Thoracolumbar spine loading associated with kinematics of the young and the elderly during activities of daily living.

Science.gov (United States)

Ignasiak, Dominika; Rüeger, Andrea; Sperr, Ramona; Ferguson, Stephen J

2018-03-21

Excessive mechanical loading of the spine is a critical factor in vertebral fracture initiation. Most vertebral fractures develop spontaneously or due to mild trauma, as physiological loads during activities of daily living might exceed the failure load of osteoporotic vertebra. Spinal loading patterns are affected by vertebral kinematics, which differ between elderly and young individuals. In this study, the effects of age-related changes in spine kinematics on thoracolumbar spinal segmental loading during dynamic activities of daily living were investigated using combined experimental and modeling approach. Forty-four healthy volunteers were recruited into two age groups: young (N = 23, age = 27.1 ± 3.8) and elderly (N = 21, age = 70.1 ± 3.9). The spinal curvature was assessed with a skin-surface device and the kinematics of the spine and lower extremities were recorded during daily living tasks (flexion-extension and stand-sit-stand) with a motion capture system. The obtained data were used as input for a musculoskeletal model with a detailed thoracolumbar spine representation. To isolate the effect of kinematics on predicted loads, other model properties were kept constant. Inverse dynamics simulations were performed in the AnyBody Modeling System to estimate corresponding spinal loads. The maximum compressive loads predicted for the elderly motion patterns were lower than those of the young for L2/L3 and L3/L4 lumbar levels during flexion and for upper thoracic levels during stand-to-sit (T1/T2-T8/T9) and sit-to-stand (T3/T4-T6/T7). However, the maximum loads predicted for the lower thoracic levels (T9/T10-L1/L2), a common site of vertebral fractures, were similar compared to the young. Nevertheless, these loads acting on the vertebrae of reduced bone quality might contribute to a higher fracture risk for the elderly. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Enhancing Buyer-Supplier Collaboration through Daily Conversations at Shopfloor Level

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bardon, Thibaut; Arnaud, Nicolas; Villeseche, Florence

aspect of this interorganizational communication: the conversations that take place between shop-floor employees of partnering firms. Studying such daily conversations in situ affords insights on the foundations of efficient buyer-supplier communication beyond managerial level strategy making. We rely...... on the strategy as practice perspective that emphasizes the strategic role of conversations at all hierarchical levels as a key means by which strategy develops on a daily basis. This paper provides evidence of how daily conversations between shop-floor employees can enhance buyer-supplier collaboration...

Enhanced water use efficiency in global terrestrial ecosystems under increasing aerosol loadings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lu, Xiaoliang; Chen, Min; Liu, Yaling; Miralles, Diego G.; Wang, Faming

2017-05-01

Aerosols play a crucial role in the climate system, affecting incoming radiation and cloud formation. Based on a modelling framework that couples ecosystem processes with the atmospheric transfer of radiation, we analyze the effect of aerosols on surface incoming radiation, gross primary productivity (GPP), water losses from ecosystems through evapotranspiration (ET) and ecosystem water use efficiency (WUE, defined as GPP/ET) for 2003–2010 and validate them at global FLUXNET sites. The total diffuse radiation increases under relatively low or intermediate aerosol loadings, but decreases under more polluted conditions. We find that aerosol-induced changes in GPP depend on leaf area index, aerosol loading and cloudiness. Specifically, low and moderate aerosol loadings cause increases in GPP for all plant types, while heavy aerosol loadings result in enhancement (decrease) in GPP for dense (sparse) vegetation. On the other hand, ET is mainly negatively affected by aerosol loadings due to the reduction in total incoming radiation. Finally, WUE shows a consistent rise in all plant types under increasing aerosol loadings. Overall, the simulated daily WUE compares well with observations at 43 eddy-covariance tower sites (R²=0.84 and RMSE=0.01gC (kg H₂O)^-1) with better performance at forest sites. In addition to the increasing portions of diffuse light, the rise in WUE is also favored by the reduction in radiation- and heat-stress caused by the aerosols, especially for wet and hot climates.

Changes in Indirect Markers of Muscle Damage and Tendons After Daily Drop Jumping Exercise with Rapid Load Increase

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vidas Paleckis, Mantas Mickevičius, Audrius Snieckus, Vytautas Streckis, Mati Pääsuke, Saulius Rutkauskas, Rasa Steponavičiūtė, Albertas Skurvydas, Sigitas Kamandulis

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study was to assess changes in indirect markers of muscle damage and type I collagen degradation, as well as, patellar and Achilles tendon morphological differences during nine daily drop-jumps sessions with constant load alternated with rapid increases in load to test the hypothesis that frequent drop-jump training results in negative muscular and tendon adaptation. Young men (n = 9 performed daily drop jump workouts with progression every 3 days in terms of number of jumps, platform height and squat amplitude. Voluntary and electrically evoked knee extensor torque, muscle soreness, blood plasma creatine kinase (CK activity and carboxyterminal cross-linked telopeptide (ICTP, patellar and Achilles tendon thickness and cross-sectional area (CSA were assessed at different time points during the training period and again on days 1, 3, 10 and 17 after the training. The findings were as follows: (1 steady decline in maximal muscle strength with major recovery within 24 hours after the first six daily training sessions; (2 larger decline in electrically induced muscle torque and prolonged recovery during last three training sessions; (3 increase in patellar and Achilles tendons CSA without change in thickness towards the end of training period; (4 increase in jump height but not in muscle strength after whole training period. Our findings suggest that frequent drop-jump sessions with constant load alternated with rapid increases in load do not induce severe muscle damage or major changes in tendons, nonetheless, this type of loading is not advisable for muscle strength improvement.

A randomized controlled trial of vitamin D dosing strategies after acute hip fracture: No advantage of loading doses over daily supplementation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Farrauto Leonardo

2011-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background There remains uncertainty regarding the appropriate therapeutic management of hip fracture patients. The primary aim of our study was to examine whether large loading doses in addition to daily vitamin D offered any advantage over a simple daily low-dose vitamin D regimen for increasing vitamin D levels. Methods In this randomized controlled study, patients over age 50 with an acute fragility hip fracture were enrolled from two hospital sites in Ontario, Canada. Participants were randomized to one of three loading dose groups: placebo; 50,000 IU vitamin D2; or 100,000 IU D2. Following a placebo/loading dose, all patients received a daily tablet of 1,000 IU vitamin D3 for 90 days. Serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25-OHD was measured at baseline, discharge from acute care (approximately 4-weeks, and 3-months. Results Sixty-five patients were enrolled in the study (44% male. An immediate rise in 25-OHD occurred in the 100,000 group, however there were no significant differences in 25-OHD between the placebo, 50,000 and 100,000 loading dose groups after 4-weeks (69.3, 84.5, 75.6 nmol/L, p = 0.15 and 3-months (86.7, 84.2, 73.3 nmol/L, p = 0.09, respectively. At the end of the study, approximately 75% of the placebo and 50,000 groups had reached the target therapeutic range (75 nmol/L, and 44% of the 100,000 group. Conclusions In correcting vitamin D insufficiency/deficiency in elderly patients with hip fracture, our findings suggest that starting with a lower daily dose of Vitamin D3 achieved similar results as providing an additional large loading dose of Vitamin D2. At the end of the study, all three groups were equally effective in attaining improvement in 25-OHD levels. Given that a daily dose of 1,000 IU vitamin D3 (with or without a loading dose resulted in at least 25% of patients having suboptimal vitamin D status, patients with acute hip fracture may benefit from a higher daily dose of vitamin D. Trial registration Clinical

Replacement of daily load attenuates but does not prevent changes to the musculoskeletal system during bed rest

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Peter R. Cavanagh, PhD DSc

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The dose-response effects of exercise in reduced gravity on musculoskeletal health have not been well documented. It is not known whether or not individualized exercise prescriptions can be effective in preventing the substantial loss in bone mineral density and muscle function that have been observed in space flight and in bed rest. In this study, typical daily loads to the lower extremities were quantified in free-living subjects who were then randomly assigned to control or exercise groups. Subjects were confined to 6-degree head-down bed rest for 84 days. The exercise group performed individually prescribed 1 g loaded locomotor exercise to replace their free-living daily load. Eleven subjects (5 exercise, 6 control completed the protocol. Volumetric bone mineral density results from quantitative computed tomography demonstrated that control subjects lost significant amounts of bone in the intertrochanteric and total hip regions (p  0.0125. Pre-and post-bed rest muscle volumes were calculated from analysis of magnetic resonance imaging data. The exercise group retained a larger percentage of their total quadriceps and gastrocnemius muscle volume (−7.2% ± 5.9, −13.8% ± 6.1, respectively than their control counterparts (−23.3% ± 5.9, −33.0 ± 8.2, respectively; p  0.05. The decline in VO2max was 17% ± 18 in exercising subjects (p  0.05. In summary, the decline in a number of important measures of musculoskeletal and cardiovascular health was attenuated but not eliminated by a subject-specific program of locomotor exercise designed to replace daily load accumulated during free living. We conclude that single daily bouts of exposure to locomotor exercise can play a role in a countermeasures program during bed rest, and perhaps space flight, but are not sufficient in their own right to ensure musculoskeletal or cardiovascular health. Keywords: Space flight, Bed rest, Exercise, Biomechanics, Simulation, Gravity

Enhanced sensitivity fibre Bragg grating (FBG) load sensor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Correia, Ricardo; Chehura, Edmon; Li, Jin; James, Stephen W; Tatam, Ralph P

2010-01-01

The characterization of a load sensor based on the transverse loading of a subsection of a fibre Bragg grating (FBG) embedded within a cube of epoxy resin is presented. When the epoxy resin cube is loaded transverse to the axis of the fibre, its deformation transduces the load to a strain along the axis of the optical fibre, which changes the period of the embedded section of the FBG. This creates a spectral dropout within the bandwidth of the FBG, with an absolute wavelength that is linearly dependent on the applied load. This technique enhances the sensitivity of the FBG to transverse loading by a factor of 15, to 2.9 × 10 −2 ± 0.01 nm N −1 , when compared to the direct transverse loading of a bare fibre, and also protects the fibre from mechanical damage at the loading point

Power system security enhancement through direct non-disruptive load control

Science.gov (United States)

Ramanathan, Badri Narayanan

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

40 CFR 130.7 - Total maximum daily loads (TMDL) and individual water quality-based effluent limitations.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 21 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Total maximum daily loads (TMDL) and individual water quality-based effluent limitations. 130.7 Section 130.7 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) WATER PROGRAMS WATER QUALITY PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT § 130.7 Total...

Physical work load and psychological stress of daily activities as predictors of disability pension due to musculoskeletal disorders.

Science.gov (United States)

Ropponen, Annina; Svedberg, Pia; Koskenvuo, Markku; Silventoinen, Karri; Kaprio, Jaakko

2014-06-01

Physical work loading and psychological stress commonly co-occur in working life, hence potentially having an interrelationship that may affect work incapacity. This prospective cohort study aimed to investigate the effect of stability and change in physical work loading and stress on the risk of disability pension (DP) due to musculoskeletal diagnoses (MSD), while accounting for familial confounding in these associations. Data on 12,455 twins born before 1958 were surveyed of their physical work loading and psychological stress of daily activities in 1975 and 1981. The follow-up data was collected from pension registers until 2004. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used. During the follow up, 893 participants were granted DP due to MSD. Stable high (hazard ratio, HR, 2.21), but also increased physical work loading (HR 2.05) and high psychological stress (HR 2.22) were associated with increased risk for DP, and had significant interaction (p=0.032). The associations were confirmed when accounting for several confounding factors. Stable high but also increased physical work loading and psychological stress of daily activities between two timepoints with 6 years apart confirms their predictive role for an increased risk of DP. Both physical work loading and psychological stress seem to be independent from various confounding factors hence suggesting direct effect on risk for DP providing potential for occupational health care to early identification of persons at risk. © 2014 the Nordic Societies of Public Health.

Enhancement and suppression in the visual field under perceptual load.

Science.gov (United States)

Parks, Nathan A; Beck, Diane M; Kramer, Arthur F

2013-01-01

The perceptual load theory of attention proposes that the degree to which visual distractors are processed is a function of the attentional demands of a task-greater demands increase filtering of irrelevant distractors. The spatial configuration of such filtering is unknown. Here, we used steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEPs) in conjunction with time-domain event-related potentials (ERPs) to investigate the distribution of load-induced distractor suppression and task-relevant enhancement in the visual field. Electroencephalogram (EEG) was recorded while subjects performed a foveal go/no-go task that varied in perceptual load. Load-dependent distractor suppression was assessed by presenting a contrast reversing ring at one of three eccentricities (2, 6, or 11°) during performance of the go/no-go task. Rings contrast reversed at 8.3 Hz, allowing load-dependent changes in distractor processing to be tracked in the frequency-domain. ERPs were calculated to the onset of stimuli in the load task to examine load-dependent modulation of task-relevant processing. Results showed that the amplitude of the distractor SSVEP (8.3 Hz) was attenuated under high perceptual load (relative to low load) at the most proximal (2°) eccentricity but not at more eccentric locations (6 or 11°). Task-relevant ERPs revealed a significant increase in N1 amplitude under high load. These results are consistent with a center-surround configuration of load-induced enhancement and suppression in the visual field.

Enhancement and Suppression in the Visual Field under Perceptual Load

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nathan A Parks

2013-05-01

Full Text Available The perceptual load theory of attention proposes that the degree to which visual distractors are processed is a function of the attentional demands of a task – greater demands increase filtering of irrelevant distractors. The spatial configuration of such filtering is unknown. Here, we used steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEPs in conjunction with time-domain event-related potentials (ERPs to investigate the distribution of load-induced distractor suppression and task-relevant enhancement in the visual field. Electroencephalogram (EEG was recorded while subjects performed a foveal go/no-go task that varied in perceptual load. Load-dependent distractor suppression was assessed by presenting a contrast reversing ring at one of three eccentricities (2°, 6°, or 11° during performance of the go/no-go task. Rings contrast reversed at 8.3 Hz, allowing load-dependent changes in distractor processing to be tracked in the frequency-domain. ERPs were calculated to the onset of stimuli in the load task to examine load-dependent modulation of task-relevant processing. Results showed that the amplitude of the distractor SSVEP (8.3Hz was attenuated under high perceptual load (relative to low load at the most proximal (2° eccentricity but not at more eccentric locations (6˚ or 11˚. Task-relevant ERPs revealed a significant increase in N1 amplitude under high load. These results are consistent with a center-surround configuration of load-induced enhancement and suppression in the visual field.

Using spatially detailed water-quality data and solute-transport modeling to improve support total maximum daily load development

Science.gov (United States)

Walton-Day, Katherine; Runkel, Robert L.; Kimball, Briant A.

2012-01-01

Spatially detailed mass-loading studies and solute-transport modeling using OTIS (One-dimensional Transport with Inflow and Storage) demonstrate how natural attenuation and loading from distinct and diffuse sources control stream water quality and affect load reductions predicted in total maximum daily loads (TMDLs). Mass-loading data collected during low-flow from Cement Creek (a low-pH, metal-rich stream because of natural and mining sources, and subject to TMDL requirements) were used to calibrate OTIS and showed spatially variable effects of natural attenuation (instream reactions) and loading from diffuse (groundwater) and distinct sources. OTIS simulations of the possible effects of TMDL-recommended remediation of mine sites showed less improvement to dissolved zinc load and concentration (14% decrease) than did the TMDL (53-63% decrease). The TMDL (1) assumed conservative transport, (2) accounted for loads removed by remediation by subtracting them from total load at the stream mouth, and (3) did not include diffuse-source loads. In OTIS, loads were reduced near their source; the resulting concentration was decreased by natural attenuation and increased by diffuse-source loads during downstream transport. Thus, by not including natural attenuation and loading from diffuse sources, the TMDL overestimated remediation effects at low flow. Use of the techniques presented herein could improve TMDLs by incorporating these processes during TMDL development.

76 FR 549 - Clean Water Act Section 303(d): Notice for the Establishment of the Total Maximum Daily Load...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-01-05

... Establishment of the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for the Chesapeake Bay AGENCY: Environmental Protection... that when met will assure the attainment and maintenance of all applicable water quality standards for... productive estuaries in the world. Despite significant efforts by federal, state, and local governments and...

Hydroxycamptothecin-loaded nanoparticles enhance target drug delivery and anticancer effect

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Li Su

2008-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Hydroxycamptothecin (HCPT has been shown to have activity against a broad spectrum of cancers. In order to enhance its tissue-specific delivery and anticancer activity, we prepared HCPT-loaded nanoparticles made from poly(ethylene glycol-poly(γ-benzyl-L-glutamate (PEG-PBLG, and then studied their release characteristics, pharmacokinetic characteristics, and anticancer effects. PEG-PBLG nanoparticles incorporating HCPT were prepared by a dialysis method. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM was used to observe the shape and diameter of the nanoparticles. The HCPT release characteristics in vitro were evaluated by ultraviolet spectrophotometry. A high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC detection method for determining HCPT in rabbit plasma was established. The pharmacokinetic parameters of HCPT/PEG-PBLG nanoparticles were compared with those of HCPT. Results The HCPT-loaded nanoparticles had a core-shell spherical structure, with a core diameter of 200 nm and a shell thickness of 30 nm. Drug-loading capacity and drug encapsulation were 7.5 and 56.8%, respectively. The HCPT release profile was biphasic, with an initial abrupt release, followed by sustained release. The terminal elimination half-lives (t 1/2 β of HCPT and HCPT-loaded nanoparticles were 4.5 and 10.1 h, respectively. Peak concentrations (Cmax of HCPT and HCPT-loaded nanoparticles were 2627.8 and 1513.5 μg/L, respectively. The apparent volumes of distribution of the HCPT and HCPT-loaded nanoparticles were 7.3 and 20.0 L, respectively. Compared with a blank control group, Lovo cell xenografts or Tca8113 cell xenografts in HCPT or HCPT-loaded nanoparticle treated groups grew more slowly and the tumor doubling times were increased. The tumor inhibition effect in the HCPT-loaded nanosphere-treated group was significantly higher than that of the HCPT-treated group (p 0.05. Conclusion Compared to the HCPT- and control-treated groups, the HCPT-loaded nanoparticle

Oridonin Loaded Solid Lipid Nanoparticles Enhanced Antitumor Activity in MCF-7 Cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lu Wang

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Oridonin (ORI, a famous diterpenoid from Chinese herbal medicine, has drawn rising attention for its remarkable apoptosis and autophagy-inducing activity in human cancer therapy, while clinical application of ORI is limited by its strong hydrophobicity and rapid plasma clearance. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the antitumor activity of ORI could be enhanced by loading into solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs. ORI-loaded SLNs were prepared by hot high pressure homogenization with narrow size distribution and good entrapment efficacy. MTT assay indicated that ORI-loaded SLNs enhanced the inhibition of proliferation against several human cancer cell lines including breast cancer MCF-7 cells, hepatocellular carcinoma HepG 2 cells, and lung carcinoma A549 cells compared with free ORI, while no significant enhancement of toxicity to human mammary epithelial MCF-10A cells was shown. Meanwhile, flow cytometric analysis demonstrated that ORI-SLNs induced more significant cell cycle arrest at S and decreased cell cycle arrest at G1/G0 phase in MCF-7 cells than bulk ORI solution. Hoechst 33342 staining and Annexin V/PI assay indicated that apoptotic rates of cells treated with ORI-loaded SLNs were higher compared with free ORI. In summary, our data indicated that SLNs may be a potential carrier for enhancing the antitumor effect of hydrophobic drug ORI.

Shock enhancement of cellular materials subjected to intensive pulse loading

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, J.; Fan, J.; Wang, Z.; Zhao, L.; Li, Z.

2018-03-01

Cellular materials can dissipate a large amount of energy due to their considerable stress plateau, which contributes to their extensive applications in structural design for crashworthiness. However, in some experiments with specimens subjected to intense impact loads, transmitted stress enhancement has been observed, leading to severe damage to the objects protected. Transmitted stress through two-dimensional Voronoi cellular materials as a protective device is qualitatively studied in this paper. Dimensionless parameters of material properties and loading parameters are defined to give critical conditions for shock enhancement and clarify the correlation between the deformations and stress enhancement. The effect of relative density on this amplifying phenomenon is investigated as well. In addition, local strain fields are calculated by using the optimal local deformation gradient, which gives a clear presentation of deformations and possible local non-uniformity in the crushing process. This research provides valuable insight into the reliability of cellular materials as protective structures.

Experimental application of the "total maximum daily load" approach as a tool for WFD implementation in temporary rivers

Science.gov (United States)

Lo Porto, A.; De Girolamo, A. M.; Santese, G.

2012-04-01

In this presentation, the experience gained in the first experimental use in the UE (as far as we know) of the concept and methodology of the "Total Maximum Daily Load" (TMDL) is reported. The TMDL is an instrument required in the Clean Water Act in U.S.A for the management of water bodies classified impaired. The TMDL calculates the maximum amount of a pollutant that a waterbody can receive and still safely meet water quality standards. It permits to establish a scientifically-based strategy on the regulation of the emission loads control according to the characteristic of the watershed/basin. The implementation of the TMDL is a process analogous to the Programmes of Measures required by the WFD, the main difference being the analysis of the linkage between loads of different sources and the water quality of water bodies. The TMDL calculation was used in this study for the Candelaro River, a temporary Italian river, classified impaired in the first steps of the implementation of the WFD. A specific approach based on the "Load Duration Curves" was adopted for the calculation of nutrient TMDLs due to the more robust approach specific for rivers featuring large changes in river flow compared to the classic approach based on average long term flow conditions. This methodology permits to establish the maximum allowable loads across to the different flow conditions of a river. This methodology enabled: to evaluate the allowable loading of a water body; to identify the sources and estimate their loads; to estimate the total loading that the water bodies can receives meeting the water quality standards established; to link the effects of point and diffuse sources on the water quality status and finally to individuate the reduction necessary for each type of sources. The loads reductions were calculated for nitrate, total phosphorus and ammonia. The simulated measures showed a remarkable ability to reduce the pollutants for the Candelaro River. The use of the Soil and

Novel sulpiride-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles with enhanced intestinal permeability

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ibrahim WM

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Waheed M Ibrahim,1 Abdullah H AlOmrani,2 Alaa Eldeen B Yassin31Drug Sector, Saudi Food and Drug Authority, 2Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, 3Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, National Guard Health Affairs, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaBackground: Solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN, novel drug delivery carriers, can be utilized in enhancing both intestinal permeability and dissolution of poorly absorbed drugs. The aim of this work was to enhance the intestinal permeability of sulpiride by loading into SLN.Methods: A unique ultrasonic melt-emulsification method with minimum stress conditions was used for the preparation of SLN. The mixture of the drug and the melted lipids was simply dispersed in an aqueous solution of a surfactant at a temperature that was 10°C higher than the melting points of the lipids using probe sonication, and was then simultaneously dispersed in cold water. Several formulation parameters were optimized, including the drug-to-lipid ratio, and the types of lipids and surfactants used. The produced SLN were evaluated for their particle size and shape, surface charge, entrapment efficiency, crystallinity of the drug and lipids, and the drug release profile. The rat everted sac intestine model was utilized to evaluate the change in intestinal permeability of sulpiride by loading into SLN.Results: The method adopted allowed successful preparation of SLN with a monodispersed particle size of 147.8–298.8 nm. Both scanning electron microscopic and atomic force microscopic images showed uniform spherical particles and confirmed the sizes determined by the light scattering technique. Combination of triglycerides with stearic acid resulted in a marked increase in zeta potential, entrapment efficiency, and drug loading; however, the particle size was increased. The type of surfactant used was critical for particle size

Cyclodextrin-PEG conjugate-wrapped magnetic ferrite nanoparticles for enhanced drug loading and release

Science.gov (United States)

Enoch, Israel V. M. V.; Ramasamy, Sivaraj; Mohiyuddin, Shanid; Gopinath, Packirisamy; Manoharan, R.

2018-05-01

Magnetic nanoparticles are envisaged to overcome the impediments in the methods of targeted drug delivery and hence cure cancer effectively. We report herein, manganese ferrite nanoparticles, coated with β-cyclodextrin-modified polyethylene glycol as a carrier for the drug, camptothecin. The particles are of the size of 100 nm and they show superparamagnetic behaviour. The saturation magnetization does not get diminished on polymer coverage of the nanoparticles. The β-cyclodextrin-polyethylene glycol conjugates are characterized using NMR and mass spectrometric techniques. By coating the magnetic nanoparticles with the cyclodextrin-tethered polymer, the drug-loading capacity is enhanced and the observed release of the drug is slow and sustained. The cell viability of HEK293 and HCT15 cells is evaluated and the cytotoxicity is enhanced when the drug is loaded in the polymer-coated magnetic nanoparticles. The noncovalent-binding based and enhanced drug loading on the nanoparticles and the sustained release make the nanocarrier a promising agent for carrying the payload to the target.

Enhancing Bone Accretion Using Short Duration, Low-Level Mechanical Vibrations

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Judex, Stefan

2005-01-01

.... In this second annual report, data are presented that indicate that the efficacy of extremely low-level whole-body mechanical vibrations can be enhanced by altering the number of daily loading...

Relationships Among Nightly Sleep Quality, Daily Stress, and Daily Affect.

Science.gov (United States)

Blaxton, Jessica M; Bergeman, Cindy S; Whitehead, Brenda R; Braun, Marcia E; Payne, Jessic D

2017-05-01

We explored the prospective, microlevel relationship between nightly sleep quality (SQ) and the subsequent day's stress on positive (PA) and negative affect (NA) as well as the moderating relationships between nightly SQ, subsequent stress, and subsequent PA on NA. We investigated whether age moderated these relationships. We collected 56 days of sleep, stress, and affect data using daily diary questionnaires (N = 552). We used multilevel modeling to assess relationships at the between- and within-person levels. Daily increases in SQ and decreases in stress interacted to predict higher daily PA and lower daily NA. Better SQ in older adults enhanced the benefits of PA on the stress-NA relationship more during times of low stress, whereas better sleep in younger adults enhanced the benefits of PA more during times of high stress. Between-person effects were stronger predictors of well-being outcomes than within-person variability. The combination of good SQ and higher PA buffered the impact of stress on NA. The moderating impact of age suggests that sleep and stress play different roles across adulthood. Targeting intervention and prevention strategies to improve SQ and enhance PA could disrupt the detrimental relationship between daily stress and NA. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Enhancement of Orthodontic Anchor Screw Stability Under Immediate Loading by Ultraviolet Photofunctionalization Technology.

Science.gov (United States)

Takahashi, Maiko; Motoyoshi, Mitsuru; Inaba, Mizuki; Hagiwara, Yoshiyuki; Shimizu, Noriyoshi

Ultraviolet (UV)-mediated photofunctionalization technology is intended to enhance the osseointegration capability of titanium implants. There are concerns about orthodontic anchor screws loosening under immediate loading protocols in adolescent orthodontic treatment. The purpose of this in vivo study was to evaluate the effects of photofunctionalization on the intrabony stability of orthodontic titanium anchor screws and bone-anchor screw contact under immediate loading in growing rats. Custom-made titanium anchor screws (1.4 mm in diameter and 4.0 mm in length) with or without photofunctionalization pretreatment were placed on the proximal epiphysis of the tibial bone in 6-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats and were loaded immediately after placement. After 2 weeks of loading, the stability of the anchor screws was evaluated using a Periotest device, and the bone-anchor screw contact ratio (BSC) was assessed by a histomorphometric analysis using field-emission scanning electron microscopy. In the unloaded group, Periotest values (PTVs) were ~25 for UV-untreated screws and 13 for UVtreated screws (P < .01), while in the immediate-loading group, PTVs were 28 for UV-untreated screws and 16 for UV-treated screws (P < .05). Significantly less screw mobility was observed in both UV-treated groups regardless of the loading protocol. The BSC was increased ~1.8 fold for UV-treated screws, compared with UV-untreated screws, regardless of the loading protocol. Photofunctionalization enhanced the intrabony stability of orthodontic anchor screws under immediate loading in growing rats by increasing bone-anchor screw contact.

The effect of low-load exercise on joint pain, function, and activities of daily living in patients with knee osteoarthritis.

Science.gov (United States)

Peeler, Jason; Ripat, Jacquie

2018-01-01

Knee osteoarthritis has a lifetime risk of nearly one in two, with obese individuals being most susceptible. While exercise is universally recognized as a critical component for management, unsafe or ineffective exercise frequently leads to exacerbation of joint symptoms. Evaluate the effect of a 12week lower body positive pressure (LBPP) supported low-load treadmill walking program on knee pain, joint function, and performance of daily activities in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA). Prospective, observational, repeated measures investigation. Community based, multidisciplinary musculoskeletal medicine clinic. Thirty-one patients, aged 50-75, with a BMI ≥25kg/m 2 and radiographic confirmed mild to moderate knee OA. Twelve week LBPP treadmill walking exercise regimen. The Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) and the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) were used to quantify joint symptoms and patient function; isokinetic thigh muscle strength was evaluated; and a 10-point VAS was used to quantify acute knee pain while walking. Baseline and follow-up data were compared in order to examine the effect of the 12week exercise intervention. There was a significant difference between baseline and follow-up data: KOOS and COPM scores both improved; thigh muscle strength increased; and acute knee pain during full weight bearing walking diminished significantly. Participation in a 12week LBPP supported treadmill walking exercise regimen significantly enhanced patient function and quality of life, as well as the ability to perform activities of daily living that patient's self-identified as being important, yet difficult to perform. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Short-term load forecasting of power system

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Xiaobin

2017-05-01

In order to ensure the scientific nature of optimization about power system, it is necessary to improve the load forecasting accuracy. Power system load forecasting is based on accurate statistical data and survey data, starting from the history and current situation of electricity consumption, with a scientific method to predict the future development trend of power load and change the law of science. Short-term load forecasting is the basis of power system operation and analysis, which is of great significance to unit combination, economic dispatch and safety check. Therefore, the load forecasting of the power system is explained in detail in this paper. First, we use the data from 2012 to 2014 to establish the partial least squares model to regression analysis the relationship between daily maximum load, daily minimum load, daily average load and each meteorological factor, and select the highest peak by observing the regression coefficient histogram Day maximum temperature, daily minimum temperature and daily average temperature as the meteorological factors to improve the accuracy of load forecasting indicators. Secondly, in the case of uncertain climate impact, we use the time series model to predict the load data for 2015, respectively, the 2009-2014 load data were sorted out, through the previous six years of the data to forecast the data for this time in 2015. The criterion for the accuracy of the prediction is the average of the standard deviations for the prediction results and average load for the previous six years. Finally, considering the climate effect, we use the BP neural network model to predict the data in 2015, and optimize the forecast results on the basis of the time series model.

Economic total maximum daily load for watershed-based pollutant trading.

Science.gov (United States)

Zaidi, A Z; deMonsabert, S M

2015-04-01

Water quality trading (WQT) is supported by the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) under the framework of its total maximum daily load (TMDL) program. An innovative approach is presented in this paper that proposes post-TMDL trade by calculating pollutant rights for each pollutant source within a watershed. Several water quality trading programs are currently operating in the USA with an objective to achieve overall pollutant reduction impacts that are equivalent or better than TMDL scenarios. These programs use trading ratios for establishing water quality equivalence among pollutant reductions. The inbuilt uncertainty in modeling the effects of pollutants in a watershed from both the point and nonpoint sources on receiving waterbodies makes WQT very difficult. A higher trading ratio carries with it increased mitigation costs, but cannot ensure the attainment of the required water quality with certainty. The selection of an applicable trading ratio, therefore, is not a simple process. The proposed approach uses an Economic TMDL optimization model that determines an economic pollutant reduction scenario that can be compared with actual TMDL allocations to calculate selling/purchasing rights for each contributing source. The methodology is presented using the established TMDLs for the bacteria (fecal coliform) impaired Muddy Creek subwatershed WAR1 in Rockingham County, Virginia, USA. Case study results show that an environmentally and economically superior trading scenario can be realized by using Economic TMDL model or any similar model that considers the cost of TMDL allocations.

Impact of sampling resolution on estimation of community-wide daily illicit drug use

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ramin, Pedram; Baz Lomba, J. A.; Reid, M.

It is a common approach to report daily community-wide drug consumption, based on single daily measurements of the influent from a treatment plant. This article suggests that neglecting diurnal variations of loads and flow can result in misestimating daily drug consumption.......It is a common approach to report daily community-wide drug consumption, based on single daily measurements of the influent from a treatment plant. This article suggests that neglecting diurnal variations of loads and flow can result in misestimating daily drug consumption....

Enhanced Sucrose Loading Improves Rice Yield by Increasing Grain Size.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Liang; Lu, Qingtao; Wen, Xiaogang; Lu, Congming

2015-12-01

Yield in cereals is a function of grain number and size. Sucrose (Suc), the main carbohydrate product of photosynthesis in higher plants, is transported long distances from source leaves to sink organs such as seeds and roots. Here, we report that transgenic rice plants (Oryza sativa) expressing the Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) phloem-specific Suc transporter (AtSUC2), which loads Suc into the phloem under control of the phloem protein2 promoter (pPP2), showed an increase in grain yield of up to 16% relative to wild-type plants in field trials. Compared with wild-type plants, pPP2::AtSUC2 plants had larger spikelet hulls and larger and heavier grains. Grain filling was accelerated in the transgenic plants, and more photoassimilate was transported from the leaves to the grain. In addition, microarray analyses revealed that carbohydrate, amino acid, and lipid metabolism was enhanced in the leaves and grain of pPP2::AtSUC2 plants. Thus, enhancing Suc loading represents a promising strategy to improve rice yield to feed the global population. © 2015 American Society of Plant Biologists. All Rights Reserved.

TAF11 assembles RISC loading complex to enhance RNAi efficiency

Science.gov (United States)

Liang, Chunyang; Wang, Yibing; Murota, Yukiko; Liu, Xiang; Smith, Dean; Siomi, Mikiko C.; Liu, Qinghua

2015-01-01

SUMMARY Assembly of the RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC) requires formation of the RISC loading complex (RLC), which contains Dicer-2(Dcr-2)-R2D2 complex and recruits duplex siRNA to Ago2 in Drosophila melanogaster. However, the precise composition and action mechanism of Drosophila RLC remain unclear. Here, we identified the missing factor of RLC as TATA-binding protein associated factor 11 (TAF11) by genetic screen. Although an annotated nuclear transcription factor, we found that TAF11 also associated with Dcr-2/R2D2 and localized to cytoplasmic D2 bodies. Consistent with defective RLC assembly in taf11−/− ovary extract, we reconstituted the RLC in vitro using recombinant Dcr-2-R2D2 complex, TAF11, and duplex siRNA. Furthermore, we showed that TAF11 tetramer facilitates Dcr-2-R2D2 tetramerization to enhance siRNA binding and RISC loading activities. Together, our genetic and biochemical studies define the molecular nature of Drosophila RLC and elucidate a novel cytoplasmic function of TAF11 in organizing RLC assembly to enhance RNAi efficiency. PMID:26257286

Photothermal enhancement of chemotherapy mediated by gold-silica nanoshell-loaded macrophages: in vitro squamous cell carcinoma study

Science.gov (United States)

Madsen, Steen J.; Shih, En-Chung; Peng, Qian; Christie, Catherine; Krasieva, Tatiana; Hirschberg, Henry

2016-01-01

Moderate hyperthermia (MHT) has been shown to enhance the effects of chemotherapeutic agents in a wide variety of cancers. The purpose of this study was to investigate the combined effects of commonly used chemotherapeutic agents with MHT induced by near-infrared (NIR) activation of gold nanoshell (AuNS)-loaded macrophages (Ma). AuNS-loaded murine Ma combined with human FaDu squamous cells, in hybrid monolayers, were subjected to three cytotoxic drugs (doxorubicin, bleomycin, cisplatin) with or without NIR laser irradiation. For all three drugs, efficacy was increased by NIR activation of AuNS-loaded Ma. The results of this in vitro study provide proof-of-concept for the use of AuNS-loaded Ma for photothermal enhancement of the effects of chemotherapy on squamous cell carcinoma.

Fullerene–epoxy nanocomposites-enhanced mechanical properties at low nanofiller loading

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rafiee, Mohammad A.; Yavari, Fazel; Rafiee, Javad; Koratkar, Nikhil

2011-01-01

In this study, we characterized the mechanical properties of fullerence (C 60 ) epoxy nanocomposites at various weight fractions of fullerene additives in the epoxy matrix. The mechanical properties measured were the Young’s modulus, ultimate tensile strength, fracture toughness, fracture energy, and the material’s resistance to fatigue crack propagation. All of the above properties of the epoxy polymer were significantly enhanced by the fullerene additives at relatively low nanofiller loading fractions (∼0.1 to 1% of the epoxy matrix weight). By contrast, other forms of nanoparticle fillers such as silica, alumina, and titania nanoparticles require up to an order of magnitude higher weight fraction to achieve comparable enhancement in properties.

Loads and loads and loads: The influence of prospective load, retrospective load, and ongoing task load in prospective memory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Beat eMeier

2015-06-01

Full Text Available In prospective memory tasks different kinds of load can occur. Adding a prospective memory task can impose a load on ongoing task performance. Adding ongoing task load can affect prospective memory performance. The existence of multiple target events increases prospective load and adding complexity to the to-be-remembered action increases retrospective load. In two experiments, we systematically examined the effects of these different types of load on prospective memory performance. Results showed an effect of prospective load on costs in the ongoing task for categorical targets (Experiment 2, but not for specific targets (Experiment 1. Retrospective load and ongoing task load both affected remembering the retrospective component of the prospective memory task. We suggest that prospective load can enhance costs in the ongoing task due to additional monitoring requirements. Retrospective load and ongoing task load seem to impact the division of resources between the ongoing task and retrieval of the retrospective component, which may affect disengagement from the ongoing task. In general, the results demonstrate that the different types of load affect prospective memory differentially.

TAF11 Assembles the RISC Loading Complex to Enhance RNAi Efficiency.

Science.gov (United States)

Liang, Chunyang; Wang, Yibing; Murota, Yukiko; Liu, Xiang; Smith, Dean; Siomi, Mikiko C; Liu, Qinghua

2015-09-03

Assembly of the RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC) requires formation of the RISC loading complex (RLC), which contains the Dicer-2 (Dcr-2)-R2D2 complex and recruits duplex siRNA to Ago2 in Drosophila melanogaster. However, the precise composition and action mechanism of Drosophila RLC remain unclear. Here we identified the missing factor of RLC as TATA-binding protein-associated factor 11 (TAF11) by genetic screen. Although it is an annotated nuclear transcription factor, we found that TAF11 also associated with Dcr-2/R2D2 and localized to cytoplasmic D2 bodies. Consistent with defective RLC assembly in taf11(-/-) ovary extract, we reconstituted the RLC in vitro using the recombinant Dcr-2-R2D2 complex, TAF11, and duplex siRNA. Furthermore, we showed that TAF11 tetramer facilitates Dcr-2-R2D2 tetramerization to enhance siRNA binding and RISC loading activities. Together, our genetic and biochemical studies define the molecular nature of the Drosophila RLC and elucidate a cytoplasmic function of TAF11 in organizing RLC assembly to enhance RNAi efficiency. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

New England SPARROW Water-Quality Modeling to Assist with the Development of Total Maximum Daily Loads in the Connecticut River Basin

Science.gov (United States)

Moore, R. B.; Robinson, K. W.; Simcox, A. C.; Johnston, C. M.

2002-05-01

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission (NEWIPCC), is currently preparing a water-quality model, called SPARROW, to assist in the regional total maximum daily load (TMDL) studies in New England. A model is required to provide estimates of nutrient loads and confidence intervals at unmonitored stream reaches. SPARROW (Spatially Referenced Regressions on Watershed Attributes) is a spatially detailed, statistical model that uses regression equations to relate total phosphorus and nitrogen (nutrient) stream loads to pollution sources and watershed characteristics. These statistical relations are then used to predict nutrient loads in unmonitored streams. The New England SPARROW model is based on a hydrologic network of 42,000 stream reaches and associated watersheds. Point source data are derived from USEPA's Permit Compliance System (PCS). Information about nonpoint sources is derived from data such as fertilizer use, livestock wastes, and atmospheric deposition. Watershed characteristics include land use, streamflow, time-of-travel, stream density, percent wetlands, slope of the land surface, and soil permeability. Preliminary SPARROW results are expected in Spring 2002. The New England SPARROW model is proposed for use in the TMDL determination for nutrients in the Connecticut River Basin, upstream of Connecticut. The model will be used to estimate nitrogen loads from each of the upstream states to Long Island Sound. It will provide estimates and confidence intervals of phosphorus and nitrogen loads, area-weighted yields of nutrients by watershed, sources of nutrients, and the downstream movement of nutrients. This information will be used to (1) understand ranges in nutrient levels in surface waters, (2) identify the environmental factors that affect nutrient levels in streams, (3) evaluate monitoring efforts for better determination of

Enhancement of daily physical activity increases physical fitness of outclinic COPD patients : Results of an exercise counseling program

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hospes, Gieneke; Bossenbroek, Linda; ten Hacken, Nick H. T.; van Hengel, Peter; de Greef, Mathieu H. G.

Objective: To investigate whether a 12-week pedometer-based exercise counseling strategy is feasible and effectively enhances daily physical activity in outclinic Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) patients who do not participate in a rehabilitation program in a controlled way. Methods: 35

Bone healing response in cyclically loaded implants: Comparing zero, one, and two loading sessions per day.

Science.gov (United States)

de Barros E Lima Bueno, Renan; Dias, Ana Paula; Ponce, Katia J; Wazen, Rima; Brunski, John B; Nanci, Antonio

2018-05-31

When bone implants are loaded, they are inevitably subjected to displacement relative to bone. Such micromotion generates stress/strain states at the interface that can cause beneficial or detrimental sequels. The objective of this study is to better understand the mechanobiology of bone healing at the tissue-implant interface during repeated loading. Machined screw shaped Ti implants were placed in rat tibiae in a hole slightly bigger than the implant diameter. Implants were held stable by a specially-designed bone plate that permits controlled loading. Three loading regimens were applied, (a) zero loading, (b) one daily loading session of 60 cycles with an axial force of 1.5 N/cycle for 7 days, and (c) two such daily sessions with the same axial force also for 7 days. Finite element analysis was used to characterize the mechanobiological conditions produced by the loading sessions. After 7 days, the implants with surrounding interfacial tissue were harvested and processed for histological, histomorphometric and DNA microarray analyses. Histomorphometric analyses revealed that the group subjected to repeated loading sessions exhibited a significant decrease in bone-implant contact and increase in bone-implant distance, as compared to unloaded implants and those subjected to only one loading session. Gene expression profiles differed during osseointegration between all groups mainly with respect to inflammatory and unidentified gene categories. The results indicate that increasing the daily cyclic loading of implants induces deleterious changes in the bone healing response, most likely due to the accumulation of tissue damage and associated inflammatory reaction at the bone-implant interface. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Optimization of enhanced biological phosphorus removal after periods of low loading.

Science.gov (United States)

Miyake, Haruo; Morgenroth, Eberhard

2005-01-01

Enhanced biological phosphorus removal is a well-established technology for the treatment of municipal wastewater. However, increased effluent phosphorus concentrations have been reported after periods (days) of low organic loading. The purpose of this study was to evaluate different operating strategies to prevent discharge of effluent after such low-loading periods. Mechanisms leading to these operational problems have been related to the reduction of polyphosphate-accumulating organisms (PAOs) and their storage compounds (polyhydroxy alkanoates [PHA]). Increased effluent phosphorus concentrations can be the result of an imbalance between influent loading and PAOs in the system and an imbalance between phosphorus release and uptake rates. The following operating conditions were tested in their ability to prevent a reduction of PHA and of overall biomass during low organic loading conditions: (a) unchanged operation, (b) reduced aeration time, (c) reduced sludge wastage, and (d) combination of reduced aeration time and reduced sludge wastage. Experiments were performed in a laboratory-scale anaerobic-aerobic sequencing batch reactor, using acetate as the carbon source. Without operational adjustments, phosphorus-release rates decreased during low-loading periods but recovered rapidly. Phosphorus-uptake rates also decreased, and the recovery typically required several days to increase to normal levels. The combination of reduced aeration time and reduced sludge wastage allowed the maintenance of constant levels of both PHA and overall biomass. A mathematical model was used to explain the influence of the tested operating conditions on PAO and PHA concentrations. While experimental results were in general agreement with model predictions, the kinetic expression for phosphorus uptake deviated significantly for the first 24 hours after low-loading conditions. Mechanisms leading to these deviations need to be further investigated.

Daily physical activity enhances resilient resources for symptom management in middle-aged women.

Science.gov (United States)

Kishida, Moé; Elavsky, Steriani

2015-07-01

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the direct and indirect associations between physical activity and menopausal symptoms. Community-dwelling middle-aged women (N = 103; age range 40-60 years) completed daily Internet surveys at the end of the day and wore an accelerometer for the objective assessment of physical activity for 21-days. 1-1-1 multilevel mediation models were estimated to test whether resilient resources (i.e., positive affect and coping efficacy) mediated the association between physical activity and symptom burden at the between- and within-person level. Analyses demonstrated physical activity had an indirect effect (-0.16) on symptom burden through the enhancement of positive affect at the within-person level (p physical activity on symptom burden at the within-person level was -0.08 (p physical activity may help a woman to cope with her symptoms is through the enhancement of positive affect and coping efficacy on a day-to-day basis. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved.

Sediment transport dynamics in the Central Himalaya: assessing during monsoon the erosion processes signature in the daily suspended load of the Narayani river

Science.gov (United States)

Morin, Guillaume; Lavé, Jérôme; Lanord, Christian France; Prassad Gajurel, Ananta

2017-04-01

The evolution of mountainous landscapes is the result of competition between tectonic and erosional processes. In response to the creation of topography by tectonics, fluvial, glacial, and hillslope denudation processes erode topography, leading to rock exhumation and sediment redistribution. When trying to better document the links between climate, tectonic, or lithologic controls in mountain range evolution, a detailed understanding of the influence of each erosion process in a given environment is fundamental. At the scale of a whole mountain range, a systematic survey and monitoring of all the geomorphologic processes at work can rapidly become difficult. An alternative approach can be provided by studying the characteristics and temporal evolution of the sediments exported out of the range. In central Himalaya, the Narayani watershed presents contrasted lithologic, geochemical or isotopic signatures of the outcropping rocks as well as of the erosional processes: this particular setting allows conducting such type of approach by partly untangling the myopic vision of the spatial integration at the watershed scale. Based on the acquisition and analysis of a new dataset on the daily suspended load concentration and geochemical characteristics at the mountain outlet of one of the largest Himalayan rivers (drainage area = 30000 km2) bring several important results on Himalayan erosion, and on climatic and process controls. 1. Based on discrete depth sampling and on daily surface sampling of suspended load associated to flow characterization through ADCP measurements, we were first able to integrate sediment flux across a river cross-section and over time. We estimate for 2010 year an equivalent erosion rate of 1.8 +0.35/-0.2 mm/yr, and over the last 15 years, using past sediment load records from the DHM of Nepal, an equivalent erosion rate of 1.6 +0.3/-0.2 mm/yr. These rates are also in close agreement with the longer term ( 500 yrs) denudation rates of 1.7 mm

Hybridizing DEMD and Quantum PSO with SVR in Electric Load Forecasting

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Li-Ling Peng

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Electric load forecasting is an important issue for a power utility, associated with the management of daily operations such as energy transfer scheduling, unit commitment, and load dispatch. Inspired by strong non-linear learning capability of support vector regression (SVR, this paper presents an SVR model hybridized with the differential empirical mode decomposition (DEMD method and quantum particle swarm optimization algorithm (QPSO for electric load forecasting. The DEMD method is employed to decompose the electric load to several detail parts associated with high frequencies (intrinsic mode function—IMF and an approximate part associated with low frequencies. Hybridized with quantum theory to enhance particle searching performance, the so-called QPSO is used to optimize the parameters of SVR. The electric load data of the New South Wales (Sydney, Australia market and the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO, New York, USA are used for comparing the forecasting performances of different forecasting models. The results illustrate the validity of the idea that the proposed model can simultaneously provide forecasting with good accuracy and interpretability.

Enhancement of urban heat load through social inequalities on an example of a fictional city King's Landing

Science.gov (United States)

Žuvela-Aloise, M.

2017-03-01

The numerical model MUKLIMO_3 is used to simulate the urban climate of an imaginary city as an illustrative example to demonstrate that the residential areas with deprived socio-economic conditions can exhibit an enhanced heat load at night, and thus more disadvantageous environmental conditions, compared with the areas of higher socio-economic status. The urban climate modelling simulations differentiate between orographic, natural landscape, building and social effects, where social differences are introduced by selection of location, building type and amount of vegetation. The model results show that the increase of heat load can be found in the areas inhabited by the poor population as a combined effect of natural and anthropogenic factors. The unfavourable location in the city and the building type, consisting of high density, low housing with high fraction of pavement and small amount of vegetation contribute to the formation of excessive heat load. This abstract example shows that the enhancement of urban heat load can be linked to the concept of a socially stratified city and is independent of the historical development of any specific city.

Loads and loads and loads: the influence of prospective load, retrospective load, and ongoing task load in prospective memory

Science.gov (United States)

Meier, Beat; Zimmermann, Thomas D.

2015-01-01

In prospective memory tasks different kinds of load can occur. Adding a prospective memory task can impose a load on ongoing task performance. Adding ongoing task load (OTL) can affect prospective memory performance. The existence of multiple target events increases prospective load (PL) and adding complexity to the to-be-remembered action increases retrospective load (RL). In two experiments, we systematically examined the effects of these different types of load on prospective memory performance. Results showed an effect of PL on costs in the ongoing task for categorical targets (Experiment 2), but not for specific targets (Experiment 1). RL and OTL both affected remembering the retrospective component of the prospective memory task. We suggest that PL can enhance costs in the ongoing task due to additional monitoring requirements. RL and OTL seem to impact the division of resources between the ongoing task and retrieval of the retrospective component, which may affect disengagement from the ongoing task. In general, the results demonstrate that the different types of load affect prospective memory differentially. PMID:26082709

Loads and loads and loads: the influence of prospective load, retrospective load, and ongoing task load in prospective memory.

Science.gov (United States)

Meier, Beat; Zimmermann, Thomas D

2015-01-01

In prospective memory tasks different kinds of load can occur. Adding a prospective memory task can impose a load on ongoing task performance. Adding ongoing task load (OTL) can affect prospective memory performance. The existence of multiple target events increases prospective load (PL) and adding complexity to the to-be-remembered action increases retrospective load (RL). In two experiments, we systematically examined the effects of these different types of load on prospective memory performance. Results showed an effect of PL on costs in the ongoing task for categorical targets (Experiment 2), but not for specific targets (Experiment 1). RL and OTL both affected remembering the retrospective component of the prospective memory task. We suggest that PL can enhance costs in the ongoing task due to additional monitoring requirements. RL and OTL seem to impact the division of resources between the ongoing task and retrieval of the retrospective component, which may affect disengagement from the ongoing task. In general, the results demonstrate that the different types of load affect prospective memory differentially.

Daily Peak Load Forecasting of Next Day using Weather Distribution and Comparison Value of Each Nearby Date Data

Science.gov (United States)

Ito, Shigenobu; Yukita, Kazuto; Goto, Yasuyuki; Ichiyanagi, Katsuhiro; Nakano, Hiroyuki

By the development of industry, in recent years; dependence to electric energy is growing year by year. Therefore, reliable electric power supply is in need. However, to stock a huge amount of electric energy is very difficult. Also, there is a necessity to keep balance between the demand and supply, which changes hour after hour. Consequently, to supply the high quality and highly dependable electric power supply, economically, and with high efficiency, there is a need to forecast the movement of the electric power demand carefully in advance. And using that forecast as the source, supply and demand management plan should be made. Thus load forecasting is said to be an important job among demand investment of electric power companies. So far, forecasting method using Fuzzy logic, Neural Net Work, Regression model has been suggested for the development of forecasting accuracy. Those forecasting accuracy is in a high level. But to invest electric power in higher accuracy more economically, a new forecasting method with higher accuracy is needed. In this paper, to develop the forecasting accuracy of the former methods, the daily peak load forecasting method using the weather distribution of highest and lowest temperatures, and comparison value of each nearby date data is suggested.

Differential permeation of piroxicam-loaded PLGA micro/nanoparticles and their in vitro enhancement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shankarayan, Raju; Kumar, Sumit; Mishra, Prashant

2013-01-01

Piroxicam is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug used for the treatment of musculoskeletal pain. The main problem encountered when piroxicam is administered orally is its gastric side-effect (ulcer, bleeding and holes in the stomach). Transmucosal delivery and encapsulation of piroxicam in biodegradable particles offer potential advantages over conventional oral delivery. The present study was aimed to develop an alternative to piroxicam-delivery which could overcome the direct contact of the drug at the mucosal membrane and its permeation through the mucosal membrane was studied. To achieve this, the piroxicam was encapsulated in Poly (lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) microparticles (size 1–4 μm, encapsulation efficiency 80–85 %) and nanoparticles (size 151.6 ± 28.6 nm, encapsulation efficiency 92.17 ± 3.08 %). Various formulation process parameters were optimised for the preparation of piroxicam-loaded PLGA nanoparticles of optimal size and encapsulation efficiency. Transmucosal permeability of piroxicam-loaded PLGA micro- and nanoparticles through the porcine oesophageal mucosa was studied. Using fluorescently labelled PLGA micro- and nanoparticles, size-dependent permeation was demonstrated. Furthermore, the effect of different permeation enhancers on the flux rate and permeability coefficient for the permeation of nanoparticles was investigated. The results suggested that amongst the permeation enhancers used the most efficient enhancement of permeation was observed with 10 mM sodium dodecyl sulphate.

Differential permeation of piroxicam-loaded PLGA micro/nanoparticles and their in vitro enhancement

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shankarayan, Raju; Kumar, Sumit; Mishra, Prashant, E-mail: pmishra@dbeb.iitd.ac.in [Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Department of Biochemical Engineering and Biotechnology (India)

2013-03-15

Piroxicam is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug used for the treatment of musculoskeletal pain. The main problem encountered when piroxicam is administered orally is its gastric side-effect (ulcer, bleeding and holes in the stomach). Transmucosal delivery and encapsulation of piroxicam in biodegradable particles offer potential advantages over conventional oral delivery. The present study was aimed to develop an alternative to piroxicam-delivery which could overcome the direct contact of the drug at the mucosal membrane and its permeation through the mucosal membrane was studied. To achieve this, the piroxicam was encapsulated in Poly (lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) microparticles (size 1-4 {mu}m, encapsulation efficiency 80-85 %) and nanoparticles (size 151.6 {+-} 28.6 nm, encapsulation efficiency 92.17 {+-} 3.08 %). Various formulation process parameters were optimised for the preparation of piroxicam-loaded PLGA nanoparticles of optimal size and encapsulation efficiency. Transmucosal permeability of piroxicam-loaded PLGA micro- and nanoparticles through the porcine oesophageal mucosa was studied. Using fluorescently labelled PLGA micro- and nanoparticles, size-dependent permeation was demonstrated. Furthermore, the effect of different permeation enhancers on the flux rate and permeability coefficient for the permeation of nanoparticles was investigated. The results suggested that amongst the permeation enhancers used the most efficient enhancement of permeation was observed with 10 mM sodium dodecyl sulphate.

Differential permeation of piroxicam-loaded PLGA micro/nanoparticles and their in vitro enhancement

Science.gov (United States)

Shankarayan, Raju; Kumar, Sumit; Mishra, Prashant

2013-03-01

Piroxicam is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug used for the treatment of musculoskeletal pain. The main problem encountered when piroxicam is administered orally is its gastric side-effect (ulcer, bleeding and holes in the stomach). Transmucosal delivery and encapsulation of piroxicam in biodegradable particles offer potential advantages over conventional oral delivery. The present study was aimed to develop an alternative to piroxicam-delivery which could overcome the direct contact of the drug at the mucosal membrane and its permeation through the mucosal membrane was studied. To achieve this, the piroxicam was encapsulated in Poly (lactide- co-glycolide) (PLGA) microparticles (size 1-4 μm, encapsulation efficiency 80-85 %) and nanoparticles (size 151.6 ± 28.6 nm, encapsulation efficiency 92.17 ± 3.08 %). Various formulation process parameters were optimised for the preparation of piroxicam-loaded PLGA nanoparticles of optimal size and encapsulation efficiency. Transmucosal permeability of piroxicam-loaded PLGA micro- and nanoparticles through the porcine oesophageal mucosa was studied. Using fluorescently labelled PLGA micro- and nanoparticles, size-dependent permeation was demonstrated. Furthermore, the effect of different permeation enhancers on the flux rate and permeability coefficient for the permeation of nanoparticles was investigated. The results suggested that amongst the permeation enhancers used the most efficient enhancement of permeation was observed with 10 mM sodium dodecyl sulphate.

Methotrexate loaded polyether-copolyester dendrimers for the treatment of gliomas: enhanced efficacy and intratumoral transport capability.

Science.gov (United States)

Dhanikula, Renu Singh; Argaw, Anteneh; Bouchard, Jean-Francois; Hildgen, Patrice

2008-01-01

Therapeutic benefit in glial tumors is often limited due to low permeability of delivery systems across the blood-brain barrier (BBB), drug resistance, and poor penetration into the tumor tissue. In an attempt to overcome these hurdles, polyether-copolyester (PEPE) dendrimers were evaluated as drug carriers for the treatment of gliomas. Dendrimers were conjugated to d-glucosamine as the ligand for enhancing BBB permeability and tumor targeting. The efficacy of methotrexate (MTX)-loaded dendrimers was established against U87 MG and U 343 MGa cells. Permeability of rhodamine-labeled dendrimers and MTX-loaded dendrimers across the in vitro BBB model and their distribution into avascular human glioma tumor spheroids was also studied. Glucosylated dendrimers were found to be endocytosed in significantly higher amounts than nonglucosylated dendrimers by both the cell lines. IC 50 of MTX after loading in dendrimers was lower than that of the free MTX, suggesting that loading MTX in PEPE dendrimers increased its potency. Similar higher activity of MTX-loaded glucosylated and nonglucosylated dendrimers was found in the reduction of tumor spheroid size. These MTX-loaded dendrimers were able to kill even MTX-resistant cells highlighting their ability to overcome MTX resistance. In addition, the amount of MTX-transported across BBB was three to five times more after loading in the dendrimers. Glucosylation further increased the cumulative permeation of dendrimers across BBB and hence increased the amount of MTX available across it. Glucosylated dendrimers distributed through out the avascular tumor spheroids within 6 h, while nonglucosylated dendrimers could do so in 12 h. The results show that glucosamine can be used as an effective ligand not only for targeting glial tumors but also for enhanced permeability across BBB. Thus, glucosylated PEPE dendrimers can serve as potential delivery system for the treatment of gliomas.

Enhancing Photocatalytic Performance through Tuning the Interfacial Process between -Assembled and Pt-Loaded Microspheres

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jun Zhang

2012-01-01

Full Text Available This work reports on a simple two-step approach to rutile TiO2-assembled microspheres loaded by Pt with an aim to tune semiconductor-metal interfacial processes for enhancing the photocatalytic performance. Systematic sample characterizations and structural analysis indicate that Pt loading did not produce any significant influences on the lattice structure of TiO2-assembled microspheres. Instead, upon Pt loading, Schottky barrier was formed in the interfaces between microspheres and Pt nanoparticles, which inhabited efficiently the recombination of photo-generated electron-hole pairs essential for the photocatalytic activities. In addition, TiO2 microspheres also showed a capacity of electrons storage and releasing as represented by a high dielectric constant, which increased the utility rate of photogenerated electrons. All these structural advantages contribute to the excellent photocatalytic activity under ultraviolet light irradiation. The interfacial process between microspheres and Pt nanoparticles was further tuned through adjusting the loading Pt content of metal Pt. As a consequence, the best photocatalytic activity on TiO2 was obtained at 0.85 wt% Pt loading, above or below which photocatalytic activity was apparently decreased.

Interference mitigation enhancement of switched-based scheme in over-loaded femtocells

KAUST Repository

Gaaloul, Fakhreddine

2012-06-01

This paper proposes adequate methods to improve the interference mitigation capability of a recently investigated switched-based interference reduction scheme in short-range open-access and over-loaded femtocells. It is assumed that the available orthogonal channels for the femtocell network are distributed among operating access points in close vicinity, where each of which knows its allocated channels a priori. For the case when the feedback links are capacity-limited and the available channels can be universally shared and simultaneously used, the paper presents enhanced schemes to identify a channel to serve the desired scheduled user by maintaining the interference power level within a tolerable range. They attempt to either complement the switched-based scheme by minimum interference channel selection or adopt different interference thresholds on available channels, while aiming to reduce the channels examination load. The performance of the proposed schemes is quantified and then compared with those of the single-threshold switched-based scheme via numerical and simulation results. © 2012 IEEE.

Synthesis and their enhanced photoelectrochemical performance of ZnO nanoparticle-loaded CuO dandelion heterostructures under solar light

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dong, Guanying; Du, Bin; Liu, Lei; Zhang, Weiwei; Liang, Yujie; Shi, Honglong; Wang, Wenzhong, E-mail: wzhwangmuc@163.com

2017-03-31

Highlights: • ZnO/CuO nanoparticle/dandelion heterostructures were fabricated for the first time. • ZnO/CuO nanoparticle/dandelion heterostructures show enhanced PEC activity. • ZnO nanoparticle loading contents have significant effect on PEC water splitting. • Interaction, charge transfer and enhanced mechanism of photocatalyst were proposed. • p-n junction drives the photoexcited charges efficient separation. - Abstract: Here we report an easy and large-scale synthesis of three-dimensional (3D) ZnO nanoparticle-loaded CuO dandelion (denoted as n-ZnO/p-CuO nanoparticle/dandelion) heterostructures and their photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting under simulated solar light illumination. CuO dandelions were fabricated by a facile and cost-effective chemical strategy, in which the ribbon-like CuO nanoplates were first formed and then assembled into dandelion-like architectures. ZnO nanoparticle-loaded CuO dandelion heterostructures were fabricated by calcining Zn(Ac){sub 2}-loaded CuO dandelions. High resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM) studies demonstrate that intimate p-n junction is built between p-CuO and n-ZnO interface. The n-ZnO/p-CuO nanoparticle/dandelion photoelectrodes exhibit significant improvement in PEC water splitting to CuO dandelion photoelectrodes. The correlation between photocurrents and different loading contents of ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) is studied in which the n-ZnO/p-CuO nanoparticle/dandelion heterostructures with loading 4.6 wt% ZnO NPs show higher photocathodic current. The efficient separation of the photogenerated electrons and holes driven by the intimate p-n junction between p-type CuO and n-type ZnO interface is mainly contributed to the enhanced photoanode current. The achieved results in the present study offer a very useful strategy for designing p-n junction photoelectrodes for efficiency and low-cost PEC cells for clean solar hydrogen production.

Vestibular control of standing balance is enhanced with increased cognitive load.

Science.gov (United States)

McGeehan, Michael A; Woollacott, Marjorie H; Dalton, Brian H

2017-04-01

When cognitive load is elevated during a motor task, cortical inhibition and reaction time are increased; yet, standing balance control is often unchanged. This disconnect is likely explained by compensatory mechanisms within the balance system such as increased sensitivity of the vestibulomotor pathway. This study aimed to determine the effects of increased cognitive load on the vestibular control of standing balance. Participants stood blindfolded on a force plate with their head facing left and arms relaxed at their sides for two trials while exposed to continuous electrical vestibular stimulation (EVS). Participants either stood quietly or executed a cognitive task (double-digit arithmetic). Surface electromyography (EMG) and anterior-posterior ground-body forces (APF) were measured in order to evaluate vestibular-evoked balance responses in the frequency (coherence and gain) and time (cumulant density) domains. Total distance traveled for anterior-posterior center of pressure (COP) was assessed as a metric of balance variability. Despite similar distances traveled for COP, EVS-medial gastrocnemius (MG) EMG and EVS-APF coherence and EVS-TA EMG and EVS-MG EMG gain were elevated for multiple frequencies when standing with increased cognitive load. For the time domain, medium-latency peak amplitudes increased by 13-54% for EVS-APF and EVS-EMG relationships with the cognitive task compared to without. Peak short-latency amplitudes were unchanged. These results indicate that reliance on vestibular control of balance is enhanced when cognitive load is elevated. This augmented neural strategy may act to supplement divided cortical processing resources within the balance system and compensate for the acute neuromuscular modifications associated with increased cognitive demand.

Dynamic tensile loading improves the functional properties of mesenchymal stem cell-laden nanofiber-based fibrocartilage.

Science.gov (United States)

Baker, Brendon M; Shah, Roshan P; Huang, Alice H; Mauck, Robert L

2011-05-01

Fibrocartilaginous tissues such as the meniscus serve critical load-bearing roles, relying on arrays of collagen fibers to resist tensile loads experienced with normal activity. As these structures are frequently injured and possess limited healing capacity, there exists great demand for tissue-engineered replacements. Toward recreating the structural features of these anisotropic tissues in vitro, we employ scaffolds composed of co-aligned nanofibers that direct mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) orientation and the formation of organized extracellular matrix (ECM). Concomitant with ECM synthesis, the mechanical properties of constructs increase with free-swelling culture, but ultimately failed to achieve equivalence with meniscal fibrocartilage. As mechanical forces are essential to the development and maintenance of musculoskeletal tissues, this work examined the effect of cyclic tensile loading on MSC-laden nanofibrous constructs. We hypothesized that loading would modulate the transcriptional behavior of MSCs, spur the deposition of ECM, and lead to enhancements in construct mechanical properties compared to free-swelling controls. Fiber-aligned scaffolds were seeded with MSCs and dynamically loaded daily in tension or maintained as nonloaded controls for 4 weeks. With mechanical stimulation, fibrous gene expression increased, collagen deposition increased, and the tensile modulus increased by 16% relative to controls. These results show that dynamic tensile loading enhances the maturation of MSC-laden aligned nanofibrous constructs, suggesting that recapitulation of the structural and mechanical environment of load-bearing tissues results in increases in functional properties that can be exploited for tissue engineering applications.

Effectively enhanced load transfer by interfacial reactions in multi-walled carbon nanotube reinforced Al matrix composites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhou, Weiwei; Yamaguchi, Tatsuya; Kikuchi, Keiko; Nomura, Naoyuki; Kawasaki, Akira

2017-01-01

The thermal expansion response of multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) reinforced Al matrix composites was employed to discuss the improvement of the load transfer at the interface between the MWCNTs and the Al matrix. An aluminum carbide (Al_4C_3) nanostructure at the end of the MWCNTs, incorporated in the Al matrix, was produced by appropriate heat-treatment. The stress contrast around the Al_4C_3 observed in the high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) image revealed the evidence of a trace of friction, which would lead to the enhancement of the anchor effect from the Al matrix. This anchor effect of Al_4C_3 may hinder the local interfacial slippage and constrain the deformation of the Al matrix. As a result, the thermal expansion behavior became linear and reversible under cyclic thermal load. It is concluded that the formation of Al_4C_3 could effectively enhance the load transfer in MWCNT/Al composites. The yield strength of MWCNT/Al composites was substantially increased under the appropriate quantity of Al_4C_3 produced at the MWCNT-Al interface by precisely controlled heat-treatment.

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

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

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

2017-01-01

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

Synthesis of Ag-loaded SrTiO_3/TiO_2 heterostructure nanotube arrays for enhanced photocatalytic performances

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hu, Zijun; Chen, Da; Zhan, Xiaqiang; Wang, Fang; Qin, Laishun; Huang, Yuexiang

2017-01-01

In this work, the effect of loading Ag nanoparticles on the photocatalytic activity of SrTiO_3/TiO_2 nanotube arrays (TNTAs) was investigated. TNTAs were partially transformed to SrTiO_3 through a hydrothermal treatment, which could preserve the tubular structure of TNTAs, and then, Ag nanoparticles were well deposited on the surface of SrTiO_3/TNTAs heterostructure by a chemical reduction process. Compared to the TNTAs sample, the Ag-loaded SrTiO_3/TNTAs sample showed significantly enhanced photocatalytic activities for photodegradation of rhodamine B. The enhanced photocatalytic activity of Ag-loaded SrTiO_3/TNTAs could be attributed to the increased optical absorption as well as the efficient charge transfer and separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs induced by the SrTiO_3/TNTAs heterojunction and the Schottky barrier between metallic Ag and SrTiO_3/TNTAs. On the basis of the trapping experiments, the possible photocatalytic mechanism was also discussed. (orig.)

Transcription factor assisted loading and enhancer dynamics dictate the hepatic fasting response

Science.gov (United States)

Goldstein, Ido; Baek, Songjoon; Presman, Diego M.; Paakinaho, Ville; Swinstead, Erin E.; Hager, Gordon L.

2017-01-01

Fasting elicits transcriptional programs in hepatocytes leading to glucose and ketone production. This transcriptional program is regulated by many transcription factors (TFs). To understand how this complex network regulates the metabolic response to fasting, we aimed at isolating the enhancers and TFs dictating it. Measuring chromatin accessibility revealed that fasting massively reorganizes liver chromatin, exposing numerous fasting-induced enhancers. By utilizing computational methods in combination with dissecting enhancer features and TF cistromes, we implicated four key TFs regulating the fasting response: glucocorticoid receptor (GR), cAMP responsive element binding protein 1 (CREB1), peroxisome proliferator activated receptor alpha (PPARA), and CCAAT/enhancer binding protein beta (CEBPB). These TFs regulate fuel production by two distinctly operating modules, each controlling a separate metabolic pathway. The gluconeogenic module operates through assisted loading, whereby GR doubles the number of sites occupied by CREB1 as well as enhances CREB1 binding intensity and increases accessibility of CREB1 binding sites. Importantly, this GR-assisted CREB1 binding was enhancer-selective and did not affect all CREB1-bound enhancers. Single-molecule tracking revealed that GR increases the number and DNA residence time of a portion of chromatin-bound CREB1 molecules. These events collectively result in rapid synergistic gene expression and higher hepatic glucose production. Conversely, the ketogenic module operates via a GR-induced TF cascade, whereby PPARA levels are increased following GR activation, facilitating gradual enhancer maturation next to PPARA target genes and delayed ketogenic gene expression. Our findings reveal a complex network of enhancers and TFs that dynamically cooperate to restore homeostasis upon fasting. PMID:28031249

Evaluation of reactivity and Xe behavior during daily load following operation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sakamoto, Yasunori; Araki, Tsuneyasu; Yamamoto, Fumiaki

1992-01-01

A boiling water reactor (BWR) has an excellent load following capability provided by a core flow control, which is used for changing a reactor power level and for compensating the subsequent Xe concentration change. The core characteristics during load following operations are investigated in detail, using our reactor core simulator. Comparisons of changes of the Doppler reactivity, the void reactivity and the Xe reactivity during transients are performed. Also the features of Xe transient during load following operations are shown. It has been shown that the core flow change required to compensate the Xe reactivity change produces much greater change of the void reactivity than that required for power level changes, and that the resulting local power change in the lower part of the core is greater than that in the upper part, because the Xe concentration change in the lower part is hardly compensated by the core flow control. Also the effects of power level changes, cycle patterns, and initial concentration of Xe and I on the Xe transient behavior have been investigated. (author)

Alaska Village Electric Load Calculator

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Devine, M.; Baring-Gould, E. I.

2004-10-01

As part of designing a village electric power system, the present and future electric loads must be defined, including both seasonal and daily usage patterns. However, in many cases, detailed electric load information is not readily available. NREL developed the Alaska Village Electric Load Calculator to help estimate the electricity requirements in a village given basic information about the types of facilities located within the community. The purpose of this report is to explain how the load calculator was developed and to provide instructions on its use so that organizations can then use this model to calculate expected electrical energy usage.

Oleic Acid enhances all-trans retinoic Acid loading in nano-lipid emulsions.

Science.gov (United States)

Chinsriwongkul, Akhayachatra; Opanasopit, Praneet; Ngawhirunpat, Tanasait; Rojanarata, Theerasak; Sila-On, Warisada; Ruktanonchai, Uracha

2010-01-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the enhancement of all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) loading in nano-lipid emulsions and stability by using oleic acid. The effect of formulation factors including initial ATRA concentration and the type of oil on the physicochemical properties, that is, percentage yield, percentage drug release, and photostability of formulations, was determined. The solubility of ATRA was increased in the order of oleic acid > MCT > soybean oil > water. The physicochemical properties of ATRA-loaded lipid emulsion, including mean particle diameter and zeta potential, were modulated by changing an initial ATRA concentration as well as the type and mixing ratio of oil and oleic acid as an oil phase. The particles of lipid emulsions had average sizes of less than 250 nm and negative zeta potential. The addition of oleic acid in lipid emulsions resulted in high loading capacity. The photodegradation rate was found to be dependent on the initial drug concentration but independent of the type of oily phase used in this study. The release rates were not affected by initial ATRA concentration but were affected by the type of oil, where oleic acid showed the highest release rate of ATRA from lipid emulsions.

Photocatalytic activity of PANI loaded coordination polymer composite materials: Photoresponse region extension and quantum yields enhancement via the loading of PANI nanofibers on surface of coordination polymer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cui, Zhongping; Qi, Ji; Xu, Xinxin; Liu, Lu; Wang, Yi

2013-01-01

To enhance photocatalytic property of coordination polymer in visible light region, polyaniline (PANI) loaded coordination polymer photocatalyst was synthesized through in-situ chemical oxidation of aniline on the surface of coordination polymer. The photocatalytic activity of PANI loaded coordination polymer composite material for degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) was investigated. Compared with pure coordination polymer photocatalyst, which can decompose RhB merely under UV light irradiation, PANI loaded coordination polymer photocatalyst displays more excellent photocatalytic activity in visible light region. Furthermore, PANI loaded coordination polymer photocatalyst exhibits outstanding stability during the degradation of RhB. - Graphical abstract: PANI loaded coordination polymer composite material, which displays excellent photocatalytic activity under visible light was firstly synthesized through in-situ chemical oxidation of aniline on surface of coordination polymer. Display Omitted - Highlights: • This PANI loaded coordination polymer composite material represents the first conductive polymer loaded coordination polymer composite material. • PANI/coordination polymer composite material displays more excellent photocatalytic activity for the degradation of MO in visible light region. • The “combination” of coordination polymer and PANI will enable us to design high-activity, high-stability and visible light driven photocatalyst in the future

The effect of COD loading on the granule-based enhanced biological phosphorus removal system and the recoverability.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Shenjing; Sun, Peide; Zheng, Wei; Chen, Lujun; Zheng, Xiongliu; Han, Jingyi; Yan, Tao

2014-11-01

In this study, the effect of varied COD loading (200, 400, 500, 600 and 800 mg L(-1)) on stability and recoverability of granule-based enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) system was investigated during continuously 53-d operation. Results showed that COD loading higher than 500 mg L(-1) could obviously deteriorate the granular EBPR system and result in sludge bulking with filamentous bacteria. High COD loading also changed the transformation patterns of poly-β-hydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) and glycogen in metabolism process of polyphosphate-accumulating organisms (PAOs) and inhibited the EPS secretion, which completely destroyed the stability and integrality of granules. Results of FISH indicated that glycogen-accumulating organisms (GAOs) and other microorganisms had a competitive advantage over PAOs with higher COD loading. The community composition and EBPR performance were recovered irreversibly in long time operation when COD loading was higher than 500 mg L(-1). Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Daily intermittent hypoxia enhances walking after chronic spinal cord injury

Science.gov (United States)

Hayes, Heather B.; Jayaraman, Arun; Herrmann, Megan; Mitchell, Gordon S.; Rymer, William Z.

2014-01-01

Objectives: To test the hypothesis that daily acute intermittent hypoxia (dAIH) and dAIH combined with overground walking improve walking speed and endurance in persons with chronic incomplete spinal cord injury (iSCI). Methods: Nineteen subjects completed the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study. Participants received 15, 90-second hypoxic exposures (dAIH, fraction of inspired oxygen [Fio2] = 0.09) or daily normoxia (dSHAM, Fio2 = 0.21) at 60-second normoxic intervals on 5 consecutive days; dAIH was given alone or combined with 30 minutes of overground walking 1 hour later. Walking speed and endurance were quantified using 10-Meter and 6-Minute Walk Tests. The trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT01272349). Results: dAIH improved walking speed and endurance. Ten-Meter Walk time improved with dAIH vs dSHAM after 1 day (mean difference [MD] 3.8 seconds, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.1–6.5 seconds, p = 0.006) and 2 weeks (MD 3.8 seconds, 95% CI 0.9–6.7 seconds, p = 0.010). Six-Minute Walk distance increased with combined dAIH + walking vs dSHAM + walking after 5 days (MD 94.4 m, 95% CI 17.5–171.3 m, p = 0.017) and 1-week follow-up (MD 97.0 m, 95% CI 20.1–173.9 m, p = 0.014). dAIH + walking increased walking distance more than dAIH after 1 day (MD 67.7 m, 95% CI 1.3–134.1 m, p = 0.046), 5 days (MD 107.0 m, 95% CI 40.6–173.4 m, p = 0.002), and 1-week follow-up (MD 136.0 m, 95% CI 65.3–206.6 m, p walking improved walking speed and distance in persons with chronic iSCI. The impact of dAIH is enhanced by combination with walking, demonstrating that combinatorial therapies may promote greater functional benefits in persons with iSCI. Classification of evidence: This study provides Class I evidence that transient hypoxia (through measured breathing treatments), along with overground walking training, improves walking speed and endurance after iSCI. PMID:24285617

Bioavailability Enhancement of Paclitaxel via a Novel Oral Drug Delivery System: Paclitaxel-Loaded Glycyrrhizic Acid Micelles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fu-Heng Yang

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Paclitaxel (PTX, taxol, a classical antitumor drug against a wide range of tumors, shows poor oral bioavailability. In order to improve the oral bioavailability of PTX, glycyrrhizic acid (GA was used as the carrier in this study. This was the first report on the preparation, characterization and the pharmacokinetic study in rats of PTX-loaded GA micelles The PTX-loaded micelles, prepared with ultrasonic dispersion method, displayed small particle sizes and spherical shapes. Differential scanning calorimeter (DSC thermograms indicated that PTX was entrapped in the GA micelles and existed as an amorphous state. The encapsulation efficiency was about 90%, and the drug loading rate could reach up to 7.90%. PTX-loaded GA micelles displayed a delayed drug release compared to Taxol in the in vitro release experiment. In pharmacokinetic study via oral administration, the area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC0→24 h of PTX-loaded GA micelles was about six times higher than that of Taxol (p < 0.05. The significant oral absorption enhancement of PTX from PTX-loaded GA micelles could be largely due to the increased absorption in jejunum and colon intestine. All these results suggested that GA would be a promising carrier for the oral delivery of PTX.

Developing strategies to enhance loading efficiency of erythrosensors

Science.gov (United States)

Bustamante Lopez, Sandra C.; Ritter, Sarah C.; Meissner, Kenith E.

2014-02-01

For diabetics, continuous glucose monitoring and the resulting tighter control of glucose levels ameliorate serious complications from hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia. Diabetics measure their blood glucose levels multiple times a day by finger pricks, or use implantable monitoring devices. Still, glucose and other analytes in the blood fluctuate throughout the day and the current monitoring methods are invasive, immunogenic, and/or present biodegradation problems. Using carrier erythrocytes loaded with a fluorescent sensor, we seek to develop a biodegradable, efficient, and potentially cost effective method to continuously sense blood analytes. We aim to reintroduce sensor-loaded erythrocytes to the bloodstream and conserve the erythrocytes lifetime of 120 days in the circulatory system. Here, we compare the efficiency of two loading techniques: hypotonic dilution and electroporation. Hypotonic dilution employs hypotonic buffer to create transient pores in the erythrocyte membrane, allowing dye entrance and a hypertonic buffer to restore tonicity. Electroporation relies on controlled electrical pulses that results in reversible pores formation to allow cargo entrance, follow by incubation at 37°C to reseal. As part of the cellular characterization of loaded erythrocytes, we focus on cell size, shape, and hemoglobin content. Cell recovery, loading efficiency and cargo release measurements render optimal loading conditions. The detected fluorescent signal from sensor-loaded erythrocytes can be translated into a direct measurement of analyte levels in the blood stream. The development of a suitable protocol to engineer carrier erythrocytes has profound and lasting implications in the erythrosensor's lifespan and sensing capabilities.

Hormonal modulation of novelty processing in women: Enhanced under working memory load with high dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate-to-dehydroepiandrosterone ratios.

Science.gov (United States)

do Vale, Sónia; Selinger, Lenka; Martins, João Martin; Bicho, Manuel; do Carmo, Isabel; Escera, Carles

2016-11-10

Several studies have suggested that dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (DHEAS) may enhance working memory and attention, yet current evidence is still inconclusive. The balance between both forms of the hormone might be crucial regarding the effects that DHEA and DHEAS exert on the central nervous system. To test the hypothesis that higher DHEAS-to-DHEA ratios might enhance working memory and/or involuntary attention, we studied the DHEAS-to-DHEA ratio in relation to involuntary attention and working memory processing by recording the electroencephalogram of 22 young women while performing a working memory load task and a task without working memory load in an audio-visual oddball paradigm. DHEA and DHEAS were measured in saliva before each task. We found that a higher DHEAS-to-DHEA ratio was related to enhanced auditory novelty-P3 amplitudes during performance of the working memory task, indicating an increased processing of the distracter, while on the other hand there was no difference in the processing of the visual target. These results suggest that the balance between DHEAS and DHEA levels modulates involuntary attention during the performance of a task with cognitive load without interfering with the processing of the task-relevant visual stimulus. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Enhanced systemic exposure of saquinavir via the concomitant use of curcumin-loaded solid dispersion in rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Su-A; Kim, Sung-Whan; Choi, Hoo-Kyun; Han, Hyo-Kyung

2013-08-16

The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of curcumin-loaded solid dispersion on the pharmacokinetics of saquinavir in rats. Solid dispersion (SD) formulation was prepared with Solutol® HS15 to improve the solubility and bioavailability of curcumin. Subsequently, its inhibition effect on P-gp mediated cellular efflux was examined by using NCI/ADR-RES cells overexpressing P-gp. Compared to the untreated curcumin, SD formulation enhanced the cellular uptake of rhodamine-123, a P-gp substrate by approximately 3 folds in NCI/ADR-RES cells. The oral and intravenous pharmacokinetics of saquinavir were also determined in rats with/without curcumin in the different formulations. Compared to the control given saquinavir alone, curcumin-loaded solid dispersion significantly (p<0.05) increased the oral exposure of saquinavir in rats, while it did not affect the intravenous pharmacokinetics of saquinavir. The AUC and Cmax of oral saquinavir increased by 3.8- and 2.7-folds, respectively in the presence of curcumin-loaded solid dispersion. In contrast, the untreated curcumin did not affect the oral pharmacokinetics of saquinavir. These results suggest that SD formulation of curcumin should be effective to improve the in vivo effectiveness of curcumin as an absorption enhancer, leading to the improved oral exposure of saquinavir. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Lightening the load: perceptual load impairs visual detection in typical adults but not in autism.

Science.gov (United States)

Remington, Anna M; Swettenham, John G; Lavie, Nilli

2012-05-01

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) research portrays a mixed picture of attentional abilities with demonstrations of enhancements (e.g., superior visual search) and deficits (e.g., higher distractibility). Here we test a potential resolution derived from the Load Theory of Attention (e.g., Lavie, 2005). In Load Theory, distractor processing depends on the perceptual load of the task and as such can only be eliminated under high load that engages full capacity. We hypothesize that ASD involves enhanced perceptual capacity, leading to the superior performance and increased distractor processing previously reported. Using a signal-detection paradigm, we test this directly and demonstrate that, under higher levels of load, perceptual sensitivity was reduced in typical adults but not in adults with ASD. These findings confirm our hypothesis and offer a promising solution to the previous discrepancies by suggesting that increased distractor processing in ASD results not from a filtering deficit but from enhanced perceptual capacity.

Non-noble metal Cu-loaded TiO2 for enhanced photocatalytic H2 production.

Science.gov (United States)

Foo, Wei Jian; Zhang, Chun; Ho, Ghim Wei

2013-01-21

Here we have demonstrated the preparation of high-quality, monodispersed and tunable phases of Cu nanoparticles. Structural and chemical composition studies depict the evolution of Cu-Cu(2)O-CuO nanoparticles at various process stages. The loading of Cu and Cu oxide nanoparticles on TiO(2) catalyst has enhanced the photocatalytic H(2) production. Comparatively, H(2) treatment produces well-dispersed Cu nanoparticles with thin oxide shells that show the highest H(2) production amongst the samples. The relatively higher photocatalytic performance is deemed to result from reduced structural defects, higher surface area and dispersivity as well as favorable charge transfer, which inhibits recombination. The Cu nanoparticles are shown to be a promising alternative to noble metal-loaded TiO(2) catalyst systems due to their low cost and high performance in photocatalytic applications.

Thermal loading studies using cooling enhancement and ventilation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Danko, G.

1993-01-01

Thermal loading studies are presented for short vertical emplacement, application of cooling enhancement, and drift ventilation. Two 25-m-long heat pipes upward oriented at 45 deg are installed at each emplacement borehole to promote heat transport into the pillar area. In addition, ventilation of the emplacement drifts is assumed for a 2- to 20-yr period. It is concluded that the maximum borehole temperature can be reduced from 230 to 136 C using only the heat pipes, and to 110 C applying the heat pipes together with moderate air cooling. The ventilation along without heat pipes can reduce the temperature to only ∼200 C. It is also demonstrated that the heat transferred from the container area to farther distances into the pillar raises rock temperatures significantly, by 10 to 20 C, and the increase in temperature remains noticeable for at least 1,000 yr. In addition, because of the more efficient heat distribution caused by the heat pipes, lower temperatures will be achieved in the container area together with improved drying and permanent as well as temporary water removal in the pillar area

An ecological function and services approach to total maximum daily load (TMDL) prioritization.

Science.gov (United States)

Hall, Robert K; Guiliano, David; Swanson, Sherman; Philbin, Michael J; Lin, John; Aron, Joan L; Schafer, Robin J; Heggem, Daniel T

2014-04-01

Prioritizing total maximum daily load (TMDL) development starts by considering the scope and severity of water pollution and risks to public health and aquatic life. Methodology using quantitative assessments of in-stream water quality is appropriate and effective for point source (PS) dominated discharge, but less so in watersheds with mostly nonpoint source (NPS) related impairments. For NPSs, prioritization in TMDL development and implementation of associated best management practices should focus on restoration of ecosystem physical functions, including how restoration effectiveness depends on design, maintenance and placement within the watershed. To refine the approach to TMDL development, regulators and stakeholders must first ask if the watershed, or ecosystem, is at risk of losing riparian or other ecologically based physical attributes and processes. If so, the next step is an assessment of the spatial arrangement of functionality with a focus on the at-risk areas that could be lost, or could, with some help, regain functions. Evaluating stream and wetland riparian function has advantages over the traditional means of water quality and biological assessments for NPS TMDL development. Understanding how an ecosystem functions enables stakeholders and regulators to determine the severity of problem(s), identify source(s) of impairment, and predict and avoid a decline in water quality. The Upper Reese River, Nevada, provides an example of water quality impairment caused by NPS pollution. In this river basin, stream and wetland riparian proper functioning condition (PFC) protocol, water quality data, and remote sensing imagery were used to identify sediment sources, transport, distribution, and its impact on water quality and aquatic resources. This study found that assessments of ecological function could be used to generate leading (early) indicators of water quality degradation for targeting pollution control measures, while traditional in-stream water

Economic impact analysis of load forecasting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ranaweera, D.K.; Karady, G.G.; Farmer, R.G.

1997-01-01

Short term load forecasting is an essential function in electric power system operations and planning. Forecasts are needed for a variety of utility activities such as generation scheduling, scheduling of fuel purchases, maintenance scheduling and security analysis. Depending on power system characteristics, significant forecasting errors can lead to either excessively conservative scheduling or very marginal scheduling. Either can induce heavy economic penalties. This paper examines the economic impact of inaccurate load forecasts. Monte Carlo simulations were used to study the effect of different load forecasting accuracy. Investigations into the effect of improving the daily peak load forecasts, effect of different seasons of the year and effect of utilization factors are presented

Towards smart energy systems: application of kernel machine regression for medium term electricity load forecasting.

Science.gov (United States)

Alamaniotis, Miltiadis; Bargiotas, Dimitrios; Tsoukalas, Lefteri H

2016-01-01

Integration of energy systems with information technologies has facilitated the realization of smart energy systems that utilize information to optimize system operation. To that end, crucial in optimizing energy system operation is the accurate, ahead-of-time forecasting of load demand. In particular, load forecasting allows planning of system expansion, and decision making for enhancing system safety and reliability. In this paper, the application of two types of kernel machines for medium term load forecasting (MTLF) is presented and their performance is recorded based on a set of historical electricity load demand data. The two kernel machine models and more specifically Gaussian process regression (GPR) and relevance vector regression (RVR) are utilized for making predictions over future load demand. Both models, i.e., GPR and RVR, are equipped with a Gaussian kernel and are tested on daily predictions for a 30-day-ahead horizon taken from the New England Area. Furthermore, their performance is compared to the ARMA(2,2) model with respect to mean average percentage error and squared correlation coefficient. Results demonstrate the superiority of RVR over the other forecasting models in performing MTLF.

Cluster analysis of residential heat load profiles and the role of technical and household characteristics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Carmo, Carolina; Christensen, Toke Haunstrup

2016-01-01

of the temporality of the energy demand is needed. This paper contributes to this by focusing on the daily load profiles of energy demand for heating of Danish dwellings with heat pumps. Based on hourly recordings from 139 dwellings and employing cluster and regression analysis, the paper explores patterns...... (typologies) in daily heating load profiles and how these relate to socio-economic and technical characteristics of the included households. The study shows that the load profiles vary according to the external load conditions. Two main clusters were identified for both weekdays and weekends and across load...

Documentation of a daily mean stream temperature module—An enhancement to the Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System

Science.gov (United States)

Sanders, Michael J.; Markstrom, Steven L.; Regan, R. Steven; Atkinson, R. Dwight

2017-09-15

A module for simulation of daily mean water temperature in a network of stream segments has been developed as an enhancement to the U.S. Geological Survey Precipitation Runoff Modeling System (PRMS). This new module is based on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Stream Network Temperature model, a mechanistic, one-dimensional heat transport model. The new module is integrated in PRMS. Stream-water temperature simulation is activated by selection of the appropriate input flags in the PRMS Control File and by providing the necessary additional inputs in standard PRMS input files.This report includes a comprehensive discussion of the methods relevant to the stream temperature calculations and detailed instructions for model input preparation.

Apitherapeutics and phage-loaded nanofibers as wound dressings with enhanced wound healing and antibacterial activity.

Science.gov (United States)

Sarhan, Wessam A; Azzazy, Hassan Me

2017-09-01

Develop green wound dressings which exhibit enhanced wound-healing ability and potent antibacterial effects. Honey, polyvinyl alcohol, chitosan nanofibers were electrospun and loaded with bee venom, propolis and/or bacteriophage against the multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa and examined for their antibacterial, wound-healing ability and cytotoxicity. Among different formulations of nanofibers, honey, polyvinyl alcohol, chitosan-bee venom/bacteriophage exhibited the most potent antibacterial activity against all tested bacterial strains (Gram-positive and -negative strains) and achieved nearly complete killing of multidrug-resistant P. aeruginosa. In vivo testing revealed enhanced wound-healing results and cytotoxicity testing proved improved biocompatibility. The developed biocompatible nanofibers represent competitive wound-healing dressings with potent antibacterial and wound-healing activity.

Effect of sludge retention time on continuous-flow system with enhanced biological phosphorus removal granules at different COD loading.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Dong; Lv, Yufeng; Zeng, Huiping; Zhang, Jie

2016-11-01

The effect of sludge retention time (SRT) on the continuous-flow system with enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) granules at different COD loading was investigated during the operation of more than 220days. And the results showed that when the system operated at long SRT (30days) and low COD loading (200mg·L(-1)), it could maintain excellent performance. However, long SRT and high COD loading (300mg·L(-1)) deteriorated the settling ability of granules and the performance of system and resulted in the overgrowth of filamentous bacteria. Meanwhile, the transformation of poly-β-hydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) and glycogen in metabolism process was inhibited. Moreover, the results of pyrosequencing indicated that filamentous bacteria had a competitive advantage over polyphosphate-accumulating organisms (PAOs) at high COD loading and long SRT. The PAOs specious of Candidatus_Accumlibater and system performance increased obviously when the SRT was reduced to 20days at high COD loading. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Development of total maximum daily loads for bacteria impaired watershed using the comprehensive hydrology and water quality simulation model.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Sang M; Brannan, Kevin M; Zeckoski, Rebecca W; Benham, Brian L

2014-01-01

The objective of this study was to develop bacteria total maximum daily loads (TMDLs) for the Hardware River watershed in the Commonwealth of Virginia, USA. The TMDL program is an integrated watershed management approach required by the Clean Water Act. The TMDLs were developed to meet Virginia's water quality standard for bacteria at the time, which stated that the calendar-month geometric mean concentration of Escherichia coli should not exceed 126 cfu/100 mL, and that no single sample should exceed a concentration of 235 cfu/100 mL. The bacteria impairment TMDLs were developed using the Hydrological Simulation Program-FORTRAN (HSPF). The hydrology and water quality components of HSPF were calibrated and validated using data from the Hardware River watershed to ensure that the model adequately simulated runoff and bacteria concentrations. The calibrated and validated HSPF model was used to estimate the contributions from the various bacteria sources in the Hardware River watershed to the in-stream concentration. Bacteria loads were estimated through an extensive source characterization process. Simulation results for existing conditions indicated that the majority of the bacteria came from livestock and wildlife direct deposits and pervious lands. Different source reduction scenarios were evaluated to identify scenarios that meet both the geometric mean and single sample maximum E. coli criteria with zero violations. The resulting scenarios required extreme and impractical reductions from livestock and wildlife sources. Results from studies similar to this across Virginia partially contributed to a reconsideration of the standard's applicability to TMDL development.

Bioflavonoid Fisetin Loaded α-Tocopherol-Poly(lactic acid)-Based Polymeric Micelles for Enhanced Anticancer Efficacy in Breast Cancers.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Lei; Zhang, De-Zhong; Wang, Yu-Xia

2017-02-01

In this study, tocopherol based polymeric micelles were successfully prepared to enhance the anticancer effect of fisetin (FIS) in breast cancer cells. The drug-loaded carrier was characterized in terms of physicochemical and in vivo parameters. Compared to FIS, FIS-TPN showed higher cellular uptake in MCF-7 breast cancer cells as revealed by CLSM and flow cytometry. The cytotoxicity assay results clearly showed that the free FIS and FIS-TPN exhibited a typical dose-dependent toxic effect in MCF-7 breast cancer cells. Especially, enhanced cytotoxic effect of FIS was observed when loaded in a nanocarrier. Free FIS induced a ~11% apoptosis whereas FIS-TPN induced a significantly greater apoptosis of ~20% by the end of 24 h. At 48 h, similar trend continued and free FIS showed ~30% of apoptosis whereas ~42% cell apoptosis was observed in FIS-TPN treated group. Notably, migration of cancer cell was significantly inhibited when treated with FIS-TPN formulations. The FIS-TPN significantly reduced to tumor burden and H&E staining showed the lowest tumor volume and higher cell apoptosis. All the findings suggest that the fisetin-loaded TPGS-PLA polymeric micelles serve as a potential candidate and promising alternative for the effective treatment of breast cancers.

The Circadian Clock Modulates Global Daily Cycles of mRNA Ribosome Loading[OPEN

Science.gov (United States)

Missra, Anamika; Ernest, Ben; Jia, Qidong; Ke, Kenneth

2015-01-01

Circadian control of gene expression is well characterized at the transcriptional level, but little is known about diel or circadian control of translation. Genome-wide translation state profiling of mRNAs in Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings grown in long day was performed to estimate ribosome loading per mRNA. The experiments revealed extensive translational regulation of key biological processes. Notably, translation of mRNAs for ribosomal proteins and mitochondrial respiration peaked at night. Central clock mRNAs are among those subject to fluctuations in ribosome loading. There was no consistent phase relationship between peak translation states and peak transcript levels. The overlay of distinct transcriptional and translational cycles can be expected to alter the waveform of the protein synthesis rate. Plants that constitutively overexpress the clock gene CCA1 showed phase shifts in peak translation, with a 6-h delay from midnight to dawn or from noon to evening being particularly common. Moreover, cycles of ribosome loading that were detected under continuous light in the wild type collapsed in the CCA1 overexpressor. Finally, at the transcript level, the CCA1-ox strain adopted a global pattern of transcript abundance that was broadly correlated with the light-dark environment. Altogether, these data demonstrate that gene-specific diel cycles of ribosome loading are controlled in part by the circadian clock. PMID:26392078

Observation of modulation speed enhancement, frequency modulation suppression, and phase noise reduction by detuned loading in a coupled-cavity semiconductor laser

OpenAIRE

Vahala, Kerry; Paslaski, Joel; Yariv, Amnon

1985-01-01

Simultaneous direct modulation response enhancement, phase noise (linewidth) reduction, and frequency modulation suppression are produced in a coupled-cavity semiconductor laser by the detuned loading mechanism.

Synthesis of Ag-loaded SrTiO{sub 3}/TiO{sub 2} heterostructure nanotube arrays for enhanced photocatalytic performances

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hu, Zijun; Chen, Da; Zhan, Xiaqiang; Wang, Fang; Qin, Laishun; Huang, Yuexiang [China Jiliang University, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Hangzhou, Zhejiang (China)

2017-06-15

In this work, the effect of loading Ag nanoparticles on the photocatalytic activity of SrTiO{sub 3}/TiO{sub 2} nanotube arrays (TNTAs) was investigated. TNTAs were partially transformed to SrTiO{sub 3} through a hydrothermal treatment, which could preserve the tubular structure of TNTAs, and then, Ag nanoparticles were well deposited on the surface of SrTiO{sub 3}/TNTAs heterostructure by a chemical reduction process. Compared to the TNTAs sample, the Ag-loaded SrTiO{sub 3}/TNTAs sample showed significantly enhanced photocatalytic activities for photodegradation of rhodamine B. The enhanced photocatalytic activity of Ag-loaded SrTiO{sub 3}/TNTAs could be attributed to the increased optical absorption as well as the efficient charge transfer and separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs induced by the SrTiO{sub 3}/TNTAs heterojunction and the Schottky barrier between metallic Ag and SrTiO{sub 3}/TNTAs. On the basis of the trapping experiments, the possible photocatalytic mechanism was also discussed. (orig.)

In vitro and in vivo evaluation of capsaicin-loaded microemulsion for enhanced oral bioavailability.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Yuan; Zhang, Jiajia; Zheng, Qianfeng; Wang, Miaomiao; Deng, Wenwen; Li, Qiang; Firempong, Caleb Kesse; Wang, Shengli; Tong, Shanshan; Xu, Ximing; Yu, Jiangnan

2015-10-01

Capsaicin, as a food additive, has attracted worldwide concern owing to its pungency and multiple pharmacological effects. However, poor water solubility and low bioavailability have limited its application. This study aims to develop a capsaicin-loaded microemulsion to enhance the oral bioavailability of the anti-neuropathic-pain component, capsaicin, which is poorly water soluble. In this study, the microemulsion consisting of Cremophor EL, ethanol, medium-chain triglycerides (oil phase) and water (external phase) was prepared and characterized (particle size, morphology, stability and encapsulation efficiency). The gastric mucosa irritation test of formulated capsaicin was performed in rats to evaluate its oral feasibility, followed by the pharmacokinetic study in vivo. Under these conditions, the encapsulated capsaicin revealed a faster capsaicin release in vitro coupled with a greater absorption in vivo when compared to the free capsaicin. The oral bioavailability of the formulated capsaicin-loaded microemulsions was 2.64-fold faster than that of free capsaicin. No significant irritation was observed on the mucosa from the pathological section of capsaicin-loaded microemulsion treated stomach. These results indicate that the developed microemulsion represents a safe and orally effective carrier for poorly soluble substances. The formulation could be used for clinical trials and expand the application of capsaicin. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry.

Vitamin D supplementation in nursing home patients: randomized controlled trial of standard daily dose versus individualized loading dose regimen.

Science.gov (United States)

Wijnen, Hugo; Salemink, Dayenne; Roovers, Lian; Taekema, Diana; de Boer, Hans

2015-05-01

Supplementation of cholecalciferol 800 IU daily appears to be insufficient to raise vitamin D levels to >75 nmol/l in nursing home (NH) patients. Our objective was to compare the efficacy of an individualized cholecalciferol loading dose (LD) regimen and a daily dose (DD) regimen of cholecalciferol 800 IU in reaching 25-OH vitamin D (25OHD) levels >75 nmol/l. A total of 30 NH patients with 25OHD levels 50 nmol/l were included. Patients were randomized using the minimization method in the LD or DD group. The cholecalciferol LD, calculated with an algorithm based on serum 25OHD level and body weight, was administered in divided doses of 50,000 IU twice a week, followed by a monthly maintenance dose of either 50,000 or 25,000 IU. The DD regimen consisted of cholecalciferol 800 IU daily for 26 weeks. Serum 25OHD, calcium, creatinine, phosphate, and parathyroid hormone were measured, and 2-minute walking test, handgrip strength, and timed get up and go test were assessed at baseline (T 0), after 5 weeks (T 5), 12 weeks (T 12), and 26 weeks (T 26). The primary endpoint was the percentage of patients with 25OHD levels >75 nmol/l at T 5. Secondary endpoints were the proportion of patients with 25OHD levels >75 nmol/l at T 26, safety of LD regimen, and improvement of performance tests with normalization of vitamin D levels. Median baseline 25OHD levels (interquartile range) were comparable between the 14 DD and 16 LD patients: 20.9 (15.9-29.6) and 21.7 (16.4-32.8) nmol/l, respectively. Levels of 25OHD >75 nmol/l at T 5 were reached in 79 % of the 14 LD patients, but in none of the 13 DD patients (p 75 nmol/l were reached in 83 % of the 12 LD patients and in 30 % of the ten DD patients (p tests was observed. In NH patients with severe 25OHD deficiency, an individualized calculated cholecalciferol LD is likely to be superior to a DD of cholecalciferol 800 IU in terms of the ability to rapidly normalize vitamin D levels.

The load structure of electro boilers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Feilberg, N.; Livik, K.

1995-01-01

Load measurements have been performed on 24 electro boilers with a time resolution of one hour throughout a period of one year. The boilers are used for space heating and heating of tap water in office buildings, shopping centres and apartment buildings. All boilers have tariffs with disconnection agreements. This report presents load analyses of the measurements from each boiler, and typical load profiles are calculated and presented. It also analyses how boilers are used in relation to the outdoor temperature and the power price on the spot market. All the measurements are performed in Bergen, Norway, in the period August 1993 - August 1994. Typical load profiles are shown, both annual and daily, as well as specific load parameters in addition to key figures used in calculating the total power load on the distribution network. The climate impact on energy and power load is evaluated. The report also shows examples of how the results may be applied in various special fields. 8 figs., 9 tabs

Designing an application for managing distribution transformer load

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Olga Liliana Sánchez

2006-09-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a software application for distribution transformer load management and calculating the elec- tricity distribution network service quality index (i.e. EDS and EFS indexes. Transformer operation state, calculating core and coil losses and selecting distribution transformers based on technical-economic criteria using daily-load curves are the load management strategies presented here. The application consists of a programme allowing to data acquisition input, an Excel-based spread-sheet having the equations for calculating load management data and a user-interface presenting the load management application’s results. The application was validated by technical-economic evaluation of three distribution transformers when supplying demand.

Enhanced apoptotic and anticancer potential of paclitaxel loaded biodegradable nanoparticles based on chitosan.

Science.gov (United States)

Gupta, Umesh; Sharma, Saurabh; Khan, Iliyas; Gothwal, Avinash; Sharma, Ashok K; Singh, Yuvraj; Chourasia, Manish K; Kumar, Vipin

2017-05-01

Taxanes have established and proven effectivity against different types of cancers; in particular breast cancers. However, the high hemolytic toxicity and hydrophobic nature of paclitaxel and docetaxel have always posed challenges to achieve safe and effective delivery. Use of bio-degradable materials with an added advantage of nanotechnology could possibly improve the condition so as to achieve better and safe delivery. In the present study paclitaxel loaded chitosan nanoparticles were formulated and optimized using simple w/o nanoemulsion technique. The observed average size, pdi, zeta potential, entrapment efficiency and drug loading for the optimized paclitaxel loaded chitosan nanoparticle formulation (PTX-CS-NP-10) was 226.7±0.70nm, 0.345±0.039, 37.4±0.77mV, 79.24±2.95% and 11.57±0.81%; respectively. Nanoparticles were characterized further for size by Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). In vitro release studies exhibited sustained release pattern and more than 60% release was observed within 24h. Enhanced in vitro anticancer activity was observed as a result of MTT assay against triple negative MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell lines. The observed IC 50 values obtained for PTX-CS-NP-10 was 9.36±1.13μM and was almost 1.6 folds (psafe as observed for haemolytic toxicity which was almost 4 folds less (psafe nanoformulation of paclitaxel was developed, characterized and evaluated. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Load leveling total system. Part 2. Development of load leveling logic for residential customer; Fuka heijunka total system. 2. Kateiyo juyoka wo taisho to shita heijunka ronri no kaihatsu

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Asari, M.; Nanahara, T. [Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry, Tokyo (Japan)

1995-05-01

It is essential, in order to meet steadily increasing demands for electrical power, to develop techniques for effective utilization of energy and load leveling. Described herein is development, by the aid of linear programming, of logic for daily management of charge/discharge of load conditioners and reverse power flow, for predicted loads and patterns of power generated by photovoltaic cells installed at individual customers. It is aimed at minimizing power rate and leveling of load at distribution systems. Predicted loads, outputs by photovoltaic cell units and different power rates by time zone for the next day are inputted, to determine the charge/discharge schedules and power supply/reverse flow patterns for that day, in order to minimize power rates and level loads at higher hierarchical levels. The logic-aided daily simulation for various districts confirms the operational patterns that realize improved utilization of pole-mounted transformers while reducing costs at customers, and effects of prediction errors. 4 refs., 14 figs.

Liposomes loaded with contrast material for image enhancement in computed tomography: work in progress

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ryan, P.J.; Davis, M.A.; DeGaeta, L.R.; Woda, B.; Melchior, D.L.

1984-01-01

Large unilamellar phospholipid vesicles were prepared and loaded with various radiographic contrast media. Body CT following in vivo adminstration of these vesicles in the rat demonstrated opacification of organs associated with the reticuloendothelial system. Image enhancement in the spleen and liver was dose dependent and was linearly related within the dose range investigated. Clearance of the radiographic contrast material was complete within 24 hours. Diffuse splenic lymphoma following intraperitoneal or intrasplenic injection of lymphoma cells, and solitary lymphoma nodules following intrahepatic injection were readily detected as nonenhanced areas following injection of liposomes

Long term operation of continuous-flow system with enhanced biological phosphorus removal granules at different COD loading.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Dong; Lv, Yufeng; Zeng, Huiping; Zhang, Jie

2016-09-01

In this study, a continuous-flow system with enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) granules was operated at different COD concentrations (200, 300 and 400mgL(-)(1)) to investigate the effect of COD loading on this system. The results showed that when the COD concentration in influent was increased to 400mgL(-)(1), the anaerobic COD removal efficiency and total phosphorus removal efficiency reduced obviously and the settling ability of granules deteriorated due to the proliferation of filamentous bacteria. Moreover, high COD loading inhibited the EPS secretion and destroyed the stability of granules. Results of high-through pyrosequencing indicated that filamentous bacteria had a competitive advantage over polyphosphate-accumulating organisms (PAOs) at high COD loading. The performance of system, settling ability of granules and proportion of PAOs gradually recovered to the initial level after the COD concentration was reduced to 200mgL(-)(1) on day 81. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Dry Gel Containing Optimized Felodipine-Loaded Transferosomes: a Promising Transdermal Delivery System to Enhance Drug Bioavailability.

Science.gov (United States)

Kassem, Mohammed Ali; Aboul-Einien, Mona Hassan; El Taweel, Mai Magdy

2018-04-30

Felodipine has a very low bioavailability due to first-pass metabolism. The aim of this study was to enhance its bioavailability by transdermal application. Felodipine-loaded transferosomes were prepared by thin-film hydration using different formulation variables. An optimized formula was designed using statistical experimental design. The independent variables were the used edge activator, its molar ratio to phosphatidylcholine, and presence or absence of cholesterol. The responses were entrapment efficiency of transferosomes, their size, polydispersity index, zeta potential, and percent drug released after 8 h. The optimized formula was subjected to differential scanning calorimetry studies and its stability on storage at 4°C for 6 months was estimated. This formula was improved by incorporation of different permeation enhancers where ex vivo drug flux through mice skin was estimated and the best improved formula was formulated in a gel and lyophilized. The prepared gel was subjected to in vivo study using Plendil® tablets as a reference. According to the calculated desirability, the optimized transferosome formula was that containing sodium deoxycholate as edge activator at 5:1 M ratio to phosphatidylcholine and no cholesterol. The thermograms of this formula indicated the incorporation of felodipine inside the prepared vesicles. None of the tested parameters differed significantly on storage. The lyophilized gel of labrasol-containing formula was chosen for in vivo study. The relative bioavailability of felodipine from the designed gel was 1.7. In conclusion, topically applied lyophilized gel containing felodipine-loaded transferosomes is a promising transdermal delivery system to enhance its bioavailability.

Energy saving in WWTP: Daily benchmarking under uncertainty and data availability limitations.

Science.gov (United States)

Torregrossa, D; Schutz, G; Cornelissen, A; Hernández-Sancho, F; Hansen, J

2016-07-01

Efficient management of Waste Water Treatment Plants (WWTPs) can produce significant environmental and economic benefits. Energy benchmarking can be used to compare WWTPs, identify targets and use these to improve their performance. Different authors have performed benchmark analysis on monthly or yearly basis but their approaches suffer from a time lag between an event, its detection, interpretation and potential actions. The availability of on-line measurement data on many WWTPs should theoretically enable the decrease of the management response time by daily benchmarking. Unfortunately this approach is often impossible because of limited data availability. This paper proposes a methodology to perform a daily benchmark analysis under database limitations. The methodology has been applied to the Energy Online System (EOS) developed in the framework of the project "INNERS" (INNovative Energy Recovery Strategies in the urban water cycle). EOS calculates a set of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for the evaluation of energy and process performances. In EOS, the energy KPIs take in consideration the pollutant load in order to enable the comparison between different plants. For example, EOS does not analyse the energy consumption but the energy consumption on pollutant load. This approach enables the comparison of performances for plants with different loads or for a single plant under different load conditions. The energy consumption is measured by on-line sensors, while the pollutant load is measured in the laboratory approximately every 14 days. Consequently, the unavailability of the water quality parameters is the limiting factor in calculating energy KPIs. In this paper, in order to overcome this limitation, the authors have developed a methodology to estimate the required parameters and manage the uncertainty in the estimation. By coupling the parameter estimation with an interval based benchmark approach, the authors propose an effective, fast and reproducible

Cognitive Load in Voice Therapy Carry-Over Exercises

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Iwarsson, Jenny; Morris, David Jackson; Balling, Laura Winther

2017-01-01

Purpose The cognitive load generated by online speech production may vary with the nature of the speech task. This article examines 3 speech tasks used in voice therapy carry-over exercises, in which a patient is required to adopt and automatize new voice behaviors, ultimately in daily spontaneous...... to automation of revised speech behavior and that self-reports may be a reliable index of cognitive load....

Glacier Melt Detection in Complex Terrain Using New AMSR-E Calibrated Enhanced Daily EASE-Grid 2.0 Brightness Temperature (CETB) Earth System Data Record

Science.gov (United States)

Ramage, J. M.; Brodzik, M. J.; Hardman, M.

2016-12-01

Passive microwave (PM) 18 GHz and 36 GHz horizontally- and vertically-polarized brightness temperatures (Tb) channels from the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for EOS (AMSR-E) have been important sources of information about snow melt status in glacial environments, particularly at high latitudes. PM data are sensitive to the changes in near-surface liquid water that accompany melt onset, melt intensification, and refreezing. Overpasses are frequent enough that in most areas multiple (2-8) observations per day are possible, yielding the potential for determining the dynamic state of the snow pack during transition seasons. AMSR-E Tb data have been used effectively to determine melt onset and melt intensification using daily Tb and diurnal amplitude variation (DAV) thresholds. Due to mixed pixels in historically coarse spatial resolution Tb data, melt analysis has been impractical in ice-marginal zones where pixels may be only fractionally snow/ice covered, and in areas where the glacier is near large bodies of water: even small regions of open water in a pixel severely impact the microwave signal. We use the new enhanced-resolution Calibrated Passive Microwave Daily EASE-Grid 2.0 Brightness Temperature (CETB) Earth System Data Record product's twice daily obserations to test and update existing snow melt algorithms by determining appropriate melt thresholds for both Tb and DAV for the CETB 18 and 36 GHz channels. We use the enhanced resolution data to evaluate melt characteristics along glacier margins and melt transition zones during the melt seasons in locations spanning a wide range of melt scenarios, including the Patagonian Andes, the Alaskan Coast Range, and the Russian High Arctic icecaps. We quantify how improvement of spatial resolution from the original 12.5 - 25 km-scale pixels to the enhanced resolution of 3.125 - 6.25 km improves the ability to evaluate melt timing across boundaries and transition zones in diverse glacial environments.

Electric-Loading Enhanced Kinetics in Oxide Ceramics: Pore Migration, Sintering and Grain Growth: Final Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chen, I-Wei [Univ. of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA (United States). Dept. of Materials Science & Engineering

2018-02-02

Solid oxide fuel cells and solid oxide electrolysis cells rely on solid electrolytes in which a large ionic current dominates. This project was initiated to investigate microstructural changes in such devices under electrochemical forces, because nominally insignificant processes may couple to the large ionic current to yield non-equilibrium phenomena that alter the microstructure. Our studies had focused on yttria-stabilized cubic zirconia (YSZ) widely used in these devices. The experiments have revealed enhanced grain growth at higher temperatures, pore and gas bubble migration at all temperatures, and the latter also lead to enhanced sintering of highly porous ceramics into fully dense ceramics at unprecedentedly low temperatures. These results have shed light on kinetic processes that fall completely outside the realm of classical ceramic processing. Other fast-oxygen oxide ceramics closely related to, and often used in conjunction with zirconia ceramics, have also be investigated, as are closely related scientific problems in zirconia ceramics. These include crystal structures, defects, diffusion kinetics, oxygen potentials, low temperature sintering, flash sintering, and coarsening theory, and all have resulted in greater clarity in scientific understanding. The knowledge is leveraged to provide new insight to electrode kinetics and near-electrode mixed conductivity and to new materials. In the following areas, our research has resulted in completely new knowledge that defines the state-of-the-art of the field. (a) Electrical current driven non-equilibrium phenomena, (b) Enhanced grain growth under electrochemically reducing conditions, (c) Development of oxygen potential polarization in electrically loaded electrolyte, (d) Low temperature sintering and grain growth, and (e) Structure, defects and cation kinetics of fluorite-structured oxides. Our research has also contributed to synthesis of new energy-relevant electrochemical materials and new understanding

Mathematical approach to the characterization of daily energy balance in autonomous photovoltaic solar systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Casares, F.J.; Lopez-Luque, R.; Posadillo, R.; Varo-Martinez, M.

2014-01-01

Sizing SAPV techniques try to assess the reliability of the system from the stochastic simulation of the energy balance. This stochastic simulation implies the generation, for an extended period of time, of the main state variables of the physical equations describing the energy balance of the system, that is, the energy delivered to the load and the energy stored in the batteries. Most of these methods consider the daily load as a constant over the year and control the variables indicating the reliability associated with the supply of power to the load. Furthermore, these methods rely on previous random models for generating solar radiation data and, since the approximations of the simulation methods are asymptotic, when more precise reliability indicators are required, the simulation period needs to be extended. This paper presents a mathematical methodology to address the daily energy balance without resorting to simulation methods. This method is directly based on daily solar radiation series modelled according to Markov stochastic processes and Aguiar matrices. The characterization presented is the base of a rational method in which reliability does not depend on the number of iterations but on the precision of the conditional probabilities included in Aguiar matrices. - Highlights: • A new SAPV sizing method is presented and validated. • This model relates the PV sizing methods to the autocorrelative Aguiar model. • This statistical approach is only limited by Markov matrixes. • It permits the study of PV systems with variable daily demands or solar tracking. • LLP for a SAPV can be estimated quickly and in an analytic and precise way

Nanostructured Lipid Carriers Loaded with Baicalin: An Efficient Carrier for Enhanced Antidiabetic Effects.

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, Feng; Wei, Zheng; Zhao, Yingying; Xu, Ximing

2016-01-01

Recent studies have demonstrated that baicalin has antihyperglycemic effects by inhibiting lipid peroxidation. Baicalin is low hydrophilic and poorly absorbed after oral administration. Thus, a suitable formulation is highly desired to overcome the disadvantages of baicalin. The objective of this work was to prepare baicalin-loaded nanostructured lipid carriers (B-NLCs) for enhanced antidiabetic effects. B-NLCs were prepared by high-pressure homogenization method using Precirol as the solid lipid and Miglyol as the liquid lipid. The properties of the NLCs, such as particle size, zeta potential (ZP), and drug encapsulation efficiency (EE), were investigated. The morphology of NLCs was observed by transmission electron microscopy. In addition, drug release and antidiabetic activity were also studied. The results revealed that B-NLCs particles were uniformly in the nanosize range and of spherical morphology with a mean size of 92 ± 3.1 nm, a ZP of -31.35 ± 3.08 mV, and an EE of 85.29 ± 3.42%. Baicalin was released from NLCs in a sustained manner. In addition, B-NLCs showed a significantly higher antidiabetic efficacy compared with baicalin. B-NLCs described in this study are well-suited for the delivery of baicalin. Currently, herbal medicines have attracted increasing attention as a complementary approach for type 2 diabetesBaicalin has antihyperglycemic effects by inhibiting lipid peroxidationA suitable formulation is highly desired to overcome the disadvantages (poor solubility and low bioavailability) of baicalinNanostructured lipid carriers could enhance the antidiabetic effects of baicalin. Abbreviations used: B-NLCs: Baicalin-Loaded Nanostructured Lipid Carriers, B-SUS: Baicalin Water Suspension, EE: Encapsulation Efficiency, FBG: Fasting Blood Glucose, HbAlc: Glycosylated Hemoglobin, HPLC: High-performance Liquid Chromatography; NLCs: Nanostructured Lipid Carriers, PI: Polydispersity Index, SD: Sprague-Dawley, SLNs: Solid lipid nanoparticles, STZ

Enhancement of J estimation for typical nuclear pipes with a circumferential surface crack under tensile load

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cho, Doo Ho; Woo, Seung Wan; Choi, Jae Boong; Kim, Young Jin; Chang, Yoon Suk; Jhung, Myung Jo; Choi, Young Hwan

2010-01-01

This paper is to report enhancement of engineering J estimation for semi-elliptical surface cracks under tensile load. Firstly, limitation of the sole solution suggested by Zahoor is shown for reliable structural integrity assessment of thin-walled nuclear pipes. An improved solution is then developed based on extensive 3D FE analyses employing deformation plasticity theory for typical nuclear piping materials. It takes over the structure of the existing solution but provides new tabulated plastic influence functions to cover a wide range of pipe geometry and crack shape. Furthermore, to facilitate easy prediction of the plastic influence function, an alternative simple equation is also developed by using a statistical response surface method. The proposed H 1 values can be used for elastic-plastic fracture analyses of thin-walled pipes with a circumferential surface crack subjected to tensile loading

Enhancement of J estimation for typical nuclear pipes with a circumferential surface crack under tensile load

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cho, Doo Ho; Woo, Seung Wan; Choi, Jae Boong; Kim, Young Jin [Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon (Korea, Republic of); Chang, Yoon Suk [Kyung Hee University, Yongin (Korea, Republic of); Jhung, Myung Jo; Choi, Young Hwan [Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2010-03-15

This paper is to report enhancement of engineering J estimation for semi-elliptical surface cracks under tensile load. Firstly, limitation of the sole solution suggested by Zahoor is shown for reliable structural integrity assessment of thin-walled nuclear pipes. An improved solution is then developed based on extensive 3D FE analyses employing deformation plasticity theory for typical nuclear piping materials. It takes over the structure of the existing solution but provides new tabulated plastic influence functions to cover a wide range of pipe geometry and crack shape. Furthermore, to facilitate easy prediction of the plastic influence function, an alternative simple equation is also developed by using a statistical response surface method. The proposed H{sub 1} values can be used for elastic-plastic fracture analyses of thin-walled pipes with a circumferential surface crack subjected to tensile loading

Quantification of Human T-lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) provirus load in a rural West African population: no enhancement of human immunodeficiency virus type 2 pathogenesis, but HTLV-I provirus load relates to mortality

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ariyoshi, K; Berry, N; Cham, F

2003-01-01

Human T-lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) provirus load was examined in a cohort of a population in Guinea-Bissau among whom human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) type 2 is endemic. Geometric mean of HIV-2 RNA load among HTLV-I-coinfected subjects was significantly lower than that in subjects...... infected with HIV-2 alone (212 vs. 724 copies/mL; P=.02). Adjusted for age, sex, and HIV status, the risk of death increased with HTLV-I provirus load; mortality hazard ratio was 1.59 for each log10 increase in HTLV-I provirus copies (P=.038). There is no enhancing effect of HTLV-I coinfection on HIV-2...... disease, but high HTLV-I provirus loads may contribute to mortality....

Suspended-sediment loads in the lower Stillaguamish River, Snohomish County, Washington, 2014–15

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, Scott A.; Curran, Christopher A.; Grossman, Eric E.

2017-08-03

Continuous records of discharge and turbidity at a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) streamgage in the lower Stillaguamish River were paired with discrete measurements of suspended-sediment concentration (SSC) in order to estimate suspended-sediment loads over the water years 2014 and 2015. First, relations between turbidity and SSC were developed and used to translate the continuous turbidity record into a continuous estimate of SSC. Those concentrations were then used to predict suspended-sediment loads based on the current discharge record, reported at daily intervals. Alternative methods were used to in-fill a small number of days with either missing periods of turbidity or discharge records. Uncertainties in our predictions at daily and annual time scales were estimated based on the parameter uncertainties in our turbidity-SSC regressions. Daily loads ranged from as high as 121,000 tons during a large autumn storm to as low as –56 tons, when tidal return flow moved more sediment upstream than river discharge did downstream. Annual suspended-sediment loads for both water years were close to 1.4 ± 0.2 million tons.

Never, non-daily, and daily smoking status and progression to daily cigarette smoking as correlates of major depressive episode in a national sample of youth: Results from the National Survey of Drug Use and Health 2013 to 2015.

Science.gov (United States)

Cohn, Amy M

2018-09-01

Cigarette smoking is associated with depression, and new initiates who progress more quickly to daily smoking may be at enhanced risk. In a nationally representative sample of youth, this study examined the association between daily, non-daily, and never smoking with past-year and lifetime major depressive episode (MDE) and, among daily smokers, whether faster progression to daily smoking was associated with increased MDE risk. Data were from n = 44,921 youth aged 12-17 in the 2013-2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Weighted adjusted multivariable logistic regression models were used to examine the association of smoking status (daily, non-daily, never) with lifetime and past-year MDE, and the association between progression from cigarette trial to daily smoking with MDE outcomes among daily smokers. Daily and non-daily smokers had similar rates of lifetime and past-year MDE; rates of MDE were approximately 50% lower among never smokers. Compared to never smokers, adjusted models showed that non-daily smokers had a higher risk of past-year and lifetime MDE, while daily smokers had a higher risk of past-year but not lifetime MDE. Daily smoking youth who progressed more quickly from cigarette trial to daily use had an increased risk of both lifetime and past-year MDE. Prevention programs should target factors associated with the shift from cigarette experimentation to regular use to curb deleterious consequences of use. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

The osteoporotic vertebral structure is well adapted to the loads of daily life, but not to infrequent "error" loads

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Homminga, J.J.; Rietbergen, van B.; Lochmüller, E.M.; Weinans, H.; Eckstein, F.; Huiskes, R.

2004-01-01

Osteoporotic vertebral fractures typically have a gradual onset, frequently remain clinically undetected, and do not seem to be related to traumatic events. The osteoporotic vertebrae may therefore be expected to display a less "optimal" bone architecture, leading to an uneven load distribution over

Evaluation of Polyuria: The Roles of Solute Loading and Water Diuresis.

Science.gov (United States)

Bhasin, Bhavna; Velez, Juan Carlos Q

2016-03-01

Polyuria, defined as daily urine output in excess of 3.0 to 3.5L/d, can occur due to solute or water diuresis. Solute-induced polyuria can be seen in hospitalized patients after a high solute load from exogenous protein administration or following relief of urinary obstruction. Similar clinical scenarios are rarely encountered in the outpatient setting. We describe a case of polyuria due to high solute ingestion and excessive water intake leading to a mixed picture of solute and water diuresis. Restriction of the daily solute load and water intake resulted in complete resolution of polyuria. Determination of the daily excreted urinary osmoles may yield important clues to the cause of polyuria and should be included in the routine workup of polyuria. Copyright © 2016 National Kidney Foundation, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Mid-term load forecasting of power systems by a new prediction method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Amjady, Nima; Keynia, Farshid

2008-01-01

Mid-term load forecasting (MTLF) becomes an essential tool for today power systems, mainly in those countries whose power systems operate in a deregulated environment. Among different kinds of MTLF, this paper focuses on the prediction of daily peak load for one month ahead. This kind of load forecast has many applications like maintenance scheduling, mid-term hydro thermal coordination, adequacy assessment, management of limited energy units, negotiation of forward contracts, and development of cost efficient fuel purchasing strategies. However, daily peak load is a nonlinear, volatile, and nonstationary signal. Besides, lack of sufficient data usually further complicates this problem. The paper proposes a new methodology to solve it, composed of an efficient data model, preforecast mechanism and combination of neural network and evolutionary algorithm as the hybrid forecast technique. The proposed methodology is examined on the EUropean Network on Intelligent TEchnologies (EUNITE) test data and Iran's power system. We will also compare our strategy with the other MTLF methods revealing its capability to solve this load forecast problem

Environmental Effects on Long Term Displacement Data of Woven Fabric Webbings Under Constant Load for Inflatable Structures

Science.gov (United States)

Kenner, WInfred S.; Jones, Thomas C.; Doggett, William R.; Duncan, Quinton; Plant, James

2015-01-01

An experimental study of the effects of environmental temperature and humidity conditions on long-term creep displacement data of high strength Kevlar and VectranTM woven fabric webbings under constant load for inflatable structures is presented. The restraint layer of an inflatable structure for long-duration space exploration missions is designed to bear load and consists of an assembly of high strength webbings. Long-term creep displacement data of webbings can be utilized by designers to validate service life parameters of restraint layers of inflatable structures. Five groups of high-strength webbings were researched over a two year period. Each group had a unique webbing length, load rating, applied load, and test period. The five groups consisted of 1.) 6K Vectran webbings loaded to 49% ultimate tensile strength (UTS), 2.) 6K Vectran webbings loaded to 55% UTS, 3.) 12.5K Vectran webbings loaded to 22% UTS, 4.) 6K Kevlar webbings loaded to 40% and 43% UTS, and 5.) 6K Kevlar webbings loaded to 48% UTS. Results show that all webbing groups exhibit the initial two stages of three of a typical creep curve of an elastic material. Results also show that webbings exhibit unique local wave patterns over the duration of the test period. Data indicate that the local pattern is primarily generated by daily variations in relative humidity values within the test facility. Data indicate that after a three to six month period, where webbings reach a steady-state creep condition, an annual sinusoidal displacement pattern is exhibited, primarily due to variations in annual mean temperature values. Data indicates that variations in daily temperature values and annual mean humidity values have limited secondary effects on creep displacement behavior. Results show that webbings in groups 2 and 5 do not exhibit well defined annual displacement patterns because the magnitude of the applied loads cause large deformations, and data indicate that material yielding within a webbing

A methodology for Electric Power Load Forecasting

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eisa Almeshaiei

2011-06-01

Full Text Available Electricity demand forecasting is a central and integral process for planning periodical operations and facility expansion in the electricity sector. Demand pattern is almost very complex due to the deregulation of energy markets. Therefore, finding an appropriate forecasting model for a specific electricity network is not an easy task. Although many forecasting methods were developed, none can be generalized for all demand patterns. Therefore, this paper presents a pragmatic methodology that can be used as a guide to construct Electric Power Load Forecasting models. This methodology is mainly based on decomposition and segmentation of the load time series. Several statistical analyses are involved to study the load features and forecasting precision such as moving average and probability plots of load noise. Real daily load data from Kuwaiti electric network are used as a case study. Some results are reported to guide forecasting future needs of this network.

A Simplified Short Term Load Forecasting Method Based on Sequential Patterns

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kouzelis, Konstantinos; Bak-Jensen, Birgitte; Mahat, Pukar

2014-01-01

Load forecasting is an essential part of a power system both for planning and daily operation purposes. As far as the latter is concerned, short term load forecasting has been broadly used at the transmission level. However, recent technological advancements and legislation have facilitated the i...... in comparison with an ARIMA model....

Ag-loaded TiO2/reduced graphene oxide nanocomposites for enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vasilaki, E.; Georgaki, I.; Vernardou, D.; Vamvakaki, M.; Katsarakis, N.

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Ag nanoparticles were loaded on TiO 2 by chemical reduction. • TiO 2 /Ag and TiO 2 samples were deposited on reduced graphene oxide (rGO). • Their performance was evaluated via methylene blue removal under visible-light. • TiO 2 /Ag/rGO presented superior activity compared to TiO 2 , TiO 2 /Ag and TiO 2 /rGO. - Abstract: In this work, Ag nanoparticles were loaded by chemical reduction onto TiO 2 P25 under different loadings ranging from 1 up to 4 wt% and hydrothermally deposited on reduced graphene oxide sheets. Chemical reduction was determined to be an effective preparation approach for Ag attachment to titania, leading to the formation of small silver nanoparticles with an average diameter of 4.2 nm. The photocatalytic performance of the hybrid nanocomposite materials was evaluated via methylene blue (MB) dye removal under visible-light irradiation. The rate of dye decolorization was found to depend on the metal loading, showing an increase till a threshold value of 3 wt%, above which the rate drops. Next, the as prepared sample of TiO 2 /Ag of better photocatalytic response, i.e., at a 3 wt% loading value, was hydrothermally deposited on a platform of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) of tunable content (mass ratio). TiO 2 /Ag/rGO coupled nanocomposite presented significantly enhanced photocatalytic activity compared to the TiO 2 /Ag, TiO 2 /rGO composites and bare P25 titania semiconductor photocatalysts. In particular, after 45 min of irradiation almost complete decolorization of the dye was observed for the TiO 2 /Ag/rGO nanocatalyst, while the respective removal efficiency was 92% for TiO 2 /Ag, 93% for TiO 2 /rGO and only 80% for the bare TiO 2 nanoparticles. This simple step by step preparation strategy allows for optimum exploitation of the advanced properties of metal plasmonic effect and reduced graphene oxide as the critical host for boosting the overall photocatalytic activity towards visible-light.

Low cognitive load strengthens distractor interference while high load attenuates when cognitive load and distractor possess similar visual characteristics.

Science.gov (United States)

Minamoto, Takehiro; Shipstead, Zach; Osaka, Naoyuki; Engle, Randall W

2015-07-01

Studies on visual cognitive load have reported inconsistent effects of distractor interference when distractors have visual characteristic that are similar to the cognitive load. Some studies have shown that the cognitive load enhances distractor interference, while others reported an attenuating effect. We attribute these inconsistencies to the amount of cognitive load that a person is required to maintain. Lower amounts of cognitive load increase distractor interference by orienting attention toward visually similar distractors. Higher amounts of cognitive load attenuate distractor interference by depleting attentional resources needed to process distractors. In the present study, cognitive load consisted of faces (Experiments 1-3) or scenes (Experiment 2). Participants performed a selective attention task in which they ignored face distractors while judging a color of a target dot presented nearby, under differing amounts of load. Across these experiments distractor interference was greater in the low-load condition and smaller in the high-load condition when the content of the cognitive load had similar visual characteristic to the distractors. We also found that when a series of judgments needed to be made, the effect was apparent for the first trial but not for the second. We further tested an involvement of working memory capacity (WMC) in the load effect (Experiment 3). Interestingly, both high and low WMC groups received an equivalent effect of the cognitive load in the first distractor, suggesting these effects are fairly automatic.

Small organic compounds enhance antigen loading of class II major histocompatibility complex proteins by targeting the polymorphic P1 pocket

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Höpner, Sabine; Dickhaut, Katharina; Hofstätter, Maria

2006-01-01

the peptide loading rate. The effect was evident only for an allelic subset and strictly correlated with the presence of glycine at the dimorphic position beta86 of the HLA-DR molecule. The residue forms the floor of the conserved pocket P1, located in the peptide binding site of MHC molecule. Apparently......, transient occupation of this pocket by the organic compound stabilizes the peptide-receptive conformation permitting rapid antigen loading. This interaction appeared restricted to the larger Gly(beta86) pocket and allowed striking enhancements of T cell responses for antigens presented by these "adamantyl......-susceptible" MHC molecules. As catalysts of antigen loading, compounds targeting P1 may be useful molecular tools to amplify the immune response. The observation, however, that the ligand repertoire can be affected through polymorphic sites form the outside may also imply that environmental factors could induce...

Repetitive heterocoagulation of oppositely charged particles for enhancement of magnetic nanoparticle loading into monodisperse silica particles.

Science.gov (United States)

Matsumoto, Hideki; Nagao, Daisuke; Konno, Mikio

2010-03-16

Oppositely charged particles were repetitively heterocoagulated to fabricate highly monodisperse magnetic silica particles with high loading of magnetic nanoparticles. Positively charged magnetic nanoparticles prepared by surface modification with N-trimethoxysilylpropyl-N,N,N-trimethylammonium chloride (TSA) were used to heterocoagulate with silica particles under basic conditions to give rise to negative silica surface charge and prevent the oxidation of the magnetic nanoparticles. The resultant particles of silica core homogeneously coated with the magnetic nanoparticles were further coated with thin silica layer with sodium silicate in order to enhance colloidal stability and avoid desorption of the magnetic nanoparticles from the silica cores. Five repetitions of the heterocoagulation and the silica coating could increase saturation magnetization of the magnetic silica particles to 27.7 emu/g, keeping the coefficient of variation of particle sizes (C(V)) less than 6.5%. Highly homogeneous loading of the magnetic component was confirmed by measuring Fe-to-Si atomic ratios of individual particles with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy.

BMP2-loaded hollow hydroxyapatite microspheres exhibit enhanced osteoinduction and osteogenicity in large bone defects.

Science.gov (United States)

Xiong, Long; Zeng, Jianhua; Yao, Aihua; Tu, Qiquan; Li, Jingtang; Yan, Liang; Tang, Zhiming

2015-01-01

The regeneration of large bone defects is an osteoinductive, osteoconductive, and osteogenic process that often requires a bone graft for support. Limitations associated with naturally autogenic or allogenic bone grafts have demonstrated the need for synthetic substitutes. The present study investigates the feasibility of using novel hollow hydroxyapatite microspheres as an osteoconductive matrix and a carrier for controlled local delivery of bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP2), a potent osteogenic inducer of bone regeneration. Hollow hydroxyapatite microspheres (100±25 μm) with a core (60±18 μm) and a mesoporous shell (180±42 m(2)/g surface area) were prepared by a glass conversion technique and loaded with recombinant human BMP2 (1 μg/mg). There was a gentle burst release of BMP2 from microspheres into the surrounding phosphate-buffered saline in vitro within the initial 48 hours, and continued at a low rate for over 40 days. In comparison with hollow hydroxyapatite microspheres without BMP2 or soluble BMP2 without a carrier, BMP2-loaded hollow hydroxyapatite microspheres had a significantly enhanced capacity to reconstitute radial bone defects in rabbit, as shown by increased serum alkaline phosphatase; quick and complete new bone formation within 12 weeks; and great biomechanical flexural strength. These results indicate that BMP2-loaded hollow hydroxyapatite microspheres could be a potential new option for bone graft substitutes in bone regeneration.

Load-following performance and assessment of CANDU fuel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tayal, M.; Floyd, M.; Rattan, D.; Xu, Z.; Manzer, A.; Lau, J. [Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, Mississauga, Ontario (Canada); Kohn, E. [Ontario Power Generation, Fuel and Fuel Channel Analysis Dept., Toronto, Ontario (Canada)

1999-09-01

Load following of nuclear reactors is now becoming an economic necessity in some countries. When nuclear power stations are operated in a load-following mode, the reactor and the fuel may be subjected to step changes in power on a weekly, daily, or even hourly basis, depending on the grid's needs. This paper updates the previous surveys of load-following capability of CANDU fuel, focusing mainly on the successful experience at the Bruce B station. As well, initial analytical assessments are provided that illustrate the capability of CANDU fuel to survive conditions other than those for which direct in-reactor evidence is available. (author)

The effects of self-report cognitive failures and cognitive load on antisaccade performance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nick eBerggren

2011-10-01

Full Text Available Individuals reporting high levels of distractibility in everyday life show impaired performance in standard laboratory tasks measuring selective attention and inhibitory processes. Similarly, increasing cognitive load leads to more errors/distraction in a variety of cognitive tasks. How these two factors interact is currently unclear; highly distractible individuals may be affected more when their cognitive resources are taxed, or load may linearly affect performance for all individuals. We investigated the relationship between self-reported levels of cognitive failuresin daily life and performance in the antisaccade task, a widely used tool examining attentional control. Levels of concurrent cognitive demand were manipulated using a secondary auditory discrimination task. We found that both levels of self-reported cognitive failures and task load increased antisaccade latencies while having no effect on prosaccade eye-movements. However individuals rating themselves as suffering few daily life distractions showed a comparable load cost to those who experience many. These findings suggest that the likelihood of distraction is governed by the addition of both internal susceptibility and the external current load placed on working memory.

Design and Evaluation of Autonomous Hybrid Frequency-Voltage Sensitive Load Controller

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Douglass, Philip James; Garcia-Valle, Rodrigo; Sossan, Fabrizio

2013-01-01

The paper introduces an algorithm for control of autonomous loads without digital communication interfaces to provide both frequency regulation and voltage regulation services. This hybrid controller can be used to enhance frequency sensitive loads to mitigate line overload arising from reduced l...... load diversity. Numerical simulations of the hybrid controller in a representative distribution system show the peak system load was reduced by 12% compared to a purely frequency sensitive load controller.......The paper introduces an algorithm for control of autonomous loads without digital communication interfaces to provide both frequency regulation and voltage regulation services. This hybrid controller can be used to enhance frequency sensitive loads to mitigate line overload arising from reduced...

Polyelectrolyte-based electrochemiluminescence enhancement for Ru(bpy){sub 3}{sup 2+} loaded by SiO{sub 2} nanoparticle carrier and its high sensitive immunoassay

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ge, Zhi-Li; Song, Tian-Mei; Chen, Zhe [College of Pharmaceutical Science, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123 (China); Guo, Wu-Run [College of Pharmaceutical Science, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123 (China); College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, China West Normal University, Nanchong 637002 (China); Xie, Hong-Ping, E-mail: hpxie@suda.edu.cn [College of Pharmaceutical Science, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123 (China); Xie, Lian, E-mail: xielian@suda.edu.cn [College of Pharmaceutical Science, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123 (China)

2015-03-03

Highlights: • Preparation of strong ECL nanoparticles PAA–Ru@SiO{sub 2}/[PAA⋯Ru&Nafion⋯Ru]. • Ion-pair macromolecule PAA–Ru formed to greatly increase the doping amount. • PAA&Nafion membrane increased the amount of ion-exchanged Ru(bpy){sub 3}{sup 2+}. • PAA&Nafion membrane enhanced the ability of electron transfer. • Realized antibody labeling and established a high-sensitive immunoassay. - Abstract: In this paper the strong electrochemiluminescence (ECL) nanoparticles have been prepared based on the anionic polyelectrolyte sodium polyacrylate (PAA)-ECL enhancement for Ru(bpy){sub 3}{sup 2+}, which were loaded by the carrier of SiO{sub 2} nanoparticle. There were two kinds of Ru(bpy){sub 3}{sup 2+} for the as-prepared nanoparticles, the doped one and the exchanged one. The former was loaded inside the ECL nanoparticles by doping, in a form of ion-pair macromolecules PAA–Ru(bpy){sub 3}{sup 2+}. The corresponding ECL was enhanced about 2 times owing to the doping increase of Ru(bpy){sub 3}{sup 2+}. The latter was loaded on the PAA-doped Nafion membrane by ion exchange. The corresponding ECL was enhanced about 3 times owing to the ion-exchanging increase of Ru(bpy){sub 3}{sup 2+}. At the same time, ECL intensity of the doped-inside Ru(bpy){sub 3}{sup 2+} was further enhanced 13 times because polyelectrolyte PAA in the doped membrane could obviously enhance electron transfer between the doped Ru(bpy){sub 3}{sup 2+} and the working electrode. Furthermore, based on hydrophobic regions of the doped membrane antibody labeling could be easily realized by the as-prepared nanoparticles and then a high sensitive ECL immunoassay for HBsAg was developed. The linear range was between 1.0 and 100 pg mL{sup −1} (R{sup 2} = 0.9912). The detection limit could be as low as 0.11 pg mL{sup −1} (signal-to-noise ratio = 3)

Daily Living Functioning, Social Engagement and Wellness of Older Adults

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Noor Zainab

2017-08-01

Full Text Available AimThe present study aim to investigate the contributing role of daily living functioning and social engagement in enhancing wellness and various dimensions of wellness in older adults.MethodA correlational research was designed. Socio-demographic data was collected. Lawton Instrumental Activities of Daily Living, Lubben Social Network Scale, and Perceived Wellness Survey were administered on a sample of 112 participants, including 56 men and 56 women.ResultsA correlation analysis found positive correlations between daily living functioning, social engagement and wellness of older adults. The results of regression analysis concluded that both the daily living functioning and social engagement predicted wellness and domains of wellness as well.ConclusionThe obtained results indicate that older adults who are self-reliant lead a more satisfied life in old age and demonstrate to be more adjusted to the effects of aging.

Global Historical Climatology Network - Daily (GHCN-Daily), Version 3

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The Global Historical Climatology Network - Daily (GHCN-Daily) dataset integrates daily climate observations from approximately 30 different data sources. Version 3...

Evaluation of SMART load follow operation capability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Song, Jae Seung; Zee, Sung Quun

1998-07-01

The daily load follow operation capability of SMART, which is 330 MWth integral reactor with boron free operation concept, was evaluated. In the boron free operation core the axial offset(AO) can not be limited or limited by wider range than the typical PWR that uses soluble boron. Current SMART conceptual core design does not have the limit for the axial offset and the operation is limited by three dimensional local power peak. In this report, the capability of load follow operation is evaluated for 14-2-6-2 daily load follow by 50% power reduction that is very typical in the large commercial power reactors. The cycle length of SMART is limited by three dimensional local power peak and the nominal axial power distribution is top skewed at the end of cycle. When the power returns to 100%, control rod should be withdrawn for the compensation of reactivity decrease due to the xenon buildup. The control rod withdrawal results in the increase of three dimensional local power peak. To solve this problem, an operation strategy for the control of local peak. To solve this problem, an operation strategy for the control of local peak was established and it was shown that the strategy is effective in controlling the local peak less than target value of the three dimensional local power peak. (author). 7 refs., 5 tabs., 13 figs

Distraction and mind-wandering under load.

Science.gov (United States)

Forster, Sophie

2013-01-01

Attention research over the last several decades has provided rich insights into the determinants of distraction, including distractor characteristics, task features, and individual differences. Load Theory represented a particularly important breakthrough, highlighting the critical role of the level and nature of task-load in determining both the efficiency of distractor rejection and the stage of processing at which this occurs. However, until recently studies of distraction were restricted to those measuring rather specific forms of distraction by external stimuli which I argue that, although intended to be irrelevant, were in fact task-relevant. In daily life, attention may be distracted by a wide range of stimuli, which may often be entirely unrelated to any task being performed, and may include not only external stimuli but also internally generated stimuli such as task-unrelated thoughts. This review outlines recent research examining these more general, entirely task-irrelevant, forms of distraction within the framework of Load Theory. I discuss the relation between different forms of distraction, and the universality of load effects across different distractor types and individuals.

Distraction and mind-wandering under load

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sophie eForster

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Attention research over the last several decades has provided rich insights into the determinants of distraction, including distractor characteristics, task features and individual differences. Load Theory represented a particularly important breakthrough, highlighting the critical role of the level and nature of task load in determining both the efficiency of distractor rejection and the stage of processing at which this occurs. However, until recently studies of distraction were restricted to those measuring rather specific forms of distraction by external stimuli which I argue that, although intended to be irrelevant, were in fact task-relevant. In daily life, attention may be distracted by a wide range of stimuli, which may often be entirely unrelated to any task being performed, and may include not only external stimuli but also internally generated stimuli such as task-unrelated thoughts. This review outlines recent research examining these more general, entirely task-irrelevant, forms of distraction within the framework of Load Theory. I discuss the relation between different forms of distraction, and the universality of load effects across different distractor types and individuals.

Delay-active damage versus non-local enhancement for anisotropic damage dynamics computations with alternated loading

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Desmorat, R.; Chambart, M.; Gatuingt, F.; Guilbaud, D.

2010-01-01

Anisotropic damage thermodynamics framework allows to model the concrete-like materials behavior and in particular their dissymmetric tension/compression response. To deal with dynamics applications such as impact, it is furthermore necessary to take into account the strain rate effect observed experimentally. This is done in the present work by means of anisotropic visco-damage, by introducing a material strain rate effect in the cases of positive hydrostatic stresses only. The proposed delay-damage law assumes no viscous effect in compression as the consideration of inertia effects proves sufficient to model the apparent material strength increase. High-rate dynamics applications imply to deal with wave propagation and reflection which can generate alternated loading in the impacted structure. In order to do so, the key concept of active damage is defined and introduced within both the damage criterion and the delay-damage evolution law. At the structural level, strain localization often leads to spurious mesh dependency. Three-dimensional Finite Element computations of dynamic tensile tests by spalling are presented, with visco-damage and either without or with non-local enhancement. Delay-damage, as introduced, regularizes the solution in fast dynamics. The location of the macro-crack initiated is found influenced by non-local regularization. The strain rate range in which each enhancement, delay-damage or non-local enhancement, has a regularizing effect is studied. (authors)

Doxycycline-loaded coaxial nanofiber coating of titanium implants enhances osseointegration and inhibits Staphylococcus aureus infection.

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Wei; Seta, Joseph; Chen, Liang; Bergum, Christopher; Zhou, Zhubin; Kanneganti, Praveen; Kast, Rachel E; Auner, Gregory W; Shen, Ming; Markel, David C; Ren, Weiping; Yu, Xiaowei

2017-07-05

Few studies have been reported that focus on developing implant surface nanofiber (NF) coating to prevent infection and enhance osseointegration by local drug release. In this study, coaxial doxycycline (Doxy)-doped polycaprolactone/polyvinyl alcohol (PCL/PVA) NFs were directly deposited on a titanium (Ti) implant surface during electrospinning. The interaction of loaded Doxy with both PVA and PCL NFs was characterized by Raman spectroscopy. The bonding strength of Doxy-doped NF coating on Ti implants was confirmed by a stand single-pass scratch test. The improved implant osseointegration by PCL/PVA NF coatings in vivo was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy, histomorphometry and micro computed tomography (μCT) at 2, 4 and 8 weeks after implantation. The bone contact surface (%) changes of the NF coating group (80%) is significantly higher than that of the no NF group (coating effectively inhibited bacterial infection and enhanced osseointegration in an infected (Staphylococcus aureus) tibia implantation rat model. Doxy released from NF coating inhibited bacterial growth up to 8 weeks in vivo. The maximal push-in force of the Doxy-NF coating (38 N) is much higher than that of the NF coating group (6.5 N) 8 weeks after implantation (p coating doped with Doxy and/or other drugs have great potential in enhancing implant osseointegration and preventing infection.

Fabrication of uniformly dispersed Ag nanoparticles loaded TiO{sub 2} nanotube arrays for enhancing photoelectrochemical and photocatalytic performances under visible light irradiation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yi, Junhui; Zhang, Shengsen; Wang, Hongjuan; Yu, Hao; Peng, Feng, E-mail: cefpeng@scut.edu.cn

2014-12-15

Graphical abstract: Uniformly dispersed Ag nanoparticles (NPs) were successfully loaded on both the outer and inner surface of the TiO{sub 2} nanotube arrays (NTs) through a simple polyol method, which exhibited the enhanced photoelectrochemical and photocatalytic performances under visible-light irradiation due to the more effective separation of photo-generated electron–hole pairs and faster interfacial charge transfer. - Highlights: • Highly dispersed Ag nanoparticles (NPs) are successfully prepared by polyol method. • Ag NPs are uniformly loaded on the surface of the TiO{sub 2} nanotube arrays (NTs). • Ag/TiO{sub 2}-NTs exhibit the enhanced photocatalytic activity under visible-light. • The enhanced photocurrent is explained by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. - Abstract: Uniformly dispersed Ag nanoparticles (NPs) were successfully loaded on both the outer and inner surface of the TiO{sub 2} nanotube arrays (NTs) through a simple polyol method. The as-prepared Ag/TiO{sub 2}-NTs were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and UV–vis diffusion reflectance spectroscopy. Photoelectrochemical behaviors were investigated via photocurrent response and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Photocatalytic activity of Ag/TiO{sub 2}-NTs was evaluated by degradation of acid orange II under visible light irradiation. The results showed that photocatalytic efficiency of Ag/TiO{sub 2}-NTs is more than 5 times higher than that of pure TiO{sub 2} NTs. Comparing with the electrochemical deposition method, the photocatalytic activity of Ag/TiO{sub 2}-NTs prepared by polyol method has been obviously increased.

Dependence of loading time on control parameters in a standard vapour—loaded magneto—optical trap

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Yi-Chi; Wu Ji-Zhou; Li Yu-Qing; Ma Jie; Wang Li-Rong; Zhao Yan-Ting; Xiao Lian-Tuan; Jia Suo-Tang

2011-01-01

Loading time is one of the most important dynamic characteristics of a magneto—optical trap. In this paper, we primarily report on a detailed experimental study of the effects of some magneto—optical trap control parameters on loading time, including the background vacuum pressure, the magnetic field gradient, and the intensities of trapping and repumping lasers. We compare the results with previous theoretical and experimental results, and give qualitative analysis. These experimental investigations offer some useful guidelines to control the loading time of magneto—optical traps. The controllable loading time achieved is helpful to enhance the signal-to-noise ratio of photoassociation spectroscopy, which is remarkably improved from 7 to 28.6. (atomic and molecular physics)

Enhancement of mechanical and tribotechnical properties of polymer composites with thermoplastic UHMWPE and PEEK matrices by loading carbon nanofibers/nanotubes

Science.gov (United States)

Panin, S. V.; Kornienko, L. A.; Anh, Nguyen Duc; Alexenko, V. O.; Ivanova, L. R.

2017-12-01

For comparative evaluation of the influence of carbon nanofiber/nanotube loading in two different thermoplastic matrices (UHMWPE and PEEK), some mechanical and tribotechnical properties of the nanocomposites have been studied. It is shown that mechanical properties of nanocomposites change in various manners with increasing loading of carbon nanofibers and nanotubes. Herewith, the wear resistance of the "UHMWPE+1 wt% CNF and PEEK + 1 wt% CNF" composites under dry sliding friction is doubled. It is shown that, regardless of various effects on permolecular structure formation, the studied nanofillers enhance the wear resistance of the composites in a similar manner. A comparative analysis of the influence of nanofillers on the modification of mechanical and tribotechnical properties of UHMWPE- and PEEK-based matrices is made.

Characterization of biological particulate loads in metropolitan air

Science.gov (United States)

J. A. Snow; R. D. Schein; W. J. Moroz

1977-01-01

The atmospheric particulate load includes a wide range of naturally occurring particles of biological origin that serve as a reservoir of allergenic agents in respiratory disease. Improved knowledge of potential aeroallergens is needed by medical clinicians. Aims are to better characterize air spora, qualitatively and quantitatively, and determine daily (by hour)...

A daily analysis of physical activity and satisfaction with life in emerging adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Maher, Jaclyn P; Doerksen, Shawna E; Elavsky, Steriani; Hyde, Amanda L; Pincus, Aaron L; Ram, Nilam; Conroy, David E

2013-06-01

Subjective well-being has well-established positive health consequences. During emerging adulthood, from ages 18 to 25 years, people's global evaluations of their well-being (i.e., satisfaction with life [SWL]) appear to worsen more than any other time in the adult life span, indicating that this population would benefit from strategies to enhance SWL. In these studies, we investigated top-down (i.e., time-invariant, trait-like) and bottom-up (i.e., time-varying, state-like) influences of physical activity (PA) on daily SWL. Two daily diary studies lasting 8 days (N = 190) and 14 days (N = 63) were conducted with samples of emerging adults enrolled in college to evaluate relations between daily PA and SWL while controlling for established and plausible top-down and bottom-up influences on SWL. In both studies, multilevel models indicated that people reported greater SWL on days when they were more active (a within-person, bottom-up effect). Top-down effects of PA were not significant in either study. These findings were robust when we controlled for competing top-down influences (e.g., sex, personality traits, self-esteem, body mass index, mental health symptoms, fatigue) and bottom-up influences (e.g., daily self-esteem, daily mental health symptoms, daily fatigue). We concluded that SWL was impacted by people's daily PA rather than their trait level of PA over time. These findings extend evidence that PA is a health behavior with important consequences for daily well-being and should be considered when developing national policies to enhance SWL. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved.

The analysis of loading losses from tank trucks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jovanović Ana P.

2006-01-01

Full Text Available The quantity of loading losses, which are the primary source of evaporative emissions from tank cars and trucks was analyzed in this paper. Loading losses occur as organic vapors in "empty" cargo tanks are displaced to the atmosphere by the liquid being loaded into the tanks. Emissions from loading petroleum liquid were estimated using three methods: the API (American Petroleum Institute method, the VDI (Verein Deutscher Ingenieure -Association of German Engineers method and the Yugoslav Standard JUS B.HO.531 method. The mass of evaporative losses from loading operations is a function of the following parameters: the method of loading the cargo, the physical and chemical characteristics of the cargo and the ambient temperature during loading. Evaporation losses from the loading of motor gasoline (MB-95, BMB-95, MB-98 and MB-86 and diesel fuels (D-2, Euro D-2 were calculated. Losses on a monthly and annual basis were presented for an assumed amount of loaded cargo. It was estimated that the highest loading losses occur in the summer period because of high ambient daily temperatures and in the period of higher transporting levels. It should be pointed out that the loading losses of diesel fuel calculated using an empirical coefficient according to JUS B.HO.531 are significantly higher in comparison with the loading losses calculated using emission factors from the EPA and the VDI method. The gasoline loading losses calculated using emission factors derived from the three methods are similar.

Gender, Emotion Work, and Relationship Quality: A Daily Diary Study

Science.gov (United States)

Curran, Melissa A.; McDaniel, Brandon T.; Pollitt, Amanda M.; Totenhagen, Casey J.

2015-01-01

We use the gender relations perspective from feminist theorizing to investigate how gender and daily emotion work predict daily relationship quality in 74 couples (148 individuals in dating, cohabiting, or married relationships) primarily from the southwest U.S. Emotion work is characterized by activities that enhance others’ emotional well-being. We examined emotion work two ways: trait (individuals’ average levels) and state (individuals’ daily fluctuations). We examined actor and partner effects of emotion work and tested for gender differences. As outcome variables, we included six types of daily relationship quality: love, commitment, satisfaction, closeness, ambivalence, and conflict. This approach allowed us to predict three aspects of relationship quality: average levels, daily fluctuations, and volatility (overall daily variability across a week). Three patterns emerged. First, emotion work predicted relationship quality in this diverse set of couples. Second, gender differences were minimal for fixed effects: Trait and state emotion work predicted higher average scores on, and positive daily increases in, individuals’ own positive relationship quality and lower average ambivalence. Third, gender differences were more robust for volatility: For partner effects, having a partner who reported higher average emotion work predicted lower volatility in love, satisfaction, and closeness for women versus greater volatility in love and commitment for men. Neither gender nor emotion work predicted average levels, daily fluctuations, or volatility in conflict. We discuss implications and future directions pertaining to the unique role of gender in understanding the associations between daily emotion work and volatility in daily relationship quality for relational partners. PMID:26508808

Gold nanoparticles capped with benzalkonium chloride and poly (ethylene imine) for enhanced loading and skin permeability of 5-fluorouracil.

Science.gov (United States)

Safwat, Mohamed A; Soliman, Ghareb M; Sayed, Douaa; Attia, Mohamed A

2017-11-01

To enhance 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) permeability through the skin by loading onto gold nanoparticles (GNPs) capped with two cationic ligands, benzalkonium chloride (BC) or poly (ethylene imine) (PEI). Whereas 5-FU has excellent efficacy against many cancers, its poor permeability through biological membranes and several adverse effects limit its clinical benefits. BC and PEI were selected to stabilize GNPs and to load 5-FU through ionic interactions. 5-FU/BC-GNPs and 5-FU/PEI-GNPs were prepared at different 5-FU/ligand molar ratios and different pH values and were evaluated using different techniques. GNPs stability was tested as a function of salt concentration and storage time. 5-FU release from BC- and PEI-GNPs was evaluated as a function of solution pH. Ex vivo permeability studies of different 5-FU preparations were carried out using mice skin. 5-FU-loaded GNPs size and surface charge were dependent on the 5-FU/ligand molar ratios. 5-FU entrapment efficiency and loading capacity were dependent on the used ligand, 5-FU/ligand molar ratio and solution pH. Maximum drug entrapment efficiency of 59.0 ± 1.7% and 46.0 ± 1.1% were obtained for 5-FU/BC-GNPs and 5-FU/PEI-GNPs, respectively. 5-FU-loaded GNPs had good stability against salinity and after storage for 4 months at room temperature and at 4 °C. In vitro 5-FU release was pH- and ligand-dependent where slower release was observed at higher pH and for 5-FU/BC-GNPs. 5-FU permeability through mice skin was significantly higher for drug-loaded GNPs compared with drug-ligand complex or drug aqueous solution. Based on these results, BC- and PEI-GNPs might find applications as effective topical delivery systems of 5-FU.

Performance Enhancement and Load Reduction on Wind Turbines Using Inflow Measurements

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kragh, Knud Abildgaard

. The load variations on a wind turbine can be alleviated using either yaw or pitch actuation. A method is presented for alleviating load variations using yaw control, and it is shown how the method can be efficiently applied for decreasing the load variations that are caused by a vertical wind shear...... wind energy research is focused on decreasing the cost of the energy that can be produced from the wind. The cost of energy can for example be decreased by ensuring that wind turbines are operated in a way that ensures that the maximum amount of energy is extracted, and that the turbines are not loaded...... excessively. The operation of a wind turbine is governed by a number of controllers that are based on a series of sensors and actuators. Classical wind turbine control utilizes sensors for measuring turbine parameters such as rotor speed, power and shaft torque, as well as actuators for applying generator...

Intent to Quit among Daily and Non-Daily College Student Smokers

Science.gov (United States)

Pinsker, E. A.; Berg, C. J.; Nehl, E. J.; Prokhorov, A. V.; Buchanan, T. S.; Ahluwalia, J. S.

2013-01-01

Given the high prevalence of young adult smoking, we examined (i) psychosocial factors and substance use among college students representing five smoking patterns and histories [non-smokers, quitters, native non-daily smokers (i.e. never daily smokers), converted non-daily smokers (i.e. former daily smokers) and daily smokers] and (ii) smoking…

Identifying the Correlation between Water Quality Data and LOADEST Model Behavior in Annual Sediment Load Estimations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Youn Shik Park

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Water quality samples are typically collected less frequently than flow since water quality sampling is costly. Load Estimator (LOADEST, provided by the United States Geological Survey, is used to predict water quality concentration (or load on days when flow data are measured so that the water quality data are sufficient for annual pollutant load estimation. However, there is a need to identify water quality data requirements for accurate pollutant load estimation. Measured daily sediment data were collected from 211 streams. Estimated annual sediment loads from LOADEST and subsampled data were compared to the measured annual sediment loads (true load. The means of flow for calibration data were correlated to model behavior. A regression equation was developed to compute the required mean of flow in calibration data to best calibrate the LOADEST regression model coefficients. LOADEST runs were performed to investigate the correlation between the mean flow in calibration data and model behaviors as daily water quality data were subsampled. LOADEST calibration data used sediment concentration data for flows suggested by the regression equation. Using the mean flow calibrated by the regression equation reduced errors in annual sediment load estimation from −39.7% to −10.8% compared to using all available data.

Cognitive Load in Voice Therapy Carry-Over Exercises

Science.gov (United States)

Iwarsson, Jenny; Morris, David Jackson; Balling, Laura Winther

2017-01-01

Purpose: The cognitive load generated by online speech production may vary with the nature of the speech task. This article examines 3 speech tasks used in voice therapy carry-over exercises, in which a patient is required to adopt and automatize new voice behaviors, ultimately in daily spontaneous communication. Method: Twelve subjects produced…

Multi-centre evaluation of two daily disposable contact lenses.

Science.gov (United States)

Walker, Jon; Young, Graeme; Hunt, Chris; Henderson, Terri

2007-05-01

To evaluate the clinical performance of two daily disposable contact lenses: 1-DAY ACUVUE (1DA) (etafilcon A, Johnson & Johnson Vision Care) and FOCUS DAILIES with AquaComfort (FD) (nelfilcon A, CIBA Vision, Inc.), which contains a quickly released moisture enhancing agent, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). This was a 1-week, daily wear, subject-masked, bilateral, parallel group study with subjects randomly assigned to one of two daily disposable soft contact lenses. Subjects were existing soft contact lens wearers in the age range 18-39 years with a spherical refraction between -0.50 and -6.00 D. Subjects were assessed at baseline and after 1 week. Assessments included both subjective (symptoms, wearing time, vision) and objective (lens fit and ocular health) outcomes. Twenty clinical sites enrolled 282 subjects (74% female) of whom 276 (98%) successfully completed the study. Significantly more 1DA wearers reported higher mean comfort scores than with FD (3.95 versus 3.41, respectively, Pdisposable lenses highlight that, although both lenses may be considered as clinically acceptable, these lenses should not be regarded as interchangeable.

Loss-of-load probabilities for stand-alone photovoltaic systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Klein, S.A.; Beckman, W.A.

1989-01-01

A general method is presented for estimating the loss-of-load probability of stand-alone photovoltaic systems. The method was developed by correlating simulation results. The simulations were driven with synthetic radiation sequences having the same statistical significance as available historical data. The methods assumes a constant nighttime load and accounts for the distribution and persistence in daily solar radiation data. It is shown that the 10 year average performance of systems having loss-of-load probabilities less than about 0.01 can vary greatly from one ten year period to the next and thereby cannot be considered realistic performance estimates of a system during its lifetime. (author). 26 refs, 15 figs, 4 tabs

2'-OMe-phosphorodithioate-modified siRNAs show increased loading into the RISC complex and enhanced anti-tumour activity.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Sherry Y; Yang, Xianbin; Gharpure, Kshipra M; Hatakeyama, Hiroto; Egli, Martin; McGuire, Michael H; Nagaraja, Archana S; Miyake, Takahito M; Rupaimoole, Rajesha; Pecot, Chad V; Taylor, Morgan; Pradeep, Sunila; Sierant, Malgorzata; Rodriguez-Aguayo, Cristian; Choi, Hyun J; Previs, Rebecca A; Armaiz-Pena, Guillermo N; Huang, Li; Martinez, Carlos; Hassell, Tom; Ivan, Cristina; Sehgal, Vasudha; Singhania, Richa; Han, Hee-Dong; Su, Chang; Kim, Ji Hoon; Dalton, Heather J; Kovvali, Chandra; Keyomarsi, Khandan; McMillan, Nigel A J; Overwijk, Willem W; Liu, Jinsong; Lee, Ju-Seog; Baggerly, Keith A; Lopez-Berestein, Gabriel; Ram, Prahlad T; Nawrot, Barbara; Sood, Anil K

2014-03-12

Improving small interfering RNA (siRNA) efficacy in target cell populations remains a challenge to its clinical implementation. Here, we report a chemical modification, consisting of phosphorodithioate (PS2) and 2'-O-Methyl (2'-OMe) MePS2 on one nucleotide that significantly enhances potency and resistance to degradation for various siRNAs. We find enhanced potency stems from an unforeseen increase in siRNA loading to the RNA-induced silencing complex, likely due to the unique interaction mediated by 2'-OMe and PS2. We demonstrate the therapeutic utility of MePS2 siRNAs in chemoresistant ovarian cancer mouse models via targeting GRAM domain containing 1B (GRAMD1B), a protein involved in chemoresistance. GRAMD1B silencing is achieved in tumours following MePS2-modified siRNA treatment, leading to a synergistic anti-tumour effect in combination with paclitaxel. Given the previously limited success in enhancing siRNA potency with chemically modified siRNAs, our findings represent an important advance in siRNA design with the potential for application in numerous cancer types.

Enhanced Load Power Sharing Accuracy in Droop-Controlled DC Microgrids with Both Mesh and Radial Configurations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yiqi Liu

2015-04-01

Full Text Available The rational power sharing among different interface converters should be determined by the converter capacity. In order to guarantee that each converter operates at the ideal condition, considering the radial and mesh configuration, a modified strategy for load power sharing accuracy enhancement in droop-controlled DC microgrid is proposed in this paper. Two compensating terms which include averaging output power control and averaging DC voltage control of neighboring converters are employed. Since only the information of the neighboring converter is used, the complexity of the communication network can be reduced. The rational distribution of load power for different line resistance conditions is realized by using modified droop control that can be regarded as a distributed approach. Low bandwidth communication is used for exchanging sampled information between different converters. The feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method for different network configurations and line resistances under different communication delay is analyzed in detail. Simulation results derived from a DC microgrid with three converters is implemented in MATLAB/Simulink to verify the proposed approach. Experimental results from a 3 × 10 kW prototype also show the performance of the proposed modified droop control scheme.

Daily Physical Activity and Cognitive Function Variability in Older Adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Phillips, Christine B; Edwards, Jerri D; Andel, Ross; Kilpatrick, Marcus

2016-04-01

Physical activity (PA) is believed to preserve cognitive function in older adulthood, though little is known about these relationships within the context of daily life. The present microlongitudinal pilot study explored within- and between-person relationships between daily PA and cognitive function and also examined within-person effect sizes in a sample of community-dwelling older adults. Fifty-one healthy participants (mean age = 70.1 years) wore an accelerometer and completed a cognitive assessment battery for five days. There were no significant associations between cognitive task performance and participants' daily or average PA over the study period. Effect size estimates indicated that PA explained 0-24% of within-person variability in cognitive function, depending on cognitive task and PA dose. Results indicate that PA may have near-term cognitive effects and should be explored as a possible strategy to enhance older adults' ability to perform cognitively complex activities within the context of daily living.

Fc Receptor-Targeting of Immunogen as a Strategy for Enhanced Antigen Loading, Vaccination, and Protection Using Intranasally-Administered Antigen-Pulsed Dendritic Cells

Science.gov (United States)

Pham, Giang H.; Iglesias, Bibiana V.; Gosselin, Edmund J.

2014-01-01

Dendritic cells (DCs) play a critical role in the generation of adaptive immunity via the efficient capture, processing, and presentation of antigen (Ag) to naïve T cells. Administration of Ag-pulsed DCs is also an effective strategy for enhancing immunity to tumors and infectious disease organisms. Studies have also demonstrated that targeting Ags to Fcγ receptors (FcγR) on Ag presenting cells can enhance humoral and cellular immunity in vitro and in vivo. Specifically, our studies using an F. tularensis (Ft) infectious disease vaccine model have demonstrated that targeting immunogens to FcγR via intranasal (i.n.) administration of monoclonal antibody (mAb)-inactivated Ft (iFt) immune complexes (ICs) enhances protection against Ft challenge. Ft is the causative agent of tularemia, a debilitating disease of humans and other mammals and a category A biothreat agent for which there is no approved vaccine. Therefore, using iFt Ag as a model immunogen, we sought to determine if ex vivo targeting of iFt to FcγR on DCs would enhance the potency of i.n. administered iFt-pulsed DCs. In this study, bone marrow-derived DCs (BMDCs) were pulsed ex vivo with iFt or mAb-iFt ICs. Intranasal administration of mAb-iFt-pulsed BMDCs enhanced humoral and cellular immune responses, as well as protection against Ft live vaccine strain (LVS) challenge. Increased protection correlated with increased iFt loading on the BMDC surface as a consequence of FcγR targeting. However, the inhibitory FcγRIIB had no impact on this enhancement. In conclusion, targeting Ag ex vivo to FcγR on DCs provides a method for enhanced Ag loading of DCs ex vivo, thereby reducing the amount of Ag required, while also avoiding the inhibitory impact of FcγRIIB. Thus, this represents a simple and less invasive strategy for increasing the potency of ex vivo-pulsed DC vaccines against chronic infectious diseases and cancer. PMID:25068496

Fc receptor-targeting of immunogen as a strategy for enhanced antigen loading, vaccination, and protection using intranasally administered antigen-pulsed dendritic cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Pham, Giang H; Iglesias, Bibiana V; Gosselin, Edmund J

2014-09-08

Dendritic cells (DCs) play a critical role in the generation of adaptive immunity via the efficient capture, processing, and presentation of antigen (Ag) to naïve T cells. Administration of Ag-pulsed DCs is also an effective strategy for enhancing immunity to tumors and infectious disease organisms. Studies have also demonstrated that targeting Ags to Fcγ receptors (FcγR) on Ag presenting cells can enhance humoral and cellular immunity in vitro and in vivo. Specifically, our studies using a Francisella tularensis (Ft) infectious disease vaccine model have demonstrated that targeting immunogens to FcγR via intranasal (i.n.) administration of monoclonal antibody (mAb)-inactivated Ft (iFt) immune complexes (ICs) enhances protection against Ft challenge. Ft is the causative agent of tularemia, a debilitating disease of humans and other mammals and a category A biothreat agent for which there is no approved vaccine. Therefore, using iFt Ag as a model immunogen, we sought to determine if ex vivo targeting of iFt to FcγR on DCs would enhance the potency of i.n. administered iFt-pulsed DCs. In this study, bone marrow-derived DCs (BMDCs) were pulsed ex vivo with iFt or mAb-iFt ICs. Intranasal administration of mAb-iFt-pulsed BMDCs enhanced humoral and cellular immune responses, as well as protection against Ft live vaccine strain (LVS) challenge. Increased protection correlated with increased iFt loading on the BMDC surface as a consequence of FcγR-targeting. However, the inhibitory FcγRIIB had no impact on this enhancement. In conclusion, targeting Ag ex vivo to FcγR on DCs provides a method for enhanced Ag loading of DCs ex vivo, thereby reducing the amount of Ag required, while also avoiding the inhibitory impact of FcγRIIB. Thus, this represents a simple and less invasive strategy for increasing the potency of ex vivo-pulsed DC vaccines against chronic infectious diseases and cancer. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cost effective shift schedules enhance utility operations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Coleman, R.M.

1995-01-01

This article describes how new shift scheduling concepts can save utility operations millions of dollars every year and yet maintain safety and improve employee morale. The key to scheduling is to define and match the work load. This includes discretionary as well as daily, weekly, and yearly core work loads. In most power plants the overall work load (including maintenance, operations, materials handling, etc.) on day shift is greater than on other shifts, hence an unbalanced schedule would be appropriate

Chronic and Daily Stressors Along With Negative Affect Interact to Predict Daily Tiredness.

Science.gov (United States)

Hartsell, Elizabeth N; Neupert, Shevaun D

2017-11-01

The present study examines the within-person relationship of daily stressors and tiredness and whether this depends on daily negative affect and individual differences in chronic stress. One hundred sixteen older adult participants were recruited via Amazon's Mechanical Turk for a 9-day daily diary study. Daily tiredness, daily stressors, and negative affect were measured each day, and chronic stress was measured at baseline. Daily stressors, daily negative affect, and chronic stress interacted to predict daily tiredness. People with high chronic stress who experienced an increase in daily negative affect were the most reactive to daily stressors in terms of experiencing an increase in daily tiredness. We also found that people with low levels of chronic stress were the most reactive to daily stressors when they experienced low levels of daily negative affect. Our results highlight the need for individualized and contextualized approaches to combating daily tiredness in older adults.

Involuntary autobiographical memories are relatively more often reported during high cognitive load tasks.

Science.gov (United States)

Barzykowski, Krystian; Niedźwieńska, Agnieszka

2018-01-01

Recent studies on involuntary autobiographical memories (IAMs) in daily life have shown that they are most frequently reported during daily routines (e.g. while ironing). Such studies have suggested that reporting IAMs may be influenced by the level of the ongoing task demands and availability of cognitive resources. In two studies, we investigated the effects of cognitive load on reporting IAMs. To examine the presumed cognitive load dependency of IAMs, we utilised an often-employed experimental paradigm (Schlagman & Kvavilashvili, 2008) to elicit IAMs under conditions that differed in cognitive load. When performing a vigilance task, participants had to interrupt the task each time they experienced any spontaneous mental contents and write them down. We manipulated the level of cognitive load by either instructing (cognitive load group) or not instructing (control group) participants to perform an additional demanding task. We compared the groups on the number of IAMs and other mental contents (non-IAM contents) recorded, as well as on the frequency of IAMs that was calculated as a proportion of IAMs in all mental contents reported by the participant. We expected that if reporting IAMs depends on the level of cognitive demands, then we should observe lower frequency of IAMs in the cognitive load group compared to the control group. Consistently across studies, we observed a lower number of IAMs and non-IAM contents in the cognitive load group. However, IAMs unexpectedly constituted a higher percentage of all mental contents when participants were cognitively loaded. Further implications of the cognitive load effects for IAMs research and experimental methodology are discussed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Transposing Concentration-Discharge Curves onto Unmonitored Catchments to Estimate Seasonal Nutrient Loads

Science.gov (United States)

Minaudo, C.; Moatar, F.; Abbott, B. W.; Dupas, R.; Gascuel-Odoux, C.; Pinay, G.; Roubeix, V.; Danis, P. A.

2017-12-01

Many lakes and reservoirs in Europe suffer from severe eutrophication. Accurate quantification of nutrient loads are critical for effective mitigation measures, but this information is often unknown. For example, in France, only 50 out of 481 lakes and reservoirs have national monitoring allowing estimation of interannual nitrogen and phosphorus loads, and even these loads are computed from low-frequency data. To address this lack of data, we developed a straightforward method to predict seasonal loads in lake tributaries. First, we analyzed concentration-discharge (C-Q) curves in monitored catchments and identified slopes, intercepts, and coefficient of variation of the log(C)-log(Q) regressions determined for both low and high flows, separated by the median daily flow [Moatar et al., 2017]. Then, we used stepwise multiple linear regression models to empirically link the characteristics of C-Q curves with a set of catchment descriptors such as land use, lithology, morphology indices, climate, and hydrological indicators. Modeled C-Q relationships were then used to estimate annual and seasonal nutrient loads in nearby and similar unmonitored catchments. We implemented this approach on a large dataset from France where stream flow was surveyed daily and water quality (suspended solids, nitrate, total phosphorus, and orthophosphate concentrations) was measured on a monthly basis at 233 stations over the past 20 years in catchments from 10 to 3000 km². The concentration at the median daily flow (seen here as a metric of the general level of contamination in a catchment) was predicted with uncertainty ranging between 30 and 100 %, depending on the variable. C-Q slopes were predicted with large errors, but a sensitivity analysis was conducted to determine the impact of C-Q slopes uncertainties on computed annual and seasonal loads. This approach allows estimation of seasonal and annual nutrient loads and could be potentially implemented to improve protection and

Short term and medium term power distribution load forecasting by neural networks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yalcinoz, T.; Eminoglu, U.

2005-01-01

Load forecasting is an important subject for power distribution systems and has been studied from different points of view. In general, load forecasts should be performed over a broad spectrum of time intervals, which could be classified into short term, medium term and long term forecasts. Several research groups have proposed various techniques for either short term load forecasting or medium term load forecasting or long term load forecasting. This paper presents a neural network (NN) model for short term peak load forecasting, short term total load forecasting and medium term monthly load forecasting in power distribution systems. The NN is used to learn the relationships among past, current and future temperatures and loads. The neural network was trained to recognize the peak load of the day, total load of the day and monthly electricity consumption. The suitability of the proposed approach is illustrated through an application to real load shapes from the Turkish Electricity Distribution Corporation (TEDAS) in Nigde. The data represents the daily and monthly electricity consumption in Nigde, Turkey

Performance enhancement and load reduction on wind turbines using inflow measurements

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Abildgaard Kragh, K.

2013-06-15

Wind energy is being applied at a larger and larger scale worldwide, and is one of the technologies eligible for accommodating the increasing demand for renewable energy. However, wind energy is still not competitive compared to technologies that are based on fossil energy sources. Therefore, much wind energy research is focused on decreasing the cost of the energy that can be produced from the wind. The cost of energy can for example be decreased by ensuring that wind turbines are operated in a way that ensures that the maximum amount of energy is extracted, and that the turbines are not loaded excessively. The operation of a wind turbine is governed by a number of controllers that are based on a series of sensors and actuators. Classical wind turbine control utilizes sensors for measuring turbine parameters such as rotor speed, power and shaft torque, as well as actuators for applying generator torque and collective pitch angle changes. Thus, classical wind turbine control schemes are based on measurements of the effects of the inflow on the turbine. Therefore, the reactions of the control system to the inflow changes are inherently delayed compared to the actual inflow changes. Because of the inherent delay of the control system, the ability of the system to react promptly to inflow changes is limited. Control schemes that are based on inflow measurements have been developed to overcome the limitations of the classical wind turbine control system. By measuring the inflow directly, actuation can be initiated instantly as the inflow changes. If the inflow is measured upstream of the turbine, actuation can be initiated prior to the occurrence of a wind speed change at the turbine. Hereby, even the actuator delay can be compensated for. Upstream inflow measurements could for example be acquired using ''Light Detection and Ranging''. In this thesis, the potentials for improving the power production and decreasing the load variations of horizontal axis upwind turbines

The effect of oral zinc loading on the absorption of 65Zinc in the rat

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoyer, H.; Weismann, K.

1979-01-01

Seven groups of 8 rats each were orally loaded with zinc, the daily dose varying from 1.8 to 58 mg, corresponding to about 3 to 100 times of their estimated daily intake of zinc. To record the absorption of zinc, the rats were given a single dose of 65 Zn. The rentention of the isotope was measured in a whole animal counter at regular intervals. The dose of 58mg was obviously toxis, since half of the animals died within 5 days. The net absorption of zinc in the remaining experimental groups was found to vary from about 7% in the group receiving the smallest loading dose to 1.8% in the group receiving the highest dose. From the absorption values, as determined by extrapolation of semilog retention curves, the total amount of absorbed zinc was estimated. It was found to differ from about 170μg to about 530μg zinc daily, increasing three times as the loading dose was increased 16 times. This discrepancy suggests the existence of regulatory mechanisms of the absorption of zinc from the intestine. (orig.) [de

Intent to quit among daily and non-daily college student smokers

OpenAIRE

Pinsker, E. A.; Berg, C. J.; Nehl, E. J.; Prokhorov, A. V.; Buchanan, T. S.; Ahluwalia, J. S.

2012-01-01

Given the high prevalence of young adult smoking, we examined (i) psychosocial factors and substance use among college students representing five smoking patterns and histories [non-smokers, quitters, native non-daily smokers (i.e. never daily smokers), converted non-daily smokers (i.e. former daily smokers) and daily smokers] and (ii) smoking category as it relates to readiness to quit among current smokers. Of the 4438 students at six Southeast colleges who completed an online survey, 69.7%...

Enhanced catalytic activity of nanoscale platinum islands loaded ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

2016-08-26

Aug 26, 2016 ... In the present study, different catalysts (∼ 10 nm thick) including metals, noble metals and metal oxides, were loaded in dotted island form over SnO2 thin film for LPG gas detection. A comparison of various catalysts indicated that the presence of platinum dotted islands over SnO2 thin film deposited by r.f. ...

Seasonal player wellness and its longitudinal association with internal training load: study in elite volleyball.

Science.gov (United States)

Clemente, Filipe M; Mendes, Bruno; Palao, José M; Silvério, André; Carriço, Sandro; Calvete, Francisco; Nakamura, Fábio Y

2018-04-04

Monitoring training load is critical to minimize the risk of overreaching, injury or illness. The purpose of this study was to assess the relationships and variance between perceived internal load and wellness status of elite male volleyball. Thirteen elite volleyball players were studied during a full competitive season (nine months, 237 training sessions and 37 official matches). Perceived exertion, muscle soreness, stress, fatigue and sleep quality levels were daily measured using session RPE and the Hopper Questionnaire. Moderate-to-large correlations were found between weekly training load and perceived status of muscle soreness, fatigue and stress. Stronger correlations were found between weekly training loads than daily training load. Significant greater stress levels in match days than in training were found. No correlations between load and wellness were not found in the last month when players perceived higher levels of stress due to the competition. The analysis of the weekly training load had a higher relationship with players' wellness status in pre-season and middle of the season. In the last part of the season (final matches for the title), despite of a decrease in perceived load of last month of the season, there was an increase stress and fatigue levels. These results suggest the importance of including the impact on the competition when elite athletes are monitored. The results show the monitoring tools used may help in to characterize the training process of teams and the player's acute and chronic responses.

Preparation and characterization of tungsten-loaded titanium dioxide photocatalyst for enhanced dye degradation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saepurahman; Abdullah, M.A.; Chong, F.K.

2010-01-01

Tungsten-loaded TiO 2 photocatalyst has been successfully prepared and characterized. TEM analysis showed that the photocatalysts were nanosize with the tungsten species forming layers of coverage on the surface of TiO 2 , but not in clustered form. This was confirmed by XRD and FT-Raman analyses where tungsten species were well dispersed at lower loading ( 3 at higher loadings (>12 mol%). In addition, loading with tungsten could stabilize the anatase phase from transforming into inactive rutile phase and did not shift the optical absorption to the visible region as shown by DRUV-vis analysis. PZC value of TiO 2 was found at 6.4, but the presence of tungsten at 6.5 mol% WO 3 , decreased the PZC value to 3. Tungsten-loaded TiO 2 was superior to unmodified TiO 2 with 2-fold increase in degradation rate of methylene blue, and equally effective for the degradation of different class of dyes such as methyl violet and methyl orange at 1 mol% WO 3 loading.

Development and characterization of morin hydrate loaded microemulsion for the management of Alzheimer's disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Sharma, Dheeraj; Singh, Manpreet; Kumar, Punnet; Vikram, Vir; Mishra, Neeraj

2017-12-01

The aim of this study is to prepare and characterize intranasal delivery of morin hydrate loaded microemulsion for the management of Alzheimer's diseases. After intranasal delivery, brain and blood drug concentrations were found to be higher for optimized morin hydrate loaded microemulsion as compared to plain morin hydrate. Significant (P microemulsion as compared to sham control group. Daily chronic treatment with morin loaded microemulsion till the 21st day significantly increased the memory in wistar rats with STZ-induced dementia.

Enhanced Ungual Permeation of Terbinafine HCl Delivered Through Liposome-Loaded Nail Lacquer Formulation Optimized by QbD Approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Shah, Viral H; Jobanputra, Amee

2018-01-01

The present investigation focused on developing, optimizing, and evaluating a novel liposome-loaded nail lacquer formulation for increasing the transungual permeation flux of terbinafine HCl for efficient treatment of onychomycosis. A three-factor, three-level, Box-Behnken design was employed for optimizing process and formulation parameters of liposomal formulation. Liposomes were formulated by thin film hydration technique followed by sonication. Drug to lipid ratio, sonication amplitude, and sonication time were screened as independent variables while particle size, PDI, entrapment efficiency, and zeta potential were selected as quality attributes for liposomal formulation. Multiple regression analysis was employed to construct a second-order quadratic polynomial equation and contour plots. Design space (overlay plot) was generated to optimize a liposomal system, with software-suggested levels of independent variables that could be transformed to desired responses. The optimized liposome formulation was characterized and dispersed in nail lacquer which was further evaluated for different parameters. Results depicted that the optimized terbinafine HCl-loaded liposome formulation exhibited particle size of 182 nm, PDI of 0.175, zeta potential of -26.8 mV, and entrapment efficiency of 80%. Transungual permeability flux of terbinafine HCl through liposome-dispersed nail lacquer formulation was observed to be significantly higher in comparison to nail lacquer with a permeation enhancer. The developed formulation was also observed to be as efficient as pure drug dispersion in its antifungal activity. Thus, it was concluded that the developed formulation can serve as an efficient tool for enhancing the permeability of terbinafine HCl across human nail plate thereby improving its therapeutic efficiency.

Impact of sampling strategy on stream load estimates in till landscape of the Midwest

Science.gov (United States)

Vidon, P.; Hubbard, L.E.; Soyeux, E.

2009-01-01

Accurately estimating various solute loads in streams during storms is critical to accurately determine maximum daily loads for regulatory purposes. This study investigates the impact of sampling strategy on solute load estimates in streams in the US Midwest. Three different solute types (nitrate, magnesium, and dissolved organic carbon (DOC)) and three sampling strategies are assessed. Regardless of the method, the average error on nitrate loads is higher than for magnesium or DOC loads, and all three methods generally underestimate DOC loads and overestimate magnesium loads. Increasing sampling frequency only slightly improves the accuracy of solute load estimates but generally improves the precision of load calculations. This type of investigation is critical for water management and environmental assessment so error on solute load calculations can be taken into account by landscape managers, and sampling strategies optimized as a function of monitoring objectives. ?? 2008 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

Organosilane functionalization of halloysite nanotubes for enhanced loading and controlled release

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yuan Peng; Southon, Peter D; Kepert, Cameron J; Liu Zongwen

2012-01-01

The surfaces of naturally occurring halloysite nanotubes were functionalized with γ-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES), which was found to have a substantial effect on the loading and subsequent release of a model dye molecule. APTES was mostly anchored at the internal lumen surface of halloysite through covalent grafting, forming a functionalized surface covered by aminopropyl groups. The dye loading of the functionalized halloysite was 32% greater than that of the unmodified sample, and the release from the functionalized halloysite was dramatically prolonged as compared to that from the unmodified one. Dye release was prolonged at low pH and the release at pH 3.5 was approximately three times slower than that at pH 10.0. These results demonstrate that organosilane functionalization makes pH an external trigger for controlling the loading of guest on halloysite and the subsequent controlled release. (paper)

Organosilane functionalization of halloysite nanotubes for enhanced loading and controlled release.

Science.gov (United States)

Yuan, Peng; Southon, Peter D; Liu, Zongwen; Kepert, Cameron J

2012-09-21

The surfaces of naturally occurring halloysite nanotubes were functionalized with γ-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES), which was found to have a substantial effect on the loading and subsequent release of a model dye molecule. APTES was mostly anchored at the internal lumen surface of halloysite through covalent grafting, forming a functionalized surface covered by aminopropyl groups. The dye loading of the functionalized halloysite was 32% greater than that of the unmodified sample, and the release from the functionalized halloysite was dramatically prolonged as compared to that from the unmodified one. Dye release was prolonged at low pH and the release at pH 3.5 was approximately three times slower than that at pH 10.0. These results demonstrate that organosilane functionalization makes pH an external trigger for controlling the loading of guest on halloysite and the subsequent controlled release.

Local delivery of cannabinoid-loaded microparticles inhibits tumor growth in a murine xenograft model of glioblastoma multiforme.

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Dolores Hernán Pérez de la Ossa

Full Text Available Cannabinoids, the active components of marijuana and their derivatives, are currently investigated due to their potential therapeutic application for the management of many different diseases, including cancer. Specifically, Δ(9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC and Cannabidiol (CBD - the two major ingredients of marijuana - have been shown to inhibit tumor growth in a number of animal models of cancer, including glioma. Although there are several pharmaceutical preparations that permit the oral administration of THC or its analogue nabilone or the oromucosal delivery of a THC- and CBD-enriched cannabis extract, the systemic administration of cannabinoids has several limitations in part derived from the high lipophilicity exhibited by these compounds. In this work we analyzed CBD- and THC-loaded poly-ε-caprolactone microparticles as an alternative delivery system for long-term cannabinoid administration in a murine xenograft model of glioma. In vitro characterization of THC- and CBD-loaded microparticles showed that this method of microencapsulation facilitates a sustained release of the two cannabinoids for several days. Local administration of THC-, CBD- or a mixture (1:1 w:w of THC- and CBD-loaded microparticles every 5 days to mice bearing glioma xenografts reduced tumour growth with the same efficacy than a daily local administration of the equivalent amount of those cannabinoids in solution. Moreover, treatment with cannabinoid-loaded microparticles enhanced apoptosis and decreased cell proliferation and angiogenesis in these tumours. Our findings support that THC- and CBD-loaded microparticles could be used as an alternative method of cannabinoid delivery in anticancer therapies.

Silk coating on a bioactive ceramic scaffold for bone regeneration: effective enhancement of mechanical and in vitro osteogenic properties towards load-bearing applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Jiao Jiao; Roohani-Esfahani, Seyed-Iman; Kim, Kyungsook; Kaplan, David L; Zreiqat, Hala

2017-06-01

Bioactive ceramic scaffolds represent competitive choices for clinical bone reconstruction, but their widespread use is restricted by inherent brittleness and weak mechanical performance under load. This study reports the development of strong and tough bioactive scaffolds suitable for use in load-bearing bone reconstruction. A strong and bioactive ceramic scaffold (strontium-hardystonite-gahnite) is combined with single and multiple coating layers of silk fibroin to enhance its toughness, producing composite scaffolds which match the mechanical properties of cancellous bone and show enhanced capacity to promote in vitro osteogenesis. Also reported for the first time is a comparison of the coating effects obtained when a polymeric material is coated on ceramic scaffolds with differing microstructures, namely the strontium-hardystonite-gahnite scaffold with high-density struts as opposed to a conventional ceramic scaffold, such as biphasic calcium phosphate, with low-density struts. The results show that silk coating on a unique ceramic scaffold can lead to simple and effective enhancement of its mechanical and biological properties to suit a wider range of applications in clinical bone reconstruction, and also establish the influence of ceramic microstructure on the effectiveness of silk coating as a method of reinforcement when applied to different types of ceramic bone graft substitutes. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Pharmacokinetics of and short-term virologic response to low-dose 400-milligram once-daily raltegravir maintenance therapy.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ananworanich, J.; Gorowara, M.; Avihingsanon, A.; Kerr, S.J.; Heesch, N. van; Khongpetch, C.; Uanithirat, A.; Hill, A.; Ruxrungtham, K.; Burger, D.M.

2012-01-01

Because studies showed similar viral suppression with lower raltegravir doses and because Asians usually have high antiretroviral concentrations, we explored low-dose raltegravir therapy in Thais. Nineteen adults on raltegravir at 400 mg twice daily (BID) with HIV RNA loads of <50 copies/ml were

EEG Based Analysis of Cognitive Load Enhance Instructional Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Dan, Alex; Reiner, Miriam

2017-01-01

One of the recommended approaches in instructional design methods is to optimize the value of working memory capacity and avoid cognitive overload. Educational neuroscience offers novel processes and methodologies to analyze cognitive load based on physiological measures. Observing psychophysiological changes when they occur in response to the…

Curcumin-docetaxel co-loaded nanosuspension for enhanced anti-breast cancer activity.

Science.gov (United States)

Sahu, Bhanu P; Hazarika, Hemanga; Bharadwaj, Rituraj; Loying, Pojul; Baishya, Rinku; Dash, Suvakanta; Das, Malay K

2016-08-01

A curcumin-docetaxel co-loaded nanosuspension with increased anti-breast cancer activity was developed. Curcumin is a potential anticancer agent with p-glycoprotein (p-gp) inhibiting activity may be co-administered with docetaxel as a nanosuspension to enhance its anticancer effect by increasing the oral bioavailability and decreasing drug efflux. Nanosuspensions of curcumin and docetaxel were prepared by precipitation-homozenisation technique and evaluated for particle size, polydispersity, zeta potential and drug release. The in vitro MTT assay was conducted using MCF-7 for anti-breast cancer activity. The in vivo biodistribution by radiolabeling and tumor inhibition study was conducted in mice. Homogenous nanosuspensions of 80 ± 20 nm were obtained with increased solubility. The drugs as nanosuspensions showed higher cytotoxicity on MCF-7 cell line compared to their suspensions due to the increased in vitro cellular uptake. Due to this increased solubility, sensitization of tumor cells and inhibition of p-gp the in-vivo results showed greater tumor inhibition rate of up to 70% in MCF-7 treated mice. Histopathological results showed higher apoptotic activity and reduced level of angiogenesis. The in vitro and in vivo study of the nanosuspensions has shown that Co-administration of Curcumin as a p-gp inhibitor with docetaxel may have the potential to increase the anti-breast cancer efficacy of both drugs.

Short term load forecasting using neuro-fuzzy networks

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hoffman, M.; Hassan, A. [South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Rapid City, SD (United States); Martinez, D. [Black Hills Power and Light, Rapid City, SD (United States)

2005-07-01

Details of a neuro-fuzzy network-based short term load forecasting system for power utilities were presented. The fuzzy logic controller was used to fuzzify inputs representing historical temperature and load curves. The fuzzified inputs were then used to develop the fuzzy rules matrix. Output membership function values were determined by evaluating the fuzzified inputs with the fuzzy rules. Output membership function values were used as inputs for the neural network portion of the system. The training process used a back propagation gradient descent algorithm to adjust the weight values of the neural network in order to reduce the error between the neural network output and the desired output. The neural network was then used to predict future load values. Sample data were taken from a local power company's daily load curve to validate the system. A 10 per cent forecast error was introduced in the temperature values to determine the effect on load prediction. Results of the study suggest that the combined use of fuzzy logic and neural networks provide greater accuracy than studies where either approach is used alone. 6 refs., 6 figs.

Ecohydrological modelling of water discharge and nitrate loads in a mesoscale lowland catchment, Germany

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N. Fohrer

2009-08-01

Full Text Available The aims of this study are to identify the capacities of applying an ecohydrological model for simulating flow and to assess the impact of point and non-point source pollution on nitrate loads in a complex lowland catchment, which has special hydrological characteristics in comparison with those of other catchments. The study area Kielstau catchment has a size of approximately 50 km² and is located in the North German lowlands. The water quality is not only influenced by the predominating agricultural land use in the catchment as cropland and pasture, but also by six municipal wastewater treatment plants.

Ecohydrological models like the SWAT model (Soil and Water Assessment Tool are useful tools for simulating nutrient loads in river catchments. Diffuse entries from the agriculture resulting from fertilizers as well as punctual entries from the wastewater treatment plants are implemented in the model set-up.

The results of this study show good agreement between simulated and measured daily discharges with a Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency and a correlation coefficient of 0.76 and 0.88 for the calibration period (November 1998 to October 2004; 0.75 and 0.92 for the validation period (November 2004 to December 2007. The model efficiency for daily nitrate loads is 0.64 and 0.5 for the calibration period (June 2005 to May 2007 and the validation period (June 2007 to December 2007, respectively. The study revealed that SWAT performed satisfactorily in simulating daily flow and nitrate loads at the lowland catchment in Northern Germany.

Application of SVM methods for mid-term load forecasting

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Božić Miloš

2011-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents an approach for the medium-term load forecasting using Support Vector Machines (SVMs. The proposed SVM model was employed to predict the maximum daily load demand for the period of a month. Analyses of available data were performed and the most important features for the construction of SVM model are selected. It was shown that the size and the structure of the training set may significantly affect the accuracy of predictions. The presented model was tested by applying it on real-life load data obtained from distribution company 'ED Jugoistok' for the territory of city Niš and its surroundings. Experimental results show that the proposed approach gives acceptable results for the entire period of prediction, which are in range with other solutions in this area.

Dealing with Daily Challenges in Dementia (Deal-id Study): An Experience Sampling Study to Assess Caregivers' Sense of Competence and Experienced Positive Affect in Daily Life.

Science.gov (United States)

van Knippenberg, Rosalia J M; de Vugt, Marjolein E; Ponds, Rudolf W; Myin-Germeys, Inez; Verhey, Frans R J

2017-08-01

Positive emotions and feelings of competence seem to play an important role in the well-being of caregivers of people with dementia. Both are likely to fluctuate constantly throughout the caretaking process. Unlike standard retrospective methods, momentary assessments in daily life can provide insight into these moment-to-moment fluctuations. Therefore, in this study both retrospective and momentary assessments were used to examine the relationship between caregivers' sense of competence and their experienced positive affect (PA) in daily life. Thirty Dutch caregivers provided momentary data on PA and daily sense of competence ratings for 6 consecutive days using the experience sampling methodology. Additionally, they reported retrospectively on their sense of competence with a traditional questionnaire. A positive association was found between retrospective and daily measured sense of competence. Caregivers reported corresponding levels of sense of competence on both measures. Both daily and retrospective sense of competence were positively associated with the experienced levels of PA. However, daily sense of competence appeared to be the strongest predictor. Regarding the variability in PA, only daily sense of competence showed a significant association, with a higher daily sense of competence predicting a more stable PA pattern. This study provides support for redirecting caregiver support interventions toward enhancement of positive rather than negative experiences and focusing more on caregivers' momentary emotional experiences. Momentary assessments are a valuable addition to standard retrospective measures and provide a more comprehensive and dynamic view of caregiver functioning. Copyright © 2016 American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Forecasting loads and prices in competitive power markets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bunn, D.W.

2000-01-01

This paper provides a review of some of the main methodological issues and techniques which have become innovative in addressing the problem of forecasting daily loads and prices in the new competitive power markets. Particular emphasis is placed upon computationally intensive methods, including variable segmentation, multiple modeling, combinations, and neural networks for forecasting the demand side, and strategic simulation using artificial agents for the supply side

Two 850 MW turbines on daily cycling, design and operating experience

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stodieck, W; Straetz, A [Maschinenfabrik Augsburg-Nuernberg (M.A.N.) A.G., Nuernberg (Germany, F.R.)

1979-02-01

When Pennsylvania Power and Light Company (PPandL) of Allentown, U.S.A. signed a contract in 1970 with M.A.N. for the supply of two 850 MW turbines as part of extension of its existing coal-fired power station at Martins Creek by two oil-fired units, continuous base load operation was planned for the initial years. After about ten years both units should have been curbed to low load operation at night and completely shutdown at weekends. Then in 1973 when the oil crisis led to fuel prices which proved the operation of both units uneconomic the way they were planned for the initial years, all conditions were given to operate both turbines on a daily cycling basis from their commissioning day on. This was due to the installation of quality equipment for the improvement of thermal performance.

Rating curve estimation of nutrient loads in Iowa rivers

Science.gov (United States)

Stenback, G.A.; Crumpton, W.G.; Schilling, K.E.; Helmers, M.J.

2011-01-01

Accurate estimation of nutrient loads in rivers and streams is critical for many applications including determination of sources of nutrient loads in watersheds, evaluating long-term trends in loads, and estimating loading to downstream waterbodies. Since in many cases nutrient concentrations are measured on a weekly or monthly frequency, there is a need to estimate concentration and loads during periods when no data is available. The objectives of this study were to: (i) document the performance of a multiple regression model to predict loads of nitrate and total phosphorus (TP) in Iowa rivers and streams; (ii) determine whether there is any systematic bias in the load prediction estimates for nitrate and TP; and (iii) evaluate streamflow and concentration factors that could affect the load prediction efficiency. A commonly cited rating curve regression is utilized to estimate riverine nitrate and TP loads for rivers in Iowa with watershed areas ranging from 17.4 to over 34,600km2. Forty-nine nitrate and 44 TP datasets each comprising 5-22years of approximately weekly to monthly concentrations were examined. Three nitrate data sets had sample collection frequencies averaging about three samples per week. The accuracy and precision of annual and long term riverine load prediction was assessed by direct comparison of rating curve load predictions with observed daily loads. Significant positive bias of annual and long term nitrate loads was detected. Long term rating curve nitrate load predictions exceeded observed loads by 25% or more at 33% of the 49 measurement sites. No bias was found for TP load prediction although 15% of the 44 cases either underestimated or overestimate observed long-term loads by more than 25%. The rating curve was found to poorly characterize nitrate and phosphorus variation in some rivers. ?? 2010 .

The Reliability of Individualized Load-Velocity Profiles.

Science.gov (United States)

Banyard, Harry G; Nosaka, K; Vernon, Alex D; Haff, G Gregory

2017-11-15

This study examined the reliability of peak velocity (PV), mean propulsive velocity (MPV), and mean velocity (MV) in the development of load-velocity profiles (LVP) in the full depth free-weight back squat performed with maximal concentric effort. Eighteen resistance-trained men performed a baseline one-repetition maximum (1RM) back squat trial and three subsequent 1RM trials used for reliability analyses, with 48-hours interval between trials. 1RM trials comprised lifts from six relative loads including 20, 40, 60, 80, 90, and 100% 1RM. Individualized LVPs for PV, MPV, or MV were derived from loads that were highly reliable based on the following criteria: intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) >0.70, coefficient of variation (CV) ≤10%, and Cohen's d effect size (ES) 0.05) between trials, movement velocities, or between linear regression versus second order polynomial fits. PV 20-100% , MPV 20-90% , and MV 20-90% are reliable and can be utilized to develop LVPs using linear regression. Conceptually, LVPs can be used to monitor changes in movement velocity and employed as a method for adjusting sessional training loads according to daily readiness.

Dissociable Roles of Different Types of Working Memory Load in Visual Detection

Science.gov (United States)

Konstantinou, Nikos; Lavie, Nilli

2013-01-01

We contrasted the effects of different types of working memory (WM) load on detection. Considering the sensory-recruitment hypothesis of visual short-term memory (VSTM) within load theory (e.g., Lavie, 2010) led us to predict that VSTM load would reduce visual-representation capacity, thus leading to reduced detection sensitivity during maintenance, whereas load on WM cognitive control processes would reduce priority-based control, thus leading to enhanced detection sensitivity for a low-priority stimulus. During the retention interval of a WM task, participants performed a visual-search task while also asked to detect a masked stimulus in the periphery. Loading WM cognitive control processes (with the demand to maintain a random digit order [vs. fixed in conditions of low load]) led to enhanced detection sensitivity. In contrast, loading VSTM (with the demand to maintain the color and positions of six squares [vs. one in conditions of low load]) reduced detection sensitivity, an effect comparable with that found for manipulating perceptual load in the search task. The results confirmed our predictions and established a new functional dissociation between the roles of different types of WM load in the fundamental visual perception process of detection. PMID:23713796

Effects of different loading patterns on the trabecular bone morphology of the proximal femur using adaptive bone remodeling.

Science.gov (United States)

Banijamali, S Mohammad Ali; Oftadeh, Ramin; Nazarian, Ara; Goebel, Ruben; Vaziri, Ashkan; Nayeb-Hashemi, Hamid

2015-01-01

In this study, the changes in the bone density of human femur model as a result of different loadings were investigated. The model initially consisted of a solid shell representing cortical bone encompassing a cubical network of interconnected rods representing trabecular bone. A computationally efficient program was developed that iteratively changed the structure of trabecular bone by keeping the local stress in the structure within a defined stress range. The stress was controlled by either enhancing existing beam elements or removing beams from the initial trabecular frame structure. Analyses were performed for two cases of homogenous isotropic and transversely isotropic beams.Trabecular bone structure was obtained for three load cases: walking, stair climbing and stumbling without falling. The results indicate that trabecular bone tissue material properties do not have a significant effect on the converged structure of trabecular bone. In addition, as the magnitude of the loads increase, the internal structure becomes denser in critical zones. Loading associated with the stumbling results in the highest density;whereas walking, considered as a routine daily activity, results in the least internal density in different regions. Furthermore, bone volume fraction at the critical regions of the converged structure is in good agreement with previously measured data obtained from combinations of dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and computed tomography (CT). The results indicate that the converged bone architecture consisting of rods and plates are consistent with the natural bone morphology of the femur. The proposed model shows a promising means to understand the effects of different individual loading patterns on the bone density.

Beam loading in high-energy storage rings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wilson, P.B.

1974-06-01

The analysis of beam loading in the RF systems of high-energy storage rings (for example, the PEP e/sup /minus//e/sup +/ ring) is complicated by the fact that the time, T/sub b/, between the passage of successive bunches is comparable to the cavity filling time, T/sub b/. In this paper, beam loading expressions are first summarized for the usual case in which T/sub b/ /much lt/ T/sub f/. The theory of phase oscillations in the heavily-beam-loaded case is considered, and the dependence of the synchrotron frequency and damping constant for the oscillations on beam current and cavity tuning is calculated. Expressions for beam loading are then derived which are valid for any value of the ratio T/sub b//T/sub f/. It is shown that, for the proposed PEP e/sup /minus//e/sup +/ ring parameters, the klystron power required is increased by about 3% over that calculated using the standard beam loading expressions. Finally, the analysis is extended to take into account the additional losses associated with the excitation of higher-order cavity modes. A rough numerical estimate is made of the loss enhancement to be expected for PEP RF system. It is concluded that this loss enhancement might be substantial unless appropriate measures are taken in the design and tuning of the accelerating structure

Treadmill Exercise with Increased Body Loading Enhances Post Flight Functional Performance

Science.gov (United States)

Bloomberg, J. J.; Batson, C. D.; Buxton, R. E.; Feiveson, A. H.; Kofman, I. S.; Laurie, S.; Lee, S. M. C.; Miller, C. A.; Mulavara, A. P.; Peters, B. T.;

Enhanced Dynamic Load Sensor for ISS (EDLS-ISS), Phase II

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Aurora Flight Sciences and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) propose to develop a stand-alone 6-DOF load sensing system that collects biomechanical...

Research of Charging(Discharging Orderly and Optimizing Load Curve for Electric Vehicles Based on Dynamic Electric Price and V2G

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yang Shuai

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Firstly, using the Monte Carlo method and simulation analysis, this paper builds models for the behaviour of electric vehicles, the conventional charging model and the fast charging model. Secondly, this paper studies the impact that the number of electric vehicles which get access to power grid has on the daily load curve. Then, the paper put forwards a dynamic pricing mechanism of electricity, and studies how this dynamic pricing mechanism guides the electric vehicles to charge orderly. Last but not the least, the paper presents a V2G mechanism. Under this mechanism, electric vehicles can charge orderly and take part in the peak shaving. Research finds that massive electric vehicles’ access to the power grid will increase the peak-valley difference of daily load curve. Dynamic pricing mechanism and V2G mechanism can effectively lead the electric vehicles to take part in peak-shaving, and optimize the daily load curve.

Daily transactional and transformational leadership and daily employee engament

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Breevaart, K.; Bakker, A.B.; Hetland, Jorn; Demerouti, E.; Olsen, O.K.; Espevik, R.

2014-01-01

This diary study adds to the leadership literature by examining the daily influence of transformational leadership, contingent reward, and active management-by-exception (MBE active) on followers' daily work engagement. We compare the unique contribution of these leadership behaviours and focus on

2’f-OMe-phosphorodithioate modified siRNAs show increased loading into the RISC complex and enhanced anti-tumour activity

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Sherry Y.; Yang, Xianbin; Gharpure, Kshipra M.; Hatakeyama, Hiroto; Egli, Martin; McGuire, Michael H.; Nagaraja, Archana S.; Miyake, Takahito M.; Rupaimoole, Rajesha; Pecot, Chad V.; Taylor, Morgan; Pradeep, Sunila; Sierant, Malgorzata; Rodriguez-Aguayo, Cristian; Choi, Hyun J.; Previs, Rebecca A.; Armaiz-Pena, Guillermo N.; Huang, Li; Martinez, Carlos; Hassell, Tom; Ivan, Cristina; Sehgal, Vasudha; Singhania, Richa; Han, Hee-Dong; Su, Chang; Kim, Ji Hoon; Dalton, Heather J.; Kowali, Chandra; Keyomarsi, Khandan; McMillan, Nigel A.J.; Overwijk, Willem W.; Liu, Jinsong; Lee, Ju-Seog; Baggerly, Keith A.; Lopez-Berestein, Gabriel; Ram, Prahlad T.; Nawrot, Barbara; Sood, Anil K.

2014-01-01

Improving small interfering RNA (siRNA) efficacy in target cell populations remains a challenge to its clinical implementation. Here, we report a chemical modification, consisting of phosphorodithioate (PS2) and 2’-O-Methyl (2’-OMe) MePS2 on one nucleotide that significantly enhances potency and resistance to degradation for various siRNAs. We find enhanced potency stems from an unforeseen increase in siRNA loading to the RNA-induced silencing complex, likely due to the unique interaction mediated by 2’-OMe and PS2. We demonstrate the therapeutic utility of MePS2 siRNAs in chemoresistant ovarian cancer mouse models via targeting GRAM Domain Containing 1B (GRAMD1B), a protein involved in chemoresistance. GRAMD1B silencing is achieved in tumors following MePS2-modified siRNA treatment, leading to a synergistic anti-tumor effect in combination with paclitaxel. Given the previously limited success in enhancing siRNA potency with chemically modified siRNAs, our findings represent an important advance in siRNA design with the potential for application in numerous cancer types. PMID:24619206

Optimizing Preseason Training Loads in Australian Football.

Science.gov (United States)

Carey, David L; Crow, Justin; Ong, Kok-Leong; Blanch, Peter; Morris, Meg E; Dascombe, Ben J; Crossley, Kay M

2018-02-01

To investigate whether preseason training plans for Australian football can be computer generated using current training-load guidelines to optimize injury-risk reduction and performance improvement. A constrained optimization problem was defined for daily total and sprint distance, using the preseason schedule of an elite Australian football team as a template. Maximizing total training volume and maximizing Banister-model-projected performance were both considered optimization objectives. Cumulative workload and acute:chronic workload-ratio constraints were placed on training programs to reflect current guidelines on relative and absolute training loads for injury-risk reduction. Optimization software was then used to generate preseason training plans. The optimization framework was able to generate training plans that satisfied relative and absolute workload constraints. Increasing the off-season chronic training loads enabled the optimization algorithm to prescribe higher amounts of "safe" training and attain higher projected performance levels. Simulations showed that using a Banister-model objective led to plans that included a taper in training load prior to competition to minimize fatigue and maximize projected performance. In contrast, when the objective was to maximize total training volume, more frequent training was prescribed to accumulate as much load as possible. Feasible training plans that maximize projected performance and satisfy injury-risk constraints can be automatically generated by an optimization problem for Australian football. The optimization methods allow for individualized training-plan design and the ability to adapt to changing training objectives and different training-load metrics.

Calcium channel blockers, more than diuretics, enhance vascular protective effects of angiotensin receptor blockers in salt-loaded hypertensive rats.

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Eiichiro Yamamoto

Full Text Available The combination therapy of an angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB with a calcium channel blocker (CCB or with a diuretic is favorably recommended for the treatment of hypertension. However, the difference between these two combination therapies is unclear. The present work was undertaken to examine the possible difference between the two combination therapies in vascular protection. Salt-loaded stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP were divided into 6 groups, and they were orally administered (1 vehicle, (2 olmesartan, an ARB, (3 azelnidipine, a CCB, (4 hydrochlorothiazide, a diuretic, (5 olmesartan combined with azelnidipine, or (6 olmesartan combined with hydrochlorothiazide. Olmesartan combined with either azelnidipine or hydrochlorothiazide ameliorated vascular endothelial dysfunction and remodeling in SHRSP more than did monotherapy with either agent. However, despite a comparable blood pressure lowering effect between the two treatments, azelnidipine enhanced the amelioration of vascular endothelial dysfunction and remodeling by olmesartan to a greater extent than did hydrochlorothiazide in salt-loaded SHRSP. The increased enhancement by azelnidipine of olmesartan-induced vascular protection than by hydrochlorothiazide was associated with a greater amelioration of vascular nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH oxidase activation, superoxide, mitogen-activated protein kinase activation, and with a greater activation of the Akt/endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS pathway. These results provided the first evidence that a CCB potentiates the vascular protective effects of an ARB in salt-sensitive hypertension, compared with a diuretic, and provided a novel rationale explaining the benefit of the combination therapy with an ARB and a CCB.

Postexercise blood flow restriction does not enhance muscle hypertrophy induced by multiple-set high-load resistance exercise.

Science.gov (United States)

Madarame, Haruhiko; Nakada, Satoshi; Ohta, Takahisa; Ishii, Naokata

2018-05-01

To test the applicability of postexercise blood flow restriction (PEBFR) in practical training programmes, we investigated whether PEBFR enhances muscle hypertrophy induced by multiple-set high-load resistance exercise (RE). Seven men completed an eight-week RE programme for knee extensor muscles. Employing a within-subject design, one leg was subjected to RE + PEBFR, whereas contralateral leg to RE only. On each exercise session, participants performed three sets of unilateral knee extension exercise at approximately 70% of their one-repetition maximum for RE leg first, and then performed three sets for RE + PEBFR leg. Immediately after completion of the third set, the proximal portion of the RE + PEBFR leg was compressed with an air-pressure cuff for 5 min at a pressure ranging from 100 to 150 mmHg. If participants could perform 10 repetitions for three sets in two consecutive exercise sessions, the work load was increased by 5% at the next exercise session. Muscle thickness and strength of knee extensor muscles were measured before and after the eight-week training period and after the subsequent eight-week detraining period. There was a main effect of time but no condition × time interaction or main effect of condition for muscle thickness and strength. Both muscle thickness and strength increased after the training period independent of the condition. This result suggests that PEBFR would not be an effective training method at least in an early phase of adaptation to high-load resistance exercise. © 2017 Scandinavian Society of Clinical Physiology and Nuclear Medicine. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Enhancement of glomerular filtration rate and renal plasma flow by oral glucose load in well controlled insulin-dependent diabetics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sandahl Christiansen, J; Christensen, C K; Hermansen, K

1986-01-01

Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and renal plasma flow (RPF) were measured in 27 patients with uncomplicated insulin-dependent diabetes (IDDM) before and after an oral glucose load of 1.1 g glucose/kg body wt. In the 18 patients showing near-normoglycaemia (blood glucose less than or equal to 8...... mmol/l) before the glucose challenge the increase in blood glucose from 4.2 +/- 1.7 to 15.2 +/- 2.3 mmol/l was accompanied by an enhancement of GFR from 128 +/- 15 to 132 +/- 14 ml/min X 1.73 m2 (2p = 0.030) and of RPF from 534 +/- 116 to 562 +/- 105 ml/min X 1.73 m2 (2p = 0.023). By contrast oral...... glucose load to the nine patients with hyperglycaemia (greater than 8 mmol/l) during baseline conditions raising blood glucose from 11.9 +/- 2.0 to 19.6 +/- 1.5 mmol/l was accompanied by a reduction in GFR from 149 +/- 15 to 139 +/- 9 ml/min X 1.73 m2 (2p less than 0.001) while RPF was unchanged...

Physiotherapy treatment of the diabetic shoulder: a longitudinal study following patients with diabetes and shoulder pain using a pre-post treatment design.

Science.gov (United States)

Kyhlbäck, Maria; Schröder Winter, Helena; Thierfelder, Tomas; Söderlund, Anne

2014-01-01

The aim of this study was to describe and evaluate a physiotherapy program targeted to reduce pain intensity and improve the daily functioning of diabetics with shoulder problems. It was hypothesized that patients receiving specific physiotherapy treatment improved more frequently and rapidly than diabetic patients followed up without specific physiotherapeutic intervention. A pre-post treatment design was completed for a group of 10 subjects. The treatment protocol, also applied during the daily activities of the subjects, was aiming at reducing pain intensity and shoulder stiffness and improving impaired functioning in daily activities by muscle relaxation, light-load exercise and enhancing proper shoulder co-ordination. The group analysis showed significant decrease of pain intensity level as well as improved shoulder functioning and sustained level of subject self-efficacy beliefs throughout the study period. The results suggest that it is possible to relieve shoulder pain intensity and improve daily activities of patients with diabetes-related shoulder problems by employing a physiotherapy program focusing on muscle relaxation, light-load exercise and on the enhancement of proper shoulder co-ordination in daily activities. A physiotherapy program can be effective in reducing pain and improving shoulder function in diabetics with shoulder problems. The treatment should focus on muscle relaxation, light-load exercise and on the enhancement of proper shoulder co-ordination in daily activities.

CLINICAL CONSIDERATIONS OF DENTAL IMPLANT SYSTEM IN IMMEDIATE LOADING IMPLANT CASES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carolina Damayanti Marpaung

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Immediate loading of dental implant has been researched intensively in the development of Branemark’s early concept of 2 stages implant placement. This was embarked from both patients and practiitioner’s convenience towards a simpler protocol and shorter time frame. Many recent researchers later found that micromotions derived from occlusal loading for a certain degree, instead of resulting a fibrous tissue encapsulation, can enhance the osseointegration process. Dental Implant system enhancement towards maximizing the primary stability held a key factor in Branemark’s concept development. Surgical protocol and implant design was found to give a significant contribution to the prognosis of immediate-loading implants.

Impact of onsite solar generation on system load demand forecast

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaur, Amanpreet; Pedro, Hugo T.C.; Coimbra, Carlos F.M.

2013-01-01

Highlights: • We showed the impact onsite solar generation on system demand load forecast. • Forecast performance degrades by 9% and 3% for 1 h and 15 min forecast horizons. • Error distribution for onsite case is best characterized as t-distribution. • Relation between error, solar penetration and solar variability is characterized. - Abstract: Net energy metering tariffs have encouraged the growth of solar PV in the distribution grid. The additional variability associated with weather-dependent renewable energy creates new challenges for power system operators that must maintain and operate ancillary services to balance the grid. To deal with these issues power operators mostly rely on demand load forecasts. Electric load forecast has been used in power industry for a long time and there are several well established load forecasting models. But the performance of these models for future scenario of high renewable energy penetration is unclear. In this work, the impact of onsite solar power generation on the demand load forecast is analyzed for a community that meets between 10% and 15% of its annual power demand and 3–54% of its daily power demand from a solar power plant. Short-Term Load Forecasts (STLF) using persistence, machine learning and regression-based forecasting models are presented for two cases: (1) high solar penetration and (2) no penetration. Results show that for 1-h and 15-min forecasts the accuracy of the models drops by 9% and 3% with high solar penetration. Statistical analysis of the forecast errors demonstrate that the error distribution is best characterized as a t-distribution for the high penetration scenario. Analysis of the error distribution as a function of daily solar penetration for different levels of variability revealed that the solar power variability drives the forecast error magnitude whereas increasing penetration level has a much smaller contribution. This work concludes that the demand forecast error distribution

Spillover of interpersonal conflicts from work into nonwork: A daily diary study.

Science.gov (United States)

Martinez-Corts, Inés; Demerouti, Evangelia; Bakker, Arnold B; Boz, Marina

2015-07-01

[Correction Notice: An Erratum for this article was reported in Vol 20(3) of Journal of Occupational Health Psychology (see record 2015-15847-001). There was a misspelling in the figures. The legends for Figure 1 and Figure 2 should read "High Daily Resilience".] This study among a heterogeneous sample of employees expands the Job-Demands (JD-R) theory by examining how interpersonal conflicts at work-task and relationship conflict-spillover into the nonwork domain on a daily basis. We hypothesized that daily personal resources can buffer the daily negative spillover of interpersonal conflicts from work into the nonwork domain. A total of 113 employees (n = 565 occasions) filled in a daily diary questionnaire in the evening before bedtime over 5 consecutive working days. Results of multilevel analysis showed that the presence of daily personal resources is essential to buffer the spillover of interpersonal conflict at work to the nonwork domain. Specifically, on days that employees were not very optimistic or resilient, interpersonal conflicts resulted in higher strain-based work-life conflict experiences. These findings contribute to the JD-R theory and show how the unfavorable effects of daily interpersonal conflicts in the work domain may be avoided in the nonwork domain through enhancing personal resources. We discuss the implications for theory and practice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Tritium surface loading due to contamination of rainwater from atmospheric release at NAPS (2011)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gautam, Y.P.; Sharma, Saivajay; Rao, K.S.; Singh, Bhikam; Kumar, Avinash; Ravi, P.M.

2012-01-01

Annual tritium (HTO) surface loading has been measured and calculated for the year 2011 within 0.8 km distance from 145 m high stack of Narora Atomic Power Station (NAPS) at eight locations in different directions. The technique for measured values consists of the summation of product of tritium concentration (Bq/l) in daily rainfall samples and daily rainfall (mm). Tritium surface loading studies at NAPS reveal that a fraction 1.01E-03 of total annual tritium released through stack gets deposited on the surface due to washout/rainout of plume within 0.8 km radial distance from stack. The range of deposition velocity, Vw (m.s -1 ) i.e., the ratio of annual tritium surface loading W (Bq. m -2 .s -1 ) and annual mean tritium concentration in air, c 0 (Bq.m -3 ) at three locations for the years 2011 is found to be 6.12E-04 to 2.89E-03. The average value for wet deposition velocity V w for NAPS site is estimated as 3.17E-03 m.s -1 . (author)

Nutrition Coupled with High-Load Traditional or Low-Load Blood Flow Restricted Exercise During Human Limb Suspension

Science.gov (United States)

Hackney, K. J.; Everett, M.; Ploutz-Snyder, L. L.

2011-01-01

High-load resistance exercise (HRE) and low-load blood flow restricted (BFR) exercise have demonstrated efficacy for attenuating unloading related muscle atrophy and dysfunction. In recreational exercisers, protein consumption immediately before and/or after exercise has been shown to increase the skeletal muscle anabolic response to resistance training. PURPOSE: To compare the skeletal muscle adaptations when chocolate milk intake was coupled with HRE or low-load BFR exercise [3 d/wk] during simulated lower limb weightlessness. METHODS: Eleven subjects were counterbalanced [based on age and gender] to HRE (31 +/- 14 yr, 170 +/- 13 cm, 71 +/- 18 kg, 2M/3W) or low-load BFR exercise (31 +/- 12 yr, 169 +/- 13 cm, 66 +/- 14 kg, 2M/4W) during 30 days of unilateral lower limb suspension (ULLS). Both HRE and BFR completed 3 sets of single leg press and calf raise exercise during ULLS. BFR exercise intensity was 20% of repetition maximum (1RM) with a cuff inflation pressure of 1.3 systolic blood pressure (143 4 mmHg). Cuff pressure was maintained during all 3 sets including rest intervals (90s). HRE intensity was 75% 1RM and was performed without cuff inflation. Immediately (HRE vs. BFR, respectively. Leg press training loads were 44 +/- 7 kg in HRE compared to 11 +/- 1 kg in BFR. Similarly, calf raise training loads were 81 +/- 11 kg in HRE and 16 +/- 1 kg in BFR. Pre to post-ULLS training adaptations in the unloaded leg are shown in the table. CONCLUSION: The preliminary results of this investigation suggest when HRE is optimized for muscle anabolism during unloading muscle size and strength are preserved (or enhanced) at the expense of muscle endurance. In contrast, when BFR exercise is optimized for muscle anabolism during unloading muscle endurance is preserved (or enhanced) at the expense of muscle size and strength

Short-term residential load forecasting: Impact of calendar effects and forecast granularity

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lusis, Peter; Khalilpour, Kaveh Rajab; Andrew, Lachlan

2017-01-01

forecasting for a single-customer or even down at an appliance level. Access to high resolution data from smart meters has enabled the research community to assess conventional load forecasting techniques and develop new forecasting strategies suitable for demand-side disaggregated loads. This paper studies...... how calendar effects, forecasting granularity and the length of the training set affect the accuracy of a day-ahead load forecast for residential customers. Root mean square error (RMSE) and normalized RMSE were used as forecast error metrics. Regression trees, neural networks, and support vector...... regression yielded similar average RMSE results, but statistical analysis showed that regression trees technique is significantly better. The use of historical load profiles with daily and weekly seasonality, combined with weather data, leaves the explicit calendar effects a very low predictive power...

Clarithromycin highly-loaded gastro-floating fine granules prepared by high-shear melt granulation can enhance the efficacy of Helicobacter pylori eradication.

Science.gov (United States)

Aoki, Hajime; Iwao, Yasunori; Mizoguchi, Midori; Noguchi, Shuji; Itai, Shigeru

2015-05-01

In an effort to develop a new gastro-retentive drug delivery system (GRDDS) without a large amount of additives, 75% clarithromycin (CAM) loaded fine granules were prepared with three different hydrophobic binders by high-shear melt granulation and their properties were evaluated. Granules containing the higher hydrophobic binder showed sustained drug release and were able to float over 24h. The synchrotron X-ray CT measurement indicated that both the high hydrophobicity of the binder and the void space inside the granules might be involved in their buoyancy. In an in vivo experiment, the floating granules more effectively eradicated Helicobacter pylori than a CAM suspension by remaining in the stomach for a longer period. In short, CAM highly-loaded gastro-floating fine granules can enhance the eradication efficiency of H. pylori compared with CAM alone. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Assessment of daily-life dynamic interactions between human body and environment using movement and force sensing on the interface

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kortier, H.G.; Veltink, Petrus H.

2011-01-01

This study describes a method to estimate load dynamics during the execution of daily life tasks. In many motor tasks, the central nervous system (CNS) applies feed-forward control, using learned patterns. The contribution of state feedback (visual/proprioceptive/reflexive) is significantly less

A pattern recognition methodology for evaluation of load profiles and typical days of large electricity customers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsekouras, G.J.; Kotoulas, P.B.; Tsirekis, C.D.; Dialynas, E.N.; Hatziargyriou, N.D.

2008-01-01

This paper describes a pattern recognition methodology for the classification of the daily chronological load curves of each large electricity customer, in order to estimate his typical days and his respective representative daily load profiles. It is based on pattern recognition methods, such as k-means, self-organized maps (SOM), fuzzy k-means and hierarchical clustering, which are theoretically described and properly adapted. The parameters of each clustering method are properly selected by an optimization process, which is separately applied for each one of six adequacy measures. The results can be used for the short-term and mid-term load forecasting of each consumer, for the choice of the proper tariffs and the feasibility studies of demand side management programs. This methodology is analytically applied for one medium voltage industrial customer and synoptically for a set of medium voltage customers of the Greek power system. The results of the clustering methods are presented and discussed. (author)

Chronic daily headaches

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fayyaz Ahmed

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Chronic Daily Headache is a descriptive term that includes disorders with headaches on more days than not and affects 4% of the general population. The condition has a debilitating effect on individuals and society through direct cost to healthcare and indirectly to the economy in general. To successfully manage chronic daily headache syndromes it is important to exclude secondary causes with comprehensive history and relevant investigations; identify risk factors that predict its development and recognise its sub-types to appropriately manage the condition. Chronic migraine, chronic tension-type headache, new daily persistent headache and medication overuse headache accounts for the vast majority of chronic daily headaches. The scope of this article is to review the primary headache disorders. Secondary headaches are not discussed except medication overuse headache that often accompanies primary headache disorders. The article critically reviews the literature on the current understanding of daily headache disorders focusing in particular on recent developments in the treatment of frequent headaches.

Enhanced load-carrying capacity of hairy surfaces floating on water.

Science.gov (United States)

Xue, Yahui; Yuan, Huijing; Su, Weidong; Shi, Yipeng; Duan, Huiling

2014-05-08

Water repellency of hairy surfaces depends on the geometric arrangement of these hairs and enables different applications in both nature and engineering. We investigate the mechanism and optimization of a hairy surface floating on water to obtain its maximum load-carrying capacity by the free energy and force analyses. It is demonstrated that there is an optimum cylinder spacing, as a result of the compromise between the vertical capillary force and the gravity, so that the hairy surface has both high load-carrying capacity and mechanical stability. Our analysis makes it clear that the setae on water striders' legs or some insects' wings are in such an optimized geometry. Moreover, it is shown that surface hydrophobicity can further increase the capacity of a hairy surface with thick cylinders, while the influence is negligible when the cylinders are thin.

A piezoelectric-based infinite stiffness generation method for strain-type load sensors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Shuwen; Shao, Shubao; Xu, Minglong; Chen, Jie

2015-01-01

Under certain application conditions like nanoindentation technology and the mechanical property measurement of soft materials, the elastic deformation of strain-type load sensors affects their displacement measurement accuracy. In this work, a piezoelectric-based infinite stiffness generation method for strain-type load sensors that compensates for this elastic deformation is presented. The piezoelectric material-based deformation compensation method is proposed. An Hottinger Baldwin Messtechnik GmbH (HBM) Z30A/50N load sensor acts as the foundation of the method presented in this work. The piezoelectric stack is selected based on its size, maximum deformation value, blocking force and stiffness. Then, a clamping and fixing structure is designed to integrate the HBM sensor with the piezoelectric stack. The clamping and fixing structure, piezoelectric stack and HBM load sensor comprise the sensing part of the enhanced load sensor. The load-deformation curve and the voltage-deformation curve of the enhanced load sensor are then investigated experimentally. Because a hysteresis effect exists in the piezoelectric structure, the relationship between the control signal and the deformation value of the piezoelectric material is nonlinear. The hysteresis characteristic in a quasi-static condition is studied and fitted using a quadratic polynomial, and its coefficients are analyzed to enable control signal prediction. Applied arithmetic based on current theory and the fitted data is developed to predict the control signal. Finally, the experimental effects of the proposed method are presented. It is shown that when a quasi-static load is exerted on this enhanced strain-type load sensor, the deformation is reduced and the equivalent stiffness appears to be almost infinite. (paper)

The prediction of the impact of climatic factors on short-term electric power load based on the big data of smart city

Science.gov (United States)

Qiu, Yunfei; Li, Xizhong; Zheng, Wei; Hu, Qinghe; Wei, Zhanmeng; Yue, Yaqin

2017-08-01

The climate changes have great impact on the residents’ electricity consumption, so the study on the impact of climatic factors on electric power load is of significance. In this paper, the effects of the data of temperature, rainfall and wind of smart city on short-term power load is studied to predict power load. The authors studied the relation between power load and daily temperature, rainfall and wind in the 31 days of January of one year. In the research, the authors used the Matlab neural network toolbox to establish the combinational forecasting model. The authors trained the original input data continuously to get the internal rules inside the data and used the rules to predict the daily power load in the next January. The prediction method relies on the accuracy of weather forecasting. If the weather forecasting is different from the actual weather, we need to correct the climatic factors to ensure accurate prediction.

Annual suspended-sediment loads in the Colorado River near Cisco, Utah, 1930-82

Science.gov (United States)

Thompson, K.R.

1985-01-01

The Colorado River upstream of gaging station 09180500 near Cisco, Utah, drains about 24,100 square miles in Utah and Colorado. Altitudes in the basin range from 12,480 feet near the headwaters to 4,090 feet at station 09180500. The average annual precipitation for 1894-1982 near the station was 7.94 inches. The average annual precipitation near the headwaters often exceeds 50 inches. Rocks ranging in age from Precambrian to Holocene are exposed in the drainage basin upstream from station 09180500. Shale, limestone, siltstone, mudstone, and sandstone probably are the most easily eroded rocks in the basin, and they contribute large quantities of sediment to the Colorado River. During 1930-82, the U.S. Geological Survey collected records of fluvial sediment at station 09180500. Based on these records, the mean annual suspended-sediment load was 11,390,000 tone, ranging from 2,038,000 tons in water year 1981 to 35,700,000 tons in water year 1938. The minimum daily load of 14 tons was on August 22, 1960, and the maximum daily load of 2,790,000 tons was on October 14, 1941. (USGS)

Heuristics for container loading of furniture

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Egeblad, Jens; Garavelli, Claudio; Lisi, Stefano

2010-01-01

. In the studied company, the problem arises hundreds of times daily during transport planning. Instances may contain more than one hundred different items with irregular shapes. To solve this complex problem we apply a set of heuristics successively that each solve one part of the problem. Large items...... are combined in specific structures to ensure proper protection of the items during transportation and to simplify the problem. The solutions generated by the heuristic has an average loading utilization of 91.3% for the most general instances with average running times around 100 seconds....

Load As A Reliability Resource in the Restructured Electricity Market

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kueck, J.D.

2002-06-10

Recent electricity price spikes are painful reminders of the value that meaningful demand-side responses could bring to the restructuring US electricity system. Review of the aggregate offers made by suppliers confirms that even a modest increase in demand elasticity could dramatically reduce these extremes in price volatility. There is a strong need for dramatically increased customer participation in these markets to enhance system reliability and reduce price volatility. Indeed, allowing customers to manage their loads in response to system conditions might be thought of as the ultimate reliability resource. Most would agree that meaningful demand-side responses to price are the hallmark of a well-functioning competitive market [1]. Yet, in today's markets for electricity, little or no such response is evident. The reason is simple: customers currently do not experience directly the time-varying costs of their consumption decisions. Consequently, they have no incentive to modify these decisions in ways that might enhance system reliability or improve the efficiency of the markets in which electricity is traded. Increased customer participation is a necessary step in the evolution toward more efficient markets for electricity and ancillary services. This scoping report provides a three-part assessment of the current status of efforts to enhance the ability of customer's load to participate in competitive markets with a specific focus on the role of customer loads in enhancing electricity system reliability. First, this report considers the definitions of electricity-reliability-enhancing ancillary services (Section 2) and a preliminary assessment of the ability of customer's loads to provide these services. Second, is a review a variety of programs in which load has been called on as a system reliability resource (Section 3). These experiences, drawn from both past and current utility and ISO programs, focus on programs triggered by system

Short-Term Power Load Point Prediction Based on the Sharp Degree and Chaotic RBF Neural Network

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dongxiao Niu

2015-01-01

Full Text Available In order to realize the predicting and positioning of short-term load inflection point, this paper made reference to related research in the field of computer image recognition. It got a load sharp degree sequence by the transformation of the original load sequence based on the algorithm of sharp degree. Then this paper designed a forecasting model based on the chaos theory and RBF neural network. It predicted the load sharp degree sequence based on the forecasting model to realize the positioning of short-term load inflection point. Finally, in the empirical example analysis, this paper predicted the daily load point of a region using the actual load data of the certain region to verify the effectiveness and applicability of this method. Prediction results showed that most of the test sample load points could be accurately predicted.

Folate decorated dual drug loaded nanoparticle: role of curcumin in enhancing therapeutic potential of nutlin-3a by reversing multidrug resistance.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Manasi Das

Full Text Available Retinoblastoma is the most common intraocular tumor in children. Malfunctioning of many signaling pathways regulating cell survival or apoptosis, make the disease more vulnerable. Notably, resistance to chemotherapy mediated by MRP-1, lung-resistance protein (LRP is the most challenging aspect to treat this disease. Presently, much attention has been given to the recently developed anticancer drug nutlin-3a because of its non-genotoxic nature and potency to activate tumor suppressor protein p53. However, being a substrate of multidrug resistance protein MRP1 and Pgp its application has become limited. Currently, research has step towards reversing Multi drug resistance (MDR by using curcumin, however its clinical relevance is restricted by plasma instability and poor bioavailability. In the present investigation we tried to encapsulate nutlin-3a and curcumin in PLGA nanoparticle (NPs surface functionalized with folate to enhance therapeutic potential of nutlin-3a by modulating MDR. We document that curcumin can inhibit the expression of MRP-1 and LRP gene/protein in a concentration dependent manner in Y79 cells. In vitro cellular cytotoxicity, cell cycle analysis and apoptosis studies were done to compare the effectiveness of native drugs (single or combined and single or dual drug loaded nanoparticles (unconjugated/folate conjugated. The result demonstrated an augmented therapeutic efficacy of targeted dual drug loaded NPs (Fol-Nut-Cur-NPs over other formulation. Enhanced expression or down regulation of proapoptotic/antiapoptotic proteins respectively and down-regulation of bcl2 and NFκB gene/protein by Fol-Nut-Cur-NPs substantiate the above findings. This is the first investigation exploring the role of curcumin as MDR modulator to enhance the therapeutic potentiality of nutlin-3a, which may opens new direction for targeting cancer with multidrug resistance phenotype.

Enhanced performance and durability of low catalyst loading PEM water electrolyser based on a short-side chain perfluorosulfonic ionomer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Siracusano, Stefania; Baglio, Vincenzo; Van Dijk, Nicholas; Merlo, Luca; Aricò, Antonino Salvatore

2017-01-01

��cm"−"2, showed excellent stability for the MEA with total noble metal catalyst loading of 1.6 mg·cm"−"2 (cell voltage increase ∼5 μV/h). Moderate degradation rate (cell voltage increase ∼15 μV/h) was recorded for the low loading 0.5 mg·cm"−"2, MEA. Similar stability characteristics were observed in durability tests at 3 A·cm"−"2. These high performance and stability characteristics were attributed to the enhanced proton conductivity and good stability of the novel membrane, the optimized structural properties of the Ir and Ru oxide solid solution and the enrichment of Ir species on the surface for the anodic catalyst.

Coordination of different ligands to copper(II) and cobalt(III) metal centers enhances Zika virus and dengue virus loads in both arthropod cells and human keratinocytes.

Science.gov (United States)

Dutta, Shovan; Celestine, Michael J; Khanal, Supreet; Huddleston, Alexis; Simms, Colin; Arca, Jessa Faye; Mitra, Amlan; Heller, Loree; Kraj, Piotr J; Ledizet, Michel; Anderson, John F; Neelakanta, Girish; Holder, Alvin A; Sultana, Hameeda

2018-01-01

Trace elements such as copper and cobalt have been associated with virus-host interactions. However, studies to show the effect of conjugation of copper(II) or cobalt(III) metal centers to thiosemicarbazone ligand(s) derived from either food additives or mosquito repellent such as 2-acetylethiazole or citral, respectively, on Zika virus (ZIKV) or dengue virus (serotype 2; DENV2) infections have not been explored. In this study, we show that four compounds comprising of thiosemicarbazone ligand derived from 2-acetylethiazole viz., (E)-N-ethyl-2-[1-(thiazol-2-yl)ethylidene]hydrazinecarbothioamide (acetylethTSC) (compound 1), a copper(II) complex with acetylethTSC as a ligand (compound 2), a thiosemicarbazone ligand-derived from citral (compound 3) and a cobalt(III) complex with a citral-thiosemicarbazone ligand (compound 4) increased DENV2 and ZIKV replication in both mosquito C6/36 cells and human keratinocytes (HaCaT cells). Treatment of both cell lines with compounds 2 or 4 showed increased dengue viral titers at all three tested doses. Enhanced dengue viral plaque formation was also noted at the tested dose of 100μM, suggesting higher production of infectious viral particles. Treatment with the compounds 2 or 4 enhanced ZIKV and DENV2 RNA levels in HeLa cell line and primary cultures of mouse bone marrow derived dendritic cells. Also, pre- or post treatments with conjugated compounds 2 or 4 showed higher loads of ZIKV or DENV2 envelope (E) protein in HaCaT cells. No changes in loads of E-protein were found in ZIKV-infected C6/36 cells, when compounds were treated after infection. In addition, we tested bis(1,10-phenanthroline)copper(II) chloride ([Cu(phen) 2 ]Cl 2 , (compound 5) and tris(1,10-phenanthroline)cobalt(III) chloride ([Co(phen) 3 ]Cl 3 , (compound 6) that also showed enhanced DENV2 loads. Also, we found that copper(II) chloride dehydrate (CuCl 2 ·2H 2 O) or cobalt(II) chloride hexahydrate (CoCl 2 ·6H 2 O) alone had no effects as "free" cations

Enhancing antibacterium and strength of cellulosic paper by coating triclosan-loaded nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC).

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Kai; Chen, Lihui; Huang, Liulian; Ni, Yonghao; Sun, Bo

2015-03-06

The nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) was used as substrates to carry triclosan (TCS), which was then applied as a coating agent for impacting antibacterial property to paper while also improving its strength. The TCS-loaded NFC material was further characterized. UV-vis spectra results showed that a characteristic absorption band at 282 nm was observed, which was attributed to triclosan, confirming its successful loading onto NFC. The antibacterial activity tests indicated that the coated paper exhibited excellent antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli, and the growth inhibition of bacteria (GIB) increased as the loading amount of triclosan coated on paper increased. The GIB can reach 98.7% when the 0.023 g TCS-loaded NFC was coated on paper. Meanwhile, the tensile and tear index of the coated paper increased by 18.0% and 26.4%, respectively compared to the blank paper. Therefore, the triclosan-loaded paper could be potentially used in the medical field. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Remarkably enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen evolution over MoS2 nanosheets loaded on uniform CdS nanospheres

Science.gov (United States)

Chai, Bo; Xu, Mengqiu; Yan, Juntao; Ren, Zhandong

2018-02-01

The MoS2/CdS composites with layered MoS2 loaded on uniform CdS nanospheres were synthesized by a two-step process combination hydrothermal and solvothermal treatments, and then applied in photocatalytic hydrogen evolution under visible light irradiation. The as-prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman spectra, UV-vis diffuse reflectance absorption spectra (UV-DRS), nitrogen adsorption-desorption measurement, photoluminescence spectra (PL) and photoelectrochemical tests. The effects of loading contents of MoS2 in the composites on the photocatalytic H2 evolution activity were comparatively investigated with 0.45 mol L-1 Na2S and 0.55 mol L-1 Na2SO3 as sacrificial agents. The results showed that the 5 wt% MoS2/CdS composite could achieve the highest photocatalytic H2 evolution rate of 372 μmol h-1 and apparent quantum efficiency (AQE) about 7.31% under 420 nm monochromatic light irradiation. The remarkably enhanced photocatalytic activity of MoS2/CdS composite could be attributed to the effective transfer and separation of photogenerated charge carriers, and MoS2 being as a cocatalyst to facilitating photocatalytic H2 evolution reaction. A tentative mechanism of MoS2/CdS composites as photocatalysts for H2 evolution was proposed.

Simulating tokamak PFC performance using simultaneous dual beam particle loading with pulsed heat loading

Science.gov (United States)

Sinclair, Gregory; Gonderman, Sean; Tripathi, Jitendra; Ray, Tyler; Hassanein, Ahmed

2017-10-01

The performance of plasma facing components (PFCs) in a fusion device are expected to change due to high flux particle loading during operation. Tungsten (W) is a promising PFC candidate material, due to its high melting point, high thermal conductivity, and low tritium retention. However, ion irradiation of D and He have each shown to diminish the thermal strength of W. This work investigates the synergistic effect between ion species, using dual beam irradiation, on the thermal response of W during ELM-like pulsed heat loading. Experiments studied three different loading conditions: laser, laser + He+, and laser + He+ + D+. 100 eV He+ and D+ exposures used a flux of 3.0-3.5 x 1020 m-2 s-1. ELM-like loading was applied using a pulsed Nd:YAG laser at an energy density of 0.38-1.51 MJ m-2 (3600 1 ms pulses at 1 Hz). SEM imaging revealed that laser + He+ loading at 0.76 MJ m-2 caused surface melting, inhibiting fuzz formation. Increasing the laser fluence decreased grain size and increased surface pore density. Thermally-enhanced migration of trapped gases appear to reflect resultant molten morphology. This work was supported by the National Science Foundation PIRE project.

Enhanced Photocatalytic Properties of Ag-Loaded N-Doped Tio2 Nanotube Arrays

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gao Dawei

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Highly ordered TiO2 nanotube (TiO2 NT arrays were prepared by anodic oxidizing method on the surface of the Ti substrate. Nitrogen-doped TiO2 nanotube (N-TiO2 NT arrays were carried out by ammonia solution immersion, and Ag nanoparticles loaded N-doped TiO2 nanotube (Ag/N-TiO2 NT arrays were obtained by successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR technique. The samples were characterized by the X-ray diffraction (XRD, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM, photoluminescence (PL emission spectra, ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS. The result indicated that the diameter and wall thickness of the TiO2 NT are 100–120 and 20–30 nm, respectively. Moreover, the morphology and structure of the highly ordered TiO2 NTs were not affected by N-doping. Furthermore, Ag nanoparticles were evenly deposited on the surface of TiO2 NTs in the form of elemental silver. Finally, the photocatalytic activity of Ag/N-TiO2 NTs was evaluated by degradation of methyl orange (MO under visible-light irradiation. The Ag/N-TiO2 NTs exhibited enhanced photocatalytic properties, which could reach 95% after 90-min irradiation.

Typical load shapes for six categories of Swedish commercial buildings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Noren, C.

1997-01-01

In co-operation with several Swedish electricity suppliers, typical load shapes have been developed for six categories of commercial buildings located in the south of Sweden. The categories included in the study are: hotels, warehouses/grocery stores, schools with no kitchen, schools with kitchen, office buildings, health, health buildings. Load shapes are developed for different mean daily outdoor temperatures and for different day types, normally standard weekdays and standard weekends. The load shapes are presented as non-dimensional normalized 1-hour load. All measured loads for an object are divided by the object`s mean load during the measuring period and typical load shapes are developed for each category of buildings. Thus errors were kept lower as compared to use of W/m{sup 2}-terms. Typical daytime (9 a.m. - 5 p.m.) standard deviations are 7-10% of the mean values for standard weekdays but during very cold or warm weather conditions, single objects can deviate from the typical load shape. On weekends, errors are higher and depending on very different activity levels in the buildings, it is difficult to develop weekend load shapes with good accuracy. The method presented is very easy to use for similar studies and no building simulation programs are needed. If more load data is available, a good method to lower the errors is to make sure that every category only consists of objects with the same activity level, both on weekdays and weekends. To make it easier to use the load shapes, Excel load shape workbooks have been developed, where it is even possible to compare typical load shapes with measured data. 23 refs, 53 figs, 20 tabs

Enhancement of load frequency stabilization effect of superconducting magnetic energy storage by static synchronous series compensator based on H ∞ control

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ngamroo, Issarachai; Taeratanachai, Chanin; Dechanupaprittha, Sanchai; Mitani, Yasunori

2007-01-01

It is well known that the load frequency stabilization effect of superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES) in an interconnected power system is restricted to its located area. The SMES almost has no frequency stabilization effect in another interconnected area. To enhance the frequency stabilization effect of SMES, the static synchronous series compensator (SSSC) can be applied as an auxiliary device. The SSSC can be used as an energy transfer device of the SMES to stabilize the frequency in another interconnected area. The proposed technique not only introduces a sophisticated frequency stabilization in deregulated power systems but also offers a smart energy management control of SMES. In addition, to take the robust stability of the controlled power system against system uncertainties into account, the H ∞ control is used to design robust frequency stabilizers of the SMES and SSSC. Simulation results in a two area interconnected power system confirm the high robustness of the frequency stabilizers SMES and SSSC against load disturbances and system uncertainties

Batch medication of intestinal infections in nursery pigs—A randomised clinical trial on the efficacy of treatment strategy, type of antibiotic and bacterial load on average daily weight gain

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Weber, Nicolai Rosager; Pedersen, Ken Steen; Hansen, Christian Fink

2017-01-01

after weaning) on average daily weight gain (ADG); (2) to compare the effect of treatment with doxycycline or tylosine on diarrhoea prevalence, pathogenic bacterial load, and ADG; (3) to evaluate PCR testing of faecal pen floor samples as a diagnostic tool for determining the optimal time of treatment...... difference (p = 0.04) of mean diarrhoea prevalence on day 21 of the study between pens treated with tylosine (0.254, 95% CI: 0.184–0.324), and doxycycline (0.167, 95% CI: 0.124–0.210). The type of antibiotic compound was not found to have a significant effect on ADG (p = 0.209). (3) Pigs starting treatment...... was achieved when treatment was initiated 14 days after weaning in pens where intestinal pathogens were detected. Doxycycline was more effective in reducing diarrhoea and LI excretion levels than treatment with tylosine....

Short-Term City Electric Load Forecasting with Considering Temperature Effects: An Improved ARIMAX Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Herui Cui

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Short-term electric load is significantly affected by weather, especially the temperature effects in summer. External factors can result in mutation structures in load data. Under the influence of the external temperature factors, city electric load cannot be easily forecasted as usual. This research analyzes the relationship between electricity load and daily temperature in city. An improved ARIMAX model is proposed in this paper to deal with the mutation data structures. It is found that information amount of the improved ARIMAX model is smaller than that of the classic method and its relative error is less than AR, ARMA and Sigmoid-Function ANN models. The forecasting results are more accurately fitted. This improved model is highly valuable when dealing with mutation data structure in the field of load forecasting. And it is also an effective technique in forecasting electric load with temperature effects.

Daily Weather Records

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — These daily weather records were compiled from a subset of stations in the Global Historical Climatological Network (GHCN)-Daily dataset. A weather record is...

Aspects of alienation and symptom load among adolescents.

Science.gov (United States)

Rayce, Signe L B; Holstein, Bjørn E; Kreiner, Svend

2009-01-01

The purpose was to examine the association between aspects of alienation and symptom load among adolescents. Furthermore an integrated purpose was to construct and validate an index of alienation. Cross-sectional data from 5205 school children aged 11-15 years from a random sample of schools in Denmark were used. Data stems from the Danish contribution to the cross-national study Health and Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC). Alienation was measured with a new index fulfilling four criteria: (i) theoretical foundation, (ii) inter-correlation between items, (iii) correlation between each of the index's items and the outcomes and (iv) no differential item functioning. The final index included three indicators of alienation: helplessness, feeling left out of things and lack of confidentiality with parents. Symptom load was measured by HBSC Symptom Checklist and divided into physical and psychological symptoms respectively. High symptom load was defined as experiencing at least one symptom on a daily basis. The odds-ratio (OR) for high symptom load increased with the degree of alienation. For students with all three indicators of alienation, the OR for high physical symptom load was 2.49 (1.05-5.87). The OR for high psychological symptom load for the corresponding degree of alienation was 6.50 (3.11-13.56). The index of alienation fulfilled psychometric criteria for scalability. Furthermore the analyses showed a graded and significant association between alienation and high symptom load. This suggests alienation to be taken into account in future health interventions among adolescents. In school settings this may be done using principles of empowerment.

Tadalafil inclusion in microporous silica as effective dissolution enhancer: optimization of loading procedure and molecular state characterization.

Science.gov (United States)

Mehanna, Mohammed M; Motawaa, Adel M; Samaha, Magda W

2011-05-01

Tadalafil is an efficient drug used to treat erectile dysfunction characterized by poor water solubility, which has a negative influence on its bioavailability. Utilization of microporous silica represents an effective and facile technology to increase the dissolution rate of poorly soluble drugs. Our strategy involved directly introducing tadalafil as guest molecule into microporous silica as host material by incipient wetness impregnation method. To optimize tadalafil inclusion, response surface methodology (RSM) using 3(3) factorial design was utilized. Furthermore, to investigate the molecular state of tadalafil, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetery, thermal gravimetrical analysis, nitrogen adsorption, and powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) were carried out. The results obtained pointed out that the quantity of microporous silica was the predominant factor that increased the loading efficiency. For the optimized formula, the loading efficiency was 42.50 wt %. Adsorption-desorption experiments indicated that tadalafil has been introduced into the micropores. Powder XRD and differential scanning calorimetry analyses revealed that tadalafil is arranged in amorphous form. In addition, the dissolution rate of tadalafil from the microporous silica was faster than that of free drug. Amorphous tadalafil occluded in microporous silica did not crystallize over 3 months. These findings contributed in opening a new strategy concerning the utilization of porous silica for the dissolution rate enhancement. Copyright © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Managing Daily Life

Science.gov (United States)

... Duchenne / Managing Daily Life Print Email Managing Daily Life Environmental accessibility As the person with Duchenne starts ... such as wider doorways and ramps, can make life easier once the person with Duchenne cannot climb ...

Activities of everyday life with high spinal loads.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Antonius Rohlmann

Full Text Available Activities with high spinal loads should be avoided by patients with back problems. Awareness about these activities and knowledge of the associated loads are important for the proper design and pre-clinical testing of spinal implants. The loads on an instrumented vertebral body replacement have been telemetrically measured for approximately 1000 combinations of activities and parameters in 5 patients over a period up to 65 months postoperatively. A database containing, among others, extreme values for load components in more than 13,500 datasets was searched for 10 activities that cause the highest resultant force, bending moment, torsional moment, or shear force in an anatomical direction. The following activities caused high resultant forces: lifting a weight from the ground, forward elevation of straight arms with a weight in hands, moving a weight laterally in front of the body with hanging arms, changing the body position, staircase walking, tying shoes, and upper body flexion. All activities have in common that the center of mass of the upper body was moved anteriorly. Forces up to 1650 N were measured for these activities of daily life. However, there was a large intra- and inter-individual variation in the implant loads for the various activities depending on how exercises were performed. Measured shear forces were usually higher in the posterior direction than in the anterior direction. Activities with high resultant forces usually caused high values of other load components.

Support Vector Regression Model Based on Empirical Mode Decomposition and Auto Regression for Electric Load Forecasting

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hong-Juan Li

2013-04-01

Full Text Available Electric load forecasting is an important issue for a power utility, associated with the management of daily operations such as energy transfer scheduling, unit commitment, and load dispatch. Inspired by strong non-linear learning capability of support vector regression (SVR, this paper presents a SVR model hybridized with the empirical mode decomposition (EMD method and auto regression (AR for electric load forecasting. The electric load data of the New South Wales (Australia market are employed for comparing the forecasting performances of different forecasting models. The results confirm the validity of the idea that the proposed model can simultaneously provide forecasting with good accuracy and interpretability.

Enhancing nitrogen removal in stormwater treatment facilities for transportation.

Science.gov (United States)

2015-01-01

Stormwater from roadways is a point source of pollution. State DOTs must comply with Total Maximum : Daily Load (TMDL) regulations for nutrients such as nitrogen, which causes water quality impairment. Existing stormwater treatment technologies, such...

Comfort air temperature influence on heating and cooling loads of a residential building

Science.gov (United States)

Stanciu, C.; Șoriga, I.; Gheorghian, A. T.; Stanciu, D.

2016-08-01

The paper presents the thermal behavior and energy loads of a two-level residential building designed for a family of four, two adults and two students, for different inside comfort levels reflected by the interior air temperature. Results are intended to emphasize the different thermal behavior of building elements and their contribution to the building's external load. The most important contributors to the building thermal loss are determined. Daily heating and cooling loads are computed for 12 months simulation in Bucharest (44.25°N latitude) in clear sky conditions. The most important aspects regarding sizing of thermal energy systems are emphasized, such as the reference months for maximum cooling and heating loads and these loads’ values. Annual maximum loads are encountered in February and August, respectively, so these months should be taken as reference for sizing thermal building systems, in Bucharest, under clear sky conditions.

Self-critical perfectionism, daily stress, and disclosure of daily emotional events.

Science.gov (United States)

Richardson, Clarissa M E; Rice, Kenneth G

2015-10-01

Although disclosure of stressful events can alleviate distress, self-critical perfectionism may pose an especially strong impediment to disclosure during stress, likely contributing to poorer psychological well-being. In the current study, after completing a measure of self-critical perfectionism (the Discrepancy subscale of the Almost Perfect Scale--Revised; Slaney, Rice, Mobley, Trippi, & Ashby, 2001), 396 undergraduates completed measures of stress and disclosure at the end of each day for 1 week. Consistent with hypotheses and previous research, multilevel modeling results indicated significant intraindividual coupling of daily stress and daily disclosure where disclosure was more likely when experiencing high stress than low stress. As hypothesized, Discrepancy moderated the relationship between daily stress and daily disclosure. Individuals higher in self-critical perfectionism (Discrepancy) were less likely to engage in disclosure under high stress, when disclosure is often most beneficial, than those with lower Discrepancy scores. These results have implications for understanding the role of stress and coping in the daily lives of self-critical perfectionists. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Enhancement of Voltage Stability of DC Smart Grid During Islanded Mode by Load Shedding Scheme

Science.gov (United States)

Nassor, Thabit Salim; Senjyu, Tomonobu; Yona, Atsushi

2015-10-01

This paper presents the voltage stability of a DC smart grid based on renewable energy resources during grid connected and isolated modes. During the islanded mode the load shedding, based on the state of charge of the battery and distribution line voltage, was proposed for voltage stability and reservation of critical load power. The analyzed power system comprises a wind turbine, a photovoltaic generator, storage battery as controllable load, DC loads, and power converters. A fuzzy logic control strategy was applied for power consumption control of controllable loads and the grid-connected dual active bridge series resonant converters. The proposed DC Smart Grid operation has been verified by simulation using MATLAB® and PLECS® Blockset. The obtained results show the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Meteorological Reference Years of Daily Mean Temperature during the Slighting Time

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marchante Jimenez, M.; Ramirez Santigosa, L.; Navarro Fernandez, A.; Mora Lopez, L.; Sidrach de Cardona Ortin, M.

2002-01-01

In this work the characterization of the daily mean temperature during the sunlight time has been analyzed. An algorithm for the hourly series generation from extreme daily values has been applied to evaluate the daily mean temperature during the sunlight time. A generic algorithm has been enhanced as a function of the sunrise time. This algorithm allows taking into account the fractions related to the sunrise and sunset hours. This methodology has been applied in data from 45 Spanish stations, uniformly distributed in the Iberian Peninsula. Data for a period of 14 years has been used in most of locations, and once the interest variable has been calculated, the meteorological reference year of the daily mean temperature during the sunlight time has been evaluated in each stations. The next step is the evaluation of the daily mean temperature during the sunlight time in any point into the zone of evaluation, not only in the measured stations. From the result data in each measured station, an geographic information system has been used in order to calculate the interpolation, obtaining maps with a data each 5 km. for each of the 365 days of the year. Then, this results can be superposed with the solar radiation evaluation obtaining the input data for the sizing of the photovoltaic grid connected system in any point of the Spanish geography. (Author) 64 refs

Short-term Power Load Forecasting Based on Balanced KNN

Science.gov (United States)

Lv, Xianlong; Cheng, Xingong; YanShuang; Tang, Yan-mei

2018-03-01

To improve the accuracy of load forecasting, a short-term load forecasting model based on balanced KNN algorithm is proposed; According to the load characteristics, the historical data of massive power load are divided into scenes by the K-means algorithm; In view of unbalanced load scenes, the balanced KNN algorithm is proposed to classify the scene accurately; The local weighted linear regression algorithm is used to fitting and predict the load; Adopting the Apache Hadoop programming framework of cloud computing, the proposed algorithm model is parallelized and improved to enhance its ability of dealing with massive and high-dimension data. The analysis of the household electricity consumption data for a residential district is done by 23-nodes cloud computing cluster, and experimental results show that the load forecasting accuracy and execution time by the proposed model are the better than those of traditional forecasting algorithm.

Random Modeling of Daily Rainfall and Runoff Using a Seasonal Model and Wavelet Denoising

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chien-ming Chou

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Instead of Fourier smoothing, this study applied wavelet denoising to acquire the smooth seasonal mean and corresponding perturbation term from daily rainfall and runoff data in traditional seasonal models, which use seasonal means for hydrological time series forecasting. The denoised rainfall and runoff time series data were regarded as the smooth seasonal mean. The probability distribution of the percentage coefficients can be obtained from calibrated daily rainfall and runoff data. For validated daily rainfall and runoff data, percentage coefficients were randomly generated according to the probability distribution and the law of linear proportion. Multiplying the generated percentage coefficient by the smooth seasonal mean resulted in the corresponding perturbation term. Random modeling of daily rainfall and runoff can be obtained by adding the perturbation term to the smooth seasonal mean. To verify the accuracy of the proposed method, daily rainfall and runoff data for the Wu-Tu watershed were analyzed. The analytical results demonstrate that wavelet denoising enhances the precision of daily rainfall and runoff modeling of the seasonal model. In addition, the wavelet denoising technique proposed in this study can obtain the smooth seasonal mean of rainfall and runoff processes and is suitable for modeling actual daily rainfall and runoff processes.

Construction of estimated flow- and load-duration curves for Kentucky using the Water Availability Tool for Environmental Resources (WATER)

Science.gov (United States)

Unthank, Michael D.; Newson, Jeremy K.; Williamson, Tanja N.; Nelson, Hugh L.

2012-01-01

Flow- and load-duration curves were constructed from the model outputs of the U.S. Geological Survey's Water Availability Tool for Environmental Resources (WATER) application for streams in Kentucky. The WATER application was designed to access multiple geospatial datasets to generate more than 60 years of statistically based streamflow data for Kentucky. The WATER application enables a user to graphically select a site on a stream and generate an estimated hydrograph and flow-duration curve for the watershed upstream of that point. The flow-duration curves are constructed by calculating the exceedance probability of the modeled daily streamflows. User-defined water-quality criteria and (or) sampling results can be loaded into the WATER application to construct load-duration curves that are based on the modeled streamflow results. Estimates of flow and streamflow statistics were derived from TOPographically Based Hydrological MODEL (TOPMODEL) simulations in the WATER application. A modified TOPMODEL code, SDP-TOPMODEL (Sinkhole Drainage Process-TOPMODEL) was used to simulate daily mean discharges over the period of record for 5 karst and 5 non-karst watersheds in Kentucky in order to verify the calibrated model. A statistical evaluation of the model's verification simulations show that calibration criteria, established by previous WATER application reports, were met thus insuring the model's ability to provide acceptably accurate estimates of discharge at gaged and ungaged sites throughout Kentucky. Flow-duration curves are constructed in the WATER application by calculating the exceedence probability of the modeled daily flow values. The flow-duration intervals are expressed as a percentage, with zero corresponding to the highest stream discharge in the streamflow record. Load-duration curves are constructed by applying the loading equation (Load = Flow*Water-quality criterion) at each flow interval.

Enhanced phosphate selectivity from wastewater using copper-loaded chelating resin functionalized with polyethylenimine.

Science.gov (United States)

An, Byungryul; Nam, Juhee; Choi, Jae-Woo; Hong, Seok-Won; Lee, Sang-Hyup

2013-11-01

In water and wastewater, phosphate is considered a critical contaminant due to cause algae blooms and eutrophication. To meet the stringent regulation of phosphate in water, a new commercial chelating resin functionalized with polyethylenimine was tested for phosphate removal by loading Cu(2+) and Fe(2+)/Fe(3+) to enhance selectivity for phosphate. Batch and column experiments showed that CR20-Cu exhibited high selectivity for phosphate over other strong anions such as sulfate. The average binary phosphate/nitrate and phosphate/sulfate factors for CR20-Cu were calculated to be 7.3 and 4.8, respectively, which were more than 0.97 and 0.22 for a commercial anion exchanger (AMP16). The optimal pH for the phosphate removal efficiency was determined to be 7. According to the fixed-bed column test, the breakthrough sequence for multiple ions was HPO4(2-)>SO4(2-)>NO3(-)>Cl(-). Saturated CR20-Cu can be regenerated using 4% NaCl at pH 7. More than 95% of the phosphate from CR20-Cu was recovered, and the phosphate uptake capacity for CR20-Cu was not reduced after 7 regeneration cycles. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Retinoic acid-loaded polymeric nanoparticles enhance vascular regulation of neural stem cell survival and differentiation after ischaemia

Science.gov (United States)

Ferreira, R.; Fonseca, M. C.; Santos, T.; Sargento-Freitas, J.; Tjeng, R.; Paiva, F.; Castelo-Branco, M.; Ferreira, L. S.; Bernardino, L.

2016-04-01

Stroke is one of the leading causes of death and disability worldwide. However, current therapies only reach a small percentage of patients and may cause serious side effects. We propose the therapeutic use of retinoic acid-loaded nanoparticles (RA-NP) to safely and efficiently repair the ischaemic brain by creating a favourable pro-angiogenic environment that enhances neurogenesis and neuronal restitution. Our data showed that RA-NP enhanced endothelial cell proliferation and tubule network formation and protected against ischaemia-induced death. To evaluate the effect of RA-NP on vascular regulation of neural stem cell (NSC) survival and differentiation, endothelial cell-conditioned media (EC-CM) were collected. EC-CM from healthy RA-NP-treated cells reduced NSC death and promoted proliferation while EC-CM from ischaemic RA-NP-treated cells decreased cell death, increased proliferation and neuronal differentiation. In parallel, human endothelial progenitor cells (hEPC), which are part of the endogenous repair response to vascular injury, were collected from ischaemic stroke patients. hEPC treated with RA-NP had significantly higher proliferation, which further highlights the therapeutic potential of this formulation. To conclude, RA-NP protected endothelial cells from ischaemic death and stimulated the release of pro-survival, proliferation-stimulating factors and differentiation cues for NSC. RA-NP were shown to be up to 83-fold more efficient than free RA and to enhance hEPC proliferation. These data serve as a stepping stone to use RA-NP as vasculotrophic and neurogenic agents for vascular disorders and neurodegenerative diseases with compromised vasculature.

Measuring Cognitive Load and Cognition: Metrics for Technology-Enhanced Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Martin, Stewart

2014-01-01

This critical and reflective literature review examines international research published over the last decade to summarise the different kinds of measures that have been used to explore cognitive load and critiques the strengths and limitations of those focussed on the development of direct empirical approaches. Over the last 40 years, cognitive…

PEMBELAJARAN BERBANTUAN MULTIMEDIA BERDASARKAN COGNITIVE LOAD THEORY PADA PELAJARAN MATEMATIKA SD

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rissa Prima Kurniawati

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Multimedia is media that combine two or more elements are composed of text, graphics, images, photographs, audio, video, and animation are integrated. In multimedia-assisted learning, students are given the opportunity to learn not only of learning resources such as teachers, but give the opportunity to students to develop better cognitive, creative, and innovative. Cognitive Load Theory is a theory that was introduced as a teaching theory based on the knowledge of human cognitive architecture that we have. The main principle of Cognitive Load Theory is the quality of learning is enhanced if attention is concentrated on the role and limitations of working memory. Three cognitive load in working memory, which is intrinsic cognitive load, Germany cognitive load, and extraneous cognitive load.   Keywords: Multimedia, Cognitive Load Theory, intrinsic cognitive load, Germany cognitive load, and extraneous cognitive load.

Stannic Oxide-Titanium Dioxide Coupled Semiconductor Photocatalyst Loaded with Polyaniline for Enhanced Photocatalytic Oxidation of 1-Octene

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hadi Nur

2007-01-01

Full Text Available Stannic oxide-titanium dioxide (SnO2–TiO2 coupled semiconductor photocatalyst loaded with polyaniline (PANI, a conducting polymer, possesses a high photocatalytic activity in oxidation of 1-octene to 1,2-epoxyoctane with aqueous hydrogen peroxide. The photocatalyst was prepared by impregnation of SnO2 and followed by attachment of PANI onto a TiO2 powder to give sample PANI-SnO2–TiO2. The electrical conductivity of the system becomes high in the presence of PANI. Enhanced photocatalytic activity was observed in the case of PANI-SnO2–TiO2 compared to PANI-TiO2, SnO2–TiO2, and TiO2. A higher photocatalytic activity in the oxidation of 1-octene on PANI-SnO2–TiO2 than SnO2–TiO2, PANI-TiO2, and TiO2 can be considered as an evidence of enhanced charge separation of PANI-SnO2–TiO2 photocatalyst as confirmed by photoluminescence spectroscopy. It suggests that photoinjected electrons are tunneled from TiO2 to SnO2 and then to PANI in order to allow wider separation of excited carriers.

Influence of sampling frequency and load calculation methods on quantification of annual river nutrient and suspended solids loads.

Science.gov (United States)

Elwan, Ahmed; Singh, Ranvir; Patterson, Maree; Roygard, Jon; Horne, Dave; Clothier, Brent; Jones, Geoffrey

2018-01-11

Better management of water quality in streams, rivers and lakes requires precise and accurate estimates of different contaminant loads. We assessed four sampling frequencies (2 days, weekly, fortnightly and monthly) and five load calculation methods (global mean (GM), rating curve (RC), ratio estimator (RE), flow-stratified (FS) and flow-weighted (FW)) to quantify loads of nitrate-nitrogen (NO 3 - -N), soluble inorganic nitrogen (SIN), total nitrogen (TN), dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP), total phosphorus (TP) and total suspended solids (TSS), in the Manawatu River, New Zealand. The estimated annual river loads were compared to the reference 'true' loads, calculated using daily measurements of flow and water quality from May 2010 to April 2011, to quantify bias (i.e. accuracy) and root mean square error 'RMSE' (i.e. accuracy and precision). The GM method resulted into relatively higher RMSE values and a consistent negative bias (i.e. underestimation) in estimates of annual river loads across all sampling frequencies. The RC method resulted in the lowest RMSE for TN, TP and TSS at monthly sampling frequency. Yet, RC highly overestimated the loads for parameters that showed dilution effect such as NO 3 - -N and SIN. The FW and RE methods gave similar results, and there was no essential improvement in using RE over FW. In general, FW and RE performed better than FS in terms of bias, but FS performed slightly better than FW and RE in terms of RMSE for most of the water quality parameters (DRP, TP, TN and TSS) using a monthly sampling frequency. We found no significant decrease in RMSE values for estimates of NO 3 - N, SIN, TN and DRP loads when the sampling frequency was increased from monthly to fortnightly. The bias and RMSE values in estimates of TP and TSS loads (estimated by FW, RE and FS), however, showed a significant decrease in the case of weekly or 2-day sampling. This suggests potential for a higher sampling frequency during flow peaks for more precise

Tritium surface loading due to contamination of rainwater from atmospheric release at NAPS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sharma, L.N.; Dube, B.; Varakhedkar, V.K.

2001-01-01

Annual tritium (HTO) surface loading has been measured and calculated for the year 1998-99 within 0.8 km distance from 145m high stack of Narora Atomic Power Station (NAPS) at eight locations in different directions. The technique for measured values consists of the summation of product of tritium concentration (Bq/l) in daily rainfall samples and daily rainfall (mm) whereas that for calculated values having the use of prevailing meteorological conditions and average tritium release rate during a year. The ratios of measured and calculated values of tritium surface loading during the years 1998-99 are found to be in the range of 0.18 to 6.97. Tritium surface loading studies at NAPS reveal that a fraction 1.7E-03 of total annual tritium released through stack gets deposited on the surface due to washout / rainout of plume within 0.8 km radial distance from stack. The range of deposition velocity, V w (m.s - 1 ) i.e the ratio of annual tritium surface loading W(Bq.m - 2 . s - 1 ) and annual mean tritium concentration in air, χo(Bq.m - 3) at three locations for the years 1998-99 is found to be 5.59E-04 to 5.99E-03 ms - 1 . The average value for wet deposition velocity V bar w for NAPS site is estimated as 2.92E-03 m.s - 1. (author)

Precipitation isoscapes for New Zealand: enhanced temporal detail using precipitation-weighted daily climatology.

Science.gov (United States)

Baisden, W Troy; Keller, Elizabeth D; Van Hale, Robert; Frew, Russell D; Wassenaar, Leonard I

2016-01-01

Predictive understanding of precipitation δ(2)H and δ(18)O in New Zealand faces unique challenges, including high spatial variability in precipitation amounts, alternation between subtropical and sub-Antarctic precipitation sources, and a compressed latitudinal range of 34 to 47 °S. To map the precipitation isotope ratios across New Zealand, three years of integrated monthly precipitation samples were acquired from >50 stations. Conventional mean-annual precipitation δ(2)H and δ(18)O maps were produced by regressions using geographic and annual climate variables. Incomplete data and short-term variation in climate and precipitation sources limited the utility of this approach. We overcome these difficulties by calculating precipitation-weighted monthly climate parameters using national 5-km-gridded daily climate data. This data plus geographic variables were regressed to predict δ(2)H, δ(18)O, and d-excess at all sites. The procedure yields statistically-valid predictions of the isotope composition of precipitation (long-term average root mean square error (RMSE) for δ(18)O = 0.6 ‰; δ(2)H = 5.5 ‰); and monthly RMSE δ(18)O = 1.9 ‰, δ(2)H = 16 ‰. This approach has substantial benefits for studies that require the isotope composition of precipitation during specific time intervals, and may be further improved by comparison to daily and event-based precipitation samples as well as the use of back-trajectory calculations.

Temporal variability in the suspended sediment load and streamflow of the Doce River

Science.gov (United States)

Oliveira, Kyssyanne Samihra Santos; Quaresma, Valéria da Silva

2017-10-01

Long-term records of streamflow and suspended sediment load provide a better understanding of the evolution of a river mouth, and its adjacent waters and a support for mitigation programs associated with extreme events and engineering projects. The aim of this study is to investigate the temporal variability in the suspended sediment load and streamflow of the Doce River to the Atlantic Ocean, between 1990 and 2013. Streamflow and suspended sediment load were analyzed at the daily, seasonal, and interannual scales. The results showed that at the daily scale, Doce River flood events are due to high intensity and short duration rainfalls, which means that there is a flashy response to rainfall. At the monthly and season scales, approximately 94% of the suspended sediment supply occurs during the wet season. Extreme hydrological events are important for the interannual scale for Doce River sediment supply to the Atlantic Ocean. The results suggest that a summation of anthropogenic interferences (deforestation, urbanization and soil degradation) led to an increase of extreme hydrological events. The findings of this study shows the importance of understanding the typical behavior of the Doce River, allowing the detection of extreme hydrological conditions, its causes and possible environmental and social consequences.

Combining Radar and Daily Precipitation Data to Estimate Meaningful Sub-daily Precipitation Extremes

Science.gov (United States)

Pegram, G. G. S.; Bardossy, A.

2016-12-01

Short duration extreme rainfalls are important for design. The purpose of this presentation is not to improve the day by day estimation of precipitation, but to obtain reasonable statistics for the subdaily extremes at gauge locations. We are interested specifically in daily and sub-daily extreme values of precipitation at gauge locations. We do not employ the common procedure of using time series of control station to determine the missing data values in a target. We are interested in individual rare events, not sequences. The idea is to use radar to disaggregate daily totals to sub-daily amounts. In South Arica, an S-band radar operated relatively continuously at Bethlehem from 1998 to 2003, whose scan at 1.5 km above ground [CAPPI] overlapped a dense (10 km spacing) set of 45 pluviometers recording in the same 6-year period. Using this valuable set of data, we are only interested in rare extremes, therefore small to medium values of rainfall depth were neglected, leaving 12 days of ranked daily maxima in each set per year, whose sum typically comprised about 50% of each annual rainfall total. The method presented here uses radar for disaggregating daily gauge totals in subdaily intervals down to 15 minutes in order to extract the maxima of sub-hourly through to daily rainfall at each of 37 selected radar pixels [1 km square in plan] which contained one of the 45 pluviometers not masked out by the radar foot-print. The pluviometer data were aggregated to daily totals, to act as if they were daily read gauges; their only other task was to help in the cross-validation exercise. The extrema were obtained as quantiles by ordering the 12 daily maxima of each interval per year. The unusual and novel goal was not to obtain the reproduction of the precipitation matching in space and time, but to obtain frequency distributions of the gauge and radar extremes, by matching their ranks, which we found to be stable and meaningful in cross-validation tests. We provide and

Loading direction regulates the affinity of ADP for kinesin.

Science.gov (United States)

Uemura, Sotaro; Ishiwata, Shin'ichi

2003-04-01

Kinesin is an ATP-driven molecular motor that moves processively along a microtubule. Processivity has been explained as a mechanism that involves alternating single- and double-headed binding of kinesin to microtubules coupled to the ATPase cycle of the motor. The internal load imposed between the two bound heads has been proposed to be a key factor regulating the ATPase cycle in each head. Here we show that external load imposed along the direction of motility on a single kinesin molecule enhances the binding affinity of ADP for kinesin, whereas an external load imposed against the direction of motility decreases it. This coupling between loading direction and enzymatic activity is in accord with the idea that the internal load plays a key role in the unidirectional and cooperative movement of processive motors.

Enhanced IMC design of load disturbance rejection for integrating and unstable processes with slow dynamics.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Tao; Gao, Furong

2011-04-01

In view of the deficiencies in existing internal model control (IMC)-based methods for load disturbance rejection for integrating and unstable processes with slow dynamics, a modified IMC-based controller design is proposed to deal with step- or ramp-type load disturbance that is often encountered in engineering practices. By classifying the ways through which such load disturbance enters into the process, analytical controller formulae are correspondingly developed, based on a two-degree-of-freedom (2DOF) control structure that allows for separate optimization of load disturbance rejection from setpoint tracking. An obvious merit is that there is only a single adjustable parameter in the proposed controller, which in essence corresponds to the time constant of the closed-loop transfer function for load disturbance rejection, and can be monotonically tuned to meet a good trade-off between disturbance rejection performance and closed-loop robust stability. At the same time, robust tuning constraints are given to accommodate process uncertainties in practice. Illustrative examples from the recent literature are used to show effectiveness and merits of the proposed method for different cases of load disturbance. Copyright © 2010. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Postural effects of symmetrical and asymmetrical loads on the spines of schoolchildren

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Negrini Stefano

2007-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract The school backpack constitutes a daily load for schoolchildren: we set out to analyse the postural effects of this load, considering trunk rotation, shoulder asymmetry, thoracic kyphosis, lumbar lordosis, and sagittal and frontal decompensation from the plumbline. A group of 43 subjects (mean age = 12.5 ± 0.5 years were considered: average backpack loads and average time spent getting to/from home/school (7 min had been determined in a previous study conducted on this population. Children were evaluated by means of an optoelectronic device in different conditions corresponding to their usual everyday school backpack activities: without load; bearing 12 (week maximum and 8 (week average kg symmetrical loads; bearing an 8 kg asymmetrical load; after fatigue due to backpack carrying (a 7-minute treadmill walking session bearing an 8 kg symmetrical load. Both types of load induce changes in posture: the symmetrical one in the sagittal plane, without statistical significant differences between 8 and 12 kg, and the asymmetrical one in all anatomical planes. Usual fatigue accentuates sagittal effects, but recovery of all parameters (except lumbar lordosis follows removal of the load. The backpack load effect on schoolchildren posture should be more carefully evaluated in the future, even if we must bear in mind that laws protect workers to carry heavy loads but not children, and results in the literature support the hypothesis that back pain in youngsters is correlated with back pain in adulthood

ELBE - Validation and improvement of load prognoses (project phase 1); ELBE - Validierung und Verbesserung von Lastprognosen (Projektphase 1)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kronig, P.; Waelchli, U.; Zuercher, S. [BKW FMB Energie AG, Bern (Switzerland); Hoeckel, M. [Berner Fachhochschule, Biel (Switzerland)

2009-10-15

In the project 'Prognosekompetenz' we have identified and quantified by means of a comprehensive analysis of grid and climate data the factors which have a significant impact on the grid load. The study focused in the beginning on the regional data from a big electricity utility. In a second step, additional local data were also considered to better identify climatic and economic characteristics. We found a strong correlation between load, on the one hand, and outdoor temperature and economic activity, on the other hand. The influence of further factors is very limited. On this basis we developed two Matlab-based, easy-to-use tools for the prediction of the daily grid load profile in quarter-of-hour steps. One tool uses the method of the transfer function, where specific correlation factors account for the influential factors. The second tool based on the method of the artificial neuronal network, which had been tuned with data from several years to make sure that a high accuracy is obtained. We could show by self developed testing procedures that for both tools the precision in forecasting the daily load profile is very high. (authors)

Enhancing pesticide degradation using indigenous microorganisms isolated under high pesticide load in bioremediation systems with vermicomposts.

Science.gov (United States)

Castillo Diaz, Jean Manuel; Delgado-Moreno, Laura; Núñez, Rafael; Nogales, Rogelio; Romero, Esperanza

2016-08-01

In biobed bioremediation systems (BBSs) with vermicomposts exposed to a high load of pesticides, 6 bacteria and 4 fungus strains were isolated, identified, and investigated to enhance the removal of pesticides. Three different mixtures of BBSs composed of vermicomposts made from greenhouse (GM), olive-mill (OM) and winery (WM) wastes were contaminated, inoculated, and incubated for one month (GMI, OMI and WMI). The inoculums maintenance was evaluated by DGGE and Q-PCR. Pesticides were monitored by HPLC-DAD. The highest bacterial and fungal abundance was observed in WMI and OMI respectively. In WMI, the consortia improved the removal of tebuconazole, metalaxyl, and oxyfluorfen by 1.6-, 3.8-, and 7.7-fold, respectively. The dissipation of oxyfluorfen was also accelerated in OMI, with less than 30% remaining after 30d. One metabolite for metalaxyl and 4 for oxyfluorfen were identified by GC-MS. The isolates could be suitable to improve the efficiency of bioremediation systems. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Interference mitigation enhancement of switched-based scheme in over-loaded femtocells

KAUST Repository

Gaaloul, Fakhreddine; Radaydeh, Redha Mahmoud Mesleh; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

2012-01-01

-based scheme by minimum interference channel selection or adopt different interference thresholds on available channels, while aiming to reduce the channels examination load. The performance of the proposed schemes is quantified and then compared with those

Computation of major solute concentrations and loads in German rivers using regression analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Steele, T.D.

1980-01-01

Regression functions between concentrations of several inorganic solutes and specific conductance and between specific conductance and stream discharge were derived from intermittent samples collected for 2 rivers in West Germany. These functions, in conjunction with daily records of streamflow, were used to determine monthly and annual solute loadings. -from Author

Characterization of suspended solids and total phosphorus loadings from small watersheds in Wisconsin

Science.gov (United States)

Danz, Mari E.; Corsi, Steven R.; Graczyk, David J.; Bannerman, Roger T.

2010-01-01

Knowledge of the daily, monthly, and yearly distribution of contaminant loadings and streamflow can be critical for the successful implementation and evaluation of water-quality management practices. Loading data for solids (suspended sediment and total suspended solids) and total phosphorus and streamflow data for 23 watersheds were summarized for four ecoregions of Wisconsin: the Driftless Area Ecoregion, the Northern Lakes and Forests Ecoregion, the North Central Hardwoods Ecoregion, and the Southeastern Wisconsin Till Plains Ecoregion. The Northern Lakes and Forests and the North Central Hardwoods Ecoregions were combined into one region for analysis due to a lack of sufficient data in each region. Urban watersheds, all located in the Southeastern Wisconsin Till Plains, were analyzed separately from rural watersheds as the Rural Southeastern Wisconsin Till Plains region and the Urban Southeastern Wisconsin Till Plains region. Results provide information on the distribution of loadings and streamflow between base flow and stormflow, the timing of loadings and streamflow throughout the year, and information regarding the number of days in which the majority of the annual loading is transported. The average contribution to annual solids loading from stormflow periods for the Driftless Area Ecoregion was 84 percent, the Northern Lakes and Forests/North Central Hardwoods region was 71 percent, the Rural Southeastern Wisconsin Till Plains region was 70 percent, and the Urban Southeastern Wisconsin Till Plains region was 90 percent. The average contributions to annual total phosphorus loading from stormflow periods were 72, 49, 61, and 76 percent for each of the respective regions. The average contributions to annual streamflow from stormflow periods are 20, 23, 31, and 50 percent for each of the respective regions. In all regions, the most substantial loading contributions for solids were in the late winter (February through March), spring (April through May), and

Large neutral amino acids in daily practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Ahring, Kirsten Kiær

2010-12-01

At the Kennedy Centre for Phenylketonuria, Denmark, large neutral amino acids (LNAAs) are being used to treat adult and adolescent patients who are nonadherent to dietary treatment for phenylketonuria (PKU). At the start of treatment, a patient must undergo dietary analysis and regular blood sampling to measure plasma amino acid (AA) concentrations. The aim of this analysis and treatment is that the patient receives 25-30% of the daily protein requirement from LNAA supplementation and the remaining 70-75% from natural, low-phenylalanine proteins (although some patients have difficulties in maintaining this level of protein intake). Patients are therefore able to follow a more "normal" diet than those adhering to a PKU diet with AA supplementation (in which only 20% of the daily protein requirement is provided from the diet and 80% from AA supplementation). LNAAs have also been used to treat older patients with untreated/late-diagnosed PKU who show profound intellectual, psychological, and behavioral impairments. Treatment with LNAAs has been shown to improve measures of concentration and awareness of external stimuli in some of these patients and thus enhance their socialization, emotionality, frustration tolerance, and mood.

The benefit of daily photoprotection.

Science.gov (United States)

Seité, Sophie; Fourtanier, Anny M A

2008-05-01

It is now recognized that both ultraviolet (UV)-A and UVB wavelengths participate in the generation of photodamaged human skin during sun exposure. During usual daily activities, an appropriate protection against solar UV exposure should prevent clinical, cellular, and molecular changes potentially leading to photoaging. This study was designed to evaluate in human beings the protection afforded by a day cream containing a photostable combination of UVB and UVA filters and thus protect against the UV-induced skin alterations. In solar-simulated radiation exposed and unprotected skin sites we observed melanization. The epidermis revealed a significant increase in stratum corneum and stratum granulosum thickness. In the dermis, an enhanced expression of tenascin and a reduced expression of type I procollagen were evidenced just below the dermoepidermal junction. Although no change in elastic fibers in exposed buttock skin was seen, a slightly increased deposit of lysozyme and alpha-1 antitrypsin on elastin fibers was observed using immunofluorescence techniques. A day cream with photoprotection properties was shown to prevent all of the above-described alterations. This study was performed on a limited number of patients (n = 12) with specific characteristics (20-35 years old and skin type II and III). Two dermal alterations were evaluated by visual assessment and not by computer-assisted image analysis quantification. Our in vivo results demonstrate the benefits of daily photoprotection using a day cream containing appropriate broad-spectrum sunscreens, which prevent solar UV-induced skin damages.

Management strategies for surplus electricity loads using electrolytic hydrogen

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gutierrez-Martin, F.; Garcia-De Maria, J.M.; Bairi, A.; Laraqi, N.

2009-01-01

Management of electricity-hydrogen binomials is greatly enhanced by the knowledge of power variations, together with an optimized performance of the electrolyzers. Strategies include the regulation of current densities to minimize hydrogen costs, which depend of the energy prices, the power of installations and utilization factors. The objective is to convert the energy in distinct periods of electricity demand, taking into account the size and efficiency of the equipments; this approach indicates the possibility to reduce costs below a reference price, either by using small facilities which consume high proportions of surplus energy or larger plants for shorter off-peak periods. Thus, we study the viability of large scale production of hydrogen via electrolysis, within the context of excess electricity loads in France (estimated at 22 TWh in 2007): that gives a daily hydrogen potential of 1314 ton, from a total installed power of 5800 MW and average utilization ratios of 42.8%; the production cost approaches 1$/kg H2 , and CO 2 reduction potential amounts 6720 kton/year (if all the produced hydrogen is used to feed 3 million of new fuel-cell vehicles). This analysis serves to demonstrate the great potentials for converting the surplus energy into hydrogen carriers and for managing the power subsystem in thoroughly electrified societies. (author)

Enhanced microwave shielding and mechanical properties of high loading MWCNT–epoxy composites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Singh, B. P.; Prasanta; Choudhary, Veena; Saini, Parveen; Pande, Shailaja; Singh, V. N.; Mathur, R. B.

2013-01-01

Dispersion of high loading of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in epoxy resin is a challenging task for the development of efficient and thin electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials. Up to 20 wt% of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) loading in the composite was achieved by forming CNT prepreg in the epoxy resin as a first step. These prepreg laminates were then compression molded to form composites which resulted in EMI shielding effectiveness of −19 dB for 0.35 mm thick film and −60 dB at for 1.75 mm thick composites in the X-band (8.2–12.4 GHz). One of the reasons for such high shielding is attributed to the high electrical conductivity of the order of 9 S cm −1 achieved in these composites which is at least an order of magnitude higher than previously reported results at this loading. In addition, an improvement of 40 % in the tensile strength over the neat resin value is observed. Thermal conductivity of the MWCNTs–epoxy composite reached 2.18 W/mK as compared to only 0.14 W/mK for cured epoxy.

Enhanced microwave shielding and mechanical properties of high loading MWCNT-epoxy composites

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, B. P.; Prasanta; Choudhary, Veena; Saini, Parveen; Pande, Shailaja; Singh, V. N.; Mathur, R. B.

2013-04-01

Dispersion of high loading of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in epoxy resin is a challenging task for the development of efficient and thin electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials. Up to 20 wt% of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) loading in the composite was achieved by forming CNT prepreg in the epoxy resin as a first step. These prepreg laminates were then compression molded to form composites which resulted in EMI shielding effectiveness of -19 dB for 0.35 mm thick film and -60 dB at for 1.75 mm thick composites in the X-band (8.2-12.4 GHz). One of the reasons for such high shielding is attributed to the high electrical conductivity of the order of 9 S cm-1 achieved in these composites which is at least an order of magnitude higher than previously reported results at this loading. In addition, an improvement of 40 % in the tensile strength over the neat resin value is observed. Thermal conductivity of the MWCNTs-epoxy composite reached 2.18 W/mK as compared to only 0.14 W/mK for cured epoxy.

Physical load handling and listening comprehension effects on balance control.

Science.gov (United States)

Qu, Xingda

2010-12-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the physical load handling and listening comprehension effects on balance control. A total of 16 young and 16 elderly participants were recruited in this study. The physical load handling task required holding a 5-kg load in each hand with arms at sides. The listening comprehension task involved attentive listening to a short conversation. Three short questions were asked regarding the conversation right after the testing trial to test the participants' attentiveness during the experiment. Balance control was assessed by centre of pressure-based measures, which were calculated from the force platform data when the participants were quietly standing upright on a force platform. Results from this study showed that both physical load handling and listening comprehension adversely affected balance control. Physical load handling had a more deleterious effect on balance control under the listening comprehension condition vs. no-listening comprehension condition. Based on the findings from this study, interventions for the improvement of balance could be focused on avoiding exposures to physically demanding tasks and cognitively demanding tasks simultaneously. STATEMENT OF RELEVANCE: Findings from this study can aid in better understanding how humans maintain balance, especially when physical and cognitive loads are applied. Such information is useful for developing interventions to prevent fall incidents and injuries in occupational settings and daily activities.

Application of ELD and load forecast in optimal operation of industrial boiler plants equipped with thermal stores

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cao Jiacong

2007-01-01

Optimal operation of industrial boiler plants with objects of high energy efficiency and low fuel cost is still well worth investigating when energy problem becomes a world's concern, for there are a great number of boiler plants serving industries. The optimization of operation is a measure that is less expensive and easier to carry out than many other measures. Economic load dispatch (ELD) is an effective approach to optimal operation of industrial boiler plants. In the paper a newly developed method referred to as the method of minimum-departure model (MDM) is used in the ELD for boiler plants. It is more convenient for carrying out ELD when boiler plants are equipped with thermal energy stores that usually adopt the working mode of optimal segmentation of a daily load curve. In the case of industrial boiler plants, ELD needs a prerequisite, viz., the accurate load forecast, which is performed using artificial neural networks in this paper. A computer program for the optimal operation was completed and applied to an example, which results the minimum daily fuel cost of the whole boiler plant

Stochastic generation of multi-site daily precipitation focusing on extreme events

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

G. Evin

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Many multi-site stochastic models have been proposed for the generation of daily precipitation, but they generally focus on the reproduction of low to high precipitation amounts at the stations concerned. This paper proposes significant extensions to the multi-site daily precipitation model introduced by Wilks, with the aim of reproducing the statistical features of extremely rare events (in terms of frequency and magnitude at different temporal and spatial scales. In particular, the first extended version integrates heavy-tailed distributions, spatial tail dependence, and temporal dependence in order to obtain a robust and appropriate representation of the most extreme precipitation fields. A second version enhances the first version using a disaggregation method. The performance of these models is compared at different temporal and spatial scales on a large region covering approximately half of Switzerland. While daily extremes are adequately reproduced at the stations by all models, including the benchmark Wilks version, extreme precipitation amounts at larger temporal scales (e.g., 3-day amounts are clearly underestimated when temporal dependence is ignored.

Associations among daily stressors and salivary cortisol: findings from the National Study of Daily Experiences.

Science.gov (United States)

Stawski, Robert S; Cichy, Kelly E; Piazza, Jennifer R; Almeida, David M

2013-11-01

While much research has focused on linking stressful experiences to emotional and biological reactions in laboratory settings, there is an emerging interest in extending these examinations to field studies of daily life. The current study examined day-to-day associations among naturally occurring daily stressors and salivary cortisol in a national sample of adults from the second wave of the National Study of Daily Experiences (NSDE). A sample of 1694 adults (age=57, range=33-84; 44% male) completed telephone interviews detailing their stressors and emotions on eight consecutive evenings. Participants also provided saliva samples upon waking, 30min post-waking, before lunch and before bed, on four consecutive interview days resulting in 5995 days of interview/cortisol data. Analyses revealed three main findings. First, cortisol AUC was significantly higher on stressor days compared to stressor-free days, particularly for arguments and overloads at home, suggesting that daily stressors are associated with increased cortisol output, but that not all daily stressors have such an influence. Second, individuals reporting a greater frequency of stressor days also exhibited a steeper diurnal cortisol slope. Finally, daily stressor-cortisol associations were unaltered after adjustment for daily negative affect and physical symptoms. Our discussion focuses on the influence of naturally occurring daily stressors on daily cortisol and the role of daily diary approaches for studying healthy cortisol responses to psychosocial stressors outside of traditional laboratory settings. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Associations among Daily Stressors and Salivary Cortisol: Findings from the National Study of Daily Experiences

Science.gov (United States)

Stawski, Robert S.; Cichy, Kelly E.; Piazza, Jennifer R.; Almeida, David M.

2013-01-01

While much research has focused on linking stressful experiences to emotional and biological reactions in laboratory settings, there is an emerging interest in extending these examinations to field studies of daily life. The current study examined day-to-day associations among naturally-occurring daily stressors and salivary cortisol in a national sample of adults from the second wave of the National Study of Daily Experiences (NSDE). A sample of 1,694 adults (Age=57, Range=33–84; 44% male) completed telephone interviews detailing their stressors and emotions on eight consecutive evenings. Participants also provided saliva samples upon waking, 30 minutes post-waking, before lunch and before bed, on four consecutive interview days resulting in 5,995 days of interview/cortisol data. Analyses revealed three main findings. First, cortisol AUC was significantly higher on stressor days compared to stressor-free days, particularly for arguments and overloads at home, suggesting that daily stressors are associated with increased cortisol output, but that not all daily stressors have such an influence. Second, individuals reporting a greater frequency of stressor days also exhibited a steeper diurnal cortisol slope. Finally, daily stressor-cortisol associations were unaltered after adjustment for daily negative affect and physical symptoms. Our discussion focuses on the influence of naturally-occurring daily stressors on daily cortisol and the role of daily diary approaches for studying healthy cortisol responses to psychosocial stressors outside of traditional laboratory settings. PMID:23856186

Investigation on effectiveness of a prefabricated vertical drain during cyclic loading

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Indraratna, B; Ni, J; Rujikiatkamjorn, C

2010-01-01

The effectiveness of prefabricated vertical drains (PVDs) in enhancing the stability of soft soils during cyclic loading was investigated using triaxial cyclic loading tests. Both undrained and with PVD tests were employed to study the associated excess pore pressure and accumulated strain under the repeated loading condition. The loading frequency and cyclic stress ratio have been chosen to be the variables which influence the performance of soft clays. The experimental results illustrate that with PVDs, the excess pore water pressure generation during cyclic loading decreases significantly. It is found that the excess pore water pressure build up depends on both loading frequency and cyclic stress ratio. The excess pore water pressure will increase when each of them is increased. Furthermore, when the loading frequency is 0.1 Hz, the ratio of coefficient of consolidation under cyclic loading to that under static loading is almost one. With the increasing loading frequency, this ratio increases accordingly.

Characteristic study of high-Tc superconducting maglev under side-loading

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Wei; Wang Jiasu; Liu Wei; Zheng Jun; Lin Qunxu; Pan Siting; Deng Zigang; Ma Guangtong; Wang Suyu

2009-01-01

In practical application of High-T c Superconducting (HTS) maglev, slant is an observable defect. It was caused by constantly one side on and off the vehicle by passengers. So far, this phenomenon has not been reported yet. In order to understand its influence on the stability of the HTS maglev, we experimentally studied the dynamic characteristic and slant effect of HTS maglev under center-load and side-load. It was found that load destabilizes the vehicle, and the side-load can obviously slant the vehicle body. In the end, the pre-load method was proposed to enhance the dynamic stability and suppress the slant, which proved to be considerably effective. These results are critical in practical running of HTS maglev

Daily Physical Activity and Life Satisfaction across Adulthood

Science.gov (United States)

Maher, Jaclyn P.; Pincus, Aaron L.; Ram, Nilam; Conroy, David E.

2015-01-01

Physical activity is considered a valuable tool for enhancing life satisfaction. However, the processes linking these constructs likely differ across the adult lifespan. In older adults the association between physical activity and life satisfaction appears to involve usual levels of physical activity (i.e., a between-person association driven by differences between more and less active people). In younger adults the association has consistently been based on day-to-day physical activity (i.e., a within-person association driven by differences between more and less active days). To resolve this inconsistency, a daily diary study was conducted with a lifespan sample of community-dwelling adults (age 18– 89 years; N = 150) over three 21-day measurement bursts. Usual physical activity was positively associated with life satisfaction in middle and older adulthood; however, this association was not present in young adulthood. When present, this between-person association was mediated by physical and mental health. A within-person association between physical activity and life satisfaction was also present (and did not differ across age). Generally, on days when people were more physically active then was typical for them, they experienced greater life satisfaction. Age differences in life satisfaction followed a cubic trajectory: lower during emerging adulthood, higher during midlife, and lower during older adulthood. This study adds to accumulating evidence that daily fluctuations in physical activity have important implications for well-being regardless of age, and clarifies developmental differences in life satisfaction dynamics that can inform strategies for enhancing life satisfaction. PMID:26280838

Daily physical activity and life satisfaction across adulthood.

Science.gov (United States)

Maher, Jaclyn P; Pincus, Aaron L; Ram, Nilam; Conroy, David E

2015-10-01

Physical activity is considered a valuable tool for enhancing life satisfaction. However, the processes linking these constructs likely differ across the adult life span. In older adults the association between physical activity and life satisfaction appears to involve usual levels of physical activity (i.e., a between-person association driven by differences between more and less active people). In younger adults the association has consistently been based on day-to-day physical activity (i.e., a within-person association driven by differences between more and less active days). To resolve this inconsistency, a daily diary study was conducted with a life span sample of community-dwelling adults (age 18-89 years; N = 150) over three 21-day measurement bursts. Usual physical activity was positively associated with life satisfaction in middle and older adulthood; however, this association was not present in young adulthood. When present, this between-person association was mediated by physical and mental health. A within-person association between physical activity and life satisfaction was also present (and did not differ across age). Generally, on days when people were more physically active then was typical for them, they experienced greater life satisfaction. Age differences in life satisfaction followed a cubic trajectory: lower during emerging adulthood, higher during midlife, and lower during older adulthood. This study adds to accumulating evidence that daily fluctuations in physical activity have important implications for well-being regardless of age, and clarifies developmental differences in life satisfaction dynamics that can inform strategies for enhancing life satisfaction. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Treatment of streptococcal pharyngitis with once-daily compared with twice-daily amoxicillin: a noninferiority trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Clegg, Herbert W; Ryan, Amy G; Dallas, Steven D; Kaplan, Edward L; Johnson, Dwight R; Norton, H James; Roddey, Oliver F; Martin, Edward S; Swetenburg, Raymond L; Koonce, Elizabeth W; Felkner, Mary M; Giftos, P Michael

2006-09-01

Two relatively small previous studies comparing once-daily amoxicillin with conventional therapy for group A streptococcal (GAS) pharyngitis reported similar rates of bacteriologic success for each treatment group. The purpose of this study was to further evaluate once-daily amoxicillin for GAS pharyngitis in a larger study. In a single pediatric practice, from October through May for 2 consecutive years (2001-2003), we recruited children 3 to 18 years of age who had symptoms and signs suggestive of GAS pharyngitis. Patients with a positive rapid test for GAS were stratified by weight (or=40 kg) and then randomly assigned to receive once-daily (750 mg or 1000 mg) or twice-daily (2 doses of 375 mg or 500 mg) amoxicillin for 10 days. We determined bacteriologic failure rates for GAS in the pharynx from subsequent swabs taken at 14 to 21 (visit 2) and 28 to 35 (visit 3) days after treatment initiation. We conducted a randomized, controlled, investigator-blinded, noninferiority trial to evaluate whether amoxicillin given once daily would have a bacteriologic failure rate no worse than that of amoxicillin given twice daily within a prespecified margin of 10%. GAS isolates were characterized to distinguish bacteriologic failures from new acquisitions. Adverse events were described and adherence was evaluated by review of returned daily logs and dosage bottles. Of 2139 potential study patients during the 2-year period, we enrolled 652 patients, 326 into each treatment group. Children in the 2 groups were comparable with respect to all demographic and clinical characteristics except that children <40 kg more often presented with rash in each treatment group. At visit 2, failure rates were 20.1% (59 of 294) for the once-daily group and 15.5% (46 of 296) for the twice-daily group (difference, 4.53%; 90% confidence interval [CI], -0.6 to 9.7). At visit 3, failure rates were 2.8% (6 of 216) for the once-daily group and 7.1% (16 of 225) for the twice-daily group (difference, -4

The integrity of CANDU fuel during load following

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tayal, M.; Manzer, A.M.; Sejnoha, R.; Hains, A.J.

1989-08-01

This paper summarizes data and analyses of integrity and of physics of CANDU fuel during load following. Measurements of irradiated fuel show that power cycles do not enhance release of fission gas. Data from research reactors show that the power cycles cause cyclic strains in the sheath. Finite element analyses show that the cyclic strains give highly multiaxial stresses in the sheath. The stresses and the strains are well into the plastic range. The cyclic loads 'use up' some fraction of the sheath's resistance to environmentally-assisted cracking (EAC), depending on the details of the fuel design and of then power cycles. The balance of the sheath's resistance to EAC continues to be available to counteract static loads. Thousands of fuel bundles have experienced many power cycles in research and in commercial reactors. Overall integrity of fuel bundles is well over 99%. Thus, CANDU fuel continues to show good performance in both base-load and load-following reactors

Facile Synthesis of Curcumin-Loaded Starch-Maleate Nanoparticles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Suh Cem Pang

2014-01-01

Full Text Available We have demonstrated the loading of curcumin onto starch maleate (SM under mild conditions by mixing dissolved curcumin and SM nanoparticles separately in absolute ethanol and ethanol/aqueous (40 : 60 v/v, respectively. Curcumin-loaded starch-maleate (CurSM nanoparticles were subsequently precipitated from a homogeneous mixture of these solutions in absolute ethanol based on the solvent exchange method. TEM analysis indicated that the diameters of CurSM nanoparticles were ranged between 30 nm and 110 nm with a mean diameter of 50 nm. The curcumin loading capacity of SM as a function of loading duration was investigated using the UV-visible spectrophotometer. The loading of curcumin onto SM increased rapidly initially with loading duration, and the curcumin loading capacity of 15 mg/g was reached within 12 hours. CurSM nanoparticles exhibited substantially higher water solubility of 6.0 × 10−2 mg/mL which is about 300 times higher than that of pure curcumin. With enhanced water solubility and bioaccessibility of curcumin, the potential utility of CurSM nanoparticles in various biomedical applications is therefore envisaged.

Carnosine-graphene oxide conjugates decorated with hydroxyapatite as promising nanocarrier for ICG loading with enhanced antibacterial effects in photodynamic therapy against Streptococcus mutans.

Science.gov (United States)

Gholibegloo, Elham; Karbasi, Ashkan; Pourhajibagher, Maryam; Chiniforush, Nasim; Ramazani, Ali; Akbari, Tayebeh; Bahador, Abbas; Khoobi, Mehdi

2018-04-01

Antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) has been emerged as a noninvasive strategy to remove bacterial contaminants such as S. mutans from the tooth surface. Photosensitizer (PS), like indocyanine green (ICG), plays a key role in this technique which mainly suffers from the poor stability and concentration-dependent aggregation. An appropriate nanocarrier (NC) with enhanced antibacterial effects could overcome these limitations and improve the efficiency of ICG as a PS. In this study, various ICG-loaded NCs including graphene oxide (GO), GO-carnosine (Car) and GO-Car/Hydroxyapatite (HAp) were synthesized and characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Filed Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM), Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS), Zeta Potential and Ultraviolet-Visible spectrometry (UV-Vis). The colony forming unit and crystal violet assays were performed to evaluate the antimicrobial and anti-biofilm properties of PSs against S. mutans. The quantitative real-time PCR approach was also applied to determine the expression ratio of the gtfB gene in S. mutans. The zeta potential analysis and UV-Vis spectrometry indicated successful loading of ICG onto/into NCs. GO-Car/HAp showed highest amount of ICG loading (57.52%) and also highest aqueous stability after one week (94%). UV-Vis spectrometry analyses disclosed a red shift from 780 to 800 nm for the characteristic peak of ICG-loaded NCs. In the lack of aPDT, GO-Car@ICG showed the highest decrease in bacterial survival (86.4%) which indicated that Car could significantly promote the antibacterial effect of GO. GO@ICG, GO-Car@ICG and GO-Car/HAp@ICG mediated aPDT, dramatically declined the count of S. mutans strains to 91.2%, 95.5% and 93.2%, respectively (P < 0.05). The GO@ICG, GO-Car@ICG, GO-Car/HAp@ICG significantly suppressed the S. mutans biofilm formation by 51.4%, 63.8%, and 56.8%, respectively (P < 0.05). The expression of gtfB gene was

The influence of daily stress and resilience on successful ageing.

Science.gov (United States)

Byun, J; Jung, D

2016-09-01

The aim of this study was to identify the effects of daily stress and resilience on successful ageing among community-dwelling older adults. Ageing can be a positive experience if there is good adaptation to ageing processes. Positive ageing needs to be a basis of nursing care, health promotion and education within community settings. Data were collected in March and April of 2014 from 262 older adults living in Seoul and Jeju, South Korea. We used a four-part survey consisting of demographic data, daily stress, resilience and successful ageing scales, in total 91 items. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, t-test, one-way ANOVA, Tukey HSD test, Pearson's correlation coefficient and hierarchical multiple regression analysis to identify the influence of variables on successful ageing. Successful ageing had a significant negative correlation with daily stress and a positive correlation with resilience. Daily stress had a negative correlation with resilience. Findings of hierarchical multiple regression analysis indicated that resilience and subjective economic status had an effect on successful ageing. Furthermore, these variables accounted for 41.6% of the variance in successful ageing. Data were collected in only two cities of Korea based on convenience sampling. The findings of the study suggest that daily stress and resilience have a statistically significant relationship with successful ageing. Furthermore, resilience is an important influential factor and a much-needed personal characteristic for one's successful ageing. Nurses can advocate joining with health and social policy makers to implement policies on healthy ageing, including evaluation of stress, education programmes and implementation of self-help groups to enhance resilience in older people. © 2016 International Council of Nurses.

A simple and efficient algorithm to estimate daily global solar radiation from geostationary satellite data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lu, Ning; Qin, Jun; Yang, Kun; Sun, Jiulin

2011-01-01

Surface global solar radiation (GSR) is the primary renewable energy in nature. Geostationary satellite data are used to map GSR in many inversion algorithms in which ground GSR measurements merely serve to validate the satellite retrievals. In this study, a simple algorithm with artificial neural network (ANN) modeling is proposed to explore the non-linear physical relationship between ground daily GSR measurements and Multi-functional Transport Satellite (MTSAT) all-channel observations in an effort to fully exploit information contained in both data sets. Singular value decomposition is implemented to extract the principal signals from satellite data and a novel method is applied to enhance ANN performance at high altitude. A three-layer feed-forward ANN model is trained with one year of daily GSR measurements at ten ground sites. This trained ANN is then used to map continuous daily GSR for two years, and its performance is validated at all 83 ground sites in China. The evaluation result demonstrates that this algorithm can quickly and efficiently build the ANN model that estimates daily GSR from geostationary satellite data with good accuracy in both space and time. -- Highlights: → A simple and efficient algorithm to estimate GSR from geostationary satellite data. → ANN model fully exploits both the information from satellite and ground measurements. → Good performance of the ANN model is comparable to that of the classical models. → Surface elevation and infrared information enhance GSR inversion.

GMDH-Based Semi-Supervised Feature Selection for Electricity Load Classification Forecasting

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lintao Yang

2018-01-01

Full Text Available With the development of smart power grids, communication network technology and sensor technology, there has been an exponential growth in complex electricity load data. Irregular electricity load fluctuations caused by the weather and holiday factors disrupt the daily operation of the power companies. To deal with these challenges, this paper investigates a day-ahead electricity peak load interval forecasting problem. It transforms the conventional continuous forecasting problem into a novel interval forecasting problem, and then further converts the interval forecasting problem into the classification forecasting problem. In addition, an indicator system influencing the electricity load is established from three dimensions, namely the load series, calendar data, and weather data. A semi-supervised feature selection algorithm is proposed to address an electricity load classification forecasting issue based on the group method of data handling (GMDH technology. The proposed algorithm consists of three main stages: (1 training the basic classifier; (2 selectively marking the most suitable samples from the unclassified label data, and adding them to an initial training set; and (3 training the classification models on the final training set and classifying the test samples. An empirical analysis of electricity load dataset from four Chinese cities is conducted. Results show that the proposed model can address the electricity load classification forecasting problem more efficiently and effectively than the FW-Semi FS (forward semi-supervised feature selection and GMDH-U (GMDH-based semi-supervised feature selection for customer classification models.

Energy management of a university campus utilizing short-term load forecasting with an artificial neural network

Science.gov (United States)

Palchak, David

Electrical load forecasting is a tool that has been utilized by distribution designers and operators as a means for resource planning and generation dispatch. The techniques employed in these predictions are proving useful in the growing market of consumer, or end-user, participation in electrical energy consumption. These predictions are based on exogenous variables, such as weather, and time variables, such as day of week and time of day as well as prior energy consumption patterns. The participation of the end-user is a cornerstone of the Smart Grid initiative presented in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, and is being made possible by the emergence of enabling technologies such as advanced metering infrastructure. The optimal application of the data provided by an advanced metering infrastructure is the primary motivation for the work done in this thesis. The methodology for using this data in an energy management scheme that utilizes a short-term load forecast is presented. The objective of this research is to quantify opportunities for a range of energy management and operation cost savings of a university campus through the use of a forecasted daily electrical load profile. The proposed algorithm for short-term load forecasting is optimized for Colorado State University's main campus, and utilizes an artificial neural network that accepts weather and time variables as inputs. The performance of the predicted daily electrical load is evaluated using a number of error measurements that seek to quantify the best application of the forecast. The energy management presented utilizes historical electrical load data from the local service provider to optimize the time of day that electrical loads are being managed. Finally, the utilization of forecasts in the presented energy management scenario is evaluated based on cost and energy savings.

Increasing daily water intake and fluid adherence in children receiving treatment for retentive encopresis.

Science.gov (United States)

Kuhl, Elizabeth S; Hoodin, Flora; Rice, Jennifer; Felt, Barbara T; Rausch, Joseph R; Patton, Susana R

2010-11-01

To examine the efficacy of an enhanced intervention (EI) compared to standard care (SC) in increasing daily water intake and fluid goal adherence in children seeking treatment for retentive encopresis. Changes in beverage intake patterns and fluid adherence were examined by comparing 7-week diet diary data collected during participation in the EI to achieved data for families who had previously completed the SC. Compared to children in SC (n = 19), children in the EI (n = 18) demonstrated a significantly greater increase in daily water intake from baseline to the conclusion of treatment ( p ≤ .001), and were four and six times more likely to meet fluid targets in Phases 1 (Weeks 3-4) and 2 (Weeks 5-6) of fluid intervention, respectively (both p ≤ .001). Enhanced education and behavioral strategies were efficacious in increasing children's intake of water and improving fluid adherence. Future research should replicate the findings in a prospective randomized clinical trial to discern their effectiveness.

Programming Algorithms of load balancing with HA-Proxy in HTTP services

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

José Teodoro Mejía Viteri

2018-02-01

Full Text Available The access to the public and private services through the web gains daily protagonism, and sometimes they must support amounts of requests that a team can not process, so there are solutions that use algorithms that allow to distribute the load of requests of a web application in several equipment; the objective of this work is to perform an analysis of load balancing scheduling algorithms through the HA-Proxy tool, and deliver an instrument that identifies the load distribution algorithm to be used and the technological infrastructure, to largely cover implementation. The information used for this work is based on a bibliographic analysis, eld study and implementation of the different load balancing algorithms in equipment, where the distribution and its performance will be analyzed. The incorporation of this technology to the management of services on the web, improves availability, helps business continuity and through the different forms of distribution of the requests of the algorithms that can be implemented in HA-Proxy to provide those responsible for information technology systems with a view of their advantages and disadvantages.

Effect of potential renal acid load of foods on urinary citrate excretion in calcium renal stone formers.

Science.gov (United States)

Trinchieri, Alberto; Lizzano, Renata; Marchesotti, Federica; Zanetti, Giampaolo

2006-02-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of the potential renal acid load (PRAL) of the diet on the urinary risk factors for renal stone formation. The present series comprises 187 consecutive renal calcium stone patients (114 males, 73 females) who were studied in our stone clinic. Each patient was subjected to an investigation including a 24-h dietary record and 24-h urine sample taken over the same period. Nutrients and calories were calculated by means of food composition tables using a computerized procedure. Daily PRAL was calculated considering the mineral and protein composition of foods, the mean intestinal absorption rate for each nutrient and the metabolism of sulfur-containing amino acids. Sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphate, oxalate, urate, citrate, and creatinine levels were measured in the urine. The mean daily PRAL was higher in male than in female patients (24.1+/-24.0 vs 16.1+/-20.1 mEq/day, P=0.000). A significantly (P=0.01) negative correlation (R=-0.18) was found between daily PRAL and daily urinary citrate, but no correlation between PRAL and urinary calcium, oxalate, and urate was shown. Daily urinary calcium (R=0.186, P=0.011) and uric acid (R=0.157, P=0.033) were significantly related to the dietary intake of protein. Daily urinary citrate was significantly related to the intakes of copper (R=0.178, P=0.015), riboflavin (R=0.20, P=0.006), piridoxine (R=0.169, P=0.021) and biotin (R=0.196, P=0.007). The regression analysis by stepwise selection confirmed the significant negative correlation between PRAL and urinary citrate (P=0.002) and the significant positive correlation between riboflavin and urinary citrate (P=0.000). Urinary citrate excretion of renal stone formers (RSFs) is highly dependent from dietary acid load. The computation of the renal acid load is advisable to investigate the role of diet in the pathogenesis of calcium stone disease and it is also a useful tool to evaluate the lithogenic potential of

Atmospheric pressure loading effects on Global Positioning System coordinate determinations

Science.gov (United States)

Vandam, Tonie M.; Blewitt, Geoffrey; Heflin, Michael B.

1994-01-01

Earth deformation signals caused by atmospheric pressure loading are detected in vertical position estimates at Global Positioning System (GPS) stations. Surface displacements due to changes in atmospheric pressure account for up to 24% of the total variance in the GPS height estimates. The detected loading signals are larger at higher latitudes where pressure variations are greatest; the largest effect is observed at Fairbanks, Alaska (latitude 65 deg), with a signal root mean square (RMS) of 5 mm. Out of 19 continuously operating GPS sites (with a mean of 281 daily solutions per site), 18 show a positive correlation between the GPS vertical estimates and the modeled loading displacements. Accounting for loading reduces the variance of the vertical station positions on 12 of the 19 sites investigated. Removing the modeled pressure loading from GPS determinations of baseline length for baselines longer than 6000 km reduces the variance on 73 of the 117 baselines investigated. The slight increase in variance for some of the sites and baselines is consistent with expected statistical fluctuations. The results from most stations are consistent with approximately 65% of the modeled pressure load being found in the GPS vertical position measurements. Removing an annual signal from both the measured heights and the modeled load time series leaves this value unchanged. The source of the remaining discrepancy between the modeled and observed loading signal may be the result of (1) anisotropic effects in the Earth's loading response, (2) errors in GPS estimates of tropospheric delay, (3) errors in the surface pressure data, or (4) annual signals in the time series of loading and station heights. In addition, we find that using site dependent coefficients, determined by fitting local pressure to the modeled radial displacements, reduces the variance of the measured station heights as well as or better than using the global convolution sum.

Solution quality improvement in chiller loading optimization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Geem, Zong Woo

2011-01-01

In order to reduce greenhouse gas emission, we can energy-efficiently operate a multiple chiller system using optimization techniques. So far, various optimization techniques have been proposed to the optimal chiller loading problem. Most of those techniques are meta-heuristic algorithms such as genetic algorithm, simulated annealing, and particle swarm optimization. However, this study applied a gradient-based method, named generalized reduced gradient, and then obtains better results when compared with other approaches. When two additional approaches (hybridization between meta-heuristic algorithm and gradient-based algorithm; and reformulation of optimization structure by adding a binary variable which denotes chiller's operating status) were introduced, generalized reduced gradient found even better solutions. - Highlights: → Chiller loading problem is optimized by generalized reduced gradient (GRG) method. → Results are compared with meta-heuristic algorithms such as genetic algorithm. → Results are even enhanced by hybridizing meta-heuristic and gradient techniques. → Results are even enhanced by modifying the optimization formulation.

A single daily dose enhances the adherence to immunosuppressive treatment in kidney transplant recipients: a cross-sectional study.

Science.gov (United States)

Obi, Yoshitsugu; Ichimaru, Naotsugu; Kato, Taigo; Kaimori, Jun-Ya; Okumi, Masayoshi; Yazawa, Koji; Rakugi, Hiromi; Nonomura, Norio; Isaka, Yoshitaka; Takahara, Shiro

2013-04-01

Nonadherence to treatment regimens for immunosuppressive agents is one of the major risk factors for allograft failure in kidney transplant recipients. The aim of this study was to estimate the relative effect of daily dosing on treatment adherence, not to identify how patients are non-adherent, in long-term kidney transplant recipients. In January 2009, a cross-sectional, anonymous, and voluntary questionnaire survey was given to kidney transplant recipients who regularly visited Inoue Hospital. A self-reporting questionnaire underestimates nonadherence, but we reasoned that the effect of the dosing regimen should be estimated with relative accuracy by using the generalized ordered logit/partial proportional hazard odds model given that the distribution patterns in the degree of nonadherence have been shown to be similar with other measures. Of 336 eligible patients, 312 (92.9 %) participated in this study. Two hundred seventy-four patients (87.8 %) were more than 3 years post-transplant. Univariate analysis revealed that a single daily dose was significantly associated with better adherence. After controlling for age, sex, time since transplantation, and the number of prescribed drugs, the effect of a single daily dose still remained significant [odds ratio, 0.40 (95 % confidence interval, 0.19-0.81); p = 0.011]. Several sensitivity analyses yielded similar results. To our knowledge, this is the first report that, in long-term kidney transplant recipients, a single daily regimen-one of few modifiable factors-might improve treatment adherence and allograft survival.

Microcontroller Based Home Security and Load Controlling Using Gsm Technology

OpenAIRE

Mustafijur Rahman; A.H.M Zadidul Karim; Sultanur Nyeem; Faisal Khan; Golam Matin

2015-01-01

"Home automation" referred to as 'Intelligent home' or 'automated home', indicates the automation of daily tasks with electrical devices used in homes. This could be the control of lights or more complex chores such as remote viewing of the house interiors for surveillance purposes. The emerging concept of smart homes offers a comfortable, convenient and safe and secure environment for occupants. These include automatic load controlling, fire detection, temperature sensing, and motion detecti...

Load-following operation of PWR plants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jang, Jong Hwa; Oh, Soo Yul; Koo, Yang Hyun; Lee, Jae Han [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Taejon (Korea, Republic of)

1993-12-01

The load-following operation of nuclear power plants will become inevitable due to the increased nuclear share in the total electricity generation. As a groundwork for the load-following capability of the Korean next generation PWRs, the state-of-the-art has been reviewed. The core control principles and methods are the main subject in this review as well as the impact of load-following operations on the fuel performance and on the mechanical integrity of components. To begin with, it was described what the load-following operation is and in what view point the technology should be reviewed. Afterwards the load-following method, performance and problems in domestic 900 MWe class PWRs were discussed, and domestic R and D works were summarized. Foreign technologies were also reviewed. They include Mode G and Mode X of Foratom, D and L bank method of KWU, the method using PSCEA of ABB-CE, and MSHIM of Westinghouse. The load-following related special features of Foratom`s N4 plant, KWU`s plants, ABB-CE`s Systems 80+, and Westinghouse`s AP600 were described in each technology review. The review concluded that the capability of N4 plant with Mode X is the best and the methods in System, 80+ and AP600 would require verifications for the continued and usual load-following operation. It was recommended that the load-following operation experiences in domestic PWRs under operation be required to settle down the capability for the future. In addition, a more enhanced technology is required for the Korean next generation PWR regardless what the reference plant concept is. 30 figs., 19 tabs., 75 refs. (Author).

Eye closure helps memory by reducing cognitive load and enhancing visualisation.

Science.gov (United States)

Vredeveldt, Annelies; Hitch, Graham J; Baddeley, Alan D

2011-10-01

Closing the eyes helps memory. We investigated the mechanisms underlying the eyeclosure effect by exposing 80 eyewitnesses to different types of distraction during the witness interview: blank screen (control), eyes closed, visual distraction, and auditory distraction. We examined the cognitive load hypothesis by comparing any type of distraction (visual or auditory) with minimal distraction (blank screen or eyes closed). We found recall to be significantly better when distraction was minimal, providing evidence that eyeclosure reduces cognitive load. We examined the modality-specific interference hypothesis by comparing the effects of visual and auditory distraction on recall of visual and auditory information. Visual and auditory distraction selectively impaired memory for information presented in the same modality, supporting the role of visualisation in the eyeclosure effect. Analysis of recall in terms of grain size revealed that recall of basic information about the event was robust, whereas recall of specific details was prone to both general and modality-specific disruptions.

A noninterventional study documenting use and success of implants with a new chemically modified titanium surface in daily dental practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Luongo, Giuseppe; Oteri, Giacomo

2010-01-01

A new chemically modified titanium surface, SLActive, has recently been developed. The results obtained in controlled clinical trials indicate that this implant can be safely used and that it offers predictable results. The goal of this noninterventional study was to verify that the success rates of implants used in daily dental practice are comparable to those reported in controlled clinical trials. This study was a prospective, noninterventional study using implants with a chemically modified surface according to the daily dental practice procedures applied by private practitioners. The choice of the implantation procedure and the loading protocol were the responsibility of the investigator and were chosen according to the patient's needs. Thirty clinical centers actively participated in this study, and 226 patients were treated, of which, 8 patients were lost to follow-up. Because of the noninterventional design of the study, the patients were not selected according to strictly defined inclusion/exclusion criteria. Thus, the study included individuals with risk factors such as smoking (24%), untreated gingivitis or periodontitis (9%), and bruxism (6%). The implants were equally distributed between mandible (46%) and maxilla (54%). A bone augmentation procedure was done in 31% of the cases. Early loading (functional loading between 48 hours and 3 months after implant insertion) was applied most frequently (48%), followed by the conventional loading protocol (3 to 6 months after implant placement, 34%). Immediate restoration and immediate loading were rare (7% and 2%, respectively). Of 276 implants inserted and documented, 5 implants failures were reported, all of which were associated with a sinus floor augmentation procedure. The survival rate was 98.2% at the 1-year follow-up visit. The results showed that implants with a chemically modified surface can be successfully restored with success rates similar to those reported in formal clinical trials under more

Collaborative use of virtual patients after a lecture enhances learning with minimal investment of cognitive load.

Science.gov (United States)

Marei, Hesham F; Donkers, Jeroen; Al-Eraky, Mohamed M; Van Merrienboer, Jeroen J G

2018-05-25

The use of virtual patients (VPs), due to their high complexity and/or inappropriate sequencing with other instructional methods, might cause a high cognitive load, which hampers learning. To investigate the efficiency of instructional methods that involved three different applications of VPs combined with lectures. From two consecutive batches, 171 out of 183 students have participated in lecture and VPs sessions. One group received a lecture session followed by a collaborative VPs learning activity (collaborative deductive). The other two groups received a lecture session and an independent VP learning activity, which either followed the lecture session (independent deductive) or preceded it (independent inductive). All groups were administrated written knowledge acquisition and retention tests as well as transfer tests using two new VPs. All participants completed a cognitive load questionnaire, which measured intrinsic, extraneous and germane load. Mixed effect analysis of cognitive load and efficiency using the R statistical program was performed. The highest intrinsic and extraneous load was found in the independent inductive group, while the lowest intrinsic and extraneous load was seen in the collaborative deductive group. Furthermore, comparisons showed a significantly higher efficiency, that is, higher performance in combination with lower cognitive load, for the collaborative deductive group than for the other two groups. Collaborative use of VPs after a lecture is the most efficient instructional method, of those tested, as it leads to better learning and transfer combined with lower cognitive load, when compared with independent use of VPs, either before or after the lecture.

Effects of external loads on postural sway during quiet stance in adults aged 20-80 years.

Science.gov (United States)

Hill, M W; Duncan, M J; Oxford, S W; Kay, A D; Price, M J

2018-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of holding external loads on postural sway during upright stance across age decades. Sixty-five healthy adults (females, n = 35), aged 18-80 years were assessed in four conditions; (1) standing without holding a load, holding a load corresponding to 5% body mass in the (2) left hand, (3) right hand and (4) both hands. The centre of pressure (COP) path length and anteroposterior and mediolateral COP displacement were used to indirectly assess postural sway. External loading elicited reductions in COP measures of postural sway in older age groups only (P  0.05). Holding external loads during standing is relevant to many activities of daily living (i.e. holding groceries). The reduction in postural sway may suggest this type of loading has a stabilising effect during quiet standing among older adults. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Convection enhanced delivery of panobinostat (LBH589-loaded pluronic nano-micelles prolongs survival in the F98 rat glioma model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Singleton WG

2017-02-01

Full Text Available WG Singleton,1,2 AM Collins,3 AS Bienemann,1 CL Killick-Cole,1 HR Haynes,4 DJ Asby,1 CP Butts,5 MJ Wyatt,1 NU Barua,1,2 SS Gill1,2 1Functional Neurosurgery Research Group, School of Clinical Sciences, University of Bristol, 2Department of Neurosurgery, North Bristol NHS Trust, 3Bristol Centre for Functional Nanomaterials, School of Physics, HH Wills Physics Laboratory, 4Brain Tumour Research Group, School of Clinical Sciences, 5School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol, UKBackground: The pan-histone deacetylase inhibitor panobinostat is a potential therapy for malignant glioma, but it is water insoluble and does not cross the blood–brain barrier when administered systemically. In this article, we describe the in vitro and in vivo efficacy of a novel water-soluble nano-micellar formulation of panobinostat designed for administration by convection enhanced delivery (CED.Materials and methods: The in vitro efficacy of panobinostat-loaded nano-micelles against rat F98, human U87-MG and M059K glioma cells and against patient-derived glioma stem cells was measured using a cell viability assay. Nano-micelle distribution in rat brain was analyzed following acute CED using rhodamine-labeled nano-micelles, and toxicity was assayed using immunofluorescent microscopy and synaptophysin enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. We compared the survival of the bioluminescent syngenic F98/Fischer344 rat glioblastoma model treated by acute CED of panobinostat-loaded nano-micelles with that of untreated and vehicle-only-treated controls.Results: Nano-micellar panobinostat is cytotoxic to rat and human glioma cells in vitro in a dose-dependent manner following short-time exposure to drug. Fluorescent rhodamine-labelled nano-micelles distribute with a volume of infusion/volume of distribution (Vi/Vd ratio of four and five respectively after administration by CED. Administration was not associated with any toxicity when compared to controls. CED of

Effects of Interferon-α/β on HBV Replication Determined by Viral Load

Science.gov (United States)

Tian, Yongjun; Chen, Wen-ling; Ou, Jing-hsiung James

2011-01-01

Interferons α and β (IFN-α/β) are type I interferons produced by the host to control microbial infections. However, the use of IFN-α to treat hepatitis B virus (HBV) patients generated sustained response to only a minority of patients. By using HBV transgenic mice as a model and by using hydrodynamic injection to introduce HBV DNA into the mouse liver, we studied the effect of IFN-α/β on HBV in vivo. Interestingly, our results indicated that IFN-α/β could have opposite effects on HBV: they suppressed HBV replication when viral load was high and enhanced HBV replication when viral load was low. IFN-α/β apparently suppressed HBV replication via transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulations. In contrast, IFN-α/β enhanced viral replication by inducing the transcription factor HNF3γ and activating STAT3, which together stimulated HBV gene expression and replication. Further studies revealed an important role of IFN-α/β in stimulating viral growth and prolonging viremia when viral load is low. This use of an innate immune response to enhance its replication and persistence may represent a novel strategy that HBV uses to enhance its growth and spread in the early stage of viral infection when the viral level is low. PMID:21829354

Folate Receptor-targeted Bioflavonoid Genistein-loaded Chitosan Nanoparticles for Enhanced Anticancer Effect in Cervical Cancers

Science.gov (United States)

Cai, Limei; Yu, Rufen; Hao, Xi; Ding, Xiangcui

2017-08-01

In this study, novel folic acid-conjugated chitosan nanoparticle was formulated for specific delivery of bioflavonoid, Genistein (GEN), to the cervical cancer cells. The prepared GEN-loaded chitosan nanoparticles (GCN) and folic acid-conjugated GCN (FGCN) showed smaller size with a controlled drug release profile. FGCN exhibited enhanced internalization potential in HeLa cells than that of GCN. The specific internalization of FGCN was mainly due to the affinity of folic acid (FA) with FRs-α which is present in large numbers in HeLa cells. The results revealed that FGCN has a specific affinity towards HeLa cells that will contribute to the better treatment. Folic acid-tagged nanoformulations exhibited a superior cytotoxic effect compared to that of non-targeted formulations. Consistently, IC50 value of GEN decreased from 33.8 to 14.6 μg/ml when treated with FGCN after 24 h incubation. The apoptosis studies indicated that the FGCN nanoparticles were then either GCN or free GEN in terms of anticancer activity. Overall, results revealed that folate conjugation to the delivery system might have great effect on the survival of cervical cancers that will be beneficial for overall cancer treatment.

Effects of cognitive load on neural and behavioral responses to smoking cue distractors

Science.gov (United States)

MacLean, R. Ross; Nichols, Travis T.; LeBreton, James M.; Wilson, Stephen J.

2017-01-01

Smoking cessation failures are frequently thought to reflect poor top-down regulatory control over behavior. Previous studies suggest that smoking cues occupy limited working memory resources, an effect that may contribute to difficulty achieving abstinence. Few studies have evaluated the effects of cognitive load on the ability to actively maintain information in the face of distracting smoking cues. The current study adapted an fMRI probed recall task under low and high cognitive load with three distractor conditions: control, neutral images, or smoking-related images. Consistent with a limited-resource model of cue reactivity, we predicted that performance of daily smokers (n=17) would be most impaired when high load was paired with smoking distractors. Results demonstrated a main effect of load, with decreased accuracy under high, compared to low, cognitive load. Surprisingly, an interaction revealed the effect of load was weakest in the smoking cue distractor condition. Along with this behavioral effect, we observed significantly greater activation of the right inferior frontal gyrus (rIFG) in the low load condition relative to the high load condition for trials containing smoking cue distractors. Furthermore, load-related changes in rIFG activation partially mediated the effects of load on task accuracy in the smoking cue distractor condition. These findings are discussed in the context of prevailing cognitive and cue reactivity theories. Results suggest that high cognitive load does not necessarily make smokers more susceptible to interference from smoking-related stimuli, and that elevated load may even have a buffering effect in the presence of smoking cues under certain conditions. PMID:27012714

The grateful are patient: Heightened daily gratitude is associated with attenuated temporal discounting.

Science.gov (United States)

Dickens, Leah; DeSteno, David

2016-06-01

Past research has regularly linked the experience of affect to increased impatience and, thereby, decreased self-control. Given emerging work identifying the emotion gratitude as a fairly unique affective state capable of enhancing, rather than inhibiting, patience, the present study examined the association between chronically elevated gratitude and individual differences in temporal discounting. Participants' levels of gratitude were assessed in response to a standardized lab induction and then over a 3-week period prior to measurement of their financial patience in the form of an incentivized delay discounting task. Analyses revealed a strong relation between lab-based and naturally occurring gratitude levels, thereby confirming the validity of the daily online measures. Of import, mean levels of daily gratitude were significantly associated with increased patience in the form of decreased temporal discounting. As expected, no similar relation emerged for daily levels of happiness, thereby confirming the relative specificity of the positive state of gratitude. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Effect of horizontal displacements due to ocean tide loading on the determination of polar motion and UT1

Science.gov (United States)

Scherneck, Hans-Georg; Haas, Rüdiger

We show the influence of horizontal displacements due to ocean tide loading on the determination of polar motion and UT1 (PMU) on the daily and subdaily timescale. So called ‘virtual PMU variations’ due to modelling errors of ocean tide loading are predicted for geodetic Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) networks. This leads to errors of subdaily determination of PMU. The predicted effects are confirmed by the analysis of geodetic VLBI observations.

An Improved Flexible Solar Thermal Energy Integration Process for Enhancing the Coal-Based Energy Efficiency and NOx Removal Effectiveness in Coal-Fired Power Plants under Different Load Conditions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yu Han

2017-09-01

Full Text Available An improved flexible solar-aided power generation system (SAPG for enhancing both selective catalytic reduction (SCR de-NOx efficiency and coal-based energy efficiency of coal-fired power plants is proposed. In the proposed concept, the solar energy injection point is changed for different power plant loads, bringing about different benefits for coal-fired power generation. For partial/low load, solar energy is beneficially used to increase the flue gas temperature to guarantee the SCR de-NOx effectiveness as well as increase the boiler energy input by reheating the combustion air. For high power load, solar energy is used for saving steam bleeds from turbines by heating the feed water. A case study for a typical 1000 MW coal-fired power plant using the proposed concept has been performed and the results showed that, the SCR de-NOx efficiency of proposed SAPG could increase by 3.1% and 7.9% under medium load and low load conditions, respectively, as compared with the reference plant. The standard coal consumption rate of the proposed SAPG could decrease by 2.68 g/kWh, 4.05 g/kWh and 6.31 g/kWh for high, medium and low loads, respectively, with 0.040 USD/kWh of solar generated electricity cost. The proposed concept opens up a novel solar energy integration pattern in coal-fired power plants to improve the pollutant removal effectiveness and decrease the coal consumption of the power plant.

Melter Throughput Enhancements for High-Iron HLW

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kruger, A. A. [Department of Energy, Office of River Protection, Richland, Washington (United States); Gan, Hoa [The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC (United States); Joseph, Innocent [The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC (United States); Pegg, Ian L. [The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC (United States); Matlack, Keith S. [The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC (United States); Chaudhuri, Malabika [The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC (United States); Kot, Wing [The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC (United States)

2012-12-26

This report describes work performed to develop and test new glass and feed formulations in order to increase glass melting rates in high waste loading glass formulations for HLW with high concentrations of iron. Testing was designed to identify glass and melter feed formulations that optimize waste loading and waste processing rate while meeting all processing and product quality requirements. The work included preparation and characterization of crucible melts to assess melt rate using a vertical gradient furnace system and to develop new formulations with enhanced melt rate. Testing evaluated the effects of waste loading on glass properties and the maximum waste loading that can be achieved. The results from crucible-scale testing supported subsequent DuraMelter 100 (DM100) tests designed to examine the effects of enhanced glass and feed formulations on waste processing rate and product quality. The DM100 was selected as the platform for these tests due to its extensive previous use in processing rate determination for various HLW streams and glass compositions.

Enhanced method of fast re-routing with load balancing in software-defined networks

Science.gov (United States)

Lemeshko, Oleksandr; Yeremenko, Oleksandra

2017-11-01

A two-level method of fast re-routing with load balancing in a software-defined network (SDN) is proposed. The novelty of the method consists, firstly, in the introduction of a two-level hierarchy of calculating the routing variables responsible for the formation of the primary and backup paths, and secondly, in ensuring a balanced load of the communication links of the network, which meets the requirements of the traffic engineering concept. The method provides implementation of link, node, path, and bandwidth protection schemes for fast re-routing in SDN. The separation in accordance with the interaction prediction principle along two hierarchical levels of the calculation functions of the primary (lower level) and backup (upper level) routes allowed to abandon the initial sufficiently large and nonlinear optimization problem by transiting to the iterative solution of linear optimization problems of half the dimension. The analysis of the proposed method confirmed its efficiency and effectiveness in terms of obtaining optimal solutions for ensuring balanced load of communication links and implementing the required network element protection schemes for fast re-routing in SDN.

Perceptual load-dependent neural correlates of distractor interference inhibition.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jiansong Xu

2011-01-01

Full Text Available The load theory of selective attention hypothesizes that distractor interference is suppressed after perceptual processing (i.e., in the later stage of central processing at low perceptual load of the central task, but in the early stage of perceptual processing at high perceptual load. Consistently, studies on the neural correlates of attention have found a smaller distractor-related activation in the sensory cortex at high relative to low perceptual load. However, it is not clear whether the distractor-related activation in brain regions linked to later stages of central processing (e.g., in the frontostriatal circuits is also smaller at high rather than low perceptual load, as might be predicted based on the load theory.We studied 24 healthy participants using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI during a visual target identification task with two perceptual loads (low vs. high. Participants showed distractor-related increases in activation in the midbrain, striatum, occipital and medial and lateral prefrontal cortices at low load, but distractor-related decreases in activation in the midbrain ventral tegmental area and substantia nigra (VTA/SN, striatum, thalamus, and extensive sensory cortices at high load.Multiple levels of central processing involving midbrain and frontostriatal circuits participate in suppressing distractor interference at either low or high perceptual load. For suppressing distractor interference, the processing of sensory inputs in both early and late stages of central processing are enhanced at low load but inhibited at high load.

Perceptual load-dependent neural correlates of distractor interference inhibition.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Jiansong; Monterosso, John; Kober, Hedy; Balodis, Iris M; Potenza, Marc N

2011-01-18

The load theory of selective attention hypothesizes that distractor interference is suppressed after perceptual processing (i.e., in the later stage of central processing) at low perceptual load of the central task, but in the early stage of perceptual processing at high perceptual load. Consistently, studies on the neural correlates of attention have found a smaller distractor-related activation in the sensory cortex at high relative to low perceptual load. However, it is not clear whether the distractor-related activation in brain regions linked to later stages of central processing (e.g., in the frontostriatal circuits) is also smaller at high rather than low perceptual load, as might be predicted based on the load theory. We studied 24 healthy participants using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during a visual target identification task with two perceptual loads (low vs. high). Participants showed distractor-related increases in activation in the midbrain, striatum, occipital and medial and lateral prefrontal cortices at low load, but distractor-related decreases in activation in the midbrain ventral tegmental area and substantia nigra (VTA/SN), striatum, thalamus, and extensive sensory cortices at high load. Multiple levels of central processing involving midbrain and frontostriatal circuits participate in suppressing distractor interference at either low or high perceptual load. For suppressing distractor interference, the processing of sensory inputs in both early and late stages of central processing are enhanced at low load but inhibited at high load.

Anticoagulation and endothelial cell behaviors of heparin-loaded graphene oxide coating on titanium surface

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pan, Chang-Jiang, E-mail: panchangjiang@hyit.edu.cn [Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory for Interventional Medical Devices, Huaiyin Institute of Technology, Huai' an 223003 (China); Pang, Li-Qun [Department of General Surgery, Huai' an First People' s Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Huai' an 223300 (China); Gao, Fei [Zhejiang Zylox Medical Devices Co., Ltd., Hangzhou 310000 (China); Wang, Ya-Nan; Liu, Tao; Ye, Wei; Hou, Yan-Hua [Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory for Interventional Medical Devices, Huaiyin Institute of Technology, Huai' an 223003 (China)

2016-06-01

Owing to its unique physical and chemical properties, graphene oxide (GO) has attracted tremendous interest in many fields including biomaterials and biomedicine. The purpose of the present study is to investigate the endothelial cell behaviors and anticoagulation of heparin-loaded GO coating on the titanium surface. To this end, the titanium surface was firstly covered by the polydopamine coating followed by the deposition of the GO coating. Heparin was finally loaded on the GO coating to improve the blood compatibility. The results of attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), Raman spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) indicated that the heparin-loaded GO coating was successfully created on the titanium surface. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images indicated that a relative uniform GO coating consisting of multilayer GO sheets was formed on the substrate. The hydrophilicity of the titanium surface was enhanced after the deposition of GO and further improved significantly by the loading heparin. The GO coating can enhance the endothelial cell adhesion and proliferation as compared with polydopamine coating and the blank titanium. Loading heparin on the GO coating can significantly reduce the platelet adhesion and prolong the activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) while not influence the endothelial cell adhesion and proliferation. Therefore, the heparin-loaded GO coating can simultaneously enhance the cytocompatibility to endothelial cells and blood compatibility of biomaterials. Because the polydopamine coating can be easily prepared on most of biomaterials including polymer, ceramics and metal, thus the approach of the present study may open up a new window of promising an effective and efficient way to promote endothelialization and improve the blood compatibility of blood-contact biomedical devices such as intravascular stents. - Highlights: • Heparin-loaded graphene oxide coating was

Daily maternal separations during stress hyporesponsive period decrease the thresholds of panic-like behaviors to electrical stimulation of the dorsal periaqueductal gray of the adult rat.

Science.gov (United States)

Borges-Aguiar, Ana Cristina; Schauffer, Luana Zanoni; de Kloet, Edo Ronald; Schenberg, Luiz Carlos

2018-05-15

The present study examined whether early life maternal separation (MS), a model of childhood separation anxiety, predisposes to panic at adulthood. For this purpose, male pups were submitted to 3-h daily maternal separations along postnatal (PN) days of either the 'stress hyporesponsive period' (SHRP) from PN4 to PN14 (MS11) or throughout lactation from PN2 to PN21 (MS20). Pups were further reunited to conscious (CM) or anesthetized (AM) mothers to assess the effect of mother-pup interaction upon reunion. Controls were subjected to brief handling (15 s) once a day throughout lactation (BH20). As adults (PN60), rats were tested for the thresholds to evoke panic-like behaviors upon electrical stimulation of dorsal periaqueductal gray matter and exposed to an elevated plus-maze, an open-field, a forced swim and a sucrose preference test. A factor analysis was also performed to gain insight into the meaning of behavioral tests. MS11-CM rather than MS20-CM rats showed enhanced panic responses and reductions in both swimming and sucrose preference. Panic facilitations were less intense in mother-neglected rats. Although MS did not affect anxiety, MS11-AM showed robust reductions of defecation in an open-field. Factor analysis singled out anxiety, hedonia, exploration, coping and gut activity. Although sucrose preference and coping loaded on separate factors, appetite (adult weight) correlated with active coping in both forced swim and open-field (central area exploration). Concluding, whereas 3h-daily maternal separations during SHRP increased rat's susceptibility to experimental panic attacks, separations throughout lactation had no effects on panic and enhanced active coping. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Enhancing national Daily Landslide Hazard Assessments through inter-agency collaboration; lessons learned from storm Desmond (UK)/Synne (Norway), Dec 2015.

Science.gov (United States)

Boje, Søren; Devoli, Graziella; Sund, Monica; Freeborough, Katy; Dijkstra, Tom; Reeves, Helen; Banks, Vanessa

2016-04-01

The Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE) and the British Geological Survey (BGS) compile daily landslide hazard assessments (DLHA) in their respective countries. NVE DLHA has been operational since 2013 and provides national daily assessments based on quantitative thresholds related to daily hydro-meteorological forecasts coupled with qualitative expert analysis of these forecasts. The BGS DLHA has been operational since 2012 and this is predominantly based on expert evaluation of antecedent hydro-meteorological conditions and triggering rainfall across Great Britain (GB). In both cases, the hydro-meteorological evaluation is coupled with observations derived from proprietary datasets on landslide events and landslide potential in order to specify, and limit, the spatial extent of the potentially impacted area. However, the DLHA are strongly driven by hydro-meteorological forecasts. In December 2015, a large extra-tropical cyclone developed over the Atlantic and delivered record-breaking precipitation over parts of the UK and Norway. The meteorological services started naming these events to enhance public uptake and awareness and the storms were named as Desmond (the 4th large storm in 2015/16 in the UK) and Synne (the 5th storm in 2015 in Norway). Desmond arrived in earnest on the 5th of December and brought intense precipitation and strong winds over a 48-hour period. In Cumbria (NW-England) record precipitation was measured (341.4 mm in 24-hour at Honister Pass which is more than twice the monthly average), with 48-hour accumulations exceeding 400 mm. Synne arrived shortly after in Norway and was also characterised by excessive rainfall of 140 mm in 24-hour, 236 mm in 48-hour and 299 mm in 72-hour at Maudal, SW-Norway. Both organisations managed to issue appropriate advance warnings, operating individually. In Norway, warnings were issued some 2 days in advance with a yellow level communicated on Friday 4th and an orange warning the 5th and 6

Enhancing Extreme Heat Health-Related Intervention and Preparedness Activities Using Remote Sensing Analysis of Daily Surface Temperature, Surface Observation Networks and Ecmwf Reanalysis

Science.gov (United States)

Garcia, R. L.; Booth, J.; Hondula, D.; Ross, K. W.; Stuyvesant, A.; Alm, G.; Baghel, E.

2015-12-01

Extreme heat causes more human fatalities in the United States than any other natural disaster, elevating the concern of heat-related mortality. Maricopa County Arizona is known for its high heat index and its sprawling metropolitan complex which makes this region a perfect candidate for human health research. Individuals at higher risk are unequally spatially distributed, leaving the poor, homeless, non-native English speakers, elderly, and the socially isolated vulnerable to heat events. The Arizona Department of Health Services, Arizona State University and NASA DEVELOP LaRC are working to establish a more effective method of placing hydration and cooling centers in addition to enhancing the heat warning system to aid those with the highest exposure. Using NASA's Earth Observation Systems from Aqua and Terra satellites, the daily spatial variability within the UHI was quantified over the summer heat seasons from 2005 - 2014, effectively establishing a remotely sensed surface temperature climatology for the county. A series of One-way Analysis of Variance revealed significant differences between daily surface temperature averages of the top 30% of census tracts within the study period. Furthermore, synoptic upper tropospheric circulation patterns were classified to relate surface weather types and heat index. The surface weather observation networks were also reviewed for analyzing the veracity of the other methods. The results provide detailed information regarding nuances within the UHI effect and will allow pertinent recommendations regarding the health department's adaptive capacity. They also hold essential components for future policy decision-making regarding appropriate locations for cooling centers and efficient warning systems.

Enhanced sediment loading facilitates point bar growth and accelerates bank erosion along a modelled meander bend on the Sacramento River, USA

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmed, J.; Constantine, J. A.; Hales, T. C.

2017-12-01

Meandering channels provide a conduit through which sediment and water is routed from the uplands to the sea. Alluvial material is periodically stored and transported through the channel network as permitted by the prevailing hydrologic conditions. The lowlands are typically characterised by accumulations of sediment attached to the inner banks of meander bends (point bars). These bedforms have been identified as important for facilitating a link between in-stream sediment supplies and channel dynamism. A 2D curvilinear hydrodynamic model (MIKE 21C) was used to perform a number of experiments in which the sediment load was adjusted to investigate how changes in alluvial material fluxes affect the development of point bars and the resultant patterns of bank erosion. A doubling of the sediment load caused a longitudinal increase in the bar in the upstream direction and caused a coeval doubling of the transverse channel slope at the meander apex. The upstream growth of the point bar was accompanied by an increase in length over which lateral migration took place at the outer bank. The magnitude of outer bank erosion was 9-times greater for the high-sediment simulation. These results suggest that enhanced sediment loads (potentially the result of changes in land use or climate) can trigger greater rates of bank erosion and channel change through the sequestration of alluvial material on point bars, which encourage high-velocity fluid deflection towards the outer bank of the meander. This controls riparian habitat development and exchanges of sediment and nutrients across the channel-floodplain interface.

Enhanced intracellular delivery and antibacterial efficacy of enrofloxacin-loaded docosanoic acid solid lipid nanoparticles against intracellular Salmonella.

Science.gov (United States)

Xie, Shuyu; Yang, Fei; Tao, Yanfei; Chen, Dongmei; Qu, Wei; Huang, Lingli; Liu, Zhenli; Pan, Yuanhu; Yuan, Zonghui

2017-01-23

Enrofloxacin-loaded docosanoic acid solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) with different physicochemical properties were developed to enhance activity against intracellular Salmonella. Their cellular uptake, intracellular elimination and antibacterial activity were studied in RAW 264.7 cells. During the experimental period, SLN-encapsulated enrofloxacin accumulated in the cells approximately 27.06-37.71 times more efficiently than free drugs at the same extracellular concentration. After incubation for 0.5 h, the intracellular enrofloxacin was enhanced from 0.336 to 1.147 μg/mg of protein as the sizes of nanoparticles were increased from 150 to 605 nm, and from 0.960 to 1.147 μg/mg of protein when the charge was improved from -8.1 to -24.9 mv. The cellular uptake was more significantly influenced by the size than it was by the charge, and was not affected by whether the charge was positive or negative. The elimination of optimal SLN-encapsulated enrofloxacin from the cells was significantly slower than that of free enrofloxacin after removing extracellular drug. The inhibition effect against intracellular Salmonella CVCC541 of 0.24 and 0.06 μg/mL encapsulated enrofloxacin was stronger than 0.6 μg/mL free drug after all of the incubation periods and at 48 h, respectively. Docosanoic acid SLNs are thus considered as a promising carrier for intracellular bacterial treatment.

Secondary Control for Voltage Quality Enhancement in Microgrids

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

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

2012-01-01

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

Multi-objective Extremum Seeking Control for Enhancement of Wind Turbine Power Capture with Load Reduction

Science.gov (United States)

Xiao, Yan; Li, Yaoyu; Rotea, Mario A.

2016-09-01

The primary objective in below rated wind speed (Region 2) is to maximize the turbine's energy capture. Due to uncertainty, variability of turbine characteristics and lack of inexpensive but precise wind measurements, model-free control strategies that do not use wind measurements such as Extremum Seeking Control (ESC) have received significant attention. Based on a dither-demodulation scheme, ESC can maximize the wind power capture in real time despite uncertainty, variabilities and lack of accurate wind measurements. The existing work on ESC based wind turbine control focuses on power capture only. In this paper, a multi-objective extremum seeking control strategy is proposed to achieve nearly optimum wind energy capture while decreasing structural fatigue loads. The performance index of the ESC combines the rotor power and penalty terms of the standard deviations of selected fatigue load variables. Simulation studies of the proposed multi-objective ESC demonstrate that the damage-equivalent loads of tower and/or blade loads can be reduced with slight compromise in energy capture.

Load following operation of nuclear power plants for meeting power system requirements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Isoda, Hachiro

1987-01-01

This paper describes a calculating program on the availability factors of nuclear, thermal and pumed storage hydro power stations and some calculated results for typical three load factors, 55 %, 60 % and 71 %, are provided when the share of the nuclea power station in the generation facilities is increased. The load following requirement of the nuclear power station is also provided. Load following requirement: If there is a 10 % pumped storage hydro power station, the nuclear power station enables to be operated with its rated output up to 30 % - 35 % of its share. Its daily load following operation for 40 % and 50 % nuclear power station needs every weekend and every day respectively. Availability factor: The availability factor of the nuclear power station manages to get 80 % (maximum availability factor of the nuclear power station in this study) up to 30 % share of it with 10 % pumpued storage hydro power station. When the nuclear power station shares 40 % and 50 %, its availability factor decreases down 1 % and 5 % respectively. (author)

An Energy Saving Green Plug Device for Nonlinear Loads

Science.gov (United States)

Bloul, Albe; Sharaf, Adel; El-Hawary, Mohamed

2018-03-01

The paper presents a low cost a FACTS Based flexible fuzzy logic based modulated/switched tuned arm filter and Green Plug compensation (SFC-GP) scheme for single-phase nonlinear loads ensuring both voltage stabilization and efficient energy utilization. The new Green Plug-Switched filter compensator SFC modulated LC-Filter PWM Switched Capacitive Compensation Devices is controlled using a fuzzy logic regulator to enhance power quality, improve power factor at the source and reduce switching transients and inrush current conditions as well harmonic contents in source current. The FACTS based SFC-GP Device is a member of family of Green Plug/Filters/Compensation Schemes used for efficient energy utilization, power quality enhancement and voltage/inrush current/soft starting control using a dynamic error driven fuzzy logic controller (FLC). The device with fuzzy logic controller is validated using the Matlab / Simulink Software Environment for enhanced power quality (PQ), improved power factor and reduced inrush currents. This is achieved using modulated PWM Switching of the Filter-Capacitive compensation scheme to cope with dynamic type nonlinear and inrush cyclical loads..

Polyelectrolyte Multicomponent Colloidosomes Loaded with Nisin Z for Enhanced Antimicrobial Activity against Foodborne Resistant Pathogens

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Taskeen Niaz

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Food grade micro- or nano-carrier systems (NCS are being developed to improve the controlled release of antimicrobial agents. To augment the stability of liposomal NCS and to overcome the limitations associated with the use of free bacteriocin (nisin in the food system, multi-component colloidosomes (MCCS were developed by electrostatic interactions between anionic alginate and cationic chitosan (multilayer around phospholipids based liposomes (core. Zeta-sizer results revealed the average diameter of 145 ± 2 nm, 596 ± 3 nm, and 643 ± 5 nm for nano-liposome (NL, chitosomes (chitosan coated NL and MCCS, respectively. Zeta potential values of NCS varied from −4.37 ± 0.16 mV to 33.3 ± 6 mV, thus both chitosomes (CS and MCCS were positively charged. Microstructure analysis by scanning electron microscope (SEM revealed relatively higher size of MCCS with smooth and round morphology. TGA and DSC based experiments revealed that MCCS were thermally more stable than uncoated liposomes. Encapsulation efficiency of nisin in MCCS was observed to be 82.9 ± 4.1%, which was significantly higher than NL (56.5 ± 2.5%. FTIR analyses confirmed the cross-linking between sodium alginate and chitosan layer. Both qualitative (growth kinetics and quantitative (colony forming unit antimicrobial assays revealed that nisin loaded MCCS have superior potential to control resistant foodborne pathogens including Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, and Enterococcus faecalis, (5.8, 5.4, and 6.1 Log CFUmL−1 reduction, respectively as compared to free nisin, loaded NL or CS. Controlled release kinetics data fitted with Korsmeyer–Peppas model suggested that nisin release from MCCS followed Fickian diffusion. Cytotoxic studies on human blood cells and HepG2 cell lines revealed hemocompatibility and non-toxicity of MCCS. Thus, due to enhanced controlled release, stability and biocompatibility; these multi-component colloidosomes can be useful for

Benthic Uptake Rate due to Hyporheic Exchange: The Effects of Streambed Morphology for Constant and Sinusoidally Varying Nutrient Loads

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniele Tonina

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Hyporheic exchange carries reactive solutes, which may include biological oxygen demand (BOD, dissolved oxygen (DO and reactive dissolved inorganic nitrogen (Nr, into the sediment, where biochemical reactions consume DO. Here, we study the impact of streambed morphology, stream-reactive solute loads and their diel oscillations on the DO benthic uptake rate (BUR due to hyporheic processes. Our model solves the hyporheic flow field and the solute transport equations analytically, within a Lagrangian framework, considering advection, longitudinal diffusion and reactions modeled as first order kinetics. The application of the model to DO field measurements over a gravel bar-pool sequence shows a good match with measured DO concentrations with an overall agreement of 58% and a kappa index of 0.46. We apply the model to investigate the effects of daily constant and sinusoidally time varying stream BOD, DO and Nr loads and of the morphodynamic parameters on BUR. Our modeling results show that BUR varies as a function of bedform size and of nutrient loads and that the hyporheic zone may consume up to 0.06% of the stream DO at the pool-riffle bedform scale. Daily oscillations of stream BOD and DO loads have small effects on BUR, but may have an important influence on local hyporheic processes and organisms’ distribution.

Triterpene-loaded microemulsion using Coix lacryma-jobi seed extract as oil phase for enhanced antitumor efficacy: preparation and in vivo evaluation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qu D

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Ding Qu, Junjie He, Congyan Liu, Jing Zhou, Yan ChenKey Laboratory of New Drug Delivery System of Chinese Materia Medica, Jiangsu Provincial Academy of Chinese Medicine, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of ChinaAbstract: Ganoderma lucidum triterpene-loaded microemulsions (TMEs using Coix lacryma-jobi (adlay seed oil as oil phase were prepared, characterized, and evaluated for enhanced antitumor activity. Ternary phase diagrams for the TMEs were constructed and the optimal preparation was developed. Transmission electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering showed that this formulation had a well defined spherical shape, a homogeneous distribution, a small size, and a narrow polydispersity index. The drug-loading rate was determined to be 9.87% by ultraviolet spectrophotometry, and acceptable stability under various stimulations in vitro was confirmed. Importantly, the TME formulation showed a significantly greater antiproliferative effect towards human lung carcinoma (A549 cells and murine lung tumor (Lewis cells in comparison with suspension formulations containing triterpene and adlay seed oil as a positive control. The half-maximal inhibitory concentration of the TMEs was about 0.62 mg crude drug per mL, being 2.5-fold improved relative to that of the corresponding suspension formulation, but no significant cytotoxicity was observed for the bare microemulsion in A549 cells and Lewis cells. In vivo, the TME formulation showed markedly enhanced antitumor efficacy in a xenograft model of Lewis lung cancer after intragastric administration. Compared with cyclophosphamide, the TME formulation showed similar antitumor activity but less general toxicity. These results indicate the feasibility of using a microemulsion to increase the solubility of triterpene and adlay. TMEs hold promise as an efficient drug delivery system for the treatment of lung cancer.Keywords: microemulsion, Ganoderma lucidum, triterpene, adlay seed oil, lung cancer

An instrumented implant for vertebral body replacement that measures loads in the anterior spinal column.

Science.gov (United States)

Rohlmann, Antonius; Gabel, Udo; Graichen, Friedmar; Bender, Alwina; Bergmann, Georg

2007-06-01

Realistic loads on a spinal implant are required among others for optimization of implant design and preclinical testing. In addition, such data may help to choose the optimal physiotherapy program for patients with such an implant and to evaluate the efficacy of aids like braces or crutches. Presently, no implant is available that can measure loads in the anterior spinal column during activities of daily life. Therefore, an implant instrumented for in vivo load measurement was developed for vertebral body replacement. The aim of this paper is to describe in detail a telemeterized implant that measures forces and moments acting on it. Six load sensors, a nine-channel telemetry unit and a coil for inductive power supply of the electronic circuits were integrated into a modified vertebral body replacement (Synex). The instrumented part of the implant is hermetically sealed. Patients are videotaped during measurements, and implant loads are displayed on and off line. The average accuracy of load measurement is better than 2% for force and 5% for moment components with reference to the maximum value of 3000 N and 20 Nm, respectively. The measuring implant described here will provide additional information on spinal loads.

Controlling Buffeting Loads by Rudder and Piezo-Actuation

Science.gov (United States)

Moses, Robert W.; Pototzky, Anthony S.; Henderson, Douglas A.; Galea, Stephen C.; Manokaran, Donald S.; Zimcik, David G.; Wickramasinghe, Viresh; Pitt, Dale M.; Gamble, Michael A.

2005-01-01

High performance aircraft, especially those with twin vertical tails, encounter unsteady buffet loads when flying at high angles of attack. These stochastic loads result in significant stresses, which may cause fatigue damage leading to restricted capabilities and availability of the aircraft. An international collaborative research activity among Australia, Canada and the United States, conducted under the auspices of The Technical Cooperation Program (TTCP) contributed resources toward a program that coalesced a broad range of technical knowledge and expertise into a single investigation to demonstrate the enhanced performance and capability of the advanced active Buffet Load Alleviation ( ) control system in preparation for a flight test demonstration. The research team investigated the use of active structural control to alleviate the damaging structural response to these loads by applying advanced directional piezoelectric actuators, the aircraft rudder, switch mode amplifiers, and advanced control strategies on an F/A-18 aircraft empennage. Some results of the full-scale investigation are presented herein.

A Daily Diary Approach to the Examination of Chronic Stress, Daily Hassles and Safety Perceptions in Hospital Nursing.

Science.gov (United States)

Louch, Gemma; O'Hara, Jane; Gardner, Peter; O'Connor, Daryl B

2017-12-01

Stress is a significant concern for individuals and organisations. Few studies have explored stress, burnout and patient safety in hospital nursing on a daily basis at the individual level. This study aimed to examine the effects of chronic stress and daily hassles on safety perceptions, the effect of chronic stress on daily hassles experienced and chronic stress as a potential moderator. Utilising a daily diary design, 83 UK hospital nurses completed three end-of-shift diaries, yielding 324 person days. Hassles, safety perceptions and workplace cognitive failure were measured daily, and a baseline questionnaire included a measure of chronic stress. Hierarchical multivariate linear modelling was used to analyse the data. Higher chronic stress was associated with more daily hassles, poorer perceptions of safety and being less able to practise safely, but not more workplace cognitive failure. Reporting more daily hassles was associated with poorer perceptions of safety, being less able to practise safely and more workplace cognitive failure. Chronic stress did not moderate daily associations. The hassles reported illustrate the wide-ranging hassles nurses experienced. The findings demonstrate, in addition to chronic stress, the importance of daily hassles for nurses' perceptions of safety and the hassles experienced by hospital nurses on a daily basis. Nurses perceive chronic stress and daily hassles to contribute to their perceptions of safety. Measuring the number of daily hassles experienced could proactively highlight when patient safety threats may arise, and as a result, interventions could usefully focus on the management of daily hassles.

Stability Enhancement Based on Virtual Impedance for DC Microgrids with Constant Power Loads

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lu, Xiaonan; Sun, Kai; Guerrero, Josep M.

2015-01-01

In this paper, a converter-based DC microgrid is studied. By considering the impact of each component in DC microgrids on system stability, a multi-stage configuration is employed, which includes the source stage, interface converter stage between buses and common load stage. In order to study th....... It can be seen that by using the proposed stabilizers, the unstable poles induced by the CPLs are forced to move into the stable region. The proposed method is verified by the MATLAB/Simulink model of multi-stage DC microgrids with three distributed power generation units.......In this paper, a converter-based DC microgrid is studied. By considering the impact of each component in DC microgrids on system stability, a multi-stage configuration is employed, which includes the source stage, interface converter stage between buses and common load stage. In order to study...... the overall stability of the above DC microgrid with constant power loads (CPLs), a comprehensive small-signal model is derived by analyzing the interface converters in each stage. The instability issue induced by the CPLs is revealed by using the criteria of impedance matching. Meanwhile, virtual...

Poroelastic behaviour of the degenerating human intervertebral disc: a ten-day study in a loaded disc culture system

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Emanuel, K. S.; Vergroesen, P.-P. A.; Peeters, M.; Holewijn, R. M.; Kingma, I.; Smit, T. H.

2015-01-01

The intervertebral disc (IVD) allows flexibility to the vertebral column, and transfers the predominant axial loads during daily activities. Its axial biomechanical behaviour is poroelastic, due to the water-binding and releasing capacity of the nucleus pulposus. Degeneration of the intervertebral

Efficacy of the biomaterials 3 wt%-nanostrontium-hydroxyapatite-enhanced calcium phosphate cement (nanoSr-CPC) and nanoSr-CPC-incorporated simvastatin-loaded poly(lactic-co-glycolic-acid) microspheres in osteogenesis improvement: An explorative multi-phase experimental in vitro/vivo study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Masaeli, Reza; Jafarzadeh Kashi, Tahereh Sadat; Dinarvand, Rassoul; Rakhshan, Vahid; Shahoon, Hossein; Hooshmand, Behzad; Mashhadi Abbas, Fatemeh; Raz, Majid; Rajabnejad, Alireza; Eslami, Hossein; Khoshroo, Kimia

2016-01-01

Aims: The purpose of this multi-phase explorative in vivo animal/surgical and in vitro multi-test experimental study was to (1) create a 3 wt%-nanostrontium hydroxyapatite-enhanced calcium phosphate cement (Sr-HA/CPC) for increasing bone formation and (2) creating a simvastatin-loaded poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (SIM-loaded PLGA) microspheres plus CPC composite (SIM-loaded PLGA + nanostrontium-CPC). The third goal was the extensive assessment of multiple in vitro and in vivo characteristics of the above experimental explorative products in vitro and in vivo (animal and surgical studies). Methods and results pertaining to Sr-HA/CPC: Physical and chemical properties of the prepared Sr-HA/CPC were evaluated. MTT assay and alkaline phosphatase activities, and radiological and histological examinations of Sr-HA/CPC, CPC and negative control were compared. X-ray diffraction (XRD) indicated that crystallinity of the prepared cement increased by increasing the powder-to-liquid ratio. Incorporation of Sr-HA into CPC increased MTT assay (biocompatibility) and ALP activity (P < 0.05). Histomorphometry showed greater bone formation after 4 weeks, after implantation of Sr-HA/CPC in 10 rats compared to implantations of CPC or empty defects in the same rats (n = 30, ANOVA P < 0.05). Methods and results pertaining to SIM-loaded PLGA microspheres + nanostrontium-CPC composite: After SEM assessment, the produced composite of microspheres and enhanced CPC were implanted for 8 weeks in 10 rabbits, along with positive and negative controls, enhanced CPC, and enhanced CPC plus SIM (n = 50). In the control group, only a small amount of bone had been regenerated (localized at the boundary of the defect); whereas, other groups showed new bone formation within and around the materials. A significant difference was found in the osteogenesis induced by the groups sham control (16.96 ± 1.01), bone materials (32.28 ± 4.03), nanostrontium-CPC (24.84 ± 2.6), nanostrontium-CPC-simvastatin (40

Efficacy of the biomaterials 3 wt%-nanostrontium-hydroxyapatite-enhanced calcium phosphate cement (nanoSr-CPC) and nanoSr-CPC-incorporated simvastatin-loaded poly(lactic-co-glycolic-acid) microspheres in osteogenesis improvement: An explorative multi-phase experimental in vitro/vivo study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Masaeli, Reza [Dental Biomaterials Department, School of Dentistry, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Jafarzadeh Kashi, Tahereh Sadat, E-mail: jafarzat@sina.tums.ac.ir [Dental Biomaterials Department, School of Dentistry, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Iranian Tissue Bank and Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Dinarvand, Rassoul [Department of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Rakhshan, Vahid [Iranian Tissue Bank and Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Shahoon, Hossein [Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, School of Dentistry, Shahed University, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Hooshmand, Behzad [Department of Periodontology, School of Dentistry, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Mashhadi Abbas, Fatemeh [Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, School of Dentistry, Shahid Beheshti Medical Science University, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Raz, Majid; Rajabnejad, Alireza; Eslami, Hossein [Biomaterials Group, Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Amirkabir University of Technology, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Khoshroo, Kimia [Dental Biomaterials Department, School of Dentistry, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Department of Developmental Sciences, School of Dentistry, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI (United States); and others

2016-12-01

Aims: The purpose of this multi-phase explorative in vivo animal/surgical and in vitro multi-test experimental study was to (1) create a 3 wt%-nanostrontium hydroxyapatite-enhanced calcium phosphate cement (Sr-HA/CPC) for increasing bone formation and (2) creating a simvastatin-loaded poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (SIM-loaded PLGA) microspheres plus CPC composite (SIM-loaded PLGA + nanostrontium-CPC). The third goal was the extensive assessment of multiple in vitro and in vivo characteristics of the above experimental explorative products in vitro and in vivo (animal and surgical studies). Methods and results pertaining to Sr-HA/CPC: Physical and chemical properties of the prepared Sr-HA/CPC were evaluated. MTT assay and alkaline phosphatase activities, and radiological and histological examinations of Sr-HA/CPC, CPC and negative control were compared. X-ray diffraction (XRD) indicated that crystallinity of the prepared cement increased by increasing the powder-to-liquid ratio. Incorporation of Sr-HA into CPC increased MTT assay (biocompatibility) and ALP activity (P < 0.05). Histomorphometry showed greater bone formation after 4 weeks, after implantation of Sr-HA/CPC in 10 rats compared to implantations of CPC or empty defects in the same rats (n = 30, ANOVA P < 0.05). Methods and results pertaining to SIM-loaded PLGA microspheres + nanostrontium-CPC composite: After SEM assessment, the produced composite of microspheres and enhanced CPC were implanted for 8 weeks in 10 rabbits, along with positive and negative controls, enhanced CPC, and enhanced CPC plus SIM (n = 50). In the control group, only a small amount of bone had been regenerated (localized at the boundary of the defect); whereas, other groups showed new bone formation within and around the materials. A significant difference was found in the osteogenesis induced by the groups sham control (16.96 ± 1.01), bone materials (32.28 ± 4.03), nanostrontium-CPC (24.84 ± 2.6), nanostrontium-CPC-simvastatin (40

Characterization of Celecoxib-Loaded Solid Lipid Nanoparticles ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

system with several advantages, including enhanced physical stability, dual loading ability for lipophilic and .... where kp is the release rate constant at the elapsed time t, n is a constant, where the value of n ≤ 0.45 indicates .... CXB and the hydrocarbon chain of the esterified fatty acids in the lipids. Upon emulsification CXB.

Effects of cognitive load on neural and behavioral responses to smoking-cue distractors.

Science.gov (United States)

MacLean, R Ross; Nichols, Travis T; LeBreton, James M; Wilson, Stephen J

2016-08-01

Smoking cessation failures are frequently thought to reflect poor top-down regulatory control over behavior. Previous studies have suggested that smoking cues occupy limited working memory resources, an effect that may contribute to difficulty achieving abstinence. Few studies have evaluated the effects of cognitive load on the ability to actively maintain information in the face of distracting smoking cues. For the present study, we adapted an fMRI probed recall task under low and high cognitive load with three distractor conditions: control, neutral images, or smoking-related images. Consistent with a limited-resource model of cue reactivity, we predicted that the performance of daily smokers (n = 17) would be most impaired when high load was paired with smoking distractors. The results demonstrated a main effect of load, with decreased accuracy under high, as compared to low, cognitive load. Surprisingly, an interaction revealed that the effect of load was weakest in the smoking cue distractor condition. Along with this behavioral effect, we observed significantly greater activation of the right inferior frontal gyrus (rIFG) in the low-load condition than in the high-load condition for trials containing smoking cue distractors. Furthermore, load-related changes in rIFG activation partially mediated the effects of load on task accuracy in the smoking-cue distractor condition. These findings are discussed in the context of prevailing cognitive and cue reactivity theories. These results suggest that high cognitive load does not necessarily make smokers more susceptible to interference from smoking-related stimuli, and that elevated load may even have a buffering effect in the presence of smoking cues under certain conditions.

Daily self-sampling for high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) testing.

Science.gov (United States)

Sanner, Karin; Wikström, Ingrid; Gustavsson, Inger; Wilander, Erik; Lindberg, Julia Hedlund; Gyllensten, Ulf; Olovsson, Matts

2015-12-01

Self-sampling for HPV as part of primary screening is a well-tolerated method for women not attending organized Pap smear screening and could increase coverage of cervical cancer screening. To investigate if the prevalence of HR-HPV varies from day to day in infected women and if one single sample is reliable for detecting an ongoing infection. This is a prospective cohort study on 12 premenopausal and 13 postmenopausal women performing daily self-sampling for HR-HPV testing. They were all HR-HPV-positive 1-3 months ago. Postmenopausal women were sampled for 28 days and premenopausal women sampled during bleeding-free days in one menstrual cycle. A possible difference in viral load between the estrogen-dominated proliferative phase and the progesterone-dominated secretory phase was analyzed. Consistent results throughout the sampling period were observed for 19 women, with either a daily presence of HPV (14 women) or no HPV at all during the sampling period (5 women). Of 607 samples from 25 women, 596 were consistently positive or negative for HPV during the sampling period and 11 were inconsistent (2%). There was no difference in HPV copy number between the estrogen dominated proliferative or progesterone dominated secretory menstrual cycle phases. The major finding was a high degree of consistency concerning HR-HPV positivity and negativity of HR-HPV in vaginal fluid during a sustained period of daily self-sampling. It does not appear to matter whether the sample is collected in the proliferative or secretory phase. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The daily commute from work to home: examining employees' experiences in relation to their recovery status.

Science.gov (United States)

van Hooff, Madelon L M

2015-04-01

Sufficient recovery after daily effort expenditure at work is important to protect employee health and well-being. However, the role of commuting in the daily effort-recovery process is still not very well understood. The present study aimed to advance insight in this respect by examining if relaxation, detachment, mastery and stressful delays experienced during the commute from work to home affect employees' recovery status after returning home from work and at the end of the evening. Daily job demands were expected to moderate these effects. Serenity and (low) anxiety were included as indicators of employees' recovery status. Data were collected by means of a 5-day daily diary study (three measurements daily) among 76 participants from various industries. Multilevel analyses showed that relaxation was positively and stressful delays were negatively related to employees' recovery status after returning home from work but not to indicators of recovery at the end of the evening. For detachment, similar relations were found but only on days with high job demands. Mastery was not related to employees' recovery status. These findings enhance our insight in the daily effort-recovery cycle and underline the importance of promoting detachment (on demanding workdays) and relaxation on the way home from work. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Smiling Instead of Smoking: Development of a Positive Psychology Smoking Cessation Smartphone App for Non-daily Smokers.

Science.gov (United States)

Hoeppner, Bettina B; Hoeppner, Susanne S; Kelly, Lourah; Schick, Melissa; Kelly, John F

2017-10-01

The usefulness of mobile technology in supporting smoking cessation has been demonstrated, but little is known about how smartphone apps could best be leveraged. The purpose of this paper is to describe the program of research that led to the creation of a smoking cessation app for non-daily smokers, so as to stimulate further ideas to create "smart" smartphone apps to support health behavior change. Literature reviews to evaluate the appropriateness of the proposed app, content analyses of existing apps, and smoking cessation sessions with non-daily smokers (n = 38) to inform the design of the app. The literature reviews showed that (1) smoking cessation apps are sought after by smokers, (2) positive affect plays an important role in smoking cessation, (3) short, self-administered exercises consistently bring about enduring positive affect enhancements, and (4) low treatment-seeking rates of non-daily smokers despite high motivation to quit indicate a need for novel smoking cessation support. Directed content analyses of existing apps indicated that tailoring, two-way interactions, and proactive features are under-utilized in existing apps, despite the popularity of such features. Conventional content analyses of audio-recorded session tapes suggested that difficulty in quitting was generally linked to specific, readily identifiable occasions, and that social support was considered important but not consistently sought out. The "Smiling Instead of Smoking" (SIS) app is an Android app that is designed to act as a behavioral, in-the-pocket coach to enhance quitting success in non-daily smokers. It provides proactive, tailored behavioral coaching, interactive tools (e.g., enlisting social support), daily positive psychology exercises, and smoking self-monitoring.

Depression Among Non-Daily Smokers Compared to Daily Smokers and Never-Smokers in the United States: An Emerging Problem.

Science.gov (United States)

Weinberger, Andrea H; Gbedemah, Misato; Wall, Melanie M; Hasin, Deborah S; Zvolensky, Michael J; Chaiton, Michael; Goodwin, Renee D

2017-09-01

Depression is strongly associated with daily smoking. Yet, little is known about the association between depression and non-daily smoking. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of past-year depression and changes in past-year depression over time among non-daily smokers, compared to daily smokers and never-smokers, overall and stratified by age, gender, income, nicotine dependence, and cigarettes per day. Data were drawn from the National Household Survey on Drug Use (NSDUH), an annual cross-sectional study of persons aged 12 and over (total study population N = 496 805). The prevalence of past-year depression was examined annually among non-daily smokers, daily smokers, and never-smokers from 2005 to 2013 using linear trend analyses. Past-year depression was common among 10.10% of non-daily smokers, common among 10.78% of daily smokers, and 5.51% of never-smokers in 2013. The prevalence of depression increased from 2005 to 2013 among non-daily smokers (9.06% vs. 10.10%; p = .034) while there was no significant change in depression over time among daily smokers. Increases in depression among non-daily smokers occurred for both men and women and appear most pronounced youth, those smoking fewer cigarettes, and those without nicotine dependence. The prevalence of depression among non-daily smokers was equivalent to daily smokers and nearly twice that among nonsmokers. Depression appears to be increasing over time in non-daily smokers especially among youth, those who smoke less, and those without nicotine dependence. More work on the mental health of non-daily smokers is needed as this is an increasing and understudied group. This is the first study to investigate changes in the prevalence of depression among non-daily smokers compared to daily smokers and never-smokers over the past decade in a nationally representative sample of the United States. The results suggest an increase in depression among non-daily smokers over time that did not

DailyMed

Data.gov (United States)

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — DailyMed provides high quality information about marketed drugs. This information includes FDA labels (package inserts). This Web site provides health information...

Essential oil-loaded lipid nanoparticles for wound healing.

Science.gov (United States)

Saporito, Francesca; Sandri, Giuseppina; Bonferoni, Maria Cristina; Rossi, Silvia; Boselli, Cinzia; Icaro Cornaglia, Antonia; Mannucci, Barbara; Grisoli, Pietro; Vigani, Barbara; Ferrari, Franca

2018-01-01

Chronic wounds and severe burns are diseases responsible for severe morbidity and even death. Wound repair is a crucial process and tissue regeneration enhancement and infection prevention are key factors to minimize pain, discomfort, and scar formation. The aim of this work was the development of lipid nanoparticles (solid lipid nanoparticles and nanostructured lipid carriers [NLC]), to be loaded with eucalyptus or rosemary essential oils and to be used, as medical devices, to enhance healing of skin wounds. Lipid nanoparticles were based on natural lipids: cocoa butter, as solid lipid, and olive oil or sesame oil, as liquid lipids. Lecithin was chosen as surfactant to stabilize nanoparticles and to prevent their aggregation. The systems were prepared by high shear homogenization followed by ultrasound application. Nanoparticles were characterized for physical-chemical properties, bioadhesion, cytocompatibility, in vitro proliferation enhancement, and wound healing properties toward normal human dermal fibroblasts. Antimicrobial activity of nanoparticles was evaluated against two reference microbial strains, one of Staphylococcus aureus , the other of Streptococcus pyogenes . Finally, the capability of nanoparticles to promote wound healing in vivo was evaluated on a rat burn model. NLC based on olive oil and loaded with eucalyptus oil showed appropriate physical-chemical properties, good bioadhesion, cytocompatibility, in vitro proliferation enhancement, and wound healing properties toward fibroblasts, associated to antimicrobial properties. Moreover, the in vivo results evidenced the capability of these NLC to enhance the healing process. Olive oil, which is characterized by a high content of oleic acid, proved to exert a synergic effect with eucalyptus oil with respect to antimicrobial activity and wound repair promotion.

A model for hedging load and price risk in the Texas electricity market

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Coulon, Michael; Powell, Warren B.; Sircar, Ronnie

2013-01-01

Energy companies with commitments to meet customers' daily electricity demands face the problem of hedging load and price risk. We propose a joint model for load and price dynamics, which is motivated by the goal of facilitating optimal hedging decisions, while also intuitively capturing the key features of the electricity market. Driven by three stochastic factors including the load process, our power price model allows for the calculation of closed-form pricing formulas for forwards and some options, products often used for hedging purposes. Making use of these results, we illustrate in a simple example the hedging benefit of these instruments, while also evaluating the performance of the model when fitted to the Texas electricity market. - Highlights: • We present a structural model for electricity spot prices in the ERCOT market. • Relationships between power price and factors such as load and gas price are studied. • Seasonal patterns and load-dependent spikes are shown to be well captured. • Closed-form results for prices of forwards, options and spread options are derived. • We demonstrate the effectiveness of hedging power demand with forwards and options

Lycopene loaded whey protein isolate nanoparticles: An innovative endeavor for enhanced bioavailability of lycopene and anti-cancer activity.

Science.gov (United States)

Jain, Ashay; Sharma, Gajanand; Ghoshal, Gargi; Kesharwani, Prashant; Singh, Bhupinder; Shivhare, U S; Katare, O P

2018-04-28

The work entails a novel strategy of formulating the lycopene loaded whey protein isolate nanoparticles (LYC-WPI-NPs) solely using the rational blend of biomacromolecule without using equipment-intensive techniques. The LYC-WPI-NPs were fabricated as a substantial drug delivery platform, with maximum entrapment, spatial and controlled release manners, exceptional plasma concentration, and perspective for discrepancy delivery of therapeutics. Prepared nano-formulations were measured in ultra-fine size (100-350 nm) with sphere-shaped. The percent lycopene entrapment of prepared LYC-WPI-NPs was estimated in the range to 50 and 65%. In vitro percent cumulative release study demonstrated deaden and extended release i.e. approximately 75% following 16 th h. The in vitro percent cell survival (cytotoxicity study) of prepared nanoparticles was evaluated against MCF-7 breast cancer cells by MTT based colorimetric assay. Sub-cellular localization of lycopene when delivered by LYC-WPI-NPs was assessed by HPLC (high performance liquid chromatography). The WPI-NPs enhance the oral bioavailability of lycopene by controlling its release from nano-formulation and facilitating its absorption through lymphatic pathways. Prophylactic anticancer efficacy of LYC-WPI-NPs was evaluated thereafter on experimentally induced breast cancer animal model. Conclusively, it may quite reasonable that lycopene loaded protein nanoparticles are competent to improve the biopharmaceutical attributes of lycopene and demonstrated prophylactic anticancer activity, decrease tumor proliferation and increase the survival rate of treated animals, thus signifying their feasible usefulness in cancer therapeutic and intervention. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Impact of Paint Color on Rest Period Climate Control Loads in Long-Haul Trucks: Preprint

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lustbader, J.; Kreutzer, C.; Jeffers, M.; Adelman, S.; Yeakel, S.; Brontz, P.; Olson, K.; Ohlinger, J.

2014-02-01

Cab climate conditioning is one of the primary reasons for operating the main engine in a long-haul truck during driver rest periods. In the United States, sleeper cab trucks use approximately 667 million gallons of fuel annually for rest period idling. The U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory's (NREL) CoolCab Project works closely with industry to design efficient thermal management systems for long-haul trucks that minimize engine idling and fuel use while maintaining occupant comfort. Heat transfer to the vehicle interior from opaque exterior surfaces is one of the major heat pathways that contribute to air conditioning loads during long-haul truck daytime rest period idling. To quantify the impact of paint color and the opportunity for advanced paints, NREL collaborated with Volvo Group North America, PPG Industries, and Dometic Environmental Corporation. Initial screening simulations using CoolCalc, NREL's rapid HVAC load estimation tool, showed promising air-conditioning load reductions due to paint color selection. Tests conducted at NREL's Vehicle Testing and Integration Facility using long-haul truck cab sections, 'test bucks,' showed a 31.1% of maximum possible reduction in rise over ambient temperature and a 20.8% reduction in daily electric air conditioning energy use by switching from black to white paint. Additionally, changing from blue to an advanced color-matched solar reflective blue paint resulted in a 7.3% reduction in daily electric air conditioning energy use for weather conditions tested in Colorado. National-level modeling results using weather data from major U.S. cities indicated that the increase in heating loads due to lighter paint colors is much smaller than the reduction in cooling loads.

Hip and knee joint loading during vertical jumping and push jerking.

Science.gov (United States)

Cleather, Daniel J; Goodwin, Jon E; Bull, Anthony M J

2013-01-01

The internal joint contact forces experienced at the lower limb have been frequently studied in activities of daily living and rehabilitation activities. In contrast, the forces experienced during more dynamic activities are not well understood, and those studies that do exist suggest very high degrees of joint loading. In this study a biomechanical model of the right lower limb was used to calculate the internal joint forces experienced by the lower limb during vertical jumping, landing and push jerking (an explosive exercise derived from the sport of Olympic weightlifting), with a particular emphasis on the forces experienced by the knee. The knee experienced mean peak loadings of 2.4-4.6×body weight at the patellofemoral joint, 6.9-9.0×body weight at the tibiofemoral joint, 0.3-1.4×body weight anterior tibial shear and 1.0-3.1×body weight posterior tibial shear. The hip experienced a mean peak loading of 5.5-8.4×body weight and the ankle 8.9-10.0×body weight. The magnitudes of the total (resultant) joint contact forces at the patellofemoral joint, tibiofemoral joint and hip are greater than those reported in activities of daily living and less dynamic rehabilitation exercises. The information in this study is of importance for medical professionals, coaches and biomedical researchers in improving the understanding of acute and chronic injuries, understanding the performance of prosthetic implants and materials, evaluating the appropriateness of jumping and weightlifting for patient populations and informing the training programmes of healthy populations. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Experimental creep behaviour determination of cladding tube materials under multi-axial loadings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grosjean, Catherine; Poquillon, Dominique; Salabura, Jean-Claude; Cloue, Jean-Marc

2009-01-01

Cladding tubes are structural parts of nuclear plants, submitted to complex thermomechanical loadings. Thus, it is necessary to know and predict their behaviour to preserve their integrity and to enhance their lifetime. Therefore, a new experimental device has been developed to control the load path under multi-axial load conditions. The apparatus is designed to determine the thermomechanical behaviour of zirconium alloys used for cladding tubes. First results are presented. Creep tests with different biaxial loadings were performed. Results are analysed in terms of thermal expansion and of creep strain. The anisotropy of the material is revealed and iso-creep strain curves are given.

Characteristic study of high-T{sub c} superconducting maglev under side-loading

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang Wei [Applied Superconductivity Laboratory, M/S 152, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610031 (China)], E-mail: frank.weiwang@gmail.com; Wang Jiasu [Applied Superconductivity Laboratory, M/S 152, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610031 (China)], E-mail: asclab@asclab.cn; Liu Wei; Zheng Jun; Lin Qunxu; Pan Siting; Deng Zigang; Ma Guangtong; Wang Suyu [Applied Superconductivity Laboratory, M/S 152, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610031 (China)

2009-02-15

In practical application of High-T{sub c} Superconducting (HTS) maglev, slant is an observable defect. It was caused by constantly one side on and off the vehicle by passengers. So far, this phenomenon has not been reported yet. In order to understand its influence on the stability of the HTS maglev, we experimentally studied the dynamic characteristic and slant effect of HTS maglev under center-load and side-load. It was found that load destabilizes the vehicle, and the side-load can obviously slant the vehicle body. In the end, the pre-load method was proposed to enhance the dynamic stability and suppress the slant, which proved to be considerably effective. These results are critical in practical running of HTS maglev.

ELBE - Analysis and appraisal of loading and weather data (project phase 2); ELBE - Analyse und Auswertung von Last- und Wetterdaten (Projektphase 2)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kronig, P.; Waelchli, U.; Zuercher, S. [BKW FMB Energie AG, Bern (Switzerland); Hoeckel, M. [Berner Fachhochschule, Biel (Switzerland)

2009-10-15

In the project 'Prognosekompetenz' we have identified and quantified by means of a comprehensive analysis of grid and climate data the factors which have a significant impact on the grid load. The study focused in the beginning on the regional data from a big electricity utility. In a second step, additional local data were also considered to better identify climatic and economic characteristics. We found a strong correlation between load, on the one hand, and outdoor temperature and economic activity, on the other hand. The influence of further factors is very limited. On this basis we developed two Matlab-based, easy-to-use tools for the prediction of the daily grid load profile in quarter-of-hour steps. One tool uses the method of the transfer function, where specific correlation factors account for the influential factors. The second tool based on the method of the artificial neuronal network, which had been tuned with data from several years to make sure that a high accuracy is obtained. We could show by self developed testing procedures that for both tools the precision in forecasting the daily load profile is very high. (authors)

A Study on Load Following Operation Strategy to Minimize Boric-acid Adjustment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoo, Jae Woon

1997-02-01

Applicability of the MSHIM control strategy, which has been developed by Westinghouse and characterized by elimination of the adjustment to the boron concentration during load maneuvering, to 1300MWe KNGR Cycle-1 is examined by simulation based on one-dimensional transient analyses code, ONED94, under the conditions of relatively large xenon worth and high amplitude of xenon oscillation. CASMO-3/MASTER code system is used to generate the ONED94 model. A processing code, which is referred to as MAS2ONED, is also developed to transform the MASTER calculation results to ONED94 cross section library. The three types of power maneuvering, daily maneuvering, extended weekend load follow, and spinning reserve capacity are simulated to evaluate the capability of the selected load follow technology, by using ONED94 code. By showing that the calculated total peaking factor is maintained below safety limit, it is proved that load follow operation without boron adjustment is feasible with simple control rod motion only. It is expected that the results of this study, such as control rod parameters could give a contribution to the development of load following technology in our country. The developed process code could be utilized in the another simulation of power maneuver in the future

Enhanced Reliability of Photovoltaic Systems with Energy Storage and Controls

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Manz, D.; Schelenz, O.; Chandra, R.; Bose, S.; de Rooij, M.; Bebic, J.

2008-02-01

This report summarizes efforts to reconfigure loads during outages to allow individual customers the opportunity to enhance the reliability of their electric service through the management of their loads, photovoltaics, and energy storage devices.

Combined impact of transient heat loads and steady-state plasma exposure on tungsten

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Huber, Alexander, E-mail: A.Huber@fz-juelich.de [Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Institut für Energie- und Klimaforschung, 52425 Jülich (Germany); Wirtz, Marius; Sergienko, Gennady; Steudel, Isabel [Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Institut für Energie- und Klimaforschung, 52425 Jülich (Germany); Arakcheev, Aleksey; Burdakov, Aleksander [Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics (BINP), Novosibirsk 630090 (Russian Federation); Esser, Hans Guenter; Freisinger, Michaele; Kreter, Arkadi; Linke, Jochen; Linsmeier, Christian; Mertens, Philippe; Möller, Sören; Philipps, Volker; Pintsuk, Gerald; Reinhart, Michael; Schweer, Bernd [Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Institut für Energie- und Klimaforschung, 52425 Jülich (Germany); Shoshin, Andrey [Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics (BINP), Novosibirsk 630090 (Russian Federation); Terra, Alexis; Unterberg, Bernhard [Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Institut für Energie- und Klimaforschung, 52425 Jülich (Germany)

2015-10-15

Highlights: • W-samples under combined loading conditions show a lower damage threshold. • The pre-loaded W-samples show a lower damage threshold due to the D- embrittlement. • Pronounced increase of the D retention has been observed during the combined loads. • Enhanced blister formation has been observed under combined loading conditions. - Abstract: Cracking thresholds and crack patterns in tungsten targets have been studied in recent experiments after repetitive ITER-like ELM heat pulses in combination with plasma exposure in PSI-2 (Γ{sub target} = 2.5–4.0 × 10{sup 21} m{sup −2} s{sup −1}, ion energy on surface E{sub ion} = 60 eV, T{sub e} ≈ 10 eV). The heat pulses were simulated by laser irradiation. A Nd:YAG laser with energy per pulse of up to 32 J and a duration of 1 ms at the fundamental wavelength (λ = 1064 nm, repetition rate 0.5 Hz) was used to irradiate ITER-grade W samples with repetitive heat loads. In contrast to pure thermal exposure with a laser beam where the damage threshold under pure heat loads for ITER-grade W lies between 0.38 and 0.76 GW/m{sup 2}, the experiments with pre-loaded W-samples as well as under combined loading conditions show a lower damage threshold of 0.3 GW/m{sup 2}. This is probably due to deuterium embrittlement and/or a higher defect concentration in a region close to the surface due to supersaturation with deuterium. A pronounced increase in the D retention (more than a factor of five) has been observed during the combined transient heat loads and plasma exposure. Enhanced blister formation has been observed under these combined loading conditions.

Combined impact of transient heat loads and steady-state plasma exposure on tungsten

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huber, Alexander; Wirtz, Marius; Sergienko, Gennady; Steudel, Isabel; Arakcheev, Aleksey; Burdakov, Aleksander; Esser, Hans Guenter; Freisinger, Michaele; Kreter, Arkadi; Linke, Jochen; Linsmeier, Christian; Mertens, Philippe; Möller, Sören; Philipps, Volker; Pintsuk, Gerald; Reinhart, Michael; Schweer, Bernd; Shoshin, Andrey; Terra, Alexis; Unterberg, Bernhard

2015-01-01

Highlights: • W-samples under combined loading conditions show a lower damage threshold. • The pre-loaded W-samples show a lower damage threshold due to the D- embrittlement. • Pronounced increase of the D retention has been observed during the combined loads. • Enhanced blister formation has been observed under combined loading conditions. - Abstract: Cracking thresholds and crack patterns in tungsten targets have been studied in recent experiments after repetitive ITER-like ELM heat pulses in combination with plasma exposure in PSI-2 (Γ_t_a_r_g_e_t = 2.5–4.0 × 10"2"1 m"−"2 s"−"1, ion energy on surface E_i_o_n = 60 eV, T_e ≈ 10 eV). The heat pulses were simulated by laser irradiation. A Nd:YAG laser with energy per pulse of up to 32 J and a duration of 1 ms at the fundamental wavelength (λ = 1064 nm, repetition rate 0.5 Hz) was used to irradiate ITER-grade W samples with repetitive heat loads. In contrast to pure thermal exposure with a laser beam where the damage threshold under pure heat loads for ITER-grade W lies between 0.38 and 0.76 GW/m"2, the experiments with pre-loaded W-samples as well as under combined loading conditions show a lower damage threshold of 0.3 GW/m"2. This is probably due to deuterium embrittlement and/or a higher defect concentration in a region close to the surface due to supersaturation with deuterium. A pronounced increase in the D retention (more than a factor of five) has been observed during the combined transient heat loads and plasma exposure. Enhanced blister formation has been observed under these combined loading conditions.

Lambda-Based Data Processing Architecture for Two-Level Load Forecasting in Residential Buildings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gde Dharma Nugraha

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Building energy management systems (BEMS have been intensively used to manage the electricity consumption of residential buildings more efficiently. However, the dynamic behavior of the occupants introduces uncertainty problems that affect the performance of the BEMS. To address this uncertainty problem, the BEMS may implement load forecasting as one of the BEMS modules. Load forecasting utilizes historical load data to compute model predictions for a specific time in the future. Recently, smart meters have been introduced to collect electricity consumption data. Smart meters not only capture aggregation data, but also individual data that is more frequently close to real-time. The processing of both smart meter data types for load forecasting can enhance the performance of the BEMS when confronted with uncertainty problems. The collection of smart meter data can be processed using a batch approach for short-term load forecasting, while the real-time smart meter data can be processed for very short-term load forecasting, which adjusts the short-term load forecasting to adapt to the dynamic behavior of the occupants. This approach requires different data processing techniques for aggregation and individual of smart meter data. In this paper, we propose Lambda-based data processing architecture to process the different types of smart meter data and implement the two-level load forecasting approach, which combines short-term and very short-term load forecasting techniques on top of our proposed data processing architecture. The proposed approach is expected to enhance the BEMS to address the uncertainty problem in order to process data in less time. Our experiment showed that the proposed approaches improved the accuracy by 7% compared to a typical BEMS with only one load forecasting technique, and had the lowest computation time when processing the smart meter data.

Improving the Quality of Online Discussion: The Effects of Strategies Designed Based on Cognitive Load Theory Principles

Science.gov (United States)

Darabi, Aubteen; Jin, Li

2013-01-01

This article focuses on heavy cognitive load as the reason for the lack of quality associated with conventional online discussion. Using the principles of cognitive load theory, four online discussion strategies were designed specifically aiming at reducing the discussants' cognitive load and thus enhancing the quality of their online discussion.…

Surface modification of protein enhances encapsulation in chitosan nanoparticles

Science.gov (United States)

Koyani, Rina D.; Andrade, Mariana; Quester, Katrin; Gaytán, Paul; Huerta-Saquero, Alejandro; Vazquez-Duhalt, Rafael

2018-04-01

Chitosan nanoparticles have a huge potential as nanocarriers for environmental and biomedical purposes. Protein encapsulation in nano-sized chitosan provides protection against inactivation, proteolysis, and other alterations due to environmental conditions, as well as the possibility to be targeted to specific tissues by ligand functionalization. In this work, we demonstrate that the chemical modification of the protein surface enhances the protein loading in chitosan nanocarriers. Encapsulation of green fluorescent protein and the cytochrome P450 was studied. The increase of electrostatic interactions between the free amino groups of chitosan and the increased number of free carboxylic groups in the protein surface enhance the protein loading, protein retention, and, thus, the enzymatic activity of chitosan nanoparticles. The chemical modification of protein surface with malonic acid moieties reduced drastically the protein isoelectric point increasing the protein interaction with the polycationic biomaterial and chitosan. The chemical modification of protein does not alter the morphology of chitosan nanoparticles that showed an average diameter of 18 nm, spheroidal in shape, and smooth surfaced. The strategy of chemical modification of protein surface, shown here, is a simple and efficient technique to enhance the protein loading in chitosan nanoparticles. This technique could be used for other nanoparticles based on polycationic or polyanionic materials. The increase of protein loading improves, doubtless, the performance of protein-loaded chitosan nanoparticles for biotechnological and biomedical applications.

Negative viscosity can enhance learning of inertial dynamics.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Felix C; Patton, James L; Mussa-Ivaldi, Ferdinando A

2009-06-01

We investigated how learning of inertial load manipulation is influenced by movement amplification with negative viscosity. Using a force-feedback device, subjects trained on anisotropic loads (5 orientations) with free movements in one of three conditions (inertia only, negative viscosity only, or combined), prior to common evaluation conditions (prescribed circular pattern with inertia only). Training with Combined-Load resulted in lower error (6.89±3.25%) compared to Inertia-Only (8.40±4.32%) and Viscosity-Only (8.17±4.13%) according to radial deviation analysis (% of trial mean radius). Combined-Load and Inertia-Only groups exhibited similar unexpected no-load trials (8.38±4.31% versus 8.91±4.70% of trial mean radius), which suggests comparable low-impedance strategies. These findings are remarkable since negative viscosity, only available during training, evidently enhanced learning when combined with inertia. Modeling analysis suggests that a feedforward after-effect of negative viscosity cannot predict such performance gains. Instead, results from Combined-Load training are consistent with greater feedforward inertia compensation along with a small increase in impedance control. The capability of the nervous system to generalize learning from negative viscosity suggests an intriguing new method for enhancing sensorimotor adaptation.

Real - time Optimization of Distributed Energy Storage System Operation Strategy Based on Peak Load Shifting

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Qian; Lu, Guangqi; Li, Xiaoyu; Zhang, Yichi; Yun, Zejian; Bian, Di

2018-01-01

To take advantage of the energy storage system (ESS) sufficiently, the factors that the service life of the distributed energy storage system (DESS) and the load should be considered when establishing optimization model. To reduce the complexity of the load shifting of DESS in the solution procedure, the loss coefficient and the equal capacity ratio distribution principle were adopted in this paper. Firstly, the model was established considering the constraint conditions of the cycles, depth, power of the charge-discharge of the ESS, the typical daily load curves, as well. Then, dynamic programming method was used to real-time solve the model in which the difference of power Δs, the real-time revised energy storage capacity Sk and the permission error of depth of charge-discharge were introduced to optimize the solution process. The simulation results show that the optimized results was achieved when the load shifting in the load variance was not considered which means the charge-discharge of the energy storage system was not executed. In the meantime, the service life of the ESS would increase.

Calorimetric measurement of heat load in full non-inductive LHCD plasmas on TRIAM-1M

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hanada, K.; Shinoda, N.; Sugata, T.; Sasaki, K.; Zushi, H.; Nakamura, K.; Sato, K.N.; Sakamoto, M.; Idei, H.; Hasegawa, M.; Kawasaki, S.; Nakashima, H.; Higashijima, A.

2007-01-01

Calorimetric measurements using the temperature increment of cooling-water were carried out to estimate the heat load distribution on the plasma facing components (PFCs) in the limiter discharges on TRIAM-1M. Line averaged electron density, n e , and LH power, P LH , dependences of the heat load on PFCs were measured. The heat load on the limiters was proportional to n e 1.5 in the range of n e =0.2-1.0x10 19 m -3 and P LH 1 in the range of P LH =0.005-0.09MW. For P LH >0.1MW, the plasma transition to an enhanced current drive (ECD) mode appeared and the n e dependences on the heat load on the limiter moderated. This indicates that the heat flux to scrape-off layer (SOL) region was reduced due to the improvement of the plasma confinement. The up-down asymmetry of the heat load on the vacuum vessel was enhanced in the ECD mode, which may be caused by the increasing of the direct loss of energetic electrons

Prediction of Commuter’s Daily Time Allocation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fang Zong

2013-10-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a model system to predict the time allocation in commuters’ daily activity-travel pattern. The departure time and the arrival time are estimated with Ordered Probit model and Support Vector Regression is introduced for travel time and activity duration prediction. Applied in a real-world time allocation prediction experiment, the model system shows a satisfactory level of prediction accuracy. This study provides useful insights into commuters’ activity-travel time allocation decision by identifying the important influences, and the results are readily applied to a wide range of transportation practice, such as travel information system, by providing reliable forecast for variations in travel demand over time. By introducing the Support Vector Regression, it also makes a methodological contribution in enhancing prediction accuracy of travel time and activity duration prediction.

Enhancement of temozolomide stability by loading in chitosan-carboxylated polylactide-based nanoparticles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Di Martino, Antonio; Kucharczyk, Pavel; Capakova, Zdenka; Humpolicek, Petr; Sedlarik, Vladimir, E-mail: sedlarik@ft.utb.cz [Tomas Bata University in Zlín, Centre of Polymer Systems, University Institute (Czech Republic)

2017-02-15

In the presented work, amphiphilic nanoparticles based on chitosan and carboxy-enriched polylactic acid have been prepared to improve the stability of the pro-drug temozolomide in physiological media by encapsulation. The carrier, with a diameter in the range of 150–180 nm, was able to accommodate up to 800 μg of temozolomide per mg of polymer. The obtained formulation showed good stability in physiological condition and preparation media up to 1 month. Temozolomide loaded inside the carrier exhibited greater stability than the free drug, in particular in simulated physiological solution at pH 7.4 where the hydrolysis in the inactive metabolite was clearly delayed. CS-SPLA nanoparticles demonstrated a pH-dependent TMZ release kinetics with the opportunity to increase or decrease the rate. Mass spectroscopy, UV-Vis analysis, and in vitro cell tests confirmed the improvement in temozolomide stability and effectiveness when loaded into the polymeric carrier, in comparison with the free drug.

Global left ventricular load in asymptomatic aortic stenosis: covariates and prognostic implication (the SEAS trial

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rieck Åshild E

2012-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Introduction Valvuloarterial impedance (Zva is a measure of global (combined valvular and arterial load opposing left ventricular (LV ejection in aortic stenosis (AS. The present study identified covariates and tested the prognostic significance of global LV load in patients with asymptomatic AS. Methods 1418 patients with mild-moderate, asymptomatic AS in the Simvastatin Ezetimibe in Aortic Stenosis (SEAS study were followed for a mean of 43±14 months during randomized, placebo-controlled treatment with combined simvastatin 40 mg and ezetimibe 10 mg daily. High global LV load was defined as Zva >5 mm Hg/ml/m2. The impact of baseline global LV load on rate of major cardiovascular (CV events, aortic valve events and total mortality was assessed in Cox regression models reporting hazard ratio (HR and 95% Confidence Intervals (CI. Results High global LV load was found in 18% (n=252 of patients and associated with female gender, higher age, hypertension, more severe AS and lower ejection fraction (all p Conclusion In asymptomatic AS, assessment of global LV load adds complementary information on prognosis to that provided by hypertension or established prognosticators like AS severity and LV ejection fraction.

How do academic stress and leisure activities influence college students' emotional well-being? A daily diary investigation.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Jieting; Zheng, Yao

2017-10-01

China has one of the largest bodies of college students who face growing academic stress that influences their well-being. Using a daily diary method in a group of Chinese college students (n = 139, mean age = 19.50 years, 27% males) who reported their daily positive and negative emotion consecutively for two weeks, this study investigated the dynamic relations between daily academic stress, leisure activities engagement, and emotion, and further examined the moderation of sex on these links. The results showed that at both between- and within-person level, academic stress was positively associated with negative emotion, and leisure activities engagement was positively associated with positive emotion. The association between leisure activities engagement and positive emotion were stronger among female students than among male students. These results suggest that effectively reducing academic stress and actively engaging in leisure activities are both important in promoting and enhancing daily emotional well-being. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Gender differences in exerted forces and physiological load during pushing and pulling of wheeled cages by postal workers

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Van Der Beek, Allard J.; Kluver, B.D.R.; Frings-Dresen, M. H. W.; Hoozemans, M. J M

The aim was to determine gender differences regarding exerted forces and physiological load during push/pull tasks simulating the daily working practice of postal workers. Eight female and four male workers handled four-wheeled cages under eight conditions corresponding to the cage weight (130, 250,

Intake of tryptophan-enriched whey protein acutely enhances recall of positive loaded words in patients with multiple sclerosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Lieben, Cindy K; Blokland, Arjan; Deutz, Nicolaas E; Jansen, Willemijn; Han, Gang; Hupperts, Raymond M

2018-02-01

Multiple sclerosis (MS) has physiological and/or immunological characteristics that diminish serotonin metabolism, a neurotransmitter associated with affective and cognitive functions. The aim was examine the acute and dose-dependent effects of a dietary tryptophan (TRP) enrichment on affective and cognitive functions in MS patients. We hypothesized that increased dietary availability of the amino acid TRP enhances serotonin concentrations and improves neuropsychological functions. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study, MS patients with (n = 15) and without (n = 17) depressed mood ingested a whey protein mixture with 4 different amounts of TRP. Mood states, total plasma TRP and plasma TRP/ΣLNAA ratio were measured during each test session and cognitive tasks were conducted three hours after dietary intake. A fast, transient and dose-dependent increase of total plasma TRP and TRP/ΣLNAA ratio was found. Ratings of negative mood decreased over time, independent of the TRP dose. Relative to whey-only, immediate word recall and delayed recognition improved after ingestion of the lowest added TRP dose and was mainly due to better recollection for positive loaded words. Executive functions were not affected by a difference in TRP availability. A moderate addition of TRP to whey protein enhances memory processes without improving the mood state in MS. ccmo-registration number is NL32316.096.10. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd and European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism. All rights reserved.

Enhanced visible-light-response photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue on Fe-loaded BiVO4 photocatalyst

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chala, Sinaporn; Wetchakun, Khatcharin; Phanichphant, Sukon; Inceesungvorn, Burapat; Wetchakun, Natda

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Fe-loaded BiVO 4 particles were prepared by hydrothermal method. • Physicochemical properties played a significant role in photocatalytic process. • All Fe-loaded BiVO 4 samples showed higher photocatalytic activity than pure BiVO 4 . • The Fe 3+ ions may improve the separation of photogenerated electrons and holes. - Abstract: Pure BiVO 4 and nominal 0.5–5.0 mol% Fe-loaded BiVO 4 samples were synthesized by hydrothermal method. All samples were characterized in order to obtain the correlation between structure and photocatalytic properties by X-ray diffraction, Brunauer, Emmett and Teller, UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectrophotometry, photoluminescence spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy. The structure of all samples was single-phase monoclinic scheelite. The absorption spectrum of 5.0 mol% Fe-loaded BiVO 4 shifted to the visible region, suggesting the potential application of this material as a superior visible-light driven photocatalyst in comparison with pure BiVO 4 . Photocatalytic activities of all photocatalyst samples were examined by studying the degradation of methylene blue under visible light irradiation. The results clearly showed that Fe-loaded BiVO 4 sample exhibited remarkably higher activity than pure BiVO 4

Daily and Sub-daily Precipitation for the Former USSR

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This dataset is a compilation of in situ daily and hourly meteorological observations for the former USSR initially obtained within the framework of several joint...

Application of load follow operation to equilibrium cycle of OPR1000

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Kyeongju; Choe, Jiwon; Lee, Deokjung [Interdisciplinary School of Green Energy, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Ulsan (Korea, Republic of)

2012-10-15

All nuclear power plants in Korea are operated at a base load, that is 100% rated power, and do not rely largely on power tracking control except for startup, shutdown, and some minor problem occurrences. However, if the electricity from nuclear power plants exceeds 50% of total electricity generation according to national energy plan, load follow operation is necessary to efficiently use the electrical energy. But it is very difficult to control the axial power distribution and reactor core reactivity at the same time as needed because of variations in nuclear system parameters. In 1990s, an advanced reactor control algorithm, Mode-K, was developed which uses regulation banks, boron control, and a heavy-worth bank (H-bank). The regulation banks and boron control are used for core reactivity control and the H-bank is used for the control of axial power shape. In this study, reactor core simulations with HELIOS/MASTER code system using Mode-K strategy are applied to the daily load follow operation in equilibrium cycle of OPR1000.

Enhancing Accuracy of Sediment Total Load Prediction Using Evolutionary Algorithms (Case Study: Gotoorchay River

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K. Roshangar

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Exact prediction of transported sediment rate by rivers in water resources projects is of utmost importance. Basically erosion and sediment transport process is one of the most complexes hydrodynamic. Although different studies have been developed on the application of intelligent models based on neural, they are not widely used because of lacking explicitness and complexity governing on choosing and architecting of proper network. In this study, a Genetic expression programming model (as an important branches of evolutionary algorithems for predicting of sediment load is selected and investigated as an intelligent approach along with other known classical and imperical methods such as Larsen´s equation, Engelund-Hansen´s equation and Bagnold´s equation. Materials and Methods: In this study, in order to improve explicit prediction of sediment load of Gotoorchay, located in Aras catchment, Northwestern Iran latitude: 38°24´33.3˝ and longitude: 44°46´13.2˝, genetic programming (GP and Genetic Algorithm (GA were applied. Moreover, the semi-empirical models for predicting of total sediment load and rating curve have been used. Finally all the methods were compared and the best ones were introduced. Two statistical measures were used to compare the performance of the different models, namely root mean square error (RMSE and determination coefficient (DC. RMSE and DC indicate the discrepancy between the observed and computed values. Results and Discussions: The statistical characteristics results obtained from the analysis of genetic programming method for both selected model groups indicated that the model 4 including the only discharge of the river, relative to other studied models had the highest DC and the least RMSE in the testing stage (DC= 0.907, RMSE= 0.067. Although there were several parameters applied in other models, these models were complicated and had weak results of prediction. Our results showed that the model 9

Real-time observations of mechanical stimulus-induced enhancements of mechanical properties in osteoblast cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Xu; Liu Xiaoli; Sun Jialun; He Shuojie; Lee, Imshik; Pak, Hyuk Kyu

2008-01-01

Osteoblast, playing a key role in the pathophysiology of osteoporosis, is one of the mechanical stress sensitive cells. The effects of mechanical load-induced changes of mechanical properties in osteoblast cells were studied at real-time. Osteoblasts obtained from young Wister rats were exposed to mechanical loads in different frequencies and resting intervals generated by atomic force microscopy (AFM) probe tip and simultaneously measured the changes of the mechanical properties by AFM. The enhancement of the mechanical properties was observed and quantified by the increment of the apparent Young's modulus, E * . The observed mechanical property depended on the frequency of applied tapping loads. For the resting interval is 50 s, the mechanical load-induced enhancement of E * -values disappears. It seems that the enhanced mechanical property was recover able under no additional mechanical stimulus

Daily treatment with α-naphthoflavone enhances follicular growth and ovulation rate in the rat

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barreiro, Karina A.; Di Yorio, Maria P.; Artillo-Guida, Romina D.; Paz, Dante A.; Faletti, Alicia G.

2011-01-01

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is a ligand-activated transcription factor and the first protein involved in a variety of physiological and toxicological processes, including those of xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes. AhR has been found in the ovary of many species and seems to mediate the ovarian toxicity of many environmental contaminants, which are AhR ligands. However, the role of AhR in the ovarian function is unknown. Therefore, the aim of this work was to study the action of α-naphthoflavone (αNF), known to be an AhR antagonist, on both follicular growth and ovulation. Immature Sprague-Dawley rats were daily injected intraperitoneally with αNF (0.1-80 mg/kg) or vehicle for 12 days, and primed with gonadotrophins (eCG/hCG) to induce follicular growth and ovulation. Ovaries were obtained 20 h after hCG administration. By means of immunohistochemistry, we found that the numbers of primordial, primary and antral follicles were increased in rats treated with 80 mg/kg αNF and that there were no differences with other doses. Likewise, the ovarian weight and the ovulation rate, measured by both number of oocytes within oviducts and corpora lutea in ovarian sections, were increased when the rats received either 1 or 10 mg/kg daily. Although further studies are necessary to know the mechanism of action of αNF, it is possible that the different ovarian processes can be differentially responsive to the presence of different levels of αNF, and that the same or different endogenous AhR ligands can be involved in these ovarian processes in a cell type-dependent manner.

The Combined Effects of Daily Stressors and Major Life Events on Daily Subjective Ages.

Science.gov (United States)

Bellingtier, Jennifer A; Neupert, Shevaun D; Kotter-Grühn, Dana

2017-07-01

Stressors may be a contributing factor in determining how old an individual feels, looks, or would like to be. Currently, little research has been devoted to understanding the relationship between stressors and subjective age in older adults. We focus on the combined impact of major life-event stressors and daily stressors on multiple indicators of subjective age: felt age, ideal age, and look age. Furthermore, we examine the process by which daily stressors relate to subjective ages by testing whether positive affect, control, and negative affect mediate this relationship. Using a daily-diary design, the current study measured older adults' (60-96 years old) stressors, subjective ages, personal control, and affect. Felt, ideal, and look ages each demonstrated a unique pattern of interactions between daily stressors and major life-event stressors. Furthermore, our findings suggest that on the daily level, the relationship between stressors and felt age is mediated by negative affect but not by control and positive affect. Findings indicate the need to consider the broader contextual picture of stressors, as well as their differential impact on multiple indicators of subjective age. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Load-induced modulation of signal transduction networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Peng; Ventura, Alejandra C; Sontag, Eduardo D; Merajver, Sofia D; Ninfa, Alexander J; Del Vecchio, Domitilla

2011-10-11

Biological signal transduction networks are commonly viewed as circuits that pass along information--in the process amplifying signals, enhancing sensitivity, or performing other signal-processing tasks--to transcriptional and other components. Here, we report on a "reverse-causality" phenomenon, which we call load-induced modulation. Through a combination of analytical and experimental tools, we discovered that signaling was modulated, in a surprising way, by downstream targets that receive the signal and, in doing so, apply what in physics is called a load. Specifically, we found that non-intuitive changes in response dynamics occurred for a covalent modification cycle when load was present. Loading altered the response time of a system, depending on whether the activity of one of the enzymes was maximal and the other was operating at its minimal rate or whether both enzymes were operating at submaximal rates. These two conditions, which we call "limit regime" and "intermediate regime," were associated with increased or decreased response times, respectively. The bandwidth, the range of frequency in which the system can process information, decreased in the presence of load, suggesting that downstream targets participate in establishing a balance between noise-filtering capabilities and a circuit's ability to process high-frequency stimulation. Nodes in a signaling network are not independent relay devices, but rather are modulated by their downstream targets.

Load research manual. Volume 1. Load research procedures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brandenburg, L.; Clarkson, G.; Grund, Jr., C.; Leo, J.; Asbury, J.; Brandon-Brown, F.; Derderian, H.; Mueller, R.; Swaroop, R.

1980-11-01

This three-volume manual presents technical guidelines for electric utility load research. Special attention is given to issues raised by the load data reporting requirements of the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 and to problems faced by smaller utilities that are initiating load research programs. In Volumes 1 and 2, procedures are suggested for determining data requirements for load research, establishing the size and customer composition of a load survey sample, selecting and using equipment to record customer electricity usage, processing data tapes from the recording equipment, and analyzing the data. Statistical techniques used in customer sampling are discussed in detail. The costs of load research also are estimated, and ongoing load research programs at three utilities are described. The manual includes guides to load research literature and glossaries of load research and statistical terms.

DAILY RUNNING PROMOTES SPATIAL LEARNING AND MEMORY IN RATS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

HojjatAllah Alaei

2007-12-01

Full Text Available Previous studies have shown that physical activity improves learning and memory. Present study was performed to determine the effects of acute, chronic and continuous exercise with different periods on spatial learning and memory recorded as the latency and length of swim path in the Morris water maze testing in subsequent 8 days. Four rat groups were included as follows: 1- Group C (controls which did not exercise. 2- Group A (30 days treadmill running before and 8 days during the Morris water maze testing period. 3- Group B (30 days exercise before the Morris water maze testing period only and 4- Group D (8 days exercise only during the Morris water maze testing period. The results showed that chronic (30 days and continuous (during 8 days of Morris water maze testing days treadmill training produced a significant enhancement in spatial learning and memory which was indicated by decreases in path length and latency to reach the platform in the Morris water maze test (p < 0.05. The benefits in these tests were lost in three days, if the daily running session was abandoned. In group D with acute treadmill running (8 days exercise only the difference between the Group A disappeared in one week and benefit seemed to be obtained in comparison with the controls without running program. In conclusion the chronic and daily running exercises promoted learning and memory in Morris water maze, but the benefits were lost in few days without daily running sessions in adult rats

Working Memory Load Affects Processing Time in Spoken Word Recognition: Evidence from Eye-Movements

Science.gov (United States)

Hadar, Britt; Skrzypek, Joshua E.; Wingfield, Arthur; Ben-David, Boaz M.

2016-01-01

In daily life, speech perception is usually accompanied by other tasks that tap into working memory capacity. However, the role of working memory on speech processing is not clear. The goal of this study was to examine how working memory load affects the timeline for spoken word recognition in ideal listening conditions. We used the “visual world” eye-tracking paradigm. The task consisted of spoken instructions referring to one of four objects depicted on a computer monitor (e.g., “point at the candle”). Half of the trials presented a phonological competitor to the target word that either overlapped in the initial syllable (onset) or at the last syllable (offset). Eye movements captured listeners' ability to differentiate the target noun from its depicted phonological competitor (e.g., candy or sandal). We manipulated working memory load by using a digit pre-load task, where participants had to retain either one (low-load) or four (high-load) spoken digits for the duration of a spoken word recognition trial. The data show that the high-load condition delayed real-time target discrimination. Specifically, a four-digit load was sufficient to delay the point of discrimination between the spoken target word and its phonological competitor. Our results emphasize the important role working memory plays in speech perception, even when performed by young adults in ideal listening conditions. PMID:27242424

Daily Life Satisfaction in Older Adults as a Function of (In)Activity.

Science.gov (United States)

Maher, Jaclyn P; Conroy, David E

2017-07-01

This 14-day daily diary study tested the between-person and within-person associations between sedentary behavior, physical activity, and life satisfaction in community-dwelling older adults. Older adults (n = 100) wore ActivPAL3 activity monitors for 14 days and, at the end of each day, answered questions regarding their health behaviors and life satisfaction. Separate multilevel models were tested for self-reported and objectively measured behavioral data. In the model using objectively measured behavioral data, life satisfaction was (a) negatively associated with sedentary behavior at the within-person level and unassociated with sedentary behavior at the between-person level and (b) unassociated with physical activity at either the between-person or within-person level. In the model using self-reported behavioral data, life satisfaction was (a) unassociated with sedentary behavior at either the between-person or within-person level and (2) positively associated with physical activity at the within-person, but not at the between-person, level. Results indicated that daily deviations in objectively measured sedentary behavior and self-reported physical activity have implications for older adults' well-being. Interventions designed to enhance well-being and quality of life in older adults should consider targeting daily changes in total sedentary behavior and daily changes in the volume or frequency of physical activity. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Modeling and Predicting the Daily Equatorial Plasma Bubble Activity Using the Tiegcm

Science.gov (United States)

Carter, B. A.; Retterer, J. M.; Yizengaw, E.; Wiens, K. C.; Wing, S.; Groves, K. M.; Caton, R. G.; Bridgwood, C.; Francis, M. J.; Terkildsen, M. B.; Norman, R.; Zhang, K.

2014-12-01

Describing and understanding the daily variability of Equatorial Plasma Bubble (EPB) occurrence has remained a significant challenge over recent decades. In this study we use the Thermosphere Ionosphere Electrodynamics General Circulation Model (TIEGCM), which is driven by solar (F10.7) and geomagnetic (Kp) activity indices, to study daily variations of the linear Rayleigh-Taylor (R-T) instability growth rate in relation to the measured scintillation strength at five longitudinally distributed stations. For locations characterized by generally favorable conditions for EPB growth (i.e., within the scintillation season for that location) we find that the TIEGCM is capable of identifying days when EPB development, determined from the calculated R-T growth rate, is suppressed as a result of geomagnetic activity. Both observed and modeled upward plasma drift indicate that the pre-reversal enhancement scales linearly with Kp from several hours prior, from which it is concluded that even small Kp changes cause significant variations in daily EPB growth. This control of Kp variations on EPB growth prompted an investigation into the use of predicted Kp values from the Wing Kp model over a 2-month equinoctial campaign in 2014. It is found that both the 1-hr and 4-hr predicted Kp values can be reliably used as inputs into the TIEGCM to forecast the EPB growth conditions during scintillation season, when daily EPB variability is governed by the suppression of EPBs on days with increased, but not necessarily high, geomagnetic activity.

Enhanced delivery of biodegradable mPEG-PLGA-PLL ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

... effectively down-regulate the mRNA and protein expression of PDGF‐BB thanNPs plus US (P=0.014 and P=0.007, respectively). Histology showed no evident tissue damage after UTMDmediatedNPs loading siRNA transfection. UTMD could be used safely to enhance the delivery of mPEG-PLGAPLLNPs loading siRNA ...

Study of hourly and daily solar irradiation forecast using diagonal recurrent wavelet neural networks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cao Jiacong; Lin Xingchun

2008-01-01

An accurate forecast of solar irradiation is required for various solar energy applications and environmental impact analyses in recent years. Comparatively, various irradiation forecast models based on artificial neural networks (ANN) perform much better in accuracy than many conventional prediction models. However, the forecast precision of most existing ANN based forecast models has not been satisfactory to researchers and engineers so far, and the generalization capability of these networks needs further improving. Combining the prominent dynamic properties of a recurrent neural network (RNN) with the enhanced ability of a wavelet neural network (WNN) in mapping nonlinear functions, a diagonal recurrent wavelet neural network (DRWNN) is newly established in this paper to perform fine forecasting of hourly and daily global solar irradiance. Some additional steps, e.g. applying historical information of cloud cover to sample data sets and the cloud cover from the weather forecast to network input, are adopted to help enhance the forecast precision. Besides, a specially scheduled two phase training algorithm is adopted. As examples, both hourly and daily irradiance forecasts are completed using sample data sets in Shanghai and Macau, and comparisons between irradiation models show that the DRWNN models are definitely more accurate

Load power device, system and method of load control and management employing load identification

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Yi; Luebke, Charles John; Schoepf, Thomas J.

2018-01-09

A load power device includes a power input, at least one power output for at least one load, a plurality of sensors structured to sense voltage and current at the at least one power output, and a processor. The processor provides: (a) load identification based upon the sensed voltage and current, and (b) load control and management based upon the load identification.

Modeling the Effects of Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems on Nitrate Loads Using SWAT in an Urban Watershed of Metropolitan Atlanta.

Science.gov (United States)

Hoghooghi, Nahal; Radcliffe, David E; Habteselassie, Mussie Y; Jeong, Jaehak

2017-05-01

Onsite wastewater treatment systems (OWTSs) can be a source of nitrogen (N) pollution in both surface and ground waters. In metropolitan Atlanta, GA, >26% of homes are on OWTSs. In a previous article, we used the Soil Water Assessment Tool to model the effect of OWTSs on stream flow in the Big Haynes Creek Watershed in metropolitan Atlanta. The objective of this study was to estimate the effect of OWTSs, including failing systems, on nitrate as N (NO-N) load in the same watershed. Big Haynes Creek has a drainage area of 44 km with mainly urban land use (67%), and most of the homes use OWTSs. A USGS gauge station where stream flow was measured daily and NO-N concentrations were measured monthly was used as the outlet. The model was simulated for 12 yr. Overall, the model showed satisfactory daily stream flow and NO-N loads with Nash-Sutcliffe coefficients of 0.62 and 0.58 for the calibration period and 0.67 and 0.33 for the validation period at the outlet of the Big Haynes Watershed. Onsite wastewater treatment systems caused an average increase in NO-N load of 23% at the watershed scale and 29% at the outlet of a subbasin with the highest density of OWTSs. Failing OWTSs were estimated to be 1% of the total systems and did not have a large impact on stream flow or NO-N load. The NO-N load was 74% of the total N load in the watershed, indicating the important effect of OWTSs on stream loads in this urban watershed. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

Modelling of Sub-daily Hydrological Processes Using Daily Time-Step Models: A Distribution Function Approach to Temporal Scaling

Science.gov (United States)

Kandel, D. D.; Western, A. W.; Grayson, R. B.

2004-12-01

Mismatches in scale between the fundamental processes, the model and supporting data are a major limitation in hydrologic modelling. Surface runoff generation via infiltration excess and the process of soil erosion are fundamentally short time-scale phenomena and their average behaviour is mostly determined by the short time-scale peak intensities of rainfall. Ideally, these processes should be simulated using time-steps of the order of minutes to appropriately resolve the effect of rainfall intensity variations. However, sub-daily data support is often inadequate and the processes are usually simulated by calibrating daily (or even coarser) time-step models. Generally process descriptions are not modified but rather effective parameter values are used to account for the effect of temporal lumping, assuming that the effect of the scale mismatch can be counterbalanced by tuning the parameter values at the model time-step of interest. Often this results in parameter values that are difficult to interpret physically. A similar approach is often taken spatially. This is problematic as these processes generally operate or interact non-linearly. This indicates a need for better techniques to simulate sub-daily processes using daily time-step models while still using widely available daily information. A new method applicable to many rainfall-runoff-erosion models is presented. The method is based on temporal scaling using statistical distributions of rainfall intensity to represent sub-daily intensity variations in a daily time-step model. This allows the effect of short time-scale nonlinear processes to be captured while modelling at a daily time-step, which is often attractive due to the wide availability of daily forcing data. The approach relies on characterising the rainfall intensity variation within a day using a cumulative distribution function (cdf). This cdf is then modified by various linear and nonlinear processes typically represented in hydrological and

Perceptual load manipulation reveals sensitivity of the face-selective N170 to attention.

Science.gov (United States)

Mohamed, Tarik N; Neumann, Markus F; Schweinberger, Stefan R

2009-05-27

It has been controversial whether the face-sensitive N170 is affected by selective attention. We manipulated attention sensu Lavie's perceptual load theory to short (200 ms) presentations of task-irrelevant unfamiliar faces or houses, while participants identified superimposed target letters 'X' versus 'N'. These targets were strings of either six identical (low load) or six different letters (high load). Under low load, we found a prominent face-selective N170 response. Under high load, however, we not only observed a dramatic reduction of the face N170 but also an unexpected enhancement of the house N170, such that face selectivity was almost completely lost. We conclude that the early stages of face processing indexed by the N170 strongly depend on selective attention.

Long-term dynamic loading improves the mechanical properties of chondrogenic mesenchymal stem cell-laden hydrogel

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

AH Huang

2010-02-01

Full Text Available Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs are an attractive cell source for cartilage tissue engineering given their ability to undergo chondrogenesis in 3D culture systems. Mechanical forces play an important role in regulating both cartilage development and MSC chondrogenic gene expression, however, mechanical stimulation has yet to enhance the mechanical properties of engineered constructs. In this study, we applied long-term dynamic compression to MSC-seeded constructs and assessed whether varying pre-culture duration, loading regimens and inclusion of TGF-beta3 during loading would influence functional outcomes and these phenotypic transitions. Loading initiated before chondrogenesis decreased functional maturation, although chondrogenic gene expression increased. In contrast, loading initiated after chondrogenesis and matrix elaboration further improved the mechanical properties of MSC-based constructs, but only when TGF-beta3 levels were maintained and under specific loading parameters. Although matrix quantity was not affected by dynamic compression, matrix distribution, assessed histologically and by FT-IRIS analysis, was significantly improved on the micro- (pericellular and macro- (construct expanse scales. Further, whole genome expression profiling revealed marked shifts in the molecular topography with dynamic loading. These results demonstrate, for the first time, that dynamic compressive loading initiated after a sufficient period of chondro-induction and with sustained TGF-beta exposure enhances matrix distribution and the mechanical properties of MSC-seeded constructs.

LOAD-ENHANCED MOVEMENT QUALITY SCREENING AND TACTICAL ATHLETICISM: AN EXTENSION OF EVIDENCE.

Science.gov (United States)

Glass, Stephen M; Schmitz, Randy J; Rhea, Christopher K; Ross, Scott E

2017-06-01

Military organizations use movement quality screening for prediction of injury risk and performance potential. Currently, evidence of an association between movement quality and performance is limited. Recent work has demonstrated that external loading strengthens the relationship between movement screens and performance outcomes. Such loading may therefore steer us toward robust implementations of movement quality screens while maintaining their appeal as cost effective, field-expedient tools. The purpose of the current study was to quantify the effect of external load-bearing on the relationship between clinically rated movement quality and tactical performance outcomes while addressing the noted limitations. Crossover Trial. Fifty young adults (25 male, 25 female, 22.98 ± 3.09 years, 171.95 ± 11.46 cm, 71.77 ± 14.03 kg) completed the Functional Movement Screen™ with (FMS™W) and without (FMS™C) a weight vest in randomized order. Following FMS™ testing, criterion measures of tactical performance were administered, including agility T-Tests, sprints, a 400-meter run, the Mobility for Battle (MOB) course, and a simulated casualty rescue. For each performance outcome, regression models were selected via group lasso with smoothed FMS™ item scores as candidate predictor variables. For all outcomes, proportion of variance accounted for was greater in FMS™W (R 2 = ;0.22 [T-Test], 0.29 [Sprint], 0.17 [400 meter], 0.29 [MOB], and 0.11 [casualty rescue]) than in FMS™C (R 2 = ;0.00 [T-Test], 0.11 [Sprint], 0.00 [400 meter], 0.19 [MOB], and 0.00 [casualty rescue]). From the FMS™W condition, beneficial performance effects (ptactical performance ability. Future designs should seek to identify mechanisms explaining this effect. 3.

Oligonol supplementation modulates plasma volume and osmolality and sweating after heat load in humans.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, JeongBeom; Shin, YoungOh; Murota, Hiroyuki

2015-05-01

Oligonol is a low-molecular-weight polyphenol that possesses antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. This study investigated the effects of Oligonol supplementation on sweating response, plasma volume (PV), and osmolality (Osm) after heat load in human volunteers. We conducted a placebo-controlled crossover trial. Participants took a daily dose of 200 mg Oligonol or placebo for 1 week. After a 2-week washout period, the subjects were switched to the other study arm. As a heat load, half-body immersion into hot water (42°C±0.5°C for 30 min) was performed in an automated climate chamber. Tympanic and mean body temperature (Tty, mTb) and whole-body sweat loss volume (WBSLV) were measured. Changes in PV, Osm, and serum levels of aldosterone and sodium were analyzed. Oligonol intake attenuated increases in Tty, mTb, and WBSLV after heat load compared with the placebo (Pbody temperature and excessive sweating under heat load in healthy humans, but interpretation of the results requires caution due to the potent diuretic effect of Oligonol.

Daily fluctuations in teachers' well-being: a diary study using the Job Demands-Resources model.

Science.gov (United States)

Simbula, Silvia

2010-10-01

The study tests the dynamic nature of the Job Demands-Resources model with regard to both motivational and health impairment processes. It does so by examining whether daily fluctuations in co-workers' support (i.e., a typical job resource) and daily fluctuations in work/family conflict (i.e., a typical job demand) predict day-levels of job satisfaction and mental health through work engagement and exhaustion, respectively. A total of 61 schoolteachers completed a general questionnaire and a daily survey over a period of five consecutive work days. Multilevel analyses provided evidence for both the above processes. Consistently with the hypotheses, our results showed that day-level work engagement mediated the impact of day-level co-workers' support on day-level job satisfaction and day-level mental health, after general levels of work engagement and outcome variables had been controlled for. Moreover, day-level exhaustion mediated the relationship between day-level work/family conflict and day-level job satisfaction and day-level mental health after general levels of exhaustion and outcome variables had been controlled for. These findings provide new insights into the dynamic psychological processes that determine daily fluctuations in employee well-being. Such insights may be transformed into job redesign strategies and other interventions designed to enhance work-related psychological well-being on a daily level.

Real time security assessment in national load dispatch centre, Tenaga Nasional Berhad, Malaysia

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sreedharan, G. [Tenaga Nasional Berhad, Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia); Moghavvemi, M. [Univ. of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)

2007-07-01

Electric energy is one of the most important resources of modern industrial society. Electric power is available to the user instantly at the correct voltage, frequency and exactly at the amount that is needed. However, the power system is subjected to constant disturbances created by random load changes, faults created by natural causes and by equipment failures. One of the major impacts of the disturbances to the system is the impact imposed on transmission networks or corridors, which have increased the demand for more accurate and up to date information on the power system. It has become impossible to operate the system with an acceptable degree of security by using traditional operational planning studies that are conducted off-line and use forecast conditions to predict system security limits. Therefore the use of on-line security assessment is quickly becoming a necessity. This paper simplified the general off-line security assessment methodology by attempting to use the real time system snap shot data as an input to the dynamic security assessment tool namely VSAT. The study used raw data produced at every 10 minute cycle in order to conduct a security assessment of the power system, including current power system load; network topology; unit commitment; and generator and transmission line outages. The purpose of the project was to implement a real time security assessment to benefit the system operators to assist them in their daily work in monitoring and operating the power system in Tenaga Nasional Berhad. The paper discussed project implementation including a description of the project and project background. It discussed the operation of VSAT, result display, and future enhancement. 18 refs., 5 figs.

Gum tragacanth stabilized green gold nanoparticles as cargos for Naringin loading: A morphological investigation through AFM.

Science.gov (United States)

Rao, Komal; Imran, Muhammad; Jabri, Tooba; Ali, Imdad; Perveen, Samina; Shafiullah; Ahmed, Shakil; Shah, Muhammad Raza

2017-10-15

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have attracted greater scientific interests for the construction of drugs loading cargos due to their biocompatibility, safety and facile surface modifications. This study deals with the fabrication of gum tragacanth (GT) green AuNPs as carrier for Naringin, a less water soluble therapeutic molecule. The optimized AuNPs were characterized through UV-vis spectroscopy, FT-IR and atomic force microscope (AFM). Naringin loaded nanoparticles were investigated for their bactericidal potentials using Tetrazolium Microplate assay. Morphological studies conducted via AFM revealed spherical shape for AuNPs with nano-range size and stabilized by GT multi-functional groups. The AuNPs acted as carrier for increased amount of Naringin. Upon loading in AuNPs, Naringin An increased in the bactericidal potentials of Naringin was observed after loading on AuNPs against various tested bacterial strains. This was further authenticated by the surface morphological analysis, showing enhanced membrane destabilizing effects of loaded Naringin. The results suggest that GT stabilized green AuNPs can act as effective delivery vehicles for enhancing bactericidal potentials of Naringin. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Minocycline enhances the mesenchymal stromal/stem cell pro-healing phenotype in triple antimicrobial-loaded hydrogels.

Science.gov (United States)

Guerra, Alberto Daniel; Rose, Warren E; Hematti, Peiman; Kao, W John

2017-03-15

Mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MSCs) have demonstrated pro-healing properties including an anti-inflammatory cytokine profile and the promotion of angiogenesis via expression of growth factors in pre-clinical models. MSCs encapsulated in poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGdA) and thiolated gelatin poly(ethylene glycol) (Gel-PEG-Cys) crosslinked hydrogels have led to controlled cellular presentation at wound sites with favorable wound healing outcomes. However, the therapeutic potential of MSC-loaded hydrogels may be limited by non-specific protein adsorption on the delivery matrix that could facilitate the initial adhesion of microorganisms and subsequent virulent biofilm formation. Antimicrobials loaded concurrently in the hydrogels with MSCs could reduce microbial bioburden and promote healing, but the antimicrobial effect on the MSC wound healing capacity and the antibacterial efficacy of the hydrogels is unknown. We demonstrate that minocycline specifically induces a favorable change in MSC migration capacity, proliferation, gene expression, extracellular matrix (ECM) attachment, and adhesion molecule and growth factor release with subsequent increased angiogenesis. We then demonstrate that hydrogels loaded with MSCs, minocycline, vancomycin, and linezolid can significantly decrease bacterial bioburden. Our study suggests that minocycline can serve as a dual mechanism for the regenerative capacity of MSCs and the reduction of bioburden in triple antimicrobial-loaded hydrogels. Wound healing is a complex biological process that can be hindered by bacterial infection, excessive inflammation, and inadequate microvasculature. In this study, we develop a new formulation of poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate and thiolated gelatin poly(ethylene glycol) crosslinked hydrogels loaded with minocycline, vancomycin, linezolid, and mesenchymal stromal/stem cells that induces a favorable wound healing phenotype in mesenchymal stromal/stem cells and prevents bacterial

Greywater characterization and loadings - Physicochemical treatment to promote onsite reuse.

Science.gov (United States)

Noutsopoulos, C; Andreadakis, A; Kouris, N; Charchousi, D; Mendrinou, P; Galani, A; Mantziaras, I; Koumaki, E

2018-06-15

Greywater is the wastewater produced in bathtubs, showers, hand basins, kitchen sinks, dishwashers and laundry machines. Segregation of greywater and blackwater and on site greywater treatment in order to promote its reuse for toilet flushing and/or garden irrigation is an interesting option especially in water deficient areas. The objective of this study was to characterize the different greywater sources in Greek households and to evaluate the performance of alternative physicochemical treatment systems to treat several types of greywater. Based on the results average daily greywater production was equal to 98 L per person per day and accounts for approximately 70-75% of the total household wastewater production (135 L per person per day). Among the different sources, laundry and kitchen sink are the main contributors to the total greywater load of organic carbon, suspended solids and surfactants, whereas dishwasher and bathroom greywater are the main sources of phosphorus and endocrine disrupting chemicals respectively. Depending on sources, greywater accounts for as low as 15% of the total wastewater load of organic carbon (in the case of light greywater sources), to as high as 74% of the total load organic load (in the case of the heavy greywater sources). On the other hand, the nutrients load of greywater is limited. The application of a physical treatment system consisting of coagulation, sedimentation, sand filtration, granular activated carbon filtration and disinfection can provide for a final effluent with high quality characteristics for onsite reuse, especially when treating light greywater. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Formulation, characterization and pharmacokinetics of praziquantel-loaded hydrogenated castor oil solid lipid nanoparticles.

Science.gov (United States)

Xie, Shuyu; Pan, Baoliang; Wang, Ming; Zhu, Luyan; Wang, Fenghua; Dong, Zhao; Wang, Xiaofang; Zhou, WenZhong

2010-07-01

The purpose of this study was to formulate praziquantel (PZQ)-loaded hydrogenated castor oil (HCO) solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) to enhance the bioavailability and prolong the systemic circulation of the drug. PZQ was encapsulated into HCO nanoparticles by a hot homogenization and ultrasonication method. The physicochemical characteristics of SLN were investigated by optical microscope, scanning electron microscopy and photon correlation spectroscopy. Pharmacokinetics were studied after oral, subcutaneous and intramuscular administration in mice. The diameter, polydispersivity index, zeta potential, encapsulation efficiency and loading capacity of the nanoparticles were 344.0 +/- 15.1 nm, 0.31 +/- 0.08, -16.7 +/- 0.5 mV, 62.17 +/- 6.53% and 12.43 +/- 1.31%, respectively. In vitro release of PZQ-loaded HCO-SLN exhibited an initial burst release followed by a sustained release. SLN increased the bioavailability of PZQ by 14.9-, 16.1- and 2.6-fold, and extended the mean residence time of the drug from 7.6, 6.6 and 8.2 to 95.9, 151.6 and 48.2 h after oral, subcutaneous and intramuscular administration, respectively. The PZQ-loaded HCO-SLN could be a promising formulation to enhance the pharmacological activity of PZQ.

Modulation of weight off-loading level over body-weight supported locomotion training.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Ping; Low, K H; Lim, Peter A C; McGregor, A H

2011-01-01

With the evolution of robotic systems to facilitate overground walking rehabilitation, it is important to understand the effect of robotic-aided body-weight supported loading on lower limb muscle activity, if we are to optimize neuromotor recovery. To achieve this objective, we have collected and studied electromyography (EMG) data from key muscles in the lower extremity from healthy subjects walking over a wide range of body-weight off-loading levels as provided by a bespoke gait robot. By examining the impact of body-weight off-loading, it was found that muscle activation patterns were sensitive to the level of off-loading. In addition, a large off-loading might introduce disturbance of muscle activation pattern, led to a wider range of motion in terms of dorsiflexion/plantarflexion. Therefore, any future overground training machine should be enhanced to exclude unnecessary effect of body off-loading in securing the sustaining upright posture and providing assist-as-needed BWS over gait rehabilitation. © 2011 IEEE

The Running Wheel Enhances Food Anticipatory Activity: An Exploratory Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Flôres, Danilo E F L; Bettilyon, Crystal N; Jia, Lori; Yamazaki, Shin

2016-01-01

Rodents anticipate rewarding stimuli such as daily meals, mates, and stimulant drugs. When a single meal is provided daily at a fixed time of day, an increase in activity, known as food anticipatory activity (FAA), occurs several hours before feeding time. The factors affecting the expression of FAA have not been well-studied. Understanding these factors may provide clues to the undiscovered anatomical substrates of food entrainment. In this study we determined whether wheel-running activity, which is also rewarding to rodents, modulated the robustness of FAA. We found that access to a freely rotating wheel enhanced the robustness of FAA. This enhancement was lost when the wheel was removed. In addition, while prior exposure to a running wheel alone did not enhance FAA, the presence of a locked wheel did enhance FAA as long as mice had previously run in the wheel. Together, these data suggest that FAA, like wheel-running activity, is influenced by reward signaling.

Using the internet of things to enable electrical load optimisation

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Butgereit, L

2012-05-01

Full Text Available about itself and also allowing the object to be controlled by some process. This paper describes a research project in balancing the electrical load in the kitchens of an IT organisation. Ten kitchen appliances were enhanced with digital intelligence...

Enhanced Westinghouse WWER-1000 fuel design for Ukraine reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dye, M.; Shah, H.

2015-01-01

Westinghouse has completed design, development, and region quantity delivery of an enhanced Westinghouse fuel assembly for WWER-1000 reactors to support continued safe reactor operations. The enhanced design builds on the successful performance of an earlier generation design which has operated in the South Ukraine 3 reactor for multiple cycles without any fuel rod failures. Incorporated design enhancements include a thicker spacer grid outer strap, an enhanced spacer grid outer strap profile to limit the risk for, and impact of, mechanical interaction/interference with coresident fuel, an all Alloy 718 grid structure for improved stability and strength, and improvements to the top and bottom nozzles. Capable of meeting increased lateral loads generated from using a higher axial trip limit for the refueling machine crane, the design was verified by extensive mechanical and thermalhydraulic testing, which included a newly developed fuel assembly-to-fuel assembly handling test rig to assess performance during bounding core loading and unloading conditions. Through these extensive design enhancements and comprehensive testing program, the enhanced WWER-1000 design provides additional performance, handling, and reliability margins for safe reactor operation. (authors)

Two Stage Secure Dynamic Load Balancing Architecture for SIP Server Clusters

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

G. Vennila

2014-08-01

Full Text Available Session Initiation Protocol (SIP is a signaling protocol emerged with an aim to enhance the IP network capabilities in terms of complex service provision. SIP server scalability with load balancing has a greater concern due to the dramatic increase in SIP service demand. Load balancing of session method (request/response and security measures optimizes the SIP server to regulate of network traffic in Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP. Establishing a honeywall prior to the load balancer significantly reduces SIP traffic and drops inbound malicious load. In this paper, we propose Active Least Call in SIP Server (ALC_Server algorithm fulfills objectives like congestion avoidance, improved response times, throughput, resource utilization, reducing server faults, scalability and protection of SIP call from DoS attacks. From the test bed, the proposed two-tier architecture demonstrates that the ALC_Server method dynamically controls the overload and provides robust security, uniform load distribution for SIP servers.

Covalent Coupling of Organophosphorus Hydrolase Loaded Quantum Dots to Carbon Nanotube/Au Nanocomposite for Enhanced Detection of Methyl Parathion

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Du, Dan; Chen, Wenjuan; Zhang, Weiying; Liu, Deli; Li, Haibing; Lin, Yuehe

2010-02-15

An amperometric biosensor for highly selective and sensitive determination of methyl parathion (MP) was developed based on dual signal amplification: (1) a large amount of introduced enzyme on the electrode surface and (2) synergistic effects of nanoparticles towards enzymatic catalysis. The fabrication process includes (1) electrochemical deposition of gold nanoparticles by a multi-potential step technique at multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) film pre-cast on a glassy carbon electrode and (2) immobilization of methyl parathion degrading enzyme (MPDE) onto a modified electrode through CdTe quantum dots (CdTe QDs) covalent attachment. The introduced MWCNT and gold nanoparticles significantly increased the surface area and exhibited synergistic effects towards enzymatic catalysis. CdTe QDs are further used as carriers to load a large amount of enzyme. As a result of these two important enhancement factors, the proposed biosensor exhibited extremely sensitive, perfectly selective, and rapid response to methyl parathion in the absence of a mediator.

Exercise does not enhance aged bone's impaired response to artificial loading in C57Bl/6 mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Meakin, Lee B; Udeh, Chinedu; Galea, Gabriel L; Lanyon, Lance E; Price, Joanna S

2015-12-01

Bones adapt their structure to their loading environment and so ensure that they become, and are maintained, sufficiently strong to withstand the loads to which they are habituated. The effectiveness of this process declines with age and bones become fragile fracturing with less force. This effect in humans also occurs in mice which experience age-related bone loss and reduced adaptation to loading. Exercise engenders many systemic and local muscular physiological responses as well as engendering local bone strain. To investigate whether these physiological responses influence bones' adaptive responses to mechanical strain we examined whether a period of treadmill exercise influenced the adaptive response to an associated period of artificial loading in young adult (17-week) and old (19-month) mice. After treadmill acclimatization, mice were exercised for 30 min three times per week for two weeks. Three hours after each exercise period, right tibiae were subjected to 40 cycles of non-invasive axial loading engendering peak strain of 2250 με. In both young and aged mice exercise increased cross-sectional muscle area and serum sclerostin concentration. In young mice it also increased serum IGF1. Exercise did not affect bone's adaptation to loading in any measured parameter in young or aged bone. These data demonstrate that a level of exercise sufficient to cause systemic changes in serum, and adaptive changes in local musculature, has no effect on bone's response to loading 3h later. This study provides no support for the beneficial effects of exercise on bone in the elderly being mediated by systemic or local muscle-derived effects rather than local adaptation to altered mechanical strain. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Catalase-loaded cisplatin-prodrug-constructed liposomes to overcome tumor hypoxia for enhanced chemo-radiotherapy of cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Rui; Song, Xuejiao; Liang, Chao; Yi, Xuan; Song, Guosheng; Chao, Yu; Yang, Yu; Yang, Kai; Feng, Liangzhu; Liu, Zhuang

2017-09-01

Aiming at improved therapeutic efficacies, the combination of chemotherapy and radiotherapy (chemo-radiotherapy) has been widely studied and applied in clinic. However, the hostile characteristics of tumor microenvironment such as hypoxia often limit the efficacies in both types of cancer therapies. Herein, catalase (CAT), an antioxidant enzyme, is encapsulated inside liposomes constituted by cisplatin (IV)-prodrug-conjugated phospholipid, forming CAT@Pt (IV)-liposome for enhanced chemo-radiotherapy of cancer. After being loaded inside liposomes, CAT within CAT@Pt (IV)-liposome shows retained and well-protected enzyme activity, and is able to trigger decomposition of H 2 O 2 produced by tumor cells, so as to produce additional oxygen for hypoxia relief. As the result, treatment of CAT@Pt (IV)-liposome induces the highest level of DNA damage in cancer cells after X-ray radiation compared to the control groups. In vivo tumor treatment further demonstrates a remarkably improved therapeutic outcome in chemo-radiotherapy with such CAT@Pt (IV)-liposome nanoparticles. Hence, an exquisite type of liposome-based nanoparticles is developed in this work by integrating cisplatin-based chemotherapy and catalase-induced tumor hypoxia relief together for combined chemo-radiotherapy with great synergistic efficacy, promising for clinical translation in cancer treatment. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Neural networks approach to forecast several hour ahead electricity prices and loads in deregulated market

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mandal, Paras; Senjyu, Tomonobu [Department of Electrical and Electronics, University of the Ryukyus, 1 Senbaru, Nagakami Nishihara, Okinawa 903-0213 (Japan); Funabashi, Toshihisa [Meidensha Corporation, Tokyo 103-8515 (Japan)

2006-09-15

In daily power markets, forecasting electricity prices and loads are the most essential task and the basis for any decision making. An approach to predict the market behaviors is to use the historical prices, loads and other required information to forecast the future prices and loads. This paper introduces an approach for several hour ahead (1-6h) electricity price and load forecasting using an artificial intelligence method, such as a neural network model, which uses publicly available data from the NEMMCO web site to forecast electricity prices and loads for the Victorian electricity market. An approach of selection of similar days is proposed according to which the load and price curves are forecasted by using the information of the days being similar to that of the forecast day. A Euclidean norm with weighted factors is used for the selection of the similar days. Two different ANN models, one for one to six hour ahead load forecasting and another for one to six hour ahead price forecasting have been proposed. The MAPE (mean absolute percentage error) results show a clear increasing trend with the increase in hour ahead load and price forecasting. The sample average of MAPEs for one hour ahead price forecasts is 9.75%. This figure increases to only 20.03% for six hour ahead predictions. Similarly, the one to six hour ahead load forecast errors (MAPE) range from 0.56% to 1.30% only. MAPE results show that several hour ahead electricity prices and loads in the deregulated Victorian market can be forecasted with reasonable accuracy. (author)

Neural networks approach to forecast several hour ahead electricity prices and loads in deregulated market

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mandal, Paras; Senjyu, Tomonobu; Funabashi, Toshihisa

2006-01-01

In daily power markets, forecasting electricity prices and loads are the most essential task and the basis for any decision making. An approach to predict the market behaviors is to use the historical prices, loads and other required information to forecast the future prices and loads. This paper introduces an approach for several hour ahead (1-6 h) electricity price and load forecasting using an artificial intelligence method, such as a neural network model, which uses publicly available data from the NEMMCO web site to forecast electricity prices and loads for the Victorian electricity market. An approach of selection of similar days is proposed according to which the load and price curves are forecasted by using the information of the days being similar to that of the forecast day. A Euclidean norm with weighted factors is used for the selection of the similar days. Two different ANN models, one for one to six hour ahead load forecasting and another for one to six hour ahead price forecasting have been proposed. The MAPE (mean absolute percentage error) results show a clear increasing trend with the increase in hour ahead load and price forecasting. The sample average of MAPEs for one hour ahead price forecasts is 9.75%. This figure increases to only 20.03% for six hour ahead predictions. Similarly, the one to six hour ahead load forecast errors (MAPE) range from 0.56% to 1.30% only. MAPE results show that several hour ahead electricity prices and loads in the deregulated Victorian market can be forecasted with reasonable accuracy

New load cycling strategy for enhanced durability of high temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cell

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thomas, Sobi; Jeppesen, Christian; Steenberg, Thomas

2017-01-01

The objective of this paper is to develop a new operational strategy to increase the lifetime of a high temperature proton exchange membrane (HT-PEMFCs) fuel cell system by using load cycling patterns to reduce the phosphoric acid loss from the fuel cell. Four single cells were operated under.......8 Acm-2 for the higher end, were selected for the load cycling operation. The relaxation time, which is the period of time spent at low current density operation, is varied to understand how the performance over prolonged period behaves. The duration of the high current density operation is selected...... based on the relaxation time in order to have the same average current density of (0.55 Acm-2 ) for all the cells. Cell 5, with a relaxation time of 2 min performs best and shows lower degradation rate of 36 μVh-1 compared to other load cycling cells with smaller relaxation times. The cell operated...

Índice glicêmico e carga glicêmica de dietas consumidas por indivíduos obesos Glycemic index and glycemic load of diets consumed by obese individuals

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Helena Alves de Carvalho Sampaio

2007-12-01

Full Text Available OBJETIVO: Avaliar o índice glicêmico e a carga glicêmica de dietas de indivíduos obesos. MÉTODOS: Trata-se de estudo retrospectivo, que analisou as fichas clínicas de 80 adultos obesos, acompanhados em um serviço privado localizado em Fortaleza, Ceará. Determinaram-se o índice glicêmico e a carga glicêmica da dieta. Para verificação da associação entre índice glicêmico e carga glicêmica, e dessas variáveis com a ingestão energética diária e com o índice de massa corporal dos indivíduos, utilizou-se o teste de correlação de Pearson. O teste "t" de Student foi utilizado para verificar diferenças entre os dois índices e o sexo. Em ambos os testes adotou-se pOBJECTIVE: To evaluate the glycemic index and glycemic load of diets of obese individuals. METHODS: This is a retrospective study that analyzed the medical records of 80 obese adults attending a private health care service in Fortaleza, Ceará. The glycemic index and load of their diet was determined. The Pearson correlation test was used to verify if there was an association between glycemic index and glycemic load and of these variables with their daily energy intake and body mass index. The Student's "t" test was used to verify the differences between the two indexes and gender. A significance level of p<0.05 was adopted for both tests. RESULTS: Inadequate (moderate or high glycemic index prevailed at breakfast (82.9%, afternoon snack (60.0% and dinner (64.6%. The daily glycemic index was inadequate for 78.7% of the group and predominantly moderate according to the mean found (59.23, however it was less inadequate than the daily glycemic load which was high (143.8 and worse among males. The body mass index of the group, in general and according to gender, was not associated with any of the indices. Daily energy intake was associated only with glycemic load, both generally and taking gender into account. CONCLUSION: The results point toward a higher glycemic load in

Working memory load and the retro-cue effect: A diffusion model account.

Science.gov (United States)

Shepherdson, Peter; Oberauer, Klaus; Souza, Alessandra S

2018-02-01

Retro-cues (i.e., cues presented between the offset of a memory array and the onset of a probe) have consistently been found to enhance performance in working memory tasks, sometimes ameliorating the deleterious effects of increased memory load. However, the mechanism by which retro-cues exert their influence remains a matter of debate. To inform this debate, we applied a hierarchical diffusion model to data from 4 change detection experiments using single item, location-specific probes (i.e., a local recognition task) with either visual or verbal memory stimuli. Results showed that retro-cues enhanced the quality of information entering the decision process-especially for visual stimuli-and decreased the time spent on nondecisional processes. Further, cues interacted with memory load primarily on nondecision time, decreasing or abolishing load effects. To explain these findings, we propose an account whereby retro-cues act primarily to reduce the time taken to access the relevant representation in memory upon probe presentation, and in addition protect cued representations from visual interference. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Abnormal liquid loading in gas wells of the Samandepe Gasfield in Turkmenistan and countermeasures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Peijun Zhang

2015-10-01

Full Text Available With complicated formation mechanisms, liquid loading in gas wells during gasfield development may significantly affect the productivity of gas wells and the ultimate recovery rate. Dynamic monitoring data of the Samandepe Gasfield in Turkmenistan shows that liquid loading can be found extensively in gas wells. Their formation mechanisms and negative impacts on gasfield development severely restrict the productivity enhancement of this gasfield. With their origins taken into consideration, liquid loads in gas wells were classified into three types: formation water, condensed liquid, and external liquid. By using the hydrostatic pressure gradient method and through PLT monitoring, properties of liquid loads in the Samandepe Gasfield were determined. In addition, formation mechanisms related to liquid loading in gas wells were obtained through analyses of critical fluid-carrying capacities and by using gas-reservoir production data. The following findings were obtained. Liquid loading was commonly found in this gas well with majority of reservoir formations in lower well intervals flooded. However, the formation mechanisms for these liquid loads are different from those of other gasfields. Due to long-term shut-down of gas wells, killing fluids precipitated and pores in lower reservoir formations were plugged. As a result, natural gas had no access to boreholes, killing fluids were impossibly carried out of the borehole. Instead, the killing fluid was detained at the bottomhole to generate liquid load and eliminate the possibility of formation water coning. Moreover, since the gasfield was dominated by block reservoirs with favorable physical properties and connectivity, impacts of liquid load on gasfield development were insignificant. Thus, to enhance the recovery rate of the Samandepe Gasfield significantly, it is necessary to expand the gasfield development scale and strengthen the development of marginal gas reservoirs.

Localized Fluctuant Oscillatory Activity by Working Memory Load: A Simultaneous EEG-fMRI Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaojie Zhao

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Working memory (WM is a resource-limited memory system for temporary storage and processing of brain information during the execution of cognitive tasks. Increased WM load will increase the amount and difficulty of memory information. Several studies have used electroencephalography (EEG or functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI to explore load-dependent cognition processing according to the time courses of electrophysiological activity or the spatial pattern of blood oxygen metabolic activity. However, the relationships between these two activities and the underlying neural mechanism are still unclear. In this study, using simultaneously collected EEG and fMRI data under an n-back verbal WM task, we modeled the spectral perturbation of EEG oscillation and fMRI activation through joint independent component analysis (JICA. Multi-channel oscillation features were also introduced into the JICA model for further analysis. The results showed that time-locked activity of theta and beta were modulated by memory load in the early stimuli evaluation stage, corresponding to the enhanced activation in the frontal and parietal lobe, which were involved in stimulus discrimination, information encoding and delay-period activity. In the late response selection stage, alpha and gamma activity changes dependent on the load correspond to enhanced activation in the areas of frontal, temporal and parietal lobes, which played important roles in attention, information extraction and memory retention. These findings suggest that the increases in memory load not only affect the intensity and time course of the EEG activities, but also lead to the enhanced activation of brain regions which plays different roles during different time periods of cognitive process of WM.

Localized Fluctuant Oscillatory Activity by Working Memory Load: A Simultaneous EEG-fMRI Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Xiaojie; Li, Xiaoyun; Yao, Li

2017-01-01

Working memory (WM) is a resource-limited memory system for temporary storage and processing of brain information during the execution of cognitive tasks. Increased WM load will increase the amount and difficulty of memory information. Several studies have used electroencephalography (EEG) or functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to explore load-dependent cognition processing according to the time courses of electrophysiological activity or the spatial pattern of blood oxygen metabolic activity. However, the relationships between these two activities and the underlying neural mechanism are still unclear. In this study, using simultaneously collected EEG and fMRI data under an n-back verbal WM task, we modeled the spectral perturbation of EEG oscillation and fMRI activation through joint independent component analysis (JICA). Multi-channel oscillation features were also introduced into the JICA model for further analysis. The results showed that time-locked activity of theta and beta were modulated by memory load in the early stimuli evaluation stage, corresponding to the enhanced activation in the frontal and parietal lobe, which were involved in stimulus discrimination, information encoding and delay-period activity. In the late response selection stage, alpha and gamma activity changes dependent on the load correspond to enhanced activation in the areas of frontal, temporal and parietal lobes, which played important roles in attention, information extraction and memory retention. These findings suggest that the increases in memory load not only affect the intensity and time course of the EEG activities, but also lead to the enhanced activation of brain regions which plays different roles during different time periods of cognitive process of WM.

Daily Aspirin Therapy: Understand the Benefits and Risks

Science.gov (United States)

Daily aspirin therapy: Understand the benefits and risks Daily aspirin therapy can be a lifesaving option, but it's not ... everyone. Get the facts before considering a daily aspirin. By Mayo Clinic Staff Daily aspirin therapy may ...

ANALYSIS OF HYDRAULIC LOAD OF SELECTED WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT IN JASŁO COUNTY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dariusz Piotr Młyński

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The paper presents an analysis of hydraulic load in selected a wastewater treatment plant (WTP in Jasło County: in Przysieki, Kołaczyce and Szebnie. The study was based on the records of daily sewage volume entering the treatment plants within a multi-year period of 2011-2014. The analysis took into account the average daily amount of incoming sewage, the maximum daily peaking factor for the incoming sewage, changes in the sewage volume depending on specific month and the intervals with the greatest frequency of occurrence were designated. The analysis revealed that investigated wastewater treatment plants were hydraulically underloaded. Moreover it was conclude a significant variables of inflowing sewage amount. The sewage admission was the largest in spring and summer periods. Sewage volume interval most often occurring at the WTP in Przysieki was the one between 320 and 480 m3•d-1, for Kołaczyce between 290 and 320 m3•d-1 and Szebnie between 120 and 240 m3•d-1.

Improved metabolic control in tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4), responsive phenylketonuria with sapropterin administered in two divided doses vs. a single daily dose.

Science.gov (United States)

Kör, Deniz; Yılmaz, Berna Şeker; Bulut, Fatma Derya; Ceylaner, Serdar; Mungan, Neslihan Önenli

2017-07-26

Phenylketonuria (PKU) often requires a lifelong phenylalanine (Phe)-restricted diet. Introduction of 6R-tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) has made a huge difference in the diets of patients with PKU. BH4 is the co-factor of the enzyme phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) and improves PAH activity and, thus, Phe tolerance in the diet. A limited number of published studies suggest a pharmacodynamic profile of BH4 more suitable to be administered in divided daily doses. After a 72-h BH4 loading test, sapropterin was initiated in 50 responsive patients. This case-control study was conducted by administering the same daily dose of sapropterin in group 1 (n=24) as a customary single dose or in two divided doses in group 2 (n=26) over 1 year. Mean daily consumption of Phe increased significantly after the first year of BH4 treatment in group 2 compared to group 1 (p<0.05). At the end of the first year of treatment with BH4, another dramatic difference observed between the two groups was the ability to transition to a Phe-free diet. Eight patients from group 2 and two from group 1 could quit dietary restriction. When given in two divided daily doses, BH4 was more efficacious than a single daily dose in increasing daily Phe consumption, Phe tolerance and the ability to transition to a Phe-unrestricted diet at the end of the first year of treatment.

MO-FG-BRA-05: Next Generation Radiotherapy Biomaterials Loaded With Gold Nanoparticles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cifter, G; Ngwa, W [Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA (United States); Univ Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA (United States); Sajo, E [Univ Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA (United States); Korideck, H; Cormack, R; Makrigiorgos, G [Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA (United States); Kumar, R [Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA (United States); Northeastern University, Boston, MA (United States); Sridhar, S [Northeastern University, Boston, MA (United States)

2015-06-15

Purpose: It has been proposed that routinely used inert radiotherapy (RT) biomaterials (e.g. fiducials, spacers) can be upgraded to smarter ones by coating/loading them with radiosensitizing gold nanoparticles (GNPs), for sustained in-situ release after implantation to enhance RT. In this work, we developed prototypes of such RT biomaterials and investigated the sustained release of GNPs from the biomaterials as a function of design parameters. Methods: Prototype smart biomaterials were produced by incorporating the GNPs in poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) polymer millirods during the gel phase of production. For comparison, commercially available spacers were also coated with a polymer film loaded with fluorescent GNP. Optical/spectroscopy methods were used to monitor in vitro release of GNPs over time as a function of different design parameters: polymer weighting, type, and initial (loading) GNP concentrations. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry was employed to verify GNP release. Results: Results showed that gold nanoparticles could be successfully loaded in the new RT biomaterial prototypes. Burst release of GNPs could be achieved within 1 to 25 days depending on the preparation approach. Burst release was followed by sustained release profile over time. The amount of released GNP increased with increasing loading concentration as expected. The release profiles could also be customized as a function of polymer weighting, or preparation approaches. Conclusion: Considered together, our results highlight potential for the development of next generation RT biomaterials loaded with GNPs customizable to different RT schedules. Such biomaterials could be employed as needed instead of currently used inert spacers/fiducials at no additional inconvenience to patients, to enhance RT.

MO-FG-BRA-05: Next Generation Radiotherapy Biomaterials Loaded With Gold Nanoparticles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cifter, G; Ngwa, W; Sajo, E; Korideck, H; Cormack, R; Makrigiorgos, G; Kumar, R; Sridhar, S

2015-01-01

Purpose: It has been proposed that routinely used inert radiotherapy (RT) biomaterials (e.g. fiducials, spacers) can be upgraded to smarter ones by coating/loading them with radiosensitizing gold nanoparticles (GNPs), for sustained in-situ release after implantation to enhance RT. In this work, we developed prototypes of such RT biomaterials and investigated the sustained release of GNPs from the biomaterials as a function of design parameters. Methods: Prototype smart biomaterials were produced by incorporating the GNPs in poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) polymer millirods during the gel phase of production. For comparison, commercially available spacers were also coated with a polymer film loaded with fluorescent GNP. Optical/spectroscopy methods were used to monitor in vitro release of GNPs over time as a function of different design parameters: polymer weighting, type, and initial (loading) GNP concentrations. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry was employed to verify GNP release. Results: Results showed that gold nanoparticles could be successfully loaded in the new RT biomaterial prototypes. Burst release of GNPs could be achieved within 1 to 25 days depending on the preparation approach. Burst release was followed by sustained release profile over time. The amount of released GNP increased with increasing loading concentration as expected. The release profiles could also be customized as a function of polymer weighting, or preparation approaches. Conclusion: Considered together, our results highlight potential for the development of next generation RT biomaterials loaded with GNPs customizable to different RT schedules. Such biomaterials could be employed as needed instead of currently used inert spacers/fiducials at no additional inconvenience to patients, to enhance RT

Fabrication of interconnected microporous biomaterials with high hydroxyapatite nanoparticle loading

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Wei; Yao Donggang; Zhang Qingwei; Lelkes, Peter I; Zhou, Jack G

2010-01-01

Hydroxyapatite (HA) is known to promote osteogenicity and enhance the mechanical properties of biopolymers. However, incorporating a large amount of HA into a porous biopolymer still remains a challenge. In the present work, a new method was developed to produce interconnected microporous poly(glycolic-co-lactic acid) (PLGA) with high HA nanoparticle loading. First, a ternary blend comprising PLGA/PS (polystyrene)/HA (40/40/20 wt%) was prepared by melt blending under conditions for formation of a co-continuous phase structure. Next, a dynamic annealing stage under small-strain oscillation was applied to the blend to facilitate nanoparticle redistribution. Finally, the PS phase was sacrificially extracted, leaving a porous matrix. The results from different characterizations suggested that the applied small-strain oscillation substantially accelerated the migration of HA nanoparticles during annealing from the PS phase to the PLGA phase; nearly all HA particles were uniformly presented in the PLGA phase after a short period of annealing. After dissolution of the PS phase, a PLGA material with interconnected microporous structure was successfully produced, with a high HA loading above 30 wt%. The mechanisms beneath the experimental observations, particularly on the enhanced particle migration process, were discussed, and strategies for producing highly particle loaded biopolymers with interconnected microporous structures were proposed.

Outgoing Longwave Radiation Daily Climate Data Record (OLR Daily CDR)

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The product contains the 1-degree by 1-degree daily mean outgoing longwave radiation flux at the top of the atmosphere derived from HIRS radiance observations...

Emotion Unchained: Facial Expression Modulates Gaze Cueing under Cognitive Load.

Science.gov (United States)

Pecchinenda, Anna; Petrucci, Manuel

2016-01-01

Direction of eye gaze cues spatial attention, and typically this cueing effect is not modulated by the expression of a face unless top-down processes are explicitly or implicitly involved. To investigate the role of cognitive control on gaze cueing by emotional faces, participants performed a gaze cueing task with happy, angry, or neutral faces under high (i.e., counting backward by 7) or low cognitive load (i.e., counting forward by 2). Results show that high cognitive load enhances gaze cueing effects for angry facial expressions. In addition, cognitive load reduces gaze cueing for neutral faces, whereas happy facial expressions and gaze affected object preferences regardless of load. This evidence clearly indicates a differential role of cognitive control in processing gaze direction and facial expression, suggesting that under typical conditions, when we shift attention based on social cues from another person, cognitive control processes are used to reduce interference from emotional information.

Daily dynamics of emerging pollutants in a sewer network (région Centre, France)

Science.gov (United States)

Thiebault, Thomas; Réty, Maxime; Jacob, Jérémy; Destandau, Emilie; Fougère, Laetitia; Morio, Cédric

2017-04-01

As any catchment, cities are characterized by important flux of various materials. The specificity of urban socio-ecosystems lies in the nature of these materials that mainly result from human activities or are man-made. An important issue concerns emerging pollutants for which an understanding of their temporal dynamics is crucial to better forecast flux and adapt remediation treatments before waters are released in the environment. This study aims at better understanding the socio-economic drivers of emerging pollutants temporal dynamics by monitoring, on a daily basis during 85 consecutive days, a series of fifty illicit drugs and pharmaceuticals as well as their metabolites in a sewer network that collects wastewater from 90,000 inhabitants and upstream a wastewater plant. Flow-enslaved composite samples were automatically collected over 24h, then filtered, and target compounds were concentrated by solid-phase extraction before quantitation by HPLC-MS. Concentrations were converted into mass loads per population equivalent by several corrections (i) the flow, (ii) the solid/liquid partition and the molar ratio between target residue and parent-compound (iii) the number of population-equivalent on the catchment and (iv) the excretion rate of target residue. The large dataset obtained, combined to a literature survey, allows us discussing several issues. (1) Calculated daily mass loads of pharmaceuticals are in agreement with literature data for comparable cities except for to anti-inflammatory drugs: ketoprofen that shows the highest values and ibuprofen that displays the lowest values. This would attest to local therapeutic preference that remains to be explained. Daily mass loads for illicit drugs are lower than those measured in more populated cities, except for tetrahydrocannabinol that exceeds the highest reported values. (2) Consumption estimates of pharmaceutical based on our approach are very close to theoretical values from the literature. Additionally

daily nigerian nigerian nigerian peak load forec peak load forec

African Journals Online (AJOL)

User

company. Basic operating functions such as u commitment, economic dispatch, fuel scheduli and unit ... analysis or contingency analysis [1]. 8035134769 ... A neural network of relatively smaller size than the main prediction relatively smaller ...

Stream Water, Carbon and Total Nitrogen Load Responses to a Simulated Emerald Ash Borer Infestation in Black Ash Dominated Headwater Wetlands

Science.gov (United States)

Van Grinsven, M. J.; Shannon, J.; Noh, N. J.; Kane, E. S.; Bolton, N. W.; Davis, J.; Wagenbrenner, J.; Sebestyen, S. D.; Kolka, R.; Pypker, T. G.

2017-12-01

The rapid and extensive expansion of emerald ash borer (EAB) is considered an important ecological and economic disturbance, and will likely affect critical ecosystem services associated with black ash wetlands. It is unknown how EAB-induced disturbance in wetlands dominated with black ash will impact stream water, dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and total dissolved nitrogen (TDN) export dynamics. We hypothesized that loads of water, DOC and TDN exported from black ash wetlands would be elevated following an EAB-induced disturbance. Stream water, DOC and TDN loads exiting two black ash wetlands in headwater watersheds in Michigan were quantified over a four-year period, and were combined with wetland soil temperature and soil decomposition rate monitoring to better understand the biogeochemical implications of an EAB-induced disturbance. After a two-year baseline monitoring period, an EAB disturbance was simulated by felling (ash-cut) all black ash trees with diameters greater than 2.5-cm in one wetland. When compared to the unaltered control, stream water DOC and TDN concentrations exiting the ash-cut wetland were significantly larger by 39% and 38%, respectively during the post-treatment study period. The significantly elevated DOC and TDN concentrations were likely associated with the higher soil temperatures and increased rates of soil decomposition detected in the ash-cut site during the post-treatment period. No significant mean daily stream discharge differences were detected between treatments during the pre-treatment period, however the 0.46 mm d-1 mean daily stream discharge exiting the ash-cut wetland was significantly smaller than the 1.07 mm d-1 exiting the unaltered control during the post-treatment study period. The significantly smaller daily stream discharge in the ash-cut site likely contributed to the fact no significant differences between treatments for either mean daily DOC loads or TDN loads were detected during the post-treatment period

High working memory load impairs the effect of cognitive reappraisal on emotional response: Evidence from an event-related potential study.

Science.gov (United States)

Gan, Shuzhen; Yang, Jianfeng; Chen, Xuhai; Zhang, Xiuping; Yang, Yufang

2017-02-03

This study investigates how the working memory (WM) load influenced the efficacy of cognitive reappraisal, a frequently used strategy for emotion regulation. In a dual-task paradigm, the participants were required to perform a high-load or a low-load memory task and simultaneously reappraise aversive pictures with a negative or a neutral meaning. In the low-load condition, we found that the amplitude of emotion-enhanced late positive potential (LPP) was significantly decreased by neutral reappraisal compared to negative reappraisal. In the high-load condition, this regulatory effect of reappraisal disappeared. These results suggest that successful reappraisal relies on cognitive resources and WM processes. If the necessary resources involved in reappraisal are over-depleted by a concurrent memory task, the reappraisal effect will be impaired. Moreover, we found that emotion-enhanced LPP was significant in both of the high-load and low-load tasks, which suggests that emotional electrocortical response may not be susceptible to the available resources. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Logistiline Daily Service / Paavo Kangur

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Kangur, Paavo, 1966-

2005-01-01

Sügisel ostis Leedu endise majandusministri Valetntinas Milaknise firma Daily Service ära kõik bürootarvetemüüja Reval Impexi aktsiad. 300 miljoni kroonise aastakäibega firma Eesti tütarettevõte prognoosib oma tänavuseks käibeks 31,2 miljonit krooni. Lisa: Daily Service'i struktuur

Distribution load forecast with interactive correction of horizon loads

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Glamochanin, V.; Andonov, D.; Gagovski, I.

1994-01-01

This paper presents the interactive distribution load forecast application that performs the distribution load forecast with interactive correction of horizon loads. It consists of two major parts implemented in Fortran and Visual Basic. The Fortran part is used for the forecasts computations. It consists of two methods: Load Transfer Coupling Curve Fitting (LTCCF) and load Forecast Using Curve Shape Clustering (FUCSC). LTCCF is used to 'correct' the contaminated data because of load transfer among neighboring distribution areas. FUCSC uses curve shape clustering to forecast the distribution loads of small areas. The forecast for each small area is achieved by using the shape of corresponding cluster curve. The comparison of forecasted loads of the area with historical data will be used as a tool for the correction of the estimated horizon load. The Visual Basic part is used to provide flexible interactive user-friendly environment. (author). 5 refs., 3 figs

Daily job demands and employee work engagement: The role of daily transformational leadership behavior.

Science.gov (United States)

Breevaart, Kimberley; Bakker, Arnold B

2018-07-01

Using job demands-resources (JD-R) theory, the present study integrates the challenge stressor-hindrance stressor framework and leadership theory to investigate the relationship between daily transformational leadership behavior and employee work engagement. We hypothesized that daily transformational leadership behavior (a) sustains employee work engagement on days characterized by high challenge job demands, and (b) protects work engagement on days characterized by high hindrance job demands. Teachers filled out a short online questionnaire at the end of each workday during a 2-week period (N = 271 × 5.68 days = 1539). Results of latent moderated structural equation modeling showed that teachers' daily challenge demands (workload and cognitive demands) had a positive relationship with work engagement on the days transformational leadership was high (vs. low). In addition, teachers' daily hindrance demands (role-conflict, but not family to work conflict) had a negative relationship with work engagement on the days transformational leadership was low (vs. high). These findings show that the function of transformational leadership behavior changes from day to day, and depends on the type of job demand. We discuss the practical and theoretical implications of these findings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Productive and counterproductive job crafting: A daily diary study.

Science.gov (United States)

Demerouti, Evangelia; Bakker, Arnold B; Halbesleben, Jonathon R B

2015-10-01

The present study aims to uncover the way daily job crafting influences daily job performance (i.e., task performance, altruism, and counterproductive work behavior). Job crafting was conceptualized as "seeking resources," "seeking challenges," and "reducing demands" and viewed as strategies individuals use to optimize their job characteristics. We hypothesized that daily job crafting relates to daily job demands and resources (work pressure and autonomy), which consequently relate to daily work engagement and exhaustion and ultimately to job performance. A sample of 95 employees filled in a quantitative diary for 5 consecutive working days (n occasions = 475). We predicted and found that daily seeking resources was positively associated with daily task performance because daily autonomy and work engagement increased. In contrast, daily reducing demands was detrimental for daily task performance and altruism, because employees lower their daily workload and consequently their engagement and exhaustion, respectively. Only daily seeking challenges was positively (rather than negatively) associated with daily counterproductive behavior. We conclude that employee job crafting can have both beneficial and detrimental effects on job performance. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Multiobjective Optimal Algorithm for Automatic Calibration of Daily Streamflow Forecasting Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yi Liu

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Single-objection function cannot describe the characteristics of the complicated hydrologic system. Consequently, it stands to reason that multiobjective functions are needed for calibration of hydrologic model. The multiobjective algorithms based on the theory of nondominate are employed to solve this multiobjective optimal problem. In this paper, a novel multiobjective optimization method based on differential evolution with adaptive Cauchy mutation and Chaos searching (MODE-CMCS is proposed to optimize the daily streamflow forecasting model. Besides, to enhance the diversity performance of Pareto solutions, a more precise crowd distance assigner is presented in this paper. Furthermore, the traditional generalized spread metric (SP is sensitive with the size of Pareto set. A novel diversity performance metric, which is independent of Pareto set size, is put forward in this research. The efficacy of the new algorithm MODE-CMCS is compared with the nondominated sorting genetic algorithm II (NSGA-II on a daily streamflow forecasting model based on support vector machine (SVM. The results verify that the performance of MODE-CMCS is superior to the NSGA-II for automatic calibration of hydrologic model.

Synergistically enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen evolution performance of ZnCdS by co-loading graphene quantum dots and PdS dual cocatalysts under visible light

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Fang; Su, Yanhong; Min, Shixiong; Li, Yanan; Lei, Yonggang; Hou, Jianhua

2018-04-01

Here, we report that the co-loading of graphene quantum dots (GQDs) and PdS dual cocatalysts on ZnCdS surface achieves a high efficiency photocatalytic H2 evolution under visible light (≥420 nm). The GQDs/ZnCdS/PdS photocatalyst was prepared by a facile two steps: hydrothermal coupling of GQDs on ZnCdS surface followed by an in-situ chemical deposition of PdS. The resulted GQDs/ZnCdS/PdS exhibits a H2 evolution rate of 517 μmol h-1, which is 15, 7, and 1.7 times higher than that of pure ZnCdS, GQDs/ZnCdS, and ZnCdS/PdS, respectively, demonstrating the synergistic effects of GQDs and PdS dual cocatalysts. A high apparent quantum efficiency (AQE) up to 22.4% can be achieved over GQDs/ZnCdS/PdS at 420 nm. GQDs/ZnCdS/PdS also has a relatively good stability. Such a considerable enhancement of photocatalytic activity was attributable to the co-loading of the GQDs and PdS as respective reduction and oxidation cocatalysts, leading to an efficient charge separation and surface reactions.

Manufacture of Daily Check Device and Efficiency Evaluation for Daily Q.A

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Chan Yong; Jae, Young Wan; Park, Heung Deuk; Lee, Jae Hee

2005-01-01

Daily Q.A is the important step which must be preceded in a radiation treatment. Specially, radiation output measurement and laser alignment, SSD indicator related to a patient set-up recurrence must be confirmed for a reasonable radiation treatment. Daily Q.A proceeds correctness and a prompt way, and needs an objective measurement basis. Manufacture of the device which can facilitate confirmation of output measurement and appliances check at one time was requested. Produced the phantom formal daily check device which can confirm a lot of appliances check (output measurement and laser alignment. field size, SSD indicator) with one time of set up at a time, and measurement observed a linear accelerator (4 machine) for four months and evaluated efficiency. We were able to confirm an laser alignment, field size, SSD indicator check at the same time, and out put measurement was possible with the same set up, so daily Q.A time was reduced, and we were able to confirm an objective basis about each item measurement. As a result of having measured for four months, output measurement within ±2%, and measured laser alignment, field size, SSD indicator in range within ±1 mm. We can enforce output measurement and appliances check conveniently, and time was reduced and was able to raise efficiency of business. We were able to bring a cost reduction by substitution expensive commercialized equipment. Further It is necessary to makes a product as strong and slight materials, and improve convenience of use.

Temperature and seasonality influences on Spanish electricity load

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pardo, Angel; Meneu, Vicente; Valor, Enric

2002-01-01

Deregulation of the Spanish electricity market in 1998 and the possible listing of electricity or weather derivative contracts have encouraged the study of the relationship between electricity demand and weather in Spain. In this paper, a transfer function intervention model is developed for forecasting daily electricity load from cooling and heating degree-days. The influence of weather and seasonality is proved, and is significant even when the autoregressive effects and the dynamic specification of the temperature are taken into account. The estimated general model shows a high predictive power. The results and information presented in this paper could be of interest for current users and potential traders in the deregulated Spanish electricity market

Temperature and seasonality influences on Spanish electricity load

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pardo, Angel; Meneu, Vicente [Departamento de Economia Financiera y Matematica, Facultad de Economia, Avda. de los Naranjos s/n., Edificio Departamental Oriental, Universidad de Valencia, 46022 Valencia (Spain); Valor, Enric [Departamento de Termodinamica, Universidad de Valencia, 46100 Burjassot, Valencia (Spain)

2002-01-01

Deregulation of the Spanish electricity market in 1998 and the possible listing of electricity or weather derivative contracts have encouraged the study of the relationship between electricity demand and weather in Spain. In this paper, a transfer function intervention model is developed for forecasting daily electricity load from cooling and heating degree-days. The influence of weather and seasonality is proved, and is significant even when the autoregressive effects and the dynamic specification of the temperature are taken into account. The estimated general model shows a high predictive power. The results and information presented in this paper could be of interest for current users and potential traders in the deregulated Spanish electricity market.

Nitrogen concentrations and loads for the Connecticut River at Middle Haddam, Connecticut, computed with the use of autosampling and continuous measurements of water quality for water years 2009 to 2014

Science.gov (United States)

Mullaney, John R.; Martin, Joseph W.; Morrison, Jonathan

2018-03-20

The daily and annual loads of nitrate plus nitrite and total nitrogen for the Connecticut River at Middle Haddam, Connecticut, were determined for water years 2009 to 2014. The analysis was done with a combination of methods, which included a predefined rating curve method for nitrate plus nitrite and total nitrogen for water years 2009 to 2011 and a custom rating curve method that included sensor measurements of nitrate plus nitrite nitrogen concentration and turbidity along with mean daily flow to determine total nitrogen loads for water years 2011 to 2014. Instantaneous concentrations of total nitrogen were estimated through the use of a regression model based on sensor measurements at 15-minute intervals of nitrate plus nitrite nitrogen and turbidity for water years 2011 to 2014.Annual total nitrogen loads at the Connecticut River at Middle Haddam ranged from 12,900 to 19,200 metric tons, of which about 42 to 49 percent was in the form of nitrate plus nitrite. The mean 95-percent prediction intervals on daily total nitrogen load estimates were smaller from the custom model, which used sensor data, than those calculated by the predefined model.Annual total nitrogen load estimates at the Connecticut River at Middle Haddam were compared with the upstream load estimates at the Connecticut River at Thompsonville, Conn. Annual gains in total nitrogen loads between the two stations ranged from 3,430 to 6,660 metric tons. These increases between the two stations were attributed to the effects of increased urbanization and to combined annual discharges of 1,540 to 2,090 metric tons of nitrogen from 24 wastewater treatment facilities in the drainage area between the two stations. The contribution of total nitrogen from wastewater discharge between the two stations had declined substantially before the beginning of this study and accounted for from 31 to 52 percent of the gain in nitrogen load between the Thompsonville and Middle Haddam sites.

Hypericin-loaded nanoparticles for the photodynamic treatment of ovarian cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Zeisser-Labouèbe, Magali; Lange, Norbert; Gurny, Robert; Delie, Florence

2006-12-01

A photodynamic approach has been suggested to improve diagnosis and therapy of ovarian cancer. As Hypericin (Hy), a natural photosensitizer (PS) extracted from Hypericum perforatum, has been shown to be efficient in vitro and in vivo for the detection or treatment of other cancers, Hy could also be a potent tool for the treatment and detection of ovarian cancer. Due to its hydrophobicity, systemic administration of Hy is problematic. Thus, polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) of polylactic acid (PLA) or polylactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) were used as a drug delivery system. Hy-loaded NPs were produced with the following characteristics: (i) size in the 200-300 nm range, (ii) negative zeta potential, (iii) low residual PVAL and (iv) drug loading from 0.03 to 0.15% (w/w). Their in vitro photoactivity was investigated on the NuTu-19 ovarian cancer cell model derived from Fischer 344 rats and compared to free drug. Hy-loaded PLA NPs exhibited a higher photoactivity than free drug. Increasing light dose or incubation time with cells induced an enhanced activity of Hy-loaded PLA NPs. Increased NP drug loading had a negative effect on their photoactivity on NuTu-19 cells: at the same Hy concentration, the higher was the drug loading, the lower was the phototoxic effect. The influence of NP drug loading on the Hy release from NPs was also investigated.

A crossmodal crossover: opposite effects of visual and auditory perceptual load on steady-state evoked potentials to irrelevant visual stimuli.

Science.gov (United States)

Jacoby, Oscar; Hall, Sarah E; Mattingley, Jason B

2012-07-16

Mechanisms of attention are required to prioritise goal-relevant sensory events under conditions of stimulus competition. According to the perceptual load model of attention, the extent to which task-irrelevant inputs are processed is determined by the relative demands of discriminating the target: the more perceptually demanding the target task, the less unattended stimuli will be processed. Although much evidence supports the perceptual load model for competing stimuli within a single sensory modality, the effects of perceptual load in one modality on distractor processing in another is less clear. Here we used steady-state evoked potentials (SSEPs) to measure neural responses to irrelevant visual checkerboard stimuli while participants performed either a visual or auditory task that varied in perceptual load. Consistent with perceptual load theory, increasing visual task load suppressed SSEPs to the ignored visual checkerboards. In contrast, increasing auditory task load enhanced SSEPs to the ignored visual checkerboards. This enhanced neural response to irrelevant visual stimuli under auditory load suggests that exhausting capacity within one modality selectively compromises inhibitory processes required for filtering stimuli in another. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Capitalizing on Everyday Positive Events Uniquely Predicts Daily Intimacy and Well-Being in Couples Coping with Breast Cancer

Science.gov (United States)

Otto, Amy K.; Laurenceau, Jean-Philippe; Siegel, Scott D.; Belcher, Amber J.

2017-01-01

Capitalization is the relational process of savoring positive life events by sharing them with responsive relationship partners. The purpose of the present study was to use dyadic intensive longitudinal methods to examine novel hypotheses regarding links between capitalization processes and daily intimacy and well-being in women with breast cancer and their intimate partners. While couples coping with cancer often experience an increase in negative daily life events, we hypothesized that it would be important for them also to share and capitalize on positive events in addition to sharing negative events. Female patients with early-stage breast cancer and their intimate partners (99 couples) completed electronic daily diaries for 7 to 10 consecutive days tapping everyday processes of sharing negative and positive events with each other. Dyadic multilevel process modeling revealed that on days when capitalization attempts (i.e., sharing the best event of the day) occurred, daily feelings of intimacy in the sharer were higher for both patients and partners. Moreover, greater perceived partner responsiveness (PPR) to capitalization attempts was associated with increases in the sharer’s daily feelings of intimacy and decreases in the sharer’s daily negative affect. When the patient’s partner was the sharer, PPR was also associated with increased daily positive affect. Importantly, all effects of capitalization were observed above and beyond the effects of event positivity and sharing negative events (i.e., social support attempts). Findings suggest that, even in the midst of significant life adversity, sharing daily good news with intimate partners enhances relationship well-being independently of sharing bad news. PMID:25528074

U.S. Daily Surface Data (COOP Daily/Summary of Day)

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — U.S. Daily Surface Data consists of several closely related data sets: DSI-3200, DSI-3202, DSI-3206, and DSI-3210. These are archived at the National Climatic Data...

Micromotions at the taper interface between stem and neck adapter of a bimodular hip prosthesis during activities of daily living.

Science.gov (United States)

Jauch, Sabrina Yvonne; Huber, Gerd; Sellenschloh, Kay; Haschke, Henning; Baxmann, Marc; Grupp, Thomas M; Morlock, Michael M

2013-08-01

The stem-neck taper interface of bimodular hip endoprostheses bears the risk of micromotions that can result in ongoing corrosion due to removal of the passive layer and ultimately cause implant fracture. We investigated the extent of micromotions at the stem-neck interface and the seating behavior of necks of one design made from different alloys during daily activities. Modular hip prostheses (n = 36, Metha®, Aesculap AG, Germany) with neck adapters (CoCr29Mo6 or Ti6Al4V) were embedded in PMMA (ISO 7206-4) and exposed to cyclic loading with peak loads ranging from walking (Fmax  = 2.3 kN) to stumbling (Fmax  = 5.3 kN). Translational and rotational micromotions at the taper interface and seating characteristics during assembly and loading were determined using four eddy-current sensors. Seating during loading after implant assembly was dependent on load magnitude but not on material coupling. Micromotions in the stem-neck interface correlated positively with load levels (CoCr: 2.6-6.3 µm, Ti: 4.6-13.8 µm; p < 0.001) with Ti neck adapters exhibiting significantly larger micromotions than CoCr (p < 0.001). These findings explain why high body weights and activities related to higher loads could increase the risk of fretting-induced implant failures in clinical application, especially for Ti-Ti combinations. Still, the role of taper seating is not clearly understood. Copyright © 2013 Orthopaedic Research Society.

Risk perception and intention to quit among a tri-ethnic sample of nondaily, light daily, and moderate/heavy daily smokers.