also focus the modernization activities of the reactor facility. Moreover, it will describe ageing management activities that are planned for the BAEC TRIGA MK-II research reactor

Refurbishment, Modernization and Ageing Management Program of The 3MW TRIGA Mark-II Research Reactor of Bangladesh

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Salam, M. A. [Atomic Energy Research Establishment, Dhaka (Bangladesh)

2013-07-01

by the installation of a high performance neutron powder diffractometer at the radial beam port-2 of the reactor. Although preventive and predictive maintenance, periodic testing, in-service inspection and other mitigation measures were practiced in few systems of the BAEC RR facility, these were not enough to mitigate the ageing related degradation of N-16 decay tank, shell and tube heat exchanger and radial beam port-1. It was understood that if effective ageing management program were started effectively from the beginning of the reactor, refurbishment activities could be minimized. As well as life of the reactor could be enhanced without any hurdle tasks. Basis on these understanding ROMU submitted an IAEA TC Project (BGD1012) titled 'Implementing an Ageing Management Program for RR'. Under this project an effective ageing management program has commenced on January, 2012 for the BAEC RR to enhance life and ensure safe operation of the reactor. This paper will describe chronologically refurbishment activities and experience for different affected systems, required resources and management and lessons learned from these tasks. It will also focus the modernization activities of the reactor facility. Moreover, it will describe ageing management activities that are planned for the BAEC TRIGA MK-II research reactor.

Therapeutic trial of sodium antimony gluconate alone and in combination with ketoconazole in post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rathi S

2003-11-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Drugs used in PKDL include parenteral sodium antimony gluconate (SAG, amphotericin-B, pentamidine, and ketoconazole (KTZ. SAG is the most effective one. Given alone, SAG has to be given for a long duration, leading to poor patient compliance and treatment failure. This study was carried out to compare the effectiness of SAG alone and a combination of SAG and KTZ for sixty days. METHODS: Ten patients of PKDL were included in the study. Five patients (Group A were given SAG intravenously, in the dose of 20 mg/kg per day and five (Group B were given SAG (intravenously 20 mg/kg per day and KTZ (200 mg twice daily orally. Both treatment regimens were given for sixty days. RESULTS: In Group A, the nodules and/or plaques showed approximate 80-85% clinical improvement, and macules showed 25-30% improvement. In group B (SAG + KTZ, there was 90-95% clinical improvement in the nodules and/or plaques and 25-30% in macules. CONCLUSION: This study suggests the therapeutic superiority of the combination treatment regimen in a shorter duration but is not conclusive as the number of patients was low. Further trials are recommended.

Evaluation of a primary prevention program for anxiety disorders using story books with children aged 9-12 years.

Science.gov (United States)

Bouchard, Stéphane; Gervais, Jean; Gagnier, Nadia; Loranger, Claudie

2013-10-01

This article reports the results of a study evaluating a book-supported primary prevention program "Dominique's Handy Tricks" for anxiety disorders in children aged 9-12 years. This cognitive-behavioural program is delivered using a combination of storybooks and workshop sessions. The originality of the program comes from the use of storybooks that were not developed specifically for anxiety management. Every session is based on a story describing characters facing common stressors and how they manage to cope with their daily problems. In our randomized control trial with 46 children, participation in the program led to a significant improvement in coping skills, perceived self-efficacy, anxiety sensitivity, as well as in symptoms of anxiety and fear. The theoretical and practical elements underlying the delivery of this primary prevention program are described. It is suggested that such an approach, without any labelling specific to anxiety disorders, can be useful in primary prevention programs.

Copycat Suicides Without an Intention to Die After Watching TV Programs: Two Cases at Five Years of Age.

Science.gov (United States)

Çelik, Mustafa; Kalenderoğlu, Aysun; Almiş, Habib; Turgut, Mehmet

2016-03-01

Suicide is an intentional self-destructive act. As conceptualization of death as an irreversible end occurs at approximately 8-10 years, attempted and completed suicides are rare before 7 years of age. Studies have suggested that media may contribute to increased suicides in adolescents through social learning. Effects of media on suicides were thoroughly evaluated in children and adolescents who committed suicide after identifying with the subject of a TV program, movie, or book. We present 2 cases at 5 years of age who committed suicide by hanging themselves after watching a TV program. These cases differed from copycat suicides reported in the literature that are performed mostly by adolescents because victims are very young children and because they died without an actual intent to die while they were imitating suicides. By presenting these cases, we want to emphasize that destructive effects of media may involve not only adults and adolescents but also very young children who do not have a completely developed concept of death.

Leishmania donovani isolates with antimony-resistant but not -sensitive phenotype inhibit sodium antimony gluconate-induced dendritic cell activation.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Arun Kumar Haldar

2010-05-01

Full Text Available The inability of sodium antimony gluconate (SAG-unresponsive kala-azar patients to clear Leishmania donovani (LD infection despite SAG therapy is partly due to an ill-defined immune-dysfunction. Since dendritic cells (DCs typically initiate anti-leishmanial immunity, a role for DCs in aberrant LD clearance was investigated. Accordingly, regulation of SAG-induced activation of murine DCs following infection with LD isolates exhibiting two distinct phenotypes such as antimony-resistant (Sb(RLD and antimony-sensitive (Sb(SLD was compared in vitro. Unlike Sb(SLD, infection of DCs with Sb(RLD induced more IL-10 production and inhibited SAG-induced secretion of proinflammatory cytokines, up-regulation of co-stimulatory molecules and leishmanicidal effects. Sb(RLD inhibited these effects of SAG by blocking activation of PI3K/AKT and NF-kappaB pathways. In contrast, Sb(SLD failed to block activation of SAG (20 microg/ml-induced PI3K/AKT pathway; which continued to stimulate NF-kappaB signaling, induce leishmanicidal effects and promote DC activation. Notably, prolonged incubation of DCs with Sb(SLD also inhibited SAG (20 microg/ml-induced activation of PI3K/AKT and NF-kappaB pathways and leishmanicidal effects, which was restored by increasing the dose of SAG to 40 microg/ml. In contrast, Sb(RLD inhibited these SAG-induced events regardless of duration of DC exposure to Sb(RLD or dose of SAG. Interestingly, the inhibitory effects of isogenic Sb(SLD expressing ATP-binding cassette (ABC transporter MRPA on SAG-induced leishmanicidal effects mimicked that of Sb(RLD to some extent, although antimony resistance in clinical LD isolates is known to be multifactorial. Furthermore, NF-kappaB was found to transcriptionally regulate expression of murine gammaglutamylcysteine synthetase heavy-chain (mgammaGCS(hc gene, presumably an important regulator of antimony resistance. Importantly, Sb(RLD but not Sb(SLD blocked SAG-induced mgammaGCS expression in DCs by

Commercial Building Motor Protection Response Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

James, Daniel P. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Kueck, John [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

2015-06-17

When voltages recover, motors may immediately reenergize and reaccelerate, or delay for a few minutes, or stay stalled. The estimated motor response is given for both the voltage sag magnitude and voltage sag duration. These response estimates are based on experience and available test data. Good data is available for voltage sag response for many components such as relays and contactors, but little data is available for both voltage sag and recovery response. The tables in Appendix A include data from recent voltage sag and recovery tests performed by SCE and BPA on air conditioners and energy management systems. The response of the motor can vary greatly depending on the type of protection and control. The time duration for the voltage sag consists of those times that are of interest for bulk power system modelers.

An improved basis for evaluating continued service of Category I concrete structures in nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Naus, D.J.; Oland, C.B.; Ellingwood, B.; Mori, Y.; Arndt, E.G.

1992-01-01

The Structural Aging (SAG) Program has the overall objective of preparing technical bases for regulatory criteria which will provide the NRC with potential structural safety issues and acceptance criteria for use in nuclear power plant evaluations for continued service. In meeting this objective three primary activities are underway: (1) development of a structural materials information center containing data and information on the variation of concrete and concrete-related material properties over time; (2) establishment of procedures to make quantitative evaluations of the presence, magnitude, and significance of environmental stressors or aging factors that can impact critical component performance, as well as techniques which can be used for repair of degraded concrete structures; and (3) formulation of a quantitative methodology for performing current condition assessments and making reliability-based life predictions of critical concrete structures in nuclear power plants. Accomplishments to date under each of these tasks are presented

Sagging Skin

Science.gov (United States)

... Back Injectable Deoxycholic Acid Injectable Hyaluronic Acid Injectable Poly-l-lactic Acid Injectable Polymethylmethacrylate + Bovine Collagen Filler ... procedure? Does the treatment hurt? What are my pain management and anesthesia options? How long is the ...

Sagging Skin

Science.gov (United States)

... turkey neck,” this occurs as skin loses its elasticity and in cases where individuals have lost a ... technique or procedure is appropriate for my skin type? Did the doctor show me before-and-after ...

Effect of an Integrated Health Management Program Based on Successful Aging in Korean Women.

Science.gov (United States)

Ahn, Okhee; Cha, Hye Gyeong; Chang, Soo Jung; Cho, Hyun-Choul; Kim, Hee Sun

2015-01-01

This study evaluates the efficacy of an integrated health management program (IHMP) based on successful aging in older women. A single group pretest and posttest research design was employed, with a sample of 33 older Korean women over 60 years registered in a public health center. The intervention, including exercise, health education, and social activities, was performed 3 hr per week for 12 weeks. Demographic characteristics, body composition, physical fitness, biomarkers, depression, and social support were measured. Data were analyzed with a Wilcoxon signed-rank test, statistical significance levels were set at p test (p < .001) were significantly improved. Systolic blood pressure (p < .003), diastolic blood pressure (p = .030), and blood cholesterol (p = .011) were significantly decreased. Depression (p = .043) was significantly decreased, and social support (p < .001) was significantly increased. Adopting and maintaining an IHMP can be useful to promote physical, psychological, and social functioning that lead to successful aging in older Korean women. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Summer program Report : Quality control and Aging study for the GE1/1 detectors in CMS Muon endcap upgrade

CERN Document Server

Rajan, Adithya

2017-01-01

In this report, I summarize the work I did during my tenure in the Summer program. The project started with conducting three quality controls -- gas leak test, High Voltage test and Gas gain test. These are necessary to check if the GE1/1 detectors pass the requirements necessary for its deployment in the CMS. Then, I explain how aging study of the detectors was conducted and how the data was analyzed to ascertain if the detector has undergone aging. Lastly, the ongoing process of setting up a further accelerated aging study within the GEM lab is explained, with some potential difficulties associated with it.

A Case Study Of Turkish Transmission System For VoltageDips

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Inan, E.; Alboyaci, B.; Bak, Claus Leth

2009-01-01

Power quality problems usually appear in the form of voltage sags, transients and harmonics. From these three broad categories of power quality problems, voltage dips account the most disturbances experienced by industrial customers. Voltage dips generally refer to instantaneous short-duration vo......Power quality problems usually appear in the form of voltage sags, transients and harmonics. From these three broad categories of power quality problems, voltage dips account the most disturbances experienced by industrial customers. Voltage dips generally refer to instantaneous short...... analysis of voltage dip performance of the whole transmission system, is used to compare with results constructed fault statics from SIMPOW DIPS analysis program real data. SIMPOW DIPS software enables to calculate dip frequency for all busses and lines....

Effect of Comprehensive Health Promotion Program on Quality of Life, Weight, and Physical Activity among Iranian Overweight School-age Girls

OpenAIRE

Saeedeh Jafarzadeh; Sima Mohammad Khan Kermanshahi; Ali Khani Jeihooni

2017-01-01

Background Prevalence of overweight and obesity in children and its trend in recent years has taken a worrying figure. Overweight in childhood is the most important cause of adulthood obesity. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the effect ofcomprehensive health program on quality of life, weight and physical activity in Iranian overweight school-age girls. Materials and Methods In this quasi-experimental study, 80 overweight girls participated in a comprehensive health program ...

Compatibilization of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene terpolymer/poly(ethylene glycol-co-1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol terephthalate) blend: effect on morphology, interface, mechanical properties and hydrophilicity

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Tingting; Zhang, Jun

2018-04-01

The compatibilization of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene terpolymer (ABS) and poly(ethylene glycol-co-1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol terephthalate) (PETG) blends was first investigated. Styrene-acrylonitrile-glycidyl methacrylate terpolymer (SAG) and ABS grafted with maleic anhydride (ABS-g-MAH) were selected as reactive compatibilizers for the ABS/PETG blends. The compatibilization effect was assessed by scanning electron microscope (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and mechanical properties. And the effect of compatibilizers on the hydrophilicity of the blends was evaluated as well. SEM observation and DSC analysis confirmed that both SAG and ABS-g-MAH compatibilizers could improve the compatibility between ABS and PETG, leading to an improvement in toughness of the blend. The possible cause for the improvement of compatibility was the reaction between compatibilizers and PETG, which could in situ turn out compatibilizers that acted as interfacial agents to enhance the interfacial interaction in the blend. Especially, the addition of SAG significantly decreased the dispersion phase size and the interface voids almost disappeared. Since the in situ reactions between the epoxy groups of SAG and the end groups (sbnd COOH or sbnd OH) of PETG generated PETG-co-SAG copolymer at the blend interface, and the cross-linking reactions proposed to take place between SAG and the PETG-co-SAG copolymer, acting as compatibilizer, could significantly increase the interfacial interaction. The addition of SAG also enhanced the stiffness of the blends. Moreover, the addition of SAG made the blend more hydrophilic, whereas the addition of ABS-g-MAH made the blend more hydrophobic. Therefore, SAG was a good compatibilizer for the ABS/PETG blends and could simultaneously provide the blends with toughening, stiffening and hydrophilic effects.

[What will happen to molecular cell biomarkers of aging in case we cancel its program (of course, if it does exist)?].

Science.gov (United States)

Khokhlov, A N

2013-01-01

Currently, gerontologists, evaluating the effectiveness of various impacts on the aging process, as a rule, use a variety of molecular cell biomarkers of aging. This provides much more rapid results than in the case of the survival curve obtaining. However, in many cases the usefulness of these biomarkers of aging is grounded in works devoted to what is called cellular/cell senescence. Unfortunately, the evolution of the term in recent years has led to the loss, to a large extent, of its original meaning, that is the changes of the cells during their replicative senescence ("on Hayflick's grounds"), similar to the changes of cells in the aging organism. At present, most of the work in this area is related to the induction of the relevant changes in the cells (usually transformed) by various DNA damaging factors. Such an approach, although is very important to define a strategy to fight cancer, but, yet again, takes us away from the study of the real mechanisms of organismal aging. In addition, there are reasons to believe that the biomarkers of aging, proposed by these studies (and in particular, the most popular of them--the activity of senescence-associated beta-galactosidase), are related, as a rule, to the proliferative status of the cells, which in the whole body is generally determined by proper implementing the program of development and differentiation, leading to the emergence of tissues and organs composed of postmitotic or very slowly proliferating cells. Therefore, the possible disabling the aging program, apparently, will not lead to any changes in the age dynamics of those biomarkers of aging. This conclusion brings us back to the need for obtaining the survival curves of experimental animals or humans as the only true (although the most time- and money-consuming) approach to evaluating the effectiveness of the modification of the aging process.

Crustal structure of an exhumed IntraCONtinental Sag (ICONS): the Mekele Basin in Northern Ethiopia.

Science.gov (United States)

Alemu, T. B.; Abdelsalam, M. G.

2017-12-01

The Mekele Sedimentary Basin (MSB) in Ethiopia is a Paleozoic-Mesozoic IntraCONtinental Sag (ICONS) exposed due to Cenozoic domal and rift flank uplift associated with the Afar mantle plume and Afar Depression (AD). ICONS are formed over stable lithosphere, and in contrast to rift and foreland basins, show circular-elliptical shape in map view, saucer shaped in cross section, and concentric gravity minima. Surface geological features of the MSB have been shown to exhibit geologic characteristics similar to those of other ICONS. We used the World Gravity Map (WGM 2012) data to investigate subsurface-crustal structure of the MSB. We also used 2D power spectrum analysis and inversion of the gravity field to estimate the Moho depth. Our results show the Bouguer anomalies of the WGM 2012 ranges between 130 mGal and - 110 mGal with the highest values within the AD. Despite the effect of the AD on the gravity anomalies, the MSB is characterized by the presence of gravity low anomaly that reaches in places -110 mGal, especially in its western part. The Moho depth estimates, from both spectral analysis and inversion of the gravity data, is between 36 and 40 km depth over most of the western and southern margins of the MSB. However, as the AD is approached, in the eastern margins of the MSB, crustal thickness estimates are highly affected by the anomalously thin and magmatic segment of the AD, and the Moho depth range between 30 and 25 km. Our results are consistent with that of seismic studies in areas far from the MSB, but within the Northwestern Ethiopian Plateau where the MSB is located. Those studies have reported an abrupt decrease in Moho depth from 40 km beneath the Northwestern plateau, to 20 km in the adjacent AD. Though the MSB is small (100 kmX100 km) compared to other ICONS, and affected by the neighboring AD, it is characterized by elliptical gravity minima and a relatively thicker crust that gradually thickens away from the rift. In addition, seismic imaging

Does progressive resistance and balance exercise reduce falls in residential aged care? Randomized controlled trial protocol for the SUNBEAM program.

Science.gov (United States)

Hewitt, Jennifer; Refshauge, Kathryn M; Goodall, Stephen; Henwood, Timothy; Clemson, Lindy

2014-01-01

Falls are common among older adults. It is reported that approximately 60% of residents of aged care facilities fall each year. This is a major cause of morbidity and mortality, and a significant burden for health care providers and the health system. Among community dwelling older adults, exercise appears to be an effective countermeasure, but data are limited and inconsistent among studies in residents of aged care communities. This trial has been designed to evaluate whether the SUNBEAM program (Strength and Balance Exercise in Aged Care) reduces falls in residents of aged care facilities. Is the program more effective and cost-effective than usual care for the prevention of falls? Single-blinded, two group, cluster randomized trial. 300 residents, living in 20 aged care facilities. Progressive resistance and balance training under the guidance of a physiotherapist for 6 months, then facility-guided maintenance training for 6 months. Usual care. Number of falls, number of fallers, quality of life, mobility, balance, fear of falling, cognitive well-being, resource use, and cost-effectiveness. Measurements will be taken at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months. The number of falls will be analyzed using a Poisson mixed model. A logistic mixed model will be used to analyze the number of residents who fall during the study period. Intention-to-treat analysis will be used. This study addresses a significant shortcoming in aged care research, and has potential to impact upon a substantial health care problem. Outcomes will be used to inform care providers, and guide health care policies.

Development and evaluation of "Aging Well and Healthily": A health-education and exercise program for community-living older adults

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hopman-Rock, M.; Westhoff, M.H.

2002-01-01

The Aging Well and Healthily (AWH) program consists of health education by peers and low-intensity exercise. It was evaluated via a small randomized controlled trial and a community intervention trial involving older adults in the Netherlands. Reasons stated for participation were to exercise (35%),

Infant behavioral assessment and intervention program in very low birth weight infants improves independency in mobility at preschool age

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Verkerk, Gijs; Jeukens-Visser, Martine; Koldewijn, Karen; van Wassenaer, Aleid; Houtzager, Bregje; Kok, Joke; Nollet, Frans

2011-01-01

To evaluate the effects of the Infant Behavioral Assessment and Intervention Program(©) (IBAIP) in very low birth weight infants on sensory processing and daily activities at preschool age. Follow-up of children included in a randomized controlled trial. Eighty-six infants were enrolled in

Discursive constructions of falls prevention : Discourses of active aging versus old age as disease

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Evron, Lotte; Ulrich, Anita; Tanggaard, Lene

2012-01-01

information and investment in falls prevention programs, many still drop out or decline to participate in such programs. The study explores how discourses cross swords in the domain of falls prevention. We identify two main discourses in the field: Discourses of active aging opposed to discourses of old age...... as disease. In discourses of active aging falls are constructed as preventable and not necessarily related to old age; in discourses of old age as disease falls are constructed as a disease of old age. Specific agent positions are created within discourses. Discourses of active aging construct self......-responsible citizens who are physically active and motivated to participate in falls prevention programmes; discourses of old age as disease on the other hand construct “fall patients” who accept being passive in the health care system. Older citizens who are not in need of treatment or less physically active...

Mastering of musical rhythm by pre-school age children with speech disorders with the help of dance-correction program trainings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N.B. Petrenko

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Introduction: It is known that regular listening to specially selected music develops children’s cognitive abilities. Musical influence optimizes many important functions of brain: increases mental workability; accelerates processing of information; improves short term memory. Besides, sensitivity of visual and hearing analyzers strengthens, as well as regulation of arbitrary movements; indicators of verbal and non verbal intellect improve. Purpose: to determine peculiarities of musical rhythm’s mastering by pre-school age children with speech disorders with the help of dance-correction program trainings. Material: the categories of the tested children: children of age - 4-5 and 5-6 years with speech disorders and healthy pre-school age children. Children of 4-5 years’ age composed: main group (n=12, control group (n=16; group of healthy children (n=24. For assessment of verbal thinking and rhythm-motor (or dance abilities we used complex of tests of constantly increasing difficulty. Results: we found that under influence of dance-correcting exercises activation of rhythm-motor abilities and development of cognitive functions happened in children. We also found main functional peculiarities of musical rhythm’s mastering by pre-school age children. It was determined that by the end of pedagogic experiment, main groups of children approached to groups of healthy peers by all tested characteristics. Conclusions: it is recommended to include correcting components (fit ball - dance gymnastic, tales-therapy, logo-rhythm trainings, and game fitness in trainings by choreographic program.

45 CFR 91.14 - Exceptions to the rules against age discrimination: Reasonable factors other than age.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... GENERAL ADMINISTRATION NONDISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS OF AGE IN PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES RECEIVING FEDERAL... otherwise prohibited by § 91.11 which is based on a factor other than age, even though that action may have... program or activity or to the achievement of a statutory objective. ...

Progressive Resistance and Balance Training for Falls Prevention in Long-Term Residential Aged Care: A Cluster Randomized Trial of the Sunbeam Program.

Science.gov (United States)

Hewitt, Jennifer; Goodall, Stephen; Clemson, Lindy; Henwood, Timothy; Refshauge, Kathryn

2018-04-01

Falls prevention is an international priority, and residents of long-term aged care fall approximately 3 times more often than community dwellers. There is a relative scarcity of published trials in this setting. Our objective was to undertake a randomized controlled trial to test the effect of published best practice exercise in long-term residential aged care. The trial was designed to determine if combined high level balance and moderate intensity progressive resistance training (the Sunbeam Program) is effective in reducing the rate of falls in residents of aged care facilities. A cluster randomized controlled trial of 16 residential aged care facilities and 221 participants was conducted. The broad inclusion criterion was permanent residents of aged care. Exclusions were diagnosed terminal illness, no medical clearance, permanent bed- or wheelchair-bound status, advanced Parkinson's disease, or insufficient cognition to participate in group exercise. Assessments were taken at baseline, after intervention, and at 12 months. Randomization was performed by computer-generated sequence to receive either the Sunbeam program or usual care. A cluster refers to an aged care facility. The program consisted of individually prescribed progressive resistance training plus balance exercise performed in a group setting for 50 hours over a 25-week period, followed by a maintenance period for 6 months. The primary outcome measure was the rate of falls (number of falls and days followed up). Secondary outcomes included physical performance (Short Physical Performance Battery), quality of life (36-item Short-Form Health Survey), functional mobility (University of Alabama Life Space Assessment), fear of falling (Falls Efficacy Scale International), and cognition (Addenbrooke's Cognitive Evaluation-revised). The rate of falls was reduced by 55% in the exercise group (incidence rate ratio = 0.45, 95% confidence interval 0.17-0.74); an improvement was also seen in physical

Effects of an education program for coexistence on creative and socio-emotional development factors for children aged 7-11 years

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

José Ignacio Pérez

2011-12-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study is three-fold: (1 to assess the effects of a three-year educational programme for coexistence with children aged 7 to 9 on socio-emotional and creative factors, (2 to identify gender differences in these factors, and (3 to analyze whether gender has an influence on the effects of the programme. The experimental design was pretest-intervention-posttest with control group, with a sample made up of 80 participants aged 7 to 9 years (53 experimental and 27 control. Five assessment instruments were applied before and after the program. The results of the analyses of variance suggest that de program significantly increased different behaviours which facilitate socialization, play-mate election, number of classmates considered prosocial, creative behaviour and creative personality traits. Gender did not influence the effects of the intervention.

Physiological and Psychological Effects of a Forest Therapy Program on Middle-Aged Females.

Science.gov (United States)

Ochiai, Hiroko; Ikei, Harumi; Song, Chorong; Kobayashi, Maiko; Miura, Takashi; Kagawa, Takahide; Li, Qing; Kumeda, Shigeyoshi; Imai, Michiko; Miyazaki, Yoshifumi

2015-12-01

The natural environment is increasingly recognized as an effective counter to urban stress, and "Forest Therapy" has recently attracted attention as a relaxation and stress management activity with demonstrated clinical efficacy. The present study assessed the physiological and psychological effects of a forest therapy program on middle-aged females. Seventeen Japanese females (62.2 ± 9.4 years; mean ± standard deviation) participated in this experiment. Pulse rate, salivary cortisol level, and psychological indices were measured on the day before forest therapy and on the forest therapy day. Pulse rate and salivary cortisol were significantly lower than baseline following forest therapy, indicating that subjects were in a physiologically relaxed state. Subjects reported feeling significantly more "comfortable," "relaxed," and "natural" according to the semantic differential (SD) method. The Profile of Mood State (POMS) negative mood subscale score for "tension-anxiety" was significantly lower, while that for "vigor" was significantly higher following forest therapy. Our study revealed that forest therapy elicited a significant (1) decrease in pulse rate, (2) decrease in salivary cortisol levels, (3) increase in positive feelings, and (4) decrease in negative feelings. In conclusion, there are substantial physiological and psychological benefits of forest therapy on middle-aged females.

Comparative Single-Cell Genomics of Chloroflexi from the Okinawa Trough Deep-Subsurface Biosphere.

Science.gov (United States)

Fullerton, Heather; Moyer, Craig L

2016-05-15

Chloroflexi small-subunit (SSU) rRNA gene sequences are frequently recovered from subseafloor environments, but the metabolic potential of the phylum is poorly understood. The phylum Chloroflexi is represented by isolates with diverse metabolic strategies, including anoxic phototrophy, fermentation, and reductive dehalogenation; therefore, function cannot be attributed to these organisms based solely on phylogeny. Single-cell genomics can provide metabolic insights into uncultured organisms, like the deep-subsurface Chloroflexi Nine SSU rRNA gene sequences were identified from single-cell sorts of whole-round core material collected from the Okinawa Trough at Iheya North hydrothermal field as part of Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) expedition 331 (Deep Hot Biosphere). Previous studies of subsurface Chloroflexi single amplified genomes (SAGs) suggested heterotrophic or lithotrophic metabolisms and provided no evidence for growth by reductive dehalogenation. Our nine Chloroflexi SAGs (seven of which are from the order Anaerolineales) indicate that, in addition to genes for the Wood-Ljungdahl pathway, exogenous carbon sources can be actively transported into cells. At least one subunit for pyruvate ferredoxin oxidoreductase was found in four of the Chloroflexi SAGs. This protein can provide a link between the Wood-Ljungdahl pathway and other carbon anabolic pathways. Finally, one of the seven Anaerolineales SAGs contains a distinct reductive dehalogenase homologous (rdhA) gene. Through the use of single amplified genomes (SAGs), we have extended the metabolic potential of an understudied group of subsurface microbes, the Chloroflexi These microbes are frequently detected in the subsurface biosphere, though their metabolic capabilities have remained elusive. In contrast to previously examined Chloroflexi SAGs, our genomes (several are from the order Anaerolineales) were recovered from a hydrothermally driven system and therefore provide a unique window into

[The mechanism of phenoptosis: I. Age-dependent decrease of the overall rate of protein synthesis is caused by the programmed attenuation of bio-energetics].

Science.gov (United States)

Trubitsyn, A G

2009-01-01

The age-dependent degradation of all vital processes of an organism can be result of influences of destructive factors (the stochastic mechanism of aging), or effect of realizations of the genetic program (phenoptosis). The stochastic free-radical theory of aging dominating now contradicts the set of empirical data, and the semicentenial attempts to create the means to slow down aging did not give any practical results. It makes obvious that the stochastic mechanism of aging is incorrect. At the same time, the alternative mechanism of the programmed aging is not developed yet but preconditions for it development have already been created. It is shown that the genes controlling process of aging exist (contrary to the customary opinion) and the increase in the level of damaged macromolecules (basic postulate of the free-radical theory) can be explained by programmed attenuation of bio-energetics. As the bio-energetics is a driving force of all vital processes, decrease of its level is capable to cause degradation of all functions of an organism. However to transform this postulate into a basis of the theory of phenoptosis it is necessary to show, that attenuation of bio-energetics predetermines such fundamental processes accompanying aging as decrease of the overall rate of protein biosynthesis, restriction of cellular proliferations (Hayflick limit), loss of telomeres etc. This article is the first step in this direction: the natural mechanism of interaction of overall rate of protein synthesis with a level of cellular bio-energetics is shown. This is built-in into the translation machine and based on dependence of recirculation rate of eukaryotic initiation factor 2 (elF2) from ATP/ADP value that is created by mitochondrial bio-energetic machine.

Exploring the Relationship between Participation in a Structured Sports Program and Development of Gross Motor Skills in Children Ages 3 to 6 Years

Science.gov (United States)

Jahagirdar, Ishanee; Venditti, Laura Anne; Duncan, Andrea; Reed, Nick; Fleming, Sean

2017-01-01

This study looked at the relationship between participation in a structured sports program and gross-motor-skills development in children aged 3 to 6 years. Twenty-seven children participated in the study, with 16 children receiving an eight-week sports program intervention. Children were assessed at pre- and postintervention using a modified…

The effectiveness of the program kinesitherapy men aged 45-65 years after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Iermakov S.S.

2011-01-01

Full Text Available The purpose of research is the effectiveness of the training program in cardiac rehabilitation of 11 men at the age between 45 and 65 years undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting. The study used the reports of electrocardiographic exercise stress test, performed before and after training cycle each of the patient. In order to analyze the training loads were also used medical records, including diagnosis, prescribing doctor and ordered treatments. Training loads used in the training program in the rehabilitation of men undergoing coronary artery bypass graft allowed for effective implementation of the objectives pursued. The analysis of training loads and effectiveness of the rehabilitation program to the conclusion that the basis for the achievement of rehabilitation is to develop general fitness and aerobic endurance. Optimally balanced training loads, taking into account the individual needs of patients, is the key to success in the process of recovery after cardiac incident.

Apex Predators Program Age and Growth Data

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Apex Predators Program staff have collected vertebral centra from sportfishing tournaments, cruises, commercial fishermen and strandings in the Northeast US since...

From Entry to Practice to Advanced Nurse Practitioner - The Progression of Competencies and How They Assist in Delivery of eHealth Programs for Healthy Ageing.

Science.gov (United States)

Rodger, Daragh; Hussey, Pamela

2017-01-01

Most of the health issues encountered in persons of older age are the result of one or more chronic diseases. The evidence base reports that chronic diseases can be prevented or delayed by engaging in healthy behaviors. Education provides a cost effective intervention on both economic grounds in addition to delivery of optimal patient outcomes. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) increasingly is viewed as a critical utility in eHealth delivery, providing scope for expanding online education facilities for older persons. Developing nursing competencies in the delivery of eHealth solutions to deliver user education programs therefore makes sense. This chapter discusses nursing competencies on the development of targeted eHealth programs for healthy ageing. The role of Advanced Nurse Practitioner in Ireland and its associated competency set identifies how a strong action learning model can be designed to deliver eHealth educational programs for effective delivery of healthy ageing in place.

45 CFR 90.15 - Exceptions to the rules against age discrimination. Reasonable factors other than age.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... GENERAL ADMINISTRATION NONDISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS OF AGE IN PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES RECEIVING FEDERAL... permitted to take an action otherwise prohibited by § 90.12 which is based on a factor other than age, even... normal operation of the program or activity or to the achievement of a statutory objective. ...

Community aging initiatives and social capital: developing theories of change in the context of NORC Supportive Service Programs.

Science.gov (United States)

Greenfield, Emily A

2014-03-01

This study aimed to develop theory on how Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities (NORC) Supportive Service Programs potentially transform social relationships within communities to promote aging in place. Data were analyzed from semi-structured in-depth interviews with 10 lead agencies representing 15 NORC programs in New Jersey. Results indicated that professionals seek to infuse capital within three domains of relationships: lead agency staff's relationships with older adults, formal service providers' relationships with each other, and older adults' relationships with each other. This social capital potentially enhances the amount of community-based services and supports within a residential area, as well as their accessibility, appropriateness, responsiveness, and coherence.

Buckle up safely (shoalhaven): a process and impact evaluation of a pragmatic, multifaceted preschool-based pilot program to increase correct use of age-appropriate child restraints.

Science.gov (United States)

Hunter, Kate; Keay, Lisa; Clapham, Kathleen; Lyford, Marilyn; Brown, Julie; Bilston, Lynne; Simpson, Judy M; Stevenson, Mark; Ivers, Rebecca Q

2014-01-01

To conduct a process and impact evaluation of a multifaceted education-based pilot program targeting correct use of age-appropriate restraints in a regional setting with a high proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families. The program was delivered in 2010 in 3 early learning centers where 31 percent of the children were of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent. Each component of the program was assessed for message consistency and uptake. To measure program effectiveness, participating children were matched 1:1 by age, language spoken at home, and annual household income with 71 children from the control arm of a contemporaneous trial. The outcome measure in the control and program centers (a 4-category ordinal scale of restraint use) was compared using ordinal logistic regression accounting for age of the parent. Process evaluation found that though program components were delivered with a consistency of message, uptake was affected by turnover of all staff at one center and by parents experiencing difficulty in paying for subsidized restraints at each of the centers. Impact evaluation found that children from the centers receiving the program had nearly twice the odds of being in a better restraint category than children matched from the control group (adjusted odds ratio [ORadj] = 2.06, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.09-3.90). This was a pragmatic study reflecting the real-life issues of implementing a program in preschools where 57 percent of families had a low income and turnover of staff was high. Despite these issues, impact evaluation showed that the integrated educational program showed promise in increasing correct use of age-appropriate restraints. The findings from this pilot study support the use of an integrated educational program that includes access to subsidized restraints to promote best practice child restraint use among communities that include a high proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families in New

Aging management and life extension - Containment aging study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tai, Tom M.; Deng, Daniel

2004-01-01

Bechtel is currently completing an aging study on a concrete containment structure. The target plant is a two-unit PWR plant with a generating capacity of about 850 MWe from each unit. Both units are less than 20 years old. The total electrical energy output from this plant site accounts for more than 50% of the utility's baseload operation. Although no utility in the United States has made a decision to submit a license renewal application, some have begun to investigate the feasibility of developing an life cycle management (LCM) program for a strategy to operate their plants efficiently, to investigate the financial benefit and safety implications of license renewal to operate their nuclear power plants beyond their current licensed periods, and to prepare a program plan for plant decommissioning. The LCM program includes economic, environmental, regulatory and technical aspects of continuing plant operations beyond the current license period. The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) has been supportive to assist utilities and owners groups in their research and development efforts to develop the technical requirements and the issues associated with important to license renewal structures. The focus of this paper is on the technical issues related to the evaluation of the material condition of the containment structure with respect to aging and the effective management of that aging. (author)

The effectiveness of an aged care specific leadership and management program on workforce, work environment, and care quality outcomes: design of a cluster randomised controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Jeon, Yun-Hee; Simpson, Judy M; Chenoweth, Lynn; Cunich, Michelle; Kendig, Hal

2013-10-25

A plethora of observational evidence exists concerning the impact of management and leadership on workforce, work environment, and care quality. Yet, no randomised controlled trial has been conducted to test the effectiveness of leadership and management interventions in aged care. An innovative aged care clinical leadership program (Clinical Leadership in Aged Care--CLiAC) was developed to improve managers' leadership capacities to support the delivery of quality care in Australia. This paper describes the study design of the cluster randomised controlled trial testing the effectiveness of the program. Twenty-four residential and community aged care sites were recruited as managers at each site agreed in writing to participate in the study and ensure that leaders allocated to the control arm would not be offered the intervention program. Sites undergoing major managerial or structural changes were excluded. The 24 sites were randomly allocated to receive the CLiAC program (intervention) or usual care (control), stratified by type (residential vs. community, six each for each arm). Treatment allocation was masked to assessors and staff of all participating sites. The objective is to establish the effectiveness of the CLiAC program in improving work environment, workforce retention, as well as care safety and quality, when compared to usual care. The primary outcomes are measures of work environment, care quality and safety, and staff turnover rates. Secondary outcomes include manager leadership capacity, staff absenteeism, intention to leave, stress levels, and job satisfaction. Differences between intervention and control groups will be analysed by researchers blinded to treatment allocation using linear regression of individual results adjusted for stratification and clustering by site (primary analysis), and additionally for baseline values and potential confounders (secondary analysis). Outcomes measured at the site level will be compared by cluster

The effectiveness of an aged care specific leadership and management program on workforce, work environment, and care quality outcomes: design of a cluster randomised controlled trial

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-01

Background A plethora of observational evidence exists concerning the impact of management and leadership on workforce, work environment, and care quality. Yet, no randomised controlled trial has been conducted to test the effectiveness of leadership and management interventions in aged care. An innovative aged care clinical leadership program (Clinical Leadership in Aged Care − CLiAC) was developed to improve managers’ leadership capacities to support the delivery of quality care in Australia. This paper describes the study design of the cluster randomised controlled trial testing the effectiveness of the program. Methods Twenty-four residential and community aged care sites were recruited as managers at each site agreed in writing to participate in the study and ensure that leaders allocated to the control arm would not be offered the intervention program. Sites undergoing major managerial or structural changes were excluded. The 24 sites were randomly allocated to receive the CLiAC program (intervention) or usual care (control), stratified by type (residential vs. community, six each for each arm). Treatment allocation was masked to assessors and staff of all participating sites. The objective is to establish the effectiveness of the CLiAC program in improving work environment, workforce retention, as well as care safety and quality, when compared to usual care. The primary outcomes are measures of work environment, care quality and safety, and staff turnover rates. Secondary outcomes include manager leadership capacity, staff absenteeism, intention to leave, stress levels, and job satisfaction. Differences between intervention and control groups will be analysed by researchers blinded to treatment allocation using linear regression of individual results adjusted for stratification and clustering by site (primary analysis), and additionally for baseline values and potential confounders (secondary analysis). Outcomes measured at the site level will be

Effective maintenance practices to manage system aging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chockie, A.; Bjorkelo, K.

1992-01-01

For a variety of economic and technical reasons, there has been a growing concern with the aging of complex systems and components and the role that maintenance can play in reducing this degradation. A study for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission was recently undertaken to identify effective maintenance practices that could be adapted by the nuclear industry in the United States to assist in managing the aging degradation of plant systems and components. Four organizations were examined to assess the influence that their maintenance programs have on their ability to address the systems and component aging degradation issues. An effective maintenance program was found to be essential to the management of system and component aging. The four key elements of an effective maintenance program that are important to an aging management program were identified. These are: the selection of critical systems and components; the development of an understanding of aging through the collection and analysis of equipment performance information; the development of appropriate preventive and predictive maintenance tasks to manage equipment and system aging degradation; the use of feedback mechanisms to continuously improve the management of aging systems and components. These elements were found to be common to all four organizations. In examining how the four organizations have structured their maintenance programs to include these key elements provides valuable lessons not only for the nuclear power industry, but also for any industrial organization that is concerned with the management of system and component aging degradation. This document provides detail, of these studies

Superantigens Are Critical for Staphylococcus aureus Infective Endocarditis, Sepsis, and Acute Kidney Injury

Science.gov (United States)

Salgado-Pabón, Wilmara; Breshears, Laura; Spaulding, Adam R.; Merriman, Joseph A.; Stach, Christopher S.; Horswill, Alexander R.; Peterson, Marnie L.; Schlievert, Patrick M.

2013-01-01

ABSTRACT Infective endocarditis and kidney infections are serious complications of Staphylococcus aureus sepsis. We investigated the role of superantigens (SAgs) in the development of lethal sepsis, infective endocarditis, and kidney infections. SAgs cause toxic shock syndrome, but it is unclear if SAgs contribute to infective endocarditis and kidney infections secondary to sepsis. We show in the methicillin-resistant S. aureus strain MW2 that lethal sepsis, infective endocarditis, and kidney infections in rabbits are critically dependent on high-level SAgs. In contrast, the isogenic strain lacking staphylococcal enterotoxin C (SEC), the major SAg in this strain, is attenuated in virulence, while complementation restores disease production. SAgs’ role in infective endocarditis appears to be both superantigenicity and direct endothelial cell stimulation. Maintenance of elevated blood pressure by fluid therapy significantly protects from infective endocarditis, possibly through preventing bacterial accumulation on valves and increased SAg elimination. These data should facilitate better methods to manage these serious illnesses. PMID:23963178

Effectiveness of a self-management program for dual sensory impaired seniors in aged care settings: study protocol for a cluster randomized controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Roets-Merken, Lieve M; Graff, Maud J L; Zuidema, Sytse U; Hermsen, Pieter G J M; Teerenstra, Steven; Kempen, Gertrudis I J M; Vernooij-Dassen, Myrra J F J

2013-10-07

Five to 25 percent of residents in aged care settings have a combined hearing and visual sensory impairment. Usual care is generally restricted to single sensory impairment, neglecting the consequences of dual sensory impairment on social participation and autonomy. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a self-management program for seniors who acquired dual sensory impairment at old age. In a cluster randomized, single-blind controlled trial, with aged care settings as the unit of randomization, the effectiveness of a self-management program will be compared to usual care. A minimum of 14 and maximum of 20 settings will be randomized to either the intervention cluster or the control cluster, aiming to include a total of 132 seniors with dual sensory impairment. Each senior will be linked to a licensed practical nurse working at the setting. During a five to six month intervention period, nurses at the intervention clusters will be trained in a self-management program to support and empower seniors to use self-management strategies. In two separate diaries, nurses keep track of the interviews with the seniors and their reflections on their own learning process. Nurses of the control clusters offer care as usual. At senior level, the primary outcome is the social participation of the seniors measured using the Hearing Handicap Questionnaire and the Activity Card Sort, and secondary outcomes are mood, autonomy and quality of life. At nurse level, the outcome is job satisfaction. Effectiveness will be evaluated using linear mixed model analysis. The results of this study will provide evidence for the effectiveness of the Self-Management Program for seniors with dual sensory impairment living in aged care settings. The findings are expected to contribute to the knowledge on the program's potential to enhance social participation and autonomy of the seniors, as well as increasing the job satisfaction of the licensed practical nurses. Furthermore, an

Aging evaluation of class 1E batteries: Seismic testing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Edson, J.L.

1990-08-01

This report presents the results of a seismic testing program on naturally aged class 1E batteries obtained from a nuclear plant. The testing program is a Phase 2 activity resulting from a Phase 1 aging evaluation of class 1E batteries in safety systems of nuclear power plants, performed previously as a part of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission's Nuclear Plant Aging Research Program and reported in NUREG/CR-4457. The primary purpose of the program was to evaluate the seismic ruggedness of naturally aged batteries to determine if aged batteries could have adequate electrical capacity, as determined by tests recommended by IEEE Standards, and yet have inadequate seismic ruggedness to provide needed electrical power during and after a safe shutdown earthquake (SSE) event. A secondary purpose of the program was to evaluate selected advanced surveillance methods to determine if they were likely to be more sensitive to the aging degradation that reduces seismic ruggedness. The program used twelve batteries naturally aged to about 14 years of age in a nuclear facility and tested them at four different seismic levels representative of the levels of possible earthquakes specified for nuclear plants in the United States. Seismic testing of the batteries did not cause any loss of electrical capacity. 19 refs., 29 figs., 7 tabs

Materials ageing degradation programme in japan and proactive ageing management in NPP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shoji, T.

2013-01-01

Predictive and preventive maintenance technologies are increasingly of importance for the long term operation (LTO) of Light Water Reactor (LWR) plants. In order for the realization LTO to be successful, it is essential that aging degradation phenomena should be properly managed by using adequate maintenance programs based on foreseeing the aging phenomena and evaluating their rates of development, where Nuclear Power Plants can be continued to operate beyond the original design life depending upon the regulatory authority rules. In combination with Periodic Safety Review (PSR) and adequate maintenance program, a plant life can be extended to 60 years or more. Plant Life Management (PLiM) is based upon various maintenance program as well as systematic safety review updated based upon the state of the art of science and technology. One of the potential life time limiting issue would be materials ageing degradation and therefore an extensive efforts have been paid world-widely. In 2007, NISA launched a national program on Enhanced Ageing Management Program and 4 nationwide clusters were formed to carry out the national program where materials ageing degradation was one of the major topics. In addition to these degradation modes, one important activities in this program is proactive materials degradation management directed by the author which is a kind of the extension program of NRC PMDA program based upon more fundamental approach by a systematic elicitation by the experts nominated from all over the world. NISA program can be divided into two phases, one is from fiscal years (FY) 2006 - 2010 and the other FY 2011. Later phase is focusing more on System Safety due to Fukushima NPP accident. The main objectives of the Phase I is to evaluate potential and complex degradation phenomena and their mechanisms in order to identify future risks of component aging in nuclear power plants. The following items are of particular concern in this phase: (a) investigation of

Journal of Biosciences | Indian Academy of Sciences

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Senescence is a highly regulated process accompanied by changes in gene expression. While the mRNA levels of most genes decline, the mRNA levels of specific genes (senescence associated genes, SAGs) increase during senescence. Arabidopsis SAG12 (AtSAG12) gene codes for papain-like cysteine protease.

Production of refolded Toxoplasma gondii recombinant SAG1-related sequence 3 (SRS3) and its use for serodiagnosis of human toxoplasmosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Mirzadeh, Abolfazl; Saadatnia, Geita; Golkar, Majid; Babaie, Jalal; Noordin, Rahmah

2017-05-01

SAG1-related sequence 3 (SRS3) is one of the major Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoite surface antigens and has been shown to be potentially useful for the detection of toxoplasmosis. This protein is highly conformational due to the presence of six disulfide bonds. To achieve solubility and antigenicity, SRS3 depends on proper disulfide bond formation. The aim of this study was to over-express the SRS3 protein with correct folding for use in serodiagnosis of the disease. To achieve this, a truncated SRS3 fusion protein (rtSRS3) was produced, containing six histidyl residues at both terminals and purified by immobilized metal affinity chromatography. The refolding process was performed through three methods, namely dialysis in the presence of chemical additives along with reduced/oxidized glutathione and drop-wise dilution methods with reduced/oxidized glutathione or reduced DTT/oxidized glutathione. Ellman's assay and ELISA showed that the protein folding obtained by the dialysis method was the most favorable, probably due to the correct folding. Subsequently, serum samples from individuals with chronic infection (n = 76), probable acute infection (n = 14), and healthy controls (n = 81) were used to determine the usefulness of the refolded rtSRS3 for Toxoplasma serodiagnosis. The results of the developed IgG-ELISA showed a diagnostic specificity of 91% and a sensitivity of 82.89% and 100% for chronic and acute serum samples, respectively. In conclusion, correctly folded rtSRS3 has the potential to be used as a soluble antigen for the detection of human toxoplasmosis. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

76 FR 67570 - Medicare Program; Part A Premiums for CY 2012 for the Uninsured Aged and for Certain Disabled...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-11-01

... program or the Railroad Retirement Act and certain others do not have to pay premiums for Medicare Part A... will pay for CY 2012 will be equal to the premium for uninsured aged enrollees reduced by 45 percent.... SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. Background Section 1818 of the Social Security Act (the Act) provides for...

NPAR [Nuclear Plant Aging Research] approach to managing aging in nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Christensen, J.A.

1989-01-01

Over the past 5 years, the Nuclear Plant Aging Research program (NPAR) has been devoted to developing technical understanding of the time dependent processes that, through deterioration of components, systems, or structures (C/S/S), can reduce safety margins in nuclear power plants. A major and necessary element of the program involves the application of this basic knowledge in defining functional approaches to managing aging by anticipating and mitigating important deterioration processes. Fundamental understanding and characterization of aging processes are being accomplished through NPAR-sponsored research projects, review and analysis of aging related information, integration of NPAR results with those from industry and other aging studies, and interfacing of all of these with the existing body of codes, standards and regulatory instruments that convey aging-related guidance to NPP licensees. Products of these efforts are applied to structuring and providing aging-related technical recommendations in forms that are useful in: (1) developing and implementing good aging management practices, (2) developing regulatory guidance and requirements for understanding and managing aging during normal plant operations and in support of license renewal, and (3) planning and implementing other regulatory actions and initiatives in which aging-related concerns have a bearing on scope or priority

Calibration simulation. A calibration Monte-Carlo program for the OPAL jet chamber

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Biebel, O.

1989-12-01

A calibration Monte Carlo program has been developed as a tool to investigate the interdependence of track reconstruction and calibration constants. Three categories of calibration effects have been considered: The precise knowledge of sense wire positions, necessary to reconstruct the particle trajectories in the jet chamber. Included are the staggering and the sag of the sense wires as well as tilts and rotations of their support structures. The various contributions to the measured drift time, with special emphasis on the aberration due to the track angle and the presence of a transverse magnetic field. A very precise knowledge of the drift velocity and the Lorentz angle of the drift paths with respect to the drift field is also required. The effects degrading particle identification via energy loss dE/dx. Impurities of the gas mixture and saturation effects depending on the track angle as well as the influence of the pulse shaping-electronics have been studied. These effects have been parametrised with coefficients corresponding to the calibration constants required for track reconstruction. Excellent agreement with the input data has been achieved when determining calibration constants from Monte Carlo data generated with these parametrisations. (orig.) [de

Physiological and Psychological Effects of a Forest Therapy Program on Middle-Aged Females

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hiroko Ochiai

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The natural environment is increasingly recognized as an effective counter to urban stress, and “Forest Therapy” has recently attracted attention as a relaxation and stress management activity with demonstrated clinical efficacy. The present study assessed the physiological and psychological effects of a forest therapy program on middle-aged females. Seventeen Japanese females (62.2 ± 9.4 years; mean ± standard deviation participated in this experiment. Pulse rate, salivary cortisol level, and psychological indices were measured on the day before forest therapy and on the forest therapy day. Pulse rate and salivary cortisol were significantly lower than baseline following forest therapy, indicating that subjects were in a physiologically relaxed state. Subjects reported feeling significantly more “comfortable,” “relaxed,” and “natural” according to the semantic differential (SD method. The Profile of Mood State (POMS negative mood subscale score for “tension–anxiety” was significantly lower, while that for “vigor” was significantly higher following forest therapy. Our study revealed that forest therapy elicited a significant (1 decrease in pulse rate, (2 decrease in salivary cortisol levels, (3 increase in positive feelings, and (4 decrease in negative feelings. In conclusion, there are substantial physiological and psychological benefits of forest therapy on middle-aged females.

The effects of aging on electrical and I ampersand C components: Results of US Nuclear Plant Aging Research

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aggarwal, S.K.; Gunther, W.E.

1993-01-01

The US NRC's hardware oriented engineering research program for plant aging and degradation monitoring has achieved results in the area of electrical, control, and instrumentation (ECI) components used in nuclear power plants (NPPs). The principal goals of the program, known as the Nuclear Power Plant Aging Research (NPAR) Program, are to understand the effects of age-related degradation in NPPs and how to manage and mitigate them effectively. This paper describes how these goals have been achieved for key ECI components used in the safety systems of NPPs. The status of relevant on-going and planned research projects is also provided

The effects of aging on electrical and I ampersand C components: Results of US nuclear plant aging research

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aggarwal, S.K.; Gunther, W.E.

1991-01-01

The US NRC's hardware oriented engineering research program for plant aging and degradation monitoring has achieved results in the area of electrical, control, and instrumentation (ECI) components used in nuclear power plants (NPPs). The principal goals of the program, known as the Nuclear Power Plant Aging Research (NPAR) Program, are to understand the effects of age-related degradation in NPPs and how to manage and mitigate them effectively. This paper describes how these goals have been achieved for key ECI components used in the safety systems of NPPs. The status of relevant on-going and planned research projects is also provided

Phylogenetic relationship and virulence inference of Streptococcus Anginosus Group: curated annotation and whole-genome comparative analysis support distinct species designation