WorldWideScience

Sample records for greatly expanded number

  1. Particle creation and particle number in an expanding universe

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Parker, Leonard

    2012-01-01

    I describe the logical basis of the method that I developed in 1962 and 1963 to define a quantum operator corresponding to the observable particle number of a quantized free scalar field in a spatially-flat isotropically expanding (and/or contracting) universe. This work also showed for the first time that particles were created from the vacuum by the curved spacetime of an expanding spatially-flat Friedmann–Lemaître–Robertson–Walker (FLRW) universe. The same process is responsible for creating the nearly scale-invariant spectrum of quantized perturbations of the inflaton scalar field during the inflationary stage of the expansion of the universe. I explain how the method that I used to obtain the observable particle number operator involved adiabatic invariance of the particle number (hence, the name adiabatic regularization) and the quantum theory of measurement of particle number in an expanding universe. I also show how I was led in a surprising way, to the discovery in 1964 that there would be no particle creation by these spatially-flat FLRW universes for free fields of any integer or half-integer spin satisfying field equations that are invariant under conformal transformations of the metric. The methods I used to define adiabatic regularization for particle number were based on generally-covariant concepts like adiabatic invariance and measurement that were fundamental and determined results that were unique to each given adiabatic order. This article is part of a special issue of Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and Theoretical in honour of Stuart Dowker's 75th birthday devoted to ‘Applications of zeta functions and other spectral functions in mathematics and physics’. (paper)

  2. Beyond the numbers: expanding the boundaries of neuropsychology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Perry, William

    2009-02-01

    Beyond the Numbers: Expanding the Boundaries of Neuropsychology was Dr Perry's 2007 presidential address in the annual conference of the National Academy of Neuropsychology. In his address he discussed the achievements of the science of neuropsychology and highlighted some areas that exemplified the expansion of the boundaries of neuropsychology. These areas are: (i) the study of neuropsychological functioning in new or non-traditional populations, particularly seemingly healthy people and people with non-brain diseases; (ii) the interface of cognition and genetics; (iii) the use of the process approach as a means of understanding brain functioning; and (iv) a translational application to the science of neuropsychology.

  3. Beyond the Numbers: Expanding the Boundaries of Neuropsychology†

    Science.gov (United States)

    Perry, William

    2009-01-01

    Beyond the Numbers: Expanding the Boundaries of Neuropsychology was Dr Perry's 2007 presidential address in the annual conference of the National Academy of Neuropsychology. In his address he discussed the achievements of the science of neuropsychology and highlighted some areas that exemplified the expansion of the boundaries of neuropsychology. These areas are: (i) the study of neuropsychological functioning in new or non-traditional populations, particularly seemingly healthy people and people with non-brain diseases; (ii) the interface of cognition and genetics; (iii) the use of the process approach as a means of understanding brain functioning; and (iv) a translational application to the science of neuropsychology. PMID:19395354

  4. Is the number of photons conserved in an expanding universe

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Novello, M.; Oliveira, L.A.R. de; Salim, J.M.

    1988-01-01

    A Friedman - like scenario in which - due to gravitational interaction - the total number of photons existing in the Universe changes as the Universe expands, is described. The photon number distribution function, in thermal equilibrium, exhibits an explicit dependence on a non-vanishing chemical potential term. This non-null value for the chemical potential of the photon is due to the presence of tidal effects, arising from the direct coupling of the photons - which, in a gravitational field, should not be treated as idealized point-like objects - to the curvature of space-time. As a result, the ratio nγ/n B between the numbers of photons and baryons in the Universe is shown to be not a constat, but rather a function of cosmic time, vanishing when the singularity of the standard FRW model is reached. In consequence, some of the supposed 'fundamental problems' of standard Cosmology (e.g., the explanation of the constancy of the ration nγ/n B and thus of the origin fo the total ammount of entropy observed today) are but apparent ones in the present scenario, and may be ipso facto solved. (author) [pt

  5. The adventure of numbers

    CERN Document Server

    Godefroy, Gilles

    2004-01-01

    Numbers are fascinating. The fascination begins in childhood, when we first learn to count. It continues as we learn arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and so on. Eventually, we learn that numbers not only help us to measure the world, but also to understand it and, to some extent, to control it. In The Adventure of Numbers, Gilles Godefroy follows the thread of our expanding understanding of numbers to lead us through the history of mathematics. His goal is to share the joy of discovering and understanding this great adventure of the mind. The development of mathematics has been punctuated by a n

  6. Second Generation Self-Inflating Tissue Expanders: A Two-Year Experience

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jamal Omran Al Madani

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Background. Tissue expansion is a well-established surgical technique that produces an additional amount of normal skin to cover a defect. This technique is appealing because the skin quality and color are from the patient’s own. The widely used injectable expanders are of great reliability but carry the disadvantage of being painful during injection and most of the time require multiple clinic visits. So the idea of self-inflation became attractive and hydrogel expanders were developed and became widely known for being painless during clinic visit and decrease number of visits. The first generation expanders were modified by adding an enclosing plastic shell to decrease the unopposed expansion that occurred in the first generation expanders, which lead to pressure necrosis of the skin flaps. This made it an attractive option for tissue expansion in children and some adult patients. Patients, Materials, and Methods. Charts of 17 patients were retrospectively reviewed, all of them had second generation self-inflating expanders implanted over a 2-year period for one of two purposes, the treatment of giant nevi or burn scars. Results. Fifteen patients were females and 2 were males. The indication was large burn scar in 14 cases (14/17, in which 47/55 expanders were implanted, and giant nevus in 3/17 cases in which 8/55 expanders were implanted. Extrusion of the expander occurred in 8/55 expanders (14.5%, which occurred in 6/14 patients. The highest percentage of extrusion occurred in the neck in which two out of three expanders extruded; otherwise this complication does not seem to be related to the indication, gender, nor age of the patients. It seems to be that it is technical in nature. The patients did not have to get any injections to fill the tissue expanders, which made the expansion process less painful and more convenient. Conclusion. This seems to be currently the largest published review in which second generation expanders were used

  7. Atypical memory B cells are greatly expanded in individuals living in a malaria-endemic area1

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weiss, Greta E; Crompton, Peter D.; Li, Shanping; Walsh, Laura A.; Moir, Susan; Traore, Boubacar; Kayentao, Kassoum; Ongoiba, Aissata; Doumbo, Ogobara K.; Pierce, Susan K.

    2009-01-01

    Epidemiological observations in malaria endemic areas have long suggested a deficiency in the generation and maintenance of B cell memory to Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) in individuals chronically reinfected with the parasite. Recently, a functionally and phenotypically distinct population of FCRL4+ hypo-responsive memory B cells (MBCs) was reported to be expanded in HIV-infected individuals with high viral loads. Here we provide evidence that a phenotypically similar atypical MBC population is significantly expanded in Pf-exposed Malian adults and children as young as two years of age as compared to healthy U.S. adult controls. The number of these atypical MBCs was higher in children with chronic asymptomatic Pf infections compared to uninfected children suggesting that the chronic presence of the parasite may drive expansion of these distinct MBCs. This is the first description of an atypical MBC phenotype associated with malaria. Understanding the origin and function of these MBCs could be important in informing the design of malaria vaccines. PMID:19592645

  8. Interleukin-3 greatly expands non-adherent endothelial forming cells with pro-angiogenic properties

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lachlan M. Moldenhauer

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available Circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs provide revascularisation for cardiovascular disease and the expansion of these cells opens up the possibility of their use as a cell therapy. Herein we show that interleukin-3 (IL3 strongly expands a population of human non-adherent endothelial forming cells (EXnaEFCs with low immunogenicity as well as pro-angiogenic capabilities in vivo, making their therapeutic utilisation a realistic option. Non-adherent CD133+ EFCs isolated from human umbilical cord blood and cultured under different conditions were maximally expanded by day 12 in the presence of IL3 at which time a 350-fold increase in cell number was obtained. Cell surface marker phenotyping confirmed expression of the hematopoietic progenitor cell markers CD133, CD117 and CD34, vascular cell markers VEGFR2 and CD31, dim expression of CD45 and absence of myeloid markers CD14 and CD11b. Functional experiments revealed that EXnaEFCs exhibited classical properties of endothelial cells (ECs, namely binding of Ulex europaeus lectin, up-take of acetylated-low density lipoprotein and contribution to EC tube formation in vitro. These EXnaEFCs demonstrated a pro-angiogenic phenotype within two independent in vivo rodent models. Firstly, a Matrigel plug assay showed increased vascularisation in mice. Secondly, a rat model of acute myocardial infarction demonstrated reduced heart damage as determined by lower levels of serum creatinine and a modest increase in heart functionality. Taken together, these studies show IL3 as a potent growth factor for human CD133+ cell expansion with clear pro-angiogenic properties (in vitro and in vivo and thus may provide clinical utility for humans in the future.

  9. States with a great number of quasi-particles in even lead isotopes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Auger, G.; Manfredi, V.R.

    1975-01-01

    The even lead isotopes have been studied by means of a spectral distribution calculation in the sub-spaces defined by their number of quasi-particles. The comparison with results obtained in the thin isotopes shows that the overlap of the various sub-spaces is strongly dependent on the residual interaction used; namely, states with a great number of quasi-particles do exist in the low energy part of the spectra. The problem of spurious states implied by this method, states responsible for an over-estimation of the sub-space coupling, is treated and various corrections are proposed for the dimensions as well as for the centroids and widths of the sub-spaces [fr

  10. Neutrinos in an expanding Universe

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wigmans, Richard

    2015-01-01

    The Universe contains several billion neutrinos for each nucleon. In this paper, we follow the history of these relic neutrinos as the Universe expanded. At present, their typical velocity is a few hundred km/s and, therefore, their spectra are affected by gravitational forces. This may have led to a phenomenon that could explain two of todays great mysteries: The large-scale structure of the Universe and the increasing rate at which it expands. (paper)

  11. Patient organizations in Finland: increasing numbers and great variation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Toiviainen, Hanna K; Vuorenkoski, Lauri H; Hemminki, Elina K

    2010-09-01

    There is very little research on patient organizations (POs), even though their numbers and influence seem to be increasing. The purpose of this study was to describe the establishment, membership, size, organization, decision making and basic funding of national POs in Finland. National POs (n = 130) were identified from their umbrella organizations and by Internet searches. Data were collected from POs' web pages (87% of POs had one), Finland's Slot Machine Association (RAY, an important public financier of POs), a relevant survey done by a local TV-company, and interviews and written materials of POs. Some current national POs were established around the turn of the 19(th) century. The rate of establishment of new POs increased from the 1970s and particularly in the 1990s when POs were characterized by increasing specialization. POs focused on different patient groups and diseases and were founded by philanthropists, physicians, patients, parents and the drug industry. Members could be patients, patient relatives, health-care professionals and organizations. POs widely varied in memberships (20-145 000, in 2002) and in number of paid personnel (0-1395, in 2002), organizational structure and decision making. Interest groups and financiers were often represented in decision-making organs. Activities included mutual support and service production, and, increasingly, informing and lobbying. POs had wide domestic and international co-operation and networking. Drug industry marketing was visible on PO web pages. Budget sizes varied (4000-15 million euros, in 2001). The main public financier was RAY. The old national POs were large and part of national social and health care, but newer ones were often established for mutual support and lobbying. National POs are not uniform but characterized by great variation. The number of national POs is increasing suggesting tighter competition for financing and visibility in the future.

  12. The Politics of the Great Brain Race: Public Policy and International Student Recruitment in Australia, Canada, England and the USA

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sá, Creso M.; Sabzalieva, Emma

    2018-01-01

    As the number of globally mobile students has expanded, governments are assumed to be consistently and intentionally competing for talent, in what has been called a "great brain race". While the notion of competition has become dominant, there is little evidence on long-term policy dynamics in this field, not only across jurisdictions…

  13. The Great Attractor: At the Limits of Hubble's Law of the Expanding Universe.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Murdin, Paul

    1991-01-01

    Presents the origin and mathematics of Hubble's Law of the expanding universe. Discusses limitations to this law and the related concepts of standard candles, elliptical galaxies, and streaming motions, which are conspicuous deviations from the law. The third of three models proposed as explanations for streaming motions is designated: The Great…

  14. DISRUPTIVE TECHNOLOGIES: AN EXPANDED VIEW

    OpenAIRE

    JAMES M. UTTERBACK; HAPPY J. ACEE

    2005-01-01

    The term "disruptive technology" as coined by Christensen (1997, The Innovator's Dilemma; How New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail. Harvard Business School Press) refers to a new technology having lower cost and performance measured by traditional criteria, but having higher ancillary performance. Christensen finds that disruptive technologies may enter and expand emerging market niches, improving with time and ultimately attacking established products in their traditional markets. This...

  15. The expanding universe

    CERN Document Server

    Lew, Kristi

    2011-01-01

    People have always been fascinated with the stars above and the universe that contains them. Over the years, astronomers have developed numerous theories to explain how the universe began, how it works, and what its ultimate fate will be. But all of the scientists' questions are far from answered. The Expanding Universe goes beyond the creation of the universe to explain how scientists think the universe works, grows, and changes, including what great thinkers Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein had to say about its fate. Readers will also learn about how researchers are slowly shedding light on

  16. A Rapidly Expanding Bose-Einstein Condensate: An Expanding Universe in the Lab

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eckel, S.; Kumar, A.; Jacobson, T.; Spielman, I. B.; Campbell, G. K.

    2018-04-01

    We study the dynamics of a supersonically expanding, ring-shaped Bose-Einstein condensate both experimentally and theoretically. The expansion redshifts long-wavelength excitations, as in an expanding universe. After expansion, energy in the radial mode leads to the production of bulk topological excitations—solitons and vortices—driving the production of a large number of azimuthal phonons and, at late times, causing stochastic persistent currents. These complex nonlinear dynamics, fueled by the energy stored coherently in one mode, are reminiscent of a type of "preheating" that may have taken place at the end of inflation.

  17. Turbulent Flame Speed Scaling for Positive Markstein Number Expanding Flames in Near Isotropic Turbulence

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chaudhuri, Swetaprovo; Wu, Fujia; Law, Chung

    2012-11-01

    In this work we clarify the role of Markstein diffusivity on turbulent flame speed and it's scaling, from analysis and experimental measurements on constant-pressure expanding flames propagating in near isotropic turbulence. For all C0-C4 hydrocarbon-air mixtures presented in this work and recently published C8 data from Leeds, the normalized turbulent flame speed data of individual mixtures approximately follows the recent theoretical and experimental ReT, f 0 . 5 scaling, where the average radius is the length scale and thermal diffusivity is the transport property. We observe that for a constant ReT, f 0 . 5 , the normalized turbulent flame speed decreases with increasing Mk. This could be explained by considering Markstein diffusivity as the large wavenumber, flame surface fluctuation dissipation mechanism. As originally suggested by the theory, replacing thermal diffusivity with Markstein diffusivity in the turbulence Reynolds number definition above, the present and Leeds dataset could be scaled by the new ReT, f 0 . 5 irrespective of the fuel considered, equivalence ratio, pressure and turbulence intensity for positive Mk flames. This work was supported by the Combustion Energy Frontier Research Center funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Basic Energy Sciences under Award Number DE-SC0001198 and by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research.

  18. GWDC Expands High-End Market Share

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    2008-01-01

    @@ It is a decision of great significance for GWDC to expand high-end market share in order to realize its transformation of development strategy and improve its development quality. As an important step of GWDC to explore high-end market, Oman PDO Project marks the first time that the Chinese petroleum engineering service team cooperates with the transnational petroleum corporations ranking first three in the world.

  19. Nitrogen expander cycles for large capacity liquefaction of natural gas

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chang, Ho-Myung; Park, Jae Hoon; Gwak, Kyung Hyun [Hong Ik University, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Seoul, 121-791 (Korea, Republic of); Choe, Kun Hyung [Korea Gas Corporation, Incheon, 406-130 (Korea, Republic of)

    2014-01-29

    Thermodynamic study is performed on nitrogen expander cycles for large capacity liquefaction of natural gas. In order to substantially increase the capacity, a Brayton refrigeration cycle with nitrogen expander was recently added to the cold end of the reputable propane pre-cooled mixed-refrigerant (C3-MR) process. Similar modifications with a nitrogen expander cycle are extensively investigated on a variety of cycle configurations. The existing and modified cycles are simulated with commercial process software (Aspen HYSYS) based on selected specifications. The results are compared in terms of thermodynamic efficiency, liquefaction capacity, and estimated size of heat exchangers. The combination of C3-MR with partial regeneration and pre-cooling of nitrogen expander cycle is recommended to have a great potential for high efficiency and large capacity.

  20. Nitrogen expander cycles for large capacity liquefaction of natural gas

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chang, Ho-Myung; Park, Jae Hoon; Gwak, Kyung Hyun; Choe, Kun Hyung

    2014-01-01

    Thermodynamic study is performed on nitrogen expander cycles for large capacity liquefaction of natural gas. In order to substantially increase the capacity, a Brayton refrigeration cycle with nitrogen expander was recently added to the cold end of the reputable propane pre-cooled mixed-refrigerant (C3-MR) process. Similar modifications with a nitrogen expander cycle are extensively investigated on a variety of cycle configurations. The existing and modified cycles are simulated with commercial process software (Aspen HYSYS) based on selected specifications. The results are compared in terms of thermodynamic efficiency, liquefaction capacity, and estimated size of heat exchangers. The combination of C3-MR with partial regeneration and pre-cooling of nitrogen expander cycle is recommended to have a great potential for high efficiency and large capacity.

  1. Nitrogen expander cycles for large capacity liquefaction of natural gas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chang, Ho-Myung; Park, Jae Hoon; Gwak, Kyung Hyun; Choe, Kun Hyung

    2014-01-01

    Thermodynamic study is performed on nitrogen expander cycles for large capacity liquefaction of natural gas. In order to substantially increase the capacity, a Brayton refrigeration cycle with nitrogen expander was recently added to the cold end of the reputable propane pre-cooled mixed-refrigerant (C3-MR) process. Similar modifications with a nitrogen expander cycle are extensively investigated on a variety of cycle configurations. The existing and modified cycles are simulated with commercial process software (Aspen HYSYS) based on selected specifications. The results are compared in terms of thermodynamic efficiency, liquefaction capacity, and estimated size of heat exchangers. The combination of C3-MR with partial regeneration and pre-cooling of nitrogen expander cycle is recommended to have a great potential for high efficiency and large capacity

  2. A Rapidly Expanding Bose-Einstein Condensate: An Expanding Universe in the Lab

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. Eckel

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available We study the dynamics of a supersonically expanding, ring-shaped Bose-Einstein condensate both experimentally and theoretically. The expansion redshifts long-wavelength excitations, as in an expanding universe. After expansion, energy in the radial mode leads to the production of bulk topological excitations—solitons and vortices—driving the production of a large number of azimuthal phonons and, at late times, causing stochastic persistent currents. These complex nonlinear dynamics, fueled by the energy stored coherently in one mode, are reminiscent of a type of “preheating” that may have taken place at the end of inflation.

  3. Exploiting the X-Window environment to expand the number, reach, and usefulness of Fermilab accelerator control consoles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cahill, K.; Smedinghoff, J.

    1992-01-01

    The Fermilab accelerator operator workstation of choice is now the Digital VAX station running VMS and X-Window software. This new platform provides an easy to learn programming environment while support routines are expanding in number and power. The X-Window environment is exploited to provide remote consoles to users across long haul networks and to support multiple consoles on a single workstation. The integration of imaging systems, local datalogging, commercial and Physics community's software, and development facilities on the operator workstation adds functionality to the system. The locally engineered knob/pointer/keyboard interface solves the multiple keyboard and mouse problems of a multi-screen console. This paper will address these issues of Fermilab's accelerator operator workstations. (author)

  4. Intermittency Statistics in the Expanding Solar Wind

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cuesta, M. E.; Parashar, T. N.; Matthaeus, W. H.

    2017-12-01

    The solar wind is observed to be turbulent. One of the open questions in solar wind research is how the turbulence evolves as the solar wind expands to great distances. Some studies have focused on evolution of the outer scale but not much has been done to understand how intermittency evolves in the expanding wind beyond 1 AU (see [1,2]). We use magnetic field data from Voyager I spacecraft from 1 to 10AU to study the evolution of statistics of magnetic discontinuities. We perform various statistical tests on these discontinuities and make connections to the physical processes occurring in the expanding wind.[1] Tsurutani, Bruce T., and Edward J. Smith. "Interplanetary discontinuities: Temporal variations and the radial gradient from 1 to 8.5 AU." Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics 84.A6 (1979): 2773-2787.[2] Greco, A., et al. "Evidence for nonlinear development of magnetohydrodynamic scale intermittency in the inner heliosphere." The Astrophysical Journal 749.2 (2012): 105.

  5. Crowd Around: Expanding Your Donor Pool with Crowdfunding

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jarrell, Andrea

    2013-01-01

    At most institutions, annual fund-giving is down. Crowdfunding sites allow people with a great idea or worthy cause to bypass traditional funding methods and take their case directly to web-savvy investors and donors. This article describes how higher education institutions are expanding their donor pool through such crowdfunding sites as USEED,…

  6. The economic impact of fluid properties data on expander plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Elliott, D.G.; Chen, J.J.; Brown, T.S.; Sloan, E.D.; Kidnay, A.J.

    1991-01-01

    A number of factors led to design changes that improved the efficiency of expander plants during the 1970's, including the development of equations of state, the desire to increase ethane recoveries and the availability of accurate fluid properties data. The relative importance of fluid properties data in the development of two such design changes - the addition of side reboilers and the use of a subcooled, high-pressure demethanizer - is examined in this paper. simulations of several plants were performed and a comparison of two existing plants was made to estimate the savings in operating and capital costs in these two cases. The savings found far outweigh the cost of acquiring the data that helped to make the design changes possible. This would be of great interest to the petroleum industry in respect to gas processing and production

  7. AstroCom NYC: Expanding the Partnership

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paglione, Timothy; Ford, Saavik; Agueros, Marcel A.; Mac Low, Mordecai-Mark; Robbins, Dennis

    2015-01-01

    AstroCom NYC is an undergraduate mentoring program designed to improve urban minority student access to opportunities in astrophysical research by greatly enhancing partnerships between research astronomers in New York City (City University of New York - an MSI, American Museum of Natural History, and Columbia). AstroCom NYC provides centralized, personalized mentoring as well as financial and academic support, to CUNY undergraduates throughout their studies, plus the resources and opportunities to further CUNY faculty research with students. The goal is that students' residency at AMNH helps them build a sense of belonging in the field, and readies and inspires them for graduate study. AstroCom NYC provides a rigorous Methods of Scientific Research course developed specifically to this purpose, a laptop, research and career mentors, outreach activities, scholarships and stipends, Metrocards, and regular assessment for maximum effectiveness. Stipends in part alleviate the burdens at home typical for CUNY students so they may concentrate on their academic success. AMNH serves as the central hub for our faculty and students, who are otherwise dispersed among all five boroughs of the City. For our second cohort, we dramatically improved the application and screening process, implemented a number of tools to evaluate their potential for grad school, and began growing a network of potential hosts for summer internships around NY State and the US. We review these implementations and outcomes, as well as plans for Year 3, when we expect many of our current students to compete for external summer REUs, and after greatly expanding the program reach through a NASA community college initiative.

  8. A low absolute number of expanded transcripts is involved in myotonic dystrophy type 1 manifestation in muscle

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Gudde, A.E.; Gonzalez-Barriga, A.; Broek, W.J. van den; Wieringa, B.; Wansink, D.G.

    2016-01-01

    Muscular manifestation of myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1), a common inheritable degenerative multisystem disorder, is mainly caused by expression of RNA from a (CTG.CAG)n-expanded DM1 locus. Here, we report on comparative profiling of expression of normal and expanded endogenous or transgenic

  9. ExpandED Options: Learning beyond High School Walls

    Science.gov (United States)

    ExpandED Schools, 2014

    2014-01-01

    Through ExpandED Options by TASC, New York City high school students get academic credit for learning career-related skills that lead to paid summer jobs. Too many high school students--including those most likely to drop out--are bored or see classroom learning as irrelevant. ExpandED Options students live the connection between mastering new…

  10. Engineering Manpower Bulletin, Number 16.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Engineers Joint Council, New York, NY. Engineering Manpower Commission.

    This bulletin presents the highlights of an evaluation of today's engineering graduates as seen by the managers of engineering, manufacturing and technical marketing in a major electrical equipment manufacturing company. Today's engineer is seen as far more productive than his predecessor. The computer has greatly expanded his productive capacity.…

  11. Earliest Cucurbita from the Great Lakes, Northern USA

    Science.gov (United States)

    Monaghan, G. William; Lovis, William A.; Egan-Bruhy, Kathryn C.

    2006-03-01

    Directly dated Cucurbita from archaeological sites near Lake Huron expand the range and human usage of adventive, cultivated wild gourds or squash into the Great Lakes region, USA, by 4000 14C yr BP. The data also show that domesticated C. pepo squash was cultivated there by 3000 14C yr BP. Although milder Hypsithermal climate may have been a contributing factor, squash and gourds expanded northward during the mid-Holocene mainly by human agency and may be the first human-introduced adventive plant in temperate North America. Even after 3000 14C yr BP, when domesticated squash generally replaced wild varieties at northern sites, squash stands were probably informally managed rather than intensively cultivated.

  12. Large Area Crop Inventory Experiment (LACIE). Detecting and monitoring agricultural vegetative water stress over large areas using LANDSAT digital data. [Great Plains

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thompson, D. R.; Wehmanen, O. A. (Principal Investigator)

    1978-01-01

    The author has identified the following significant results. The Green Number Index technique which uses LANDSAT digital data from 5X6 nautical mile sampling frames was expanded to evaluate its usefulness in detecting and monitoring vegetative water stress over the Great Plains. At known growth stages for wheat, segments were classified as drought or non drought. Good agreement was found between the 18 day remotely sensed data and a weekly ground-based crop moisture index. Operational monitoring of the 1977 U.S.S.R. and Australian wheat crops indicated drought conditions. Drought isoline maps produced by the Green Number Index technique were in good agreement with conventional sources.

  13. Expanding Research Concerning Family Influences on Career Development: Cultivating a Number of Brown Spots

    Science.gov (United States)

    Whiston, Susan C.; Keller, Briana K.

    2004-01-01

    We would like to begin by thanking the respondents for their thoughtful analyses of our review, particularly for their scholarly suggestions for expanding the research on the association between the family of origin and career development across the lifespan. In our opinion, each of the five responses to our article provides significant insights…

  14. NUMBER AND STRUCTURE OF MEDICAL STAFF IN THE SIBERIAN CITIES IN THE GREAT PATRIOTIC WAR OF 1941-1945

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yuliya A. Davidova

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available A dynamics of the number of medical personnel Siberian cities in the Great Patriotic war is analyzed in the article. The author studies quantity and structure of senior and low-grade medical personnel of healthcare institutions, shows its impact on medical and sanitarian anti-epidemic work, as well as considers methods of decision of personnel problem in the region. The study is based on analysis of documents of the State Archive of the Russian Federation, the Russian State Archive of Socio-Political History, the Russian State Archive of Economy and the Regional Archives of the Siberian cities.

  15. Plans and progress for building a Great Lakes fauna DNA barcode reference library

    Science.gov (United States)

    DNA reference libraries provide researchers with an important tool for assessing regional biodiversity by allowing unknown genetic sequences to be assigned identities, while also providing a means for taxonomists to validate identifications. Expanding the representation of Great...

  16. Tissue expander infections in children: look beyond the expander pocket.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mason, A C; Davison, S P; Manders, E K

    1999-11-01

    Infection of the expander pocket is the most common complication encountered with soft-tissue expansion. It is usually due to direct inoculation with skin flora either at the time of expander insertion or from extrusion of the device. The authors report two cases of infection of tissue expanders in which the children had concomitant infected sites distant from the prosthesis. Etiological bacteria of common pediatric infections like otitis media and pharyngitis were cultured from the infected expander pocket, raising suspicion that translocation of the organism to the expander had occurred. Aggressive antibiotic treatment, removal of the prosthesis, and flap advancement is advocated.

  17. Expanded and combined uncertainty in measurements by GM counters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stankovic, K.; Arandjic, D.; Lazarevic, Dj.; Osmokrovic, P.

    2007-01-01

    This paper deals with possible ways of obtaining expanded and combined uncertainty in measurements for four types of GM counters with a same counter's tube, in cases when the contributors of these uncertainties are cosmic background radiation and induced overvoltage phenomena. Nowadays, as a consequence of electromagnetic radiation, the latter phenomenon is especially marked in urban environments. Based on experimental results obtained, it has been established that the uncertainties of an influenced random variable 'number of pulses from background radiation' and 'number of pulses induced by overvoltage' depend on the technological solution of the counter's reading system and contribute in different ways to the expanded and combined uncertainty in measurements of the applied types of GM counters. (author)

  18. Numerical simulation of three-dimensional unsteady flow in a scroll expander applied in waste heat recovery

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Song, P P; Wei, M S; Shi, L; Ma, C C

    2013-01-01

    Three-dimensional numerical simulations of a scroll expander were performed with dynamic mesh technology. R245fa was selected as the working fluid in the simulations. The PISO algorithm was applied to solve the governing equations with RNG k-ε turbulent model. The distribution and variation of three-dimensional flow field inside the scroll expander were obtained. The research indicates that the flow field is nonuniform and asymmetrical distributions exist inside the expander. Vortex flows also exist in some working chambers. Dynamic clearance leakage flows and inlet orifice throttling have great effects on the flow field distribution. Transient output torque and the mass flux have periodic fluctuations during the working cycles

  19. Resistance evaluation expanded perlite the leaching acid: variation of parameters concentration, time and leaching agent

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Almeida, J.M.F. de; Damasceno Junior, E.; Oliveira, E.S.; Fernandes, N.S.

    2016-01-01

    The expanded perlite is an amorphous aluminosilicate which presents in its composition about 75.0% silicon oxide (SiO2), also having other species in the composition as oxides of some metals. Silicas and silicates have been used in the environmental field, in relevant anti-corrosive activity. In this context, materials that exposes too many highly acidic media, require preservation against this type of wear, as this type of damage causes a great financial loss, thereby requiring low-cost, abundant materials, non-toxic and easy to purchase as some silica coating. The study evaluated the perlite expanded resistance against an acid leaching process. With undeniability the use of strong acids and different working conditions were not able to remove the oxides present on the expanded perlite sample, thus demonstrating the high strength of the expanded perlite against acid attacks. (author)

  20. Parameter Sensitivity Study for Typical Expander-Based Transcritical CO2 Refrigeration Cycles

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bo Zhang

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available A sensitivity study was conducted for three typical expander-based transcritical CO2 cycles with the developed simulation model, and the sensitivities of the maximum coefficient of performance (COP to the key operating parameters, including the inlet pressure of gas cooler, the temperatures at evaporator inlet and gas cooler outlet, the inter-stage pressure and the isentropic efficiency of expander, were obtained. The results showed that the sensitivity to the gas cooler inlet pressure differs greatly before and after the optimal gas cooler inlet pressure. The sensitivity to the intercooler outlet temperature in the two-stage cycles increases sharply to near zero and then keeps almost constant at intercooler outlet temperature of higher than 45 °C. However, the sensitivity stabilizes near zero when the evaporator inlet temperature is very low of −26.1 °C. In two-stage compression with an intercooler and an expander assisting in driving the first-stage compressor (TEADFC cycle, an abrupt change in the sensitivity of maximum COP to the inter-stage pressure was observed, but disappeared after intercooler outlet temperature exceeds 50 °C. The sensitivity of maximum COP to the expander isentropic efficiency increases almost linearly with the expander isentropic efficiency.

  1. Transfinite Numbers

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Transfinite Numbers. What is Infinity? S M Srivastava. In a series of revolutionary articles written during the last quarter of the nineteenth century, the great Ger- man mathematician Georg Cantor removed the age-old mistrust of infinity and created an exceptionally beau- tiful and useful theory of transfinite numbers. This is.

  2. Expandable stents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nesbitt, J C; Carrasco, H

    1996-05-01

    Expandable metallic stents are effective in selected patients with malignant or benign airway stenoses. When used for malignant lesions, the primary purpose of the stent is to improve the quality of life; stents are usually chosen for palliation of symptoms in recognition of the low likelihood of success for other therapy. For patients with benign stenoses, the stents provide a permanent source of structural support to alleviate the narrowed segment. The advantages of the expandable metallic stents are as follows: (1) they can be inserted through an endotracheal tube or under local anesthesia with relative simplicity under fluoroscopic guidance; (2) they do not impair the drainage of sputum because ciliary movement is not interrupted; (3) over a period of a few weeks, the meshwork is gradually covered with mucosa as the stent becomes incorporated into the airway wall; (4) ventilation usually is not impaired if the metallic mesh stent covers another nonstenosed bronchus, because the interstices of the stent are nonobstructive; and (5) they are dynamic and continue to expand over time, particularly if concurrent treatment achieves an effect on the lesion that caused stenosis. Disadvantages of the expandable stent include (1) they often are only temporarily effective for tracheobronchial stenosis due to intraluminal tumor or granulation tissue, both of which can grow between the wires; (2) they are considered permanent stents because removal is difficult; and (3) they can be poorly positioned during placement or can become displaced by progressive migration after placement, and they cannot be repositioned. A relative contraindication to insertion is an inflammatory process or infection that can predispose to granulation formation, particularly at the points of maximal contact pressure of the stent to the airway mucosa. In the presence of inflammation, it may be better to use a silicone prosthesis until the inflammatory process subsides and fibrosis occurs. Granulation

  3. Flame Speed and Self-Similar Propagation of Expanding Turbulent Premixed Flames

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chaudhuri, Swetaprovo; Wu, Fujia; Zhu, Delin; Law, Chung K.

    2012-01-01

    In this Letter we present turbulent flame speeds and their scaling from experimental measurements on constant-pressure, unity Lewis number expanding turbulent flames, propagating in nearly homogeneous isotropic turbulence in a dual-chamber, fan-stirred vessel. It is found that the normalized turbulent flame speed as a function of the average radius scales as a turbulent Reynolds number to the one-half power, where the average radius is the length scale and the thermal diffusivity is the transport property, thus showing self-similar propagation. Utilizing this dependence it is found that the turbulent flame speeds from the present expanding flames and those from the Bunsen geometry in the literature can be unified by a turbulent Reynolds number based on flame length scales using recent theoretical results obtained by spectral closure of the transformed G equation.

  4. An optimized content-aware image retargeting method: toward expanding the perceived visual field of the high-density retinal prosthesis recipients

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Heng; Zeng, Yajie; Lu, Zhuofan; Cao, Xiaofei; Su, Xiaofan; Sui, Xiaohong; Wang, Jing; Chai, Xinyu

    2018-04-01

    Objective. Retinal prosthesis devices have shown great value in restoring some sight for individuals with profoundly impaired vision, but the visual acuity and visual field provided by prostheses greatly limit recipients’ visual experience. In this paper, we employ computer vision approaches to seek to expand the perceptible visual field in patients implanted potentially with a high-density retinal prosthesis while maintaining visual acuity as much as possible. Approach. We propose an optimized content-aware image retargeting method, by introducing salient object detection based on color and intensity-difference contrast, aiming to remap important information of a scene into a small visual field and preserve their original scale as much as possible. It may improve prosthetic recipients’ perceived visual field and aid in performing some visual tasks (e.g. object detection and object recognition). To verify our method, psychophysical experiments, detecting object number and recognizing objects, are conducted under simulated prosthetic vision. As control, we use three other image retargeting techniques, including Cropping, Scaling, and seam-assisted shrinkability. Main results. Results show that our method outperforms in preserving more key features and has significantly higher recognition accuracy in comparison with other three image retargeting methods under the condition of small visual field and low-resolution. Significance. The proposed method is beneficial to expand the perceived visual field of prosthesis recipients and improve their object detection and recognition performance. It suggests that our method may provide an effective option for image processing module in future high-density retinal implants.

  5. Greek (Hesychian κόρος ‘great number of men’ and related words

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elwira Kaczyńska

    2007-12-01

    Full Text Available In this paper one Hesychian gloss is discussed from the historical-comparative point of view. It is suggested that the Ancient Greek appellative κόρος denoting ‘great number of men’ (πλῆθος ὰνθρώπων represents an archaic term (IE. *kóros ‘army, crowd; the people under arms’, which is attested also at the eastern periphery (especially in Iranian and Baltic and the western one (in Lusitanian, cf. Lusit. PN Coro-cuta, Coro-poti, Corobulti and so on. A variant Indo-European form *koryos appears as an appellative in Celtic, Germanic and Baltic, also as a first or second part of the ethnic and personal names (e.g. in Boeotian Greek, Celtic and Germanic. A primitive derivative *koryanos ‘army leader’ is firmly attested in Greek (see Gk. κοίρανος m. ‘ruler, leader, commander (in war or peace’, generally ‘lord, master’, also ‘king’ in the Boeotian dialect, North Germanic (cf. Odin’s by-name Herjann and perhaps in Lusitanian (see Lusit. PN Coriana.

  6. What Expands in an Expanding Universe?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pacheco, José A De Freitas

    2015-01-01

    In the present investigation, the possible effects of the expansion of the Universe on systems bonded either by gravitational or electromagnetic forces, are reconsidered. It will be shown that the acceleration (positive or negative) of the expanding background, is the determinant factor affecting planetary orbits and atomic sizes. In the presently accepted cosmology (ΛCDM) all bonded systems are expanding at a decreasing rate that tends to be zero as the universe enters in a de Sitter phase. It is worth mentioning that the estimated expansion rates are rather small and they can be neglected for all practical purposes.

  7. What Expands in an Expanding Universe?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    JOSÉ A. DE FREITAS PACHECO

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT In the present investigation, the possible effects of the expansion of the Universe on systems bonded either by gravitational or electromagnetic forces, are reconsidered. It will be shown that the acceleration (positive or negative of the expanding background, is the determinant factor affecting planetary orbits and atomic sizes. In the presently accepted cosmology (ΛCDM all bonded systems are expanding at a decreasing rate that tends to be zero as the universe enters in a de Sitter phase. It is worth mentioning that the estimated expansion rates are rather small and they can be neglected for all practical purposes.

  8. Low-profile stent system for treatment of atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis : The GREAT trial

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Sapoval, Marc; Zahringer, Markus; Pattynama, Peter; Rabbia, Claudio; Vignali, Claudio; Maleux, Geert; Boyer, Louis; Szczerbo-Trojanowska, Malgorzata; Jaschke, Werner; Hafsahl, Geir; Downes, Mark; Beregi, Jean Paul; Veeger, Nic; Talen, Aly

    PURPOSE: The Palmaz Genesis Peripheral Stainless Steel Balloon Expandable Stent in Renal Artery Treatment (GREAT) Trial was designed to assess the safety and performance of a low-profile stent for the treatment of obstructive renal artery disease by looking at 6-month renal artery patency uniformly

  9. Self-expandable metal stents in the treatment of benign anastomotic stricture after rectal resection for cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lamazza, A; Fiori, E; Sterpetti, A V; Schillaci, A; Scoglio, D; Lezoche, E

    2014-04-01

    To evaluate the use of self-expandable metallic stents to treat patients with symptomatic benign anastomotic stricture after colorectal resection. Ten patients with a benign symptomatic anastomotic stricture after colorectal resection were treated with endoscopic placement of a self-expandable metal stent. The stent was placed successfully in all 10 patients without any major morbidity. At a mean follow-up of 18 months the stenosis was resolved successfully in 7 out 10 patients (70%). The remaining three patients were subsequently treated successfully with balloon dilatation. Self-expandable metal stents represent a valid alternative to balloon dilatation to treat patients with benign symptomatic anastomotic stricture after colorectal resection for cancer. Colorectal Disease © 2013 The Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland.

  10. The global financial crisis and the Great Recession of 2007-2009.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dore, Mohammed H I; Singh, Rajiv G

    2010-07-01

    This paper is a re-examination of the global financial crisis that began in and was accompanied by the most severe recession since the Great Depression. It builds on our earlier paper (Dore and Singh, 2009) and expands its scope. It is divided into parts. The first part deals with the ideological backdrop in which this crisis occurred, namely the belief in the rationality and stability of all markets including the capital markets, called the 'efficient market hypothesis.' The second part is a survey of the role of income distribution and its relations to aggregate spending and the growing role played by credit in the circular flow of income. The third part examines some features of the business cycle expansion phase of to . The fourth part is a brief report on a nonlinear Vector Error Correction model spanning the period to and how this expansion came to an end. The fifth part is a brief comparison of the Great Recession with the Great Depression. Finally in the sixth part, the international impact of the Great Recession is considered briefly, followed by some conclusions.

  11. Waste Heat-to-Power Using Scroll Expander for Organic Rankine Bottoming Cycle

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dieckmann, John [TIAX LLC, Lexington, MA (United States); Smutzer, Chad [TIAX LLC, Lexington, MA (United States); Sinha, Jayanti [TIAX LLC, Lexington, MA (United States)

    2017-05-30

    The objective of this program was to develop a novel, scalable scroll expander for conversion of waste heat to power; this was accomplished and demonstrated in both a bench-scale system as well as a full-scale system. The expander is a key component in Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) waste heat recovery systems which are used to convert medium-grade waste heat to electric power in a wide range of industries. These types of waste heat recovery systems allow for the capture of energy that would otherwise just be exhausted to the atmosphere. A scroll expander has the benefit over other technologies of having high efficiency over a broad range of operating conditions. The speed range of the TIAX expander (1,200 to 3,600 RPM) enables the shaft power output to directly drive an electric generator and produce 60 Hz electric power without incurring the equipment costs or losses of electronic power conversion. This greatly simplifies integration with the plant electric infrastructure. The TIAX scroll expander will reduce the size, cost, and complexity of a small-scale waste heat recovery system, while increasing the system efficiency compared to the prevailing ORC technologies at similar scale. During this project, TIAX demonstrated the scroll expander in a bench-scale test setup to have isentropic efficiency of 70-75% and operated it successfully for ~200 hours with minimal wear. This same expander was then installed in a complete ORC system driven by a medium grade waste heat source to generate 5-7 kW of electrical power. Due to funding constraints, TIAX was unable to complete this phase of testing, although the initial results were promising and demonstrated the potential of the technology.

  12. Expanding subjectivities

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lundgaard Andersen, Linda; Soldz, Stephen

    2012-01-01

    A major theme in recent psychoanalytic thinking concerns the use of therapist subjectivity, especially “countertransference,” in understanding patients. This thinking converges with and expands developments in qualitative research regarding the use of researcher subjectivity as a tool......-Saxon and continental traditions, this special issue provides examples of the use of researcher subjectivity, informed by psychoanalytic thinking, in expanding research understanding....

  13. Study on the Characteristics of Expander Power Output Used for Offsetting Pumping Work Consumption in Organic Rankine Cycles

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yu-Ting Wu

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available The circulation pump in an organic Rankine cycle (ORC increases the pressure of the liquid working fluid from low condensing pressure to high evaporating pressure, and the expander utilizes the pressure difference to generate work. A portion of the expander output power is used to offset the consumed pumping work, and the rest of the expander power is exactly the net work produced by the ORC system. Because of the relatively great theoretical pumping work and very low efficiency of the circulation pump reported in previous papers, the characteristics of the expander power used for offsetting the pumping work need serious consideration. In particular, the present work examines those characteristics. It is found that the characteristics of the expander power used for offsetting the pumping work are satisfactory only under the condition that the working fluid absorbs sufficient heat in the evaporator and its specific volume at the evaporator outlet is larger than or equal to a threshold value.

  14. Expander graphs in pure and applied mathematics

    OpenAIRE

    Lubotzky, Alexander

    2012-01-01

    Expander graphs are highly connected sparse finite graphs. They play an important role in computer science as basic building blocks for network constructions, error correcting codes, algorithms and more. In recent years they have started to play an increasing role also in pure mathematics: number theory, group theory, geometry and more. This expository article describes their constructions and various applications in pure and applied mathematics.

  15. Expanding the role for psychology in addressing environmental challenges.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clayton, Susan; Devine-Wright, Patrick; Swim, Janet; Bonnes, Mirilia; Steg, Linda; Whitmarsh, Lorraine; Carrico, Amanda

    2016-04-01

    Environmental challenges, though daunting, present an important area for psychologists to apply their knowledge. Psychological theories, research methods, and interventions are essential for examining the questions about human impacts, tendencies, and capacities that are integral to constructing effective responses to these challenges. Although a great deal of relevant research has been done, there is scope for psychologists to be more extensively involved. Following a brief review of existing research, we outline some important new directions. We also highlight 2 key divergences, arguing that psychological research needs to expand beyond a traditional, theory-based and decontextualized approach to environmental issues to incorporate a contextualized or "place-based" approach and a willingness to collaborate in interdisciplinary research teams that focus on specific environmental problems. Suggestions for promoting such interdisciplinary collaborations are reviewed. We encourage psychologists to expand their engagement with important environmental issues through multiple research approaches in order to further their understanding of human behavior, contributions to human well-being, and relevance to other disciplines and to society. (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

  16. Agricultural residues and expanded clay in Oncidium baueri Lindl. orchid cultivation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Matheus Marchezi Mora

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available For orchid cultivation in containers is essential to select the right substrate, since this will influence the quality of the final product, it serve as a support for the root system of the plants. This study aimed to evaluate different agricultural residues and expanded clay in Oncidium baueri Lindl. orchid cultivation. The plants were subjected to treatments: pinus husk + carbonized rice husk, pinus husk + coffee husk, pinus husk + fibered coconut, pecan nut husk, expanded clay, fibered coconut, coffee husk, carbonized rice husk, pinus husk. After eleven months of the experiment, the following variables were evaluated: plant height; largest pseudo-bulb diameter; number of buds; shoot fresh dry matter; the longest root length; number of roots; root fresh matter; root dry matter; and electric conductivity; pH and water retention capacity of the substrates. Except the expanded clay, the other substrates showed satisfactory results in one or more traits. Standing out among these substrates pinus husk + coffee husk and pine bark + fibered coconut, which favored the most vegetative and root characteristic of the orchid. The mixture of pinus husk + coffee husk and pinus husk + fibered coconut, provided the best results in vegetative and root growth of the orchid Oncidium baueri and the expanded clay did not show favorable results in the cultivation of this species.

  17. The 2009 Samoa-Tonga great earthquake triggered doublet

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lay, T.; Ammon, C.J.; Kanamori, H.; Rivera, L.; Koper, K.D.; Hutko, Alexander R.

    2010-01-01

    Great earthquakes (having seismic magnitudes of at least 8) usually involve abrupt sliding of rock masses at a boundary between tectonic plates. Such interplate ruptures produce dynamic and static stress changes that can activate nearby intraplate aftershocks, as is commonly observed in the trench-slope region seaward of a great subduction zone thrust event1-4. The earthquake sequence addressed here involves a rare instance in which a great trench-slope intraplate earthquake triggered extensive interplate faulting, reversing the typical pattern and broadly expanding the seismic and tsunami hazard. On 29 September 2009, within two minutes of the initiation of a normal faulting event with moment magnitude 8.1 in the outer trench-slope at the northern end of the Tonga subduction zone, two major interplate underthrusting subevents (both with moment magnitude 7.8), with total moment equal to a second great earthquake of moment magnitude 8.0, ruptured the nearby subduction zone megathrust. The collective faulting produced tsunami waves with localized regions of about 12metres run-up that claimed 192 lives in Samoa, American Samoa and Tonga. Overlap of the seismic signals obscured the fact that distinct faults separated by more than 50km had ruptured with different geometries, with the triggered thrust faulting only being revealed by detailed seismic wave analyses. Extensive interplate and intraplate aftershock activity was activated over a large region of the northern Tonga subduction zone. ?? 2010 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved.

  18. Dynamics of a radially expanding liquid sheet: Experiments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Majumdar, Nayanika; Tirumkudulu, Mahesh

    2017-11-01

    A recent theory predicts that sinuous waves generated at the center of a radially expanding liquid sheet grow spatially even in absence of a surrounding gas phase. Unlike flat liquid sheets, the thickness of a radially expanding liquid sheet varies inversely with distance from the center of the sheet. To test the predictions of the theory, experiments were carried out on a horizontal, radially expanding liquid sheet formed by collision of a single jet on a solid impactor. The latter was placed on a speaker-vibrator with controlled amplitude and frequency. The growth of sinuous waves was determined by measuring the wave surface inclination angle using reflected laser light under both atmospheric and sub-atmospheric pressure conditions. It is shown that the measured growth rate matches with the predictions of the theory over a large range of Weber numbers for both pressure conditions suggesting that the thinning of the liquid sheet plays a dominant role in setting the growth rate of sinuous waves with minimal influence of the surrounding gas phase on its dynamics. IIT Bombay.

  19. Theodosius Dohzhansky: A Great Inspirer 1

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    the direct personal influence of some of these great scientists on their peers and successors is re~atively small. A very small number of scientists ... studying the evolutionary genetics of speciation in Drosophila. --------~--------43. RESONANCE I ...

  20. Expanding Thurston maps

    CERN Document Server

    Bonk, Mario

    2017-01-01

    This monograph is devoted to the study of the dynamics of expanding Thurston maps under iteration. A Thurston map is a branched covering map on a two-dimensional topological sphere such that each critical point of the map has a finite orbit under iteration. It is called expanding if, roughly speaking, preimages of a fine open cover of the underlying sphere under iterates of the map become finer and finer as the order of the iterate increases. Every expanding Thurston map gives rise to a fractal space, called its visual sphere. Many dynamical properties of the map are encoded in the geometry of this visual sphere. For example, an expanding Thurston map is topologically conjugate to a rational map if and only if its visual sphere is quasisymmetrically equivalent to the Riemann sphere. This relation between dynamics and fractal geometry is the main focus for the investigations in this work.

  1. Role of expanders in helium liquefaction cycles: Parametric studies using Collins cycle

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Thomas, Rijo Jacob; Ghosh, Parthasarathi; Chowdhury, Kanchan

    2011-01-01

    Large scale helium liquefaction/refrigeration plant is a key subsystem of fusion devices. Performance of these plants is dependent on a number of geometric and operating parameters of its constituting components such as compressors, heat exchangers, expanders, valves, etc. Expander has been chosen as the subject matter of analyses in the present study. As the sensible cold of helium vapor is lost in liquefiers, the expanders in liquefaction cycles have to provide more refrigeration than those in refrigeration cycles. The expander parameters such as rate of mass flow, operating pressure, inlet temperature, etc. are inter-dependent, and hence, it is difficult to predict the system behavior with variation of a particular parameter. This necessitates the use of process simulators. Parametric studies have been performed on Collins helium liquefaction cycle using Aspen HYSYS. Collins cycle has all the basic characteristics of a large-scale helium liquefier and the results of this study may be extrapolated to understand the behavior of large scale helium liquefiers. The study shows that the maximum liquid production is obtained when 80% of the compressor flow is diverted through the expanders and it is equally distributed between the two expanders. The relationships between the liquid production and the isentropic efficiency of expanders are almost linear and both the higher and lower temperature expanders exhibit similar trends.

  2. Role of expanders in helium liquefaction cycles: Parametric studies using Collins cycle

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Thomas, Rijo Jacob, E-mail: rijojthomas@gmail.com [Cryogenic Engineering Centre, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, West Bengal 721302 (India); Ghosh, Parthasarathi; Chowdhury, Kanchan [Cryogenic Engineering Centre, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, West Bengal 721302 (India)

    2011-06-15

    Large scale helium liquefaction/refrigeration plant is a key subsystem of fusion devices. Performance of these plants is dependent on a number of geometric and operating parameters of its constituting components such as compressors, heat exchangers, expanders, valves, etc. Expander has been chosen as the subject matter of analyses in the present study. As the sensible cold of helium vapor is lost in liquefiers, the expanders in liquefaction cycles have to provide more refrigeration than those in refrigeration cycles. The expander parameters such as rate of mass flow, operating pressure, inlet temperature, etc. are inter-dependent, and hence, it is difficult to predict the system behavior with variation of a particular parameter. This necessitates the use of process simulators. Parametric studies have been performed on Collins helium liquefaction cycle using Aspen HYSYS. Collins cycle has all the basic characteristics of a large-scale helium liquefier and the results of this study may be extrapolated to understand the behavior of large scale helium liquefiers. The study shows that the maximum liquid production is obtained when 80% of the compressor flow is diverted through the expanders and it is equally distributed between the two expanders. The relationships between the liquid production and the isentropic efficiency of expanders are almost linear and both the higher and lower temperature expanders exhibit similar trends.

  3. Remarks to the creation of particles in an expanding universe

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kreisel, E.

    1976-01-01

    It is shown that one can get spontaneous particle creation in an empty Minkowski-space, if one defines particle-number operator and Hilbert space in a similar way as in publications about particle creation in an expanding universe. Accordingly spontaneous particle creation does not originate in the gravitational field, but is connected with the non-uniqueness of the notion 'particle' and the chosen time-dependent particle- number operator. (author)

  4. Apparatus for forming an explosively expanded tube-tube sheet joint

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schroeder, J.W.

    1984-01-01

    The invention relates to apparatus for expanding a tube into a bore formed in a tube sheet. According to the invention, a primary explosive containing a relatively high number of grains of explosive per unit length extends within the tube coextensive with that portion of the tube to be expanded. An energy transfer cord extends between a detonator and the primary explosive and includes a relatively low number of grains of explosive per unit length which are insufficient to detonate the primary explosive. The transfer cord is covered by a sheath to contain the debris and gases associated with the explosion of the explosive therein. A booster extends between the energy transfer cord and the primary explosive and contains an explosive which can be detonated by the explosive in the energy transfer cord and can, upon exploding, in turn detonate the primary explosive. (author)

  5. Great Lakes Research Review, 1982. Appendices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    1982-11-01

    7D-i53 28 GREAT LAKES RESEARCH REVIEW 1982 PPENDICES (U) / PETROLEUM REFINERY PO INT SOURCE TASK FORCE WINDSOR (ONTARIO) NOV 82UNCLASSIFIED F/G 8...C7 U. 3 X 7 45 1 2 0. ODm C of. C.’ WC.’ L. LI 7 R-Ri53 62B GREAT LKES RESEARCH REVIEW 1982 PPENDICES (U) 2/3 PETROLEUM REFINERY POINT SOURCE TASK...NUMBER ORGANIZATION* TITLE OF PROJECT 001 A** 0300 ERL-D Acute and Early Life Stage Toxicity Testing of Priority Pollutant Chemicals 002 A 0302 ERL-D

  6. Comparison of self-expandable and balloon-expanding stents for hybrid ductal stenting in hypoplastic left heart complex.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goreczny, Sebastian; Qureshi, Shakeel A; Rosenthal, Eric; Krasemann, Thomas; Nassar, Mohamed S; Anderson, David R; Morgan, Gareth J

    2017-07-01

    We aimed to compare the procedural and mid-term performance of a specifically designed self-expanding stent with balloon-expandable stents in patients undergoing hybrid palliation for hypoplastic left heart syndrome and its variants. The lack of specifically designed stents has led to off-label use of coronary, biliary, or peripheral stents in the neonatal ductus arteriosus. Recently, a self-expanding stent, specifically designed for use in hypoplastic left heart syndrome, has become available. We carried out a retrospective cohort comparison of 69 neonates who underwent hybrid ductal stenting with balloon-expandable and self-expanding stents from December, 2005 to July, 2014. In total, 43 balloon-expandable stents were implanted in 41 neonates and more recently 47 self-expanding stents in 28 neonates. In the balloon-expandable stents group, stent-related complications occurred in nine patients (22%), compared with one patient in the self-expanding stent group (4%). During follow-up, percutaneous re-intervention related to the ductal stent was performed in five patients (17%) in the balloon-expandable stent group and seven patients (28%) in self-expanding stents group. Hybrid ductal stenting with self-expanding stents produced favourable results when compared with the results obtained with balloon-expandable stents. Immediate additional interventions and follow-up re-interventions were similar in both groups with complications more common in those with balloon-expandable stents.

  7. Two Types of Expanding Lie Algebra and New Expanding Integrable Systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dong Huanhe; Yang Jiming; Wang Hui

    2010-01-01

    From a new Lie algebra proposed by Zhang, two expanding Lie algebras and its corresponding loop algebras are obtained. Two expanding integrable systems are produced with the help of the generalized zero curvature equation. One of them has complex Hamiltion structure with the help of generalized Tu formula (GTM). (general)

  8. Asymmetric creation of matter and antimatter in the expanding universe

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Papastamatiou, N.J.; Parker, L.

    1979-01-01

    We consider a simple model in which the matter-antimatter asymmetry of the universe is brought about by an effective two-particle interaction that violates baryon-number conservation as well as CP invariance. The particle fields participating in the interaction are quantized, and their time development in an isotropically expanding universe is found to all orders in the coupling constant. Pair production by the asymmetric interaction, as well as symmetric production by the gravitational field of the expanding universe, appear simultaneously in the solution. Taking an initial state in which no particles participating in the asymmetric interaction are present, we find the created baryon-number density. We consider in more detail the case when the matter-antimatter asymmetry is produced during a stage when the radius of the universe is small with respect to its present value. We make numerical estimates of the created matter-antimatter asymmetry, and put limits on possible values of the parameters of this model

  9. Essays on the theory of numbers

    CERN Document Server

    Dedekind, Richard

    1963-01-01

    Two classic essays by great German mathematician: one provides an arithmetic, rigorous foundation for the irrational numbers, the other is an attempt to give the logical basis for transfinite numbers and properties of the natural numbers.

  10. Inextendibility of expanding cosmological models with symmetry

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dafermos, Mihalis [University of Cambridge, Department of Pure Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics, Wilberforce Road, Cambridge CB3 0WB (United Kingdom); Rendall, Alan D [Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics, Albert Einstein Institute, Am Muehlenberg 1, D-14476 Golm (Germany)

    2005-12-07

    A new criterion for inextendibility of expanding cosmological models with symmetry is presented. It is applied to derive a number of new results and to simplify the proofs of existing ones. In particular, it shows that the solutions of the Einstein-Vlasov system with T{sup 2} symmetry, including the vacuum solutions, are inextendible in the future. The technique introduced adds a qualitatively new element to the available tool-kit for studying strong cosmic censorship. (letter to the editor)

  11. Impacts of climate change on freshwater fisheries of the Great Plains

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Regier, H.A.; Holmes, J.A.

    1991-01-01

    The diversity and habitats of fish in Great Plains hydrologic systems are described. Fisheries on the Great Plains consist of commercial, subsistence, and recreational. Direct effects of climate change on Great Plains fisheries will involve temperature and hydrology. Increased temperature could expand suitable habitat for fish with preferred temperatures between 10 and 27.5 degree C by 2.5 times base conditions. Reductions in precipitation will reduce river flows and lake levels, and an overall reduction in habitat for the most preferred species is expected. Indirect effects stem from human responses to climate change, and streams, wetlands and coastal zones will likely bear the brunt of such activity. More river systems may be damned or channelized, which could lead to increases in eutrophication or pollution, most severely affecting the preferred white fishes. Geographical shifts of species in response to climate change will likely favour black fish over grey fish over white fish, and when longitudinal or lateral movement is blocked, local extinctions may occur. 22 refs., 1 tab

  12. Experimental Study in a Cascade Row for Improving the Performance of a Partially Admitted Turbo-Expander

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Soo-Yong Cho

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Turbo-expanders are widely used as power generators in the field of energy conversion such as organic Rankine cycle (ORC systems. When the available thermal energy is not sufficient to operate the turbo-expander in full admission, it is much better to operate in partial admission instead of stand-down. However, the performance of the turbo-expander greatly depends on the operating conditions. Among many operating conditions, the flow angle at the nozzle and solidity can be major factors affecting the performance of the expander. In order to investigate the optimal operation conditions, experiments were conducted in a linear cascade apparatus simulating the operation of turbo-expander in partial admission. Three different nozzle flow angles of 58°, 65°, and 72° were adopted, and the experiments were conducted with respective solidities of 1.25, 1.38, and 1.67 at each nozzle flow angle. The cross section of the nozzle was rectangular and the chord of the tested blade was 200 mm. The blades moved in a rotational direction, and the forces on the blades were measured with the surface pressure at steady state. The experimental results showed that the rotational force increased for a larger solidity or for a smaller nozzle flow angle.

  13. Stability of a Bubble Expanding and Translating Through an Inviscid ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    A bubble expands adiabatically and translates in an incompressible and inviscid liquid. We investigate the number of equilibrium points of the bubble and the nature of stability of the bubble at these points. We find that there is only one equilibrium point and the bubble is stable there.

  14. Can microcarrier-expanded chondrocytes synthesize cartilaginous tissue in vitro?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Surrao, Denver C; Khan, Aasma A; McGregor, Aaron J; Amsden, Brian G; Waldman, Stephen D

    2011-08-01

    Tissue engineering is a promising approach for articular cartilage repair; however, it is challenging to produce adequate amounts of tissue in vitro from the limited number of cells that can be extracted from an individual. Relatively few cell expansion methods exist without the problems of de-differentiation and/or loss of potency. Recently, however, several studies have noted the benefits of three-dimensional (3D) over monolayer expansion, but the ability of 3D expanded chondrocytes to synthesize cartilaginous tissue constructs has not been demonstrated. Thus, the purpose of this study was to compare the properties of engineered cartilage constructs from expanded cells (monolayer and 3D microcarriers) to those developed from primary chondrocytes. Isolated bovine chondrocytes were grown for 3 weeks in either monolayer (T-Flasks) or 3D microcarrier (Cytodex 3) expansion culture. Expanded and isolated primary cells were then seeded in high density culture on Millicell™ filters for 4 weeks to evaluate the ability to synthesize cartilaginous tissue. While microcarrier expansion was twice as effective as monolayer expansion (microcarrier: 110-fold increase, monolayer: 52-fold increase), the expanded cells (monolayer and 3D microcarrier) were not effectively able to synthesize cartilaginous tissue in vitro. Tissues developed from primary cells were substantially thicker and accumulated significantly more extracellular matrix (proteoglycan content: 156%-292% increase; collagen content: 70%-191% increase). These results were attributed to phenotypic changes experienced during the expansion phase. Monolayer expanded chondrocytes lost their native morphology within 1 week, whereas microcarrier-expanded cells were spreading by 3 weeks of expansion. While the use of 3D microcarriers can lead to large cellular yields, preservation of chondrogenic phenotype during expansion is required in order to synthesize cartilaginous tissue.

  15. Expander for Thin-Wall Tubing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pessin, R.

    1983-01-01

    Tool locally expands small-diameter tubes. Tube expander locally expands and deforms tube: Compressive lateral stress induced in elastomeric sleeve by squeezing axially between two metal tool parts. Adaptable to situations in which tube must have small bulge for mechanical support or flow control.

  16. Expanding services in a shrinking economy: desktop document delivery in a dental school library.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gushrowski, Barbara A

    2011-07-01

    How can library staff develop and promote a document delivery service and then expand the service to a wide audience? The setting is the library at the Indiana University School of Dentistry (IUSD), Indianapolis. A faculty survey and a citation analysis were conducted to determine potential use of the service. Volume of interlibrary loan transactions and staff and equipment capacity were also studied. IUSD Library staff created a desktop delivery service (DDSXpress) for faculty and then expanded the service to practicing dental professionals and graduate students. The number of faculty using DDSXpress remains consistent. The number of practicing dental professionals using the service is low. Graduate students have been quick to adopt the service. Through careful analysis of capacity and need for the service, staff successfully expanded document delivery service without incurring additional costs. Use of DDSXpress is continually monitored, and opportunities to market the service to practicing dental professionals are being investigated.

  17. In Vitro Comparison of Self-Expanding Versus Balloon-Expandable Stents in a Human Ex Vivo Model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Grenacher, Lars; Rohde, Stefan; Gaenger, Ellen; Deutsch, Jochen; Kauffmann, Guenter W.; Richter, Goetz M.

    2006-01-01

    The objective was to compare the radial strength and expansile precision of self-expanding stents and balloon-expandable stents in a human cadaver bifurcation model. Seven different self-expanding (LUMINEXX, JOSTENT SelfX, JOSTENT SelfX hrf, Sinus-Repo, Sinus SuperFlex, Easy Wallstent, SMART) and four different balloon-expandable stent models (Palmaz, Sinus Stent, SAXX Medium, JOSTENT peripheral), each type 10 stents (total n = 110 stents) were implanted into the common iliac arteries of human cadaver corpses. The maximum stent diameter was 10 mm for all models. After stent implantation, the specimens were filled with silicone caoutchouc. After 24 h, the vascular walls including the stents were removed from the hardened casts. Diameters were taken and the weight of the cast cylinders was measured in air and in purified water to calculate the volume of the bodies (according to Archimedes Law) as a relative but precise degree for the radial strength of the implanted stents. The cylindrical casts of the self-expanding stents showed lower mean diameters (8.2 ± 1.0 mm) and mean volumes (0.60 ± 0.14 ml/cm) than in the balloon-expandable stent group (10.1 ± 0.3 mm and 0.71 ± 0.04 ml/cm, respectively; p < 0.01). The nominal maximum diameter of 10 mm was not achieved in any of the self-expanding stents, but this was achieved in more than 70% (29/40) of the balloon-expandable stent specimens (p < 0.05). The variation between achieved volumes was significantly larger in self-expanding (range: 0.23-0.78 ml/cm) than in balloon-expandable stents (range: 0.66-0.81 ml/cm; p < 0.05). Self-expanding stents presented considerably lower radial expansion force and lower degree of precision than balloon-expandable stents

  18. The Great Recession was not so Great

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Ours, J.C.

    2015-01-01

    The Great Recession is characterized by a GDP-decline that was unprecedented in the past decades. This paper discusses the implications of the Great Recession analyzing labor market data from 20 OECD countries. Comparing the Great Recession with the 1980s recession it is concluded that there is a

  19. The Artful Universe Expanded

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bassett, B A

    2005-01-01

    The cosmos is an awfully big place and there is no better guide to its vast expanse and fascinating nooks and crannies than John Barrow. A professor of mathematical sciences at Cambridge University, Barrow embodies that rare combination of highly polished writer and expert scientist. His deft touch brings together the disparate threads of human knowledge and weaves them into a tapestry as rich and interesting for the expert as it is for the layperson. The Artful Universe Expanded is an updated edition of this popular book first published in 1995. It explores the deeply profound manner in which natural law and the nature of the cosmos have moulded and shaped us, our cultures and the very form of our arts and music-a new type of 'cosmic' anthropology. The main themes Barrow chooses for revealing this new anthropology are the subjects of evolution, the size of things, the heavens and the nature of music. The book is a large, eclectic repository of knowledge often unavailable to the layperson, hidden in esoteric libraries around the world. It rivals The Da Vinci Code for entertainment value and insights, but this time it is Nature's code that is revealed. It is rare indeed to find common threads drawn through topics as diverse as The Beetles, Bach and Beethoven or between Jackson Pollock, the Aztecs, Kant, Picasso, Byzantine mosaics, uranium-235 and the helix nebula. Barrow unerringly binds them together, presenting them in a stimulating, conversational style that belies the amount of time that must have gone into researching this book. Dip into it at random, or read it from cover to cover, but do read it. The Artful Universe Expanded is an entertaining antidote to the oft-lamented pressures to know more and more about less and less and the apparently inexorable march of specialization. On reading this book one can, for a short time at least, hold in one's mind a vision that unifies science, art and culture and glimpse a universal tapestry of great beauty. (book review)

  20. The Artful Universe Expanded

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bassett, B A [Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation, University of Portsmouth (United Kingdom)

    2005-07-29

    The cosmos is an awfully big place and there is no better guide to its vast expanse and fascinating nooks and crannies than John Barrow. A professor of mathematical sciences at Cambridge University, Barrow embodies that rare combination of highly polished writer and expert scientist. His deft touch brings together the disparate threads of human knowledge and weaves them into a tapestry as rich and interesting for the expert as it is for the layperson. The Artful Universe Expanded is an updated edition of this popular book first published in 1995. It explores the deeply profound manner in which natural law and the nature of the cosmos have moulded and shaped us, our cultures and the very form of our arts and music-a new type of 'cosmic' anthropology. The main themes Barrow chooses for revealing this new anthropology are the subjects of evolution, the size of things, the heavens and the nature of music. The book is a large, eclectic repository of knowledge often unavailable to the layperson, hidden in esoteric libraries around the world. It rivals The Da Vinci Code for entertainment value and insights, but this time it is Nature's code that is revealed. It is rare indeed to find common threads drawn through topics as diverse as The Beetles, Bach and Beethoven or between Jackson Pollock, the Aztecs, Kant, Picasso, Byzantine mosaics, uranium-235 and the helix nebula. Barrow unerringly binds them together, presenting them in a stimulating, conversational style that belies the amount of time that must have gone into researching this book. Dip into it at random, or read it from cover to cover, but do read it. The Artful Universe Expanded is an entertaining antidote to the oft-lamented pressures to know more and more about less and less and the apparently inexorable march of specialization. On reading this book one can, for a short time at least, hold in one's mind a vision that unifies science, art and culture and glimpse a universal tapestry of great

  1. Experimental and Potential Analysis of a Single-Valve Expander for Waste Heat Recovery of a Gasoline Engine

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wenzhi Gao

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, a Rankine cycle test system is established to recover exhaust energy from a 2.0 L gasoline engine. Experiments on the system’s performance are carried out under various working conditions. The experimental results indicate that the recovery power of the expander is strongly related to the load and speed of the gasoline engine. It is found that when the output power of the gasoline engine is 39.8–76.6 kW, the net power of the expander is 1.8–2.97 kW, which is equivalent to 3.9%–4.9% of the engine power. The performance simulation shows that the mass flow rate, power output, and isentropic efficiency of the piston expander are directly determined by the intake valve timing. Selecting a suitable intake valve timing can optimize the performance of the expander. The simulation results show that a 1 kW increment in power can be obtained only by selecting an optimum intake open timing. The experimental results further verify that the single-valve piston expander, because of its small dimensions, simple structure, and high speed, is appropriate, and has great potential for energy recovery of gasoline engine exhaust and has good prospects for engineering applications.

  2. Unmanned Aircraft Systems: Federal Actions Needed to Ensure Safety and Expand Their Potential Uses Within the National Airspace System

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Dillingham, Gerald L; Spisak, Teresa; Fallon, Colin; Giebel, Jim; Gilman, Evan; Hooper, David; Khanna, Jamie; Lentini, Patty; Ormond, Josh; Panwar, Manhav

    2008-01-01

    .... Many factors support the potential for expanded use of UASs. For example, the nation's industrial base has expanded to support military operations and the number of trained UAS operators is increasing as personnel return from overseas duty...

  3. Microbial Biofilms and Breast Tissue Expanders

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Melissa J. Karau

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available We previously developed and validated a vortexing-sonication technique for detection of biofilm bacteria on the surface of explanted prosthetic joints. Herein, we evaluated this technique for diagnosis of infected breast tissue expanders and used it to assess colonization of breast tissue expanders. From April 2008 to December 2011, we studied 328 breast tissue expanders at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA. Of seven clinically infected breast tissue expanders, six (85.7% had positive cultures, one of which grew Propionibacterium species. Fifty-two of 321 breast tissue expanders (16.2%, 95% CI, 12.3–20.7% without clinical evidence of infection also had positive cultures, 45 growing Propionibacterium species and ten coagulase-negative staphylococci. While vortexing-sonication can detect clinically infected breast tissue expanders, 16 percent of breast tissue expanders appear to be asymptomatically colonized with normal skin flora, most commonly, Propionibacterium species.

  4. 76 FR 7757 - Hull Identification Numbers for Recreational Vessels

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-02-11

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY Coast Guard 33 CFR Part 181 [Docket No. USCG-2007-29236] Hull Identification Numbers for Recreational Vessels AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS. ACTION: Follow-up to request for... expanded hull identification number (HIN). The Coast Guard's decision-making process included consideration...

  5. Transfinite Numbers

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    this is a characteristic difference between finite and infinite sets and created an immensely useful branch of mathematics based on this idea which had a great impact on the whole of mathe- matics. For example, the question of what is a number (finite or infinite) is almost a philosophical one. However Cantor's work turned it ...

  6. Looking for trouble? Diagnostics expanding disease and producing patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hofmann, Bjørn

    2018-05-23

    Novel tests give great opportunities for earlier and more precise diagnostics. At the same time, new tests expand disease, produce patients, and cause unnecessary harm in overdiagnosis and overtreatment. How can we evaluate diagnostics to obtain the benefits and avoid harm? One way is to pay close attention to the diagnostic process and its core concepts. Doing so reveals 3 errors that expand disease and increase overdiagnosis. The first error is to decouple diagnostics from harm, eg, by diagnosing insignificant conditions. The second error is to bypass proper validation of the relationship between test indicator and disease, eg, by introducing biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease before the tests are properly validated. The third error is to couple the name of disease to insignificant or indecisive indicators, eg, by lending the cancer name to preconditions, such as ductal carcinoma in situ. We need to avoid these errors to promote beneficial testing, bar harmful diagnostics, and evade unwarranted expansion of disease. Accordingly, we must stop identifying and testing for conditions that are only remotely associated with harm. We need more stringent verification of tests, and we must avoid naming indicators and indicative conditions after diseases. If not, we will end like ancient tragic heroes, succumbing because of our very best abilities. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  7. In Vitro assessment of the nutritive value of expanded soybean meal for dairy cattle

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elwakeel Eman A

    2012-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Little information is available about the nutritive value of expanded soybean meal, which is produced by expansion of soybeans prior to solvent extraction of the oil. During processing, expanded soybean meal is subjected to additional heat, which might increase the concentration of ruminally undegraded protein. Processing of soybeans with heat during oil extraction could affect lysine availability by increasing ruminally undegraded protein or by impairing intestinal digestion. Our objective was to compare solvent and expanded soybeans with regard to chemical composition and nutritive value for dairy cattle. Samples of expanded soybean meal (n = 14 and solvent-extracted soybean meal (n = 5 were obtained from People's Republic of China to study effects of the expansion process on nutritive value for dairy cattle. Solvent-extracted soybean meal (n = 2 and mechanically extracted (heated soybean meal (n = 2 from the United States served as references for comparison. Samples were analyzed for crude fat, long-chain fatty acids, crude protein, amino acids, chemically available lysine, in situ ruminal protein degradation, and in vitro intestinal digestibility. No differences were found between solvent-extracted soybean meals from China and expanded soybean meals from China for crude fat, crude protein, amino acids, or chemically available lysine. In situ disappearance of nitrogen, ruminally undegraded protein content, and in vitro intestinal digestion of the ruminally undegraded protein were generally similar between solvent-extracted soybean meals made in China and expanded soybean meals made in China; variation among soybean meals was small. Results indicate that the additional heat from the expansion process was not great enough to affect the nutritive value of soybean meal protein for ruminants. Although expansion may improve the oil extraction process, the impact on the resulting soybean meal is minimal and does not require consideration

  8. Nonequilibrium quark production in the expanding QCD plasma

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tanji, Naoto; Berges, Jürgen

    2018-02-01

    We perform real-time lattice simulations of nonequilibrium quark production in the longitudinally expanding QCD plasma. Starting from a highly occupied gluonic state with vacuum quark sector, we extract the time evolution of quark and gluon number densities per unit transverse area and rapidity. The total quark number shows after an initial rapid increase an almost linear growth with time. Remarkably, this growth rate appears to be consistent with a simple kinetic theory estimate involving only two-to-two scattering processes in small-angle approximation. This extends previous findings about the role of two-to-two scatterings for purely gluonic dynamics in accordance with the early stages of the bottom-up thermalization scenario.

  9. Hidden Curriculum: An Analysis of Cultural Content of the ELT Textbooks in Inner, Outer, and Expanding Circle Countries

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rashidi, Naser; Meihami, Hussein

    2016-01-01

    Despite the great body of work examining the cultural content of the international and local ELT textbooks, the cultural content and elements of the ELT textbooks in the inner, outer, and expanding circle countries have seldom been reported. That said, the purpose of this study was twofold: first, it was aimed to investigate the cultural content…

  10. Clinical application of self-expandable metallic stents in the treatment of malignant tracheal stenosis under general anesthesia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Weitao; Shi Haibin; Yang Zhengqiang; Liu Sheng; Zhou Chungao; Zhao Linbo; Xia Jinguo; Li Linsun

    2009-01-01

    Objective: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of self-expandable metallic stent placement for the treatment of malignant tracheal stenosis under general anesthesia and fluoroscopic guidance. Methods: Under general anesthesia the placement of self-expandable metallic stent was performed in 10 patients with malignant tracheal stenosis, the procedure was completed under fluoroscopic guidance in all patients. Results: Successful tracheal stenting was achieved in all 10 patients. In one patient, a Y-shaped stent was used as the tracheal carina was involved in the airway stenosis. The symptoms of dyspnea and asthma were markedly improved immediately after the implantation of stent in all patients. Conclusion: Tracheal implantation of self-expandable metallic stent under general anesthesia and fluoroscopic guidance is a safe and effective treatment for malignant tracheal stenosis, it can promptly relieve various symptoms caused by malignant tracheal stenosis and obviously improve patient's living quality, therefore,t his technique is of great value in clinical practice. (authors)

  11. The importance of Northern Dobrogea in the migration of Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    SÁNDOR D. Attila

    2009-09-01

    Full Text Available The Great Cormorants breeding and migrating through Dobrogea belong to the Phalacrocorax carbo sinensis subspecies. It is the subspecies with the most migratory populations out of the 12 subspecies ofGreat Cormorant. The species is in expansion in most regions of Europe, the P. c. sinensis subspecies’ range is expanding the most. In Romania both the number of colonies and their size have increased since 1990. The observed increase was too fast to be based only on the reproduction rate of the original local population. We suspect that a certain degree of the increase is fuelled by cormorants originating from other populations. Out of 667 cormorants ringedduring their nesting period in the Danube Delta 11 (1.64 % were recovered, while there are 15 recoveries of this speciesringed in other countries and recaptured in Dobrogea. Most of the birds ringed in the Danube Delta migrate South, being recovered in Bulgaria (in late summer or autumn and Turkey (in winter, with one out of the range record of a bird observed in the UK. The recoveries from abroad originated from either countries around the Baltic Sea (Denmark, Estonia or from Southern Ukraine and Russia. These recoveries date from autumn (mostly October and November and spring months, with one record in December and January each. As a conclusion, we state that there is a possibility that the population increase is fuelled by immigrant birds, but this assumption should be tested by a large scale capture-recapture study, based on colorringing.

  12. Hadronic Matter with Internal Symmetries and its Consequences: An Expanding Hadronic Gas

    OpenAIRE

    Turko, Ludwik

    1994-01-01

    We consider an ideal gas of massive hadrons in thermal and chemical equilibrium. The gas expands longitudinally in accordance with Bjorken law. Strangeness and baryon number conservation is taken into account. This gas has different features as compared to the pion gas.

  13. Great Depression a Timely Class Topic

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zehr, Mary Ann

    2009-01-01

    This article reports that a number of history and social studies teachers have found that because of the parallels they're able to draw between the current economic crisis and the Great Depression, their students are seeing that history is relevant. They're engaging more deeply in history lessons than they have in previous years. The teachers say…

  14. Great Importance Attached to Intangible Cultural Heritage

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    2005-01-01

    @@ Intangible Cultural Heritage on Verge of Extinction? With the acceleration of globalization and modernization, dramatic changes have taken place in China's cultural ecology: intangible cultural heritage is confronted with great challenges and a lot of orally and behaviorally transmitted cultural heritage disappear one after another; a great deal of traditional craftsmanship is on the verge of extinction; a large number of precious objects and materials of historical and cultural values are destroyed,deserted or lost in foreign countries; arbitrary misuse and excessive exploitation of intangible cultural heritage occur from time to time. Therefore, the protection of intangible cultural heritage brooks no delay.

  15. Silicon microfabricated beam expander

    Science.gov (United States)

    Othman, A.; Ibrahim, M. N.; Hamzah, I. H.; Sulaiman, A. A.; Ain, M. F.

    2015-03-01

    The feasibility design and development methods of silicon microfabricated beam expander are described. Silicon bulk micromachining fabrication technology is used in producing features of the structure. A high-precision complex 3-D shape of the expander can be formed by exploiting the predictable anisotropic wet etching characteristics of single-crystal silicon in aqueous Potassium-Hydroxide (KOH) solution. The beam-expander consist of two elements, a micromachined silicon reflector chamber and micro-Fresnel zone plate. The micro-Fresnel element is patterned using lithographic methods. The reflector chamber element has a depth of 40 µm, a diameter of 15 mm and gold-coated surfaces. The impact on the depth, diameter of the chamber and absorption for improved performance are discussed.

  16. Bigelow Expandable Activity Module Project

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) project is a NASA-industry partnership with Bigelow Aerospace (BA) that has developing the first human-rated expandable...

  17. Regulatory T cells expanded from HIV-1-infected individuals maintain phenotype, TCR repertoire and suppressive capacity.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mathieu Angin

    Full Text Available While modulation of regulatory T cell (Treg function and adoptive Treg transfer are being explored as therapeutic modalities in the context of autoimmune diseases, transplantation and cancer, their role in HIV-1 pathogenesis remains less well defined. Controversy persists regarding their beneficial or detrimental effects in HIV-1 disease, which warrants further detailed exploration. Our objectives were to investigate if functional CD4(+ Tregs can be isolated and expanded from HIV-1-infected individuals for experimental or potential future therapeutic use and to determine phenotype and suppressive capacity of expanded Tregs from HIV-1 positive blood and tissue. Tregs and conventional T cell controls were isolated from blood and gut-associated lymphoid tissue of individuals with HIV-1 infection and healthy donors using flow-based cell-sorting. The phenotype of expanded Tregs was assessed by flow-cytometry and quantitative PCR. T-cell receptor ß-chain (TCR-β repertoire diversity was investigated by deep sequencing. Flow-based T-cell proliferation and chromium release cytotoxicity assays were used to determine Treg suppressive function. Tregs from HIV-1 positive individuals, including infants, were successfully expanded from PBMC and GALT. Expanded Tregs expressed high levels of FOXP3, CTLA4, CD39 and HELIOS and exhibited a highly demethylated TSDR (Treg-specific demethylated region, characteristic of Treg lineage. The TCRß repertoire was maintained following Treg expansion and expanded Tregs remained highly suppressive in vitro. Our data demonstrate that Tregs can be expanded from blood and tissue compartments of HIV-1+ donors with preservation of Treg phenotype, function and TCR repertoire. These results are highly relevant for the investigation of potential future therapeutic use, as currently investigated for other disease states and hold great promise for detailed studies on the role of Tregs in HIV-1 infection.

  18. Chinese IP expands with self-reliance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    1999-05-01

    In 1999, program officers from JOICFP visited five of 10 projects where JOICFP has provided direct assistance during 1993-95 to enhance health education in China's integrated family planning, maternal-child health programs. The JOICFP team and three members of the Chinese National Steering Committee of the Integrated Projects visited project areas in remote and mountainous areas that are characterized by underdevelopment, low income rates, low rates of hospital deliveries, and high rates of parasitic infection. The monitoring team found that all project areas continued the projects after completion of the 3-year period and even expanded efforts to cover other areas. By 1998, more than a million people had been served, which is quadruple the initial target number. The team found that the program could benefit from additional assistance in training new staff to interact with the public and to use IEC (information, education, communication) materials appropriately. One project area, Shaowu City, opened a new Family Health Service Center in August 1998 with a grant from the Japanese Grant Assistance for Grassroots Projects and assistance from its provincial and local government. This Center serves women and children and adolescents on a fee-charged basis and hopes to expand its service area.

  19. Helium turbo-expander with an alternator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Akiyama, Yoshitane

    1980-01-01

    Study was made on a helium turbo-expander, the heart of helium refrigerator systems, in order to develop a system which satisfies the required conditions. A helium turbo-expander with externally pressurized helium gas bearings at the temperature of liquid nitrogen and an alternator as a brake have been employed. The essential difference between a helium turbo-expander and a nitrogen turbo-expander was clarified. The gas bearing lubricated with nitrogen at room temperature and the gas bearing lubricated with helium at low temperature were tested. The flow rate of helium in a helium refrigerator for a large superconducting magnet is comparatively small, therefore a helium turbine must be small, but the standard for large turbine design can be applied to such small turbine. Using the alternator as a brake, the turbo-expander was easily controllable electrically. The prototype turbo-expander was made, and the liquefaction test with it and MHD power generation test were carried out. (Kako, I.)

  20. History of the Great Patriotic War of the Soviet Union, 1941-1945. Volume 6. Results of the Great Patriotic War,

    Science.gov (United States)

    1982-10-06

    Iraq, Iceland, Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Lebanon, Mexico , Netherlands, Nicaragua, New Zealand, Syria, Uruguay, Chile, Ecuador, Ethiopia 4. The number...Great Patriotic War), a collection of docu- ments. Yaroslavl’ Book Publishers, 1960. ALBANIA Banca Nazionale d’Albania. Ufficio studi. Economia albanese

  1. Caudal Regression and Encephalocele: Rare Manifestations of Expanded Goldenhar Complex

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gabriella D’Angelo

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Oculoauriculovertebral spectrum, or Goldenhar Syndrome, is a condition characterized by variable degrees of uni- or bilateral involvement of craniofacial structures, ocular anomalies, and vertebral defects. Its expressivity is variable; therefore, the term “expanded Goldenhar complex” has been coined. The Goldenhar Syndrome usually involves anomalies in craniofacial structures, but it is known that nervous system anomalies, including encephalocele or caudal regression, may, rarely, occur in this condition. We report two rare cases of infants affected by Goldenhar Syndrome, associated with neural tube defects, specifically caudal regression syndrome and nasal encephaloceles, to underline the extremely complex and heterogeneous clinical features of this oculoauriculovertebral spectrum. These additional particular cases could increase the number of new variable spectrums to be included in the “expanded Goldenhar complex.”

  2. The Expanded Public Works Programme: Perspectives of direct beneficiaries

    OpenAIRE

    Mondli S. Hlatshwayo

    2017-01-01

    Scholarship on the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) in South Africa tends to focus on quantitative evaluation to measure the progress made in the implementation of EPWP projects. The number of employment opportunities created by EPWP, demographic profiling, skills acquired by beneficiaries and training opportunities related to the Programme form the basis of typical statistical evaluations of it, but exclude comment by the workers who participate in its projects. Based on primary source...

  3. Silicon microfabricated beam expander

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Othman, A.; Ibrahim, M. N.; Hamzah, I. H.; Sulaiman, A. A.; Ain, M. F.

    2015-01-01

    The feasibility design and development methods of silicon microfabricated beam expander are described. Silicon bulk micromachining fabrication technology is used in producing features of the structure. A high-precision complex 3-D shape of the expander can be formed by exploiting the predictable anisotropic wet etching characteristics of single-crystal silicon in aqueous Potassium-Hydroxide (KOH) solution. The beam-expander consist of two elements, a micromachined silicon reflector chamber and micro-Fresnel zone plate. The micro-Fresnel element is patterned using lithographic methods. The reflector chamber element has a depth of 40 µm, a diameter of 15 mm and gold-coated surfaces. The impact on the depth, diameter of the chamber and absorption for improved performance are discussed

  4. Silicon microfabricated beam expander

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Othman, A., E-mail: aliman@ppinang.uitm.edu.my; Ibrahim, M. N.; Hamzah, I. H.; Sulaiman, A. A. [Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi MARA Malaysia, 40450, Shah Alam, Selangor (Malaysia); Ain, M. F. [School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Engineering Campus, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Seri Ampangan, 14300,Nibong Tebal, Pulau Pinang (Malaysia)

    2015-03-30

    The feasibility design and development methods of silicon microfabricated beam expander are described. Silicon bulk micromachining fabrication technology is used in producing features of the structure. A high-precision complex 3-D shape of the expander can be formed by exploiting the predictable anisotropic wet etching characteristics of single-crystal silicon in aqueous Potassium-Hydroxide (KOH) solution. The beam-expander consist of two elements, a micromachined silicon reflector chamber and micro-Fresnel zone plate. The micro-Fresnel element is patterned using lithographic methods. The reflector chamber element has a depth of 40 µm, a diameter of 15 mm and gold-coated surfaces. The impact on the depth, diameter of the chamber and absorption for improved performance are discussed.

  5. 76 FR 76158 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Comment Request; RCRA Expanded...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-12-06

    ... contents of the docket, and to access those documents in the public docket that are available..., including through the use of appropriate automated electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection... as State, local, or Tribal governments. Title: RCRA Expanded Public Participation. ICR numbers: EPA...

  6. Proteogenomic Analysis Greatly Expands the Identification of Proteins Related to Reproduction in the Apogamous Fern Dryopteris affinis ssp. affinis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grossmann, Jonas; Fernández, Helena; Chaubey, Pururawa M; Valdés, Ana E; Gagliardini, Valeria; Cañal, María J; Russo, Giancarlo; Grossniklaus, Ueli

    2017-01-01

    Performing proteomic studies on non-model organisms with little or no genomic information is still difficult. However, many specific processes and biochemical pathways occur only in species that are poorly characterized at the genomic level. For example, many plants can reproduce both sexually and asexually, the first one allowing the generation of new genotypes and the latter their fixation. Thus, both modes of reproduction are of great agronomic value. However, the molecular basis of asexual reproduction is not well understood in any plant. In ferns, it combines the production of unreduced spores (diplospory) and the formation of sporophytes from somatic cells (apogamy). To set the basis to study these processes, we performed transcriptomics by next-generation sequencing (NGS) and shotgun proteomics by tandem mass spectrometry in the apogamous fern D. affinis ssp. affinis . For protein identification we used the public viridiplantae database (VPDB) to identify orthologous proteins from other plant species and new transcriptomics data to generate a "species-specific transcriptome database" (SSTDB). In total 1,397 protein clusters with 5,865 unique peptide sequences were identified (13 decoy proteins out of 1,410, protFDR 0.93% on protein cluster level). We show that using the SSTDB for protein identification increases the number of identified peptides almost four times compared to using only the publically available VPDB. We identified homologs of proteins involved in reproduction of higher plants, including proteins with a potential role in apogamy. With the increasing availability of genomic data from non-model species, similar proteogenomics approaches will improve the sensitivity in protein identification for species only distantly related to models.

  7. Using Typography to Expand the Design Space of Data Visualization

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Richard Brath

    Full Text Available This article is a systematic exploration and expansion of the data visualization design space focusing on the role of text. A critical analysis of text usage in data visualizations reveals gaps in existing frameworks and practice. A cross-disciplinary review including the fields of typography, cartography, and coding interfaces yields various typographic techniques to encode data into text, and provides scope for an expanded design space. Mapping new attributes back to well understood principles frames the expanded design space and suggests potential areas of application. From ongoing research created with our framework, we show the design, implementation, and evaluation of six new visualization techniques. Finally, a broad evaluation of a number of visualizations, including critiques from several disciplinary experts, reveals opportunities as well as areas of concern, and points towards additional research with our framework.

  8. Multi-dimensional simulations of the expanding supernova remnant of SN 1987A

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Potter, T. M.; Staveley-Smith, L. [International center for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) M468, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009 (Australia); Reville, B. [Center for Plasma Physics, Queen' s University Belfast, University Road, Belfast BT7 1NN (United Kingdom); Ng, C.-Y. [Department of Physics, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road (Hong Kong); Bicknell, G. V.; Sutherland, R. S. [Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200 (Australia); Wagner, A. Y., E-mail: tobympotter@gmail.com [Center for Computational Sciences, Tsukuba University, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8577 (Japan)

    2014-10-20

    The expanding remnant from SN 1987A is an excellent laboratory for investigating the physics of supernovae explosions. There is still a large number of outstanding questions, such as the reason for the asymmetric radio morphology, the structure of the pre-supernova environment, and the efficiency of particle acceleration at the supernova shock. We explore these questions using three-dimensional simulations of the expanding remnant between days 820 and 10,000 after the supernova. We combine a hydrodynamical simulation with semi-analytic treatments of diffusive shock acceleration and magnetic field amplification to derive radio emission as part of an inverse problem. Simulations show that an asymmetric explosion, combined with magnetic field amplification at the expanding shock, is able to replicate the persistent one-sided radio morphology of the remnant. We use an asymmetric Truelove and McKee progenitor with an envelope mass of 10 M {sub ☉} and an energy of 1.5 × 10{sup 44} J. A termination shock in the progenitor's stellar wind at a distance of 0.''43-0.''51 provides a good fit to the turn on of radio emission around day 1200. For the H II region, a minimum distance of 0.''63 ± 0.''01 and maximum particle number density of (7.11 ± 1.78) × 10{sup 7} m{sup –3} produces a good fit to the evolving average radius and velocity of the expanding shocks from day 2000 to day 7000 after explosion. The model predicts a noticeable reduction, and possibly a temporary reversal, in the asymmetric radio morphology of the remnant after day 7000, when the forward shock left the eastern lobe of the equatorial ring.

  9. China in search of 'legitimate' great power intervention

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sørensen, Camilla T. N.

    2016-01-01

    Thanks to Beijing’s expanding global role and interests, it is no longer possible for China to follow its traditional ‘lay low’ [tao guang yang hui] strategy and the traditionally rather strict interpretation of the principle of non-intervention. Consequently, among Chinese International Relations...... (IR) scholars there is an intense debate on how China can protect and promote its global presence and interests while at the same time continuing to ‘stay within’ the principle of non-intervention. New concepts and approaches are developing as the debate progresses. Current Chinese foreign...... and security policy reflects a more flexible and pragmatic Chinese interpretation – and implementation – of the principle of non-intervention. This chapter examines the search for ‘legitimate’ great-power intervention that characterizes both the debate among Chinese IR scholars and current Chinese foreign...

  10. Expander Codes

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Home; Journals; Resonance – Journal of Science Education; Volume 10; Issue 1. Expander Codes - The Sipser–Spielman Construction. Priti Shankar. General Article Volume 10 ... Author Affiliations. Priti Shankar1. Department of Computer Science and Automation, Indian Institute of Science Bangalore 560 012, India.

  11. The expanding universe: an introduction

    OpenAIRE

    Pössel, Markus

    2017-01-01

    An introduction to the physics and mathematics of the expanding universe, using no more than high-school level / undergraduate mathematics. Covered are the basics of scale factor expansion, the dynamics of the expanding universe, various distance concepts and the generalized redshift-luminosity relation, among other topics.

  12. Hummingbirds have a greatly enlarged hippocampal formation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ward, Brian J; Day, Lainy B; Wilkening, Steven R; Wylie, Douglas R; Saucier, Deborah M; Iwaniuk, Andrew N

    2012-08-23

    Both field and laboratory studies demonstrate that hummingbirds (Apodiformes, Trochilidae) have exceptional spatial memory. The complexity of spatial-temporal information that hummingbirds must retain and use daily is probably subserved by the hippocampal formation (HF), and therefore, hummingbirds should have a greatly expanded HF. Here, we compare the relative size of the HF in several hummingbird species with that of other birds. Our analyses reveal that the HF in hummingbirds is significantly larger, relative to telencephalic volume, than any bird examined to date. When expressed as a percentage of telencephalic volume, the hummingbird HF is two to five times larger than that of caching and non-caching songbirds, seabirds and woodpeckers. This HF expansion in hummingbirds probably underlies their ability to remember the location, distribution and nectar content of flowers, but more detailed analyses are required to determine the extent to which this arises from an expansion of HF or a decrease in size of other brain regions.

  13. I-TNT: PHONE NUMBER EXPANSION AND TRANSLATION SYSTEM FOR MANAGING INTERCONNECTIVITY ADDRESSING IN SIP PEERING

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. A. KHUDHER

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available Voice over IP (VoIP subscribers is growing vastly in the recent years due to the ever increase in smartphones, 3G, WiFi, etc. This growth leads the VoIP service providers to peer with each other through Session Initiation Protocol (SIP peering for low/free cost of voice communication. Naturally, this growth is not without challenges, especially in phone addressing. This paper proposes an I-TNT (Infrastructure-Phone Number Translation numbering system to expand the range of the existing E.164 numbers and mapping between private and public number at the edge of the signalling path. As a result, I-TNT numbering system is successfully implemented and able to allocate the expanded phone numbers to end-users in one service provider.

  14. Efficient decoding of random errors for quantum expander codes

    OpenAIRE

    Fawzi , Omar; Grospellier , Antoine; Leverrier , Anthony

    2017-01-01

    We show that quantum expander codes, a constant-rate family of quantum LDPC codes, with the quasi-linear time decoding algorithm of Leverrier, Tillich and Z\\'emor can correct a constant fraction of random errors with very high probability. This is the first construction of a constant-rate quantum LDPC code with an efficient decoding algorithm that can correct a linear number of random errors with a negligible failure probability. Finding codes with these properties is also motivated by Gottes...

  15. 46 CFR 117.206 - Survival craft-vessels operating on Great Lakes routes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 46 Shipping 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Survival craft-vessels operating on Great Lakes routes... PASSENGERS LIFESAVING EQUIPMENT AND ARRANGEMENTS Number and Type of Survival Craft § 117.206 Survival craft... vessel certificated to operate on a Great Lakes route must be provided with the survival craft required...

  16. The expanding regulatory universe of p53 in gastrointestinal cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fesler, Andrew; Zhang, Ning; Ju, Jingfang

    2016-01-01

    Tumor suppresser gene TP53 is one of the most frequently deleted or mutated genes in gastrointestinal cancers. As a transcription factor, p53 regulates a number of important protein coding genes to control cell cycle, cell death, DNA damage/repair, stemness, differentiation and other key cellular functions. In addition, p53 is also able to activate the expression of a number of small non-coding microRNAs (miRNAs) through direct binding to the promoter region of these miRNAs.  Many miRNAs have been identified to be potential tumor suppressors by regulating key effecter target mRNAs. Our understanding of the regulatory network of p53 has recently expanded to include long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs). Like miRNA, lncRNAs have been found to play important roles in cancer biology.  With our increased understanding of the important functions of these non-coding RNAs and their relationship with p53, we are gaining exciting new insights into the biology and function of cells in response to various growth environment changes. In this review we summarize the current understanding of the ever expanding involvement of non-coding RNAs in the p53 regulatory network and its implications for our understanding of gastrointestinal cancer.

  17. Design of Radial Turbo-Expanders for Small Organic Rankine Cycle System

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arifin, M.; Pasek, A. D.

    2015-09-01

    This paper discusses the design of radial turbo-expanders for ORC systems. Firstly, the rotor blades were design and the geometry and the perfromance were calculated using several working fluid such as R134a, R143a, R245fa, n-Pentane, and R123. Then, a numerical study was carried out in the fluid flow area with R134a and R123 as the working fluid. Analyses were performed using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) ANSYS CFX on two real gas models, with the k-epsilon and SST (shear stress transport) turbulence models. The results analysis shows the distribution of Mach number, pressure, velocity and temperature along the rotor blade of the radial turbo-expanders and estimation of performance at various operating conditions. CFD analysis show that if the flow area divided into 250,000 grid mesh, and using real gas model SST at steady state condition, 0.4 kg/s of mass flow rate, 15,000 rpm rotor speed, 5 bar inlet pressure, and 373K inlet temperature, the turbo expander produces 6.7 kW, and 5.5 kW of power when using R134a and R123 respectively.

  18. The use of dermal autograft as an adjunct to breast reconstruction with tissue expanders.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rinker, Brian

    2012-12-01

    Acellular dermal matrices are commonly used in breast reconstruction but add cost to the procedure and have been associated with complications. Dermal autograft may represent a useful alternative to matrices. Sixteen patients (26 breasts) underwent breast reconstruction using tissue expanders and dermal autograft. Their ages ranged from 41 to 66 years (median, 51 years). Autografts were harvested by wide excision of preexisting abdominal scars. Demographic data, clinical history, and harvest and preparation time were recorded. The initial fill volume, number of expansions, and complications were recorded and compared with published data for acellular dermal matrix-assisted reconstruction. Patients rated their satisfaction with scar appearance on a seven-point scale. Follow-up ranged from 6 to 16 months (mean, 10 months). Three patients were smokers. Mean body mass index was 30.5 (range, 19.1 to 48.8). Three patients received chemotherapy between reconstructive stages, and none required irradiation. The mean time of autograft harvest was 38 minutes, the mean initial fill was 190 cc, and the average number of expansions was 3.5. There were no implant losses. There were three minor complications (19 percent). Initial expander fill, number of expansions, and complication rate were equivalent to historical values for matrix-assisted breast reconstruction. Fourteen of 16 patients (88 percent) were "very satisfied" with their scars. The use of dermal autograft in tissue expander breast reconstruction offers the advantages of acellular dermal matrix, without the associated expense. The technique adds minimally to the operative time and morbidity and is associated with a low complication rate. Therapeutic, IV.

  19. Influence of the Applied Working Fluid and the Arrangement of the Steering Edges on Multi-Vane Expander Performance in Micro ORC System

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Józef Rak

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Micro-power domestic organic Rankine cycle (ORC systems are nowadays of great interest. These systems are considered for combined heat and power (CHP generation in domestic and distributed applications. The main issues of ORC systems design is selection of the expander and the working fluid. Thanks to their positive features, multi-vane expanders are especially promising for application in micro-power ORC systems. These expanders are very simple in design, small in dimensions, inexpensive and feature low gas flow capacity and expansion ratio. The application of multi-vane expanders in ORC systems is innovative and currently limited to prototype applications. However, a literature review indicates the growing interest in these machines and the potential for practical implementation. For this reason, it is necessary to conduct detailed studies on the multi-vane expanders operation in ORC systems. In this paper the results of experimental and numerical investigations on the influence of the applied working fluid and the arrangement of the steering edges on multi-vane expander performance in micro ORC system are reported. The experiments were performed using the specially designed lab test-stand, i.e. the domestic ORC system. Numerical simulations were proceeded in ANSYS CFX software (ANSYS, Inc., Canonsburg, PA, USA and were focused on determining the expander performance under various flow conditions of different working fluids. Detailed numerical analysis of the arrangement of the machine steering edges showed existence of optimal mutual position of the inlet and outlet port for which the multi-vane expander achieves maximum internal work and internal efficiency.

  20. Expanding the applications of Cadaveric skin - the properties and uses of an acellular dermal matrix

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Greenleaf, G.; Livesey, S.

    1999-01-01

    The ability to transplant organs and tissues has been one of the most significant advances of modern medicine. The availability of cadaveric allograft skin has greatly facilitated the practice of aggressive, early excision of massive burn injuries. Due to its ultimate rejection however, the role of allograft skin has historically been limited to that of a temporary wound dressing. Development of an acellular dermal allograft has greatly expanded the applications for donated human skin. AlloDerm(r) preserved dermal graft (LifeCell, The Woodlands, TX) is prepared via ionic separation of allograft skin followed by detergent removal of antigenic cells. Acellular dermal grafts are then cryoprotected and freeze-dried. The process maintains the structural integrity of the extracellular matrix and preserves the biochemical composition of the basement membrane. The resultant immunologically inert allograft can be used in a variety of applications. In burn injuries, lack of an adequate dermal component at either the donor or wound site may result in complications including contraction, delayed healing, hypertrophic scarring and keloid formation. Utilizing allogenic dermis eliminates the need for autologous dermis at the wound site and minimizes donor site trauma by allowing procurement of ultra-thin (0.006 ) autografts. Expanding the scope of traditional uses for allograft skin, acellular dermal grafts have been successfully utilized in a variety of procedures including duraplasty, orbital reconstruction, and hemia repar. In periodontal surgery, allograft tissue eliminates the need for painful palatal autografts and has been used to increase attached gingiva and reduce gingival recession. Resorption of autologous grafts or extrusion of synthetic material often hampers repair or reconstruction of soft tissue deficits. Transplantation of acellular allograft dermis provides a biochemically and structurally intact matrix, which persists and is ultimately repopulated with

  1. BOOK REVIEW: The Artful Universe Expanded

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bassett, B. A.

    2005-07-01

    The cosmos is an awfully big place and there is no better guide to its vast expanse and fascinating nooks and crannies than John Barrow. A professor of mathematical sciences at Cambridge University, Barrow embodies that rare combination of highly polished writer and expert scientist. His deft touch brings together the disparate threads of human knowledge and weaves them into a tapestry as rich and interesting for the expert as it is for the layperson. The Artful Universe Expanded is an updated edition of this popular book first published in 1995. It explores the deeply profound manner in which natural law and the nature of the cosmos have moulded and shaped us, our cultures and the very form of our arts and music—a new type of `cosmic' anthropology. The main themes Barrow chooses for revealing this new anthropology are the subjects of evolution, the size of things, the heavens and the nature of music. The book is a large, eclectic repository of knowledge often unavailable to the layperson,\\endcolumn hidden in esoteric libraries around the world. It rivals The Da Vinci Code for entertainment value and insights, but this time it is Nature’s code that is revealed. It is rare indeed to find common threads drawn through topics as diverse as The Beetles, Bach and Beethoven or between Jackson Pollock, the Aztecs, Kant, Picasso, Byzantine mosaics, uranium-235 and the helix nebula. Barrow unerringly binds them together, presenting them in a stimulating, conversational style that belies the amount of time that must have gone into researching this book. Dip into it at random, or read it from cover to cover, but do read it. The Artful Universe Expanded is an entertaining antidote to the oft-lamented pressures to know more and more about less and less and the apparently inexorable march of specialization. On reading this book one can, for a short time at least, hold in one’s mind a vision that unifies science, art and culture and glimpse a universal tapestry of great

  2. The Expanding Universe: Dark Energy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lincoln, Don [Fermilab; Nord, Brian [Fermilab

    2014-09-01

    In 1998, observations of distant supernovae led physicists that not only was the universe expanding, but the expansion was speeding up. In this article, we describe the evidence for an expanding universe and describe what physicists and cosmologists have learned in the intervening years. The target audience for this article is high school physics teachers and college physics professors at teaching institutions.

  3. ROTC Seeks to Expand on Campuses, and Colleges Cope with a Conflict

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wiedeman, Reeves

    2008-01-01

    With its forces stretched thin by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Army is looking to significantly expand the number of Reserve Officers' Training Corps programs on college campuses for the first time since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, which led the Army to close more than 80 programs. At the University of Maryland-Baltimore County…

  4. Screw expander for light duty diesel engines

    Science.gov (United States)

    1983-01-01

    Preliminary selection and sizing of a positive displacement screw compressor-expander subsystem for a light-duty adiabatic diesel engine; development of a mathematical model to describe overall efficiencies for the screw compressor and expander; simulation of operation to establish overall efficiency for a range of design parameters and at given engine operating points; simulation to establish potential net power output at light-duty diesel operating points; analytical determination of mass moments of inertia for the rotors and inertia of the compressor-expander subsystem; and preparation of engineering layout drawings of the compressor and expander are discussed. As a result of this work, it was concluded that the screw compressor and expander designed for light-duty diesel engine applications are viable alternatives to turbo-compound systems, with acceptable efficiencies for both units, and only a moderate effect on the transient response.

  5. Great Apes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sleeman, Jonathan M.; Cerveny, Shannon

    2014-01-01

    Anesthesia of great apes is often necessary to conduct diagnostic analysis, provide therapeutics, facilitate surgical procedures, and enable transport and translocation for conservation purposes. Due to the stress of remote delivery injection of anesthetic agents, recent studies have focused on oral delivery and/or transmucosal absorption of preanesthetic and anesthetic agents. Maintenance of the airway and provision of oxygen is an important aspect of anesthesia in great ape species. The provision of analgesia is an important aspect of the anesthesia protocol for any procedure involving painful stimuli. Opioids and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are often administered alone, or in combination to provide multi-modal analgesia. There is increasing conservation management of in situ great ape populations, which has resulted in the development of field anesthesia techniques for free-living great apes for the purposes of translocation, reintroduction into the wild, and clinical interventions.

  6. IL-15 inhibits pre-B cell proliferation by selectively expanding Mac-1+B220+ NK cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nakajima, Shinsuke; Hida, Shigeaki; Taki, Shinsuke

    2008-01-01

    Natural killer (NK) cells are the cells critical for inhibition of repopulation of allogenic bone marrow cells. However, it is not well known if NK cells affect autologous lymphopoiesis. Here, we observed that NK cells could inhibit pre-B cell proliferation in vitro driven by interleukin (IL)-7 in a manner dependent on IL-15. Interestingly, the great majority of expanding NK cells were Mac-1 + B220 + , a recently identified potent interferon (IFN)-γ producer. Indeed, IFN-γ was produced in those cultures, and pre-B cells lacking IFN-γ receptors, but not those lacking type I IFN receptors, were resistant to such an inhibition. Furthermore, even NK cells from mice lacking β2-microglobulin, which were known to be functionally dampened, inhibited pre-B cell proliferation as well. Thus, activated NK cells, which were expanded selectively by IL-15, could potentially regulate B lymphopoiesis through IFN-γ beyond the selection imposed upon self-recognition

  7. A-coupled-expanding and distributional chaos

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Cholsan; Ju, Hyonhui; Chen, Minghao; Raith, Peter

    2015-01-01

    The concept of A-coupled-expanding maps is one of the more natural and useful ideas generalized from the horseshoe map which is commonly known as a criterion of chaos. It is well known that distributional chaos is one of the concepts which reflect strong chaotic behavior. In this paper, we focus on the relationship between A-coupled-expanding and distributional chaos. We prove two theorems which give sufficient conditions for a strictly A-coupled-expanding map to be distributionally chaotic in the senses of two kinds, where A is an m × m irreducible transition matrix

  8. Expanded newborn screening: social and ethical issues.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dhondt, Jean-Louis

    2010-10-01

    Newborn screening and genetic testing have expanded rapidly in the last decade with the advent of multiplex (e.g., tandem mass spectrometry) and/or DNA technologies. However, screening panels include a large number of disorders, which may not meet all of the traditional screening criteria, established in late 1960s, and used for years to justify screening programs. After a period of expansion driven by technological advances, many reports have reconsidered the justification of expanded programs. Many factors have contributed to test-panel discrepancies between countries. The test-panel review methodology, the way health benefits are weighed against harms, and the socioeconomic-political environment all play a role. Expansion of screening also requires reconsideration of the infrastructure (ideally, in the context of national plans for rare diseases) to support testing, counselling, education, treatment, and follow-up. Consequently, economic aspects cannot be ignored and can be a limitation for expansion. New ethical questions have emerged: risks of discrimination or stigmatization, respect of the autonomy of persons to make decisions, parental anxiety resulting from a false positive test (especially when reporting to parents screening results for untreatable conditions identified as by-products of screening), etc. For disorders where there is not yet confirmation of benefit, it may be prudent to recommend pilot screening and to have a mechanism that can be used to adapt or even to stop a program.

  9. "The Dangerous Age of Childhood": Child Guidance and the "Normal" Child in Great Britain, 1920-1950

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stewart, John

    2011-01-01

    British child guidance was a form of psychiatric, preventive medicine for children and young people and centred, at least in principle, on specialist clinics led by psychiatrists. From small beginnings in the aftermath of the First World War, child guidance expanded steadily, in terms of both numbers of patients and numbers of clinics, and came to…

  10. Statistical effect of interactions on particle creation in expanding universe

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kodama, Hideo

    1982-01-01

    The statistical effect of interactions which drives many-particle systems toward equilibrium is expected to change the qualitative and quantitative features of particle creation in expanding universe. To investigate this problem a simplified model called the finite-time reduction model is formulated and applied to the scalar particle creation in the radiation dominant Friedmann universe. The number density of created particles and the entropy production due to particle creation are estimated. The result for the number density is compared with that in the conventional free field theory. It is shown that the statistical effect increases the particle creation and lengthens the active creation period. As for the entropy production it is shown that it is negligible for scalar particles in the Friedmann universe. (author)

  11. Stability of expanded plasma focus

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Soliman, H.M.

    1994-01-01

    In this study, the stabilization of the expanded plasma focus formed by 4.5 kJ plasma focus device of Mather type by magnetic field is presented. The experimental results of the induced axial magnetic field and electric probe measurements of the expanded plasma focus show that, the plasma consists of three plasmoids, electron temperature measurements off the plasmoids at a point close to the muzzle are 26 eV, 30 eV and 27 eV respectively and the electron densities are 6.6 x 10 14 , 6.1 x 10 14 / cm 3 respectively. The presence of external axial magnetic field (B 2 = 1.6 kg) at the mid distance between the breech and the muzzle has a less effect on the stability of expanded focus and it causes a restriction for the plasma motion. the electron temperature of the three plasmoids are found to increase in that case by 23%, 18.5% respectively. When this axial magnetic field is applied at the muzzle end, it leads to a more stable expanded plasma focus which consists mainly of one plasmoid with electron temperature of 39 eV and density of 3.4 x 10 14 / cm 3 . 5 figs

  12. Expanding/Extending English: Interdisciplinarity and Internationalism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fleishman, Avrom

    1994-01-01

    Discusses the recent efforts to expand literary studies into numerous allied fields and the possible effects that such attempts toward interdisciplinarity and internationalism might have. Warns against possible negative consequences of interdisciplinary approaches. Calls for an expanded view of English as a field of study. (HB)

  13. Geothermal ORC Systems Using Large Screw Expanders

    OpenAIRE

    Biederman, Tim R.; Brasz, Joost J.

    2014-01-01

    Geothermal ORC Systems using Large Screw Expanders Tim Biederman Cyrq Energy Abstract This paper describes a low-temperature Organic Rankine Cycle Power Recovery system with a screw expander a derivative of developed of Kaishan's line of screw compressors, as its power unit. The screw expander design is a modified version of its existing refrigeration compressor used on water-cooled chillers. Starting the ORC development program with existing refrigeration screw compre...

  14. Expanding Access with Satellite-Enabled Distance Education

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Qi Wang

    2006-12-01

    Full Text Available Education and training became increasingly critical for citizens of every nation during the last century, and that paradigm will be no less true, throughout the 21st Century. As the world progresses fully into an information society, access to information and to a knowledge-based work force is a precondition for any country to remain competitive. Education, and increasingly distant education (DE, plays a vital role in turning human resources into knowledge workers. Information and communications technologies (ICT have provided new ways to educate and to disseminate information that is crucial for creating these competitive, knowledge-based work forces. Modern DE, enabled by ICT-based networks and the Internet tools, offers great advantages that are leveling the global playing field, in terms of providing access and opportunities for specialized training and education. Using satellite technology in DE may be imperative to developing countries, where the majority of their populations are scattered in rural and remote areas. Where the traditional brick and mortar classrooms cannot easily reach, satellite-powered DE systems can. Through literature review and rational analysis, this paper examines how satellite-assisted DE systems expand education access.

  15. cancerous esophagotracheal fistula: treatment of placement with covered self-expanding metallic stent

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Han Xinwei; Li Tianxiao; Wang Ruilin; Fan Qingxia

    1997-01-01

    Purpose: To treat the esophagotracheal fistula that was the main cause of death in patients with esophageal carcinoma, the placement of the stent was studied. Materials and methods: Under the fluoroscopic guidance, 28 stents (5 stents made in USA and 23 in China) were successfully implanted in all the 28 patients with esophagotracheal fistula. Results: The aphagia of the patients was greatly improved and a normal diet could be swallowed at once after the placement of the stents. The 27 cases of inhalation pneumonia that caused by the fistula was recovered. Conclusion: The result indicated that the treatment with the placement of the covered self-expanding stent is simple, safe, and effective for most patients with aphagia and pneumonia due to esophagotracheal fistula

  16. Factors leading to tracheobronchial self-expandable metallic stent fracture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chung, Fu-Tsai; Lin, Shu-Min; Chen, Hao-Cheng; Chou, Chun-Liang; Yu, Chih-Teng; Liu, Chien-Ying; Wang, Chun-Hua; Lin, Horng-Chyuan; Huang, Chien-Da; Kuo, Han-Pin

    2008-11-01

    This retrospective study was to determine factors that contribute to self-expandable metallic stent fracture in patients with tracheobronchial disease. From 2001 to 2006, 139 patients (age, 62.1 +/- 15.4 years; range, 23-87 years) with benign (n = 62) and malignant (n = 77) tracheobronchial disease received 192 Ultraflex (Boston Scientific, Natick, Mass) self-expandable metallic stents (98 in patients with benign disease and 94 in patients with malignant disease). Seventeen fractured self-expandable metallic stents were found; the incidence was 12.2% (17/139 patients) among patients with tracheobronchial disease. Tortuous airway (odds ratio, 4.06; 95% confidence interval, 1.04-18.34; P = .04) independently predicted self-expandable metallic stent fracture. Most self-expandable metallic stent fractures (64.7%, 11/17) were detected 500 to 1000 days after self-expandable metallic stent implantation. Clinical presentations for patients with fractured self-expandable metallic stents included dyspnea exacerbation (70.6%, 12/17) and cough (23.5%, 4/17). Self-expandable metallic stent fracture is not uncommon in patients with tracheobronchial disease. Tortuous airway is an independent predictor for it. Although management of the fractured self-expandable metallic stent in our study was feasible and safe, self-expandable metallic stents should be restricted to a more select population.

  17. Kinesin expands and stabilizes the GDP-microtubule lattice

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peet, Daniel R.; Burroughs, Nigel J.; Cross, Robert A.

    2018-05-01

    Kinesin-1 is a nanoscale molecular motor that walks towards the fast-growing (plus) ends of microtubules, hauling molecular cargo to specific reaction sites in cells. Kinesin-driven transport is central to the self-organization of eukaryotic cells and shows great promise as a tool for nano-engineering1. Recent work hints that kinesin may also play a role in modulating the stability of its microtubule track, both in vitro2,3 and in vivo4, but the results are conflicting5-7 and the mechanisms are unclear. Here, we report a new dimension to the kinesin-microtubule interaction, whereby strong-binding state (adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-bound and apo) kinesin-1 motor domains inhibit the shrinkage of guanosine diphosphate (GDP) microtubules by up to two orders of magnitude and expand their lattice spacing by 1.6%. Our data reveal an unexpected mechanism by which the mechanochemical cycles of kinesin and tubulin interlock, and so allow motile kinesins to influence the structure, stability and mechanics of their microtubule track.

  18. Increasing the Number of African American Students in Undergraduate Level Classes of Chinese: A Call to Action

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Huiwen

    2015-01-01

    Chinese language is the only ideographic language remaining in the world (Osaka, 1976). It conveys affluent Chinese culture and has great influences on the East Asian countries (Miyake, 2013). In the economic globalization of the world, China's economy and international influence are expanding. For these reasons and many more the Chinese language…

  19. Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Great Lakes Mussel Watch(2009-2014)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Following the inception of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) to address the significant environmental issues plaguing the Great Lakes region, the...

  20. Lovelock inflation and the number of large dimensions

    CERN Document Server

    Ferrer, Francesc

    2007-01-01

    We discuss an inflationary scenario based on Lovelock terms. These higher order curvature terms can lead to inflation when there are more than three spatial dimensions. Inflation will end if the extra dimensions are stabilised, so that at most three dimensions are free to expand. This relates graceful exit to the number of large dimensions.

  1. The bibliometric behaviour of an expanding specialisation of medical research

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Thelwall, M.; Levitt, J.

    2016-07-01

    This study investigates macular disease research and cataract research, which are both specialisations of Ophthalmology. Macular disease and cataracts are amongst the three leading causes of blindness in the world. Macular research expanded between 1992 and 2006 in that the proportion of Ophthalmology articles classified as macular increased by over 300% in that period. By contrast, during that same period the proportion of Ophthalmology articles classified as ‘cataract’ decreased by over 20%. This study investigates the bibliometric differences between the rapidly expanding specialisation of ‘macular’ and the slightly contracting specialisation of ‘cataract’. Our rationale for investigating these bibliometric differences is that previous researchers have suggested that articles in expanding specialisations are likely to be more highly cited than articles in relatively static specialisations, and it seems important, when comparing specialisations, to try to ensure that articles in a relatively static specialisation are not penalised. This study first identifies substantial macro-level bibliometric differences between the two specialisations and then gauges the extent to which these differences were associated with the expansion of Macular compared with Cataract. The initial investigation uses coarse-grained delineations of the specialisation, formed from search terms frequently associated with macular (and cataract). It finds that articles in the relatively expanding specialisation were substantially more highly cited and that these differences were associated with the expansion of the specialisation rather than the size of the specialisation (the Matthew effect). A major limitation of this study is that its coarse-grained delineation of specialisations fails to identify substantial numbers of articles in the specialisation. A more fine-grained delineation using PubMed’s Medical Subject Headings (MESH) has been piloted and additional articles

  2. Multifragment disintegrations of expanding nuclear systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gelbke, K.

    1993-01-01

    Two phase transitions are expected to exist in bulk nuclear matter: a liquid-gas phase transition and a deconfinement transition to a quark-gluon plasma. In studies of nucleus-nucleus collisions, conditions similar to those pertaining to phase transitions in infinite systems can be created, but the fundamental problem yet to be solved is the identification of remnant signatures uniquely related to either of these phase transitions. Nuclear systems at densities and temperatures corresponding to the liquid-gas coexistence region can be produced in intermediate energy nucleus-nucleus collisions; they are expected to decay into many intermediate mass fragments (IMF's: Z=3-20). Recent investigations with low-threshold electronic 4π detector arrays have firmly established the occurrence of multifragment disintegrations of hot nuclear systems and allowed to challenge various theoretical approaches. In this talk, an overview of pertinent experimental results on multifragmentation will be presented and discussed. it will be shown that current microscopic transport theories designed to treat the growth of density fluctuations predict fragment multiplicities much smaller than observed experimentally. Measurements of the time scales of fragment formation are consistent with statistical model calculations for expanding hot nuclear system which indicate that fragments may form during a rather narrow time interval after the system has cooled and expanded to a density below that of normal nuclear matter. The expansion rate (and hence the fragment multiplicity) is sensitive to the equation of state (EOS). However, a number of recent results provide increasing evidence that current theoretical treatments need to be refined to allow an experimental determination of the EOS

  3. New data on mitochondrial diversity and origin of Hemimysis anomala in the Laurentian Great Lakes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Questel, Jennifer M.; Walsh, Maureen G.; Smith, Randall J.; Welsh, Amy B.

    2012-01-01

    The most recent Ponto-Caspian species to invade the Laurentian Great Lakes is the crustacean Hemimysis anomala, first reported in 2006. A previous study described three haplotype groups (A, B, C) of H. anomala in native and invaded areas within Europe, but only one haplotype (A1) in a sample from Lake Michigan. Our study expands these results to additional populations in the Great Lakes basin, and evaluates relationships among North American and European populations. A 549-bp fragment of themitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene was analyzed from populations of H. anomala in Lakes Ontario, Erie, Huron, and the St. Lawrence River.Two different haplotypes, A1 and B1,were observed in the sampled populations of H. anomala and in a previous analysis from H. anomala in Oneida Lake (New York). Our results, in contrast with a previous study, detect an additional haplotype in North America.

  4. Free-piston reciprocating cryogenic expander utilizing phase controller

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cha, Jeongmin; Park, Jiho; Kim, Kyungjoong; Jeong, Sangkwon

    2017-02-01

    In a free-piston expander which eliminates mechanical linkages, a prescribed behaviour of the free-piston movement is the key to an expander performance. In this paper, we have proposed an idea of reducing complexity of the free-piston expander. It is to replace both multiple solenoid valves and reservoirs that are indispensable in a previous machine with a combination of a single orifice-reservoir assembly. It functions as a phase controller like that of a pulse tube refrigerator so that it generates time-delay of pressure variation between the warm-end and the reservoir resulting in the intended expansion of the cold-end volume down to the pre-set reservoir pressure. The modeling of this unique free-piston reciprocating expander utilizing phase controller is developed to understand and predict the performance of the new-type expander. Additionally, the operating parameters are analysed at the specified conditions to enable one to develop a more efficient free-piston type cryogenic expander.

  5. Belowground Plant–Herbivore Interactions Vary among Climate-Driven Range-Expanding Plant Species with Different Degrees of Novel Chemistry

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rutger A. Wilschut

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available An increasing number of studies report plant range expansions to higher latitudes and altitudes in response to global warming. However, consequences for interactions with other species in the novel ranges are poorly understood. Here, we examine how range-expanding plant species interact with root-feeding nematodes from the new range. Root-feeding nematodes are ubiquitous belowground herbivores that may impact the structure and composition of natural vegetation. Because of their ecological novelty, we hypothesized that range-expanding plant species will be less suitable hosts for root-feeding nematodes than native congeneric plant species. In greenhouse and lab trials we compared nematode preference and performance of two root-feeding nematode species between range-expanding plant species and their congeneric natives. In order to understand differences in nematode preferences, we compared root volatile profiles of all range-expanders and congeneric natives. Nematode preferences and performances differed substantially among the pairs of range-expanders and natives. The range-expander that had the most unique volatile profile compared to its related native was unattractive and a poor host for nematodes. Other range-expanding plant species that differed less in root chemistry from native congeners, also differed less in nematode attraction and performance. We conclude that the three climate-driven range-expanding plant species studied varied considerably in their chemical novelty compared to their congeneric natives, and therefore affected native root-feeding nematodes in species-specific ways. Our data suggest that through variation in chemical novelty, range-expanding plant species may vary in their impacts on belowground herbivores in the new range.

  6. Deleterious mutations can surf to high densities on the wave front of an expanding population.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Travis, Justin M J; Münkemüller, Tamara; Burton, Olivia J; Best, Alex; Dytham, Calvin; Johst, Karin

    2007-10-01

    There is an increasing recognition that evolutionary processes play a key role in determining the dynamics of range expansion. Recent work demonstrates that neutral mutations arising near the edge of a range expansion sometimes surf on the expanding front leading them rather than that leads to reach much greater spatial distribution and frequency than expected in stationary populations. Here, we extend this work and examine the surfing behavior of nonneutral mutations. Using an individual-based coupled-map lattice model, we confirm that, regardless of its fitness effects, the probability of survival of a new mutation depends strongly upon where it arises in relation to the expanding wave front. We demonstrate that the surfing effect can lead to deleterious mutations reaching high densities at an expanding front, even when they have substantial negative effects on fitness. Additionally, we highlight that this surfing phenomenon can occur for mutations that impact reproductive rate (i.e., number of offspring produced) as well as mutations that modify juvenile competitive ability. We suggest that these effects are likely to have important consequences for rates of spread and the evolution of spatially expanding populations.

  7. New generation expandable sand screens

    OpenAIRE

    Syltøy, Christer

    2014-01-01

    Master's thesis in Petroleum engineering This thesis aims to give a general insight into sand control and various sorts of sand control measures and applications of sand control tools. Special focus will be given to expandable sand screens – a technology which came about in the late 1990’s through the use of flexible, expandable tubulars as base pipe in sand screens. More specifically Darcy’s Hydraulic Endurance Screens, a compliant sand screen system using hydraulic activation, and the fu...

  8. Saline lakes of the glaciated Northern Great Plains

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mushet, David M.

    2011-01-01

    Unless you have flown over the region or seen aerial photographs, it is hard to grasp the scale of the millions of lakes and wetlands that dot the prairie landscape of the glaciated Northern Great Plains (Figure 1). This region of abundant aquatic habitats within a grassland matrix provides for the needs of a wide diversity of wildlife species and has appropriately been deemed the "duck factory of North America." While the sheer number of lakes and wetlands within this area of the Northern Great Plains can be truly awe-inspiring, their diversity in terms of the chemical composition of their water adds an equally important component supporting biotic diversity and productivity. Water within these lakes and wetlands can range from extremely fresh with salinities approaching that of rainwater to hypersaline with salinity ten times greater than that of seawater. Additionally, while variation in salinity among these water bodies can be great, the ionic composition of lakes and wetlands with similar salinities can vary markedly, influencing the overall spatial and temporal diversity of the region's biota.

  9. Measuring chronic liver disease mortality using an expanded cause of death definition and medical records in Connecticut, 2004.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ly, Kathleen N; Speers, Suzanne; Klevens, R Monina; Barry, Vaughn; Vogt, Tara M

    2014-10-16

    Chronic liver disease (CLD) is a leading cause of death and is defined based on a specific set of underlying cause-of-death codes on death certificates. This conventional approach to measuring CLD mortality underestimates the true mortality burden because it does not consider certain CLD conditions like viral hepatitis and hepatocellular carcinoma. We measured how much the conventional CLD mortality case definition will underestimate CLD mortality and described the distribution of CLD etiologies in Connecticut. We used 2004 Connecticut death certificates to estimate CLD mortality two ways. One way used the conventional definition and the other used an expanded definition that included more conditions suggestive of CLD. We compared the number of deaths identified using this expanded definition with the number identified using the conventional definition. Medical records were reviewed to confirm CLD deaths. Connecticut had 29 314 registered deaths in 2004. Of these, 282 (1.0%) were CLD deaths identified by the conventional CLD definition while 616 (2.1%) were CLD deaths defined by the expanded definition. Medical record review confirmed that most deaths identified by the expanded definition were CLD-related (550/616); this suggested a 15.8 deaths/100 000 population mortality rate. Among deaths for which hepatitis B, hepatitis C and alcoholic liver disease were identified during medical record review, only 8.6%, 45.4% and 36.5%, respectively, had that specific cause-of-death code cited on the death certificate. An expanded CLD mortality case definition that incorporates multiple causes of death and additional CLD-related conditions will better estimate CLD mortality. Published 2014. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

  10. Role of Turbulent Prandtl Number on Heat Flux at Hypersonic Mach Numbers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xiao, X.; Edwards, J. R.; Hassan, H. A.; Gaffney, R. L., Jr.

    2007-01-01

    A new turbulence model suited for calculating the turbulent Prandtl number as part of the solution is presented. The model is based on a set of two equations: one governing the variance of the enthalpy and the other governing its dissipation rate. These equations were derived from the exact energy equation and thus take into consideration compressibility and dissipation terms. The model is used to study two cases involving shock wave/boundary layer interaction at Mach 9.22 and Mach 5.0. In general, heat transfer prediction showed great improvement over traditional turbulence models where the turbulent Prandtl number is assumed constant. It is concluded that using a model that calculates the turbulent Prandtl number as part of the solution is the key to bridging the gap between theory and experiment for flows dominated by shock wave/boundary layer interactions.

  11. Computed tomography of the heart and great vessels: present and future

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brundage, B.H.; Rich, S.; Spigos, D.

    1984-01-01

    Computed tomography (CT) has emerged as a new imaging method for the diagnosis and evaluation of cardiovascular disease. With CT body scanners and contrast enhancement, evaluation of aortic dissections and aneurysms, coronary bypass graft patency, cardiovascular thrombus, cardiac tumors, and pericardial disease is possible. On occasion, this technique provides clinically useful information that is not available with other imaging methods. Electrocardiographic gating retrospectively or prospectively improves the image resolution of CT scans, but a new ultrafast CT scanner with a scan time of 30 to 50 milliseconds offers the greatest promise for expanding the application of the technology for cardiovascular diagnosis. Accurate measurement of cardiac chamber volume, mass, wall motion, and wall thickening will be feasible. Ultrafast CT scanning also shows great promise for the measurement of myocardial infarct size and regional myocardial blood flow

  12. Partition expanders

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Gavinsky, Dmitry; Pudlák, Pavel

    2017-01-01

    Roč. 60, č. 3 (2017), s. 378-395 ISSN 1432-4350 R&D Projects: GA ČR GBP202/12/G061 Institutional support: RVO:67985840 Keywords : expanders * pseudorandomness * communication complexity Subject RIV: BA - General Mathematics OBOR OECD: Computer sciences, information science, bioinformathics (hardware development to be 2.2, social aspect to be 5.8) Impact factor: 0.645, year: 2016 http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00224-016-9738-5

  13. Is holography ready for yet another life? or make holography great again

    Science.gov (United States)

    Trolinger, James D.

    2016-08-01

    Holographic metrology, unlike most other applications of holography, has always thrived and continues to thrive by continuously incorporating new supporting technologies that make it more powerful and useful. Successes, failures, lives, and deaths are examined and recognized as evolutionary steps that position the field where opportunities are as great and as many as ever. This is a story of that evolution. Comparisons and analogies with other applications of holography such as data storage, archiving, the arts, entertainment, advertising, and security and their evolution are interesting. Critical events, successes, mistakes, and coincidences represent milestones of abandonment or failure to deliver in many holography communities that followed a different evolutionary path. Events and new technical developments continue to emerge in supporting fields that can revive and expand all holography applications. New opportunities are described with encouragement to act on them and take some risks. Don't wait until all of the required technology and hardware are available, because good scientists always act before then. The paper is about "making holography great again" and your opportunity to be a part of the upcoming revolution. Although the discussion focuses on holographic metrology, the same principles should apply to other holography communities.

  14. Acellular dermal matrix slings in tissue expander breast reconstruction: are there substantial benefits?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Collis, George N; TerKonda, Sarvam P; Waldorf, James C; Perdikis, Galen

    2012-05-01

    Acellular dermal matrix (ADM) slings in breast reconstruction are increasingly used but are not yet validated. This study compares immediate, expander-based breast reconstruction with and without the use of inferolateral ADM slings. There were 63 patients (106 breasts) in the ADM group and 42 patients (68 breasts) in the control group. Initial intraoperative fill volumes were significantly greater in the ADM group, median 69% full (250 mL) versus 50% full (180 mL; P < 0.001). However, the number of days to complete expansion between the 2 groups was similar. One less office visit was required to complete the fills in the ADM group (P < 0.01). Drains were removed 3 days later in the ADM group (P < 0.01). Overall complication rate was greater in the ADM group (18.9% vs. 7.4%, P < 0.05), with a slightly higher percentage of expanders requiring removal due to infection in the ADM group (5.7% vs. 4.4%, P = NS). This study suggests inferolateral ADM slings in expander-based breast reconstruction allow for significantly increased initial fill volumes and may offer an aesthetic advantage; however, its use is costly and increases complications.

  15. Ataxin-1 with an expanded glutamine tract alters nuclear matrix-associated structures

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Skinner, P J; Koshy, B T; Cummings, C J

    1997-01-01

    a similar pattern of nuclear localization; with expanded ataxin-1 occurring in larger structures that are fewer in number than those of normal ataxin-1. Colocalization studies show that mutant ataxin-1 causes a specific redistribution of the nuclear matrix-associated domain containing promyelocytic...... the subcellular localization of wild-type human ataxin-1 (the protein encoded by the SCA1 gene) and mutant ataxin-1 in the Purkinje cells of transgenic mice. We found that ataxin-1 localizes to the nuclei of cerebellar Purkinje cells. Normal ataxin-1 localizes to several nuclear structures approximately 0.......5 microm across, whereas the expanded ataxin-1 localizes to a single approximately 2-microm structure, before the onset of ataxia. Mutant ataxin-1 localizes to a single nuclear structure in affected neurons of SCA1 patients. Similarly, COS-1 cells transfected with wild-type or mutant ataxin-1 show...

  16. Flow boiling in expanding microchannels

    CERN Document Server

    Alam, Tamanna

    2017-01-01

    This Brief presents an up to date summary of details of the flow boiling heat transfer, pressure drop and instability characteristics; two phase flow patterns of expanding microchannels. Results obtained from the different expanding microscale geometries are presented for comparison and addition to that, comparison with literatures is also performed. Finally, parametric studies are performed and presented in the brief. The findings from this study could help in understanding the complex microscale flow boiling behavior and aid in the design and implementation of reliable compact heat sinks for practical applications.

  17. VLSI Architectures for the Multiplication of Integers Modulo a Fermat Number

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chang, J. J.; Truong, T. K.; Reed, I. S.; Hsu, I. S.

    1984-01-01

    Multiplication is central in the implementation of Fermat number transforms and other residue number algorithms. There is need for a good multiplication algorithm that can be realized easily on a very large scale integration (VLSI) chip. The Leibowitz multiplier is modified to realize multiplication in the ring of integers modulo a Fermat number. This new algorithm requires only a sequence of cyclic shifts and additions. The designs developed for this new multiplier are regular, simple, expandable, and, therefore, suitable for VLSI implementation.

  18. Great Lakes Literacy Principles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fortner, Rosanne W.; Manzo, Lyndsey

    2011-03-01

    Lakes Superior, Huron, Michigan, Ontario, and Erie together form North America's Great Lakes, a region that contains 20% of the world's fresh surface water and is home to roughly one quarter of the U.S. population (Figure 1). Supporting a $4 billion sport fishing industry, plus $16 billion annually in boating, 1.5 million U.S. jobs, and $62 billion in annual wages directly, the Great Lakes form the backbone of a regional economy that is vital to the United States as a whole (see http://www.miseagrant.umich.edu/downloads/economy/11-708-Great-Lakes-Jobs.pdf). Yet the grandeur and importance of this freshwater resource are little understood, not only by people in the rest of the country but also by many in the region itself. To help address this lack of knowledge, the Centers for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence (COSEE) Great Lakes, supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, developed literacy principles for the Great Lakes to serve as a guide for education of students and the public. These “Great Lakes Literacy Principles” represent an understanding of the Great Lakes' influences on society and society's influences on the Great Lakes.

  19. Aortic annulus eccentricity before and after transcatheter aortic valve implantation: Comparison of balloon-expandable and self-expanding prostheses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schuhbaeck, Annika; Weingartner, Christina; Arnold, Martin; Schmid, Jasmin; Pflederer, Tobias; Marwan, Mohamed; Rixe, Johannes; Nef, Holger; Schneider, Christian; Lell, Michael; Uder, Michael; Ensminger, Stephan; Feyrer, Richard; Weyand, Michael; Achenbach, Stephan

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • Post-implant geometry of catheter-based aortic valve prostheses is influenced by aortic valve calcification. • Balloon-expandable prostheses are more circular as compared to self-expanding prostheses. • The impact of post-implant geometry on valve function needs to be investigated. - Abstract: Introduction: The geometry of the aortic annulus and implanted transcatheter aortic valve prosthesis might influence valve function. We investigated the influence of valve type and aortic valve calcification on post-implant geometry of catheter-based aortic valve prostheses. Methods: Eighty consecutive patients with severe aortic valve stenosis (mean age 82 ± 6 years) underwent computed tomography before and after TAVI. Aortic annulus diameters were determined. Influence of prosthesis type and degree of aortic valve calcification on post-implant eccentricity were analysed. Results: Aortic annulus eccentricity was reduced in patients after TAVI (0.21 ± 0.06 vs. 0.08 ± 0.06, p < 0.0001). Post-TAVI eccentricity was significantly lower in 65 patients following implantation of a balloon-expandable prosthesis as compared to 15 patients who received a self-expanding prosthesis (0.06 ± 0.05 vs. 0.15 ± 0.07, p < 0.0001), even though the extent of aortic valve calcification was not different. After TAVI, patients with a higher calcium amount retained a significantly higher eccentricity compared to patients with lower amounts of calcium. Conclusions: Patients undergoing TAVI with a balloon-expandable prosthesis show a more circular shape of the implanted prosthesis as compared to patients with a self-expanding prosthesis. Eccentricity of the deployed prosthesis is affected by the extent of aortic valve calcification

  20. Entropy in an expanding universe

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Frautschi, S.

    1982-01-01

    The question of how the observed evolution of organized structures from initial chaos in the expanding universe can be reconciled with the laws of statistical mechanics is studied, with emphasis on effects of the expansion and gravity. Some major sources of entropy increase are listed. An expanding causal region is defined in which the entropy, though increasing, tends to fall further and further behind its maximum possible value, thus allowing for the development of order. The related questions of whether entropy will continue increasing without limit in the future, and whether such increase in the form of Hawking radiation or radiation from positronium might enable life to maintain itself permanently, are considered. Attempts to find a scheme for preserving life based on solid structures fail because events such as quantum tunneling recurrently disorganize matter on a very long but fixed time scale, whereas all energy sources slow down progressively in an expanding universe. However, there remains hope that other modes of life capable of maintaining themselves permanently can be found

  1. Solid expandable systems put deepwater targets within reach

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Perez-Roca, Eduardo [Enventure Global Technology L.L.C., Houston, TX (United States). Latin America; Fristch, Jerry [Enventure Global Technology L.L.C., Houston, TX (United States)

    2008-07-01

    Enabling technologies that take drilling operations to deeper objectives have made a significant impact on the practicality of many projects, especially deep water offshore targets. Increasing vertical depth and lateral reach requires adequate hole size to attain the desired objectives of the well bore. Solid expandable technology can maintain and retain hole size to address both the physical limitations and the economic feasibility of deep water operations. With each and every casing point, the potential for adequate hole size at total depth (TD) decreases. Solid expandable open hole liners and single-diameter systems reduce and eliminate, respectively, the well bore tapering that dictates hole size at TD and subsequent completion size. Successful mitigation of this tapering, whether through the entire well bore or through select zones, enables operators to gain access to previously unreachable reserves. Solid expandable systems have proven to be reliable and effective with over 1,000 installations in a myriad of conditions and environments worldwide. To date, over 115 of those applications have been in deep water environments. The current operating envelope for solid expandable systems include the deepest installation at {approx}28,750 ft (8,763 m) and the longest at 6,867 ft (2,083 m) in water depth over 3,150 ft (960 m). This record-length application consisted of an open hole liner installed and expanded in a single run. This paper will discuss the effectiveness of solid expandable systems in deep water operations and how the technology brings value to offshore projects especially when planned into the initial design. Case histories will be used to further illustrate the features, advantages, and benefits of expandable technology. In addition, this paper will examine the state of the solid expandable technology and its continuing evolution to provide even more drilling solutions. (author)

  2. Resistance evaluation expanded perlite the leaching acid: variation of parameters concentration, time and leaching agent; Avaliacao da resistencia da perlita expandida a lixiviacao acida: variacao dos parametros concentracao, tempo e agente lixiviante

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Almeida, J.M.F. de; Damasceno Junior, E.; Oliveira, E.S.; Fernandes, N.S., E-mail: janielequimicaufrn@gmail.com [Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), Natal, RN (Brazil). Instituto de Quimica. Laboratorio de Quimica Analitica e Meio Ambiente

    2016-07-01

    The expanded perlite is an amorphous aluminosilicate which presents in its composition about 75.0% silicon oxide (SiO2), also having other species in the composition as oxides of some metals. Silicas and silicates have been used in the environmental field, in relevant anti-corrosive activity. In this context, materials that exposes too many highly acidic media, require preservation against this type of wear, as this type of damage causes a great financial loss, thereby requiring low-cost, abundant materials, non-toxic and easy to purchase as some silica coating. The study evaluated the perlite expanded resistance against an acid leaching process. With undeniability the use of strong acids and different working conditions were not able to remove the oxides present on the expanded perlite sample, thus demonstrating the high strength of the expanded perlite against acid attacks. (author)

  3. Curtis E. LeMay: A Great Warrior

    Science.gov (United States)

    1984-04-01

    Continue On F& Veta . sid~ e Of necessary and Identify hr block number) - Roview, analysis and comparison of Curtis E.Lemay’s strategy ir Europe and the...000 AIR COMMAND AND STAFF COLLEGE STUDENT REPORT, . CURTIS E . LE-MAY A GREAT WARRIORi’ l MAVO IAN . ROBINSON 84,-2190 -AUG 1 0 1984 • "’insights into...tomorrow" E ,,=IL i ’,’ ....... -" -- 84 08 08 03 ~032 DISCLAIMER The views and conclusions expressed in this document are those of the author. They

  4. Novel power MOSFET-based expander for high frequency ultrasound systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Choi, Hojong; Shung, K Kirk

    2014-01-01

    The function of an expander is to obstruct the noise signal transmitted by the pulser so that it does not pass into the transducer or receive electronics, where it can produce undesirable ring-down in an ultrasound imaging application. The most common type is a diode-based expander, which is essentially a simple diode-pair, is widely used in pulse-echo measurements and imaging applications because of its simple architecture. However, diode-based expanders may degrade the performance of ultrasonic transducers and electronic components on the receiving and transmitting sides of the ultrasound systems, respectively. Since they are non-linear devices, they cause excessive signal attenuation and noise at higher frequencies and voltages. In this paper, a new type of expander that utilizes power MOSFET components, which we call a power MOSFET-based expander, is introduced and evaluated for use in high frequency ultrasound imaging systems. The performance of a power MOSFET-based expander was evaluated relative to a diode-based expander by comparing the noise figure (NF), insertion loss (IL), total harmonic distortion (THD), response time (RT), electrical impedance (EI) and dynamic power consumption (DPC). The results showed that the power MOSFET-based expander provided better NF (0.76 dB), IL (-0.3 dB) and THD (-62.9 dB), and faster RT (82 ns) than did the diode-based expander (NF (2.6 dB), IL (-1.4 dB), THD (-56.0 dB) and RT (119 ns)) at 70 MHz. The -6 dB bandwidth and the peak-to-peak voltage of the echo signal received by the transducer using the power MOSFET-based expander improved by 17.4% and 240% compared to the diode-based expander, respectively. The new power MOSFET-based expander was shown to yield lower NF, IL and THD, faster RT and lower ring down than the diode-based expander at the expense of higher dynamic power consumption. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Expanding Access to Pro-Poor Energy Services in Nigeria

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Eleri, Ewah Otu; Ugwu, Okechukwu; Onuvae, Precious

    2012-10-15

    Nigeria experiences a remarkable paradox -- the abundance of energy resources and widespread energy poverty. Only about 40% of the population has access to the country’s grid electricity. About 72% of the population depends on traditional fuelwood for cooking. Despite this, government financing of energy services that benefits majority of Nigeria’s population has been grossly inadequate. Private sector investments and donor support have not fared better. This paper examines the current level of energy poverty in Nigeria. It analyses the level of government, private sector and donor funding for energy services that benefit the poor. It further reviews international best practices in expanding access for pro poor energy services. The paper finds a significant decline in political interest for expanding electricity services to rural areas. Even though ambitious policy reforms have commenced, agreed programmes are not implemented effectively. Not only are investments in rural electrification in decline, there is no history of annual budgeting for cooking energy programmes. The paper recommends a number of action points for expanding access to energy services that benefit the poor. These include the development and launching of a new national rural electrification strategy; establishment of a national cooking energy programme; and the development of clear policy incentives to support private sector investment in energy services for the poor. It calls on the Nigerian Central Bank of Nigeria to set aside 10% of the existing power intervention fund for pro poor energy financing; and the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission to establish a clear framework for the utilization of the Consumer Assistance Fund. Other recommendations include the use of a proportion of the Ecological Fund to finance cooking energy; establishment of a donor’s platform on pro poor energy; and the mobilization of civil society in providing community-level energy services.

  6. Origin and dynamics of expanding neutral hydrogen supershells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kolesnik, I.G.; Silich, S.A.

    1987-01-01

    The evolutionary model of expanding supershells regulated by induced star formation is proposed. It is suggested that giant expanding shells are formed n superclouds at late evolutionary stage of star complexes. To understand the dynamics of the most huge supershells it is necessary to take into account that expanding shells can trigger star formation in cold dense pre-exosting cloudlets. Efficiency of induced star formation must be less than one percent to fit observational properties of supershells

  7. Smarandachely Adjacent-Vertex-Distinguishing Proper Edge Chromatic Number of Cm∨Kn

    OpenAIRE

    Shunqin Liu

    2016-01-01

    According to different conditions, researchers have defined a great deal of coloring problems and the corresponding chromatic numbers. Such as, adjacent-vertex-distinguishing total chromatic number, adjacent-vertex-distinguishing proper edge chromatic number, smarandachely-adjacent-vertex-distinguishing proper edge chromatic number, smarandachely-adjacent-vertex-distinguishing proper total chromatic number. And we focus on the smarandachely adjacent-vertex-distinguishing proper edge chromatic...

  8. Staple Food Self-Sufficiency of Farmers Household Level in The Great Solo

    Science.gov (United States)

    Darsono

    2017-04-01

    Analysis of food security level of household is a novelty of measurement standards which usually includes regional and national levels. With household approach is expected to provide the basis of sharp food policy formulation. The purpose of this study are to identify the condition of self-sufficiency in staple foods, and to find the main factors affecting the dynamics of self-sufficiency in staple foods on farm household level in Great Solo. Using primary data from 50 farmers in the sample and secondary data in Great Solo (Surakarta city, Boyolali, Sukoharjo, Karanganyar, Wonogiri, Sragen and Klaten). Compiled panel data were analyzed with linear probability regression models to produce a good model. The results showed that farm households in Great Solo has a surplus of staple food (rice) with an average consumption rate of 96.8 kg/capita/year. This number is lower than the national rate of 136.7 kg/capita/year. The main factors affecting the level of food self-sufficiency in the farmer household level are: rice production, rice consumption, land tenure, and number of family members. Key recommendations from this study are; improvement scale of the land cultivation for rice farming and non-rice diversification consumption.

  9. Seal-less cryogenic expander

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Faria, L.E.; Christopher, E.H.

    1987-01-01

    In an expander for use in a split Stirling cycle refrigeration system of the type wherein a displacer moves with reciprocating motion inside an expander housing, and wherein a plunger force and a regenerator force are formed on the displacer, the plunger force cyclically varying and having a time of minimum and maximum plunger force amplitude, and the regenerator force cyclically varying and having a time of minimum and maximum regenerator force amplitude, the improvement is described comprising: (a) means for maintaining displacer forces, such that the maximum plunger force amplitude is substantially equal to the maximum regenerator force amplitude; and (b) means for adjusting a time difference, the time difference being the time between the time of maximum plunger force and the time of maximum regenerator force such that a measure of the cooling power of the refrigeration system is maximized

  10. Semiclassical expanding discrete space-times

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cobb, W.K.; Smalley, L.L.

    1981-01-01

    Given the close ties between general relativity and geometry one might reasonably expect that quantum effects associated with gravitation might also be tied to the geometry of space-time, namely, to some sort of discreteness in space-time itself. In particular it is supposed that space-time consists of a discrete lattice of points rather than the usual continuum. Since astronomical evidence seems to suggest that the universe is expanding, the lattice must also expand. Some of the implications of such a model are that the proton should presently be stable, and the universe should be closed although the mechanism for closure is quantum mechanical. (author)

  11. Compendium of Experimental Cetane Numbers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yanowitz, Janet [Ecoengineering, Sharonville, OH (United States); Ratcliff, Matthew A. [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); McCormick, Robert L. [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Taylor, J. D. [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Murphy, M. J. [Battelle, Columbus, OH (United States)

    2017-02-22

    This report is an updated version of the 2014 Compendium of Experimental Cetane Number Data and presents a compilation of measured cetane numbers for pure chemical compounds. It includes all available single-compound cetane number data found in the scientific literature up until December 2016 as well as a number of previously unpublished values, most measured over the past decade at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. This version of the compendium contains cetane values for 496 pure compounds, including 204 hydrocarbons and 292 oxygenates. 176 individual measurements are new to this version of the compendium, all of them collected using ASTM Method D6890, which utilizes an Ignition Quality Tester (IQT) a type of constant-volume combustion chamber. For many compounds, numerous measurements are included, often collected by different researchers using different methods. The text of this document is unchanged from the 2014 version, except for the numbers of compounds in Section 3.1, the Appendices, Table 1. Primary Cetane Number Data Sources and Table 2. Number of Measurements Included in Compendium. Cetane number is a relative ranking of a fuel's autoignition characteristics for use in compression ignition engines. It is based on the amount of time between fuel injection and ignition, also known as ignition delay. The cetane number is typically measured either in a single-cylinder engine or a constant-volume combustion chamber. Values in the previous compendium derived from octane numbers have been removed and replaced with a brief analysis of the correlation between cetane numbers and octane numbers. The discussion on the accuracy and precision of the most commonly used methods for measuring cetane number has been expanded, and the data have been annotated extensively to provide additional information that will help the reader judge the relative reliability of individual results.

  12. Refrigeration generation using expander-generator units

    Science.gov (United States)

    Klimenko, A. V.; Agababov, V. S.; Koryagin, A. V.; Baidakova, Yu. O.

    2016-05-01

    The problems of using the expander-generator unit (EGU) to generate refrigeration, along with electricity were considered. It is shown that, on the level of the temperatures of refrigeration flows using the EGU, one can provide the refrigeration supply of the different consumers: ventilation and air conditioning plants and industrial refrigerators and freezers. The analysis of influence of process parameters on the cooling power of the EGU, which depends on the parameters of the gas expansion process in the expander and temperatures of cooled environment, was carried out. The schematic diagram of refrigeration generation plant based on EGU is presented. The features and advantages of EGU to generate refrigeration compared with thermotransformer of steam compressive and absorption types were shown, namely: there is no need to use the energy generated by burning fuel to operate the EGU; beneficial use of the heat delivered to gas from the flow being cooled in equipment operating on gas; energy production along with refrigeration generation, which makes it possible to create, using EGU, the trigeneration plants without using the energy power equipment. It is shown that the level of the temperatures of refrigeration flows, which can be obtained by using the EGU on existing technological decompression stations of the transported gas, allows providing the refrigeration supply of various consumers. The information that the refrigeration capacity of an expander-generator unit not only depends on the parameters of the process of expansion of gas flowing in the expander (flow rate, temperatures and pressures at the inlet and outlet) but it is also determined by the temperature needed for a consumer and the initial temperature of the flow of the refrigeration-carrier being cooled. The conclusion was made that the expander-generator units can be used to create trigeneration plants both at major power plants and at small energy.

  13. Design and fabrication of multispectral optics using expanded glass map

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bayya, Shyam; Gibson, Daniel; Nguyen, Vinh; Sanghera, Jasbinder; Kotov, Mikhail; Drake, Gryphon; Deegan, John; Lindberg, George

    2015-06-01

    As the desire to have compact multispectral imagers in various DoD platforms is growing, the dearth of multispectral optics is widely felt. With the limited number of material choices for optics, these multispectral imagers are often very bulky and impractical on several weight sensitive platforms. To address this issue, NRL has developed a large set of unique infrared glasses that transmit from 0.9 to > 14 μm in wavelength and expand the glass map for multispectral optics with refractive indices from 2.38 to 3.17. They show a large spread in dispersion (Abbe number) and offer some unique solutions for multispectral optics designs. The new NRL glasses can be easily molded and also fused together to make bonded doublets. A Zemax compatible glass file has been created and is available upon request. In this paper we present some designs, optics fabrication and imaging, all using NRL materials.

  14. A fixed energetic ceiling to parental effort in the great tit?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Tinbergen, J.M.; Verhulst, S.

    1. To elucidate the links between avian brood size, parental effort and parental investment, we measured daily energy expenditure (DEEfem), condition (residuals of mass on tarsus) and feeding rate in female great tits Parus major L. rearing broods in which the number of young was either reduced,

  15. A fixed energetic ceiling to parental effort in the great tit?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Tinbergen, J.M.; Verhulst, S.

    2000-01-01

    1. To elucidate the links between avian brood size, parental effort and parental investment, we measured daily energy expenditure (DEEfem), condition (residuals of mass on tarsus) and feeding rate in female great tits Parus major L. rearing broods in which the number of young was either reduced,

  16. Expanding the Halohydrin Dehalogenase Enzyme Family: Identification of Novel Enzymes by Database Mining.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schallmey, Marcus; Koopmeiners, Julia; Wells, Elizabeth; Wardenga, Rainer; Schallmey, Anett

    2014-12-01

    Halohydrin dehalogenases are very rare enzymes that are naturally involved in the mineralization of halogenated xenobiotics. Due to their catalytic potential and promiscuity, many biocatalytic reactions have been described that have led to several interesting and industrially important applications. Nevertheless, only a few of these enzymes have been made available through recombinant techniques; hence, it is of general interest to expand the repertoire of these enzymes so as to enable novel biocatalytic applications. After the identification of specific sequence motifs, 37 novel enzyme sequences were readily identified in public sequence databases. All enzymes that could be heterologously expressed also catalyzed typical halohydrin dehalogenase reactions. Phylogenetic inference for enzymes of the halohydrin dehalogenase enzyme family confirmed that all enzymes form a distinct monophyletic clade within the short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase superfamily. In addition, the majority of novel enzymes are substantially different from previously known phylogenetic subtypes. Consequently, four additional phylogenetic subtypes were defined, greatly expanding the halohydrin dehalogenase enzyme family. We show that the enormous wealth of environmental and genome sequences present in public databases can be tapped for in silico identification of very rare but biotechnologically important biocatalysts. Our findings help to readily identify halohydrin dehalogenases in ever-growing sequence databases and, as a consequence, make even more members of this interesting enzyme family available to the scientific and industrial community. Copyright © 2014, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

  17. Postmastectomy intensity modulated radiation therapy following immediate expander-implant reconstruction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Koutcher, Lawrence; Ballangrud, Ase; Cordeiro, Peter G.; McCormick, Beryl; Hunt, Margie; Zee, Kimberly J. Van; Hudis, Clifford; Beal, Kathryn

    2010-01-01

    Background/purpose: To evaluate radiation plans of patients undergoing mastectomy with immediate expander-implant reconstruction followed by postmastectomy radiation therapy (PMRT). Materials/methods: We identified 41 patients from June 2004 to May 2007 who underwent mastectomy, immediate expander-implant reconstruction, and PMRT with intensity-modulated radiation therapy. We assessed chest wall (CW) coverage and volume of heart and lung irradiated. Results: In 73% of patients, all CW borders were adequately covered, and in 22%, all but 1 border were adequately covered. The total lung V 20 was 20 was 13% (range, 3-23%), and the mean heart D mean was 2.81 Gy (range, 0.53-9.60 Gy). In patients with left-sided lesions without internal mammary nodes (IMNs) treatment (n = 22), the mean lung V 20 was 12.6% and the mean heart D mean was 3.90 Gy, and in the patient with IMN treatment, the lung V 20 was 18% and heart D mean was 8.04 Gy. For right-sided lesions without IMN treatment (n = 12), the mean lung V 20 was 12.4% and the mean heart D mean was 0.90 Gy, and in patients with IMN treatment (n = 6), these numbers were 17.8% and 1.76 Gy. At a median follow-up of 29 months, the 30-month actuarial local control was 97%. Conclusions: In women undergoing immediate expander-implant reconstruction, PMRT can achieve excellent local control with acceptable heart and lung doses. These results can be achieved even when the IMN are being treated, although doses to the heart and lungs will be higher.

  18. Alarming decline and range reduction of the highly threatened Great ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    A Great Bustard Otis tarda survey carried out in spring 2015 in Morocco confirmed the decline of this highly endangered population. Bustards were only seen at two of the seven leks occupied ten years ago. The total number of birds counted was 40-44, which represents a 40% decline over the last decade. The sex-ratio ...

  19. From r-spin intersection numbers to Hodge integrals

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ding, Xiang-Mao; Li, Yuping [Institute of Applied Mathematics, Academy of Mathematics and Systems Science,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Beijing 100190, People’s Republic of (China); Meng, Lingxian [Institute of Applied Mathematics, Academy of Mathematics and Systems Science,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Beijing 100190, People’s Republic of (China); College of Mathematics and Information Science, Zhengzhou University of Light Industry,Zhengzhou 450002, People’s Republic of (China)

    2016-01-04

    Generalized Kontsevich Matrix Model (GKMM) with a certain given potential is the partition function of r-spin intersection numbers. We represent this GKMM in terms of fermions and expand it in terms of the Schur polynomials by boson-fermion correspondence, and link it with a Hurwitz partition function and a Hodge partition by operators in a (GL)-hat (∞) group. Then, from a W{sub 1+∞} constraint of the partition function of r-spin intersection numbers, we get a W{sub 1+∞} constraint for the Hodge partition function. The W{sub 1+∞} constraint completely determines the Schur polynomials expansion of the Hodge partition function.

  20. Ex vivo-expanded bone marrow CD34(+) for acute myocardial infarction treatment: in vitro and in vivo studies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gunetti, Monica; Noghero, Alessio; Molla, Fabiola; Staszewsky, Lidia Irene; de Angelis, Noeleen; Soldo, Annarita; Russo, Ilaria; Errichiello, Edoardo; Frasson, Chiara; Rustichelli, Deborah; Ferrero, Ivana; Gualandris, Anna; Berger, Massimo; Geuna, Massimo; Scacciatella, Paolo; Basso, Giuseppe; Marra, Sebastiano; Bussolino, Federico; Latini, Roberto; Fagioli, Franca

    2011-10-01

    Bone marrow (BM)-derived cells appear to be a promising therapeutic source for the treatment of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). However, the quantity and quality of the cells to be used, along with the appropriate time of administration, still need to be defined. We thus investigated the use of BM CD34(+)-derived cells as cells suitable for a cell therapy protocol (CTP) in the treatment of experimental AMI. The need for a large number of cells was satisfied by the use of a previously established protocol allowing the expansion of human CD34(+) cells isolated from neonatal and adult hematopoietic tissues. We evaluated gene expression, endothelial differentiation potential and cytokine release by BM-derived cells during in vitro culture. Basal and expanded CD34(+) cells were used as a delivery product in a murine AMI model consisting of a coronary artery ligation (CAL). Cardiac function recovery was evaluated after injecting basal or expanded cells. Gene expression analysis of in vitro-expanded cells revealed that endothelial markers were up-regulated during culture. Moreover, expanded cells generated a CD14(+) subpopulation able to differentiate efficiently into VE-cadherin-expressing cells. In vivo, we observed a cardiac function recovery in mice sequentially treated with basal and expanded cells injected 4 h and 7 days after CAL, respectively. Our data suggest that combining basal and expanded BM-derived CD34(+) cells in a specific temporal pattern of administration might represent a promising strategy for a successful cell-based therapy.

  1. Expanding Energy Performance Contracting in china: policy solutions and market mechanisms

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shen, Bo [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Price, Lynn [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Liu, Xu [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Meng, Lu [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Shi, Wenjing [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Evans, Meredydd [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Roshchanka, Volha [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Yu, Sha [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

    2017-07-19

    Energy performance contracting is an important market mechanism that uses energy savings to pay over time for the upfront costs of energy efficiency retrofits in buildings, industries, and other types of facilities. Through energy performance contracts (EPCs), Energy Service Companies (ESCOs) play an important role in implementing energy efficiency retrofits. Both China and the United States have large markets for EPCs and significant opportunities for growth. The Chinese government has made great efforts in promoting the country’s ESCO business and expanding its EPC markets. This paper makes a series of recommendations for China to adopt more ambitious policy measures to encourage deep energy savings projects via EPCs. These recommendations are built on initial insights from a white paper developed by researchers at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory with the assistance from the ESCO Committee of China’s Energy Conservation Association (EMCA). Key recommendations are listed below.

  2. Number and type of psychotropic drugs on the Scandinavian market in 1950-1977

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hemminki, E; Pesonen, T; Hansen, E H

    1981-01-01

    This article describes the number and types of psychotropic drugs on the market in Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden from 1950-1977. The total number of drugs on the market in each country depended greatly on how psychotropic drugs were defined, but trends with time and differences between...... the countries were less affected by this definition. The number of drugs was highest in Finland and lowest in Norway. In all countries, the number of drugs increased from 1950 to the mid-1960s, most abruptly in Finland. They then quickly decreased in Finland and Sweden, but remained fairly constant in Denmark...... numbers of combination drugs contributed greatly to the wide differences in the number of drugs. From the medical point of view, far too many drugs were on the market in that period....

  3. Alien invasive species and biological pollution of the Great Lakes Basin ecosystem[Great Lakes Water Quality Board : Report to the International Joint Commission

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2001-05-01

    The displacement of important native species in the Great Lakes is a result of an invasion by a succession of non indigenous aquatic species. These invasion also resulted in interference with the proper human water uses and cost billions of dollars. The problem was considered serious enough that the International Joint Commission asked the Great Lakes Water Quality Board in 1999 to review the regulations in place and make recommendations, if necessary, for the implementation of additional measures that could be considered to keep control over the introduction of alien invasive species. Escapes from aquaria, aquaculture, research and educational facilities, canal and diversion water flows, and release of live bait are all sources of this invasion. The effectiveness of alternative technologies to control the invasion was to be examined by the Board. Other efforts taking place to address the situation in the basin are being complemented by the publication of this report. It is considered that the most important source of alien invasive species (AIS) to the Great Lakes is the discharge of ballast water from shipping vessels coming from outside the United States and Canada. A major concern is the role played by vessels reporting no ballast on board (NOBOB) upon entering the basin. A number of recommendations were made concerning: (1) implementation and enforcement of the ballast water discharge standards agreed upon by both countries, (2) the evaluation of the effectiveness of alternative technologies to achieve ballast water discharge standards over the long term, combined with the use of chemical treatment while the evaluation is being performed, (3) the implementation of optimal management practices to control sediments in shipping vessels, (4) modifications to the design of shipping vessels, and (5) the monitoring and contingency plans in the event of a repeat scenario in the future. Composed of an equal number representatives from the United States and Canada, at

  4. Strength analysis of expandable tubulars for well applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Aguiar, A.C.C. [Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), RJ (Brazil); Fonseca, C.E. [PETROBRAS S.A., Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil); Netto, T.A. [Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), RJ (Brazil). Coordenacao dos Programas de Pos-graduacao de Engenharia (COPPE)

    2008-07-01

    Solid expandable tube technology has many advantages when compared to conventional wells. The expansion of tubes in situ allows developing reserves in many of the challenging scenarios found in oil industry, as pre-salt layer, HPHT wells, deep reservoirs, or ultra-deep water. Besides, this procedure has good compatibility with directional and horizontal wells and facilitates side-tracks operations. Although the expansion of tubes is very attractive, a better understanding of its influence on the tube mechanical strength is necessary. In this work, experimental tests and numerical analyses were performed in order to determine the effect of parameters such as diameter-to-thickness ratio and expansion rate on the collapse resistance of expandable tubes. An experimental apparatus was designed and built to reproduce full-scale tube expansion. Three 2 meter long specimens were expanded 10% their original diameters and subjected to hydrostatic pressure inside a vessel until collapse. Three non-expanded tubes were also tested for comparison. At the same time, non-linear numerical models were developed using the finite element method. After calibration, they were used to further analyze the mechanical behavior of solid expandable tubes and the influence of expansion on its resistance against collapse. (author)

  5. An expanding universe of small proteins.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hobbs, Errett C; Fontaine, Fanette; Yin, Xuefeng; Storz, Gisela

    2011-04-01

    Historically, small proteins (sproteins) of less than 50 amino acids, in their final processed forms or genetically encoded as such, have been understudied. However, both serendipity and more recent focused efforts have led to the identification of a number of new sproteins in both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. Increasing evidence demonstrates that sproteins participate in a wide array of cellular processes and exhibit great diversity in their mechanisms of action, yet general principles of sprotein function are emerging. This review highlights examples of sproteins that participate in cell signaling, act as antibiotics and toxins, and serve as structural proteins. We also describe roles for sproteins in detecting and altering membrane features, acting as chaperones, and regulating the functions of larger proteins. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  6. An Isothermal Steam Expander for an Industrial Steam Supplying System

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chen-Kuang Lin

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Steam is an essential medium used in the industrial process. To ensure steam quality, small and middle scale boilers are often adopted. However, because a higher steam pressure (compared to the necessary steam pressure is generated, the boiler’s steam pressure will be reduced via a pressure regulator before the steam is directed through the process. Unfortunately, pressure is somewhat wasted during the reducing process. Therefore, in order to promote energy efficiency, a pressure regulator is replaced by a steam expander. With this steam expander, the pressure will be transformed into mechanical energy and extracted during the expansion process. A new type of isothermal steam expander for an industrial steam supplying system will be presented in the paper. The isothermal steam expander will improve the energy efficiency of a traditional steam expander by replacing the isentropic process with an isothermal expansion process. With this, steam condensation will decrease, energy will increase, and steam quality will be improved. Moreover, the mathematical model of the isothermal steam expander will be established by using the Schmidt theory, the same principle used to analyze Stirling engines. Consequently, by verifying the correctness of the theoretical model for the isothermal steam expander using experimental data, a prototype of 100 c.c. isothermal steam expander is constructed.

  7. Numerical modelling of multi-vane expander operating conditions in ORC system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rak, Józef; Błasiak, Przemysław; Kolasiński, Piotr

    2017-11-01

    Multi-vane expanders are positive displacement volumetric machines which are nowadays considered for application in micro-power domestic ORC systems as promising alternative to micro turbines and other volumetric expanders. The multi-vane expander features very simple design, low gas flow capacity, low expansion ratios, an advantageous ratio of the power output to the external dimensions and are insensitive to the negative influence of the gas-liquid mixture expansion. Moreover, the multi-vane expander can be easily hermetically sealed, which is one of the key issues in the ORC system design. A literature review indicates that issues concerning the application of multi-vane expanders in such systems, especially related to operating of multi-vane expander with different low-boiling working fluids, are innovative, not fully scientifically described and have the potential for practical implementation. In this paper the results of numerical investigations on multi-vane expander operating conditions are presented. The analyses were performed on three-dimensional numerical model of the expander in ANSYS CFX software. The numerical model of the expander was validated using the data obtained from the experiment carried out on a lab test-stand. Then a series of computational analysis were performed using expanders' numerical model in order to determine its operating conditions under various flow conditions of different working fluids.

  8. GMP-compliant, large-scale expanded allogeneic natural killer cells have potent cytolytic activity against cancer cells in vitro and in vivo.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Okjae Lim

    Full Text Available Ex vivo-expanded, allogeneic natural killer (NK cells can be used for the treatment of various types of cancer. In allogeneic NK cell therapy, NK cells from healthy donors must be expanded in order to obtain a sufficient number of highly purified, activated NK cells. In the present study, we established a simplified and efficient method for the large-scale expansion and activation of NK cells from healthy donors under good manufacturing practice (GMP conditions. After a single step of magnetic depletion of CD3(+ T cells, the depleted peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs were stimulated and expanded with irradiated autologous PBMCs in the presence of OKT3 and IL-2 for 14 days, resulting in a highly pure population of CD3(-CD16(+CD56(+ NK cells which is desired for allogeneic purpose. Compared with freshly isolated NK cells, these expanded NK cells showed robust cytokine production and potent cytolytic activity against various cancer cell lines. Of note, expanded NK cells selectively killed cancer cells without demonstrating cytotoxicity against allogeneic non-tumor cells in coculture assays. The anti-tumor activity of expanded human NK cells was examined in SCID mice injected with human lymphoma cells. In this model, expanded NK cells efficiently controlled lymphoma progression. In conclusion, allogeneic NK cells were efficiently expanded in a GMP-compliant facility and demonstrated potent anti-tumor activity both in vitro and in vivo.

  9. Training to develop sense of numbers and quantities for preschool children with special needs

    OpenAIRE

    Kuplenk, Petra

    2017-01-01

    Children as well as adults have to cope with mathematics every day either at nursery school, at work or at home. Mathematics has a great impact on our lives and work. When I was working with children with special needs I noticed that they found it very difficult to understand numbers and numbers relations. That is why I devoted my diploma work to preparing a complete training for developing a feeling of number sense with children with special needs. I believe that it is of great importan...

  10. Reproductive behavior of the great hornbill (Buceros bicornis).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kozlowski, Corinne P; Bauman, Karen L; Asa, Cheryl S

    2015-01-01

    Great hornbills (Buceros bicornis) are a long-lived, monogamous species that forms strong pair-bonds, and mate compatibility is thought to be important for successful reproduction. Within AZA, great hornbills are listed as a red SSP. The population consists of a limited number of individuals that do not breed reliably, and improving reproduction is a top priority for the Coraciiformes TAG. To better understand mating behavior and evaluate mate compatibility, this study documented the behavior of pairs of great hornbills during and immediately after courtship. Using live observations, the study followed one female, an experienced and successful breeder, as she was paired with four successive males over 11 breeding seasons. Initially, males frequently vocalized, investigated the nest, and approached the female. As the female spent more time in the nest, these behaviors were replaced by regurgitation and food offering. The female was most often observed plastering and vocalizing. Behavioral differences between successful and unsuccessful pairs, possibly indicative of pair compatibility, included rates of approaching, billing, and biting. Numerous behaviors occurred more frequently during years that a chick hatched, including pseudoregurgitation, regurgitation, offering food items, and nest investigation. Males also spent more time in proximity to both the female and the nest during years that a chick hatched. Together, these results suggest that the amount of time pairs spend in proximity, the amount of time a male spends near the nest, and the frequency of certain behaviors may help evaluate compatibility and the likelihood of successful reproduction for pairs of great hornbills. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  11. Great Lakes Science Center

    Data.gov (United States)

    Federal Laboratory Consortium — Since 1927, Great Lakes Science Center (GLSC) research has provided critical information for the sound management of Great Lakes fish populations and other important...

  12. Use of Self-Expanding Metallic Ureteral Stents in the Secondary Treatment of Ureteral Stenosis Following Kidney Transplantation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Guibin; Li, Xun; He, Yongzhong; Zhao, Haibo; Yang, Weiqing; Xie, Qingling

    2015-10-01

    To evaluate the safety and efficacy of self-expanding metal stents in the treatment of ureteral stenosis following kidney transplantation. Seven patients who developed benign stenosis after kidney transplantation were treated by a self-expanding metallic stent implantation from June 2007 to March 2014. All patients had undergone at least one open surgical procedure and one endourologic procedure for treatment of the stenosis. The extent of stenosis varied from 1.2 to 3.7 cm. Ultrasonography, urography, diuretic renography, and urine culture were performed every 3 months after stent insertion. Ureteroscopic examination was performed when needed. Stent placement was technically effective in all cases. The mean operative time was 37 minutes (range, 26-59 minutes). Lower urinary-tract symptoms and the ipsilateral flank pain were common early-stage complications and were greatly relieved after an average of 3 months. The mean follow-up duration was 38 months (range, 13-86 months), and no stent migration or fragmentation was observed. Urothelial hyperplasia occurred in only one patient and was effectively managed with a Double-J stent. Five patients had normal stable renal function; the remaining two had impaired renal function, including one patient with a preoperative renal failure who required dialysis at the end of the follow-up period (36 months). As an alternative to open surgery, implantation of a self-expanding metal stent is a safe and effective treatment for ureteral stenosis in patients who have undergone kidney transplantation.

  13. Measurement uncertainty of ester number, acid number and patchouli alcohol of patchouli oil produced in Yogyakarta

    Science.gov (United States)

    Istiningrum, Reni Banowati; Saepuloh, Azis; Jannah, Wirdatul; Aji, Didit Waskito

    2017-03-01

    Yogyakarta is one of patchouli oil distillation center in Indonesia. The quality of patchouli oil greatly affect its market price. Therefore, testing quality of patchouli oil parameters is an important concern, one through determination of the measurement uncertainty. This study will determine the measurement uncertainty of ester number, acid number and content of patchouli alcohol through a bottom up approach. Source contributor to measurement uncertainty of ester number is a mass of the sample, a blank and sample titration volume, the molar mass of KOH, HCl normality, and replication. While the source contributor of the measurement uncertainty of acid number is the mass of the sample, the sample titration volume, the relative mass and normality of KOH, and repetition. Determination of patchouli alcohol by Gas Chromatography considers the sources of measurement uncertainty only from repeatability because reference materials are not available.

  14. Expanded-bed chromatography in primary protein purification.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anspach, F B; Curbelo, D; Hartmann, R; Garke, G; Deckwer, W D

    1999-12-31

    Chromatography in stable expanded beds enables proteins to be recovered directly from cultivations of microorganisms or cells and preparations of disrupted cells, without the need for prior removal of suspended solids. The general performance of an expanded bed is comparable to a packed bed owing to reduced mixing of the adsorbent particles in the column. However, optimal operating conditions are more restricted than in a packed bed due to the dependence of bed expansion on the size and density of the adsorbent particles as well as the viscosity and density of the feedstock. The feedstock composition may become the most limiting restriction owing to interactions of adsorbent particles with cell surfaces, DNA and other substances, leading to their aggregation and consequently to bed instabilities and channeling. Despite these difficulties, expanded-bed chromatography has found widespread applications in the large scale purification of proteins from mammalian cell and microbial feedstocks in industrial bioprocessing. The basics and implementation of expanded-bed chromatography, its advantages as well as problems encountered in the use of this technique for the direct extraction of proteins from unclarified feedstocks are addressed.

  15. First order phase transition of expanding matter and its fragmentation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chikazumi, Shinpei; Iwamoto, Akira

    2002-01-01

    Using an expanding matter model with a Lennard-Jones potential, the instability of the expanding system is investigated. The pressure, the temperature, and the density fluctuations are calculated as functions of density during the time evolution of the expanding matter, which are compared to the coexistence curve calculated by the Gibbs ensemble. The expanding matter undergoes the first order phase transition in the limit of the quasistatic expansion. The resultant fragment mass distributions are also investigated. (author)

  16. Grazing incidence beam expander

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Akkapeddi, P.R.; Glenn, P.; Fuschetto, A.; Appert, Q.; Viswanathan, V.K.

    1985-01-01

    A Grazing Incidence Beam Expander (GIBE) telescope is being designed and fabricated to be used as an equivalent end mirror in a long laser resonator cavity. The design requirements for this GIBE flow down from a generic Free Electron Laser (FEL) resonator. The nature of the FEL gain volume (a thin, pencil-like, on-axis region) dictates that the output beam be very small. Such a thin beam with the high power levels characteristic of FELs would have to travel perhaps hundreds of meters or more before expanding enough to allow reflection from cooled mirrors. A GIBE, on the other hand, would allow placing these optics closer to the gain region and thus reduces the cavity lengths substantially. Results are presented relating to optical and mechanical design, alignment sensitivity analysis, radius of curvature analysis, laser cavity stability analysis of a linear stable concentric laser cavity with a GIBE. Fabrication details of the GIBE are also given.

  17. The Expanded Large Scale Gap Test

    Science.gov (United States)

    1987-03-01

    NSWC TR 86-32 DTIC THE EXPANDED LARGE SCALE GAP TEST BY T. P. LIDDIARD D. PRICE RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT ’ ~MARCH 1987 Ap~proved for public...arises, to reduce the spread in the LSGT 50% gap value.) The worst charges, such as those with the highest or lowest densities, the largest re-pressed...Arlington, VA 22217 PE 62314N INS3A 1 RJ14E31 7R4TBK 11 TITLE (Include Security CIlmsilficatiorn The Expanded Large Scale Gap Test . 12. PEIRSONAL AUTHOR() T

  18. A new fluid distribution system for scale-flexible expanded bed adsorption

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hubbuch, Jürgen; Heebøll-Nielsen, Anders; Hobley, Timothy John

    2002-01-01

    of axial dispersion was 6.1 x 10(-6) m(2) (.) s(-1) and 29 theoretical plates were measured. When the rotation rate was raised to 10 rpm, the coefficient of axial dispersion increased to 8.08 x 10(-6) m(2 .) s(-1) and the number of theoretical plates decreased to 22.......A new fluid distribution system designed for expanded bed adsorption was introduced and studied in a 150-cm diameter column. Based on fluid application through a rotating distributor, it eradicates the need for perforated plates, meshes, or local mixers. The effect of rotation rate on column...

  19. Numerical modelling of multi-vane expander operating conditions in ORC system

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rak Józef

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Multi-vane expanders are positive displacement volumetric machines which are nowadays considered for application in micro-power domestic ORC systems as promising alternative to micro turbines and other volumetric expanders. The multi-vane expander features very simple design, low gas flow capacity, low expansion ratios, an advantageous ratio of the power output to the external dimensions and are insensitive to the negative influence of the gas-liquid mixture expansion. Moreover, the multi-vane expander can be easily hermetically sealed, which is one of the key issues in the ORC system design. A literature review indicates that issues concerning the application of multi-vane expanders in such systems, especially related to operating of multi-vane expander with different low-boiling working fluids, are innovative, not fully scientifically described and have the potential for practical implementation. In this paper the results of numerical investigations on multi-vane expander operating conditions are presented. The analyses were performed on three-dimensional numerical model of the expander in ANSYS CFX software. The numerical model of the expander was validated using the data obtained from the experiment carried out on a lab test-stand. Then a series of computational analysis were performed using expanders' numerical model in order to determine its operating conditions under various flow conditions of different working fluids.

  20. Great deal achieved at Cape's nuclear island

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    1979-01-01

    Since the civil engineering contract commenced a great deal has been achieved at Escom's Koeberg nuclear power station north of Cape Town. About 50 percent of the civil work has now been done and the entire project remains on schedule for a January 1982 start-up on nuclear reactor unit number one and a January 1983 start-up on unit two. Final handover is scheduled for January 1984. Completion of the civil works is scheduled for December 1981. The construction of the Koeberg nuclear power station is discussed, as well as the contractors for the civil engineering work

  1. An Evolutionary Formulation of the Crossing Number Problem

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Che Sheng Gan

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available A graph drawing algorithm is presented which results in complete graphs having minimum crossings equal to that of Guy's conjecture. It is then generalized and formulated in an evolutionary algorithm (EA to perform constrained search for the crossing numbers. The main objective of this work is to present a suitable two-dimensional scheme which can greatly reduce the complexity of finding crossing numbers by using computer. Program performance criteria are presented and discussed. It is shown that the EA implementation provides good confirmation of the predicted crossing numbers.

  2. Great Lakes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Edsall, Thomas A.; Mac, Michael J.; Opler, Paul A.; Puckett Haecker, Catherine E.; Doran, Peter D.

    1998-01-01

    The Great Lakes region, as defined here, includes the Great Lakes and their drainage basins in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York. The region also includes the portions of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and the 21 northernmost counties of Illinois that lie in the Mississippi River drainage basin, outside the floodplain of the river. The region spans about 9º of latitude and 20º of longitude and lies roughly halfway between the equator and the North Pole in a lowland corridor that extends from the Gulf of Mexico to the Arctic Ocean.The Great Lakes are the most prominent natural feature of the region (Fig. 1). They have a combined surface area of about 245,000 square kilometers and are among the largest, deepest lakes in the world. They are the largest single aggregation of fresh water on the planet (excluding the polar ice caps) and are the only glacial feature on Earth visible from the surface of the moon (The Nature Conservancy 1994a).The Great Lakes moderate the region’s climate, which presently ranges from subarctic in the north to humid continental warm in the south (Fig. 2), reflecting the movement of major weather masses from the north and south (U.S. Department of the Interior 1970; Eichenlaub 1979). The lakes act as heat sinks in summer and heat sources in winter and are major reservoirs that help humidify much of the region. They also create local precipitation belts in areas where air masses are pushed across the lakes by prevailing winds, pick up moisture from the lake surface, and then drop that moisture over land on the other side of the lake. The mean annual frost-free period—a general measure of the growing-season length for plants and some cold-blooded animals—varies from 60 days at higher elevations in the north to 160 days in lakeshore areas in the south. The climate influences the general distribution of wild plants and animals in the region and also influences the activities and distribution of the human

  3. Great War legacies in Serbian culture

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Milojković-Đurić Jelena

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available In the aftermath of the Great War, Ivo Andrić published a number of poems, essays and short stories describing the hard-won victorious outcome as transient to the dire reality of the inordinate loss of human lives and suffering. Yet, personal experiences, although perceived as ephemeral, helped to define the historical discourse capturing man’s resolve to persist in his chosen mission. Over time, Serbian literature and fine arts sustained an unfinished dialogue of the past and the present, merging the individual voices with the collective voices to construct the national narrative. The young writer Miloš Crnjanski observed the sights of destruction and despair that seemed to pale in new literary works pertaining to the war. His novel A Diary about Čarnojević was closely related to his own perilous wartime journey as a conscript in the Austrian army. The vastness of Pannonian plains and Galician woods must have invoked a comparison of sorts with another historic chapter recorded in the collective consciousness of his nation: the Great Migration of Serbs led by Patriarch Arsenije III Čarnojević (Crnojević in 1690. The very title of the novel contained a powerful reference to the migration, and its illustrious historic leader which has not been discussed or explored before.

  4. Conference Offers Girls Opportunity to Expand Career Horizons

    Science.gov (United States)

    Offers Girls Opportunity to Expand Career Horizons For more information contact: e:mail: Public Affairs Golden, Colo., Feb. 11, 1997 -- Expanding Your Horizons, a conference for girls grades 6 - 9 and Employed Women, Girls Incorporated of Metro Denver, King Soopers, McDonalds, the TCI Adult Program and the

  5. Development of cryogenic free-piston reciprocating expander utilizing phase controller

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cha, Jeong Min; Park, Ji Ho; Kim, Kyung Joong; Jeong, Sang Kwon [Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2016-06-15

    A free-piston reciprocating expander is a device which operates without any mechanical linkage to a stationary part. Since the motion of the floating piston is only controlled by the pressure difference at two ends of the piston, this kind of expander may indispensably require a sophisticated active control system equipped with multiple valves and reservoirs. In this paper, we have suggested a novel design that can further reduce complexity of the previously developed cryogenic free-piston expander configuration. It is a simple replacement of both multiple valves and reservoirs by a combination of an orifice valve and a reservoir. The functional characteristic of the integrated orifice-reservoir configuration is similar to that of a phase controller applied in a pulse tube refrigerator so that we designate the one as a phase controller. Depending on the orifice valve size in the phase controller, the different PV work which affects the expander performance is generated. The numerical model of this unique free-piston reciprocating expander utilizing a phase controller is established to understand and analyze quantitatively the performance variation of the expander under different valve timing and orifice valve size. The room temperature experiments are carried out to examine the performance of this newly developed cryogenic expander.

  6. Development of cryogenic free-piston reciprocating expander utilizing phase controller

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cha, Jeong Min; Park, Ji Ho; Kim, Kyung Joong; Jeong, Sang Kwon

    2016-01-01

    A free-piston reciprocating expander is a device which operates without any mechanical linkage to a stationary part. Since the motion of the floating piston is only controlled by the pressure difference at two ends of the piston, this kind of expander may indispensably require a sophisticated active control system equipped with multiple valves and reservoirs. In this paper, we have suggested a novel design that can further reduce complexity of the previously developed cryogenic free-piston expander configuration. It is a simple replacement of both multiple valves and reservoirs by a combination of an orifice valve and a reservoir. The functional characteristic of the integrated orifice-reservoir configuration is similar to that of a phase controller applied in a pulse tube refrigerator so that we designate the one as a phase controller. Depending on the orifice valve size in the phase controller, the different PV work which affects the expander performance is generated. The numerical model of this unique free-piston reciprocating expander utilizing a phase controller is established to understand and analyze quantitatively the performance variation of the expander under different valve timing and orifice valve size. The room temperature experiments are carried out to examine the performance of this newly developed cryogenic expander

  7. An intriguing design concept to enhance the pulsatile fatigue life of self-expanding stents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hsiao, Hao-Ming; Yin, Ming-Ting

    2014-02-01

    Intravascular stenting has emerged as the primary treatment for vascular diseases and has received great attention from the medical community since its introduction two decades ago. The endovascular self-expanding stent is used to treat peripheral artery diseases; however, once implanted, these stents suffer from various cyclic motions caused by pulsatile blood pressure and daily activities. Due to this challenging environment, fatigue performance has become a critical issue for stent design. In this paper, a simple yet intriguing concept of stent design aimed at enhancing pulsatile fatigue life is investigated. The concept of this design is to shift the highly concentrated stresses/strains away from the crown and re-distribute them along the stress-free bar arm by tapering its strut width. Finite element models were developed to evaluate the mechanical integrity and pulsatile fatigue resistance of the stent to various loading conditions. Results show that the fatigue safety factor jumped to 2.5-3.0 times that of the standard stent with constant strut width. This is astonishing considering that the stent profile and scaffolding were not compromised. The findings of this paper provide an excellent approach to the optimization of future stent design to greatly improve stent fatigue performance.

  8. Monitoring the environment and human sentiment on the Great Barrier Reef: Assessing the potential of collective sensing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Becken, Susanne; Stantic, Bela; Chen, Jinyan; Alaei, Ali Reza; Connolly, Rod M

    2017-12-01

    With the growth of smartphone usage the number of social media posts has significantly increased and represents potentially valuable information for management, including of natural resources and the environment. Already, evidence of using 'human sensor' in crises management suggests that collective knowledge could be used to complement traditional monitoring. This research uses Twitter data posted from the Great Barrier Reef region, Australia, to assess whether the extent and type of data could be used to Great Barrier Reef organisations as part of their monitoring program. The analysis reveals that large amounts of tweets, covering the geographic area of interest, are available and that the pool of information providers is greatly enhanced by the large number of tourists to this region. A keyword and sentiment analysis demonstrates the usefulness of the Twitter data, but also highlights that the actual number of Reef-related tweets is comparatively small and lacks specificity. Suggestions for further steps towards the development of an integrative data platform that incorporates social media are provided. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Crystallization degree change of expanded graphite by milling and annealing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tang Qunwei; Wu Jihuai; Sun Hui; Fang Shijun

    2009-01-01

    Expanded graphite was ball milled with a planetary mill in air atmosphere, and subsequently thermal annealed. The samples were characterized by using X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). It was found that in the milling initial stage (less than 12 h), the crystallization degree of the expanded graphite declined gradually, but after milling more than 16 h, a recrystallization of the expanded graphite toke place, and ordered nanoscale expanded graphite was formed gradually. In the annealing initial stage, the non-crystallization of the graphite occurred, but, beyond an annealing time, recrystallizations of the graphite arise. Higher annealing temperature supported the recrystallization. The milled and annealed expanded graphite still preserved the crystalline structure as raw material and hold high thermal stability.

  10. Credit spread variability in U.S. business cycles: the Great Moderation versus the Great Recession

    OpenAIRE

    Hylton Hollander; Guangling Liu

    2014-01-01

    This paper establishes the prevailing financial factors that influence credit spread variability, and its impact on the U.S. business cycle over the Great Moderation and Great Recession periods. To do so, we develop a dynamic general equilibrium framework with a central role of financial intermediation and equity assets. Over the Great Moderation and Great Recession periods, we find an important role for bank market power (sticky rate adjustments and loan rate markups) on credit spread variab...

  11. Credit spread variability in U.S. business cycles: The Great Moderation versus the Great Recession

    OpenAIRE

    Hylton Hollander and Guangling Liu

    2014-01-01

    This paper establishes the prevailing financial factors that influence credit spread variability, and its impact on the U.S. business cycle over the Great Moderation and Great Recession periods. To do so, we develop a dynamic general equilibrium framework with a central role of financial intermediation and equity assets. Over the Great Moderation and Great Recession periods, we find an important role for bank market power (sticky rate adjustments and loan rate markups) on credit spread variab...

  12. Transcatheter aortic-valve replacement with a self-expanding prosthesis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adams, David H; Popma, Jeffrey J; Reardon, Michael J; Yakubov, Steven J; Coselli, Joseph S; Deeb, G Michael; Gleason, Thomas G; Buchbinder, Maurice; Hermiller, James; Kleiman, Neal S; Chetcuti, Stan; Heiser, John; Merhi, William; Zorn, George; Tadros, Peter; Robinson, Newell; Petrossian, George; Hughes, G Chad; Harrison, J Kevin; Conte, John; Maini, Brijeshwar; Mumtaz, Mubashir; Chenoweth, Sharla; Oh, Jae K

    2014-05-08

    We compared transcatheter aortic-valve replacement (TAVR), using a self-expanding transcatheter aortic-valve bioprosthesis, with surgical aortic-valve replacement in patients with severe aortic stenosis and an increased risk of death during surgery. We recruited patients with severe aortic stenosis who were at increased surgical risk as determined by the heart team at each study center. Risk assessment included the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Predictor Risk of Mortality estimate and consideration of other key risk factors. Eligible patients were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to TAVR with the self-expanding transcatheter valve (TAVR group) or to surgical aortic-valve replacement (surgical group). The primary end point was the rate of death from any cause at 1 year, evaluated with the use of both noninferiority and superiority testing. A total of 795 patients underwent randomization at 45 centers in the United States. In the as-treated analysis, the rate of death from any cause at 1 year was significantly lower in the TAVR group than in the surgical group (14.2% vs. 19.1%), with an absolute reduction in risk of 4.9 percentage points (upper boundary of the 95% confidence interval, -0.4; P<0.001 for noninferiority; P = 0.04 for superiority). The results were similar in the intention-to-treat analysis. In a hierarchical testing procedure, TAVR was noninferior with respect to echocardiographic indexes of valve stenosis, functional status, and quality of life. Exploratory analyses suggested a reduction in the rate of major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events and no increase in the risk of stroke. In patients with severe aortic stenosis who are at increased surgical risk, TAVR with a self-expanding transcatheter aortic-valve bioprosthesis was associated with a significantly higher rate of survival at 1 year than surgical aortic-valve replacement. (Funded by Medtronic; U.S. CoreValve High Risk Study ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01240902.).

  13. Ex Vivo Expanded Human Non-Cytotoxic CD8+CD45RClow/− Tregs Efficiently Delay Skin Graft Rejection and GVHD in Humanized Mice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Séverine Bézie

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Both CD4+ and CD8+ Tregs play a critical role in the control of immune responses and immune tolerance; however, our understanding of CD8+ Tregs is limited while they are particularly promising for therapeutic application. We report here existence of highly suppressive human CD8+CD45RClow/− Tregs expressing Foxp3 and producing IFNγ, IL-10, IL-34, and TGFβ to mediate their suppressive activity. We demonstrate that total CD8+CD45RClow/− Tregs can be efficiently expanded in the presence of anti-CD3/28 mAbs, high-dose IL-2 and IL-15 and that such expanded Tregs efficiently delay GVHD and human skin transplantation rejection in immune humanized mice. Robustly expanded CD8+ Tregs displayed a specific gene signature, upregulated cytokines and expansion in the presence of rapamycin greatly improved proliferation and suppression. We show that CD8+CD45RClow/− Tregs are equivalent to canonical CD4+CD25highCD127low/− Tregs for suppression of allogeneic immune responses in vitro. Altogether, our results open new perspectives to tolerogenic strategies in human solid organ transplantation and GVHD.

  14. New York: Expanding Time, Increasing Opportunities for Achievement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miller, Tiffany D.

    2014-01-01

    New York is poised to take an important step to improve student achievement by expanding learning time for students attending high-poverty, low-performing schools. Recent district- and state-level investments in expanded learning time--a promising strategy to close achievement and opportunity gaps--will give students more time to learn core…

  15. Innovative isothermal oil-free co-rotating scroll compressor–expander for energy storage with first expander tests

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Iglesias, A.; Favrat, D.

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • Doing a new concept of small scale compressed air energy storage. • Presenting a new working process of scroll machinery. • Updating a thermodynamic model of scroll compressor that take into account water injection. • Updating a mathematical model of volumetric loses that take into account sealing effect of liquid water. • Encouraging results to investigate more deeply this new concept. - Abstract: The development of an efficient isothermal turbine and compressor is essential for the realization of a small-scale compressed air energy storage (CAES). This article presents the theoretical development of an oil-free co-rotating scroll air compressor and turbine working with water injection to make the operations of expansion and compression as isothermal as possible. First experimental results in expander mode are shown. The theoretical performance is predicted with the help of a mathematical model using the equations of energy and mass conservation and the equation of state. This model takes into account the effects of water injection and volumetric losses. The experimental prototype is an oil-free scroll air compressor with the distinctive feature of having two mobile involutes working in synchronized co-rotation one relative to another. The prime-mover is an electric motor driving the two scrolls with two synchronizing belts. Water injection in the housing intends to provide a quasi-isothermal compression. The same device is used as an isothermal expander by supplying high-pressure air with water when it rotates backwards in expander mode, the electric motor acting then as a generator. Expected improvements to a standard scroll compressor and expander are a better volumetric efficiency and a greater power density due to a higher rotational speed of the scrolls, thanks to their symmetrical masses. The isothermal processes increase also the overall performance

  16. Drawing a random number

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wanscher, Jørgen Bundgaard; Sørensen, Majken Vildrik

    2006-01-01

    Random numbers are used for a great variety of applications in almost any field of computer and economic sciences today. Examples ranges from stock market forecasting in economics, through stochastic traffic modelling in operations research to photon and ray tracing in graphics. The construction...... distributions into others with most of the required characteristics. In essence, a uniform sequence which is transformed into a new sequence with the required distribution. The subject of this article is to consider the well known highly uniform Halton sequence and modifications to it. The intent is to generate...

  17. Expanding xylose metabolism in yeast for plant cell wall conversion to biofuels

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Xin; Yu, Vivian Yaci; Lin, Yuping; Chomvong, Kulika; Estrela, Raíssa; Park, Annsea; Liang, Julie M; Znameroski, Elizabeth A; Feehan, Joanna; Kim, Soo Rin; Jin, Yong-Su; Glass, N Louise; Cate, Jamie HD

    2015-01-01

    Sustainable biofuel production from renewable biomass will require the efficient and complete use of all abundant sugars in the plant cell wall. Using the cellulolytic fungus Neurospora crassa as a model, we identified a xylodextrin transport and consumption pathway required for its growth on hemicellulose. Reconstitution of this xylodextrin utilization pathway in Saccharomyces cerevisiae revealed that fungal xylose reductases act as xylodextrin reductases, producing xylosyl-xylitol oligomers as metabolic intermediates. These xylosyl-xylitol intermediates are generated by diverse fungi and bacteria, indicating that xylodextrin reduction is widespread in nature. Xylodextrins and xylosyl-xylitol oligomers are then hydrolyzed by two hydrolases to generate intracellular xylose and xylitol. Xylodextrin consumption using a xylodextrin transporter, xylodextrin reductases and tandem intracellular hydrolases in cofermentations with sucrose and glucose greatly expands the capacity of yeast to use plant cell wall-derived sugars and has the potential to increase the efficiency of both first-generation and next-generation biofuel production. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.05896.001 PMID:25647728

  18. Expanded newborn screening in the Health Services of the Mexican Navy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Max Trigo-Madrid

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available In Mexico the birth prevalence of the metabolic diseases detected by expanded newborn screening is poorly known and there is little information about its performance indicators.Objective. Describe the birth prevalence of the metabolic defects detected by the expanded newborn screening program implemented in the Mexican Navy (Secretaría de Marina Armada de México, SEMAR, and to make known some of its performance indicators. Materials and Methods. A blood sample of 5 205 newborns from 18 Mexican states were taken. The age at blood sampling, the proportion of samples taken between the 3rd and the 5th days of life, and the time of results delivery were analyzed. The number and type of detected metabolic diseases, as well as the maternal age and body mass index, the type of birth, the gestational age and weight of the newborns were analized. Results. The age at blood sampling was 4.7 days and 81.15 percent of the samples were obtained in optimal time. Two cases of congenital hypothyroidism (3.8/10 000 newborns, one of adrenal congenital hyperplasia (1.9/10 000 newborns and five cases of deficiency of glucose- 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (9.6/10 000 newborns were detected. The 85.6% of mothers had pregnancies at an optimal reproductive age (20-35 years, but overweight and obesity occurred in 44.7% of them. Conclusions. In this analyzed population, the birth prevalence of metabolic defects was 15.37/10 000 newborns. The expanded newborn screening program allowed its identification and timely treatment, with the aim of preventing disability and death.

  19. Leap frog in slow motion: Divergent responses of tree species and life stages to climatic warming in Great Basin subalpine forests.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smithers, Brian V; North, Malcolm P; Millar, Constance I; Latimer, Andrew M

    2018-02-01

    In response to climate warming, subalpine treelines are expected to move up in elevation since treelines are generally controlled by growing season temperature. Where treeline is advancing, dispersal differences and early life stage environmental tolerances are likely to affect how species expand their ranges. Species with an establishment advantage will colonize newly available habitat first, potentially excluding species that have slower establishment rates. Using a network of plots across five mountain ranges, we described patterns of upslope elevational range shift for the two dominant Great Basin subalpine species, limber pine and Great Basin bristlecone pine. We found that the Great Basin treeline for these species is expanding upslope with a mean vertical elevation shift of 19.1 m since 1950, which is lower than what we might expect based on temperature increases alone. The largest advances were on limber pine-dominated granitic soils, on west aspects, and at lower latitudes. Bristlecone pine juveniles establishing above treeline share some environmental associations with bristlecone adults. Limber pine above-treeline juveniles, in contrast, are prevalent across environmental conditions and share few environmental associations with limber pine adults. Strikingly, limber pine is establishing above treeline throughout the region without regard to site characteristic such as soil type, slope, aspect, or soil texture. Although limber pine is often rare at treeline where it coexists with bristlecone pine, limber pine juveniles dominate above treeline even on calcareous soils that are core bristlecone pine habitat. Limber pine is successfully "leap-frogging" over bristlecone pine, probably because of its strong dispersal advantage and broader tolerances for establishment. This early-stage dominance indicates the potential for the species composition of treeline to change in response to climate change. More broadly, it shows how species differences in dispersal

  20. Evolution of tolerance by magpies to brood parasitism by great spotted cuckoos.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Soler, J J; Martín-Gálvez, D; Martínez, J G; Soler, M; Canestrari, D; Abad-Gómez, J M; Møller, A P

    2011-07-07

    Hosts may use two different strategies to ameliorate negative effects of a given parasite burden: resistance or tolerance. Although both resistance and tolerance of parasitism should evolve as a consequence of selection pressures owing to parasitism, the study of evolutionary patterns of tolerance has traditionally been neglected by animal biologists. Here, we explore geographical covariation between tolerance of magpies (Pica pica) and brood parasitism by the great spotted cuckoo (Clamator glandarius) in nine different sympatric populations. We estimated tolerance as the slope of the regression of number of magpie fledglings (i.e. host fitness) on number of cuckoo eggs laid in non-depredated nests (which broadly equals parasite burden). We also estimated prevalence of parasitism and level of host resistance (i.e. rejection rates of mimetic model eggs) in these nine populations. In accordance with the hypothetical role of tolerance in the coevolutionary process between magpies and cuckoos we found geographical variation in tolerance estimates that positively covaried with prevalence of parasitism. Levels of resistance and tolerance were not associated, possibly suggesting the lack of a trade-off between the two kinds of defences against great spotted cuckoo parasitism for magpies. We discuss the results in the framework of a mosaic of coevolutionary interactions along the geographical distribution of magpies and great spotted cuckoos for which we found evidence that tolerance plays a major role.

  1. The expanding regulatory universe of p53 in gastrointestinal cancer [version 1; referees: 2 approved

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrew Fesler

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available Tumor suppresser gene TP53 is one of the most frequently deleted or mutated genes in gastrointestinal cancers. As a transcription factor, p53 regulates a number of important protein coding genes to control cell cycle, cell death, DNA damage/repair, stemness, differentiation and other key cellular functions. In addition, p53 is also able to activate the expression of a number of small non-coding microRNAs (miRNAs through direct binding to the promoter region of these miRNAs.  Many miRNAs have been identified to be potential tumor suppressors by regulating key effecter target mRNAs. Our understanding of the regulatory network of p53 has recently expanded to include long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs. Like miRNA, lncRNAs have been found to play important roles in cancer biology.  With our increased understanding of the important functions of these non-coding RNAs and their relationship with p53, we are gaining exciting new insights into the biology and function of cells in response to various growth environment changes. In this review we summarize the current understanding of the ever expanding involvement of non-coding RNAs in the p53 regulatory network and its implications for our understanding of gastrointestinal cancer.

  2. Techniques for Computing the DFT Using the Residue Fermat Number Systems and VLSI

    Science.gov (United States)

    Truong, T. K.; Chang, J. J.; Hsu, I. S.; Pei, D. Y.; Reed, I. S.

    1985-01-01

    The integer complex multiplier and adder over the direct sum of two copies of a finite field is specialized to the direct sum of the rings of integers modulo Fermat numbers. Such multiplications and additions can be used in the implementation of a discrete Fourier transform (DFT) of a sequence of complex numbers. The advantage of the present approach is that the number of multiplications needed for the DFT can be reduced substantially over the previous approach. The architectural designs using this approach are regular, simple, expandable and, therefore, naturally suitable for VLSI implementation.

  3. Preparation, characterization and thermal properties of binary nitrate salts/expanded graphite as composite phase change material

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Xiao, Junbing [School of Materials and Energy, Guangdong University of Technology, 510006 Guangzhou (China); Huang, Jin, E-mail: huangjiner@126.com [School of Materials and Energy, Guangdong University of Technology, 510006 Guangzhou (China); Zhu, Panpan; Wang, Changhong [School of Materials and Energy, Guangdong University of Technology, 510006 Guangzhou (China); Li, Xinxi [School of Materials and Energy, Guangdong University of Technology, 510006 Guangzhou (China); Center for Nanochemistry, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, State Key Laboratory for Structural Chemistry of Unstable and Stable Species, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing (China)

    2014-07-01

    Highlights: • The expanded graphite enhanced thermal conductivity coefficient greatly. • The aqueous solution method adopting ultrasonic was utilized to disperse EG. • The combination of composite was physical without chemical reaction. • The reduction on total latent heat was slight after the adding EG. - Abstract: The binary nitrate salts/expanded graphite (EG) composite phase change material (PCM) were prepared via adding different mass rate of EG to binary nitrate salts consisting of NaNO{sub 3} and KNO{sub 3} (6:4) by aqueous solution method adopting ultrasonic. The morphology and chemical composition of EG and the composite PCM were characterized and investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scan electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS), transmission electron microscope (TEM), respectively. Laser thermal conductivity instrument and differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) were employed to measure thermo physical properties. Drawing the conclusion from investigation, that EG had enhanced thermal conductivity coefficient which largely increased to 4.884 W/(m K) and reduced total latent heat by mostly 11.0%. The morphology and phase structure results indicated that EG were well dispersed into and physically combined with molten salts. In general, the prepared composite PCM could be a suitable phase change material for thermal energy storage.

  4. Preparation, characterization and thermal properties of binary nitrate salts/expanded graphite as composite phase change material

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xiao, Junbing; Huang, Jin; Zhu, Panpan; Wang, Changhong; Li, Xinxi

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • The expanded graphite enhanced thermal conductivity coefficient greatly. • The aqueous solution method adopting ultrasonic was utilized to disperse EG. • The combination of composite was physical without chemical reaction. • The reduction on total latent heat was slight after the adding EG. - Abstract: The binary nitrate salts/expanded graphite (EG) composite phase change material (PCM) were prepared via adding different mass rate of EG to binary nitrate salts consisting of NaNO 3 and KNO 3 (6:4) by aqueous solution method adopting ultrasonic. The morphology and chemical composition of EG and the composite PCM were characterized and investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scan electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS), transmission electron microscope (TEM), respectively. Laser thermal conductivity instrument and differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) were employed to measure thermo physical properties. Drawing the conclusion from investigation, that EG had enhanced thermal conductivity coefficient which largely increased to 4.884 W/(m K) and reduced total latent heat by mostly 11.0%. The morphology and phase structure results indicated that EG were well dispersed into and physically combined with molten salts. In general, the prepared composite PCM could be a suitable phase change material for thermal energy storage

  5. Expanding the Game Design Space

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Larsen, Lasse Juel; Majgaard, Gunver

    2016-01-01

    This article considers game design research in educational settings. Its focus is on how undergraduate students – particularly engineering students – learn computer game design. From observations conducted during our game design courses we have developed a model of expanded game design space...... layer establishes correspondence between formal elements of computer games and the structure of problem-based creativity. It addresses how game design challenges should be formulated and how creative solutions can be measured. The fourth and final layer demonstrates how clear framing can act....... It encapsulates the entire development process from the first ideas to the final game with emphasis on game design thinking. Our model of expanded game design space consists of four separate – yet interconnected – layers in the process of game development. The first layer addresses the importance of framing...

  6. Self-expanding/shrinking structures by 4D printing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bodaghi, M.; Damanpack, A. R.; Liao, W. H.

    2016-10-01

    The aim of this paper is to create adaptive structures capable of self-expanding and self-shrinking by means of four-dimensional printing technology. An actuator unit is designed and fabricated directly by printing fibers of shape memory polymers (SMPs) in flexible beams with different arrangements. Experiments are conducted to determine thermo-mechanical material properties of the fabricated part revealing that the printing process introduced a strong anisotropy into the printed parts. The feasibility of the actuator unit with self-expanding and self-shrinking features is demonstrated experimentally. A phenomenological constitutive model together with analytical closed-form solutions are developed to replicate thermo-mechanical behaviors of SMPs. Governing equations of equilibrium are developed for printed structures based on the non-linear Green-Lagrange strain tensor and solved implementing a finite element method along with an iterative incremental Newton-Raphson scheme. The material-structural model is then applied to digitally design and print SMP adaptive lattices in planar and tubular shapes comprising a periodic arrangement of SMP actuator units that expand and then recover their original shape automatically. Numerical and experimental results reveal that the proposed planar lattice as meta-materials can be employed for plane actuators with self-expanding/shrinking features or as structural switches providing two different dynamic characteristics. It is also shown that the proposed tubular lattice with a self-expanding/shrinking mechanism can serve as tubular stents and grippers for bio-medical or piping applications.

  7. Analysis of a rotating spool expander for Organic Rankine Cycle applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krishna, Abhinav

    Increasing interest in recovering or utilizing low-grade heat for power generation has prompted a search for ways in which the power conversion process may be enhanced. Amongst the conversion systems, the Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) has generated an enormous amount of interest amongst researchers and system designers. Nevertheless, component level technologies need to be developed and match the range of potential applications. In particular, technical challenges associated with scaling expansion machines (turbines) from utility scale to commercial scale have prevented widespread adoption of the technology. In this regard, this work focuses on a novel rotating spool expansion machine at the heart of an Organic Rankine Cycle. A comprehensive, deterministic simulation model of the rotating spool expander is developed. The comprehensive model includes a detailed geometry model of the spool expander and the suction valve mechanism. Sub-models for mass flow, leakage, heat transfer and friction within the expander are also developed. Apart from providing the ability to characterize the expander in a particular system, the model provides a valuable tool to study the impact of various design variables on the performance of the machine. The investigative approach also involved an experimental program to assess the performance of a working prototype. In general, the experimental data showed that the expander performance was sub-par, largely due to the mismatch of prevailing operating conditions and the expander design criteria. Operating challenges during the shakedown tests and subsequent sub-optimal design changes also detracted from performance. Nevertheless, the results of the experimental program were sufficient for a proof-of-concept assessment of the expander and for model validation over a wide range of operating conditions. The results of the validated model reveal several interesting details concerning the expander design and performance. For example, the match

  8. Isolation and characterization of microsatellite markers from the great hornbill, Buceros bicornis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chamutpong, Siriphatr; Saito, Daichi S; Viseshakul, Nareerat; Nishiumi, Isao; Poonswad, Pilai; Ponglikitmongkol, Mathurose

    2009-03-01

    Thirteen polymorphic microsatellite markers were isolated and characterized from the great hornbill, Buceros bicornis. In analyses of 20 individuals, the numbers of alleles per locus varied from two to 11. The expected and observed heterozygosities ranged from 0.22 to 0.88 and from 0.20 to 1.00, respectively. The mean polymorphic information content was 0.62. Among these, three loci deviated from the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. However, no significant genotypic disequilibrium was detected between any pair of loci. These microsatellite markers are useful for the population genetic study of the great hornbill. © 2009 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2009 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  9. Rupture of an expander prosthesis mimics axillary cancer recurrence.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Ismael, T

    2005-10-01

    Regional silicone gel migration from a ruptured breast implant has been reported at different locations including the upper extremity, chest wall muscles, axilla and back. We report a patient who presented with an axillary mass that mimicked a regional recurrence 5 years after breast cancer reconstruction with a latissimus dorsi musculocutaneous flap and silicon gel expander-prosthesis. Surgical exploration revealed that the mass contained silicone gel around the port of the breast expander that had ruptured. The mass was confluent with an intracapsular silicone leak through a tract along the tube of the expander port.

  10. What Makes a Great Journal Great in Economics? The Singer Not the Song.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    C-L. Chang (Chia-Lin); M.J. McAleer (Michael); L. Oxley (Les)

    2010-01-01

    textabstractThe paper is concerned with analysing what makes a great journal great in economics, based on quantifiable measures. Alternative Research Assessment Measures (RAM) are discussed, with an emphasis on the Thomson Reuters ISI Web of Science database (hereafter ISI). The various ISI RAM that

  11. Great Basin Experimental Range: Annotated bibliography

    Science.gov (United States)

    E. Durant McArthur; Bryce A. Richardson; Stanley G. Kitchen

    2013-01-01

    This annotated bibliography documents the research that has been conducted on the Great Basin Experimental Range (GBER, also known as the Utah Experiment Station, Great Basin Station, the Great Basin Branch Experiment Station, Great Basin Experimental Center, and other similar name variants) over the 102 years of its existence. Entries were drawn from the original...

  12. Hubble Diagram Test of Expanding and Static Cosmological Models: The Case for a Slowly Expanding Flat Universe

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Laszlo A. Marosi

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available We present a new redshift (RS versus photon travel time ( test including 171 supernovae RS data points. We extended the Hubble diagram to a range of z = 0,0141–8.1 in the hope that at high RSs, the fitting of the calculated RS/ diagrams to the observed RS data would, as predicted by different cosmological models, set constraints on alternative cosmological models. The Lambda cold dark matter (ΛCDM, the static universe model, and the case for a slowly expanding flat universe (SEU are considered. We show that on the basis of the Hubble diagram test, the static and the slowly expanding models are favored.

  13. Root growth during molar eruption in extant great apes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kelley, Jay; Dean, Christopher; Ross, Sasha

    2009-01-01

    While there is gradually accumulating knowledge about molar crown formation and the timing of molar eruption in extant great apes, very little is known about root formation during the eruption process. We measured mandibular first and second molar root lengths in extant great ape osteological specimens that died while either the first or second molars were in the process of erupting. For most specimens, teeth were removed so that root lengths could be measured directly. When this was not possible, roots were measured radiographically. We were particularly interested in the variation in the lengths of first molar roots near the point of gingival emergence, so specimens were divided into early, middle and late phases of eruption based on the number of cusps that showed protein staining, with one or two cusps stained equated with immediate post-gingival emergence. For first molars at this stage, Gorilla has the longest roots, followed by Pongo and Pan. Variation in first molar mesial root lengths at this stage in Gorilla and Pan, which comprise the largest samples, is relatively low and represents no more than a few months of growth in both taxa. Knowledge of root length at first molar emergence permits an assessment of the contribution of root growth toward differences between great apes and humans in the age at first molar emergence. Root growth makes up a greater percentage of the time between birth and first molar emergence in humans than it does in any of the great apes. Copyright (c) 2009 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  14. Evaluation of the stiffness characteristics of rapid palatal expander screws

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luca Lombardo

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The aim of this study is to evaluate the mechanical properties of the screws used for rapid expansion of the upper jaw. Methods Ten types of expansion screw were assessed, seven with four arms: Lancer Philosophy 1, Dentaurum Hyrax Click Medium, Forestadent Anatomic Expander type “S”, Forestadent Anatomic Expander type “S” for narrow palates, Forestadent Memory, Leone A 2620-10 with telescopic guide, and Leone A 0630-10 with orthogonal arms; and three with two arms: Dentaurum Variety S.P., Target Baby REP Veltri, and Leone A 362113. A test expander with the mean dimensions taken from measurements on a sample of 100 expanders was constructed for each screw. The test expanders were connected to the supports of an Instron 4467 (Instron Corp., USA mechanical testing machine equipped with a 500 N load cell, and the compression force exerted after each activation was measured. The mean forces expressed by the two- and four-arm expanders were then compared. Results After five activations, the forces expressed by the two-arm devices were double than those expressed by the four-arm devices on average (224 ± 59.9 N vs. 103 ± 32.9 N, and such values remained high after subsequent activations. Conclusions The expanders tested demonstrated stiffness characteristics compatible with opening of the palatine sutures in pre-adolescent patients. The stiffness of such devices can be further increased during the construction phase.

  15. Imaging of pediatric great vessel stents: Computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A M den Harder

    Full Text Available Complications might occur after great vessel stent implantation in children. Therefore follow-up using imaging is warranted.To determine the optimal imaging modality for the assessment of stents used to treat great vessel obstructions in children.Five different large vessel stents were evaluated in an in-vitro setting. All stents were expanded to the maximal vendor recommended diameter (20mm; n = 4 or 10mm; n = 1, placed in an anthropomorphic chest phantom and imaged with a 256-slice CT-scanner. MRI images were acquired at 1.5T using a multi-slice T2-weighted turbo spin echo, an RF-spoiled three-dimensional T1-weighted Fast Field Echo and a balanced turbo field echo 3D sequence. Two blinded observers assessed stent lumen visibility (measured diameter/true diameter *100% in the center and at the outlets of the stent. Reproducibility of diameter measurements was evaluated using the intraclass correlation coefficient for reliability and 95% limits of agreement for agreement analysis.Median stent lumen visibility was 88 (IQR 86-90% with CT for all stents at both the center and outlets. With MRI, the T2-weighted turbo spin echo sequence was preferred which resulted in 82 (78-84% stent lumen visibility. Interobserver reliability and agreement was good for both CT (ICC 0.997, mean difference -0.51 [-1.07-0.05] mm and MRI measurements (ICC 0.951, mean difference -0.05 [-2.52 --2.41] mm.Good in-stent lumen visibility was achievable in this in-vitro study with both CT and MRI in different great vessel stents. Overall reliability was good with clinical acceptable limits of agreement for both CT and MRI. However, common conditions such as in-stent stenosis and associated aneurysms were not tested in this in-vitro study, limiting the value of the in-vitro study.

  16. Imaging of pediatric great vessel stents: Computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging?

    Science.gov (United States)

    den Harder, A M; Suchá, D; van Hamersvelt, R W; Budde, R P J; de Jong, P A; Schilham, A M R; Bos, C; Breur, J M P J; Leiner, T

    2017-01-01

    Complications might occur after great vessel stent implantation in children. Therefore follow-up using imaging is warranted. To determine the optimal imaging modality for the assessment of stents used to treat great vessel obstructions in children. Five different large vessel stents were evaluated in an in-vitro setting. All stents were expanded to the maximal vendor recommended diameter (20mm; n = 4 or 10mm; n = 1), placed in an anthropomorphic chest phantom and imaged with a 256-slice CT-scanner. MRI images were acquired at 1.5T using a multi-slice T2-weighted turbo spin echo, an RF-spoiled three-dimensional T1-weighted Fast Field Echo and a balanced turbo field echo 3D sequence. Two blinded observers assessed stent lumen visibility (measured diameter/true diameter *100%) in the center and at the outlets of the stent. Reproducibility of diameter measurements was evaluated using the intraclass correlation coefficient for reliability and 95% limits of agreement for agreement analysis. Median stent lumen visibility was 88 (IQR 86-90)% with CT for all stents at both the center and outlets. With MRI, the T2-weighted turbo spin echo sequence was preferred which resulted in 82 (78-84%) stent lumen visibility. Interobserver reliability and agreement was good for both CT (ICC 0.997, mean difference -0.51 [-1.07-0.05] mm) and MRI measurements (ICC 0.951, mean difference -0.05 [-2.52 --2.41] mm). Good in-stent lumen visibility was achievable in this in-vitro study with both CT and MRI in different great vessel stents. Overall reliability was good with clinical acceptable limits of agreement for both CT and MRI. However, common conditions such as in-stent stenosis and associated aneurysms were not tested in this in-vitro study, limiting the value of the in-vitro study.

  17. The GREAT3 challenge

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miyatake, H; Mandelbaum, R; Rowe, B

    2014-01-01

    The GRavitational lEnsing Accuracy Testing 3 (GREAT3) challenge is an image analysis competition that aims to test algorithms to measure weak gravitational lensing from astronomical images. The challenge started in October 2013 and ends 30 April 2014. The challenge focuses on testing the impact on weak lensing measurements of realistically complex galaxy morphologies, realistic point spread function, and combination of multiple different exposures. It includes simulated ground- and space-based data. The details of the challenge are described in [1], and the challenge website and its leader board can be found at http://great3challenge.info and http://great3.projects.phys.ucl.ac.uk/leaderboard/, respectively

  18. Esophagorespiratory fistula: treatment with self-expanding covered stent

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zang Jian; Dou Yongchong; Wang Zheng; Kong Jian

    2002-01-01

    Objective: To evaluate self-expanding covered stent in the management of esophagorespiratory fistula. Methods: A self-expanding esophageal covered stent was implanted under fluoroscopic guidance in 13 patients with esophagorespiratory fistula. In this series patients aged 31-73 years (60.2 years in average). All patients had a pre-procedure fast of 6-41 days (17.3 days in average), in which 12 patients had pulmonary infection. Results: All fistulas were excluded and swallowing function was restored. No stend-related complication was observed. Pulmonary infection was managed in 10 patients out of 13. The mean survived time was 33.3 wks (1-178 wks) in follow-up. Conclusion: Covered self-expanding stent implantation is a safe and effective treatment of ERF

  19. Status of the breeding population of Great Cormorants in Denmark in 2012

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bregnballe, Thomas; Hansen, Rikke; Therkildsen, Ole Roland

    2013-01-01

    There were 27,237 occupied nests of Great Cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo sinensis) in the summer of 2012 in Denmark. This is an increase of ca. 1,700 nests compared to 2011. The cormorants had colonies or attempted to found colonies at 64 locations in 2012. This is close to the highest number...

  20. Expanded tenses in the old English orosius a syntactic strengthening*

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Frančiška Trobevšek Drobnak

    1990-12-01

    Full Text Available The present chapter reports the investigation into certain aspects of the periphrastic construction to be +present participle (e.g. NE: "he is teaching"; OE. "he is laerende" viewed as an example of a syntactic strengthening. The construc­ tion is usually referred to as "continuous tenses/form" or "progressive tenses/form", whereas Nickel (1966 uses "expanded form". Coming closest to this latter term, the "expanded tenses" employed here seems a convenient label for two reasons: a  the use of expanded tenses is not restricted to the expression of verbal aspect (Aspekt or mode of verbal action (Aktionsart, which is implied by the use of either the term "continuous  tenses/form" or the term "progressive tenses/form"; b  the expanded tenses are integrated into the English tense system, in the sense that they can be substituted  with the respective non-expanded tenses without any change in the syntax of the clause, e.g.

  1. Some design features of CO2 swing piston expander

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guan Haiqing; Ma Yitai; Li Minxia

    2006-01-01

    CO 2 is a potential substitute for synthesized refrigerants with favorable environmental properties. To improve the coefficient of performance (COP) of CO 2 heat pump systems, a swing piston expander prototype has been developed for replacing the throttling valve based on the thermodynamic analysis of the operating conditions of a CO 2 transcritical cycle. The measures on reducing the loss of friction and leakage are paramount important to improve the efficiency of the expander. The performance of the CO 2 swing expander prototype was actually tested in a CO 2 transcritical cycle water-to-water heat pump test rig, and the test results illustrate that the isentropic efficiency of the prototype can be more than 28% when running steadily and up to a maximum of about 44%. Some operating characteristics of the swing piston expander are presented according to the analysis of the test results

  2. Endovascular therapy of carotid stenosis with self-expandable stent

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu Jianmin; Huang Qinghai; Hong Bo; Xu Yi; Zhao Wenyuan; Zhang Yongwei; Zhang Long; Zhou Xiaoping

    2002-01-01

    Objective: To summarize the experience of endovascular treatment of carotid stenosis with expandable stents. Methods: Fifty-two patients with carotid stenosis who experienced repeated transient ischemic attacks or cerebral infarction were admitted to our hospital. The stenosis was pre-expanded with undetachable balloon, and self-expandable stents were implanted across the stenosis. A balloon catheter was used to further expand stents in 29 patients. Results: The stent was accurately implanted, and total disappearance of stenosis was obtained in 34 patients, the degree of stenosis reduced more than 90% in 16 patients, and more than 70% in 2 patients. The patients recovered well and no complications related to the procedure occurred. None experienced TIA or infarction postoperatively in 52 cases and follow-up imaging in 19 patients (6 - 12 months) demonstrated no restenosis. Conclusion: Endovascular stenting may be a safe and valid choice for the treatment of extracranial carotid stenosis

  3. 49 CFR 173.221 - Polymeric beads, expandable and Plastic molding compound.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 49 Transportation 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Polymeric beads, expandable and Plastic molding... Than Class 1 and Class 7 § 173.221 Polymeric beads, expandable and Plastic molding compound. (a) Non-bulk shipments of Polymeric beads (or granules), expandable, evolving flammable vapor and Plastic...

  4. Toward Integrated Resource Management: Lessons About the EcosystemApproach from the Laurentian Great Lakes

    Science.gov (United States)

    MACKENZIE

    1997-03-01

    / The ecosystem approach is an innovative tool for integratedresource management. Its goal is to restore, enhance, and protect ecosystemintegrity through a holistic and integrated mode of planning. Under thisapproach, the ecosystem itself becomes the unit of analysis and organizingprinciple for environmental management. Utilizing the ecosystem approachchallenges the prevailing structure and function of contemporary resourcemanagement agencies. This paper explores a number of important policy andmanagement issues in the context of a ten-year initiative to remediate theLaurentian Great Lakes using the ecosystem approach. The lessons gleaned fromthe Great Lakes experience are relevant to other areas in North America andabroad where resource management responsibilities are held by multiple andsometimes overlapping jurisdictions.KEY WORDS: Integrated resource management; Ecosystem approach; Watershedmanagement; Great Lakes

  5. Integrated monitoring of hydrogeomorphic, vegetative, and edaphic conditions in riparian ecosystems of Great Basin National Park, Nevada

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beever, Erik A.; Pyke, D.A.

    2004-01-01

    In semiarid regions such as the Great Basin, riparian areas function as oases of cooler and more stable microclimates, greater relative humidity, greater structural complexity, and a steady flow of water and nutrients relative to upland areas. These qualities make riparian areaʼs attractive not only to resident and migratory wildlife, but also to visitors in recreation areas such as Great Basin National Park in the Snake Range, east-central Nevada. To expand upon the system of ten permanent plots sampled in 1992 (Smith et al. 1994) and 2001 (Beever et al. in press), we established a collection of 31 cross-sectional transects of 50-m width across the mainstems of Strawberry, Lehman, Baker, and Snake creeks. Our aims in this research were threefold: a) map riparian vegetative communities in greater detail than had been done by past efforts; b) provide a monitoring baseline of hydrogeomorphology; structure, composition, and function of upland- and riparianassociated vegetation; and edaphic properties potentially sensitive to management; and c) test whether instream conditions or physiographic variables predicted vegetation patterns across the four target streams.

  6. Greater happiness for a greater number: Is that possible in Austria?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    R. Veenhoven (Ruut)

    2011-01-01

    textabstractWhat is the final goal of public policy? Jeremy Bentham (1789) would say: greater happiness for a greater number. He thought of happiness as subjective enjoyment of life; in his words as “the sum of pleasures and pains”. In his time the happiness of the great number could not be measured

  7. Greater happiness for a greater number: Is that possible in Germany?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    R. Veenhoven (Ruut)

    2009-01-01

    textabstractWhat is the final goal of public policy? Jeremy Bentham (1789) would say: greater happiness for a greater number. He thought of happiness as subjective enjoyment of life; in his words as “the sum of pleasures and pains”. In his time the Happiness of the great number could not be measured

  8. 75 FR 6354 - NOAA Great Lakes Habitat Restoration Program Project Grants under the Great Lakes Restoration...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-02-09

    ...-04] RIN 0648-ZC10 NOAA Great Lakes Habitat Restoration Program Project Grants under the Great Lakes... Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce. ACTION: Notice of funding availability; Date... on January 19, 2010. That notice announced the NOAA Great Lakes Habitat Restoration Program Project...

  9. Operation of an organic Rankine cycle dependent on pumping flow rates and expander torques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang, Xufei; Xu, Jinliang; Miao, Zheng; Zou, Jinghuang; Yu, Chao

    2015-01-01

    An ORC (organic Rankine cycle) was developed with R123 as the working fluid. The heat capacity is in ∼100 kW. The match between pump and expander is investigated. Lower pump frequencies (f 10 Hz) adapt low expander torques only, and cause unstable flow and pump cavitation for larger expander torques. Ultra-low expander torques generate sufficiently high vapor superheatings to decrease expander efficiencies. Ultra-high expander torques achieve saturation vapor at the expander inlet, causing liquid droplets induced shock wave to worsen expander performance. An optimal range of expander torques exists to have better expander performance. A liquid subcooling of 20 °C is necessary to avoid pump cavitation. Expander powers and efficiencies show parabola shapes versus expander torques, or vapor superheatings at the expander inlet. The optimal vapor superheating is 13 °C. The cavitation mechanisms and measures to avoid cavitation are analyzed. This paper notes the overestimation of ORC performance by equilibrium thermodynamic analysis. Assumptions should be dependent on experiments. Future studies are suggested on organic fluid flow, heat transfer and energy conversion in various components. - Highlights: • The match between pump and expander is investigated. • A liquid subcooling of 20 °C is needed at pump inlet. • A vapor superheating of 13 °C is necessary at expander inlet. • Cavitation in pumps and expanders are analyzed. • The equilibrium thermodynamics overestimate ORC performances.

  10. The Next Great Generation?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brownstein, Andrew

    2000-01-01

    Discusses ideas from a new book, "Millennials Rising: The Next Great Generation," (by Neil Howe and William Strauss) suggesting that youth culture is on the cusp of a radical shift with the generation beginning with this year's college freshmen who are typically team oriented, optimistic, and poised for greatness on a global scale. Includes a…

  11. Using expanded individualized health care plans to assist teachers of students with complex health care needs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heller, Kathryn Wolff; Tumlin, Jennifer

    2004-06-01

    As special education teachers have increasing numbers of students requiring health care procedures in their classrooms, school nurses need to help these teachers maintain a safe, healthy environment for their students. Part of this consists of having teachers know the steps to take should certain problems arise. This article examines the receptivity of using an expanded version of an individualized health care plan (IHP) to provide critical information to address health care problems, as well as having individualized education program (IEP) objectives for instructional targets identified in the IHP. The findings of this study indicate that a high percentage of school nurses and special education teachers were in favor of an expanded version of the IHP. There was also support for teaching students to independently or partially participate in performing their own health care procedures and having this instruction formalized as IEP objectives.

  12. Cryo-electron Microscopy Structures of Expanded Poliovirus with VHHs Sample the Conformational Repertoire of the Expanded State.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Strauss, Mike; Schotte, Lise; Karunatilaka, Krishanthi S; Filman, David J; Hogle, James M

    2017-02-01

    By using cryo-electron microscopy, expanded 80S-like poliovirus virions (poliovirions) were visualized in complexes with four 80S-specific camelid VHHs (Nanobodies). In all four complexes, the VHHs bind to a site on the top surface of the capsid protein VP3, which is hidden in the native virus. Interestingly, although the four VHHs bind to the same site, the structures of the expanded virus differ in detail in each complex, suggesting that each of the Nanobodies has sampled a range of low-energy structures available to the expanded virion. By stabilizing unique structures of expanded virions, VHH binding permitted a more detailed view of the virus structure than was previously possible, leading to a better understanding of the expansion process that is a critical step in infection. It is now clear which polypeptide chains become disordered and which become rearranged. The higher resolution of these structures also revealed well-ordered conformations for the EF loop of VP2, the GH loop of VP3, and the N-terminal extensions of VP1 and VP2, which, in retrospect, were present in lower-resolution structures but not recognized. These structural observations help to explain preexisting mutational data and provide insights into several other stages of the poliovirus life cycle, including the mechanism of receptor-triggered virus expansion. When poliovirus infects a cell, it undergoes a change in its structure in order to pass RNA through its protein coat, but this altered state is short-lived and thus poorly understood. The structures of poliovirus bound to single-domain antibodies presented here capture the altered virus in what appear to be intermediate states. A careful analysis of these structures lets us better understand the molecular mechanism of infection and how these changes in the virus lead to productive-infection events. Copyright © 2017 American Society for Microbiology.

  13. Expanding the usefulness of unit supply cost

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McKenzie, M.B.; Petr, K.

    1992-01-01

    Unit supply cost is a widely used tool in the energy business for providing a one number-unit cost description. For example, controllable costs such as finding costs, development costs and operating costs have traditionally been described in an average cost per unit of reserves format for the oil and gas industry, however using this approach on more specific applications is not always informative. Projects with widely varying controllable parameters can still yield the same unit cost, making comparisons difficult. The application of unit supply cost can be readily expanded by adding a new unit cost component termed cost of capital. This element introduces the impacts of timing and return on investment into the supply cost determination through discounting annual costs. The cost of capital component adds the ability to represent a project's unique characteristics, particularly reserves' depletion rate and the timing or phasing of development. Introducing the cost of capital element into the supply cost analysis provides additional information and improves the likelihood of drawing correct conclusions when comparing and ranking projects. 4 figs., 6 tabs

  14. Tissue Expander Overfilling: Achieving New Dimensions of Customization in Breast Reconstruction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Treiser, Matthew D; Lahair, Tracy; Carty, Matthew J

    2016-02-01

    Overfill of tissue expanders is a commonly used modality to achieve customized dimensions in breast reconstruction. Little formal study of the dynamics of hyperexpansion of these devices has been performed to date, however. Overfill trials were performed using both Natrelle 133 MV and Mentor 8200 tissue expanders of indicated capacities ranging from 250 to 800 mL. Each expander was initially filled to its indicated capacity with normal water and then injected in regular increments to 400% overfill. Measurements of each expander's width, height, and projection were made at indicated capacity and with each successive incremental overfill injection, and these results were then recorded, collated, and analyzed. Over the first 50% overfill, all expanders demonstrated a logarithmic increase in projection (mean increase, 143 ± 9%) while maintaining essentially stable base dimensions. Overfill levels in excess of 50% were accompanied by linear increases in height, width, and projection, during which projection approached, but never equaled, base dimensions. Stress versus strain analyses demonstrated nonlinear biomechanical dynamics during the first 50% overfill, followed by standard elastic dynamics up to 400% overfill. At no point during the study, did expander tensions outstrip elastic properties, thereby explaining the lack of device rupture. Through overfilling, tunable geometries of tissue expanders can be accessed that may provide for increasing customization of reconstructions, particularly at overfill volumes up to 50% over indicated capacity. This study should serve to guide tissue expander selection and fill volumes that surgeons may implement in obtaining ideal reconstructed breast shapes.

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

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Khatib Jamal

    2015-12-01

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

  16. Theoretical models for recombination in expanding gas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Avron, Y.; Kahane, S.

    1978-09-01

    In laser isotope separation of atomic uranium, one is confronted with the theoretical problem of estimating the concentration of thermally ionized uranium atoms. To investigate this problem theoretical models for recombination in an expanding gas and in the absence of local thermal equilibrium have been constructed. The expansion of the gas is described by soluble models of the hydrodynamic equation, and the recombination by rate equations. General results for the freezing effect for the suitable ranges of the gas parameters are obtained. The impossibility of thermal equilibrium in expanding two-component systems is proven

  17. Traditions of the Sun, One Model for Expanding Audience Access

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hawkins, I.; Paglierani, R.

    2006-12-01

    The Internet is a powerful tool with which to expand audience access, bringing students, teachers and the public to places and resources they might not otherwise visit or make use of. We will present Traditions of the Sun, an experiential Web site that invites exploration of the world's ancient observatories with special emphasis on Chaco Culture National Historic Park in the Four Corners region of the US and several sites in the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. Traditions of the Sun includes resources in English and Spanish along with a unique trilingual on-line book, "Traditions of the Sun, A Photographic Journal," containing explanatory text in Yucatec Maya as well. Traditions of the Sun offers rich opportunities for virtual visits to ancient sites used for solar observing while learning about current NASA research on the Sun and indigenous solar practices within a larger historical and cultural context. The site contains hundreds of photographs, historic images and rich multimedia to help tell the story of the Sun-Earth Connection. Visitors to the site can zoom in on the great Mayan cities of Chichen Itza, Uxmal, Dzibilchaltun, and Mayapan to learn about Mayan astronomy, history, culture, and science. They can also visit Chaco Canyon to watch sunrise over Pueblo Bonito on the summer solstice, take a virtual reality tour of the great kiva at Casa Rinconada or see panoramic vistas from Fajada Butte, an area which, for preservation purposes, is restricted to the public. Traditions of the Sun provides one model of how exploration and discovery can come to life for both formal and informal audiences via the Internet. Traditions of the Sun is a collaborative project between NASA's Sun-Earth Connection Education Forum, the National Park Service, Instituto National de Antropologia e Historia, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, and Ideum.

  18. Ecological risk of methylmercury to piscivorous fish of the Great Lakes region.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sandheinrich, Mark B; Bhavsar, Satyendra P; Bodaly, R A; Drevnick, Paul E; Paul, Eric A

    2011-10-01

    Contamination of fish populations with methylmercury is common in the region of the Laurentian Great Lakes as a result of atmospheric deposition and methylation of inorganic mercury. Using fish mercury monitoring data from natural resource agencies and information on tissue concentrations injurious to fish, we conducted a screening-level risk assessment of mercury to sexually mature female walleye (Sander vitreus), northern pike (Esox lucius), smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu), and largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) in the Great Lakes and in interior lakes, impoundments, and rivers of the Great Lakes region. The assessment included more than 43,000 measurements of mercury in fish from more than 2000 locations. Sexually mature female fish that exceeded threshold-effect tissue concentrations of 0.20 μg g(-1) wet weight in the whole body occurred at 8% (largemouth bass) to 43% (walleye) of sites. Fish at 3% to 18% of sites were at risk of injury and exceeded 0.30 μg g(-1) where an alteration in reproduction or survival is predicted to occur. Most fish at increased risk were from interior lakes and impoundments. In the Great Lakes, no sites had sexually mature fish that exceeded threshold-effect concentrations. Results of this screening-level assessment indicate that fish at a substantive number of locations within the Great Lakes region are potentially at risk from methylmercury contamination and would benefit from reduction in mercury concentrations.

  19. Differences in Endothelial Injury After Balloon Angioplasty, Insertion of Balloon-Expanded Stents or Release of Self-Expanding Stents: An Electron Microscopic Experimental Study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Harnek, Jan; Zoucas, Evita; Carlemalm, Erik; Cwikiel, Wojciech

    1999-01-01

    Purpose: To evaluate which of six different commonly available stents inserted into an artery without percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) causes the least endothelial damage. To compare the degree of endothelial injury after insertion of such a stent with injury caused by PTA. Methods: Twelve healthy pigs were used in the experiments. In the first part of the study six different types of stents were inserted into the common iliac arteries. In the second part of the study self-expanding stents with large spaces between the wires were used. PTA was performed in the contralateral iliac artery. The pigs were killed immediately after the procedure and resected specimens examined after fixation, using scanning electron microscopy. Results: All procedures but two were accomplished successfully. More endothelium was preserved after insertion of self-expanding stents with large spaces between the wires, compared with stents with small spaces and balloon-expanded stents. After insertion of self-expanding stents with large spaces, 50.1% ± 16.4% of the endothelium remained intact, compared with only 5.6% ± 7.7% after PTA. The difference was statistically significant (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Self-expanding stents with large spaces between the wires, inserted without PTA, cause less damage to the endothelium than other stents and significantly less damage than PTA

  20. Study on paraffin/expanded graphite composite phase change thermal energy storage material

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Zhengguo; Fang Xiaoming

    2006-01-01

    A paraffin/expanded graphite composite phase change thermal energy storage material was prepared by absorbing the paraffin into an expanded graphite that has an excellent absorbability. In such a composite, the paraffin serves as a latent heat storage material and the expanded graphite acts as the supporting material, which prevents leakage of the melted paraffin from its porous structure due to the capillary and surface tension forces. The inherent structure of the expanded graphite did not change in the composite material. The solid-liquid phase change temperature of the composite PCM was the same as that of the paraffin, and the latent heat of the paraffin/expanded graphite composite material was equivalent to the calculated value based on the mass ratio of the paraffin in the composite. The heat transfer rate of the paraffin/expanded graphite composite was obviously higher than that of the paraffin due to the combination with the expanded graphite that had a high thermal conductivity. The prepared paraffin/expanded graphite composite phase change material had a large thermal storage capacity and improved thermal conductivity and did not experience liquid leakage during its solid-liquid phase change

  1. Expanded function allied dental personnel and dental practice productivity and efficiency.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beazoglou, Tryfon J; Chen, Lei; Lazar, Vickie F; Brown, L Jackson; Ray, Subhash C; Heffley, Dennis R; Berg, Rob; Bailit, Howard L

    2012-08-01

    This study examined the impact of expanded function allied dental personnel on the productivity and efficiency of general dental practices. Detailed practice financial and clinical data were obtained from a convenience sample of 154 general dental practices in Colorado. In this state, expanded function dental assistants can provide a wide range of reversible dental services/procedures, and dental hygienists can give local anesthesia. The survey identified practices that currently use expanded function allied dental personnel and the specific services/procedures delegated. Practice productivity was measured using patient visits, gross billings, and net income. Practice efficiency was assessed using a multivariate linear program, Data Envelopment Analysis. Sixty-four percent of the practices were found to use expanded function allied dental personnel, and on average they delegated 31.4 percent of delegatable services/procedures. Practices that used expanded function allied dental personnel treated more patients and had higher gross billings and net incomes than those practices that did not; the more services they delegated, the higher was the practice's productivity and efficiency. The effective use of expanded function allied dental personnel has the potential to substantially expand the capacity of general dental practices to treat more patients and to generate higher incomes for dental practices.

  2. Steric restrictions of RISC in RNA interference identified with size-expanded RNA nucleobases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hernández, Armando R; Peterson, Larryn W; Kool, Eric T

    2012-08-17

    Understanding the interactions between small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) and the RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC), the key protein complex of RNA interference (RNAi), is of great importance to the development of siRNAs with improved biological and potentially therapeutic function. Although various chemically modified siRNAs have been reported, relatively few studies with modified nucleobases exist. Here we describe the synthesis and hybridization properties of siRNAs bearing size-expanded RNA (xRNA) nucleobases and their use as a novel and systematic set of steric probes in RNAi. xRNA nucleobases are expanded by 2.4 Å using benzo-homologation and retain canonical Watson-Crick base-pairing groups. Our data show that the modified siRNA duplexes display small changes in melting temperature (+1.4 to -5.0 °C); substitutions near the center are somewhat destabilizing to the RNA duplex, while substitutions near the ends are stabilizing. RNAi studies in a dual-reporter luciferase assay in HeLa cells revealed that xRNA nucleobases in the antisense strand reduce activity at some central positions near the seed region but are generally well tolerated near the ends. Most importantly, we observed that xRNA substitutions near the 3'-end increased activity over that of wild-type siRNAs. The data are analyzed in terms of site-dependent steric effects in RISC. Circular dichroism experiments show that single xRNA substitutions do not significantly distort the native A-form helical structure of the siRNA duplex, and serum stability studies demonstrated that xRNA substitutions protect siRNAs against nuclease degradation.

  3. Correct integration of compressors and expanders in above ambient heat exchanger networks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fu, Chao; Gundersen, Truls

    2016-01-01

    The Appropriate Placement concept (also referred to as Correct Integration) is fundamental in Pinch Analysis. The placement of reactors, distillation columns, evaporators, heat pumps and heat engines in heat exchanger networks is well established. The placement of pressure changing equipment such as compressors and expanders is complex and less discussed in literature. A major difficulty is that both heat and work (not only heat) are involved. The integration of compressors and expanders separately into heat exchanger networks was recently investigated. A set of theorems were proposed for assisting the design. The problem is even more complex when both compressors and expanders are to be integrated. An important concern is about the sequence of integration with compressors and expanders, i.e. should compressors or expanders be implemented first. This problem is studied and a new theorem is formulated related to the Correct Integration of both compressors and expanders in above ambient heat exchanger networks. The objective is to minimize exergy consumption for the integrated processes. A graphical design methodology is developed for the integration of compressors and expanders into heat exchanger networks above ambient temperature. - Highlights: • The correct integration of compressors and expanders in heat exchanger networks is studied. • A theorem is proposed for heat integration between compressors and expanders. • The total exergy consumption is minimized.

  4. Environmental assessment, expanded Ponnequin wind energy project, Weld County, Colorado

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1999-02-01

    The US Department of Energy (DOE) has considered a proposal from the State of Colorado, Office of Energy Conservation (OEC), for funding construction of the Expanded Ponnequin Wind Project in Weld County, Colorado. OEC plans to enter into a contracting arrangement with Public Service Company of Colorado (PSCo) for the completion of these activities. PSCo, along with its subcontractors and business partners, are jointly developing the Expanded Ponnequin Wind Project. The purpose of this Final Environmental Assessment (EA) is to provide DOE and the public with information on potential environmental impacts associated with the Expanded Ponnequin Wind Energy Project. This EA, and public comments received on it, were used in DOE's deliberations on whether to release funding for the expanded project under the Commercialization Ventures Program

  5. Environmental assessment, expanded Ponnequin wind energy project, Weld County, Colorado

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1999-02-01

    The US Department of Energy (DOE) has considered a proposal from the State of Colorado, Office of Energy Conservation (OEC), for funding construction of the Expanded Ponnequin Wind Project in Weld County, Colorado. OEC plans to enter into a contracting arrangement with Public Service Company of Colorado (PSCo) for the completion of these activities. PSCo, along with its subcontractors and business partners, are jointly developing the Expanded Ponnequin Wind Project. The purpose of this Final Environmental Assessment (EA) is to provide DOE and the public with information on potential environmental impacts associated with the Expanded Ponnequin Wind Energy Project. This EA, and public comments received on it, were used in DOE`s deliberations on whether to release funding for the expanded project under the Commercialization Ventures Program.

  6. Self-Expanding, Tough Biodegradable Elastomers for Wound Stasis

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-08-06

    the civilian setting, with no effective therapies available at point of injury. We previously reported that a self- expanding polyurethane foam...setting, with no effective therapies available at point of injury. We previously reported that a self-expanding polyurethane foam significantly...care in accor- dance with the Guide of the Care and Use of Laboratory Ani- mals (Health, 2011 #17). 2.2. Instrumentation and monitoring All swine (n

  7. Palliation of gastrointestinal obstruction with expandable metallic stents: 3 case reports

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Langhorne, N.B.; Asch, M.R.; Jaffer, N.

    1997-01-01

    Interventional radiologists are often asked to assist in the care of patients with advanced malignant disease. Frequent clinical problems include dysphagia due to proximal involvement of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract or bowel obstruction as a result of more distal compression. Although a number of endoscopic and surgical options are available, the placement of expandable metallic stents in the bowel lumen has recently been reported as efficacious, safe and cost-effective. We present our experience with placement of stents in the small and large bowel, describing the clinical scenarios, the reasons for stent placement, and the technique and results in each of 3 cases and comparing our experience with those of others, as reported in the literature. (author)

  8. EFFECT OF INCORPORATING EXPANDED POLYSTYRENE ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    2012-11-03

    Nov 3, 2012 ... Incorporating expanded polystyrene granules in concrete matrix can produce lightweight polystyrene aggregate concrete of ... structure. [1] reported that the standard workability tests are not suitable for the polystyrene aggregate concrete since they are sensitive to the unit weight of concrete. [2] made ...

  9. Expanding Greenland’s Glacial Record

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bjørk, Anders Anker

    . On order to expand the glacial history of Greenland, this thesis explores physical and geological archives for evidence of the glaciers’ past response to climatic variations. Using aerial photographs, the dynamic history of the Greenland Ice Sheet is extended back to 1900 C.E. Glacier changes covering...

  10. Expandable Total Humeral Replacement in a Child with Osteosarcoma

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eric R. Henderson

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Case. A right-handed 8-year-old female patient presented with a conventional, high-grade osteosarcoma involving her right humerus; through-shoulder amputation was recommended. After consultation, total humerus resection with expandable, total humeral endoprosthesis reconstruction was performed with a sleeve to encourage soft-tissue ingrowth. At three-year follow-up she has received one lengthening procedure and her functional scores are excellent. Conclusion. Total humeral resection and replacement in the pediatric population are rare and although early reports of expandable total humeral endoprosthesis outcomes demonstrate high failure rates, this patient’s success indicates that expandable total humeral replacement is a viable option.

  11. Proteomic Profiling of Ex Vivo Expanded CD34-Positive Haematopoetic Cells Derived from Umbilical Cord Blood

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Heiner Falkenberg

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Ex vivo expansion of haematopoetic cells by application of specific cytokines is one approach to overcome boundaries in cord blood transplantation due to limited numbers of haematopoetic stem cells. While many protocols describe an effective increase of total cell numbers and the amount of CD34-positive cells, it still remains unclear if and how the procedure actually affects the cells’ properties. In the presented publications, CD34-positive cells were isolated from cord blood and expanded for up to 7 days in media supplemented with stem cell factor (SCF, thrombopoietin (THPO, interleukin 6 (IL-6, and fms-related tyrosine kinase 3 ligand (FLT3lg. At days 3 and 7, expanded cells were harvested and analyzed by flow cytometry and quantitative proteomics. 2970 proteins were identified, whereof proteomic analysis showed 440 proteins significantly changed in abundance during ex vivo expansion. Despite the fact that haematopoetic cells still expressed CD34 on the surface after 3 days, major changes in regard to the protein profile were observed, while further expansion showed less effect on the proteome level. Enrichment analysis of biological processes clearly showed a proteomic change toward a protein biosynthesis phenotype already within the first three days of expression.

  12. Principles of the fifth order tuning of beam expanders

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Meot, F.; Aniel, T.

    1995-01-01

    An analytical treatment of the third and fifth order optics of beam expanders is described, which allows precise tuning of the optical elements of the beam line, and efficient optimization of the beam uniformizing at the extended target. An application to a two-dimensional expander is given as an illustration. (authors)

  13. Great Lakes Environmental Database (GLENDA)

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — The Great Lakes Environmental Database (GLENDA) houses environmental data on a wide variety of constituents in water, biota, sediment, and air in the Great Lakes area.

  14. Theoretical investigation of flash vaporisation in a screw expander

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vasuthevan, Hanushan; Brümmer, Andreas

    2017-08-01

    In the present study flash vaporisation of liquid injection in a twin screw expander for a Trilateral Flash Cycle (TFC) is examined theoretically. The TFC process comprises a pressure increase in the working fluid, followed by heating the liquid close to boiling point. The hot liquid is injected into the working chamber of a screw expander. During this process the pressure of the liquid drops below the saturation pressure, while the temperature of the liquid remains virtually constant. Hence the liquid is superheated and in a metastable state. The liquid jet seeks to achieve a stable state in thermodynamic equilibrium and is therefore partially vaporised. This effect is referred to as flash vaporisation. Accordingly, a two-phase mixture, consisting of vapour and liquid, exists in the working chamber. Thermodynamic simulations were carried out using water as the working fluid for representative screw expander geometry. The simulations presented are performed from two different aspects during the filling process of a screw expander. The first case is the vaporisation of the injected liquid in a state of thermodynamic equilibrium, whereby the two-phase mixture is treated entirely as a compressible and homogeneous gas. The second case considers flashing efficiency. It describes the quantity of flashed vapour and consists of a liquid and vapour domain. Both models are compared and analysed with respect to the operational behaviour of a screw expander.

  15. Higher arithmetic an algorithmic introduction to number theory

    CERN Document Server

    Edwards, Harold M

    2008-01-01

    Although number theorists have sometimes shunned and even disparaged computation in the past, today's applications of number theory to cryptography and computer security demand vast arithmetical computations. These demands have shifted the focus of studies in number theory and have changed attitudes toward computation itself. The important new applications have attracted a great many students to number theory, but the best reason for studying the subject remains what it was when Gauss published his classic Disquisitiones Arithmeticae in 1801: Number theory is the equal of Euclidean geometry--some would say it is superior to Euclidean geometry--as a model of pure, logical, deductive thinking. An arithmetical computation, after all, is the purest form of deductive argument. Higher Arithmetic explains number theory in a way that gives deductive reasoning, including algorithms and computations, the central role. Hands-on experience with the application of algorithms to computational examples enables students to m...

  16. Expanding the HAWC Observatory

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mori, Johanna [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

    2016-08-17

    The High Altitude Water Cherenkov Gamma-Ray Observatory is expanding its current array of 300 water tanks to include 350 outrigger tanks to increase sensitivity to gamma rays above 10 TeV. This involves creating and testing hardware with which to build the new tanks, including photomultiplier tubes, high voltage supply units, and flash analog to digital converters. My responsibilities this summer included preparing, testing and calibrating that equipment.

  17. Expanding the Universe of Education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Parsons, Elizabeth

    1996-01-01

    Definitions of "education" and "rural" are debunked and expanded. The three major tasks of rural education are educating people to understand their own needs, the unavoidable changes that will transform rural Australia within their lifetimes, and the range of technologies that can enhance their well-being. Presents a strategy…

  18. Durability of Expanded Physician Assistant Training Positions Following the End of Health Resources and Services Administration Expansion of Physician Assistant Training Funding.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rolls, Joanne; Keahey, David

    2016-09-01

    The purpose of this study was to assess the number of Health Resources and Services Administration Expansion of Physician Assistant Training (EPAT)-funded physician assistant (PA) programs planning to maintain class size at expanded levels after grant funds expire and to report proposed financing methods. The 5-year EPAT grant expired in 2015, and the effect of this funding on creating a durable expansion of PA training seats has not yet been investigated. The study used an anonymous, 9-question, Web-based survey sent to the program directors at each of the PA programs that received EPAT funding. Data were analyzed in Excel and using SAS statistical analysis software for both simple percentages and for Fisher's exact test. The survey response rate was 81.48%. Eighty-two percent of responding programs indicated that they planned to maintain all expanded positions. Fourteen percent will revert to their previous student class size, and 4% will maintain a portion of the expanded positions. A majority of the 18 programs (66%) maintaining all EPAT seats will be funded by tuition pass-through, and one program (6%) will increase tuition. There was no statistical association between the program type and the decision to maintain expanded positions (P = .820). This study demonstrates that the one-time EPAT PA grant funding opportunity created a durable expansion in PA training seats. Future research should focus on the effectiveness of the program in increasing the number of graduates choosing to practice in primary care and the durability of expansion several years after funding expiration.

  19. Residue number systems theory and applications

    CERN Document Server

    Mohan, P V Ananda

    2016-01-01

    This new and expanded monograph improves upon Mohan's earlier book, Residue Number Systems (Springer, 2002) with a state of the art treatment of the subject. Replete with detailed illustrations and helpful examples, this book covers a host of cutting edge topics such as the core function, the quotient function, new Chinese Remainder theorems, and large integer operations. It also features many significant applications to practical communication systems and cryptography such as FIR filters and elliptic curve cryptography. Starting with a comprehensive introduction to the basics and leading up to current research trends that are not yet widely distributed in other publications, this book will be of interest to both researchers and students alike.

  20. 33 CFR 100.124 - Maggie Fischer Memorial Great South Bay Cross Bay Swim, Great South Bay, New York.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Maggie Fischer Memorial Great South Bay Cross Bay Swim, Great South Bay, New York. 100.124 Section 100.124 Navigation and Navigable... NAVIGABLE WATERS § 100.124 Maggie Fischer Memorial Great South Bay Cross Bay Swim, Great South Bay, New York...

  1. Warner Bros. and Its First Two Great Depression Musicals:Changing the Form and Reflecting the Times

    OpenAIRE

    Cohen, Harvey

    2013-01-01

    This working paper analyses the production, content, public reaction and significance of the first two Warner Bros. Great Depression Musicals (this term was created by later scholars). "42nd Street" and "Gold Diggers of 1933," both released in the first half of 1933 during some of the direst months of the Great Depression, artistically and financially rejuvenated the previously failing genre of the film musical. They both featured extravagant highly cinematic dance numbers created by Busby Be...

  2. Neutron diffraction structure investigations for expanded liquid selenium up to 14000C and 300 bar

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Edeling, M.

    1980-01-01

    The static structure factor of the expanded liquid Selenium is measured by means of the neutron diffraction for temperatures between 600 0 C and 1400 0 C and for pressures up to 300 bar. From the structure factors the pair distribution functions show that the bond length of the Selenium atoms is constant 2.37 A to 2.38 A for the whole concentration range. For temperatures above 1200 0 C the calculated intermolecular coordination number shows that the intermolecular interaction increases. (BHO)

  3. Polynomials formalism of quantum numbers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kazakov, K.V.

    2005-01-01

    Theoretical aspects of the recently suggested perturbation formalism based on the method of quantum number polynomials are considered in the context of the general anharmonicity problem. Using a biatomic molecule by way of example, it is demonstrated how the theory can be extrapolated to the case of vibrational-rotational interactions. As a result, an exact expression for the first coefficient of the Herman-Wallis factor is derived. In addition, the basic notions of the formalism are phenomenologically generalized and expanded to the problem of spin interaction. The concept of magneto-optical anharmonicity is introduced. As a consequence, an exact analogy is drawn with the well-known electro-optical theory of molecules, and a nonlinear dependence of the magnetic dipole moment of the system on the spin and wave variables is established [ru

  4. Australian SME micro-offshoring opportunities in the Philippines: An expanding niche market?

    OpenAIRE

    Ross, Peter K.

    2016-01-01

    This paper examines how Filipino-based business process outsourcing centers have been developing services, including offshore "staff leasing" and "co-managed services" arrangements, that are helping to overcome traditional small and medium enterprise (SME) resource constraints. These "micro-offshoring" models greatly reduce transaction costs for Australian SMEs seeking to outsource/offshore former in-house work and appear to be supporting a rapid increase in the number of Australian-based SME...

  5. Ecological and evolutionary processes at expanding range margins

    OpenAIRE

    Thomas, C.D.; Bodsworth, E.J.; Wilson, R.J.; Simmons, A.D.; Davies, Z.G.; Musche, M.; Conradt, L.

    2001-01-01

    Many animals are regarded as relatively sedentary and specialized in marginal parts of their geographical distributions. They are expected to be slow at colonizing new habitats. Despite this, the cool margins of many species' distributions have expanded\\ud rapidly in association with recent climate warming3±10. We examined four insect species that have expanded their geographical\\ud ranges in Britain over the past 20 years. Here we report that two butterfly species have increased the variety ...

  6. Black holes in an expanding universe.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gibbons, Gary W; Maeda, Kei-ichi

    2010-04-02

    An exact solution representing black holes in an expanding universe is found. The black holes are maximally charged and the universe is expanding with arbitrary equation of state (P = w rho with -1 < or = for all w < or = 1). It is an exact solution of the Einstein-scalar-Maxwell system, in which we have two Maxwell-type U(1) fields coupled to the scalar field. The potential of the scalar field is an exponential. We find a regular horizon, which depends on one parameter [the ratio of the energy density of U(1) fields to that of the scalar field]. The horizon is static because of the balance on the horizon between gravitational attractive force and U(1) repulsive force acting on the scalar field. We also calculate the black hole temperature.

  7. Parameter estimation for an expanding universe

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jieci Wang

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available We study the parameter estimation for excitations of Dirac fields in the expanding Robertson–Walker universe. We employ quantum metrology techniques to demonstrate the possibility for high precision estimation for the volume rate of the expanding universe. We show that the optimal precision of the estimation depends sensitively on the dimensionless mass m˜ and dimensionless momentum k˜ of the Dirac particles. The optimal precision for the ratio estimation peaks at some finite dimensionless mass m˜ and momentum k˜. We find that the precision of the estimation can be improved by choosing the probe state as an eigenvector of the hamiltonian. This occurs because the largest quantum Fisher information is obtained by performing projective measurements implemented by the projectors onto the eigenvectors of specific probe states.

  8. Great Expectations

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Dickens, Charles

    2005-01-01

    One of Dickens's most renowned and enjoyable novels, Great Expectations tells the story of Pip, an orphan boy who wishes to transcend his humble origins and finds himself unexpectedly given the opportunity to live a life of wealth and respectability. Over the course of the tale, in which Pip

  9. Coupled-expanding maps and one-sided symbolic dynamical systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shi Yuming; Ju, Hyonhui; Chen Guanrong

    2009-01-01

    This paper studies relationships between coupled-expanding maps and one-sided symbolic dynamical systems. The concept of coupled-expanding map is extended to a more general one: coupled-expansion for a transitive matrix. It is found that the subshift for a transitive matrix is strictly coupled-expanding for the matrix in certain disjoint compact subsets; the topological conjugacy of a continuous map in its compact invariant set of a metric space to a subshift for a transitive matrix has a close relationship with that the map is strictly coupled-expanding for the matrix in some disjoint compact subsets. A certain relationship between strictly coupled-expanding maps for a transitive matrix in disjoint bounded and closed subsets of a complete metric space and their topological conjugacy to the subshift for the matrix is also obtained. Dynamical behaviors of subshifts for irreducible matrices are then studied and several equivalent statements to chaos are obtained; especially, chaos in the sense of Li-Yorke is equivalent to chaos in the sense of Devaney for the subshift, and is also equivalent to that the domain of the subshift is infinite. Based on these results, several new criteria of chaos for maps are finally established via strict coupled-expansions for irreducible transitive matrices in compact subsets of metric spaces and in bounded and closed subsets of complete metric spaces, respectively, where their conditions are weaker than those existing in the literature.

  10. Coupled Crop/Hydrology Model to Estimate Expanded Irrigation Impact on Water Resources

    Science.gov (United States)

    Handyside, C. T.; Cruise, J.

    2017-12-01

    , statistics such as the number of times certain WASSI thresholds are exceeded are calculated to show the impact of expanded irrigation during times of hydrologic drought and the coincident use of water by other sectors. Also, integrated downstream impacts of irrigation are also calculated through changes in flows through the whole river systems.

  11. The great intimidators.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kramer, Roderick M

    2006-02-01

    After Disney's Michael Eisner, Miramax's Harvey Weinstein, and Hewlett-Packard's Carly Fiorina fell from their heights of power, the business media quickly proclaimed thatthe reign of abrasive, intimidating leaders was over. However, it's premature to proclaim their extinction. Many great intimidators have done fine for a long time and continue to thrive. Their modus operandi runs counter to a lot of preconceptions about what it takes to be a good leader. They're rough, loud, and in your face. Their tactics include invading others' personal space, staging tantrums, keeping people guessing, and possessing an indisputable command of facts. But make no mistake--great intimidators are not your typical bullies. They're driven by vision, not by sheer ego or malice. Beneath their tough exteriors and sharp edges are some genuine, deep insights into human motivation and organizational behavior. Indeed, these leaders possess political intelligence, which can make the difference between paralysis and successful--if sometimes wrenching--organizational change. Like socially intelligent leaders, politically intelligent leaders are adept at sizing up others, but they notice different things. Those with social intelligence assess people's strengths and figure out how to leverage them; those with political intelligence exploit people's weaknesses and insecurities. Despite all the obvious drawbacks of working under them, great intimidators often attract the best and brightest. And their appeal goes beyond their ability to inspire high performance. Many accomplished professionals who gravitate toward these leaders want to cultivate a little "inner intimidator" of their own. In the author's research, quite a few individuals reported having positive relationships with intimidating leaders. In fact, some described these relationships as profoundly educational and even transformational. So before we throw out all the great intimidators, the author argues, we should stop to consider what

  12. Expanded-boundary approach to impurity control in tokamaks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ohyabu, N.

    1981-01-01

    It is proposed to expand the outermost flux surfaces in tokamaks to divert the heat flux emerging from the plasma core. The expanded flux surfaces provide a large volume for radiative cooling. The radiative power at the boundary is enhanced by the effects of plasma flow as well as by a volumetric factor, and the resultant edge cooling and reduced heat load on the limiter may significantly retard impurity generation. Furthermore, it seems to be compatible with reactor engineering requirements. (author)

  13. A Study about the 3S-based Great Ruins Monitoring and Early-warning System

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xuefeng, W.; Zhongyuan, H.; Gongli, L.; Li, Z.

    2015-08-01

    Large-scale urbanization construction and new countryside construction, frequent natural disasters, and natural corrosion pose severe threat to the great ruins. It is not uncommon that the cultural relics are damaged and great ruins are occupied. Now the ruins monitoring mainly adopt general monitoring data processing system which can not effectively exert management, display, excavation analysis and data sharing of the relics monitoring data. Meanwhile those general software systems require layout of large number of devices or apparatuses, but they are applied to small-scope relics monitoring only. Therefore, this paper proposes a method to make use of the stereoscopic cartographic satellite technology to improve and supplement the great ruins monitoring index system and combine GIS and GPS to establish a highly automatic, real-time and intelligent great ruins monitoring and early-warning system in order to realize collection, processing, updating, spatial visualization, analysis, distribution and sharing of the monitoring data, and provide scientific and effective data for the relics protection, scientific planning, reasonable development and sustainable utilization.

  14. Influence Of Collapsing Matter On The Enveloping Expanding Universe

    OpenAIRE

    Choudhury, A. Latif

    2005-01-01

    Using a collapsing matter model at the center of an expanding universe as described by Weinberg we assume a special type of generated pressure. This pressure transmits into the surrounding expanding universe. Under certain restriction the ensuing hubble parameter is positive. The deacceleration parameter fluctuates with time, indicating that the universe accelerates for certain time and decelerates for other time intervals.

  15. Noise Expands the Response Range of the Bacillus subtilis Competence Circuit.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrew Mugler

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Gene regulatory circuits must contend with intrinsic noise that arises due to finite numbers of proteins. While some circuits act to reduce this noise, others appear to exploit it. A striking example is the competence circuit in Bacillus subtilis, which exhibits much larger noise in the duration of its competence events than a synthetically constructed analog that performs the same function. Here, using stochastic modeling and fluorescence microscopy, we show that this larger noise allows cells to exit terminal phenotypic states, which expands the range of stress levels to which cells are responsive and leads to phenotypic heterogeneity at the population level. This is an important example of how noise confers a functional benefit in a genetic decision-making circuit.

  16. The Integrated Microbial Genomes (IMG) System: An Expanding Comparative Analysis Resource

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Markowitz, Victor M.; Chen, I-Min A.; Palaniappan, Krishna; Chu, Ken; Szeto, Ernest; Grechkin, Yuri; Ratner, Anna; Anderson, Iain; Lykidis, Athanasios; Mavromatis, Konstantinos; Ivanova, Natalia N.; Kyrpides, Nikos C.

    2009-09-13

    The integrated microbial genomes (IMG) system serves as a community resource for comparative analysis of publicly available genomes in a comprehensive integrated context. IMG contains both draft and complete microbial genomes integrated with other publicly available genomes from all three domains of life, together with a large number of plasmids and viruses. IMG provides tools and viewers for analyzing and reviewing the annotations of genes and genomes in a comparative context. Since its first release in 2005, IMG's data content and analytical capabilities have been constantly expanded through regular releases. Several companion IMG systems have been set up in order to serve domain specific needs, such as expert review of genome annotations. IMG is available at .

  17. Analogue cosmological particle creation: Quantum correlations in expanding Bose-Einstein condensates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Prain, Angus; Liberati, Stefano; Fagnocchi, Serena

    2010-01-01

    We investigate the structure of quantum correlations in an expanding Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) through the analogue gravity framework. We consider both a 3+1 isotropically expanding BEC as well as the experimentally relevant case of an elongated, effectively 1+1 dimensional, expanding condensate. In this case we include the effects of inhomogeneities in the condensate, a feature rarely included in the analogue gravity literature. In both cases we link the BEC expansion to a simple model for an expanding spacetime and then study the correlation structure numerically and analytically (in suitable approximations). We also discuss the expected strength of such correlation patterns and experimentally feasible BEC systems in which these effects might be detected in the near future.

  18. Almonte's great train disaster: Shaping nurses' roles and the civilian use of blood transfusion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Toman, Cynthia

    2004-01-01

    Blood transfusion was initially a small-scale, labour-intensive therapy administered by physicians. Through the first decades of the 20th century, transfusion comprised a "last resort" measure used and tested primarily in the context of war. Media accounts of the Almonte train disaster on the night of 27 December 1942 linked survival to the newly established blood bank located 42 km east in Ottawa, Ontario. This event did not constitute a "first time" occurrence or a "great discovery" in the history of blood. But it did illustrate in a very visible and public manner that blood transfusion technology was now readily available for use in general hospitals and civilian populations. Canada had an infrastructure for the collection, processing, storage, and transportation of blood products, and for the recruitment of blood donors by the mid-1940s. As the need for blood declined toward the end of World War II, transfusion became a technology in need of application. The extension of transfusion to civilian populations, however, would require a ready source of labour-increased numbers of health care workers who were available continuously with the necessary knowledge and skills to assume the responsibility. Nurses were well situated for this technological role by a convergence of scientific, economic, labour, gender, professional, and educational influences that both facilitated and constrained blood transfusion as a nursing competency. This paper examines how the expanded use of one medical technology shaped related roles for nurses. Transfusion ultimately influenced nurses' work and the composition of the workforce as the first medical act "delegated" to nurses in Ontario (1947), setting a precedent for the delegation of further technologies over the next four decades.

  19. Chronic expanding hematoma in the retroperitoneal space: a case report

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-01-01

    Background Chronic expanding hematoma is a rare condition that develops after surgery, trauma, or injury. It can also develop at any location in the body in the absence of trauma. Clinical findings and various diagnostic imaging modalities can aid in the differential diagnosis of this condition. In general, hematomas are naturally reabsorbed and rarely cause serious problems. However, hematomas that develop slowly without a history of trauma, surgery, or bleeding disorders could be difficult to differentiate from soft tissue neoplasms. In the present case, we describe a patient, without any history or physical evidence of trauma, who exhibited a large chronic expanding hematoma in the retroperitoneal space that resulted in hydronephrosis because of the pressure exerted on the left ureter. Case presentation A 69-year-old man presented to our hospital with a swollen lesion in the left flank. A mass, 19 cm in diameter, was detected in the retroperitoneal space by computed tomography. We suspected the presence of a chronic expanding hematoma, soft tissue tumor, or left renal artery aneurysm. Surgical treatment was performed. However, postoperative histopathological examination indicated that the mass was a nonmalignant chronic expanding hematoma. No recurrence was observed during a 2-year follow-up period. Conclusion In patients without a history of trauma who present slowly growing masses, the differential diagnosis should include chronic expanding hematoma in addition to cysts and soft tissue tumors. Moreover, the use of magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography is essential to differentiate between chronic expanding hematoma and soft tissue tumors. PMID:24237992

  20. Additional operations in algebra of structural numbers for control algorithm development

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Morhun A.V.

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available The structural numbers and the algebra of the structural numbers due to the simplicity of representation, flexibility and current algebraic operations are the powerful tool for a wide range of applications. In autonomous power supply systems and systems with distributed generation (Micro Grid mathematical apparatus of structural numbers can be effectively used for the calculation of the parameters of the operating modes of consumption of electric energy. The purpose of the article is the representation of the additional algebra of structural numbers. The standard algebra was proposed to be extended by the additional operations and modification current in order to expand the scope of their use, namely to construct a flexible, adaptive algorithms of control systems. It is achieved due to the possibility to consider each individual component of the system with its parameters and provide easy management of entire system and each individual component. Thus, structural numbers and extended algebra are the perspective line of research and further studying is required.

  1. Fermionic Approach to Weighted Hurwitz Numbers and Topological Recursion

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alexandrov, A.; Chapuy, G.; Eynard, B.; Harnad, J.

    2017-12-01

    A fermionic representation is given for all the quantities entering in the generating function approach to weighted Hurwitz numbers and topological recursion. This includes: KP and 2D Toda {τ} -functions of hypergeometric type, which serve as generating functions for weighted single and double Hurwitz numbers; the Baker function, which is expanded in an adapted basis obtained by applying the same dressing transformation to all vacuum basis elements; the multipair correlators and the multicurrent correlators. Multiplicative recursion relations and a linear differential system are deduced for the adapted bases and their duals, and a Christoffel-Darboux type formula is derived for the pair correlator. The quantum and classical spectral curves linking this theory with the topological recursion program are derived, as well as the generalized cut-and-join equations. The results are detailed for four special cases: the simple single and double Hurwitz numbers, the weakly monotone case, corresponding to signed enumeration of coverings, the strongly monotone case, corresponding to Belyi curves and the simplest version of quantum weighted Hurwitz numbers.

  2. Fermionic Approach to Weighted Hurwitz Numbers and Topological Recursion

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alexandrov, A.; Chapuy, G.; Eynard, B.; Harnad, J.

    2018-06-01

    A fermionic representation is given for all the quantities entering in the generating function approach to weighted Hurwitz numbers and topological recursion. This includes: KP and 2 D Toda {τ} -functions of hypergeometric type, which serve as generating functions for weighted single and double Hurwitz numbers; the Baker function, which is expanded in an adapted basis obtained by applying the same dressing transformation to all vacuum basis elements; the multipair correlators and the multicurrent correlators. Multiplicative recursion relations and a linear differential system are deduced for the adapted bases and their duals, and a Christoffel-Darboux type formula is derived for the pair correlator. The quantum and classical spectral curves linking this theory with the topological recursion program are derived, as well as the generalized cut-and-join equations. The results are detailed for four special cases: the simple single and double Hurwitz numbers, the weakly monotone case, corresponding to signed enumeration of coverings, the strongly monotone case, corresponding to Belyi curves and the simplest version of quantum weighted Hurwitz numbers.

  3. Nano-Sn embedded in expanded graphite as anode for lithium ion batteries with improved low temperature electrochemical performance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yan, Yong; Ben, Liubin; Zhan, Yuanjie; Huang, Xuejie

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • Nano-Sn embedded in interlayers of expanded graphite is fabricated. • The graphene/nano-Sn/graphene stacked structure promotes cycling stability of Sn. • The Sn/EG shows improved low temperature electrochemical performance. • Chemical diffusion coefficients of the Sn/EG are obtained by GITT. • The Sn/EG exhibits faster Li-ion intercalation kinetics than graphite. - Abstract: Metallic tin (Sn) used as anode material for lithium ion batteries has long been proposed, but its low temperature electrochemical performance has been rarely concerned. Here, a Sn/C composite with nano-Sn embedded in expanded graphite (Sn/EG) is synthesized. The nano-Sn particles (∼30 nm) are uniformly distributed in the interlayers of expanded graphite forming a tightly stacked layered structure. The electrochemical performance of the Sn/EG, particularly at low temperature, is carefully investigated compared with graphite. At -20 °C, the Sn/EG shows capacities of 200 mAh g −1 at 0.1C and 130 mAh g −1 at 0.2C, which is much superior to graphite (<10 mAh g −1 ). EIS measurements suggest that the charge transfer impedance of the Sn/EG increases less rapidly than graphite with decreasing temperatures, which is responsible for the improved low temperature electrochemical performance. The Li-ion chemical diffusion coefficients of the Sn/EG obtained by GITT are an order of magnitude higher at room temperature than that at -20 °C. Furthermore, the Sn/EG exhibits faster Li-ion intercalation kinetics than graphite in the asymmetric charge/discharge measurements, which shows great promise for the application in electric vehicles charged at low temperature.

  4. Reproductive performance in three neighbouring Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) colonies in sw Kattegat, Denmark

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bregnballe, Thomas; Gregersen, Jens; Hénaux, Viviane

    of Great Cormorants Phalacrocorax carbo sinensis in the old Danish Vorsø colony as it quadrupled in number of breeding pairs and later declined markedly. Some of these parameters were also studied in two neighbouring colonies. We found marked declines in breeding success in the old colony while breeding...

  5. The impact of the great recession on community-based mental health organizations: an analysis of top managers' perceptions of the economic downturn's effects and adaptive strategies used to manage the consequences in Ohio.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sweeney, Helen Anne; Knudsen, Kraig

    2014-04-01

    The Great Recession of 2007-2009 adversely affected the financial stability of the community-based mental health infrastructure in Ohio. This paper presents survey results of the type of adaptive strategies used by Ohio community-based mental health organizations to manage the consequences of the economic downturn. Results were aggregated into geographical classifications of rural, mid-sized urban, and urban. Across all groups, respondents perceived, to varying degrees, that the Great Recession posed a threat to their organization's survival. Urban organizations were more likely to implement adaptive strategies to expand operations while rural and midsized urban organizations implemented strategies to enhance internal efficiencies.

  6. Small Engines as Bottoming Cycle Steam Expanders for Internal Combustion Engines

    OpenAIRE

    Weerasinghe, Rohitha; Hounsham, Sandra

    2017-01-01

    Heat recovery bottoming cycles for internal combustion engines have opened new avenues for research into small steam expanders [1]. Dependable data for small steam expanders will allow us to predict on their suitability as bottoming cycle engines and the fuel economy achieved by using them as bottoming cycles. Wankel Engines, with its lower resistance properties at small scale provide excellent contenders for bottoming cycle expanders. Present paper is based on results of experiments carried ...

  7. What great managers do.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Buckingham, Marcus

    2005-03-01

    Much has been written about the qualities that make a great manager, but most of the literature overlooks a fundamental question: What does a great manager actually do? While there are countless management styles, one thing underpins the behavior of all great managers. Above all, an exceptional manager comes to know and value the particular quirks and abilities of her employees. She figures out how to capitalize on her staffers' strengths and tweaks her environment to meet her larger goals. Such a specialized approach may seem like a lot of work. But in fact, capitalizing on each person's uniqueness can save time. Rather than encourage employees to conform to strict job descriptions that may include tasks they don't enjoy and aren't good at, a manager who develops positions for his staff members based on their unique abilities will be rewarded with behaviors that are far more efficient and effective than they would be otherwise. This focus on individuals also makes employees more accountable. Because staffers are evaluated on their particular strengths and weaknesses, they are challenged to take responsibility for their abilities and to hone them. Capitalizing on a person's uniqueness also builds a stronger sense of team. By taking the time to understand what makes each employee tick, a great manager shows that he sees his people for who they are. This personal investment not only motivates individuals but also galvanizes the entire team. Finally, this approach shakes up existing hierarchies, which leads to more creative thinking. To take great managing from theory to practice, the author says, you must know three things about a person: her strengths, the triggers that activate those strengths, and how she learns. By asking the right questions, squeezing the right triggers, and becoming aware of your employees' learning styles, you will discover what motivates each person to excel.

  8. Experimental Investigation of the Performance of a Hermetic Screw-Expander Organic Rankine Cycle

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sung-Wei Hsu

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available In this study, the authors experimentally investigate the performance of the organic Rankine cycle (ORC and screw expander under the influence of supply pressure and pressure ratio over the expander. Three tests were performed with expander pressure ratios of 2.4–3.5, 3.0–4.6, and 3.3–6.1, which cover the over-expansion and under-expansion operating modes. The test results show a maximum expander isentropic efficiency of 72.4% and a relative cycle efficiency of 10.5% at an evaporation temperature of 101 °C and condensation temperature of 45 °C. At a given pressure ratio over the expander, a higher supply pressure to the expander causes a higher expander isentropic efficiency and higher cycle efficiency in the over-expansion mode. However, in the under-expansion mode, the higher supply pressure results in a lower expander isentropic efficiency and adversely affects the cycle efficiency. The results also show that under the condition of operation at a given pressure ratio, a higher supply pressure yields a larger power output owing to the increased mass flow rate at the higher supply pressure. The study results demonstrate that a screw-expander ORC can be operated with a wide range of heat sources and heat sinks with satisfactory cycle efficiency.

  9. Generating higher-order Lie algebras by expanding Maurer-Cartan forms

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Caroca, R.; Merino, N.; Salgado, P.; Perez, A.

    2009-01-01

    By means of a generalization of the Maurer-Cartan expansion method, we construct a procedure to obtain expanded higher-order Lie algebras. The expanded higher-order Maurer-Cartan equations for the case G=V 0 +V 1 are found. A dual formulation for the S-expansion multialgebra procedure is also considered. The expanded higher-order Maurer-Cartan equations are recovered from S-expansion formalism by choosing a special semigroup. This dual method could be useful in finding a generalization to the case of a generalized free differential algebra, which may be relevant for physical applications in, e.g., higher-spin gauge theories.

  10. Dynamical 3-Space: Black Holes in an Expanding Universe

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rothall D. P.

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available Black holes are usually studied without including effects of the expanding universe. However in some recent studies black holes have been embedded in an expanding universe, in order to determine the interplay, if any, of these two dynamical processes. Dynamical 3-space theory contains time independent solutions for black holes, which are spatial in-flows, and separately the time dependent Hubble expansion. This theory has explained numerous puzzles in observational astrophysics and contains 3 constants; G, - which from experimental data turns out to be the fine structure constant, and - which is a small but nonzero distance, possibly a Planck-type length. The Hubble expansion in the dynamical 3-space theory cannot be “switched o”, forcing the study, first, of isolated black holes coexisting with the expanding universe. It is shown that a time dependent black hole and expanding universe solution exists. The nature and implications of these solutions are discussed as they evolve over time. A dynamical network of black holes and induced linking cosmic filaments forming bubble structures is discussed, as a consequence of dynamical 3-space undergoing a dynamical breakdown of homogeneity and isotropy, even in the absence of baryonic matter.

  11. 'In situ' expanded graphite extinguishant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cao Qixin; Shou Yuemei; He Bangrong

    1987-01-01

    This report is concerning the development of the extinguishant for sodium fire and the investigation of its extinguishing property. The experiment result shows that 'in situ' expanded graphite developed by the authors is a kind of extinguishant which extinguishes sodium fire quickly and effectively and has no environment pollution during use and the amount of usage is little

  12. Translations on Near East and North Africa, Number 1647

    Science.gov (United States)

    1977-04-28

    fac- tories and one lumber factory. It was the founder of mo- dern Iran, Reza Shah the Great who sincerely wanted to see the country...research started in the office of ’Abdullah Fahmi , director of the office of the minister of communications, bringing with me a number of questions on

  13. Spanish media in a new digital world: The great bonfire of the vanities

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    José María Álvarez Monzoncillo

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available The mass media in Spain has carried out major adjustments in recent years in order to adapt to the Great Recession and to disruptive or ground-breaking technology such as Internet. This has underpinned the drop in advertising revenues and government subsidies, as well as a decline in sales and subscriptions. In the boom years, promises of Internet and easy access to global financial markets at interest rates below inflation encouraged media groups to design vertical and horizontal expansion strategies aimed at positioning themselves in the domestic market whilst expanding overseas: particularly in Latam and Europe. Moreover, consumers have been able to access contents more easily and cheaply via the Internet and using a broad range of devices. The poor economic situation of traditional media (caused, mainly, by their high financial gearing prevents them from successfully facing new challenges requiring them to change whilst new digital companies are managing to get by in spite of the highly precarious economic scenario.

  14. Turkish Publications in Science Citation Index and Citation Index-Expanded Indexed Journals in the Field of Anaesthesiology: A Bibliographic Analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Özbilgin, Şule; Hancı, Volkan

    2017-02-01

    Our study aimed to assess Turkish publications in Science Citation Index (SCI) and Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-E) indexed journals in the field of 'anaesthesiology'. Journals related to 'anaesthesiology' in the Science Citation Index-Expanded database of 'Thomson Reuter Web of Science' were searched. The search engine of Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) Web of Science (WoS) was used in the advanced mode by typing 'IS=ISSN number' to identify publications in the journal. By typing 'IS=ISSN number AND CU=Turkey', Turkish papers on anaesthesiology were found. If Turkish and non-Turkish authors had collaborated, the article was included in the search when the corresponding author had provided a Turkey-based address. The catalogue information and statistics were used to determine Turkish publications as the percentage of total publications and the annual mean number of Turkish publications. In WoS, 'SU=anesthesiology' was used to determine the number, country, year and topic distributions of publications from 1975 to date and within the last 10 years. The citation numbers and h-indices were determined based on the country for publications within the last 10 years. From 1975 to the early 2000s Turkey was 20 th in the list of countries with highest number of publications on anaesthesiology, however in the last 10 years Turkey moved up to 18 th place. Its mean citation number has been 4.64, and it remains the 2 nd lowest country pertaining to citations among the 22 countries with the most number of publications. According to the percentage of publications in the field of anaesthesiology, the journals with highest rate of Turkish publications were Revista Brasileira de Anestesiologia, European Journal of Anaesthesiology and Journal of Anesthesia. In the field of anaesthesiology, the highest number of articles from Turkey was published in Revista Brasileira de Anestesiologia, European Journal of Anaesthesiology and Journal of Anesthesia. The mean citation

  15. Number theory in the spirit of Ramanujan

    CERN Document Server

    Berndt, Bruce C

    2006-01-01

    Ramanujan is recognized as one of the great number theorists of the twentieth century. Here now is the first book to provide an introduction to his work in number theory. Most of Ramanujan's work in number theory arose out of q-series and theta functions. This book provides an introduction to these two important subjects and to some of the topics in number theory that are inextricably intertwined with them, including the theory of partitions, sums of squares and triangular numbers, and the Ramanujan tau function. The majority of the results discussed here are originally due to Ramanujan or were rediscovered by him. Ramanujan did not leave us proofs of the thousands of theorems he recorded in his notebooks, and so it cannot be claimed that many of the proofs given in this book are those found by Ramanujan. However, they are all in the spirit of his mathematics. The subjects examined in this book have a rich history dating back to Euler and Jacobi, and they continue to be focal points of contemporary mathematic...

  16. An Expanding Universe in the Classroom.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chandler, David

    1991-01-01

    Two computer-generated star charts that can be used as overlay transparencies to show an expanding universe are presented. Directions on how to use the star charts to determine the Hubble constant and the age of the universe are provided. (KR)

  17. Stability of the anterior arm of three different Hyrax hybrid expanders: an in vitro study

    Science.gov (United States)

    de la Iglesia, Gonzalo; Walter, André; de la Iglesia, Fernando; Winsauer, Heinz; Puigdollers, Andreu

    2018-01-01

    ABSTRACT Introduction: The force applied to the teeth by fixed orthopaedic expanders has previously been studied, but not the force applied to the orthodontic mini-implant (OMI) used to expand the maxilla with Hyrax hybrid expanders (HHE). Objective: The aim of this article was to evaluate the clinical safety of the components (OMI, abutment and double wire arms) of three different force-transmitting systems (FTS) for conducting orthopaedic maxillary expansion: Jeil Medical & Tiger Dental™, Microdent™ and Ortholox™. Methods: For the realization of this in vitro study of the resistance to mechanical load, three different abutment types (bonded, screwed on, and coupling) and three different OMIs’ diameters (Jeil™ 2.5 mm, Microdent™ 1.6 mm and Ortholox™ 2.2 mm) were used. Ten tests for each of these three FTS were carried out in a static lateral load in artificial bone blocks (Sawbones™) by a Galdabini universal testing machine, then comparing its performance. Comparisons of loads, deformations and fractures were carried out by means of radiographs of FTS components in each case. Results: At 1- mm load and within the elastic deformation, FTS values ranged from 67 ± 13 N to 183 ± 48 N. Under great deformations, Jeil & Tiger™ was the one who withstood the greatest loads, with an average 378 ± 22 N; followed by Microdent™, with 201 ± 18 N, and Ortholox™, with 103 ± 10 N. At 3 mm load, the OMIs shaft bends and deforms when the diameter is smaller than 2.5 mm. The abutment fixation is crucial to transmit forces and moments. Conclusions: The present study shows the importance of a rigid design of the different components of HHEs, and also that HHEs would be suitable for maxillary expansion in adolescents and young adults, since its mean expansion forces exceed 120N. Furthermore, early abutment detachment or smaller mini-implants diameter would only be appropriate for children. PMID:29791684

  18. Kinetic theory of a longitudinally expanding system of scalar particles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Epelbaum, Thomas; Gelis, François; Jeon, Sangyong; Moore, Guy; Wu, Bin

    2015-01-01

    A simple kinematical argument suggests that the classical approximation may be inadequate to describe the evolution of a system with an anisotropic particle distribution. In order to verify this quantitatively, we study the Boltzmann equation for a longitudinally expanding system of scalar particles interacting with a ϕ 4 coupling, that mimics the kinematics of a heavy ion collision at very high energy. We consider only elastic 2→2 scatterings, and we allow the formation of a Bose-Einstein condensate in overpopulated situations by solving the coupled equations for the particle distribution and the particle density in the zero mode. For generic CGC-like initial conditions with a large occupation number, the solutions of the full Boltzmann equation cease to display the classical attractor behavior sooner than expected; for moderate coupling, the solutions appear never to follow a classical attractor solution.

  19. MARITAL AND FAMILY CHARACTERISTICS OF WORKERS, MARCH 1966. SPECIAL LABOR FORCE REPORT NUMBER 80.

    Science.gov (United States)

    WALDMAN, ELIZABETH

    THE THRIVING ECONOMY'S DEMAND FOR WORKERS RESULTED IN DECREASED UNEMPLOYMENT RATES IN 1966 FOR WHITE AND NEGRO WOMEN AND WHITE MEN. THE INCREASED NUMBER OF WOMEN WORKERS RESULTED NOT ONLY FROM THE EXPANDING JOB MARKET BUT ALSO FROM FEDERAL LEGISLATION OUTLAWING SEX DISCRIMINATION IN EMPLOYMENT. IN THIS DECADE, THE MOST SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN…

  20. Comparison of uncultured marrow mononuclear cells and culture-expanded mesenchymal stem cells in 3D collagen-chitosan microbeads for orthopedic tissue engineering.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wise, Joel K; Alford, Andrea I; Goldstein, Steven A; Stegemann, Jan P

    2014-01-01

    Stem cell-based therapies have shown promise in enhancing repair of bone and cartilage. Marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) are typically expanded in vitro to increase cell number, but this process is lengthy, costly, and there is a risk of contamination and altered cellular properties. Potential advantages of using fresh uncultured bone marrow mononuclear cells (BMMC) include heterotypic cell and paracrine interactions between MSC and other marrow-derived cells including hematopoietic, endothelial, and other progenitor cells. In the present study, we compared the osteogenic and chondrogenic potential of freshly isolated BMMC to that of cultured-expanded MSC, when encapsulated in three-dimensional (3D) collagen-chitosan microbeads. The effect of low and high oxygen tension on cell function and differentiation into orthopedic lineages was also examined. Freshly isolated rat BMMC (25 × 10(6) cells/mL, containing an estimated 5 × 10(4) MSC/mL) or purified and culture-expanded rat bone marrow-derived MSC (2 × 10(5) cells/mL) were added to a 65-35 wt% collagen-chitosan hydrogel mixture and fabricated into 3D microbeads by emulsification and thermal gelation. Microbeads were cultured in control MSC growth media in either 20% O2 (normoxia) or 5% O2 (hypoxia) for an initial 3 days, and then in control, osteogenic, or chondrogenic media for an additional 21 days. Microbead preparations were evaluated for viability, total DNA content, calcium deposition, and osteocalcin and sulfated glycosaminoglycan expression, and they were examined histologically. Hypoxia enhanced initial progenitor cell survival in fresh BMMC-microbeads, but it did not enhance osteogenic potential. Fresh uncultured BMMC-microbeads showed a similar degree of osteogenesis as culture-expanded MSC-microbeads, even though they initially contained only 1/10th the number of MSC. Chondrogenic differentiation was not strongly supported in any of the microbead formulations. This study demonstrates the

  1. Expanding Your Horizon 2015

    CERN Multimedia

    Kaltenhauser, Kristin

    2015-01-01

    Expanding your horizons is a bi-annual “Science Day” for girls aged 11 to 14, held at the University of Geneva on 14 November. The girls had the opportunity to take part in hands-on workshops held by local professional women in the field of science, mathematics, engineering and technology. For the fourth time, CERN was part of this event, offering three workshops as well as a booth at the Discovery Fair, including Higgnite, an interactive visualization of the Higgs Field.

  2. Production of durable expanded perlite microspheres in a Vertical Electrical Furnace

    Science.gov (United States)

    Panagiotis, M.; Angelopoulos, P.; Taxiarchou, M.; Paspaliaris, I.

    2016-04-01

    Expanded perlite constitutes one of the most competitive insulating materials that is widely used in construction and manufacturing industry due to its unique properties combination; it is white, natural, lightweight, chemically inert, and exhibits superior insulating properties (thermal and acoustic) and fire resistance. Conventionally, perlite expansion is performed in vertical gas-fired furnaces; the conventional perlite expansion process has certain disadvantages which affect expanded products quality, thus limiting their performance and range of applications. In order to overcome the drawbacks of the conventional expansion technique, a new perlite expansion process has been designed based on a vertical electrical furnace (VEF). In the current study, fine perlite samples (-150 μm) from Milos Island, Greece, were expansed in the novel VEF and a conventional gas-fired furnace with the aim to evaluate and compare the main physical properties of the expanded products. The novel expanded perlite particles were characterised by superior properties, namely increased compression strength, competitive water and oil absorption capability, size homogeneity, spherical shape and decreased surface porosity in comparison to conventionally expanded samples.

  3. Great Ellipse Route Planning Based on Space Vector

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    LIU Wenchao

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available Aiming at the problem of navigation error caused by unified earth model in great circle route planning using sphere model and modern navigation equipment using ellipsoid mode, a method of great ellipse route planning based on space vector is studied. By using space vector algebra method, the vertex of great ellipse is solved directly, and description of great ellipse based on major-axis vector and minor-axis vector is presented. Then calculation formulas of great ellipse azimuth and distance are deduced using two basic vectors. Finally, algorithms of great ellipse route planning are studied, especially equal distance route planning algorithm based on Newton-Raphson(N-R method. Comparative examples show that the difference of route planning between great circle and great ellipse is significant, using algorithms of great ellipse route planning can eliminate the navigation error caused by the great circle route planning, and effectively improve the accuracy of navigation calculation.

  4. Negative numbers and antimatter particles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tsan, Ung Chan

    2012-01-01

    . Experimental observation of CP violation aroused a great hope for explaining why our universe is not exactly matter antimatter symmetric. Sakharov stated that without the violation of baryonic number, it is not possible to obtain from pure energy a universe made of only matter. The fact that our universe is asymmetric (in number) but perfectly neutral, points toward the existence of a hypothetic interaction violating A and L but conserving all charges. This Matter Creation (MC) interaction creating either a pair of matter particles or antimatter particles (instead of a pair of particle antiparticle) would have a charge BAL = (A-L) and a neutral messenger Z*. Even if CP is conserved, MC would allow the creation of a number of matter particles not exactly equal to the number of antimatter particles. Our universe would then correspond to the remaining excess when all matter antimatter pairs have disappeared. Observation of matter nonconservation processes would be of great interest to falsify this speculation. In a plan with A and L as axes, pure energy is represented by the origin (A = 0, L = 0). A symmetric universe is also represented by (A = 0, L = 0) meaning that there are exactly the same number of baryons and antibaryons, and the same number of leptons and antileptons. Our present matter universe is instead represented by a point of the diagonal with A = L = present A value. This value is tiny relative to the number of gammas resulting from the annihilation of matter–antimatter particles. (author)

  5. Functional Self-Expandable Metal Stents in Biliary Obstruction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kwon, Chang-Il; Ko, Kwang Hyun; Hahm, Ki Baik

    2013-01-01

    Biliary stents are widely used not only for palliative treatment of malignant biliary obstruction but also for benign biliary diseases. Each plastic stent or self-expandable metal stent (SEMS) has its own advantages, and a proper stent should be selected carefully for individual condition. To compensate and overcome several drawbacks of SEMS, functional self-expandable metal stent (FSEMS) has been developed with much progress so far. This article looks into the outcomes and defects of each stent type for benign biliary stricture and describes newly introduced FSEMSs according to their functional categories. PMID:24143314

  6. Expanding the Operational Use of Total Lightning Ahead of GOES-R

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stano, Geoffrey T.; Wood, Lance; Garner, Tim; Nunez, Roland; Kann, Deirdre; Reynolds, James; Rydell, Nezette; Cox, Rob; Bobb, William R.

    2015-01-01

    NASA's Short-term Prediction Research and Transition Center (SPoRT) has been transitioning real-time total lightning observations from ground-based lightning mapping arrays since 2003. This initial effort was with the local Weather Forecast Offices (WFO) that could use the North Alabama Lightning Mapping Array (NALMA). These early collaborations established a strong interest in the use of total lightning for WFO operations. In particular the focus started with warning decision support, but has since expanded to include impact-based decision support and lightning safety. SPoRT has used its experience to establish connections with new lightning mapping arrays as they become available. The GOES-R / JPSS Visiting Scientist Program has enabled SPoRT to conduct visits to new partners and expand the number of operational users with access to total lightning observations. In early 2014, SPoRT conducted the most recent visiting scientist trips to meet with forecast offices that will used the Colorado, Houston, and Langmuir Lab (New Mexico) lightning mapping arrays. In addition, SPoRT met with the corresponding Center Weather Service Units (CWSUs) to expand collaborations with the aviation community. These visits were an opportunity to learn about the forecast needs of each office visited as well as to provide on-site training for the use of total lightning, setting the stage for a real-time assessment during May-July 2014. With five lightning mapping arrays covering multiple geographic locations, the 2014 assessment has demonstrated numerous uses of total lightning in varying situations. Several highlights include a much broader use of total lightning for impact-based decision support ranging from airport weather warnings, supporting fire crews, and protecting large outdoor events. The inclusion of the CWSUs has broadened the operational scope of total lightning, demonstrating how these data can support air traffic management, particularly in the Terminal Radar Approach

  7. Remote Sensing Time Series to Evaluate Direct Land Use Change of Recent Expanded Sugarcane Crop in Brazil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marcio Pupin Mello

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available The use of biofuels to mitigate global carbon emissions is highly dependent on direct and indirect land use changes (LUC. The direct LUC (dLUC can be accurately evaluated using remote sensing images. In this work we evaluated the dLUC of about 4 million hectares of sugarcane expanded from 2005 to 2010 in the South-central region of Brazil. This region has a favorable climate for rain-fed sugarcane, a great potential for agriculture expansion without deforestation, and is currently responsible for almost 90% of Brazilian’s sugarcane production. An available thematic map of sugarcane along with MODIS and Landast images, acquired from 2000 to 2009, were used to evaluate the land use prior to the conversion to sugarcane. A systematic sampling procedure was adopted and the land use identification prior to sugarcane, for each sample, was performed using a web tool developed to visualize both the MODIS time series and the multitemporal Landsat images. Considering 2000 as reference year, it was observed that sugarcane expanded: 69.7% on pasture land; 25.0% on annual crops; 0.6% on forest; while 3.4% was sugarcane land under crop rotation. The results clearly show that the dLUC of recent sugarcane expansion has occurred on more than 99% of either pasture or agriculture land.

  8. Pharmacy clients' attitudes to expanded pharmacist prescribing and the role of agency theory on involved stakeholders.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hoti, Kreshnik; Hughes, Jeffery; Sunderland, Bruce

    2011-02-01

    To examine the views of regular pharmacy clients on pharmacist prescribing and employ agency theory in considering the relationship between the stakeholders involved. Computer assisted telephone interviews were conducted with 400 pharmacy clients recruited around Australia. Potential respondents were identified using a random number generation function in Microsoft Excel. Data were analysed with SPSS version 17 using one-way analysis of variance, principal component analysis and linear regression. The relationships between the main stakeholders involved were explored using agency theory. A total of 1153 answered calls recruited 400 consenting pharmacy clients. Most respondents (71%) trusted pharmacists adopting an expanded role in prescribing, however the majority (66%) supported this only after a diagnosis had been made by a doctor. Those who accepted pharmacist diagnosing and prescribing preferred that this was limited to pain management and antibiotics. Most respondents (64%) considered that expanded pharmacist prescribing would improve their access to prescription medicines, although those over 65 years of age were less supportive than younger respondents. Factors which contributed positively to clients' perception of trust in an expanded prescribing role for pharmacists were identified, and improved access to medicines was found to be the strongest predictor (P Agency theory would conceptualize the introduction of pharmacist prescribers, as disrupting the principal (patient) agent (doctor) relationship. Its introduction would best be facilitated by careful change management. © 2011 The Authors. IJPP © 2011 Royal Pharmaceutical Society.

  9. Expanding Your Horizons Conference in Geneva

    CERN Multimedia

    Chromek-Burckhart, Doris

    2011-01-01

    CERN and its experiments participated in Expanding Your Horizons (EYH) in Science and Mathematics conference in Geneva on 12th November. EYH nurture girls' interest in science and math courses to encourage them to consider careers in science, technology, engineering, and math.

  10. Expanding economic opportunities in protracted displacement

    OpenAIRE

    Miki Takahashi; Michael Moroz; Jonathan Peters; Jason Pronyk; Richard Barltrop

    2018-01-01

    Welcome progress has been made towards realising commitments made by international donors and host country governments to expand economic opportunities for Syrian refugees and host communities in neighbouring countries. However targets and commitments also bring new challenges, and evidence must underpin new policies.

  11. Parametric analysis of blade configurations for a small-scale nitrogen axial expander with hybrid open-Rankine cycle

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Khalil, Khalil M.; Mahmoud, S.; Al- Dadah, R.K.; AL-Mousawi, Fadhel

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: • Develop cryogenic energy storage and efficient recovery technologies. • Integrate small scale closed and cryogenic open-Rankine cycles. • Investigate blade configuration on small-scale axial expander performance. • Use mean line and 3D CFD simulation for expander robust design procedure. • Predict effects of expander efficiency on hybrid open-Rankine cycle efficiency. - Abstract: During the last few decades, low-grade energy sources such as solar energy and wind energy have enhanced the efficiency of the advanced renewable technologies such as the combined Rankine. Furthermore, these heat sources have contributed to a reduction in CO2 emissions. To address the problem of the intermittent nature of such renewable sources, energy storage technologies have been used to balance the power demand and smooth out energy production. In this study, the direct expansion cycle (open Rankine cycle) is combined with a closed loop Rankine cycle to generate power more efficiently and address the problem of discontinuous renewable sources. The topping cycle of this system is a closed looped Rankine cycle and propane is used as a hydrocarbon fluid, while the direct expansion cycle is considered to be the bottoming cycle utilizing nitrogen as cryogen fluid. Small-scale expanders are the most important parts in many thermal power cycles, such as the Rankine cycle, due to the significant impact on the overall cycle’s efficiency. This work investigated the effect of using a number of blade configurations on the cycle’s performance using a small-scale axial expander. A three-dimensional Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) simulation was used to examine four proposed blade configurations (lean, sweep, twist, bowl) with three hub- tip ratios (0.83, 0.75, 0.66). In addition, a numerical simulation model of the hybrid open expansion- Rankine cycle was designed and modeled in order to estimate the cycle’s performance. The results show that when the expander

  12. Expanding Advanced Civilizations in the Universe

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gros, C.

    The 1950 lunch-table remark by Enrico Fermi `Where is everybody' has started intensive scientific and philosophical discussions about what we call nowadays the `Fermi paradox': If there had been ever a single advanced civilization in the cosmological history of our galaxy, dedicated to expansion, it would have had plenty of time to colonize the entire galaxy via exponential growth. No evidence of present or past alien visits to earth are known to us, leading to the standard conclusion that no advanced expanding civilization has ever existed in the milky-way. This conclusion rest fundamentally on the ad-hoc assumption, that any alien civilizations dedicated to expansion at one time would remain dedicated to expansions forever. Considering our limited knowledge about alien civilizations we need however to relax this basic assumption. Here we show that a substantial and stable population of expanding advanced civilization might consequently exist in our galaxy.

  13. Nothing Great Is Easy

    OpenAIRE

    Stansbie, Lisa

    2014-01-01

    A solo exhibition of 13 pieces of art work.\\ud \\ud Nothing Great is Easy is an exhibition of sculpture, film, drawing and photography that proposes reconstructed narratives using the sport of swimming and in particular the collective interaction and identity of the channel swimmer. The work utilises the processes, rituals/rules, language and the apparatus of sport.\\ud \\ud “Nothing great is easy” are the words on the memorial to Captain Matthew Webb who was the first man to swim the English ch...

  14. Eleventh-century shift in timber procurement areas for the great houses of Chaco Canyon.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guiterman, Christopher H; Swetnam, Thomas W; Dean, Jeffrey S

    2016-02-02

    An enduring mystery from the great houses of Chaco Canyon is the origin of more than 240,000 construction timbers. We evaluate probable timber procurement areas for seven great houses by applying tree-ring width-based sourcing to a set of 170 timbers. To our knowledge, this is the first use of tree rings to assess timber origins in the southwestern United States. We found that the Chuska and Zuni Mountains (>75 km distant) were the most likely sources, accounting for 70% of timbers. Most notably, procurement areas changed through time. Before 1020 Common Era (CE) nearly all timbers originated from the Zunis (a previously unrecognized source), but by 1060 CE the Chuskas eclipsed the Zuni area in total wood imports. This shift occurred at the onset of Chaco florescence in the 11th century, a time with substantial expansion of existing great houses and the addition of seven new great houses in the Chaco Core area. It also coincides with the proliferation of Chuskan stone tools and pottery in the archaeological record of Chaco Canyon, further underscoring the link between land use and occupation in the Chuska area and the peak of great house construction. Our findings, based on the most temporally specific and replicated evidence of Chacoan resource procurement obtained to date, corroborate the long-standing but recently challenged interpretation that large numbers of timbers were harvested and transported from distant mountain ranges to build the great houses at Chaco Canyon.

  15. Great ape gestures: intentional communication with a rich set of innate signals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Byrne, R W; Cartmill, E; Genty, E; Graham, K E; Hobaiter, C; Tanner, J

    2017-09-08

    Great apes give gestures deliberately and voluntarily, in order to influence particular target audiences, whose direction of attention they take into account when choosing which type of gesture to use. These facts make the study of ape gesture directly relevant to understanding the evolutionary precursors of human language; here we present an assessment of ape gesture from that perspective, focusing on the work of the "St Andrews Group" of researchers. Intended meanings of ape gestures are relatively few and simple. As with human words, ape gestures often have several distinct meanings, which are effectively disambiguated by behavioural context. Compared to the signalling of most other animals, great ape gestural repertoires are large. Because of this, and the relatively small number of intended meanings they achieve, ape gestures are redundant, with extensive overlaps in meaning. The great majority of gestures are innate, in the sense that the species' biological inheritance includes the potential to develop each gestural form and use it for a specific range of purposes. Moreover, the phylogenetic origin of many gestures is relatively old, since gestures are extensively shared between different genera in the great ape family. Acquisition of an adult repertoire is a process of first exploring the innate species potential for many gestures and then gradual restriction to a final (active) repertoire that is much smaller. No evidence of syntactic structure has yet been detected.

  16. Some types of parent number talk count more than others: relations between parents' input and children's cardinal-number knowledge.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gunderson, Elizabeth A; Levine, Susan C

    2011-09-01

    Before they enter preschool, children vary greatly in their numerical and mathematical knowledge, and this knowledge predicts their achievement throughout elementary school (e.g. Duncan et al., 2007; Ginsburg & Russell, 1981). Therefore, it is critical that we look to the home environment for parental inputs that may lead to these early variations. Recent work has shown that the amount of number talk that parents engage in with their children is robustly related to a critical aspect of mathematical development - cardinal-number knowledge (e.g. knowing that the word 'three' refers to sets of three entities; Levine, Suriyakham, Rowe, Huttenlocher & Gunderson, 2010). The present study characterizes the different types of number talk that parents produce and investigates which types are most predictive of children's later cardinal-number knowledge. We find that parents' number talk involving counting or labeling sets of present, visible objects is related to children's later cardinal-number knowledge, whereas other types of parent number talk are not. In addition, number talk that refers to large sets of present objects (i.e. sets of size 4 to 10 that fall outside children's ability to track individual objects) is more robustly predictive of children's later cardinal-number knowledge than talk about smaller sets. The relation between parents' number talk about large sets of present objects and children's cardinal-number knowledge remains significant even when controlling for factors such as parents' socioeconomic status and other measures of parents' number and non-number talk. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  17. Alexander the Great and West Nile virus encephalitis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marr, John S; Calisher, Charles H

    2003-12-01

    Alexander the Great died in Babylon in 323 BC. His death at age 32 followed a 2-week febrile illness. Speculated causes of death have included poisoning; assassination, and a number of infectious diseases. One incident, mentioned by Plutarch but not considered by previous investigators, may shed light on the cause of Alexander's death. The incident, which occurred as he entered Babylon, involved a flock of ravens exhibiting unusual behavior and subsequently dying at his feet. The inexplicable behavior of ravens is reminiscent of avian illness and death weeks before the first human cases of West Nile virus infection were identified in the United States. We posit that Alexander may have died of West Nile virus encephalitis.

  18. Are Predators Limiting Zebra Mussel Colonization of Unionid Mussels in Great Lake Coastal Wetlands?

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Szalay, F. A.; Bowers, R.

    2005-05-01

    Although many native mollusc populations have been eliminated in the Laurentian Great Lakes by the exotic zebra mussel, recent surveys have found abundant unionid (Bivalvia: Unionidae) populations in some coastal wetlands. Unionid burrowing in soft sediments and predation by fish have been shown to reduce numbers of attached zebra mussels, and we tested these factors in a Lake Erie coastal wetland. In 2002, we held live unionids (Leptodea fragilis, Quadrula quadrula) and Pyganodon grandis shells in exclosures with wire mesh bottoms that were buried to sediment depths of either 5, 10, or 20 cm. After 2 months, numbers of attached dreissenids on unionids were significantly higher inside all exclosure treatments than outside exclosures. This indicated that either unionid burrowing was prevented in all sediment depth treatments or molluscivores were excluded by exclosures. In 2004, we measured dreissenid colonization on Q. quadrula and PVC plates in bottomless exclosures with different mesh sizes. After 6 months, dreissenid numbers on PVC plates and on Q. quadrula in 2.5 cm X 2.5 cm and 5 cm X 10 cm mesh exclosures were significantly higher than in open exclosures. These data suggest that molluscivores are important in limiting dreissenids in Great Lake coastal wetlands.

  19. Foxp3+ Treg expanded from patients with established diabetes reduce Helios expression while retaining normal function compared to healthy individuals.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Weiting Du

    Full Text Available Foxp3(+ regulatory T cells (Treg play a crucial role in regulating immune tolerance. The use of Treg to restore immune tolerance is considered an attractive novel approach to inhibit autoimmune disease, including type 1 diabetes (T1D, and to prevent rejection of organ transplants. In view of the goal of developing autologous Treg-based cell therapy for patients with long-term (>15 years T1D, it will be necessary to expand a sufficient amount of functional Treg in vitro in order to study and compare Treg from T1D patients and healthy subjects. Our results have demonstrated that there is a comparable frequency of Treg in the peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs of patients with long-term T1D relative to those in healthy subjects; however, Th1 cells, but not Th17 cells, were increased in the T1D patients. Further, more Treg in PBLs from T1D patients than from healthy subjects expressed the CD45RO(+ memory cell phenotype, suggesting they were antigen-experienced cells. After isolation, Treg from both T1D patients and healthy subjects were successfully expanded with high purity. Although there was no difference in Helios expression on Treg in PBLs, in vitro expansion led to fewer Helios-expressing Treg from T1D patients than healthy subjects. While more Th1-like Treg expressing IFN-γ or TNF-α were found in the PBLs of T1D patients than healthy controls, there was no such difference in the expanded Treg. Importantly, expanded Treg from both subject groups were able to suppress autologous or allogeneic CD8(+ effector T cells equally well. Our findings demonstrate that a large number of ex vivo expanded functional Treg can be obtained from long-term T1D patients, although fewer expanded Treg expressed a high level of Helios. Thus, based on the positive outcomes, these potent expanded Treg from diabetic human patients may be useful in treating T1D or preventing islet graft rejection.

  20. Numerical simulation of a twin screw expander for performance prediction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Papes, Iva; Degroote, Joris; Vierendeels, Jan

    2015-08-01

    With the increasing use of twin screw expanders in waste heat recovery applications, the performance prediction of these machines plays an important role. This paper presents a mathematical model for calculating the performance of a twin screw expander. From the mass and energy conservation laws, differential equations are derived which are then solved together with the appropriate Equation of State in the instantaneous control volumes. Different flow processes that occur inside the screw expander such as filling (accompanied by a substantial pressure loss) and leakage flows through the clearances are accounted for in the model. The mathematical model employs all geometrical parameters such as chamber volume, suction and leakage areas. With R245fa as working fluid, the Aungier Redlich-Kwong Equation of State has been used in order to include real gas effects. To calculate the mass flow rates through the leakage paths formed inside the screw expander, flow coefficients are considered as constant and they are derived from 3D Computational Fluid Dynamic calculations at given working conditions and applied to all other working conditions. The outcome of the mathematical model is the P-V indicator diagram which is compared to CFD results of the same twin screw expander. Since CFD calculations require significant computational time, developed mathematical model can be used for the faster performance prediction.

  1. Biogenesis: number mysticism in protein thinking.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Klotz, I M

    1993-10-01

    Historically, great minds have been tantalized by the idea that integers contain hidden, subtle meanings that could give us deep insights into natural (and supernatural) phenomena. Numerological analysis has been used in religion, mythology, and the sciences. In the field of proteins, integers played a stimulating role during early struggles to unravel structure, but they ultimately proved constrictive and misleading. In contrast, the introduction of imaginary (or complex) numbers into the algebra and numerical analysis of ligand-protein affinities can open new perspectives into such interactions.

  2. Climate variability and Great Plains agriculture

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rosenberg, N.J.; Katz, L.A.

    1991-01-01

    The ways in which inhabitants of the Great Plains, including Indians, early settlers, and 20th century farmers, have adapted to climate changes on the Great Plains are explored. The climate of the Great Plains, because of its variability and extremes, can be very stressful to plants, animals and people. It is suggested that agriculture and society on the Great Plains have, during the last century, become less vulnerable to the stresses imposed by climate. Opinions as to the sustainability of agriculture on the Great Plains vary substantially. Lockeretz (1981) suggests that large scale, high cost technologies have stressed farmers by creating surpluses and by requiring large investments. Opie (1989) sees irrigation as a climate substitute, however he stresses that the Ogallala aquifer must inevitably become depleted. Deborah and Frank Popper (1987) believe that farming on the Plains is unsustainable, and destruction of shelterbelts, out-migration of the rural population and environmental problems will lead to total collapse. With global warming, water in the Great Plains is expected to become scarcer, and although improvements in irrigation efficiency may slow depletion of the Ogallala aquifer, ultimately the acreage under irrigation must decrease to levels that can be sustained by natural recharge and reliable surface flows. 23 refs., 2 figs

  3. Greater happiness for a greater number: Is that possible? If so how? (Arabic)

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    R. Veenhoven (Ruut); E. Samuel (Emad)

    2012-01-01

    textabstractWhat is the final goal of public policy? Jeremy Bentham (1789) would say: greater happiness for a greater number. He thought of happiness as subjective enjoyment of life; in his words as “the sum of pleasures and pains”. In his time, the happiness of the great number could not be

  4. Expanding the boundaries of local similarity analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Durno, W Evan; Hanson, Niels W; Konwar, Kishori M; Hallam, Steven J

    2013-01-01

    Pairwise comparison of time series data for both local and time-lagged relationships is a computationally challenging problem relevant to many fields of inquiry. The Local Similarity Analysis (LSA) statistic identifies the existence of local and lagged relationships, but determining significance through a p-value has been algorithmically cumbersome due to an intensive permutation test, shuffling rows and columns and repeatedly calculating the statistic. Furthermore, this p-value is calculated with the assumption of normality -- a statistical luxury dissociated from most real world datasets. To improve the performance of LSA on big datasets, an asymptotic upper bound on the p-value calculation was derived without the assumption of normality. This change in the bound calculation markedly improved computational speed from O(pm²n) to O(m²n), where p is the number of permutations in a permutation test, m is the number of time series, and n is the length of each time series. The bounding process is implemented as a computationally efficient software package, FASTLSA, written in C and optimized for threading on multi-core computers, improving its practical computation time. We computationally compare our approach to previous implementations of LSA, demonstrate broad applicability by analyzing time series data from public health, microbial ecology, and social media, and visualize resulting networks using the Cytoscape software. The FASTLSA software package expands the boundaries of LSA allowing analysis on datasets with millions of co-varying time series. Mapping metadata onto force-directed graphs derived from FASTLSA allows investigators to view correlated cliques and explore previously unrecognized network relationships. The software is freely available for download at: http://www.cmde.science.ubc.ca/hallam/fastLSA/.

  5. Expanded austenite, crystallography and residual stress

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Christiansen, Thomas; Hummelshøj, Thomas Strabo; Somers, Marcel A. J.

    2010-01-01

    The identity of expanded austenite as developing during low temperature nitriding and/or carburising of austenitic stainless steel has been under debate since the very first observation of this phase. In the present article, recent results obtained with (a) homogeneous samples of various uniform ...

  6. Expanded austenite; crystallography and residual stress

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Christiansen, Thomas; Hummelshøj, Thomas Strabo; Somers, Marcel A. J.

    2009-01-01

    The identity of expanded austenite as developing during low temperature nitriding and/or carburizing of austenitic stainless steel has been under debate since the very first observation of this phase. In the present article recent results obtained with i) homogeneous samples of various uniform co...

  7. Coping with expanding nursing practice, knowledge, and technology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gaudinski, M A

    1979-10-01

    Nurses utilize transcultural, transactional, systems, primary, and interdisciplinary approaches to physiological and psychosocial components of patient care. Expanded roles, as well as advances in knowledge and technology have prepared nurses for critical, specialized, primary, aerospace, and independent nursing practice. Exciting as they are, nursing's expanded roles and practices frequently contribute to the burnout and distress phenomena increasingly observed in practicing health care professionals. Causes and symptoms of the burnout distress phenomena are many and varied. Selye, Shubin, Maslach, and others adeptly identified and wrote on the phenomena as it specifically relates to nurses and the many facets of nursing practice. Rather than utilizing crisis intervention coping techniques, preventive strategies and adaptations are suggested. This paper reviews and discusses: 1. Factors associated with burnout-distress phenomena identified in professional literature; 2. Identification of factors associated with expanded roles and practice which contribute to burnout stress; 3. Identification of factors in military and civilian air ambulance and aeromedical evacuation systems which contribute to burnout stress; 4. Recommendations for strategies to prevent and cope with burnout distress factors.

  8. Why has medicine expanded? The role of consumers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zheng, Hui

    2015-07-01

    In the past 50years, the field of medicine has expanded dramatically in many Western societies. Despite substantial improvements in objective health measures, there has not been a commensurate increase in assessments of subjective health. We hypothesize that medical expansion may lower people's subjective health perceptions, leading to an increase in health care utilization, and, in turn, fueling further medical expansion. We use OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) Health Data, World Development Indicators, the World Values Survey, and the European Values Study to fit a difference-in-differences model that removes unobserved cross-national heterogeneity and any period trend that is shared across nations. We find that three dimensions of medical expansion at the societal level (medical investment, medical professionalization/specialization, and an expanded pharmaceutical industry) negatively affect individual subjective health. These findings are robust to different model specifications. We conclude by discussing possible explanations for the adverse effect of medical expansion on subjective health, and how this effect may be related to other mechanisms through which medicine expands. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Trace element analysis of Alexander the Great's silver tetradrachms minted in Macedonia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kallithrakas-Kontos, N.; Katsanos, A.A.; Touratsoglou, J.

    2000-01-01

    The coinage of Alexander the Great presents a special interest because of its international character in the frame of the ancient times. At least 31 mints (from Aigai to Babylon and from Pella to Alexandreia) operated in the vast state, which was created by Alexander in just over 10 years (334-323 BC). Impressive quantities of tetradrachms were consequently minted for the economic affairs of an expanding state. The mints continued to be active and after the premature death of the Macedonian king, producing among others and tetradrachms in his name. The elemental chemical composition of silver tetradrachms minted in Amphipolis as well as in other Macedonian Greek cities was analysed by energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF), and 12 elements were determined. The problem of the patina (silver corrosion layer) effects on the results was examined by analysis before and after the corrosion product removal. From the results of the chemical composition, a similar numismatic policy is deduced for all the analysed coin as well as metal provenance indications for some of the coins

  10. ASPS clinical practice guideline summary on breast reconstruction with expanders and implants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alderman, Amy; Gutowski, Karol; Ahuja, Amy; Gray, Diedra

    2014-10-01

    After reading this article, participants should be able to: 1. Understand the evidence regarding the timing of expander/implant breast reconstruction in the setting of radiation therapy. 2. Discuss the implications of a patient's risk factors for possible outcomes and complications of expander/implant breast reconstruction. 3. Implement proper prophylactic antibiotic protocols. 4. Use the guidelines to improve their own clinical outcomes and reduce complications. In March of 2013, the Executive Committee of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons approved an evidence-based guideline on breast reconstruction with expanders and implants, as developed by a guideline-specific work group commissioned by the society's Health Policy Committee. The guideline addresses ten clinical questions: patient education, immediate versus delayed reconstruction, risk factors, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, antibiotic prophylaxis, acellular dermal matrix, monitoring for cancer recurrence, and oncologic outcomes associated with implant-based reconstruction. The evidence indicates that patients undergoing mastectomy should be offered a preoperative referral to a plastic surgeon. Evidence varies regarding the association between postoperative complications and timing of postmastectomy expander/implant breast reconstruction. Evidence is limited regarding the optimal timing of expand/implant reconstruction in the setting of radiation therapy but suggests that irradiation to the expander or implant is associated with an increased risk of postoperative complications. Evidence also varies regarding the association between acellular dermal matrix and surgical complications in the setting of postmastectomy expander/implant reconstruction. Data support the use of an appropriate preoperative antibiotic, but antibiotics should be discontinued within 24 hours of the procedure, unless a surgical drain is present. Furthermore, postmastectomy expander/implant breast reconstruction

  11. An Expanded Conceptual Framework of Medical Students' Primary Care Career Choice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pfarrwaller, Eva; Audétat, Marie-Claude; Sommer, Johanna; Maisonneuve, Hubert; Bischoff, Thomas; Nendaz, Mathieu; Baroffio, Anne; Junod Perron, Noëlle; Haller, Dagmar M

    2017-11-01

    In many countries, the number of graduating medical students pursuing a primary care career does not meet demand. These countries face primary care physician shortages. Students' career choices have been widely studied, yet many aspects of this process remain unclear. Conceptual models are useful to plan research and educational interventions in such complex systems.The authors developed a framework of primary care career choice in undergraduate medical education, which expands on previously published models. They used a group-based, iterative approach to find the best way to represent the vast array of influences identified in previous studies, including in a recent systematic review of the literature on interventions to increase the proportion of students choosing a primary care career. In their framework, students enter medical school with their personal characteristics and initial interest in primary care. They complete a process of career decision making, which is subject to multiple interacting influences, both within and outside medical school, throughout their medical education. These influences are stratified into four systems-microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, and macrosystem-which represent different levels of interaction with students' career choices.This expanded framework provides an updated model to help understand the multiple factors that influence medical students' career choices. It offers a guide for the development of new interventions to increase the proportion of students choosing primary care careers and for further research to better understand the variety of processes involved in this decision.

  12. Gravitomagnetic Instabilities in Anisotropically Expanding Fluids

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kleidis, Kostas; Kuiroukidis, Apostolos; Papadopoulos, Demetrios B.; Vlahos, Loukas

    Gravitational instabilities in a magnetized Friedman-Robertson-Walker (FRW) universe, in which the magnetic field was assumed to be too weak to destroy the isotropy of the model, are known and have been studied in the past. Accordingly, it became evident that the external magnetic field disfavors the perturbations' growth, suppressing the corresponding rate by an amount proportional to its strength. However, the spatial isotropy of the FRW universe is not compatible with the presence of large-scale magnetic fields. Therefore, in this paper we use the general-relativistic version of the (linearized) perturbed magnetohydrodynamic equations with and without resistivity, to discuss a generalized Jeans criterion and the potential formation of density condensations within a class of homogeneous and anisotropically expanding, self-gravitating, magnetized fluids in curved space-time. We find that, for a wide variety of anisotropic cosmological models, gravitomagnetic instabilities can lead to subhorizontal, magnetized condensations. In the nonresistive case, the power spectrum of the unstable cosmological perturbations suggests that most of the power is concentrated on large scales (small k), very close to the horizon. On the other hand, in a resistive medium, the critical wave-numbers so obtained, exhibit a delicate dependence on resistivity, resulting in the reduction of the corresponding Jeans lengths to smaller scales (well bellow the horizon) than the nonresistive ones, while increasing the range of cosmological models which admit such an instability.

  13. Expanding economic opportunities in protracted displacement

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Miki Takahashi

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Welcome progress has been made towards realising commitments made by international donors and host country governments to expand economic opportunities for Syrian refugees and host communities in neighbouring countries. However targets and commitments also bring new challenges, and evidence must underpin new policies.

  14. Der Einfluss von personeller Einkommensverteilung auf die „Great Depression“ und die „Great Recession“

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stefan Trappl

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Der Einfluss gestiegener Einkommensungleichheit auf die „Great Depression“ und die „Great Recession“ wurde mehrfach postuliert (Galbraith 1954/2009; Eccles 1951; Rajan 2010; Stiglitz 2012; Piketty 2014. Konkrete empirische Arbeiten zum Zusammenhang zwischen Einkommensverteilung und dem Entstehen von Wirtschaftskrisen gibt es aber bislang wenige. Kumhof/Ranciere (2010 überprüften die von Rajan (2010 aufgestellte Hypothese, die einen entsprechenden Zusammenhang postuliert, mittels Modellrechnung. Bordo/Meissner (2012 und darauf aufbauend Gu/Huang (2014 verwendeten unterschiedliche Regressionsmodelle in Bezug auf einen entsprechenden Zusammenhang, ohne jedoch eindeutige Ergebnisse zu liefern. Die vorliegende Arbeit schließt an diese Arbeiten an, beschränkt die Untersuchung allerdings auf Staaten, für die Daten für die letzten hundert Jahre verfügbar sind, und untersucht zudem explizit die Zeiträume um die beiden größten Krisen der letzten hundert Jahre, die „Great Depression“ und die „Great Recession“. Die Auswertungen zeigen, dass die personelle Einkommensverteilung ein guter Prädiktor für die Kriseneintrittswahrscheinlichkeit ist.

  15. [Self-expanding nitinol stents in proximal tracheal stenosis].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hafner, B; Mann, W; Heussel, C P; Scherhag, A; Schlegel, J; Kauczor, H U

    2000-03-01

    The use of silicone- or metal stents in stenosis of the distal trachea and the bronchial system is a customary procedure [1-4], for example after tumor invasion or cicatricial stenosis after transplantation. In the proximal part of the trachea, on smaller, short and soft strictures we try to stabilise the trachea by the implantation of rings. Other methods are tracheal plasty or transverse tracheal resectomy [5-7]. In the case of longer or nearer subglottal stenoses the positioning of self-expanding nitinol stents has proven a simple, gentle and well-tolerated alternative procedure even in very serious disorders [1, 8, 9]. These stents can be placed in short narcosis under endoscopic control without great strain on the patient. We placed nitinol-stents in the proximal part of the trachea in eleven cases. In five cases dyspnoea caused by a tracheal collapse improved. In two further cases a tracheal stenosis with massive granulation tissue and cicatricial pull under an inlaid tracheal cannula was removed and the tracheostoma was closed. In four cases a solid, scarred and cartilaginous stenosis in the area of the cricoid and the upper tracheal rings was widened with laser and later on stented. Over an observation time of two years no complications showed safe one case in which a directly postoperative dislocation was repositioned quickly. The patients live without restrictions through the tracheal stenosis or a tracheostoma. In the best possible case epithelialization over the metal meshes develops so that a nearly normal mucus transportation is possible [1, 10-12].

  16. Magnetic fields in an expanding universe

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kastor, David; Traschen, Jennie

    2014-01-01

    We find a solution to 4D Einstein–Maxwell theory coupled to a massless dilaton field, for all values of the dilaton coupling, describing a Melvin magnetic field in an expanding universe with ‘stiff matter’ equation of state parameter w = +1. As the universe expands, magnetic flux becomes more concentrated around the symmetry axis for dilaton coupling a<1/√3 and more dispersed for a>1/√3. An electric field circulates around the symmetry axis in the direction determined by Lenz's law. For a = 0 the magnetic flux through a disc of fixed comoving radius is proportional to the proper area of the disc. This result disagrees with the usual expectation based on a test magnetic field that this flux should be constant, and we show why this difference arises. We also find a Melvin solution in an accelerating universe with w = −7/9 for a dilaton field with a certain exponential potential. (paper)

  17. Increased Flap Weight and Decreased Perforator Number Predict Fat Necrosis in DIEP Breast Reconstruction

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Carolyn L. Mulvey, BS

    2013-05-01

    Conclusions: Flaps with increasing weight have increased risk of fat necrosis. These data suggest that inclusion of more than 1 perforator may decrease odds of fat necrosis in large flaps. Perforator flap breast reconstruction can be performed safely; however, considerations concerning race, body mass index, staging with tissue expanders, perforator number, and flap weight may optimize outcomes.

  18. Great Lakes Bathymetry

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Bathymetry of Lakes Michigan, Erie, Saint Clair, Ontario and Huron has been compiled as a component of a NOAA project to rescue Great Lakes lake floor geological and...

  19. Low calcification in corals in the Great Barrier Reef

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bhattacharya, Atreyee

    2012-10-01

    Reef-building coral communities in the Great Barrier Reef—the world's largest coral reef—may now be calcifying at only about half the rate that they did during the 1970s, even though live coral cover may not have changed over the past 40 years, a new study finds. In recent decades, coral reefs around the world, home to large numbers of fish and other marine species, have been threatened by such human activities as pollution, overfishing, global warming, and ocean acidification; the latter affects ambient water chemistry and availability of calcium ions, which are critical for coral communities to calcify, build, and maintain reefs. Comparing data from reef surveys during the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s with present-day (2009) measurements of calcification rates in One Tree Island, a coral reef covering 13 square kilometers in the southern part of the Great Barrier Reef, Silverman et al. show that the total calcification rates (the rate of calcification minus the rate of dissolution) in these coral communities have decreased by 44% over the past 40 years; the decrease appears to stem from a threefold reduction in calcification rates during nighttime.

  20. Attitudes toward expanding nurses' authority.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kerzman, Hana; Van Dijk, Dina; Eizenberg, Limor; Khaikin, Rut; Phridman, Shoshi; Siman-Tov, Maya; Goldberg, Shoshi

    2015-01-01

    In recent years, an increasing number of care procedures previously under the physician's authority have been placed in the hands of registered nurses. The purpose of this study was to examine the attitudes of nurses towards expanding nurses' authority and the relationships between these attitudes and job satisfaction facets, professional characteristics, and demographics. A cross-sectional study was conducted between 2010 and 2011 in three major medical centers in Israel. Participants included 833 nurses working in 89 departments. Attitudes toward the expansion of nurses' authority were assessed by self-report questionnaire, as well as job satisfaction facets including perception of professional autonomy, nurse-physician working relations, workload and burnout, perceptions of quality of care, and nursing staff satisfaction at work. Nurses reported positive attitudes toward the expansion of nurses' authority and moderate attitudes for interpretation of diagnostic tests in selected situations. The results of multivariate regression analyses demonstrate that the nurses' satisfaction from professional autonomy and work relations were the most influential factors in explaining their attitudes toward the expansion of nurses' authority. In addition, professionally young nurses tend to be more positive regarding changes in nurses' authority. In the Israeli reality of a nurse's shortage, we are witnessing professional transitions toward expansion of the scope of nurses' accountability and decision-making authority. The current research contributes to our understanding of attitudes toward the expansion of nurses' authority among the nursing staffs. The findings indicate the necessity of redefining the scope of nursing practice within the current professional context.

  1. A frequency survey of radiological examinations carried out in National Health Service hospitals in Great Britain in 1977 for diagnostic purposes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kendall, G.M.; Darby, S.C.; Harries, S.V.; Rae, S.

    1980-06-01

    Medical irradiation is the largest man-made contributor to the radiation dose received by the population of Great Britain, and diagnostic radiology is the most important component of medical irradiation. The work described here is a survey of the numbers and types of radiological examinations carried out in National Health Service hospitals in Great Britain in 1977. The overall level of diagnostic radiology in Great Britain as a whole is reported and separate estimates for England, Wales and Scotland are given. Discussion of topics such as the frequency of particular types of examination, the number of films per examination and the use of gonad shields is included, and the results of the present survey are compared with those of the last national survey which was carried out in 1957. Also reported is an estimate of the amount of radiology undertaken outside the Health Service. The findings will be combined with estimates of gonadal doses from the different examinations and child expectancy data to estimate the genetically significant dose to the population of Great Britain. (author)

  2. Transposition of the great arteries - a phenotype associated with 16p11.2 duplications?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karunanithi, Zarmiga; Vestergaard, Else Marie; Lauridsen, Mette H

    2017-12-26

    Genetic analyses of patients with transposition of the great arteries have identified rare copy number variations, suggesting that they may be significant to the aetiology of the disease. This paper reports the identification of a 16p11.2 microduplication, a variation that has yet to be reported in association with transposition of the great arteries. The 16p11.2 microduplication is associated with autism spectrum disorder and developmental delay, but with highly variable phenotypic effects. Autism and attention deficit disorders are observed more frequently in children with congenital heart disease than in the general population. Neonatal surgery is proposed as a risk factor, but as yet unidentified genetic abnormalities should also be taken into account. Thus, congenital heart abnormalities may constitute a part of the phenotypic spectrum associated with duplications at 16p11.2. We suggest chromosomal microarray be considered part of the diagnostic work-up in patients with transposition of the great arteries.

  3. The Great White Guppy: Top Predator

    Science.gov (United States)

    Michalski, G. M.

    2011-12-01

    Nitrogen isotopes are often used to trace the trophic level of members of an ecosystem. As part of a stable isotope biogeochemistry and forensics course at Purdue University, students are introduced to this concept by analyzing nitrogen isotopes in sea food purchased from local grocery stores. There is a systematic increase in 15N/14N ratios going from kelp to clams/shrimp, to sardines, to tuna and finally to shark. These enrichments demonstrate how nitrogen is enriched in biomass as predators consume prey. Some of the highest nitrogen isotope enrichments observed, however, are in the common guppy. We investigated a number of aquarium fish foods and find they typically have high nitrogen isotope ratios because they are made form fish meal that is produced primarily from the remains of predator fish such as tuna. From, a isotope perspective, the guppy is the top of the food chain, more ferocious than even the Great White shark.

  4. What Caused the Great Depression?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Caldwell, Jean; O'Driscoll, Timothy G.

    2007-01-01

    Economists and historians have struggled for almost 80 years to account for the American Great Depression, which began in 1929 and lasted until the early years of World War II. In this article, the authors discuss three major schools of thought on the causes of the Great Depression and the long failure of the American economy to return to full…

  5. The Sixth Great Mass Extinction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wagler, Ron

    2012-01-01

    Five past great mass extinctions have occurred during Earth's history. Humanity is currently in the midst of a sixth, human-induced great mass extinction of plant and animal life (e.g., Alroy 2008; Jackson 2008; Lewis 2006; McDaniel and Borton 2002; Rockstrom et al. 2009; Rohr et al. 2008; Steffen, Crutzen, and McNeill 2007; Thomas et al. 2004;…

  6. The Army’s Military Decision Making: Adequate or Update and Expand

    Science.gov (United States)

    2008-05-22

    requires creative efforts by every Soldier and Marine.”63 Expanding the soldier base would allow for greater creativity in order to better deal with...military can overcome these deficiencies? I believe that to achieve the initial stage of success would be to create a segment of soldier telecommuters ...problems. By expanding the thinking base, the Army can expand the breadth and depth into areas currently unreachable. Telecommuting allows for several

  7. From the Editor Vol: 6 number 2

    OpenAIRE

    Ugur Demiray

    2005-01-01

    From the Editor Dear TOJDES Readers Time flies. Another quarter has begun. It is a great pleasure to welcome you to the 18th issue, the Volume: 6, Number: 2 of The Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education (TOJDE), of looking forward. TOJDE has been driving and shaping by our editorial board, reviewers, authors and even unbelievable readers. In the April 2005 issue, TOJDE publishes peer-reviewed distance education articles under four umbrellas: applications, feature topics, researches, ...

  8. Performance study of a twin-screw expander used in a geothermal organic Rankine cycle power generator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tang, Hao; Wu, Huagen; Wang, Xiaolin; Xing, Ziwen

    2015-01-01

    The ORC (organic Rankine cycle) system is an effective technology to generate electricity from low temperature heat sources. The twin-screw expander is a key component that is commonly used in the small-to-medium capacity ORC system to convert thermal energy into work. In this paper, the performance of a twin-screw expander is theoretically and experimentally studied. A mathematical model is developed and subsequently validated using experimental data. The effect of several important factors including expander speed, suction pressure and inlet superheat on the expander performance is investigated. Results indicate that the expander speed and suction pressure have large influences on the expander performance, while the inlet superheat has relatively small effect. The isentropic efficiency of the expander decreases from 0.88 to 0.6 and the expander volumetric efficiency decreases from 0.88 to 0.7 as the expander rotational speed increases from 1250 to 6000 rpm. The results further show that the expander volumetric efficiency decreases from 0.91 to 0.85 as the expander suction pressure increases from 0.33 to 0.47 MPa. Furthermore, the energy conversion efficiency of the studied ORC system using the twin-screw expander is as high as 7.5% under the site conditions. - Highlights: • Performance of a twin-screw expander used in an ORC (organic Rankine cycle) system was studied. • A thermodynamic model was developed for this purpose and experimentally validated. • Effect of several key factors on the expander performance was investigated. • Suction pressure has a large influence on the expander performance. • Twin-screw expanders can be operated with a wide range of heat source temperatures.

  9. Super fast physical-random number generation using laser diode frequency noises

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ushiki, Tetsuro; Doi, Kohei; Maehara, Shinya; Sato, Takashi; Ohkawa, Masashi; Ohdaira, Yasuo

    2011-02-01

    Random numbers can be classified as either pseudo- or physical-random in character. Pseudo-random numbers' periodicity renders them inappropriate for use in cryptographic applications, but naturally-generated physical-random numbers have no calculable periodicity, thereby making them ideally-suited to the task. The laser diode naturally produces a wideband "noise" signal that is believed to have tremendous capacity and great promise, for the rapid generation of physical-random numbers for use in cryptographic applications. We measured a laser diode's output, at a fast photo detector and generated physical-random numbers from frequency noises. We then identified and evaluated the binary-number-line's statistical properties. The result shows that physical-random number generation, at speeds as high as 40Gbps, is obtainable, using the laser diode's frequency noise characteristic.

  10. Custom Ontologies for Expanded Network Analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    2006-12-01

    for Expanded Network Analysis. In Visualising Network Information (pp. 6-1 – 6-10). Meeting Proceedings RTO-MP-IST-063, Paper 6. Neuilly-sur-Seine...Even to this day, current research groups are working to develop an approach that involves taking all available text, video, imagery and audio and

  11. Great magnetic storms

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tsurutani, B.T.; Yen Te Lee; Tang, F.; Gonzalez, W.D.

    1992-01-01

    The five largest magnetic storms that occurred between 1971 and 1986 are studied to determine their solar and interplanetary causes. All of the events are found to be associated with high speed solar wind streams led by collisionless shocks. The high speed streams are clearly related to identifiable solar flares. It is found that (1) it is the extreme values of the southward interplanetary magnetic fields rather than solar wind speeds that are the primary causes of great magnetic storms, (2) shocked and draped sheath fields preceding the driver gas (magnetic cloud) are at least as effective in causing the onset of great magnetic storms (3 of 5 events ) as the strong fields within the driver gas itself, and (3) precursor southward fields ahead of the high speed streams allow the shock compression mechanism (item 2) to be particularly geoeffective

  12. JASPAR 2014: an extensively expanded and updated open-access database of transcription factor binding profiles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mathelier, Anthony; Zhao, Xiaobei; Zhang, Allen W; Parcy, François; Worsley-Hunt, Rebecca; Arenillas, David J; Buchman, Sorana; Chen, Chih-yu; Chou, Alice; Ienasescu, Hans; Lim, Jonathan; Shyr, Casper; Tan, Ge; Zhou, Michelle; Lenhard, Boris; Sandelin, Albin; Wasserman, Wyeth W

    2014-01-01

    JASPAR (http://jaspar.genereg.net) is the largest open-access database of matrix-based nucleotide profiles describing the binding preference of transcription factors from multiple species. The fifth major release greatly expands the heart of JASPAR-the JASPAR CORE subcollection, which contains curated, non-redundant profiles-with 135 new curated profiles (74 in vertebrates, 8 in Drosophila melanogaster, 10 in Caenorhabditis elegans and 43 in Arabidopsis thaliana; a 30% increase in total) and 43 older updated profiles (36 in vertebrates, 3 in D. melanogaster and 4 in A. thaliana; a 9% update in total). The new and updated profiles are mainly derived from published chromatin immunoprecipitation-seq experimental datasets. In addition, the web interface has been enhanced with advanced capabilities in browsing, searching and subsetting. Finally, the new JASPAR release is accompanied by a new BioPython package, a new R tool package and a new R/Bioconductor data package to facilitate access for both manual and automated methods.

  13. Insulin-producing cells generated from dedifferentiated human pancreatic beta cells expanded in vitro.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Holger A Russ

    Full Text Available Expansion of beta cells from the limited number of adult human islet donors is an attractive prospect for increasing cell availability for cell therapy of diabetes. However, attempts at expanding human islet cells in tissue culture result in loss of beta-cell phenotype. Using a lineage-tracing approach we provided evidence for massive proliferation of beta-cell-derived (BCD cells within these cultures. Expansion involves dedifferentiation resembling epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT. Epigenetic analyses indicate that key beta-cell genes maintain open chromatin structure in expanded BCD cells, although they are not transcribed. Here we investigated whether BCD cells can be redifferentiated into beta-like cells.Redifferentiation conditions were screened by following activation of an insulin-DsRed2 reporter gene. Redifferentiated cells were characterized for gene expression, insulin content and secretion assays, and presence of secretory vesicles by electron microscopy. BCD cells were induced to redifferentiate by a combination of soluble factors. The redifferentiated cells expressed beta-cell genes, stored insulin in typical secretory vesicles, and released it in response to glucose. The redifferentiation process involved mesenchymal-epithelial transition, as judged by changes in gene expression. Moreover, inhibition of the EMT effector SLUG (SNAI2 using shRNA resulted in stimulation of redifferentiation. Lineage-traced cells also gave rise at a low rate to cells expressing other islet hormones, suggesting transition of BCD cells through an islet progenitor-like stage during redifferentiation.These findings demonstrate for the first time that expanded dedifferentiated beta cells can be induced to redifferentiate in culture. The findings suggest that ex-vivo expansion of adult human islet cells is a promising approach for generation of insulin-producing cells for transplantation, as well as basic research, toxicology studies, and drug

  14. Effect of expansion temperature of expandable graphite on microstructure evolution of expanded graphite during high-energy ball-milling

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yue Xueqing; Li Liang; Zhang Ruijun; Zhang Fucheng

    2009-01-01

    Two expanded graphites (EG), marked as EG-1 and EG-2, were prepared by rapid heating of expandable graphite to 600 and 1000 deg. C, respectively, and ball milled in a high-energy mill (planetary-type) under air atmosphere. The microstructure evolution of the ball-milled samples was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). XRD analysis shows that the evolution degree of the average crystallite thickness along the c-axis (L c ) of EG-2 is lower than that of EG-1 during the milling process. From the HRTEM images of the samples after 100 h ball-milling, slightly curved graphene planes can be frequently observed both in the two EGs, however, EG-1 and EG-2 exhibit sharply curved graphene planes and smoothly curved graphene planes with high bending angles, respectively.

  15. Effects of silicone expanders and implants on echocardiographic image quality after breast reconstruction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pignatti, Marco; Mantovani, Francesca; Bertelli, Luca; Barbieri, Andrea; Pacchioni, Lucrezia; Loschi, Pietro; De Santis, Giorgio

    2013-08-01

    Use of silicone expanders and implants is the most common breast reconstruction technique after mastectomy. Postmastectomy patients often need echocardiographic monitoring of potential cardiotoxicity induced by cancer chemotherapy. The impairment of the echocardiographic acoustic window caused by silicone implants for breast augmentation has been reported. This study investigates whether the echocardiographic image quality was impaired in women reconstructed with silicone expanders and implants. The records of 44 consecutive women who underwent echocardiographic follow-up after breast reconstruction with expanders and implants at the authors' institution from January of 2000 to August of 2012 were reviewed. The population was divided into a study group (left or bilateral breast expanders/implants, n=30) and a control group (right breast expanders/implants, n=14). The impact of breast expanders/implants on echocardiographic image quality was tested (analysis of covariance model). Patients with a breast expander/implant (left or bilateral and right breast expanders/implants) were included. The mean volume of the breast devices was 353.2±125.5 cc. The quality of the echocardiographic images was good or sufficient in the control group; in the study group, it was judged as adequate in only 50 percent of cases (15 patients) and inadequate in the remaining 15 patients (pimplants in postmastectomy left breast reconstruction considerably reduce the image quality of echocardiography. This may have important clinical implications, given the need for periodic echocardiographic surveillance before and during chemotherapy. Therapeutic, III.

  16. Molecular correlates of trait anxiety: expanding biomarker discovery from protein expression to turnover

    OpenAIRE

    Zhang, Yaoyang

    2010-01-01

    Depression and anxiety disorders affect a great number of people in the world. Although remarkable efforts have been devoted to understanding the clinical and biological basis of these disorders, progress has been relatively slow. Furthermore, no laboratory test currently is available for diagnosis of anxiety and depression. These disorders are mainly diagnosed empirically on the basis of a doctor’s personal observations and experiences. Hence, discovery of biomarkers for these psychiatric di...

  17. Interlayer expanded molybdenum disulfide nanosheets assembly for electrochemical supercapacitor with enhanced performance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xiao, Huaqing; Wang, Shutao; Zhang, Shuo; Wang, Yihe; Xu, Qingfei; Hu, Wenjie; Zhou, Yan; Wang, Zhaojie; An, Changhua; Zhang, Jun

    2017-01-01

    Rational structural design for electrode materials is essential for fabricating high performance supercapacitors. In this work, we demonstrated a novel way to prepare incompact MoS_2 nanosheets assembled nanorods with the interlayer of MoS_2 nanosheets expanded to 0.89 nm, namely layer expanded MoS_2 nanorods (LE-MoS_2 NRs). The material was characterized by XRD, XPS and electron microscopes. The XRD data and HRTEM images confirmed the existence of expanded interlayer of MoS_2 nanosheets. N_2 adsorption-desorption isotherms of LE-MoS_2 NRs indicated high specific area up to 37.0 m"2 g"−"1. It was found that the expanded interlayer spacing can benefit the ion transportation within the MoS_2 interlayers. The as-prepared electrode material showed capacitance up to 231 F g"−"1 at 1 A g"−"1 charge-discharge current and cycling stability test indicated high capacitance of 177 F g"−"1 was retained after 1000 cycles. - Highlights: • High performance electrochemical supercapacitor electrode material. • Interlayer expanded MoS_2 to achieve enhanced capacitance. • Facile hydrothermal synthesis of interlayer expanded MoS_2. • MoS_2 nanosheets assembled incompact nanorods.

  18. Industrial implementation of plasma deposition using the expanding thermal plasma technique

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Sanden, van de M.C.M.; Oever, van den P.J.; Creatore, M.; Schaepkens, M.; Miebach, T.; Iacovangelo, C.D.; Bosch, R.C.M.; Bijker, M.D.; Evers, M.F.J.; Schram, D.C.; Kessels, W.M.M.

    2004-01-01

    Two successful industrial implementations of the expanding thermal plasma setup, a novel plasma source, obtaining high deposition rate are discussed. The Ar/O2/hexamethyldisiloxane and Ar/O2/octamethyl-cyclosiloxane-fed expanding thermal plasma setup is used to deposit scratch resistant silicone

  19. The Development of Tourist Relations during the Economic Crisis through the Example of the Southern Great Plain Region and Serbia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    PÉTER GULYÁS

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Since the beginning of the economic crisis, nearby feeder markets have become increasingly important for Hungary’s tourism sector with cross-border cooperation schemes playing an ever increasing role. This also holds true for Hungary’s Southern Great Plain Region when viewed in its relationship with neighbouring Serbia. This paper examines tourism flow changes in the Southern Hungarian Great Plain Region during the period of the economic crisis especially as far as tourism flows from Serbia are concerned. The analysis is based on official statistical data available in respect of commercial accommodation facilities, analyses on tourism trends carried out at the European level, and regional development documents drawn up for the Hungarian–Serbian cross border region. The economic crisis caused a significant downturn in tourism flows in the Southern Great Plain Region. However, the number of tourists arriving from Serbia to the Southern Great Plain and the number of nights they spent there increased even during the crisis partly because of the favourable geographical location of the region, partly because of the intensive cooperation schemes implemented in the tourism sector, and partly because of organised marketing campaigns.

  20. Women Engineering Faculty: Expanding the Pipeline

    Science.gov (United States)

    Greni, Nadene Deiterman

    2006-01-01

    The purpose for this case study was to explore the features of undergraduate engineering departmental and college support that influenced the persistence of women students. Women engineering faculty members were among the participants at three Land Grant universities in the Midwest. The data revealed the theme, Expanding the Pipeline, and…

  1. 'Great Power Style' in China's Economic Policy

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jiang, Yang

    2011-01-01

    China’s ascendance attracts concern, even though Beijing claims to be a responsible great power and tries to demonstrate its ‘great power style’ in economic diplomacy. This article therefore discusses the following questions: to what extent does the current notion and practice of Chinese ‘great...... power style’ in economic diplomacy comply with, or differ from, the criteria of benign hegemony; and what are the major constraining factors? Conceptually, China’s ‘great power style’ is rooted in ancient Chinese political philosophy and institution, but it highly resembles the Western notion of benign...

  2. Population cigarette consumption in Great Britain: novel insights using retail sales data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Robinson, Mark; Reid, Garth

    2017-12-20

    Accurate data to measure population cigarette consumption are vital for surveillance and for evaluating the impact of tobacco control policies. This study uses cigarette retail sales data to provide novel insights into trends and patterns in cigarette consumption in Great Britain. Cigarette sales estimates derived from electronic sales from most large grocery stores and a weighted representative sample of smaller convenience stores were obtained from Nielsen. Data on the number of cigarette sticks sold per calendar month and per week were obtained for Scotland and England/Wales (combined) for the period January 2008 to December 2015. Cigarette consumption per adult smoker per month was calculated using survey-based smoking prevalence estimates and mid-year population estimates. Population cigarette consumption in Great Britain declined between 2008 and 2013. Cigarette sales have since stabilised at around 400 cigarettes per adult smoker per month. Cigarettes sold in 14- to 19-packs have substituted a sharp decline in 20-packs and now account for over half of all cigarettes sold in Great Britain. Cigarette consumption has been consistently higher in Scotland than England/Wales. This is due to higher sales of 20-packs in Scotland between 2008 and 2013, which has been substituted by higher sales of 14- to 19-packs in recent years. Cigarette retail sales data provide unique insights into levels and patterns of cigarette consumption and should be used for monitoring and evaluating tobacco control policy in Great Britain.

  3. Porous expandable device for attachment to bone tissue

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rybicki, Edmund F.; Wheeler, Kenneth Ray; Hulbert, Lewis E.; Karagianes, Manuel Tom; Hassler, Craig R.

    1977-01-01

    A device for attaching to substantially solid living bone tissue, comprising a body member having an outer surface shaped to fit approximately into an empty space in the tissue and having pores into which the tissue can grow to strengthen the bond between the device and the tissue, and adjustable means for expanding the body member against the tissue to an extent such as to provide a compressive stress capable of maintaining a snug and stable fit and of enhancing the growth of the tissue into the pores in the body member. The expanding means is adjustable to provide a stress between the tissue and the body member in the range of about 150 to 750 psi, typically 150 to 350 psi. Typically the body member comprises an expandable cylindrical portion having at least one radial slit extending longitudinally from a first end to the vicinity of the opposite (second) end thereof, at least one radial slit extending longitudinally from the second end to the vicinity of the first end thereof, and a tapered cylindrical hole extending coaxially from a wider circular opening in the first end to a narrower circular opening communicating with the second end.

  4. Prospects for expanded utilization of biogas in Germany

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Poeschl, Martina; Ward, Shane; Owende, Philip

    2010-01-01

    The prospects for expanded utilization of biogas systems in German was analysed, by identifying the operational and policy factors affecting the complete chain of processes from implementation process for biogas plants, through to biogas production and utilization. It was found that the Renewable Energies Act (EEG) and energy tax reliefs provide bases for the support of expanded utilization. Upgrading of biogas to natural gas quality for utilization in the transportation sector was arguably the most promising technology that could support rapid utilization expansion. Sustainable deployment of biogas systems in light of the unstable feedstock prices and availability, and the need for subsidy-free operation in the long term requires; enhancement of feedstock flexibility and quality characteristics to maximise gas yield, and optimisation of the anaerobic digestion process management. Assessment of energy balance and potential environmental impacts of the integrated process chain provides a holistic assessment of sustainability. The results also support the development and foster of policies and framework for development of biogas as environmentally friendly energy resource, among a mix of renewable energy sources, hence, compete favourably with fossil fuels to enhance the prospects for expanded utilization. (author)

  5. Expanding CTE Opportunities through Blended Learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    McKinstry, Elizabeth

    2012-01-01

    The global economy, 21st century skills, knowledge society, college and career readiness, digital and project-based learning are all common terms to educators who are expanding their learning environments beyond the classroom to meet the needs of all students. It is common knowledge that the rapid technological advances of this century have…

  6. Patterns of Phylogenetic Diversity of Subtropical Rainforest of the Great Sandy Region, Australia Indicate Long Term Climatic Refugia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Howard, Marion G; McDonald, William J F; Forster, Paul I; Kress, W John; Erickson, David; Faith, Daniel P; Shapcott, Alison

    2016-01-01

    Australia's Great Sandy Region is of international significance containing two World Heritage areas and patches of rainforest growing on white sand. Previous broad-scale analysis found the Great Sandy biogeographic subregion contained a significantly more phylogenetically even subset of species than expected by chance contrasting with rainforest on white sand in Peru. This study aimed to test the patterns of rainforest diversity and relatedness at a finer scale and to investigate why we may find different patterns of phylogenetic evenness compared with rainforests on white sands in other parts of the world. This study focussed on rainforest sites within the Great Sandy and surrounding areas in South East Queensland (SEQ), Australia. We undertook field collections, expanded our three-marker DNA barcode library of SEQ rainforest plants and updated the phylogeny to 95% of the SEQ rainforest flora. We sampled species composition of rainforest in fixed area plots from 100 sites. We calculated phylogenetic diversity (PD) measures as well as species richness (SR) for each rainforest community. These combined with site variables such as geology, were used to evaluate patterns and relatedness. We found that many rainforest communities in the Great Sandy area were significantly phylogenetically even at the individual site level consistent with a broader subregion analysis. Sites from adjacent areas were either not significant or were significantly phylogenetically clustered. Some results in the neighbouring areas were consistent with historic range expansions. In contrast with expectations, sites located on the oldest substrates had significantly lower phylogenetic diversity (PD). Fraser Island was once connected to mainland Australia, our results are consistent with a region geologically old enough to have continuously supported rainforest in refugia. The interface of tropical and temperate floras in part also explains the significant phylogenetic evenness and higher than

  7. Patterns of Phylogenetic Diversity of Subtropical Rainforest of the Great Sandy Region, Australia Indicate Long Term Climatic Refugia.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marion G Howard

    Full Text Available Australia's Great Sandy Region is of international significance containing two World Heritage areas and patches of rainforest growing on white sand. Previous broad-scale analysis found the Great Sandy biogeographic subregion contained a significantly more phylogenetically even subset of species than expected by chance contrasting with rainforest on white sand in Peru. This study aimed to test the patterns of rainforest diversity and relatedness at a finer scale and to investigate why we may find different patterns of phylogenetic evenness compared with rainforests on white sands in other parts of the world. This study focussed on rainforest sites within the Great Sandy and surrounding areas in South East Queensland (SEQ, Australia. We undertook field collections, expanded our three-marker DNA barcode library of SEQ rainforest plants and updated the phylogeny to 95% of the SEQ rainforest flora. We sampled species composition of rainforest in fixed area plots from 100 sites. We calculated phylogenetic diversity (PD measures as well as species richness (SR for each rainforest community. These combined with site variables such as geology, were used to evaluate patterns and relatedness. We found that many rainforest communities in the Great Sandy area were significantly phylogenetically even at the individual site level consistent with a broader subregion analysis. Sites from adjacent areas were either not significant or were significantly phylogenetically clustered. Some results in the neighbouring areas were consistent with historic range expansions. In contrast with expectations, sites located on the oldest substrates had significantly lower phylogenetic diversity (PD. Fraser Island was once connected to mainland Australia, our results are consistent with a region geologically old enough to have continuously supported rainforest in refugia. The interface of tropical and temperate floras in part also explains the significant phylogenetic evenness

  8. Quark and gluon production from a boost-invariantly expanding color electric field

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taya, Hidetoshi

    2017-07-01

    Particle production from an expanding classical color electromagnetic field is extensively studied, motivated by the early stage dynamics of ultrarelativistic heavy ion collisions. We develop a formalism at one-loop order to compute the particle spectra by canonically quantizing quark, gluon, and ghost fluctuations under the presence of such an expanding classical color background field; the canonical quantization is done in the τ -η coordinates in order to take into account manifestly the expanding geometry. As a demonstration, we model the expanding classical color background field by a boost-invariantly expanding homogeneous color electric field with lifetime T , for which we obtain analytically the quark and gluon production spectra by solving the equations of motion of QCD nonperturbatively with respect to the color electric field. In this paper we study (i) the finite lifetime effect, which is found to modify significantly the particle spectra from those expected from the Schwinger formula; (ii) the difference between the quark and gluon production; and (iii) the quark mass dependence of the production spectra. Implications of these results to ultrarelativistic heavy ion collisions are also discussed.

  9. On the Propagation of Light in an Expanding Universe

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yuri Heymann

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available The equation of the propagation of light in an expanding Universe is derived based on the definition of comoving distances. A numerical method is proposed to solve this equation jointly with the Friedmann equation. As the equation of the propagation of light in an expanding Universe defines a horizon of the visible Universe, this puts a constraint on cosmological models in order to be consistent with an upper limit for redshifts observed from galaxies. This puzzle is challenging current expansionist cosmological models.

  10. The story of the social security number.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Puckett, Carolyn

    2009-01-01

    The use of the Social Security number (SSN) has expanded significantly since its inception in 1936. Created merely to keep track of the earnings history of U.S. workers for Social Security entitlement and benefit computation purposes, it has come to be used as a nearly universal identifier. Assigned at birth, the SSN enables government agencies to identify individuals in their records and businesses to track an individual's financial information. This article explores the history and meaning of the SSN and the Social Security card, as well as the Social Security Administration's (SSA's) SSN master file, generally known as the Numident. The article also traces the historical expansion of SSN use and the steps SSA has taken to enhance SSN integrity.

  11. Interlayer expanded molybdenum disulfide nanosheets assembly for electrochemical supercapacitor with enhanced performance

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Xiao, Huaqing; Wang, Shutao; Zhang, Shuo; Wang, Yihe; Xu, Qingfei; Hu, Wenjie [College of Science, China University of Petroleum (East China), 66 Changjiang West Road, Qingdao Economic Development Zone, Qingdao, Shandong, 266580 (China); Zhou, Yan, E-mail: yanzhou@upc.edu.cn [College of Science, China University of Petroleum (East China), 66 Changjiang West Road, Qingdao Economic Development Zone, Qingdao, Shandong, 266580 (China); State Key Laboratory of Heavy Oil Processing, China University of Petroleum (East China), 66 Changjiang West Road, Qingdao Economic Development Zone, Qingdao, Shandong, 266580 (China); Wang, Zhaojie [College of Science, China University of Petroleum (East China), 66 Changjiang West Road, Qingdao Economic Development Zone, Qingdao, Shandong, 266580 (China); An, Changhua [College of Science, China University of Petroleum (East China), 66 Changjiang West Road, Qingdao Economic Development Zone, Qingdao, Shandong, 266580 (China); College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Tianjin University of Technology, Tianjin, 300384 (China); Zhang, Jun, E-mail: zhangj@upc.edu.cn [State Key Laboratory of Heavy Oil Processing, China University of Petroleum (East China), 66 Changjiang West Road, Qingdao Economic Development Zone, Qingdao, Shandong, 266580 (China)

    2017-05-01

    Rational structural design for electrode materials is essential for fabricating high performance supercapacitors. In this work, we demonstrated a novel way to prepare incompact MoS{sub 2} nanosheets assembled nanorods with the interlayer of MoS{sub 2} nanosheets expanded to 0.89 nm, namely layer expanded MoS{sub 2} nanorods (LE-MoS{sub 2} NRs). The material was characterized by XRD, XPS and electron microscopes. The XRD data and HRTEM images confirmed the existence of expanded interlayer of MoS{sub 2} nanosheets. N{sub 2} adsorption-desorption isotherms of LE-MoS{sub 2} NRs indicated high specific area up to 37.0 m{sup 2} g{sup −1}. It was found that the expanded interlayer spacing can benefit the ion transportation within the MoS{sub 2} interlayers. The as-prepared electrode material showed capacitance up to 231 F g{sup −1} at 1 A g{sup −1} charge-discharge current and cycling stability test indicated high capacitance of 177 F g{sup −1} was retained after 1000 cycles. - Highlights: • High performance electrochemical supercapacitor electrode material. • Interlayer expanded MoS{sub 2} to achieve enhanced capacitance. • Facile hydrothermal synthesis of interlayer expanded MoS{sub 2}. • MoS{sub 2} nanosheets assembled incompact nanorods.

  12. [The number of deaths by suicide after the Great East Japan Earthquake based on demographic statistics in the coastal and non-coastal areas of Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima prefectures].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Masaki, Naoko; Hashimoto, Shuji; Kawado, Miyuki; Ojima, Toshiyuki; Takeshima, Tadashi; Matsubara, Miyuki; Mitoku, Kazuko; Ogata, Yukiko

    2018-01-01

    Objective The number of deaths by suicide after the Great East Japan Earthquake was surveyed based on demographic statistics. In particular, this study examined whether or not there were excessive deaths due to suicide (excluding people who were injured in the earthquake) after the Great East Japan Earthquake disaster. This examination surveyed municipalities in coastal and non-coastal areas of Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima prefectures (referred to below as the "three prefectures").Methods The demographic statistics questionnaire survey information supplied by Article 33 of the Statistics Act (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's published statistics Vol. 0925 No.4, September 25 th , 2014) were used as the basic data with particular reference to the information on the deaths from January 1 st , 2010 to March 31 st , 2013. The information obtained included the date of death, the municipality where the address of the deceased was registered, the gender of the deceased, age at the time of death, and cause of death codes (International Classification of Disease Codes 10 th revision: ICD-10). Additionally, information was gathered about the population based on the resident register from 2009 to 2013 and the 2010 National Census; the number of deaths by suicide was then totalled by period and area. The areas were classified as municipalities within three prefectures and those located elsewhere using the municipality where the address of the deceased was registered.Results The SMR for suicides did not show a tendency to increase for coastal or non-coastal areas throughout the two-year period after the earthquake disaster (from March 2011 to February 2013). The SMR for the three prefectures 0-1 years after the disaster compared with the year before the disaster was 0.92 and for 1-2 years after the disaster was 0.93. Both these values were significantly low. Looking at both the non-coastal and coastal areas from each of the three prefectures, the SMR for suicides

  13. 13 CFR 120.835 - Application to expand an Area of Operations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 13 Business Credit and Assistance 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Application to expand an Area of Operations. 120.835 Section 120.835 Business Credit and Assistance SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION BUSINESS... program responsibilities in the proposed area. (b) Local Economic Area Expansion. A CDC seeking to expand...

  14. Covered Balloon-Expanding Stents in Airway Stenosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Majid, Adnan; Kheir, Fayez; Chung, Jey; Alape, Daniel; Husta, Bryan; Oh, Scott; Folch, Erik

    2017-04-01

    The balloon-expanding stents are widely available but rarely described for use within the tracheobronchial tree. This report describes our experience with these stents in airway stenosis particularly as a lobar salvage therapy. This was a retrospective review of all records in which the balloon-expanding stents were used at a tertiary medical center. Ages, sex, location of stenosis, etiology of stenosis, stent size, duration of stent placement and associated interventions for airway stenosis were recorded. Patient's self-reported respiratory symptoms, dyspnea scale, and radiographic imaging at baseline and after stent placement were also reported. Twenty-one Atrium iCAST stents were inserted in 18 patients with malignant and benign airway disease. The median age was 69.5 years (interquartile range, 53.5 to 74). Most stents (n=20, 95%) were deployed in the lobar airways. There was a significant improvement in the modified Medical Research Council dyspnea scale from median of 3 to 2 (Pstent placement was achieved in 15 patients (83%). No deaths were related to airway stenting complications. Adverse events related to stents included migration (n=2, 9.5%), granulation tissue formation (n=2, 9.5%) and mucus plugging (n=1, 4.8%). Lobar stenting with balloon-expanding metallic stents appears feasible, safe and improves symptoms as well as radiographic atelectasis in patients with lobar airway stenosis in this small case series. Larger studies are needed to confirm this observation and to address long-term safety.

  15. CFD simulations of compressed air two stage rotary Wankel expander – Parametric analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sadiq, Ghada A.; Tozer, Gavin; Al-Dadah, Raya; Mahmoud, Saad

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: • CFD ANSYS-Fluent 3D simulation of Wankel expander is developed. • Single and two-stage expander’s performance is compared. • Inlet and outlet ports shape and configurations are investigated. • Isentropic efficiency of two stage Wankel expander of 91% is achieved. - Abstract: A small scale volumetric Wankel expander is a powerful device for small-scale power generation in compressed air energy storage (CAES) systems and Organic Rankine cycles powered by different heat sources such as, biomass, low temperature geothermal, solar and waste heat leading to significant reduction in CO_2 emissions. Wankel expanders outperform other types of expander due to their ability to produce two power pulses per revolution per chamber additional to higher compactness, lower noise and vibration and lower cost. In this paper, a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model was developed using ANSYS 16.2 to simulate the flow dynamics for a single and two stage Wankel expanders and to investigate the effect of port configurations, including size and spacing, on the expander’s power output and isentropic efficiency. Also, single-stage and two-stage expanders were analysed with different operating conditions. Single-stage 3D CFD results were compared to published work showing close agreement. The CFD modelling was used to investigate the performance of the rotary device using air as an ideal gas with various port diameters ranging from 15 mm to 50 mm; port spacing varying from 28 mm to 66 mm; different Wankel expander sizes (r = 48, e = 6.6, b = 32) mm and (r = 58, e = 8, b = 40) mm both as single-stage and as two-stage expanders with different configurations and various operating conditions. Results showed that the best Wankel expander design for a single-stage was (r = 48, e = 6.6, b = 32) mm, with the port diameters 20 mm and port spacing equal to 50 mm. Moreover, combining two Wankel expanders horizontally, with a larger one at front, produced 8.52 kW compared

  16. Very high performance pseudo-random number generation on DAP

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, K. A.; Reddaway, S. F.; Scott, D. M.

    1985-07-01

    Since the National DAP Service began at QMC in 1980, extensive use has been made of pseudo-random numbers in Monte Carlo simulation. Matrices of uniform numbers have been produced by various generators: (a) multiplicative ( x+ 1 = 13 13xn mod 2 59); (b) very long period shift register ( x4423 + x271 + 1); (c) multiple shorter period ( x127 + x7 + 1) shift registers generating several matrices per iteration. The above uniform generators can also feed a normal distribution generator that uses the Box-Muller transformation. This paper describes briefly the generators, their implementation and speed. Generator (b) has been greatly speeded-up by re-implementation, and now produces more than 100 × 10 6 high quality 16-bit numbers/s. Generator (c) is under development and will achieve even higher performance, mainly due to producing data in greater bulk. High quality numbers are expected, and performance will range from 400 to 800 × 10 6 numbers/s, depending on how the generator is used.

  17. Learning Binomial Probability Concepts with Simulation, Random Numbers and a Spreadsheet

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rochowicz, John A., Jr.

    2005-01-01

    This paper introduces the reader to the concepts of binomial probability and simulation. A spreadsheet is used to illustrate these concepts. Random number generators are great technological tools for demonstrating the concepts of probability. Ideas of approximation, estimation, and mathematical usefulness provide numerous ways of learning…

  18. Using Mason number to predict MR damper performance from limited test data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Becnel, Andrew C.; Wereley, Norman M.

    2017-05-01

    The Mason number can be used to produce a single master curve which relates MR fluid stress versus strain rate behavior across a wide range of shear rates, temperatures, and applied magnetic fields. As applications of MR fluid energy absorbers expand to a variety of industries and operating environments, Mason number analysis offers a path to designing devices with desired performance from a minimal set of preliminary test data. Temperature strongly affects the off-state viscosity of the fluid, as the passive viscous force drops considerably at higher temperatures. Yield stress is not similarly affected, and stays relatively constant with changing temperature. In this study, a small model-scale MR fluid rotary energy absorber is used to measure the temperature correction factor of a commercially-available MR fluid from LORD Corporation. This temperature correction factor is identified from shear stress vs. shear rate data collected at four different temperatures. Measurements of the MR fluid yield stress are also obtained and related to a standard empirical formula. From these two MR fluid properties - temperature-dependent viscosity and yield stress - the temperature-corrected Mason number is shown to predict the force vs. velocity performance of a full-scale rotary MR fluid energy absorber. This analysis technique expands the design space of MR devices to high shear rates and allows for comprehensive predictions of overall performance across a wide range of operating conditions from knowledge only of the yield stress vs. applied magnetic field and a temperature-dependent viscosity correction factor.

  19. Historical Notes on the Expanding Universe

    Science.gov (United States)

    Way, Michael J.; Belenkyi, Ari; Nussbaumer, Harry; Peacock, John

    2014-01-01

    The article Measuring the Hubble constant by Mario Livio and Adam Riess (Physics Today, October 2013, page 41) reviewed studies of the expanding universe from the 1920s to the present. Although the history of the subject underwent considerable compression to fit the length of a magazine article, we think it may leave a misleading impression of some of the key steps to our current understanding. We therefore offer the following clarifications. Most significantly, papers by Arthur Eddington and by Willem de Sitter in 1930, who successfully promoted Georges Lematres 1927 article for the Scientific Society of Brussels, effected a paradigm shift in interpretation of extragalactic redshifts in 1930. Before then, the astronomical community was generally unaware of the existence of nonstatic cosmological solutions and did not broadly appreciate that redshifts could be thought of locally as Doppler shifts in an expanding matter distribution. Certainly, in 1929 Edwin Hubble referred only to the de Sitter solution of 1917. At the time, the relation between distance and redshift predicted in that model was generally seen purely as a manifestation of static spacetime curvature.

  20. Evolution of turbulence in the expanding solar wind, a numerical study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dong, Yue; Grappin, Roland; Verdini, Andrea

    2014-01-01

    We study the evolution of turbulence in the solar wind by solving numerically the full three-dimensional (3D) magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) equations embedded in a radial mean wind. The corresponding equations (expanding box model or EBM) have been considered earlier but never integrated in 3D simulations. Here, we follow the development of turbulence from 0.2 AU up to about 1.5 AU. Starting with isotropic spectra scaling as k –1 , we observe a steepening toward a k –5/3 scaling in the middle of the wave number range and formation of spectral anisotropies. The advection of a plasma volume by the expanding solar wind causes a non-trivial stretching of the volume in directions transverse to radial and the selective decay of the components of velocity and magnetic fluctuations. These two effects combine to yield the following results. (1) Spectral anisotropy: gyrotropy is broken, and the radial wave vectors have most of the power. (2) Coherent structures: radial streams emerge that resemble the observed microjets. (3) Energy spectra per component: they show an ordering in good agreement with the one observed in the solar wind at 1 AU. The latter point includes a global dominance of the magnetic energy over kinetic energy in the inertial and f –1 range and a dominance of the perpendicular-to-the-radial components over the radial components in the inertial range. We conclude that many of the above properties are the result of evolution during transport in the heliosphere, and not just the remnant of the initial turbulence close to the Sun.

  1. A Novel Method to Generate and Expand Clinical-Grade, Genetically Modified, Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marie-Andrée Forget

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Following the clinical success achieved with the first generation of adoptive cell therapy (ACT utilizing in vitro expanded tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs, the second and third generations of TIL ACT are evolving toward the use of genetically modified TIL. TIL therapy generally involves the transfer of a high number of TIL, ranging from 109 to 1011 cells. One of the technical difficulties in genetically modifying TIL, using a retroviral vector, is the ability to achieve large expansion of transduced TIL, while keeping the technique suitable to a Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP environment. Consequently, we developed and optimized a novel method for the efficient production of large numbers of GMP-grade, gene-modified TIL for the treatment of patients with ACT. The chemokine receptor CXCR2 was used as the gene of interest for methodology development. The optimized procedure is currently used in the production of gene-modified TIL for two clinical trials for the treatment of metastatic melanoma at MD Anderson Cancer Center.

  2. Determination of the concentration dependent diffusion coefficient of nitrogen in expanded austenite

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Christiansen, Thomas; Somers, Marcel A. J.

    2008-01-01

    The concentration dependent diffusion coefficient of nitrogen in expanded austenite was determined from of the rate of retracting nitrogen from thin initially N-saturated coupons. Nitrogen saturated homogeneous foils of expanded austenite were obtained by nitriding AISI 304 and AISI 316 in pure...... in the composition range where nitrogen can be extracted by hydrogen gas at the diffusion temperature. Numerical simulation of the denitriding experiments shows that the thus determined concentration dependent diffusion coefficients are an accurate approximation of the actual diffusivity of nitrogen in expanded...... ammonia at 693 K and 718 K. Denitriding experiments were performed by equilibrating the foils with a successively lower nitrogen activity, as imposed by a gas mixture of ammonia and hydrogen. The concentration dependent diffusion coefficient of nitrogen in expanded austenite was approximated...

  3. Shock wave calibration of under-expanded natural gas fuel jets

    Science.gov (United States)

    White, T. R.; Milton, B. E.

    2008-10-01

    Natural gas, a fuel abundant in nature, cannot be used by itself in conventional diesel engines because of its low cetane number. However, it can be used as the primary fuel with ignition by a pilot diesel spray. This is called dual-fuelling. The gas may be introduced either into the inlet manifold or, preferably, directly into the cylinder where it is injected as a short duration, intermittent, sonic jet. For accurate delivery in the latter case, a constant flow-rate from the injector is required into the constantly varying pressure in the cylinder. Thus, a sonic (choked) jet is required which is generally highly under-expanded. Immediately at the nozzle exit, a shock structure develops which can provide essential information about the downstream flow. This shock structure, generally referred to as a “barrel” shock, provides a key to understanding the full injection process. It is examined both experimentally and numerically in this paper.

  4. Techniques for computing the discrete Fourier transform using the quadratic residue Fermat number systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Truong, T. K.; Chang, J. J.; Hsu, I. S.; Pei, D. Y.; Reed, I. S.

    1986-01-01

    The complex integer multiplier and adder over the direct sum of two copies of finite field developed by Cozzens and Finkelstein (1985) is specialized to the direct sum of the rings of integers modulo Fermat numbers. Such multiplication over the rings of integers modulo Fermat numbers can be performed by means of two integer multiplications, whereas the complex integer multiplication requires three integer multiplications. Such multiplications and additions can be used in the implementation of a discrete Fourier transform (DFT) of a sequence of complex numbers. The advantage of the present approach is that the number of multiplications needed to compute a systolic array of the DFT can be reduced substantially. The architectural designs using this approach are regular, simple, expandable and, therefore, naturally suitable for VLSI implementation.

  5. Expanding the Education Universe: A Fifty-State Strategy for Course Choice

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brickman, Michael

    2014-01-01

    After twenty years of expanding school-choice options, state leaders, educators, and families have a new tool: course choice, a strategy for students to learn from unconventional providers that might range from top-tier universities or innovative community colleges to local employers, labs, or hospitals. In "Expanding the Education Universe:…

  6. Reciprocating Expander for an Exhaust Heat Recovery Rankine Cycle for a Passenger Car Application

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Osoko Shonda

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available Nowadays, on average, two thirds of the fuel energy consumed by an engine is wasted through the exhaust gases and the cooling liquid. The recovery of this energy would enable a substantial reduction in fuel consumption. One solution is to integrate a heat recovery system based on a steam Rankine cycle. The key component in such a system is the expander, which has a strong impact on the system’s performance. A survey of different expander technologies leads us to select the reciprocating expander as the most promising one for an automotive application. This paper therefore proposes a steady-state semi-empirical model of the expander device developed under the Engineering Equation Solver (EES environment. The ambient and mechanical losses as well as internal leakage were taken into account by the model. By exploiting the expander manufacturer’s data, all the parameters of the expander model were identified. The model computes the mass flow rate, the power output delivered and the exhaust enthalpy of the steam. The maximum deviation between predictions and measurement data is 4.7%. A performance study of the expander is carried out and shows that the isentropic efficiency is quite high and increases with the expander rotary speed. The mechanical efficiency depends on mechanical losses which are quite high, approximately 90%. The volumetric efficiency was also evaluated.

  7. The motion of an isolated gas group in expanding universe

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Banggu

    1993-01-01

    The contraction of an isolated gas group in the expanding universe has been discussed. It is found that in addition to the contracted conditions of the static isolated gas group, the initial gas group is straticulate statistical uniform and the initial radius is larger than a critical value D γ -1 , the contracted conditions of expanding case also include that the Hubble constant H is smaller than a constant D t

  8. Intelligent Flexible Materials for Space Structures: Expandable Habitat Engineering Development Unit

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hinkle, Jon; Sharpe, George; Lin, John; Wiley, Cliff; Timmers, Richard

    2010-01-01

    Expandable habitable elements are an enabling technology for human exploration in space and on planetary surfaces. Large geometries can be deployed from a small launch volume, allowing greater mission capability while reducing mass and improving robustness over traditional rigid shells. This report describes research performed by ILC Dover under the Intelligent Flexible Materials for Space Structures program on the design and manufacture of softgoods for LaRC's Expandable Habitat Engineering Development Unit (EDU). The EDU is a full-scale structural test article of an expandable hybrid habitat, integrating an expandable softgoods center section with two rigid end caps. The design of the bladder, restraint layer and a mock-up Thermal Micrometeoroid Cover is detailed together with the design of the interface hardware used to attach them to the end caps. The integration and design of two windows and a floor are also covered. Analysis was performed to study the effects of the open weave design, and to determine the correct webbing and fabric configuration. Stress analyses were also carried out on the interfaces between the softgoods and the end caps and windows. Testing experimentally determined the strength of the fabric and straps, and component testing was used to proof several critical parts of the design. This program established new manufacturing and design techniques that can be applied to future applications in expandable structures.

  9. Measuring the Plasma Density of a Ferroelectric Plasma Source in an Expanding Plasma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dunaevsky, A.; Fisch, N.J.

    2003-01-01

    The initial density and electron temperature at the surface of a ferroelectric plasma source were deduced from floating probe measurements in an expanding plasma. The method exploits negative charging of the floating probe capacitance by fast flows before the expanding plasma reaches the probe. The temporal profiles of the plasma density can be obtained from the voltage traces of the discharge of the charged probe capacitance by the ion current from the expanding plasma. The temporal profiles of the plasma density, at two different distances from the surface of the ferroelectric plasma source, could be further fitted by using the density profiles for the expanding plasma. This gives the initial values of the plasma density and electron temperature at the surface. The method could be useful for any pulsed discharge, which is accompanied by considerable electromagnetic noise, if the initial plasma parameters might be deduced from measurements in expanding plasma

  10. Recensie "The Great Reset" : Richard Florida

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Roy van Dalm

    2010-01-01

    Like the Great Depression and the Long Depression before it, experts have viewed prolonged economic downturns as crises. In The Great Reset , bestselling author Richard Florida argues that we should instead see the recent recession as an opportunity to create entirely new ways of working and living

  11. Preparation, quantitative surface analysis, intercalation characteristics and industrial implications of low temperature expandable graphite

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peng, Tiefeng; Liu, Bin; Gao, Xuechao; Luo, Liqun; Sun, Hongjuan

    2018-06-01

    Expandable graphite is widely used as a new functional carbon material, especially as fire-retardant; however, its practical application is limited due to the high expansion temperature. In this work, preparation process of low temperature and highly expandable graphite was studied, using natural flake graphite as raw material and KMnO4/HClO4/NH4NO3 as oxidative intercalations. The structure, morphology, functional groups and thermal properties were characterized during expanding process by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman spectra, thermo-gravimetry differential scanning calorimetry (TG-DSC), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The analysis showed that by oxidation intercalation, some oxygen-containing groups were grafted on the edge and within the graphite layer. The intercalation reagent entered the graphite layer to increase the interlayer spacing. After expansion, the original flaky expandable graphite was completely transformed into worm-like expanded graphite. The order of graphite intercalation compounds (GICs) was proposed and determined to be 3 for the prepared expandable graphite, based on quantitative XRD peak analysis. Meanwhile, the detailed intercalation mechanisms were also proposed. The comprehensive investigation paved a benchmark for the industrial application of such sulfur-free expanded graphite.

  12. Thirty years of great ape gestures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tomasello, Michael; Call, Josep

    2018-02-21

    We and our colleagues have been doing studies of great ape gestural communication for more than 30 years. Here we attempt to spell out what we have learned. Some aspects of the process have been reliably established by multiple researchers, for example, its intentional structure and its sensitivity to the attentional state of the recipient. Other aspects are more controversial. We argue here that it is a mistake to assimilate great ape gestures to the species-typical displays of other mammals by claiming that they are fixed action patterns, as there are many differences, including the use of attention-getters. It is also a mistake, we argue, to assimilate great ape gestures to human gestures by claiming that they are used referentially and declaratively in a human-like manner, as apes' "pointing" gesture has many limitations and they do not gesture iconically. Great ape gestures constitute a unique form of primate communication with their own unique qualities.

  13. Tunneling in expanding Universe: Euclidean and Hamiltonian approaches

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Goncharov, A.S.; Linde, A.D.

    1986-01-01

    The theory of the false vacuum decay in de Sitter space and in the inflationary Universe, and also the theory of the Universe creation ''from nothing'' are discussed. This explained why tunneling in the inflationary Universe differs from that in de Sitter space and cannot be exactly homogeneous. It is shown that in several important cases the Euclidean approach should be considerably modified or is absolutely inapplicable for the description of tunneling in the expanding Universe and of the process of the quantum creation of the Universe. The Hamiltonian approach to the theory of tunneling in expanding Universe is developed. The results obtained by this method are compared with the results obtained by the Euclidean approach

  14. How to write a great business plan.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sahlman, W A

    1997-01-01

    Every seasoned investor knows that detailed financial projections for a new company are an act of imagination. Nevertheless, most business plans pour far too much ink on the numbers - and far too little on the information that really matters. Why? William Sahlman suggests that a great business plan is one that focuses on a series of questions. These questions relate to the four factors critical to the success of every new venture: the people, the opportunity, the context, and the possibilities for both risk and reward. The questions about people revolve around three issues: What do they know? Whom do they know? and How well are they known? As for opportunity, the plan should focus on two questions: Is the market for the venture's product or service large or rapidly growing (or preferably both)? and Is the industry structurally attractive? Then, in addition to demonstrating an understanding of the context in which their venture will operate, entrepreneurs should make clear how they will respond when that context inevitably changes. Finally, the plan should look unflinchingly at the risks the new venture faces, giving would-be backers a realistic idea of what magnitude of reward they can expect and when they can expect it. A great business plan is not easy to compose, Sahlman acknowledges, largely because most entrepreneurs are wild-eyed optimists. But one that asks the right questions is a powerful tool. A better deal, not to mention a better shot at success, awaits entrepreneurs who use it.

  15. Neonatal Screening: Some Ethical Issues of Expanding Spectrum for Genetically Determined Diseases

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. S. Deryabina

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The article considers philosophical questions of neonatal screening technology. The main focus is on ethical and methodological issues that inevitably arise when expanding the number of scanned nosologies and applying genetic research methods. Questions concerning the existing discrepancy between technical capacity and the practical level of healthcare delivery and the probabilistic nature of results obtained by molecular testing are analyzed in terms of methodology. Access to information about the DNA-testing of newborns and the linkage between neonatal screening and prenatal diagnostics are among the most topical ethical problems raised within this article. One of the purposes of this article is to draw the attention of the public — especially it concerns current and prospective parents and volunteer organizations — to these contemporary problems.

  16. Entropic formulation of the uncertainty principle for the number and annihilation operators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rastegin, Alexey E

    2011-01-01

    An entropic approach to formulating uncertainty relations for the number-annihilation pair is considered. We construct some normal operator that traces the annihilation operator as well as commuting quadratures with a complete system of common eigenfunctions. Expanding the measured wave function with respect to them, one obtains a relevant probability distribution. Another distribution is naturally generated by measuring the number operator. Due to the Riesz-Thorin theorem, there exists a nontrivial inequality between corresponding functionals of the above distributions. We find the bound in this inequality and further derive uncertainty relations in terms of both the Rényi and Tsallis entropies. Entropic uncertainty relations for a continuous distribution as well as relations for a discretized one are presented. (comment)

  17. ["Great jobs"-also in psychiatry?].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Spiessl, H; Hübner-Liebermann, B

    2003-09-01

    Against the background of a beginning shortage of psychiatrists, results from interviews with 112 employees of an automotive company with the topic "Great Job" are presented to discuss their relevance to psychiatry. The interviews were analysed by means of a qualitative content analysis. Most employees assigned importance to great pay, constructive collaboration with colleagues, and work appealing to personal interests. Further statements particularly relevant to psychiatry were: successful career, flexible working hours, manageable job, work-life balance, well-founded training, no bureaucracy within the company, and personal status in society. The well-known economic restrictions in health care and the still negative attitude towards psychiatry currently reduce the attraction of psychiatry as a profession. From the viewpoint of personnel management, the attractors of a great job revealed in this study are proposed as important clues for the recruitment of medical students for psychiatry and the development of psychiatric staff.

  18. Pacific salmonines in the Great Lakes Basin

    Science.gov (United States)

    Claramunt, Randall M.; Madenjian, Charles P.; Clapp, David; Taylor, William W.; Lynch, Abigail J.; Léonard, Nancy J.

    2012-01-01

    Pacific salmon (genus Oncorhynchus) are a valuable resource, both within their native range in the North Pacific rim and in the Great Lakes basin. Understanding their value from a biological and economic perspective in the Great Lakes, however, requires an understanding of changes in the ecosystem and of management actions that have been taken to promote system stability, integrity, and sustainable fisheries. Pacific salmonine introductions to the Great Lakes are comprised mainly of Chinook salmon, coho salmon, and steelhead and have accounted for 421, 177, and 247 million fish, respectively, stocked during 1966-2007. Stocking of Pacific salmonines has been effective in substantially reducing exotic prey fish abundances in several of the Great Lakes (e.g., lakes Michigan, Huron, and Ontario). The goal of our evaluation was to highlight differences in management strategies and perspectives across the basin, and to evaluate policies for Pacific salmonine management in the Great Lakes. Currently, a potential conflict exists between Pacific salmonine management and native fish rehabilitation goals because of the desire to sustain recreational fisheries and to develop self-sustaining populations of stocked Pacific salmonines in the Great Lakes. We provide evidence that suggests Pacific salmonines have not only become naturalized to the food webs of the Great Lakes, but that their populations (specifically Chinook salmon) may be fluctuating in concert with specific prey (i.e., alewives) whose populations are changing relative to environmental conditions and ecosystem disturbances. Remaining questions, however, are whether or not “natural” fluctuations in predator and prey provide enough “stability” in the Great Lakes food webs, and even more importantly, would a choice by managers to attempt to reduce the severity of predator-prey oscillations be antagonistic to native fish restoration efforts. We argue that, on each of the Great Lakes, managers are pursuing

  19. The Great Firewall of China: A Critical Analysis

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Whiting, Michael D

    2008-01-01

    Censorship has a great impact on society as we enter the cyber environment. The Chinese "Great Firewall", as it is commonly called, brings great attention to China as they enter into the global economy...

  20. Infrastructure Requirements for an Expanded Fuel Ethanol Industry

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Reynolds, Robert E. [Downstream Alternatives, Inc., South Bend, IN (United States)

    2002-01-15

    This report provides technical information specifically related to ethanol transportation, distribution, and marketing issues. This report required analysis of the infrastructure requirements for an expanded ethanol industry.

  1. 3D characterization of a Great Basin geothermal system: Astor Pass, NV

    Science.gov (United States)

    Siler, D. L.; Mayhew, B.; Faulds, J. E.

    2012-12-01

    The Great Basin exhibits both anomalously high heat flow (~75±5 mWm-2) and active faulting and extension resulting in robust geothermal activity. There are ~430 known geothermal systems in the Great Basin, with evidence suggesting that undiscovered blind geothermal systems may actually represent the majority of geothermal activity. These systems employ discrete fault intersection/interaction areas as conduits for geothermal circulation. Recent studies show that steeply dipping normal faults with step-overs, fault intersections, accommodation zones, horse-tailing fault terminations and transtensional pull-aparts are the most prominent structural controls of Great Basin geothermal systems. These fault geometries produce sub-vertical zones of high fault and fracture density that act as fluid flow conduits. Structurally controlled fluid flow conduits are further enhanced when critically stressed with respect to the ambient stress conditions. The Astor Pass blind geothermal system, northwestern Nevada, lies along the boundary between the Basin and Range to the east and the Walker Lane to the west. Along this boundary, strain is transferred from dextral shear in the Walker Lane to west-northwest directed extension in the Basin and Range. As such, the Astor Pass area lies in a transtensional setting consisting of both northwest-striking, left-stepping dextral faults and more northerly striking normal faults. The Astor Pass tufa tower implies the presence of a blind geothermal system. Previous studies suggest that deposition of the Astor Pass tufa was controlled by the intersection of a northwest-striking dextral normal fault and north-northwest striking normal fault. Subsequent drilling (to ~1200 m) has revealed fluid temperatures of ~94°C, confirming the presence of a blind geothermal system at Astor Pass. Expanding upon previous work and employing additional detailed geologic mapping, interpretation of 2D seismic reflection data and analysis of well cuttings, a 3

  2. China's "Great Leap" toward Madison Avenue.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anderson, Michael H.

    1981-01-01

    Examines the expanding use of advertising in China. Discusses the impact of transnational corporations in communication and other areas on the development of China, and the implications that the introduction of advertising has for China's role as one of the models for developing countries. (JMF)

  3. Some Features of the Functioning of the Northern Branch of the Great Silk Road

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anatoliy S. Skripkin

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available The fact of existing economic relations in the north branch of The Great silk route is usually restored according to Claudius Ptolemey. There are some evidences to connect their activation with the establishment of political domination of Alans in the South-East of Europe. The analysis of archaeological material gives the information that not all findings of Chinese artifacts in Sarmatian burial complexes of the first century AD are the result of trade links and most of them have been brought here in the result of nomads’ migrations. The appearance of the Alans in the steppes of South-Eastern Europe refers to the first century AD. This tribal association was formed in Central Asia. Alans subdue the vast steppes from the Aral sea to the Don. In the early historical stage the Lower Don becomes their political center. In burials belonging to the Alanian nobility, a large number of items of Eastern origin were discovered. A great number of them were brought here upon the arrival of the new nomads. Economic relations in this area begin to improve after the establishment of political stability, which was reflected in the composition of Claudius Ptolemy.

  4. The Great Financial Crisis: How Effective is Macroeconomic Policy Response in the United Kingdom?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Clements Akinsoyinu

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available The Great Financial Crisis has been touted to be the worst crisis since the Great Depression of 1930; its effect has profound ramifications on the global economy. The nature and the severity of the crisis provoked an unprecedented policy response from policy makers at both global and domestic levels. To address the rampaging crisis, the Bank of England implemented a number of conventional and unconventional policy measures to curtail the economic rot and to stimulate economic growth. There is a broad consensus in the empirical literature and other evidence found in this paper that a number of the policies implemented in the United Kingdom played a significant role in re-directing and stimulating the economy. This paper reviews the various policy measures adopted by the Bank of England from the inception of the financial crisis in 2008 and assesses their effectiveness in bringing back the economy from the brink of collapse. Our review shows that quantitative easing (QE policy and the expansionary fiscal policy adopted by the Bank of England were effective policy tools used in stimulating economic growth, stemming the effect and shortening the duration of the crisis in the United Kingdom

  5. The impact of [corrected] expanded nursing practice on professional identify in Denmark.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Piil, Karin; Kolbæk, Raymond; Ottmann, Goetz; Rasmussen, Bodil

    2012-01-01

    This article explores the concept of professional identity of Danish nurses working in an expanded practice. The case study explores the experiences of a small group of Danish nurses with a new professional category that reaches into a domain that customarily belonged to physicians. The aim of this case study was to explore the impact of "nurse consultations," representing an expanded nursing role, of 5 nurses focusing on their perception of autonomy, self-esteem, and confidence. The case study used semistructured interviews with 5 participants triangulated and validated with participant observations, a focus group interview, and theoretically derived insights. This study indicates that nurses working within a new expanded professional practice see themselves as still engaged in nursing and not as substitute physicians. The study also suggests that the involved nurses gained a higher sense of autonomy, self-esteem, and confidence in their practice. These elements have a positive impact on their professional identity. The research demonstrates that for the nurses involved in expanded professional practice, the boundaries of professional practice have shifted significantly. The research indicates that an expanded practice generates a new domain within the professional identity of nurses.

  6. Alkali-silica reactivity of expanded glass granules in structure of lightweight concrete

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bumanis, G; Bajare, D; Korjakins, A; Locs, J

    2013-01-01

    Main component in the lightweight concrete, which provides its properties, is aggregate. A lot of investigations on alkali silica reaction (ASR) between cement and lightweight aggregates have been done with their results published in the academic literature. Whereas expanded glass granules, which is relatively new product in the market of building materials, has not been a frequent research object. Therefore lightweight granules made from waste glass and eight types of cement with different chemical and mineralogical composition were examined in this research. Expanded glass granules used in this research is commercially available material produced by Penostek. Lightweight concrete mixtures were prepared by using commercial chemical additives to improve workability of concrete. The aim of the study is to identify effect of cement composition to the ASR reaction which occurs between expanded glass granules and binder. Expanded glass granules mechanical and physical properties were determined. In addition, properties of fresh and hardened concrete were determined. The ASR test was processed according to RILEM AAR-2 testing recommendation. Tests with scanning electron microscope and microstructural investigations were performed for expanded glass granules and hardened concrete specimens before and after exposing them in alkali solution

  7. Influence of Surgical Staples on Radiofrequency Ablation Using Multitined Expandable Electrodes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sakuhara, Yusuke; Shimizu, Tadashi; Abo, Daisuke; Hasegawa, Yu; Kato, Fumi; Kodama, Yoshihisa; Shirato, Hiroki

    2007-01-01

    Purpose. During radiofrequency ablation (RFA), there is a risk that the multitined expandable electrode will come into contact with one of the surgical staples used to treat local recurrence after surgical operations. Our objective was to evaluate whether a surgical staple would influence the RFA of egg white using a multitined expandable electrode. Methods. Multitined expandable electrodes, LeVeen needles (expandable diameter 3.0 cm), were sunk into an egg white bath with (a) no surgical staple, (b) a surgical staple touching one of the tines, or (c) a surgical staple touching two of the tines simultaneously. By connecting the LeVeen needle and copper plate at the bottom of the bath, RFA was then performed on the egg whites as a substitute for human tissue. Ten egg white baths were ablated under each of conditions (a), (b), and (c), for a total of 30 sets of coagulated egg white. Results. There was no significant difference in the time from the power-on to the roll-off (i.e., the completion and shutting off of the electric circuit) or in the maximum diameter of the thermal lesion between conditions (a) and (b) or (a) and (c). However, the minimum diameter of the thermal lesion was significantly smaller in (c) compared with (a) (p < 0.01). Conclusions. Surgical staples have the capacity to interfere with the electromagnetic field and decrease the minimum diameter of the thermal lesion in the event that a staple touches two of the tines of a multitined expandable electrode during RFA. Although the difference might be small enough to be neglected under many clinical circumstances, we recommend that, if possible, the tines not be expanded near metallic material

  8. Korea's Contribution to Radiological Research Included in Science Citation Index Expanded, 1986-2010

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ku, You Jin; Yoon, Dae Young; Lim, Kyoung Ja; Baek, Sora; Seo, Young Lan; Yun, Eun Joo; Choi, Chul Soon; Bae, Sang Hoon; Lee, Hyun; Ju, Young Su

    2012-01-01

    To evaluate scientific papers published by Korean radiologists in the Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE) radiology journals, between 1986 and 2010. The Institute for Scientific Information Web of Knowledge-Web of Science (SCIE) database was searched for all articles published by Korean radiologists, in SCIE radiology journals, between 1986 and 2010. We performed the analysis by typing 'Korea' and 'radiol' in the address section and selecting the subject area of 'Radiology, Nuclear Medicine, and Medical Imaging' with the use of the general search function of the software. Analyzed parameters included the total number of publications, document types, journals, and institutions. In addition, we analyzed where Korea ranks, compared to other countries, in terms of the number of published articles. All these data were analyzed according to five time periods: 1986-1990, 1991-1995, 1996-2000, 2001-2005, and 2006-2010. Overall, 4974 papers were published by Korean radiologists, in 99 different SCIE journals, between 1986 and 2010, of which 4237 (85.2%) were article-type papers. Of the total 115395 articles, worldwide, published in radiology journals, Korea's share was 3.7%, with an upward trend over time (p < 0.005). The journal with the highest number of articles was the American Journal of Roentgenology (n 565, 13.3%). The institution which produced the highest number of publications was Seoul National University (n = 932, 22.0%). The number of scientific articles published by Korean radiologists in the SCIE radiology journals has increased significantly between 1986 and 2010. Korea was ranked 4th among countries contributing to radiology research during the last 5 years.

  9. Focusing of geodesic congruences in an accelerated expanding Universe

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Albareti, F.D.; Cembranos, J.A.R.; Cruz-Dombriz, A. de la

    2012-01-01

    We study the accelerated expansion of the Universe through its consequences on a congruence of geodesics. We make use of the Raychaudhuri equation which describes the evolution of the expansion rate for a congruence of timelike or null geodesics. In particular, we focus on the space-time geometry contribution to this equation. By straightforward calculation from the metric of a Robertson-Walker cosmological model, it follows that in an accelerated expanding Universe the space-time contribution to the Raychaudhuri equation is positive for the fundamental congruence, favoring a non-focusing of the congruence of geodesics. However, the accelerated expansion of the present Universe does not imply a tendency of the fundamental congruence to diverge. It is shown that this is in fact the case for certain congruences of timelike geodesics without vorticity. Therefore, the focusing of geodesics remains feasible in an accelerated expanding Universe. Furthermore, a negative contribution to the Raychaudhuri equation from space-time geometry which is usually interpreted as the manifestation of the attractive character of gravity is restored in an accelerated expanding Robertson-Walker space-time at high speeds

  10. Focusing of geodesic congruences in an accelerated expanding Universe

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Albareti, F.D.; Cembranos, J.A.R. [Departamento de Física Teórica I, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria, E-28040 Madrid (Spain); Cruz-Dombriz, A. de la, E-mail: fdalbareti@estumail.ucm.es, E-mail: cembra@fis.ucm.es, E-mail: alvaro.delacruz-dombriz@uct.ac.za [Astrophysics, Cosmology and Gravity Centre (ACGC), University of Cape Town, 7701 Rondebosch, Cape Town (South Africa)

    2012-12-01

    We study the accelerated expansion of the Universe through its consequences on a congruence of geodesics. We make use of the Raychaudhuri equation which describes the evolution of the expansion rate for a congruence of timelike or null geodesics. In particular, we focus on the space-time geometry contribution to this equation. By straightforward calculation from the metric of a Robertson-Walker cosmological model, it follows that in an accelerated expanding Universe the space-time contribution to the Raychaudhuri equation is positive for the fundamental congruence, favoring a non-focusing of the congruence of geodesics. However, the accelerated expansion of the present Universe does not imply a tendency of the fundamental congruence to diverge. It is shown that this is in fact the case for certain congruences of timelike geodesics without vorticity. Therefore, the focusing of geodesics remains feasible in an accelerated expanding Universe. Furthermore, a negative contribution to the Raychaudhuri equation from space-time geometry which is usually interpreted as the manifestation of the attractive character of gravity is restored in an accelerated expanding Robertson-Walker space-time at high speeds.

  11. Expandable metallic stents for tracheobronchial stenoses in esophageal cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takamori, S; Fujita, H; Hayashi, A; Tayama, K; Mitsuoka, M; Ohtsuka, S; Shirouzu, K

    1996-09-01

    Tracheobronchial stenosis in patients with esophageal cancer can be life threatening. Few reports have discussed use of expandable metallic stents for central airway stenoses in patients with esophageal cancer. Twelve patients with esophageal cancer underwent placement of expandable metallic stents for respiratory distress caused by tracheobronchial stricture. Single or double metallic stents were placed in the stenotic airways under fluoroscopic guidance. Improvement in respiratory symptoms and clinical outcome were assessed. Most stenoses were located in the trachea or the left main bronchus. From one to four expandable metallic stents were placed in each stricture site, with immediate relief of respiratory symptoms in 8 patients. One patient with tracheomalacia in alive 3 years after stent placement and another is alive 6 months after stent insertion. The other 10 patients lived from 10 to 70 days (mean; survival, 35 days) after stent placement. Death was due to progression of disease. Although metallic stents are useful for relieving respiratory distress in patients with advanced esophageal cancer, additional therapies should be considered.

  12. Great Lakes rivermouths: a primer for managers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pebbles, Victoria; Larson, James; Seelbach, Paul; Pebbles, Victoria; Larson, James; Seelbach, Paul

    2013-01-01

    Between the North American Great Lakes and their tributaries are the places where the confluence of river and lake waters creates a distinct ecosystem: the rivermouth ecosystem. Human development has often centered around these rivermouths, in part, because they provide a rich array of ecosystem services. Not surprisingly, centuries of intense human activity have led to substantial pressures on, and alterations to, these ecosystems, often diminishing or degrading their ecological functions and associated ecological services. Many Great Lakes rivermouths are the focus of intense restoration efforts. For example, 36 of the active Great Lakes Areas of Concern (AOCs) are rivermouths or areas that include one or more rivermouths. Historically, research of rivermouth ecosystems has been piecemeal, focused on the Great Lakes proper or on the upper reaches of tributaries, with little direct study of the rivermouth itself. Researchers have been divided among disciplines, agencies and institutions; and they often work independently and use disparate venues to communicate their work. Management has also been fragmented with a focus on smaller, localized, sub-habitat units and socio-political or economic elements, rather than system-level consideration. This Primer presents the case for a more holistic approach to rivermouth science and management that can enable restoration of ecosystem services with multiple benefits to humans and the Great Lakes ecosystem. A conceptual model is presented with supporting text that describes the structures and processes common to all rivermouths, substantiating the case for treating these ecosystems as an identifiable class.1 Ecological services provided by rivermouths and changes in how humans value those services over time are illustrated through case studies of two Great Lakes rivermouths—the St. Louis River and the Maumee River. Specific ecosystem services are identified in italics throughout this Primer and follow definitions described

  13. Aerosol measurements at the Southern Great Plains Site: Design and surface installation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Leifer, R.; Knuth, R.H.; Guggenheim, S.F.; Albert, B. [Department of Energy, New York, NY (United States)

    1996-04-01

    To impropve the predictive capabilities of the Atmospheric Radiation Measurements (ARM) program radiation models, measurements of awserosol size distributions, condensation particle concentrations, aerosol scattering coefficients at a number of wavelenghts, and the aerosol absorption coefficients are needed at the Southern Great Plains (SGP) site. Alos, continuous measurements of ozone concnetrations are needed for model validation. The environmental Measuremenr Laboratory (EMK) has the responsibility to establish the surface aerosol measurements program at the SGP site. EML has designed a special sampling manifold.

  14. Photon beam dose distributions for patients with implanted temporary tissue expanders

    Science.gov (United States)

    Asena, A.; Kairn, T.; Crowe, S. B.; Trapp, J. V.

    2015-01-01

    This study examines the effects of temporary tissue expanders (TTEs) on the dose distributions of photon beams in breast cancer radiotherapy treatments. EBT2 radiochromic film and ion chamber measurements were taken to quantify the attenuation and backscatter effects of the inhomogeneity. Results illustrate that the internal magnetic port present in a tissue expander causes a dose reduction of approximately 25% in photon tangent fields immediately downstream of the implant. It was also shown that the silicone elastomer shell of the tissue expander reduced the dose to the target volume by as much as 8%. This work demonstrates the importance for an accurately modelled high-density implant in the treatment planning system for post-mastectomy breast cancer patients.

  15. Esophageal carcinoma treatment with self-expanding covered stent implanted in esophagus

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu Mingguo; Ji Yan; He Nengwei

    2006-01-01

    Objective: To investigate the clinical significance of the treatment to esophageal cancer by self- expanding covered stent implanted into esophagus. Methods: Under fluoroscopic guidance and with guidance wire , 20 self-expanding covered stents were implanted into stenotic part of esophagus to recanalize the esophagus, then follow up to observe the clinical symptom improved. Results: Technical success was obtained 20 cases without any complication. Clinical symptom were improved in shot time. Conclusions: self-expanding covered stent is implanted in stenotic part of esophageal carcinoma to treat esophageal stenosis and enable to improved clinical symptom in shot time, if combined with transcatheter arterial infusion and embolization, Radiotherapy, Chinese medical treatment, it enable to lengthen life time remarkably. (authors)

  16. Structural and magnetic properties of {open_quotes}expanded{close_quotes} Mn

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Grigorov, I.L.; Walker, J.C. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland21218 (United States); Hawley, M.E.; Brown, G.W. [Materials Science and Technology Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico87545 (United States); Luett, M.; Fitzsimmons, M.R. [Manuel Lujan Jr. Neutron Scattering Center, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico87545 (United States)

    1998-06-01

    Structural and magnetic properties of {open_quotes}expanded{close_quotes} Mn deposited on (111) oriented fcc noble metals were studied with single-crystal x-ray diffraction and exchange bias measurements. A single peak corresponding to this phase was found at momentum transfer q=2.86{Angstrom}{sup {minus}1} along six equivalent [11{bar 2}] directions of the noble metal substrate. Magnetic hysteresis of the field cooled Fe/Mn bilayers exhibited a characteristic shift along the field axis, indicating antiferromagnetic order in the expanded Mn with T{sub N}{ge}20K. The magnetic and structural data are consistent with understanding the expanded phase as trigonally distorted {alpha}-Mn. {copyright} {ital 1998 American Institute of Physics.}

  17. Gravitational instability in a multicomponent expanding medium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Solov'eva, L.V.; Nurgaliev, I.S.

    1985-01-01

    In the Newtonian approximation we consider the gravitational instability of a two- or N-component medium in an expanding universe. The system of density-perturbation equations is solved in the short- and long-wave limits. For small values of the wave vector k, a result obtained for the stationary case continues to hold true: at most there can exist only one unstable mode. If k is kept fixed, the introduction of a perturbation component delta/sub i/ will speed the growth of fluctuations delta/sub j/, provided the adiabatic indices γ/sub i/>γ/sub j/. In the large-k limit, ordinary acoustic waves result. Other components will begin to manifest themselves in the first-order terms when the oscillation amplitude is expanded in powers of k -1 : provided γ/sub j/>γ/sub i/> or =4/3, the ith-component amplitude will decay more slowly than otherwise

  18. Severe maternal morbidity: A population-based study of an expanded measure and associated factors.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Victoria Lazariu

    Full Text Available Severe maternal morbidity conditions such as sepsis, embolism and cardiac arrest during the delivery hospitalization period can lead to extended length of hospital stays, life-long maternal health problems, and high medical costs. Most importantly, these conditions also contribute to the risk of maternal death. This population-based observational study proposed and evaluated the impact of expanding the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC measure of severe maternal morbidity by including additional comorbidities and intensive care admissions during delivery hospitalizations and examined associated factors. A New York State linked hospitalization and birth record database was used. Study participants included all New York State female residents, ages 10 to 55 years, who delivered a live infant in a New York acute care hospital between 2008 and 2013, inclusive. Incidence trends for both severe maternal morbidity measures were evaluated longitudinally. Associations between covariates and the two severe maternal morbidity measures were examined with logistic regression models, solved using generalized estimating equations and stratified by method of delivery. The New York expanded severe maternal morbidity measure identified 34,478 cases among 1,352,600 hospital deliveries (estimated incidence 2.55% representing a 3% increase in the number of cases compared to the CDC measure. Both estimates increased over the study period (p 1.5 included most measured comorbidities (e.g., pregnancy-induced hypertension, placentation disorder, multiple births, preterm birth, no prenatal care, hospitalization prior to delivery, higher levels of perinatal care birthing facilities and race/ethnicity. Expanding the measure for severe maternal morbidity during delivery to capture intensive care admissions provides a more sensitive estimate of disease burden. Perinatal regionalization in New York appears effective in routing high risk pregnancies to higher

  19. Scientific literature on monosialoganglioside in the Science Citation Index-Expanded: A bibliometric analysis of articles from 1942 to 2011 by each decade.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Yanli; Li, Miaojing; Liu, Zhijun; Liu, Ruichun; Zhang, Jianzhong

    2012-01-05

    The monosialoganglioside (GM1) is a popular topic of research but the bibliometric analysis of GM1 over the decades in Science Citation Index-Expanded (SCI-E) remains poorly understood. To identify the global research and to improve the understanding of research trends in the GM1 field from 1942 to 2011. A bibliometric study. We performed a bibliometric analysis based on the SCI-E published by the Institute of Scientific Information. Articles closely related to GM1 were included. Exclusive criteria: (1) Articles related to gangliosidosis, disialo-ganglioside, trisialo-ganglioside or ganglioside GQIb. (2) Document types such as meeting abstracts, reviews, proceedings papers, notes, and letters. (1) Type of publication output; (2) number of author outputs; (3) distribution of output in subject categories; (4) publication distribution of countries; (5) distribution of output in journals, and (6) distribution of citations in each decade. During 1942 to 2011, there were 10 126 papers on GM1 that were added to the SCI. Articles (8 004) were the most frequently used document type comprising 79.0%, followed by meeting abstracts, reviews and proceedings papers. Research on GM1 could be found in the SCI from 1942, it was developed in the 1970s, greatly increased in the 1980s, and reached a peak in the 1990s, and it was slightly decreased in 2000. The distribution of subject categories showed that GM1 research covered both clinical and basic science research. The USA, Japan, and Germany were the three most productive countries, and the publication numbers in the USA were highest in all decades. The Journal of Biological Chemistry, Journal of Neurochemistry and Biochemistry were core subject journals in GM1 studies in each decade. This study highlights the topics in GM1 research that are being published around the world.

  20. The inclusion of ADA-SCID in expanded newborn screening by tandem mass spectrometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    la Marca, Giancarlo; Giocaliere, Elisa; Malvagia, Sabrina; Funghini, Silvia; Ombrone, Daniela; Della Bona, Maria Luisa; Canessa, Clementina; Lippi, Francesca; Romano, Francesca; Guerrini, Renzo; Resti, Massimo; Azzari, Chiara

    2014-01-01

    Severe combined immunodeficiency due to adenosine-deaminase defect (ADA-SCID) is usually deadly in childhood because of severe recurrent infections. When clinical diagnosis is done, permanent damages due to infections or metabolite accumulation are often present. Gene therapy, bone marrow transplantation or enzyme replacement therapy may be effective if started early. The aim of this study was to set-up a robust method suitable for screening with a minimized preparation process and with inexpensive running costs, for diagnosing ADA-SCID by tandem mass spectrometry. ADA-SCID satisfies all the criteria for inclusion in a newborn screening program. We describe a protocol revised to incorporate adenosine and 2-deoxyadenosine testing into an expanded newborn screening program. We assessed the effectiveness of this approach testing dried blood spots from 4 genetically confirmed early-onset and 5 delayed-onset ADA-SCID patients. Reference values were established on 50,000 healthy newborns (deoxyadenosine ADA) gene. The results show that the method having great simplicity, low cost and low process preparations can be fully applicable to a mass screening program. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. Long-term implications of observing an expanding cosmological civilization

    Science.gov (United States)

    Olson, S. Jay

    2018-01-01

    Suppose that advanced civilizations, separated by a cosmological distance and time, wish to maximize their access to cosmic resources by rapidly expanding into the universe. How does the presence of one limit the expansionistic ambitions of another, and what sort of boundary forms between their expanding domains? We describe a general scenario for any expansion speed, separation distance and time. We then specialize to a question of particular interest: What are the future prospects for a young and ambitious civilization if they can observe the presence of another at a cosmological distance? We treat cases involving the observation of one or two expanding domains. In the single-observation case, we find that almost any plausible detection will limit one's future cosmic expansion to some extent. Also, practical technological limits to expansion speed (well below the speed of light) play an interesting role. If a domain is visible at the time one embarks on cosmic expansion, higher practical limits to expansion speed are beneficial only up to a certain point. Beyond this point, a higher speed limit means that gains in the ability to expand are more than offset by the first-mover advantage of the observed domain. In the case of two visible domains, it is possible to be `trapped' by them if the practical speed limit is high enough and their angular separation in the sky is large enough, i.e. one's expansion in any direction will terminate at a boundary with the two visible civilizations. Detection at an extreme cosmological distance has surprisingly little mitigating effect on our conclusions.

  2. GREAT I Study of the Upper Mississippi River. Technical Appendixes. Volume 6. Recreation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    1980-09-01

    Engineers, St. Paul District 1s. NUMBER OF PAGES * 1135 USPO & Custom House, St. Paul, MN 55101 , I4. MONITORING AGENCY NAME & ADDRESS(I different hrm ...the purpose of this proposal that the viewer would either be the highway traveler ( automobile ) or the river traveler (recreational craft). An attempt...P.S. - Parking spaces; automobile and boat trailer L.L. - Boat launching lanes B.A. - Beach area, acres * -163-- GREAT I Recreation Needs

  3. The impact of meeting donor management goals on the number of organs transplanted per expanded criteria donor: a prospective study from the UNOS Region 5 Donor Management Goals Workgroup.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Patel, Madhukar S; Zatarain, John; De La Cruz, Salvador; Sally, Mitchell B; Ewing, Tyler; Crutchfield, Megan; Enestvedt, C Kristian; Malinoski, Darren J

    2014-09-01

    The shortage of organs available for transplant has led to the use of expanded criteria donors (ECDs) to extend the donor pool. These donors are older and have more comorbidities and efforts to optimize the quality of their organs are needed. To determine the impact of meeting a standardized set of critical care end points, or donor management goals (DMGs), on the number of organs transplanted per donor in ECDs. Prospective interventional study from February 2010 to July 2013 of all ECDs managed by the 8 organ procurement organizations in the southwestern United States (United Network for Organ Sharing Region 5). Implementation of 9 DMGs as a checklist to guide the management of every ECD. The DMGs represented normal cardiovascular, pulmonary, renal, and endocrine end points. Meeting the DMG bundle was defined a priori as achieving any 7 of the 9 end points and was recorded at the time of referral to the organ procurement organization, at the time of authorization for donation, 12 to 18 hours later, and prior to organ recovery. The primary outcome measure was 3 or more organs transplanted per donor and binary logistic regression was used to identify independent predictors with P organs transplanted per donor. Ten percent of the ECDs had met the DMG bundle at referral, 15% at the time of authorization, 33% at 12 to 18 hours, and 45% prior to recovery. Forty-three percent had 3 or more organs transplanted per donor. Independent predictors of 3 or more organs transplanted per donor were older age (odds ratio [OR] = 0.95 per year [95% CI, 0.93-0.97]), increased creatinine level (OR = 0.73 per mg/dL [95% CI, 0.63-0.85]), DMGs met prior to organ recovery (OR = 1.90 [95% CI, 1.35-2.68]), and a change in the number of DMGs achieved from referral to organ recovery (OR = 1.11 per additional DMG [95% CI, 1.00-1.23]). Meeting DMGs prior to organ recovery with ECDs is associated with achieving 3 or more organs transplanted per donor. An increase in the number

  4. Ecotoxicology of organochlorine chemicals in birds of the Great Lakes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tillitt, Donald E.; Giesy, John P.

    2013-01-01

    Silent Spring was fulfilled in the United States with passage of environmental legislation such as the Clean Water Act, the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, and the Toxic Substance Control Act in the 1970s. Carson's writings, television interviews, and testimony before Congress alerted a nation and the world to the unintended effects of persistent, bioaccumulative chemicals on populations of fish, wildlife, and possibly humans. Her writings in the popular press brought attention to scientific findings that declines in populations of a variety of birds were directly linked to the widespread use of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) in agriculture, public health, and horticulture. By the 1970s, DDT and other persistent organic pollutants (POPs) were being banned or phased out, and the intent of these regulatory acts became apparent in a number of locations across the United States, including the Great Lakes. Concentrations of DDT and its major product of transformation, dichlorodiphenylchloroethane (DDE), were decreasing in top predators, such as bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), osprey (Pandion haliaetus), colonial waterbirds, and other fish-eating wildlife. Eggshell thinning and the associated mortality of bird embryos caused by DDE had decreased in the Great Lakes and elsewhere by the early 1980s.

  5. Successful range-expanding plants experience less above-ground and below-ground enemy impact.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Engelkes, Tim; Morriën, Elly; Verhoeven, Koen J F; Bezemer, T Martijn; Biere, Arjen; Harvey, Jeffrey A; McIntyre, Lauren M; Tamis, Wil L M; van der Putten, Wim H

    2008-12-18

    Many species are currently moving to higher latitudes and altitudes. However, little is known about the factors that influence the future performance of range-expanding species in their new habitats. Here we show that range-expanding plant species from a riverine area were better defended against shoot and root enemies than were related native plant species growing in the same area. We grew fifteen plant species with and without non-coevolved polyphagous locusts and cosmopolitan, polyphagous aphids. Contrary to our expectations, the locusts performed more poorly on the range-expanding plant species than on the congeneric native plant species, whereas the aphids showed no difference. The shoot herbivores reduced the biomass of the native plants more than they did that of the congeneric range expanders. Also, the range-expanding plants developed fewer pathogenic effects in their root-zone soil than did the related native species. Current predictions forecast biodiversity loss due to limitations in the ability of species to adjust to climate warming conditions in their range. Our results strongly suggest that the plants that shift ranges towards higher latitudes and altitudes may include potential invaders, as the successful range expanders may experience less control by above-ground or below-ground enemies than the natives.

  6. Cross-Cultural Counselling with International Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barletta, John; Kobayashi, Yumi

    2007-01-01

    This article explores the issues for counsellors working with international students, particularly Asian international students. As globalisation has expanded people have tended to study overseas in great numbers, hence the increasing importance for professionals to examine counselling in this cultural speciality. In order to understand effective…

  7. 75 FR 15993 - Civil Penalty Factors

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-03-31

    ... attempted to further clarify in the final rule its guidance about what factors may influence the Commission's determination under the various statutory and other factors. Importantly, in an individual case... relating to each factor are discussed below. The CPSIA has greatly expanded the number of prohibited acts...

  8. Evolution of the Sunspot Number and Solar Wind B Time Series

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cliver, Edward W.; Herbst, Konstantin

    2018-03-01

    The past two decades have witnessed significant changes in our knowledge of long-term solar and solar wind activity. The sunspot number time series (1700-present) developed by Rudolf Wolf during the second half of the 19th century was revised and extended by the group sunspot number series (1610-1995) of Hoyt and Schatten during the 1990s. The group sunspot number is significantly lower than the Wolf series before ˜1885. An effort from 2011-2015 to understand and remove differences between these two series via a series of workshops had the unintended consequence of prompting several alternative constructions of the sunspot number. Thus it has been necessary to expand and extend the sunspot number reconciliation process. On the solar wind side, after a decade of controversy, an ISSI International Team used geomagnetic and sunspot data to obtain a high-confidence time series of the solar wind magnetic field strength (B) from 1750-present that can be compared with two independent long-term (> ˜600 year) series of annual B-values based on cosmogenic nuclides. In this paper, we trace the twists and turns leading to our current understanding of long-term solar and solar wind activity.

  9. Lattice expansion of carbon-stabilized expanded austenite

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hummelshøj, Thomas Strabo; Christiansen, Thomas; Somers, Marcel A. J.

    2010-01-01

    The lattice parameter of expanded austenite was determined as a function of the content of interstitially dissolved carbon in homogeneous, carburized thin stainless steel foils. For the first time this expansion of the face-centered cubic lattice is determined on unstrained austenite. It is found...

  10. Technical Note: Effect of Incorporating Expanded Polystyrene ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Incorporating expanded polystyrene granules in concrete matrix can produce lightweight polystyrene aggregate concrete of various densities. Workability which is an important property of concrete, aects the rate of placement and the degree of compaction of concrete. Inadequate compaction leads to reduction in both ...

  11. Expanding Sex-Role Definitions by Self-Discovery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kahn, Sharon E.; Greenberg, Leslie S.

    1980-01-01

    Counselors who stimulate client self-discovery may help these clients experience undeveloped parts of themselves and expand their definitions of themselves and their sex-role possibilities. Stimulation methods actively involve clients in the exploration of sex-role concerns to change restrictive self-concepts. (Author)

  12. Expanding CEP290 mutational spectrum in ciliopathies

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Travaglini, Lorena; Brancati, Francesco; Attie-Bitach, Tania; Audollent, Sophie; Bertini, Enrico; Kaplan, Josseline; Perrault, Isabelle; Iannicelli, Miriam; Mancuso, Brunella; Rigoli, Luciana; Rozet, Jean-Michel; Swistun, Dominika; Tolentino, Jerlyn; Dallapiccola, Bruno; Gleeson, Joseph G.; Valente, Enza Maria; Zankl, A.; Leventer, R.; Grattan-Smith, P.; Janecke, A.; D'Hooghe, M.; Sznajer, Y.; van Coster, R.; Demerleir, L.; Dias, K.; Moco, C.; Moreira, A.; Kim, C. Ae; Maegawa, G.; Petkovic, D.; Abdel-Salam, G. M. H.; Abdel-Aleem, A.; Zaki, M. S.; Marti, I.; Quijano-Roy, S.; Sigaudy, S.; de Lonlay, P.; Romano, S.; Touraine, R.; Koenig, M.; Lagier-Tourenne, C.; Messer, J.; Collignon, P.; Wolf, N.; Philippi, H.; Kitsiou Tzeli, S.; Halldorsson, S.; Johannsdottir, J.; Ludvigsson, P.; Phadke, S. R.; Udani, V.; Stuart, B.; Magee, A.; Lev, D.; Michelson, M.; Ben-Zeev, B.; Fischetto, R.; Benedicenti, F.; Stanzial, F.; Borgatti, R.; Accorsi, P.; Battaglia, S.; Fazzi, E.; Giordano, L.; Pinelli, L.; Boccone, L.; Bigoni, S.; Ferlini, A.; Donati, M. A.; Caridi, G.; Divizia, M. T.; Faravelli, F.; Ghiggeri, G.; Pessagno, A.; Briguglio, M.; Briuglia, S.; Salpietro, C. D.; Tortorella, G.; Adami, A.; Castorina, P.; Lalatta, F.; Marra, G.; Riva, D.; Scelsa, B.; Spaccini, L.; Uziel, G.; del Giudice, E.; Laverda, A. M.; Ludwig, K.; Permunian, A.; Suppiej, A.; Signorini, S.; Uggetti, C.; Battini, R.; Di Giacomo, M.; Cilio, M. R.; Di Sabato, M. L.; Leuzzi, V.; Parisi, P.; Pollazzon, M.; Silengo, M.; de Vescovi, R.; Greco, D.; Romano, C.; Cazzagon, M.; Simonati, A.; Al-Tawari, A. A.; Bastaki, L.; Mégarbané, A.; Sabolic Avramovska, V.; de Jong, M. M.; Stromme, P.; Koul, R.; Rajab, A.; Azam, M.; Barbot, C.; Martorell Sampol, L.; Rodriguez, B.; Pascual-Castroviejo, I.; Teber, S.; Anlar, B.; Comu, S.; Karaca, E.; Kayserili, H.; Yüksel, A.; Akcakus, M.; Al Gazali, L.; Sztriha, L.; Nicholl, D.; Woods, C. G.; Bennett, C.; Hurst, J.; Sheridan, E.; Barnicoat, A.; Hennekam, R.; Lees, M.; Blair, E.; Bernes, S.; Sanchez, H.; Clark, A. E.; DeMarco, E.; Donahue, C.; Sherr, E.; Hahn, J.; Sanger, T. D.; Gallager, T. E.; Dobyns, W. B.; Daugherty, C.; Krishnamoorthy, K. S.; Sarco, D.; Walsh, C. A.; McKanna, T.; Milisa, J.; Chung, W. K.; de Vivo, D. C.; Raynes, H.; Schubert, R.; Seward, A.; Brooks, D. G.; Goldstein, A.; Caldwell, J.; Finsecke, E.; Maria, B. L.; Holden, K.; Cruse, R. P.; Swoboda, K. J.; Viskochil, D.

    2009-01-01

    Ciliopathies are an expanding group of rare conditions characterized by multiorgan involvement, that are caused by mutations in genes encoding for proteins of the primary cilium or its apparatus. Among these genes, CEP290 bears an intriguing allelic spectrum, being commonly mutated in Joubert

  13. Fiber-optic coupling based on nonimaging expanded-beam optics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moslehi, B; Ng, J; Kasimoff, I; Jannson, T

    1989-12-01

    We have fabricated and experimentally tested low-cost and mass-producible multimode fiber-optic couplers and connectors based on nonimaging beam-expanding optics and Liouville's theorem. Analysis indicates that a pair coupling loss of -0.25 dB can be achieved. Experimentally, we measured insertion losses as low as -0.38 dB. The beam expanders can be mass produced owing to the use of plastic injection-molding fabrication techniques and packaged in standard connector housings. This design is compatible with the fiber geometry and can yield highly stable coupling owing to its high tolerance for misalignments.

  14. Scalar-Tensor Black Holes Embedded in an Expanding Universe

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tretyakova, Daria; Latosh, Boris

    2018-02-01

    In this review we focus our attention on scalar-tensor gravity models and their empirical verification in terms of black hole and wormhole physics. We focus on a black hole, embedded in an expanding universe, describing both cosmological and astrophysical scales. We show that in scalar-tensor gravity it is quite common that the local geometry is isolated from the cosmological expansion, so that it does not backreact on the black hole metric. We try to extract common features of scalar-tensor black holes in an expanding universe and point out the gaps that must be filled.

  15. Scalar-Tensor Black Holes Embedded in an Expanding Universe

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daria Tretyakova

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available In this review, we focus our attention on scalar-tensor gravity models and their empirical verification in terms of black hole and wormhole physics. We focus on black holes, embedded in an expanding universe, describing both cosmological and astrophysical scales. We show that in scalar-tensor gravity it is quite common that the local geometry is isolated from the cosmological expansion, so that it does not backreact on the black hole metric. We try to extract common features of scalar-tensor black holes in an expanding universe and point out the issues that are not fully investigated.

  16. Proper Use of Capillary Number in Chemical Flooding

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hu Guo

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Capillary number theory is very important for chemical flooding enhanced oil recovery. The difference between microscopic capillary number and the microscopic one is easy to confuse. After decades of development, great progress has been made in capillary number theory and it has important but sometimes incorrect application in EOR. The capillary number theory was based on capillary tube bundles and Darcy’s law hypothesis, and this should always be kept in mind when used in chemical flooding EOR. The flow in low permeability porous media often shows obvious non-Darcy effects, which is beyond Darcy’s law. Experiments data from ASP flooding and SP flooding showed that remaining oil saturation was not always decreasing as capillary number kept on increasing. Relative permeability was proved function of capillary number; its rate dependence was affected by capillary end effects. The mobility control should be given priority rather than lowering IFT. The displacement efficiency was not increased as displacement velocity increased as expected in heavy oil chemical flooding. Largest capillary number does not always make highest recovery in chemical flooding in heterogeneous reservoir. Misuse of CDC in EOR included the ignorance of mobility ratio, Darcy linear flow hypothesis, difference between microscopic capillary number and the microscopic one, and heterogeneity caused flow regime alteration. Displacement of continuous oil or remobilization of discontinuous oil was quite different.

  17. Famous puzzles of great mathematicians

    CERN Document Server

    Petković, Miodrag S

    2009-01-01

    This entertaining book presents a collection of 180 famous mathematical puzzles and intriguing elementary problems that great mathematicians have posed, discussed, and/or solved. The selected problems do not require advanced mathematics, making this book accessible to a variety of readers. Mathematical recreations offer a rich playground for both amateur and professional mathematicians. Believing that creative stimuli and aesthetic considerations are closely related, great mathematicians from ancient times to the present have always taken an interest in puzzles and diversions. The goal of this

  18. The Great London Smog of 1952.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Polivka, Barbara J

    2018-04-01

    : The Great London Smog of December 1952 lasted five days and killed up to 12,000 people. The smog developed primarily because of extensive burning of high-sulfur coal. The health effects were both immediate and long lasting, with a recent study revealing an increased likelihood of childhood asthma development in those exposed to the Great Smog while in utero or during their first year of life. Subsequent pollution legislation-including the U.S. Clean Air Act and its amendments-have demonstrably reduced air pollution and positively impacted health outcomes. With poor air quality events like the Great Smog continuing to occur today, nurses need to be aware of the impact such environmental disasters can have on human health.

  19. Expanding Agricultural and Rural Extension Roles for Sustainable ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Expanding Agricultural and Rural Extension Roles for Sustainable Extension ... privatization of the public sector of national economies of developing nations has ... include marketing extension, non-farm rural micro enterprise development, ...

  20. Evaluation of external heat loss from a small-scale expander used in organic Rankine cycle

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Jing; Pei Gang; Li Yunzhu; Ji Jie

    2011-01-01

    With the scaling down of the Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC), the engine shaft power is not only determined by the enthalpy drop in the expansion process but also the external heat loss from the expander. Theoretical and experimental support in evaluating small-scale expander heat loss is rare. This paper presents a quantitative study on the convection, radiation, and conduction heat transfer from a kW-scale expander. A mathematical model is built and validated. The results show that the external radiative or convective heat loss coefficient was about 3.2 or 7.0 W/K.m 2 when the ORC operated around 100 o C. Radiative and convective heat loss coefficients increased as the expander operation temperature increased. Conductive heat loss due to the connection between the expander and the support accounted for a large proportion of the total heat loss. The fitting relationships between heat loss and mean temperature difference were established. It is suggested that low conductivity material be embodied in the support of expander. Mattress insulation for compact expander could be eliminated when the operation temperature is around 100 o C. - Highlights: → A close examination of external heat loss from a small expander is presented. → Theoretical analysis and experimental test were conducted. → The established formulas can be applied to other small ORC expanders. → The results are useful in further research of small-scale ORC.

  1. Does partial expander deflation exacerbate the adverse effects of radiotherapy in two-stage breast reconstruction?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Celet Ozden, Burcu; Guven, Erdem; Aslay, Isik; Kemikler, Gonul; Olgac, Vakur; Soluk Tekkesin, Merva; Serarslan, Bengul; Tumerdem Ulug, Burcak; Bilgin Karabulut, Aylin; Arinci, Atilla; Emekli, Ufuk

    2012-02-20

    The optimum protocol for expander volume adjustment with respect to the timing and application of radiotherapy remains controversial. Eighteen New Zealand rabbits were divided into three groups. Metallic port integrated anatomic breast expanders of 250 cc were implanted on the back of each animal and controlled expansion was performed. Group I underwent radiotherapy with full expanders while in Group II, expanders were partially deflated immediately prior to radiotherapy. Control group did not receive radiotherapy.The changes in blood flow at different volume adjustments were investigated in Group II by laser Doppler flowmetry. Variations in the histopathologic properties of the irradiated tissues including the skin, capsule and the pocket floor, were compared in the biopsy specimens taken from different locations in each group. A significant increase in skin blood flow was detected in Group II with partial expander deflation. Overall, histopathologic exam revealed aggravated findings of chronic radiodermatitis (epidermal atrophy, dermal inflammation and fibrosis, neovascularisation and vascular changes as well as increased capsule thickness) especially around the lower expander pole, in Group II. Expander deflation immediately prior to radiotherapy, may augment the adverse effects, especially in the lower expander pole, possibly via enhanced radiosensitization due to a relative increase in the blood flow and tissue oxygenation.

  2. Does partial expander deflation exacerbate the adverse effects of radiotherapy in two-stage breast reconstruction?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Celet Ozden Burcu

    2012-02-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The optimum protocol for expander volume adjustment with respect to the timing and application of radiotherapy remains controversial. Methods Eighteen New Zealand rabbits were divided into three groups. Metallic port integrated anatomic breast expanders of 250 cc were implanted on the back of each animal and controlled expansion was performed. Group I underwent radiotherapy with full expanders while in Group II, expanders were partially deflated immediately prior to radiotherapy. Control group did not receive radiotherapy. The changes in blood flow at different volume adjustments were investigated in Group II by laser Doppler flowmetry. Variations in the histopathologic properties of the irradiated tissues including the skin, capsule and the pocket floor, were compared in the biopsy specimens taken from different locations in each group. Results A significant increase in skin blood flow was detected in Group II with partial expander deflation. Overall, histopathologic exam revealed aggravated findings of chronic radiodermatitis (epidermal atrophy, dermal inflammation and fibrosis, neovascularisation and vascular changes as well as increased capsule thickness especially around the lower expander pole, in Group II. Conclusions Expander deflation immediately prior to radiotherapy, may augment the adverse effects, especially in the lower expander pole, possibly via enhanced radiosensitization due to a relative increase in the blood flow and tissue oxygenation.

  3. STABILIZING CLOUD FEEDBACK DRAMATICALLY EXPANDS THE HABITABLE ZONE OF TIDALLY LOCKED PLANETS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang Jun; Abbot, Dorian S.; Cowan, Nicolas B.

    2013-01-01

    The habitable zone (HZ) is the circumstellar region where a planet can sustain surface liquid water. Searching for terrestrial planets in the HZ of nearby stars is the stated goal of ongoing and planned extrasolar planet surveys. Previous estimates of the inner edge of the HZ were based on one-dimensional radiative-convective models. The most serious limitation of these models is the inability to predict cloud behavior. Here we use global climate models with sophisticated cloud schemes to show that due to a stabilizing cloud feedback, tidally locked planets can be habitable at twice the stellar flux found by previous studies. This dramatically expands the HZ and roughly doubles the frequency of habitable planets orbiting red dwarf stars. At high stellar flux, strong convection produces thick water clouds near the substellar location that greatly increase the planetary albedo and reduce surface temperatures. Higher insolation produces stronger substellar convection and therefore higher albedo, making this phenomenon a stabilizing climate feedback. Substellar clouds also effectively block outgoing radiation from the surface, reducing or even completely reversing the thermal emission contrast between dayside and nightside. The presence of substellar water clouds and the resulting clement surface conditions will therefore be detectable with the James Webb Space Telescope.

  4. Three-Dimensional Geologic Characterization of a Great Basin Geothermal System: Astor Pass, Nevada

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mayhew, Brett; Siler, Drew L; Faulds, James E

    2013-09-30

    The Great Basin, western USA, exhibits anomalously high heat flow (~75±5 mWm-2) and active faulting and extension, resulting in ~430 known geothermal systems. Recent studies have shown that steeply dipping normal faults in transtensional pull-aparts are a common structural control of these Great Basin geothermal systems. The Astor Pass blind (no surface expression) geothermal system, Nevada, lies along the boundary between the Basin and Range to the east and the Walker Lane to the west. Across this boundary, strain is transferred from dextral shear in the Walker Lane to west-northwest directed extension in the Basin and Range, resulting in a transtensional setting consisting of both northwest-striking, left-stepping dextral faults and northerly striking normal faults. Previous studies indicate that Astor Pass was controlled by the intersection of a northwest-striking dextral normal fault and north-northwest striking normal-dextral fault bounding the western side of the Terraced Hills. Drilling (to ~1200 m) has revealed fluid temperatures of ~94°C, confirming a blind geothermal system. Expanding upon previous work and employing interpretation of 2D seismic reflection data, additional detailed geologic mapping, and well cuttings analysis, a 3-dimensional geologic model of the Astor Pass geothermal system was constructed. The 3D model indicates a complex interaction/intersection area of three discrete fault zones: a northwest-striking dextral-normal fault, a north-northwest-striking normal-dextral fault, and a north-striking west-dipping normal fault. These two discrete, critically-stressed intersection areas plunge moderately to steeply to the NW-NNW and probably act as conduits for upwelling geothermal fluids.

  5. Great Expectations for Middle School Counselors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wright, Robert J.

    2012-01-01

    During the Great Recession, 2008 to 2010, school systems scrambled to balance budgets, and the ratio of counselors to students became even larger. To make matters worse, the Great Recession had a major impact on cuts in educational funding. Budget cutbacks tend to occur where the public will be least likely to notice. The loss of teachers and the…

  6. Hybrid Scenarios, Transmedia Storytelling, Expanded Ethnography

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daniel Domínguez Figaredo

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available The transformation of social scenarios due to the impact of digital technologies, introduces new possibilities for ethnographic research. Once the initial approaches focused on the dichotomy of “physical-virtual spaces” have been overcame, it comes a stage of maturity that allows the ethnographers to open new avenues for conceptual and analytical methodology applied in techno-social scenarios. This article discusses the evolution of some key dimensions of ethnography according to the new social and epistemological framework. The discussion is based on the analysis of expanded practices that take place in the new techno-social spaces, defined as hybrid environments, where technologies are embedded in the physical life of the subjects. On the one hand, we consider the production of actions based on the assembly of ideas, meanings and objects through digital mediation devices. It is also analysed the transmedia component of the narratives that make sense to allow the experiments. Underlying the analysis, some elements are introduced for discussion on the scope of expanded ethnographic research, the influence of transmedia phenomenon in the notion of “field” and the methods for determining the significance through digital storytelling.

  7. Bank Directors’ Perceptions of Expanded Auditor's Reports

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Boolaky, Pran Krishansing; Quick, Reiner

    2016-01-01

    Subsequent to the financial crisis, standard setters developed suggestions for enhancing the audit function, in order to increase financial stability. One related idea is to expand the audit report disclosed to the public, to ensure that it is fit for purpose. This study investigates the impact o...

  8. Future Scenarios as a Research Tool: Investigating Climate Change Impacts, Adaptation Options and Outcomes for the Great Barrier Reef, Australia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Evans, Louisa S; Hicks, Christina C; Fidelman, Pedro; Tobin, Renae C; Perry, Allison L

    2013-01-01

    Climate change is a significant future driver of change in coastal social-ecological systems. Our knowledge of impacts, adaptation options, and possible outcomes for marine environments and coastal industries is expanding, but remains limited and uncertain. Alternative scenarios are a way to explore potential futures under a range of conditions. We developed four alternative future scenarios for the Great Barrier Reef and its fishing and tourism industries positing moderate and more extreme (2-3 °C above pre-industrial temperatures) warming for 2050 and contrasting 'limited' and 'ideal' ecological and social adaptation. We presented these scenarios to representatives of key stakeholder groups to assess the perceived viability of different social adaptation options to deliver desirable outcomes under varied contexts.

  9. Great Indoors Awards 2007

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    2007-01-01

    Hollandis Maastrichtis jagati 17. XI esimest korda rahvusvahelist auhinda The Great Indoors Award. Aasta sisekujundusfirmaks valiti Masamichi Katayama asutatud Wonderwall. Auhinna said veel Zaha Hadid, Heatherwick Studio, Ryui Nakamura Architects ja Item Idem

  10. Energy and water in the Great Lakes.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tidwell, Vincent Carroll

    2011-11-01

    The nexus between thermoelectric power production and water use is not uniform across the U.S., but rather differs according to regional physiography, demography, power plant fleet composition, and the transmission network. That is, in some regions water demand for thermoelectric production is relatively small while in other regions it represents the dominate use. The later is the case for the Great Lakes region, which has important implications for the water resources and aquatic ecology of the Great Lakes watershed. This is today, but what about the future? Projected demographic trends, shifting lifestyles, and economic growth coupled with the threat of global climate change and mounting pressure for greater U.S. energy security could have profound effects on the region's energy future. Planning for such an uncertain future is further complicated by the fact that energy and environmental planning and regulatory decisionmaking is largely bifurcated in the region, with environmental and water resource concerns generally taken into account after new energy facilities and technologies have been proposed, or practices are already in place. Based on these confounding needs, the objective of this effort is to develop Great Lakes-specific methods and tools to integrate energy and water resource planning and thereby support the dual goals of smarter energy planning and development, and protection of Great Lakes water resources. Guiding policies for this planning are the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact and the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. The desired outcome of integrated energy-water-aquatic resource planning is a more sustainable regional energy mix for the Great Lakes basin ecosystem.

  11. Bulletin Boards: The Great Corkboard Wasteland.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reith, James W.

    1970-01-01

    A successful classroom bulletin board display should not only be decorative, but also must have clear-cut purposes and functions: informational (i.e., post current school news), instructional (i.e., expand on classroom units), and motivational (i.e., tap subliminal awareness). Some suggested techniques include (1) using space other than the…

  12. Expanding the Visibility of Women's Work: Policy Implications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Messias, DeAnne K. Hilfinger; Regev, Hanna; Im, Eun-Ok; Spiers, Judith A.; Van, Paulina; Meleis, Afaf Ibrahim

    1997-01-01

    Social conceptualization and media images of women's work affect health and social policy formation. Nurses can expand the visibility of women's work and promote gender-sensitive policies within and outside the profession. (SK)

  13. The expanding plasma jet

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sanden, M.C.M. van den.

    1991-01-01

    This thesis concerns the fundamental aspects of an argon plasma expanding from a cascaded arc. This type of plasma is not only used for fundamental research but also for technologically orientated research on plasma deposition and plasma sources. The important characteristics of the plasma are a strong supersonic expansion in which the neutral particle and ion densities decrease three orders of magnitude, followed by a stationary shock front. After the shock front the plasma expands further subsonically. A part of this thesis is devoted to the discussion of a newly constructed combined Thomson-Rayleigh scattering set up. With this set up the electron density, the electron temperature and the neutral particle density are measured locally in the plasma for different conditions. In the analysis of the measured spectra weak coherent effects and the measured apparatus profile are included. The inaccuracies are small, ranging from 1 to 4 percent for the electron density and 2 to 6 percent for the electron temperature, depending on the plasma conditions. The inaccuracy of the neutral particle density determination is larger and ranges from 10 to 50 percent. The detection limits for the electron and neutral particle density are 7.10 17 m -3 and 1.10 20 m -3 respectively. A side path in this thesis is the derivation of the Saha equation for a two-temperature plasma. The reason for this derivation was the dispute in the literature about the correct form of this equation. In this thesis it is shown, from the correct extension of the second law of thermodynamics and from the non-equilibrium formalism of Zubarev, That in the limit of m e /m h ->0 the generalized Saha equation depends on the electron temperature only. (author). 221 refs.; 54 figs.; 13 tabs

  14. Experience of Soviet Medicine in a Great Patriotic War, 1941-1945. Volume 16, Section 4.

    Science.gov (United States)

    1980-10-22

    suppurative arthritis . (11). osteomyelitis. (12). combination of reasons indicated. (13). Shoulder. (14). During primary processing. (15). In another time...the injury. Page t87. The number of imputations apropos of suppurative arthritis and oste~myelitis was comparatively small; o.vidently, as direct...the solutions of antibiotics. As great achievement should be noted the wide and general/universal use/application of physiotherapy , therapeutic

  15. Foundations of analysis over surreal number fields

    CERN Document Server

    Alling, NL

    1987-01-01

    In this volume, a tower of surreal number fields is defined, each being a real-closed field having a canonical formal power series structure and many other higher order properties. Formal versions of such theorems as the Implicit Function Theorem hold over such fields. The Main Theorem states that every formal power series in a finite number of variables over a surreal field has a positive radius of hyper-convergence within which it may be evaluated. Analytic functions of several surreal and surcomplex variables can then be defined and studied. Some first results in the one variable case are derived. A primer on Conway''s field of surreal numbers is also given. Throughout the manuscript, great efforts have been made to make the volume fairly self-contained. Much exposition is given. Many references are cited. While experts may want to turn quickly to new results, students should be able to find the explanation of many elementary points of interest. On the other hand, many new results are given, and much mathe...

  16. Energy efficiency analysis of Organic Rankine Cycles with scroll expanders for cogenerative applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Clemente, Stefano; Micheli, Diego; Reini, Mauro; Taccani, Rodolfo

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► We present an ORC model composed of a scroll 1D model and a cycle thermodynamic one. ► High-series production components from HVAC field are considered to reduce costs. ► Couplings of the micro-CHP with low-temperature heat sources are analyzed. ► Small and low-cost CHP systems with acceptable electrical efficiency are realizable. ► Higher electrical efficiency are possible modifying the scroll geometry. -- Abstract: Small scale Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) systems has been the object of a large number of studies in the last decade, because of their suitability for energy recovery and cogenerative applications. The paper presents an ORC numerical model and its applications to two different case studies; the code has been obtained by combining a one-dimensional model of a scroll machine and a thermodynamic model of a whole ORC system. Series production components, such as scroll compressors, from HVAC field, have been first considered in order to reduce costs, because this is a critical issue for small scale energy recovery and cogeneration systems. The detailed model of the scroll machine is capable to calculate the performances of both a compressor and an expander, as function of the geometry of the device and of the working fluid. The model has been first tested and validated by comparing its outputs with experimental tests on a commercial scroll compressor, then used to calculate the working curves of commercial scroll machines originally designed as compressors in the HVAC field, but operating as expanders. The model of the expander has been then integrated in the thermodynamic model of the ORC system. A series of comparisons have been carried out in order to evaluate how the performances are influenced by cycle parameters, scroll geometry and working fluid for different applications. The results confirm the feasibility of small scale CHP systems with acceptable electrical efficiency, taking into account the low-temperature thermal source

  17. Mechanistic aspects of radioprotection by todralazine hydrochloride, a hematopoietic stem cell expanding agent

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dimri, Manali; Joshi, Jaidev; Jain, Sanjoli; Ghosh, Subhajit; Srivastva, Nitisha; Prem Kumar, Indracanti; Chakrabarti, Rina

    2014-01-01

    Previously, we have reported todralazine hydrochloride, an antihypertensive drug, as a radioprotector and hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) expanding agent. The present study aims at unraveling mechanistic aspects of its radioprotective and HSC expanding potential. Zebrafish Tg (cmyb:GFP) embryos treated with 5 μM todralazine from 24-36 hours post fertilization (hpf), increased the number of HSCs (∼ 2 folds) at aorta gonad mesonephros (AGM) region. Similarly, the expression of HSC marker genes, runx1 (3.3 folds) and cMyb (1.4 folds) were also found to be increased. Further, todralazine also accelerated hematopoietic lineage production, erythropoiesis, as evaluated in chemical induced anemic model in zebrafish. Genome wide expression changes in todralazine treated embryos (from 24-36 hpf) using microarray, revealed up and down regulation of 645 and 429 genes respectively. Pathway analysis using DAVID database strongly suggested up regulation of wnt pathway (p<0.019253), which is known to involve in HSC expansion, in todralazine pre-treated embryos. NOS1, known to have its role in HSC expansion through wnt pathway, has been significantly upregulated (1.54 folds; q PCR) by todralazine treatment (from 24-36 hpf). Todralazine treatment (∼30 minutes; 20 Gy) led to a significant upregulation of antioxidant genes (SOD, catalase), DNA damage response genes (p53, p21, GADD45) and nucleotide excision repair genes (XPC, XPA, XPF, XPD) when compared to irradiated control. Immunohistochemical analysis of DNA damage marker (γH2AX) (30 minutes post irradiation), further supported radiation induced DNA damage and protection by todralazine pre-treatment. Corroborating these results, pre-irradiation treatment of todralazine reduced radiation induced apoptosis (caspase 3 assay). Overall, the results suggest that, todralazine protects zebrafish from radiation induced damages by upregulating antioxidant defense system, DNA damage recognition, DNA repair machinery and by reducing cell

  18. Circle diffeomorphisms forced by expanding circle maps

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Homburg, A.J.

    2012-01-01

    We discuss the dynamics of skew product maps defined by circle diffeomorphisms forced by expanding circle maps. We construct an open class of such systems that are robustly topologically mixing and for which almost all points in the same fiber converge under iteration. This property follows from the

  19. The International Relations Committee of the Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aitken, H; O'Sullivan, E

    2007-12-01

    The International Relations Committee of the Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland was established over 30 years ago to assist anaesthetists working in developing countries. The committee has attempted to make an impact through distribution of educational materials, supporting training courses and investing in a number of small equipment projects. In 2005, the Overseas Anaesthesia Fund was set up to allow members to donate directly to support our work.

  20. Good Manufacturing Practice-Compliant Production and Lot-Release of Ex Vivo Expanded Regulatory T Cells As Basis for Treatment of Patients with Autoimmune and Inflammatory Disorders

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Manuel Wiesinger

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available In recent years, the exploration of regulatory T cell (Treg-based cellular therapy has become an attractive strategy to ameliorate inflammation and autoimmunity in various clinical settings. The main obstacle to the clinical application of Treg in human is their low number circulating in peripheral blood. Therefore, ex vivo expansion is inevitable. Moreover, isolation of Treg bears the risk of concurrent isolation of unwanted effector cells, which may trigger or deteriorate inflammation upon adoptive Treg transfer. Here, we present a protocol for the GMP-compliant production, lot-release and validation of ex vivo expanded Tregs for treatment of patients with autoimmune and inflammatory disorders. In the presented production protocol, large numbers of Treg, previously enriched from a leukapheresis product by using the CliniMACS® system, are ex vivo expanded in the presence of anti-CD3/anti-CD28 expander beads, exogenous IL-2 and rapamycin during 21 days. The expanded Treg drug product passed predefined lot-release criteria. These criteria include (i sterility testing, (ii assessment of Treg phenotype, (iii assessment of non-Treg cellular impurities, (iv confirmation of successful anti-CD3/anti-CD28 expander bead removal after expansion, and (v confirmation of the biological function of the Treg product. Furthermore, the Treg drug product was shown to retain its stability and suppressive function for at least 1 year after freezing and thawing. Also, dilution of the Treg drug product in 0.9% physiological saline did not affect Treg phenotype and Treg function for up to 90 min. These data indicate that these cells are ready to use in a clinical setting in which a cell infusion time of up to 90 min can be expected. The presented production process has recently undergone on site GMP-conform evaluation and received GMP certification from the Bavarian authorities in Germany. This protocol can now be used for Treg-based therapy of various

  1. Trace element analysis of Alexander the Great's silver tetradrachms minted in Macedonia

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kallithrakas-Kontos, N. E-mail: kalli@mred.tuc.gr; Katsanos, A.A.; Touratsoglou, J

    2000-11-01

    The coinage of Alexander the Great presents a special interest because of its international character in the frame of the ancient times. At least 31 mints (from Aigai to Babylon and from Pella to Alexandreia) operated in the vast state, which was created by Alexander in just over 10 years (334-323 BC). Impressive quantities of tetradrachms were consequently minted for the economic affairs of an expanding state. The mints continued to be active and after the premature death of the Macedonian king, producing among others and tetradrachms in his name. The elemental chemical composition of silver tetradrachms minted in Amphipolis as well as in other Macedonian Greek cities was analysed by energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF), and 12 elements were determined. The problem of the patina (silver corrosion layer) effects on the results was examined by analysis before and after the corrosion product removal. From the results of the chemical composition, a similar numismatic policy is deduced for all the analysed coin as well as metal provenance indications for some of the coins.

  2. Quantifying the impact of expanded age group campaigns for polio eradication.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wagner, Bradley G; Behrend, Matthew R; Klein, Daniel J; Upfill-Brown, Alexander M; Eckhoff, Philip A; Hu, Hao

    2014-01-01

    A priority of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) 2013-2018 strategic plan is to evaluate the potential impact on polio eradication resulting from expanding one or more Supplementary Immunization Activities (SIAs) to children beyond age five-years in polio endemic countries. It has been hypothesized that such expanded age group (EAG) campaigns could accelerate polio eradication by eliminating immunity gaps in older children that may have resulted from past periods of low vaccination coverage. Using an individual-based mathematical model, we quantified the impact of EAG campaigns in terms of probability of elimination, reduction in polio transmission and age stratified immunity levels. The model was specifically calibrated to seroprevalence data from a polio-endemic region: Zaria, Nigeria. We compared the impact of EAG campaigns, which depend only on age, to more targeted interventions which focus on reaching missed populations. We found that EAG campaigns would not significantly improve prospects for polio eradication; the probability of elimination increased by 8% (from 24% at baseline to 32%) when expanding three annual SIAs to 5-14 year old children and by 18% when expanding all six annual SIAs. In contrast, expanding only two of the annual SIAs to target hard-to-reach populations at modest vaccination coverage-representing less than one tenth of additional vaccinations required for the six SIA EAG scenario-increased the probability of elimination by 55%. Implementation of EAG campaigns in polio endemic regions would not improve prospects for eradication. In endemic areas, vaccination campaigns which do not target missed populations will not benefit polio eradication efforts.

  3. Savage numbers and the evolution of civilization in Victorian prehistory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barany, Michael J

    2014-06-01

    This paper identifies 'savage numbers'--number-like or number-replacing concepts and practices attributed to peoples viewed as civilizationally inferior--as a crucial and hitherto unrecognized body of evidence in the first two decades of the Victorian science of prehistory. It traces the changing and often ambivalent status of savage numbers in the period after the 1858-1859 'time revolution' in the human sciences by following successive reappropriations of an iconic 1853 story from Francis Galton's African travels. In response to a fundamental lack of physical evidence concerning prehistoric men, savage numbers offered a readily available body of data that helped scholars envisage great extremes of civilizational lowliness in a way that was at once analysable and comparable, and anecdotes like Galton's made those data vivid and compelling. Moreover, they provided a simple and direct means of conceiving of the progressive scale of civilizational development, uniting societies and races past and present, at the heart of Victorian scientific racism.

  4. Subclinical leaflet thickening and stent frame geometry in self-expanding transcatheter heart valves

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fuchs, Andreas; De Backer, Ole; Brooks, Matthew

    2017-01-01

    AIMS: This study aimed to assess the potential relationship between subclinical leaflet thickening and stent frame geometry in patients who underwent aortic valve replacement with a self-expanding transcatheter heart valve (THV). METHODS AND RESULTS: Seventy-five patients with a self-expanding THV....... CONCLUSIONS: Regional THV stent frame underexpansion is associated with an increased risk of leaflet thickening. Post-dilatation of self-expanding THV as well as a supra-annular valve position seem to reduce the occurrence of this phenomenon....

  5. Ex-vivo expanded human NK cells express activating receptors that mediate cytotoxicity of allogeneic and autologous cancer cell lines by direct recognition and antibody directed cellular cytotoxicity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Campana Dario

    2010-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The possibility that autologous NK cells could serve as an effective treatment modality for solid tumors has long been considered. However, implementation is hampered by (i the small number of NK cells in peripheral blood, (ii the difficulties associated with large-scale production of GMP compliant cytolytic NK cells, (iii the need to activate the NK cells in order to induce NK cell mediated killing and (iv the constraints imposed by autologous inhibitory receptor-ligand interactions. To address these issues, we determined (i if large numbers of NK cells could be expanded from PBMC and GMP compliant cell fractions derived by elutriation, (ii their ability to kill allogeneic and autologous tumor targets by direct cytotoxitiy and by antibody-mediated cellular cytotoxicity and (iii defined NK cell specific receptor-ligand interactions that mediate tumor target cell killing. Methods Human NK cells were expanded during 14 days. Expansion efficiency, NK receptor repertoire before and after expansion, expression of NK specific ligands, cytolytic activity against allogeneic and autologous tumor targets, with and without the addition of chimeric EGFR monoclonal antibody, were investigated. Results Cell expansion shifted the NK cell receptor repertoire towards activation and resulted in cytotoxicity against various allogeneic tumor cell lines and autologous gastric cancer cells, while sparing normal PBMC. Blocking studies confirmed that autologous cytotoxicity is established through multiple activating receptor-ligand interactions. Importantly, expanded NK cells also mediated ADCC in an autologous and allogeneic setting by antibodies that are currently being used to treat patients with select solid tumors. Conclusion These data demonstrate that large numbers of cytolytic NK cells can be generated from PBMC and lymphocyte-enriched fractions obtained by GMP compliant counter current elutriation from PBMC, establishing the preclinical

  6. Esophagojejunal anastomotic leak managed with self expandable metallic stent

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Arvind Madurandagam Annapillai

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Esophagealjejunal anastomotic leak after gastrectomy is a serious surgical emergency with high mortality. This report describes a 57-year-old male with esophagojejunal anastomotic leak following total gastrectomy for gastric cancer and was managed successfully with self-expandable metallic stent. To our knowledge this is the first such report from India. This case report highlights the need of interdisciplinary coordination in managing this difficult clinical situation. Endotherapy with self-expandable metallic stent (SEM provided twin benefits of improving respiratory embarrassment and the joy of eating. Therapy of such difficult cases must be individualized; however, and SEM stent usage is a viable option

  7. Dissipation and fluctuation of quantum fields in expanding universes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Morikawa, M.

    1990-01-01

    A stochastic dynamics of a long-wavelength part of a scalar field in an expanding universe is derived by using the influence functional method. Dissipation as well as fluctuation are derived for general parameters: a mass, a coupling to the scalar curvature, and a cutoff scale parameter. A dissipation-fluctuation relation is found with a temperature which is proportional to the Hawking temperature, but system dependent. The method is further applied to an expanding universe with a power law and yields the dispersion which agrees with that obtained by the regularization method. The back reaction to the background de Sitter space itself is also obtained

  8. Assessing saltmarsh resilience to sea-level rise by examining sediment transport trends in the Great Marsh, MA.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hughes, Z. J.; Georgiou, I. Y.; Gaweesh, A.; Hanegan, K.; FitzGerald, D.; Hein, C. J.

    2017-12-01

    Under accelerating sea-level rise (SLR), marshes are vulnerable to increased inundation, dependent on their ability to accrete vertically or expand into upland areas. Accretion is a function of organic and inorganic contributions from plant biomass and suspended sediment deposition, respectively. Along the east coast of the US, present rates of SLR are higher than they have been for over 1000 years and are expected to increase in the near future. To predict the resilience of saltmarshes, we urgently need improved understanding of spatial patterns of sediment transport and deposition within these systems. This study examines time-series of suspended sediment concentration and flow collected using ADCP-OBS units, deployed throughout the Great Marsh System. We compare the data to model results and observations of short and long term deposition throughout the system. Field observations show that tidal amplitude and phase vary throughout the Great Marsh. Tidal asymmetry increases inland from the estuary mouth, and the maximum phase lag is 2 hours. This effect is strongest during low slack tide; with a delay of only 30-45 minutes at high tide. Tidal velocities exhibit strong asymmetry, reflected in pulses of sediment movement. Sediment transport initiates at mid ebb, peaking 1.5-2.5 hours later, decreasing through low slack tide for 7-9 hours until high slack tide. The results have broad implications for the potential input of inorganic sediment to the marsh platform. Results from a validated Delft3D model reproduce field observations and expand spatial sediment transport trends. We experiment by releasing sediment in different parts of the estuary, mimicking marsh edge or tidal flat erosion, and tracking mud and sand transport trajectories. Sands remains proximal to the erosion site, whereas mud is more mobile and travels farther, reaching the inlet within days of erosion. Longer simulations suggest that despite higher mobility, muds remain mostly in the channels and

  9. Expanding Business Opportunities for African Youth in Agricultural ...

    International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

    Expanding Business Opportunities for African Youth in Agricultural Value ... sector actors who can help commercialize them and achieve large-scale impacts. ... CultiAF supports research to achieve long-term food security in Eastern and ...

  10. Artificial propagation of coregonines in the management of the Laurentian Great Lakes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Todd, Thomas N.

    1986-01-01

    Numerous stresses caused wide fluctuations in the abundance of Great Lakes coregonine fishes during the last century. State, Provincial, and Federal agencies attempted to bolster these fisheries by stocking more than 32 billion fry of lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) and 6 billion fry of lake herring (C. artedii) over a period of about 90 years (1870-1960). Propagation efforts were unsuccessful in arresting the decline of these fishes, perhaps because the stocking densities were too low. It appears that stocking densities must exceed 41% of the natural hatch to produce measurable success in a planting program that augments natural reproduction. Stocking of any of the Great Lakes with lake whitefish at these levels would require several billion fry per lake annually. Such a program is too large to be practical and intensified protection of the remaining stocks would be more cost effective. A species such as the shortnose cisco (C. reighardi) which has only a small number of extant individuals, and can therefore be significantly augmented with fewer stocked fish, may be a much better candidate for propagation than is the lake whitefish. Propagation of coregonines in the Great Lakes should be considered only in localities that have little or no natural recruitment and then only for rehabilitation, and only if accompanied by adequate assessment of the performance of the stocked fish.

  11. Microcontact printing of polydopamine on thermally expandable hydrogels for controlled cell adhesion and delivery of geometrically defined microtissues.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Yu Bin; Kim, Se-Jeong; Kim, Eum Mi; Byun, Hayeon; Chang, Hyung-Kwan; Park, Jungyul; Choi, Yu Suk; Shin, Heungsoo

    2017-10-01

    Scaffold-free harvest of microtissue with a defined structure has received a great deal of interest in cell-based assay and regenerative medicine. In this study, we developed thermally expandable hydrogels with spatially controlled cell adhesive patterns for rapid harvest of geometrically controlled microtissue. We patterned polydopamine (PD) on to the hydrogel via microcontact printing (μCP), in linear shapes with widths of 50, 100 and 200μm. The hydrogels facilitated formation of spatially controlled strip-like microtissue of human dermal fibroblasts (HDFBs). It was possible to harvest and translocate microtissues with controlled widths of 61.4±14.7, 104.3±15.6, and 186.6±22.3μm from the hydrogel to glass substrates by conformal contact upon expansion of the hydrogel in response to a temperature change from 37 to 4°C, preserving high viability, extracellular matrix, and junction proteins. Microtissues were readily translocated in vivo to the subcutaneous tissue of mouse. The microtissues were further utilized as a simple assay model for monitoring of contraction in response to ROCK1 inhibitor. Collectively, micro-sized patterning of PD on the thermally expandable hydrogels via μCP holds promise for the development of microtissue harvesting systems that can be employed to ex vivo tissue assay and cell-based therapy. Harvest of artificial tissue with controlled cellular arrangement independently from external materials has been widely studied in cell-based assay and regenerative medicine. In this study, we developed scaffold-free harvest system of microtissues with anisotropic arrangement and controlled width by exploiting thermally expandable hydrogels with cell-adhesive patterns of polydopamine formed by simple microcontact printing. Cultured strips of human dermal fibroblasts on the hydrogels were rapidly delivered to various targets ranging from flat coverglass to mice subcutaneous tissue by thermal expansion of the hydrogel at 4°C for 10min. These

  12. Psychological effects of false-positive results in expanded newborn screening in China.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wen-Jun Tu

    Full Text Available OBJECTIVES: As more families participate expanded newborn screening for metabolic disorders in China, the overall number of false positives increases. Our goal was to assess the potential impact on parental stress, perceptions of the child's health, and family relationships. METHODS: Parents of 49 infants with false-positive screening results for metabolic disorders in the expanded newborn screening panel were compared with parents of 42 children with normal screening results. Parents first completed structured interview using likert scales, closed and open questions. Parents also completed the parenting stress index. RESULTS: A total of 88 mothers and 41 fathers were interviewed. More mothers in the false-positive group reported that their children required extra parental care (21%, compared with 5% of mothers in the normal-screened group (P<0.001. 39% of mothers in the false-positive group reported that they worry about their child's future development, compared with 10% of mothers in the normal-screened group (P<0.001. Fathers in the false-positive group did not differ from fathers in the normal-screened group in reporting worry about their child's extra care requirements, and their child's future development. Children with false-positive results compared with children with normal results were triple as likely to experience hospitalization (27%vs 9%, respectively; P<0.001. CONCLUSIONS: The results showing false-positive screening results may affect parental stress and the parent-child relationship. Parental stress and anxiety can be reduced with improved education and communication to parents about false-positive results.

  13. Overview of the APT high-energy beam transport and beam expanders

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shafer, R.E.; Blind, B.; Gray, E.R.

    1997-01-01

    The APT high energy beam transport (HEBT) and beam expanders convey the 1700-MeV, 100-mA cw proton beam from the linac to the tritium target/blanket assembly, or a tuning beam stop. The HEBT includes extensive beam diagnostics, collimators, and beam jitter correction, to monitor and control the 170-MW beam prior to expansion. A zero-degree beamline conveys the beam to the beam stop, and an achromatic bend conveys the beam to the tritium production target. Nonlinear beam expanders make use of higher-order multipole magnets and dithering dipoles to expand the beam to a uniform-density, 16-cm wide by 160-cm high rectangular profile on the tritium-production target. The overall optics design will be reviewed, and beam simulations will be presented

  14. Development of expanded type plugging technique for leaky tubes of steam generators of Indian PHWRs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Das, Nirupam; Samuel, K.A.; Joemon, V.; Rupani, B.B.

    2006-01-01

    Steam generators are very important component of Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), as they are part of Primary Heat Transport (PHT) system of Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs). A nuclear power plant of 220 MWe capacity has four mushroom type steam generators, each consisting of 1830 U-tubes (16 mm outside diameter and 1 mm wall thickness) made of Incoloy-800 material. The tubes of 'tube and shell type steam generator' act as the pressure boundary of PHT System. Any structural failure of these tubes may lead to release of radioactivity along with plant outage and significant economic loss. Hence, it is necessary to plug the leaky tubes for continued and safe operation of a steam generator. An expanded type plugging technique has been developed at Reactor Engineering Division to plug the leaky tubes. This plugging technique is selected because of low residual stress imparted in the adjacent 'tube to tube-sheet' joints. This plug meets the various codal requirements of steam generator. A number of qualification trials have been carried out with such plugs in the mock up facility. The expanded plugs meet the design requirements for pull out strength and leak-tightness. This paper describes the design concept of the plug, developmental aspects and qualification of the plugging technique. (author)

  15. The Great War and German Memory

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Leese, Peter

    2012-01-01

    Review essay on Jason Crouthamel, The Great War and German Memory. Society, Politics and Psychological Trauma, 1914-18 (2009) and Anton Kaes, Shell Shock Cinema: Weimar Culture and the Wounds of War (2009)......Review essay on Jason Crouthamel, The Great War and German Memory. Society, Politics and Psychological Trauma, 1914-18 (2009) and Anton Kaes, Shell Shock Cinema: Weimar Culture and the Wounds of War (2009)...

  16. Determinants of residential space heating expenditures in Great Britain

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Meier, Helena [Department of Economics, University of Hamburg, Von Melle Park 5, 20146 Hamburg (Germany); Rehdanz, Katrin [Department of Economics, University of Kiel, Olshausenstrasse 40, 24118 Kiel (Germany)

    2010-09-15

    In Great Britain, several policy measures have been implemented in order to increase energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions. In the domestic sector, this could, for example, be achieved by improving space heating efficiency and thus decreasing heating expenditure. However, in order to efficiently design and implement such policy measures, a better understanding of the determinants affecting heating expenditure is needed. In this paper we examine the following determinants: socio-economic factors, building characteristics, heating technologies and weather conditions. In contrast to most other studies we use panel data to investigate household demand for heating in Great Britain. Our data sample is the result of an annual set of interviews with more than 5000 households, starting in 1991 and ending in 2005. The sample represents a total of 64,000 observations over the fifteen-year period. Our aim is to derive price and income elasticities both for Britain as a whole and for different types of household. Our results suggest that differences exist between owner-occupied and renter households. These households react differently to changes in income and prices. Our results also imply that a number of socio-economic criteria have a significant influence on heating expenditure, independently of the fuel used for heating. Understanding the impacts of different factors on heating expenditure and impact differences between types of household is helpful in designing target-oriented policy measures. (author)

  17. Prevalence and correlates of posttrauma distorted beliefs: evaluating DSM-5 PTSD expanded cognitive symptoms in a national sample.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cox, Keith S; Resnick, Heidi S; Kilpatrick, Dean G

    2014-06-01

    The fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5; American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2013) modified the diagnostic criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), including expanding the scope of dysfunctional, posttrauma changes in belief (symptoms D2-persistent negative beliefs and expectations about oneself or the world, and D3-persistent distorted blame of self or others for the cause or consequences of the traumatic event). D2 and D3 were investigated using a national sample of U.S. adults (N = 2,498) recruited from an online panel. The prevalence of D2 and D3 was substantially higher among those with lifetime PTSD than among trauma-exposed individuals without lifetime PTSD (D2: 74.6% vs 23.9%; D3: 80.6% vs 35.7%). In multivariate analyses, the strongest associates of D2 were interpersonal assault (OR = 2.39), witnessing interpersonal assault (OR = 1.63), gender (female, OR = 2.11), and number of reported traumatic events (OR = 1.88). The strongest correlates of D3 were interpersonal assault (OR = 3.08), witnessing interpersonal assault (OR = 1.57), gender (female, OR = 2.30), and number of reported traumatic events (OR = 1.91). The findings suggested the expanded cognitive symptoms in the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria better capture the cognitive complexity of PTSD than those of the DSM-IV. Copyright © 2014 International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies.

  18. Iraq: Usa and Great Britain hold up an agreement on limited sales of Iraq petroleum

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    1996-01-01

    The negotiations United Nations/Iraq have been stopped because of objections coming from Usa and Great Britain. Three points were developed: The distribution of medicine and foods in three Kurdish countries, these countries are actually under the United nations control, Iraq wants to participate at the distribution but Usa and Great Britain think that it could be a way of pressure from Iraq on Kurdish countries and in this mind they refuse. The second point is about the sequestered banking account on which must be deposited the receipts of Iraqi petroleum sales which must be put under United Nation control in order to avoid, according to Washington and London, that Iraq uses it to get round the sanctions. The third point is that Usa and Great Britain consider that the resolution number 986 has only for object to relieve the pains of Iraqi people and its application must not be interpreted as a lightening of international sanctions against Iraq. The results of the suspension are a surge of petroleum prices on international market and a fall of Iraqi Dinar. (N.C.)

  19. Impaired heat shock response in cells expressing full-length polyglutamine-expanded huntingtin.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sidhartha M Chafekar

    Full Text Available The molecular mechanisms by which polyglutamine (polyQ-expanded huntingtin (Htt causes neurodegeneration in Huntington's disease (HD remain unclear. The malfunction of cellular proteostasis has been suggested as central in HD pathogenesis and also as a target of therapeutic interventions for the treatment of HD. We present results that offer a previously unexplored perspective regarding impaired proteostasis in HD. We find that, under non-stress conditions, the proteostatic capacity of cells expressing full length polyQ-expanded Htt is adequate. Yet, under stress conditions, the presence of polyQ-expanded Htt impairs the heat shock response, a key component of cellular proteostasis. This impaired heat shock response results in a reduced capacity to withstand the damage caused by cellular stress. We demonstrate that in cells expressing polyQ-expanded Htt the levels of heat shock transcription factor 1 (HSF1 are reduced, and, as a consequence, these cells have an impaired a heat shock response. Also, we found reduced HSF1 and HSP70 levels in the striata of HD knock-in mice when compared to wild-type mice. Our results suggests that full length, non-aggregated polyQ-expanded Htt blocks the effective induction of the heat shock response under stress conditions and may thus trigger the accumulation of cellular damage during the course of HD pathogenesis.

  20. Spatial clustering of childhood cancer in Great Britain during the period 1969-1993.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McNally, Richard J Q; Alexander, Freda E; Vincent, Tim J; Murphy, Michael F G

    2009-02-15

    The aetiology of childhood cancer is poorly understood. Both genetic and environmental factors are likely to be involved. The presence of spatial clustering is indicative of a very localized environmental component to aetiology. Spatial clustering is present when there are a small number of areas with greatly increased incidence or a large number of areas with moderately increased incidence. To determine whether localized environmental factors may play a part in childhood cancer aetiology, we analyzed for spatial clustering using a large set of national population-based data from Great Britain diagnosed 1969-1993. The Potthoff-Whittinghill method was used to test for extra-Poisson variation (EPV). Thirty-two thousand three hundred and twenty-three cases were allocated to 10,444 wards using diagnosis addresses. Analyses showed statistically significant evidence of clustering for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) over the whole age range (estimate of EPV = 0.05, p = 0.002) and for ages 1-4 years (estimate of EPV = 0.03, p = 0.015). Soft-tissue sarcoma (estimate of EPV = 0.03, p = 0.04) and Wilms tumours (estimate of EPV = 0.04, p = 0.007) also showed significant clustering. Clustering tended to persist across different time periods for cases of ALL (estimate of between-time period EPV = 0.04, p =0.003). In conclusion, we observed low level spatial clustering that is attributable to a limited number of cases. This suggests that environmental factors, which in some locations display localized clustering, may be important aetiological agents in these diseases. For ALL and soft tissue sarcoma, but not Wilms tumour, common infectious agents may be likely candidates.